Christmas Past And Present

Life goes on... 

even when it surprises you at how normal everything is despite your whole world changing.

I'm determined to get a Christmas post on here, so I'm posting some photos from years past.

I love these small green trees. You can find them at Trader Joe's at Christmas time each year.

My dad's A's hat from February1994, the year he died. Wild Bill and I became a couple a year later so they never had a chance to meet. 

I hope Bill and Dad have had a chance to meet in Heaven, along with the little granddaughter we never got a chance to meet and my old dog Ginger I lost in 1991.

With the little ones around our Middle daughter's house, we see a lot of Smarty (the Elf-On-A-Shelf) instead of the old Santa's I usually like to display. 

Maybe next year I'll decorate...this year I'm just hoping for a white Christmas still.

May your Christmas be merry this year and

Thanks For Dropping By!

Last Day Together

Wild Bill said goodbye to his small circle of girls early in the morning of Tuesday, December 3rd.

Our three daughters flew in as soon as they could when the kindest of hospice nurses came on duty the day before (Monday morning) and explained we only had hours left to say our goodbyes.

We will always be grateful for her advice that waiting for our long-planned family Christmas together was no longer an option. 

Tickets were bought, planes were boarded...phone calls were made along the route "just in case" and to keep in contact.

I leave you with my favorite photos of the guy who changed my life so much and proved to me that life can begin after 40. 

Our favorite song was "Since I Met You Baby" and I will always remember him when I hear that song. 

And hear it I will because a few years ago he made me a CD of every version he could find of the song, from Ivory Joe Hunter to Jose Feliciano!

Livvie's pack horse.

Henry chasing Grampy.

At a daughter's wedding.

Wedding Day, 1997

Thanks for dropping by

Get In The Mood For Christmas With Homeroad's Wreath

I still have to go to Starbucks to get caught up on internet. Supposedly "the internet" is coming to our subdivision around Dec 1st...We will be welcomed to the 21st Century soon!

Until then, Starbucks it is for hot chocolate and free wi-fi.

Here's a great DIY wreath from Homeroad's wonderful blog...

Buffalo Check Christmas Wreath

I love to get inspired when visiting other blogs. 

I haven't had much time to get things done, but plan to work on making a similar wreath and maybe get these two bedside tables painted, or at least started...

Thanks for dropping by!

Musings From Mississippi: Health And Dogs

Hello out there to anyone who is still with me these days! I've been busy playing nurse to Wild Bill. 

His legs gave out on him a few weeks back, and I had to call 911. The firemen got him up and wanted to take him to the ER, but he insisted only his pride was hurt.

I called the cardiologist office as he didn't look good with labored breathing and all. Luckily the nurse said there's usually an underlying problem when a person suddenly can't do what they normally can. In Wild Bill's case it was use his legs. 

The nurse said to call an ambulance to take him to the ER...even if he didn't want to go. Turned out he had a bad case of pneumonia! He spent 6 days in the hospital and another week in physical rehab. He's home now and doing well.

Hope our experience will help you too in the future. Just remember what the nurse said: There's usually always an underlying reason!


Thinking today about the sweet family dogs our extended family has had the fortune of adopting through the years, and to be honest, shedding more than a few tears...blame it on the rain!

Back in a 2010 blog post, I asked the question: Do dogs smile?

2010 Blog Post Here

I used this sweet picture of Bailey Girl and Wrigley with a family friend to prove my point. To me, both dogs always seemed to be smiling, especially Mr. Wrigs on the right. 

Everything made Wrigley happy...a car ride with wind in his golden locks...a smuggled cheeseburger from Grammy...sneaking into the front seat to try to help drive the car! He was a scamp in so many ways, but his family loved him with all their heart.

Thanks for dropping by!

It's Been A While

Hey Y'all!  It's been a while since I've caught up!

That's because we bought that house we were looking at in my last post, but there's no access to internet in our whole subdivision... and, actually, none even in our neck of the woods!

Are ya asking...

"How can that be in this day and age?"

Well, believe me, we have asked that over and over ourselves. We didn't find out about it until the day before we were to close, and we were so tired of living in Hampton Inn hotels in Mississippi that we bought the house anyway!

We're told 2 to 4 months is all we have to wait to join the 21st Century...

Meanwhile, Starbucks in my friend now! Wild Bill doesn't feel well enough to sit in Starbucks for long periods of time, so I've decided to go by myself when possible.

I've met some wonderful people in our new area. Call it what you will...God/the universe/the goodness of mankind...however you label it in your mind, that goodness is getting me through these days of change.

We're living south of Memphis, right between Olive Branch and Southaven Mississippi. Olive Branch looks like a scene from a 1920's early American town. 

I'm a sucker for small towns after all, and a town with a main road through it called "Pigeons Roost" is a town worth exploring in my book! 

I haven't had a chance to really get to know Olive Branch, but hope to in the future.

Wild Bill continues on with chemo treatment. Some weeks (like this one) his platelets are too low so he has to skip treatment. He did a CT scan last month and it showed the cancer is stable so we are hopeful. 

Bill likes the clinic and the people, and we're doing the best we can to keep life normal. They say God doesn't give you more than you can bear, but honestly sometimes I question that.

Hope to hear from y'all soon! I'm trying to make the rounds on all your blogs, but not having internet really makes it difficult. 

Please drop me a comment and let me know what you're up to if you can. I've missed you all so much.

Thanks For Dropping By!

Fall Is Coming Soon...I Need A Porch To Decorate!

We were so close to having a house to decorate for fall!

I saw some cute fall decor ideas over at 2 BEES IN A POD and really got excited! We were closing soon...

2 BEES IN A POD

Our closing was scheduled for tomorrow -- Thursday -- though we didn't have a time, which worried me a little.  

We also didn't have an exact $$ amount, which worried me even more! 

We had done everything on our part, and so had the realtors and the builder too...

These photos were taken when we first saw the house

On Monday, we did a walkthrough with the builder and realtors. The wood floors were shining and the protective paper was removed from the floor.

All four of us had blue painter's tape, which we tore off and marked the cosmetic problems as we went through the house. Wild Bill sat it out on the fireplace ledge, but he cheered us on.

I must confess...the builder tagged every little ding he found... I hardly did anything but admire the rooms as we went through and, of course, I was decorating it all in my head!

We're going gray this time!

Early Monday morning the lawyer from the title company had called and said she was doing last minute calculations for our part of the closing costs, etc., and she would email me a figure that afternoon to give to our bank so they could send the funds.

All the lights will be replaced once we move in

I called back Tuesday and got her secretary. She said she personally would call me with the info soon as all the lawyers in town were in a training conference that day.

Today, Wednesday, we called with our relator from his office..."still trying to put the numbers together...yada, yada, yada..."

Wild Bill, our realtor, and I discussed the pros and cons and decided to postpone the closing for a week. This gives the title company time to get it together and gives us time to take a short trip and breathe a little. 

We have learned to roll with the punches during our month of living in hotels and looking at houses. What can go wrong, will go wrong after all! 

Meanwhile, I've been visiting your blogs and looking for fall ideas to pin. I can't wait for the cool weather to arrive...can you?

Thanks for dropping by!

A Post From The Edge

I'm still here! Trying to knock off that dust and get back to normal.

Our life is quite topsy-turvy right now. We've ping-ponged our way from Texas -- to Illinois -- to the area around Memphis, back to Illinois and now headed back down to the Memphis area this weekend! 

Wild Bill has an appointment with a doctor specializing in his type of cancer, and we are very hopeful the new clinic will be able to bring about a miracle...or maybe just better treatment...we'll take either.

Monday afternoon is his first appointment, so I'll be back next week to let you know how it goes. You've all been so wonderful with your prayers and hopes for us! We appreciate you all so much. 

There's a special angel, the blogger you know as NanaDiana, who has been my port in the storm so to speak. She's been a rock when I needed a breather, she's been a counselor when I faltered, but most of all she's been my "sister-friend" who has gone before me in this journey of hope for our husband's. Diana always has a kind word and experience to share. Thank you so much Diana!

Some people wonder why this dumb bear picture means so much to me. I gave away a lot of things that were dear to me, but not this old picture!

The bear is a reminder of an old saying: 

Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you.

You might think me crazy to give away so much, but keep the dumb bear picture -- Well, remembering there's always a chance of succeeding gives me strength, even when it feels like the bear has us by the throat some days.

Thanks for dropping by!

Rivercrest Cottage sold on... 

Tuesday, July 9, 2019. 

We closed that chapter of our lives and wish the new cottage owners well. It was a solid built home and gave us many years of protection from the winter storms and hot Texas sun.


We gave away or sold most of our furniture and stored our favorite possessions in a couple of storage units in town while we explore treatment options with a "team" approach (in other states) for Wild Bill. 

"The Bear" Picture Is In Storage Waiting For Us

The "Rolling Coffee Table" I made was given to a friend.

Bill's Recliner Sold In 15 Mins On FB Marketplace

The prayers and advice we've received from so many of you have helped guide and sustain us while we traveled through the uncharted territory of change and transition. 

We've finally come out the other side ready to begin anew once we decide where we will end up!

Thank you for traveling along with us. Many of your comments helped me through some sad times, and I can't tell you how much your e-friendships have meant to me.

Was Going To Keep These Guys, But At Last Minute Sold

A Friend Is Storing Our Paintings

My Great-Grandmother's Childhood Dresser/Mirror Are Stored

Goodbye 3-year-old hydrangeas...

Goodbye fig tree grown from a hand-me-down cutting...

Goodbye flagstone patio...

The Patio Set Stayed With The House

Goodbye to the curvy walkway that replaced the ugly original block one...

Goodbye kitchen...

The Chalkboard And Stools Stayed With The House

Goodbye to Rivercrest Cottage! 

And goodbye to all the friends we've made in the 8 years we've shared this town with you. 

Thanks for dropping by!

Blessings When Selling Your Home And Furniture

My advice to anyone selling their home and moving out of state is to sell what you can instead of going to the expense of moving and storing your furniture, washer and dryer, etc.

Our washer and dryer were sold to a friend when she was helping me get ready to put the house on the market. 

We gave her a very low price on the "H.E." set, and she is waiting to pick it up just before the house closing. A win-win for both of us!

This very heavy, wooden bed frame is staying put as our buyer is buying several large pieces of furniture...Another win-win!

We at first planned to keep about half of our furniture, but things went so quick with the sale of the house, we reconsidered and I'm so glad we did!

We have been fortunate to run into the best people during our house sale. Our realtor even bought the love seat and the home buyers have been the best we could hope to work with, and we appreciate our new-found friendship with them.

The home inspector gave me a great tip about using Facebook Marketplace instead of Craigslist when he did the inspection, and it really made a difference! 

The inspector also relayed to our buyer that we planned to sell our large, very heavy TV cabinet and would add the 65-inch TV free with the purchase.

It was sold to them in just a half hour after the inspection!

Wild Bill has suffered with progressively bad chemo-related neuropathy for a while now, and just the fact that he's saved from feeling bad about not being able to help move stuff makes a world of difference for us! I'm sure all you ladies know how a man's pride is the first to suffer, right?


Every item we've listed on FB Marketplace has sold that day or the next! This leather sofa went the afternoon we listed it...

This heavy bed below (and some other furniture and household stuff) went without listing it...The sofa buyers bought it all when they came to pay for the sofa! 

Bill's very last guitar and some large, heavy speakers (for a keyboard) had been for sale for a quite a while on Craigslist, but sold the next day after listing them on FB Marketplace. I can't recommend FB's Marketplace enough! 

Also, tell everyone that you have items for sell! Not only did the home inspector spread the word for us, but a cousin put out the word with pictures on her phone, and her son contacted us right away. 

We were able to give him just what he was looking for...a kingsize mattress and boxsprings set leftover from the sale of the bed frame, with kingsize metal frame being stored in the garage. 

We received a sweet note -- thanking us for the "blessing" from him and his fiancé today -- with this lovely arrangement delivered by a florist. 

The sweet roses and lilies were totally unexpected, and they felt like a blessing to us in turn as they came just in time to make our day!

My last piece of advice is to ensure that your prices are as low as you can justify. Think about all the work that moving furniture entails...and then deduct more off the price you're willing to sell an item for to save yourself all the trouble and expense of moving and storing it. 

Last of all...a public service announcement:

Along with other local charities, anything related to a home would be greatly appreciated by Habitat For Humanity...and they will come pick up your donations and deliver them to the store for you.

Just look them up online and call them if you have a local "Restore" in your area. 

Thanks for dropping by!

Why The Bench Didn't Get Painted

The hall bench was going to get painted in THIS post a short while back when I was inspired by some painted chairs in Purple Hydrangeas' blogpost.

The bench is very functional and photogenic! Here it is dressed up for Christmas...

Fortunately, before I got a paint brush out our house was under contract in 2 weeks, and the buyer was interested in purchasing some of our furniture. 

So the bench is staying with the house, along with some other pieces. 

It's a blessing because we are moving several states over and haven't found a new home yet, and our closing date keeps getting closer and closer.

I'd rather find a loving home for my favorite pieces of furniture than to drag them around and put them in long-term storage. 

My grandmother put her family furniture in storage just after the Great Depression when she moved to California from Nebraska, and her furniture stayed stored for over 40 years! 

Ten years after my grandma died, my dad went back and rescued three pieces of her oak furniture in the late 70's. I wrote about that in this POST one Christmas. 

He brought back my great-grandmother's childhood washstand and mirror for me...

They are remarkably well preserved for being in a barn for over 40 years! 

The mirror has very few spots and no damage on it although I did remove the oak wooden arms that attached the mirror to washstand because they were wobbly.

Thanks for dropping by!