AHOY MATEY

"Aaarrrgh! "

Slim (44 pounds)  perches on my shoulder each evening to look out the window into the field.  I can only guess that she is pretending she is a pirate's parrot and I am the Cap'n as we set sail in search of booty. Once she is through keepin a weathered eye open for bilge rats or mutiny, she retires to bed and I am free to attempt to rid myself of the crick in my neck.  

WINGS AND THINGS

"Hey Lady, you lookin' for me?"

"I'm outta here."

I have been watching this chicken hawk swoop down on my chickens and have tried to catch his picture but Slim is faster than a speeding bullet and chases him away which is a very good thing. So far the amazing predator hasn't managed to catch one of my hens.

Wasn't it nice of Mr. Hawk to fly right up to my surveillance camera and pose for this shot? Do you think he might have been saying, "I have not yet begun to fight?" Guess I will name him John Paul Jones:)

BABY STEPS

Question Of The Week 01-27-14

I would have to say learning to jump rope.

SUNDAY SEVEN

Inspired by Aunt Betsy, here are seven words that caused me to feel gratitude this past week.

1.Integration

2.Shelter

3. Memories

4. Worship

5. Poetry

6. Resilient

7. Results

Do you have a word or words of gratitude to share in your comment from last week?

SO WRONG

R.I.P.  ROOSTER BONNIE  10-28-11 to 01-30-14

Mr. Gibson was the mother hen.  Her five chicks were Bonnie, Clyde, Huey, Huey, and Huey.  Turns out Bonnie and Clyde were both roosters and Huey, Huey, and Huey were all three hens.  This was in September of 2011.  The one remaining of that little family is Rooster Bonnie. I never fail to pick the wrong gender when I name my chickens too early.

Rooster Clyde lost a gallant fight in his early adolescence attempting to save the flock from a predator,  which was his job.  Rooster Bonnie is now in the chicken house infirmary suffering from a serious injury attempting to do the same thing a couple of weeks ago.

You might think the flock would be appreciative of Bonnie's efforts but they were not.  A wounded chicken is not welcome to share food and water with the rest and Bonnie has been having one heck of a time getting nourishment.  He has been in hiding behind some cages until I managed to catch him yesterday when he ventured out far enough for me to grab him and put him inside one of the cages.  

Now he is able to avoid fighting the other roosters and he has a comfy nest with his very own food and water.  

Poor Rooster Bonnie, so much for his heroes welcome. But he is good sized and was second in command to Rooster Chicklet so when he comes out healed he just might be ready to kick some major butt:) 

R.I.P.  ROOSTER BONNIE  10-28-11 to 01-30-14

TALLY ME BANANA

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

DAY FOUR added rooster for variety

DAY FIVE added panda coffee cup from honeymoon in San Diego

I was compelled to pay $3.26 for this banana stand.  It was supposed to keep my bananas fresh longer than if I kept them in a bowl on on the counter.  They lasted the same length of time as they usually do and I finally had to freeze the remainder for baking. Maybe this will save you $3.28. Rob of  Rob and Monica OUR ADVENTURES AMONG THE DUCKS gave me this vintage commercial on Chiquita Bananas you won't want to miss.

TRAIL OF CHEERS

Question Of The Week 1-20-14

SOME ANIMAL PLANET TIME

Remember my grand-dog Clancy?  Here is a link to his visit when he was seven months old and my dog Slim was seven years old.

Enjoy these pictures from last night when Clancy arrived for his visit at age one year.  They say he will continue growing until he is 18 months old.  Slim kept him in his place and Clancy knows that she is the alpha dog which is pretty funny because he is more than three times her size.

"Please come and play with me Slim."

"Aw Dad, Slim won't play with me."

"It's okay Clancy.  She might play with you tomorrow.  Slim is tired because she worked all day."

"Clancy, you are like the town mouse visiting the country mouse.  Things are different here. Tomorrow you and Slim will get to run around the property all day. Remember, no chasing chickens."

BRING YOUR GOOD TIMES

Question Of The Week 01-13-14

What excitement are you looking forward to?

HEAVENLY SECONDS

Another re-post from my first blog:

December 29, 2004

SPONTENEOUS OVERFLOW OF A POWERFUL FEELING 

HEAVENLY SECONDS

Inspiration from morning meditation, “……then are we not permitted to believe that heaven is earth renewed?”

As we approach a new year, this phrase led me to dwell on thoughts of “heaven is earth renewed” in fleeting moments.

In the midst of a world of turmoil, death, destruction and the horrors of war, we can still glimpse bits of heaven on earth.

Visions of family in front of us, stirred memories of family gone but never forgotten and heavenly split seconds looking into children's eyes reflecting their links from the past and their promise of hope for tomorrow.

Dreams bring earth’s renewal, love is renewal, growth is renewal, spirituality is renewal, happiness is renewal in every heavenly second.

I look around our primitive home and rejoice in the solid structure that surrounds us. The old braided rug that warms our feet, the wall heater that clicks announcing each new flame as temperatures drop below freezing.

Minutes of nostalgic Christmas decorations, soon to be put away, but reflecting so many heavenly moments.

I listen to my flock of chickens that survived our absence and rejoiced at our return to this “be-it-ever-so-humble” home.

Heaven is earth renewed in accusations such as, “You’re just like Ma and Pa Kettle”. Oh, aren’t we though and isn’t it grand.

Even with colds and coughs and miserable travel through solid ice, we move forward in family and heritage and tradition that lets us know our Creator embraces us and gives us these glorious heavenly bits if we choose to recognize them.

A new year leaves behind another grand Christmas as we approach many opportunities to make lemonade out of lemons. I am ready to go into a whole new year, and strongly vow to spend time watching for heaven in seconds in my heart, mind and soul.

CHERRY TREE SAGA

One of the highlights of our new home.

Lo and behold we actually had cherries.

Hope's favorite refuge on her visits.

The grandchildren would pick the cherries.

Pitting them was not their favorite job.

They did a good job and kept an eye on granny who got mixed up a lot.

Barely time to photograph before it was gone.

This granny was pleased to make her grandchildren happy for their labors,.

Dixie was Hope's goat and sadly lost her one kid. Chocolate Chip's memorial stone was placed under the cherry tree.

The drought last year did the first work on the generous tree and this year's freeze did the rest.

The remains of the day:(

CHAUFFEUR FOR LIFE

Question Of The Week 01-06-14

(I was inspired to make this my question of the week after reading G.B. Miller's post on his new blog Father Nature's Corner How Old Is Too Old.  If you answer my question of the week be sure and add your own age or at least your age range. 30-50, 51-70, 71-90?)

HERE WE GO AGAIN

My life long New Years traditions is to eat Black eyed peas and Ham.

Black eyed peas and ham are mandatory in this part of the country on New Years Day. Even a teaspoon full of the peas taken like medicine with nose pinched and quickly swallowed happens often. Since no company this year, I prepared an abbreviated portion of Texas Caviar with tortilla chips to dip and had a slice of ham with it. Slim begged for the ham but I had to pinch her nose to get the caviar down her:)

Why the peas? Eating black-eyed peas on the first day of the year is believed to bring good luck in the coming year a tradition that began during the Civil War. Black-eyed peas were the only food spared by Gen. William T. Sherman and his Union troops during their destructive march through the South. Union troops found the beans to be fit only for use as animal fodder. Thus, black-eyed peas helped save surviving Confederates from starvation and were thereafter regarded as a symbol of good luck.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/01/01/2855555/the-story-behind-traditional-new.html#storylink=cpy

Why ham?  Pigs have long symbolized progress. A pig can't turn his head to look back without turning completely around, so it's believed that pigs are always looking to the future. They fit in perfectly with other New Year's celebrations. 

What are your New Years traditions?

CLEAN SLATE

Question Of The Week 12-30-13

NOT SO QUIET

My sister and I model elegant scarves made by sil for our Christmas gifts.

Bil and my son do not want to be left out so they model scarves too.  Bil is Leo the Lion.

Exciting game of Chicken Foot with my sister as score keeper.  That is not right.

Smug look on my son's face as he believe himself to be the winner.  There is some debate as my sister was keeping score.

Who ever said you need a large crowd of people to have fun on Christmas Day.  We had the most wonderful time and lovely dinner at my sister and bil's home.  And believe me, four people can be as rowdy and twenty.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wishes for a warm and happy holiday.

TWO ROADS DIVERGED

Question Of The Week 12-23-13

P.S. Be sure and visit the previous post HERE IS A CHALLENGE to visit the bloggers who took the selfie challenge.

HERE IS A CHALLENGE

Try taking a selfie of you and your pet/s.  Let me know in the comments that you have posted your efforts and I will link you on my blog.  Here are my disasters with Slim.

Her ears are spread in preparation for flight.

She cannot be this close to me without giving kisses.

Looks like this is the best we're gonna get.  We are both so much prettier than this:)

If you don't have any pets, let's see the inside of your refrigerator.  You can tell I'm not preparing any Christmas dinner.  Are you?

I just noticed that the bottom row of my refrigerator door is full of salad dressings but my vegetable bin is empty.  lol

WHO TOOK THE CHALLENGE?
(Be sure to visit this brave soul.)
1.) Aunt Betsy of Betsy A Baby Boomer 
(She did amend the challenge a bit, but that's okay, she also added a bonus picture you won't want to miss). 
THEN THERE WERE TWO!
(Visit this brave soul as well.)
2.) Olga of Confessions of a Grandma
(She also amended the challenge.  Look how tidy her refrigerator is.  And isn't she cute in her glasses?) 
WHAT? ANOTHER GOOD SPORT?
(Be sure and visit here to applaud this blogger.)
3.) heartinhand of Heart in Hand
(It is a tale of a frosty walk. You gotta love her.) 

COLLECTING FEELINGS

Question Of The Week 12-16-13

THE CANDY MAN WOULD

Our courtship was perfect.  Filled with flowers, jewelry, cards, and candy.  Always candy. 

As the years went by, the other gifts may have fallen by the wayside but never the candy 

because we both had a passion for chocolate.  It was the gift we could give each other on 

any occasion and know it would be hit. 

 
We both loved the kind of boxed chocolates that came with a map showing what was where.  

Ron could easily grab all the coconut pieces without guilt because I could not eat them.  He would 

relinquish the orange filled ones to me because they were my favorites.  We would try to equally divide

the ones filled with nuts and if there was an odd one, he would always leave it for me to have. Cream 

filled were a toss up but Ron would always leave that last piece for me (well almost always).  

Ron was a “feed the troops first” person.  He never took the last of anything.  He always made sure 

everyone had a full plate before he even considered taking a bite for himself, until it came to chocolate. 

That was a different story.   If I got in the car and went outside the boundaries of our property and 

there was one lonely piece of candy left in the box, it would be gone when I returned home.  “Well you

left it here” he would say with a grin, as if that meant I had left it for him. 

Who can take a sunrise 
Sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two 
The Candy Man 
Oh, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 
'Cause he mixes it with love 
And makes the world taste good  

I won't feel too bad eating all of these because they have my name on them:)