Good Luck, Prosperity, & Good Health

You're lookin' at my New Year Meal.

Here in my part of the south, this is the typical January 1 meal. I'm not a superstitious person so this meal is more out of tradition and remembrance of my Grandma Dorothy. She had very definite things she expected done. 

"Decent folk do certain things"

She would always be reminding us of what decent folk "do or "don't do." 

Grandma Dorothy's New Year's Meal always, always, consisted of black-eyed peas for luck, collard greens for the money, and hog jowl for health and it better be on the table at 12:00 pm.

"On the Dot!"

I always do a version of her meal. It will usually consist of the peas, a green, and some pork. I often will go with pork chop or even sometimes it's been thick cut bacon. I thought of which direction I was going to take with it, when discovering the hog jowl was either sold out or maybe they don't supply it anymore. Many food items that were so common can't even be found, lately. 

So I went with another old-time favorite...fatback!

I bet those health conscience folks out there are rolling eyes and thinking they are reading total insanity.

If you haven't had good ole salty fatback you probably don't know where it's at!!

I made no great preparation for this meal; my peas and collard greens came straight from the can. I did chunk a good bit of ham in the peas with some salt & pepper. My collard greens are

Margret Holmes brand. If you must buy greens in the can, they are the ones to want for.

Glory brand is good as well but you just about can't beat Margret Holmes for the seasoning. I drain just a bit of the juice off and cook them down in the iron skillet I had cooked the fatback(cook on medium heat unitl it's nice and golden) in.

Potato cakes made from some leftover mashed potatoes and a cornmeal muffin.

As Grandpa Jones would say,"Yum, yum!"

Are you asking yourself how this meal could be good for you at all?

I too questioned such a meal

but

I honestly have been nursing an extreme cough for about 3 weeks. I awoke to a full nights sleep and have had the slightest of coughs so far the morning....

I don't know....

Maybe the money's on the way too..LOL..

BE BLESSED!

January 1, 21014~Long Range Forecast

Nothing but clear skies here in Stuart,Virginia.

Maybe a fine feathered cloud.

The temperature is reading 48.9 at 2:27 pm.

As I snapping pictures around the yard, there is bit's of green 

that will poke through if you scrap the leaves back but plenty of brown 

to let you know what time of the year it is.

The Ole Man got me a nifty book for Christmas.

As I've been walking about been thinking on some of the chapters 

I've read through.

It's a blessed day here.

Hope your day is blessed as well.

BE BLESSED

&

Be a Blessing!

The Long Range Forecast

I had thought to refrain from Link-ups of a while but as I was listening to WHEO our local AM radio station(1270). They were doing their call in section called Community Conversations when John a regular caller called in with a giggle and said he had the way to tell what your weather will be all year.

Richard said, "Okay, tell us."

John said,"You record the weather for the first 12 days of the year. Then each day should be a reflection of the overall weather for each month; the first day would be January and the second day would be February." 

I thought it sounded fun and wondered how accurate it would be and first thought I would make a post and keep up with it through the year. Then I thought it might be fun for others to join in as well.

I may be the only sort that find fun in such things.

I have set up a little link-up.

Feel free to link-up!

I'm going to chime in January 1-12 and then the last day of each month.

At the end of the year maybe I'll drink a warm cup of cider

and 

have a chuckle or maybe I'll be surprised.

Sharing at the HomeAcre Hop

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Joys for a New Year

Joy: 

noun 1. a feeling of great pleasure & happiness. delight, jubilation, triumph, bliss

verb 2. rejoice.

I've been traveling through some much loved sites and visiting blogs that I've neglected due to the rush of the holiday season. There seems to be an abundant call for Joy for the new year.I thought possibly it was only me who felt somewhat eluded by the presents of it lately. I hadn't commented too much of my lack of joy because there tends to be an abundance of comments suggesting that a lack of joy is to be lacking in faith or that you might not love or appreciate what God so graciously gives us. 

Hurry, worry and noise will steal your joy.

This phrase is stated on our local AM radio station by the commentator often and there's a lot of truth in the statement but the modern life is full of hurry, worry, and noise. I sometimes feel as if the more I try to escape these three, the more I'm bombarded by them. 

 Are you making resolution?

I gave up resolution and instead I set goal.

Are you taking inventory of your resolutions or goal?

I am too.

Will you pray about your goals?

I'm afraid not to.

Will there be "joy" in 2014?

If we rejoice, I'm sure we will find bliss.

Psalm 70:4 

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation say, Let God be magnified.

BE BLESSED!