Past mid August now and

  just received the electric bill. About half of the previous month! I'm thinking that new A.C. unit may almost pay for itself after all. How cool is that? Smaller than ever for a summer month. Yay!
  Other than that, not much going on around here. The rain keeps the pasture growing (good thing) but also keeps the yard too high and too wet to mow (bad thing) lol . Actually got it a short bike ride last weekend. Was perfect weather, not too hot and a beautiful evening.. about an hour ride around a country neighborhood.
  All animals are sound and healthy for now. Fat and sassy. The grass is still green. No summer burnt yellow yards to be seen.
  In two days it will be our 34th anniversary. Seems unreal to me that it can be that long ago. Still an adventure all the time. Heading towards another major change in the life and times...T is going back on the road. Only way to improve our income at this point. Haven't had to do that since 1996. Some days are diamonds ...... will be an adjustment for both of us. Be home on weekends.
  We have now lost 30 lbs each since Jan 1....we each have a ways to go. Him less than half of what I need to lose but that's okay. I'm just too short for my weight. lol
  First day of his vacation. Using that time to square away a few things here at home and at the other job. And relaxing.

  All I can post today. You have a diamond kind of day!

Almost the end of July

  and the past week or so has been a little rough. Been missing my momma since it was her birthday on the 22nd. You would think at my age and the length of time that has passed it would be easier. She was my rock.
  On the 3rd our ac went out. Of course! Generally coming up on the hottest time of year. lol Never fails....we had to replace the old unit to the tune of $3700 and some change. Could've been worse. Thank goodness we have credit. Never thought I'd say that! Hope the savings on the new unit compared to one that was around 40 years old will make the payment. I can dream, can't I?

 

  Had some surprise visitors that were very welcome this month! Mike's family. 

  This is one of the local crop dusters at work. A couple of farms away best I can tell. He sure was flying low! 

  This poor creature had made the mistake of taking up residency in the shop and the chicken house. Big no no around here. I know, most people like having one around for rodent control. I like having barn cats for the same reason and have no trouble with them. They don't eat eggs, baby chicks or try to sneak up on me or drop from above my head! 

  We had a busy weekend mid month. On Saturday we went to Spfd to visit a couple of T's sisters that we hadn't seen since April and had lunch at El Taco. Our favorite Mexican restaurant there. No fuss or muss, just good food. The next day we took a chance and went on another road trip 80 miles from home to visit my favorite Aunt and Uncle. They were home! She had some fabric for my sister and I and honored me by passing her quilting frame down to me. We had such a nice visit and stayed 3-4 hrs. Did not want to tire them out. 

  This week has been a heat wave with heat warnings etc. Stayed inside mostly. Did get the bigger part of the back yard mowed. Will try to do better this week. T is outside right now brush hogging the west side of the place. He got the east side done about a week ago. We were able to dismantle the round pen and put the panels around the garden and turned the horses out on the whole thing again. 

  Better go, have a diamond day! 

The heat is on.....

it's mid June and it has reached 90* and the humidity is despicable! Oh, it is Missouri after all. That's what it does here. We have some high clouds that are helping a little.
  My flowers have been blessing me with many blooms of different kinds and more every day. The mimosa tree is just beginning to set a few along with the hostas. I have picked a few strawberries so far. I have ever bearing plants so they will keep producing a handful here and there throughout the season. The corn is almost 2 ft so it's doing okay considering we were late getting it out. No fruit to speak of. Between frost and blight - no chance....

This is my honey at work....driving down the road in front of our house. I love that he can drive local these days. Much better than over the road. 

My tulip tree was really pretty this spring.

  My braided redbud tree was pretty cute this spring too. All those tiny buds. Everything is growing and blooming. Including some things I don't want to see. Like poison ivy and mold/mildew on the back side of the house! Got part of it washed off but a lot to go. So many chores and so little energy! 

I love this! 

On that note....have a diamond day!

Been almost a month

  since I've posted. Tells quite a lot about our laid back life. Nothing going on but the rent as they say.
And it was a bad week for vehicles. haha We have several vehicles that we use on occasion but not regularly. "Back up" car and a truck for towing. Tim's PU was in the shop so he charged the battery in my truck and the poor little Escort. My truck wouldn't start the first day so he took the Escort, next day he took my truck. Day 3 he jumps in my truck, nothing, jumps in the Escort, nothing. He had to take my van. Some people wonder why we keep so many "junkers" around. Sometimes it takes that many just to get through a week! lol Too funny. And thanks to the good Lord we have those junkers. Good news is that Tim's truck is finished and we will pick it up this morning.

  Had some showers this week but nothing like they had predicted. Unfortunately the rest of the country east of here has gotten way too much rain. Our pasture needed the little bit we got. The horses needed a bath too.

  It's hard to believe but we need to actually start mowing this week! There is so much clean up to do in the yard. My flower beds look pathetically like weed patches and dust bowls for chickens. I don't mind the dust bowls from the chickens so much. They need their baths too. Keeps the bugs off of them. The problem is that one of the dogs comes behind the chickens and digs the holes much bigger! Oh well, the price you pay for the animal members of the family. More exercise for me!   List of blooming things: plum tree, nectarine tree, tulip tree, daffodils of assorted colors, lilacs are leafing out, quince is flowering, strawberries up and running, roses leafed out and several more. It's a little early and I'm afraid everything may get bit by frost. I will enjoy them as long as possible.

  Another post I found in the drafts folder. Can't remember to check it first! It's actually from March.

Time marches on too quickly

  It's already past mid May and I have been so wrapped up in myself and health problems that I haven't been able to post a word. I won't bore you with the details but life goes on when you let it.
  We lost a friend this spring. A couple of weeks ago my mustang Cotton crossed the rainbow bridge. He will no longer suffer with COPD. He was very special to me. Here he is at 17.
 

One of my favorite pictures of him. He will be sorely missed in the herd. 

  

  

Cold and blustery!

  Good grief , the past two days have been extra windy for around here. Gusts to 40 mph with sustained winds of about 25 mph. Throw in temps in the low 30's and it's pretty dang cold out there. On the bright side it will quit soon and we'll have a couple of nicer days before the next cold comes through.
  Tim got the hydraulic hose fixed on the tractor and we're back in the hay business. Glad we didn't have to resort to pushing or dragging the bales to the horses! It was a busy weekend for Tim, on Sat he traded one of the bikes (the one he has been riding) for a couple of guns and a new generator. Sunday he put it together and wheeled it off the truck. Ready for the next power outage!
  Not much else going on but just checking in.
 You all have a diamond day!

Ground hog day

  The ground hogs think we will have an early spring but I disagree. We have been about a month behind since last fall. I figure that we will have winter until sometime in April. Just been such a mild winter and I've enjoyed it. Having a cold front coming in with a lot of wind is reminding everyone that it is still on the calendar.
  We had a really nice weekend with a visit from my sister and brother in law. He came up to help Tim with work on the tractor. They couldn't find the right part though so we are still broke down. Maybe this weekend.....Then on Sunday our son was able to come by for a nice long visit. A little catch up was great!
  I was able to catch the horses all taking their nap at the same time! Doesn't happen very often that someone doesn't stay "on watch".
 

Here's George and Hannah sharing a crate for their evening nap.

  One of the family's nephews by choice has had a heart attack! He has had a stent put in the completely blocked artery and rooted the other. No damage to heart thank goodness. Good grief, he and his family have been through so much the past few years and now this. I'm sure they will get through this too but it just doesn't seem fair. 

   My great nephew is out of the hospital and has returned to work from a partially collapsed lung! No injury or accident, just spontaneous crap! Life never ceases to amaze me! 

 This is for my sister...she can make her husband crazy when she tells him she has a new idea! haha He just loves her redneck hillbilly ways. She does enjoy teasing him. 

 You all have a diamond day! 

  

October is almost over

and it still feels like summer. It's wonderful but weird. Guess I should check for drafts more often. Just published another draft I did not finish but hit it anyway.
  The fall weather has finally arrived. I had to put a jacket on to do chores this a.m. and did a little cleaning in the shop with a flannel shirt on and long pants. What a horrid mess it is out there. Looks like a hoarder lives there. Of course there was two complete households moved here over 10 years ago along with a lot of stuff from a third household! So much crap and other stuff. I'm determined to get it cleaned and organized again. I say again because I have cleaned it several times over the years. It just gets away from me and others haha. I will have quite a collection of tools when I am done. Years ago I told Tim that from then on when I had to clean up tools laying around that they would become mine. I have several tool boxes now. Gonna add to that number again.

  I heard from one of my son's half sisters this a.m. on fb chat. She's a sweet thing with a five yr old son that is sure a cutie. I think Glenda Kay did very well by her from what I can tell. It was nice of her to take the time and say hi.

  "A" came up yesterday so I could help with some computer troubles. He had called on Friday afternoon to make it sure we would be home. It took several hours and the dang thing never actually finished doing what we were trying to do. They left here with comps in hand and still going. He is supposed to update me this a.m.. may or may not have to finish the help by way of telephone. Oh, was able to find a home for a couple of my extra houseplants too! One of my big ones and one of my African violets. Also a start of my jade plant. It was just some trimmings. A few years ago I split one of the philodendrons into 3. Now I have one, my sister another and her best friend has the third.

This was taken before I split it up. I have had this plant for 35 years! I am always surprised that it has survived so much neglect. For many years it died back each winter due to the lack of light and water but the last few I have been able to do better with the poor thing. lol 

  It's really foggy this morning. Can hardly see across the road. It's the first day of November now. But the sun will shine today and life is good. Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween last night or whenever they celebrated. We do not ever have trick or treaters as we have always lived in the country. I do miss seeing the kids. Our local square decided last year to stop their tradition of a parade and distributing candy for the county kids. I did notice in the local paper that a handful of folks on the square were still going to give out candy. Hope it was successful.

End of January 2016!

  Well, seems the time got away from me, as always. Some of it is actually there is nothing new or different going on......that's most of it when push comes to shove.

  My wonderful honey had these delivered on my birthday: 62 of them !

  I don't remember if I ever mentioned the fact that after 37 years I cut all my hair off. I really liked it short but I just didn't feel comfortable with it. Don't mean literally comfortable because it was great...never in the dishwater, not under me or my honey while sleeping or blowing in my face during outside chores but just don't have the face for a "boy cut"...haha   I am growing it back out. Haven't cut it in almost a year except to try and catch up the layers. Gonna take FOREVER! 

Here's a few pictures from the last few months:

  

  still have grass in November! 

Last of the hollyhocks first wk of Nov

waiting on one of those birds to come down a little closer

Sheba likes to "hide" under the houseplant. Crazy thing.

     My braided redbud trees. It's about 3 years old now. It's fun watching it grow.  I braided three seedlings together coming up through the bricks.

 
   The winter has been really mild and I've enjoyed that immensely. The older I get the less I like to doing chores in the winter time. Too dang much trouble bundling up! Today it's 51* and sunny! I had a visiting cat this afternoon! A very handsome looking Siamese mix came calling on my back porch! My neutered male was not a happy guy. I tried to scare him away and that took some doing. He did make out to the edge of the yard but on this side of the fence... dang it. The dog didn't even scare it away. I don't want my dogs to get a hold of it (don't want them killing anything besides varmints) and don't want my poor George to get beat up.

  I have added two borders to a quilt top that my aunt made and gave me. It will be a large king by the time I'm done with it. Maybe Tim and I will have enough to cover us after the dogs take their share! I'm anxious to get it ready to quilt. Hand quilting is relaxing for me. Almost as much as basket making.

  Guess I better quit. Have a diamond day!