Merry Christmas

It is Christmas 2016...where in the heck did this year go?????

Our family would like to wish all our blogger friends a Very Merry Christmas.Please stay safe and warm...if you are enjoying a white Christmas...make us a snowman!!! It is in the 60s here....

Have a blessed Holiday, enjoy the day with all your family and friends.... and remember that Jesus is the reason for the Season....

Love
JUGM, Senior, and boys....oh and Libby and Ruger too

a visit to FL, and Wreaths Across America

ND and I left last Friday to head home to visit mama and visit dads grave for Christmas. My sister and I knew the 17th was "Wreaths Across America" day, but we had no idea of the extent it entailed. I just thought it would be volunteers putting the wreaths on and that was it well It was amazing.They do a simultaneous ceremony across the country, here it was at 11:45. The crowd was quite overwhelming, there must have been hundreds of people there. So many cars that it took us an hour to leave and to get back out to the main highway...normally its about a 10 minute drive...

Things got emotional when "Taps" was played and the Navy did a 21 gun salute. I play the piano and took formal lessons for years, my dad would sometimes sit down on the bench and play Taps...it was the only song he knew. So whenever I hear it, Taps has an extra emotional aspect for me. 

If you live near a national cemetery, and you have the chance this Christmas, go by pay your respects. The wreaths on the graves are absolutely beautiful and very touching....

My fortress of solitude

 “In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are

 absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books 

through your skin, without even opening them.” 

-Mark Twain

What is it about a library? It makes me feel at peace. I could walk the aisles all day reading titles and flipping through pages, just trying to find something that interest me.  I take deep breaths and breath in the smell of history, fantasy stories, love novels, and biographies.
Whatever it is, it makes me happy going into ours.  I think I am one of the rare ones that browses the books, most people these days go there to browse the Internet.This was "Our Internet". 
I remember having to sit going through encyclopedias to do a research paper, and sitting for hours taking notes.

My mom was not a book worm like me, I get it from my dad. I remember I had to do a term paper in 10th grade, and mom drove me to the library, I guess she thought I would just check a book out on the subject and we could go...  After my browsing for an hour she started getting testy with me..I saw her sitting in a chair tapping her feet and mouthing " hurry up" to me.   I got a "C" on that paper...  Thanks Mom !  

I like our library here, there is a room called "The Carolinian Room" and inside is a large meeting table with 4 shelves of books, they are the known history of families who settled in the area. Some are a first edition print , others are the only print ( like with our family) and no one is allowed to check them out. But you can sit there all day, reading through them, taking notes etc.... 

I am thankful the boys have inherited my love of books, they like spending time in the kids section and read just about as much as I do. Summers are the best, some days we sit at the tables reading and trying to decides what is a good book and what is not...  I guess it is whatever peaks their interest for that day...  I think about something funny little ND once said to me after leaving the library he said "Mom, I feel so much smarter after being in there" . He is always full of humor...  

Senior bought us a really nice bookcase,.  I am inheriting some of dads books and buy so many on my own that I needed one. I never get tired of them. Books are an adventure, waiting for you to open them up and jump in to the story they tell..  They are like an old friend...they are always there for you offering wisdom to their reader.

-JUGM

Chiefs Pin

Hey military friends......Can anyone help to identify this Navy Chiefs pin? My guess is its probably from WW2. Because it says "Overseas Victory".

But if you have any more information  I would appreciate it. It belongs to a friend and I am Intrigued with its history.....

Thanks!

JUGM

75 years later.....

 

 75 years ago today was the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor that launched our country into
World War 2. Unless you were there, you can't imagine what it must have been like.... 

Some  facts about that fateful day: 

1. Crew of the Arizona was slow to respond...they were allowed to sleep in that day due to winning a dance contest the night before.

2. The radar crew on Oahu was newly trained and had never seen such a large formation before...they thought the radar was malfunctioning...

3. The attack was also considered a large failure...as the Japanese had intended to destroy our air craft carriers, but they were out to sea.

4. The Arizona still leaks up to 9 gallons of oil each day.

5. Twenty three sets of brothers was lost on board the Arizona

December 7th 1941 is indeed a day that changed our country forever and it is a day that will live in infamy.

Never Forget......

Pearl Harbors Baby.....

 
In my reading and research of the attack on Pearl Harbor, one story in particular hit me the hardest, I guess because I am a mom. It is the story of a baby girl, her name was Nancy Wagner and her dad was Chief Yeoman Albert Wagner and in December 1941 stationed on board the USS Utah BB -31 she was used as a aircraft training vessel and was  moored at the Far Side of Ford Island.
Nancy was a twin, and while her twin sister Mary survived, little Nancy died right after her birth. Her father Chief Wagner, had the babies ashes in a small urn in his locker.
He had planned to scatter them when the Utah put out to sea....

Then, its the morning of Dec. 7th. The Utah crew was at Colors when she was hit by three Japanese torpedos, she was a vulnerable target, her mooring lines snapped and she capsized. Wagner tried to reach his battle station, but due to the heavy listing of the ship was unable to do do. To save himself he had to jump into the water and swim to Ford Island, and watch the rest of the tragedy unfold.Within 14 minutes of being hit, the Utah rolled over, men trapped inside could be heard banging, hoping rescuers would come. 10 men. were rescued from her hull. 64 crew members perished that day on board the Utah. They could only remove 4 of the bodies and they were interred on shore.

Chief Wagner  made it through the war and left the navy in 1952. He passed away in 1975 and was buried at sea off the coast of San Diego this was  prior to the Utah survivors being allowed to have their ashes interned at the Utah memorial site. His surviving daughter, Mary would later described him as an old battleship sailor.

Mary, little Nancy's twin sister was the public relations director for the USS Utah. In 2003 at the 62nd memorial ceremony, She was finally able to give her twin sister the funeral that she had so much deserved.
  She said that day :

 "For sixty-two years, the courageous crew of USS Utah has watched over a tiny secret copper urn hidden in my father's watery locker,"  I am so grateful that my little twin sister Nancy Lynne has finally received God's blessing in the presence of men and women of the United States Navy. Our tears are tears of joy, not sadness. One day I hope to join Nancy Lynne aboard our beloved ship."

The Utah  sits there on the far side of Ford Island she is but a footnote in the Pearl Harbor attack, one of the forgotten ships.She is the resting place for 60 men, cremains of shipmates that wish to join them....and one baby girls urn, in her daddies locker.

"You joined the Navy to make sure the country is free,. "The flag, your uniform, come before anything else -- without them you don't have a family." --- Chief Albert Wagner

Mean while at OSU....

Trains.....an inheritance

 My dad had several hobbies: woodcarving, fishing, models, and HO scale trains..   He was so in to his trains that he took my mom on a camping trip out to Colorado just so he could ride the Durango/Silverton train...  He loved the history of trains, and I think he secretly wished he had been a train engineer...

I remember as a little girl, his train boards and the creativity he would put in them, He had a Christmas themed board that he would have under the tree...It did not seem like Christmas until dad set his trains up.
 So, back in September we were at their house going through a few things and checking on the place. We went out to my dads old wood shed. There sitting on the floor was a large Rubbermaid container gently packed with his HO trains. Ones I had not seen in years, but remembered fondly from all those past Christmases, and all those times I would stand in his "man cave" watching him play with them.

We had been in the shed before the funeral in August and  they were not sitting out like we found them that day, so I was afraid my brother had left them there so he could take them on a future visit. After a call to my sister she said go ahead and take them...as far as she was concerned dad gave them to the boys before he passed away.
So we did....This past week, we went to a hobby store and honestly I had no clue where to start, the last I knew you had to buy special track and adhere it all to a piece of plywood....boy have things changed! We met an elderly man there who gave us some insight, and introduced us to "EZ Track"  it all snaps together and you don't need the ole plywood... It is all NW needed....we put together a little oval track and the kid is hooked, and He has been playing with them ever since, He has taught himself how to take them apart and do some  repair work and has gotten 2 or 3 of the old engines running again, I think its been at least 5 years since dad had done anything with his trains, so some of them are kind of rusty...

This was dads "Santa Fe" steamer...I remember him putting a little fluid in the smoke stack so it could blow steam out....

   This Amtrak was one of dads favorites....I remember he would hook up all the passenger cars and they all lit up....

It did me good to see something my dad loved so much brought back to life, I immediatly called my sister and she got quite overjoyed about it.  I know Dad was here when we first got them running and he is up there smiling and happy that his grandsons have his precious trains, and learning more about the hobby

-JUGM

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all my blogger family a very Happy Thanksgiving.. I hope you all enjoy your holiday, Enjoy the time with family and friends. And remember to set your scales back 10#s tonight....ha ha ha!!!

I was also told that since I put a picture of Libby up on Sunday, it was only fair that I had to post one of Ruger....so here is Ruger:   He often gets confused with the American Bulldog, but he is not. He is a white boxer, and an all around big puss...  Libby is his boss....lol

-JUGM

Sundays, Coffee and Boxers.....

If that face doesn't wake you up on a cold and windy Sunday morning I don't know what will...  That is our little angel "Liberty Bell"  aka Libby, aka Mrs. Wigglesworth. Oh the nicknames we have for her are endless. Having her around does make life fun.....

 

Well it has turned off clear and cold here, winds yesterday and today have been annoying though. We have been trying to get out and take care of leaves but its pointless with all the high winds. Fall color is late, but truly vibrant this year. Autumn is one reason why I am happy we made the move to the estate. By far my most favorite season.

Thanksgiving is this week, and I have to be honest and say I am not at all mentally ready for the holidays, it will be the first without dad and basically mom too. The past few days have been a bit emotional for me, as I recall all the past holidays when they got on my last nerve and wish so much to have those times back...never take your family for granted, no matter how many times they annoy you.

My sister visited mom on Friday, her weight-loss continues to get worse, she did get on the phone with me for a few seconds. I was pleased to hear her reading my name and phone number off the caller ID of my sisters phone. She told me she loved me, which made my day. I have missed talking to her and our almost daily phone calls. hearing her voice perked me up.

Now time to vent a bit...I don't mean to sound like a broken record in reference to my brother, but I need to let it out...so here goes. A couple of weeks ago, my sister who has access to my parents banking info was trying to log on to their account, well the password had been changed.  knowing she did not do that she immediately went to the bank and had everything redone. She could not figure out how it got changed since she never did it. A few days later she was packing some computer things up of my dads to send back to AT&T, as she went to get his computer modem she realized that the tower for dads desk top computer was missing...  My brother had been there and taken it! Which now explains the online banking info being changed.
My sister never curses...but let me tell you she did that day to me on the phone....  Thankfully no money was transferred out of the parents account, and now everything has since been changed and more security measures added so my brother can't get in to it.

And in addition to the computer he also took two collage picture frames of one of kind pictures of my mother when she was a little girl and of my dads family. Instead of offering to make copies for my sister and I , he didn't. We will never see those pictures again...  Which is very heartbreaking to me, because my sister and I would have liked a set.

I absolutely can not wait for the new guardianship to take over....   We are preparing ourselves for a new onslaught of his nastiness- the attorney did the paperwork we need to sign and it says "That  my sister and I chose an outside guardian because we believe our brother to be incapable of taking proper care of our mother".... Holy crap when he sees that, my brother is going to throw a real fit!
 We still think he is in Franklin, NC ...but honestly with all the smoke and fires going on its hard to believe he is still living in the campground.

Okay enough venting, and chores are calling, the chickens are going to feed themselves....Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

-JUGM

a little rain

A steady rain has moved in today across the upstate region, and the Good Lord knows we have needed it. Things here have been dry and incredibly dusty. ND and myself have been dealing with sinus and allergy issues for a week.  The temperatures have dropped and after an extended summer and above average temperatures the cool ,wet weather is a welcome sight.

Things have been extremely worse though for our neighbors to the north and west of us out in the mountains. Entire towns have had to be evacuated from the devastation of forest fires.  I only bring this up, because my brother and wife #3 are currently living in their RV in a trailer park in Franklin, NC. The reason for this is unbeknownst to us but, we can only speculate that his extravagant life style and his nasty demeanor has finally caught up to him and he is hiding from someone or something... 

Yesterday was NWs end of season football party and trophy presentation. I do applaud the team mom for going over and above and arranging a paintball outing..what a great time they all had. NW did pretty good, and put to use all the information he has absorbed from Senior and all the close quarter combat advice daddy gave him.  His team lost 2 out of 5 battles.  Not too bad for an 11 year old. Unfortunately, I think a "paintball monster" has been created, he is now ready to take his dad and little brother to the course and go against them.

So, I like everyone else is watching all these protest over the election. I have to say how disappointed I am but that I am not surprised. I wasn't at all happy with Obama being elected twice but, I did not burn our flag and cause property damage. Heck I just bit my tongue and suffered through the past eight years.
I think President Elect Trump summed it up best tonight on his 60 minutes interview when Leslie Stahl asked the same question... he said something to the effect of :  " if I had lost and my supporters were doing this, the response would be the opposite, Its a double standard"

-JUGM

Hopeful.....

The sun rose this morning on a new day, and an exciting time in American History. While Clinton did not shatter her glass ceiling, Trump absolutely shattered that blue wall...and I am so proud this morning to call him "President Elect".  

For me this was not so much about electing Trump, as it was for stopping another 4 years of Obamas agenda, and stopping the corrupt "Red Queen" ( thanks harry for that nickname)

I voted for the future of my boys and to protect our Constitution and Supreme Court. And to give rights back to our States and get the federal government out of our classrooms.. I voted for those who have lost jobs from EPA regulations and bad deals.

I look forward to the new administration and who he appoints to cabinet positions. Trump has a long road a head of him, sometimes it will be difficult and he will be challenged, I pray that he can deliver on his campaign promises..I pray for him and his Presidency and that  God will bless him and our Country....  

 -JUGM

PS: and God Help Mr. Trump ...because Obama is staying in D.C and I guarantee he will try to  be a thorn in his side, and continue to reek havoc in the democratic party... 

22 together

We were told that we were incompatible and wouldn't last a year.  But here we are celebrating 22 years together.  What can I say about Senior. He is my rock, he caught me and held me up the day my dad passed and has kept holding on to me ever since. When I think of how much I truly love him, I am rendered speechless as sometimes there are no words that can explain how I feel.  So today I wish my beloved Husband Senior a Happy Anniversary....I pray for 22 more years with you by my side. 

Only Me....

 

Hello Blogger friends...I know its been a while, a lot has happened since July 26th when I last posted. 

For those of you who don't know- My dad passed away on August 13th.We were told he had 6-8 months, but it turned out to be more like 6-8 days. None of us knew just how bad his health had declined, and how much he neglected himself to take care of my mother.  

His death has rocked me and my little family to the core...the boys have lost another grandparent, and Senior and I have lost much, much more. It has hurt deeply. But we all have one another and support each other daily. My dad meant a lot to all of us and he is missed every second of the day.

Mom is now comfortably in a nursing home,it wasn't anything that we actually had wanted to do, but her alzheimers has progressed so fast, that after dads health went down hill it was the best alternative for her. It is a beautiful place along the river , and she is getting excellent care. My sister and I drop in unannounced all the time, and every visit has been positive. I wish it did not have to come down to that, but it was for the best and she is where she needs to be.

My brother is still being an ass. My sister and I are getting an outside guardian for mom, as we feel with the situation with our brother and how he is behaving, that it is the best thing. All the attorneys agree, but my brother doesn't and is fighting us on it, I fear it will get much more uglier before it gets better. 

***********************************************

 We have been busy this fall as both boys have been playing football. Due to their ages they were on different teams and it has been hectic. Finally the last games were tonight. With NW's team winning the county championship, and NDs team finishing in second place. We are very proud of both boys, as this was a new sport for them...there were times when they wanted to quit, but they stood tall and made it through

Well it is getting late, so I will end this for now... Hope you all have a good night...

-JUGM

prayers please and taking a break...

 

 The past few weeks have been rough. So, I am taking a break from blogging for a bit..There has been so much going on, that I am finding I barely have time to get on the computer much less do a post. My trips to Florida are now every two weeks, if not every week. We had the hard decision to make and had mom placed in a home... I hope you never have to do that for your parent..I feel like crap, and have been incredibly emotional ever since.
As soon as we were able to get mom placed...my dads health took a downward spiral. Seems he has been neglecting himself, skipping his medications to take care of mom , and now it has caught up with him.....the diagnosis is not good.

Now mix all that together with my asshole brother ( sorry but he is) who wants to fight my sister and I on everything ....there is always that one family member that makes things difficult. All I know is given the way he has treated his family, Karma will catch up to him, and he will one day have to answer for his evil actions.

So, I do ask for your thoughts and prayers... If you comment, I am not sure when I will respond. But please know I will read it.

-JUGM

My dad ....the woodcarver

Woodcarving  is not only a hobby of my dads, it is his passion. However, with his age and his declining health, his hands are shaky, and he is no longer able to hold the tools needed to create his masterpieces. Believe me it really depresses him. Carving wood was his stress relief, and the one thing that he had that made him feel accomplished in life.
He was really good at his art, member of woodcarving clubs, and even had an entries in national competitions.
 This cardinal was one of his first. We have lots of cardinals up here at the estate, and because of that I have always liked it.

 As he got better with his craft, he carved this "Red Tail Hawk"  Senior has always admired the detail. One of dads club members helped him with the eyes, they were made to seem as if they follow you around the room.

Dad named him "Billy Bad Ass Hawk"  I think we will just call him "Billy". Now he sits on an end table  in our living room..

My dad would oblige people who would ask for a carving as a gift.My Niece loves Owls, so for a wedding gift he carved her a beautiful brown Owl. A family friends little girl loves Eagles, so dad surprised her with a carved Bald Eagle. Then one year when they were much smaller, the boys asked for sharks.

ND wanted a Hammerhead because he liked them,and thought they were cool.

And our oldest NW always  loved  Great Whites. He requested one , that had battle scars and holding a dead seal in its mouth. Dad did his best to make his oldest grandson happy:

Dad has now passed on his hand tools off to the boys.  He has promised to come for a visit and sit with them both teaching the art to his grandsons.  There are other sculptures in dads little office, he is slowly passing them off. I have asked why ? And he really won't give me an answer, but I think deep down he just wants to know they will go to a good home, and be appreciated.
I told him to see if my siblings want them, but if not, I would gladly take them we admire the hard work and detail that he put in to them. And they are something of my dads as well....and long after he is gone, they will still be here as his lasting mark on the world.

indpendence day...

  
It is very easy to to take liberty for granted in this country. People all the time misconstrue just how hard it was 240 years ago to gain our independence from Britain.
The Revolutionary War was long, hard  and very costly, over 50,000 died just on the American side, which is roughly the number of troops who have died or been injured in Afghanistan.
The majority of people back then was less then 3 million. so to lose 50,000 was staggering.

However people today are generally ignorant of what it took for America to gain her independence. It is irrelevant to them of what it took for those brave "Sons of Liberty" to begin an uprising that would ultimately result in a new country being born.

So, it got me thinking of quotes, there are many out there from our founding fathers and those brave patriots who died fighting for the cause. But, the one I found to be the most relevant in terms of our country today and where we are as a nation would actually be from Malcom X. Now I don't usually go around throwing his quotes out-but this one struck me as perfect for present day America:

"If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary."
--Malcolm X

Those patriots in the 1770s fought for what that word "freedom" meant, and they died for it.....

How many today would?  How many of the PC crowd would step up to the plate, pick up a rifle and defend their liberties?

Thoughts to ponder for this day....

I hope you all have a safe and blessed 4th of July. Take a moment though to reflect on that fact that you have the  "freedom" to be out celebrating this day... 
 

  

A home made bow, and Fathers Day etc......

Back during the fall I got these books for the boys, I think I did a blog post about them, but for some reason I can't find it. But that is irrelevant.

Our two reads them all the time, and have learned lots of useful information, so if you are the parent of boys I suggest you get them a copy

NW being the brilliant child he is, decided to follow the guidelines in the big red book and make a bow.While it is not very big, It is pretty useful and launched the little arrow he fashioned over 30 feet. I am proud of both of my boys for thinking of things that would be useful in a survival situation.

Fathers day was this past Sunday, and we got Senior a new T-Shirt. All of our Navy Friends love it...

My cousin in another part of the state is getting married tomorrow ( again). We were invited but because we have been back and forth to FLA so much, opted out and not attending. I bought a frame, and put together a single page scrapbook layout for her. 

I racked my brain trying to think of what wording I wanted to use. ND being the outspoken child he is, chimed in and said " Well given her track record I wouldn't put anything that says ever after, or together forever...you don't want to jinx her".

So I went with "live, laugh, love"......    For literally being thrown together in about 6 hours, I don't think it came out too bad:   

I don't condone the gay lifestyle and my thoughts and prayers do go out to the families who lost a loved one.  And I sure don't condone what this Islamic terrorist did on our soil. But given the fact that I am The "Jacked up glock mom". I find humor in what POTUS stated about my preferred weapon to carry.-The Glock
 
He neither knows the difference between a magazine and a clip, and has the ignorant ideology that it can have multiple ones inserted at the same time..

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/06/13/obama-omar-mateen-had-glock-which-had-a-lot-of-clips-in-it/

Memorial Day

An acquaintance asked where are the festivities this year for Memorial Day. I was happy when another person told them there is no " celebrations" , but there are memorial services and wreath layings.

It's not about picnics, partying or celebrating the official start of summer.
It's a day to remember complete strangers   that gave their life defending this great country, so that we may enjoy the freedoms when have today.

veggies have sprouted..and other stuff

 As you can see the bees have been busy pollinating our garden, we now have baby zucchinis, yellow squash and tomatoes. Our corn is about knee high now, and Friday ND planted his giant pumpkins. We got them in two months earlier then last years, so we just end up with some nice sized ones. .
 

Tropical storm Bonnie, has brought us some much needed rainfall, not overly heavy stuff, but a nice slow light rain that we have needed in this area.

In other news, our boys Baseball Team won the County Championship 6-5. It was a very thrilling game, and came down to an unassisted double play by our first baseman in the bottom of the last inning...  
 ND and NW both had a stellar season. ND recorded no strikeouts in the regular and we hoped that would have given him an All Star team birth..but that was not the case, as little league politics would go, they went with some other kids who were less then talented. Thus, I had the dubious task of drying the tears, and giving hugs and comfort. NW being the best catcher in the league was picked...but, brotherly love kicked in, and seeing how they chose kids who had a bad season over his brother who had an excellent season...he pretty much told the coaches to go pack sand.    We let the decision be up to him, no matter what he did we would have supported him.
Senior and I decided along time ago to empower our children to make their own decisions. we laid the facts out for him, and let him sleep on it. I was very proud when he called the coach himself the next day and broke the news.  Needless to say, coaches weren't happy.

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.....

-JUGM