Rainy Days And Mondays…

I went to sleep with the sound of rain on our tin roof, and woke up to the same sound, this morning. From the looks of our yard, it may have rained all night. The title of a first grade book, entitled Oh, Lovely Mud, comes to mind…

It was a strange weekend.  My spirits were low, and I seemed to have trouble getting motivated to do much of anything.  I haven’t been sleeping well, lately, and that tends to make me tired and ill.  I did manage to wash and put away all of the china that I brought home from my MIL’s house, though.  I put away all of the groceries, too, but went and bought a new batch on Saturday afternoon.  The end of the kitchen table is covered again!  I went to bed early on Friday and Saturday nights, but didn’t sleep well either evening.

Our two oldest children came by for a brief visit, on Friday afternoon, but then I didn’t see anyone else the rest of the weekend–until Sunday. Everyone is always busy, running here and there, and we don’t seem to see everyone like we once did.

Ed woke up on Sunday morning, and asked if I thought our son, Brad, would mind if we surprised him with a visit, so that’s what we did.  We knew that Brad’s wife was working, and Brad was babysitting Evan for the day.  We hopped in the car and headed toward the city.

Everyone at Brad’s house is feeling much better, thank the Lord!  Brad and Evan seemed genuinely happy to see us, and we had a good visit with both of them.  Evan smiled, squealed and cooed at me when I picked him up, and it was great medicine for my weary soul.  I think Ed must have known just what I needed–or maybe he needed it, too!

Brad even loaded Evan up and went out to eat lunch with us!  I was so impressed with Brad’s parenting skills, it made this mama proud.  Not just any man would babysit their four-month-old son for 12 hours, and even fewer men would pack a diaper bag and attempt dining out and shopping! Evan was happy the entire time, and I noticed several people watching Evan and Brad, while we were out and about.  It was a sweet sight.  Wouldn’t you know, I forgot to bring my camera?!

Two more good people, that I know,  passed away, last week.  That makes three within a week.  I’ve always heard, death comes in threes.  All three were men, which means there are three lonely, grieving widows left behind.  One couple had been married 53 years, one couple had been married 63 years, and I’m not sure about the other, but I’d say, close to 40 years.

That’s my weekend, in a nutshell.  Now it’s time to join Heather and Wayne for ‘The Monday Quiz’.  Thanks to both of them for hosting a great way to ‘jump-start’ the week!

1. March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day – where do you think the Leprechaun hid his pot of gold? Are you celebrating in any way?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  No, I don’t really celebrate this holiday, but I do decorate for it.  I have the ‘year round tree’ all decked out in shamrocks, beads, and pots of gold, along with many St. Patrick’s Day collectibles sitting on shelves.

my corner shelf, decorated with St. Paddy’s collectibles

 As for where the Leprechaun hid his pot of gold?  Today, I’d have to say the Leprechaun hid his pot of gold in a mud puddle!  I guess Savannah will have a rainy St. Paddy’s Day Parade…

2. What kind of luck do you have?

Overall, I’ve had more good luck than bad.  (I prefer to think of ‘good luck’ as blessings from God, and I’ve certainly had plenty of those!)  Everyone has a run of ‘bad luck’ or some life challenges thrown at them, occasionally, but, overall, life has been good.  I’m very thankful.

3. Do you have a favorite pair of shoes right now?

My favorite shoes would be my Crocs.  I have several pairs, in several colors, and that’s generally all I wear.

4. What is your current theme song?

My theme songs seem to alternate between “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and “Rainy Days and Mondays”.  Most of the time, I’m a “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” kind of person.

 

Lucky Lucky Hodgepodge…

If you’re in the mood for a little bit of Wednesday Hodgepodge, then it’s your lucky day!  Our hostess, Joyce, has, once again, provided the questions, and I’ve provided my version of the answers.  Here we go:

1. Do you play games of luck/chance for money? Have you ever played bingo for money? Visited a casino? Placed a bet on a horse? Bought a lottery ticket?

No to all of the above questions. ( I guess you could say I’ve led a sheltered life.)  Hubby, Ed, will buy an occasional lottery ticket, when the jackpot gets ridiculously large, but I won’t.  I can’t stand the thought of throwing  money away.

2. Will you be preparing and/or dining on the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage meal this St. Patrick’s Day? Mashed-baked-hash browned-french fried…your favorite way to have potatoes?

No, I won’t be preparing the traditional meal for St. Patrick’s Day.  Since Christmas, I’ve eaten more than enough cabbage to last me a lifetime!  (Cabbage is one of the few “acceptable” foods on my new diet)  As for potatoes, it’s a tie between baked and fried–depending on what I’m eating them with.  Nothing compliments a hamburger like french fries, but I’d rather have a baked potato with my steak.  Potatoes are not “acceptable”, but I’ll eat them occasionally.

3. What’s the last thing you felt ‘green with envy’ over?

Several years ago, before I became a grandmother, I used to be quite envious of  friends and family who had grandchildren.  With three new additions to our family, plus another on the way, I don’t have to be envious anymore 🙂

4. What’s at the end of your rainbow?

A long, comfortable, happy retirement with Ed would be better than a pot of gold!

5. March 12th marks the anniversary of the death of Anne Frank (June 12, 1929-March, 1945). Anne’s diary detailing her time spent hiding from the Nazi’s during the war ranks as one of the best-selling books of all time. Besides your blog, do you keep any sort of diary or journal? Was this a habit you developed as a child or is journaling something new for you?

Yes, I began keeping a diary as a young teenager, and I’ve periodically kept a journal, of some kind, throughout my life.  Once I began my blog, three years ago, I stopped keeping a written journal.  I’ve always enjoyed writing my thoughts and what’s going on with me.

6. What’s an item in your home or closet that contains every color of the rainbow?

I don’t believe I have a garment that contains every color of the rainbow, but I do have several very colorful lounging dresses that I’ve been forced into wearing around the house, while dealing with my old “friend”,  candida.  One day, I’d love to be able to burn the ugly dresses  I’ve been forced to spend so much time wearing!!!   Eight months and counting, but  improving each week 🙂

7. Write a limerick with you as the subject. You can do it!! Just remember this is a family friendly blog…don’t make me get out my wooden spoon.

Once upon a time

I was asked to write a rhyme

I sat here half the night

‘Cause I couldn’t think what to write!

Random:

Look what I found in the chicken coop on Monday–the tiniest chicken egg I’ve ever seen!  Somebody laid two eggs on Monday because we have six hens and I found seven eggs!

Meet Me On Monday And The St. Paddy’s Day Weekend Wrap Up…

Happy Monday, everyone!  I’m starting the week off by joining Heather at Acting Balanced for her meme  “Meet Me On Monday”.  Here are Heather’s questions for this week:

1. How do you like your eggs?

I prefer my eggs scrambled, but I also enjoy eating them fried or in an omlet.  Yep, I’m a southern girl!  Love those eggs 🙂

2. Who is the last person you spoke to on the phone?

The last person I spoke with on the phone was my daughter, one day last week.  I believe it was Thursday.

3. Do you have a place you keep ‘junk’ in your home?

I have a small room (built especially for storing my “junk”), but, I also keep some of my “stuff” in Ed’s pool room…(like our six new baby chicks!)

4. What is on your ‘spring cleaning’ list?

Inside, I need to sort through some of the excessive “junk” in the storage room, straighten up my kitchen cabinets, and clean out some dresser drawers.  Outside, I’ve already begun raking and cleaning the yards, but I need to finish.  After that, I plan to paint the outside porches (again!).

5. What blog post have you written recently that you’d like more people to know about? (don’t forget to link it up)

A few weeks ago I wrote a post called “Somebody’s Watching You”.  It’s about our lack of privacy these days.  You can read it HERE.

Weekend Wrap Up:

It was a beautiful St. Paddy’s Day Weekend!  Ed and I didn’t attend a parade or any kind of  St. Patrick’s Day celebration, but we were surrounded by “green”.  Green trees, green grass, and even some green beans in the garden!  Our beans have sprouted, and I’m thrilled!

The weather was unseasonably hot this weekend!  The temperature was in the 80’s both days.  I wore a tank top on Sunday afternoon, and I was still hot!

On Friday evening, Ed and I went to Lowe’s, and bought the supplies to build our “chicken palace”.  Boy have building supplies gone  up!  I couldn’t believe the price of lumbar these days!  How can people afford to build houses???

I call our chicken coop, a “chicken palace”, because it’s costing so much!  Also, because it’s not going to be any ordinary chicken coop! This coop is going to be 16 feet wide and 7 feet deep.  We want our “girls” to live in style, and have plenty of room to move!  We expect plenty of fresh eggs in return!

Ed worked on the “palace” over the weekend, made good progress, but didn’t finish.  He’ll probably finish it next weekend.  Here’s what he got accomplished so far:

You may notice that our “girls” will be living right next to the woods…Ed and I are going to have to work extra hard to make sure the “chicken palace” is varmint proof!  We’ve learned from experience, once you get chickens, varmints will come from far and wide to try and make a meal out of your poultry!

For now, our “girls” are living in Ed’s pool room, and have moved on up to their “chicken condo”.  Our baby chicks have all sprouted their wing feathers, and are now trying to learn how to fly.  As a result, we had to make them a home with higher sides, and more room to run!  We joined three cardboard boxes together, and made a “chicken condo” for the “girls”.  They  seem to like their new home.

I’m enjoying watching the antics of my temporary house guests (chicks are quite entertaining), but I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I’m looking forward to having them move into their “palace”  outside.

Thirty-Five Years Ago Today…

Today was March 17th, the day some people celebrate as St. Patrick’s Day.  March 17th has a more special meaning to Ed and me.  It’s the day we moved back home to Ed’s family farm–35 years ago today.

Ed and I spent nearly the first five years of our marriage, living in a mobile home park in Savannah, Georgia.  We had neighbors on each side of us.  Some lived so close we could hear the conversations going on inside their homes, and I’m sure they could  hear ours, as well.  Finally, we decided that we’d had enough of big city life.  Ed’s daddy offered us a piece of land on the farm–our choice.  How could we say no?

We chose a secluded spot on the back of the property, and on March 17, 1977, we moved our home from the city to the country.  It was the best choice we ever made.  Because of that choice, our children grew up breathing fresh country air, spending lots of time with both sets of grandparents, and living in a town where everybody knew your name.

We’ve been able to have many pets of all kinds, and we’ve experienced encounters with all kinds of wildlife.  We’ve routinely been visited by deer, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, opposums, raccoons, owls, and even a skunk or two!  Granted, some of these encounters we could have lived happily without, but such is country living!

Ed and I no longer live in the original spot that we picked out so many years ago.  Four years ago, we built a new home next-door to it.  Our daughter and her family live in our original home place.  These days, from next-door, Ed and I watch our grandchildren playing in the shade of the trees that we planted in our old yard, so many years ago.  Our children played under those same trees, only the trees were much smaller back then!

Today, our 35th anniversary of living here,  found Ed and I happily working in our new garden, marveling over all of the seeds that are now beginning to sprout up out of the soil.  Seeds that are sprouting and growing in the same ground that Ed’s daddy farmed over sixty years ago.  It feels so good to be growing something!  Ed’s daddy’s been gone for nearly ten years, but I can’t help but think that he’d be proud!

Wednesday Hodgepodge…and All Things Green

It’s time for Joyce’s Wednesday Hodgepodge! You know the drill, answer Joyce’s weekly questions, then share your answers! I love Joyce’s questions–so here they are:

1. What would you do if you found a pot of gold? Let’s pretend this pot of gold is worth exactly $1500 (which would actually be more like a cup of gold at current values). Anyway, let’s also pretend you have to spend it as opposed to making a donation someplace. Now tell me what you would do with that cup pot of gold?    

I think I would pay off debt with my 1500 dollars.  1500 dollars would just about pay off the balance of our new heating and air conditioning system, and knock out another debt!

 

2. Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in any way, shape, or form? 

 About 55 miles east of us, in Savannah, Goergia, St. Patrick’s Day is a very big deal!  They go “all out” in celebration of St. Pat’s Day–including a giant parade!  Here in Gooseneck,–not so much!  I have St. Patrick’s Day decorations in the living room, and kitchen (because I decorate for every holiday), and I will wear green on that day, but that’s about the extent of my celebration.

 

3. Have you been bitten by the Spring Cleaning bug? What spring cleaning job most needs doing at your house? What spring cleaning job are you most dreading?  We’ve been working outside in the yard getting it cleaned up from winter.  Next we’ll paint the outside steps and porches.  Inside,  I need to clean out some closets/drawers, inside of cabinets,  and do some cleaning in high places–like ceiling fans, and on top of kitchen cabinets.  I don’t like to climb, so I dread that the most.

 

4. Lime-shamrock-sage-forest…your favorite shade of green?  Hmmm…green is not my favorite color, but I tend to lean toward the lighter shades of it, like lime or sage. 

 

5. Thomas Jefferson once said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” So…do you believe in luck or do you believe we make our own luck?  Ah, here it is–the thought-prokoking question!  I do believe that luck and circumstance plays a huge part in our beginning position in life, but I also believe we can improve our chances/positions with hard work in most cases.  I hope my answer makes sense.  The movie “In Pursuit of Happiness” comes to mind.  I love that true story!

 

6. Monday (3/14) was Pi Day. Get it? Pi =3.14. Those math types are so clever aren’t they? Since I’m not one of them tell me what’s your favorite piE (the edible kind).  That’s a tough question for a pie-lover!  Pecan, lemon, coconut, egg custard, chocolate silk…I love them all, but I’ll say pecan!

7. That same date (3/14) happens to be the birthdate of the late physicist Albert Einstein. I bet he knew the value of Pi. So…what do you think is more important and or valuable in life… intelligence or common sense?  Without a doubt, common sense!  All of the intelligence in the world can’t help, if you don’t have enough common sense to know how to use your intelligence properly.

 

Random:  I’m going to share a few of the  St. Patrick’s Day decorations that I’ve enjoyed collecting over the years…I’ll begin with the “year-round tree” that is all decked out in green!  Beside the tree you will see my St. Patrick’s Day tea set, along with some St. Patrick’s Day angels and teddy bears…

Next is the other side of the entertainment center, with all of the content on the shelves…

Last, are some smaller photos of other shelves in the living room…kinda’ makes you want to say “Erin Go Bragh”, doesn’t it?

 I guess you have figured out by now that I love collecting seasonal things and decorating with them. It’s a hobby that I began many years ago…  It all began when I worked at school, and holidays were such a “big deal”…You could say, I brought my work home with me! 

By the way, my blogiversary giveaway is still in process. If you’d like to be entered, just let me know in a comment. More details can be found by clicking HERE.  It’s a box filled with some of “my favorite things”…

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Thoughts On St. Patrick’s Day…Friday Giveaway

the "year round tree" decorated for St. Patrick's Day

This week I put away the Valentine’s Day decorations, and brought out the St. Patrick’s Day ones.  Of all of the holidays that I decorate for, St. Patrick’s Day is my least favorite.  In fact, when I was growing up as a child, the only thing that I knew about St. Patrick’s Day was– if you didn’t wear green on that day–you were going to get pinched! 

In 1972, when Ed and I got married and moved to Savannah, Georgia–we learned a lot more about St. Patrick’s Day.  For instance, the city goes “all out” for St. Patrick’s Day–beginning with a breakfast complete with green grits!  The city colors their fountains green, and has one of the largest parades and celebrations found anywhere in the U. S. A.  Ed and I have never been to a St. Patrick’s Day Parade or any of the other festivities.  We don’t really care for the crowds or the partying atmosphere.

St. Patrick’s Day is special to me because it’s the day that Ed and I left Savannah, and moved back to our home town…way back in 1977.  On this March 17, we will have lived on this little piece of land for 33 years.  We chose to move on that day because it was a holiday for Ed.  So, while most of the rest of Savannah was celebrating in 1977–we were moving back home!

some of my St. Patrick's Day collectibles

When I worked in first grade, I enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with the children.  We’d color rainbows with pots of gold at the end, or color and cut out little leprechauns to decorate our walls.  We usually had some kind of green cookie or cupcake for a snack–and sometimes we’d pretend that leprechauns came to visit the classroom while we were gone to lunch.  Once we returned from lunch and found little pots of gold covered chocolate coins on all the desks!  What fun! 

While St. Patrick’s Day is my least favorite holiday–or whatever you call it–I do collect and display decorations.  This year I added some outside decorations on my porch–just so my granddaughter who lives next door could enjoy seeing them.  I have two light-up shamrocks on the windows. Now I think my house looks sort of like an Irish Pub!

a few more things on display

My husband comes home from work, sees the boxes of decorations in the middle of the floor–and rolls his eyes!  He just doesn’t “get it”.  He doesn’t understand why I  take the time, and go to the trouble to put out decorations…I guess it’s just a woman’s thing–or maybe it’s just a “Kathy thing”.

What are your thoughts about St. Patrick’s Day?  Do you celebrate?  Do you decorate?  Do you know why it is celebrated?  What do you think about decorating?  Do you wear green on St. Patrick’s Day?  Just leave any kind of comment concerning St. Patrick’s Day,  and I will enter your name in the drawing for my St. Patrick’s Day Gift Bag.  The bag contains a pair of shamrock socks, 2 beaded shamrock necklaces, and a bottle of Bath and Body Works White Citrus(I like this scent) antibacterial hand soap–all tied up in a neat little bag with a  green bow!

The winning comment number will be chosen on Monday morning–courtesy of Random.org.  Have a great weekend everyone–and Good Luck!

Click here to see the entire Giveaway Blog Hop List….