Note Card Party at VEE's Place!

Ready for Vee's Note Card Party???

This week I was looking through my photos and trying to come up with worthy photos, and my kitties kept jumping out at me!  So I thought I'd put together some kitty pictures to offer as note cards this week ---

Oct 25, 2010

Alice is relaxing under the wagon of mums...

June 19, 2010

Is there ANYTHING cuter than a little kitten?????

Aug 31, 2011

Sambo ruined my pot plants - guess he liked the cool dirt...

Jan 25, 2011

This kitty Jasper was my mouser/gopher-catcher.  Sadly, he went missing, but he was a beautiful cat with aqua blue eyes.  Sigh...

I'm looking forward to checking out your note cards!  Hop on over to Vee's blog and see who else is playing!

I MISS YOU ALL!

Hello my dear bloggie friends!  I've missed you all so much and I've missed reading what all's been going on in your lives!  Thought I'd just check in and make sure you're all still there, and give you a little update on our goings-on around here.  Wedding is 3 weeks away, lots of last minute details to take care of, still getting things cleaned out of the house, a few lookers at the house, working on the garden - looking good so far. 

In other news, I'd like you keep my dear MIL in your prayers.  Since I posted last, she suffered a stroke and is mostly paralyzed on her right side.  She can still swallow a little bit, and she is getting nutrition (for which we are thankful) but trying to rehab her broken leg/hip on the left side while the right side is immobile is going to be next to impossible if some of the feeling in her right leg doesn't come back.  I don't see her ever getting out of a wheelchair.  She seems depressed and maybe has given up.  We're not sure what she's thinking since she has Alzheimers.  Our prayer is that God will do whatever's best for her.  We are not at the point of making life/death decisions right now, but her prognosis is not good.

My cat, Jasper, has disappeared, too, from the farm.  I don't know if he's gone visitin' or if a coyote got him. He was such a GREAT cat, good mouser, and he followed us around like a puppy dog.  He'd even taken to riding on the Mule with me - just hopped right in and sat next to me while I drove around the farm.  I miss him already - I hope he shows up.  We may not be able to keep a cat out there - I don't know.

Take care my friends - love you all - I'll be back soon!!

More snow...

WOW - two years in a row - this is unbelievable!  Who'da  thunk it???  This is the wildest weather I remember in a long time here in Texas!  Last week, I missed a couple days of work because of icy road conditions, and today at the farm it was in the upper sixties.  We worked outside for a couple hours after church and lunch. I snapped a few pics the other day of the snow at the farm.  Indulge me, won't you?  This is such a rarity down here, I have to document it for those years when we don't see any!

Lots of tracks in the snow in my garden area.  Can you tell what these are???

CROWS!  I tell you what, we got lots of crows.  Last year, they picked my purple hull peas out of the ground before they sprouted, they poked little holes in my cucumbers and pumpkins.  I need to station one of my kids out back with a pellet gun or some bird shot.  When I get some electric run out to the garden shed, I can leave a radio on.  That'll keep em away some.

Just a little snow left around the garden shed. 

Lookin' towards the back of the house ...

Mr. Jasper is following me around...

I sorta liked the way the shadows were laying across the ground...

Went down the pond on the Mule and we still had some ice on the pond and snow around. 

A little trek through the woods.  It's amazing how much you can SEE in the woods when there's snow on the ground.

Now, I don't know if you can tell what this horse is doing.  Our neighbors behind us whose house burned down... The ice is melting off the stable roof, and this horse is catching the drips.  This was so cute!  I watched him for several minutes.  He turned and looked at me, and then went back to catching the drips off the icicles!

Jasper was so glad to have his people come outside and play with him. I just love his eyes - they are kind of turquoise-y.  He's so sweet.  He rears up on our legs like a dog and grabs our hands so we will pet him.  He tells me he's lonesome, but I reminded him that he HAD a playmate, Alice, but he kept chasing her onto the house and up into the big oak tree and so we let her go live with my future daughter in law.  I'm sure Alice is loving Miss Lindsey.  Alice gets to snuggle with Lindsey on the couch, and I think she gets to sleep with her, too!  I don't think she'd wanna trade back, do you???   ; )

I've gotta call a plumber tomorrow.  One of our pipes froze at the farm.  There was water standing in the bathroom around the sink.  I sure  hope it's not under the house, cuz we'll have to take all the skirting off the house and it's going to be a big headache to get to the pipes.  There's minimal crawl-space under there.  I dread getting into all that mess...

Hubby watched the Super Bowl while I dozed a bit.  Sometimes we have friends over or go to others' houses, but today we just chilled at home.  Hotdogs and Klondikes - how does that sound for Super Bowl fare?  It was purty good.  We didn't really have a favorite team.  It's not as much fun when the Cowboys aren't there, and they ain't been there in a few years.  I'm kinda disappointed in them. Oh well.

Have a great week, my dear friends!  I'll try to get around to visit everyone soon. I've been working alot - my other office person has been out sick.  I hope she'll be back this week AND leave her sick germs at home!

Cats, Christmas and Tractor Girl

Guess what I did Saturday afternoon?  You'll never guess.  It won't be that exciting to you, but I had fun.  We had cleared some big piles of old rusted hay rings, old fencing and aluminum gates, etc., hauled all that off to the bulk metal place and gotten our little pile of money.  Then what was left was a jagged, holey and hilly landscape behind the barn - not huge, but unsightly and you couldn't drive on it easily.  So, hubby was manning the burning pile, and me?  Well, ME was manning the tractor and doing some leveling.  Moving dirt from here to there - there's a trick to handling the bucket and I think I've got it!  It's sorta fun!

None of my friends know how to run a tractor and bucket and brush hog and box blade but I do. I'm sure alot of you people do, too, especially those of you that have a farm or ranch. Imagine this - It was 65 degrees and the wind was blowing. The husband was cleaning up and piling up stuff for the burning pile (and there was alot of stuff), loading metal onto the big trailer, and here I am in my capris and flip-flops and a cap driving the tractor around dragging the bucket across big mounds of dirt to level it, picking up big loads of dirt and dropping it in the gulleys. Husband said I did a good job. Sorry I don't have a picture.

Guess I'm a farm girl now - cuz I can man the tractor  AND  I can operate that tractor in capris and flip-flops! Now how's that!  Actually, I think probably some of my friends and family think I've absolutely lost my mind, but that's okay - I'm doing exactly what I've wanted to do since I was a small kid. I'm still plotting when I'm gonna get my chickens.  I'm determined to have chickens in the spring. I'm gonna get my dad and me and him are going to get my coop built. I think I've about worn the husband down into letting me get some.

Went to the Farm/Ranch/Feed store Saturday, too, to pick up some more gopher traps. It was customer appreciation day, and Joe Bob had cooked two huge cauldrons of beef stew! Hot and mild - with big man-sized chunks of beef and vegetables, and a good seasoned broth with jalapenos and a touch of chili pepper.  MMMMMAAAAAANNNNN!  I think Joe Bob makes the best stew I've ever eaten!  I ate two bowls full! With crackers and cookies and soft drinks!  I love customer appreciation day at the Feed Store! And Joe Bob's stew!

Wanna see sumpin' purdy?

My roses are popping! They look great right now.  Thought you folks in the blizzard zone might like to see some flowers right about now...  It's just now starting to get cold. We've had only a couple of freezing nights or just below and the flowers are still thriving.  Here's another...

The window box is full of petunias.  The flower beds could use some attention, and the yard actually needs mowing one more time before real winter sets in.  Cain't even see the edge of the bed right now! The dadgum clover junk starts growing when it gets cool and tries to take over.  Gotta squash that quick!

I've done a good raking once already, but will have to do it again. The catawba trees are dropping their foot long bean pods and they ARE messy.  And they'll keep adroppin' 'em til spring.

Not much Christmasing going on yet.  We are having some renovations done at our house and so it puts a damper on trying to decorate - we're getting a new roof and gutters due to hail damage.  We had the outside painted, and next is the inside... May be putting the tree up on Christmas eve!!!

New topic - I'm looking for a new home for my kitty, Alice.  I've tried every way I can think of to keep her. She's having to stay in the house all the time now due to Jasper.  He beats her up if she steps one little toe out of the door.  He's been neutered, and Alice spayed, but we think he's just being territorial and agressive towards her.  He beats her up and he's so mean to her.  Otherwise, he is the sweetest and nicest cat you'd ever meet.  The other reason is that my allergies to Alice are making me sick.  I thought I was gonna have two nice outside cats, but I can't let her out or...

THIS is where she stays!  Up on the roof!  And in this weather, I just can't let her up there.  Jasper can't follow her up the big oak tree - he's too heavy, but he CAN get on the roof and chase her.  I'm scared she's gonna fall off.  AND she's not being a mouser/gopherer.  Jasper catches mice and gophers all the time! He's such a great farm cat - and HE is what I was looking for.  He eats his kills - all except the heads - he leaves them around for us to find them.  Ugh.  I've contacted family and friends and hopefully I'll be able to find a good home for Alice.

Hope your holiday busy-ness is fun and Christmasy and cozy! I appreciate you all more than you know!

Fall on the Farm

Last hay cut for the season at Sand Flat Farm.  The hay is already all sold and that's good. When we get our own livestock, I'm sure we'll be keeping some of that.  Below the sycamore tree is turning golden - I think these are my favorite tree - I love the graceful way the branches grow and the white bark with the different colors of grey and green and brown sheets of bark that peel off.  They kinda remind me of aspens on steroids. I love 'em!

We're starting to see color around here.  I spotted this beautiful red maple on the way to work last week. They don't last long, but they're gorgeous while they last!

There is a new cat hanging around - I have named him Jasper (just for you Aunt Amelia). He is a complete and utter nuisance.  He's a big cry-baby, meowing all the time and he's LOUD, and gets all underfoot.  He sits at the front or back door and yowls and cries for someone to come outside and feed him at all hours, AND he's finicky!  He won't eat the canned catfood that comes in little chunks - he only wants the solid stuff and Meow Mix crunchy food. He'll turn his nose up at anything else.

I'm sure Miss Alice is  attracting boyfriends right now, but she goes to the vet Monday for her spay. I cannot make this Jasper leave.  I'm about ready to haul him off and drop him in somebody else's neighborhood.  You can tell that he's been around people.  I figger somebody dropped him at our farmhouse, too.  If he'd quit waking us up and caterwauling at all hours of the day and night I wouldn't mind him staying - 'specially since Mr. Sam disappeared  :(   I did tell Jasper, however, that he would be making a trip to the vet for an anatomy alteration, too, should he decide to stay...

He's a nice big tomcat with beautiful markings, looks like he's been drinking chocolate milk, AND he's got pretty blue-green eyes.

Alice doesn't like him. She's been either under the porch OR on the roof.  Jasper is very put out that I'm feeding him at the garden shed, and I'm letting Alice in to eat.  He eats all her food, and she's not getting anything. Here she's hiding from him under my wagon full of mums. Very cute!

Now I'll leave with you these beautiful autumn sunsets.  The golden glow of autumn sunsets - it's magical and beautiful to me to see the palette of God streaming across the sky. Enjoy!!!