I Am Not Just The Photos

I wondered today what my attitude was the first July I posted.  I have republished the exact post from that date. Funny, how not much has changed and yet much has changed.

Thank you for reading my 2045 posts since September '08.  I have reached 503 followers.  I am embarrassed by not having time to read each post of yours every day.  Know my thoughts are with you when my words are not.  I promise I will improve soon.

Without further adieu my July 25th post from 2009.  Thanks every one.

...placed here carefully with a few words. When I have lots of photos, I have fewer words, so tonight I shall ramble, photoless. My picture may become clearer that way.

It is always hard to talk about yourself, truthfully, but I shall try. I am a housewife of thirty-seven years, a mother and a postal employee for almost as long. I have two grown daughters and three grandsons, the eldest, Andrew, lives with us. So at a time when we are supposed to be preparing for retirement, we are treading in the dangerous waters of puberty, this time with a boy.

Also, my husband is the emergency manager of our county, we both work outside the home and afternoons and weekends we try to farm, if there are no disasters going on. Now, you who farm know this does not work. There is always a fence down, a cow out, armadillos in the garden, Copperheads in the yard, roosters crowing, horses running and no time to get it all done. There are posts to cut, hay to stack, cows to feed, horses to groom (my pleasure), rocks to pick up, washes to fill, wood to cut, brush to burn, plus all the normal maintenance.

We are on the family farm, after traveling full circle. I was raised on a farm, my husband was not and his dream was to have a farm. Here we are, one following his dream of farming or cattle production and one following the dream of owning horses. We never dreamed of all the stuff in between. I knew, but hubby was not so clear on it since he had never actually lived it.

I was raised by Depression Era parents and was taught to make do, hubby goes to the store. I can make lye soap, hubby goes to the store. If I had a piece of material and the girls needed clothes I made them. Hubby went to the store. Hubby has learned, now, we make do and recycle things and has become quite good at it.

I had early visions of being a veterinarian but did not want to have my parents pay for all those years in school so I married the man I love. Shortly after I began my career and made a big circle and have landed back home again.

I love horses, I paint, I read, I write, I live, I photograph, and I cook and clean and do laundry and, whew! I am tired already!

Farming is a good life yet farming is a hard life. You learn about life and death up close and personal each day you help deliver a calf or foal. You worry when the dogs are a little off or a cow is overdue, or a horse stepped funny on that last walk by you. You know you're gonna butcher that calf but you name it anyway. I have cried with a dead animal in my arms.

I really don't know what I intended to say when I started this, so I'll stop. I think I wanted to say life is good, even when it is difficult, it is good.