A Bird, Trees, Fudge, and an Old Photo

Mr. and Mrs. House Finch were out and about this morning.

Mrs. hid before I could get the camera out, but Mr. posed nicely.
Linking to Saturday Critters & I'd Rather be Birding

Last weekend, I drove down to Newton, Illinois. Newton is a little larger than most of the villages/towns I have visited recently. It has a population of approximately 3,100. Notable native, Ross Wolf pitched for the Texas Rangers and the Marlins before going to a team in Korea and Author Irene Hunt used the Newton area as the setting in her civil war book titled Across Five Aprils.

There is a very nice park with playground equipment and a swimming pool. Lots of trees. And a quaint downtown area.

 Newton has a town square with hardly any empty buildings. Impressive for this area. I wanted to check out this store called The Country Touch, but it wasn't open.

This sign caught my eye. A Cappuccino in middle-of-nowhere Illinois? I had to have one. I do miss having a Starbucks down the street.

I went inside to browse. It was an Arndt's store. We used to have one of those in Greenup where Mom went to pick up embroidery yarn for her crafty projects. This store had a little bit of everything. Lots of fun things to look at and a Hallmark card section. They also had bulk candy—and fudge!

This is a half pound of praline fudge I brought home to share with Hubs. The texture is creamy smooth, easily the best fudge I've ever tasted. They sell it to other companies and online at Arndt's Fudgery.

And last, but not least, here is an old picture Bro O printed from an ancient negative. Taken at Grandma's house. It is me and daughter about a gazillion years ago. It isn't in very good shape, lots of white specks, but a great find anyway!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! I'm taking Monday and Tuesday off, so I'm looking forward to a 4 day weekend. Woo Hoo!

Signs of Spring

Yesterday, I saw another sign of spring. Farmers are starting to think about getting the soil ready for planting.

As you can see, we have been getting some much needed rain.

Happy Friday!

Good Fences #2

Radnor Lake State Natural Area Nashville, Tennessee. This was taken last October. That would be my kids and grands walking up ahead. I'm lagging back to take pictures. They eventually turn around to see if I'm still following. Son was preparing to treat me to the hardest walking trail I've ever been on. Long, steep hills. It was a beautiful hike. We saw deer just a few feet off the trail. They merely lifted their heads to watch us as we passed by.

 This was the road from the parking area to entrance to trails.

This is Fergus welcoming me home for lunch. Do you see a touch of green in that grass?  Woo Hoo!

Linking to GOOD FENCES #2 

Wednesday Hodge Podge

I always find myself apologizing for my less than wonderful critter shots. I don't have the fancy dancy camera and lens I would like, but that doesn't detract from the thrill I get when I see a bird or duck I haven't seen before. So, I take the pictures and cherish them as if they were National Geographic quality. So, here is another one. 

Wood Ducks
The Rez is basically a large pond and park area. I drive by there most mornings on my way to work. Sometimes I get lucky and find ducks or geese. Sadly, they are always on the far side and I don't have time to walk around to get closer. Of course, on the rare occasion when I do have time, they always swim over to the side from whence I came. Non-cooperative creatures!

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday

On to some Hodge Podge

1. Since these questions are posting on the first day of April it seems only right to ask-when was the last time you did something foolish? If you can't answer that one, try this one-when was the last time someone fooled you?

I don't have to look to far for the someone fooled me answer. It was this morning. The weather girl on our local station said it was going to snow later in the week. Bad weather girl! It wasn't until the end of the forecast that she spit out, "April Fools." With the weather as it has been this winter, it wasn't hard to believe.

2. What's the last biography or non-fiction book you've read? Was it any good?

Mrs Kennedy and Me by Clint Hall and I did find it interesting. Since I lived through the Kennedy years and remember Mrs. Kennedy fondly, anything to do with that time period interests me. 

3. Garlic-friend or foe? What's your favorite dish made with garlic?

Friend. Love garlic! Favorite dish? Not sure, but I absolutely must have garlic bread with pasta.

4. Several Spring flower festivals happen in the US during the month of April. Of those listed, which would you most like to see in person...The Skagit Tulip Festival in Skagit Washington, The Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville Tennessee, The North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington North Carolina or the Daffodil Festival Weekend on Nantucket Island, Massachussets?

I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina in the mid 90s and actually attended the North Carolina Azalea Festival in Wilmington, so will pick The Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. I always intended to stop there on my way from Raleigh to visit family in Illinois, but was never able to time my trip with the festival. 

5. How do you choose which blogs to read?  What is something that will make you stop and read every time? Something that makes you say, 'eh, think I'll skip this one and move on to the next'?

I have several 'never miss' blogs that I read every day. I'm not sure how I chose them. I think I found them through participating in memes. A fantastic critter shot will make me stop every time, such as in Brian King Images. I don't know of anything in particular that would make me move on unless it's a topic I'm not interested in.

6. April is National Mathematics Education Month so tell us, when did you last use math? 

Math? What is math? 

7. In honor of the A-Z challenge kicking off on April 1...choose one word beginning with the letter A to describe your yesterday.

Ambiguous.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm writing a short story about my maternal grandmother. This is the beginning...Her Indian heritage manifested itself in the form of dark skin, brown eyes, and coal black hair. She was a tall woman in spite of her short stature. A no-nonsense woman whose gruff demeanor concealed a soft heart. She didn’t show love and affection with words. Her actions spoke volumes.  

Linking to Wednesday Hodge Podge 

A Barn for Tuesday

I don't remember if Barn Charm was on Monday or Tuesday, but I think I posted on Tuesday. Even though the meme is no more, I'm posting a barn.

I found this one on the way to the first tiny town I visited last Saturday. There once was a house on this property, but it is gone now.

All that remains is a dilapidated barn, a silo without a roof, and a slowly deteriorating shed—a mere suggestion of what once was a flourishing farm.

Something draws me toward these dead and dying barns and old houses. I want to know their story, but they cannot speak.

Burl Ives

Keeping my vow to visit some of the tiny towns around here, yesterday I took a drive down to Hunt City, Illinois, which is about 25 miles southest.  According to the 2010 census, its population was then 282. A very small town.  As far as I can tell, it's only claim to fame is Burl Ives.

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was born on June 14, 1909 near Hunt City, Illinois. He was an actor, writer, and folk singer. 

He began his singing career in the garden with his mother. His uncle heard them singing and invited his nephew to sing at an old soldier's reunion in Hunt City. He impressed the audience by singing the folk ballad, Barbara Allen. 

From 1927 to 1929, Ives attended Eastern Illinois State Teacher's College, which is now known as Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, where he played football. My neighbor and 7th and 8th grade math teacher, was his classmate. During his junior year, he was sitting in English class, when he suddenly decided he was wasting his time. As he walked out the door, the professor made a snide remark and Ives slammed the door behind him. Sixty years later, the school named a building after its most famous dropout. (Well, most famous alumni until Tony Romo attended Eastern)

During the early 1930s, Ives traveled the U.S. as an itinerant singer, doing odd jobs and playing his banjo to earn his way. He was jailed in Mona, Utah for vagrancy and for singing a song the authorities decided was a bawdy song titled, Foggy, Foggy Dew. 

1931 found Ives performing on a WBOW radio station in Terre Haute, Indiana, which is approximately 50 miles from his hometown of Hunt City, Illinois. He also attended classes at Indiana State Teachers College, which is now Indiana State University. During the latter part of the 1930s, he attended The Julliard School in New York. I guess he decided school wasn't a waste of time after all.

In 1940, Ives began his own radio show called The Wayfaring Stranger. Over the next few years, he popularized several folk songs of which my favorite is Big Rock Candy Mountain. 

In the 50s and 60s, he appeared in several movies: East of Eden, Desire Under the Elms, Wind Across the Everglades, The Big County (for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), a sequal to Mister Roberts, Our Man in Havanah, and my favorite Burl Ives role, Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

(Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons) 
I may have enjoyed the movie more because I was madly in love with Paul Newman at the time. Wasn't he a handsome man?

Burl Ives was well known as being a pipe smoker, but he also smoked cigars. In 1994, he was diagnosed with oral cancer. After several surgeries, he decided against further treatment. On April 14, 1995 he died of complications at the age of 85, at his home in Anacortes, Washington. He was burried in Mound Cemetery near his hometown.

(Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons)

On Route 130, just north of Newton Illinois, the bridge across the Embarras (pronouned am-braw) River has been named the Burl Ives Bridge.

This is a view of Hunt City, Illinois, immediately after passing the Hunt City sign. There are a few houses off to the left, but don't blink or you will miss it.

Happy Sunday!

Snugglers

On my way out to work yesterday, I saw these two sparrows all puffed up and snuggling next to each other.  It was a cold, windy morning.. They moved into the birdhouse on the utility shed and claimed it for their own. I can get a sparrow picture anytime I want. We have tons! They can empty the bird feeders in a day. But they are birds too, and I do enjoy hearing them in the morning.

Linking to Saturday Photo Hunt and Saturday Critters and
Camera Critters

Critter's Martini

May as well finish the week as I started, with another beverage.
1. Before I begin, I would like to re-iterate, I am not a lush. As a matter of fact, I haven't even had a glass of wine since Christmas. But I do like a cocktail on occasion. My favorite drink would be a margarita on the rocks, second in line is son-in-law's version of a Dirty Martini.
2. Son-in-law's name is Christopher. My daughter always seems to come up with nicknames for her loved ones. She may possibly have come up with this idea from her mother, but I'm not admitting anything—Punkie Doodle.
3. Perhaps the whole nickname thing started in high school. My nickname was Mort, short for Morticia, as in The Adams Family. I had long hair and my taste in clothing was rather unique. Hey, it was the 60s.
4. But back to son-in-law. Daughter randomly started calling her husband Critter in lieu of Christopher. Not sure why, maybe it was merely easier to say.
5. Early on in their marriage they decided to buy a house. A husband and wife realtor team were showing us a nice home. As we roamed around talking about the pros and cons, Daughter kept talking to, "Critter." The realtor must have decided he had Christopher's name wrong and said, "Well, Critter, what do you think?" Son-in-law was mortified, Daughter and I still laugh about it.

Critter's Martini Recipe
Gin (Tanqueray is preferred)
Vermouth (sweet red)
Dash of lemon or lime juice
Spanish stuffed olives
Mix splash of vermouth and lime with a good amount of gin with ice
Drain into glass.
Enjoy
TIPS:
Measuer a martini glass full of gin into mixer glass.
Critter's advice, don't drink more than four.

Linking to Random 5 Friday

A post without pictures? Impossible!

 This picture was taken at The Rez a couple weeks ago.

This picture was taken 3 days ago. Today, instead of ice and snow we are having rain. I prefer rain.

Happy Friday!

Old Hickory Cocktail Anyone?

So keeping to my unintentional theme this week of alcohol related posts, how about an Old Hickory Cocktail? In case you have forgotten your history lessons, President Andrew Jackson was nicknamed Old Hickory by troops during the War of 1812, because he was considered to be tough as a hickory tree.

Jackson was in New Orleans during the Battle of New Orleans (1814-1815). As legend has it, he liked a particular drink so much it was named after him. Thus the Old Hickory Cocktail.

Ingredients for an Old Hickory Cocktail
1 1/2 ounces dry vermouth
1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Garnish with a lemon twist

I think one of these would put me under the table! Wonder if his favorite drink contributed to his death.

My research indicates he suffered abdominal pains, a bad cough, and headaches as a result of a musket ball in his lung. He died from a combination of chronic tuberculosis, dropsy, and ultimately heart failure. He was 78. Guess none of these health problems were alcohol related.

When he died in 1845, he was buried on the grounds of his home, The Hermitage. This is Andrew Jackson's tomb—with a really great fence around it.

Linking to a new fence meme called Good Fences

Wild Turkey

It seems like I'm doing a lot of posts about alcoholic liquors—moonshine—and now wild turkey. I do know the names, even though I'm not much of a drinker. More than two drinks of anything and I'm under the table.

Hubs is a retired teacher. After being bored out of his mind for a few months, he took a part time job with Home Depot. What does that mean? He works every and I do mean EVERY weekend. I have been staying home while he is at work, but have had enough. When I was a single lady, I went places by myself all the time. So why not now? Do I think now that I'm married I can't do anything alone? I didn't make a new years resolution, but I'm now resolving to get out and go when Hubs is working. I already have a plan to visit my son in a couple of weeks, by myself. And there will be more plans this summer. Thus the trip to Moonshine last Saturday.

As I was driving down the road toward Moonshine, I saw turkeys in a clearing to my left. I quickly checked my rear view mirror and not seeing anyone about to rearend me, I slammed on the brakes. Now had I not been by myself I would never have gotten a pictureof these odd birds. I would have been yelling, "STOP!" until Hubs finally got 'er whoa'd about a quarter mile down the road.

Even with my quick reaction time, I was only able to get a couple of shots before they disappeared behind weeds and then into the woods.

Happy Wednesday!

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday

Dream Cabin, Firetruck, and a Barn

During my excursion last Saturday, I found a few interesting items to shoot.
Such as this little cabin stuck back in the Shag Bark Hickory trees.

If this place were hiking distance from the road and next to a pond, this would be my dream house/cabin. It is small. No room for clutter, only necessities. Easy to clean, no toilet to scrub. No traffic noise or neighbors. Just peace and quiet. Yes, I could live here. Well, for a while. I suspect I would start looking for electricity and a computer connection before the week was out. Great idea in theory, though.

I passsed this graveyard of anything and everything that once had a motor. Wrecked cars and trucks were farther down the road, past the house. I am a minimalist at heart, so I would probably find it difficult to live surrounded by junk vehicles. I know for a fact the man who once owned this property made a good living selling parts. He was a friend of my brother's and passed away a few months ago. He once raced stock cars at our local racetrack and Bro O was on the pit crew. It made for a fun Saturday night in an area where entertainment was hard to come by. It still looks like someone is conducting business, I suspect a family member has taken over.

Before my blogger breakdown, Barn Charm was one of my favorite memes. I'm told the meme is no more. I would take over the reins myself if I had more time, but alas I fear it would be too time consuming. Is there someone out there willing to take on the task?

Hazel Dell

On the way to and coming back from Moonshine, I passed through a tiny town called Hazel Dell. The sign says it was founded in 1866, but doesn't give a population. The main street no longer looks like it did on the sign. I like the color combination of blue and yellow. It makes it stand out, otherwise I might have missed it.

It does have an elementary school and a restaurant, but mostly it is a very small residential community. I have no idea what the population is, but I'm guessing less than 500 and probably more like 200.

The restaurant is well known for its homemade cinnamon rolls and pies. I've never actually been to the restaurant, but on one of my trips up here from Dallas before I moved back, sis-in-law served them for breakfast. I can tell you, they are melt in your mouth wonderful.

This is the only business I found on the main street. I'm thinking it might still be open during the week.  I drove through on Saturday, so maybe it isn't open on weekends. After all, there is a freshly painted sign, a 7up machine, and a trash bin which indicates life to me.

On the outskirts of town, I found this old house. Looks spooky doesn't it? To add to the eeriness, there are buzzards sitting on the roof...

...and on the chimney. Those birds always creep me out, but I can't help but take pictures every time I see one. It was a cloudy day until I drove back through Hazel Dell. The clouds slowly crept away, leaving a blue sky. Too bad it wasn't warmer. Still waiting on spring and I'm told today we will have snow again. I only like the first snow of the season. This one is way down the list of things I want to see on this day.

I hope wherever you are you have a wonderful, warm Monday!

Linking with Blue Monday.

Moonshine

Moonshine—this is not a post about the beverage, although I did have a taste back in 1973, and my throat is still burning! This post is about a town called Moonshine.

Moonshine is located in Clark County, Illinois.  Population 2. It has been featured on the CBS Sunday Morning Show. So around here, it is famous.

There is only one building in the entire town (not including the outhouse) and this is a grocery store built in 1912.  The wind was frightfully cold or I would have ventured out to take a picture of the outhouse. I hurried back to the car instead.

The store was later sold to Helen and Roy Tuttle in 1982, who created a restaurant that serves their famous Moonburger. 

The store has a guest book signed by visitors from all 50 states and from around the world. During the 2011 Terry Hammond Memorial Moonshine Lunchrun (has to do with motorcycle riders raising money for a cause) on April 9, 2011, a new record of 2,068 burgers were served.  

Moonshine is a dry town, no alcoholic beverages sold. 

There are two theories on the origin of the town's name. One version attributes its name to the moon shining on swampy land near the store, while another is attributed to a long time local resident who states a family from Philadelphia named it in the 1850s to honor locations in Pennsylvania. Wonder if those locations were known for their stills. Hmm.

Customers place their order in the back of the store at what looks to have been a meat counter at one time. Tell the cooks what you want and give them your name. There are no tables, just wooden benches and a few folding chairs. In nice weather, there are several picnic tables outside. 

Once your name is called, you go to the back and pick up your order, which is served on a paper plate. Next stop, the condiment table. Add thick slices of onions, pickles, mustard or ketchup to taste and pull a cold drink out of the cooler. Pay when you leave.

There is a lot to look at while enjoying that famous, thick, juicy burger. The walls and counters are lined with antiques and pictures. 

If you so desire, you can take home a souvenier such as a t-shirt, coffee cup, or shot glass—all emblazened with the town's name.

So, if you are ever in middle-of-nowhere Illinois and develope a hunger for a tasty burger, Moonshine is the perfect place to stop.

Northern Shoveler

After dinner last evening, Fergus and I went for a walk around The Rez. I was surprised to see what I thought were Mallards on the water. After a closer look, I realized they were not Mallards, but some other duck I wasn't familiar with. Sadly I didn't have a zoom with me, so these are the best shots I could get.

I hurried back home to get a better lens and quickly looked through our National Geographic Field Guide to Birds in North America. The ducks are Northern Shovelers.  I loaded Fergus in the car and drove back to The Rez, but by the time I got there, the ducks were gone. That's the way my luck runs!

This is Fergus waiting patiently for me to come back to the car.

This is Fergus with his patience wearing thin. He was about to jump out of the window. No leash. I would have had a heart attack!

For being such a good boy, we walked around The Rez a couple more times.

Linking with Saturday Critters and Camera Critters 

and Bird D'pot

Diggin' in the Archives

My Random Five comes from a trip to Franklin, TN to visit my son. I rode down with daughter and her four kids. We had tons of fun.

1. My dream vacation always includes visiting historical sites. I've been to The Hermitage before, yet always seem to find something interesting.

This is a view from the back of the house. For those who may not know, The Hermitage was President Andrew Jackson's Tennessee home. The grounds are beautiful. Since it is Friday, thought I would put a fence in the post.
2. I especially enjoy wandering around the grounds to see all the flowers and trees.

3. The cotton exhibit was new this trip. I have bought several items with cotton fragrance, such as soap and candles, but still didn't realize how fragrant cotton is. Having lived in the south for about 35 years, I have seen lots of cotton fields, but never got close enough to inhale. It smelled heavenly.

After The Hermitage, we stopped by Provence Bakery on 21st Street, near Vanderbilt, in Nashville for a tart and coffee. There are so many, it was tough to choose one. This one made my mouth water.
4. I try to go to the Provence Bakery at least once when in Nashville.

We got our tarts to go and drove a couple blocks to a park. I don't know the real name, but we call it The Dragon Park because of this mosaic dragon. There is playground equipment and Mr. Dragon for the kids to climb on. It was a beautiful day, which is great for being outside, but not so great for taking pictures midday.
4. Watching the grands pllay together is such a joy. I wish I could post pics of them, but I'm not allowed. My daughter worries about internet predators, which I believe is an actual concern. Especially since it is easy to determine our location.

This is a close shot of the dragon's skin.
5. Each year I'm responsible for taking my daughter's Christmas card picture. Last year we tried to include the dragon. The kids all put on their goofy faces and I took the picture. Sadly they were too far apart to fit on the card. Next time I'll know to position them closer together.

A cold front was on its way, so the local news channel 5 had a reporter doing a story on what people were doing to enjoy the nice weather before it turned cold. They took video of the kids playing on the dragon.

And that's my random five for today! Happy Friday!

Linking to Random Five

Robin

I always think winter is over when the Robins return. I saw a robin earlier in the week and another one this morning while taking Fergus out for his morning walk. He was all puffed up, I'm sure to keep warm in the frosty grass. It would have been a good picture. Of course I didn't have my camera. By the time I got Fergus back in and my camera in hand, Mr. Robin was gone. But he looked a lot like this one from a couple of years ago.

Linking to Alphabet Thursday - today's letter is R

He's Ba-a-ck

It's Wednesday. Usually one of the best days of the week, right behind Friday, but today my desk is piled with work. The last two days have been super busy, which makes it impossible to be caught up by days end. So today I start out way behind. Hopefully I will be back on track by days end. Other than Friday, what is your favorite day of the week?

Mr. Red-bellied Woodpecker showed up last evening. Getting out of the car after my long day at work, I saw a spot of red out of the corner of my eye. Luckily I had my camera in the car, so quietly sneaked up behind the storage shed and peeked around to get this shot. Of course, there was no opportunity for a second try.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday

Move In Day

Mr. and Mrs. House Finch are setting up housekeeping in one of our Juniper Tree. Hubs planted them 3 years ago so they are not very big, but I guess the Finches are trying to keep up with the times. Little houses are the new thing, right?

They were camera shy, even though I tried to hide behind the drapes in the living room. These shots were taken through the window, which includes the screen, kind of gives them an aura. Still, I was happy to capture their move in day.

Linking to OUR WORLD

Blue Monday

Blue Monday is a good description of this particular day of the week. I'm always ready to hop out of bed in the early morning hours on Saturday, Sunday and holidays, but come Monday morning and I'm pounding the snooze button on the alarm. I guess I don't want to miss out on a minute of freedom and don't mind missing a few minutes of a work day.

We  had a foggy morning one day last week. I took this shot from the back driveway as I was leaving for work. We live at the edge of our small town, only 1/2 block from this corn field. Once the fog cleared, we had a beautiful blue sky kind of day.

There is a photo contest coming up and I'm thinking of entering, so spent some time over the weekend looking through my pics. The categories are Country Life, Patriotic, and People. I found a couple worthy of entering, but need to get them framed.

This isn't a contender, but I have a thing for hot air balloons. This one was floating along above us as we were leaving my son's house in Franklin, TN last summer.  In my younger years, I wanted to take a ride. Now I merely enjoy watching them. Ride anyone?

Linking to Blue Monday