Song I have always loved, well ever since I was 14. Farther Along.
I did not go to church regularly when I was a child. I wentvery irregularly to the Nazarene Church which was very close to our house. Went to VBS there. Went on Easter. Was always invited to be in the Christmas play and had a part one time I remember.
And in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades I had the same teacher, a minister of the Gospel, Daisy Manes, and so every morning we would sing 2 or 3 church songs, and on Wednesday morning we had to say a Bible verse. Friday afternoons, Bible stories...loved them.
I am getting sidetracked though, this stuff should be on my memories blog. Back to the song, Farther Along.
I had a great uncle, William (Bill) Lawson, who lived with us for several years when I was in grade school. He lived by himself until he couldn't see well enough to take care of himself and caught his house on fire. He got that put out, but he went to live with my Grandma Mary for a little while. Not sure how long he stayed there. Anyway, he lived with my sister Ginger for quite a while too, and then us. Our grandpa had been estranged from our family for years and lived in Washington State, so for me at least, I think I thought of Uncle Bill as my grandpa. I mean I knew he was my great uncle and called him Uncle Bill, but in my feelings he took the place of my grandpa...I guess, oh I just loved him, uncle or grandpa or whatever.
Well he had arteriosclerosis and would go out of his head sometimes and believe he was out west, panning for gold, which he really had spent time doing in his younger years, and would think an old camp dog was in his room and beat at the floor with his cane. He progressively got worse so Mom and Dad made the decision to put him in the rest home in Forsyth. I don't know how long he stayed there before he died, probably a couple of years.
He died on September 20, 1970. I still remember the phone ringing and Dad talking to them and then telling us Uncle Bill had died. It was the first person that died that I was close to and I still remember crying and crying.
His funeral was at the Bradleyville Baptist Church and Burl and Helen and two more (I don't remember who but will try to find out) sang the songs. One of the songs they sang was Farther Along. It touched me greatly when I heard them sing it, and it is still one of my favorite songs.
I included Farther Along in the memorial I made for my dad when he passed away. I used the version by Johnny Cash and it is one of my favorites too.
It is the first song I ever sang at church for a special. I was so nervous, and thought I sung it right, and then Pastor Jeff said thank you for that song, he admired me to get up and sing a song I didn't know the tune to....so I guess I didn't sing it right...anyway, still one of my all time favorite songs.
Here is the version I used in Dad's memorial, Johnny Cash singing....
Mother Maybelle Carter - Wildwood Flower
Wonderful, old timey song from Mother Maybelle Carter, who happened to be June Carter Cash's mother, and was famous in her own right before June, was the head of the group, the Carter Family. Love to listen to her sing this, love to watch her play the guitar, her hands and arms look so strong. Enjoy the song.
God Walks These Hills
This is an old song that we heard Vernon Marler sing several different times, mostly at the big Bryant Ridge Revival that went on for so long. All of the kids have heard Vernon sing it also and they all agreed it is their Dad's song (Bob's). I have to agree, it fits him very well. I think Eddy Arnold made it popular and his version is very nice, but I am an old Porter fan and he is an good old Missouri boy so here is Porter Wagoner singing it.
If I can ever get a CD to work in my computer again, I will try to add Vernon's version, which is my favorite. His version might be a little bit different than this version, just can't quite remember. These lyrics I found have an extra verse that Porter doesn't sing in his version but I included it anyway...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xmHkg1wccI
God Walks These Hills With Me
We all have treasures, we call our own,
Mine are these hills I call my home
Just let me live till eternity,
in these hills, God walks with me...
Yes, He walks these hills, these beautiful hills
Where my soul is always free
What a comfort to know, I'm never alone
For God walks these hills with me
Yes, God walks these hills with me
Every day when the sun goes down
I thank God for the love I've found
For the contentment each day I see
In these hills, God walks with me
Yes, He walks these hills, these beautiful hills,
Where my soul is always free
What a comfort to know, I'm never alone
For God walks these hills with me
Yes, God walks these hills with me...
Doctor Visit-Diagnosis: Old and Getting Older!
I think it is osteoarthritis, which is what Doc Roston told me many years ago, but never really made an official diagnosis or told me anything to help relieve the uncomfortable joint pains (or really allover pains) I have.
I have read up on it of course, and not a whole lot to do if it is just arthritis. I don't mean to make little of it when I say "just arthritis" but I just mean there is not much to do for it but to take painkillers.
My thing is, will it get worse if I don't take painkillers or whatever they say to do, or will it just stop the pain? I don't enjoy having pain, but I don't enjoy taking pills either and would rather avoid meds. And not just pills, but I mean any kind of medication or procedures. If it isn't going to get rid of a condition I would rather just live with it. It isn't that bad yet.
Anyway, we will see I guess, in a few weeks. Hope I like the doctor, that is always a plus...
(update) I did go to the doctor, or PA I guess I should say, and she did think I had osteoarthritis, sent me for x-rays on my shoulder, and found out severe arthritis, gross alignment, impingment anatomy and degenerative changes. As I told my daughter, I am old and getting older. She wants me to go to an orthepedic specialist, maybe get a shot in my shoulder and worse come to worse, mentioned a shoulder replacement. I am still thinking about it all.
Gardening Fever
It's time to start thinking about the garden again. Oh my, what plans I make. hahaha I need to start some plants indoors to transplant after they get big enough. I will wait until my helpers are here. My helpers are Garrett, Emmett, Makenna and Caiden, although Garrett is gone to his Gma and Gpa Jenkins house today. Since Bradleyville doesn't have school on Mondays this year he goes up there most Sunday evenings and stays the night with them.
Anyway....gonna plant the obligatory tomato and pepper plants. I always let my peppers get too chilled and its stunts their growth. I didn't know I was doing that until a few years ago when I was griping at David about my stinkin little pepper plants and he told me it had to be really warm for them to grow well, and cold would stunt them. Gonna try it again...
I looked at some of the planting trays they had at Walmart for $6.78 apiece. You got the tray with a clear plastic top with the peat pellets that swell up when you water them. Probably some styrofoam in the bottom for insulation. Mini greenhouse. Well....I thought that was too expensive, so you know me, I got a bunch of peat pellets, which I DO like to start the plants in. Then I bought several cheap $2 roaster pans (from $ General) with clear plastic tops. No styrofoam. They also don't hold as many peat pellets as the ones at Walmart. I feel like I probably didn't save anything and probably spent more than what it would have cost at Walmart. But, I did it my way....that is always the thing, I want to do it MY way...will I ever learn? No, but that is okay. My way is fine for most things that aren't that important, just so I remember to let God do it HIS way for all the important stuff.
So...tomatoes, peppers, I will plant some potatoes this year. Gonna try to plant them in the empty mineral lick tubs we have laying around. Tried them with tomatoes and feel like they dried out too much. May not work with potatoes either, but plan to fill the tubs with good soil and compost and see what happens. Last several times I tried potatoes in the regular garden, I got a crop about the size of ping pong balls.
So...tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, radishes, lettuce, spinach, onions, turnips, zucchini, squash my mom called "Patty Pan" but now they just call it white scalloped squash, some jalapeno peppers, banana peppers...
I got some beet seeds. Never have tried to grow beets before, don't especially like plain ol' beets, but have been thinking about the pickled beets my mom and grandmas used to make and would like to try them. I did like those pickled beets.
Going to plant some "red" okra, saw it in the store and thought I would try it. Maybe some vining okra. Donna gave me seeds for that several years ago and I keep forgetting every year to plant it. If it will germinate after all these years I am going to try to grow some.
Going to grow cucumbers, of course, nothing says home grown like some fresh out of the garden cucumbers. Got two varieties, one for slicing and another that is supposed to be good for pickles. I tried dill pickles a time or two and they weren't fit to eat, too soft for my taste, but Julie kinda wants to try so we will try. I have made the lime pickles several times that were delicious and a favorite of David's
And then, a favorite crop of mine, green beans. I don't know why, but I want to grow and can mass quantities of green beans every year. We didn't grow any last year because we had so many left over from the year before when we canned close to 300 jars of the greenies, but we have used the final jar this year, so it is time to get on that.
Some sweet corn, always need some fresh sweet corn to nibble on, the grandkids like it too.
Going to grow some peanuts this year, thought the grandkids would like that.
Watermelons and cantaloupes. Don't know where we are going to put them but going to find someplace. Thinking about using Grandma Mollie's old garden place. It has trees around it now and needs cleaning up but it might be a good place for the watermelons and cantaloupes....which brings me to another matter....
THE COWS....AND DEER.... last few years we have had a horrible time keeping the cows in the fields where they belong, and the deer, well the deer just go wherever they want to go. The cows have eaten garden, beans, cucumbers, and TOMATO PLANTS! Never knew cattle fancied tomato plants, but they sure have loved ours. I know it was the cattle on the tomato plants because we have caught them in the act a few times. Now, the deer like to eat my daylilies and I am sure they would like the garden stuff also, but have not ventured into the garden because Bob's coonhound is tied up near the garden and keeps them scared away. But not the cows, they ain't scared of nothin'!
Well, it's time, so we will see what we can get planted, grown, and preserved!
Miss Me But Let Me Go
When I come to the end of the day,
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room,
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not too long,
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love we once shared---
Miss me, but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone...
It's all a part of the Maker's plan,
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart
Go to the friends we know,
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds--
Miss me, but let me go.
Author Unknown
Author Unknown
Dear Ancestor
Dear
Ancestor
This is a poem I found on Pinterest. It describes my feelings some about my ancestry/geneology work.
Some people think it is silly to wonder about people from our past family, and isn't worth our time or money.
That is okay, nobody will force you to research ancestors if you don't want to. I was like that for many years, just didn't care.
But, I got interested in it little by little, slowly over the years. I would find out somebody was related to somebody else, and how they were related, (not neccessarily family members either) and it just got interesting to me.
I say for right now, I am only interested in a few generations back, to see how all our family is related to each other, but like before, that might change too and I might find myself trying to go back to Noah....hahaha...
Anyway, I like this poem, it also describes the way I have felt while mowing and taking care of the Bradleyville Cemetery, and visiting other cemeteries.
Every person buried there has their own story, and it is just fascinating to me and I like to imagine what life must have been like for them. Picture of Bradleyville Cemetery and while these graves are not neglected, they are not thought of very often either.
Your
tombstone stands among the rest;
Neglected
and alone.
The
name and date are chiseled out
On
polished, marbled stone.
It
reaches out to all who care
It
is too late to mourn.
You
did not know that I exist
You
died and I was born.
Yet
each of us are cells of you
In
flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our
blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely
not our own.
Dear
Ancestor, the place you filled
One
hundred years ago
Spreads
out among the ones you left
Who
would have loved you so.
I
wonder if you lived and loved,
I
wonder if you knew
That
someday I would find this spot,
And
come to visit you.
Turkey Track
Took our annual trip to the little town of Waldron, Arkansas to go to the Turkey Track Bluegrass Festival. Love love love going to this festival! It is a Wednesday through Saturday festival but this year we only got to go on the Friday. We left early Friday morning to get there by 1:00. I have to stop a lot, bathroom breaks or flea market breaks or gift shop breaks, yeah, whatever, but we get there in time...
This year was great as usual, but the whole trip seemed goofy messed up. It was one of those trips we will talk about for a long time and laugh every time we talk about it.
We usually stop at the King's River gas station, and while Bob is getting gas or snacks, I browse through the gift shop. Sad story...many years ago when we stopped there, I saw a figurine type thing I really wanted. It was an old hillbilly/farmer/logger type man, sitting on an open wagon, with logs in the wagon. It was pulled by a couple of mules. I wanted it but it cost $30 and I thought it was too much money to spend. I would gladly spend it now because I have thought about it so much I think it is worth it. It was just a cute little knick-knack, more clutter, but I thought it was cute because it had to do with logging. Well, we have stopped in there several times in the past several years and that knick-knack is there no more. I hunt for it every time I go in there. Someday I will find one.
There was lots of construction on the way there. They were re-building a couple of bridges and straightening some of the roads. Lots of construction. Seemed like it didn't slow us down much. Pretty light traffic. Still got to Turkey Track around 1:15, missed maybe 10 minutes of the first group, The Hartley Family. They were really good.
Anyway....love that bluegrass! We got to see Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. Now I love that group dearly, they are the best. Saturday night was going to be Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and I dearly dearly love that band also, but we couldn't stay the extra day this year. Scott was gone to drill and I didn't want Julie and the kids to be alone all weekend. I know she and the kids would have been fine, but I wanted to be there with them.
Anyway...the music was great! We also saw Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers who we also saw back in September at Starvy Creek, and I have really decided I like that group a lot.
We decided to go back out on the highway at Waldron at supper break and rent a room so we wouldn't have to do that at 11:30 at night. It's around 8-10 miles from Turkey Track. We went to the same motel we used before but they were full up for Friday night but had a room for Saturday night. No good, we needed the room Friday night. Sooo....went across the road to another little motel.....oh myyyy. Yes, they had one room left, but it was a smoking room. Did I want to see it? I asked Bob, figuring he would rather go up the road an hour or sleep in the car before sleeping in a smoking room. Sure, he said, let's look. Arggghhh, it was smoky smelling. Stunk. But, we decided to take it. I decided to go to $ General or Walmart and get some air fresheners to freshen it up a little.
I asked the lady where was the Dollar General or Walmart? Was they close? She gave me some silly answer, she said did I like Dollar General better? Walmart was closed, she said, then laughed like it was a really good joke. She never did tell me where it was. We were on the loop or bypass of the town, so we drove up the highway 2-3 miles, and 2-3 miles down through homes and through the business section to find something.......old old town and no Dollar General or Walmart in sight. Bob pulled into a gas station to get some gas and I asked a man where either store was. The Dollar General was back the way we came, turn left at the stop light, and a couple of blocks down. The Walmart was truly closed down...
Anyway, finally found Dollar General. They must really miss the Walmart because it was packed with people. Maybe they always preferred Dollar General, maybe that is why Walmart closed down...the aisles were piled up with merchandise and boxes waiting to be put out. Anyway...got air fresheners, went on out the road Dollar General was on and came out a block from the motel. Was not amused. Well, actually we were. We are easily amused and laugh at ourselves all the time. Sprayed down our room with febreeze and plugged in the freshener thingy and back to the bluegrass we went.
Had a wonderful fantastic time listening to bluegrass. Walked around looking in the little stores at merchandise, had some great "Turkey Milk ice cream" hahaha.
We had eaten a burger and fries meal shortly after we got to Turkey Track and I was still kinda full, but Bob decided he wanted a corn dog and I said I would have one too. He went to get them and stayed gone for a good half hour. He came back empty handed. Said they were out of corn dogs. The lady in the concession trailer said her son was supposed to bring her another couple of boxes of corn dogs two hours before but hadn't shown up. They had chili dogs and hot dogs but no corn dogs.Said to come back a little later she was sure he would show up with the corn dogs. I didn't care, I don't like corn dogs that much, but about an hour later, Bob tried again, said if they didn't have corn dogs he would get chili dogs. Again he came back empty handed again. The son had never brought the corn dogs, and so Bob had tried to get a chili dog, but they were out of all dogs by then...hahahahaha....in the meantime I had wandered over to another concession trailer and got a big bag of kettle corn, which I'd rather have than a corn dog anyway, so we just ate that.
The festival was good. The room smelled better when we got back, so we slept okay. Got up and started out the next morning for home.
Got about 10 miles up the road, and there in the road stood a woman with a stop/slow sign like the highway department uses. I said surely they aren't working on the roads on a Saturday? No, surely they weren't. When we got closer, we saw that there was a marathon being run, right up the highway we were driving on....ugh. I wanted Bob to turn around and go a different way, but at that point we didn't know it was a marathon, thought it was a 5k or something like that, so we went on. Runners all over the road. Going BOTH ways. We got behind a little pickup that was driving really slow with the flashers flashing, and every time it passed a runner, the driver slowed down even more, and was giving the runners a "thumbs up" and shouting encouragement...I think....hahaha. Well we followed him maybe 2 miles doing this and finally Bob had enough. The pickup slowed down even more right in front of us and beside a tent where they were handing out fruit and water to the runners, stopped and started backing up towards the tent. Bob swung out and went around and we were gone like a ruptered duck in a hail storm....
more later......
This year was great as usual, but the whole trip seemed goofy messed up. It was one of those trips we will talk about for a long time and laugh every time we talk about it.
We usually stop at the King's River gas station, and while Bob is getting gas or snacks, I browse through the gift shop. Sad story...many years ago when we stopped there, I saw a figurine type thing I really wanted. It was an old hillbilly/farmer/logger type man, sitting on an open wagon, with logs in the wagon. It was pulled by a couple of mules. I wanted it but it cost $30 and I thought it was too much money to spend. I would gladly spend it now because I have thought about it so much I think it is worth it. It was just a cute little knick-knack, more clutter, but I thought it was cute because it had to do with logging. Well, we have stopped in there several times in the past several years and that knick-knack is there no more. I hunt for it every time I go in there. Someday I will find one.
There was lots of construction on the way there. They were re-building a couple of bridges and straightening some of the roads. Lots of construction. Seemed like it didn't slow us down much. Pretty light traffic. Still got to Turkey Track around 1:15, missed maybe 10 minutes of the first group, The Hartley Family. They were really good.
Anyway....love that bluegrass! We got to see Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. Now I love that group dearly, they are the best. Saturday night was going to be Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and I dearly dearly love that band also, but we couldn't stay the extra day this year. Scott was gone to drill and I didn't want Julie and the kids to be alone all weekend. I know she and the kids would have been fine, but I wanted to be there with them.
Anyway...the music was great! We also saw Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers who we also saw back in September at Starvy Creek, and I have really decided I like that group a lot.
We decided to go back out on the highway at Waldron at supper break and rent a room so we wouldn't have to do that at 11:30 at night. It's around 8-10 miles from Turkey Track. We went to the same motel we used before but they were full up for Friday night but had a room for Saturday night. No good, we needed the room Friday night. Sooo....went across the road to another little motel.....oh myyyy. Yes, they had one room left, but it was a smoking room. Did I want to see it? I asked Bob, figuring he would rather go up the road an hour or sleep in the car before sleeping in a smoking room. Sure, he said, let's look. Arggghhh, it was smoky smelling. Stunk. But, we decided to take it. I decided to go to $ General or Walmart and get some air fresheners to freshen it up a little.
I asked the lady where was the Dollar General or Walmart? Was they close? She gave me some silly answer, she said did I like Dollar General better? Walmart was closed, she said, then laughed like it was a really good joke. She never did tell me where it was. We were on the loop or bypass of the town, so we drove up the highway 2-3 miles, and 2-3 miles down through homes and through the business section to find something.......old old town and no Dollar General or Walmart in sight. Bob pulled into a gas station to get some gas and I asked a man where either store was. The Dollar General was back the way we came, turn left at the stop light, and a couple of blocks down. The Walmart was truly closed down...
Anyway, finally found Dollar General. They must really miss the Walmart because it was packed with people. Maybe they always preferred Dollar General, maybe that is why Walmart closed down...the aisles were piled up with merchandise and boxes waiting to be put out. Anyway...got air fresheners, went on out the road Dollar General was on and came out a block from the motel. Was not amused. Well, actually we were. We are easily amused and laugh at ourselves all the time. Sprayed down our room with febreeze and plugged in the freshener thingy and back to the bluegrass we went.
Had a wonderful fantastic time listening to bluegrass. Walked around looking in the little stores at merchandise, had some great "Turkey Milk ice cream" hahaha.
We had eaten a burger and fries meal shortly after we got to Turkey Track and I was still kinda full, but Bob decided he wanted a corn dog and I said I would have one too. He went to get them and stayed gone for a good half hour. He came back empty handed. Said they were out of corn dogs. The lady in the concession trailer said her son was supposed to bring her another couple of boxes of corn dogs two hours before but hadn't shown up. They had chili dogs and hot dogs but no corn dogs.Said to come back a little later she was sure he would show up with the corn dogs. I didn't care, I don't like corn dogs that much, but about an hour later, Bob tried again, said if they didn't have corn dogs he would get chili dogs. Again he came back empty handed again. The son had never brought the corn dogs, and so Bob had tried to get a chili dog, but they were out of all dogs by then...hahahahaha....in the meantime I had wandered over to another concession trailer and got a big bag of kettle corn, which I'd rather have than a corn dog anyway, so we just ate that.
The festival was good. The room smelled better when we got back, so we slept okay. Got up and started out the next morning for home.
Got about 10 miles up the road, and there in the road stood a woman with a stop/slow sign like the highway department uses. I said surely they aren't working on the roads on a Saturday? No, surely they weren't. When we got closer, we saw that there was a marathon being run, right up the highway we were driving on....ugh. I wanted Bob to turn around and go a different way, but at that point we didn't know it was a marathon, thought it was a 5k or something like that, so we went on. Runners all over the road. Going BOTH ways. We got behind a little pickup that was driving really slow with the flashers flashing, and every time it passed a runner, the driver slowed down even more, and was giving the runners a "thumbs up" and shouting encouragement...I think....hahaha. Well we followed him maybe 2 miles doing this and finally Bob had enough. The pickup slowed down even more right in front of us and beside a tent where they were handing out fruit and water to the runners, stopped and started backing up towards the tent. Bob swung out and went around and we were gone like a ruptered duck in a hail storm....
more later......
Rylan
Started babysitting my youngest great grandson in middle September. Courtney decided to work a few days a week so I said I would babysit for her.
Rylan is a sweet little guy, loves to be cuddled, loves to eat, my word, he is a little chunk. I don't know exactly how much the little feller weighs, but he is heavy. I will have to remember to weigh him soon.
I don't know how it is going to work in the long run, I am doing okay handling him right now. He is a big 3 month old baby but I can still handle him pretty good. I have to lay him on the couch or bed a lot and sit or lay beside him because if I hold him too long my arms go numb. That has worked really well so far, as long as he is in a good mood...hahaha
Julie says she will help me on the days I don't feel good or have to do something. She loves to cuddle him and take care of him. She doesn't feel very well most of the time though so I need to be really careful about taking advantage of her.
I think we will get along fine.
Starvy Creek
Went to Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival again this year, first a couple of afternoons in July and then on the Thursday night and all day Friday and Saturday in September.
Such a good festival. Been going several years now, and one of my favorite places to go and spend time.
Saw and heard so many good bluegrass bands. Of course, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver was a favorite, as was Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, and we saw the Grascals, who I thought I might not like, but liked a lot.
Got to visit with good friends and catch up with everybody.
Ate some so-so hamburgers, and some GREAT pie and ice cream. Caramel corn too.
Just getting to be there, sitting outside with all those other people, soaking in the bluegrass, was so good. I needed it.
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