Brrrrrrr . . .Oldman Winter won't give up!

Well we all woke up this morning to a little northern treat they call snow. It of course does not compare to the daily pounding our northern breathern have been getting but it sure does give us southern folks something to talk about.

The temperature all morning has been a brisk 30F . . . .brrrrrrr! Hey, hasn't anyone noticed it's March and I should be mowing my grass not thinking about shoveling snow! Besides Turkey season opens soon and I have enough to carry and don't want to worry about having to wear a snow suit. LOL!!!!

Now one of my brothers from the Rochester, New York area sent these beautiful pictures this morning of the light dusting of snow they got last night. Boy some folks just have all the luck! :)

Don't take your health for granted!

The phone call we all never want to get came late one day last week. A family member, my brother John collapsed suddenly while at the wheel of his vehicle. Retired and living in Florida he was in New Jersey with his wife burying his mother-in-law whom had recently died at the age of 92. The days had been long and the miles of travel kept adding up as they dropped off daughter & grand daughter near Binghamton, NY. As they began the journey south he had only traveled a couple blocks when he suddenly pulled over started coughing and suddenly slumped over the steering wheel.

A call to 911 . . .rescue breathing . . . .NY State Police . . . .CPR . . . .EMS . . . .local hospital ER and then a transfer to Albany Medical Center Cardiac Care Unit . . . .though I listened to my brother Jay's words as he explained the sequence of events it was hard to believe. You hear it, you understand the seriousness of it all, but your mind doesn't want to allow it to be true. Like all families you gather the wagons and some of the troops are dispatched while others standby. I became the scribe relaying every update that is fed to me to family members across the US and overseas.

CPR . . .its an acronym that's tossed about so freely and even elementary kids know it's meaning. Yet, how many really take the time to make sure they are trained. Being able to respond to an emergency even as a lay person can have life altering consequences. The brain cannot survive very long without oxygen and ones ability to react quickly can make a difference.

Fortunately John has survived an incident which could have been fatal. He remains in the CCU as more tests are being run to determine the cause of his episode. He has suffered some injury, but so far his heart, lungs and brain show no permanent damage. WE are so thankful and blessed that he is still with us. The recovery road ahead is going to be long and will provide many challenges for him and his wife. But, he has the determination and family support necessary to turn things around and eventually be back on his feet. We all know more tests are being run and it isn't all blue skies yet . . . .but our faith keeps us strong.

It's been too long . . .

Where has the time gone? So much has happened and it has been almost impossible to find the time to write. I am sure many of you have wondered where could I have possibly gone? Well, Hartsville, TN to be exact. After the last tornadoes hit the area Feb. 6th . . .I've been on the road a lot providing support to storm restoration activities. Seeing the devastation first hand definitely gives you a reality check. The city was without power for about 4 very long days. We had crews working around the clock with many folks working 15-20+ hours per day. Engineering re-design, materials and geological conditions put TVA to the test. The workers get so frustrated as they feel for those in the community and you literally have to force them to leave the work location and go eat and sleep. Though the challenges were many the way everyone both inside and outside the company pulled together is an adrenalin rush in itself. I love the work but truly feel for those affected. If you could see these fine young men and women of which many were still in their apprentice years working tirelessly and no job was too big or too small.

Through those 4 days we had local officials, state representatives, TN Governor, Homeland Security, company executives and The President of the United States all tour the devastation caused by the storms. So many helicopters passed by hourly observing all the work in progress . . . including one special aircraft . . . . Marine One!

. . .and when the tree falls!

This past week the Tennessee Valley saw some heavy rain and high winds. While neighbors lost shingles I got an unwelcome addition to my swimming pool. I have learned that Bradford Pears may be a beautiful tree when it blossoms but they don’t hold up well under adverse conditions. Once they mature they seem to be so brittle. It doesn’t take much to topple them over or break off a branch or two.



This past year before the installation of the pool we had lightening strike that same tree and drop a very large limb across the backyard fence with the top landing right up against the sunroom. I had several fencing panels destroyed including posts but fortunately no damage to the home. I had to have the original fencing contractor come back and replace the panels, posts, square the back gate and stiffen up my entrance doors.

I don't believe there is any damage to the pool thank goodness and as best I can tell the cover is still intact with no punctures. I find it humorous because it was the exact same tree and in the exact same area this large multi-limb section decided to fall. I rented an aerial lift from Home Depot last summer and the wife and I trimmed all the trees . . . way back . . to what I thought would prevent such a mishap. Ooops I guess I made a booboo there! :(

But I am blessed to have the tools to handle such a misfortune. Gas or electric chainsaws, great pruning shears and the equipment to haul it off. That utility trailer as seen more action than most slot machines. The best investment I've ever made. Then this past November I broke down and decided to purchase a 4-wheeler for hunting as the dragging part was getting old. Plus, I could use it to plant food plots on our hunting club. A 2008 Polaris 500X2 . . . .Hmmmm no hunting so far this year, no food plot work but I sure have used it around the house as my little work horse. No more hand towing the trailer in and out of the backyard saving on my back which isn't getting any younger.

What was really enjoyable was being able to load up that trailer in one full load and in a flash have it out at the curb for pickup. The last misfortune saw me and my wife along with our neighbors Bob and Kelly out there making multiple trips with my little JohnDeere garden tractor and trailer. Wow, if I had this 4-Wheeler then we could have saved a lot of time. Oh, did I mention when I had to go to the street side how easy it was to just zip out there with this utility trailer in tow to finish cleaning up the damage. Trimmed the rest of the tree, loaded it all on the trailer and was back in the cuddle-sac before you knew it. The power and speed difference between it and my garden tractor not only make things easier but safer, especially when I need to work out near the street. You can't help but love modern technology. ;)

Where do you begin?

Hmmmm good question. Where do you begin? This is my first attempt and being a terrible self critic and OCD I'll probably do this over several times before I feel I've gotten it right. But then I thought, is that what it's really all about . . .getting it RIGHT? Or is it just putting your best foot forward everyday and doing the best you can with whatever life throws at you. We all have our good times and not so good times. We all second guess ourselves throughout life always wondering if a different choice would have really made things any different. But, through it all is it not our faith, family and friends the measure of who and what we really are?

Well our dear friends and neighbors of 15 years moved on to Tulsa ,OK and I can tell you it sure is mighty quiet around here since then. I can't help opening my garage door and peeking over to see if my buddy Chase is out ready to come over and help mrbob. One cannot help but love that little fella because he sure can light up the day with the cutest little smile and a terrific laugh.

Meeting the next group of missionaries and learning where they all are from and swapping a few stories of my adventures in their home town or state. Michelle, my trusty taste tester as I put together another home receipe for some yummy venison fixin's. Venison tenderloin wrapped in bacon seasoned and cooked slowly on the grill. Mmmmmmmm good !!! A little piece of heaven. :)


This year I didn't get to do a lick of deer hunting but have 7 in the freezer. Yep, you heard it correctly. Fellow hunters looking to cull out their herd didn't want the meat so brought them to me to process. Sometimes 3 at a time . . . now that's some work for a fella who does it all in his garage.

Several of the neighbors came over, to my surprise, to watch and sometimes help. I tried to keep the big door closed or would warn others approaching in case it would offend them. As I said to my surprise they were interested in the process . . . .from skinning or caping the hide to deboning the meat. Little Aerial (sp?) was a big helper and had lots of questions . . .I think she's a pretty smart girl. Michelle, I know you're out there listening . . . lol!!! I'm sorry you were not here so I could share some of this delicious meat. I even got into making summer sausage, bologna, salmi, pepperoni and polish sausage links ( my favorite ). Oh, no I didn't forget . . .I made Venison Jerky too . . . about 15 lbs of it. Three different flavors, Hickory, Mesquite and Teriyaki. Unfortunately it didn't last long and I have had several requests for MORE! It is a lot of work and I do enjoy it but I sure do miss all my dear taste testers . . . .Michelle when are ya'll coming back for a visit! LOL!!!

At the end of the day and a nice full tummy nothing is better than snuggling up with my grand-daughters puppy . .Tater , a miniature English Bulldog. . . .who's about 9 months old. She is a bundle of love and is just soaking up all the attention . . . . it's going to be hard on all of us when she has to go back home.