End of an Era

The last couple of weeks have been full and interesting. There's been a spring blizzard where the snow struck the valley ground and melted, almost immediately upon impact, but hung around on upper levels.

There have been lashings of rain where I couldn't see much in front of me and the roads were three inches deep in water. There's been sunshine, grass growing, the earth looks greener and flowers are both blooming and spent. In other words, it looks like spring! However, just in case I've grown accustomed to the warmer temps, spring is teasing with frost bitten nights that are precluded by dragging in of plants, small and large. 

The hummingbird feeder was put out 1 April and on Easter Sunday the first bird arrived. Since then, there have been three and more are expected. "Experts" say, "Put out feeders 1 May" but they are wrong and here's proof positive. I also keep feeders up until end of September because the humming birds like to stay later than first of September.

Lots of turkeys have been spotted; one day a rafter of more than two dozen and today, seven. Ben Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey our national bird but the vote went to a carrion bird, the American bald eagle. 

I managed to get a, blurry, photo of turkeys flying across the road...always an amazing sight!

M R Dks! 

This spring has been the most poignant, bittersweet of any since I've lived here, or, any I can remember. Last spring, the first second after Dave's death, surely was the same but I can't remember; that entire first (and second) years is are such a blur and, unlike the ducks, I barely kept my head above water. No one died so I must have done my job as a steward but, in order to gather any inkling of anything that happened, I have to refer to this blog. It's the only memory I have of that first those years. 

Regular readers know what an extremely bitter and difficult winter I had; February and March were brutal in the extreme with low temps, blizzards, high winds and it took all the physical strength I had to plow through. This winter made a bitter pill easier to swallow; the sheep and alpacas have been given sold to someone who will care for them as I or any other good steward should. 

One alpaca was gathered in with the sheep while the other three were put into the back of the truck. They only had a couple of hours journey and the new owners report everyone is fine and have recovered nicely from their ordeal. I was strong and didn't keep even one ewe, not even Carly's sister because I felt she'd be better off with her flock. They've been together close to twenty years and it would be upsetting to separate them. Carly was separated only because it was her choice. She wandered up the driveway, into the yard and one day announced, "Mom, I'm home!" She lived in the yard for the last few years of her life and loved the extra attention, food and arthritis meds twice a day.

It's the end of an era at Thistle Cove Farm. Yes, I did cry when they left but I know the new owners are good stewards and gave me permission to visit.  It's strange, to look over the pasture and not see sheep or alpacas; counting noses doesn't take as much time these days. 

Many thanks to you who have prayed for my Beloved Sistah, Stephanie. She goes for tests and we're hopeful a determination will be made that will provide direction for new meds. She's holding up, praying and, within her new limitations, trying to live a normal life. We're all still praying for a full and complete recovery; please, won't you join us in prayer?

God willing, there are more changes coming, In His time and will; this I accept. Bless you for reading, and if you pray or comment, bless you for that as well. If you want to send a PM, it will be gratefully accepted and responded to; if not, that's fine as well. As time permits, I will be around to visit, keep the kettle on and brownies made, you are loved.

Blessings ~ good home for sheep and alpacas ~ sunshine ~ turkeys ~ mallards ~ hummingbirds ~ gentle rain ~ spring blizzard ~ change ~

Hummers and Tears

It's difficult to photograph humming birds, even though there are so many. They flit, fly, swoop and all in the blink of an eye! I think there are ten in the above photo but could be one more.

I think there are eleven in both these photos.
The feeders are placed away from trees, bushes, shrubs and the house. The hummingbirds like having open space so they can fly freely as they go between the three feeders, drink, fight with each other.
Mix well 2 cups boiling water with 1 cup plus 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar. Let cool and add enough water to make four cups. Fill feeders and get out of the way!

The days are getting shorter and cooler; it's down in the 50's F at night and has felt like Autumn since the last week of July. The rain continues and that lowers the temps as well meaning great sleeping weather.
For those living in the USA, have you ever watched Undercover Boss? I've seen it two or three times and each time I'm reduced to tears. The gist is the CEO of a corporation goes undercover in their businesses in order to determine if there are problems or situations that need correcting. Each time I've watched, the CEO's have been really great people who go out of their way to help their employees reach their dreams, help their families, make more money, etc. 
Tonight it was the CEO of The Dwyer Group out of Waco, TX and, let me tell you...she was crying, her employees were crying and I was crying. It was a real cry fest. 
So, what kind of good deeds do the CEO's do for their employees? Dina Dwyer gave one, very young employee, a brand new truck so he and his five brothers would have reliable transportation. Their Dad died last year and the twenty-one year old employee was raising his five brothers but his vehicle had died and he was bumming rides.
She gave another employee $25,000 so the woman wouldn't have to get a second job and could spend more time with her family. Plus, the young woman was asked to participate in a new program to benefit other female employees.
I don't know Ms Dwyer from Eve's cat but she strikes me as an up and up true blue type. A good boss who cares about her employees and her company and I wish her, and them, well.
Dave always teased me about the kind of television I watch...when I watch television. I tend to enjoy programs that aren't frightening or gory. I like television that's kind and gentle, encouraging and uplifting, educational or entertaining, like BBC's Rosemary and Thyme. 
It's been said "garbage in, garbage out" so it's important to not take in garbage, right? When you watch television, what do you watch and why?

Blessings ~ humming birds ~ cooler days ~ good bosses ~ good employees ~ good memories ~ 

FEED ME!

UPDATE: Two of the feeders will take a scant four cups of sugar water, aka syrup, between them. The third feed takes the entire four cups of syrup. The smaller of the two feeders are hanging on a double shepherds hook while the larger of the feeders is hanging on a single shepherds hook. The feeders on the double shepherds hook are only about 2.5 feet apart and the single feeder is about six feet away. I'll sit at a better vantage point and attempt better photos. Oh yes, it's a chore but I'll do it for YOU! -LOL-

I've counted twelve...12!...humming birds at the feeders; those little suckers are eating me out of house and home. smile At a bare minimum, a very bare minimum, they drink four cups of sugar water a day but I usually fill all three feeders in the morning with eight cups of syrup! 

Every evening I make the sugar water, each morning I fill the feeders. Generally, all three are empty, or close to empty, by day's end. 
Using an electric water kettle, twice, I'll boil about two cups plus a couple of tablespoons of water and add it to one cup sugar. That sits overnight, cooling, and, in the morning, I it's added to another scant two cups of water and fill the feeders. The solution is a trifle, but not a lot, heavy and the birds love it. However, if I'm slow, or not as fast as they think I should be, they start dive bombing me. It's crazy, I'm ducking, screaming like a girl, trying to dodge them as they swoop around me, urging me on faster, faster, faster...fill it faster!

"Experts" say to begin feeding humming birds after Memorial Day and take up the feeders Labor Day. "Experts" are wrong; at least, around here, they are wrong. Humming birds show up the first of April and they are hungry. I'm not waiting another two months to begin feeding them, so, I feed from April first to about end of September when the humming birds are gone.
The feeders are out in the open, away from the house or trees or bushes. It may look like those bushes are closer to the feeders but they aren't. I think the birds enjoy being in the open; it gives them room to maneuver as flit, fly, swirl, swoop and carry on.
Aunt Esther had three dozen, sometimes more, show up at her feeders but she used liter soda bottles and would fill them up about every other day. Next year, maybe I'll try the liter bottles and see how many more I can attract. Most of my early evenings and all of my rest breaks are spent on the back porch watching them fight each other, chase each other chattering like monkeys all the while. Such FUN!

Blessings ~ humming birds ~ sugar water ~ pretty days ~ rain ~ 

Hot July Saturday

In the summer I use a lot more sugar than any other time of the year. It's canning season and it's humming bird season; those little friends can suck through some sugar water! The high count for the two feeders that are close to the back porch, is twelve. That's right, a dozen humming birds fighting over two feeders! Still, it doesn't match Aunt Esther's count of thirty-six...36! Of course, she had half dozen feeders and some of those were plastic liter bottles. Humming birds loved Aunt Esther! 

These two little misses were at the parade Tuesday night. Things went swimmingly until the driver became enthralled waving at her adoring public. The passenger kept one hand on the windshield, the other hand near the steering wheel and both eyes on the road. When, seconds later, the driver began driving toward the side of the road, the passenger screamed, grabbed the wheel and began straightening the vehicle. The driver, thoroughly miffed, turned to scream at the passenger, whereby the passenger raised her hand to slap the driver. OH THE DRAMA! Mom, walking beside them, stepped into the melee and got both girls straightened and, for the moment, peace reigned. Perhaps the disagreement began over which young miss could be the driver...I don't really know.

One of my favorite floats...the youngest resident of the garden is three and a half months while the oldest is a woman ninety-one years old. Please note the calf, draped in red, white and blue bunting...big city parades got nothing on us, I'm here to say...proudly!

These were the only two horse riders in the parade and that's a mighty fine palomino gelding the gent is riding. For those who don't know a gelding is a cut, or castrated male horse.

Miss Gypsy Rose Lee is the climbingest cat I've ever known! In the mornings, she goes to the barn with the dogs and I; we do barn chores and then back to the house. She'll climb fence posts, into barn windows and this is the clothes line with bird feeder attached. I don't feed birds in the summer months; there's plenty of forage for them. I do feed in the winter months, starting about November, or earlier, if the weather is bad.
I would dearly love to play around on the computer the rest of this H.O.T. day but lime pickles await as does shredding zucchini for the freezer. I love making zucchini bread in the winter time and with cream cheese it makes either a dandy breakfast or a fine snack. Keeping two cups in baggies means I've always got just enough for a couple loaves of bread.
I've been canning for forty-six years and started by making jelly out of what we called fox grapes. I'm not sure what variety grapes they were but do remember they were large and white in the height of summer. They made delicious jelly!
Gosh...almost forgot...the radio broadcast yesterday isn't going to be put on-line on their site. They are sending me a copy and I'll either figure out -haha- or get someone to help me put it on my blog...IF I have bandwidth...rural areas and bandwidth don't go together.
So, I'm in process of putting my hard won earned information into a book. No, I'm not being morbid but there's SO much one can do to prepare for the death of a loved one. Even if that loved one is you -wry smile-. Come on...do you really want the government to step in and decide where your children are going to live...think foster home!... or take a huge piece of your hard earned money or belongings? There are legal ways to take care of your affairs and some of these legal ways don't cost you a dime...not now, not later! 
You have my permission to keep me on focus; please ask, every so often, "How's the book coming along?" Unless things change, it's going to be an e-book and at an affordable price. As the Good Book says, "a workman work woman is worth his her hire" and, yes, I'll have to charge for my labor. 
Is there anything in particular you'd like me to include?
In the meantime, please pray for me...I need help on the farm because there are chores I'm simply not strong enough, smart enough or have the equipment to handle. I also need wisdom to make intelligent choices regarding my affairs and I need strength to do the work God has placed before me. 
God bless you and thank you for visiting Thistle Cove Farm today.


Blessings ~ summer ~ harvest ~ canning ~ parades ~ prayer ~ book ~ writing ~