" Battles At Swiftwater "

This is Madame Willow.............who has decided that she wants to raise some little Willows. She is one tuff chick! She won this battle! However I win the afternoon battle to gather eggs! All be it I have to have a pair of long arm leather gloves!! She hisses and growls like a rabid varmint but I manage to get my 7 eggs a day!!









She gets to keep these 4 marked eggs to set on......................

We have really been enjoying the free range antics of Oscar and his girls.........

Max however has won the battle of "who's " the farm boss! Head em up, move em out Max....

He watches them all day. He won't allow them to wander off in the woods or go into the front.

He keeps them out around the back and herds em up at roost time! The only thing he can't do it shut the door and lock it!

Spring has won the battle against Winter it seems............

Both the Forsythia and Bradford Pear are a mix of leaves and blooms......

The Amaryllis are popping up.............

I have one lone cluster of Daffodils..........I need to plant some more of these!

The Wisteria is popping out clusters to admire...........

They just don't last long enough to suit me............

The Tulip Tree has been a beauty this year............

Peach Tree blooms.............

The Empress Tree is just loaded with lavender bells...............

One Iris has bloomed so far...............

The Weigela is gorgeous................

I'm willing to bet the Joseph's Coat is gonna show out big time before I know it.........

We may even get May haw's this year from the looks of these blooms..........

I put the new Hummingbird feeder up Thursday evening and look who showed up Friday morning!

Everything thing around here is battling to win. I have been in the fight of my life against this wicked Respiratory Virus. It's been 12 days and I'm still fighting for breath and my head and chest are full of gunk! After 10 days of strong antibiotics with no real relief, I took matters into my own hands yesterday and reverted to a thousand year old proven method. A Neti Pot for Sinus cleansing! I don't know why I didn't go this route to start with as it used to be all I ever did for cold and sinus problems years ago. I got major relief last night and will continue it daily from here on out. I'm gonna win this battle !!!!!!!!!!!!

I also read an article in my MJ Farm magazine yesterday about taking 1 teaspoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon mixed to relieve any sinus or chest congestion problems so I am doing this too !!

At present I'm almost finished reading the 2nd book in Nancy Turner's Sarah Prine series, "Sarah's Quilt". It is a real good read though not as good as " These Is My Words " and written quite different. I'm hoping the 3rd one, "The Star Garden" is more like the first...........

Lately I'm also having the most vivid crazy dreams! I normally don't remember the details of my dreams but the last few nights I can remember every detail. A few nights ago I dreamed a friend had a baby boy. It was so real I can still see the little fellow plain as day! Since she is long past having babies, there is no way this would come true unless it's a grandson! HA!

Last night I helped save antiques from another friends Victorian home which was on fire!

Any of you know what dreams mean??????????

It's Sunny today and should get to 75 so I'm hoping to get out later and get some dirt under my nails working at cleaning out some beds................

Tomorrow I plan to spend the day visiting you guys whom I've neglected horribly!!

Have A Great Weekend Everyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!

" Takes My Breath Away "

Breathing.............it's been a subject very dear to me in the last ten days....................



I've thought about some of the things that tend to take my breath away..............
This view from this cabin on top of Max Patch in Western North Carolina.......................

This winter view from the same mountain....................

This vacation home in Isle of Hope, Georgia just outside Savannah..............

This vacation home in Key West, Florida.................

However today..............it IS about the amount of breaths you take I want to discuss with you!

Ten days ago my 82 year old Dad who suffers with severe COPD ( chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and is on oxygen 24/7, suffered an attack which landed him in the hospital for 5 days. My husband Eric took him to the emergency room. While there Eric was exposed to

all the usual ailments found floating around emergency rooms, 48 hours later, it was Eric who couldn't breathe. I followed suit in another 24 hours. According to our Primary Care doctor who we both saw on Wednesday, there is a highly contagious and dangerous upper respiratory virus sweeping the nation. Left untreated by strong antibiotics, it can leave you with pneumonia..................

I have to admit that by the time we got to her office, I was sure I had pneumonia! I felt like my lungs had collapsed. We both have had a rough week of it. I just want all who read this to take precaution if you suddenly have an attack of coughing that comes from out of nowhere akin to getting strangled on something, that is how it starts. Get to your doctor for treatment! I think this cartoon sums up how I've felt the last few days..............one foot in the grave...............

We are on the mend but still very weak................

Take care everyone..................

" These Is My Words" by Nancy E. Turner

I LOVE it when my favorite authors promote the works of other authors! Celebrating the creativity of others in my book is a virtue! One of my VERY favorite authors, Vicki Lane, author of the AWESOME " Elizabeth Goodweather Mystery Series" has recently introduced me to two really awesome writers. NC author Peggy Poe Stern and Arizona writer Nancy E. Turner! Thank you Vicki!




I ordered these 2 books by Nancy last week and finished " These Is My Words" last night. If you can believe it, at the end of this book she talks about her writing and I loved it when at the end she closed with my favorite saying; "I'll never live long enough to read all the books I want to read"! Well, I did live long enough to read this one and what a great time I had!! HA!
I am again reminded of John Berendt's Master Class last year on capturing place! WOW! Did she ever capture it! I felt like I was living it right along with Sarah! Written in diary form, you tend to forget it is fiction. Sarah Prine is my kind of woman! If a book is really good and I'm really into it, I picture the characters (ah la movie)in my head. From the start I pictured Sarah like the Renee Zellweger charterer Ruby in Cold Mountain and Jack Elliott like Tom Selleck. Nancy says she pictured Sam Elliott, so those are pretty close. This book really would make a good mini-series, I will now move on to the second in this 3 book series, Sarah's Quilt...............

This is Nancy E. Turner who wrote and based this series on her Great-Grandmother......

I ordered the 3rd book in this series this morning................

Since we are talking about great grandmothers here, I'd like to fill you in on all I've discovered this past week in my family history. MaryAnn my G-G-G-GM you saw in my last post married the Rev. Jesse Thames. I knew nothing about this branch of my family. I have located a whole new branch of family, new cousins, and lots of information including ANOTHER g-g-g-g-g-grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary War, Rev. William Thames who served in the NC Militia! I also found out that MaryAnn and Jesse along with most of their 13 children(I first believed their daughter Margaret was their only child)are buried at Mt.Zion Cemetery in Wayne County,Mississippi along with all my O'Gwynn family including my Mother. When I am buried beside my Mother I will be the 7th generation of my direct line buried there! NOW that is history to me!

" Discoveries "

My Daddy who is 82, has a favorite saying when someone inquires "how are you" ? He will tell them; "I'm still above ground". As long as you are still above ground, life will present opportunities to make new discoveries if you just pay attention. Via this blog last year I discovered a cousin, Linda, whom I knew nothing about. She is from the O'Gwynn side of my family which is my maiden name. Last week Linda's mother discovered this picture of Maryann Elizabeth Broughton Thames who is my Great-Great-Great Grandmother!!
Her daughter Margaret, married my great-great grandfather Charles David O'Gwynn. How amazing it is to me to see this woman from so many generations past!! What a discovery!!





This morning, I discovered that Spring appears to have arrived at Swiftwater Farm!!
The Magnolia Saucer (tulip tree) is about to be in full bloom................


The Forsythia is in full bloom...............

The Josephs Coat Rose is coming on strong with new growth.............

The Spring Bells have sprung their blooms............

The Spirea is full of new leaves..........

As is the Weigela............

The Bradford Pear is showing out!

I have discovered that watching the chickens free range is more fun than watching them in the chick prison............

The inmates LOVE their yard exercise!!!!

As you know, I recently discovered a new to me NC author named Peggy Poe Stern. These are the books I've read by her in the last few weeks. One, Tamarack is missing as I loaned it out to a friend. I LOVE this woman's writing!

She is not the only new author I've discovered. These are the new books I've gotten lately.

The first two are connected to Louisa May Alcott; Hospital Sketches is her own account of her days as a Civil War Nurse, Eden's Outcasts is a duel biography of Louisa and her father.
These Is My Words and Sarah's Quilt are written by Nancy E. Turner. I learned of this author through NC author Vicki Lane's blog. I discovered North Carolina author Rachel Keener through FaceBook. She has garnered great reviews for both of her novels; The Killing Tree and The Memory Thief. The last three; The Apothecary's Daughter, The Silent Governess and Lady of Milkweed Manor were highly recommended by a good friend. I'm looking forward to reading all of these! I LOVE discovering new authors works................

As for my back problems.......I'm getting better! I'm walking, standing straighter and
I've lost 5 pounds! I do not sit at the PC for long periods and I'm now constantly aware of my posture. I've also stopped the sweet snacks! HA! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

" When's The Last Time "

When's the last time you went to the doctor and left with a book list instead of a prescription for medicine? For me it was last Wednesday. No, it wasn't for this book on how to talk to him either.
My Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. C and I got acquainted when I fell and broke my left hip in December of 2005. He still claims I am the most amazing hip recovery patient he has ever seen. I never took a full prescription of pain pills after it and was totally released at 9 weeks. I have no limp or problems, yet I have 3 six inch screws in it.




As you know I'm having serious back problems and I'm terrified of having back surgery. After my car accident in 2001 I was told by the Neurosurgeon that I needed surgery for three herniated disc. He also told me that I had the beginnings of degenerative disc disease and that it would continue to get worse. his exact words were: "it's all down hill from here". He dropped me as a patient when I refused to let him operate on my back.

On Wednesday, Dr. C told me the only way to determine exactly what was causing the nerve irritation in my back is to do a myelogram but suggested that I read these two books before we go any further. I got the books and have read both. The one on the left is written by Dr. Mark D. Brown Md, PhD, who is a professor and the director of Orthopedics at Miami University. To read more about him, go here . I understand now why Dr. C wanted me to read this book. Dr. Brown does NOT recommend that anyone with degenerative disc disease undergo surgery. He recommends a change of diet, weight loss and walking to eliminate the problem. This book is truly amazing!

The second book is written by Ester Gokhale, L.Ac. who operates a Wellness Center in Palo Alto, California. She proclaims that most all back problems stem from poor posture, over weight and lack of proper exercise. She says that poor posture developed in the USA around the 1920s.

She has visited and photographed people from all over the world and shows how America is not only the country with the worst posture but the most back problems. She teaches you in photos how to sit, walk and stand to correct life long bad posture. If you want to know more go here .

I decided to google for pictures of pre 1920 people and was surprised how right she was....

Even these women on bikes have their backs straight and their chins tilted just like she described in the book.....

Even children practiced great posture as this child typing is doing....

This is Jodi Davis, who lives in Michigan and inspired many women to get out and walk to lose weight and feel better. Look how straight her back is with her shoulders tucked back! Looking good Jodi! If you'd like to know more about Jodi and her blog, go here.

I've known for awhile that I NEED to be out walking for weight loss. I've gained about 35 pounds in the last year. I am 5'6 and have always weighed around 140-145. Throughout my adult years I have always wore a size 10 or 12. When Eric and I married 2 years ago, I weighed 135 and wore a size 8. I now weight 180 and wear a snug 14.

I bought these Skechers Shape Up shoes about three weeks ago after reading about how they help strengthen muscles as you walk. I'm about to find out if they work!! So Dr. C and I decided yesterday that I will for the next 6 weeks follow the plans in these two books and see what the outcome is. If I still have the severe pain, we will do the myelogram and go from there. I am REALLY impressed by my doctor! Wish me luck!

Have A Great Weekend Everyone!!!!