It is a brief trip through Georgia when traveling from Alabama into Tennessee. A blip really but on the trip home on Sunday morning, coming out of Alabama into that blip, a huge sign greeted travelers upon the road...Welcome To Georgia, The Peach State. Honestly, I like South Carolina peaches better but that is an aside. Behind this colorful welcome sign were a row of smaller signs. There must have been around eight of them and each one contained a law or a rule of Georgia. So many signs for such a short trip. Yes, others might not be going to Tennessee but line up will be photo worthy on the next jaunt. Oh and after those eight or so signs, a few feet from the line up is a lone sign, like they forgot or since all those other signs were installed, a new law or rule had been put in place. Welcome to Georgia, now here is the law.... I know those signs are needed but they were difficult to comprehend with so much info flying by and we are all reminded by a sign that speed limits are radar enforced. The big greeting covered up all the incidentals. Don't get distracted by a big greeting. Learning that from Genesis and every time Laban thinks he is going to score gifts, money and treasures from a foreign visitor. All those signs behind the big greeting and welcome reminded me times when groups of friends or people have been invited to someone's house but there are so many rules, that well, it is just not worth it to go to the party or dinner or meeting. The list of possible infractions is near the surface of everything you might be thinking or experiencing. Thus the propensity for a rule infraction is much higher just like spillage is at a higher rate of experience when one wears white pants.
Such a bleak late fall but not yet mid winter kind of day. It looks like winter with a cold rain accompaniment. I woke up this morning with a headache, which I rarely have, and a sore throat which is always a sign unto me to slow down a bit and rest. So, I cancelled my workout with Taylor. Hated to do that but one learns through the years.
Maybe the headache was a sign unto me that I would lose the Merry Christmas Darling contest once again to the fourth time, reigning champion CourtneyS. When I saw her name come up on my phone this morning, I knew this wouldn't be a "what's up" kind of call. She barely won catching the last line of the song. Drat, nine hours on the road not one time MCD!
This year everything seasonal wise was about two or three weeks behind but now that the major holiday time is upon us, seasonal has caught up yet I am feeling and still on the three weeks behind kind of thing. Holiday Warp speed is upon us.
It has been about a year of knowing the Feral Fam. The family looks a lot different these days than from the early days of taking food up to them on the gravel road. With these cold and wet times, I don't see them out and roaming like usual. This morning Camo was there for breakfast but Cali and Riley were absent. That doesn't mean they didn't come later. Cali and Riley have reunited in playing since our neighbor Nancy was able to capture the kittens. Cali hasn't gotten near me since then but does come when I call for supper time or snack time. Riley still gets close but is ready to move at a moment's notice...nothing has changed there. Cali is just a little over a year old and she bears some of those hard life looks yet other times she looks as young as a kitten. Thankfully, she has been back in the yard and Riley isn't too far behind.
The rain right now is dancing on the metal roof but glancing out the window in the distance it looks like snow. Maybe later in the week with some ice but today it is still a cold rain.
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We had a whole bunch of rain yesterday and that created a phenomenon in our front yard. Buddy, not taking no for an answer, wanted out on the front porch. So, with that much whining from her, the front door was open for her and she scooted out for a bit and that is when I noticed something like a fountain happening in the front yard right above the new flowerbed. Now, I knew it wasn't flowerbed related and it shouldn't be anything that has to do with our well and it was too far away from our septic tank and I had no clue what the heck was happening. I didn't want to but I put on my heavy winter boots, what a great investment in 2010, and traipsed out to the yard....kind of felt like Moses going over to investigate the burning bush. I took some pics and then with the toe of my boot moved some of the grass and sod away from the opening in the ground and dang it...I stepped on a snake. My first snake sighting all year long. I didn't scream but I made the quick move away from the water and watched that wiggling snake seek shelter once again. Y'all, I would have never guessed a snake...but he probably had made his winter home in that hole and much to his surprise, his home was flooded. At times the flow of water was so fast that the stream arched high, just like it had been planned in the new flowerbed design. I made a plea on FB for answers and then began calling friends. Cuman, to the rescue! He knew what it was and my fear relieved. Sure enough once the rain dissipated, the fountain filled with snake became a trickle and then stopped. Who knew that all the water from the gutters on the house flowed to this place in the yard? I learn more about mountain life every day. Inez called last night and this morning making sure all was well and I hadn't dreamed of snakes. Need to talk to Cali, Riley and Camo to see if they can make rounds out in the front yard. The other night Cali was on the fence between all those dogs as it was getting dark at 5:15 pm. Once again, winter boots to the rescue and I went outside to see if I could distract the dogs for her escape. While doing so my neighbor Josh was out in his yard and he got to see this beauty close up cause I hadn't brushed my bozo hair or put on makeup. My teeth had been brushed, whew! He said that Cali had brought her kittens down to his yard and had them covered by a big shrub. He put out food for her but he said once he had discovered her kittens, they were on the move. Makes me happy that others around here care for the feral and feed them too.
Houston is having sleet and snow. We should have ice Wednesday into Thursday morning. After making a post office trip this morning, I headed on over to the grocery store to pick up a few needed items, not ice related scare items. Got home and fixed orange chicken and jasmine rice. So very delicious! Buddy has gone to nap and that is sounding like a pretty solid idea.
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