Palaverin' on and on about nothing in particular...

Well, let's see here.... .... what shall we talk about today???  Hmmmm.... I'm sorry I've been so out of it lately, blogging, I mean.  I've been in a funk, I guess - not enough time, too much to do.  Got alot of things on my plate right now with the wedding coming up and getting our house ready to put on the market - along with everybody else's.  Yeah, right - wish us luck with that one.  The painting is finished, the final clean-up begins.  Gotta get a storage unit or two from my office and stash some stuff in there.  Got tons to donate, throw away, and burn. 20+ years of stuff to do something with.

AND, to top it all off, the girl I hired to work the other three days besides my three days - well, let's just say I had to let her go and leave it at that.  So, I'm swamped again at work.  I don't need this right now. I've been interviewing some people this week, but so far -- nothing.  I had one real sweet little lady that might, might, might could do this job. She has to be only 98 lbs soaking wet, and I don't know if she could do any of the manual labor involved, cleaning out the occasional storage unit, driving the golf cart, hauling trash and junk to the dumpster - even getting these old storage doors up and down would be a stretch for her - they are heavy.  She's nearly 70, quick minded & spry - which isn't old (and getting younger to me everyday!) and she could do the office work, just not sure about the other part. Help!!!

Our church is throwing a big bridal shower for my son and his bride this Sunday afternoon, so I'm looking forward to that. What would we do without our church families!!!  So they'll be off to a great start!

I cannot believe what all is going on with all the protesting and hoopla up there in Wisconsin and Illinois and what was the other state???  Hey, some of you folks up in them parts - Tell us the REAL story!  Enquiring minds want to hear from someone OTHER THAN THE LIBERAL MEDIA!!!  Send us some links that tell what's going on!  I don't believe anything that I hear and see on the news anymore.  You can't depend on getting the unbiased truth from our media anymore!  It's such a shame to see what's going on all over the world right now.  Everybody's gone absolutely CRAZY!  Maybe it's the END-TIMES, people.  I'm ready, my family's ready - Lord, please come quickly!

Off on another tangent here - talking about end times... I was doing some blog-hopping last night late, and I ran across this website.  Now, one of the blogs I was reading had linked up to this website, and I wish I could give credit, but I don't know which one it was, so sorry.  http://www.backyardfoodproduction.com/  Have y'all ever seen this?  On YouTube, also, Marjory Wildcraft from central Texas does a 4 part video all about growing your own food.  She and her family raise their own food.  She talkes about gardening, composting, stocking up, how our grocery bills may double in 2011, how the food prices usually run concurrently with the oil prices, the weather's effects on agriculture (not global-warming, y'all), etc.  It was SO informative, so timely.  Not to scare anybody, not a doomsdayer, just good information that we can all use.  It was SO good, and you can sign up for her newsletter.  I don't usually go for these things, but I made an exception here.  Check it out - listen to the videos - very interesting and very easy to understand.

OK, on a more personal note - my little chihuahua is aging.  She's 12, and while little dogs usually live longer than big ones, she's beginning to show some signs of age.  She's been the jumpin'est little thing you've every seen.  She jumps on the couches (I know some of you are cringing) and even our high beds to snuggle or sleep with us.  To watch TV, I usually sit on the left end of the couch.  There's a little space about 4-5" wide between me and the arm of the couch.  Bug will jump up there, put it into reverse, and back into that little space and park it until I get ready to go to bed.  Can't you just hear  the "beep, beep, beep" as she backs it up?  I usually make that sound for her as she's reversing her caboose into her little warm hole there by me. If she thinks I'm too close and she doesn't have enough room, she'll push on me til I move over...

ANYWAY, got sidetracked there...  She can't jump anymore.  She waits by the couch or the bed and looks at us pitifully for some help up.  She doesn't understand.  The vet says she's got a bit of hip dysplasia.  Didn't know little dogs could get that, but I guess they can.  She's not putting much weight on that leg, just steadies herself with that back left foot.  When she runs around to potty, she runs on 3 legs.  And she's doing okay but I just hate to see that.  The vet gave me some anti-inflamatories, and they help, but it's not going to go away.  It'll come and go for awhile, maybe for a long while, but it won't go away.  Sad.  A couple of her teeth have had to be pulled, too.  Makes it harder for her to chew. I love me some Bug.

I ran across this photo below at Sand Flat Farm in late summer just remembering the warmth and the sunshine and looking forward to it again soon.  Makes me so happy!!! 

And, another beautiful sunset here at the farm and another lovely ending to a wonderful day here in Texas.  I feel so blessed.  Thank you Lord for eyes to behold your glorious and magnificent handiwork!!!!

Y'all have a great day, and as always ~~~

Keep your dress down!

"Best Girl"

I'm back for just a quick little post here.  Life is just SO busy right now trying to get the house painting finished up, etc.  I think I need a vacation...

While cleaning out some cabinets, etc., we ran across some cute little photos of our youngest, our daughter, who is now 22. Now we have scads of photo albums, but I guess these were loose in a packet or something. Princess told me I never do a post on her, so I'm going to show  you these sweet little things - please indulge me.... they're in no particular order.... (you know, she used to cringe whenever I wanted to put her on my blog! Go figure!)

Above - At the beach in Florida...

Above - our new puppy Cookie...

Above - Soccer days - I designed their shirts as well as some of my son, Josh's shirts.  My husband always coached, so we let the kids make up the team name and mascot.  Josh's team was the "Lizards" cuz that's what he was into.  Princess was into anything "horsey".  Little girls...

Our cat had kittens, and our kitties got to take many a ride in the doll buggy...

Her bestest friend (to this day) Kelly...

I always loved this picture of her in her little yellow bumblebee bubble suit that I smocked!!! I even made her a hairbow with a bumblebee on it!

See why Josh's soccer team was called the "Lizards"?  We had two iguanas, several snakes, a king scorpion, and a tarantula as pets.  I was voted 'MOM OF THE YEAR' by all my church friends...We kept frozen pinky mice in the freezer to feed the snakes and mealworms in the fridge... See how Princess is sidling away from the iguana???

Trying on big brother's boots...

She fell asleep on the way home from church, and I just let her sleep without changing her clothes... kept those bows in her hair, rather on her head, with a dab of school glue - it just washed right off.  'Course, then she started pulling them out and left little bald spots on her head. I switched to headbands with bows on them then...

This was six weeks after she was born and I had our pictures made.  I made all Josh's smocked outfits and button-on knickers and shorts, too...

What's that grimace for?  Think she's getting squeezed??  Brothers were SO proud of baby sister!

This photo of my husband with our daughter makes me cry every time I see it.  He wanted a little girl SO badly!  The photographer used this picture as one of his ads... Princess was and still IS her Daddy's Baby Gal.  He still calls her that. She's had him wrapped around her little finger all these years and probably always will.  I know I think MY daddy still hung the moon and will do anything for me...

This is the face you get when  you say "SMILE"!

My sister's lovebird perched on her shoulder.

Princess and Kelly again in their ballet recital.  Can you guess their song?

Why, "Rubber Ducky", of course!

Rememer Pound Puppies?  This one had babies in its tummy.

Duh, these photos are not in order, told you.  Princess had fun dressing our kittens up in her doll clothes. Don't know if the kittens had fun or not!

And last, but certainly not least, my daddy and his catch!  That fish was pert near big as the Princess!

You know, when she was little I always called her "my best girl in the whole wide world", and she called me "the best mom in the whole wide world".  It gradually shortened to "best girl" and "best mom".  It's so sweet to hear her say or write on a card even now that she's grown, "best mom"!!!

Thanks for lookin'!

Keep your dress down!

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!

Happy Valentines Day to ME!

Hey friends!  Valentine's Day came a little early for me this year.  I won a giveaway over at Liane's blog, http://tenderhearteddaisy.blogspot.com/ . She put together the cutest Valentine's Day assortment of goodies.  How cute is this package!  She said her daughter wrapped all the little gifts very carefully. Look closely - done up with string and buttons and little fabric cutouts!  I'm gonna have to borrow this idea from Liane's talented daughter sometime!

Remember "brown paper packages tied up with string,

These are a few of my favorite things!"

I had to take pictures of my goodies all wrapped up - I almost didn't want to unwrap them - they're just so clever.  Liane - tell your daughter she did such a wonderful job on the wrapping!  I wonder if she hires out for Christmas presents?????

But..... unwrap them I did! My curiosity was just getting the best of me -  how can I not open these little gifts!

WOW and DOUBLE WOW!!!  I hit the Valentine's JACKPOT!  Look!  A cute RED clutch handbag to slip my compact and lipstick in when my husband takes me out for a romantic Valentine's dinner....

Some SWEET HANDMADE mini-Valentines cards for some special friends .....

A pair of luscious earrings with RED strawberries for Valentine's Day - think CHOCOLATE covered...

Won't I just be "blinging"!!!

A cute Valentine's Heart that I've already hung in my  kitchen to remind me what a SWEET giveaway I just won and what a SWEET lady Liane is!

And two delicate silver hearts.  They have a lid that comes off that I can fill with KISSES for my someone special!  Thank you Liane!  Go stop by and pay Liane a visit - she's a SWEETHEART for doing this giveaway!   This was such a nice surprise and so unexpected!  I'm looking forward to Valentine's day even more this year!  How 'bout you???

SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Don't tell my husband!  I didn't show him my giveaway - he'll have to wait for Valentine's Day for the big reveal!

Gardening 2011 and the FIRE at Janaye's Granny's House

And so begins "Gardening 2011" season.  YEA!!!  It's beginning!

Saturday, January 23, 2011 - Onion sets out in the garden!!!  Tony got out "Boss Hawg" the Tiller, cranked it up and we worked in 10 bags of clippings and leaves, and he turned up that dirt like nobody's business.  When we first started that morning, the ground was still hard and a tad frozen, but it warmed up after a bit.  Daddy was there, too, and he threw his efforts in and helped me make rows, fertilize, lime and get the onions in the ground.  Set out about 500 or so - Yellow Granex, White Granex, and Aggie 1016's.

After Dad & I dug the first row, we put some fertilizer and a peench of lime into the row and worked it in good.  Dad says the onions will grow underground while it's cold and they'll reach down for the fertilizer.  Cain't argue with that - he always has a good onion crop!  In a few weeks, we can start eatin' green onions with our meals!  We luv 'em even tho we're all a bit stinky - everybody has to eat some so's we're all "armed"...

Now, see how straight this row is?  Daddy was an architect when he was young, and he always is a stickler for detail.  His brother, Uncle Bob, always said you could grow more from a crooked row than a straight one.  Dad used to give him a hard time about his crooked rows.  But he always had a bumper crop, too!  So I guess they're both right!

I know they're hard to see, but the onion tops are there. I wound up with 7 rows of onions.  Taters will go in next after the ground is not freezin'.  Taters are easy and really make you feel like a farmer - they look so pretty while the tops are growing!  Can you eat tater greens?  Hmmm...

Mr. Jasper is always nearby watching or helping.  Today, KATHY at Cedar Pond, I caught my first two gophers for 2011.  Jasper pulled one of the traps out of the ground, and ate the gopher off it - all except for the jaw.  There was only a piece of hide left on the trap and some gopher teeth.  I pulled the second dead one out of another mound, and as soon as I took it off the trap, Jasper grabbed it and started playing with it.  He was hoping it would move I guess...  He knows what I'm doing when I'm setting traps, and he helps me dig.  I have my little hand spade and he sticks his arms way down in the holes and feels around.  I've seen him catch one.  He does know what he's doing - and he knows what I'm doing, too.

Sorry, people - some of you squeamish folks might not wanna hear about that...

In other news, Saturday p.m., the cute little gingerbread house on the land behind ours burned to the ground.  The area volunteer fire departments raced by our place and we went out to see if we could see where they were going.  Little did we know that the house behind us was engulfed in flames.  There were about 8-9 firetrucks  there fighting the blaze for most of the night.  They left in the wee hours, but were called back Saturday morning when it broke out again in some hot spots.

No lives were lost - no one was home.  A space heater - probably propane - was left burning, and they think that was what sparked the fire.  Nice young family lived there on the land.  It had been family land for a long, long time.  I need to call and check on them and see if there's anything they need...

We took the Mule and rode over there about midnight to see what we could see.  You hate to be a voyeur, but you also wanna know what's going on.  We stayed in our pasture hoping none of the sparks flew our way...

There's a bit of a shell on the front of the house - you can still see the picket fence...

Such a sweet family... I just think of all the personal items that were lost - the things that cannot be replaced - the pictures, the keepsakes, the hand-me-down treasures --- but they have the most important thing - EACH OTHER!

Thank the Lord for volunteer fire departments!  If you have one or more in your area, be sure to support them both physically and monetarily!  They are selfless, brave and a dire necessity in small communities!  They've saved our hay pastures on our place.  Fire would have gotten to our house had they not been around!  SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS!!!!

OK, there's my soapbox for the day!  Have a good one, and as always...

Keep your dress down!

PS - had to git rid of that snow header.  I was gettin' blue... From here on out, it's warm colors, warm thoughts and ...

"Blue Skies and Rainbows

and Sunbeams from Heaven,

are what I can see

when the Lord is living in me!"

(Know that song?)