Mother's Day, Aleve night

Wonderful day in my garden makes for an Aleve night.  Used up my bendovers  for the week spreading pine straw.  Garden hat and oak trees made for good day with light rain .

Mother's Day celebrated early at the beach with my Mom and sister.  Beach trips aren't complete without a little time in the beach chairs. Doesn't matter that the wind is near gale force, the flag is red and standing out like cardboard, my sister is holding on to the umbrella, my mom is a covered in a blanket, and I'm covered in goose bumps.  Did I mention that is was Bike Week? Mom and I listened to lullabies on my Pandora to try to drown out the cyclists who zoomed by our condo Friday night.  Never  drive on the back beach road near the Harley place on Saturday of bike week.  Can you say parking lot? Despite all the obstacles we had a great time and managed to eat some wonderful food. Grilled shrimp at Captain Anderson's--yum. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of you.  Looking forward to lunch with my baby and her sweet hubby tomorrow.  Also the Divine Mrs. M. coming.  more Yummy food this time prepared by Duke Boy. 

Who are you and why are you in my garden?

It's gonna be one of those, "I meant to do my work today, but a brown bird sang in the apple tree.." kind of days.  Who said that? Emily Dickinson?  Elizabeth Barrett Browning?
 Neither..Richard Galienne...look it up.  Are you kidding me.  I knew that was too light hearted and easy to understand to be Emily. 

Outside my window --a new resident--a striped cat that I've been trying to get out of my yard.  He or she followed me around crying while I put out ant poison--I think he thought I had cat food.   go away  I didn't want to like or poison you.  He eats songbirds and I just noticed that none are singing at this moment--hmm.

 They are smarter than Duke Boy ...the cat sat in his lap last night while he was outside.  Are you kidding me? "Sweet cat. "  HE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE CATS!

 OK, I admit I didn't try real hard to make him leave.  I think he probably also eats snakes or at least toys with them.  I am Not naming him.

Unlike J.R.  For Jack Russell.  He's our newest tree frog who sounds exactly like the Jack Russell dog across the street when he gets his knickers in a knot.  J.R. likes to get up at 5 A.M.  He did that this morning.  I know why you'd want to shoot J.R.

Little stripy NO Name must have moved out--no meowing and birds are singing again. 

Where will you see God today?  It's easier to see Him when they have names.

Ungeeked and unconnected

Frustration--should have geeked out several hours ago and called those guys to help me connect my email.  Bull-headedness prevented me from giving in.  Kept thinking I could figure it out. Now I'm too tired to comprehend instructions.  Tomorrow is another day.

Also gotta figure out how to get pictures to blog.  My garden has some lovely flowers right now.
Maybe by summer I'll figure this out so you shall continue to be charmed by my surroundings. 

Thought I'd lost you.  Just hit some button that sent everything to whirling.  Think I shall go to bed.

Hot diggity day

Hot diggity in the dirt.  What a day.

 New nursery for plants in Newnan.  Highway 29.  Southern Roots.
 Great owners :Bob & Sherry Lott.  Check it out.  Bought Black Cow to make my dirt feel nourished. Yes, it's what it sounds like.  I wore gloves. 

Troup County Master Gardeners Sale was today.  Put lime on your iris to improve the blooms.  This is the year of the iris at my house.  Apricot, purple, lavender--we bought a purple and white last night, and a salmon today.  Amazing how much you can cram in your car.  Cute young man pulled our plants to the car.  He said "your azalea is beautiful".  He stole my heart with his cuteness and plant knowledge! He was right it's an orange native.  So gorgeous. 

Another Newman nursery on 29, the Veggie Patch also has beautiful flowers.

Duke Boy dug my holes and I black cowed them and planted.  We are a good team.  He was kind when I was a little picky about the holes.

Tomorrow after lunch I'll finish planting.  Hoping for another gorgeous day. 

Peaceful river day

Easing into this Windows 8 thing---I think I can...I think can!
 
Another beautiful day in the neighborhood.  Gotta dig in the dirt.

Great Bunco night with the girls.  Fun, silliness, and great food.  I was not the biggest loser.  Sad. No cash. 

Who are you helping today. Look for the opportunity.  Good advice from Mrs. Rogers.

Peace today.

Windows 8 Yikes

Windows 8.  Pray that I will be able to master this.  My old computer crashed.  Geek squad saved some of my stuff @ Best Buy.  I need more tutoring on this stuff. 

Lovin' a faster connection.  My HP was great but from 2005.  Time to come into the 2000s. 

April in my garden is great.  DukeBoy hard @ work.  I've been out of town so I've only gooshed over his endeavors.  Tons of flowers. 

Pray for peace.  People in Boston and West Texas need healing.  as do we all.  Pray for all those in transition. 

Looking for the helpers

Mr. Rogers' mom told him whenever something scary happened on TV to" look for the helpers". Good advice with all the scary stuff on TV this week.  Sad for the family in Boston who lost their son, their daughter who lost a limb, and the mother with a head injury.

 Seems almost impossible to see beyond the awfulness to the helpers but they were there.  They were who kept alive the rest of that family.

  How can we help?
 What can we do?
 Sometimes it's easier to do nothing and hope that someone else will. 
Thanks to all of you ...the helpers. 
You know who you are and you just keep on doing it and never make it to TV for your efforts.
 We can all help by praying for the healing of those injured in Boston and those injured by the vote on gun control today. 

Peace from the Hooch. 

Land of the Eagles

This is my article that Shall appear in the Valley Times-News  West Point Times-News this week.

Some of it may look familiar if you follow my blog.  Check out the earlier posts for the pictures of the fire.

Land of the Eagles

What an amazing day on the Hooch: blue sky, birds singing, owls hooting, geese floating by, and Rock Man playing with fire.  Just  had the annual brush burn and “this girl was on fire”, literally, burned a hole in my hoodie with a spark.  Rock Man warned me to wear cotton.  You can be really late to a brush burn event if you search for something you own that has zero(0)  “other fibers” on the label.  Fortunately, I caught it quick since I thought it was a dreaded, could be deadly ,yellow jacket stinging me.  Yellow jackets have cured my snake phobia.  I don’t even think of snakes now—I’ve only seen three living ones in the nearly twelve years of river living—but yellow jackets are another story.  Those things are mean, can fly, and come in groups to attack.  I’m so glad that the three snakes I’ve seen didn’t fly or appear in a group.  They weren’t even mean. 

Back to my river day… April is definitely going down in the books as a favorite month.  How about that blue sky? I have a tulip that bloomed. Yes, I said “a tulip”. Of course, I haven’t planted any in several years. This isn’t Holland.  I do have many sets of beautiful tulip leaves.   Our yard is filled with things Duke Boy has moved around to give them a new lease on life.  We hope that changing their “feng shui” will encourage new growth—like moving your chair to a new place in the room so you can see the TV better.  Packets of zinnia seed and a two new ferns for Duke Boy are our only flower purchases, so far.   We do need to visit the land of Frankie & Frank for pine straw soon.  A delivery of about 20 bales will be a good start if you’re reading this. 

Another highlight of my weekend was seeing Eagles.  The kind with feathers was flying over the river while we were burning brush.  I also saw one yesterday flying over near the trestle while I was eating lunch at Roger’s.  Great view from the front window while I ate my yummy steak sandwich.  The rest of the Eagle story is my nephew, Matt, who’s Matthew to me but when you have a popular Boy Scout name then you have to become Matt in your troop, received his Eagle pin on Sunday.  Neat to see the young man he has become and the bridge that was his Eagle project for his community.  It was also great to have a family gathering that didn’t happen due to a funeral.  It’s easy to see why the Eagle was chosen to represent the level of accomplish for Matt since he will surely reached heights equal to those of his feathered namesakes. 

Our Advisory Board asked to share with you that the Pastoral Institute has contracts with many companies in the area where employees can come for counseling services at no cost to the employee.  We also offer Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) to companies where stressful incidents occur: bank robberies, deaths at the business, and shootings just to name a few.  Last year we provided this service to a local company after an incident. If your company is interested in learning more about these services you can contact me for more information. 

Go out and enjoy these beautiful days on our beautiful river and remember to look up and out because you might see an eagle flying or walking by.

Karen Erwin-Brown is the director of the Valley office of the Pastoral Institute.  She provides individual, marriage and family counseling by appointment only.  Call 334-768-2341 to make an appointment or for more information.

This Hooch girl is on fire

Beautiful day, eagle in the sky, owls hooting, Rock Man with diesel and matches, geese floating by on the Hooch.  Wait what?  Yes, time for the annual burn pile whoosh.  Life on the river required me to be helper this year.  Our own burn pile accumulated due to numerous dead trees near the river.  Got my bend overs in for the month picking up more limbs and sticks while watching the fire. 

Rock man making fire

Also had a moment of "this girl is on fire".  Rock Man warned me to wear all cotton.  OK I had 2% spandex in my hoodie.  Enough to feel like a yellow jacket stinging my arm...now there's a cigar sized hole in my hoodie.  I quickly extinguished myself.  This is why one needs company and a hose while attempting to fool with Mother Nature.  Cell phone in pocket is another must in case things don't go as planned. 

Pre-fire on the Hooch

Rock Man with more fire--one that got my Hoodie

No Eagle scouts were used in the building of this fire

Got to see two Eagles yesterday.  One in the Hooch sky and the other on a stage. Matt, his scout name, due to the excessive number on Matthew's in his troop, had his Eagle ceremony yesterday.  Very proud for he and his parents.  His Mom, my sister, got a medal--well, a pin, for her  Eagle Motherhood.  I've never gotten a motherhood pin or medal.  What a great idea.  I can think of several times when one would have been appropriate--here's your baby girl, and your medal; great job at breast feeding, here's your medal; SHE SLEPT IN HER BED--ALL NIGHT!!!Here is your gold trophy!! You moms and dads out there get my drift. 

peaceful day to you from the Hooch. 

go outside! Have a great day in the Sun!!

Too beautiful to be inside writing.  Have a fabulous day.  Get out there soon.  Peace from the Hooch.

Older friends

Enjoying a visit with GG--a since 8th grade friend.  She's in the friend group with Miss Sunny.  She too shall celebrate one of those decade birthdays soon. I play the "you're older than me" birthday game every year.  Miss Sunny is leading the pack now--I am the baby and the cutest--just like in my family of origin.(The cutest that is.) You can say things like this on your own blog.   I hope we play the birthday game for many years to come, and I shall remain the youngest and cutest. They shall have to blog to challenge my position.

God is good and continues to put good people in my path.  I am still the cutest of all of them but not always the youngest.  Look for the gift of lives in your path today.  Sometimes they may not look like who you expected or thought you needed.  Sometimes they are more. 

Peace from the Hooch. 

Don't let the rain do a number on you.

Rainy,chilly day on the Hooch. Grateful I don't have to water any of my newly emerging plants.  Love all the surprises.  Groups of lilies--I think?rising from a corner bed that I struggle to keep weeded.

Rock Man mowed down a year of weeds growing in-between our yards.  Those big boy toys are so handy sometimes.  Good thing I don't own one.  Could get dangerous on areas I get impatient with. 

Just remembered my little wooden weeding chair is still in the garden.  Oops.  It's just the right height to weed a flower bed and the high back is useful if you've got a back ache from too many bend-overs.  It's an old Sunday School chair. Gotta get it before the rain" does a number on it".  Just looked up that expression--means "does something bad to" .  From the 60's---for instance, bad relationship breakup and you mourn for weeks, your confused friends say,--"he really did a number on you".   Trivia for the day.

Time to make the donuts.  Have a wonderful, peaceful day.  Don't let the rain do a number on you.  Shake it off, man!

Post # 200. If you like these posts please become a follower and share with your friends.

. Garden update from the Hooch

Happy Birthday to Hank, my brother.  You are officially 5 years older than me--for a few more months.  Hope you have a super day even though you are older than me.  Hope you have a good day to golf or do something that old guys do.  :)

Yesterday was a great day--actually evening--worked my real job during the day---to haul stuff to my burn pile.  Think I'm gonna rename my blog--"life with the dead trees on the hooch".  Glad we give the woodpeckers such a fun place to hang out.  One got up close and personal with me while I was in his hood.  Looked like Woody Woodpecker for those of you old enough--Hank?--to remember that cartoon.  Brown with a red cap.

Wandering my garden and wondering what that plant is that's emerging from the soil is such fun this time of year.  Happy to report that all my lilies I planted last spring are popping up in the front house garden. Duke Boy has outdone himself raking leaves out of the beds.  So proud.  I HATE to rake. I will sit on a stool and shove leaves in a bucket for days--please don't ask me to rake.

Watched the sunset with Duke Boy after log hauling.  Geese honking up the river to the WP Lake. Ducks paddling down to Columbus to shoot the rapids. Gentle cool breeze with birds everywhere singing.  Just one question--God, what are mosquitoes for? Wish I wasn't so sweet.  I just can't help it.

Beautiful hydrangeas in my house from Easter.  Purple surprise from Duke Boy and pink in memory of some special guys.  Think they will go into pots for their first year.  We have great luck with potted hydrangeas producing an abundance of flowers.  Wish I could say that for those in the ground.  Probably don't pet them enough?

Time to make the doughnuts.  Hope the day is beautiful. Take the time to soak in it. 

A new Day--Easter Monday

Spring cleaned the office today.  Not a moment too soon for a corner or two.  New clients won't even know what they missed.  I had help.  Mr. M., who wants to remain semi-anonymous. He not only vaccuums, he can fix the vaccuum. Who says you can't get good help?  They haven't met Mr. M. 

Time to pack up the bunnies and chickens at the Hooch.  40 days.  They went by in a flash.  Particularly yesterday.  Woke up at 3 AM?? What?? The sunrise service was at 7.  Perhaps it was the Easter Bunny with his big feet who woke me? 

It was kinda neat being awake to help prepare the church for the Easter service.  It was dark, tomb- like, Duke Boy and I were alone carrying flowers, getting the oven warm for breakfast... then the first woman showed up.  She is like the Mary who showed up to look for Jesus.  She is there to make sure the place is ready for those coming to breakfast.  Coffee, warm casseroles, should I got get more juice?  can I wash your feet?  She is there to serve you and tell you  that she is glad to see you.   She won't mention if she hasn't seen you since last Easter.  She will just hug you and smile.

The risen Lord is always glad to see us.  Not counting the Sundays we didn't show.  What are we doing with the days to come? Who are we telling about our Easter experience.  The 40 days are over until next Lent.  Easter has begun.  Light the lights, decorate the altar, celebrate, tell everyone!

Peace on this Easter Monday in the Valley. 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter.  Two  church services, in nursery for one, wonderful lunch, long nap.  Great day.

                                                                   He is risen!

Sweaters, robins, Shazam :Easter

Air is nippy on my arm (covered in a shirt and favorite wool sweater) as I write near my open window.  Birds are up trying to wake the sun. Plants still under their black plastic blanket. Another bird just joined the chorus. They probably want my sweater.  "Over here", "me first", "I saw it first". 

 I had a first, recently...Coffee with Duke Boy in our river garden and I witnessed it...
I've seen enough Disney and Animal Plant to know that this happens but it was a first for me....

• A robin hopping around near by us, put his head down, and quickly pulled up a worm about an inch or so long, and gobbled it up. 
•  You know you don't spend enough time in nature when your first thought is --wow--just like TV. 
•   Shazam... I don't have to work for National Geographic to see this happen!

I have seen owls swoop out of the night sky from my patio and then I've heard their "snacks" last cry, but I'd never seen, with my own eyes, a robin pluck a worm out of the ground.  It was beyond cool. 
Don't judge.  Go see for yourself.  All you need is day light, a chair, coffee, quiet, a pair of eyes , trees, birds--preferably robins.

The women at the tomb told the guys, "Go see for yourself", if you don't believe us. 
Invite someone to come see for themselves what this Easter stuff is all about.

 More than egg hunts and bunnies even though you gotta love a little kid hunting eggs.  "Look down" you gotta tell the 2 and 3 year olds.  "Don't run" because all the eggs fall out of your basket.  "Your eggs are in this basket" those are you friend's.  Let's keep it that way--friends. 

Duke Boy has 4 sermons this week.  God bless him.  I mean that in the most literal way.
 Duke continues to play basketball at the oddest times for this preacher. 

Don't forget : Elizabeth Smart in Columbus on April 9th.
 Check out http://www.pilink.org for the details.

Great buys at Bluffton Antiques and Collectibles in Lanett.
 All your Easter baskets goodies are available except the chocolate bunnies. 

Wonderful church services at Shawmut United Methodist in Valley, AL.
 Sunday : 7 and 11AM eastern time. 
Thursday, tonite 6PM and Friday  6PM.  Join us, you are very welcome.

Counseling services at the Pastoral Institute in Valley, AL and Columbus, GA.
Info: http://www.pilink.org

Y'all have been great this month.  Almost 700 hits. Please become a follower by clicking on the appropriate spots.  Leave some "raisings" in the comment section. 
Peace, love, and Happy Easter.

Time for a raising

This article will appear in the Valley Times-News this week.  If you read the paper then you'll get a double helpin'.  Thanks for sharing your Holy Week with me.  Hope this will inspire you to get "raising".

Women participating in a "raising".

“You raise me up to stand on highest mountains…you raise me up to more than I can be” by Josh Groban is a beautiful song.   We are called to love one another as we love ourselves.  Yesterday that happened to me and I was “raised up”.  Holy Week service at First UMC West Point with preaching, singing, and lunch was gracious plenty… and then I got another helping—no—I didn’t get back in line—it was tempting—but my plate was already overflowing from the first trip.  If you remember I invited y’all in my last article—sorry if you missed it.  OK, back to my “raising”.  Several people there made it a point to stop me or come by my table to tell me how much they enjoyed my articles.  Some even called it my “weekly column”.  I do aspire to have a weekly column in true Erma Bombeck style.  I also aspire to get to her workshop so I can give y’all better words to ponder, cherish, mull over, tell your friends about…I’ll stop.  Obviously, I need more training.  Send a check to the “please get this girl some Erma fund”.

Yesterday’s evidence; I need love and encouragement to keep writing.  I get that from birds singing, beautiful flowers, my river with the moon reflecting in it this morning, and pats on the back with kind words from all of you.  The song about “raising up “is about God’s power but that power to “raise” others up is in the hands of all of us.  I experienced that yesterday.  I did not “get the big head” over it either.  Do you remember those words from childhood? “ If you tell her that she did well then she’ll get the big head”.  My head did get bigger since I was kid but I think it’s because I have such a big brain.  Ok, that’s another article. 

Who needs a “raising” this week?  Most of us need several daily.  My job is about figuring out how to help folks who need a “raising” so they can do the same under their own roofs with those others who are longing for a “raising”.  I’m going to miss “raising” from some of y’all today because I’m doing a lunch time appointment with folks who are desperate to find “raising” under their roof.  I will miss the fellowship of the meal, the sermon, and the pats on my back from a Holy Week event.  I will be diligent in seeking out some “raisings” from other sources this week and trying to be more aware of where I can offer them.  Last week I wasn’t very patient with a customer service employee at a company. I attempted to make amends by returning with a box of Girls Scout cookies.  I hope my peace offering was accepted?

Our Valley Pastoral Institute Advisory Board  comprised of Bill Edwards, our chair; Christine Simpson, Marilyn Stokes, Lucy Royster, Donnie Erwin-Brown, Shelly Hunter, Brenda Andrews, Mary Susan Underwood, Micky Underwood, John Samanie, Lessie Beck, Sandra Thornton,  and Marshall Sapp. We met last week and they asked me to share with you that we had over 800 hours of service last year to the community.  Hopefully hundreds of those hours were about “raisings”. 

Karen Erwin-Brown is the director of the Valley office of the Pastoral Institute located in Shawmut United Methodist Church in Valley, AL.  She offers individual, marriage, and family counseling by appointment. Call 334-768-2341 for an appointment or more information.

Night out off the Hooch

I could write about the weather forever because it's such a story.  My yard has tarps and sheets over the
plants that were in the basement last week.  Shocking and some awe --had a pot of bulbs that I was supposed to plant--picked a beautiful narcissus that bloomed from that pile.  So cool.

Tried to take a pix of my first EVER bloom on my cherry tree.  Of course, you can't see it but the trees --the oaks, were awesome behind it. Probably too intimidated to bloom before.

Great night in Columbus with my children and Ms. M. Treated to a great evening of "Cotton Patch Gospels" and supper at Hulihans.  Both I highly recommend. The show was soooooo good.  I saw it many years ago in B'ham with Harry Chapin's brother--I think--?? in the show.  It was at Samford.  Jesus served biscuits at the last supper.  Amazing acting and musicians --great vocal--WOW. The Wednesday night show has tickets--go. 

Girls just wanna have fun!

Happy customers!. This is how you spell where we ate.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday.  I will "walk in the footsteps of Jesus" in the nursery. 

Peace to all.

Valley daily living

There is a reason those little guys who pooped on my patio travel in flocks.  "Tufted Titmouse" .  I think that's who they were?  Difficult name for the ones who fly with jets.  Very cute and excellent poopers.

Hail--looked like snow on our front lawn--size of big gumballs here--I haven't examined my Sorrento. I'm guessing Hedgie Girl's car was doing it's signature beeping to "please" be let in the house--Beeping for hail, thunder, and when Hedgie Boy's monster truck cranks up.

Proud to say all our living trees are still standing--haven't looked near the river.  My Mom lost a pine tree in her yard to the storm.  Glad she doesn't own a chain saw--she'd be crankin that bad boy up.

Be safe today as you travel to your destinations.
 Gorgeous day.
 Singing birds.
 Cool breeze. 
Treadmill time--OK--some things aren't golden.  How did it make the list?????

Patio avoidance

My house is so D- vined!! What a job.  Only 2 small lizards, 1 big red wasp--that was disoriented and now dead, lots of tiny black now homeless spiders and 2 Aleve so I could sleep last night. 

Watched an amazing scene yesterday morning. A flock of birds--which I've now failed to ID with the website---hundreds of them in my trees--over the patio--ick. They swooped down and lined the edge of the wheelbarrow--filled with water--and all dunked their tiny beaks in tandem to get a drink.  Reminded me of the drinking bird toy that I had as a kid.  It would drink from a glass--I know you had one or envied  a friend's.  This flock hung out along time while Duke Boy and I had coffee together near the house --far from the patio. 

Peace and safety to all as we have another rainy Monday--""Rainy days and Mondays always get me down"--don't let that be you--we know what that did to poor Karen Carpenter. If you don't then Google it.

Peace from the Hooch