january's first 12 days

 Things happening on the Ponderosa in January:

We started the year with a traditional meal of black-eyed peas, hog jowl and cabbage.  We also had some ham, corn, green beans and mashed potatoes!  Bailee thought the hog jowl was delicious.  Everyone ate some of the other things for good luck without complaint.  

We had stayed up until midnight on New Year's Eve and played games!  We wanted to be sure to send 2020 on its way.

There have been some lazy days, some dentists appointments, some shopping and lots of Netflix viewing.

On the 12th Gibson Tax Service opened. 

At Cowan Hill Farm

They had a set of triplets born on a cold night.  All were girls, but only two made it.  They are having trouble nursing and their mom was not cooperating!  But they sure are cute.

In National News

Covid is worse than ever from the Christmas surge.  Unfortunately, on Wednesday the sixth during a protest in Washington D.C. Trump supporters broke into the Capitol Building.  It was hard to watch and disturbing that people believed they had the right to enter and destroy property.  Now the media reports that some politicians are trying to impeach the President again or invoke the 25th amendment.  It's a sad and disturbing time.

Restarting in 2021

 I have deserted this blog for one year! I restarted exactly one year ago with good intentions, then 2020 started! It began like any other year full of hope and promise, then quickly became  a year full of disappointments! A big pile of disappointments! It was a year students of history will read about someday.  

Surely, we learned some lessons. We learned to slow down. We spent more time outdoors We learned how to make our own fun.  We learned to get by without some of the luxuries we had become accustomed to. 

We missed so much, like no travel, isolation from family and friends and events and holidays we look forward to all year.  

We lost so many people, it’s been a dark season. 

We hope for better times this year, but so far the first week in 2021 has certainly not shown us much improvement.  

I am going to try again, starting now. I want to record this year and also talk about last year.  My goal when I started this blog was to create a record of our family and help them remember our experiences.  

It will be a long time before anyone forgets 2020!

elf

Our Christmas card photo from 2919. We made it last minute when our whole family came together in Crossville at the Cumberland County Playhouse. We took a little trip to see their production of Elf.
Afterward we enjoyed a meal at Cracker Barrel.

starting with a win

This boy is off to a winning start in his first goat show this season.  He showed in the Wilson County 4-H Livestock Group show on June 8th and walked away with the Grand Champion Goat and the first place in showmanship. 
Parker had an extra special fan club there with three of his great grandmothers cheering him on!

dance

This little dancer recently performed in her first recital.  She wasn't nervous or shy about it at all.  She said she hoped everyone threw flowers at her feet!  We couldn't throw them but she managed to collect a few bouquets from her fan club that enjoyed her performance.

Bailee Mae Coutta

Dance Recital 

June 8, 2019

making the secret sauce

Everyone pitches in to help get ready for the annual egg hunt and Easter picnic on the Ponderosa.  We furnish grilled chicken and ribs and our visitors bring side dishes and desserts.  This year Parker and Bailee teamed up to made the secret family sauce that we use to marinade and and spray on the meat while it grills.  The sauce is a 4-H recipe that my Dad tweaked and perfected after years of coaching outdoor meat cooking.  We haven't meet anyone who doesn't love it!

 The secret sauce contains apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, cooking wine and salt.  The amounts of each ingredient are adjusted to the amount of meat we are cooking!

Easter 2019

We had our annual egg hunt and Easter picnic scheduled for Saturday but the rain came down and the temps were freezing so we decided to reschedule for Easter Sunday, because no one wants to hunt eggs in their winter coats and rain boots!  Not to mention the fact that its very hard to grill in that kind of weather.  So about 50-60 of our friends and relatives came out to celebrate with us on a perfect day!  (Temperatures were 30 degrees warmer ).  The food and fellowship was great and everyone enjoyed being together.  We had egg hunts for the kids (We are now on our second generation of Easter egg hunters here on the Ponderosa) and the grown ups.  I think the adults have more fun than the kids!  

 

He is not here, he has risen, just as he said.  Matthew 28:6

1962

Here’s an old photo from 1962. These are the kids I grew up with. Our parents played cards and we were together every weekend!  No one can remember who was having a birthday or any other details about the photo but it’s a classic and brings back lots of memories.  We all remain friends today!
Going around the table starting on the right: Byron, Marcia, Janet, Jimmy, Gina, Phil, Me, Debbie, Jackie and Charles

back to school

It's Back to School for these three today!

 

Parker starting the sixth grade at Watertown Middle School.

Brynn and Brooks starting second grade at Springdale Elementary School.

july on the ponderosa

July on the Ponderosa has looked a lot like this!

our new favorite place

Last week we spent a couple of nights at the Gatlinburg Inn.   The inn was built in 1937 and has been family owned and operated since that time.

It is right in the center of the Gatlinburg strip and you can walk to everything.  I can remember seeing it in the 60's when our family would visit the Smoky Mountains.  Many famous people have stayed there including J. C. Penney, Lady Bird Johnson, Andy Williams, Liberace, Chief Justice Earl Warren and Present Herbert Hoover.  Its main claim to fame is that the song Rocky Top was written there in room 322!

Walking into the inn makes you feel like you entered a movie set.  The wooden doors, the key you use to enter the room and the furnishings speak of another era, but the restrooms are modern and there is wifi.  It is exceptionally clean and the staff are friendly and courteous.  Each morning there was a delicious hot breakfast for us in their breakfast room.

 

Our favorite place at the inn was the porch filled with rocking chairs. In the late afternoon about every half hour live entertainment would appear on the porch.  The entertainment was part of Tunes and Tales sponsored by the city of Gatlinburg.

 It was our first time staying there but will not be our last!

junior showmanship winner

 

This grandson had a great day at the Central Regional 4-H show. He was the champion in the junior showmanship class and three of his does won blue ribbons in their class.  He works hard preparing for the show and even in the ring while showing and we are very proud of him. This show was in Bedford County.

Parker and Primrose

Parker and Ruby Shade

Parker and Stella