August 31, 2010

Mom made dinner for Alan and Lynn tonight.  She said that she was glad we gave her an excuse to cook.  It's a change she's dealing with.  How to "be" as just one person.  She's rethinking how she eats and how she keeps food on hand.

For the last couple of days she's been working in the back yard with some help from Valdis. She's getting the garden winterized, working on gutters, and thinking about some landscaping changes she may want to do.  One of the things she's working on is a new raised bed in the garden.  She's going to plant some winter crops soon.

Hershey is becoming much calmer these days.  Sometimes she's still doing the excitability peeing, but it is really much, much better.  The vet told Emily that it was a submissive behavior, so perhaps she's becoming more confident.  She will also come into the house and lay on the floor in the kitchen while Emily works.  She's lots of company in the back when Emily is working in the yard.  One of her favorite things to do is swing with Emily no matter what time of day.

August 22, 2010

Yesterday was my 83rd birthday! I had a very nice day. Steve came to spend most of the day. Lauren and Madison came by on their way to Atlanta, Lynn and Alan joined us for lunch. Lynn and Alan remembered that Gene always got me red roses for any occasion. So here came Alan with a dozen beautiful red roses!

I received many beautiful cards and there are sooo many wonderful face book messages. I'm still working on them! I really must get with this face book thing!

We all enjoyed playing with Madison while Mommie Lauren had a short nap. Having them here made for a very special day.

After lunch Steve, Lynn, and I took three roses to the cemetery for Gene. The cemetery looked beautiful.
The sod is growing well. Three more rows have been added since Gene. We all agreed that it is comforting to have a lovely place so nearby.

The hot weather zapped the second green bean crop so I've begun taking the wilted vines down. Tomatoes, peppers and maybe some eggplant are still coming on.

Hershey is still growing and still really energetic! How can I teach her not to jump up on me and everyone else? She just loves attention.

I need to get her inside now . Since her surgery last week, I've been letting her sleep inside (in her cage}

August 21, 2010

Today was Emily's birthday.

Steve came up to spend some time with her, and Lauren dropped by with Madison on her way to Atlanta.

Emily made a crustless quiche for lunch and Alan and Lynn joined the crowd.   After lunch Steve and Lynn went with her to the cemetery.

She took three of her birthday roses that Alan brought her to the cemetery. 

August 20, 2010

Lynn and Alan treated me to a birthday at Red Lobster tonight. We enjoyed our meal then went to Babies "R" Us to shop for a baby shower gift for Sarah and Ryan Fetz' baby Jacob Dennison who will be here around October 12th!

Whipped Cream and a candle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple and Ice Cream Dessert!

How thoughtful of Lynn and Alan to make this day and tomorrow special! I'm amazed tp have reached the age of 83 years so quickly. It seems only yesterday that I was growing up at Mt. Victory.....seeing my brothers and Gene go off to WWII...graduating from High School.... attending college at S E Teachers College at Cape Giradeau, MO...home for Christmas. Gene home from the war. Getting married that April 64 years ago. Well my Daddy used to say "Life is only a drop in the bucket",  so I hope I have been a good drop so far!

Valdis came and helped me trim one of the cypress trees at the back of the house and did some other jobs. He is a hard worker and very strong. I am very glad to have his help.

Hershey is learning to behave fairly well in the house. I've been letting her go outside for short times and she is staying in the den and kitchen pretty well. She wants to supervise anything I'm doing.  She was 5 months old on the 13th and weighed 33.3 lbs!. She has long legs and jumps at least 3 ft. off the floor. I wonder how much bigger she will be.

Steve will be here for most of the day tomorrow. Lauren is bringing Madison to spend next week with Steve and Pat and will stop for a short visit on the way to Atlanta.

I am looking forward to their company on my birthday!

August 19, 2010

Yesterday at 7:30AM I took Hershey to the vet for her spaying & shots. I picked her up at around 3:00. Hershey is doing well. Then I went to the Wednesday evening dinner and Bible study at 5:30.
Hershey is supposed to stay inside for a few days. She is being pretty good. But I can't seem to teach her not to jump on me and others. She loves attention so much. She is sleeping in her cage at night and getting a little outside time during the day.

The engine light on my Volvo has been staying on. I had taken it to B&F but it came back on. When I took the car for the emissions check, it didn't pass. Today, I took the car back to B&F. They needed to keep it so Lynn came and brought me back home.

Lynn drove by the cemetery as we came home. There are now two more rows of graves below ours. The grass looks good. They have closed the road up to Gene's grave site so we will have to park on the main road and walk up the hill a little way.

Valdis and his girl friend Kallie came by for a visit this afternoon. I was glad to see them. He is going to help me with some outside work tomorrow.

July 16, 2010

We are having a great time in Atlanta.  Lynn and I came down on Thursday to Steve and Pat's house. We went to IKEA today and had a great time.  We found the bed that Liga wants for her new apartment and were quite taken with the adventure of being in the IKEA store.

Hershey came along on this trip and she's giving us some challenges with her potty manners.  If there are any dog whisperers out there we could use some advice.  Last night after we had gone to bed she was very unhappy and barked and barked and barked.  About midnight Lynn decided to go down and see if she could get her quieted.  She put Hershey's cage by the sofa and laid down and put her hand down near the cage, and Hershey gave a big sigh and dropped right off to sleep. 

This morning we visited Sarah and Ryan's new townhouse and she gave us a tour.  The baby's room is coming along and is going to be so cute.  She's got an elephant motif going right now.  Homer (as Steve is callling him) is going to love his room!  And Sarah is so cute.  She looks like Pat did with her first pregnancy - from behind, you can hardly even tell that she's pregnant! 

July 7, 2010

The baby wrens fledged on Monday.  I could see the mother bird in a bush in the back yard and could tell that she was making sure they had gotten off to a good start.  One little fellow got crowded in the nest and didn't make it. I have a little cedar wren house and plan to put it near where the wren nested. I hope she will come again! It was fun to watch the mother as she faithfully cared for her babies!

I drove the truck to church today to work in the library for a couple of hours.

 The TV and computer service has been disrupted since Monday afternoon.. A nice young man , Zach came from Comcast this afternoon and got it going . I sure had some quiet days! Not too bad.

Lynn and I are thinking about going to visit Steve, Pat and family soon.

July 6, 2010

Sarah and Grace Wright came over and did some yard work for Emily this afternoon.  Mom thinks the older Wright girls may be getting old enough that they will go on with their own interests and may not have enough time to work for her.  Grace is twelve now and is just getting to that age when she will want to have work to earn spending money.  It's great that they have been able to help her take care of "the place".

Later this afternoon, she and Liga went shopping.  Liga is moving into an apartment at the end of the week and Emily wanted to do a little something to help her out.  They went to a couple of stores and ended up at Walmart where she helped Liga get a starter set of dishes.  Liga was thrilled, and Emily seemed to have a good time with her granddaughter.

This evening Emily and Hershey came up to have dinner with Alan and Lynn.  Hershey enjoys the dog food that is Sophie's daily fare much more than Sophie seems to like it! After dinner the dogs played out front and the human adults sat on the front porch and visited. 

Emily remembered that today is the one year anniversary of when Gene was transferred from Erlanger to Kindred.  Looking back on that event is very sobering.  Each day of this first year without him seems to bring a memory of something. 

July 4, 2010

July 2,2010

So Emily has a Carolina Wren raising her family on the back porch. 

Gene's hunting hat had a smell which is supposed to attract deer (and probably other wildlife as well)!

So she hung it outside, right out the back door where she keeps her mops and brooms. 

The other day she noticed a mother bird coming and going so she took a look.

Let's take a close up view!!

Emily thinks that they'll be ready to fly by the end of next week. 

June 27, 2010

Emily attended church this morning and then went with the lunch group from church to the Epicurean Restaurant. It's a family style Greek restaurant and has been a local favorite for lots of years here in Chattanooga. Well, it's actually in the little suburb of East Ridge. This afternoon she mostly rested - catching up on some rest as she didn't sleep well last night.

This evening she went to dinner with Alan and Lynn to celebrate Mommy Anne's upcoming birthday. Mommy Anne's sister Miriam and her brother Arvin and wife Lil joined the group as well as Liga and Valdis with his girlfriend Kalie.

It was a lovely evening. Just as it got dark, she visited Lynn with some of her first harvest of Cherokee Purple tomatoes. They were growing kind of low and she was concerned that Hershey might try to "harvest" them.

June 25, 2010

I have a surprise! There is a Chattanooga ball cap hanging by the back door. There are 4 baby Carolina Wrens in the cap!

I will probably can green beans tomorrow.

June 24, 2010

Emily has been busy with her responsibilities for Bible School at Cumberland Presbyterian Church this week. The Bible School is in the mornings, they have a sea faring theme and there is a great set in the big social hall. Up on the stage there's a boat hull and a wheel, as well as a large sail. It looks like it would be lots of fun.

Tonight Emily is spending the night at NHC with Mommy Anne. She's not able to stay by herself anymore and so she is taking a turn staying with her. Hershey is spending the night with her good friend Sophie. They played out on the circle with about 3 of their doggie friends for about an hour and a half.

June 21, 2010

Tom Stebbins wrote to Lynn about his address to the Master Gardeners at the dedication of the Teaching Garden.   He said that he knew that Gene would have written a poem for the occasion and he felt like Gene was presenting him with a challenge to write a poem.  Below is the poem that Tom wrote in response to that challenge. 

A Garden is a Place…    

 by Tom Stebbins 

A garden is a place to grow

the food for those in need

We plow, plant, rake and hoe

so all our friends can feed

A garden is a place to teach

the lessons of the land

Master Gardeners give a speech

or teach or lend a hand

A garden is a place for birth

where seeds pop through the soil

We harvest from the holy earth

with all our sweat and toil

A garden is a place for peace

to watch the busy bees

The garden chores will never cease

its time to pick the peas

A garden is a place for fun

to grow some giant roots

Children laugh and play and run

and try new plants and fruits

A garden is a place for plants

to grow toward the sun

We also see some tiny ants

but they will hurt no one

A garden is a place to seed

corn, lettuce and tomato

The Master Gardeners take a creed

to give, to plant, to show

Dedicated to all the Hamilton County Master Gardeners at the Grand Opening of the Evelyn Davenport Navarre Food Bank Teaching Garden.— June 18, 2010 

June 20, 2010 - Father's Day

Yesterday the Chattanooga Area Food Bank dedicated it's new green house and teaching garden.  The Hamilton County Master Gardeners were very involved and were there for the dedication.  Very soon after Gene and Emily moved to Chattanooga, Gene became involved in the Master Gardener program.  At first he may have been a bit put out that he had to complete the 40 hours of classes, but he did it with his usual good attitude.  From there on he was a fixture on the Master Gardener scene.  For several years he volunteered every Monday morning at the County Extension Agent's office.  He helped set up and man the display at the county fair every year, and he helped teach the Master Gardener Classes every year after he got the title himself. 

Yesterday at the dedication, Tom Stebbins, an extension agent at the Hamilton County Extension Service, was a speaker - friends of Alan and Lynn were in attendance, and called to say that Tom had chosen to talk about Gene.  He spoke of Gene's dedication to the Master Gardener program, of his stories that everyone wanted to hear - he said that when Gene spoke, no one really wanted him to stop. 

Gene loved being a Master Gardener.  His involvement in that program was one of the things that really helped him acclimate to the move to Chattanooga. The County Agent's Office saw what he had to offer and were eager to have him involved in their work.   Thanks to Tom Stebbins and the Master Gardeners.

June 19, 2010

Emilly is back home from her visit with her sisters and great niece Hannah. 

Yesterday they drove from Lexington to Elliot County where Grandpa and Grandma VanSant are buried by way of Morehead University and returned by way of  Natural Bridge. 

Then last night they went to a performance of the music department of the University of Kentucky.  They seemed to really enjoy that. 

This afternoon traveled with Joyce back to Knoxville where she had a rest and a cup of coffee before she journeyed back to Chattanooga before dark.  

Tomorrow she is helping with the church program which will be done by the children of the church in honor of father's day.  She's the elder representative on the religious education committee.  So she's got a lot of  responsibility with that.

June 17, 2010

Emily got those beans picked today!

Emily went to the doctor today to have her thumb checked out.  He says that she should slowly begin to use it and that she doesn't have to come back unless it bothers her.  She won't need therapy! 

After her doctor appointment, she was determined to get the beans picked.  She is headed to spend a couple of days in Lexington.  Hannah V-O is visiting Frances and Bob and Emily picked Joyce up in Knoxville then headed to Lexington for a couple of days.  She plans to be back in plenty of time to help the young people on Sunday.  They are doing the church service for Father's Day.

She sent Hershey up to let Sophie puppy sit for a few days.

A nice and very special day with Lynn. We went to Pet Smart at Hamilton Place Mall. Hershey needed a new collar and ID tag. Lynn got one for Sophie too, along with some other doggy things. Lunch at Red Lobster was very nice. It is so special to have a time like this with my daughter!
Back home for a few minutes and it was time to head over to Erlanger for Lynn's LAST HERCEPTION INFUSION! She is also able to discontinue the cumadin. How we have looked forward to this day! I am so thankful for her progress! What a year!!

Tonight Lynn and Alan went to church with me. We are having a Bible study using the Andy Griffith Mayberry stories from the TV series. Tonight's lesson was on mercy.
I have a sour cream pound cake in the oven. It bakes @ 300 degrees for 90 minutes.
I didn't get the beans picked. There was a rain and wind event late this afternoon. Hope it cools us off a bit 94 today!

June 14, 2010

Well, Hershey is trying to be a gardener.  She 'picked' the two first ripe Roma tomatoes! I also found her eating petunias! She is learning some commands. For now with all the chewing and elimination events, she is entirely an outside puppy! She seems to have adopted the doghouse and enjoys the large back yard.

I made supper for Lynn and Alan tonight. she requested pinto beans. They both seemed to enjoy the meal And I enjoy having them, it gives me a reason to cook.

This has been a very hot day at 94 degrees! I did a little early watering and putting out a few last plantings then stayed inside the rest of the day.

I talked to Mary today. She had another eye surgery last Thursday. The earlier infection had caused some problems. She is hoping it got taken care of. And we join her in that prayer.

I need to pick green beans tomorrow. The bean's job is to make seed and if I don't keep the mature ones picked, the plant will not continue producing any more fruit. If I do keep harvesting and there is enough water and nutrition for them, I may have beans until frost. If the crop continues to do well, I will can some for Gregory. I wish he could be here to help me can them.

June 12, 2010

Yesterday, I finished putting straw mulch on the rest of the garden.  I will put out a few more things soon.  In the meantime I hope the weeds and grass will be subdued! Later  I spent some time renovating the flower bed under the dogwood tree.  The pansies had to go.. I always want them to stay, but June dosen't provide a favorable climate for them in our area.

Today Lynn and I went to the Barn Nursery and I found a few plants to go under the tree.  I chose impatients, vinca and begonias.  I believe they will be very effective.

We are, since all the recent rain, in the midst of a misquito hatchery!  They are really swarming!  Maybe the city will do something about them.

The visit to Springboro OH for Gene's sister Dottie's 80th birthday was very special.  Gene would have loves the fireworks. Dottie has a wonderful family.  Doris, Earl and Mike are on board to see about everything

I had green beans from the garden and made dinner for Lynn and Alan.  We had green beans, potato casserole, salmon cakes and cantaloupe.

Hershey is growing! She's still very energetic but is learning some commands.  For now she is staying in the back yard and is sleeping in the dog house most of the time. (sometimes by the back door.)

June 8, 2010

Sunday School was always special for me.

As a very small child, at West Liberty, KY I remember my brother Philip helping me get ready for Sunday School. It was at the Christian Church. Gene was assistant County Agent for Morgan County when Russell was about 2 1/2 years old, we attended the Christian Church there. We didn't have any opportunity to attend church at the Neal Howard's Creek home or when we were in Wayne County at Grandma Jones' big house on the Cumberland River. When we moved to Mt. Victory in March of 1935, there was a Presbyterian church close by. Mr David Jones would go early and ring the church bell a few minutes before time for Sunday School to begin. Daddy took me. We walked and he would tell me to hold on to his finger when we walked beside the road. I usually had a nickel to put in the offering. Some children carried a handkerchief and they would tie their nickel into the corner of the handkerchief so it wouldn't get lost.

June 6, 2010

D-Day 2010

Chattanooga National Cemetery

June 5, 2010

Today Emily and Lynn spent the afternoon and evening with Gene's sister at her home here in Springboro, OH.  Her children put together a wonderful birthday celebration and we had a chance to visit with so many relatives. 

There were lots of nieces and nephews, their children, and their grandchildren. - Wow, where does time go.  It seems only a short time ago that Gene and his sisters would gather at their Mother's house for various celebrations and it was their children who spent their time in cousin-playmate groups - trouble buddies, as one observer called it once. 

The afternoon was lovely, even the rain that started just as the picnic began didn't dampen the spirits of the group that was gathered to celebrate.  The evening finally ended after dark with a great fireworks display in the big back yard!  What a way to have a birthday

On the way to Ohio Emily and Lynn had a nice stop over in Lexington.  Frances met them  at Cracker for a short visit and she treated them to blackberry cobbler. 

Just before reaching the Lexington exit there was an incredible cloudburst and they had to pull over and wait it out for a bit.  After that bit of rain the rest of the trip to Cincinnati and Springboro was a pretty easy drive.  They spent the evening at Dot's house and had a nice visit with Dot and Doris, and Mary, Linda, and Jim.  Everyone was busy getting ready for the party tomorrow.  There were cooked potatoes to peel and chop, cucumbers, eggs and celery to chop, some of Dot's candied dill pickles to chop. Jim had already peeled and chopped a big bag of vidalia onions, and later in the evening cut up about six chickens and put his homemade barbecue rub on them to let them marinate overnight.  The menu is for old fashioned recipes.  Emily and Lynn are going to try to make some of Great Aunt Ruby's Pulled Cream Candy for the feast tomorrow. 

June 3, 2010

I took the Volvo to Coker to have the front tires rotated and to have front end alignment and had to leave it overnight. Lynn took me to get it this morning. I had neglected to ask them to rotate the tires. I guess I thought that went with the alignment! So it got done this morning. I'm slowly learning about these tasks. The serviceman said the car really needed the alignment

I decided to take myself to lunch at Appleby''s. Just thought I'd try it. I had fish the server was very attentive. The serving was so generous I had enough for supper.

On the way home, I stopped by BiLo to get a few things. I found a doggy toy squirrel for Hershey. She loves it! It looks real and has a squeaker. I hope she will like chasing the many real squirrels that are robbing my bird feeders! Between the squirrels and the black birds, I've had to abandon trying to feed the birds.

The little southern magnolia that Gene teased me about when I got it abouot 4 years ago has finally bloomed! It had about 4 large sweet smelling white blooms. Now that I have a 'blooming magnolia, I've become a true southerner! He said it would get too large and I think we did plant it too close to the house. I wonder if it can be replanted.

June 1, 2010

Yesterday Alan, Lynn and I attended the Memorial ceremony at the National Military Cemetery; there was a soft rain part of the time. US Representative Zach Wamp gave a moving message. The road out of the cemetery was clogged so it took a while to get moving. The sun came out in the late afternoon, so I went to Gene's grave to put some flowers by the headstone. Clyde Glatter, Gene's 10 year old cousin and a boy scout had helped place US flags on all the graves. As I approached the area, Joan and Rick Denkinger from Gene's  Gideon Camp were there. Gene liked to wear his army uniform on memorial day and on other special military events. He was proud of his service to our country. We attended the last memorial service together in May 2008. It was sad to be there without him.

Clyde spent part of the day with me today. He will be doing football and wrestling camps for the next two weeks. I had him read from a fourth grade Mcguffy Reader a revised edition first published in 1879. He read, Why The Sea is Salt, a Norwegian fairy tale.

Hershey is growing fast. Her legs are getting long. She spends a good bit of time in the yard and likes to sit in the swing with me. She wants to play with Plato,but he will have none of that!

I got most of the grass out of the garden before the rain. Everything is growing well. I think onions are ready and beans are blooming. The Rudolph-Wright girls have been helping with some of the yard work. They are redoing the river rock borders around the flower beds and doing some puning etc.

Lynn and Alan had a nice cookout on Sunday evening. Liga and Valdis had red chargers under their plates to celebrate the anniversary of their adoption and arrival in Chattanooga. They have grown up to be fine looking young people.

Sarah called me today to tell me that she and Ryan are having a baby boy! She sounded so happy. How wonderful to have great grand children.  I sure want to be a special part of that little one's world! All of Steve's family are vacationing in Hawaii.

Pat's e-mail today said there are some cute photos of Madison Claire on Lauren's blog. Here's just one of them!

May 31, 2010

Today Emily, Alan, and Lynn went to the Chattanooga Memorial Cemetery for their annual Memorial Day service.  As usual it was a very lovely event, ending with a 21 gun salute. 

Some of these old soldiers may have been the ones who were at Gene's funeral providing the military honors. 

After they moved to Chattanooga, Gene always went to the Memorial Day Service.  He wore his uniform, and he was always greeted by numerous young soldiers thanking him for his service. 

Joyce drove down to Chattanooga to bring Marcia to the airport.  It turned out that getting from Colorado Springs to Knoxville the least expensive way involved arriving and departing from Chattanooga.  So after getting her to the airport, Joyce came over to Emily's for dinner and the evening.

Emilly made dinner for Alan, Lynn, and Joyce.  Alan's Mom, Mommy Anne took a nasty fall today and he was in the ER and then with her when they went to the rehab.  So he wasn't able to come for dinner.  Mommy Anne will be OK, but she's got a broken arm, a bad skin tear near her right eye, a fracture in the bone around her eye, and some awful bad bruising. 

Hershey is back from the dog sitters, and she and Emily are really having fun.  She spends lots of time in the back yard.  Emily has erected a baby gate at the stairs coming up from the back yard onto the back deck. This keeps her from getting under Emily's feet when she's trying to get into the house. 

When she's in the house for the time being, Emily has her stay in her cage. She's making it all the way through the night without going to the bathroom, and wakes Emily at about 6 AM to let her know that she needs to go outside to do her business.  Tonight Lynn brought her some rawhide chewies and she was really enjoying them! 

Emily went to Gaelyn Rotty's wedding this weekend.

She traveled with Alan and Lynn to Berea on Saturday and got there in time to meet Joyce at the church to help with the bows she made for the pews. 

Emily is posing there with her sister Joyce.  Marcia is standing between them -the Mother of the Bride and Emily's niece.  Then there is the beautiful couple - Gaelyn and Steven.  The wedding was absolutely beautiful.

They are headed to Doylestown, PA after a honeymoon and will look there for work near his parents and three older brothers. 

Emily had a chance to visit with all of Joyce's children and grandchildren as well as Ken and Sue Palmer and Ann and Hannah.  She got back home early this afternoon and has had an afternoon to get Hershey and get settled back in. 

May 19, 2010

Today Joyce drove down to Chattanooga. 

Marcia got a good plane ticket deal to arrive and depart from Chattanooga.  Joyce got to Emily's in time for a lovely lunch.  Lynn was in the neighborhood at lunchtime and so the three of them had a quick lunch together.  Joyce and Marcia didn't stay for a visit because they needed to get on to Knoxville to begin to attend to some of the wedding details.

This evening Emily went to church and then took Hershey up to Lynn and Alan's for a visit with Sophie.  The people sat on the front porch and let the dog and pup play on the bags of mulch that are stacked up on the porch.  They also ran around a bit in the front yard. 

May 17, 2010

Emily and Hershey worked most of the day in the yard and garden today.  Susan Wright came over and helped out some.  Late this afternoon she went to Church for a meeting.  First Cumberland is getting ready to have a new directory published and they listened to some presentations from several companies who would love to have the job of doing their directory!  When she got finished she brought Hershey and came up to Lynn and Alan's for dinner.

Emily, Lynn, and Alan sat out and watched the dogs getting to know one another.  Hershey is not the least bit intimidated by Sophie, and they played together for awhile. 

Hershey is sleeping in a crate inside the house.  She's good company for Emily.

May 16, 2010

Today Emily went to church and then to the Choo-Choo to eat with the "Sunday Lunch Bunch."  It's a wonderful opportunity for the church members to fellowship and get to spend time together in a way that's different from the church venue.

Since there was rain this afternoon Emily called to ask Lynn to go down and check on Hershey in the back yard.  So Lynn took Sophie down and introduced her to a new friend.  They'll get to have sleep overs whenever Emily goes out of town so it's good for them to get to know one another.  Sophie was very good with her.

 

Hershey escaped from the back yard when Lynn and Sophie headed home, so she walked up to Sophie's house and spent a little time exploring her new friend's house and yard. 

May 15, 2010

Today Emily and Hershey worked outside in the yard.  They worked a bit in the front yard and a new neighbor came by walking a puppy.  It was a small boxer type dog.  Hershey spent a little time getting to know the new neighbor pup, and now they both have a new friend!

Later in the afternoon Emily and Lynn took the truck and went to the Barn Nursery to pick up some mulch and plants.  On the way home they decided to stop by Linda's produce stand.....but when they stopped the truck wouldn't turn off!  What an adventure.  They drove to Pep Boys where they said they'd need to keep it for awhile, then they drove back to get a car and then back to Pep Boys!  They have it overnight and have to replace the ignition key mechanism...something about keys and tumblers wearing out.  She'll get it back tomorrow. 

This evening she took Lynn, Alan, and Liga out to dinner for Alan's birthday.  Provino's was the choice!

May 13, 2010

Hershey and I spent all day outside. She enjoyed exploring the back yard. I was rearranging 'stuff' And disposed of some of it. I also bailed the water out of the boat and tried to hose the cover to clean it. It needs more work.

Hershey is asleep in her crate and I'm on my way to bed!

This was a very warm day.

Something was eating some of my little plants, I think birds did it!

Liga came by twice today to see Hershey. Lynn came too! I think Hershey has charmed all of us.

May 12, 2010

Emily has a new little puppy.  Her name is Hershey (Her-She) Howard.  She was one of a litter born to a dog rescued by the Faires family from Emily's church.  They didn't know the dog was pregnant when they took her in, but she was!  Jeannie was calling this little dog he, and one day her husband looked at her and said, "Jeannie, this dog isn't a He it's a Her -- She.  And she became known as Her-She or Hershey.  She's a little doll and will be a great friend for Emily.




Emily reports:

BACK FROM CHURCH @ 9:00 P CHRISTIAN EDUCATION METING.

I ADOPTED A VERY CUTE TWO MONTH OLD PUPPY TODAY FROM THE JENNI AND BILLY FAIRES FAMILY. HER NAME IS HERSHEY ( HER SHE ) HOWARD, SHE'S A GIRL YOU SEE. WE SPENT THE MORNING IN THE BACK YARD WITH THE PUPPY RUNNING ALL AROUND AND ME STRAIGHTENING SOME THINGS AROUND THE YARD. I BELIEVE SHE WILL BE A NICE LITLE COMPANION.

THIS WAS CHURCH NIGHT AND THERE WAS A CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRIES MEETING AFTER BIBLE STUDY.

THE DAY FLEW BY AND I DIDN'T GET AS MUCH DONE AS PLANNED. I TRANSPLANTED SOME TFI PLANTS TODAY AND TOOK THEM TO CHURCH TONIGHT.  A COUPLE OF PEOPLE HAD ASKED FOR THEM.

HERSHEY IS IN HER CRATE AND SEEMS TO BE SETTLED FOR THE NIGHT SO I'M GOING TO TURN IN SOON.

May 11, 2010

Emily took a trip with the Sunshine Club from church today.   They left this morning at 10:30 and got back home at about 3 this afternoon.  They went to the Hughes Family Farm at Flat Mountain   It's Strawberry Season - they were so beautiful. They have a Facebook Page! Just look for Flat Top Farm Market.

She brought home several pints.  She shared with her neighbor and sent several home with Lynn. 

Later they went to the The Cookie Jar Restaurant on the Johnson Family Farm in Dunlap. They have a collection of cookie jars all over the restaurant and are well known for their country cooking. 

This afternoon when she got home, she put in some more onions.  

This evening some of those strawberries she brought home got put to good use as she joined Alan and Lynn for a dinner of pancakes and strawberries. 
 

got the tomatoes mulched and planted some more onions before the raid today. Then I spent time working the "paper" organization.  The garden is looking good - if I can just beat the weeds.  I still have some nut grass to get after.

Betsy sent me some great pictures for Mother's Day.

I will be going with the "Sunshine Club" to Jones' Farm for strawberries tomorrow.
We'll have lunch and be home by mid afternoon.  It will be a full day.

May 9, 2010 - Mother's Day

Emily and Anne spent Mother's Day with Lynn and Alan

Russ and Tina, Lynn and Alan, and Steve and Pat got Emily this beautiful Geranium for Mother's Day.  She seemed pleased.

Emily's Granddaughter got a great Mother's Day gift.  She felt her baby move for the first time!  Happy Mother's Day Sarah.

May 8, 2010

Today Liga took Emily and Lynn (in Emily's car) up to Knoxville for a wedding shower for Gaelyn Rotty.  Gaelyn is Emily's great niece - Joyce's grandaughter, and Marcia Judge's daughter.  It's pretty hard to believe that she's going to be married and graduate from college (both in the same weekend!)

She and her new husband, Steve, are going to live in Philadelphia where his family is from.  I'm sure she'll get used to the colder weather. 

It was nice to see Emily, Frances, and Joyce together at Gaelyn's shower.  The three matriarchs they've taken to calling themselves.  That's nice. 

May 7, 2010

Today Emily had a couple of heart tests.  She reported early in the morning and had a stress test.  She went at 8 o'clock for the treadmill portion of the test.  After it was over they did an echocardiogram.  Then they sent her home.  She got home and planted another row of beans, put down some mulch between the rows - soaked newspapers with a thick covering of wheat straw.  By that time it was time for her to go back to the doctor's office for an echocardiogram from a rested state.  (Perhaps that should have been the first one, before she had time to get started this morning!)  It may be a bit hard to get a resting echocardiogram from Emily once her day gets started.

She got her car back this afternoon.  Yesterday Lynn took her down to B&F and so she could get a sensor replaced, but they decided to keep it overnight and she decided to have them go ahead and do a regular service, so now she's gotten that all taken care of and has the car back.

She's excited about going up to Knoxville tomorrow for Gaelyn's shower.

May 6, 2010

I worked in the garden some this morning - weeding, cultivating and especially pulling up nut grass that has made a home in the garden ever since Gene was gifted with some free top soil a few years ago. I got all three rows of beans done and the one row of peas.

This afternoon Lynn helped me get the Volvo down to B&F to be serviced. Came home felt tired; took a short nap. Decided to get the beans mulched so I put down wet newspaper between the rows then covered it with straw and gave it all a good watering. Look out weeds I've got you covered!

Wonder why I am so caught up in making a garden for myself. I guess it makes me feel it touch with Gene, he loved to see things grow. And I'll have white half runners to can and share with Gregory. There will be more to share with Lynn and her family as well.

May 6, 2010

Chattanooga National Cemetery

very near Gene's burial place

May 5, 2010

Today Emily worked out in the yard and her garden.  She has beans and peas coming up, several varieties of tomatoes, and then in a raised bed she has swiss chard and buttercrunch lettuce.  She's also got a nice batch of onions coming on. 

This evening she went to church for Wednesday night dinner and worship.  She always enjoys Dr. Carver's interpretations of the lesson.  She had read the Matthew text he was going to speak about tonight and was eager to hear his interpretation. 

She is beginning to talk about getting a dog.  Lynn and Alan have offered to doggie sit anytime she has to be out of town, so we'll see if something happens in the next little bit.

May 4, 2010

I planted the Heirloom tomato plant "Purple Cherokee" Lynn gave me.

I dug a twelve Inch hole, pinched off the lower two leaves and put about 1/4 cup crushed egg shells and a heaping Tbsp of Epson salt mixed with some of the loose soil in the bottom of the hole. I set the tomato plant in place,packed some soil and poured water on it. Then I pulled soil up and all around, being sure to make it firm.

I now have a variety of tomatoes in the garden. Maybe this is the year of the TOMATO!
I found some seed from Pete,Gene's Army Sgt, the TFIS, Lemon Boy, Brandywine, Roma, Jubilee, Yellow Pear, and Celebrity.

May 3, 2010

This is Daniel Richelson's 30th birthday!  Kids do grow up. 

I went outside to putter in the yard this morning, and found myself going from planting some petunias to replanting some very crowded butter crunch lettuce. When I thought about going in for some lunch and looked at my watch, it was 4:00PM!  So went this another day.  Well I did go to the grocery and made a jello dish for CPW meeting at church tomorrow.

Tomorrow is voting day.  Lynn came down to look over the candidates with me. She is looking spiffy  wearing a neat black and white blouse w/ black slacks.  Her short hair is so neat!  She also gave me a facebook lesson.  I guess since all my young people , children, grand and great grands as well as many friends are doing facebook, I may as well get on the track.

Emily had a really full day today. 

She went to church this morning.  That is a community where she is very active and gets lots of good support.  She enjoys Sunday School, Church, Wednesday night dinners and service, as well as her leadership role in the church.

This afternoon she had a nice surprise.  Her baby sister, Joyce, who had been visiting her son David came through for a really short visit.  They had a nice time.  Joyce was just leaving and she said to Mom that she wasn't sure what she would be wearing to Gaelyn's wedding.  Mom brought her back inside and had her try on a couple of things.  She found a dress that she's going to wear.  We thought it was great fun that Joyce is going to be a GOB (Grandmother of the Bride) or maybe NOB (Nana of the Bride).  We are looking forward to the wedding and festivities.

Steve and Pat were heading to the Derby yesterday, but by the time they hit the split to go on to Louisville or take the road over to Somerset, they had decided that the bad weather was too much.  The prediction was rain and umbrellas aren't allowed at the Derby, and the infield would have been awfully muddy and very crowded.  They decided to play chicken and took the split to Somerset.  They spent a lovely night at Cumberland Falls and then got up this morning to go down to Goodwater and take a look at the logging at the property down there.  Then they made their way down to Chattanooga for dinner and a visit.  She made a great dinner and Lynn and Alan along with Liga and Valdis joined them for dinner.  They got to Chattanooga in time for a brief visit with Joyce as well.

West and Middle Tennessee have really suffered from the rainfall.  Nashville recorded the most rainfall in a day that they've ever recorded, and it's headed toward Chattanooga.  Emily is set with a flashlight by her bed and Lynn and Alan on her speed dial in case there's any difficulty with the rain as it comes eastward tonight.


In the meantime, for those who pray - remember those who have been harmed by the weather. 

May 1, 2010

Today Emily's neighbor, Lottie, decided that she needed some mulch for her yard.  She and Emily took the truck down to the Barn Nursery and got several bags of mulch and then brought it back.  Then she went to the grocery store.

This evening Liga and Valdis stopped by to watch the Kentucky Derby with her.  They had pizza and watched as a sloppy track gave the win to the most experienced jockey! 

Emily is looking forward to having Steve and Pat there for dinner tomorrow evening.  They'll have some stories to tell - they were at the Derby this year!

April 30, 2010

Emily had a busy day today.  She says she needs to be able to do another day's work at the end of the day like she used to!

Today she had an appointment with her dermatologist at 8:00 in the morning, but they didn't get her back to the examining room until about 9 o'clock.  She said her morning was just gone!  She went to lunch with two women who were in the grief counseling group at the church.  They ate at the Epicurean over in East Ridge.  She enjoyed spending time with the ladies.

Late this afternoon she worked some in the garden.  Steve and Pat are planning to come by for dinner on Sunday evening and she is already beginning to plan what she wants to put together for dinner.

April 27, 2010

Emily went to the dentist today.  She's had a temporary crown for quite awhile and today she had the permanent one done.  She's glad to have that done.

Later this morning, she worked on her banking business.  It's been quite a process to get it all straightened out.  At one time, it seemed as though it was all done, and then the bank told her she still needed to change over an account.  This time, perhaps it will be right.  All her deposits are going where they are supposed to go, and she thinks that she's gotten her automatic payments transferred to the appropriate accounts.   

Later this afternoon, she took the truck and drove over to Home Depot and bought some straw and some garden soil.  She was intent on getting some straw that had been sterilized so she wouldn't have to deal with weed seeds in it, but she said that the clerk she spoke with didn't seem to know.  She told Emily that it didn't have any seeds in it.  Once she got home, Valdis stopped by for a visit and she got him to put the straw and soil in the out building around back. 

And finally this evening she went to church for a session meeting.  She says that she doesn't see how she can squeeze much more out of the day, although she'd going to try to go through some of her mail before bedtime.

April 25, 2010

Today Emily went to church and then out with the lunch group to a place in Cleveland.  It was late afternoon before she got home. 

She and Lynn went to the cemetery.  They have closed the temporary road that was there this winter; there is currently another temporary road that goes up to that section, so it's still very easy to get to.  They have also sodded the row of graves where Gene is buried.  It looks very nice.

The cemetery was very lovely today.  Emily brought some spring flowers to decorate the grave.  It was very windy and the vase kept blowing over.  Emily finally put it on the other side of the grave marker and it seemed a bit more protected from the wind. 

April 22, 2010

Emily had two doctor visits today. She went to the nurse practitioner at Dr. Cannon's office and got her stitches out.  She said that the stitches were done with very fine thread and that they were difficult to get out, but that the place is barely noticeable.  The nurse practitioner put steri-strips on the place and then a bandaid over it. She then went to see the hand doctor.  She then went to see the hand doctor.  He says that she has a bone chipped in her first joint.  He made a splint for her thumb which is much smaller than the cast that they put on in the emergency room.  She has to keep it on all the time except when she is washing her hand so that it stays straight.  She is a bit provoked that she has to keep it on for at least 6 weeks.  She says the thumb is a really good invention and that it's really hard for her to get things done without it.

Later in the afternoon, she worked in the garden and planted more peas and some beans.  She also spent some time in the afternoon getting some of her banking straightened out.  She's been without access to a computer for a few days because her monitor quit - Alan took a monitor down and got her fixed up so now she has access to her e-mail again.

April 20, 2010

Today Emily went to be seen by the nurse practitioner in her primary care doctor's office and they found her to be in pretty good shape.  They also made her an appointment with an orthopedic doctor who specializes in the hand to take a look at that broken thumb.  It is annoying her because it's wrapped up so much that it makes it difficult for her to do anything much.  She also went to see a nurse practitioner at the eye doctor's office.  It seems that her eye looks a whole lot worse than it really is.  She was also going to have her glasses fixed. 

She has already begun getting back into the routine of her daily Chattanooga life!  There's not much that can keep Emily down!

April 19, 2010

Mom spent the day getting herself back into the routine of home.  When she woke her eye was pretty swollen and black and blue.   She called her doctor and discovered that she was not in today.  She'll call back tomorrow to get a referral for an orthopedic doctor to look at her thumb, and to see what she might need to do about her eye.  In the meantime, she called the hospital in Montgomery and has them sending the x-ray electronically to her doctor!  It's great to live in a time when it's so easy to transfer information. 

This evening she had a joint session meeting at church and she doctored up her eye so that she wouldn't look so beat up.  She put a skin colored band aid over the stitches, and then used a heavy hand with concealer on the area of her eye that's so bruised. It's purple and blue both above and below her eye.  Except for the swelling, it did look a little better after she got done with her make up!

April 18, 2010

Emily is home and her sisters Frances and Joyce have made it back to Knoxville.  Frances will spend the night there and head on to Lexington sometime tomorrow.

Yesterday they stopped in Montgomery to get some pecans and some delicious butter pecan ice cream.  As they were walking back to the car to head on to Atlanta, Emily took a really nasty fall.  There was a truck parked that was somewhat blocking the sidewalk, and as she maneuvered to get around it, she stumbled and with her hands full she lost her balance.  Steve was walking right behind her and said that she went down and hit her head on the curb with a loud thump.  He thought for sure she had suffered a fractured skull.  They got her up and her head was bleeding pretty profusely.  They got her into the car and she asked for some ice and a washcloth to clean up with and told them that she'd really like to finish her ice cream if they would get it for her.  (It had landed in some bushes!) 

It took Steve a bit of persuading to get her to agree to visit the Emergency Room, but in fact that's exactly what they did.  So they ended up spending long into the night with Mom being looked at.  She ended up with 12 stitches over her right eye - it's also very swollen and beginning to turn black and blue.  She has also broken her thumb. But the CT scan showed that her head is fine, and she passed all the lucidity tests. 

Tomorrow she'll call her primary care doctor and get a referral to see an orthopedic doctor for her thumb.  She is also supposed to see someone to check out her stitches, and she'll need to go get her glasses fixed since they got all bummed up.

Anyway, she's fine - and back home!

April 16, 2010

from Joyce's Point of View

The Three Matriarchs traveled once more to Seaside Beach, where we mailed some post cards from the TINY LITTLE POST OFFICE (only three people can stand at the window at one time...) anc chatted with the postmaster, Pat.  She hand-canceled the cards so that postmark will show Seaside.  We wanted some P.O. cards, but she said that they were all sold out.  Frances liked the bookstore across the way, as well as the toy store where she found the neatest "Frances ball" (it changes colors when you throw it...  (she'll have to demonstrate.)  Emily gifted me and Frances with a lovely batik scarf, which can be worn as a sarong, a belt, etc.  I'll demonstrate THAT!

We inquired about Key Lime Pie, and were told by the locals that the VERY BEST and BIGGEST piece would be on our way back from Seaside toward Destin at Grayton Beach at a place called The Red Bar.  (It had red lights inside...Frances got a photo) but it was gray outside.  Our server brought the menu...a 4 foot chalkboard with menu and prices...(Frances got a photo.)  Then Emily asked if we could have one piece of pie to share...he complied...it was BIG! and GOOD!  Then Emily decideed to buy a WHOLE PIE, which we took to Russell's and Tina's where we had dinner with them, her sister Laura and Steve.  A WONDERFUL dinner and very SPECIAL visiting. 

Pat had left her 1998 BMW convertible for us to drive while here...we enjoyed it a lot.  We felt a little like the cartoon character MAXINE for a few days.  But we had not tried to get the top down...we waited for Steve to come help with that.  When we got in the car to go to Russell's, the top got STUCK! SO...we were unable to let our hair fly in the breeze after all! But we had a lovely time, and do so appreciate the time we had to relax and hope to have the BIG VAN SANT LIST to e-mail the many loved ones in our family...compliled by Joyce.

P.S.  When we got back to Steve's place and punched the UP button on the elevator, it opened ONLY ONE INCH...tried the other side, and the same thing happened.  We were not up to climbing the 14 flights up, so Steve figured out a way to wind around the other units, via THEIR elevator side, where we managed to get into Steve's place.

April 15, 2010

Emily, Frances, and Joyce are busy getting the family list updated. 
If you are family, please send them via e-mail:
your updated snail mail address
your e-mail address
also help out your cousins, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles and send their information as well.

Thanks!

April 14, 2010

wednesday...

we ate irish oatmeal for breakfast.  it was different.  i had a big bowl with 
brown sugar and cream, and even though it was really good, i was full before i 
finished.  emily had a much smaller serving, and joyce had a 'mother-bear 
portion.  it is necessary to chew this kind of oatmeal!  

we went out to visit the pools before the sun shone upon them, and we stayed 
about 45 minutes with joyce and emily in the hot tub and frances first in the 
upper warm pool for exercises and then in the hot tub.  when the sun was upon us 
we went in for showers and shampoos and rolled hair. we are to go out this 
evening  with  the mcswains.(they are Lauren's in-laws)  aha! i found a capital l!

Emily has had her fingernails polished, and Joyce her toenails.  Frances came 
already seen to.  We are sufficiently presentable with an invitation to eat at 
the Bone Fish restaurant. (where Frances will select something from the menu 
that does not spend a lot of time in water.)
 

The beauty of our vacation abode is like a picture of Eden! However, we have not 
encountered any animals other than humankind.  We met a very nice gentleman who 
introduced himself as Kim and said he is a proprietor here.  (That's not the 
word he used).  He helped us find our way to the showers and spa in building 
one, and he told us about a good place to have lunch 'on site'.  Perhaps we can 
do that one day. Today we had simple fare within our own lovely walls.
 

Emily has been sewing. Joyce has been at computer and kitchen. Frances has been 
reading. We are all laughing at least once every half hour. We did two loads of 
laundry, and we will go out again tomorrow with Tina,..lunch and shopping for 
shoes.