Well, Hell's Bells!

I really tried, but I could not think of anything cute to replace "Hell's" in that title. "Nell's Bells" has nothing to do with the purpose of this blog post! The few women I know named Nell would really be confused, too!

Sometime before 2008 became 2009...
Before Mama died...
Before the three of us competed for who had the highest blood pressures...
Before Lillibeth was really sick and in the doggy hospital...
Before Annie got sick and died...
Before a whole passle of other life-altering events took place...

I had decided to make 2009 the Year of the Bells. My self-prescribed photo assignment for the year was to photograph as many bells as I could find in our normal travels.

We were off to a pretty good start photographing more bells, and even Mama joined in with the suggestions of where there might be obscure bells along the back roads of the county.

So, now that it is March 8th, I am once again declaring this as my Year of the Bells for the original reason!

As I find interesting bells, any bells, large or small, historic or new, I will feature them in this space.

Don't ask me why I'm on this bell kick. Maybe I stood too close to a big bell while it was ringing some time. Maybe I really, really loved the song, "Silver Bells" growing up (that part is true, actually).

Photo I: The church bell outside the First United Methodist Church in Starkville, MS. One could deduce the church was founded in 1835, but that does not mean the bell is that old.

Maybe someone can share more info with me on that topic. This is where my quilt guild meets.

Photo II: The Ship's bell from the USS Mississippi, installed in the back garden at Rosalie Mansion in Natchez, MS. 

A few years back, I wrote a story about all FOUR USS Mississippi military ships. Interesting stuff. My favorite was the Second USS Mississippi because it steamed up the Mississippi River to Natchez, dropped anchor and enjoyed a picnic on the grounds of Rosalie Mansion. There were balls and other stuff. Rosalie Mansion also displays some of the silver from #2.

AND USS Mississippi #2 was heavily involved in putting the emerging science of aviation with sea-going vessels. You know me and bragging about the many ways Mississippi has quietly been on the cutting edge of so many areas!

The ship's bell has 1917 on it, but the Second USS Mississippi was launched in 1905. I wonder what happened to the first ship's bell. You know this particular military vessel was a tough customer. German dive bombers finally sank it in 1941. (Yeah, I really enjoyed that story, and it has been picked up by a number of publications since I wrote it.)

Photo III: This is one of two farm bells on this farm. It was my blog banner last year or maybe the year before that.

I'm too lazy, too relaxed to look up the original picture to re-edit for this post. Too pooped to tell you the story of the two farm bells and the conch shell and how they were used for communication on the farm long, long before pagers, cell phones, etc.

Other bells photographed this year and in years past to share with you. Sorry, you'll just have to wait for another day. The puppers want to snuggle, and I can't say no. Just a softy that way.