February Grandkids on Review: Part Two

Next, it's Brianna and Hunter's turn to show

their particular variety of fun in February.

(See previous post for Claire and Evan)

Celebrity tree-walkers always have time to
smile for the camera.

And what is this rare occurrence?
Hunter?  Taking a nap?  At Grandpa's
house?  Must be an alternate universe!

Kitty Cat is content to guard the sleeping toddler.
Since there are no sleeping dogs (thankfully).

Yes, it's official.  Five weeks till the Braves home
opener.  Hunter was born with the baseball gene.

Yeah, let's get down with a little music.
Bri plays the harmonica and Hunter
plays everything else.  How eclectic.

Well, if I'm gonna be a musician . . . .

Grandma, I don't have to go incognito for you.
Got a banana?

Hunter's in bed and reading time is all for Bri.

Hunter happened to remember that March Madness
comes before baseball season.  And he has a wide
variety of balls to practice with.

IN YOUR FACE!  Now play "Rocky."

Hunter's getting ready to take Grandpa's car out
for a little spin.

Grandpa, are you sure these are the keys?
Looks more like an air pressure gauge to me.

Bri is making cornbread.  And how many chefs do
you know who can cook on the floor without
bending their knees?  That's what I thought.

C'mon, Baby Jingle.  Gotta eat your peas
 and carrots to keep your strength up.
(These are a couple of our "outdoor" babies--
that once belonged to Jennifer and Amanda.)

The woodpile yields the first beetle since winter
began.  And the children just can't wait to see
if he likes the Sit 'n' Spin.
(He was glad to go back to the woodpile.)

Hunter believes that a true sports enthusiast works
on his "shot" indoors and out.

Creative gadget of the week:  this old top to an
appliance hooks over the top of a folding chair
and provides a bright, sturdy background for
our magnetic alphabet.  

I knew '73 Mercuries would be cool again one day.
Who knows, Bri may be driving it when it turns
over 300,000 miles in a few years (279k, so far).

Hunter, I hope you realize if I was actually driving
I wouldn't be able to see the road because of you.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Okay, everybody.  Time to check blood pressure,
listen to heartbeats, and give shots.  Oh, yes,
GIVE SHOTS!

Before she can go home, Brianna insists on perching
in the dogwood tree Amanda and Jennifer once
climbed-- to get on the roof!

Yes, I'm buckled.
Yes, I know about the "open container" law.
Well, at least I'm not texting, am I?

Well, folks, I'll see you real soon with
even MORE February pictures!  I can't help it!

February Grandkids on Review: Part One

Almost a full month has flown by since I blasted my readers

with all my January pictures.  I'm going to spread February's 

load over multiple blogs and over the next few days.  I've got

other topics I'm excited about writing about soon, too.

Evan works on a stir-fry: "Don't you think it could use
a little more sand?"

Claire has more variations on swinging than any child I know.

Caption 1: "Change is good."
Caption 2: "Change is coming."

We couldn't buy a better toy than this washing machine box
which is well into its third month of use (because I store it
in the garage between grandkid visits.

The irresistible force meets the immovable object.
Your guess as to who will prevail?

Jennifer tries my trick of pulling two vehicles with one rope.
They're headed down to our new climbing tree, a fallen pine.

When Evan sees a camera, his whole face says "CHEESE."

Here's the famous climbing tree.  It won't be long before our
daredevil grands insist on trying to negotiate it solo.

Talk about perfect timing.  Just as Jennifer was pulling
out of our driveway, friends Grace and Dre with children
Elizabeth and Amelia were pulling in for a surprise visit.
Jennifer circled back in and we had an instant mini-playdate.
Amelia and Dre test the swing.

Elizabeth wants to know where she can buy one of these.

Grace, Judy, and Evan.  Three guesses as to which one is expecting.
Oh, I hope it wasn't a secret.

I salvaged a strip of vinyl siding with raised edges to use for
a Hot Wheels racetrack.  Claire starts the blue bus on its way.

And Evan meets it at the station.  Teamwork.

This was as nice a little reunion as you could ask for.
Loyd and Taylor girls are intent on populating the world
with high quality chillun.  And succeeding.

Next post will feature Brianna and Hunter.

This Blog's for You: Mr. Loyd's Class of 1978-79

I am proud to present the 3rd and 4th grade class I taught in 1978-79.  Mary Ann Wray was my teacher assistant that year, my fourth year teaching.  It was a memorable year and I occasionally see many of my students around Moore County.  Others have been in touch via Facebook or by e-mail.  Some attended my big retirement party in 2008.

Are you in this picture?  Are some of your friends?  How about one of your PARENTS!?  I'll be posting this on Facebook and would love to see comments from any of you who come across this post.  Some names are below the picture.

Now I've thrown caution to the wind and updated

this blog with last names.  No offense intended --

if the IRS is after you or you're in the witness

protection program, etc.

Mr. Loyd * Jay Maples * Gerald Yost* Sean Barnes

Keith Millikan * Ms. Wray * Teresa Armstrong * Kelly Hall

Ashley Oldham * Sonya Jones * Charles Smith

 Mark Garner * Joy Whitaker * Hope Prim

Leigh Ann Priest * Penny Minor * Sherry Locklear

April Braddock * Melony Caddell * Gina de Pasquale 

Kelly Hill * Melvin Malloy * Jimmy Patterson 

 Michael Lewis * Travis Blue

Jimmy Sadler *    William Marsh   * Mark Boger

Hope some of you have fun with this.  Leave comments here or on Facebook.  I'll be posting about other classes of mine in random order.  Make a request if you want YOUR class moved to the front of the line!

Smilax: aka Greenbrier, Catbrier, or "Wait-a-minute Vine"

I wonder if there was ever a sci-fi movie called "Invasion of the Smilax."  It's a prolific and hardy vine that I've become well-acquainted with on the Sandhills Farm Life Nature Trail and on my own property.

It's brutal thorns are the first things students notice.  All of this plant's other names are apt.  Greenbrier is descriptive, as it keeps this color year round.  Catbrier is a reference to how it can rake across your unprotected arm, leg, or face in a heartbeat.  And some refer to it as the "wait-a-minute vine" because when it snags your clothing, you have to delay your stroll while you gingerly disentangle yourself.  Hopefully, without further injury.

These thorns are stiff and unyielding, but at least they don't embed themselves in your tender skin like cactus, blackberry thorns, and others.

Smilax is a native vine, so no matter how it thrives, it's not considered invasive.  I wear heavy gloves when clipping it at ground level in areas where it's unwanted.  I cleared this wheelbarrow load out of Judy's prayer garden, where it is planted by songbirds among the sweetshrubs.  Winter is a good time to spot it and eliminate it, if only temporarily.

The next two pictures show what a dense tangle this vine can become if not kept in check.  You can also see the dark berries which grow on mature plants.  In spite of its "dark" qualities, smilax apparently has some benefits.  The berries provide food for birds and other creatures throughout the year, not just seasonally.  And deer can even eat the spiny stems.  I can scarcely see how!

On the back part of our property, I've allowed smilax to spread uncontested.  With most of the trees bare of leaves, you can see how huge clumps of smilax have claimed a place in the understory and canopy layers of the forest.

I've recently read that the rhizomes, or rootstock of smilax are actualy edible by humans.  I'm going to check into that, but even a master chef like Judy will need some convincing before incorporating it into one of her dishes.

Over the last thirty-plus years here at the Loyd place I've finally eradicated sandspurs.  I've limited cactus to the areas where it won't be a hazard.  But I'm not in a position to declare war on smilax.  I'd have to dig up every new sprout by the roots, which can often be deep.  And the birds would continue to plant more.  So I'll have to be content with the ongoing pruning, both at home and on the nature trail, reminding myself that every single creation of God has a place in the grand scheme of things.

Vines in general are quite fascinating.  Their common trait is that they depend on twining growth and tendrils that cling to anything nearby for support.  Other vines that are abundant here at home and on the nature trail are:

• poison ivy
• honeysuckle
• Trumpet Creeper/Japanese ivy
• grapevine
• Virginia Creeper
• wisteria
• Carolina jasmine
• English ivy
• sweet peas
• morning glory
• KUDZU

Of this list, kudzu might be the most likely candidate for a blog post of its own.  Stay tuned.  And before winter is over, pick a mild afternoon for a stroll on the Sandhills Farm Life Nature Trail.  And watch out for SMILAX!



Sixties Celebrities: a change of pace

This font is the only part of this blog in living color.

Switch your mind to black-and-white, as in

sixties television.  My blog readers include those who grew up on the melodramatic fare of those days, as well as those who saw the same shows years later on Nickolodeon or TVLand.

I compiled the photo collage below from 30 pictures I cut out of the TV listings of The Atlanta Journal when I was a kid.  I found a small box with these and more than 100 others that I clipped from "the Green Sheet," as it was known (I scanned these in B&W).  I thought it would be fun (for me, at least) to throw out in cyberspace some random thoughts and trivia regarding some of these one-time stars (others, I don't know enough about to even comment).

I'd be delighted to read some of your thoughts and impressions-- don't hesitate to leave a comment.

• Hayley Mills, daughter of actor John Mills, was in The Parent Trap.
• Broderick Crawford was the stoic chief on Highway Patrol.  Ah, those were the days when patrol cars were black and white on TV and in real life!
• Red Skelton.  I could do a whole blog on him.  The one comedian who didn't annoy you when he laughed at his own jokes.  A heart of gold.  Ended his shows with a humble ". . . and may God bless."
• I only know of James (Jimmy) Cagney as the classic gangster stereotype.
• Carroll O'Connor was about to make a name for himself as Archie Bunker on "All in the Family."  Glad I've still got a tape of their highlights.
• I knew of Burl Ives as a folksinger, not an actor.  One of the first LP records my family purchased after we got a stereo (around 1965, at Zayre) taught me songs like "For Me and My Gal" and "Red Sails in the Sunset."
• Arthur Godfrey was more famous for hosting some sort of amateur talent show, and later as an advertising spokesman (was it Geritol?)
• Mickey Rooney always got on my nerves, so I didn't give him much attention.
• Bob Hope was a transcendent comic for the ages, reaching out to audiences across seven decades.  His U.S.O Christmas shows for our servicemen were all classics.
• Elizabeth Taylor.  Judy and I just saw her in her youngest role, a 1940-something version of "Jane Eyre."  Later came "National Velvet," lots of husbands, and lots of diamonds.
• Jonathan Winters was very popular but for some reason he was too corny for me.  That's hard to believe, eh, readers?
• Merle Haggard?  Singer, yes.  Actor, no.  But the "Green Sheet" highlighted performers from those endless "variety shows" as they were known then.
• Brigitte Bardot.  Did she make the bikini famous, or was it the other way around?
• Tammy Wynette is associated with "Stand By Your Man." 
• Ernest Borgnine was on "McHale's Navy," where he was straight man to Tim Conway (Ensign Parker?).  I never thought Borgnine was much of an actor, but years later he begged for the role of his idol Vince Lombardi, and wowed the critics.
• Sophia Loren was supposedly a voluptuous Italian, but we never got to watch her movies at my house.
• Merv Griffin was on at 4:00 in the afternoon and for two decades folks watched him and his endless parade of top-notch guests as religiously as they did for Oprah years later.
• E.G. Marshall made an impression on me in the dramatic series "The Defenders," which was a courtroom show, but different from "Perry Mason."  Young folks, you may not realize it, but he has advertised all kinds of stuff on latter day TV, so he may look familiar.

Well, I told you it would be random, and I kept my promise.  If any of these stir your curiosity, check Google or Wikipedia.  And like I said, leave your own comments.  How's this for a change of pace?

And if you liked THOSE videos . . .

Here are three final videos to complete

my summary of January mayhem at the

Loyd Playhouse.

In this video, the kids enjoy what I think

is the most brilliant toy ever-- the Sit-n-Spin.

Jennifer and Amanda could ride separately

or together when they were pre-schoolers

and it looks like their kids also have the knack.

They're just a few weeks from mastering

the "hand-over-hand technique."  Then they'll

really be zooming.  (32 seconds)

This one is sort of funny.  Bri starts out pulling

Claire in the wagon.  Bri thinks it's funny that

Claire says "Well."  Then Claire decides that

pulling will be more fun than being pulled.  So

begins a semi-struggle to see who will pull

the empty wagon.  (28 seconds)

Fortunately, when it's Grandpa Ken's turn

to pull, no one tries to take the reins from me.

I rope the car and wagon together so I can

pull three kids around the yard at once.

Judy does a great job on the video-- it's hard

to keep up with a moving target.  (39 seconds)

I hope you enjoyed these.  I'll get Hunter

in action at first opportunity.  Let's roll

into February!

January Action Videos!

Somehow, when we had both Brianna and

Claire last Friday, I was free to take more

pictures and videos.  The girls entertained

each other and Evan for extended periods

and had some lively conversations.

In this video, Bri had already pulled Evan

quite a distance in the wagon before I

started filming.  As the ground leveled out

and her load got heavier, she announces,

"We're not doing very well."  But she would

volunteer for "pulling duty" again and again.

(17 seconds)

Grandpa Ken finally got around to replacing

some nuts and bolts to improve our 26 year-old

glide swing.  The girls like it much better now

that it swings smoothly and has old bicycle

seats for comfort.  For some reason, both girls

prefer the seat to the left.  When Bri climbs off

and suggests that they go for a run in the field,

Claire takes advantage to head for the other

seat.  When Bri sees that, she falls apart-- but

 Grandpa easily averts catastrophe, don't worry.

(30 seconds)

Dear Reader, I hope you have memories of

making large packing boxes into a fantasy

playhouse.  A simple box can be a castle,

a truck, a spaceship, you name it.  The girls

have a good time in this washing machine box.

The giggly girls lean out the windows to inquire,

"Hey, what's down there?"  And Claire still

has her American flag.

(1 minute)

That Friday was a video-rich day, so I

will be posting another blog with three

additional heart-warming videos.