Apple Blossoms, Charity the Camper walk-through & naming, more birds, 3rd Great-Grandparents obituaries found! & Printable
Issue 141
Hubby’s apple tree! Only one tree is blooming so I guess we won't get apples this year.
The last post I shared I gave a list of everything blooming. I have been keeping track to add to my journaling, but I do not have a list to add right now to share with you as I do not have the time.
But lovely apple blossoms can fill your stream! I like how each stage of growth is so lovely yet so unique.
I posted these on April 6, but I think I took them the week before. We had a F2 tornado come close to our house, and another weaker one just days later. They totally wiped out the blossoms.
Look at that beautiful bud popping up in between all of the other fully bloomed flowers!
We finally were able to camp again last weekend. (Video Link on YouTube so you can go hit like if you want to help me out.) We took a local trip about 50 minute drive from home. It was our first time staying at a HipCamp. It was called the Wine Trail Wildnerness HipCamp. We really enjoyed the space and the winery and beautiful weather. I added photos and journaling to this website page. The Wisteria and Dogwoods were gorgeous and such a delight!
We had not shared our final “build” of our camper since we finished it, so I did a walk-through video of it. If life would get out of the way and all the stoopidity that keeps surprising us, we might just get to camp again soon!
I am hoping by sharing our “build” in case it is inspiration for others. There is a playlist for Lone Peak to find videos of us working on it. We seem to be different than most who share their builds. I’ve added my boho woman touches to it and may do more over time.
There is a story about the fabric I used that I sewed for the camper in the video. I love that my sewing project made my camper unique!
You can see us using stuff in the first video, but I tried to split video snippets into a walkthrough video and one more about the camping spot and memories of what we did.
I consider us minimalist campers. We have no power source. We have no lights except similar to using a flashlight like we’ve always done. We are down to a $24 single burner stove. We mostly kept our simple supplies we’ve always camped with but had to repackage the storage of them.
We used yoga mats for the flooring! We built wood parts to our needs as short and old people. I look at some of these other builds and know they have to be tall people. We had have the toilet too. It sure gets used. I shared how we did the tailgate closing which is different than other. Anyway. Needs certainly do affect the builds.
Can I say I love that I can reach my table cloth! I have had it for years, but never bothered to dig it out of the tub! Now it’s handy. I’m one that loves the little things that make my space feel like a gift to myself, like a table cloth or the pillow with long ruffles. These things make me happy.
At the end of the above video I share about the naming of Charity the Camper.
The name of my camper is to honor my zany Grandma and her band and I inserted some quite a few photos o her and the band at the end of the video as I tell about why I named the camper Charity. No, Grandma was not that large as it seems in this photo. She stuffed her behind and her chest and stuck them out while playing the washtub!
Yep, I was a wee bit excited about the hummingbirds being back!
I put all the below February sharing on this post so long ago! I am hoping life gets easier so I can get back to regular Substack sharing. Although it is now full into late Spring, and the below photos contain snow which we do not want to think about right now, I hope you enjoy them none-the-less.
#11 of 11 of the birds in my garden this snowy week is the Carolina Wren. I confuse it with the White-throated Sparrow, which I often think is a Wren and so, hey, photo opportunities are look-up-close educational opportunities in reality. That white stripe swooshed upon the head is a grand indication of the Carolina Wren. Look at that under-tail fur too! This bird was created for eating in any position from any feeder. It is a can-do bird! February 2025
#10 of 11 in out my window this week is the Downey Woodpecker. They are a regular in our garden year round, staying in the neighbor's trees. We like them, as long as they behave. We are not too keen on them pecking at our house and roof and will try to do things to chase them away if they are messing with our stuff. I tell them, go do that to the trees and stay off the house! I love the polkadots on the wings, the strip on the head, and the bit of red on the neck. I imagine their pointy beak to be painful should it ever touch my skin, so I chase those thoughts away and merely enjoy their acrobats. February 2025
Bird #9 of 11 in my window this week is the European Starling. I remember when I first saw the bird I thought it was so unique and facinsating, and then I learned about it and now it is my least favorite bird. It is a bully and a fighter. It is mean and chases off the other birds and hoards the food for itself. It even fights with its own clan. Yesterday morning they were huddled on the top of my planter to keep warm and formed a line up my driveway. When they show up, even one, it is time to put the feeders away for about 3 days until they give up and move on. That is what bully's do in the real world too. They mess up good things for other people. Now the other birds will not have easy food for 3 days, but they will hang around and be back. The starlings are also impatient and will move along. February 2025
There’s a new website page for the Crow. Not my favorite bird, but I got some photos.
There’s a new website page for the Grackle. I have been familiar with the Grackle for a long time. When I first spotted it with the iridescent blue around the head and the tad of purple on the wing, I was in love with its beauty. Then I learned that it was a mean bird! I mean really! Look at those yellow pokey eyes! It comes in huge masses just like the European Starling and the Crow. I put them all in the same category of "mean birds" that can have a fun life, but not in my yard! I like the friendly birds to visit me, although I do not mind seeing the Grackle and its iridescent blue from time to time.
Here’s a video I caught of the Grackle digging for a worm.
Wow! I never saw this one coming. This was posted by a respected tea company that I have purchased from, so I have confidence in its validity. They are going to require this tea company to collect social security numbers! It's one thing to get the TIN if it is a business, but this company ships to individuals in the US too. Fortunately, they do have a US warehouse too, but they were selling from both locations to US customers as each website had different products. They closed down any sales from their overseas website to individuals, but are still trying to get out orders made before they closed it. Some people buy large quantities of tea cakes. That is, those folks that can afford $800 or more. That would not be me. But what if I did have another type of large purchase in another country? Having more people have my SSN would be a great deterent from making that purchase. It’s totally crazy.
Look what I found! I do not think I have ever seen this obiturary of my 3rd Great-Grandpa George W. Rutledge before. I love that they keep putting new newspapers online. They are putting more and more newspapers online which makes for fun finds.
I had read that he was a reverend in his wife’s obituary. I did not know what church or denomination he served. Now I know! I do not think these churches exist now in Richwoods, Missouri, so I am trying to do some research on the Baptist Church in Richwoods and a church called Northcumberland.
I did not think I had ever seen his wife’s Rosine Elizabeth (Boyer) Rutledge's obituary, but I did have on my website a copy of it that looked like it was what was sent to two different newspapers for publication. She is my 3rd Great-Grandma on my Grandpa Rutledge's side. From a note on my website, she was a devout Cathlolic and he converted to Baptist, so I am assuming she did not convert.
I love how their faith is shared. I love that I can follow the heritage of faith throughout the generations. They just do not write obituaries like they used to.
One cold day on April 6 we went to the library to renew my library card and hung out for a while. EVERYTHING hubby does is always extra large and over the top. Small and empty spaces are not words in his vocabulary. Opposites tend to marry.
So I turned it into a fun game and started looking for the littlest books I could find, taking a photo of it, and texting it to him, challenging him to see if he could find a larger book.
My first book find had the word “little” in it.
He finally tried to find another “big” book and this was it.
For the digital scrapbookers that read (and thank you for following me still after all these years), I will share this old free download for you. It’s a rather large freebie. I have lots of free things and tutorials on the website and I think I should be resharing them from time to time.
Also, here is the page for the Spring and Easter Titles for your scrapbooking layouts.
I studied Psalm 22 for Lent this year and I was going to make a Bible journaling layout today to share, but I did not get to it. Instead, I am thinking about Easter tomorrow and am sharing an old image. The notes are on this website page if you want to read them.
Need a fun easy printable to put into an easter basket? I have a free download. I actually have hundreds of free stuff on the website, but I cannot share it all at once! Plus sometimes I feel guilty for re-sharing old stuff, but if I do not do so, it all may be forgotten.
I found this on my website too!
OR — happy clicking!
Easter & Lent & Ash Wednesday 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
I have had a rough year and I am hoping soon it will take a turn for the better so I can get back to creating content more regularly. I was sick most of March! I had a sickness that nearly knocked me out for three days straight that lasted two weeks, and then I was well about one week before someone else shared another sickness with me that lasted almost three weeks! Of course, lots of other things happening that I do not share online. Sometimes all you can do is just push yourself to do one thing at a time to make it through the days of stoopidity.
I love taking a ride through the valleys with all the views, but I do not so much like living in the valleys of the lows of life.
Until next time,
Cheryl
That was one loaded post! Lots of good things...the camper...the birds ... books...hope all is going well and those tornadoes stay away!