Dogwood Acres Daily (sometimes) 06/29/10

Little Fox really likes the recliner...guess she feels like a big girl getting to sit in her own chair. :)

Rick and Little Fox are in Oregon and she enjoys Grandma Betty's couch. I was a little worried about that, but Rick says he put a blanket over it and brushes her every day.

He has discovered that walking the dog opens many opportunities for conversation with strangers. They went to see his twin brother early this morning and Little Fox managed to get a mouthfull of rooster feathers. She had never seen a chicken/rooster before and when it ran she chased it! Hmmmmm....she may have lost a little freedom at Uncle Roger's house.

When Rick was leaving Roger's house, he spoke to neighbor man who was filling potholes in the road. After telling the man he was Roger's brother, the man said, "I first thought you were Roger, but you are fatter and have gray hair". Surely that made Rick's day. No wonder he was feeling really tired when he called home tonight.

Picture Time

I am so behind with pictures....after this computer spent a month in the shop and came back with a new life, there have been challenges! They were able to move pictures from the old hard drive to this one, but they are all in different places than before! As I add new ones, I am trying to organize, but it is going to take awhile.

I just did something new and that was add a video...I don't think it is exactly right, but if you click on the arrow it will play. I used the video mode on my Kodak Easy Share that all my other pictures are taken with.

Several weeks ago Erin coaxed family members out in the field for ball practice. Ashton's boyfriend Charlies is a good pitcher and being especially careful with Granny Hodges, who has a wicked batting arm!

Friday night with our girls

PaPa Rick picked Erin up at school and went by the kids' house to get a knife from Neal. He swapped for a family heirloom...pocket knife that Rick gave to Daddy 30 years ago. When Daddy passed away it was passed to Neal and now Rick has it back. He will get a lot of joy from it and Neal knows that someday he will get it back again.

Erin came home with Rick but Ashton went with Charlie to the FFA Barnwarming. The three of us just hung out here at home watching TV, Erin playing games on my little red laptop and I looked at old pictures. Erin especially enjoyed the one I found of her Daddy when he was a teenage actor. Yep...really! He was the Sammy Lane Pirate and a mighty good one too.

Charlie brought Ashton home and we got to hear all about the Barnwarming...He had never driven to our house before and depending on Ashton's directions, in the dark no less, probably had not a clue just where he ended up.

Charlie has gone on home, Rick is in bed, girls have gone to bed, but I am staying up to make sure Erin goes to sleep okay. She had forgotten her inhaler; I got her a Pepsi, which seems to help when the asthma acts up. I think she is asleep now, so I can call it a night.

Technology Trials

Technology Issues

I apologize for not keeping up with regular posts this month. Although there are 3 computers (Rick says 4) in our house, my old faithful desktop is in the shop. It is the one where I store everything and without it I have been kinda lost. Repair shop told me there was shipping issues with the power supply (apparently mine uses an odd size..not surprising since the 'puter is old); hoping to have it back before the weekend.

I managed to find most of Dogwood Acres on this laptop and will catch up with the missing one when "Old Faithful" comes home again.

Loving this rainy morning in Taney County...great day for listing a cabin on Bull Shoals...Watch my website for it!

VETERANS DAY, 2009

PaPa Rick was Erin's Veteran guest of honor at her school assembly today. I had to work, but rest of the family was there...left to right: Neal, PaPa Bill & Granny Mary Lou, Erin, LeaAnn & Rick
Rick's dad, Lloyd Crum, served in WW II, participating in the Tiger Operation, prior to the Normandy Invasion. The ship he was on was torpedoed and sank and he was one of the few survivors. Thank God that his life was spared.

Roger Dee Crum, Rick's twin brother served in U.S. ARMY 1966-1968,

with overseas duty in Germany.

Ricky Lee Crum served in U S ARMY 1966-1968

Overseas Duty in Vietnam, 1968

9th Infantry Division, Mekong Delta

Roger and Rick at their Grandma Ragsdale's house on summer leave after being drafted in May, 1966. Twins, but sent in different directions. Roger had basic training at Ft. Ord, CA, and went to Germany. Rick's basic training was in Ft. Riley, KA, where the 9th Infantry Division was reactivated and sent to Vietnam.

Country Dinner

Rick's cousin, Debbie, is visiting with us for a few days. She comes in October every year to attend the annual homecoming at Lone Star Church. By the way, that is October 11, so ya'all come!

For dinner tonight we had pan-fried Wall-Eye, Creamed Peas, Cornbread Stuffing, and Hot Cornbread with butter and honey!

Not Bad!

Car Show

MAPLES FAMILY REUNION, 09/12/09

CHRISTIE BILYEU BIGGS, ELANE BILYEU CRUM, BECKY DAVIS ALLEN

all are granddaughters of Xury and Grace Pritchard Davis

Becky is daughter of Nadine Wade Davis & Walter Davis, granddaughter of Riley & Rose M Maples

NADINE WADE DAVIS, OPAL MAPLES THOMAS, AGNES WADE

Nadine and Agnes, daughters of Ivan and Ruby Maples Wade

Opal, sister to their Mother, Ruby

August Evening Ride

Make a Smilebox slideshow

BILYEU SUNDAY?

Sunday evening we were at Shadowrock Park in Forsyth for the concert with "Big Smith Band", grandsons, of Hosea and Thelma Bilyeu.

Two more Bilyeu boys at the Big Smith Concert, Levi & Jonathon, grandsons of Jim & Juanita Bilyeu.

There is a vast difference in a "Blue" Sunday or a "Bilyeu" Sunday, as a "Bilyeu" Sunday is definitely NOT a "Blue" Sunday. We began this day with the Hosea Bilyeu Family Concert at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield.

Joy Bilyeu-Steele, William Hosea Bilyeu III (aka Will) & Robin Bilyeu Rees

Just Me and the Girls

Rick took a friend to the VA Hospital in Little Rock and I have been "on my own" since Thursday morning. Ashton texted me late this afternoon and asked if I would like to meet them at Swan Creek for a swim. ... and then asked if she and Erin could come home with me.

We met at the creek about 8:00 p.m. and after they all had a good swim, the girls and I came home. What do they usually do first when they get here? One turns on the TV and the other gets on the computer. Well, we have misplaced a remote for the TV and when she tried turning it on the old-fashioned way, something got out of whack. I messed with it a little and finally told her we would just have no TV tonight. Little did they know I had another project in mind.

As secretary/caretaker for the Meadows Cemetery, my project today has been pulling together the annual newsletter which goes out to a mailing list of sixty people. I printed newsletter and pictures and the girls folded them all, stuffed and licked the envelopes. What great helpers they have been. Here it is almost midnight and we have spent the entire evening without TV in the background.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday Ashton!

Ashton and her proud PaPa's,
Billy Hodges & Rick Crum

John L Comer

Comer book available @ IUniverse.com or Amazon.com; may also be purchased at Epps Chiropractic in Forsyth, MO.

http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000115691

Easter @ Dogwood Acres, 1963

Our first Easter @ Dogwood Acres

Christie, age 6, Jimmie, age 9, Elane, age 13

BoydandKayla

I just found Kayla's blog, www.boydandkayla.blogspot.com and loved reading about her day to day life. She writes on a more consistent basis than I do! I first got acquainted with Kayla when LeaAnn was playing and singing with "Witness". That was when Ashton was a toddler and NOW Ashton is almost 15 years old! Unbelievable. Anyway, Kayla's brother, Rob Hunsaker, also sang with the group and we have watched his children grow up along with Ashton. In almost fifteen years we have watched the kids grow and also see changes in ourselves. When Rick and I recently had new pictures taken, we noticed that our hair is the same color! Funny, we never realized that before:)

Dogwood Acres Daily

It is such a gorgeous day and I had floor duty from 8 to 5. I did get out and walk a couple of loops around the building and went next door to McD's twice. Granddaughters got out of school at 12:30 and PaPa Rick picked them up. I encouraged him to take them trout fishing or help pick up blown down limbs in our yard....We'll see :)

Rick really likes to fry potatoes and does it very well! He said he would fry potatoes for supper if I would bring home fried chicken! Now, doesn't that sound fair? I think so.

Girls and I are going to the Tomcat Roundup tomorrow. I fully expect the whole experience to be unforgettable and will share more about that...after tomorrow.

Thursday night we went to Plainview School to watch Erin play basketball. They played Taneyville so we saw several people we know. It was a fun evening, sitting with PaPa and Granny Hodges and the Winkles family who live nearby. Their grandkids and our grandkids live very close and are almost inseparable.

When we got home, I was pleasantly surprised to have a phone message from my cousin, Leta Gail, who lives at Granby. She goes to church with someone I knew long ago and we tried to figure out how we all fit together.

Well, it is three minutes to five, so I am OUT OF HERE! Have a great weekend!

In Memory of Cliff & Zoe Bilyeu

This verse by Amanda Bradley is on the front of a card sent to me by a dear friend when Daddy passed away on March 15, 2007. January 25 is his birthday; we all miss him and Mother so much.

"Those we love are never really lost to us--

we feel them in so many special ways...

through friends they always cared about

and dreams they left behind,

in beauty that they added to our days...

in words of wisdom we still carry with us

and memories that never will be gone...

Those we love are never really lost to us--

For everywhere their special love lives on."

Cliff & Zoe, ages 21
"taken in the Gilette Field"

Neal's New Furnace

SETH, NEAL & JOHN (J.R.)

Neal in the tractor and John on the trailer

Neal & J.R. (now called John since he is all grown up)

These two young men have been friends since the age of five when they began kindergarten together at Marshfield. Both little blonde headed tykes, they talked so loud on the school bus that the bus driver had to set them up front! They rode their bikes the 12 miles to Conway before they were old enough to drive. They camped along the creeks near our homes and were back and forth like brothers. We moved to Taney County in the middle of their Jr. year of high school; it was a tough age for those kind of changes, but they stayed in touch. There was actually about half a dozen good friends in their class; they all came to visit & still do. While still in high school, the kids came down with 4-wheelers and took off into nearby fields for a day of adventure. That was the day J.R. flipped his and broke his collar bone....what a nightmare it was getting him out of the wilderness and to the hospital.

John now has his own heating and air business, also installs outdoor furnaces. Here are pictures taken this week at Neal's house. Rick went over to watch the fun and take a few pictures. It's a big thing, weighs about 1600 pounds, heats Neal's big house AND the cabinet shop, provides hot water to the house and also cold & hot water are available outside.

John on the right and his brother-in-law Seth on the left

Merry Christmas

We took our granddaughters to Silver Dollar City last week and were joined by friends from Tulsa. The girls always have fun with DC and Carol and talked DC into riding the Roller Coaster with them. Rick and I were sure glad he went as we did not want to!

Glade Top Trail

VIEW FROM GLADE TOP TRAIL