Up-Date

As the last year and a half has passed I've discovered that the cabin has a bog just out the backdoor, between the house and the outdoor toilet. There are two low places that get somewhat swampy after it rains the least bit. So - Monday, the 10th, I hired my neighbor from the cabin across the road (Number 17) to come in with his backhoe and dig a ditch which will (hopefully) allow the surface water to drain into the creek. For this job I had to buy three joints of six inch by twenty feet culvert pipe. Do you know that these culvert pipes now cost $50 plus tax per foot? Even tho this has been a very dry summer, the little rain we have had has caused the bricks which covered the path to the privy to begin sinking down into the soft soil. My cabin also needs re-inforcement of the under-pinning; which I hope I can start sometime after Christmas.

Meantime, Ed Williams and I continue to pretend to go hunting. I say "pretend" because we do not go quietly into the woods. We talk as we walk. Once in a while we will creep stealthily up on a deer or hog track which we spot in a soft muddy place - or we will "shush" each other to listen to squirrells bark. This last Monday was a bear/hog hunting day, so after we had supervised the ditch digging and laid the culvert into the ground we put on our international orange hats and vests, strapped rifles onto our shoulders and hiked out into the woods. What's the purpose of the international orange? It's so other hunters know that we are not a bear or deer or hog.(Or maybe, just to give the game animals a fair chance to spot us before we spotted them) I'm amazed at the stamina that Ed still has at 79 years of age. We walked up a logging road that went straight up the hill - I believe it was at least 60% grade (felt more like 80%) and tho I am 10 years younger I know that I was as winded at least as much as he was. Of course Ed walks two miles almost every day of his life. He did confess after we returned to the cabin porch that he would not need to walk his two miles now!

We enjoyed our meal that day for both of us had worked up an appetite after our two mile (which felt like ten) hike into the forest.

It's Hunting Season

Dear Season was a 9 day hunt beginning the Saturday before Thanksgiving and ending the Sunday after the big "Turkey Day". I only managed two days of hunting during that time. Really only a day and a half. But - I thought - how good God is that I did not have to unload all things needed for a campsite, nor put up a tent, nor suffer from the cold. I have this wonderful cabin where I have a bed already set up, a gas stove just ready to light, with cooking pots hanging on the wall. All I have to take is clothes and food. I am so THANKFUL. On the last day of my hunting I got terribly sick, head and stomach both upset, but I'm still thankful because that has been two weeks ago and I have not had a full cup of coffee since then. I'm not saying I've quit coffee - but so far I just don't want it.

Saturday morning (Dec. 1st) I went to the cabin and spent the night. I did not realize it but there is a bear/hog hunt on right now or I would have taken a rifle. The road was heavy with traffic with hunters and their dogs. One of them told me that his group had already killed two bears and a deer this year. It's quite a site to see. Son-in-law Rick came up and spent most of the day with me but left about 5:00p. It was a very quiet and pleasant night. I felt so cozy inside the cabin with the gas heat on and sleeping in my sleeping bag. I cooked beef tips for lunch Saturday, plus had bananas, grapes, raw carrots, jello, oranges, plus cookies for dessert. Sunday morning I fried bacon, two eggs, cooked grits, and had decaf coffee before going to Church at the Towee Church about 3 miles from the cabin.

A youngster about 14 years old (Colby Goforth) was there that morning to sing Southern Gospel style. I've never heard better. I think he will do well if he pursues this as his career. He had professionally done soundtracks, played on a boom box with the church's microphone laid down in front of it. Just 32 total people present (according to the old-fashioned Sunday School board which hung on the wall up front) - but you would have thought he was singing to a concert crowd. I liked this kid. He sings with a group known as The Master's Messenger's. Yes, they also asked me to sing, so I did one of David Beatty's songs, "It's Different Now".

When I got home Sunday afternoon I found Frances wrapping gifts for the children and grand-children. The table was full, the counter was full, and gifts were sitting in the floor. Our daughter had come Saturday and took her Mom to Wal-Mart to Christmas shop and Frances talked of what a great time they had together shopping. I went to bed at 10:00 and she was still happily busy wrapping. She showed me a child's tea-cup set that we had bought one of at a "tent sale" for $10 - she found at Wally World for $4! LoL. With all our bunch (daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, we have 24 to buy for. It's fun for Frances - but I don't like shopping. That is - unless we are goiong to the sporting goods and/or tool store.

What do I want for Christmas? Really? Well, I think Frances is working on that. What I really want is to find out what Frances wants for Christmas......well......in fact she has already told me and I'm working on that. Isn't it exciting? I just love all the joy I see in other people's faces. I love the music, the decorated trees, the gayly wrapped packages, the gifts I give and yes, the gifts I receive. I also love the Christmas story, which is the story of Christ. There is a new "rap" Christmas "Carol" out there this year called "Christmas with a Capital C" It makes a statement about some of our traditional values which I like. You should hear it.

You can hear it by clicking on <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAckfn8yiAQ> .