Cats, cats and more cats...

Back last September/October (2020) while Jarin and I were still taking care of things in Opp, Cori 

was here trying to make friends with this stray who had a bad eye.

She finally caught him and after calling around locally to different vets to see if they would help at a reasonable price (no), she found a group called Operation Catnip in Gainesville, FL. She took him there and they checked it and did surgery to remove it, since it was too far gone to save. No charge for the surgery but we all donated to them. 

almost all healed from surgery

and now, all healthy and clean, though he has gotten a little rounder.

We mainly call him Kitty or kitty baby. Sometimes Jack (by Hubby) (for one eyed Jack).

He is the sweetest and calmest of all the cats.

By cats I mean, Cori already had Tokki, then Sam came to live with us when Mom passed and now kitty.

And then this, a stray I have been feeding since we moved here, I thought was male. Cori noticed she looked pregnant or had worms. But then she showed up not pregnant and Cori went on the hunt for the kittens. She found the kittens, (they were born on June 30) caught mom, then got the kittens and moved them into the screened in porch. When they were old enough we let them roam the porch. 

We brought the kittens in to get them socialized off and on during the day.

(That is the bottom of a stool)

Top right is Miso

the two black ones are Tobiko (Tobi) and Tako

The grey tabby was Doodle

Operation Catnip also spayed the mom and neutered all four kittens and gave them their shots. We also dewormed them. Cori found homes for Miso and Tobi first, then Tako and finally Doodle. I might would have kept him if we didn't have all the others. 

Mama kitty as we call her, still comes and goes to the porch every day, she has food, water and litter box on the porch and she sleeps there at night. Kitty and her are friends (or relatives), he treated the kittens like they were his own.

All who took a kitten donated to Operation Catnip, and we still do from time to time. 

 

This is Sam (on left) and Tokki (Toe-ki) in Cori's room

Tokki 

Sam

Mama kitty (she’s the smallest of them all)

Take care,

Sheila

Laying Mom to rest...

Thought I'd share a little about Mama's funeral. I put a link to the songs, Supermarket flowers was the first song that played. If it was called Walmart flowers it would have been more fitting. She loved grabbing her a bouquet when she went to Walmart. Then we had Bro. Wayne Russell read something for us, that I am sharing here. Thank you again Jack for letting us share what you wrote for her on your blog. Then we played Take my hand, precious Lord. (my Grandfather's name was Otis B. but most called him O.B. and what he called her was Johnny, but I made it more feminine. She said that was what he wanted to name her so he just called her that, though I don't know how he would have spelled it.)

Supermarket Flowers

FROM HER CHILDREN:

Mom was born Sybil Jean Anderson in the town of Dixie in Escambia County, Alabama on October 3rd, 1934 to parents O.B. and Hastie Turner Anderson. Most of her family growing up called her Jean or Sybil Jean and to her daddy she was Jonnie. She had five brothers: Curtis “Curt” Anderson, Charles “Pill” Anderson, Lloyd “Mutt” Anderson, Walter Anderson, and Lawson Henry “L.H.” Anderson who passed away when he was very young. And she also had three sisters: Corine Stone, Theresa “Reesy” Ziglar, and Geraldine “Gerl” Adams. She married Grover C. Boyett on December 19th, 1949, and together they had five children: Ronnie Dean Boyett, Carl Edwin Boyett, Terrie Lynn Boyett, Sheila Jean Yarbrough, and Grover Shawn Boyett. From them, she has 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

FROM HER FRIEND JACK DARNELL:

Joan of Arc is a well-known name. She did not live long but established her place in history. At 16 she attempted to join the army and was laughed out of the building. A short time later she tried again and won.

After many weeks/months of meetings it was determined she was in contact with the Saints and led in the battle of Orleans. She had other victories, but was captured by the English and burned at the stake. She was 19. It never pays to kill a hero; her memory was the rallying point of the French in the 100 year war. Did you know her name was Jeanne d’arc?

We here in Bloggersville have had a friend, Jean of OPP. Actually she was Sybil Jean Boyett. She is not famous worldwide like her namesake, but to her family and we here in Blogland, this lady was incredible. Jean’s blog was written exactly as she spoke, using terms I remember growing up.

In her 80s, this lady could do more than most seniors I have known. She could handle a pressure washer. She cut trees to get her cat down. She washed a truck and car at least every week. She cut the grass, chopped what ever had to be chopped, cooked and baked. She also took care of her lifelong love Grover, like a baby during his last years. Never did this lady complain.

Heck she was older than Sherry & I, and once she replaced the main memory in her computer. I wouldn’t attempt that. Her feats are enumerable. Once passing near Opp, Alabama I asked if we could take her and Grover to dinner. They agreed and we had a nice evening. Our one regret was learning later she had a cake at home for us had we accompanied them home, but we hated to impose.

I have related just a few of the things recorded by that lady. Life is a twisting tale, Jeanne d’arc or Joan of Arc was declared a Saint many years after her death. But the Jean of Opp (AKA Sybil Jean Boyett) was declared a Saint while she lived, because she was.

Rest in peace from your many labors, Sybil (Jean) Boyett, your works and creations WILL follow on.

FROM HER GRANDCHILDREN:

Grandma was the magnet that always brought the family together during the summer and at Christmas time, no matter how far away we were from each other. Her house was like a second home to us. She was always ready to make us a grilled cheese sandwich, whether we asked for it or not. She had fun trying to scare us but usually didn’t succeed because she’d crack up laughing. She loved to laugh and would often get so caught up that she would laugh so hard she cried. She would sit in the living room with us playing Yoshi’s Island and Super Mario World on the old Super Nintendo. She’d have us take a break and we’d watch her play through the same level over and over again to get us extra lives so we wouldn’t have to start all over again when we died. She would always swing the controller when she had to jump because she felt like it helped with the momentum. Grandma always tried to pay us for errands and then she’d get mad when we snuck the money back in her purse. It became a sort of game to try to return the money without her finding out until it was too late to give it back to us. She was famous for her biscuits and everyone always looked forward to breakfast at Grandma’s. It was usually already cooking well before any of us woke up. When she gave us hugs, she’d always rub our backs and call us “shug”. 

Grandma was a very kind-hearted and caring person who always made sure we had anything and everything we needed. She’d always laugh at our jokes, even if they weren’t funny, just so we’d feel good. She made everyone feel welcome, whether it was the first time meeting them or the hundredth. Every friend of ours that had the privilege of meeting her loved her. She had a lot of love to go around and was very generous in showing it to everyone around her. She was loved and will be missed more than she could ever imagine.

Take my hand, Precious Lord

A short bit of what Bro. Wayne said:

Most of you here know Ms. Sybil as Mom or Grandmother or Great Grandmother and she's left quite the legacy just with the family. And it sounds like just how she conducted herself in life also left quite a legacy, something you can all be proud of and share in. It's undeniable that a mother's love is one of the greatest gifts that God could ever bless us with and it's very precious to us. We know that Ms. Sybil is special to you and that the loss you feel right now is evidence of her love for you and your love for her. 

He read Ephesians 2 verses 4-7 and explained its meaning and said a prayer. 

The last song we played

When I'm Gone

Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

2020

 Hello all,

I've started several times to update my blog but wasn't quite ready. The only good thing to come out of 2020 was my youngest child, Cori, moved back home and is in nursing school. 

Mom had heart valve surgery toward the end of January, the kind where they go through the vein, called TAVR. She did great, no problems with surgery. A month later, at her check up, she was starting to get a little congested. She ended up with bronchitis, then feet and legs swelling. Heart doc said it was from the steroids....a patient just has heart surgery and one of the symptoms after can be leg swelling, but lets not check that... Primary doc was no better, you know, Covid and all. She spent a few days in hospital in April, after calling the doctor who did the surgery, and he said to go to ER, but the laryngitis and tiredness continued a while. Her heart rate was a little higher and her blood pressure lower. She finally went to a heart doc closer by and went to a different primary doc too.  Hubby had outpatient surgery in Gainesville, on May 14th and I called her that night and we talked over an hour and a half. Her hoarseness was gone and she sounded so much better, thought she was finally turning a corner. On Friday the 22nd, her legs were swelling again so she went to her new doc, he wanted her to go in the hospital so they could get the fluid off while keeping check on her blood pressure. Saturday morning they found her unresponsive, they revived her twice but her heart couldn't sustain it. When she was in the hospital in April a doctor commented that the bronchitis had caused congestive heart failure, I'm not sure that is true. When she first found out about her heart valve, years ago, she said she wasn't going to have surgery for it, if it killed her it killed her. But she had to because she had no energy and tired out quickly, after a bad episode after Thanksgiving. The symptoms of no energy and tiredness continued which made her depressed. She always said if she couldn't see after herself or do the things she's used to doing, (like washing both vehicles, cleaning her carport, cutting trees down to save cats, etc  :-) then she would rather be dead. I think her heart was just too worn out after all these years, maybe if she had had the surgery done after Dad passed, but who knows, the same thing might have happened. My Mom passed away on May 23, 2020, some of you may have read her blog Jean's Tales. I miss her everyday. I used her cake holder the first time the other day and it made me cry, Hubby asked if I was okay, I said I just miss her, he said I miss her too. She told hubby after my Dad passed that she loved him like her own son. She was loved by so many who got to meet her. She was kind and generous and welcoming. She loved to laugh, and we'd laugh until we cried over nothing. But she could fuss as well, ;-) This lady made the best biscuits, we all loved them, neighbors, family and friends would check to see if there were any left if they came over. I made a video of her making them back in 2015, hoping I could eventually make them as well as her. I may one day get close, but they'll never be like hers. 

Take care, Sheila

2019 update...

Hello again,

Behind our house - they survived the holiday

We made it through Thanksgiving, now it's almost Christmas. We split Thanksgiving between Alabama and home. My brother Shawn and his family were coming to my Mom's and our youngest daughter was coming to our house for Thanksgiving. So we spent time in both places. 

Now on to how the rest of 2019 went...

Jarin spent a month in Jan -Feb visiting her friend in Washington state. She got to see cold and snow and she caught strep throat :( 

Hubby and I got to enjoy Colonoscopies a week apart. My first, the end of February and his second in March. My Dad had colon cancer in 1999 so the doctors have been on me to have it done. I put it off as long as I could. All's well that ends well, we're good.

Our new toy in April

In July, Cori changed jobs again. She gets to use her artist side in this job, designing pins and logos and such.

Hubby's late brother Mike's son got married in October. We were proud for him, he has always been a good kid / man. He was our ringbearer when we got married. We missed Mike being there.

Cori and Elliot brought us the respiratory crud at Thanksgiving and it's one that likes to linger. I'm a little bit ahead of Hubby and Jarin getting over it.

So here we are near the end of December. Mom has to have a procedure done after the first of the year. It's something they've been watching for years but time to take care of it now. Hubby's Mom had a recent fall and is in rehab to get her strength up. So please send up prayers for my loved one's in need. Thank you!

The oversized chair and ottoman we recently got rid of. I loved it but it was too big.

(Cori and Shawn's kids Madi and Noah )

Soon the year 2020 will be here and we are up to date on the years I missed.

Take care,
Sheila

Moving on to 2018...

Hello,
We made it through Halloween. In the first bunch of trick or treaters one little girl decided she didn't want candy, she wanted to come in and see what hubby was eating, lol. But she finally took the candy.

Buzzards hanging around the swans and ducks today for some reason.

There were about 4 buzzards until I went to get my camera...of course.

End of 2017...

After Dad passed Jarin and I stayed through Christmas. My brothers and their families came back at Christmas too. Jarin had a friend from Australia coming Dec 31st, Rachel. They spent a few days at Disney World since Jarin picked her up in Orlando. Jarin brought the crud back with her, then Rachel caught it a day or so later, then Mom. I thought I had dodged the bullet but then I caught it. So that delayed my leaving until Jan 15, 2018.

2018...

With still a little coughing and congestion, Jarin, Rachel and I headed back to NC. Jarin had to go back to get her car and they stayed a week up there. It snowed shortly after we got home so Rachel got to enjoy snow while she was here. We enjoyed having Rachel, she was a lot of fun and hopefully she'll get to come back soon.

So back to the move, Hubby came back up mid February for a couple of months and we finished getting the house ready. Getting rid of stuff and taking stuff to the dump or goodwill. Gave some things to friends. The movers came March 6 and 7 to get us packed up and loaded. His job got Hubby a hotel in Greensboro near work and I stayed a couple of days in town because I had Carpet cleaners and such coming after the movers left. Then I went up to the hotel in Greensboro. While there we picked out stuff for the new house we were building in Florida. A one story finally after all these years. We did our taxes and the girls taxes. Just enjoyed our time together. Thankfully our house in NC sold pretty quickly and we closed on that in May. I left NC to go to Mom's on April 9th, thinking Hubby had to stay a few more weeks but he only had to stay about a week longer.

So the next few months was me going down to stay with hubby in the camper 6 weeks or so then back to mom's, back and forth.

Then Hubby's dad started going downhill with infections and such until he passed on Aug 11. He was a retired Air Force veteran so he got the full military funeral.

We finally closed on our house Sept 21. It shouldn't have taken over 9 months to build but it did. 

Completed

The kitchen minus the fridge and stove

Our doors are dark grey

Oct 6 - 10th - Hubby spent in the hospital with pneumonia. He came home the Wednesday before thinking it was the flu but he was no better by Saturday. I told him he needed to go to the hospital - 'no, I'll be alright' - can you walk to the car or do I need to call an ambulance? 'I can walk to the car'. So we got him dressed and to the hospital. Hurricane Michael was headed this way during that time, he got out the day it was expected but lucky for us we had no effects from it. 

On to 2019...

Take care,

Sheila

The 2017 update...

Good afternoon!

We have been busy the last two weekends. We had to clean up the love bug onslaught. Weekend before last we cleaned off the front porch, door and windows. The love bugs make their way between the screen and window. The builders put the window screens in half-arsed,  just saying, so we cleaned them out, me inside - hubby outside and got the screens put in right. Then I put out a little decoration for Halloween. This weekend we cleaned the rest of the windows and trim, then cleaned the back porch. I washed the rocking chairs and tables. So glad that is done. We had our back porch screened in a couple of weeks ago. So that will keep the love bugs, frogs and birds that want to make a nest and poop on our rockers out. Doggies have a visit with a new vet today. Charlie needs a couple of shots.

Well on to 2017. It was not a good year.

On January 20 we lost Hubby's brother Mike unexpectedly. Others knew him as Steve but he was Mike to family. Sudden cardiac arrest. Still hard to believe. Hubby and Mike's son Justin gave the Eulogy, they did a great job, I wish I had a recording of it. Hubby started working on moving us back closer to home.

So around June Hubby went to Macon, Ga for a few months. The company had a place there and Lake City, FL. We weren't sure which place we'd end up but they were both about the same distance from home (Alabama).

Come August, Cori took another job and moved to Orlando, FL. Tech support and making power apps. Hubby said she could fall down and find a $100 dollars (pertaining to how easy she could fall into a good job..ha).

Then in September I followed Jarin to Mom's so she could stay there while I got the house ready to sale. I stayed a little while, stopping by Macon on the way there and staying in Macon a few days on the way back to NC. It was a little hard going back to NC by myself though.
Shortly after, it was decided that Lake City is where we were headed. Hubby came back to NC here and there. We ended up buying a travel trailer for him to stay in in Florida.

For Thanksgiving that year, Cori went to her Dad's and Jarin came up to NC. She was going to stay with me until I went down for Christmas. But God had other plans. Right after Thanksgiving my Dad took a turn for the worst and we headed to Mom's on Dec 1st. He was unresponsive by then, though he did open his eyes that night, but I don't know if he was aware. All the siblings (except my brother Ronnie who passed in 2013) were there when he passed on Sunday morning the 3rd.

    Mike

          (Cori said Uncle Mike doesn't look like he'd be funny but he is...ha.)

  Hubby, his Dad and Mike

   (Summer before we moved to Washington state)

                                     

 Dad

   Dad - Army 

  From his and Mom's 60th Anniversary celebration

       Mom and Dad were 16 days from their 68th anniversary when he passed. Love him and miss him.

To be continued...
Take care,
Sheila

It's me again...

Surprise, surprise...it has been awhile. Things have changed since the last post. But I will catch you up.

We are all doing well. No longer in NC, now in Florida. But I'll get to that on another post.

2016-
About 4 days over the 4th of July in 2016, Cori was given a chance to go to an Anime convention in L.A. to demonstrate a company's drawing tablets for computers. She owned one that she used to draw on her computer. She told them if they paid her way she would come do it and they did, paid all her expenses. While there they offered her a job and she went to China to train for 2 months, from Sept 1 to Nov 1. Yes, her mama survived... She made a few videos for them demonstrating the products and also designed and drew the booklet that came with the tablets. Here's a link to a couple of them. She didn't know they were planning to make a video in the first one so she didn't dress for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFkOYC4QAEs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO9CV1-0S7c

She became their tech support for the tablets and also helping with English translation.

After she returned in November she rescued a kitten she named Tokki (Toe-key).


We stayed home Christmas 2016 because Jarin had to work. Turned out to be the last Christmas there because I didn't decorate for 2017. More to come....

To be continued...

Take care, 

Sheila