Wednesday, December 31, 2014

I Resolve To Never Ever Make New Year’s Resolutions!

I used to have a 365 blog (called appropriately Three Sixty Five) ~ a picture a day for a year. It was a challenge for anyone who loves to take pictures to either blog them or scrapbook them.  I faithfully stepped up to the challenge every day for five whole years because I enjoy photography and it was fun. But if you’ve ever tried it, you know what a struggle it can be to take a picture of something [anything!] every single day for 365 days. In a row. Eventually, after about three years, it just wore me out. After year five, I threw in the towel [or the camera] and called it quits. However, I still enjoy photography, and I wanted to continue to share my photos on a different blog, so I started this one 365 days ago. If you’ve kept up with it at all, you’ve noticed by now that there are nowhere near 365 pictures here. Most days I don’t pick up a camera. To my relief, I have to admit. So it’s been hit or miss, and that suits me just fine. As I close out the first year of Hunky Dory, I thank you for stopping by to take a peek and maybe even coming back now and then. For my final post this year, I thought I’d share some snapshots that never got blogged [or maybe they did and I’ve forgotten ~ sometimes I post them on Facebook and/or Instagram and you may have seen some of them there]. There are some from each month of this year, and some months more than others simply because I remembered to snap a shot. Thanks for looking. Hope you’ve enjoyed some of them. And I hope you’ll stop in now and then in 2015. Who knows what you might find. I was going to resolve to take more pictures next year, but my resolutions have proven to be pretty worthless. Time will tell. It always does.
IMG_2791
January 7, 2014 ~ Snow Day!
IMG_2811
January 10, 2014 ~ Grandpeeps Knox, Shelby and Elijah enjoy some jump time on the trampoline. Must have been mild that day. This picture cracks me up. Knox looks like he’s about to take a header out of the net door, Shelby looks like she knows he’s about to go out the door but can’t stop it, and Elijah looks like he’s thinking This is gonna be good!
0225141737
February 25, 2014 ~ Heading down Hudgens into a winter sunset
IMG_3233
March 1, 2014 ~ Neil was in the daunting process of tearing down his old shed/workshop/RC airplane hangar. He built it thirty years ago and it served him well, but it literally caved in around and out from under him. [He has a nice new larger man cave these days]
IMG_3284
March 15, 2014 ~ After he tore down his shed, Neil found the remains of one of the ‘possums that hung out in there. And there were many over the years. These creatures are a nuisance, so no love lost here, folks.
0418141312b
April 18, 2014 ~ Grandson Knox strikes a pose at one of his favorite hangouts in town, the Cookeville Depot. He loves his trains.
0510141420a
May 10, 2014 ~ Awesome clouds over Kelly’s house. I should start a cloud blog because I think I could take pictures of clouds every day.
IMG_3311
June 8, 2014 ~ Neil enjoys building and flying RC planes and repairing them when they suddenly fall to the ground from great heights. He finally joined Facebook at this point and this was his very first profile picture.
img047 copy
June 16, 2014 ~ I had partial knee replacement surgery. No fun at all. This X-ray was taken about four weeks ago for my six month check-up. That’s the front of my knee.
img048 copy
And this is what it looks like from the side with my knee bent. I’m doing really well these days. Pretty cool, huh?
IMG_4072
June 27, 2014 ~ After that knee surgery, I had to take a blood thinner to prevent blood clots. Which meant I had to give myself shots every day for ten days. Twice a day. In the belly. This was my last one.
IMG_4227
July 18, 2014 ~ Beautiful granddaughter Shelby turned 13!
IMG_4243
July 19, 2014 ~ grandson Knox wearing his grandpa’s glasses. If they’d been round frames, he might’ve looked a bit like Harry Potter.
0815141604
August 15, 2014 ~ Kelly, Knox and Shelby [she’s there but hard to see] check out the books at our neighborhood Little Free Library. Such a neat thing to have just down the street.
0825141548
August 25, 2014 ~ This was our last visit to our fave frozen yogurt spot, Mae Pearl’s, which closed not too many days after this was taken. Bummer.
IMG_4458
September 4, 2014 ~ Pink clouds with rainbow in my backyard sky
IMG_4574
September 5, 2014 ~ Grandson Elijah ran/walked laps in Cougar Run, his elementary school’s only fundraiser for the year. Run, Cougar, run!
Knox angry bird fall fun fest 3  9 5 14
September 5, 2014 ~ Grandson Knox sat patiently and let this artist paint his face at Fall Fun Fest.
Knox angry bird fall fun fest 10  9 5 14
September 5, 2014 ~ Angry Bird ~ he loved it
IMG_0798
September 6, 2014 ~ He did not love meeting this gigantic Daniel Tiger from PBS’s Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood at Fall Fun Fest. Knox loves this character ~ the tiny cartoon version on TV. This one terrified him. He pulled away as far as he could. It was funny to us. For Knox, not so much.
Kelly Kay Beach photo bomb
September 11, 2014 ~ This is my favorite fun picture from our trip to Destin ~ Kelly was taking a pic of the two of us ~ I look like I’m photo-bombing. It was good for a laugh.
0922141219
September 22, 2014 ~ Knox hanging around with Dad [Kerry] on their front porch
IMG_3733
September 29, 2014 ~ Granddaughter Shelby after her fall chorus concert ~ she surprised us by singing a solo, but it wasn’t surprising that she sang so very well.
IMG_4808
October 1, 2014 ~ I drag my old scarecrow out of the attic every October and take a picture with these two ~ Shelby and Elijah ~ and they are nice enough to humor their old picture-taking granny.
Elijah after championship win 10 2 14
October 3, 2014 ~ Grandson Elijah’s Fall Ball coach’s pitch baseball team won all of their games and also won first place in the tournament. He played so very well. It’s fun to win.
IMG_0862
October 13, 2014 ~ The day the straight line winds blew a tree over onto the house. What a mess. Broke the roof. Still in the process of getting estimates to have it repaired.
1014141329
October 14, 2014 ~ The day the tree cutters took down our last maple tree.
IMG_0945
October 14, 2014 ~ We used to have eight trees in our front yard. We miss them. Miss the shade.
IMG_1070
November 4, 2014 ~ Peeps at Poet’s ~ niece Sarah, daughter Holly, sister Jane, grandson Knox, daughter Kelly, granddaughter Shelby and grandson Elijah ~ good times
IMG_4254
December 6, 2014 ~ Two of Santa’s reindeer visited the Cookeville Depot Museum’s Christmas open house ~ every time I’d try to take their picture, they’d turn their heads away
IMG_4296
December 9, 2014 ~ Granddaughter Shelby’s Christmas chorus concert ~ she sang with a trio and did a bit of a solo, too
1230141229
December 30, 2014 ~ Lunch with the grandkids [and Kerry] at Steak and Shake. This was Elijah’s burger art. Now that’s what I call a happy meal.
1231141713
December 31, 2014 ~ From my front porch, the sun sets on 2014 ~ When the trees are bare, you can see busy South Jefferson Avenue just a few streets over
1231141727
December 31, 2014 ~ Supper at Cracker Barrel with the Kimbroughs before Bible class tonight. Knox Skywalker brandishes a light saber ~ he loves the toys there
IMG_5449
December 31, 2014 ~ Our own New Year’s Eve fireworks show in our woodstove ~ trying to keep warm on this cold last day of the year [21 degrees at the moment]. So long, December. Goodbye, 2014! HAPPY NEW YEAR, y’all!
"For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning." - T.S. Eliot

Thursday, December 25, 2014

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

Merry Christmas From The Ranft, Myers, and Kimbrough Families! Here are a few snapshots from our family Christmas
IMG_5216
IMG_5177
IMG_5181
IMG_5183
IMG_5192
IMG_5217
IMG_5227
IMG_5234
IMG_5272
IMG_5310
IMG_5372
IMG_5172
Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. 
~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Monday, December 22, 2014

Random December This and That

IMG_5139
Reindeer games beside the Christmas tree ~ Grandpeeps Shelby, Knox and Elijah
IMG_5146
Somebody had to start the silliness
IMG_5150
Silliness is contagious, thank goodness
IMG_5125
Counting Crows
IMG_5132
IMG_5133
IMG_5159
Christmas Bling ~ Neil’s mother made this and about a hundred others back in the 70’s ~ each one is unique and they’re some of our most prized heirlooms
IMG_5162
Christmas greetings from me!
IMG_5163
Merry and Bright
IMG_4339
Shelby and Elijah hung out with me today ~ here they are, Mario and Luigi, racing on the Wii ~ good times
IMG_5170
Happened to look out the window this morning and saw not one, not two but six squirrels pigging out on the bird seed [4 on the ground, one on the feeder and one crawling down the side of the tree]. I think the birds finally gave up. Everything outside is shades of gray these days, but at least the days are starting to get longer. In the meantime, thankful for the color and light of Christmas.