A True Red Hat Lady

My grandmother is 93 years old and this hat shows she is a real Red Hat Lady. She is so cute!

It Snowed in Krypton Yesterday

I had to go to town yesterday and would you believe it snowed. Well, it only flurried, but it was snow! We have really had some strange weather. Wednesday we had 68 degree temperatures and that night we had tornado warnings. Yesterday the high only got to about 45 with wind making it feel 32 degrees with snow flurries. I am looking forward to a real snow this year!

My grandmother's yard

My grandmother was a widow in the 40's, but she was able to buy a small house in Krypton, Kentucky, fix it up herself, and put food on the table by selling her hand crochet dolies. When she remarried to the grandfather I knew, they moved to Ohio and owned a nursery until he passed away of lung cancer. During the time they owned the nursery, my grandfather planted all kinds of trees and shrubs in the house my grandmother ownes in Krypton. This is were she and I live today. Here are some pictures of her yard. She used to do all the shrub and yard work. Now my uncle does.

Funny Sayings -- From My Back Porch

Yesterday my uncle came over to tell about his visit to the local "ma and pa grocery and buy anything you could need store." My uncle said the owner was giving directions to one his nephews on how to find someone. The directions were -- "Go till you find a steep hill, the hill is as steep as a mule's face."

Well I had never heard that saying before, have you?
Send me comments on sayings like that for a grin. Please keep it clean.

What do Dog Law, Slobber Bucket and Trains Have in Common?

Now I am by no means a train expert, but this is what I have learned since I've been in Krypton. Since the trains seem to stop right in front of my grandmother's house all the time, I asked my uncle why it would sit there and make this spitting sound for hours on end. He told me that a train engineer can only drive a train so many hours then they must stop the train and another crew will come in to move the train along again. The number of hours a crew can work is governed by the Dog Law. Since there is a train crossing just a few feet from my grandmothers house, this is where they usually stop to change crews.

The train could be stopped for hours or even over night, but they don't turn the engine off. You can here it all night making a noise that sounds like something spitting onto hot coals. Well, I found out that it does in deed spit condensation into something called a slobber bucket. Who knew that trains were this much fun!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Yesterday was a very pretty day here in Krypton, Kentucky. I was able to get out and walk and just enjoy the 60 degree temperature on the back porch. Well today is COLD. It's the kind of cold that makes you want to stay indoors in front of a fire and make yo-yo's. Maybe I'll be able to get that yo-yo quilted tree skirt finished soon. It is only supposed to be in low 40's all day.

Yep! I'm a Red Head

Today my aunt and I dyed my hair red. I have had red hair before and it suits me well. What does this have to do with back porch stories? Nothing! Will post a picture soon.

Sittin on my Back Porch

The frost is on the pumpkin -- or at least on my car! I was quite suprised when I went to my car this morning and there was frost on my windshield. I realized I needed a jacket because the air was so crisp that I could see my breath but the Post Office is just down the street so I toughed it out.:) What happened to fall?

Here in Krypton almost all of the leaves are off the trees now. We didn't have much of a leaf showing because of the draught but it was pretty for a couple of days anyway. It seems odd to me, being able to see the rocks on the mountains across from my grandmother's house. It's just a very different view than I'm used to.

Lions Tigers and Bears -- Oh My! My brother was here the other day and told us that the Fish and Game Board have released some kind of cat into the wild. It isn't a Bob Cat, maybe a Wild Cat, he wasn't sure what kind of cat. A few weeks ago two black bears were seen at my great aunt's house. I have also heard that Elk have been released here too. So between bears, large cats, elk, and deer who knows what you will find right here in Krypton. I know that if I am driving into Krypton at night, I always put my camera in my lap just in case I see some wild animal. Of course my grandmother said she would like to see a bear cross her yard but sure didn't want him to linger.

My Uncle Cooks! Sittin On My Back Porch

Down Home Cooking -- I love my uncle's cooking!

Not many families sit down and eat together anymore but we do every night. My grandmother can not cook anymore, so my uncle does almost all of our cooking. Sometimes it is the simplest meal that I like the best. We had bacon, greens, cornbread, turnips, and buttermilk for supper tonight. I couldn't have been more happy with a steak and he cooks the best steaks too. I have to say I'm not a fan of greens -- Turnip Greens, Collard Greens, Curly Leave Mustard, and Flat Leaf Mustard -- but his were good. I usually have a hard time sitting still while I eat because everything is soooooooo good.

We are not poor, this is just good food with no preservatives. The pork bought from farmers that do not use steroids and other chemicals, cornbread made with fresh ground corn with no fillers, and vegetables grown locally. My uncle always blesses our food and then breaks the cornbread.

To me, the best food of all is the nourishment I get from sitting down to supper with my grandmother, and my aunt and uncle. We are truly blessed!

Coal Trains -- Sittin On My Back Porch

What is it about trains that so fascinates us? I have always loved trains. I loved to hear their whistle and the clacking across the tracks. Of course when you live just a couple of feet from those tracks, the noise is a little more than you expect, especially if you happen to be on "The Back Porch" when the train engineer decides to blow that whistle.

When I was a child, we would count the coal cars on a train and then wave to the caboose engineer. I was so disappointed the first time I saw a train that had no caboose.

I also love all those old movies where passengers have sleeping cars and eat in the dinning car. To me, that would be so much fun. We have really let something special go away with the limited passenger train service we have in the United States.


Another time of the year that I really think about trains, is Christmas. Yes, even though I am a girl, I have always wanted a train set for Christmas. I did have a set as an adult to go around my Christmas Tree, but I move so much that I eventually gave it away.

Stay tuned for more tales about "Sittin On My Back Porch"