Memories of Mama and Daddy

As I sit here this Christmas Eve, I miss my Mama and Daddy. They've both been gone a long time, but I have great memories. My daddy, Hersey Raymond Outlaw, was born Feb. 19, 1913. He never did anything that made him famous, he didn't have much of an education. He was a quiet man, happy. I honestly can't recall many times that I saw him angry. He had to drop out of school in elementary school to help out at home, since his daddy had only one leg and one arm. My mama, Lida Evora Overton, was born June 15, 1917. She and daddy married young; he was 19 and she was 15. They had four children, Jean, Ronald, Faye and me. My siblings were 10, 12 and 15 years older than me. I guess I was an "afterthought". My parents didn't have much in the way of material things; my sisters and brother less than I did. By the time I came along, their life was a little easier. They were farmers, never owning their own farm, but farming for others. We always had a nice home to live in. I was either 3 or 4 when their home burned, taking everything we had. My mama had a cut on her wrist from breaking a glass in the living room window and reaching in for a box of pictures sitting on the couch. I remember looking at those pictures and some of them had dried blood on the back of them.

When I was about 9 or 10, we moved to Merry Hill. We had always lived around the area; but now we lived in the "city" proper. Mama and Daddy bought a little house located beside the Merry Hill Baptist Church. We lived there until my Daddy died, I married and moved away and Mama moved to a house on Hwy. 17 to be close to my sister, Jean and her family. This little house actually only had 4 rooms; kitchen, living room and 2 bedrooms - no bath. I was old enough that I thought having no bathroom in the house was the end of the world. I had to go through their bedroom to get to my mine. The house had an unfinished attic that Daddy eventually fixed up for me. I had a little bedroom on one end and a living room on the other . I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My bedroom was turned into a bathroom. Thank you LORD. I had a happy childhood. I was
spoiled, rotten. I was loved. Don't get me wrong, there were arguments/disagreements like every family has; but we were happy. In the winter, Daddy would work for R & W Chevrolet as a mechanic and Mama worked as a clerk in Collins Department Store, both in Windsor.

A couple of years after moving to Merry Hill, Mama and Daddy started running a little grocery store. It's hard to believe there were three little stores right at the crossroads in Merry Hill and all three of them made a living. My Daddy stilled farmed and mostly Mama worked in the store. Daddy was called the mayor because you had to come to our store to register and vote. I thought this was really neat. Then, you had to be able to read part of the constitution in order to register. (side note-when I went to Bertie High School, there was a girl who was quite a snob and was so proud because her dad was president of the bank; I always felt superior because my dad was mayor of Merry Hill.) I really didn't think too much of the whole farming thing as a way of life. It was really hard work. By this time, my sisters and brother all had their own familes and lives. I was the only one left at home to help out. Since Mama could take care of the store by herself, my lot was to go with Daddy. Of course, I would have gone anywhere with Daddy so I guess it wasn't such a chore after all. I never learned to do what was considered "girly" things like cooking, laundry, canning vegetables, making pickles, jams and jellies. But I did learn to iron. My Mama (or rather I) ironed everything, even my Daddy's underwear. Then you starched clothes and they were hard as bricks when you took them off the clothes line; no clothes dryer back then. I would sprinkle the clothes with water, roll them up, put them in a bag and put them in the refrigerator until I was ready to iron. Today, I don't own an iron. There's one in my house, but it belongs to my son, Ray and he left it here when he moved to Alaska. My Daddy taught me to middle bust, disk, make rows, sow fertilizer and seed, use a mule and cart, weeding hoe, tractor and tobacco harvester. I drove a John Deere tractor and I'm sure my name was mentioned (with a few curse words) every morning about 5:30 when I started that thing. It was kept under a shed attached to a tobacco barn that had a metal roof. When I started it, everything within a five mile radius woke up. I especially liked to disk down the tobacco stalks because that meant the tobacco season was over. No more hot days in the fields trying to top tobacco stalks that were over your head and wet with dew. I don't mean to make it sound like drudgery because it wasn't; just hard work and I was a teenager, who like most teenagers, thought hard work were two four-letter words. One of the things I liked to do best, regarding tobacco, was to take out a barn of tobacco. There probably isn't much of this done anymore. Everything is so automated and I think today, they just take the entire stalk of tobacco instead of having several tobacco pullings. Taking out the tobacco worked better if you have 4 people to do it, but as I got taller, Daddy and I could do by ourselves. I would get on the tier poles, take 2 sticks of tobacco, pass them down to Daddy and he would put them on the truck or trailer. This had to be done before you could get on with the regular work of the day.


The top picture, of course, is my Mama. This was taken in either 1967 or 1968. The other 2 are my Daddy. The first was taken when he was in his early 20's, in the yard beside his Daddy's house. The second was taken in the little house in Merry Hill; he's holding my brother's son, Little Bud. I really don't know the year; probably early 60's. Daddy had a severe heart attack the year I was in the seventh grade. He made a full and quick recovery, much to the doctor's surprise and went right back to farming. He died on April 30, 1966, my senior year in high school. I really miss him a lot. Earlier, I said that he had never done anything that made him famous; but he was a great man. To me, he was the greatest. I know I have done some things in my life that have disappointed him but I always knew he loved me. He loved to fish, was an avid deer hunter, farmed, ran a store, was a mechanic, carpenter, friend to everyone, loved to sing but couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and cooked the best barbecue (chicken and pork) you ever tasted. I can never remember anyone saying a bad thing about him. He was a terrific granddaddy. I truly regret that my sons never knew him. My Mama was a great seamstress; she could look at a pattern and go home and make the article of clothing. Most of my clothes were home made and I was always proud, when complimented on an outfit, to say, "Oh, my Mama made this." She died December 30, 1994 after 3 and 1/2 years in a nursing home. Mama and I weren't as close as Daddy and I but I still miss her a lot. My sons did know my Mama and went to spent part of each summer with her until her health go so bad, she wasn't able to take care of them. I was confined to bed several weeks before each birth and she came and stayed with me when TJ was born and I stayed with her when Raymond was born.

My parents didn't have much in the way of material things to leave their children, but they left us a great heritage . I was raised in a home full of love and respect for others. None of us were given a car when we turned 16 and got our driver's license. We were raised to be hard workers and to not expect anyone to just give us something; we had to earn it.

One of the best Christmas memories I have of my Daddy was when I was about 13 or 14. I have always loved stuffed animals, still do. This particular Christmas, Santa brought me a stuffed chimpanzee. He was about 16 inches tall, had the usual rubber mouth, ears, hands and feet, but his body was covered with real bear hair. He was beautiful. I was in my room upstairs and I could hear Mama and Daddy talking and I remember that my mother's parents were staying with us for the holidays. Daddy kept saying he wanted to call me downstairs to see what Santa had left. Mama kept saying no, let her wait until morning. I guess they didn't know I was awake. I finally heard Daddy open the door and quietly come up the steps. He called my name, softly and I sat up in the bed. When he saw I was awake, he threw something at me. All I saw was this hairy thing coming at me and I screamed. When it landed in the bed and I saw what it was, I was thrilled. It became one of my favorite stuffed animals and I later named him after my first boyfriend. One of my nieces, Gail, who was only about 7 years younger than me, always wanted to play with it and I was not very gracious about sharing. After I was "all grown up" I gave the chimpanzee to her. I figured she had always wanted it and now was the time to pass it on. We were really close to being adults at this time. I don't know if she still has it or not. I'll have to remember to ask her.

Mama always worked hard to make Christmas special for us. Usually on Christmas morning, Mama, Daddy and I would visit the grandchildren that lived within reach to see what Santa had brought them. Then, back home so Mama could prepare dinner. She was a great cook; something I wished she had passed on to me.

Let me tell you about my most special Christmas memory of Mama. We had a snow and ice storm that year. My husband and I were separated and he had the boys for Christmas Eve, was supposed to bring them home Christmas Day. His mother thought it best they stay because of the weather. The roads were covered in ice, power lines were down, a really bad storm. Naturally, my heart was broken. Not only were they not going to be able to get home but we weren't going to be able to go home to Mama's house. My electricity had also gone off, but I had a kerosene heater and a fireplace. Christmas morning I was sitting home, feeling sorry for myself, when my phone rang. It was Bud Mitchell, a friend from church. His wife later told me they were sitting at the breakfast table and he told her he felt a strong urge to call me and check on me. When he asked how I was, I told him I was sad and told him why. He said to sit tight, he and his son, Brian, would be over soon to get me. We were going to Nags Head to get my boys. I bundled up in the warmest clothes I had and was ready when they got here. If you have ever seen the movie Dr. Zhivago and remember how the house looked with all the snow and ice, you'll know how the road to Nags Head looked. We had to dodge snow drifts and power lines. But we got my boys and got back home. After, we had seen what Santa had delivered, we talked about going to see Mama. While they were getting ready to go, packing up their favorite toy, etc, I went to get my car out of the snow drift. I got it out, but as I was trying to get it headed in the right direction out my driveway, I slipped into the ditch. It was only about 10 inches deep, but it might as well have been 6 feet deep. I couldn't get it out and I was so discouraged. I went back into the house to break the news, but they had been watching from the window. I was trying to keep a smile on my face, but it was hard. It was about lunch time, so we had hot dogs and marshmallows toasted in the fireplace, hot chocolate and chips for Christmas dinner. That wasn't too bad, after all we were together. Another church friend and his son-in-law came over to Manns Harbor a little after that to try out a new shotgun. As they went by my house and saw my situation, they came back and checked on us. When they found out I was trying to get the car out to go to Mama's, they offered to help. Arvin told me to pack up my car, get ready to go and meet them outside. Marc hooked up a release rope to his Toyota truck and my car and with 3 jerks had my car back on the driveway. We all piled in and he pulled us down the driveway and onto Hwy. 64. I have never been so grateful in my life. I guess you are wondering why this is one of my best Christmas memories of my Mama. In June of the following year she was put in the nursing home. She suffered from Alzheimer's and other things and this was the last Christmas that her mind was good, she knew all of us and we had a great Christmas. God really watched out for my family that Christmas and sent angels to help us out.

I didn't intend to make this such a long post and I hope I haven't bored you. I could talk about my family for hours, as you can see. I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you that read this a very Merry Christmas and may God grant you a very blessed and happy New Year.

A GREAT VISIT WITH A GREAT LADY

There is a lady in my church named Joyce Jelinek. She is a very gracious, nice and genteel lady.  She is by herself; her children grown and out on their own.  She moved here a few years ago from Florida.  She is a very interesting lady.  She celebrated her 80th. birthday in the summer.  You would never guess her age to be 80; she has beautiful unlined skin, a bright smile and her spirit is very young. Her body is beginning to betray her.  She had an injury to one of her knees many years ago and now her “good” knee is causing some severe pain; she has a lot of back pain. But, she never complains.  She hasn’t been able to attend church the last couple of Sundays since it is so terribly painful for her to get up and down and in and out of vehicles.

She called me yesterday and asked me to have dinner with her last night.  Of course, I accepted.  Anytime someone is willing to cook for me, I am most gracious in my acceptance.  I arrived about 6 o’clock and we had a great dinner and fellowship.  The dinner was especially appreciated after I saw how hard it was for her to get around and to know that she went to all that trouble for me really humbled me. 

Earlier in the post, I said she is a very interesting lady.  She has a great story to tell. After listening to her last night, I told her she should get these thoughts either down on paper or on a tape recorder so her family would be able to know her history. Hopefully, she will do that.

She was born in Wales; her father worked on the docks and her mother worked at home. I can’t remember how many sisters and brothers she had; but at the time the story she told took place, she and her brother were the only children at home. Her father was too old and her brother too young to fight in the war – World War II. Her family lived a little town.  She got such a wistful look when she talked about her homeland.  She said she missed it a lot and that nights when it’s raining she will often lie in her bed and smell the earth of her home.  She told me several stories of things that happened during the war; some of them funny but most of them sad. She lived through some terrible times; yet, she remembers how she and others in her town would walk through the streets singing.  She said she guessed people thought they were crazy.  But, I could see this as a defense mechanism; anything to help you get through the horrible time.  She told me about people at the prison camps; people’s homes being bombed and burned; people being killed.  Things I can only see in movies or read about in books. She talked about the sound the bombs made as they were falling and how the movie producers can get the “whistle” sound as they fall right. But, they don’t have the sound of the explosion when they strike anywhere near right.  You can’t imagine the sound or the force of the impact. Her brother once had his jacket blown right off his body and he found it several days later down the street on a bean pole in a neighbor’s garden.  They were given 2 ounces of margarine a week per person. She told lots of stories like this.

She also told stories of happy things.  She was very close to her Daddy; she was the baby of the family.  He would pick her up, perch her on his shoulders and carry off to the fields to pick mushrooms and other things.  He would pick this flower that had some kind of burr on it and make a wreath of these and place it on her head like a crown.  She really loved it…..until she got home and had to get it out of her hair.  As she told this story, she had the sweetest look on her face.

I wish I could remember all she told me; but I can’t and I couldn’t do justice to the stories.  But, she did tell me one more that I want to share with you.  It brought chills to me when she told me and it just about broke my heart for her.  She remembers hearing her Daddy talk with the other men in the town about having to defend themselves against the Germans if they came there.  There were no young men in the town; they were all off at war.  The men only had pitchforks to defend themselves.  She heard her Daddy tell the other men that if the Germans did come, he would kill his daughter himself before he would let the Germans have her.  She stopped in her story to say “you have to remember that I was blond and blue-eyed, just what the soldiers wanted”. She continued her story by saying, she knew her Daddy was talking about her and she was thinking about he would kill her and she hoped he wouldn’t choke her.  I was sitting there horrified.  How could she sit there and tell me this so calmly? Of course, I knew she must have been terrified.  But, she also knew that if he had to do it, it would be because he loved her and wanted to spare her the horrible things they knew the Germans would do.  Can you imagine how she must have felt?  I honestly can’t.

We ended our evening at 10:15.  It is one of the best evenings I can ever remember having; spent with a great lady with awesome stories to tell.

I had planned to write my next post about my parents; but this one seems more timely. I will write about them soon.

It's early Sat. morning, December 19, and after listening to the wind howl all night, I decided to give up the losing battle of getting any sleep and get up. Naturally, I went to the computer as I usually do first thing in the morning. I saw that TJ had made a new post on his blog; the first in a long time. As I started to read it, the tears began to flow. Tommy, TJ's dad, and I had a very eventful, sometime explosive marrige. We were both very strong personalitiies and often those personalities collided. I loved Tommy, but I couldn't live with him. I hate to admit that we did not remain friends after we separated and our two sons suffered as a consequence. But thankfully in August 2008, Tommy and I settled our differences and when he passed away in March 2009, I am glad to say we were friends.

TJ, your recent post is a beautiful tribute to your Dad. You are right about him; he was a craftsman in his work. He may have had some faults but that wasn't one of them. A lot of homes in Dare County, his home for many years, proudly display his craftsmanship. He was an awesome cabinet maker. He didn't have the fancy tools or education to draw circles, angles, etc. But, he had the privilege of working with another craftsman, his father Lucky Jordan. Your granddad had one of the best names in the construction business. I have seen Tommy take a pizza pan, his tool of choice, to make circles, openings in doors of cabinets, etc.. He also used glasses, cups; anything that happened to be lying around and had the arc or angle he needed. A prospective customer could show him a picture of what he wanted and where he wanted it to go in the house and that's all it took. Soon, that particular item was complete. After both you and Ray were born, I was able to work at home for the first year and I spent many happy hours working in the shop with him. In fact, looking back, those were probably our happiest times together. Because...we were together. He taught me a lot in those days we spent in the shop. I learned to use most of the tools but never acquired any confidence with the router. It just turned too fast. But the band saw was my favorite toy. Note, I didn't say tool, because to me, it was a toy. Papa Jordan taught me to change the blade after changing it about ten times for me. I learned, the hard way, to not cut the angles too sharply and not get the blade in a bind because the cost of those blades came out of my pocket. I would walk into Beach Hardware, next to the shop, and Buster would have a band saw blade waiting on the counter for me. He told me he increased his inventory of this item so he would always have one for me.

Your post reminded me of some of the good times Tommy and I had. It reminded me that our marriage wasn't all bad. After all, you and Ray are a result of that union and I will never be sorry for the gift of you guys. Tommy and I had our differences, but he was a craftsman in his woodworking. I am so glad his talent has been preserved in you and I am glad you are using that talent. When I look at yours and Ray's hands, I am very much reminded of your Dad's. I always thought he had beautiful hands. They could be hard when necessary, but they could be so tender.

My Most Special Christmas Gift

This is probably my most favorite Christmas present. I have been a single parent since my sons were 6 and 2 years old. One Christmas we were shopping in Roses; TJ and Ray were probably about 7 and 3 at the time. I always had to pay for my Christmas present and up until this year, I had not wanted to let them go about the store by themselves. But, this year, they wanted to pick out my present without me seeing it. So, I have them a couple of hints and one of the things I particularly wanted was a NC State sleepshirt. I directed them to proper aisle and then I went to the next aisle over, where I could hear their voices enough to know they were okay but couldn't understand exactly what they were saying. They were doing a lot of giggling and whispering. Finally, after deciding on "something" they asked if they could go over to the toys and they still didn't want me to look. So, we headed to the toy section, again with them only one aisle away from me. Finally, they told me they were finished shopping. Now came the problem of us getting to the check-out counter without me seeing what they had picked out. Remember, I still had to pay for the present. So TJ came up with the idea that they would lead me to the check-out counter, my eyes closed holding onto the shopping cart and he and Ray pulling it along. When we got to the counter I had to turn my back to the register and I heard TJ whispering to the clerk, "Please wrap this in 2 or 3 bags. It's Mom's present and she has to pay for it but we don't want her to see it. It's a most special gift." Thankfully, they had a clerk who definitely had some Christmas spirit and wanted to help those 2 little boys give their Mom a "most special gift". So, she put it in 3 bags and even stapled the bag closed so I couldn't peek. I paid for their purchase and she gave the receipt to them so I couldn't see the description of the item. When we got home, they carried the bag into their room; asked me for wrapping paper, tape, etc. and asked me to give them a little privacy so they could wrap the gift.
In our family we have a tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve and saving the rest for Christmas morning. Well, on Christmas Eve they wouldn't let me open the special gift. I had to open some things they had made at school. Finally, Christmas morning arrived and after they had found what Santa had left for them, we opened the rest of our gifts. When they gave me my gift, I was pretty sure they had not bought a NC State sleepshirt. The package was BIG, and pretty carefully wrapped. As I opened it, the first thing I saw was something red (which turned out to be the dog's cap) and realized the gift was extremely soft. When I removed the last of the paper, I was crying. Both of my boys know I love stuffed animals and this dog was wearing a very special outfit - a NC State sleepshirt. I was just so overwhelmed with the love they had shown for me in getting me this "most special gift".
I have had many truly wonderful Christmas's with my boys. I had to learn to share them early on, since their Dad and I were divorced. The first Christmas Eve they stayed with their Dad, I thought my heart was going to break. But you know, you get over those things and learn to enjoy the times they are with you. This will be our second year in a row without Ray being with us. He lives in Alaska and is just isn't possible for him to be here. But, hopefully, we will connect with him using the webcam and be able to wish him a Merry Christmas via internet. We will have 2 new people here with us this year, Amy and her son Josh and of course my granddaughter, Hannah. I also have a grandson, Matt, in Mississippi and he won't be able to be with us either.
I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed and happy New Year.

The Christmas Season is officially here for me. This morning I heard my favorite non-Christian Christmas song, "Christmas in Dixie" by Alabama. It really brings back some memories.
Several years ago, my youngest son Ray, was in Mississippi and was planning on coming home for Christmas. He had been gone almost 3 years so I was really pleased. I just asked him to be careful and keep me posted. On Dec. 24, I got a call from him telling me he was in Georgia but his truck had broken down and he didn't have a clue what was wrong with it. How was he going to get the rest of the way home? I started making phone calls, seeing about getting him on a bus, etc. I would have settled for a dog sled at the time. Another call from Ray let me know he had gotten to Columbia, SC by riding with a truck driver. In the mean time I was trying to get a bus schedule worked out. At that time, I had a niece living in Greensboro; she was able to get a seat on a bus from Columbia, SC to Elizabeth City, NC. The only down side of this was that the bus would not get into Elizabeth City until midnight Christmas night. I was so disappointed and just really didn't know what to do. About 7:30 PM I got a call from a close friend and he could tell from my voice something was wrong and when I started to tell him, I broke down and started crying. He asked if I could just go and get Ray. I explained that I could but the banks were closed and I had no way of getting any cash. This was before I had an ATM card. He told me to get ready and he would be there soon with the cash for me. The other problem here is that I couldn't go by myself. I called Rick, who only lived about a mile down the road from me, explained the situation to him and his wife. She packed some sandwiches for us, and he was at my house in about 15 minutes. Rick was having some medical problems with his diabetes and therefore couldn't drive but he was great company and was a top notch mechanic in case something went wrong. We left Manns Harbor about 8:00 PM, drove to the bus station in Columbia, SC, and picked Ray up. I was so glad to see him. We stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast, turned around and headed back home. Ray didn't have a driver's license so he wasn't able to help with the driving. (Don't ask why he was driving from Mississippi in the first place!) After swerving over the center line and Rick hitting me on the shoulder, I turned the car over to Ray for a short nap. We only stopped for gas, bathroom breaks and fast food. After about an hour nap, I drove the rest of the way home. We got home about 11:45 Christmas morning, just in time for Rick to have dinner with his family. I took another short nap and we headed to my sister Faye's house for Christmas with my family.
I guess you are wondering why I started this story off by mentioning "Christmas in Dixie"? This is why - as we drove down to SC and back home, as we would lose a radio station and find another, "Christmas in Dixie" was playing every time we switched from station to station. EVERY TIME! It just became our theme song. Now, whenever I hear it, I am reminded of that Christmas when good friends and Alabama helped me. (I KNOW YOU WILL THINK I AM LYING, BUT THIS SONG IS PLAYING ON THE RADIO RIGHT THIS MINUTE.)
Now for the end of the story. I had to get Ray back to his truck in Georgia. We left (by we, I mean Rick, Ray and myself) about 11:30 PM on 12/30; drove all the way to Georgia; had some really awesome pork barbecue in some little restaurant that looked like a tobacco barn and carried Ray to his truck. Rick discovered the problem (I did mention he was a top notch mechanic didn't I), fixed the truck and we watched Ray drive away. And we headed back home. This was 12/31/99; the year everyone thought all the computers were going to "die" at midnight. We stopped for gas at a few stations that had signs stating they were closing at 11:30 PM in case of computer failure. But, of course, there was no problem and we got back to Manns Harbor in time for Rick to kiss his wife just before midnight. I slept all day the next day. It was a Christmas I will always remember.

These are my two favorite pictures taken this weekend. I love taking pictures of my children. Dakota is such a beautiful horse and she loves to have her picture taken. If you notice, she is actually smiling. I think the picture of TJ and Amy is one of the best I have taken of them. They had just found their Christmas tree and we were waiting for Hannah, TJ's daughter, to join us for the rest of the weekend.

Spook, the donkey in the top picture was born Halloween 2008, Jesse in the middle is the father of Spook . I hope no one finds the third picture offensive. As you can see, Amy is struggling with all her might to extract the baby. The baby's head and one of it's feet was already delivered and the other leg was caught. I have a whole new admiration for large animal vets after going on this visit with Amy. She really worked hard to help the donkey; but it just wasn't meant to be. In the last picture is part of the herd of goats on this farm.
There was one more with this herd; but instead of being the picture, he was trying to get his nose in my pockets. I pushed him away and made the comment that I hoped he didn't bite. The owner said he was a former pet but now he was just a pest. He wouldn't bite; he was just looking for food. He also had a pretty impressive set of horns, so I was very careful to always be aware of his position and never turned my back on him.

The pig in the top picture is Max, a pot bellied pig about 4 months old. Cindy, the lady who brought them by had rescued them and Amy was putting microchips in them before Cindy carried them on to Pennsylvania. There were 5 of them and instead of bringing them in the clinic, Amy went out to the van to insert the chips. Naturally, being the camera buff that I am, I asked if I could go along and take a few pictures. Of course, was the answer. The chip was inserted behind the ear while Cindy did her very best to hold the squirming and screaming pig. And I do mean screaming. The noise level in that van was unbelievable. Cindy was a very interesting person to talk to and is very dedicated to her pigs. She also has KuneKune pigs. I looked them up on the internet and they are very unique.
The pig in the other pictures is Daisy. She is also a pot bellied pig about 2 years old. I asked her owners why anyone would chose a pig as a pet, not meaning any disrepect. They said they got that question all the time and the answer was (in their case) "we didn't; our daughter gave her to us". But, it was very obvious they love Daisy a lot. She was put to sleep to have a pedicure and while she was sleeping, I rubbed her back and scratched her tummy. Her "mom" told me Daisy played the piano, "and very well thank you". It was a fun afternoon.

In the top picture, the black goat eating, is the goat Amy had to medicate. She is pregnant with triplets. The goat on the far left is an angora goat. Linda, the owner, shears all of these animals once a year.

The third picture from the top is Delilah, a llama. The others are alpacas. Each of them had a name and Amy knew each of them.

Just a few of the alpacas I saw. I really love the first picture. They are some of the most expressive animals I have seen. I was a little anxious about going in the pen; but I went with Amy leading. I was very careful to stay away from the hind feet and since they sometimes spit, I also tried to avoid the mouth.

This is Thumper. He is a mixed mastiff and great dane.
He's very friendly and very loving. I visited him Thanksgiving Day with Amy; she had to medicate one of the goats on the farm. Linda, the owner, owns Simply Southern Alpacas. She has alpacas, llamas, goats and 4 dogs; Thumper, 2 jack russells and 1 which is a bloodhound and something else. You should hear that one bark. There will be several pictures of the llamas and alpacas to follow. I had never seen either before and was very impressed. The alpacas had very distinctive faces, especially the lighter ones and they actually looked like they had make-up on. Amy managed to catch one of the younger ones so I could feel the wool; it was very dense and very soft.
I really enjoyed my weekend here in Albemarle. I had a lot of new adventures and saw lots of new things. I went on a visit to rejoice in the miracle of birth - a baby donkey. Sadly, when we got there, the foal was partially delivered and dead. Amy tried her best to extract the foal and this was done by attaching a chain to the delivered foot and pulling; reallly pulling. She really has a lot of upper body strength. But, the foal was huge and the try wasn't successful. Eventually, the stress was too much for the mother and she died also. It was very hard to see the struggle the donkey was having and the effort Amy was making to save her life.

What I am thankful for

A couple of weeks ago Judy, a friend on Face Book challenged everyone to post something they were thankful for everyday until Thanksgiving. Well, I accepted the challenge and since I didn't see it until 11/11, I chose the veterans to be thankful for that day. Since then, my posts have come so easily. I have so many things to be thankful for. It has been so interesting to see what people posted.

I am so very thankful the "nor'Ida" is over. This was the remnants of Ida, that turned into possibly one of the most devastating nor'easters our coast has seen. I had a little damage, or so I thought. Pastor Tyler and a missionary visiting our church, Jack Peeler, went over to my house Thursday to repair a small hole in the living room floor. The hole was not caused by this storm; but was discovered a couple of weeks ago. In repairing the hole, they discovered the floor around the hole was damp (which it had not been earlier) so they started looking for the source of the water. Regretfully, they discovered damage to edge of my roof, all around the house. This may not be the major problem that I originally thought it was; but it is still a problem. Anything that involves spending money is a problem. But, they were able to put some type of sealant on a lot of the places. I just pray that we do not have a lot of wind and rain this winter and I hate to say that is what the forecast is.

Those of my friends that are believers in prayer, I would appreciate your prayers regarding my roof. This has been a very tight financial year for me, just like for a lot of other people. I am going to have to trust God to provide the funds for the materials. Supplying the labor is not a problem. Thankfully, I have a lot of friends that are willing to supply that.

We had a great week at church as usual. A great service on Wed. night with missionary Jack Peeler and his wife Melinda. I can also count this couple among my personal friends. I got to have lunch with them Wed. and breakfast Sat. before they left to head to Wilson for their next services. They are an extraordinary couple and work hard for the Lord.

Saturday night we had our Thanksgiving dinner at church with between 40 and 45 people in attendance. The food was AWESOME, as usual and the fellowship also. The Pastor shared some thoughts about the first Thanksgiving with us.

Sunday was a great day in the Lord. A visitor from Pennsylvania, Katie Tuckey, played the piano for us in the AM services. WOW. God has given her an awesome gift. I felt so small playing with her and she was very gracious in asking me. I would have much rather just sit back and let her handle the music; but I felt honored to play with her. Pastor's message was very good, as always and Sunday night a man named Bob, came forward and professed his salvation. He visited with us last Sunday AM and Pastor and Stafford Berry talked with him and led him to the Lord. What a great way to end the services.

I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. My office is actually closing Wednesday at 12:00 - an absolute first for us. I am traveling to Greenville to TJ's and we are going on to Amy's in Albemarle; planning to return on Sunday. Amy is a great cook and I am looking forward to the rest and family time with them. Her father and his family are coming in Sat. and that is when we are going to actually have Thanksgiving dinner. Haley isn't going with me this time. A friend here in Manteo is going to keep her for me. She had a play-date at his house Sat. while I was at church. We needed to see if she would get along with his 3 basset hounds, Elvis, Earl and Clyde. He said she was a very well behaved dog and was welcome to come visit for a few days. He said the 3 boys gave her a "paw's up". I will miss having her with me, but in all honesty I will probably will enjoy my visit more by leaving her home.

I mailed some packages off to Raymond last Friday. I really miss him and especially at the holiday season. This is my second year of not having him here to help me with the Christmas decorations. He always puts the lights on the Christmas tree for me, since I absolutely hate to do it. Last year, when I took the tree down, I left the lights on hoping that this year they will all work. I usually put my tree up Thanksgiving weekend; but since I won't be home, I guess it will have to wait until the next weekend.

I hope everyone has a great week and an especially blessed Thanksgiving.

Inspiring Show of Support for Soldiers Related

This is a letter that was in the Coastland Times edition dated 11/17/09.

To the editor:

Reading Senator Burr's letter on veterans in today's edition reminded me of an inspiring incident that occurred a couple of month ago on a flight from Dallas to Seattle.

Aboard the plane were 30-40 soldiers returning to Ft. Lewis for two months of training and relaxation before resuming their duties in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of war. On approaching the Seattle gate, the pilot announced that these soldiers had loved ones anxiously awaiting their arrival and asked that we all remain in our seats until all the military personnel had cleared the aircraft. As the first soldier rose to leave, a loud applause broke out throughout the plane and continued until it appeared all had departed. But then came shouts from the rear "there's three more", then "there's two more" and finally "there's one more". As each of these three struggled down the long aisle with their gear, they were greeted with individual applause.

Probably the best description of how much these men and women appreciated this spontaneous burst of citizen support was expressed by one young men, who on departing, was heard to say, "I wish I never had to leave this airplane."

John Summers, Duck, NC November 11

I don't think Mr. Summers will mind that I used his letter in this post.

I am probably like a lot of you in that I am a very patriotic person. When there was a Hardee's in Manteo many years ago, they had a really HUGE American flag (which was eventually stolen) and my heart always filled with pride every time I saw it. I cry at all the commercials that show the military coming home, walking through the airports and having people salute them, meeting their loved ones, maybe seeing a baby for the first time.

BUT and this is a really big but, do I pray for them every day? Or do I just take them for granted - "they didn't have to go; they volunteered; they only joined to get an education......and on and on. I am ashamed to admit that I don't pray for them every day. And, folks, that's wrong! I ask God every day to take of my children, help them, bless them; bless my family, my church family, etc. You get the picture. But, I don't pray for the military unless I am reminded to do so. I am very ashamed.

You know, we have an awesome country - this United States of America. I am not proud of what is happening here; what our elected leaders are doing to my country. But, I do appreciate the fact that I live in the greatest country in the world. Thank you to all the military, both past and present who lay their lives on the line every day. God Bless You.

The Winter is here in Alaska

Some of you may pay attention to the weather here in Alaska, but I doubt it. For those of you that don’t, just to fill you in, the current temp is 5 above. Last night the coldest temp I saw was 15 below. The snow has been on the ground for about 3 weeks now with a good 4 inches. The trees, minus the evergreens, are bare and lifeless. The birds are gone, with exception to the Alaska Famous Dumpster Chicken (Raven). Here like in NC with sea gulls you are not allowed to shoot them. The Natives have a spiritual tie to the Raven, they believe that they carry the soul onto a better place when a native dies. These birds are huge, they dig in your trash, the defecate all over your car, and you have no idea what its like to try and clean off frozen bird crap. Not as much fun.

You can see the tracks of a few snow machines out and about but there is still not quite enough snow to ride just yet. We are all starting to plug in the trucks at night. Nothing is as much fun as getting up and running outside when its 10 or so below and you’re in your pjs, and then you realize you forgot to plug in the truck and it’s frozen, yes I said frozen. That really sucks. Then when its 60 below and it is plugged in and it’s still frozen, imagine how frustrated you can get then. That is cold enough for coffee to turn into vapor when you toss it into the air. I will have to make a point of recording that for you some time so you can all see that. It’s kind of cool.

Still warm enough to wear only blue jeans and a sweatshirt. We havent got to the bibs and carhart stage of winter yet. We still have another month or so before that hits.

Have a wonderful day and I will talk with you again soon.

November Storm

This has been a really tough day-well actually it started yesterday. Everyone knows about the storm that started on 11/11, Veteran's Day. Between the time I got home from work yesterday until I went out to go to church (about 45 minutes), the water in my yard rose to over my shoes. So, I went to church with wet feet. I don't sleep well when we have winds out of the northeast. My house is 80 feet long with a metal roof and there is always a lot of noise with those winds. Of course, by the time I got home from church, it was pouring rain and I couldn't get Haley to go out to the bathroom. She really hates to get her feet wet. I played games on the computer, did some NCBBA work, paid a few bills and decided to go to bed and watch tv. About 3:00 I got up to take something for my headache and when I walked into the kitchen, I noticed water in the floor in front of my refrigerator. "Great", I mumbled. Haley came and checked out the situation and looked at me as if to say, "It wasn't me, Mom. Honest!" Thankfully, my refrigerator has wheels, so I rolled it out, wiped up the water and put the fridge back in it's spot. I popped some popcorn and we went to back to bed and watched a movie. (I forgot to mention, Haley sleeps with me.) Finally, at 6:00, I quit trying to to go sleep and got up. The water was back on the kitchen floor again. Needless to say, I was really concerned at that point since we are supposed to have 2 - 3 days of rain. I rolled the refrigerator out again, cleaned up the water again and this time I left the fridge in the middle of my kitchen floor, plugged it back in and got ready for work.

My yard, the road and the neighbor's yards were covered with water. I honestly don't think I have seen that much rain water standing since I have been living in Manns Harbor. The tide wasn't up too much at that time. I decided to carry a change of clothes to work with me, then decided to carry 2 changes with me. Good thing! When I got to work, I was soaked so I changed into the first dry set. When I went to the post office and bank at lunch time, I was soaked again so here I go changing into the second dry set. It was a long, miserable day. I left work at 4:30 so I could get home before dark and be sure where I was driving on the road. There is water everywhere. I took several pictures and the batteries in my camera died just as I pulled into my driveway. Thankfully, I did not find any more water on the kitchen floor. I let Haley out and just walked around for a while, assessing the damage. Other than some debris in the yard, I don't have any damage. Some of my neighbors were not so lucky. No major damage, just limbs down and lots of trash in the yards. I am praying that the leak in my kitchen is not going to be anything major. Money is too tight right now to have a major problem.

Just listening to the weatherman and now we have to worry about the wrap-around band of showers that won't be here until tomorrow. Oh, well. At least the wind isn't blowing tonight so maybe I can get some sleep. My heart really breaks for those people that have lost homes on the beach. This morning I head someone say, Serendipity (the house used in Nights at Rodanthe) probably would not survive this storm. That house was built by one of my clients and was a really beautiful place - very unique.

I'm supposed to work at a NCBBA meeting Saturday in Rodanthe and sure hope I can make it down there.

Veterans Day

I hope everyone will take a few minutes today to remember our Veterans. I know several of the ceremonies have been cancelled here on the Outer Banks because of the weather. But, please just take a minute to thank God for their service. And to those that are serving today, may God continue to bless you and keep you safe. There are no words to adequately thank you AND your families for your sacrifice.

Random Thoughts

When chatting with a friend this morning, we talked about what happened at Fort Hood yesterday. My heart hurts for those families who lost loved ones and those who have family, friends, etc, in the hospital. But, my heart also goes out to the family of the man who law enforcement believes is responsible for this action. This man is a Major in the Army and word went out yesterday that he had been killed; this morning the news is saying he survived and is on a ventilator. Some people will say that he got what he deserved. I don't think it's known, at this time, what prompted this assault. There is some talk it may have terrorist connections; that isn't known at this time either. But, whatever the reason, I still pray for his family.

Since this happened, I have realized just how much I take the men and women who are trying to protect my country for granted. You know, there is no draft today. These people are all volunteers. They didn't have to go-they volunteered. When 9/11 happened, there was such an outpouring of prayers and flying of flags, etc. But, then time went by and we all went back to our normal routine. It's good that we can do that. But, we should never forget the sacrifices that our Armed Services make every day.

Tuesday, November 11, is Veterans Day. Please remember our fallen soldiers with the respect they deserve and pray for those are still serving and protecting.

When God Answers Prayer

My son, TJ, called me yesterday afternoon to let me know about something happening with his business, Twisted Networx, before I read about it on FaceBook. One of his clients, who owed him a considerable amount of money, had decided to not only not pay his bill, but to sue Twisted Networx for $28,000.00. Needless to say, I was really concerned. I'm not TJ's official accountant; but I am the Mom that has been accountant for over 40 years and answer a lot of questions for him and give him advice if he asks for it. I know the company's financial status and the only thing I could think of to do was pray. So, I did. I knew God also knew the company's financial status and I just prayed for Him to please help them; but at the same time praying for His will to be done. Just a few minutes ago, TJ called me to let me know he had met the client and the client's attorney this morning and the matter was settled. And, the really great news is that Twisted Networx won! Thank you Lord! TJ conceded in a few small points; but the bottom line is the client paid part of his bill today and the rest is to be paid right away. I have truly learned the power of prayer in my family lately. I have recently had two nephews involved in pretty serious wrecks. Bud wrecked his motorcycle, spent the night in the hospital and had a few minor injuries. Zach flipped his truck two times and it burst into flames and he and his friend walked away, with very minor injuries. One of these young men is saved and I'm not sure of the other one; but I believe they were spared for a reason. Me nephew-in-law, Jim had a very serious heart attack last week. He survived and is home with no restrictions except lifting. The doctor said the quick reaction by his wife in carrying him to the hospital herself rather than waiting for an ambulance probably saved his life. I'm not sure whether he is saved or not; but I do know he was spared for a reason. I have an awesome God. Do you know Him?

From My Heart

Last week, I shared an email with some friends about something that is very special to me. My Pastor's wife, Candi, and I pick up some children and adults on Sunday to bring them to church. We were talking about church and I mentioned to her how much I was enjoying the Pastor's sermons recently. I said I had noticed a change since our revival in September. Candi shared with me how she thought the change was in me; she had noticed it. She is a special friend of mine, probably the closest friend I have ever had. She knows things about me I have never shared with anyone else; and loves me anyway. She never judges me; just loves me. She and the pastor are like the younger brother and sister I never had, being the youngest child in my family. I am so thankful God brought them to Roanoke Island Baptist church.

I also shared this with those same friends. Monday through Friday, I read my Bible after I get to work. I like to read aloud; it helps me concentrate. I am reading in John and was in Chapter 4, reading about the Samaritan woman at the well. It is a familiar section and I have heard many sermons about it. Verse 29 caught my attention..."Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" "ALL THE THINGS THAT EVER I DID"? These words really hit home. Have you ever stopped to think that Jesus Christ knows every thought, every action, every word? It really saddens me to realize how "many things" I have done in my life that have broken God's heart. More than I could ever begin to count; some big, some little; some since I have been saved. I struggle with the music I listen to. Some of the television programs that I really like, I have a struggle watching them now. I used to skip over parts in books of favorite authors; now I can hardly bear to read those books. I know the change has come from God. I want the change to continue; I want my walk to be closer. I want to be a better testimony. I want "the things that ever I did" to be pleasing to Him.

Welcome

This is a new experience for me. I have posted on other blogs, but never had one of my own. I need your help to make this a great blogspot. I think we can have fun here, sharing our ideas, thoughts, concerns, dreams, etc. You get the picture. I only ask that you keep your comments and posts clean, both in language and content (I know that it's probably not necessary to ask that; but I want to cover all the bases). The ladies in our church and other praying friends had so much fun last week passing emails back and forth that I just wanted to have another format for us to contact each other.

If you would like to be a contributor, let me know. If not, you can just make comments to posts.