Dogwood Acres Weekly, 02/02/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 02/02/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. Afternoon sun is pouring through my window and taking more and more of our ice away. As I think back over the past week I recall that this time seven days ago, we were anticipating the ice that was predicted to come. From one point of view, I looked forward to having a few ice days from work, knowing that most everyone else would be iced in too. On the other hand, there was no guarantee that we would stay warm and cozy in our home. Fortunately, there was no power loss in our neighborhood and life was quite comfortable.
Justin and Kasie are the youngest couple in our neighborhood and they got out one day and walked from house to house checking on all of their older neighbors. That was so sweet of them and they seemed to enjoy being cold and wet! I think their last stop was at Jim and Dawn's where a large pot of stew was waiting to warm their tummies.
Rick and I were both on the sickly side all week, with him still coughing and I had a head cold. The medicine I took just about knocked me out so I got a couple of good days and nights of sleep.
It was Thursday before we left the house and then just over to Taneyville so Linda could give me a haircut. A lot of the main roads were pretty clear, but H was still bumpy with ice and then we went the scenic route down Hodge Hollow over to A. The Hodge Hollow drive was pretty as the road was still ice packed and ice was just beginning to melt from the trees. Linda's road was clear but we saw Newton Matthews on his tractor coming from clearing Lisa's driveway.
Friday and Saturday I came to the office and worked with my door shut so as not to share too many of my cold germs with others who were back to work.
Rick let his little dogs out to run one day, thinking they would not go far. Well, they fooled him and stayed out all afternoon. He began to worry and decided to take the 4-wheeler down the trail thinking if they heard it, perhaps they would come to him. He did not get far down the hollow until there were trees fallen across the trail and he had to figure out how to get out of there. The trail, running through the bottom of the hollow, is so narrow with few places to turn around and he had to back out. Even in the best of weather that is not easy and with all the ice, he almost left the bike there and walked home. Walking up the steep trail to our house would not have been a walk in the park, so he persisted until he and the bike got home together. Of course, the dogs never came to him; they just came home in their own sweet time, well after dark.
Janet Dalton called a week ago Sunday to tell us of the passing of her mother, Violet Morgan. She said there was sixty-one in their family, counting all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. It was a sad time for them and the nasty weather certainly did not make it any easier.
I got an email from Cathey Bilyeu Idell and she said her mom, Pearl Bilyeu, just turned ninety years old last week. She has good days and bad and they consider every day with her a blessing.
Madison Tilley stayed with her Papa Olin and Grandma Janie Saturday night. Sean had planned to pick her up at church at Bryant Ridge on Sunday, but services were canceled because of icy parking lot. They met at Scooters so he could get Madison and decided to go to New Vision. Finding it closed they tried one other church that was closed and by then it was so late they gave up and went to The Longhorn for breakfast.
Christie said they had several visitors at Calvary Full Gospel on Sunday morning and wondered if it was because their own churches could not have services. She said Pastor Clint preached a good message and reminded me to listen to it on the church website, www.churchHouse.com.
After church Christie's family met up with Uncle Bill and Aunt Roma at McDonald's. She thought Aunt Roma was with a strange man until she realized Uncle Bill had grown a soft white beard. I will have to get down and see them before he gets tired of it and shaves.
Rick shaved his beard last week, not completely off, just restructured. We are having pictures taken next week and I would have preferred the old look, but too late now!
After reading last week's column about the store at Oak Ridge, Ronnie Bilyeu sent me a little note with an Oak Ridge memory. By the time he and I were born Elmer and Mable Keithley had moved into the little house where Grandma Jane had lived. Ronnie said: "I recall being at Grandpa Meier's one Saturday when I was a kid. They were probably butchering a hog or a beef as the weather was cool. Uncle Hosea and Bud stopped by. They were going to cut across the hills and Cook Hollow to Elmer and Mabel's house; so, I went along. It was a nice walk." Notice, he did not say anything about riding a horse, he said it was a nice walk! It is not a walk I would want to take today, I wonder how long it took?
Of course Mother and her brothers and sisters used to walk from their Hurricane Hollow home up through the woods to Waldo's store and to church at Oak Ridge. They thought nothing of it as that is just the way things were done then.
Noel Wilson from Merriam Woods called today with an update on their son, Nathan Wilson. Nathan is doing well after having a kidney transplant done on December 20. The Wilson family wants to thank everyone for their prayers. God is Good. Bye for now.