Remembering Margaret

In memory of my friend, Margaret
A very Special Lady
December 27,1942-January 24,2008

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1934-1998)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile..
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Author Linda Ellis

Another day of Cold!

Well, we have smashed records with cold temperatures - 12 days of below freezing and snow every day since the 18th of December. Now that's cold. I am going into hibernation - look for me in the spring. Here are a few photos.

Snow covered road on Spear Branch

The cows that eat this hay will never have a square meal!

Just a little work - I'll have a nice cabin!!

That's it for today!

Another Day below Freezing!

Well, we have had another day where the high temperatures for the day are below freezing. That makes 11 this year and it is only the 11th of January. How long can it last?

That's it for today.

Still Cold!!!!

Well, it is still cold. The high temperature today was in the 20's and low was around 12...doesn't warm up much during the day. The only warm place I can find is next to the stove. If you're looking for me that's where I will be until we get some warmer weather.

That's it for today.

Mush!!!

Well, it is another cold, snowy day in extreme Northeast Tennessee. All this snow reminds me of winters past when life was a lot simpler.

One of my favorite memories was the first snowfall. Back in those days when we didn't have television or even a radio to broadcast the weather we depended on the signs. If it looked like snow - it was probably going to snow. Sometimes a lot and sometimes a little.

At the first sign of snow my grandmother would dig out a big ol' kettle and fill it full of water. When the water was heated to a rolling boil she would stir in some salt and cornmeal and let it cook. We would have the biggest pot of mush you had ever seen. We would ladle up a bowl full of that mush, add some butter, sometimes some milk and have the most delicious dinner. It was simple but good.

Another memory was buckwheat pancakes. We grew our own buckwheat and had it ground at the mill. On a cold snowy evening, she would take the griddles from the wall and we knew we were in for a treat...buckwheat pancakes and homemade syrup and butter.
Yum! My mouth waters just thinking about them.

On another note, I recieved a note from Clyde, one of my faithful readers. He commented on my Carter Issacs stories and the fact that he had played basketball with Carter in grade school...Funny you should mention that Clyde, because Carter and I were talking about the same thing that very morning. He told me what a good ball player you were. I think there is enough material there for another story.

Until then, That's it for today!!

7 of 31

Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words - here's a few.

That's 10,000 words and that's it for today.

Cabin Fever

Well, the thermometer on South Church Street read three degrees this morning. This snow, ice and cold can really get to you. You can get cabin fever in a hurry.

Cabin fever is what you get from spending too much time indoors. You get a feeling of being isolated and away from the world. In the winter when there are shorter days and not much sunlight and the temperatures are like they have been for the last few days it is the perfect ingredients for a case of chronic cabin fever. Lack of exercise also contriutes to the mix. It is just too cold to get outside much.

There are lots of things you can do to keep your mind occupied so you don't get cabin fever.
There's reading. When I was a kid I would curl up in an old overstuffed chair behind the "Old Buckeye' with my favorite book or the Sears catalog and read or look at the pictures.
Now I use the internet for a lot of my reading. Since most of my RV friends are in warm places this time of year I can travel right along with them through words and photos. Ellie and Jim are in sunny California, Ed and Marilyn are in South Texas along with Ginger and Jesse, Linda and Howard, and JoAnn and Doug are in "not so sunny" Florida. (It has been cold there). It helps to see the warmer places and know what they are doing --- until I step out the door.



You can also sleep a lot - bears hibernate - so why can't people.



You can take up a hobby - I thought about stamp collecting but it is pretty difficult to remove a stamp from an email which is how I get most of my mail.



You can also just go outside for a walk. Just the change of different scenery from four walls is good. In this kind of weather my walk is pretty short though. No three mile walks in the park until the temperature moderates a bit.



You can also keep in touch with your friends. Just pick up the phone and call them. They may be glad to hear from you. I will be waiting for my phone to ring!!!!!



Another way to get rid of cabin fever is to make a great big pot of Potato Soup!! A few potatoes, a little bacon, some onion, celery, a few carrots and some milk and you have the ingredients for one of winter's best comfort foods.

Ohhh! that sounds so good --- I am headin' for the kitchen right now.



That's it for today.