After the storm

  well, almost after the storm. The frigid temps are still here anyway. Was down to 2* last night and made it up to 17* today. We have about 10" of snow on the ground and it's too dang cold to go out and take pictures! Our water didn't freeze so that's a good thing. Lost one older hen - might have been the cold. Besides that everything is wonderful.
  Got our tree up and the village under it. I left about two foot of the tree empty at the bottom because with 4 cats in the house I figured it would be safer. This picture was early in the process. I haven't downloaded the other ones to the laptop yet.

  That is Sweetie Pie under the tree. 

  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with the Cherry family. Steve and Tina were hosting this year. I loved their new house and the food was great as always. So was the company. We were shy about half the family but still had a nice turnout and was able to visit with everyone. All in all everyone is doing well in their lives and we're all very blessed. 

  I also had a birthday since posting. Good golly molly! As we all must....I'm getting old. Oh well, life goes on and us with it. 

  I'm not sure what the plans are for Christmas. I assume we will be going to Spfd on Christmas eve - to Jeff and Pam's house again. It's kinda nice to turn the holidays over to the next generation but sad at the same time. 

  One of my nephews is trying real hard to keep up the family dinners but isn't having much luck. The other nephews and my own son is kinda hard to pin down for family gatherings. They all want to do their own "thing" that doesn't include the rest of the family. Families are just so spread out and folks choose their own "family" they'd rather be with. Such goes life. 

  Have a diamond day-

Another beautiful day in the Ozarks

  starting out that way. In the mid 40's with the sun shining. Supposed to be in mid 60's this afternoon. Tim is going to finish the new coop this afternoon. Hope so.
  Thursday was a lousy day. Took Hank for the second opinion. Didn't turn out well. Really I can't say that.....it turned out great for Hank. I told him that morning by the end of the day he would feel much better. He crossed the rainbow bridge with Dennis' help that afternoon. The cancer was spreading fast.

He was such a sweet soul. The whole household is missing him. The girls missed him right off. They kept trying to find him when they would come back in the house. So sad. And too raw.....

  Not much else going on around here. Same old stuff. Don't want to bore you all so you have a diamond day and I'll do my best to do the same.
  I miss you Hank.
 

If it's Tuesday......

   it must be .........our place. lol Don't have any idea what that's about. It's a rainy morning but still nice. About 60*. The cold front is about here. That will be our high for the day. I got a few things done outside yesterday getting ready for fall and winter. Outside stuff put away, plants in the house etc. Tim has the straw ready to mulch the elephant ears as soon as they die back. I will use some of the straw for the nest boxes. The hens will like that.
  I picked up a few of the blocks from my sister's house a week or so back. They are so beautifully done. Her handwork is wonderful.

So much work in each one. They will make the quilt shine. A wonderful gift that the women of our past have passed down to us. Our hands and minds are always busy. Thank you, Joan, Joann, Vena, Juanita and all the rest. They all taught us so much more than just how to use our hands.

    This will be a good day for a pot of beans and a little cornbread on the side. Maybe throw in some fried taters to go with it. When day breaks I'll get started on that.

 I love a good pot of beans! 

I did not get my beans going. I had to go to town this morning and as most people that live in the country that turns into a half a day chore....make those trips count! Gas was $3.02 so I filled my tank up. In some parts of the state it is below $3. 

  We have several grooms this week. That's always good. I've come out of retirement to do a few here and there and to help my old instructor. She has a rough time grooming some days and so I offered to help her out. 

  Now to figure out something for dinner. Better get after it. You all have a diamond day! 

  

Been 2 weeks

  since I posted. That's how interesting my life is...lol Tim says his new job is okay. He works different hours every day. They start at 6 and when they can come to stopping point he stops. Normally between 4-6. He's getting faster on his machine.

   The weather has been wonderful. Last week we got over an inch of rain in one day and the temps fell somewhat after that. Down in the 40's at night, highs in the 60's and mid 70's for the next few days. Just beautiful! Wish I was up for some outside activity. My hip is giving me fits for the last couple of weeks too. I think it's the weather change but could be from the 8 hour bike ride. It has finally let up a tiny bit the last couple of days. Here's to hoping it quits in the next few. 

  Sad news in my little furry kid dept. The local vet thinks Hank has bone cancer and there is not much to do about it. Amputating his leg will not extend his life any so we have decided to just let it take it's course. I will take him down to see if Dennis agrees with the diagnosis. We'll go from there. 

  We made it down to see the kid for a couple of hours. I made it through it without crying over my home being gone. They will be building a new house out in the pasture. We thought of that in years past and came to the conclusion that we liked the position of the house where it was. More private. What ever suits them will be great.....I still have the memories of our time there that only God can take away. There were such cute clothes for the kids that Ann found. Brenda was smart this time and tried them on and didn't feel the need to keep them all. We'll donate back to the Echo store. They don't need anything else at least until the new house is done. They were able to save the 80-90 year old cottonwood tree. Slightly scorched but still thriving. Aiden has been through a growing spurt. Up a size in the past couple of months. He's catching the bus every day and enjoying school now that he knows some of the rules. lol 

Time for bringing in the houseplants and as usual having trouble figuring out where to put them so they will make it through the winter.

Have a diamond day!

Monday,Monday

  Tim left for work over half hour ago and I'm trying to figure out whether or not to start another pot of coffee. I've had one cup and A hasn't stirred around yet. Maybe I'll just go back to bed soon instead.
  The day ahead looks like it will be beautiful. In the 70's and sunny. Surely no complaints there. I'm hoping to have the kids come up and go through the clothes that Ann brought. There is no sense in dragging all of them down there for her to go through and dragging back what she doesn't need. Easier for them to come here the way I see it. lol
  The three of us went to the bike rally in F'ville on Saturday. Wonderful day for a ride. About 160 miles. Boy, was I whooped when we got home. We rode in the bike parade and almost made the whole thing. Had about 3 blocks to go before T's bike overheated from all the slow and stop 'n go riding. It was a good time.

 Waiting in line for the parade to start. 

 Still waiting. Was starting to get a little warm in the sun. I was dressed for the ride home not for standing around. lol That's me with pony tail if you can't tell. 

 The line of bikes goes all the way out of site and we were about mid-pack. I was nicely surprised by the number of people that were along the road to wave at us and give us thumbs up. Never dreamed. One of the ladies in front of us was throwing candy to the kids and I swear she was baiting them. Not really but a couple of times she threw the candy and the kids darted out in front of A! He had to keep a close eye on the curb! I'm glad A wanted to go. T and I would not have bothered without him wanting to ride with a large crowd just once....it was really fun. The whole area was full of bikes. It's the country's largest charitable rally with the money going to several hometown charities. And family oriented too as you can see by the young girl with her daddy in the picture above. There were several like that near our section of the parade. No nude crap going on etc. I'm sure after sundown, down town .......not up my alley at all haha. 

  I finished my quilt blocks! Have all my share of them done except the medallion for the middle. I intend to start on that today. Will be appliqueing the star Aunt Jo made to muslin. Then when my sister gets done with her share we'll start putting it together. yay! 

  Guess I better get after the rest of my diamond day! You all have a good one!  

Throw away Thursday

  Bet you thought I forgot about getting rid of stuff! I haven't. I'm still clearing some of this "stuff" out. Slowly but surely. I will find something. lol

  Tim is supposed to start his new job on Monday if not before. The before part is running out of time. Guess the guy was mistaken. lol He'll be working in Neosho. About the same distance as it was to NWAr. Hope this one works out. As long as it doesn't make him sick like the other one did. And of course, wouldn't you know it, once again, his work day will start at 6 a.m....no rest for the wicked I guess. I just keep telling myself........just 10 more years, just 10 more years.......zzzzzzzz

  The kids have a temporary home while re-building.

The second photo is a view of their temp front yard. The trailer is actually in what we used as pasture and what they have been using as a play yard. The house will be razed and they plan to re build. I will know more about what they may need over the next few days. Insurance has taken care of most everything. 

  I'm behind in my quilting. I've got just a couple more blocks to throw together and can't quite seem to get it done. Dang it! Their anniversary is a few weeks away. Guess we'll strive for Christmas now. This will be 65 years for them. What a pair! 

  Better start my diamond day!   

  

  

Update on kids

  The guys got the lunch wagon moved from it's spot in Monett and the landlord has promised to let them come back when they are on feet and want to do it again. Nice offer. They are storing that stuff here at our place as they just don't have the room right now at home. They will be placing a fifth wheel right behind where the house used to be and spending a few months in that while figuring out the next step. Insurance is leasing the 5th wheel I believe.

  It was nice to spend a little time with Lee. Tim got to spend most of the day with him and I think they both appreciated the time together. A helped also.

  Aiden has finally got to start school! He started on Monday a few weeks behind the other kids. I hope they are able to help him catch up. I bet he is so excited. He loves playing with other kids. If he can contain his excitement he'll do alright. Can hardly wait to talk to him.

  It will be in the 90's again today but is supposed to cool down to the 80's in a day or so. Be more like it's supposed to be. Almost time to start bringing in houseplants and dumping the pool etc. Always such a long list of things to do in the fall.....I love fall.

  Gonna have a diamond day!

Happy Birthday to Tim!

  Here's a couple of pictures of the kidlets on Lacey.

 

  

Spring River Park - such a nice little park provided by the pastor of the church.

Five of the littlest generation plus 2. The little ones weren't to sure of standing there alone without a parent. That will change in a year or two, I'm sure. Last pool party.

  We are going to breakfast this a.m.  for Tim's birthday. Taking the bike. Not too sure of that lol . We've broke down twice this summer! Gonna be hot today! Better go get ready.

A lot has happened this past week

.......the night after my last post my son's house burned down. Thank the good Lord they were not inside. To make a long story short they were outside roasting marshmallows and the kids were in the camper. It was electrical and started in the kitchen or the bathroom. Fire marshal could not tell for sure. They did have insurance and they will be fine. I lived in that house longer than I have lived in any house my whole life and I'm so sad that it is gone. Parts of it were over 100 years old. I was so happy there. Had dad not died when he did I would still be there. Kayserah or however you spell that. What will be will be......
 
  That was a Thursday night/Friday morning thing. On Sunday we had the annual family party at Mike and Linda's which was interesting in itself. A strange day was had by all. It will be the last pool party there until someone else in the family has a pool. Celebrated several birthdays as well. Was so good to see everyone. Even Jeannie and Bryan were able to make it. They have all grown into such wonderful people and parents. We brought home a few pieces of Tim's folks' art that Linda had. She wanted us to have them. And a table. They are still in the back of the van, lol.

   On Tuesday I picked up the little ones so Lee and Brenda could meet with fire marshal and the insurance people etc....make their list of "household contents" etc. They are in a motel for a couple of weeks and then will be in a rental until something is done on the house. They have to have it cleaned up of course and then replaced. Don't know at this time if they will build or what. Haven't talked to Lee to find out. He had to go back to work on Wed...He'll be off the next couple of days and we hope to be able to talk to him then.
 
  The kids do pretty well for a 4 and 6 yr old but I do worry about them. They are so spoiled that they have a hard time appreciating what they have. I know it won't stop.....I've seen it before years ago and the pattern is the same. Will be hard for them. Out of my hands....

  We saddled up Lacey and Tim rode a couple of minutes and then gave the little ones rides. They were able to hold the reins themselves and "do it all by myself!" Lacey just followed behind Tim walking. Very nice. We also rode bikes with them as we had their bikes here at our house. Otherwise they would have been on the deck and burned. Aiden is getting pretty good at it and Sissy is not too far behind. I have not been on my bike in a few years! Did not last long lol Neither did Tim but he did ride too.

  We've lost one more guinea since letting them out in the yard during the day. Down to 6. We put them up at night and let them out early. The roam around in the outer edges of the yard fences and make their way back into the car port come dusk. I'm so looking forward to them growing up and guarding the yard. lol I love the noises so far. I will update that much further down the road. Haha. They get pretty loud! And no, I have not nor will I name any of them.....

 

Another great day in the Ozarks

....it's a beautiful morning! About 70* and the sun is shining. Of course at noon when it's almost 90* and steaming I won't have that same opinion. lol
  Went out to feed and check on the guineas. We turned them out in the yard yesterday. They will have to find their own little niche among the critters. We will keep the cats in for a few days and supervise the dogs while they are out with us. Will be so neat to have them hanging in the yard.
  The kids dropped by yesterday on their way to the zoo. Was so good to see them! It was Aiden's birthday, a big whopping 6 yrs old. Life moves so fast. Hope they had a wonderful day. I know they did get to see Karen while in town. I'm sure it made her day.
  Tim has gone this a.m. to take a driving test for a company up north. Sure hope this one works out for him. What ever happens it will be the way it's suppose to be.....
  Have not uploaded any pictures of the new floor etc but it sure is nice. If we live long enough we may get all the floors fixed haha. Good thing T plans on living to be 105!
  I got the embroidery done on the star. Have 2 more blocks to put together and may be able to start assembling some of it.  My sister is moving along on her end of it too.
  I snagged these pics from fb and thought they were so cute :

 Boiled egg toadstools with tomato topped with mayo

 mice with radishes,olives and carrots

How cute for a potluck or something! Hope I haven't already posted them. If I have, I apologize. There was also little piglets.

    Guess I'd better hit the treadmill before it gets any later. Have a diamond day!

  

Monday, Monday

  we had a real nice time yesterday at Mike and Linda's. They had a swim party for a few of the family with lunch. A pretty nice visit with everyone. We took the bike. Nice ride up. We stopped at the Spring River park on the way. Had not stopped there in a few years. Such a nice little park.
  Anyway, we left Spfd and headed home. Making our usual stops for a cigarette break and a butt break. Marionville is sometimes one of those stops. After a quick smoke and a Dew we got ready to go again and the dang bike screwed up. In the transmission somewhere, somehow. Had to call Susie's first to see if A was there. Nope, next call to Sandi to have her drive to our house and ask A to take the van, utility trailer and tie downs to come rescue us (again). good grief! Last ride of the year for me I'm thinking. lol

  Next weekend is the last of summer party at Mike's so we plan on going up. Also for the September birthdays. It will be interesting anyway.

  A and I got the yard mowed this am. I have told him not to mow anymore due to his many allergies but he doesn't listen well. I planned on just mowing the parts that I walk in daily, like my flower beds, water trough etc. but the next thing I know he's out there on the riding mower. Knocked it pretty fast. Boy, was I ever hot when I finished!

  A big thank you out to my sister for helping in our rescue!

  Have a diamond day!

Our 31st wedding anniversary

  was this week. How amazing is that? I am so blessed. We did absolutely nothing. Tim worked that day- came home with heat exhaustion I think. He was so whooped and looked terrible. He overheated and had to leave early after a couple of hours of cooling off and drinking water. Been too many years working in climate controlled conditions. What the next step is still up for grabs. Needless to say he can't go back there. Was thankful for the place giving him a try. I'm thankful he didn't have a stroke and was able to come home and tell me Happy Anniversary.
  The bathroom construction is moving right along. He is almost done with it. Needs to do a couple of little piddly things and it's finished! It looks wonderful! I will post some pictures when it's done.

  I found this online yesterday and thought they were really cute. Would never go to that extreme for my little ones but they are really cute.

I'm getting close to being done with the embroidery on the star medallion for our quilt. My sister is getting close to having her blocks ready to embroider I think. We are doing alright with that project. Not sure how long it will take but we are both moving right along. When you consider the fact that we both have other things to do haha it's amazing we find time to ourselves to do anything! lol
The last quilt we made is being used as we speak. Flannel side up that is. Perfect. A guy just really isn't "into" baskets of flowers. We knew that but Momma made the top years ago.
  I got a few more taters dug up yesterday. Not many and pretty small. I will try to keep them back for seed. If they last long enough through the winter I may try another small patch. Depends on how hungry we get this winter hahahaha .
  Diamond day?

Beautiful morning

  it's been a beautiful morning. Temp is about 60* with the sun shining. This past week has been perfect camping weather if a person was so inclined. We haven't been in too many years to count and I have missed it. There are a few other things I'v missed over the years but hey, what're ya gonna do? ......
  The week started out just fine. Things moving along until Thursday night with a downed horse. Gabby was colic ing .....don't know how to spell it and don't care particularly....I took his temp during one of his resting periods (not rolling back and forth)it is normally about 101*. This time it was 110* and pegged on the thermometer! Anyway, got a call into the vet and waited for him to call back - of course this was after hours.....by 9 pm it was pretty clear that this was a case that was more severe than average and we decided it was time to do the right thing. Gabbs crossed the rainbow bridge by the time the vet called - he said with a temp that high his brain was gone and we did the right thing. Gabbs was not with us very long but he was a sweety and I was looking forward to spending time with him. So all day Friday was spent renting a backhoe etc and bury our friend along with the others that have crossed before him. Needless to say I've been an emotional wreck since then and cry at the drop of a hat.
  Construction started on the main bath yesterday and will continue today. Moving along nicely thanks to nephew Mike. I know he was beat by the time he headed home last night. I so appreciate him doing this for us.
  T starts a new job on Monday. We'll see how that works out. Driving for someone in Joplin. Not sure ......

 I'm gonna try to make it a diamond day!

Sunday morning through Tuesday

  Not much happening. Later today the plan is to start cleaning out the bathroom of "stuff" and make ready for the repairs.

  I started this on Sunday and got sidetracked. It is now Tuesday and I may get sidetracked again lol.
  I talked to the kids last night and all is as well as can be expected. They have put the roof on hold since it continued to rain. Good news is that Aiden has gained another pound! He is doing just fine.

  Now we finally have a whole week that may be free of rain! I guess "summer" is over. Guess it was a waste of time and water to fill my pool this year. I waited til it started warming up and then it started raining and has not quit. The rain was much needed but I sure was looking forward to playing with the kids in the pool. This late in the season and the weather folks are saying we're done with hot weather. Gonna be in the 80's and lows in the 50's. Not at all like a normal August. Give us more fall like weather! I can dig it!!!!!

  Speaking of digging maybe I can save a few of the potatoes that are still in the ground. My tomatoes just suck. Weeds are hip high and the grasshoppers have taken over! I make a horrible "farmer" haha......

  I hope my sister can go visit MomPat this week while she's up that way. Even just a few minutes might make the difference. No sense in waiting until she has more trouble cause she's depressed that no one has come to see her. You know what I mean?

  For the first time in at least 6 years one of the horses got out on the road last night at dusk. Thank goodness the young guy next door was going for his run and took the time to stop and let us know. We just walked out and retrieved him. No problem but did not find an opening in the fence. In the dark it was hard so that will be the objective of the day. Find hole in fence or low spot. I told T that it was probably Betty. Her neck holding the fence low as she got the greener grass. lol

  I am doing some embroidery on the star from Jo. I hope it turns out okay. I don't embroider much so don't have many different stitches in my brain. lol I'll keep plugging away though. I have all but a couple of the other blocks done I think. I'll know more by the end of the day.

  Gonna be another diamond day! Take care.

Wonderful Wednesday

  All is right in my world this morning! At least for the time being. Aiden was released from the hospital yesterday and they all made it home last night. Linda was able to drive Dahlia home so she was with her family. They were settling in a pop up camper. The house has developed so many leaks in these storms we have been having. Blew the tarp off and ceilings have collapsed etc that they don't want the kids to have to stay in there. While they fix those problems they have borrowed a camper for them to sleep in. After they finally let Aiden eat and things seemed to be looking up her woke up with an allergic reaction to something! They did not find out what he was allergic to!

He was head to toe hives for some reason.Good grief! Glad they let him come home and think he will be fine. He has many appts in the next few weeks to continue his recovery.
  Thanks to everyone for their prayers and thoughts!

  As to other things going on around here....not much. T is still recovering ...a couple of more days of antibiotics and that should be it. The test results have not shone anything out of the norm so far.
Looking for another job (again). Hoping it will work out a little better than this last one. Can't afford another trip to the dr and the ER!

  We have had quite a lot of rain the last week. I checked my rain gauge on the computer. Seems there has been a problem as I know for a fact that we have not had 190.4" of rain in the last 24 hrs. ! I was so hoping when we bought our weather station that we would be able to track that stuff without doing much. WRONG! Several times now it has had glitches and recorded things like 150 mph wind and 145* on one day. Crap!!! We had over 2" a couple of days ago. Got more yesterday but not bad. I'm loving it though. Rain in August? Of course it's wonderful!

  My guineas (sp?) are doing okay. Three of them were crippled for some reason and I didn't think I wanted to splint their little legs etc....don't have a clue as to what caused it. Otherwise they are doing great.

  I slacked off the treadmill for a few weeks while watching the kids but started up again. I'm at one mile a day and will go up to 2 miles a day in another week or two. It amazes me how much you can lose in stamina in such a short time. Guess it has to do with my age lol !

  I have been working on our quilt for Aunt Jo pretty regularly. Have several blocks done and several more done that we didn't need. lol Had to re-design it after getting the medallion from Jo. My memory didn't serve me very well after guessing it to be 24" across. Of course I will admit we only saw if for about 15 seconds one day. Alas, it was just over 32" so will put in on a 36" square of muslin.....knocked out the need for the other blocks.

  Guess that's enough rambling - have a diamond day!

Throwaway Thursday

  Supposed to be anyway....not in the mood for much housecleaning but maybe it will help. T went to the dr yesterday morning to get some antibiotics for a bacteria picked up at work causing diarrhea. His temp was 86.5 * Not enough fluids so they took him by wheelchair next door to the ER and gave him 2 bags of fluids! Was almost too much for me. I know he'll be fine but just added to the other crap ......made for a big stone kinda day.

  Aiden is still in the hospital ....they still don't know what is wrong with him. It's been 14 days now and has had 2 small helpings of mac and cheese and 3 pop-cycles! Has lost 7 lbs and trust me, he can not afford to lose that much. I just want them to find out what's wrong and fix it! He had such a rough start to life that he will always be "behind" physically. He is what God designed but the poor little fella.......

  Have a diamond day folks....gonna try myself

Another great day in the Ozarks!

   My gosh, who would have thought we could turn the air off the third week of July! It was about 60* this a.m...yay....and more rain coming! The heat will be back but that's okay too. I'm just grateful for the rain.

 

    Need lots of prayers for my sweetheart here. He's in the hospital with an unknown infection and possible diabetes. They are running more tests today. If you are the praying kind please add the whole family to your list. 

  We had a family dinner at my sister's place again yesterday. Was great as always. She tends to over do it but soon she'll get the hang of letting other folks do some of the work. lol One of her sons smoked the ribs and they just melted in your mouth. All the rest of the food was great as well as the company. One of granddaughters was able to be there too! She's been visiting for a short while and is such a nice girl. We don't get to see her very often and was really nice to see her. The other nephews and their families weren't able to be there. (economy strikes again) Hard enough to get by let alone throw in road trip for a whole family!  Maybe next time. 

  Well, having a diamond despite myself......ya'all take care

 

Sunday morning

  ......and I love the sound of the rain on my metal roof! It's been almost a month since we've had rain. It rained yesterday all around us for hours and finally we got .14". Big whoop! It rained several hours at my friend's house and probably my sister's. It sounds like we'll get a little bit more out of what's coming down now.

  We bought a horse yesterday. I know, I know, we have so many...but it was the right thing to do for us. He's mature and just perfect. I feel bad about him right now as he has no protection from the storm but the others have been in that same boat. He probably has too some time in his life. The little girl that he belonged to is ready for a much faster one. He wouldn't go fast enough. Likes to walk. Buck seems to be the only one really bothered by him. Maybe he's just glad there will be someone he can boss around besides Betty. I will get pictures of him today and post soon. I just checked outside and everyone is fine. In their correct pastures etc. and munching away.

  Aiden has been sick this week. Brenda needed some rest but a few days ago Aiden got sick. She ended up in the ER yesterday with him. He's getting better but needed some hydration. IV and some meds for his nausea. He didn't even want to try a Popsicle! Poor little guy. I didn't see them all week! I missed having them here actually. Sounds like I may not get to see them much - the kids have realized it might be too much for Brenda between the 5 screwed up discs in her back and all the rest.

  Almost the end of the day and I didn't get a lot done. Worked on the quilt awhile in between housework and other stuff. Had a diamond day.

Monday, Monday

  Another weekend gone and had a good time. Oh......unless you count that my van wouldn't start yesterday morning when we got ready to leave. I was being silly last week one day and when I got back from the store I left my lights on....insert sad face here.......ran the battery down and now the computer in it is confused!! Won't run worth a crap!

  Went to a friend's family dinner yesterday and had a really good time. Was so good to see her "kids" and their families. And meet her "new" sister in law. Had been years since we saw them all. Good food too.

  We are about a week away from starting to re-do one of the bathrooms. From the floor up...I hate the thought of it but am anxious to have it done. Generally don't mind the "retro" look but am so tired of cleaning that 1970's green sink and toilet!

 New dance move lol

 Showing off new cap 

That's the little ball cap I made for Aiden

Update! My van re-booted itself and is running just fine! Greg had said that sometimes when they get ran down after charging battery back up all you have to do is drive it for a few miles and it "remembers" it's program ! Thank the good Lord for that.

  The weather the past few days had been wonderful with less humidity. Still too dry. Been 21 days since rain. Maybe today! 

  Time to get back to work. Have a diamond day! 

Independence day

  thank the people of the past for our independence from the British. I love this country and what it it used to mean to be a part of it.  I still do but it sure seems to have changed a lot in my short life all things considered.
  We will be babysitting again today. The lunch wagon will be open. Not sure how much business they will have since most folks are going some other place or picnicking. Not sure...
  T seems to do okay for the first 8 hours or so but after that the kids seem to wear on him. I find that unusual to say the least. We got them a little kids teepee to play in. Has polka dots. I will get a picture of it to post. It's for inside or outside. Took our coffee table out to the shop for awhile. Gives the dogs more room too.

  Now for the 5th. Didn't get much done yesterday. Or today for that matter. lol I have a little baseball shirt waiting for the buttonholes and buttons and am almost done with a matching ball cap. He doesn't know about the cap yet. I think he'll like it.
  The kids decided to not open the wagon today. She only had 2 customers yesterday. The holiday must have taken all the folks to the lake for sure or their own backyard picnics. So.......we didn't have the little ones today. Haven't done a thing all day. Took a nap. Al was by for breakfast and then left for the day. I wanted to get my little pool up but couldn't muster the energy. T is still sleeping.
   Another day. Here we are again. Last night made a quick run 35 miles away to help out my sister. Didn't want her to have to drive that far alone after making a trip to Marshfield. T drove us and Al stayed home to take care of Buck. (Someone had to let the old guy out)
  Finished Aiden's hat and now I have to finish the shirt and it's on to one for Dahlia. I may throw in an apron for Brenda. She ask me a few weeks ago if I could make her one if she bought the material. Have I mentioned that they put fabric back in Walmart? A small amount but some....

  Had a diamond day. The kids got here about 3 and she was here to pick them up at 8. Short day for all of us. They are catching on to the rules of the house a little.

Almost July

  Can hardly believe that June is almost over. Was my sister's birthday a few days ago. Hope she had a great day.
 The heat index was 109* - regular temp was 97*. It was like opening an oven door with your face too close out there. It's been 9 days since rain so we watered the orchard (new trees) and watered the "garden" . I use that term loosely as we only have a two tomatoes, a watermelon, couple of cantaloupe and a tater patch. The taters are getting close to being done and if I have time I will put out another patch for a fall garden. Wish I had more room (and help) for more veggies.....
  My flowers are doing alright so far. Have several colors of lilies and the Adams Needle's are blooming in white. The mimosa tree is pretty in pink . lol  Roses are done. A small bit of violet on the hosta.
  Thought I finished this......didn't .....here it is .....such as it is........

July weather? 54*!

  this is just weird! It's nice outside. It's 54* and gonna be a wonderful day. The only problem ? It is July 2! Normally it is already in the 90's and 100's.
  We had a really nice family dinner at my sister's house over the weekend. Good food and good company. Beautiful weather for it too. I wish momma was still with us to see her kids back together again. My sister will be having her annual party on the 6th for the "Fourth". They have a good time for that one too. Lots of fireworks etc...
  Good grief! Just had to rescue another songbird from George...I know it's their nature as cats to hunt birds but I really wish he'd quit. I want him to hunt mice in the barn, sheds and house. Dang it! A pretty little baby bird this time. It's got yellow on it and smaller than a banty chick. I will take it back outside in a little while.
  I got a little sewing done this past week. Have a little baseball shirt almost done for Aiden and finished a little sundress for Dahlia. We will have them again this week. From Wed to Sat. They will spend the night with us Friday. I'm not sure if T will want to take them to Mike and Linda's on Thursday or not. The neighborhood parade starts at 9am - they would have to stay all night on Wed too. Not sure he is up for them staying two nights with us. They will settle in after they are used to the rules in our house. Has to be hard on them. So many places and so many different rules.
  I'm concerned about Misty Blue. She has lost so much weight recently. I'm thinking she has diabetes with her excessive drinking and urinating. She's around 11 years old and I'm afraid she's approaching the end of our time with her. She is a wonderful dog.
  T has gone to Wisconsin with his brother to pick up at truck for one of the nephews. They bought it online but the delivery charge couldn't be agreed upon so they went after it. When in doubt...do it yourself. Besides being a good time on a road trip with brothers.
  T's jaw is still hurting quite a lot. I think he will have to have more work done on it. Not sure what they can do. Grind it down some more? There is still a tiny amount of that bone still showing in his gum.
  As you can see by my recent posts that I have still not been able to get a photo editing program that I like to use on this laptop. Maybe sometime this summer I'll be able to get that done. I miss sharing my pictures. Have a diamond day.
 

My sister....

  My sister has been raising one of her grandchildren for about 8-9 years, I think it is. She had him periodically before that. Anyway, she has done a wonderful job of it. He has done such a turn around since a youngster. Not too much detail but he had a rough start and is doing great. He's almost 18 now, a senior in high school and ready to serve his country! Our parents would be so proud of the job she has done and in their great grandson......he will "stop the cycle".......and be a role model for his siblings and cousins etc....

  Talked to his dad for a few minutes this evening. He had a quick question about getting rid of varmints. He is now in a 24' box truck. Misty may get hired on for the van. She will have to find a sitter for the little guys.

  Congratulations to my sister for a job well done!

Have a diamond day.

More rain today

  It's really nice out there this a.m...about 70* and cloudy. Don't have to water anything this morning. Containers all taken care of.
  We had a nice dinner last night. I tried one of the fb recipes that my sister had posted. Was a sweet and sour chicken in a crock pot. Ask A n S if they'd like to come back up and join us. They did. I'm so silly. I forgot to thicken the juice with cornstarch! lol Was just fine the way it was but would have been so much better!
  We never got the tarps back on the hay after T moved it. Not sure if it will dry out in two days.

  We have been watching the little  ones for L and B this week. Seems their mom is in training for a new waitress job. The Sunrise. We are not able to on Friday. Going on a bike ride with A and S. No destination in mind. Just going to take off and see where the road takes us. Will be in the upper 80's but that's okay as long as you keep moving. The little guys haven't been too bad. A little trouble with A on the listening department. Just ignores you and keeps on doing whatever you've told him not to do. Has no trouble with hearing - just chooses to ignore you.
  A and S came by yesterday also. Had them stay for homemade pizza. A can't contribute to that house until sometime in August so I do what I can .....
 I wrote another paragraph and couldn't get it to save and publish...here goes again

Sultry Saturday

  whatever that means......stuffy,muggy,hot,stifling......got some yard work done early. A little weeding, a little watering of containers etc.
  A big "your welcome" to my sister. I played computer geek at her house for several hours the other day. Had a nice visit while there.
  A and Susie came by this morning to pick up his bike and go for a ride. Hope they have a nice day. We can't go yet as T's stitches are still hurting too much. Susie got a new puppy a couple of days ago. Border collie and Great Pyrenees. Should make for a interesting combination. He's only 5 weeks old and I bet he's a cutey.
  My sister hand scissored two of her dogs last week and they look just fine. They look clean and comfy. Kudos to her!
  Pop up storms all over the place today! Temp's dropping and the wind has picked up. 9" of rain in
south Spfd. this afternoon. Flood warnings out etc. so far no rain here.
  Have a diamond day!
 

Monday, Monday

  Gonna be a wonderful day. Not sure what the plan is as there is always so much to do. lol Sometime today I need to stop at the grocery store. We need to do all the normal things and throw in a bike ride too! Gonna borrow the other bike in the shop while the cat's away haha.
  We had a quick shower late afternoon with .12". Too wet to mow. Needs to be done today before the heat gets here. Just not enough time in the day. It's 65* right now and will be 80* by noon. Nice breeze.
  I hope to get back here and actually post something later today. Have a diamond day.

No Changes Here

  My end of the blogging world has not changed any. My sister's has changed somehow. Not sure when I can get down there but will be soon. I'm her computer "tech". Isn't that a hoot? 

  Things here have been pretty slow. Just plugging along. Have got a few things in the garden and flower beds. I got some hollyhocks from Susie in the ground and one of them has already bloomed. It's the small variety. The others are the tall variety. They may not bloom til next year. 

  Got a new variety of grape this year - an extra sweet one. Won't see anything from it for a year or two. The new sweet cherry tree we put out this spring didn't make it. The pear trees did but the frost got them. They'll be alright next year. "A" says I need to plant garlic underneath the peaches to keep the blight away. Guess I'll try it. Can't hurt and the spray didn't help this spring. My comfrey is coming along nicely this year. I have a few apples this year. Yay! Blackberries are blooming. Wild grapes in the front yard are too. My pink reliance grape that Betty keeps eating is hanging in there. Might get some grapes from it this year. 

  Things are going really nice here with our new roommate. He plans on staying, although as Tim said today, we may have lost him already. lol He spent the last two nights not here. He's spending a lot of time at that other place. They have hit it off to say the least. I always thought they would. It seems mutual at this point. lol  

  Got the tractor back from the repair guy. Yay! Tim has already brush hogged! 

  Got a few other odds and ends done around the place but several more things to do yet. Need to paint the shutters to go better with the roof and paint the barn trim this year. Got to put the pool up for the year. 

  We took that short ride to Eureka for lunch. Had a really good open faced turkey sandwich. Tim had a patty melt on marbled rye. We left the bikes at the pub and walked about three blocks down hill and crossed the street and walked back up to the bike. OMG! I told T the only way I could go all the way up to the other shops was to use a "jazzy". You know, one of those wheelchairs. He said the way to do it - walk down and ride the trolley back up to the top. Beautiful idea! I walk 2 miles a day but on a very level treadmill. Not a crooked sidewalk. lol 

  It's another day and I did not finish this last night. I'm really disappointed that I have not found a photo program for editing. Without pictures, blogging isn't as interesting. 

  It is a beautiful morning and going to be another diamond day! 

May 18th already!

  Goodness, time sure flies by as you get older and slower! Lol I can not get caught up on my "stuff". It will get done however long it takes me. As I tell my friends- it will be there tomorrow. Finally got my maters out, taters are up and growing a little here and there. Today we'll get the strawberries in the dirt. The guys and I have almost got the ghost town cleaned out and I'm going to put the berries there. I'll be putting the other 'maters in the blue barrels instead of the berries.
  No time...gonna be a diamond day.

Good Lord!

  It is not supposed to snow in May! Two inches on the ground yesterday morning. It won't stay of course but it's just not right. Been 70 years since it snowed in this area in May. 194 years in Arkansas. Just ridiculous. It's still raining this am a little . Maybe Monday I will drag the plants back outside and pick up some mater plants. Back in the 70's and down in the 50's at night.
  Today is my b.i.l.'s birthday party - actually this evening but I really would rather stay at home. Just don't want to get out in the cold and wet.
  It really has been nice the past few days. Other than the weather that is. Sis and a friend dropped by on the way through the area and had a short visit with them. Brandy even offered to help with the quilt for Aunt Jo. It will be another week before I can start on that project. Have to find the sewing table through a giant pile of basket making material. lol
  Not much else going on these days. Same ol' same ol but diamond days. Later

Time goes so fast

  These days, they are running together. We are getting some things taken care of slowly but surely. Still waiting on the tractor to be fixed but have a years worth of hay in the pasture and tarp-ed against the weather. Sure is a relief. The feed store guy was surprised we were able to find 56 bales this time of year that someone would let go of. Me too. I figured our hay guy would be hanging on to it in case of more drought.
  Sis and I had a fun road trip to take MomPat to the dentist this month and another road trip to Elkland to visit Aunt Jo. And one more trip to Mom's house to get more stuff out of it. If the weather finally settles down we'll try for another load. We had fun. Mom is a little more reserved these days as she loses her memories. She knows we are "friendly" and people she is happy to see but really doesn't know us. I know it's harder on my sister as she has always been closer with her but it is still hard to watch as MomPat slips away.
  I came up with an idea for a quilt for Aunt Jo and I think I have help from Kate and Lois. I'm not really sure if Kate can see my vision for it. I sent her a draft of it but that's not always transferable if you know what I mean. lol I'll send one to sis today and see what she thinks. It would be an anniversary present if we can get it started and done. Things are snowballing on me though so I'm not sure it will happen. We'll see.
  This month was my brother in law's 50th birthday. They had a really nice party for him and it was nice to see all the family (most of it anyway) And a couple of folks I hadn't seen in a long time.
  It's been a busy month of not finishing anything! lol I still have many things to do here in the house and out in the yard. Spinning wheels with this weather. lol Snow showers!? What's up with that this late in the season? Did get a few groceries bought yesterday but still need to go gt some 'mater plants. My lovely little cats pretty much killed all my seedlings. Some just didn't like the lighting. Have new baby chicks in the yard and guinea eggs in the incubator ready to hatch this week.
  Met Marge and her family in Mt V for lunch on last Saturday. Had not seen her since her and George left for the north a year ago. I know she is still adjusting to life without him.
  I've rambled on long enough and haven't said a thing......I won't proof read this or I would delete it all so you all have a diamond day! I'm gonna give it my best shot!

It's already April

  As usual the time has slipped away from me. I've tried to think of something to say, to give an update but it just didn't come.
  This last month has been pretty crappy. Just as expected for anyone when life as we know it has ended and everything has and is changing. I hate change ......but here we are.
  We did make a road trip. Sandi was able to go with us and the three of us went to Elkland to see family. It was really nice to spend the day with them. I hope we didn't wear out Jo and Gerald. I'm surprised Kate didn't call and make us leave. haha.
  We have now added almost the last of the trees to the orchard. We added a nectarine, a sweet cherry, 2 different pears and will soon replace a dead apple. I think that Betty got a hold of it last year..... That will feed almost a large family if they do well. We sprayed them earlier and hoping that the blight will stay away this year. I pruned them also. First time. Keep your fingers crossed. Maybe we'll live long enough to see the "fruits" of our labor.... HAHAHAHAHA HAHA
  I've got a few pictures to share but it's still a pain in the ass to upload them to the desktop, edit them, email to myself and save them to the laptop. I could just blog from the desktop but it's more comfortable in my chair. blah blah blah...........
  The kids are almost ready to open the lunch wagon. Hauled it to Monett yesterday. Another week or so and it'll be open. Maybe sooner. BK has touched base with the grand daughter again. She's not working so she'll be helping with the little ones and waitressing. Best I can tell anyway. Maybe she's ready to grow up. Won't hold my breath.
  The weather may actually warm up again this week. I'm so ready for it. If it ever comes down to "needing" to grow a garden I so need a green house. This starting seeds in the house just doesn't work for me. Not enough light or room and too many cats haha. More work done outside too.
  I'm done....gonna be a diamond day no matter what......
 

Yesterday...Mar 7 ..OMGosh

  was I exhausted last night! Slept 4 hrs the night before, got up before 5a.m. and sis and I had a day long road trip. Me arse was dragging for sure! It was a fun day though. We always do well. MomPat was having a good day too. Even though she was in pain with teeth problems she was in a good frame of mind. Able to keep up fairly well with a regular conversation and able to eat in a restaurant with no trouble. That's not always possible so I'd call it a very good day. I could kick Devon's butt for making the appt in Spfd though. It's quite an imposition to expect Sis to make so many trips when she could get the same caliber of care right there in Monett for possibly less money. Not to mention the wear and tear on a woman who gets more confused as the day goes on. Now she's locked into getting this work done and it will stretch out for weeks and weeks! To be a "genius" he sure is an idiot!!!! They irritate me for taking advantage of her.
  Anyway, had a fun day not matter how stupid he is.
  T got hay as planned yesterday but couldn't take the bike to Harley's as I had the come along and chain with me in the van. Maybe next week. The weather was great too. Chilly in the morning and warmed up to 62*. Gonna happen again today.
  They may be able to finish up the roof today! Just in time. Rain predicted for Sunday and Monday. It will be nice to no longer have a leaking roof and be able to replace the floors slowly but surely. The old place has been here since 1975 and past due for repairs. After all it's a mobile home and I'm surprised it's lasted this long.
  Time to prune the fruit trees and almost time to spray them. I can do the pruning ( I think) and will have T do the spraying. Not that I can't do that too but he needs to help. I will be moving a few things around in the yard this year to see if some stuff likes it better elsewhere. Grapes to get out of Betty's reach, blackberries don't like it where they are and the poor cane doesn't like it where it is either. Just ordered a sweet cherry tree, a nectarine tree, some strawberries and a few more flowers (as if I needed that).
  Gotta take a break to do my mile and half , I'll finish this up later.
  Well, it's much later (6pm) My day sure was long. The roofers didn't show until noon but Brenda and kids were here by then. She came to clean the stove out in the shop. Putting it in the trailer. I think they are coming back on Sunday to pick it up.
  The roof is on! They will be completely done tomorrow! No more drips!!!! I'm used up and still need to fix dinner. Tonight will be spaghetti. All I have the energy for. See ya'll later.

It's March

  I know you shouldn't wish for time to go by but I am. Wishing it was already spring! Time goes by too fast at this age but dang, I wish winter was shorter. The animals are getting cabin fever. Maybe they need coats and boots! lol Maybe that's why people dress their dogs in such things, so they can put them out and not worry......nope, I don't think so. They buy too many other things when they buy them coats. haha Billions of dollars spent annually on clothes for pets!!!! I don't spend $100 annually on myself!
  I need to start some seed this weekend. Should have started them last week but didn't get around to it. No surprise there. I'll start some tomatoes for sure and maybe a few other things. At the rate of meat prices and our budget looks like we may become vegetarians. Good golly it's just insane. The way things are going in our country is just plain scary. I don't think the whole SHTF thing is going to happen ......I'm not so sure that it is not happening right now. The world as we knew it is already gone. Boy, aren't I just a happy little camper this a.m. ? Never mind.
 My sweet little kittens are about 7 months old now and still just as fun to watch. They harass the dogs, sleep with the dogs and play with the dogs. The dogs are just as tolerant as they can be. Our pack is sure a funny looking one.
  Buck is doing well this winter. He's feeling good and holding his weight. I wish he could gain some more but at his age we're lucky he does so well. He's about 30 plus. He still trots around looking handsome and proud.
  It has never got above 27* and has spit snow all day. I've blown the day and now it's time to start thinking about what to do for dinner. Oh, I know, I can fix one of T's favorite meals! It's Friday so we'll have fish fillets and mac/cheese. How easy! Of course it really doesn't matter about being Friday but it's a good excuse. lol I always tease him about the fact schools always had fish sticks and mac n cheese on Friday for the Catholics. Better go Had a semi diamond day.

Been about 3 weeks

   since I last posted anything. Sad part is nothing different happening. Or is that a good thing? I think it's a good thing in a lot of respects. You know: no news is good news....
  We do not have a completed roof. Actually the weather has held them up. But......they did the tear off on the front half so now is covered with a tarp. Just what you want during two snow storms. Too funny. Staying dry though. Not as warm in the house but it's dryer than it has been in years! lol
  I love the fact that just a few inches of snow shuts things down and slows down the rest. Means we live in a nice southern region that doesn't get much snow. Wish it was a little farther south haha.
  Pet food stamps. I love it. It is so tough for some folks to make it and I sure think most families should have a pet. It is good for the children to learn a little responsibility taking care of them and that's the least they can learn from loving a pet.
  We've got almost 3" of snow so far this a.m.. it looks just beautiful out there. My big brother will get a kick out that. He laughs at that piddly amount of snow. But while he's in it up to his ass an freezing, we are nice and toasty in comparison. He'll be working for quite some time since he just bought a new truck and trailer. I guess he plans on NOT retiring as soon as he can. Who knows what goes through his mind. haha.
  It's snowing again and the scanner has picked up. Domestic violence is so stupid. Risking the lives of our officers for such bs reasons. Repeatedly! 34 yr old female threw her son on to the floor and trashing the house!!!!!!They are having to go and give rides to jurors today too. Poor guys.
  Having a diamond day.

Same ol' same ol'

  Not much going on. The same old chores and what not. Feeding, watering, laundry, floors and dishes etc. etc,
  I did get to see Lee and Aiden for a little visit. He had to bring the utility trailer back so we could get hay. Oh, the good news? Best we can tell is the fire in the pick up was a build up of leaves and twigs that had accumulated and must have caught an ember from the hay guy's outdoor furnace. Thank the good Lord! Nothing wrong with the truck except the dusting and smell of the extinguisher. Yay!
  Other good news. Getting a new roof on! A metal one. Won't ever have to worry about it again. Better not anyway. Should last us a lifetime. Now we'll be able to slowly (I mean one sheet of plywood at a time) fix the floors. Can I hear another yay? YAY!
  Groundhog day. Gonna be winter no matter what happens. Spring doesn't start until March.
  Called my brother last night since I hadn't heard from since before Christmas. He was in the hospital for a few days right around Christmas time with bronchial pneumonia and influenza A. He's better now but still sounded kinda crappy. He'll be working at least another 4 years no matter what. He just bought a new big truck and the payments last that long.
  Nephew Joe just ask for an update on Gramma. Gave him the run down- short version. Also got his phone number. It's the same as it was when he was living here. I assume he will pass the word to the other kids. I would but not sure what good it would do or if they are even interested.
  It spit a little ice at us this a.m. but the sun is trying to come out again and will get to 40* today. I liked the 70* we had a few days ago much better. Got a little work done in the shop that day. Helped T with the truck too. Not sure what's on the agenda for today except my treadmill.
                    Gonna be a diamond day.

Sunday morning

  Already Sunday and I don't know that I've got much done lately. A little housework and a little outside work. Maybe a little more today as it's supposed to get to 60*.
  We had more vehicle trouble this week. T went to get hay and took a long time. When he got back (thank the Lord)he told me what happened. As he was leaving the place he noticed a small amount of smoke coming from the front of the truck where the windshield wipers are. You know, the little grill looking thing in between them? It now looks like a real grill. Long story short - had some more smoke and then some flame. Thank goodness there was a fire extinguisher in the truck. We'll be able to look closer at the problem when T is off again. And maybe today I'll air out the truck and get some of the extinguisher chemicals out of the interior. A light dusting every where! If it weren't for bad luck! etc etc

 

  

Here's Aiden and Dahlia riding Buck last summer. They sure had fun. I probably have already posted these but just now got them uploaded to my laptop from the pc. 

 Took this a couple of weeks ago. Some of our wonderful pack enjoying our bed and the sunshine. I have to keep my good blankets covered with that throw to protect them. lol The cats are beginning to think they are dogs too. When the dogs get excited cause someone is here, so do the cats. They want to go out with the dogs and pretty good at coming back in with the dogs. I can't leave them out very long at a time because of the hawks and coyotes but they sure like it (and the sparrows) I can see I will have to put bells on them soon. Next craft project coming up. haha 

  The old roo is still living on the porch. I had him out in the yard again the other day and the youngster took after him again. The next morning I let him back on the porch much worse for the wear so I haven't made him leave the porch again. He's been a good roo and guess I'll just live with him on the porch til he passes. Gonna have to change the name of the place to something about an old "folks" home. Of course the name is Rockin'TNC so it could be taken both ways. haha 

You know....rocking the house! or sitting in a rocking chair. Hardy hardy har! 

  I've still not started Walker's quilt! Good grief. How easily I'm distracted or how slow I am ....not sure which is the case. Maybe today will be the day. Some days by the time I get the "have tos" done I've barely the energy to make my mile walk. Winter sure is tough on my soul. I hate it more every year. 

  Gonna be a diamond day in spite of it all! 

 

Friday the 18th

  OMGoodness! I forgot yesterday was throwaway day! Didn't throw away a dang thing except in the kitchen. I need to do that today otherwise I will get behind. Ha! As if a person could tell just walking through my mess house. My so called library is absolutely trashed thanks to the kittens. They have tried to clean the shelves for me by knocking things off into the floor. At least they haven't killed any houseplants. I've got to go through that room again and thin it out. I'm hoping to get most of the house thinned out by spring so I don't have to worry about anymore. I'm sure I'm repeating myself. Maybe if I say it often enough it will get done.
   My oldest roo has lost his flock to the youngster so he has taken to sleeping under the porch instead of in the hen house. The last few days I've been feeding him separately and the last two I've fed him on my messy back porch with the quail. Well, not exactly with the quail but on the floor next to the crate. He marches up the ramp and into the enclosed porch and has his dinner. The dogs walk right by him and now the cats will. They tried to check him out and he puffed up. They respect that posture and now leave him alone.
  Speaking of the quail, one of them was playing with a cat this a.m....guess we'll never turn them out. haha Wouldn't last long if they're not afraid of predators. Still hoping to have baby quail next spring but not holding breath under these circumstances. Maybe later.
  It's 54* and sunny out there. T is busy in the woods and I'm doing a little house work. We'll have home made pizza for dinner and a nice relaxing evening. Watch a Barret-Jackson auction on tv. Having a diamond day and hope everyone is doing fine.
 
 

Icy morning

  OMGoodness, was it ever cold this a.m. at 3:30 when the alarm went off! There was ice on the ramp out the back door last night so I was concerned about T going to work this a.m.. The good Lord was watching out for us though. T went out to start the car and scrape the ice off the windows etc and there was none! Yay! He didn't even bother to warm up the car.

  Just a light covering.

  Got the ice broke on the water trough. We had to go back to busting ice because the dang trough heater started shocking the horses like the other one did. Guess they're only good for a couple of seasons. How cheesy is that? I guess I'll start saving my pennies and by the time there's only 2 horses left I'll buy one of those frost-free troughs. lol Too many other priorities ahead of that. 

 Not a very good picture but here's my great great grandpa. Taken between 1906 and 1920. James Oliver A. The family story was he ran off to Oklahoma to stay with some woman but according to his son Charles' family he just wanted to stay with them and not be taken back home. His wife, Nancy, was already dead so can't say as I'd blame him. I had been trying to find his grave for several years. I even sent to Oklahoma for his death certificate. They couldn't find one. This past year someone very kindly posted his and one of his son' s pictures online with the cemetery etc on find a grave's website! Too cool! 

Today's "wayback" picture is my brother and sister. Sometime around 1961 or so. Those were good days for me. 

  Had a diamond day.  

  

Saturday 5 a.m.

  Had a really nice day on Friday. Met an old friend in town, did a little shopping and went to lunch.  Came home to a cat with separation anxiety and a 1700 # horse in the old chicken run. How funny is that? Betty stayed there until Tim came home to rescue her. She quietly stepped over the part of the fence he cut open. It was way past time to do something with that fence anyway. Always looking for something to get into. Love that curiosity!

  There's an ice storm coming tonight. Well, I use the term storm lightly as it's not really a storm coming, just a cold front while it is raining, so to speak. As the weather man says,"winter weather advisory".  But.......it only takes about 1/4" of ice on the power lines to take out the electricity.
  I will be cleaning our oil lamps today just in case. Cooking and heat are no problem. Water and light is the only thing we can lose. Need to charge up phone and laptop too. Emergency radio is solar and crank - no worries. During the ice storm a few years back it took 7 days of no power before the National Guard showed up at the front door. Boy, was that ever a surprise! We were fine but running out of water for the horses. We used that water for the toilets. lol Purdy offered free water to folks for their livestock which was wonderful. We had a few barrels to fill so T took them to town and filled them.
  Went and got a few more groceries just now. Locked in the hubs on the truck so it's ready to go in the morning for T. I reminded him that he could use a sick day if he wants to in the morning. Depends on that ice. They are calling for an inch.

  I'll be glad when the cats grow to a size that maybe the hawks will leave alone. They sure do like it outside. It's getting harder to round them up and bring them back in! It's kinda hard to see but that's a red-tail hawk helping himself to one of the chicks last year. There is at least one pair living in the woods behind us. There is also a Prairie falcon hanging out this winter. He is fast and he cruises really low, about 7-8' off the ground and is not bashful at all. Has scared me in the yard a couple of times haha.
  I've been anonymously following several blogs for several years now. Once in awhile I post something and normally just left my name. Recently I started just leaving the rockintnc thing and not changing it to my name. Anyway, I started following sarawolf over at Sally's Country Home a long time ago. I believe I found her at the countryside forum. Her weaving took me there I believe. The blog kept me going back. I posted something after one of her posts and now I find out she lived in Purdy back in the 80's! What a tiny world we live in. It has been proven to me time and again.  We have a Purdy address but can see Butterfield from the front window.
  I just received a book with some of T's genealogy in it from a second cousin of his. She sent me a free copy of her book for helping with some of the research. It's a beautiful hardback one. We actually got to meet them 5-6 years ago when they were in "the neighborhood". They live in Vegas. eww! I just can't imagine living in that place.
  I'm having another diamond day. Hope you all do too.
 

Throw away Thursday

  Today I will throw more than one something away. Maybe a lot of somethings. lol My library is absolutely trashed! My lovely little pride of cats have such a good time in that room. So many things to play with and climb on and so little time! Get a few kittens - they will help you do your spring cleaning and re-arranging.
  Was able to pick up the van from the repair shop yesterday. Yay! So glad to have it back and running correctly. Well, mostly correct. It still has a little odd surge in it but the check engine light is happy, the air conditioner is working correctly and the cruise control is finally working again! It's been out for several years now. T was right. It was in the vacuum stuff. So was the a.c.. The check engine thing was it needed a download from Dodge that was due before we even bought the thing. Fuel for it is much cheaper than diesel. Only problem with the new repair shop - they don't accept credit cards. Who in the world doesn't accept cards these days? Talk about inconvenience. Now we have to find the money out of the paycheck all at once. Dang it, there goes the groceries lol . Pick and choose - rob Peter to pay Paul as they say.
  I checked out my sister's blog this a.m.. well done! I knew you could figure it out and not screw anything up. You're just a scared y cat. Don't believe everything R tells you haha. At least you've never deleted the entire operating system. haha Loved the pictures. It will make it a lot easier to find those pictures after you name and file them. Last time I saw them it was kinda willy nilly. I'll be able to come down south soon and help you out with that but I'm sure Jonathan can help.
  Did I loan you my disc for Kodak? I can't find it and I know I would not throw it out. If you don't have it maybe Lee does.
  It's hours later, the rain has come again and I finally got my cobbler in the oven. Blackberry of course. I'm just two days later than I planned. lol It will still be yummy. Having a diamond day- hope everyone else is too.

Wednesday 5:15 a.m.

  First things first:

 If you look close you can see that this picture was taken on my son's front porch. I used to hang my spider plant on that corner post. My son says that guy hangs out every day along with a chicken hawk. I reminded him this a.m. that one of those birds may decide to have their dog for breakfast and watch out! I love the picture though. How cool is that? 

  I didn't walk yesterday. I will today after T gets up. 

  Don't know how much rain we have and won't know until the sun comes up but it may be quite a bit. Every little bit will help with our ongoing drought. 

  Rant for the day- paying for crappy television! It just galls me that we pay so much for tv and there are so many shows that are just plain crap. I keep thinking about the old "let's dumb them down" thing. Are there honestly intelligent people out there that want to see that stuff? I wish the satellite company would just let us pay in 20 channel packages or something like that. Let us pick the 20 or so channels that WE want and pay x number of dollars for that. Even some of the channels I would pick have some of those crappy shows on them. It's ridiculous! I know it's supposed to be just entertainment but give me a break. 

  I'm already thinking about a garden this year. I actually did a small amount of yard work yesterday while the temperature was over 50* . I'd like to try a few more things this year. Maybe peanuts again. The redheads were puppies and trashed them last time lol . Guess this year it would be cats, if I choose to let them out on their own. Without their barn/wild cat momma would they have enough sense to survive outside? They've been babied by me and I can't teach them outdoor living. Anyway, back to growing a few things. A few things here and there. My sister loves asparagus and I think she should grow some at her place. It's a perennial so why not? And rhubarb too. She loves that too. Me? Nope, don't like either one but if the SHTF it might taste pretty darn good it there's not much else. lol Some tomatoes and corn would be nice. I won't buy either at the stores unless I can tell they are local. I have gone to the farmer's market and picked up some. 

  I received a beautiful book on some of T's genealogy that a distant cousin wrote in 2012. We met them shortly after moving here. They were visiting relatives in Pineville from LasVegas. I helped her with some research and she shared research and pictures her side of the family had. It's a great book, put together nicely. It was a gift. The price of having one published hasn't gone up that much in all these years when you consider it was around $30 for the book Sharon wrote about our line in the 80's and it was about $43 for this new one by a publisher in Utah. A local publisher does small paperbacks for about $20. One day I will have one published with our tree. I'm still waiting on my sister and a good friend to write their novels and share their wealth with me for all the encouragement I've given them over the years! lol 

  Have a diamond day! I'm going to shut up now.