GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS

A REMEMBERAMBLE 1/22/26

Good Thursday morning! It is a cool morning but not cold, it matters not though, because a day and its weather are like the Rock Island Line, you gotta ride it like you find it! I know we have plenty of winter weather in store for us yet, maybe very bad winter weather for many of us. But, there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, before we get too far into February, we will see some of our hardwood trees budding out, and subtle signs will be pointing at spring as it ambles slowly along, toward us. The birds and the bees, the flowers and the trees, will soon join their voices as one, that beckon spring to hurry, tarry-not, but make haste as if it were a reunion of lovers. The cool mornings and warm days will bring forth, in a million places, the jonquils and daffodils that bear witness as nothing else can, to lives lived, and old, old hands that placed them there, that are long, long gone. Oh, do not forget, on the very first spring day, to take whatever tools or implements you possess, and get out there and hack your crepe myrtles into submission, let them know who is the boss, and it ain't them! Yep, crepe myrtles need severe pruning at least twice per year, if not they will get mean and arrogant. Another spring planting "thing," is to plant a century plant under the power lines so when it finally puts forth that tall flowering stalk, the power company can lop it off for you just before it blooms. Century plants made me think about collard stalks for some reason.

I recall seeing many such collard patches.

You don't see collard patches much any more, but I remember when they were a very common sight. They always made me think they looked like palm trees. Folks harvested the leaves, and the collard stalks kept growing. Do you like collards? I don't eat them...you can have mine!

I hope we never have another ice storm like this one in 2016 or 2017, not sure which year it was, but it was a terrible time.

Things are very uncertain right now with the weather forecasts for sleet, and or freezing rain, disagree as to where the freezing will be at its worst, who will have power outages, and how to prepare for it. We will know soon enough, I reckon, just stay prayed up, filled up, and looking up. Love ya, and thank ya...

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."

we boyz three, babee conway, lil merle, & me