Really Michael !

  Really Michael, that's all I could say when my son texted me that Uncle Mike was not going to live very much longer.

   Not really Michael like I am mad or disappointed, or anything like that. More like Really,Michael I am so not ready for this. As you would say if we we actually having this conversation, " It doesn't matter if you are ready it's coming." Then you would laugh make some totally awful joke and punch my arm lightly( well lightly in your mind) and move one to a whole new conversation.

  If you knew Michael, you will understand , Tupperware, beer, and dancing. All those words in someway describes Michael. I will never not think of Michael when I hear those words. 

  I met Michael when I was 25.  His presence was bigger than life, full of energy and light. I saw it clear as day from the street far below, as I looked up, Jim saying to me that's my brother Mike, don't worry he only thinks he's scary. I got that idea as well, as he held one nephew or another upside down at the top of the stairs demanding a bribe to allow the child to pass. There was no fear in the boys eyes or even his voice as he tried to speak over the laughter. " And that is my nephew Joey, that is being held for a toll." " Uncle Money Uncle Money, help me help me!" That was Joey hollering in-between the laughing bubbles, to who I couldn't exactly figure out, until Jim jumps out of the car digging into his pockets pulling out change as he jogged across the street, and then threw it up the steps at Joey. Jim jumps back in the car proudly saying, " and I am Uncle Money" waving at the now large group of people standing on the top of the stairs as we drive on by. That was my first glimpse of my future family and the one of the best bother in laws a girl could ask for.

  For so many years Michael was always there, we lived with him, he lived with us, we lived with him again, we lived down the street from him. He lived up the street from us. He had a key to every house we ever lived in and didn't need to knock. I was so use to Michael being with us that I at times suffered withdraw when he wasn't around.

  There are, were certain things that you could count on when Michael was coming to the party, no matter what the party was. He alway brought humor, no matter how sad the occasion Michael could make you smile and feel good even if only for the briefest of moments. 

Strength and stability, no matter how bad or trying a situation could be he was alway able to handle it and bring about a solution that not only worked but was timely. I should know Mike rescued me so many times, and I never once saw his feathers ruffle or his cool get heated, and always ,always, once he had helped me fix what ever it was that needed fixing, he would make me laugh, and not feel like a complete idiot. Don't get me wrong, I have seen Michael get angry, just never at someone needing help. 

Music, not a single note could be playing but when Michael walked into the room you heard music, maybe because even when he walked he looked like he was dancing, and was often singing. 

Something else he would bring to the party, and that was DANCE. There was no worries about dancing at your party, if Michael was coming,  he was dancing and he wasn't dancing alone. The excuse," I don't know how to dance" or " I don't know this dance" wouldn't work with Michael, nope he would teach you, right then right there, he would teach you. No one sat, there were no wall flowers when Michael was around. 

His abounding love for life, for people, and for his family always showed no matter what, it was always there. 

 Generosity, Michael would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, but he was more than that when it came to generous, he would give as much of himself as was needed to help you, to make you feel loved, wanted, needed, cared for. What ever it took Michael was down for it.

  While Michael was no saint he was one of the best men I have had the pleasure to know, to love and to share a part of my life with. 

  So with a tear running down my cheek and a sadness in my heart I say " Really Michael, Really, this was just too too soon." 

  In reality I know the tears and that sadness is for me and me alone, because there isn't a doubt in my mind that 

    Michael, with a Beer-stein in one hand and a large stack of Tupperware in the other greeted his Mom and Dad as well as so many others he loved with a smile on his face, saying " Let's get this party started"

 Rest In Peace Michael Kennedy, you always be remembered the good the bad and most of all that you danced, when you had the chance you danced!

Once Upon A Time!

  Once upon a time in a world just to the left of real, was the land of perfect. Why was it perfect, and why was it to the left and not the real world? I don't know but as the story goes I hope we find the answers to those and any other questions we might have.

   Anyway in that land to the left, the land of perfect, the sun sun was shinning, it was deliciously warm and the rain coming down was a gentle massage keeping one cool as they walk. The sky was a perfect sky blue pink as it always was with the fluffiest of clouds that changed shaped flawlessly without effort keeping any who care to watch entertained. Laughter rang in the air like notes of music to a favorite song, and the birds , well there were no birds, at least not that one could see. The trees bending ever so slightly in the lightest of breezes, so heavy with foliage made the perfect home for birds, bees, and so many other creatures that would rather not be seen.

  If one were to walk down what appeared to be the Main Street of Left World they would enjoy all the sounds and smells of a bustling world, horns honking, car engines roaring, cell phones ringing, thousands of voices all speaking at once, and the smells so pungent so full, coming at ones senses like a one two punch, garbage, motor oil, and gasoline  cooking fats, decay, and even the occasional breath of sweet country air. If one were to walk down Main Street those are the sounds and smells one would encounter, but there would be nothing to see. 

  Not a person, not a car, truck or bicycle, not a store, or gas station, not even a street let alone a street sign. There was nothing, no matter what direction one might turn there was nothing. except for the sky there wasn't even any color.

  One could feel it smell it hear it, but IT wasn't able to be grasped, touched or most of all seen. Walking towards the trees and low hanging clouds is a lesson in walking backward while moving forwards. With each step one takes in the direction of the trees, the trees appear to float even further away. In the colorlessness of this world it is more of a shimmer than a float, and with each shimmer the feeling gets stronger that one is walking backwards while stepping forward

 There is no fear, no panic, not even a sense of urgency. It is as if time is standing still and it will never run out. One just keeps walking stepping forward constantly aiming for the trees. Never quit reaching them

 Happy songs come and go the notes of their music leaving bright light trails in the sky, criss crossing one another making fancy bows like on a Christmas package. Catchings ones attention completely unwilling to let it go, teasing, utterly distracting, dulling the sense of disappointment one has at never making it to those trees. After all there is no rush there is all the time in the world and it will never run out. Still one can't totally shake the desire, the need, to get to those trees.

One knows without knowing, that they are completely safe, happy, in fact perfect right where they are standing, yet one just can't seem to sake the need, the pull to get to those trees. One foot in front of the other, no matter what. The songs sing, the laughter rings, the cheerful sounds of greeting call to you making you feel welcome, wanted and still the trees beckon, one must simply get to the trees.

  It is alright there is no hurry, of one goes slow and steady, if one focuses, and lets the songs and laughter fade, one will eventually get there.

   Looking down, watching each step one takes feeling the strength and determination that every footfall requires, like trudging in the deep soft sand in oversized work boots, no longer hearing anything but ones own breathing in the silence that surrounds them, one moves ever steady forward, to finally look up and see, they have made it to the edge of those elusive far away trees.

  The flutes play, sweet voices raise up to the sky, the sun shines brighter than it has before, foot lifted poised to take that first step into what promises to be the Land Of Perfect, and

   The Alarm Goes Off!

Birds and flowers

  

   Spring is still springing here and the blooms are a sight to see. So much color and the sweet scent in the air is just delightful. I am not a fan of Spring it is my least favorite season but there are a few things about it that I do enjoy and the flowers are one of them. They seem to be brighter and taller and somehow more whimsical in the damp coolness of spring. 

   The aroma some flowers have that floats lightly in the air and gently catches you by surprise is always a welcome pleasure. I am not a Spring fan but small pleasures like these make the season bearable.

   Birds, I love birds and spring time is the best when it comes to birds. 

  They are every where. You can hear them, see them without even trying. Spotting birds you have never seen before or rarely see is most likely to happen in the spring. Normally I would be out hiking and looking everywhere for birds, birds to hear, birds to watch and birds to picture. This year or so far this spring I have been extremely busy, and the season has been overly wet, wet enough that flooding has happened and trails aren't in the best shape to be hiking. Those aren't the only reasons I haven't been chasing birds, a Robin gave me the gift of all gifts, she put her nest on my front porch, right out the front door. I did my best to stay away from the nest. If taking at least one photo a day is staying away is doing my best, then I did my best. Most photos are poor quality but I love them and the story they tell. 

Only a day left and this wouldn't be a test anymore

Baby just seconds before he flew

Momma the first day on her nest

Peeking out

1st day after the shells came off

day1

Testing the wings

One last feeding before they flew

  As of tonight there is only one baby left in the nest. I was standing right there taking a picture of the biggest baby sitting up like Momma would sit on the top of the nest when the baby just up and flew right past my head. I hollered the baby is flying, and so were Mom and Dad, they were squawking like no ones business. I am pretty sure they were as surprised as me when the baby took off. I saw baby #2 take a few steps to the nest edge but I never saw it go. In fact it wasn't until I looked at a photo I had taken that I realized there was only 2 birds getting feed. Then when I looked again there was only one and Momma seemed to be settling in for the night. 

 With all the pictures I took of the growing babies, I didn't ignore Momma. While they were eggs, it was only Momma and she just sat, except when she would go to eat. 

   Once the babies were out of their shells, Momma got help and she was away from the nest more often and I took advantage of her sitting around watching her babies from the distance or when she would be waiting to go into the nest with a mouth full of worms and such.

This was my last photo of Momma after the babies left the nest

I think I have enough photos of both Momma and Dad to start a gallery. Momma got so comfortable with us that at night she didn't even leave the nest if we walked by or opened the door.

  The Dad however was a nervous Nelly all the time and a loud one at that.

  Whats For Dinner:

  Hash Brown Casserole. 

 I make this often. Not weekly but every month or so, if I see a bag of frozen hash browns in the freezer or I just happen to get a craving, I add it to the weeks menu. 

  I first had this dish at Cracker Barrel. I was so not happy when I got it. Not because it wasn't good but because there wasn't enough. I misunderstood the menu and ordered what I thought would be a small casserole dish only to find out I had ordered a small side order. I always ordered extra after that.

   I tried at least 6 different recipes claiming to be the copy cat of the restaurant dish, and finally I came across this one and with a few changes I had at last managed to recreate my favorite dish on the entire Cracker Barrel menu.

Hash brown Casserole

This is a nice change from the normal potato dishes we serve with dinner. I have tried cutting the recipe in half, but even with the pairing down there will be enough left over to use all week, and fortunately it reheats very well. I haven't tried freezing it but I suspect it will be perfect for a from freezer to oven to table dish.

  I made the casserole on Sunday and we finished it yesterday, and I didn't manage to take one photo, but I promise you it was picture perfect as well as delicious. 

   Thanks for stopping by and I hope you come again!

   PS,

  I wrote this post days ago, I was having a hard time picking the pictures and finally just walked away for a minute. My choices didn't get easier I just took more pictures.

 

Mount Holly/Whats for dinner

  

     Todays edition is my favorite kind of blog, it has more pictures than words.

What is this?

    As the title says we are going visiting, and Mt Holly is my chosen destination. I am surrounded by little towns, villages and even tiny cities, and from time to time I like to get my camera and just walk around one of those places with no plan in mind, except a nice walk, and hopefully a few photogenic opportunities. Mt Holly never disappoints. 

  Mt Holly gives the impression of being a small lazy one horse town that if you blink you will miss it. That couldn't be more wrong. Mt Holly is a vast area of land that has so much to offer, in town and its outskirts as well. The part you might call the downtown area has always been a cool spot to be, and now it is growing and getting even cooler. As one shop owner said to me as I was picturing the street, " Mt Holly is about to put itself on the map of places you wanna see." Through out the year they throw a bevy of festivals and parties in the streets, the Witches Ball and the Ice Festival are 2 of the biggest, but there are many others all year long.

   I wasn't there on a day when a festival was happening, It was just a normal Tuesday on a warm sunny spring afternoon. The streets were bustling, and life was happening. 

   What I call Mt Holly proper or down town is a mix of urban growth and country charm. A creek (or is it a river) winds through the town giving way to many cute bridges and water life sights. The bridges never disappoint me and I always find a good photo or 2. This time I got my favorite of the day shots. Yep I know they are ordinary see em every day geese, but just look at the colors of the water the reflections and the power in their movement. 

             I did say favorite right.

 Mt Holly has loads of free parking that is easy to get to and to use. I never worry about parking because of this, and the entire town is walkable from the parking area. I use the same area all the time when I go to the town and this time was no different, what can I say I am a creature of habit. Even the parking lot offers you a glimpse of the wonders you might see. I opened the car door and before my foot touched the ground my camera was in my hand and set. Right in front of me was a new, well new to me eating establishment with so much character and cuteness it was begging for its picture to be taken. Getting shots around all the people was the trick. Don't let the lack of people fool you, I had to wait, leave come back and wait some more to get this place people free. I din't eat there but the amount of people from all the businesses in the area standing in line tells me Donkey Steaks in Mt Holly is a place to try.

  Once I saw the castle tower, MY castle tower, I lost all interest in Donkey and his steak, I lost all interest in food. There it was, off in the distance but still close enough to reach the tower in every little girls fairy tale.

  There was even a crow laughing and cawing in the trees above me as I stood on the foot bridge admiring the pretty tower in the sky. 

      Maleficent vibes were strong within me. 

 Continuing on, crossing over the foot bridge I leave the creek and my tower behind, and step into the bustling downtown metropolis. 

   Unlike many tourist towns, Mt Holly is a real working town, where you find all sorts of businesses from the specialty to the mundane, they are just housed in vintage buildings built in a time long gone. Quaint and functional all in one.

  Nope there wasn't a car show, just a nice day to be out driving with the top down. 

 Across the Main Street is the true tourist side of town.

  The buildings are older and unique in their style and history. The businesses they house are practical but aimed for the visitor that wants to enjoy the feeling of yesteryear. I am sorry about the wires in so many of these shots but they have to be there and as much as I would like to, they won't let me move them for a picture or two. 

    I enjoy all the shops on this side of town and peek in when I can. My heart breaks that Village Quilter is no longer there but it will heal in time I am sure. I find the name of this one shop, that I have never been in, to be the funniest of all, and that is The Crow Bar, considering it was the old jail.

  All around the downtown area, Mt Holly is growing, not just new buildings going up, but they are taking what is already there and re making it or keeping it the same and just fixing it to be usable once again. I was happy to see a new roof going on this building because that means it stays and gets a new lease on life.

  This one was an old factory I believe and it was gutted leaving just the shell. I have pictures of that, or at least I took pictures of the shell and I even had a few printed up, I just can't find them as of this moment. The building turned out to be very handsome it is welcoming, and fits in nicely with its surrounding area.

They left so much of the outer shell as they found it, that fitting in I think was pretty much a given.

  There are two buildings in Mt Holly, both private homes that I just love. One for its roof top. I am always drawn to it even if I can't make it appear photogenic,

and the other house has a porch that just sends my imagination to Savanah on a warm summers day sitting there with a cold drink just watching the world pass by. It is a favorite spot for me, and I do go out of my way to see it every time I visit Mt Holly.

    I alway have to stop in and say hello at Kitchen 87 even if I am not going to eat. It is hands down my favorite eating establishment in Mt Holly or any where else for that matter. 

  If you ask me out to lunch, my reply will always be Kitchen 87.

On the way back to the car I spotted these two birds having a good time picking at the crumbs from leftover lunches. They really wanted me to move on so they could back to it, and telling me so in no uncertain terms.

The babies are here and growing each day. I have snapped a photo every day with my phone when Momma and now I think Dad also, aren't anywhere near to get upset. I took the shots of Mamma feeding and sitting in the nest through my dirty window and screen so excuse the cloudiness of the photos, but I thought you would enjoy seeing Momma in action.

 No matter how I tried I couldn't get the photos to load in order. I believe the last photo is May 6, and the the top photo with the open beak on the baby is today.

Whats For Dinner:

  Since I was out and about I figured why not stay out. We have a new Bakery and Coffee shop in town, Tabernacle that is, just down the road a piece from me. 

   Their menu is full of mouth watering sandwiches, the coffee smells delightful and their bake goods make the perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner any time. 

     Really while it does appear to be coffee, soups, sandwiches and bakery goods, the servings  are plentiful, satisfying and would make a perfect light dinner as well as a good filling lunch. As far as I can tell this is a family owned and run business, I didn't ask but the welcoming, glad to see you atmosphere says intimate personal family, rather then corporate owned and run cold as steel another one around the corner kind of places. I know they make me feel welcome every time I go there, and this last time I felt like family, as I walked in and started using the phone to take a few pictures, and the Momma of the shop yells " No No don't take the pictures, wait til she finishes cleaning( referring to her daughter.) She then laughed and went on about her business. Friendly, warm, welcoming, with very good food. And my new favorite donut.

 I hope you enjoyed this little peek at small town USA, and I hope you visit me again soon.