First August Sunday

Sister Fleta left for Coin, AR at 8:00. We’re morning drivers. I bragged to our cousin Frankie Powell about cooking her an omelette and toast for breakfast. He teased us with his meal—homemade biscuits, fresh garden tomatoes topped with iron skillet gravy. This was our Dad’s favorite. Ought to have known I can’t top Frankie.

The small Carroll County settlement known as Coin was located on Dry Creek, east of Green Forest. The Coin Post Office was established on April 9, 1891 with Bailey M. Boyd acting as the first postmaster. The town had its ups and downs, with postal service temporarily shutting down in 1893 and again later from 1907-1911. The Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad would come through town in 1901. The Coin Post Office permanently closed on August 5, 1944. Mail service was then transferred to Green Forest.

Sister and I had a great visit. She brought cooler temperatures. We sat each morning and watched the birds. We spent time identifying the bird songs. We both loved the little Carolina Wren’s loud tune. Each evening we let the chickens out and acted as watchmen of coyotes. We road around in my buggy to visit Sigrid, Eric, and Laura. We saw Loretta Lynn. She’s getting more active, kicking her feels high and running as fast as the wind. 

I’ll be back to my boring life tomorrow. Laura starts to work and Fleta will be getting up at 3:30 each morning to head to her job getting there at 5 or 5:30. She’s 78 years old and still running with the big dogs. I’m just a yard dog now!
 

August 1

My best friend came! We both have bed head hair! We’re having a great time💙

I have a FB friend with a new great granddaughter. I’m taking this blanket to her. Her name is Esme’ Rose. That’s the wrong mark on the e but I can’t find the other one.

 Ada got a new winter coat from Eddie Bauer. She loves the fur!

July’s Tail’s Tip

I’m buying Astrid’s Camry for Greta and Astrid is buying this Tundra. It’s a 2023 with 30,000 miles. She’s a farmer and a truck is what she needs. Logan’s truck has a 5th wheel in the back. I like the color of the Tundra. Siggie put her ok on the it.

Hey, Loretta, I love you more than my Irish setter.

Astrid bought a garden Corgi for outside. Blu went crazy mad when she saw it. She didn’t want another dog in the family. She said 4 is a full house.

 Blu has the blues💙

Thursday

Loretta is getting more rambunctious each day. We love her darker color. Astrid thinks her white donkey Toby is the sire as Kitty and Johnny had not been pastured together long enough for him to sire Loretta. It takes 11 to 13 months for a baby to arrive. Loretta was a surprise but we celebrate her being with us. 

Almost an inch of rain to water the meadow! Fingers crossed we get more today. That inch of rain will last less than a week on pastures at 90 degree temperatures! 

 Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. John Updike

Fleta is coming tomorrow to stay a night or two with me! Happy days!
 

Wednesday

Too hot for me to work outside and everything is turning brown. Astrid needed two blankets for little boy babies last week so I made this one for a baby boy for the next baby shower! I’m working on a chenille one for a girl now. Still unbearable outside.

Greta is on back row in pink. This is with her volleyball team. When the team coach posts a picture, I like to save it on my blog for a memory. 

Our baby is a girl. Logan said we’re calling her Loretta. Her mother is Kitty Wells. She’s lively and pretty.

Pope County Library and their librarians are the best. My friend Donna loved my patchwork quilted book bag Laura made me. She commented she wished she had one in Dallas Cowboy prints. It’s too hot to do much else so Laura created one just for Donna. We took it by the Library yesterday. Albert Einstein was right when he said: “The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”

I checked out “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett. I think I’m going to like the book!

 

Tuesday

My neighbor is accepting visitors. I stopped to check it out. They’re still getting things set up but it’ll be handy for this old lady.

We got a surprise today. Kitty had a baby. Don’t know any details. But this foal is darker.  What big ears you have little one.

The Buck moon will be full tomorrow night. It is really spectacular. My phone doesn’t take good pictures of the heavens.

My father’s family about 1945.

First cousins all descend from R.M. And Gertrude Maples Powell.

My cousin Winnie with me and Sigrid. She was a Zeta like Siggie.

Yesterday  I received a big box. I knew what was inside. My first cousin Winnie Sneed passed this year. I inherited her painting of the R. M. Powell farm at Sunny Lane near Coin, AR. Our Aunt painted it in 1986. It’s where my father and his siblings grew up. The house blew away in the big tornado of 1927. The family lived in the chicken house while my Grandfather built this ‘new” house, now almost 100 years old. 

The night the tornado (March 18, 1927) hit their house, Uncle Truman and Aunt Thelma held the back door shut and Grandpa Powell held the front door shut.  They couldn’t keep the doors completely closed but kept the house from being completely destroyed.  The storm badly damaged the house.  Several large oak trees were blown down in the front yard. They were right in front of the house.  This may have helped block the wind from the house.  The next day Grandpa set out for Green Forest to check on his brother, Jesse, and his family.  The storm picked Uncle Jesse’s house up from the foundation and set it back crooked.  March 19, Aunt Thelma said she had to follow a hen turkey around all day to find its nest.  The turkey and Aunt Thelma were scared because of all the confusion.  Grandpa Melton Powell went to Alpena to get shingles to fix the roof, but he came home with lumber to build a new chicken house.  Aunt Thelma thought maybe the frame of the house was damaged because Grandpa decided to build a new house.  The storm completely destroyed the old chicken house so Grandpa built a new chicken house first.  The family lived in the new chicken house while he built the house.  He tore the old house down. The chicken house had a dirt floor.  They had a wood stove in it.  Grandpa had built a platform across one end and the children slept on that on mattresses.  Winter came before the house was finished.  Snow would blow in the cracks of the chicken house! Thanks to the Sneed family for my blessing. Paul Sneed wrapped it snug. Don’t think I deserved to own the painting but I’m grateful.

 

Last Hurrah for July

Astrid’s tomatoes are slowing down. She canned some tomato sauce yesterday from the extras. Laura helped show her the ropes. Now, she’ll be an expert.

I gave Greta a little shopping money for school clothes. She bought some shirts and underwear clothing. She still has money to spend. She brought some things at a goodwill like store. She’s stretching her finances. Ada got a few things too. Ada just finished listening to “The secret Garden”. This weekend Erin let her watch the movie with Maggie Smith playing Medlock. They found the old movie on YouTube.

Fleta bought me this hummingbird from Wally World. It is solar. Not expensive but I love watching it go through its rainbow of colors each evening.

Quiche 

Erin makes quiche sometimes for dinner. She thinks I should try it because I have good eggs and always have extras. I’m putting her recipe her so I can find it.

Crack 3 eggs in a 2 cup measuring dish. Whip with fork. Finish filling with cream until 1 and 1/2 cup mark.. Mix again. Add whatever you have—cheese, ham, bacon, sausage. Pour in 9 inch bought pie shell. Bake in 400 degrees oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Fork needs to come out clean in middle when done! I told her I never have cream.she said use canned evaporated milk or just regular milk. I may try it.

After Logan worked all day Saturday bush hogging and mowing, yesterday he sprayed weeds. He sprayed the middle of my lane to the highway. It’s over 600 feet. He sprayed the fence rows and so much more. He worked for hours. He and Astrid sold their side by side but he used my Kubota to haul the big sprayer. Pop’s pond really looks pretty after he got all the weeds cut!

 

Sun day or Sunday

Laura made a lemon chiffon cake. My Grandmother Powell made chiffon cakes. They were a favorite of hers. Laura brought me a piece and I’ll have it later today. I know it’ll be delicious.

Logan got the meadow that isn’t under fence bush hogged. The grass was really tall. I am happy to have the part back of my yard short. I’m still letting my chickens out in the evening. I saw a coyote back there in the daytime. He got two of Astrid’s chickens this week. Logan shot at him on the run but missed. Now he’ll not have cover to grab dinner on me. Eggs were recalled again. I have my own so it’s nothing to me. I bought lettuce this week. The Taylor Farm was all marked half. I guess people aren’t buying it. Taylor farms has lettuce under other names too….Walmart, Kroger, etc.

Yesterday was hoof trimming day. Astrid had two baby showers. She looked pretty in her brown dress. She cut little spouts by the barn with my loppers. 

Today is Sunday and sun day. It’ll be near 💯 again. Humid too. I’ll stay inside mostly. I water my flowers. Too hot for yard work for me.

 

Saturday

Got Lil Red to come and tighten up my clothes line! It’s ready to dry some sheets and towels now! I noticed the meadow grass was “belly deep” to the donkeys! They have shed their rough coats and are beautifully slick! 

“Don't be a blockhead standing in belly deep grass while crying for grain. Look around there's so much to be grateful for." Old Folk Proverb

Kenny, our youngest donkey is going to new owners. He may move to Ohio to a farm that children visit. He likes people and would love children petting him. Logan and Astrid will try to find the best new home for him. Since they own his sisters the Meadow can’t be his forever home. 

 I’m not a good driver. I hit my mailbox with my Kubota buggy. Logan and Astrid will put it back on the post for me. I will turn around and then pull up to the box from now on. I just bumped the edge but it makes me ashamed that I’m not better at navigating. 

Most of my blogger friends from 20 years ago aren’t blogging any more. Some have passed—about 10 really. Some just quit. We run out of things to talk about. My friend Donna has dementia. It became hard to blog and remember how to publish. She can still sing and wrote many of the songs she sings. She goes to TWO churches each Sunday. Her husband takes her. Donna never learned to drive. She goes to one and then walks to the second. He picks her up from there. Donna sings specials at both churches. Donna is so smart. She is a great writer. She loves children, animals, flowers, gardening, family and our Lord. My longest blogging friend now is Connie. She’s from the north country. Some of her ancestors came from Finland. I hope she doesn’t go silent. I only follow two others now. One is from Washington state. A retired teacher and a widow. She has two daughters like me. The other blog I read is a native of Hawaii and also a retired teacher. I get tired of posting to this blog but I’m trying to keep pushing on. I don’t try to entertain. It’s just a footprint of me—a record for my family. I make lots of mistakes and as I get older they’re  more frequent and obvious. More misspelled words and incomplete sentences. 

Hope you have a good weekend and have a book to read.