2021 Feb 8, Day Trip to Huntsville, Alabama

Hubby and I rode to Huntsville today for my Opthomologist appointment. You know the drill by now. Stay, in your car, and call the office to let them know you are there; they will call you back when you can come inside. Once inside the building, they take your temperature; you are given a sticker to place on your shirt or blouse that says you are okay to enter the building. Once inside, I checked in; after a short wait was called back to the waiting room. The pressure in both my eyes was checked both registered 15 and The optic nerve in both eyes was checked nothing changed. I had taken my big camera with me; I wanted to get a few pictures of the waterfowl and colorful fish that swam at Big Spring Park, so that was our next stop. On our way to Huntsville, the thermometer on the car read 35 and showed snow; but it turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining; not much wind with a little chill in the air. I took my coat but never had to put it on.

Canadian Geese 

We then rode to Braham Spring Park where we saw Canadian Geese, Mallard Ducks, and a few starlings eating and swimming at the park. I said it's such a beautiful day let's go to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur so we entered I-565 and not far past the airport the traffic was bumper to bumper because they were working on the road and were merging into one lane. We then turned onto I-65 only to find out they were working on the interstate and were also merging into one lane. We finally made it to our turn off and hubby said what do you think about getting lunch at Libby's in Priceville. I said that sounds good for I love me some good old fried catfish. I was not disappointed; I ordered one piece of fillet with coleslaw, hush puppies, onion, baked potato, and iced tea. I could not eat it also got a to-go box.

Catfish plate @Libby's in Priceville, Alabama

We then rode to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge to see what was left of the Sandhill Cranes to my disappointment they were just a few. The visitor center was closed and so was the observation building. There was a wooden wall with holes cut out to view the fields but no birds. We stopped at Jack's in Decatur for a diet Coke and two strawberry Cheesecake pies. Our last stop was a Wheeler Dam to see the waterfowl. Saw a few White Pelicans so we didn't stop. When we got home I went outside and filled both bird feeders and saw more birds at home than I did at all the places where we had stopped. We have Cardinals, Wrens, Finch, Tuff Titmouse, Mourning Doves, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Downy Woodpeckers just to name a few of our backyard birds.

2021 Feb 2, Day trip to Guntersville, Alabama & Ground Hog Day

Hubby and I rode to Guntersville via Hartselle. We were in Muscle Shoals so we took 72 to 157 through Moulton turning onto 36 into Hartselle. We saw Oh! Bryans is my hubby's favorite place to eat. We had planned to eat at Libby's in Priceville but since we had taken a different route and would not go past Libby's we decided to stop in Hartselle. The food was great at a reasonable price. We like to take the back roads when traveling because you never know what treasures you may find. I loved the way that they had decorated Oh! Bryans. At the front where you check out was the front of an old car(57' Chevy) and not far away was the backend of two other cars used for waiting benches. If you ever are ever in Hartselle you need to check out OH! Bryans.

 O'Bryan's Hartselle 

Eating steak, sweet potato, and toast

Salad Bar food

I ordered the sirloin steak with sweet potato and a glass of water with lemon. Hubby ordered a Delmonico steak and baked potato with salad. After lunch, we rode to Guntersville State Park where we saw several deer. Stopped at the pier in Guntersville where we saw hundreds of Double-crested Comomorants and Sea Gulls. We stopped at Ollie's in Madison and bought a couple scissors. We stopped at Russell Stovers in Athens where hubby and I both ordered a small waffle cone with ice cream. (Rockie Road). Then on to Aldi for a few groceries then home. The sun came out but the temperature hung around 42 degrees all day. After a long cold outing, I was ready to warm up so I climbed into my warm bed and fell asleep.

flock of birds

Deer

2021 Jan 14, Day trip to Gadsden and Covered Bridges of Alabama

Today the hubby and I traveled US 72 to I-65 to 67 east to Priceville stopping at Morgan County Memorial Park where they had a Hurley helicopter, a T-34Mentor Plane-on loan from Pensacola, FL, and an M60A1 Tank. There were several tall war plaques representing soldiers who had to give their lives. For our country.

 Morgan County Memorial Park Priceville, Alabama 

We stopped at Jack's in Blountsville for lunch. Ordered a kid’s chicken finger meal and a blueberry cream cheese pie. Saw a carved statue in the trees outside Jack's.

Swann Covered Bridge

We traveled to Swann Covered Bridge built in 1933, located, at Swann Bridge Road Cleveland which crosses over the Locust Fork River.

 Easley Bridge

Our next stop was the Easley-covered bridge built in 1927. It was located at Easley Bridge Road Oneonta. We met a couple the man was in the car the woman taking pictures. I asked them if they had been to the Swann Covered Bridge they said not today. We rode to Horton Mill Covered Bridge built in 1934, which crossed over the Calvert Prong Little Warrior River.

Noccalula falls

Horton Covered Bridge 

We filled up with gas at Love's in Sneed. Then we rode another thirty minutes to Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, where we met a man on a motorcycle I asked him if he knew where the covered bridges were at the park. He said you are asking the wrong person I am from New York and I am enjoying this warm weather but I said it gets cold here in north Alabama. He said enjoy your day and rode off. We walked around taking pictures of the roaring falls. The water was too rough for any waterfowl. We started for home the sun was going down and staring us right in the face which didn’t last long. Before we knew I it was dark. We came home through Decatur and the traffic was Heavy. It had been a beautiful day for traveling.

Traveling home

2020 Nov 28-Dec 1, Trip to Smoky Mountains with Sherry and Bobby (4 days)

November 28-Dec 1, Trip to Sevierville TN with Sherry and Bobby On Nov 28, Saturday, Hubby and I ate breakfast at Jack's in Elgin. I ordered a sausage and biscuit and, hubby ordered a big breakfast. We ordered Bobby a sausage and biscuit to go. We meet them at the Hensley barbecue in Town Creek. We stopped at Jack's in Decatur for a restroom break; I bought three strawberry cheesecake pies for the three of us. We stopped at a couple of rest areas for restroom breaks. We filled up with gas at the new Wiggles in Sevierville and we all ordered a sub sandwich from Wiggles. It had been a beautiful day for traveling. We checked into condo number 2514 Wyndham condos

Wyndham condos

Nov. 29, Sunday Cloudy Today we went to Shoe Carnival and Lees. We ate lunch at Huck Fins; they don't have a lunch special on Sundays you have to pay the full price of $15.88 a plate. We all ordered a three-piece fried catfish meal with fixings of white beans, hush puppies, pickles, onions, and coleslaw. We each got a takeaway box enough for supper. We stopped at Walmart where I bought a small red radio flyer wagon for Haynes' upcoming birthday; I also bought a bag of peppermint bark.

Firehouse Sub in Sevierville

Nov 30, Monday Today we went to Hammers in Sevierville, there I bought some warm gloves; and hubby a shirt. We stopped at Firehouse Sub in Sevierville on Middle Creek Road for lunch. I ordered a six-inch meatball sub, chips, and coke. My cousin ordered a sub but they messed up her order and she complained they gave her a free sub and a brownie. We spent the afternoon watching Hallmark Christmas movies. That night it snowed. Dec 1, Tuesday Went outside there was snow on the ground and it was cold, but the roads were clear. We were on our way home by 9 AM after checking out. We stopped at McDonald's in Lauden, Tennessee for breakfast. I ordered a sausage muffin and coke.

Smoky Mountains

When we arrived in Town Creek hubby was waiting for me at Hensley Barbecue. After a bittersweet goodbye with my relatives, we began our journey. Hubby and I stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel in Athens.

Cracker Barrel Madison, Alabama 

For lunch, I ordered chicken and dumplings with Lima beans and cornbread. At Cracker Barrel I bought three summer tops that were marked down. I knew we were not going to many places and the weather was not agreeable for outdoor activities so I left my big camera at home. We spent the majority of our vacation watching Hallmark Movies, shopping, eating out, and reminiscing.

2020 Nov 11-14, Trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (4 days)

Nov 11, Wednesday Hubby and I stopped at Cracker Barrel in Spring Hill for breakfast. We stopped several times for restroom breaks on our way to Pigeon Forge. We checked into Park Grove Inn in Pigeon Forge. What a view we could see the ferry wheel on the Island from our room.

Ferries Wheel 

Hubby took a shower, lay down, and took a nap. His stomach was giving him a fit and he said I think I have a fever. After his nap, we rode to Applewood Farm House Restaurant for dinner.

Apple Barn 

For an appetizer, they brought apple fritters along with apple sauce and jute. I ordered a bowl of vegetable soup with cornbread. Hubby did not order anything but did eat some of my soup. That night hubby ran a fever and had diarrhea all night.

The Incredible Christmas Store

Nov 12, Thursday The Incredible Christmas Store was just three blocks from our hotel so I walked there while hubby slept. I walked across the Little Pigeon River stopping to take pictures along the way. I bought a chocolate pretzel at the Christmas Candy Shop. When I returned hubby was up so we rode to the Old Mill, where I bought some stone-ground cornmeal and some apple fritter mix. We went to the Disney Store, where I bought Christmas toys for the great-grandkids. We ate lunch at Firehouse Sub and stopped in front of the Dixie stampede for a picture of the tall Christmas tree. We spent the rest of the day at Dollywood 2–9 PM. We rented a cart for hubby; he said he felt too weak to walk. We upgraded our tickets for the next year to $194.20 Our adventures began in the Wildwood Park area for children.

Santa @ Dollywood 

We meet Santa behind glass after we write him a letter and drop it into his mailbox. We watched a couple of shows outside all the inside shows were closed. We rode the train up the mountain there were plastic shields between each seat. We had to get tickets for the last train ride because the virus seats were limited. We stopped at the ice cream shop for some Rockies Road ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone. We returned the cart and walked back to our car.

Eating catfish at Huck Fins

On Nov 13, Friday I ate French toast for breakfast at the hotel. We rode to the Bass Pro Shop in Kodak and then to Katom Restaurant Supplies where I bought two bottle openers and a thermometer. We stopped at Huck Finn's for lunch where I ordered a two-piece catfish dinner with fixings. (Fixings include a bowl of white beans, onion, pickles, coleslaw, and hushpuppies) We took the bypass in Gatlinburg and ordered over the Smoky Mountains. We rode through Cherokee out to I-40 back to Sevierville.

Hotel Pigeon Forge, TN

Nov 15, Saturday We began our travel home stopping to fill up with gas at Flying J. I ate a bagel for breakfast before we left the hotel. We stopped at Five Guys in Spring Hill for a late lunch or early supper. There we both ordered a fully-dressed hamburger and crispy fries. They have the best hamburgers in town. Our last stop was at Krogers in Lawrenceburg to pick up a few groceries. After that long ride home, we were both very tired.

2020 Dec 21, Day trip to Franklin, Tennessee with Ava Grace

 Hubby and I took Ava Grace on a day trip. We stopped in Loretto to get lottery tickets and Ava a doctor's pepper and some gummy candy. 

We stopped at Murphy’s to fillip with gas and at Walmart in Lawrenceburg to get Ava a new car seat. Hubby had to put it together which took a while. 

We traveled north up the Natchez Trace stopping a couple times for restroom breaks. Several of the restrooms were closed due to the Coronavirus.

The trace was desolate, the trees necked, and we saw one bird, a buck deer, and a dog. We saw several motorcycle riders and several people hiking. 

We rode through Leipers Fork but didn’t see any or very little Christmas decorations. I think Ave took a nap while we were on the trace. 

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Restaurant

Cheese Pizza 

House Special Pizza 

We stopped at Mellow Mushroom for dinner. Ava ordered a small cheese pizza and hubby and I split a House Special pizza and we ordered three drinks. 

Ava only ate one piece of her pizza we had the rest put into a to-go box took it home and gave it to her granddad.

While we were eating at Mellow Mushroom we saw Santa Clause riding a Harley on the roundabout in Franklin through the large windows. 

Santa Clause on Harley (looking through the window)

Ava & Granny sitting in front of a very tall Christmas tree.

Ava standing next to a cannon

 

Ava and I walked over to the window she waved at Santa Clause and He waved back and pointed at her. We finished eating and I took pictures of Ava and the statues at Mellow Mushroom. 

We went outside and Santa Claus was leaving. We walked across the street to the center of the roundabout where Ava had spotted a very tall Christmas tree. We took several pictures of the Tree, Ava, and the cannons that were there. 

We walked back to our car by that time Santa Clause was coming back down the road. He stopped and I got a few pictures with Ava and Santa.

Ava and Santa Clause on his Harley

Ava had to hug Santa and he hugged her back. She said he was the real Santa Clause and she sang Christmas Songs most of the way home. 

We stopped at a convenience store for a restroom break and we finished our trip home. We made a detour in St Joseph to see a house decorated for Christmas, you could see it from the highway but only from the backside. Her granddaddy was waiting for her. She gave us both a hug, Collected her belongings and they went home. I gave her granddad the leftover cheese pizza. 

2020 The year of Coronavirus and wearing mask

Total left knee replacement was March 10, that same week much of our country was shut down because of the  Coronavirus.

I stayed overnight at the hospital and was sent home with all the equipment I would need for the next few weeks for home therapy.

I also went to three days a week to Peak Performance for physical therapy.

The Sciatic nerve in my lower back flared up which caused therapy to be very painful. 

My Orthopedic doctor had to manipulate my left knee which helped relieve some of the pain in my lower back. 

It took several months before I could enjoy walking and I was thankful to have my hubby doing my household chores. 

I could not read or sit at my computer because it was too painful and it was hard for me to concentrate. 

On June 18, our granddaughter gave birth to a baby boy. 

Only her hubby could be with her and her baby shower was virtual. 

(Great Grandson Atlas Ian is doing great he is growing like a weed.)

River our great-grandson turned two on June 2.

We celebrated our great-grandson's first birthday on Sunday, December 13. 

He and his mother both had the Coronavirus both are doing fine now. 

Our daughter-in-law contracted the Coronavirus at work and gave it to her husband (our son), they were quarantined for 14 days. 

Schools across the United States were shut down and graduating was just months away for seniors.

Our grandson a senior graduated in May after months of his school being shut down. 

Our country was in a pandemic with businesses, schools, factories, and restaurants shut down.

People dying and the virus spreading like wildfire causing people to stress out. 

Lowes was doing a booming business during the pandemic because people were afraid to go anywhere, so many did home projects and gardening.

 I enjoyed spending time attending to my flowers and herbs. 

The Coronavirus has kept many inside this year beginning in the Spring. It sored through  

Summer, and Autumn, now it is Winter and the coronavirus is still here.

The CBS bible study that I attend every year is now virtual. It is great that we can still see one another through Zoom and be safe. 

We have grandchildren attending Universities, High School, and Kindergarten with odd days.

Every Thursday and Friday in September & October we kept our great-granddaughter, Ava.

We did the social distance, we would take her to our local parks where she enjoyed feeding the turtles and fish. 

For the last two weeks, Hubby and I have been picking our great-granddaughter up at school. 

Her uncle is a senior this year and usually takes and picks her up but in the last two weeks, he has not gone to school on Thursdays and Fridays. (because of the pandemic)

Hubby went back to work part-time in June and full-time in September. 

Last year was a sad year for my niece she lost her husband to cancer. 

But 2020 has brought her happiness, she found another love, and they were married on the first of October. 

The Coronavirus is still on the rampage, the numbers are going down. 

Most states have a mandate that you have to wear a mask covering your nose and mouth before entering a place of business. 

High-risk people are encouraged to stay home and have their groceries & personal items delivered.

Stores limit the number of people inside their stores. Restaurants have spaced their tables at least 6 feet apart. Many places of business have a shield or partitions to protect their employees. 

Some places will only take credit cards because they do not want to handle money that is full of germs.

The flu season is just around the corner and the medical field is in a rush to come up with an anti-virus serum to give to the public to help prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus.

We have missed so much of our annual Halloween parties, and Thanksgiving meals with family, and now Christmas is just around the corner. 

Our family get-togethers may be small this year. 

Hubby contracted the Coronavirus from a co-worker and I got it from him.  We missed having a Thanksgiving meal with our families. 

In November I went to the Mountains with my cousin and aunt. We ate out a couple of times and did a little shopping but mostly we just enjoyed each other's company.

We bought a Modular home in July but will not be finished until late January. This Coronavirus has put a dent in many aspects of our lives. 

My dad fell and broke his hip and died shortly in November. 

Our family is going to celebrate Christmas on December 20 and have a sister gathering on Christmas Day.

We just have to take one day at a time. 

This year we have had a birth, (a great-grandson) a death,(my dad) a marriage, (my niece), and sickness.

We have been very busy this year but differently. Life as we know it will no longer be the same.

Even in a pandemic life goes on.