Finally - the new "laundry" is complete.....

Out with the old and in with the new is very appropriate for what has finally taken place in my tiny little laundry room.Wow - how cluttered can something get? I've decided to pass all my Martha Stewart brushes on to Ann who loves anything Martha Stewart. I haven't decided if the lovely Ostrich Feather duster will be part of the ones I'm giving her yet - I love everything about it. What is sad about this picture is it isn't half as cluttered as it usually is in that little bitty space. The correct storage pedestals finally arrived and two wonderful men from HD installed them. BigD did have to run an errand for them to purchase the correct pipe for the dryer. The one we had wasn't long enough. I was surprised that BigD agreed to the pedestals but we were so pleased with how neat it looked we were thrilled to finally get them. Drum role....Had a little "feeling" earlier while washing a load of towels. Heard a bumping sound and when I walked by the door later, noticed the pedestal under the washer had come open during the spin cycle. Hmmm - will see if it happens again before I panic enough to call HD back out here. I got a call earlier today from Lowes telling me our new Refrigerator will be in tonight and after she inspects it tomorrow, she will call me with a delivery date. How do you say - my cup runneth over? Oh - I just did and it does. Before you think we have suddenly come into big bucks - let me assure you that is so far from the truth. Our stuff has just "worn out" and we have put it off so long it has become sad. Besides - isn't that what charge cards are for? Yeah- makes me feel a little sick to my stomach every time I think about it if the truth be known.

vacation is officially over......

The end of our vacation came so much quicker this year but I guess this is how it will seem from now on. Since I had another birthday last week - it means another year gone by. After the neighbors put up their fence, we didn't see as many of the ducks as before. The kids always loved taking stale bread into the yard and watching them run up to them to feed. Now the ducks get fed off the docks or walls - still beautiful though. As it turns out - the kids still enjoy feeding them every chance they get. We used to have to keep a sharp eye on them because they would take fresh biscuits or whole loaves of fresh bread out the door before we could catch them! I have to share the cute little "booties" Leah bought for me, Page and Ann (I feel so special to be included among the "girls"). Aren't they cute? I'm the bear - Hey - what does that mean? I didn't have that many little surprises to share this year. I was hoping the gifts I had ordered for Leah and Page2 would be in before this trip but have been promised they will be in by the end of this week. Ann gave me a lovely little wrought iron holder of 3 pretty green bottles that can be used to hold different oils in the kitchen. I think I have thought of another use for them though so will see how it works out. They are a very pretty green (which is my favorite color). Mae bought me a pair of silver earrings - dragonflies - I know you are all surprised. I think most people are aware of how much I do so love that delicate insect.I bought Ann a book I had ordered - I kept it long enough to read it myself before passing it on to her. She is the one of us who will whip up some of these wonderful recipes for housekeeping and beauty. As a matter of fact, she gave me a jar of homemade bath scrub with lavender in it. Can't wait to try it.This picture of Lee cleaning up before we left gives you an idea of how bad some of us were feeling. He was still feeling pretty rotten today too when I spoke with him. Hope tomorrow finds him doing much better. I always experience so many emotions when I'm in this wonderful place I have been privileged to share in for so many years. Eileen called me from service today - she was still down at the coast and was enjoying a full day with the friends down there. Whaaa - wish I could have been with her but to tell the truth, BigD and I have felt worse today than any day since last Wednesday. Hopefully this will pass - mine isn't as bad as his but still pretty miserable.Will have to admit this sweet card from Roseanne cheered me up - not just because it is about my cat but because it means she was thinking about me. Love you Roseanne.....

where has the time gone...

Just when it seems the vacation has just begun, it is almost over. How is that? Page left this morning and the only thing I can say about that is color me so SAD! BigD must have taken note of it because he asked me to go riding with him and to run some errands. It worked - we went down to the beach, drove down to Fort Macon, drove over to EI and over the bridge and all the water and sunshine started working a tiny bit of magic. While he was in WalMart picking up food for our dinner tonight, I sat in the car and called a few people I've missed talking with this week. I have more pictures to upload but suffice to say I received some really sweet gifts from some really sweet young people.I love this picture of Ann and Biscuit on the beach. Biscuit is too cute for words and if I posted every sweet picture of her, there would be no room for words or other pictures.Since we have all agreed this is one of the cutest, I have to add it. I wonder how many kids have jumped on these two beds over the years? She does a great job of keeping up with Page and Boy in most all of their activities.Ann and Leah took the kids to the park yesterday and from the pictures taken, they had a great time and worked out some energy. Lee and Kurt kept the kids and the "girls all went over to Beaufort for lunch and to browse just a few shops. It started raining but not on our parade. We had a great lunch on the water with good food and service.Leah had to order a gift so she arrived a little after everyone got their drink. It didn't' take her long to get close to the bottom of her first "pain killer".Of course she had to have another picture showing off the gift Page had just bought for her at a sweet little art store/gift shop.The food and company was great and we laughed a lot getting caught up with each other and just enjoying our time together as "girls". You would think I live as far away from Chess, Lynn, Ann and Mae as I do Page and Leah but it seems that way at times for as often as we get to see each other. I'm working on that though - carving out time to be with those I truly enjoy being with - especially old friends.Poor Kurt has been sick the entire trip with a stomach "thing". BigD has felt rotten with a bad cold most of the time here too.How do you say BFFF? These two - they have loved each other since they first met. Like me, Ann misses Page every day but we treasure every minute we have with her. Page is totally enjoying watching Ann and our gorgeous Lee raise their sweet family in the lovely homes they have created both here and on the farm. We have enjoyed the "fresh" eggs their sweet hens produced for our sumptuous breakfasts while we have been here.Speaking of food, check out the homemade chicken pot pie Leah produced along with the fresh turnip greens and kale cooked together that BigD produced - YUM. Yeah - no dieting this week - that is for sure.Then we had the gorgeous sunsets served up with a nice breeze (hair) and glass of my favorite wine. (Thank g00dness for the ability to CROP pictures.)Followed by a gorgeous sunrise with coffee and a book I've been reading. Until this afternoon, the weather has been warm, warm and warm. After the rain yesterday, it has been cooler but with clear skies and bright sunshine.One of my favorite people again. We have enjoyed having her daughter be with us and getting to know her a little better. I just found out Mae went back up to her cottage so think I'll sign off for now and go check on her. Believe me, too many pictures and fun things to share here but we are having fun. Sad to leave tomorrow but have Page coming back home in a month to look forward to and hopefully Bentley will come with her and we can all be together. Page just called to leave a message saying she is almost home. To be continued......

first and part of second day at AB - let the fun begin....

Since BigD, Kurt and I all felt rotten, we tried to pace ourselves getting away from home. Or maybe I should say, some of us were trying to pace ourselves - ME. Needless to say - things didn't go well AT ALL! BigD is ....hmmmm, what one word can be used to describe how he is when it comes to traveling - IMPATIENT! Yep - that's the word I'm looking for. So to make a short but uncomfortable story even shorter- as soon as he got out of the shower (and before I even had gotten mine) he packed up his truck and said he was ready to go and those famous words he always speaks no matter what "so if you are going with me you had better be ready". I had reminded him to be sure and get the snack foods and cheese he purchased from the middle shelf of the fridge and that our sheets and towels and washcloths (as well as the kitchen towels for both sides) were on the daybed in the office and needed to be put in a big black bag. He and Kurt left and I programmed my GPS, turned on my Bluetooth and headed out behind them. I caught up with them and we had a beautiful trip down - weather was perfect and both of the cats (traveling with me) were good. So we all get here and I go to unpack and to make up my bed and you got it - he brought "some" of the stuff in the kitchen but NOPE - NADA from the middle shelf and he brought the big black bag with Leah's and Kurt's things in it but NOPE - NADA of our towels, washclothes, kitchen towels or sheets and of course our bed is the "only" Queen size. I can hold my cool most of the time but if (or when) I don't (and by this I mean if I say anything even a little sarcastic or negative) - I always feel like my kids react to that more than to their Dad's impatience. That is probably just me being disappointed in myself because once again - I let my guard down and do "react". Either way - as Roseanne loves to say - "it is what it is". So Mae found us a set of sheets that fit and sent up two towels, wash cloths and hand towels and Leah had a few extra wash cloths so we are fine. When we got here, everyone was engrossed with the "crafts" they brought for the kids to do - ahem - how many kids do you see at this table doing crafts? :-) They had fun though. BigD and Kurt went fishing, I took a little snooze on the sofa and when they got back, BigD made his famous seafood soup and we had that with crusty french bread and it was delicious as always. Lee got in after I was sound asleep so it was nice to see him this morning. He, BigD and Boy have gone out on the boat fishing after a big breakfast of bacon, homemade sausage, fresh eggs from Ann's chickens, biscuits with homemade preserves and great coffee. So now we are going to continue to enjoy Biscuit, Boy and Page2 while watching the parades and planning our next meal. Let the vacation begin......

anticipation, jealousy, despair.....

First I got a telephone picture from Darrel while I was at the assembly on Saturday telling me "life is a beach" and how beautiful it is down there, then I get telephone pictures from Leah all day today this one saying how beautiful the day is and how much fun Boy and Page are having. And then the next one I got latertelling me how much Biscuit is enjoying the beach today and then the last one of Jessie saying how cold the water is. I got this one while I was getting a much needed pedicure. Got home and realized I'm getting sick - I mean - really, really, sick. BigD said he feels like he is coming down with something too. NOOOOOOOOOOOO! He started coughing during the night and feels like he is getting sick. My head hurts, now my face hurts - even my jaw and I feel like I'm getting sick too. I called Sher at Urgent Care and she said there is a virus going around - to drink tons of liquid, take Tylenol or Advil and make myself a nice hot "toddy". I fixed some hot tea with lemon, honey and a shot of rum; ate a bowl of canned chicken and rice and took 3 Advil with a glass of water. Hmmm - still feel horrible and haven't even packed the first thing or cleaned up my room and the office. Those two things were on my agenda for this afternoon after running other errands this morning. Kurt is a little over half way here and still suffering somewhat with the stomach virus he has and Page is running late getting to the coast because she didn't sleep well and according to Leah forgot something and had to turn around and go back for it and is just taking her time with multiple breaks to keep herself awake so YEAH - I'll be making myself stay awake until I KNOW Kurt and Page are where they need to be. Maybe I should let Bentley know to call us if he hears from Page and that way she can climb right into bed. Was checking friends on FB and saw this old picture of me! It caught me off guard!Bro. Jerry M. - what wonderful memories of our time with him and his lovely wife. They were preparing a meal for us in their little apartment under the KH. This was no later that 1995 - and I'm thinking around that time.When they had served us the first time, she sent word by Mae that she wanted to meet me on a more personal level because she had heard so much about me. I know - it is scary isn't it? But we developed a great friendship and always planned personal adventures whenever she was in our area. The last time we spoke they were serving in GA but I just found out they are back in our State and not too far away so hoping to catch up with them soon. I am going to make myself get up and at least pull some things together to pack tomorrow - man - HATE we are both feeling so bad. Maybe we will both feel much better tomorrow.

earlier times.....

I was trying upload a picture of me with my Mom's Mother at a picnic but my blog would not allow it. I need to find out how to change how pictures are saved and/or scanned from things like .gif and .tif to .jpg or .jpeg. I'm thinking I was 6 years old in this picture which means Rose would have been around 13, Saundra around 1 and Ruth around 9. I'm almost positive Mama had my Aunt Parylee cut mine and Ruth's hair in short bobs before I started to school or this may have been right around the time I started and she cut our hair later. We were visiting with my Aunt in Raleigh when they lived in a pretty stone house near the State Fair grounds when they were building the big coliseum. We went over to the building site with our cousins and played on the concrete slabs that hold up the building. My older sisters and cousins would walk up as far as they could. As I recall, most of my memories of going there were good even though I was still in that period of my life when I was scared of my own shadow and very seldom spoke - even when spoken to. I know, I know - you can't believe it but it's true. One thing I can assure you of is we were all very well behaved - especially when my Daddy was anywhere around. :-) That means we were still living in the old farm house before moving to town for a year because that is where we lived when I started school. I was terrified of getting on the bus, going to the wrong class, getting lost going to the rest room, getting on the wrong bus coming home, missing my stop coming home,...... you get the picture. I do remember that house though - can remember how the rooms were laid out, where my sister taught me my numbers, ABC's and how to write my name in the dirt before I started school, how Ruth would get in trouble for eating dirt (she loved dirt), when the man would bring coal for our big stove in the living room we ran to in the morning on cold mornings and the wonderful meals my Mama made in the big kitchen. Mama would french braid my hair tight enough to last more than a day - ouch - remember that too. We had an outhouse there but I only had to use it during the day when someone would go with me and at other times, we had a room with a Chamber Pot I was young enough to use - thank goodness. Mama got a washing machine on wheels while we lived there but before then I do remember her washing our clothes in a big tin basin with a scrub board and a big cake of Ivory Soap. We all took our baths in that big tin tub too. Mama would put it in the kitchen where it was warm, heat water up on the stove and fill it up. The two oldest girls got their baths first then me and Ruth would be put in the big tub together. After we went to bed, Mama and Daddy took their baths. OH - I forgot to mention - our landlady wouldn't let Mama use the water from the kitchen tap for anything but cooking and drinking. All other water had to be pumped up at an old pump down the hill from out house. Think about how many trips it took to fill that tub up for washing clothes or little bodies. During the week Mama would heat up water in a basin and stand us up in the kitchen chair and scrub us from head to toe until we were pink but the bath in the tub was a treat. Sometimes in the summer, my Daddy would just fill the old barrel at the pump with water and take a cold bath down there and then pour it out. Believe me - that old pump didn't look this good and Daddy would have to almost beat it to death sometimes to get it to work. He was determined to get us away from that kind of life and that's why we moved into town when Mama started working at the factory. We lived in town long enough for them to save money to buy the big old farmhouse I lived in until after I graduated. The first thing Daddy did was put in a bathroom - THANK YOU DADDY! Of course after the clothes were washed and rinsed, they had to be hung on the clothesline to dry which when you look at most pictures look so pretty with the sun shining, the wind blowing, blah, blah, blah. So many times it was more like this with the clothes freezing at times and having to be brought back in and hung all around the stove to dry. Even this picture doesn't tell the real story of how dark, cold and raw it would get. Mama really spoiled us and didn't make us do enough of these hard chores for her. By the time we got home from school, she would be at work and we only had to bring the clothes in - THANK YOU MAMA! Think how cold it must have been handling those wet clothes on those cold days. She would always have a homemade treat waiting on the kitchen table for us and we would get a phone call not long after we walked in the door reminding us to do our homework. I always hated getting off the bus knowing Mama was at work and used to tell myself I would try never to work and have my children come home to an empty house. It wasn't that I was mad at her or blamed her - I just really wanted her to be there when I walked in the door. As I recall now, she would also call later in the night to remind us to wash the dishes and get to bed early - NOT. Daddy came home every evening after work and after supper, he would fall asleep in the rocking chair watching TV and we would do our homework while watching TV and be as quiet as little mice to stay awake as long as we could. When it got close to 11pm, we would tip toe off to bed. I wish I could say I didn't have to work full time and my kids didn't have to come home to an empty house but as we grow up, we have to face the same realities our parents did. On the flip slide - it turns out BigD was home a lot more than I realized and was in and out during the day even in the summer time. It was only when my company sold and I started working from home that I found out just how early he would get home or how often he didn't even leave the house so it doesn't hurt my feelings anymore that my kids didn't seem to be bothered by the fact I worked such long hours. :) Most of my jobs didn't last too long and I would hire someone to be with them after school or full time but when I started working full time in my last job, it became apparent it was going to last. Page became a teenager and took on more responsibility which I think she liked much better than having someone else be here. So even though they didn't miss me being here when they got home - I missed it - more than they will ever know. That is why I eventually paid someone to clean my house once a week - I wanted to be free to be with my kids without stress. The down side to that is I now HATE housework and can't afford to have someone clean once a week! What a spoiled rotten brat I am- when I think of how my Mom and her Mom before her and their Mom's before them had to work so hard to do in a day what we can do in a few minutes - it makes me ashamed of myself. Don't get excited - it doesn't mean I'm going to all of a sudden love housework but I'm going to try to not whine about it so much - whine - hmmm - maybe if I had a glass of wine, housework would come easier? No? Oh - okay.

more new stuff.........

Gail and I went to the Memorial for my friend yesterday afternoon and then had a very nice drive North through the countryside to meet Leah and Page. Everytime the brother called my friends full name I looked up - she has my first name and her married name is the same as my maiden name so it felt like he was calling my name. Strange. The moon coming home was unbelievably beautiful. Gail almost killed herself trying to get a picture of it. I think she finally got one that was pretty good. Everyone agreed that I did a good job on the ride home in spite of having to keep my headlights on bright on the back roads until cars met us. I need to have my mechanic adjust my headlights and I think it will improve my night driving considerably. It was so nice waking up with a sweet smelling little girl snuggled up beside me this morning. Ann came by and shared a Red Velvet Daisy Cake with me after which Leah and Page loaded most of their stuff into her van and they all headed down East. Not long after they left, I got this picture over the phone from Leah saying that Biscuit was very excited about going to the beach too. Don't you love that sweet face? Kurt wasn't feeling well yesterday so we all avoided him like the plague. He is supposed to get off early tomorrow so BigD and I are looking forward to seeing him tomorrow night. Okay - for those of you who know BigD you are probably thinking by now - "what has Jane done with BigD and who is this man who keeps saying - yeah - go ahead". So everyone - take a gander at my new French Door Samsung Refrigerator. It is a tiny bit smaller than the old one I have which is good because we had to brutalize the bottom of our cabinet to squeeze that bugger in after we had the new kitchen floor installed. It turns out that Leah has seen this one up close and personal - her Mom just purchased one and I think they looked at every fridge in every store in their area. :-) The girl I ordered it from said it will be a few weeks before it gets here because she had to order it. BigD just called to say he had gone to the other Lowe's and it was there. Hmmm - what to do? I think I'll just wait - we are going out of town anyway and this will give me time to clean out the old one to be taken away. I also got a response from where I ordered gifts for Leah and Page2 and they promise I will get them by the end of next week. I was so hoping to have them by this weekend but it isn't to be. S0 - Happy Anniversary to US on our new W/D and Refrigerator! We are also getting the carpet cleaned before Page gets here at the end of December - not sure when she is coming yet. Sad to say - this new carpet will never be as good as our old one was - but that's the way things are made these days - less quality - more money . I also got the approval of Bentley on this purchase - he assured me I had gotten a great deal and a quality product. BigD just called to say he saw it. I asked him how he liked it and he said what he usually says - "alright". LOL. Hard to get that man fired up. Will have to admit he was a little more excited about the new W/D but once he has water coming out of the refrigerator door again - I think his excitement will kick in. Are you wondering why the picture of the guy in the Pilgrim outfit? This is what Bentley sent me to show me the "costume" he plans to wear while cooking a turkey on Thursday - Oh yeah - you gotta love this man. I love a self-confident man who knows how to implement "costumes" into his life. Um hum. Bet he is thinking to himself about now - "what? - No! she didn't - did she? - No! she wouldn't put that picture on her blog - would she?" Guess it is time for him to learn a valuable lesson. I really did howl when I saw this picture - LOVE a man with a strong character AND a great sense of humor! Do you know what is really funny about this picture? I can see Kurt standing there in it - he also LOVES costumes. He has even been known to wear make-up when he has been in some plays. So I guess Bentley and Kurt have a lot more in common than their coloring - both handsome and blond with blue eyes, both strong enough to be who they are without pretention and they both love my Page. Nice..... Smiling.......

first SAD for our new circuit #20..

Yesterday, Eileen, Rosanne and I piled into old Ava for our trip to WS to attend our first special assembly day as NC Circuit #20. It was held in a smaller building that houses a hockey rink. The floor was covered with thick mats and you don't feel like you are walking/sitting on an ice floor. Mae had us seats up in the stands but by lunchtime I knew that was not going to work for me on any level. Roseanne gave up and went to sit with her son and his family before the lunch break and Eileen and I went to the floor for and after lunch. The seats there were hard also but not as bad as the ones in the stands. If we go there next time, I plan to take a pillow and small stool and sit on the floor.During the lunch break I did get to visit briefly with some old friends I haven't seen much of over the years. Our new Circuit includes many congregations that were previously in another Circuit so we are all getting caught up with each other now. This is a young family my daughter was close to for many years. I can't believe their son is 16 now. There were over 2,300 people there so that is too big for the Assembly Hall we used to attend. We speculate about one of two things might eventually happen - once the SC Assembly Hall is complete, we will be broken into 20A and 20B and go back to the one we used to attend or they are going to build one closer to us in a different direction. For now, I'm just going to enjoy seeing so many of my old friends three times a year.And here they are with one of my oldest friends, Elbert. This is the first time they have been with us too so even more reasons to be happy. He is known as the best hugger in our area. :-)One of my handsome "guardian" sons - such a nice young man. His mom has done a great job with him and they seem so happy now they are no longer living under harsh circumstances any longer.And crazy CW - been a long time since I've seen him too. Great memories of when we were all much younger and working in service the month we were all laid off from our jobs come flooding back as I look at this. So much has changed for him since then but he is doing well.Another wonderful friend from the "old" West Congregation when all our families were young and we raised them together. Now all our children are grown and many have children of their own. And then a new friend. This is one of Roseanne's close friends from her congregation I've heard her speak of many times. She was interviewed as part of the program and I finally got to meet her. It was funny because I was talking to another friend from their congregation who introduced us and she said - "Oh, she talks about you all time." Then I said yes and I think Roseanne is your close friend too and she said "yes - and she talks about you too". :-) Nope - didn't ask her what they had to say...some things are better left alone. lol Roseanne went with her kids to Pat's for dinner and Eileen and I headed home. I'm amazed at how well I could see to drive on the highway after dark - there wasn't too much traffic so there weren't many bright lights behind me. I rushed home, came by the house to change clothes and pick up the cole slaw BigD had made and went to GG's where we had a feast of BBQ Chicken, mashed taters and cole slaw. Deb and Jim were already there along with their beautiful grandchildren. It was nice to be with them for a short visit.I know this picture doesn't really do it justice but this was the best I could get. The moon last night was gorgeous - I don't know how people get such good pictures of it because I finally had to just zoom as close as I could and it still doesn't do it justice. I guess I'll get dressed. I have to pick Gail up and go to Pat's Memorial service after which we will meet Kurt and pick up Leah and Page2. We are all getting very excited about our upcoming family time at the coast. Another gorgeous Autumn day for a country ride......life is good.

School project, accidents, nature, tobacco and yard art....

How do you not love that smiling face! Here is Page with her school project she and her Mom were up late finishing - yep - that is school these days. The parents work as hard if not harder than the kids on these projects. I may be getting senile but as far as I can recall - I think the most involved I ever was with a school project for either of my children was getting the two gold fish bowls with two fish for Kurt's science project one year that I was pretty impressed with. I had to stop and get on BigD and Miya who are fighting. All he has to do is call her while hitting the stool in front of the sofa and she comes to him because she knows he is going to give her a good rubbing at which time she turns on him and tries to bite him at which time he smacks her. Hmm - sounds a little "kinky" to me. Not sure what has happened but Miya has a swollen place above one of her eyes. I'm thinking maybe a spider bit her there (they love to come in the house when it gets cold outside). We talked to Kurt tonight who had a really bad day at work all day long today. BigD was really affected by what took place and told me he hates that Kurt has to work in the environment he does. He thinks that Kurt is too tender hearted to be in that environment - isn't that sweet? It's true though - Kurt is very sensitive to other people and their needs and goes out of his way to try to accommodate them - been there - done that - and he will get hurt at times but would rather he be like that than cold hearted. My wonderful computer guru called to let me know he and his son were in a wreck yesterday. The pavement was wet and the truck in front of him hit the guy in front of him and when he tried to stop, he slid into the guy in front of him. The worst part is he didn't have too many more payments before this car was paid for! Man - that sucks! He told me he would get my old computer he gutted and re-vamped for Page to me before we leave for the coast. He and his family will be in the same area we will next week so we might try to hook up for drinks if nothing else. He is such a special young man with a lovely family. It turns out his sister is married to my cousin's son so we consider ourselves family!

I'll have to say I have enjoyed the first three days of this week - the trees are gorgeous, the sky is blue and the cool air has been delicious. The sky has vacillated between cloudy and bright and sunny which has been great. We did have a pretty significant storm the other night but the next day was even prettier.How beautiful is this? Nature is full of so many colors with so many subtle shifts to enjoy in them.And then you have the burning bush shrub and these lovely purple flowers. After lunch one day, I drove down a residential street in a very old neighborhood. I do so love older neighborhoods with the various architecture and older plants, trees, and shrubs. Then it was back out into the countryside wherethere is an abundance of animals, landscapes and older buildings which I also love.Every time I see one of these old building I remember when I worked in tobacco with my childhood boyfriend's family for his grandfather. Hmmm - what is one word to describe handling tobacco leaves - GUMMY! These are the types of barns/building the strung tobacco would be hung in for curing. Tobacco has been a part of my life since I was a child. My grandfather and father both grew tobacco as share cropper farmer and later in life would travel to Canada to cure tobacco for farmers up north who weren't as adept at curing as Southerners were. Both of my parents as well as most of my friend's parents worked in one of the two major tobacco factories in our town where they not only made a fair wage for their hard work but also got benefits and retirement. My Dad didn't handle working in a factory as well as my Mom and always enjoyed the actual farming and curing aspect of the process. We have a local museum that educates those who are interested in what an influence tobacco has been in our history and not always for the best. Once the tobacco was ready, the farmer would have workers lined up to get the crop in, tied to sticks and put into the curing barns.My boyfriend, his brother, grandfather and other helpers would bring the tobacco to the barn on slats or sleighs and load the tables up with it and we would would pick up two to three leaves and hand them as quickly as possibly to the women who would string or tie them to sticks. My boyfriend's mother was so fast and taught me how to string also. Then we would load the sticks back up and take them to one of the local curing barns in the area and hand them up to the boysabove us to wait for the men who came and took shifts to keep the fires burning constantly to cure the leaves perfectly before being taken to auction. This picture makes me think of my Daddy who wrote letters from Canada later in his life when he went up to Canada for several seasons after he got older to cure for some farmers up there and I have copies of the letters he wrote home to Mama.Once the tobacco was cured it looked like this and would be taken to the Auction House. Tobacco was the major industry in my town and the farmers worked very hard to get the best price so they could pay their bills and continue farming for another year. My boyfriend's grandfather didn't think I was that good a worker but I didn't care - I got to be with my boyfriend! We would start work as early as 4:30am, eat a big lunch and take a nap and then get back to work. After that, I would walk the rows with my boyfriend and his older brother while they "suckered' the tobacco plants and then we would drink a soda and eat a Moon Pie. My boyfriend's mother loved me (and I loved her) and was very protective of me around her three boys (she eventually had a fourth son). That particular week I stayed with a younger friend from school who also worked with us that week. This is hard to believe but I stayed with her in the house I live in now - yep - her family was renting this house. Mom and Dad had gone to NYC to take my sister Ann and her husband to board the Leonardo Da Vinci ship that would take them to Italy where they would live for a year. The younger girl and I weren't very close but her older sister gave me her old maternity tops to wear while I worked in tobacco and they were ruined from all the gummy leaves. I am so happy to report that both of those tobacco companies are out of business and the buildings have been renovated into apartments, condo, lofts, office space, restaurants, theaters, and shops and are no longer producing the poisonous cigarettes they once did. And that brings us to the "yard art" I've documented this week. I've noticed this "gazebo" several times and it saddens me to see that someone wanted to build something unique while re-cycling (the top of the gazebo) but I don't think it has ever been used by anyone. I have to admit this is my favorite for "yard art" this week! It sings out to me on so many levels from the window panes that have been hung around the structure to the sweet toilet sitting out in front for the world to behold.And the wet leaves on my windshield yesterday morning after the big storm. All the yards were full of brightly colored leaves the rain and wind brought down - nature at it's best.
I'll end this entry with a quote from a fellow blogger to those of us who comment on her blog entries. She lives in Southern France, has a hubby and two young boys and is so creative that when I look at things through her eyes, it makes me feel creative. She said she wanted to give a huge, heartfelt thank you for the sweet and supportive words she gets from comments from others because they keep her going and they felt like a million happy bombs in her heart! That is exactly how I feel at times when someone comments on my entries – whether on-line or if they mention something I wrote to me personally. I started this blog because I enjoyed reading my daughter and another friend’s so much and thought I would try it (and to help my sister start one who is SO not interested in doing it) and got hooked. I’ve started so many journals that ended up in the trash after a few months over the years and have found this medium to be helpful at times. So thank you to those who wade through the sometimes long, drawn out meanderings of this old girl. At times it can even be cathartic so for now I guess I'll continue.