Christmas traffic...ugggg!

 

We hit the road early Friday morning for Florida. It had been a month since I saw my parents and longer since I last visited with my sister.

Words of wisdom: Never travel to Florida after Christmas and Prior to New Years. I forgot about all the darn college football bowl games. OMG!!!!!  Every one and their mother was going to Florida this past Friday.
Three miles from 95 on 26 the back up began. We first thought it was a major wreck. But no! From there on to the SC/GA stateline traffic maybe moved 10mph. We should have been there around 2ish. It was after 3 when we finally got to our hotel. *Sigh*
Then we were off and running to first visit old friends, then we decided to stop in and surprise my parents. No real change-Mom is still bad. But she was happy to see us, and I can tell the grandkids being there cheered her up a bit.

Saturday, Senior dropped the kids and I back off with my parents and went to visit our buddy Stephen. While they hung out, I tried to do things for my parents around their house while the kids were driving my mother wonky with their remote controlled helicopters, so much so that she insisted we leave. She was becoming agitated and was ready to rest. So, Senior picked us up and the four of us took off to some of our old stomping grounds. One place was to go crazy buying fresh shrimp to bring home and boil.

That evening, we all met at my sisters for dinner and to have "Christmas" with my family. Mom was not feeling well and only stayed for a short time. I kissed her and hugged her and hoped it was not for the last time.

The boys made out like bandits with my sister-ND got two Star Wars Lego Sets, and NW got 2 models. plus gift cards for shopping. She is a good Auntie!

Sunday we left to head back home. Only we were smart and once we crossed in to SC we got off 95 and took an alternate route. No traffic except the occasional old lady driving her buick to church. It was a peaceful drive and actually turned out to be a really nice weekend.
You know its always good to get away, but there is no place like home and no bed like your own. And as for that shrimp...yea we threw down last night with low country boiled shrimp and grits...

-JUGM

Common Core Parody

I saw this on an anti-common core facebook page, and had to share it.  Common Core is a travesty , and is completely "dumping down" the kids of this country. Here in South Carolina the Govenor signed the bill to overturn it, however a new panel was chosen to re-write the curriculum only they have based it off the Common Core standards and just put lipstick on a pig..

I can relate to this mom, because I too have pulled out my hair trying to help my kids with their math homework...

it was a good Christmas

Why is it the holidays without a load of family end up being the best ones? Santa brought the boys remote controlled helicopters. It was no time before ND had his stuck up at the top of  50 foot tree. After Senior lobbed multiple footballs and arrows tied with string, it finally came loose.

Santa brought me this really cool pink camouflage pellet gun. Mainly to have fun shooting with the boys...

 ND had wanted these battleship targets since the summer, so he used alterior motives and got them for his dad as a present

It is a fun shooting game, but with little kids you better bring your patience because with the way they shoot it will take all day..lol

A nice Christmas topped off with some shooting is always a plus in my book.

Got all your wonderful Christmas wishes on my previous post..thank you all and we
hope your Holiday was just as blessed.

-JUGM

My most memorable Christmas

 

Growing up in a household that was 1/2 Italian and 1/2 heinz 57 made for some fun holidays. My mother was the Italian part..The cooking would commence the start of Christmas week, and last until the Eve. Food would abound in our house. Then there is the dishes all the relatives would bring in.

Christmas Eve dinner was purely Italian. Every pasta, sauce and dessert imaginable. It was the one time of year my parents let us kids sip red wine- a big thrill! 
The one Christmas I remember most was when I was 7. My grandmother had been diagnosed with Lung cancer and  was  given 3-6 months to live. I knew this would be my last with her.
She sat in a chair and I next to her on the floor while we opened presents. I held her hand and wished it would last forever. I burned everything from that Christmas in to my mind, never to forget it.

That next March she passed. After that, Mom stopped the Italian food and Christmas was never the same.

 So, Once Senior and I were married. I started the tradition up again with my own little family. I have cooked meatballs, fresh bread, boiled spaghetti noodles, and my special sauce. The house smells heavenly. Christmas Eve is a magical time. I love seeing the excitement on the little faces of our boys, and I am so thankful for the things we have and my family to celebrate this Christmas with.

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas !

-JUGM

origins of greetings...

I always find it fun to research the origin of things. So, with all the hub-bub-aloo with wishing people " Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays" I decided to put my fingers to work on the ole computer and find out is saying "Happy Holidays" really all that taboo by Christians.

The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Messe. The Cristes-messe referred directly to the specific date set aside for the Mass of Christ, a commemoration of the birth of Christ. The word became “Christ Mass” in Middle English and then “Christmas” in modern English. To wish someone “Merry Christ Mass” or “Christmas” was to wish them to be filled with joy on the singular day set aside to recognize the birth of Christ.

But, I bet a lot of people did not know that "happy holidays" comes from the old english "halidaeg" "Hali" meaning "holy" and "daeg" meaning "day" So, those days were meant to be kept holy and free from work or any labor. Therefore, then or now, to wish someone “Happy Holidays” is to wish them happiness from the first night of Advent through the Feast of the Epiphany, including Christmas. For me, I use to be one of those that despised being wished "happy holidays" but now, after thoroughly searching and learning its origins, I find it completely okay.

So, there you all have it. A short but sweet origin of both seasonal greetings. Whether you say one over the other..both are steeped in religious belief and my personal christian roots.
 I am sure it drives all  Non-believers, liberals and people who retain political correctness completely nuts to wish them one of these religious greetings.

So for all my wonderful blog followers... I wish you all :

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

-JUGM

wow!

NYPD officers send a powerful message to Mayor DeBlasio as he entered to hold a press conference on this afternoons execution of two officers.

RIP officers Ramos and Liu.....

from a galaxy far, far away

This is for all the " Star Wars" fans out there. One clever home owner in California did this fantastic light display. It was recently featured on ABC's " Christmas light fight" 

boys and mud

 

"The world is mud-licious

and

puddle -wonderful"

 - ee cummings

 

What is it about dirt and water that draws a boy in ? They see a puddle and simply can't help themselves. They must throw rocks and watch the water splash. They must try to build some sort of fort and a moat and slay dragons.   The lure of mud is better then any toy you can give them.  I love to watch them outside playing, the imaginative things they create and to stand back and do all the wonderful things that makes them "boys"

 

-JUGM

? for you...

 

How do you keep a turkey in suspense? 

as the rooster crows...

 I know this is silly, because for most of you a crowing rooster is a dime a dozen and a daily occurrence. But, these are our first experience with owning chickens, and we were over the moon today when one of our Banty Roosters aka: "The God Father"  (It's a long story) . Found his voice and has been singing ever since :

The holiday hangover

 

 

Thanksgiving is over. and I feel like I just came off an all nighter during fleet week, and dealing with the worse hangover ever.  The parents came in, and We bent over backwards trying to make their stay as nice as possible. But with mom it is hard. We had the news on and all the coverage was about Ferguson. My parents had no clue and we had to explain it all to them.

The weather on Wednesday did not cooperate and here we were all stuck inside this single wide trailer together.
Thanksgiving went okay, then my Uncle ( dads brother) and his lady friend came over for a short visit. I loved the visit because they brought some really yummy goodies.
My parents made a brief appearance this morning, then headed out for the drive home. Yes they made it there okay.
Now, I feel worn out. Like all I want to do is veg out on the couch with Senior. Why is it you like having company, but like it even more when they leave? .  *sigh*

I think I will go warm up some pecan pie and top it off with ice cream.....

-JUGM


 

 

Thanksgiving.

I am wishing all my blogger family A Happy Thanksgiving now. My parents are driving up today and will be here until Saturday ( prayers please). And I won't have much time to be on here until after they go.

I hope you all have a wonderful, and blessed Holiday. Prayers for you all, for our troops and those who can't be home this day to spend it with their loved ones, and Special prayers for our country, and this tumultuous time we are experiencing..

God Bless,
JUGM and Family

just in time for Christmas....

" In a bold move today that is sure to create controversy among fans of the company, Mattel announced its new Barbie doll; ‘Public Assistance Barbie’ will be marketed directly to inner-city youths and children of welfare recipients.

”Since 1959 Barbie dolls have been through major changes to reflect the times we live in. Today with over 40% of Americans on some sort of public assistance, we felt the time was right for ‘Public Assistance Barbie,” said Mattel spokesman Rick Reynolds. “After doing research on people receiving assistance, we have come out with what we think is a fair and sensitive portrayal of that kind of person with our new doll. Each Public Assistance Barbie will come with a new Cadillac, Puma sweats, a pack of Newports, an Obama phone, an EBT card, and a rack of Budweiser. She will also come in three styles: heavily tattooed and pierced, pregnant and smoking, and a ‘black eye’ version from when drunken Ken beat her for not paying the cable bill. Public Assistance Barbies will be on the shelves in time for your holiday purchases, and will come in special theft-deterrent boxes. EBT cards cannot be used to purchase, unfortunately.”

“That is the most racist shit I ever heard of,” said Laquisha Lamont, a welfare recipient in Queens, New York. ”That’s stereotypical bullshit. I ain’t got no Cadillac! I do wear Puma sweats, smoke Newports, and I have a tramp stamp, but I drive a Chrysler 300, and that ain’t no Caddy! It’s so typical for them to make a doll like that, and show it off on kid’s TV. Now I will have to get one for my daughter when my unemployment check comes in. Damn toy companies!”

-courtesy Empire News.Net

leaf-pocalypse

They are so darn pretty when changing and up in the trees..but, then they start to fall. We just did the darn things last Friday  Then again, we have done them every week since October but they don't stop falling, and this weeks winds did not help.
The word "more" is an understatement, it was tons. If Senior and I could figure out a way to sell them by the gross ton, we would be Gazillionaires..

When we do leaves, it is several hours of Senior on his mower with the bagger, dumping them in the ATV trailer and me hauling them off to the woods. Bagging them is not an option, besides, they don't make enough to handle all the leaves around here.

This is the mother of all oak trees. I couldn't begin to imagine the age of the ole girl. But she stands magnificantly over the property:

There are atleast 15-25 trees in and around the house, so we worked and raked piles around them. Makes for a nice view along our driveway as people come in.

 



 

And right when you think you are about done:

look!

 More leaves..

*SIGH*    

                                                

 

If there is any consolation...at least we are not up in Buffalo, NY. those poor folks wish leaves was their only problem..  Prayers fot them.

citizenship

Kids these days know way too much stuff and are so opinionated. Today while hearing about all the illegal immigration hubub-aloo....our oldest asked why these people are here illegally.
Then it went to "deport them"
then on to "arrest them, they are law breakers throw them all in jail"

Kids really do ask some pretty intelligent questions, and come up with some really good views and ideas on society.
 I am of the  belief that our world would be a much better place if  adults were to stand aside and let kids under 10 run it. 

Our conversation went to the fact that we know four people who came here from Italy, Jamaica, and Russia. All have successfully completed citizenship classes and were sworn in as U.S Citizens.  They are not on welfare, they learned our language, got jobs legally,  college graduates, and are productive citizens in this country. They did it all the right way, not the wrong way.

The little chat ended with "if our friends can do it, then why not everyone else" ?  hmmm  another question that makes me think.

-JUGM

PioneerPreppy....the early years..

Kymber,  and Sandy after all we three have been through  I know you both will appreciate that I found this picture of our buddy PioneerPreppy..

Yep It is a slow day here and I was bored.       : ) ~~

That Sux.....

 

Thank the Lord for the video option on phones, or friends might think your big catch is fishy..lol

 

 

Sunday Stuff....

Pelosi's war on women

so let me get this straight: Early this week Pelosi said a reporter questioning her ability to serve as minority leader is sexist.

BUT......  This same week when a fellow democrat ; Tammy Duckworth asked if because of her current medical condition of being 8 months pregnant and in a wheel chair if she could vote by proxy due to her doctor not wanting her to travel because of the late nature of her pregnancy.  All the vote is for, is to elect caucus leadership.
This request was denied by Pelosi

If you are unfamiliar with Tammy Duckworth, she is also an Iraqi war veteran and lost both her legs while serving. I may not agree with her politics, but she deserves more then that from the party she represents..  If I were her, I would change affiliation.

oh, BTW this is the same democrat party  who  pressed  for the passage of legislation to protect pregnant women in the workplace. In that legislation and I quote:

"The new guidelines from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission make clear that any form of workplace discrimination or harassment against pregnant workers by employers is a form of sex discrimination and illegal."

Pelosi is arguing that voting by proxy for caucus leadership is against the rules, and not allowed, and if they do it for one person then everyone will want to do it. But, several aids in anonymity have come out and said...that may be so, but  the caucus is allowing three members whose Election Day races have not yet been called to be allowed to vote, as if they've won reelection already. But, here you have a woman, a decorated war veteran who is undergoing a high-risk pregnancy, and they can't suspend the rules," said one of the aides.

so can someone please tell me who exactly has the war on women?

a question about chickens

This is Matilda..poor thing is constantly picked on by the entire flock. When I say entire flock I mean the big girls and all the Bantys too.  We have separated her and tried to reintroduce her back to them, but again they jump on her, pull out feathers and tear her flesh up. Its like chicken cannibalism... Ick!

Senior and I are constructing a new coop for the bantys and roosters. But any ideas with Matilda? I feel so darn bad for her, but I need ideas on getting her back into the coop  everything we have tried fails. As much as I like her and even though she is a real sweety she can't live in a box on our porch forever.  
Any help and is greatly appreciated...

The Old Veteran

I noticed him immediately as he walked down the aisle of the grocery store. He was dressed head to toe in his Dress Uniform. Obviously had just been at a Veterans Day memorial event.  He had so much hardware it "clanked" while he walked.We suspected he was in his middle 80s. probably saw time in WW11 and Korea.
 He actually looked a lot like the Veteran in the picture above.
He pushed his cart quietly without saying a word to  anyone or anyone for that matter saying a word to him.  Senior wanted to go shake his hand, but ND had to go potty.
So he took him while NW and I waited outside of the restrooms. They came out, and it was little ND who asked if he could go find the gentleman. Senior and I looked at each other, shook our heads and said "okay".
So, we searched the aisles...he was no where. We decided to leave. As we were heading to the check outs, there he was waiting in line. Senior asked ND if he still wished to go meet the soldier. He did.
So, he took both boys by the hand and led them over. I saw the brief exchange- ND shook the mans hand and Thanked him for his service.

Talk about tears came to this proud mothers eyes.. 

Thank you to all the Veterans just like this man who read this blog. Thank you for your sacrifice, and service to defend our great country. Thank you to the Wives, Children and other family members who kept the home fires lit while you were deployed. I definantly know it is not easy when they are gone..  

-JUGM

A Navy Flashback for Friday..

 

Definantly a cool pic of back in the day when "Ships Were Wood and Men Were Steel". Old Salts hanging out during the "Square-Rigger Navy" USS Mohican circa 1888

Fluke Flunked... : )

 

out of all of the loses from this past election--my absolute favorite would be that of Sandra Fluke. Well, that of Wendy Davis's ranks up there too, but this one was first on my list.
you remember  Sandra right? She was the field general for the "war on women" . She went to congress and testified that the government should pay for her birth control.
Well, her bid for California state senate failed miserably and she lost by some 21 % points.

Throughout this entire election season the democrats made the "war on women" a major issue. Kay Hagan (D-NC) introduced a librarian from Chapel Hill that said voting for Thom Tillis would take away her right for birth control. I kid you not when I say the woman even looked like Sandra Fluke, they could have been twins.
And in Colorado, the democrat made it a point to jump on board the "war on women" bandwagon. he made it such a point that Sunday one of his own supporters was heckling him at a campaign stop. His own people were sick of hearing about it.

But, at the end of the night, it was not about a woman's personal choice.... The voters of this country are tired of this, we are exhausted with this issue. It is jobs and the economy not contraception that drove this election. While the national unemployment  rate may be 5.5 %, we care more about the over 20% of unemployed that have stopped looking.

Our voice was heard...now let's see what action is taken.The GOP has been given a second chance.  But, be prepared- I watched BOs presser today, and he made it very clear through his stuttering words, and body language, that he has no desire to work with the new congress. The next two years should be quite interesting... 

-JUGM

our 20th!

He asked, I said "yes" The Navy chaplain who counseled us said we had nothing in common and would not last a year.
Well, here we are 20 years later. It has not been an easy road- lots of stupidity, trials, and tribulations.
But through all those dark times, the one word never uttered from either of us was "Divorce".
Somehow, through the grace of God we kept it together.And now  2 wonderful boys and 20 years later we are still together.
Being with Senior makes me a better person. He is my best friend, my love, and my soul mate. He is a awesome husband and loving and caring father.
Thank You for the past 20 years, I pray God blesses us with another 20.

A step back in time...

We bundled up and took the boys to a Revolutionary War Weekend. The encampment started yesterday but the weather was so atrocious that we decided to head over today and check it out. How appropriate to kick off this important election week with a little bit of revolt...

If there was ever a time in history that I would love to go back to and live in, it would be this time period. I suppose there is a certain romance about it that just draws me in.
 I think I have found my new calling and would love to serve as a reenactor. Men, women and kids all participated and after watching these people and seeing their campsites, I had to wonder how many of them are in the prepper community. I was amazed at the level of self sufficiency. I felt like we in our preps are no where as prepared or organized as some of these people. Made me take a step back and reevaluate my own preps.



Here are some pictures :

Senior did a panoramic of the entire battlefield

 

Our mouths began to water when we smelled this chicken on the spit:

 

 

Lining up for Muster:

  

 

A smoke ring after a cannon blast:

 

 I love this flag:



 

 

 

That is the Cornwallis house..it was featured in the movie "The Patriot"

 

After the smoke cleared for this particular battle, the British accepted the Colonial surrender. And  another history lesson was in the books. Our boys were amazed at the rifle fire, and cannon blasts.

 I  stood for a few seconds and wondered what the real battle scene back in 1780 must have looked like. I tried to imagine the scene in my mind, but could not come close to the real thing.The reenactors were lucky, they could get up and go home. But for those brave souls who fought for the freedom of this country they were not so lucky. I am so thankful for those patriots, how sad they must be for the way our country is now.

 

-JUGM

what scares us

Today being Halloween, I thought of my childhood fears, and as a child what always scared me the most.
For me, I had several : Witches,  strange noises, ghosts. But what really got me shivering with fright was CLOWNS.
I guess it was because as a child we had a creepy clown marionette. It was much like the one in the picture. My brother thrived on my fear of it, and would hang the dreaded thing over my bed and scare me with it. He would make a throaty sound and pretended it was talking to me. Another thing he would do was place it strategically in my closet and leave the door open, so I could see it from my bed/ I was forced to either hide under the covers, yell for my parents, or get up and slam the closet door shut.
I was so thankful for the the day that the strings broke  and my mother finally threw the evil thing out.
But, I seemed forever scared by the puppet, and to this day I still find clowns of any sort incredibly creepy.
So, on this Halloween...I ask you what are some of your childhood fears? 

A Quick Trip

Went down Tuesday, surprised my parents who had no idea I was coming. Caught grief from Mom because I made a quick trip down and did not bring the boys.
We all went to moms Dr. appointment Wednesday. Her weight is down some more.
Doctor still will not let her drive because of the medication she is on. So she decided to take herself off everything. Still did not work, Doctor said NO to driving. Mom argued and said she will never go back to see him and that indeed she will drive. Then we talked to him about her passing out, and being constantly dizzy. She has had a series of mini strokes, and Dr. explained that is why he did not want her out driving. She said my sister and I were lying, and out to make her look bad.
Doctor literally threw up his hands in disgust. He told her she was the most stubborn and hard headed patient he has ever had. And that she could basically do whatever. I think he is done with her, and just letting time takes its toll on her disease.

My dad still just sits there.. does not saying anything. I think she has worn him down as well.

After the appointment I got back on the road for the 5.5 hour drive. I know my mother is not well, because my  mother of old would have begged me to stay and go shopping or something. My mom these days, asks me to leave -there are no tears, no long goodbyes like she would years ago. All she wants to do is get back to her house, and stay in her bed with the TV remote.

 The drive seemed to take forever..but I made it. I pulled up in our driveway and was greeted by all my boys. They were waiting outside for me. I missed the daylights out of them. While I know I needed to go see my parents, I also hated being away from them. I was thrilled to be home.

Tomorrow is Halloween, and now I must get started on making the home made costumes. One is being a Ghost bound by chains. The other wants to be a zombie again. I said you were a zombie last year. But, he said I have not been a zombie in SC .
I love doing our own costumes, it is always a lot of fun to be creative and see what scary things we can come up with. Since we are no longer in a neighborhood for organized Trick or Treating, we are taking the kids to an area mall.

The weather here is turning cold, Rain tomorrow night then down in to the 30s. even snow over in the mountains. BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

something cool...part 2

Upon cleaning out more shoe boxes that my Father-in-Law used to store all his paper items. I came across several of these old journals that Harrington and Richardson used to print. This one is dated from the early 80s. They were sold for the bargain price of $1.50.

I particularly liked this article on the H & R Revolver, when first produced it sold
for a price of $5.50-$8.00.

I personally had not heard of this brand, so upon further investigation I found their website: H&R 1871 and they are indeed still in business. In 2000 they were aquired by Marlin Firearms.
I asked Senior, and while he knew the brand, he did not know of the jounals.



Anyways, something kind of cool and useful that I can flip through and learn something new, from something old. It will help once Senior is done constructing our range. 



 In other news, the weather here has been nothing short of gorgeous. This coming week will be a bit stressful, I am headed to Florida and showing up at one of my mothers doctors appointment... oh boy!

-JUGM

Something Cool

This is something cool that an ole retired Navy Master Chief friend had on his facebook. My buddy OLD NFO likes to do a weekly post of different military posters. So I know this one would be right up his alley.

My dad and  uncle were a couple of guys like this. Dad was in during Korea, and had a saying : " I was in the Navy when Ships were wood and Men were Steel"

My Uncle was in the Navy during Nam and talks about his days along the Mekong Delta with lots of excitement. I guess despite all the politics surrounding the Vietnam War, he and his buddy's had fun and he has some good memories of camaraderie.

Senior's first 10 years in  the Navy was still fun but then during the second 10 years the PC crowd began to take over, and the good times like Chiefs Initiations and Shellback ceremonies  slowly began to fade and have become a shell of what they used to be. Soon I guess, they will be a thing of the past..... so sad  *Sigh*.

-JUGM

a history lesson

I saw on the local news last night that the Vietnam Traveling Wall would be on display in a couple of towns over from us. I asked Senior if we could take the boys.
So, after leaving a mega gun show we drove over to the park where the wall was on display.

Very reverent site....

First thing was the items on display..Guns that were used, sleeping bags, clothing. You see in movies where the guys would write stuff on the side of their helmets, I saw it for real today. 
I got a chuckle from the Vet who was explaining the AK-47 to someone, the Vet was all up in arms about how Russians were really good at stealing designs from other people, and that in fact it was not Kalashnikov that created the AK but it was in fact the Germans.

Then there was the Traveling Wall Memorial:



Notes and pictures were laid on the grass of troops who lived in the area and died. One such item was an ole toy gun. The soldiers sister had placed it there and wrote a note to her brother, and was remembering when they use to play "Cops and Robbers"   Oh Man, I got weepy eyed.

This man in the red shirt, was a tour guide He explained the panels to the crowd.. Somethings I did not know, was that the wall begins and ends in the middle. The names on the first  panel marked the deaths in the first five months of fighting...the next panels represents the next five weeks...and so on, until one single panel represents the mortality rate in a 5 day span.

We headed over to another trailer with memorabilia and another Vet took the boys under his wing and gave them a verbal history lesson. He told us the story of the youngest known Marine who died in Vietnam. I was intrigued by the story, and a part of me found it hard to believe, so I came home and researched it, and indeed it was true.
 His name was Dan Bullock, and when he was 14 he altered his birth certificate and enlisted In Sept. 1968.
He made it through boot camp and in May 1969 was assigned as a rifleman 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, Fox Company 2nd battalion 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He died June 1969 when his platoon came under small arms fire one night. He was only 15.

RIP PFC Bullock.

This kid remains on my mind this evening. To put it in perspective,  when he enlisted he was only 5 years older then our 9 year old son.  As I think about this Marine, I wonder if Obama had a son would he have looked like PFC Bullock? Probably not.
This boys life could have taken so many other turns, but he knew at such a young age that he wanted to be a Marine. He fought bravely and along with over 58,000 other brave Americans he died for his country. The portrait of a Great American.

turnips and chicks...

Yep!  the seeds that spilt out of the bag two weeks ago have sprouted..It will be fun sorting through this mess.

We put the rest of the baby chicks in the coop. Took a day or two but everyone is getting along well . This little beauty is " Stella":

This is one out of the five roosters:

He is a little banty as a baby his head was all white and reminded us of a bald eagle so, we named him "Patriot" he is a mamas boy, when I go in the coop he always comes right up to me and follows us all around. 

A new friend and coyotes....

God has blessed us with some beautiful fall weather. This past weekend it was in the upper 30s here.
Sunday afternoon, we met up with some of our new group members at a local park.  One member has a son around the same age as our boys. ND and NW are thrilled to have a new friend, and some one that they have so much in common with.

The boys mother and I took the kids on a hike to explore...we found a really cool swinging bridge that the kids had a blast on. Of course I got queezy when they started running back and forth..felt like I was on a boat out in the middle of the ocean.

In other news, looks like we have some coyotes that have decided to make frequent visits to our little estate. We picked them up on our trail camera, and this morning Senior found tracks that led past the chicken coop and down behind the house and in to the woods.  

Speaking of Senior, getting the tractor has proven a wise investment. He loves that thing. We attached the tiller and he got down in the garden which had become overwhelmed with nutsedge weed. The stuff was out of control. So, he got in there and tilled the crap out of it. I was able to  salvage all my collard greens and transplant them in the freshly plowed area. I also added some brocolli, and was sowing in turnip seeds, when I accidentally dumped the bag of them upside down in one spot. So, I did the best I could getting them up, and just threw them out into the plowed section. Now, we are going to have turnips coming up out of the ying yang.....lol

Anyways.... Remember Ebola wasn't suppose to come here..well it's here and you should all feel safe knowing the TSA is in charge of screening people flying in from Africa.....

Have a nice day!  

- JUGM

Thats Messed Up !

 

A relative out in Texas posted this to her Facebook page this morning..   I don't mean to poke fun at a bad thing..but you got to admit, this is funny...