 
Welcome to my Country Home.
I am so glad that you dropped by. Come on in and make yourself
comfortable while I fix you a cup of coffee and some cheese cake
or maybe cookies. I do hope you will enjoy your stay.
We live in the Roanoke Valley just minutes away from the Blue
Ridge Parkway. We are not quite in the country but our property
does join what used to be Old McDonald's Farm. REALLY!!! I'm not
kidding!!! It later became Old McDonald's Furniture Barn. It is
now used primarily for grazing cattle and producing hay. It is
in a state of limbo, waiting for the town to make a decision about
developing it.On the farm there is a hill which in the winter
makes a great place to sleigh ride. In the spring we have the
benefit of visits from the rabbits,frogs and an occasional cow
that manages to get through the fence somewhere and wander into
the neighborhood. We also have hummingbirds, beautiful blue jays,
cardinals, doves, sparrows, etc that visit our deck. Unfortunately
we now also have groundhogs that are playing havoc with our yard.
A very nice neighbor has set traps to catch and relocate them since
nobody wants them killed. It is also extremely pleasant and
peaceful to sit on the deck and listen to the little frogs from
the small creek. Of course, we do get some less welcome guests like
the blacksnakes and the rat snakes that sometimes come for a visit
to the blackberry bushes.
My sister Tootsie, her two sons, my mother and I moved here in the
early 70's and I must say that there has never been a dull moment
with two boys with such a variety of interests. There were swimming
practices and meets, building models in the bar room (which never
served its original purpose and is now a craft room thanks to
Joey), soccer games, baseball games, band practices, Boy Scout
meetings with my sister and I serving as den moms, back yard camp
outs and cook outs, and last but definitely not least church
activities.
The boys are men now but some things never change. Instead of Tonka
trucks and cars, GI JOES and bicycles, etc. all over the place,
you still have to beware of booby traps around the home. Now you
have to check the driveway for Joey's kayaks and rock/ice climbing
gear so you don't run over them or trip and break your neck. Since
he left for Alaska in May, we now have his room and his storage
room rather straight but it won't stay that way long once he gets
back. We have traded his "toys" for Mattie's toys now. She is my
five year old great-niece whom we keep while her dad is working
and going to school.
Joey is my older nephew who graduated from Radford University, also
my alma mater. He majored in Outdoor Recreation and lives for
kyaking and white water rafting. Over the years he has enjoyed many
other sports and played trumpet in his high school band. He has my
father's woodworking skills and has worked with Jerry Aker building
homes in the area. When he is not in Alaska, he works for a survey
company.
Besides Tootsie, Joey and myself, our place is also home to
Dreyfus, Moses and Pinky. Dreyfus is my dog but don't let him know
that because he thinks he is people and owns the home. The year
that I retired, I had to have my German Shepherd Gilligan put to
sleep because he could no longer even get to his feet by himself
and his balance was gone. This was the dog that used to grab an
eight foot 2X4 in his teeth and drag it across the yard when Joey
was redoing the deck. Making the decision to have him put to sleep
was one of the most difficult ones I have ever had to make. Some
of my students knew about this and with one mom in on the conspiracy,
they decided I had to have something to do when I retired. They all
got together and planned an after school party the week before
exams and presented me with this little fur baby. He is just a
little bit spoiled. He started out being an outside dog but my
cousin Betsy took care of that. He is now the house dog and I guess
it is good because he doesn't catch the little rabbits like he
used to. When he is happy, he never wags his tail - his whole backside
goes into motion.
Moses is a beautiful gold and white striped rescued cat and my
mother had him so spoiled. Mother never let any of our other cats
sleep on the beds but Moses was a different story. He not only
slept on HER bed but he would get on the dining room table and
play "swat the pencil" when Joey was doing his school work. When
he got tired of the game, he would stretch out in front of Joey for a
cat nap. Needless to say, my mother thought that this was just the
cutest thing she had ever seen.
Pinky is one of seven kittens that my nephews and some of their
friends rescued on a fishing trip in Jefferson National Forest.
Someone had dumped off nine of these adorable babies on a logging
road. They were unable to catch the other two kittens because they
were so wild and frightened. We kept little Pinky because she was
the runt of the litter and so skittish that Joey said no one else
would take her. She is a beautifl grey and pinkish beige cat with
the sweetest little face you ever saw. She is basically the dining
room and living room cat since she and Dreyfus don't get along with
each other. She lies in wait and hisses and growls at him which
sometimes tempts him to start a chase. He usually backs down after
a few swats from her little paws.
I would like to make a few comments to all the mothers, fathers,
grandparents and anyone else rearing children today. When my nephew
was in drug/alcohol abuse treatment at Mountain Wood in
Charlottesville, my sister and I had to be there at 9:00am every
Saturday to meet with the other parents, their children and the
counselors. Many of the parents had no clue that their children
were doing anything like drinking or using any other drugs. One
couple complained that their daughter had been in school only three
days during a nine week term and that the school had not notified
them of her absences. Notices sent, notices intercepted? I asked
the parents in my group what their reaction would have been if
school personnel had called to tell them that they felt that their
child had a drug problem. All the parents said that they would not
have believed it. Those in the teaching profession hesitate to take
such a step because of this type of reaction from parents. There
are too many people out there today who seem to look for any reason
to SUE someone. Most teachers are not in this profession for
monetary reasons, but for the desire of sharing their knowledge
with others and the enjoyment of working with young people.
Teaching is also the one profession where a person is NOT hired
if he/she has experience. If a teacher even moves to another area
because the spouse is transferred, he/she will not likely be hired
because of former experience. Not many teachers can afford to put
their job on the line and risk a lawsuit by parents that may not
know what is going on with their children. Educate yourself on drug
abuse and its signs and possible solutions for it. Start by
clicking on the links below for some information or visit my
Drugs 101 site under SCHOOL. I might add that these children at
Mountain Wood were really beautiful, lovable and SMART kids. Many
of them were honor students before they got into the abuse of drugs.
The Bright Side
How Can I Tell if My Child Is Using Drugs?
Drug Abuse USA provides Information
In-Depth's Recovery Links
Narcotics Anonymous World Services
Co-Dependents Anonymous
Online Al-Anon Information Service
I would love to hear what you think of my Country home.
Please drop me a line
Email Marilyn
My sincere thanks, Lady Madona.
I am a proud member of Ladies of the Heart.
Please sign my Guestbook before you leave.
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