Again, up to my Boots with SNOW Plus a WINNER!

Only yesterday I awoke to a passel of cows and calves in my lower field. They'd broken through the fence because my field is, primarily, a hay field while their field is grazing and hay. My field hasn't anyone eating it down so was lush to their way of thinking.

These men are neighboring farm workers and I don't believe are afraid of anything! A few months ago, I told one feller his rooster had flown the coop and was living in my barn. He said, "I'll be up after work and get it" which was better than fine with me. That blasted cock had talons that looked like eagle talons and every time I went into the barn, he gave me the stink eye. It was only a matter of time, or so I believed, that bird would attack me and then, as they say, the fight would be on! He might get a meal but I have the upper hand...due to thumbs, don'cha know...and don't hesitate to shoot anything that throws the first punch. You've been warned, I told the bird, but he acted not at all impressed and again with the stink eye.

Anyway, by the time I left the house and got to the barn, Ty walked out of the barn, cradling that bird and petting him like a kitten. For a fast moment or two I was embarrassed but then took a look at those talons and felt better about it all.

So, back to the above photo...one man is riding a four wheeler while the other man is leading the cows through the fence. The most amazing thing is, the man walking is carrying a feed sack full of grain. I don't know about you but there is absolutely NO WAY I'd walk in front of a bunch of pregnant cows rattling a feed sack! I mean, anything pregnant is always hungry...right? B.R.A.V.E.

Today, it's a foot of snow on the ground with drifts of two feet and another foot of snow expected by Thursday because it hasn't stopped snowing since it started. So much for the "1 to 3 inches" we were told.

The dogs and I sweater up and go to the barn twice a day to throw out hay for the American Curly horses. They could do without because they have a round hay bale in the pastures, but it makes me feel better taking such good care of them. Miss T, the black mare, has ice hanging off her coat but due to the extra layer of fat and the hollow core fiber coat, she's in good stead. All Curly horses have hollow core fiber, extra layer of fat and used to be range horses out west. Miss T was an abused horse that Dave gave me for my birthday when I begged like a toddler. Finally, he gave in and let me go get her and bring her home but his words were, "You mean we have to BUY a rescued horse?" Well, yes, but she's been a good 'un and I've never regretted the decision. All the horses have run-in shelter but they rarely stay in the barn which is all right with me; I figure they know how to be a horse better than I.

The front fence is covered in snow and presents a lovely sight

while the view from the main road shows home with Short Mountain in the background. Short Mountain is part of the Clinch Mountain Range and the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area is the second largest, but most biologically diverse, in the Department's management area system. There are vast differences in elevation and the 25,477 acres are spread over four counties...Tazewell, Russell, Smith and Washington.

So blogger buddies...I'm a bit chuffed at you. Yes, that's right YOU. Not a single one of you sent me a note to remind me of my terrible memory! Or....don't you remember? LOL Last month I had a giveaway for the Downton Abbey cookbook and #4 Martha won. She's been notified she has until 6 tomorrow night to claim it or I'll have to have another name. My apologies, all, for my memory.

Blessings ~ safety in this snow storm ~ a warm and cozy house ~ healthy animals and human (for the most part) ~ Downton Abbey Cookbook ~ American Curly horses ~ great neighbors ~ Clinch Mountain Range ~ 

Downton Abbey Giveaway and Hollywood

Click here for the Downton Abbey Giveaway.

For the first time in years, I was able to visit family over Christmas and, as a gift, my Beloved Sistah took me to visit Dave's grave. He's buried beside Cathy, his first wife who died of cancer in the late 1980's and both are buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA. Hollywood is named for the large numbers of holly trees that adorn the 135 acre garden cemetery.

It was designed in 1847 by Philadelphian John Notman and three, perhaps more, American presidents, six Virginia governors, two Supreme Court justices, twenty-two Confederate generals and more than 18,000 Confederate soldiers are laid at rest. Adult graves were sold for $4 and children graves for $2 but in 1864 the prices were raised to $20 and $10 and since 1954 funerals are allowed Monday through Saturday only. Needless to say, prices are higher these days and Arlington Cemetery receives the most visitors in the nation with Hollywood being second.

An estimated 7,000 Confederate soldiers were re-interred from Gettysburg to a location in the Soldier's Section called Gettysburg Hill; if you'd like to take a virtual tour of the cemetery, click here.

Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Varina Howell Davis, his second wife, and Varina Anne Davis, his daughter, are buried below

and, in other sections, Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler.

Hollywood is the most beautiful cemetery I've ever been in; at every turn, especially in the older section, the memorials, markers and wordings tug at the heartstrings.

"They that wonder shall reign

and they that reign shall rest."

(reads one inscription)

A portion of the movie The Jackal was filmed in this cemetery and for more Hollywood Cemetery history click here; for a list of notable residents, click here. There are a variety of tours, here, including walking, driving your own vehicle, trolley and Segway with one of the favored sights a cast iron statue of a full size Newfoundland dog who guards the grave of a little girl who died in 1862.

The Talmud says, "man has three friends on whose company he relies. First, wealth - which goes with him only while good fortune lasts. Second, his relatives - they go only as far as the grave and leave him there. The third friend, his good deeds, go with him beyond the grave."

~ James River at Richmond, VA, Lee Bridge in background ~

And so it was with Dave; his good deeds, his good name, his honor and integrity have all gone beyond the grave. He's remembered as a good, fair, decent and kind man and, better yet, he's remember by me as making his peace with God only five days prior to his death. I've often wondered: did he have a premonition of his death?

When Dave was released from cancer treatment, I bundled him up to bring him home, a drive of six hours, but an hour from home, he crashed. I managed to get him to the nearest emergency room where the ER folks went into high gear as they got him into the hospital and began working to bring him back but he stayed in the ICU for a week, the hospital one night, before I could bring him home.

These handful of years later, I've come to realize Dave knew more than he ever told me. He let me do the hard business of taking care of him, his medications, his medical appointments, home health care, etc. while he kept his own council. Some days I prayed like a crazed woman as I drove the car to the back porch, then handled Dave, the oxygen tanks, the blankets and all the other paraphernalia while battling snow, ice and high winds.

Those harsh winter days were sheer misery. His energy level was zero and often he leaned on me as we both struggled to go from house to porch to car to doctor's offices, hospital and back again. I took care of him as he'd taken care of Cathy and the circle was complete when I took him back to Richmond to Hollywood Cemetery to lay him beside her.

As I stood at his grave, I waited for the emotions to overwhelm me but they never came. Dave isn't there, beside Cathy's grave; they're both in heaven and, for me, Dave is here, at the farm where every stone and blade of grass reminds me of him and our life together. It's here the tears still come and I wonder, "Dear God, how can I bear to leave this Sanctuary we built together?" and I don't know; I really just don't know.

Blessings ~ Downton Abbey ~ Hollywood Cemetery ~ Dave ~ Thistle Cove Farm ~

Downton Abbey Giveaway, Word & Verse of 2016

Like you, much of my life is the same...chores, animals, cleaning and keeping life moving in a forward motion with momentum that suits my slow living life style. Perhaps you've read about the slow food movement both international and USA or the entire "slow movement", which amuses me no end because this is how my family has always lived with emphasis on food, shelter, clothing then church and community. As well, Dave and I lived a slow life and even when traveling would rent an apartment or condo as opposed to staying in a hotel room. In an apartment or condo, we could experience the pace of the neighborhood, shop at local markets, prepare our own meals and, if only for a time, become part of the community. It's how I continue to travel and a huge part of the enjoyment is, first, deciding on a place to go then finding a place to stay.

How do you live your life...fast or slow? 

Why?

Have you seen in blog land folks choosing a "word for the year" or have you chosen a word? Although I've done this in the past, I wasn't deliberately seeking a word for this year but one found me.

Yesterday, I thought about the past year and the many people who, at one time or another, e-mailed, wrote or called me for encouragement because they were quite discouraged and, truth be told, so was I at times. I then put some thought into how not to be discouraged this year. That's when it dawned on me (yes, I am slow but I already told you that, eh? lol) at its most basic meaning, discouraged means to lose courage or even confidence or hope.

So for 2016 "courage" chose me and with the help of God I will fly in the face of pain, uncertainty, fear, the unknown, perhaps anxiety and, above all, acting in accordance with my Christian beliefs make the difficult, even hard decisions. I'll do as John Wayne said,

"Courage is being scared to death

and saddling up anyway." 

Do you have a word or verse for 2016?

Additionally, 2 Corinthians 5:9 chose me... "So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." I'm not perxactly sure what "away from it" means but it's my goal this year to 'make God smile' by striving to please Him at all times and in everything I do. Yes, I'll sometimes fail but I am committed to pleasing Him and making Him smile.

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."  Henri J. M. Nouwen said this in his book Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life and I've found it to be true in my own life.

Face in the sun, back to the wind

Living a life well spent is work, hard work, and if done correctly leaves one with feelings of both accomplishment and an amount of angst. Since Dave's death, I'm dealing with facing my own light in the tunnel and know I'm closer to my end than my beginning. In November and December I gave time to ponder the people in my life and then did the hard work of "cutting them out of the herd" so to speak. Names were deleted from address books, people were cut loose from social media and my life is the better for it. Maybe even theirs as well.

Was it hard? Yes. 

Is it worth it? Yes. 

I took courage in hand and against the advice of Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess, "If I withdrew my friendship from everyone who's spoken ill of me, my address book would be empty" and did it anyway.  Even as a Christian, it's all right to "shake the dust" from your feet because, sometimes, you have to leave some parts and people of your past in order to move forward.

Just because people don't mean to hold you back, 

doesn't mean they don't hold you back.

And now, if you're here for the Downton Abbey giveaway (or as I heard someone say "Downtown Abbey"), please leave your name and answer any of these questions

How do you live your life, fast or slow,

and why?

Have you ever cut people out of your life 

and why?

Do you have a word or verse for 2016

and what is it?

as well as a way to contact you, either your website, blog site or e-mail address. Downton Abbey's 6th and final season -boo hoo!- begins in the USA on Sunday, January 3rd and to celebrate I'm giving away a softcover version of The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook so you too can cook and eat Lady Mary's Crab Canapes or Daisy's Mousse Au Chocolat from Mrs. Patmore's more than 150 recipes that fed folks both upstairs and downstairs. (Mercy! what I'd give to be a guest at either table!) Giveaway will close Sunday, January 10th at 5 p.m. with name to be chosen by random drawing. Giveaway is open to all; winner will have 24 hours to respond after which a new name will be drawn.
    
This isn't the cookbook but it is an interesting blog on Downton Abbey Cooks.

Thanks for the gift of your time in reading my blog, leaving a comment; you bless me more than you'll ever know.

Blessings ~ Natalie Cole, may she rest in peace ~ Downton Abbey ~ Maggie Smith ~ John Wayne ~ courage ~ making God smile ~

Latest Winner, Quilt Book Giveaway, Winter Vehicle Prep

The Best of Vogue Knitting 25 Years of Articles, Techniques and Expert Advice was won by Donna of Brynwood Needleworks; the next giveaway is at the bottom of this post but the useful information is first.

I'm a great believer in taking care of equipment and this is due mostly to Daddy and partly to Dave. Dad always has his tools nicely oiled and put away while all vehicles are located year 'round, under shelter, out of the sun and weather. Many times, Dave told me, "Take better care of yourself; you're the most important and expensive piece of equipment on this farm. While you may can be repaired, you cannot be replaced." I still heed his wise advice.

This winter I am overjoyed that all vehicles are not only under shelter, most are behind locked doors. I'm a great believer in strong fences and gates with good locks. It's not that I don't perxactly trust people, I just like helping them make easier choices to go elsewhere to do their wicked deeds. I am also over the moon happy the tractor is now in the lower part of the barn where I can get it out to use no matter the weather. These past years, sigh, the tractor has been stored in the upper barn where it's virtually impossible to move without extremely careful planning and either the snow drifts or ice builds up and the barn doors cannot be opened. Last year I was trapped on the farm for a couple of weeks due to a sudden, unexpected storm that kept me from getting to the tractor or a 4-wheel vehicle to drive out of the valley. Being trapped on the farm is no hardship but to walk to the barn I had to, literally, fall off the back porch into the huge snow drift...get up, walk two feet, fall again into the huge snow drift...get up...you get the idea. It would take me 30 or 40 minutes to get to the barn then do chores. Getting back to the house wasn't as difficult due to the broken path I'd made going down.

Do any of you keep a calendar for chores? If you do, is it something you'd care to let me see? I need help, lotsa help...lol. A yearly calendar is one way to keep up with the work and make sure everything...oil changes, fluids topped, license, tags, insurance, etc., is taken care of in a timely and economical, manner. I am proud to say, winter vehicle prep is now finished and the vehicles are as ready as I can make them for cold, sleet, snow, ice, etc.

Two years ago I did a winter vehicle prep so this won't cover those suggestions. Rather, these are new or updated suggestions...

Some claim fuel treatments don't work but according to several mechanics I've spoken with, they swear by fuel treatments. They say it maximizes fuel efficiency and smooths rough idling and weak acceleration. I wouldn't know about the weak acceleration because due to being extremely cheap thrifty, I don't do jackrabbit starts. Why burn gas money I don't have to? There are many brands but Lucas is the brand my mechanics recommend so that's what I buy in a gallon jug which is more economical and when poured into a smaller container is easier to pour into each gasoline powered vehicle.

As you can see, I buy everything in a gallon jug; might as well save money where I can. You've read where I recommend Rain-X on windscreens/shields but I also recommend Rain-X in the wash container as a supplemental aid. Let's face it, driving is dangerous and I want to do everything possible to keep me and mine safe.

My mechanics suggest heavier weight oil for winter or for high mileage or older vehicles and I follow their advice. If you experience harsh winters, it's a good suggestion but if you live in a milder winter climate, it's all right to keep using your regular oil.

Most Important of All...keep antifreeze away from pets! For some reason, dogs and cats like to drink the stuff and it's extremely poisonous...your beloved pets will DIE should they drink it. Make sure your antifreeze is rated for your winter temps; you can check your owner's manual for their recommendation. I use antifreeze rated for my vehicles; for example, my farm truck gets a high mileage antifreeze while other vehicles get 'regular'.Your mechanic may suggest draining and flushing antifreeze but I've spoken to others that say Do Not Do It! I never have; I only top and fill antifreeze and have never, thank God, experienced any difficulty.

My tractor is diesel so a diesel fuel supplement is used to help prevent gelling and to prevent the fuel filter from becoming plugged with ice or wax. If you drive a diesel vehicle, check your owner's manual or do an i-search.

That's it for winter vehicle prep; if you've questions, suggestions or do things differently, let me know. I love learning from other people!

Upcoming giveaways...Kids' Travel Journal for you folks traveling with children, Campfire Cookery Adventuresome Recipes and Other Curiosities for the Great Outdoors for all you Camper Glampers and....... TA DA! To celebrate Season 6 - The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook from Lady's Mary's Crab Canapes to Daisy's Mousse au Chocolate - More than 150 Recipes - from Upstairs and Downstairs!

Now, the latest giveaway...is

Quilts, BABY! 20 Cuddly Designs to Piece, Patch and Embroider . (Yes, that is my flannel nightgown sleeve; it's been a long post and I'm burning daylight. I need to finish, publish and get busy doing chores.)

All patterns are cute and directions are given on how to get started, how to quilt, put together quilts...even a beginner can make a quilt with this book.

Let's see...leave a comment telling me if your vehicles are winterized or if you're a quilter. Contest will end Tuesday, 5 p.m., winner drawn by random.org.

Merry Christmas!

Blessings ~ quilting ~ vehicles winter ready ~ good mechanics ~ fun giveaways ~ Downton Abbey ~