Another Website

I now have another website up and running! Like the other one, it still needs some work, but at least it's up! :-)

This is the website of Rachel's father-in-law-to-be.


www.muleprints.com


Have a great Thanksgiving!

Excuses, Excuses

I'm always making excuses as to why I don't update my blog very regularly, but this one if for real! Lol! I've been busy learning to build websites (from scratch) with a program called Dreamweaver, and I finally have one up and running (well, there's still some work to do on it.) I would like to invite everyone to take a look....

www.duckriverboysbluegrass.com

and let me know what you think about it!

A Lot Can Happen in One Afternoon!

It was a cold Sunday afternoon, the second Sunday of November. My sister Hannah (the girl in the last pic on my previous post) had just gotten her driver's permit and was dying to impress somebody with her driving skills. Being the second girl in our family to get her permit, she just knew that she would be a better driver than me, even though I've been driving for over four years, and she had never been behind the wheel of a car.

For some reason (we couldn't get Rachel to tell us), Eric was coming over to talk with Dad. I think that was why it was so easy for me to convince Dad to let Hannah get some practice driving around the parking lot. After about 45 minutes, she was doing pretty good, so I convinced Dad to let us go out on the road. We had been out on the road for about 10 minutes, and she was doing pretty good and being very careful. Then we came to a place where the road teed into another, and I told Hannah to turn left. Very slowly, she started to make the turn, and realized that she was gonna have to give it some more gas to complete the turn. Somehow, she gave it way to much gas, and didn't turn the steering wheel hard enough! I tried to help, while hollering for her to hit the brake, but we crunched into a ditch, just a few feet away from a very high retainer wall! Talking about being scared!!! When the car stopped rocking, we put it into park, turned it off, and got out. The car had come to rest on three tires, with the back left tire up in the air above the road! It was then and there that I decided that being a driving instructor is not my calling in life! Lol!

I called Dad, and while he and Eric were on their way to come get us, it seemed like a hundred cars stopped and asked if we needed help! I don't why, because we were on a back street that isn't used a whole lot! And I hadn't brought my jacket because I hadn't planned on getting out, so I was freezing!

So when Dad and Eric got there, another man had stopped to help, and they chained the car to Eric's truck, and got ready to pull it out. Then the man got in my car and backed it right out without any help from the truck! Dad just laughed and said, "I can't believe you called me without even trying to back it out first!" Yeah, right! If I had backed it out, Dad would have said, "Why didn't you just wait until I got here to look at it?" Lol!

We later found out that we had interrupted a very important talk...Rachel and Eric are getting married!

Hannah has been getting plenty of teasing about her driving skills, and she still hasn't gotten a chance to drive again. I will gladly let Dad take her out next time. (BTW, Rachel and Sarah just got their permits last week, so there's three girls learning to drive at one time!)

Missions Revival

The last week of October, Bro. Stinnett Ballew came to our church to preach a Missions Revival.
Here's a picture of the preachers....

(my little brother says he wants to preach like Bro. Ballew when he grows up)

here's Bro. Ballew with my three youngest siblings...

Eric and one of his brothers came for one of the services, and afterwards they came over to our house for a game of Aggravation...

DOUBLE TROUBLE!!!

Fall Fellowship

Back in October, our church had a get-together at the house of one of our families. Even though it was chilly, most everybody came. It turned out to be a lot of fun!

Mom with one of our ladies

(btw, they were cold! Lol!)

another one of our ladies

(she's really fun to be around!)

getting a fire started

a couple of the boys that I watch occasionally
(aren't they cute?)


daughter of the family who hosted this
(she loves to come to church, and cries nearly every time when it's time to go home! Lol!)






observing the "apple bobbing"


what kind of look is that? Lol!


the egg race!

getting ready for the three-legged race
(they ended up falling over backwards before the race even started!
it was sooooo hilarious!)


our song leader and his wife

the couple who hosted this

my Mom and little brother
(he just couldn't stay awake any longer)

the last event of the evening...making s'mores

In Loving Memory

Uncle Doyle

"Helping"

Last night, Rachel was trying to decorate a cake, and our little brother decided he wanted to "help." He's such a goof ball!

the real reason he wanted to "help"

Lol!

A Burp in the Dark

The cloudy day was now fading into night and the shadows crept upon the earth. Feeling right fine (except a little hungry) I strolled down my driveway and down the sidewalk to the church. My mind was on a bluegrass song and I was sorta humming along, trying to figure out the harmony on it.

As I came upon a corner of the church a figure suddenly rounded it and was in my face. Before I could figure out what was happening a huge burp sounded, right there in MY FACE! Now, I'm not talking about your dainty, ladylike, half-hearted burp that you hide behind a napkin at the table when guests are present. I'm talking about the real deal, I-don't-care, loud-as-you-can BELCH! If that wasn't bad enough, IT STUNK LIKE SMOKE. You know, cigarette smoke! Oh! It is almost to painful to recall!

My reflexes being a little to late, I then jumped a little and said "Oh!" Then the figure covered her mouth and said, "Oh, I'm sorry." And we both quickly parted ways. Her to think about her embarrassment on burping in someone's face and me to eat some candy to try to erase the memories!

~Sarah
(guest blogger for the evening)

'Specting Her Beau

Here is a poem that a friend of ours sent me last week. She copied it from a magazine that they get, Country Woman, and she thought we might adapt it for Rachel! The editor's note states:

This charming poem, shared by Nora M. Lenke of Aberdeen, Washington, was written by her sister Marie Johnston in 1926, when Marie was just 11 years old.

Us girls thought it was really cute, so here it is.....

When Mabel 'Spects Her Beau

I tell you, it's mysterious
at our house once a week.
We know there's something in the wind,
but we don't dare to speak.
For Sis just bosses everything
as says how it should go.
Oh, we all have to stand around
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

She crimps her hair an awful lot
and lights the parlor fire.
And she's so afraid we'll spoil her dress,
she won't let us come nigh her.
Pa kinda chuckles to himself
and winks at me and Joe,
but Ma looks pretty serious
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

At supper, she got no appetite,
but fixes up a plate
of little dabs of this and that
when Mabel 'spects her date.
She does the dishes in a flash
and thinks the clock is slow.
Things always have to hustle so
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

She whisks us youngsters off to bed
in strict, big-sister style.
On other evenings, we sit up
and play for quite a while.
And we ain't supposed to see or hear
nor even want to know
a single thing that's going on
when Mabel 'spects her beau.

The Land of Cotton

Well, I wish I was in the land of cotton

Old times there are not forgotten,
Look away, look away, look away,
Dixie Land!
In Dixie Land where I was born in,
Early on one frosty mornin'
Look away, look away, look away,
Dixie Land!

Well, I wish I was in Dixie,
Away, Away,
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand,
I'll live and die in Dixie
Away, Away,
Away down South in Dixie!

The Ride Home

Eric drove down for the weekend, and then followed us back home on Monday. He and Rachel were so excited that Dad allowed them to ride together! Lol!

Last-Minute Poses

This has become somewhat of a tradition...
last-minute poses before we leave to go home...

playing some old-time music

on the tire swing
(she can look sweet sometimes! Lol!)

Rachel and Eric

Here's Rachel and Eric enjoying a Sunday evening together...


Here's Rachel being attacked by her younger sister, while Eric pretends to be asleep...


Here's Eric (feeling sorry for not defending her) playing Rachel some beautiful (well...umm...not exactly...) music on an antique Melodica.....


Here's Rachel and Eric happy once more....




Oh, yeah, and here's the younger sister, ready to punch somebody in the stomach...

More FL Pictures

my three youngest siblings, along with my cousin's three girls
(the littler ones didn't want to be in the pic!)

Rachel and Eric
(he drove down for the weekend)