Recognition at last for the Wooddiva

   I recently shared about supporting a local talent and I am happy to announce that Cheryl Tripp of Cheryl's Woodnwonders has been featured in "American Woodworker" for her floral design which is really beautiful.

   For a woodworker to appear in this publication must be a dream come true and I am so proud of Cheryl who must be walking at least a few inches off the ground about now. And here she is folks.

Support Local Talents

  I have always thought that you should support people in you community that are hard working and have a true talent for what they love to do.  In my community we have Cheryl Tripp of Cheryl's Woodn Wonders.  By day she works for the Agricultural Extension Service but after that she heads to her shed and scroll saw to create lovely works of art that cause you to wonder how in the world she did that. Maybe that is why she is also known as "Wooddiva".  Following is some of the examples of items that could be hanging on a wall in your home or office.

I am constantly amazed at the quality of detail in her work and take great joy in helping her to become know outside of Halifax County, NC. You can visit her Facebook page by going to http://www.facebook.com/cherylswoodnwonders/ There you can see all that she does and prices as well. I would be happy to assist if you would be more comfortable going through me.

February 23rd and eight months since my last post. This has been on my mind for a while now and with some encouragement from a couple of friends who have also restarted their blogs I decided to test the waters so to speak and see how it feels.

A lot has happened since my last post so this one is intended to kind of bring the events up to date. The first of July in 2013 I had a heart attack which was the first major health event in my then 66 years.  I really didn't know what was happening since it was all new to me. Extreme sweats and nausea were the major symptoms and I did not relate that to a heart condition so I waited to see if it would get better. The next day I had the same symptoms with the addition of some heaviness in my chest which prompted Linda and I to seek medical attention. 

This is where I must promote the greatness of a hospital system. Vidant Hospitals, no mater which one of their facilities you enter will change your opinion of how hospitals operate.  Instead of waiting in a waiting room for what seems like forever, they take you immediately and begin awesome care. Their level of care is unlike any I ever encountered. They actually care and everything they do is done with the most professional touch I had ever received. One thing I tell people is that just walking through their door into the hospital makes me feel better just knowing where I am.

They did determine I had some blockages but there was no significant damage done after running a lot of different tests during the week I was there. I was released and given Plavix to thin the blood and another medicine to help get my cholesterol to a better level. The only sad part is that while the recovery process took place I lost weight down to where I liked only to gain every bit of it back. I have proven in the past that I can drop weight easily with my strong will but eventually it always come back.

I did want to post a picture of the awesome medical center in Greenville, NC where I got such good care so here it is.

There may be people that see this post and think of our treasured pets Rocky and Soffie. They are doing well and here is a recent picture of both of them.

Rocky is where he stays a lot when I am home especially if I am on the computer. He likes to be in a chair so he can be next to me.

Soffie did get sick last year and lost down to almost the skin and bones she was when she arrived here homeless. She eats very well and has gained most of her weight back, however, she cannot jump and run like she used to and is weak in her hind legs.  So, instead of laying on the couch we make a place for her to rest and sleep on the floor and she seems quite happy with it.