Up and Down the Gravel

It has been a busy week up and down the gravel.  Sunday evening I was talking
with Joel on the phone and the noise level in his house rose drastically.  Joel
paused for a second and then said, "I've got to go.  There's a snake in the house."

Sure enough, a small ring-necked prairie snake was in the boys bedroom.  It was
taken outside after being duly admired and held by various little people.   Colyn
told me later that, "...the snake just slithered into our room (he wiggled his little
body while talking) yes, he just slithered in while we were sleeping."

Wilbur had his 2 year old birthday last Saturday.  He is an amazing little man.  Don't
tell him so, but I think he is destined to be an engineer.

We didn't have a snake, but we did have a mouse in the house this week.  I saw
him scurrying when I was walking in the dark down the hallway.  I promptly
yelled at Kent and he jumped out of bed and we got the little guy cornered.
Kent was wielding a broom, but he escaped under the piano.

I set out all the traps around the piano, but alas, morning came and no mouse
was in them.  The next night I was reading on the couch, and I heard my
little friend making little mousy noises.  When I got up to check on him he
scooted under the couch, and I couldn't find him.  I didn't get Kent up that
time because it was truly the middle of the night and I didn't want to wake him.

In the early morning though, when I went into the bathroom, there sat the mouse
on the bathmat.  It was a little guy.  I looked at him for awhile, and when I couldn't
think of any better plan I bravely threw a towel over him and ran and got Kent.  He
(brave man that he is) scooped the mouse up in the towel and took him outside and
disposed of him.

I do not like mice.

But I do like yellow garden spiders and I just happen to have a big egg sac
from one  outside the door to nowhere.













I read that the eggs (between 400 and 1200) hatch in the fall, but don't leave
the egg sac until the spring.  I would love to catch them when they come out.
I don't mean catch them to keep them; I just mean catch the event happening.

I heard that cousin Terry from the Big City was here this week, but, sadly, I didn't
get to see him.  He was here mainly to visit relatives from the other side of
his family.  Those that did see him (Uncle Jim and Papa) enjoyed their visit with
him.

Jenn (daughter-in-law 3) was in the hospital last night from dehydration.  She
is expecting in April, and the morning sickness got a bit out of control.

Mae Greenwood, who lives just off the gravel a bit, was also in the hospital
with pneumonia.  She had a severe case of it and was in ICU for 12 days.  But,
yesterday when we visited with her, she was looking quite perky.  You can't
keep a farm woman down for long.

Uncle Jim finally bought a new water heater today.  He has had his fair share
of cold showers this month.  But, hopefully, tomorrow he will get this new
one installed.  The installation is a bit dependent on getting the stairs to his back
door repaired so that they don't break under the weight of the water heater
being carried up them.  Uncle Jim didn't realize that repairing his stairs
would include sawing up the wood on Pa's sawmill.  It has been quite the
project.  Uncle Jim would rather someone else do the project while he watches.
I am only reporting what he told me! (Correction to the original--Uncle Jim
didn't take too many cold showers after all.  He had hot water...at least as
long as he lit the water heater several times per day.  Hopefully now he
will have hot water without the hassle.)

Meanwhile, we have a young steer with a nose-weaner in it.  It is a smart steer
and refuses to let us corner him so that we can remove the weaner.  Kent is
working on plan C now.  If that doesn't work, this guy may grow into a full grown
steer with a nose-weaner.  That would be bad...very, very bad.

Finally, I still have a few hummers visiting on their way south.  But it will
only be a short time until I clean the feeders out for the last time this year and
pack them away.

I will miss the little guys.  But autumn is here, and while it is here, it is my
favorite time of year.

Old Days Up and Down the Gravel

Excerpt from a letter written by G'ma Opal to Kent, Joel, and me on
Sat. Oct. 19, 1985  1:30 P.M.

(She had just gotten back from a visit to South Carolina where we were
living at the time.  I will put ellipsis to indicate the parts that I am not copying.
I did add some capital letters and periods and altered the spelling in a few
places.)

How are my youngun's? ....We got back home to my house just about this time 
one week ago today.  Everything was O.K. even the cats had been fed regularly.
The drive was full of cars and trucks.  Bill & Wanda with his new truck.  John
& Lucille with their truck.  Jim's car and my old car so when we pulled in we
had a full house.

I made the trip back fine but woke up Monday morning with a stiff neck with
lots of pain.  I stayed on the bed most of the day as it hurt too bad to move.  But
I got better as the week went by.  I'm O.K. now except I still can't turn my 
head to the left.  I guess I just looked at the beautiful mountains too much.  Ha Ha.

We came through the mountains on the Blue Ridge Skyway.  Boy was it "breath-
takingly" beautiful.  Don't know any news only Frank Simon had to have heart
surgery.  He had a double by pass.  The dr's say he is doing fine.  Lucille went back 
with Jim last week. She is still up there.  Frank has to have his momie take care
of him.  Ha.

And our St. Louis Cards won now tonite.  They are starting the World Series "whoopie."

"Well," here it is 3 days later.  You've heard of "slow."  That's me.  The Cards have
already won 2 games.  So its just a matter of time till they are World Champions.

....I want to thank you for my nice visit at your house.

If you were not so "far" away it would be better but the good Lord has been good
to us.

We can be together in our mind and hearts.

So you take care of each other and if the Lord wills I'll see you in December.

May God bless and keep you all the days of  your life.

Lots of love
Opal Faye Grandma-

(P.S.) I got your card
Thank you.
  Thank you-
I still lack 4 days being 3/4 of a century.

What a wonderful Grandma she was.  I so enjoyed my years, later on, of living
down the gravel from her.  I would dearly love to drop in to her place for a game
of cards tonight.

Up and Down the Gravel

Things were very busy with traveling and company during the summer months.
And, now it seem as though there isn't very much happening Up and Down the
Gravel.

Yet, after a little contemplation, there is some news to report.

Tomorrow Sister-In-Law Debby's sister, Patty, and her three grown children,
Sarah, Matthew, and Josh are coming for a several day visit.  I've been told
an apple cobbler will be on the menu for dinner.

Oldest Granddaughter, Kathleen, who is really quite an expert on bugs of all
shapes and sizes, and who really quite adores most of them, got two nasty
caterpillar stings in the last week.

One was from a saddleback caterpillar and the other was from an io moth caterpillar.
Both were totally accidental.  One she touched when climbing a dirt pile and the other
when climbing a tree.

































That reminds me...there is a smallish praying mantis living on our front porch.
Much as I like yellow garden spiders, I dislike praying mantis.  Ever since one
began following me around when we lived in St. Peters, I have been totally creeped
out by them.

Youngest Granddaughter, Opal, not to be outdone in the pain category by Kathleen,
was burnt on the hand by a hair straightener.  (Not exactly on the gravel...but all
grandkid stories count as news for this blog.)  And, kudos are in order for Daughter-
In-Law Stacey for winning a coloring contest at the St. Charles Library.

Tyler and Jenn are moving to Ripley County.  Technically Jenn has moved, but Tyler
has to finish out the month working in St. Francois County.  They will be living in town
for awhile so they can get their bearings on where to live permanently.  It will be GOOD
to have them here!

Uncle Jim sent me a photo (it is really good) that is intended to be "fodder for the blog."
I am saving it for when I have an inspired moment of writing.

Fernnook Lodge is coming along.  Work on leveling the floors is progressing slowly
but surely.  Debby suggested tearing the lodge down and starting over, but somehow
she couldn't convince Mike that this was the best option at this point in the project.

The newest family member is Bella.  She belongs to Joel and Natalie.  She can't
quite fill Max's footprints yet, but as a Great Dane-Labrador mix she certainly
hopes to someday.

Lastly, I weeped me a little weep today because I came across a letter that G'ma Opal sent
to me in 1985 when we were living in South Carolina.  It was the original version of
Up and Down the Gravel.  She filled me in on all the doings here in Fern Nook.  I miss
her and mom so very much.

Things are quiet around this feeder right now.

It's not because all the hummers are gone.  We still have quite
a number of them at the other feeders.  I suspect they are mostly
migrators at this time, but some may be from the Fernnook batch.

This pretty feeder, which was a birthday gift from Uncle Jim a few
years ago, is our favorite.  It hangs outside of the livingroom
window, and when we eat dinner, rather than watching TV,
we watch the Hummershow.

However, last year in late August, and this year as well, a
bully took over, and now the show has died down to one,
and only one, performer.

Last year we tried switching feeders, and then we tried
leaving this spot empty, and we tried other tricks, but nothing
worked to get rid of the bully.  So, we just put up with him,
and are thankful he doesn't muscle his way in until late in the season.

I suspect he is not a native Fernookian but is instead a migrant.
Obviously he learned his mean ways in another time and place.

Yesterday a yellow garden spider took up residence in my kitchen
window.  That was convenient since I like yellow garden spiders
muchly.  All I had to do to see him (her actually, the males are not
so spectacular and I know it is a female because this spider is truly
spectacular) was to glance out the window.

Of course, if I wanted to watch her do her imitation of a spider on a
trampoline, I had to go outside and gently touch or blow on her.  If
you have never watched a yellow garden spider do her bouncy thing,
you have missed one of the little joys of life.

This morning when I stepped out on the porch, I heard a whirring noise.
It sounded as though there was a large insect caught in Miss Yellow
Garden Spider's web.  Indeed, there was something large caught, but it
wasn't an insect.  It was one of my hummingbirds.  The bird was hanging
by one wing and could not flutter loose.  Miss Spider was scooted off to
the side, I think she recognized that this meal was too big for her to handle.

A quick swipe through the web freed the hummer, but I am afraid that I
frightened Miss Spider away.  Maybe she will come back if I place some
curds and whey on the railing for her.