Twas Three Days Before Christmas

Twas three days before Christmas when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,

The doggies were outside enjoying the cold,
While I alone was within, trying not to feel old,

When out on the lawn there arose such a chatter,
Of doggies barking intensely, oh my, what was the matter?

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
Not a miniature sleigh nor eight tiny reindeer,

As I peered out my window, such a sight to behold,
Was a strange looking creature standing so bold,

By my deck he was starring not uttering a sound,
Looking toward my back door, hummm, what had he found?

Where were my doggies? I thought with distress,
They had now stopped barking, oh, I was a mess,

As I opened my door my doggies burst through,
They rushed right past me, well, wouldn’t you?

This creature just stood there in his brown and white coat,
With thick horns on his head, why, he was a goat,

I ran for my camera to get a quick shot,
But when I returned, the goat he was not,

So I opened the door in hopes I could see
Where he had run to, where could he be?

Oops, there was the goat right up on my deck
I shuttered then said, oh, what the heck?


So I grabbed two quick pics before he hurried away,

Feeling nothing I could do would get him to stay,

And so I exclaimed as he walked out of sight,
He’s just Richard’s pet goat, so no need for freight.

Great Grandchildren Thanksgiving 2008

The two oldest great grands shown here with their proud grandmom.

Here's Madison. The September baby of Josh and Felicia.

I thought this was Staton the 4 month old son of Andy and Jessica but I am having second thoughts. Comments, anyone?

This is Lola. She's 2 years + 2 months and cute as a button.

Thanksgiving 2008

Here we are with our three daughters on Thanksgiving Day! We had lots of fun with each other and all of those other family members who came as well. Some could not come. Some were ill, some were working. We missed them very much. You will have seen the great grandchildren as they looked on that day in the next blog. As you can see, I caught Dad napping. No surprise there. :)

Windee Warmth

I declare. Sometimes we have to just cuddle where ever we can find a friend. Poor baby.

Fourth Snow?

Well, we woke up to fresh snowfall and the previous one was not yet gone. We may not see our North or East deck floors until Spring. :) It has not snowed this much up here so early in the year since we have owned our property (2004). Global warming? Maybe. Is this a sign of winters to come? Maybe. At any rate, we are purchasing new tires with steel studs as soon as December money hits the bank on November 28. We do not want to feel trapped up here since road clearance on Glade Mountain Dr does not appear to be a top priority for our Board of Directors. Some of us homeowners are looking into that changing....


It is still snowing, I might add. Was supposed to have started around midnight. This must be going to be the biggest one yet. Maybe 4-6 inches. Hummmmmm, glad we have plenty of food in the pantry, frig and freezer. Sure do hope the roads will clear well by Thanksgiving Day as the family are all due here for dinner (and even breakfast for some).

Reflections

I feel a need to reflect on why on earth God gave me life. Why did God bless me by allowing me the joy of becoming a Baha'i? Why did God bless me with such a wonderful husband? Why did God also so generously bless me with four beautiful and wonderful children? And why am I further blessed to have 17 beautiful and wonderful grandchildren? Gracious, three of them are even "great!"

What else am I supposed to do with my life now that I am in my sunset years? Much earlier in my life after I became a Baha'i, I used to dream of going pioneering to some far away land to shed Baha'u'llah's Fragrances more globally. Alas, that was not to be. Instead, because of the love for our children, the Love of my life and myself chose homefront pioneering so as not to uproot our children from their more comfortable environment here in America. Even then, we had to wait until we had obtained our undergraduate degrees lest we have difficulty finding lucrative work elsewhere in this country. I sometimes wonder how different life for our family might be today had we gone to Australia or New Zealand back in the 70's when we first had desires to go.

Who am I and what does life mean to me? Now there's a good head scratcher. Where do I start? Let's see, I am basically a good person in that I aspire to never be the cause of harm to anyone. That's not to say that I never lose my temper or get bent out of shape about something and act like a b...head, then feel remorse for it later. I am basically a happy person. I laugh a lot, including at myself when I do something of an ignoramus nature. I strive to pray more throughout the day each day for I feel that enables me to deal with life on better terms. It also gives me the "wherewithall" to ask God to please protect my family and friends from harm.

Now that our "nest" is empty, I take that longing desire to see and be with my children, more often than they could bear, by transferring it to our two dogies. I smother them with love and affection and benefit greatly when they love me in return with their tail wagging, their "kisses" and their warmth when they lay sleeping close to me in a chair or by my feet.

I look out across our horizon and take in the beautiful views of God's wonders in these mountains we have been so fortunate to live among for these last years. The tiny, fluttering wings of a hummingbird gives me great joy as does watching them sip from our nectar filled troughs. Even the many butterflies that grace us here at Windy Ridge (what we call our little 5.47 acres) give me a tremendous feeling of awe as they flutter from one flower to another.

In the evening when my Love and I settle in front of the TV, I often reach out and hold his hand or he holds mine, just because we share of ourselves with each other so naturally. It gives us warm fuzzies.

Even though I am uncertain if I deserve it, I say, "Thank you, God, for giving me this life."

First snow

Last Fall, our first little tidbit of snow occurred in early November. You could barely tell it had snowed. Yesterday, we got about 2 inches on our little mountain. The high yesterday was 47 and the low yesterday occurred after at a chilly 27 degrees. It was 27 degrees at midnight and this morning the low thus far is 21. Now that is cold, especially for Fall. The wind has roared all night, too. Cadie came in from the north deck last night and there was the beginning of the snow on her back.



We have gotten about 2.5 inches so far and it is still snowing.

Hummmmm, I wonder what limerick comes to mind?

The beauty of new fallen snow
Is awesome, don't you know?
So delicate and white
As it falls thru the night,
and it still has a long way to go



And a very happy birthday to our youngest daughter who was born on this day 40 years ago at 2:12 PM in Charlotte, NC.

"Oh, Lord"

Well, I was sitting here at the computer reading blogs and making comments while Wayne was in the kitchen making breakfast (or so I thought). Suddenly, I hear a "Oh, Lord" from the other room. I hollered out, "What's wrong?" and got no answer. He sounded so ominous that it scared me so I got up and headed for the kitchen saying again, "What's wrong?" No answer. I was in the hall and then said, "Where are you?" He spoke and I realized his voice was coming from our bathroom. He said, "I've done something worse than you did." Meaning, that with his last haircut I accidentally gaped a small place on the back of his head because I did not realize there was no guard on the clippers to keep one from cutting the hair too short. It grew out quickly and was barely noticed (no pun intended) by others. The following pics will give you some idea of his dilemma. He was busy cutting away on his hair (hasn't been to a barbershop in many months due to the expense) and forgetting that he did not have a guard on the clippers, he ran a streak from the middle of his neck all the way to the front. That's when he calmly but ominously spoke those two words a spouse does not like to hear: "Oh, Lord"

So, now you get to see the outcome. That first pic doesn't look toooo bad but look at the other two.


We worked on getting the cut to look as decent as we could and he will probably wear a cap constantly for the next couple of weeks. Interestingly enough, we have house guests coming today. My first cousin, Anna, and her husband, Scott, are spending the weekend and we are going to drive across the mountains and look at the Fall foliage. I haven't see this cousin in 11 years! We have never met her husband of five years. So this is a big day, guys. They will most likely get a big kick out of the whole thing. Good conversation piece, I'd say.

Narrow Squeak? Blessed by God

Well, here it is. A few weeks back on my way to an appointment in Asheville, on a rainy day, and running late, I slid off the slick gravel road before I even got past our property. The pictures show the damage pretty well. I was quite upset but feel very blessed that I was not hurt.





















It should also tell you how frightening it was when I came to a stop, leaning like you can see in the pic.




























The last pic shows the car as it is being pulled back onto the road. I was able to get out of the car before they hooked it up and pulled it.
The car is now as good as new and yes, I am again driving, but more carefully.

Weekend Visitors

My cousin Anna is coming
We must quickly start humming
A very merry tune
We'll be learning soon
Will surely be aided with drumming.

Our desire is to hug
Even maybe cut a rug
And colorful leaves we will see
On many a tree
Giving our heartstrings a wonderful tug.

Autumn and Brothers Three

Wayne and I went on the Parkway yesterday to look at the Autumn beauty. We do love it here in these mountains. Even though the leaves are not yet peaked they were still awesome. We had a bite of lunch we had taken with us at an overlook site. Wayne shot video and I took stills.

While I was at it, I wrote my latest limerick yesterday in reminder of our recent visit with Wayne's 2 brothers. Enjoy.
















A visit from brothers is great
And we just had one of late
Together we did dine
With a dinner so fine
To bid them farewell, we did hate

I know, I know... it's been a while so here goes

There once was a grandson named Evan
Whose wit I adore, oh my heaven
But the only word I can find
That will now rhyme
Is that his age is much greater than seven

There once was a son we call Tag
Now I really don't like to brag
But his wit is so charmin'
I don't feel no harm in
Sounding perhaps like a drag

More Nature

Fall is quite a lovely time of year
The memory of things that we hold dear
Oh, like the colorful leaves we see
Gracefully falling from many a tree
Yes, the beauty of this wonder is quite clear


In case you are wondering, this is a pic from Fall of 2007. Leaves are just beginning to turn at our place. :)

Nature

Outside my door lives a spider
I could almost sit down beside her
Except she lives in a tree
Between twigs, don't you see?
And the leaves on the trees kinda hide her

Two for One Post

Some Roses are Red, some Roses are pink
If you bother a skunk you will surely stink
The sweet smell of the rose
Nicely tingles your nose
So roses will cancel the stink, I do think.

My family surely means a lot to me
So warm and loving they truly be
It’s great when they all visit us
When they all come, we need a bus
For it would transport them more easily

Sorry I couldn't find any appropriate pics! Next time though

Oh, Windy Ridge on the mountaintop
Is where you must come and make a stop
At our home, yes, that is where we live
With much hospitality we love to give
And you might get to see our “volunteer” crop

Windee's (Peewee) Time

Our little beagle named Windee is cunning
Each day to the woods she goes running
Her nose has a feature
To smell out a creature
But we do not go hunting a gunning

Cadie Baby

My doggie has way too much slobber
If she licks you, you may be a sobber
But if in the dark
She lets out her loud bark
She’d be ready to clobber a robber
@ @
^
\~~~/

Funny Poem to Alex

My youngest grandson of late
Has just become age eight
Birthday cake you must get
With Ice Cream, you bet!
'Cause Grandmom knows you are great

Most recent pic I've got (from the July visit). Good ole blackberries they were, huh?

Happy birthday, Sweetie!

Let The Limericks Begin

I have decided to start writing limericks so here is my first shot at it:

My hubby is quite a great guy
I'd really like to share why
But I simply wish
He'd bring me more fish
When he's out there casting a fly

My own creation...at 5AM while trying to sleep.

Windy Ridge Garden

Our delightful garden, the first for Windy Ridge. We are so pleased at the response we got with squash. Are they beautiful or what? We only got this one crop and the vines seem to be spent. Oh, well. We plan to have them for supper tonight. There's just one thing I need to show you. Don't laugh too hard now...


Surprise!!!!!!!

On the Mountain Today

The remaining portion of the ramp is what you see in the first pic. There is a little wall outlining the first of it and then he will put in forms to be able to pour the remaining portion. Where you see the red handled spade, there will be a small flower gardenas soon as we get through with the ramp.

The stone steps are not completely finished but are usable as they are. Wayne plans to fill in the cracks with concrete for a more finished look.

How do you like this pic of our mutant strawberry? It is the biggest one to get ripe so far. We enjoy eating 2-3 strawberries each almost daily. They are so sweet. It is great to be able to step outside and pick your own fresh strawberries. No pesticides, just compost of our own to nourish them.

It is nice to see a close up of one of the four pics that came from Biltmore (thanks to Cris and Bonnie for these). I really wanted to show off the frames that Wayne so creatively generated. That is a bear sleeping on a log. These are the pics we hung over our spa in the master bath.

Blueberries, Lawn, Biltmore Pics

Last week the side yard was transformed into an actual lawn, grass seed, straw, the whole bit. Grass is already germinating. We are excited.
How do you like our lovely "volunteer" tomato plants? They were a direct result of mixing our compost soil into the flower bed by the back door. It is difficult to see the many blooms the plants have. There are small green tomatoes already and they look to be healthy. Can't wait to see how big they get and if they taste good. We also have a really nice tomato plant growing in the barrel on the North deck(also a volunteer). We transplanted several more from the strawberry bed that is right beside the barrel along with some volunteer cucumber plants.

Last Friday we went up on the Parkway to go blueberry picking. We did find blueberries, along with a gazillion other folks... See Wayne picking from behind the mountain laurel bushes? He did manage to pick a "bunch." Not exactly enough for a pie but enough for a few bowls of cereal.

Finally, Wayne created the frames for some lovely pictures we were given and they are now hung in the master bath. Don't they look great? We think so. Next on our agenda is to get the waterproofing done around the tub so we can take relaxing baths in our spa. We even bought some lavender crystals to create a wonderful calming bath. I am so looking forward to this.

Windy Ridge News

Wayne and I took off for Landrum on Thursday to see the new great grandchild and his big sister. Of course we saw their parents, too. Our oldest grandchild, Andy, now has two little ones that he and his wife Jessica are the proud parents of. Lola was cute as could be and she seems to adore her new brother. It was a great visit. Wayne's a proud great grandpa!

Now that we are going to Costco in Spartanburg for bulk grocery shopping occasionally, we may just stop by and visit the Arrowoods more often. Love watching those babies grow.

Good news and good news, I think...

I completed my sleep study Wednesday night and the results are that I do not have sleep apnea. The other news is good in a way and not so good in a way. I now have to sleep with oxygen every night. I have a machine by my bed that makes its own oxygen and furnishes me with 2 liters of O2 via nasal cannula all night long as I sleep. It seems that my O2 saturation (that should be near 100%) goes down to 85 and less % when I fall asleep. That is not considered acceptable so now I am on O2 at night. I can live with that (no pun intended) preferable to a CPAP machine for sleep apnea that involves wearing a mask every time one sleeps and is much more cumbersome to deal with than simple O2.
On a much happier note, we are busy preparing for the arrival of family next Thursday. Will be so glad when they arrive. They have not seen our house ince it was finished and lived in. We should be able to get in a few good games of Qwrikle and Blokus while they are here. Wayne and I play Qwirkle over breakfast daily. We really enjoy it.

Secure Are We

We are now proud owners of a really nice security system. Just had it installed today. It talks to us. Has many neat features. We will show it off when company comes.
Speaking of "sentry duty," any noise outside brings on ferocious barking at the start with mucho tail wiggles upon appearance of the guests. Don't let the loud barking spook you. Such well behaved dogies we have. They sit on command. They will be freshly bathed and kept in check when the Eurys arrive. They love everybody who comes.