Sporadic Posts

Yep it's true my posts are getting very sporadic.  I am taking some classes which started a week or so ago so my attention has definitely shifted focus for a bit.  I am sure that once I get a regular routine going I will go post crazy again.
I am considering starting an additional "behind the scenes" blog in which I discuss movies, music and random thoughts or causes that are important to me.

Hi there

It's Whereabout Wednesday

Yes it's true it is Whereabout Wednesday but unfortunately we have nothing to post because we haven't been able to go anywhere.  As soon as we get back to being able to travel we will.  :)  If you are able to travel today keep us in mind!

My First Time-Duck Egg

Willow Smith Nope Just Me Under a Willow Tree

Everybody who knows me knows that I am a bit picky as to what pictures of myself I allow others to see.  This picture that Bert took of me the other day is definitely approved :)

The Newcomers

Quite unexpectedly we found 3 puppies on our way home the other night.  They had been left on the side of the road to fend for themselves.  We took them home, fed them and Bert built them a pen.  We were sure not expecting these little ones but we might keep them.  They are very sweet and extremely intelligent.

                  The newly built pen built with recycled pallet boards.  Awesome!

So Proud of My Ducks

I am so proud of my ducks.  Bert was moving their little house today and found their first eggs!  That's right two eggs!

You are wanted here

I know this doesn't have a lot to do with  my normal blog activity but this message is something that has been on my heart and I want to share it with whomever might need it.

**Warning Sensitive Material**   sometimes people go through really hard times that others may not know about. It is easy to feel lonely and lost even with so many...

 online friends. Please pray and reach out to God. Ask God to send you someone to talk to. Please know that suicide is not the answer to your problems. Suicide is an evil spirit sent to destroy the children of God and their loved ones. When you are having trouble please just take a moment to tell yourself, "Just like a wave this too will pass and tomorrow or maybe even in a few moments I might feel differently." Please know that you are important and we need you here! We need your thoughts,your ideas, your laugh, your experiences, your smile and even your bad moods! You are worth so much more than a paycheck, more than your house, clothes, car, job, or career.  You are worth more than all of your failures and imperfections combined.  You are worth so much more than those relationships that didn't work out.  Just wait your problems out until you are thinking a bit clearer.

  

Mushroom photos

Down and Ducky

The ducks are learning how to mate.  They can be quite mean and the males are definitely starting to get on the female's nerves.  Sometimes the males hold the female's heads under water for a really long time!  At first it scared me but as time goes on it seems the females are learning how to take care of themselves.

Whereabout Wednesday

Hey there it's Whereabout Wednesday again. Today I am going to take you out to our favorite restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky called Tandoor. Tandoor serves fine Indian cuisine. We love this place so much that every time we go to Lexington we have to stop in. It is always such a treat!

                                    
                                     Tandoor Fine Indian Cuisine
                                     3130 Mapleleaf Dr # 112 Lexington, KY 40509
                                     (859) 263-5771

Almost inside and I can smell the warm spices already.

Yes!  Breathe all that aroma in! 

 

  They recently added some big screens that play Indian music.

It is dimly lit and very comfortable.

Let's pretend to look at the menu as if we don't already know what we want :)

We chose vegetable pakoras for an appetizer.  These pakoras are veggies and spices fried to a golden brown.  When you bite into them they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  They serve it with a spicy green sauce, onion chutney and a sweet red sauce which I still really don't know what the sauces are but they make it taste even better.

For our entree we love the coconut curry chicken dish.  Bites of chicken cooked in a warm and spicy coconut gravy.  The sauce has just a little sweetness with a hint of coconut and just enough heat to warmly, excite your taste buds.  You can choose whether you like it mild, medium or hot.  We usually choose medium.  Oh and how could I forget to mention that bread you see there.  It is called naan (pronounced non) and we always order it with garlic.  It is a very thin and semi crunchy bread that compliments the entree very well.

Next time you are in Lexington be sure to stop in.  Be warned though it is my personal opinion that Indian food tends to have a pleasurable, stimulating effect on one's senses.  You may find yourself  locked in a very passionate embrace with your lover before the night is over ;) Enjoy!

Lots of Grass

This is what happens when you let your lawn grow out for a really long time.  You get these beautiful patches of tall gorgeous grass.  Bert mowed the lawn today and I told him to just leave at least one patch of this grass because it is so pretty.  If it weren't for copperheads I do believe I'd leave my lawn tall all the time.

Dragonfly

Ancestors of the Hunger Games

As promised here is the interview of the creators of Coal Camp Kids...

Now Let' take a closer look at the dolls :)

Look at the detail of the items these dolls are holding!

A fun way to remember Kentucky History!

Order yours today with credit, pay pal, check or money order.  Cash if you live close :)

For details contact helengoins@zitomedia.net

The Awakened One

   I am a firm believer that you get the best photographs of plants and flowers when they give you permission.  You never thought it possible that flowers have their shy moments as well as their outgoing moments?  I believe they do!
   I call this one The Awakened One because I happened upon this beauty opening herself up early this morning :)

Pillow Talk

   Can someone please explain why out of all the places there is to lay that my sweet little feline friend just has to plop her fat little butt down on my pillow?
   I decided that today would be a great day to dedicate a post to my most loyal friend for the past 13 years.  I love her like crazy even though she truly is one crazy cat!  However, her loyalty is something that still makes me so glad to have her in my life.  There is no question as to whose cat she is and who she loves the most.  No matter who is around she always makes it clear that I am who she has chosen to be her best friend.  You can give her treat after treat if you want and feed her until she bursts but she will never let you believe for one second that you have replaced me.
   She is getting older now and I can tell it in the way she moves and acts.  She is still quite active though to be 15 years old!  She was already over a year 1/2 old when I got her out of the animal shelter and she has been with me for over 13 years.
  Here she is plopping her stinky, little kitty butt right on my pillow.  Thanks, I guess there is one more load of laundry to do today you little brat!

Life in a Kentucky Coal Camp

Upon interviewing Helen about her dolls I at some point realized that I didn't have any background or understanding as to what exactly a coal camp was.  I was curious to find out so I jotted down a few questions for her...

What is a coal camp?

Helen: A coal camp is a coal mining community that houses only mining families.  The camp I grew up in had families from all over the world as well as from here in KY.  Our houses were all owned by the coal company and were very similar in style and build.  We used coal for heat.  We didn't have running water we had a well.  There was no indoor bathrooms, we used an outhouse.
Our school was on the property as well as 3 churches.  We had what was called a commissary there which is basically a grocery store.  We ordered things from the commissary with scripts.

What is a script?

Helen:  A script was a token that was worth a certain amount of money.  We would pay with the scripts and the script office would draw out money from my dad's paycheck.  Whatever was left after we shopped was paid to my dad in cash.
We also had a doctor there in the community that was no charge to us as I recall.  I believe the coal company paid him a salary and we were given free medical.

What was life like there was it hard?

Helen: We didn't have a lot of money but my mom was very thrifty.  She made our clothes and the younger ones got hand me downs from the older children.  Every year before school started we would get a new pair of shoes.  My dad hunted ginseng and yellow root in order to pay for our shoes. 
   We had to have gardens.  At 6 or 7 us kids started to learn how to work in the garden.  We started off learning how to pull weeds and dropping potatoes.  As we grew older we got more responsibility.  We fished and hunted and ate animals like rabbit and squirrel.  We dried the garden foods and also canned them for the winter.
   We made our own fun.  We didn't have many toys.  We fished, swung on grapevines and used cardboard boxes to slide down sage fields.  That's all we knew so there was nothing wrong with it!

Did you ever leave the community to go places?

Helen:  No, my parents didn't even own a car and we had everything we needed right there in the community.  I had been outside of the community one time before high school.   I left home at 16 to get a job.  We were a close knit community.

What do you mean by close knit community?

Helen:   Everyone knew everybody and we all knew what was going on with each other.  Everybody tried to help each other out when we could.  The people who ran the camps were nice and they did a lot for us.

Thank You Helen
Be sure to check back with us later this week to view my video interview of Helen, Glenna and Peggy discussing the Coal camp Kids!

Here is a picture I found on another blog here on blog spot of an old mining camp in Kentucky.  I am including a link to this blog as well so you can see all of the great pictures and useful info he has to offer.                                                    

http://melungeon-studies.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-owe-my-soul-to-company-store.html