Author: Lisa -Southern Patches

Hello everyone, my name is Lisa I am a southern girl born and raised in East Tennessee. I love discovering new places and things to do. I have a lot of favorites, shopping, traveling, knitting and photography are all at the top of my list. I am married with my fur babies my only children. This blog is actually named after my beloved basset hound Patches. She passed away a few years ago but will always have a huge part of my heart. Come with me and we will explore some wonderful places and discover some really fun things. Are you ready?

Happy Leap Day!!

Happy Saturday and Happy Leap Day. I always feel for the people who have Birthdays on February 29th. I guess they have to choose to celebrate it on February 28th or March 1st.

The sun is shining here in East Tennessee. We have had a mixture of all kinds of weather this week even a little snow.

The flu has hit my work place. Several people I work with have the flu or are just getting over the flu. One man I have to work very closely with was diagnosed on Wednesday. Of course he came to work both Tuesday and Wednesday I am sure long enough to make several of us sick. He came in and kept coughing and coughing and he isn’t one to cover his mouth very well. I finally told him I thought he had the flu and should just leave and go to the clinic. He did and he called a little while later to say I was right he had the flu. Yay me!!!! We sprayed everything down with lysol spray but we have to be in such close quarters it’s crazy to think some of us won’t get it. I had to laugh at one of my co workers when he grabbed the lysol can and said all we can do is spray and pray.

I am terrified of bringing the flu home to Mark. Because of the kidney transplant he takes immunosuppressant drugs and his immune system is very weakened. Last night he started sniffling and coughing. I was like a mama bear monitoring him but I think it is a cold and now I think I have that too.

On Monday we had a crew at work to cut trees down behind our building. I have always had a fear of death by a tree, I will have to tell you about that one day, so it really makes me nervous when they are cutting. This is one job I could never do and it makes me nervous to even watch.

Look at this guy!!!! He is tied off with ropes and at one point he lost his footing and was dangling in the trees. He just righted himself and went back to work. Be still my heart.

On Tuesday I, along with a couple of co workers, attended the food show in Gatlinburg. I am sure that I have mentioned before Gatlinburg is about 70 miles north of us so it takes about an hour and a half to get there. The food show was sponsored by one of the food vendors we use for our restaurant at work. It was pretty interesting. There were tons of people displaying food and new food ideas. We came away with some great ideas for our restaurant for this season. After the food show we spent some time in Gatlinburg just roaming the streets and shops. I went to bed that night at 8:30 I was exhausted.

No I can’t imagine eating this burger but I was about to snag some of those sweet potato fries.

Lot’s of yummy food at the show and lot’s of samples.

The rest of the week we were very short staffed at work because of all of the flu that was going around. I am so far behind with my own work because I have been filling in in other areas.

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is March. You remember the saying does March come in like a lion or a lamb? Will it be windy and blustery like a lion or calm and gentle like a lamb? Let me know what it is like in your area.

For some time I have been toying with the idea of doing a month long blog challenge. This is where you blog every day for 30 days about a different topic. I decided to make the commitment. I hope you enjoy it as much as I will enjoy writing about these different things. Here are the topics and I will start March 1, tomorrow.

Today marks the four year anniversary of losing my precious girl Patches. She is who this blog is named after. I will never forget her. A little more about that tomorrow because that is the first topic of the blog writing challenge. Wish me luck.

My sweet Patches. I miss her every day

Have a wonderful weekend and always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

Weekends

Happy Monday friends how have you been? My weekend was really good. On Saturday I went to a local yarn shop, well it’s not really local it’s about a 30-40 minute drive for me, but that is my nearest yarn shop. It was such a beautiful day. There was not a cloud in the sky. This yarn shop, The Yarn Haven, flooded about this time last year. Their shop flooded before they were able to get in and save very much of the yarn. It took almost a year to reopen in another location. This was the first time I had been to the new store. I had saved up some money just for this occasion and I was really excited about going.

The Yarn Haven is where I learned to knit socks many many years ago. They offer a lot of different classes. They even do a class where you can bring your work and just work on whatever project you have going. If you need help there is some wonderful instructors there to help out. I have learned so much through this shop.

Because Saturday was such a beautiful day I decided to take the back roads and take some pictures. The sky was unbelievably blue.

Just look at that sky. It is so beautiful. I love the colors of the field against the sky.

And look at those mountains in the background. You may not be able to see it but there is snow on the mountain tops.

We have had flooding in the area the last few weeks. This road just a couple of miles from us is still partially flooded. One lane is actually still closed. It still looks a little scary.

So I went to the yarn shop and it took me about two hours to get there because of all the stops I made to take photos. I was in heaven. Most of the time when I am passing through these areas I don’t have time to stop and get pictures. I just decided that I was going to take the time.

This is my haul from the yarn shop. I hadn’t been in over a year. I had to stock up. Yeah that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I don’t know what I am going to make with all of this but I can’t wait to get started.

The Bradford Pear trees are starting to bloom out. This is crazy!!! I am so afraid we are going to have freezing weather and kill all that has bloomed out.

Sunday was a restful day hanging out at home. I did make a blueberry cobbler and it was yummy!!!! I will have it for breakfast for a few mornings. Don’t judge!!!!

And I saved the best for last. Today (Monday, February 24th) is Baby Kay Day!!! That is the day that I donated a kidney to my husband and we call the kidney Baby Kay. We celebrate every year. It has been nine years today. It is the best thing I have ever done. If you ever have a chance to consider donating a kidney and have any questions I would love to answer any that you might have.

I hope you had a great weekend and have a wonderful week!!!

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Freaky Friday

Maybe the best way to wake up at 5:00 AM on a Friday morning is not The Rolling Stones blaring it’s only rock and roll but I like it. But that’s my alarm ringtone and I like it. Well to be honest I tried to change it to a more soothing wake up ringtone but something happened and it always goes back to this. I almost always wake up before the alarm goes off but I keep my alarm set just in case. I had book club last night and got in late and got to bed a little later than usual. So I was sleeping hard at 5:00 AM. Anyway I am getting off track.

So when that alarm blares that wake up ring at 5:00 AM I always without fail jump straight up like a crazed woman not knowing where I am or what time of day or even what day it is. I have been known to knock Scruffy and Kitty Kitty off of the bed when this happens. That is what happened this morning. I jumped up to grab my phone and knocked the phone off of my nightstand onto the floor and then knocked a glass of water over and it splashed onto my phone. I picked the phone up and dried it off and it seemed to be fine. I started scrolling through my phone like I always do and as I said it seemed fine. When I started to put my phone on charge a message came up. Cannot charge phone at this time because water has been detected inside the phone. Yikes!!! My phone was practically dead like 2% battery life. Don’t tell my husband he is constantly on me to charge my phone.

I ran back upstairs and got the blow dryer and started drying my phone. Since my phone battery was dead it really got me to thinking what I would do without a phone and just how much we depend on our phones. I would still have my laptop but man that would be hard to carry around until I got my phone fixed or got a new phone or whatever I would have to do. I have all of my work emails on my phone and my blog and my blog stats and well all of my contacts. STOP!! I told myself, and breath. I did and continued to blow warm air around the charging port thingy of my phone. Remember it is 5:15 AM by this time and I still haven’t had coffee. I plugged the phone into the charger and it was fine. I am never going to keep water on my night stand I am too dangerous for that.

So I head downstairs for coffee. I always let Scruffy out first thing so he can use the bathroom. I made my coffee and promptly missed my mouth while taking the first sip and dumped a good bit of it down the front of my pajamas. OK. I was definitely awake after that. You can imagine that I was a little wary by this time because it still wasn’t even 5:30 A.M. Should I just go back to bed and stay in the rest of the day? you know Mercury is in Retrograde as we speak. Actually until March 10th. This is a time when crashed computers, missed flights and tension in the workplace seem to happen more than usual. But according to astronomers, this common celestial phenomenon is no reason to stay cooped up at home for weeks at a time. But I have to say this morning sort of made me wonder.

Well I did go to work and everything wast fine. I had to leave work a little early to take care of some things for my mother in law. We went to get her some supplies and an ice cream and went for a ride. I also got to visit with some of her sweet neighbors in the village. A really good day after all even though it started out a little freaky.

I love this tree I see it on my way to work every day. I think I will take a picture of it during every season.

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

Do You Get Tired of Shoulding?

Why are we shoulding all over ourselves? I first heard this question several years ago from Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City. Carrie and her friends had been doing a lot of things they felt they “should” do whether they really wanted to or not. Well, not Samantha. You know she never did anything she didn’t want to do. But it makes me think why do we do the things we do? How do you choose?

When you were growing up you probably had a parent or teacher or older sibling tell you that you “should” do something. Usually it was something that you didn’t really want to do but you knew you should. This is when shoulding is born. We are really big on shoulding in the south. To hear someone else say that you “should” just sort of validates it. As an adult shoulding becomes even more prominent in our day to day lives.

Of course there are things that you have to do right? You have to keep up with doctor appointments, You have to go to work You have to clean the house and buy groceries and pay bills and taxes and go to that less than pleasant event that you don’t want to but should. Shoulding tends to be in competition with the things you “have” to do and things you “want” to do. “I want to” go out with my friends, eat at that new restaurant, go shopping, knit, take pictures or whatever you want to do. Then you have the ‘shoulds” I should be happy about that. I should have gone into work today. I should apologize. I should go to that meeting. I should be more grateful. I should eat better. So where is that little gray line between have to want to and should?

I have an older sister who does not believe in shoulding. If she doesn’t want to do something then by golly she just doesn’t do it. This used to cause her a lot of guilt but I recently noticed that is not the case so much anymore. I think she feels like she is at an age where she will do what she wants to do and not because she should. Wow!!! That is powerful. There is a part of me that is in awe of her like she is some endangered creature to watch and study. I may even be a little jealous, shhhhh. And then there is that part of me that gets a little pissed off at her when she doesn’t show up for a family event or something that me and my other sister feel that we “should” attend. I guess I am more mad at myself for shoulding than her for not shoulding.

I don’t know the secret to changing a should into a want to. I do know that a should can easily become a have to. And if you do it enough such as exercise, cooking, or whatever that should could even become a “want” to.

Anyway you know what I say,

Love your day your way!!! You really should!!!