Front Porch Perspectives

Food for Thought Friday

2011-07-29T14:32:00.001-05:00

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run
than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

~ Helen Keller

You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.

~Will Rogers

I didn't want to hurt them. I only wanted to kill them.

~David Berkowitz

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T10:23:00.001-05:00

The Goose's Acre

2011-07-25T11:37:00.001-05:00

The hustle and bustle of The Woodlands. Love it ............. NOT.

However, nestled in the corner of Waterway Avenue and the waterway, is a piece of Ireland. This is a place where I will overlook the busy-ness that IS The Woodlands, and spend a few hours enjoying the atmosphere, the food, the music, and the beer.

The Goose's Acre was a pub opened in 1886 in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland. There it was passed down from father to son until forced to close it's doors in 2005 to make way for new development.

The current owners then purchased the Goose's Acre and moved her piece by piece to Texas. She is truly an authentic piece of Ireland.

If I could change ANYTHING, it would be traditional Irish music at least one day a week! But having said that .. I love her just the way she is.

Food for Thought Friday

2011-07-22T12:05:00.001-05:00

"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you;

you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for."

~ Bob Marley

"Never let a

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED

become more important than a

PERSON TO BE LOVED."

~ Thomas Spencer Monson

"A clown can get away with murder."

~John Wayne Gacy

"Mission complete, Houston"

2011-07-21T10:23:00.002-05:00

“Mission complete, Houston, after serving the world for over 30 years, the shuttle has earned its place in history, and it has come to a final stop.”

And with those words, Commander Chris Ferguson announced the safe arrival of Atlantis and her crew, as well as the end of an era.

NASA's STS-135 MCC Status Report #27 reads as follows:

"Atlantis landed at 4:57 a.m. CDT Thursday, wrapping up a successful 13-day mission, ending its own 33-flight career and closing out the 30-year, 135-flight Space Shuttle Program."

Welcome home Atlantis.

... One Giant Leap for Mankind ...

2011-07-20T14:21:00.000-05:00

At 10:56 p.m. est on July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, spoke these words to more than a billion people listening at home:

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

.. and became the first man to walk on the moon.

Ed "Buzz" Aldrin joined him on the moon's surface at 11:11 p.m., and together they took photographs of the terrain, planted a U.S. flag, and ran a few simple scientific tests.

.. and became the first person to hold a religious ceremony on the moon.

Aldrin radioed Earth: "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way."

Then he gave himself communion. You wouldn't see this reported, however, because even in 1969 there was commotion from the atheists.
_________________________________

Having grown up on the Space Coast of Florida, with dad that was empoyed "out at the cape" .. I consider myelf blessed to be considered a bit of a NASA brat.

Admittedly, I cannot watch a launch without the lump in my throat and the tears clouding my vision. During the shuttle launches, I couldn't breath until the solid rocket boosters had fallen away... and will admit, unashamed, that I cried like a baby and couldn't speak for some minutes after STS-135 left the ground on July 8. I'll be crying again as they come home tomorrow.

God Bless the crew, and everyone who made these Shuttle missions possible.

God Bless America.

Words ...

2011-07-20T08:30:00.002-05:00

"You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me

You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing

You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I'm wounded

You, pickin' on the weaker man

Well, you can take me down with just one single blow

But you don't know what you don't know"

~Taylor Swift

Words ... why are they so important? Why do the words of others affect us so?

Proverbs 18:21 says "Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.."

Lord, let me focus on YOUR words and be who YOU say I am. Help me to be the person who doesn't rely on the affirmation of OTHERS, but can rise above based on YOUR love alone.

Give me LIFE .. through YOUR WORDS .. ~Amen.

Oh No You Don't - You Masked Bandit!

2011-07-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

Raccoons. I don't care how cute they are anymore. I hate them.

They have ripped chickens apart and pulled them through the wire. They have ripped hardware cloth off of cages and killed all chickens inside. They get into EVERYTHING and leave NOTHING.

Everything, that is, except the big coop. Although I find footprints and claw marks, they have been unable to rip into, open the door, or destroy the fortress that is our "Big Chicken" coop.

They were working on the banty coop, when I decided it was time for the banties to live with the big chickens .. for their own good. Just threw them in there one night. They have been getting along famously since, and I don't have to worry about coons .... or do I?

Sneaky little bandits decided if they can't kill chickens at night, they'll come out before dark. I lost two pullets last week, right at dusk as they chickens were going to roost. As a result, I began going out about 30 minutes earlier and just hanging out until they 'put themselves to bed'.

Last night I started out and heard the commotion. A chicken screaming, and everyone else alerting and running for cover. Running up the hill, I lost my shoes somewhere and ran to the coop just in time to see the raccoon with Uno (the Salmon Fav hen) in it's mouth. Effortlessly hopping over a downed tree, it started to slip into the woods with my hen's head it's mouth.

I reached down and picked up a piece of branch or something, yelled at the coon (calling it quite the foul name) and it stopped and looked at me. I threw the piece of wood at it - and missed. Luckily for Uno, the coon let her go and she sprinted back to me and buried herself in my bare feet.

Mr. Bandit and I stared at each other for a moment and he slipped away. Hungry. Little Creep.

Tonight I go out an hour early .. with my camos and the .22 ................. wish me luck.

A Stolen Life - by Jaycee Dugard

2011-07-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

"I don't believe in hate. To me it wastes too much time. People who hate waste so much of their life hating that they miss out on all the other stuff out here." ~Jaycee Dugard.

I want to say, first of all, that I'm glad to be blogging again .. AND I'm excited to be READING again ..
I used to be an avid reader, and then my eyes started getting more and more stressed with reading. So, in May, I got GLASSES .. whoot! Although it took several weeks to get used to the progressive lenses, I just don't know what I did before .. obviously: NOT READING.

So I bought a book Monday evening. A Stolen Life, by Jaycee Dugard. I finished it last night. Wow. What an amazing, brave, strong young woman.

The quote at the top of the column is a great quote, but coming from someone that was held captive for 18 years and repeatedly raped from age 11, it is an amazing testament to the strength of the human soul. The ability to not become a victim of HATE, the power to forgive. The power to LIVE and not let your soul be eaten away with hate and bitterness... I don't know if I could be that person.

March 16, 2007 (In her 16th year of captivity.)

"Affirmation to counteract the negative feelings I have inside:
1. I am a creative, positive, successful, and happy person.
2. I can achieve anything I set my mind on.
4. I am a strong and capable person.
6. I will have a strong and healthy body and mind.
7. Anything and everything is possible with love.
11. I will make it a habit to be happy.
13. Today is a glorious day.
15. I make every day a positive day." ~Jaycee Dugard

(Missing numbers are my choice, I chose the ones that spoke to me as well.)

God forgive me .. what have I got to complain about??

2010 - Bye Bye

2010-12-31T15:11:00.002-06:00

Looks like another year is gone.

Started out in an apartment.
Almost divorced - ha!
Moved into our new house.
Graduated a daughter from high school.
Moved offices at work - twice.
Learned how to blog!
First Thanksgiving in new house.
Buried a good friend.
First Christmas in new house.
Discovered genealogy.

Still married - *smile*
Still love the Lord.
Life is good!

Happy 2011 everyone!

Come Climb My Tree

2010-12-29T15:38:00.000-06:00

For the last week or so I've been obsessed with researching my family tree. I finally decided to start another blog dedicated to that pursuit.

You can find it here.

My personal posts will still go here .. all genealogy stuff with go over there ..

Who am I ? I'm finding out some neat things!

Goodbye Lynda ...

2010-12-17T14:43:00.000-06:00

I've been largely absent in mind and spirit this week.

Last Friday, December 10, 2010, a dear friend and co-worker died of a massive brain hemorrhage. She wasn't the epitome of health, in fact had many issues, and was in fact here in the hospital when she died. They were preparing to discharge her when she collapsed.

An unlikely friendship, she and I. She was in her 60s, I'm in my forties. She was a Director, I am a peon. She was a total cat person, I'm a dog person. She was driven, hyper, a work-a-holic, I am pretty laid back and you pretty much get 40 hour a week out of me .. period. She was Catholic, I am a non-denominational Christian.

Our friendship started more than 11 years ago and over the years we have worked together, we have shared work and personal lives, we vented about our work aggravations, we leaned on each other, supported and ragged on each other. It was just "us".. we could be ourselves with each other.

No matter how sick she was, or how much she hurt or didn't feel like it, there was always a smile on her face and she was always at work -- unless she was in the hospital, or they forbid her to come in.

I knew she was declining. I knew she was sick more than she was well. But I was caught so off guard.

I visited her on Wednesday in the hospital.. we joked and laughed about her obsessing over her husband while SHE was in the hospital ... I didn't make it there on Thursday. Friday morning when I arrived in my office, I had another co-worker there to tell me that "they coded Lynda this morning"..

Everything happened fast after that .. but we all knew she was gone. Her son arrived that afternoon from Denver, they took her off the vent .. she was really gone by 7pm.

I will miss her everyday.. she was a HUGE part of my life at work. I find peace in knowing that she knows and loves the Lord .. but I'm selfish, and want her back.

Goodbye Lynda .. I hope you know how much you are missed.

Gettin' My Craft On.

2010-12-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

So, we're getting eggs every day. Pretty eggs. Pale blue, light green, olive green, "pink" ... Seems a shame to just crack them and throw the shells away. But what to do??

Apparently people who have been doing this "chicken thing" longer than I have, already know the answer.

I'm a member of an oline forum for chicken lovers called Backyard Chickens (see the "my pet made me breakfast" button to you right). Here's what I've learned about "What to do with all those pretty egg shells".

First you blow out the yolk and let the egg dry.

Then you can paint, decorate, or just gloss those pretty eggs. Add end caps and pretty ribbon to hang and you have homemade decorations.

Mine aren't done, but they are a start.

For more ideas, better instructions, and pages and pages of pretty egg decorations, go here:

BYC- Gettin' Your Craft On Thread

Now, I need to go finish the ones I've started so I can have decorations (by NEXT Christmas) ....

Today a Year Ago - Thursday Blog Hop

2010-12-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

We were living in an apartment, watching the progress on our house. Thank GOD that is all over. Here is the post from one year ago:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quick house update .. the plumber finally decided to do some work this week .. not much .. but at least he's working .. Here are a couple exciting shots.. :P

This is our master toilet .. :D

And shower..

Meanwhile, back at the apartment -- We wish you a Merry Christmas .. and a fun time was had by all!

Cranberries and Popcorn

And COOKIES ....

DD12's cookies

DD17'S cookies

DH's cookies :rolleyes: :D

The best part of the night for me was when DD17 hugged me and said "It's really great to spend time with ya'll."

We've been so busy, I guess they feel somewhat neglected.

A great nite!!

Christmas Traditions Blog Hop

2010-12-08T15:07:00.000-06:00

It's beginning to look alot like ... CHRISTMAS!!

The decorating has begun.

Table Arrangements.

The Mantle

I'm not really sure what the little alien is doing to the sheep - kids?!?! I didn't even notice that when I was taking the picture.. lol

But one of our family "traditions" is to go cut a live tree and decorate it. This year the participation was lean. Aaron doesn't live with us anymore, Shannon was busy with college homework, so it was Julie, Steve and I. A lovely visit to a different tree farm this year and we found the "perfect" tree.

I hope everyone is enjoying the season as much as I am.

Blessings.

Lap-rador Deceiver

2010-12-08T11:13:00.000-06:00

I don't know .. when we bought her, I thought we were getting a LABRADOR RETRIEVER .. she doesn't retrieve and she hates to be cold ..

I think she's a LAP-rador DECIEVER ...

What do you think??

Update on Uno and D'oprah ..

2010-11-23T12:18:00.000-06:00

Uno is 5 weeks old now .. D'oprah is still being a good companion, ie. adopted mother .. she has, however, started laying again and I need to figure out how to get them moved outside.

While Uno seems to be happy and energetic, I still think she is stunted and "runty" .. I guess time will tell how she grows out in the end..

At any rate, I hope these two become the best of friends so that D'oprah will FINALLY have someone that doesn't beat the mess out of her .. poor baby!

FIREFLIGHT

2010-11-13T08:05:00.002-06:00

This is a shameless plug for one of my favorite Christian Rock bands .. Have a Blessed day!

Fireflight - website

AUDIO PLAYER

This is for those who wait

Another day, another waiting game

A little different but it's still the same

I am here, but where's the one I'm longing for?

I'm having trouble feeling all alone

Will my heart ever find a home?

I want to hope but sometimes I just don't know

I know I'm not the only one

So we sing a lullaby to the lonely hearts tonight

Let it set your heart on fire, let it set you free

When you're fighting to believe

In a love that you can't see

Just know there is a purpose

For those who wait

I want to open up my eyes

I know that all I need is time

I'm growing stronger every single day

God, I'm going to lean into You now

Letting go of all my fear and doubt

I can't do this on my own so I'll give You control

I know I’m not the only one

The pressure makes us stronger

The struggle makes us hunger

The hard lessons make the difference

The pressure makes us stronger

The struggle makes us hunger

The hard lessons make the difference

And the difference makes it worth it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Desperate

Seek and you will find, they say

but I've been looking everyday

for a way past this wall that's in front of my face.

I'm on hands and knees searching for my faith.

I know there's so much at stake

but I don't know if I can take one more pat on the back saying I'll be okay.

Can't you see me whole life is in disarray?

You've got me desperate.

I know You hear me,

Would You give me a sign?

Reel me in before I've fallen in line.

You've put me on a path I don't understand

I'm standing on a ledge waving my hands.

You've got me desperate (do You see me?)

Desperate (do You hear me?)

Desperate (will You help me?)

You've got me desperate.

I know You're my only hope

The only One who truly knows how it feels, what it's like when it all starts to fall

You're the One I can trust who hears when I call.

You've got me desperate.

I know You hear me,

Would You give me a sign?

Reel me in before I've fallen in line.

You've put me on a path I don't understand

I'm standing on a ledge waving my hands.

You've got me desperate (do You see me?)

Desperate (do You hear me?)

Desperate (will You help me?)

You've got me desperate.

Some things I'll never figure out

Until I let hope erase my doubt.

You've got me desperate.

I know You hear me,

Would You give me a sign?

Reel me in before I've fallen in line.

You've put me on a path I don't understand,

I'm standing on a ledge waving my hands.

You've got me desperate (do You see me?)

Desperate (do You hear me?)

Desperate (will You help me?)

You've got me desperate.

You've got me desperate. (Oh do You see me?)

Desperate (do You hear me?)

Desperate (will You help me?)

You've got me desperate!

Sparkle

2010-11-10T15:45:00.001-06:00

(I'll have to finish our vacation posts when I can get some time on the computer with all the pics .. moving on now.)

Sunday my "big" chickens were harassing my bantams .. relentlessly. For those that don't know chickens, they can be really vicious to each other!

One of my bantams, Sparkle, discovered that she could hop onto the bantam coop and then to the swing-up windows on the big coop. She stayed up there and watched the action below -- large mean chickens growling and chasing her "sisters" around the woods.

"Hey! Look where I am!"

"... and look where YOU are!"

"I'm so special!"

Fortunately chickens have short attention spans, so pretty quickly the big girls forgot why they were harassing the bantams and went on about their foraging .. Sparkle was able to join her flock and life was peaceful again.

Day Three - The Three Sisters

2010-10-26T08:59:00.003-05:00

Good morning...

We did the unthinkable .. we stayed at a Bed and BREAKFAST and skipped out before breakfast.... eeeek! Breakfast was at 9:00 and, well, we had a full day of riding to do so we split shortly after the above sunrise.

Stopping briefly in Kerrville for breakfast at Del Norte Restaurant (where I dubbed the place "Where Service Still Matters") we headed out toward our ride destination.

SR 39 out of Ingram was an exciting surprise. This little windy road ran along the Guadalupe River and crossed it about a dozen times along the way. I quickly realized the frustration of being in a beautiful setting yet riding your own motorcycle. Lack of a free hand, combined with very few places to safely pull off the road, came with a realization that my pictures were going to be fewer than I had planned, but I would try to make them worth it.

The Three Sisters

Tx SRs 335, 336, 337. 100 miles of windy, twisty, hilly roads ... a bikers destination that did not disappoint. 335 is all up and down and sometimes called "The Roller Coaster". 336 is full of twisties with a solid wall on one side and a sheer cliff on the other .. exciting a beautiful .. We dubbed 337 the "Sleepy Sister" ..it was a bit of a break from the other two ..

Again, both hands on the handlebars and few places to safely stop .. but I managed to get these:

Couldn't be complete without a tarantula, huh?

Lunch at Mama Chole's in Leakey

We ended up in Rocksprings, which put us about 80 miles from the Mexican border, before heading back to Comfort. Arriving shortly after dark, we retired quickly - exhausted - and vowing to start tomorrow much slower and enjoy breakfast before leaving Comfort behind us.

The end of a mile-eating day on the motorcycles.. our reason for this vacation .. and the satisfaction of having ridden the Three Sisters..
Goodbye Day Three.

Holekamp House - Comfort, Tx

2010-10-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

We arrived the afternoon of day two ... and wow! Greeted at the door by our hosts (and the owners) John and Mary, and shown to our room - Cecilia's Sunrise Room upstairs. TWO queen beds and plenty of room to sit and stretch out .. fresh baked cookies on the night stand .. we were home (for the next two nights anyway).

The Holekamp House

The breakfast table.

A quick trip into Comfort netted us a bottle of Singing Waters Vineyards "Sweet Lupe". We really bought the bottle because of the cute Yellow Lab on the label .. but it was JUST the kind of wine that we like .. a semi-sweet merlot. Description on the bottle reads:

"With a sugar content of about 3%, Sweet Lupe emerges with a wet nose, sturdy legs, a regal body and a playful exuberance. She always delivers a soft, sweet finish. Sweet Lupe is a semi-sweet Merlot. Enjoy!"

We arrived in Comfort on the opening weekend of the Scarecrow Invasion. Although there weren't many (and Steve seemed to not be in the mood for scarecrow hunting) I did manage to snap a few shots.

After dinner at a little family-owned place called Gunther's (where I had the most TENDER pork tenderloin I've ever had) we sat in the swing on the front porch of the B&B and began to enjoy our bottle of Sweet Lupe.

Much to our delight and surprise, John and Mary joined us (after asking permission) for some lively conversation and GREAT history lessons about the area. John is a fabulous historian.

Then two other guests, Marion and Evelyn, joined us also and it was just a beautiful cool evening filled with laughter and joy - made complete by a half dozen deer that wandered through the front yard.

A beautiful end to day two.

Day Two .. Vacation

2010-10-24T12:00:00.001-05:00

Before settling into The Faust Hotel for the night, we were delighted to find the Huisache Grill. It was within walking distance of the hotel, a half block off of San Antonion Street, and 15 feet from the railroad track. In an old storage building, it has been beautifully remodeled and decorated into a very comfortable and inviting place for good eats.

We shared the Asain Salmon Salad and each had a bowl of the most delicious Roasted Chile Corn soup .. yum yum ..

On our walk back to the hotel, we popped into Callahans Irish Pub for a brew .. Samuel Adams, I believe ...

Yes, I've even included the rare picture of me..

The next morning we were off to start DAY TWO ...

Silver K Cafe, Johnson City

We love this place and were not disappointed after our ride out there just for lunch.

Silver K Café's Famous House Salad

Mixed greens tossed with toasted pecans, gorgonzola cheese & balsamic vinaigrette. With Chicken.

Prickly Pear Cactus Tea

Buttermilk Pie and Bread Pudding

A beautiful start to day two, but we need to get to Comfort and our B&B ..

Faust Hotel - New Braunfels

2010-10-23T18:15:00.000-05:00

We headed off on our first day of "motorcycle vacation" with a leisurely drive to New Braunfels. We parked the bikes in the square of downtown and celebrated with a beer at the Black Whale Pub. While we don't typically drink when we're riding the motorcycles, we were about a block from our destination for the night, so the location was perfect!

While we sat on the sidewalk enjoying our ale, we had the pleasure of sharing conversation with Brandon and Joey, two head injured men both riding bicycles. Brandon just turned 30 (Happy Birthday Brandon!) and has lived in NB his entire life. Joey was older and sustained his injuries on a motorcycle years ago. They were delightful and a reminder of treasures found in the most unlikely places.

On to the Faust Hotel.

An old, supposedly haunted hotel that has been kept pretty much as it looked back when it was built. The lobby was filled with period furniture and fixtures.

The cash register.

An old phone booth .. actually working!

The hallways reminded me of The Shining.

"Come play with us Danny."

It definately had the "creep factor". The 4th floor was empty and also the floor with the most "activity".. Of course, we had to go up there .. about midnight ... to take pictures.

There were many old photos on all the walls .. I wondered who these people were and what part, if any, they played in the history of this old place.

Rumor has it that part of the "activity" in this hotel is the tendency for the elevators to move up and down between the floors all by themselves. Not a fan of elevators anyway, we climbed the stairs most of the time. On that night that we were on the 4th floor taking picutres, we did snap a picture of the elevator that seemed to have something rather odd.

I'll leave it for you to decide.

Wait for it.....

Boo!

I think he has NO resemblence to my husband AT ALL!!

(And when we showed these pics to the fellow that runs the desk the next morning ... he shook his head and said

"I'm not even going to ask."

It was a good time!

.. may not impede ...

2010-10-13T07:18:00.000-05:00

Bicycles.

Who didn't love to ride bikes when they were a kid? Who doesn't recognize bicycling as a great form of exercise, especially as an adult? Who doesn't see bicyclers riding to raise money for charity? Texas hosts several MS-150 rides every year.

So, why do I feel more than a little angst when I see cyclists traveling "my" back country roads? Why do I have a hard time even SAYING the word 'bicycle' without a bit of a scowl?

It seems so may cyclists - in my area anyway - have this 'entitlement mentality'. They ride as though they are entitled to the entire road. These roads are small, two lane, no shoulder farm roads. They curve and they rise and fall with many areas that are blind to oncoming traffic.

How many times I've come around a curve, started up a hill, only to discover two cyclists riding abreast, taking up the entire lane, oblivious to the world around them. My choices? Slam on my brakes or cross the double yellow lines to try and pass them. I brake. They continue to take up the entire lane, impeding my progress until we crest the hill and I have clear view to pass.

Oh, and many cyclists will tell you that they HAVE the right to the road and cars MUST yield to them. So I did a quick google search of Texas laws.

Sec. 551.103. .. a person operating a bicycle on a roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway

(c) Persons operating bicycles on a roadway may ride two abreast. Persons riding two abreast on a laned roadway shall ride in a single lane. Persons riding two abreast may not impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic on the roadway. Persons may not ride more than two abreast unless they are riding on a part of a roadway set aside for the exclusive operation of bicycles.

Just Sayin' ....

Congratulations Jus and Jen !!

2010-10-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

10/10/10

Whatever the meaning of this day is because of the numbers .. ?? .. it is now special to me because my only nephew is marrying his love!

Congrats you two .. love you and wish I could be there!

Aunt Debbie

A Glimpse of the Small Town I Love.

2010-10-08T09:17:00.000-05:00

Montgomery, Texas.

When I moved out here 22 years ago, Montgomery was an intersection of two two-lane Texas farm roads with a gas station on each corner, a donut shop, and some antique shops. Everyone knew everyone - and everyone's business. You could still buy stuff at the feed store and sign a ticket for credit.

Now we are 5 lanes in two directions, grocery store, gas stations, and McDonald's where cow pastures used to be. Just down the road are apartment complexes, and a Walmart. Businessess are thriving and weekends are busy in this small town.

And while progress isn't neccesarily a bad thing, it does cause a town to lose that "small town" feel and some days I can go into Montgomery and not see anyone I know. -- shocking, right??

So, today when I filled my truck up at the gas station in front of the grocery store - you know, the one with 24 pumps -- I was surprised and touched by a glimpse of that small town I love.

We have to back up more than two weeks ago when my daughter and I had to rendezvous at that same gas station so we could both fill up.

I was on the motorcycle and was waiting on her. The little man that works the service booth at the station was sweeping and such and we had a little conversation until she showed up. After filling, I took off on the motorcycle only to realize on the other side of Montgomery that I didn't have my sunglasses on. I had left them on top of the pump.

Already running late, I decided to ride on into work without them and just stop at Target on the way home and buy another pair .. which I did.

Fast forward to today .. I'm in my truck filling up and the little man walks up to chat (he is a friendly bloke) and he says "Don't you have a motorcycle?" .. I replied "Oh yes, but it's been a little chilly for me to ride in the mornings." He says "I have your sunglasses."

This dear sweet man found my sunglasses after I pulled out two weeks ago and had put them in a ziplock bag.

"I figured I'd see you again sometime." he says. "Have a nice day!"

God, I love these small towns .........

A year ago today ... Ugh, Rain!

2010-10-07T11:23:00.000-05:00

This was my post on BackyardChickens.com this time last year.

Ugh .. any other time, I love this time of year .. the fronts move in .. spectacular thunderstorms .. cooler weather .. mud .. fog .. everything screaming "Fall is here .. winter on the way" ...

But "RAIN" has become a "four letter word" in our house .. Until the slab and piers are poured, not a whole lot else can be accomplished. Everything is WET and MUDDY ...

So, THANKFULLY, there was a bit of a break in the weather this week and they managed to get the piers poured. What is visible in the pictures are the forms that are above the ground. What you do not see are the holes they drilled way down into the ground, and filled up with concrete ..

Here is the garage slab form .. still filled up with water .. unable to be poured yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We've come a long way, baby. April 2010

"The Divine Chromosome"

2010-10-06T14:30:00.002-05:00

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

A few weeks ago I happened upon a blog called Daily Smiles . This beautiful blog lead me from link to link and blog to blog about one Down Syndrome child after another; the joys and challenges of parenting; processes of adopting; and medical issues of children with this chromosome disorder.

Although not a parent of a Down Syndrome child, I have known several and interacted with many. There is something undescribably special about these children (and adults). Emotions are pure, love is genuine, joy is tangible.

I could never say it as lovely as Doug Billings did in his article Down Syndrome and the Devine Chromosome. His writing about his son, Michael, is a "have to" read. A small excert is as follows:

"He has something inside of him that purges prejudice, eliminates personality venom, deletes pride and encourages happiness, promotes joy and sustains unconditional love.
If we each had just a little bit of what these people have in them, the world would be a better place."

and

"To identify what it is about these special people that allow us to glimpse the divine isn't difficult. It's something most of us pursue and long for - even if only subconsciously. It's the purity and innocence they have within them.
I suppose I could credit that small, extra chromosome #21 for this. That's why I call it the "divine chromosome"."

There is more to this disorder, and these children, than their unique physical features, their medical conditions, and their delay in development.

Doug nails it perfectly in his article.

Southern Comfort

2010-10-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

Comfort, Texas actually.

Several years ago, while Steve and I were visiting the Texas Hill Country, we discovered this little town. Complete with antique shops, historic buildings, and wineries .. it was our choice for a first stop on our Texas Hill Country visit this year.

We'll be spending two nights at the Holekamp House Bed and Breakfast. It should be a relaxing couple of days .. of course, I'm not sure how excited they are going to be to see us arrive on our motorcycles .. LOL.

Then on to Bandera and the Three Sisters (or the Twisted Sisters, if you prefer). These are 3 very scenic and very curvey highways that God put on this planet strictly for motorcyclists -- well, not really, but we like to think so.

Can October 14 come any sooner??

Home, sweet Chicken Coop.

2010-10-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

It's finally finished .. well, apart from the built-in nestboxes and the yard.

It all went well right up until the time I put Cocoa .. the wicked hen of the west .. in the coop. She has to terrorize all the youngsters ..

It all worked out .. except for the silky (Whoopie) .. she's just tooo passive, so I had to take her out and put her in her own pen .. which suits her just fine.

'Today A Year Ago' Thursday Blog Hop

2010-09-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

LOL .. here's what was going on exactly one year ago today, as posted on BYC in my "Building a Farm from Scratch" thread. We were JUST starting the building process on the house.
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It's officially started. After they hydro-axe came through and cleared, the very wooded, brushy property now looks like this:

It's ubelievable how "park-like" it looks just getting the underbrush out of there .. beeeee-utiful!!

To our surprise, they had formed the garage slab!!

Some builders grade dirt was brought in just to level up the land a bit under the house, but in this pic, it shows how high the front porch will be off the ground at that corner .. we have a gully off to that side of the house that will be a great view from the porch.

Then we opened a bottle of wine and sat and looked at our "house" while the sun set ..

As we were leaving, I spotted Mr. Copperhead in my headlights and we stopped for a photo op ... and then helped him across the road.

I'm sure all the activity has displaced many critters .. we still see tons of deer tracks, though.. so I'll be planting my winter "let's lure the deer onto the property" grass!

It feels good to see progress .. I'm sure things will change almost daily now..

I'm off to the electric company, to give them a check so they can hook up the electric for the builder!

Later!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

Angels Unawares

2010-09-27T10:26:00.002-05:00

Hebrew 13:2
King James version reads like this:

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

The Weymouth NT says:

"Do not neglect to show kindness to strangers; for, in this way, some, without knowing it, have had angels as their guests."
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This verse seems to indicate that angels can appear as people to do God's bidding. Whether that was the case, or another example of the Lord using people to bless one another; I was without a doubt blessed with the provision of God on Saturday morning.

I was taking my motorcycle to a very highly recommended shop for her 1000 mile maintenance check Saturday morning. They told me to be there 30 minutes early. It is located in a less-than-desirable area of town- an hour away from home - and as it happened Steve wasn't able to go with me. This meant not only was I going to be by myself, sitting in front of the shop early, but I was going to have to wait for the work to be done.

When I pulled up, I notice a Denny's Restaurant a couple blocks away. Yay! Breakfast while I wait. However, I also noticed the shops and stores in the area .. all with burglar bars and repaired windows and doors from previous break-ins. Now, I'm not one to walk in fear, but crimes against women are in no short supply in this area and I was feeling a little vulnerable.

I phone Steve to tell him that I was there, but alone. Before I could complete the sentence, another biker rode up on a bright silver bike and parked next to me and smiled. I told Steve I was ok now and we hung up.

As it turns out, this biker (whose name was Michael - go figure) was also a Christian and we chit chatted until the shop opened. Ours were the first two bikes in the shop and they told us both that we'd be done in about an hour.

He offered to walk with me to Denny's - which was looking further and further away when I was thinking about having to walk there alone - and we had the most uplifting and lively conversation as we shared breakfast together.

One hour later, our bikes were ready and with a hug and a prayer for safe travel; my angel, Mike, went his way and I headed home.

Thank you, Lord, for your provision in our day-to-day lives.

Miracles .. continued.

2010-09-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week while at Wal-Mart, I noticed a lady and her teenage daughter in the next check-out lane with 3 or 4 baskets full of groceries. The sheer numbers of soup cans, mac-n-cheese boxes, canned milk and cereal told me that something was up. So I asked.

It seems this young teenage lady was in the French club at her highschool and they individually raised money to donate to charities around the county. This young lady raised almost 300.00 and was buying food for our local food bank. And buying Wal-Mart brand products can get you a LOT of groceries for 300.00.

After a brief exchange with her mother, I walked over and told the girl how much I appreciated what she was doing. We hugged and I walked away humbled and tearful -- with my basket full of fall decorations, candy, and an 8.00 frozen entree' for dinner. How much more could I have done with that money?

~~~~

Miracles.

~The sun rising everyday .. keeping us not-to-hot and not-to-cold for human survival.
~A flower blooming, supplying nutrient to an insect, which in turn pollinates the flower.
~A perfectly formed chick hatching from an otherwise non-desript egg -- in just 21 days.
~The instinct of a well bred hunting dog!
~The kindness of strangers.
~No pain.

Miracles.

Miracles.

2010-09-24T11:04:00.015-05:00

Webster defines miracles as:

1. an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs

2. an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment

The parting of the red sea? Turning water into wine? Raising Lazarus from the dead?

Do we miss miracles in our lives every day because they aren't of the biblical magnitude? Oh, I've witnessed and experienced God's supernatural miraculous hand on more than a few occassions, but I'm talking about the things that we miss in our day to day lives.

I've witnessed two miracles this week that both made me weep with joy. I believe some of the greatest miracles today are when God USES PEOPLE to step in and change people's lives.

This week, someone very close to me had a little device implanted into his body with electrodes attached to nerves that send impulse that block the pain receptors to his brain. Basically fooling his brain into thinking he has no pain.

He has been struggling for several years with debilitating pain in his arms and leg due to late-onset Muscular Dystrophy. Hours after the surgery, when I spoke to him on the phone, he told me that for the first time in years he had NO PAIN in his arms and legs.

Who dreams up these things?? Something that can change someone's life from incapacitating to functioning again ??

After we hung up, I sat at my desk wept with joy, thanking God.

A miracle and an answer to prayer --

I love you Dad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Continued tomorrow ....

Weight Watchers??

2010-09-22T07:00:00.002-05:00

Yeah, well, I've been WATCHING my WEIGHT .. steadily INCREASING for the last 8 years or so.

Some of my online friends and I have decided to do a modified WW weight loss program together. One of us is keeping track of our weigh-ins and they tried to explain the whole "point" thing to me .. ?? Sounds complicated .. but it's a starting point.

We are all wanting to lose somewhere between 25 and 35 pounds or so, so it should be interesting.

I really should take a "BEFORE" picture ... but not sure I will post it until I have an "AFTER" picture.

I weighed in at 166.5. There. I said it.

Let's go girls ..!

So, does this make me the "First Lady" ??

2010-09-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon at 2pm, Steve and I attended our local Property Owners Association Annual Meeting.

Now, technically, I guess we've been members for 2 years, as we've owned the land that long, but we have been living out there for just over 5 months.

Sparing the details, we left the meeting with Steve having been elected President of the Association ..

Hmmm .. does that make me the "First Lady" .. ? I wonder.

This wouldn't be so funny except that this particualy Association has a reputation for being a really really big pain in the butt and we've had our own issues with them.

However, with the folks that are now off the board and the new people elected to the board (Steve wasn't the only one) it looks like this could be turning around.

The Association is supposed to SERVE the owners, yes????

Should be an INTERESTING year!

Oh brother ..

2010-09-21T14:14:00.000-05:00

I've been so derelict in my blog writing duties.

Yesterday I was thinking about my drive home everyday .. from the city, past the lake, and home home in the country/woods.

So on the way home I took a dozen pictures of the trip and transition. From 6 lanes, traffic, and redlights to rolling hills and windy two lane country roads that cut through forest, pastures, and creek bottoms.

This morning while uploading, I somehow managed to delete the pictures... not only from my camera, but from the folder I had just down loaded them to..

So THAT blog post is for another day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I pick up my new rooster .. Shiner Bock's daddy. We are far enough along on the coop that by the time he is done with quarantine in his own cage, the coop will be ready for him to become king!

When we were working on it this past weekend, one of my hens, Cocoa, was checking it out. They have TOTALLY ignored it and suddenly NOW it looks like something she might want to own. She IS the Alpha hen, but I got news for her .. this rooster has seen worse than her. She's going to be knocked right off her little Alpha-bits!

Special Delivery.

2010-09-15T14:14:00.001-05:00

Eggs. They are pretty special anyway. It amazes me everyday that I can bring eggs from the coop to the kitchen. You see, as long as the girls are IN the coop, they lay their eggs IN their nest boxes.

On the weekends, I let them free range while we are home and in and out of the house. We have 5+ acres, but they mostly hang out around the house, grazing on the grass, eating bugs and hanging out in the shade.

When one of them feels the urge to lay, they run around frantically looking for a place to lay. We've found eggs under the tarp on our trailer, on the workbench in the garage, in the corner of the garage .. But I noticed that they like to come up onto the stoop, the closest door to our kitchen, and lay behind a potted plant.

One day I took a couple 2x4s, nailed them together and just set them in the corner, adding some shavings.

Well, you should have seen the excitement. The girls had to check it out, the rooster had to check it out and immediately it became their favorite place to lay when they are free-ranging. When one hen is in the box, the roo and the other girls can come up onto the steps and cheer her on. It's quite a show.

And the best part about it is when we hear the "egg song", we know we have just been given another "SPECIAL DELIVERY" .... a perfect blue or green egg ..... right at our back door.

Thank you, girls~!

Patrick Swayze 8/15/52 - 9/14/09

2010-09-14T08:00:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been a year since he died. Who wasn't even a little sad to see him go.

So well known for his roles in Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Road House and others; I prefer to remember him as a dedicated animal lover and Arabian horse enthusiast.

Known as "Buddy" on the Arabian horse circuit, he and his stallion, Tammen, were wonderful ambassadors for the Arabian horse breed.

The only thing he seemed to love more than his horses was his wife, Lisa, whom he met when she was only 14 and he was 18.

Patrick, the world needs more people like you. We miss your dedication: to your wife, to your career, to your love of Arabian horses. We miss you Buddy.

That's a chicken ??

2010-09-13T09:42:00.001-05:00

Chickens are a fairly new venture for me, but in typical "me" fashion I'm somewhat obsessed! I have studied and read and lived chickens for about a year now. I love getting farm fresh eggs and especially love the variety of colored eggs chickens can lay:

What I don't get are chickens that don't look like chickens. I swore I would never own a Silkie, a Frizzle, or a Sizzle feathered chicken. I don't like Turkens. Chickens should look like chickens, right??

So how, when I went to pick up 2 rabbits from a friend, did 2 silkie chickens end up in my truck?? "Oh, Julie will LOVE these!" she says as she puts them in the carrying cage ..

What?? These are the most ridiculous excuse for a chicken I've ever seen! They don't even act right. They are DOCILE, QUIET, and make little "beep beep" noises. They're SOFT and CUDDLY .. and they are laying ..........

Are you seeing anything NEGATIVE about this?? Yeah, me neither. They actually are pretty nice little birds ..

Welcome home Silkies.

How 'bout them Cowboys ??

2010-09-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

Oh brother. I LOVE football. I LOVE the Dallas Cowboys.. So after waiting all day, watching Thursday night, both day games on Sunday, the Dallas/Redskins game finally is here!

BLECH! Are you KIDDING ME??? I waited the entire day for THAT??!!

Come on, guys!

But, ya know, if you LOVE someone you even love them when they disappoint you .. and I LOVE the Cowboys!

This was the best part of the day:

Burgers .... and grilled pineapple! That's home style tailgaiting!

See ya next week .. Let's go Cowboys!

Little Biker Chick.

2010-09-11T20:14:00.000-05:00

Steve and I decided to head out this morning for a little motorcycle ride. Julie (13) jumped on with Steve and off we went in search of breakfast. We rode to Navasota and had breakfast at a little Mexian joint. Huevos Rancheros .. yum.

Then we took the long way home (isn't that how it always is when you're RIDIN' ?? Ended up in Carlos at Yankee's Tavern for a short rest and then back down the windy roads home.

I didn't take my camera .. well, we were JUST going for breakfast, right?? Sorry. I should know better.. Pics next time, I promise!

One Year Ago ..

2010-09-09T15:57:00.000-05:00

It was one year ago this week that we started the process of clearing the land and preparing for the building process on our house. We had finally gotten our construction loan, and were going to have loggers out to take some of the pines off of the property. Steve and I had already hand cleared a driveway:

It's been a LONG LONG year ....

Wordless Wednesday - Chicken Coop construction .....

2010-09-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

Construction

It's a work in progress.

Happy Wednesday!

What can happen in 21 days....

2010-09-07T12:12:00.000-05:00

21 days ago my Salmon Faverolles rooster, Shiner Bock, was killed by a coon.

21 days ago I grabbed up 7 eggs and put them in the incubator. I could have cracked them open and made an omelet, but things had changed. Shiner was gone, so these eggs held a promise that might be lost if I didn't at least TRY to incubate them.

In 21 days, a miracle happened. Well, it's really no different than any other birth of any other animal, but no less amazing when you stop and think about it.

In 21 short days, a egg transforms from a potential poached breakfast to a completely formed and wired little chick that not only knows HOW to get out of that shell, but knows exactly how to eat and drink without the help of a mamma hen. Who could engineer this, but Almighty God??

In 21 days, 504 hours .. we have this:

Welcome to the world

Amber Bock,

Ziegenbock,

Shiner Blonde,

Shiner Smokehaus,

and Shiner Hefeweizen.

My latest additions to the "Brood with an Attitude."

(And, yes, I'm aware that Ziegenbock isn't brewed at the Shiner Brewery .. I just couln't help myself!)

RIP my little roo Shiner Bock.

Sunday Silence.

2010-09-05T08:00:00.005-05:00

That's it.

Enjoy your day.

Give thanks to the One who made ya!

(Happy Happy Birthday Mom!!)

My favorite view ...

2010-09-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

......is any view between the ears of my horse.

Regal Charm

How could they have possibly known when they named this long legged Arabian filly in 1991 that she would grow into that name in every sense.

Regal: aristocratic, dignified, elegant, excellent, fine, glorious, good, grand, imperial, kind, magnificent, majestic, noble, pleasant, proud, queenlike, royal, splendid, stately, statuesque, virtuous, worthy

Charm: allure, appeal, attraction, charimsa, enchantment, glamour, lure, magnetism

She knows how to flaunt it like a Princess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But has the class and wisdom of a Queen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sense of humour of a Court Jester!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

She is ABSOLUTE ROYALTY to me!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Robert Duncan wrote:

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride?
Friendship without envy,

Or beauty without vanity?

Here, where grace is served with muscle

And strength by gentleness confined.

He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.

There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent.

There is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.

England's past has been borne on his back.

All our history is in his industry.

We are his heirs, he our inheritance.

The horse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You never know what draws a young girl to love something so much that her heart still jumps at almost 50 to see pure beauty and elegance in one of God's creatures. My eyes capture the image and emblazens it in my heart .. every move, every muscle, every hair blowing in the wind. No tangible thing on this earth stirs up such emotion in me.

I was born LOVING HORSES.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've owned so many, some for their lives, some for short periods of time. But they have ALL left something special in my heart. However, only a handful have captured my heart to the point that even the feel of their gait or the way they smell on and cool fall morning is forever etched in my brain. My dreams of these special horses past are so tangible that I wake up KNOWING I have ridden them once again.

Regal Charm is one of those horses.

An absolute gift from God.

(Many thanks to Gene blessing me with this special girl!)

Fowl Fun Friday............

2010-09-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times.... TAKE THOSE EARPHONES OUT OF YOUR EARS WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do polka dots make my butt look too big??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, baby, slide a little closer ....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dude, do these shoes make my feet look big?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have an EGG-SECPTIONAL weekend everyone!

Sunrise, Sunset ......

2010-09-02T12:46:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love the beauty of watching the sun come up, painting the sky with pinks, purples, yellows, oranges? Then too quickly the beauty gives way to just the brightness of the sun in the sky, and another day in our busy lives.

Don't we also love to see the sun begin to sink into the horizon, lighting it up in much the same way. And just as we watch in awe the patterns of the colors and the lights, the sun dips below the horizon giving away to the black of night. And the magic -- as well as our hectic day -- is gone.

I was reminded yesterday of the parallels of this beauty and loss with the pattern of our human lives.Within just a few short hours I found myself at both ends of the Sunrise, Sunset spectrum.

I was laughing and smiling as I listened to the DJs on our local radio station talk about the birth of a grandbaby. A home birth. Mom surrounded by family and the bouncing baby boy coming into the world with a powerful set of lungs. It made me think of the birth of my own children and how they have grown, and the joy and pain associated with raising them. I thought about this mom and the joy and challenges that will lie ahead of her. Sunrise.

Within hours I was receiving a phone call from a friend and co-worker who was out of town and had received a call that her mother had unexpectantly passed away earlier that morning. My friend was experiencing such pain and loss and I found myself crying along with her as I was telling her how sorry I was, at the same time reflecting on my own life and how we really don't have any guarantees of tomorrow. Sunset.

As much as we enjoy the beauty of the sunrise and the longing for the sun to never set, everything that really matters happens BETWEEN these two events. Do we make the most of every day? Living life? Loving people? Laughing together? Serving God?

Sunrise -- Sunset

Hummingbird Wars .. the fall migration is on it's way!

2010-09-01T11:49:00.004-05:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, the peaceful, serene scene of a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird pausing for a moment at the feeder ..... right??

WRONG! The hummingbird wars are back!

While we had a few stragglers stay with us during the summer, there is nothing like spring and fall migrations of these little dive-bombers as they compete for feeders and chase each other around, chirping and kissing and telling each other off. They body slam each other and then fly off in tandum with the precision of two military fighter jets... one slightly behind the other, rising and falling while weaving in and out of trees and bushes, many times buzzing through the porch past our heads.

We've added additional feeders, not so much for the numbers of birds, but so that "Mr. Bigshot" can't possibly control ALL of them...... oh, but how he tries. Last nite he allowed only one other bird to feed to her little heart's desire. He would fly down and circle her and then fly back up to his watchtower. We determined that she must belong to him ... she is now "The First Lady".

Fall hummingbird migration. A sign of things to come. Shorter days, cooler nights, fall gardens, a renewed energy, impending holidays ... I love fall.

Goodbye August ....

2010-08-31T12:35:00.001-05:00

... can't say I'll miss ya much!

It seems so inconceivable that just a few short months ago I was complaining about the cold and wet. I was soooo tired of being COLD and WET .. looking forward to WARMER weather ..

Just like every year, it is now August and we are tired of heat indexes up in the triple digits and we need rain. It is sooo thick with humidity and heat that every breath becomes a struggle .. being outside is just miserable.

Those few not-so-hot-and-humid days we had last week really has me longing for cooler days. All the animals were feeling it .. being frisky .. showing visible signs of relief in their activity level and food intake. I know they, too, will be relieved to be done with this heat.

There were fall garden plants at the feed store yesterday. I looked at our garden area (still producing okra like crazy) and imagined how we will arrange the fall plants and recognize our need to do a better job of protecting them.

School has started, September is here, cooler weather and the holidays are around the corner. I'm eyeballing my fall decorations .. when is too early to put them out?? Mine start making an appearance and the first sign of cooler weather.

Ah ..... cooler weather.

So, GOODBYE AUGUST. See ya next year!

I'm just going to say it ..

2010-08-30T15:58:00.004-05:00

I never wanted to live in the woods. Especially not the PINEY woods. You can't GROW anything or GRAZE anything under the shade of pine trees. My horse still lives about 40 miles away. You can't see the sun rise .. or set. The ground is uneven, and there is so much to trip on. Hoses get snagged on every tree, stump, youpon. All those trees are REALLY generous about "sharing" their leaves and branches.... all over the yard and everywhere, creating great places for scorpions and snakes to hide. They are great places for spiders to make their webs in between .. at just the perfect height to catch you across the face. Trees make great hiding places for all those chicken-eating predators. Nope. I never wanted to live in the woods.

Having said that ... I'm discovering a certain beauty in the woods.

Leaving 50 ft or so of heavy woods at the front of your property is a GREAT buffer for all the nosey neighbors that are just itchin' to know what you're doing up that windy little driveway. Although I love watching the sun rise, it is nice to have a couple more hours in the morning to enjoy the front porch, before the sun starts beating down in the front yard. Shade is a good thing in 90+ degree weather.

Birds LOVE the woods. We have hummingbirds, tufted tit-mouse, carolina wrens, carolina chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, various kinds of woodpeckers, several varieties of hawks, and lots of buzzards. I love listening to and watching the birds in the mornings and evenings.

Deer love the woods. We frequently see deer passing through. (Ask me again if this is a positive when they discover the little piece of land me managed to grow a garden on.)

When a storm is brewing, there is something kinda magical about the noise the trees make when their branches are banging and brushing up against each other. (Of course, the whole while, they are "sharing" their leaves and little branches all over the place!)

I have discovered that it takes less sun to grow some things in a garden. We did manage to plot out a patch of garden on the south side of the house that gets full sun for several hours during the day. We have eaten okra and cucumbers out of that garden already.

I know in time the ground will become more level, as we remove all the little stumps, vines, and youpon. I know in time we'll have an area in the back that will be somewhat pine tree free and able to grow a little grass. I know in time that I'll be able to step out the back door and see the prettiest horse in the world staring back at me.

I know there is beauty in all of God's creation .. and the beauty of this piece of woods is where I call home.

Off to College ...

2010-08-30T12:05:00.000-05:00

.. No, not ME ... my daughter. And, well, not really "OFF" to college .. she is living at home and driving to community college. But, she IS taking 14 credit hours, so it IS a full credit load!

I'm so proud of her.

Of course, the real shocker came a few weeks ago when we discovered that we are OUT-of DISTRICT for the community college in our own community **rolls eyes** .. And then, of course, there were BOOKS .. eeeeeeek!

At any rate, I'm excited for her and can't wait to hear all about her day!

I love you Shannon!

Many thanks to Tiffany!

2010-08-30T09:22:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Tiffany for helping to inspire me to start a blog.. and more importantly for helping design it for me! You rock, Sista!!

So now we begin ................