Hump Day …

Yes, the middle of the WORK week is here. Usually, I am thrilled … but, today it means Monday and Tuesday have passed and I did not finish my “To Do” for either day. Now, I will be playing catch-up for the rest of this week, which means my weekend has plans now … studying! Not whining, only thinking out loud.

My “bright spot” for this week - a gathering with my RED HAT DIVAS! Dinner out at a local restaurant dressed in full regalia of RED and PURPLE … I love it, them, all things RHD. If you are approaching the great age of FIFTY, get online and go to Red Hat Society , search for your state, city/town and find a group to visit. The fun and fellowship is fantastic. No pressure only friendship. Try it and soon!

Still working with my consultants on the store, YOURS, MINE, and OURS… say a prayer; there is hope! 

I must get back to the not done “to do list”.

Remember, “Y’all come back, ya’ hear!”

Problems … may prevent Opening

All new growth is hard. Pam’s Closet is experiencing growing pains that may be to much to overcome. I am still trying to get the site off the ground, but it just may be to much for me to do. I ask for your patience and prayer that it will happen by Summer, 2008; however, if it has not come to fruition by then, I will assume it was not meant to be.

I will try to make weekly updates, letting you know when a definite decision is made. 

Have a blessed day.

Pamela

Excitement in the air!

If you have been a faithful follower, you have witnessed the growing pains … a v.e.r.y. long labor, in deed. However, the much awaited ‘birth’ is coming … and SOON!

Changes have been made, tweaks here and there - colors, titles, content … a change in approach. All to make YOUR experience shopping in Pam’s Closet a pleasant one!

I can say the first item will be a lovely vintage piece with a comfy little jacket … for cool nights on board ship. Interested? Then check back in four weeks, to see our first one of a kind gently worn item.

Remember, “Y’all come back! Ya’ hear.”

Yes, Still Living … Rural!

Gosh … darn it!

The time has flown by. I returned to college (yes, you may clap!) online. I love it, but no one told me it would so hard! Heck, College Algebra after 40 years - great fun! The classes are going well … much more time consuming than I planned, but learning is FUN! This session, Psychology and Business Ethics - compliment one another, good instructors, doing well. Next session, Biology and ?.

Fall came and left. Summer returned. Fall is back. Winter is waiting around the corner. Crazy weather! Will you have a white Christmas?

Thinking about rejoining the work force … third shift, if possible. Any suggestions? I left the 9 to 5 life to raise my two children, then three and surprise, then four … she is twenty one … this is why the thoughts of returning to work.

This catches you up a little with what is happening in my space. I would love to hear what is happening in yours …

Moving opening date to 2008 for YOURS, MINE, and OURS. More on that later.

Y'all come back, ya' hear!

[tags]AIUonline, college, empty nest, work force, seniors, weather, children[/tags] 

The Weather Controls

Guess what? 

The WEATHER is still in control of the Internet. With all of our new  bells and whistles (satellite dish, Ethernet, wireless connection for my iBook), the RAIN killed them all!

Living Rural is a test each day … Testing our patience when things (lost Internet connections) quit working the way we would like them to. Poor TV reception when it rains; remember, no Cable connection. Static over the phone lines if it rains for a long time.

The rain stopped. The Internet did not come on-line until the middle of the night. By that time I was exhausted and my "being up time" had expired. So Country Gal called it a night and put her tired self to bed. Dreaming of the first doctor's visit after surgery in the morning.

Don't forget, "Y'all come back, ya' hear!"  

[tags]weather, rain, satellite dish, Ethernet, wireless connection, iBook, rural living[/tags] 

New Look, New Title

Good afternoon!

I've been writing about Living Rural for a while now and I'm thrilled to be writing for this site, previously called,  Pam's Closet. Once things calm down and the revamping is finished I hope to continue with Pam's Closet, too!

Thunderstorms are not a welcomed event in the country. They cause power outages, problems with satellite dishes, cable TV, telephone service, and "all other things ELECTRICAL!" Mother Nature is in control and must be laughing at us "country folk" as we try to keep going with our generators, surge protectors, etc.

Even with these inconveniences the GOOD things about Living Rural certainly out weigh the bad: the peace and quiet; the beauty of the woods; the wildlife; the sky, complete with stars! but, mostly the feeling of security within the bounds of your own piece of Americana.

I hope you'll come again to read about my experiences Living Rural in the South. And share some of yours if you're a "Country Gal", too.

As always, you've got a standing invitation … "Y'all come back, ya' hear!" 

[tags]rural living, pluses of country living, the South, thunderstorms, weather, generators, surge protectors,  Internet, cable TV, telephone service, wildlife, woods[/tags] 

“Mosquitoes, Flies and Ticks” To Go With Your JUNGLE

In the last post we talked about our jungle which has more than its share of nuisance critters. Living in the hot, humid and sometimes wet South mosquitoes can be a problem. The number of the little, biting, sucking pests varies with the amount of rainfall. Living rural for fourteen years has given us the opportunity to find ways to effectively control our immediate population.

First line of defense: we try to remove all sources of standing water - containers, pots, holes, etc. Even filling in cavities in trees and stumps. The little suckers are not picky at all.

Next, we try to provide a natural habitat for critters that like to feed on mosquitoes. Purple Martin colonies and Bats. The Bats are the easiest to attract. We put small bat designed bird houses high up in the trees near our fish pond and invite them in … “build it and they will come.”

In a large mosquito outbreak, spraying with a permethrin based fog is very effective. Burgess makes a propane hand held model that works great. This also helps control the flies, red bugs and ticks. We keep an electric bug zapper on constantly, too.

Also, we have the greatest invention of all - THE THERMOCELL. It really, really works! It looks like a lantern, and it uses something similar in looks to what you put in plug-in air fresheners. Hard to explain, worth the purchase and it works!

If I’m asked back, I’d like to talk about hunting and fishing. This is something I know lots about … just ask my “country gal” … “Y’all come back, ya’ hear!”

[tags]mosquitoes, flies, ticks, bats, purple martins, Burgess, Thermocell, insect population[/tags]

It’s a Jungle Out There

Today’s and tomorrow’s post will be by my Hubby … I am having back surgery early Friday morning. He has agreed to do this to take some of the stress I’m feeling right now. Isn’t he a “sweetie?” He’s the best-est Hubby EVER!

We have the TV series Monk on DVD because we can’t get that channel in the country. The theme song, “It’s a Jungle Out There,” reminds me of something the previous owners of our “property” said when we bought the rural lifestyle. “We love it out here; but you have to fight back the jungle.” I realize now what they meant.

Our home is located on 58 acres in the country … where city mowing ends, ours is just beginning. Wild grape vines take over as fast as Kudzu or Wisteria does and have to be cut back constantly. Dead wood has to be collected and removed. Just when you finally have the place looking good, along comes a winter ice storm or strong winds from a summer thunderstorm. It’s back to cleaning up again! Living rural has its price to pay in landscape maintenance, but the rewards more than make up for all the hard work!

Where else but in the country can you enjoy deer and beaver right in your backyard! Those darn beavers … NOW that’s a story for another post! As for all the work maintaining acres of property … I have a favorite tee shirt that pretty much sums it up. The shirt pictures a beaver talking to a deer with this caption: “Frankly my deer, I don’t give a dam.”

I really enjoy just being outside. It is beautiful and peaceful out in the country. As Pam says, “Y’all come back, ya’ hear!”

[tags]Monk, TV series, DVD, jungle, Kudzu, Wisteria, landscape maintenance, Winter, Summer, weather, wildlife, deer, beaver, rural living[/tags]

“RURAL” in Other Languages

Translations for: Rural

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - landlig, land-

Nederlands (Dutch)
landelijk, plattelands-

Français (French)
adj. - rural

Deutsch (German)
adj. - ländlich

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αγροτικός

Italiano (Italian)
rurale

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - rural, rústico

Русский (Russian)
сельский

Español (Spanish)
adj. - rural, campestre, rústico

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - lantlig

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
乡下的, 乡村风味的, 田园的

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 鄉下的, 鄉村風味的, 田園的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 시골의, 전원의, 농업의

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 田舎の, 田舎風の, 農業の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) قروي, ريفي‏

עברית (Hebrew)

I realize most of us can not pronounce the translation of “rural” in other languages, but gosh don’t they look nice ?

[tags]rural, languages, translations, dictionaries[/tags]

Rural Grocery Store

My last post mentioned, “… our small town grocery store, the IGA … .” The next closest grocery store is the Piggly Wiggly (you know, as in: “Driving Miss Daisy ‘to the sto’”) almost 20 miles away.

The IGA, though small in size, carries a very good selection of items: local grown produce, a wonderful meat selection with the added touch from long ago - your very own personal butcher who remembers what you like because he knows YOU. My hubby loves to cook inside and grill (charcoal, of course!) outside. He is known for his BBQ Chicken. YUM! The secret is in the sauce.*

The “city” grocery stores grilling chickens are usually the size of turkeys; however, the IGA always carries small tender hens just right for the grill (charcoal, of course!) Hubby loves to be asked to grill chickens (from the IGA ) using his secret sauce; which will remain secret, I tried y’all, but he wouldn’t tell me even one ingredient!

An indoor specialty of his is “Crock Pot BBQ.” This features a little known cut of pork that the IGA has on sale quite often. According to the store’s printed label it is a: “BOSTON BUTT WHOLE.” Hubby even asked, “Isn’t this printed backwards?” Not at the IGA. Oh well, I guess a few things about rural living ARE a little backwards, sometimes! Anyway, the Boston Butt Whole makes great pulled pork BBQ. I did convince Hubby to share this recipe:

CROCK POT BBQ PORK

1 large Boston Butt (”whole” or otherwise)

Season to taste. Make your favorite light vinegar base BBQ sauce. Place pork in crock pot with the sauce.

Cook on low overnight. (about 6-8 hours til tender)

Remove meat and chill.

Pull lean meat apart into large bite size pieces, removing fat as you go.

Add your favorite sweet mustard based BBQ sauce to pulled meat.

Toss to mix well.

Reheat and serve.

YUMMY! remember, “the secret is in the sauce”*

After your belly is full … “Y’all come back, ya’ hear!” Country Gal will be waiting at the door.

* taken from Fried Green Tomatoes (also a recipe, for another time)

[tags]groceries, IGA, Piggly Wiggly, movies, Driving Miss Daisy, Fried Green Tomatoes, cuts of meat, pork, BBQ sauce, grilling, recipes[/tags]