Around Bradleyville ????????

This is my last post for the Around Bradleyville news that I sent to the Taney County Times and the Douglas County Herald. I don't have the time to devote to writing it anymore the way it should be done. I am having a fantastic time playing with my little grand babies and am home most of the time.  Tanya Rogers will be writing it from now on and I feel she will do a fantastic job.

News For the Week of May 6, 2015

The hummingbirds finally found my feeders and I have at least a dozen zooming around so far, eating and fighting and providing lots of entertainment for me and the family. Emmett really likes to watch them. I have one feeder hanging right outside the dining room window, and my high chairs for the grandbabies sit directly in front of the window. Emmett will see the birds buzzing around and will climb up in the high chair and point, grin and jabber about them.

Scott Lawson had duty weekend at Whiteman AFB last weekend, so Julie and the grandbabies stayed with us while he was there. Garrett decided that since the weather was so hot it must be time to go to Buck Creek. He said he just wanted to play in the sand, and camp, and maybe swim if the water wasn't too cold. So, Saturday afternoon we drove to Buck Creek. It is one of our most favorite places and it was a nice drive. Garrett and Makenna played in the sand and waded a little bit but Garrett decided it was too cold for swimming. He was right, although to our surprise there were several there swimming when we arrived. Emmett slept through the whole thing and none of us woke him because he is like his grandma and sometimes he is pleasant when he wakes up, and sometimes he is like a little bear. The campsite was full of campers. We didn't camp but it would have been a really pleasant time to have done that.

I saw on facebook that Robyn and Don Whittaker's grandchildren had the same idea and were playing at the creek. Robyn said that it was too cold to swim but they “accidentally” got in up to their waists.

Bob thought our calves were in Alva and Edna Mae Johnson's garden the other day and went to get them out and run them home but it turned out they weren't our calves that day. While he was there he got to visit a few minutes with Alva and Edna Mae. Edna Mae recently had to have a pacemaker put in and Edna says she is doing very well with it. Alva and Edna live only about a mile from us. I so enjoy the times I have visited with them and we need to visit more. We are so busy these days and really let that get in the way of more important things, like visiting with our dear neighbors.

Steve Combs got word last week that there was a liver available for him so he and Dee made the trip to St. Louis where he underwent a liver transplant. Of course, this is some of the most serious surgery one could have and Steve will be in ICU several days and monitored closely but overall, Steve is doing well. Steve is very blessed to have a big, loving supportive family with him. Please keep Steve and his whole family in your prayers. Also remember the family of the donor for their life-saving gift.

Our good friend, Nadine Horner had a stroke last week and is in the hospital. Her boys flew in to see her and made her very happy. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I recently asked her and her sister-in-law, Nadine Horner, if the family called them Joe's Nadine and Ted's Nadine to keep from being confused and they said yes they did. So, this is Joe's Nadine that I am talking about. Joe and Nadine have lived in Bradleyville for several years now. Nadine was our cook at Bradleyville School for many years. Continued prayers for Nadine for a full recovery.

Remember that in the next few weeks Tanya Rogers will be taking over writing this column so if you have any news or birthdays or anniversaries you would like in the paper be sure to let her know.

Graduation for the Bradleyville Seniors will be Saturday night, May 9, at 7pm. The seniors and their sponsors plan to leave directly following graduation for their senior trip. They are going to Florida again this year.

Birthdays for the coming week include: May 8: Brenda Boyd, Susan Klepac; May 9: Deanna Badovinatz, Matt Hartzell; May 10: Russell Hunt, Carlie Schultz; May 11: Braden Potter, Landon Potter, J.D. Gillespie; May 12: Brad Chaney, Emmett Lawson, Makenna Lawson.

News For the Week of April 29, 2015

We finally did get a mess of mushrooms. Son-in-law Scott brought in a few he had found, then Bob found a few and finally Bob brought in one more, so I fried them all and we enjoyed them. They were found while they were out turkey hunting and I don't think mushroom hunting had the top priority.

Condolences are sent to the family of Holly Whittaker Young who passed away last week. She is the daughter of Wanda Whittaker and the late Bob Whittaker. Holly had battled cancer for several years. Her services were Monday and she was laid to rest in Eldridge Cemetery. Holly was a year younger than my oldest daughter and had kids near the ages of some of my grandkids. She was always such a sweet girl and fun to be around.

Baccalaureate for the Bradleyville graduates will be held in the school gym on Wednesday, May 6^th at 7:00pm. Speaker will be Corby Lux. Graduation will be Saturday, May 9^th at 7pm. The seniors will be heading out on their trip to Florida that night after graduation.

There have been many successful turkey hunts this season. Grandson, Hayden Crouch got a turkey, Emily Todd, Waylon Stafford, Bub Blair, all got their turkeys for this first week of season. It goes two more weeks so I guess there will be plenty more taken.

Bob spent Saturday morning turkey hunting without success, then spent Saturday afternoon mowing the Bradleyville Cemetery. The cemetery is one of the older cemeteries in the county and the final resting place of the son of the man that Bradleyville was named for. We hadn't mowed it yet this year and the grass was getting high from all the rain we've had. Ed Hunsaker was there Saturday also, doing the weed-eating. Ed wanted me to mention that anybody wishing to make a donation for mowing could contact him. The cemetery is maintained only by donations.

I also haven't mowed the yard at my house yet this spring. I did mow two weeks before Easter to get rid of the leftover leaves but haven't found time to get out there and mow the grass. The cows get into my yard every day so they are helping with the grass, but they also like eating some of my flowers and leave their “deposits” behind, so I don't know if that is an acceptable trade-off. I talked Bob into putting a cedar pole fence around our yard several years ago because I thought it would be so pretty. It is but as the poles have aged the cows just lunge at it until they break it and come through. Now an electric fence is starting to sound nice.

Congratulations are sent out west to the state of Washington to Pete and Novella Knight who will be celebrating their 75^th wedding anniversary on May 3. I enjoy talking to Pete and Novella now and then. I talked to Novella recently and she said she and Pete were both doing well. They live in Yakima right next door to their daughter, Wilma. Novella said Wilma comes over and helps them every day. Pete and Novella grew up in these parts and are always interested to know what is going on in this part of the country.

Birthdays for the coming week include: May 1: Echo Combs; May 2: Nichole Hunsaker; May 3: Bill Birdsong, Cindy Clark, Sara Jane Fleharty, Manita Hughey, Kim Scott, Breanna Terry; May 4: Brady Rogers; May 5: Ethel Bunnell, Jan Clark.

Anniversaries for the coming week include: May 3: Pete and Novella Knight, Kevin and Robyn Tweedy; May 6: Mike and Nichole Hunsaker.