Christmas:
Barbara came to visit in time to be at her grandmother’s 95th birthday party on the 18th. That was great and provided a chance to see almost all of the family.
Just a few of the grandkids with Mama:
The following Sunday we took her to our lovely country church and introduced her to Father John (such a friendly guy).
The next Wednesday we started gearing up for Scotty arriving (he goes by Robert, but we call him Scotty). I made a loaf of Honey Oatmeal Bread, some Oatmeal Raisin cookies, and some of our famous Turkey soup. After dinner Deborah and I went to church for the last lesson from Rick Warren’s “The Purpose of Christmas”. Then later we went out back with the kids and we had a bonfire with some Starbucks Christmas blend and smores. I partook of a Bauza stogie (rated 92 in Cigar Aficionado).
The day was memorable and complete. Thursday, the next day, Deborah and I went to pick up a small refrigerator from Home Depot (to hold all of the extra food), and we did some last minute Christmas shopping we said we would not do, but we did it any way. Then we went to Christmas Eve service at church (at 6:30 PM) and then we came home and had dinner with the kids a little late. Deborah had a ham and homemade macaroni and cheese. And need I say there was an abundance of cookies. Christmas day we were all together after Deborah drove to Charleston to pick up Mama. We had breakfast, opened some gifts, and had a quiet day. Deborah made turkey dinner with all the fixin’s and it was excellent. After that meal we could hardly move.
To prepare for this event, I had to dislodge the Christmas decorations from the tubs in the living room and put the rest in the pink room to get it out of the way. We cleared everything out of the living room, but we did not have time to paint or work on the floor. I had a huge pile of stuff to find a home for in the white room that will be the office, so that Scotty would have a room, and no time to paint in there either. Through all of this, since the well failed and still is not finished, we had to put up with sandy water and plumbing fixtures that wanted to act up. But despite the minor problems it was a nice holiday.
New Years:
Barbara had gone home after Christmas, and Scotty was in Savanah visiting a friend. Deborah worked New Years Eve and New Years Day. On New Years Eve we were invited to join Carolyn and Brian for dinner with some friends, but Deborah was very tired from work and not feeling real well, so we sent our regrets. Carolyn said the plates were on the table for us. I’m sorry we couldn’t go. Deborah went to bed at 10 pm and apparently had the TV on. I was paying some bills and she came out and said Happy New Year! and kissed me and then went back to bed. We are just too wild. We remembered many New Years with our friends in Aurora. We miss them all.
New Years Day I fixed Hoppin’ John and collard greens and corn bread. That is a southern tradition. The collard greens are supposed to bring you money in the new year and by all means, let’s not pass up a chance for some more money. The Hoppin’ John is supposed to be good luck. You can tell this is a southern tradition. When I went to the Piggly Wiggly to get the field peas and collard greens you could tell it was New Years. The end caps and aisles were packed with field peas for $.99 a bag, and the produce department had an abundance of collard greens which were two large heads for $1.50. Jiffy muffins were 2/$.99, Except for some left over ham and a little bacon and spice, dinner was less than $3. We will have to do this more often. And everything turned out good. So it’s a new year. We have been here three months, and things will start to normalize after this holiday. We will have to get on budget and get into a routine.
We didn't have The Pig up north.
And people like to wear shirts with the pig.
Do you like collard greens? You have to try them. Just cut out the stems, slice into one inch strips, and cook in some chicken stock with bacon and onion for about 30 to 40 minutes. Yum!
Deborah’s Job:
Deborah started to work normally after Dec. 27. She works most weekends, a lot of nights, about 32 hours/week, but she is still considered part time. She is working in the appliance department at Home Depot. She is not looking forward to working and has enjoyed the time she had off. We will just have to take the whole job thing day by day.
The Well and Water:
Randy the Well Guy showed up December the 18th to say that he would take care of the collapsed well. His drilling rig is in my yard, but this is now January 2nd and he hasn’t started fixing the well yet and we are still back on the old sandy well. We are waiting for reliable water to put the washer and dryer and new dishwasher in. We also need to fix the running toilets. And I would love to get the well drilling equipment out of my yard. I will be so glad when this water problem is solved.
Lizards and Roaches and Mice…Oh my!:
No strange friends lately…probably because it’s too cold. The lizards are sleeping for the winter. The mice are avoiding the cat that has been hanging around my house, and Carl the bug guy is doing a good job.
Blue Laws:
I should have a hint about how this works by watching how long the well guy is taking to finish my well. But these people don’t work all that hard. Deborah went to the Post office to mail a package to JJ and they are closed on Wednesday at noon. They are open on Saturday from 9 am to 10 am, and you don’t want to accidentally catch them on their lunch hour. They closed at noon on New Years Eve. I went to get a haircut at Billie’s Barber Shop and it is closed for the holiday season. I’m glad business is good. I miss Dave, the best barber ever. Nearly everything is closed on Sunday and except for Piggly Wiggly, everything is closed after 6 pm. Even the Hutto Exon on I-95 closes at 9 pm.
Miscellaneous:
Betty and Bobby, our wonderful neighbors came over to give us some advice on a water softener. They are fun.
We found out that our fireplace has a flue and will burn real wood. That was a pleasant surprise.
I burned leaves in my yard, and I haven’t done that since I was a kid.
Terry, my next door neighbor, brought us some fire wood.
I bought a tractor cart to haul dirt from the well project and the burn pile to put in some of the holes in the yard. I like to support local business when I can. I could have bought the cart from Tractor Supply in Summerville, or at the local Ace Hardware. It was going to cost $15 more at the local Ace Hardware. I went into the store and told the guy that the cart was dirty and looked old and would he make me a deal. He knocked $15 off. Nice! So I bought from the local guy.
The kids took us to a place called Sweatman’s BBQ half way between Wells and Eutawville. It is supposed to be nationally acclaimed. It is only open on Friday and Saturday. It is a buffet and they have pulled pork, ribs, cole slow, hash and rice, white bread, and tea. Pretty good actually. People drive from near and far to eat at Sweatman's. Check it out.
Home Improvement has been a little slow with the holidays, but things will get busy now that the holiday is over.
LP Gas is costing us more than expected and we will have to do a little energy conservation.
Next year there will have to be some deer hunting and fishing when it gets a little warmer.
When you hear that it is 2 deg in Chicago, and it is in the 50’s here, and you are driving down a lovely country road with hardly any traffic, and people are friendly, and things are moving slow, I just can’t help but think I could get used to this.
I am learning some truths about the south. These are important things to know:
No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.
Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, and when we're "in line"... we talk to everybody!
Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.
Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.
And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart"...and go your own way.
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We are three months into our life in the South. We get frustrated. We get a little discouraged and sometimes we worry, but we are happy. Things aren't just the way we want them, but we are accustomed to making changes and adapting. We are near family. We have a lot of room, and it's ours. We knew what we were getting into. No, we are not crazy. And no, we are not looking for sympathy. We have too much to be grateful for. We are blessed. We pray for YOU.
Deborah and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you all the best in 2010. Happy New Year!
Thank God I’m a Country Boy!
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