The Joys of Construction

About a year ago, JR decided that he would like to build a barn in which to house his tractor and its implements, and to have a workshop.  Just like everything Jim does, it has taken on proportions way beyond its original conception.  Not only is the "barn" bigger than one would generally expect a barn to be (it is bigger than my mother's house, I think), but the scope of the project has taken on a life of its's own.  A trench was to be dug for electric lines to run to the place, so Jim decided that we might as well replace our rather decrepit water lines in the same trench...and while we were at it, why not replace the holding tank at the springhead with a 1000 gallon tank; and, oh, by the way, let's put another 1000 gallon tank at the top of the drive so that if we lose electricity, we can have gravity fed water.

One of the 1000 gallon holding tanks

Now please note that the weather has not cooperated and our workmen can't work in the snow and rain, but Louis did fill up one of the holding tanks, and, guess what, we have gravity fed water (see picture above).  The only issue is that we are now on our 12th day with this tank of water and we are conserving like crazy.  Can't get hot water in the kitchen (not enough pressure to push the heated water from the water heater), so I boil water on the stove to wash dishes.  I have not been doing too much cooking...clean-up is too much of a hassle.  Pressure is too low to use the dishwasher...which, by the way, was full.  It's ripe by now.  I have avoided opening it.  I take a shower about every third day...speaking of being ripe... (though I do a little bird bath routine and brush my teeth).  I am so glad that I was not a pioneer woman.  The very thought of trudging 1/3 mile down a steep hill to the spring head with a bucket and hauling it back up here is just nauseating!

I am going to Charlotte and Greensboro leaving tomorrow and will return Thursday.  I'd better have some water that is delivered with pump power when I get back!  Or else...I'll be coming to visit you!!!


I'll leave you with some "construction sights".

The well-bred always have a potty

The beginning of the barn

This picture of the spring head isn't very sharp, but the white pipe is coming from the holding tank (1000 gallons) and is dispensing cool, clear water.  All this will be eventually covered up and attached to the lines that go to the house...better be soon!

The spring head with all that beautiful water...not coming to my house!

  
Merry Christmas!  


Love, Lynn and Jim

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Jim and me with Jon, Patti, and the Munchkins

Thanksgiving has come and gone, the tree is up, the cards are mailed, gifts are purchased, and I'm just enjoying the season!  We went to Jon's and Patti's for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time.  It was their maiden voyage for hosting the annual celebration, though Patti's mother and I prepared most of the food.  It was so much fun, and we are looking forward to their visit before Christmas to go skiing.  Mind you, I'm not going skiing, but they'll have a good time!

Lynn with youngest sister,  Mary

The elder Riggsbees with Patti's parents, Tom and G with our common grandchildren

We missed the Texas Riggsbees, though.  Shanna sent a darling picture of G and A in front of their tree.  We hope to get there soon.  I miss those little things.

Avery and Gracie

Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever you want to call it!  We love you guys!

The Making of the Stew

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will recall that JR and I went to his niece's home last year to make Brunswick Stew.  Well, it's a long trip down there so we decided to do some ourselves.  So, we invited my sister Judy and her husband to come for the weekend and make some.  Now, making the stew isn't that hard...you just have to pay attention to it, but the prep is tedious and time-consuming.  Judy and I each did a batch prep before the stew day.  By the time I was finished I didn't care if I ever saw a cow, a pig, or a chicken as long as I live.  Judy expressed similar sentiments!  But we got our stew pot out and tried to set it up on the patio.  However, the wind was blowing (not an unusual thing up here), and kept blowing the propane fire out, so JR and I had to move the pot to the covered porch where there is some protection from the wind.  Our batch was a little soupy since I guess we put too much liquid in it.  Judy and John's was a bit thicker, but it wasn't as thick as the stuff we made with Neal and Fran last year.  Nevertheless, it was delicious and we are going to enjoy it all winter!  It reminded of the stews that the men of the church made when we were girls.  Mama says they still make it every year. JR and I are going to make another batch this fall.  Judy says she "might" do it next year!  Wuss!

John doing his stirring.

Jim with Chester batting cleanup!

We had a great weekend with Judy and John.  It was fun to spend some time together.  Judy does a lot of work for Mama (for which we are all grateful) and I know it was good to get away for a couple of days.  Mary picked up the slack that weekend.  Mama is doing much better, and I think she is as good as she is going to be.  We have some plans for later when she needs more help.  It is hard to watch one's parents age.  I know most of you are familiar with that.

The picture below is of me and Judy on stew weekend.  One of our Facebook friends expressed shock that I am so white headed!  No respect!!

Lynn and Judy, November 6, 2011

 Happy Thanksgiving!  We'll be Charlotte with Jon and his family as well as some of Patti's family.

Once Again, It Ends

Autumn on Bobcat Ridge 

 

 The mountain "season" lasts from May to October.  And a glorious season it is!  Pleasant days followed by cool nights, nature abounding, many opportunities to be with friends and family.  But, inexorably, the trees dress in vibrant reds and yellows, the days are cool, and nights bring the need for heat.  And when the trees drop their beautiful foliage, unveiling their bare branches, it is time to accept the frost and snow and move into the slowness of winter.  I'm really ready (thought that would never happen), but would like to share some of the fun.


First, there is the plethora of wild life.  Jim and I love to watch it, and we have even made some of the little critters part of our family by naming them (more or less).  There were "Daddy and the Girls"...a small family of grosbeaks.  For one reason or another the female adult was absent, but the two adolescent females ran their father a merry chase.  He nearly wore himself out feeding them, but it was almost poetic to watch him teach them how to care for themselves.  The two red squirrels, Junior and Freddie, were tiny, tiny little things.  Unlike gray squirrels, they didn't run...they just hopped from place to place.  They visited the bird feeders everyday until one day they were just gone.  The hen turkey, Mamalade, lived in the yard for weeks until she disappeared, perhaps to hatch a brood of her own.  I saw her last week, though, so I guess she is still around. Rackayla, the mother raccoon, still brings her brood onto the porch nightly, looking for whatever the birds and chipmunks leave behind.  Chester (our dog) wakes us up wanting to get at them.  We decline to allow him to do so.  And then there is Scooter...about the most industrious chipmunk I've ever seen.  We can all learn a lesson from him.  He is on the porch looking for dropped bird seed at first light and makes many trips before dusk.  Tuning in to wild life is easy up here, and provides many hours of enjoyment for us.

But we're never willing just to let the good times go, so we've had our annual "Big Chill" with our college friends.  This year there were 8 of us, the Teasleys, the Shopes, the Blaylocks, and JR and me.  We missed the Brooks', but I held true to my promise to stick pins in their dolls.  This is always a fun occasion and we act just like college kids ...not always a good thing!

The girls:  Claudia, Jane, Marti, Lynn (rear)

The boys:  Jim, Bob, Ken, Dave

I promised!!!

 And, other than my sister and her husband coming to make brunswick stew in a couple of weeks, we finished up the season with our Charlotte-made friends, Jim and Eileen (who live in SC now), and Jim's niece Fran.  Jim and Eileen have been good friends since Eileen and I taught together in the 70s.  Our children are about the same age, and we used to play cards at each others houses while our kids socialized.  Fun!  All the kids are grown and have families of their own, but we still have fun!!

Old Friends:  Jim R, Lynn, Eileen, Jim P

Jim's niece lives in Louisburg and decided to come for a few days.  We missed her husband Neil, but do appreciate her helping us season our stew pot.  Now perhaps we won't burn our stew when we make it!

Fran and an interesting "guest"

The leaf season has long since passed its peak, we've had our first dusting of snow, and cool nights are the norm, though the days are still generally pleasant.  JR and I go to Charlotte for a wedding this weekend, and we hope to spend some time with Jon and his family.  They're so busy that I have to get on their schedule early!

Love to all!

Bev, Friend Extraordinaire

Bev and Lynn in the 80s

 

My exceptionally good friend, Bev, left us on September 28, 2011.  She was a sweet and gentle soul, and the world is less without her.

I first met her when she and her husband, Joe, moved in next door to us in Charlotte in March of 1976.  Adam was two weeks old.  Although I didn't notice any action over there that day, Jim came in and said he thought there was somebody in the house next door.  So, while Adam slept, I ventured over and knocked on the door.  Bev answered, carrying 18 month old Joey on her hip.  (I can still see that picture today.)  When I introduced myself, she immediately invited me in for refreshment and a visit.  I did go in briefly.  Bev had a cooler, a lawn chair, and a diaper bag, but she was generous enough to offer hospitality to me!  As it was clear that she was waiting for the movers, I made an excuse about the baby sleeping, but invited her over after the movers left.  She came, we had tea, and a wonderful friendship sprouted that day.  It endured over great time and great distance, but we always picked up where we left off...giggling like school girls; musing about husbands and children, parents and siblings; lamenting the state of public education; and all those other mundane matters that weave the fabric of life; and which cement the love that friendship brings.

Bev had a sweet and gentle nature that calmed even the most restless, but that gentleness belied a constitution of steel...the consummate "Steel Magnolia", despite her northern roots!  Her unrelenting devotion to her family was reciprocated in their unrelenting devotion to her.  Husband Joe calls her "my beautiful Bev", and is as clearly in love with her today as he was they day they married in 1972.  Her children have basked in her love and have observed the strength of character that it takes to rear a loving and productive family...with uncomprising love and support, while allowing each member to grow in his/her own way.  They have each established strong nuclear families of their own, and are a testament to the power of "Mama".

I bid her farewell reluctantly, for she has enriched my life beyond measure, but her spirit will always live in my heart.  I will always love you, Bev.

Things that are IN

Katie is IN middle school.  Her extra-curricular choice was cheerleading.  Having chosen that, she had to go to a cheerleading camp before school started.  It was, to my understanding, a week long 8 hour a day camp.  Katie's mother, Patti, called it the "cheerbeast" camp.  Here is a pic of Katie after a day of "camp".  She had used muscles that she didn't even know she had!

Mama has been IN the hospital.  She had (has?) a condition known as atrial flutter, and she had a procedure that shocked her heart back into rhythm.  We haven't been back to the cardiologist for a check yet, but we are hoping for good news and a continuation of a regular heart rhythm.  Otherwise, she remains weak and wobbly, so we are taking turns caring for her.  I go tomorrow for the rest of the week.

There was a new cat who was supposed to be IN my house.  He is a little, sweet, black and white kitty named Oreo.  He had a brother named Cookie that disappeared from our friend, Jaime's house.  He lived outside and proceeded to grieve himself, and since Jaime is allergic to dander, she could not keep him in the house.  So, we agreed to take him.  Then Mama got sick, so that's on hold for a bit.  I really am looking forward to him, but don't feel like I can take him and then abandon him.

And then, there are things IN the pantry.  While it hasn't been a great gardening season, we have managed to put up some things in the larder.  Some things we bought from the farmer's market, but some things came from our own garden.

And the BG's were IN the mountains! We had a bridge weekend that was SO MUCH FUN!!!  Four of the 8 members of my Charlotte bridge club came for the weekend...Vicki, Susan, Ann, and Gayle.  We had to take turns playing, and JR filled in as player and "Butt Boy", even cooking us omelets on Sunday morning!

The BG's...Ann, Gayle, Susan, Vicki, and Lynn

 

I leave in the morning to go back to Mama's. Will let you know how she is progressing.  Love to all.

The Invasion of the Green-Tongued Chickies!

Gracie and Avey...green-tongued chickies!

Ok, invasion is not a really good term...it was actually a much anticipated visit from our youngest grandchildren as they were on their way back to Texas.  We actually allowed their parents to visit also.  It was short, but was packed with lots of "Mimi and PapaJim" things.

One of the things they did was to ride in the tractor with PJ...I, unfortunately, was tied up with fixing some meal or another and didn't get pics.  Shanna did, though, so maybe she'll send me some.  The other thing was eating watermelon flavored popsicles...you know, those that leave an obnoxious color on your lips, tongue and teeth? 

Shanna, two-fisted s'more eater!

Adam, serious fire-cooker!

It was a short visit, but we all had fun around the fire making s'mores.  I think Shanna particularly enjoyed them!

Today JR and I put up peas...13 quarts of Lady Peas, and 12 quarts of limas.  So you won't think that we did this as speed demons, I should let you know that we bought them already shelled...a much easier and less stressful proposition.  After we did the arithmetic, we figured that we saved $75 off the usual price of 25 quarts of peas, and we will have fresh peas all winter!

This weekend we will be working in a community bazaar.  If I remember to take my camera, I'll send you some pics.  Love to all.

Katie and I do Cherokee and the Habitat House

Katie, our oldest granddaughter, came to visit us for a couple of days.  I had these grandiose ideas of taking her to Cherokee (which I did), and educating her in the uniqueness and oldness of the mountains.  Well, we went to Oconoluftee Indian Village where we got a tour guide who had NO idea of what he was speaking...full Cherokee though he was.  Consequently, we spent most of our time hanging out at the rear of the pack, laughing!  We did learn a couple of dances that we intend to teach the family at Thanksgiving.  Though the village was interesting in many details, it was hot and humid.  Following that we went to the Museum of the Cherokee, which was very interesting if the exhibits that were supposed to be narrated with a motion detector had worked.  We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what particular portions of the exhibits were about...another BUST!

Katie at Cherokee

After leaving the museum, while waiting for "Unto These Hills" to start, we decided that we were hungry.  Bad mistake.  We found one place that had food, so we got the world's worst hotdog.  I mean, really, no slaw, no onion, just chili and mustard.  After that we went back to the car to cool off. While there we talked about the review of the play...mixed.  We were tired, and finally decided to blow it off and come home! There we watched "The Green Hornet", a lame and stupid movie that was, nonetheless, funny.

Katie behind the waterfall!

The next day JR and I decided to take her "waterfalling"...an interesting pastime in the mountains that consists of driving all over hell and half of Georgia to see water falling over rocks.  We first went to Silver Run...a totally underwhelming fall which neither JR nor I had ever seen.  Then we went to Whitewater which is a spectacular fall that is one of the most revered in the eastern US.  Then we went to the new Gorges State Park where there are trail heads to three other spectacular falls on the Horsepasture River.  However, the roads leading to them were closed for some undisclosed reason.  We finally just gave up and took her to some property that we own in northern Jackson that had waterfalls and creeks.  There she played in the falls, and searched for garnet and quartz in the creek.  We all had a good time...best of the visit.
 

Queen Lauren

Patti, Jim and Jonathan

Jon and Patti brought Katie up. and of course, the other children were here.  We cooked out and then made S'mores over the fire.  Too cute!!!

Katie enjoying the fruits!

And then, I spent a day with Habitat for Humanity, doing a Women Build project.  It was fun, but I think I've aged out of hard labor!
There were seven or eight people in our crew and our jobs were to build walls and put in windows.  I actually started out on the roof crew, but found that I didn't have the strength to be a good worker there.  So, I changed to the window crew.  Most of the time, I read the levels, but I was instrumental in putting a window.  Wow!  It was fun, I met new people, and felt that I had made a contribution to society in some way.  Below are pics of the whole crew and of the "window crew".

The Window cCew

The Whole Crew

Next up.. a birthday party for Jarleth and Lynn in the mountains!  All of J.J.'s family will be here...such fun!

We love you guys!

MiMi Does Austin!

In late May I went to Austin to keep Adam's two girls for a week while their parents worked.  Their school was closed, and they aren't really old enough to stay by themselves...5 and 3!  I was so excited!  Of course, since I have an artificial knee, I set off the metal detectors in the airport, resulting in a "pat-down".  The female TSA agents were very polite and explained everything they were going to do.  It wasn't so bad, really, and I guess if I'm going to fly I should get used to it.  On my return trip, though, a male TSA agent was very rude to me when he yelled at me "Don't touch your things!"  I started to use my power as a white headed grandmother to ask him if his mother had taught him to be that rude, but, in the end, decided that it wasn't going to change anything, so I (uncharacteristically) kept my mouth shut.

It was all worth it as I had a wonderful time with the girls!  They were very good, and we spent time in their pool, went to the library, went to the toy store, and out to lunch; rode bikes and read books. I learned to drive Adam's hybrid Prius, and didn't get lost or have a wreck!

Avery the Fish

Avery turned 3 while I was there, and on Saturday the family had a party with adults and children.  It was fun, and I was able to help Adam in the kitchen.  He made the BEST hamburgers.  I'm still waiting for him to send me his recipe.

Gracie gets up really early (wonder where she got that?) and I was usually upstairs when she appeared in the living room..  On Saturday I stayed in bed a little longer and when I got upstairs about 7 a.m., she asked me why I was late.  She can't tell time, but she KNEW I was late!  I laughed out loud!

Gracie and "Chicken"

I arrived on a Sunday and left the next Sunday, very early, so I told the girls goodbye on Saturday night when they went to bed.  We all three cried, and I cried again the next morning when I kissed them goodbye, though they were still asleep.  Shanna said that Gracie teared up when she got up and realized I was gone.

It was a great trip.  They are coming to NC next week.  Shanna and the girls are going to stay for about 6 weeks.  I'm not yet sure when they will get up here, but we'll see them at some point.  Also, we are planning to go there at Thanksgiving.  It seems that Jon and Patti and their family are going to be there also.  I can't wait.

Jon and his family are going to be up this weekend to bring Katie.  She and I are going next week to Cherokee to see the Oconoluftee Indian Village, visit the Cherokee museum, and see the outdoor drama, "Unto These Hills".   She will be in the 6th grade next year, and is growing up.  She paints her nails, and wears lip gloss, and is absolutely beautiful.  She won an award at her school (I can't remember what it is called), but it is one that is voted on by peers.  It was quite an honor, and we were proud.
 
Somewhere in here are some pictures I took in Texas.  I'll update you on the Cherokee trip next week (or sometime).  We love you guys!

A beautiful family!

Truck Farming, Visiting, and Communing

I know it's been a long time since I added anything to this blog, but it's been because I've been busy...well, maybe a LITTLE lazy, but mostly busy.  So, here is an update on the scintillating activities of the Riggsbees!

Those of you who know us, know that we like to have our hands in the dirt, that we've always gardened, and that this is a major focus of our lives in spring and summer.  Stupidly, however, we really haven't gotten a grip on how to grow stuff up here in the hills.  Warmth comes so much later here than it does in the Piedmont of NC, so for the last two years, we have gotten a little ahead of ourselves.  I started squash and cuke from seed...I gave some cukes to my granddaughter and hers look really good...mine are anemic, as are the squash.  My tomatoes look okay, the potatoes are stupendous, the green beans are super, and the beddding flowers are good.  I don't know about the squash and cuke, and just damn forget the spinach!  Either we tried to plant when it was too cool, or when we composted our beds, we put in too much compost.  I do hold out some hope that the anemic plants will recover...they show a few signs, but I just may have to plant some more seed.  Well, I'm keeping a garden journal, so I now have dates to work with, as well as info on what is doing well and what isn't.  Still, I'm looking for bumper crops to can and freeze.  I'll let you know!

Truck Farming Begins!

Susan and Howard Gibbs

Susan and Howard Gibbs came for a visit in April.  I've known Susan for a few years as we have been in the same bridge club and also worked together at UNCC.  She is so wonderful and I am looking forward to her retirement on September 1...then she can come up here often!  Howard, her husband, has long been a favorite of mine (all the husbands help the wives when it's their turn to host bridge), and he is a total hoot!  He kept us in stitches.  We really didn't do much...had dinner with some friends of ours up here, ate, drank,.. laughed and played bridge.  It was a beautiful weekend, and I can't wait to repeat it!

Lauren Elizabeth Riggsbee

And. most special of all, our granddaughter Lauren Elizabeth had her First Holy Communion last weekend.  I went down on Thursday and had a root canal...yes, it was a lot of fun...went to Grandparent's Day at the school on Friday, and the communion festivities were on Saturday.  This is such a special day in a young Catholic's life, and we are always proud and honored to be witness to our grandchildren's communions.  Notice how beautiful she was in her Communion dress.  And, just as an aside, I have never thought of her as resembling my mother, but in this picture she looks like my mother did as a child and young woman.

Jon and Patti Riggsbee, Katie, Reni, and JJ

 I am going to Texas at the end of the month to keep granddaughters while their mother finishes the school year.  I can't wait.  Will chronicle that and send other brag photos!

Love to all.

J.J. Kitty and the Texas Tractor Girls

J. J. Kitty (1994-2011)

J. J. Kitty, cat extraordinaire, left us on Tuesday, March 22.  We had her for 17 years, and loved her very much, but her quality of life had declined significantly, and we could no longer ask her to suffer.  Her death was tranquil and easy, and we buried her in a pretty spot near our garden, so we can always be reminded of how much we loved her.

She came to us as 1/4 of a quartet of little black kittens.  Adam found them at the Cullowhee airport, took them to the Jackson County pound where we bailed them out for $35 a clip; and brought them home where they wrecked havoc until I banished them to the outside.  We gave away 3 of them, but Kitty had the best personality and we were successful in keeping her out of the clutches of interested persons until we decided that she was OUR cat.  She was always a good pet.  When we bought our place in the mountains we brought her with us back and forth.  The house was very rustic and mice were frequent visitors, but Kitty kept their population down easily.  When we would be gone, she would catch a mouse and "save" it for us.  She would deposit it on the floor on one or the other side of the bed, indicating that the "gift" was for the person who slept on that side.  Not only that, but she would not allow the other one of us to clean up the little critter.  She would do this by herding us away from it.  We got the message.  She will be missed.

Last week, the Texas Riggsbees came to town for a short visit.  They had been in the state for several days trying to see all friends and family.  Shanna's mother came also and we had a good time.  JR took the girls for a ride on the John Deere.  They declared that it was the most favorite thing they did while they were here.  After they left, JR and I hauled ourselves to Charlotte where we kept all five of them while the boys and their wives went to the first round of the NCAA tournament which was being held there.  It was fun, too.  Each of them has such  different personalities, and it's entertaining to watch how each of them reacts to his/her environment.  Below are some pics of the girls while they were here.  They'll be back this summer and I hope to have all the family up for a few days.

Avery Ana (almost 3)

Gracen Elyse (almost 5)

JR and I are going to do some spring planting today (cabbage, spinach, lettuce, onions, etc) and I will start some seeds for the summer garden.  Yesterday I planted some crocosmia and an Amethyst Falls wisteria.  I'll probably have to move it next year.  It is bigger than I thought and JR is going to have to build me an arbor for it.  I also need to get my dahlias and peonys in the ground.  I plan to do some canning and freezing this summer so the summer garden will be bigger than it was last year.  I'm ready!  Around here it is risky to plant summer crops before Mother's Day.  I didn't listen to the natives last year, and lost nearly all my stuff to freeze and frost!  This year, I'm going to be smarter!

Enjoy the spring time!  We love you.

A Nice Little Mini-Vacation and Beautiful Weather

Vicki Jaus trying to figure out how to repair a childhood dress

Tom and Millie Snyder with Nemo

Susan Gibbs

Susan Gibbs and Ann Baldwin

Diane Adams. Valerie Crockett, and Nancy Kramer

You know, the winter can be pretty bleak up here, cold, dreary, and snowy.  In addition to that, the dog has been sick and has to be medicated daily.  All this adds up to being confined much of the time.  But JR closed his office in Charlotte, and is now working out of our home, so I took myself on  a mini-vacation while he played dog-sitter.  On Sunday I went to Charlotte.  In Charlotte, I saw my friend Jarleth (actually I stayed with her Sunday), and visited with my sister. On Monday I did a little shopping, saw Jon, got my oil changed and my flat tire repaired.  Then I went to my bridge club meeting and saw all the BGs (Bridge Girls).  We never did get around to playing bridge, but it was a great time.  They're the best bunch of people in the world!  I even spent the night with Millie. On Tuesday, I went to Mama's in Greensboro and had a nice visit with her and my other sister and brother.  It was a great trip and I came home on Wednesday just in time for some more snow.  There was a small accumulation and it didn't keep me prisoner.  But the last few days have been beautiful, temps in the 50s to near 60, with bright sunshine.  It looks like it will last a bit longer.  Susan and Howard Gibbs are coming the weekend of the 25th and she wants it to snow!  Sorry, Susan, I don't think it will!

The pics above (not where I wanted them) were taken at Millie's house with the Bridge Girls.  I'm avoiding anymore snow pictures!

Sorry I've been away so long, but I've been nursing the dog.  There is a reason I wasn't a health care professional!

Love to all.

Lynn's Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Week

J. J. Kitty, Cat Extraordinaire

It all started with J. J. Kitty.  She is a very old cat, brought to us courtesy of Adam during his freshman summer at WCU.  Being the  proverbial rescuer, he and his then girl friend brought J. J. Kitty and her three siblings to our home. How interesting!  There were two males and two females, all black without a single defining characteristic among the four of them.  We had to learn them.  Eventually, we discovered the J.J. Kitty was the best and while we entertained those who wanted a cat, we deftly managed to keep J. J. Kitty out of their clutches.  The other three went to other families, but J. J. Kitty stayed with us. She was so cute.  While I was reading my paper in the mornings, she crawled in my lap and batted at the paper, making me laugh and coming to love her so much more than ever.  Fast forwarding, she has become an old a feeble cat.  I took her to the vet and decided to give her one more cortisone shot to make her quality of life a little better, but the truth is that without that shot she has no life, and with it, she has little. I think that the next time it could be time to give her some peace.  I'm not sure that I can do it.  But that wasn't all in regard to pets.

Chester, the Lucky Dog!

Chester, the dog, had not really been doing well the day before, but when I took Kitty to the vet I thought he looked better, so I didn't take him that day.  Next day, he was not so good, so I hauled him into the vet.  Doug did a bunch of stuff and figured that he had some kind of infection or, maybe, hemolytic anemia.  He would know when we brought him back for some more blood work the next day.  The next day his hemo counts were lower, so we decided to take Chet to Greenville to the specialists.  It was snowing when we left for Greenville, two hours away. After spending a number of hours waiting for the diagnosis, we found that he did, indeed, have hemolytic anemia, a rather nasty autoimmune disease.  He has been at the vet for a week, but we are going to get him tomorrow (Friday).  He is stable and we are cautiously optimistic that he will recover. So, who knows.  They are old and I don't know how long we can keep them in a life that is meaningful for them.

Jim"s car in 14 inches of snow

There's been a lot of snow and the truck has been stuck in the drive, and I have a flat tire on my 4Runner.  JR managed to dig his truck out today and did some good on the drive with the tractor.  He has gone to Charlotte. Jon tells me that I should just come to Charlotte for the winters.  I will do that when I don't have Jim, otherwise, I will be here with him.  The winters, heretofore, have not been that bad.  Perhaps this is a passing fancy!  We only have fourteen inches as I speak!  I'll leave you with a pic.

It has not been a good week, but life goes on and next week will be better!

We love you guys!