Making My Home A Haven is important to me. Sharing homemaking skills. Recipes and food. Bible Studies. This is a treasure chest of goodies. So take a seat. Have a glass of tea and enjoy. You will learn all about who I am.
I started journaling when I was 10 years old. Maybe younger. I was always writing things down. Sharing everything on paper. Silly things like what I watched on TV. Who I had a crush on. What I ate for dinner. What we were doing on the farm. As I got older I would fill up my diaries. I started using notebooks. I would quickly fill them up.
So Why is it so hard for me to journal now? I always do a 30 Days Thanksgiving Journal. I found an old notebook. I was sad because I didn’t have a new one. I always have notebooks. I found a pencil. I added the date and the title.
Then NOTHING Came. Oh, I will do my I AM THANKFUL FOR MY BOBBY MEMORIES one. I will post about my family. Yet, when I went to think of something positive I had nothing to write. I already shared the first I Am Thankful Post here. Very Simple. I couldn’t remember how to use WordPress. It’s been a year since I was on much at all. A WHOLE YEAR.
Yesterday, I woke up feeling excited about the WEATHER. In Florida, I am seldom excited about it. Long story short: November 1st was our first FALL -LIKE DAY. Not really cool but COOLER. ALL DAY. It was still 74 degrees in the house. It’s been 74 degrees the last week or so. It felt cooler. I didn’t wake up all hot and sticky. I walked outside and it was COOLER. In the mid 60’s. I wanted to open ALL OF THE WINDOWS but I knew Danny would be on the cold side. He has his little heater going all year in his computer room. SUMMERS included. I was HAPPY.
I fixed a Chai Tea Latte for myself and fixed a Cappuccino for Danny. Got his lunch ready and was waiting for him to walk into the kitchen shortly after 7AM. Then ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.
He turned on the kitchen light. Also turning on the fan.
He YELLED at me the next half hour until he left for work. Yelling at me because the fan was on. The fan is almost always on in the kitchen. It is the hottest room in the house.
ALL DANNY HAD TO DO WAS TURN OFF THE FAN. Or ASK ME TO DO IT. He didn’t do any of those things. He decided it was my fault he was cold. That I purposely left the fan on.
I never thought of turning the fan off until he started yelling. I turned it off as quickly as I could.
He still never stopped yelling at me.
It was bad.
His drinking has turned him into a different person whom NO ONE WANTS TO BE AROUND.
The above quote pretty much sums up how we should handle everything in our lives. How we react to any given moment or action is usually how the situation gets handled. React calmly instead of panicking and you will have CONTROL over the outcome.
Go places you have never been. Ask for things that are important to you. If you don’t step up to the plate and do something,
You will never get anywhere.
You will always be stuck right where you are.
I can NOT say that I always choose what is right and what I should do. When it comes to mornings and forcing myself out of bed when Danny isn’t home, I sadly lack in this department. I usually roll over and try to shut out what is going on around me. As it gets cooler out, this problem won’t be quite so hard. I can and do get MOTIVATED During the FALL and WINTER MONTHS.
It is much easier to have a cheerful morning when I think positive when I first get up. If I can stay up and watch the SUN RISE, My whole mood is brighter. Even when I go back to bed, This mood carries me through the day. I smile as the sun rises and shines brightly, waking up the world around me. The birds start to sing. The sky clears up. The sun shines on the grass. Shines on my windows. I see it radiate throughout the house. It brights the inside of the house. Everything glows. My steps become lighter and I want to sing. To dance at this new day that I have been given.
I say this a lot. If Danny says anything positive in the morning my day is filled with JOY. I get more done and I am just happy.
Good Morning From Our Neck Of The Woods.
What kinds of color are you painting with today?
Love Sarah
Jami Belmont of Young Wife’s Guide is doing Make Over Your Mornings. She started it in a Facebook group this week.
I have gone through it once before, last January. Skipping around and not totally working through it.
All the pages from the workbook were printed out. But never filled in.
I wasn’t feeling all that great then. Tired and restless. I should have worked it then..All of it.
So for the next 2 weeks, I am going through it with Jami. You all, will be my accountability partners.
Danny just blows off anything to do with my blog….. my internet activites…. unless it has to do with trains.
Only part of the setup we have now.
I.will also be working through this course again starting on August 29, when Heidi Marahell. Hoping to really dig deep then. There are so many resources out there on morning routines. Evening routines. I read everything.
Anawins Blog
Morning Motivated Mom’s
Evening Routine
Morning Motivated Mom
Our schedule is crazy. Danny and I are both LATE LATE NIGHTERS. ( Which is good for us as a couple). We love to stay up late and sleep in late.
His late field days and the 5 days he is off every other week allows us to do this.
Danny manages getting up early 6 AM because he sleeps so soundly the few hours he has at night.Plus, in the summer months , especially, he takes long naps when he gets home from work.
I, on the other hand, don’t ever sleep well at night. Or I should say, I seldom , EVER sleep well, if I sleep at all.
I am an insomniac.
I am also at my best emotionally and physically at night. Even when I am in a lupus flair.
So I have learned to sleep when I can, for as long as I can.
So why am I working through Making Over Your Morning Course?
Because I need to learn to make the best of them. To enjoy them.
To make use of my quiet mornings by myself.
For Bible Study. In-depth Bible Study most days.
In the early mornings when Danny has to get up at 6 AM Or more accurately, when his alarm goes off at 6AM. He does not just get up.
No, the alarm goes off for at least 2 more times. If not 3 or 4.
That IRRITATES me to no end. I hate alarms.
Most mornings, if I am in bed , I get up before it goes off. Or as soon as it goes off the first time. I won’t lay around.
So I get up and I function on automatic pilot.
Mornings are easy for me because I have done everything the night before. (Except FOR THE DISHES) . They are rinsed well and stacked neatly.
I am working on this. I am getting better.
I love on Mr. Bojangles. Make sure he and the rabbit have plenty of water. The rabbit is in the kitchen for the summer.
Bible Study in the kitchen before Danny gets up.
The coffee is already made for Danny. I try NOT TO LET THE SMELL GAG ME.
I get his lunch out of the refrigerator and into his lunch box. Along with his drinks.
Next Bible Study until Danny gets up.
I stop everything when Danny first comes in to grab his coffee.
I stop it again when he comes in dress for work we visit as he is getting his boots on. His belt. Etc.
A kiss and he is off.
If I am not feeling well or really exhausted, I go back to bed. Then get up when I am ready to.
On good mornings like today, I continue my Bible study. Then I start on this course. I often take photos of the sun coming up. Of the glow from the lights in the early morning hours.
Me this morning.
I’ve moved into the living room where I can watch the sun come up. Watch the construction crew drive past..
The work radio is on..
The day has begun.
Happy Wednesday From Rolling Meadows Ranch And Our Neck Of The Woods.
The Following Was Written 5 Years Ago. The first part was all about my childhood crushes. My love of Journaling and Scrapbooking. Music : Record Players to Cassettes and So On. Bobby. Lots Of Photos Of Our Early Days At Lake Kissimmee State Park And Rolling Meadows Ranch. The RV. Before And After Photos of the Cracker House we now live in. Vittles and Mr. Bojangles.
September 14, 2015.
Writing 101 – Assignment For Day 6 : The Space to Write ( AND So Much More) – Monday, September 14, 2015
Most everything here was written Monday Afternoon / evening when I wasn’t feeling all that great yet, needed to write. Day 6: The Space To Write
“Where do you write? Do you prefer blogging on your laptop in a coffee shop? Are you productive in a quiet room, door closed, away from civilization? Today, describe the space where you write. Or, if you don’t have a dedicated place, what is your ideal setting?
Consider these questions to shape your post:
What are your writing habits?
What equipment or supplies do you use to write?
What do you need and want in a physical space?”
Everything above here is from WORDPRESS Including the photo.
This ONE Photo here was taken the day BEFORE we got this ASSIGNMENT. The Space TO WRITE. Here you see my laptop. 2 Books. A Journal. And 2 notebooks. As you will see, I can work anywhere…… But I always have a journal, notebooks, books and a computer. To the right of this picture lay several ink pens. A pencil. And My DIET PEPSI. I added a bunch of photos of the house and wrote about it here tonight, Wednesday, September 16, 2015. It is almost midnight so by the time this gets out it will be Thursday. This is my life when I am not working at the park or here at Rolling Meadows. I write or do things on the computer. HUGS Sarah
I have always been able to write pretty much anywhere. I remember being 10 or 11 and cutting images out of The TV Guide of what I was watching. What guy I liked. For a long time it was shows like Here Come The Brides With Bobby Sherman.
Of course , my favorite singer has always been Elvis. I can’t honestly say I had a crush on him , though.
My other favorite was Michael Cole Of Mod Squad . Oh did I ever have a crush.
I would read about them. I would write things down about whatever happened that night on TV. I would get the section out of the TV Guide and tape it into the diary. I kept every part of my life in there.
As a teen I always carried 2 books and at least 2 notebooks plus my diary which at some point became journals. Plus pencils and pens.
I was always babysitting and would take everything for when the kids went to bed. I’d get comfy in a recliner or another chair
I have never not had a back pack ready to go. Even now, I have a work backpack. When I was living at home, I had a room with book shelves all around the room. A record player and a cassette player were my 2 must haves for studying I listened to music while I did my homework. While I wrote my stories. See the “Yellow Thingy ” on top of the record player with the 8-track player. That was for your 45’s. Picture Below. I am old enough to have 75’s. Danny has a favorite Saying /Question for people Nowadays. Do the numbers 33 and a third , 45 and 75 mean anything to you?
Anyway, As long as I had paper, something to write with and music going , I was happy writing. I wrote about our camping trips. Our visits to grandma’s house. On my first trip to Colorado on the BUS, I wrote the all the way there. When I wasn’t writing I was reading.
My first road trip by myself. Alton, Illinois to Colorado. On the bus. 2 days. I wrote til my hands hurt. It was a bumpy ride.
When I got to my grandma’s I had my own room upstairs,plus I took over their book room downstairs. It had a desk in it.
I had my portable cassette player. I was 12. Maybe 13. I was in heaven.
High School.
I started writing about all of our high school events. I was in a number of writing clubs. On the yearbook committee.
And so it continued.
Life With Bobby .When Bobby came along, I just got a bigger back pack. I was in college then.
I had a desk in my bedroom in the first house I lived in with Bobby. I also used the kitchen table for writing. I remember Bobby asking for his own desk. He was 7. An adult desk to do his writings on. My dad made one for him. Pint size but like mine. Bobby would write stories. I moved mine into the dining room. He put his desk there also.
My half of the room was decorated for me. His section had his train set and books. It became the library. I was teaching then and writing for the newspapers.
That table was also our table that we ate off of so I constantly had to clear my computer and any work I was going off of it so we could eat. That was MY SPOT to write in the RV. Always. I could look out the windows on 3 sides of the RV and see the wildlife around.
I took over the table. I left Danny a spot on his side of the table for meals. If I was using it during the day, it was cleaned off at night where we ate. I always put my computer up. Always. I tried very hard to leave the table cleared of my computer and notebooks. The seat of the table was filled with books and work “Stuff.” Underneath was as well. I kept our leg room cleared. Danny’s side of the seat had a little less ”Stuff”. I was volunteering at the park full time back then and helping Danny with his “Stuff” on the computer.
“Stuff “is a word I use when I can’t think of another word to use.
I may or may not re-write this. Fibro fog is a part of who I am. This afternoon, hasn’t been good. I wore myself out this morning, but it was so worth it. Considering the lack of space we had in the RV, I kept the Kitchen table/ desk as straightened up as normal person could. You can be the judge as to what “NORMAL” is.
Working oh Schedules and Time Sheets. Diet Pepsi . The radio was always there as well. My Writing Area. My everything area. The Kitchen and the view outside Looking straight ahead to the iving Room and the windows there Still sitting at the table.
When we were living at the park in our Day Use/Marina area.I would often take my computer down to the marina. At that time I had MY OWN CELL PHONE and I used
it for internet. The park didn’t get the internet passed the Ranger’s Station.
Lake Kissimmee State Park’s Wooden Bridge- Zipprer Canal My smartphone= No Phone service but if there is internet I henpeck away. The Concession Building . It was closed most of the time back then. I loved to sit there and type away. The Boat Ramp.
I loved to Sit at the concession building and write. I watch the gators and the other animals . Plus the boats coming in and out. There was one other spot I would go. Usually with just my phone. Down to the wooden bridge. I could sit there for hours. When I did take the computer there I wrote some of my best “STUFF”.
My Gateway. Bobby gave it to me, The Den a looking through to the kitchen then the porch. This is how it looked when I first started using the house for my writing. The old French Doors. I loved them but they were water damaged. The stove didn’t work. Before I started cleaning it up. If you notice, bottom right……there is a bale of hay for the rabbit. the island between the main part of the kitchen and the Break Nook.
At some point, I decided to clean up the kitchen and the den of the closed up house we now live in. That is a story by itself. I have posted about the renovation of the Cracker House. Once I got done cleaning and fixing it up the best that I could, I put what books I had and much of my writing things, journal and notebooks in the bookcase. I moved one of my recliners (I have 2) in the den and the other in the kitchen . A table from a friend was put in the kitchen with it’s matching chairs. I brought my computer….My GATEWAY my son bought me… and set it up on the table . I had my own little place to read, write, listen to MY music. Danny always sat in his recliner in the RV. Always. Laptop on his lap.
Danny and Mittens The RV and The House AFTER they started working on it. The Breakfast Nook Of The Kitchen Before anything was done to it. Old windows. A blue tarp over the roof because the roof leaked.
I was in heaven.
Until the door open and Danny came in.
Have I ever said, my hubby doesn’t mind closing himself off to the world and myself, BUT, He does not like to be by himself? He won’t admit it. But he doesn’t. I was literally at his beck and call in the house. It was that close to the RV.
Same photo. That is how close I was to Danny. I was right inside the backdoor of the house. He was in his recliner in the RV. We were able to yell back and forth. We also had /have our own Rolling Meadows Station on the radio….just for us….. Yes, he radio’d me.
The RV and The House AFTER they started working on it.
So here I had my own spot where I could go and have some room. A little space. Much of the time I was in the house so was Danny. Good thing I love him.
Sitting outside the RV while they worked on the house. Yes, I can write anywhere I had gotten this wine for my birthday. For some reason, I drank it that day. ALL BY MYSELF outside while everyone worked on the house, I never drink by myself. LOL SEE THE RADIO.
When It was nice out, meaning late fall, winter and early spring, I was also using the picnic table under the awning. I always kept a nice bright tablecloth on it and a flower pot with NON -NATIVE plants in it. Another story for another time.
The side of the house. To the left is the kitchen and dining room . The window you see was taken out, (Living room) It had a view of NOTHING BUT THE HOUSE. In front of Danny is the MASTER BATH AND BEDROOM and Laundry Room. The Back Of The House. The Front Of The House
I was able to plug it in out there as well. I loved it there. Danny stayed inside, in his chair.
Early days In the House. This was the other room I use while we were living in the RV. Early Days In The House. We weren’t living in it yet. So everytime I went to the house my computer came with me.
After we were in the house (4 years ago) and the RV was still there, I did things in reverse. That was an awesome arrangement. This time Danny stayed in the house and left me alone.
The Breakfast Nook Of The Kitchen Before anything was done to it. Old windows. A blue tarp over the roof because the roof leaked.
To the right is the Kitchen Before the new flooring was put in. I liked the old flooring better but it was worn out in the main kitchen section. New windows in the house.
Outside you can barely see the old car port.
I had my computer table looking out into the living room for the first years or so, In what we still call the dining room but will probably never be one.
MY AREA. The radio is on the ledge. My soda is on the right, Everything I needed to work was right there.
I CRIED AND CRIED AND CRIED. I was happy in that RV in a way I have never been in the house.
Two years ago, we moved the RV to the shop at Rolling Meadows…Miles away.
Back in the house I went. I really HATED to see the RV go. It was OUR HOME. We had the best times there. It was OURS. The Cracker House comes with the job. Big difference.
I had My Gateway, although it was wearing out and had XP.
My Gateway
(Man I love that XP computer. I baby it now. It still works well for it’s age.) Danny bought me a desktop computer. Windows 7 .
My refubished desk top and our small bedroom TV that was never used in the bedroom. My Gateway. At one end of the table is a FirstGeneration iPad. No Camera. I can’t upload but I love to use it for a JOURNAL. I also love to play music on it.
See the Radio and my Diet Pepsi. (There are many times I drink herbal tea…..usually watered down) . If It is dark in color, it is Diet Pepsi.
Behind my laptop is my external hard drive.
Computer, Radio and Diet Pepsi. Little did I know when I took ALL of these photos that I would some day be using them like this. Another view of the table. Sarah’s Room. The Den. The Dining Room. My room Br. Bojangles usually sits near me or in my lap when I write there, Guess who is Underfoot?
Shortly after the RV went to the shop and I was in the house all the time…Enjoying using the Desktop more and more ……Saving my BELOVED GATEWAY that BOBBY bought me…….Danny decided to Use MY DESKTOP AND THE TV (IN THE LIVING ROOM) As Part of an ENTERTAINMENT CENTER.
He said it was still MY DESK TOP …..It just had to be in the living room so we could watch NETFLIX off of the desktop. Also the movies he was downloading to the SERVER. (WHICH is ANOTHER OLD DESKTOP ,WITH A NEW MONITOR-SITS ON THE FLOOR IN THE LIVING ROOM.)
So MY DESK TOP was moved into the darkest room of the house. The room I have never liked. For a few months, we watched movies almost every night. So it was worth it. I still had my desktop for my use except for movie time…
THEN DANNY STARTED USING THE LARGE EMPTY BEDROOM AS HIS COMPUTER ROOM.
YEAH.
OR SO I THOUGHT. LOL
The desktop took me forever to learn. It was really hard for me. It had too much “STUFF” on it. Danny had to add extra RAM. Extra everything. It was missing lot’s of features that my GATEWAY HAD.
And when I got tired of watching more war movies and other ones I really didn’t want to watch I went back to my GATEWAY mumbling about losing my computer.
Mumbling worked. I got a cheap laptop. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that my Gateway has or the ram etc of the desk top.Or a CD player. I didn’t have to BABY it which meant I moved it everywhere I went again. Back to the kitchen. These pictures here were just taken this summer. We have Central Air but it doesn’t cool off the kitchen. It gets up to 88 degrees in there NOW. Danny finally put in a WINDOW UNIT FOR ME. FOR US. So Now I am often in the kitchen . I also am in there every afternoon or evening waiting for Danny to come home from work. SO the computer is usually there as well.
My year laptop in the kitchen. I was waiting for Danny to drive up.
My drink of choice-
Diet Pepsi
The view from the kitchen To the porch Danny pulling in
I Always keep the Gateway in the den. It is close to the kitchen. I play solitaire on it. (THE ONLY GAME I PLAY. PERIOD.)
Playing Solitaire on it.
This desk has a little set of drawers next to it. I have 3 of those. One for every area I usually sit at. I use this desk area for work for the park. I keep my papers and the schedules there.
The book shelves never got put back in. Family Photos. The large one is Danny, The candle and basket was from Mom’s memorial service. Mr. Bojangles and Vittles. My work calendar
The Den Favorite Photos Watching the Carolina Wrens
There is a beautiful set of French Doors there giving me an awesome view and lot’s of sunlight.
The deer by the French doors.
The desktop mentioned is in the living room, close to the enclosed porch, where I usually sit and am now sitting to write this. On newer laptop. It is close enough that I watch my movies on the desktop with the TV. I just turn it towards the porch.
You can see all the way thru the house as you walk in the front door. See ll the light coming from the French doors. The Server, computer and monitor are behind the chairs by the bookcase.
I don’t like the living room. There are doors on every wall. No windows in it.
The living room. The recliner is the farthest corner is another place I sit with the laptop. Usually if I am not feeling well and need it darker .
But I can see light from the back door. I can see out the French doors in certain places and I can see into the porch and outside. I can also see the toilet, tub and window where my recliner is.
The view from my recliner in the living room. There are bedrooms are both side it.
Yes, Laugh. I do all the time. Only I have another story to tell about that. Another house. Another BATHROOM VIEW from the living room.
Now for my favorite spot to write. The enclosed porch. There are four huge windows in here. So I can see out on 3 different sides. This shows the enclosed porch where I am , The master bedroom and bathroom. This was one of my all night writing /blogging nights. It also means that Danny is up because the bedroom and bathroom lights are on.
The front of the house. You see the enclosed porch. On the left is where I am sitting now. The other end of the enclosed porch. You can see where we just had the new drain field put in. I share the room with Mr. Bojangles. Just this past week here. We always have at least one baby born in our yard every year.
View out of the front windows.
A work day on Rolling Meadows Ranch. This was the day they brought in the swamp buggies for this PHASE of the Restoration of Rolling Meadows Ranch. The day I was suppose to go as well but I had to watch it from my windows. Where I sit. Yes, There are 2 coolers in the room. One is used as an end table. The other is /was being use as a cooler, That towel has covered that TV for weeks. Why??????? The turkey’s today. Where the drain field is. The mowed side. The TV I have only used 2x’s. Danny’s room. See all the sunlight. My area. I long for a Nice desk and a chair like Danny has. He swiped t from me. Out the enclosed porch window. All the way to the kitchen .
I can also see all the way through the kitchen and out the back door. Plus a little bit of a view out the French Doors. When I deem it necessary, I can open Danny’s computer room and see out his window.
Danny’s computer room. The sliding glass doors separates the enclosed porch and the living room. My first generation iPad. I can do a little internet blogging on it but not a lot. I love to just write in my journal on it. Listening to music sounds wonderful with it. Sitting NEXT TO IT IS A DIET PEPSI. My choice of drink. Whenever I am for long periods in the house , the work radio is close by.
When I need to…..when Danny is watching a movie…..loudly on the TV…I can SHUT the sliding glass doors and shut most of the sound out. I can still see what is going on in the rest of the house.
There have been times I have gone into the bedroom and sat at the old desk in there.
Do I still go outside? YES, When It finally is cool out. I have a chair in the front yard I often sit at .Plus 2 picnic tables to use. One where I can hook up to the house.
Where I sit in the front yard. It is usually shady there.
Before we had a washer and dryer, I would take my computer with me while I did laundry all day. At the bunkhouse.
The bunkhouse
Back then Our INTERNET WAS BETTER and it reached there. Now it is slow and it barely works outside.
So as you can tell, I am pretty flexible as to where I can and do use my computer to write.
Could I use it at Starbucks?
I could but WHY? I hate the smell of coffee. (I do like their treats and some of their chai latte drinks. Way too expensive though and I hate being in town. I would gladly go to the public library of it was closer.
I dream of nice desks and bookcase .
I would love to have the spare room (JUNK ROOM) used as my compter room. With Cabinets and a desk. Books. A comfy chair. Not the chair shown here. LOL YES, I can write just about anywhere.
From Sarah :
I originally wrote
this in 2015.
We are getting ready for another ROAD TRIP. Danny and I have a short trip coming up on Wednesday, January 15th.
Another 5 day trip RAIL FANNING. We come home on Sunday.
I leave for Illinois on Tuesday .I was going to fly there but decided I just couldn’t. I NEED A ROAD TRIP.
I need time to myself. Away from Danny. I will be going from “Sarah” to “Debbie”, my real name. Going HOME for the first time since my dad died.
Both my parents are gone.
Bobby is gone.
I need TIME to heal. That’s what this road trip is for. So is the visit. Going home for COMFORT.
I will have a week at the homestead by myself. My sister and her husband will be gone . I am pet sitting.
I will be hiding.
Once they come home, I will venture out. Seeing family and friends. Taking ROAD TRIPS through the wonderful Illinois countryside. Visiting my home church.
But, for a week, I will stay on the farm as much as possible.
2015:
What do the words “Road Trips” mean to you?
I can’t stop thinking of road trips.
I miss those carefree days when I was young and our family went on vacations. Scenic vacations.
I will write a post on Route 66. It was a huge part of my childhood and teen years
My took many drives and road trips after I turned 16. I never took the same road 2xs in a row if I didn’t have to. This post will cover some of those.
I will write a post on driving to Colorado from Illinois with a girlfriend when we were 16 years old.
Of traveling with Bobby from Illinois to Colorado or Colorado to Illinois.
Road trips with Bobby and his cousins, Mike and Leah.
With Bobby, Kari and Alex.
With my dad, Bobby and I.
So Many awesome memories.
Since Bobby died and I moved to Florida , those road trips stopped. With the exception of 2.
A spur of the moment road trip driving with Karen from Texas to Illinois and then to Kansas in January 2007.
Taking Greyhound back home for mom’s memorial service and Thanksgiving last year. 2014.
To me they mean getting in the Fiat (The Blue Goose) at 17 and heading out for a nightly ride on The Great River Road.
“Old Man River, Father of Waters, “body of a nation,” Big Muddy—by any name the mighty Mississippi cuts a mythic figure across the American landscape.”
Old Man River Lyrics
Music Video
“Old Man River” was written by Butler, Herbert/givens, Otha Lee/johnson, Tony Lee /
Here we all work ‘long the Mississippi
Here we all work, while the white boys play
Gettin’ no rest from the dawn till the sunset
Gettin’ no rest till the judgment day
You don’t look up, you don’t look down
You don’t dare make the rich boss frown
Bend your knees and bow your head
And tote that barge until you’re dead
Let me go away from the Mississippi
Let me go away from the rich man boss
Show me that stream called the River of Jordan
That’s the old stream that I long to cross
Old Man River, Old Man River
He don’t say nothin’, he must know somethin’
Old Man River, he just keeps rollin’ along
You know, you know he don’t plant taters
And we all know the man don’t plant no cotton
And then, then they plant ’em
Oh the Lord knows they are soon forgotten
But Old Man River, he just keeps rollin’ along
You, you and me, you know sometimes
We have to we have to sweat, sweat and strain
Our bodies, our bodies are all achin’
And wracked with a whole lot of pain
Tote that barge, lift that bale, you get a little drunk
And you land in jail
I get weary and so sick of tryin’
I’m tired of livin’, and afraid of dyin’
But Old Man River, he just keeps rollin’ ahttps://youtu.be/eh9WayN7R-s
Old Man River, he just keeps rollin’ along
I love my hometown of Grafton, Illinois. To be honest, If It wouldn’t have been so hot and humid there in the summertime and cold and damp in the winter , I probably would never have left it to move to Colorado.
I would have just gone to Colorado , every chance I had.
I would probably still be there, On the farm…..In my parent’s house.
I loved farm life. But that is another story.
Illinois is beautiful. Roads that go on and on forever. Crisscrossing like they DON’T DO In Florida Or Even Colorado. Leaving the farm and just driving.
Farm Life I’ve posted these just last week in mom’s memorial post. Mom and Donna and my rabbits. Above, Me with Cisco and Ralphie Jr.
I would listen to Elvis singing Memphis Tennessee over and over again.
Another song I would listen to over and over again was :
“River Road By Crystal Gayle
Here I go once again with my suitcase in my hand
And I’m running away down River Road
And I swear, once again, that I’m never coming home
Yes, I’m chasing my dreams down River Road
Mama said, “Listen child, you’re too old to run wild
You’re too big to be fishin’ with the boys these days”
So I grabbed some clothes and I ran
Stole five dollars from a sugar can
A twelve year old jail breaker runnin’ away
Here I go once again with my suitcase in my hand
And I’m running away down River Road
And I swear, once again, that I’m never coming home
I’m chasing my dreams down River Road
Well, I married a pretty good man and he tries to understand
But he knows I’ve got leavin’ on my mind these days
When I get that urge to roam I’m just like a kid again
The same old jail breaker runnin’ away
Here I go once again with my suitcase in my hand
And I’m running away down River Road
And I swear, once again, that I’m never coming home
I’m chasing my dreams down River Road”
Bobby grew up listening to the songs I loved . We would sing them together.
Bobby and I 1981.
The photo of us was taken one year at Royal Gorge. His cousins were visiting and I had promised to take everyone there. It was one of the few hot summer days Colorado had that year. In the 90’s. No humidity though.
Bobby, Mike and Leah Cascade Colorado- Bobby 4, Mike 3 and Leah 2. 1984
My kids
My kids. I thought of them that way. They were almost always together for the first 5 years of their lives. More like brother’s and sister than cousins.
Grafton and Elsah
“Located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, and stretching out for approximately two miles along the Illinois River, is the picturesque river town of Grafton. Founded in 1832 by James Mason, Grafton is the oldest town in Jersey County. Described as a “post office, one store, one tavern, and a number of families” in 1834, the area was being settled as early as 1812 when a blockhouse was built at the confluence for protection.”
“Built in 1858 this home was for many years the home of the village butcher and fisherman, Issac Haupt. The stone part of the structure was built as a two-room house with an outside stair to the second floor. The frame portion on the right was added in the 1890s. Then in the 1940s the house was modernized by adding an inside stair, living room fireplace, bathrooms, and oak flooring over the old random width pine boards in the living and dining rooms.”
The Buggy Shop : “John Reintges erected the wagon shop in the summer of 1877. Although there have been, some changes, particularly in the front, the buggy shop is one of the buildings that gives Elsah its quaint flavor. You can still read the lettering painted across the gable end of the shop “Wagons and Buggies Made and Repaired.”
Or I would head further down the road to a little road shortly before you reached Alton and the Piasa Bird.
The down 100 and home. There was an old bridge back then….They took it out years ago.
For the longer drives (Usually during the day) I would turn right in Grafton and head West Towards Hardin.
“Some of the region’s most dramatic scenery is nestled along a winding road north of Alton, Illinois. Drive along the Great River Road with the Mississippi River on one side and soaring limestone bluffs on the other. The bluffs, noted in the journals of 17th-century explorers Marquette and Joliet, sheltered the fierce Piasa Bird of Native American legend. Just north of Alton, you’ll find an image of the serpent-like bird painted on the limestone cliffs. Enjoy antique hunting in Alton and charming Grafton to the north. Picnic beside the river, bike on the trail under the bluffs or explore the grounds of Pere Marquette State Park and its classic log lodge.
Cross the Mississippi or Illinois rivers on one of four ferries at Kampsville, Grafton, Brussels and Winfield or stop in the Center for American Archeology in Kampsville to learn more about the region’s prehistoric heritage. On the way back to St. Louis, visit the Argosy Casino Alton or stop in the National Great Rivers Museum at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam. Learn about the Corps of Discovery at the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site in Hartford, Illinois, located at the site of the explorers’ Camp Dubois.”
I was just finishing a post for this morning.
I have been up all night. Hurting. I was hoping to make it through today and tomorrow …then crashing on Sunday…..
I won’t be going in this morning.
They really don’t need me there. I was just going to be checking out the last minutes details for the Event.
I know it isn’t necessary. I have done it all already.
So I am staying home today.
Staying off my ankle as much as possible/
So I can be there Saturday for The Grand Opening Event.
I have borrowed a good camera to take photos all day.
Anyway, I was still feeling a bit sorry for myself.
Until I happened to glance at my Number Of Followers.
I have gotten use to the ups and downs of it. At least the get a few , then a loose a few.
So I don’t pay quite as much attention to it any more.
Tonight I did.
717.
Bobby was born on 7- 17.
7:17 PM
Weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces.
I was in room 17.
He loved the numbers 7 and 17.
A silly thing to make me smile. Nothing special.
I love those moments.
We all have certain songs that remind us of a special person or an event you like to remember. I have lot’s of them.
One thing my son and I shared was a love for music.
Bobby and his momma. He was a year and a half here. 1981
It was amazing how much of the same music we loved . Because of this he grew up singing along with me to the songs we loved.
This particular song was popular when Bobby was 4.
We were living in in a little cabin in Cascade ,Colorado. We were literally at the Foot of the Pikes Peak Highway.
This is one of those songs we sang together, whenever we heard it and where ever we were.
I remember being at work and he was with me at the time. He’s probably came down with his babysitter when I was on a break at the restaurant I was working at in Green Mountain Falls.
This song came on the radio. We broke away from whatever we were doing and just started dancing and singing to it. Loudly and offkey.
2015
I was just listening to some songs on Youtube just now when it came on. It had been awhile since I had heard it.
I didn’t cry but I could have. Oh the memories. Wonderful, wonderful memories of a momma and her son singing to a song they loved.
“I Love Only You” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
I like to drink my beer
Spend time with the boys
After work, to down a few
Is something I enjoy
And sometimes I stay out too late,
Yes I know it’s true
But I love only you.And I like to take life easy
Work out in the yard
Sleep late on the weekends
After an all-night game of cards
And drivin’ my old chevy
On a sunday afternoon
But I love only youI like my old guitar
And I’d like to be a star and shine on you
I’d like to write a song
The whole world could sing along
I love only youI like my old memories
The girls I used to know
Some of them still have a place
My mind likes to go
Of all the ones I’ve cared for
Lord knows there’s been a few
But I love only you
Honey, I love only you.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was a band I fell in love with in Jr High.
Bobby loved listening to them as a child.
The first song I remember him enjoying was the following one:
Now that was a favorite of mine. My first love , a guy I met in high school use to sing this song all the time. He ended up being my longtime friend and the man who you can blame for my first being called Sarah. (One of those stories for another time)
Anyway, I loved Mr. Bojangles.
Well, Never as much as Bobby did. It was his number one song until the day he died. He never varied from it.
I knew a man Bojangles and he’d dance for you
In worn out shoes
With silver hair, a ragged shirt, and baggy pants
The old soft shoe
He jumped so high, jumped so high
Then he lightly touched downI met him in a cell in New Orleans I was
down and out
He looked to me to be the eyes of age
as he spoke right out
He talked of life, talked of life, he laughed
clicked his heels and stepped He said his name “Bojangles” and he danced a lick
across the cell
He grabbed his pants and spread his stance,
Oh he jumped so high and then he clicked his heels
He let go a laugh, let go a laugh
and shook back his clothes all aroundMr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles
Mr. Bojangles, dance
He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs
throughout the south
He spoke through tears of 15 years how his dog and him
traveled about
The dog up and died, he up and died
And after 20 years he still grieves
He said I dance now at every chance in honky tonks
for drinks and tips
But most the time I spend behind these county bars
’cause I drinks a bit
He shook his head, and as he shook his head
I heard someone ask him please
Mr. Bojangles, Mr. Bojangles
Mr. Bojangles, dance..
Written By :Jerry Jeff Walker
Also Sung By https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvYmL5KsvYA
He loved this version as well.
Celebrating Life as Best I Can
To my Son, Bobby…..
“I love you to the moon and back.
until the day I die”
Love Mom
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