DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 01/28/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 01/28/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. I am so glad to be pulling out of last week’s deep freeze of cold and windy weather. A balmy 45 degrees this morning is soothing to the senses and certainly will be easier on the propane tank.

Rick and I were caught 30 miles from home in Monday night’s black ice storm. We had gone to Erin’s ball game at Plainview School and when we hit that black ice, home seemed a long ways off. Bill and Mary Lou have a big house with lots of extra beds so we spent the night with them. Mary Lou fixed a scrumptious country breakfast Tuesday morning and by noon the roads were clearing and we headed home.

Before church on Wednesday night, we had supper at The Coffee Break in Taneyville. We were to meet after I got off work and due to a slight misunderstanding Rick was there a full hour ahead of time. That did not create a problem as he just went ahead with his meal and had plenty of time to visit and drink coffee. Of course when I got there he told everybody how old and forgetful I was, but I got off work same time as usual, so who is forgetful?

The puppies are bringing several visitors our way. Harry Coleman came by one day to visit Rick and see the puppies. Saturday evening Christie brought her grandkids over for a look, and then later Justin and Kasie were here. Dakota fell in love with them and is hoping that his mom and dad will let him have one, but I think Uncle Rick has decided to keep them all.

Jim and Dawn had drama at their house Saturday afternoon as Maggie, their little Feist dog had her first litter of pups. She only had three but the third one was so big that Dawn provided some assistance to the birth. I think this was her first midwifery episode, but she did a good job. The Biggs family has some interest in this litter as Colby’s Border Collie, Ringo, is the proud father. Although an unusual mix, it is a blend of two smart breeds creating a multi-function dog that can herd cattle or tree squirrels.

Vanessa and Dakota Bilyeu kept their grandparents busy with ballgames on Saturday. Vanessa was playing in the Reeds Spring Tournament where the Lady Bulldogs from Blue Eye took third place. Dakota was playing at Branson Rec Plex. I think Christie went to his game while Bill and Colby went to Reeds Spring.

I went to a baby shower at church Sunday afternoon and enjoyed watching Andrew Dalton help his mom open gifts for the baby sister that is coming soon. There have been several new babies at Sandy Church during the last year and it is a joy to see our church grow this way. Bob and Dorothy Siler’s newest great-grandson, Colton, attended church for the first time on Sunday with his parents, Jim and Kendra Harris.

As Ashton, Erin and I were leaving Country Mart in Forsyth Saturday we saw Janet Dalton packing granddaughter and groceries into the car. She said her granddaughter would have filled the cart if she had her way. How well I remember the younger days of my grandchildren as they helped me with grocery shopping on a weekly basis. I would come home exhausted but we always had plenty to eat.

We also saw Juanita Bilyeu in the grocery store; she had just come from visiting her mom, Willie (Bill) Cupp in the nursing home. Colby always enjoyed seeing Aunt Bill when he worked there but now he is working at Culpepper Place in Branson.

Daddy’s birthday was last Friday; he would have been 81 years old. As long as he was able to get out at all, he loved to go on a birthday hunt. Sometimes he would get a coyote or bobcat, but it really did not matter as long as he spent a day in the woods. Bye for now.

PLAINVIEW COUGARS BASKETBALL

Our social life has taken on a new twist - NOW - that Erin is playing basketball. She has written her schedule on our calendar, two nights a week for January and most of February. Third grade basketball is FUN! There is not a lot of time for practice so they learn as they go but they are learning. This is Erin and her friend Brooke Groth.

DADDY'S BIRTHDAY, 01/25/08

Today is my dad's birthday, would have been his 81st as he was born 1/25/27. Many times I heard the story of the night of his birth. My Granny Nettie used to tell me, and of course Daddy had heard it many times over and I loved hearing it from him too. It went something like this...My grandparents,Clarence & Nettie (Cupp) Bilyeu lived across Bull Creek from her parents, Ike and Anne (White) Cupp. Grandma Cupp was a midwife and would deliver this little grandbaby when the time came. Well, the time came and Jan. 25, 1927, was terribly cold and rainy, Bull Creek was running swift and high. Clarence & Nettie, and her brother, Elliott Cupp, rode their horses and Uncle Elliott helped swim Granny's horse across the creek. They made it to Grandpa and Grandma Cupp's house and little Clifford was born. He was a preemie, in fact so small that they made him a diaper from Grandpa Cupp's handkerchief and put him in a shoe box close to the fire to keep him warm. I was told that his skin was almost black and he was so skinny that he looked like a squirrel! Isn't that some tale, but who else but a Bilyeu would think of such a way to describe their newborn??

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 01/21/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 01/21/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. With Monday morning appointments, I am trying to write on Sunday night and that creates a brain freeze. Isn’t it silly? My mind is not ready to put Dogwood Acres thoughts together until Monday but I have to try.

We talked to Rick’s mom in Oregon after church tonight. She sounds good and the recent pictures that she sent show that she still has way less gray hair than her boys do.

Thursday night Rick and I donned our new black and red Blue Eye Bulldogs sweatshirts and went to the Forsyth vs. Blue Eye girl’s basketball game. Christie’s granddaughter, Vanessa Bilyeu, is the littlest bulldog Varsity guard that we are cheering for this year.

I also have to dig out a green shirt for the Plainview Cougars where Erin is playing on the third grade team. Erin marked all of her games for the next month on our calendar. Fortunately, their season is not very long.

I got a letter recently from Bessie Rossner Gideon who lives in Stockton, CA. She has so many memories of long ago days in the Lone Star Community and I enjoy hearing them. Her baby brother, Herman, and Rick’s dad, Lloyd, were best friends and spent a lot time together. Bessie said they used to hunt crow’s nests in the spring and knock them out of the trees so the little ones did not hatch and eat the crops.

Rick and I went on a closet cleaning spree last week and actually managed to give up a few things. Deep in his closet, he found two pairs of vintage Levis, big bell-bottom style. He liked wearing them when trucking as they fit well over his cowboy boots and then, of course, he was just plain styling. So, here they are brought to light after many years….can he still wear them? He could not even get his legs into them. I got them on and they did not look bad as long as I could wear a long tailed shirt to cover the gaping zipper.

Ashton could have worn them but she is used to the new low rider jeans and these actually came to her waist. We thought they looked good, but what do we know? We had a lot of laughs after church on Sunday when Neal and LeaAnn tried them on. Although a little short on LeaAnn, they otherwise looked good, but she would not be caught dead wearing bell-bottoms. More than a little short on Neal, he just looked plain dorky. Finally, we got a winner when Mary Lou tried them on and they were a perfect fit. Rick told her she looked like a little hippy, but they were very cute on her.

LeaAnn remembered the pink and orange plaid bell-bottoms that Mary Lou wore years ago. The legs were so big that when she grew tired of them, she made LeaAnn a skirt from the fabric in one leg. Isn’t it funny what kids remember?

Rick’s puppies are growing and getting cuter each day. Their little eyes have opened and they are changing colors. The ones that were white with black spots have now developed red spots, like red tick hounds. He says he will keep two, one he has definitely chosen and its name is Bud, named after Bud White who gave him the Momma and Daddy dogs. He keeps changing his mind about which other one he will keep but is talking about increasing the dog run space.

Linda Groves and I caught up on our visiting when she cut my hair last week. When I got there, she had just fixed a pot of potato soup to take to Newt & Billie for lunch. Billie is still healing, but slowly and continues to have a lot of pain.

We received the sad news that Uncle Don Davis, Mother’s younger brother, passed away last week at the VA Hospital in Wichita, KS. Donald Davis was born September 17, 1930, to Xury and Grace (Pritchard) Davis in Reno Hollow near Spokane, MO. He is survived by three children, Terry Davis, Citrus Heights, CA, Danny Davis, Stockton, CA, and Alisa Davis of Sacramento, CA, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, two sisters, Wanetta and Roscoe Keithley, Branson, MO, Roma and Bill Smith, Forsyth, MO, one brother, Walter and Nadine Davis, Fall River, KS. Uncle Don proudly served his country in the U.S. Army with overseas duty in the Korean War. Bye for now.

BLACK ICE

Anyone who was out after 8:00 p.m. on Monday night surely has an ice story to tell. Rick and I went to Erin's ball game at Plainview School which is about 30 miles east of where we live. Although there was ice in the forecast we did not expect it until later... until much later. So, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Erin's team played first, then we stayed for two other games as the older grades played. Plainview won all three games, so spirits were high.
When we started to leave, it did not take long for Rick to realize that a layer of black ice coated the highway. Since we were driving his pickup which had no weight in the back, he drove about 5 miles an hour just to maintain control. It was about 2 miles to the gravel road where Neal and LeaAnn live so he got off there and loaded several big rocks into the pickup for weight. ... then back to the highway. The weight did not make enough difference to give us a warm fuzzy feeling about driving home so we turned around and stayed all night with Bill and Mary Lou, LeaAnn's parents.
It was better than Holiday Inn or a Motel 6. We woke this morning to the smell of sausage sizzling and biscuits baking. There was sausage gravy and strawberry/rhubarb jelly, homemade tomato juice and fresh perked coffee. Oh, what a life!
After we had eaten our fill and washed the dishes, Erin called to ask Granny if they could come over for breakfast. With 200 area schools closed, they had the day off. Of course Granny fixed them breakfast and we got to spend the morning with our sweet family.
There was homemade tacos on the lunch menu, but the sun had come out and roads were thawing so we headed home. All of our livestock needed to be fed and watered and I went to work.

TORNADO DEVASTATION

On the night of January 7 one of 23 tornadoes that touched areas west and north of us created horrible devastation at the home of our friends, Jim & Terry Warren. We were neighbors for fifteen years and our boys were and still are best friends. As their home was pelted with golf ball size hail, they decided it was time to leave, but it was too late. Terry with daughter and her family were in the car trying to get out as the tornado hit. As a green farm gate wrapped itself around the back of the car, the windows blew out filling their hair and clothes with glass. Jim, having gone back into the house to blow out some lamps, was just leaving the house when things began swirling around him. He took refuge under his pickup holding on to the bumper for dear life. He said it was over in 30 seconds.
What took 30 seconds to destroy has changed their lives forever. Milk barn, Hay barn, sheds and 70 feet of the shop - gone. Roof torn from the house, doors and windows blown out all but make the home unlivable but they are there. Sheets of plywood cover door and window openings, tarps cover the roof and they are making do. At least five cows were killed and their dairy cattle sold at a great loss.

Neal and LeaAnn were there last Saturday to lend helping hands. There have been many who helped pile and burn what was burnable and put into piles those items which are not burnable. Ashton, Erin and I went today just to see our friends and cherish the fact that they are alive.
Although it was a sunny day, it was still single digit temperatures and there was a crew of men trying to put roofing back on what remains of the shop. It was so cold that caulking would freeze as it came from the caulk gun.
Someday things will be better, but right now they're just pretty rotten. Terry said she feels like she is living a nightmare, but with that being said is so thankful that her family is safe. There will be a new granddaughter born Sunday. Thank God she waited a few days to enter this world.
I brought home pictures of their place, but one just has to see it to fully realize the extent of damage.

PICTURES FROM OREGON

In my birthday card from Rick's mom she enclosed a photo CD of the last roll of film she developed. This is such a great way for her to share pictures with us, so will pass a couple on to you. The top picture from right to left: Rick's twin, Roger...Mom (Betty Jo) leaning on back of couch...Middle brother, Kenny...Kenny's wife, Patty. The second picture from Left to Right is Betty's younger sister, Barbara Bashaw, Kenny, Patty & Roger. They all look great, it is always good to get new pictures.
REMEMBER, to see a larger view of any picture, simply double-click on it!

Ashton, Erin & Hannah Montana

Rick picked up the girls at school this afternoon, which is rather routine for Friday evenings. By the time I got home, they had eaten his favorite chicken noodle soup and were setting in front of the TV watching - HANNAH MONTANA! Rick says they are all just alike, but Ashton and Erin do not seem to care. A change of pace is good though, so I encouraged Ashton to find something we could "all" enjoy. Have you ever seen the SHREK movies? I had not, but tonight we watched SHREK the Third. Not bad, I guess. The ogres had triplets and it appeared they will all live happily ever after. Two weeks ago we watched Mr. Bean's Holiday, what a strange one! I can't believe we watched the whole thing. Now everyone has gone to bed and I have an adult show on - Martha Stewart, who is handling snakes and frogs. That's enough nonsense. Good Night!

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 01/14/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 01/14/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. My 58^th birthday is over, but the 58^th year is just beginning. I cannot help but wonder what this year holds for me, good, bad, happy or sad. Nevertheless, the way of life is that I go forward living each day to the fullest. There is always so much that I would like to do each day, but never enough time.

Rick actually surprised me with a birthday gift, and I will not be exchanging it. We have been making an effort to eat healthier so his gift was a Juicer and a bag of oranges. The kids had a FRUITCAKE for me after church Sunday night. A cantaloupe half held the candles (not 58) and a variety of other fresh fruits filled the tray. It was yummy and I did not have to feel guilty about eating it.

Monday night was a stormy night in The Ozarks. We spent some time in our basement, Jim and Dawn went to Bill and Christie’s basement, but there was never any tornado or wind damage here. With at least 23 tornadoes having been reported I checked on our friends in the Strafford and Marshfield area.

Jim and Terry Warren, who lived near us between Elkland and Conway, have a terrible storm story that will never be forgotten. Trying to escape before the storm hit, Terry and the kids got into the car and Jim rolled under his pickup. The tornado destroyed their milk barn, hay barn, shop and did enormous damage to their home. The car was lifted from the ground, hit with a farm gate, and windows were blown out filling their hair and clothes with glass. How thankful we are that they all escaped with no injuries.

Connie Hammond has a new deer story to tell. While most bow hunters had already gotten their deer or just given up, Connie was ever watchful. Her persistence paid off and a nice medium sized doe was her reward. This was her first kill with a crossbow and she is totally thrilled.

Justin and Kasie visited with us Friday night. They had gone to The Landing for dinner and peeked at the Harley Davidson store under construction in the dock area. When it is ready, Justin will be transferring from Springfield. He looks forward to a shorter workday drive and it will be good to have one of our own back on the lakefront again.

Wanting to be a good hostess, I offered them one of my favorite snacks nowadays, cold raw turnip slices spread with organic peanut butter. They were very gracious and ate every bite, but I have to wonder what they said about us later.

Jim spent several hours Saturday removing rafters from the “Old House”. He would then slide them off the roof to Dawn who drove out all the nails and loaded them on the pickup. Jim said he remembered Daddy telling about the tree all of the rafters came from. All of the timber for the house was logged from the property here, but the rafter tree was special. An exceptionally tall White Pine, it grew in a deep hollow and was pulled out by our Grandpa Clarence’s mule. We are not sure which mule as he had several fine ones over the years.

Billie Matthews is still having a lot of pain due to a fracture resulting from a tumble she took recently. Dr. said only bed rest and time would bring healing, so she is spending most of her days and nights in bed. Daughter, Linda Groves, lives nearby and has been a frequent visitor and helping hand. She thinks Billie is a little better than a week ago, but it is a long slow process. Bye for now.

DOGWOOD ACRES WEEKLY 01/07/08

DOGWOOD ACRES, 01/07/08, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Ardella called to borrow eggs from Rick on Saturday. Well, that is what he said, but when I learned the call came from Christie‘s house, I realized it was Novella, not Ardella. I only know one Ardella and really wondered why she would have called us to borrow eggs, although, most certainly would be glad to share our eggs with her anytime.

The kids at Christie’s house needed eggs for brownies they were baking to take to the Youth Conference at Calvary Full Gospel Church on Saturday night. She said it was packed with young people from every corner of the county including several from College of the Ozarks and Arkansas. Brian Gross, special speaker for the evening, brought an inspirational message from The Bible.

Dakota Bilyeu played basketball at the Branson Rec Plex on Saturday, scoring two points for his team. Christie saw Georgine Cummings and some of her family watching grandchildren play on an adjoining court. I have not yet been to the Rec Plex but Christie said it is a great place for family entertainment and was crowded with dozens of kids with parents and grandparents in tow.

The Biggs farm was busy Sunday afternoon taking advantage of the spring like weather. Bill put the rest of the family to work dragging and stacking brush while Jim and Justin continued to clean around the “Old House”. The “Old House” continues to come down very carefully, board by board. Just as Daddy and our Granddad put it up with such care, Jim and helpers remove each board to store away for future use.

Ashton, Erin and I visited with Kay Whittaker at The Getaway Gift Shop in Bradleyville after school on Friday. Then, next door to the store for soda pop and snacks where we got a Howdy from Gary Casey who was helping to hold down the round table.

The end of 2007 brought us four new puppies to brighten our days. I knew that any hope for a January vacation was gone when Rick let things get out of hand a couple of months ago. Because it was so cold last week, Rick had to bring them to the basement, so they are going to be spoiled babies. Rick has chosen the two that he wants to keep. The girls think PaPa Bill needs a squirrel dog but I think that is a losing battle. We may be setting in front of the grocery store peddling feisty Feist pups before it is all said and done.

Saturday night we went with Bill and Mary Lou to Ava High School where Green Valley Grass was in concert along with comedian, Jarrett Dougherty, from Pierce Arrow Theater. If you have ever seen either one, then you know what a terrific evening we had. HONOLULU!

A tragic auto accident on December 28 took the life of our Great-Aunt Wilma Bilyeu Keltner. What a loss for her extended family and a community who loved her, but unthinkable loss to her family of four children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There is never a good time to lose a loved one, but seems to me that Christmas and New Years would just be the hardest time ever. The visitation and funeral were attended by hundreds of friends and family members who came to pay their respects. Bye for now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today I turn 58. Is that old or what? Older than 57 but still not 60. I work twelve hour days and stay up until wee hours of the morning. Maybe those Wild Turnips give me a boost?? Mother passed away four days before my birthday in 1996 and the day has never been the same since. She loved to have birthday parties, kids, grandkids, inlaws, outlaws, all were special to her. Our photo albums have assorted pictures of birthday parties with family, friends and neighbors. This photo is the earliest one that I have, looks like three candles on the cake. It was in Uncle Claude's Dry Hollow house where we lived the first four years of my life. My older cousin, Barbara Jean Bilyeu, had a birthday on Jan. 8. She almost missed being in the picture but I am sure she is the tallest one at the left edge. Then there are Buddy Mack, Emma Lou, Glenette, "Little" Hosea, and Gay Lea? kinda dim. Surely Anita Kay must have been there too. The picture just isn't big enough. Thanks Mom for the memories.

WILD TURNIPS & PEANUT BUTTER

Justin and Kasie visited us this evening. They are such a cute couple and we enjoyed hearing about their New Year's Eve Camping trip. With the thermometer reading a crispy 27 degrees they were snug in their sleeping bags in a tent near the Buffalo River. Can you believe it! Way too much adventure for me. As our conversation went from one topic to another the subject of turnips came up. Now, my brother Jim carries turnips in the truck on his daily rounds and eats them like apples. I don't think Kasie inherited his good taste and it seems that Justin had never eaten turnips raw. Well, we have a stash of crispy wild turnips in the refrigerator so I showed them just how good they can be. Cold, crispy and crunchy, sliced thin and spread with Peanut Butter, organic of course. They ate 'em and pretended to like 'em. I don't know if they really did or were just being polite to two old people who like Wild Turnips and Peanut Butter.

CHRISTMAS EVE BONFIRE

Christmas Eve was a gorgeous full moon evening and just cold enough to need a coat. Justin and Kasie had spent several days creating a masterpiece bonfire out by the pond. Neighbor kids shot a few bottle rockets and there was Venison and Hot Dogs roasted. It was a rather impromptu gathering but a nice evening.

STORMY NIGHT

The stormy night kept us on our toes, so to speak. Although we do not live in Tornado Alley, about 15 years ago a strong straight wind blew down hundreds of trees on our property. With that thought in mind, I do take warnings seriously. The first round of wind woke me up about 1:00 a.m., but seemed to pass over easily so I went back to bed. The second round hit with a vengeance. I hit the floor, told Rick we were going to the basement, and we went quickly. Although we had power, I lit a candle, turned on the radio and huddled up on the couch. He wandered around checking on Trixie and the puppies and peering out windows. After awhile Christie called to check on us. She said Jim and Dawn had been in their basement since 1:00 a.m. After about an hour & half things seemed to settle down and we came back upstairs. We have a few limbs down but that is normal with any amount of wind here. Storms were headed Neal's way so I called this morning and they are safe and sound. We are thankful to have had a safe night, unlike many in areas north of us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2008

After watching the crystal ball drop in Times Square, and then a little of Dick Clark, I don't think we were still awake when 2008 came to Dogwood Acres. It got dreadfully cold overnight and a sharp North wind only made it worse. I had a morning appointment and about froze my nose while updating listing photos. We had a quiet day, if you can call listening to three football games quiet. I really didn't mind though as I concentrated on other things. Rick brought one of Trixie's pups upstairs to visit. They are such fat little butterballs, we are anxious for their eyes to open. A phone call from Oregon came today when Rick's brother, Kenny, called to wish us a happy new year. He had been spending a lot of time in Missouri via Google Earth. Brother Roger had taken Mom to Ken and Patty's house on Sunday night and they tried to identify familiar Taney Co. roads. She enjoyed that, also seeing the dancing elves, aka Rick & Elane.