Growing Up and The Best Christmas Gift

For my father's Christmas present a few years ago, he was 70, I gave him a homemade gift. I compiled a notebook of songs, with guitar chords. For the cover, I made a collage of photos taken at the family reunion four months earlier. I slipped into the front of the song book two things. A CD I recorded with my two children of my father's favorite songs, and a "poem" which I hoped

When the Gardener is no more...

On August 30, 2006, my favorite Gardener passed away. At 81 he worked the red South Carolina soil, producing more vegetables, grapes, apples, figs, and peaches than anyone I have ever seen! His garden covered about one acre and he worked it by hand...a dawn until dusk kind of guy. He battled the fire-ants who challenged his every move!

Every visit to SC was a visit to my idea of culinary heaven! My mother-in-law is a fabulous (southern) cook and the corn, field peas, beans, greens of all kinds, okra, tomatos, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, cabbage, grapes, apples, figs, peaches, onions, cucumbers, melons, peppers (should I go on) were always served in plentiful portions!

Bud (my FIL) produced so much from his garden that he had a regular stream of customers, ready to buy the surplus bounty he had picked. It was a standing joke that my MIL was the "receptionist, and chief order taker!" She grumbled about this. My husband grumbled about not being able to pull into their driveway, for all the customers' cars.

In the days, and now weeks since Bud passed away, his garden, so full of bounty, has stood as a testiment to his labors of love. My MIL looks out the window with a tear escaping from her eye, as she watches the "customers", now "harvesters", pick their own vegetables and fruit. They pay her for their gatherings...the same prices Bud charged. She knows Bud would want all this food to be used, not left to rot on the vine, and yet...

For me, I know the days of the "care packages", bushels of fresh produce, which Bud always insisted we carry back to Virginia with us, are gone forever. My mother-in-law will no longer make her fabulous dishes from the fruits of his labors.

Next year, the garden will sit idle. It will soon turn to weeds and be mowed like the lawn.

As the Gardener is no more, neither, then, is the Garden.

The masked face of an intruder!!!

I was working in my office when the racket began. Killian was beside herself. I came downstairs to determine the cause of the commotion and what to my wondering eyes did appear but…

the masked face of an intruder!!!

Killian was having no part of it….this guy HAD to go! (She had already endured the meter reader at 7:00 am and this was JUST NOT COOL.
But did I help? NOOOOO…I went back inside to get the camera. After the photo op, I did pull Killian in long enough

Who's the official WIZARD of Electronics in your house???

Are you the electronic WIZARD in your house? I am! Do I want to be? Not really. Can I officially claim the title? Well, only here in the Blogs....

Of course, in our house my HUSBAND is the official WIZARD of electronics. After all, he is

When my cats are old and gray -- jcarolek

I wonder if I'll ever see

My cats looking older than me
By all accounts they are quite old
Their years are ours times seven (I've been told)

I have three cats ten, eight and

Stories from my former life -- jcarolek

When my son was in 9th grade (freshman in highschool) he went to NYC with the high school marching band. I went on the trip as a chaperone...more stories about that later....

The trips was great. We saw Les Mis and Phantom

Stories from my former life -- Kindergartener Skips School

When my children were 5 and 7 we moved Florida to Virginia. It was Christmas time and we had lots of snow, which was a new and fun experience for the children. We also got a new puppy for the children to help they aclimate to their new home.

All went well and January came and the kids began

So Dam Sad

Before the dam broke, Cow Creek Mill Pond was beautiful, teaming with fish and a lovely place to spend a quite afternoon.


Then come Ernesto....and

Stories From My Former Life -- another entry

When my children were very young, I made most of their clothes. In the evening, after putting them to bed, I would sew an outfit for my daughter or a shirt for my son, etc. I usually completed the item I started before heading to bed myself, as I was never sure how soon I'd get back to it, should

Stories from my former life -- Jennifer LOVES Daddy

When my daughter was very young (about two) she would awaken very early every morning, climb out of her bed and come crawl into our bed (on my side). Every day my husband would complain that she favored me over him. Every day I assured him that this was not true...she would crawl in on his side one day.

Happy was I one fine morning when Jen came padding into our room and headed for Daddy's side of the bed.

Happy was I when she said, "Daddy?"

Happy was he as he reached to pick her up to help her crawl in.

UGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!! Unhappy was he when she puked on him (right in the face)!

(Happy was I that she had selected DADDY to take care of her that morning!)

HAHA...I still laugh when I think about that morning.