November

November has been a fabulous month!

I have aged a bit since my last blog, having turned 32 on the 9th. I have always felt fortunate to have a birthday so close to Thanksgiving for it really makes me reflect upon the blessings in my life. This particular birthday has been quite special. Danny and I were so happy to have my parents visit and celebrate the special day; it was my first time spending a birthday with Mama and Daddy in twelve years! Besides the three home-grown humongous bales of tasty hay for the livestock from Bledsoe Farms, my sweet mother delivered a homemade red velvet cake, with cream cheese icing! It is the most delicious cake in the world; she could sell it. Many years ago I watched and help her make one and realized it truly is a labor of love! It even converted Danny into a red-velvet lover! This cake was a staple in our diet for about two weeks because the cake remained fresh until we were able to eat the entire thing, enjoying each slice. A huge accomplishment for Danny and me for we rarely eat sweets. Thanks, Mama!

I was so flattered with all the calls, cards, and text/email messages that I received from friends and family; over 20 people remembered and acknowledged my birthday and I thought that was something special. What a blessing to feel so loved!

After three weekends of entertaining, Danny and I had a weekend with no guests. While it's nice to have friends and family around, it's also nice to have a little time alone. These weekends are usually when we do much-needed work yet try to squeeze in a horseback ride. :) We set posts and beams for a new cow shed in the barnyard. For the past year or so, we have been feeding the cows round bales of hay in the peanut wagon, both from Bledsoe Farms. Remember, this is the peanut wagon that Mama and Daddy flipped on Friday, January 13th, 2006. Daddy was run off the road on one of these mountain curves; when he went left to get back on the road, the peanut wagon went right. They, Mama, Daddy, and their Guardian Angels, were pulled down the bank of the road from the force of the out-of-control wagon and stopped about two feet in front of a telephone pole. One of Daddy's euphemisms is that they had a "little bit of good luck and a little bit of bad luck." If you were to travel the road they were on, you could see how fortunate they were to be beside an open flat pasture when the usual shoulder is a boulder or a guard rail on a steep drop-off. Anyway, the peanut wagon frame is now warped and never sits on all four tires therefore making it a difficult climb in and out, especially in rainy or snowy weather. We would try to protect the hay from the elements by placing a tarp over it, but it was a pain because it usually collected rain, snow, and ice. I do not like pitching hay under a saggy, soggy tarp, but it was the best we could do until this past weekend! What another blessing, to remove such a daily hassle out of my life. I am so thankful to have such a talented and smart husband who happens to have many more skills than besides carpentry.

We were able to spend Thanksgiving day with the Arnold's, all except the Little family and Gordy's kids. Danny's mom fixed a delicious meal of turkey and gravy, stuffing, corn, green-bean casserole, sweet-potato casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pumpkin pie. A traditional Thanksgiving meal to be thankful for followed by games and home movies. We enjoyed our time together with the family very much. We spent the night and enjoyed breakfast the next morning. Thanks, Mom!

Danny and I got a few tasks accomplished on the trip. We were able to enjoy the sunshine while loading many useful materials on Danny's trailer from Steve's old jobsite. I thought it was nice to work off some of that meal from the day before! We had an uneventful trip home, with the exceptions of stopping by some friend's houses, Mike Clodfelter and Timmy Shives. Danny's brother, Peter, has been doing some carpentry at Mike's so it was nice to see some of his handiwork while visiting with Mike. We also bought another automatic watertrough from Mike, like the one we have at our barn, for the cows over at the Fowler Farm. Danny and I recently bought three cows from Steve to leave over there to help keep the pasture down. Next summer, Danny intends to harvest hay from there as well. We saw Tim for the first time since Worth's passing. He was cheerful and like the Tim I remember meeting. On Thanksgiving night we had a brief visit at Gordy's house; Danny was able to see yet another bit of a brother's handiwork. We were blessed and thankful to see friends and family.

This past weekend we had a friend of ours bring his 14 year old son to spend the night for they were attending the App State playoff football game on Saturday. Big Dave came and helped Danny put rafters on the cowshed. As soon as David left, Jonathan and Liza arrived to start the second shift with me. Danny had a lot of patience with his crew. It took me a while to acclimate myself on the roof and move about freely on the rafters. Jonathan was cutting with experience similar to my experience of trekking on the roof. While slow, we were still of some help. Cindi came for soup and crackers and helped us with the third shift. She and I had a good time of clumsily nailing tin. Cindi remarked on the speed and accuracy of Danny's work several times, and I totally agree with her. I guess I have become accustomed to seeing him work with such vigor, so I'm glad she pointed it out for me to appreciate. After nailing the last sheet of tin at dark, we enjoyed a trout dinner provided by Jonathan and Liza's last fishing expedition. The next morning, we all went to Banner Elk Christian Fellowship for the morning service. We've been once before, after finally accepting one of Alex's (the contractor for which Danny works) invitations to attend. Danny just completed an addition to this bustling, growing church and has grown fond of the pastor. The highlight of the service on Sunday was the song of worship presented by Cindi and her mother, who accompanied on the piano. While giving all glory to God, they are a beautiful duo to watch and listen. We enjoyed yet another meal together! We were yet again thankful for a weekend blessed with safety, good health, and time with friends and family.

While working on the new cowshed, Cindi asked if I had a name for it, probably since I name just about everything; naming helps identification of an animal or a structure. I suggested the dining room or the cafeteria because it is designed for the cows to eat a round bale of hay in the dry. Cindi pegged the new name for the cowshed in the barnyard, the Messhall.

Monday had 100% rain predicted so Danny decided to take advantage of his time off to retrieve more supplies from Burlington. We decided to take Danny's '79 GMC dually with the horse trailer and his worktruck with the flatbed trailer. On Thanksgiving, we hauled Worth's old truck to his father-in-law's house and on this trip we hauled Worth's old paint horse down to his wife's house. Well, we hauled him half-way. Danny and I were driving the old truck with the horse and David and Chrissy Clawson followed behind in Danny's work truck. About half-way down, we had a "little bit of good luck and a little bit of bad luck". The GMC erupted a sound like a shotgun blast and immediately lost all power. After one more loud blast, the truck was dead. And it was raining. I was so proud of Danny for how calm and collected, as phrased by Chrissy, he remained! Poor Danny had to climb all under the hood and under the truck, in soupy clay and dirt, to investigate the problem. For three hours we tried, with many hopeful sounds and even a few cranks, but the end result not favorable. During the fourth hour, we waited on Mike, who happened to be traveling to Wilkesboro and passing our breakdown point in his truck that is capable of hauling our gooseneck trailer! With his help, we were able to load the broken-down truck onto the flatbed trailer behind Danny's work truck that he hauled to Peter's house. Meanwhile, Mike and I hauled Pecos to Worth's house and then the trailer to Peter's. Poor Pecos was jerked out of his cozy stall that morning, shoved in a trailer, and stuck on the side of a road where people rarely moved to the passing lane thereby spraying us with rain puddles. After keeping and feeding the horse for 2 1/2 years, I thought my goodbye would be more sad, but I felt comfort in releasing Pecos into his home pasture with horses he seemed to remember and vice versa. Danny and I had worried the horses would beat on Pecos, like ours do. With the cold air and ground, Pecos has been having a harder time with his sore leg so we felt he would appreciate a flatter pasture. I hope he's comfortable and his home pasture is his last home.

After reuniting at Peter's, we departed on our journey home, which was safe and uneventful. We enjoyed a nice meal at Ruby Tuesday's. The day was actually a really fun day, except for the messy work environment for Danny. We laughed a lot and enjoyed the time with David and Chrissy. They are our best friends up here, and always a hoot to be around. Today the rain is clearing out with the gusty and blustery winds forcing the clouds away, revealing that intense mountain-blue sky.

I suppose anyone reading is as weary as I am typing so I'm going to stop and go outside to soak in some sunshine. Next time, I feel that after sufficiently updating on our blessings of family and friends, it is time to begin writing about my animals. Afterall, this blog is named Barntales.

Family

I read a quote once that said something like, "Family is God's way of giving us permanent friends." While not all families are close, I am proud to boast that my family is pretty fond of each other. Danny and I had a lovely visit from our "Memphis" cousins, Jim and Pat Bledsoe, this past weekend. They had been visiting Pat's ill sister in Virginia and were able to spend the weekend with us on their return trip home. On Saturday, we were fortunate to entertain lifelong friends of Danny's, Jack and Louise Leonard, for the day. They were coming from Abingdon, Virginia, having been the night before to the Barter Theater to see Driving Miss Daisy. I jokingly told my mom we were getting a lot of Virginia backwash that weekend. Honestly, I'm extremely thrilled we are in a place they can fit into their trips and hope it becomes routine! Even if the relationships are distant cousins or no blood shared at all, it felt like a time full of family to me.

Danny was such a gracious host, taking us to lunch for soup, sandwiches, and ice cream, with a trip to the peak of Roan Mountain included. It was a clear day yet particularly windy at the summit of the Roan, so we didn't do any hiking to the most scenic overlook; if the leaves were not a bit passe, we might have been a little disappointed! Nonetheless, we admired the winding views of the route, analyzing ridgelines and designs in the land below. This is something I love about the mountains, being able to see so many locations from different perspectives. It amazes me, and I believe our guests as well, to see the dimensions of the slopes because of the shadows cast by the sun, various angles of familiar landmarks, and the difference in temperatures between sunlight and shade.

The highlight of the trip was when our tourguide decided to explore the trail, more specifically the 4-wheeler trail, that recently had been cleaned of briars and other natural debris. In other words, we were four-wheeling in a six-wheel truck! While this is not new to Danny and me, for we have taken Mama and Daddy on this same journey, we thoroughly enjoyed the reactions to the trek. Born and raised as a flat-lander, I understand the concern that must pass through people's minds as we are headed downhill directly toward the back of our house. We put a lot of trust into Danny's truck and driving ability because he is typically the one driving. We joked truthfully about the timing of Danny's mechanic work on the front right brake earlier in the week. While explaining how one "ball-hoots", or loses traction, down a mountain, we safely made it to the gate that at first seemed so far below. It was such a fun day - pausing to take pictures, laughing, and conversing. We truly enjoyed the companionship.

I love to show people the beauty of where we live, the talented work Danny accomplishes, the life we have grown into and love. I had this same opportunity last Friday as well. Wesley and Linda White, lifelong farmers and friends from Dooly County, visited us last Friday. I was able to show them a small piece of Danny's handiwork before we all ate at Times Square Diner. We hear some more farmers may be coming this weekend! What a blessing to have family and friends so many continual weekends!!

While speaking of family, last Thursday was a big day for Granny, my grandmother and only surviving grandparent. She left her home in Pinehurst, her home of so many years, to live with my aunt, Edith because of her poor health. I can't imagine how she must feel. She will be 88 in January and must be overwhelmed with her sudden change in routine. Granny caught pneumonia about three weeks ago and is having a difficult time overcoming the illness and the strength she lost. She has a nurse aide with her during the day while Aunt "Tiny" keeps a watch on her at night. I know Granny enjoys the company; I hope it lifts her spirits and enhances her health.

More family updates...My sister, Beth, threw her husband, Johnny, a surprise 50th birthday party. I hear it went really well. Wendy and Alan, my sister and her husband, were able to have a few days with Mama and Daddy. Tommy, my brother, was courting Jill, his gal. :) The Arnold family is still relishing their time with Cindi, Jonathan, and Liza. We have enjoyed several times with the Westbrook's as well - church, horseback riding, and eating. This year Danny and I will spend Thanksgiving in High Point with the Arnold family.

Cold air and gusty winds have invaded Hicks Hollow this morning. Our windmill has been spinning furiously. Danny is sick with a cold and I am fighting catching it. We've been puny at night and sleeping easily with the new time change. The dogs are enjoying their new blankets (bwankies) on the front porch; the kitty cats are enjoying the woodstove and occasional sunspots. The horses are frisky in the morning, but such angels when fed in their stalls. The cows are cows, Jill still fed in the barn and groomed twice a week. Woodsplitting is a common activity right now for Arnold Acres as we welcome in the fall weather. I'd better go stoke our fire.