Great Grandpa - "Papa"

My Daddy, and Great Grandpa to my grandkids will be "91" in November.

Whew, glad you can't see the tobacco juice on Papa's chin.

It is very visible in full screen view.
And, might I say obnoxious in person.
Oh well, I'm sorry--it is just him...it truly is,
and at 91 you get to do whatever you want...I guess.

I tried my best to get a good picture of all three of Katie's boys with Papa, have I have mentioned, it is difficult to get all of them looking and smiling at the same time?

Country Critters

Awe, how cute they are....please let me insert this disclaimer: I did not photograph any of these varmints, but I could have...because they have all been here at one time...maybe they are here all the time and I just don't see them...{{Oh shutter}} Anyway, I am just not quick enough to capture a picture of each critter on this place.

Skunks can create a lot of havoc. Stink..stink!!

But, this blog post is not about skunks.

I know God has a sense of humor, because of these animals He created. I could do a whole post on skunks, but I won't. I often write about the beauty of the wild life out here in the country, and I do enjoy it. But, I am going somewhere different with this one. Hang with me and don't jump ahead.I could watch a squirrel scurry around all day.

And, deers ...well, they are just majestic!

I said, "Don't jump ahead"! You did it, didn't you?


Racoons are adorable, but they can be quite a nuisance.

A little gopher, oh how sweet, but oh my, how destructive.

It is dangerous just to walk in our yard now.

This is a mole...rat looking varmint, huh? And, we get more yard destruction.

Armadillos are the absolute worst for digging up the whole yard.
There is not really anything too cute about them either, is there?

I have seen a little fellow something like this one on my front porch, about three times lately

and he likes to hide behind a large pot of flowers.
He seems to slink like a snake and I have never seen his back legs,
but I assume he has them...and he will stand up with his front legs and rear his
pretty little head up at me.........yikes, too snake like for me.

This double flower pot seems to be the big attraction for our colorful lizard.

Okay, now you can look......A Copperhead was on the front porch
a couple of evenings ago....and I can't stop thinking about it.
So many times I weed the flower beds, reaching way up under the shrubs..
Oh My Goodness!
Our porch is nice and flat and you walk straight in the door..no steps or incline--
just an easy entrance with the grandkids going in and out of the doors often.

As I said, this is not the actual picture of the snake or the other critters,
but it looked just like this one. Josh saw it first, as he was headed to the car.
He said, in a soft and calm voice....with silver dollar size eyes...and backing into the house..
"There is a snake out there"

Oh my...Oh my! And a poisonous one at that. I ran for a shovel and
cut the thing in half....as he hissed at me....yikes! David finished him off, but he still managed to wiggle off of the porch without a head.

A little critter like this one was lying dead in his tracks beside the snake the
next morning....poor thing (I am scared to death of mice). I guess the
snake scared the mouse to death! While I was outside getting
the remains of the dead.....the lizard came slinking out from behind the
pots of flowers one more time.
Lord help!

Creative Sidewalk Chalk Art

The artists were restless yesterday, so their Mom sent them outside with chalk.
Josh and Andrew worked vigorously to draw a town. This is a birds eye view.

City Hall

This is a jet flying over some apartments

Hospital complete with ambulance

School

SE Baptist Church with nearby houses

Rain clouds

Nathan is Walking!

Nathan is walking...My camera is croaking.

Sorry for the noise

Division of Kids

Some days, we just need to divide the kids up in order to get everything done in a day.
Josh and Andrew decided who would go with Grandpa and who got to go to Ft. Smith with Mom.
Yes, Josh stayed with Grandpa and he got to ride the tractor while doing something productive -
Spraying weeds!

"Hi guys, looks like fun.....but, I'm going home as soon as I take these pictures".

No picture of Andrew today, he was away from the farm, picking up his HeadStart year book, delivering watermelons, shopping at Sam's Club, and going to Sonic.

Nathan had to see Grandpa for a minute.

"I'm liking this tractor stuff"

Mean while, back at the house....
Not going to wear it!

Nope, I'm not!

There he is, as he quickly pulls it off again!

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

Well, not really a thousand words, but it does speak many and I love this picture. Do you have something in your home that just goes unnoticed? Maybe it is not in a prominent place, or it does not mean as much to others as it does to you. Maybe I had even forgotten how much I love this picture. I bought this picture of the little Amish boy and Holstein calf several years ago at Fern Mountain Creation - my sister's wonderful store that is now closed and used as an apartment....gosh, I miss that place! When I first found it in the store I just knew it was to be mine. I could visualize the little boy as David ....as a child. David has always had a love of cattle, and my guess is he always wore some kind of hat or cap, and he might have gone barefoot most of the time.

The picture of the little boy and calf is on the wall in the bedroom that I call the "grandkids" room. The room has several different items of decor, along with a trundle bed, baby bed, chest, stuffed animals, toys, etc. The other day I walked in there to make up the bed and just flopped down on it. I laid there mindless, until I glanced up at the picture. I realized what a beautiful piece of artwork it truly is...such sweet detail....I wondered where the little boy's mind was at the time. I enjoyed the sweetness in his face. I saw each child and grandchild's little face in the picture. I was reminded of the mighty Holstein cows and calves we have nurtured in the past. I remembered bottling the many hungry calves in an open pen with several calves sucking and licking my hands....I carried a big stick to keep them separated, so the calves could not steal the bottle from another calf. I don't remember which was hardest then, the hot, hot summer weather, or the frigid and rainy or snowy days. We have made so many improvements on the farm since those days. I remembered how much I love this farm, my hard working and loving husband, and my family. I thought until I was brought to sweet tears of remembrances.

I do love this picture and it is always good to reflect. I have been blessed by the Lord, beyond measure.