Birthdays and Country Roads and Churches

   Yesterday was Mother's 86th birthday. You would think I had pictures to share, but no. I tried to celebrate Saturday evening. She hasn't felt well all week, so she was not all that peppy. She would not have let me take her picture. On Saturday, I was all glum myself because she didn't seem to enjoy any of the fuss I had tried to make over the birthday. She didn't even take the pretty flower arrangement I had made for her from grocery store plus yard flowers. It is still sitting on my table. When she said she didn't want to go to church and then she laid on her couch all day yesterday on her birthday I decided she genuinely just didn't feel like celebrating which made me even sadder.

She started having a little usual kidney troubles last weekend but wanted to go to her sister's house so badly that she mustered up energy to go. She, her one sister and brother who live in Range went to visit her other sister who lives in Dothan. My uncle came and got her last Sunday (I am going back in time instead of forward in this post) and they all went to Dothan on Monday. Then I went to Range to pick her up on Tuesday. She was so worn out that she didn't enjoy our driving all over the country Tuesday. 

The original plan had been for she and I to go up and visit and go to the cemeteries and so forth on Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day, but when she go the opportunity to visit the Dothan aunt it all got moved up.

My family is all buried in country church cemeteries. 

Mother is slowing down and that saddens me. She still thinks she can keep up but when she actually gets out there she finds she can't. She is battling with that herself in her own mind.

Anyway, I did drag her to a few places along with my aunt and uncle. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with them and our drives down dirt roads.

We visited Hartwood of course. This is the little white church in my sidebar. It was my home church until we moved to Brewton in 6th grade. I have so many WONDERFUL memories here. The church is on a dirt road just beyond my Aunt Faye's house. The church is located on the back of a block of land that is nothing but my mother's side of the family's land. Her family is all buried in the cemetery across the little dirt road from the church. 

Hartwood United Methodist, Range, Alabama

The graves go back for generations on my mother's paternal side of the family. There was actually another wood church before the current one that has been there for as long as I can remember. 

I took a picture of the inside looking through the windows of the door. It still looks the same except for the carpet (their was tile when I was growing up) and it is missing the attendance thingie that was on the wall behind the Christian flag. That cross and the Lord's Supper picture has been there as long as I can remember. I can still hear the hymns being sung and Sunday school through that door to the right.

We drove just down the road to the cemetery where my dad is buried along with his side of the family and then took a drive down the dirt road that he grew up on. There is no sign of their homestead. It is long gone, but there is another wonderful little country church. I have seen it many times, but never been inside. We stopped to stroll around that cemetery as well. 

Brushy Creek Methodist 

The door was open so I peeped in. Isn't is pretty with all that wood. It was built well before the Civil War and the property around it is so pretty with all the trees and azaleas. Speaking of azaleas, I will be recording all of that soon.

We made another stop before we got to Brewton because in doing all of my ancestry stuff I realized my great grandmother who died way before I was born was buried in a cemetery I knew about. Mother and I made a wrong turn and drove on the longest dirt road ever before we got to it and realized it made one big circle and if I had turned earlier it would have been right off the road as I originally thought it was. Oh well, we had an adventure.

We found it right away, so now I know where she is.

I will be back later to tell you about all the work in the yard and share the azaleas that are putting on a spring show.

I have to end this with a cute Tucker story, because after all I am a Mimi.

Lindsay and Tyler had to go to a wedding out of town with the in-laws so Tucker stayed at our house on Saturday and night. He got to visit Jeff's bother and sister and then we had Mother, Paul Allen and Katie over Saturday night for the fish fry birthday party. He had a big day getting lots of attention from all. When it came time to eat, I fixed him a normal dinner plate and he got to sit in a regular chair at the dining room table. He wasn't relegated to a corner on a stool since we had enough seats for all to sit at the table with him in a chair. This was not lost on him. He immediately realized he was a big boy and sitting in the chair like everyone else. He first got himself tickled by posing in the big mirror that goes across one wall, but he quickly settled in eating his absolute favorite meal. I have never seen a kid who likes fish more than him. He ate his weight in fish and cheese grits and enjoyed his status at the table. 

That's a wrap for now. I will be back later in the week for some pretty outdoors photos.

A little photo of Tucker from his mommy.

Happy spring,

Sandy