Shadows and Shoes

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

-Robert Louis Stevenson-

 I had the blues

because I had no shoes

until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet. 

-Denis Waitley-

I 

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Nature's Best

I am thinking of something

that is good for you,

and sweet smelling,

and contains some of nature's finest ingredients.

I'm thinking Give-Away.

It's that time again and I can't wait to share

a favorite new scent of ours.

Enchanted Apple.

I will be giving away three bars

of our handmade Goat's Milk Soap 

to three lucky winners.

To enter, all you need to do is be a follower

of this blog and leave a comment letting me know

you would like to be entered in the drawing

which will be held a week from today

on Sept. 5th.

Drawing is open to all, even if you have
been a winner in the past.

Good luck : )

Linking up to Rural Thursday Blog Hop.

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A Girl and Her Cat

Gratitude * Sunday

I am joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for

 Won't you join us too?

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y

{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.} 

* 

If you would like to join us, see above. 

Our gratefulness feeds one another. 

*

~

*

Throughout the week I have felt grateful for:

Living in rural Nebraska, where we all drive with one hand at 12:00 on the steering wheel so we can raise our four fingers up in a wave at every passing car and tractor.

Trading goat’s milk soap for melons  : )

Finding inspiration on you blogs. 

Thinking about my dad every time I pick up a pen.  
(You would have to be family to appreciate where this comes from)

The 35 mile daily trip to the farm that has become my trail of tears. 
It’s the only alone time I get to work through the sadness.  

Vine ripened tomatoes coming off at just the perfect rate for eating. 

Finding hidden cucumbers the size of a zucchini and knowing how much 
the chickens and goose are going to love it.

Finding a common ground with a lady down the hall at work who is very hard to like.

Wild sunflowers. 
They are everywhere right now, 
bringing brightness and sunshine to the fading summer days.

My life and where I am and what I am doing and who I love.

What have you been most grateful for this week?

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Little Engines

Do you know what's outside my window?

Yep - we're at it again.

But this time, Just call us "the little engines that could".

These trips were to be done by hired help.

The first time we had a closing date,

I had hired 4 guys out of Iowa to come and move

the heavy stuff.

It was going to cost $800.  

Four guys, four hours.

That was the cheapest I found anywhere.

Then that sale fell through and, happily, I got my money refunded.

Since then I have been determined not to hire help.

I did get the guys at work to offer to help,

but they all live in different towns and are just as busy

as I am on the weekends.

I didn't want to take up

even half a day of their time.

It's not like I am moving down the street.

So, I got the truck again,

and this time, the appliance dolly also,

and started in.

See this?  I have re-named it the Black Monster.

It is a pellet stove, and it is HEAVY!

And here I was worrying about the washer and freezers.

This little gem made everything else seem light.

This next piece of furniture had been keeping me up at night

trying to figure out how the girls and I could get it out of the 

basement, let alone into the UHaul and then into the house.

But LOOK - there it is - still in parts, but in it's new home : )

We also moved two chest freezers, a washer, a dryer,

another couch, chair and love-seat , bookcases, boxes of books

that were so heavy they also needed a dolly, tables, chairs,

bicycles and anything else at all we thought wouldn't fit in the van

for the last of the trips.

We stripped the house a little too clean.

This is where I am typing to you from.

The floor.
(as if my back weren't tired enough)

There was one small accident today.

Oddly enough it involved a door handle

and I wasn't carrying a thing.

I sprained my first finger on my left hand.

It is all blue and chubby and prefers not to join

the others at the keyboard.

I tell you what

I have got the strongest, toughest,

most committed girls anywhere when it comes

to helping their mom do the impossible.

Yes we argued and cussed (I did anyway)

and said "ouch" and "look out" a lot.  

But we were extremely careful and

took our sweet sweat time which included 

lots of breaks and chit chat.

I paid them in cash, bought them movies

and dinner at Jimmy Johns and told them they could have

friends over tomorrow 

(as long as they don't mind sitting on the floor).

They will get over the tired.

I just hope they never get over the lesson.

TRY.  

You just might be able to do what you thought you couldn't.

Oh, and 

a good appliance dolly is your best friend.

Tomorrow?

Well, the girls will be taking it easy.

But me and my chubby finger

are going back to the farm to put that

monstrosity of a couch back together.

Then I shall sit on it  

and count my blessings  : )

p.s. We still have another washer and dryer

and the mattresses that will need one last UHaul rental

two weeks from now.  

 NO problem.

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Farm Help

Just because an animal doesn't pull a plow

or bark a warning

doesn't mean they are not excellent farm help.

These guineas spend their entire day

scouring the place for bugs.

And, by the way, they do a wonderful job 

shouting out "STRANGER DANGER"

at the least provocation.

The goats (and chickens) just happen to love

this drought resistant Kochia plant weed 

which is the only green thing growing without water this year.

Have at it girls : )

Here at Sprout N Wings, we have one more helper

named Nyla.

He is never more than two feet away during 

any and all outdoor work.

When not napping, he is more than willing to lend

two helping hands and a foot.

(yes, that is a saw and yes, he is pretending

to be oblivious of the fact he could loose an arm.)

"what"

 Critters.  Gotta love 'em.

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A Day In The Park

I just wanted to post of few of the fun and colorful shots

I took at Yankton Riverboat Days on Saturday.

Gratitude * Sunday

This week I am joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for

Won't you join in too?

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y

{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.} 

* 

If you would like to join us, see above. 

Our gratefulness feeds one another. 

*

~

*

Throughout the week I've felt grateful for: 

* The audio book on Mindfulness that I listened to on a long drive for work and its gentle but constant reminder to just be still.

* The eye-opening meeting with the mortgage lender who took the wind out of my sails on purchasing another house in town.  I left there feeling discouraged and angry,  but hours later realized this was the best thing that could have happened.  I am so relieved that I didn't go ahead with it and so glad I don't have to jump through their hoops.  I am sorry for those who do.  If we need a second place, we will rent.  For now we will work with what we have.

* Learning once again how to "turn it around" and make a positive out of a negative (see above).

* My coworkers - who always like me - even when I don't like me - or them.

* The opportunity every day to work with rural Nebraskans who are the most wholesome people I have ever been around.  I am constantly in awe of them.

* The hugely humbling experience of living with two 17 year olds who can take me down with just a look. I am still thankful and grateful for who they are.

*My oldest daughters' daily updates on my dad, who is in hospice and in his last days.  She is so good to be able to deliver the words.

*My mom, who sits at his bed and holds his hand, because this comforts him.

* This photo, of the bracelet Rylee made for him when we visited him in the hospital before he was moved to hospice.  My sister took this photo a few days ago and said it was "a little bit of rainbow that made her heart sing".

* And last but not least - the thing I am most thankful for this, and every, week, is that time in the evening, when the sun has just started to set and the light is changing, when the animals have full bellies,  and are quieted and content; when the chores are done and the day is ending and I take just a minute to stop and look and listen.  

It's those moments when I feel a peace that cannot be taken from me.  

Those moments when I know everything is all right - right here - right now. 

It's those moments when I confirm over and over again - 

THIS is why I do it and why I will do it again tomorrow.  

I just can't get that anywhere else.

p.s. I wrote this post last night and got the word this morning that my father passed on. 

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Just Checking In

First day of school yesterday.

No photo taken because someone was wearing a very short skirt.

They had a good day

and get to leave the school for lunch now that they are juniors.

Not a lot of comments about classes.

There was a comment about how many more pregnant girls

there are in school this year.

My response was that I bet the Norfolk Catholic School girls

were not coming home and telling their mom that.

Thought we would celebrate by going to a movie.

Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell

in Hope Springs.

How could we go wrong?

Okay - go see it - and I highly recommend it.

But while you are there, imagine me watching it with 

my two teenage daughters.

Woke up to thunder this morning

and rain, rain, rain.

I hope the soybeans are soaking up every last drop.

Yankton Riverboat Days is this weekend.

 Hope you all are enjoying the weekend

in you own unique way.

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{this moment}

Today I'm joining Amanda at  SouleMama for  {this moment}

{this moment}

. . . . . . . .

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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Cornstalks

The cornfields are beginning to disappear here in Nebraska.

It is early and unusual to seeing the fields being cut when they are still green. 

It is just the stalks being cut, from the dry land corn that didn't put on ears 

due to the drought.

The stalks will be used for cattle feed - in the form of silage.

When first cut, the stalks are too high in nitrogen to use as feed.

As they go through the silage process, some of the nitrogen will be lost

and it can also be mixed with other feed-stuff to reduce the 

amount of nitrogen fed to cattle.

One farmer had his cows get into the corn stalks while still in the field 

and it killed 55 of them due to the nitrogen content.

The good news is that the stalks can be used as feed

the bad news is, feedlot cattle have to have grain to "finish".

Corn prices will be too high to finish feed.

I was told today that Canada had a bumper crop of barley this year.

Many feeders are already importing it.

I am curious to see what will happen and what will be fed.

Also, I guess the Mississippi River is low due to the drought

which is causing grain import and export problems

as well as bottle-necking due to all the importing and exporting 

going on as feeders scramble to get grain. 

Big feeders have started importing corn from South America.

(I struggle here to refrain from commenting much on 

how it would be better if we ate the corn

 instead of feeding it to the cow.)

What I am hoping for is that corn syrup 

won't be so cheap anymore and they will

quit putting it in all of our food.

Give me good old sugar any day.

 The guineas were happy to be a part of this post.

They really are a couple of hams.

Can't Really Call It Work

Water sampling trip Aug. 13, 2012.

12 hr day, 337 miles, 14 rivers and streams,

temps never got over 80F

and I am not even tired.

It was that perfect.

The deer were everywhere.

(eating soybeans)

I would have gotten more photos 

but I was too busy swerving to miss them.

The sunflowers waved at me along the gravel roads.

Elderberry. ( or maybe not)

Charolais bull.

He wasn't in the mood for waving.

Charolais cow.

She waved her ears.

Lunch break.

For four years now, I have said I would like to have lunch

at this special place near one of the creeks I sample.

Normally I just eat on the run.

Today I stopped.

My supplies.

Keeping an eye on the truck,

but no need,

not one vehicle even passed by.

Cattails.

I hope you all are enjoying these late summer days.

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