The Guitar

                                                    I walk through the house

                                                    I hear it oh so clear

                                                    A young boy and his guitar

                                                    Making their presence near

                                                 

                                                   "The Wildwood Flower"

                                                   Became his very first

                                                   His fingers strummed it so

                                                   I remember every verse

                                                   Then came "The Dance"

                                                   He put Garth Brooks to shame

                                                   Oh how he did play

                                                   And how far he came

                                                   A young man he grew

                                                   His passion was still there

                                                   What a beautiful friendship

                                                   He and the guitar did share

                                                   Bruce Springsteen was his idol

                                                   Every song he knew

                                                   His fingers on that guitar

                                                   Made them sound brand new

                                                   A little bit of Steve Earle

                                                   A whole lot of "Guitar Town"

                                                   He never missed a chord

                                                   Hardly ever laid it down

                                                   Then came Van Halen's "Jump"

                                                   He picked "Against The Wind"

                                                   Everyday it was different

                                                   A new one he'd begin

                                                   Oh how I loved the gospel

                                                   Thrown in along the way 

                                                   "Why Me Lord"

                                                    I could listen to all day

                                                   My all time favorite

                                                   Can never be replaced

                                                   It brought tears to my eyes

                                                   To Hear "Amazing Grace"

                                                   Today I listen quietly

                                                   The echoes linger on

                                                   The guitar is still waiting

                                                   My son continue on

                                                   Susie Swanson, 2013

I dedicate this to my son.. He started picking when he was around ten years old. The above guitar was the first one he had.. He got it as a gift for Christmas one year and his Dad taught him the chords and he was on his own.. He picked everyday after school and on weekends.. He'd listen to the songs on a little cassette player and start picking. He didn't pay any attention but all the while we listened.. Then when he had one down pat he'd play it for us.. As the years passed by and he grew into a young man he bought a brand new , guitar and kept on picking.. Today he doesn't play much anymore, between his family and job it keeps him mighty busy but the guitar is waiting and so are we.. Love you Chris...

Youth

                                                 

                                                 Youth passed her by before she knew

                                                  Like a fluttering butterfly in flight

                                                  It tripped across the summer days

                                                  Climbed high as a mountain's height

                                                  A Starry eyed girl with lips so sweet

                                                  A flower fresh as the morning dew

                                                  She danced along as the little birds sing

                                                  Youth sparkled like stars as she grew

                                                  She played in the woods and cold, icy creek

                                                  Old weathered barns with musty smells of hay

                                                  Rode an old bicycle down every trail

                                                  Enjoying every moment of every given day

                                                  Oh the joys of swinging under that old maple

                                                  Or sledding down a hill in winter's snow

                                                  So many memories to last a life time

                                                  So many seeds she did sow

                                                  Here on the threshold of the years she stands

                                                  Looking back on another place and time

                                                  When a pretty, young girl with wind, blown hair

                                                  Ran barefoot, leaving her youth behind

                                                  Susie Swanson, 2013

                                                  

My Daddy

                                                He walked ever so slow

                                                With walking stick in hand

                                                He never got in a hurry

                                                He was one special man

                                                He never met a stranger

                                                The neighbors he all knew

                                                Always ready and willing

                                                He was a talker too

                                                He wore his overalls

                                                His whole life through

                                                Long johns in the winter

                                                Coat and toboggan too

                                                His dog knew him well

                                                He was always by his side

                                                Daddy was his buddy

                                                And Toby felt pride

                                                I can see them coming

                                                Down that old dirt road

                                                Going to check the garden

                                                To see how it growed

                                                Then spring came again

                                                Potatoes were in the ground

                                                The birds were singing

                                                My daddy was not to be found

                                                He walked into heaven

                                                Left his walking stick behind

                                                He's up there with mama

                                                Oh how my daddy does shine

                                                Susie Swanson, 2013

                                                In Memory Of My Sweet Daddy On His Birthday

                                                01-18-1904---04-27-1998 

                                                

Painful Bladder Disorder

I know some of you are asking, "What in the World is this" because you're used to finding a little poem or prose on my blog..And some may not even be interested in this but I had to write it..I have been burdened so much to write this for so long, knowing and praying that it might help someone out there that deals with this everyday.. First I want to say, I'm not looking for pity or grumbling and complaining about every little ache and pain that we all go through at one time or another. I'm not that type of person. This is something I have found hard to talk about but I've got better over the years because I'm a very private person that trys to keep my personal life to myself. I know there's lots of you that have many ailments going on and I'm not the only one in the world with problems such as this.. I have sympathy on anyone and everybody because we never know unless we've walked a mile in their shoes..But I've tried to make myself an advocate for a Disease that very few people have any knowledge of.. It's called, Interstitial Cystitis.. I.C. for short..It use to be a little known disease without a cure but due to a Foundation called , The Interstitial Cystitis Association which is a group of doctors and patients that came together to find a cure.. They've also took their expertise to Washington, D.C. and have got lots of results.. I.C. is now on the list for Social Security Disabilities.. (I'm not on Disability). The disease is known as painful bladder  syndrome and affects more than one million Americans of all ages, gender, race and ethnicities. For people living with I.C. pelvic pain, pressure, or discomfort related to the bladder is typically associated with a persistent urge to void or urinary frequency , in the absence of infection or other pathology.. And may God help us all if a bladder infection or UTI occurs.. It stirs it up worse... So with this info I want to tell my story in hopes that it will help someone since I've had it for 20 years..

In 1992 I was diagnosed with it by my Uroligist.. I was having a lot of Bladder and UTI infections to start with and he would put me on antibiotics.. It got so bad the antibiotics wasn't helping and I was in constant agony.. He decided to put me in the OR and look at my bladder on the inside and there were all the markers.. I had what they call Hunters Ulcers in the lining of my bladder and the I.C  which is inflammation ,was buried beneath the lining of my bladder.. He gave me the diagnosis and told me there was no cure.. At that time they were using prescribed antihistimines and I tried those and all they did was make me sleep all day to no avail.. Over the years it waxed and waned.. It would go to sleep like a sleeping bug and wake up when I was the least expecting it.. He had also told me to watch my diet really close and stress.. they both played a big part in it.. Needless to say, I didn't know what to eat but I have surely come to find out.. Over the years I've had several Bladder distentions where they go inside the bladder and stretch it causing it to scatter but it never did last for long.. Then in the late 90's they started using these treatments on me called , DMSO. They put a catheter in your bladder right there in the office and take a syringe and put the medication into your bladder.. They burned me up for a little while as I had to hold it in my bladder for at least two hours, without that time ... Afterwards I smelled like Garlic for a day or so since it had Garlic in it.. This went on for 4 years straight. I went every week or two and that's as long as it'd last.. Me and my doctor were at our wits end.. By that time it had spread into my urinary tract and then God sent a MIRACLE,. I was feeling so alone and no one really knew how I felt, not even my family and was ready to throw in the towel when an idea occured to me.. I broke down and wrote a letter about it to my local newspaper, although I was still embaresed . They have a section where they post Letters To The Editor and must have felt like mine was news worthy. I signed my name to the letter and told them they could give out my phone number to anyone that called for it..A few people called and told me they had it too and said they were taking the antihistimens.. One man called and said he'd had it for 20 years and had to be put to sleep for the DMSO treatments. ( It is worse with men as it gets in their prostate). I ask him if he knew of any support groups out there and he told me about the I.C. Foundation.. I called and joined the group and they've sent so much info over the years and they are constantly looking for a cure.. Then one day this lady called and told me about this capsule she was taking called, Freeze Dried Aloe Vera and the only company that sold it was located in Colorado and they made it especially for I.C. patients... The name of the Co.. is Desert Harvest  I orderd a bottle and tried it. After a few days I noticed a significant difference and I've been on it ever since thanks to this sweet, dear lady.. She has become my best friend and we've shared so much over the years.. We lean on each other for support.. She read my letter and called the paper and they gave her my number..That's the Miracle that God sent.. Until recently, outside of a few little flare ups and nothing that adding one or two more Aloe Vera capsules didn't fix.. I've done wonderful.. My doctor was so amazed and took the info down to give to his other patients... He said I was the worse case he'd ever had.. A while back when I was grumbling so about taking antibiotics when I had to have teeth worked on, that's the reason.. I was terrified of what they would do to my bladder and Urinary tract.. They didn't bother me at all, go figure.. Last week I came down with bronchitis and Larangitis and had to have them again.. I had already been taking Mucinex, which is what the doctors are reccomending to break up mucus. I  was already burning some by that time and now I'm in agony with the worse flare up in many years since I started the Aloe Vera.. I've learned to tough it out because there's so many out there with far worse and this too, shall end.I take comfort in knowing there's a higher power than me that knows all things and will take care of us if we turn it over to him.. He has really been there for me and for that I will always be eternally grateful. I think of my mother and what she went through with bladder cancer before she died.. I'm sure now she had I.C. as well, for many years and never got diagnosed .. It is hereditery, It breaks my heart because my little 12 year old grandaughter has it now.. I feel so sorry for her when she gets a flare up that I cry.. I've tried to tell her about her diet and what to eat and drink and like all kids it goes in one ear and out the other.. It takes a lot of educating one's self to get by.Experience has taught me that.. I might add that Fibromyalgia and Irratibile Bowel Syndrome go along with this disease.. I have the Irratible Bowel but thank God no Fibro yet..Sorry for the long windy post but if there's one person out there suffering alone, I want you to know you're not alone.. Feel free to message me anytime.. May God Bless Each One , Susie

Angels Walk Among Us

                                                Angels walk among us, here for a time

                                                With wings swift and free as the wild birds fly

                                                Strumming their harps so divine

                                                They are not gone, loved ones never die

                                                Their unseen presence is here to stay

                                                As certain as the stars at night and dawn

                                                To lift us when we stumble each day

                                                With assurance to grow and stay strong

                                                 If we could see beyond a sorrow

                                                 Beyond a present grief, as God can see

                                                 We would then know that some tomorrow

                                                 Will still hold promises for you and me

                                                 When the valleys are low and almost dark

                                                  Look towards the sky of endless blue

                                                 Where the hills are gold with light

                                                 And the angels play music brand new

                                                 Dance to the lyrics of beautiful melodies

                                                 Through many a lonesome and dreary day

                                                 May it fill your heart with love and peace

                                                 Knowing they are just a memory away

                                                  Susie Swanson, 2013

There's quite a few people that I know that's struggling with sickness and grief.. I wrote this one with all in mind that they can with God's help find some peace.. I also want to add that I've been quite sick this week with some kind of bug.. To top it off I've got Larangitis too..I have been taking over the counter stuff and it's not working so I'm starting an antibiotic for my Larangitis and tightness in my chest.. I may not get around to all of your posts for a while but I want each one to know I haven't forgot you and I look so forward to it as soon as I'm able.. Thank you all in advance for the sweet and encouraging words on mine.. Ya'll take care and Stay Well.. Blessings, Susie

The Finest I've Ever Known

                                          We no longer raise gardens, chickens and hogs

                                          No more smoking chimneys, we now use gas logs

                                          There's no more hog killings on Thanksgiving Day

                                          Only turkeys and hams grace the tables today

                                          We no longer carry water in for the night

                                          There's plenty of running water and baths delight

                                          There's no more sitting by an old oil lamp

                                          A light hangs from the ceiling, an electric revamp

                                          No more traveling preachers, a thing of the past

                                          Big new churches, log churches are in the past

                                          There's no more Store Truck making its way through

                                          Like kids in a candy store, we stood like a statue

                                          An orange and an apple used to be a Christmas treat

                                          Now days electronics are the only thing that's neat

                                         Keeping a milk cow and churning our own buttermilk

                                         They now snarl their nose if its not store bought milk

                                         There's not many clothes now blowing in the wind

                                         We now have clothes dryers and washers that spin

                                         No one takes time to visit their neighbors or the sick

                                         My daddy's not here with his big walking stick

                                        The canning and jelly making days are almost gone

                                         Just a few old timers left to carry on

                                        There's no one left to cure the thrash (Thrush) anymore

                                        My mama's gone and her cure is no more

                                        There's no more prayer and recess in school

                                        It seems everything now has become man's rule

                                        Those old aporns they wore with money tucked away

                                        Is gone too, like their hair tucked in buns of gray

                                        And those old time zinnas my grandma so loved

                                        They now grace heaven with beauty and love

                                        There's no more plowing with an old mule now

                                        They use big tractors but that old mule sure could plow

                                        There's no more hunting foxes, possums and coons

                                        And sitting by a campfire listening to the dogs croon

                                        That good squirrel gravy and dumplins I still smell

                                        My mama sure could make them so yummy and swell

                                        There's no more sleeping with six in the bed

                                        With three at the foot and three at the head

                                        And sweeping the yard with a worn out broom

                                        Praying for some grass to grow really soon

                                        There's no more swinging on those old grapevines

                                        Or playing hopscotch in the sand with hand drawn lines

                                        There's no more crawling through the barbed wire fence

                                        Trying to escape the bull, we didn't have any sense

                                        Playing in the cold creek was a summer time game

                                        Claiming to fall in on a winter's morning wasn't the same

                                        Going fishing at the old mill pond with fishing pole in hand

                                        Losing track of time, the fishing was so grand

                                        Helping mama find Poke Salad in the early spring

                                        Climbing through the brairs and snakes was her thing

                                        Or picking creesy greens from the creek bank each year

                                        Not knowing the difference with mama not here

                                        Going to bed with the chickens on hot summer days

                                        No time change did we have, we got used to the same ways

                                        There's no more robbing the hen's nest in the early morn

                                        Those old hens sure could lay, fed good with corn

                                        Those wonderful old days I loved and once knew

                                         Is now gone and the old ways too

                                        The living was so good, the finest I've ever seen 

                                         I love to go back it makes my heart sing                                    

                                         ©  Susie Swanson, 2013

Just a little more of my Appalachian heritage Folks.. I never get tired of writing about it.. So many things to tell about and although it's now gone, my heart still longs for that simple life when there were no worries and strife.. The Photo above is The Old School House where my Dad went to school when he was a young boy. He was born in 1904 and died at the age of 94 back in 1998. In later years it became a Community Center for various events..  It burned to the ground several years ago .. My sister in law happened to capture it in this photo before it burned and it will become the Cover of my New Book, "The Echoes Of Time". It will be coming out in the near future.. Many thanks to all of you for reading my posts and your sweet comments.. I look forward to reading yours as well.. Blessings, Susie

                                        

                                        

Tomorrow

                                                         I sometimes cringe

                                                         When I think about tomorrow

                                                         The unknown is hard to grasp

                                                         Will it bring happiness or sorrow

                                                          A mix of gray skies and rain

                                                         Then I see today

                                                         The joys that surround me

                                                         The love of family and friends

                                                         The comfort of a home

                                                         Food upon my table

                                                         Smiles from happy people

                                                         The blessings of good health

                                                         Little children at play

                                                         God's hand is everywhere

                                                         And just a prayer away

                                                         Tomorrow is another day

                                                         God holds it in his hand

                                                         The unknown is not ours

                                                         Tomorrow is his plan

                                               

                                                         Only he can calm the sea

                                                         Of fear and doubt

                                                         Cleanse a soul of all hate

                                                         And help us to rise above

                                                         The shadow of loneliness

                                                         The fear of taking a step

                                                         Towards a blessed life

                                                         Learning to live

                                                         love, hope and give

                                                         Susie Swanson, 2013

A quick update on The New Year's Eve Festivities in our little town, The Possum Drop.. Everything went smooth, no P.E.T.A. stirred up any trouble.. But the mystery will remain and the number one QUESTION.. What was in that Box, Clay Logan?  It had Stars painted on it and a picture of a Possum on the side but for the life of everyone, No one knows the contents except for Mr. Clay.. He said he wasn't gonna break nay laws and he's a man of his word.. So.. I guess we'll wonder and look forward to Next Year's Possum Drop and I'm sure there'll be more controversy... And if anyone gets a hankering for some good, clean fun on New Year's Eve Night, Ya'll come and see us and join in, I promise you'll enjoy and the Possum says it'll be a Delight.. Happy New Year Everyone.. Susie