During the worst of the icy roads and traffic jams in Atlanta, a wonderful thing happened. Many people walked to those stranded in their cars and offered water and food. Some even took them into their own homes. I know that churches, fire stations, and stores also took people in so that those who were stranded would not have to spend the night out in the cold. To all of them, I say God bless you all.
During this time, a wonderful woman by the name of Michelle Sollicito created a Facebook page so that people could use it to get help and to let their families know of their whereabouts. Everyone was talking of what a wondrous thing that it was and so very helpful. Since I am Georgia Girl With An English Heart, I must tell you that Michelle Sollicito is an Englishwoman who now lives in Georgia.
Now, it really doesn't matter that she is English, but she is, and I knew she had to be since I could tell by her accent! So, I say God bless you, Michelle Sollicito!
So many people who were helping each other out...acting as if we are all in the same boat.
Oh wait, we ARE all in the same boat. This is how we should act all the time, over all the Earth.
God bless us all!
Come on people now...listen to this song from the 60's,,,it's a good one.
Well. That was interesting. We did have snow here in Georgia, as predicted. However, since Monday was so warm and Tuesday morning, seemed fine too...everyone went to work. Around lunch-time, when it began to snow, everyone was told to go home. Immediately, all the roads were clogged with traffic and many were in their cars for HOURS on the roads and highways. Many people left their cars and walked where they could, some seeking shelter at all night grocery stores and fire stations. Some schools had to keep their students overnight, since the buses were unable to get to them to pick them up and take them home. I heard that some school buses did not get the kids home until well after midnight last night.
The roads are very icy and since a good many of our roads are very hilly and curvy, this makes for some very impossible driving conditions. And all the trees here means that the roads are very shaded, so when the sun does come out, it doesn't reach a good portion of the road surfaces.
Me? I am perfectly fine. Richard and I are both home, both of our companies are closed for the day and we are just watching the birds out our window I made a really nice spinach quiche with a fruit salad (with strawberries and blueberries from the freezer-ones that I picked myself in May and June!) And you know that Richard took photos for you, of course!
This is the view from our front door today, Jan. 29th...15 degrees, FAHRENHEIT.
This is the same view on Monday, Jan. 27th and it was 59 degrees!
Our Christmas cactus always blooms late, how do you like that bright pink bloom? It perfectly matches the knitted scarf that I won from Silke Powers
in her giveaway last year. Thanks, Silke! I really love this scarf, I love the color and it is so soft and warm, like getting a hug from a sweet friend.
Male cardinal (posing with chipping sparrow.)
Female cardinal ("Do I look cuter if I lean to the right for you?") Answer from me: I like you however you pose!
When it was so warm on Monday, I took this photo of the violas
outside our front door. Look at that bright sunshine! Never mind, it will be 64 degrees by Saturday!
Snow, you really are pretty. Now, MELT!
The sun only made a brief appearance today, and I like the way it came through the slats of the fence. The sun looks so pretty on snow, such a wondrous sparkle. Look for beauty everywhere!
The movie about Lizzie Borden was on this past Saturday night. I hope that everyone forgot about it and you missed it because it was dreadful, simply dreadful. Since I recall how well done the movie was from the 70's with the lead being played by Elizabeth Montgomery, I thought that this might be an interesting one to watch but I was wrong, dead wrong. Besides it almost being "campy" at times, there was a modern soundtrack to it which made it appear that we were supposed to be "cheering" for the woman who murdered two people. Please note that this is how it was portrayed in the movie, Lizzie Borden was found INNOCENT of the murder charges by a jury of her peers.
On the day after this movie was aired, the Grammys were shown. Well. From the bits that I have seen on TV, I am happy that I forgot that it was on and didn't watch it!
Today, our temperature was 59 degrees but that wonderful cold front from the North Pole is headed our way and it is expected that tomorrow the high will only be 28 degrees AND they think that we will get snow! Hurry, quick...must run to the store and buy bread and milk! I don't know why this is but in the South, that is what people do! Isn't that funny? Perhaps, there is a memory there somehow, that has been passed down to us in some kind of way...that in days past, during snow or ice there was hardships involved and that is why we feel compelled to buy these items.
We had a snow three years ago and it stayed on the ground for a whole week! And hey, presto...I am three years younger! (I miss those sunglasses, my Dad's dog chewed them up recently, oh well.)
I will let you know how we come out with the SNOW situation! So grateful to live in Georgia after seeing all the snowy, icy scenes from the rest of the country!
Just spoke with my Dad and he is enjoying a movie, waiting for the snow...it is the film, "Ice Age"! You know the one, the animated movie that the kids love? That's the one! That's my Dad!
Recently, Adullamite told me that I have a song for everything. It's true! I was at work this week and I had a customer who was a bit chatty. You know how that can be, don't you? She was a sweet lady but I really needed to end the conversation, but she didn't seem to want to let me go! Finally, I got back to work and I found myself humming a song...I wondered why that was. Had I heard it on the radio? No, it can only be because of the first few lines of the song that made me think of it! It's a great song, by The Temptations called "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" .
There was a really good TV mini-series about the Temptations from 1998 that my son and I really enjoyed. He remembered it and bought it for me as a present on DVD. If you ever see it on TV, don't miss it!
I am so cold tonight, I am thinking of this song from "My Fair Lady"...
All I want is a room somewhere, far away from the cold night air, In one enormous chair, OH, wouldn't be loverly... Lots of coal makin' lots of heat, Lots of chocolate for me to eat. WARM HANDS, WARM FACE, WARM FEET, Oh, wouldn't it be loverly!!
I am wearing gloves typing this post for you. It will be 13 degrees FAHRENHEIT in Atlanta tomorrow morning. We are told that this cold air is really from the North Pole. As Mr. Spock would say from Star Trek, FASCINATING.
Stay warm everyone! Get up and dance to "Ain't Too Proud To Beg"!
This weekend,Richard and I saw a flock of cedar waxwings on the cedar trees by the trail at Panola Mountain (the cedar trees just beside the trail as you walk up from the Lake Alexander.) What beautiful birds! They only visit here in the winter, and are quite hard to see, they flit and flutter so quickly! That bright yellow on the tail is such a wonder when you see it, and the buff color, which may look drab in a photo is such a pretty shade! And look at that little face, like a bandit's mask!
Also, near the parking lot at Panola Mountain (near the Nature Center there), we saw a flock of robins with blackbirds...we don't normally see blackbirds so we had to look them up...they are rusty blackbirds. We instantly knew they were rusty blackbirds when we were able to hear them on this site.
Red shouldered hawk
Richard saw the red shouldered hawk in our own backyard! (I missed it, I was at work. Oh well!)
Richard took some photos but I got these off the internet so you can see them better.
Hey! I hope y'all like this cartoon as much as I do! I think I am better off when I am climbing one of my mountains or looking for birds! (Depression is a very serious issue. If medication is something that is needed for you, then make sure you take it. I found a very good video about living with depression, "the black dog". Understanding a problem makes us all better to cope with it.) Take care.
That's me on top of Stone Mountain from Jan. 21, 2013!
"Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks, When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one".
This is supposedly the skipping rope rhyme that children said after a particularly gruesome murder trail in Fall River, Massachusetts in the year 1892. (Can I just say that I hope children really did not say this, perhaps it was something that a newspaper wag wrote and put it in the mouths of children? Let's hope so anyway.) Lizzie Borden was charged with the murders of her father and step-mother who were found dead in their own home after they had been brutally attacked with a hatchet. Lizzie was put on trail but was found not guilty. No one else was ever charged and Lizzie Borden lived the rest of her life in Fall River, Massachusetts. If you ever visit there, the home itself has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast. I am not kidding.
I have read three books about this case. One book described Lizzie Borden committing the murders. Another book implicated the Irish maid and the third book had Lizzie's sister, Emma as the guilty culprit! There was an excellent TV movie in 1975, "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" with Elizabeth Montgomery (remember pretty Samantha from "Bewitched"?) playing the role of Lizzie Borden. Oddly enough, Elizabeth Montgomery was distantly related to Lizzie Borden. (She did not know this at the time of the filming. I wonder what she would have thought of this had she known?)
Now, there will be a new movie with Christina Ricci playing the role of Lizzie Borden which will be shown on Lifetime network here in the USA, on Saturday, Jan.25th at 8PM. The movie will be entitled "Lizzie Borden Took An Axe". (I have seen it spelled "axe" and "ax"...Richard says that axe is the British spelling but he thinks that ax is the American spelling. I must admit, I don't write that word very often!) Of course, I will be sure to watch the new movie next Saturday and I hope they stay close to the facts of the case. Do I think she was guilty? I really don't know. I am thinking that it is possible that she was innocent but then again, I just don't know, I still am not sure whether Lizzie Borden was guilty or not...
On a lighter note, I am thinking now, that a football (and for anyone else reading this from another country, I mean an AMERICAN football!) will look good on the front of the vest that I have crocheted! So..I am off to TRY and crochet a football. Wish me luck!
I crocheted something which was supposed to cover a coffee mug....but it was too big. However, it was perfect for this candle holder and then, I did this little red flower and tied it around this gray crocheted piece. It makes me happy when things work out that way! (The white candle behind it, is from the Monastery!) Hope you all have a good weekend. Richard told me he heard on the news that this weekend in Georgia is predicted to be the first completely DRY weekend we have had since November. YAY!)
This is the sweet gum tree at the Monastery. You walk beneath it on the walkway to the church. I have a picture of the church as my header photo just now. ( Tree photo taken in May of 2013, church photo is from Jan. 4th, 2014!) This may not be the largest sweet gum tree in the state but it is the biggest one I have ever seen!
Sweet gum tree in our front yard, in the Fall of 2012.
Same sweet gum tree which is a different view, it is the view from our front door! Isn't it lovely! Do you notice there are bits of almost black leaves and some red ones, what amazing colors! The sweet gum tree is a native tree to this area, but I notice that when we went on a nature hike at Panola Mountain State Park, the park ranger didn't give this tree much respect. Can anyone tell me why that is? My husband and I love this tree. Of course, there are many who also don't like English ivy, but it is wonderful in a pot, it does really well as a hanging basket, especially if you remember to keep it watered. And you know that Richard always does!
Sorry, I have not been able to visit all of your wonderful blogs lately! I have been trying to crochet a vest for a baby about to turn one year old! Since I couldn't find a vest pattern, I am making it up myself. This is a very risky thing for me to do, about on a par with most people jumping out of an airplane. Really! Wish me luck!
Happy Birthday, Brayden! Hope the vest looks as cute on you as this cap I made for you as an infant!
Look at this list of movies that will be released this year: "Son of God" - Feb. 28th,
"Noah" on March 28th , "Exodus" on Dec. 12th and "Unbroken" on Christmas Day, 2014.
"Son of God" is really from a TV movie about the story of Jesus, with some added footage. I have seen bits of it and no offense to the actor portraying Jesus, but to me, he lacks the proper...what am I searching for here..the right authority for the role. (Yes, I know it is a very tall order to have an actor to try and play the role of Jesus but Robert Powell did a very good job in "Jesus of Nazareth"!) Still, I think I would still like to see this movie, even if I have criticism of the actors, if it is about Jesus, that's a good movie for me!
"Noah" will have the role of Noah being played by...are you ready for it...Russell Crowe! Now, before you say that sounds very unlikely, I must say that of these three Biblical movies, this is the one that looks the most promising! Look at the trailer for "Noah" and see what you think. Please notice that Noah's Grandfather (Methuselah) will be played by one of my favorite actors, Anthony Hopkins. By the way, you should know that name from the Bible. At one time, people used to say that someone was as "old as Methuselah", since he lived the longest of anyone mentioned in the Bible. How long did he live? The answer is 969 years...now, you know that fact, it will be filed away in your brain for all time.)
That third movie, "Exodus" is the story of Moses and that role will be filled by Christian Bale. Now, I don't know, but once again, the movie has already been done and done very well by Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments" filmed in 1956! You remember that one, don't you? With Yul Brynner as the pharoah Ramses? Brilliant performances! (Besides, the new movie's director is Ridley Scott, the same director of "Prometheus", and I thought that movie was horrid!)
It's always best to read books that the movies are based on...in the first three movies, that means you should go to the Bible! If you don't have a Bible handy, you can always look at a great website called Bible Gateway...you may find it here. (You may look at any number of versions...King James, The Message, New International...you choose which one you want to see, and it supplies the chosen version. It's a brilliant site. If you want to look something up, perhaps you only can remember a fragment of a verse, you type that fragment in and it will take you straight to the verse. Wonderful!)
I have already written of my great respect for Louie Zamperini who I wrote to and he was kind enough to write me back! I am truly looking forward to "Unbroken". I wrote about Mr. Zamperini exactly two years ago today, you may find that post just here! (I wonder what actor will play Jesse Owens, who was Mr. Zamperini's room mate in the 1936 Olympics?)
For any of these movies, I just hope that they do a good job and don't HOLLYWOOD them up, if you know what I mean!
Hey! Some folks have fancy Christmas trees, not me. Here is my little Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But guess what, it is a real tree, it is in a pot, I just wrapped that red felt around the base of it, just like Charlie Brown did with Linus' blanket! I can take it outside after all this cold weather and enjoy it on our deck!
"What Child Is This" was originally a poem by William Chatterton Dix entitled "The Manger Throne". The words were paired with "Greensleeves". a very old English tune from the 15th century.
1. What child is this who, laid to rest,
on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?
Refrain:
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.
2. Why lies he in such mean estate
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.
(Refrain)
3. So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
come, peasant, king, to own him;
the King of kings salvation brings,
let loving hearts enthrone him.
(Refrain)
Born in Bristol, England, William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898) was the manager of a marine insurance company in Glasgow, Scotland but I wonder if he really considered that his life's work was in writing his beautiful words of poetry for worship. He wrote more than forty hymns, among them "Alleluia, Sing To Jesus". He died in 1898 and is buried at his parish church in Cheddar in Somerset, England. If only I could write hymns like this hymn writer! They say simply and to the point exactly what the hymn writer is trying to convey but in such wondrous words! "The babe, the son of Mary"..." "Not as orphans are we left in sorrow"... "Shall our hearts forget his promise". "Intercessor, friend of sinners, plead for me".
I found this hymn on YouTube. Turn it up and let the words and music wash over you and fill your spirit! You can sing along if you like.
Alleluia! sing to Jesus!
Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the scepter, his the
throne. Alleluia! His the triumph, his the victory alone. Hark! the
songs of peaceful Zion thunder like a mighty flood. Jesus out of every
nation hath redeemed us by his blood.
Alleluia! not as orphans
are we left in sorrow now; Alleluia! He is near us, faith believes,
nor questions how; Though the cloud from sight received him when the
forty days were o'er shall our hearts forget his promise, 'I am with you
evermore'?
Alleluia! bread of heaven, here on earth our food and
stay! Alleluia! here the sinful flee to thee from day to
day. Intercessor, Friend of sinners, earth's Redeemer, plead for
me. Where the songs of all the sinless sweep across the crystal
sea.
Alleluia! King eternal, thee the Lord of lords we
own; Alleluia! born of Mary, earth thy footstool, heaven thy
throne. Thou within the veil hast entered, robed in flesh, our great High
Priest. Thou on earth both Priest and Victim in the Eucharistic Feast.
I am feeling better now...I am ready for Christmas and New Year's...What? I missed it!? Oh well! :-)
Did anyone else see this photo which was photographed from space? It is the Polar Vortex over the United States, a frigid mass of cold air that I hope we never see the likes of again! We are lucky that we were so well warned of the sub-zero temperatures.
Do you know of the deadly blizzard from March of 1888? It was an unexpected storm that occurred in the Great Plains of the USA. Affecting Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho...only two of them were states at the time, the rest were territories. Because it caught so many children as they were walking home from school, it became known as "The Children's Blizzard" or "The Schoolhouse Blizzard". Two hundred and thirty five people died, many of them children. This story is told about in a book by David Laskin called, "The Children's Blizzard". Please note that if you click on the link that I gave you, it goes into great detail about the details of how the blizzard developed and David Laskin has all the meteorological facts too, but the most important thing for me is that we need to remember the children. All of the families who lost loved ones...it is simply heartbreaking to read about it.
A few months later, in March of 1888, a blizzard hit the East coast of the United States and was called "The Great Blizzard". Four hundred died in that storm. Nan from her blog letters from a hill farm recommended a book by Jim Murphy, "Blizzard!" which is a young adult book about this storm.
I hope you get the chance to read about these blizzards. True stories about real people. That's what I really care about!
This is a photo of a beautiful sunrise in front of our home. Sunsets are gorgeous but the sun rising is such a welcome sight!
Hey! Anybody want to see a really funny movie? It is "Cockneys Vs Zombies" and it is hilarious! The Eastenders from London taking on the Zombies. I loved it since it showed folks from a nursing home in a very positive way, albeit very silly! Check it out, if you have the chance!
It is NOT for children! There is bad language and lots of violence, so no children around while you watch it, okay? A very nice touch, the song at the end is by Chas & Dave, the singers I have talked about before! Okay, you Muppets, hope you enjoy! (Now, why do they call people "muppets" in England? I have noticed this before on the TV shows from over there. Hmmm, I wonder if Jim Henson would approve? I hope he wouldn't mind!)
Crochet! So fun to make things for people who appreciate them! I made a warm cap for my nephew, Kyle and he said I could put his photo on here! Thanks, Kyle for modeling for me! Thrilled that you like your cap! His sister, Katy liked it so much, she asked me to make one for her too! And you know that I did (the same gray color but trimmed in pink!)
I made star ornaments for my Christmas tree too, that was fun. I can't remember where I got the pattern, but was quite happy crocheting these little bits for my tree... Wait, it was from Lucy from Attic 24 If you crochet, you must look at her blog. She shares the most wonderful patterns and well, she is an artist really, it shows in her photographs and her writing besides her most creative works of crochet. (She blocked these out, which makes them more star-like, but I wasn't able to do it as well, so mine are more flower shaped. Oh well, I like them anyway!)
My funny husband called an illness that we once had, the "Zombie" flu. This was years ago, before the zombie craze that is going on TV and the movies. I am getting better but wow, the energy level is way low, and I am moving like one of those slow zombies. And we are having a very cold winter, even here in Georgia. The low on Tuesday morning is supposed to be NINE degrees!!! Man, talk about moving like a Zombie! This weather won't help me much! Stay warm everyone! And let me know if you see that funny movie! If you see other funny movies, let me know! I am in need of a good laugh!
Hey, everyone! I had this post as a draft with just those three words above. I wonder what I was going to say? Who knows?! I have been a bit OUT of it, so to speak. Made it to the doctor today so I hope my body is heading in the right direction! Hoo boy, the prescribed medications have a long list of side effects...dizziness, jerky movements, excessive sweating, confusion, etc. I am a woman of a certain age, how will I tell the difference?
My Dad cooked a wonderful meal for New Year's Day. I was able to make it there and in between coughing, had a great dinner! Anyone else would have just sipped chicken soup, but that's not my style! Daddy is the best cook. (He stayed up very late the night before and watched the college football game between Texas A & M and Florida, with Texas A&M winning a close game, which must have finished just at midnight, so he saw the New Year in.) THEN, he got up early on New Year's Day and cooked the following:
Fried Chicken (I have to tell you he makes the BEST fried chicken. He fries it in the blackest iron
skillet you have ever seen. All his iron skillets are very old, well seasoned and are
the BEST for frying. His chicken is perfectly cooked, moist with the most tender
crust and NEVER greasy!)
Baked Chicken (Ditto, for the moistness. I was able to bring some of this home for Richard...gluten
free, don't you know.)
TWO kinds of cornbread...one with cracklings and onions, and one without.
Fluffiest, lightest biscuits in the world! With a big bowl of gravy!
His big round bowl of macaroni & cheese. (His secret for this dish...LOTS of cheese! This is the
Grandkids' favorite. Very often, with no leftovers!)
All of the STARRED items were from his own garden! He cooked the turnips and the rutabagas together (the turnips were white and the rutabagas were golden.) and along with a piece of cornbread was my FAVORITE. No, wait, I had to eat a small piece of the fried chicken, that was my favorite...No, wait, I had to have 1/2 a biscuit with gravy over it! The greens! The peas! And that MAC & CHEESE!! ! @$%%$$$ Hey, I didn't mean to hit those keys, but you know I am having jerky movments!
We had our dinner at 1:00 and with so much food that was all I could eat for the whole day! What a feast, it was wonderful. (With so much food, he wants everyone to take home lots of the leftovers...isn't that great?)
That meal seems like so much work to me, but he gets so much JOY from cooking. Who are we to stop him? Right? We have tried to ask him if he would prefer not to cook so much, but he enjoys it!
And doggone it, he really is a good cook. He can do anything really. When he told me that he found some good chickens to cook for our New Year's Day Dinner, I asked him were they whole chickens and did he have to cut them up. I was on the phone when I asked him this and there was a slight pause, and he said, "Why, I can cut up a chicken with my eyes closed."
Now, that's not funny to anyone else, I am sure, but it made me laugh! So funny, just his delivery... always with such perfect timing, he can just turn a simple statement into something that makes me howl with laughter!
Have I showed you this photo of Daddy from the Sunflower Festival this past June? He walked quite a ways to get to this...they were just pieces of wood nailed together with a wheel, to look like a toy tractor...it was set up for the children. Good thing they had it there for the biggest kid there! "Get a picture of me, Kay!" And you know I did!
Well, I hope... that all of you who read this know how much I love my Dad and how much I wish that great energy and joie de vivre is something that I could bottle and send to each one of you. I appreciate my friends! (If you click on that link to joie de vivre, you will see a painting of Falstaff. I think my Dad could pose for a similar painting!) Oh! And Daddy is 86 by the way.
Happy 2014. Well, I hope it WILL BE Peachy Keen!
I have one of my Dad's favorite singers, Bobby Bare with his great song, "Dropkick Me Jesus". Enjoy!
Cedar waxing 
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