Like it or Not

We are Taking you to see Santa

“We are taking you to see Santa Claus!” echoed down the hall,

“You must tell him what you want for Christmas”, (or get nothing at all?),

This visit to Santa could be met with terrified kicking and screaming,

Some kids are frightened to meet the jolly St. Nick, while others have been dreaming,

Dreaming of this encounter most of the year!

It is quite a dilemma though for those who fear,

The huge red suite and the loud “HO HO HO”,

And the long white beard, and the white fake snow,

Giant black boots, a round belly, reindeer and a sleigh,

It is hard to find room on his lap anyway,

Will I be on Santa’s list?  Naughty or nice? 

Is he really and truly checking it twice?

It puts a lot of stress on the child who is so curious,

And after standing in line for hours, the parents could be furious,

The hesitation, the meltdown, the child is not cooperating,

The situation is a little bit more than complicating,

Think of it this way and you’ll see what I mean,

He either faces his fear NOW or gets the guy dressed in green!

The Grinch is the alternative to the gift-giving spirit,

He said he didn’t want to be there, but they didn’t hear it!

Poor kid.  He just can’t win for losing,

This Santa thing was not his choosing!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/23/2019

                                             Charles   2017

Time Tested

Overalls

Except for Sunday, my Pap-paw wore overalls anywhere he would go,
Dark denim bib overalls, to be exact, high back, not low,
He was a carpenter and a painter and they served him well,
He was a laborer, a craftsman, and anyone could tell,
With pockets all over to hold his tools with ease,
His overalls were worn and sometime patched at the knees,
Comfortable and durable, though, that was the plan,
He had a wooden tape measure stick that folded up like a fan,
And a flat wooden pencil, both I thought were so intriguing,
He got up before daylight and his job was fatiguing,
With a red bandana stuffed in the bib to wipe off his brow,
He would feed and milk the old jersey cow,
His pick-up truck was a manual step-sided Chevrolet,
I rode in the middle with the stick in my way,
Grandpa Harris wore Key Imperial brand overalls to do his trade,
He was an electrician and his style of railroad striped overalls were a lighter shade,
Coveralls, too, were a favorite of his; a signature look for him,
In fact, when he passed away, he was buried in them,
Now overalls, for children, are a favorite of mine,
Nothing is cuter than a child in overalls at the age of two months or nine,
OshKosh B’Gosh were perfect hand-me-downs, for our three sons,
In the summertime, without a shirt, they wore the shorts ones,
Then in winter, the long pants with a flannel shirt was adorable,
Except for during potty training, then they could be horrible,
But all-in-all, I’d say overalls have stood the test of time,
And this is where I’ll end my rhyme!

Tammy Harvey
Written: 11/21/2019

Heart Shine, Finish Line

Run, Girl Run

Training to run a long-distance race must be incredibly demanding,

Your body is pushed to its limits; your endurance is outstanding,

You press on even when you want to stop going,

It’s grit and determination that keeps your heart knowing,

You can accomplish a 3K, a 5K, a half or full marathon,

Acknowledging it is always darkest before the dawn,

I am not speaking personally, as I am not a runner,

In my estimation, doing anything else would be fun-ner,

But for those who run, I tip my hat to you,

I understand why you do what you do,

It gives you a peace, a strength, a runner’s high, if you will,

It is not an easy pursuit; it takes time and it takes skill,

I equate it to writing poetry for me,

It fills my soul and that is the key,

To train in any sport or physical activity requires discipline,

I give you kudos, along with a lot of acetaminophen,

So, run girl run, if that is your liking,

Enjoy your time, whether it is running, hiking or biking,

Clear your mind and then your heart will shine,

When you push through to the finish line!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/15/2019

Inspired by and dedicated to Mary Lynn, who enjoys running.

Bedazzled

Ho*Ho*Ho Juno

Juno is now adorned in a Santa hat, hot pink with white fur,

Bedazzled with rhinestones; it’s a good look for her!

It’s festive and fun; she’s ready for the holiday season,

She a fashionista, after all, so she really needs no reason,

To change her hat at a moment’s notice is her inclination,

She is a trend-setter with a glorious reputation,

If you haven’t met her yet, she’s made her appearance before,

In the past blog posts, you can see what she wore,

She can’t catch snowflakes on her tongue, if she had one,

Or participate in a snowball fight, just to have fun,

She can’t build a snowman or sleigh ride on her own,

And she can’t go on-line shopping on her cellphone,

But she can celebrate the holiday with her fashion declaration,

It’s a hat that soon will be sweeping the nation,

An ordinary red Santa hat just would not do, oh no,

For Juno, who is quite unique, yet very apropos,

She projects her own style; she knows what she wants,

And a rhinestone or two she chooses to flaunt,

I’d say she is ready to be a part of our Christmas décor,

She has so much to offer; Just wait, they’ll be more!

She has become a celebrity in my household for me,

And I share her with you, so she can spread Christmas glee!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/15/2019

An Entire Lifetime Together

A Momentous Anniversary

First comes love, then comes marriage,

Then comes someone with a baby carriage,

This is the traditional order of life events in the stereotypical way,

However, life doesn’t always happen accordingly today,

Yet one couple I know has surpassed all marital expectations,

Celebrating their 68^th wedding anniversary is quite a feat for human relations,

My parents in their late eighties are achieving this nearly impossible accomplishment,

On November 16, 1951, the two of them became each other’s compliment,

Young and just out of high school, they married with a swiftness,

On the porch of the preacher’s house, his wife their only witness,

There were no fancy wedding plans, no money for such ceremony,

My Dad sold a cow to pay the preacher for the matrimony,

A honeymoon in Gatlinburg for them was especially grand,

It snowed overnight and soon became a winter wonderland,

Right away my Dad was drafted to serve in the military,

While my mother,left behind,mailed him a letter daily,

For nearly 2 years my Dad had active duty in the Korean war,

He experienced tragedy he’d never seen before,

To get back home safe and sound was the ultimate plan,

By the grace of God, he returned and their life together began,

My grandfather built a small house for them on the corner of his land,

But It was seven years later before their family would expand,

My sister was born on the fourth of July in 1958,

Then only eighteen months later, I was born; I guess I couldn’t wait!

Anyway, this is how John and Julia became a family of four,

Then they moved to Knoxville and weren’t country folks anymore,

They owned and operated their businesses with plenty of success,

Until retirement, when they finally took a needed rest,

They’ve enjoyed life living in an A-frame on the lake since then,

And reminisce about the old times ‘cause they’d do it all again,

Sixty-eight years is an entire lifetime together,

They've survived it through all kinds of weather!

Congratulations to you both! With love,

Wishing you abundant blessings from God above.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/13/2019

He was a Doer

Proverbs was Jerry's favorite book of the Bible.  I thought it fitting to include a verse from Proverbs concerning work.  There was no one else I know that worked as hard as he did in his short lifetime. He had high hopes, like the Frank Sinatra song about the rubber tree plant:

Work Ethic of an Ant

He was a doer, a worker bee,

With the strength of a mighty oak tree,

Having deep roots into family and friend:

He, being the one on whom everyone would depend,

He had the determination of a carpenter ant,

The one that moved the rubber tree plant,

He was driven, with a work ethic that was unsurpassed,

He was giving of his time and talents to help with any tasks,

He was a dreamer, aspiring to have adventuresome quests:

Those were the dreams that he loved best:

To buy a retired fire engine and take the bucket truck up high,

To fly in an experimental airplane around the SC sky,

To drive a horse trailer from up north to the Raleigh fairgrounds,

To zip-line over the rain forest in Costa Rica…upside down!

To visit the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil,

To catch Northern Pike in the Vermillion River, so surreal,

To ride motorcycles and jet skis at high rates of speed,

To drive an 18-wheeler for FedEx, his expectations to exceed,

To camp in the Great Smokey mountains annually for nearly 40 years,

We remember him fondly, as we fight back our tears,

He did all these and so much more,

But time was short for what God had in store,

He was a loving father to three amazing men,

Who stepped up tremendously when he needed them,

He always inspired others even when he was ill,

Always referring to what he thought was God’s will,

And a husband of 33 years, a brother, a mentor, a son,

An uncle, a neighbor, a friend to everyone,

He had a bucket list that was lengthy and wild,

He was excitable by simple things like a small child,

To go out west and herd cattle on a dude ranch,

Was something he would have done, given the chance,

He wanted to navigate the east coast in his own sailboat,

A free spirit, he loved the daring and remote,

To hike the entire Appalachian trail, was something he wanted to do,

And he probably would have done it, but the days he had were few,

An excellent employee, he did not allow himself much leisure,

A problem solver, a do-it-yourself-er, a real people-pleaser,

He was an energizer bunny with enthusiasm to match,

He loved chocolate chip cookies and could eat the entire batch,

He had a beaming smile that was contagious,

And bright blue eyes that were outrageous,

He did not shy away from any type of chore,

Jerry Harvey, We love you every day, even more!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  10/27/2019

Proverbs 6:6-8 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.  Learn from their ways and become wise!  Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.

Tough Decision

Farewell Jada

Her quality of life severely declined; she no longer was keen,

In just a few weeks, she would have celebrated her sweet sixteen,

Our dog Jada, ate and slept, then ate and slept more,

And when she slept, she would gently snore,

In her early days, she would give squirrels a chase,

And at the lake, dig a hole in the sand at a rapid pace,

She rode jet skis with her ears flopping in the wind,

She was mischievously disobedient, but a loyal friend,

Her bark was irritatingly loud, but far much worse than her bite,

She was a black wiener dog with a stubborn might,

Long bodied, but short and stubby legged,

She often sat under the table and tirelessly begged,

If anyone sat on the couch to watch tv or nap,

She could be found lounging up in their lap,

But recently her body and mind were failing,

We knew she was struggling and physically ailing,

I made a decision I’d never made before,

I took her to be euthanized; she suffered no more,

It was incredibly peaceful, and she was at rest,

And I had to believe the decision was best,

As I left the vet office with an empty leash in my hand,

I felt she was with Jerry and their time would be grand,

It’s never easy to decide a dog’s fate in this way,

But on Aug 30, we said farewell to Jada Kay.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/3/2019