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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Simpler Times...

A little house with three bedrooms and one car on the street.
A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat.



In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone,
And no need for recording things, someone was always home.



We only had a living room where we would congregate,
Unless it was at mealtime in the kitchen where we ate.



We had no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine,
When meeting as a family those two rooms would work out fine.



We only had one TV set, and channels maybe two,
But always there was one of them with something worth the view.



For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip,
And if you wanted flavor there was Lipton's onion dip.



Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother liked to cook,
And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker's book.



Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play,
We all did things together -- even go to church to pray.



When we did our weekend trips depending on the weather,
No one stayed at home because we liked to be together.




Sometimes we would separate to do things on our own,
But we knew where the others were without our own cell phone.



Then there were the movies with your favorite movie star,
And nothing can compare to watching movies in your car.



Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season,
Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason.



Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know,
Have real action playing ball -- and no game video.



Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend,
And didn't need insurance or a lawyer to defend?



The way that he took care of you or what he had to do,
Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you.



Remember going to the store and shopping casually,
And  when you went to pay for it you used your own money?




Nothing that you had to swipe or punch in some amount,
Remember when the cashier person had to really count



The milkman used to go from door to door,
And it was just a few cents more than going to the store.



There was a time when mailed letters came right to your door,
Without a lot of junk mail ads sent out by every store.



The mailman knew each house by name and knew where it was sent;
There were not loads of mail addressed to "present occupant."




There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take,
And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make.



They didn't look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile;
They were streamlined, white walls, fins, and really had some  style.



One time the music that you played whenever you would jive,
Was from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five.



The record player had a post to keep them all in line,
And then the records would drop down and play one at a time.



Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today,
And always we were striving, trying for a better way.



Oh, the simple life we lived still seems like so much fun,
How can you explain a game, just kick the can and run



And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes,  
And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes?



This life seemed so much easier and slower in some ways,
I love the new technology but I sure miss those days.


So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same,
But I sure love to reminisce and walk down memory lane.



                            

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Living with Mr J and the Chickens!

I just have to share this story with you...

Many of you know that last week Lille Diane stopped by our farm to visit on her way home from KY.  While she was in KY, we e-mailed a bit back and forth making plans for her visit.  At one point she mentioned Superman...

Later, in a conversation with Hubby, I mentioned that Superman had a really cool name!  It made Hubby sound so ordinary.  I suggested that we should find an exciting name for Hubby, to which he responded, "How about 'The Jerk'?"  We looked at each other and started LOBO!    Yeah, The Jerk is right up there with Superman!  It amazes me how his mind works.

I told Lille about it and we shared a laugh.  So when she finally made it to the farm, we had fun calling Hubby The Jerk.  Since then, it has come up a few times in our e-mails.  Today, Lille gave me a message to pass on to Mr. J.  I kinda like that one!

So, if you happen to read a future post that mentions Mr. J, you'll know right away...

... who I'm talkin' 'bout!


Well, since I'm here, I might as well share a bit o' chicken farming life with y'all...
Last week, when I was snapping all the potential shots  for the 'chicken wall', I shot a few inside the main chicken house.  Hubby has done a little redecorating in there...

These roosts were here before, but I just like them.
They are recycled from an old swing/play set.



I didn't notice her until I turned to leave.  Hope we didn't disturb her.  The recycled milk crates make great nests.

So do five-gallon buckets!  Hubby is experimenting with different ways to keep the nests cleaner.  The bucket keeps other chickens from roosting above the nesting material.  They tend to roost on the sides of the milk crates.  Not good...



Another design idea to keep them from roosting above the nests.

The chickens still aren't in full production.  We hope to soon get around four dozen a day.  Here is today's round-up so far...


Do you see why Lille Diane called them rainbow eggs?

Tennessee Vacation Part V: The Final Chapter

Down the road from Norris Dan stands an old grist mill from the 1800s.


As if the mill wasn't picturesque enough on its own, the surroundings are serene.


 
Hidden among the trees on the right side of this picture is a paved path.  A woman passed by, jogging with her dog.  What a beautiful place to get your daily exercise!

Oh, what I would give to have this in my garden!



I once had a basement similar to this one!
But it didn't have this...

I admire the old craftsmanship.


 
 The water wheel is directly connected to the large wheel inside, which in turn is geared to the other wheels that drive the mill upstairs.


The corn is dumped into the feeder at the top.  I asked about how the farmers would get their grain up to the hopper.  The museum attendant didn't know.  I guess they had to carry it in sacks on their back, up the stone stairway into the top level of the mill.  Perhaps they had a rustic grain elevator?

Enlarge this photo for more information on the mill...



Of course, you know the wheel is water driven, but here is how the water is channel and controlled:

There are diverters at the top of the stream.  A determined amount of water is allowed to pass through to the wheel.  The rest is channeled directly to the stream below.



From the diverting system, it is carried to the wheel in a trough,

where the water is then dumped onto the top of the wheel.


Today, it would be a simple task to mount such a wheel.  Hubby and I could do it!  We'd just rent the proper equipment from the tool place.  I admire the quality of work they achieved without the modern equipment we take for granted.




I hope you have enjoyed traveling to Tennessee with me.


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tennessee Vacation Part IV


Norris Dam is a part of the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) system.  It was built to provide power and control flooding.  This dam is located in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  It has always been one of my favorite stops when traveling south.  (Cumberland Falls tops my list, but we didn't have enough time this trip to stop there.)



If you save this picture, you can enlarge it enough to read about the TVA.



This ivy has taken over large portions of the area.  You can see places where there is nothing but piles of ivy in the shape of trees, power lines and cliffs.  I think the way it cascades down the rock walls here is beautiful.  I would love this in my backyard!

The ivy has decided to camouflage the  pavement.  Wise choice!
In the background is the marina.


Don't tell Ali, but I like this stone stairway
even better than the one she helped me build!
Well, maybe not.


What picture do you see in this wall?


This is an example of resilience!

My style of landscaping!



Tomorrow, I'll conclude my vacation blog with pics from the grist mill.   Hang in there... one more day!

WARNING: It could happen to you. Would you know what to do?

Everything was fine.  We were almost through dinner when my cell phone rang.  The display said it was my oldest granddaughter calling.  I answered.

I couldn't really understand what she was saying... something about kitchen stool and choking.  She was crying so hard.  Dani asked for my prayers for Melody.  I heard that part.  Melody Lillian is my namesake... my fourth granddaughter; Dani's baby sister.  She will be three this December.




Melody had been running a slight fever.  The flu had been passing through the family.  A couple of weeks ago, the family doctor had told Dani that he thought her symptoms were probably from the H1N1 virus.  Now it was Melody's turn.  Daddy stayed home from work to be with her.

Mommy had just walked through the door from work.  Melody was sitting on the kitchen stool having her temperature checked.  What happened next is a blur...  They had been eating candy and Melody had a sucker in her hand when Mommy came in the room.  Melody started to get up from the stool, but suddenly collapsed into a seizure on the floor.  She stopped breathing and began turning blue!

The immediate thought was that she had choked on some candy.  Mommy had taken a first aid course years ago, but didn't remember much of it.  Dani, however, had recently completed a first aid/CPR course.  It was required for her nursery job at their church.  She performed the Heimlich on Melody.  No candy popped out, but Melody did start breathing again.

Meanwhile, Daddy had been on the phone summoning the paramedics.  As soon as the ambulance arrived, Dani called me to have me pray for her sister.

Hubby and I jumped in the car and headed for Middletown.  We went to the hospital first.  Melody was running a very high fever.  She didn't want to take her medicine for the nurse.  I said, "I bet she'll take it for Papaw."  The nurse handed him the medicine cup.  Papaw gave it to Melody and she drank it down.  Our job there was done.

Dani told me that she had been unhappy about the first aid course.  It fell on her birthday and lasted for hours.  She never thought about needing it for her own sister.  Now she is so glad she took it!  Who knows how this might have ended otherwise.

It turns out that Melody has the flu.  A fever of over 104* was probably the cause of the seizure.  She was released from the hospital tonight and is resting well at home.

We hear so much about flu prevention.  Everybody's running to the store for hand sanitizers and other items to help combat the virus.  But what about training?  All the hand sanitizer in the world wasn't going to make Melody breath!


I hope that everyone that reads this story will think about signing up for a First Aid/CPR course.  Most people live far enough from a firehouse or emergency center that, before help would arrive, permanent brain damage could occur in someone that had stopped breathing.  Sure, the 911 operators are trained to talk you through life-saving procedures; but wouldn't it make you feel more confident knowing you had been trained to perform them.  Your child's life could depend on it.  Please, think about it...