Remembering Cathy Sullens

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wedding, long ago…

February 27, 1978…Joe and Cathy left Springfield, Missouri and drove to Wright County, Hartville, Missouri. This is the county seat and we went to the courthouse to see the Justice of the Peace. Oh my! He doesn’t perform weddings anymore! That wasn’t expected…so off to the phone booth to call local churches and try and find us a preacher. We found one all right…at the little church with blue windows across from the courthouse. Plans were made, we arrived…his wife would be our witness, and both scared to death, the ceremony began. It didn’t take long to realize that this preacher was drunk as an old coot…made for a lively time! Both of us were in blue jeans and I had on my favorite Mexican style shirt. Afterward, it took him awhile to type out our certificate, we signed it and Joe paid the man. We then went to a spring that Joe’s grandparents Marvin Abner and Lydia Anne Sullens had gone to on their wedding day. We got out the wedding certificate and laughed and laughed. Several misspellings but it read, Joe Sullens and Cathy Witcher were united in holy matrimony to Elk Creek, Missouri. That was hilarious! Back to Texas County…to our little 8 x 12 home in the woods of Elk Creek…but now as Joe and Cathy Sullens…big SMILE

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Anniversary…1978

February 26, 1978…Joe and Cathy made it thru the snow from Elk Creek to Springfield Missouri. They rented a motel on Glenstone Street and headed to the University (SMSU) to a concert. They watched Shooting Star opening for the band Missouri…GREAT concert, GREAT honeymoon…then they drove the next day to Hartville, Missouri to get married….but that’s another adventure! smile ❤

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2021

We made it.

Happy New Year!

SMILE

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Christmas eve 2020

Hard to believe it’s been so very long since I’ve written anything here….I think about it, then off to do something else. It’s been crazy since March with the Covid virus…hundreds of folks been infected here in my own county in east TN…thousands across the nation have passed away. The hospitals are swamped, the medical staff plumb give out…Folks have been so mentally drained, jobs lost, places closing their doors…wish we would all choose to wear a mask to help keep the spreading of this disease a little lower. Folks going ape shit over their “freedom” being taken away if they put a little piece of fabric over their nose and mouth. No, it’s not your freedom, it’s your LIFE and the LIVES of everyone you come in contact with. If we don’t work together, how in the world will this ever end??? I miss so bad being able to visit and feast with family and friends…it’s been crazy…trying to stay safe and keep my family safe. We visit with them downstairs and me out on the balcony. Robin brought me a nylon rope and bucket to raise and lower things down…summer has come and gone, my flowers did well, my veggies not worth a poop. All the pots are cleaned out now and seed catalogs are coming in the mail. I have truly enjoyed by bird feeders like never before…they have been a great comfort to me to watch the birds and they eat like piggies! hahaha So I reckon I do get to feast with friends, just feathered ones…My Mama’s little fiber optic tree is turning and changing colors as I type…presents under it, waiting for Christmas morning…I wish for you all a very merry Christmas and hope the new year brings us all good health, some peace of mind and a cure to the madness! Creator be with us…AMEN….

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lordy, it’s September

the world is still turned upside down…the virus shows no sign of slowing down. summer has found me taking great comfort in the plants i have grown. new to me…my elephant ear plants have made flowers…i am still home except for doctor visits. i won’t even go into all the pain that the ETHRA bus service has caused me just trying to get to town. robin and phoenix come early early every week or so to help with trash chores. they suit up with hoodie and masks and lots of lysol. the infected numbers locally and the death numbers just keep rising. school is virtual, the ones having to go in person, new cases are being told of. how scary it would be to be a student this year…all levels of education. i get my groceries delivered by instacart, robin does curbside pickup of hers. not sure what all my other children are doing to stay safe and healthy, just hope it works. my neighbors make me shake my head in wonder…they will gather outside and visit together, side by side, their masks hanging on their walker handles. i know it’s been forever and everyone is sick of the isolation, but don’t give in now…we have to work together to get these numbers under control…ok, enough of that…the weather today has been absolutely stunning…70’s, low humidity, cool breeze…wonderful labor day weekend weather…oh how i jonz’ to cook on hickory and eat the goodness…sick of my own cooking..haha but truly am enjoying my big purple egg looking air fryer…makes cooking and cleaning up a breeze…have to watch my diet more as my diabetes numbers were up last test…have been eating watermelon and cantaloupe every day and sure have enjoyed them. have spent many an hour out on my balcony reading and have bought many books this summer. september has 5 birthdays…amanda, marty, dawn box. Alexander and ethan. oh yeah, jesse and alex moved from florida to michigan this summer…love is grand…marty and amanda bought a house in clearwater, ray is now a pharmacy tech and also a deputy along with captain david in missouri, sarah is living in florida, ethan is an only child haha robin and jason are working from home now and phoenix is driving the toyota with robin riding shotgun…quinn is growing like a weed…so all in all, i am truly blessed with my little family…hoping for better results in the november elections, hope my country can get it’s shit together and let love rule our hearts…take care…stay safe and keep on rockin’…LYM

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April and the world has changed

My goodness! Winter is over and here it is spring…had a busy month in January…had a great Joemas in person and online with family. The month flew by so fast it seems. February brought some pretty snow, colder temps and bright blue skies. Then March came along “in like a lamb and out like a lion”. Wonderful warmer temperatures, spring fever ending with crazy storms, many tornadoes close by. I had a great birthday, then things got crazy. The world changed.  Now the Covid-19,  Coronavirus is taking over the planet.  It has been steadily growing in other countries all year, just now getting to our neck of the woods. Folks are getting sick all over the world, folks dying like crazy with this new virus. Fear is grabbing us all. The media is loving all the “dirty laundry” it has to talk about. Trump is by far the worst President I have ever seen. He takes no responsibility for anything. These days face masks, gloves and staying home are now the new norm. Crazy how quickly this has changed all our lives. Mother Earth is finally getting a chance to heal I reckon, the world has slowed down as people are trying their best to stand still for a moment. Concerts, sports, powwows are all canceled. Whole towns, whole states are on lockdown. Schools are closed, restaurants empty except for drive-thru. Gatlinburg is quiet. Parks and beaches are empty. The beaches that had stayed open for spring break, caused many new cases. Folks are supposed to be at least 6 feet from each other. I was scared of going to the Dr office for meds, wore gloves and a bandana over my face. Finally, folks are taking this seriously. I was lucky, Robin paid attention early, as she was able to get us Lysol and hand sanitizer as they are scarce now. Even fights over folks buying up all the toilet paper. It’s crazy, that’s for sure. Brings out the worst fears in folks, but then again, brings out compassion too. We are taking the time for our families, our friends, our neighbors, our communities. Now we all have time. Distilleries are making hand sanitizers from their leftovers. Companies are finally donating masks and supplies to the hospitals that need them.  I fear for my children that have to show up for work each day, I fear for the ones now laid off. I miss hugs, I miss sharing feasts, I miss seeing my family and friends in person…but I am so very thankful to be online to get to visit with them virtually every day. It’s getting worse before it’s getting better, that I can see, but I hope you all stay well and safe. I hope to see you when this is all said and done….no telling how long that will be….but I will try to write more here, that’s for sure….know as always, that I love you madly…big HUGS and SMILES for you all. Creator, please be with us all…

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New Year’s Eve…how is that possible

hello!

my goodness, it’s been a while since I have written here! Had a wonderful, colorful garden out on the balcony this year. Gave away many plants to my neighbors…had excellent tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and even my year-old Carolina reaper hot pepper plants made peppers! Sage, basil, rosemary…the rest were flowers! impatients, coleus out the yang yang, begonias, geraniums and so many more! lots of different colors to enjoy each and every day.

had quite the adventure with my apartment floor, the pieces started coming loose and shifting. got to spend a few days at the local Holiday Inn while it was being redone. came home and it was worse! got to spend another week on a “staycation”…and believe it or not, they had to come back a 3rd time to redo the kitchen floor… I must say, I am not thrilled with sherman williams…the ones that did it.

so I never got to get my fish tank filled this year, as I was waiting for news on my floor…waiting was the hardest part! what a mess!! I am back and have glue issues, but I am done messing with it at all….

had a medical scare that was fixed with antibiotics! whew, I’m so happy that worked out like it did…and I fell one morning getting out of bed. had a cramp in my leg, swung my legs over the side of the bed and next thing I knew, I was face down on the floor. shit, that was a hard hit. realized that my knees aren’t worth a poop, finally made it to the living room and my phone and called 911…they were kind enough to quickly get me back upright…how embarrassing. shit happens.

fall slid on by…beautiful colors on the leaves, trying to remember as it’s now the very last day of the year! I am not sure how so much time has passed without me writing here. I thought about it, but never did…that’s very strange for me! so hopefully, this new year will bring more words thru my fingertips.

had several fun times with robin and grandbabies! hard to believe miss phoenix is 16 now and has her driving permit…a 3rd generation of toyota drivers! I’m very proud of her and she has a weekend job at the local mickey d’s…we all start out there, huh?

all my children are doing well, all my grandbabies are doing well, so what more can I ask for?? we stay in touch online… I miss the hugs but feel the love…it’s been unusually warm for this time of year, it hit 70 the other day, at the end of december…hope we do get wintertime to kill off the ticks, chiggers and fiesty mosquitos! haha

wishing everyone a healthy and happy year in 2020! wow! 2020! and always remember, I do so love you madly! big SMILE

 

 

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my oh my, may is flying by….smile

wow! these spring days are flying by! i have 3 more 6pks of baby plants to transplant and then working on seeds! haha out of the 3 things quinn and i planted, 2 sets kept getting mold on them and they died, one set lived and thrived! had to wait until they started getting their 4th set of leaves to know who they are! Coleus! i bet i have 100 coleus plants i have transplanted! hahaha will share with my brother Kent and of course, Robin can have all she wants! i’m thrilled, as coleus was one of Darlin’s favorite plants! Marty and Amanda got me a cool subscription to a 3 month plant deal from new york! got a wonderful “crispy fern” as my first plant! i’ve never seen anything like it, it’s way cool…ray sent me succulents inside a purple candle?? robin and family got me cosmos seeds and a pink polka dot plant…jesse sent a wonderful fold out bird/nest card with a gift card enclosed…all these goodies were for Mother’s Day! how wonderful to feel all the love! my 2 big CSA big beef tomato plants have blooms and the cherry tomatoes are growing like crazy! have 2 jalapeno plants and my carolina reeper hot pepper plant is back outside now. It survived all winter in here. bought me a 4 shelf set of metal shelves to place out on the balcony in front on my window, i can fill it up to 300 lbs of flower pots on each shelf! haha waiting to get my fish tank back up and running until my new floors get installed and i’m back home from my “staycation” haha that should be coming up soon! hope all the plants make it alive without me for a few days and hope all the things in my home are still here when i get back. putting up my jewelry just to keep honest people honest. it’s gonna be a mess, but hopefully they will do a better job this time…well, about time to go water all my wonderful garden, so many colors and smells so good! have a GREAT evening and be good to each other! we all need to “share the love” SMILE

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april is here

yes, yes it’s true…april is here! i guess my april fools jokes are no longer believeable. this year i posted a picture of a horse out on a balcony…was that my balcony??? how did that horse get there??? ah, the mysteries of april fools…the weather has been wonderful, warming up nicely. the redbud trees bloomed out in all their purple glory…the trees are starting to grow leaves..in these 2 weeks, i’d say all the trees are almost full of leaves, they are growing so fast they are squeaking! haha the redbuds have leaves now and their color is fading, but replacing them are the white white white of the dogwoods. they look beautiful in the woods across from me. the spring birds are returning, got to listen to them singing the other morning as i sat out sipping my coffee, welcoming the day. the high school greenhouse is having their plant sale…robin brought me a car load of baby plants, petunias, snapdragons, impatients, geraniums, marigolds, mystery plants. i have baby jalapeno plants and also 6 tomato plants i got from CSA. quinn and i started a little greenhouse of coleus, moss roses and petunias…not sure which is which! hahaha wait and see! last night and tonight are gonna be the coldest nights, 38 and hopefully, cold nights will be a thing of the past. i’m ready for springtime weather…how about you??? i can’t complain, when i had 50’s, ray and family in missouri got 2″ of snow! oh my! please no more snow here, and thanks Creator, the raindrops have been lovely! big SMILE

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