About Me

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Within the confines of this blog, you will find bits and pieces of the life and times of myself, my family and friend dear and near., far and wide, few and far between. You will find bits and pieces of my world, tho small to some, but huge to me. You will find everything from 'soup to nuts',; recipes, hobbies,crafts, gardenings,loves of my life, GrandLoves-a-Plenty, and even my pets... Sooo, if you can handle family life, enjoy the tour of my 'Stuffings'.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

I've Been Waiting For This


click any photo to enlarge
I've been waiting to see this.  I noticed an anxious doe prancing the edge of the field from the neighbor's mailbox to just beyond my mailbox, about 50 yards or so.  She was so nervous and then I saw why.  Her little fawn was following her and she was looking for a place to safely cross the highway onto our side of the road.
 She pranced back and forth, looking, always looking behind, then ahead, tail high, waiting for the perfect chance.  By time I grabbed the camera, I thought she'd be gone, but no, she was still searching.  What I had not noticed because of the trees, but what she could plainly see, was a car to her east and a truck pulling a boat to her west, parked on the highway, giving her clear passage.  Finally she crossed with her fawn fast behind her.
 This morning I saw her in the far side of the corral grazing.
 She was keeping a close eye on Bill as he pounded the pea fence posts in the garden, but kept an even closer eye on her fawn who was lying next to a fallen tree.  I'd seen her on and off all morning.
 Later, on my way down the driveway to get my mail, I saw her hunched over in the field across the road, most likely nursing.  Again, I turned back to the house to grab the camera, hoping to get another picture of her fawn.
She immediately did the distraction thing, walking slowly away and hoping to divert my attention from her fawn. 
 I stood next to a tree,  and she finally turned and came back for her baby, fully aware of me.
 She watched the traffic and me the entire time she let her fawn nurse in the center of the neighbor's field.

 OK, time to go, little one.
 After nudging her fawn and chasing mosquitoes, 
 they finally had enough of my curiosity, and began to slowly walk toward the woods for some peace.  Can you see the fawn's head?  He's the little brown spot behind his mom.
 The doe stopped one more time, looked back at me as if to say, 
"Did you get enough pictures of my baby yet?"
Can you see where her fawn found safety?  He's between her hind legs, all safe from the nosy lady with the camera.
That's what I was waiting to see.  Every spring a doe has her fawns, sometimes two, at the edge of our corral, right where she and her mom and grandma were born.  We've been here 34 yrs. and every spring we watch and wait to see the first bouncing fawns.  We've learned by watching them, that if the doe has twins, she will lie her fawns down in different places, never together.  It heightens the possibility of at least one survivor to carry on the family gene pool.  Once they get a bit bigger and faster, then finally, we will see the twins frolic in the fields...together.  Now to survive the wolves and the bears.  Even the babes of the woods have much to learn from their mom.
And that's the way it is today.

One more note.  I planted my radishes and onions the 25th and today, the 29th, they are up!  Super day as I finished planting each row of our garden.  Now to decorate the deck with pots of flowers.
Have a great weekend!  Start early!

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Ready, Set, Garden

Click any photo to enlarge
Our spring has been a long time coming but we waited.
The landscape rake raked mud instead of rocks., so we waited... 
 until finally, on this gorgeous patriotic weekend of warmth and opportunity, we finally were able to pick the rock out of the mud, make row after row in the largest of our gardens, what we call
The Half-Acre Garden.
 The pumpkins, the gourds, and 
 the potatoes are in the ground.
 One of our vegetable gardens, the one I call ' mine,' has a new fence of cedar support poles for strong wire fencing.
 My 'dear' has earned his PHD as the best Post Hole Digger,
thanks to a piece of hard working equipment on a 3-point hitch.
 A few of the Grandloves planted the onions for me so there
was one more important thing that needed to be done.
 Tools and supplies were gathered and an afternoon to spare 
while it rained one of those gentle ' garden rains ' we all love.
 My dear was wondering what was spinning in my head
' this time.'
 Hinges were required~the rustier the better.
 The garden gate is complete~
well, almost!
 Three things still are needed.
The ' center-piece ' needs red paint so I can see it from the house.
It also will need invisible fencing to the ground on the back side of the gate, so the masked raccoon cannot eat my corn!
and, it needs to weather with the posts before I seal it.
All I need to do now is to plant my beautifully gated garden.
Thanks to my ' dear ' for helping me build this gem.

So it went over our weekend~
YOU?  How did you spend the warmth of the days?

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Beauty and the Beast

 I am finally getting some beautiful color at my feeders.
I was thrilled today to see a Baltimore Oriole so I quickly cut an orange in half for him to feed on.
The Goldfinch is still one of my favorites.  They love to sing and are so friendly.  Their Oriole cousins are more skittish. 
 Dare to get too close to the nest of a Barn Swallow and he will surely dive-bomb ya!  I've unknowingly been warned.
 The beautiful Mallard drake was keeping a sharp eye on me, 
wondering if I were a predator.  I wouldn't hurt a flea~well~ maybe~
 Even more gorgeous color at the feeders and on the ground, were several pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeak today.  
 We traveled a ways to this beauty of a barn to be greeted by~~~
 THE BEAST !
 This White-faced Bull was NOT happy with us.
He definitely was agitated and his boss was not home
at the moment to calm him.  We waited....
 in hopes that he would settle down as he ran and snorted from one end of his penned area, into his sheltered end of the barn, out again and back to where we waited....

 Meanwhile, we unloaded the tractor and proceeded to get ready to open another gate, drive slowly into the yard where the treasures were while THE BEAST never took his eyes off of us.
Oh the chances we take just for ....
a load of BLACK GOLD !  What beautiful compost an animal can produce when left to ferment and cure for 8-9 yrs. as this has done.  It will sure satisfy the veggies it will supply nutrients to. 
 The risks a parent takes for his kid ~
but he sure will have healthy gardens and apple trees.
THE BEAST still raised my heart rate a notch or two.
Have you seen any Spring Beauties in your yard ?  They really are well named flowers.  And so plentiful, thanks to all the rain.
Have a sunny week !
Thanks for stopping !
I appreciate you and love your visits !
~~From here to there~~
God loves Us !

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Pumpkin Truck

Do you remember my ' wish '
for this sweet lil' truck?  mmm
we drove by where it had been,
and it ' was no more.,' SOLD,
but not to me.  It sure would have
made the perfect pumpkin wagon.,
but not mine this time, Booo Whoooo !

Until I find my own ' perfect pumpkin truck.....
our pumpkins will have to be 
satisfied on the faux hay wagon, 
an oldie with good bones and a new floor .
photos from last fall's harvest


This fall promises more and more and more.
Our first fall of sales was last yr. when we
sold well over 500 pumpkins.
You wouldn't believe the number of seeds
my guy plans to plant this year, oh my!!!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Wishin'

With such a rainy few days that dropped 5 inches, no yard work could be accomplished so we took a little road trip for more supplies, which I will show you in another entry.  What DID  happen however, was that my wish list has expanded.
 We have been busy trying to get as much ' inside ' work done as we can before and ' if ' the ground ever dried enough for planting.
Meanwhile, we keep at it.  The bathroom/closet/laundry porcelain floors are finally done...I'm loving that's over.
But on the wishlist, is the desire to finally after many yrs, complete the ceiling in the laundry.  The mudroom in my daughter's farmhouse has a car-siding ceiling...lovin' it!  Maybe~
 This next one really isn't a wish as much as a dream...
just look at the size of this oak...massive and wonderful.  It would take at least 3-4 grandloves to hug it, touching fingertips.
 But wait...do you see why they call this 
' The Elephant Tree?'  Can you pick out his eye and trunk?
Cool, huh?
 There are soooo many things I love about 
' this ol' house.'  Yes, it's my daughter's., lucky girl.
 Back to my wish list...
I wish we were done peeling fenceposts...
but oh, how nice it will look when finally in place.
 I REALLY wish this active and fast youngster Porcupine were not eating the buds off the trees in our woods.  His days are numbered before he kills them all.  This fella sure is black.
 I'm wishing we had more color at OUR feeders...my daughter has Rosebreasted Grosbeaks, Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Bluebirds...all the pretty birds.  It might help if I were to 
refill the feeders...
 If I were a horse, I'd wish to be in the line-up for a cookie.
 BUT, most of all today, I WISH I WERE A KID AGAIN,
with not a care in the world...
 So, what's on YOUR wish list today~
Life is Good!