Blog Break

My father is quite ill and is in the hospital.  With all due respect to my family I won't be blogging for a while.  Sometimes thing needs to just stop for a time so we can focus on reflection and prayer.

Chicken Treats

  I made some fresh strawberry jam syrup yesterday.

I don't want to talk about it.

I thought I would help the little bantam rooster out a bit.

So I let him announce the treats.

I also let him announce the egg shell treats.

(I am freezing some - mostly whites- we will see how that goes).

"Thank ya, ma'am".

Rooster Dance

You might remember this rooster from a post last winter.
He loved me then and he loves me still.
Today he danced a jig for me.
He is quite good don't you think?  All that head and hip action?
It was at least 100F out and he never broke a sweat.
I love that he loves me.
Do you think we should go to therapy as a couple?

Dill-icious!

Everyone enjoys canning day.

Thank You

This summer has been a challenge.  A lot of those “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” type of challenges.  But - like Chatty Crone once told me – “yes, but how strong do we need to be?”  That is so true.  Just STOP already!

However, that's not what this post is about.  This post is about you.  It’s about what you do.  Better than any self-help book or mind-distracting movie or all-consuming craft project – is you.  When I haven’t the strength, motivation or desire to do anything constructive, I find myself turning to you.  At first, out of a sense of duty to my friends, but only until the first click into your worlds.  Be it your amazing photography, your delightful families, your creations, your words, your lives.  You are still there and I am still here and this is all just a part of it.  The good, the bad, the yin, the yang.  When I leave comments of encouragement or complement for you, I unknowingly lighten my own load.    A big hug to you my friends. I wish I could give you all a gift. 

                                        

Crazy Young

This daughter came all the way back from NY

to attend the Madison County Fair 2012.

This daughter got a tattoo at the fair.

(air brush tattoo that is)

Actually they all did.

And they sat here

from 10:00 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

waiting in line to get front row

standing-room-only spaces in

UNBELIEVABLY hot and humid weather

to see him.

See the four of them?
Front row - far right.
They stood here from 7:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
because it was too hot for him to perform.
(photo taken by radio station)
They all got sprayed with a fire hose.

That is just crazy man.

Sweet Sunday

"If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace, 
I would surely vote for the purr." ~ 

Barbara L. Diamond

Ronald

When I posted about finding a baby possum in our shop,

a few followers told me I should get rid of it now, rather than later.

Since Rylee was the one to discover it

I told her she should put out a trap 

and use cat food for bait.

She was happy to do that

and even named the baby possum

she hoped to catch.

Two days later...

meet Ronald.

At first we thought him cute.

He reminded us of Sophie

our pet chinchilla.

Then Willow came into the picture

and Ronald wasn't so cute anymore.

Bye-bye Ronald.

Happy...whatever it is you do...slowly.

Linking up with Nancy and Lisa for Rural Thursday Blog Hop

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Big News

 See this?

This is the girl's van.

This van is parked outside the high school.

It wasn't driven there by me.

I was not a passenger in the van.

I wasn't even in town at the time.

This is a HUGE step for us.

A milestone.

A day to go down in history.

They have their licenses

and they are DRIVING!

As for me?

Here We Go Again

When the sale of the house fell through last week,

after we had moved everything 

but the appliances and couches out,

I was at a complete loss.

It took a few days for me to conclude

that I wasn't about to haul it all back to town.

We were going to have to move into the farmhouse

ready or not.

I laid stapled down cheap (and I do mean cheap)

indoor-outdoor carpet in the living room

to cover the bare floor from where we tore up the carpet

a few years ago.

I also did this in the upstairs bathroom

where we took up the old gross carpet there as well.

This is temporary until the house in town sells.

It actually looks good.

Too bad I don't have the before and after photos.

Then, I turned the girls loose.

They hauled all their boxes in from the shop, 

and up these stairs.

(top of stairs)

And got busy pounding nails in the walls.

This was a strict no-no at our house in town.

They didn't hold back.

It did my heart good.

(my hippie-at-heart child)

They also went right to work on sewing their curtains.

Later that evening they put up the tent.

(I miss the green grass so very much this year)

They had plenty of helpers

While we were busy at the farm

the realtors were busy showing our house again.

It is impressive how well one can clean

an nearly empty house.

AND we got another nothing-to-brag-about offer.

So...here we go again.

We Need Rain

We are catching a break here today.

Looking at a high of 83F.

Thank you Jesus!

When I arrived at the farm yesterday

the neighbor who rents the bins

was in process of unloading last years soybeans.

The temperature was at least 100F.

He had to keep pouring ice water

on part of the motor to keep it going.

He said he probably won't be needing the bins this year.

The beans won't do well because of this drought.

He said the corn is just about done.

What that means is that is is tall and beautiful

and has just tasseled, but will not put on an ear.

How sad is that?

He said if we got rain and got it quick

it might have a chance.

But otherwise, it is done.

I try to imagine the life of a farmer.

Completely dependent upon the ever changing weather.

I said I had only been in NE a few years but this was the driest I had seen.

He said he and his wife have been farming 37 years.

The first three were dry, but then they were good.

He thought this would be the worst he has seen in 10 years.

I think the hardest part would be when there is nothing to harvest.

I know they have insurance to ease the financial burden

but does it ease the emotional burden?

I usually use the bin rent money for the first half of the property taxes.

When the farmers are hurting

we all hurt.

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