The Santa Train

When I read about the Santa Train in the newspaper last year, I knew that this year we were going to have to try to catch a glimpse of it. The closest - and easiest - stop for newcomers like us seemed to be at Fort Blackmore which is a few miles up the Clinch River Highway. We stopped there at The Front Porch, a little store and gas station, and got good directions. But we could have just followed the crowds! We found the crossing, waited with a group of about 150 other train seekers, and at last the Santa Claus Special rolled in, it's horn tooting. In the picture above, you can see this year's special guest, Wynonna Judd, standing beside Santa.

There was candy in the air as Santa, Wynonna and the other helpers tossed out toys, gifts, wrapping paper, and lots and lots of candy.

The video shows The Santa Claus Special coming into the crossing at Fort Blackmore. Make sure you watch till the end! I guess the holiday season has officially begun in Scott County.

The Bounty Continues

All summer long a steady stream of produce found its way to our door from our wonderful neighbors, Odas Qualls, Charlie Grizzle, and James Carter. We had corn, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, peppers, greens, potatoes, and more. And it's still continuing. Today I came home to find a big bag of turnips left out front by Charlie Grizzle, some of which we had with our supper. The jar holds homemade apple butter given to me today by Aunt Wanda, who I met for lunch along with Judy and Nila. It was a little birthday present and I sure will enjoy it!

Here's a picture I took earlier this summer just because everything was so pretty.

And here's a picture of Barbara holding the biggest cabbage either of us had ever seen. She took this one home for Aunt Doretta. We were certainly grateful for the bounty from our neighbors, and I for one am already looking forward to next year!

The Birthday Present

Sometimes it's the littlest, unexpected things that make the best birthday presents and this year I had one of those wonderful gifts. On the day before my birthday Barbara and I visited Zella Peters, who was married to Harold Peters, our cousin who died very young from a motorcycle accident. I asked Zella if I could swing in her porch swing a little and she said yes. Then, she told us that this swing once belonged to Abe and Mable Peters, and that Harold got it when Mable broke up housekeeping. And Zella has kept it all these years.
It's possible that this swing was made by our grandfather, Noble B. Peters. He was a carpenter and lived right next door to the new house Abe and Mable built on Copper Ridge, so he would have been a logical person to build a swing for them. It's a good sturdy swing with a comfortable seat, and if you drop by to visit Zella, you might want to swing a little. You'll enjoy Zella's company, the wonderful views, and the old-fashioned porch swing.