The Ragman

You simply MUST go visit the Lady Farmer at Lady Farmer Parables as soon as possible!!!  She tells the beautiful story of the Ragman - it's an Easter story - and you have to go by and read it - get your tissues handy!!!  I'd never heard it before, but it's one of the most lovely Easter stories that I've ever read!

Random Photos

Hey, I have a couple of photos that I thought you might like from my trip 2 weeks ago to my daughter's. We went to Ft. Worth one day and ate downtown, and I was able to get a shot of this guy.  I've seen him on the news before, but never thought I'd run into him.  I didn't catch his name, but asked him for a picture - he said sure, but donations would be appreciated.  I guess this is his "job". 

His little entourage was very cute - a mutt dog, a mutt cat, and a mutt white rat on top.  They walked down the streets of Ft. Worth like this attracting attention and posing for tourists.  At times the rat would get tired, so the guy would scoop him up and stick him in his backpack, the cat would jump down and kitty and doggy would walk side by side on leashes down the street until it was time for the next photo shoot!  Aren't they a riot!

I want one of these "mammy" toaster covers. My mom had one all my growin' up years but it had a blue calico dress on.  I think I'm gonna make one... The shop keeper caught me taking this picture and fussed at me. Oops!  More to come on this project....

The last HOO-Rah for my pansies.  Our temps are finally up a bit, and before much longer, the heat will  toast these babies.  But they did look pretty in my wagon for the winter...

Just a little shot of my bedroom at the farmhouse.  It's small but cozy, and this is the morning sun coming in the window through the lacy curtains.  You wake up FAST!  With the chickens!  'Scuse the box fan. We sleep with it every night for noise...

Ok, here's how we raise our young'uns - even the girls.  Practicing shootin' with Dad.  She's a good shot, too, so don't sneak up on her...By the way, "Ducks Unlimited" is done in pink fuzzy stuff.... We can still be stylish and look tough at the same time!

Giveaway WINNER Announced!!!!!

Congratulations to Linda Sue at Buhl-a-land!!!!  She is the winner of my 200th post giveaway!!!  I had 35 entries with a couple of email entries from new bloggers that didn't have a blog set up yet but had been reading my blog!  Thanks to one and all for entering!  Linda Sue - email me your address and I'll get your painting and a couple of other little surprises off to you this week!!!

I used one of those online random number generating thingies and I was going to copy it and show it to you just so you'll know I was being fair, and it wouldn't let me copy. Rats! Rather, gophers!  This was fun and I'll be looking forward to my next giveaway - the Pay It Forward Giveaway where I'll pick 3 bloggers and sometime during the next year (Oh, I won't wait THAT long!) will be sending them something!

Here were the entries ---

1. Mitzi - Lazyboyx2

2. Annesphamily
3. Lea - myletterstoemily
4. Debbie - dcwisdom
5. Barb - Barbs Blog
6. Barb - Barbs Blog (posted on her blog, too)
7. Barbara - 3acrehomestead
8. Jan -email, but no blog yet
9. Becky K - Hospitality Lane
10. Gail - At the Farm
11. Noni - Brick Street Bungalow
12. Dolores - Moving forward with Alzheimers
13. Scrappy Doo - Adventures in Ellis Co. & the Dollar Store
14. Elaine - Soggy Bottom Flats
15. Day Photo - Colorado Farmlife
16. Vee - A Haven For Vee
17. Melodie - Laughine Duck Farm
18. Aunt Amelia’s Attic
19. Christa- Country Hearts at home
20. June - JuneBug
21. Christa - Country Hearts at home
22. Sher - Old Time Me Artist
23. Sue - The Cotton Patch
24. Lady Farmer - Lady Farmer Parables
25. LindaSue - Buhlaland
26. K Falls - Farmgirl Cheryl
27. Dani - Eagles Wings
28. Tara - New Day New Seasons (posted on her blog)
29. Tara - New Day New Seasons
30. Kblaidlaw - email, no blog yet
31. Miss Sandy - Quill Cottage
32. Irma’s Rose Cottage
33. Ginger - the Gingerbred Shed
34. Amy - Homestead Revival
35. Delores - email, no blog yet

THANK YOU AGAIN, FRIENDS!!!!  Go say hi to Linda Sue!

200th POST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is my 199th post.  My next will be my 200th - I can't believe it's here already.  I piddled around and missed my 100th post - I just let it slip by. 

So in honor of this momentous occasion I am having a giveaway that I hope you will like. Some of you might know that I am an artist.  Following is a photo of one of my original paintings that I'm offering to the winner of my giveaway.  It's of the Davis Mountains in West Texas near Marfa not too far from the Rio Grande.  I painted this from one of my trips out that way.  The sky was cerulean blue, the clouds were so billowy and the landscape, tho barren and rugged, had tons of color if you just look closely.  This is an 11x14 oil painting on stretched canvas.  All it needs is a frame. 

Soooo,  I hope you guys like it.  I would be honored if you did.  I wanted to give something that I did myself.  I'll probably throw in a couple of other items to sweeten the deal.  It's my way of saying a great big Texas THANK YOU!!! to all you folks out there that have made me feel so special and have called me "friend".  I don't know what I'd do without ya'll!

Today is Thursday evening.  I will have a drawing on Sunday around noon and announce the winner Sunday afternoon.  So get your comments in Before Noon on Sunday!  If you include a link/blurb to my post on your blog, let me know and I'll enter your name twice!  Thank you so much for your bloggie friendship!

NEW & IMPROVED WORDAGE

Ok, now I'm going to write a very delicate post here and I want you to listen carefully.  This is somethin' I've been thinkin' about for a few minutes now & I've thought about it long and hard. So pay attention.

It seems to me that most everyone around me, at the grocery store, restaurants, at the movies, just about anywhere you go nowadays, people have no respect for those around them. I'm talking about how trashy-mouthed people are sometimes.  And they don't give a crap if your kid is standing right there beside you and takin' it all in. They don't care if you're just stoppin' in the grocery store to pick up some fried chicken cuz you didn't plan anything for lunch and you're still dressed in your church clothes. 

People just say anything and everything and they don't care who hears. Well, at least some people don't.  I have jumped on a few people that were cussin' in front of my kids when they were young. They were both apologetic, but that's  not the point.

Here's my point.  Maybe people need to find another way to say what's on their mind delicately in front of others - specially the kids.  I was visitin' over at Just Shop Vintage (Excuse Me While I Buy This Junk), and readin' her article about Ebay in Atlanta - sounds fun - and she gave me this idea.  Well, they had to take their cat somewhere while they were gone and the cat pooped all in the car and all over her & they had to clean up and dispose of said poop. Sounds extremely fun right?  (She has a lovely and interesting blog by the way - go say hi and tell her I sent you).

Then I visited Becky at Hospitality Lane  and she was talking about worm farming and worm castings. (Thank you Becky for inspiring this post!  Little did you know where my mind would wander!!!) Know what "castings" are?  Worm POOP.   How 'bout  instead of saying, "my cat pooped all over the car" we could say "my cat 'casted' all over the car" or "my cat left 'castings'" all over the car?

Instead of saying things like CRAP, POOP, DOOKIE, Number #2, and other potty-mouth words which I will not repeat & those which, when uttered by my 3 kids, would get their mouths washed out with a big bar of Irish Spring soap, we could instead say:

"He don't give a CASTING"
"Well, CASTINGS!" (after spilling something or stumping one's toe)
"He don't know CASTINGS from Shinola."
"...when the CASTINGS hit the fan."
"I stepped in cow CASTINGS"
"My dog CASTED all over my new carpet."      etc  etc  etc

Well, whadaya think?  Is it a go?  If we could do this, don't you think people would consider us alot more mannerly and refined and respectful and edgimacated? And when you stump your toe and say "Well, CASTINGS!!!"  you wouldn't have to worry about your kids being around???

(disclaimer:  No castings were injured or stepped on in the writing of this post...)
(disclaimer #2:  I did NOT go out and take pictures of cowpies or doggie doodles or kitty klumps for this post - you'll just have to use your imagination...)

PS - Just Shop Vintage girl - I have no problem saying poop myself, I just thought this was funny and I'm being super-silly tonight! Thanks for the idea!

***** remember, now only 2 more posts til my 200th - I'll be having a GIVEAWAY!!! *****