1. The other day Chatter and I was out on the back deck when we heard a large rock roll down the steep bank. We’ve had a bear hanging around the house so Chatter and I both quickly looked up through the trees to see if the bear dislodged the rock. Once we confirmed there was no bear, Chatter went closer to investigate. Turns out it wasn’t a rock at all. It was a terrapin rolling down the bank. Chatter scaled the bank to where he was trying his best to get back right side up. She carefully carried him down to the grass in the yard and set him down feet first. After a short rest he headed straight back up the bank. I guess he knew where he was going all along.
2. Last year we had the largest apple harvest we’ve ever had. A couple weeks ago I was out picking beans when I decided I’d check on the apples in anticipation of this year’s harvest. As I walked closer to the first tree I realized almost every apple was gone. I yelled at The Deer Hunter and asked him if he knew what happened to my apples. He sort of sheepishly said yes and told me squirrels ate them. I said “And you let them?” As he showed me where one of the little devils had dropped an apple in the crotch of a nearby tree, he said he didn’t notice they were eating them until he happened to see one scramble into the apple tree and have a quick snack. Since I’ve been feeling poorly all summer The Deer Hunter has not only took care of the garden he’s done almost all of the preserving too. He said he just kept forgetting to do something about the squirrels until it was too late.
3. About a week ago Granny gave us a real scare. She had been with me all morning and was feeling perfectly fine. I helped her put up her groceries we had just bought as Paul and I chatted. Granny was cooking dinner when I left for home and Paul left for a tennis match. Shortly after we left Granny got very sick. She couldn’t manage to get to the phone and ended up sitting in the floor for several hours until my nephew Ben came for a visit and found her. A couple of days in the hospital discovered Granny had a severe UTI which had put a tremendous strain on her heart and sitting in the floor cold, sick, and hurting for hours sure didn’t help matters. Granny’s on the mend, feeling much much better. The first day she was home from the hospital Chitter stayed with her. Late in the day Chitter called me and said “I know you’re going to be mad at me but I couldn’t stop her and Granny went to the garden to pick beans. I went right with her and we didn’t stay long. I tried by best to stop her but she finally told me to “Quit quarreling at her” so I quit.” I assured Chitter I wasn’t mad at her. I know well and good that Granny is the most stubborn person on the face of the earth and I was thrilled she felt like picking beans! We’ve ordered one of those life alert things for her just to be on the safe side. We’ve also tried to convince her that it might be good if someone stayed with her during the day. Granny said “I can’t rest if a stranger is here, why I’d have to entertain them the whole time. And I don’t want none of you staying all the time either because I just now got used to being without your Daddy and I don’t want no more changes.” Granny looked the best she’s looked today and I’m hopeful she’ll continue to improve.
4. I’ve shared Youtuber Josh Turner’s videos with you before in a 5 Things posts. I’ve recently fell in love with a video of him and his friend Carson covering James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James. It’s simple and beautiful. You can go here to watch it for yourself. We’ve been fans of Josh ever since Paul found him on Youtube several years back. Pap especially liked to watch the expressions he and Carson make while they sing and play.
5. Chitter had her fiddle case open at a recent gig in the hopes of garnering some tips. Instead of money she acquired a cat who made itself comfortable and took a good nap while we played.
Tipper
Glad to hear Granny is doing well again! You’ve all got me thinking…it’s probably a good thing I don’t have children, as I’d likely be driving them crazy about now.
p.s. Tell the girls that tips are nice but cats are priceless! 🙂
Tipper, I am so sorry that Granny had such a time, but glad she is home and doing well again. The alarm for anyone who is alone is wonderful. After my husband died, I went to a meeting at the senior center and the EMT men said anyone, no matter their age, should wear one if they live along. So I got one then and I am not sorry. Although I have not had an emergency, it is like insurance. I am glad I have it in case I need it.
I am sorry you have not felt well this summer. So glad you have those wonderful girls and a caring and smart husband with you.
Hope I can go see the girls soon.
So happy to hear Granny is doing better! Prayers for her return to full health soon!!! And- I hope you’re back to feeling like yourself, too.
So glad your spunky mom is better!
And thanks for introducing me to Josh Turner — he’s terrific!
Sorry to hear about your Mom, good to hear she’s better tho, UTI is really scary, my Mother in Law had a round one year and was talking out of her head, down in the floor and we couldn’t get her up, we had to call an ambulance and with help we got her on her way to the hospital. Hope you continue to improve.
Wanda – The best thing for you to do to feed the animals and still have a garden is put the food out in a neighbors garden. They will look there first.
Oh my, what a scary thing to happen to Granny, so happy to hear that she is feeling better! Love the kitty in the fiddle case!
Pam
scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com
Tipper,
So glad your mom is feeling better! If you want another stubborn lady it’s my mom! She’s so independent! My friends say I’m lucky but I want her to know my husband and I are here for her. I’d call my sister to get off from work and come! But she says when I need help I’ll let you know! I live about 8 miles away from her and have room for her in my home. She says I have a plan!
God thank you fir my wonderful independent mom!
Thank you for ladies like tippers mom who live their independence!
Carol Rosenbalm
Tipper,
I called our Radio Station and thanked Donna Lynn for playing a Wilson Brother’s Song, “Cabin by the Side of the Road.” Then she played “Angles Rock me to Sleep” by Chitter and Chatter. After asking what I’d been up to, I told her about me canning 28 quarts of tomatoes. She said she knew nothing about canning which left me an opening to tell her about our Applachian Girl who knows an awfully lot about canning stuff. …Ken
I’m not psychic ner nothing but I have had your mother pop into my head for no explainable reason for a while now.
I have gourmet turtles around here. They eat mushrooms but only during eclipses.
Chitter’s gonna have cat hairs on her face now. They are worser than Ruby hairs.
Love that stubborn terrapin!
I hope Granny is doing well and I’m glad yall got the life alert. Mama had one and it saved her several times. Once she fell off the front porch and broke one arm and sprained the other. Granny sounds a lot like Mama. Mama had to have home help come and always felt like it was too much strange company. Mama was also the most stubborn human ever. She had a hard life in many ways and I guess had to get that way to survive.
We can never have any apples because of the squirrels. I see them toting off my apples and they can hardly hop because of the heavy apple. And this year they have eaten every single pear. And a lot of our tomatoes. They learned to jump over the electric fence. Saw one climbing a pine tree with one in his/her mouth and flushed two out of my beans! We have to have a high fence to keep the deer out and we thought the electric fence would work on the other critters! We’re thinking about trying some electrified chicken wire next year. I love animals and throw out food for them but they are not grateful enough to leave the garden alone.
That kitty is hilarious–I’m a cat lover and have learned very well that they go where they choose!
I think about you often, Tipper, and hope you are feeling better. Yall be careful of that bear!
Tipper,
I must’ve been too preoccupied with something to listen to your previous link to Josh Turner, but not so today. I really enjoyed not only Sweet Baby James but several other songs he and friends did. Part of that enjoyment may be because many of the songs are from the 60s and 70s, but those youngsters are really good. Thanks for pointing us their way.
Glad Granny is feeling like doin’ things- that’s important.
My sister had a black and white cat with the ends of the tail and ears being white so it was named “Tippy”. Wonder if the cat in the fiddle case was named “Tippy” 😉
Tipper,
I’m glad Granny is better. When I was in High School and working with daddy mixing morter for him to lay rock. He could do most anything and like an artist, knew just which rock to fit. But we came home at quiting time and found mama sitting in the floor in mine and Harold’s bedroom. She had fell and broke her arm and hip and daddy called an ambulance. She had
been there for about 3 hours, and as soon as I saw that arm with the bone sticking out, I set in to puking. For a few minutes I was worthless. I cooked for our family for about 2 or 3 months, while mama mended. That’s how I learned to cook and on a wood stove too. …Ken
Tipper–Terrapins are terribly stubborn. I’ve removed one from my open garage multiple times and this morning I found it headed that way again. I don’t mind, to a certain degree, them munching on tomatoes and spoiling the occasional cantaloupe, but I’m not interested in one moving in.
As for the bothersome bushytails, they have become a plague to me. I’ve got one pecan tree that’s loaded and I won’t get a nut. They already have the ground littered with cuttings and the nuts need another month to be fully mature. They are also cutting on Chinese chestnuts, although I’ll get some of those by shaking the trees and gathering up the nuts that fall. Add to that depredations on my pears and getting the lion’s share of my second planting of corn, and I’ve about reached the point where there’s going to be some squirrel and dumplings on the table.
Good move in getting your mother the monitor/alarm. We got one for Daddy in his later years and it came in handy a couple of times when he fell and couldn’t get up. Once he was in the garage and the folks who came to the rescue couldn’t find him. However, he heard them talking and started banging on the garage wall with his cane. They then found him.
Jim Casada
So glad that Granny is feeling better! Tipper, hope you ‘re feeling better too!
It’s turtles, all the way down!
I hope Granny cpntinues yo feel better. Did you bring the cat home? Love James Taylor.
I an happy you are better, how nice to have someone take over the preserving while you couldn’t.
A strange summer it has been
Tip, Granny and that terrapin got a lot in common, they’re both gonna do what their gonna do and go where they want to go, LOL! Granny sure gave us a scare but she is recovering quickly.
Love the boys singing!
If he’d caught them in time the Deer Hunter could take care of that squirrel problem!
That’s a sweet little kitty!