Logan Co. Little League All-Stars go to World Series!

By now just about all of us have heard about the Logan County Little League All-Stars who won the Great Lakes Regional championship, and will play in the Little League World Series on Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN. We're all proud as punch of them, their coaches and families. Just in case you haven't heard about this amazing team, check out Jim Turner's excellent article in The Logan Journal.

Go, Logan County!!

Sad news.

We are all sad today; Hazel Carver has passed away. She was truly a remarkable lady. I remember her at all our major occasions, from kindergarten through high school graduation, and still recall those flutophones. Keith, Jean, and Cathy were here last month for the celebration of her 91st birthday. They are much in our thoughts tonight. As soon as I hear arrangements I will post them.

Derby Day

First Saturday in May. But when you hear "the sun shines bright . . .", realize it may well not be true this day. We seem to be in something of a monsoon season. Maybe May showers will bring June flowers this year. Hope everybody has a great day - turn on the television and join in the singing.

Weighty matters

OK, time for confession to my fellow blogsters:  I've put on 10 pounds since Christmas!  Not only that, I was in complete denial (avoided stepping on our scales, wouldn't look at my profile in the mirror, etc.) until I had a routine appointment with my doctor two weeks ago.  The nurse said, "We need to get a weight for you."  So, moment of truth, I stepped on their scales, first removing shoes, coins from my pocket, anything that might add ounces or pounds.  But that didn't help much.  The truth was that I weighed more than I ever have in my life.  I'm not revealing how much!  So I asked the doctor what I should do.  (That was a ploy.  I knew what I needed to do:  eat less, exercise more.)  She said "You need to eat less, exercise more."  I said, "Oh."  She also recommended I go with the Weight Watchers program.

So this past Thursday I attended my first ever Weight Watchers meeting, and weighed in.  It was a shock to have them write down my initial weight in their little book, and also in my little book.  I start reading some of their materials about tracking points, and learned that I was allocated 29 points per day.  A banana counts for 2 points.  A banana muffin counts for 6 points, etc.  It quickly adds up!  Since I'm coming to Russellville this next week, I started to wonder how many points would be my usual meal at Roy's (BBQ, cooked apples, corn, cornbread and root beer).  Probably 29 points.  

I've been religiously counting my food points since last Thursday, and am also walking 2 to 3 miles each day.  Today I attend my second Weight Watchers meeting, will weigh in again, see if maybe I've lost a pound.  Wish me luck.  

You want dogwood? You want azalea - I got it all

A rose is a rose

Easter in Rocky Somewhere

Easter

Thank goodness Logan County missed the worst of the weather that came through yesterday. Today the sun is shining, and, wonder of all wonders, the dogwood are in full bloom. I always think they should bloom for Easter but seems they seldom do. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

APRIL FOOLS' DAY

Hope everyone has had a good day. Don't think I've heard anybody say "April Fool" in several years. Do folks not do that any more? Don't I remember that we made much ado about?

SPRING!

Spring arrived in Logan County at 6:44 this morning. And it is a beautiful day, - a bit on the nippy side, but the sun is shining; all the Spring-bloomers appear extremely happy, and the birds are keeping me busy filling the feeders. Hope as good a day for everybody.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

... an Irish blessing

the demise of the Middle School

Betty McLean suggested a link on our blog to Joanne Hedges Moffat's excellent video on the Destruction of the Middle School.  Warning:  it's a tear jerker!  Click here to view.

Thanks to Jim Turner for posting this link on the Logan Independent Journal. 

Early spring in Rocky Somewhere

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my three score years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

I wish I were in the same age bracket as A.E. Housman
when he wrote these words but on the other hand he is gone
and I am here to see one more.

Back on the Blog

January 13th I had full replacement of my left knee. A success. Rehab started the next day and everything went down hill, four blood clots and a mini-stroke. Got out of hospital five days before ice storm hit. Without power for eight days. Wood for our Buck stove ran out after four days. Got down to 43 degrees--BRRR. That was followed by a wind storm and our neighborhood looked like a lumber yard. We were better off than many in our area as some went a full month without power. There were over 2,000 utility poles broken down in this area.

With clean up going well in this area, it is beginning to get back to normal. We have many daffodils in bloom and one neighbor has a beautiful tulip tree in full bloom. Robins, sparrows, wrens, bluejays, cardinals and one dove have made there presence known in our yard. Squirrels and rabbits have been spotted in the neighborhood. One neighbor stated that he had a beaver in his back yard next to a stream that borders his yard.

Western Kentucky is in the NCAA after winning the Sunbelt Tournament and U of L appears to have made it as well. We will have to see what kind of draws they get in the pairings. Does anyone have other teams that we should watch for in the big dance?

Happy Pi Day

For those of us who are still somewhat mathematically challenged, this is one of those days that could completely slip by, so I thought I would remind you. I do keep thinking of some old corny joke about "Pi R Squared" vs. "Pie Are Round". By way of celebration, I would suggest that we all indulge in pie, - of the "are round" variety.

Madison McLean

With Betty's permission, I'm posting a great picture of her first-born grandchild, taken today when she and her dad were at the Vanderbilt game. No question as to her loyalties.

Daylight Savings Time

I was confused when I got up this morning, more than usual.  As I staggered into consciousness, I realized I had already lost an hour out of the day.  The weather channel assured me I would gain it back at the end of the day.  I did the math, concluded that was right.  But somehow it didn't feel right.  Our cat Millie, normally anxious to be fed her breakfast first thing in the morning, seemed in no real hurry.  I had the sense all day that I was late to something, couldn't quite figure it out.  At the time of this posting,  it's getting into late afternoon according to the newly-adjusted clock.  But my biological clock, which only grudgingly accepts Daylight Savings Time and hates being messed with, doesn't really think it's late afternoon.  Having been through almost 69 years of this, I should be used to it by now.  The golfers say they like it, but I think that's only because they sleep until noon, don't hit the first tee until early afternoon.  Maybe I should move to Arizona where they have the good sense to stick with their time throughout the year.   

Happy Square Root Day

One of my goals in life is to learn something new every day, and hopefully to remember them and not repeat. I had never heard of Square Root Day - 3/3/09, until it was mentioned on the news. How had I missed this? As many cards for all occasions as are on the market, I cannot believe Hallmark had missed this opportunity. It is also not noted on my calendar. Did I understand it will be 2012 before it happens again. Anyway, to each of you: Happy Square Root Day.

Sanibel

just after sunset at Bowmans Beach, Sanibel Island, Florida

click to enlarge

Donna and I just returned from a week on Sanibel Island, Florida and had a great time enjoying the warm weather, flowers, shells, and birds.  She came home with a great collection of shells from the beach, and I came home with some nice photos of the wading birds and shorebirds there.  You can check out the photos by clicking here.   We're back to the cold and snow and gray skies of western Massachusetts, yikes!  Should have stayed longer...

Gym - Last Look - ?

Thanks (I think) to Jim "Sonny" Humphrey for this shot of the Gym taken yesterday, February 19.

Happy Valentine's Day

In memory of and tribute to those little boxed Valentines, - "Be My Valentine". I love any holiday that incorporates in any way the consumption of chocolate. And just think, - tomorrow it will all be half-price.

Bird in the hand

Two weeks ago I captured this image of a very hungry black-capped chickadee touching down to pick up a millet seed from a photographer friend's hand.   Chickadees, tufted titmice, and white-breasted nuthatches were besieging the seeds in our hands, after an unusually cold January in western Massachusetts with little natural food available.  These wild birds rarely feed from human hands, so it was a great and short-lived experience.  

Glenn Ray - surgery

Glenn Ray Jones is scheduled for surgery on his upper back this coming Monday, February 16.  He had been experiencing severe pain in his arm plus loss of feeling in his right fingers since just after Christmas.  The procedure will be at Rex Hospital (UNC) in Raleigh and he is expecting to be there for two nights.  In typical Glenn Ray fashion, he told me that over the past years the surgeons had pretty well covered the front part of his body (jaw, knees, heart, etc.) and now they were starting on his back.  The surgeon told him he could expect relief from pain within a few days after surgery.  His home phone is (919) 776-1083.   Thanks to Sonny Humphrey for alerting me to this.       

Berks Brown

Our classmate Berks Brown died Monday, February 9, 2009 while in Cancun, Mexico.  He was with his daughter Cathy, suffered a stroke, was taken to a local hospital and died shortly thereafter.   His son Mack is now in Cancun to help with arrangements. 

   Berks was with us at our class reunion in October, was recovering from knee surgery and retained his unique style of humor. In addition to Cathy and Mack, Berks is survived by his sister Ann Gordon Brown Kemp.   

Mrs. Sosh

I just learned that Emily Sosh died last night.   She and Mrs. Nell Beasley were our Fourth Grade teachers.  Emily Sosh was a good friend to all of us, including my family.  In recent years she had served as piano accompanist at the First Baptist Church in Russellville. She was 90 years old and is survived by Lon, Jean, and Ann.  Thanks to Andy Rector and to Morris Herndon for passing along this sad news.  

   The funeral will be on Wednesday February 11 at Youngs Funeral Home in Russellville.  One local florist is Oak 'N Ivy Florist, (270) 726-7629.  

Walking sticks

click pics to enlarge

I'm trying for the third time to get a message posted. I think I should have pushed "publish post," but I pushed save now and lost it. I'm determined. I'm hoping that a picture of my walking sticks gets through also. I told you that this is a new hobby for me. It takes a good bit of work, stripping, sanding, applying polyurathane, wrapping the handles with leather strips, etc., and I don't know how much longer I will be able to do this. As some of you know I have peripheral neuropathy which renders my hands and feet numb. Earl is afraid I will cut my fingers off. I haven't sold any Keith, just given them away to family members at Christmas. If you are ever down here, stop by, and I just might give you one.

Now a change in subject: I have some questions? 1. When did Walter change his name? 2. Do you remember the Evans familly who owned the News Democrat and the jewelry store. Whatever happened to them? 3. What about Brenda Wallace? Sharon Angles? I think of folks in Russellville ever now and then, but have been totally out of the loop and don't know of anyone's history.

Betty, I truly am sorry that your son is having to battle cancer. I do hope and pray that he responds to the treatment. Our son has MS and is constantly challenged.

I'm sure I'll think of many other questions if I can learn to post.

New News

For you non-Russellvillians: Jim Turner has started a new newspaper, Logan Independent Journal. Go to his Logan & Beyond site shown on our links, and click on LIJ on the home page. It is being distributed free in Logan County, but Jim will arrange to mail for the cost of postage. We have badly needed a new source of local news, and I surely wish Jim well with this endeavor.

Bird photographer

Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?

Ground Hog Day

I want to wish everyone a Happy Ground Hog Day and announce that I saw my shadow. So gird your loins; winter isn't finished.

Ann P.

The Way We Were

Sophomores we were!  (from the 1956 Panther)

click to enlarge

Birdarama

1. Moluccan
2. Triton
3. Severe Macaw

Snow cardinals

These female and male cardinals are out feeding on our deck this morning. They make a nice colorful contrast with the background snow.  And this ongoing snowstorm is really starting to crank up, no sign of letting up.     

Michelia fruscata

A blossom cluster.

Ice Storm in Logan County

As predicted, it did arrive at some point during the night. I woke up early to the power's coming and going. Then it went off for about thirty minutes but back on now. I had gotten ready - checked batteries, etc., - so far so good. But it is beautiful as long as I'm inside looking out, and the little brown birds are having a wonderful time at my feeders. By the looks of things, I will have to venture out to replenish at some point. I wish I were not cameraless.

L:  I added an ice photo.  K

Gym Swimming Pool

And here is the cleaned-up photo of the old Gym swimming pool.  I too remember the Clorox foot bath we had to go through to get in.   Yikes!  Lucy, glad you made one last pilgrimage down to this old swimming pool.  You may be the last one to have a clear memory of what it looked like as above, as it did when we used it, and what it does today.

Gym Basketball Court

Andy suggested posting the old photo of the basketball court in the Gym, so here 'tis.  I cleaned up the scratchy photo in photoshop.  There have already been many comments on this in the "Trip Down Memory Lane" original post from Lucy.  

Snow bunting

Here is a photo I took this afternoon of a snow bunting, a small, beautiful and fairly rare bird that shows up here during snow season. This one is in non-breeding plumage, with flashing white wings especially noticeable in flight.  Snow buntings breed near the arctic circle, and migrate to Massachusetts and northern states ("The South") during winter. Although buntings aren't feeder birds, I enjoy that too.  We get cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, juncos, pine siskins, occasional Carolina wrens.  If you feed the birds, who are your usual suspects? 

For more of my bird pics, check out krcarver.zenfolio.com .  Feel free to leave comments - or - you can even order a print!  

Message from Mary Ewing Hart

Keith ...  I hardly know what I am doing! This is all new to me! Sorry but I don't have the mind you do....lol..  I will keep trying!!!!

That picture you sent of the snow is beautiful!!!!

me

Andrews Drugs

Charlotte - This one's for you.

Snow scene

We've had a lot of snow over the past few weeks and got blanketed again last night.  But by morning the skies had cleared.  Here was the scene this morning looking out toward the street from our house. (Click to enlarge.)  Since moving to western Massachusetts twenty-five years ago, I've come to appreciate the beauty of frequent fresh-fallen snow.