Packing Up

Got the few clothes I am taking back with me all packed along with bible, devotional book, and a few CD's. The cabin is all cleaned, bed linens washed and back on bed. Fridge has been emptied and cleaned out as well as other foods that would go bad before I get back taken up to Melody's. I have spent the last few days getting lots of Skyler love and spending time with Quintin, Gabby, Raigun at Megan's house. Today I got to spend time with Hope and Woody looking at old photos. They didn't recognize some of their own baby pictures nor a couple of when this grandma was younger. LOL  I sure am going to miss all the grands but will be back soon. I am so excited to see Rusty, Bella, and the goats. I am even looking forward to all the chores waiting on me. Seems like I have been away forever. William isn't feeling well but am hoping he gets past this bug and is feeling better by the time I get home.  He is having lots of heavy rain there so the goats aren't very happy with all the mud. We are having scattered storms here but its not bad. The humidity at the homestead is really bad. William says it was 76F the other morning but the humidity made it feel so much worse and his clothes were soaking wet from the sweat. I am not looking forward to that part of going home but will deal with it while we work on getting downsized to move up here to our cabin. The gardens are coming in so will be busy canning when I get back. I will take lots of pictures to catch everyone up on the animals and their adventures as well as all the awesome food we will be preserving for next winter
  Hope your day is overflowing with blessings!

This and That

A nice quiet morning is a perfect way to start the day. Have been busy helping Megan the past few days as well as getting things cleaned and done around the cabin. If things go as planned I will be heading back to the homestead next Sunday after Skyler's first birthday party. I still have a cough from that awful flu that took forever to leave and I still get tired easy but am blessed each day to be a little better. William is already gathering cucumbers from the gardens so I see making and canning pickles in my very near future. I am so looking forward to eating lots of fresh veggies and putting away some for winter. Can't wait to see all the animals and see if they remember me. I sure have missed them all. I dread the heat as I haven't even turned the AC on here. I have a fan in one of the windows and leave the door to the cabin open and it stays nice and cool day and night. I sleep under a blanket which won't be happening when I go back to Hidden Haven. That is the one thing we both hate about living there. The heat and humidity seem to drain us more than it use to. Part of getting old but it sure is hard to handle every day. William says  the customer I did the flower beds for last year is anxious for me to get back and do a little work on them. William has been weeding them but said the customer wanted me to add a few more here and there and give it a special touch for the summer. I also have lots of things for the Farmers Swap Meets and sure have missed being there. Especially being able to talk with friends while swapping and selling. See you soon Sebine! Next week will find me finishing up helping Megan with her home and spending more time with the grands. Sure going to miss them but happy to know one day we will be back up here for good. Hope each of you have a blessed weekend!

Can You Help

A dear homesteading, prepper friend has just had her world turned upside down. She has been self sustaining  for years now. She grows her own coffee and tobacco! Well her soon to be ex husband broke into her home destroying everything he could with a baseball bat. You can read more about it here . She never asks for help and has gone long periods of time in the heat of the summer without electric but making sure her animals had everything they needed and lots of love. She has given so freely of herself to anyone that needed help, answers to questions, or just encouragement. Now is a chance for anyone that has ever had a good deed done for them to pay it forward. This lady has came up with a plan to turn her kitchen into a commercial kitchen so she can make, sell, and even teach others to make cheese along with canning, baking, soapmaking, and just about anything you would ever want to learn. Please go to her blog Self Sustained Living and read her story and plan. If you can pay it forward with money (even a dollar would help), with prayers, and with sharing her blog with others then please take a moment. We have all at one time or another in our life been blessed with a helping hand in some way so come on lets pay it forward and help someone that has always been the helper but now needs a little help herself. Please share Self Sustained Living with your friends.

Shadows Walk

Shadows Walk is walking history tour of Franklin, NC with a little haunting, ghosts, and spirits thrown in. My daughter Megan got a group of us together for the 10PM until Midnight tour one Saturday night. There are lots of towns starting to do these and if your town is one you should really go. There was so much history told along this tour that I never knew about our town. Over 36,000 people in villages throughout Macon County were burnt and villages destroyed. History has smoke being seen from this for 3 months. The story of a slave girl killing her husband and then hanging herself. Because of her killing herself she couldn't be buried in a cemetery and the custom was she had to be buried at a crossroads 10 feet down with a stake in the heart. The reason was if the spirit somehow came back it would be confused in which direction to go. For many years I have driven right over that crossroad and never knew the story. Or the story of the end of civil war right on main street in Franklin when the confederate flag was taken down and the shooting that erupted by some not accepting the end of war. Gregg Clark is a excellent story teller who has researched each story he tells to make sure the facts are there. He takes you back like you are actually seeing, hearing, and smelling the story firsthand. As for the scary part of the tour that really brought out goose bumps!. We has stopped in front of Macon Bank while he told the story of the family that sold the house and the land where the bank is now. When they sold they told the buyers they would not be responsible for anything that happened if the buyers tore the house down. The buyers went ahead and tore the house down and built a big beautiful bank only to have lighting strike and burn it to the ground. When Greg got to the part of the story about the lighting strike out of the dark sky a lighting bolt popped right behind the bank. It couldn't have been planned any better. Of course we had to make a mad dash to the Historical Building to wait out the rain but got to hear more stories of people in Franklin's history.  We took pictures of empty windows where ghost were suppose to been seen. Granddaughter Gabby captured something in the corner of her window that wasn't seen in the photo of the same window at the same time by friend next to her.

 The tour is by appointment and its not the same tour each time as there are so many stories to share. There are also sit ins where you go and sit and listen to the stories of that building or home while enjoying snacks and drinks. This is one of the most awesome ways to learn and enjoy the history of   our town. I hope if your town has one you take the time for a walking tour. You won't regret it.

I Survived

For the past 9 days I have thought I would have to die to get better. I got hit by a horrible flu bug. For days I couldn't keep food down but ice was my friend. I couldn't get warm yet had a fever. Coughing seemed to be a never ending thing no matter what I tried to take to calm them which meant there wasn't much sleep. Today I am coughing but not as bad. I am blowing or wiping my nose every few minutes but fever is gone and I actually had energy to do my laundry. I still have photos and a post to share about  a historical spooky walking tour a group of us went on late one night. Now that I am among the living  that post should be here soon.

While I was in the midst of being sick William lost his dear sweet Tinker. Though Tinker was our guardian dog for the goats she was Williams. He is still very, very devastated over losing her.  When I head back to the homestead it is going to be so strange not to have her licking my face and wanting me to rub her belly.

RIP Tinker

Steven Woodrow Stewart

Not only did grandson Woody turn 18 on May 31st he graduated high school! The first photo is after graduation with his sister Hope who will be graduating next year. Am so very proud of Woody. He is a quiet one but when he does get started talking he will keep you laughing. He really does have a great sense of humor and always has a smile on his face no matter what he is doing or what may be on his mind.

Woody works 3 jobs and most times I see him he is coming in the door from one job to shower and change for the next job. Most kids went to all night parties after graduation. Woody was invited to several but instead he chose to go to a swimming party for a couple hours then come home and go to bed. He didn't ask off from his jobs to celebrate and got up day after graduation and went back to work. He and friends were going on a senior trip together but he decided not to go and just save his graduation money. He plans to work and have a little fun this summer before going into the Air Force this fall. I sure am a blessed grandma to have such a level headed but fun to be around grandson! One grandson (Wayne) graduating and it will all be over until next year.

I also have a fun post about a history tour daughter Megan took a group of us on. Will post that one tomorrow. Have a blessed day everyone!