Not Finished Yet...

Well, of course I'm supposed to be doing something else...that's why I'm updating my blog!

Early this morning, sunrise, I watched as six deer fed in Rees' alfalfa field down the road from our house. At least one of the deer is a buck, with a pretty full set of antlers and he's the one on the far right, staring toward me. They are about 1,000 yards away so the detail is slim but you can see three on the far left, in rather a triangle with two more center and the buck on the right. They fed until the sun came above the horizon and then moved back to the cover of the mountains.
While I was out photographing the deer, I noticed the sunlight on the Queen Anne's lace. I love to dry this flower and then use it for note cards. Yes, I still do the old fashioned thing and send lots of snail mail. Who doesn't enjoy receiving a handwritten note...or, sad to say, even a card with just a signature...in this day of i-mail.
When I turned around, the rising sun was pouring across the valley and the little studio looked quite happy.
The back of the studio with the hand crafted Celtic cross. Bud, the farrier blacksmith, uses his forge to pound out iron offerings and I especially like Celtic crosses; must be the Scots Irish in me.
The little quilt frame on the left is just the right size for pillow cases, hand towels, table cloths and the like. The little chest on the right is a hand crafted sewing chest and was made by an uncle of someone I know in West Virginia.
This is the little chest opened wide; can't you just see all the spools of thread, bobbins, knitting needles, etc. that are going to find a home here? This sewing chest, with the Aladdin type sides and carrier, is in the parlor and while the parlor isn't finished, it's looking much, much closer to being ready for use. I spent the morning cleaning everything of the sawdust from floor refinishing, then hanging curtains...drapes to come later when the rods are installed...putting down the Persian rug and moving in some furniture and other treasures.

The two chairs in the background will stay in place while the smaller rocking chair may, or may not, be moved around. The chair cushion on the floor, between the two chairs is for a dog. As time passes, more cushions will be moved in so, perhaps, the dogs won't get on the furniture. But, if they do, the furniture will be covered with sheets. Dave and I are both people who love using our things and who love our animals. We try and keep the furniture covered so when company comes the covers may be whipped off and things look a bit nicer. I just really don't get riled about muddy paws or accidents. Heck, I've reached the age when I have accidents so how could I possibly complain about the animals?

The small fireplace bench was made by Richard, the same man who made our cherry king sized bed; it looks nice by the fireplace and the fireplace candles will, sometimes, be lit for further enjoyment. The Singer treadle sewing machine, given to me by girlfriend, Marti, is dated 1887 and was owned by Marti's Grandmother. Although it lacks the coffin top, thanks to Mr. Huff, the machine works well and it's my intention to make myself a quilt on this machine...perhaps this winter...time will tell.

The cedar blanket chest has a spinning wheel carved on the side and I placed one of my spinning wheels against the chest. When the flood damage happened in December, things were grabbed and tossed in order to get them away from the water and my wheel needs a new drive band but that's a small thing. Eventually, a bookcase will be placed against the wall where the chest is now located; the wheel will, probably, remain where it is and I think the chest will be put into double use as a coffee table. A loveseat is being recovered in red cotton with yellow piping and the blanket chest will be placed in front of the loveseat. I think the rocking chair will, eventually, be used at the spinning wheel and the sewing machine.

When I had this chair and ottoman recovered, Dave thought the fabric "rather loud". Perhaps so but it pleases me and is a spark of immense color in this solid color, except for the rug, room. Most of our furniture is antique...OH! excuse me...vintage -smile- and we've had it donkeys' years. Some belonged to Dave's mother...such as the two-tiered table, the small table in front of the window and the small rocker while other stuff was given to us, bought at auction or thrift stores. I think the only new things we own are appliances; all the furniture is, at the very least, second hand. Some of it has been around the block several times. Both of us love things with a history and a heritage and it tickled us when I found out those types things are now called "vintage" and not "antique".
The left door is a closet, quite rare in houses as old as this one. The door on the right leads to the downstairs bedroom where Dave's mother used to sleep. The ceilings are ten feet tall and the windows are nine feet by three feet. There is not One Single Wall in this house that doesn't have a door, window or fireplace and in some rooms...as evidenced above...there are two doors and a fireplace.

I'll take better photos later of some of our favorite things, for example, the antique hand hammered pieces on the mantle. Dave bought those at an antique shop in Marrakesh, Morocco; it was a sight to behold...Dave in bargaining action. Dave has enormous experience at bargaining and haggling and the poor shop owners will never be the same! Other loved items include the pink depression glass bowl, the thistle tea set and candle sticks, vases Dave's father brought home from Nippon in the 1950's.

Like other people, we have many little treasures we've been given or bought and all bring us so much pleasure...both in the receiving and in the remembering. While the room isn't completed, it's looking much better and is a nice place to enjoy a cuppa or thimble of port. Next, we have to re-arrange other downstairs rooms so we can begin work on the dining room. That requires SO much work as Dave's mother collected things made of glass and there are several hutches Absolutely Filled with glass pretties. It's going to be a mammoth undertaking to get everything ready for the next phase and I pale at the prospect. Perhaps this is the time to start an ebay account for antique glass...hmmm?

Blessings ~ sunrise ~ paint on the walls ~ refinished floor ~ deer in the pasture ~ Queen Anne's lace ~ treadle sewing machines ~ candle light ~

Paint and Play Times

It's been a quiet week yet full of mid-summer's work. We live by the season's and not the calendar, most farmer's do, and go from early to late in an attempt to prepare for the sleep of winter. I don't have a favorite season, other than whatever one I'm in, but enjoy all the seasons for different reasons. It seems we're sometimes in one season yet have a foot in the next, all at the same time. Summer is enjoyable for the warmth and growing season even though we've not had much this year. It's been a cool, wet spring but we've not had that much rain this summer. We had a good first hay harvest but without rain won't get a second or third cutting of hay. It's my second and third cuttings that are put into square bales then into the barn where they will cure and hold their nutritional value for several years. The round hay begins to lose nutritional value within the first year.

Even thought this is a busy time of year, I've been taking it a bit more slowly this past week. The puppies have required so much of my time and my sleep has been interrupted nightly...sometimes as many as three or four times a night. This too shall pass and is passing; last night we only got up once and have moved upstairs to the 'real' bedroom with the Wonderful mattress that provides so much support and is So Lovely to sleep upon. All that to say, farm life is rarely dull and boring and excitement is daily in one fashion or another. Or, perhaps I've reached that stage in life where I'm satisfied with the small...if indeed they are small...blessings. The cuddle of a puppy or kitten, the snuggle of an older dog, a few words of blessing from Dave, seeing neighbors enjoy a toasted coconut pie, rain on the tin roof, freshly laundered dried in the sunlight sheets on the bed, a pot of beans on the stove, health, love to share...so many blessings...

As I was heading home, this little fawn dashed in front of the truck and I slammed on brakes. The gasoline and diesel cans, in the truck bed, skittered to the front of the truck cab and one fell over spilling noxious fumes in the bed of the camper. I turned on the emergency flashers, grabbed my camera and took a couple of photos then climbed into the truck bed to right the petrol cans.

It's a young fawn, still has spots and I don't want to imagine why it was alone, on the road, panicked. A young animal will, generally, stay where their mother places them until the mother returns to move the baby. One other vehicle came up behind me, I stopped it and told the driver about the fawn and urged him to proceed slowly. He asked if I needed help and then slowly proceeded down the road; the fawn was racing in front of the car, all the way. In a short distance, the fawn turned into a hayfield where the gate had been left open and skeedaddled into the field.

The studio has been getting a new coat of paint and it's looking really nice. This is the little 12x12 building that, in days gone by, was used to cure hams, bacon and middling. The latter is what the side of the hog is called that's not quite bacon; I think it's an Appalachian term but am not sure. The little building was falling into disrepair when we decided to rescue it a couple of years ago. It's crammed full of sewing machines, quilting table, craft table, shelves, etc. and has a ceiling fan, air condition and heater. Generally, I don't use the air conditioner as the animals like to be able to wander in and out which suits me just fine. I like windows open so the breeze can bring me the voices of the horses, sheep, cattle, birds and enjoy the dogs and cats running in for a quick snuggle before returning to play.

In the first photo, Abigail supervises Red and Daniel as they paint the taller, back portion of the studio. I hate it when Red isn't available to steady the ladder; it makes me nervous for Daniel to climb the ladder on uneven ground. Daniel assures me he makes the ladder secure but it still makes me nervous. I've read one of the fears we're born with is the fear of falling and as we age that fear returns to plague our minds. It's certainly true with me.

Sam Spade and Sadie Hawkins were chasing each other around the studio, a la Little Black Sambo. Remember that children's story from so long ago? It's not politically correct but I'm one who doesn't feel the need to re-write history. I'm afraid if history is re-written we'll end up living the bad bits all over again. Anyway, Sam Spade stopped to pose and watch as I took his photo; he's a live wire as is Sadie Hawkins and they both love being outside as much as they love sleeping as much as they love eating as much as they love cuddling. What JOY puppies and kittens have and don't mind showing it; we Christians should live that lesson as well if not better, don't you agree?
Every side of the studio has play pretties and both sides and the back have window boxes for flowers. The front of the studio has small flower gardens and a few hanging pots brighten up the space even more. Celtic crosses adorn both front and back and windows are on three sides as well. It's a great place to work, to enjoy the day, to make things that will be gifts for other people. Sometimes I listen to audio books or listen to music but, most of the time, it's quiet other than the God sounds.

I well imagine the next folks to own Thistle Cove Farm will use this space to write 'the great American novel' and I wish them well. Sometimes I take my laptop and work here, checking e-mail or doing other computer work. Sometimes I just sit in the little studio and think my thoughts or pray my prayers. I sit and reflect on those whom I've met via the i-net and call their names to God in prayer or remember family and friends or neighbors. This little space brings me much joy, comfort and happiness; it suits me well. I hope the next folks love it as much as I.

Blessings ~ wind in the trees ~ birds at the feeder ~ dogs making butter as they run around the studio ~ kittens in my lap ~ a space to make things ~ the quiet of growing things ~ quiet time with God ~ family ~ friends ~ neighbors ~

Morning Has Broken

"Morning has broken, like the first morning.

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.


Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,


Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.




Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlight from heaven.


Like the first dewfall, on the first grass.


Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,


Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.




Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning.


Born of the one light Eden saw play.


Praise with elation, praise every morning;


God's recreation of the new day.



Morning has broken, like the first morning.


Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.


Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,


Praise for them springing fresh from the Word."

Blessings ~ a new day every morning ~ newly laundered cotton sheets dried on the line ~ toasted coconut pie ~ community suppers ~ clothes on the line ~ washing machine ~

The Full Buck Moon

These full moon photos were taken two nights ago, the first in the gloaming and the second around 2:00 a.m. Both this photo and the one below were taken from my back porch. This is the gloaming, that time between dusk and dark, when the night has yet to stake her claim and the day is relinquishing her hold. The word 'gloaming' is Scots, meaning to glow; for beautiful photos of the gloaming, click here.

Here, you can see the night has claimed her own.

Most full moons have at least two names, sometimes more. The Full Buck Moon, in July, is called so because it's when the new antlers of buck deer erupt in velvety fur coatings. Other names are Full Thunder Moon because of the frequent storms as well as Full Hay Moon. All the names are appropriate, don't you think? Thanks to the Farmer's Almanac, a lot of this information is still available and I am grateful. I tend to do things by the signs and the Almanac helps me know when to do what
This photograph was taken when I turned around and saw I'd left the door open to the mud room. The way the light is spilling out of the house, positioned against the full moon, pleased me.

Old ways and old days fascinate me. Oh no, it's not that I want to live at any other time than now because I figure this is where and when God wants me and that's fine by me. The Bible says, somewhere, but I can't recollect just now, that each generation becomes weaker and loses a bit more knowledge. So, when folks think we're so all fired smart because we've placed men on the moon or have a telephone that can take photos, send e-mails and the like, it's best to remember we've, more than likely, already lost more knowledge than we hold in our hands. If you doubt, just think of the Inca's Machu Pichu located in the Andean Mountains or Stonehenge in Great Britain constructed in the Neolithic period. Few know about Armenia's stonehenge called Karahundj or Carahunge. Stonehenge was constructed around 4000 BC but Karahundj was constructed 3,500 years earlier in the Sissian region of Armenia.

Dave and I have been to Karahundj and it is, in a word, Amazing! The 204 stone observatory stands on a lonely, wind swept hillside and many of the stones have holes in the top center that are directed on the horizon and toward space.

A few days ago, the dogs and I walked down the hill to the water trough. It needed to be cleared of algae and the dogs needed the exercise as did I.

The dogs loved the walk down the hill, not so much the walk back to the house. I ended up carrying Sam Spade as his little legs gave out on him. -smile-

You can see the rear of this deer as he's busily eating berries. Upon closer inspection, they looked to be red currants.

At least I think these are red currants.


These lovely snapdragons grow wild so every few days, I stop and cut a fresh bouquet for the tables and porches. Aren't they beeeyoouuutiful!?

"Miss Emma, Miss Emma! Calling Miss Emma! Are you ready for your closeup, Miss Emma?" She sure looks ready. Look at those cute little paws crossed and the beguiling way she stares at the camera. She's taking a break in my red yarrow; yes, the same red yarrow I grow as a dye plant. Oh well. At least Miss Emma will bring just as much enjoyment, perhaps more so, than does the red yarrow.

There are SO many deer around and all signs point to a cold winter. These three deer were grazing in a field a short distance from the house.

On the way to town yesterday, we saw yet another box turtle in the road. I slammed on brakes and Dave got out to render assistance.

Dave carefully moves the little box turtle to the side of the road, in the direction in which s/he was headed.


No one can accuse the Hardees in Tazewell of not having chicken! This little banty was on the loose and, since so many people in town have chickens, surely someone will claim her soon.

Early this morning, we headed to the barn to do chores. The sheep are just awakening as the morning sun streams across the valley, across our farm and across our near lot.

Sam Spade starts investigating the barn lot just behind the barn. The sheep have spent the night there and are still enjoying the cool of the morning.

WOW! Sam Spade jumps and turns back into the barn as one of the sheep bleat at him. Or, perhaps snorted. At any rate, it sure startled him.

Blessings ~ travel ~ all of creation's beloved ~ a helping hand ~ the moon ~ the early morning sun ~ gloaming ~ currants ~

Honest Scrap Award

My cup overflows! Leslie, In the Shadow of Juniper Hill, has gifted me with the Honest Scrap Award. Leslie is a homesteader in California and is as far west as one can go in this great continental USA and I'm as far east as she is west...there's a symmetry there that pleases, and amuses, me.

I'm supposed to tell readers 10 things they may not know about me. That's easy, I think...and then I have to tag 10 people with this award, let them know they have received it and then let Leslie know I'm in compliance -smile-. This is a cool award, at least I think it's a cool award, and a great way to find out "stuff" about other bloggers especially others whom I find interesting. I've done a bit of research but can't find the beginnings of the Honest Scrap Award but it's all over the world and I find that pretty cool as well.

Here are my 10 things and I had such fun doing them that I added a few photos. Photos aren't required but, gosh!, the amount of enjoyment they brought me made all the time spent searching them out quite worthwhile!

~ When I was fourteen years old, I staged a back yard carnival and raised a bit more than one hundred dollars for the Crippled Children's Hospital in Richmond, VA. Neighborhood children and their parents paid to play in a wading pool, play games and win prizes, buy cookies and lemonade but all the money went to the hospital where my cousin's infant boy had just received surgery free of charge. Yeah Shriners, you ROCK!

The first time I ever needed a passport was in 2004, when, in my fifth decade, I traveled to Russia to teach Rural Tourism Development, Increasing Farm and Small Business Income and Developing Tourism Trails. Dave, bless him, traveled with me which was a good thing as the rest of my group was detained for a week. Dave and I were stumbling around the Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport and were finally claimed by a "No Neck ABC Guy" -get my meaning??? Col. Klink, as I eventually nickknamed him, was former KGB - who said, "Get in the van." Oh yeah, sure thing Col. Klink, no problem. That story is for another post but all's well that ends well and God blessed us time after time after time on that trip. Hmmm...remembering now how later we pulled over to the side of the road and some young man jumped into the van to exchange US dollars into rubles. He and Dave looked like the Flying Nimble Finger Guys; I wanted to take a picture but it was, slightly, frowned upon. Huh? Oh yeah. I get it now! -grin-

Dave and I have camped in the Sahara Desert with the Bedouins and Tuareg nomads only about 9 miles from the Algerian border...that was exciting and frighting all at the same time. I climbed to the top of a sand dune to peer into Algeria and frightened myself with thoughts of "what if..."This was our Christmas card a couple of years ago. We rode camels in the Sahara Desert with the legendary Turaug nomads also known as The Blue Men. This was during the same trip as above and, since I love this photo, just had to toss it in the mix -smile-.

I am an honorary Berber and have actually passed for a Berber woman of the High Atlas Mountains in MoroccoI love to fish, especially for salmon in Alaska

I am an eighth...or is it ninth???...generation American shepherd, my Daddy's Mothers' family, the Hamrick's, arrived from Ireland in 1654 and made their way to these beloved Appalachian Mountains

I raise rare, hypoallergenic American Curly horses...ridden by the 'winning side' at the Battle of the Little Big Horn -smile- as well as rare, primitive Shetland sheep along with Romney, Merino and cross bred sheep


Dave and I have flown by commercial plane from Fairbanks to Point Barrow, flown by bush plane to Prudhoe Bay and then driven the Haul Road south through the Arctic Circle back to Fairbanks, Alaska

I've spun yarn on a borrowed drop spindle, in the Carpethian Mountains of Romania and have a nice collection of Romanian textile artifacts. In order to cross the border we had to "pay" -wink, wink- as in tuck some money into our passport, the border guards.

I've had an interview with the Georgian President's Assistant in Tiblsi, Georgia and discussed ways to develop markets for Georgian shepherds wool clip. Yes, there's a photo somewhere but couldn't place my hands on it and got tired of looking.


10 bloggers tagged with the Honest Scrap Award

~ Curly Willow Ranch ~
~ Mountain Home Quilts ~
~ Home Haven Ministry ~
~ KC Willis at Lipstick Ranch ~
~ TinkerBelle Knits ~
~ Joni ~ Old Centennial Farmhouse
~ Kelle ~ Never Done Farm
~ Affectionknit
~ Misha - From My Front Porch
~ Kathy ~ Spot on Cedar Pond ~

Blessings ~ Leslie ~ the ten bloggers noted above ~ Shriners ~ friendly people all over the world ~ travel ~

Sabbath Keeping

"Blessed are all thy saints, O God and King, who have traveled over the tempestuous sea of this mortal life, and have made the harbor of peace and felicity. Watch over us who are still in our dangerous voyage, and remember such as lie exposed to the rough storms of trouble, and temptation. Frail is our vessel, and the ocean is wide, but as in thy mercy thou hast set our course, so steer the vessel of our life toward the everlasting shore of peace, and bring us at length to the quiet haven of our heart's desire, where thou, O our God, are blessed, and livest and reignest for ever and ever."

St. Augustine

"Because perseverance is so difficult, even when supported by the grace of God, thence is the value of new beginnings. For new beginnings are the life of perseverance."

E. B. Pusey

Blessings ~ quiet Sundays to refresh, renew, relax ~ great men and women of the early church ~ our Lord our God ~

Happy July 4th!

Jacquie Lawson has the Most Fabulous e-cards on the i-net! I am hopeful you'll be able to see this particular card, chosen for July 4th. My apologies if you're unable to view the card but my heart's desire is you'll have a wonderful July 4th and remember the enormous cost freedom exacts on society. To our patriot forefather's and mother's, Thank You and thank you as well to our service men and women and their families.



The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree. ~Thomas Campbell

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Dick Cheney

You have freedom when you're easy in your harness. ~Robert Frost

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

There are two freedoms - the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought. ~Charles Kingsley

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. ~Abraham Lincoln

Freedom means choosing your burden. ~Hephzibah Menuhin

Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

Men fight for freedom, then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from themselves. ~Author Unknown

Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of resistance. ~Woodrow Wilson

We have enjoyed so much freedom for so long that we are perhaps in danger of forgetting how much blood it cost to establish the Bill of Rights. ~Felix Frankfurter

I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. ~James Madison, speech, Virginia Convention, 1788

We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. ~Edward R. Murrow

Most men, after a little freedom, have preferred authority with the consoling assurances and the economy of effort which it brings. ~Walter Lippmann, A Preface to Morals, 1929

The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power. ~Daniel Webster

Most people want security in this world, not liberty. ~H.L. Mencken, Minority Report, 1956

Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves. ~D.H. Lawrence, Classical American Literature, 1922

The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding. ~Louis D. Brandeis

The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion. ~Edmund Burke

Liberty doesn't work as well in practice as it does in speeches. ~Will Rogers

When the People contend for their liberty, they seldom get anything for their Victory but new Masters. ~George Savile

Many politicians are in the habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition that no people ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool in the old story who resolved not to go into the water till he had learned to swim. ~Thomas Macaulay

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. ~George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, "Maxims: Liberty and Equality," 1905

A nation may lose its liberties in a day and not miss them in a century. ~Baron de Montesquieu

Obtained from the Quote Garden.

Blessings ~ liberty ~ United States of America ~ the men and women in uniform who have given their lives to grant freedom to the world ~ Thank You for Serving ~

Fiber Arts Friday Carnival

This photo of a covered wagon that's falling to pieces in a pasture near Thistle Cove Farm. It's a shame, really, because I would have LOVED to save that old wagon!


I'm a bit surprised myself that I remember to post a Fiber Arts Friday Carnival entry. Around here, we go like our feet have wings and it's easy to forget to eat much less remember to post on a specific day. I'm thinking I do so poorly at remembering Fiber Arts Friday Carnival, I should bow out and post as I remember...then, I'd probably remember every week! That's how my brain chooses to work -smile-.

Are you familiar with KC Willis? She's the art wrangler over at Lipstick Ranch and have you ever heard such a great name!?! A few weeks ago I purchased her DVD and am grateful to KC for making it available for purchase. I live in the rural hinterlands and the excellent professional quality of her teaching is only available via her DVD.

KC, you're a wonder!

She's making available studio retreats at her place in Colorado...be still my pounding heart!...I SO WANT TO GO!!! and the small sized classes ensure personal attention where your inner creative "cowgirl" is unleashed and you don't even have to climb into the saddle!

So, you don't want to be a cowgirl or you're not artistically inclined? How about this...KC makes art that celebrates w-o-m-e-n. Not just women but women who built this great USA of ours, women who got their hands dirty, who carried a rifle in their hands, who hunted supper, who planted gardens. Those strong, sturdy pioneer types whose blood runs in my veins and whom I look up to and remember with great fondness. Women who avoided housework by going outside...HEY! that's MY kinda woman! I've long said, "hire someone to do housework so I can go to the barn and muck stables!"

In speaking about her art, KC said, "One of my favorites is an image of a pioneer mom, just a Western-settler, sod-buster type. The mom reflects, "They look to be the men to be heros, but we were the women who raised the boys who became those men."

Were truer words ever spoken!? I like the fact KC celebrates real women and not those painfully bone thin women fostered upon us by Madison Fifth Avenue in their advertising campaigns. Real Women who would NOT allow their neighbors to go hungry, women who know what a pot of soup means to a hurting body or a fresh baked pie means to a hurting soul. Women, like the Velveteen Rabbit, who are R-E-A-L.

The work of our hands has long been under-appreciated or, at least, that's my opinion. Women's work is fleeting...a nourishing meal, a warm quilt, a kiss on a skinned knee but all those things that add up to a life well lived. Generally, our work is not that of constructing buildings that last a hundred years or more or of laying down train track. Yet, it's exactly the work we do at home that allows the world to carry on without falling to pieces. The work that Real Women do daily without much of a pat on the back or a nod of the head except and until a woman like KC comes along and says, "let's make art at Lipstick Ranch!"

KC talks about how she was raised watching Hoss and Little Joe; I well relate to that. I was raised watching them and others. In Sunday School a few years back we were talking about heros and someone said, "Isn't is too bad children don't have heros anymore?"

I looked at the woman and said, "Don't you have heros?"

She looked startled and said, "Why no. I'm a little old for heros." "

So," I told her, "that's why children don't have heros. The adults don't have them so the children can't follow."

She looked puzzled. "Do you have heros?"

"Why, yes I DO! My heros are Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Billy and Ruth Graham and my Mother and Daddy."

By now the puzzlement was written all over several faces and some looked a bit uneasy at my, perhaps, lack of sophistication. But, you know what? It's I who feel sorry for them! To be so concerned...afraid???...of what someone else thinks of you. To be hero-less because someone might look at them the way they looked at me?

NO, thank you sir! Thoreau said, "men lead lives of quiet desperation" and I find that to be true. Sadly true. So, if you can't make it to Lipstick Ranch, check into the DVD and if you can't get the DVD, make your own heart...errr...ART -smile-.

It's never too late to become the friend you've always wanted.

Blessings ~ KC ~ DVD's ~ Lipstick Ranch...'cause I just LOVE the name! ~ heros ~ heART ~

Here's Looking At You!

Miss Emma is thriving on her kitten replacement milk formula and puts on a gram or ounce daily. She's a playful little thing and manages to hold her own with the dogs although I don't let them play unsupervised. Even little Sam Spade is too strong for Miss Emma in her weakened state. She's been de-wormed twice and that's helped; she'll be given her first shots next week and that will help as well. I'm wondering just how young she was when I found her sitting in the middle of the road, waiting to die. If she was five weeks old, that wouldn't surprise me! Two barn kittens have begun coming to the house and they all play with great abandon; it does my heart good to sit on the back porch and watch their antics.

Dave and I took the dogs for a walk in the upper pasture. It was great fun to watch Sadie and Sam Spade as we opened the gate and walked through. They stopped, looked around as though to say, "You mean there's MORE!? All this is ours TOO!?" We'd just finished haying and the round bales were waiting to be moved; horses and sheep aren't allowed back on the field until the hay is moved so it was all ours for the walk. No need to worry about sheep or horses running us down because they thought we had treats in our pockets. We also wanted to count the bales so we could keep a record of how much hay that pasture produced this year and cutting.

We took photos of each other and it was like herding cats to get all three dogs to stay still long enough to take the shot. They kept looking at me, saying, "You know, it's MUCH cooler in the shade of the hay bale!" Yeah, yeah. Be quiet, sit down and say, "Dog Biscuit!"
I love this photo of Abbie; it looks like she's laughing and having the time of her life and that's why I had to include another photo of me...it's the only way to get laughing Abbie in this post.

This photo of Dave is a keeper even though Abbie isn't in the frame. As usual, Abbie is doing Abbie things and can't be bothered to hang with us. She must always be running thither and hither, checking out the sights and smells instead of being with the rest of the family. Hmmm, I think there's a lesson for Christians here, ya think? -smile-
Sadie Hawkins and Sam Spade living a wonderful life. It's a sad commentary on the rest of the world that we can't all get along as well.
We've been blessed with a few days of sunshine and everyone is working mightily to gather their hay. First the hay is cut then, the next day, kicked - meaning turned over so the bottom is now on top and will dry - and the third day it's tethered and baled. Our first cutting is always put up in round bales while the second and, sometimes, third cutting is put into square bales. Square bales are actually rectangular and weigh anywhere from forty-five to seventy-five pounds.

Here, the round baler has just dumped a round bale weighing approximately 1,000 pounds. I'm not sure how many round bales this neighbor will get, but he has several hundred head of black Angus cattle he raises for market, and needs all the hay he can raise.

This pasture is below our house and the little white speck in the distance is a school house turned into a house for tenant farmers. We own a bit fewer than thirty acres and people are always assuming all the thousands and thousands of land they see surrounding our home is our land. Not hardly. It's beginning to be a bit more than I can handle to keep up with thirty acres and if not for hiring help for the hard jobs, I'd be in way over my head.

Each square bale must be handled four times - the first time is when it's picked up from the field and loaded on the wagon to take to the barn. Then it must be off loaded from the wagon into the hay loft where it's stored to cure until cold weather. I feed square bales in the worst of winter due to the greater nutritional value as it's almost pure alfalfa. The first round bale cutting is alfalfa mixed with hay. The final time I handle the square bale is when I load it into the Ranger and take it to the animals who are, usually, tremendously happy to see me coming with the square hay. They know the difference between round and square hay and know the square hay is much, much better eating than the round hay. If you don't believe me, just be here when they see me coming but stand out of the way or you'll be knocked over!

One final photo of the dogs, resting in the shade of the round bale, my walking stick propped beside them. Anyone who says animals aren't smart either has never had any animals or they keep them chained to a dog house somewhere in the back yard. Animals are plenty smart and, just like people, some are smarter than others. But, not just like people, animals give and give and give, their hearts giving love even to the most undeserving. Hmmm...another sermon coming on, ya think? -smile-


Blessings ~ dry hay and plenty of it! ~ animals to teach us lessons we need to learn, sometimes more than several dozen times! ~ beautiful days ~

Awards!

When I sent you all a hasty note last night stating you'd received this award...I totally forgot the post wasn't going to be on-line until today. My apologies for making you hurry up and wait; it was totally unintentional but then, you always knew I was a low-tech geek! -smile-


You remember in 1985 when Sally Field won the Academy Award for Places in the Heart? A lot of people think she said, "You like me, you really like me!" But she didn't. What she did say was, "I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!" She won in 1980 for Norma Rae, thus her reference to "the first time...".

So, to have someone give me an award, makes me feel honored in ways I can't even describe. To have someone say, "gosh, I enjoy your blog" makes me feel like I've been given a precious gift. A gift of time, a gift of words and I greatly appreciate the honor. And, if I feel this way and am, really, no one very special, there are others who, might, feel the very same way. The first award I was given, I passed it on to everyone and that was okay but...ummm...not really quite right. What's right is to pass it on to folks who make me feel like I've been given the gift of their time when I visit their blog. Like I've had a chat with someone special, with someone who is interesting and, yes, even exciting in their own way.

Don't you just love day lilies? They are So Cheerful!A few days ago, Cyndi at By The Light of the Moon, gave me the gift of One Lovely Blog Award but I have neglected putting it on my blog because...I just don't know how to get the button on my blog! sigh. Once again, being a low tech geek has stopped me cold. So, if you want to see what it looks like...look here and you'll see it's nice, very nice and I'm grateful. The deal is to pass it along to fifteen other blogs, in the hopes folks will visit all around and find someone else they enjoy reading and sharing a few moments of time. That's a good thing except I find so many of us are "like-minded" women bloggers and some are already spoken for -smile-.

The view from my hammock ~ If you find your name on this list and you don't accept awards, please, at least accept my apology. It's not my intent to attempt to give you something against your will; it's my aging eyes didn't pick up your "no award button" on your site -smile-.

Leslie ~ Greenberry House ~ fiber artist and rabbit rancher
Leslie ~ In The Shadow of Juniper Hill ~ interesting CA homesteader into just about everything
Pam ~ Pam Warden Art ~ fabulous artist and woman of deep faith who lives her faith
Carol ~ The Writer's Porch ~ wonderful wordsmith with a garden to die for and the kitchen table ain't so bad either
KC ~ Lipstick Ranch - ya just gotta LOVE that name! but I'm giving you the blog address
Kathy ~ Spot on Cedar Pond ~ fiber artist and I always, but always, look for her posts
Ann ~ A Holy Experience ~ although she doesn't have awards on her blog, her blog has enriched my spiritual life and I am truly grateful
Lisa ~ Laughing Orca Ranch ~ not sure she accepts awards but I always enjoy seeing what she's up to and how she's recovering from her horse related injury, lovely photos
Jeanne ~ My New Traveling Shoes - interesting woman struggling with health problems with big faith
Heather ~ A Jeweled Elegance ~ so fresh, crisp and entertaining and that's just the blog, her jewelry is incredible
Sunbeam's Mother ~ A Joyful Chaos - started reading because of the great title, keep reading because she's interesting, comforting and fun
Toni ~ Raising Eden ~ keeps up with the shenanigans inside the Beltway and she's a great knitter. It's because of Raising Eden I know how I'm being done in by "our" government
Penny ~ The Black Sheep Cottage ~ soothing blog although she has huge health problems right now...still an enjoyable visit
Jamie ~ ART-E-OLOGISTS ~ who has poison ivy...on her FACE! OUCH! you get the sympathy vote, Miss J! -smile- feel better SOON
Firelight~ The Keeping Room ~ visually stimulating yet soothing blog, great visit
Jules ~ MoonCat Farm ~ have you ever seen such a great logo... no, you have not and I love the wallpaper
Deanna ~ Home Haven Ministry ~ a gracious visit

There! In no particular order...a great group of bloggers, all women as it happens with something worth saying and saying it well. Some have staggeringly beautiful photos to toss some envy into the mix -smile- and all worth visiting when you've an opportunity.

Cyndi, thank you SO much for this award and for allowing me to pay it forward; it's been great fun.

Blessings ~ every single blog on my Cozy Reads sidebar as all have something worthwhile to say and, generally, beautiful photos to support the words ~ awards ~ and tomorrow, more to come ~