Ann's place: Welcome!

I have spent most of this weekend working to recover my yard. My brother inspired me the day he came up to rescue me and make it possible for my refrigerator delivery men to actually get into the house. I went to Lyon's Hardware on Saturday and purchased a very reasonably priced basic push lawn mower which can be set very high off the ground and a weed eater exactly like John's so if I have any problems using it, I can call him and he will yet again come and rescue me with advice and practical instructions.

I worked hard. I sweated a lot. I accomplished a lot too. I am not finished. there is still one section of the yard that requires weed eating, but I got most of it cut and raked. I literally baled the yard. I must have carried off twenty wheel barrow loads of grass, weeds, twigs, and deer bones.  And this evening after a lovely hot shower, I can sit on my porch and enjoy a glass of Syrah from the local winery and look at my lovely yard.

I was telling Paul earlier that it is now a "grandmother yard". The sort of yard that your grandmother used to have at her big house in the country. The grass is patchy and uneven, but neat and tidy and blanketed by large friendly shade trees; dappled with sun light, smelling of moss and damp earth.

I remember my summers at my great-grandparent's house in Speedwell, Ky. just outside Richmond. My sister and I would go with our grandmother (Mammy, the lady who taught me to read) to visit her parents for two weeks every summer. The days seems to run seamlessly into each other, one adventure after another until suddenly it was September and we were back in school. But oh what summers...innocent, golden, water colors.

This is my great-grandmother, Mary Todd, as a young woman. She always had chickens. I can remember gathering the eggs for her and having fried chicken for breakfast. Breakfast was a big meal then, when farm workers had to be fed. She killed the chickens, and scalded them and plucked the feather. My sister is to this day fond of the smell of scalded chicken feathers, though where she ever smells them now I do not know.

Here is a later portrait of her. She was never this stern. She was kind and gentle, and patient with two unruly little girls who invaded her home every summer. We called her "Isamama" When my grandmother's sister Verna married, she and her husband had to live with Isamama for a while and their little girl, my father's cousin Betty Ruth used to call each of them Mama. And when both the grandmama and the real mama would answer, the frustrated little girl would exclaim, "Not you, This Mama."  Is-a-mama.  She became Isamama to us all after that.

This is her with her husband, my great-grandfather, Cash Million Todd. He owned and ran a general store like my grandfather T.   Teri and I played in that store on our summer visits. Cash was a delightful man. Looking back I now know what a wry sense of humor he had and how much everyone loved and admired him. At the time,he was just "Grandy" and we just loved him. And he loved her dearly. I am not sure she loved him...but she was good to him and loyal. They made a life together. They had four children. They died within a year of each other in their very late eighty's. They gave me memories of unimaginable sweetness, like a beautiful rose set in amber. Forever young. Forever innocent. Forever summer.

Oh what a difference a brother with a weed eater can make. WoW!

...I love my brother.  Isn't he a doll?

I am here awaiting the intrepid delivery men from Lowe's.  At least I hope they are intrepid as they will need a lot of fortitude to get my old refrigerator to the basement and the new one into the kitchen. My house is wonderful, but like a wonderful woman, she ain't easy!

This is what they will be facing. But hey, that's their problem isn't it?  My Maytag has been flagging for some time now and I got tired of not having firm ice cream...a girl needs firm ice cream...no, I won't go there. I am worn to be good today.

So, at 7am yesterday I purchased a new Whirlpool. Now the bloody Maytag has decided to work today!  Rather than send it to the refrigerator grave yard, I am giving it a second chance and letting it live in the basement and be in charge of beer, soft drinks and large pots of soup in the wintertime. "Don't Screw UP Maytag or its the boneyard for you!"

Okay, that said, I am at home on a perfectly lovely here on the Branch. Let me just say, if you were buying weather, you couldn't afford this day. Fabulous! I have been having such a great summer that I have totally neglected all of you dear friends. I hope you will forgive me; I checked in on you all but was simply too lazy to participate.

My work is going well. We got our "Charlie" back on Monday and once again, all is right with the world. He was the missing cog in our smooth running machine. He is back from retirement and he was missed. My stress level has gone to Zero.

Went out on the river last Sunday when the temperature was somewhere in the neighborhood of the mean temperature of the sun!  Can you say "Melt Down!". But Ahhhh...it was nice to be out on the river with friends in a pontoon boat. We'd stop and get into the water to cool off and then off we'd go again.

There was a musical evening in downtown Frankfort on Friday last. The town fathers put them on to encourage people to come back downtown. It is held on the Old Capitol lawn and is always a fun evening. One eventually runs into everyone he knows! On this particular evening, a sudden thunderstorm came up and sent people scampering for shelter. We stood in the doorway of Seriphini's Restaurant, which was once an old drug store. We watched the crowd scatter and the water run down the street as the rain danced on the sidewalk. The cool air that brought in the rain sent shivers down our arms. It smelled like new hay and summer.

My mother just called, she has family visiting. Wants to bring them up to my house for "the tour". I told her my yard is a disaster.

So she it taking matters into her own hands and calling my brother. lol! "Get over there and help your poor old sister! She has delivery people coming!" I can hear her. Actually, she doesn't want the relatives to see how trashy I am. Bahhh Haaaa!!

Take care all. Hope to be more active in future. But when the porch calls me and has a Gin and Tonic waiting...ah well, one never knows.