Over Rainbow Bridge

Goodbye, sweetheart. As sad as I am that you said goodbye.... I'm so glad you're no longer in pain and can breathe easier. I'm so very happy that you get to see your big brother again. So many years have passed, I'm sure he's missed you dearly. Be sure to hold a spot for your sister, you know the ridiculous looking puppy that talked funny. It hasn't dawned on her yet, but I"m sure she'll be missing you in a few days.

 IF IT SHOULD BE

 If it should be that I grow weak 

And pain should keep me from my sleep, 

Then you must do what must be done, 

For this last battle cannot be won. 

You will be sad, I understand. 

Don't let your grief then stay your hand. 

For this day, more than all the rest, 

Your love for me must stand the test. 

We've had so many happy years. 

What is to come can hold no fears. 

You'd not want me to suffer so; 

The time has come -- please let me go. 

Take me where my need they'll tend, 

And please stay with me till the end. 

Hold me firm and speak to me, 

Until my eyes no longer see. 

I know in time that you will see 

The kindness that you did for me. 

Although my tail its last has waved, 

From pain and suffering I've been saved. 

Please do not grieve -- it must be you 

Who had this painful thing to do. 

We've been so close, we two, these years; 

Don't let your heart hold back its tears. 

--- Anonymous ---

       

KatyLou

So, it's been one of those days and it's not even half over yet. I read far too long last night and into this morning so I had trouble getting going at my usual hour. Who are we kidding, I didn't even come close to seeing my usual waking up time. Thanks to the weather pattern that's been in the area, I haven't been feeling even close to the 85% I usually run at. Don't get me wrong, I love the cold and wet, I just hate how it's been making me feel as I get older. Weather like this usually means migraines most of the day now so I try to be sure to wake up slowly. Don't rush into getting ready because the wrong move could trigger more pain than I care to have. So anyhow, as I was waking up and getting my meds into me, I heard the front door open up. Hubby came home, early. I know he hasn't been feeling too well either so I just figured he came home sick. No biggie. Then he yells up the stairs that he's taking Katy to the vet. Considering our discussion from last night, this wasn't much of a surprise. Even on her meds, she's had a rough couple days and her poor fuzzy belly's been so distended. It looked as though one more trip to the water bowl was going to make her pop. So he called this morning and made an appointment to see what can be done. He took her in and I guess the look on the vet's face said it all. He said he could drain some of the fluid off, but it was likely that she might not survive the procedure. All it entails is a syringe to siphon off the excess liquid. However, she's an old dog, not in great health with a heart problem... so the stress could kill her. Hubby decided to have it done anyhow because she was so uncomfortable and having trouble getting around. Good news is she made it. He got a load of bad news while he was in for the appointment. Katy's in her next decline and we're not entirely certain she'll make it to her next birthday, actually we're not certain she'll make Christmas at this point. Especially since there's still some drippage still and that's got me more than a bit worried. I've contacted hubby,who in turn called the vet. I'm just waiting on a call from the vet to see what's best to do at this point.

The question is now becoming quality of life because that belly's just going to refill. We'll need to bring her in and expose her to that stressful situation again and again. Each time is a possibility that she could die right there on the table. I've told him.... it might be time. As much as I hate to say it, as much as it's hard to tell our girl is really sick by the way she acts, it might be time. We're hoping she gets through Christmas at least so we don't have to face the heartbreak during the holidays, but when a body's ready to go... it's ready to go.

Just a quick jaunt back home

Just a little visit down home with his folks. We'll be starting home tomorrow. If hubby's smart, he'll stop half way so we can rest. Long story... let's just say I never thought I would find someone I despised near as much as my ex..... and I found one in hubby's black sheep uncle...

Anyhoo.... I just wanted to pop in and share a picture of hubby's sweet granny. She's 97 years old this year. I think she looks great!

Happy Birthday Iggy!!!

Boy what a time I had trying to find just the right one. There wasn't one with traffic cones singing, sorry. I even checked out the Spongebob one, but considering what you've been through this month, I didn't find it terribly appropriate. No squirrels, I didn't want to substitute the chipmunks in... but I wanted something to put a smile on your face...

A reminder from home

And sometimes all it takes is a moment while cleaning out your email inbox to have some things become clear... I love you too, daddy.

  STRESS   

 

 

A young lady confidently walked around the room while explaining stress management to an audience.

 

With a raised glass of water, everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'Half empty or half full?'

 

But she fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

 

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.  

 

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.  If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

 

She continued, "And that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

 

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.  When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced”.

 

So, as early in the evening as you can, after you have done the best you can, “your personal best”, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow” when you are fresh and rested. Learn how to conquer your stress by taking on small burdens at a time rather than all at once. You will achieve so much more and be even more proud of what you have accomplished!

 

Guidelines for Life:
 

1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the

Statue! Sometimes life sucks!!

 

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

 

3 * Always read stuff that makes you feel good; In case you die in the middle of it, you will die happy and content!

 

4 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

 

5 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague!

 

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it!! Count your blessings!


 

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others. 

Show them what you have accomplished since then!!

 

8 * Never buy a car you can't push. Remember, everything important in life may require extra work!

 

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.  Never be too proud or too boastful!!

 

10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance!!

 

11 * Since it's the early bird that catches the worm, then sometimes wake up early;  Be sure to keep your eye on the important things in life!!
             

12 * Don’t be despondent if at first you don’t succeed; Despite what they say, the second mouse often does get the cheese!
 

13 * When everything's coming your way, are you in the wrong lane? 

Be thankful and appreciative for your successes. Don’t be smug. 

 

14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

Grow old with a good attitude!  
 

15 * You may be only one person in this lonely difficult world, but you may also be the world to one special person!


 

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once. But improve on them each time!     




17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have
weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.  Take pleasure in other's
oddness! Accept those who are different from you!

 

18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Master the detours in life!
 

19 *Save the earth..... It's the only planet with chocolate! 

 

20 * Have an awesome day and know that someone thought about you today.  
And it was me!!!

Uncle Nick-Nack's winter wardrobe. Uncle Nick-Nack's summer wardrobe. Uncle Nick-Nack.

*WHEW* Was that ever a busy 10 days with company! Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoyed it. I've remembered what I've been missing this whole time. Something I've been desparately needing for a good while now and more than likely the reason WHY I'm so damned cranky all the time. I need face time with family. Not just any family, MY family, blood or otherwise. Over the course of the last 2 decades, I havent been getting that and dammit, I MISS it. Oh sure, we have a friend or two that occasionally visit, but it's always trips out to shop or grab a bite to eat... not anything like I had growing up. Chill, eat supper and whip out the board games until the late hours of the night. *sigh* NYBro? You're welcome for the hospitality... but I really need to be thanking YOU. So thank you for being my friend and spending time at our humble abode (and the lovely RAK pressy!!). Can't wait for your next trip out.


Now comes the hard work... clean-up and organization (as well as attempting to get my life back to some form of normalcy). On my to do list:

01) tweak & upload to the Flickr account the scads and scads of photos I clicked (got a few up this morning so the early risers have something to glance at) as we went and did ALOT of touristy things.

02) upload the videos of the same various places

2.5) panic because Im missing a half day's worth of pix & vids thanks to the laptop dying on us in midtrip (we went to Baltimore for a couple days)... I so hope the last half of the B&O Museum is still in there somewhere!

2.75) pray as I attempt to revive the laptop long enough to retrieve said pix & vids (make sure to open a bottle of Riesling and have copious amounts of chocolate on hand....)... also pray as I search the harddrive because if they aint there, I'm gonna cry.......

03) switch out the cold weather clothes with the warm weather ones (hence the title of the blog) because the temps changed early this week

04) catch up on my reading in the blogs (I popped in a few last night but I haven't made it to everyone's yet, gonna be a while)

05) put panties away because this season of Idol ~SO~ does NOT deserve a panty-throwing session or even thoughts there of

06) spring clean (yeah right)

07) catch up in my Facebook emails and consider dropping out of a few groups... to be honest, I made it in there twice during the whole time NYBro was over and ya know.... I barely missed it at all (apologies to any of the FBers reading this)... maybe it's time to consider moving on in that area of my life (it'd certainly make the friends list a bit more manageable...)

08) Get pictures of the new additions to the dolly family, stuffed animal club and the beautiful RAK that NYBro brought me.

I think that's it for now. There will be other entries to come... I mean... I HAVE been missing for what, 3 months now? Until then, feel free to explore the Flickr account on the left there to peruse the pictures that I'm loading.

Just fragments

I got this award from Yaya. Thank you, darling. I still have no clue why I receieved it. Is it because I still make my rounds to everyone else's blogs even when I'm not writing in mine? For I certainly have not been faithful to my own blog. The decor's stayed the same for a few months now....it really needs to be refreshed.

Now, I didn't see any rules to this award...but only one name was picked (I'm flattered as Im sure there were others much more worthy). Although a good many of my readers really DO deserve this award (and if it isnt presented to you in the next little bit, please feel free to come by and snag it off my blog...I won't mind), I think all will agree that the next person this absolutely MUST go to is our darling, squirrel stalking, OCHA loving, Spongebob infatuated buddy Iggy.
The weather's been really kinda aggravating lately. It can't seem to decide on whether it wants to be cold or warm.Today we have rain and cold. I think in a week or so, we'll be bringing the fans to the storage unit for the season. I think this week's going to be the week I break out the winter gear. I am wondering how much of it is actually going to fit. I suspect, considering my love of t-shirts and other knit items, that most of it'll still fit.

Got a bag of clothing from the friend of a friend again. Seems she's lost more weight. Kudos to her. I had to laugh while I was trying the stuff on, though. The size 24 jeans wouldn't even come up to my hips. Rather depressing, wouldn't you say? Then I tried on the 20s and they came up and over the butt, but wouldn't button...yeah...that's when I started giggling too. Then I tried the size 22s...which turned out to be a smidge too big (and as of today....I can slide them on and off without unbuttoning or unzipping them). Gotta love the fact companies can't be bothered to standardize their sizes.

Heard from my most recent problem child. Things are starting to work themselves out between us. Im still mad at the situation, but I think I've figured out why certain things haven't been said. I still have to deal with the one email but I suspect this should clear up sometime before Christmas. Her and her sister will be moving to another location soon, without THEIR problem child. I suspect things will clear up soon for them once removed from that situation. Also once they're moved, my problem child will be able to finalize her divorce. In fact, I ~think~ the finalization is this coming Friday. It feels like it's been forever, Then again, mine took even longer to get done.

Hubby and I have been fighting illness all through October and the latter half of September. Well, lemme rephrase, HE'S been sick all this time, I've been fine-ish. I've also had several specialist appointments since I last dropped a serious entry. I won't go into them now because they're an entry all and on their own (the podiatrist appointment was particularly ~fun~ ...sarcasm intended). I may or may not cover them, haven't decided yet. I have another specialist appointment later this month so the medical entry may just wait until then.

I've got some pictures on one of the flash drives around here that I've been meaning to share. I caught a shot of a bird a month and a half or so ago that we don't normally see in our area. If I recall, there were quite a few in our little bloggy circle that posted the same kind of bird and I figured that I'd hold off for a bit on it.

If there's any topic that I've brought up in previous entries that you were wondering about (either I didn't an update on or just haven't given enough details on), please leave it below in my comments and I'll see about getting it addressed in this next week or two.

So I did it

I finally sat down and composed a letter to the person that prompted that 3rd Wordle. I'm not going to go into detail about it here, a couple people know what's going on. Let's just say I had a huge decision to make and I threw the gauntlet down....drew the line in the sand. Told her that her behavior was simply not acceptable any longer. If she couldn't straighten up than to not bother writing me back. This was a big deal because there are ALOT of years invested in this friendship but it's gotten to the point where I simply cannot allow this treatment anymore. At this amount of time, there should be a level of respect given to each other and I simply wasn't being given it. Oh granted, she's going through a bad patch...but I've been there and done that already. I can be a great resource if you just ask. I'll help where I can....all I ask is the most basic of courtesies.

Anyhow. I've steamrolled over one speed bump and I think I feel a little better. There are a few more that I need to deal with. At least I am now aware of what the problems are, the hard part will be dealing with them. I won't go into them here. They're fodder for another entry.

cleaning out, new acquisitions,classy slippers

I saw a few comments about the crafts in the last entry. I didn't bother answering any of them via email because I knew I was covering it in this next entry.

So one day about a week ago or so, I got tired of seeing the over filled baskets in the hall closest. They were put in there to make life easier for us instead of having all this little stuff scattered in there. The system seems to work well, except when we get lazy and just toss stuff in...which is most of the time. *laffz* Anyhow, I got it cleaned up and had to re-adjust what got put with what other items. At one point, my items only took up one basket. Thanks to my mom (and a great sale at Bath and Body Works) my stuff now takes 2+ baskets. Oh my! You see, mom used to work for Gottchalk's and was forever getting samples from the girls at the perfume counters to send off to me. If that wasn't enough, she'd send perfume sets for Christmas. Some of you remember that I'd mentioned getting the same set two years in a row. You can see them in the above photo...one's still in its box. Anyhow, she's telling me that she's looking to get into a different industry and not stay in retail so I'm hoping this is the last of the perfume because as it stands, with as often as I wear it, I have YEARS worth of scents in those baskets! If she ends up in retail again, I may send her the picture and just write "Please, for the love of God, NO MORE!" *laffin* I may do it anyhow just to get a laugh out of her.

This little beauty I found in the local Salvation Army store. If the matching piece had been in better condition, I would have bought it too. I figured it was a great deal at $4.99 as something like that runs nearly $10 or more brand new in the department stores. That piece next to it is a dolly my mom had sent me for Christmas. The kitty will look better with some of the other "girls" but I don't have them unpacked yet. I'm hoping to get a nice lighted case one of these days so I can get them displayed properly. As it stands right now, there isn't enough room for them to come out of their boxes yet. Besides, I don't want to unpack them to simply have to pack them back up in a few months. I reminded hubby about our choices again today regarding the living arrangement we're in but I don't think he was overly receptive to that kind of conversation yet. All I got was an "I know" but no details. Men!


A few weeks back, hubby called me from work and let me know that his friend had just come back from vacation and had very generously bought all his friends a bit of beach front property. Wow. Ok, maybe a time share? That would be cool. Get outta the house for a weekend and put the camera through its paces. Then I noticed a couple days later the item below sitting on the DVD case under the thermostat:
Ok, quit ya groaning. Don't you dare tell me you didn't see THAT one coming from a mile off!

The last picture is for punkn Deanna. These are the leopard "they're classy cuz I say they are" slippers I mentioned in an earlier entry. They're my favs to wear around the house. If I could wear them out to every place else, I would. Could ya see me popping into Olive Garden wearing these?
Had a follow-up appt with the allergy dr today to discuss how the treatment is going. She's said that it seems like those that have the roughest time with the build-up shots (like I've been having) tend to have better results in the long run and the serum helps. That's good to hear. We're hoping to get me off the expensive daily pill and have me down to just the OTC meds and possibly just the one spray during peak season. That would be awesome. Good news though...all this hard work for my weight is paying off. No, I didn't get weighed...but I did have my bp checked. I came in with a beautiful 115/60 (normally I'm a 120/80 or 118/78 or so). Yeah, I'm stoked.

After the appt, we went shopping a bit. Stopped in to Burlington Coat Factory because their window advertised a HUGE clearance sale. Gosh that store's gotten rough looking. I don't remember shopping in one of them before with it looking so rough. Ahh well. Found a nice pair of jeans that fit but would feel nicer with a couple more pounds gone. Definitely NOT "that time" jeans. They don't have the stretch that my usual pairs have but I was pleased to see the 22W fit anyhow (especially after the 24W I tried on before it wouldn't even snap!). God bless the Gloria Vanderbilt lines! Best bet? The original tag price was $21.98 (which makes me suspect it was a first mark down price and they'd been much higher at one point) and the mark down price on the tag now? $9.99. Yep. A bit over $10 and I have a nice pair of jeans. Women's sizes NEVER come that cheap. I may have to pop in again another day and give a proper look around.

Went to AC Moore because I needed to replace some of my brushes. I walked out with only 3 new spotters (brushes are expensive...*sigh*) but that's ok. It'll do. I have a few more items I want to pick up but since they didn't have the canvas sizes I wanted, I didn't bother getting the rest of the supplies for the projects in mind. JoAnn's is less than a half mile from the townhouse and in easy walking distance so I'll just wait until a coupon shows up in the paper and get the stuff later. I'm in no hurry to do those projects yet anyhow. I still have plasters to paint. I have about 10 pieces that I just finished the other day. All that they need is the felt glued to the bottom so I think I'll do that tomorrow. Or maybe Monday.... I really need to consider an internet free day during the week so I can concentrate on my crafting. It might be a Sunday or Monday. I haven't decided yet which day. I do know it needs to be a day when the hubby isn't around to pester me.

Afterwards we went to Best Buy and I drooled over the toy I've been wanting. Some of you might remember that I'd mentioned it sometime before this past Christmas but never got it (if I had you KNOW I would have blogged about it). I just didn't see spending nearly $200 on an item I can get via Amazon for $150 (and if I get it during one of those no shipping costs if you spend x amount...that'd be great!). If I get the smaller one, I can get it for around $85 on Amazon. Not a bad deal, but not something I can justify after spending over $30 on Amazon already this last week.

I met a couple neat bloggers the last couple days or so and would like to welcome them to my corner of the web. Feel free to wander around all the blogs that seldom get maintained. There's plenty for everyone here. While I was checking out their sites, I found a couple that I really like and have added them to my blog roll. There's another game I may just end up playing one of these days ...actually 2 new games. With one of them I'm thinking of adding a twist to it. Maybe adding these games will inspire me to at least post a bit more often.

I think I close this for now. I have one more entry that's in draft form right now (read: the pictures are loaded, I just gotta write about 'em) that I expect to drop either tomorrow or the next day. There's yet another sitting in my email inbox and there are a few more pix in the camera to upload...I got some new nail polishes. You should SEE the shade I'm sporting today (and no it's not Adam Lambert blue!).

pt 6: And that's all she wrote

So Sunday was our last full day in TN. We had breakfast in the usual place and had a lovely walk afterward, as seen from the last entry dealing with the the trip.

On our way to gramma's, we'd planned on stopping along the way there so I could get some shots of the wildflowers. We'd nearly gotten to the last corner before gramma's house when it began to rain. It wasn't coming down in buckets, but it was enough to make me decide that it wasn't a good idea to step out with my brand new camera!

By the time we finished our visit with gramma, the rain had cleared up and the sun was beginning to peak out again. YAY! So we took our time going down that road, stopping at every grouping of flowers that looked promising. It's where I grabbed the picture that's presently up in the header. They're Butterfly Weed but a couple of us have nicknamed them Yaya flowers because of that great orange color. Thank goodness for a zoom lens as I don't like flying insects that can hurt me. I was really surprised that I managed to get two different types of bee in that shot. While I was out, I grabbed a nice shot of the Queen Anne's Lace as well.

We took our time getting back home, mostly because I needed me time again... but also so we could talk about gramma. Hubby's really not happy with how we found her this time either. When we pulled in at home we turned to see a beautiful rainbow that just seemed to get brighter by the minute.
Oh and we found Skynyrd waiting on us too. I can't believe how photogenic this dog is. I wish Katy would sit as still so I could get some decent shots of her instead of the blurry ones that I throw away because she'd wiggling so damned much. I had to reiterate to hubby that this dog STAYS when we leave. Having another "child" to deal with when we travel is not a good idea. Especially since we're in a pick-up truck and don't exactly have room for anything larger than Katy on the seat with us.
Well, we all got ready for bed. The Neph went for his bath and then ran out to the livingroom to play with his race cars. I give you one guess who I thought of the minute I saw these jammies. It was easy to get the ham to cheese it up and smile for the camera.

I won't bore you with more scenery shots from the drive home. I did get a better shot of the one water tower on the way back and lots of shots of a lake in the area. If you wanna see them they're over in the Flickr. I will share this one sticker I saw. Some of you will recognize him from a previous entry. Pbbbt!
As soon as we made it back into town, we drove right over to the "spa" to pick up Katy. I kept telling hubby that it would be nice if we left her for one more day. You see who the more important one is, don't ya? She was mighty glad to see him though....
And look what I found guarding our townhouse when we got in for the night. I think the place is bugged!

pt5: Acknowledging the town in general

The Sunday we were in hub's hometown was a special day. It was gramma's birthday so there was going to be another visit to her place later. The day started like every other day there....another breakfast at Hardee's. Is it any wonder I refuse to eat at that restaurant at any other time? I'd mentioned to hubby a couple times on the trip up that I'd like to take a walk through the town and grab some shots. There were a couple really beautiful stone houses in town that I wanted a better look at and we simply could NOT do that from a vehicle. Top things all off I wanted a shot of the one particular church (it has BEAUTIFUL stonework). So when he and I were done eating, we didn't wait on the parents to finish up. He stood up and announced that he and I were going for a walk (I needed the alone time at this point) and we'd meet them back at the house. It was only a half mile walk and since it wasn't overly hot yet, it seemed like a great idea. The only problem with the walk is that it has 2 rather steep inclines. Ah well. At this point, I'd been off my bike for 3 days and really needed to stretch the legs out some. The first incline was about 10 yards or so. Not bad, but considering that I'm about 100 pounds too heavy still...well I was puffin a bit getting to the top. At the top is the main corner in town. In this first picture on the left, we're looking down Old Knoxville Rd. The stone building on the right is the church and the brown 3 story building to the back and left is the Claiborne County Medical Center. No, this isn't the same building that is shown in some of the other pictures I've taken. We visit this particular building every other trip or so because a couple of the relatives of neighbors he grew up with are living there now. This last trip we didn't visit so I can be sure he'll be making time to stop over the next time. The last time he visited, he went with his dad instead of taking me. I was fine with that because if I say that visits to gramma's are rough...these are much worse.
This picture to the right is looking down Main Street. The Post Office is the brick building on the left and the one on the right just past the speed limit sign is the Claiborne Progress, the local newspaper. The church mentioned in the former paragraph is across the street from the newspaper office and off frame in this shot. Across the street from the P.O. and next to the newspaper office is a memorial area. I'll be talking about it a bit later in the entry. Congratulations, with the last two pictures you've pretty much seen Hubby's Hometown USA. You think I'm kidding? This is a blink and miss it town. There are only few more blocks in either direction that count as the town proper.
Here's a shot of the church that I was talking about. It's located on the corner of Old Knoxville Rd and Main. I love the stone work, it's so beautiful. There are 2 other houses that are made in the same type of stonework, as is the rectory next door to the church. I think the next trip in, I'll see about getting a few more of the exterior shots. I'd really like to see if I can get a few without all the ummm technological advances around it. Pulling up the full sized shot I can see there's some stained glass windows so you know for sure we'll be seeing some shots of that as well as maybe the doorway. I've told hubby that's the goal and with any luck he'll remember. He should, he usually remembers stuff that I don't (like how I really adored this set of porcelain dollies on a swing when we were in a certain shop in Texas and what would come home to me for my birthday but that very set).
This next shot was taken a bit farther in the walk, however since I made two stops at the memorial I'm just going to pair the shots taken there together. This shot is of the marker stone for the James Weir House. A shame that the lot is nothing but weeds at this point. I gather that since it's a location of historical interest, they can't do anything with the plot at this point? It still would be nice if some up keep was done (mowing) at least. Supposedly the house has been restored to its former glory. I'll have to see about making sure it's on the itinerary the next time around. Or at least a drive-by for some exterior shots.

This next set of pictures were taken at the Claiborne County Roll Call of Honor area. There is the requisite listing of military residents that were lost and which war they were lost in. The base of the monument says "May the haunting sound of the bugler's taps echo forever in honor of these. Our heroic dead." Looking at the bigger shots in the Flickr account, I see a name that more than likely is family. I'll have to try and remember to ask about it.

Off to the right side of the memorial area is an armored personnel carrier with a plaque bolted to it that gives the stats of the vehicle. In front of the monument there are 4 cement benches (2 on either side of the walkway leading up to it) that were donated by the local banks. The brick walkway leading to the monument has 3 stone markers that were donated by the various veteran groups in Claiborne County (one being the American Legion). To the left of the monument, in its own little space, is a smaller monument commemorating the residents that were lost in the line of duty on the home-front. Right now the only names on the marble monument are ones from the department of safety (sheriffs, a state trooper and a police lieutenant). Facing the smaller memorial is a matching marble bench. For the life of me, I couldn't get a decent shot of it (aka...a shot without me reflected in it and I tried at TWO different times of the day hoping the difference in lighting would help!). Engraved upon this bench is "To all those who serve and protect us each and every day". I've got a closer shot of the soldier boot, helmet and gun over in the photostream.
The last real stop in our walk was at the marker for the Tazewell Presbyterian Church. Other than the information on the marker, I can't seem to find more than someone else's blog entry about some dealings they had with this location. Anyhow, in the picture you see a strange cement post to the right of the marker. That is all that remains of the church.... an old hitching post. You can see that unlike the plot over near the James Wier House location, this one has been well cared for. Why, you may ask? Well because in the distance there, just before you get to the trees is a landing pad for the Lifestar helicoptor which is used to airlift victims from accidents to the nearby hospitals.

Wrapping up this entry is a view of the house we normally don't see when on foot. A view looking up the hill at the house, from the other side of The Tree. I have a note on the picture in the link to show you were we were approximately. It's a beautiful location, but to be honest...I really miss the internet while I'm there. *winkz*

pt4

I know it feels like I'm going on forever about this trip, but there were lots and lots of little things noticed. Even with the ones upload for this entry, there are still 140 on the flash-drive to be adjust, uploaded and shared! Top things all off, I clicked about 100 more since then that I still need to deal with it. I'm going to be going through the pictures on my computer and as I get them uploaded to my Flickr, I just may do a quick post and share a couple here and there.

I just love looking at the layers in the stone on the mountains. Every time through there is a change in certain sections closer to his hometown because they're working at widening the road up due to an increase of traffic in the area. It's good that more people are travelin through, but I am really hoping not too much is done to change the quaintness of the area.


When we go to visit, we always try to make sure to stay through the weekend. Why? Because Saturday and Sundays the Flea Market is open. You never know what you're going to find there. This time around I bought 2 pairs of new sunglasses. I had to replace my white ones because of a scratch in one of the lenses and since I could get another pair for just a few bucks more, I bought these great black ones with rhinestones on the temples. I had to promise to weed the ones I have so now I'm down to 5 pairs at home (but no two look alike). Hubby ended up buying a new full sized katana and a 3 set of smaller ones (iggy? a reminder in my email to post a picture of these sometime next week please? and a reminder on any other pix I've promised and not posted yet...thanks!).Before any smartass here asks if I bought any fleas... no, I did not. Although I think I certainly could have if I wanted to with all the animal cages we saw the day we went. Only a couple actually contained any animals though. This guy was selling the cutest little puppies. No, we did not buy a new fur-kid. I would never buy a fur baby that way because you never know what you're going to get that way. I'm a firm believer in getting the new fur-kids from the animal shelters. Save a life and all that jazz ya know?

I used to see pretty little buttercups like this everywhere in Texas, however I don't really recall seeing them here in our neighborhood. Then again, I haven't been out much since we got back thanks to this friggin arm that likes to flare up when I go out in the sun. I got talking to mom last night and through her, daddy sent a website to check out. The clothing is very expensive, but from what I hear it's worth it because the fabric is specially made to block out the UV rays. Ok, if you say so, I'd think anything long-sleeved would pretty much do that....? Not that I really want to resort to long sleeves in the summertime just so I can go outside and enjoy the sun.
Well, anyhow.... I did some wandering on the home property in a couple of areas that I normally don't go because I just don't have any real purpose to be there. However, since I was learning the "Pay attention to the small stuff" lesson, I decided to take a walk behind their shed to see if there were other flowers worth snapping. When that was a relatively fruitless trip (there was only one back there that I hadn't already clicked from elsewhere in the yard), I decided to take a walk along the back fenceline. You see, there's a barbed wire fence between the back end of the family property and the pasture of a farmer the next lot over. I found lots and lots of daisies growing there so I just HAD to grab a few shots. That one that is presently in the banner (at the time of this posting it's a daisy with a bug on it...just in case it gets changed *again* before you read this), was shot with this grouping. There was just something about the sunny little daisies contrasting with the harshness of the rusty barbed wire that I found so appealing.

A bit later that afternoon, The Neph came running into the house where I was seated, doing some needlework, and said that I had to come outside. His uncle (hubby) sent him to get me because I "had to see this". Well knowing the Neph, it was hubby's idea to get me but there may not really be anything to see. I grabbed my camera anyhow. By the time I got to the back porch, the Neph was already down the stairs and across the yard (the kid's fast). I watched for several minutes....ok maybe it was a half hour or so....as they played. Actually, the Neph played while grampa (dad) and uncle (hubby) looked on. Hubby made several trips up and down the little hill back there helping The Neph get his ride-on toys up where he needed them to be. It must have been nice for him because grampa (dad) just can't seem to keep up as well as he used to anymore.

As you can see, hubby was thoroughly enjoying himself. Yeah, that's a ciggie in his hand, I wish he'd quit. He's at least thoughtful about it and tries really hard to make sure he's the one downwind so the smoke doesn't bother anyone else. Anyway, this has got to be one of my favorite pictures this trip (with the exception of that damned cig). Why? Well, you'd need to know that getting a picture with him smiling is like pulling teeth. I have to threaten to tickle him (and sometimes actually do it) in order to get a smile on his face. With this one, I didn't have to do a blessed thing. Not that threatening him would have done any good with me all the way up on the back porch and him a good 30-40 meters away. He was just so relaxed and having so much fun with the Neph, that the smile came rather naturally. He's gonna make a great daddy someday.....

On this trip, not only was Hardees the bane of my existance (every.damned.morning.), but McDonald's got to be that way with supper. Why? Because that's where the Neph wanted to go and since he was staying at gramma and grampa's with us because we don't get to see him that often *sigh*. Thank goodness for salads. Since we're not in often, the Neph likes to "act out" or show off while we're there....just to see what he can get away with doing because we're guests. As you can see, he was really full of it this evening. I'm not sure who was having the better time; him, hubby or the older gentleman in the background.....the look on HIS face was priceless.


We got about another couple entries coming on this. I have pictures of the walk through town that hubby and I made and a few wrap up photos. I've got other pix to share that I clicked after we got back...just little odds and ends. If you simply cannot wait to see the rest of the trip pix...they're in the Flickr account. The link is to the right.

I also wanna apologize for not getting around to all of the blogs yesterday. There were over 100 pictures left from the trip and I got sidetracked getting them loaded, labeled and sorted. Today I gotta get the time codes adjusted on them. It's a rather big job so I may not make it in today either, I'm not sure. It all depends on how fast we get the errands and stuff done today. The blogs I did manage to peek in on made me very happy though. I seemed to have hit the trifecta yesterday...as I was mentioned in at least 3 blogs because of submissions I'd made. Thank you iggy, RedPen and MsHLP for making my day!

trip pt 3

This was a rather odd road sign. I'm not certain why it wasn't changed over to the regular signing that every other street corner has. My only thought is that perhaps it has some historical significance, which is highly possible considering the area. In our walk, and during the drives through the very small town, I've never seen another quite like it.


There is such alot of farmland in the area. In the distance of this particular shot to the right you can see the medical center (?) and the mountains behind it.

Every trip in, we nearly always pay a visit to at least one of the cemeteries his kin are buried in. The close-up to the left is a picture of his paternal grandparents. This is the gramma we visit every time we're in (she's in her 90's). The grandpa passed on many many years ago. A bit of trivia: hubby was named after both his grandfathers. His first name was his maternal grandpa's name, his middle from the paternal grandpa.

We took a few pictures while paying our respects to grandpa's grave. I was briefly struck by the shot that was afforded by this view. You probably can't really see it in the smaller version to the right and may have to click it to see what I did. Just beyond those tombstones is a fence and beyond that you can see the change in the length of grass. That spot in the middle between the trees and the tombstones? A cow. There was actually a whole herd underneath the trees there. A juxtaposition of life and death...was interesting to say the absolute least.

The next couple shots a few of you may have seen before. I didn't go any farther up the property for these shots, but you can see what a great zoom will do. No, I don't really expect I'll go farther up on the property for a better look. There's just something about the thought of doing so that makes me uneasy. I have yet to figure out why I feel that way.
I do know that every other time I got that feeling, there was a ...well...unusual explanation as to why. I just didn't know it at the time when I got the willies. For example, the basement in one house I lived in, I refused to go in for some reason. Not for any reason in the world would I go down the stairs. I found out years later someone had died down there.... I do know that hubby's grandpa died somewhere on the property. Not sure if it was on the immediate property they still own or if it was across the road on property that used to be theirs. I do know it was a really horrible death though. I might be able to convince hubby to go up farther on the property on a later trip for some even closer shots.
The pooch in the picture is Blackie. I reckon he's about about 8 or 9 years old. Either they *finally* trained him (not bloody likely as it's just gramma and the one uncle living there now and well...lets just say my ex had more drive than this man does...yeah, I so went there), OR (the more probable answer) the dog's just getting old and can't jump up like he used to. Either way, I was grateful to not be greeted as per his usual. Not to say that he's enthusiastic, but I've taken to calling him "The Beast".


The last picture for today is of the two trees in gramma's yard. Some of you may remember these from the December pix. They look quite different all dressed up in their summer clothes. I really need to see about a peak-time visit because I'm betting they are simply beautiful when the autumnal colors grace their boughs.

I won't be posting any more pictures from gramma's house this trip. Sadly, everytime we visit she seems to get worse and worse from previous trips. I won't go into any more detail about it as it is rather ...well let's just say I shouldn't discuss it in an open forum. I have my opinion about the whole thing and my husband agrees with what I have to say about it. However, it's not my say in this matter...it's between gramma, the uncle and my FIL.

the trip, pt2

When we pulled in on that Friday night, I saw the most beautiful flowers in mom's "garden". I don't ever recall seeing them before although I'm sure they've been there every time we visit in the warmer months. Anyhow, I suspect that I noticed it now simply because there was a lesson to be learned. What was the lesson? Well, all this time I've been trying to learn the "don't sweat the small stuff" lesson and it was time to add the "pay attention to the little things" part. So the weekend, for the most part, for me was "Pay attention to the little things, just don't sweat them". Because of this lesson (as well as the macro, foliage and zoom settings on my new camera), I got some pix that I normally wouldn't have even tried for (and in one case, normally would have run away from, but that's a story for another day). This particular bloom was on its way out and was quite dead around the edges. You can see another bud that had already gone past expiration. None of the others were bloomed out and it actually made me look forward to waking up the next day there to see if one of the other colors would be opened up for me to capture with my camera.

His mother has this partial rock garden. Actually, I should say that it's a majority rock garden. It's about 85% rocks and some plants. I always thought the purpose of a rock garden was to be all stone? Ah well. There is this interesting corner piece to it, however. I don't know if the tree had originated there and simply been cut down and dug up, or if the wood piece was brought in from elsewhere, but it makes for an interesting shelf for one of the pieces. The guy on the top (as well as a couple of the others) made me think of several of my friends.......
Here's a close-up of the guy up top. Any guesses as to which readers I thought of when I saw him? The monkeys at the base made me think of my GaSis. I had a closer picture of them but it was blurry so I pitched it. I do have other shots of some of the other pieces in my Flickr account. Feel free to pop over and take a look if you care to. I'll be adding more to the TN folder in the next few days. I'm trying to do it a bit at a time so I still have time to do other stuff around here. Well that and the fact I want this to stay fun and not feel like a major chore. While in the pix files, feel free to take your time as I went into details on a few other pictures there.
This guy to the right is a new addition to the family. He's supposed to be the nephew's dog but this guy actually lives at "paw-paw's" house (sissy doesn't want it at her house as she doesn't like dogs and isn't home most of the day anyhow). The pooch's name is Skynyrd, named for that southern rock band. The nephew insists on calling him Snoopy. I found out the dog will answer to pretty much anything so long as it's said with love and results in a good pat on the head. He's 10 months old and is a pretty good size right now. I don't think he'll get too much bigger though.
This is one of the pictures I was mentioning before that will have more details in the Flickr account. Do you recognize the one tree on the left? It's the big one that I clicked back in December. I'm not seeing an entry with the other picture though so I'm not entirely certain I shared it in Blogger or not. I'm not seeing it here but I know for sure I shared it in my Photobucket account. The next tree I don't believe I got a shot of before but I clicked a couple similar trees that trip.
It reminds me a bit of a bonsai tree with the way some of the branches are on it. The only thing it needed is a bit of twisting and contorting. I kinda like the simplicity of this picture. In trying to get the entire height, I couldn't get much more in the frame with it. Maybe it's a good thing, eh? The next day's worth of pictures, I think I got a shot of grandmother's trees while we were out this time too. I'm not certain right now as I'm downstairs on the laptop and the balance of the pictures are on the main computer upstairs right now. It's highly possible it's in the next set of photos. Then again, the next set might be the pix I snapped while we were walking home that one day. Yeah, hubby knew I needed some away time ;).
Anyhow, on this day hubby saw some rather oddly shaped white things in the lawn. There's a distance shot in the Flickr. When he approached, he noticed that they were these HUGE mushrooms (ew). The picture to the left is one next to his foot for a size comparison. They were quite large. *gets up for a sec to check size of hub's slippers* Ok, his slippers are an 11-12 so I'm guessing his shoe is a 10.5 or so. When he realized what it was, he asked to borrow the camera (not "can I have the camera"..."may I borrow" was actually used....Why? Because this camera I bought with MY money so it is definitely MINE. Ok ok...the money was from my account but it was more than likely from funds donated by him. Sheeesh. Picky picky y'all!).
I was so happy to find out, upon rising the next morning, that my hopes that the other blossoms would have bloomed by the next day had, indeed, done just that. The most GORGEOUS reds and yellows ever. Considering that yellows aren't my "thing"....that comment is really kinda telling. This one to the right (again, turned by Blogger against my wishes) is my absolute FAVORITE of the group. Actually, it's my fave of the whole trip I think. It's not a cropping of the other picture of the yellow blooms, this one is SFTC.

I hate timing

EDITED on 04/14/09 after a discussion with mom. Edits at bottom of entry.

Go figure I'd do a Wordle from my memory blog that has the one entry on my great-gramma and end up with a phone call at 12:38pm from my Daddy with this news....

Heaven got another angel today. My mom's mom passed on earlier this morning. She was in her late 90s. Busha lived a very full life. Both her and grampa had held jobs and managed to raise 8 kids as well. My mom is the next to the youngest of the group. In the picture up top, with her is an aide from the resthome that Busha's been in for about 5-7 years or so. The lower picture has my Uncle Skeet on the left (don't remember his real name, just remember he's the shortest "kid" and that he's somewhere in the middle when it comes to age) and Uncle Fred (the oldest child of the family). Busha had been back and forth with her health for a few years now and a few times we thought we'd lose her. Somehow, she always managed to fight back. There had been quite a few emails back and forth lately (just this last week, infact), updating Busha's condition. The one I got a couple days ago talked about how the doctors had said she was headed into demise and they suspected she didnt have more than a couple months left. The same email said that the boys (meaning Uncle Skeet, Uncle Fred and Uncle Bill) suspected it was just a matter of weeks. About once a year I'd get emails like this, so there was no real shock upon receiving it. However, this time, while reading the email I was struck with the feeling it was going to be a whole lot less time than that. I hate when I'm right. The email that was received last night was filled with hope because gramma had perked up quite a bit. She still wasnt eating much, even with help, but this has been the norm for a while now. However, she still had her razor sharp wit. This morning, she's gone. She's left 7 children (one passed on already several years back due to diabetes complications), scores of grandchildren, many great grandchildren and a handful of great great grandchildren.

RIP Audrey Juanita Sugden.

edit 04/14/09 after talking with mom. Uncle Fred's the 2nd oldest.
Gramma was 93 not in her late 90's...that hateful alzheimers made her look older than she was.
Uncle Skeet's name was Lester. No wonder he chooses to go by Skeet.