I’m back! It’s been a while, and I’ve missed being here. I’m so thankful to our hostess, Joyce, for keeping The Hodgepodge going, and I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made here. I’m also looking forward to visiting everyone today!
1. I feel most energized when I …have a restful night’s sleep, which doesn’t happen often.
2. Where were you ten years ago?
Ten years ago, I was living in this same house, but had only been living here about 8 months. Back then, things were still relatively new and uncluttered. These days, not so much.
3. July 17th is World Emoji Day. Do you use emojis? Which one’s your favorite? Your most used?
Yes, I use emojis occasionally. The plain ole’ smiley face is my favorite, and it’s also my most used.
4. What song would you put on a wedding DO NOT PLAY list?
At first I had no idea of what to answer, then I ‘googled’ this question and had a good laugh at some of the titles. I chose this one, for obvious reasons:
Some of my other favorites were “All My Exes Live in Texas, Suspicious Minds, Lyin’ Eyes, and D-I-V-O-R-C-E.
5. What deserves less of your attention? More of your attention?
Although I only watch about two hours of television per day, it’s really a useless activity when I think about it, so I’ll say television deserves less of my attention. As for what deserves more of my attention? That would be my family.
Random:
I am still alive and doing okay! I apologize for my absence in The Hodgepodge, but it’s been a busy summer! My time has been consumed by our garden, and traveling to and from [out-of-town] doctor’s appointments with our daughter. Then our oldest son and his family decided to buy a new home. There’s been a lot going on around here!
Believe it or not, Ed and I haven’t even had a chance to visit St. Simon’s Island yet, but we did manage to celebrate 46 years of marriage on June 18th. However, I wasn’t feeling well on our anniversary, so we postponed our yearly anniversary trip to KFC until the day after our anniversary. Our daughter invited us over [next door] to her house for supper on our actual anniversary, and it was delicious.
Our garden is now history, and we’ve had another bountiful season! All vegetables are now tucked away in the freezer or in jars. Our daughter’s doctor’s appointments are now less frequent. We are thankful that our daughter finally has a diagnosis, after several years of suffering, (psoriatic arthritis) plus a treatment (regular injections) that seems to be helping her. Our son and his family are still in the process of getting moved into their new home, but the worst of that is over (for us, not for them). Life is slowing down and all is well, once again. I think I can hear St. Simon’s Island calling my name!
It’s a ‘different’ kind of week at our house. We’re still trying to settle down from the past few days of dealing with hurricane Matthew, and its after effects. Thankfully, our power and internet have been restored so I can participate in today’s Hodgepodge! As always, many thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for hosting.
1. What would you say is the best and worst thing about moving house?
The best thing about moving is getting a fresh start in a new place. The worst thing about moving is packing, unpacking, and figuring out where everything should go. I hate moving!
2. What’s moved you recently?
Hearing our two oldest grandsons pray. I’m very moved by how well the two of them can already pray, even at ages four and seven.
3. Do you feel your life is moving forward, backward, or is on hold? How so?
Life is definitely moving forward, because time is passing at a break-neck speed! In less than tw0 weeks Ed will, hopefully, be celebrating the year anniversary of his heart attack. I’ll also receive my first social security check. (When did I get that old?!) Last, but not least, our youngest grandchild will also be turning three in about three weeks! No more babies in our family 😦
4. On the move, move mountains, get a move on, it’s your move, or bust a move…which phrase best applies to some aspect of your life right now? Explain.
For the past five days, it’s been “get a move on” around here. You see, although we live about 80 miles from the Georgia coast, we happen to live in an area that was greatly affected by hurricane Matthew. First we had to prepare for the storm, then we had to survive the storm, now we’re cleaning up the mess caused by the storm. (I’ll give more details below.)
5. What song makes you want to get up and move?
These days, there’s not much that makes me want to get up and move, but back in my teen years I loved to dance to this song…
6. Your favorite snack to grab when you’re ‘on the move’?
I don’t really have a favorite snack to grab ‘on the move’, but I’ll say a banana or a pack of crackers because I can eat those while driving.
7. What one accessory makes your house feel like home?
I can’t think of any single accessory that makes our house feel like home, but wall decor is very important to me. Our new house didn’t feel like a home, to me, until we hung pictures or other kinds of wall decor.
Random:
As I mentioned, earlier, hurricane Matthew sure packed a punch in our area! I’ve never heard such wind or seen as many downed trees and power lines in our area. Friday night was definitely a night to remember! Ed and I lost two large pecan trees, but, fortunately suffered no other property damage. Our oldest son suffered some mild damage to his home and to their children’s trampoline, but nothing too serious. Actually, Ed and I were some of the very fortunate few who were able to keep electricity throughout the storm! What a blessing!
some of our neighbor’s downed pecan trees
Both of our sons and their families stayed with us during the storm, then both sons lost power at their houses. When all was said and done, nine of us ended up staying together in our two bedroom, one bathroom house for several days and nights. We not only survived, but actually had some good times together while doing it!
On the day after the storm, we had to unload and move two freezers, plus the food, to our house because the house where the freezers were kept lost power. We also moved the food from our son’s freezer into our freezer to keep it from thawing. Our youngest son was able to put his frozen food in our daughter’s freezer because she still had power. We did a lot of food moving, then the unthinkable happened.
Two days after the storm, on Sunday, Ed and I (and our daughter) lost power, too! Some of the linemen accidentally burned up our transformer while doing some repairs down the line, then had to get a new transformer from Atlanta. The nine of us were actually sitting around the table having supper when the power went out, so we ended up dining by candlelight!
Things got a little more complicated with nine of us living in a house without power or running water, but we made it! (We have a well/pump, so no power equals no running water, either) Well, we not only survived, I think we grew closer together. In hard times, we pulled together–and improvised. Have you tried PBJ and water for breakfast, lately? I have!
Fortunately, for us, on Monday morning, a friend of our DIL’s, who’d already gotten their power restored, was giving away some ice they no longer needed. When our DIL said we’d like to have the ice, they offered use of their generator, as well. What a Godsend that turned out to be! (Ed was about to make an eight hour drive to purchase one.) We were able to save all of the food we’d worked so hard to grow, pick and store, while many people lost all of their frozen food. Again, we were so blessed!
our former pastor’s home
Thankfully, our power was restored, late Monday afternoon, less than twenty-four hours after we lost it. Our youngest son’s power was restored about nine o’clock Monday night, so they went home. Our oldest son’s power was restored sometime after bedtime, on Monday night, so they went home yesterday.
Some folks in our area are still without power (four days/nights and counting), because so many trees are down in our area. Many roads are still blocked by fallen trees, so school has been cancelled for the week. A lot of people sustained damage to their homes or vehicles, but it could have been so much worse. In most cases, the majority of trees fell away from homes. What a blessing!
Speaking of blessings, the two people in the picture, below, ‘tied the knot’, fifty-three years ago, today, when they were really just ‘babes’. Today, they’re still together, and going strong! I’d like to send special wishes to my brother and his wife (who’s always been like a sister to me).
Happy Anniversary guys! I love y’all and hope you have a great day!
Decades ago, I was blessed to become the mother of three wonderful children, all of whom are now grown and married. Believe it or not, over the years, none of my off-spring ever really moved away–until now. All went to college within driving distance, and continued to live at home, or with Ed’s mom. Our daughter moved “just down the road” to her own home in 1998, while our oldest son married in 2006, and moved seven miles away, to an apartment in town. He was gone for just over a year and a half, and couldn’t wait to move back to the family farm as soon as an opportunity presented itself.
Our youngest son, Brad, moved out at age twenty, and went to live with Ed’s mom. He needed room to stretch his wings, and she needed help around the house. Brad lived with her for approximately five years, until her health began to fail. He was a great help to her (and us) throughout those years. When Mema was no longer able to live at home, she went to live in a personal care home. Brad has continued to live in her home for two years, with Mema’s blessings. It was the home where Brad and his new wife, Jennifer, began their marriage in June of 2011.
There once was a time when Brad dreamed of having his own home on the family farm, but things happen and dreams change–or to quote Brad, “Life gets in the way.” His new wife, Jennifer, didn’t share Brad’s dream of living on the family farm, and instead had a craving for life in the city where she works as a nurse. Thus began their quest to pay off debts, then save up for a down payment on a house. Jennifer has been house-hunting almost as long as the couple has been married, and we all knew this day would eventually come.
The day finally came, a couple of months ago, when the couple decided to make an offer on a small, two-story house near the city. The first home fell through, but another soon took its place. Brad and Jennifer closed on their first house two days before Thanksgiving–and moved two days after! Here is a photo taken of the couple in front of their new home on the day they purchased it. (the photo was taken with Brad’s phone, while it was propped on their mailbox, which explains the angle!)
Jennifer’s commute to work will be much shorter now, while Brad’s will be longer, depending on what town he’s working in. They are located only about an hour’s drive away from us, but somehow when I ride by Ed’s mom’s empty house, it seems so much farther to me.
You know, it’s funny how life repeats itself. I remember another young wife who once couldn’t wait to get to the city. That was over forty years ago, and the young wife was me! Oh how I loved the opportunities and adventures the city offered, and I enjoyed living and working there, too–for a while. Eventually city adventures and the hustle-bustle grew old, and thoughts of a quiet life on the family farm beckoned us home. It was the best move we ever made!
Of course, I wish Brad and Jennifer the best, and I hope both will very happy in their new home in the city. I hope they take advantage of, and will enjoy all of the opportunities that living in the city provides. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t say–I’m secretly hoping, after a few years, they will tire of city living, and find their way back home.
You know, it’s a scary thing…to think about someone actually moving your home! That’s the thought that was foremost in our minds as Ed and I prepared to move back home.
We were busy for a while, making all of the preparations. We had to have a well dug and a septic tank put in. Last, but not least, we had to get a power pole set up and wired. All of this preparation was going on back home. Meanwhile, in the city, I was busy boxing up dishes and breakables. Ed found a mobile home mover and got a date for us to move.
We were set to move on March 17, 1977. There was a reason for that date. In the city where we were living, March 17 is heavily celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day and Ed had that day off for a holiday. I guess it’s nice that we moved on what some consider a holiday, because we can always remember the date with ease. We just celebrated our 32nd year of living back home on the family farm.
We got an early start that morning of March 17th. We decided to follow the truck that was pulling our mobile home. Oh my goodness, I don’t know if that was a wise decision or not! Have you ever noticed how those truck drivers fly with those trailers? Well, this guy was flying! I had visions of everything in the trailer being broken…
A strange thing happened on the way…we met Ed’s parents on their way to the city as we were heading to the country with our trailer. Ed’s mama had a doctor’s appointment. We pulled over and stopped to talk for a minute. They had bad news for us. Just the day before, the power people had called them to let us know that it would be three weeks before we would have electricpower to our trailer. Gulp!!!
It seems that they had to order a special transformer just for us because our power was going to have to come from a major power line and the power supply needed to be reduced before it got to us. I hope that makes some sense…What it meant for us was–we didn’t have any place to live for three weeks!
After this life-altering news, we continued on our journey to our new place of residence. The trailer made it there all in one piece, thank goodness! We made the only decision that we could under the circumstances…to move in with Ed’s parents for three weeks.
I was still somewhat immature at that point in my life and I cried. Ed’s mama was so sweet, she talked with me and made me feel better. It never occurred to me at that time that her life was being altered, too. She was having house guests for three weeks! If it was an inconvenience, and I know it was, she nor Ed’s dad never let on.
Remember those goldfish that I posted about a few days ago? Well, I had replaced them after the first ones died, so I had this aquarium of fish that had to make the move with us, as well as three cats! Nothing like a few pets to complicate things! Of course “B.B.” was used to traveling, so she wasn’t a problem. The fish aquarium was a big pain. I had to set it up at Ed’s parents, only to move it again when three weeks passed and we got to finally move in.
Our closest neighbors were a herd goats that stayed around the corn crib at the other end of the pasture. I loved those goats! They would come running to the fence every time they saw me outside. My favorite was an old white pregnant goat the I nicknamed “Preggie”, for obvious reasons. Preggie loved cookies and would stand on the fence and beg for them.
After over five years of living in the city, with people on every side of us, it was absolutely wonderful to be living in the country with no neighbors except for a herd of goats!
Reflections...by Kathy 