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!

White Christmas...No Dream!

It began Christmas morning, before good light, as a white cloud coming across the valley; its backdrop a thin band of red (soon obliterated) above the ridges where the sun usually rises.  When it ended in the late morning on Monday we had a foot of snow.  It was (and still is) breathtakingly beautiful.

Although we were unable to get down our drive for a bit, I don't feel so bad about being "rapunzeled" this time.  There are several reasons for this:  1) Jim is here, so I'm not stuck alone with just the animals; 2) the whole east coast got this one; and 3) I've learned what to expect so it's not as scary as it was last year.  It was a happy and peaceful holiday!

The picture at the top is of a tree that we call the "Charlie Brown" tree. We bought it the Christmas that my father was terminally ill.  It was an ugly misshapen tree, and we had little hope that it would turn into a beautiful plant.  Yet, here it is, eleven years later, a lovely specimen.  I have interpreted this transformation as proof that the corrupt will be made beautiful.


The following pics are the same view at different times during the storm.

Mid-morning Saturday, Dec 25

Early afternoon, Dec 25

Late afternoon, Dec 25

Dec 26, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We love you guys!!!

RAPUNZELED...AGAIN

The snowy driveway...at the bottom where it isn't steep.

Honestly...I don't know about this weather.  We have had this place on the ridge for 14 years, and we visited it regularly (until we moved here) in all seasons.  Never, never, never, have I seen weather like these last two winters.  We, only one time, were unable to get up the drive.  We were snowed in for four days once over the Christmas holidays, and my sister and her friend Abby were snowed in once.  But, OMG, what a change the last two winters.

You have, of course read the saga of last year, but this one has started similarly.  Geez.  It snowed Saturday night.  Adam was here and when he left on Sunday there were about 3 inches on the ground.  By Monday morning there were seven.  JR and I went down the mountain to buy chains for the truck, but since the snow was soft and wet, he didn't need them to get back up.  Then he left.  It was very cold and I didn't try to get out, though I did move my car into the sun so some of the white precipitation would excuse itself.

The drive going down...I slipped all down this area.

Expecting icy conditions today, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the temperature had risen during the night and that instead of ice, we had rain.  The temperature stayed well above freezing during the morning and about noon I decided to brave the elements and head to town.  The snow was slushy, there was no ice, and I figured that I could just get into 4-wheel drive and take myself down the mountain.  WRONG!!!

I slid down the hill, only managing to stop myself before running off into the woods.  Luckily, I remembered how to turn the wheel during a skid.  I could have chosen wrong, you know. I stopped the car, put on the brake, got out, walked back to the house, canceled two appointments set for tomorrow, and called JR to tell him that when he comes home, he'll have to walk part of the way.  Not sure how I'm going to handle this winter stuff.  My doctor suggested that I get some exercise with snowshoes. Maybe I'll park my car at the bottom of the hill and snowshoe down, dragging my belongings up and down in a sled!  Can you imagine?  The other option is to be sure I always have what I need, so I don't have to go out!

However, the silver lining is that the snow is pretty and we will probably have a white Christmas!  One of the benefits of snow is that it decorated our wreaths. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Thanksgiving at the O'Connors!!!

Lynn and G...I promised

Usually,our family has Thanksgiving together...parent(s), siblings, cousins, grandchildren, etc.  However, this year conspired to change tradition.  Adam is is in Texas; some of Jon's in-laws were coming from New York; my brother and his sons were going hunting; my sister and her family wanted to have their first Thanksgiving in their new house, my other sister was going to Mama's, and who knows what else went down! 

  So, JR and I decided that we would use this time to move some of his Charlotte office which has to be closed by the end of January.  On Wednesday, we cooked our turkey (and froze most of its carcass); made the trimmings, and ate a lot!  That meant that we could go to Charlotte on Thursday and spend the time working.  However, Gina, Jon's mother-in-law, discovered that and invited us to come celebrate with their family.  How could we resist?  So, we journeyed to Charlotte, got a room at the South Park Marriott (the presidential suite, no less...not as good as you would imagine)...and went over there.  Such fun has been had by no one!!!  There were 11 children and about 15-16 adults.  Non-stop laughter, jokes, and family pathos.  What more can anyone ask for?  Thanks, G and Tom.  It was great!!!  The pic at the top is my other favorite "mother-in-law". Gina.  I love her just like I love Judi  And now for the other pics!

The O'Connors..aren't they big?!!!

9 of the 11...too cute

The Kellys

And the Riggsbee's...we need some more!  Adam?  Jon?

 And, I hate this program...the pics never do what I want them to do.

But...I talked to my friend Bev today.  I love you Bev.

Plus, it snowed here last night and is snowing now.  How exciting .  ( I'm hoping for a milder winter!)

Love to all and Merry Christmas or whatever!

The Great Brunswick Stew Party; Ghi-Ghi and MiMi Do Lunch; and Turkey Foot

Our Pot of Brunswick Stew

Neal Starts the Cooking

Last weekend JR and I went to Louisburg, the home of JR's sister and niece, to make Brunswick Stew.  Now if you don't know what that is, I'll try to enlighten you.  In times past, it was a wild game stew with rabbit, squirrel, and venison.  Some people (well, few) still make it that way, but the most commonly accepted ingredients today are beef, pork, and chicken.  To those one adds veggies, broth, and various condiments.  JR and I had never done this before (see, education lasts a lifetime!), so Fran gave me the job of cooking and shredding the beef and the chicken.  She did the pork and veggies.  She said I did a good job! We dutifully went to Louisburg with our offerings, and worked ourselves silly the next day.  Fran tells me that it is much easier if you have help...there were six of us...and if you spread the prep work out over the week instead of doing all of it the day before.  I believe that!!!  Still it was great fun...like a party!!!  In addition to us, Michelle and David (Fran's and Neal's friends) joined us and brought stuff for the second pot.  Neal, Fran's husband, knows just about everything there is to know about many things, and Brunswick Stew is one of them.  He started cooking about 7 a.m.  There is a particular order of ingredients and he kept all of us on the straight and narrow as we cooked and stirred.  Okay, I assiduously avoided stirring.  Instead I washed dishes and documented the process.  I think I got dry skin from the detergent!  Who would have guessed that there are so many nasty dishes?  By 1:00 p.m. we had 61 quarts packaged from our pot and 51 quarts packaged from the other pot.  JR and I brought home 30 quarts, but not before JR decided that we needed a pot of our own...so, we went to AgriSupply in Raleigh and got one of our very own.  It only makes 16 quarts, but sister Judy has volunteered herself and her husband to inaugurate our own attempt.  I hope we can pull this off.  However, we're not going to do it anytime soon.  Thirty quarts lasts a long time!

JR Takes His Turn

Now, I have to be about the luckiest mother-in-law in the world.  Not only do I have wonderful daughters-in-law, but I have been fortunate to be able to develop relationships with their mothers.  They are wonderful women, and I love them both.  I know that it was their influence that made Patti and Shanna the wives that they are to my sons.  Can a mother ask for more?  Anyway, Gina, Patti's mother, lives in Charlotte.  Judi, Shanna's mother, lives in Asheville.  On Thursday, Judi traveled from Asheville to our humble abode for lunch.  (I think she was induced in part by the offer of Brunswick Stew.)  We share common grandchildren, Gracie and Avery, who belong to Adam and Shanna and live in Austin, TX.  We just had the best time!  We busted out the Brunswick Stew and the garlic bread, added a salad and some fruit, and gorged ourselves all the while talking about our grandchildren and Judi's new house.  Above is a picture of us together, courtesy of photographer JR.  G....you're next.  When I come to Charlotte next time, I'm getting a picture with you!  Our common grandchildren are Katie, Lauren, and Jon, Jr. who all live in Charlotte with Jon and Patti.

 This is Turkey Foot.  I didn't know it's name until yesterday when Mountain Man, Alan, told me.  Now that I know the name, I can see why it is called that.  Jim's mother had some of this stuff on her Chapel Hill property, down in the bottom land that was very damp.  It apparently grows in bottom land that is near creeks and streams.  That's where this is on a piece of property that we own in Jackson.  The best part however, is that it is wonderful greenery for Christmas.  It never loses its green color, even though it drys out, and it doesn't wilt.  You can put it up at Thanksgiving and it will still be wonderful at New
Years.  It must be part of the running cedar family, but it is much hardier than running cedar.  It is a prolific grower and no matter how much you take, it will be replaced and multiplied by the next year.  If you want some, come on up.  I have an endless supply!

Love to all.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and hang tight to your families!

When Did He Get to Be Forty? and The Munchkin Weekend

Today, November 10...I put that in there in case I don't get this posted today...our oldest child is forty.  I'm not sure when this happened, I mean this growing up thing.  I believe that it was only yesterday that I looked into his squinty, red face for the first time.  And what happened?  I was assaulted with the greatest emotion that a woman can have...a passionate, unrelenting, and unending love for my child.  I think that one is never prepared for that feeling...no matter how many children she has.

I cannot tell you how proud I am of him, and how I admire him for his perseverance in hard times, for his extraordinary work ethic, his attentiveness to his family and to us.  I salute him for all that he is and for all that he will be.  Jon, in case you are reading this...I love you more than you can know.











The other good thing is that we got to spend a weekend with our Charlotte grandchildren while their parents went to New York for a wedding.  It was SO wonderful!!!  Katie, 10; Lauren, 7; and Jon, 6 were so good and they were a joy to be around.  They are very pleasant children and they play well together most of the time.  We only had one small incident.  Jim took Jon to the gun shop, and the little thing hasn't stopped talking about it yet.  He's a man's boy.  Above are a couple of pictures that we took while we were there.

I have spent the last two days cooking and shredding beef and chicken to take to Louisburg this weekend when we go to make Brunswick Stew.  Jim's niece and her husband do it every year and we volunteered to join in the fun this year.  I can already tell that this is not going to be one of my favorite activities!  It takes forever to cook 9 pounds of beef and four chickens, and then shred them in preparation for the stew.  But...the stew is wonderful and I can't wait to bring home my 25 quarts!  I'll chronicle this activity this weekend and will share with you at the next post.

Oh, one more thing.  I've just finished a wonderful book...The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak.  It is a book for young adult readers, but I decided that I qualified.  Read it!!

Love to all.