March 8, 2018
CATHY:
“March Weather” – Snow, Sun, Wind…with flowers and green grass.
DANA:
“Moose Drool” – Nothin’ like a little Moose Drool to calm your nerves and quench your thirst after a hectic day.
March 7, 2018
CATHY:
“Sunup to Sundown” – Sunup to sundown was spent at work. This picture I took a few days ago of a Sunflower that still stands in our garden. Hubby tried to knock it over with the lawnmower last Fall but it refuse to crumble.
We call it the lamp post and I seriously thought about putting Christmas lights on it but didn’t want to buy more drop cords to power it. Today this is my….um……spirit plant. I feel just about like it looks, but I refuse to fall over. Take that evil cold.
DANA:
“Good Morning” – Feeling very blessed to wake up with this out my window this morning. Looking forward to another productive day!
March 6, 2018
CATHY:
“Sick Day” – Just a picture of one of my favorite festivals. Claytor Lake shoots fireworks off a barge the 3rd Saturday of June. What a beautiful way to watch and photograph them. Takes forever to get out afterwards but worth every minute!
DANA:
“Writing Class” – Had my first writing class at Valley School today and my picture is what the road looked like getting there! I also met two school buses coming back from a field trip. Trust me when I say they don’t miss school for snow out here!
I love these kids (there are 9 students) but they range in age from Kindergarten to 5th grade. My biggest challenge was to make my instruction simple enough for the younger ones without boring the older ones to tears! So I brought snacks and we made up our own story. Everyone participated by taking turns and making it up one sentence at a time. Our story was about “Princess Jody”, who sang and played the harp while riding her horse, they fell into the creek, got saved by a prince with bad breath, there was a kiss (after some oral hygiene) and of course a “they lived happily ever after”. It was a hoot!
It is amazing what a few chocolate cupcakes and a little imagination can do!
March 5, 2018
CATHY:
“Just For Me” – After a miserable night of snotting and snorting, I dragged my weary butt out of bed for work. I drugged up sufficiently, and hit the road. I was pretty much driving on auto pilot when I noticed a large bird in the tree over the road.
It was right at a small church, so I had a place to pull over. I was so excited when I realized it was a Bald Eagle. I was frantically getting my camera ready, praying it wouldn’t fly away. The first shot, I was like a hunter with “buck fever”. I couldn’t get a steady bead on it at all. Finally I calmed down and got a fairly nice shot of it.
It never did fly, and this made my whole day better despite feeling under the weather. I’m pretty sure the Good Lord sent it there, just for me, knowing it would make me feel better. Thank you God, it was just what I needed.
DANA:
“Fly The Friendly? Skies” – This was a beautiful view from the plane as I landed in Billings, MT today. I used to love to fly! It was easy, laid back and the airport personnel did not treat you like a terrorist!
And before anyone loses their cool with me let me just say I get it. I know why we have to go through a security checkpoint that makes you break out into a cold sweat when you realize that maybe you didn’t take that pocket knife out of your backpack after you went camping! Or you hold your breath when the drug dog goes by fearing he will detect something in your luggage even though you KNOW there is nothing there! Pat downs, cavity searches, AAGGHHH?!?
And the seats have shrunk on the planes to fit in more people thus making more money for the airlines while you feel like cattle in an overloaded bull hauler heading to the plant. More people mean more body heat so my frequent hot flashes + increased body heat = me spending most of my time with my hot cheek pressed against the cool window trying not to spontaneously combust!
BUT this will not keep me from traveling and I stand by my statement: “It used to be easier.”
March 4, 2018
CATHY:
“Man Cold” – Almost made it through the Winter without cold or flu, but alas it has caught up with me. I really hate to whine, but this one could almost make me act like I have a “man cold”. I’m a woman though, so I got my chores done and I’m ready to go to work tomorrow.
DANA:
“West” – Looking forward to heading West soon for a short visit. Was fortunate enough to get this picture early one morning last September. Yep, it was snowing and 23 degrees and it was beautiful! God has given us some wonderful things to see in this world! We just have to get out there and find them.
March 3, 2018
CATHY:
“Robins!” – Awaken to a beautiful sunny Saturday and when I looked out the window my yard was full of Robins. They were late this year for some reason, but they are here now.
I’ve seen a few here or there, but not the yard full that usually starts around the first of February. In my younger years these small things weren’t important. As I get older the little simple things bring great joy. Why is that? Did I really thrive off the rat race of life? I think wisdom comes with aging and we realize what really matters. In this ever changing world, the things that stay the same are the true treasures.
DANA:
“In Nana’s Arms” – So here is the poem that I finished last night.
In Nana’s Arms
When I’m in Nana’s arms,
Her cheek pressed next to mine,
I know that things will be OK,
That I will be just fine.
When I’m in Nana’s arms
I know she loves me so.
It’s in the way she holds me tight
Like she’ll never let me go.
When I’m in Nana’s arms,
She tells me stories too
About animals, birds and places we’ll see,
And all the exciting things that we’ll do!
When I’m in Nana’s arms
I don’t want our day to end.
We play, we laugh, we do silly things
Until mom calls us in.
When I’m in Nana’s arms
I feel her heart’s strong beat
As we dance and sway and twirl around
Because she knows that soon I’ll sleep.
When I’m in Nana’s arms
She doesn’t want to go.
We both cry when she has to leave
But I’ll see her soon you know.
Until our next adventure,
Until she comes again,
I know in my heart that in Nana’s arms
I have a forever friend.
March 2, 2018
CATHY:
“Spring Fever Letdown” – So much for Spring fever and thank God I didn’t take my Winter decorations down. Why, you ask….because Mother Nature is fickle and I like to think, she can’t fool this wise old bird. I’m not wise for the most part, but I’ve got a half of century…plus, on this Spring tease, song and dance, and she didn’t score one point with me.
A little snow and ice on my trek to work today, but I was ready. I was also ready for the for the power outages predicted. Our power, here in holler, goes out if a bird farts. We pulled up to the house last evening and the porch lights went out. Ok, then here we go, but then they came back on. They flickered a few times through the night but I awakened to power. I guess the power company knew we were ready, and there was no fun in that. I hope all who have no power, will be restored soon. Happy Friday!!!! Old picture showing Mother Nature what I do when she messes with me.
DANA:
“Create” – Well I thought I had dodged a bullet. High wind warnings from Thursday, wind gusted all night, power flickered but I had electricity this morning! Yay!
But that little hope was dashed when I came home from taking mom to the grocery store and my little cabin was dark and cold. I was prepared with hurricane lamps, flashlights and my Mister Buddy heater. Still…..
So what do I do? I decided to take this time to finish a poem I had started (yep, a poem, I blame it on the menopausal hormones). It is amazing how much you can get done by candlelight, in a dark chilly room with no distractions. I couldn’t check my phone, I couldn’t get on the internet, I could just think and create.
If I get the nerve I may share my poem with you in tomorrow’s blog……..trust me, I am not a poet.
March 1, 2018
CATHY:
“A Step Back In Time” – I grew up watching the Andy Griffith show. Since most of them were in black & white, I’m sure I was watching reruns years later….right???? Well I Googled it, and sure enough they began before I was born. Anyways, as a kid, I thought it was cool the setting was so close to home. My Airy was Mayberry and Mt Pilot was Pilot Mountain.
Our trip “off the mountain” put us down town Mt Airy this week and we were hungry. We decided to eat a Snappy’s, (one of Mt Airy’s first businesses mentioned on the Andy Griffith Show) That’s their claim to fame. As you can see the menu is limited. I ordered a cheeseburger and was asked if I want all meat……um….what??….yes? The menu did have that option, and I didn’t notice it. I wonder if my reaction was normal for all the first timers? Oh well, we ate lunch for less than ten dollars and was happy.
DANA:
“Cat” – I am trying to finish our latest children’s book about Cat, one of my daughter’s rodeo horses. He is one of a kind. In his rodeo days he was as powerful and quick as he was quirky. He definitely has a distinct personality and he loved to go to the rodeo!
Cat is retired and is now out in the “geriatric unit” pasture eating grass and hay and just being a horse. But he deserves to be remembered so he will soon have his own book in print….”A Horse Named Cat”.