Norris Family Blog

Mother's Day In IN

We left the farm a little after 8 AM Saturday and drove towards Daleville, IN. Linda called her Mom and she had already ate lunch, so we went on towards Daleville. We stopped in Anderson and ate at Gene's Hot Dog stand. The place was packed, with every parking spot filled. The hot dogs and root beer all tasted great. After eating, we unloaded the HHR and put Coco in the cage at my Mom's house in Daleville.

We then went to Pendleton and visited with Nana. Linda gave her a potted flower for Mother's Day. Reba had a new dog that was named Reese. The dog was well behaved and about a year and a half old. We played with her and talked, then Linda K and Imon arrived. I took a few pictures of the dog and Nana wanted some printed, so I went to the drug store and made a few prints for her to have.

We left a little before dark and filled up with gas, then called Pizza King in Chesterfield for a take out order. We picked it up on the way back to Daleville and ate it at my Mom's house.
Sunday morning, we headed to Muncie and stopped on the way to pick up some flowers, cupcakes and a Mother's Day card for my Mom. We went inside at the Woodlands Nursing Home and saw Virginia sitting with her jacket on and her hood tied. She had been outside smoking and hadn't taken her coat off, I guess?

We got Mom to take off her coat and stay awhile. I gave Mom her card and we talked and had a good visit. Stacey gave Mom the cupcakes and Linda gave her a potted miniature rose bush. We stayed over 2 hours and when Mom ran out of things to talk about and was getting tired, we said good bye, gave her hugs and left. We stopped for lunch, then went to visit Lana and Frank Dial. We found them in their front yard doing some work. We talked with them for a while and checked out the new boat that they had bought a week or so earlier. We made plans to get together at Dale Hollow later in the summer and then we headed out. Stacey watched the Pacer game on TV while we took a break. After the game was over, we went to Jessica and Jeff Summer's house near Markleville. She gave us a tour through their house and showed us their animals. They have chickens, ducks and two horses. There are several dogs too. Airianna and Trevon were also hanging around as we talked with Jessica and Jeff. We made one more stop while we were in Markleville at Jessica's Mom's house. Anita had been working outside planting a small garden when we arrived. She was surprised to see us. We talked with her for a half hour, then headed back to Daleville for the night.

Monday morning, Linda baked a package of cinnamon rolls and then we loaded the HHR and headed back towards Burkesville. We stopped at Kingfish in Jeffersonville for lunch.

The traffic was light and the trip went quickly. We made it home by 1:30 PM. We rested a little while, then rode around to see what the weather had done while we were gone. I guess we had quite a bit of rain, but by going to IN we had missed it all.

Posted by Dave at 7:30 PM
Categories: Current Events

Hay Cut

When Stacey and I returned to the farm after the Events Committee meeting we noticed that Phil and Steve Garmon were cutting the hay in the fields across from the house.

The spring weather had started early and the hay had been growing fairly well, so they decided to cut it before it was too tall and began laying over. When Linda came home from working at the school we took Daisy for a run. Daisy has been acting badly by not coming back to the Mule when we are ready to return her to the barn. Brent helped us get her back in the Mule on Sunday after her acting up. Today, she wouldn't stop trying to catch fish in the creek. When we drove the Mule closer to her, she just moved on down the creek. She ran back and forth across the road a couple of times, then up the hill behind the house. She was spastic, running all over the hillside and finally down by the back porch. Linda was able to get close enough to Daisy to get her attention, then Daisy ran to the Mule and jumped in the back. We put her in the barn and parked the Mule. All of this took about a half hour. We've tried giving her treats when she comes back, but that doesn't work to get her to come back. I'm thinking a shock collar maybe the only thing that might work.
☺ Update: Stacey and I took Daisy for a run on Thursday morning and she was back to normal. She ran and stayed fairly close to the Mule, played in the creek when we were close to the water, then ran with the Mule while we were back in the 'holler'. At the right time, she hopped in the back of the Mule like she was supposed to do.☺

Posted by Dave at 6:30 PM
Categories: Current Events, Farm

Cool Water Hot Day

Pauline and Brent arrived Friday evening.
About 2:30 AM, the weather radio sounded an alarm. There were severe thunderstorms on the way to Cumberland County. An hour later the storms reached the farm. Thunder and lightening with driving rain, but not much wind lasted for about a half hour, then just a gentle rain for another hour. When daylight arrived there wasn't any damage that could be seen. We had breakfast and Linda and I took Kyle for a Mule ride with Daisy. Then we rode on the tractor for a few minutes, all at Kyle's request. Oh and a short trip to the 'pop sickle barn' for a treat. It was nearly 10:30 AM when we returned to the house. Pauline and Brent were ready to get outside, so we went back to the pole barn and messed around in there. The temperature was going up and the sky had cleared. Brent mentioned that we should go to the lake and run the boat. Everyone was eager to go, so we began our preparation for the first boat trip of the year. We had to stick on the new TN registration stickers, put the life jackets back in the boat, take the cockpit covers off and put on the road covers, get the pickup truck and hook up the boat trailer, pull it out of the barn and tie down the road cover. Then we headed to the house for coolers and food. Swim suits were next, would we use them or not, no one knew for sure. Finally we were ready, Julie went with Linda and I in the truck pulling the boat, Stacey rode with Kyle, Pauline and Brent. After filling the boat with gas, we drove to the State Park and launched the boat. I changed the routine, I was driving the boat off the trailer while Brent parked the truck. The boat started right away and a few minutes later we were under way. After exiting the dock area, I moved out of the driver's seat and let Stacey take the wheel while I took a few pictures.


We rode for awhile, letting the battery charge and making sure things were working properly as we enjoyed the view. There were other boats on the lake and some people were on jet skis. There were a few boats with people on tubes and skis. Stacey moved out of the driver's seat and let Brent take the controls before we stopped. Julie and Kyle were ready to swim and were dancing around on the deck at the back of the boat. Brent was the first in the water and said it was chilly. Kyle about fell in and was going in once he saw his Dad in the water. I grabbed his arm and lowered him in the water before he fell in. Kyle said it was cold, but swam over to his Dad. Julie went in next and right to Brent. Then Stacey jumped in. Pauline, Linda and I remained in the boat.

After they were out of the water and had dried off, we started the boat and rode around the lake. The lake was 'flat' without much traffic and no wind. The ride was really smooth and the air temperature was nice as we checked out several places. Julie was needing a sandwich so we stopped and had sandwiches for a late lunch. She had wanted to get her float out earlier, so Brent used the extra time to blow it up and then tossed it in the water. Julie was unsure how she had got in it last year, so Brent had to give her a refresher course. It worked and away she went.

After Julie returned to the boat, we rode around until nearly 5 PM. Then we pulled the boat out of the lake, covered it up and towed it back to the farm. After backing it in the pole barn, we went to the house and had supper around 7 PM. People drifted to the bedrooms beginning around 8:30 PM.
It wasn't a perfect day, the water was a little chilly, but the air temperature was 87 degrees most of the time we were on the water and we all enjoyed our first trip of the season.

Posted by Dave at 11:00 PM
Categories: Boating, Current Events, Farm

Tractor Delivered

I had been looking for a tractor for a month or two on the internet. We went to look at a used tractor that was supposed to be in TN, but when we were about half way there, Linda finally was able to contact the person, they told her it had already sold. I started looking at a new model that New Holland had brought out this year called the "WorkMaster". I thought I wanted the '45' model and went to look at it at the local tractor dealer, Hobdy, Dye & Read in Columbia. When I saw the actual tractor, I thought it was too small for what I needed. I asked the salesman about the next size that was larger. A '55' model that had slightly more horsepower and bigger tires. I thought I knew how much they would ask for the tractor, but he gave me a price a couple thousand dollars below what the internet had shown. I told them I needed to think about it and then I went back to the farm because they didn't have the tractor at that location anyway.
The next morning, the salesman called and reduced the price five hundred dollars and said that he could have the tractor picked up and brought to their location the next day. We negotiated for a fiberglass top to be put on the tractor at a reduced price, so then I told him I would buy the tractor. I went to the bank and picked up a check to pay for the tractor, then took the check to the dealership and signed the papers. Stacey and I had appointments it Tompkinsville on Thursday, so we scheduled the tractor delivery for Friday morning.
The delivery driver called and asked where our farm was located as he was coming back through Burkesville after delivering a hay roller south of town. I told him our location and that we would be waiting in the driveway. He backed the truck in the driveway and unloaded the tractor.

Stacey helped me hook up the bush hog to the tractor. She loaded Daisy in the back of the Mule while I checked out some of the controls and hookups. Stacey followed me down the road and across the creek. She let Daisy run while I made two trips around the hayfield with the new tractor and bush hog. Stacey put Daisy in the back of the Mule when I was done and we went back to the farm. I parked the tractor while Stacey put Daisy in the barn and we went inside.

Posted by Dave at 6:30 PM
Categories: Current Events, Farm

Cruiser Car Show

Linda and I had been getting things ready for a couple days. We headed to town around 8 AM. The weather was the worst we've ever had for a car show. It was cold, somewhere between 50 and 55 degrees, but it felt even colder. It was misting rain and a brisk breeze. The CRC club members voted 7-1 to go ahead with the show. Amazingly, people started showing up with their vehicles and registering. Darrell opened up his Mid Night Special DJ trailer and pepped up the crowd with the old tunes and the kids from 21st Century sold hot coffee and sandwiches.

It seemed to get colder as the time passed. At noon, registration was closed and the Crusiers gave everyone notice that they had 1 hour to vote for their 3 favorite vehicles and then the awards would be passed out. While the votes were being counted, the Cruisers had a small boy draw for the door prizes as they passed them to the winners. The trophies for Long Distance and Club Participation were then awarded. The list of winners was then handed over to the announcer and each winner was presented a Top 20 Trophy as their name was called. After those were presented, the Cruisers called Walter Hendley to the tent and presented him with the Best of Show Trophy for his blue and white 56 Chevy.

The 50/50 drawing was done and the money paid to the winner. The Cruisers thanked the owners that brought their vehicles out in the bad weather.
We hope we made the best of a bad situation for those that attended.
We packed up the stuff and returned to the farm. Linda started a fire in the wood stove and we relaxed for a few hours. Around 5:30, Marna and Jim came over from their campsite and we played cards and talked until about 9 PM.

Posted by Dave at 10:30 PM
Categories:

Marna & Jim Visit

A few days ago, one of our friends called and said they were coming to KY and going to camp at the Dale Hollow State Park. Marna and Jim were pulling a 5th wheel camper and wanted to visit us, so we made plans to visit with them. We drove out to the park Thursday evening and found their campsite. We talked with them a couple of hours and made plans for them to visit us at the farm.
Friday, Jim drove into our driveway about 10:30 AM. Linda and I went out to meet them and talked a few minutes before riding around in the Mule. They wanted to see the farm before going inside the house, so we rode around for a little while, then went in the pole barn. A little later, we returned to the house and talked until time for lunch. We went to the Hot Rod BBQ for lunch and talked more as we ate.

When we finished eating, Marna and Jim went back to their campsite and we returned to the farm. We were supposed to go to the campground at 6 PM. We took chicken breasts and potatoes to cook on their grill for supper. We also had a couple types of salad along with the meat and potatoes. Once again, we finished eating and then talked until 9 PM. We said good night and went back to the farm.

Posted by Dave at 9:30 PM
Categories: Current Events, Farm

Back Home

Saturday morning we woke to a rainy day. There were thunderstorms and the rain was coming down steadily. I fixed breakfast. A little later, Linda painted the trim in the hallway and the bathroom door. We decided we would go home without visiting anyone because we were both sick and didn't want to spread the dry cough we had to others. Alton Sneed stopped by and we talked with him for about a half hour. He agreed to mow Mom's yard again this year and to also mow the yard at the gray house across the street. Linda and Stacey packed up our things and I carried the stuff out to the HHR in the rain. We locked up the house and headed towards Burkesville at 2 PM in a pouring rain. Linda slept in the back seat all the way to Jeffersonville where I woke her to get ready for King Fish. The sun was shinning as I parked and we all went inside to eat. The food was delicious as always. After we ate, we continued on to the farm and parked the HHR in the garage just before dark. We carried in our clothes and left the tools in the car till morning.
Sunday morning was hot and clear as I went outside early. The flowers at the back of the house had bloomed while we were gone.

I took Daisy for a run since she hadn't been out for a few days. A little before lunch, Linda and I began mowing and we finished several hours later. Just before dark, Linda had Coco outside and he found a "little bitty bunny" in the flower beds. She said the bunny was squeaking and it was like one of Coco's toys.

Posted by Dave at 8:30 PM
Categories: Current Events, Farm, Flowers

IN Trip

Thursday morning, we loaded a lot of tools and a few clothes into the HHR and headed for IN. We picked up breakfast along the way and ate it as we were driving. I parked in front of Mom's house a little past noon and we went inside for a short break. We put some of the battery powered tools on their chargers and then went outside. I used the chainsaw I had brought to cut down the scrub trees that had grown up along the fence around the back yard. Linda picked up the debris while I kept cutting. When we had finished that job, I exchanged the chainsaw for the battery powered hedge trimmers and worked on the bushes along the front porch. Linda and Stacey once again, picked up the debris and cleaned up the mess I was making. The battery's power ran out and had to be recharged three times before I had the bushes completely trimmed. We cleaned up a few items at the gray house across the street while we were waiting.

We went to White Castle for some 'sliders' and then to Muncie to visit with Mom. Virginia was setting by the door when we arrived and was doing really well. She talked with us for a good bit and seemed better than she had been in a long time. They came to take her for a smoke break and she was gone about 10 minutes, then returned in an ill mood. I guess she had a problem while she was outside with another resident, because she was mad at the world when she came back inside. We listened to several complaints and then said good bye and left around 8 PM.
After breakfast Friday morning, we relaxed a few minutes and then began work on the bathroom vanity. I drilled the holes for the plumbing lines to fit through the bottom of the vanity and we tried setting in over the lines and against the wall. Of course, the holes weren't quite big enough the first few times we tried putting the vanity in place. We pushed and tugged until one of the lines came loose. We found out it wasn't glued, just stuck together. I glued the line and we tried again. Finally the vanity was in place. I installed the faucet on the vanity top before setting it on the cabinet. This made working on it much easier. I used plumber's tape on the threads and tightened the braided hoses, then installed the drain plug and hooked up the lever to open and close the drain. I carried the vanity top into the bathroom and set it on the cabinet. "Houston, we have a problem!" The ends of the braided water lines were not the correct size. I tried hooking up the sink's drain pipe and there was a problem with that too. I needed a trip to Lowe's! We drove to Lowe's in Anderson and a real helpful employee pointed me to every piece I needed to complete the job. We ate lunch in the car on the way back to Daleville. I installed the new hoses and put the drain pipe together, it was time to try the water. Linda went downstairs and turned on the shut off valves one at a time. The hot water was fine! The cold water, umm, not so much. It popped off the fitting where the hose was connected. It had not been glued. I glued it in place and we waited about 10 minutes then tried turning the water on again. This time, success, both hot and cold water was working, the sink was holding water and the drain didn't leak. Ta Da! Only a half day to do a one hour job. Those dang home improvement shows make it look so easy.

Linda shot me down, she told me, now we needed to install the cabinet door handles, the drawer pulls, then the towel bar and the toilet paper holder, and etc... After taking nearly another hour getting those screwed to the drawers and walls, only one more item and it was scary. Remember, it was Friday the 13th! I needed to put the mirror back on the wall. The mirror was a 30" square, but felt like it weighed 40 lbs when we were holding it against the wall and putting in the small screws and brackets that held it in place. Finally, DONE! No cracks, no 7 years bad luck. I was ready for a break.

A few minutes later, the phone rang, Kim and Kenny Bourke were coming over to visit. They brought some old purple Crown Royal whiskey bags for Linda to take to Pauline. I guess Pauline is going to put the bags together to make a quilt. We talked for a while, then called and had Pizza King deliver a pizza. Kim and Kenny stayed and visited until around 11 PM.

Posted by Dave at 11:30 PM
Categories: Current Events

Easter

Saturday morning, Linda and Pauline helped Julie and Kyle color eggs for Easter.


Sunday morning, I took the kids for a Mule ride while the Easter Bunny delivered the baskets and hid the eggs. When we returned to the house, the kids ran inside and began opening their baskets of goodies. Candy was being ate as fast as possible too.



After the kids had opened all their stuff, we loaded into the Mule and rode down the driveway and across the road to hunt Easter Eggs.



After finding most of the eggs, we sat at the pole barn and opened the plastic eggs, dumped out the surprises and counted the eggs. There were several missing, so we went back and tried to find the remaining eggs. We found a few more, but 4 plastic eggs remain in hiding.

After the egg hunt, we cooked chicken breasts on the grill for a late lunch. Pauline and Brent took their kids and went home around 4 PM.

Posted by Dave at 6:45 PM
Categories: Current Events, Farm

KY Headhunters

We began the day with breakfast with Julie and Kyle, a Mule ride with Daisy running along and preparing for the bake sale. I had to go across the creek to meet with the loggers and when I returned to the house, Pauline and Brent had arrived. We spent awhile talking with them and messing around, then it was time for Linda and I to load the HHR with our baked goods and head to town. We took a table and set it up near the entrance to the grocery store and began selling the stuff Linda had baked. Surprisingly, things were selling fairly quickly and we were soon worried about running out of items. Misty, Bernice and Cheryl brought a few of their things to replenish our supply. We kept selling and talking to people until our three hours were over and Tammy Dyer replaced us.

We returned to the house and took a break with everyone for about an hour and a half. After changing clothes, Stacey, Linda and I took the HHR and picked up Jason and headed towards Glasgow for the KY Headhunters concert at the Plaza Theatre. We stopped at Mancino's for sandwiches and pizza, then drove into the center of town and parked at the Courthouse. There was a line waiting at the Plaza's doors and the marquee said the show was SOLD OUT.

Our tickets were waiting at the "will call" area and after picking them up, we went inside and found we were in ROW D on the center aisle. I had ordered them online a few months earlier and didn't remember the location, but we were happy with them. It wasn't long till the show started with hard rock 'n' roll.

The music was loud and the beat was pounding. The crowd was loving it. After about an hour and twenty minutes, the guitar players took a break and the drummer did a 10 - 15 minute solo. Just when the crowd thought he was at his fastest drumming, he was spinning his drum sticks between beats, he stood up like it was over, threw his sticks in the air and continued playing with his bare hands for another 5 minutes. The crowd gave him a couple standing ovations and then the remaining band members returned and began playing.

They played over an hour and 45 minutes, did their finale then walked off. The cheers brought them back and they played a couple more songs, then played "Down To Dumas Walkers'" and people thought they were done. A few people in the crowd started to leave, but the guitar player said, "don't go, we're not done yet" and they played about 3 more songs.

At the end, the KY Headhunters took their final bow, then stood and told everyone thanks for coming and how they had a great time, they also thanked the Mayor for giving them the "Key to the City" that day, they waved good bye and the concert was over. Two hours and ten minutes of rock 'n' roll had came to an end and the crowd was well satisfied.