This morning I watched last year's leaves dance and twist as they skittered across the frozen, snowy field in front of the house.
Two deer moved briskly along the fence line, their fur bristling from the brisk wind. I envisioned chill bumps along their backs as they headed for the skimpy shelter of the cedar trees and thought it an act of Providence that they generally give birth in the spring. A fawn would not easily withstand these frigid days.
The sun moved hesitantly in and out between the clouds and I wished he would stay put a while. The idea of warm loving rays heating up the area around my windows was a welcome one.
The old windows in the house leak so that I could feel a draft across my chest while I tried to work a little at the computer. My hands around the window seals found spaces where the cold air poured in. This despite attempts this fall to seal the things up so we could get another year or two out of them. I thought of my electric bill (we heat with electric) and felt the dollar signs in my gut.
A calm settled over me as I greeted the second day of the new year; I have found myself looking forward to 2010 with an optimism that is almost foreign. New beginnings or just acceptance?
Either way, the world is okay even on a cold, windy gray day, and I feel at peace.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday Thirteen
Things I have changed in the last decade or so (hopefully for the better) and some things I will continue to work on in the upcoming decade.
1. I exercise. I grew up on a farm and "exercise" was unheard of. We did chores. We hauled hay and fed the chickens and fetched firewood. I hated the "exercise" part of school, too; I have a thing about sweat (not necessarily sweating, but sweat). But now I exercise by walking on the treadmill almost every day.
2. I eat better. My meals once consisted of breakfast of baloney and catsup sandwiches. Now I eat a fairly healthy, balanced diet, with chocolate my big weakness. I have my greens and my protein and my fruits.
3. I am a more cautious driver. I suspect this comes with age, but in my youth I was pretty much hell on wheels. While I was never caught, I was a speed demon. Not so much anymore.
4. I am slightly better organized. This still remains an issue but it is getting better.
5. I know I procrastinate. This is not yet something I've overcome but at least I am aware of it!
6. I stopped biting my nails. This was a bad habit and while I still occasionally might rip a nail off mostly I just keep them clipped very very short so that I don't gnaw on them.
7. I've learned to take better pictures. While I still don't consider myself a photographer, I think my shots have gotten a little prettier and better established.
8. I bought my first new car as a married woman. My first truly new car some kind of hatchback thing I bought when I was 19. After that we bought used vehicles. In 1999 we purchased a new Ford Taurus which I was extremely relieved to be rid of when I bought a new Toyota Camry in 2003. I had hoped to drive the Taurus a lot longer but I really disliked that car. Prior to that all of my vehicles had been used cars.
9. I stopped drinking caffeine. I drink only decaf tea and I have never drank coffee.
10. I stopped drinking colas. Every now and then I might have a root beer but that is very infrequent these days. I might have a cola about twice a month, maybe not that.
11. I don't rush. I used to be worried that there wouldn't be enough time; now I know there isn't enough time so I just try to plod along and do the best I can.
12. I sleep better. I used to have insomnia and spent as much time trying to sleep as sleeping. I don't do that anymore. While I might wake up once or twice in the night I go right back to sleep, usually, and I feel rested.
13. I believe in alternative health care. I used to think the doctor knew everything but I don't believe that any more. I have had great success with acupuncture, reiki, massage and chiropractic care. I recommend alternative health care to everyone.
Thursday Thirteen is a way to get to know a bunch of folks. You can learn more about it here. This my 120th week of participating!
1. I exercise. I grew up on a farm and "exercise" was unheard of. We did chores. We hauled hay and fed the chickens and fetched firewood. I hated the "exercise" part of school, too; I have a thing about sweat (not necessarily sweating, but sweat). But now I exercise by walking on the treadmill almost every day.
2. I eat better. My meals once consisted of breakfast of baloney and catsup sandwiches. Now I eat a fairly healthy, balanced diet, with chocolate my big weakness. I have my greens and my protein and my fruits.
3. I am a more cautious driver. I suspect this comes with age, but in my youth I was pretty much hell on wheels. While I was never caught, I was a speed demon. Not so much anymore.
4. I am slightly better organized. This still remains an issue but it is getting better.
5. I know I procrastinate. This is not yet something I've overcome but at least I am aware of it!
6. I stopped biting my nails. This was a bad habit and while I still occasionally might rip a nail off mostly I just keep them clipped very very short so that I don't gnaw on them.
7. I've learned to take better pictures. While I still don't consider myself a photographer, I think my shots have gotten a little prettier and better established.
8. I bought my first new car as a married woman. My first truly new car some kind of hatchback thing I bought when I was 19. After that we bought used vehicles. In 1999 we purchased a new Ford Taurus which I was extremely relieved to be rid of when I bought a new Toyota Camry in 2003. I had hoped to drive the Taurus a lot longer but I really disliked that car. Prior to that all of my vehicles had been used cars.
9. I stopped drinking caffeine. I drink only decaf tea and I have never drank coffee.
10. I stopped drinking colas. Every now and then I might have a root beer but that is very infrequent these days. I might have a cola about twice a month, maybe not that.
11. I don't rush. I used to be worried that there wouldn't be enough time; now I know there isn't enough time so I just try to plod along and do the best I can.
12. I sleep better. I used to have insomnia and spent as much time trying to sleep as sleeping. I don't do that anymore. While I might wake up once or twice in the night I go right back to sleep, usually, and I feel rested.
13. I believe in alternative health care. I used to think the doctor knew everything but I don't believe that any more. I have had great success with acupuncture, reiki, massage and chiropractic care. I recommend alternative health care to everyone.
Thursday Thirteen is a way to get to know a bunch of folks. You can learn more about it here. This my 120th week of participating!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Looking Back
So we're near the end of another year. What happened to it?
Lots of things went on in the last 365 days, some of which were not exactly welcome but which have positive sides if I look for them.
Losing my main writing client tops my list of changes. I miss writing steadily for the newspaper; I miss the contact with people I respected. I miss the income, too, but I miss the actual work of it more.
However, losing that single steady client did force me to reevaluate and refocus. I gained a number of publishing credits because I sought out new publications, and that was all to the good. I also entered the Sherwood Anderson Contest and won it, and I don't think I would have made that entry had I continued as I was with the local newspaper.
We also lost the renter in the little house my mother left me. This took up a great deal of time; every time I showed the house - and I am pretty sure I showed it more than 50 times - it took at least an hour of my time. We finally this month found someone to live in the place, so it came out okay in the end.
It also afforded me an opportunity to move forward in my relationship with my father. We have been estranged for 10 years but his property is next to this little house. We are still not the Brady Bunch and probably never will be but we are at least speaking now. So this is a positive for the year.
The biggest positive is my husband's promotion, which happened this month, too. I am very excited for him and quite proud.
I also lost 15 pounds, but I don't think anyone can really tell it. I still have a lot of weight to lose and a long way to go. However, I am working on it. As a related issue, I developed a problem with my blood pressure which I am still trying to get under control. Hopefully in 2010 I will get a grip on that.
What other stuff did I do? Let's see:
- read 56 books.
- published 188 articles with my byline, which is still a decent number of stories. Not the 300 I have had published in previous years, but still a significant count.
- held a workshop on the business of freelancing which was successful.
- attended more meetings of the Roanoke Pen Women.
- attended the Roanoke Regional Writer's Conference (which is held in January and I'll go again in 2010).
- vacationed in Myrtle Beach with my husband.
And that's pretty much 2009. See ya, old year! Welcome, 2010!
Lots of things went on in the last 365 days, some of which were not exactly welcome but which have positive sides if I look for them.
Losing my main writing client tops my list of changes. I miss writing steadily for the newspaper; I miss the contact with people I respected. I miss the income, too, but I miss the actual work of it more.
However, losing that single steady client did force me to reevaluate and refocus. I gained a number of publishing credits because I sought out new publications, and that was all to the good. I also entered the Sherwood Anderson Contest and won it, and I don't think I would have made that entry had I continued as I was with the local newspaper.
We also lost the renter in the little house my mother left me. This took up a great deal of time; every time I showed the house - and I am pretty sure I showed it more than 50 times - it took at least an hour of my time. We finally this month found someone to live in the place, so it came out okay in the end.
It also afforded me an opportunity to move forward in my relationship with my father. We have been estranged for 10 years but his property is next to this little house. We are still not the Brady Bunch and probably never will be but we are at least speaking now. So this is a positive for the year.
The biggest positive is my husband's promotion, which happened this month, too. I am very excited for him and quite proud.
I also lost 15 pounds, but I don't think anyone can really tell it. I still have a lot of weight to lose and a long way to go. However, I am working on it. As a related issue, I developed a problem with my blood pressure which I am still trying to get under control. Hopefully in 2010 I will get a grip on that.
What other stuff did I do? Let's see:
- read 56 books.
- published 188 articles with my byline, which is still a decent number of stories. Not the 300 I have had published in previous years, but still a significant count.
- held a workshop on the business of freelancing which was successful.
- attended more meetings of the Roanoke Pen Women.
- attended the Roanoke Regional Writer's Conference (which is held in January and I'll go again in 2010).
- vacationed in Myrtle Beach with my husband.
And that's pretty much 2009. See ya, old year! Welcome, 2010!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Books: The Sunday Wife
The Sunday Wife
By Cassandra King
509 pages
Copyright 2002
I have read Cassandra King's later works and enjoyed them; obviously she has improved as she's gone along.
This book did not keep my interest. I had trouble relating to the heroine, Dean, and that kept me from enjoying the book.
Dean is a preacher's wife but a rather unconventional one who has truly made a bad marriage and who can't move beyond it. Her husband, Ben, comes across as a caricature of a man as well as a preacher and I found that difficult, too.
The lead character could have been likable but her distaste of her husband, religion and life in general bled through so badly that I never sympathized with her. Her husband, to be sure, was not the nicest fellow but instead of standing up to him she was just basically just as much of a weasel about it as he was. They are both very passive aggressive characters.
Other characters in the book, while rather true to life, were also somewhat stereotypical.
Dean makes friends with Augusta, who is one of the local rich women. Augusta has a lot of personal issues and I found her a more sympathetic character even though the reader never got to know her that well.
Not a bad book for a snow-day if it's all you have in the house, but stick with King's later works for stories with a bit more zing and better characters.
By Cassandra King
509 pages
Copyright 2002
I have read Cassandra King's later works and enjoyed them; obviously she has improved as she's gone along.
This book did not keep my interest. I had trouble relating to the heroine, Dean, and that kept me from enjoying the book.
Dean is a preacher's wife but a rather unconventional one who has truly made a bad marriage and who can't move beyond it. Her husband, Ben, comes across as a caricature of a man as well as a preacher and I found that difficult, too.
The lead character could have been likable but her distaste of her husband, religion and life in general bled through so badly that I never sympathized with her. Her husband, to be sure, was not the nicest fellow but instead of standing up to him she was just basically just as much of a weasel about it as he was. They are both very passive aggressive characters.
Other characters in the book, while rather true to life, were also somewhat stereotypical.
Dean makes friends with Augusta, who is one of the local rich women. Augusta has a lot of personal issues and I found her a more sympathetic character even though the reader never got to know her that well.
Not a bad book for a snow-day if it's all you have in the house, but stick with King's later works for stories with a bit more zing and better characters.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Christmas 2009
Christmas has come and gone, leaving me with happy memories of another year.
Christmas Eve morning early, I met with my friend B., and we had a pleasant visit at Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea. She gave me a bag of goodies which I will enjoy.
Late morning found me setting up a table of goodies in anticipation of visitors. I fixed ham biscuits, a cheese ball with crackers, spinach dip, fudge, chips & dip and cookies for my guests.
After lunch my aunt Carolyn and her son Matthew and his wife Gina and their daughter Madison, who is 3 years old, came for their annual Christmas Eve visit to the country. I forgot the camera during their visit so I have no pictures, but we had a lovely time.
Later my brother and his family came over.
This is my niece, Zoe. She is 8 and was quite excited by the holiday, as children are.
My brother Loren on the left and his son Trey on the right, relaxing on my couch as we had a pleasant visit. I didn't take any pictures of my sister-in-law as she asked me not to, but Dina was there too.
The next morning, Santa Claus came and filled the stockings. He brought me some DVDs, software and books.
In the afternoon we went to the in-laws house for Christmas. This is my mother-in-law's tree. Lovely, isn't it?
My mother-in-law, Eunice, doing what she does during the holidays - feed everyone! We had a feast of fried shrimp, sausage balls, cheese balls and crackers, veggie plates, and ham biscuits.
My sister-in-law Jennifer and her dad, Jimmy, enjoy conversation in front of the refrigerator. Jen had broken a back tooth and wasn't feeling well; I hope she finds a dentist soon.
My husband watched the nephews open their presents.
My brother-in-law Gary is a big fan of my fudge; I caught him taking possession of the tin of candy I gave the family.
My nephews, Chris on the left and Emory on the right, opening up their gifts.
That's me saying so long to this holiday; now it's time to open up my arms to 2010! A new year and a new decade. What will the coming months hold?!?
Christmas Eve morning early, I met with my friend B., and we had a pleasant visit at Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea. She gave me a bag of goodies which I will enjoy.
Late morning found me setting up a table of goodies in anticipation of visitors. I fixed ham biscuits, a cheese ball with crackers, spinach dip, fudge, chips & dip and cookies for my guests.
After lunch my aunt Carolyn and her son Matthew and his wife Gina and their daughter Madison, who is 3 years old, came for their annual Christmas Eve visit to the country. I forgot the camera during their visit so I have no pictures, but we had a lovely time.
Later my brother and his family came over.
This is my niece, Zoe. She is 8 and was quite excited by the holiday, as children are.
My brother Loren on the left and his son Trey on the right, relaxing on my couch as we had a pleasant visit. I didn't take any pictures of my sister-in-law as she asked me not to, but Dina was there too.
The next morning, Santa Claus came and filled the stockings. He brought me some DVDs, software and books.
In the afternoon we went to the in-laws house for Christmas. This is my mother-in-law's tree. Lovely, isn't it?
My mother-in-law, Eunice, doing what she does during the holidays - feed everyone! We had a feast of fried shrimp, sausage balls, cheese balls and crackers, veggie plates, and ham biscuits.
My sister-in-law Jennifer and her dad, Jimmy, enjoy conversation in front of the refrigerator. Jen had broken a back tooth and wasn't feeling well; I hope she finds a dentist soon.
My husband watched the nephews open their presents.
My brother-in-law Gary is a big fan of my fudge; I caught him taking possession of the tin of candy I gave the family.
My nephews, Chris on the left and Emory on the right, opening up their gifts.
That's me saying so long to this holiday; now it's time to open up my arms to 2010! A new year and a new decade. What will the coming months hold?!?
Friday, December 25, 2009
Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men
May the joy of Christmas stay in your heart throughout 2010!
Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Dear Santa,
Here's a list of 13 things I'd like for Christmas. I know some of these things are a lot to ask, but you can do it! You've got all that magic dust. Sprinkle it around!
1. Less world strife. I've asked for "peace on Earth" every year but I guess the warmongers' wishes for ways to bully people and make money off the despair of others wins out. So how about they just get a little less in 2010?
2. True health care reform in the United States. That stuff that's before Congress looks from here like a gimme to the insurance companies. Could we please put people first and corporate profits last for a change?
3. A viable third political party. There are a lot of folks in the United States who don't feel represented by either party at the moment. A viable third party would make a world of difference.
4. Empathy. Folks seem to be greatly lacking in this these days; a little more caring about the fellow next door seems in order. Why can't we have the Christmas spirit year round?
5. Less talk, more action. I hear a lot of garbled verbiage these days about things that are wrong with the world, like all that "they've taken Christ out of Christmas" and stuff that doesn't really matter. Christ is in Christmas so long as it is in your heart, and if you need to see it elsewhere, then you're the one with the problem. Let's do something about the stuff that matters, like building houses for poor people or giving them jobs or something important like that.
6. Better leadership. I am pretty disillusioned with the folks who are in charge, as you might can tell from my above wishes.
7. Equality for women. Whatever folks say, we have a long way to go before this one happens. I'd like to see some movement forward. Just a smidgen. What do you say?
8. Embracing the green. Let's move toward cleaner air and using less resources not because of global warming or whatever, but because it is the right thing to do. I mean, just how does a person argue in favor of more pollution? I don't get it. I like to breathe, not wheeze.
9. True religion. I am sure there are nations out that there worship something other than capitalism, but I think the religion of capitalism as preached in the U.S. really needs a rethink. I have a strong feeling that Jesus wasn't too into capitalism, either, so maybe we need to take a strong look at that.
10. Less angst. Everywhere you look, people are sad, tired, angry. Just last night a gunman took hostages in Wytheville! Wytheville! Not so far down the road. We need to be a calmer society.
11. An option for the newspaper business. Okay, this one is purely selfish on my part because I would like to get back to writing my local news stories, but I'm asking for an entire section of society. Besides, people need to read and be better informed so maybe the changes need to start there, with folks actually caring about what is happening in their neighborhood and state.
12. More love. I think everyone needs a little more of this in some fashion or another.
13. Happiness for everyone, if just one for this holy night.
Learn more about Thursday Thirteen here! This is my 119th time to write a Thursday Thirteen!
Here's a list of 13 things I'd like for Christmas. I know some of these things are a lot to ask, but you can do it! You've got all that magic dust. Sprinkle it around!
1. Less world strife. I've asked for "peace on Earth" every year but I guess the warmongers' wishes for ways to bully people and make money off the despair of others wins out. So how about they just get a little less in 2010?
2. True health care reform in the United States. That stuff that's before Congress looks from here like a gimme to the insurance companies. Could we please put people first and corporate profits last for a change?
3. A viable third political party. There are a lot of folks in the United States who don't feel represented by either party at the moment. A viable third party would make a world of difference.
4. Empathy. Folks seem to be greatly lacking in this these days; a little more caring about the fellow next door seems in order. Why can't we have the Christmas spirit year round?
5. Less talk, more action. I hear a lot of garbled verbiage these days about things that are wrong with the world, like all that "they've taken Christ out of Christmas" and stuff that doesn't really matter. Christ is in Christmas so long as it is in your heart, and if you need to see it elsewhere, then you're the one with the problem. Let's do something about the stuff that matters, like building houses for poor people or giving them jobs or something important like that.
6. Better leadership. I am pretty disillusioned with the folks who are in charge, as you might can tell from my above wishes.
7. Equality for women. Whatever folks say, we have a long way to go before this one happens. I'd like to see some movement forward. Just a smidgen. What do you say?
8. Embracing the green. Let's move toward cleaner air and using less resources not because of global warming or whatever, but because it is the right thing to do. I mean, just how does a person argue in favor of more pollution? I don't get it. I like to breathe, not wheeze.
9. True religion. I am sure there are nations out that there worship something other than capitalism, but I think the religion of capitalism as preached in the U.S. really needs a rethink. I have a strong feeling that Jesus wasn't too into capitalism, either, so maybe we need to take a strong look at that.
10. Less angst. Everywhere you look, people are sad, tired, angry. Just last night a gunman took hostages in Wytheville! Wytheville! Not so far down the road. We need to be a calmer society.
11. An option for the newspaper business. Okay, this one is purely selfish on my part because I would like to get back to writing my local news stories, but I'm asking for an entire section of society. Besides, people need to read and be better informed so maybe the changes need to start there, with folks actually caring about what is happening in their neighborhood and state.
12. More love. I think everyone needs a little more of this in some fashion or another.
13. Happiness for everyone, if just one for this holy night.
Learn more about Thursday Thirteen here! This is my 119th time to write a Thursday Thirteen!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Snow Removal
The big snow of December 2009, which fell Friday night for a total of 20 inches, left a lot of white stuff laying around.
It took my husband an hour to make the 1/2 drive home, but once he got here he couldn't get up the driveway. The snow plow had miraculously been down our road but had piled the snow in the driveway.
So it took him another two hours to actually reach the house, and he had to do that with the big tractor.
The piles are as tall as I am!
It took my husband an hour to make the 1/2 drive home, but once he got here he couldn't get up the driveway. The snow plow had miraculously been down our road but had piled the snow in the driveway.
So it took him another two hours to actually reach the house, and he had to do that with the big tractor.
The piles are as tall as I am!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Ferradiddledumday
Ferradiddledumday: An Appalachian Version of Rumpelstiltskin
By Becky Mushko
Illustrated by Bruce Rae
56 pages
32 illustrations
Ferradiddledumday, by my friend and fellow member of the Roanoke Valley Branch of the National Federation of American Pen Women (and a blogger, too!), has written an enchanting folklore read. Parents, teachers and the youngsters who get a hold of this will be delighted.
I was taken by the language, which rang so true that I thought the folks in the book could have been my own grandparents. In just a few short pages, Mushko deftly has explained what life was like in the Blue Ridge Mountains for hundreds of years.
Filled with lovely and lively details and words like redbuds, pipsissewa and maidenhair ferns, this book teaches with ease. Readers, even adults, will learn without having the slightest notion that they've been taught something new.
They may even go to the dictionary in order to figure out what "skedaddled" and other colloquial words mean. If so, then good for them and good for the author for making an educational book educate.
A handy and thorough study and discussion guide in the back makes it clear that this book offers up many good lessons. It is a worthy addition to the piece.
The illustrations by Bruce Rae add to the charm and unique feel of this charming book. Fairy tales have a great purpose and Mushko has handily taken this familiar tale and made it her own.
The author and the illustrator both should be proud of this wonderful work. I give it the highest rating I can give it.
You can learn more about this local author at her website.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Big December Snow
The snow began falling yesterday around 2:15 p.m. and has just tapered off this morning around 9:30 a.m. More may be coming, but the wind is starting to pick up so perhaps it is over.
As you can see, we have almost 20 inches.
My picnic table.
The trees in front of the house. One of the cedars has fallen over from the weight of the snow.
This is how it looks with my back door open and the camera pointing at the BBQ grill. Note the depth of snow from the bottom of the picture.
One of the tables on the deck.
As you can see, we have almost 20 inches.
My picnic table.
The trees in front of the house. One of the cedars has fallen over from the weight of the snow.
This is how it looks with my back door open and the camera pointing at the BBQ grill. Note the depth of snow from the bottom of the picture.
One of the tables on the deck.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Is That Grandma?
So this morning I joined the legions of folks at Kroger, but I was just there to get a prescription from the pharmacy, not bread and milk. We can get by with what we have in the freezer but I do need my blood pressure meds.
The reason for the impromptu trip was weather. We are expecting a major snow event. The last big 'un, which was in 1993, left us without electricity and stuck in the house for about a week.
The next 24 hours are supposed to bring us a foot or more of snow.
Anyway, I hit the tail-end of a rather long line and was quickly joined by a mother with a small girl. The child was aged 3, or so she promptly informed everyone within hearing distance.
I smiled at her and made a little small talk with the mom, then turned around to face the front of the line. "Mama, is that Grandma?" the little girl said, giving a hesitant tug on my coat as she asked.
Yikes.
I turned around, hoping I wasn't glaring but I might have been. I had never been mistaken for a GRANDMA before. "No, that's not Grandma, but she does wear her hair a lot like that so I can see how you might have made that mistake," the mother, who was maybe 30, said.
Okay, so maybe the soft white in my hair does glisten a lot like tinsel these days, and yes, maybe I am really old enough to actually be somebody's grandmother, had we had children. Maybe I dress rather conservative and neatly. But I have pretty good skin for my age, with only a wrinkle here and there. I get out and do things.
I am not a grandma.
You can't be hip and be a grandma. I am hip, aren't I?
Aren't I?
Anyone?
The reason for the impromptu trip was weather. We are expecting a major snow event. The last big 'un, which was in 1993, left us without electricity and stuck in the house for about a week.
The next 24 hours are supposed to bring us a foot or more of snow.
Anyway, I hit the tail-end of a rather long line and was quickly joined by a mother with a small girl. The child was aged 3, or so she promptly informed everyone within hearing distance.
I smiled at her and made a little small talk with the mom, then turned around to face the front of the line. "Mama, is that Grandma?" the little girl said, giving a hesitant tug on my coat as she asked.
Yikes.
I turned around, hoping I wasn't glaring but I might have been. I had never been mistaken for a GRANDMA before. "No, that's not Grandma, but she does wear her hair a lot like that so I can see how you might have made that mistake," the mother, who was maybe 30, said.
Okay, so maybe the soft white in my hair does glisten a lot like tinsel these days, and yes, maybe I am really old enough to actually be somebody's grandmother, had we had children. Maybe I dress rather conservative and neatly. But I have pretty good skin for my age, with only a wrinkle here and there. I get out and do things.
I am not a grandma.
You can't be hip and be a grandma. I am hip, aren't I?
Aren't I?
Anyone?
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thursday Thirteen
Favorite things to do in December!
1. Drive around and look at Christmas lights. Some of the displays around here are pretty cool. I have not been to the Elk's Home in Bedford in many years. Maybe this year?
Lights from last year (this display is no longer put up here, alas).
2. Make fudge, bake cookies and give it all away! It is a way of extending my love and good will to folks who otherwise would not receive anything from me but a card or a smile.
3. Buy presents. I am not much of a shopper but I really like shopping for other people, particularly when I have an idea of what I am looking for.
4. Listen to Christmas songs. After Thanksgiving, I enjoy listening to the sounds of the season. I just don't like to hear them before that because it seems so commercial.
5. Watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This is must-see TV for the husband and I. It means the holiday has officially arrived.
Favorite movies to watch
6. The Fellowship of the Ring. The first in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this sets the tone for a showdown of good versus evil. This story of friendship and bonds between the various races of the legions of Middle Earth moves me.
7. The Two Towers. The second in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this movie focuses on the same themes but also includes duty to self and to others. Small people can be victorious, too.
8. The Return of the King. The final version of this movie leaves me in tears every time I watch it (and I've watched it many times). It is a great, sweeping epic.
9. One of the first four Harry Potter movies. Any of those are fun to watch this time of year (I am not overly thrilled with the last two movies so I exclude those.).
10. Mama Mia! This is a new addition to my holiday movies. Something about this movie makes me laugh and cry at the same time. I wish that we really did just burst into song in the market place. Wouldn't that be cool?
11. It's a Wonderful Life. We watched this recently. A movie about being good and doing good and how vital each and every soul is. While it is set in the 1940s, it seems timeless. Even in black and white.
And last but not least, these are favorite Christmas activities:
12. Visiting with family and friends. I love having a girlfriend over for lunch, having family drop in, or stepping out on the town for tea with folks I care about. What better thing is there to do this time of year, anyway?
Scenes from last year's Christmas visits:
13. Stopping time on Christmas Eve by stepping into my husband's arms while we stand before the Christmas tree. He will wrap them around me, kiss me soundly, and wish me a Merry Christmas. And for those few minutes, nothing else in the world matters.
Learn more about Thursday Thirteen here! This is my 118th time to write a Thursday Thirteen!
1. Drive around and look at Christmas lights. Some of the displays around here are pretty cool. I have not been to the Elk's Home in Bedford in many years. Maybe this year?
Lights from last year (this display is no longer put up here, alas).
2. Make fudge, bake cookies and give it all away! It is a way of extending my love and good will to folks who otherwise would not receive anything from me but a card or a smile.
3. Buy presents. I am not much of a shopper but I really like shopping for other people, particularly when I have an idea of what I am looking for.
4. Listen to Christmas songs. After Thanksgiving, I enjoy listening to the sounds of the season. I just don't like to hear them before that because it seems so commercial.
5. Watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This is must-see TV for the husband and I. It means the holiday has officially arrived.
Favorite movies to watch
6. The Fellowship of the Ring. The first in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this sets the tone for a showdown of good versus evil. This story of friendship and bonds between the various races of the legions of Middle Earth moves me.
7. The Two Towers. The second in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this movie focuses on the same themes but also includes duty to self and to others. Small people can be victorious, too.
8. The Return of the King. The final version of this movie leaves me in tears every time I watch it (and I've watched it many times). It is a great, sweeping epic.
9. One of the first four Harry Potter movies. Any of those are fun to watch this time of year (I am not overly thrilled with the last two movies so I exclude those.).
10. Mama Mia! This is a new addition to my holiday movies. Something about this movie makes me laugh and cry at the same time. I wish that we really did just burst into song in the market place. Wouldn't that be cool?
11. It's a Wonderful Life. We watched this recently. A movie about being good and doing good and how vital each and every soul is. While it is set in the 1940s, it seems timeless. Even in black and white.
And last but not least, these are favorite Christmas activities:
12. Visiting with family and friends. I love having a girlfriend over for lunch, having family drop in, or stepping out on the town for tea with folks I care about. What better thing is there to do this time of year, anyway?
Scenes from last year's Christmas visits:
13. Stopping time on Christmas Eve by stepping into my husband's arms while we stand before the Christmas tree. He will wrap them around me, kiss me soundly, and wish me a Merry Christmas. And for those few minutes, nothing else in the world matters.
Learn more about Thursday Thirteen here! This is my 118th time to write a Thursday Thirteen!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Perfectionist Nightmare
All of my life I have had recurring nightmares.
Some have been with me for years. When I was a child and up into my teens, I was haunted a dark dream of a garden with a black scarecrow.
Another dream was of a bathtub full of blood. It followed me around for years.
Lately, the dream has been one of passages. Dark and narrow passages, like those in a cave, perhaps, and in order to move forward you have to push the rights or turn the right lever. A false move means certain doom.
The dream returned last night. I was in the throes of it when my husband shook me awake. "There's no button," he was saying. "There's no passageway, either."
I struggled from sleep, trying to make sense of what was happening. My body was rigid and tears dripped from my eyes. I was shaking, and I had to get up and walk around. It took me over an hour to relax enough to even think about sleep.
"You shouldn't eat those mushrooms," my husband murmured as I tossed and turned. I had put mushrooms in the meatloaf we'd had for dinner and he was blaming my dreams on them.
The dream for me, without looking up any dream interpretations, means that I am always trying so desperately hard "to get it right" that I can't find my way through. There are always buttons to push, hoops to jumps, tests to pass, before the end is in sight.
I like to do things correctly; I am a perfectionist in many ways and I battle this constantly. If I'm going to blog, dammit, then I'd better blog pretty much every day or what is the point? If I'm going to be a housewife, then by George I shall be the bestest housewife this side of the Mississippi! If I'm going to make fudge, it shall be the greatest fudge in the land! If I'm going to be a writer, then I'd better be the best ... well, we know where that is headed and astute readers will lay a finger aside their nose and go ah! This is why she struggles with that book.
Easier not to do it when one thinks anything less than the best is failure, I fear.
But back to my dreams.
One of my dream books says that dreaming of a "good path predicts success in love, trade and farming. If the path appears crooked in your dream, and filled occasionally with thorns, it shows disappointment and treacherous friends." This was a rocky and dangerous path in my dream, so I go with the latter.
Of the darkness in my dreams, this book says, "Dreaming you are lost in darkness and stumble denotes a change for the worst - by imprudence you will dreadfully commit yourself. If you emerge and see the sun, you will ultimately be happy."
I suspect my own interpretation is more apt in this case. Otherwise it looks like I am in for some really rough roads - murky and dangerous passageways - in the new year.
Some have been with me for years. When I was a child and up into my teens, I was haunted a dark dream of a garden with a black scarecrow.
Another dream was of a bathtub full of blood. It followed me around for years.
Lately, the dream has been one of passages. Dark and narrow passages, like those in a cave, perhaps, and in order to move forward you have to push the rights or turn the right lever. A false move means certain doom.
The dream returned last night. I was in the throes of it when my husband shook me awake. "There's no button," he was saying. "There's no passageway, either."
I struggled from sleep, trying to make sense of what was happening. My body was rigid and tears dripped from my eyes. I was shaking, and I had to get up and walk around. It took me over an hour to relax enough to even think about sleep.
"You shouldn't eat those mushrooms," my husband murmured as I tossed and turned. I had put mushrooms in the meatloaf we'd had for dinner and he was blaming my dreams on them.
The dream for me, without looking up any dream interpretations, means that I am always trying so desperately hard "to get it right" that I can't find my way through. There are always buttons to push, hoops to jumps, tests to pass, before the end is in sight.
I like to do things correctly; I am a perfectionist in many ways and I battle this constantly. If I'm going to blog, dammit, then I'd better blog pretty much every day or what is the point? If I'm going to be a housewife, then by George I shall be the bestest housewife this side of the Mississippi! If I'm going to make fudge, it shall be the greatest fudge in the land! If I'm going to be a writer, then I'd better be the best ... well, we know where that is headed and astute readers will lay a finger aside their nose and go ah! This is why she struggles with that book.
Easier not to do it when one thinks anything less than the best is failure, I fear.
But back to my dreams.
One of my dream books says that dreaming of a "good path predicts success in love, trade and farming. If the path appears crooked in your dream, and filled occasionally with thorns, it shows disappointment and treacherous friends." This was a rocky and dangerous path in my dream, so I go with the latter.
Of the darkness in my dreams, this book says, "Dreaming you are lost in darkness and stumble denotes a change for the worst - by imprudence you will dreadfully commit yourself. If you emerge and see the sun, you will ultimately be happy."
I suspect my own interpretation is more apt in this case. Otherwise it looks like I am in for some really rough roads - murky and dangerous passageways - in the new year.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
My fudge is better
About two weeks ago, my husband and I did a quick shopping expedition that took us to Salem.
I don't shop Salem much and seldom get there, even though it is just a 1/2 hour drive away down the interstate.
At any rate, at the Lakeside strip center, there is a fudge and candy store. I think it is fairly new.
We went in and looked around. I started to buy some rock candy on a stick but each piece was not individually wrapped and it was in a big container where little hands could be stuck down and the candy fingered. So I decided to forgo that even though I do like rock candy on occasion.
The store was offering "buy one pound get the second pound for 1/2 price" thing going so, thinking I would take some of the fudge as a hostess gift and perhaps give some away (and eat a little too) we picked out several different kinds.
The fudge still sits in my refrigerator, because, alas, it is not good. Each flavor we nibbled at was very dry and frankly, tasteless. We were very disappointed. It is so bad that I decided not to give it away. I am not sure, truthfully, what I will do with it because I don't think at this point that we will eat it.
Every year I make about 15 pounds of fudge. I give it to friends and relatives, business associates - pretty much anyone who wants it. Some of it has nuts and some of it doesn't. It is all basically Fantasy Fudge, made with marshmallow creme and semi-sweet chocolate chips, with some derivations. Sometimes I cut the sugar and use white chocolate or butterscotch or whatever, but regardless, it comes out smooth, rich and creamy.
I make better fudge than what they were selling at this store by a long shot.
I don't shop Salem much and seldom get there, even though it is just a 1/2 hour drive away down the interstate.
At any rate, at the Lakeside strip center, there is a fudge and candy store. I think it is fairly new.
We went in and looked around. I started to buy some rock candy on a stick but each piece was not individually wrapped and it was in a big container where little hands could be stuck down and the candy fingered. So I decided to forgo that even though I do like rock candy on occasion.
The store was offering "buy one pound get the second pound for 1/2 price" thing going so, thinking I would take some of the fudge as a hostess gift and perhaps give some away (and eat a little too) we picked out several different kinds.
The fudge still sits in my refrigerator, because, alas, it is not good. Each flavor we nibbled at was very dry and frankly, tasteless. We were very disappointed. It is so bad that I decided not to give it away. I am not sure, truthfully, what I will do with it because I don't think at this point that we will eat it.
Every year I make about 15 pounds of fudge. I give it to friends and relatives, business associates - pretty much anyone who wants it. Some of it has nuts and some of it doesn't. It is all basically Fantasy Fudge, made with marshmallow creme and semi-sweet chocolate chips, with some derivations. Sometimes I cut the sugar and use white chocolate or butterscotch or whatever, but regardless, it comes out smooth, rich and creamy.
I make better fudge than what they were selling at this store by a long shot.
Monday, December 14, 2009
No Reason for Not Posting
It is unlike me not to post in several days, and I am not sure why I haven't been writing.
So let's have a quick update.
A week ago I had lunch with Di from Blue Ridge Gal; we ran into each other at the Daleville Post Office and then on impulse headed to Bellacino's for a bite. I had my usual 1/4 sandwich while Di went for some kind of nacho thing. I had great fun talking and chatting; it was a like a little party with just the two of us.
Blogging friends are cool, anyway.
Tuesday, my Aunt Jennifer and I headed north. Our destinations were the Green Valley Book Fair in Mount Crawford and The Cheese Shop in Stuarts Draft.
My Aunt Jennifer is my mother's brother's wife. She is a nurse. In July, she began a round of surgeries that included her knees and in November her hands for carpal tunnel or something. She has been rather housebound so I thought an outing might do her good.
Anyway, the Green Valley Book Fair is one of my favorite stops, because, well, there are books! Lots of them. I could have spent all of my Christmas money there but I was good and did not. I did purchase a number of items for presents, however.
The Cheese Shop has great spices at extremely reasonable prices; they offer a lot of candy, too, or things with which to make candy, and many other unusual cooking and baking ingredients that aren't readily found in Roanoke. In particular, they carry McCutcheon's Apple Butter, which is my husband's favorite but which I can't find locally (if anyone knows of a store in Roanoke that carries it, do tell!). I purchased 5 quarts so hopefully he will be stocked up for a little while with his favorite breakfast treat.
Thursday night my friend B. had her annual "soup night," which is a party where she serves soup. Leek soup and chili, to be exact, and it is a big hit with most of Fincastle. This was her last party in her old home; after Christmas she will be moving a few blocks away into a brand-spanking new house that she and her husband are building. I am sure it was a bittersweet event for her. For the rest of us it was finger-lickin' good.
After we returned home from the party and began settling in for the night, we received a phone call. My husband's Aunt Nancy, in from Georgia, was in distress. She has been staying with his Aunt Jenny, whom regular readers will recall has pancreatic cancer and had surgery in November. (As an update, she seems to be doing very well; chemo and radiation therapy in the near future, it seems).
Anyway, as I was in a state of undress the husband raced up the hill to check on his aunt and he made the determination to call the rescue squad. She was having difficulty breathing.
When he came back home, I was ready to go to the hospital with him but he told me to stay home because he wanted someone around in case Aunt Jenny and Uncle Bill needed something. One of the cousins was supposed to come and stay with them but had not yet arrived as I understood it. So I dug in for a long wait.
Anyway, the long and short of it is that the doctors could not determine what had happened to Aunt Nancy and the husband returned home with her around 3:30 a.m. I was up, because of course I was worried. It was a long night.
Friday I treated myself to a much-needed massage; I was pretty useless from that and the lack of sleep.
Saturday B. and I stepped out on the town. We went to IHOP in Roanoke for breakfast (I had eggs and pancakes; yum, yum!) and then hit the stores. We went to Staples, Target, Barnes & Noble, Dicks Sporting Goods, Applebys (for gift certificates), Supershoes, and Gander Mountain. Whew!
Yesterday we rested, except I made two batches of fudge. Somewhere in there I did my Christmas cards and wrapped presents, too.
And while I still don't know why I haven't been posting, maybe this is an indication that the little mini-writing-drought is over.
So let's have a quick update.
A week ago I had lunch with Di from Blue Ridge Gal; we ran into each other at the Daleville Post Office and then on impulse headed to Bellacino's for a bite. I had my usual 1/4 sandwich while Di went for some kind of nacho thing. I had great fun talking and chatting; it was a like a little party with just the two of us.
Blogging friends are cool, anyway.
Tuesday, my Aunt Jennifer and I headed north. Our destinations were the Green Valley Book Fair in Mount Crawford and The Cheese Shop in Stuarts Draft.
My Aunt Jennifer is my mother's brother's wife. She is a nurse. In July, she began a round of surgeries that included her knees and in November her hands for carpal tunnel or something. She has been rather housebound so I thought an outing might do her good.
Anyway, the Green Valley Book Fair is one of my favorite stops, because, well, there are books! Lots of them. I could have spent all of my Christmas money there but I was good and did not. I did purchase a number of items for presents, however.
The Cheese Shop has great spices at extremely reasonable prices; they offer a lot of candy, too, or things with which to make candy, and many other unusual cooking and baking ingredients that aren't readily found in Roanoke. In particular, they carry McCutcheon's Apple Butter, which is my husband's favorite but which I can't find locally (if anyone knows of a store in Roanoke that carries it, do tell!). I purchased 5 quarts so hopefully he will be stocked up for a little while with his favorite breakfast treat.
Thursday night my friend B. had her annual "soup night," which is a party where she serves soup. Leek soup and chili, to be exact, and it is a big hit with most of Fincastle. This was her last party in her old home; after Christmas she will be moving a few blocks away into a brand-spanking new house that she and her husband are building. I am sure it was a bittersweet event for her. For the rest of us it was finger-lickin' good.
After we returned home from the party and began settling in for the night, we received a phone call. My husband's Aunt Nancy, in from Georgia, was in distress. She has been staying with his Aunt Jenny, whom regular readers will recall has pancreatic cancer and had surgery in November. (As an update, she seems to be doing very well; chemo and radiation therapy in the near future, it seems).
Anyway, as I was in a state of undress the husband raced up the hill to check on his aunt and he made the determination to call the rescue squad. She was having difficulty breathing.
When he came back home, I was ready to go to the hospital with him but he told me to stay home because he wanted someone around in case Aunt Jenny and Uncle Bill needed something. One of the cousins was supposed to come and stay with them but had not yet arrived as I understood it. So I dug in for a long wait.
Anyway, the long and short of it is that the doctors could not determine what had happened to Aunt Nancy and the husband returned home with her around 3:30 a.m. I was up, because of course I was worried. It was a long night.
Friday I treated myself to a much-needed massage; I was pretty useless from that and the lack of sleep.
Saturday B. and I stepped out on the town. We went to IHOP in Roanoke for breakfast (I had eggs and pancakes; yum, yum!) and then hit the stores. We went to Staples, Target, Barnes & Noble, Dicks Sporting Goods, Applebys (for gift certificates), Supershoes, and Gander Mountain. Whew!
Yesterday we rested, except I made two batches of fudge. Somewhere in there I did my Christmas cards and wrapped presents, too.
And while I still don't know why I haven't been posting, maybe this is an indication that the little mini-writing-drought is over.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday Thirteen
Today it's ... my favorite Christmas songs! Except for the first one, which is my favorite, they aren't in any particular order.
1. Angels We Have Heard on High. I love this song. It is so exuberant and full of rejoicing. According to this site (which has the music but not the words going) this is a French carol, translated to English in 1862. You can learn more from Wikipedia here.
2. O Holy Night. This is a quiet song that celebrates the birth of Christ. It speaks of the quiet joy and wonder at this most wonderous event.
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town. This is a fun song. It makes me want to dance. I have always enjoyed Bruce Springsteen's version.
4. Silent Night. This traditional Christmas carol always makes my heart fill with love and joy. It is another song about the birth of the Saviour. Is there anything better to sing about? It was translated into English in 1859. The Wiki site is here.
5. Santa Baby. This is a very materialistic song, but I have always liked Madonna's version and the way she sings it. I like the melody, too. I don't necessarily approve of the message, but it is definitely a very telling song. Besides, 13 carols is a long list...
6. Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Canon Rock.
7. Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Sarajevo.
8. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas songs. These modern renditions of classics are among the best. Here's Joy to the World, which is another of my favorite carols.
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Another celebration of the birth of Christ (which is of course the reason we have Christmas, anyway, if you are religious). This is an old song, dating back to earlier than 1739, according to Wiki.
10. Do You Hear What I Hear? If I were ranking these, this would be #2. I love this song as it reminds us that Christ is for everyone, from the poorest to the richest, and no one is better than anyone else.
11. Sleigh Ride. I am particularly fond of the Carpenters version. I love to sing the words to this but I always sing them incorrectly. In particular, that part where you have pumpkin pie and coffee? I tend to say "when you grab an alligator and just ... let him fly." I have no idea why. Sometimes I am just weird.
12. Winter Wonderland. This is not necessarily a Christmas song but a winter song, but you only hear it at this time of year. I love it because it reminds me of snow and quiet and solitude and having fun with someone you love. All very important things. This song also reminds me of a long-ago evening when my parents, brother and I took a long walk in a snow under a full moon. It is one of my few memories of a nice time together.
The song was written in 1934, according to Wiki.
13. Your choice! Do you have a favorite Christmas song?
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. This is number 117 for me!
1. Angels We Have Heard on High. I love this song. It is so exuberant and full of rejoicing. According to this site (which has the music but not the words going) this is a French carol, translated to English in 1862. You can learn more from Wikipedia here.
2. O Holy Night. This is a quiet song that celebrates the birth of Christ. It speaks of the quiet joy and wonder at this most wonderous event.
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town. This is a fun song. It makes me want to dance. I have always enjoyed Bruce Springsteen's version.
4. Silent Night. This traditional Christmas carol always makes my heart fill with love and joy. It is another song about the birth of the Saviour. Is there anything better to sing about? It was translated into English in 1859. The Wiki site is here.
5. Santa Baby. This is a very materialistic song, but I have always liked Madonna's version and the way she sings it. I like the melody, too. I don't necessarily approve of the message, but it is definitely a very telling song. Besides, 13 carols is a long list...
6. Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Canon Rock.
7. Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Sarajevo.
8. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas songs. These modern renditions of classics are among the best. Here's Joy to the World, which is another of my favorite carols.
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Another celebration of the birth of Christ (which is of course the reason we have Christmas, anyway, if you are religious). This is an old song, dating back to earlier than 1739, according to Wiki.
10. Do You Hear What I Hear? If I were ranking these, this would be #2. I love this song as it reminds us that Christ is for everyone, from the poorest to the richest, and no one is better than anyone else.
11. Sleigh Ride. I am particularly fond of the Carpenters version. I love to sing the words to this but I always sing them incorrectly. In particular, that part where you have pumpkin pie and coffee? I tend to say "when you grab an alligator and just ... let him fly." I have no idea why. Sometimes I am just weird.
12. Winter Wonderland. This is not necessarily a Christmas song but a winter song, but you only hear it at this time of year. I love it because it reminds me of snow and quiet and solitude and having fun with someone you love. All very important things. This song also reminds me of a long-ago evening when my parents, brother and I took a long walk in a snow under a full moon. It is one of my few memories of a nice time together.
The song was written in 1934, according to Wiki.
13. Your choice! Do you have a favorite Christmas song?
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. This is number 117 for me!
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Books: Very Valentine
Very Valentine
By Adriana Trigiani
Read by Cassandra Campbell
13 hours unabridged
Copyright 2009
I love Adriana Trigiani's books. Her female lead character is always strong-willed and very much a capable woman.
Valentine Roncalli, 33, lives with her grandmother above their shoe factory in Greenwich Village in New York. The Angelinis have been making custom wedding shoes since 1903, and Valentine, after a failed stint as a teacher, has apprenticed herself to her grandmother in order to learn the trade. She has a flair for design and is eager to take the shoe company into the 21st century.
Her brother, Alfred, the superior male, wants his grandmother to sell the business and the building in which is housed for a cool $6 million, but through some maneuvering which I missed because the CD skipped and wouldn't play a few tracks, Valentine manages to keep things going without sending Grandma to the old folk's home.
Valentine also finds a fellow, Roman, who runs a restaurant, and they have a stormy and on-off again romance. Will she stay with him in the end? Eh, maybe not (I won't give it away). Her grandmother, a widow, also finds a little amore and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. Too often old folks are stereotyped.
This novel was filled with rich details and sparkling writing. The reader was spot-on in her portrayals of character, also, so I give Cassandra Campbell a lot of credit for the enjoyment I took from this book. Trigiani is one of the finest southern writers out there (even though she deals with New York and Italy in this book) and her work never disappoints.
It's available in the Fincastle Library. Check it out.
By Adriana Trigiani
Read by Cassandra Campbell
13 hours unabridged
Copyright 2009
I love Adriana Trigiani's books. Her female lead character is always strong-willed and very much a capable woman.
Valentine Roncalli, 33, lives with her grandmother above their shoe factory in Greenwich Village in New York. The Angelinis have been making custom wedding shoes since 1903, and Valentine, after a failed stint as a teacher, has apprenticed herself to her grandmother in order to learn the trade. She has a flair for design and is eager to take the shoe company into the 21st century.
Her brother, Alfred, the superior male, wants his grandmother to sell the business and the building in which is housed for a cool $6 million, but through some maneuvering which I missed because the CD skipped and wouldn't play a few tracks, Valentine manages to keep things going without sending Grandma to the old folk's home.
Valentine also finds a fellow, Roman, who runs a restaurant, and they have a stormy and on-off again romance. Will she stay with him in the end? Eh, maybe not (I won't give it away). Her grandmother, a widow, also finds a little amore and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. Too often old folks are stereotyped.
This novel was filled with rich details and sparkling writing. The reader was spot-on in her portrayals of character, also, so I give Cassandra Campbell a lot of credit for the enjoyment I took from this book. Trigiani is one of the finest southern writers out there (even though she deals with New York and Italy in this book) and her work never disappoints.
It's available in the Fincastle Library. Check it out.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Decking the Halls 2009
We put up decorations and the Christmas tree up on Wednesday night, just prior to our annual tradition of watching Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It isn't Christmas without Rudolph around here.
The angel watches over our household during the holy days. We purchased her at Myrtle Beach about 10 years ago. We remember the reason for the season.
But it's also a good time for fun. I collect Santa Mouse and my mother-in-law gave me these. They were very old; she's had them a long time.
Members of the stuffed animal section of my Santa Mouse collection.
Some of my sitty-around items.
This is the tree! It has a firefighter's theme this year. I can't imagine why.
The angel watches over our household during the holy days. We purchased her at Myrtle Beach about 10 years ago. We remember the reason for the season.
But it's also a good time for fun. I collect Santa Mouse and my mother-in-law gave me these. They were very old; she's had them a long time.
Members of the stuffed animal section of my Santa Mouse collection.
Some of my sitty-around items.
This is the tree! It has a firefighter's theme this year. I can't imagine why.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
December 2009 Snow
The snow started yesterday around 7:15 a.m. and poured here all day, sometimes in large, huge flakes, until about 3:45 p.m.
It warmed up during that time and so what could have been five or six inches ended up leaving us about 2.5 inches on the ground.
Now it feels like Christmas!
During the early morning yesterday as the snow fell heavily
Birds, finding the air too heavy for flying, flocked around my house.
They rested in the poplar trees we planted 23 years ago (which are now dying from the top down, so sad!)
The warm November had confused some of the flora and fauna, and my marigolds were still showcasing color when the snows fell.
Early morning Sunday sunrise showed off the beginning of a new day.
It warmed up during that time and so what could have been five or six inches ended up leaving us about 2.5 inches on the ground.
Now it feels like Christmas!
During the early morning yesterday as the snow fell heavily
Birds, finding the air too heavy for flying, flocked around my house.
They rested in the poplar trees we planted 23 years ago (which are now dying from the top down, so sad!)
The warm November had confused some of the flora and fauna, and my marigolds were still showcasing color when the snows fell.
Early morning Sunday sunrise showed off the beginning of a new day.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Thursday Thirteen
Today, we do it by the numbers!
1. 45 hours, 17 minutes - time spent exercising on the Wii Fit this year.
2. 2,488 - estimated number of times I've folded towels and put them back into the closet in our house since we moved in.
3. 51 - number of books I have read so far this year. Estimated number of books read in my life time? Over 2,000. I wish I had started keeping a list sooner.
4. 78,022 - mileage on my 2003 Toyota Camry. Estimated number of miles driven in my lifetime? 366,450
5. 179 - number of games of spider solitaire I've won on this computer.
6. 8,030 - estimated number of showers I've taken at our current home. Estimated number of showers/bath in a lifetime? 16,790
7. 45 - number of Christmases I have celebrated. The next one will be 46!
8. 1,087 - number of posts on this blog.
9. 317 - number of pages of unpublished fiction I have sitting on my computer.
10. 2,300 - estimated number of non-fiction articles I have published.
11. 33,580 - estimated number of hours of TV I have probably watched in my lifetime (2 hours a day since birth, though I don't watch 2 hours of TV a day now so I hope it's less).
12. 402,460 - the number of hours I have lived (my hand-held calculator won't figure out the number of seconds; too big a number, I guess).
13. 5 - number of pairs of tennis shoes I currently own.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 116!
1. 45 hours, 17 minutes - time spent exercising on the Wii Fit this year.
2. 2,488 - estimated number of times I've folded towels and put them back into the closet in our house since we moved in.
3. 51 - number of books I have read so far this year. Estimated number of books read in my life time? Over 2,000. I wish I had started keeping a list sooner.
4. 78,022 - mileage on my 2003 Toyota Camry. Estimated number of miles driven in my lifetime? 366,450
5. 179 - number of games of spider solitaire I've won on this computer.
6. 8,030 - estimated number of showers I've taken at our current home. Estimated number of showers/bath in a lifetime? 16,790
7. 45 - number of Christmases I have celebrated. The next one will be 46!
8. 1,087 - number of posts on this blog.
9. 317 - number of pages of unpublished fiction I have sitting on my computer.
10. 2,300 - estimated number of non-fiction articles I have published.
11. 33,580 - estimated number of hours of TV I have probably watched in my lifetime (2 hours a day since birth, though I don't watch 2 hours of TV a day now so I hope it's less).
12. 402,460 - the number of hours I have lived (my hand-held calculator won't figure out the number of seconds; too big a number, I guess).
13. 5 - number of pairs of tennis shoes I currently own.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 116!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Oh Happy Day!
It's a happy day in our house!
My wonderful husband learned this afternoon that he has received a promotion. He is now a Battalion Chief for Roanoke City Fire-EMS!
He has worked very hard to obtain this title. He has been with the fire department for almost 27 years and has studied and done everything asked of him.
What a wonderful thing for him! I am so proud of him I could pop.
The new Battalion Chief in his dress blues! Isn't he handsome?
My wonderful husband learned this afternoon that he has received a promotion. He is now a Battalion Chief for Roanoke City Fire-EMS!
He has worked very hard to obtain this title. He has been with the fire department for almost 27 years and has studied and done everything asked of him.
What a wonderful thing for him! I am so proud of him I could pop.
The new Battalion Chief in his dress blues! Isn't he handsome?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
9:15 a.m.
Recently, around 9:15 a.m., something has emitted a small beep.
Beep.
A little electronic sound. Nothing remarkable, really.
Except I don't know where it's coming from. It's like an alien has moved into my home. I know it's there because I hear it. But I don't know why or its reason for being.
Beep.
Maybe this tiny noise goes off at other times, but at 9:15 a.m. on some mornings (not every morning) I am reading the newspaper at the table, having finished my breakfast. Husband has left and the house is quiet save maybe for the hum of the refrigerator or furnace. And then I hear it.
Beep.
I look up from the paper, perplexed. The sound seems to come from behind me, but there is nothing behind me but my curio cabinets. And my glassware does not beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
A little electronic sound. Nothing remarkable, really.
Except I don't know where it's coming from. It's like an alien has moved into my home. I know it's there because I hear it. But I don't know why or its reason for being.
Beep.
Maybe this tiny noise goes off at other times, but at 9:15 a.m. on some mornings (not every morning) I am reading the newspaper at the table, having finished my breakfast. Husband has left and the house is quiet save maybe for the hum of the refrigerator or furnace. And then I hear it.
Beep.
I look up from the paper, perplexed. The sound seems to come from behind me, but there is nothing behind me but my curio cabinets. And my glassware does not beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday Thirteen
I know it's Thanksgiving. But I am offering up something different. Here are 13 things that would be different if women ruled the world!
1. No combustion engines. Come on, you know women would create something that runs cleaner and doesn't require oil and grease.
2. Rounded curves on appliances. Instead of corners we'd have smooth surfaces that didn't cut into you when you ran into them.
3. Lawn mowers that start without a lot of upper body strength. Any woman who has ever tried to pull the handle on those pull-start mowers knows what I'm talking about. You need to be a weight lifter to make those things run.
4. Regulations against chest hair. Instead of laws about going topless, of course. And definitely no hairy backs!
5. Chocolate at every meal. It wouldn't just be a treat anymore!
6. Faces without makeup would be quite acceptable, thank you. So would hairy legs.
7. Smaller, lighter tools that actually worked (not just the "toy-like" tools that some places offer up as an option for women. And they wouldn't be in pink, either.).
8. Computer games without extreme violence. Something more along the lines of the old Kings Quest or something. Or more puzzle games and brain games.
9. Less bloodshed. Women don't like gore and gross things, plus war is just so last millennium. Let's move on, shall we?
10. Those stirrups at the OB-GYN office would be padded, adjustable and warm. And the GYN would always have small hands.
11. No more jokes about the time of the month, mood swings, menopause, etc.
12. Viagra would be banned. Actually it probably would never have been invented; that effort instead would have gone toward better vibrators.
13. Perfume that smells good to women because they like the smell of it, not because they think men like it.
This could go one forever; thank goodness it's a Thursday Thirteen!
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 115!
1. No combustion engines. Come on, you know women would create something that runs cleaner and doesn't require oil and grease.
2. Rounded curves on appliances. Instead of corners we'd have smooth surfaces that didn't cut into you when you ran into them.
3. Lawn mowers that start without a lot of upper body strength. Any woman who has ever tried to pull the handle on those pull-start mowers knows what I'm talking about. You need to be a weight lifter to make those things run.
4. Regulations against chest hair. Instead of laws about going topless, of course. And definitely no hairy backs!
5. Chocolate at every meal. It wouldn't just be a treat anymore!
6. Faces without makeup would be quite acceptable, thank you. So would hairy legs.
7. Smaller, lighter tools that actually worked (not just the "toy-like" tools that some places offer up as an option for women. And they wouldn't be in pink, either.).
8. Computer games without extreme violence. Something more along the lines of the old Kings Quest or something. Or more puzzle games and brain games.
9. Less bloodshed. Women don't like gore and gross things, plus war is just so last millennium. Let's move on, shall we?
10. Those stirrups at the OB-GYN office would be padded, adjustable and warm. And the GYN would always have small hands.
11. No more jokes about the time of the month, mood swings, menopause, etc.
12. Viagra would be banned. Actually it probably would never have been invented; that effort instead would have gone toward better vibrators.
13. Perfume that smells good to women because they like the smell of it, not because they think men like it.
This could go one forever; thank goodness it's a Thursday Thirteen!
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 115!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Other Nephew Bags a Mule Deer
My nephew Trey, my brother's son, went with his dad and his granddad (my father) to Montana last week on a trophy hunt for mule deer.
My brother and father go hunting just about every year; this was the first time for Trey. He will be 15 in December.
My brother and father killed nice deer, too.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Nephew Bags His Buck
The 15-year-old nephew, Chris, bagged his first buck ever during muzzle loader season.
The 9-pointer looks to be the only one that will be taken from the farm. Regular rifle season hasn't been very productive. Of course, it isn't over yet.
Chris took his deer with one shot, which is the way I like to see them killed during a hunt. None of this shooting them and watching them run around in pain. Drop them where they stand - that's the way to get the job done.
The meat is already being eaten. Some of it has been made into jerky; some into hamburger. It doesn't go to waste around here.
Congratulations to the nephew!
Monday, November 23, 2009
A Close Shave - For Women Only
This morning when I went to shave my legs, I discovered I was out of razors.
You ladies know the kind. Cheap, disposable single blades that used to cost a $1.19 for two dozen and now cost about triple that for 20. We use each disposable until it's rusty and then get a new one. If we're lucky a whole bag will last several months. Maybe even a year if the blades don't rust.
My husband now uses a Gillette Mach 3 razor, generally, but he complains about the cost of the blades. And they are terribly expensive. So the last time we were in Sams Club, he bought a big box of Bic Comfort 3 razors. They were cheaper than the others and he declared they would last just as long.
So I dug one of those out of the box and went for it.
My gosh. I had no idea I could actually enjoy shaving my legs. Who knew a razor made such a difference? That thing glided up my calf and in behind my knee without so much as nick or a whimper and left everything so silky smooth - even with soap for my shaving lather - that it was almost sexy. My legs purred, I swear.
Quality does make a difference sometimes, doesn't it? I can only imagine what this might feel like if I actually spring for some shaving lotion.
It will be really hard going back to the drugstore brand when this razor gets dull.
You ladies know the kind. Cheap, disposable single blades that used to cost a $1.19 for two dozen and now cost about triple that for 20. We use each disposable until it's rusty and then get a new one. If we're lucky a whole bag will last several months. Maybe even a year if the blades don't rust.
My husband now uses a Gillette Mach 3 razor, generally, but he complains about the cost of the blades. And they are terribly expensive. So the last time we were in Sams Club, he bought a big box of Bic Comfort 3 razors. They were cheaper than the others and he declared they would last just as long.
So I dug one of those out of the box and went for it.
My gosh. I had no idea I could actually enjoy shaving my legs. Who knew a razor made such a difference? That thing glided up my calf and in behind my knee without so much as nick or a whimper and left everything so silky smooth - even with soap for my shaving lather - that it was almost sexy. My legs purred, I swear.
Quality does make a difference sometimes, doesn't it? I can only imagine what this might feel like if I actually spring for some shaving lotion.
It will be really hard going back to the drugstore brand when this razor gets dull.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Through the Glass
"I got a buck today!"
My friend Brenda called me moments ago to tell me she'd bagged a buck - sort of. My first thought was she'd hit one with her car, but she said that wasn't it.
Turns out a little button buck ran through one of the buildings she owns and rents out in downtown Roanoke. The building is located on Brambleton near Towers Shopping Center.
This is the kind of story newspapers and TV stations love, but according to my friend nary a journalist was in sight as a steady stream of police and animal control officers waded into the fray in an effort to calm the frightened animal.
It took three tranquilizer darts to put the deer down, Brenda said.
On November 7, a similar incident took place on Campbell Avenue. Here's a report on it from the newspaper.
An incredulous as this sounds, it is an expensive incident for the building owners when these things happen. Replacing windows is not a small thing, and there is likely blood and animal feces and urine to clear up, too. And the building owners don't even get to eat the meat!
This is the time of year when the bucks are in rut - they've only one thing on their minds and it isn't watching where they are going. They are so busy chasing does and their hormones are so out of control its a wonder there aren't more reports of this kind of thing.
This is what happens when humans and animals don't learn to live well together. The deer population is a bit high because we have removed their natural predators, most notably wolves. There aren't too many of those running around the Roanoke Valley.
That leaves humans as the only natural predator for the deer, and unless they are hunted then the herd numbers grow.
Animal lovers think this is a good thing, but a herd that is too large ends up being a poor herd. The deer inbreed and the animal population ends up with pie bald or albino deer. Or they don't have enough to eat and they become sick from malnutrition. I don't think it is any better to watch a deer starve than it is to kill it and eat it, myself.
I do not hunt and I don't eat the deer meat my husband brings home but I see the need for the activity.
Poor Brenda, I feel bad for her. This was a bit of bad luck that no one deserves!
My friend Brenda called me moments ago to tell me she'd bagged a buck - sort of. My first thought was she'd hit one with her car, but she said that wasn't it.
Turns out a little button buck ran through one of the buildings she owns and rents out in downtown Roanoke. The building is located on Brambleton near Towers Shopping Center.
This is the kind of story newspapers and TV stations love, but according to my friend nary a journalist was in sight as a steady stream of police and animal control officers waded into the fray in an effort to calm the frightened animal.
It took three tranquilizer darts to put the deer down, Brenda said.
On November 7, a similar incident took place on Campbell Avenue. Here's a report on it from the newspaper.
An incredulous as this sounds, it is an expensive incident for the building owners when these things happen. Replacing windows is not a small thing, and there is likely blood and animal feces and urine to clear up, too. And the building owners don't even get to eat the meat!
This is the time of year when the bucks are in rut - they've only one thing on their minds and it isn't watching where they are going. They are so busy chasing does and their hormones are so out of control its a wonder there aren't more reports of this kind of thing.
This is what happens when humans and animals don't learn to live well together. The deer population is a bit high because we have removed their natural predators, most notably wolves. There aren't too many of those running around the Roanoke Valley.
That leaves humans as the only natural predator for the deer, and unless they are hunted then the herd numbers grow.
Animal lovers think this is a good thing, but a herd that is too large ends up being a poor herd. The deer inbreed and the animal population ends up with pie bald or albino deer. Or they don't have enough to eat and they become sick from malnutrition. I don't think it is any better to watch a deer starve than it is to kill it and eat it, myself.
I do not hunt and I don't eat the deer meat my husband brings home but I see the need for the activity.
Poor Brenda, I feel bad for her. This was a bit of bad luck that no one deserves!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Welcome Windows 7
Yesterday my disks from Dell came for my Windows 7 upgrade.
In July, regular readers will recall, my Gateway of four years developed a hardware issue. The resolution was as expensive as a new computer. I had a new computer purchased scheduled, but not for another year. I bit the bullet and bought the thing early.
After a horrible experience with an ASUS computer, I ended up with this Dell. It came with Windows Vista, an operating system which received poor reviews all around. However, with the new computer came the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 7, which at the time was touted as being more stable and better and what Vista was supposed to me. Sort of like Windows ME prior to Windows XP, I think.
Anyway, I did not dislike Vista and was using it on my Gateway laptop anyway, but when the upgrade arrived in the mail yesterday, I could scarcely contain myself.
I'd read that an upgrade could take as long as 20 hours. Yikes. But the little two page-manual Dell sent said it would take two hours.
At 2:50 p.m. yesterday, I plugged in the "upgrade assistant" DVD from Dell. By 6:15 p.m. (longer than two hours but certainly not 20), the thing was done and my computer was up and running on the new Windows 7.
The upgrade via Dell was very easy. The "upgrade assistant" took care of removing software, such as audio and video, and then adding the Windows 7 versions back. TThe only software I really had an issue with was my keyboard software. I use a Microsoft Natural Keyboard and the intellipoint software did not jive with Windows 7. This was easily solved with a download, however.
The other issue was my desktop. I like a Windows Classic look most of the time (solid blue screen) and my desktop came up with pretty icons on a black screen. After some fiddling with preferences I managed to get the desktop back to something I like.
I'm pretty happy with it so far. The printer works, my MS Office works, Quicken works, and the virus software works. Those are the main things. And I feel very comfortable knowing that at least for a little while this operating system won't be abandoned by Microsoft.
*Nobody paid me anything to write this.*
In July, regular readers will recall, my Gateway of four years developed a hardware issue. The resolution was as expensive as a new computer. I had a new computer purchased scheduled, but not for another year. I bit the bullet and bought the thing early.
After a horrible experience with an ASUS computer, I ended up with this Dell. It came with Windows Vista, an operating system which received poor reviews all around. However, with the new computer came the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 7, which at the time was touted as being more stable and better and what Vista was supposed to me. Sort of like Windows ME prior to Windows XP, I think.
Anyway, I did not dislike Vista and was using it on my Gateway laptop anyway, but when the upgrade arrived in the mail yesterday, I could scarcely contain myself.
I'd read that an upgrade could take as long as 20 hours. Yikes. But the little two page-manual Dell sent said it would take two hours.
At 2:50 p.m. yesterday, I plugged in the "upgrade assistant" DVD from Dell. By 6:15 p.m. (longer than two hours but certainly not 20), the thing was done and my computer was up and running on the new Windows 7.
The upgrade via Dell was very easy. The "upgrade assistant" took care of removing software, such as audio and video, and then adding the Windows 7 versions back. TThe only software I really had an issue with was my keyboard software. I use a Microsoft Natural Keyboard and the intellipoint software did not jive with Windows 7. This was easily solved with a download, however.
The other issue was my desktop. I like a Windows Classic look most of the time (solid blue screen) and my desktop came up with pretty icons on a black screen. After some fiddling with preferences I managed to get the desktop back to something I like.
I'm pretty happy with it so far. The printer works, my MS Office works, Quicken works, and the virus software works. Those are the main things. And I feel very comfortable knowing that at least for a little while this operating system won't be abandoned by Microsoft.
*Nobody paid me anything to write this.*
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Diarist Revealed
You might recall that I had come across a diary written in 1904. Here is the story that resulted from my finding out who the author was:
Carrie Lee Hamilton, who died in 1952, was the author of the 1904 diary found by a Craig County auctioneer and handed over to me because the diary mentioned Firebaughs.
An October 28 story in the The Fincastle Herald detailed names and circumstances of the life of the 20-year-old writer. Within a day, Rosalie Hamilton Goad had identified the diarist as being her great aunt.
Recently Goad and her cousin, Claudine Drewry Spangler, met me so I could return the diary to the family. As fate would have it, Spangler and I had met when my husband's uncle passed away a few years ago. She was related to the Firebaughs by marriage for sure.
In another strange twist, she revealed that she lived with Carrie Lee Hamilton for the first 11 years of her life, and she attended school with Pat Charlton, the brother of Don Charlton, the auctioneer who initially found the little book.
The diary held the concerns and pathos of a single woman who longed to be a good Christian and maybe find a beau. Spangler and Goad reported that her aunt, Martha Jane Hamilton, who raised Carrie, thwarted the latter goal. She went so far as to move Carrie to Wyoming after she received a proposal in order to keep the young woman unwed.
"You know if she picked the whole family up and moved them to Wyoming, she ran the show," Rosalie said of her Great-Great Aunt Martha.
Aunt Martha must have been a pistol - literally. Claudine reported that she always carried a gun, usually in an egg basket under a cloth.
Carrie Lee Hamilton was born on December 28, 1884 in Alleghany County. Her mother died when she was four and Aunt Martha, called "Aunt Matt," helped raise her and her brother Grover.
They grew up in the Woodland area of Botetourt County, near the intersection of Country Club Road and Blacksburg Road. Apparently she still lived in that area in 1904, based on the information in the found diary.
Sometime after that, Carrie received her proposal from Joe Baker and Aunt Matt moved her away, but they returned after a few years. Aunt Matt purchased a farm on Old Fincastle Road and named it Willow Tree Farm. She left the property to Carrie when she died in 1941.
Carrie owned a small country store in the Zion's Hill area of northern Botetourt. Goad has a 1936 diary and a ledger from the store that once belonged to her great aunt. She believes that Carrie kept diaries all of her life, but does not know what became of them all.
In her diaries, Carrie writes of making mattresses, raising a garden, working with flower bulbs, canning, milking the cow and other tasks of rural living. She also became a staunch member of Zion Hill church, where she taught Sunday school.
Claudine Spangler's parents, Claude and Marie Drewry, moved in with Carrie following Aunt Matt's death to help with the farm and the store. In return, they received the property when Carrie passed away from pleurisy at the age of 68.
"You had to take care of your people," Claudine said. She owns the property now; her mother lived on the 52-acre farm until she passed away in 1999.
The store burned in 1953 and the original home has been torn down, Claudine said. A small house was built on the store location.
She remembered Carrier Hamilton as being a tiny woman. She made clothign for Claudine and her sister and even taught Claudine for most of the first grade because a broken arm prevented her from attending school.
"I don't remember her ever complaining," Claudine said. The 1904 diary, with its concerns about Christianity, surprised both Claudine and Rosalie, who remembered their great aunt as a devout Christian.
She was so devout that "she let anybody in the world cheat her at the store," Rosalie said. "People took advantage of her, even her brother."
She described Carrie as a hard worker who was always looking for ways to make money. One of her efforts led her to make "rats" for women's hair. These hair switches, similar to hair extensions today, brought her the small sums of 50 and 20 cents each, depending on the type of hair piece.
"Aunt Carrie was really good to my mother," Claudine said. Her mother loved to wear jeans and pants, something not nearly as normal in those days as now, and Aunt Carrie went so far as to purchase knickers for her.
"It looked rather masculine," Claudine said.
She also remembered that Carrie was constantly writing stories. She remembered one story was about a woman whose lover went to war in the War Between the States but he did not return. "She went to the gate everyday to look for him," Claudine said.
The legacy of Carrie Lee Hamilton, who never married or had children, lives on in her great-nieces, both of whom recall the woman with much fondness. Essays about Carrie Lee Hamilton and other family members can be found in the Botetourt County Heritage Book.
Rosalie, who has letters and other writings from the time period, hopes to create a book from her family information, now that she has retired.
No one knows how the 1904 diary ended up in Craig County, but the journey of it back to Botetourt has certainly made it a rare find.
Carrie Lee Hamilton, who died in 1952, was the author of the 1904 diary found by a Craig County auctioneer and handed over to me because the diary mentioned Firebaughs.
An October 28 story in the The Fincastle Herald detailed names and circumstances of the life of the 20-year-old writer. Within a day, Rosalie Hamilton Goad had identified the diarist as being her great aunt.
Recently Goad and her cousin, Claudine Drewry Spangler, met me so I could return the diary to the family. As fate would have it, Spangler and I had met when my husband's uncle passed away a few years ago. She was related to the Firebaughs by marriage for sure.
In another strange twist, she revealed that she lived with Carrie Lee Hamilton for the first 11 years of her life, and she attended school with Pat Charlton, the brother of Don Charlton, the auctioneer who initially found the little book.
The diary held the concerns and pathos of a single woman who longed to be a good Christian and maybe find a beau. Spangler and Goad reported that her aunt, Martha Jane Hamilton, who raised Carrie, thwarted the latter goal. She went so far as to move Carrie to Wyoming after she received a proposal in order to keep the young woman unwed.
"You know if she picked the whole family up and moved them to Wyoming, she ran the show," Rosalie said of her Great-Great Aunt Martha.
Aunt Martha must have been a pistol - literally. Claudine reported that she always carried a gun, usually in an egg basket under a cloth.
Carrie Lee Hamilton was born on December 28, 1884 in Alleghany County. Her mother died when she was four and Aunt Martha, called "Aunt Matt," helped raise her and her brother Grover.
They grew up in the Woodland area of Botetourt County, near the intersection of Country Club Road and Blacksburg Road. Apparently she still lived in that area in 1904, based on the information in the found diary.
Sometime after that, Carrie received her proposal from Joe Baker and Aunt Matt moved her away, but they returned after a few years. Aunt Matt purchased a farm on Old Fincastle Road and named it Willow Tree Farm. She left the property to Carrie when she died in 1941.
Carrie owned a small country store in the Zion's Hill area of northern Botetourt. Goad has a 1936 diary and a ledger from the store that once belonged to her great aunt. She believes that Carrie kept diaries all of her life, but does not know what became of them all.
In her diaries, Carrie writes of making mattresses, raising a garden, working with flower bulbs, canning, milking the cow and other tasks of rural living. She also became a staunch member of Zion Hill church, where she taught Sunday school.
Claudine Spangler's parents, Claude and Marie Drewry, moved in with Carrie following Aunt Matt's death to help with the farm and the store. In return, they received the property when Carrie passed away from pleurisy at the age of 68.
"You had to take care of your people," Claudine said. She owns the property now; her mother lived on the 52-acre farm until she passed away in 1999.
The store burned in 1953 and the original home has been torn down, Claudine said. A small house was built on the store location.
She remembered Carrier Hamilton as being a tiny woman. She made clothign for Claudine and her sister and even taught Claudine for most of the first grade because a broken arm prevented her from attending school.
"I don't remember her ever complaining," Claudine said. The 1904 diary, with its concerns about Christianity, surprised both Claudine and Rosalie, who remembered their great aunt as a devout Christian.
She was so devout that "she let anybody in the world cheat her at the store," Rosalie said. "People took advantage of her, even her brother."
She described Carrie as a hard worker who was always looking for ways to make money. One of her efforts led her to make "rats" for women's hair. These hair switches, similar to hair extensions today, brought her the small sums of 50 and 20 cents each, depending on the type of hair piece.
"Aunt Carrie was really good to my mother," Claudine said. Her mother loved to wear jeans and pants, something not nearly as normal in those days as now, and Aunt Carrie went so far as to purchase knickers for her.
"It looked rather masculine," Claudine said.
She also remembered that Carrie was constantly writing stories. She remembered one story was about a woman whose lover went to war in the War Between the States but he did not return. "She went to the gate everyday to look for him," Claudine said.
The legacy of Carrie Lee Hamilton, who never married or had children, lives on in her great-nieces, both of whom recall the woman with much fondness. Essays about Carrie Lee Hamilton and other family members can be found in the Botetourt County Heritage Book.
Rosalie, who has letters and other writings from the time period, hopes to create a book from her family information, now that she has retired.
No one knows how the 1904 diary ended up in Craig County, but the journey of it back to Botetourt has certainly made it a rare find.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
26 years
Today is my anniversary. My husband and I are celebrating 26 years together.
We met at a James River/Lord Botetourt football game, played at LBHS. At that time the home team was on the other side of the field from where it is now, and people tended to congregate beneath the goal post on the right side as you look at the field from the school.
I had graduated high school in 1981 and some friends lured me back to the campus for the game. Said friends introduced me to James.
I remembered him. We had ridden the school bus together lo those many years ago. He was four years older than I and of course had no time for the mousy little girl who sat on the back seat and did her homework. I had no hint of a romantic notion for the boisterous boy who would race from the bus and climb aboard a motorcycle left at the end of his driveway. Kids always moved from one side of the bus to the other to watch him zoom around the field. He seemed to free.
And there we were meeting beneath the goal post. We tried to make small talk, talking about the game, going to school, our mutual friends. He asked me if I would go out with him that night, and I told him no, I was with friends. He asked if I would go out the following night and I told him no, I had plans with my parents who were celebrating their anniversary.
Poor thing, he was trying very hard, wasn't he? We left the ball game and then we met up again at Mike's Market, a local hang-out and grocery store. At that time it was located in what is now Bellacino's Pizza. He again asked me to go out and my friends this time urged me to go. One of the couples with us said they would go out also, and the rest would find another way home (I was driving and had my own car.) One of them promised to call my mother (which she did). This was pre-cell phone.
So I drove to meet him at the Ramada Inn, which was a hotel at the Hollins exit of I-81. He was with a friend of his. The place had a nightclub and it was the place to go. And there we danced and shared our first kiss. We quickly became an item and the rest, as they say, is history.
We met at a James River/Lord Botetourt football game, played at LBHS. At that time the home team was on the other side of the field from where it is now, and people tended to congregate beneath the goal post on the right side as you look at the field from the school.
I had graduated high school in 1981 and some friends lured me back to the campus for the game. Said friends introduced me to James.
I remembered him. We had ridden the school bus together lo those many years ago. He was four years older than I and of course had no time for the mousy little girl who sat on the back seat and did her homework. I had no hint of a romantic notion for the boisterous boy who would race from the bus and climb aboard a motorcycle left at the end of his driveway. Kids always moved from one side of the bus to the other to watch him zoom around the field. He seemed to free.
And there we were meeting beneath the goal post. We tried to make small talk, talking about the game, going to school, our mutual friends. He asked me if I would go out with him that night, and I told him no, I was with friends. He asked if I would go out the following night and I told him no, I had plans with my parents who were celebrating their anniversary.
Poor thing, he was trying very hard, wasn't he? We left the ball game and then we met up again at Mike's Market, a local hang-out and grocery store. At that time it was located in what is now Bellacino's Pizza. He again asked me to go out and my friends this time urged me to go. One of the couples with us said they would go out also, and the rest would find another way home (I was driving and had my own car.) One of them promised to call my mother (which she did). This was pre-cell phone.
So I drove to meet him at the Ramada Inn, which was a hotel at the Hollins exit of I-81. He was with a friend of his. The place had a nightclub and it was the place to go. And there we danced and shared our first kiss. We quickly became an item and the rest, as they say, is history.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Call me Scrooge
For over 20 years I have awakened to the sounds of a certain radio station. At 6 a.m. they give a rundown of local news and generally they play Adult Contemporary music. It is a music mix that I enjoy. My alarm goes of just a moment or two before 6 a.m., so I usually hear a song before the news comes on. I like having time to hit the "off" button if I don't feel like listening to the woes first thing.
On Monday, the song that greeted me was a holiday tune. I knew immediately that the station had switched to its Christmas music mix - and it was only November 16. I grabbed my glasses and fumbled with the clock radio dial until I found NPR.
And there it will stay.
I have had it with this station. I love Christmas carols as much as the next person but not before Thanksgiving. That's just too soon. It's bad enough in the stores; I don't need it piped into my house, and I will not tolerate it.
How can a holiday be special if you celebrate it with so much crass commercialism? It's not like they're just playing O Holy Night the entire time, no. They are playing the whole mess, from Grandma Got Runned Over By a Reindeer to Holly Jolly Christmas. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, and the rest of it is just marketing.
But this is not the only reason I will no longer listen to this station. Their contests verge on mean sometimes. Their music has been steadily moving in a direction I don't care for. One of their morning DJs in particular has become so militant I can hardly stand to listen to him some days. So after 20 years, I am telling this radio station "good-bye" and I am moving on to something else.
While I like NPR, I don't particularly like waking up to it. It is nothing but news at that hour and I need a little while to get myself together before being bombarded with the latest crime wave or economic disaster or war or pandemic. So I am thinking now what I need is a whole new wake-up method. Maybe some kind of player for my IPod so I can wake up to something I actually want to hear.
Or maybe I'll just put my clock radio on the buzzer, and let that be my morning song.
On Monday, the song that greeted me was a holiday tune. I knew immediately that the station had switched to its Christmas music mix - and it was only November 16. I grabbed my glasses and fumbled with the clock radio dial until I found NPR.
And there it will stay.
I have had it with this station. I love Christmas carols as much as the next person but not before Thanksgiving. That's just too soon. It's bad enough in the stores; I don't need it piped into my house, and I will not tolerate it.
How can a holiday be special if you celebrate it with so much crass commercialism? It's not like they're just playing O Holy Night the entire time, no. They are playing the whole mess, from Grandma Got Runned Over By a Reindeer to Holly Jolly Christmas. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, and the rest of it is just marketing.
But this is not the only reason I will no longer listen to this station. Their contests verge on mean sometimes. Their music has been steadily moving in a direction I don't care for. One of their morning DJs in particular has become so militant I can hardly stand to listen to him some days. So after 20 years, I am telling this radio station "good-bye" and I am moving on to something else.
While I like NPR, I don't particularly like waking up to it. It is nothing but news at that hour and I need a little while to get myself together before being bombarded with the latest crime wave or economic disaster or war or pandemic. So I am thinking now what I need is a whole new wake-up method. Maybe some kind of player for my IPod so I can wake up to something I actually want to hear.
Or maybe I'll just put my clock radio on the buzzer, and let that be my morning song.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
A Poem
The day is nearly done.
The sky, grey with clouds, dims.
Wind whistles among the house eaves.
Deer dance in the front yard,
their victory over the earth
a celebration of life.
The sky, grey with clouds, dims.
Wind whistles among the house eaves.
Deer dance in the front yard,
their victory over the earth
a celebration of life.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Book: When Panic Attacks
When Panic Attacks CD: The New, Drug-Free Anxiety Treatments That Can Change Your Life [ABRIDGED] [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)
By David D. Burns
Read by Sam Freed
3 hours
The nonfiction audio book suppy at the Fincastle Library is pretty dismal, and when I was in there a few weeks ago looking for something to listen to in the car I came away with this.
I haven't had something that I called a panic attack in many years, but there was a time when I couldn't go into Walmart without feeling like I needed to flee the store. But then again, it was Walmart. That alone is enough to send a body screaming out into the parking lot.
The CD is a synopsis of the book and I suspect one would be better off buying the book and reading it if there is a problem in need of addressing. The CD had a lot of testimonials and stories about people with problems and how Burns' counseling techniques helped over come them.
I was particularly intrigued by some of the journaling methods he mentioned and may at some point look for the book just for those. I like to try new things in my private journal.
Your feelings are your thoughts is the basic premise of this book as well as the first one, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. I read that a long time ago but it has been so many years I couldn't tell you what it said. It is probably something I should revisit from time to time.
By David D. Burns
Read by Sam Freed
3 hours
The nonfiction audio book suppy at the Fincastle Library is pretty dismal, and when I was in there a few weeks ago looking for something to listen to in the car I came away with this.
I haven't had something that I called a panic attack in many years, but there was a time when I couldn't go into Walmart without feeling like I needed to flee the store. But then again, it was Walmart. That alone is enough to send a body screaming out into the parking lot.
The CD is a synopsis of the book and I suspect one would be better off buying the book and reading it if there is a problem in need of addressing. The CD had a lot of testimonials and stories about people with problems and how Burns' counseling techniques helped over come them.
I was particularly intrigued by some of the journaling methods he mentioned and may at some point look for the book just for those. I like to try new things in my private journal.
Your feelings are your thoughts is the basic premise of this book as well as the first one, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. I read that a long time ago but it has been so many years I couldn't tell you what it said. It is probably something I should revisit from time to time.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday Thirteen #113
Here's a Thursday Thirteen that takes a look at routine, normal work day for me, as my life is now without so many articles for newspapers to write.
1. Get up, drink a cup of decaf tea, and hit the treadmill. Walk, walk.
2. Shower and have breakfast, which usually consists of an egg, V8 juice, and a banana. I read The Roanoke Times, which these days doesn't take as long as it used to, and make notes if there are any stories that I think might be a good idea for an article or even a poem or short story or that not-yet-started novel.
3. Check emails. Respond to anything that requires attention.
4. Write a blog entry.
5. Read other blogs (see my side bar on the right for some of the blogs I enjoy).
6. Work on an article. This might be making phone calls, querying an editor about a new story idea, going to interview someone, or researching something online or in a book.
7. It should be about 11:30 a.m. now, and the phone will ring and it will be my husband if he at work.
8. Lunch. This is my most difficult meal. I am dieting and lately have been eating a lot of tuna salad or salads. Today I want something, hot, though, because it is wet and windy. Empty the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen.
9. Check emails again, and respond to anything that requires attention. Throw clothes in the washing machine as required.
10. Back to work on articles. Generally this is where I should be working on a novel or something, I think. Some long-term project. Right now these hours are rather nebulous for me since my workload is not what it once was. Some days I read, some times I garden, sometimes I just piddle around on the computer until the hours are gone.
11. Return phone calls.
12. Prepare dinner.
13. Watch TV or read.
Pretty boring, eh?
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 113!
1. Get up, drink a cup of decaf tea, and hit the treadmill. Walk, walk.
2. Shower and have breakfast, which usually consists of an egg, V8 juice, and a banana. I read The Roanoke Times, which these days doesn't take as long as it used to, and make notes if there are any stories that I think might be a good idea for an article or even a poem or short story or that not-yet-started novel.
3. Check emails. Respond to anything that requires attention.
4. Write a blog entry.
5. Read other blogs (see my side bar on the right for some of the blogs I enjoy).
6. Work on an article. This might be making phone calls, querying an editor about a new story idea, going to interview someone, or researching something online or in a book.
7. It should be about 11:30 a.m. now, and the phone will ring and it will be my husband if he at work.
8. Lunch. This is my most difficult meal. I am dieting and lately have been eating a lot of tuna salad or salads. Today I want something, hot, though, because it is wet and windy. Empty the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen.
9. Check emails again, and respond to anything that requires attention. Throw clothes in the washing machine as required.
10. Back to work on articles. Generally this is where I should be working on a novel or something, I think. Some long-term project. Right now these hours are rather nebulous for me since my workload is not what it once was. Some days I read, some times I garden, sometimes I just piddle around on the computer until the hours are gone.
11. Return phone calls.
12. Prepare dinner.
13. Watch TV or read.
Pretty boring, eh?
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 113!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Praying for Aunt Jenny
James' aunt underwent pancreatic surgery yesterday. This is an involved surgery called a "whipple" procedure. It takes six to eight hours to complete, which is a long time to be under anesthesia. The pancreas is an organ in the middle of the body so getting to it is quite an involved process.
The procedure, the most common operation for pancreatic cancer, involves removal of the pancreas, a portion of the stomach, the duodenum, common bile duct, gallbladder and surrounding lymph nodes.
Then everything must be reconstructed and put back together. It is one of the most complicated and severe surgeries out there.
The news on Aunt Jenny is good. She survived the surgery, which, considering her advanced years (she's 78), was a worry. The doctor thinks that he removed all the cancer, which is also a good thing. Still, once she has healed from the surgery (in about 7 weeks) she will have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation.
Pancreatic cancer is the disease that killed my mother, so this has been somewhat traumatic for me. Lots of memories and thinking back on a terrible year of my life - the last year of my mother's life. It was a rough time; my mother did not fair well with the surgery and had complications that resulted in her spending that last year with a feeding tube. She could not eat or keep down food and her discomfort was great.
My mother's cancer was not removed with surgery, though at the time they thought they "had got it all," too. Instead it turned up in her liver and in her other lymph nodes and soon she was eaten up with cancer. She did not respond at all to chemo and radiation therapy. I remember my grandmother's lament that she knew the drugs weren't working because my mother's hair never fell out.
I am seriously praying that Aunt Jenny does not experience any complications from her surgery because it only makes matter worse.
Aunt Jenny is not my mother, and I am hopeful that this will turn out to have a happy ending. Aunt Jenny is a dear woman, someone who welcomed me into my husband's family with open arms and a hug and a kiss. Not everybody is so accepting and I have always appreciated that.
I also have known her since second grade, when she was a substitute teacher, and that is about 40 years. That is a very long time to know someone.
If you pray I hope you will take a moment and offer up a thought of love for Aunt Jenny. She is in a tough battle and can use all the good vibes she can get.
The procedure, the most common operation for pancreatic cancer, involves removal of the pancreas, a portion of the stomach, the duodenum, common bile duct, gallbladder and surrounding lymph nodes.
Then everything must be reconstructed and put back together. It is one of the most complicated and severe surgeries out there.
The news on Aunt Jenny is good. She survived the surgery, which, considering her advanced years (she's 78), was a worry. The doctor thinks that he removed all the cancer, which is also a good thing. Still, once she has healed from the surgery (in about 7 weeks) she will have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation.
Pancreatic cancer is the disease that killed my mother, so this has been somewhat traumatic for me. Lots of memories and thinking back on a terrible year of my life - the last year of my mother's life. It was a rough time; my mother did not fair well with the surgery and had complications that resulted in her spending that last year with a feeding tube. She could not eat or keep down food and her discomfort was great.
My mother's cancer was not removed with surgery, though at the time they thought they "had got it all," too. Instead it turned up in her liver and in her other lymph nodes and soon she was eaten up with cancer. She did not respond at all to chemo and radiation therapy. I remember my grandmother's lament that she knew the drugs weren't working because my mother's hair never fell out.
I am seriously praying that Aunt Jenny does not experience any complications from her surgery because it only makes matter worse.
Aunt Jenny is not my mother, and I am hopeful that this will turn out to have a happy ending. Aunt Jenny is a dear woman, someone who welcomed me into my husband's family with open arms and a hug and a kiss. Not everybody is so accepting and I have always appreciated that.
I also have known her since second grade, when she was a substitute teacher, and that is about 40 years. That is a very long time to know someone.
If you pray I hope you will take a moment and offer up a thought of love for Aunt Jenny. She is in a tough battle and can use all the good vibes she can get.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Thursday Thirteen
Things about November....
1. Foggy mornings
2. Turning up the heat
3. Hearing the cold wind howl around the corner of the porch
4. Big fat moons
5. Long, drawn out shadows
6. Light blue skies
7. My 26th anniversary
8. Autumn reaches the valleys.
9. Giving thanks for the many joys in my life
10. Snuggles beneath the covers to keep warm
11. Pumpkin pie
12. Holiday shopping
13. That certain slant of light
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 113!
1. Foggy mornings
2. Turning up the heat
3. Hearing the cold wind howl around the corner of the porch
4. Big fat moons
5. Long, drawn out shadows
6. Light blue skies
7. My 26th anniversary
8. Autumn reaches the valleys.
9. Giving thanks for the many joys in my life
10. Snuggles beneath the covers to keep warm
11. Pumpkin pie
12. Holiday shopping
13. That certain slant of light
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; you can learn more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is number 113!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
What would you do?
One of the radio stations is running a contest. If you hear your name and call in, you get on the "payroll" and win $50. You receive an additional $50 for every hour that goes by and the person whose name is called does not respond within the allotted 10 minutes.
This is a game that rewards you for someone else's bit of misfortune. Because the person whose name is called doesn't listen to the radio station or can't get to the phone or whatever, you receive more money.
I started wondering what someone would do if they were the person who was winning and the next name called out belonged to someone they knew?
Would you hope they don't call in, thereby missing out on $50?
Would you call your friend and tell them to call in right away and get the money, which means you would not get another $50?
If your friend was well off, would it matter as to how you responded?
What if it was someone who had lost their job? Would the circumstances matter?
And what difference does it make if you know the person or not?
This is a game that rewards you for someone else's bit of misfortune. Because the person whose name is called doesn't listen to the radio station or can't get to the phone or whatever, you receive more money.
I started wondering what someone would do if they were the person who was winning and the next name called out belonged to someone they knew?
Would you hope they don't call in, thereby missing out on $50?
Would you call your friend and tell them to call in right away and get the money, which means you would not get another $50?
If your friend was well off, would it matter as to how you responded?
What if it was someone who had lost their job? Would the circumstances matter?
And what difference does it make if you know the person or not?
Monday, November 02, 2009
Books: Sex and the Seasoned Woman
Sex and the Seasoned Woman: Pursuing the Passionate Life
By Gail Sheehy
Audiobook read by the author
Copyright 2007
This book is not about how to marinate prior to getting it on or anything like that; instead, it's about women of a certain age. That would be ladies such as myself who are 45 and over, though this book was written more for women over 50. I am not quite there.
Sheehy seems surprised to find out that other women besides herself continue to have sex and fulfilling lives beyond the age of 35. This newsflash seemed a little perplexing to me, considering Sheehy's feminist narrative in previous books.
Anyway, she interviews a lot of women about their love lives, offering up stories about stale marriages that find new life when children grow up, women who divorce and find new loves, that type of thing. She talks about cultivating a new dream in your second adulthood, which seems like a good idea but there was nothing at all here in terms of a roadmap. I think she was talking about that in terms of intimacy more so than in, say, a career, or a new hobby or something. I was looking for something more along those lines when I picked up the book.
She goes into detail about vaginal health and hormone therapy and actually advises women to dismiss studies that indicated hormones offer few benefits. According to her, the study was overblown in the media and the results actually offered proof of good things. I haven't read the study but this did raise my eyebrows. I will have to look this up.
I did not really learn anything from this book but women who are having trouble in their marriages and who are looking for the strength to move away from that may find it beneficial. It may also give a little encouragement to women who think that life is over just because they've hit menopause.
By Gail Sheehy
Audiobook read by the author
Copyright 2007
This book is not about how to marinate prior to getting it on or anything like that; instead, it's about women of a certain age. That would be ladies such as myself who are 45 and over, though this book was written more for women over 50. I am not quite there.
Sheehy seems surprised to find out that other women besides herself continue to have sex and fulfilling lives beyond the age of 35. This newsflash seemed a little perplexing to me, considering Sheehy's feminist narrative in previous books.
Anyway, she interviews a lot of women about their love lives, offering up stories about stale marriages that find new life when children grow up, women who divorce and find new loves, that type of thing. She talks about cultivating a new dream in your second adulthood, which seems like a good idea but there was nothing at all here in terms of a roadmap. I think she was talking about that in terms of intimacy more so than in, say, a career, or a new hobby or something. I was looking for something more along those lines when I picked up the book.
She goes into detail about vaginal health and hormone therapy and actually advises women to dismiss studies that indicated hormones offer few benefits. According to her, the study was overblown in the media and the results actually offered proof of good things. I haven't read the study but this did raise my eyebrows. I will have to look this up.
I did not really learn anything from this book but women who are having trouble in their marriages and who are looking for the strength to move away from that may find it beneficial. It may also give a little encouragement to women who think that life is over just because they've hit menopause.
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