Trimming The Poop Trees...

You know the ones I'm talking about.  The trees and bushes that grow as birds plant them in their own little micro environment.  Moisture, fertilizer and seed...how can these fail to grow??  Of course they're always dropped where they aren't needed and where it's almost impossible for them to be transplanted.

Here is a huge Black Walnut tree.  That's all I need there but it doesn't always work that way.  Been behind on yard work with life kinda getting in the way.  This is the day I decided to do ONE thing.

The birds land in the tree and plant mulberries, briers, blackberry, and wild hedge...none of which I want here.

My option?  Chop, chop!

Buckets of sweat later...

one Black Walnut tree remains.

Lizzy asks,  Are you ever gonna throw these boots away???

The Fig Tree Job...

This was my second project in the yard.  Far be it from me to clean house and catch up all that when I have many excuses, uh, projects, outside.  Choked in Wisteria, the Wisteria was asked to leave and when it didn't I took charge.

This is what a wisteria vine will do to anything it can climb on.  Just like the Honey Suckle by the water garden, it  restricts the growth of whatever plant it attaches to.

Another pile to be very proud of.  That's why you got lucky and are forced to read a second post today.

Now the fig has room to grow and produce these lovelies.

Two jobs down and a bazillion to go.

The water garden is recovering from my attack,

so shall the fig tree.

Not so confident about this old body,

It's feeling the work.

  

The First Day Of Retirement...

I got up at six AM, woke Andrew for football practice, picked up Marcy at the truck shop, came home and worked outside.

Decided the water garden desperately needed my attention today.  I began removing the money plants, pulling weeds while topping off the water.  Also let the water soak a few weeds for me.

Here's my pile of removed undesirables.  Dead money plants, a few weeds and the grass I pulled was replanted elsewhere.  Grass is very valuable right now.

Looking a little better but hours to go before I'm finished.  It has taken all summer to get this grown up so will take me more than  a couple of hours to bring it back to its proper state but progress was made.  Yes, there is a water garden there, full of water plants.

Honey Suckle and Golden Rod are not my friends any more.  I am kicking them out of the garden.

One happy flower.

One unfinished job.

This soft little office girl has blisters

but I still know how to work.

So begins retirement.

I Salute Thee, Oh, Beautiful Day!

A beautiful day means no coat,

becoming one with the farm,

joining in with the work at hand,

and relaxing.

Sweating, Marking, Boxing, and Drinking...

 I don't know why I think I can get every thing done in one day.  Never have been able to but always keep trying.  I spent my morning doing like a little boy dog, as Momma used to say, doing a little here, a little there...

I check the computer before any one else hits the floor.  That's my quiet time, but the cool morning called to me.  I answered.  I walked through the kitchen saw watermelon hulls for the horses.  Carried one batch out, carried a few rocks back and added them to the garden I had cleared by the house.

When I returned to the kitchen for the second load of treats, I thought, I need to gather all the halters, ropes and bridles and sort them for each animal.  I dumped my gear bag in the middle of the dining room (remember, that's where my saddles are) and decided to make a hanger for all the head gear in the dining room.  That's right!  Where we eat!  Hey, this is a working farm, not a fancy magazine place, where nothing is ever out of place.  Now, they are all in place, I made a hanger using old door knobs and a two by four.  How's that for fancy?  Charme wears purple, Arrow; black, Knot; red and Magic; blue(he's a Patriotic horse...red, white, and blue)  All halters, leads, bridles are all in place...wait a minute...where the hell is my blue halter?? 

So I head back to the old barn, with more watermelon, and I have company.  No one will let me take a good picture, they all want treats so most pictures would have looked like fish eye photos.

Magic dances after Ki, and I holler, No, to Ki and Magic thinks I am talking to him!  Gosh, it sure gets confusing around when we all know the same language.

I asked Knot to smile pretty, not look like a mule but he mule-hammed for the camera anyway.  Their minds were on that watermelon.  I asked every one, where is the blue halter and every one denied ever seeing a blue halter.

Horses spoiled and loved, I headed back to the house...yes, I am sweating now and marking my territory well.

Bev calls and says, I'm going to the shop so that is where my boxing comes in...been boxing stuff all week I want to sell.  Load the car with said boxes and head to the shop...with two drinks but it was not nearly enough.  It is cooler but not working in the shop where we only had fans going.

My nephew bought some big-ass shelves at an auction and did not stay home long enough to put them together so, you guessed it, it's up to me and Bev. (Nephew is in Alaska working...hope it's black fly season!)  These are supposed to be tall shelves, we can't budge them!  Two elephants couldn't lift them with three trunks!

So we improvise, we stack the big rolly bases together and place shelves on them and make a wonderfully solid display table.  We move a couch or two,a couple of tables and move some boxes.  We are drinking heavy, breaking often and sweating a lot.

Hubby and Andrew show up...Thank goodness!  The four of us with a dolly, moved three of those darn sections and it took all we four had, to do it.  We are gonna stack those boogers and if someone else wants to put them together, they are welcome to do so.  Hey, cover 'em with a quilt and it will make a great table.

The two men also unload my car, which I had not gotten around to doing, left and came back with drinks for me and Bev.  Hubby and Andrew are looking pretty darn good, what I can see through my sweating eyeballs.

We continue to discuss ideas and arrangements...til we both just sweated out.  Left for the day.

I came home to the smell of tacos, I'm so hot, I really don't care to eat, took a shower, drinking liquids like I haven't had a drink all day and never did find that dang blue halter!!!

Tired Of Weeding My Porch...

Now that is a scary statement, isn't it?  Who in the world has to pull weeds out of their porch?  Me!  I added a rock patio, if it can be called that, to help catch the dirt at the entry of the house a few years ago.  Beginning with one of hubby's wonder offerings of  a huge rock, I worked around and laid rocks in sand.

Using the Quikrete I had stashed here and there, I have weeded and replaced the sand with mortar.  It has not been easy with the temps so high but, by golly, I am almost finished.

Why does hubby bring me these big honking rocks?

Because he loves me, and men think size matters.

It's not level and it's not beautiful but progress in being made.  This small addition has saved me from a lot of dirt tracking into the house...and it's the perfect place to hose off a big rug.

My last bag of Quikrete, hoping it will be just the right amount.

It was the perfect amount!

Just what I needed.

Isn't it truly a blessing when things come out even?

I have to wash the residue off when it dries a little.

More rocks will be visible then and hoping I have no paw prints when I go back out to do the finish work.  This is the ultimate example of using what you have.  I am holding the timbers in place with old  found horseshoes, driven into the ground, used old Quikrete left over from other projects and God's beautiful rocks.  With a lot of sweat, work, and even some fun...I don't have to weed my porch anymore!!!

Thank you, Quikrete!

Saturday...

Was an amazingly beautiful day!  The air was warm, the sun was shining and green was peeking out.

We worked in mud.

The sunlight reflected off the water.

Ki explored with me.

We both got our feet wet.

Today was flip flop weather once again.

Ki had a snake/gun lesson today.

We played a little football,

and we played in dirt.

A chore done,

arrowheads discovered,

and time to play.

What could make a better day?

This N That

An appropriate title for this week, a week full of demands and reports...reports they asked for today and wanted last week. I am grateful I am closer to my day and a half off from work than I have been all week.

The weather is the kind you want to bathe in, cooler air, enough rain to freshen every thing.  The air is crisp and clear and clean and when you breath in, it seems to give new life and energy to the body and the soul.
I am only lacking in the time to enjoy it.

I hear the roosters greeting the dawn which has not quite made it yet.  The sky is still holding on to its darkness and that brings the sadness of shorter days.  Fall is in the air and I am wondering where the heck summer went!

I hear the shower as my grandson prepares for school and have yet to know the outcome of last night's game.  The game was away...far, far away.  I was leaving work about the time of the starting whistle.  I often wish I could carry the ball for him, do his homework or at least give him my wisdom of many years but I must let him grow on his own.  It is the hardest thing I have ever done and I have two more wonderful grandsons growing up that I shall have to let go of too.  Letting them find their wings will be a difficult job but one we all must do.

I have gained new followers on each blog and am delighted!  It still amazes me that someone finds what I write worth reading.  Thank you.

Off to the salt mines!  May each and every one of you have a day filled with wonderment and beauty.

Weekend Work

Clearing the bank,

Stirring water,

to clear it up,

fun for the dogs

well thrown sticks help move the grass out

The girls did not know they were working

As the heat climbed, we headed for shade.

The current is cleaing the water

and this evening it will be clear once more.

Practicing For Retirement

My self portrait with SOME of the dogs
Arrow looking for fruit.

I started my day, after I got the men out the door.

I took a shower, the longest most enjoyable shower I have had in months, no, make that years. I shaved, I lathered, I shampooed...twice, just like it says on the bottle; lather, rinse, repeat. Do you know how long it has been since I shampooed according to directions? I kept turning the cold water lower and lower until it was a steam shower.

On to my appointment and the grocery store and home again, home again. I bought chocolate creme filled doughnuts and Dr Pepper, the rest was unimportant.

I unhurriedly checked my emails with no back ground noise except for the farm animals.

Then to the cow lot to pick up a few walnuts since I had promised Beverly I would help. No one on the farm but me!

I relished in the aloneness, the solitude of the farm.

I picked up one measly feed sack of walnuts and went exploring. This is no way to get the work done, believe me, but remember, I am practicing retirement.

I toured the earthen dam that broke during our big rains and found an arrowhead and a few chips, sunk up to my boot tops in the mud and had a wonderful relaxing time.

I placed the camera on the fence post and tried to send a wave to all my friends. I shall have to practice on self portraits.

What I Learned Today

The guys aren't doing laundry! Of course I already knew that but I can dream.

There is a snake in the spring and an armadillo in the garden.

Gypsy likes to retrieve. She also licks my legs when I sit at the computer...I am working on stopping that. She has a hole in her mouth, otherwise, where does all the water come from around her water bowl?

I learned eight and a half hours at work is longer than it was yesterday.

Spaghetti in a can is a fine meal to feed a young foot ball player after practise.

I also know the horses loved the watermelon and pears I took them and the dog loved breakfast milk and chicken scraps better than their dog food.

The best revelation of all; Your comments are like chocolate, they taste wonderful and I cannot get enough!