Christmas tree will stay up for a while

Hello everyone! Turn your television off, shut your phone off, grab your favorite beverage, make yourself comfortable and let’s chat a spell. How is everything in your little corner of the world? 2020 may be gone, I think it has left its shadow, as 2021 sure hasn’t gotten off to a very good start.

Have you taken your Christmas tree down along with the Christmas decorations?

I still have everything up yet. I think I will remove the Christmas decorations that I have sitting in the living room, yet leave my Christmas tree up for a while, as it brings me so much pleasure just to look at the lights.

I really miss the Hallmark movies, except there was so many changes that a few times, as I would watch a new movie, up would pop something and off Hallmark would go.

Holidays are over with and there’s not much news to write about, with this coronavirus still taking its toll.

Oh how I long for bygone years when life was so simple as a child growing up in that small place called Roxana.

In walking to and from Woodrock, which is actually in Blackey, just a little place by itself about five miles from Roxana, at such an early age, not afraid, because I had no reason to have fear, as I didn’t know such words as sexual abuse, rape and being killed. So how was I going to have fear?

Except for a few bullies in childhood, that is until I got old enough to stand up and take my part, I wasn’t afraid.

Now things happened that it is a miracle that I wasn’t drowned along with other kids at Roxana, as I played in the river without supervision. The river at Roxana wasn’t that deep in places, yet up the river towards Kingscreek it was a lot deeper, and dangerous.

I used to know the name of it, but now it has slipped my nimble brain.

The same way at the mouth of Mill Branch. There was a swimming hole with a big rock on the other side of the river. That used to be a good fishing spot also as I remember Grandma Rosa Hall taking me fishing there at night.

Grandma would scout around and find an old tire that someone would discard. She would try to hide it so she could go back when it started to get dark. Somehow she would build a fire to catch the tire on fire. Of course she would put the fire out when we got ready to leave.

Oh, just to have one more time of making memories with Grandma.

I have to laugh when I hear or read of people having so much more than I ever had as a child. How I longed for books to read. I guess that is why I have become such a collector of all sorts of things. Actually you might say I have become a hoarder, as I really don’t want to get rid of things.

I have enough books to start a library. I’ve donated books to the local library, and I’ve taken Jim Cornett’s books to sell as he donates the money to help children. When and if I go back to the mountains in March or April, I will once again take books with me.

Any kind of Amish written books are a favorite of mine. I have several that I haven’t taken the time to rea. Even with me staying home as I can’t head for the mountains to Campbell’s Branch and Carcassonne Community Center, I find I really don’t read as much as I used too.

I stay so tired all the time if I read I will go to sleep, and the same with watching television. I very seldom can stay awake to completely finish a movie. I am glad I know how to record.

As memories drift back, I think of this pandemic, coronavirus, COVID-19 or whatever name you want to use, that is killing so many, having to wear a mask, and being afraid to have any kind of physical contact. With families being on lockdown and being held prisoner in your own home, it sure makes my thoughts go back in time.

The only kind of illness that I recall as a child was the measles. That in itself was bad enough, as for what I can remember there were different strains of measles. There were three day measles and a bad kind, I don’t really recall, however I think I recall the word German measles. Of course I managed to get it, and was very sick for several days. There wasn’t any medication, as we never knew what a doctor was.

I was broke out from head to toe. Mom hung a cover over the window so the light wouldn’t get in my eyes as the light hurt my eyes so bad. All I remember I was sick for quite some time, then the rash went away. I can’t recall any of the other children getting the measles.

I was 13 years old, a freshman in school at Kingdom Come High School, and got chickenpox. I was very sick for several days. I missed the event of having class pictures taken, but of course I quit school shortly afterwards.

During childhood I would get severe earaches, again there wasn’t a doctor to give any kind of medication. Mom would blow a puff of her cigarette smoke in my ear and hold a piece of cloth to try to ease the pain.

Someone told Mom to let me pee in in a container, then put a few drops of the warm pee in my ear, which Mommy did. It seemed to ease for a little bit.

I was 22 years old when I got my tonsils out, then had complications and hemorrhaged so much I had to go to the doctor on an emergency visit.

Over the years my heart has been shocked two different times as I’ve coded. Somehow God has brought me through, gave me strength to bounce back. I will never be completely healed with my stomach issues, nor from the accident.

Now if I can survive without catching this coronavirus.

My 14-year-old great-grandson, who is in junior high school, has been exposed to coronavirus. He is quarantined at home at the present time. It is aggravating as the school personnel waited two days before calling my daughter to report it.

My great-grandson doesn’t have to be tested, just quarantined, as they were in the school cafeteria having lunch, of course no masks.

I am thankful in a way that my grandson, Bennie Weiderhold, is having school online. I hate to see Bennie kept in that apartment, not having contact with anyone.

For Christmas I gave Bennie money so he could get what he wanted, and when Angie took him shopping Bennie spent all his money. When he got home he got upset as he realized he was broke. Angie tried to explain that he had spent it.

Thanks to all that have kept prayers going for Johnny and Ann Calihan and family. Prayers have been answered as things have improved, please keep the prayers going.

Happy birthday to Bertha Turner of Linefork, Jan.18, who will be celebrating 80 years young. Bertha is a chip off the old block as she is a tough cookie, surviving a bad car accident among other things. She spent some time in a hospital, then a nursing home.

Bertha is home now with the help of family.

Glenda Tolliver Green, who is Bertha’s daughter, lives in Alabama and surprised Bertha with a visit, then later Glenda had a small birthday party with Sunrise Ridge band members, Shawn Stamper, his daughter Whitney and Jack Adams. Sunrise Ridge is Bertha’s all-time favorite band.

Actually Sunrise Ridge or at least several of the members have really been great to visit Bertha while she was in the nursing home and made home visits also.

Hello to Buddy and Bernice Grubb and their grandson, Mike. Bernice, thanks for the Christmas gift, which I will enjoy for some time.

Hello Mike and Marcia Caudill. I am almost counting the days to see if Carcassonne Community Center along with Campbell’s Branch will be allowed to open.

As much as I hate to say it or even think it, I really doubt if things will be back to a semi-normal anyway soon.

I know some readers are probably tired of reading how much the trips to the mountains to visit Carcassonne Community square dances meant to me, along with Campbell’s Branch.

Les and Pat Wagner, I hope everything is alright with you and your family. Pat, I know your heart is longing for the mountains we call home.

Pricie Rogan, I hope you had wonderful holidays and are still finding a bit of time to read.

It is getting late so until next time, Rose Ballard, 9110 Lawrenceburg Rd., Harrison, OH 45030, email: Bluegrassmama4@aol.com.