Ding Dong, Avon Calling!

I've learned that many women my age have, at one time, sold Avon! I did so for about a year in the late 70s. My route was an older neighborhood in a small town where I lived. I was a rather shy sales person, but Avon was well know and I soon had a customer base and knew which houses to approach as I walked my area. 

Most of my customers were elderly and on a fixed income. They enjoyed visiting with me when I stopped by to drop off their order and see if they were interested in ordering from the new catalog. I soon learned that most would at least order a lip balm or container of talcum powder as those were often on sale for 99¢. 

One couple would always invite me in and ask if I would open food cans for them while I was there. They would have an assortment of cans along with a can opener and several margarine tubs on the table. Both had arthritis and using the opener was hard for them. I'd open the cans and they would pour the contents into the tubs and store them in the refrigerator. 

Another lady would ask me to stay and listen to her play the organ in her living room. I'm sure she was lonely and enjoyed an audience. 

 I had mixed feelings about these sales. I was young, 19 at the time, and didn't always want to stay and visit, but I felt sad for the older customers who would buy something just so I would continue to come by and see them. 

This time selling Avon gave me a new perspective of the elderly and the loneliness that often filled their days. I'm glad I was able to fill a small spot in their lives during for a while.

The pin below was earned by my grandmother, Dorothy Moorefield, in the 1940s. She sold Avon in Sanderson, Texas.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

These past 26 years of teaching have been filled with many moments of joy, a few tears and a not a little frustration! I've taught all grades from first through seventh. I have grown tremendously as a person and teacher. My thoughts of teaching and what is most important have shifted over time as I've taught hundreds of students over the years. 

One of the things I've done well as a teacher is forming relationships. I have always taken seriously my effect on students' lives. During the school year, a teacher spends more waking hours with children than their parents! Teachers steer the class to either be supportive and loving, or bullying and hurtful! I tried to create a loving, caring environment for all of my students. Some groups of students were more easy to manage than others, but all had their rewards!

One of the early schools I worked at had a program for students with Autism, including those who were very intelligent, but challenged with appropriate behavior. Learning to rein in my own emotions in order to deal with some of these students' demanding behaviors was both frustrating and empowering at the same time. These challenges in the classroom helped me to deal with people in general and manage my own emotions and behaviors outside of the classroom. 

As I approached my final weeks as a classroom teacher, I was filled with both relief from the workload and sadness at leaving this special time in my life. I will continue to work with students, but will not have my own special classroom family! Much of my teaching memories are filled with funny, sad and interesting stories of my students! 

                                           Lancaster Tigers: 5th and 6th science and math

                                         Christway Chaparrals: 5th and 6th Bible, science, history

                                                     Permenter Shorthorns: 7th math

                                                 Giddens Jaguars: 4th, 2nd, 1st grades

                                   Bagdad Bobcats: 3rd and 2nd grades, Instructional Assistant

Dusk in the Country

 There is a time between the busyness of day and the tiredness of night called dusk. 

As the sun slips below the horizon, the wind calms and everything becomes peaceful. Coolness settles. Animals wind down, Chickens head for the roost, flutter, and settle for the night. Doves coo. Frogs croak. Bats swoop after roused mosquitos. Coyotes howl as they ready for a nightly prowl. Owls hoot then fly silently from treetop to treetop trying to spot a scurrying, unaware mouse. 

All seems unfamiliar and mysterious. This magical time lasts for a few precious moments until darkness closes in and swallows it up. 

Growing Up on the Job

I had almost forgotten about my first, full-time job back when I was 18 years old. I had babysat and pulled a couple of shift as a substitute dishwasher up to that time. These jobs just put a little money in my pocket, but were nothing to depend upon.

I had moved to New Orleans, La, my first move from home! Everything was different and a little scary! I picked up a job as a cashier at a Barkers Department Store.

To get to this store, I had to cross the Huey P. Long Bridge. This bridge was very narrow, barely room for too trucks to run abreast. There was another problem, the bridge had been started at both ends and built to the middle, where it was about a foot off! Well, they just jogged it over a foot! You needed to be aware of this little error so you wouldn’t either hit the curb or stray into the other lane! To add to this excitement, a train trestle ran way up above the lanes of traffic in the middle of the bridge! Every drive was an adventure!

Barkers was like a small Walmart. To use the old-style registers you had to understand how to count back change. I wasn’t very good at it and hardly ever did my register balance at the end of my shift! It usually was over, which was good for the store, but bad for the customer! I wasn’t a very good cashier.

Each week there was a sales flyer with specials. I was supposed to somehow keep up with all of the items on sale, and there were a lot! My boss, Mr. Strict (no joke), was not happy that he had to come to my register and void ring ups often because customers would inform me that the item was on sale after I rang it up at the regular price!

We also had to inform customers of item limits, a few of which ended in scenes like the woman that wanted an overflowing cart of wicker baskets on sale for $1 each! There was a limit of 5 . I had to allow Mr. Strict to engage the customer who was quite angry!

As New Orleans is a port city, we often had foreign customers who didn’t pay taxes at the store but at customs when they left to return home. Again, Mr. Strict would be at my counter voiding the sale for me to start all over!

Often these foreign customers would buy items to resell in their country, so there would be a basket of a certain type dress in several different colors and sizes! Once a customer bought a bean bag chair and proceeded to dump all of the little pellets out into the parking lot so she could get the bean bag chair in the trunk of a taxi.

I had a colorful peer at this store. Her/his name was Erica. She/he told me she wanted her boyfriend to change his name to Jack, so she could change her name to Jill and they could be Jack and Jill! Daily one would hear Erica’s booming male voice announce her entry into the woman’s restroom. She was nice to us all, but took a little getting used to!

Weekly I was paid with cash in a little brown envelope. I never brought home over $100 for a week’s pay. I still have these little brown envelopes which surprises no one who knows me!

Barker's Department Store (photo credit: Pinterest)

Huey P. Long Bridge (photo credit: John A. Weeks III)

Weeds or Wildflowers?

I love wildflowers. I started this post many years ago and never finished it. My first spring with James has brought it back to mind.

He loves a well-manicured lawn and is meticulous to keep it all edged, weeded, and tidy. I, on the other hand, love a natural lawn, weeds (wildflowers) and all! I love to see the birds, butterflies, and bees flitting about. My ideal lawn looks wild and unkempt! In our first spring together we had to sort out our lawn issues!

James bought a second-hand riding mower, brought it home, started it up and headed out to the shoulder of the drive. I quickly ran ahead of him, pointing at various clumps and shaking my head "no". He dutifully went around my clumps and made a choppy run at the shoulder of the drive.

I then started mowing around the areas that I wanted to save in the front yard. He thought I was crazy and said that was the strangest mowing pattern he had seen! But we at least had an abundance of bluebonnets and black foot daisies!

So the bluebonnets finally died back and he stated that now he'd like to mow. Well, the Indian blankets were now popping their buds up! Along with the Mexican hats and the skeleton flowers, there were various verbena and such. He once again set mowing aside.

As we discussed mowing last weekend, I pointed out that the horsemint (Lemon Beebalm) was just now budding! We needed to wait until it had bloomed and seeded.

We never argued, but I could see that there was some frustration at my love of wildflowers and lack of interest in a lawn. As we sat in the swing the other night, James pointed out to a coupe of trees and suggested that he be allowed a lawn from the edge of the trees to the house and I be allowed a wildflower meadow the rest of the way. I thought that was a very reasonable and fair compromise!

Now we have to decide how to handle the back yard.....

Look for a Window

It seems the things we worry about the most aren't necessarily the things that actually go wrong. Those things just spring up on the spur of the moment. They leave you a bit perplexed as you try to figure out your next step. Sometimes these are big, weighty problems and sometimes just little inconveniences. It is hard to stop the emotions and look around for the blessing. 

Our recent reminder was on a camping trip to a local state park. We pulled in late, after a busy work week. We were somewhat stressed and wanted to begin to unwind. James was outside setting. up while I worked inside. As he turned on the water, I heard an unusually loud spraying noise. I quickly found that February's ice storm had broken a pipe behind the toilet and water was spraying out and quickly filling the shower floor! I turned the water off at the hydrant and went back in to survey the situation. Since the shower had a built-in drain, no water left the contained area, so there was no additional damage. But it was obvious that we'd have no running water on this trip!

I went out to find James and tell him about the situation and found him walking back to the trailer along a paved trail, our private campsite trail to the restroom! Yes, we had our own little path that led directly to the restroom! No long hikes in the middle of the night! There was a need and a solution provided! We really didn’t have time to be concerned! God provided. I immediately thought of the saying, "when God closes as door, look for a window!" I don't think God caused a break in our pipe, but I do think he provided a solution, we just had to open our eyes and see it!

The Ugly Shoes - A Children's Story

Once upon a time, well let's say exactly in 1959, a little girl was born. She was loved and cared for by her parents and seemed to be normal in every way.

Soon the baby became a toddler and it was time to walk, only she couldn't. Her feet turned in and her knees knocked together and she constantly fell.

This wee one began to see doctors who worked to stretch the tendons and strengthen the muscles to help her walk. She also wore oxford shoes with metal braces inside.

All was well until school started! At school, most of the other little girls had pretty, black Mary Jane shoes, cute go-go boots, Ked's sneakers, except the little girl. She still had large oxford shoes; ugly shoes! She wanted those pretty Mary Janes, but all the wanting and wishing didn't make that come true! Being different was hard.

Another student in class was different too. It was 1965, and, up until that year, the children with lighter skin were separated from the children with darker skin. This year was different. One little girl with beautiful dark skin and bunches of dark braids was allowed in the class. The two little girls became friends! Being different with someone else is much easier to bear!

As time went on, the shoes were no longer an important issue and children were allowed to go to school together regardless of differences. The two girls remained friends despite time and distance. Both grew up to follow different paths, one of motherhood and homemaking, the other of sports and career.

The moral of this story is that to be different is okay. We must learn to be brave, to rise above obstacles of the mind or imposed by others, and to follow our own path!

Be bold! Be brave! Be different!

Janice and I in first grade

Janice and I all grown up

Dr. Janice Hilliard of Hilliard
Creative Education & Development Solutions, LLC

Joy Cometh in the the Morning!

Last summer found me in quite a state of depression! I tried to keep busy and convince myself that being single had many benefits such as eating what you want when you want, cleaning house only if you wanted to, going where you wanted with whom you wanted, etc... Some of that helped with short-term relief, but there was a deep emptiness that always returned once the thought or activity passed. My family began to worry about me as they often found me crying for no reason. I felt like a burden to them.

I had tried to date once and was a bit frightened off by a pushy person who made me feel very uneasy. I prayed and felt confirmed to try again, only to be more wary in the choices I made when allowing a conversation. In the dating site I chose, I decided to only respond to men who made a bold statement about their faith and family and weren't pushy when contacted.

I ended up only meeting 3 men on the site. All three were polite and respectful, but only James caught my attention! We met for breakfast early one Saturday. As we talked, I could tell he had felt comfortable in his own skin. It was a pleasant first meeting. I was surprised when he talked to me later and suggested we meet for coffee the following evening! Our conversation was still pleasant and somewhat superficial, but I could see we had a lot in common.

A couple of weeks passed and we met for dinner. We continued simple conversations, but were slowly sharing more about our past and how we came to be dating at our ages. He and I were both widowed. I respected the fact that he had stayed faithful to his wife for over 40 years and had cared for her devotedly during her long illness and death. I felt he was someone whom could be counted on and would stay the course.

I invited him over where he met my daughter and son-in-law. We then went for ice cream. Our next date was bowling with his son and daughter-in-law. We both had made no commitment, but I was certainly enjoying his company!

I was scheduled to leave town for a week away with family. James seemed a bit sad I was leaving which caused me to think that maybe he was starting to care for me. We met for a quick lunch as I was getting ready to leave. We talked throughout the week and I decided that I wouldn't go out with anyone else until I had decided if James was starting to feel for me as I was for him. He asked to pick me up from the airport! He was there to send me off and pick me up! That was encouraging!

It wasn't long until we decided that we would see each other exclusively. I went on family events with him and he with me. Our families were concerned that we didn't rush things, but liked our "special friend"!

Well, to make a long story short, we soon decided to marry and did so at James' son's and daughter-in-law's house. It was a beautiful wedding filled with family and a few close friends.

We have been happy starting our new lives together. We have shared our sadness and created happy memories. We have helped each other heal from our losses and share the common desire to support the memories of our late spouses as we move forward with our lives.

Psalm 3:5 "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!" God has certainly brought joy to my life by allowing me to meet James!

Mixed Blessing: The Farm Truck

My old farm truck isn't much to look at. In fact it is downright embarrassing to drive off the property! The paint is peeling, the tailgate won't shut, the glove box won't shut, the rear view mirror is bolted on to the window, the front window is cracked, the headliner has fallen off, and the driver's side door won't open so you have to roll down the window and stick out your arm to open it from the outside (fun in the rain)! With all this, it still passes yearly inspections!

One day I was driving to a dealership to look at a small car to replace the family Suburban. This particular dealership was reached either directly from the service road of a busy interstate, or indirectly through country back roads. I chose the latter. I had been driving for about 20 minutes when suddenly I felt ant stings on my feet and legs. I looked down to see fire ants swarming from somewhere into the floorboard of the truck. I lifted my legs and found somewhere to stop. I exited in tears of frustration at this situation and blamed it on the old truck! I was in the middle of nowhere and had to figure out how to get home with a truck full of fire ants!

I shook the mat and got rid of as many as I could and got back in holding my feet up off the floor as much as possible. I mumbled to God to help me get home without being bitten more or wrecking the truck. I had driven less than a mile when I came across a newly opened CVS Pharmacy! It was built in preparation for a building boom in the area, but was sitting alone on the side of a main road! I was shocked that help was provided in such an unexpected way.

I went in the store and purchased bug spray, returned to the truck and sprayed the floorboards down and stood aside waiting for the smell to diminish. While I stood there I was overwhelmed with the idea of being provided an unexpected solution to an unanticipated problem. I knew that God had used this situation to once again show his presence in a concrete way. The truck had been a "vehicle" of blessing!

There were many other blessings associated with the old truck. It was the vehicle I used to learn to drive a standard which was one of my bucket list items! It has also been used to haul stuff, move family members, pick up feed and so on.

The ant adventure has stuck with me, though. It provided God an opportunity to meet my needs in an unusual way that could not be missed! I knew he heard my prayers!

Psalm 121: I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Long Absence - Bridging the Gap

It seems my last story was two years ago. I haven't disappeared, just gone into writing seclusion. I've struggled at how to go ahead with my stories until I have properly shared the events of these two years. How can I just relate my mundane thoughts as though nothing has happened? And yet a public display of emotion is a hard, but necessary step for me to continue as a writer.

Mark, my husband of 22 years passed away in late 2017 after a short, but intense fight with cancer. The few months leading up to his death were filled with worry, little sleep, constant vigilance and ended in total silence. I found myself in a new place I was not prepared to be. My life was upside down. I had wonderful support from God, family and friends but struggled in my head and heart!

My time was initially filled with the myriad of plans and details one has to deal with in this situation. Support swarmed around me to keep me from falling and help me muddle through. At some point, though, I have had to learn to navigate this new reality and stand on my own two feet. It has helped that I am an independent person and have lots of life skills! My job is also quite distracting in a good way. Downtime has been the hardest.

I still find a lot of humor and irony in life, something I shared with Mark who sharpened my wit over the years! I will take that forward and continue to share my stories. Thank you for caring enough to continue to read them!

Blessings!

Surprise pink bluebonnet because
stories are better with a picture!

Testament to Tammie

Friendship is something that happens quite accidentally. We can look for friends, try to be a friend, and be surrounded by friendly people, but there is something unplanned that leads to true friendship. If we are lucky enough to have a best friend, “one who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24), then we are doubly blessed! My relationship with Tammie began in high school.

High school is filled with young people trying to find their way to fit in. There are the popular ones, the brainy ones, the quiet ones, the kind ones, and the funny ones. I couldn’t make myself popular, but I could be helpful! Being helpful is symbiotic, benefiting both the giver and the receiver. Getting something obviously helps the receiver, but the giver feels important and needed. This became my place in high school, being helpful! I picked up dropped papers, opened doors, straightened desks, and so on. I was not popular but I had my place!

When Tammie arrived she was in a cast from neck to waist as a result of a recent surgery. I saw a need and was soon running defense for Tammie as she maneuvered from class to class, carrying her books and making sure she made it without being hurt in the bustling hallways. She was needy and I was helpful. We were both friendly but I was mainly fulfilling my role.

Our relationship grew to include activities outside of school and our roles continued unchanged for a while. I remained the helper, modeler, and leader giving advice, support, and transportation. Tammie was younger, less secure, and, because of her physical needs, more sheltered. She remained the receiver.

Time passed. Each of us married, the other at our side. We moved away and back and started families. Memories were built through letters and face-to-face. We became equals. I still gave, but Tammie was able to give back. She gave devotion, kindness, unwavering love and steadiness. She dealt with the constant limitations from spina bifida with humor and acceptance. Tammie started to give to me more than I gave to her.

Finally the spina bifida began to take its toll and she started declining more rapidly. Her grace and humor continued through surgeries, strained relationships, and physical deterioration. We talked on the phone nearly daily since I once again moved away. I traveled to visit several times a year. Near the end, Tammie struggled to carry on, but was tired and ready to go; ready to be whole again with her Savior. It was so hard to let go.

Tammie ended up giving back to those of us who knew and loved her in spades! We witnessed her life with all its ups and downs and we grew as a result. I am a changed person because of her. I miss her so and can’t wait to continue our relationship in heaven. Below is the poem I wrote for Tammie’s funeral.

Tammie’s Lessons

You arrived fragile, helpless, needy

We loved you, took care of you

We taught you to walk and talk

We taught you to play and laugh

You grew up slowly, through trials and pain

We helped you, nursed you, cared for you

We taught you to persevere, survive

We taught you to trust and mature

You blossomed into womanhood, marriage, and motherhood

You were a caregiver, teacher, companion

God taught you to be patient, giving

God taught you to be grateful and strong

Your body failed you, you grew weak

You were patient, selfless

You taught us to appreciate life

You taught us to be brave, loving and grateful

In the 70s

At my wedding

Cotton candy at the Dallas Zoo

At my grandmother's funeral

Tammie's wedding

Tammie's tea pot

Lelah's Life Lessons!

When I was young, I lived on a large piece of property on the outskirts of town. My neighbors were an older woman, Lelah, and her husband. I saw them now and again, but since our houses were separated by a large, lightly wooded field, opportunities for visiting didn't arise naturally.

While I was expecting my oldest daughter, Lelah's husband died unexpectedly. I felt a burden to look in on her now and again through this trying time. Soon Lelah and I had established a close relationship.

We continued to visit at least weekly during the early years of my daughter's life. Lelah taught me to garden, giving me a small patch in her garden to work. She babysat while I ran errands occasionally. We visited and enjoyed each other's company!

After a while Lelah's mother, Sally, came to live with her. Sally became my daughter's first best friend. She would ooh and ah over her and play silly games! When Sally died, that was a 4-year-old's first taste of death! She was sad and missed her friend, Sally.

Lelah and I looked after each other, helping when possible. She had no children and we happily filled the gap.

I started noticing that Lelah was forgetting words. She would point and say things like, "put it down over there on that thing, you know, where we eat!" in other words, the table. This continued for some time and we would just laugh it off. After a while I asked Lelah if she shouldn't see a doctor to see if she was developing Alzheimer's. She took my advice and came home with a positive diagnosis.

Things continued to deteriorate. Soon she was not able to drive, forgot how to cook, was not able to pay her bills and so on. Once I went over to find all of her pills dumped together in a big bowl. She was stirring them and told me she wasn't sure which ones to take. I started hiding a single dose of pills with a glass of water and calling her during the day to tell her where to find them. I got her signed up for Meals on Wheels. I went over at night to check on her after work, to be sure she had food to eat. I balanced her checking account, paid her bills, bought her groceries, helped with her laundry and so on.

One day I came home to a frantic phone message with Lelah calling out for help! I ran to her house and found her calmly watching TV. I asked her what was wrong and she told me nothing. I looked all over her house and finally started examining her body. There were several circular burns on her hand and lower arm where she had laid it on the hot burner! I called her family who lived out of town and told them Lelah could no longer live alone! They developed a plan for a family member to move in and share her home until the time came where she had to be moved to a nursing facility.

Throughout the later stages of her dementia, Lelah remained calm and happy. I remember one of my last visits where she was coherent enough to have a slight conversation. She told me, "I don't know who you are, but I like you!" That was heartbreaking, but comforting. She had held on to her joy, right up to the end.

What did I learn from this? I learned that happiness has more to do with attitude than circumstance. Lelah was never sad or distressed over her situation. She laughed at herself when she did silly things or forgot words. She didn't feel sorry for herself, but pressed on. Up until then I had thought about old age with a certain foreboding. Now I look on it as just another step in life. As a Christian, I know something far better waits at the end. Lelah taught me to be brave during the journey!

Lelah, Bethany and me at Easter

Purse and gloves Lelah gave to me 

Beeladee: Accidental Honey Harvest!

I have been quite lax in my hive inspections this year. I decided this cool fall day would be perfect for a slow-paced, thorough inspection.

I opened the hive to find the ladies quite laid back, going about their business and paying no mind to me. 

My method of inspection is to pull all the bars of comb over to the left and inspect as I carefully place them back in place. I was about four bars into moving the comb when I saw that things were not quite right!

There was a whole bar of comb attached to the front, bottom, and back of the hive! I soon found that it had originally fallen and the bees just built it all in place. I went about removing this piece, placing it in a large bowl, covering it with a round tray. 

The bees then were a bit more riled up, although not as hot as I would have imagined. I continued my inspection. 

I was nearing the right wall when I noticed another comb had fallen! This one was fixed in place as was the last and even more full of capped honey! 

I had a time getting it out without if falling completely apart. I added it to the bowl. Several bees were becoming stuck in the honey. I shooed out as many as I could and covered the bowl.

As I finished my inspection I noticed there was a lot of capped honey and uncapped syrup. I saw a little brood, but not as much as I would have liked. Since the hive was upset, I decided to quickly close up and inspect again in 2-3 weeks. 

I put the bowl of comb, honey, and trapped bees in the freezer as this was the easiest way to deal with the situation. 

A couple of hours later, I removed the comb and began to break it up in a strainer bag. Upon warming up, several of the bees began to wake and move around. When finished, I took the bowl out next to the hive for the bees to clean and for the girls' sisters to lick the honey off and free them from their sticky situation!

Strainer set up in an out of the way place
so the honey can continue to drip from the comb

Crushing the comb to allow the honey to flow out

Bees cleaning up the leftover comb and honey

I am an Attractive Older Woman!

In Texas, we now have a combined inspection/registration sticker. You must get your car inspected, then provide a unique number of proof from the receipt. I recently received an email that I had only a week left before my registration expired (I had forgotten about the first notice!) I immediately left to get an inspection, knowing there would be some time before the registration sticker arrived in the mail.

At the inspection place I was told the wait would be about 20 minutes and was directed inside to sit in the air-conditioned waiting room. As there was no one at the counter, I took a seat with two other men also waiting. As an employee came in, another man entered the building and approached the counter. I walked up and announced that I was next in line. The man who entered said he felt he was next. The employee stuck his head out the door and yelled to the young man who had directed me inside, "Who's next?".

The young man (I'll call John), yelled back, "An old lady!" Well, I could feel the warmth moving up my neck into my face. I knew I was the only woman in the place, so obviously this was me! I sat and waited my turn, trying to see the humor in this all, but feeling a bit shocked. The last man in, trying to alleviate my discomfort, announced that he was older than I and age was just a number.

Soon John entered, telling me he was finished. I approached the counter, smiled, and stated, "John, I am not an "old lady", but an attractive older woman!" He colored and apologized. We finished the transaction with small talk and I was soon ready to go.

As I pulled away, the shock of the comment continued to sting. I do have a lot of gray hair of which I often pull back out of the way. I am in what is called the "youth" of old age, but old age none the less. Should I color my hair and dress more carefully, or just accept myself with humor and grace? I am working on the latter. It may take some time!

"Christmas in July" or "Birds vs Tomatoes!"

I feel my "freeze setback experiment" was a success. Even though my tomatoes ripened a couple of weeks after most others in this area, they did come back from dead-looking sticks and I did not have to start over with new tomatoes plants! Now for the next garden challenge: how to keep birds from pecking the tomatoes....(grrr...)

I read about the idea of putting plastic red Christmas balls out before the tomatoes turn red. Birds peck on the balls and lose interest in visiting the ripe tomatoes later. Next Christmas, I will buy a few to put in with my garden supplies. As it is, I have no red plastic balls to use as decoys. I found myself having to harvest earlier and earlier to get the tomatoes in before the birds started pecking at them. 

One evening while working in the garage, I noticed a box of various colored Christmas garland that had missed being put away in the attic. I decided the various sparkly colors might be a distraction from the juicy red tomatoes. I strung the garland all around my tomato cages, securing the ends with tie wraps. 

After a week, I have had no tomatoes that have been pecked on! My garden also looks very festive! If this works, I will pack the garland away with my garden supplies instead of in the attic!

Update: It's been a couple of weeks now. The garland has been a partial success. Smarter birds (like Mockingbirds) learn the tomatoes are there and go back to look. I think birds in general are still distracted by the shimmers and color. Someone suggested hanging old CDs (DVDs) around. I think I will save some of those as well as get red plastic Christmas balls for next year. I'll be packing this garland away in my garden supplies this fall as part of my spring bird deterrent! 

Festive Garden!

I will leave this one a little longer
to prove or disprove my experiment.
Normally it would be snacked on by now!

Freeze Setback; Opportunity for an Experiment!

While I do enjoy the fruits of my labor, my garden is for relaxation and enjoyment and I try to never stress over it. I take precautions in the cases of freeze or hail. Afterwards I just work with what is left and move on. This year is a good example of that.

I started my plants indoors in a makeshift greenhouse.

I draped a curtain over the bakers rack to retain heat from the window.

 

I prepared for a freeze that happened the week after I put my

plants out by putting pots and buckets over the new plants.

Unfortunately, new plants were severely affected by the freeze!

 

 

 

Knowing how tomatoes send out new leaves at the joints,

I decided to continue to water the damaged plants.

All but 4 tomatoes and peppers are have either recovered or

are sending out leaves at the joints!

 

It seems that this year's tomatoes and peppers will be an experiment. I will allow them to grow and note how they do. I'm interested to see whether the plants will be hardy after this setback.

 

Senior Discount!

There is no magic number representing "old age". Usually it is a state of mind or a reality of arthritis. One deals with the dawning of this idea over time. It creeps up and slowly you adjust. When thrust upon you it comes as a shock!

My shock started this way: I went to Bealls to shop. I had not been in some time. As I approached the check-out, I was asked to produce my Senior Discount Card! I stammered that I didn't have one and was politely asked if I wanted to sign up! The sales clerk "reminded me" that I would get 20% off since I came in on Tuesday! I barely heard her comments as I was mulling over this new info.... what was the magic age of a discount at Bealls: 55, 60, 65? How old did I look to this lady?! She hadn't even asked to see my driver's license!

The idea that this was an isolated incident, perpetuated by an unobservant sales lady was soon shattered! I was at a local tire dealership getting some long-needed work done on my car. Minutes dragged into hours as I watched infomercial after infomercial on the TV in the waiting area. Finally hunger drove me next door to the Taco Bell. I ordered a couple of small items to tide me over until my car was finished and sat down to eat. Soon the cashier showed up with an empty paper cup. She told me that I'd forgotten my cup. I accepted, but was a bit puzzled. Soon I approached the cashier and told her that she must be mistaken for I had brought my own water and hadn't ordered a drink. She told me that it was for my free "senior" tea! I'm not sure if the shock showed on my face, but I felt it! MY SENIOR TEA! There it was....obviously I look like a senior citizen!

I've decided to embrace the new "senior" me! I've actually looked up senior discounts on the internet and found I do qualify for some. During a recent trip to Whataburger, I boldly approached to counter and ordered my free cup of coffee. Sadly I wasn't carded, and it was handed over with a smile. I guess the new "senior" me is here to stay! Now, where did I put my keys?!

       We celebrated the 100th day of school by dressing as old people. 
  One of my students asked me why I was dressed up since I 
 was already old! I told her that I wasn't 100 years old!
(photo used with permission)

Beeladee: Christmas Eve with the Queen!

We've had quite warm temperatures this week leading up to Christmas. A couple of days have been in the low 80s! My garden and bees are loving it!

A significant cold front is forecast for this weekend. I planned a quick hive inspection to check food stores on the brood comb needed for the bees survive this cold snap.

I have been concerned about my hive since it went into winter with a very low population. ( Brood Break or New Queen ) Fortunately not many bees have been lost during our slight freezes.

I opened the hive with the sole intention of a quick check, not a thorough inspection. I did not want to break the propolis on each bar causing the bees to have to expend extra energy to reseal the bars against the cold. I moved the bars at first four at a time and, when I started seeing activity, two at a time. As I casually glanced over one frame, there she was... my golden queen! I was so excited since I haven't seen her in quite a while. I usually console myself with the fact that seeing evidence of a queen is just as good as seeing the queen, but I know that I'd much rather see the queen any old day! After all, she is special, she is THE QUEEN!

I carefully noted the presence of syrup. The rosemary is blooming and the bees have been quite busy. They did eat most of the capped honey they had stored going into the fall. If this cold snap continues too long, I'll supplement, but right now, there is enough syrup for them to cap.

Catching sight of the queen was an early Christmas present. It makes me smile! Long live the queen!

I centered the queen so she would be easy to spot in this shot!

Knitwit: Baby Hats!

To keep my hands busy, I usually knit on Sunday mornings during home church. I have knitted a variety of items over the years such as hats, scarves, cushion covers and socks.

A few months ago, I took stock of the various leftover yarn in my stash. None was enough for anything big. After considering several projects, I decided I would knit baby hats for one of the local hospitals. I contacted a friend who works with babies in a neonatal unit and she said the hospital would love to give them out to new parents!

Over the past few months I have knitted several baby hats in a variety of sizes. No two are exactly alike, since I make them up as I go along. The only constant is the needle size (8 double points) and a multiple of four stitches for each hat. A multiple of four lends itself to a many patterns and is an easy number to decrease.  

I have knitted for nearly 40 years now and enjoy it as much now as when I first learned!

Baby Hats (most are knitted, but a couple are crocheted)!

 

Beeladee: Brood Break or New Queen?

Week 1: The Worry!

I have been noticing that my bees were not finishing out or building new comb this entire season. I have been monitoring through the hive's observation window, but decided a full inspection was needed.

When I inspect, I take out several bars to the left, slide bars over, and inspect the frames as I put the bars back in place. I started with the 1st bar to the far right. I saw some capped honey, syrup and pollen. This was the pattern for several bars. The ratio of these differed, but the make-up was about the same. I did find 2 empty queen cells on one of the empty bars. After 11 bars, I knew something was wrong. All I found was empty wax. There was no brood!

I have only kept bees for 3 years, so my life experience is not as great as others. So far I had never had an inspection like this. I posted on several beekeeping social media groups. A few people mentioned a period called a brood break. I also thought that my old queen might have left, died, or been usurped by a yet unmated new queen. This might be the slump period between queens.

In the end, I decided not to buy a new queen. There weren't any available in the local websites. It was late in the season and a new queen might not be able to build a strong enough hive to make it through the winter anyway. If the hive failed, I would take what honey I could, freeze the wax bars that were intact, and seal the empty hive for the winter. The bars of full comb would make an inviting environment for a new package of bees or a swarm next spring!

Week 3: The Serendipity!

I went into the hive with thoughts of what I had seen last inspection. As I slid the bars over (three at a time) I noticed there were not any more bees than two weeks ago, maybe even less. I did notice that the bars became heavier as I worked across the hive. There were also lots of bees with pollen baskets full of yellow pollen.

I started at the far right as usual. The bees had not continued to build out the comb, but were filling it with nectar. There was even some capped honey at the top. The next bar had more nectar, pollen and capped honey. They continued to increase as I worked to the left!

Then I joyously found three bars full of capped worker brood and larvae! After the brood area, there were several bars with capped honey and uncapped nectar as well as lots of pollen.

Given the great laying pattern, I think I have a new queen! I'm so glad I didn't lose the hive. Now I'll wait to see if they can build up their numbers enough to make it through the winter!

Week 5: The Confirmation!

Today we had beautiful weather. Thought I'd give the hive another check. There were significantly more bees, many with pollen sacks loaded down with bright yellow and, in a few cases, bright orange pollen. One of the frames had spotty capped larva. I believe this was the last bar to hatch brood. The next few bars had uncapped larvae. I only saw one pupa, so I think the next cycle is just starting. There were several frames of uncapped nectar and capped honey, as well as pollen everywhere! I think it looks like the numbers will build up just in time for winter!

Pollen baskets full of pollen

Busy at the entrance

Larvae, capped brood, and pollen