Happy New Year

                                               Thank you for the flowers

                                               you give to me each day

                                               a blanket of warm sunshine

                                               a smile's brightest ray

                                               A few kind words, I cherish

                                               worth more than any gold

                                               given when much needed

                                               feeds my weary soul

                                              A simple handshake or nod

                                              spreads the fragrance around

                                              lifts my daunting spirits

                                              when I'm low and quite down

                                              A much needed prayer

                                              a rose of elegance and grace

                                              really touches my heart

                                              I humbly accept and embrace

                                              Ever close beside me

                                              beautiful flowers does grow

                                              or many gardens away

                                              by some I hardly know

                                              Thank you for the flowers

                                              you give to me each day

                                              each petal is worth more

                                              than words can ever say

                                               © Susie Swanson, 2018

May you all have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year and let's all pray for a better one as many folks  like myself  have had a rough 2018. Just like last year I probably will not be up to open the door and let the old year out and the new year in and my husband has tried his best to get all the laundry done and the floors swept or we'll sweep and wash all of our treasures away.  lol My mom firmly believed in this and worked very hard on New year's Eve to get it all done so she wouldn't have to on New year's Day. I asked her one time about why she never worried about cooking and washing dishes. She said, " it doesn't matter cause I do that every day of the year anyways". lol Couldn't figure that one out. May God Continue to bless each one of you and I'm still praying for many blogging friends and their family members on here. Blessings, Susie

                                             

                                             

Long Ago Christmas

I dream of those Christmas's so long ago

When things were simpler and time was more slow

Searching the woods for that special little tree

A few homemade decorations, so beautiful to me

Strings of holly berries and popcorn so adorned

Wrapped in tin foil, a shiny star was born

Listening to mama read the Bible, how it begin

Gathered under that old roof where love was a kin

Rushing off to bed, oh the thoughts we did weave

With visions of that first Christmas and Christmas Eve

And those old, ragged socks laid out with care

Under that little tree with plenty of room to spare

Waking up Christmas morning, oh what a thrill

That apple, orange and stick candy sure fit the bill

Those long ago Christmas's was worth it all

More large than anything this world has so small

I can hear it now, welcome home come on in

Oh heart of mine go back where you have been

 © Susie Swanson, 2018

I haven't posted in quite a while due to ongoing health issues and dealing with this horrendous disease called Addison's. I'll try to be back as soon as possible and till then I wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with good health, joy, love and Many Blessings.  God Bless, Susie

Her Corner Of The World

She came from humble beginnings

A place she grew, learned and loved so

Across many mountains, hills and valleys

There was nary a trail she never came to know

Where a simple, little home became a mansion

And laughter sounds a stronger note than tears

Still holds their rhythm in the scheme of life

In the wind’s sweet insistence from yesteryears

How many childhood days did she play and run

So happy and carefree through those ancient fields

Feeling the wind and rain brushing against her face

So many praises rise above for the joy it still yields

When she closes her eyes she can still see it clear

And hear the humming of the little, honey bees

Under crab apple trees that still bloom in the spring

She faintly smells the perfumed, petal rippling breeze

And the gathering of family around the fire at night

So many cherished memories still fresh in her mind

A father telling his life stories to each of his young

A mother sewing on quilts, a sure legacy left behind

An old oil lamp sits in the window, guiding her path

Leading her onward to that little mansion home

Where the door is open and the light shines bright

She steps inside to a welcome, the best she’s known

Those familiar voices she hears are music to her ears

Gathered around the table, giving blessings galore

The simple, little things in life, are the best of wealth

Even a bowl of milk and bread is worth so much more

Many seasons have come and gone in yesterday’s wind

The memories will always be close beside all of her days

For the pleasures of this world is found only in the heart

Perhaps across some shadowy valley or ridge, in joyful ways

And when she is bearing a load up some steep hillside

Familiar echoes are there, pulling her homeward bound

The cool, mountain air upon her face is still just as fresh

Yet still the earth beneath the paths lie packed and brown

A cool drink of water straight from a mountain spring

Where the mountain still hold its kingdom and crown

Crystal, clear waters flow from its downward sloping

Can quench a thirsty soul better than any to be found

She’ll never forget where she came and where she’s been

Or the many miles while spreading her wings to fly

Trying to find the end of a rainbow takes an eternity

But the gold lies within her heart underneath the same sky

In her corner of the world the mountains are her legacy

She never knows what lies beyond a hilltop but delight

For the things that cause memories to awaken her soul

She so yearns for, she shall sit down and write and write

© Susie Swanson, 2018

A Warrior

I have fought a hundred battles

In my mind I’ve seen it all

I have raised my gun against the enemy

And seen my comrades die and fall

I have carried the armor of courage

Always wanting to do my part

On land, sea, jungles and deserts

It will always lay heavy on my heart

For my brothers and sisters that have fallen

I will always remember them well

So much sacrifice, they gave their all

In that place we all called hell

Inside, the battles are still raging

In my mind I still see and hear

Mortals, shells and the enemy

In my sleep they still appear

Yet each day I try to carry on

Although I have cried many tears

If I had to do it over again

I would shed my coat of fears

And walk straight into battle

With my head held mighty high

For the freedom I fight hard for

 I am willing to lay down and die

I will always be a Warrior

Even after I am dead and gone

Please do not forsake me

Fly old Glory proud and strong

© Susie Swanson, 2018

I send my deepest gratitude to all Veterans

 May God Bless each one !!

Soon It Will be Knocking

                                           Soon it will be knocking at my garden gate   

                                           It fills me with grief that has no name

                                           The remaining marigolds stands so straight

                                           Their brilliant orange warms them like a flame

                                           Bathed in the clear light of an autumn sky

                                           The lovely dahlias they too, will soon go

                                           When the evening comes and the winds die

                                           Oh if only there were an aftermath glow

                                           Pretty morning glories will close for good

                                           As the ice crystals cover each tiny stem

                                           The berries are already red on the dogwood

                                           As they welcome the little squirrels in

                                           Pretty flowers that have dotted the land so bold

                                           Will bow and make a grand exit like the rose

                                           As autumn's shadows turn to winter's cold

                                           My oh my how swift this beautiful season goes

                                           Though it may seem sad when all is gone

                                           And old Jack Frost covers instead of dew

                                           So much beauty known is yet to be shown

                                           When the spring returns and all is brand new

                                                © Susie Swanson, 2018

We're expecting our first freeze of the season tonight and tomorrow night. Y'all stay warm and have a nice weekend.  Blessings, Susie

A Pine Torch Tale

When I see an old kerosene lantern it brings back lots of memories and takes me back to a place when folks didn’t know what a flashlight was or ever heard of one.

Times were so much different back then that most people wouldn’t even recognize some of the ways people did to get by. Everybody used a pine torch or a kerosene lantern. We never had but one lantern that I recall. Daddy kept it hanging on the wall of the old smokehouse. He used it back in his Fox Hunting Days. It seemed the pine torch became more and more popular for lack of kerosene I suppose.

I remember many a night walking beside my daddy, mama or grandma by the light of a pine torch. Daddy always kept plenty of pine in the wood box to start fires in the cook stove or heater. He’d go upon the hill with his axe and find a big black pine and come back with a bucket full. He had a certain wood box he kept the pine in.

My grandma was the world’s worst to grab a piece out of the wood box and light it up when she needed to go somewhere after dark. We called her little ma cause she was skinny as a rail. We called our other grandma big ma cause she had more meat on her bones.

My little ma lived with us till she died. She was a Christian woman and really believed in the power of prayer. She could pray some of the most humbling, heartfelt prayers that I’ve ever heard. I know cause when something got to bothering her she’d go up on the mountain above where we built our playhouses to pray and I either followed or listened in. I remember her lifting up many prayers for her two sons.

My daddy and my uncle did worry her quite a bit, especially when they both decided to take a little nip or maybe several when the mood hit em. Now don’t get me wrong, they were good, hard working men and believed in keeping their families fed and looked after but they had their short comings just like everybody else. But when they both quit, they quit fast as they started.

When dark thirty came and they weren’t home little ma would start walking the floors and asking mama, “ye reckon where them boys are.” Mama would say, “don’t fret so they’ll be in after while.” They both knew why they were out late, but just didn’t know the where. After a while little ma would grab a stick of pine from the wood box and tell mama, “let’s go see if we can find em, they may have drowned in that there creek.”

There wasn’t but four of us six young’uns by that time, me being the oldest. The others hadn’t come along yet. Little ma would walk out in the yard and light up that pine torch and mama would put the baby on her hip and here we’d all go out that dark road towards the creek.

There was always a little foot log we walked across to get to the other side of the creek. Little ma always worried that someone would set em out and they’d get drowned in the creek trying to crawl on all fours. The creek wasn’t deep at all and flowed down kinda like a wide branch of water.

One night in particular stands out in my memory, more so. We were all walking out that little road and us young’uns were hanging on to mama and little ma’s legs like always when we heard something that gave us quite a scare. Little ma and mama heard it first and told us to be quiet a minute. We all listened close and heard it again. By that time we were really hanging to mama and little ma’s legs. Mama said, “here take this baby ma and I’ll go in front.” Ma still had the pine torch and she handed it to mama and we followed behind. The strange noise continued the closer we got to the creek. Us young’uns were absolutely scared to death but mama assured us it’d be alright cause she knew what it was. She said, “uns hush young’uns, it’s just your daddy and uncle.”

When we walked down the little hill and closer to the creek there they were. Daddy was on all fours trying to crawl across the foot log and our uncle was in the middle of that creek trying to crawl across it. They both were hollering, “Help us mommy, come get us”.

While little ma was Thanking God that her boys were safe, mama spoke up and said, “here take this pine torch, I’m gonna break em once and for all.” Mama reached up and broke a big limb off the bank of the road. She left the leaves on it and didn’t take the time to strip em off like she did lots of times with us. She walked up to that foot log and started on daddy first. She whupped him with that limb till he managed to get up on his feet and she made him walk off of that foot log and told him he’d better get towards that house or else. He was hollering, “Oh, Oh, Stop You’re Gonna Kill Me.” Then when she seen him staggering on towards home she walked straight into that little creek and done the same to my uncle. She kept whupping him with that limb till he was crying and hollering, “Stop Her Mommy She’s Gonna Kill Me.” Little ma started in the water with the baby on her hip but mama pointed at her and told her to stay right where she was and to hold that pine torch up a little higher.

When my uncle seen his mama wasn’t gonna help him any and he’d had enough of that bushy limb he straightened up and walked outta that creek and staggered on towards the house. As mama was takin the baby outta little ma’s arms, little ma said, “you shouldn’t have done that, you just about killed em.” Mama said “If I’d wanted em dead they wouldn’t be up walkin right now and I’m sick and tired of them two birds worryin ye to death all the time and if this doesn’t do the trick I’ll give em some more of their medicine till I break em from this stuff.” Mama knew it couldn’t have hurt em to bad cause she didn’t strip the leaves off the limb. She just whupped em good with it.

Little ma didn’t say anymore and we all walked back to the house by the light of the pine torch. Daddy and my uncle managed to stagger on in home without a pine torch cause when we walked in the door there laid my uncle on the couch and daddy had managed to make it to the bed.

Mama put us all to bed and then I heard her tell little ma, “ I hated to do what I did in front of ye and all these young’uns but I’m tired of seein ye worry yourself to death all the time.” Little ma didn’t say anything back, just went on to bed. The only thing I noticed different the next morning was a few scratches on their face, nose and arms and how nice they talked to mama. Sugar wouldn’t melt in their mouth.

I guess, after many nights of an old mother worrying about her boys out karousin and going to that little creek with a pine torch in her hand, it all came to an end that one night, when mama decided to sober em both up really fast. But little ma kept praying for her boys as long as she lived and anybody else that needed it and those pine torches continued to come in handy every step we made.

© Susie Swanson, 2018