Originally submitted at WomanWithin

Soft cup lace camisole bra has lightly lined molded foam cups for the feminine shaping you want. Imported.

• adjustable rigid straps
• extended sizes available

Bras, plus size bras Soft Cup Lace Camisole Bra by Comfort Choice®

Lace Camisole Bra

By Pami from Perryopolis, Pennsylvania on 3/1/2012

 

4out of 5

Cup Fit: Feels true to size

Band Size: Feels true to size

Pros: Soft, Breathable

Best Uses: Home, Casual, Lounging

Describe Yourself: Comfort Driven

Was this a gift?: No

I wanted this bra to wear under low cut blouses. I liked the color of soft green, too.

(legalese)

My Review of Tall relaxed 5-pocket jeans

Originally submitted at WomanWithin

The jeans you’ve been waiting for...lovely to live in. Our plus size jeans have a comfortable fit, great style, fabulous price.

• comfy & full through the hips & legs
• button/fly front
• natural fit sits at waist

Tall relaxed 5-pocket jeans

Exactly What I Wanted

By Pami from Perryopolis, Pennsylvania on 5/17/2011

 

5out of 5

Waist: Feels true to size

Inseam: Feels true to length

Pros: Long enough, Attractive Design, Quality Material, Great Color, Great Fit, Comfortable, Flattering

Best Uses: Going Out, Casual Wear

Describe Yourself: Bargain Shopper, Casual, Classic

Was this a gift?: No

These jeans are so comfortable and feel great on.

(legalese)

WHY DO VANDALS DO WHAT THEY DO?

08/18/07
You know....it is really sad that townships where people live TRY to make nice playgrounds and picnic areas for their constituents and then...it is ruined by vandals!We went for a ride today to a town approximately 18 miles North of us and had a picnic in a pavilion in a beautiful meadow like area situated along the river and the walking trail.In the pavilion were heavy, heavy very attractive marble like tables and benches. Too heavy for someone to just lift up and steal, but what I do not understand is why there had to be words written on the tables and benches, on the ceilings of the pavilion, the tables had been hit in the middles so hard that the marble-like substance they were made of had cracked. Words had actually been chiseled in to the tables.Is it that while growing up the hormones are running so rampant that crashing something is what feels good to do, and what it takes to destroy what others tried to make good. Are these people who their mothers and fathers would say, "My child would NEVER do such a thing!!" Scary, isn't it? How can a parent control someone they fear to say to them, "This behavior is just NOT acceptable!"(I remember when our children were babies and an author had written a best selling book which I truly believe helped to lead to all of this disrespect.) Well, they say there is POWER in the written word.I think that the parks and playgrounds and cemeteries and goodness will suffer destruction until the basics are gotten back to. Maybe people thousands of years ago thought the same thing......

ROSE WORLD

08/18/07

I could say WORLD OF ROSES, but that doesn't quite fit what I am thinking. To have a world of roses would, to me, be many, many roses in the world, but to live in a Rose World is something fantastic.It is difficult at times to live in a rose world because when you see the reality of what the news portrays; crimes, neglect, omissions, fears, poverty, all of these bring with them a sense of defeat. This is why the people who do their seminars teaching attitudes tell us to not watch quite as much news, for after all, isn't it mostly bad news?We have to keep up with current events, though, and not stick our heads in the sand by not listening. It is how we react to sadness, bad news, difficult people, that matters. They say you get what you expect! We have the choice of how we paint the picture we see of today's life. We are to have HOPE and Gratitude and Joy and Optimism, and LOVE and praise and all the most wonderful words all wrapped up together making them a suit of ARMOUR of protection. Each of us also has a Book which teaches us these traits.My husband says I live in a Rose World. I know that he sees a straight and narrow path and he deals in facts he can see, where I see vivid colors and both sides of issues. This is why when my brain gets cluttered I will ask him for advice because I know he sees the immediate facts. He will 'pshaw' me when I try to see the good in everything and sometimes berate me for it. But then, on days when I am down and out, that is when he will tell me the same optimistic words I may have said to him at one time long ago!So if he says I live in a Rose World, I will value that as a compliment!

AUGUST SKY

08/18/07

I am sorry to say that August is actually NOT my favorite month of the year.BUT, I also know myself well enough to know that some things which were never my favorites somehow turn out to be just that!It isn't August in itself, but what it represents to me which is unnerving. The nights turn cold the last two weeks of August bringing in football weather which lets me know that the gray, gloomy days of raining ice will be returning to Southwestern Pennsylvania. I do think I am one of the SAD ones and I need many lights to keep me from this depressed feeling. My husband tries to build me up and tell me to just take things as they come...I know that, but it is easier said than done! He has no fear of driving in snow and will go up our hill, if he can't make it he will turn around in the middle of it and SLIDE back down. That is not for me. He enjoys all the autumn leaves turning their reds, golds, yellows and browns and the cold nights and not having to cut the grass twice a week in winter. We are direct opposites in that respect.Being optimistic and realizing all the blessings which our God has given to me, I have to say that sitting out on 'the porch' this morning I do not know how we could have more of a piece of Heaven. The emerald green of the trees on the hills and looking through them is the huge, blue, blue 'not a cloud in the sky' sky! The colors are so intense in August. The moon seems to be oranger, the sunshine seems yellower, the sky seems bluer, the days are becoming quieter, the river will be getting colder, the nights will soon be longer.There were three hummingbirds just humming along, flying right near me, they were talking to one another. They will be ready soon to leave our home for where ever it is they go.At this time of the morning, clear across the horizon, far as the eye can see is the totally cloudless, huge, bright blue AUGUST SKY!

BREATHE IN THE SMELL OF 'HOME'

08/17/07
Have you ever been away from home and you were so homesick you pined and pined in agony of wanting to be HOME? I have and I can tell you that it is awful and devastating!And when you finally come home and you smell the fragrances and nuances of family you are used to, you could kiss your kitchen floor you are so thankful to be safe and sound at home? I have.I think of the veterans serving so far away and of people who have had to leave their home because of floods or hurricanes, or because they lost their home to a foreclosure or a fire. I think of their agony and know what it is to miss the smell of home.When my aunt Katy and uncle Joe passed away I inherited their bedroom set. I put pillow cases, small blankets, and sheets in the chest of drawers. Their home had a fragrance that I missed so much when they passed away. Even now when I change the bedclothes, the fragrance of them permeates the room and it is a wonderful memory of all my and our grandson Sean's visits to THEIR home on Saturday afternoons.The fragrance of each home is so special. I can understand why a little child loves to carry their security blanket around with them. Isn't it wonderful, the smell of HOME?

THE DARR MINE MEMORIAL SERVICE

09/29/07
I HAVE ATTACHED THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE WRITTEN ON MAY 4, 2007 TO MAKE IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND AT THE ENDING OF THIS ARTICLE.Today I attended a 100 year memorial service for the loved ones who lost their lives in the DARR MINE DISASTER on December 18, 1907. My father's father, our grandfather, Walter Sheppard whose mine badge number was 508 is buried either in the mine itself or is among the 71 miners buried at Olive Branch cemetery in a mass grave. Since many of the dead were unrecognizable no one knows the true identities of all the men. This a very sad, sad ceremony. The church was full so I gestured hello to my sister and her daughter-in-law who had gotten there on time and were seated. I had no program to understand who the speakers were of which it was my fault that I could not arrive at the church any sooner. I stood along the wall in the crowded church for a long time and then decided that since the voice was piped in to the outer part of the church which was full of photos and memorabilia that I would go out there. There was coffee and kolachi and I ran in to a friend I hadn't seen in probably 34 years. We quietly talked over coffee and then I decided after awhile that I would go and walk the cemetery and sit on benches and just enjoy the sunny afternoon.I met a lady who happened to be the mother of the fellow who was going to play the bagpipes at the service and I told her I had sat on a bench and listened to him practice. I met a high school senior from the school I also graduated from naturally, we shook hands. He was going to play taps on his trumpet. We talked about the school and the band director they have now and the one I had when I played my clarinet many years ago.After approximately two hours or so the service ended and all the people filed out of the church to the memorial outside and there was a gun salute and the sadness of the taps were played, then Amazing Grace by bagpipe, and then the ceremony ended. This was a very poignant ceremony for the dead who lost their lives, some still over a mile in the ground. We are still mourning the loss of lives which may have been prevented even long ago. Can you imagine?I met up with my sister, Arlene and Nancy, her daughter-in-law and told them of looking at the photos inside the church so we all decided to go back in, too. We were looking at old photos of when our house was a coal mine office and don't you know a young fellow from the Valley Independent newspaper came in exactly then and asked us if he could take our photo while looking at the pictures? He took down our names and that we had lost our grandfather, Walter Sheppard in the mine that dreadful day and that we had been raised in the then mine office which our parents had made in to a home.If we had not gone back in to the church we would never had met that fellow. Funny how things work out! So, then we walked around the cemetery and my sister showed me again where her own husband who had succumbed to a heart attack when he was only 44 years old on Thanksgiving evening, 1979. Many other relatives were buried there, also.On the way to our cars we met a lady who has taken over doing the history of the Darr Mine Disaster from the original historian of it who had passed on. She also took our names down and promised to be in touch with me so that I could convey messages to my sister and relatives. I am glad of this.This day was very special to me. I spoke to an old friend, also to many individuals I will probably never see again, at a sacred place where my grandfather may be buried, with Arlene and Nancy and met a new friend whom I will be in contact with teaching me about all the loved ones who perished on that fateful day. All of these blessings arriving on a beautiful sunny early fall day. How great is that?I took photos and will place so many on my gallery soon as they are developed. I got a photo of "The Old Coal Bucket" to put with that story.I felt that this one was too long to put as an UPDATE to the other story about the Darr Mine Disaster.PREVIOUS ARTICLE written on May, 4, 2007On December 18th, 1907 a young man of 24 or 25 years of age, the father of two sons (the article in that year's paper said Walter was the father of three children, he had two children) was probably planning on a wonderful Christmas with his wife and children. Little did he know that he would perish on December 19th, 1907 along with 238 other men in one of the worst mining disasters in Pennsylvania's coal industry. He was my grandfather. His name was Walter Sheppard.Many more would have perished that fateful day except for deciding to take that time to go to church services. Most of these men were from different countries and could not speak English. They were working for people who would fire you if you put a horse in danger, but paid no mind to the danger of men because men were lined up outside needing a job.In some of these mines they had horses who never saw the light of day. The owners of the mines made a fortune and had huge houses and fine furniture and the best of everything. The people who worked for them had row houses, no insulation in these houses to keep them warm in the winter, large families to feed, a company store which gave the workers and their families credit and they became deep in debt which caused many of them to give up their dreams of a better future. A few miles from our home is a memorial to the 71 miners buried there in a common grave. 49 of them are unknown. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I have enclosed the link.http://patheoldminer.rootsweb.com/darr2.html

10/15/07

10/15/07

Wishing everyone a wonderful morning, day and evening.Sitting out on the porch this very cold morning, I could hear the geese honking far up in the sky, but I could not see them through the fog. I did see and hear two huge cranes whose honk is a little screachier than the geese. It seems as though it were yesterday when I wrote the "V Pattern" about the geese, and here it is a whole year has gone by.I have heard from friends and relatives on the internet searching for ancestors as I am, one friend has found out she has cancerous nodules in her chest cavity, some friends are in agony over a loved one's illness, our niece was in an automobile accident and has lost much memory.Each person needs prayer to help them get through another day especially a caregiver or someone who lost a loved one. May we each say a prayer for a stranger we do not know and also friends we may have not met only on through e-mails. I have found that the internet is a community. Word and prayers get around just the same as the game we used to play as children where we would all sit in our chairs in a straight line and whisper something in the ear of the first one and see how it comes out at the end. Remember that of long ago?May we say our prayers and then enjoy a new day!

POKEBERRIES

10/20/07

All of this time I have been talking about the Elderberries getting ripe and Mrs. Groundhog and all the birds waiting for them, I have been wrong. I credit my sister, Arlene for telling me this while we were talking one day standing outside when she was leaving after a visit. She was remembering some ladies quite long ago coming down the road with a bag or basket and asking if they could pick some "Poke!" Not one time did I think these berries could be something different than Elderberries, so you can imagine my surprise and disappointment.What is outside my window at the brush patch is the Pokeberry Bush. In clicking on Google and typing in Elderberry vs. Pokeberry, I find that the Pokeberry bush especially the large taproot parts and large stems should be avoided This plant growing near the brush patch has deep purple berries hanging from the stems. The birds love them and when eaten the birds become intoxicated! These bushes grow in Northeast America as far south as Mexico and are extremely poisonous and cause extreme gastrointestinal distress in mammals. However young shoots from the plant are eaten in salad after being cooked twice in different waters and the berries even used for pie. One warning I have read is that no part of the plant should be touched, let alone eaten, by humans or livestock. I am supposing that when these shoots are cooked twice and eaten in a salad with bacon and eggs that it is done with experienced expertise by those who know what they are doing. So, all this time I have thought that this beautiful plant was an Elderberry (forgetting that when I picked them for my mother they grew on stems with FLAT wide portions to pick) which is wonderful in jellies, jams, for our health (which I will look up and write on) and it has been something I do not even want my husband to go in to and cut down. At least I know the birds like and can use these berries.

MOTHER MOUSE IN THE BACK YARD!

10/08/07

I have to tell you that anytime I come in the house and say to my husband, "Guess what happened?" He says, "I am afraid to ask!" That is exactly what he said on Saturday evening.Anna, Katie, Chad and Lindsey came home from Zelienople this weekend so we could all attend Pioneer Days in Perryopolis. Katie had promised to clip Jezebel's toenails which she did and that made me very happy. Anna had to make the 74 mile trip back to her place with Katie so that they could pick up the black and white dress from the mall that Katie is wearing to a school dance on the 13th of October.Leaving Chad and Lindsey to stay overnight while they were gone, the kids went out in the back yard to play with Jezebel. I went outside with them and decided to go off the "back porch" and sit on a chair in the yard.Probably one minute after I sat down some kind of critter about 7 inches long was brown and gray, brown furry legs and looked as though it had something in it's mouth ran so fast under my feet and through the yard into the safety of the old flower pot that was sitting upside down on the brick wall.I yelled for Chad and Lindsey to come see what this could be! I went down over the yard to the front of the brick wall thinking whatever it was would come out from under the flower pot for us to see. Chad ran to underneath my chair and said, "Grandma!, come look at this mouse!" Sure enough there was the teeniest mouse with huge white paws looking too big for it's body right there under my chair. Chad ran downstairs for the dust pan and I got my feather duster off the porch. I wanted to put it where ever it's mother went. I know....sounds goofy to protect a pest,...I do not want them in my house.I can see why these little animals can get in to a house very quickly when the doors are left open. This little two inch long mouse could almost climb up the porch steps. He could really move! We got him in the dustpan and over to the wall where he jumped off the wall into the grass and made his way through the yard to the apple tree and brush patch.I told the kids that he probably would not survive without his mother although he looked pretty qualified for such a tiny mouse. I can not figure what the mother would look like in brown and gray fur. She must have been carrying all her babies on her back and she had something in her mouth. That coloring is just not your everyday mouse or rat from here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. My sister said that maybe someone lost a pet.My husband still said, "I am afraid to ask!"

Mouse in the House!

10/20/07

Well, we always know something can come in any door each time we open it, living here next to the woods and creek, river and the main road. It is just something we live with each day!SO, it is back by the furnace and went under a built up ledge near the old coal bin. How my husband noticed it was that it had shredded up his sponge he uses for washing the cars.Gosh, I hope it is not that "Mother Mouse" or whatever it was I saw out in the yard the day Chad and Lindsey and Jezzie were outside playing. That would be awful living with numerous critters running this way and that and eating my cabinets and couches. Could you imagine?Eddie has initiated his own methods of catching whatever it is from the local Wal*Mart. This has happened before when a rat came up the drainpipe from the river's edge and couldn't fit through and died there and when we smelled the awfulness, Eddie had to get a clothes prop and force it out to the outside drain. As I said, that is what happens living close to the woods.Say a prayer that we get it out!!

The Heart on My Window!

10/22/07

It is unusual for our windows to steam up, but this morning the one I always look out here by my computer was steamed.But, in the condensation was a perfect heart as though it were drawn there just for me and for our Jezebel to see. How odd is that to look at a perfect little heart on a window first thing in the morning. Co-incidence? Maybe! Although it is gone now, it is recorded in this article on 10/22/07.Happy Day.Pam

WHAT A WONDERFUL MORNING

10/23/07
Although it is raining a straight down drizzle, sitting out on the porch this warm, balmy morning was a blessing!The birds are singing inside the branches of the trees. The Sumac trees are a wilted green and bright gold. Eddie cut the grass yesterday and mulched up the dry, dead leaves which will make for prettier grass in the spring. I have my own project of cleaning around the flagstone wall and getting ready to start digging my steps up the hill to the large Cherry Tree.Looking at what we accomplished yesterday, I am satisfied. It is a very peaceful and "soothing to the nerves" morning.Where ever you are, I am hoping that your morning is a blessing for you!

WANT TO KNOW HOW TO FOCUS?

10/25/07

Okay, suppose you are not good at focusing on exactly what you want to do! I just realized this lately when I was studying some material on the computer plus when I was sitting outside on the porch very early one morning. I put it all together for myself and want to also let you know.Look at the trees. What do you see? A tree...correct. This is what we see when we are trying to focus and do not know what we are focusing on in our lives and in our work. You have heard the saying, "You can not see the forest for the trees!"Now, don't just look at the tree but look at the branches of the tree. Look at each individual leaf. Now look at the light through the branches. Look deeper. Do you see the movement of the birds within the tree? Yep. They are there. This is because you have made the choice to really see what is deep within the tree. Since our minds never ever stop thinking, there is many times a clutter of this and that going on inside. Once we make up our minds just what it is we are doing and just totally commit to it, we will truly begin to focus. There will be less clutter because it is gone. We have chosen to look within at what we want and to see "that light within the branches!"

FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS AUTUMN

10/27/07
As I sat on my porch this morning I found that I can see the glistening of the sunshine on the river again for the first time since leaves came on the trees back in the first part of springtime this passed year.I could hear the screeching of the metal train wheels on the railroad tracks across the river as the train went loudly through our valley. I could actually see parts of the train cars as they lumbered along.The sun is shining again after two days of rain and gloomy weather. It is cold here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The leaves are falling from the trees very quickly now and in a short time they will be like dark stems against the horizon.From upstairs in my computer room I can actually SEE the beautiful Youghiogheny River again. Many bikers and hikers and walkers are already using the walking trail and were up very early.Although I am not an Autumn person, I can see why other people love this time of year. My husband certainly does! Jezebel is a dear heart....she loves anykind of weather as long as Eddie takes her for a W A L K! The Hummingbirds are gone, I shall miss seeing them squabble and chase each other around the feeder and Sumac trees.I AM happy that the Yellow Jackets are gone for now and even though I have to have extra clothing on when I sit outside in the morning, I have no fear of their sting now.

Nostalgia Lane (Part 8)

06/02/07

Thinking about the long summer days, walking up the river road to go swimming, and seeing the layers of heat coming off the road brings back so many memories.There is a sense of quietness almost like playing hookie from school during this time between being in school and school ending. Children so grateful to be out of school slowly become more and more ready for it to begin again. (Where did those thoughts come from, they wonder?) But, my mother always told me you can always have too much of a good thing! That is true. That is why "All things come to pass!" And, we begin again!After all the swimming and playing and just hanging out in my mother's cool kitchen during those last two weeks of summer I would see that most of the girls would get their "perms" (mothers hoping these perms and the money they spent on them would last all the school year!). Shopping for school clothes had begun and another year's adventure also.Ever notice there is even a difference in the shadows on the roads at different times of the year. Sometimes it is hard to see holes in the road while driving because of the shadows.Ever notice how quiet and subdued the Earth seems on the first day of school and a sense of sadness because the kids are not home with you?We go on each day, we begin new things, time passes and we remember memories, good memories best of all!

Nostalgia Lane (Part 7)

05/15/07
My senior year at school was fast becoming a memory. There was so much to be done. Senior prom, band concerts, decorations, football games, studying, making plans to go to Washington, D. C. to go to work at the Department of Agriculture.The last thing I wanted to do was be given this present: "A trip to California!" Oh, no....how could daddy do that?, make plans for me to go there when I would be leaving home forever and I wanted to in delve these last precious days with my parents and friends and the river in my mind forever. To just bask in the sunshine of these summer days!After much crying and whining to my mother, they put me on the train and I was gone. She said that daddy said to her after the train pulled out, "Annie, I don't think Pami wanted to go!" She said, "You are right, John, she didn't want to go!" But, you see,... we didn't tell him so how could he know?I did a lot of things others may not have gotten the chance to do. I spent time with my sister, Marlene and their two children and my brother, Ronnie and family who had three children who could do no wrong in my eyes either.I saw a lot of California and the beaches and the mountains of Simi Valley which had ranch style houses for sale at $99 down and the town was just in the beginning stages...where would one see that again now?I went out on a train and came back on the train which I loved to do. So many people became friends which will be another story in itself.When I came home there was still two weeks of summer left to enjoy in Pennsylvania. My three best friends were waiting with Mommie and Daddy when the train pulled in! Hallelujah, I was HOME!!

Part 6 (Another way of writing it)

05/20/07

I was about 10 years old when Daddy decided on a new profession. He had a building sitting close to our house and figured in his mind he may as well make a use for it. He was 50 years old and I think he was becoming a little fearful and tired of going down into the mines digging for coal.SO, he decided he would open a tavern! He got all the zoning, liquor control board, restaurant, licenses, juke box, etc., and ordered his beer, whiskey, chips and snacks and OPENED for business.What excitement for the town and the many couples in the late 50's who took this opportunity to let off steam and enjoy each other and dance and they filled up the building to the point that he made an addition for a large dance floor.When I would go over to the bar to tell him a message from Mommie, everyone sitting at the bar had to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I loved each and everyone of these people.On New Year's Eve Mommie would make pots of kielbasi, hot dogs, saurekraut, buns, and Daddy would buy noisemakers, hats, necklaces and what a celebration we would have. From the time I was 10 to when I left home at 17, I enjoyed all the couples, my mom and dad, and the tavern and our river was a way of life for me.No wonder I never wanted to leave home! I had all the happiness any one child could ever want! Daddy never had to go down in to the mines again!!!

Nostalgia Lane (Part 6)

04/19/07

I was about ten years old when Daddy decided he had had enough of the coal mines. He was 50 years old and becoming a little nervous about going inside the hillsides.SO,... he decided to be a tavern owner. He had an extra building right beside the house and he got the liquor license and everything ready to begin.He got the juke box, an old antique cash register, the liquor license, restaurant license, beer, whiskey and wine and almost immediately it filled up with home town people, husbands and wives wanting to have a good time on the weekends. Naturally, I was always there pestering. My brother and his wife came home for quite awhile from California and she taught us how to do the jitterbug there in the backroom of the tavern. What a life and what a time!My best friend and I would help scrub this very large dancefloor along with my mother. We put brillo pads on the bottoms of our feet and scrubbed the dirt off, then my mother would rinse the cloths out for us and we would get on our knees and rinse. On New Year's eve, my mother would make kielbasi, saure kraut, buns, hotdogs. Daddy would get the hats, confetti, balloons and other noisemakers and what a time everyone would have.When I would walk over to tell him a message from my mother, everyone had to give the 10 year old a hug or a kiss on the cheek, maybe just out of respect for my dad!! I don't know, but I loved them all. These people and my dad and mother made up my growing years. From age 10 to the age of 17 when I left home, these were wonderful times.My dad did not drink but he loved the business. There were good times and there were bad times but he was never down inside a mine again!

Nostalgia Lane (Part 5)

Southwestern Pennsylvania is such a wonderful place. Although Pennsylvania's chief industry is agriculture, to me, it will always be COAL COUNTRY. My husband always tells me that if I did now what I did then I may not be alive to write for this column. In closing my eyes and remembering the long sunny days and just wondering all over the hillsides and along the river, it would be unthinkable to allow a small child all the freedom that I had growing up. Our house is an old mine office, probably over a hundred years old. Right outside our home was the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad tracks. I have always loved trains and would wave at the engineers and the men in the caboose. There would be little cars called "paddy cars" with workers who watched for me to wave at them, too. Across the road and along the river was an open building made of iron. Inside, a man worked having just a pot belly stove to keep him warm and as the huge buckets came across the river on the pulley around to him, he would quickly turn this bucket over and send it on it's way again across the river to be filled with coal, emptied and back again for him to do the same thing. The pulley wheel was inside about a 20 foot vat filled with black, thick oil. There was a ladder inside for a worker to go down in to the vat in case something happened to it. I spent very much time there in the old bucket house talking to that man although I never knew his name. My parents knew him and trusted him to watch over this overly rambunctios child. Daddy had horses or mules to pull the heavy coal cars out of the mine to be dumped in to the waiting truck for delivery. One brown one was called "Bud," and he let me ride him and he would shout out "gee" and "haw" to the horse for whichever way he wanted it to go. He had yellow little bull dozers which he called "doodle bugs!" His partner who worked with him could spit through his teeth really far and naturally I took to trying to spit just like him! That didn't set very well with my dad, his little girl spitting. So, I didn't spit anymore!

Nostalgia Lane (Part 4)

01/30/07
Gosh, I didn't want to leave home! I cried and cried at the thought. BUT, I made that decision during my last year of high school that I, along with two other friends would obtain a job working in Washington, D.C. for the Department of Agriculture.The day was late in August, 1962. President Kennedy was in office which is another walk down Nostalgia Lane. We were to start working on September 4, 1962. Daddy had a 1956 bronze and white Chevrolet with a dual exhaust system, and after hugging and kissing my parents goodbye, I pulled out in that car at the age of 17 and went and picked up my friends. Although I had never driven more than a 15 mile radius of our home he trusted me to take that car. We were headed to my Aunt's house in Virginia to stay with her and her family till we found an apartment. Anyone who has led a sheltered life and then is pitched out in to the big city to make a living knows the traumatism involved, but also the excitement of beginning a new life. Going from a small town and friends and quiet in to a place of cement and monuments and the hustle and bustle of city lfe is quite lifechanging.My first day of work was spent in their sick bay! Can you imagine trying to find a place to park a Chevrolet the first day of work in a city of cars and trucks and buses all honking horns and taxis and people running across streets. But, to me they all knew where they were going...we didn't! I parked daddy's car along the "mall" near the Washington Monument all by itself. Why it was not towed away in still unbelievable to me. One of the four bosses I was going to work for came to the sick bay and said to me, "Pamela, we do not want to lose you today after waiting so long to get a secretary...we need you to come back tomorrow!" Working in the big city had begun!

Nostalgia Lane (Part 3)

01/23/07

Looking back, I wonder where all the time goes. Was it just yesterday that I was running all over the hillsides going clear to the top where there was a stone quary of mounds of large flagstones. I would then sit on the edge of the hillside amongst the trees and look over the town below and marvel at how the people playing ball in the ball field or walking to the country store looked like ants to me.I wondered how the river below could keep flowing day after day, year after year on its way merging with the other rivers on their way to Pittsburgh. How does the water keep coming from the streams high up in it's mountain beginnings? This river called the Youghiogheny flows north to Pittsburgh and is so crystal clear that in the summertime one can see the rocks sitting on the bottom, and fish swimming lazily in it. Some of the rocks are as large as half a room. They all had been named by those who swam before me. There was a "frog rock" a "big rock" "red rock" "snake rock" and "yellow rock!" My mother and father tried to keep me out of the river when I was growing up. My day began and ended with swimming in our river.Nowadays it is stocked with fish and fishermen use it and lose hooks in it which was not done when I was a child. Not as much swimming is done near our home as before.I haven't climbed these hills for years and looked out over the town. Somehow the hills look much larger to begin climbing today than when I was a child!

Nostalgia Lane (Part 2)

01/21/07
Daddy was a coal miner here in Western Pennsylvania for the better part of his life. I grew up seeing the whites of his eyes when he came home from the mines. When I was maybe five years old he would give my beloved mother a break by taking me with him sometimes when he delivered coal in his coal truck. I can close my eyes and still smell the coal dust, hear that old truck's engine and hear him singing songs to me as the truck lumbered out the country roads. We were always delivering coal to a fictional lady named Mary Windowglass.One day while being busy in the back yard a ball of fur rolled out of the woods and down the hill and Daddy ran for a bucket to put the ball of fur in it. He came to tell my mother, "Hey Annie look what just rolled down the hill!" It was a mistake to show it to me, this tiny baby raccoon we completely fell in love with and who was to become a true and totally wonderful member of the family. We named him Billy. Billy used to wash everything he ate with these delicate paws that felt as though they were lined with black velvet. He knew how to open the cereal and he had the run of the house. We were inseparable! Then when he grew up and wanted a mate he wanted to leave and Daddy built a large cage and Billy became mean and one day escaped back to the deep woods from whence he came.Remembering these prescious childhood days and this second walk down Nostalgia Lane has been a true joy and a wonderful respite from today's daily life.

Nostalgia Lane (Part 1)

Like many other places in the United States of America, Southwestern Pennsylvania was known for years for it's coal producing abilities. My dad earned a dollar a day in the mines. Most everyone was a coal miner although we had a man who repaired shoes and the smell of leather permeated his little shantie. My best friend's dad repaired the time pieces of the residents.

Our little town was a hodge podge of immigrants from many different countries all trying to make a living for their families. Situated in a deep valley with one large hill coming in and another large hill at the other end of town going out, we were a town unto ourselves with rows of houses we called the "patch!" We had a general store which gave people "credit" so they could eat even when they had no money to pay for their groceries.

We never had to leave our town to have fun! We had our beloved river which runs clear as a bell and most everyone learned how to swim. Kids would practice their baseball playing abilities all day long in the ball field. Our doors were never locked. Mothers hung clothes out to dry in the summer breezes (and even icy winters where they froze solid on the clothesline.) Mothers also kept an eye out for who was doing what!

It was a happy, peaceful and safe time....this walk down Nostalgia Lane!

DREAM STEALERS

02/26/07
9/09/06 at 05:26 PM

They are everywhere,....the "dream stealers!", ready to tell you, "You can't do this or you can't do that!" Tell you "this won't work and that won't work!"

Do not believe them! They want YOUR determination, but they just don't have it so they want to steal what you are building and dreaming and planning.

They must be brushed off your shoulders as a fleck. Dusted off your feet as sand as you walk out the door. Harsh. No! Mean. No!

Don't let anyone steal your dream.

TO EVERY MOTHER

05/13/07

The year was 1978 and my mother was 68 years old, too young to pass away and leave me.In my hurt and crying, I was angry with her for leaving me. Yes, I had that audacity to feel that way! She was leaving me to face years of being without her, never to feel her hug again, never to pick her up from bingo again, never to ask her how to make something exactly like she made it again, never to take her shopping with us again, never, never, never.Very rarely a day goes by that I do not think of her. A couple weeks ago when I asked my husband if what I had fixed for dinner tasted like Mommie's and he said, "Hon, don't you think it is time to just make it the way you want to make it?" One thing I have realized through out the years. The memories become more precious, I realized in my loneliness for her that many other people became like a mother to me, my Aunt Katy, my husband, friends who gave me advice, my sister, my own children, and I have realized that I can be a mother to many also and just keep it going in a full circle.Embracing these thoughts have made me stronger, have given me courage, a love of life to enjoy every second of it.So, I say this to all the mothers who have children, the women who do not have children, the women who are going to have children, There is nothing like a mother.HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!

JEZZIE WEZZIE

05/22/07

Jezzie Wezzie Wezzie was a woo woo woo,Jezzie Wezzie Wezzie was a woo!Jezzie Wezzie Wezzie was a woo, woo, woo,Jezzie Wezzie Wezzie was a woo!!(these are things I do and I know it makes her hyperactive, but I sing this to her and she runs and runs all over the house tearing up the carpets, losing hair all over the place!) OH WELL! WE LOVE HER SO!

THE EASTER EGG TREE

04/11/07
It is strange sometimes how one can forget growing up memories and then while talking with someone, all of a sudden we remember something special to write about.I am sure that to speak with anyone else about their mother and memories about their mother, each one would say the same thing I am saying. To me, my mother was a "one in a million mother!" She allowed me to become "me" without all the sit in a corner, or reprimands, and she gave me very much freedom, although at times, I think she was a little preoccupied, and those were times I, being the brat I was, took advantage of her and just ran and ran all over the countryside,... she was the best! She never knew what friend or friends I would bring home each day to spend the night, and I only saw her lose her patience with me a couple times (which will become another story.)Quite a while before Easter my mother would start making a hole in each end of the egg she was going to use for baking or frying and she would carefully save the shells. At Easter we would then carefully color this numerous amount of fragile eggs and we would tie a string in them and hang them on the same tree in the yard each year.For years and years, children dressed in their Easter finery would walk down that red dog, tree lined road and come to our home and pose in front of the tree while my mother took their pictures.Now, people hang the colorful plastic eggs on trees, but my mother had the originals.

Poem for Baby!

The moon shines
And the grass grows,
And little babies wiggle their toes.
The sun shines,
The day is bright,
How happy we are
In this wonderful light.
The doggie barks,
The kitten meows,
The birdie chirps,
And the LION growls.
We go for walks,
Mommie picks the flowers,
By gosh, by golly,
Let's play for hours!!

SALESMANSHIP

03/14/07
I really hated that class in high school. The way my schedule was with having band and playing my clarinet and needing that extra credit, there was no other choice. To top it off the class had to be taken with "juniors" when I was a "senior" and talk about me being out of my comfort zone. Then, to make all the matters worse we were the last ones out of the school and so I had to ride home on the kindergarten bus! GOSH! Then the teacher tells us we will do a one minute speach demonstrating a product to the rest of the class. Horrors! To get up in front of a class of juniors and remember what I was saying was going to be traumatic. I worked on learning my speach all night the night before and all day until 3:30 the time of my class. My turn came and my mind went BLANK to the laughter of the rest of the class. My worst nightmare had come true. Somehow by the grace of God I made it through that year and graduated. Want to know what I chose for my life's work? SALES! Strange, huh? How something we hate turns to something we love. I realized that everything in the world has to be sold by someone. What is the old saying? "Find a need and fill it!" I have sold clothing, makeup, real estate, insurance, household products, and the list goes on and on. Once we know how to sell something we do not need to sell at all. God gives people a good mind and when we have a product people need we can guide them in to making the choice on their own whether it is a product like insurance which is very difficult at times to sell because it is something people can not see or touch and in which most decisions are based on love or business decisions. Selling is simply knowing your product, getting it to the people who need it or don't even know they need it until they see you. Once learned....Selling is a joy!

Defragmenting

03/24/07
Two years ago my computer was completely taken over on one of the sites where I was clicking, for advertising a business I was doing.It took over the whole toolbar and even when I went to update the McAffe virus screen, their advertisement was imbedded in everything I tried to do. A flash would go off where ever I went on the internet as though a photo was being taken of what I was looking at. It was humiliating and I felt my privacy was taken.Being afraid for my internet friends and possibly infecting their computer, I took mine totally off the internet and Computer Troubleshooters came and picked her up and took my sick friend with them.They put an Fprot virus protecter on it, also spyware and also this Defragmenter called http://www.diskeeper.com called Diskeeper Lite, which came from Microsoft as a free download. It is really neat how it shows how much room you have in your computer for new files and it comes up all different colors showing the red and yellow as needed condensed and cleaned up. I know that we can go in to our own computer and defragment it as I have done it but I like this. It may help someone else.Now I make sure I click away on sites which I know are relatively much safer.

YELLOW JACKETS

08/21/06
I have been unhappy for the last week. With the hot weather and no rain,
we had become over run with yellow jackets. Do not believe the old adage, "If you do not bother them, they won't bother you!" That doesn't work. Soon as I step out the door they are flying after me. When they sting my husband, he swats it off and goes about his business. When I was stung on just a finger, the venom was obviously travelling up my finger to my hand to my wrist on up to the elbow and swells to twice the size! Even though I put the baking soda and the vinegar on. This year I would know to use lavender for a skin problem. But, I will not take the chance in getting stung.

These yellow jackets took over my porches, my hummingbird feeders, each part of my yard which I love. We purchased the trap and hung it in the back yard to no avail. Not one went in it. They came to the feeders instead.

Thank God that this morning it is cold. I was able to go out on the porch and sit and think again. The hummingbirds were coming to the feeder. They are so intelligent in looking at each little flower opening and going all around the feeder to make sure there is no yellow jacket lurking there before they take their drink.

Living next to a forest of trees, we have all manner of spiders, bees, little black snakes with white rings around their necks; it takes getting used to and living in a harmony, but I will never live in harmony with yellow jackets!___

The Darr Mine Disaster of December 19, 1907

05/04/07

On December 18th, 1907 a young man of 24 or 25 years of age, the father of two little boys was probably planning on a wonderful Christmas with his wife and children. Little did he know that he would perish on December 19th, 1907 along with 238 other men in one of the worst mining disasters in Pennsylvania's coal industry. He was my grandfather. His name was Walter Sheppard.Many more would have perished that fateful day except for deciding to take that time to go to church services. Most of these men were from different countries and could not speak English. They were working for people who would fire you if you put a horse in danger, but paid no mind to the danger of men because men were lined up outside needing a job.In some of these mines they had horses who never saw the light of day. The owners of the mines made a fortune and had huge houses and fine furniture and the best of everything. The people who worked for them had row houses, no insulation in these houses to keep them warm in the winter, large families to feed, a company store which gave the workers and their families credit and they became deep in debt which caused many of them to give up their dreams of a better future. A few miles from our home is a memorial to the 71 miners buried there in a common grave. 49 of them are unknown. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I have enclosed the link.http://patheoldminer.rootsweb.com/darr2.html

I'm Only Their Mother!

04/19/07
Jobs around here were hard to find years ago. The steel mills were always laying off their workers. It usually took quite a while to get unemployment and by the time it was to start, the mill called the workers back and then it would be another month before the two week pays started again.So, my brother-in-law decided he was going to New Jersey to look for a job and that my sister Arlene would come home with her two children who were quite little. These children could do no wrong in my eyes. It was the same for our mother and dad. She couldn't correct them in front of us because we didn't see anything they did wrong.Arlene would say to us, "I'm only their mother!" She would be so frustrated with us. Looking back on those days, I can see how she would have gotten angry and perturbed with this doting sister, Grandma and Grandpap. I can just imagine her joy to see her husband come home and take them back to their own home.Life went on, the kids grew up, had their own and will be having grandbabies of their own, but I can still remember their antics and how wonderful I thought they were!

HOUSEHOLD TIPS

08/01/07
HOUSEHOLD TIPS BED SHEETS : After drying my sheets, put both sheets and one pillowcase in the other pillow case. Fold neatly in a square. Next time you change sheets, you just take the one pillow case and all the sheets and pillow case are inside. No need to look for matches. CLEAN YOUR GLASS SHOWER: To clean the glass in your shower easily, apply lemon juice to the glass with a sponge. Then, take newspaper and wipe the lemon juice off the glass. It will be clean and sparkle with no scrubbing!
EASY DEVILED EGGS:Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. EXPANDING FROSTING: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat l ess sugar/calories per serving. REHEATING REFRIDGERATED BREAD:

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. NEWSPAPER WEEDS AWAY: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers ,put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. BROKEN GLASS: Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken glass pieces of glass-the fibers catch ones you can't see! You can also use a slice of fresh white bread.
NO MORE MOSQUITOES: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. SQUIRREL AWAY: To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

EASIER THANK YOU'S: When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mom sends the thank you's, they're all addressed!

IS THIS YOUR CHILD'S BIKE:
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns the bike. FLEXIBLE VACUUM: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. REDUCING STATIC CLING:
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- voila -- static is gone. MEASURING CUPS:
Before you pour sticky substances into a meas uring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. FOGGY WINDSHIELDS??? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! REOPENING ENVELOPES: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily. CONDITIONER:
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a grea t way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair... GOOD-BYE FRUIT FLIES:
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! GET RID OF ANTS: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," & can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
TAKE BABY POWDER TO THE BEACH:
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When your ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

SHOWERING IN THE BATH TUB:

Place two washcloths in the tub to stand on before you get in. This will ensure you from falling, is cleaner and you can swish the water with your feet to cleanse the tub before you get out!

I received most of these from a good friend of mine today. I like the one about using the pin for static cling! I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.SimpsonKnowing that the air in our insulated homes and tripled paned windows can cause allergies and poor health issues, I have chosen to begin my own business. Here is the link to it:http://www.ecoquestintl.com/pamsimpson

Making Our Own Dogfood!

07/05/07

After this dog food scare and what is safe and what is not safe to feed our pets I have been reading that contrary to what is said, We can make our own dog food!!AVOID ONIONS, GARLIC, GRAPES, RAISINS, AND CHOCOLATEWe should follow a 60%, 20%, 20% rule in preparing the foods. 60% meats such as poultry, pork, beef, lamb, sometimes fish.20% vegetables, asparaghus, beets, carrots, peas, brocolli (no ONIONS) 20% grains, we can use rice, sweet potatoes, oats and buckwheatA mixture of these foods can be placed in a crock pot and cooked for 8 hours or so with a chicken broth and fed to dogs. It is my understanding that dogs need carbohydrates.These are just some suggestions that may be helpful and came from my own investigation on the internet

A DOGS PURPOSE

I did not write this but found it to be wonderful!!

10/09/07

I received this from my good friend, Barb, today. I didn't write it but had to post it.
This is a nice story!

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6year-old). Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners Ron, his wife Lisa and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.' Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The six-year-old continued "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."Live simply.
Love generously.Care deeply.Speak kindly. Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy. Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
Wasn't that good! Have a great day!

Jezebel Learned to Understand Words!

09/30/07

Jezebel knows when we spell the word W A L K. It only took a few times and now if my husband spells it or I spell it, she is so excited she can hardly stand it.I have started to spell O U T S I D E to see how long it takes her to learn that word. We will try different ones.I talk to Jezebel all day when I am with her. If we leave I will tell her to answer the phone, be good and clean the house! If we are gone too long I will call her on the cell phone and leave a loud message so she will know we are thinking of her alone in the house.The other day I told her that I was going to take her outside but that I had to go downstairs and get her collar off the chair where I had hung it when we came in through the kitchen door. She took her usual flying leaps down the steps and when I came out in the kitchen she was looking at the collar hanging on the chair. Did she understand and go looking for herself? I think she certainly did.Dogs are dear ones aren't they? So are toads, cats, birds, turtles, rabbits, groundhogs, pigs, etc...our hearts have so much room for love.

"Boydie, The Birdie"

09/18/07

Years ago when the kids were little, we lived in the project in Perryopolis. Our house had a large yard for them to play in and it was at the end of the project near the woods.One day while playing they discovered an injured Robin and naturally they brought it home and we were trying to slowly nurse it back to health.Having a wild bird running all over the house was strange. He couldn't fly yet, but Boydie could really move on! He made himself at home and useful and did his own job by getting in all the corners of the house and seeing if there was a tiny spider or another insect he could find. Being allowed to just wonder the house, he would flap his wings and little feathers would fly all over the place.Eventually his wing healed and he was able to fly. All the family wanted to keep Boydie but, after all, he was a wild bird and needed to go. It was just as well because we had him at the time I was very ill from too much penicillin and Eddie felt that maybe a wild bird and all his featherdown would also contribute to my allergic reactions, so he was happy to let this bird go. Even so, in that short time of a few weeks, we had all learned to love "Boydie, the birdie" and it was a sad day when he left us!

The Dog, The Cat, and the Chicken!

09/16/07

You'd have to know our home and all the animals we have had who all got to know each other and form a bond together.We had a little dog like a sheep dog whose name was Tess, a white cat whose name was Pinky Lee, and our chicken whose name was Henrietta. Tess had the courage of a lion and when she ran off the only way I could get her to come home was to holler real loud. TESSIE JANE MCSHANE, YOU COME HOME RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!Pinky Lee was always wanting in the house and he got along with Tess quite well. Then there was Henrietta the red chicken! She was a trip. She followed us around like a puppy. Everywhere Eddie, especially, went... Henrietta was following along.In the winter they all stayed in the garage together where it was warm. One snowy day I looked out the window and on the outside window ledge was a dog, a cat and a chicken....all sitting on that ledge together. How I wished at the time that I could have gotten a picture of them all sitting there before they took off.Time passes and the kids have grown and gone from home. But the memories of them and all the pets they had still remain.

Our Collie named Timberlane and Her Babies!

09/14/07
When the kids were little and my mother had passed away and daddy was here at home by himself, my sister Marlene brought a small collie puppy to my dad and he was adamant he did not want it. So, she brought it up to our house and naturally our family fell in love with her. She reminded me of a collie walking down a lane of timber deep in the sun spackled woods, so we named her Timberlane.She chewed my new rocker leg and the teeth marks are still in it. She began to understand words and later when my dad passed away and we moved here to the 100 year old house she understood words like: "Timber...stay off the road, a car is coming!" She knew what you said.She was a small collie about as big as a fox and Timberlane was very mannerly and slower moving in her disposition although she could run when she wanted to. When she had her litter of puppies you did not see her for awhile just to come home and eat as we never tied Timby up and she was free to go and come as she pleased. Our son, Joey especially loved Timberlane and taught her many of the words she knew.When five weeks passed, here they would all come out of their den in the woods, all looking exactly like Timberlane and having manners as though they were raised by a queen. That is how she was. Very discreet. It was not hard to find homes for her puppies.One puppy was named Buttercup and we kept her. Buttercup was so lovable and never left Timberlane's side. She was at her right hip at all times no matter what. She grew up but never got old enough to have puppies of her own. One day when the tavern was open a friend of Joey's ran in to the bar and said, "Hey, Pam, I saw your dog in the woods!....She is shot...a hunter shot her!" Someone had shot our Buttercup through her heart. Sure enough, she was in the woods alone with a single shot, by whom we never found out. I know that Timberlane certainly had to miss her constant companion. We did!

The Little Brown Bird

08/23/07

Yesterday when I was sitting on the porch a little fluffy brown bird came and sat on the porch railing just staring at me having one fit of yelling at me. He was just about hissing in this loud, screeching voice. I guess he thought I was taking up his space. Another bird was at the side of the porch in the orange bush doing the same thing. She finally took off and that was that!Eddie and I were gone till about 9:30 and when we got home I took Jezzie outside and when we were coming back in Jezebel's nose began pointing up in the air in to the top of the porch. I kept searching for what she was looking for and she kept smelling upwards.There, in the corner of the porch on a half/inch precarious looking ledge with it's head under it's wing and it's tail hanging down was "The Little Brown Bird" come to stay in that corner for just one night. Jezzie knew the little bird was there...her nose told her.

Jezebel, The Great Hunter

08/23/07
Stinging bugs cause me to cringe inside, my hair stands up on my neck, I go in to a state of screaming as though in a horror movie. All of this is simply because I have been stung so many times and I don't like it!I thought yesterday when I brought Jezzie inside that something followed us in but I got preoccupied and forgot about it. This morning while being on the computer I saw something a reddish color, some kind of wasp or red mud dobber, and with wings that are fluttering all the time flying around my head. Immediately I called Jezzie to get the "bug bug" because she is as terrified as me and I wanted company in my terror. Jezebel tried to catch it but it flew in to the window under the curtain.I yelled for Eddie to come and kill the bug but by the time he got up here it had totally disappeared.A little while later while typing an e-mail it came back out and got after me. I slapped it down without getting stung and ran for my shoe to ponk it one and called Jezebel. You should have seen her....she smelled that bug on each trail that he took...in back of the computer...in back of the printer....near her rug....all over on the floor. She found it behind the printer in all the wires and put her paws on it and kept after it and I could not get it for her attacking it....she ate the bug....now it is gone! She is fine. She is laying here beside me with her head on the window seal looking out at the apple tree and at Eddie cutting grass. My Jezebel, the great hunter!!!!

Jezzie Knows Words!

08/17/07
How many words does your dog know? Ever stop to think about it? Jezebel learns more and more each day she is with us. She knows my husband's name is Eddie, my name is Pami, she knows when we tell her "company's coming" she runs when we say "Go Look" and jumps to look out the door. She is so funny standing there because her head from behind looks flat with her ears standing out from her head. Almost like Scooby Doo!She has her own personality....she can be arrogant, a typical teenager dog who has her own mind, when she is outside she can turn herself away from you and sit there and you are ignored, and not answer when you call her name. She loves to be praised when she does good things and when she does things she is not supposed to, she is submissive. She will put her feet on my lap and her ears will go back and her eyes slant up and I think she should be in a Disney movie.She knows, eat your dinner, toys, Mr. Crabcake, Bear Bear, (these are her toys)water, stop, stay, go, Mrs. Groundhog, Mrs. BunBun, Hummingbird, Birdie, Train, Airplane, Dog, Outside, Car, Kitty, Katie, Lindsey, Chaddie, Anna, hug, and so many more, but you know what her favorite word is:WALK......We can whisper it, disguise it by AWK or anyway we say it, but she goes spastic and can not contain herself in her excitement.She loves with total abandon and is a joy of a companion!

Mr. Toad Goes Surfing! and Updates

08/17/07

Why did he leave the security of being inside the safety of the missing brick in the brick wall and the back yard? Where did he have to go? Right back near the road, probably because that is where so many insects are, on the warm cement of the road.We had a horrible storm in the mid hours of the morning and thunder was hammering in the sky and the lightning was bolting as though flames were shooting a path up to the sky. Rain was pouring in the darkness and running down the road in swift, viscous paths. My husband was up watching from the kitchen window.He sees a dark blob like a big chunk of mud riding the wave of the water down the road!! It is NOT a big chunk of mud but it is our MR. TOAD! While catching insects, he had gotten caught up in the wave of water and was riding down the road as if he were surfing in the ocean. Eddie said he could not get up out of the water until he reached a shallow point where he hopped off the road and for the safety and protection of the side of the house.Now I can not find my "surfing toad!"
UPDATE 08/22/07Would you believe that even a toad knows where he is going? I know it sounds silly to search for a toad, but that is what I did each time I would take Jezebel outside. I could not find him anywhere.Yesterday, it was unbelievable! There he was! Right near his home in the missing brick just sitting there with his yellow, fluorescent lined eyes, BACK HOME! He had to go all the way through from the front of the house where he was caught in the wave of rainwater, 50 feet back and then hop up a hill through the yard another 20 feet to get to his home near the side of the porch. I wonder how he can remember this.A yellow jacket is out today. I wonder if Toads eat them!! Jezebel is as hysterical over hornets, yellow jackets and wasps as I am.
UPDATE 09/24/07I can't find Mr. Toad again for the last couple weeks. I am thinking he has dug under the dirt between the wall and the porch. He is not in his opening of the bricks where he used to stay. Being it is cold and he was such a huge toad, I don't know if they hybernate because it looked as though he ate every bug there was in the back yard!, if he has to drink he may have migrated to near the creek or the river. I hope he makes it back in the spring. The yellow jackets have not gone away yet...as soon as the sun comes out full force they are overhead!
UPDATE 09/30/07Last night upon taking Jezebel outside at her usual time of 7:00, already I had to put the porch light on because it was almost dark. We both noticed something hopping on the cement walk. Not quite as fat as he was, but it was our Mr. Toad...I am wondering if it could be a Mrs. Toad? I wanted to pick him up after hooking Jezzie on her leash, but he is all bumpy and lumpy and he hopped too fast and went under the orange bush. He must be hunkered down under the dirt between the wall and the porch. If he ventures to the road I do not think he will make it across before some vehicle comes racing down the hill.
UPDATE 10/03/07He hopped down the side steps and hunkered down in the dirt. I wonder if he will go back up the steps. He is not safe being outside of his mud house. I really think he is getting used to my voice....sometimes when I call Mr. Toad he raises his head up in the air. His eyes seem to have two eyelids and the outside one flourescent yellow. How about that?
UPDATE 10.10.07Well, Mr. Toad is in the bottom yard now, away from his usual home in the missing brick. He has traveled around about 20 feet and down the steps about 5 more feet and he was sitting in the yard. I tried to tell him that if Eddie doesn't see him when he cuts grass, he is in BIG TROUBLE! He went and hid in the flagstones after he hopped away from me. It is COLD now outside so maybe he will get under the mud near the flagstone wall and hide.
UPDATE 10.11.07Well, he almost got tramped on this evening. I took Jezebel out to bathroom and it was pouring rain and dark but I had my light and decided to hunt for Mr. Toad. I looked down over the wall where he was hiding last night and turn around to come back near the porch and THERE he was!, right on the sidewalk where I had just walked. He is a very large toad and has the prettiest wortie markings, I have to say. He made it UP the steps to this part of the yard near the back porch and he was under the downspout last time I put the light on him. I hope he stays near safe near the back porch and hides in the soil there.
UPDATE 10.23.07To my surprize on this rainy, warm morning, I took a chance and searched for him among the strawy grass between the brick wall and the porch. THERE HE WAS! Mr. Toad! In the safest place in the whole yard....he seems very intelligent for a TOAD. He has to dig in to the soft soil around the porch because he is not always where I can see him. Although he is where the snake comes out of his hole, they have not bothered each other. Eddie says, "What animal or bird would want to eat that toad?" I read an e-mail that a lady's dog ate a toad and got very sick. I keep Jezebel totally away from the edges of the walls and the house.

JEZZIE TOOK OFF AGAIN

08/08/07
Very early this morning I took Jezzie outside and how she did it, I do not know, but she slipped out of her collar and was gone like shot out of a cannon!!!This dog is totally different off her chain and out of the house. She becomes a dreadful "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" dog. She acts as though she does not know her name and will absolutely not come to us. She just wants to run and run till she drops!I feel as though I am ready to have a heat stroke! It is so hot and sunny and humid. We searched and searched up the walking trail and down the walking trail, through our small town, all over by the river. One fellow took his pickup truck and looked for her. We talked to the fellows who are getting the town ready for a homecoming on Saturday, the same day of our 45th high school reunion. We spoke to a fellow mowing his lawn, and the Verizon man in his truck and the mail man delivering mail said he saw her running on the land near our home.We hollered and said hello to my friend, Wanda, whom I am going to the reunion with on Saturday. We sat in the park in our town and talked. All in all, we enjoyed ourselves except that it took four hours again to get her to come back to us. She doesn't like a collar and chain and that is that!So, she is laying here with her head on the window seal again, totally exhausted and so are we.

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson "Pami"

JEZZIE IS IN TROUBLE AGAIN

You can whisper the word "Walk" very quietly and if Jezebel hears it her head goes sideways and her ears perk up and her eyes become mesmerized. I mean they look like they will circle around in her head, she gets so excited! She will run upstairs and downstairs flying up and flying down it seems with one movement of her feet!Today my husband went outside without her to see what she would do. She leaped at the door, stood there looking out and cried for him. When she sees him get her leash it is all she can do to contain herself to sit while he connects it to her collar!So, after all that, off they went for their three mile walk. I told her to be a very good girl!

One and a half miles down the walking trail, unbeknownst to my husband while he was looking at the river and trees, she wrapped her leash around his feet.....well, then she stopped because she also heard something and DOWN HE WENT!!!He tried to hold himself up and keep from falling but they were both too tangled in the leash (and it is not that long).They made it home safe and sound. All is well. While they were gone, I washed all her bedclothes....good thing.....Jezzie is tired out, curled up and sleeping!

MR. TOAD

07/26/07

I saved his life one day at the beginning of summer. There he was sitting in the middle of the warm road....now, he could not stay there could he? He would have been flat as a pancake as I have seen toads before when they got in the way of a vehicle!!So, not really anxious to pick up this horny toad I got my trusty broom and the big dustpan and proceeded to try and get him in the dustpan without mangling him myself! Finally, I did and placed him in the grass in the small yard near our kitchen. He made it to the back yard beside the porch near where Mr. Snake comes out of his den.I became concerned when, for two days, I have not seen Mr. Toad! Today when I took Jezzie outside when I came back in I bent down and was looking at the blooming "Geraniums" and glanced over to the brick wall beside the porch and there he was! This little smarty pants Mr. Toad had found a portion of the brick wall which is minus one brick and was sitting inside as though he had chosen a new house! His eyes are sort of shiny and he was blinking them slowly as though he were winking at me and saying, "See, I am still here, I may only be a toad, but I know a good house when I see one!"___

Katies Visit

07/02/07
Well, what a relief? Our daughter Anna visited yesterday and brought our grandchildren, Katie age 16 (the one who said "That's our Abbie!"), Chad age 10, and Lindsey age 9 and a friend named Tabitha age 16.KATIE CUT JEZZIE'S TOENAILS! And she did a wonderful job once she got Jezebel calmed down. She brought her upstairs by herself to do it! Oh my gosh, it makes me sick in the stomach to think about doing that since she pulled away from me and got scared of the clippers. Although on Google when I pulled up directions of how to clip them, one article said to place the clippers on the nail, SHUT YOUR EYES! and CLIP! They said, ("YES, actually SHUT YOUR EYES!) I could not do it no matter how I tried.Katie also put the Advantage flea medication on the back of Jezzie's neck for me as I wouldn't even open the vial and we had it since April 25th when we took her to the veteranariun.They do not make it up to visit as much since they moved away, but I am glad for Katie's visit!! I think Jezebel is, too!

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson "Pami"

"Billy" The Raccoon

07/10/07

We were inseparable! He made the funniest little noises when he spoke...sort of like "uhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh!" real fast and his paws were like black velvet and he rinsed his food off in the old single bowl sink that sat by the wall in the kitchen and went drip, drop, drip.His fur was like pure silk to the touch and he had so much fun opening up the cabinets and getting the Sugar Pop cereal which was also becoming famous in those long ago days. He would wet his food and rub his soft paws together as though he were washing the cereal with the water from the sink. One time he ran away, naturally I was hysterical and crying all day and we left the upstairs door open and late in the evening I felt something jump up on the bed with me and it was Billy coming back. They say if you love something to let it go and although we wanted Billy forever, he was, after all, a wild animal and Daddy tried to pen him up but eventually Billy left and never came back. I like to think that most of the raccoons around this area are descendants of our Billy!You can view Billy's photo by clicking on my photo gallery. You can see the old sink that drip, dropped, dripped way back then!

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson "Pami"

"Losing Our Abbie"

We lost our beloved pet Abbie and my heart has been broken for years now!

07/08/07

You know something, I did not realize when Abbie got sick how many other people go through the same thing. I used to belong to this group called Traffic Wave. I never did get the gist of it, it was an autoresponder type of business, but many others belonged to it and it is still going strong on the internet. I was so upset over Abbie that I posted to their forum that I would appreciate if anyone would say a prayer for her.It was pityful! They had had cats and dogs that they had not gotten over yet, either. I received messages from men and women from all over the place. One woman was from far away as Australia and so many of them told me they were crying with me and one man sent me a message his son had sent to him that the animals will wait for us at the "Rainbow Bridge" and they will know us when we appear and when we ourselves walk across that bridge to them. I can imagine their ears perking up and tails wagging and cats purring when we all get there! I know that the "Rainbow Bridge" is in Heaven!I asked our Abbie to wait for me there! I know all the other beloved pets are there, too. They are innocent and loving and deserve to be there.(You can now see our Abbie and our grandson Sean by clicking on my photo gallery....also the photo on my Pami forum is the ages the grandchildren were when Katie yelled out "Der's our Abbie!" and named her and how old Sean was when he said, "Hey Grandma, someone's knocking on our door!" when the people dropped Abbie off at our house.) (Katie is now going to be 17 in December 2nd. and Sean will soon be 21 years old on October 1st!....See how time passes.

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson "Pami"

"Jezzie Runs Away"

06/30/07
Well, she got in trouble again a couple days ago. I took Jezzie outside and I have to put a double collar on her to make sure she doesn't run away because she is rambunctious outside wanting to chase the little chipmunks, robins, bunnies and whatever else is in the yard and especially the groundhogs!My husband came a hollering in the door. "Pam, she got loose!" We searched down the trail, I am yelling "Jezebel" for almost 4 hours! So, we decide to drive the car and go look. We go up the hill to the highway and in my head are nightmares of her going to the highway with the tractor-trailers and cars going so fast. We turn right and go down the highway to a little town on down the road from us. We take the little road all the way through the hollow talking to all the people along the way, asking if they had seen her.One family living in a log cabin with growing up sons told me they had not seen her, but the dad asked the one boy to take his bike and go look. So we headed back out of the hollow and made another right on to the highway for another 5 miles and then headed back to home.Coming down the hill I saw her first! She was standing right in the middle of the road just looking at our car. My husband opened the door and he got in the back seat and she got on the front floorboard of the car and just collapsed! When we pulled in to our driveway the young son (Jordan is his name) of the man who lives in the log cabin was here on his bicycle near our home helping to search for her.It has taken her about three days to recoup herself from this adventure. She has a couple cuts on the underneath of her chin. I have wondered and wondered how did she get those?You can be sure I took Jordan a Disciple's cross I made for his trying to help us find our Jezzie!

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson "Pami"

Knowing that the air in our insulated homes and tripled paned windows can cause allergies and poor health issues, I have chosen to begin my own business. Here is the link to it: http://www.freedomin4steps.com/pamsimpson

"The Porch Rung and Jezzie"

06/30/07

Well, trouble just seems to follow Jezebel! I was outside for a long time on this cold morning by myself until Jezzie woke up then took her outside and she just plopped down on her rug instead of doing what she was supposed to do.Finally....The sun got to be too warm for her so she was whining and I brought her to the porch with me so I could sit in the sun and her in the shade.Well, she smelled the snake and being overwhelmed she stuck her head through the porch rungs and got her head caught. I know her ears hurt because she yanked and pulled squeezing her head back in the rungs. She is not happy! I truly think she reshaped her head!The black snake was coming out of his hole just partly so he could sun his head and a little of his body to warm it. We are in the house! She is laying here with her head on the window seal..SAFE!!

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson

Knowing that the air in our insulated homes and tripled paned windows can cause allergies and poor health issues, I have chosen to begin my own business. Here is the link to it:http://wwwfreedomin4steps.com/pamsimpson

"Jezzie and Mrs. Groundhog"

06/30/07

Jezzie (short for Jezebel) lays here on the floor near me and my computer with her head resting on the window seal. She has a birds-eye view of everything going on outside and she loves to watch the people on the walking trail. She can see the geese along the river and the cat that roams the trail and little bunnies cleaning themselves in the dust there.The old apple tree and the brush patch has it's own abundant amount of little wildlife seeming to vie for her attention and taunt her. Tiny apples are falling off the apple tree. Yesterday, it was so funny. Mrs. Groundhog picked up an apple in her little paws and sat straight up looking up at the window as if to say,...."Ha! Ha! Ha!, see me...I am right here and you can't get me!" Jezzie was not happy and was crying to get out the window.Needless to say...she is not a good dog when she gets outside. She would run off in an instant to chase the geese, the cat, the bunnies and especially Mrs. Groundhog!

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson "Pami"

Knowing that the air in our insulated homes and tripled paned windows can cause allergies and poor health issues, I have chosen to begin my own business. Here is the link: http://www.freedomin4steps.com/pamsimpson

"Dining with our Jezebel"

I write on another forum where I go by "Pami" which will be taken down soon. I want to place my writing on my own blog at this time.


06/08/07

For a dog, Jezebel has an unusual pattern of eating. She wants no liquid on her dry dog food. She wants her water cold in a separate bowl. She is a "picker" and does not gobble her food down, but picks out about 6 chunks and then walks out in the kitchen, drops it on the floor and eats them one by one.Sometimes she does stand by her bowl and looks all around while she is chewing. Tonight she picked out her food and came by my husband and me and ate each piece. I said, "Hon, do you know what they would say on the computer about how Jezzie eats?....they would say she was 'multi-tasking!' My husband, never having gotten on a computer said, "I would call it 'nervous wreck!' "

I have an obsession with learning about life and then writing about the smallest of blessings which makes one happy and yet I know these blessings are many times overlooked. P.J.Simpson

Knowing that the air in our insulated homes and tripled paned windows can cause allergies and poor health issues, I have chosen to begin my own business. Here is the link to it: http://www.freedomin4steps.com/

The Raging River

Rain, Rain, Rain, is what we have had for the passed week it seems. Our usually tranquil and peaceful river which I can see from my window is a raging, mean, steamy, muddy river now.

A river which can be walked across in places, on sunny summer days. A river which is crystal clear, this Youghiogheny River, is wonderful. It is 137 miles of untamed, wild, river beginning high up in the mountains and running towards Pittsburgh, Penna.

The River's Raging Waters!

We have been having very much rain. Last night just trying to see the waters was difficult. Steam from the heat of the day was rising above the muddy water.

Near our home the Youghiogheny River isusually low, crystal clear and I could practically walk across the whole river if I wanted to. Now, with the steady downpour of rain we have had, it looks to be a mean, muddy, swift, raging river!

At the end of the week, the temperatures will be in the 90's again and the rain will discontinue and we will be back to normal. Our raging river will be tranquil and peaceful again!

WHAT'S IN A POEM

written first by Pamela Simpson, "Pami" on www.kitakitz.com
on 06/13/07

A poem doesn't have to mean anything,
Only to the author, you see,
for no one knows what is in the heart
of the one it portrays to be.

To meander and wander
down life's roads and paths,
To be safe at home
and create a story to last,

That the adventure begins,
when the poem is read,
and the mind is locked inside,
like being right there,

At the author's side,
on the gallant steed,
In the pirate's ship,
At the jungle's edge,

We take the plunge,
Inside the book,
And stay safe at home instead!

A ROSE IN OUR HANDS

A rose in our hands,
covered in dew,
we only see the thorns.

What does it take
to see the love,
when we only see life's storms?

To savor the vision
to remember the fragrance
of this momentary gift.

To dance the dance,
to climb the mountain,
to have the faith,

In things unseen,
Hold the rose in your hand,
Smell the wonderful fragrance,

While you dance!

I wrote this poem on the 6th of June, 2007 on www.kitakitz.com Author name, Pami

Halloween!!!!!

I have to say that I never really cared much for Halloween.
I think it goes all the way back to my first one. My mother
said to me, "Pami, how can you remember that far back?"
BUT, she knew I did because she also remembered the times
I was talking about.

Being born in a coal mining "patch" town, and since we
moved down the road when I was two years old, I had to
be VERY little to remember the "DREADED PUMPKIN!"

I can still see my sisters and brother and one of his friends
standing in the doorway of the living room. All of a sudden
this very large, lit up orange thing with cut out teeth and a
hideous face appeared in the window!!!

Little did I know it was a pumpkin that one of my brother's
friends was holding in the window to scare his little
sister to death! Screaming, screaming, ...this began my
dislike for Halloween!

Gone are the Hummingbirds!

Summer is over! The Hummingbirds are gone which leaves me with a feeling of sadness.
That last evening the one special Hummingbird sat and sat on the berry brier. He was the
one who always made noises when he drank from the feeder. He sat on the berry brier
as though he was keeping a vigil, and this last evening as though he was saying, "Goodbye!"
I shall truly miss him. I shall miss all of his friends.

I know! We are supposed to count our blessings and move on but for some reason when
the cool evenings of late August set in and schools start and football starts, each year it
is very depressing to me.

Even though the leaves of Autumn are so beautiful, I know that the icy rains of November
are on their way.

So! I will count my many blessings, count the goodness of having friends, FREEDOM,
the ability to make choices, my health, my wonderful family and THERE!, you see,
I can look forward to next Spring.