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Sunday, May 25, 2014

decoration day

Today we went to decoration.  Not many people still have decoration or even understand this word as an event!  Most people now just go to the cemetery on Memorial Day week end and leave their flowers on loved ones graves.  We still have dinner!  It's not on the ground we have tables and lawn chairs but we have lunch at a little church in a community called Double Top where my husband's paternal grandparents and many  of his relatives are buried.  We stop at a couple of cemeteries along the way and leave flowers.  We met this morning at Mt. Era cemetery in the Moodyville Community and decorated.

Here's my brother-in-law, JB making some holes in the hard ground to place the flowers.  We usually take a screwdriver along for this purpose.
My sister-in-law, Jenny, is the flower boss.  She's in charge of getting most of the flowers and she arranges them.  The rest of us mostly stand around and offer moral support!

Here's the result of our efforts.

These two boys were standing around holding screwdrivers and it made them remember a game they played when they were "little" boys.  The game was called "mumblety-peg" and they used knives.  The object of the game was to flip your knife off your fingers and make it stick in the ground. I think it may be a game that only males understand! They demonstrated with the screwdrivers.  No one got hurt today--but they are always doing some sort of dangerous boy stuff!

I chose these yellow flowers this year as our contribution.
The next stop was the Beaty Cemetery just a few yards beyond this one.  It is located on a hill top. This is were my grandparents and cousins are buried.


My great aunt Betty Joe always leaves beautiful roses from her garden.

Our next stop was Double Top where we had a great lunch at a small country church and visited with Gibson cousins.  It's a tradition that is dying but we're doing our part to keep it alive.

may 25

Photo a day
Neighborhood

In our neighborhood tonight it is quiet and peaceful.  It's that way most of the time.  That's why we love it so much!
It's very green
and it smells like honeysuckle!

The neighborhood wild turkeys have been taking dirt baths in a spot that has been tilled at the Visitor House.  It's sorta like crop circles only these are dirt circles!
They made tracks everywhere.
Oh, there's a turkey tracker.
It's a Sunday afternoon quietness.  No tractors, not much traffic just a few neighbors out watering their gardens.
We got the road all to ourselves and we're just cruising on the golf farm cart.
Even this beast, who can be really loud is calm tonight.
Yep, everything in this neighborhood is just coming up daisies!



Saturday, May 24, 2014

may 24

photo a day
sunrise
I didn't get up at sunrise this morning, but I did get up early.  Here's what the sun looked like over Byrdstown at 7:30 A.M. this morning.

Friday, May 23, 2014

may 23

Photo a day
Black + White
Oops! I almost forgot to post.  It's been a busy day here on the Ponderosa.  I didn't make this photo my friend and our family photographer Jennifer did.  Brooks had ask Brynn to throw him the ball and she just barely pitched it toward him.  It made him mad and she is being a little sassy about it.  Notice the arm on the hip and the head tilted to the side--sure signs of some attitude!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

today's adventure

Yesterday we did most of our outside chores because we thought it was going to rain so we declared today an adventure day.  Adventure days mean we could end up anywhere!  Our destination was the Jamestown Walmart for a battery.
We took the long way cutting through a road in Monroe that comes out in Alpine.  Sometimes when on an adventure we just decide to take a side road on a whim and this happened a couple of times today.  We stayed on the main highway (52) until we came to Bolestown and we took a side trip by East Port Dock.  I have no photo evidence but we saw the strangest thing there.  On the end of the boat dock a woman dressed in Plain Folks clothing (I can't tell which is Amish or Mennonite so I just call them Plain people) was fishing with a rod and reel off the dock.  I just could not image why she was there unless she was on vacation!
We eventually made it to Jamestown just in time for lunch and guess what day it is? It's National End  of School Day and Sonic was celebrating with 50 cent corn dogs! So we did the right thing and had some dogs for lunch.

On the way back home we wandered on some other side roads.  Where we saw
country churches
one lane bridges--this one was a little rickety looking so we just backed up and turned around.

There were picturesque views
and old barns and silos.


There were a couple of cemetery stops along the way home.  They are full of history and we always learn something or are reminded of someone we once knew when we explore the cemetery.
This cemetery in a community called Chanute has a monument listing all the veterans buried there.



Avo Rains was my grandmother's sister.  She owned a country store in the Cedar Grove community of Pickett County.  The store was one side of the large house where she lived.  I went there on Sunday afternoons with my grandparents.  People came by to get a soda from the cooler and sit on the porch.  I though the house was huge and looked like a castle and of course my grandparents let me buy all the candy and soda I wanted while we were there.
It was a great rain free day for an adventure!







may 22

Photo a day
Free
Today at the green house there were free seeds, two whole boxes.  The sign said take all you want!  They are a couple of years old but I bet they come up anyway.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

busy day

Things Accomplished on the Ponderosa Today
*strawberries picked
*beans planted
*hoed weeds from tomatoes and peppers and squash and cucumbers and egg plants
*electric fence working around the garden to prevent deer invasions
*mowed lawn at Visitor House
*cut some trees and some wood for fire pit at Visitor House
*weed eating completed at Visitor House
*made two batches of strawberry jam

*made one batch strawberry butter
*cut up strawberries for shortcakes
*made trip to store
*one load of laundry folded one in the dryer
*grilled and cooked supper
*washed several sinks full of dishes
Official taste tester


may 21

Photo a day
Card

This week two little ones are having a birthday.  They will be 3.  I have a birthday card for them!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

may 20

Photo a day
Waiting
Waiting on the potatoes to brown to perfection.

The rest of the menu consisted of
grilled cheeseburgers and baked beans.

Monday, May 19, 2014

may 19

Photo a day
Alone
The only time I've been alone today was the two trips I made in the car.  The first was to Mom and Dad's house to take them some strawberries and the second was to bible study at church with my girl friends!

Sunday, May 18, 2014

community improvements

Dear Community,
We recently tried to improve the area at the end of our driveway with a new mailbox, some paint and flowers.  Our apologizes for all the years we propped up our mailbox with a fence post, but in our defense someone keep hitting it with a load of hay or knocking it down so we just gave up.  Well, actually we made these improvements when the mailbox became a victim of texting and driving.  We needed a new box anyway and no one got hurt so all is good. Our neighbors are the greatest and we  hope the bright yellow blooms add some fun to your day!

may 18

Photo a day
Something I drew

I can't draw.  I really have zero talent in that area.  My fourth graders use to make fun of things I tried to draw on the chalkboard/whiteboard. You don't want to see anything I try to draw so, here's a picture of a pretty flower instead!