Feel Good Friday on Marshmallow Ranch

A Beautiful Day!

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 01:30:00 -0600

It was cool and a little drizzly…definitely a little hint of fall in the air. I fiddled around on the computer for a bit. I ate good, healthy food. I visited with the neighbors across the road and they brought me fresh veggies from their garden. And, my cousin’s wife came for a visit. We talked till 11:30 last night! I shared my new bounty of veggies with her. I head home today and can’t wait to see my Mr. FixIt!!!

The neighbor’s garden across the road from the farm! Beautiful!

I posted a “Feel Good Friday” video this morning so I’ll keep this short…with lots of photos. I’ll be back with a normal post tomorrow!

#TheFarm, #Produce, #Garden

The Farm Book is Here!

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 02:30:00 -0600

Ok, it’s not MY book…yet. This is the memory book I’ve made for the family. I know…it’s supposed to be a surprise for Christmas, but my gosh…to see it in print and hold it in my hand???? I am now SO super motivated to finish my own book and get it published! I’m such a stickler for perfection. (I have a couple of dear friends who send me private messages to tell me when I have a typo in my blog!) I read this thing cover to cover…several times and still, there are two little typos. But, I don’t care. They probably won’t even be noticed by anyone but me anyway.

Our day was filled with tum-tumming around the house…cleaning a little, picking up a little. Moving things around and organizing. It’s going to be time to put the tree up…maybe this weekend!!! I love the lights and Lord knows…we need all the light we can get at this time of the year! I think we’re probably pretty settled into cool weather so the ladybugs aren’t going to be as big a deal from here on out.

Along in the late afternoon, Mr. FixIt asked if I’d like to run to town and get pizza for dinner. This is something we seldom do anymore, and I’m not one to turn down a date night! The sunset was aMAZing last night. We stopped at a church parking lot to get a picture without power lines in it. It got even prettier after we started driving again, so those will have to stay mental pictures since there was no place else to pull off.

The pizza was divine! We sat in the car in the parking lot and savored every crispy, savory bite. Pete’s Pizza in Mineral Wells is the BEST pizza I’ve had here in West Virginia. And, inside every pizza box is a handwritten inspirational message. “You are LOVED!” “You’re doing a great job!” “Kindness Matters!” They always make me smile. We met the family who owns the pizza parlor at church a couple of years ago and they are such good people. I love when people pour their hearts into their work and it makes such a visible difference.

After pizza, we ran a couple of errands and gassed up the truck. I think we may be able to stay home for a couple of days…unless my new phone comes in! In which case we’ll make another trip into town. I take so many pictures for this blog, and phone cameras have improved so much over the years. My phone has slowed way down and the battery is beginning to lose its umph. I know, I could just get a new battery, but Verizon is offering such a great deal for trading in your old phone, it’s crazy NOT to get a new one.

Today is more of the same…house stuff…laundry, cleaning up. I reconstituted my sourdough starter and tried to get a new one going and it molded as well. I suppose I need to throw out my flour and get different starter and sterilize all my equipment. Oh, and I tried to season the cornbread pan my Uncle Bud gave me and succeeded in filling the house with smoke. I think I had the oven up too high. I’ll try again today.

It’s “Feel Good Friday!” Tell me what you’re doing today to feel good about yourself!

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
Colossians 3:23 ESV

Finding a Needle in a Haystack

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 01:30:00 -0600

I made great strides in organizing the camping gear yesterday. Now, you might ask… “For crying out loud…how much camping gear does this gal have???” Yeah, well…enough to make me crazy. It’s not just sorting the gear, though. There were boxes in the belly of the big camper that had just been hauled around from one side of the country to another without ever being opened. There were boxes of toiletries that had long ago either dried up completely or leaked out all over other things that were still perfectly usable. There were folders of pamphlets for the inner workings of the campers I’ve owned over the years. There were bags of receipt I kept for my business. There were countless business cards for people I don’t remember. Discount cards, rewards cards, gift cards with a dollar or two left on them. A couple of boxes of change. I’ve always said “I’ll get to that.” So, it’s time to pay the piper and go through all that. I have to maintain my mantra…be ruthless. Not a problem…till I found a rabbit hole I had to go down.

Capt. Chambless Chesnutt 30 Sep 1965

Some time ago, I found a Vietnam MIA/POW bracelet in a box of stuff I bought at an auction. I can’t remember now where or when. But when I went through the box, I came across the bracelet and immediately recognized it. The bracelets were created initially by a California student group called Voices in Vital America in May 1970…the year I was becoming a senior in high school. The bracelets cost $2.50 to $3.00 and were worn so that Prisoners of War would not be forgotten.

The last time I stumbled across this bracelet was when I was downsizing the Colorado house after Mr. Virgo died. He was a soldier in Vietnam. I thought of all those soldiers who were POW’s and MIA and thought I’d look his name up on the internet. The only thing I found was his date of death and that he was from Little Rock, Arkansas. And, that he was listed as a Major. He must have been awarded that rank posthumously. I had a lot on my plate back then, so I carefully placed the bracelet in a box of stuff that was going with me in the camper. And never thought of it again until yesterday when I found it.

The internet has come a long way…even in just shy of nine years. While I didn’t find much on the web, I decided to give ancestry.com a try and found several pieces of information. He was in a play in high school. He was a runner in a track club. He was a handsome young man. The city directory listed him as being a salesman for Royal Typewriter. He was thirty-one years old when he died. He is buried in Little Rock National Cemetery. He was born 13 Aug 1934 Chambless Marshall Chesnutt. There were other Chesnutts listed in the City Directory of Little Rock in the early ‘50s.

In the 1958 Little Rock City Directory, it looks like he is married to “Pat D.” and lives at 2202 Marshall.

I’d love to find his family and return this bracelet to them. I know the power of social media and this is one of its GOOD aspects. I also know I have readers all over the country…even some in other countries. I wonder if you can spread this around and help me find this late soldier’s family? A week from today is Veteran’s Day. Wouldn’t it be awesome to find his family before then…or at least by the holidays???

Thank you in advance for helping me out with “Project Chesnutt”! It’s Feel Good Friday…Let’s see what we can do!

“for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.””
Luke 12:12 ESV

#Veteran, #Vietnam, #KilledInAction

Day 231: Pay it Forward

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 01:30:00 -0600

Yesterday we talked about having a spirit of giving as a way to make the world a better place to live in. As I sat down tonight, I opened Facebook to see if there were any comments on the morning post and the first thing I saw was a video from a page I recently started following. Cake Love is my new and unlikely guilty pleasure. Scott narrates his the videos that show him decorating cakes. His voice is at once soothing and comforting. He tells little stories as he decorates and watching him artfully draw in multicolored buttercream is so relaxing. It has become a sort of meditation in the evenings, usually before I write.

The video I am sharing with you today is a two layer cake based on Nightmare Before Christmas which is timely just before Halloween. Usually Scott’s videos have great music playing in the background and he posts the name and the artist so you can look it up later if you like it. I always appreciate that. So, I’m watching the progress and seeing this cake take shape when Scott starts to tell the story. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but I thought it was so beautiful and something I plan to do in the future. Let’s just say, it’s all about paying it forward...doing something kind and generous for someone who will never meet you, never know you, but will always remember you.

It reminds me of the first Christmas after Mr. Virgo died. Christmas was a HUGE holiday for him. He listened intently for months, gathering any little clue of something I might like. Then he planned and schemed and there were always thoughtful surprises under the tree. When that first Christmas without him came, my heart was so broken. I needed to do something healing, something generous, something kind for someone else. I went into the Walmart near Daughter #1’s house and withdrew a couple hundred dollars out of the ATM. Then, I went to the card aisle and bought a nice Christmas card. I wrote Mr. Virgo’s story on the inside, wished the recipient a very Merry Christmas and went to find just the right person.

I wandered to the toy aisle and found a young couple carefully going over their list, picking things up, sadly putting them back down, then heading for the bargain bin at the back of the store. I walked by her and dropped the envelope and acted surprised. I bent down to pick it up and handed it to her.

“Here, I think this is yours.”

She took the envelope with a confused expression and said, “For me?”

“Yes. Have a Blessed Christmas!” I gave her a quick hug, spun on my heel, and marched out of the store without looking back. When I got to the truck, I was literally shaking. I felt like I’d had a hundred cups of coffee, the adrenalin was coursing through my veins. It felt like such a high to just GIVE. I can’t remember if I cried, but I don’t feel like I did. I just remember it being the BEST gift I could have ever received.

Scott’s story made me feel this way. The story is four minutes into the video. I hope you enjoy it. You can find the video HERE.

❤️

“By everything I did, I showed how you should work to help everyone who is weak. Remember that our Lord Jesus said, “More blessings come from giving than from receiving.””
Acts 20:35 CEV

Day 203: Where Do I Find...Feel Good Friday?

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 01:30:00 -0600

Lord, have Mercy...these are hard times if we look at all we are shown. I’ve lost friends this year...some to death...some to politics. My list dwindles as people peel away from me for whatever reason. I had a friend ask the other night if we should unfriend till next year. I told her I am comfortable with civil discourse but if it made her more comfortable, she needed to do what was best for her. We decided to stay connected and work our way through the next few months. That being said, there are some friends I have had to put in “time out” by snoozing them for thirty days. When those thirty days are up, I can revisit and evaluate. I don’t unfriend people just because we have a difference of opinion. I DO unfriend people if they attack, are verbally abusive, or go beyond my personal boundaries of what I am willing to put up with.

So...I snoozed the loudest, angriest, ugliest posts. Then...by mid week, my FB feed sounded like crickets. It’s been so much more peaceful and it left me the space to fill with hope and love. Hate doesn’t kill hate...only love does. My dear friend Diane shares the craziest, sometimes bawdiest memes and funnies and she helps keep me sane. She sometimes has a crusty exterior, but inside...she’s a marshmallow. She just doesn’t let very many people know. The other day, she sent me this. I watched it in messenger, but the sound wasn’t on. I thought is was so sweet...a speech therapist is getting married and her groom surprises her with the beautiful children she works with. Sweet. Then...when I prepared to write this post, I watched the full video with the sound and sobbed all the way through it...three times.

We need more of this beauty and joy in our lives. These are hard times, yes. And there’s a lot of ugliness in this world. But....oh, my...there is still SO much beauty. Please don’t forget there is still so much beauty around us. Please don’t give up.

Keep looking.

WATCH THIS BEAUTIFUL VIDEO HERE!

❤️

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Day 53: It’s Feel Good Friday...Time to Graduate!

Fri, 08 May 2020 01:30:00 -0600

Yes, it’s Friday again. Whether you feel like it’s only been a couple of days since last Friday, or this week has been 53 days long...it’s that time of the week where we look on the bright side if we can. Hopefully there has been at least one good and positive thing happen to you this week.

For me, it was video-chatting with family, getting my hands in flour in the kitchen, having one near-normal day where I ran errands, and last night my bonus son-in-law brought his youngest out to the Ponderosa to hit softballs while Grandpa and I watched from the sidelines. Oh, and I have a batch of sourdough in the fridge that’s been rising slowly overnight so I’m going to try my hand at baking bread today.

As I watched our granddaughter hitting softballs way out into the field last night, I thought of her older sister. We were all supposed to go to WVU next weekend to see her graduate. There are kids all over the country in the same boat. Their hopes and dreams of a fun-filled last few months of their senior years were dashed by the pandemic. No proms. No big graduation. No after-graduation parties. No hugs from all the proud family members. Not much is the same these days and there is a lot of disappointment all around.

There is ONE thing we can do for our graduates. We can still give them bits of sage advice to help them along life’s pathway. Something to enlighten, encourage, inspire them as they take this next step in an uncertain world...an uncertain time.

What is your best piece of advice to someone who was supposed to graduate this week? Let’s send them off with some profound bits of knowledge and encouragement, shall we?

❤️

“May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!”
Psalm 20:4 ESV

Day Four: Holy Cats...It’s Feel Good Friday!!!

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 01:30:00 -0600

You can’t hide from “Feel Good Friday!”

One of the benefits of living in West Virginia is the rural nature of things makes social distancing pretty easy. After all...it’s what we’ve done for generations. It isn’t a big stretch for Mr. FixIt and me to hang around The Ponderosa or The Farm, but we do normally take several trips a week into town. We decided yesterday, the biggest change we’ve seen in our lives is not getting to dine out. I didn’t realize how often we eat meals away from home till that little luxury was taken away.

We had to make a trip to town yesterday. We got the estimate on the damage to the truck...to the tune of $3,000! Yikes! Thank God for insurance. Mr. FixIt had a doctor’s appointment. I was not allowed back with him. Have you ever accompanied a man to the doctor?

“So, how are things going?”

“Good.”

“Are you having any problems?”

“No, not really.”

“How’s that back pain?”

“About the same.”

“Is that new medicine I gave you last time helping.”

“I think so.”

“Any questions?”

“Nope.”

“Ok, then...you’re looking great! Let’s see you back in about three months.”

“Ok.”

?‍♀️

When Lorie told me I had to stay in the waiting room, I looked at Mr. FixIt and narrowed my eyes.

“You’d darn well better tell him everything!”

He’s a good listener...he was in there forever. And he came out and addressed every single thing I would have wanted checked.

What’s the message here? Oh...that he’s a grown man and can take care of himself in his appointments? Of course he can. Sheesh. But, that being said, men...no matter how diligent they are...sometimes forget the details of the conversation. Or they don’t quite grasp the subtle nuances of a new medication direction. Having a second set of ears helps tremendously, especially when they belong to someone who loves you. I also have the experience of sitting with Mr. Virgo and having him say no to every test our doctor wanted him to have and he was dead five months later. So, yeah...there’s that.

We went to Walmart to pick up some prescriptions and bought a new tire for the truck. It wasn’t very crowded and everyone was practicing social distancing. We didn’t hang around long though and we hightailed it back home where I prepared a sumptuous dinner of steak, broccoli, and baked potato.

There is always something to feel good about. For instance, yesterday Lester Holt told us to leave those boxes from Amazon outside for 24 hours because the virus can’t live that long on cardboard. He also said to wear gloves when you open the boxes because many of the products come from China. Why do I feel good about this? Well, I’ve been trying to cut down on my online (sometimes comfort) shopping and this is the perfect time. We can free up all those workers in the Amazon warehouses to focus on getting medical goods and critical supplies shipped and not have to worry about my books or batteries or what have you. And, I’ll be saving more money and who doesn’t need to be doing more of THAT right about now, am I right?

Another feel good thing...people are talking nicer to each other. At least, that’s been my experience these last few weeks. We are finally getting back a little of that “we’re all in this thing together” vibe and I don’t think it’s humanly possible to have my fill of that! Letting people in line in front of you. Standing back and letting someone have the first choice of a piece of meat...even if that means you don’t get the one you had your eye on. Texts and phone calls and “I love you’s”...these are the sweet sounds of compassion I’ve been yearning for so desperately the last few years.

I was telling someone yesterday that I listened to NY’s Governor Cuomo address the coronavirus on TV and he spoke so kindly. He was efficient and honest and came across as trustworthy and compassionate. When he spoke...even without listening to what he was saying...his voice was soothing, calming. He told folksy stories as a way to humanize this pandemic and allay our fears. I seriously felt my emotions well up in my chest and the sting of tears as I realized...we don’t hear enough of that. And we’re getting beat down because of it. Let’s not wait for the powers that be to be kind and compassionate. Let’s take the bull by the horns and do that ourselves.

This is exactly how we make THE WORLD great again. Because, all we’ve got is God and each other. And dogs. We’ve got dogs. Oh, and cats, and birds, and.......

❤️

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Proverbs 17:17 ESV

Belated “Feel Good Friday”

Sat, 25 Jan 2020 02:30:00 -0600

“Gigi and her bonus babies.”

I totally forgot yesterday was Friday. The time is flying by so quickly, it just totally snuck up on me. I went to the mall Thursday with my bonus-daughter, two of my bonus-granddaughters, and the three babies. We had lunch and when we were finished, I asked one to take my picture with the three babies on my lap.

As I look at this, I think of my own grandma and how she looked when I placed her first great-grandchild in her arms. Her hair was gray like mine. She had the same lines on her face…the tangible evidence of all the smiles her family brought her. I couldn’t remember how old she was at the time. Grandmas are timeless, aren’t they? She was 68 when her first great-granddaughter was born. I was 64. I’m now 66 with three babies…a 2-year-old girl, a 6-month-old boy, and the newest little guy was just 2 weeks old on Thursday.

I don’t show my families’ faces in focus…especially the littles. But this gives you the idea. There’s so much love and joy in this photo. When I look at this, my heart swells with every good emotion. When I think of where I was two decades ago, and where I am now…it’s like looking at the lives of two different women. And, I suppose that’s just what it is.

We go through phases in our lives. We experience great joys and we endure great sorrows. I am so incredibly grateful for where I am today. Every baby is a gift from God.

I have people I love very much who are experiencing the loss of their own children and my heart breaks for them. There’s nothing like grief to make you fully present in the loss of a loved one. And fully empathetic with another’s pain. No one can imagine that kind of loss unless it happens to them.

My prayers are for these mamas and grandmas. And for these babies.

❤️?❤️

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
James 1:17 ESV

Definition of a WV Holler

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 02:30:29 -0600

Grandma’s farm is at the mouth of a holler. No one lives back up the holler anymore.

It’s “Feel Good Friday” and I want to share something with you. We often talk about the hills of WV where my roots run deep. We talk about Grandma’s farm and the home of my heart. I tell you stories and memories that warm my soul and hopefully yours, as well. If you grew up like I did…you’ll be able to relate. And if you didn’t, you’ll be able to see how the luckiest of us were raised up.

I belong to several Appalachian pages on Facebook. I love the pictures and the stories as they stir up memories as old as the hills. When I read the writing of one of these hill folk and it particularly moves me, I simply must share. This piece was written about the hollers of Eastern Kentucky, but that’s not all that far from here and aptly describes our neck of the woods in WV, too. I hope you enjoy!

The Definition of an Eastern Kentucky Holler…..

Someone from outside my area recently asked me about our Eastern Kentucky hollers, and I have been thinking of how to best describe them to those not familiar with them. The simple answer is that a holler is a lane that follows a narrow valley between the hills. But if you’re from the hills of Eastern Kentucky, then you know there’s a lot more to a holler than that.

Most hollers are just dirt roads with a little gravel spread on them every now and then. They were never intended to carry heavy traffic. A holler is generally very sparsely populated because that’s the way we like it. We guard our privacy and we’re pretty wary of strangers. Often there’s not another house in sight of your house.

But we still know our neighbors. And when one needs help, then you help. If someone is sick in the holler, then you pitch in to help until they get back on their feet. If someone has a problem, then you listen. When someone claims you as a friend, then you’re loyal. And if you make a promise, then you’d better make good on it.

There aren’t any mansions In a holler. In fact, most houses in a holler are modest ones. And almost everyone has a barn, and a couple of other outbuildings. Some have chickens and cows and goats and a couple of horses. And they all have at least one dog that runs to the road and barks at every car that passes by.

Most people in a holler have a front porch. And they actually sit on it. They shell peas and string green beans and peel apples on the porch. And people stop by and sit on the porch with you. They laugh and talk and cuss a little bit about crooked politicians. And in the dusky evenings, they come with fiddles and flat top guitars and five-string banjos. And, good Lord in heaven…..what music they make! Sometimes the music drifts up and down the holler and it’s so pretty it just makes you want to cry! But instead of crying, you find yourself humming along to the lonesome strains of the Orange Blossom Special.

A lot of the houses in a holler have been occupied by several generations of the same family over the years. There is comfort in living in the house where your grandpa was born, or playing in the creek where your daddy used to swim. Something stirs down deep inside of you when you know you’re walking in the steps of your forefathers. And you never really feel alone as long as you know that your people lie buried on top of the hill that holds you so closely. Never underestimate the way that the hills cradle you. They will rock you to sleep at night, and awaken you in the morning with a happy heart and a joy in your soul.

If you live in a holler, you get recognition every day. And you’re never invisible. People always wave at you when they see you on your porch or in your yard. And if they don’t see you outside, then they will blow the horn when they drive by your house….just as a way of saying “howdy”. And if a few days pass and they don’t see you, then they’ll stop by to check on you. You can count on it. And you can count on them.

If your house is the first one as you turn up the holler….then you live at the mouth of the holler. If your house is the last one where the holler dead-ends…then you live at the head of the holler. And responsibilities fall to you according to where you live in the holler. For example, if you live at the mouth of the holler and you see a strange car that doesn’t belong to anyone you know and it’s heading up the holler, then you call the people who live above you and let them know that there’s a stranger headed up their way. That’s just common courtesy. If a vacuum cleaner salesman comes to your door, then call and let the others in the holler know so they’ll have time to let the big dogs out of the house before the salesman pulls into their driveway.

If anyone invites you to have a meal at their table…accept their offer quickly. And if it’s a house where an old woman runs the kitchen, get to the table just as fast as you can. And get ready to be amazed! Because if you live to be a hundred years old, you will never have a finer meal than one served up in an Eastern Kentucky holler.

There is a certain etiquette adhered to when you drive up or down the holler. If you meet another car in an extra narrow spot, then one of you has to back up to a wide spot so the other can pass. And when you are finally able to pass each other, you stop and roll the car window down and you talk until another car comes along and you have to move on.

If your neighbor slides out of the road in the winter snow, or if he gets stuck in the mud, then you try to push him out. If you’re unable to push him out, then you get your tractor out of the barn, attach a big chain, and pull him out. Again…it’s just common courtesy.

If someone in the neighborhood dies, you get to their house quickly with huge boxes of food. You make a pot of coffee. And then you make another one. And you stay beside your neighbor for as long as you’re needed. You don’t even have to say a word, you just have to be there.

There are other unwritten rules to holler-living. If a forest fire breaks out, you become a firefighter. And not just to save your own house, but to also save all the other houses in the holler. If the creeks start rising, you don’t leave anyone behind to face the muddy waters alone. And when storms come, and they will, you will find no better friends than the ones who are going through the same challenges that you’re facing.

There’s a lot more to be said about an Eastern Kentucky holler, but if I don’t tell you another thing, you need to know that a holler is more than a narrow isolated lane that runs between the hills. A holler takes you to the place where you have always been loved and where you’ll always be welcome. A holler takes you to the place where you can find comfort and peace and a sense of belonging. It takes you to your roots and to your family and to the truth of who you are. A holler takes you home.

Written by Roberta Stephens

January 4, 2017

In sweet memory of the hollers I have loved

❤️

“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.””
Revelation 21:4 NIV