Making Tracks

 We all do it.

From the lowly worms that crawl

to the varied species of lizards,

the mighty Blue Heron,

and the squirrels...everything leaves its mark.

Gator tracks!  John Deere Gator that is.

Newly recycled stairs are ready for tracking.

What kind of tracks will you leave?

Not Worth A Load of Seed Ticks

It was a cooler day this morning but I was feeling a little under the weather.  I guess I got too hot the day before.  So I decided to stay in or rather Hubby TOLD me to stay in and rest.  He took off on the tractor.

He has been busy planting food plots for wildlife this winter.  He also wanted to bush hog (mow) the pastured land so the new grass would have a good start before winter.

I did some paper work after my head stopped hurting and my stomach settled.  I called the internet server to fix my wireless extender that they messed up (a complete story by itself). When that was resolved I decided to take Hubby a cool drink.

The dogs and I headed out.  Lizzy riding shotgun with me in the Gator and the others running free.  We could not hear the tractor anywhere.  So I drove and they ran with a joy only dogs can show.

We traveled up and down hills stopping to listen now and then.

We stopped to cool and get a drink at every watering hole while listening and looking for the Tractor Man.

It was warmer than we thought

 and the water saved us all.

All this trouble to take Tractor Man a cold drink! (Persimmon on top of can) I went places I haven't driven following the mowed brush. I headed down one hill and decided, nope, no way, not going down there cause I have to drive out. Stopped at the next pond to let the dogs cool again. Walked down to look at the water and felt something crawling on me...seed ticks!!!!  Too tiny even for a macro lens!!!  I tried to wash them off, swept some away with a cedar branch and headed home. Still no tractor sound.  Stopped at the creek and by this time my imagination had seed ticks all over me!  Tried once more to wash them off.

Went to the house. Took a shower and heard the tractor pulling in.

Where had he been??  That hill that I would not drive down has a dry pond at the bottom. He was down there removing grass seed from his radiator grill with the tractor turned off.

Hubby's not worth the misery of seed ticks. He laughed but now his imagination is feeling the crawl! 

Shotgun!

The sheer joy of riding upfront is indescribable. 

Fishing With Me

Retrieved my fish bait from my worm pit/compost pile, grabbed my purple rod and reel as Hubby gathered his little tackle box with all his lures etc.  Headed off in the Gator to the top pond with out the dogs that can't stay outta the water.  Lizzy got to go because you know she doesn't care too much for swimming.

Hubby starts reeling the bass in before I even get my bucket of worms unloaded.  My first cast I hang on a log and have to break the line.  Hubby says they're feeding deep so I trudge back to the Gator to get a float to hold my hook at the right depth.  I cast again.  

Oops!  Tangled up in a Button Willow in the edge of the pond and I'm NOT losing another hook, much less a floater.  After I retrieved the clippers from the Gator, off with my shoes and jacket. Pushed my pants legs up as far as they would go and stepped carefully into the mucky bottomed pond to save my float. Success.  Muddy feet are happy feet.

Contemplating which worm would be prime bait I wondered if they could feel that hook as I strung their little bodies on it.  Fished all my life and, believe me, the way they wiggle, they feel it! My line is still not in the water.

I was distracted by a rock.  Who, me??

I found another rock that fit my pocket.

Then decided to change fishing spots since I had no bites...

remember my line is not in the water.

Lizzy finds her spot

and I find mine far across from Hubby

where he continues to notify me with glee of how many he's caught!

My mess of fish is growing too!

Final tally...Hubby six, me twelve...but who's counting.

His stringer may be bigger but we all know size doesn't matter.

Mine were released into the spring pond

and

we're having Bass for supper.

Blazing Trails Last Thursday

The orange is Hubby on the tractor

while I follow with cold drinks

The weather was summer warm Thursday.

You know it's dry when dogs can make a dust cloud.

I got into a small predicament.

Walked down to Hubby with a cold drink

 and bribed him to help me out.

He did and I left "while the getting was good".

We were unable to access this fence except by foot.

 Hubby worked so we can drive by and repair easier.

The drought is showing 

but some of the trees are changing colors too.

And that was one more day At The Farm.

Going For A Ride

Yes, I wanna go!

Who's driving?

What's the problem?

Just start the darn motor, won't you?

Lizzy

thinks she's a big dog.  Actually she is the announcer.  The other dogs sleep as Lizzy keeps watch. She announces if one strange thing enters the valley.  After rousing the pack she runs the sidelines coaching them.

Only one problem...I have a difficult time keeping her groomed.  Poor baby. She goes every where the big dogs go but that's okay.  We all are family.

Here is the tale of her beginning with us.  

Lizzy is a good dog.

Lizzy should be a lap dog.

She travels 

 with the pack.

and does her job.

Lizzy is happy here and is very brave if anyone looks at her bowl.

Now if I just had time to give her a hair cut...

Traveling The Dirt Roads

Almost a week of visiting with Hubby's four sisters had ended as they all returned to their homes. Lots of laughter and good food.  We are tired but contented.

One day we traveled the back roads, Hubby and I, in the Gator to the local sister's house where we gathered.  You can tell we need rain badly.  The last slides are a creek that usually fills the road we crossed but not this day.

Here's a slide show of curves, hills and countryside I could barely take as Hubby flew through ten miles of back roads.

Solving Problems

 Chestnut tree almost on power line

and a bird poop cherry allowed to grow too tall

Sick, weak and unwanted limbs sawed or pruned

Much progress

See the tongs?  Wood is stacked. 

Small debris added to our ever growing pile. 

Holding the tree with the tractor bucket so it will fall correctly.

Too many things to hit if it fell wrong.

Timber!  

Doesn't look big but this was the tree by the power line.

Clean up continues.

We make walking sticks and vine wreaths for the shop.

The queen of distraction!

I'm not sure I will survive.

Paybacks

I've mentioned Hubby and I have a joking, relaxed, loving relationship and often avoid boredom by pulling practical jokes on each other.

I will quote him from many times in the past, "Paybacks are hell".

The other day we were driving around on the Gator while I TRIED to take pictures at break neck speeds  We were checking a pond to see if it was holding water.  Not much.  Then Hubby drove right off the steep bank with no warning, straight down.  I didn't even have time for a dirty word.  I was gripping a secure spot with both hands.  Then he noticed my bare foot as we drove OUT OF THE POND. He said, "Didn't think those little toes could hold on like that. You have little white monkey toes." Then I found those words...and he laughed and laughed and mentioned he loved me a time or two.

We've had memory glitches lately (too bad we can't have our memory upgraded like computers). Hubby was panicking because he couldn't remember if he poured gas or diesel into the tractor.  Both are red jugs. The diesel has a D on it but Hubby couldn't remember which jug he had used!

After the problem was resolved I made sure it wouldn't happen again...

He won again!  Didn't bother him a bit, said he needed that and would be proud to fill it up at the station.  Some one please help me outwit this rat!

Toys!

Hubby's toys that I'm allowed to share: Chevrolet, Bass Tracker, and John Deer Gator.

I told Hubby this tool was the best thing he had ever bought for me.  That caused quite the discussion. I have been using this bad boy DeWalt saw.  It does wonders on those bushes that are too big for hand pruners and it sure beats gnawing or sawing the stump off.

Gals like handy dandy easy to use tools too!