2021 Gingerbread House

 5:00 am- time to start December off with a little Christmas Magic.

48 cinnamon rolls, 1 gallon of hot cocoa, one and a half gallons of sausage gravy, 32 biscuits and 30 hash browns, and too much candy is ready to go. 

We were able to be inside this year, but I took a few precautions.  Each child had their own little icing bag, instead of multi colors to choose.  And they picked out their candies as Lilli and Annabelle loaded up a little Christmas container. I plated up breakfast, so fewer hands on fewer things.   As with many things, I foresee that this tradition likely is winding to an end.  With no more babies coming up and another one every year not making it due to other engagements, the hand writing is on the wall. But, I enjoyed it today.  

That growing up business sure doesn't take long. 

Thanks Gwen and Lilli for getting some pictures whilst I was occupied. 

Thank  you Lord for strength for the day and for good sister help!

Ah, November

 Another precious person joins the Patron Month of Lost Mothers and, in this case, such a good friend. 

I'll miss you so. 

It doesn't seem possible that this was just 13 months ago. We were so happy to be together, even though it was on the front porch with a heater.  I remember how much you loved your lunch. You took a picture to send your sister and told her how spoiled you were by all the little doings.  How grateful am I for those times, and for all the times you straightened books, ran copies, strung weaving boards, worked one one with  student who had tried my patience to the bitter end. For all the smell good candles, anti-stress lotion, sweet little pins and pumpkin bread every October for years and years. The way you wore an angel sweatshirt I made you when Rae and Tim were in third grade thirty years ago when they were popular.  All the times you told me what a wonder I was. All the way you supported me through many losses.  The way you loved my kids and grandkids.  The way you were the example of unconditional love.  What a loss to this ol' world. 

Old Man Autumn

 This popped up on FB this week- Old Man Autumn by Christopher Bell 

It startled me.  I've had Jimi on my mind, well even more than usual.   He loved trees and sticks and the kids at Halloween. Of course, he always had a walking stick in his big hand.  Those look just like his eyes looking at me. 

He would have loved that costume.  

Actually, this is a better pick from the Gingerbread House Party- With his stick.

Of course, November has become the Patron Month of Lost Mothers. Mine, Ol' Mother Hubbard's (who was a mother to me) and Ceece's.  

Someone near and dear to me has had cancer return for the third time in a different place.  Boo Hiss.

Another beloved friend had a successful heart transplant, but has endlessly battled one awful infection after another. 

My job is really a challenge this year. And like your life, a few more other things. 

So, cry me a river, then sift the joy. 

Last Sunday, after dinner, I had the boys help me clean out my pin box.  I've never been much of a jewelry person. I settled on pins for a little bling.  A  walk down memory lane. 

Last night, Ol' Mother Hubbard held her annual Halloween party.  There were pirates and glamour girls and lots of good food and fun.  Aunt Tish's friend John and Timothy played and sang. 

I haven't spent my normal amount of time in the garden since Ol' Maple fell and killed a bunch of stuff. Old Man Autumn will really present himself this week, as we are getting close to our first frost.

Rae shared that coleus and a few other flowers could be cut and put in water to root and grow through the winter. I absolutely love coleus in the front garden bed.  This was in early summer. 

Looks a little different now. 

The nasturtiums have hit their stride.

This crazy thing was new to me this year- a popcorn plant. It does smell just like movie popcorn, but I didn't think it was ever going to show the popped corn blooms.  

I was wrong.

Even when they've drooped their heads, I enjoy sprinkling petals. 

Ahh, the hardest thing to part with.  Fried green tomatoes one last time.  Yum. 

I've tried and tried to find a plant to grow all over the little tea house.  Rae grew this little vine from seed and it very nearly got the job done. 

Gardener E. gifted me with a couple of new plants, so I got them settled in before the cold hits.  We've had some good rains and the  ground was great for transplants.  Not much left to do garden wise. I want to put in a few garlic and pull the dahlias after the frost.  That will wrap it up for 2021.

Happy Fall ya'll. 

His Ticker's Ticking Like They Say It Should

 This poor ol' blog doesn't get much attention anymore.  I still like to capture memories here. It has been over a month, but the big news this week needed to be shared.

If you've walked this road with me for a couple of years you know that in April of 2019 we heard some fairly devastating news.  Handy Man's heart was in a way bad way.  Your heart pump ejection fraction should measure between 50 to 70 percent. His was a low 20 with one hundred percent blockage and an enlarged area fixed to blow at any minute.  We had to wait for a few weeks on the Cardiac MRI and longer still for the surgeon to determine if was willing to even try a repair.  He finally said he would and I don't think anyone was more surprised than him, and his cardiologist, that Handy Man made a fairly speedy recovery after having 210 cc of his heart amputated. His ejection fraction in surgery was 14. 

The cardiologist could hardly wait for his echo about seven weeks post surgery.  Now his number was up to 40.  The cardiologist was thrilled.  So were we. What a miracle we are still thanking the Lord for.

That doc left the practice and his new doc wanted to see for himself I guess, so another echo. This time his number is 50 which scooched him right into the normal realm. Wow.  

I find it so very strange that the surgeon didn't seem to have any interest in following him. I don't know, maybe he does, as these tests all go through the same network, but as concerned as they were about there being any kind of hope, you'd think he'd want to know how it all came out.  Oh well.

As with everyone, I've been ever so concerned about carrying Covid to him, or to anyone who might not be able to fight it.  Handy Man, though vaccinated, did in fact get it, but for him, it was quite like the flu.  I've been exposed, fairly up close and for a good length of time, three different times now.  If I had it, I'm not aware.  Bless people's hearts, it is just weird and scary. 

I made another trip around the sun and enjoyed time and good food with family and friends. 

Mom's birthday came and went. My friend Gardener E. shares that birthdate, so I had her over and gathered the last of flowers and the tomatoes, green and ripe and fixed some yummy stuff she loved and served it on my Mom's china and my Granny's utensils.  

On a very dry day, after a series of very dry days, our creek was suddenly flooded.  Bizarre! We called our neighbor who knows everyone in Floyd County and he said someone above us was draining their pond. Good to know. 

Most of the Gramerlings came over one night and we tried out making these very crazy Japanese gummies.  Lots of oohs and ahhh and then we sampled the cute little things. 

I had also gathered some flowers and spices and made them each a grapevine wreath to decorate. 

For weeks, well months now, I've been working on this little playroom.  Doing some very hard parting with lots of kiddy things that held so very many sweet memories.  Time marches on.   I knew two boys who would enjoy a painting experience, so I let them help.    I can't pick paints. This was to be a very soft yellow.  Umm, it is screaming Laffy Taffy Banana Yellow Glow.

Even after mixing cup after cup of the trim paint, it is still so yellow. 

I surely did enjoy my friend visiting to show me the ropes of room painting over my fall break.  Then we took a little road trip, had a great time.  Unfortunately, she was unknowingly exposed the day before, so has Covid now.   Please, I hope this will be over soon. 

I had another great brunch with  another friend.  

Today, the boys wanted to get in the creek and Finn asked if he could take Pap's crowbar, which is as large as him.  He had just found two baby snakes in at the base of that big Maple that fell a while ago.  

So, we're enjoying the afternoon and Gideon and I were waxing eloquent about the warm sun, and the light breeze..... To which Finn added, "And the sound of the crowbar  hitting the rock." Such music on a beautiful autumn  Sunday.  

So, back to school I go.  

And In Rides the Calvary

 When Handy Man reached the girth of Ol' Maple that couldn't be managed by his chainsaw, we called for an estimate to remove the rest and chip the debris. Have mercy! I told Handy Man it could pass into the soil right where it lay and with several acres, if we had to carry it a branch at time, we would.  No way was I paying such an astronomical fee for an already downed tree. 

When I shared that info with a few friends, I got multiple offers of help.  Oliver was the first to make an offer, so I planned yesterday to feed them whilst they worked.  My brother called up help as well and they descended on the yard around 10 yesterday morning and started packing off branches through the mist. Later John and Oliver joined them with the big chainsaw, that proved to be very fussy, but finally managed the job at hand. Also, one of those cutie little vehicles. I loved seeing Oliver zip around and about in his glory.  Oliver had another friend come to pack off what was worthy of fire wood. 

And William, Finn and Gideon learning from the big boys.

My goodness, it was a very big job.

Then, bringing up the rear, this guy.  They never get so old that you don't worry about them.  He been in the way south, in a swamp,  on a military endeavor and out of contact for a month, with a hurricane coming through. He just got home.  When I got the camera he said sheepishly that he wasn't any part of the tree removal activities.  I said he'd done his duty.  Typically, when he have disasters of one sort or another round here, he's front and center.  

Most of the day (from 6 am to 6pm) I spent in the kitchen dishing up grub, for the tree removers and my people that came with them.  

Grateful that Adam is home and safe,  the tree is off replenishing the soil in another area of the  yard,  and all the Calvary rode out with no injuries.  Thank the Lord!

So Long Water Maple, It Was Good To Know You

 It seems everyone but me was caught by Covid. Here we are, thank the Lord, on the other side.  

Last year, when we were all stranded at home, I called the tree guy because I was worried about the big maple in my yard. I wonder how old she is.  I had already had her trimmed a long time back when Hurricane Ike and then a winter ice storm did some damage. 

 Anyway, the tree guy came and trimmed a couple of branches and told me she was fine.  I was glad. I imagine she's shaded this ol' house for over a hundred years.  She's been decorated, picnicked and storied under and made our porch the place to be when the heat elsewhere was overwhelming. 

We had a pop-up storm Thursday evening. I had already been out just to check on what was happening and it wasn't much, so went on back to bed.  Before I fell asleep I heard a big whomp.  I thought, "Surely that wasn't a tree."  I mean when you lose a whole tree in one fell swoop, the crack is loud and clear.  Still, I knew it was something. Back out and there she lay, across the yard and several flower beds. 

  So, I am a tree hugger and while I am all kinds of grateful to the Good Lord that it  missed the house and  my new AC unit by a hair, I still hated to see her go. So as we slowly started packing her off today, I shed a few tears. Drummer Boy came to help. It is so hot, and Handy Man is still in recovery from the virus, so it will take a few days. I also picked a lot of lichen to use to make dye. Lots of her will go right back into the ground round and about.