Sunday, August 16, 2009

Weekend Happenings

This past week we've had an unexpected guest. Here she is looking up at us with those pretty eyes.



Now you tell me how can people with any conscious drop off little critters. This has been the second cat in just a few weeks that has been dropped off in our subdivision. I guess people think someone will take care of them, but they don't realize how dangerous it is for animals here. We live off of Rt. 21 in a curvy section of the road and cars love to fly down it. Many animals have lost their life on this road. It is very sad.

It is roaming around from house to house and no one knows who it belongs to. It is the friendliest little cat, we have a produce basket on our front porch and it likes to lay in it. When she isn't there, she's under our glider. I tried to get a picture of it in the basket, but it jumped out before I could. The poor little thing was starving so we decided to feed it until we call the animal shelter on Monday to come pick it up.



Please people do not drop off animals. If you do not want them, take them to the animal shelter or try to find a home for them with someone who wants one. They deserve better than being dropped off.

Now onto other weekend happenings.

I went to my sister's house, she still lives up the hollow where we grew up. It was very hot, at least 90, but I wanted to go up the old coal bank road where we used to pick berries as a child. We waited till it cooled down a bit and took a trek up the road.

It's amazing how things change. Why it's only been around 40 years since I've been up that road, you'd think it would look the same. (ha ha)

I wish I'd took more pictures. A few months ago when I posted about creating a coal garden a lot of people commented "where can I get a piece of coal?". Well everywhere you looked on that road there were little pieces of coal! On the side of the road we saw these tracks. I'm thinking it's maybe a coyote or a big dog. What do you think? You can click on it for a larger view.


Here is the location of where one of the mines used to be. They have closed the openings and put in drain pipes to drain the water out from them.


Here is a picture of the only mine not filled in. The opening is very small. My son and brother in law went up and looked inside.



Here is a closer view of it. This is where there used to be a pond that I remember as a child and it was lined with cattails. And there were many berry vines in this area. All of the berry vines are gone. I couldn't believe it, there used to be so many, we would pick until our water buckets were full.



My brother in law told us many stories about the mines. He used to work in them as did my uncles and grandpa. I believe Grandpa was a foreman. (Correct me if I'm wrong, Vera).
He remembers so many things about the past. He said he remembered when Grandpa built his house and they came up here and cut down the trees and hauled them off the hill to build their house. These coal mines were on Grandma and Grandpa's land. We also lived down below the mines. They did strip mining up there also and in the early 1960s there was a flash flood and it caused the land behind our house to slip. We had to move out and live with Grandma for a while until we built another house to live in. Dad eventually fixed up our house and we moved back into it.

How I wish sometimes life had a Pause Button we could push and stop time for a while. It moves all too fast.

Another happening for the weekend was cooking stuffed jalapeno peppers.

It was funny, this morning just as Sunday School was ending, my son looked over at me and asked if we had any bacon. Well, no less than three people around us heard him and turned and said, "Are you having bacon for dinner?" They said, "Do you have bacon? We've got some if you don't."

Here is the recipe:

8 jalapenos
1 8oz pkg of cream cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
8 slices of bacon

cut peppers in half and remove seeds.
combine cream cheese, cheddar and cajon seasoning.
stuff each pepper and cook bacon until partially cooked.
We tore the bacon into two pieces and wrapped them around the pepper and secured it with a toothpick.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

A picture of the finished product. It's pretty tasty.




Sorry for the long post. Hope you've had a nice weekend.

7 comments:

  1. This recipe looks good. I will try it. We have plenty of peppers. Poor little kitty. I rescued one starving from McDonald's parking lot, not long ago and took it to the shelter. They poison outdoor cats in my neighborhood. People can be cruel. Sounds like you had a lovely walk. I would like to walk on my grandmothers property, up the old roads, I remember from my childhood, but they say the man that lives there now, likes to shoot at people.

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  2. Don't be sorry for a long post. I enjoyed every bit of it. The peppers look mighty tasty. Indeed, it would be nice if life had a pause button. Or even just a slower speed button.

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  3. Hey Janet, I might want the cat. If you haven't called the shelter, call me on my cell. I'll email you the #.

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  4. I always enjoy your posts, they are never too long for me.
    I don't know if Grandpa was a foreman or not, I guess we need ask Aunt Irma.......

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  5. People drop their unwanted animals near my house too. I'm sick of it! Sometime in June someone dropped off a bunch of little baby kittens at the top of a hill that has a curve in it. I came through and seen an awful sight! It still makes me mad when I remember it! Two or Three of the babies had already been ran over and there were two or three left. It mad me sick! I told the kids to shut their eyes. Then a few days later my dogs were barking up at a tree in our yard and I had to go see what it was because we live in the woods and low and behold there was another cat and it was in my yard! My dogs don't like cats and they will run them off. I took a bunch of pictures that I finally got uploaded inbetween all of the storms last week but I haven't written about it yet. They didn't hurt the cat. I got my dogs in the garage and the cat finally was able to escape. It may have went to my neighbors house or it even could have been one of her cats, she has soooooooo many!

    Did people not listen to Bob Barker and get their pets spayed or neutered????

    Hugs,
    Angela

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  6. Poor kitty. I hope someone gives it a good home. She looks so sweet.
    I love going back to the places I once walked. I have been longing to return to WV and visit my Grandmother's farm. Maybe next year I'll be able to.
    Last weekend was a busy one. A yard sale on Sat and company on Sunday. Lazy summer days....I'll be sad to see them go.

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  7. Hope Granny Sue takes the kitty.

    I'm so glad you got to go home-and walk down the old road. I know it brought back a lot of memories for you.

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