Day 166 - first irises blooming this year

WOW - it's been a long time since I've posted here. Life kinda got away from me, but I'm going to try and at least finish the 365 days. Of course, they won't be consecutive :)

We had lovely weather last week and my first irises are blooming in my back yard. These are the "old fashioned irises" that came from my Grandmother's yard.

Weather has turned cold and rainy (but thank God there's nothing white falling out of the sky) and we WILL be warm again.

Day 165 - Cargill

Haven't done this in awhile, but this is where we used to buy corn for our goats. Took 3 drums in the back of the pickup and pulled up under the shute for them to fill it. Awfully lot of corn dust - had to be sure windows were up on the truck. You weighted as you went in and again as you went out, that's how they charged you.

I don't use that much corn now that I only have a few goats (though they're multiplying as I type). I buy it in 50 pound bags now.

My little pickup truck was so tiny compared to the huge trucks that hauled the corn to who knows where.

Day 164

Another giant fishing lure. There are a lot of them, I need to get around and get a few more pics.

Day 163 - Large Fishing Lure

I know - this was originally supposed to be 365 consecutive days - but obviously I'm not going to make that - but will try for 365 anyway.

Today's photo is of a rather large fishing lure - did I mention Guntersville Lake is a great fishing lake. The Bassmasters hold all kinds of tournaments here.




This spring the Chamber of Commerce sponsored these lures and they're all along the walking trails. Individuals were allowed to come and help paint portions of them when they first went up.


SO, we'll be having pictures of a few of them for several days now....

Plus Day 162 - Old Citizens Bank Building

This lovely old building is downtown and was actually a bank when I was growing up. Then it encountered some sad times. A young couple finally bought it and re-did it. I understand now there are offices on the ground floor and they live on the 2nd floor.

I love old buildings and am so pleased when people restore them instead of tearing them down.

Plus Day 161 - Book on Amazon

Gosh, I guess I've intentionally/unintentionally taken quite a sabbitical in keeping this up to date. I had an experience today that encouraged me to go back to it. So, here we are at PLUS Day 161 and hopefully I can actually finish out 365 - though it's obviously had a little break.

This is the cover of a book that has just been listed on Amazon. It's the memoirs of my great-grandfather, Albert Martin Ayres I. And, I believe appropriate for this Blog, since he lived a big part of his life on Georgia Mtn. and lived in Guntersville while he was Probate Judge in Marshall County. I published it in 2004 as a gift for my kids/grandkids and the publisher has just listed on Amazon. I'd be shocked if anyone actually bought it, but it does have some interesting parts, and it was nice to see it on the "Big A".


At the urging of some online friends, I've started Memoirs and Family Stories Blog and will include some of the more interesting text from the book. So, if you're interesting in reading some of the book, check out the new blog.

Day 160 Frosty says - It's cold in St. Louis

....and there are strange things in the backyard here. I found a squirrel today and chased him but got really confused when he disappeared. Mom told me he went up a tree. I didn't know squirrels could climb trees. We don't have them in our yard at home because Belle chases everything out that might be fun for me.

And, in the yard here there are strange, barking dogs all around in the neighboring yards. They come right up to the fence and bark at me - but I bark and growl and let them know how fearless I am too!

Day 159 Merry Christmas (Day 25 of 25 days of Christmas)

And, this is really what it's all about - Merry Christmas to all!!

Day 158 Nutcrackers (Day 24 of 25 days of Christmas)

Just a few of the nutcrackers my grandson collects. They all live in his room when it's not Christmas and you can't see nearly all of them here, but a pretty good representation.

He LOVED seeing the large ones on Fran's blog!

Day 157 Christmas Fence (Day 23 of 25 days of Christmas)

This is a fence on my mountain in Alabama all decked out for Christmas. I passed it as I was leaving yesterday. At the moment, I'm in St. Louis - and the trip wasn't much fun, and I'm really glad it's finished. Weather was (is) unpleasant almost the entire trip. But, we're here safe and sound. Frosty was a great little traveler and protected me the entire day.

Day 156 - Wreath (Day 22 of 25 days of Christmas)

This is the wreath that I hang on the 'inside' of my front door. My FSIL (favorite son-in-law) gave it to me the first year he and my DD were married (he's also my only son-in-law :)

This will be my last Christmas post of 'my' decorations as I'm on the road today. Hopefully I'll be able to post from Tennessee and Missouri.

A friend is house sitting with my furbabies and Frosty is traveling with me as my guard dog.

Merry Christmas to all.

Day 155 - More Little Trees (Day 21 of 25 days of Christmas)

Several more 'little trees' in various rooms around my house.

Day 154 - Big tree (Day 20 of 25 days of Christmas)

Well, it's not nearly as big as some - but it's 7-1/2 feet tall and one of the slim ones. Lit with multicolored lights and all sorts of ornaments from over the years.

This tree is upstairs in the "FROG" room (family room over garage) so I don't see it as often as I don't spend much time up there. One of the reasons for all the other smaller ones around the house so I can actually see them.

Day 153 - Dining Table (Day 19 of 25 days of Christmas)

I love this table - it belonged to my great-great grandfather and has 4 leaves (which I use when all my kids are home). The sterling napkin rings were also family - great grandparents & grandparents.

Day 152 - Fireplace (Day 18 of 25 days of Christmas)

This is the 'display' under my small slim tree in my living room. The doll is a 'toni doll' - not my original one, but the dress is an original that I made when I was maybe 13 years old. I also made the little clown - one of my few crochet projects.

Here's the entire tree, which is filled with my most prized ornaments - from over the years. A few from my kids childhood, a few from our travels and some fairly recent. Of course I had to add at least one elephant (at the bottom).


And here it is from back a ways. I love my fireplace (and my gas logs). It was originally a wood burning, but I'm way too old to worry about wood.

Day 151 - More Living Room (Day 17 of 25 days of Christmas)

This is as you enter my living room (great room I guess) from the entryway. That little table was my mother's and is a cloverleaf top.

Day 150 - Chuck's Christmas Tree (Day 16 of 25 days of Christmas)

{sigh} Three years and two months today.

Day 149 - Outside decorations (Day 15 of 25 days of Christmas)

Not nearly as many outside lights as in years past. I didn't think I'd get anything up, but our Youth Pastor and his wife came one Sunday afternoon and did the outside stuff for me. What sweethearts they are.

Chuck made this reindeer the year before he died. Yeah, I'm pretty sure this one IS a reindeer and not a moose. :) Actually he made two, this one with it's head up and another with it's head down grazing. We used them both that year - and I have not been able to find the second one since he died. I've torn the place apart - I've looked in places it shouldn't be. It's not here. I have no idea what happened to it.

I've had to change a lot of my decorations simply because I couldn't handle seeing them the way we "always did them".... maybe that's why that reindeer is gone :)

Looking at my front porch from an angle. Chuck always wound Christmas lights around the pillars - but I can't handle seeing them that way now, so I just put out my little baby porch tree and my shrub lights.

Day 148 - Elephant tree (Day 14 of 25 days of Christmas)

I've collected elephants for YEARS, and so have a pleathura of elephant Christmas ornaments (many from one particular grandson who loves to shop for elephants for me). There are so many, I decided a couple of years ago to have a seperate tree for them. They don't show up well on a green tree, but look great on a white one.

I even have an "elephant angel" for the top of the elephant Christmas Tree

Day 147 - My Office Tree (Day 13 of 25 days of Christmas)

My little office tree is kind of a "Charlie Brown tree". It's one of those little skinny ones that's seen better days. But, the lights are cheery and the white/crystal ornaments show up well.

The Christmas pillows add a nice touch and are all handmade (by me).