Draw

I used to like to draw.  Barns and flowers and such.   Easy things.  Piddling things.  Many I never finished.  Well most I never finished.

I've lost many of my drawings.  But here are a few.

Charcoal Bird 2012

Ink outhouse 1996 I think it says

Lead pencil bull rider 90's

Barbed wire fence post charcoal 1996?

Have drawn Australian Shephard 90s? Not finished 

Ink flowers.  Not finished

Flowers. Colored pencil

Cowboy on a horse. Charcoal

Boots at a fence post. Pencil only half drawn.

Cowboy leaned on a fence.
Pencil. Obviously not
finished.

Cowboy. Lead pencil

Roping shoot. Charcoal.

Sock monkey 2012. Charcoal

Flowers. Colored Pencil

More flowers...charcoal

And still more flowers. Colored Pencil

Horse hip. With Bible verses from Job. Charcoal

Ink barn. Half way done.

Well. Pencil

I also liked calligraphy in high school.

October Dinner

Dinner with Bridget and Kelley at River Rock October 10, 2013. Didn't get to see Kelley on my birthday so she took me to dinner on the 10th instead.

I shared my flowers

I shared my flowers with my daddy today.  My birthday flowers from the 6th.  Daddy's birthday was today.  He would have been 88. He was a World War II Naval Veteran.  He worked for TVA for 50 years as a lineman and retired when he was 80.  He was a quiet man around his family, whom he loved so very, very much.  Around his friends he was more talkative and could be quite funny.  I've never met anyone quite like him.  And I have a feeling I never will.  I just don't say that because he was my Daddy.  He was a special, unique man from a time in history unlike any other.

I can remember going to the grave yard every Saturday with Momma and Daddy after my brother Gary died in 1979.  Daddy would load up the push mower and off we'd go to take special care of Gary's grave at Hopewell.  The grass was only cut a few times a year by the church.  Once was before Decoration.  We also mowed the other Maynard graves and my grandparents.

The photo is of Daddy and I in 1975.  Christmas.  All the Christmas photos from when I was little have Daddy sitting right in the floor with me.  I guess he was as excited as I over the presents I was opening.  

In 1990 Momma died.  That Christmas I got out of bed early, just as every other Christmas morning.  I asked Daddy when we were opening presents.  He and I.  He said not now.  We'll wait on everybody to get here later.

Christmas was never the same for either of us.

Me and Daddy 1989
Madisonville High School Graduation

1995 TWC college graduation.
I'm sure he was thrilled and surprised I made it! lol

Foot stone of Daddy's grave

Mom and Dad's grave

My brother Gary's grave.  He was killed in a jeep
accident on I29 down from Chillhowee Dam in 1979.

Mom's favorite scripture was put on the back of
Gary's tombstone. 

I took a photo of my brother Gary's grave while at Hopewell today.  Gary's tombstone was unique in cut and design.  I think my parents had White's Marble works order it special from GA?  No one had engravings like this way back then.  Except for a few angels.  Gary loved going to the mountains with friends to go four-wheeling.  I guess mom and dad wanted to capture that for him through the tombstone.

My parents bought 10 plots when Gary died.  They planned on all of us being buried side by side.  However, they didn't plan well enough.  Our family expanded to include husbands and more grandchildren and even great grandchildren they hadn't thought of.

Daddy. I think this was 2007? Bella's soccer game.

Blog post I wrote about daddy in 2011:
Depression Era Man

Dam Greed

My re-read of the moment. "Dam Greed".

I probably need to quit with the re-reads....but I love history.

Chapter interview with
my aunt Mary Fay Maynard
and cousin Ricky Maynard

Minions

For my birthday my staff surprised me with yummy cheesecake and a one hour massage with Smiley's Family Chiropractic.   The gift card said "To: Marna From: Your Minions".

The minions is a joke we have had for a couple of years.   When the county tax rate was increased I and my staff took some hard hits.  I don't set tax rates but since my name is on the statement I get the blame.  (I have big shoulders so it's okay. But I do not like people taking their frustration out on my staff.)

I received a particularly nasty email from a gentleman who said something to the affect of "you and your minions."  So the word minions is a private joke around the office.  (Well, not so private now.)

Flowers

A good friend of mine has sent flowers to me at work for several years.  Today I got this beautiful bouquet.

Four Wheeler

You never realize how important a four wheeler is on a farm until it tears up.  While your husband is out of town.

Try as I might it will not start.  So that means I have to use the wheel barrel to go and get hay.  Two bales in morning and two at night.  (Unless I'm sneaking to feed a little snack late at night.)  

After all my years growing up on farms you'd think I'd have the technique down pat for rolling around hay.  You see, we never had four wheelers growing up.  I do have the way to stack two at a time pretty much memorized.  Square hay bales will not lay flat in a wheel barrel.  So if you stack with high side near the handles you cannot see over the hay as you push along.  Bad idea.  Sometimes I get in a hurry or forget how to stack but plug right along hoping I don't run over anything and topple the wheel barrel....

Most of the time I'd save a lot of time if I'd just not be lazy and get one bale each trip for the total of two.  By the time I've made it around to feed horses I've lost balance of the wheel barrel and dumped the bales on the ground a few times.  Load.  Dump.  Re-load.  Dump.  Re-load...... Oh well.  Go figure.

Maybe with a late night snack the horses forgive and forget their impatience watching my silliness.  But I doubt it.

Halloween Costume

Welllllll.......I started looking for pieces to put together my "at work" Halloween costume.  The shopping isn't going very well.  Neither the Dollar Tree or Wal-Mart had anything I need at lunch today.

At work today everyone was talking about what they were going to dress up as.  I am keeping them in suspense.  No one EVER knows what I am.  I don't try to trick anyone.  I always think it's fairly obvious what I am.  Cowgirl, Ms Duggar, Druid, World Jet Setter..... This year I'm excited to dress up. Excited to see who knows what I am.

I told Chris last week what my big idea is for this year.  Chris said "I have no idea what that is."  I told he may not but everyone else would get it when they see me.  He said, "Can't you just be a witch or a ghost or something?"

Cowgirl

Mrs. Duggar. Everyone thought
I was Octomom. I'm not sure
why. I was dressed just
like 19 Kids and
Counting. Not like Angelina
Jolie. 

The Druid and World Jet Setter worked out perfect!  I had the wigs already.  I also already had the black dress.  Just had to buy the cape.  And I also had the dress and vinyl jacket for the World Jet

Setter in the back of my closet from the early 90's.  lol

Me as a Druid.  Chris and my sister Lynette, who worked
at the Health Dept, stopped by.  Lynette was a 70's hippie.
Lucy was an Amish lady.

Everyone thought I was Little Red Riding Hood.  I
would tell them she had a cotton robe and a
plaid dress.  I had a velvet robe and black dress=Druid.

Ashley was a Pink Lady from "Grease".  I was a
World Jet Setter.  Thought it was obvious....

World Jet Setter!  Bella stopped by after school.
She was some kid's character??  Very cute.

Redneck Paintball Zombie Killer

Hmmmm....sounds like a fun thing at the Corn Maze.   Just not at night....