Sister Update & Springtime!

I am determined to get a post done today.

Thanks to you ALL for hanging in there with me.  I'm back for a bit of update on what's going on at the farm and with my seester.  I've had the wonderful blessing of being able to spend some sister-time with her at her home (and her dear hubby hasn't minded at all me being in the way!)  She's moving forward with her chemo treatments - every third week she gets a double dose (two meds) and they REALLY kick butt.  This week (actually 2 weeks ago...) hasn't been too fun with nausea, tiredness, weight loss and inability to find anything that tastes good.  Her hair is gone, too.  That was not a fun thing.  But spirits are high, she's hanging on to the Lord for her strength and we're all doing our best to tempt her with food and drink.  Friends and loved ones come by to encourage and pray and love on her and it helps.

Must share - my son and daughter in law are members at a sweet little church in Colorado. The ladies of the church have a quilt ministry and they sent Sis a beautiful quilt to wrap herself up in.  I can just imagine all the love and prayers that L is covered up with.  She broke into a huge smile and we both even shed a few tears upon opening her package in the mail and seeing that sweet and heartfelt gift!

 

Not only did they send my sister one but they sent ME a quilt, too!  Boy, do we feel loved with the love of the Lord! And cared for and prayed over when we wrap those beautiful handmade quilts around us!  Their quilting ministry is such a great outreach!  Every time I run my hand over the quilt, it's as if I can touch the precious hands that created it! I know my sister has felt the same.  If you're interested,  the church is the Castle Rock Church of Christ just south of Denver.

Back to the future, my Navy nephew has come home from his last tour in the Persian Gulf.  He was busting a gusset to be home with his mom while she was going thru surgery and chemo. Such a comfort to them both!  He brought his beautiful fiance home with him and they are spending time with my sister and her family this week.  I've gotten to spend time with them this week, too!

My sister, L, has been strengthened so much by the Lord and she was able to come this way Monday for a fishing trip to our favorite private lake.  Her son, husband and future DIL came and we spent the day at the lake.  Lisa fished a little but mostly relaxed and visited and watched her kids. 

 

 

 Then, yesterday, we all met up in Ennis, TX, to visit some of the bluebonnet trails.  It was so fun and again it was a good day for my sister.

 

Garden is going well, I guess.  We've had several cold snaps this spring that has caused me to replant my peas twice already. Another cold blast tonight, and I might be doing it again.  "They" say that produce is going to be about a month behind this year.  Well, at least we didn't hit the 90's in the April this year! My spinach hasn't bolted yet!

 Well there you have it, friends.  We're keeping our heads above water here, some days - just barely.  But the Lord is always good, and He provides us with all we need, He daily bears our burdens and His mercies are new every morning!  Praying for blessings upon you all, my friends!  I'll try not to be so long in posting again.  Family comes first - Love you all!

Time for Gardening!

At LAST!  It's officially time for gardening!  At least here in East Texas, altho I wouldn't doubt that we might have one more bout of nasty cold before it's all over with!  Usually Easter weekend, but it's in April this year so I think we're safe.  I've been bustin' a gusset to start my garden.  I'm doing something different this year - Square Foot Gardening - at least on part of it.  I'll still do my row crops like peas and beans in rows, but other things are going in raised beds.  I've been reading Mel Bartholomew's book "Square Foot Gardening" and it really makes alot of sense.  So...

Who do ya call?  Why, Daddy, of course!  Oh, hubby could do my bidding, too, but he's working, and Daddy needs something to do.  He's my partner in crime (or whatever else) and my go-to guy for all my little projects.  He built me some garden boxes from some old oak 2x8's and 2x6's, and I'm working on getting my planting mixture all ready for the beds.  Below is our new compost bin that Tony and Dad built last fall and we've got some super composting going on over here.

Here's my mixture of products - compost, vermiculate and peat moss.  I have to mix it all up barrow by barrow and put it into my raised beds...

Below, two of my beds all filled with the growing mix.  I've already got my onion starts planted in them but I haven't gotten their picture taken yet... I put out about 250-300 onions.  I know it sounds like alot, but we eat alot of green onions and that'll start in a few weeks, and then we'll leave some of them to grow to full size.  That'll take us through the summer, fall and part of winter (if I put them in the fridge).

Here's me, below, with my trusty Deere.  Our compost is pretty big so we turn it with the bucket.  Lots easier...

After all the gardening going on, these beautiful almost spring days call for a trip to the lake to do a little fishin'.  The bass were hungry and we caught about 20 each.  Unfortunately, Dad caught the only two big ones.  The rest were under about 10".  Oh well, we both had fish in the freezer, so it was fun catching them and letting them go - plus - no cleaning!  The bass are beginning to move up into the shallows to spawn.  Give them a couple more weeks or three, and we'll be able to just sit in the boat and watch them big lunkers jump in with us!  Just kidding, but the prospects for BIG bass will improve significantly!

My oldest son may be coming home from Nashville for a week or so, so I may be out of pocket for a bit.  Plus, WE (me & Dad) ARE FINALIZING OUR PLANS FOR BUILDING MY CHICKEN COOP!!!  At long last!  Hoping to get Adam in on that little project  - unless it rains.  They are predicting rain for 4 days this week, so we'll see how that goes!

PS -  For all you gals that commented about my last post on my husband's family's farmstead, I really appreciate your comments.  Unfortunately, we can't buy it as much as I'd like.  It does belong right now to one of the cousins and their family wants to possibly sell it - not sure yet.  He has Alzheimers disease and cannot really tell us anything about it.  We know very little about the early history of the property - only what's on the family records at the courthouse.  But thanks so much for your comments - it's a neat place and I'm sure it would have been SO interesting to know more about it!

Keep yer dress down!

Fishin' with the Folks

Daddy asked me if I wanted to go fishin' Tuesday evening.  Duh, YEAH.  I'm always up for fishin'!  Don't have to ask me twice!  We were going to one of Dad's buddys' private lake to go perch-jerkin'. SO much fun. Those perch really fight and they get hooked nearly every cast!  Usually it's just me and Dad, but this time Mom decided to come and do some fishin'!

It was a warm sunny afternoon, clear as a bell... We were using canned corn for bait and the perch were lovin' it!!  We also spent a good deal of time re-corning our hooks!

I have to say, Mom was haulin' 'em in right and left!  I guess she was holdin' her mouth right or somethin'... Look how cute she looks with her fish!  Dad had a big Atwood's bucket full of lake water that we tossed the perch in after we took 'em off the hook.  They kept floppin' and sometimes they'd flop out of the bucket.  Mom would squeal and she screamed one time when one flopped on her shoe!

THIS below is a really nice perch!  I wanted her picture holding it, but she wouldn't hold it - too stinky, slimy and she might get finned.  Dad and  I both did get finned taking the fish off the hook.  I have pics of my kids kissin' their fish, but I couldn't get her to do that!

Dad didn't have much time to fish while we were ketchin' fish. He was busy with the electric knife cleaning and fileting those little boogers.

We caught 17 perch in about 45 minutes, and I decided to get out the plastic worms and see if I could snag some bass.  My training has paid off!  Dad was so proud!  I caught several bass, and turned them loose as Dad and I both have a freezer full of bass.  But it was sure fun ketchin' 'em!

Mom slipped up on me and Daddy and got our picture.  I love this - me and Dad doin' what we love to do TOGETHER.  I would NOT  take anything in the world for the times that I get to spend with them.  I'm so blessed to still have both my parents! Thank you Lord!!!

Dad finally got a chance to sit down and do a little perch-jerkin' himself...

Above - a little thunderstorm blew up but went just west of us...  We got about 5 inches.......

..... in between raindrops!

Above, a beautiful rainbow came out when it passed... and below, you can see it's reflection in the water!

Oops!  I got these two photos reversed!!!

It was a wonderful afternoon spent with two of my favorite people in all the world!   Makin' memories!  I love you, Mom and Dad!!!

Let's Hear It For The GIRLS!!!

My daughter put the whoop on her brother and PopPop last Saturday.  My little tomboy all grown up into a girly-girl kicked butt on their fishin' trip.  Princess has been wantin' to go fishin' but has been away at school, so when she got home Thursday afternoon, she called my daddy to take her.  Her big brother also went. Princess hasn't been in awhile, but you flat couldn't tell.  Daddy and bro were cryin' when it was all over.  See what I mean ---

Just gonna show you pics - Daddy took them to a private lake up here - it was so beautiful. I've gone with him to this lake, too.

Look at this lunker!!!  She got several fish that would go 5-6 lbs or better!

Ok, son, it's about time - you gonna let your little baby sister make you look bad???

OK, son, she's several up on you now!  Here's another big 'un!

WHat's the count now???

I'd be ashamed if I were you, son!  I wouldn't let anybody take my picture with that lil ole minnow!

Ok, that's much better - are you sure that's not your sister's fish? Ok, it's yours. Good.

Good job, Daddy - don't let your little granddaughter show you up!

Twins!  Cool!

Way to go, Pop!

Look at that smile!!!  She had a wonderful time with her PopPop and her brother. 'Specially when she knew that she was the fisherwoman extraordinaire!!  She wants to give them another fishin' lesson when she gets back home again!  I'll bet she will, too!

Take care peeps - been busy - I'm visiting and maybe will get to catch up some this weekend. All my guys will be gone to Arkansas to trout fish on the White River for a few days so I'll have some time to myself. I'm looking forward to it!

Summertime Fishin' with Pop

Howdy-doody, cold people! Howsa 'about a little hot summertime fishin'?  That oughta get you all nice and toasty!  Just think, settin' there in the sunshine in the boat or on the pier, whether at a lake or on the oceanside... Cain't ya just hear the water lappin' against the pier, maybe swattin' red wasps that like to get up under the eaves of the pier?  Sippin' a cold one (Coke, I mean) and the sun fryin' the tops of your thighs and anything else it can reach? Sweat runnin' down into every crevice and crack on your body? You set there long enough, the sweat and fish stink and dirt makes granny beads on yer neck and inside your elbows. Doncha just love it???  Here's my firstborn on his first fishin' trip 25 years ago with his Pop (my daddy).  Look that proud accomplishment on his little face! He's as proud of that little perch as any trophy bass fisherman, and Pop is just as proud, too! My dad was a trophy/tournament fisherman in his day... I still go fishin' with him... I love it!

And ya know what? Adam and Daddy are still at it 25 years later!

You know what?  Guys can do alot of talkin' and solvin' the problems of the world and life settin' on the lake. It takes alot of patience to fish, lots of analogies about life and fishin' that Daddy taught us kids and now my kids, and there's alot of other things to talk about, too. It's a great "male bonding" thing. But what about when Dad takes ME?  Lotsa good daddy/daughter time, too.  I catch up on what my daddy's into. He's always puttering around doing something. Fishing, huntin', buildin' stuff, fixin' stuf'f, oh yeah, now he's into surfin' the net and whatever the latest techno-gadget is.  He's got a game camera on some of his deerfeeders and it takes night pictures of deer, hogs, whatever comes to eat the corn. It's pretty cool.  I think my daddy still looks pretty good to be in his 70's. He hasn't slowed down much.

And here's yours truly! Today we're catchin' crappie, right off the pier. We like to bass-fish out on the lake, but this is crappie season, and we're pullin' em in right and left. As I recall, we had a big ole fish fry at the farm that night. This was back in the summer of 09.  They were practially jumpin' up on the pier for us.  It was so hot even in the shade, I didn't have a dry thread on me when we got ready to leave. Daddy didn't either.  You know that time in the mid to late summer when the lake water is tepid- feels like bathwater almost - and it's not even refreshin' anymore?  Well, that was this time of summer! We drank several bottles of Gatorade between us and our fishbait (shrimp) was stinkin' to high heaven. I'm sure we smelled lovely when we got back to Mom's. And she WILL shoo you outside if you're too stinky or have dirt or mud on your shoes. And you cain't set down on her furniture without a towel under ya.

Wish there'd been a 3rd person with us so we could have our picture taken together... If there's anything that was any funner (is that a word?) in this world, then the Good Lord saved it for Himself! That's what my Nanny always used to say.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed fishin' hot summertime lakes today in Texas. We can batter up them fish and throw 'em out on the pavement and watch 'em fry if you'd like to. It'd be better than gettin' all that fish grease out and heatin' up and stinkin' up the kitchen. We'll just get out the big propane fryer & cook 'em in there.  Cut ya up some sweet onion slices, fix some coleslaw, fries and some jalapeno hushpuppies and some fish grease cream gravy!  Mmmmmm - it just don't get any better than that!  I can't wait!