Miscellania

Last week I went to the author luncheon held here monthly. The handsome "young" man is Batt Humphries. Batt was a producer for NBC in New York for 15 years and then "retired" to Charleston to write his book Dead Weight based on a true story that happened in Charleston around 1910. I loved the book and pretty much read it straight through in a day.

Yesterday I went to the Hartsville Memorial Library Reading Club meeting held at an artsy restaurant here called Saffron. There were ten of us present. I knew about half and the other half are new friends :) We all read Time is a River by Mary Alice Monroe. Another Charleston author. The book was about a woman who takes up fly fishing and gets over some recent traumas in her life. I liked it so much I am looking for fly fishing lessons and a place to fish. (Hubs says, Get real! But he also wants to go if I get it worked out :)

This picture is a clue to another new interest in my life. This is my grandfather's violin and lovely alligator case. Grandfather, Dr. Thomas Gates, had a band in the Washington, DC area called The Hired Hands. They played on the radio in the early 1900's. I have just had it restrung and the bow fixed. I have not yet found a teacher....the one I am hoping to get is out of town. In case you are thinking I may have inherited some musical ability from my grandfather, remember I am adopted and have shown no musical ability thus far but I heard on NPR yesterday artistic talent is 89% work. However, I am not known to want to work hard either. We shall see.

Today Hubs and I decided since it had cooled off we would do some yard work. After an hour we were both drenched in sweat and decided to call it a day. It was 10 AM then when I came in and checked the thermometer to find it was 77.9%. We were sure it was AT LEAST 100%. Our thermostats must be out of whack.

Farmer Fran did get to drive the tractor for a nano second. The rest of the time was good old manual labor (I hate it).

Tomorrow I am off to Lucy's to make a male black doll in honor of our beloved tenant farmer/friend/father figure, Mr. Willie Adams. He was such a neat, cheerful person (even when he wasn't drinking). He could tell the best stories about Curtis growing up. He was always encouraging about the farm even when it hadn't rained in six months. He raised 13 children in a dilapidated tenant house on our farm....no indoor plumbing....I'm not even sure they had electricity.

Well that's it for old Donnamo today. What are you folks up to? No good, I bet :)

My Little Gatester

Saturday, I had my youngest Grandson, Gates, for the day and as usual it was action packed. Some neighbors have goats so we visited them after we read The Billy Goats Gruff.

A game of baseball with PopPop was in order. Notice Gates is batting right handed.

The next pitch he is batting left handed. So we may have a future Mickey Mantle/ switch hitter on our hands.

Gates, loves, loves, loves him some water. Saturday he devised this extension to the watering can. Believe me the plants were watered and rewatered many times.

Gates and Nana had a golf game. Here he is raising his hand to the "gallery" saying "Thank you, thank you" for their imaginary applause.

He did not need my help choosing the right club.

In between his other sports activities he was "Farmer Fred" working on his tractor. I went and got a notepad to record our conversation.

"I'm Farmer Fred, what your name Farmer Girl?"

"Farmer Girl."

"No your real name"

"Farmer Fran"

"Okay, Farmer Fran, let's go to work and then we play golf."

"What you writing Farmer Fran?" "You makin a list for me?"

"Write down....tractor....dig....mow grass...rake....find animals...play golf...that all."

"Then I go at church"

"I think that it"

"You got dat down?"

"Good morning, Farmer Fran" "I am the best farmer in the world"

"What are you doing, Farmer Fred?"

"I'm putting poison on the tractor."

"What for?"

"Make it go really, really, fast. Super dooper, dooper fast. Police not catch me now!"

Later he entertained the whole family with his impression of Uncle Dudley the worship leader at his church. I wish I had a video!

Grandchildren......never a dull or serious moment!

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Well, I've been missing that water view from Bay Ridge......today I get up and hear this noise like a washing machine and wonder What Is That? I trace it to the return of the heat pump.....not good.

Then I look out on Lake Donnadale (This was taken after it receeded a tiny bit.)

The last time this happened it was Hurricane SumSumpin. I hoped never to witness this again. Last time we had to rent a pump and pump the water out from under our house......we haven't looked under there yet today.

Hubs just went out to open the ditch between our house and his mothers house.

If you are looking for a house "on the water" we've got just the place.

Has your house or yard ever been flooded?

I do think about (and pray more fervently for) the Pakistani's who have been flooded. I cannot imagine a house full of water and mud.)

Crab Cakes in Paradise

We just came back from a week in Bay Ridge, Maryland. My parents had a cottage (and I do mean cottage) there and Mom and I spent the entire summer vacation there each year until I was in college going to summer school.

This was the beach where I swam every day. Directly across from it is the Bay Bridge (not the tunnel) but I forgot to get a pic of it :(

My parents' home has been sold for twenty years or more and I have yearned to return to my idea of paradise. God answered my prayers in a mighty big way.

He reconnected me to a childhood acquaintance, Chris Holland Cable, who has allowed me to come stay at her beautiful home pictured above while she and her husband Bill were in Europe.

Daughter Ashli and family got to come, too. Ashli, of course, came here with us as a child and has fond memories. Now the grandchildren love the place, too.

We had such a good time being there and God gave us a big break in the weather. Instead of high nineties like they have been having we had 80's with a nice breeze every day! I'm telling you it was paradise and yes we did eat some of those delicious Maryland crab cakes :)

Is there a place in your past that is paradise to you?

Have you been back there lately?

Doll Makers

Rita and I went to the Columbia SC Doll Club meeting today. This giraffe was a favorite with both of us.

This doll resulted from a "doll in a bag" challenge where members started a doll and passed it to other members to add on to. Pretty cool huh?

This is Rita's first doll. Pretty awesome!

This cat doll was pictured in a recent Cloth Doll Magazine. She definitely has "cattitude".

A jester doll.

This doll is named Morris and he looks like he could appear in a Shakespeare Play.

Did you have a favorite doll growing up? What kind? Where is she now?

Less Mom and Nana Guilt

Yesterday I was working on a new blog when my sweet daughter Gabby called. She needed a babysitter for her youngest child Caitlin. I said sure and jumped in the car :)


I started to write about Mom and Nana Guilt on my last post but forgot :( The title came out VBS and Nan Guil. Did anyone notice? Probably not. Whenever I see my kids and their families I have an attack of Nana Guilt afterwards. As in " I should have.......played with the kids more....read to them more....bought them something....etc....." I tried to outwit Mr. Guilt while I was as Gabbys. I bought the kids something, I taught Caitlin how to do Sudoku (and bought her a book to do it in.) But alas.....I went to bed before them and did not read to them.

This am while walking Cooper, The BIG RED DOG, I took some pics around the yard. This is Connor's fort/hideaway in the woods right behind their house. It looked mighty inviting. Think I'll climb up there on a cool fall day and enjoy nature.

Gabby tried growing a vegetable garden. You can almost see that big green tomato on the first bush. There are about three more on there. She has gotten a few cukes but no squash. The squash have bloomed a lot but no fruit. I told her she must have planted on "bloom days".

My husband the former farmer talks about bloom days. Have you ever heard of it?

Hubs says you are to plant after the full moon, while it is shrinking to have produce instead of blooms. So there is your farm/garden advice for the day.