Christmas Combinations

   It is Christmas 2019 at Woodlane.

   It is colder and snow flurries filled the air the other night.

   A full moon filled the sky last night.

   A Tree, decorated with items from our combined families.

   Warm fire takes the chill off the winter cold.

   Nana's nativity set graces the coffee table.

   Carolers made music from a side table.

   Our Christmas Wish for each of you readers is for a Day filled with the Joy, and the Love of God in each life you touch.

   Oh, one more thing. We have secured the service of a bear to guard the treasures around this tree. Here is a video of Ted, sitting in his favorite rocker, in a dark room, vigilant in his duty.

Sure, the Food Was Good

   Thanksgiving is all about the Food, right?

   But it is more than Food, it is about Family.

   And when we think about Family, we focus on the Kids, the Four Great Grandkids in this case:

                                         Kensie

                                         Hannah

                                        Tucker

                                         Peyton

   Now don't think that we were not all properly Thankful for the many blessings that God has bestowed on this family, We Were.

   And don't think that we did not miss those who were not with us this year.

   And don't believe that the Great Grandmother was not thrilled with these Four...She was

   Even the neighbor's dog Dasher wanted to get in on the action.

                                        And DID

   Woodlane Thanksgiving 2019




 

Searching the World over, and then....

   We went to Wyoming in September to see Fall color.

   We went to Blacksburg in October to see mountains in their Fall coats.

   One mid month day in November we glanced at our home yard and found...

   Morning light filtered through the trees in the front yard with the yard full of maple leaves.

   A Japanese Maple aglow beside the drive.

   A profusion of color all around...

   Some trees were still dropping their leaves and some clinging to the last.

   Then, as we looked around our couple of acres, marveling at the beauty of God's handiwork, we had a visitor who brought his own bright colors, to admire ours.

   Just no place like home.

   And we are Thankful.
 

Two Seniors and a Truck

   When we leased our condo on St. Simons a couple of months back, we had to move all the furnishings out. All came to our home in Chattanooga, where we used the garage for storage. Knowing we could not keep all the stuff in an already full house, we asked my kids what they might like to have, and they responded with varying requests.

   Last weekend, knowing how hard it would be for Doug and family to come and get their stuff, Carolyn and I packed it in the pickup and hit the road for Blacksburg.

   In order to insure no movement of cargo, and providing a place to tie the tarp, a floor frame was built.

   Just in case, the load was covered with a tarp and it was tied to the frame.

   On a beautiful Fall day, the sturdy 4 cylinder truck, made its initial road trip, eating up the miles and delivering the goods. The chairs remained empty, as Grandy refused to sit Clampet style on top the load.

   Pictures were hung, chairs put around the table, and the dog took up his post at the front door, ready to welcome guest and impede prowlers.

   Saturday was a sports day. Carolyn got to see David play basketball, and I went with Doug and Lucy to Charlottesville to see the newest bike racer in the family participate in a race.

   Weather in Charlottesville, sunny and chilly, a perfect day to race mountain bikes in the Commonwealth.

   Enjoy a short video of the new freshman on her sturdy bike, flying into the finish.

   A working trip, a fun visit, and great time with family.

Come On Barn...

   Nostalgic Television; thats what we octogenarian viewers like to watch most of the time. We would take a show with good characters, no foul language, no explicit sexuality, and a good moral outcome each time we watch.

   The other evening, after watching Jeopardy, another of our can't miss shows, we scoured the Internet and ended up on Amazon prime videos. There we discovered all 8 seasons of the Andy Griffith Show with the 249 shows available to view. 

   What a find!

   So, we watched 2 of the early shows. Then the next night we looked at 4 more, then 3 the next night. I'm not sure how long this may last, but we do have #10 queued up for tonight.

   While reading in my before "getting Carolyn up" time this morning, I noticed a book on the shelf beside me:

   The Andy Griffith Show Book, a complete guide to the one of television's best loved shows. 

   Next year, 2020, will be the 60th anniversary of the Mayberry, NC cast of characters.

   What caught my eye right off in Episode 1 was how young Opie was. Ron Howard had 8 years to grow up, but he was a great child actor, even in those early shows. Deputy Barney Fife is a hoot, even if you have seen him multiple times.

   Episode One: Aunt Bee comes to help Andy raise Opie (and cook) after Rose gets married.

   Episode Two: An escaped convict comes to the area giving Andy and Barney a case to pursue.

   Episode Three: Andy attempts to get a local Guitar picker a chance at the Big Time.

   Episode Four: Andy and Opie spar over a runaway boy.

   Episode Five: Opie is on the hotseat for being stingy with the money he is saving.

   Episode Six: Ellie, the new pharmacist, refuses to give Emma her pain pills.

   It is fun for me to hear my wife giggle, and laugh out loud, as she watches these reruns, which she has seen no telling how many times in the past.

   They put a big smile on my face as well.

   The best thing about this whole TV routine is that we can finish supper in time for Jeopardy, answer all the questions on that show without getting any prize money, laugh through a couple of episodes with Andy, Barney and the rest, and still be in bed by 9PM.

   No way you can beat that!

   Nosiree Bob!

Small Town America

   When we travel and want to make time on the highway, we use the Interstates, but other times, when schedule is not a priority, we are "back roads" people.

   Case in point: Waterville Kansas, a city of around 680 souls, founded back in the 1860s, about 15 miles south of Marysville in Marshall County.

   We wanted to find a B&B close to Marysville where the Oregon Trail wagon trains crossed the Big Blue River. and booked a room at the Vintage Charm there in Waterville.

   The owners of the B&B were not around during our stay, but they welcomed us with a note on the door. Evidently there is little crime in the area. The mailbox was right by the door.

   We had booked one room, but there was no one else there, and we had the run of the whole house, both stories, kitchen, dining room and living room. Drinks in the fridge and homemade coffee cake sitting out on the counter for our breakfast the next morning.

   For supper we ate in the only place we found in the town, and we were the only customers.

   After supper we strolled the Main Street, no need to use the sidewalks, we just walked down the middle of the street looking at the stores on both sides in the heart of town.

   We observed 3 kids playing a game seated on the sidewalk in front of one of the storefronts. A lady coming from a building toward her car stopped and talked for a few minutes. One car moved slowly down the street, and we, being law abiding citizens (visitors), moved to one side to watch him pass by and move sedately toward the west.

   There was an opera house built in 1903 which was in use as a community theatre. This town located at the end of the railroad line, was a thriving spot back in the day.

   It was a neat town.

   We soaked up the local color and culture as we walked. We speculated on the people who had founded the town, and those that made up the local economy over the years.

   We will remember this adventure of ours for the sights and places we have visited. But for all the pomp of the Arch in St. Louis, and the majesty of Mt. Rushmore, we will have fond memories of a bunch of small towns, like Waterville, where the quiet progression of "people of the land", continue to move through the landscape of our Country, just as they have done for the last 150 or so years here in Kansas.

   Returning to our lodging, we are blessed by the sun setting in the west over fields of corn and soybeans, our senses renewed by the perseverance of small town America.

 

 

 

Five Star Pancakes

   There has been a tradition here at Woodlane (The house where Carolyn and I make our abode), that breakfast on any Saturday morning consists of pancakes, breakfast meat and whatever else will go with that, pancakes being the prime ingredient.

   But this story begins in Nebraska, on a ranch 18 miles out from Gothenburg.

   How we happened to be here on the Saturday in question, can be explained easily.

   In making up the itinerary for our western adventure, I had booked a stay at the Buffalo Creek Valley Bunkhouse, Road 411, Gothenburg, Nebraska for a couple of nights toward the end of our first week on the road.

   Our directions gave us a turn off the main hwy north of town, onto Road 702 looking for a turn onto Road 411 leading to the ranch. WAZE (our driving App) and I messed up on our first set of directions on these dirt roads, and we drove an 8 mile square, ending up a few hundred yards from the main hwy where we had first turned in.

   After a call to our hosts, we found 411 and the ranch.

   "Is this what we booked?", we asked ourselves as we drove down the drive into the center of the homestead.

   The lock on the bunkhouse did not give us a lot of confidence.

   The main house was right across the driveway.

   And three friends awaited us as we drove in. Two did not look too good as they had gotten into some sticky weeds and still carried some of the plant life around with them.

   Our hosts, John and Mary Lou (yes, you read correctly), came down to meet us. ML's great grandfather had homesteaded this land back in the late 1800s, and they raised calves to sell besides finishing them,  so as to be able to advertise beef that was grass-fed with no hormones in their systems.

   In the course of the conversation, they asked what we planned to do for supper. We explained that we had not stopped at the store on the way out, but would find a grocery or a restaurant, and make do.

   "That might be a chore", they replied. "The nearest store is 18 miles back into town, and any eating place would be right there also, if they might still be open."

   "Uh, Oh"

   "Don't worry, we'll scare up something, just come up to the house about 6:30, and we'll eat together."

   We smiled and agreed to do just that. It was a lifesaver for two travelers who had only snacked for lunch.

   We learned about the ranch operation, and just their lives in general. They told us they were Christian and invited us to go to church with them on Sunday if our schedule permitted. We, in turn, told them of our recent marriage and about our blended families.

   Then they informed us that they could not eat breakfast with us on Saturday, as they had to get up early and take some things to market. This was in North Platte, 55 miles west of us, and they would not be home till late afternoon.

   But not to worry, Mary Lou had a solution. She gave us her fry pan, some of her ground wheat and eggs, so that Carolyn might fix pancakes for us. She had no syrup, but gave us local honey to heat and  put on them with butter. Those home ground wheat pancakes were fantastic.

   The Saturday morning tradition continues...

   After bumming around the ranch Saturday Morning, we decided to explore Gothenburg, and did so, stopping for lunch at the local place to meet and eat. It was a good day including talking to several folks in own who made us feel right at home. Also paid a visit to the store to get snacks for supper and cereal for breakfast.

   When John and ML came home from Market, they invited us to eat again, but we begged off, having eating a lot for lunch.

   "How about, after supper, we show you the ranch operation?"

   We did, riding all over in the pickup, watching the 3 dogs work the cows and getting an agronomy lesson as well on the grass fed beef operation.

   To finish off our day we walked to the end of the driveway, out to Road 411, watched the sunset in the west and the moon come up in the east. The end of a perfect day, in a place we had really questioned when we drove in on Friday.

               The aforementioned 5 Star Brown Wheat Pancake Mix.

   As we got ready to leave Sunday morning for Wyoming, two things happened. Mary Lou brought down another jar of the pancake mix for us to take on with us, and also asked if she might pray for us. Carolyn said yes indeed and we stood in a close circle in the drive and our hostess prayed for our trip and for our families back home.

   Our time at that ranch was a blessing to us, but what made it special was the warm hospitality that our hosts gave us. Those are memories we store away and won't forget.

   That, and the requisite "outstanding in her field" shot of a lady in amongst the corn stalks.