A new start for this old man with Cataract surgery on my right eye November 16th and on my left December 23rd giving me 20/20 vision in my right eye and 20/30 vision in my left eye. Life is more exciting now that everything is so clear and vibrant. It is so amazing how this fast procedure can do so much for a person soon to be 70 years old.  

I was in a room getting ready for my first surgery and there was a sign on the wall across from me and I could not read that sign at all but when they wheeled me back into that room the sign was immediately so clear that I knew it was a miracle for this old man. I highly recommend this procedure for anyone suffering with blurred vision. It will change your life.

For a long time now I record certain shows on TV so I can enjoy them at my leisure. One of them is The Price is Right. One of the main reasons I like this show so much is being able to see Rachel Reynolds modeling items on the show. I personally think her smile is the prettiest on TV.

The photo below is so unique showing Rachel on the left and her precious daughter on the right wearing the same sweater and looking so like her mother.

Now that is the million dollar smile I was talking about and makes me so happy to see her every chance I get. 

I encourage you to also set your TV to record The Price is Right and now miss an opportunity to see the lovely Rachel Reynolds make viewing even better. 

Was watching a video this morning that I did as a conversation with my Aunt Katie and Uncle Lester back in 2010 and they told of how my grandfather, after the children were doing their own thing decided to build a country store and at night after the store closed he would have poker games in there. Over time my father won enough to actually buy the store from his father and chose to sleep in the rear of the store. Just before dark his beloved group of "Bantam" chickens would jump up the back steps to get inside so they could sleep with my dad. I thought that was so cute and never knew that about my dad and wanted to pass it on.

Inspired by my sweet friend Diane over in the UK I felt I needed to use my blog to post a celebration to Christmas as well with the help of the always needed Pinterest. Com.
Here are a couple of scenes of my Rocky Mount, NC during the Christmas season and of course I couldn't forget the magical "Santa".

Think of the twinkle in the eyes of small children like my neighbors Kylie (3) and Macy (6) and go into this magical season with joy and thankfullness that we can be a part in bringing joy to those we love.  Merry Christmas from Rocky and I.

Deals in Rocky Mount Worth Looking For

Sam's Club Rotisserie Chicken which is about a pound more than you will find at other popular shopping stores cooked to perfection and costs tax and all. Lasts me and my Chihuahua for almost a week.

$5.32

Cook Out Restaurant BLT. One of the finest sandwiches you will ever find in Rocky Mount and it is only.

$.99

I spend a lot of time on the road at times and I especially like to see Volvo tractor trailers because i think they are the best looking ones on the road. Now this Sheetz rig is special because of it's paint job from nose to rear end. I wish I could have found a photo of the complete rig but after a long search this was all I could find but I wanted you to see how beautiful it is with the vivid colors.

With Thanksgiving happening tomorrow I wanted to note my special thanks to the wonderful people at the Durham VA Medical Center for taking such good care of me on the 16th of November.  I had my right eye operated on and my lens was replaced with an artificial one. I went into surgery not being able to read a sign on the wall in the preop room and a little while later I was rolled back into that room and I could instantly read that sign so clearly. What a miracle. Now everything is so much brighter and vivid. Soon on December 23rd I will be having the same surgery on my left eye and I cannot wait to have both eyes seeing clearly again. This surgery is for seeing off at a distance and I noticed a problem seeing small print up close. I happened to see this pair of glasses I had for a long time and tried them and instantly the small print was clear as well. What a miracle having what I needed to correct the other issue. This is one happy man and I am so thankful.

3 - 2 - 1 Cake Treat

This is a very simple and delicious treat you can have almost immediately. Just get a box of Duncan Hines Angelfood cake mix and a box of any other flavor and mix together. Select a coffee cup or small microwave save dish and put into the dish 3 tablespoons of the mix, 2 tablespoons of water and microwave for 1 minute and you will have a great piece of cake you can eat as it is or with ice cream and it will last you a long time.

Sausage Balls

Another of my end of the year favorites is of course sausage balls and they are so easy to make and are so tasty.All you need is 2 cups of biscuit mix, 1 lb. of sausage and 12 oz. of sharp shredded cheddar cheese. Mix all together and form into balls and bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes. Enjoy and happy holidays.

Bacon Roll Ups

Odd but it seems I only think about these delicious treats near Thanksgiving and Christmas. I need to change that way of thinking because I love them so much.

All you do cut the edges off all the sides of a slice of bread and then cut that bread into 3 equl strips. Spread cream cheese with chives on the bread strip and roll it up and wrap it with a half strip of bacon putting a toothpick through to hold it together. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes checking to make sure they don't burn. So you make as many or as little as you want.

What you see above without the all too familiar mirrors that you see on all North Carolina school buses now. You see about 60 years ago just outside the town of Nashville, NC my cousin Jerome was getting off his school bus like this one and about half way across the front of the bus he dropped a jar of crickets he had taken to school so the children could see the various stages of cricket growth. He reached down to pick it up and the bus driver thought he was gone and started forward knocking Jerome down and running over him with the wheel of the bus.  He lived long enough to tell my Aunt Doris that he tried to get out from under the bus but just couldn't. He did later die from the massive injuries. It was after this that all buses were outfitted with mirrors so the driver has a full view of the front of his or her bus. I still remember playing with Jerome and miss him today as I know his mother my Aunt Doris Fisher does as well.

Remembering the children

The Gen Rang orphanage in Qui Nhon, Vietnam was one of the places that brought me joy while serving a year and a half over there. Mostly these children were products of relationships between GI's and vietnamese girls and like the picture above some even had blonde hair and were considered outcasts. After being in country 13 months I went home for 30 days and while there I received donations of clothes that I carried back with me. On the day I was to take the clothes I was amazed that my commanding officer and some of his other officers went with me to see the children.  All this happened in 1969 which seems so long ago but not forgotten. 

My get away place

First of all since I could not find an image of an abandoned bus without the cab imagine if you will the shell of a bus with the top and sides sitting on the ground with no interior like the floor. kind of like an upside down "U" with the back door in place.  

When I was a boy I loved to explore in the woods near my house and one day I discovered this shell of a bus with a lot of growth of weeds in front of it so I cleaned away the weeds and found it to be free of growth inside.  I also found this white plastic 5 gallon bucket which I turned upside down to give me a seat. This became my place to go and find solitude where I could think, dream and be at ease.  I especially liked that I could use it on days when it was raining so I could be dry and listen to the rain hitting the top of my secret place. I miss that old bus but have never forgot how special it was and just wanted to share that important part of my growing up.

Loving on goats

I have traveled to a lot of places that have goats and everywhere I  have seen them they make me smile and feel happy.  I still remember the two I had as a child that I called Lillie & Billy.

Exciting News

Pictured above is my step-daughter Beth with her close friend Beau.  Beth was reached out to by one of the world's largest and most successful companies, Amazon.  There she was a senior at NC State University due to graduate in March of 2017 and they want to talk to her about a position with their company. October 5th they fly her all the way to Tampa, Florida and on the 6th she has 2 interviews and then flies home all on Amazon's buck.  They call her this week and say we want you to work for our company. Will you accept? Of course she said yes and they will be paying her a very attractive yearly salary and in addition she will get a signing bonus that would make you look twice. They will also allow her to graduate and will relocate her within that week after graduating. They will be giving her a list of available locations and she can choose the top three places and they will send her to one of the three. Not many people get an opportunity like this to better their lives in a big way and I could not be more proud of her and our level of excitement is more than we ever thought we could feel. I love her with all my heart and will enjoy watching this fairy tale adventure as it grows in time to come.

Rocky

My constant companion Rocky is not only my pet but a part of me and I don't even want to think about me ever being without him to love me and for me to love on.  Here are some various shots taken over the years since he is around 8 now. Enjoy everyone.

Tastes from long ago remembered

I ran across a journal I had written and had printed it out that ran from November 2000 to March of 2008 and brought back some memories especially in the food category. We lived near the woods so it was often that we would have squirrel on the table.

Daddy would skin the whole animal leaving everything attached and mama would pan fry the whole critter.  Many of you may not be aware of a delicacy that is part of the squirrel and that is his brain. Looking at the head without the skin there is a bone with 4 sections that have a line running down and across and all we had to do is tap it with a spoon cracking the pieces to easily pull the bones away revealing the nutty tasting brain. It was a fight sometimes to see who actually got the treat to eat. 

Another treat that I have not seen in more years than I like to even think about is Guinea eggs.

These eggs were smaller than a chicken's egg but were much more rich in taste and they were a joy to have whenever we could have them for breakfast. I need to see if I can find anyone in this area that still sells them. I can remember my dad liked to crack an egg into a paper cup and put a little vinegar in there and just drink it all down.  I never could do that.

One last item to share in today's blog is something not that many people especially today would think of as something to consume.

This my friends is pork chitterlings which is simply the intestines of the pig, cleaned well and cut up and cooked.  I can say it has been way too many years to remember when I last had a serving of this old treat. Times have changed somewhat but there are items I would recapture in a heartbeat. 

Surprise Lunch With My Grandsons

Yesterday I had a surprise lunch with my 2 grandsons Matt and Kaden at their school and we had the greatest time. I am afraid they both did a lot more talking than eating since they had so much to catch me up on. I will surprise them again real soon. Here are some of my favorite pictures of them that I have saved.

Me through time