For Your Halloween Reading Pleasure

This was first posted a couple of years ago just before Lor left for college...a nice little ghost story for your Halloween enjoyment...


LOWCOUNTRY KIDS AND THE LITTLE GHOST GIRL
Lorelai is trying to fit lots of activity into her last week before heading to Clemson. The other night, she and her best friends stayed out at Molly's house which happens to be located on the property of Mulberry Plantation. To people who don't live in our area, "plantation life" might sound like something out of Gone With The Wind but in our area, which is so rich from historical and natural resource perspectives, well, it's not unusual to know any number of people who live and/or work on plantations that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

As an aside...it's important to note that lowcountry kids (note also that "lowcountry kid" is a term like "southern belle"....just because you live here doesn't mean that you ARE one and vice versa) grow up in a beautiful world. They are well-mannered, well-educated, and know how to entertain, but they also know their way around a deer stand, a dove shoot, how to call a turkey, ride a four-wheeler or tractor, throw a shrimp net, catch and clean a crab, etc. Not just the boys either...us girly girls put on our wellies and join right in. The lowcountry of SC is a great place to live.

Well...I birdwalked a bit there. ANYHOW...at Mulberry, there is a ghost...a little girl whose name, I believe, is Robin. She comes and goes and the way you know she's been around is a very strong smell of perfume. Lor and her pals were hunkered down in one of the cabins...several were watching TV....Lor and Ashley were in the bedroom talking. They walked out to see what the others were doing for about five minutes and when they went back into the bedroom the smell of perfume was overpowering...all around the bed the Lor had been sitting on...and her eye glasscase was gone. Clearly, the little one wanted that bed for her own so Lor QUICKLY moved her pillow and all of her things OUT of the way. When our girls went back in an hour or so later her glasscase was back on the bed. We're thinking Robin felt bad about scaring them. More likely than not, the little ghost girl just wanted to join in the fun, bless her heart.

I know what you're wondering...does Belle REALLY believe in ghosts or was some prankster just playing a practical joke? The answer is maybe...to both!

Fall Break and Joy in My Heart

I don't know how to express how joyful my heart feels just now.  Lorelai is home for fall break and since my high school runs somewhat on the college schedule, I also have vacation until next Wednesday.  It didn't get here a moment too soon.  I had to deal with a situation at work on Friday that made my heart very very sad and I'm bone weary...but again, my heart is JOYFUL to the max that I have four days to rest and renew. I just tucked the warm comforter up around Lor's chin before I came downstairs. If that doesn't make a mama feel all warm and fuzzy, I don't know what will.

Lorelai got home about 6 pm yesterday and immediately showered and headed out to her high school alma mater football game.  I was out like a light by 9:30 and Hank made a good attempt at "staying up" until Lor got home, but I'm sure I heard snoring.  Today and tomorrow we are hibernating and on Monday morning, we'll be on King Street the minute the stores open. I'll have lots of photos on Monday night.  The fair is in town, but even though we talk about going to eat fair food, we haven't gone in something like seven years...maybe longer.  Probably won't make it this year either.

Clemson is at Boston College today...kickoff at noon.  LET'S DO IT, TIGERS!

Where to begin...

Since I'm quickly becoming a once a week blogger...(do you wait with bated breath?????)...

I had my first evaluation conference with the superintendent this week. It's hard to believe that the first quarter of the school year was over last Tuesday. He came to our faculty meeting then stayed and talked with me. It went better than I EVER could have imagined.  I won't bore you with the details but he was very complimentary and helpful and shared a lot with all of us about his dreams for the future of our new school.  I came away feeling inspired and with the sense that I'm doing what he wants done.  Oddly though, I'm having a (hopefully short) "spell" worrying about every single little thing about work.  I am a big believer in being appropriately concerned but this transcends that...I'm fretting and obsessing. For about 24 hours after the meeting I was floating on a cloud...then this.  Any ideas??

In a good solid attempt to forget about work, Hank and I headed to Clemson for the weekend.  BOY OH BOY did the Tigers show up and play some good football against the Ramblin' Wrecks from Georgia Tech.  Bless their hearts, the were indeed a wreck. They reminded me of our boys the three consecutive weeks before the Maryland game.  We enjoyed a great tailgate and one of my favorite things to do...singing We Will We Will ROCK YOU with 80,000 of my friends in Death Valley on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Legare was in Greenville for the Furman Homecoming and inauguration of Rodney Alan Smolla as its eleventh President. He's an impressive man to be sure and we won't hold that law degree from Duke against him.  I guess he couldn't get in at Chapel Hill...ANYHOW, we had a lovely breakfast on Saturday morning with Legare his pal Richard before they headed to their game and we headed to ours. It was a good day (and then I went to bed and dreamed all night about work...AARRGGHH!)

Lorelai is coming home next weekend for Fall Break and I know what she has on her mind.  Shopping!  Luckily, I get my own little fall break on November 1 and 2, while she's here.  Can't beat that!  We may have a little at home tailgate party on Saturday while we watch the Tigers play at Boston College.  That sounds like a good little project for me this week.

Hang in there friends...one month from tomorrow (Monday) is Thanksgiving Day and two months from tomorrow is CHRISTMAS Day! 

MERCY! 

I leave you with a photograph of Clemson's "new" CJ Spiller, hometown football hero Andre' Ellington as he slips by GT for a 55 yard touchdown run.  He makes us proud down here in Berkeley County.

I've got nothing but random thoughts...

I was a wild woman on a mission this week.  Lots to get done at school and the superintendent is coming to our faculty meeting on Tuesday afternoon and is staying after to talk with me about my evaluation.  Yikes!

We didn't go up to Clemson this weekend but watched the game this afternoon on TV.  Thank goodness they finally got some momentum going and won the game against Maryland.  Next week is Florida State and no offense to my Seminole friends out there, but that war chant drives me nuts, although I suppose that's the point, isn't it?

Hank is making shrimp and grits for supper tonight...YUM.  I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  His bruised ribs are feeling quite a bit better and he's outside right now working away.  He's like a child...I have to yell for him to come inside when it starts getting dark.  (I've been working a little bit while he's not looking...shhhh, don't tell...). I think we might watch Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges tonight.  Heard it was good.  Have you seen it?

Here's a good question...Have you started your Christmas shopping?  I'm usually on it by now but this year....WHEW!  Everybody might get money if I don't get organized soon.  As usual, Mother and Ned will be my biggest challenges.  I am; however, already planning Christmas Day.  I refuse...REFUSE, I SAY...to leave my house on Christmas Day.  I'll cook for anybody who wants to come and it will be MARVELOUS but I'm not going ANYWHERE. 

I MEAN IT I MEAN IT I MEAN IT I MEAN IT I MEAN IT

I feel like I'm back in the land of the blogging...

I hesitate to say that things are calming down because as soon as I do, all H.E.double toothpicks will break loose. We stayed home for the weekend...that was a tremendous help.  And being the fair weather fans that we are, Hank and I have decided to boycott the Clemson game next weekend and let Lorelai have our parking pass and tickets to give away.  I asked a friend last night, "So, is it the players or the coaches?" and he replied, "Yes."  Sad, sad, sad...

So, going with a "we aren't as young as we used to be" theme.  On Friday afternoon, Hank had to lie down on his belly and reach down into the pool to grab the vacuum thingy that had come loose. To make a long story short, he was uncomfortable Friday night and after going to the farm on Saturday and lifting 50 lb bags of deer corn, he came home early in a fair amount of pain.  I gave him a Lortab left over from my root canal but he hurt all night long.  This morning he went to the local doc in a box.  Thank goodness nothing was broken or cracked, but his ribs are bruised and the muscles inflamed.  Trying to keep him still is practically impossible. Not that I'm the best nurse in the world.  I woke up around 2 AM with a headache and asked him if he wanted another Lortab while I was getting advil...he did.  When I walked back upstairs with the medicine and water, I realized that I'd knocked back the Lortab and only had the advil in my hand.  The bright side is that we both slept really well for several hours.

I haven't had much time to get out the Halloween decorations but wanted you to see the one thing I have put out.  I saw this on another blog last year and just had to order one for myself.   These are "The Strange Belongings of Permilia Sickfrits" purchased online from Hootin Annies. If you're a do it yourselfer, you can purchase a kit.  Me?  I went for the already done version.  Jump over for a visit...she has really cute things.

Aren't the "strange belongings" just magically delicious???

Facebook cracks me up sometime...

I don't do much on FB...mostly stalk my children and their friends.  Lots of chatter this morning about USC taking down Alabama and how utterly embarrassed we Clemson fans are just now with a three game losing streak.  That aside, I came across this...

"Let's remember those who have passed. Press Like if you've lost a loved one."

Seriously????   Press LIKE if you've lost a loved one?????

That's just WRONG...

So...

Randomly speaking...

Hank is hunting.  Legare and Lorelai are at the Clemson UNC game in Chapel Hill, which is, here at half-time, being dominated by UNC 13-3.  I can't pick sides for this match up.  I love being a winner no matter what...it feels GOOD!  My friend Ted and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast this morning.  I love Cracker Barrel and not another livin' soul in my family ever wants to go there to eat.  Not even Ned...he's a Shoney's kind of guy.  Sometimes I can talk Mother into it because she likes the gift shop, but not very often. Ted and I used to see each other every day and have lunch most days.  Now that I'm school-based again, I don't get to go out to lunch.  Good for the budget and waistline but I miss the social time.

School is interesting as all get out.  I absolutely made the right move in pursuing my new position.  I so often have to bite my lip to keep from smiling at the students, even when I'm giving one of them what for.  One day last week, I walked into a classroom to find a student who'd apparently gone temporarily insane.  As I walked to the back of the room, I heard one young lady say to another, "See, you can tell she's mad because she's breathing heavy."

On Friday morning, a student came in all dissheveled and I invited him into the office to see what the matter was.  By the time I joined him, he'd hitched up his britches and tucked in his shirt and was sitting at the conference table waiting.  His eyes were bloodshot and he smelled to high heaven...not like any one thing in particular though.  After a short conversation, I was satisfied that he was sober, but asked, "Larry, what in the world is going on...you smell like a pool hall."  His reply...not at all sarcastic...just honest, "That's because I've BEEN in a pool hall...but I didn't drink because I was the driver."  So, I went into my mama speech about what is appropriate and what is not and how he needs to go to bed before three in the morning and wear clean clothes, blah blah blah.  To his credit, he kept nodding and saying "Yes ma'am, I'll do better."  As I sent him on his way, he turned and said, "But Mrs. Southern...you'll really be proud of me...I WON $275 playing pool."  God bless Larry!

So...it's my birthday...

...or rather it WAS yesterday.  Today is Ned's birthday.  We're seven years and one day apart.

This was one of the best birthdays ever.  It was Clemson football homecoming and even though they played an AWFUL game, there was tailgating, dinner out, cake and much singing of Happy Birthday to ME!  Lorelai even pulled a fast one...she got an extra game ticket and Legare drove all the way from Chapel Hill to see me.

Poor Hank...it's hard for him to keep a secret but he did a good job UNTIL we're sitting in traffic on our way to the game.  I looked over in the other lane and saw a familiar car...I said, "Gosh, that looks just like Legare's car."  Hank didn't say anything.  Then I said, "And you know...it has a North Carolina license plate..."  Hank said, "Oh "*@(*&^%$*$#."  I felt kind of sorry for him...

Now I ask you...what were the chances that with 82,000 plus people headed to that game, we would be in the lane of traffic beside the big surprise?

Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead so I didn't get photos, but Lorelai did and as soon as she sends them to me I'll share.  It was a noon game so we had bagels with assorted cream cheeses, fresh fruit, donuts, and mimosas.  Yum!  When we visited with our friends at their tailgate after the game, I was greeted by my next door neighbor with a Clemson themed birthday cake.  It was a good day and I felt incredibly special.  I like feeling special.

We stopped by Ned's on our way home this afternoon and had another round of cake and singing. 

I usually do a giveaway around my birthday but this year, well, you know how busy things are at school.  It has been almost two weeks since I posted.  I'm a bad blogger.

BUT...forgive me this time and humor me (for my birthday present from the blog world) with a De-Lurker day.  Let me know you're out there and haven't forgotten about me.  It's the least you can do for a OLD woman like me!!