Friday

Gardening days are in my past!  I had the rest of the fried okra yesterday for lunch with a sliced tomato. Okra can defend itself from being picked! It’ll give you a taste of misery in a hurry. You do not know the meaning of itch until you harvest okra. I just wore a long sleeved shirt when I picked it!

I can tolerate stinging okra itch ‘cause there’s nothing better than fried okra. Both names, okra and gumbo, are of African origin.  Okra came to New Orleans with African slaves. By 1748, okra was being grown as far north as Philadelphia, and, in 1781, grown by Thomas Jefferson in Virginia.

Okra is relatively easy to grow, but it’s a warm season crop, and can’t be planted too early. Granny Renfroe told me to soak the seeds in water first and add a little bleach to crack the hull. We planted crimson spineless.

Okra is a nutritious flower with family lineage. It’s edible hibiscus, of the Mallow family. Cotton is in the mallow family, too. so okra and cotton are cousins! 

Okra can be used in many different ways. It is easily dried for later use. A little dried okra in dishes produces about the same result as fresh. When ripe, the seeds make an edible oil that is similar to other cooking oils. The ripe seeds of okra are sometimes roasted and ground as a substitute for coffee.

Look at pretty little Loretta. She’s sassy but sweet.

This morning Laura left homemade pizza on my porch  for my lunch. I warmed it in an iron skillet. I’m going to eat all three pieces!

This is my friend Barbara who passed away. I’m going to Green Forest tomorrow for her funeral. I’ll get up early and leave by seven. Fleta will meet me at the funeral home. 

My air conditioner quit working yesterday. Thankfully, Paul Duvall got me fixed. It was the fan motor in the inside unit. $664.00 but I’m happy because each day is reaching 100 degrees. Larry was a heat and air technician. I thought that was the problem and it was. 

Went to Kroger today. I bought my groceries for the week. Milk is $4.09. That’s the highest I have ever paid for milk. 
 

Thursday

Astrid’s watermelon is growing as we speak. We hope it’ll have time to mature before frost and hopefully a deer won’t get it. They used to break ours with a hoof and then eat them.

Laura went to the farmer’s market and bought okra and squash. She shared with me. The okra was really good! 

It was really hot yesterday. I mowed. Took me an hour and half. No rain in the forecast so it’ll likely turn brown quickly.

 I working on a baby boy blanket. I paid for the pattern. I tried to picture figure it out, but couldn’t. I’ll have to make several using the pattern to get the value out of the purchase.

Exercised and lifted weights today. Then I went to Aldi’s for a few Frits and vegetables.

Hump Day

This guy came by this morning asking if I was serving breakfast. 

I finished the baby blanket I was working on. I’m making one of the heart pattern I paid for now. It’s baby boy blue. I’m having to check the directions with every few stitches. Doubt I’d ever figured it out without a written pattern. 

Trash man came and cleaned up underneath my bird feeders. He didn’t climb the poles. 

Piper has a new outfit. She doesn’t want to be a chicken. Blu doesn’t want chickens in the house either.

Astrid keeps an eye on her chicken pen. On the far left there’s a big visitor checking out the area.
 

Tuesday

 

I looked at the weather yesterday and this is what is coming~~hot and no rain.

My Purslane is still blooming. I water it daily.

Greta’s starts her sophomore year of high school today! She’s a special young girl .  

The word sophomore refers to the second year of something. For Greta the second year of high school. It’s meaning is of Greek origin! Sophos means wise and moros means foolish. A second-year student knows more than a freshman, but still lacks full wisdom! Sophomores aren’t quite ready to be a “full” adult and take on adult decisions! I recall at this age that I thought I already knew more than my Father and Mother. My mother didn’t want me “hanging” with certain people. Me—being so full of wisdom 🤣—thought this was wrong and an intrusion into my life! How foolish of me! How little I knew. I think Greta’s a lot wiser than I was. I hope she has the best year!

School Beginning

Laura and Erin make homemade cinnamon rolls for the first day of school. Laura started today. No little girls were there to help get ready! She brought me a cinnamon roll driving her Dad’s old Chevy. Her car is being serviced! 

In my lifetime, I started to school on a first day nearly 60 times—regular school, college, graduate school and 40 years of teaching. It’s so important to get started in a positive way! Ada’s first day of school today too! I’m wishing all first dayers great beginnings!

Laura’s above and Erin’s below…I got one of Laura’s. They were delicious and Erin’s looks delicious too.

My Momma sent me off to school on the school bus with a cinnamon on many days. We had no visit to the school. Had to figure things out after we arrived at Green Forest Elementary School. 🏫 I had great teachers there…it was all positive♥️

Ada starts 2nd grade today at Forest Heights Elementary. She’s excited. She loves her school and all the people there. She had a homemade cinnamon roll to start her day! She struck several poses for me. She has on the shoes I got her.

Greta starts later in the week..maybe tomorrow.

Astrid is painting inside their camper. It was all dark. She’s adding a lighter color. Just the primer on so far.

That bed looks really comfortable.

Yesterday it was almost 100. I hope she was able to run the air as she worked. The next coat will make it look even better.

  

8-9

Tupelo Black Gum turning red

Walnut trees adding yellow

Maple showing pink and orange hue

Surprise lilies popping up

The signals of fall are everywhere even though it’s still above 95 daily, nature knows what’s coming next. I love fall, but we often skip it entirely going from hot to cold with only a short span in between. 

 I went to my favorite library and found all the Ann Patchett books they had in the shelves. Laura gave me one from ThriftBooks she ordered. I’ll save it til last. May not be able to red them all before they’re due August 29…but who knows. I found three new books they’d just put on the shelf. They’re nonfiction and have an Arkansas connection.

A local lawyer has written a memoir. I know her and enjoyed reading about her life. I knew her mother well. We met in a graduate class— History of the South. Reading about all the hurdles she had to overcome was startling. She has a heart for the poor as I do. She was a Vista volunteer at 17. Her son was in my class in 6th grade. He died at 17 from injuries of an automobile wreck. I read the book 📕 yesterday and plan to pass it to Laura. I learned a lot about laws and crime and life from her book. I wish I could share it with Fleta.

Lady Lawyer

Greta can jump

Erin sent me a video of Greta touching the bottom of the basketball goal. It’s 9 feet high. She’s 5’10”. So she’s elevating over 3”.  She has been trying to hit this target for a long time. Success! 

.

Weekend

We love our donkeys. They are: Johnny Cash, June Carter, Rose Ann, Kitty Wells, Opossum Jones, Kenny Rogers, and Loretta. Yes, a herd.

Donkeys are special animals. Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. Instead of riding a war horse, Jesus came as the prince of peace on a little donkey. The donkey is a beast of burden. They can carry a heavy load.  Jesus carries the heaviest burden—the sins of all. Legend says the donkey stayed near Jesus at Calvary and when our Lord was crucified the shadow of the cross fell on the the little donkey’s back. It’s still there today!

The Coming of Zion’s King

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

    righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The R. M. and Gertrude Powell farm painting is displayed on the wall once more. Aunt Winnie Powell Reed painted it in 1982 from an a fly over picture. My Grandparents bought the Sunny Lane farm about 1918 and owned it until after Grandpa passed in 1954. Then Grandma moved to the big house on Springfield Street in Green Forest where she rented apartments—two upstairs  and one down. The downstairs apartment was always rented to a single lady.  Grandma was able to support herself! Our Aunt Una Powell lived across the street. 

I love that you can see Grandma in her apron on the front porch and Grandpa in his overalls near the garage.  The back of their car is visible. The outhouse stands in back yard. The chicken house the family lived in after 1927 tornado is special. The barn shows large and strongly built.  The cows and horses are grazing in the pasture.  

My cousin Winnie’s family entrusted the treasure to me! I took the painting to a framer and had the frame reinforced. I want it to be here long after I am gone! I passed the Powell farm picture to Astrid. She has the farmer’s spirit. It hangs in the house that Pop built.

Lord, bless the meadow, you have loaned me!

As I tend the crops and animals 

Let me remember you are the one who created them.

Bless us, the creatures, and the land. 

 

Friday

Last night we received a drink! 1 1/2 inches will keep the grasses alive another week. It’s really hot, above 95 each day. I sit on the porch each evening and guard my chickens for an hour. I take my crochet out there. It’s suffering for but the chickens love it. No coyotes or hawks last night. I'm a chicken Shepard!

Ada and Laura had “meet your teacher” night. Ada is wearing the dress Laura made her. If Erin will let her, she always chooses a skirt or dress to wear. She’s the opposite of Greta at that age. Erin bought her skorts last year. I hope they’re still in style. Ada’s teacher has been at it 7 years. Praying she has patience and structure. Children need structure to learn, not freedom is my belief. 

Laura said she had some parents come by. She gets to leave at noon today because of staying late last evening.

Eric gave Frodo a bath. Doesn’t look like he’s enjoying it.

I lost another friend this week. Her Dad’s sister was married to my Dad’s brother. So her cousins were my cousins! We grew up together. I stayed overnight at her house in elementary school. She loved butterflies, flying flowers. Her son married my great niece. Her sister has been my friend since 5th grade. Her father was my older brother’s hunting Buddy and best friend. Her mother was one of my sister Patsy’s dearest friends. They shared rides to work and traded flowers. Take me home country roads. We traveled the same paths and loved the same people. Her people are my people. I know my sadness doesn’t match her families…but oh, how I feel her absence. 

Barbara Rudd Wade 1958~~2026

The Rudd family minus Lorissa about 1965

L to Right Esther Faye, Ann holding Cynthia, Jonell (my good friend), Barbara Jean in front of Jonell , Mary Ellen, Frances Sue (Lorissa wasn’t born yet. Cindy has passed now Barb.)

Yesterday, I went to the Nursing Home to visit my friend Mary. She’s in comfort care. She and her husband worked hard all their lives. She’s having to pay 232$ a day to stay there. She said that’s where their labor has gone. She said —“spend your money. Why am I still here?” I paid to have her dna done and have built a tree for her. Each time I visit, I’m going to print one of her family lines and tell her about what I found about them. Yesterday, we talked about her surname family. Next week she asked that I tell her about her mother’s family—the Curtis line. I plan to go each week until she passes. Her mind is still sharp at 96.  Living is hard, dying is easy.