Poem: New Year ~ 2007

New Year ~ 2007


The last few hours of this year are swiftly passing on.
And I wonder what the next will bring my way.

Will my choices show improvement - as I go along?
Will I make amends…all misdeeds to repay?

Will the way be clear of pitfalls - in this New Year, ahead?
Only - ‘good intentions' - sometimes, don’t suffice.

But with determination and the will to do what’s right,
my simple pleasures won’t outweigh their price.

(Some things become so troubling…that seem to start out fine.)
A new year offers hope - a fresh beginning!

Bad choices made in this year, can now be left behind.
With burdens dropped, I could again be winning!

It’s a time for deep reflection, as these hours pass –
journeying onward, through this final night.

I’ll treasure all the good things, that this year has given,
and try to take what’s wrong and make it right.


June Kellum ~ Dec 31, 2006

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

**********

This is a picture that goes back a long way. This was New Years Eve, 1968!
Charles had to work that night and his shift ended at 11:00 P.M.-giving him just enough time to get home and welcome in the new year with me!

As I remember, his friend and riding partner came with him and the 3 of us celebrated. :)

Tonight-I doubt if we will even be up to see the NEW YEAR!

:) We've learned it will come without our help!


**********

In the part of the south where my husband grew up it was - and still IS - customary to have Blackeyed Peas, cooked with Hog Jowl, for the New Years Day meal! This is to bring good luck in the coming year!

~~~Hey-it works for us!~~~

We usually have a 'mess' of cooked collards or turnips or other greens and cornbread to go along with this!

I leave all this for my husband to do...He makes excellent cornbread! (I like to crumble it into a glass of cold buttermilk and eat it with a spoon!) We sometimes have ham or grilled chops, too... but maybe just hotdogs and sausages this time! It's sort of just left dangling this time. (our holiday meal-plan)
We'll see!

Anyway~ the new year's almost here!

Hope it will be a good one for all!


Junie

OH! Happy, Happy Day!!

Hey-Hey-Hey Hey!

Look what came in the mail for me today! I had been waiting and waiting for this CD. It had been delayed and (at this point) I really didn't expect it to come until sometimes next week; with the holiday weekend here!

This is Laurence Juber, performing a collection of Beatles songs! (He has strong Beatles connections!)

I don't know LJ at all, but have heard he's an excellent guitarist. (I will soon check him out for myself)

Juber's Bio is very impressive.
He was asked by Paul McCartney ( in 1978) to be lead guitarist in McCartney's band,'Wings.' He remained with the band until it's end in 1991.


~~~OK- LOTS of impressive information about LJ at this site-so go read all about him!~~~

~~~

I'm looking forward to listening to this but I'm waiting for a time when I can totally give my full attention to the music! ;) That's how I like to do it!...Perhaps after dinner I can manage it!

***Here he is on YouTube***

Junie

...Of Baby-Dolls-Robes and English Leather!

Recent posts commenting on Charles' new robe and cuddling up with Tiger the kitty made me remember this early post I put here... (July 2006)
It's a Christmas memory...about things long past!

( :) I still get robes but Baby Doll PJs are long past! haha )

~This is a picture of Charles and me on Christmas Eve, 1967~
~~~~~~

~~~posted July 27,2006~~~


English Leather

For some reason, today I am thinking of English Leather…that fragrance my husband used to favor.

Every Christmas he would get a fresh bottle from me to add to the ones from years past until every spare inch of his bathroom space was taken up with almost identical bottles in various sizes! Some would be partially used –some remained unopened from one Christmas to the next! Some bottles would grow very old in waiting to be opened-and some never would be!

A little daily dab or two is all he used, unless we went out to something special! That didn’t happen often, not even in those early years and it happens less often now. Still-English Leather was his scent so it’s what he got! I have been known to pour this fragrance down the drain when it became years past it’s purchase date! :) This produced a fine, manly smell in the bathroom!

I’m sure there’re bottles of English Leather, still, in Charlie’s bathroom cabinet…though I haven’t had a whiff of it in a long time now! And I haven’t bought him a new bottle in several years.

Charlie says he has developed his own, distinctive scent, since moving to the farm, here, and doesn’t need his old cologne.
He hasn’t put a name to it! I get the essence of it when I do his laundry after a long, hot day of dealing with hay and cows! :) Perhaps it’s Ocala Leather!

…On occasion, (being the sentimental soul I am who holds on to everything,) I come across some of the gifts he gave me in those long past Christmases, too! Yes! I remember those times of the tiny baby doll PJs…always in baby blue! :)


Junie

Last Night~~~

Hi Folks,


Last night I relaxed with my music!
Early in the evening I played the Greatest Hits collection of 'Bread,' one of the CDs I got from my son! Bread was a Soft-Rock group I liked a lot in the 70s and 80s! I enjoyed hearing the beautiful love song-ballads again! They are still just as nice and soothing as they were back then!

~~~

Next~~ I played the new 'WHO' CD ~ 'Endlesswire.'

This is not much like 'The Who' of the past, nevertheless, it has some excellent moments...
some good songs! I'm happy to have it!

I get the feeling this may be the wind-up of The Who's long and successful career! (This long tour they are now envolved in !) Of course, that's just my opinion!

Some of the songs HINT at that...( well, IMHO, that is!)

~~~Things change!
People get old - even Rock stars...
...and their fans!~~~

~~~

~~ lyrics from~~

Tea and Theatre (The Who)

Will you have some tea at the theatre with me?
We did it all - didn't we?
Jumped every wall - instinctively
Unravelled codes - ingeniously
Wired all the roads - so seemlessly
We made it work -
But one of us failed
That makes it so sad-
A great dream derailed
One of us gone One of us mad
One of us, me
All of us sad All of us sad -
lean on my shoulder now
The story is done -
's getting colder now
A thousand songs -
still smoulder now
We played them as one -
we're older now
All of us sad All of us free
Before we walk from the stage
Two of us Will you have some tea?
Will you have some tea At the theatre with me?

~~~

'The Who' Holmdel, NJ concert of 2002 was chosen to end the night of music!
This is one of the best Who concerts that I have experienced!
( Of course, I have never seen the Who in concert :( but have collected several 'Live' performances on CDs and DVDs!)

'The Who' ~~~ Best Rock n Roll band-EVER! (IMHO-of course!)

:)



Junie

Tiger and Charlie!

This is Tiger, my husband's favorite pet around here! Tiger is so sweet, no one can resist him. He LOVES spending time in my husband's den and is usually on his lap! This time I found him napping on the bed we have temporarily set up in that room!

I also got some pics of Charles in his new robe! I think he looks quite cuddley in it! ;)
Tiger likes it too!








Junie

Thanks from Alli!

( I got this in my comments from Alli ...Wanted to put it here so it wouldn't be missed!)


Alli says...

" Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes. =]
I had a great birthday, I went out to dinner with my mom, cousin, and a friend of mine that I've known for almost 13 years now. It was fun, nothing big, because the trip to New York City a couple weeks ago was my big birthday thing."

=]


*** This is Alli and Ma-Ma, on Alli's 4th. Birthday***






Junie

We did it!!

Christmas morning found me unable to do more than barely drag myself out of bed. My back and leg pain had me completely 'down!'

One of life's greatest blessings is having a husband who is capable and willing to do WAY more than his share to carry on with the job at hand...to do what has to be done to carry on the traditions!

I have such a husband . He had to be in charge of cooking and serving the Christmas dinner for the family; of cooking a big turkey and making the cornbread dressing . (of course, I had done lots of things ahead of time...cakes and pies etc.) And he had help from our two daughters with the other things. Still- Charles is amazing, in his abilities and willingness in these things! I'm so lucky to have him- we all are!

Some final pics from our Christmas Day!










We did it! : )

Junie

Happy Birthday Allison!

Sixteen years ago, late on Christmas Day, my daughter went in the hospital to have her baby girl, Alli. Tina had been in labor for hours (without telling anyone) but was determined to get through Christmas day.

Ma-Ma was in the hospital with her original fight with cancer; had been in for about a month. We all-including Tina- went down to see Mom and bring her some presents- and some of our cornbread stuffing-and some chocolate covered cherries that she , so, loved!

At this time Tina told us she was ready to have the baby. I stayed with Tina (and Marc) in the delivery room. Alli came a few hours later, (about 4:AM) just missing being a Christmas Baby by a few hours!

Our "Ma-Ma"( being in the hospital) was able to see the new Great granddaughter when she was just a few hours old! ;) As you might imagine, Alli and Ma-Ma were always very close and were together almost every day until Alli was 12 years old!

~~~With Allison almost being a Christmas baby, I wanted Tina to name her Noel - LOL- 'Merry Noel'- to be exact...but she didn't! She liked Allison Brooke~~~


This is our Christmas Baby - who is 'Sweet Sixteen' today!





Here is Alli this Christmas!





Happy Birthday, Sweet Allison!

Love Always,

Ginga

Our Christmas-continued...

We had lots and lots of presents-
and yummy food.

Here are some of the gifts
I got from the family.

~That little sparkly thing
is a diamond braclet from Charles-and it's on a pretty Christmas
sweater from my daughter.~

~~~
We all had an enjoyable Christmas Eve
but when I finally got to bed around 2:00 A.M. it was all catching up with me;
all the decorating, shopping, wrapping-food preparations!
(all the things I have loved doing in the past but that had proven to be harder this year!)


By Christmas morning I was barely able to get out
of bed and walk around!


Charles had to do the turkey dinner for us.
( With the help of the daughters ) I couldn't help at all.

~~~


We've decided that we MUST scale down in the future...
It will be hard because I have always loved
doing Christmas in a big way! And the family have enjoyed my beautiful decorations and good food!


...But things change as the years go by!


Still-the most important thing is being
with the ones you love at Christmas. The LOVE is the most important thing-
Not the amount or price on the gifts- or the fancy foods or decorations!
The Spirit is what counts most!


:) HOPE I can remember that next year
and not try to do too much!


Junie

Our Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve,
for me, was a
very busy day,
preparing for the
family party and
opening of presents!
I finally, pretty much,
got everything in place
-with just enough time to shower
and dress before the
family members were due
to start arriving!

Here are some pics of our Christmas Eve.

The Food & The Folks ~



~~~By the end of the night (late night)
I was very tired and not feeling well~~~


...Next post~ my presents...

JunieRose

Merry Christmas!

Here at our house all is pretty much on schedule. 'Ginga' was up late baking cakes and pies - and making 'Artichoke dip.'
Well, it is very Good and I hope folks like it!
:)


~~~
~ a few pics taken yesterday around the Kellum place~

Are those 2 little red-headed girls waiting for Santa? I bet they are!

This is Santa, out by the fish pond...maybe he had an orange for a snack!

~~~


How about this FUDGE!
Looks good to me! Of course I didn't taste it yet!
( LOL! ~ of course not!! )





Merry Christmas

Love,
Junie

Angels!

Angels! Angels! Angels!

Finally got my angels set up and the rest of the lights strung inside the house! All is quite Merry in here! The angels look beautiful with all the lights around them!

~~~~~~

This will be another busy day so I must get to it! Just wanted to show my angels!

~~~~~~

"FANTASY FUDGE" is on the plan for today!

~~~~~~

It's almost CHRISTMAS!!


:)

Junie