AND THE REST OF THE STORY......I miss my blogging friends sooo much! Last week I actually had some time to blog BUT EVERY SINGLE TIME I tried to get on-line I couldn't.....problems with the DIAL-UP SERVER!! Any who I wanted to answer some of the questions yall asked me on the comments about the pecans. Flora we have about 1000 trees now. About 100 trees were already here when we bought this land. We planted about 400 trees in 1997 and they are producing well. We planted the rest this past February and in the year 2004. We planted Sumners and Cape Fears mostly but we did plant some newer varieties this year. Mouse we grade the pecan by it's looks and by the way it feels in your hand. It is a quick & easy process. Clara I dont think the shaker would be a good idea for your apple tree, lol, I think you would end up with apple sauce! Not a bad thought though! Do I like pecans.......only if they are cooked in something....like a cake or mixed with chocolate!!! We do crack them open & taste to see what kind of nut we have but OH they make me sick!! My dog, however, loves them but they give him gas!!!! Marci we sell our pecans to a pecan buyer/broker that gives us the best price. Oh too funny about the mantle....it is made out of cypress wood......Danny would just die if he had to look at his mantle & know it was made out of one of his baby's!! LOL, if a limb breaks off of a tree around here we have a funeral & Danny wears black for a month!! LOL! Hey Lucy....howdy Annie.....Jen what about that pecan pie? (I hope Miller is doing well....Happy late birthday!) Hugs to my OFT girls...Kelli, Revee, Sandra!!! I miss my blogging friends soooooo much. Amazing how people affect your lives...even through a computer!!!

This busy year of mine is coming to a close......I'll be glad when January gets here!! I have sent samples out of my pecans (you send out a pound of pecans to a potential buyer, they weigh them in the shell, count how many it takes to make that pound, shell the pecans & then weigh & grade the meat for quality). This is how I get bids on our crop & the best price. I should know first thing this morning who will be the buyer. THEN PECAN SEASON WILL BE OVER!!!! YES!!
Next Saturday is my niece's wedding. I will be glad to have that behind me and I think she will too. The pictures are from her shower that we had in my home in November. The Wedding cake was made from towel's and wash cloths. My VERY TALENTED Sister-n- law made it for my niece. The colors, brown & pink, are the colors she picked for her wedding. I thought it turned out pretty nice for someone (ME) who HAS NEVER BEFORE HOSTED A SHOWER OF ANY KIND!!!

OK so I finally posted!! Well it has been soooo busy around here. As I have told most of you, this is the busiest time of the year for my husband and I. From Thanksgiving until about the first week of January..well we are wide open! Our pecan crop is not as big as last years but we still have plenty to do. We dont get to enjoy Christmas like everyone else because we are too busy with the harvest, our regular jobs, and well....just life in general. Oh course we celebrate the birth of our LORD JESUS but we just dont have the time for all the "doings" this season brings. Many of my friends and relatives have no idea how hectic it is for us and many turn their noses up when I say "we dont have time for that at Christmas". It takes them being here on a harvest day to see what we are doing and even then they cant see the big picture. We had no idea it would be like that when we planted these trees but it is a choice we made and I think it was a wise investment for my husband and I's future and not to mention our childrens future. I am not a shopper, I'm not much of a party person, and I am really not much on decorating espc. at Christmas. To be honest, I'm not much of a gift giver at Christmas either. I make it my practice to give through out the year and I dont like being tied down to the idea that I have to give something at Christmas just to say I gave something. Are yall screaming "Bah Humbug" at me, lol! Anyway....I enjoy being out in the field during pecan/Christmas season.....I get to marvel at what the CREATOR has done out here on the small area of the world that HE has so graciously allowed me to live on and be a part of. I so love where I live and I cant help but be thankful for THE BIRTH that gave me the freedom to live like I do and the Grace that will allow me to enter into HIS KINGDOM one day. HE is so good to me!!!!!!

My boys have been very helpful to us this season. You will see in the posts I made earlier today some of what has kept us so busy around here. So dont think I have fallen off the face of the earth...I'm here! I do miss all of yall terribly....I wonder what my blogging friends are doing ( Waving at you Jen, Flora, Clara, Mouse, Marcy, Patty and my OFT friends!). I will be back in the saddle soon! In the mean time.....warm yourself by the fire in between Christmas doings....boy aren't we blessed!!

Burning the midnight oil happens a lot in pecan season. After getting the nuts up they have to be put in the cleaner so the trash can be picked out & the pecans can be graded. Frequently we do the cleaning & grading after it is to dark to see in the fields.

If you enlarge the top left picture you can see the big wagon backed up to the conveyor where the pecans go up into the cleaner. It it too dark to tell but lots of the leaves & trash are being blowed out the top into another wagon. The trash is hauled off later. The other pictures show the graded & cleaned pecans as they go into the 100 pound sacks.

After shaking several rows of trees one of the boys blows the pecans away from the trunk of the tree out so Danny can come through with the harvester and pick them up. We also use one of the other tractors with the sprayer to blow some of the leaves off of the pecans. When Danny comes through with the harvester, it picks the pecans up and blows the leaves out the back. (We are all covered in a nice think layer of grime at the end of the day!) The harvester has a large hopper that fills up with the pecans and of course some trash. The hopper is emptied into a large wagon & carried to the building for cleaning & grading.

This is what we have been doing here of late. PECANS!!! It has been a slow process due to the rain we've been getting. Here is my oldest son in the tractor shaking a tree. My youngest is standing by until he finishes, then we rake out a path for him to drive away to the next tree.

I'm trying this new beta blog out!

It has been a busy week for me. No time for blogging until today. Thinking about everything this past week..well I'm glad its over... not that it was a bad week..just busy. After an unsuccessful hunt this morning I came home to get caught up on the laundry & put things back in order. I got a big mess of mustard greens cleaned & cooked today. Fixed a fine supper with fried pork chops, baked sweet taters, corn bread, yellow rice & of course those greens! (Mama, I dont care how many starches are in that meal!) We had our first fire in the fireplace last night & burned one all day today. My youngest son, who I added to my cell phone plan this week, just called me. He spent a night in the woods in his broke down truck this week with no minutes on his cell phone. After his busy day today..I was glad to hear from him. So as far as I'm concerned....God is good all the time, All the time God is good....and everything is right in my little world this evening!

I took this serene picture in Cades Cove.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

I'll be flying around tonight....got a new broom! I'm so excited!! See yall later!!!!

Well I thought it was the prettiest stump I'd ever seen...does that make me weird?! LOL!

It's opening day of hunting season here. I had to find a good place to hunt, a place where I know I could spot "The Big One". A real hunter knows what to look for. Pawed out places under a limb, scrapes on trees, and of course tracks! I knew I was in the right place when I spotted this scrape on this pine tree. They love to rub their antlers on trees and you can see the visible marks left. I was thrilled to get a picture of this monster before I took him down. Not the best rack but it will do!







OK so I'm lying...I can do that, it's my BLOG!! It is opening day here in Georgia for deer...yes I did go hunting....no I didn't get anything. I did see a button buck, a doe & 8 turkeys. I love to hunt.....something I look forward to every year. ......When Danny & I were in the Smokies we got to see the Elk that has been reintroduced to the area there. This is the first time elk have roamed the area in over 150 years. So far they are doing well & some have moved out of the original valley they were released in. I hope they make a come back. It was an awesome experience to hear the elk bugle! I will post more pictures of them in the future. They all are tagged or have a collar on..not because they are pets (they are very much wild) but to keep track of the herds and to study their progress. One more thing...if any of you have husbands....show them this scrape. If they hunt they will appreciate this massive mark....very big compared to a deer scrape!

Loins...Tigers....and BEARS..Oh my!! Cades Cove had more bears this year year than I have ever seen before. This mama had 3 cubs with her. We seen several males & several female bears. Most of the females had 3 cubs...I think there was only one that had 2 cubs. That is a good year for bears in the cove!

"A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the LORD, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked road shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.' " Luke 3:4-6 & Isaiah 40:3-5

You've Got Mail!! ........





The weather has been so nice today. I never looked to see what the high was but I am sure it was in the high 60's. Gandalf & I just kind of lolly gagged all day. When I went down to check the mail I caught Gandalf checking out the night watchman. This guy has been posted at the end of the road in hopes he will detour any rodents that keep gnawing into the irrigation system. I have really enjoyed my day at home. I can't help but be thankful for all God has entrusted me with.

The Harvest tour continues. The pecans are starting to pop open. Some of the early varietys are already open. There is a debate on whether or not the prices will be good this year. There are thousands of pounds in cold storage. Here on our farm, we don't have half the crop we had last year but so far they look like good filled out nuts.

Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe..Joel 3:11. Gandalf & I took a tour of the farm this morning to see what all is ready for harvest.

Danny & I have been cooking some fine meals on our new "Old Mountain" cast iron cook stove! Some fine corn bread and fried chicken! Danny bought this for me at a flea market in North Georgia.

A Mountain Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away....that's what my Mama always says!

Spinning her wheels.....she was using alpaca wool..I guess that is what you call it. It was neat seeing her spin. You can see some of her products in the back ground. Very Pretty!

Aint it funny how something so simple can remind you of the Creator? I have been listening to Dr. David Jeremiah on the radio in the mornings. He has been doing a study of King David for the past few weeks. It has been a while since I thought much of David but listening to Dr. Jeremiah has sparked my interest agian. What a remarkable human being. I am so thankful God made sure that David's life was recorded for us. David's life was so full of real life stuff we go through now. Death, friendship, love, depression, and fear. Since I quit teaching Sunday school I have found that I have a hole. Even though I read my Bible daily & read a devotional...it is not enough after feeding on HIS WORD daily in preparation for Sunday School. I have found a study by Beth Moore on King David. I read her book called "A Heart Like His" a few years ago but I did not do the study she had to go with the book. The book was great. She has a new study out on David...I have it ordered & I'm excited about getting to know David again. There is nothing more rewarding than studying the Bible. I'm hungry...I need some SPIRIT FOOD!!

Have you ever made Apple Butter like this??

Pioneer Days......this fella was showing how they grind cane to make syrup. This was just one of the demonstrations they had at "Old Timers Day" in Townsend, Tennessee when we visited the Smoky Mountains.

If Blogger had a neck I would wring it!! Scroll down and you will see the new post (below the one I made yesterday morning). I dont know why it is acting crazy....well it could be my dead turtle slow internet! I haven't been able to use spell check either and well my spellin aint so great!! LOL!! I really shouldn't complain...I am too Blessed!! Oh one other thing....friends dont give up on me...I'm still trying to catch up on blogs and everything else around here. I added toooo much work to myself yesterday after picking peas & sweet taters, being gone on vacation and working! ARGH!!! I dont know if I will ever get all these peas shelled and put up!!! Hope yall have a good day!!

It is 54 degrees here this morning!!! While in the Smoky Mountains the temps were mostly in the 60's but varied depending on which part of the mountains we were in. The lowest temp was 42 degrees in the Blue Ridge. There was a little bit of snow on the sides of the road. I didn't believe that it was snow until my husband made quick stop to scoop some up and then it all of a sudden landed on me!! This picture is of a trail leading up to the Doc Caldwell cemetery in the Cataloochee Valley. Sure was pretty!

In Townsend and Cades Cove there were piles of little groups playing Blue Grass & Mountain music. Now I didn't try to take a picture of this mans backside.....There just wasn't any way to get a good picture. He was playing some kind of homemade base string. What you cant see is the one long string that is attached to the top of that wash tub & then he is holding the other end in his right hand and playing with the left. Now this fella was wearing some thick gloves & I can see why with the way he was having to slap the thing to make the deep base sound. Pretty neat huh? There were many instruments that I had never seen before....many being homemade. I reckon in Pioneer days you had to make music with what ever you had. If it sounded anything like what these folks were playing...well I would be tappin my toes! The bottom picture is one of my favorite places to take a picture regardless of the season....the Carter Shields cabin located in Cades Cove is such a pretty place! This cabin is a fine example of hardwork and good craftmanship! I could live there!!

Several of my friends wanted to set aside 2 days without modern conveniences and live as they did in the Pioneer era. At the last minute, Danny and I decided to take a quick trip to The Smoky Mountains. So, I did not actually participate in my home but was able to do much reflecting as I walked around in living history in the Smoky Mountains where so much of that life has been preserved. I will share with you over the next few blogs some pictures of our trip and things Danny & I learned as we went back in time. Speaking of time...Townsend, Tennessee (where we always stay when we go to the mountains) and Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park were celebrating "OLD TIMER"S DAY". It is "A celebration of the heritage of Townsed, Blount County and the Great Smoky Mountains". There was gobs of people there playing Blue grass and Mountain music, there were demonstrations of cornmeal making, chair caning, blacksmith, beehive observation, lye soap making, sorghum molasses making, apple butter making, a moonshine steal, Spinning and Flaxing, corn shuck doll making.....the list goes on!! People dressed in period clothing...oh yes our timing was perfect to reflect back on Pioneer Living!

There is a THIEF in the midst and HE HAS GOT TO GO!!!!!! Of course blogger will not load my pictures fast or in the order that I want so...work with me here! These pic's show my grape vine & piles & GOBS of hulls on the ground!! At first we thought someone came to the house when we were not at home (like our boys) and decided to have a snack. We could see where someone or SOMETHING had been eating the grapes & spitting out the hulls. Well this happened several different times and we discovered it was taking place at night. We knew that wasn't a SOMEONE so that left a SOMETHING...but what? Gandalf had not barked, Danny went out several times in the night with a light trying to catch IT, but to no avail. BUT YOUR SINS WILL FIND YOU OUT!! HA! Gandalf finally caught the sneaky thief and ran him up a pecan tree the other night! IT was SAM...better known as OPOSSUM!! The sorry sucker met his demise the other night...but with a full belly! So....you never know what will take place around here!