Friday Fragments From My Neck Of The Woods…

Another week has come and gone again.  I haven’t been able to concentrate long enough to write a themed post, this week, so how about a few fragments about life in our neck of the woods?

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Ed almost didn’t plant any sweet potatoes, this year.  However, in June, just as we were about to throw away the remnants of last year’s yams, we discovered that some of the potatoes had begun to sprout–at lot!  So, we cut off the sprouts, and planted them, even though most of them had no roots yet. (usually we break off the sprouts and let them grow roots in water first)  To our surprise, the sprouts lived, and soon began growing sweet potato vines.  Last week, Ed plowed up the plants, and dug the potatoes.  He was pleased with his crop!

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The chickens are driving me crazy! Trying to teach them to sleep on the perches in the chicken coop has been frustrating, to put it mildly. I never know what I’m going to find when I go outside to close them up for the evening.  At first, none of the chicks were on perches, but this is what I found on Monday evening, so perhaps there’s hope…

Three chicks on the perches, four on the shelf!  (We don’t want them to sleep on the shelf.)  In spite of the fact that we stood some of the shelving board upright, some of the pullets insisted on continuing to sleep on it!  I’m sure ‘uncomfortable’ would be an understatement for how they slept!  On Tuesday, Ed moved the shelf around a bit more, then added a large piece of pvc pipe to the top of it, to discourage perching.  By last night, all but two chicks were sleeping on the perches. Wouldn’t you know, ‘Dixie’ (the white chick) was still one of the ‘hold outs’?!  I think ‘Dixie’ fancies herself to be a rooster, as well as the leader of the flock.  I can tell this, not only by her actions, but by the fact that she chose to sleep at the highest point in the coop!

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I don’t know about everyone else, but it’s ‘Red Ribbon Week’ in our neck of the woods. Red Ribbon Week is an anti-drug campaign, which lets students participate in a variety of activities all week, including dressing in different ways each day. I’ve really enjoyed some of the pictures on Facebook, this week! Our daughter-in-law rose to the challenge, when our grandson, Caden, decided he wanted to be a garbage man for ‘Dress Up Day’:

and our daughter, also, rose to the challenge, when her daughter had to dress as a ‘Super Hero’ for AWANA night.  May I present to you, ‘Super Girl’…

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It’s been many years since Ed had to go (in person) to get his driver’s license renewed, but 2014 was Ed’s year to go.  All of the rules have changed, and now a person has to bring a certified copy of their birth certificate, their social security card, and two proofs of their residence when renewing their license.  Tuesday night, Ed gathered all of the required documents (he thought) and put them in his car. Imagine his surprise, the next day, when he handed the lady all of his documentation, and she informed him that he’d brought his wife’s birth certificate instead of his!  Ha!  (He’d kill me if he knew I told this.)  I tell you, old age ain’t for sissies! The license lady, upon noticing Ed also has a motorcycle license, told Ed, “You can ride your bike back to the patrol office, on the return trip, and get some fresh air.”  Ha!  Ed hasn’t owned (or ridden) a motorcycle in quite a few years!  I’m thinking the license lady was probably amused by Ed…

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Last, but not least, our town held trick-or-treat last evening.  Ed and I had four trick-or-treaters. Three of them were our grandchildren, while the ‘Minnie Mouse’ is like an ‘honorary grand’ because our daughter-in-law keeps her every afternoon, and she calls us “Mimi” and “E”, too.  All were adorable!

Halloween 2014 –  Chase, Caden, Madison, and Rylan

Ed’s off again today, so I’m going to end this post now.  Those ‘mandatory’ vacation days sure do roll around often!  Ed doesn’t seem to mind having every other Friday off, so I guess that’s good. Nothing else has happened with the hospital (yet), but I suspect some changes are just over the horizon…  Stay tuned–and have a good weekend–even if we do have to change over to Daylight Savings Time! (Ugh!)  Sunday morning’s temperatures are also supposed to dip down to 40 degrees… Brrrrr!

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Oh, one last thing, a shout out to my brother and sister-in-law, who live in Florida, and usually read this blog– I’ll be thinking of y’all tomorrow during the GA/FLA game.  Go ‘Dawgs’! 🙂

I’m linking this post up @ Half-Past Kissing Time.  Thanks, Mrs. Fours, for hosting Friday Fragments!

Good-bye October, Hello Hodgepodge…

Can you believe it’s already the last Wednesday of October?  Me either!  Welcome to The Wednesday Hodgepodge, the mid-week meme, hosted by Joyce FromThisSideOfThePond.  The Hodgepodge is a little of this and a little of that, but it’s always a lot of fun!  Here are this week’s questions, along with my answers:

1. My hubs spent last weekend pheasant hunting. Are there hunters in your family? If so, what do they hunt? Which of the following have you tasted-pheasant, rabbit, venison, duck, goose? Which of those would you most like to taste, or be most willing to taste?

Ed used to do a little bit of hunting, when he was a teenager, but that was long before we met, and he didn’t hunt much.  Our son-in-law, Clint, used to hunt, too, but not since he’s been in our family.  At this time, there are currently no hunters in our family, but if meat prices continue to soar at the grocery store, that could possibly change!  Around here, most people hunt for deer, birds, or wild turkeys.

While we’re on this subject, let me just say that I have a problem with very young children going hunting.  I’ve seen pictures of local children, some as young as five or six, posing with deer they’ve supposedly killed.  This disturbs me–a lot!

As far as what I would eat or what I have eaten, I’ve eaten venison (deer meat) and wild birds (dove & quail), but it’s been quite a while since I’ve done so.  I would be willing to try duck, wild turkey, or goose, but that’s about it.

2. What high spot have you visited that gave you a wonderful ‘bird’s eye view’ of something below?

The last high ‘bird’s eye view’ I had was from top of the light tower, on St. Simon’s Island, and that was probably 25 years ago!  My knees grew weak when I walked out on the ledge, and looked down! I’m afraid of heights, so I usually try to avoid places with a ‘bird’s eye view’.  Besides,  these days, I probably couldn’t hold out to climb all the steps of a lighthouse!

3. Do you have any birds in your home? These could be either real live pets or decorative, as in bird prints, knickknacks, fabric or pottery.

Yes, we have birds!  Up until two weeks ago, we had seven baby chicks living in a box in our pool room.  Thankfully, they’ve moved outside now, to a home of their own, but I still have a green and yellow parakeet named ‘Tweety’, who shares our home.  I don’t know exactly how old ‘Tweety’ is, but he’s lived with us for almost nine years.

4. Tell about a time you ‘killed two birds with one stone’?

How about this past weekend, when we celebrated two different grandchildrens’ birthdays in one weekend? Granddaughter, Madison, turned 8 on September 23.  Grandson, Evan, will turn 1 on October 30.

Evan wasn’t so sure about his ‘smash cake’…

Madison poses with her ‘Frozen’ themed cake

Evan’s party was last Saturday, and Madison’s party was last Sunday!  It was a lot of ‘sweets’, people, and celebrating for one weekend, but, we all survived!

 5. Your favorite song with a bird in its title?

An old song comes to mind:  On the Wings of a Dove by Ferlin Husky.  This [somewhat spiritual] song was popular when I was a child (in 1960), but I still love it today!  I was happy to find the song on YouTube, and decided to share it for those who may have never heard it. (That would probably include my own children, too)

6. What most recently gave you goose bumps?

Watching the new show ‘Stalker’ gives me goose bumps!  What a ‘sit on the edge of your seat’ kind of show!  Last week’s episode, ‘Phobia’,  actually had me squirming and yelling, when a woman woke up to find over thirty snakes in her bedroom–one of which was in her bed!  Snakes definitely qualify as one of my phobias!  (I got goosebumps again, yesterday, when Ed found a HUGE snake’s skin near our back yard!)

7. Halloween is this Friday…any plans? Did you trick or treat as a child? Carve pumpkins? Share your most memorable costume.

Although Halloween isn’t until Friday, our town will have its ‘trick-or-treat night’ on Thursday night–our town is ‘funny’ that way.  They only do ‘trick-or-treat’ on Tuesday or Thursday nights. Go figure!   We have no plans (yet) for Halloween, but our grandchildren will stop by on Thursday night to collect the ‘treats’ that I have waiting for them.

Yes, I did go trick-or-treating, as a child.  Back then, we were  lucky if we got a mask to wear for Halloween. If we weren’t lucky enough to get a mask, from the dime store, we dressed up in old clothes, put smut on our faces, and went trick-or-treating as a hobo. There was also the old standby of wearing a white sheet over our heads, and pretending to be a ghost, too. I think we had more fun, back then, than the children do now!

My most memorable Halloween costume is from just three years ago, when Ed and I dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, for our last family Halloween Party.

As for carving pumpkins, I never did that when I was a child.  I watched Ed carve a few jack-o-lanterns with our own children, although I’ve never tried it myself.  I’d probably make a mess of the pumpkin!

Random:

With Halloween just around the corner, I’m sharing my Halloween montage again. It’s a collection of some of my favorite Halloween pictures.  I really need to make another one of these, and include some Halloween photos of the two newest ‘grands’.  Enjoy!

Memory Monday ~ My First Date

I could post about the weekend, and how I attended two birthday parties in two days, but, today, I’m joining Judy @ Retired-Not-Tired for ‘Memory Monday’.  Today’s prompt is my first date! Man, this post takes me w-a-y back….

It was the summer of 1968, and I was about to enter the ninth grade.  I was almost fourteen, and up to this point, I had been admiring boys from afar.  Little did I know that all of that was about to change!

I’m not sure exactly how I met Gene, but I believe it was through a mutual friend, who was nick-named ‘Bud’.  However, once Gene and I met, it wasn’t long before he began calling me on the phone. We talked a few times, and Gene finally asked if he could come over to my house. Gene was sixteen, and actually had a driver’s license!

After much begging and pleading, on my part, my parents reluctantly agreed to allow Gene to come over to my house to visit me.  Gene and I spent the rest of the summer of ’68 sitting around my house, on the weekends, watching television or playing monopoly.  Gene was always a gentleman.  The perfect first boyfriend.

By the end of the summer, I’d turned fourteen, and Gene and I began asking my parents if we could ride around in his car.  At first, they resisted, but, one day, they finally agreed to let Gene drive me over to my grandmother’s house.  They followed behind us in their car!  I’ve always considered that ride with Gene as ‘my first date’, since it was the first time I was ever alone in a car with a boy.

You see, in our little town, there was nothing to do on a date.  (There still isn’t!)  Back then, dating someone usually consisted of riding up and down ‘the strip’, from the Dairy Queen to a restaurant called The 301 Drive In, or sitting and watching others drive back and forth.  Gene and I probably rode ‘the strip’ a few times,  however our courtship was to be short-lived.

Believe it or not, it turned out there was a long-running family feud, of some sort, between Gene’s family and my paternal grandparent’s family. Shortly after the end of the summer, my parents said Gene and I would need to stop seeing each other, before my grandmother found out and “had a hissy fit” (their exact words). They didn’t give me a time frame, just told me I had to break things off because there was no future in the relationship. (By the way, the grandmother, who didn’t like Gene’s family, was not the same grandmother Gene and I drove to visit.)

It was difficult, but, eventually, I got up my nerve and tearfully told Gene I couldn’t see him anymore, without actually telling him why.  It was awful, made more difficult by the fact that Gene had recently given me a lovely wrist watch for my birthday.  (I gave the watch back to him when I told him I couldn’t see him anymore.)

I have to say, Gene didn’t give up easily, and continued to call me, off and on, for almost two years!  Every time I’d have a break up with a boyfriend, Gene would  find out, and call me.  Gene was my shoulder to cry on, in between boyfriends. Each time, he would ask me to go out with him again, but I never did.

Gene finally stopped calling, once I began dating Ed, but I’ve never forgotten him.  Years ago, I heard Gene had suffered a heart attack, but that he’d survived and was doing okay.  I never heard anything else. I hope Gene has had a long, full, happy life, because he deserved it.  He was a good guy, just not the right guy for me.

 

Friday Fragments #324…

Wow, what a busy week this has been!  During a normal week, I only go to town once.  This week,  I’ve been to town every day!  It’s all good though.  Next week I can stay home the entire week, if I want to 🙂  Yay for retirement, and being able to stay home!

On Tuesday, I had my hair cut and colored–again.  I’m seriously thinking about phasing out having my hair colored, in the near future.  I’ve always said I didn’t want to become the little old lady with black hair, and I feel like that’s where I’m headed!  I think it’s about time for a change.  It’s beginning to feel awkward with my hair being dark, while Ed’s is so white.  (Maybe I can meet him halfway? Ha!)

On Wednesday, I went to the doctor for my six month’s checkup.  I got a good report.  According to all of my lab results, I’m doing fine.  I guess that means my total lack of energy and inability to sleep is due to ‘old age’. It figures!  I’ll just have to deal with it. (my words, not the doctor’s)

Thursday was our granddaughter, Madison’s, eighth birthday.  It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since our first grandchild arrived.  I remember that day like it was just yesterday.  (It was one of the most stressful days of our lives–and it ended with an unscheduled c-section!)

Since it was her birthday, I offered to take Madison and her mama out for lunch–to any place Madison wanted to go.  She chose The Huddle House, so that’s where we went!  Later in the day, after Ed came home from work, Madison’s other grandma came over, and we shared cake and ice cream with Madison and her mama. (Madison’s daddy had to work late.)

Madison posing with the doll cake her mama made for her

I’ve really been enjoying these cooler days and nights!  It finally feels like fall 🙂  I think the highs may reach near 80 over the weekend, but it’s okay since two different grandchildren have outside birthday parties planned!  We’ll be celebrating birthdays all weekend long.  Evan’s first birthday party will be on Saturday, and Madison’s party will be on Sunday!

Last night, some of my young chickens finally tried roosting on the perches in their chicken coop! Not all of them,  but some did.  Yay!  We’re finally making progress!  The chicks who refused to get on the perches, were huddled underneath the ones who were on the roosts.  Those chicks may have gotten pooped on during the night!  That should teach ’em!

Since I brought up the chickens, today, I’m going to leave you with a couple of pictures.  I know I’ve told you that my chicks are friendly and lovable, and spoiled. Well, I finally have some pictures to prove it!

One of the older girls, named ‘Bossy,’sharing a moment with me on the back steps

Speckles, Freckles, Dottie, Ebony, and Dixie vying for my attention 

I can’t believe how big the new young chicks have gotten already!  They are growing up quickly!  Six weeks ago, they would fit in the palm of my hand.  I tell you, these girls are convinced they’re my lap chickens.  After all, I ordered them from a site called My Pet Chicken.com.  Friendly chicks–gotta’ love ’em!

Just so you know, right after the picture above was taken, someone pooped in my lap! Ha!  It’s one of the hazards of having ‘lap chickens’.  The other hazard is getting scratched, which is why I’m wearing Ed’s long-sleeved shirt over my dress!

I’m linking up my Friday Fragments over at Half-Past Kissin’ Tiime.  Have a great weekend, y’all!  I’ll see ya’ on Monday.

Thursday’s Thoughts ~ Sweet Memories…

When I woke up on Wednesday morning, I’d been having a dream. In my dream, I was talking with Ed’s mom. I don’t remember our conversation, but I do remember her voice, clear and strong. It’s been a little over a year since I’ve heard the voice of my mother-in-law, Vivian. Hearing her voice again, even if only in my mind, suddenly caused me to be a little nostalgic.

I thought about all of the good times mine and Ed’s families had together, over the years. There were lots of cook outs, birthdays, holidays, and, yes, even ordinary days.  A line from an old song comes to mind, “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end…” But all good things come to an end, don’t they? One by one, our parents passed away, and the special times with our parents eventually ended.

These days, family functions only involve Ed and me, along with our grown children and their families. I think our children are now old enough to realize these family times are ‘memories in the making’, but I doubt our grandchildren do, yet. One day, even the ‘grands’, will look back and remember, fondly I hope, fun times spent with family, or fun times spent with each other–long after Ed and I are gone.

One day, a while back, I was feeling especially nostalgic. I put together a montage of some old family photos, of mine and Ed’s families.  There are birthdays, Easters, Christmases, and just special times when our families got together for no reason.  I can’t remember if I’ve shared it on my blog or not, so I’m sharing it, today, in honor of ‘Throwback Thursday’.  Those were the days–and they seem like just yesterday…

Another Wednesday Hodgepodge…

It’s time for The Wednesday Hodgepodge!  Come on in, take your shoes off, and sit a spell…

1. Elizabeth Lawrence is quoted as saying, ‘Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.” So have you done just that? And what did you leave undone in order to do so?

There’s not much turning of the leaves going on where we live.  We’re literally surrounded by pine trees, with a couple of oaks, maples, and sycamore trees scattered about. Most of our trees don’t turn pretty fall colors.  However, I did sit still, this past weekend, long enough to notice the brilliant blue color of the sky, and to enjoy watching a fire burn in the new fire pit.  As for what I left undone?  A lot of things, most of it housework!

2. Since we’re talking turning…what’s one thing you feel you’re doing ‘every time you turn around’?

Vacuuming the kitchen floor!  Honestly, I don’t know where all of the trash on that floor comes from, with just two of us living in the house!  It drives me crazy!

3. How hard is it for you to ‘turn the other cheek?’

Sometimes it’s still hard to ‘turn the other cheek’, but not as difficult as it used to be, when I was younger.  I think age (and experience) has made me more tolerant and forgiving.

4. When did you last turn a drawer, your car, a room, or your entire house upside down looking for something? Did you find it?

The last time I turned the house upside down looking for something, was at the beginning of this year, when I lost my eye glasses.  I never did find them, believe it or not!  I guess when I lose something, I lose it for good.

5. ‘One good turn deserves another’…were you most recently on the giving or receiving end of that sentiment?

I was on the receiving end, when my daughter called and invited me to ride into town with her, on Monday.  The week before that, she invited me over for lunch.  Sometimes, she’s thoughtful like that.

6. Red, yellow, and orange are the colors of fall. Also the colors of fruit. If you were permitted only one color of fruit in your diet, which would you choose? This question isn’t as easy as it sounds, at least not for me.

You’re right, Joyce, it’s not easy to choose, but I’m going to say ‘orange’ because there are several different kinds of citrus fruits that I like.  I think ‘red’ would be my second choice!

7. The Hunt for Red October, October Sky, Halloween…which ‘October’ film is your favorite?

I don’t have a favorite ‘October’ film, at least not one I can think of. However, there is a ‘made for television’ movie that I like, called ‘November Christmas’. (A portion of the movie concerns Halloween, that’s what made me think of it!) This movie is usually broadcast on television, each year, and if you haven’t seen it, you’ve missed a good one. (November Christmas will be airing Nov. 2 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel)

Random:

Several months ago, I posted the story about the ‘Claxton Quarter Horse Twins’.  The mare died from the trauma of the twins’ birth, and one of the foals died, a day or so later. However, the other twin survived, after first being bottle fed, then finally being taken in and nursed by another mare named ‘Ruby’, along with her own foal, I might add!  

Here are a couple of comparison photos of the surviving filly, named ‘Vic’, which is short for ‘Victorious’: (photos via Claxton Quarter Horse Facebook page)

Then (February 28th) and now (October 19th)

wearing the same blanket!

Thanks to a lot of TLC, ‘Vic’ is growing into a beautiful young filly!  I love a happy ending, don’t you?

**As always, many thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for furnishing these great questions and for hosting the Hodgepodge on her blog. You, too, can join in by clicking her button at the top of this post!

Catching Up…

Now that I’ve started participating in ‘Memory Monday’, I feel obligated to do a ‘weekend catch-up’ post on Tuesdays.  I enjoy blogging about what’s going on around here, because I use this blog as my journal.

Last Friday was a beautiful autumn day, and Ed and I spent the entire day  outside. Most of the day was spent working on the chicken coop, putting on those finishing touches, like getting it painted.  As of yesterday, the coop is ‘officially finished’!  Yay!  I know Ed is happy to be finished with that project.

like the sign says, “Chicks Welcome”

Ed and I finally tried out our new fire pit, when we roasted some hot dogs and marshmallows with the family, on Saturday night.  It was a perfect autumn evening to be outside, and we all enjoyed sitting around the fire together.  (The hot dogs and smores were pretty good, too!) Of course, our little grandsons especially enjoyed gathering sticks and leaves to throw into the fire.  Some things never change, and the simple pleasures of life are still the best!

who can resist a fire on a cool autumn evening…

Our daughter, oldest son, and their families spent most of Saturday at a nearby pumpkin patch. It was the second time our daughter and granddaughter had visited the pumpkin patch, within a week.  The first time they went for a home-school field trip.  The second time was just for fun!  Nothing says “fall” like a trip to a farm and pumpkin patch!

granddaughter, Madison, on her field trip

Our oldest grandson’s school, Busy Little Beavers, decorated pumpkins for fall, last week, and I think the students and their families did an awesome job! Here are some pictures of some of the pumpkins:

spiders, ninja turtles, Minnie Mouse and more…

 

a reindeer, ‘Fancy Nancy’, an owl, and a candy corn

 a cat, the cat in the hat, the bomb (from Mario Brothers), a spider, and a dog

Brad, Jennifer, and Evan surprised us with a quick visit on Sunday afternoon.  We didn’t know they were coming, and they didn’t stay long, but it was good to see them again after two weeks.  They came to drop off some stuff for Evan’s upcoming birthday party.  They’ll be back this coming weekend.

This must be my week for having appointments.  I have a hair appointment today, followed by a [six month’s check up] doctor’s appointment, tomorrow.  Does anyone else hate having to be somewhere, at a certain time, as much as I do???  How quickly we become spoiled once we quit working–or at least I did!

Does anyone else hate getting up in the dark as much as I do?  I’m awake and ready to rise at seven o’clock each day, but it’s still dark outside!  I guess the upcoming time change will take care of that problem–but, then, it will be getting dark at 5:30!

I mentioned, last week, that I’ve been enjoying watching some of the new fall shows on television.  I mentioned watching ‘Stalker’, but forgot to mention that I like watching ‘Forever’, too.  It has an interesting story line.  Another favorite, is season two of ‘The Blacklist’, which has an intriguing story line, too, but the crime scenes can get a bit ‘intense’, at times.

Last night was the first night the new chickens slept without a light in the coop.  It was also the first night they had perches to roost on, since Ed just added roosts to the coop, yesterday.  They  ‘cried’ when I turned out the light, just like my first flock did, and none slept on the perches.  I’ll bet it won’t be long before they figure out what those roosting bars are for, and establish their pecking order.  As for sleeping without the light, I’m sure they feel more rested this morning, since they probably slept instead of playing, for a change.

In closing, one particular chick has quickly become ‘my favorite’.  She hops onto my lap to snuggle–every time I sit down in the chicken run!  (Yes, I have a chair in my chicken run, doesn’t everyone?)  She’s a ‘barred rock’, and I’ve named her ‘Dottie’.  Yesterday, Dottie had a little friendly competition from her black sister, ‘Ebony’.  You should have seen them both sitting on my lap together!   I wouldn’t be surprised if a third chick joins us today.

That’s it for me, today.  Enjoy your Tuesday 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memory Monday ~ My First School…

The first school I attended was Eastside Elementary School, located in Florida.  I only attended this school for three years, and haven’t seen the school since 1963.  However, I did manage to find the following image of the school on the internet:

Google photo of Eastside Elementary School

I don’t have many memories of the time I spent at Eastside, and the few memories I do have aren’t good ones.  I’ll share them anyway.

I remember stepping on the grass on the first day of school, then getting hauled to the principal’s office, by an over-zealous ‘patrol boy’, for doing so.  You see, it was against school rules to step off the sidewalks and onto the grass.  I got very upset and cried, but nothing bad happened to me, thank goodness.  The principal just asked me not to step on the grass again–and you can be sure I didn’t!

In trouble on first day! (Google photo)

I also remember getting a paddling, along with most of the rest of the class, during my second grade year.  The teacher left us unattended for a good while, and told us not to get out of our seats.  Well, kids will be kids, and after a while, most of the class was out of their seats and ‘dancing’, myself included.  We all received a ‘lick’ (or two) with the teacher’s paddle.  I was mortified, and have never forgotten it.

Google photo

My next memory is one of misspelling the word ‘girl’ on a spelling test, then having to write it on the chalkboard over and over, in front of the class!  Another humbling experience I’ve never forgotten, but I’ve never misspelled the word ‘girl’ again either!

My final memory of Eastside Elementary is that of recess, which I always hated, because of the’organized games’ like Red Rover or Dodgeball.  I hated any kind of organized game, and was often the last one chosen for a team.

My family moved to Georgia in 1963, and I began fourth grade there.  My school memories in Georgia are much more pleasant than the ones I have from Florida.  I lived across the street from the school during part of my fourth grade year, so I was able to go home for lunch every day.  I could also walk across the street, to play on the school playground, whenever I wanted to. My fourth grade teacher, “Miss Rogers”, had also been my daddy’s teacher, and was very nice to me.

Sixth grade, eighth grade, and twelfth grade stand out in my mind as my favorite years of school. Sixth grade was a favorite year because the teacher was my parents’ friend and our next-door neighbor.  Eighth grade was a favorite because I made great grades and was inducted into the Beta Club. My senior year was my favorite year because…well, because it was my senior year, of course!  I made excellent grades, that year, plus I got out of school, at 1 o’clock, as part of the school-to-work program!  I only had to attend four classes, instead of the usual six.

I never really minded going to school, but, during my senior days, I much preferred going to work and earning a paycheck over sitting in a classroom and studying. My preference never changed, but I did take some on-line college courses–thirty years after I graduated!

I’m linking this post with other ‘Memory Monday’ posts at Retired-not-Tired.  Thanks to Judy for hosting this fun new meme!

Friday Fragments…

Hello there!  It’s Friday, again!  Ed’s off on another ‘mandatory’ vacation day, so who knows what this day will bring.  Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be filled with outside activities.  Ed loves being outside on his days off.

Last weekend, we had no plans, but we ended up having company from out-of-state!  Saturday, out of the blue, my brother, who lives in Florida, called and said he, his wife and oldest grandson were going to be in our area, and would stop by, if we didn’t mind.  Four hours later they were here!  We had a nice visit, and they ended up staying overnight with us, too.  I’m not much of a football fan, but, on Saturday night, even I ended up watching the last quarter of the Florida/LSU game with them!

I moved the baby chicks outside, on Monday, and made so many trips back and forth to the chicken coop, now I’m having foot problems. Ha!  Can you tell I’m not used to being on my feet a lot?  It’s bad to be old and out of shape… and it’s bad to have arthritis.  Sometimes it affects my feet, and all of their joints.

Speaking of the chickens, the ‘old girls’ finally noticed the ‘young girls’!  It’s funny that it took four days for them to notice they had neighbors in the pen next to theirs. (probably because the ‘old girls’ don’t spend much time in their pen!)  Yesterday afternoon, just before dark, I noticed one of the older hens, perched on the chair in her pen, watching the ‘young girls’ running around inside of their coop.  This morning, after I let the ‘old girls’ out for the day, two of them walked over to the fence and bowed up at the ‘young girls’, with disgusted looks on their faces!  The ‘young girls’ paid them no mind…

Cooler temperatures have finally arrived here again!  Temperatures were in the upper 80’s on Monday, but the rest of the week has been in the 70’s.  I was able to air out the house three days in a row, which made me happy.

We haven’t been able to roast any hot dogs or marshmallows, yet, but we did purchase a new fire pit last weekend.  We’ll be trying it out this weekend!

We’ve been checking out a few of the new fall shows on television.  Most of them do not appeal to us, but the new show ‘Stalker’ on CBS is pretty good.  So far, every episode has kept me sitting on the edge of my seat!

Speaking of “sitting on the edge of my seat”, this Ebola thing is getting scarier all the time.  I’ve been seriously asking Ed if he’s sure he’s not ready to retire yet. (Ed works in the Radiology department of a hospital)…  

Which reminds me, I got my flu shot, this week,  and Ed got his a couple of weeks ago, so, hopefully, we won’t have to worry about catching the flu anyway.  We ought to love and appreciate our healthcare workers, ’cause they’re exposed to a variety of ‘crud’ every day, in an effort to help others get well!

Writing about healthcare workers reminds me of our DIL, Jennifer, who is a nurse. I’ll end this edition of FF with another cute picture that she posted on Facebook, this week.

Jennifer posted this picture of our grandson, Evan, along with the caption, “Eat your heart out, Garth Brooks!” #cutestcowboyintown   Ha!  I loved it.

I’m linking up my Friday Fragments over at Half-Past Kissin Time.

Have a great weekend, everyone.  As always, it will be gone before we know it!

Thursday’s Thoughts ~ An Empty Nest–Again…

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost six weeks since I received the box in the mail containing eight fuzzy little baby chicks.  All of the chicks, except one, grew like weeds and have been thriving.  Sadly, I lost one of the little white chicks, named Della.

three-day-old chicks

Once the chicks arrived, my hubby, Ed, got busy renovating a place for the new baby chicks to live.  Ed had to add a tin roof to an existing chicken run, then build a new chicken coop for them to sleep and lay eggs in.

Ed, hard at work

Unfortunately, Ed hasn’t been feeling his best, so construction of the new chicken housing took a little longer than it normally would have.  By the time Ed got the housing finished, those cute fuzzy chicks had grown to look like this:

four weeks old already

In spite of a few setbacks, this past weekend, Ed finally completed the new coop enough so the ‘new girls’ could move in.  He still needs to build some perches, and add window coverings, while I need to paint, but we can do that this weekend.

I designated Monday, of this week, as ‘Moving Day’, so I went outside and prepared the coop with a light and some fresh shavings. Then I removed one of the smaller cardboard boxes from the end of the ‘chicken condo’, where the chicks had been living (in our pool room) for the past five weeks.  About this time, it hit me that the cardboard box might not fit through the door of the chicken run!  I held my breath as I quickly carried the [rather large] box containing the chicks outside (and past several curious cats)!  Luck was with me, because the box fit through the door–barely!  Another quarter of an inch, and I’d have been in trouble!

Monday was a warm, sunny day, so I just sat the cardboard box inside of the chicken run, and pulled myself up a chair.  Before long, the girls were darting in and out of the box exploring their new surroundings, while I sat and watched.

first time being outside

It didn’t take the girls long to figure out how to climb up the ladder to go inside of their coop, with the exception of two of them.  (I quickly had flashbacks of my first flock of chicks, with me chasing ‘Renny Henny’ around the chicken run at bedtime.)  Sometimes a couple of chicks are a little slow to figure things out, but they eventually learn!

checking out the ladder and the sand below…

Ed added a sandbox under the coop, and the chicks seemed to like that!  They haven’t figured out it’s for dusting their feathers, yet, but they like roosting on its sides and walking in the sand.  He put a large ‘picture window’ in the front side of the coop, too, and they really seem to like that!  In fact, the girls seem to like their coop so much, they don’t want to spend much time playing outside!  I suppose it feels warmer and safer inside…

warm and cozy inside of the coop…

One other thing brings back memories of my first flock of chickens.  Those ‘hungry eyes’ I keep seeing lurking around the chicken pen!  Just like before, some of my cats are obsessed with trying to get inside of the chicken run!  It’s no wonder the chicks like it better inside of their coop!

‘Baby’, the cat, stalking ‘Dixie’, the chicken

The girls have spent three nights in their new home, and I think they love it!  I can see them out there, at night, (thanks to that ‘picture window’) playing when they should be sleeping!  They’re going to be sad when they lose their light bulb (heat source) once they turn six weeks old.  They’ll be fully feathered, and will need sleep more than heat, by then.

As for me, I’m slowly getting used to the quietness of the house again.  I miss the little chirping sounds baby chicks made.  I think my parakeet, ‘Tweety’, probably misses them, too.  Yesterday, I heard him actually imitating their little chirping sounds!

What I don’t miss is the dusty mess these baby chicks made–or the disarray their presence caused in the pool room!  It will take me another day or so to remove the rest of the chicken supplies, uncover the furniture, and finish cleaning and dusting the pool room, but soon things will be back to normal.  Once again, Ed and I will have an ’empty nest’ 🙂