Thursday, June 22, 2017

This week has been challenging.. I stayed up until 3 am one night getting paperwork organised for my sister. The next day I functioned pretty good on 3 hours of sleep. This past week has been continued paper work, meeting deadlines.

I made the mistake of mowing grass at my sister's house during the heat of the day. Although the yard is quite small, it played with my diabetes big time. I drank a half gallon of orange juice to get my sugar where it needed to be.

The worst of the week is I lost a dog to a rattle snake bite. I live in the country and snakes pass through. I did pay for her to have anti-venom but rattle snake venom is so potent.  I don't care how old you get; a dog can break your heart. Holly was the heartbreak kid. I've got to breakdown and buy myself a pair of snake boots.

Louise stole some cheese my sister had set out to warm to room temperature. I heard her sneaking in my room. Then my sister said someone had stole the cheese. She makes me think of myself. It was obvious she was the culprit. Guilt wears on us. Running to my sister, Louise apologized profusely, it was cheese and she loves cheese and most anything else. Louise likes to eat a slice of apple when you are eating an apple.

I read a book this weekend by a good local author, Charlotte Moore. It was a cozy mystery and the first one in the Hunter Jones mystery. Reading as a writer, the book had outstanding structure. It was set in central Georgia so I enjoyed the naming of people and exposition of Southern culture.

I'm not normally fond of "The South" topic. Many times it is made up caricatures of who we are. I've heard people who are young enough to be my daughter talking about chain gangs and other aspects of the Southern landscape that died out before World War II. Some things like the KKK straggled up until the seventies. It's depressing it is re-emerging today under different names.

 The hard scrabble farmer fought for their regionalism much like their great grand parents fought in the Revolutionary War.  Being descended from Simon Bennett and Big John McDuffie who fought for the Confederacy, I respect them as my ancestors. I remember what my dad told my older brother before he went to Vietnam. You don't want to be at the losing end of a war.

I've wondered what the men and women who lived through those times would have thought of the people today trying to explain their times. The Civil War was "a rich man's war and a poor man's fight".

I grew up in a military town so I have considered myself "Southern Lite". I learned a military culture and attitude. I feel pride in my Southern roots. More so than my English roots in that I live in the South. I have first cousins who live in Minnesota and upstate New York. They don't identify with the South.

I talk and act like I stepped out of the swamp at times. I had my schoolteacher handwriting and my actual handwriting. Well I have my schoolteacher speech too. Since I have been writing, my speech has taken on a more country sound. The voice in Charlotte Moore's books is very accurate.

The temperaments of the people reflect the area. In the book by Charlotte Moore, I like where one character makes sure the husband of a woman killed does not hear about a plan to entrap the culprit. They are not afraid of the character spoiling the plans. They are afraid of that one character catching the culprit and exacting his own punishment on the killer.  Revenge is not exclusively a Southern thing.

Anyway, Charlotte Moore has created some good reading. It also shows our good side.

I always liked how this house set just before the land rolls to the East in Macon Georgia. It is located on High Street.




14 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry about your dog. Losing a furry friend is so heartbreaking. I'm still getting over losing our last cat, Rocko.

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    1. For us animal lovers, they are a part of the family. Small dogs and cats can be quite dear. They spend time in your lap and communicate so much personality and love.

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  2. Challenging is an understatement. Our animals wind their paws into our heartstrings and take a piece of us with them when they leave.
    You sound to have achieved a lot despite the difficulties. I hope the coming weeks are easier.

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    1. I hope things even out a bit too. One thing about being mature is that you are used to so much happening that is out of your control. I count the blessings I do have.

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  3. So sorry to hear about the loss of your dog :( Be careful out there in the heat and exerting yourself! I hope the next week gets abit better for you!

    betty

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    1. It has been a week of ups and downs. I'm looking forward to a bit of the mundane. Thanks Betty.

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  4. Mowing the lawn is never fun, especially in the heat. Never easy to lose a pet. They are forever a part of the family.

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    1. The next two months are the worst in Georgia. This is why I will mow grass in a drizzly rain. The heat is off for awhile.

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  5. Hi Ann - I am so sorry that you lost your Holly ... just losing a favourite pet is devastating ... my thoughts - you've a lot going on ... Hilary

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    1. I am so sorry too. She was a young sweet girl. She showed up at my door with hair matted at least 5 inches thick this past October. Bless her heart. At least she got to live some of the good life.

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  6. I remember when Holly started coming around. I'm certain her time with you was why you two met up in the first place. Sweet memories for you both. Hugs to you, dear Ann. And heavens yes, do get snake boots!

    There's a snake in my backyard these days. I hope it's a Bull and not a Rattler. My girls are not happy about it's presence, but at least they stay away.

    Caring for loved ones is more consuming than we realize sometimes. This week I've learned that no matter how many times you've experienced it, the heartbreak of loss; memory or life, never changes.

    I love stories (and movies)of and about the south - as well as the architecture depicted in your photo ;-)

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  7. Staying up really late comes easily to me, but then I feel cheated the next day. I am very proud of being Texan, which is a type of Southern. At one time a boss wanted me to take some course to change my accent because some Yankee transplant who called in to the office had made fun of it. I told him I was SE Texas born & raised, grandfather came in a covered wagon, was first mechanic in SE Texas. That my accent was part of my heritage and that I wasn't changing it. He dropped it.
    Visit me @ Life & Faith in Caneyhead. 😉

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  8. So sorry to hear about your dog. Losing a beloved pet is so tough.

    I grew up in the south in Anderson, SC which is right next to Clemson and about an hour and a half north of Atlanta. After 15 years of living in upstate NY, I'm not sure if I've lost my drawl or not. I still sound pretty "southern" compared to my Yankee husband.

    Snakes terrify me. We had cottonmouths that would nest under the boards of our dock in Anderson--definitely did not miss them when we moved.

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  9. Wonderful post. It's so nice to learn more about you. I'm so sorry about your dog. Losing pets puts a hole in our hearts. Darn snakes. They are on the prowl here too, all the rain.
    Take special care.

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