it bothers me...

Stairs

2012-02-13T09:40:00.002-06:00

Those look like Stairs!

We're getting closer to actually being able to USE the new stairs. Kev and I ran to Wichita last weekend and bought some lumber for the trim and the landing. We literally stumbled on some Pine Car Siding (what it has to do with cars, I do not know.) We liked it enough that we decided to put it on the landing. We also picked up some tile to put by the front door and under the pellet stove and got some stain for the pine. We stained it all a light walnut using stain in a Danish oil, which we hope will be sufficient as the finish. We really don't want to put Poly on stairs.

On Sunday Morning, as he put up the first stringer, Kev said "Darlin', we'll have stairs by the end of the day." I didn't believe him, because nothing ever goes according to plan... But, he proved me wrong.

We had stairs by the end of the day and even walked up and down them a couple of times. The treads aren't attached yet, as we have a little trimming and fitting to do to make them set well against the stringers. Then Kev will screw them to the stringers and we'll start using them.

This is the birds eye view of the landing with it's "Car Siding".

Closer view. It is tongue and groove. Right now, I like the small cracks where they fit together. We'll see how I like it when those grooves are full of dirt, dust, and dog hair!

Most people, when picking pine boards, avoid knots and "imperfections". Us? That's what we choose!

The house is still a mess, but we're getting there!

Stairs...progress

2012-01-30T09:34:00.000-06:00

On Saturday afternoon, Kev drove 50 miles to Kinsley to pick up the lumber for our stairs.

A "tree man" lives there and happens to have a sawmill he uses for fun. He sometimes cuts up trees that he takes down and sells the wood. Remember, this is Kansas. A sawmill is not something typically found out here. We literally stumbled on this guy when we put in the pellet stove three years ago.

This is what Kev brought home. Yes, I am aware that one "board" is really a stump. A Six foot long stump, but it's a stump.

Don't ask.

This pickup load of lumber only set us back $250. A steal.

These boards are 3 inches thick and Kev has to cut them into stair lengths of 40 inches.

But first, he wanted to trim the edge off. He thought about just making all of his cuts with the chainsaw, but decided to use the circular saw instead.

He had Andy help lift them up. They measured and cut.

Andy then carried them out and laid them outside. They aren't quiet dry, so Kev and Andy put some spacers between the steps and he thinks they will dry out quite a bit this week in our atypical warm weather. (Which I am enjoying!) So, now that we have the steps, and the stringers are cut, I anticipate that we'll see the stairs going up soon.

But before they can be assembled...we have to sand them, decide if we're staining them, and then they can be assembled.

Kev had enough wood left over that he's thinking of other ways to incorporate it into the finished project. As a newel post, or somehow in the banisters or something....

We're still on track for me to win the bet. But, we're making progress!

The stair project--January update

2012-01-23T08:51:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd best give an update on the stair project.

No pictures because: 1. There's nothing to show, and 2. The batteries in the camera were dead and I couldn't find the cord (because it wasn't where it belongs...dang kids.)

But, there's really nothing to show.

Kev did make the hole bigger. Longer. He had to to make his math work for the stringers. He then spent time re-wiring some outlets and moving others. He also had to cap a water line because the bigger hole meant that the water line couldn't be re-routed.

He had talked to the guy who is supposed to cut our steps. He was supposed to have them cut Saturday. He didn't have them cut.

So, we're at a stand still until we have our wood.

While Kev was working on his project, I rendered lard.

Why? Cuz I could. I just wanted to try it. I grew up reading the "Little House" books by Laura I. Wilder. I bought the cook book where the author attempted to re-create the cooking described in the "Little House" books. One of the things she did was to render lard.

I was curious about how hard it really was and what cracklings were.

So, when we butchered pigs last weekend, I asked the guys to get me the fat from around the organs (if they would take the time to do so) and to give me some of the fat trimmings so I could play. Kev brought home about 2 gallons of fat. I rendered it yesterday.

I'd read that it's easier to render it in the oven, so I got out my Grandma's big double burner lard rendering cast iron pot. While a little rusty, I thought this might be a great way to re-season it and get it back into working shape.

Unfortunately, it was too big for my oven. Instead, I got out 2 of my cast iron bean pots and used them. I didn't cut the fat up much (and if I was a serious lard render-er, I would do this next time.) I turned the oven on to 300 degrees initially and then when the fat started to melt, turned it down to 200. By the end of the day, I had lots of melted fat and cracklins.

Kev thougth the cracklins smelled like pork rinds. They taste like greasy pork rinds, but weren't as light.

I wound up with 3 quarts of lard. I went ahead and canned it. It's not as creamy white as I thought it would be...maybe I let it get too hot. It smells ok, but who knows. I'll hang on to it for a while. Maybe use some when I make pies, maybe not. If nothing else, I'll feed it to the chickens and wild birds. Who knows if it's a skill I'll ever need, but it did satisfy my curiosity and it kept me busy while Kev was puttering with the stair project.

Aunt Margaret 1926-2012

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

My Aunt Margaret died last week. Her funeral was Saturday. I drove my folks to the service, which was short and simple, just the way she wanted it to be. Shel lived a good life, but was ready to go home and died on her own terms; which is just about all anyone can hope for.

Aunt Margaret was the eldest of my Dad's siblings, being 16 years older than Dad.   Dad doesn't really remember her living at home--partly because she graduated High School and left home while he was small, but also because the older kids went to High School in Fowler, Ks and boarded in town. Automobiles in the 1940's didn't travel at the speed they do now, and living 20 miles outside of town, on dirt roads, that was just simply to far to drive every day. (And, remember gas was rationed during the war years.)  So, while she was his sister, she just wasn't an active part of his memories of growing up.

On the other hand, Aunt Margaret definately remembers hearing about his pending arrival, his birth and she and the other kids helped name him--Harry Eugene--after Uncle Harry. The family call Dad Eugene--except for Aunt Margaret. She christened him "Harry Gene" and that's what she and she alone always called him.

Aunt Margaret and her family lived in Wichita--so they didn't come out this way very often--or not when I can remember. But, her children were young adults by the time I really developed memories. They married young and their families weren't that much younger than Steve and I. Because they didn't come out this way, and we didn't go to Wichita any more often than we had to, I just never developed a relationship with them. But I did with Aunt Margaret...

I remember our last Christmas at the farm when all the aunts, uncles and cousins were there. I was probably in First Grade.    The day was over and my parents were wanting to head for home. But, I couldn't find my shoes. I remember looking and looking and being unsuccessful. Mom was getting annoyed and I knew it. Finally, I went into the kitchen and announced, "I still can't find my shoes, and I looked everywhere." Aunt Margaret put her hand on my shoulder, and squatted down next to me and said, "Hold on, let's stop a minute. Think about where you had them on last." I did, and immediately remembered exactly where they were. (They were on the back porch.)

When I was a Junior in High School, my cousin Ray was killed in a car accident. The very next day, my brother, Steve, broke his arm, had a concussion and was out of his mind. On the day of Ray's funeral, Steve was having surgery on his arm. Mom and Dad were with him and I chose to go to the funeral. Alone. I knew there'd be plenty of family around, so I thought all would be well. I didn't do as well as I thought. Understandably. But Aunt Margaret took me under her wing. She had me ride with her and Uncle Newt to the service and to the cemetary and the church. I really appreciated her that day.

Ten years later, I was a new Mom, a single Mom, with a baby who wasin the NICU at a Wichita hospital. I wasn't allowed to go along and had to arrive by car the next day. Aunt Margaret was the first to call (even though the hospital wouldn't give her any information.) She was also there with open arms, welcoming us into her home. I didn't stay with her, but my folks did, we did go to supper with her and Uncle Newt one of those blurry evenings and we stopped by her house before heading back to Colby. She was non-judgemental and very supportative.    A few years later, we all learned why she was so non-judgemental and supportative. She'd been a young single pregnant woman who couldn't keep her baby. Her baby found her almost 50 years later, in 1995. She and he connected and became close.   It's interesting, he looks more like her than her other kids. In fact, seeing him, he most definately looks like the Woodruff's.

Aunt Margaret, in my mind, was the consummate big sister. She took care of her siblings, she took care of any of her nieces and nephews who needed help. She took care of her kids and her grandkids. I'm not saying she was perfect, but she did her best and she spread love to all she knew.

She will be missed.

My babies.

2012-01-17T14:30:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to stick this one in. Christmas morning. My babies with their stockings. I cross stitched them for the kids. Kat's the the same one I made when she was a baby. You can't see, but it's of a little blond girl standing beside a manger with baby Jesus in it.

This is actually Andy's second stocking. When he was in Middle School, he asked for a new stocking. Apparently he thought he was to old for his Santa and Teddy Bear stocking. So, we found the one he has above. It's a church in the background with deer in the foreground. He thinks it is much more "manly".

My babies...they're growing up way to fast!

Kev's deer--2011

2012-01-06T10:25:00.004-06:00

I didn't hunt this year. Primarily because of the tendinitis, but also because Andy and Kev both had permits and I just didn't see the sense in having three deer in the freezer. I kept busy enough this fall that I didn't miss hunting much, until Kev would come home and share his day, or Andy would describe something he saw. That's when I missed hunting. Not the harvest, but just being out in God's Church.

Kev got his deer the end of November/first of December. (I can't remember!) He had somewhat of a frustrating season, as he never saw any Mule deer. We're assuming that this summers drought and heat was hard on them. In fact, Kev didn't see the amount of deer he normally does, which frustrated him immensely.

This guy is a white tail. Kev rattled him in and took his shot. He's not trophy class by any stretch of the imagination, but Kev typically doesn't trophy hunt.

He did have an interesting little "claw" on the tip of one antler that Kev thought was cool.

He also had either been shot before, or had been wounded in a fight. See that dark spot on his forehead? That was a nasty wound that wasn't healing very well. Be thankful I didn't get a closeup. It was ugly.

We hung him up in the shop and the guys butchered him the weekend Mom, Kat and I went Christmas shopping.

I still need to go re-arrange my freezer. Men, they just don't understand organization :)

This weekend is the final weekend of the season. Andy hasn't filled his tag. He can--now in this late season--use either his bow, or a rifle and get a doe. He says he wants to try still with his bow, so doesn't think he'll switch. We'll see. My guess is he'll go out with his bow and come home without a deer. That's fine. We've got a freezer full again and we're butchering pigs again next weekend. I don't think I have space for another deer!

Inman Winter Formal

2012-01-04T11:01:00.000-06:00

On the 17th of December, Miss Kat and I drove to Inman so she could attend the Inman High School Winter Formal Dance with Tate. Now, these two have known each other since they were 3 or 4, so no big romance, but just good friends. (Besides, they're too young for any serious romance!)

Tate, Miss Kat, Bailey and Dual.

Bailey graduated from High School at semester and will be going to Marine boot camp in June. She shouldn't be old enough, but she is. I've seen all four of these kids covered, head to toe in mud, so I can say that they clean up very nicely! Until recently, Tate was shorter than Kat, but he's finally started growing and has really sprouted. His voice has dropped too. He and Dual are now both nice baritones. I still wish they were all 10 again...

Here's a shot of the young couple, Kat and Tate.

The siblings, Tate, Bailey and Dual.

And, to top things off...here's a "normal" shot of Kat! Gotta love her!

Bailey is two years older than Miss Kat. Looking at these pictures, I can't help but remember when Bailey was entering puberty, and wasn't as interested in tom-boying with Kat but was becoming more interested in boys...and being a young lady. Poor Kat came to me one day, crying because Bailey was more interested in spending time with Andy and not playing with her. She was just devastated and didn't understand. I remember sitting her on my lap, hugging her, and explaining to her that in a couple of years, she'd be just like Bailey, and that they'd be just as close again.

I asked her on this trip if she remembered that day. She laughed and said she did, and that I was right.

Sometimes, being right is bittersweet.

Fletch

2012-01-04T10:35:00.000-06:00

We finally got a dog. Mr. Fletch came to our home on December 17. We got him from the Humane Society. Fletch is 2 and is a lab/English spaniel cross. That's what we were told anyway. Who knows if anyone really has any idea of his pedigree. Here's a picture of Fletch, looking out the sliding door.

That first day, Midnight totally ignored Fletch. If Fletch entered a room, Midnight left. But, they soon came to a truce and co-existed those first few days. Since it was the start of my Christmas Break, I was home with they "boys" for two weeks which gave them plenty of time to get acquainted with each other, and for Fletch to get acquainted with us.

Since we don't allow our dogs to be on the furniture, Fletch decided that the bay window was his spot. Which is fine with everyone, even me. However, I find that I have to wash that window more often because it gets covered with dog kisses now.

After about a week, Midnight decided that Fletch was OK, and he lowered his dignity enough to "play". It was half-hearted, but they did play. By the first of January, they played a lot. Inside, and outside. Midnight has always been a timid dog, but he's mentoring Fletch fairly well. He's taught Fletch that they stay in the yard instead of chasing cars. (Fletch is slowly catching on to that.) When they are outside, Fletch will watch Midnight to see where he can and cant go. One thing Fletch needs to learn quickly is to leave my chickens alone. He's been punished for chasing them several times and, unfortunately, he was severely punished for killing one.

He's also had to be punished for marking the couch in the basement...and helping himself to a stick of butter from the counter... and Kev's waffles...but he's learning.

He still isn't sure exactly where our boundaries are, because he ran toward the cattle in the neighboring pasture one day. I called him off, and he came right to me, but he watches them from the bay window and growls at those trespassers. He'll learn.

He's adopted Andy, and sleeps with him. He'll get up in bed with us, but he wants to sleep between us, and that just won't work. He's a good quiet dog and he did so well at Christmas with all the extra people of all sizes at our house. I think we got a good dog.

Today will be the first time they'll be penned all day long. Let's hope they both are good dogs and are in the pen when we get home tonight!

One last final shot. Of Midnight. He wouldn't pose with Fletch, and I just had to take his picture...although, from his expression, you can tell how he enjoys photos! Poor guy :)

Books read 2011

2012-01-03T14:34:00.000-06:00

I finished entering in all the titles I read over Christmas, and then counted. I read 100 books this past year! Well, maybe more, because sometimes, when I re-read something, I don't write it down. And I don't write down all the magazines I read either. But, wow! What an accomplishment. This might explain why I haven't done much stitching this past year...

Part of the credit for me reading so many titles goes to Mrs. Coach, who I hired in late January. She's a young thing--only 21, but she likes to read and she likes to read the same kinds of books I like to read. I'm not sure if we're good for each other or not, and I'm not sure if our husband's appreciate us enabling each other.

Rather than give a brief review of each title, Let me just tell you my most favorite book of the year:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. What an excellent book. Yes, it has witches, and vampires, but neither fit any of our typical images. It was a fluke that I picked up this book, but it was so well written. I was even frustrated to reach the end, because it ended on a cliff hanger. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel which should be published sometime in 2012. (And I'm not giving you a synopsis...you can look it up on Amazon or Barnes & Noble to see what it's about! Just take my word for it...it's GOOD!)

My least favorite book, and the one that disappointed me the most was Jean Auel's final novel in her Earth's Children series, Land of Painted Caves. I felt that she recycled most of the book and didn't have any real plot until the last 1/3 of the book. If she'd dumped the first 2/3 and started with the ending, I think it would have been a much better ending to a series that first appeared in 1982.

I read lots of series this year. Lots of Fantasy titles (thanks Mrs. Coach) and I read the entire Sookie Stackhouse books. I still managed to fit in some non-fiction titles. Some to make me think and question my beliefs about many things, and some just for fun.

I apologize for not correctly formatting my book titles. I should underline them all, but I'm not. On a few titles, I did make some additional comments, but not all.

Without further ado...here's the list...

Once a Princess by Johanna Lindsey

Deep Down by Karen Harper

Endless Forest by Sara Donanti --this one WAS a great ending to a great series. The epilogue had me in tears.

The Templar Salvation by Raymond Khoury

Star Crossed by Elizabeth Bunce

Last Templar by Raymond Khoury

Jesus Interrupted by Bart D. Ehrman

Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman

Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

The Exile by Diana Gabaldon--this one is a graphic novel based on Outlander

The sweet far thing by Libba Bray

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins--an excellent series. Who doesn't love a girl with a bow?

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Treachery in Death by J D Robb

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Lost to Time: unforgettable stories that History forgot by Martin W. Sandler

A discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Sex, Time and Power by Leonard Shlain--his basic concept (in my mind) is that women were the first to develop a sense of time...That's not all, but that's what I remembered the most :)

Land of painted caves by Jean Auel

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Calling for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Rangers apprentice 10: Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan--Riordan's books look at Mythology in a new way. Makes it fun for kids to read these and then actual mythological stories. They're fun, fun, fun!

Crying Blood by Donis Casey

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Betrayal by Gillian Shields

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows

Dragon's Time by Todd McCaffrey

Smokin' seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Hold me closer Necromancer by Lish McBride

The Dark is Rising Series (6 books) Susan Cooper

Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

The Sun Witch by Linda Winstead Jones

The Moon Witch by Linda Winstead Jones

The Star Witch by Linda Winstead Jones

All that is bitter & sweet by Ashley Judd

Mapping Human History by Steve Olson

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Dead in the family by Charlaine Harris

Prince of Magic by Linda Winstead Jones

Prince of Fire by Linda Winstead Jones

Prince of Swords by Linda Winstead Jones

Untouchable by Linda Winstead Jones

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin

22 nights by Linda Winstead Jones

Bride by Command by Linda Winstead Jones

She-Wolves: the women who ruled England before Elizabeth by Helen Castor

New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb

Tears of the Sun by S. M. Stirling

Centuries of June by Keith Donohue

The Unquiet by JD Robb

Harvest by Tess Gerritsen

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris

Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

None wounded, none missing, all dead: story of E.B. Custer by Howard Kazanjian & Chris Enss

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

Growing and canning your own food by Jackie Clay

Stories of a self-reliant woman by Jackie Clay

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Second Grave on the Left by Draynda Jones

Sex with the Queen by Eleanor Herman--Yes, this is a book about sex. Actually it's about Queens and their lovers. Quite interesting. Ms. Herman also wrote one about the Sex with Kings too.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer

Sword Dancer by Jennifer Roberson

Sword maker by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Breaker by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Singer by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Born by Jennifer Roberson

Sword Sworn by Jennifer Roberson

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Wagon Wheel Kitchens: food on the Oregon trail by Jacqueline Williams

Midnight, the escape artist

2011-12-07T11:07:00.001-06:00

Two weeks ago, we lost our Lab, Emily. It was a sudden, unexpected death.

Kev and Andy were home with her and they buried her in our pasture. While they were taking care of Em, they made sure that our other dog, Midnight, was with them the entire time--to ensure that he knew where Em had gone and that she was gone. They were buds.

For the first couple of days, Midnight would look for Em. He wouldn't eat because he was waiting for her to eat. He would go around the house and look for her. When we'd let him out, he'd wait for her to join him. It was heartbreaking.

He'd go to their pen and wait for Em to join her and would look at us with such pitiful eyes when we'd shut him up alone. We've always penned our dogs when we're gone for the day--to ensure their safety, and the safety of my chickens and goats (when we had them.)

Last week, Midnight got out of his/their dog pen. He then tried to get into the house. We found pieces of the brick molding from around the door scattered on the ground. The trim around the door itself was destroyed. There were claw marks in the siding and even beside the garage door. (We have cedar siding, so it's relatively soft.)

I checked beside the sliding door upstairs, and discovered a nice "hole" in the trim and a pile of splinters. I wouldn't put it past him to figure out how to open the sliding glass door.

Andy and I discovered that he'd chewed a hole in the chain link of his gate and pushed through it. We blocked it (we hoped) and made sure we left him toys and chew treats the next day.

He was out when we got home.

Kev spent the weekend reinforcing the gate and put up some stock panel on the gate. It's a heavier gauge than chain link, so he was fairly confident that it would deter more escapes.

It didn't.

Midnight was out again last night. He didn't chew through, but had pushed the gate frame enough it's stretched and created a gap large enough for him to squeeze through. And this time, he tried to open the screen door on the sliding door. He managed to yank the screen door completely off--but left incriminating teeth marks on the aluminum frame.

Obviously, he doesn't like being alone in his pen.
Obviously, he doesn't like rawhide bones, beef bones, or chew toys.
Obviously we have a problem.

We either need to find another dog--soon, or figure out a way to stop the destruction. If we can't...well, we won't think about any other options at this time. He's a good dog...most of the time...he's just never been alone and obviously doesn't cope with being alone well.

It's frustrating. I'm not so sure our house can survive Kev's remodeling and the dog...

Stair project, the continuting saga

2011-12-05T08:52:00.001-06:00

Christmas is 3 weeks away.

I'm hosting the family Christmas dinner.

And THIS is what my house looks like..

Yep, I have a hole in my floor.

A hole that also has a water line, furnace duct work, electrical wiring and cable wiring that all goes to mystery locations. All need to come out and be re-routed before the stair framework can be put in. Which has to be completed before the staircase can be put up. Which has to be put in before the old stairs get removed which will require more wiring to be moved... and so on and so on.

And, Kev thinks he can have it all looking nice before Christmas...

Right.

Christmas is in 20 days...

And we still don't have any stair treads.

And I've expressed my doubts about any real progress being made before Christmas. Which Kev shrugs off...

sigh...

We've made a bet. I bet Kev that he won't have this project completed in a year. Completely finished in a year. If he loses, I get a weekend trip planned by him. If I lose, he gets the satisfaction that he's right, "as usual." (That's what he picked folks!)

I just want it somewhat put together by Christmas. USEABLE by Christmas. Safe for little ones to maneuver by Christmas.

Stay tuned...

Always a bridesmaid

2011-11-21T14:13:00.001-06:00

So...I'm going to be in another wedding.

You'd think that at my age, all of my friends were done with the wedding thing, but that's not so. One of my friends, of over 20 years is getting married--again. It's her second marriage, but the groom's first. And, since she didn't have a wedding the first time around, they've decided to go for it. And she asked me to be one of the bridesmaids. Or matron. Whatever.

Saturday, we met in Salina at the David's Bridal Store to find dresses. And everyone who reads here knows how much I like to shop. And you all probably know how much I detest dresses. Yep, I was NOT looking forward to this...not at all. And, the bride knew it and let me pout and pretty much ignored me and made me do it. Basically she reminded me it's all about her and not about me.

She knows me pretty well.

But you know what?

It wasn't that bad.

Granted she made me try on 786 dresses. (and I even shaved my legs.)

But it still wasn't that bad.

It was my first time ever actually trying on dresses for a wedding. In all the ump-teen weddings I've been in, I've never had any input in what I was wearing. I was just called and asked, "what size of dress do you wear?"

And I didn't have a "real" wedding dress when Kev and I got married. My dress came from a department store. I saw it in the window, went in, tried it on and bought it probably 2 years before Kevin ever proposed.

So I never tried on wedding dresses.

The bride did try on a dress--she'd been in before and had narrowed down her choices to two. The first dress she put on was the one she bought. We all agreed it was the right dress, and shared a few tears too.

So...all in all, I'm glad that I'm a bridesmaid...again...at my age. Cause otherwise, I would have never gotten to experience this custom.

Miss Kat was with us. She soaked it all in. And...somehow, I think that someday, I'll find myself in a bridal shop, trying on dresses and watching a different bride and I'll probably cry on that day too.

Working through the pain

2011-10-31T16:43:00.005-05:00

I haven't stitched much in several months. Why? Because I've been struggling with "tennis elbow," or tendinitis since July.

Since I don't like going to the Dr., the diagnosis came from the resident PTA, who can't legally diagnosis. But, I'm pretty sure he's safe from me suing him since I have intimate knowledge of his financial status, and I already have everything he owns.

The "Tennis Elbow" in my case should be called "Shifting Elbow"...or maybe "Moving-too-many-damn-books Elbow." I'm guessing it's a repetitive stress injury from 20+ years of moving lots and lots of heavy books. This summer, for example, I handled approximately 20,000 books. All of them were picked up, 4 at a time, by me. All within a 3 week time period. Using the same arm...which led to the injury.

It's one of those hidden aspects of librarianship. I knew I was at risk for Carpel Tunnel, I was warned of that 20+ years ago. And the primary culprit of Carpel Tunnel? Shifting books. No one told me I could also get Tennis Elbow. Not that it would have changed a thing, because I have this tendency to think "that won't happen to me." (Thinking that tends to get me into sooooo much trouble...)

So, my elbow hurts. It hurts when I lift anything with that one hand. It hurts when I hyper-extend that arm. It hurts to drive, it hurts to reach and grab things. It hurts to put stuff up on a tall shelf. It hurts to get things down from a tall shelf. It even hurts to stitch. The usual prescribed treatment? To rest the elbow. To not use it.

Yeah...right.

My personal therapist also told me to ice it and to do some electronic stimulation on it. We have a e-stim machine at home. I've used it twice. Ice? Haven't done it. Rest the elbow? ...well...why don't you give that a try and see if you are better at it than I am!

I've just been dealing with it, and trying to not do anything that would make it hurt. Not successfully, but I try. Which means I've stopped doing a couple of things that would aggravate it, like shooting my bow and stitching.

So, I'm not bow hunting this year. And I haven't been stitching. Even though some special little girls have needed their gifts. They are five months old and I had a goal of getting them their gifts much sooner than now. BUT...this weekend, I finished up their project. It's in the mail, and will arrive at their house tomorrow...

Here's a sneak peek...

I hope the girls, and their Mama enjoy them!

The first and final harvest of 2011

2011-10-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

We've been expecting a freeze any day now, so on Sunday, Kev and I decided we'd better put the garden to bed...what garden there was. With the excessive heat and the drought this summer, our garden lacked a lot. We got a few potatoes, a very few onions and once the heat ended, we hoped we'd get to harvest something...anything! So, we ventured out Sunday afternoon and harvested.

I planted pole beans this year and bought a variety that grows purple beans. They turn green when you cook them. I chose these because I hoped they would be easier to pick than green beans. However, the leaves have enough of a purple cast that the beans weren't any easier to find on the vines. We picked over a 5 gallon bucket full of beans. They are now sitting in the freezer, waiting for me to have time to can them.

This is a shot of most of our tomato crop. We finally got a few tomatoes to eat, and quite a few cherry tomatoes, but not enough to can. However, we have gotten enough to enjoy a few BLT sandwiches!

A new crop for us this year was peanuts. Kev loves to snack on roasted peanuts throughout the winter, so I wanted to see if we could grow some. Grandma B. grew them one year, so I was pretty sure we could. Unfortunately, we have a resident mole. Who ate most of my seed. I had two plants left. And we got a very few peanuts. Not sure if we got enough to roast. If not, we'll save them and plant them again next spring...if it rains...

Mr. Mole also harvested most of my carrots for me.

This one was a prime example of his work. He ate from the bottom up and left the tops. So, when we pulled the carrots, we'd find these...

Crazy, isn't it!

So, this year, we didn't grow enough food to live on for the next year. Fortunately, I still have plenty of products that I canned last year. I'm saving seeds for next year and we'll try again...

If it rains...and if Mr. Mole moves away.

The living room...before...

2011-10-07T10:31:00.002-05:00

The stair project is presently stalled.

Boy, do I know how things work at my house, don't I!

Kev found someone local who owns a sawmill. This person also thinks they have enough pine around to cut treads for us. However, it's been 2 weeks, and we haven't heard from him, and we won't for another week. He'll get back to us after next week... Which is fine.

I suppose.

Kev and I did run to Hutch last weekend to visit our closest Lowe's store (a two hour drive.) We went to buy a curtain rod for the bay window. We also window shopped for "stair items" and kitchen ideas and tile...remember, Hardware/Home Improvement stores are one of my favorite places to shop!

We got some ideas, but...like normal...this project is started, but not progressing...

And...I thought that maybe I should post some photos of the "before." Or should that be photos of the "during?"

This is the current stair layout. The wall they follow is the center of the house. (Our house is a modular, so this wall is a supporting wall.) So, in essence, Kev wants to remove that half wall which would move the couch back to the supporting wall.

Just a view of the fireplace. Note how nice and clean everything is...Oh, but we've also discussed replacing the fireplace surround and rock this entire angled wall of the fireplace. Our house is just chock full of angled walls, like this one. (And, doesn't everyone take pictures of what is on TV?) But, you can see that there's not much space between the couch and the outside wall (that's the wall with the DVD player and the corner of the bay window.) It measures approximately 5' 6" across there. So, it's tight. And that's the space that Kev wants to open up with this project. He wants to be able to lay on the floor, in front of the fireplace and stretch out. That is what started this entire process.

I took this view while sitting on the window seat of the bay windows. Just to show how close everything is...and how dirty my couch is! sigh...

Now this is the corner where the new stairs will be. This is the main angled wall--the outside wall. The door will be gone. We'll have to take it out. Which is fine, we never use it. But, that means new sheetrock, and painting and flooring and...well, you know. The stairs will be where this couch is. Which also happens to be my favorite spot to sit and stitch... (Can you tell which couch is used the most? Yeah...me too.)

So, this is what my living room--upstairs looks like now...stay tuned for the next episode of...The Stair saga...

The Stair Saga

2011-09-30T09:32:00.001-05:00

Let me preface this post by stating loudly and clearly...

I love my husband.

I really do. But once in a while he gets these wild hairs...and these wild hair ideas...schemes...whatever they are...drive me up the wall.

And this particular wild hair, he's had since we moved into this house.

He wants to move our staircase.

And he's "started".

Without a plan, without an idea of the final look of the plan. And without my support.

This is what my basement looks like...it's all tore up with a partial project "in the works." This is the wall that Kev wants to put the stairs on. It slants. Our house has a...peak? in the center of it. Both walls angle from that peak. Kinda like the point of a pencil. And Kev wants to move the stairs to this wall. See the stick sticking up in the middle of the picture? Yeah...that's where the stairs will go...and that wooden monstrosity...that's the landing and then the stairs will turn and be a U shape, with 3 stairs coming to the floor.

Here's a different picture of the "landing". It takes up a HUGE amount of floorspace and I'm not convinced that it will ever look nice...

And another view.

Now, Kev has been observant enough to pick up on my reservations. he knows I'm not real supportive or understanding about this project...Cause, he'll take at least 7 years to finish it...and it will mean more work...like cutting another hole in the main level floor...and it will mean covering up the old hole and putting in floor joists and re-doing the basement ceiling and the flooring and some electric work and new carpet or something upstairs and relocate lights and...get my drift? And I know from experience that "little" "easy" projects somehow never quite get finished.

However, I will give him some credit. He's changed his mind on some of his plans. He's not going to have a closed staircase. Instead, we're going to have open treads. Chunky pine treads. Because we like the rustic look, and I absolutely hate sweeping stairs with carpet and stairs with risers which seem to collect dirt and dog hair. Open stairs will be much easier to clean. And we've compromised on the balusters and the hand rail and even the monstrosity sitting in the basement right now that Kev calls the "landing."

So, we're compromising. He's giving me some say in how I want this...thing to look. And I'm letting him build this...thing.

Stay tuned for the continuing saga of "The Stair Project."

One of those days...

2011-09-26T09:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was one of those very productive days for me. I love days like yesterday, when I spend most of it in the kitchen, making various food items for my family. I didn't have anything else that had to be done, so I could just enjoy myself and putter all day long in the kitchen.

I made jelly from our first ever picking of grapes from our 2 vines! I had 5.5 cups of jelly, but somehow, only got 3 half-pint jars of jelly out of it. I used a "low sugar" pectin and it took f.o.r.e.v.e.r to jell! So, I guess some boiled away. However, there are more grapes out there to ripen, so maybe I'll get more grapes for another and larger batch. (Early taste tests say that the jelly is just scrumptious!)

We were running low on bread, so I made a batch of bread. Not sure if I'll break open a jar of jelly now, or if I'll wait for a later date. I really like this wheat flour I've been using, and I love this bread recipe. It uses honey instead of sugar. I've always loved baking bread and having a recipe for whole wheat bread that has never failed me yet makes bread making more enjoyable. Someday soon, I'm going to try sourdough and a wholegrain bread and a rye. I've got the recipes, just haven't taking the time to try them out.

Since my chickens are laying like crazy, I decided to make a couple of pies. Mom is our expert baker, and I'd like to someday be as good of a pie maker as she is. In addition, I also want to improve my pie dough skills. Many years ago, when I was in 4-H, I could make an excellent pie dough...in recent years, it hasn't been good, and I've taken the easy road and used store-bought pie dough. Well, yesterday, I tried it again, and came out with a couple of pretty good crusts. Not quite where I want them to be, but definitely better than store-bought!

I made a coconut cream pie for Kev and a butterscotch pie for Andy. (Miss Kat doesn't like pie, so she didn't care what kind I made.) Both recipes came from Mom. The Butterscotch recipe came from my Great Grandma Woodruff. Kev and I tried both pies...and both are just pretty tasty!

Now, I'd have taken pictures, but my allergies kicked in yesterday something fierce. To be honest, I was afraid I'd sneeze all over my food, or sneeze while taking pictures. Besides, you'd just get hungry from the photos!

Yesterday was one of my favorite kinds of days. The best part was sitting down to enjoy the fruits of my labors. Bon Appetite!

Girls of Fall

2011-09-23T11:26:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year...

When we spend many Tuesday evenings watching this girl play.

She's doing great this year! Still playing JV Volleyball, but getting lots of time in on the floor.

Wanna know something funny?

Her Dad and I really don't know much about Volleyball...in fact, Kev is pretty good at asking more experienced parents why certain calls were made. For example...first game of the season...I mean MATCH...first match... The girls won their first game... of the MATCH. So, during the second game, Kev noticed that the scoreboard had the number 1 up in the foul box. He asked me who got a foul, and how on earth did you get a foul in Volleyball anyway! I told him that I suspected it wasn't a foul, but was instead a way of signifying that they'd one one game in the match. But he was teased all night long about the "foul" by a couple of other parents sitting near us.

It's nice when I'm not always the ...naive...one.

Oh, and typically, Miss Kat plays only on the back row. But, one of the other girls was ineligible this week, so Missy has been playing the entire games for the whole match. Confession time...I'm kinda glad that this gal is ineligible, it means my kid gets to play more! So...anyway, Miss Kat is now playing all positions. She's even gotten a couple of kills and has a nice serve! It's much more fun when your kid is on the floor for the entire game--even if you don't know what the heck she's doing!

So, at our house, it's not the "Boys of Fall," but the "Girls of Fall." And that's just cool.

Tree stands and Monarchs

2011-09-21T10:05:00.002-05:00

I realize that the official start of Fall is 2 days away, but since the heat wave broke, it feels like fall. Deer season opened last weekend. It's still to hot for anyone at our house to hunt--especially since we process our own meat and we can't let it hang when daytime temperatures get up to 80.

Last Sunday, Kev, Andy and I went to the farm to hang up another tree stand and to scout for deer. That's Andy, up in his tree stand. He's a handsome lad...all black and all...

I took the camera along, hoping to see some Monarch Butterflies. Last year, when we ran out there with Mom and Dad, the cedar trees were full of Monarchs...and there I was, without a camera. There weren't as many butterflies this year--either I missed the peak period, or there just weren't as many Monarch due to the heat and the drought. But, I managed to get a few pictures of uncooperative butterflies. The one above is the best shot. I just held the camera up above my head and had the zoom on max and prayed that I got a shot!

You can see a slight hint of orange in this one. If you look in just the right spot...I told you they wouldn't pose!

Just the shape of the wings here. Let me tell you, it's hard taking pictures of Monarchs when you just have a point and click camera and your subject doesn't cooperate at all!

We also saw a Tarantula. Seeing him made me wonder if the farmers were drilling wheat yet. Around here, it's time to drill wheat when you see the Tarantula's migrate. My fella wasn't migrating--he was just hanging around. And yesterday, we saw several guys drilling wheat. Which proves you need to listen to those old "wives tales!"

Other wildlife we saw included our resident doe with 2 fawns and a gecko. I hoped we'd find a horny toad, but no such luck. Maybe next spring...

Two posts in two days...I'm on a roll!

The Cattle Drive

2011-09-20T09:51:00.005-05:00

We were able to go see the Kansas Sesquicentennial Cattle Drive as it traveled through Ellinwood on Saturday. Fortunately, the heat wave had broken around the first of the month, so the trip was much easier on the cattle, horses and cowboys. Steve had a great time and said he loved every minute of the trip. They were fed very well, eating steaks for supper and having nice big breakfasts.

We viewed the drive at the north end of town, just before the headed out to their pasture/bedding area for the night. We were about 3 blocks from Steve's house, so it was a nice walk to and from the "viewing."
Steve spent most of the trip at the head of the herd. Probably because he learned long ago that the back of the herd is the dirtiest place to be. The big longhorn to the left is their lead steer. The rest just mosey along behind the head guy. He's the only one who's supposed to know where he's going. Steve is on the right, here in the front.

Of course when his sister wanted him to look at her, he looked the other way. Typical, he has NEVER done what I've wanted him to do.

The cattle came through in three smaller bunches. They tend to break up that way naturally. They also were very interested in the nice green grass and the water in the ditches...

Yep, these guys had to stop for a drink. And after a drink...

They had to return a little "old" water in thanks. (My mother told me that I'm probably the only person on earth who would take a picture of cattle pee...)

After they headed out of town, the locals came back to put their horses away. Steve stopped by the house first--to visit.

We chatted some, but he couldn't stay long. There was also a ranch rodeo, and he was running the chutes. Dad and Mom stayed for that, but Kev, Andy and I came on home. We had chores to do. Steve did share some stories about the trip as we watched his horse mow his lawn and break off a sprinkler head.

Some quick facts he shared:

They had 200 head of longhorns for most of the trip. A few days before, they picked up another 200 head, so 400 head came through Ellinwood.

The cattle walk at 3 mph.

They averaged about 15-20 miles a day.

They usually started fairly early, but stopped each day around 2-3 in the afternoon. So, yes, it was a nice leisurely pace.

Most of the trip was along county roads, but Steve said there would be people stopped at every intersection--just to watch.

I think he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I've seen cattle "drives" before, as Dad and other ranchers would move cattle from one pasture to another. But this will probably be the only time I see a drive that re-enacts a big part of Kansas history. Let's face it, by the time Kansas celebrates its bicentennial...I'll be 97! While I plan on still being around then...I don't think I'll be out watching a cattle drive!

A Kansas Cattle Drive

2011-09-07T10:15:00.003-05:00

This post is not about me or my kids...

Check out this link: http://www.kansascattledrive2011.com

This year is the 150th anniversary of Kansas's statehood. And to commemorate it, there's a cattle drive from Caldwell, Ks up to Ellsworth, Ks. And my baby brother, Steve is on the drive. If you check out the photos, he's a part of the Ellinwood bunch.

He's one of the crew that will be on the trail for 3 weeks--the time it will take to travel the entire way. Thankfully, the weather is cooperating. Instead of temps of 100+, this week, they are working in 80 degree temperatures. Much easier on the cowboys and the cattle.

For this cattle drive, Steve had to adapt his wardrobe. He normally wears shirts that snap, but to be historical accurate, the organizers have required all cowboys to wear shirts with buttons. And their bedrolls couldn't be nylon sleeping bags, but had to be cotton or canvas. Other than those two details, I think Steve was all set.

We're hoping to drive over to "watch" them drive through one of the towns on their route.

Be sure to check that link above. They'll have lots of photos and details of the trip.

I'm rather proud of old Steve...he's following in the footsteps of his Great Grandfather, Harvey by going on a long cattle drive. I hope he brings home lots of cool stories.

I'll close with this link, it's to a video that was broadcast on one of the local TV stations:http://www.kwch.com/videobeta/4eebdc80-eedd-4307-a627-6eefa1d9160c/New

53

2011-09-02T09:27:00.002-05:00

September...the end of summer...

We're at day 53 of over 100 degrees.

Record breaking summer. 53 days over 100 broke the record of 50. Average summer temperature? 98 degrees. Making this the hottest summer on record.

Normal rainfall is 25 inches. Amount received this year? 6 inches.

I'm ready for fall...and rain.

Water and electricity

2011-08-29T09:11:00.002-05:00

When you live in the country, there are two things you think about having...and NOT having.

Power and Water.

Growing up and living my entire life on the Great Plains, I'm used to being aware of the importance of both power and water. We lost power on a frequent enough basis that we kids used to joke that the power would go out any time a cow peed near a power pole.

And there are a lot of cattle--and a fair number of power lines in SW KS!

Even today, the power will flicker, flash off and come back on fairly often. If we have a bad storm, the power can go off. Blizzards, thunderstorms, straight line winds; all can and do take out the power. I am prepared for the power to go out. I have lamps, we can keep warm, and usually, we have water available. So, a power outage is inconvenient, but not a big deal.

But when you well goes out...that's another story.

I don't have backup plans. I don't cope as well without water when I do have power. I worry more about the well and the water situation more. Maybe that's because I know that the maintenance of the well is OUR responsibility. The electricity? That's someone elses problem. They have to worry about the logistics of getting it back on. But water? That's all on us.
And since I don't know how domestic wells are set up...it's a big worry for me.

With the drought going on and on , Kev and I have discussed our water situation. We've worried about running out of water. We worry because we don't have a clue as to how deep the well is, how much water is in it, or how old it is. No one could tell us any of this information when we bought the house. We've been running on faith with it. Faith that it's nice and deep. Faith that we have plenty of water. Faith that the well will run. Faith that we'll conserve and use our water wisely. Water is not an endless commodity out here and we try to be responsible users.

Friday afternoon, around 4, Andy called with news that no one wants to hear when it's 106 and dry..."Mom, there's no water."

I hoped that perhaps, with the demands on the electrical system, that we'd just blown a fuse. So, I told him to hang on, and we'd (meaning Kev) would look at it when we got home--around 8 p.m. because Miss Kat had a Volleyball scrimmage.

Once we got home, Kev went out and checked the breakers and flipped them off and on. Still no water. At 9, I decided to go back to bed and read for a while. As I walked by Andy's bathroom, I stepped in a wet spot.

What? I assumed that one of the dogs had been laying there licking themselves or maybe it was blood. (Emily, the lab. had scratched her neck raw earlier that day and it was still a mess.) So, I flipped on the light and discovered water. Looking in Andy's bathroom, I saw the sink full of water and water was running over onto the floor. The bathroom was flooded and, water even dripped through the floor down into the garage.

While I was glad to see we had water...I wasn't prepared for the mess. Apparently, Andy had tried the faucet in his bathroom and didn't get it turned off. We're guessing that Kev must have restarted the pump when he flipped the breakers and it just took a while for the water to fill the pressure tank and then come inside the house.

So, we cleaned up the mess, put fans out to dry out the carpet and the garage, and went to bed.

All was normal again until...Sunday at lunch time. I was fixing lunch, went to turn on the water...

And nothing.

No water again. And, of course, it was 106...again.

I'd done 2 loads of laundry and had Kat's clothes in the washer. I immediately shut off the washer, and we waited, hoping it would "fix itself" like it did Friday night.

By 4:30, Kat had given up on waiting. So we loaded up her laundry and drove to my Mom's to use her washer. While there, Dad gave me the name of a Well Guy he really likes. Dad even thought he'd come on a Sunday--when most Well guys won't. I Kev with the number.

In the meantime, Dad decided he'd call the Well guy himself. But, fortunately, Kev had just called him. (And of course the well guy told Dad, "Hell NO!" he wouldn't come see us if we were related to him. All good natured teasing...)

Kat and I finished up her laundry and headed home. By this time, it was around 7. We pulled into our house at 8.

Kev told me that the Well Guy had just left and that he'd have to come back tomorrow because he'd have to check out our pump.

Ugg. A new pump would be $1500 or more. But...we need water. So, I asked Kev if he looked at the well and if he could tell how much water was in there, or if it was dry. Kev looked at me and just walked over to the sink and turned it on.

WATER! We had water!

And then he laughed--at me--cause once again...he was a BIG FAT LIAR.

The Well Guy had fixed it. Our pressure regulator was fried. Deader than dead. It was an electrical issue--not a water issue.

And MY idiot husband led me on, let me worry about having to pay a $1500 to $3000 bill. Let me worry about not having water. Let me worry about how I was going to water my chickens. Letting me worry knowing that it was fixed.

Jerk.

But, once his joke was over and done...Kev said that the Well Guytold him that he's replaced over 300 regulators this summer. We're all putting demands on our wells that they aren't used to having, and aren't set up to handle. We also learned that several families have had to dig new wells, or deeper wells because theirs have gone dry. This drought is serious folks. It's very serious.

We avoided a major personal disaster this time, but I still can't help but worry about the availability of water now and in the future.

Mountain views

2011-08-26T11:07:00.002-05:00

Our favorite vacation spot is in the Routt National Forest, North of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We've gone there at least 6 times over the past 16 years. This year, it was so wet there. Wetter than we've ever seen it! And the greeen-ness was such a contrast from our drought ridden plains. It did rain 3 days while we were there--and not one of us complained about the rain!
We took Kev's folk's camper this year. They have a 5th wheel and since the kids are getting bigger, we thought it might have more space. It did. Besides, we might want to upgrade someday. We do all our cooking over the campfire and basically use the camper for bedrooms. But, believe me, dry and warm bedrooms are very nice!

I've included a few pictures of the scenery below. This is a shot of the Elk River. The guys like to drive down the mountain to fish for Rainbow Trout in the Elk River at least one day per trip. I like to go along and sit by the water, enjoying the view and the sound of the water rushing by.

This is a shot of Miss Kat on top of "our" mountain. This is the first time we've ventured this high, as the hike is long--probably 5 miles straight up. No kidding, the trail gets very steep up above the Elkhorn Mine. We've make it to the mine annually, but this time, with the 4-wheelers, we went to the top.

Whiskey Creek is "our" creek. We love camping so close to it that we can hear it throughout the night. There's nothing better than falling asleep to the sound of running water.

This is a view we took looking North from the top of the mountain. You could see forever!

I'm not sure how many more times we'll get to go to the forest. Our kids are old enough to have their own summer plans and commitments and the big "boys" have already eliminated some of their more difficult hikes because they can't physically do it anymore (Lynn's hips just don't like that angled 7 mile walks anymore.) Even if we never make it back up there, this small part of Colorado will always have a special place in all our hearts and memories.

Boys and their toys...

2011-08-25T10:07:00.002-05:00

We went on our "semi-annual" vacation the end of July. (And I can't believe that was almost a month ago...already...sigh...) This year, Andy didn't go because he's 20 now and he had to work. Which was disappointing, but at the same time, it was a relief because he kept the dogs at home and he could take care of the chickens and rabbits. With the summer we've had, we just couldn't go on vacation without knowing they were being taken care of.

Steve, my brother, also couldn't go--because he's going to use his vacation time to re-enact a cattle trail drive from the Oklahoma border up to Ellsworth, Kansas next month. But, Steve's boys were eager to go back to the Mountains, so we let them join us. My "Other" husband, Lynn Dale, of course went along. It's just a given...if we go to the Mountains, Lynn goes along.

This year, we did some finagling and took our 4-wheeler along with Lynn's. And while they weren't a necessity, they sure were nice to have along. I ran down from camp to Whiskey Creek to check on the fishermen one afternoon, and the kids enjoyed riding them all over the place--on the main roads. They weren't allowed to go off-road alone.

But the people who enjoyed the 4-wheelers the most were the BIG boys...Kev and Lynn.

In this shot, Lynn is "stuck" in the creek and "afraid" he'll be washed away--downstream.

Right... Yep, he's obviously in no real danger...

However, it gave the "boys" time to play with the winch that Kev had just installed on our 4-wheeler.

Here's Austin hooking it to Lynn's machine so Kevin could pull him out.

And, Kat and Kev had do "drive down" and save Lynn...with the winch.

Later this same day, Kevin, Lynn Dale, Miss Kat, and Austin decided to check out one of the 4-wheeler trails in Whiskey Park.

FOUR hours later (about 4:00), Cody asked me if we should go check on them. And, then he asked what we'd do if they didn't come back. He was getting worried (and maybe feeling a little left out.) I finally told him that if they weren't back by dark, we'd go get some help. I knew which trail they headed up, but none of us had any idea what it was like once you went out of sight.

Around 6 p.m., they made it back. Finally. In one piece, but full of stories of their adventures. Apparently, the trail degenerated the farther up you went. Very narrow, very steep, and very rough/rugged. I heard stories of them being on two wheels, and climbing boulders and about Lynn sliding off the trail and scaring Kev, thinking he was going to roll the 4-wheeler down the mountain. I heard about areas where they made the kids get off the 4-wheelers--just in case...

NOT something a sensible, and cautious Wife and Mother wants to hear. Seriously, they game me new gray hairs just listening!

And you know what?

They thought it was a fantastic trip! They thought it was great fun and a wild adventure.

Miss Kat wasn't as impressed. She told me later that she wasn't sure they'd ever find their way back--or come out alive!

That's my girl!

The entire trip just proved to me that Boys are boys--at any age, 14 or 50. The only difference is the size of their toys. And at any age...boys just look for trouble, or danger...

teenagers

2011-08-24T16:25:00.003-05:00

THIS is what happens when your darling daughter plays with your new camera...

The boys are my nephews, Austin and Cody. Cody is in the brown shirt, Austin is in the yellow. The creature in gray is Miss Kat...

Evidently, there's a setting on the camera that does this kind of layout.

No, I don't know how to do it.

Obviously I'll have to ask Miss Kat for lessons on using my camera...

Doors

2011-08-24T16:02:00.002-05:00

I was gently reminded that I haven't blogged for almost a month. I say "gently" reminded, but it really was a not-so-subtle comment about the lack of posts on my part from my Mother. I think my MIL has also made a slightly more subtle comment about the same thing...

You've got to appease the senior women in your life...so...here we go :)

There's a new Menard's store that recently opened in Wichita. And, since Kev and I are "Home Improvement Store Junkies," we just had to check it out. And we had so much fun! We decided that Menard's is our new favorite Home Improvement store. We found so many things we liked there...it's a dangerous place.

So dangerous that we walked out with new laminate flooring, a new front door, and we ordered new garage doors.

Kev installed them himself.

One thing that we didn't do was order garage doors with a window. That would have been an additional $300 per door and we're cheap. While we'd both love having natural light in the garage...we just couldn't make ourselves pay that much more--especially after dropping a bundle on the flooring and the new front door.

The front door had to be painted. We could have forked out more money and gotten one pre-painted, but, like I said...we're cheap. I am happy with the door, but the installation wasn't as easy or straight forward as I hoped it would be. Kev was a wee bit crabby by the time he got the door installed and level, plumb and working.

The flooring is now residing in the garage, awaiting a time when we rip out the basement carpet and lay it. Kev says that project will wait until after he moves the stairs...so I'm guessing we'll wind up using the flooring somewhere else, cause I am not convinced that he will ever move the stairs...and I'm not sure I want him to move the stairs cause he has a tendency to n.e.v.e.r finish a "big" project.

So the flooring might wait a while. But, the new doors are great. The garage door's seal--making the garage toad and snake proof. (Yes, we've hosted both.) AND, the electric garage door works! It had stopped lifting the old crappy doors a couple of years ago. And it's so much quieter--something Miss Kat will appreciate this winter when we leave at 5 a.m. every morning.

Isn't it amazing how something so simple as new doors makes life just a little bit nicer...

Too hot to butcher

2011-07-27T13:09:00.004-05:00

If it wasn't 108 outside, I'd butcher a few of these guys and gals... Mainly because...the young-ins have started laying! Whoo hoo! This week, I've gathered 4 pullet eggs. They are a little small, but they're layin'!

The older girls just have quit. Out of 15 hens, I've been getting 2-3 eggs a day. Well, I was until it got so dang blamed hot. They've given up almost completely on laying. But now, the young gals, who can tolerate the heat slightly better--or are too young and dumb to know that they can "shut her down" during the heat--are laying.

Which means that I'll soon need to cull the flock.

I was ready to cull last night...those "free" seven roosters who came with my 25 pullets this past spring are really making me mad. They're horny. They're aggressive. They pick on one poor rooster all the time. They're horny. They won't leave the hens alone, and, did I mention that they are horny?

I've had enough of their shenanigans and am willing to butcher, but it's just too hot.

The light birds are my 3 year old hens. The darker ones are the youngsters. That big guy in the middle is the King. He has 2 inch spurs and does try to keep those other young whipper-snappers in line, but he's just one guy and has decided that it's too hot to chase the boys around. Just call him "Rosco P. Coltrain." He's doin' his best, but the odds are against him! He's not getting culled cause he's the nicest Rooster I've ever had. He's begging me to do something about those delinquents...I will, I will...

Just not till it cools down...like November.

Dry

2011-07-25T08:54:00.003-05:00

It's been a record dry summer here in Southwest Kansas. In fact, it's dryer than it was in the depression. We're in what the weather experts call an "exceptional drought."

We've had less than 10 inches of rain in the past year and there's not much in sight. We've also been hammered with 30 days of 100 degree temperatures. And, again, no relief in sight. The grass crunches as you walk across it. Weeds aren't growing...neither is anything else.

This picture is of our grapes. They are green and loaded. They are also watered by a drip system. Hopefully, we'll get grapes, cause nothing else in the garden is doing well. This is our corn. By now, it should be 6 feet tall and full of ears of corn. Instead, it's 2 feet tall, some is 3 feet tall. It has ears of corn on it, but there aren't any kernels and it's burning up. And, we water daily. Kev has a drip system set up, but it's too hot and dry.

Look across those pastures--no green.

We've been watering the trees at our place, trying to keep them alive. All are young trees and we hate to lose any. But, in this photo, you can see how the buffalo grass greens up with a little bit of water. That that hasn't been watered is brown. You can track our sprinkler through the yard.

Kevin and Andy actually mowed last week...spot mowing. They only mowed the weeds that had been "watered." Mowing usually takes 1/2 a day. This time, it took an hour. Yep, it's dry.

So, if you are so inclined, please pray that it rains in SW Kansas. We really need it.

In my freezer...

2011-07-14T15:10:00.002-05:00

In the freezer, you will find packages that look like this... Or this...

And then there's this...

And sometimes you'll get a little love...

The freezer is just full of specially labeled meats that you'll never find in your grocer's freezer!

(I take credit only for the bacon wrapping. The rest were labeled by Miss Kat...in this instance, the apple didn't fall far from the tree...)

Harvey Lewis Woodruff

2011-07-11T08:23:00.003-05:00

Below is the obituary of my Great Grandfather, Harvey Lewis Woodruff. I hope you can click on the image and read it. It's a pretty nice obit. Harvey led a pretty exciting life and I sure would enjoy visiting with him. I'd ask lots of questions about the things he did and the choices he made.

Harvey was born in Ohio to Henry Madison Woodruff and Adaline Law Woodruff. He was the oldest child of three. One of the stories Harvey shared with his children that's been passed down to the rest of us is that of seeing President Abraham Lincoln's body as it was returned to Illinois for burial. Since Harvey was only 9, his mother lifted him up so he could view the body. Harvey remembered one of the guards telling his mother to move along, as they had many who wanted to view the body. (My Dad can tell you exactly what the soldier said, because Harvey remembered it and quoted it for his children. I need to get that written down someday.)

Harvey's mother died a couple of years later. Her obituary is rather flowery and very "Victorian" in nature. But her death affected Harvey greatly. In fact, he saved a piece of her shroud, veil and lace that she was buried with. I have them all including the deed to her burial plot. Now, Harvey remembered that his mother died with a baby--I'm assuming a newborn. However, the obit doesn't mention a baby. All it says is that she died of consumption.

After the death of his Mother, Harvey's father migrated to Kansas arriving in 1868 and settling in LaCygne, KS. With the small family was a new mother. According to family legend, Harvey didn't appreciate his new mother, and ran away in 1870; going to Texas to live with his Mother's brother, Homer C. Law. Over the next 20 years, Harvey did a lot of living.

Harvey became a Cowboy, and drove cattle from Texas into Kansas and eventually up to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Supposedly, after one cattle drive to Wyoming, Harvey was traveling back south on a stage. The stage was also providing transportation for a black man, who was relegated to riding in the boot--the luggage area of the stagecoach. They happened to pass a group of Indians who had just killed a buffalo (or beef) and were butchering it near the road. Apparently, the women were cleaning out the intestines with their teeth. After viewing this, the black man said, "You white folks don't like us black folk, but you'll never see us do anything like that." At that point, the stage driver stopped the stage, kicked the black man off and drove off, leaving him behind.

Harvey was a gambler, gambling in Dodge City during it's rough and rowdy days. Apparently while gambling, he boarded with a local Mexican family who had a daughter named Juanita. Harvey liked the name so well that he eventually named his youngest daughter, Juanita. I've been told that Harvey stopped gambling because he felt guilty--taking away the Cowboys hard earned cash.

Being a gambler, he and his little brother, Homer, left for the Colorado mines. They mined for gold and silver both and failed. Well, that's not true...we still have a couple pieces of silver ore that he brought home. Fist sized rocks with little sparkles of silver in them--nothing to brag about, except they are pretty rocks! Harvey came back to Kansas, leaving Homer in Colorado.

Actually, Harvey didn't come to Kansas...he "homesteaded" a little "soon" in the Oklahoma panhandle before it was open to settlement. He was in Beaver County, Oklahoma in 1891 when he went back to LaCygne to marry. Even getting to the wedding was an event! Harvey had to cross the Cimarron River to catch the train in Englewood for the ride back to Eastern Kansas. Unfortunately, it had rained and the river was flooded. Not letting a little water hold him back, Harvey disrobed and carried his clothes over his head, and swam across the river, arriving in time to catch the train and get home in time for the wedding.
He and Mary, his bride, then came back to Oklahoma, moved back east to Illinois for a short time, and then came back to Meade County, Kansas where he finally stayed and raised his family. Harvey was 35 at the time of his marriage. While life settled down--somewhat, he still had his share of adventures.

For example, there was a fencing dispute between Harvey and some of his neighbors. Harvey would build fence, and the neighbors (who herded their cattle on the open range) would cut the wire. It got so bad, that Mary was afraid the neighbors would shoot and kill Harvey. However, she had gumption (she had to, look at who she married!) Mary stated that if the neighbors killed Harvey, they'd find her out there, building fence, carrying a pistol.

Harvey lived until 1937. He truly saw the development of the west and played a part in much of it...just an ordinary man living life to the fullest. Yes, I would very much like to sit on the porch with him, ask questions, and listen to his stories. He must have been quite a guy.

(In the photo above...back row, left to right, Horace Dale Woodruff (my Grandad), Hurley Henry Harvey, and Harry Eugene. Front row, left to right, Harvey Lewis, Juanita, and Mary Armstrong Woodruff.)

i'm so bad...

2011-07-04T10:16:00.003-05:00

I have to apologize for not blogging for an entire month! That's bad. It's not that nothing has happened, I just haven't taken time to blog. So, for a quick update...

1. It's dry here in SW Kansas...we're at least 10 inches of rain below average, and it looks it. The pastures have never greened up. Grass crunches as you walk across it. Kevin has mowed twice all summer. Our garden just doesn't look good.

2. The garden doesn't look good partly because we've got a mole who ate my peanuts and half of everything else. The corn is 2 feet high, has tasseled, and has set on ears...I'm guessing it's the shortest corn on record. Pitiful... we didn't get to eat any lettuce or broccoli. Three beets came up. Three head of cabbage...my onions are there, but aren't doing anything. The potato's are looking good as are the tomatoes, but we haven't enjoyed any yet.

3. Miss Kat has her learners permit for driving. We're trying to get her all her hours in this summer so she can get her farm permit and drive herself to school and volleyball practice. Of course, she thinks that she is a much better driver than she is...and her "instructors", otherwise known as her parents, are just not that smart.

4. Andy moved home. It's interesting having him back home...he was here less than 24 hours when the fighting started.

5. Work has been going well, I've had every Friday off and have only managed to use 8 of my 22 vacation days (which had to be used by July 1.) Now that it is July...I have 34 vacations to use before next July 1.

6. Our camera died. (which might have something to do with the lack of blogging.)

7. I've done a little genealogy research on my Great Grandfather, Harvey Lewis Woodruff. Harvey did it all...he ran away from home at the age of 13 or 14, was a cowboy on the cattle trails, had a silver mine and tried mining for gold in Colorado. He gambled in Dodge City and then was a "Sooner" in the Oklahoma panhandle before finally settling down, getting married, and moving to the Farm. Sometime, hopefully soon, I'll post about Harvey. promise.

8. It's been hot, hot, hot here. We've had over 10 days of over-100-degree days in June! Hot and dry. In fact, it's so dry that fireworks have been banned. And it's so hot that no one wants to be outside after noon.

9. let's see...I've painted Andy's room, Miss Kat's old room (the pink and green one) and our new front door. There are now only two rooms in this house that need painting; the "office/bedroom, and Miss Kat's bathroom.)

10. I spent a day and a half tiling my brother Steve's bathroom. It's been an ongoing project for well over 2 years now. Steve is a great Cowboy, but he sucks and home improvement/handyman stuff. But, his bathroom is finally done. (If he gets the mop boards up and the trim back up around the door.)

11. I've started stitching 2 baby pictures for the newest additions to the family...Amelia and Caroline. Being twins, they will get the same picture, but to make them different, i scanned the pattern and flipped it, so they'll be the same...and yet unique.

12. We've been out to the farm a few times. We've cut more trees down, watered our blueberries (which are still alive, and green, but they aren't growing very fast.) and tried out a chipper. We're not keeping this chipper and will keep looking for one, but we had fun! Yesterday, we took Miss Kat driving...to the farm. While there, I found a young porcupine. Since Dad has requested that we shoot any we find, Kev obliged. (Porcupines will throw quills at horses and cattle. Cattle can't eat with quills in their noses, which is why Dad would like them "controlled.")

Looking at all this, it looks like I've been busy! I have, but I promise, I'll not be so delinquent next time. Heck, I just might buy myself a new camera and get some pictures taken for more posts...stay tuned!

A weekend at the farm

2011-05-31T13:58:00.003-05:00

Kev and I spent the weekend at the farm--just the two of us. It was a working weekend, we cut down a lot of cedar trees--big and little. I know we cut 18 big trees down, but we also took some hedge clippers around and cut down trees that were smaller than 2" in diameter. We didn't count those, but I'm guessing we cut down 100 or so little weeds...I mean trees. They are an invasive species here, so getting them out will help the other trees, grass, native wildlife and the water level in the creek.

While we worked, we commented repeatedly to each other about how much we both love the farm. It's been a part of my life forever, but to have Kev love and appreciate it as well means a great deal to me...more than I could ever express. My heart just swells when he'll talk about the farm, or when he mentions how we'll hopefully live there...someday, or that all our hard sweaty work is worth it because we're making it our home. Knowing it's our dream and not just mine is special.

I have so many childhood memories of the farm that I sometimes forget that many of my cousins feel the same way about it. I was enlightened this weekend, as one of my cousin's had a nut fry and we were invited. Upon learning that Kev and I were camping out at the farm, they all mentioned how much they loved going out there, taking their children and grandchildren out to just walk around, look around, sometimes camp, and remember.

Since Steve (my brother) and I were amongst the youngest grandchildren, our memories are probably insignificant compared to those of many of our cousins. After all, they were adults or almost adults when the Tornado took the farmhouse. Steve and I were 8 and 9. I shouldn't be surprised that the farm means so much to all of us...but I am...somewhat...

I'm sitting here, trying to decide why the farm is so important to us all. For we Woodruff kids, some is probably our memories of being there with Grandma and Grandad. But for our spouses to appreciate and love it just as much tells me that there's something special about the place that just tugs at the heartstrings and brings a sense of peace and belonging to the soul.

I think that sense of belonging is what hit home for Kev and I this weekend. We awoke each morning at the farm content, happy and at home. Nothing is better than that.

Spring Turkey Season

2011-05-24T14:31:00.003-05:00

On Saturday morning, I crawled out of bed bright and early...at 4:30 a.m. Kev and I quickly dressed, and were out the door before 5. We needed to be at the farm before 6 a.m. to try to get a turkey. We'd gone hunting 3 weeks ago, and took a couple of Kev's co-workers who were first time turkey hunters. R got a nice Jake (an immature Tom), but C didn't get one. They couldn't go with us this time, so it was just Kev, with his bow, and me with the shotgun.

We heard two Tom's gobble upon our arrival at the farm, so we quickly settled in to wait and call one in. But they only gobbled a few more times and were moving away from us. We never saw them or any hens. We gave up around 8:30 and decided to move on to our other activities for the day.

Our intent was to cut down some more cedar trees, to check on our blueberry seedlings and just spend the day screwing around at the farm, enjoying the day. We checked the neglected blueberries, and happily discovered them to be still alive and even growing!

After messing with the blueberries, we decided to drive further back in the pasture to cut down more trees. Kev took the pickup, and I followed on the 4 wheeler. We pulled past the shelter belt and he cut the engine and jumped out of the pickup. I turned off the 4 wheeler and he motioned me down, and waved me forward. He'd seen turkeys.

We stealthily scrambled up the hill to a cedar tree and from there, we saw several hens and 2 mature Toms. They were headed west, away from us. Using the cedars for cover, we attempted to see where they were going and tried to call them back to us. The Toms weren't interested in Kev's call. After all, they were sharing at least 10 hens...who needed one more?

We followed them and watched them as they were feeding in the adjacent pasture. After a few minutes, we noticed them coming back! So, we ducked into the shelter belt and ran back toward the creek. It was warming up and we decided that they would probably be heading for the shelter of the trees along the creek. After some strategizing, we decided to run across a clearing to a big elm tree that sat in the middle of the clearing.

And I mean run.

This fat 47 year old woman can still run...while carrying a shotgun, wearing her cowboy boots and not fall down. I wasn't even breathing hard upon arrival!

However, once at the elm tree, we decided to go ahead and cross the rest of the clearing to the creek and sit where we'd have a view of the hill and draw they were following back toward us. So we ran some more.

We got settled amongst the cedar trees and waited. We didn't have long to wait, less than five mintues later, 5 hens soon appeared over the hill. And right behind them were the two Toms. I had the gun up, fired, and Tom hit the ground--hard.

Kev ran over to him first. He was so excited. He looked the bird over, and did all that man stuff and decided to step off how far of a shot it was. We were guessing 40 yards, but the birds were up higher than we were, so they were actually 50 yards away--which really is just about the maximum range.

Tom weighed 20 lbs, had a 9 and 4/8's beard (yes, that's actually 1/2 inch, but when measuring turkey beards, you go by the 1/8 inch.) His spurs were 1 inch long.

Here's the funny aspect of our hunt. When we were in KC, at Cabela's, we bought a video camera that you can attach to your bow, or gun, or on the bill of your hat. Kev thought he turned it on to film the kill...but instead, he already had it on, so when we actually were shooting...the camera was off. If I was masochist, I could post the video of us walking and stalking those birds, and you could watch me run across the clearing and through the tree row...but I'm not going to do that to you.

So...I got my bird. Which changed our plans for the day. We never did cut down any trees, and we didn't end up staying all day. Instead, we drove to Mom's, got some ice, had a picnic lunch, and drove home where I helped Andy paint his new bedroom. (He moved back home on Sunday.)

We invited Mom and Dad up to feast on the bird on Sunday. He was a nice fat boy and the meat was moist and tender. We've learned that it just tastes better to eat the turkey immediately instead of putting him in the freezer until the holidays. So, we ate him.

Season doesn't end until May 31. We might go back out to see if Kev can get one with his bow. Then again, we might not. However, my Turkey season is over...until next spring.

Big City people

2011-05-09T08:56:00.003-05:00

Kevin and I played "Country Mouse" this weekend, and went to the big city. Kansas City. Actually, we were never in KC proper, but spent most of our time in Overland Park.

Kev had a special continuing ed workshop to go to and he asked me to go along to navigate and to go to Cabela's with him. We left from work at noon on Friday. We drove up along Highway 50 which is a route we've never taken before. We were rolling along quite nicely until we were 3 miles southwest of Ottawa.

We had a flat.

On the Interstate.

We managed to put on the small spare and stopped at the Walmart store in Ottawa. (And God Bless Walmart for building near Interstate Highways, and for having tire shops.) We thought it was just a leak, but discovered that the tire had a split in it. No idea what we hit, but we must have run over something that destroyed our tire. Kevin was not happy with the tire situation. In fact, he muttered and grumbled about it for quite a while. Lord, did he ever gripe and complain!

We made it to our hotel without any further mishaps. We navigated our way without once getting turned around or lost, or on the wrong street. I was proud of us because we neither one had been anywhere in the KC area. We've driven through it, on I-70, but we've never spent any time there. We got directions to a fantastic seafood restaurant, Bristol, which is in the Town Center area. The food was great, and it cost more than we are used to spending on a meal, but it was a nice experience.

Saturday, Kev had his class. I took my time getting around that morning, went for a walk, and then drove to Town Center to do some shopping. I didn't buy anything because the stores there weren't really what I was looking for, but I enjoyed walking around and spending an hour in Barnes & Noble.

Kev's class was over around 5. We hopped into the car and headed north to Cabela's. But, I forgot my map. I remembered enough from the map, that we found it without any problem. Kev only had to do one U-turn, and he didn't gripe about my navigation skills very long.

We had a great time in Cabela's looking around at things, buying things that weren't on our list, not buying things that were on our list... We also enjoyed looking at the exhibits. They have an excellent Mule Deer exhibit of trophy deer. We spent quite a bit of time looking through the exhibits. They are almost as much fun as shopping!

We got back to the hotel around 9:30 p.m. Navigating back south was a little trickier than our trip north. We knew we had to get off at exit 6A, but which lane proved to be a little challenging to Kev. I navigated correctly, but he says that I didn't give him enough information...whatever. Thankfully, there wasn't much traffic, so we didn't cause any accidents or harm to anyone getting into the correct lane for the correct exit.

I think it was at this point that we both agreed that we are much better off living out in the boonies where there isn't any traffic...or people.

We made good time coming home. We made a quick stop in Wichita at Tractor Supply where I bought myself a pair of Fat Babies boots. Kev found a gun safe he wanted, but it wouldn't fit into the car...so we didn't get it. (I tried tho, I tried to get him to go back and get it. Stubborn man...)

We got home safely and were glad to be back in our own little world. WE enjoyed our short trip to the city, but like Dorothy, we know there's no place like home.

Spring projects

2011-04-20T11:23:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy time at our house lately. We've spent hours getting Miss Kat to look like this:
She was asked to Prom by a Junior boy. Shopping for the dress was...interesting...especially since Miss Kat likes to shop and I detest shopping. But, she looked beautiful and had a great time at her first prom, her first after-prom and her first after-after-prom.

The babies are growing. I've started weaning them so they can hopefully go home soon.

Kev and I have started cutting down cedar trees out at the farm. They've taken over the creek and are considered an invasive species. We cut down more than a dozen trees one Sunday afternoon and it didn't even make a dent in what needs to come out. I think it will take us a good 30 years to rid the farm of all the cedar trees.

BUT...Kev did figure out a use for some of them:

It's a new grape arbor for my grapevines. I think I could set a bench out there during the summer months and just enjoy the view as well.

Here's what he did for the top:

A closer view of the sidewalls, including grapevines:

He's just a clever guy. I think I'll keep him around for a while. After all, we have a lot of cedar trees to cut down and use somewhere!

Sage Green

2011-03-25T08:22:00.004-05:00

I've always been very good at putting colors together. Such as paint colors. Over the many years that I've decorated various houses and painted rooms, I've been happy with just about everything...until this house. I have always wanted a room that was painted a pretty sage green. I attempted a nice sage-y color for my kitchen, but it's much brighter than sage. But, I liked the color, so left it.

Last year, I painted our room another "sage-y" color...and hated it. In this photo below, it looks pretty pastel and soft, but in reality, it was almost florescent. I kid you not, that room could glow in the dark. Here's another view--it's a little darker looking on this wall but isn't sage and isn't a soothing color at all.

I re-painted our bedroom last week. This time, I chose Glidden's Olive Green. I liked it, Kevin liked it too, so it was a winner. And I love it. It's much darker, but warm and very soothing.

It goes well with our furniture and our bedding. I'm much happier, and... I think I'm over Sage green.

Spring & babies

2011-03-24T08:18:00.002-05:00

It's spring and babies are abundant at our house these days...

These girls are NOT babies.
Now, these girls are babies.

25 Buff Orpington Chicks, who will someday look just like those biddies above. They arrived last Wednesday and are enjoying their nice big, new brooder that Kev made. They're also in the nice clean chicken house that got cleaned out just a few hours before they arrived. Word of advice: Don't clean out your chicken house when the wind is blowing 20-30 mph. No matter how hard you try to stay upwind, you won't, and you will have chicken "litter" in your hair, in your eyes, in your nose and even in your mouth.

Right now, I also have these precious babies.

Except they aren't so precious anymore. They are now 2 weeks old. In these pictures, they are just a week old. But now, they are bigger, they drink their bottles better and faster, and they twine themselves around my legs and feet and cry for me all the time. But they are still cute. And I'm not keeping them. They belong to some friends of mine who were a little overwhelmed with bottle babies this spring. So, they are only mine until they're weaned.

For the first few days, I kept them in the garage and took them outside when it warmed up. Emily followed them around, smelling, mothering, and being annoying--to me. I don't think she bothered the goats much.

The kids are now living in the chicken house with the chicks and chickens. The hens really don't enjoy having these energetic kids around all the time, but the kids don't mind; they enjoy chasing those old biddies!

We also have at least two cats who've had kittens. I haven't gone looking for them, but I hear them everytime I'm in the shop.

Spring and babies...they just go together.

The Hoosier, part 2

2011-03-10T16:14:00.003-06:00

Remember this? It's my Hoosier Cabinet that was my Grandma Woodruff's.

On Saturday, while Kev and I were wandering around the antique mall in Wichita, we found one exactly like mine...

Well, kinda. It didn't have the enamel top, but the original glass was intact and the tin bread drawer, but it didn't have the sugar bowl, spice rack or rolling pin rack.

But whoever had "restored" it had used the ugliest cabinet handles. They were from the '70's and were the ugliest and stupidest handles I've seen. Oh, and they'd put a new back on...1970's paneling. It was simply lovely...not.

But, we did discover the manufacturer. Klemp Furniture of Leavenworth, Kansas. I tried to research Klemp Furniture online, but struck out. But, at least I know the manufacturer.

And, as an interesting side note to Kev and I...the unit in the mall didn't have legs. So we wondered if maybe they originally didn't have legs, because Grandad had raised mine by 4 inches with 2 x 4's attached to the base. A mystery. Maybe we'll find another one--one which was restored more accurately.

If we don't find another one, at least I now know something about my beloved Hoosier.

A day trip

2011-03-07T10:16:00.003-06:00

Kevin and I took a quick trip to Wichita on Saturday. We've kind of made it a tradition to go to the Wichita Garden Show since we've moved here. Kevin is our gardener. He likes to play outside with his pond and yard and the green house and garden. Me? I like to watch him play outside, but somehow, I always get roped into helping.

Now, if I could get flowers to grow like this in our area, I would. I love ground cover with lots of color. Kev made me take pictures of every waterfall there.

The Theme for the garden competition this year was "In the movies". We saw the "Secret Garden," "Up," Mr. Miagi's Courtyard," (From "The Karate Kid"), "Avatar" and "Jurassic Park."

Guess which one he lived in. It was also the most popular exhibit there. Long lines all day long.

Kev really liked this small waterfall on this ONE rock. I told him he could probably find a rock this big to use at home, but he informed me that he'd need a bigger tractor to move a rock this big. And then, he proceeded to stop at every single tractor vendor there and look at bigger tractors. Did I mention that I have ONE payment left on our tractor?

We always have fun at the Garden Show. After we left there, we walked through Gander Mountain...and didn't buy a thing! Then, lunch at Red Lobster followed by a trip to Lowe's where I picked out some pretty new garage doors. We priced them and decided that we didn't like those garage doors after all.

Our final stop was at the local antique mall. We made it around the outside edges of the store and bought my Dad a birthday present and ourselves a small copper skillet to hang on the wall. We decided we'd have to go back because we saw a lot of cool stuff.

It was a nice day trip and it was nice to get away and just do something fun for a change. No pressure to buy anything, we didn't have anywhere we had to be, so we just saw what we wanted to see, went where we wanted to go and had a nice time...just the two of us.

Farm cat snacks

2011-03-01T10:16:00.003-06:00

Over the past few days, I've noticed the barn cats have been spending a lot of time in the chicken pen, sniffing around, going in and out, joining me in egg gathering chores, and being somewhat annoying. In fact, the yellow tom, who so affectionately twines himself around and between my legs as I walk out to the chicken pen, abandoned me upon our arrival in the hen house and parked himself on top of the old cabinet and stared at the wall.

The old cabinet is one we took down from the laundry room. Last spring, I moved it out to the chicken house hoping my broody hens would use it instead of the nesting box as a hatchery. The hens hate it and ignore it. But, it's been a handy shelf for me to store feeders and such on it; so I left it sitting on the floor.

Last night, Tom took his spot on the cabinet and again, stared behind it. I am nothing but helpful, and moved it while asking Tom, "Do you think there's a tasty mouse behind that cabinet?"

There wasn't a mouse behind the cabinet.

There was a nest of mice under the cabinet; a mouse village, home to newborn through geriatrics in one small location.

I managed not to scream, or run from the building. Instead, I yelled to Tom, "Get them, get them." And then I stepped out (while making sure no slimy mouse ran across my feet) and hollered, "Here kitty, kitty, free supper. Extra protein! Come and get it, tasty tidbits of Mice."

Four cats came running. And they had a heyday. Baby mice are a nice snack, just grab and swallow. Teenage mice are stupid, and easily caught. They're a nice size to play with as well. Older, more experienced mice make a mad dash up the walls, or across the floor. Making the hunt more fun for the cats.

Each and every hunter was rewarded with at least one mouse. Cutie came in and caught one, but took it outside and gave it to the teenage cats instead of eating it herself. Some mice the cats quickly killed and let the chickens dine on them. I like that, cats and chickens working together. Of course, the lucky hens with mice were chased around by other hens who wanted a taste...quite comical.

I did shovel out some of the babies, and I know that some of the mice successfully evaded capture. I know this because after 20 minutes of watching the massacre...I mean smorgasbord...I had to forcibly remove two cats out of the chicken house. They were stalking the grain barrel; tails twitching, but I was ready to close the restaurant and put the chickens to bed.

I'll let them back in tonight and we just might have a repeat hunt. Only tonight...I'll make sure that more cats join me and let them in the chicken house before they eat the dry catfood.

Steak

2011-02-24T08:23:00.001-06:00

It's what's for supper. Yum.

Making Bratwurst!

2011-02-15T08:32:00.002-06:00

Kim and I mixed up our seasoning for the Bratwursts on Friday night. We packaged it up in 25 lb packages; until we ran out of rosemary and nutmeg. And then, Kim re-figured the math, and discovered that I am not to be relied upon when quadrupling a recipe. Let's just say I had
oct-tupled the rosemary. But, we figured out how to fix it, and went on our merry way; mixing spices.

Those spices we added to the ground pork and mixed it all in good on Saturday, letting the flavors blend overnight before we put it all in the casings. Our meat grinder came with sausage tubes, so that's what we used.

Bob bought real hog casings from his local butcher shop. Since they come in a salt brine, we had to wash and rinse them before using. (I don't have to explain what hog casings are, do I?)

The above shot is of the Casing on the sausage tube, with Kevin filling the casing.

This one looks a little obscene...however, it's the first brat off the assembly line and the meat had escaped out the end of the casing.

These

look much better! We made 3 kinds, plain, jalapeno, and cheese brats.

Bob, showing off his nice string of sausages...and all look to be pretty close in size too!

I can assure you, they are delicious.

Tired

2011-02-14T08:56:00.004-06:00

I'm tired. We butchered 6 pigs and one goat this weekend. That was all accomplished on Saturday. Yesterday, we made bratwursts. 100 lbs of bratwursts. "Plain" ones, cheese ones and jalapeno brats. I'll post pictures later...cause I'm tired.

I would have preferred staying in bed today, but I got up and went to work...but I'm tired.

I'm also proud. Kim and Bob only brought one of their three children--Tate. Bailey and Dual had work and play practice, so they "got" to stay home. We weren't about to leave Miss Kat and Tate home alone--together--alone all day, so we made them come along to help us process our pigs.

Tate worked out in the shed with the other men while Kat stayed inside with us girls. And they worked. Tate deboned meat and got it ready for grinding for hamburger. I asked Tate what he learned out there with the guys and he replied, "What happens in the hog shed stays in the hog shed..." Which makes me wonder exactly what was said out there...

Miss Kat taped and wrapped packages of meat. Some packages she illustrated with pictures of flying pigs, pig angels, pigs withhearts and what-not. Somehow, she ended up with 5 goat shoulders--from one goat. Guess we forgot to tell her that one package is probably ribs and the other two are simply legs--not shoulders. But, still, she was a great help. And I don't even think we embarrassed her...too much... (and WE didn't have to put a "gag" order on her!)

We had great meals though. Deanna had some Taco rolls for lunch and I took enchiladas out for supper topped off with all the fixin's and finished with a pear pie and apricot pie. We went home tired but full.

This was our last butchering session of the year...I hope. Our freezers are plum full. On the other hand, we've got a year's worth--or more of good meat for our family. I might be tired, but it's a satisfying tired.

Now if I could just curl up in my office and take a nap!

A night at the auction

2011-02-08T08:25:00.005-06:00

Kev and I went to the "Small Animal" Livestock auction last night. We were shopping for pigs to butcher this weekend. Now, we have pigs already lined up, we were just hoping to get some for a cheaper price.

This was our first time at this particular auction. When we got there, they were auctioning off chickens and other poultry. We saw quail, lots of roosters, some pullets, several peacocks and even parakeets. Kevin wouldn't buy me any peacocks. The cheapskate...on the other hand, while I appreciate their beauty, I really dislike their voices. So, I'm glad he didn't buy me any. I was confused by the parakeets--there were 8 cages of them with 10 to 12 birds in each cage. I think each cage sold for $10, but why on earth would you want a that many parakeets? You can't eat them, can you?

We've been told that the local Mexican population will drive up the price on chickens--paying as much as $10 per bird. While there were a lot of Mexican folk in the stands, not many were buying and as near as I can tell...these chickens didn't go anywhere near that high...unless the bid price was per bird in the cage and not the total for the cage. I'm not sure...see, we couldn't understand the auctioneer.

I hate the auctioneer "song". Some, you can understand, some you can't. The two last night were in the can't understand category. Most good auctioneers make their starting point clear and then you can follow along as they try to get a higher bid. These guys last night mumbled something terrible and we struggled to understand what the bid exactly was. At times, we figured it out, at other times, we had no idea. And it's not like we haven't been to auctions before!

After we watched the birds sold, they auctioned off a box of...crap. Tape, gloves, two camo hats...crap. Up next were some rabbits. I have no idea what they went for; I simply couldn't figure out what the bid was. Then came some calves. The first few sold for around $200, after that, they sold for $100 or less. Calves were followed by some cow/calf duo's. But most of the cows were either Longhorns or other beef type, not milk cows although they had one who was very tame and they said she could be milked. They also threw in some newborn calves with heifers (not their mothers) which I thought was interesting. Most of those sold around $600 per pair. I tried to get Kev to buy a couple of them too, but he just sat there and pretended not to hear me.

Finally, they brought in the pigs. Two boars sold for--I think--$700 each. Then a couple of market/butcher sized pigs...but we couldn't understand the darn auctioneer to know what they were going for! We could never figure out what they sold for. Then they brought in groups of pigs--6 or 7 at at time. Most weren't big enough to butcher yet, and you had to buy the lot. Since we didn't want to be stuck with 4 pigs we couldn't butcher yet, we passed.

From there, the pigs got smaller and smaller. Feeder pigs down to pigs just a few weeks old. The little pigs sold for $10 each. If we had a pen...we'd have bought them, but we don't, so we passed. They then brought in a Pot-Bellied pig. A sow. Behind her, they brought in a dozen or more Pot-Bellied piglets. At least two of the piglets belonged to the sow who wasn't happy about being separated, and the piglets were so little they went between the bars of the pen, running straight to their mama. The sow sold for $200, but the piglets...all of them went for a grand total of $1.25. Crazy.

At that point, they moved on to goats. We didn't stay for the goat auction. Maybe because we wanted to go home, maybe because Kevin knows I have a real weakness for goats and I might have bid on some...and he didn't want any. So, we went home.

We decided that we should go again--and maybe pick up some feeder pigs and feed them out ourselves. Of course that means we need to build a pen. I'd really like to pasture raise pigs which would be easier on our land, but I'm not sure how successful that would be out here with just 2 acres of pasture, no trees and not a lot of water. The auction was fun, but it would have been better if we could have understood the auctioneer and if we could have found the pigs we wanted. Who knows...maybe next time we'll go home with a goat or two, some pigs and maybe even a cow and calf...you never know what I'll talk Kev into buying!

beef

2011-01-31T08:41:00.005-06:00

We butchered our first beef on Saturday. I took the camera to get photos to document the process, but then got busy watching the guys cut her up, and then wrapping up the meat myself, and completely forgot to take pictures!

Dad had this heifer at the ranch who broke her leg or something, and so they kept her separated, but whenever they'd try to load her on a trailer or anything she'd go berserk on them. Knowing they'd never be able to sell her, Dad asked Kevin if he'd be interested in butchering her himself. Kev was, so 3 weeks ago, they put her down and quartered the carcass. Kev then ran the quarters up to our friend Mark's house. Mark happens to have cut up a couple of beef before and he also has all the necessary equipment, so his house tends to be our butchering headquarters. We let the meat age for 3 weeks.

Now last week, as all of us in Kansas are aware, we had a warming trend. On Saturday, butchering day, the temp outside was 70. Our meat had thawed, but was still nice and cool. It really was a nice day to cut up meat. Dad came and helped Kevin and Mark cut up the meat and Deanna and I wrapped the meat. (Mom was assisting with a 90th birthday party...or so she says.)

We didn't get a final weight on how much meat we had, but I know we had well over 100 packages of hamburger. Dad took 1/2 and we got the other half. They guys figured she weighed 1400 or more pounds.

We started around 12:30 and the guys finished up their end close to 7 p.m. I thought they did a fantastic job, because cutting and trimming all that meat is a job and they are amateures. We meat wrappers are too. Our packages aren't as pretty as commercial butcher packaging is, but we don't care. Besides, Commercial packagers don't label meat "boogers" or "Buger" or "Eye of Newt steaks"!

Last night, Kev grilled T-bones. They were huge, but oh so tender and tasty. Just melted like butter in your mouth. Miss Kat and I ate one steak and Kev ate the other. So wonderful! There's nothing better than home grown and home butchered meat. I, for one am very happy to have a freezer that is full of beef and chicken. In two weeks, we'll be butchering pigs.

There's nothing better than a freezer full of meat.

Glenn's Bulk Foods

2011-01-26T09:30:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, we drove to Hutch to see Kim and Bob and their family. We hadn't seen them since sometime last fall and we were long over due a visit. One of our favorite shops to visit with Bob and Kim in the area is Glenn's Bulk Foods, just west of Hutch on Highway 50.

Glenn's caters primarily to the Amish and Mennonite populations that are prolific around that area. We like it because we like a full pantry and it's much cheaper to buy in bulk. Now, Glenn's isn't like Costco or Sam's. They only sell bulk foods--as in spices, dried fruits and veggies, pantry staples, some frozen fruits and veggies and even some locally made cheese and butter.

Our primary objective was to stock up on some spices, as we'll be butchering at least 4 pigs in February. Those spices we bought will be used for Brats and sausage. I also nabbed other spices that we use a lot of--like chile powder and poppy seeds. I got a nice big tub of poppy seeds for $3.00. It's probably double the quantity of what you buy for the same or more money at the grocery store at a much higher quality.

We also bought a four pound bag of oatmeal for $4.00, a five pound bag of blueberries for $15.00 and a 50 lb bag of Hudson Cream Flour. Hudson Cream Flour is all I use and it's a Kansas product. I paid $18.79 for 50 lbs of flour which figures out to be $.37 a pound. CHEAP.

It's funny, when I buy 25 lbs of flour at the grocery store, someone always comments that they don't do that much baking...but no one batted an eye at Glenn's. To them, it was just another typical sale.

When we got home, I discovered that I already had a 25 lb. bag of flour in the freezer. So, I now have 75 lbs of flour. Since we're getting ready to butcher beef this weekend, I knew that I needed to get my flour out of the freezer. I gathered up all my large Tupperware canisters and started filling them. I only needed 8 canisters for my 75 lbs of flour. I was very happy and surprised that I had enough bug-safe storage for all my flour. Now to find time to bake bread again!

We probably spent an hour in Glenn's looking at everything. It totally amazes me what all you can buy in bulk for your pantry. Glenn's Bulk Foods...one of my favorite stores.

Frosting on the cake

2011-01-25T08:10:00.005-06:00

I did it. It's done!

Since November, I've paid off $3000 in medical bills. I mailed the last three checks last night. How'd I do it?

Last semester, I taught a section of College Orientation. I earned some extra money for that.
I got a raise that was paid in November, but it was retroactive back to July.
Kevin has been working like crazy, earning a lot of overtime.
Kev also had maxed out his vacation time, so had to cash some in.

And every extra dime we earned went towards paying off those darn medical bills of mine. (And with Christmas and the start of a new college semester for Andy and quarterly insurance, it wasn't easy.) I stuck to my budget and to my guns and we managed to pay it all off.

I can't help but think of the other things that money could have been used for, but I need to thank the stars that it was here when we needed it. Kev's overtime hours should be ending soon, and I'm glad. While we needed that money, I like having him at home on weekends and he needs a little down time. I'm not teaching a class this semester, but I did put my name in the hat to teach some outreach classes and perhaps I'll teach again soon.

On another front, we opened a letter from the County Conservation office last night. Apparently Miss Kat won an award for a limerick she wrote last spring. We've been invited to the annual banquet for a free steak dinner where she'll receive her award. She hasn't decided if she can "fit" the banquet into her busy schedule yet, but even so, I'm proud of her...if only she could remember her limerick! I'm not biased at all, but I think she has a future as a writer--maybe even a paid writer!

Her award was just frosting on the cake.

January stitching

2011-01-20T08:12:00.003-06:00

Last night, while it was snowy and blowing and icy as all get out, I stitched by the fire, curled up in my nice blanket sitting near my favorite husband. As I sat there, I thought that I'm a very lucky girl. What is better than a nice fire, and being toasty warm, with your favorite person on a cold wintry night? Oh, and stitching!

Now, this little guy is not what I stitched on last night, this is one I finished over break. He is "EduCATed" Stitched on some scrap linen I had. The pattern suggested using Weeks floss, but I didn't have any and I was not about to invest in any just for this little 3" x 6" project. Fortunately, they gave DMC floss colors as an "alternative". I have oodles and oodles of DMC floss, so that's what I used. He's now living in my office. Framed.

In many of the stitching blogs I read, folks participate in a TUSAL (totally useless stitch along) and share pictures of jars containing thread ends and scraps. Each month, all these gals post a picture of their jar of thread scraps.

I don't participate in that stitch along, but I do have a jar by my stitching spot for ends and pieces. This is probably 6 months worth...excluding the Kleenex at the bottom...

This is what I stitched last night:

It doesn't look like much yet, but just using pretty pastel colors makes me think of spring. And these colors are nice and cheery when it's crappy outside. I started this project on Sunday. I'm using the fabric that came in the kit--Aida, 14 count. The only reason I'm resorting to the Aida fabric is because I didn't have any better fabric in my stash that was big enough for this project. I debated waiting until I could get to Hobby Lobby, but decided I'd not be wasteful and use the darned Aida. Besides, the darned old eyes are struggling even with this right now. (Never fear, I went to the Eye Dr. yesterday. And new glasses will be ordered tomorrow. The weather was crappy enough after my appointment that I didn't order glasses then, and I left my script at home today, so I'll have to order new lenses tomorrow.)

And, finally, I'll just leave you with a taste of spring...the picture of what my latest project will look like when finished.

The long awaited 2010 reading list

2011-01-13T13:59:00.004-06:00

If you aren't a reader, and don't care to see what I read over the past year, then move along! I'm a reader and I keep track of what I read each year. I also like sharing what I read with others. So, without further ado, (and without proper citation)...

America's hidden history: untold tales of the first pilgrims-- Kenneth C. Davis Who doesn't like to know more of the story--other than what we were told in school? American History is much more complex and complicated than your teacher ever told you!
The Virgin Queen's Daughter--Ella March Chase I liked this premise--that Elizabeth I had an illegitimate child; fathered by her stepfather, Thomas Seymour. This was very well written, believable, and enjoyable.
Mrs. L (Alice Roosevelt Longworth)--Michael Teague i I've long been fascinated with Alice Roosevelt Longworth, also known as "Princess Alice". She was the daughter of Teddy, the only child of his first wife. Alice was a political figure and a mainstay of Washington DC society through the Nixon presidency--thumbing her nose at social mores and lived her life to suit herself. A fascinating woman.
Raising Dragons--Bryan Davis This was the first volume in a series I bought for young Dual's birthday. Of course I couldn't give it to him without reading it first! The premise is that Dragon's live amongst us, camouflaged as humans. They are also Christian. So this series is a Christian Fantasy series--not something you see every day.
Plum Spooky--Janet Evanovich I enjoy Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. This is one of the "In-between" novellas.
Rangers Apprentice: Erak's Ransom--John Flanagan The first of 3 Ranger's Apprentice books I read this year. This is young Tate's series that I buy for him, and again, I get to read it first! Written for young boys, I love the series. Maybe because all Ranger's are archers!
The Sisters who would be Queen: Mary, Katherine & Jane Gray--Leanda de Lisle I love history, and this book; about the Gray sisters didn't disappoint. Some would say that the Gray sisters had a better claim to the throne than did Queen Mary or Queen Elizabeth, and in fact, according to Henry VIII's last will, they should have inherited the throne. They didn't, but did not manage to have quiet, peaceful lives.
The Sew-it Book: things to make with needle and thread--Rachel Taft Dixon I bought this book with high hopes, I've seen it in lots of my needlework catalogs. It's a reprint of a 1920's book. It just wasn't what I expected and I didn't really like it at all.
Endless Forest--Sara Donati The final installment in the "Into the Wilderness" series. An excellent conclusion. Historical fiction. The ending left me in tears. Fabulous.
Flow: the cultural story of menstruation--Elissa Stein & Susan Kim Yes, I have eclectic tastes. But, do you have any clue how much media (Print and all) influences how women feel about their cycles? The products they use? Yep. This was an eye-opener. I enjoyed it and feel every woman should read this.
Graceling--Kristin Cashore I buy a lot of Young Adult books for my students. This was one requested by several students. It was a nice fantasy tale of a gal with special abilities--she's an assassin.
Brisinger--Christpher Paolini a re-read for me. The third book in the Eragon, or Inheritance series. I'm awaiting book 4...which isn't close to being published yet.
Fire--Kristin Cashore Set in the same world as Graceling (above) this was a very different "country" where there are "Monsters" who can manipulate humans.
Woods Runner--Gary Paulsen Paulsen is one of my favorite YA/male focus authors. Woods Runner is a tale of the Revolution told from the viewpoint of a young man living on the frontier, who had no interest in the war but was drug into it anyway when his family were captured and imprisoned by the British. Paulsen did his research; this was a fantastic book for boys.
A Reliable Wife--Robert Goolrick An Excellent book of a woman who answers an ad for a bride. Her past collides with that of her new husband. Who wins? Her former lover, or her husband who only advertised for a "Reliable" wife.
Fantasy in death--JD Robb If you've read my blog at all, you know I pick up all new books by Robb and Nora Robers--who are one and the same person!
Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
Titan's Curse
Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian--Rick Riordan (These 5 are the Percy Jackson series.) After 2 students requested this series, I bought it for the library. And then the movie came out. So, of course I had to read the series! It's a fun premise the Greek Gods and Goddesses are still here, and still cause trouble. It's also a great way to interest kids in Greek mythology. Fun books.
Roses--Leila Meacham I LOVED this book. If you liked Edna Ferber's Giant, or even the movie, then you'll love Roses. It's a love story told through three generations. A fantastic book.
One Second After--William Forstchen Apocalyptic books are fairly popular. This one caught my interest after reading a review. It is about a Carolina town after an EMP attack on the US. I walked away from it with a greater understanding of how reliant we are on technology and transportation. Without either, our entire society would collapse.
Cleopatra's daughter--Michelle Moran So, Queen Elizabeth I could have had a daughter, but Cleopatra did have a daughter who survived her mother. This is a work of fiction about young Cleopatra Selene and her life in the first years after the death of her parents.
Savor the moment--Nora Roberts It's Nora, need I say more?
My brother Sam is dead--James Lincoln Collier A classic Newbery winner. I hadn't read it and decided it was time I did so. Another tale of the Revolutionary war. Sam's parents are Tories, and his brother, Sam, fights for the patriots. Sam is caught in the middle. This is based on a true story.
Drop Edge of Yonder--Donis Casey Last year, I read two books by Donis Casey. My mother saw the review here, and said "Why didn't you share these with me?" She bought them, loved them, and shared them with her friends. Then, Mom bought the next two books, and I had to wait in line to read them! Donis Casey writes about Northeast Oklahoma, during the early 20th century. Murder mysteries solved by Mother and Wife, Alafair. She even includes recipes. Pick up one of Casey's books, you'll enjoy every minute.
Running Hot--Jayne Ann Krentz A paranormal romance title I picked up this summer. It was OK. Not a bad read, just fairly predictable. Something nice when you just want something to read.
Haunted Ground--Erin Hart I think I have two of Erin Hart's books on this list. Both are about Irish bogs, bog people (Those bodies found preserved in bogs) and a mystery. The same characters are in both which makes for nice continuity. In this book, 2 brothers find the severed head of a beautiful red haired woman while cutting peat. Archaeologist, Cormac McGuire and Pathologist Nora Gavin are called in to study the remains and maybe solve her story.
Hero at Large--Janet Evanovich Just a light escape reading type book. A light romance, one of Evanovich's early works of fiction.
The sky took him--Donis Casey Read what I wrote about Casey's books above. In this one, Alafair travels to Enid, Ok.
American History Revisited--Seymour Morris It seems lately that ther eare more books taking a closer look at History and the untold stories.
Christy--Catherine Marshall I first read this book as a teenager, and was fascinated by the culture of the Appalachians. This time, I wasn't as enchanted, yet it is still a good read.
Warriors--edited by George R. Martin I bought this collection of short stories for one reason: it had a short story by Diana Gabaldon. Diana is one of my favorite authors, and I read anything she writes. Her story featured Lord John Gray, a minor character in the Outlander series. I read most of the other stories in this collection, but war stories and fighting stories aren't really my thing...
Lake of sorrows--Erin Hart This is the second book of Hart's. It again is set in the Ireland countryside around an archaeological mystery.
The Search--Nora Roberts This is one of the 4 books I read on vacation. After I read it, Andy asked to read it. I read it for the enjoyment of reading a romance book. He read it because it's about search and rescue dogs. It was rather interesting to discuss it with him since we were coming at it with different expectations.
Sizzling Sixteen--Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum is at it again! You've got to love an author who makes you laugh in every book she writes!
Rangers Apprentice: Kings of Clonmel--John Flanagan Another Tate book. Archery, lost kings, mysterious activities in the woods, adventure at it's best.
The Passage--Justin Cronin I picked up this book solely because it was getting a lot of hype from editors, reviewers, etc. In fact, it is considered to be one of the best works of fiction released in 2010. I disagree. I managed to read about 200 pages in this 900 page book and quit. I won't even share what it is about because I never felt I got to the gist of the plot. If you're curious, go read the description on Amazon. This is, without a doubt, my biggest disappointing read of the year.
Birthmarked--Caragh M. O'Brien Another YA book bought for the library. Each Midwife who lives outside the city must deliver the first 5 children born each month to the city officials. The babies are never seen again. A new, young midwife discovers what happens to those missing babies...
The short second life of Bree Tanner--Stephanie Meyer Miss Kat and I both read this short novella of the "Twilight" series. If you like that series, you'll like this story.
Written in Bone: Buried lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland--Sally M. Walker In the recent archaeological digs of Jamestown, they've done forensic examinations of several skeletons. Written for children, this was a really great introduction to what we can learn about our ancestors from their bones and items buried with them. It was a hard hard life. The information isn't dumbed down, and it's full of photographs and illustrations that bring history alive.
Red Pyramid--Rick Riordan After finishing up the Percy Jackson series, and writing about Greek Gods, Riordan started a new series focusing on the Egyptian gods. It looks like it will be a good series too. This one is contains more pages than the Percy Jackson books did. I anticipate another excellent series.
Dragongirl--Todd McCaffrey Todd McCaffrey has taken over writing the PERN series for his mother, Anne. If you like the PERN books, give Todd's a try. He's writing his own stories all based in the 4th pass. Each of his books has gotten a little better. I always look forward to going back to PERN.
Triumph: life after the cult--Carolyn Jessop The FDLS, those polygamist Fundamental Mormons have been in the news. Jessop's ex-husband was one of the leaders of the group in Texas. This is her story picking up where her last book, Escape, ended and it touches on the situation in Texas.
Sixteen Brides--Stephanie Grace Whitson A nice christian fiction that doesn't preach! I really enjoyed this story of a group of women who signed up to homestead in the west, but discovered they were supposed to be brides instead. Don't worry, you don't have to concentrate on 16 stories, just 4. It was a very nice book.
Shelter of Stone--Jean Auel A book I've had for years. I had to re-read it once I learned that the next book in the "Earth's Children" series will be out in March.
Echo in the Bone--Diana Gabaldon When I don't feel well, I often pick up books I've read before. This is book seven in the Outlander series. I've read it at least once, but Diana is always good.
Why is sex fun: Evolution of human sexuality--Jared Diamond Don't skip over this! This is a book that looks at human sexuality and asks why humans view sex so differently than any other animal species. From enjoyment to why we have hidden ovulation and recreational sex to why menopause evolved and what benefits it all has for the survival of our species. (And even why human male penis's are so much larger than those of other animals...) This is a science book, lots of big words and scientific terms, but I learned a lot and even enjoyed reading this book.
A nation rising: untold tales of founding fathers--Kenneth C. Davis One more of those hidden history books. Aren't they great?
High King of Montival--SM Stirling The 4th book in the Sunrise lands series which are sequels to the "Change" series. An alternate history/apocalyptic novel.
Wicked Appetite--Janet Evanovich The first book in a new series. This one will revolve around the 7 deadly sins, ie. those things let out of Pandora's box. Similar to the Stephanie Plum books, so if you like those, you'll enjoy this one.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker & the rise and fall of the Comanche Nation--SC Gwynne I have this "thing" about Quanah Parker, so I had to read this new book about him, his mother, Cynthia Anne Parker, and the Comanche Indians.
World made by hand--James Howard Kunstler Another apocalyptic book, but one in which the world isn't changed by a cataclysmic event, but instead slowly erodes with the disappearance of oil and cheap fuel. Set 15 years after the end of oil, this book is more about apathy and surviving in a new world no one was prepared for.
Happy ever after--Nora Roberts
Indulgence in Death--JD Robb
Lost Hero--Rick Riordan Riordan was busy in 2010. He had 2 new books come out. This one concerns the Greek Gods and the Percy Jackson's world, with a twist...the Roman gods...
Ranger's Apprentice: Halt's Peril--John Flanagan The final book released in 2010 of this series. There will be more in 2011, never fear!
Room--Emma Donoghue From here on are the books I read post-op. ROOM is a story told from a 5 year old's viewpoint of life with his mother in an 11 x 11 room. Ma was kidnapped and lives with her son hidden from the world. Jack saves his Ma, and changes his entire world--and the outside world is very scary to a little boy who's entire world--to this point--was in an 11 x 11 room.
The Other side--JD Robb, et. al. A collection of short stories by 5 women, one of which is JD Robb. The theme of the stories is the paranormal.
Songs of Love and Death--edited by George R Martin Another collection of short stories bought for one story by one author--Diana Gabaldon. But in this case, I did read all the other stories. The theme of the collection is star-crossed lovers. Some had happy endings, some didn't. But all were really good stories!
Book Thief--Markus Zusak Set in Nazi Germany, a young girl steals books. Books not approved of by the Nazi regime. At the same time, her family has a secret... This was a great look at life in Nazi Germany. Not necessarily a happy book, but still, a great book.
Year of living Biblically--AJ Jacobs Have you ever wondered how hard it would be to live by all the laws given in the bible? AJ Jacobs tried to--in modern New York. I knew I had to read this when I heard how his wife dealt with some of those laws! It's a very interesting look at faith and religious customs and of course...laws. It will make you laugh and think at the same time.
Blindness of the Heart--Julia Franck After finishing this book, I decided that most of the books I had brought home recently had been very dark tales. This is a very dark tale. It tells of a boy and his life at the end of WWII. He and his mother are attempting to flee before the Soviets arrive. They make it to the train station...and he never sees his mother again. We then shift our focus to his Mother's story--of her childhood in WWI, and through WWII. It's a very good book, but one that makes you wonder if you'd make the same decisions, and if you'd even have the option to make those decisions....

That's it. That's all I read in 2010. If you've read any of these titles, tell me if you agreed with me, or if you think I'm whacked. I can take it!

5 weeks

2011-01-07T10:52:00.003-06:00

Today is my last week day at home. Monday, I go back to work; five weeks and four days after my surgery. Am I eager or ready to go back to work? No...not really. I enjoy being at home and can find plenty to keep me busy. But, while I was recuperating, i managed to:read these seven books (plus one I'm still reading.) I watched 4 movies and several TV shows we had taped. Let me just say that daytime television is a huge disappointment.
I finished embroidering these tea towels. (I'd finished two before the surgery.)
I started and finished Baby Kate's sampler. Now I just need to get it in the mail for her.
I started this candlewicking project. I'm probably 1/2 way finished with it, and hope to finish it before the weekend is over.

I also stitched a little cross-stitch project of a cat standing on a stack of books for my office. (Don't know why I didn't get a picture of it.) Other work I accomplished was to can five quarts of salsa, two batches of Sandhill Plum Jelly and I made eight loaves of bread.

I assisted with butchering 50 chickens too. Well, I sat at the table, and wrapped the birds in freezer paper.

Can you just imagine what I'd accomplish in 5 weeks at home if I wasn't recuperating from surgery?

A tale of cats, chickens, and mice

2011-01-07T10:36:00.002-06:00

This morning, as I went to get feed out for the chickens, I discovered 5 mice in the feed barrel. The level of feed was low enough that mice couldn't scamper back up and out. They were trapped.

I don't hate mice, but I also don't necessarily like them either--especially if they are running across my feet or up my legs. I tried to convince the chickens that they should come back inside and catch these mice...after all, a little protein would be good for their health...

The stupid chickens decided they would rather be outside eating sunflower seeds and enjoying the sunshine instead of catching mice inside. They felt that I was better suited to handle the situation.

So, I did what any other country girl would do...

I went outside the pen, grabbed the yellow tom and showed him the buffet dinner. It didn't take him long to literally jump in and grab a snack. He then jumped back out and took his tender tasty treat outside. That worked so well, I went and grabbed another cat. I showed her the feast and she immediately deserted my arms for the smorgasbord. The third cat I selected was afraid of my attentions. I had to put her into the feed barrel and she sat there, confused as three little mice ran around and under her tail. She finally noticed the delectable morsels running around her feet, made her selection, and departed. This left two slightly panicky mice. By this time, Cutie, our former house cat, now outside cat, came over to see what I was doing--giving attention to these other cats and not her.

Cutie immediately assessed the situation in the feed barrel and took matters into her own paws--deserting me for a tender mouse snack. I had one mouse left, but the other cats who were around aren't exactly tame and wouldn't hear of me picking them up. By this time, Cutie had finished her snack, I decided to see if she was hungry enough for seconds. She was.

The chickens were right...I did know how to handle the situation. Who needs chickens when you have cats.

surgery update

2010-12-13T10:31:00.004-06:00

Look at me, on the computer! I asked Miss Kat to bring it up today as I actually felt like checking in online--briefly. It IS almost nap time...

Surgery went well--as far as I know. I was in for two hours rather than one as expected, but I keep forgetting to ask the Dr why it took longer. I won't see him again until the 30th, so maybe I'll remember then, or maybe by then, it won't matter. Ok...it will, I am a curious person and like answers, so maybe I'll know what all happened.

I can say with all confidence that once I woke up, I hurt. I hurt a lot. I hurt more than I thought I would and I hurt more than I probably ever had. I can also say with confidence that when they ask you to rate your pain level from one to 10...that's a stupid thing to ask--too subjective. Because I refused to say "10" and didn't even want to say "8 or 9" both are wimpy. So I only rated my pain as a 7. Looking back...it was probably a 9. The morphine pump did not get me through the pain for 24 hours. I lived in 15 minute intervals--which was how often I could get another hit. Once we switched to pain pills, I did much better. I did ask my son to shoot me, but he and Mom and Kev were all fairly patient with grouchy me.

I was rather annoyed with my husband, who would check my pump every time he came in the room to see how many times I'd hit it. He'd then announce my number to me and Mom..."O look, your at 17...25...40..." Pissed me off actually. But, in hindsight, I now can see that it was his way of seeing how much pain I was in. I was interpreting it as a "how much of a wimp is my wife being?" (And I did not tell him he was annoying me.)

In actuality, he was a sweetheart. He opted to work in the hospital that day so he'd be close by and could check in on me frequently He stayed late and helped me get in and out of bed and help me get comfortable. Once I was up and walking, he'd walk with me--just like he does his regular hospital patients--except he didn't charge me for the therapy, and he give me kisses. (In fact, one nurse, who didn't know I was his wife, asked him if he kissed all his patients!) He would refill my ice cup whenever I needed more ice too. I didn't have to wait on a nurse, ,which was nice. Since it was his weekend to work, he was there with me Saturday and Sunday too.

I had been told that I'd probably go home Saturday, but I couldn't go home till Sunday because my bowels weren't making and passing gas. SOOOOOOO annoying...who knew farting was so important? But, until then, no food or drink, other than the ice chips. Which was fine, my appetite didn't come back until...Tuesday? Wednesday? One of those days.

I got my staples out this past Thursday. Feels so much better now. I can lay down flat, when before, with the staples, I couldn't. They just pulled and laying down was uncomfortable. My new goal is to sleep on my side again. And for my stomach to not be numb from the belly button down. And to take a bath. I can take a bath this coming weekend. Believe you me...I'm taking a bath!

I did have a couple of issues that came up...1. I am allergic to the tape they used, I had nice blisters and some scabbing under the tape that held the bandage on. And, 2. apparently, I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, because on Thursday night, once I got home from seeing the Dr, we found I had hives all over my back.

I knew it had been itching like crazy, but attributed that to me laying/reclining so much or dry skin. When I finally caved and asked Kev to put lotion on my back, we found the hives. No wonder I itched! I will have to remember to mention that to the Dr next time I see him. I need to know what exactly he used.

But, I'm on the mend. I'm starting to feel like ME again and I'm getting frustrated with my restrictions, so I'm doing fine. Just don't make me laugh, cough, or sneeze. Those are NOT fun. It's amusing for Kev--watching me suppress sneezes or coughs. But, that's my job, amusing Kev.

I've started doing some cooking again and I help Miss Kat with the dishes, but I'm being good and am not painting the hallway, or cleaning the toilets or scrubbing the tub or vacuuming...but, I am getting tired of TV and my books. I've picked up a little stitching project, but can't seem to work on it very long before I'm restless. I've got 4 more weeks of restrictions. I'm going to try to be good, but it's not going to be easy.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers everyone. I'll be back soon!

Why?

2010-12-01T14:23:00.002-06:00

Riddle me this...

Why do enema's come two to a package? I have to use one for my pre-op. ONE.

I will never use the second one. Are they so hard to figure out that I need a spare?

And, why do laxatives come in bottles of 50 or 100? I need TWO pills. I do not need a bottle of 50...

And with that, someone is thinking TMI, TMI!

Catch ya later!

Thanksgiving fun

2010-12-01T09:28:00.004-06:00

Kev's parents joined us over the Thanksgiving holiday. They drove out from Colorado Springs. Contrary to tradition and popular thought, I like my in-laws and actually enjoy seeing them and spending time with them. I just wish we got together more often.

One of the things we did with the folks was to show them around the area. Kev's Mom wanted to have a feel for areas I talk about here, so showing her around was a perfect excuse for Kev and I to run around--something we enjoy anyway!

I managed to grab the camera and had it ready for our first stop--the Ranch. Kev actually wanted to show his folks where he hunts and the ranch is so rugged and pretty that we just had to show it off.

Dad wasn't at the corral when we got there, but he soon arrived, herding some calves back to the pens. These calves came in last week and Dad likes to keep them close for a while just to make sure they all survive the stress of the move.

My 67 year old father, still on horseback. It was a little chilly--below 32 degrees. I was surprised he wasn't wearing his chaps, but I'll bet he had his long johns on! I like watching Dad ride. He "is one" with the horse--zen like. (And cowboys everywhere are laughing at the Zen comment!)

After this point, we wandered off down in the canyons...and my camera said "Battery Exhausted" and refused to cooperate with me the rest of the day. I asked Kev if he would run me to Minneola to get new batteries, and he gave me "the look" which meant NO.

Our next stop was the farm where we spent several hours looking at "Old crap." Kev's Dad loves old crap too! So we had a good time. In fact, I found this treasure back under the eaves of the house...

An Aladdin lamp with intact chimney and a bug screen to boot! It's a Model B Aladdin lamp made between 1935-1939. Dad remembers studying by the light of this this lamp. (They didn't get electricity until the 1950's).

Sadly, it needs a good cleaning, and I need to see if I can find replacement parts for all the brass fittings. The wick was still in the lamp but I can't get it to move and the burners are in bad shape. (look below)

Never fear, I got it apart, and washed the base. It's much cleaner. The chimney is in perfect shape. The bug screen won't keep bugs out, but I can easily get a new one. So, sometime in the near future, I'll be browsing the web looking for new parts to get this lamp back in business.

It was a nice holiday spent with people we love.

Now, my mind turns to other things...my surgery is tomorrow. Don't know if I'll be blogging again soon, but I'll try. I have a stack of 8 books, my mp3 player is loaded with 2 audio books and 20 some hours of music. I have lots of DVD's waiting to watch and then there are all the Christmas movies on Hallmark. I have several stitching projects lined up too. Most of the Christmas shopping is done. Not wrapped, but done! So, I guess I'm ready.

I'll be seeing you all soon!

2 week deadline

2010-11-17T09:44:00.004-06:00

In two weeks I'm having a complete hysterectomy. Which will end the issues you've read about a couple of times here. But, the progesterone the Dr. prescribed isn't necessarily helping--it's just masking the issue. I expected him to want to try this and that and something else, but he caught me off guard when he said "hysterectomy."

Now, since the diagnosis, I've been doing a lot of research and knew that this was an option--this and an endometrial ablation--but I kept expecting that I'd just snap back to normal after the D&C. I can't express how I felt when the bleeding started again--after 14 days of no bleeding. So, I called, and went back in, and here we are...

Now I chose to bypass the ablation (which is basically where they burn and scar the endometrial lining which means it can't build up and thus, no blood) because I do have a family history of uterine cancer. If I'd do the ablation, and if I ever developed uterine cancer, we'd not know it until it was in a very late stage. Not good. So, the Dr said my best option is the hysterectomy.

I'm done with my uterus...no more babies from us. And I'm not adverse to having it removed. But I figured we'd do a vaginal hysterectomy. But NO...I have to have an abdominal one because of the size and shape and tilt of the darn uterus, the Dr's afraid my other organs might prolapse. So I'm guessing there's a chance they might anchor stuff...he said he just wants room to actually see what's where and you can't do that vaginally. Which means I'm gonna have a longer recovery.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm not a very good sick person? I dislike being in the hospital, where your every word is recorded and the nurses don't always understand my sarcasm. (note to self: Keep thy mouth shut at all times when any medical personnel are in the room.) I also greatly dislike someone telling me what I can and can't do. I greatly dislike having to abide by someone else's rules. I also dislike people hovering around me and I have to remember to not tell anyone to "Go away and leave me the hell alone." Cause I'm going to want to say that...a lot.

So...all this leaves me with a slight problem...

I have two weeks to get all my Christmas shopping finished.

I have the little kid's shopping done...and that's it. Nothing for Miss Kat, or Andy, or Kev, or my folks, or Kev's folks. Nothing. Kev and I decided that we'd just do something nice for each other. I want my "Mom's Cooking" framed with barn wood. I've asked him to do that. He wants me to get the cushion sewn for the bay window. And we decided to buy a new dishwasher. The one we had quit pumping water in August and the 14 year old dishwasher is mouthy...I want a quiet one. So, I'm going to go look for a dishwasher over my lunch hour.

But the rest of my shopping...no clue.

I guess I'd better get myself in gear and finish shopping and get ready for surgery too. It's gonna be a wild 2 weeks...

cookin

2010-11-16T08:41:00.003-06:00

Once the weather turns cooler, one of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to make bread. I love baking bread. Some of my earliest memories are of Mom making Bread. When it would come out of the oven, she'd slice off the heel, and spread butter on it and then sprinkle it with sugar.

That was the best snack ever. I can still remember the feel of my teeth crunching through that layer of sugar down into that buttery warm bread. (Give me a minute to just enjoy that memory...I haven't eaten bread that way since I was little.)

Ok.

Kev loves home made bread, so I make lots of bread in the winter months. And now, with the new bay window, I found a new place to let my bread raise:

What? Doesn't everyone stick their bread dough in their living room window to raise? I read in lots of cooking blogs of different ways to cover bread dough, but we have always gotten a tea towel wet --with warm water, and used it to cover the bread dough. So, that's what is on my bowl of dough. It raises quite nicely in the window too.

This mess below is sauerkraut.

Last winter, a friend of ours, Deanna, gave us a jar of home made sauerkraut. Now, I greatly disliked sauerkraut until I tried Deanna's home made kraut. It is SO much better and flavorful than store bought kraut. Nothing at all like that nasty stuff they used to serve us at school. I never had kraut at home because it's one of those food items that Dad didn't like and refused to eat, so Mom didn't cook it or make it.

Kev and I really enjoyed our home made kraut on our home made brats. It was yummy. so, this year, we decided to make some ourselves. I didn't get much brine when I initially made the kraut, so someone told me to simply make a brine when it came time to can it. I did that, but think that the brine was too much. It's a wee bit salty. But, we've rinsed the brine off and that seems to remove that saltiness. I'm not sure my kraut is as good as Deanna's, but we're all set with 7 jars.

I have to admit, it was fun making Sauerkraut. How many times do you purposely let something ferment in a bowl, in your guest bedroom/office? Every day or so, I'd go peek at it and watch the mold grow on top of the brine (and, yes, I discarded the mold. Everything I've read said that was normal.)

Now, we've got Sauerkraut...all we're missing is home made brats. We've still got some ground pork in the freezer, so we'll get those whipped up in no time...and then, aah...good eatin!

More "Flat Kansas"

2010-11-11T10:51:00.003-06:00

See those tree tops? You're going to see those trees again. Kev and I walked across the pasture to this draw on the Ranch. Ok, maybe we rode on the 4 wheeler most of the way, but still, it's typical "flat" Kansas...Kev asked me to come join him out at the Ranch late Saturday afternoon. He was doing an all day hunt since the deer have finally started rut, and since we've finally had some cool temperatures to get them moving. He'd seen "his" big Muley buck earlier in the day near this draw and decided we needed to sit and wait for Mr. Big Buck to come by. We examined these two cuts that meet and tried to decide where exactly we should sit. Those little rocks are taller than I am.

We were up on top of the bluffs and looked down this cut to check for deer sign. It's a lot farther down there than it looks--those trees are probably 5 feet in diameter.

Kev was wearing his Guhille suit. We sat down off the top of the bluff and he sat in front of me. The sun was nice and warm shining on us. If you look at the tree below Kev, you can get some idea of how high up we still were--and we weren't up on top either. We were about half way down the side of the cliff.

I enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine, but Kev got downright HOT. We never saw Mr. Big Buck. He chose to go somewhere else. But, typical Kev, we walked down to the bottom of the draw and walked back up by those trees and up the cut. It was a workout. I still can't figure out why he thinks we always have to go down before we have to come all the way back UP. Must be a guy thing.

On the other hand, I must be imagining it, because after all...Kansas is flat.

Pasture trails

2010-11-09T08:19:00.003-06:00

There are no roads in pastures.

I take that back...there are a few roads, but most of the roads you make yourself. Pasture roads aren't paved and seldom are maintained unless you have an oil or gas well, and then the oil or gas company usually builds a road and maintains it. This is not a maintained road, but it is a pasture road...or trail.

When you drive in a pasture, over time, your vehicle leaves ruts. Especially when it rains. When the ruts get too deep, you just scoot over and make a new trail. And when that new trail has ruts that are too deep, you slide over again--if you can. Sometimes you can't because of cliffs or fence rows and such.

That's what folks did on the Sante Fe Trail too--when the ruts were too rough or too deep or too muddy, they'd just slide over and start over. In fact, if you go somewhere to specifically look at the ruts from the Sante Fe Trail...it looks just like this--except the ruts a little narrower and closer together.

Notice those curvy squiggles in the ruts on the far right side above? Those aren't tire ruts...those are cattle ruts, or a cattle trail.While cattle tend to walk in a straight line one behind another, they will also jog around an obstacle too. Who knows what the obstacle was here, it could have been a fresh cow patty, or a snake, or a mud hole. You never know when you're dealing with cattle.

I can tell you, it takes an entirely different set of skills to drive in a pasture. You most certainly don't want to get off the current trail and slip into one of the older trails...especially if you are driving a car and not a pickup. But, it's an adventure. Try it sometime.

letters

2010-11-08T08:56:00.003-06:00

Do you get letters--in the mail--anymore?

I don't. Or seldom do. And, I'm bad about writing them too. I need to write to my mentor, and my first supervisor, Ruth. She retired over 20 years ago, and I used to see her regularly, but I haven't seen her since her husband's funeral 2 years ago. I've written twice, but should write more. Does it count that I think of writing her at least once a week?

My Grandma Woodruff was a great letter writer. She's send a letter to all of her kids every week. If she'd seen you in person during that week, then you didn't get a letter, otherwise, you could count on a letter from her every week.

As a kid, I looked forward to her letters. When I was going to school at Texas Woman's University, I enjoyed them even more because they were a symbol of my roots and I knew that Grandma loved me enough to make sure I got mail every week.

Grandma typed her letters, and we all got the same letter. She used this typewriter for years and years and gave it to me when I was in High School, and when she upgraded to an electric typewriter. She's use carbon paper (remember carbon paper?) and onion skin paper. Onion skin paper is very thin paper. Since she usually had 7 letters or more in the typewriter, she used the onion skin paper to keep the bulk down in the typewriter. Typo's and all were still there...she'd try to correct them, but we'd just have to interpret what word she'd messed up. Typo's didn't matter!

Sometimes, she'd add a small short note to us at the bottom of the letter. And she always signed each one by hand. I still have a few letters saved. They are a very special memento.

Grandma's typewriter didn't have the letters printed on the keys. It was a manual typewriter. Pica type. Your fingers had to be very strong to type on this old iron, manual typewriter...

When I quit using it, we stored it in the basement. It's got some rust on it now. I've tried to clean it up as well as I can. And, it now sits as a decoration in my office. I like to think of it as a weapon...if anyone tried to hurt me, all I have to do is heave this 30 lb typewriter at them. It would drop an elephant!

Besides, every time I look at this old antique, I think of my Grandma Woodruff. She was a special lady and I miss her very much.

So...take time to write a letter to someone you love. Me, I think I just might actually get that letter to Ruth written this week. There's nothing better than getting a letter in the mail.

Traveling Conq

2010-11-05T07:50:00.003-05:00

There's a 10 year old tradition at DCCC; the traveling Conq trophy. It's given to someone who's gone "above and beyond" and to someone who deserves a little recognition for a job well done.

I received the Traveling Conq last week. Here it is:
It's grown over the years. I'm told that it started out as one trophy. Now, it's 4 trophies tall and is covered with a memento from everyone who's received it. I received it from the Maintenance crew who wanted to acknowledge my hard work and all the changes I've made in the library making it a "warm and homey" place for students to enjoy. It means just a little something special coming from the guys who've hauled out ump-teen loads of crap that I've eliminated from the building. They are special guys--almost as special as the maintenance staff at Colby.

I'm very honored to have received the Traveling Conq. Can you believe it's the first "formal" recognition I've ever received in over 20 years as a professional? Colby CC never recognized anything that anyone did.

I still haven't figured out who to pass this on to. It has to be someone in another building. I've got a couple of ideas, but haven't decided who deserves this award. I do know what' I'm adding to the trophy:

This is an online comic, Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. This strip was published February 6, 2005. Somehow, it fits my library... (just click on the image so you can enjoy the strip.)

Sunday dinner

2010-11-01T09:26:00.003-05:00

Our meal yesterday:

Ham--processed, smoked and baked at home.
Potatoes--from our garden
Corn--from our garden
Bread--homemade
Tomatoes--from our garden

Cherry Pie: homemade. Cherries from a friends tree. Pie crust, courtesy of Pillsbury...
Pumpkin pie: Homemade by Mom...probably NOT from her garden since she didn't grow any pumpkins :)

It's very satisfying to know where your food comes from.

The meal was for Mom and Dad's 48th Anniversary which will be Tomorrow, November 2.

Good times, Good food, Good Company.

It doesn't get better than that.

And, Dad's hearing aids must be working, I didn't hear him say "what's that" all day!

2010-10-21T08:16:00.003-05:00

Aren't these just the cutest little kids you've ever seen?

These kids happen to be me and my little brother, Steve. He's 11 months younger than I am. So in these pictures, we must have been 2 and 3? Maybe 1 and 2?

I don't remember these pictures being taken, and I'm not sure you can tell, but I'd been crying. In fact, there is a trace of a tear on my face. (You can see it in real life, not sure you can online.) I hated having my picture taken. Still do. But up until I was in Kindergarten, I cried every single time Mom took us to get our pictures taken. In fact, I distinctly remember Kindergarten picture day. Mom asked me to please not cry, because I was a big girl now. I was so proud when I got home and told her "I didn't cry Mama."

These pictures are "preserved" in plastic. In the later sixties, one popular craft project was to make these plastic thing-y ma-bobs. I remember Mom and Grandma doing some. I know Mom made herself a turtle pin cushion and Grandma had this "paperweight" of Steve and I.

I remember the jugs of the liquid plastic that they poured into molds. Then they tinted a small amount of plastic and poured it on top of the clear to tint their item. That's what I hope you can see in the picture above, the layer of color.

So, they poured plastic, laid the pictures in, poured more, and then another layer that was tinted. It was a short lived craft project, because this paperweight and Mom's turtle are the only two items I remember having around the house.

But still, it's a nice memento of a very cute little girl and her innocent looking brother who was never innocent.

The Pellet Stove project part 2

2010-10-20T15:21:00.003-05:00

It dawned on me just last week, that I had never posted a "finished" picture of our pellet stove/rock wall project. Maybe I never posted those pictures because

we finished it 6 months or more after we started the project
Miss Kat had the camera
I never got around to it?

Let's face it, with me...any of the above reasons could be accurate.

So...without further ado...ta da!

We halted our initial project about 1/2 way up the wall...because Kev wanted a "chunky" "rustic" mantle. And, living on the High Plains...an area also known as the "Great American Desert", chunky, rustic wood mantles are hard to come by.

Let's face it, trees are hard to come by...well, trees of any size. And sawmills are non-existent. But, after looking several months, and after preparing to drive several hours to Eastern Kansas, we discovered that there's a sawmill 30 miles away from us. The sawmill owner is a tree trimmer and he has it just for fun. Kev talked to him and he happened to have recently cut up a Black Walnut tree. Kev drove up, and for $50, brought home a huge chunk of lumber.

He decided to leave the bark on, and the white wood that is usually tossed. He then cut the mantle and the supports for it. We sealed the bark with polyurethane and Kev placed a few finish nails in it. He hopes that will keep the bark on our mantle for all eternity.

Kev has at least 1/2 of his chunk of wood still in the garage. He say's he's going to make a coffee table out of it...someday. I'm not holding my breath. But, I have to admit, our mantle is pretty. I like it and I'm proud of what we accomplished.

Just in case

2010-10-19T07:57:00.004-05:00

Kev and I went out to the farm on Saturday. Our purpose was to look for deer and deer sign, but we didn't see any, so we spent some time just riding around on the 4 wheeler, and looking through the grainery.

I imagine it was actually built by my Great-Grandfather, Harvey L. Woodruff. It hasn't been used to store grain for years and years. Instead, it's become a storage shed. Because, you know, old farmers never threw anything away. They stored most of what they stopped using--just in case.

I like the grainery. I like exploring the stuff in it, and I think it could be restored and made into a little cabin. It just needs repair and a roof and windows and maybe a little extermination, but it's in pretty good shape for as old as it is. Kev refuses to consider remodeling. But, he does think the foundation would be a great foundation for a new "hunting" cabin. But I'm not holding my breath that we'll ever do anything with it. I'm not even sure we'll ever get it cleaned out.

Remember I said that old farmers kept everything? These are just a few shots of "stuff" still stored in the grainery... When was the last time these horse collars were used? I'm guessing the 30's. I know Grandad bought his first tractor in 1929... But, we still have the horse collars...just in case.

And this is a mish mash of...stuff. Hanging on the wall...just in case.

The knife sharpener...or grinding wheel. We kids used to love sitting on this and "riding the bike". We'd sometimes sharpen sticks on this. I should really look to see if we can clean this up. I'd take it home...just in case I needed to sharpen something.

Some things, were hung from the rafters. To protect them from mice and other critters. I have no idea what is in any of these buckets and barrels. I didn't get a picture of the mattress hanging up there as well. Personally, I wouldn't sleep on it, but it's there...just in case.

Heaven forbid we threw away some bolts and nuts. Instead, let's keep them...just in case anyone needs a bucket full of rusty old bolts.

Now these are really treasures...Those arched pieces of wood are actually wagon bows. The very same wagon bows that were on the wagon my Great Grandfather Harvey had on his wagon when he and his wife, Mary, came to Meade Co. No idea when they were used last...but we still have them...just in case!

(and seriously, if you have any idea of what we could do with them, I'd love to know cause I would like to do somethingwith them.)

This is a shot of Grandad's bolt bin--minus the bolts, cause they are in the bucket. The bin used to live in the garage, but it blew away in the tornado which hit in 1973. But, we saved the bin...just in case!

Also in the grainery is a bed frame--wooden. And it looks like the pieces of an old wardrobe. It's been dismantled, and it looks like all the pieces are there. Kev and I keep telling ourselves we're going to dig both out and see of they can be reconstructed or salvaged. But, we are secure in the knowledge that they are there, waiting...just in case!

New windows

2010-10-18T10:20:00.003-05:00

The front of our house looks a little different. Instead of three small windows in the living room, we now have this: Kev and I bit the bullet this summer and ordered new windows for the main floor. We desperately needed new windows. The original vinyl windows leaked badly, and a couple wouldn't open and one (our bedroom window) broke last winter as we tried to close it.

Not very energy efficient. So, this summer, the first of July, we ordered Renewal by Anderson Windows. And, upgraded our three small living room windows to a nice big bay window. They were installed the week of my surgery. (great timing.)

Now, we can sit by the window and hear the waterfall run into the pond. and we can watch the fish swim in the pond.

And then there's this view...we've already spent hours sitting in the bay window, enjoying the view.

Yeah, it just sucks.

We stained the oak trim yesterday and put some poly on it. We're now trying to figure out what kind of window treatment to get because we both like to see out, but at times, even we need to be able to shut the curtains. Who know's what might happen in the living room! And I need to make a cushion for the seat. Which will be a first for me!

I think it was a worthwhile investment. Especially when I'm sitting in the bay window, enjoying the view.

Cheaters

2010-10-18T09:53:00.003-05:00

Three cowboys were riding in the pickup, all three sitting in the front seat.

Which one is the real cowboy?

The one in the middle.

Because he doesn't have to drive, and he doesn't have to open the gate.

Somehow, I'm never the "real" cowboy, cause I always have to open the gate.

Barbed wire gates are sometimes difficult to open. If it's a new gate, and it's nice and tight, it's almost impossible to open.

Here's how you open a barbed wire gate...

If it's a tight gate, you lean against the fence post.

Wrap your arm around the other side of the post and grab the gate post and pull it towards you. This lessens the tension on the loop allowing you to lift the loop off the gate post and open the gate. And sometimes, you just don't have enough lead in your britches to pull that gate. At times like that, your Dad, brother, or husband come to the rescue. But they whine and pout about having to help you out--especially if they were sitting in the middle.

I much prefer using a cheater to open gates, like this one...This is a nice way to open a new gate. All I had to do was lift on the handle (on the right side) and it pulled the gate post in and I just pop the cheater off the post and open the gate. Of course you can just drop the gate, but usually, you have to drag it inside, while the guy driving comes in the pasture. Then, they wait until you close the gate.

This is one of the nicer cheaters I've used. Sometimes, a cheater is simply a stick of wood chained to the fence post. You wrap it around the gate post, and lean on it for that extra leverage to move the gate post.

In this case, everyone loves a cheater! Especially me.

Jinx

2010-10-13T07:54:00.003-05:00

I should have kept my "mouth" shut yesterday.

Last night, Ifound the chick's body--minus it's head.

Stupid cats.

Stupid me. I jinxed it.

I did suggest to Kev that maybe he should build me a brood house for "next" time. He gave me the look and just suggested that "next" time, I seperate the chick(s) from the hen and raise them like we do store bought chicks.

I'm gonna work on my plan, and work towards a brood house--or brood tractor. Maybe then...I can raise a chick.

New baby

2010-10-12T07:49:00.004-05:00

We have a new baby at our house.

Or, at least we had it when we left the house this morning.

One of my hens hatched a chick. I found the chick on Saturday, but I think it probably hatched sometime on Friday because by the time I found it on Saturday morning, it was dry and fluffy and very cute. Mama was still sitting on 3 more eggs Saturday morning and Chick was spending most of it's time under her, but made a lot of noise.

So, I got out one of my chick feeders and filled it with all purpose chicken feed, wheat and black oil sunflower seeds. Then I found a waterer and filled it up and set it near Mother and child.

So far, so good!

But they did give me a scare Sunday night.

I went out to shut everyone in for the night, and no Mama or chick. I just knew one of the stupid cats had decided to have chick for supper. But, I counted my birds and I was one short. So, I went outside and there on the ground was Mama. I could hear the baby--under Mom. So, I picked up Mom and baby and put them back inside the chicken house. They meandered over to "their" corner and the chick nabbed a bite to eat and got a drink before Mom told it to come to bed.

I've enjoyed watching them. Last night, I tossed some food scraps out--to the chickens. I could hear the chick, but wasn't spotting it. Finally, I found it, right beside it's Mama's head. If Mama pecked something, so did the baby. They really liked the tomatoes, and the biscuits best.

Come dark, it was the same as Sunday night...all the other chickens went inside, but my little family. I watched as Mama settled herself down on the ground and the chick ran right over and nestled under her feathers and a top her feet. It was too cute.

But, I know it's not safe to be outside with 40-leven cats roaming in the dark. So, again, I picked the two up and put them back inside the safety of the Chicken house.

So far, so good! Maybe I'll finally raise a home-born chick...

I have another hen who's broody. However, she started sitting before this Mama did. So far, nothin. So, I'm going to give her till this weekend. If she isn't successful--and I don't think she will be--then I'm going to brave her beak and toss her eggs.

In the meantime, I'll watch my little family and hope that chick has a long and happy life.

Normal...well, not really

2010-10-08T08:08:00.003-05:00

All my test results came back normal. YEAH!

Now we're concentrating on getting my iron levels back to normal.

And the Dr gave me some progesterone pills to keep me from having a period for 3 months. He doesn't wanting me losing that much blood--or any blood--for that amount of time. We'll see what happens from there.

My Ob-Gyn is a Chinese Dr. His English is pretty good, but not perfect. He did tell me "Your uterus not normal."

And then he went on to draw me a picture. On the outside, my uterus is normal--pear shaped. But on the inside, it's heart shaped. Which is NOT normal. It's not bicournal (sp?), or split in 2 with each side being horn like; but it's not quite normal.

I didn't ask, because it doesn't matter any more, but...some women with this condition can't carry babies. So, I won't dwell on what might have been, and just be thankful for the two healthy kids I do have.

The Dr does think this abnormality might have played a role in my "Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding". But hormones did play a big part.

Will it happen again? He won't give any predictions on that. I hope not...we got the preliminary hospital bill...whoo boy. It's higher than what it was to have a baby 14 years ago. But, remember, I'm not complaining...

Let's all hope that this is the last post about this. Cause I really want to focus on something else for a change...

By the way, did I mention that I had 2 moles removed from my neck? And that one was basal cell carcinoma? Have to admit, I was a little surprised, but on the other hand...not really. I have fair skin...I'm as white as white can get. I grew up in the 70's when our goal was to smear our bodies with baby oil and get brown...except I never got brown. Basal cell tends to be pretty common in my family...which means I wasn't adopted, and I'm not the mailman's kid. (So Dad, this pretty much means I'm yours!)

Have a great weekend everyone. I am as normal as I'm ever going to be and we will return this blog to the mundane, to the chickens...or to Miss Kat, or maybe even hunting...stay tuned!

update

2010-10-05T08:38:00.004-05:00

The D&C went very well. I feel better and I think it was necessary. The bleeding has stopped. The before and after bleeding was night and day. Once I got home, I realized just how badly I'd been bleeding. We women are so used to dealing with blood, that I'd just adapted my behavior and coped. I knew it was getting bad, but I didn't realize how bad it was until after the surgery.

The hardest thing for me right now is not taking a bath again until I go back to the Dr this Thursday. I can shower, but I really hate taking showers. Hopefully, on Thursday, I'll have my pathology reports and we'll know where to go from here.

Yesterday, the first bills arrived.

I hate medical bills.

I promised my family that I wouldn't whine or complain or gripe about the medical bills. That this time, I'll just pay them and move on.

It's going to be hard. Cause I have a $3000 deductible and cause what they charge is ridiculous. Why charge $250 for a sonogram if you are just going to write 1/2 of it off? Makes no sense to me.

So, I'm going to try real hard and not gripe...and that last paragraph is NOT griping.

Let's hope that I start getting some energy back and I start stitching again and reading again and having some energy left at the end of the day. I'm taking extra iron, so I hope I get back to "normal" soon!

Appendicitis

2010-09-29T08:47:00.003-05:00

In all my Dr visits this week, one of the questions they've all asked is if I've had any previous surgeries. I have. A tubal ligation and an emergency Appendectomy.

There have been several appendectomies on my Dad's side of the family. Dad's uncle Harry, died of peritonitis which was caused by a burst appendix. The family blame his death the Dr because he kept telling Uncle Harry that it wasn't appendicitis and refused to operate until it was too late.

That was in the mid 1930's. Uncle Harry left his bride and his family who loved him very much. My Dad is named after Uncle Harry.

Shortly after Uncle Harry's death, my Dad's older brother, Glenn, developed appendicitis. He was 2. I've heard repeatedly the story of Grandad driving with Dr Robb (who was not Uncle Harry's Dr.) frantically trying to get the Dr to his little boy. Dr Robb made Grandad slow down so they could get there safely. I'm pretty sure that Uncle Glenn's appendix also burst. I know they almost lost him too. How scared they must have been; knowing that they'd just lost one family member to Appendicitis, and knowing they might lose another...a baby at that.

My Dad also had appendicitis when he was a young teenager. His did not burst; he recovered quite easily.

My Grandma often related to me how she'd test her kids for appendicitis. Grandma said that if the kids complained that their stomach hurt, or their right side, she'd slap the bottom of their right foot. Not hard, but just a nice slap. If it hurt in the side, and not in the foot, then the child had appendicitis and it was time to get them to the Dr.

I always thought that was an old wives tale, and that there was no way her test would actually work...until I had appendicitis.

See, Kev was out of town. He and Miss Kat were in Colorado visiting family. For some reason, I couldn't go, so Andy stayed at home with me. On Saturday, we went to lunch with my friend Monica and her little boy. We gals had the same chicken for lunch. That night, around 1 a.m., I woke up with a stomach ache. So I went to the bathroom, decided that maybe my chicken was bad and went back to bed, trying to go to sleep. The pain got stronger. Two hours later, I decided that I'd had enough; so I called Monica, hoping that she was up and in pain too. If she was, then I'd know it was the chicken. If not, well, I was afraid it might be my appendix.

So I called...and woke her up. Which meant it wasn't the chicken. Since she was now awake, I asked her to drive me to the emergency room and asked if Andy could stay with her husband and son. Bless her heart, she came right over. She knew that if I was wanting to go to the hospital, I was really hurting. By this point, I could not stand up straight. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt. And, I have a very high pain tolerance, so it hurt.

So we get there, and the Dr on call was Jeff, my former student. Not exactly who I wanted to see because 1. he was fresh out of medical school and 2. he was my student... But, at this point, I really didn't care. I hurt!

So he did the question thing, where does it hurt, blah blah blah...and it really didn't hurt in my right quadrant, it was a more central pain. So, they did a sonogram, and other tests and then Jeff did a rectal exam (oh, yeah! my student is now sticking his finger up my butt...lovely.) But they still didn't think it was my appendix. So I jokingly told Jeff of my Grandma's test.

To humor me, he slapped me on the bottom of my foot... Let me tell you this, if I could have come off that bed and smacked him up the side of the head, I would have. That hurt. Not my foot, but in my right side! A sharp piercing pain. Holy cow, it hurt! Don't know if Jeff was converted, but it certainly made a believer out of me.

I have no idea who taught Grandma that test, but it worked for me. And, I have carried on the tradition. If my kids complain of their side hurting, or a stomach ache, I tap them on the foot. So far, so good, no more appendicitis. And I am very confident that I'll be able to diagnose it if I ever need to. Which goes to prove, you should always listen to your Grandma.

Thanks Grandma.

This week

2010-09-28T16:14:00.003-05:00

Well, I've been poked, prodded, measured, examined, questioned. They've taken my blood and my urine. I've been x-rayed and sonogramed.

Diagnosis: I'm not normal.

I could have told them that...without all the tests and the cost.

So, next step...I'm having a D&C this Thursday.

It had better make this stop, or you all might be reading about my murder trial.

I'm ready. More than ready. At least we're doing something.

But, riddle me this...

I answered the same damn questions for 2 nurses and 3 doctors...all within 2 hours of each other. Why on earth can't the Dr's read what their nurses wrote down? Why ask the same damn questions over and over and over? Next time, I'm gonna say, "Hello! Read what your nurse wrote down..." Sheesh. I expect my students to read and pay attention to questions asked in class, so how come those in the medical profession can't do the same?

I realize that in the world scope of things, that Dodge City is considered a "small town". However, to me...it's a large town, and after all the running from this clinic to that clinic and back to this clinic...I really miss my Clinic and Hospital in Colby.

Bigger facilities really miss out on that personal relationship that you have in small town clinics and hospitals. While I'm not a person who went to the Dr often, I did know my Dr, or my ARPN. Heck, one Dr I saw was a former student of mine (and boy, I had dirt on some of his extra curricular activities...) One of my ARPN's was a former colleague and the other was also a former student. I knew and trusted them. Heck, I knew their kids, parents, and extended families.

Here, the only Dr I know won't see me.

(Cause she's my cousin! Not because I'm a bad patient!)

And, the Dr's I've met...well, I just don't know that much about them, and I really don't have a strong sense of trust.

But, I am going to trust this ob-gyn on Thursday. And, he'd better come through and prove that I can trust a Dr, whom I know nothing about.

I'll keep you posted...

40 days and counting

2010-09-24T08:29:00.003-05:00

Noah's flood lasted 40 days and then it stopped.

My flood hit 40 days today and I'm so beyond ready for it to stop.

And if your a guy, you might want to stop there. Personally, I don't care, but you guys are squeamish...

My period started the first day of college classes, August 18. Today marks 40 days. Yes, I've been to the Dr. Yes, we're doing "tests". No, nothing has worked yet. So far, the test results are all normal.

Yes I'm frustrated, angry and annoyed as hell.

You know, my period has never really bothered me. I don't mind having one, don't mind the mess, don't mind any aspect of it at all--until it hits day 40.

The most frustrating part of this is the unpredictability. Some days, I'm afraid to get far from the bathroom. Some days, I wonder if I'll ever feel clean again. Some days, I think that this will stop...and then it gets worse.

My guess is that my hormone levels are all out of wack...and that this is a part of me entering that next stage of life...but dang it's the most annoying thing ever.

It totally takes over your life...and wardrobe...

I'm tired, I'm anemic and so far, nothing has made this stop...

I now understand why so many women say "Just take the dang thing OUT." I never understood that before.

A big part of me wants to ride this out, to let my own body sort out these hormone levels and let nature run it's course. After all, not much medical research has been done on "women's issues", cause most research is done by men who don't really have to cope with it at all and who can never completely understand what it does to us. Because of that, I sometimes think that modern medicine interferes when it shouldn't. And, you know guys have their own reasons for wanting it to stop...think that has any influence on research???

A BIG part of me wants this to stop...immediately. By any means, just make it stop. Gimme some miracle drug to make this STOP cause I want to resume my life. Hell, take the darn thing OUT. I don't care if it's not a medical necessity...I don't care if the stupid, thieving insurance company won't pay...make this STOP. Cause my life has stopped...

Hunting is on hold...evening activities are on hold...some days, morning workouts are cancelled. Long trips are on hold. Short trips are iffy. I'm usually tired enough in the evenings that I'm not stitching or reading. Right now, my entire focus is on my uterus...and I'd really like to focus on something else.

40 days...

Porcupine

2010-09-09T08:11:00.003-05:00

Can you see him? Can you tell what he is?

None of these are what I'd call good shots, but these are pictures of a porcupine. Kev and I stumbled upon him while we were checking out our treestands. He was on one side of the creek and rapidly went up the bank and up this Locust tree. And, while you look for Porky...check out the thorns on the locust branches! I'm not sure which is worse...porcupine quills or Locust thorns.

I wasn't about to get any closer. He was big and he had these things called quills. I've been told that quills hurt! I have to say that he moved faster than I thought he could and he climbed up that tree pretty fast too.

Several years ago, we saw two procupines up by the house. They were black. This fella was brown. Sorry my pictures aren't better, but if you want better shots of him, then you can be the one to brave both the Locust thorns and the porcupine quills.

Prairie Fire

2010-09-02T15:11:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago, Kev and I had run down to Mom's to work on her yard project. On our way home, we saw smoke northeast of Ashland. We knew the Englewood Volunteer Fire Department had already been on one fire that day, and we wondered if they'd get called out again...they did.

As we drove closer to home, the smoke kept getting bigger and bigger and darker and darker. There was also lightening occurring around us, and we're guessed the fire was started by lightening--always a risk on the prairie when it's dry...and it has been. We passed the Bucklin Volunteer Fire Department headed south to the fire, so we knew that it was a big fire.

We knew that any fire over here was going to be tough to put out. Lots of pastures, lots of canyons, and areas where you can't get a fire truck to, and lots of oil wells and storage tanks full of oil.

Sunday, we drove down through the area where they fire had been. It burned 4400 acres before the fire departments got it under control. I'm not even sure how many fire departments answered the call, but I know they had guys come from far western Kansas and Oklahoma. (Rural firefighters are great at helping each other out. They thrive on grass fires and get excited when they get called out.)

The day after the fire, this area got between 3 and 6 inches of rain, so it's already greened up nicely. I took these pictures on the Mt. Jesus road in Clark County--just north of Mt Jesus and just south of where we lived when I was a girl.

I did have to laugh at the fence. A brand-spankin' new fence...hedge posts...A nice tight fence...

The top of many posts were there, as were the bottoms...just nothing in between.

In a few weeks, you'll never know that a fire went through here...well, you won't unless they don't get that fence fixed!

The Mother-In-Law project

2010-09-02T14:38:00.002-05:00

I have said repeatedly over the past 15 years that if Kev and I ever divorced, my folks would keep him and dump me. It's true, they would! Why? well, because Kev does handy-man stuff for my folks and he builds things for my Mom. See, while my Dad is a wonderful rancher/cowboy...he SUCKS at anything mechanical or...handy. Granted, keeping cattle alive and thriving is a handy skill to have, and we all appreciate it every time we take a bite of beef. But still, sometimes, it would have been nice for Dad to be useful around the house.

Last year, Kev decided that my Mom needed a disappearing waterfall. He asked her if she'd like one, and she thought maybe that would be nice, so Kev started planning on how he was going to build it. Here's the finished product: It's called a disappearing waterfall because there isn't a pond of water. The water just disappears amongst the rocks at the base. In actuality, it does go in a pond that is under the rocks and it is then pumped back up to the top of the waterfall. (and for all you cattle people out there, we're using a mineral tub for the "pond".)

As part of the project, we decided to expand her deck by the kitchen door--the door that everyone uses. Kev had build the deck years ago--at least 12 years ago. We decided to expand it clear to the cellar door so that we wouldn't have to put pavers between the two. In doing so, we were able to move Dad's grilling table up to the deck, making it much more convenient for him to get to. Dad is a pretty good welder, he built that table for a welding station and Grandpa used it, but now it's a grilling station. (The top is slate left over from a pool table. It makes for a very heavy table.)

Grass has never grown on the south side of Mom's house. So, after putting in the waterfall, we built a stone patio for Mom. We did edge it with timbers and then set the pavers. Instead of sand, we filled it in with fine, red, Kansas dirt which is closely related to fine, red, Oklahoma dirt...only better.

Here's a view of the patio and the waterfall. The area to the right, under the air conditioner, will become planting boxes. That's a project for next spring. We'll put up a retaining wall with a pathway and then Mom can plant flowers or veggies or whatever she wants to there.

It's been a long road to get this far, but we're pleased with what we've done so far. I for one, am looking forward to seeing it completely finished next summer.

Music memories

2010-08-17T20:27:00.002-05:00

This year, at the college, I was asked to teach one section of the Orientation class that all incoming freshmen are required to take. I said yes, even though I'm not a fan of orientation classes. Personally, I think they are a huge waste of a students time and money; however, since I wanted to be more visible to students, I agreed to behave myself and teach a section. Yesterday and today, we had filled the days with activities for the kids to do.

Today, we had a lot of different speakers to listen to. Some, I enjoyed, some I did not. One of my favorite sessions today utilized Music as a way to reach the kids who are a different generation than most of the college staff.

The speaker shared that most of us can hear a song and it will trigger a memory, like a first year of college, or a party or a first kiss. She had gone around to various college staff and had asked them what song reminded them of their first year of college--or of something that happened during that first year of college. She then had the kids guess which song went with each staff person. Most of the music was from the early 80's through the early 1990's. Two were from the 1960's. Every song on today's list was classic rock.

Which made me think about what song would remind me of my first year of college. My song wasn't classic rock...my song was classic country. Alabama's Feels so Right. Or maybe George Strait's Amarillo by Morning. Both songs were from the same year and time. Both were among my favorites.

But I also reflected on different songs, or singers that I've listened to over the years and that I like. We always had music on at some time or other at our house. Mom and Dad had a pretty extensive album collection. Steve and I used to play their records all the time. Our favorites were Jimmy Dean, Johnny Horton, Roger Miller and Tex Ritter. All sang story songs. Mom also had a lot of folk song albums from the folk music trend of the 1960's. So I also listened to Peter, Paul and Mary and Steve and I both liked the New Christy Minstrals.

My Mom's little sister, Sandy, is 10 years older than I am. So when she babysat us, we'd listen to her music. And, after she got married, many of her albums were left at Grandma's. I listened to them all the time...the Beatles, the Monkees, Three Dog Night.

But as I got into high school, I primarily listened to Country. NOT the twangy stuff, like Hank Williams...I have never developed a taste for Hank; in fact, one of my least favorite songs is Hey Good-lookin'. I'd rather listen to chalk screeching across a chalkboard than listen to that song. Some songs, I liked until they were tied to bad memories. Like the song You'll never walk alone. I liked that song until it was sung at my cousins funeral. Now, when I hear it...it reminds me of that day and the fact that I had to attend the funeral alone.

One of the albums that we wore out in high school was the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. On 8-track. And the Oak Ridge Boys Elvira. That song reminds me of my Senior Trip, as we sang it to one of our sponsors, Eldora. (yes, we changed the name as we sang.) That song also reminds me of staying with Sandy and her family. Royce was 2 and he loved that song. Sandy finally had enough and forbade us from playing it. But, I did listen to some rock...Queen, and some Kiss, and even the Carpenters and Barry Manilow and Disco...

In college, I still listened to Country, but I also began to listen to more rock with my friends. I'm still primarily a Country fan, but I have listened to some of the music my kids like. Andy listens to a lot of Christian Rock mixed in with his Country music while Miss Kat likes a little bit of everything, but she favors Rock, some Rap, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. I've corrupted them a little, because I've taught them to appreciate some of those folk songs and some older country (like Garth Brooks...yep, guys, he's old news.)

So, I guess it's true, that music does have strong ties with our memories. It was really fun to think about what songs are tied to my memories today. So, now I ask you...what songs and singers are special to you?

End of summer changes...for the kids

2010-08-05T08:13:00.004-05:00

Summer is rapidly winding down, but it's not slowing down.

Immediately upon our return from vacation, Andy decided it was time for him to spread his wings and fly the coop. He moved into an apartment in Ford with a friend of his. The boys scavenged furniture and dishes from their Mothers and set up house. So far...3 weeks in, they are doing OK.

It's a little odd without Andy being home, but I think it will be OK. He wants to learn how to live on his own and that's what all we parents want, right? It's our job to raise our kids and them let them go learn about life on their own...it was so much easier when I was the kid wanting to go out on my own...

But, we're surviving. My grocery bill had already gone down but my chore list has gone up. Miss Kat has taken over care of the barn cats and I am now the full time caretaker of the chickens. No more questionable eggs have shown up in the fridge, so I must be doing OK!

Yesterday, Andy and I went to Garden City to see an Orthopedic Surgeon. Andy's been struggling with his knee for 2 years. We've seen one Dr, but he didn't do much except tell us he thought it was simply a symptom of Andy growing so fast. But, now, it looks like surgery might be in Andy's future. Which means he probably shouldn't have moved out on his own and signed a lease when he might not be able to work for 6 weeks or more. But, I might be getting ahead of myself with worrying because we won't know for sure what's going on for 2 more weeks.

I will say that I didn't enjoy my day sitting in the Dr's office, and waiting for x-rays and MRI's to be run. The highlight was seeing Andy run around in short shorts (mid thigh) while wearing cowboy boots. While Miss Kat looks cute in her Fat Babies boots with her short shorts and long legs...Andy just doesn't have quite the same look with his shorter, hairier legs...

Gosh, it just dawned on me that I should have gotten a picture!

Since Andy has moved out, Miss Kat is planning on relocating to his room. she has grand schemes...I mean plans. And, those plans change often. We've gone from a red and black room to a teal and silver room to a multi-colored room. We've gone from a city theme to a sports theme to a zebra theme.

We ordered a bedspread/duvet cover Saturday night after looking in every store in Wichita for the perfect bedding. It arrived last night, and had Miss Kat in tears. It just wasn't what she had pictured...and of course, it's my fault, because we didn't order the one she loved 2 weeks ago and it is now unavailable.

But, last night, we settled on one...I hope. Zebra. Black and White. With teal or aqua sheets and accent pillows. And, she's thinking about making herself a small accent quilt. I think she wants to paint the room teal or aqua with one wall metallic silver. We'll see what she winds up with because she is after all, a teenager.

I've decided that she hates me. This quilt thing...you all know that I don't like to quilt. And somehow...I think I'm going to wind up "helping" a great deal with this project. (Aunt Cindy, wanna come to Kansas for a month or so and quilt with Miss Kat???)

Miss Kat is also practicing her driving. She had hopes of getting her farm permit before school so she could drive herself to and from school. But, she's not ready yet. We've driven a few times, but she still doesn't turn corners well and she doesn't keep her speed consistent going up and down hill. She also tends to hug the side of the road which makes me nervous when we don't have shoulders. She is better at stopping, because I haven't hit the dash in a week now. Progress...it's progress, but progress comes at a price; I have more gray hair from all this driving instruction. School starts in 2 weeks. She's not going to have her permit by then. Maybe she'll be ready by Christmas...

Nope, summer might be winding down, but it certainly isn't slowing down at our house.

More Campin' pictures...whether you wanted to see them or not!

2010-07-21T08:17:00.003-05:00

Remember, yesterday, I mentioned the annual Hike/Fish the Snake River jaunt...This year, when we drove over to the Big Red Park, where we drop the guys off on the east side of the Snake River, we found that the road was washed out where the guys start their trip. We didn't talk to anyone, but we're just guessing that spring flooding washed out the road. We're thinking that beavers contributed to the damage. But, wow, what a mess. This photo is of the former road over the river with the flume--well, what's left of the flume. That kind of water power is a little beyond my flat-landers comprehension.

One of the games we like to play a lot at our house is Washers. It's kinda like horse shoes, but easier. The kids played many a game of Washers with we adults getting in on the action. Kevin is a wiz at Washers. Andy and Sharon were pretty good too. Miss Kat, alas, isn't good. The only part of washers she's good at is what we'll call...creative scoring. If you get a point, she gets two. somehow, even when she's losing, she wins. And don't even try arguing with the girl, cause she's a master at the art of argument. Not debate, just argument.

On our hike up to the Elkhorn Mine, we enjoyed lots of tree art. Not sure who etched this into the Aspen, but she's been there a while. I think she looks a lot like me...except for the ample chest, and my face is not quite as masculine. But, who looks at her face anyway?

We stopped at Vanderbilts in Colby and got Miss Kat new boots before the trip. she saved them for the campground, using her flip flops and tennis shoes for water adventures. Cute Ariat Fat Babies. She wore them all the time. Yes, with her shorts. With her long legs, and boots...cute, cute, cute. If boots make everyones legs look that good, I'm getting me a pair. Better yet, I'll steal Kat's. We wear the same size! (Kat's standing next to her Daddy. Sharon and Lynn Dale are in the background...with both dogs making an appearance.)

Every year, we set out a hummingbird feeder. This year, we had two birds utilize it. Kevin and Lynn mixed the food...but they didn't boil the sugar and water, nope, they just dumped some sugar into the water. Sharon and I told them and told them that you have to supersaturate the water, but dang it; the hummingbirds came anyway. Personally, I think the birds were planted by the guys--just so they'd win the argument... But, anyway, The hummingbirds gave us a lot of pleasure over the week. As we were breaking up camp on the last morning, this little guy kept zipping in, looking for his snack. Unfortunately, it had been packed already. But he was so cute because he kept zipping in and out, looking for that feeder.

This was our kitchen for the week. Have you ever seen a cast iron kettle (center, bottom on the grate)? I hadn't, but I got one at an auction earlier this summer. It was really rusty, but I scrubbed it and rubbed it with lard and we used it at camp. We didn't cook in it, but we used it to hold our bacon grease that we cooked with. We kept in on the fire, or near the fire so it stayed nice and hot all week. I cleaned it up and it's now nicely seasoned. Several years ago, Lynn and I bought the big Dutch Oven (top center). We hadn't used it much, but we did this year. It cooked our Taco Soup and our Goulash, and Gravy. When you're cooking for 9, and 6 of them are big eaters...you need a big pot.

The coffee pot is Kev's--the one we use in the house. I spent over 2 hours scrubbing the soot off it Sunday afternoon at home. I think he needs another one dedicated for camping because I don't want to make a habit of scrubbing soot off a coffeepot.

This is of my sweetie, Kev. He's just out looking at some of the dead trees. But I thought it was a nice picture. We had such a good time on our little adventure to the mountains.

Finally, a shot depicting a common activity all week...resting in chairs, under the trees. Sharon and Andy. Be surprised they aren't reading, because if they were sitting down--in camp, they had a book in hand. We all read a lot of books. But, that's the best part of vacation, relaxing, and doing something you enjoy.

Mom's Cooking

2010-07-20T16:29:00.004-05:00

Here it is...finally finished. "Mom's cooking" (the actual title. I keep calling this Mom's Kitchen, or something along those lines.) First up is a closeup of about 1/2 of the finished project. Note that the size of the chicken wire changes. Gives the picture depth.

And the full project. It's 9 x 22. Stitched on 28 ct. Luguana. Off white. Some I've had for years. I like to buy a yard at a time and then cut what I need for various projects. This finished off my yard, so I need to get more.

I think I'll ask Kev to make me a frame out of barn wood. And then I'll have to find somewhere in the kitchen to hang this. Which means I might have to rearrange some of my "old crap". That would just be too bad... I've found a real red handled rolling pin to use as an accessory, but I'd really like to find a flour jar and green cup/salt shaker, etc. and I need to find an egg beater.

But, I promised that I'd post pictures, and I did. Now I just need to decide what my next project will be...right now, I'm in a reading frame of mind, (and a laundry/cleaning up the camper frame of mind). But, there will be other projects...I promise!

(Photos by Miss Kat)

Campin photos

2010-07-20T08:33:00.003-05:00

None of these photos were taken by me. I've asked (nicely) Miss Kat to upload my photos, but she hasn't. Don't have a photo here of Miss Kat or of Sharon...mainly the guys...that's weird! Kev, Me, Andy and Austin sittin' around the campfire.

Cody, Steve, Lynn Dale and Kev. Maybe Sharon is "Up the hill" using the facilities. Miss Kat is behind the camera.

Austin, Cody and their Dad, Steve.

Kev took this shot of the other 4 hikers. The guys traditionally walk the Snake River, fishing all day. We drop them off at one end and 7-10 hours later, pick them up at the other end of the river. Rough country in between. I've walked it once and would like to do it again. You literally have two mountains come down with the river in the middle. Many times throughout the hike, your flattest hike is in the water. And frequently, you can't walk in the water, so you are walking with your feet angled. This trip was Austin and Cody's first time to hike. The adults deemed them to small until this year. In this photo, you have Andy, Cody, Steve and Austin.

Just a small group of sheep that were in the mountains with us. Cody took this shot on our hike up to the Elkhorn mine. We were a little concerned as we walked through the sheep. We weren't sure how the LGD's would react and watched them carefully. We did NOT want them to think we were a threat to the sheep. No problems, but we did leave our dogs in camp.

This is Hahn's Peak. We camped north of of the mountain. You can see lots of dead pine trees in this shot. Believe me, this area has been hit hard by the Pine beetles.

Quick camping facts

2010-07-19T11:36:00.005-05:00

We got home from the Mountains late Saturday night.

Our campsite was at 8500 feet.

The temperature most mornings was in the low 40's. The morning high was 49, morning low was 39.

We had frost one morning.

We cooked all our meals over the campfire. The menfolk did more than their share of the cooking.

We did dishes over the campfire too--with creek water.

We used paper plates, so there weren't many dishes to wash.

Lots of card games took place in the evenings. I even won a few--but only when I played with the kids.

The guys spent all but one day fishing.

Kev found some bear scat which made him a wee bit nervous.

The sheep were there, sharing the valley with us. The sheepherders don't speak English... neither do the LGD dogs--Great Pyrenees. They didn't like our dogs.

Our dogs spent lots of time in the camper.

This was the first time we didn't have sheep poop in our campsite.

The hike up to the Elkhorn mine was fun, but there's not much oxygen up there and this gal really noticed the lack thereof.

Physical fittness is wasted on the youth.

It was fabulous not being the only adult female on the trip, and sharing our trip with Sharon.

EVERYTHING makes Lynn Dale fart.

The kids have finally gotten old enough not to fall for Lynn's "Pull my finger" line.

It didn't stop Lynn.

Afternoon temperatures got to the mid 80's.

The flies were more annoying than the mosquitoes.

We saw evidence of the Pine Beetle infestation. Lots and lots of dead trees in the forest.

Some of our favorite trees are now dead.

There's no cell service where we were. I didn't miss it. Miss Kat did. Anytime we went down the Mountain, she'd be texting at rapid speeds.

Not one person texted me while we were gone.

I was very proud of my kids. They didn't fight for one entire week. Well, until the ride home that is...but still...

Somehow, Miss Kat is the only person who didn't do any cooking. Even Austin and Cody, my 13 year old nephews, cooked.

Miss Kat can do dishes over the campfire--even if she didn't want to!

I took 4 books. Read 3.

I took one cross stitch project. It never left it's bag.

Sharon and I talked non-stop from Colby to Steamboat...and then some. We also talked non-stop on the way home--after spending a week together...talking!

On the way up, we had to deal with idiot bicyclists from Denver.

On the way home, we had to deal with a bigger number of idiot bicyclists from Steamboat.

The Steamboat bikers cost us an hour in drive time.

Kev says we saw 875,000 bicyclists between Steamboat and Kremmling.

We managed not to hit a single bicyclist...even those who didn't follow proper biking safety and rules of the road.

When we left Ks, the temperature was in the 80's. We got home to temps over 100. We much preferred Mountain temperatures.

We had a great time and don't want to wait another 5 years before going back.

25 and then some...things about me

2010-07-08T15:30:00.004-05:00

We'll be heading to the Mountains tomorrow, so no blogs next week. (Like I've been good this summer anyway!)

No, I don't have a picture to post of my "Kitchen" cross stitch yet...I asked Miss Kat to take a picture of it last night. She did, but wouldn't upload it for me. And there I was...slaving away over a hot stove making cookies for the trip. Ungrateful wench...

So blame her.

One of my groups online had a thread of 25 things about me. Thought I'd post my list here for you all to be amazed by all the things about me that you didn't know before...

1. I get annoyed by ill people. I try not to, but I just don't understand it. (It's Grandma's fault. Her and her standing-appointment with Dr. Lenz every Friday morning.)
2. Thankfully, I am not a nurse.
3. I think living in cities is against human nature. (Sorry family in Colo Springs, but yes, you all are quacks! but I love you anyway!)
4. I live in the country.
5. My dream goal is to eat only food produced on our place.
6. My garden is against me fulfilling my dream unless you can eat bindweed.
7. I often have to stop to do the math when someone asks my age. (Let's see...it's 2010...I was born in 1964...that makes me...46).
8. In my mind I'm still 25 with a hot body. Neither is true. (was it true then?)
9. Every day, I look at Kev and think I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Why he "Settled" for me, I'll never know but I will be forever grateful.
10. I wish we had gotten married earlier so I could have talked Kev into having 2 more kids...well, I wish that most of the time...ok...sometimes...umm...
11. I have worked in a library of some kind since 1979. And libraries look very different 30 years later. OMG...did I just type 30???I am not old enough to have worked in a library 30 years! aaarrrgggg!
12. As an academic librarian, I'm annoyed by helicopter parents.
13. As a parent of a 19 year old and a 14 year old, I can now see how easy it is to become a helicopter parent.
14. I'm trying really hard NOT to be a helicopter parent.
15. I bowhunt.
16. I hate fishing but like to eat fish. Except for muddy catfish and trout. Trout look at you. bleh...
17. I think Kansas is one of the most under appreciated states in the union.
18. I have heard every Toto and Dorothy joke and they really annoy me.
19. I'm grateful that all the idiots who like Dorothy and Toto jokes live elsewhere and they all eventually go home...usually to cities.
20. I love the feel, sight, sound, and smell of rain.
21. I like raising chickens. Except when they drive me crazy. Which is fairly often.
22. My favorite part of the day is when I crawl into bed and snuggle with Kev.
23. My mom is one of my best friends.
24. I wish I was a Stay at home wife and mom.
25.Kev and I get up at the un-godly hour of 5 a.m. to exercise. Every day, when the alarm goes off, I pray that he'll just turn it off and go back to sleep. He seldom does. I am NOT a morning person, so exercising with me at 5 a.m. is lots of fun for both of us.

Well, that's it. Tonight...I'm still getting ready to camp. Tonight I am patching some jeans to wear and baking banana bars. Tomorrow, I'm loading the camper. But, I sure would appreciate someone explaining to me how Kev always manages to have to work on the day that the camper gets loaded up for a trip; leaving most of the last minute stuff to me...

The weekend in brief...

2010-07-06T08:58:00.003-05:00

No chicken posts this week! Aren't you glad?

It's Tuesday. I had a 4 day weekend. It was great! On Friday, I finished stitched "Mom's Cooking", which I also call "Mom's kitchen" quite frequently. I'll post a picture soon. PROMISE. I started stitching it Easter weekend, and finished on July 3. Not bad. Since we are going camping this next week, I'm just going to either take a break from stitching, or take along some bookmark patterns. Once we get home, I think I'll stitch up some more tea towels or maybe some pillowcases. I'm fairly positive it will be embroidery work instead of cross stitching for a little while. I need a break!

On Saturday, Miss Kat and I ran in to Dodge with Kev. It was his weekend to cover the hospital, and we "carpooled" to hit the stores while he was working. Then we ran home and unloaded the groceries and put them away. We got a lot of camping groceries but, like always, I need more. And, once again, we got home, fresh from the store and wondered what we were going to have for supper!

Kev and I then ran down to Mom's. She bought a new air conditioner (Window unit) and wanted it installed. It has been sitting on her porch for 3 weeks...I'm not real sure why the rush to get it installed, after all the 30 year old one still worked! But, Kev came down and he and Dad managed to get it installed without any trouble. Kev did comment that the new one was lots lighter than the old one. Of course it's been cool and rainy since we installed it, so I'm not sure how well it works for Mom.

After installing the AC, we ran out to the Hill. Dad helped Kev pick up a couple of stock panels while Mom and I ran out to check the Sand-hill plums. There's a thicket of plums down near the new well in the pasture. We decided to walk, thinking it wasn't that far down there. We kept rounding "corners" of the draw thinking the plums were right there, but they were always "around the next bend."

We finally got to them. And found several ripe and almost ripe plums. Since it's been a wet year, the plums are HUGE! We walked back, and made plans to pick them on Monday. Kev and I got home around 8:30 Saturday night. I ran to take a bath and found 2 ticks on my leg. Both were busily robbing me of blood, but we got them plucked and gave them a nice alcohol christening before sending them down the toilet.

The 4th was a nice quiet day. We started getting the camper ready to go and then we went to Ford to a 4th party. It's our first invitation to a party since moving. We had a nice time and were home by 10 and watched Bucklin's fireworks from our front porch. Kat and a friend watched from town (you know teenage girls, they had to see who was there and they needed to be seen too!) Andy was in Minneola with a friend. Our first fireworks alone...so romantic...

Yesterday, Kev ran to work and I drove to Mom's to pick plums. Kev called and said it was dumping rain on him. (Found out later that Dodge got 7.5 inches of rain in 24 hours.) I hit the rain a few minutes later. Yes, it dumped! It didn't, however, rain at Mom's. So, we ran out to pick plums.

We doused ourselves with OFF, and made sure we had gloves and then we tackled the plum thicket. An hour later, we'd decided that we enjoyed picking plums a lot more when Dad does the picking.

We were cut up and bruised, but we had 2.5 gallons of plums! Of course many fell to the ground before landing in our bucket. And the bushes were thick, full of tumbleweeds and soaking wet. My clothes were soaked. To top it off...we forget to put on the gloves, so we have cuts and splinters in my hands. I think Sand-hill plum jelly is worth the effort...but it IS much nicer when Daddy picks the plums.

Kev and I spent the afternoon cleaning the camper and making that final list of stuff we need to pack/do before leaving on Friday. Then, we'll be off to Steamboat for a week! I can't wait!

As the egg "turns"

2010-06-30T11:48:00.002-05:00

Only one short week, Andy and I candled all the eggs from the refrigerator. All were nice and clear, no baby chicks.

This morning, Kev made me a bacon, egg and cheese bagel for breakfast. I was happily munching away on it when Andy came upstairs ready to make his own breakfast. He decided that my bagel looked good and decided to make his own. I was in the living room, when I heard him say "ick". (Or something to that effect.)

I asked if he had a bloody egg, and he said "yes." He carried the egg out to the cats and I suggested that he break the next egg in a bowl first. The next thing I heard was, "Mom, don't look under this paper towel. You won't like what's there."

"What?" I asked.

"There was a baby chick in that egg."

Of course I looked. And sure enough, I saw a mostly developed chick. Suddenly, that egg I had just eaten wasn't sitting as snuggly in my stomach. I have seen chick embryos before--in pictures. They didn't bother me much. I can now say that seeing a picture of an embryo is much less disturbing than seeing a "live" one resting in a cereal bowl. (But, I can tell you that I did take time to mentally note that chicks really do develop from the white, not the yolk. Yes, I'm weird that way.)

I carried the bowl outside and shut my eyes as I set it in the grass for the cats. Of course there were no cats to be found, so I actually had to holler "kitty, kitty." Mama cat made a beeline for the bowl. I didn't watch.

Once back in the house, I candled the rest of the eggs in that carton and threw away 3 more eggs. Two were dark and cloudy, the third definitely had a little chick shape floating in it.

Tonight, I'm going to candle every stinking egg in the fridge and then I'm going to go out to the chicken house and talk to the girls. Someone needs to stay on her nest better. Then, I'm going to figure out a way to mark the nesting boxes so I can better track which one has had a broody girl sitting on it. Either that, or make sure that only one of us gathers eggs so we'll know which boxes to avoid...

Oh, Andy didn't have eggs for breakfast. He had bacon and pop tarts. He said that eggs just didn't sound good right now. I have to say, that I completely understand and agree with him. Eggs just don't sound good right now.

special eggs

2010-06-23T08:01:00.003-05:00

I'm a wee bit annoyed...tonight, when I get home from work, I will have to candle every stinking egg in my refrigerator.

Why? Because of one stupid Hen and one typical male.

Andy's job is to bring in the eggs every evening when he shuts the girls up for the night. We've had two girls go broody and they chose to brood in their nesting box. Not the best place to hatch eggs, but I've been afraid to move them for fear that they would abandon their nests. They should be half way through sitting.

I'm usually out there myself every day or two, just to check on things, but right now, taking care of the girls is Andy's responsibility.

This morning, I went out to let the girls out for the day and discovered that one of the girls had moved. She wasn't sitting in her normal box and that box was empty...

Empty...no eggs, no hen...which means that Andy probably, without thinking, brought them to the house. And he should know better. He's been helping me take care of the chickens for almost 1/2 of his life!

There's nothing worse than cracking an egg for breakfast and finding a bloody mess, or worse...a half developed chick.

To avoid this happening, I'm going to have to candle every stinking egg in the fridge tonight to make sure they are all safe.

And right after I do that, I might strangle a 19 year old boy who should know better.

Humm ... ... maybe I'll set aside a couple of "special" eggs just for him to crack open for breakfast...

Anybody wanna see pictures of that?

tornados and wind

2010-06-09T08:16:00.003-05:00

Much like the writer of "The Perfect Country Song", I was told that I had left out some important aspects about Kansas...like tornadoes and rattlesnakes.

So, I've had to revise my "what do you do in Kansas" response to include them. It is as follows...

"Well, this mornin, on the way out to the windmill, I had to kill me an 'ole 8 foot rattler with eleventeen rattles on his tail. I threw him over my shoulder so we could have him for breakfast. After gettin a bucket of water, I glanced over and saw a tornado roarin' down on us. So I hustled back to the house, and got the young'uns into the cellar. Then, just when the tornado had knocked down the windmill and tore up the yard some, I noticed them sneaky Injuns tryin to hijack my chickens. So, I grabbed the shotgun and took care of them there Injuns. After that excitement, it was just another boring day.

Fightin Indians and pickin up buffalo chips

2010-06-04T08:21:00.006-05:00

Over the weekend, a young man said to me, "I don't know how you live in Kansas. It's so boring. What do you do for fun?"

Sadly, it's not the first time I've heard that kind of thing. And, quite frankly, I want to smack such people over the head. Seriously. What do they think we do in Kansas? Fight Indians? Battle hoards of grasshoppers? Pick up cow chips for fuel? (And, don't even get me started on the Toto crap...)

Kansas gets a bad rap--an undeserved one. Most people's impression of Kansas comes from driving through the state on I-70. Therefore, they see a 400 miles stretch with 2 miles along either side of the Interstate. Guess what, I-70 was built where it is for ease of construction. The engineers wanted a relatively level area to make construction cheaper and easier. If you are traveling west, Kansas is the first state you come to that takes more than 4 hours to travel across. So, it does seem like a long monotonous trip. Additionally, the Interstate is not urbanized all the way across Kansas like it tends to be in eastern states, so you do see more stretches with fewer fast food restaurants. And, yes, there are fewer trees out here, so it is an abrupt change from the eastern stretches of Interstate.

If you truly want to appreciate all that Kansas has to offer, GET OFF THE INTERSTATE.

In Southeast Kansas, you've got part of the Ozarks and mining communities. In North Eastern Kansas, you've got lots of rivers and trees. Then there are the Flint Hills. In Central Kansas, we've got the Postrock country. And, more hills. In South central/west Kansas, you've got Red Hills. Northwest Kansas has more rolling hills and don't forget the Arikaree Breaks. You don't hit really flat country until you get to the extreme Southwest corner of the state. Even though it's flat there, it's beautiful country.

And nothing is better than a Kansas sunset. Nothing, except a Kansas dawn.

You can see the stars--lots and lots of stars in Kansas.

As to what we do...

Idiot, we do the same things that you "blessed city dwellers" do. Only better.
We have electricity and central heating and cooling. We go to church and visit with our friends. Sorry, but there are no wild Indians left to fight. We have Malls and the same stores you have in your cities.

Just because you drive across our state doesn't mean that you "know" what it's like here. Believe me, you've missed the best parts of Kansas by driving through on I-70. And, you know what, with an attitude like that...you can just keep on driving.

But, next time, when asked "What do you do in Kansas?" I think I'll say, "Well, just yesterday, I had to draw water from the windmill to do laundry. Then, I had to go out and pick up buffalo chips to build the fire with so I could cook lunch for the chillins and then I had to shoot a couple of Indians who were trying to steal my chickens."

Wonder what kind of reaction I'll get from that???

Pictures from our walk

2010-05-20T08:17:00.004-05:00

I am a dork. Karin left a comment on my last post about there not being any pictures...and while we didn't take the camera...we did take Kev's cell phone. I did take 4 pictures, which are below. Now, lat night, as I remembered those pictures, I thought that it would be pretty easy to upload the pictures straight to the computer because a USB cord came with the stupid phone, so it should be easy-peasy, right?

WRONG.

After messing with the phone for 30 minutes, I did what every person does...I asked my kids to help.

And, after Andy and I messing for several minutes, we decided to bluetooth the pictures to his smart phone and then he could email them to me. But, guess what...bluetoothing didn't work for some obscure reason that we no longer cared to solve. So, I resorted to texting Andy the pictures and then he emailed them back to me. Something that should have been so simple turned out to be a major production.

And with that, all of you had just better appreciate these pictures!

One last vent about cell phones, except this one is really more about digital cameras. Point and click digital cameras are nice and all, but they aren't really designed for many outdoor shots in the bright sunshine. You simply can't see the screen. I'm amazed these turned out at all! New on my Christmas list is a SLR digital camera...I so prefer the viewfinder and not the LCD screen.

Vent over...Here's the pictures. Everyone, get ready to ooh and awww.

Flat Kansas.
The trees are growing at the bottom of the spring. You can't see these trees if you are up on top of the canyons--well, you can't see them from the trail and you can't see them from where we were picking up rocks.

One of our "waterfalls". This is the type of rock we picked up--just not pieces this big.

This was the coolest drop off. It was probably 3 feet to the bottom of the draw. You can see where years of water have smoothed out the rock. One rock. It was so cool.

And...at this point, I gave up using the cellphone to take pictures. But, at least you get a small idea of some of the beauty we enjoyed.

Saturday fun

2010-05-18T08:26:00.003-05:00

What did you do this weekend?

Pick up rocks.

Yep, that's us. Exciting lives! We ran out to the ranch on Saturday to get some rocks for Mom's landscaping that Kev is going to do. I love going out to the ranch. I'd love it even more if all that beautiful land belonged to us! But, it doesn't.

Kev and I went out to the canyons on the east side of the ranch and picked up probably 2000 lbs of rocks. Sandstone. Four of the rocks took both of us to lift. We drove the 4 wheeler down to the bottom and loaded it up, then hauled the rocks back up to the trailer, unloaded them, and back down for another load.

After we finished, we decided to walk through the canyon--just for fun. We found some beautiful springs surrounded by cottonwoods. We found some areas where rain had washed and exposed "waterfalls". (But they "fall" only when it rains.) We found some wild grapes, 2 lizards, and a horny toad. Kev saw a coyote that we spooked, and we both saw some antelope. The wildflowers are starting to bloom, so we enjoyed the early flowers and I even found some cowboy roses, my personal favorite.

After our walk, Kev touched base with Dad, who was heading over to the "500", a pond, to fish. Since Kev had thrown in his pole and fishing stuff, we decided to head over. I do not fish. Fishing is boring and icky. So, while the guys were fishing...I read a book, killed a tick, and took a nap in the sunshine.

After a couple of hours, Kev quit fishing, because we had to unload the rocks down at Mom's. Dad conveniently stayed fishing...he's really good at getting out of hard work like that...on the other hand, he had built fence that morning, so maybe he's due a little "R & R".

Kev and I got to Mom's and she helped us unload the rocks--but not the heavy rocks. Kev and I did those. We just didn't carry them very far. They were heavy!

As we left, Kev told me it had been a great birthday for him, he got a great gift, and he got to spend the day outside.

It was a good day. And we finished our day with grilled steak for supper. A great end to a pretty good day.

Surprising Kev

2010-05-17T08:44:00.003-05:00

I finally did it. It only took me 20 years, but I finally surprised Kev with a gift.

Oh, I've bought him lots of gifts over the years, but he's not an easy person to buy for. He's not picky, or materialistic...which probably makes it harder to buy for him because he just doesn't want much.

But the worst part of trying to buy a gift for Kev is that he always guesses what I got him before I give it to him.

For example...several years ago, I bought him a reciprocating saw, or a saws-all. Kev's brother Dan went to the store with me and helped me pick out a good saw for Kev. I smuggled it home, got it wrapped and put under the Christmas tree. A few days later, Kev said, "Can I open my saw and use it now? It would sure come in handy." He'd figured it out. He does it all the time.

It makes it very frustrating for me because he's always surprising me, and I want to do the same for him. And this year, I succeeded!

Since we moved here, Kev's been bow hunting on the ground and a few times, he's been burned by the deer. They've spotted him. So, I got the idea to buy Kev a Ghille suit. I found one I liked in Cabela's, and ordered it for Kev's birthday. I had it shipped to work so he wouldn't see the box and somehow guess what I'd ordered.

Now, he's never mentioned wanting a ghille suit, so I wasn't sure this would pan out. I was so afraid he'd open it, grunt, and tell me he didn't need a ghille suit, and to send it back. (He's done that before.)

But, no! He was thrilled! He'd been thinking about looking at one, hadn't mentioned it. He tried it on and offered to go lay down in the pasture to see if he "disappeared". He's now eager for hunting season again, just for the chance to wear his new suit.

And, I'm excited because finally, after 20 years, I got to surprise him with a gift he likes and didn't expect. And that made us both happy on his birthday.

a text conversation and a crisis

2010-05-14T08:16:00.004-05:00

Life with a teenage girl is never dull. Take for example this text conversation we had yesterday, as Miss Kat was on her way to a track meet. The final meet of the year...

11:43 a.m. Thursday.

Miss Kat: Can u get me some money somehow? I didn't eat lunch and I forgot mine.

Me: Now...how am I going to get money to you? Are you running? If so maybe Andy will come to the meet and bring you some money.

Miss Kat: No I'm not. Kim is here. I didn't eat Mom!

Me: What am I supposed to do from Dodge? (I'm thinking...Girl, why didn't you plan yourself. And, seriously? This is a crisis?)

Miss Kat: Give some to Andy. Just like 5 or something.

Me: Let me text him (to see if he's going to the meet).

Miss Kat: Thanks.

I texted Andy. Who had decided not to go to the meet since Kat wasn't running.

Me: Andy isn't going...So, I guess you will have to figure something out yourself...Sorry.

Miss Kat: Mom! I didn't fricken eat lunch! This is freakin stupid! He just doesn't want to do anything.

Me: Kat, it's not his fault. YOU should have eaten. You'll live till you get home...sorry babe. (And I'm thinking...SERIOUSLY, this is ANDY's fault? SERIOUSLY? Good Lord. Just who raised this child?)

Miss Kat: We didn't eat at school!

Me: Oh, ok then... (as I was thinking...SERIOUSLY? I guessed that...how on earth is this MY problem?)

Miss Kat: I'm hungry

Me: I'm sorry maybe you can bum some from from a friend...either that or do without.

Miss Kat: That's frickin' retarded.

Me: Well...do you have any other ideas? (as I'm thinking. Missy...you are getting on my last nerve with this attitude. Serves you right.)

Miss Kat: What do you think?

Me: No idea...ask someone to help you out (all the while I'm thinking...Girl, why is this everyone's fault but your own? You knew you had a meet today. You knew when you were leaving town. You knew you needed lunch...so why is this suddenly MY problem? Good grief, who ARE your parents?)

Miss Kat: Then can you please get me some Bob Evans Macaroni?

Me: How, I'm in Dodge! (and I'm thinking...What? Why the shift from help me, and it's all Andy's fault to "Buy me some Bob Evans Macaroni?" Did I miss something in translation?)

At this point. The conversation ended. Since I am the epitome of thoughtfulness and concern for the physical health and mental well being of my child...I thought about how I could get her some money or food.

Then it hit me... Faye and Frosty, friends from Big E, were going to be there watching their grandson run. So, I called my Mom and asked her if they were still going. Then I explained the crisis--er, problem--and asked if Mom could call Faye (who happens to be her best friend and who's number Mom's phone automatically dials when it's picked up) and ask Faye to loan Kat some money for food. I could then pay Faye back either this weekend or get money to Mom to get to Faye.

So, Mom called Faye, who said "sure". Then Mom called me back. I then texted and called Miss Kat back and told her to find Layton's Grandma who would help her out. Unfortunately, Kat never replied to my message. But, Faye found her and saved the day. God bless Faye...

Although, it was really tempting to just let Miss Kat go without lunch...just to teach her to plan and to be responsible and to take care of herself...yeah right...think it will ever happen? Yeah, I don't think so either...