Ahh.. Sunday.. Time for a NEW Week!

"The dead of midnight is the noon of thought."
~Anna Letitia Barbauld

"We can't buy one minute of time with cash; if we could, rich people would live longer."

~ O. Henry

"The experimenter who does not know what he is looking for will not understand what he finds." ~ Claude Bernard



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.. I had plans for a bunch of great photos today.. But somehow that didn't happen.. or maybe the photos I wanted didn't happen.. this hasn't been a good weekend for photos.. Em and I heard there was a carnival in town ..we would go See that.. bound to be great shots there.. carnies in their fancy not so fancy dirty clothes and all the rides.. lots of photos.. he got there.. there were a gazillion folks walking around.. we were about to step out of the car and.. her phone rang.. no walk.. no carnies .. no photos.. Dave an I had an errand out of town.. OK.. fine.. I'll look up a few Geo-caches.. (our other hobby!) we'll make it a combo day.. I'll get photos of the other town.. needless to say about half way there we discovered that we had NO CAMERA.. I searched and searched deep and wide.. because I never.. ever leave home without my camera.. at least one .. I had one.. it had one photo left on the roll of film.. all the other film was at home along with my good camera.. we did make a few shots with the cell phone but I was in a foul mood and really didn't try.. I hate to be somewhere where I know there are great shots and not have my camera.. So as you see I have had a rough.. frustrating weekend when it comes to photos.. But I do make photos of some sort every single day.. so I was still able to choose from my favorite photos of the week..

I welcome comments.. Have a wonderful day!
Patsy

.. Winter Time Feed..

.. Just an OLD tree..

My favorite color blooms in my back yard..

.. Laughing Happy Baby!..

Weekly Winners invites us to share our favorite photos of the week with them on Sunday!

Patsy

Another Tuesday ~ Another what is it?

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh

“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.”

~ Buddha

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.”

~ Washington Irving

I think I may actually have a plant this week that will be hard to guess.. I want to know what the plant is and what the fruit is used for... I am pretty sure you will be very surprised at what I have been growing.. The fact is that this fruit is believed by almost everyone to come from somewhere else.. Most people are not aware that it grows on a vine.. It is sold in specialty shops and many times cost a pretty penny.. I am rather fond of them and use them in several different spaces in my house and even outside in the back yard.. Can you guess what I am growing here?

The first picture is how these things look when they grow.. Their dark green leafy vines will reach for the sky.. climbing anything it can wrap a tendril around and hang on as it climbs over and under and around everything in it's path.. That is of course provided that it has plenty of water.... The vine will grow quickly up and over an old fence or even up into a tree.. Before long you will see hummingbirds swarming around the lemon yellow flowers that cover the tops of the vines.. Bees and butterflies will try to sneak a drink of the nectar but the hummingbirds will fight for every drop..chasing the bees and butterflies away every time they see one

anywhere near the vine.. The second picture is of two that I picked last year.. I saved these two for seeds.. I meant to plant them this year but at the beginning of the year I forgot about them.. I really think some of you may be surprised at just what these things are... I know I was when I was first given the seeds.. It sorta looks like zucchini squash doesn't it? I have been told that it is actually edible and quiet tasty.. Being that I now know what it really is.. I'll just pass on eating any of it.. you can have my portion..My friend Thoi does eat them.. she grows them for what they are and to eat.. The vines cover her small yard like a jungle...I will say that she eats them long before they get this big though.. The one in the first picture is quiet obviously being grown for what they become.. not for food... Can you guess what this strange plant is?

a few fast facts~

1~) the vines grow to at least twelve feet and many grow up twenty feet or even higher.
and will have dozens of fruit per vine.. the leaves and vines are crushed and used for an insect
repellent...

2~) the fruit is edible.. I googled it and their are even recipes on-line for it..
The flowers are also edible and are dampened then very lightly floured and fried for a delicious treat.

3~) It has large bright yellow flowers.. both male and female flowers.. the male flowers are found in clusters while the female flowers will stand alone..

4~) it is a fast-growing annual found wild in India and now cultivated in much of Asia.

5~) This warm season plant is sensitive to frost. It yields well in warm climates. The plant prefers deep well drained sandy loam soils, rich in organic matter with a pH ranging between 6.5 to 7.5. But it can also be grown on any good soil. The soil may be prepared well by adding organic matter or animal manure a few weeks before planting.

Did the fast facts help at all? I bet they didn't.. this is one of those things that either you know or you don't.. I'm thinking that a lot of you will be surprised when I tell you tomorrow exactly what I have growing in these pictures.. Some of you might even like to have a few seeds.. Please feel free to guess if you know or think you know the answer.. I love comments so you can comment just to say howdy if you want to too..

Have a wonderful day!
Patsy


Update~yes the plant is a loofah squash.. Or some people call it a gourd... Most people think that Loofah is a sponge that comes from deep within the ocean. It is often sold as a deep sea sponge.. especially by those people who set up shop in the center of the local mall and who also sell the salt they claim comes from the dead sea .. They have instructions on how to use it to cure every skin ailment known to mankind.. I have grown Loofah for a few years.. I got my first seeds as a gift from my Thailand friend; Thoi.. She eats hers.. I use mine to wash dishes and scrub pots and wash the car and the face and to wash vegetables.. They are pretty useful. They are also expensive to buy.. I saw a basket in one of the mall shops that had one thin slice of Loofah, a tiny vial of cleansing solution, and another tiny vial of dead sea replenishing gel.. The basket I could hold in the palm of my hand.. wrapped in Plastic and tied up with a green bow... the gift basket was $34... I wanted to come home and start seeds right then even though it was still cold outside.. These Squash get Long.. Really long.. as thin as that slice was... I could get rich if I could slice and sell mine like that.. Thanks to all who guessed!
Patsy

It's Another Wednesday... Weird from daylight until??!!

"The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do."
~ B.F. Skinner

"What we're always looking for is weird social issues and weird connections to make. Luckily for them, there's no shortage of material." ~ Trey Parker

"When a woman is very, very bad, she is awful, but when a man is correspondingly good, he is weird." ~ Minna Antrim

Good afternoon and welcome to a weird day.. My day started off weird from the beginning when I got some weird E-mails this morning.. one just said.. "Papaya's" and another that said "acorn squash".. and Finally one that said ~ "you tell me!!"... they all had the same subject.. "what it is!"
It took me half the day to realize that they were guessing on the Tuesday blog... Then my phone rang seventeen times while I was talking to someone else on it.. from a number and name that neither Dave not I knew.. Dave tried to call them back with his cell and his cell died.. I mean really died as in ~had to break out an old phone~ died.. After I got off the phone I called them and said "hello this is Patsy.. you called me a number of times" .. They said "Yea do you have any job openings??" They had the wrong number.. even after I told them they had a private home they wanted to know if I was hiring... That was weird.. In fact this whole day has been weird.. a typical Wednesday!! So I'm going to move right on to the weird questions..

1:} ~Of all the things that you have, what is it that have the most of? ~ Wow can you see all the stuff I have? Are you peeping in at all my weird Junk? I have a lot of books and a lot of Tea sets... Would it be too weird if I just said junk? Yea? Well I have a lot of Dolls... I have a lot of Craft patterns and magazines.. I have a lot of Chickens and plants.. I have a lot of a lot of things I reckon.. BUT! The thing I have the most of would be Barbie and her type doll.. I love them.. I collect them.. I will accept them from strangers if they have some they need to get rid of.. I will buy them their own box or carrying case and give them a new name.. I will fix their twisted weird hair and set about building them a wardrobe of sewn or crocheted clothes.. I will buy them shoes and make them mini/ fake picnic baskets complete with food and drinks..I will talk to them when they are trying on their clothes... I will carry them one at the time in my purse.. They will go places like the grocery store and the beach.. They will go fishing and to the homes of my friends and family..to the doctor's office and the library and even to poetry club meetings.. I will crochet for them and pull them naked from my purse and try things on them to be sure that their clothes fit just them...Yes I know I am weird.. Now if you have any dolls Barbie sized or smaller that need a good home..and you will mail them to me.. I will be glad to have them...

2:}~ Natural garden flowers or a store-bought bouquet? I do love flowers.. I can tell you every store bought flower I ever got.. When Anthony was born a family friend ~Charlie~ asked where were my roses? Three hours later I got a dozen red roses from Baby-Daddy as if it was his idea all along.. It was weird to me.. Then on an anniversary years and years later all the co-workers at our job asked him where was my flowers.. At the end of the day just before quitting time.. here came the office manager with a bouquet of daisies and yellow roses..I remember thinking then that yellow roses meant goodbye... I always have weird thoughts.. But in that case I was right and we soon divorced.. Dave sneaked in my house and left me a bouquet of wild flowers with a gift box hidden inside.. I didn't find the ring box till he asked me to marry him and he had to dig the ring out of the bouquet.. Anthony and Myranda sent me purple carnations when I turned 40.. I saved the seeds and planted them to grow in my yard where they bloomed for a long time.. Anthony and Tana and Maya sent me a dozen roses on Valentines day one year... They were beautiful and I even rooted one of them.... Yes I am weird.. I will take a bought flower and try to make it grow again.. Dave often walks around and searches for something blooming in our yard to slip into a empty pickle jar or a cast off olive bottle and then set on the dresser beside my bed.. I often wake up to a flower or even a few times a weed.. But he cared enough to search for something to surprise me..OK! I got off on a weird ramble and almost forgot the question.. I choose natural garden flower... unless you want to buy me a living; growing; that I can plant in my garden plant.. Just get me some seeds..

3:}~ If you were in a situation where it was either starve to death or resort to cannibalism, would you resort to cannibalism to stay alive or let yourself starve? ~ I really don't plan on ever being in that weird situation.. Am I going to cook them in a big pot or just eat them raw? Do I have to kill them or did I survive a plane crash?? I'm fat... I can live a while.. I will watch the birds and see what they eat.. I will gnaw on leaves and/ or bark if there are trees near me.. I will eat snow.. I might even eat some weird exotic animal.. But I'm pretty sure if I tried to eat a person.. I'd throw him/her right back up... Of course who knows they might be good with some bark and bird seed dressing.. and a side of snow... Some days Y'all are really weird...

4:}~ Do you shop with or without a shopping list? Easy answer .. I know what I need and for some weird reason I just am able to remember things like that.. On the other hand if I have carried a list I usually don't get half of it.. either it's too expensive or I change my mind and get something else.. Yep.. I'm still weird!

5:}~ If you were given 20 acres of land and the money to develop it however you chose, what would you do with it? I guess it sounds weird but I have actually thought about this question... I'd build a water/ rock climbing/skate park..that used half of it.. because there is nothing fun for the kids in our town....unless they play baseball.... The other half I'd make available for people to come and grow food and flowers with me.. complete with secret paths ; wind chimes; fish ponds; fountains; and places to sit and think...I guess I'd just have more of what I already have on that ten acres..

6:}~If you could acquire a characteristic of one particular animal, what would it be?.. Man.. Just one animal? What if I want to be a mythical creature with parts from a bunch of different ones? Like maybe the roar of the lion and eye of an eagle? The speed of a cougar? And the smartness of a fox.. Oh wait.. I'm already sly....My kids say I am as stubborn as a mule .... I think as weird as it may sound.. I'll just pass on the animal thing altogether.. I would like that roar though!

Done!! Were you Shocked and surprised that there wasn't a single sexual in any way question here today.. That is truly weird ... almost scary in fact.. I am glad that today's weird questions won't frighten my readers and cause nightmares for my family... The place I used to get my questions from hasn't offered a new weird question in a couple of weeks.. Their last set was about the swingers lifestyle and that whole subject is way to weird for me... I'm way to mean and jealous to ever be a swinger... I'd be swinging from jail house bars.. I know.. I'm weird.. I know a lot of that goes on.. but I am way to weird for that.. call me weird if you want to..SEE! ... I'm about to get mad just from thinking about it..

Of course there are plenty of wild and wacky weird questions anywhere you look on-line... I think every weirdo ever born has a computer.. and those that don't; have a library card...

I am looking into some different themes and schemes and ideas for my blog.... so don't be surprised if I slip up and surprise you with something different.. Have a wonderful weird Wednesday..
Patsy

Welcome to Thursday! I have at least three things for you!

“We have sat on the river bank and caught catfish with pin hooks. The time has come to harpoon a whale.” ~ John Hope

"If I go down in for anything in history, I would like to be known as the person who convinced the American people that catfish is one of the finest eating fishes in the world."
~ Willard Scott

"You ask me if I will not be glad when the last battle is fought, so far as the country is concerned I, of course, must wish for peace, and will be glad when the war is ended, but if I answer for myself alone, I must say that I shall regret to see the war end."
~ George Armstrong Custer

"There are not enough Indians in the world to defeat the Seventh Cavalry."
~ George Armstrong Custer



1:) ~ I would like to say happy Thursday! I can't.. today hasn't been very happy for a lot of People.. Death has been poking around here in our town this week with three people that I knew having died this week. First was Shane: a little fellow that used to live beside me.. I know he was grown but I will always think of his smiling, chubby cheeked face when he was a baby.. Then A fellow that went to school with me died, Joel was a great person and will be missed by his family and friends.. What's worse is that he was young and in presumably good health until he was involved in an accident at work last week. Last night My Daughter-in-law's (Myranda) Grandma died.. She was old and recently diagnosed with Leukemia.. She too will be missed by all of her children and grandchildren and great grands too... so like I said death has been busy in Barnwell this week.. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families whose lives have been touched by death this week... No one escapes death when it comes calling your name.... even the rich and famous are not immune to death...

Today will be remembered as a sad day in History. First, Farrah Fawcett died at the age of 62, Loosing her three year battle with cancer .... and Later in the day Michael Jackson died at the age of 50, from what is being presumed was cardiac arrest. The latest news says that an autopsy is planned.. My thoughts and prayers will be with the families of these famous ones tonight.

2:) Today is Catfish day! I love catfish.. I like it fried or stewed or grilled. I love the nuggets that the fishermen cut from the Giant catfish that they catch in Santee.. (and in other places too I bet!) My brother's- in- law ( Wade and Roland) once had some catfish so big that they looked like pigs laying in the back of the truck. They carried a Big freezer with them to put the nuggets in.. those big fish would have rose up and laughed at any cooler I have ever seen. Today even has it's own proclamation making it an Official, National, DAY!

Proclamation 5672 -- National Catfish Day, 1987
June 25, 1987

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More and more Americans are discovering a uniquely American food delicacy -- farm-raised catfish. In 1986, catfish comprised the third highest volume of finned fish consumed in the United States. Ninety-nine percent of all these catfish were farm-raised. Between 1975 and 1985, production of farm-raised catfish increased by 1200 percent. Most observers expect that production will continue to increase in 1987. Production costs of catfish farming, which have averaged only 65 cents per pound over the past 8 years, have resulted in a stable income for growers and an economical food product for consumers. The accompanying growth of the catfish processing industry also has created thousands of permanent jobs.

Farm-raised catfish have come a long way from their bottom-feeding ancestors. The catfish that are available today, fresh or frozen in markets nationwide, are products of state-of-the-art methods of aquaculture. They thrive in clean freshwater ponds on many American farms, where they are surface-fed soybean meal, corn, fish meal, vitamins, and minerals. Farm-raised catfish not only furnish American consumers with a tasty delicacy but also provide a nutritious, low-calorie source of protein that is also low in cholesterol.

In recognition of the value of farm-raised catfish, the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 178, has designated June 25, 1987, as ``National Catfish Day'' and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in its observance.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 25, 1987, as National Catfish Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh.

Ronald Reagan

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:

13 p.m., June 25, 1987]

3:)On this day in History~ The Battle Of Little Bighorn~

• The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, took place on June 25th-26th, 1876. It was fought by three Native American tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army.

• Fast Facts:

  1. Date: June 25 to June 26, 1876
  2. Location: Little Bighorn River, Montana
     
  3. Also known as: Battle of Greasy Grass
  4. War: The Black Hills War
  5. Victor: Native Americans
  6. Commanders:
     • Native American: Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse
     • Army: George Custer, James Calhoun, Marcus Reno and Frederick Benteen
  7. Battlefield is now a National Monument
  8. The entire battle was reported to have lasted only half an hour

• • Native Americans: 36-136 killed, 160 wounded

  • 7th Cavalry: 268 killed, 55 wounded

• Lieutenant George Armstrong Custer was kill ed at Little Bighorn. At the time, he was viewed as a hero who sacrificed his life for his country. In later years Custer and his actions during the Indian Wars became a symbol of the United States Government's mistreatment of Native Americans, even though he had publicly opposed the the use of reservations.

~~And now as a bonus because today hasn't been a good day in times past or even in our own time ~ well except for the whole catfish thing.. and that was good for us but not for the fish~ I am sharing with you what I enjoyed today in my own yard..

1)~ a beautiful water lily

2:) Dave's almost orange ~
reduced for quick sale~ Hibiscus!



3:) Blooming Gardenia.. the smell is as beautiful as the flower!


Have a great day!
Patsy

Three for Thursday!

"If you get simple beauty and naught else, you get about the best thing God invents."
~ Robert Browning

"As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you'll only get to play one round." ~ Ben Hogan

"Some people, like flowers, give pleasure just by being." ~ unknown


Today is Thursday. That means it's time for me to share three things with you. There are so many wonderful things I could share.. Pictures and stories and even a recipe or song. I have a blue gazzillion thoughts running around in my head just waiting to be shared. I reckon that means I shouldn't run out of material for a lot of Thursdays huh? Let's get started with today's Three for Thursday!

1:) A photo~
I searched both high and low for a four leaf clover to share with y'all. As luck would have it, I only found this beauty in full bloom. This plant lives in an old igloo, ice water, cooler on my back step. I love to see it with blooms open wide in the early morning sun. I also like to tiptoe quietly past it as it bows it's head and pulls it's blossoms closed in the early evening dusk. It's as if it is sleeping. I guess it goes to bed with the chickens.






2:) Speaking of Chickens!

This is Red Rooster. He is loud and proud. His hens, or wives as we like to call them are a little bit lazy and don't lay as well as the other hens but nothing stops him from being the loudest crowing rooster in the chicken garden.






The Black and white hen is one of his lazy wives.
She lays only about two eggs a week. Her name is Regina. I keep telling her and her other pen mates that they are going to have a new name....
"Pot Pie" will be a fine name for them if they don't get into the game and start laying me some eggs! Actually I would most likely never eat one of them. They run to the edge of the pen when they see me coming in the mornings. They know I have a treat such as sweet feed or a slice of bread. They are spoiled. I think it would be hard to eat something that you have spoiled like Dave and I have our chickens. We love the fresh eggs though! And we love seeing the little ones hatch in our home made ( cooler) Incubator.


3:) a Haiku

Hidden

the weeping willow
shelters a laughing maiden ~
a young man searches

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
5-7-2009


Well there ya go with three for Thursday! Today has been a good day for me. I enjoyed some time spent watching my newly hatched quail babies try to figure out how their legs worked. I picked some fresh dill for a salad and stood and ate strawberries right out of the barrel where they grow in my back yard bucket garden. Dave and I walked off a quail run for the males that we hope to either sell to the hunting clubs or eat. We spent some time together just watching the babies in the brooder as they try to figure out rather they want to fly or just run. Take time to enjoy simple things.
Smell the roses or the evening primrose or whatever blooms near you. If nothing blooms near your home you could always plant something in a tin can or a cast off ; cut off; milk jug. I love the simple things! Relax! Enjoy a few minutes daily just looking at the simple things in nature. It will lower your blood pressure and who knows, you might even see something that leads you to a smile! Have a wonderful day!
Patsy

Thinking about the Past!

“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be”~ Marcel Pagnol

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

~Buddha

"There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again. " ~Elizabeth Lawrence

"The older I grow the more earnestly I feel that the few joys of childhood are the best that life has to give." ~Ellen Glasgow



It seems to come around this time of year for me. A pining and wishing for the simple life we knew as children. I well remember us running around the yard in front of the the little white house as dusk settled over the yard. The tall pines Mama had wanted planted around the yards edge standing as sentry's guarding over our home. The azalea's Daddy had planted on a Sunday afternoon scenting the evening air. Someone was hiding scrunched down in those flowers. We knew they were there somewhere. But in the faint darkness they were invisible to us. I can feel the tremors of excitement as we skipped along holding tight to each others hands. Singing out loud ~ " Ain't no boogers out tonight; out tonight~ out tonight! Ain't no boogers out tonight! Granddaddy killed them all last night!" And then with a screech the hider would leap up from the flower bed and away we would all run screaming back to the step where Mama and Daddy sat talking quietly together. Sometimes Aunt Lucy or Grandma Black might be sitting with them talking about grown-up things. They might even be shelling peas or butter
beans in the evening shadows. The porch light casting a golden pool around them. I can see them even now as if I am standing out near the pines looking back through years of time.Tingles of fear racing along my spine. Jimmy is hiding and he loves to scare us as much as he can. He will make us walk and sing forever; building the fear in all of us until he will leap from the shadows with a blood curdling yell as we race to the safety of the golden light around Mama and Daddy. He will cause us to scatter in fear, each running for their own life, afraid to hang on to each other. Afraid to look back.

Closing my eyes I can remember the smell of Daddy's cigar and can almost hear the whisper of Mama's laugh at something he said just loud enough for her to hear. We children would run and play until darkness was full upon the yard, then settle on the steps to watch in wonder as the fireflies flashed around over the same flower beds that had only moments before held boogers. Children don't play like that now. Dusk finds them on-line or playing video games or maybe just watching television. They miss so many wonderful things that happen in those moments between daylight and darkness. Nothing in life is simple now. Even small children have cell phones and I-pods and hand held games. I am so thankful for my childhood. I have tried very hard to give my own children a sense of the goodness of living simply. I know that they and their friends have laughed at my fondness for the simple life. I hope that one day, as they stand and look back through time, They too will remember the good times~ the fun~ the sew it up game~ the fireflies over the field~ the railroad hills~ me and my chickens~ The simple life.


Tonight I am going to share with you a story from the past. A story that tells of my love for some more of our childhood things. If there are children in your life, try to see that they enjoy some of the simple things. Maybe share with them a sunrise or a sunset. They may not appear to enjoy it but the time you spend on them will matter. I hope you enjoy the story and I hope you have a wonderful day.
Patsy

A Poor Man's Vacation

Mountain Climbing, river rafting, flying and exploring...we did it all when we were kids! We were sure our plane could fly higher and faster than any other plane ever invented. Made from an old hog chute at an uncle's hog farm and fueled by imagination, that old flying machine could take it's passengers almost anywhere. We would fly over Paris one minute and land in the Australian outback in the next. Sometimes we would fly over to Tibet and climb our own version of Mt. Everest.
Mountain climbing could take us all day once we got started because somehow it was always just as much fun to slide down the clay hills on flattened boxes as it was to climb to the top. Of course we also had to take time out to discuss where the passing trains were going and who might be on board.
After several hours of climbing we would wander along the river bank to the clearing where the Indians lived in their snowy white tepees. These Indians were very friendly. They showed us how to make chicken feather headbands and how to climb the tall scaly pine trees. Sometimes our friends would invite us to share their supper of buffalo dogs. When we cooked them over a small fire and added some ketchup or mustard they were almost like the franks mom would fix. The river was a great place for rafting and exploring. The currents would swirl our craft around and around as we dizzily hung on and rode the rapids. After a while David's arms would tire and we'd drift into the still waters. After a tiring ride down river we'd wander around in the great forest searching the well trodden paths for bits of glass or colored stones that we called treasure.
We really looked forward to going on an adventure with the Big Chief. We would load up in his red windblower and go deep into the forest. behind the river, where we would track down and capture such dreaded enemies as the sworded wild rose and the dangerous dogwoods. The chief would chop around their feet until they couldn't move. He'd hoist them up on his broad shoulders and we'd tie a burlap bag around their long trailing toes so they couldn't crawl away. We would load them into our windblower and haul them back to camp. The Chief would bury their feet and tie them to poles so they couldn't sneak away after dark!
I guess with every day being an adventure I was pretty near half grown before I realized that most people took some sort of vacation each year. I thought they were luxuries reserved only for the rich. I'll never forget the day I sat in class and stared with open-mouthed disbelief as Mrs. Davenport gave her best English teacher smile and the command to write an essay on our summer vacations. I couldn't tell my friends about our family outings. Even our camping trips and trips to the seashore didn't seem good enough. It was hard for me to understand why my parents couldn't take their eight kids on vacations like my friends went on. It took a lot of travel brochures and a lot of imagination to get me through those years.
Now that those Years are passed away and I have children of my own I often feel a longing to visit the places of my youth. The railroad bank mountains aren't nearly so high or hard to climb anymore and the creek river doesn't seem quite as deep. The old flying machine is only a rotting hog chute and the red windblower has long since been traded in on a Ford Escort. The dreaded enemies captured in the forest have become beautiful plants in my parents yard and the bed sheet tepees are long gone.
Now as I stand back and watch my children and the children of my brothers and sisters scramble to the top of the mountain only to come sliding down on red seated britches or cross the river on fallen tree bridges to claim as treasures the pretty colored stones, I feel a sudden urge to join them in the priceless pleasures of a poor man's vacation.

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
1989
Published: Southern Sensations Magazine
October-November 1989!

My Daffodils!

Where flowers bloom so does hope.- Lady Bird Johnson

The daffodils are blooming and I love this time of year. This time of year always makes me think of so many wonderful things. With the first bloom of them I always think of Grandma Black and how even though she lived very simply she touched many lives through her words of wisdom. Sheron and I often remember to each other some off her greatest words. She used to give us warnings about how things could bring about other things. One I will always remember is. "All right NOW! Leaving a rocking chair rocking is a sign your are gonna get a whooping!" I got a few whoopings for that. Because if you jump out and leave it rocking it might; and in my case did; break something at Grandma Morris’s house! At Grandma Blacks little house in the woods she had daffodils planted down each side of the little path to the door. She didn’t have a sidewalk or anything elegant like that. Not even a few stepping stones, But still she planted flowers along her path. She had other flowers as well but I always remember her best from the daffodils. I carried her daffodils that me and Anthony picked from the grave yard near our house once when she was in the hospital. She smiled at us and said." They always bloom so much prettier in the grave yard!" She died shortly after that while they were still blooming. I walked through those woods near where her house was a few weeks ago. I snuck in there by way of the old railroad bed. Just to see if the flowers were still there. They were and are in full bloom! They also remind me of Nelma. My Mother-in-law. Mom to my first Husband Gaylon. We loved each other, Nelma and I. It had nothing to do with him. We loved each other aside from him. We would embroidery together during the long days we spent together with nothing else to do. She would tell me tales of the old ones long gone from her family. Tales about her Papa were very important to her. Everyone used to say Cooper looked like Papa. She would have loved him and Emily. I like to think that she held them in Heaven before they were sent to me. She loved Anthony to death. But she Loved to tie him up too. She found it funny to see him try and get out of it. I think that was the only time she made me really mad. But we got over that moment too. I would go for walks and bring back some daffodils when they were in bloom. She would smell them over and over and then put the whole bunch in a jar and carry it straight to her room. I would say "Hey Share Those Please!" and she would just say "Hmmmmp" If I wanted some for the table I’d have to go and pick more. They also remind me of Mr. Lennie Still. He didn’t have a single blade of grass in his yard. He’d get out there every morning and sweep the yard clean chopping up anything green with the hoe. He didn’t have other flowers in his yard either. But he did have a few scattered clumps of daffodils. He said they let him know that spring was coming. He told me that they remind us of a promise from God that there is a season for everything under the sun. He said that they represented renewal to him. He said we should all have a few planted to remind us. He said "Man needs to be renewed every so often. It keeps a man Humble!" Mr. Lennie was a good man. A Humble man. They remind me of a time that me and Trudy and Anthony were going old house plundering. We wanted to check out an old log cabin someone had told Trudy about way down in the woods. Cooper was reaching for a bloom and was suddenly sliding away. Anthony jumped and grabbed him and was yelling for me to come help him hold on. They both almost fell into a well. If Anthony hadn’t been watching Cooper would have surely fell in. There was no marking of any kind there to warn people of the well. Just Daffodils planted all around it. I can still hear Cooper yelling "Help me bubba!" just as Anthony’s almost a man’s hand closed over Coopers tiny little one. And me grabbing Anthony by the foot as he started to slip as well. But we all Hung on. I think I hugged them fifty times each when we were all safe on solid ground again. Me and Trudy both crying with relief. We all made it out of those woods. We even got a bucket that was hanging way down deep in that well. Anthony was determined to pull up whatever was tied to the rotting old rope. I kept the bucket to remind me of how close we came that day to loosing something precious. I think that was our last house plundering trip. I think that scare ended the house plundering for me and Trudy! It’s funny how something as simple as a blooming yellow flower can bring so many wonderful memories to your mind. How just the smell can invoke such loving thoughts of family and friends already gone. How seeing the blooms all over this yard can remind us of so many things. I didn’t plant them here. They just were. If I had to guess I’d say Miss Ruthie planted them or maybe someone even before she lived here. I give thanks to who ever planted them here. Thanks for the blooms and thanks for the memories.
Patsy