Cotton Picking Time

When I was a little girl in Alabama I had my own cotton picking sack. I must have been five years old and my aunt made me a sack that hung by a strap over my shoulder and dragged behind me on the ground. I'd pick a boll here and there and pop it down into the sack and hurry on trying to keep up with the other pickers. I don't know what happened to my sack but I'd give nearly anything to have it today.

a picture from flicker.com showing the cotton picking sacks.

I can still recall that woody smell of a pile of cotton being prepared for a trip to the mill. My grandfather got sick and no longer grew cotton and I got grown and moved away. Machinery took place of human labor. Although it is much more efficient I still think every child should have an opportunity to pick cotton just once in their life.

picture made by daughter Shirley

In Virginia the fields are getting ready for harvest. We have cotton, corn and peanuts here.

What do you have growing in your neck of the woods? 

picture taken by daughter Marie

All this talk of cotton reminded of an old song about cotton fields. Here is part of it.

                                                    

When I was a little baby,                                              My mother rocked me in the cradle,                                             In them old, cotton fields back home.                                                                 Chorus:                                            Oh when them cotton balls got rotten,                                              You couldn't pick very much cotton,                                             In them old, cotton fields back home.

A Sweet Surprise

This morning I am enjoying a cup of Hot Cinnamon Spice tea and boy do I need it... Read on to hear the rest of the story.  My mug is one my daughter Shirley gave me several years ago. It has strawberries on the front of it. I love the size and the shape!!

I'm feeling yucky. Have a UTI and sinusitus. I'm hoping the antibotic will knock out both problems.

On my mind.... my friend, Linda J. at http://friendshiptea.blogspot.com/. I went to the post office a couple of days ago and had a package. Wasn't expecting anything so I ripped into it right there in the post office. This is what I found.... an absolutely wonderful journal. It's nearly too pretty to write in!! That woman knows me well. I've kept journals almost all my adult life and I sure love this one. There was also four packs of tea, 2 of Hot cinnamon spice and 2 of Pomegranate oolong. I am going to enjoy those big time.

Linda and I go a way back almost to the very beginning of my blogging life. You just ought to hop on over and pay her a visit. She loves tea!! Oh, my does she... the blog title tells the tale. So, thank you, Linda, for my wonderful surprise and for being such an amazing friend.

My quote for today is from the journal that Linda sent me...

To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes  3:1  NKJV

I am linked to Tea Talk Thursday at http://celebratefriendship-ruth.blogspot.com/

EEEk... it's E day

Come on in.... I'll just take a moment to add these pictures from my life that start with the letter E. Then we can have a cup of tea and visit a spell.

                                    'E' stands for equestrian

Not that I am ... I was just doing a quick ride around our yard on my daughters horse, Charlie.

'E' stands for

Elizabethan Gardens

                                                                                         

Elbert & I enjoyed the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, North Carolina.

'E' stands for

Eiffel Tower                                                                                            

Elbert & Susan went all the way to the top. I chickened out halfway up!!! That thing is scary.

                            

    'E' stands for  embordiery                                                                                                     

An old art that I have enjoyed over the years. This is not my best work... I  promise!!

'E' stands for

                                                   Ensign                                                                                                             

Elbert just after he got his commission in the U. S. Navy. He went up through the ranks from seaman to limited duty officer and we were so proud of his ensign stripe on his uniform and his accomplishments.

E stands for Envelope                                                                                                                      

8 cents for airmail. Times have changed in the mailing industry as in everything else. Don't you wish that mailing a letter these days was just 8 cents?

These pictures bring back so many memories for me. When I decided to run through the ABCs  of our life I had no idea how much work or how much fun it was going to be. As you can tell there isn't much going on around my house these days. A gal has gotta pull up something to blog about!!

It's Autumn

I love the word 'autumn'. It just rolls off the tongue bringing up visions of colorful leaves, pumpkins, smoke drifting upward from the chimney. After a summer of hot dry weather my flowers are making a comeback just before they rest for the winter. So, I took a stroll about my yard to discover what autumn has to offer.

I love the pink of the sedum against the green background. I wasn't sure about wanting sedum when my grandson planted it but it's one of the most colorful fall plants I have.

The magnolia tree is covered with pink and green pods. I love the spiky design of the pods with the leaves that are shiny and dark green.

I have forgotten the name of this vine that we brought with us from Alabama. It doesn't make it's appearance until mid to late summer and then it covers the fence with fairy looking little leaves and tiny red trumpet flowers.

The ginger lily is making a last hurrah. It, too, is an off-spring from my aunt's lilies in Alabama. When picked and brought into the house, it fills the room with sweet fragrance.

The yellow rose is about finished for the year. I found a perfect blossom or two.

This bright red coleus is a joy to see. You can always depend on coleus, they are colorful and so easy to grow. A great addition to the garden.

This little gnome holds open the fence gate. His pipe is nearly as big as he is!!

Yes, my yard is 'strutting it's stuff' as the days shorten and the air grows cooler. All too soon the frost will come and the flowers will be gone. However, I will enjoy them while I can and come winter I will start planning my next flower garden.

I am linking to Show and Tell Friday at Cindy's http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Rainy Thursday

As the rain comes down I am enjoying a cup of Green Tea with Pomegranate.

Just had to show off the pretty pink rose in the middle of my saucer. This is from a set of the Rosales pattern from Noritake that I bought when we lived on Midway Island. Hubby was stationed there when he was in the Navy.

I am feeling good.... about volunteering this morning with our church's food bank

On my mind ... some trips I need to take to visit relatives but I am dragging my heels. Long trips are so tiring at my age.

My quote for the week is.......
                                                     My life is an instant
                                                   An hour which passes by;
                                                     My life is a moment
                                               Which I have no power to stay.
                                                     You know, O my God,
                                               That to love you here on earth
                                                      I have only today.
                                                                           - Therese of Lisieux 1873-1897

ABC Monday

                                                                It's 'D' Day...

D stands for dance

                                    
D stands for dog

        Smokey, the pup we brought all the way across country. He was our pet for many, many years.

D stands for deer

                               

                                                Deer in my sister's yard in Alabama

D stands for Dylan

                                                          My little great-grandson

Gooneys In The Yard

I was thumbing through some old pictures and ran across some that made me stop and think. How many people have had albatross (or gooneys as they are most times called) nesting in their yards? Not many, I bet.

It was back in the '50s.. oh lordy, was it that long ago? Well, anyway, Elbert was stationed on Midway Island that sat right smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Midway Island

Our little family resided in base housing and in our yard lived several goonies. Midway Island is a bird sanctuary so the goonies stayed whether we did or not.

If you aren't up to 'speed' on the albatross species and never heard of them except in Coolridge's epic poem let me give you a few facts. They are some of the largest birds and can have a wingspan of up to 11 feet although I don't think any of 'our' goonies were that large!!

A Gooney in flight

(picture was from google)

 They reside on remote islands (Midway being one of the islands) while they nest and raise their youngsters, then they fly off and don't return for several years. And surprisingly they come right back to their old nest and you had better not have built an apartment building on top of their old home!! No, no, no. they'll just build as close as they can to the original spot.

The birds mate for life... they evidently are smarter than a bunch of us humans who keep running the divorce rate higher and higher. It is so entertaining to watch them court. They bounce their bodies up and down in a retualised dance, swinging their head from side to side and then they lift up a wing and stick their beaks under their armpits. I used to laugh and say that they were checking for body odor. Gotta be fresh for the little missus.

Courting

picture from google

The albatross in flight is a picture of grace and elegance but once they set down their feet to land you just fall over laughing they are so funny. Talk about awkward!! No grace or elegance on the ground. And, once they skid to a stop they waddle off worse than a duck waddles. Poor things.

Shirley, the 3 year old with a baby gooney

My children played in the yard and they knew to leave the birds alone. Mama bird or Papa bird was sitting on an egg (they only lay one) and those beaks are big and bite hard. How do you tell a 3 year old and a 2 year old to not bother the birds? The 2 year old got bit and had to make a trip down to the base hospital. A bit scary but he was fine.

An adult Albatross sitting on a nest near my children

the girl in back on left is just a playmate

I won't ever forget our time on Midway Island. We had a lot of interesting experiences. I hope you have enjoyed this little lesson on bird-watching, even if you weren't there.

Having a Cup of Tea

It's Tea Talk Thursday and I am linking up with Ruth at http://celebratefriendship-ruth.blogpsot.com/ this morning and every Thursday morning.

I am having some Decaf Ceylon from Harney and Sons (a gift from my good friend, Linda at http://friendshiptea.blogspot.com/).  I decided to pour it into one of the bright yellow cups from a set I inherited from my Aunt. I know nothing about the set except that it is marked only with the words 'made in New Zealand'.

I'm feeling on top of the world this morning. The weather is cooler, had a good checkup at doctor, everything is going great.

On my mind is lunch with my oldest daughter today. She's moving far away and I won't see her for a long time after our lunch.

Quote:
Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And, give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.  
- attributed to a seventeenth century nun.

It's 'C' day

Continuing on with my ABCs...

C stands for Camera

My Canon .. without it you wouldn't get any pictures

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C stands for Cabin     

One that Elbert and I used to visit in the Greene Mountains of Tenn.

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C stands for Calf

A calf on our farm in Alabama

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C stands for Chapel

At the U. S. Naval Academy where we lived

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C stands for Caboose

From a sightseeing trip in Nebraska

(that's son Michael coming out of it)

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C stands for Christmas Lights

miles and miles of lights in Newport News, Va.

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C stands for church

A very old one in the Smoky Mountains

These are scenes from places of our past. Hope you enjoyed them as much as we did.

                                                                                                             

Remembering 9-11

In the 'never to be forgotten' category. Those men and women who lost their lives on 9-11. God rest their souls and comfort their families, who after 10 years, still feel empty and sad. And, God, while I am asking, may you protect our country, now and always.

Having a Cup of Tea

I'm linking up at http://celebratefriendship-ruth.blogspot.com/  for Tea Talk Thursday. I think it will be fun so why don't you join us? Just bring along a cup of tea and yourself.

I'm having........ Ginger Peach Tea produced by The Republic of Tea and it has a stamp of approval by The Minister of Leaves. All that hoop-la is enough to draw you in and enchant you. I had to buy a cannister.

I bought a set of dishes in a thrift store not so long ago and I am drinking my tea out of one of the cups. Don't you just love a bargain??? I am fond of pink anyway and have other dishes with pink and gray flowers so these fit right in.

I am feeling.......... a little under the weather. A good day to relax and have a cup or two of tea.

My Mind ..........is focused on a bunch of unfinished projects lying around this house. But, I am whittling away at them as best I can. That's all anyone can do. Unless they hire a maid or a personal assistant. Nah.... I'll get around to it myself, eventually.

I'd like to share ...........part of a poem from Rudyard Kipling:

                                                       Teach us delight in simple things,

                                                   And mirth that has no bitter springs;

                                                       Forgiveness free of evil done,

                                                   And Love to all men 'neath the sun!

Have a happy day, one filled with friendships, love and of course, tea.

"B" Stands For...

Are you ready for the next letter?  It happens to be 'B'.  I have so many words I could choose from that start with B so this is going to be a bit hard. Now, when I get to Y or Z... that will be the challenge!!


                                            B stands for Baby

My cuddly little great-grandson

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B stands for beach

(this brilliantly white one is on Midway Island where we lived for 18 months)

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B stands for bride

our beautiful youngest daughter on the arm of her father

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B stands for birdbath

The birdbath in our yard, after a large snowfall

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B stands for Blarney

                                                                               

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                                                                 B is for bridge

A bridge over the Missouri River

Whiteware

It's Show and Tell Friday over at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ and I think I will share some whiteware that I have. I guess you call it whiteware.... it's white. Or it was white pottery, but with age (and I am talking about quite a few years here) the finish tends to get tiny cracks in it and the dish begins to turn brown. But, I love each piece and can't imagine not having them.

This covered bowl belonged to my Mother and I remember it just about as long as I can remember anything. She'd dry apple slices on a tin in the hot sun and store them for making fried apple pies. When the dried apples were cooked she sweetened them and stored them in this bowl until she was ready to make dough for the pies. Sweet, sweet memories lie deep in this bowl.

This pitcher belonged to my great-grandmother. I was told that after my great-grandmother died, my grandmother found this pitcher in a shed filled with dirt and dead flowers. It hurt her to see something that had been used in their home, while she was growing up, put to such abuse. She brought it home with her and I eventually became the owner.

This is a small platter, edged with that aging brown, but I remember it white and piled high with fried apple pies that my Mother had made.

Another white platter, this one large. I admired this platter that a friend had dug up in the woods and she gave it to me. The mark on the back is Staffordshire, England. I had it appraised once and was told that it most likely had been hidden in the ground during the civil war. The excellent condition it is in indicates that it has not been used extensively. It dates from just before the Civil War. It has a place of distinction on top of an old handmade wooden cupboard that my grandmother started housekeeping with before the turn of the century. (the 20th century.... not the current one)