Yes, to a child, puppies are better than chickens! We used to hate going into the yard and “cutting our foot’ as we described stepping into the chicken droppings! Chickens sure played a major role in the way we got our protein. Oh, well, ’nuff said!

Another great story JoAnn. Me being from the hills of Kentucky right across the border from Virginia, can very much relate to this story. My grandfather who owned a combination Texaco service station, grocery store, and restaurant always had people “dropping” off their unwanted pets in front of his business. I can remember all the great dogs that my cousins and I had. The wild feral cats did a great job of keeping the mice and rats away.
My older brother and several cousins still live there and they still get the unwanted pets. None are ever turned away and all well fed. My wife and I got a puppy from one of the litters and she was the best dog we have ever had.
Keep up the great missives JoAnn and TJ. Y’all are always bringing back soooo many great memories.

And then there is Starbucks! LOL

My wife and I have a house in the Eldorado National Forest of the Sierras. We have plenty of pine trees. If you and Brandon don’t mind, come on over and help me rake! Just kidding of course, but to have a person help with all the raking and burning would be a welcome relief for this old senior citizen. Keep on writing, Joe Thomas!

Love the story JoAnn. I love the aroma of coffee also, but I get terrible indigestion if I drink it.
And I cannot drink caffeinated coffee nor can my wife. She drinks decaffeinated occasionally and I have a couple
of sips of hers. Keep up the good work.

Another great one TJ.

Wow, what a story. I remember meeting Lash LaRue in Harlan county Kentucky. In a little town called Cumberland Kentucky.

JoAnn.
That was a very beautiful missive. I’m in your corner on this one.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Dale D.

I am reminded of George Burns who on his 99th birthday was doing a show. He walked out and calmly said,
“I am happy to be here tonight, at my age I’m glad to be anywhere!” As we grow older, wouldn’t it be nice to
have at least one grandson to sit down with us and pick our brains for all the information stored there, computer style, I bet they would be surprised, as well as, ourselves! Edgar Guest wrote quite a bit of poetry and his books are still available online. I have a collection of his works. He was the ‘poet of the people’ back in the early 1900’s.
Most folks would think of his poems as being quite archaic today! I’m from the old school and still like some of the older stuff that used to make some sense!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Please share the poem because this grandchild and your great grandchildren love getting words of wisdom from you. We also love learning about you no matter how many miles apart❤ I can honestly say in all of my years of life you are the kindest, loving, and most selfless person I know. PROUD you are my GRANDPA❤❤

Hi JoAnn,
Being from the hills of Kentucky just across the border from Virginia, I too have lots of memories from this missive. My mother used the Maytag wringer washer also.
Unlike you I had first hand experience of what those wringers would do to you. I was trying to help Momma do the laundry and was pushing some overalls thru the wringer and in goes my arm. It went in to my elbow and just spun while it was peeling skin off. My mother heard me screaming and came running out and popped the wringer open. I still have the scar on my arm as a reminder.
I also had the misadventure of stepping on a rusty nail. My mother put some kind of home made remedy on it but it got worse. To the small coal mining hospital I go. It got blood poisoning and part of the bone from my big toe had to be cut out. I spent 30 days in that hospital.
I can remember us having soupbeans, cornbread, green onions, fried taters and some type of pork almost every night.
Those were definitely the good ol days.
You and TJ keep up the fantastic stories.

Joanne, your article brought back many memories of washday at our house. Dad was a coal miner so you can imagine what a mess we had at washday. I usually had to skip school each Monday just to carry water for mom’s washtubs, and heat the water outside over piled up rocks (a makeshift fireplace) with wood that had to be stoked ever so often. It is a miracle I was able to keep up and graduate Garden High School, Oakwood, Va. Mountain life was a bit difficult when I grew up in Buchanan County, Va.

It seems there is always someone waiting for senior citizens to let go their property

Tommy….had the same experience last week. Walking the dog to the mailbox, a couple stopped me and ask to buy my house! Put him in touch with a realtor friend and he visited a couple of properties. The realtor relayed the message he was not interested in the properties visited since walking my property. It is good to know my property is saleable even though I am not ready to sell. Makes me think about it…Hope you and Jerilyn are well. Take care and be safe!

Joanne, I could almost see the fall colors as I read your missive. Have a wonderful evening!
Frank

Oh I love this so much.. I appreciate your alls attention, time, and love. I strive to be like you, Grandpa. I miss seeing Daddy and Grace together too.

Very good post Dad! I have never read The Velveteen Rabbit and I will now. Also, I believe the most powerful word in any language is LOVE. 🤗

Yes, Joanne,
Having been a reseller for many years, and for extra things my family needed, I can testify that there are many
bargains out there if anyone has a hankering to research them.
Halloween, well that’s another story. This was when the ‘good kids’ of our neighborhood got together at the old school bottom to do a little mischief! ‘Nuff said!

Joanne, Thank you for something positive at this time. We are all blessed that God is still on the Throne of Mercy and not judgment! He promised that He would not allow the destroyer to come near the dwelling of a believer!
Keep writing positive!
Frank

One IS a lonely number. Hearing the words, ‘I love you’ reminds you–you aren’t alone.

Very good JoAnn.
I play golf every day and every day before I leave to play, I kiss my wife and tell her I LOVE YOU. And every night before we go to bed we kiss and tell each other I LOVE YOU.. We’ve only been married for 12 years but the “HONEYMOON” is not yet for us two love birds.

Yes, Joanne, We sometimes forget the small amenities of life. To say ‘I love you’ covers a multitude of difficulties of the past! Let all disagreements go by telling the other person, “I LOVE YOU”! Great thought, Joanne!

I’m so glad you wrote about this! I would borrow that radio from him and follow him around too when outside! Also, I remember him dedicating songs to mamaw on the radio!! I told Evan about it. Aw, it warms my heart.

Yes, Joanne, we would all like to go back and hear our Father’s voice again. I guess this is why we have music to remind us that there was a past, and hopefully, there will be a future!

Ah, Orange Juice! Filled with Vitamin C, Calcium, etc.(whatever is added at the processor) Yes, our first Frigidaire solved a lot of problems, especially at milking time! It is a good thing to never dwell on what we can get in the way of sickness, but instead, dwell on the One who can heal us of that sickness. Medicine cannot heal, only God can heal! Medicine only assists nature to remove the antibodies so that the blood stream can do its job!

JoAnn, I thoroughly enjoy your writings. Although, I am a generation older than you so many things that you reference brings back memories of days long passed. Tommy Joe and I grew up together and have stayed in contact all these years. I love dearly and look forward to his missives as well. You two, please, keep up the good writings for us oldies to enjoy.

I really enjoyed reading this missive.

They were a lot like that for us too! I still am happy that cell phones weren’t a thing and I never had one until I was 18, and even then used it rarely. I am thankful for my cell phone now, but I’m glad I was able to grow up without one. Good post

Great missive!

Another great read TJ. I love the hot weather. I’m out playing golf in it every day.
I usually play about 5 to 7 hours a day. I have my golf cart but still get a lot of walking in.
Take care. Stay safe and healthy.

Joanne, You must have been pretty well-to-do when you went to school. Most of us used an old lard bucket or a plain paper sack (called a poke then) and if we had mayonnaise and tomatoes in our lunches, these inevitably leaked through and ruined the sandwiches our mothers so delicately packed! Because our lunches went into the cloak room behind the stove at school, if we had sandwiches with cheese, it was always hardened around the edges and only the center of the sandwich was edible. Ah, such misery!

As you so aptly put it; It is amazing how much better our place looks since the pandemic. It is also amazing how much smaller the weeds have become as we cut them before they get a chance to reveal their specie.
Actually, I can’t imagine anyone having too much time on their hands these days. For some reason, hot or cold, I am busy from daylight (around 6am) until I get into bed at night! If anyone should tell me they have time on their hands, I can tell them ways to prevent that.
Thanks, Tommy, keep on writing!

I really enjoyed reading Simple Things, JoAnn. It brought back
so many memories of my childhood. It definitely was a simpler time of life.

That’s so sad about the walnut trees!

We grew up in New York. Although Westchester County was largely a bedroom commute to New York City.
As children , myself, mother, Grandmother, Aunt and cousin would frequent thrift stores in White Plains, N.Y.
Always remember how a bargain was a thrill to find. Even second-hand ice skates were given at Christmas.
Cousins and myself used those skates at Opperman’s Pond, Pleasantville, N.Y. Such fun. They finally were thrown away after several winters of skating. Our feet grew and we broke right out of the front of skates.
Good memories

Your article got me to thinking! What is the purpose of MY life? I would have to say that God put us here to manifest Him. I guess, for the past 50, or more, years, I have been doing that! Oftentimes, I did not know I was doing it! BTW, are the Keen Mountain Boys the ones from Buchanan County led by Remus Keene?I went to school with them.

Fantastic JoAnn. Me being from the coal mining hills of Kentucky can really relate to to all of your style of clothes shopping. I can remember my mother going to “rummage sales” or “rag sales” and picking out a few clothes for us. They may have been hand me downs from somebody but, they were great for us getting new(to us) items. I can remember wearing our jeans so much that they eventually became “high water” pants after several washings.
Thank you so much for your vivid posts.
Stay safe and stay Healthy…

Very good as usual TJ.
Ain’t life great being a hillbilly. I think from my life growing up in the mountains of Kentucky has given me a greater perspective on life.
Keep up the good work.
All is well in sunny Florida. I’m still getting to play golf every day.

You are the most “enlightened” gpa I personally know. 🙂

What a sweet post! Love.

This is a very nice article, JoAnn, and I enjoyed it so much! It stirred up memories of me helping my kids and vice versa plus my parents helping me and vice versa…..so many precious memories flooding my mind!! Thanks so much for sharing.

It has been said by many, “We are parents until we die!” This is so true! My parents were true to me even
if I was 3,000 miles away.

WOW, Very good JoAnn. I’m sure we’ve all had to catch our children’s lifeline at times when they were in need of our support. I sure have with my two sons and now my Stepdaughter and Stepson.
TJ, your and JoAnn’s writings are so descriptive, they make you feel like you’re right there too.
Keep up the great work. I always look forward to reading your missives.

Tommy,
I cannot remember Jesus ever saying “You will go to Heaven”, but in Luke Chapter 17:20-21, Jesus did say,
The Kingdom comes not with observation (seeing with the eyes) because the Kingdom is within you!
It is all a spiritual kingdom!
I like your Iguana missive, it shows a good lesson in life!

Very good Tommy! Keep them coming.

Nice Wow’s! I remember cutting brush with a huge scythe before going into the Air Force for 50cents an hour. Had it not been for the man’s wife, he would not have even paid me. I believe that you and I were blessed to
have gone to the Air Force when we did.

This is a good one!

Awwwww!!! This is such a good post! So sweet and endearing.

FANTASTIC TJ. Keep up the good work.

It is amazing the simple things that make us happy as we grow older. My wife and I are content to just take a ride somewhere on Sundays, even it if means driving through KFC or a Taqueria along the way. We are isolated in the mountains of Eldorado County in Northern California. A short ride is a big deal when you’ve been isolated for awhile.

Very good. It was from the heart.

the greatest joy I have ever experienced in my life is “Amazing Grace” that God has shown me. It has lasted
for over fifty years.

Great!

WOW… Hershey’s chocolate is my all time favorite candy. My kids know how much I like that chocolate so they usually buy me one of those super giant Hershey bars for my birthday and/or Christmas. And like you JoAnn if I happen to walk down the candy aisle in the store, I have to grab a bag of Hershey’s candy even though my doctor tells me to stay away from sweets to avoid becoming diabetic.

Elsie Dee, your mother was the mainstay of Garden High School and at church. I always remember the square dancing she taught us in the gym………… everything from the Virginia Reel to Glow Little Glow Worm!
Mom was 69 when Dad died and she had never learned how to drive a car. Dad always drove her where she needed to go. She wanted to learn how to drive so Bill Henry and I both tried to teach her down in the school bottom. We gave up.
Then one day, she called me and said she had her driver’s license. How did you do that? Grace taught me how to drive. Your mother had enough patience to teach one of her best friends how to drive.

Good stories David. Brings back lots of memory for me, too. We lived by the Page. My grandfather was the fix it man in the mine shop at Page. Anything that broke or was damaged he fixed it. Both of our mothers taught elementary grades 4th & 5th until mother was moved to high school. They were life long friends. Like you the Garden Community Center/Methodist Church was very much a part of my life. I do believe every time the door was open for any event we were there. Loved the church, Sunday school (we had good teachers there, also) Girl Scouts and MYF was a lot of fun. And Church Camp was great!
Not that it really matters, but Rev. Beadles was a bit older than you remember. Both he and Mrs. Beadles were near 50 when they were moved to a church in TN. She was 43 when she had her first child. While attending college in Illinois Rev. Beadles drove a taxi cab in Chicago. So Buchanan county roads were no problem to him. Continue your writing and I look forward to reading your book.

Hi David, Nice writing!
I too lived in Buchanan County at Shortt Gap. I was raised similar to you on a hillside farm. I had nine brothers and sisters and we all attended Garden High School at one time or another. You probably graduated with my sister Ruthann. I graduated in 1960. Hope your book is a success! I write for www.spectatorron.com. Hope to be able to write a book sometime.

I remember those days so well. With us having to create our own entertainment we learned how to develop lasting friendships, although we didn’t realize it at the time. We roamed the mountains all the time “exploring” and no one had a watch. We just had a sense of time for being home for dinner (deep trouble if you missed dinner). We had many games in the coal camp with very liberal rules adjustments each time we played. Of course we had disagreements and “fallouts” that would last about an hour and then we gathered again to play a different game!
Lotsa memories, but I will spare you for the time being.
Brenda Whitley Klassen
PS. I still love playing games. At the time I have 3 different game groups going that I started.

Very well written. I remember the game ” Kicking the can down the road”. those were the days. Has the book been published?

Thanks for sharing your memories. Enjoyed reminiscing. Lived on Garden Creek across the creek from Edith Taylor. Dad was store manager/butcher for Island Creek.

Tommy, I enjoyed all your articles. Your “Jonas Salk” mention brought back a lot of memories of that polio epidemic. We could not get near the creek, or drink from any mountain stream. Our mothers did a big job back then keeping us safe from harm

Hey TJ, very uplifting WOW.
Thanks

Hi Tommy, I am positive that the Christian of the year is the one who is Christlike! We can only be that if He lives in us. In St. John 14 He told us that He would. This is what He meant when He said that if He was mistreated, we would be mistreated. If He was treated well, we would be treated well. Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever! Great job on the lawn mower!

Hear, hear! Good post! And of course we don’t think of you as a relic..just a lovely grandpa full of wisdom.

I just finished a texting bout with my only granddaughter. Her final act was to send me a kitten with hearts all around it. This is living!
Tommy, as long as we are in the flesh, we will do things to displease others. We all have a conscience, whether we use it or not, and it will guide us to repent of our weaknesses!

Great article Mr. Tommy. I think I’m the one consuming most of your leftover chocolate. I admit, it is my worst addiction. Keep on writing this great stuff.

Yes we all have an appt.in Samarra, question is, are we ready for it

Tommy your latest blog, Samarra. So important
a message for those of us in our 70’s.
I can envision Jerilyn in her garden, thanks to your words. She was always
sweet. You missed your calling. A way of
with words. The western part of this state,seeps thru in your choice expressions. Keep hunkering down both
of you.

Btw, you can make phone calls with the Apple watch. Also, I have blue eyes but I don’t think I was included in your three smart people lol!

I was given an Apple watch for Christmas by a Chinese brother. I am not adapting to it easily as I probably do not have the patience. So there she sits!
Covid9 has us isolated in our home in Eldorado County, Ca. watch for the next issue of Spectatorron for the story. My eyes are a mixture of blue, green, hazel, etc. I must be the smartest man you ever met 🙂 Watch out for the Green-eyed monster!

Two thumbs up TJ.

Yes, Tommy, T.V. has taken the place of a lot of important things, the main one I can think of is reading the Bible. At this time I don’t believe it would hurt us to spend more time with the Word of God!

Very nice article, Tommy.

Another great read TJ.
I can relate to the doggy stories. My wife wouldn’t hesitate to spend $1000, $5000 even $10000 on our fur babies if she thought it would bring them comfort.
I’ve even grilled fillets for us and had to grill one for them as well.

Tommy, I enjoyed your WOW’s, especially the one about the refrigerator. I too have experienced those times! It sure is hard getting up off the floor sometimes!

TJ, you’re just fantastic with your stories.
I remember in the late 60s working down in
the shipyard as a pipefitter helper takting the salt tablets that were by most of the water stations. Now I try to avoid salt as much as possible.
And you and your wife have a fantastic daily routine. I doubt if I can name 20 presidents, much less all of them and in order.
Keep up the great work.
Dale D.

Do you know what “juice it up a little” means or where it comes from?

Good post. I don’t know much about football either. However, I was pulling for the Chiefs also. I did like their “costumes” but I was on their side because their last super bowl win was 50 years ago…Go CHIEFS….

My favorite Robert Frost poem is “Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening” because of its simplicity of structure and the nostalgia it brings. I am not sure if grammar has gotten better or worse, but I have decided, “There ain’t such a word as ain’t, but I’m not gonna quit saying ain’t!” Mom also delayed our misery by saying “Wait ’til your dad gets home!” Phew!

This post was very funny!

Very good TJ..

I was on the bandwagon about how young girls overexposed their bodies many years ago. It was proven by a college professor, and I believe he was a psychologist, that the upswing in rapes, assaults, etc. was due to the fact that too much body was being shown. If not, why all the assaults and harrassment going on? As you so aptly put it, young men are not as careful about those things as us old dudes. Nature in the raw is seldom mild!

Another fantastic blog TJ.

Tommy, Just think of all the good that Mrs. Wooldridge, Mrs. Simpson, Mr. Brown, and others did for Garden High School. We were fortunate to have Mrs. Simpson as our English/Literature teacher, Mrs Wooldridge as our music teacher, and Mr. Brown in math. I had Mr. Williams in history and all I heard about was sports!:) I sometimes think that Mr. Quillen put a lot of teachers in the wrong spots, such as Mrs. Wooldridge in art class. Oh well, we made it through HIgh School, the USAF, and now almost through our lives and we still look back to our teachers as inspiration.

Very good TJ. You always paint a vivid picture. Makes me feel like I was right there enjoying nature.

You can find Andy and friends and family on at various times daily…Louise

Fantastic JoAnn. I grew up in Harlan County Kentucky (A short way from Johnson City) and remember those times as well.
You can listen to lots of Christmas songs on Pandora on an Iphone. And I have it Bluetoothed to my stereo in my golf cart.
I miss the snow a little but love being able to play golf year round(mostly in shorts) in Florida.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Awwww….great story.

The greatest asset that we Americans have lost is RESPECT! Especially on the highways and byways. It seems that no one has time to wait for their fellow human being, always in a hurry, always frantic. Does everyone wait for the last minute to go to school or work? I sometimes find myself feeling rushed, anxious, and feel like I have to be at my destination yesterday! All we can do at these times is to sit relaxed, take a deep breath, and let the rest of the world go by! Nice reflection, Joann

Another great one TJ. Prayers for your wife and family.

Fantastic read TJ. Congrats on the new PC.

Tommy, although we are now senior citizens, it behooves us to concentrate more on living than to focus on the ultimate end. It is for certain that our Creator has a purpose for each of our lives and we will, without fail, carry out that purpose!

My mother used to say, “If you can’t read–you can’t learn well–or at all.” I was reading library books when my parents put me in the first grade at school–one month after my 5th birthday. Been reading ever since–never stopped–never will.

The greatest boquet of flowers we can receive is from our Heavenly Father in the form of one of His promises being fulfilled. Looks like you have a very thoughtful and loving daughter. God used her to touch your heart with the flowers.

WOWWW TJ, you and JoAnn truly amaze me with your life experience stories. I was back in the hills of Kentucky a couple of weeks ago and like you, I imagine seeing the places we used to play. Climbing trees, swinging on grapevines and yes catching crawdads to go fishing with.
Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the trip back in time. I too remember foldly some of the families I visited as a child.

Tommy, your little articles raise a few questions that can only be answered by the individual themselves. I guess we all handle problems differently, but seem to come out with the same solutions. Life is interesting!

Nice Poem and thought!

JoAnn.
You really got me with that. I felt your loss. And it touched a fear deep down of losing someone we love.
Susan is away for just a few days at a retreat, but the house is so quiet. I think that opened me up to
receive the full impact of your poem. Thank you for sharing. And may the Great Architect comfort
you.
Harris

The only problem to a shorter work week is if your job is also your passion and you WANT to do it all the time 🙂