Weird Weather

One thing about living on this mountain, ya never know what the weather is gonna be like when you get up.  It's been unseasonally warm lately.  You can watch the clouds move in during the evening then heavy fog in the morning.  Easter flowers are blooming, as expected, but some of the trees are starting to leaf way too early.  This happened a couple of years back and we lost a lot of walnut, hickory nut and pecan production.    I sure hope that doesn't happen this year.  Back to the weather --

 

 

Then you get up and -- alakazaam -- where did this stuff come from.  The temp is in the teens and the wind is blowing about 40 mph.  Ah well, we'll just take it as it comes.  We went to Cookeville yesterday and did some shopping.  Cathy stocked up on groceries so we're ready.  She wants to start redoing the master bedroom.  We bought the paint and some chair rail and she wants to put up crown molding.  Did I say SHE wants to put it up.  WRONG!  She wants me to put it up.  Oh, well,  whatever keeps her smiling is alright with me.  We'll get the molding on the next trip.  I've never worked with crown molding but my work buddy says just remember to cut it upside down and backwards.  Wow - maybe I'm gonna have to use a mirror to get it right.  It's all in the way you put the molding on the saw table.  I'll learn and it's probably gonna be hilarious when I start.  Anyway - got up this morning and the snows all gone and it's already 45 and calm.  Gonna have to take a look at the weather forecast and see what the weather guessers are saying.  Later------   

Blog Issues

Been having some problems with the blog lately.  Firstly - when I brought up the blog we only had posts up to 2012, nothing of the numerous posts that we had made for 2012.  When I went to check the total posts, most were listed ad "drafts" so I selected all of the 2012 posts and then selected post.  Seems to have worked but only time will tell. 

Cold Front

This is what it looks like at 0700 this morning on the mountain.  Visibility is about 100 yds and it's not lifting either.  We have to go to Byrdstown later on to pick up Cathy's medication, then back over the mountain to Jamestown for her injection.  It's gonna be a little scarey cause the fog is usually heavier as we start down the mountain into the valley.  Just have to take it slow and easy and hope that any logging trucks are doing the same

Newest Additions

These are the latest additions to our cat family.  These have to be the most unusual patterns that I have seen on local cats.  Freckles (1st photo) showed up first and a couple of weeks later Buddy came around.  Freckles is the wildest and will only hang with Cathy and I but Buddy is everybody's friend.  Someone owned him cause he's real people friendly and feels right at home in the house.  While they both usually stay outside, they've both been fixed.  Right now Buddy is staying on the back porch while we administer antiobiotics for some wounds he has from fighting.   This is his second go around with fighting but I guess we'll just have to get used to it.

 

Christmas Time

 

Well it's that time of year again.  Time to get ready for this years celebration and, for us, to remember Christmas's past.  I took this pic of Jim on Christmas day 2007.  He's been gone a year this past August and boy do we miss him.  I'm about ready to put up the outside decorations and yesterday, saturday, Cathy and I went to a Christmas tree farm and looked at trees.  We're gonna get one about 14 December.  Looks like the kids/grandkids won't be here this year so it'll just be Cathy and I.

 

We've always enjoyed ourselves.  I've invited Ken, my work buddy, to spend Christmas with us and I'm pretty sure he'll be able to make it.  Cathy already has the meal planned and I know it'll be great, it always is.  Doesn't look like we'll get snow but we'll keep our fingers crossed.  Ain't nothing like a white Christmas.  So - Here's to all our family and friends -  May you all have a safe and very merry Christmas and a happy new year.  God bless all

Controversy

This cement statue was given to me by someone when we (Ken and I ) renovated the inside of their horse barn.  It was left by the previous owners and the current owner wanted to get rid of it.  I offered to purchase it but they gave it to me instead.   It's commonly called a "Jocko" or cement lawn ornament.  The people who gave it to me felt it was extremely racist but I think of it as an antique.  My research reveals that the original "Jocko" could have been tied into the early horse racing days when almost all the jockeys were black.  Another theory is that these or similar statues were used in the 1800's to mark the way for blacks to find the underground railroad.  Still another theory but
totally undocumented is that the a similar statue was erected by Pres. Geo Washington at his home to commemorate an young black boy who froze to death guarding Washington's horses when they attacked Trenton, NJ during the Revolutionary War.  This reinforced cement statue is 40" tall and stands on a 3" base.  Interestingly, the features are  caucasian and not what you would consider "black features."  I've found similar statues on ebay, one of which is very close, that is still manufactured by a company from the 1960's selling for around $140.