Friday, November 23, 2007

More Surgery for John

At first it seemed all John Spencer's back problems had been solved by the surgery he had in September. Then suddenly, his back was worse than it had ever been. After some consultations with his surgeon and some more MRIs, John has learned that one of the repairs his MD made wasn't successful. So now it's more surgery for John on Monday, November 26 (out-patient, this time). Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers; and let's all hope his doc finally gets it right this time.

Friday, November 9, 2007

"Hello" From and an Alpaca For Lynne Rutherford Ramsey

Lynne Rutherford Ramsey contacted us with the following:

"Rutherford Hill Farm in the Western North Carolina foothills announces the arrival of Kiko, a male, purebred Huacaya alpaca (shown here with Lynne and his mom). He arrived in the pasture at noon on November 5 weighing 14 lbs. 12 oz. and 22” high at the shoulders. Within 1 hour he was nursing and experimenting with four very long and uncooperative legs.

It was a long wait for Kiko, gestation is supposed to be 11 months but he waited a full 12 months from breeding to landing - the vet attributes the delay to the extreme stress of the freakish summer heat wave and severe drought. During the drought I spent endless time and energy dragging hundreds of feet of hoses around the farm keeping selected areas alive, priorities were pasturage and the vegetable garden...the flowers outside the back porch were an emotional priority. Drought is depressing! My well is tapped into an underground river so I am not apt to run out of water, but getting it to the right places is difficult.
I had fully insulated the barn and with the addition of an air conditioner, we survived the 46-day heat crisis (alpacas are cold weather/mountain animals). November is now beautifully cold/normal and we are experiencing the peak of Autumn color on the mountainsides.
Other than this (hopefully) unusual summer, I love farm life: fresh eggs, abundant herb garden, fresh veggies, lots of animals, and a senior center nearby in my township where I learn the history and lore of the area from people whose ancestors actually fought in the Civil War (for the South, of course) My great grandfather was an ambulance driver for the Union Army but they all generously welcome me, seniors are like that, have you noticed?
Hi to everyone in Class of ‘57. Emails welcome and visitors welcome."

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Jane Haid Srail and Norma Deardorff Plummer Reunite

The following e-mail was received from Norma Deardorff Plummer:

"During the middle of October, Jane Haid Srail traveled from her home in Statesville, NC to visit Norma Deardorff Plummer in Downers Grove in order to pursue their common interest in genealogy. They spent two days in Bureau County, IL (about 80 miles from DG) researching relatives who lived there during the 1800's and another day making use of the research facilities at Chicago's Newberry Library. They further indulged their nostalgia trip with one evening seeing a movie at the Tivoli and another at the Downers Grove Museum participating in a program presented by three local merchants about historical downtown Downers business district. They also attended a new exhibit at the museum on the history of all the DG schools."

Shortly after receiving this communique from Norma, these "before and after" pics were received. Taken almost 50 years apart, these pictures show 2 women who have been the closest of friends virtually their entire lives. The older of the pictures was taken on Easter, 1946. While the most recent was to have been taken during Jane's 2007 visit, it's actually a picture taken 2 years ago; none were taken this trip due to "memory problems" (interpret that any way you wish).