New Year's Eve 2018

Greetings, my friends.  This is an (almost) eleventh hour post to close out 2018 and to vow to be a better blogger friend in the New Year!  My Christmas tree looks about the same as it does every year, but I love it so.  My favorite ornament continues to be Dorothy's Red Shoe, purchased at the Smithsonian Museum of American History a few years ago.  It's there in the middle - a little to the left.  My bear was from the now defunct Rich's Department Store, free with a purchase (or something like that) back in the 70s.  I saw one at an antique mall last Saturday for $24.  Mine still looks new every year, since it stays in a plastic bag in the Christmas closet during the year.  

My sister and brother-in-law's home on Christmas morning, before I saw anyone.  Peaceful and quiet.  This was my late mother's wee Christmas tree that she had in her assisted living apartment.  I love that my sis puts it in her foyer every year.

Kitty Pete on Christmas Day.  It was warm enough in the Florida panhandle to sit outside with no jacket.  Pete was the first one I saw on Christmas morning.  He was lying on the kitchen table, which he is forbidden to do.  I was looking at the view out back before I spotted him.  He looked at me with no guilt.  He either figured I didn't care that he was on the table, or he didn't care what I thought.  I imagine it as the latter.  :)

Spotted at the aforementioned antique mall last Saturday.  A cardboard cutout of the King of Rock and Roll.  I texted the photo to my friend Steven, who has a partner who adores Elvis.  He replied, "I love what you've done with your living room!"  

I hope your holidays were Merry and Bright.  And I hope the New Year will be good to you.  Hugs!

Taken for granted (not), sentimental nod and sister time

- More beauty from my sister's home in northern Florida, taken last weekend.  I stopped at this spot and marveled at its loveliness.  My sister says she tries not to take the view for granted - I have to say, I never do.

- You can barely see the old Gulf Oil sign posted on the barn.  When they bought this property, the barn and some other old out-buildings were already there.  They kept them and built their home in the middle of the property.  Their family has always been in the oil distribution business and they started out with Gulf, so the sign is a sentimental nod to the past.

- And another beautiful spot - about eight hours north of there, in the Nantahala Forest.  I ran across this photo when I was looking for something else.  This is where I am today - along with my two sisters.  We are having "sisters only" time. 

And Sunday, August 7 is National Sisters Day, so this is working out!

The wedding tree, yes to the dress and surrounded by love

- Niece Amanda (the youngest, sob!) will be married to her beloved Travis next March under that tree in the middle of the photo.  (Click to enlarge.)  The branch on the left forms a natural arch that they will stand under during the ceremony.  She wanted to be married at home on the farm and the plans are going beautifully.

- I was delighted to be invited for the choosing of the dress and went with the wedding posse to this bridal shop on Saturday morning, where a dress that is very "her" was chosen.

- Four-year-old great nephew Monroe woke on Sunday morning and came out with Curious George in tow, rubbing his eyes and asking "Where's Aunt Lynnie?"  I got the best sleepy hug.

- Travis and his seven-year-old daughter Kloie are already a part of our family.  She knows that I love dragonflies and was so excited to give me this one, fashioned out of paper, that she made for me.  It has a place of honor on my refrigerator, along with hummingbird paraphernalia and Frieda Kahlo.  :)

It was a long, quick trip and I'm still tired from it, but I was surrounded by love all weekend.  I needed that.

Sunrise, mama bird and poppies

To celebrate Earth Day, Friday, April 22, I went back to another spring, five years ago, for some photos that make me smile this morning:

- Sunrise at my sister and brother-in-law's farm in Jefferson county, Florida.  Niece Amanda will be married on this spot, just before sunset, next March.

- This bird had a nest in the fern hanging by my front door.  She flew out as I was coming in with packages, keeping a vigilant eye on her nest.  I had to water that plant very carefully, I remember - keeping the water to one edge of the plant.  The plant lived though and when I got home from an out of town trip around the first of May that year, the baby birds had left the nest.

 - Poppies from the mountain property that I love to visit in the Nantahala forest.

Happy Earth Day everyone! 

Moby St. Nick, wren visitors and satsumas

- My sister and I took a golf cart tour of their farm property in northern Florida on an 85 degree (f) Christmas Day.  Their dog, Moby, who is really getting up there in age, loves to go along on these rides.  My brother-in-law takes him at least twice a day.  He was born on Christmas Day and his full name is Moby St. Nick!

 - Carolina Wrens at my feeder on New Year's Day.  A couple of weeks ago, on a night it was dipping into the 20s in Atlanta, I was bringing the plants in and one of my wren visitors flew inside the condo and retreated to the back bedroom.  After some wringing of hands, the solution:  I opened the front door, closed all of the other doors (except where the bird was), turned off all the lights and it made a break for the front door.  I wish I had a video of it sailing up the hallway. 

- Satsumas at Whole Foods Market.  I love how the lighting inside makes it look like an outdoor farmers' market.  I texted this photo to my sister in Florida - she had a satsuma tree in her yard in the first home they lived in.  We don't see these for sale that often around here.  Beautiful (and delicious.)

Shadow sisters, beautiful walk and in flight

- My sisters and I went for a walk last Friday on a gloriously warm and sunny morning.  We noticed that our shadows walked ahead of us, so I snapped a photo with my photo, but inadvertently cut myself off.  Still kind of neat though.

 - There they are again - I had lagged behind to take another photo.  This is a farm access road and a few friends of the tall sister there slowed in their cars to chat.

- There was a bird perfectly perched on the stump in the middle of that pond, but it flew away as soon as it sensed us nearby.  If you can left click to enlarge, you can see it in flight.

Thanks for coming along on our walk!  What a difference a week makes - it's 30 degrees outside here in Atlanta and I'm off to work.  Sigh.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Welcoming, good things, rooting and grazing

- Thanksgiving day was a perfect weather day - bright, sunny and warm.  My cousin's home in Fayetteville, Georgia is so welcoming and I loved the new outdoor fireplace on the back porch.  There were 30 of us for dinner, including my sister and her husband from Virginia.  The three of us headed down to northern Florida in the late afternoon to be with our other sister and her family for the rest of the weekend.

- I had to snap a photo of this shop sign, in my sister's tiny village of Monticello, Florida, featuring "good things."  Click to enlarge.

- Young Monroe makes his dad happy by wearing the Bear Bryant-like hat his grandmother bought for him.  That's the University of Alabama vs. Auburn University game reflected in the window.  Fortunately, Alabama won.  :)

- And in a quiet moment on Saturday morning, a couple of young deer were grazing in the back.  Click to enlarge.  My sister and brother-in-law consider their property a deer sanctuary.  The deer on the right spotted me and at the same moment, they turned and ran.

The internet is spotty down there, so I did not get to visit blogs, but I will catch up.  I Promise.

Down on the farm, hard at work and the crops

More images from this past weekend in northern Florida...

- The area around my sister's house has a park-like look to me.  So beautiful with its trees dripping with Spanish moss.

- My brother-in-law's "man cave" - the barn, complete with a Gulf Oil sign that used to adorn the family business.

- Future son-in-law Brandon, who is a full-time farmer, happily helped my brother-in-law plant crops on long neglected fields on the weekends.  Here he was doing some maintenance on them (still on the weekend.)  It must be lovely to love ones work so much.

- They have planted corn, peanuts, sunflowers (for my sister), and benne (sesame seeds.)

- Sister and I took a golf cart ride (with baby Monroe) to survey the crops.  So different from my usual weekends.  I love it down there, but was happy to get back to the city, too.

Happy Wednesday!

The swing's calling, view from the cook shed and Lucky

- Back to Standard Time and the morning was beautiful at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.  The back porch of an antique shop in Lilburn, Georgia after my walk in the nearby park.  The sign on the white framed chalkboard says, "Wherever you go, always bring your own sunshine..."  "The swing's calling!  Come sit awhile."

Photo by JMM

- Late Friday afternoon, I settled down on the back porch to talk to my sister in northern Florida, as we so often do on that day.  She answered and said, "Could I call you right back?  I want to snap this picture of the pasture with my phone."  Of course she could (and this is it above).  She and her husband are keeping their "granddog" Lucky while my niece is out of town.  Lucky is blind now and must be walked on a leash.  This has enabled my sister to stroll around the farm and witness the light shining through the Live Oaks.  She also loves looking up at the stars at night when they do their pre-bedtime walk.

Photo by ALM

- Lucky was living in a foster home with one of my niece's friends when my niece met him.  He had belonged to a woman with a terminal illness and she wanted him to have a good home.  My niece adopted him and he has become a beloved member of our family.  He's Lucky indeed.

Scenes from North Carolina, Florida and Georgia

- So often when I don't have a photo ready, I return to my library and find something soothing like this.  It makes me want to jump in the car and go.  Hiwasee River, Clay County, North Carolina.

- Or this one, on a day when I was in the car with niece Amanda, driving through the plantation where she works.  I love the Spanish moss dripping from the trees.  Razor Lake, Jefferson County, Florida.

- There are miles and miles of cotton fields like this in south Georgia.  I always think of that commercial jingle that called cotton, "the fabric of our lives."  It's my favorite fabric!  Somewhere along State Route 300, aka the Georgia-Florida Parkway.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friends!  And I hope you will take time to say a kind word or give a compliment to someone who is not expecting it.  It will make their day.

Shower flowers, rain on the way and gathering

- A beautiful weekend with family at my sister's home in Florida.  When the honored guest walked in on Friday night, we all gave a collective, "Awww!"  She would have bent over double laughing at us if she could.  Her baby is due September 2 and we were there for her home town baby shower on Saturday a.m.  

- Low hanging clouds in the wilderness of northern Florida.

- Pete takes a breather while we drink coffee on the back porch on Sunday morning.  It was my absolute favorite time of the weekend - sleepy eyed family wandering outside to join others on the porch, hostess sister shooing us out of the kitchen while she made brunch.  Much laughing.  A lovely time.

The amazing race, comic relief and her slippers

 

- Niece Rebecca dubbed it "The Amazing Race."  Four carloads of family members journeyed to my sister's farm in northern Florida for the weekend for family time.  Somehow my car got there last, but I think that means my passenger, niece Abby, and I enjoyed the scenery a little more.  

- Pete, safely out of reach and basking in the sun, after a lively two-year-old ran after him all morning, calling, "Pete!  Peeete!  Where's Pete???"  The two-year-old also had her first trip to McDonald's last week, and when her breakfast was placed before her, with great excitement she shrieked, "PANCAKES!!!"

- When we were packing up mom's clothes on Saturday, I retrieved these slippers from the box going to charity.  We wore the same size shoe.  (Am I really posting a picture of my feet and pajama pants???)  The kitchen floor was cold this morning and I dug them out of a box.  I think she would have liked that I kept her slippers.

Sold, home and sweets

- Traveling down to visit my family in south Georgia / north Florida and making my usual stop at Stripling's General Store on the way. Two nice men ask if I will try their barbecue sauce. It's their family business, always sold at Stripling's, etc. I know how hard it is to sell things, so I buy a bottle (and it is tasty.) I only notice the logo after arriving at mom's. :) The "butt" in the title refers to the part of the pig most commonly used for pulled pork. You can read about the company and see that crazy logo better here.

- Arriving at the assisted living facility and sweet Velma hugs me and says, "I didn't know you were coming home this weekend!" I hadn't been thinking of this as home, but home is where my mom is, I think.

- At church on Sunday morning, brother-in-law passes pieces of butterscotch candy down to me and niece Amanda. He always has individually wrapped candy to give to kids at church and I am happy to be thought of as one. :)

Bell tower, young chef and teenagers

- It's Random Photo Thursday. My brother-in-law's cook shed on their farm in northern Florida. The bell at the top is from his family's summer lake cabin - they took it with them when the cabin was sold. His late mother used to ring the bell for the boys to come home for dinner when they were out rambling around the lake. Twenty years later, it was located and hung here.

- A mom at last night's potluck telling how the burden of preparing food was lifted by her 15-year-old son, who made the rice and the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies - both perfectly cooked. I think how it will be so valuable for him in life that he knows how to cook.

- A friend sent this explanation for the bird festival in my feeder and planter each night: "It's time for nesting birds to send their young out into the world, some of them for the second time this season. The appearance at our feeders of juveniles of various species is at least entertaining, and certainly educational. Enjoy these "teenagers" as they begin to achieve independence and look for their own apartments!"

Here comes the sun, stuck and mooned

Early Sunday morning by JMM

- My sister found peace in this rising of the sun on her farm property. I feel peace just looking at the photo.

- My young friend Kathleen, who was handicapped by an accident and must depend on others quite a bit, sent a "forward" about sisterhood - one of those things about friends needing each other and that you must send it to 10 other women, etc. I noticed that she sent it to nine women + her 20-year-old brother and remarked upon that in my reply. She said, "The reason I also sent it to my brother - this is because he's been, mostly "stuck", going thru this with me, but he has always been there for me, even when he was the "annoying lil' nerd" that he used to be! But, I AM his sister, so we're stuck with each other, whether we like it or not, for life!!"

- Having a look at the moon when I emerge from a meeting after dark. Facebook friend Arch posted a photo of it, along with this message, "This is the last full moon before the spring equinox, 2011. March 19, 3:28 GMT (10:28 p.m. EDT), distance from earth: 356,813 km (closest in last 40 years and for the next 19 years), percent full: 99.4 ... Consider yourself mooned!"

Nice digs, today you are you and the thinks

- A bird condo with flexible rental space available. :)

- "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you." Happy belated birthday, Dr. Seuss! (It was yesterday.)

- Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try. More from Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel). OK - I'll stop now. Long ago, the family read to me so much that I knew how to read when I entered first grade, so they put me on Dr. Seuss books and allowed me to read on my own. I've always loved his books.

More magnolias, dream and coming in like a lion

- A Japanese Magnolia tree in Monticello, Florida. I love how the blooms drop off and scatter around on the ground.

- It was bound to happen. Watching a glorious sunset over a mountain through a window and drawing a friend over to show him how beautiful it is. I am composing in my head how I will write about it for my blog when I wake up. Just dreaming.

- Powerful thunder and lighting with lots of rain during the night - March came in a like a lion once again.

Steel Magnolias, credits and favorite lines

The Opera House (circa 1890) in sleepy Monticello, Florida.

I wrote it about it once before here. On Saturday evening, it was the scene of a play, Steel Magnolias. And six women who could be considered steel magnolias themselves attended the play and the dinner before it. The dinner was delightfully southern: smothered fried chicken, mashed potatoes and pole beans, with Mississippi Mud Cake for dessert. The caterer provided the food for my niece's wedding reception and I took the time to tell her that it was the best food I've ever had at a wedding.

- The play was set entirely in Truvy's Beauty Shop. I loved the credits in the back of the program thanking local Monticello beauty shops: Maggie from Maggie's Beauty Shoppe for the loan of the beauty shop equipment, special thanks to Jessi at The Dogwood House salon for helping Truvy and Annelle learn to "act" like hair stylists and thanks to Amber Waves for the loan of Truvy's styling chair. Jessi also colored the actress who played Truvy's hair red for the part. My niece was disappointed she didn't look more like Dolly Parton.

The Meeting Oak, next to the Opera House.

- We had a discussion about our favorite lines from the play during dinner: My sister's favorite, when Shelby says tearfully, "Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" My favorite, when Annelle says, "I promise that my personal tragedy will not interfere with my ability to do good hair." My niece's favorite, when Clairee says, "Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!"

Laughing all the way, same spot and piping

- My sisters and I would have been looking at this view in North Carolina this past weekend, but considered that we had a sisters weekend anyway by taking care of our mother's move. And we laughed just as much as we always do. One example: My sister Jo (who lives near Thomasville in farm country) and I are having lunch on Thursday and I remark that she is lucky she can eat sour cream. Her immediate comeback, "You're lucky you have DSL."

- My dad always sat in the same spot in Jo's great room and it is lovely how mom likes to occupy that same spot when she is visiting the farm.

- Finding it difficult to get back to work yesterday after four days away, but the morning was considerably perked up by co-worker Joanne's rendition of "Happy Birthday" on the bagpipes in honor of another co-worker's 40th birthday.