My Last Day Home...

I worked some around the house, read and rested before my dental appointment.  I also walked. I donned my light jacket and muck boots, camera in hand.  The air was  a little nippy but clear and fresh.

I saw beauty in the small things,

and in the far things.

We could not walk for long.

The rain returned.

The pack and I had a rousing game of football.

I believe Maggie was the high scorer.

Her defense was awesome.

The rain fell

and we returned to the warmth we call home.

This N That

Many of you know that since October '09 I have worked six days a week.  The postal service has listened to my suggestion of reducing over time and after sixteen months, I have Saturdays off, except next Saturday.
We are very short handed and many people are running offices by themselves.  It is almost an act of Congress to get a day off.  It takes very careful planning with much advance notice.  I finally was able to arrange a few days.  Thursday and Friday of last week and Monday and Tuesday of this week were my available days. This allowed me six days in a row...off, away from the public, enjoying my down time...you think?

I cleaned, I sorted, I organized, I slept and slept.  I spent one hour decorating a card board box for my can recycling bin.  Of course, you know I went to Wal Mart. Took a few walks, played with the animals, visited with all my company, and tried, in vain, to hide.

 Since part of my time off included spring break, there was much exploring, football, basketball and baseball,

rock concerts in messy rooms,

and much outside running.

...and I wonder why I do not feel rested!!

Nothing To Do With Dogs...

but Maggie Mae is just so darned pretty, I had to share.  She stands quietly waiting on her master as I did yesterday...the ending was different for me and hubby.  I left him behind.

It was a long delayed visit to Wal Mart...I can't believe I use to enjoy going there.  The toothpaste tube had been rolled to the end, the laundry was being done with dish soap and the dogs were hungry so I had to go.

Hubby had planned to go but he fell asleep while I was showering.  His recliner is installed with a nap gas that automatically dispenses every time he reclines. I am not waking the bear, so I head out alone.

I think there is a  Wal Mart rule that people must park where you need to look...are they physic?  Do they say, okay, here she comes, let me stand here for twenty minutes to decide when green bean I want or which vitamin is better.  I am always aware of the other person and park my buggy to accommodate the traffic but many are not that aware.  It really makes me hope they are not driving through when I leave the parking lot.

Okay, Gail, hush, you pulled weeds a few days ago, don't let more sprout!

I have a system.  I have a list.  I power shop.  That list is in the order of the store and section and I can fly through Wal Mart in twenty minutes and fill that buggy full.  The longest amount of time I spent in any one spot, not counting the times I waited for that spot, were the dog collar section.  Ki-Anne is growing and her collar is adjusted every few days but I bought no collar, nor leash, nor a crate ($69).  We are just gonna have to wing it with what we have.

Now shopping with hubby is a whole other game.  He stays with me as long as he can stand it then he hears automotive or fishing or hunting calling him.  He says, I'm gonna run over here and get...Okay.

Got your cell phone.

Yep.

Got it on.

Nope.

Where you going?

I am headed to shampoos, then cleaning supplies, then food.

Okay, I'll catch up.

WELL, it never fails, no matter what size the store is, he loses me.  That is what he says, every time, I lost you!  I remind him there are signs at the end of each isle stating what is on that isle...but I've been looking all over for you.  What's the big deal, I think, you've found me, but he always has to say it one more time, "I lost you!"

I really prefer for him to find me, at the front, waiting for him to carrry his arm load of whatever he could not live without.  If he "finds" me in the meat section, it is over with.  Giant family packages of meat are heaped into the buggy because it looks soooooooooooo good. (He's a meat and potatoes man).

This day was different, I was in and out.  Everything on my list was purchased in order.  No odds and ends from the hunting or fishing supply.  No extraordinary new product that is better than every thing that has come before.

I got home and he was pouting...I had to unload the car by myself.  He had some things he needed, I should have tried harder to wake him, he had wanted to go.

...and the worse thing is, I have to return to Wal Mart with him!!!!  Sure hope I don't lose him when housewares calls my name.

Invasion...

Where others have been covered with snow, we got soaked with rain, mixed with ample doses of lightening and wind, followed by freeze warnings.  It could be better for the newly budded fruit but it also could have been worse.

The family is on alert.  The chicken house has been invaded and a hen has disappeared each night for five nights.  No tracks, no signs of what it was.  Marcy found this trail where the hens are being taken away, far from the chicken house. Repairs and reinforcement have been made to any possible entry, game cam erected, flash lights charged and shot gun loaded.

We suspect a bob cat. We have seen one above our property.  There were tracks far away from the scene of the crime but close to the feathers lost as the unknown animal carried his take-out dinner home. 

Lil is terrified to follow the trail and this is very odd.  Ki follows it, lifts her head quite often and checks her surroundings.

When the culprit is captured or eliminated, I will share the secret of our mystery intruder, until then, all we can do is try to protect the fowls and be watchful for the next attack.

Doing Some Weeding...

Not in the garden, but in my thoughts.  Many things, like this weed above, have hidden qualities.  Dandelions make a wonderful addition to any spring green mix you are cooking and yet, sometimes,  we just see the weed.

I am weeding my mind today...of frustrations and flares that add nothing but complication.

I am frustrated when someone leaves a comment and uses no reply comment as a return address.  I buck up, and think my reply is not worthy of their time.  Then, I let it go...

I am frustrated when the comment is embedded below the post, then I have to go back, add a word verification and then scroll down once again to see if I got that right.  Simple solution, do not use this embedded below post style.  In fact, with the spam blockers we now have in BlogSpot, just check no anonymous and you will not even have to use word verification.

Approving a comment before it is posted is not really necessary either.  With these uncalled for comments, the crudeness, ignorance, or just plain rudeness will reflect on the commenter not the person who wrote the post and with the elimination of anonymous commmenters, you always know who it is.

In my frustration, I take a deep breath...AND LET IT GO.

Oh, but the flowers I have growing in blogland are so wonderful and pleasing and informative and just down right friendly.  I savor each comment as I would a fresh, perfect strawberry from the garden. 

I would never have continued this long with my nonsensical writings, without the encouragement from all of you.  You have supported me, kindly, through my whining.  You have laughed with me at my mistakes.  You have encouraged me through the low spots and celebrated with me on the mountain top...THIS I WILL NEVER LET GO!

Thank you and may all have a blessed day. 

The Old Wash Tub

had many purposes in my lifetime.  The first memory I have is as a bath tub.  We had no running water so water was drawn from a cistern and heated on the stove for our baths.  We shared the bath, separately, of course, but the water washed us all, from the cleanest down to the dirtiest. Mom always had a warm kettle of water to rinse our hair as we sat in the tub.

When the baths were finished and the water cooled, the water was used for another purpose, in summer it was used to water plants and in winter used to clean things outside before it was returned to the ground.

The tub was also used for laundry, holding fish until they could be cleaned, washing fruit jars and even processing meat...we all survived and were very healthy despite all the health rules that were broken.  Mom was a cleaner and after each use it was bleached and cleaned so there was no danger in the multi-use of this container.

I remember one summer we got a long tub.  Talk about excitement!  A tub to bathe in where you didn't have to fold up.  You could stretch out.

Since we had a four line clothes line (laundry was done once a week in a wringer washer and tubs again), my sisters and I came up with an idea.  We pinned blue jean quilts to the clothes lines to form a room.  The long bath tub was placed inside this room.  Oh, the joy of hauling that water and filling the tub was wonderful,  then we waited for the sun to warm the water.

We took turns on who was the first to bathe and it was a joyful event when it was your time to be first.  The sun warmed clear water in this long tub was a delight to experience.  A private bath was certainly a rarity and we loved the summer months when we could do this.

The ease of our baths now is taken for granted and I am sure there is never the joy we experienced in that long tub, hidden under the clothes line.

Farm Friend Friday...

at the Verde Farm visit other farms or link for others to visit your place. Lots of farming to enjoy!

The grass is greening up around here.

 The stock is very happy and enjoying the spring's tender grass.

The tulips that survived the deer feasting are making a stunning show for us.

Fruit trees are beginning to bloom,

still with a chance of frost, we are crossing our fingers.

Hubby checks out his Gelbvieh herd.

Tagging babies sure is easier when they hit the ground.

Last year we didn't get to it 'til they were three months old!

We will NOT make that mistake again.

We are both too old to cowboy!

Things I've Been Wrong About During Discussions With Hubby...

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Tulips and Two Boys...

parts of spring break.

After Armadillo Jerky...

and the response, I'm thinking, maybe, just maybe, I should tell more tales like this one!  Ki-Anne was proud of her find.  Eau de Armadillo could enable her to sneak up on any prey she wanted.  No ill effects for those who were worried.  She is a farm dog and is closer to the once wild canine.  Like people, they adjust easily, although I don't think I will be trying the armadillo treat anytime soon.  I will have to be VERY hungry before I go that far.

Monday was a beautiful day...the drive out was stunning.  The sun and the moon were showing in all their glory.  Without further adieu, I will share the photos of early Monday morning.

Ki-Anne Is Banned...

Ki found treasure today,

An armadillo shell with fermented meat attached.

I was hoping she would soon abandon it,

but not a prize like this!!

Ki-Anne will sleep  outside tonight!

Fermented armadillo is not exactly my favorite smell for the house.

Sunday Walk and Work...

 I tried to enjoy an early morning walk but somehow I always get sidetracked.  First I spied the Mule and all the trash hubby had accumulated.  I ended up cleaning out the bed of the Mule. Three full feed sacks later, I'm not out of the yard.

Whistling up the dogs, I head toward the barn, gathering hay strings as I go...two large wrapped bundles, I stash them to pick up on my way back and continue on my leisurely walk.

Arriving at my destination, a blocked culvert, I survey the problem.  A log has floated against the entrance, trapped debris, causing the heavy rains to go over the culvert, dropping rocks in its passage.

Yep, that's a problem and it's way down there.  I slide in and begin to dig out the blockage.  First the log, then the limbs, then the rocks.

The water had been clear.

I climb into the culvert

and soon am reminded, I really don't like tight places.

I hear the tractor coming, after I am finished.

Knot hears it, too.

No treats today but they all got a good scratching.

Their coats are shedding so time to find that curry comb.

Impeccable timing on hubby's part,

I am headed back to the house.

Charme stops for her scratching and the hair flies,

a good sign that spring is really here.

My little darlings settle down to graze,

and I back track, picking up my string,

heading to the house for a drink.

What happened to my leisurely walk?

After The Rain

Wondering...

Do I talk about how the fog enveloped the valley on my drive to work yesterday, making it look prehistoric or about how beautiful the moon was before full darkness?

Shall I talk of wandering the farm and finding a perfect knife or tell of finding this perfect arrowhead in my yard?

Do I speak of the beauty in the ordinary things around me, that sometimes go unnoticed until the light is right?

Do I share a tale of the old homestead and the memories of my ancestor's and my life here?

I leave you with these questions...

and proof of spring.