My Young Helpers

Because of health issues, a few household chores are difficult for me now, even ones that I used to tackle with ease.

The worst are mopping and using the vacuum, both of which utilize the abdominal muscles. My abdominal muscles are all messed up thanks to multiple surgeries and simply don't want to work properly anymore. While I'm much better than I was even six months ago, I still have trouble when something requires those muscles.

Coming to my rescue are these lovely young ladies:

Haylee and Megan.

These two young entrepreneurs started their own cleaning business about two years ago. They call themselves Peace, Love, and Cleaning. Isn't that a great name? Click here for their Facebook page.

I have used them for a number of chores. They help me with general cleaning as well as those pesky sometimes-tasks, like clearing out the garden after the season is over, or putting mulch around the roses.

They are cheerful, always willing, and seem to enjoy doing the unconventional - like helping me rehang curtains or clearing out a room that needs it (you should have seen my office before they started helping me tackle that! Yikes.). They even do windows.

My brother uses their services, too, and they are very good with his dogs. Yes, they will pet-sit or walk the dog or whatever you need.

They aren't fond of spiders and I think I grossed them out once when I had them clean dead stink bugs out of the fireplace, but they were troopers and worked through it. (Where did these stink bugs come from?)

I like that they are respectful and don't spend their time texting or otherwise gazing at their phones while they are working. When they are here to work, they work. They've become fairly speedy at doing things - I once watched in total amazement as they reorganized some cabinets for me. Zip, snap, and they were done.

They genuinely like people, I think. While I am technically old enough to be their mother, I told them to think of me as the crazy aunt. They liked that. We also have some common interests - Haylee plays guitar, as I do, and Megan loves Lord of the Rings. (We all know how much I love Lord of the Rings.)

Megan and Haylee are my go-to girls when something comes up that I can't tackle on my own. I recommend them to everyone I can, and they tell me they have a fairly full schedule now. I'm glad they are doing so well.
 

Megan helping out with dusting. I love it when they get the whole house looking great.

Haylee with the vacuum. Go Haylee! Go!

My Lovely Rose

Come live by me, my lovely rose

whilst I bad poetry must compose.

Your smell so sweet, your petals so dear

fill me with longing when you are near.

 

Your beauty bids a sunflower blush

and makes an evil wind fall hush.

For none compares to your fragrant kiss

To love a rose is to live in bliss.

Newborn Calf

This little one was born in the field in front of the house recently. The baby had a drink, took a nap, and then mama moved him to someplace safe.

Cows usually "hide" their young for three days, taking them to the shelter of cedar trees or sometimes  a brush pile (though I am not sure a brush pile - which has to be full of snakes and bees and other critters, is a safe place).

Afterwards, mother and calf join the herd. If there are other mamas with calves close to the same age, sometimes they babysit for one another. It is very cool to watch.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What brand & flavor of toothpaste do you use?

A. I use a prescription toothpaste.

2. What is your earliest memory?

A. My mother passing out and my father calling an ambulance.

3. Hot dogs or hamburgers?

A. Hot dogs.

4. If you could bring any one famous person back to life, who would it be?

A. Franklin D. Roosevelt.

5. What is one thing we would always find in your fridge? What one thing would we never find?

A. You would always find mayo in the fridge, but you would never find freshly caught fish.

6. Did you have to go and look for the answer of #1?

A. No.

7. Why don't watermelons grow on trees?

A. Because they weigh too much for the tree branches to hold them.

8. What is something that you own that you should probably just throw in the trash, but you never will?

A. My journals.

9. I push you into a room and lock the door. I leave you there for 6 hours. The walls are chalkboards and in the middle of the room there is a box of colored chalk. What will be written/drawn on the walls when I let you out?

A. Words.

10. When was the last time you changed the oil on your car?

A. The service station changed it in October.

11. In your extended family, who has been married the longest?

A. One of my uncles, I suppose.

12. Name one thing that is so normal to you now that someone who was your age 50 years ago would think was abnormal.

A. Having a back-up camera in the car.

13. Have you ever wanted someone or something so bad that it hurt?

A. Yes.

14. What do you dip your french fries in?

A. Ketchup.

15. What was the last picture that you took?

A. Flowers.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: No Gettin' Over Me

Saturday 9: (There's) No Gettin' Over Me (1981)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Ronnie Milsap sings about how worrisome it can be when you realize you forgot to pay a bill. It's happened to all of us, hasn't it? Tell about a time you accidentally missed a payment.

A. We missed an insurance payment back in January. My husband and I both had some kind of virus thing and the bill was overlooked.

2) He also references a dream that keeps him awake. Do you have any recurring dreams?

A. I haven't in a while, but for a long time I used to dream about a bathtub full of blood.

3) He sings about the face you see in the crowd. Tell us about someone you see regularly, but don't really know.

A. The grocery clerks - several of them - all talk to me like I'm a friend (I think because I am always nice to them). I don't know them at all though I know one of them is 38 years old and had a bad car accident and another spent 3 weeks in the Philippines this spring.

4) He mentions the book that you just can't put down. What's the last book that you finished?

A. The Girls of August, by Ann River Siddons

5) Ronnie Milsap is a big fan of new technology, and believes the advancements make both his professional and personal lives easier. What about you? Do you embrace new technology? Or do you long for the good old days, when we weren't so connected to personal devices?

A. I'm conflicted. I like technology and love my gadgets and doodads. But I think the social media aspect of it has created a vacuum that is being filled with garbage.

6) As a child, Ronnie used to surreptitiously listen to late night radio, especially gospel broadcasts. When you were a kid, what rule did you break again and again?

A. We used to slip down to the river when I was at my grandmother's, even though we had been told many times to stay away from it.

7) Country star Blake Shelton says Ronnie Milsap was a big influence on his music. Do you watch Blake on The Voice?

A. I don't watch that show.

8) In May, Ronnie appeared at the Choctaw Casino in Grant, OK. Do you enjoy games of chance?

A. I've never played one for real but I would like to give it a try. Well, we play the lottery sometimes. I suppose that is a game of chance.

9) Random question -- When did you last "do it yourself" and repair something around the house or yard?

A. Does painting count? If so, then just a few weeks ago.
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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Double Nickel Day

They say it's my birthday!
Happy birthday to me!

This is one of those years that ends in "5" - as in, 55. I am firmly middle-aged and heading towards old.

Young me

 

Old me.





Thursday Thirteen

1. Real estate tax

2. Personal property tax (vehicles)

3. Machinery & tools tax (equipment)

4. Mobile home tax

5. Prepared food tax (restaurants)

6. Transient occupancy tax (motels)

7. Cellphone use tax

8. Utilities tax

9. State individual income tax

10. Federal individual income tax

11. Fuel tax

12. Inheritance tax

13. State sales tax

Aside from the inheritance tax, because most of us will not inherit fortunes high enough to qualify for that tax, these are taxes many people pay in Virginia.

Next week, maybe - 13 different ways to die, because nothing is sure but death and taxes.

Also, I don't mind paying taxes. I consider it a privilege to live here and I should pay for that opportunity. Without taxes we would be even more of a third-world militaristic oddity than we are now. We'd have no roads, no emergency services, no police officers. I do think, though, that if I'm going to pay all these taxes I wish I had a better say in where the money is used. I would do the complete opposite of what we're doing - I'd spend more on the "entitlement programs" and less on the military. We already have a military big enough to defeat the rest of the world. It doesn't need to be any larger.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 555th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Dance Recital

Every year my niece participates in a dance recital through Floyd Ward's School of Dance. It is a two-day affair with three shows.

My brother in recent years has participated in what they call the "Dads Dance" which ends with a father-daughter dance.

Here are some rather blurry photos of the event. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember which of my cameras worked best in the terrible lighting in the auditorium (you're not supposed to take pictures anyway but of course people do).  I was also sitting a little further back than I have in the past, and that didn't help with the photography. No flash, so I needed a better low-light camera than the one I took.

Ah well. At least I was there.

Twins!

Saturday morning my husband came home and saw a doe resting beneath the spruce tree. This is not unusual.

When he came in, he saw she'd had a fawn. He called me into the room (I was sitting like 20 feet from her in my office but couldn't see her) and I told him I thought she was having twins.

Sure enough, a little later I saw two feet sticking out of her and plop! Out came another.

I shot 438 photos and took some video of the event. Some of the photos are just too darned cute.

Here is the video. It is completely unedited because I don't have editing software anymore. It's a little over 2 minutes long.




And here are some photos:

Mom with first born.

Poor little thing looked like a wet dog.

Mom does a lot with her tongue.

Yep, this is the second one on it's way out while the first one is getting a drink. Poor mom!

Now there are two to lick clean.

Lick, lick.

A little motherly kiss.

And another.

Trying to get them on their feet.

Didn't quite make it. Needed a rest.

Bottoms up!

Second born took a while to gather strength.

The first born became a little rambunctious after a while.

Lots of kisses from mom.

I'm . . . I'm . .. In-dep-endent!

Resting. Being born is hard work.

Off to hide the babies.

This is the second time I've had fawns born in the front yard, but the first time I actually witnessed a birth. It was TOTALLY AWESOME.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Is there a smell that will immediately sicken you?

A. Vomit and cat shit, and not necessarily at the same time.

2. When you want quiet, where do you go?

A. Home and into my office.

3. Do you need/prefer total darkness when you sleep?

A. I prefer it but don't have it. Everything has a little light on it these days. Little light on the TV. Little light on the DVD player. Little lights on the surge protectors. It looks like an astronaut's hangout.

4. What is your least favorite taste?

A. I am not fond of hot spicy things. They upset my stomach.

5. How heavily do you rely upon your sense of touch?

A. All the time when I am typing. I type a lot.

6. Do you mostly prepare your meals at home or do you eat out more?

A. I mostly cook at home but would prefer to eat out more.

7. Is there a time of day when you are more likely to buy food already prepared?

A. Late in the day.

8. What is your average weekly grocery bill (for how many people)? What is your total restaurant/fast food bill for an average week?

A. For two people the grocery bill is about $100; the restaurant bill is maybe $30 but not every week.

9. What is your favorite meal to prepare at home?

A. I dislike cooking and don't really have a favorite meal. I do have favorite foods to bake or make, like cakes or fudge.

10. What is your favorite meal to order in a restaurant?

A. It used to be fish until I developed a fish allergy. Now I can't say I really have one.

11. Do you believe in fate?

A. I believe we are all fated to die, so yes.

12. If Karma was to visit you now, would it be kind or kick you in the butt?

A. I would hope it would be kind.

13. Do you believe you have lived another life previous to this one?

A. Anything is possible. If I did, I was a scullery maid to Mary, Queen of Scots.

14. What do you believe in with an unshakable resolve?

A. The power of the written word.

15. What one factor influences your life the most?

A. My intellect.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: It's Impossible

Saturday 9: It's Impossible

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Mr. Como maintains it's impossible to ask a baby not to cry. When did you most recently hold a baby? Did you ask him or her not to cry?

A. I can't recall when I last held an infant. It has been quite a long time.

2) Perry Como was known for his casual, easy going style. Therefore people were surprised to learn that he could lose his temper. His long-time musical director reported that bad drivers really got under Perry's skin. What is one of your pet peeves?

A. People who won't look you in the eye when they talk to you.

3) Though Perry Como was born in Pennsylvania, he didn't speak English until he began grade school. His parents were Italian immigrants and the family only spoke Italian at home. Do you know any words/phrases in Italian?

A. Ciao. Pizza?!?

4) He met Roselle, the girl he would marry, when they were both still in high school. Tell us about a high school classmate you were crazy about back in the day.

A. Hmm. I dated a guy named Mike for a while. He took me to the prom when I was a sophomore and he was a senior. He went into the army and I never saw him again. I heard that he was in a bad automobile wreck a few years ago, but I don't know any more than that.

5) When he was just 14, his father's ill health made it essential that Perry begin working after school to help support his family. He apprenticed to a barber but was so short, he had to stand on a box when he cut hair. Again, going back to school, were you taller than your classmates? Shorter? Or were you the average height for a kid your age?

A. I was a little shorter. I am still short and shrinking, I'm afraid.

6) While taping his annual holiday special in 1971, he fell from a platform and broke his knee. He had to wear a cast and endure 8 months of rehab. Have you ever broken a bone?

A. I have broken several.
 
7) During the decades when he was a recording and television star, Perry Como was also an avid golfer. He was so popular that many of the best pro golfers of the day -- Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, etc. -- were happy to play with him. It's estimated that it takes about 4 hours to play 18 holes of golf. What celebrity would you most like to hang around with for four hours?

A. Is J. K. Rowling considered a celebrity?

8) After he retired, Perry's passion switched from golf to fishing in the waters near Palm Beach, Florida. His catch of the day often ended up as his family's dinner. What's for dinner at your house tonight?

A. Chicken.

9) Random question -- They say "birds of a feather, flock together." But that's not always true. Can you think of an area where you are out of step with most of your friends/family?

A. Politics. That was easy.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  (#235)

Buffalo

A big farm over in Paint Bank, VA raises buffalo, or American bison, as they are supposed to be called. We saw them when we drove by Sunday.

I'm not sure what a happy bison looks like, but these didn't look very happy to me. They are very large animals and apparently they are shedding (molting?) right now.

Thursday Thirteen

1. I received my copy of Artemis, a local artistic journal, in the mail yesterday.

2. One of the poems is by our very own Colleen, who writes over at Looseleaf Notes.

3. I recognized many other names in the issue. Many of them I know and not just from Facebook.

4. Submitting a poem for this edition had been on my to-do list, but then I caught the flu or something in January and was so sick I forgot about it.

5. I haven't submitted poetry to anything in a long time, but I have had poetry published.

6. Short stories also are writing I have submitted and had accepted, or won a prize for, but I haven't submitted any of those in a while either.

7. Time to get back to it, don't you think?

8. I throw away a lot of lettuce (which has absolutely nothing to do with writing). From what people tell me, I am not the only one.

9. Lettuce is necessary for a good salad, but the romaine lettuce became a source of e-coli and so I stopped buying it.

10. I used to grow my own leaf lettuce in the garden, but this year our garden consists of two pots with tomato plants in them.

11. Nothing about this is making any sense, but that's because I'm writing something in a hurry and my brains aren't focused on this work but are instead leaping ahead to an appointment I need to go to and some shopping I need to do.

12. My husband's birthday is Saturday but we have said we aren't exchanging presents because we recently purchased a new TV.

13. I ought to at least buy him a card.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 554th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Tingler's Mill

Tingler's Mill is a restored grist mill located in Paint Bank, in Craig County, Virginia. The mill has been restored with a working wheel and sluice, but the interior is still in need of work. Renovations appear to be ongoing and have been for nearly two decades.

While this structure dates to 1873, a mill has been in this location since 1783. Colonel William Preston of Virginia, (well-known to most Botetourt Countians) established the grist mill for corn and wheat in Paint Bank. "The grist mill sits on Potts Creek, on property originally owned by Revolutionary War hero Colonel William Preston. Colonel Preston was given the land grants in 1780 for his service in the war," states information at the mill.

At that time, the mill was located in Botetourt County, Virginia. Then the land became part of Monroe County, Virginia, in 1851. Craig County was formed in 1863 when West Virginia became a state, and the property was in West Virginia for a time before being returned to Virginia. Because of these changes, Paint Bank and this mill have been in two different states and five different counties without ever having been moved.

Through the years since the American Revolution, ownership of the mill changed several times, and in the 1970s it became known as "Tingler's Mill".

It is open to the public for viewing.

The restored mill building.



A history of the mill.

A little carriage beside the mill.

The recreated sluice and water wheel.

A little known piece of information - back in the early 2000s, I was commissioned to research the history of this mill for the current owner. I have no proof of this, of course, as the person who hired me was an employee and I presume no longer there. I don't remember her name anyway. I do remember doing the work.

I just hope I had the facts right.