Overtaken

The Honeysuckle wins.

Each year the honeysuckle kept increasing underneath the azaleas. I tried pulling the vines out, but each time it broke, more branches sprang forth. We had talked about pulling all the azaleas up with the tractor and turning that part of the yard back into lawn. I think the riding lawnmower could have handled the vine. My husband got sick before we could get it done. This year the honeysuckle showed us who is winning.

Honeysuckle used to smell so good to me, and I'm sure the perfume is there. (I just can't smell it) Over on Brin's blog she tells us how to make a throat and cough syrup with wild honeysuckle. I wonder if she needs some more?

Maybe the plans that didn't happen last year might be accomplished this year. If not, does anyone have a suggestion for destroying wild honeysuckle?

The Tournament Is Over

These are my husband's Knock Out roses.

The Ray Avery Easter Tournament finished up last night. This was put on by our Local High School. The last game was between Ayden-Grifton and South Lenoir. South Lenoir won, and I'm happy with the outcome. Why, you ask? My cousin's son, Adam Williams, is a star player on the SL team. And as the saying goes, "Blood is thicker than water." And since I had no grandchildren playing baseball at AG now, I felt it was okay to pull for SL.

I had two grandsons who were good in baseball and I was proud of them. I remember playing softball with my cousins when I was a child. I always remember someone saying... "I'm taking Ann's last strike". They would choose me for their team, but if I hadn't hit the ball in the first two tries, I had to give up the bat to the team leader who might hit it or miss it. Anyway, I guess you get the point that they didn't like my batting..ha ha!

Back to the knock out roses.. Knowing how my husband likes them, our friends brought four more they had rooted, for his collection. Thanks William and Wertie !!

Wordless Wednesday

What a day....

Hope everyday is not as stressful as this one.

Happy Easter

Photo Hunt - Dusty

This was taken Saturday April 16,2011. The winds had blown all day keeping the dust rolling across the fields. Later in the day, the tornados came to North Carolina.

More Color

I want to invite all of my friends to visit Sandi McBride's blog. Especially Meggie and Penny.HERE is the link.
Sandi McBride tells a wonderful story.

Earth Day and Being Green

I got this email and wanted to share...

> 
> *How Wasteful the Older Generation Was ... *
>
> In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should
> bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the
> environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have
> the green thing back in my day."
>
> The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did
> not care enough to save our environment."
>
> He was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
>
> Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles
> to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and
> sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.
> So they really were recycled.
>
> But they didn't have the green thing back in that customer's day.
>
> In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator
> in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and
> didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two
> blocks.
>
> But she was right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.
>
> Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the
> throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling
> machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the
> clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not
> always brand-new clothing.
>
> But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her
> day.
>
> Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every
> room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a hankerchief, not a
> screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and
> stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do
> everything for you.
>
> When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded
> up old newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
>
> Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut
> the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised
> by
> working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills
> that operate on electricity.
>
> But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then.
>
> They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup
> or
> a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their
> writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the
> razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just
> because the blade got dull.
>
> But they didn't have the green thing back then.
>
> Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to
> school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour
> taxi service.
> They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to
> power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to
> receive a
> signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find
> the nearest pizza joint.
>
> But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks
> were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

Wordless Wednesday

Packing

Bet you thought this blog was going to be about my upcoming trip to Hawaii.

Actually, I went to the grocery store today. I checked out and the young boy took my bags to my car. As we were walking out, he pointed out a man who was putting bags in his car. He said, "That man has a gun on his side." The man was bending into the trunk of his car placing his bags carefully. The young boy then said, "The gun is pointing at us." I laughed even though it really was pointed at us. I told him that my husband often carries a gun, too. Then he told me that his mom had just recently got herself a gun permit and a new gun.

We have got to be careful, folks. A lot of people "packing" these days.

Calm Before The Storm

St. John Church near Grifton NC. This was taken before the storms began on Saturday afteroon. The winds had blown all day and the clouds kept getting darker. We sat in front of the TV as they broadcast weather all afternoon. As the storms got closer, we heard familiar neighborhoods told to get in your safeplace now. Coming across Greene county, Snow Hill, Scuffleton, Rountree, etc... My two sons live at Rountree. They got hail but nothing blown down. I'm sure you got to see the damages on the news...20 some people killed. A large part of downtown Wilson was damaged. My husband's sister's home was spared. Thank You LORD!!

Photo Hunt - Road

This is for the birds...

This bird house was given to us by our neighbor. His father made it. It is for blue birds. So why is it that we find families of flying squirrels living here?

And this one usually has a wasp nest.

We do have other bird houses that birds nest in. Actually most of the birds choose places we never expect them to choose. Last year we had a nest in a dishpan on a shelf on the back porch. Another made a nest in the broken monkey on a shelf.

Wordless Wednesday

My yard...

....needs lots of attention.

That Yellow Vine

All of a sudden this yellow vine is trying to take over.

I think it is pretty but wish it wasn't running through my bushes.

Photo Hunt - Trees

My goats said...

If you click on the picture you can make it bigger. Then you can see that regular gas is $3.75.

So our president will not let us drill for our own oil. His answer to someone who asked a question about the cost of gas was "trade your car". We can't even afford gas, how can we trade cars? The trucks that haul everything we use all over the USA have to buy even more expensive gas than the average person uses. Therefore the cost of food and other goods keeps climbing. How much higher can it get before the truck owners can no longer operate?

I think we have idiots running our country.

Wordless Wednesday

Warm Sunday Afternoon

Headed to Lowes and decided to check out the new bridge at Grimesland.

Passed a yard sale and decided to circle back. I bought an album of pictures of people I don't know who served at Fort Hood TX. Young soldier and his pregnant wife and their travels in 1959 and 1960. No names on the pictures. I'll have to get a magnifying glass and try to read the name on his shirt.

Finally got to Lowes and bought a bolt and some boards. Think the new fence is going to get a gate. Would not let myself be tempted by the flowers. Still too early to plant here yet.

Goats Talking Politics Again

So Barry calls his war in Libya a "turd sandwich". Samantha has been the main architect, along with Hillary , of the Libya policy and has an increasing influence in the White House inner circle. Barry's putting the CIA on the ground to try to find out who these rebels are that we are helping. Johnny, Joe, and Lindsey are the Senate’s most energetic proponents of sinking the nation ever deeper into the Libyan morass.

7 United Nations workers were murdered by a crowd of angry Muslims in Afghanistan during protests organized by religious leaders. Two of the UN workers were beheaded. The
leftist media here is placing the blame squarely on Koran burner Terry while desperately clinging to the myth of the peaceful Muslim protest that “just got out of control”–

Photo Hunt - Closed