Unknown Super Powers

Lucy, our Boxer. She's always been strange!

There's been a whole lot painting going on around here. Grace and I have been painting the living/dining/kitchen area. We both agree that it has been at least 25 years since the ceiling and wall above the paneling has been painted. We rolled the paint on and it was sucked up by the paint like a sponge! During the 17 months since Brent's death, Grace and I have moved furniture back and forth doing projects around the house more times than I care to remember. Grace is a great project manager. A little here, a little there and the old home is looking much better. We painted the doors to the outside, I've had new windows installed, central heating and air installed, painted bedrooms, had an old lamp rewired, installed California style closets in the bedrooms, bought a dishwasher, new kitchen sink, some new kitchen cabinets, and decluttered. Grace and I went to Johnson's Fabrics and bought fabric to recover some furniture. There are still many things left to do, but we'll get to them one at a time.

Tae Kwon Do

Abigail tested for her brown/black belt in Tae Kwon Do on September 19, 2008. She's getting close to that black belt. The video is of Abigail doing her pattern during her testing.

Birthdays

Samuel and Abigail both had birthdays in September. Samuel requested a brownie ice cream dessert and pepperoni pizza. Abigail wanted to go to Sekisui, a Japanese restaurant. We invited Anna and Mike to come along. It was a nice evening. We all had the fried rice. Anna, Abigail and I had shrimp and sirloin. Mike had chicken and Samuel had the lobster and sirloin. I believe Samuel could eat his weight in seafood.

Brent used to take a day off from work on the kids birthdays. When the kids were younger we did not always have a lot of money to buy them gifts, so he gave himself.

Dinner Is Ready

You've worked hard all day either at school, in the yard, or your place of employment. You're driving home wondering what's for dinner. Arriving home you get out of the car exhausted. The walk to the front door takes forever. Opening the door your senses come alive with the smells and aromas of the dinner you will soon eat. The one who prepared that dinner fixes your plate and you sit down to eat. You feel loved and the food taste so good. When I came home from school my mother would be in the kitchen preparing dinner. Everything was from scratch. She made homemade rolls, homemade pies, and assorted cakes that all melted in your mouth. I miss eating my mother's meals. When Brent came home from a hard day at work I too had dinner ready. When I go to a friends house to eat dinner, it is always a pleasure and a treat for my senses.

All of these thoughts came to me last Tuesday when I came in from mowing 5 acres of grass. Abigail had prepared a delicious dinner. Broiled Flatiron Steak, Roasted Potatoes, Broccoli and a Green Tossed Salad. I teased Abigail and ask if she was going to fix my plate. She did and I sat down to eat it. The steak was moist and tender, the potatoes nicely browned with the flavor of garlic, rosemary and olive oil. The broccoli was cooked al dente and the salad was crisp.

Turkeys

These young turkeys crossed my driveway on July 21st. There were about 15 of them peeping while following their mother into the woods. I was slowly driving up the driveway trying to get close enough to get a good shot. I've tried several times to upload a longer video clip, but it takes hours and hours. I decided to upload the shorter clip. You can clearly see one of the turkeys, but if you look closely you'll see one or two more going into the woods.

Every day I wonder what I will see crossing the field in the front. I've seen deer, turkeys, foxes, rabbits and a variety of birds. One day I watched a hawk on the ground for nearly 10 minutes. He walked around looking at the ground. Sometimes he would would stand and do nothing. I'm used to them swooping down to catch their prey, not standing or walking around.

I feel blessed to see God's creatures in my front yard. There is joy every time I see one of His creatures. When I see a "nature moment" I feel so special. Nature moments for me have been seeing a butterfly lay an egg, birds feeding their young, seeing a hawk catch it's prey, seeing two spiders mate, watching a king snake eat another snake, and having a hummingbird feed on the feeder while my hand was next to it

Watch Where You Mow

Brent always told me to watch where I mow. Well, I got to close to this rug. Big mistake. Thankfully I had finished mowing the lawn. I was going to use the hydraulic jack to jack the mower. It started to rain so I stopped. I will get back out there after the rain and the ground drys up. I'll have to cut it out. It's a good thing I looked under the deck. Now I know why the mower is not cutting properly. The tip on one of the blades has a cut in it. No telling what I hit to make such a big cut.

No need getting all upset about it. The grass is cut. The rain from Gustav will soon pass.

Sorghum Hill

Sorghum Hill played the Frog Hollow Bluegrass Festival in Grenada, Mississippi on Friday, August 29th and Saturday, August 30th, 2008. Here they are on Friday evening getting a little practice before the show. Andrea singing, Larry on bass, Phil on guitar, Sam on banjo, and Jessie on fiddle.

Larry and Candice and myself pulled our campers to Frog Hollow Campground. The band members spent the night in our campers. Camping at bluegrass festival is the best way to enjoy what's happening.

Swallowtail Butterfly

I hope you enjoy this brief video of the Swallowtail butterfly. I think that it is an Eastern Swallowtail (genus: Papilio) although, I'm not sure about it.

Buzz To The Rescue

Buzz Lightyear? No. Buzz to the Rescue, not the book. My friend, Buzz. Right man for the right job. I wanted to hook my camper up because I have an appointment in the morning for new tires and to have my bearings packed with grease. One of the pins used to hold the sway bar in place was missing. I made my third trip into town today (ouch) to find a pin. I bought one and brought it home. Samuel said it would not work. I ask him to try. Of course, it did not work. It was already 7:30 pm and it was getting dark. I called Buzz and told him the problem I was having. He said to come on over and he would see what he could do. A machinist by trade, Buzz can make anything from metal. We went to his shop and after a couple of trys he made me another pin. I wish I would have had my camera. It was pretty cool to watch.

When I got home Samuel was curious as to how we would hook up the camper. I showed him both pins. He looked at them and said, "He made that?".

Thank you Buzz for helping me out. Thank you Joan for loaning me your husband! I appreciate it.

How To Eat A Moon Pie In One Bite

My son-in-law, Mike, entertains us with his, "Eating a Moon Pie in one bite". The things you'll do while on a road trip!

Road Trip Humor

June 15, 2008 Trip to Tybee Island, Georgia

Mike, Anna and Abigail were sitting in the backseat. They got tired of all the stuff in the backseat and threw it up front with Samuel. Nothing like a little humor on a long roadtrip.

The Tennessee Wildflowers and The Kudzu Band

Tonight Abigail and I went to see The Tennessee Wildflowers and The Kudzu Band. The Wildflowers are Dianna Ford, and sisters, Cathy Walls and Jeannie Gentry. The Kudzu Band was Royal Morehead, Craig Yarbrough and Jeannie Gentry. They played at the Square Beans Coffee Shop on the square in Collierville. It was our first time to see them play as a group.

For me the drive to Collierville was full of memories. Brent and I and the kids used to drive to Collierville on Friday nights for the weekly bluegrass pickin'. We would stay on the square on Friday nights until very late. I'd bring a cooler with drinks and snacks for the kids. I always brought pillows, blankets and a chase lounge in case Abigail needed a nap. The kids would always ask, "When are we going home?" My answer was always the same, "When Daddy gets finished pickin'. " Brent at one time or another had picked, sang or was in a band with with all those who were in the band tonight.

We arrived at the coffee shop before the group started playing. We greeted the group and other MABA friends. Abigail and I decided to treat ourselves. She ordered a Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie which was very good. We shared a Chocolate Truffle! Yummy! I ordered coffee which was very smooth.

How would I describe the music of The Tennessee Wildflowers? It's a mix of gospel, rock 'n roll Elvis, bluegrass, country, old timey and Appalachian music with a bluesy jazz sound. I enjoyed their choice of songs, many of which are not performed by local bands. Dianna does a great job of singing harmony with Jeannie and Cathy. Cathy has a powerful voice. Someone heard Cathy singing at the Williston Festival and ask me if that girl singing was from Nashville.

My friend, Betty Westmoreland, is so good about listening to a band, while writing down their song set and reviewing the bands she listens to. Betty I cheated and asked Dianna for their song set. I feel sure they sang most of the songs on the list, but with a few changes.

Here is a list of the songs: Set 1 - Love Me Darlin' Just Tonight, All I Ever Loved Was You, Blues Stay Away From Me, Can't Even Get The Blues, Coal Mining Man, Meet By The Moonlight, I'm blue/I'm Lonesome, Sea Of Regret, Six Hours On The Cross, One More River To Cross, Today I Started Loving You Again, Old Chunk Of Coal, Don't Be Cruel, Tear My Stillhouse Down, The Sun Will Never Set Again. Set 2 - Can't You Hear Me Callin', Daddy Sing Bass, Working On A Building, Crazy Heart, Southern Moon, I Saw Your Face In The Moon, Little Darlin', West Virginia, Dark As The Night, Sing, Sing, Sing, Barbed Wire And Roses, If That's The Way You Feel, Standing In The Need Of Prayer, No One Will Ever Know, Heartaches And Teardrops, Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross. Optional songs - I'll Never Grow Tired Of You, Precious Lord, Take My Hand, You Don't Have To Move That Mountain, Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies, Say Won't You Be Mine.




















Left to right: Mike "Buzz" Busby, Craig Yarbrough, Royal Morehead, Jeannie Gentry, Cathy Walls, Dianna Ford, and Steve Craig. Mike, Royal Jeannie and Dianna were the original members of Brent's band Loosahatchie Grass. Steve is also a former member of Loosahatchie Grass. Randal Morton, not shown, was also an original member of Loosahatchie Grass.

I was happy to see so many of my friends at the coffee shop.

Not someone you'd expect to see, some of us caught a glimpse of actor, Steven Seagal who lives in the Memphis area, peeking in the window. Someone said he was taking a look at Royal's guitar.

Another local favorite band, "Deep Hollow" was playing at Otherlands tonight. I couldn't see both of them and had to pick. I'll see you guys down the road at another show.












I'll add more video clips to this post. They take a long time to upload, even with DSL. That's why I only take 10-25 second video clips.

Mother's Dinner, August 19, 2008

Thought I'd post of couple of photos from the Mother's Dinner for our homeschooling group. It's late so I'm going to go to bed. I'll write a little something tomorrow evening.

I put this video here so you will have an idea of how loud it can be during dinner time!