Floating My Doll

I don't remember when she came nor if she had a name.  She never wore clothes.  She was a handy size to haul around with me on my adventures. She was about eight inches tall, stuffed rubber with eyes that closed, and varying cut lengths of reddish brown matted hair.  The only seam was where her head attached to her body.

Naked Friend was a constant companion. She was my ultimate "Action Figure".  She climbed trees with me because I could tuck her in my waistband as I climbed.  She liked dogs.  They liked her and sometimes carried her for me.  I kept a hay string so if the going got rough I could tie her to me or even drag her along. Naked Friend did things I never could.  She jumped from trees bravely and landed uninjured. She rode cattle (more often than I) and even explored the underside of the outdoor toilet. Oh, the adventures we had!

The hay string could be her safety line so I tied it permanently around her neck. It gave Naked Friend such a sense of security she began to have more and more adventures.

Our friend and neighbor lived down the creek from us. Mom and Dad visited often.  Naked Friend and I always went too.

Uncle Ray's creek was the continuance of ours with springs joining it along the way.  By the time it flowed below Uncle Ray's front yard it was too big for me to enter without an adult. The creek was in view of Uncle Ray's porch so the adults could watch me while I played BESIDE the creek.

Naked Friend was far luckier.  She entered the stream with her hay string around her neck.  The current would grab her and rush her to the end of the string as I ran along side on dry ground.  Back and forth, back and forth, Naked Friend floated and I ran. It was the highest form of entertainment for a four year old tom boy (who didn't really like dolls).

I thought of Naked Friend (named for this story) and told the tale to my hubby.  He was shocked and appalled as if I were a serial killer or something.  I said, It was just a doll. He shook his head.

Oh, the imaginative adventures of a country child!  I think Hubby will be watching me next time I'm around him with any kind of rope.

May our imagination and sense of adventure never fade.

After All These Years

 I still see sparks

 when I'm in the room with Hubby.

It's gotta be love!

Sometimes Leaning

 is

 the most important

part of a job.

When Yellow Turns Black

The old four wheeler has been with us since Andrew was five.

They decided it needed a little face lift so they sanded

painted and cleaned to paint some more.

Looking good...may it run another fifteen years.

Falling

Pecans and Black Walnuts

not these two trimming limbs and patching the roof

after the near accident Thursday.

Thank God and Andrew!!!

Who knew my thirty-two hundredth post (not counting the ones I've posted and then deleted) would be about a miracle.

Spring jobs we have not been able to finish have been calling our name.  Cleaning gutters and fixing roof leaks were two of those jobs.

The handy dandy Kubota tractor with bucket got them to the roof

 and the leak fixing began.

On to the other side of the house to clear some gutters that were giving us problems. Hubby told Andrew to stay down and operate the bucket but Andrew did not obey.  He climbed the bucket like a monkey after he delivered Hubby to the roof. He helped. 

The roof was wet because they were cleaning gutters with the water hose and other tools. Hubby hit a wet spot, his feet went out from under him and he began a slide to the edge of the house. Andrew, thinking on his feet, grabbed Hubby quickly by his shirt just as Hubby had reached the edge.  Then much like Bonnie does, Andrew backed up the incline of the roof with Hubby in tow.

The end of the house where Hubby would have fallen is higher than here.  

I'll not go into great detail about how a disabled 65-year-old man should not have been on the roof but then we would have to discuss how stubborn I am too.  We both do what we have to do.

Thanks to God and Andrew, Hubby is unhurt.  He is sore and was very rattled after Andrew pulled him to safety but safe nonetheless.  That is what counts. I'm upset I didn't get pictures of the whole thing!  I was standing at the bottom as if I could catch Hubby and break his fall.

Good Farm Fences With Kubota King

Sometimes you see them

sometimes you don't.

 Even without livestock 

Hubby maintains the fields 

or they would swiftly be taken over by unwanted brush.

Twilight finds him in his Zen moment...

Man and his machine under the evening sky.

Share your fences.

 Good Fences with TexWisGirl.

My Love

Happy Birthday!

The love of my life and I have grown up and grown out together.  

We've known each other close to a half century. 

It certainly has never been boring.  

He is my center. 

I am his challenge. 

Love you always, husband of mine!

He Passed The Test

Hubby cannot weld because of his ICD they installed in his chest a couple of years ago. It's been difficult and frustrating but we have a new welder, Andrew.

 It was extremely hot!  Welder leads added, battery jumped and the welder/generator roared to life.

The next generation of farm welders went to work with Papa's instructions.  Hubby stays far away since the welder can affect his ICD.  So far it has not gone off but don't want it activated by welding.

Andrew donned the master welder's equipment and went to work.

Papa/Hubby gave him an A+ 

and mentioned how much MORE welding he has to do.

Good job, Andrew.

My Sister's House

Stands with a repaired roof today.  We were scheduled for repair but rain kinda moved up the schedule. This week the roof decided to leak and the sheet rock in the kitchen ceiling decided to fall. Fire department volunteers climbed onto the roof and laid a tarp to avoid further water damage.  Cleaned up, gosh, what a mess! Repaired.  On to other chores.

With all the work we have to do I am grateful for good help

and good equipment.

Hoping next week is not as exciting.

June Third Forty-Four Years Ago

I began a roller coaster ride and it's been going ever since.  

Amazing that anyone could put up with me that long!

It hasn't always been roses.

Hubby will agree.

There have been a few bugs

but it's been a helluva ride!

Happy Anniversary, dear hubby.  

You are my life.

A Quiet Day Interrupted...

On a quiet afternoon noise filled the valley.  This happens now and then but normally there is a fly over and that's it.  This was a fly over and back again.

Not the norm

So I grab my Power Shot...lens error!

As the helicopter hangs in the air I grab another camera and run out...lens error!

It hovers and keeps going lower.  I grab my Rebel with its little lens since my big Being Repaired lens is not home yet.  I am in my gown tail bare footed running across the farm like a crazy women. Snapping pictures. 

The helicopter dips.  Has he seen me??  I'm not letting him land.  Don't know what I planned but maybe throwing my body into the blades would get his attention!

Well, I got his attention and he begins to climb.  Only one person inside.  Then he flies quickly off and out of sight.  I have the number on the side and wondering what I can do with that.  I  am aware that after a certain height all the sky belongs to the government but I'm pretty sure this chopper was invading my space.

As I walk back to the house, satisfied as a dog running a deer outta the garden, I over hear Hubby and Andrew discussing the event.

Hubby:  Did it land?

Andrew:  Not yet.

Hubby:  Where's Nana?

Andrew:  Outside.  She's chased it off.

Hubby:  Well, I'll be damned.

Andrew:  Nana was pretty scary.  When the pilot saw her, he left.

What can I say??  I like my privacy if there is such a thing anymore.  Also got a post and exercise.

"Boogering" The Dogs

not to be confused with "buggering".  "Boogering" is simply making strange noises and changing your outline to "booger" or make your dog think it is some monster invading.  Hubby loves this game.  I think it's horrible.  The dogs always look so embarrassed when they've misidentified  a threat.

 Lizzy, all noise, runs to safety.

Lil is moving in for the attack of this strange creature.

Bonnie and Ki are still unsure.

Lil has been embarrassed but Bonnie still is not sure.  Ki simply waits.

Bonnie's alert tail is still up

and they charge each other.

Oh, the things some of us do for fun!

This N That

fungi on a log

Here I share tiny pieces as we all do, glimpses into parts of our daily lives. This is not a reality show so you don't get the in your face daily living dramas, tragedies and triumphs...not all of them so I'm gonna hit some highlights.

Marcy, my oldest sister, has passed her tests and remains cancer free for another year.  The tests and checks are getting farther apart.  I do the driving.

Beverly, my second sister (yep, I'm the baby), is still operating The Shop, mostly by herself. I go up now and then to help.  Things are still moving out and moving on.

Hubby is holding steady on his heart health but I can tell some days are worse than others. We are relatively young, he 64 and I 61, but we seem to be going downhill.

Our outings are mostly grocery and doctor runs,

We have a boomerang child.

Andrew graduates this year.

We no longer have any livestock.  Down to one rooster...they were quite old.

Hubby has the garden plowed for spring planting.

We have a list of work that NEEDS to be done as long as all our arms put together.

Sadly the elders here all woven together would not make one healthy person but we keep on keeping on.

On the brighter side, we are still here, pecking away at daily living.  We have acreage to explore, fishing, hunting, fresh water, sunshine and rain.  We are blessed.

Gardening At The Shop

 Beverly always plants a little garden in the sandy soil at the shop.  She digs it by hand and nurses her seedlings to produce from nothing.

 Hubby does the bush hogging around the shop and some road work when needed.  This year he took the disc to her garden spot that is close enough to see customers when they pull in for shopping.

 He added some top soil and disc that in the mix.

The soil is a little richer so I hope her garden does well this year.  When there are no customers she tends her garden.  The customers seem to enjoy seeing her working.  One customer asked me, "Is that your sister I see folded up like a little Vietnamese lady pulling grass?"  Yep, that's my sister.

Up On The Roof

Temperatures in low seventies had us hustling to get work done before winter stays for a few weeks. February is always our worst winter month.  Not so far.  The first day was perfect so up in the tractor bucket. We were lifted with heated tar to stop a leak in the roof and check out the gutters with Andrew at the controls.

I'm not one for heights but didn't know it until I was grown.  I thought that heart stopping breathless condition when I climbed trees to the top was just the thrill of the conquest.  It wasn't.  Found out later on, in fact, when Hubby and I went to the county fair. I was terrified when we stopped on the very top of the Ferris Wheel.  Didn't help that when Hubby started to swing our seat. He has always enjoyed making me scream and still does!

So we were slowly raised in the tractor with a bucket of hot tar which is the way we seal cracks and leaks on a roof around here.  Ideally we would get a new roof but ideally is not always an option so we do what we know how...make do with what we have.

Andrew, the bucket operator, could not resist tipping the bucket to get a reaction from me.  Papa made over!

The chimney was tarred as Dad did to get ahead of any possible leaks.

This is a steep roof.  I am still gripping the bucket and trying to clean the gutters. The thought of getting onto the roof had me about ready to pee my pants!

Andrew felt sorry for torturing me and monkey climbed the tractor arms and bucket to help the old man on the roof.  Since Hubby is my senior by around three years I was ashamed.  Not ashamed enough to climb up and help.

Having developed a leak on the front porch we wanted to get ahead of it by trying to stuff all possible places with hot tar to keep the rain out.  That is a male "we" as the female me is still gripping the bucket with a death grip.  It's not pretty but who's going to see it?  May this be the solution.  It has been a tried and true method our fathers used so cross your fingers.

And the younger generation learns by watching!

Hopefully.

In the background you can see my worm pit/compost.  My sitting area that I bored you with this summer.  You might also note how terribly high we are from the ground.  I prefer the ground.  

If we have more warm days maybe we, uh, they can accomplish some more daunting tasks.  I wish we could call a roofer.  No funds.  This roof was installed right after our big tornado a few years ago. The company who did it were idiots taking advantage of the tornado damage or we would not be having these problems.  Oh, well, another life lesson.

What did you do yesterday?  I bet it wasn't as heart stopping as this was for me!