A Season of HAPPINESS

I have had such a blessed Christmas, and those blessings just keep producing a great big Happy Ball inside of me just like when it snows and you take a little bit of snow and start rolling it in the snow and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I feel so blessed to have the children we have. They made me proud as we headed over to the Moravian Home Church in downtown Winston Salem an hour and a half early and not complaining one drop. Aunt Connie was up....Randy's sister from Florida whom I love dearly, and whose husband was in Africa but was here is spirit. He sent red beautiful roses to remind us that his love was sent from afar and he was thinking of us. We missed him, but were comforted by our early Christmas with him, tree and all, right before Thanksgiving here in Winston Salem.

The Moravian Love Feast service was so beautiful. (Thanks, Bo.) We got the very last seats for 4 and sat 5 at the very back of the church. We sat on wooden school chairs with one cheek on each chair and loved it. They obviously still have the hanging of the greens, an olde English tradition, and fresh greenery was strung in huge clusters from the walls to the center of the ceilings, as was the front of the pulpit area. I felt like a veteran this year at the feast. I didn't look down, feeling guilty because I was eating and drinking in church, and I made it a point to savor every sip of that sweet coffee and sweet roll in the Name of the Lord. I felt loved, LOVED, and wanted to just hug everyone I saw on the way out...until I saw what I thought were carolers outside. Church members were explaining what had just taken place and my first thought was, "I wish they'd quit talking to the carolers so they would sing." It was snowing and the church bells were ringing and I felt like I was in the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." As I walked by "the carolers" I realized they were Quakers or Amish and for whatever reason, had found their way to this little piece of history in the center of Winston Salem on a cold snowy night. What blessed my heart even more was to look over at the kids and see them singing the traditional hymns of their past. (We are not a musically inclined family, so this was huge to me, as I always tell them, "You'd better learn all the church songs down here as we will probably be singing them in heaven.")

I cannot believe that I got to make so many wonderful gifts this year. I made boxwood wreathes from Brookberry Farm English boxwood....really from England, but not exactly from the farm...it worked; homemade gift enclosures and cards; food and I even painted a Brookberry Farm ornament for the ornament exchange at the clubhouse right before Christmas. It only took me a year to paint, and I had to take a picture of it and the person who "WON" it. She was a new resident and she was so happy to commemorate her first Christmas here with a hand-painted ornament. It was just another thing that made me HAPPY! There's so much more. I really am once again reminded that "the simplest things remind us of all that we have to be thankful for."

Happy New Year! May you be blessed with Happiness the year through!

Catch Up Time

Goodness it has been a whirlwind few months with a Red Hot & Blue restaurant finally joining the ranks of the corporate offices here in Winston Salem. It's a slow process, this opening up a restaurant business, and it is not for the faint-hearted. I never knew how involved the whole process was until now. "Out of sight, out of mind," has been my response to those who have asked about the business and I was content in saying that up to this point.

The process from start to finish took about 70 days to reconvert an existing restaurant. It was so much fun watching the changes from day to day, and now it's neat watching the new relationships gel. Randy is loving getting to know their staff and returning customers. He is truly in his element. It is hard for me to stand on the sidelines because I really am a change agent and teacher. I want to jump in and say, "Let's try this! How about that?" Don't think I don't do that, and they have all been very gracious, but I really want to get in there and be in charge of the "classroom," because I really do see all of our lives as one big interaction with each other. I see my life as a change agent for GOOD.

It's very interesting how my life has taken such an interesting turn. I told you about the women's retreat I did back in September. Well, a new invitation came out of that for me to speak at another Lutheran church over near Greensboro as "The Mystery Guest Speaker" at their yearly stewardship campaign. Their Evite invitation was so beautiful and they had so many wonderful things planned. I couldn't wait to hear "The Mystery Guest Speaker" by the time I got there. I left on cloud 9. They laughed in the right places and nodded and "Amened" just like I'm used to with the Baptists. And of course, the food was plentiful and delicious. The pastor said that everything revolves around food with the Lutherans. So help me, I thought that was just a Baptist saying. I'll bet the Catholics and Methodists say the same thing, along with all the other denominations.

THE BOOK is always looming on the horizon. Leah made the comment as Randy and I were en route home from the dinner that I needed to see the book as a history lesson in the making for the neighborhood, because teaching is what I do best. She's right. I'm starting to get excited as my time is "freed up" for a while. I interviewed Lilian the cook yesterday and cannot wait to try some of her recipes.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my sister Linda's house in Jonesboro, GA. Some of our cousins were there from our childhood. It's always fun to be reunited with my sisters and their families...add our first and second cousins in and you have a true THANKSGIVING, because that is what it is all about. We pictured our mothers smiling from above.

My sister Scarlette, and our second cousin, Lena, are into family history, and have both joined DAR and the Manakin Huguenot Society. Here's what I pulled up as an explanation:

The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin In the Colony of Virginia

History: Huguenots began coming to Virginia as early as 1620. In 1700-1701, five ships arrived at the mouth of the James River, then the York and the Rappahannock rivers, east of present-day Richmond, Virginia. French Huguenots, having fled religious persecution, had lived in England and Ireland and done military services for King William. They were granted lands in the New World for a permanent home where they had the freedom to worship as they pleased. West of Richmond, many founded a colony on the site of a village deserted by the Monacan Indians.This is a society of the descendants of that colony and French Protestants who came to Virginia before 1786 [see history of the society]. The society headquarters and library are located beside the Manakin Episcopal Church on the original King William Parish glebe land in Manakintown.

Welcome "Gator," my newest follower and cousin from where else but Florida.

I've "Birded" You ALL to Death!

Oh my word. I just found out my widget is missing. I hope I didn't hit the wrong button and upgrade, because I am perfectly satisfied with my widget as it is. (You know, that's the little moving thing on my blog to the right that states how many hits I have and the country they are coming from.) I love that thing. It just makes me happy...especially when I see the number has gone from 1 to 2 for any given country. I wonder if it's a new person who stumbled upon Brookberry Girl, or if it's a return reader. Either way, I'm grateful for the audience.

My sister Scarlette from Atlanta obviously is taking my advice and freeing herself up a bit. I sent out a notice to my sisters that I was up and writing again after a long summer hiatus. She requested my blogger information earlier, which I don't recall her ever doing, and commented when I asked, that it was all about birds. She's right. I have shown quite a preoccupation with the birds around here. I think it's because I never really noticed anything but the Bob Whites and eagles down in Florida. I was just too busy. I have often repeated myself in regard to the birds, because every time I noticed something new about them, I just added that to what I already knew...just in case there was a new reader who would not take the time to go back to previous blogs. (It's the teacher in me...and yes, this is a repeat...EVERY SITUATION IS A TEACHING/LEARNING situation. I just can't help it.) So, I am going to try to become more DIVERSE in my future blogs. Our children have said more than once that they are worried about me and the birds. So please excuse me for this short entry today. I must go and feed the empty bird feeders. Hope you are having the most wonderful day!

I am so BLESSED!

I have had the most wonderful Spirit-filled weekend. It started off with a book-signing of Bowman Gray, IV's newly released book, "As a Man Thinketh," by James Allen, but with Bo's photographs.

Click on this link and you can learn more and even order an autographed copy! As A Man Thinketh, By James Allen (With my photogrpahs) It is very inspirational visually, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. Randy and I are very proud of him. I really admire a person who is willing to take a risk on trying something NEW, rather than succumbing to failure before they are even out of the gate. I hope I will persevere and be the same example.

I started Saturday off with getting up quite early for me, 6 AM, to get ready to go and facilitate a women's retreat for a local Lutheran church. We left shortly after 7 and started promptly at 9. I can honestly say, I have never had the time or took the time to prepare as well as I did for this particular retreat. I am certified by Dr. Mels Carbonell, to conduct seminars on Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts and Behavioral Blends. I've facilitated MANY of these, but this one was different. I've never spoken outside my Baptist denomination. I learned so much in helping me understand how alike and somewhat different we are in our beliefs. I hope I can do more like this so that my knowledge will help me in meeting others where they are in their particular faith walks. The women were so open to what I had to say, but more importantly, they were so excited about discovering just a bit of how their SHAPE helps point them to service within the context of their church. (SHAPE is from Rick Warren's acrostic in "The Purpose Driven Church," and stands for spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences.) One never knows until after a seminar if there is fruit from their labor or not, but it was very apparent after I'd given them a homework assignment to take specific Scripture, and then use given tools to portray to the rest of the group how these things could be used to convey their understanding of what they had read. Their work was thorough; creative; beautiful and spoke truth...all I needed to know to see that they were open to the Holy Spirit's work within them. I have great excitement for their church and cannot wait to see the fruit that will be borne individually and as a group working together in ministry.

I got home and proceeded to set off the alarm next door because I thought I was supposed to take in their mail and papers since they were gone for the weekend. You can imagine my wonderful peace from the retreat being shattered by a woman's voice echoing throughout the house that there was an intruder "at the front door," then in the hallway. She had far-seeing eyes, because she followed me from room to room and back out the door as I ran next door to scream to Randy, "Call _____! I've set off their alarm and they're going to call the police!" I returned to hear a small voice asking for a dispatch to the house. I picked up the phone and started yelling over the Alarm Lady's VOICE, "Stop...don't call the police! I'm a neighbor who made a mistake!" I got her attention and finally composed myself and told her the whole story. I have learned that it is best to let them see your wacky personality, because they are a lot more open to chalking it up to stupidity, rather than your calm rationalization, because that can sometimes be a sign of calculated craziness.

She very sensitively told me that they had to call the police unless I could come up with the code, which I could not. So I screamed for Randy to keep looking for that number. He finally came over with my cell phone, punched their number, and there's our house number showing up as an incoming call. So, in desperation, I did what any humbled person would do in this situation, I asked the sweet lady if she would call the homeowners so the police wouldn't come. I had nothing to lose and it was worth a try. She was seeing the real me under stress and she could obviously relate... AND...she did! I tell you...never under estimate the power of humiliation and human empathy. They sometimes go hand in hand and produce great things.

I fed the cat and fish while I was waiting for the result I wanted, just to prove to myself that I had nothing to worry about except for the possibility of re-enacting it all for the police when and if they arrived. I was just hoping they would be as sensitive as the lady on the other end of the phone, and that I was not going to be led away in hand-cuffs for all the neighbors to see. I really wasn't up to explaining anything, especially to my Bible study ladies. Over all this contemplation, the lady's ALARM voice followed me everywhere screaming to the world that I had just entered another room and was moving into the next area. The lady on the phone finally said with such empathy, "I've talked to the owner and the police weren't called," much to my relief.

When it was all said and done, I heard from my neighbor and she so sweetly apologized for nothing she did, as I profusely apologized for what I did do. I reset the alarm as she told me what to do and then I walked calmly back home and stated, "I'm home!" On a more serious note, you might want to check out this specific alarm company. They are advertised on TV all the time and it works just like they say it does. What self-respecting thief is going to stick around while THE VOICE from above is screaming where you are at any given time? I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed and calm day. I know I am.

It's Catch Up Time!

I should have been an ornithologist. I had no idea birds could be so interesting. You are not going to believe this, but we had another nest of mourning doves just fly the coup yesterday! We thought it was unusual for birds to mate twice in a year, but three different times! (Not sure if it's the same mom or not...I hope not. That's a lot of work taking care of those babies for so long.)

Here are just a few patterns I've observed since it is right outside our front window and we keep the shutters open just where we can see them and they can't see us.

1. Mom and Dad scout for the nest together.

2. Mom flies back and forth until the big day.

3. Dad hangs around for a little while after the big day, then disappears.

4. Mom just sits there until they are hatched, then she sits on top of them some more. (It is so cute to see their little heads sticking our from under her thick down.)

5. They stay in their nest for about 3 weeks, then one day dad will show up again and he and mom will go sit on the roof for awhile and watch them. (There is always one that will venture as close to the edge of the hanging basket as it can get without falling...it's obviously a boy, and the "sister" just sits demurely in the middle.)

6. Usually mom and dad are making cooing sounds from down below telling them what to do, but we didn't hear a peep this time.

7. This group was a little more unusual than the last inhabitants. I saw mom and dad down below on the porch, and walked away for a few minutes. I went back and there was only one baby in the nest...all day! I saw dad up on the roof next door, but rather than watching the baby, he was looking the other way -- worriedly, I might add. I wondered if the boy went a little wayward and flew too early, or if mom was just giving him private flying lessons. We'll never know, but mom and both babies were tucked safely back in the nest by the end of the day, only to have disappeared by the next morning. Mom and dad will come by a time or two...kind of nostalgically to me, and then I will just have to guess if the next group will be one of them or not.

6. I clean up all the dead flowers from the basket, and the mess from below and we start all over again.

On another note, Red, Hot & Blue is open for business, we just haven't had our Grand Opening yet. We're still in the "practicing" stage, but Randy and John are meeting so many wonderful people who are telling others, so it is just snowballing for lunch. Dinner is still slow, but hopefully it will catch on as time and tasting goes on.

I have had the most productive week. (I wish my writing time could be this productive.) I have spent the week preparing for a women's retreat I am facilitating for a local Lutheran church. I am speaking on "Discovering Your Giftedness," and will help these ladies identify where they can best serve in the church. We also discuss personality types and how they help us to better understand ourselves and each other. I am quite excited. I don't think I've ever planned anything so exact in my life. It's quite refreshing to have had the time to do it RIGHT for a change. Next week my friend Susan and I paint pigs on the back fence at RH&B, then I have until the holidays to write, with a little trip to FL thrown in. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you're local and reading this, head on over to Red Hot & Blue for a taste of the dry rub ribs...they are not your typical NC barbecue, but they are deliciously different. (They're located over on Deacon Blvd. off of University Blvd.) Everyone raves about the potato salad, so give it a try too. Enjoy!

Labor Day is over...

It was bittersweet going to the pool for the last time this weekend. I made myself get into the frigid water one last time so I could be reminded why the pool was closing. (OK, maybe it wasn't frigid, but it was very cold for a Florida girl who waited until after the 4th of July to get into the pool back in the pre-NC days.) There's something sad about a beautiful pool sitting there unoccupied for 9 months once the doors are locked for the season. During the summer I knew I could go when I wanted...now I have no choice. I wish they would freeze it in the winter so we could all go ice skating, but even our ponds have not frozen here since we have relocated. The one near the pool froze near the shore this past winter, and I pictured myself ice-skating around the edge of the pond, but I stepped onto it with one foot and it dipped, so my next thought was of my dying of hypothermia because no one thought to look for me there in my time of need. I would hope the ice skates still tied to my feet would paint the picture needed to explain how I had met my demise and everyone would say, "She went doing something she wanted to do."

On the otherhand, it is quite enjoyable to watch the geese fly in and go skittering across the top of the ice on their bottoms. Speaking of the geese, we have another loner out in the yard. It must have been very serious, because there is not another goose on the pond. (Remember, they are very respectful of each other during their mourning times.) I even broke my rule and fed this one bread. Randy loves to feed the fish in the evening, so we go out and they all just swim up as close as they can get. The goose came right up to us, so how could we not feed it? I don't cry anymore when I see them. I hope I have not become calloused.

I'm off to write. I have to stay home all day as I await mattresses being delivered. It was a sad mistake for the McCann family that all this bed bug hysteria came out all over the news while Leah was visiting last week. Needless to say, she was UP on all her mattress trivia since she had worked at a hotel at one point in her career, and proceeded to check all the dates on the two oldest mattresses. She reminded us that after a specific period of time, the mattress doubles in size due to human sweat and dust mites. She painted a pretty gruesome picture and it worked. We both began to itch and scratch. Lucky for us, anyplace that sells mattresses has a Labor Day Mattress sale. I guess they think that if we are celebrating working, we may as well make sure we get a good night's sleep so we can get up day after day and head out to labor some more.

We hit every mattress establishment we could find. They all had their spiels ready and we listened to them all. Of course, I tried each one, but Leah wouldn't do anything but sit on the side, which they told us served no purpose. One has to lie down to get the full effect. She finally did try one out prostrate on the bed, and that was because it had the most potential, and that's all it took. We got home, delayed getting into the shower so as not to foster our paranoia, and I finally decided I couldn't go to bed wondering if I had picked up lice or worse. I would never forgive myself if we had to get rid of our Sterns and Foster just because I didn't take a shower. The final straw was seeing the men in their bed bug preventative suits spraying heat of 130 degrees and higher on the mattresses and carpets to kill the bed bugs on TV. I came out with wet hair and that's all Leah needed to be affirmed that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Yes, I did say mattresses. She checked the date on the guest room bed, and sadly it was over the required time to keep a mattress. Oh, well, they were on sale, AND it will be a long time (we hope) before we have to do mattress shopping again, which I acquaint to buying a car. You never know how good the product is until you get it home...and then it's too late to do anything about it if you don't like it. (The mattress people will take them back after a few days, but it's just too much trouble in our opinion.) So, for those of you have been here or are coming, you've got something to look forward to...a better night's sleep. In the meantime, keep laboring so that you will be worn out by bedtime and can wake up the next day to do it all again with a good attitude.

Winston Salem Is Getting the Blues...

Red Hot & Blue that is. Yes, it's true. A wonderful opportunity came our way and here we are preparing to open our first restaurant in the triad, probably in the next few weeks. We are a part of the Wake Forest renovation project off of University and Deacon Blvd. (It's in the old Goobers for those of you who know that area.)

Richard Bloyer, one of the managers from D. C. who has an art background, came to paint our Blue's guitar playing pigs over the fireplace in the new restaurant two weeks ago. I didn't even have to beg to help! I became his apprentice and took my place over the mantle and VOILA...people have to take a second look to determine if the bricks are real or not. I really enjoyed working with him. Once he got home, he sent me two books on how to paint murals. That is a true teacher...encouraging the fledgling artist to try her wings...which I did.

It was Richard's last day and a group of workers from down the street came in and walked right over to us. One said, "Do you two work alone, or do you work for these guys?" I smiled and said, "I work alone, but he works for these guys," as I pointed to Richard. They asked if we'd be willing to paint palm trees on the back of a building they had just painted. Richard looked at me and said, "Let's go take a look." We did and the next thing I know, I have been commissioned to paint palm trees on the back of this building." Richard left that day and I was left alone to myself because I had said one too many times, "I can do that."

I felt confident as I took my supplies and laid them at the back door, where I thought they would be out of the way. My new jar of paint thinner didn't last long. It only took one hard bang of someone walking out for it to reach the jar and turn it over. I just smiled and chalked it up to inexperience. The next thing you know, I have the Roto-Rooter type guy pumping out the sewage system only 1 foot away from where I was supposed to be painting. Other painters, electricians,a telephone cable worker, supervisors and a whole bunch of other workers doing various jobs, are all around me. I don't have a problem painting the stem of the tree, but when it came time to paint the fronds, everyone has an opinion. I painted over those stems 5 times before I finally called my friend Marsha to come and help me. She got there and we whipped those fronds out in no time flat. It took her 2 hours to do what I had been trying to do in 4 hours. I considered this a lesson learned and went back to finishing the pigs at Red Hot & Blue.

Last Monday came and I dropped my friend Gail off downtown to take care of some business, then I went and picked up some food for Ella and I, and we sat on her front porch and had a picnic until I had to pick up Gail. I took her by to meet Ella and then off we went to see the restaurant in progress. In the midst of all of this, I called Randy to see how things were coming, and lo and behold, he tells me that the painters are looking for me again. I figured they didn't like their palm trees and wanted their money back, but it was just the opposite...they wanted me to paint palm trees on the new dumpster walls they had just built AND a palm tree on the door. I am a runner and I wanted to run, but if they thought I could do it, I was willing to give it one more try. When I saw the guy who hired me, he said, "Here's my girlfriend, " so I knew I must have made an impression of some kind. I agreed to do it. The palm fronds look like fountains, but I have heard no complaints as of today. To tell you the truth, it may be a work in progress. It may look totally different from week to week as the mood hits me. My sister Pam said she can't wait to take a driving tour of all the stuff I've painted in Winston Salem. I don't have the heart to tell her it will just be a walking tour of two places. Maybe I need to get busy on some graffiti.

I will try to keep you posted on our progress as we head toward completion. In the meantime, call me if you ever need someone to remind you that you sometimes just need to say "NO," when someone asks you to do something you really aren't qualified to do. On the other hand, it could just be the beginning of a great adventure.

For more pictures of the restaurant, and me painting the pigs, visit Red Hot and Blues facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=202886&id=43579759913

It's a New Day!

Did any of you know that birds mate at least twice? Once in the spring and once in the summer? I did not know that. We have had double occupancy this year in our front porch baskets and trees. We left for that week to Florida and came back and there were nests EVERYWHERE! We just had the new Mourning Doves fly the coup this past weekend. I'm getting really good now at recognizing the signs. Dad starts out being a great dad after the birth of the babies, then he pretty much leaves the rest to Mom. Next thing you know, he's absentee...shows up sometimes. I always knew when because he'd be down below on the porch making that sad mournful call. The mom appeared to be drawn to him again, because she'd go visit and the teenagers would be propping themselves on the edge to test their bravery. Mom eventually starts leaving for short periods of time, that progresses to hours, then she's gone for the day. Before you know it...they're gone with nothing to show for it all, but the mess down below and 2 new birds in the sky.

It's been a while since I last wrote. My birthday has come and gone and it was the best yet. Our children convinced Randy that I need an iphone because anyone can use one and I need to be current in the 2010s. I am amazed at how easy this phone is. The best feature is that it has voice command. I can just punch the little button and say, "Call Matthew," and it does! I've never seen a cell phone do that. Speaking of Matthew...he loves toys. He stood in line all night while we were down in Florida to get the newest iphone IV. His actually has the video where you can see the person if they have a compatible phone. Our friend Michael, told me that you can actually put on a application (Aps, they call it for short.) where you can just bump the phones and they trade each other's numbers! Can you imagine? What will they think of next?

I just want to update you on the book. I am writing once again with a vengeance. I am almost through with the toughest chapter, which has been holding me back, because I wasn't sure how to execute it, but I feel I have a clearer picture and I am just free writing. The information just flows as opposed to writing word for quoted word. I would love to have a completion date, but I know me, so we will just wait and see.

I would like to welcome all of my visitors from other countries, even if they somehow made a wrong hit on a key to get to me. Go back to the very first posts, because they certainly are the most humorous. Sisters and friends, hit the follower, BG4, if you want to see a beautiful slide show of Maine. Make sure your sound is on and set aside about 35 minutes for uninterrupted pleasure. It's how I started my day and it just made me HAPPY!

"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24.

A Milestone Birthday

(This was written July 6th. I'm just now getting around to finishing it.) Today is Randy's 60th birthday...a milestone in that he has never been 60 before. I'm sure it will be a turning point as all these 0-ending birthdays seem to be. We started the celebration off by attending a wedding up near Hershey, PA, our old stomping grounds, and when I say old, I mean right after we were married almost 36 years ago. That is where Randy had his first long-term adult job as ass't mgr. of foods at Hershey Park. I got my teaching degree from Elizabethtown College and taught 3rd grade down in the bomb shelter of Londonderry Elementary School overlooking the cooling towers of Three Mile Island. We made good friends while there and it was bittersweet seeing our children that were not yet born during that time, all grown up with one of them getting married.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast and it was just beautiful with the horses neighing over the fences and the different delicious breakfast aromas wafting up to our rooms every day. I will get you the name of the place so you can stop and spend a little time with Frank and Caroline when passing through. Wyndom something I think.

Anyway, I failed to mention the kids flew up and off we went. We got home, spent one night and drove them back down to FL to start the next leg of celebrating. Randy and I love traveling via car. The kids do not unless it is in their neck of the woods, but we all did great. We made it down to Orlando safely, stayed 2 nights, then went down to Ft. Lauderdale, where Connie started off the festivities with a manicure for all of us. She fixed us a yummy Snapper Francaise and the next day we did a little prep work for their upcoming kitchen make-over, then we went to Morton's for a delicious dinner, after going to the beach the evening before and the next morning. It was just divine. No one entertains like Aunt Connie and Uncle Larry do.

We had to be back up to Orlando by 2 the next day so we could prepare for a little surprise cook-out for Randy. We invited old friends and old neighbors who have blessed us along the way with their friendship and time. I have to say, I thought Leah had gotten stuck with the brunt of the whole thing until it came time for Matthew to get Randy out of the house for a few hours. It was grueling, but we pulled it off without a hitch until I told Randy we were going to take the grill down to the clubhouse and grill some hamburgers to celebrate with the kids. He said he didn't want to, then I told him we wanted him to feel special on his special day. He smiled and said, "I want to cook out here. When you're 60 we can cook out at the clubhouse." I almost laughed out loud. It had never crossed my mind that he would be so adamant about where we cooked out. I finally told him that I had all the food already at the clubhouse for our "little impromptu cookout with just our family and David," Matthew's friend and their roommate. We led him to believe that Connie was upstairs taking a nap, while in reality she was already at the clubhouse welcoming people. We all trooped up the street to retrieve the food and walked in and SURPRISE! He really was surprised and it made it all worth it. We're all still marveling at how wonderful it was to surprise him, as he asks for nothing in return for all he gives.

May all your birthdays be HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!

The Bird Saga Continues

I failed to mention that about a month prior to all of this, there were nests built up in the gutters above the garage. We weren't aware of them until a gust of wind blew 2 of the babies out of their nests and they came tumbling down toward the garage door, which so happened to be open at the time. One went scurrying in and the other one went in the opposite direction. Needless to say, poor old Randy was stuck with making sure that bird was out of the garage before either of us started our cars. What we didn't realize in all the gusting of birds, was that 2 more were in the garage, which we found the next day. One was behind the plantation shutter and the other had met its demise, I'm unhappy to say. Randy made sure the surviving one was put out safely in the bushes so mom and dad could see it and he "took care of the other one." (So help me if anyone ever excavates this yard they are going to be amazed at the bird bones they find.) The next thing you know we found a Mom or Dad bird in our recycling bin...dead of course. I am starting to take this personally.

Back to more recent bird happenings...I went out yesterday morning to do my daily AM perusal of the garden and there were bird feathers all over the place. Moulting has begun it appears. I don't know how else to account for the many feathers scattered everywhere. Will keep you posted on that one, but before I ventured down to the pond, I saw something that appeared to be an armadillo floating on the water. Randy came out and agreed that's how it looked to him too, so we got our trusty binoculars out just to make sure. We still couldn't discern what it was until Randy finally decided to take the trek down to see for himself. "It's a dead goose," he shouts up to me. The next thing I'm wondering is if it's the old gray goose, and then the ending to a childhood song that I hadn't sung in years came to mind..."the old gray goose is dead." It wasn't though...yes, the goose was dead, but it wasn't the old gray one, because about 20 minutes later the word must have gotten out because they had all formed what appeared to be a funeral procession down to the far end of the pond where no one wants to go because EVERYTHING finds a resting place down there. At this point, I have not seen the goose's mate, but I am sure I will as our yard is where they come to mourn. I have determined that is not a bad thing necessarily, because in the realm of goosedom, they seem to be quite respectful of a fellow goose's mourning period. So you see, we provide land for one goose as opposed to MANY geese and there is less goose excrement as a result. (I try to look for the good in every situation.) I will start counting geese again. We should be down to 22 now. My little gardening buddy, Olivia, asked me where all the other geese died in the course of their lives. I didn't want to tell her about goose hunting season, so I just said, "Whenever their time comes, that's where they drop." She seemed satisfied with that so I just left it alone. I really do think it's a parent's job to discuss death and religion with their children.

P.S. There are 22 geese now...an even number. Maybe the one left from last year's catastrophe died of a broken heart and now all is even again. I would hate to think a new family had been touched by sorrow, because we all know...their cardinal rule is that they do not mate again after a mate dies. They've got my attention once again. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, just enjoy the chirping of the birds and pray that they will enjoy long lives and happiness.

Fowl Language

Nope...not so. I went to water the other baskets and the mom and dad were no longer hiding in the elm tree; they were screaming to the kids to lay low. So help me, I should have stopped watering and cleaning the baskets right then, but I just figured they were being territorial since I do not understand fowl language and never have. I went to the next basket, then the next and before you know it, I've got baby birds fluttering all over the place. I could have kicked myself. SURELY I had waited long enough if the doves were already gone.

To make matters worse, I went down to turn off the water, and there's a baby bird struggling. I felt so horrible I went to put on gloves to put it back in the basket and came back and it was too late. I felt really bad then. But, with just a little walk in the back yard a few hours later, I had a chance to redeem myself. I found a little bird that had fallen out of its nest below one of the big trees, so I gave it a little water and determined that if it survived the night, I would take care of it. It did and I did. I had Randy pick it up and put it in a little bird's nest left over from the year before, then I went and dug up some worms and told him he had to chew on the worms and regurgitate them into the baby's mouth to feed it, so it would think it was its dad. Needless to say, he didn't do that, but he did chop the worm into small pieces and feed it with the tip of a straw. That bird was not in the least bit afraid of us. It was missing its tail feathers, but didn't seem the worse for wear. In fact, it was a spunky little thing and seemed very demanding.

I Googled, "What do baby birds eat that fall out of nests?" and got a quick fix that I liked. The writer said that some birds are pushed out of their nests because they are too weak. I looked again at that spunk, and said that couldn't be this case, but then looked at the bird and saw all those feathers missing, so wasn't sure. The article went on to say that I should put holes in a Cool Whip tub, line it with paper towels, then put a little straw or a nest inside it, then place the bird in the tub and place it as high as we could back in the tree it fell from, and that sometimes the mother and father will alternate between nests. That sounded so good to me, but we decided not to do that until the next day, Sunday. In the meantime, I was hunting worms every spare minute, because those little birds eat all the time when they are that small.

We got home from a movie and the little bird was out on the back patio. Mollie got to her before we did and scared the you-know-what out of her...us too. We got her safely back in her nest, put a little fence cover over her after feeding her one last time before bedtime, then came in for the evening. THEN came this horrible storm around midnight...I'm not kidding, I think it was the worst night storm we have ever had up here. (Of course Randy didn't hear it. I guess he was so exhausted from being "Big Bird" that day.) Anyway, he got up the next day and said the baby hadn't made it through the night. It sure didn't die from hunger, but I'll bet it was scared to death from the storm with no mom to comfort it.

After that, I told the Lord that I guessed we were even. I'd tried to take care of that little bird and had even planned on teaching it to come when called. I had no sooner finished my little prayer, when I felt compelled to walk back to where I'd found the bird in the first place, and lo and behold, there was its brother/sister. I looked heavenward and said, "Why me, Lord? Why me?" I turned away and said, "Lord, this one's yours." In His grace and love, He sent my little neighbor, Olivia the animal lover, over to find that bird. I figured she'd feed it a few worms and that would be that, but no...I guess she needed to find out for herself about "survival of the fittest."

I went to bed with a clear conscience and got up the next morning and went to look at my garden, when I heard Olivia running over from next door. "Mrs. McCann, I've got good news!" I was ready for some good news after the bird mortality rate had just gone up by leaps and bounds due to ME, so I said, "I can't wait to hear. WHAT?" I took that baby bird home last night and put it in a cage and it survived the night!" I looked at her incredulously and said, "You did?" I have to admit that I was a little relieved to know she was now responsible for the bird, and not me. "Yes," she replied, "and my mom told me to bring it back this morning." I looked at her through twitching eyes (That happens when I get unduly stressed.) and asked, "Is it there now?" "Uh huh," she replied with joy. I didn't even hesitate. I told her that this bird was on its own. I had tried to help the other one and it had died. I recounted what I'd read about the mom kicking the weak ones out. I reminded her about the survival of the fittest, because every kid in the world has seen the "Lion King" and knows all about the food chain, and then I told her I was leaving this one for God to take care of. She looked at me and said, "Well, I think it's always best to at least try." I figured that is what she had done, but I walked over to the garden and cast a quick glance through the flowers and didn't see any sign of the baby bird. I've stopped looking, because I don't want to see it. I have painted this beautiful picture in my head, that because this bird appeared to be stronger and had its tail feathers in tact, that it has what it takes to survive. That's my story and I'm sticking to it...but...there's more. Stay tuned.

It's official. We are "bird grandparents." Every basket hanging on our porch contains a nest of some kind of bird. We go through this every year, with last year being the absolute most stressful spring of my life. I don't mind them building their nests in our hanging baskets on the porch...in fact we love peering at them through the slats in our plantation shutters, BUT they got a little invasive last year and went and built nests in all of our air vents for our bathroom fans. Needless to say, I was gritting my teeth the first time I turned on our bathroom fan over the shower to take out steam and heard who knows what being ground by the fan blades. I quickly shut it off and then yelled for Randy. It was shortly thereafter that we started hearing movement above our heads, like birds, lots of birds, moving around. I told Randy we'd give them this year, then no more nests in our vents.

So, Randy, and our brother in law, Larry (who always gets the crummy jobs, but smiles through them all) took his long arms and pulled all the straw out of our vents. To keep them from coming back this year, we balled up chicken wire and placed them at each entrance. Sure enough, those little creatures of habit came back and they pecked for weeks trying to get back in to those vents. It can be very unnerving, especially if you saw Alfred Hitchcock's, "The Birds" when you were a child, like I did. (I can't believe some of the stuff our parents took us to see at the drive-in movies back in those days!)

Mourning doves seem to have squatting rights in the first basket near our window. They have an exceptionally long fledgling period in my opinion. They appear to be teenagers before they fly the coup (nest in this case.) It was quite interesting this year, watching how Mom and Dad would probably be hiding behind leaves in the nearby elm tree watching the kids as they tried to wean themselves away from them. It reminded me of Leah when she was 4, wanting to exercise a little independence, telling me she wanted to go outside by herself. I complied and would shut the door telling her not to go near the street and she'd readily reply, "I am't." Then I'd glue myself to the wall, and peek from behind the curtain until she was safely back in the house, asking her to recount her big adventure alone. She was just happy as a little lark.

The baby doves were no different. They'd perch themselves on the very edge of the basket and you could just imagine one of them saying to the other, "Look at me!" Then they'd flutter their wings in pride at their accomplishment. We knew it was getting closer to "TIME" when Mom and Dad stayed away for a whole day and didn't return until dinnertime. They were all gone within two days.

I decided it was time to pinch off dead geranium flowers finally. Randy had already installed a drip mist system so we wouldn't have to disturb them and could ensure our flowers stay watered, plus we read recently that watering them doesn't hurt them, so we'd spray from a distance, a fine mist. I figured if those doves took that long to mature, surely all the other nests would be empty by now. Not so. To be continued...

Not just the "Captain of the Neighborhood Watch"

Maurice Duke Ferrara was born June 15, 1914 in New York. He served on various ships of the United Stats Navy. He was Commander the USS Gar (SS-206), the USS Tambor (SS-198), The USS Finback (SS-30) and Commanded the USS Gearing (DD-710) from July 25, 1951 to February 4, 1953. He then became Commander of the Naval Station & FTC San Diego California. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal. He retired in 1962. Maurice Ferrara died December 31, 1987 in San Diego, California.

OBITUARY: The San Diego Tribune, January, 1, 1988 - A mass for retired Navy Capt. Maurice Ferrara, 73 of Loma Portal, will be said at 1 p.m. tomorrow in St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. Goodbody Mortuary is in charge. He died yesterday in a hospital. Capt. Ferrara was born in New York City, was a resident of the county for 40 years, Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and retired from the Navy in 1962. He was a member of the Submarine Veterans of World War II , the retired Officers Association, the Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Naval Academy Athletic Association and sports Association of San Diego County.
He served on the boards of the Kiwanis Club of San Diego, the Kiwanis Foundation and the Metropolitan YMCA.
Survivors include his wife, Judith; four sons, Duke, Tom, Jim and Mike, and a daughter Judy Atkins, all of San Diego; a brother Polly, and two sisters, Pauline Snyder and Anne Maccarrone, all of San Diego; and eight grandchildren. The family suggested donations to the Kiwanis Foundation or the San Diego Hall of Champions.

Maurice "Duke" Ferrara lived across the street from us in San Diego, Pt. Loma specifically, right down from the Naval Training Center. I remember meeting him for the first time as he stood outside walking an old friend to his car. Duke spoke first welcoming us into the neighborhood and then put out his hand and said, "I'm Duke Ferrara, Captain of the neighborhood watch," in a strong confident voice. I was 26 years old and Randy was 30. I wasn't quite sure what the Captain of the Neighborhood Watch did, but I can tell you I didn't fear too much in those days knowing Duke was on watch directly from across the street. He was retired military and I never knew until this day, as I thought about true heroes who have fought to retain our freedom, what he did exactly. The little piece up above does little to identify the expanse of his military career.

I remember vividly when he told us all about his pending trip to the Phillipines to be honored by Fernando Marcos in appreciation of what the American forces had done all those years ago to help them in their time of need. Duke's rendition of the story gave us all chill bumps as he recounted how his sub had gone in and saved the day. He was enamored with all the red carpet treatment and festivities done in their honor, along with a statuary of some kind erected on the beach, proclaiming their names and offices. They were given gifts and pictures to commemorate their time there.

It was shortly thereafter that things turned upside down in the Phillipines under Marcos' rule and the relations with the United States was severed, but Duke Ferrara remained faithful to his small part in the annals of loyalty to God and country and looked past the human frailty of others and remained steadfast in proclaiming there's good in every body. I salute today, Duke Ferrara, Captain of the Neighborhood Watch and am thankful to have known him and called him "FRIEND."

My Special Mother's Day

I am going backwards in time, as I am left with just the clean-up of the Amos Cottage Aces for Amos tournament and silent auction, and the beds are made after our sister's weekend, ready for the next set of friends. I failed to mention the most wonderful thing in the midst of all of this. Two Saturdays ago...Mother's Day Saturday...(you know it takes a whole weekend to honor a mother,) I had a stamping class that I had signed up for at one of our local scrapbooking stores. You need to see the big picture here. I could not solicit items for the silent auction without buying something in each store. I know how badly the economy has affected so many people, and especially small business owners, so I justified buying something at almost every place to let them know I just wasn't asking for a handout. So, I signed up for a scrapbooking class on a Saturday...a day I never plan anything for unless it is done with Randy and friends.

Randy and I did what we always do almost every morning. He fixes his coffee and I pop open my Starbuck's frappicino, and we go sit outside on our back porch overlooking the pond, yard and sky, and have morning devotionals, pray for God's guidance and get on with our day. Well, we were in the midst of that when I heard the phone ringing inside. It was the owner of the store reminding me of the class, which had already started. I NEVER go out without makeup, but I did this day, figuring anyone else up at 9:00AM couldn't be looking too good to take a scrapbooking class. I told them to start without me and off I went.

There was only one other person and she had already stamped a beautiful array of colors and patterns and techniques, but I was quick to catch up, since I'd already bought most of the materials during my previous solicitations. (I always have good intentions of having some quiet time once I get this book written, but life just seems to have a different path these days.) I found myself just enjoying myself to pieces doing all that creative stuff that just tends to feed my soul. I was even sad when our time was up, so I made additional purchases since I got an extra 10% off as incentive to take more classes, but just for that day only. (I bought a small light box that came in real handy when my sisters and I had already sealed the auction thank you note envelopes and couldn't see if the inside address matched up with the outside address. You could see right through it. I just found the missing letter yesterday and it confirmed what my sister Linda said when we couldn't find a letter for the only envelope left. I had printed 2 of one and thought I'd printed each one consecutively. I was very happy to see I had printed that one and didn't mess things up as we all worked together to get the thank you letters out.)

I'm coming to the good part, so hang in there. I came home and was getting lunch ready for Randy and I. He had some running around to do, so our plan was to meet at home for lunch. I was just washing the lettuce and vegetables and heard the door open and was making a comment about what he wanted in his salad, and I got no answer. I looked up and there was Leah standing right before my eyes. I was speechless, and just burst into tears. What a wonderful Mother's Day surprise it was to see her. She told me she was here for the whole week to help me with the auction. (She used to help me and the other wives of the Universal Studios executives organize the silent auctions that Universal Studios puts on for charities.) I used to laugh and just shake my head at them coming to her for instructions and them being so grateful for her help. It blessed this mother to pieces.

We carved out "Mom and Me" time wherever we could and when it came time for the auction, she had put every item on EXCEL; made colorful tags for each basket; and come up with a final tally sheet on powerpoint. I have never been so proud. The ladies hugged her goodbye and thanked her as she and Randy left to go to the airport. I didn't go as it was too emotional, with all the other things going on. He arrived back about 2 hours later and said, "Well, Leah can't say that all her work wasn't appreciated." I am so thankful for the ladies of the Guild opening their arms and hearts to her. It was the end of a wonderful week. And then my sisters came. (This is starting to sound like "LOST," where you don't know the past, from the present or the future.) And...that was yesterday's story!

I don't want to overlook the fact that I have picked up another country on my widget thing, and I have grown by 2 in 2 countries. I love this blog stuff! I also failed to mention that when I got home from the stamping class, I realized I'd lost an earring. I looked everywhere for it and just could not find it, but when I finally went back to the store to pick up my auction item, there sat the earring waiting patiently for me. I was so happy! God takes such good care of me.

My, it has been awhile since I last wrote, due to foreseen circumstances that demanded my attention. The Amos Cottage Aces for Amos Tennis Tournament and Silent Auction was a slamming success and I am putting all the Treasurer's duties to bed today. I have a great feeling of accomplishment. In looking at the widget thing or whatever it is called where the countries of followers are located, I noticed I picked up a new country...Moldova. Is it coincidental that I wrote about Ion, the watercolorist who had a recent showing here and that is where he is from? I love it.

The auction was back to back with my three sisters coming to Winston Salem for our yearly "Sister's weekend." They have graciously allowed Randy to be an "Unofficial Sister." I say unofficial so as not to emasculate him. (He doesn't want to be thought of as a sister.) I have told him in the past, as long as he doesn't act like a husband, he can stay. He drives us all around and has the best sense of time and direction than any of us, so you can just picture all 4 of us being chauffeured around wherever we go like in the movie "Driving Miss Daisy," but it's more like "Driving Miss Crazies." (Or from Randy's point of view, it could be "Driving ME Crazy." Hmmm....never thought of that one before.)

Anyway, it was great to have everyone here. We took them to the Reynolda House Gardens, shops and Museum. They loved it. I cannot get enough of the history of Winston Salem, and even though I could probably be a docent there, I enjoy going through it afresh every time. We also took them to Boone & Blowing Rock. It just so happened to be the rainiest day ever, and I wonder when I will ever learn...it is always colder in the mountains. We froze, but everyone was just happy to be together. Of course, everything was centered around cooking and food, but there was a "memory moment" when we were all sitting upstairs in the library at our game table playing Scrabble. Scarlette (yes indeedy...she lives in Atlanta and our father named her during the "Gone with the Wind" heyday.) very quietly said, "Do you all realize that this is the first time we have ever sat and played a game together?" Scarlette and Linda are 10 and 7 years older than me, respectively, and our younger sister, Pam, is 18 months younger than me. They were far more in tune with other things than playing games with Pam and I when we were younger, so there's no time like the present to make up for lost time. I would love to post a picture of us from this past weekend, but no one thought to take one. Crazy, huh? So I hope to post one from last year.

The pool opens this weekend in the neighborhood. Summer is coming! All the spring flowers are looking like wilted discolored crepe paper, but the hope of the summer flowers are getting ready to burst forth. We have found 2 at least 4 ' snakes in the yard in the last week, black and harmless, so I have instructed Randy not to harm them, even though they may give us a heart attack if they sneak up on us. I am getting very brave and actually stand over them and watch them maneuver themselves. My goal is to maybe touch one someday. For some reason, I know how they feel with their muscles working like steel cords in their bodies. I must have played with some kind of toy snake that was very realistic long ago. I've researched them, so know without a doubt that they are not copperheads, and supposedly water moccasins don't cross west of the Yadkin River...not too far from here. I am standing on that one, whether it sounds believable to you or not. :) (Randy has discovered that black snakes swim across ponds...and even go and visit beavers that live on the other side.)

Bo...like your new picture you posted. I hope all is well with all of you!

We're Staying Busy

What a glorious weekend we had. Randy drove in from D. C. Thursday night, after being there for a good part of the week and I whisked him off to Village Smith Galleries at Reynolda Village, R. J. Reynold's property, on Friday night for a showing by a not-so-local artist named Ion Carchelan. (Pronounced, "EWON.") He is a watercolorist and his work is beautiful! He is from Muldova and his daughter accompanied him to translate for him.

An hour prior to the showing, in Debbie fashion, I decided to finish the mosaic bird bath I've been working on...all but the cross that sits in the center. Randy mixed up the grout that goes in after all the glass pieces are put in place with mastic, and the next thing I knew he had his hands in the grout and he was happily working on the cross centerpiece. (Mark Twain would be proud.) I used broken chards of beautiful china that I had bought at the Replacements Ltd. yard sale they had two years ago. We just paid the $8. entry fee; they gave us a box, and off we went up and down rows and rows of all makes and shapes of dishes, etc. I picked up a lot of Lenox and had quite a few pieces of Haviland china and other well known names from England and other countries. I don't realize how borderline ADD I am until I sit down to do a project. It took longer than I thought it would, but it turned out fine.

We walked Mollie yesterday and decided to walk near the stream down from us that separates the LLC property from the private property at some points. (We walked on the public side. :))It was so much fun to dip my fingers in the cool running water. I told Randy that I am going to walk in that stream before summer's over this year. We were very thankful that we saw no snakes, or foxes, or anything else that can scare a girl to death...that is until we got home. I was down by the pond when I heard Randy yelling for me to come there. I ran up to the back porch and there was a tick on his leg! He killed it and off we all ran to the showers. When I say "all" I mean ALL. Mollie was cajoled to get into the shower with Randy and he washed her until we knew there was nothing alive on her but her. I itched all night...even after the shower.

The backyard has never looked prettier, so stay tuned. The next post will be a pictorial one. Wish you could see it firsthand, but this will suffice. Until then...happy planting.

Just Ramblin' (On)

I just want to catch you all up a bit since my last writing. A lot has been happening in the area of living life, accepting death and all the in-between. Living life involves just enjoying each new day, whether it's cloudy, windy, chilly or warm. I hope I never judge a day as being a good one or a bad one by just the course of normal weather. Of course natural disasters constitute a different way of looking at it, especially in light of the volcanic ash, tornadoes, landslides, etc. I'm very thankful we have not experienced any of those here in Winston Salem, other than very heavy winds of late.

A brother-in-law passed away recently. It was very interesting that everyone who got up and spoke about him talked about what a good cook he was. What a nice way to be remembered...feeding people the things they loved to eat. In honor of him, his grandchildren and I went fishing, along with the eldest's girlfriend. The younger of the two boys and I dug for worms and we actually found just what we needed, along with a plastic tub with holes already punched in the lid and dirt to put them in. It was a blessed day.

I have 3 wonderful sisters and life just seems to be drawing us back to each other more and more. Scarlette and Pam (oldest and youngest) watched from afar as the 3 kids went out in the canoe onto the lake, while Linda and I remained on the dock trying to fish ourselves, but a dog kept jumping in the water and swimming circles around the dock. (The boys' grandmother...my eldest sister...has lived on the lake for many years and this is where their grandfather lovingly taught his grandchildren to fish.) I screamed from the shore, just as they were pushing off, "Bring back 7 fish and I will cook them! But you have to clean them!" I think they usually just caught and released, but this time I wanted them to have a feast and I wanted to do the cooking.

They brought back the fish and I told them how to clean them. Now, I have to admit here...I've rarely fished; never baited a hook; double never ever touched a fish or worm, and certainly never cooked a fish before, but I certainly did a fine job of telling them what to do. (Once a teacher, always a teacher. : ) (I did call Randy just to make sure my steps were correct, and my sister Linda was there for back up and scaling, because she's done it all, but she was not so quick to step in this time. She did a fine job of teaching the girlfriend how to scale, though.) My younger sister Pam made hush puppies and we had other food people had graciously dropped by and we truly had a feast by candlelight. It had to have made their grandfather smile. It sure did me. The fish was delicious, but I wanted so badly to put it on a stick and cook it over an open fire. I taught everyone at the table how Grandpa Harry had taught me to squeeze the fish on both sides, years ago, and everyone was amazed at how quickly the meat pulled away from the bone. So as not to waste a drop, I had my nephew save all the YUCK from his cleaning and bury it in the ground as fertilizer. (I hope my sister doesn't plant over there any time soon.) It was a bittersweet day to say the least.

All the stuff in between is the stuff that feeds your soul (or works to destroy it, but I'm staying away from that) ...like picking roses and arranging them into bouquets that will remind you inside of what awaits you outside...the product of your labor; and the necessary things like cleaning and lawn upkeep that make your life uncluttered, and encouraging others in their time of need.

Randy's co-worker and our friend, Michael came for a night and Randy cooked a spring chicken stew from a recipe he'd found in the paper the week before. It was delicious. Goodness...does it seem as though the theme of this post is cooking? Could be because I'm trying to watch what I eat...swimming pool weather is fast approaching and I do not want to do the winter waddle down to the pool in a few weeks. Well, I guess I'd better go and drink some water to fill up so I don't go foraging for that late night snack I used to eat before bedtime...you know...just to tide me over til morning. Happy eating.

Spring's Just Springing Along

Leah's pink passport has been retired for awhile and I am glad. I loved her being over in Singapore, but I love the "concerned" distance being diminished from all the way over there. Florida just doesn't seem that far away anymore. We drove down to see her the day after she returned, and she did so well with transitioning. It's so funny how people returning from being outside our country always look forward to a food item once they return home. For Leah it was Twistee Treat...a huge cup of vanilla yogurt. She enjoyed every frozen mouthful to the last drop. Aunt Connie & Uncle Larry met us up in Orlando and it was a great reunion for the Easter weekend. We cleaned the condo's windows and screens and the place looked like we were putting it up for sale, which I'm happy to say we weren't.

It was amazing how many engagements we heard about, and babies, while down there. I guess those are some of the contents of this new chapter we find ourselves in, along with where our children's friend's younger brothers and sisters will be going off to college. Speaking of college, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you our good news about Matthew and his newest appointment. He will be sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Judicial Branch of SGA at University of Central Florida, in early May. Yes, he does get to wear a robe and use a gavel, as Gail asked him jokingly. They take care of all peer mediations, etc. at the school. It's a huge responsibility, so he will not be coming to NC for the summer to study for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) that most law schools require. He'll do his preparation down at UCF now, and that is fine with us. We just go with the flow and stand back and watch God work our children's future out to His glory.

We brought Leah and my dear friend, Gail, back up with us and they just returned on Saturday. Randy is so smart. He took me straight over to the Farmer's Market in Greensboro and bought me some of their delicious kettle korn, which I munched on while I looked at plants and picked out the ones we would plant that afternoon to keep my mind off of their departure. We bought more azaleas, verbena, petunias and some herbs. I LOVE going to the Farmer's Market. It's like going to an art gallery for plants. You'd be hard-pressed to walk out of there empty-handed.

Randy and I enjoyed seeing old friends and revisiting our familiar past while down in Florida. I volunteered to greet at our traditional Easter Sunrise Service at Lake Down in Windermere, and sweet Johnnie Neal, who wears many hats and took over my job when I left, had a bag of presents for me: an Easter basket filled with chocolates, a shirt, a box of chocolates from my friend, Carol Vereb, AND A GREETER NAMETAG with my name and "Greeter Emeritus" underneath it. So I guess I can greet whenever I want now. I asked him if I could have a parking spot with my name on it next. Still haven't heard anything on that one, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are having the sign made even as I type. We didn't make it to either of the church campuses, but we did get to see a lot of people we had not seen in years.

We arrived home to the tulips bursting out in all their beautiful regalia. The irises are next, and then I guess it will be time for the summer flowers, since the bulbs are coming and going quickly. BTW, you may remember the story of the "wild irises" that I saved from the bulldozer 2 years ago...well they really weren't irises, if you recall, but tiger lilies. They have multiplied like bunnies this year, so I am giving them away to good homes...a little piece of Brookberry beauty. Someone dug up the last of the daffodils over on the empty lot and that makes me so happy. I saw a couple looking at the lot a few weeks ago, so that land may be cleared before you know it. I would hate to think those daffodils that Mrs. Beroth, the caretaker's wife of Brookberry Farm, planted all those years ago, would be destroyed, never to be enjoyed again.

The housing market is definitely looking up here at BBF. Many of the real estate signs are boasting "SOLD" perched at the top, and resales are saying, "Under Contract." The newest part of the neighborhood is under major construction. I just walk Mollie by and say, "Thank You, Lord, " for every house being built. We can no longer say which family lives in each house as we used to be able to do.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of Spring and that whatever is springing up in your garden makes you happy. Hope to be back more often now that things are settling down. Happy planting! Do your best not to get pollinated!

Spring is Springing Every Day

I wonder what in the world I did to deserve living here in North Carolina. I just finished a study on David. If you remember your Bible history, you know David took King Saul's place after the Israelites wanted a king like other tribes, and Saul's heart was hardened. For all his sinning, and he did a LOT mind you, God still likened David as a man after His own heart. Wow, what an example of unconditional love. There is a verse when God blesses him, that he says to God, "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?" 2 Samuel 7:18. That sums up how I feel about living here.

The Beav has, for the present, left my trees alone and stopped eating my azaleas; the fish are jumping once again, the turtles are turtling, and I saw two HUGE female deer tearing across our backyard a few days ago as I stood on the balcony. Mollie, our dog, never even saw them they flew so fast, but she knew something was up because their feet pounding on the ground was close to thunderous. It was so neat. The beautiful blue heron, who lives with her two teenagers at the edge of the pond, was out enjoying the sights two days ago and I just about wanted to cry.

Big news...Randy had no sooner put up a new birdhouse yesterday, when one of our little neighborhood birds flew in and declared squatter's rights. I love it. All the other houses have activity except the bluebird house and that's my most favorite to watch of all. I hope it's not too late for them to start nesting there. We have had to chicken wire stuff every single opening into this house for vents, etc., because the birds are plentiful here and will choose any safe place to make a home. I heard birds fluttering over my head all last spring and into summer, until Randy and Larry finally cleaned out all of our vents. Hence the houses.

I'll be putting up our porch baskets filled with geraniums next week...there just isn't a basket selection here yet, so I will patiently wait. So far I have geraniums from last year that wintered in the garage, and impatiens. I've already pre-planted squash, cucumbers, zinnias, snapdragons, beans and cilantro, which is the hardest stuff in the world to grow. Will keep you posted on that one.

Leah's finally home from Singapore and I am happy. Thank you all for your prayers and kind words of encouragement while she was gone those quick four months. I hope you have the most wonderful Easter and take time to thank God for all you have and are.

Boy, am I getting old

Today is Leah's 26th birthday. It seems like yesterday that I was watching "Magnum PI," and the missing Lamaze instructions miraculously appeared on the floor as I stayed home from a San Diego indoor soccer tournament that I insisted Randy and our friend Bruce attend, because I was tired of them hovering over me. I had 11 days to go and assured them that I wasn't about to have our baby that early, especially after eating the huge plate of chili spaghetti I had consumed at dinner time before they left me for the game. I don't know if it was the excitement of Magnum PI or that huge plate of chili, and I guess we'll never know, because I had just enough time to read those breathing instructions at the end of the show and the next thing I knew, I was going into labor. I called my friend Jan, the nurse from across the street, and off we started back across the street to her car, when I remembered we were to notify our next door neighbors; so we threw rocks at their upstairs window as I had promised, and that's the picture Randy and Bruce saw as they slowly drove up the street. Randy rolled down the window and asked what was going on. To this day, I wonder what in the world he thought I was doing with a suitcase in my hand and a boom box, (so I could play classical music during labor) and talking to the neighbors as they hung out the upstairs windows. In fact, I just remembered him saying, "Aren't you taking this a little too far?" [See, I've always been this way.]

The boys were in shock, so Jan drove me to the hospital and they joined me after they pulled themselves together. Three hours later, we had our precious Leah Donae McCann, born the day before St. Patrick's Day. With my maiden name being Murphy, we figured her birthdate sufficed for the Irish connection, so we gave her the Americanized version of the French word "to give" for her middle name. Now here she is in Singapore, and here is her blog for today, taken from all different philosophies and adopted as her own:

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2010

26 things I've learned in 26 years

Promptness shows respect.

You can’t avoid offending people from time to time. When you don’t mean it, apologize. When you do mean it, accept the consequences.

The most valuable thing to have is a good reputation, and it’s neither hard nor expensive to acquire one: Be fair. Be honest. Be trustworthy. Be generous. Respect others.

In everyday life, most “talent” is simply hard work in disguise.

Most folk remedies are a joke.

Laundry day is much easier when all your socks are the same and you don’t have to sort them.

Goals that you keep to yourself are just dreams. If you’re determined to achieve something, tell people about it and ask them to help you stick with it.

All the stuff you have lying around that you’ll never want, need, wear or look at again? It just makes it harder to find what you do want, need or intend to wear. File it, donate it, or throw it.

Nobody is perfect. They all have their skeletons in the closet.

You control your attitude or it controls you.

High quality is worth any quantity, in possessions, friends and experiences.

Worrying solves nothing.

It is a hundred times more difficult to burn calories than to refrain from consuming them in the first place.

A good outfit can change your attitude in seconds.

Yelling always makes things worse.

Getting truly organized can vastly improve anyone’s life.

Everyone likes somebody who gets to the point quickly.

Everybody always thinks they are right.

An education is merely self-discipline.

It is a lot easier to react than it is to think about it first.

Children are remarkably honest creatures until we teach them not to be.

Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

Learning to forgive takes practice.

We don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I'm a McCann. I like Ice Cream.

Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

Hope you all have a happy her birthday!
Love,
Debbie

I hate being wishy washy, but...

I'm back to having two books. (I've come a long way from having three in the works.) I'm out of the BBF one and putting all that information into the "Meditations from Brookberry Farm" book. I can write from the flow in my head with that book because it is truly life as I see it on the farm. So, I will just stick to the facts and hopefully be able to augment them with beautiful pictures.

I am currently writing the "Christmas at Brookberry Farm" chapter. I hope I can adequately evoke the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and activities of this house full of rambunctious boys as they carry on their Christmas traditions, which always started with Christmas pictures being taken at Roaring Gap on Labor Day weekend. All the cousins (Gordon Gray's boys were included as well.) were dressed in their Sunday best and instructed to take their places seated on the stairs. Each step indicated an age range with the youngest being on the lower step, and obvious age-progression with each new step toward the upper landing. I look at their faces and see nothing but innocence, but I know from the stories that it's just temporary. :)

Well, just wanted to let you know the BBF book is back to coffee-table format. It's almost time for my friend and artist, Susan Steele, to paint the entrance on our side of the farm where there's a gate that separates us from the actual estate. (The place where I determined that I would have to write this book or be forever regretful.) We're waiting for what looks to be a weeping cherry to burst into bloom. I've never seen anything so tranquil in my life as this winding road with a stream to boot, pasture fences and, and a beautiful frame of trees that lead up to the gate with the "No Trespassing" sign. I LOVE IT!

Hope you all have a safe and FUN weekend. Hope it's not raining in your neck of the woods, but if it is...just curl up with a book you've been putting off reading and escape to a happy place.

Eureka, I've Got It!

Yes indeed, this book dilemma has hounded me since I started making and taking notes about a year ago. I know I have mentioned that I have interviewed a few members of the Bowman Gray, Jr. family, along with two of the women who worked at the estate all those years ago. The big question was, how am I going to mesh the fun part in the present with the historical information of the farm? By "fun part" I mean MY PART. I think how this whole thing has unfolded is just so interesting. I've told countless family members and close friends..."It just feels like 3 books...one about the farm; one about the present and how amazingly this has all played out; and all the experiences I have had here that are separate from the book...reflections, if you will.

Our friend and Randy's co-worker, Lonnie, was here this weekend from Virginia, so I mused out loud how I could possibly combine the two. Finally, it hit me as Randy and I walked Mollie yesterday...put my observations and thoughts at the beginning of each chapter of the person interviewed, then devote the rest of the chapter to the actual interview. By golly, I think it will work. Will keep you posted. I've got to go and write!

It's Cold EVERYWHERE!

My my there has been a lot going on with the weather. It seems like it's cold everywhere but Singapore! It's cold in Ft. Lauderdale, and right up through the state. My sister, Linda, just called and it's snowing in Alabama and will follow them right up into the Atlanta area and home. It appears to be missing us here in Winston Salem, but we have remnants of the last snow all over the place. My friend Brenda just sent me pictures of their house in PA...40 inches! AND they're expecting more on Monday!

Needless to say, all this snow is not good for the businesses in these areas, and I think the kids are even getting sick and tired of snow days. (Just think, when they make them up, there will most likely be beautiful weather outside.) So, I hope you are staying warm and doing something you've put off doing for a long while...something you enjoy. You snowbirds in FL...this just serves to make you happy that at least it's NOT SNOWING; you Floridians...turtlenecks and sweaters cover up a lot of body flaws; everyone else above the Florida line...keep your pajamas on all day if you want, until you decide to go out and play in the snow, and keep that hot chocolate coming.

A Picture Paints A Thousand Words

Look what I've learned to do! It's so exciting. I've been picture-adding all morning. Leah just told me how to do it, so watch-out! You now have visuals and words! Don't think for one minute that now that I have pics that it will cut down on the number and content of my words...but it will today, because I am officially writing THE BOOK. I turned the proverbial corner yesterday and am now on my way.

It's very interesting how a family can start out on the right foot from the very beginning and it continues, for the most part, into today. The Gray family valued education as far back as I can see, along with participating in and giving back to the community. The early ancestors were shop keepers, politically minded, and involved in starting hospitals, growing churches, and helping colleges to prosper. (Look at their Duke involvement.) Not unlike today.

Enjoy the pics. I've got to go and write.

Oh, What a Night

Our beautiful winter wonderland is turning to mush, ever so slowly, due to the rain. It still looks beautiful outside, but the streets are finally melting and school will hopefully be back in session after tomorrow. I say, hopefully, because the moms and kids must be going stir-crazy now that it's raining.

Randy said the front part of the neighborhood is still the hardest to maneuver, and there were three accidents before 10 AM up at the corner of Robinhood and Meadowlark, with one on Country Club, which is en route to work for him. Needless to say, I didn't venture out at all, other than to take Mollie out twice in the middle of the night, hence the title of this blog today.

She rarely makes a peep once I close the bathroom door...except for last night. She awakened me at 2 AM on the dot. I know, because you may remember, Matthew left us his clock that shines the time in blue on the ceiling at night. I thought she'd stop squeaking, and go back to sleep, but she didn't, so I got up, turned off the alarm and took her out. (By "took her out," I mean I stand at the door in my pajamas and bare feet and shut the door and turn on the light to watch and make sure no coyotes or foxes get her. ) She went and came running back in. I reset the alarm, took her back to bed and thought all was well. I thought wrong. Twenty minutes later, she was doing it again. I knew Randy was going to work that morning, so I got up again, happy to let him sleep. (It kind of reminded me for a moment of when I'd get up with the kids when they were little.)

This outing was different...instead of her just going potty in the spot Randy had cleared for her in the snow, she decided she needed to explore new territory, so she goes trotting up to the front yard at a clip. I tear through the house in my bare feet, in the dark, and get to the front door just in time to watch her start up the road in front of the house. I know there are no bedrooms close by, so I step outside onto the cold slate porch and yell in my loudest whisper, "MOLLIE! GET BACK HERE!" (FYI, I watch a lot of the "Dog Whisperer" after hours, and I learned a long time ago, I'm not the Alpha Dog in this house. Randy is.)

Maybe my whisper (Who knows maybe a whisper is sufficient for a dog's keen sense of hearing.) had picked up momentum in the quiet of the night. For whatever reason, she turned around and came back...without doing any doggie business that I could see. So, I reset the alarm, because my sister had just sent me a supposed-to-be-funny note from a burglar, which was in reality supposed to hit home to homeowners to keep everything locked up no matter what...even during inclement weather, which I felt any self-respecting robber would respect.

It wasn't 10 minutes before the whining progressed into a bark. I need to digress a moment...in the course of all of this, the smoke detector battery is beeping upstairs about every 10 seconds. (I'm assuming that is what awakened her to begin with.) I finally yelled at her to get back in her bed, because Randy was awake by then. Her barking went on for about 3 more minutes, so I suggested since he was awake, that Randy go and take her out this time. He was so appreciative that I had taken her out the previous two times, that he gladly obliged. I reminded him to unset the alarm, and check out the battery noise while he was at it. It took him about 20 minutes to do all I had requested and he got back into our warm snugly bed. Mollie was really barking and whining within about 2 minutes. I could not for the life of me imagine what her problem was. Then, I remembered dogs also have a keen sense of smell, so I suggested Randy go upstairs and check for small electrical fires, as I had just pulled a portable electric piano...excuse me...keyboard, out of the attic that day, and I had left it plugged in after years of disuse. I said, "Maybe she smells smoke that we can't smell." So off he trotted back upstairs to check for tell-tale signs of smoke. He's fully awake by now, and realizes he may as well unplug the battery from the smoke detector while he's up, so he goes down the 32 stairs to the basement to get the small ladder, then goes back up and unplugs the little bugger. (The ladder's still there. I guess enough was enough.)

By then we're both cold and irritated and 2 1/2 hours have gone by. Mollie starts up again, and Alpha Dog only has to say one time, "Mollie, go night-night," and we don't hear another peep until the break of day and Skype ringing in on the computer upstairs above our heads. We made it through the night after all.