Hauling in the Gator

These boys are so funny. I will try to post a short video clip of this event..........I am not sure how to do it.

Hey, I did it.....I did it! I posted a video. Andrew was just learning to navigate the Gator and he received some yelling instruction. Nothing like first time drivers. You may need to stop the Amazing Grace song clip to hear the action.

Christmas Celebration with Family Fun

We started celebrating Christmas early this weekend. Pictured is "My Guy" (better known as Grandpa) with my little guys and girl (Gillan, Andrew,Josh, and Gracie). We love having the family here and always have a good time, but the cousins really have a fun time together.

I might have mentioned this before, but one would think that the two little boys on the left were brothers and the boy and girl on the right were brother and sister....wrong. Family resemblance amazes me.

Katie helped me with adding music to the blog. Neat addition. Amazing Grace as recorded by Chris Tomlin is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy listening and I hope each of you take time from the busyness of Christmas preparation to relax, enjoy your family, and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and what the baby in the manger truly did for each of us....the AMAZING GRACE OF JESUS. Merry Christmas!!

Tractors and More

Do they move around, or what? Now, I know why I was so tired last night. This really does seem to be one of their very favorite things to do....checking out equipment and love to watch implement videos/DVD's. What kid do you know that can watch those things over and over? Rudy, the Kubota picture was taken for you.

Farm & Ranch Show

BD & I took the boys to the Farm & Ranch Show today. This is their idea of a great time. Andrew wanted to milk the "wooden" cow, and then he made butter by shaking the little plastic container. The lady at the booth helped just a little to get the butter to the right consistency. He ate it right up on the pretzels. I will post a sample of the dozens of trucks, tractors, and other implements Josh & Andrew tried out.

Pretty Young Ladies

Okay, I have enough cats and cows posted....I need to get back to the people in my life. I thought this was a sweet picture of my niece Kasey and my daughter Katie. We had a great visit around the dinner table with the family on Thanksgiving, but we all missed Rudy and family. We are looking forward to our Christmas visit. I hope each of you had a good Thanksgiving and spent time in thankfulness for the abundant blessings we each are given.

Dairy & Beef Cattle

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everthing that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24-25
Carlene, here are a few of the pictures you requested. The girls (milk cows) in the feeding barn after they were milked and next to them are some young Jersey heifers. I was only able to get a few shots of the beef cattle........the evening I went to take pictures they were scattered. The calves with the momma cow are twin heifers. Does this make you home sick for Kansas? Opps, the pictures did not post in the order I described them.....but, you get the picture.

More Cats

Even a kitty with the lamb.....these cats are free-loaders!

Did I tell you, these are only a few of the cats? Such variety!

Cats for Carlene

Okay Carlene.....I had to send the pictures of our barn cats. I know you are a big "cat lover".... I had to share. I took a long walk around the farm taking pictures today. It was such a beautiful Sunday afternoon. These cats have it made. The cow pictures you requested will be coming to the blog soon. Oh, and I had to get the little ophran lamb in here too! Our Gracie loves cats, so I hope she enjoys this post, as well.

Sunday Night Company

Katie & Craig had their "Life Group" meeting in their home last Sunday night. We agreed to keep the children at our house. There were eight of them. It was lively to say the least. They ranged from under age one to six. A good time was enjoyed by all!

Serious Soccer in Sulphur Springs

We really had a good time last weekend in Texas. Both of the kid's games were so exciting......Grandpa & I felt tied up in knots from all of the action.

Gracie (#2 in the pink & black) is taking it to the goal in the first picture..she did make it! She is a go-getter...the other team played a little dirty....don't all grandparents and parents think that? Really, one little girl was obviously trying to stop Gracie by tripping her....over and over...she fell several times, but just got up and continued on.

Gillan played a great game too, but the goalie on the other team was unbelieveable........he was all over that ball every time it came his way. Gillan(in the red & white suit with dad (coach) in the foreground) is always ready and plays very smoothly and makes it look effortless. My soccer terms may not be correct......this is new for me, but I am learning with all four grandchildren playing. I just had to include this sweet smiling picture of Gillan too.

Serious Soccer in Texas

Jumping Fun in the Sun

These boys are having a jumping fun time. They are always busy at something.

More Soccer Kids

I received these photos from Rudy last night. Gracie with Dad and Gillan with Dad. Rudy apparently coaches both of the kids teams. They stay very busy with practices and games. I understand they are both outstanding soccer players............I am anxious to see their improvement this season, because they were already good.

Butterflies

Okay, I am still obsessed with the nature around me. The bermuda grass is still nice and green and will continue as long as we have these warm temperatures and rain. I know...it is not pictured. Actually, it was the butterflies that had me so captivated Saturday morning. I saw so many in the yard, Monarchs, the black one, and several yellow butterlies fluttered about......I don't know...there are so many butterfly species. Late in the afternoon, while traveling down the country road there were half-grown Monarch butterflies numbered by the dozens. We are right in the middle of the fall Monarch migration. Amazing! There are several interesting websites about butterflies........do a search and check them out if this is of interest to you or look at this one: http://www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Migration.htm

Sorry the shots were not as vibrant as I had hoped they would be. I could have copied several beautiful pictures from the internet, but these were my own....much more fun to capture the beauty outside than sitting in front of a computer.

Good Friends

These brothers have so much fun together. Yes, they fight sometimes and maybe sometimes they are not very nice to each other. But, they can play together for endless hours. They can even show their sweet affection for each other once in a while.

Happy/Sad

I noticed that I have not posted very many pictures of Andrew. These two pictures are stark opposites. This little boy has a mile wide, beautiful smile and he is happy most of the time. But, his very first ever soccer game was tough on the little fellow. I arrived too late to see what had tired him so. However, he was very hot, sweaty, and red in the face when I arrived.....and well, just not too happy. He was NOT going to go back out on the field. When Andrew is tired and sad, you can just see him folding up....note the shrinking posture in spite of his daddy's encouragement. Too cute!

Martha....Who Me??

You all remember the story of two sisters in the Bible. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:38-39.

You remember how Martha was the hostess with the mostest! She was busy with every detail in the kitchen to serve company, while her not so helpful sister sat in the floor of the living room listening to Jesus. I have often referred to myself as being a "Martha" in almost a boastful way. The scripture gives us direction for what is the most important. The scripture tends to sing Mary's praises, but honestly Martha appeals more to most women's perfection tendencies. This author does a beautiful job, in a humurous way of redirecting women's thinking towards putting first things first. She states that the Living Room Intimacy Mary enjoyed with Jesus will never come out of the "busyness" of Martha's Kitchen.....ouch! This author points out that, while the world applauds achievement, God desires companionship. The world clamors, "Do More! Be all that you can be!" But our Father whispers, "Be still and know that I am God."

I could include so much more from this book, but you might just want to get a copy and read it too. I am not completely finished reading it, but I have enjoyed every word of it. I have found that it may just be that if I would sit more often at the feet of Jesus ...the busyness of life would be much easier. The author puts it this way - "when we put work before worship, we put the cart before the horse. The cart is important; so is the horse. But the horse must come first, or we end up pulling the cart ourselves.....we then grow frustrated and weary, and can nearly break under the pressure of service". She says, "when we take time to hear His voice--God provides the horsepower we need to pull the heaviest load".

Mooving Along

I just had to add a picture of some of the Jersey cows. I believe this picture was taken last spring, but the cows remind me of fall, as well. The dairy has been our primary livelihood for almost 30 years. It has been BD's dream come true. The farm requires constant, ongoing work, but it has always been exactly what BD loved to do.... and he is good at it. The day will come when we will no longer be able to operate this farm. That will be a sad day for our family, but we all understand reality. We have cared well for these cows and they have taken care of us. We have been blessed to have shared these years in the country and reared our children and now grandchildren in this environment. It is a place to escape the rush of the world, while staying very busy operating it. I used to spend the fall mornings bottling calves....many calves.........all very hungry....it was a hassle as they knocked the bottles out of my hand, licked my clothes, and slung mud, but the task really gives you a chance to be alone and think. Yes, country life has its disadvantages, but there are many blessings, if one just chooses to look around.

Someday, I will share some of the more humorous events around here....like the day I drove about 10 miles down the interstate before I realized I was dragging our "old wire gate" behind me; or maybe the first time I was left alone to milk the cows and one of the cows fell in the milking pit with me; or one of the many times I walked out of my rubber boots in deep manure & mud......maybe even the time I pulled BD on the old WD45 Allis Chalmers to the neighbors for repair, with no regard for the speed I was traveling................oh, the memories. Rudy, Katie, and their spouses were here this past weekend, and we had some side-splitting laughter recounting some of these memories...........OH THE MEMORIES!

Awe.......Autumn

This picture is very meaningful to our family. Katie took the picture last fall while my brother-in-law & sister-in-law were here to visit. Jack & Marion live in Iowa, and Marion fell in love with all of the Oklahoma fall foliage. Since retiring from teaching as an art teacher, she has developed her art skills via watercolor paintings. Much to my surprise, I received a water color painting for Christmas..........yes, Marion captured this scene in a special painting for me. This may just look like a dusty old road to you, but it has long been the road home for our family. Katie appropriately named the picture, "The Road Home". Rudy liked the comfort of the picture & painting of our road home and is now using the picture as his screen saver on his computer. I have attempted to capture the same picture with each new season.

I love the fall weather. Okay, I am rushing it a little bit, but I start to feel cozy and begin to crave homemade stew or taco soup. The days are getting shorter and the livestock seem to be enjoying the slightly cooler evenings. Fin & Feather will hold their annual arts and crafts show soon, and the fall fairs with livestock shows will begin. These events and changing of the trees and weather stir up feelings within me, filled with warm memories from my younger days here on the farm with our kids. Ahhh...........I love it! Autumn is Awesome!

Something to Ponder!

I have not posted in a while, but I received this e-mail today and I thought it was worth sharing. I don't know the origin of the e-mail or the writer. This is thought provoking and touched me. Don't we all need an attitude adjustment sometimes. This will make you stop and think .

A 92-year-old, large, relaxed and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair combed and face shaved properly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled genuinely when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.... just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing. " Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 1. "Free your heart from hatred" 2. "Free your mind from worries" 3. "Live simply" 4. "Give more" 5. "Expect less".

Anniversary

This past Monday we celebrated our "41st" wedding anniversay. We had lunch at the "Olive Garden"--one of my favorite places to go and BD's least favorite, but he wanted to do it for me. Then we continued the celebration by seeing BD's cardiologist.....always a fun trip, lol...we both do really like the doctor! We then stopped by the mall and my wonderful husband bought this beautiful - "Past, Present, & Future" diamond necklace for ME. I was so pleased and thought it was beautiful. You can't really see the detail clearly here. Come Tuesday, I wore my necklace with pride and thankfulness for the blessing of a wonderful husband. Later that afternoon, I stepped outside and found multiple wasps flying all around the front door. I quickly ran for "fly spray"...we did not have any wasp spray. As I ran from the porch after spraying, I thought a wasp was on my neck and I swiftly swatted at it----catching my necklace with my little finger...it really pulled, but I checked to see that it was intact. I continued around the house, bending over to pull weeds along the way, and heading for a hoe to knock down any nest I might find. I trailed all the way around the house and suddenly felt exhausted. I came inside to rest for a few minutes........I got up and went to the bathroom mirror to remove my contact lenses..........and guess what??? My beautiful necklace was GONE from around my neck. Woe is ME..........I wanted to cry and panic struck my soul, but my grand daughter was coming in the house soon. I told BD the necklace was gone and he just looked at me....soon to join me with a flashlight, followed by Gracie. We went step by step....the same steps I had already taken around the house about three times ...fretting and praying all the while. Gracie searched right along with us....and it was getting dark. I was absolutely wilted. We all came in the house with little conversation---I was feeling so irresponsible and telling myself I did not deserve something so nice....when very calmly Gracie says, "Grandma, what were we looking for anyway?" I said, "Oh Gracie, it was that beautiful necklace that grandpa gave me YESTERDAY for our anniversary." She said, "Well I saw something sparkling out in the front.....but, I did not know what we were looking for." My sceptical response was ....really??? "Come show me"........ Low and behold............there it was laying in a crack along the concrete in front of the house. Talk about thrilled and thankful.....I grabbed Gracie and hugged and hugged and thanked her so much. You know, the necklace is just a little worldly thing....not important in the big picture of life....I even felt guilty praying about it, but thank goodness the Lord cares about every aspect of our lives. I have thanked Him for the many blessings of life and helping with the little things. We can't depend on things, but we can always depend on Him.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

Neat Gadget

Okay, you have seen it on TV and you wanted it! How many times have you ordered something or bought it in a store only to find it is worthless? When I was in Mississippi Barb made the best fresh salsa and she used her handy dandy chopper. It worked great! Being the determined person that I am, I was having one of those things. I found this one at Linens and Things. It turns out this is not the same brand that Barb had, but IT WORKS! Anyway, you can see that it is a chopper/dicer and you can make salsa in a snap. Barb's version was a little different, but I wanted to share the recipe that Linda gave me a year or so ago. It is delicious!

Homemade Salsa

1 can Rotel (drained)

1 bunch of green onions chopped

1 large tomato chopped (or I use about 6 Roma tomatoes)

1 tsp. salt

2-3 Tbsp. lime juice or 1 1/2 fresh lime

Chopped Cilantro to taste

Very good, makes about 1/2 cup

I always make a larger batch because it goes so fast and we love it. You can vary the recipe with adding your own hot peppers and extra fresh tomatoes if you do not care for the taste of canned tomatoes mixed with the fresh tomatoes.

Enjoy!!

More Musings

It has been a while since I last posted. Where has the summer gone? I will be returning to work July 30 from the summer break. Gee, that seems soon. Just so you know---the eggs/birds that I kept writing about.....well, while I was gone with my long time friend Linda to help her daughter move........the birds flew the nest. At least I hope that is what happened. Katie called me in Mississippi to tell me she had closely watched the birds and how much they had grown. Then, the next day they were gone.....I guess they had to go sometime! My concern was that the one unhatched egg was gone too! Now, if any of you bird lovers have a clue.........let me know. Do you think a snake may have taken them all??? OH NO! Do the parents come and tell them all to get out?? I must study up on this situation, if I am to continue to soak up the nature around me.

Katie's two boys (grandsons) spent this week with me and grandpa. The boys have played Webkinzs, gone to the movies, played in the mud, read stories, played with play dough, watched Boomerrang, and more. It has been so wet from massive rains which limited our outside fun. Katie reported a good time at Falls Creek. She was excited that she was able to lead a young teenage boy to the Lord this week....bless you Katie....way to go!

We hope to enjoy a quick trip to the Cattlemen's Convention in Denver next week. The following week Gracie will come to visit us, while Gillan goes to church camp. Then it is back to work for me.

The amount of rain we have received the past two months has just been unbelievable. I don't remember a summer this wet before. We have been hesitant to complain due do the extreme drought last summer, but this could prove to be just as devastating as far as hay, silage, and other farm related activities are concerned. Oh well, I know the Lord will take care of us and He knows what he is doing...this will make us appreciate normal weather.

Enough of me...I hope you are all having a great summer. More later.

A Few of My Favorite Backyard Things

Day 5- Looking a little more like birds now. I know I need to go back to work and get a life! I sure am enjoying my time off.

The fish pond is my very favorite thing!!

I posted these pictures last night, but was too tired to write. I have mentioned how much I am soaking in the beauty of nature this summer....I couldn't start to tell you what all I see in my backyard. You have seen the new baby birds--well, there have been two healthy looking squirrels running all over the backyard recently......along with birds of every variety --scissor-tail fly catchers, cardinals, a red headed woodpecker, humming birds, blue birds and more. There are rabbits, turtles, frogs, deer and you name it. I have tried to capture some of these species on camera, but I just can't get close enough to do them justice.

I just have to share a funny/sad event that happened at noon today. The electricity went off....every thing gone...not even a sound of the freezer alert or computer backup. I checked with Katie and she had electricity..humm--BDB said that there was electricity at the barn...well humm--I called Cookson Hills for help and they promptly sent someone out. During the wait I checked outside around the utility pole and found.........OH NO! One of the squirrels lay dead under the pole....yes, he was the culprit. My 31/2 year old grandson Andrew was here with me during all of this, and I try to use events as teaching moments. I explained about electricity, the dangers, and what happened to the poor squirrel--telling him not to mess with electricity, etc. He seemed to be listening and I thought he might be sad, when suddenly he said, "grandma the dead squirrel looked like this"-- he then stuck his tongue out and to the side, stretched out his arms, and rolled his eyes back --stating that one of the squirrel's eyes were sticking out further than the other. I am sorry, but it was just hysterical....wish I had a picture to post....can't describe the look to do it justice, either.