Weekend

Ingrid’s reason for coming home before thanksgiving was to attend a big wedding. She and Justin made it back home to Foley, Al. I think it’s an 8 hour drive.

The sisters are much alike in looks, but still different. Ingrid said their expressions are often the same,

These are two brothers they grew up with. The young man by Sig asked her to a dance once. She was mad at him and said no. Two years later she asked him. He remembered and say NO. They really liked each other a lot, but no stopped it all. Now, it’s all past and they are free to care as friends again.

My only Sister came Saturday. She brought T-bone steaks. She left early Sunday because she still works a regular job. She knows me deep, and still she cares for me. She was carrying one of Helen’s old purses and brought me Helen’s old cane. 

We have found a mystery. Our Grandmother Powell may have been married before Grandpa. This article was in the Berryville paper in our county in 1909. I think they really never married. Maybe her father stopped the event. We’re going to check for a marriage license for this month and year—1909 December. In April of 1910, she’s with her parents and it says single. She is still teaching at Blackoak School. She married Grandpa in April 1911. The article is strange as it’s signed a friend! Weird.

Carrion Crow Mountain

I live in Bradley Cove. I am surrounded on east, west, north, and south by Crow Mountain.

Crow Mountain is old but still beautiful!

Trees on a Carrion Crow Mountain are turning many shades of fall. Our Mountain is named Carrion Crow for the black vulture not the Natives. The name may be related to the Indian myth of creation where a carrion crow (Turkey buzzard) carves the land. It’s a plateau mountain with farming all across its top. The area was a winter refuge for Hernando de Soto's expedition in 1541-1542 after a battle with the Tula Indians. The expedition left behind carvings called petroglyphs on our Mountain. It’s debated, but they may have been carved by the clergy who traveled with De Soto. The picture I posted here of a petroglyph panel on Carrion Crow Mountain, Pope County, Arkansas, a site on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Celebrating Early

 

L to right: Ingrid, Eric, Laura, Sigrid, Astrid

The Christensen’s celebrated Thanksgiving early because Ingie came home to attend a wedding.  They took a few pictures. Logan Roberts missed the photo shoot. He was still on the job working, but he made it in time to eat🧡

Ingrid and Justin

Sigrid and Logan

Barns are Beautiful

Below Uncle Truman’s barn above Uncle Floyd’s

Fleta took the barn picture in the fall leaves yesterday of Uncle Floyd Powell’s barn. The other barn is Uncle Truman Powell’s barn. The man with the plowed field is Uncle Truman. The one with the team is Uncle Floyd. I don’t have a picture of our old barn! For farmers in the 1950’s the barn was central to everything on the farm. I love seeing old barns. They are beautiful to me. 

Frankie Powell helped build his Dad’s barn in 1959.  They mixed the concrete by hand, cut the boards with a hand saw, bought the boards from R.T. Powell who had a saw mill at the time.  Frankie said they hauled gravel with a team and wagon from long creek down by Bill Rands place.  

 

Birds of Spring

All these pretty birds visited me last spring. I love bird watching. I have put my hummingbird feeder away until next year. I’m having my usual birds at my feeders. I am diligent about providing for them.

My therapy was muscle building. My knee hurt the same last night. I am quite depressed. I don’t want a cortisone shot. They heal but destroy. I’m going to continue trying to build supporting muscle as that’s all I can do.

We’re having thanksgiving feast tomorrow evening because Ingrid and Justin are coming for a wedding. They won’t come Thanksgiving. Siggie has a new dress and I bet ingrid does also. They’ll be beautiful. The marriage is Sig’s friend Ellie’s brother. The bride is a lawyer. She was one of my sixth grade students, a very sweet girl.

 

Ada’s Maple

Leaves are falling fast. Ada’s Maple at Harrison is orange.  Today I go to the physical therapist at 11. I’m not getting better and I am feeling low.

That little dash between birth and death represents everything we ever did.

The Dash Poem

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke of the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

L. Ellis

 

Thankful for All our Servicemen and Servicewomen

This is my Christensen girl’s Grandma Myrtle. In 1943, she enlisted in the WAC’s and served until the end of the war. She was born in Duluth, Minnesota. It upsets me that the word servicemen is accepted and servicewomen is underlined often as a misspelled word. Hail to all the men and women who served and the ones in uniform today.

Ada lost another tooth at school yesterday. The tooth fairy is going wonder what is going on.

The maple beside my porch is a pretty yellow. There are 13 kinds of Maples native to North America and 130 types across the world.

Amy Patsy found this on her floor in the library. She sent it to me. Sister Helen loved to read. Guess she was checking out The Sugar Snow Spring! 

Marked

I am trying this pattern for a baby blanket. I’m using a sugar roll that changes colors so I won’t alternate colors. I’ve just started it. The yarn is cotton so I’m wondering if it’ll work. I paid very little for the yarn at the 75% off sale. 

I made an ear warmer for Ada and she tried it yesterday. It was only in the 40’s there. She lost her first tooth. It was loose and she let her dad pull it with pliers! Brave heart♥️ I hope the tooth fairy found her. She looks anxious in the picture.

Logan and Astrid got the rest of the hay under the shed. It may rain later thisvweek.

Logan participated in a race in Texas this weekend. It was called the “gut Buster”. Sounds grueling! They took the camper and all 4 dogs. Laura and Eric tended to the fowl, cats, and dogs. With my knee the way it is I did not volunteer to help but I’m sure I could have.

They marked Helen’s departure on her stone. I guess it’s the last thing I can give her. They had a celebration of her life over the weekend in Arizona. She told me she was afraid no one would add her death date to her marker. I promised her I’d do it. I’m glad I could.

Sunday afternoon my knee hurt horribly. I’m afraid about my future. Helen was lucky to go before she could not care for herself.  

Today my knee is not aching as badly. Wednesday, I go to the physical therapist. I hope I see improvement and gain in knowledge of what to do to preserve my joints. 

 

Ada Lifts me up

Ada came today! She had to shovel a little horse poop, pick up walnuts, and just chill in Galla Meadow!  It was a great day!

I had Ada put on some old pink gloves when she picked up the walnuts. They stain your hands brown. She loved getting each finger in the gloves.

She talked about me losing my sister. She said that she couldn’t stay with me because she has to go to school. She loves school. She said she’d come in the summer and stay three weeks. Oh, dear…that’s a long visit. She hadn’t been in my house a minute until she blurted out— Gigi your Sister is dead!