Dogwood Acres, 12/07/09

DOGWOOD ACRES, 12/07/09, ELANE CRUM

Hello friends. All I can say tonight is Brrrrr! The big red coat and fuzzy warm boots have felt good the last few days. Neal called me Little Red Riding Hood, but I guess that is better than being The Big Bad Wolf. I slipped into his cabinet shop late Friday afternoon to see the progress on the new pantry he is building for our kitchen. It is oak, with real pretty doors and side panels. My kitchen is small and I had given up on being able to do anything to add space until he came up with this idea for a pantry to fit the one available wall. I can hardly wait to see what all I can put in it! If I have a resolution for the new year, it will be to become more organized. That would amaze my family.
Erin told me that she and Daddy have a Christmas surprise project in the cabinet shop for each of her PaPa’s.
LeaAnn has torn out a wall in their house to make a dining room, so there are all kinds of projects there.
Erin turned eleven years old on Dec. 2 and we had a birthday party before church on Wednesday evening. She had basketball practice after school, as Plainview 5 & 6th grade Cougars get ready for their season, which begins after Christmas break. With some help from Mama, she had created her own birthday cake that included a basketball and a green jersey with #11 on it.
While I write, I hear Rick on the phone with Jeff Dalton discussing his plans for deer hunting tomorrow. He missed today to take me to Springfield for Dr. appointment, but tomorrow is supposed to be a warmer day and will be better anyway.
It is unusual for Rick to take me to the Dr. but I was told to bring a driver for this one. I have been having trouble swallowing, with bread and meats getting stuck about half way down and giving me the hiccups. Dr. ordered me to have an esophagogastroduodenoscopy to see if my esophagus might need to be stretched. So, off to the endoscopy center at St. Johns we went. It did not take long for the IV to put me to sleep and I never knew when that little camera went down my throat. The next thing I knew I was back in the room where Rick had waited and Dr. told us everything went as planned. My neck has been stretched and eating should be a lot easier and enjoyable once again.
Saturday was winter roundup over at LeaAnn’s folks. They had a lot of help for this one, Rick picked up Charlie, so that got Ashton involved. Martin’s in-laws were visiting for the weekend and got to see farm life up close and personal. There was a bullfight and a mean cow tried to chase Neal down. Amy’s dad was riding in the back of the pickup and a thorn tree tried to tear his ear off, but I think that was the only bloodshed for the day. I had to work so missed all of the fun on the farm.
After I left the office on Saturday, I stopped at Francine Robertson’s for a Pampered Chef party. She and Pat have a beautiful new home with a million dollar view of Swan Creek Valley and more. I think you might even see Caney Mountain in the distance. Linda Crouch was the consultant with help from Chef John, who did a great job. I think all of the ladies were impressed with his expertise in the kitchen.
Pat’s 97-year-old father, James C. Robertson, passed away last week. I never met him, but am in awe of anybody who lived through the amazing changes that spanned most of one century and part of another. Our sympathy to Pat, Fran and other family members.
The congregation of Sandy Church is preparing the Community Christmas Dinner to be served at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 13. We will have turkey, ham, all the fixins and trimmings and look forward to this annual tradition with family and friends.
Lone Star Church will be celebrating Christmas on Saturday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. The church always takes on a festive appearance with wreaths placed in each window and the biggest cedar tree that can be found reaching toward the ceiling. I wish you all a good week as you enjoy the season’s festivities, but, please remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Bye for now.