Ready for Some Reds

I am so ready for Reds.

Red Apples I eat each day,

They say one will keep the doctor away.

One, I'll bet, you can't eat just one,

Of the juicy Red Strawberries you picked for your Hon.

Don't dare to forget an early veggie of spring,

The round orbs of Red Radish,

From the garden, a sweet thing~

A crispness to answer a craving, a wish.

So what are you so hungry for,

Something that's saying

May I have more, please~~~please, more.

Have a wonderful evening, no sorrow,

BlessYourGenerousPrayerfulHearts

All will be back to normal come tomorrow.

Now, go satisfy your cravings! and

BlessYourHeart

The Power

Sometimes we just need a little reminder.

Psalm 118:vs24

Any of you who has had the honor of knowing my parents, already know that, no matter what, some time during their day together, they would recite this verse. One of them would, out of the blue, start the verse, ending wherever they wished, and the other would finish it.

They believed it. They never missed a day.

Then four yrs. ago, Dad passed away, he rested.

This would have been his birthday week. As my sis in TX says, "I wonder if they celebrate birthdays in heaven?" I wonder.

His birthday, his and Mom's anniversary, holidays, important events to him or them, of which there are so, so many, all of these days, some are so heart-wrenching that we fall to our knees missing him.

Have a grateful day., no matter how difficult.

God is always with us, only He knows His plan for our lives on this earth. Only He governs our time here. He is a most wonderful, kind and compassionate God, even when we are reminded that we are not meant to fully understand His plan.

Keep faith, for it is the one thing, the one gift, that keeps us strong. Pray for the healing through tough times. He is there.

Yes, even when the most healthy, kind, beloved person in your life gets sick, God is always there to carry them through. Big prayers, little prayers, all answered, tho sometimes not the way we wish.

You see, I'm from a large family of love and support which comes from our faith in God, but there is always room for more prayers.

Prayers from you and you and you and you, will be greatly appreciated as our Mom recovers. She is going to be fine but needs even those who do not know her, to pull for her as she heals. She is a very private person, my reason for not going into detail, but she does understand the power of prayer. She and Dad taught us well.

I thank you in advance, for your help. God be with each and every one of you and

BlessYourHeart

Red Sky Morning

Look what we woke up to this morning,

The reddest ice in the driveway,

Glowing like fire. Or is that a lake full of ripples and gentle waves.

The dark shadow is the trunk of a huge spruce tree between the drive and the garden., gosh, I love that reflection..

I'm amazed how quickly the colors of a sunrise and a sunset change.

By the time I walked from one room to the next to retrieve my camera, the red had already faded to lighter shades of orange, pinks, yellow. It still looks pretty peeking through the branches of the spruce tree out my dining room window.

It even showed hues of red through the frosted glass of the bathroom window...sorry, didn't mean to take you along.

And the evening ended with shadows reflecting, thanks to a full moonlit night. The bright spot in the center of the photo is the moon on the icy driveway again, with the head of the metal blue heron between the deck rails.

Do click on the photos for a closer look. You won't be disappointed.

I'm sure to be corrected if I say this wrong, but doesn't the saying go something like this:

Red Sky in Morning

Sailor take Warning

Red Sky at Night

Sailor's Delight

The red sky of this morning brought us Weather Warnings for our entire state, for snow. At least it will be just a lil' bit compared to what Alaska is getting. My prayers go out to them as they dig their way out of another 15 feet, not inches, of snow.

They should be able to grow record-sized cabbages this year again, with all the unexpected moisture.

Be safe and shovel out slowly. No amount of snow is worth a heart attack or sliding off the road. Stay warm.

BlessYourHearts

The Buffet

As the late fall/early winter hunts end, after the harvesting is done,

there is usually something for the scrap pile,

bones, bits of meat, leftovers.

My hunt then begins as I set up a trail camera

over the buffet that the wildlife of the swamp and air,

soon devour.

We have been watching a kitty, a big kitty called

BOB, Bob the Bobcat.

He's been here day and night and

I suppose will not leave until every last morsel is gone.

I'd rather see him dig and chew the scraps of a selective wildlife hunt than to run down the few deer we have left in the county.

That icy cold full moon, the Wolf Moon was

working hard last night, filling the landscape with shadows,

wolves howling.

There's Bob again, early in the day,

not even moving when I opened the door to take his picture.

It gives me goosebumps, to think the Grandloves have been sliding down the hill just in front of that birdhouse. I know, I know, that cat is a scar-dy-cat around people. He takes off, the second I take one step out that door.

We've had other visitors to the buffet,

like Mr. Crow,

a few pesky Starlings,

the wolf has been through, but no picture at the scraps, just his tracks again.

Last winter we had others fly in.

My favorite to watch throughout the day was our

majestic Bald Eagle.

(apologies to you who have seen these photos of last year.)

If you are squeamish of reality, you may wish to close your eyes for the next couple of photos.

The respect for hierarchy is apparent as the Crow waits for his turn after the great Bald Eagle.

The survival of the fittest is evident in these last three images.

The Bald Eagle is first to feast.

The coyote that would sneak a snack in the middle of the night just disappeared from the page, much like they do in real life.

The crows fight for the best snippet of meat off the few pieces left on the rib and neck bones. Such is as it goes for the strongest of the flock.

But the Bald Eagle and her young return for one last meal.

All is right with the balancing of nature.

One feeds another.

We feast off the deer,

as do the

varmints of the woods, the bobcat, the wolf, the coyote,

the Bald Eagles, the Crows, Starlings and other small birds,

even the mice, moles, shrews and insects, all get their share.

So, get in line.

Thus it goes at Mother Natures buffet.

God sure has great plans to feed his flock.,

One way or another.

BlessYourHeart

Wholesome Good Eats

There is something wonderful about the flavors of wholesome food, no matter how you fix it.

I found this apple peeler/slicer/corer at a tag sale years ago.

Each fall and whenever I get a whim, I pull it out, peel and slice a pile of apples for whatever suits my fancy.

This time, it was dehydrated apples to fill a half gallon jar of

' instant satisfaction,' dried apples.

The dehydrator wasn't quite full enough so I did a tray of banana chips, too. What a treat.

I love this kitchen tool. Just secure it to the counter, add an apple to the apple clamp and turn the pretty red crank handle. Seconds later, the apple is cored, peeled and sliced, ready for whatever you desire.

Pie sounds good to me. Even dehydrated apples can be soaked, re-hydrated and baked into a pie.

Dehydrating apples, what a sweet smell.

While the dehydrator was still sitting out, the boys marinated some sliced venison and made jerky. They sure have that recipe down. Their jerky turned out great and didn't last very long, even tho they made 4 different flavors. Of the Hickory, Hickory Maple, Montreal Steak, and the Lawry's Seasoned, the Hickory Maple is still my favorite.

As long as I'm sharing a few wholesome favorites, how about this dandy dry seasoned 12 lb. chicken~~~my neighbor brings me a chicken each fall and this years bird just fit in my largest roaster. It took just over an hour and a half to cook this beast. Was it dry, No, was it enough,

Absolutely, as the 2-6 of us had 3 meals from this one chicken.

Hmmm, no one has ever said to me, "Look at those thighs!" Of course, that would be a good thing.

No food in this entry was left to the spoils. All portions were consumed by human, bird or animal and thoroughly enjoyed to the fullest.

Thanks for stopping by and

BlessYourHeart

Did Ya Know?

Continued from earlier this same day, see last entry:

Noon:30 : on the road heading east/ northeast again

1, 1:30 : Still on the road, at least the weather has warmed but

splashing a lot of salt on the truck and windows...washer

fluid is greatly appreciated

1:50 : finally at destination one, the Bakery Outlet where we loaded

up on 8 loaves of Healthy Choice breads, those thin, thin

hamburger buns, a berry pie and a cho. chip cupcake all for

less than a buck a loaf..........we do like the Bakery Outlet

until next month

2:15 : destination two, we are 15 min. early for this very important

meeting with the SS office. Lots of questions were asked

and answered. Did ya know an X can collect on your SS?

Someone was not very happy@,@,@,@,@~~~~

3:30 : WALMART!!!~~~there is always walmart and all of it's aisles

full of whatever any average guy and gal could want or need~~

today, there were only a few things to stop for, Mom's light

bulbs, salt for the water softener, water repellent spray for

my boots, an outdoor light to exchange, for our outdoor lantern,

and a new snow shovel that fits My Man's hands just right!

4:00 : The Log Cabin for dinner...and am I hungry. Do you know

how much energy it takes answering questions about your life?

My Man got a couple answers wrong, like, when did we get

married and when was my birthday~~~I was not at all sur-

prised. He did, however, know when he wants to retire.

OOPS, got side-tracked at the expended energy part...

My Man downed his double Cheeseburger and Fries in no

time flat while I took my time with the best Broasted Chicken.

5:00 : Back on the road again to enjoy the prettiest red sunset, lots

of Willie's Roadhouse music and good conversation about

maybe retiring early.

6:30 : Home again, home again, jiggity-jig....to be greeted by two

rambunctious GrandLoves asking, " What took so long?"

Enough about our exhausting day, tho we did not accomplish much actual work........well, My Man worked from 5-Noon while I tried to catch a few winks. Sleep will be wonderful tonight. I'm not so wound up like a top anymore, and feel like a good night is going to be all mine.

That's it, there is no more. My pillow is calling~~~~~~and it isn't even 9 p.m. when I'm used to staying wired until at least 11 p.m. Crazy me.

Have a great night and Friday. I will be spending the morning ' at the farm ' with Mom.......we have a puzzle to complete.......

( Boy, do I need to get a life. )

BlessYourHeart

Restless

Midnight- still not asleep

restless feet, neck is a mess ( maybe I should

have agreed to have surgery, nights like this make

me wonder if the risk is worth it.)

One------ roll over again and again and again

Two...... up with slam-dunk headache

two Aleve and back to bed

trying Not to wake My Man

who works way too hard

Three~~~~ I must have fallen fast asleep zzzz fast asleep

Four

GO BACK TO SLEEP MY MAN

!!!!!!!!! I'm awake dear, please fire up for me.

Made coffee, a half sandwich, a couple pieces of

fruit for My Man's mid-morning snack

Five..... Coffee with My Man and reassuring him

all was ready for this afternoon

Cleaned up the kitchen and started the dishwasher

Five: Back to bed, ( I never go back to bed )

Six______ I heard an alarm go off

Seven[ ] Still must be asleep ( I never sleep past 5 )

Eight**** Up in a start, as in, quickly, wide awake.

Wow, I feel refreshed ( what a treat )

Fired the woodstove, tho it was full. Son must

have filled it before going to work

Took a l o n g shower that seemed to help

Made a 2-egg omelet with baby ports, onion, bacon,

cheese topped with sour cream, picante and hot

sauce.....coffee was 'hot' ( I multi-task so much

that my coffee is usually cold by time I drink it )

Nine~~~~~ My Time...blogging for an hour whenever I can. It is rare also, these days.

Ten------ Time to finish paying the bills, doing household

duties such as laundry, empty dishwasher, file the

past months business and get ready for 'tax-time'

Eleven~~~ I will actually be vain and watch Y&R with hot

coffee, knit while I watch and straighten my hair

Noon>>>>>>> My Man will be home in five and we will hit the

road again.

To be cont. >

BlessYourHearts