Happy Birthday Baby!!!!

Well, She is my baby granddaughter. Today she is 8 years old. We have always celebrated her birthday with her but today she is going to go ice skating with a friend, her Mom and Sister. We will spend New Years day with her is the weather is good. Have a great day Popcorn, we love you.

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my oldest daughter and wonderful son-in-law. Twenty Four years and still on your honeymoon. Quite an accomplishment in this day and age. We are so proud of you and we love you.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Christmas Day is coming, the day is drawing near
When Santa brings the toys, and we shout Christmas cheer
We've been busy making candy, and heading for the sales,
And we watch animated versions of Childrens Christmas tales.

We plan parties for the neighbors, and have an open house.
We are exhausted from our labors, and snappy with our spouse.
Mom watches Home and Garden Network, so she knows the proper way,
To deck the halls in GRAND style, and prepare a GREAT buffet.

The yard looks like a light show, for all the town to see.
This year we have a new theme to decorate the tree.
We spend time and too much money, Just preparing for this day,
But on the Day after Christmas--The Joy has gone away.

We awake in great depression and reality hits hard.
We have maxed out the Visa, for all that junk out in the yard.
And all of these decorations, don't have a place to store,
As the garage and attic are filled, with things from years before.

Whatever, were we thinking, What makes us go so wild?
When we really should just celebrate, the birth of the Christ Child.
It seems we get too busy to know true meaning of the day.
When God came as a baby, in a manger in the hay.

The time should not be hurried, it should be a time to share,
The love of God with others, and let them know we care.
And tell them of a Savior and how He came that night,
How the angels announced His coming, and the dark was filled with Light.

So let the Love of Jesus, be the light that shines this year,
As you prepare your Home for holidays--Let Him bring good cheer.
Make Him the "Reason for the Season", in all you do and say,
You won't be disappointed with what happens Christmas Day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS EVERYONE.

The Real Joy of Christmas

As Christmas day nears, all of us have joy and frustratation. Children are all excited about Santa Claus and what he will bring them. They talk with their friends at school and watch TV and the list is endless for the things that are available for children today. Not only children but the entire family can benefit from all of the electronic, modern conveniences and nick-nacks that are on the market. But just what is all of this STUFF anyhow. Is it something that will be just as importantant to us next year or even next month, or will something else come along that will be better, and yadda, yadda, yah.

Glancing around my own home, I see things that are outdated, and things that I thought I wanted and never use anymore, and there are things that are perfectly good but someone has made something better to take its place. Think about the origional disc movie players--Big as a LP album and not so handy. Along came the VHS, great for us who hadn't bought the origional player and could now afford a VHS player. Soon we had to replace it with a VHS-DVD player because the DVD had came along. I'm stopping here but you can see that all things change from year to year and they improve and we are suppossed to get the new. What do we do with the old? Are we to continually cast things out, because something better has came along? Not me, and it is a good thing that I like old things. I still have a turn table and LP albums.

Last night I watched a wonderful movie on the Hallmark Channel about "Christmas in Canaan". It was a story about a Texas farm family that has fallen on hard times, about their love for each other and the neighbor family. It is something that everyone should watch and know that Christmas isn't just about the material things but about the love of a family, friends, and most of all for me, it is the gift of a Savior. In this story, the father wants to give his motherless children things but farm prices and other situations don't allow it. He cuts things from the catalog and wraps them beautifully and gives each one the gift that he would like to give them. They rejoice over it and are so excited that he would even think of giving them such wonderful things. Just watch the movie tonight (Sunday DEC 13th) and watch to see if it will be on another time and you will not be sorry.

I worry about what I buy my own children and grandchildren. They seem to have so much and their tastes are so much different than mine. What I do give to them is something I want them to have, Often I spend more money than I have but I want them to be happy. That is not always the case. I don't want to always give them money. I have friends that do that all of the time. Money, is not from the heart. I want them to know that I cared about them enough to search out something that I thought was right for them. I want it to be the RIGHT CHRISTMAS GIFT.

God gave us the Right Christmas Gift over 2000 years ago. It was His precious Son. He allowed Him to leave the glories of heaven and spend time on this Earth and Sacrifice Himself so that we could have the Ultimate Gift. It is free of charge, NO Cost --- We just have to ask for it. Even though Jesus came at the time we celebrate as Christmas, His gift is available to us 365 days of the year if we just ask Him into our hearts.

Even when, the markets falter, the crops aren't too great, we can still celebrate the Birth of our Savior and rejoice. Thank you Father for giving us THE RIGHT CHRISTMAS GIFT.

Happy Birthday Andrea

This day is almost over and I forgot to post a Happy Birthday to my youngest child. Today she is 34. It seems only a short time ago that we brought her home. Being the youngest and several years younger than her brother, I had more time with her as she was growing up. Well, that is after the others left home. She showed me how to be young again and was my best friend for many years.

We toured the state of Oklahome when she was involved in "Oklahoma Kids" and spent a lot of time talking while driving around. She always loved to talk and actually had a lot to say if we just took time to listen. She also loved to sing. She still sings today and I love to listen to her. God gave her a beautiful voice and she uses it to glorify Him as she sings in the church choir, community entertainment, to her children and sometimes to me. I thank God that he sent this child to as an afterthought. (that's what people used to say to us) God planned for us to have her all along. Wasn't that grand of Him. Happy Birthday Andi. We love you.

Baby it's Cold Outside

These past days are preparing us for Winter. We have had such a lovely fall. The temperatures in the month of November were actually above normal. December brings change though. I remember so many times over the years when the last of November or the first of December brought in snow and ice. One December we were blessed with such a storm that broke power lines and poles and shut our part of the country down for 6 days. NO ELECTRICITY meant no water to the house (electric pump), no lights, and no heat except for the fireplace. I could cook on the top of my gas range so we didn't go humgry.

The idea of not having water was almost a disaster as far as our teenagers were concerned. They could not wash their hair every day, much less take a bath. It was embarressing to go to school in town, where they still had electricity, with dirty hair. I reminded them that in my teen years, it was impossible to backcomb clean hair so we would not dream of washing it everyday. That just earned me a strange look, and how could I NOT wash my hair every day? We did have water that we hauled in buckets from the windmill a mile north of the house. We also went to a friends a few miles away who had electricity and took a bath, but not everyday. When did it happen that people thought they had to bathe at least once a day. I wonder how often Cleopatra took a bath? How about Queen Victoria, Marie Antionette, or even Martha Washington for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I am all for clean but going for a day or two did not kill anyone, especially in the dead of winter when there was ice on everything outside.

Well, anyhow, back to the lesson on survival-----Being the great Mom that I am, I carried snow into the house and melted it, and caught the water dripping from the roof and heated it so that my lovely daughters could have shinning hair. You know what, that was the softest water and their hair did feel lovely. At one time people did have rain barrels to catch water for such things. Maybe I should think about that.

It does not bother me to do some of the things my grandmother did but I do appreciate the electricity. We have become so dependent on it. We have freezers full of meat that I pray will keep and not thaw, and I like that warmth of the central heating system. I can get along without some of the things though. It is rather fun to read by the kerosene lamp for an evening or two and snuggle down in a bed heavy with comforters. Yes, it is fun once in awhile, but I guess that I really wouldn't want to do it everyday. I admit, I like my modern conveniences and I sort of like a bath everyday too. I pray when the storm comes in that is predicted, that there is just good old snow instead of ice. I know that the linemen with the electric companies are praying for that too.

Oh My Gosh!!!!!

I can't believe it!!! This thing is fast!!! I got my Christmas present from the Rancher today. High Speed Internet----Yea, No more waiting for 5 minutes for the next window to come up. Now I can even look at the things on Utube. Unless you have had dial up or now have it, you don't know the disadvantages of it. I am thankful for the young man that spent 3 hours at my house rewiring my phone system and fixing me up. He did a great job. Now maybe I can spend a little more time figuring things out. Probably not though as I am a slow learner.

I think I am just getting slow at everything, I notices that some of you have your Christmas up, Not me, I am waiting on the spirit to inspire me and that hasn't happened. I think I need some little kids around, I used to get more done when I had 4 children at home than I do with just the Rancher and myself. I just tend to put things off though.

Have a hapy week end and finish your Christmas shopping. Maybe I will put my tree up tomorrow, if I am not playing on the internet.

The strength of my Neighborhood.

Living in a very rural area has many reqards but, it also has it's trials. As rural people, we are very dependant on each other. The nearest town is a small one 17 miles on the Texas side of the line and the nearest hospital is 34 miles away. This hospital will check you over and send you on down the road if there is much wrong.

it is the people of this community that make it a wonderful place to live. We are there for each other in all things. Even before the rural fire departments were developed, everyone, young and old, men and women would get the gear that was needed and do their part. Often I used a wet burlap sack and a shovel while my husband took the tractor and plow and did his part. This was a way of life. Now days, I just fix sandwiches and do my part from a check point with the other women.

There are fewer people in this community than when I came here as a bride. Young people go where there are jobs and money. One knows that they will never be rich out here but let me tell you, riches do not always come as you dream of. It isn't the material things that count. It the mountain of friends that show up to help a neighbor when things go amiss. Holding them in their sorrow in the loss of a loved one, praying for them in times of need, helping get a crop in, or work with the cattle when there is sickness, and more often than this, it is just sharing a time during the day with each other on the phone, in the middle of the road, or over a cup of coffee. We are neighbors and family and friends. We need each other as we pass through time. As I age, I know this to be more so now than it was 45 years ago.

Jesus reminded us to Love our neighbor. He also taught that we are to be charitable, in our deeds before man. As we know that our Father in heaven takes care of each one of us, we are to do our part and take care of each other. In doing this we are also serving Him.

So here we are, So many of our neighbors are sick, getting older, and some just have everyday worries, but I know this.....As God cares about the birds of the field, the grass blowing in the wind and all of the little things of this earth....He cares even more about us. We are to follow in that example and serve each other in love and thankfulness that we can.

Well, what kind of a post is this, Maybe is is depressing, but I was just reminded this morning as we waited with neighbors for an ambulance just how fragil we are and that we really are our brothers keepers.

Thank you Father for your daily care, Thank you for friends and neighbors who are there for us in our time of need. Amen

A Pet for a Day

Have you ever had a pet? Okay then, have you ever had a pet wasp or yellow jacket?
Alas there was such a thing in my childhood. I wasn't the only one to have one of these exotic pets. It was quite the thing in my little school. This was all brought back to me as I sit watching the yellow jackets swarm so thick around my doors and windows that I hesitate to even go outside. Today I am a little bit leary of them but there was once a time......

In the early 1950's in the fall of the year, the yellow jacket wasps were plentiful as they are today. Back then, no building was tight much less wasp proof. They were always in our classrooms, the entry way and on the bus. Early in the cool of the morning, being very brace, one could capture a wasp in their suttle stage and remove their STINGER. This was done by holding him down with someones pocket knife and using tweezers to pull that nasty poisonious stinger out. Look back a few words here.....Yes, I did say pocket knife. That was a tool of the trade in those days and no one thought a thing about a child having one in school. That is a different story and I shall have to write a post about it someday.

NOW.....back to the wasps. Having had his weapon removed, he was quite harmless. Now the wasp didn't know that yet so he was still quite fiesty as we held onto them and tied a piece of sewing thread aroung their middle. How we ever did this, I don't remember but we did. Often the thread was still attached to the spool and the pet had quite a long leash. Sometimes tape was used to secure the thread so it would not unwind further, as the wasp usually just ventured to the bright windows of the classroom.

Often, races were held. We all stood in a straight line and released our wasps to see whose would fly the furtherest before coming to a rest. This was measured by the thread that was released. Some kids would use a small stick and put through the spool and let the wasp fly quite a ways. To the wasps dismay, he would be reeled back in.

These pets were kept in the classroom and I am not sure why the teacher put up with them but to my recollection, it was she that taught us all about them. I never told my grandchildren this story, I am not sure I shared it with my children when they were of the age to want to try this stunt. Today, I don't think I am brave enough to hold one down and remove the stinger unless it is dead of course. At the end of the school day in our little rural school, the pets were disposed of. Sad but true they were euthenized. We had no heart for them at the end of the last recess. But I can tell you this, we did not need a Wii or a DS, we all had a pet wasp and guess what... it was free.

It's a dogs life---Or is it?

Sometimes I feel sorry for dogs. They are so dependent on us, their masters. They are always following us around and being under foot. They crane their necks to see what the next thing we drop on the floor for them will be. They are happy for all of the little morsels that we drop and are always begging for just a little more. Sometimes they are impatient with us when we do not meet their needs as quickly as they want us to.

I guess, to a domestic dog or cat, we must look like giants. Mostly what they see of us are our feet, legs and the underneath side or the bottom of everything. They must think a table looks a lot different than we do. They don't see the top side of it. We see a larger picture of everything than a dog does. Even more than us---God sees a much larger picture. He sees the entire world and universe that He has created and knows what is going to happen at any time.

When our pets get tangled up in their leash, run out of water or food, we are the ones to take care of them They depend on us to meet their needs. They sometimes get impatient and whine around waiting for us to get things done. They might even get a little irritable.

Like our pets, sometimes we get ourselves tangled up in the things of life. We do things that we shouldn't and whine around about the mess that we are in. God listens to our whining around and sometimes teaches us to have a little patience. Sometimes we just see no way out, with the limited view that we have. Just like our animal friends, we need someone bigger to take care of ur needs. Some of the mountains in our lives are just a grain of sand to God. As we take care of our pets, God takes care of us. Too often, we whine and expect more than God is ready to give us. He knows what is good for us and gives to us according to His desires and our needs instead of giving us the never ending supply that we often demand. We should be greatful for the abundance that He blesses us with.

I am glad that I am not a dog or a cat. For one thing, I like to take a good shower every day. I wouldn't want to have to meet my hygiene needs as an animal does. I rely on God as my pets rely on me. I can talk to Him at all times. He knows my needs and my limitations. I suspect that He expects more out of me that I give though. I need to work on that. What about You?

Because I Am The MOM!!!

Because I am The Mom!!! The words of my own mother echo back to me as I say those words to my own grown Son. One never stops being the Mom even when your children are grown, have children of their own and probably even when THEY have grandchildren. You will always be the MOM. Being the Mom gives you many priviledges and also SHOULD put you at a place of authority in the peck order of the family. MAYBE!!! Sometime my place seems very small. I feel that as I get older, my place has slipped further and further away. I know that this is not true but sometimes being THE MOM means that much is expected of you.

To be right truthful, I love being the Mom but I want to be relieved of some of the responsibilities that go with it. I thought that when everyone left home and went our on their own, that there would not be so much to worry about as far as my children were concerned. WRONG!! The truth is, You might worry more. Your children are not where you can take care of them and protect them everyday. They have moved to some place half way across the continent with the love of their life and are not at all concerned that Mom may be at home worrying about you as you go driving off, All by yourself. Did my own mother worry or did she give a sigh of relief that some of her flock had finally spread their wings and went out on their own.

Did my great grandmothers worry when their daughters climbed into a covered wagon and went across the prairie with a young man to a place they had never heard of. Probably so, but as they had done the same, they knew the dangers and the rewards. They also knew that it was time for them to be on their own.

My daughters have all made this change. They are also MOMS so they know the worry and joy of watching your children as they go through all of the changes and development stages of their lives. My son still lives near. He is a divoriced man and can take care of himself. HA :^) He does do his own laundry, clean his house, and works with Dad in the fields and with the cattle but who do you think he comes to when he wants to EAT??? I am the Mom and he thinks every meal should come from my kitchen. He also thinks I should be responsible for other things, but guess what!!!
I'M THE MOM AND I DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT ANYMORE!! I have reminded him that a mother cat runs away sometimes when she is wanting to be away from her young and I think I am about ready to do that.

Okay, now I have vented about that enough. I do love being a Mom, sometimes I need a lot of prayers though and I know that God gives me the strength that I need to get through some things.

Being a Mom is really great but I can tell you a truth---Being a grandmother is a whole new game. I love it.

Fall Break

Hey Y'all,
It's Fall
We took a Break
Went to the Lake,
Set up Camp,
It was damp.
Had fog and rain,
Was a Pain.
Still had fun,
Pray to see the sun.
Played games and ate,
Gained weight.
Had family and friends,
The talking never ends.
Ate supper by the fire.
Had trouble with a tire.
Caught lots of fish,
Kept dogs on a leash.
Kids rode a bike,
I tried to take a hike.
Had 31 in our group.
We really had a hoot.
It's over now
Do not fear
We'll do it all
Again next year.

How I met The Rancher

When I was growing up, there were a lot of school houses throughout this area of Oklahoma. They were mostly two rooms with restrooms and some had an addition for a place to cook a lunch. These schools gave one an education through the 8th grade. The last ones in this area closed in the late 1960's and sit vacant today. I am telling you this because I went to such a school and my husband went to another. The school that I attended had previously had a high school, but the enrollment in our small town had dwindled so much that it would not have been accredited. When this happened, we were transfered to the nearby town for our higher education.

The year I started high school, I joined a group of transfers from 4 other schools. We were in the big school in town and we were scared to death. My class had always had 8 students at a maximum and I know the other small schools were the same. We finally fit in and if nothing else we blended with the other rural kids. I was always a tall girl and had reached my height of 5'8" when in the 6th grade. Some of the kids that came in were soooo short. There were 2 boys that barely came to my shoulder. They were from a community out west of town. I was from the east. I could not believe these boys could even be in Jr. high school much less be freshmen.

Time passed and I was involved in all of the things that I liked in a larger school.
I was in Chorus, sang in the quartet, played basketball, was involved in FHA and and later took band. I liked being busy. My Junior year there was a new boy in our class. Well, I thought he was new, something was familiar about him but he was so tall and good looking that he caught my attention. I soon realized that he was one of those little short kids from out west. I couldn't believe the transformation in him over the summer. I thought he was rather handsome and tried to think of some way to catch his eye. As I mentioned my feelings to one of my friends, I hoped she would relay the message that I thought he was cute. Well, as she was visiting with him, HE ASKED HER FOR A DATE. That certainly backfired. Another time, he took one of my friends home from the movies and sent His friend to ride with me. This scenario went on for over a year.

At the beginning of our Senior year, our band members were given tickets to the nearby Rodeo for marching in the parade. Several people did not want to use theirs so I offered to take a few off their hands. My friends and I told some guys (my secret beau included) that we had tickets if they would want to take us to the big Rodeo in Woodward. Now this is one of the best rodeos in the country and everyone wanted to go there Some of our local men were World Champions in their events.
This was the beginning of a courtship that lasted for a year and a half. The Rancher came into my life after much scheming and manipulating. It was supposed to be though, as we are still together after that first date 47 years ago. I never really chased him but I sure let him know that I was available. He told me later that he thought I was just wanting a ride, as he didn't think I would really want to go with him. He secretly wanted to date me too. He was always too shy to ask. I am glad that I was persistant and didn't give up. He is still my sweety today and we still go to the Woodward Elk's Rodeo and laugh about our 1st date.

These hands

These hands caught me as I fell when I was a toddle, they brushed the dirt from my clothes. They bathe me, comb my hair and put the clothes on that I wear. These hands take care of me. They are also the hands that held onto my mother when I was a child and later held my own children and caressed them and wiped the tears from their faces when all was not well in the world.

These hands held onto my husband as we said "I Do" and he placed a ring on my left hand, as I did his. They have held my new babies as I looked at their tiny hands and wondered if my own were ever that small. These hands also held eight new grandbabies.

These hands held my dad's hand as he struggled in his last days and lost the battle with the cancer that he had, and they helped me to find the right words as I searched through the scriptures for the answers when my own daughter lost her husband in an accident. They held her and her babies through the storm.

These hands have drove a combine, tractor, truck, pulled calves, lambs, baby piglets, and milked the cows. They have gathered eggs, held baby chicks and later fixed them for a meal that my family would eat. They have tended a garden and canned the bounty that God gave us in the season.

These hands have made cookies and all of the favorites of my family and they have washed, ironed and mended the clothes that they wore. They have made dresses, suits, coats, prom dresses, pajamas and even the undies and labored in love at the sewing machine into the night.

These hands have also pointed out that what a child was doing was not right and they have spanked bottoms when the occasion arose. These hands have also blown kisses as my loved ones drove of to other destinations, and reach to embrace them when they returned.

They have made telephone call, written letters, reached for a hug from my loved ones and folded in prayer to the Father who gave these hands to me. These hands are the ttools that I use in each thing that I do. I must make sure that they are the tools that glorify the Father in all things. Although they have ached, are chapped and have arthritis in them these days, I thank God for these hands.

Garage Sales

i thought that I would take some pictures for this blog but I didn't and Haven't. I have put my camera somewhere. It is not like my cell phone. I cannot dial it when it is lost and finally find it in the car or some other out of the way place. I am sure that it is in the camper though and I don't want to go out and get it. I will just have to tell you about the wonderful things that I found on Saturday. I had decided that I was going out for a day of fun even if it was alone. I started my adventure on a street with a lot of garage sales and The Librarian and her husband came driving down the street. Did I mention this is in their town and I live 56 miles away. Mileage makes no difference when there is a "townwide garage sale day".
It is an adventure that can last all day or just an hour or two. I put a certain amount of money in my pocket and determined to only spend that amount. Sometimes that doesn't take too long...depends on the finds.

I have a few things that I look for but usually something just catches my eye. I have bought Currier and Ives dishes for my older daughter and added Fiesta ware dishes to my younger daughters collection. I am looking for Currier and Ives again for The Professor. I look for a bargain. Last year, I got a $4 sewing machine and it works great. My mother in law is using it now.

Saturday, I bought 2 new purses,caps for hubby, books some figurines made in occupied Japan and some really good things at an Estate Sale. This lady had made quilts and done a lot of sewing. I bought three quilt tops. One is big enough for a king size bed and two are baby quilt tops. I also bought a box full of quilt blocks for $7. That was fun, just to look through. The most fun thing I got was a gallon jar full of needles, and pins. Now I don't know why anyone would have that many pins and needles. They are still in the packages. There is sewing machine needles of every size and for every make of sewing maching. There are dozens of packages of embroidery needles, sewing needles, needles for leather, needles , needles and more needles. There were also boxes of pins and even a few snaps, zippers and buttons. It was fun just counting all of them. I shared with my daughter. She had bought another gallon jar of buttons on cards. Some of them were quite old and very interesting. I opted to let her have them all as I have a stockpile of those myself.

It was a short day, My money ran out before we went too far but that was just as well. Someday, when I am gone, my children may have to have an estate sale too and I bet people will wonder.....Why in the world did this lady have so many needles!!!!! and material and books and dishes and junk and blah, blah, blah.

The Truth About Me!!!!!

I know that I am a strange woman. This is the truth, I really don't like to shop like other women do. Oh, I like to go into the shops and look at new things, but, I am just comfortable in my jeans and T-shirts and sneakers. I have never outgrown the comfort that they give me. Many of my friends, my mother, my mother-in-law and others think that the new fashions are okay but not me. I hate polyester, it makes me sweat in the summer and I freeze in it in the winter. I like Cotton!!!!! Now, you can't buy everything in cotton but I would like to. I do like my nicer clothes to be a little on the dressy side, but shoot, I think a nice denim skirt with embroidery and a jacket to match is okay. I guess that I am not as concerned about fashion as I should be. It might help if I was a size 8 or 10 but I am not and never was. I like to shop for shoes, but when I find a comfortable pair, I usually wear them out. I wear a size 11 so it is not always easy to find a cute pair that is comfortable. I also have issues with knots on my heals, and a high arch. I guess I am just at the age in my life where comfort is what counts. No high heels for me.(I never liked them)

I do like to browse the antique shops and thrift stores. I love old things that are well made and furniture that tells a story. Some might say that my house is filled with someone elses junk but I have a love for the furniture that belonged to my grandparents and those things from my husbands family. It is part of our life story. If my own children choose to discard it, so be it. I love the old washstand that belonged to my great, great Aunt Gin and the not so old sofa that was the Ranchers great Aunt Lela's. I have been shopping for some new dining chairs. I have been into the furniture stores and find that all of the new ones are so heavy and most of them are made in Asian countries. This is not appealing to me. I am planning a trip to a nearby Amish community where they have a furniture showroom and see what they have. I want my furniture to be made in the USA. The newer things anyhow. An antique from England or Europe would be wonderful!!!!

This blog came about because I was at a church social this evening and all of the women were talking about shopping. They love to go to the City and shop. Me too, at the Antique Mall!!!! Don't get me wrong, I do like to shop for an afternoon or a few hours, but when I just don't care to spend a week-end doing it. Get it over with. I am sure that my daughters are reading this and hope they will never be like this. Guess what, I used to say the same thing, but somewhere in my life, I found better things to do, like waste my time on the computer and doing this blog. So there!!!!

What a Woman has to Do.

Many years ago, when I came to this ranch as a young girl of 18, my knowledge of being a rancher was very limited. I had grown up in a small town and lived for a few years on a farm. My father thought that a girl should help her mother and of course we could milk the cows, (by hand) and take care of the chickens and work in the garden. I was also allowed to bring the cows in from the pasture in the evening. All other things on the farm were left up to the men.

Did I ever have a lot to learn!!!!!! I married into a family where everyone does everything. Little did I know when I came to this Panhandle ranch on Sand Creek that I was about to embark on a whole new meaning of the word Ranchers Wife. I knew that I would be expected to feed the men when they were working, have a garden, take care of the children and do all of those things that farm wives do But I didn't know the REST OF THE STORY.

My first clue came when my husband needed me to help with a heifer. Now, I had not even witnessed a cow giving birth at this point in my life much less helped with one. This was one of those things that the men attended in my family. But since I was the one available, I was elected to help with the job. I helped, the calf was okay and in time this was a routine thing. This was only the beginning. I can hold my own when working calves. I can vaccinate, brand, dehorn, earmark, and just about anything, but I still refuse to take away a young bulls pride. Let the men do that.

One year during harvest, being a good wife, I volunteered to learn to drive the combine while my husband ate the meal that I had brought to the men in the field. My mother in law drove the wheat trucks to the elevator and I was the cook as I had small children. Keeping the combines running was top priority in this family. Get it to the elevators, while the sun is shinning. So......I learned to drive the combine. I thought this was a seasonal thing and would not last more than a few weeks out of the year with wheat and Milo harvest. However, this led to other things. I could now learn to drive the tractor. Oh, this was good as it meant time away from the kids for a few hours while hubby could spend some time with them. I learned to use all of the implements and drilled the wheat for many years. I didn't mind it but chose not to be smart enough to run the swather or baler. My husbands mother, said that was a really smart thing not to learn. She a had made that mistake. I still enjoy farming though and smelling the new turned earth.

I have learned to repair and helped build new fences. Helped with the shearing of the sheep, was the assistent at lambing time and worked beside my husband when we had a small hog operation to supplement our income. We have had many adventures on this ranch but the cattle have been the thing that has stayed with us.

When my father in law commented about yard work being a womans job, I just laughed and knew that it was just because a woman could do anything. I am not sure about some men.

The Rancher can cook on the grill and I am finally teaching him a few other tricks in his older age. I am thankful for his help as he was always thankful for mine. We make a good team.

A Woman Can Do Anything she sets her mind to.

Cow Girls

Now that you know about the Boys from Texas, Here's for the Girls in Oklahoma. Well, they were born south of the Red River, but they didn't know any better. Just kidding you Texans as there is a bit of rivilary in this family from two states. Grandpa has been busy with these boys and is about worn out. Today he had to take a rest and go to town all by himself. Poor Guy.

A couple of weeks ago, Popcorn and Bookworm were here for a few days. there dream is for grandpa to get a "Kid Horse". All of grandpa's horses have moved on except one old appaloosa and we use some of the Uncles horses when it is necessary. The main necessity is having something for the kids to ride. Our cattle all follow the feed wagon when it is round-up time and Grandpa follows me as I lead them in.

Back to the girls and their love for riding. Their mom loves to ride and she always had a good horse when she was at home. Now she might have a different story about that. Let's just say, she was a good horseman. The horse might not have been the best, but she was the boss. Most of The Time!!!!

Bookworm is quite a good rider. She is the one at the op. She ventures away from the building and loves the feel of the run. Popcorn on the other hand is a little more leery. She is content to stay within sight of the barn. She hasn't learned that Star would just love to head into the Shop building and rake her right off. She will be better in time. If they will stay close by, grandpa will probably see about a horse and someday they will be just like their mom. Well, we might not want all of the things she achieved on her horse.....Say a broken foot.!!!!

The Presidents

Well, you may have noticed that I had a picture posted yesterday. That was a first for me. You see, I am not at all technical minded. I can type, play games, surf the net and read my mail. I am a visual person though and sometimes all of these directions are just plain Greek to me. Out of necessity, and because I felt so foolish, I decided that I had to learn how to post pictures. Hey, guess what, I even downloaded the pictures from the Black Hills and various other places for the past several months onto my computer from my camera.

Let's see if I can remember just how I did that.....Well, I remembered how to get the picture on this post, but I wanted to put it here. Oh well, Maybe I will get it all together someday. Anyhow this is our view of Mt. Rushmore as we drove along the needle highway. It was a beautiful drive and maybe I will get brave and do some more on it later.

Grandpa and the Boys

When the two younger grandsons come to the ranch things get pretty busy. They are ages 8 and almost 11 and there is not a lazy bone in their body. They want to do a lot of things and they want to do them all now. They arrived loaded with fishing rods and tackle boxes, their .22 single shot rifle, golf clubs and enough soft air pellet guns for a small army. They came with their DS (?) books, sunscreen, caps, protector glasses (for the soft air pellets) and several pair of shoes. The older one forgot most of his clothes but he got here with all of the fun stuff.

The first evening after a game of war, grandpa came in and announced that it was certainly not a game for older men. Uncle agreed and declined the chase later in the day. That time was spent in target practice out on the range.

Seven o'clock would seem early any other time for boys but---NOT if you are to be down on the creek with your fishing gear. They had a successful morning and carried the catch to help stock the big pond below grandpa's well out in the big pasture. They also decided to take the John boat out on the BIG pond. Big brother took the controls to the trolling motor and it was quite a thrill. Little brother is not going back out there with him. Seems the back of the boat spun around and then they ran aground opposite where they thought they were headed. Grandpa was in the midst of it all though and made them wear their life jackets.

Sunday was a day of leisure and going to church. We also went to the big Church in Woodward to listen to a group reflect on their mission to Romania. Our granddaughter was Molly was one of those who made the trip and had a great time. We enjoyed listening about the adventures and the works they are doing.

This morning, Day #4, the golf clubs were loaded and the guys headed for the little town across the Texas border to play 9 holes. Yes, the rancher also plays golf. Not a great game, but a fun one and that is really what matters. The game was good, and now they are all out working on fence. They must learn that not all is play on the ranch but a little work helps to pass the time too. After all, the 8 year old says he is planning on taking over this operation when he grows up. Grandpa says he better hurry up!!!!!!

What to write About

Not much goes on in my "Caught in a Rut" life. As I read my daughters blogs, I can see that I just need to look out in the yard and there is a whole new world to write about. I am going to have to have some classes on how to write an interesting blog though as I still cannot place a picture on this and it's Thanks to my daughters that there is any color on this page at all.

Today, I am going to talk about Katie. Katie was my grandmother and a very special person in my life. I hope that I have been half as patient of a grandmother as she was with me. Grandma Katie was like no other. She had lived a very full life and traveled more in her lifetime in a covered wagon and train that I have ever traveled. She did most of it before she was 40 years old. Katie was born in NW Kansas and when quite young, traveled with her family by covered wagon over the Oregon trail to Oregon. In her teen age years, she moved by train from the area of Eugene and eventually ended up near Pocohontus, Iowa. Here, she met my grandfather. Being adventursome and wanting a place of their own, they set out for free government land in Oklahoma. Times were hard and my grandfather often worked in Kansas in the Grain elevators during the summer. This training led them on a great move by train to Edmonton, Canada, here my grandad was a grain inspector. With their small sons they lived there until they could not endure the cold hard winters and moved back to the state of Wisconsin where some of their family lived. Through their many moves, they did end up back in Oklahoma and I am glad. Had this last move not been made, WHERE WOULD I BE?

My mother was the last child and only daughter of Katie and Myron. My grandad passed away before I was born so Katie was my only grandparent on my mothers side. She made us feel so special. She had a stern word for us when we didn't mind but we knew we better keep in line.

Grandma had time to take me on walks on the creek each morning. We admired the new growth in the spring and delighted at the abundance in the garden and orchard as we walked by them in harvest time. Grandma always wore an apron and we carried a bucket just in case there would be some wind falls from the peach or apple trees. This would mean fresh pie or just some fresh fruit for lunch. Grandma also made the best applesauce. Her cooking was done on a kerosene stove in the summer and on a wood cook stove in the winter time. She always longed for a summer kitchen outside so the house wouldn't be so hot. She didn't have air conditioning. SHE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ELECTRICITY. She didn't need such things. It would just be something else to think about and worry her. What would she think of everything now?

The best way to cool off at grandma's in the afternoon was outside. She would hand pump a small tub full of water and we would sit with our feet in that refreshing water, out under the huge elm trees, and feel the wind blow on us. What could be better? Grandma, me and a bread and jelly sandwich, Life was grand.

Grandma taught me a lot of things, she taught me how to sew, cook, but most of all I hope that she taught me how to be a grandma. Katie was born in August of 1881 and passed away in 1970 at the age of 89. I am glad that she was my Grandma and I still miss her.

Serving an Awesome God

Isn't God wonderful?? He has the perfect plan for each one of us even though sometimes it takes us a long time to figure out the plan ourselves. For many years, I wondered about the plan God had for me, You see as a teenager, I had made a commitment to God to follow Him. I felt that I was being called to do a special work. For many years, I was in limbo as to what it was the God wanted me to do.

I have always believed that God did have a special plan for me and when I was in my mid 30's God revealed to me what that plan was. I was to be a mother and wife and to teach my children to be obedient to Him. I also felt a burden to teach in our church. You see, we have a small church and it isn't easy to get someone to teach the children. I taught one group of 7 from the time they were in pre-school until they graduated from high school. I wondered if they ever felt they were promoted. I guess that was my lot though as no one else felt the calling. I loved doing it and there were times when someone else would take over for a short period.

Yesterday, my granddaughter Molly left on a mission trip overseas. This is her second trip to this country. Molly has went on many stateside missions and is faithful to work in Kids camps and serves the Lord in any way she can. Molly has felt called to be a missionary. I know that God has blessed her and that the Holy Spirit is with her as she travels and does His work. She is with a group of 18 from her church and is one of the youngest to make this trip. Molly has learned at a young age what God plans for her.Please God, take care of her in this journey as she does your work.

Granddaughter, Brooklin, has also felt a calling but is not quite sure what God's special plan for her is. I know that He will place her in just the right place though.

As I look at my family, I know that each one serves God in their own special way. Leslie is a music minister, which is the most distinct, but there are Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, Those that sing, and even those that just go to church or pray in their own time, are serving and lifting God up. I just thank Him for what He has done for each of us and pray that he continues to lead us to serve.

The 4th of July

What a week end we had at Sand Creek Ranch. It was the 4th of July and our Brood all returned home for the celebration. It was a great time. Our family loves the Summer holiday. It is a time when I don't really have to deck the halls, worry about buying gifts, and best of all I don't have to do all of the cooking and worry about entertaining everyone.

Our family started coming on Friday the last ones left on Monday morning. The days were spent playing outside games, fishing, taking in small town celebrations, fishing, having a two hour fireworks display of our own on Saturday night, going to church as a family on Sunday, and did I mention fishing?

The plan was to all go to a parade in one of the nearby towns. The Professor and her family were anticipating going to The Deutches Fest across the border in a Texas town and The Nurse and family were going to our hometown and just do the parade, hamburger feed and see all of the people. Guess what, someone mentioned fishing and we lost the whole crowd to the creek. The Nurse and I did take in the parade and hamburger feed but we were also to get more fireworks. We also took in the great "Pumkin
Chunkin" event.

Now if you have never been to a "Punkin Chunkin" you are missing a lot. This is hard to imagine. These Rednecks have built a huge contraption of a cannon that shoots pumpkins. Well, in July it is actually a Melon Bomb. Anyhow they had an old van set up about 1/4 mile away and successfully demolished it with their dead-eye shots. Of course it took awhile. Then just to show how far they could shoot, they did a show for distance. Nearly a mile away, you could see the plowed field errupt as the melons hit the ground. What a waste of good watermelon on the 4th of July.

The Librarian and her family and friend came later in the afternoon and we were ready for the feed. She brought a delicious brisket and homemade vanilla ice cream. We also had Potato Salad, Slaw, Beans, Cake and homemade peach ice cream. We did GOOD!!!
We stuffed ourselves and were ready for fireworks.

My 89 year old mother in law was brave and stayed almost to the end. She lives 3 miles down the road though and left before the grand Finale. Son in Law had brought a wonderful, huge work of art for that event. WE couldn't wait. He had spent MONEY to give us all the best in the very end. He lit the fuse, The fountains errupted, Stars, shot into the air, It stopped, WHAT!!!, Wait!!! it isn't over, But alas it was, and so was a wonderful day. Even if the ending wasn't as planned, the day was the best.

In it all, we had a small parade of our own and the grandkids led us in the Flag Salute and we honored the ones who have fought for our country and made it what it is today. Pray that we can keep it "The Land Of The Free and The Home of the Brave." God Bless America.

Things that my kids taught me.

Oh how I wish that I had kept a journal of all the things that I learned from my children when they were small. That was long ago but I do remember some of them.

When my oldest, The Librarian, was little, she wanted to grow up and have big legs just like mine. I was horrified that she thought my legs were so big, and then I realized that she wanted to be tall. She was tiny for her age. She also thought that we were all stuffed with cotton. Her beloved Mrs. Beasley was as was Raggedy Ann. Surely we were stuffed with cotton too.

I also learned that the Pledge of allegiance ended with the phrase"and to the republican where witches stand and liver and jelly for all. This same child also asked where Florientar was. I had never heard of that place but after much questioning, I learned that it was where the Three of Kings came from You know, We three kings of Orient Are. Doesn't that make sense. One day after the death of a grandparent, Son, who this paragraph is about, declared that Grandma would be alright, as he was sure that God would have plenty of Angel food Cake for her to eat. He was about 5 years old at this time.

The Professor was quite a talker, She still is for that matter. In her early years, she was quite dutchy and sometimes we didn't always understand what she said. It was just so cute when she started calling everyone Buster. She was always wanting to be the center of attention and she sure was the day I fully heard and understood what she was saying. Why! It wasn't Buster at all but a rather foul word, that wasn't even said at our house. That was a hard habit to break. After an explaination that it wasn't nice and a taste of dish soap when she continued to insist on using it, she finally conceded. She was always a story teller too and is today. She is the one who reported to the community about her dad being shot in the leg and arrested. Apparently a speeding ticket just wasn't very exciting so she added her own color to it.

The Nurse, was and still is a talker and you better listen to her. She doesn't cut any slack. She demands your full attention when she talks to you. When you are driving down the road and she is beside you, you had better acknowledge her yacking. She will get your attention one way or another. From her I learned that God colors so pretty and He never even gets out of the lines. I also learned that instant pudding is a whole lot better that cooked. She didn't even know that they cooked pudding until she went to school. What kind of mother was I to let my child make instant pudding whenever she wanted. She even taught me that you could finger paint with it.

There are other stories to tell but I suppose that I have embarressed them enough. Today, they are still teaching me things. Most of it I need to know, I am not so good at learning new things, but I know that God made us all special and stuffed us with His love and I hope that he does have plenty of Angel food cake when we get to Heaven.

Have a happy week end.

When I was a Kid

No I did not walk up hill 5 miles,in the snow, barefooted to go to school. That just seemed like the appropriate title. You see, I have just read Andi's Ramblings and the story abour her nephews and children. These just happen to be my grandchildren. I laughed about the heat of the morning while they were at the Zoo. I know that it is hot and muggy in a city and especially so in an area where there is cement, pavement and trees. I live in the country and I spent that morning outside doing my thing because I would rather be outside than in.

Now....When I was a kid, it didn't matter if it was hot. After the morning chores(milking, separating the cream and taking my turn in the garden) I played outside. There was not any reason to go in. We had no television, no electronic games and guess what!!! We did not even have air conditioning. Oh we did have an oscillating fan about 12" across and we couldn't all sit in front of it so we just went outside.

In the shade of the trees or down to the river was a life of adventure. We had great imaginations and made games with so many things. Our toys were few, but we didn't miss them because we didn't know any better. On the farmstead,on a hot afternoon, we could play in the cattle tank. It was cleaned out each spring and was a great place to swim. I envied my cousins who had a big cement stock tank. It was a great swimming pool and was under a large tree. No sunburns for them. But the yellowjackets also liked the cool water and we had to be on the alert for them. Later when we moved into the nearby community on the river, we spent many hours playing in the waters. A river in Western Oklahoma is like a stream in many parts of the country. It was a great place for all of the kids though and I loved the adventures that we had there.

We knew better that to stay around the house too long as Mom could always find something to keep her bored children entertained. She also believed that we needed to be outside in the fresh air. She was even known to lock the screen door. That was the signal that we were to play outside unless it was an emergency. Would that be child abuse today?

Have a happy summer, Find a shade tree or a nice stream and enjoy it. Come to think of it, my Grandma's hammock was a special retreat when we were at her house. Do you think that I should buy one?

Thank Goodness it is Friday.

Well, now, I really don't know why that should matter to me. You see, I don't have a real job, I am the Ranchers wife and I work at least 6 days a week and, 7 if necessary. Of course most of it is by choice. The Rancher does have Son help him on occassion. Today and tomorrow though, they have decided to take the boat to Canton and fish. I chose not to go. I had work to do. I had to weed the garden, spread weed and feed on the acreage that I call a yard and I have to stay at home and feed the baby calf that lost his mother to lightening. Someone in this family has to work. After all, I want to take off in a few days and go to northern part of the country and not go fishing. Don't tell the Rancher that I said that. That is his passion and I like it on occassion but I do like to have an adventure.

I might go to town in the morning and take in a garage sale or two since I don't have anyone to answer to. I might even sleep late, and I might eat what I want to. Right now, I think a dish of ice cream sounds goo. I worked hard this morning and I surely burned a few calories. I also walked but not 4 miles thank you. Some people are out of their minds. I used to do that when I was young. Now I just think about it and that's as far as it gets.

About Friday. Well, I remember as a working person, I was always glad for that day. I still am. It means that I have survived for another week and maybe we will have some friends over for cards or go visiting. That is our thing on Saturday and then Sunday is Church and rest. I like that. It refreshes and gives us strength for a new week. If you don't have a church home, spend some time finding one and let your mind and body be renewed. It is a great feeling. Have a good week end.

Life Just Ain't Fair

I have always heard that....Life just ain't or (in the proper English) isn't fair. Well now I believe it for a fact. Just last week a young rancher in North Dakota won himself $232 million to invest in his ranching operation. It seems a shame that one so young should be handed that amount of money. Now don't get me wrong, I am happy for him, all his neighbors are happy for him and probably his BANKER is happy for him but I think that he is just too young to have that much money to use in the Ranching business.

He needs to struggle for a few years. He needs to sweat and wonder how in the world he is going to pay the note that is due, He needs to wonder how he is going to support his Ranch and family. He needs to worry about blah blah blah and on and on and on....

Seriously, this young man just seemed so young. Why couldn't this have happened to someone who had struggled through the tough times for years, and wondered why God had allowed him to be a rancher anyway. He has missed out on a lot.

I wish Him luck and I understand that he will only get $88 million of it. Poor Guy, life is tough. I hope that he uses it wisely and that he will be able to ranch for the rest of his life.

I know that God doesn't give us more than we can handle in life and that is why the Rancher and I don't have a lot of money and the real reason that we haven't won the lottery is because we haven't, and never will bought a ticket. So you see, I just never tried to be a millionaire. And Life is fair.

Making Do and Using it Up

What kind of a title is THAT!!! Well. it is just the only thing I could think of. I grew up in a large family and my parents were products of the Depression Era of the 1930's. To throw out food was almost a sin. Mom had a use for every last morsel. Today, I still had roast left from Sunday dinner and a large container of gravy.( When will I ever learn how to cook for two again?) When I came home from Bible Study, I was rushed for time and was thankful for what I had. Guess what, I also had noodles in the freezer. I put some water on to boil, added the gravy and part of the beef and when it was boiling, added the noodles. I sliced some tomatoes and cooked some fresh broccoli (in the microwave) and it was a great meal. I still have roast for beef salad sandwiches for another day. The broccoli was left over from a vegetable tray. USE IT UP.


The Rancher likes a hearty noon meal and a light one in the evening. On the ranch, we have Dinner at midday and Supper in the evening. My sister and I had a good laugh about the people who miss a good meal out here because they got the two mixed up. Heck, some folks missed the meal completely.

This afternoon, after ignoring the pile of bananas on my cabinets for two days, I knew that I had to do something with them...I had brought them in from the RV where they had been forgotten about. Dark skinned bananas make the BEST breads and cakes.
this is one of my favorite recipes and is so easy to make. I am thinking that it might not be the healthiest thing in the world, but eat a small piece and take it to Bible Study or Church business meeting (ours is a small group) or just share it with your neighbor and you will be rewarded.

CAKE THAT DOESN'T LAST LONG
3 cups of flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon each: soda, salt, and cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 8 ounce can juice packed pineapple (crushed)
2 cups mashed bananas
1 1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl. Make well in center. Add eggs, undrained pineapple, bananas, oil and vanilla and pecans. Stir until just moistened. Spoon into greased and floured tube pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until done. Ovens vary so yours might need to be checked afte 1 hr and 15 minutes.
Invert on rack to cook. When cool....

Frost with: Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter that has softened
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans if desired.

Cream ingredients with mixer until light and fluffy and spread on cooled cake.

UMMMMMM Good!!!!

See what good things you can have when you clean out the frig or use up what you might have thrown out. It is time to be conservative. Andi, don't ya wish you had some of those noodles? I wish you were here to share them too.

Today I Saw God

Today I saw God,
As I walked across the pasture,
I saw the fawn with its mother,
The ducks leading their young to the water, and
I watched the Prairie chicken, do his courting dance.
The blessing of these sightings of His creation,
Didn't just happen by chance,
It was His gift to me, and I felt a thrilling sensation,
As I observed nature today,
And I knew, that I saw God.

Today I saw God.
As I watched the clouds roll in,
Building higher and higher, growing darker and darker,
As the lightening flashed and the thunder rolled
The wind gathered strength and sheets of water fell from the sky.
Water, replenishing a thirsty land.
Soon the wind subsided and a gentle rain fell,
All is calm again.
I know that I have seen God.

Today I saw God,
As I walked out into my Garden
I saw rows of green where I planted tiny seeds.
From these seedlings will come the fruit of Gods provision.
I ask Him to bless this garden so we can enjoy the harvest
when the snow is on the ground.
He is so awesome that He takes the smallest seed and feeds my family.
Yes, Today I have seen God.

Today I saw God.
As I studied my Sunday School lesson,
As the Pastor gave his sermon, and we sang hymns of praise.
I know that in His Amazing Grace,
I AM REDEEMED.
I felt a rapture in my heart as I thought of the blood that was shed for me,
A sinner, forgiven, because of His abounding Love.
In all of this, I know
That today I have seen God.

God bless you on this Sunday evening.

Good Morning God

Good Morning God, I just want to thank you for this beautiful morning. I love sitting on my front porch and taking in the wonders of your creation on this Spring day. The Rancher left early to get parts for the swather so my morning is not so rushed as I am preparing to meet with my Bible Study group. Thank you so much for this time.

As I sit here I can see the robins, Scissor Tails, the orioles, and the flycatchers flitting about gathering breakfast for their young. I see the baby finches in their nests on the carport and mamma is busy flying in and out. It is an endless job feeding them but I think they will soon be gone as they are fully feathered. I really didn't want them to nest above my car, but thank you for giving them that spot. I just moved the car and have enjoyed watching them. I can hear the pheasants out in the field across the road. God, you just made so many beautiful birds, how did you think of all of those colors?

The sunrise was beautiful this morning. There is a gentle wind blowing. I know that it will be gusting before the day is over, but we need that for the wheat to ripen. It will be harvest time before long. Thank you for the beautiful fields. After the dry winter, we were skeptical about having wheat, but you provided the moisture at just the right time. We are no longer wheat harvesters, but put the forage up for hay for our many cattle to have in the winter months. Thank you for your provision.

Most of all I thank you again for the Son you sent so that I maight have Salvation. We take so much for granted but everything we have and do comes from you. Thank you for porviding all of this and thank you for allowing us to being a part of it. I just praise you in the name of Jesus. Amen

Rambling

I just have a few thoughts today. I am sure they are things that you have wondered about. Some of these are found in one of my editions of UNCLE JOHN'S ABSOLUTELY ABSORBING BATHROOM READER. What? Your have never read this wonderful book. Actually there are several editions and they are a must to have in the bathroom for those who like to sit and read.(not me) It is also a great book to have at the bedside table in the guest room.

Don't you think Blondes do have more fun? Have you ever seen a brunette with blonde roots?

The name "Looney Tunes" is a takeoff on Walt Disney's popular 1930's cartoon series, "Silly Symphonies."

"Whenever I hear about a peacekeeping force, I wonder:If they're so interested in peace, why do they use force?"

President Wilson believed 13 was his lucky number. He once ordered a ship to slow down so he would arrive in Europe on the 13th instead of the 12th.

The 3 most influential pets of the Millennium:Lassie, Snoopy and Arnold the Pig.

Things you shouldn't say when a cop pulls you over:
1. "Aren't you the guy from the Village People?"
2. "That's Great. The last guy only gave me a warning too."
3. "You're not going to check the trunk, are you?"
4. "Hey, you must have doing 100 to catch me."
5. "I thought you had to be in good physical shape to be a cop."

Quotes from famous people:

"You might be interested to know that the Scriptures are on our side" Ronald Reagan
"Too bad 90% of the politicians give the other 10% a bad reputation." H.Kissinger
"Ive got a lot to learn about Washington.Why, yesterday I spent some of my own money."
Sen. Fred Thompson
"You can lead a man to Congress, but you can't make him think." Milton Berle

And Finally, here's a little food for thought:
Peanut butter sandwiches weren't popular until the 1920's.
Queen termites can lay an egg every second or 86,000 eggs a day.
If you lined up all the Slinkys ever made in a row,they'd wrap the earth 126 times.
Oregon has the most ghost towns of any state.

Now didn't you want to know all of that? Didn't that make your day a little more fun?
Buy the Book, at least one of them, and when you have absolutely nothing else to do, fill your mind with nonsense.

The Circus

I have told you about the "Little Rascals" in the small town where I lived as a child. Today, I am going to write a new episode about their adventures. Growing up in a small town in the early 1950's was a wonderful time. There was never a thought of some evil thing happening to a child, as we knew everybody in town and everybody watched out for us. They also were part of our adventures.

On a yearly basis, The Circus came to town. This was a very small circus with a few elephants, acrobats, monkeys, and some trick ponies. They also brought the wonderful cotton candy and snow cone machine that was a wonder to us. I still remember my first experience with cotton candy. The big puffy bite that I took was nothing in my mouth. I loved the magic of it.

Our gang was not one to wait around for the annual circus. Maybe its coming or going inspired us as we created a "circus" of our own. We had our own talents to show off. Rover was adorned in a fur collar from some mothers old coat and placed in the crate on our wagon and he became a vicious "Lion". I am not sure he liked the trip around the square in town, but he lead the parade. One daring young man walked his stilts and we had clowns, jugglers, acrobats, and my sister could twirl a baton. We made signs announcing our performance times and place and marched around the square in town with all of the confidence in the world. The Circus was coming to Town!!!!

Several children came to the back yard circus to see our talents and we even had a few adults, who were kind even if they didn't belong to any of us. They were just looking for a little entertainment. You see, this was even before the days of TV. It was a time when everyone sit on the front porch and knew the people and children in the neighborhood. I don't remember what we charged, if anybody had real money, but you could get in for the price of soda bottles. At that time we could take them to the local grocer and get 2 pennies for them.....I think we charged two bottles per person. Whatever it was, didn't matter, we were having fun and were the stars for the evening. Would children dare to have a parade around the square in town today? Would they have to have a permit, get and escort, and have the street blocked off?
I am glad that I had the opportunities that I did. What a great time to be a kid.

What the heck is an X Box???

I am in the wrong generation. I do not know what anyone is talking about, about half of the time. My grandkids just look at me like I am a little senile and my kids are sure that I am. I know that when I was a kid, we played a tag game and we had a big circle with a big X in it to put all of our captives. Is that an X box? Well, no of course not, but what in the world is it?

And a blackberry used to be what made up my favorite pie and jam but today it is something of a cell phone or whatever, I don't know. I think I am going to have one of my grandchildren move in with me for a course this summer so I can learn something of the technical generation.

But do I really want to? Probably not!! I am really happy just where I am, and that is probably why I am not learning anything new. I like my rut. It is rather comfortable and all of my friends are here with me. Well, most of them anyway.

I know a few things that my grandkids don't know. They don't even know what a fender skirt is. Maybe they don't even know what a fender is. And what about a steering knob. Remember those? Boy was that a nifty thing to use. My mom always called the accelerator, the foot feed. Now what would my grandkids think of that? There was also a continental Kit on the back of some cars. Do you know what that was?

What about the gramophone? That is what Grandma called my record player. My kids called it a stereo or boom box. Now it has gone from a cassette player to a CD player to a I Pod, whatever that is. Grandma even had to wind her machine up with a crank on the side. We had electricity and we really made an impression when we got our first transister radio. We couldn't get anything on it in our isolated area, but we had one!! Do you think kids know what a 45 is, or a 78. No, it is not some kind of a gun. It is what I played on my record player along with my LP's.

On Saturday afternoon, or night we went to the picture show. That just sounds a little more exciting than the Movie. I mean you were really going to see something great. Probably Gene Autry, or Roy Rogers on a good Saturday afternoon. If we were lucky we would have 15 cents to buy popcorn and a coke. Yep, we could get a sack of popcorn and coke for that. That was hard earned money though but that is another story.

Well so much about what I don't know. I could write forever but I don't know what to write about since I don't know anything. Blaaa, blaaa, yackity yackity......

Sisters

Why do I always hit the wrong button. You will see an entry titled SISTERS and there will be nothing there. This is it!!

Yesterday, (Mother's Day) I spent time with my family. I spent time with the Ranchers Mother too. We fixed a lovely dinner for her to have at our house after church. I even used the good china and the beauthful silverware (not stainless) that the Rancher's parents bought for us for a wedding gift. It was a wonderful meal. The Rancher even made a cake. He asked what to do, so I told him, and he did it. At this time in his life, he made his very first cake and it was great. You know that anyone who can read, can cook. There is no excuse for not cooking, unless you are just lazy. So there, I have said something I have wanted to say for awhile.

Anyhow, later in the afternoon, we journeyed to the neighboring County seat and had a cookout with my Mother and my siblings. I have two brothers and two sisters and a sister-in-law who is my sister. We took the meat, the others brought the side dishes and my Baby brother did a great job on the grill. Hey the beans, dip, eggs and the Cherry Pie were delicious too. Good job guys.

Now the guys go into the TV room and I don't know what they do, but who wants to watch TV with my sisters around. They are crazy. We have a new job for my younger sister but I am not sure she is going to do it. We think she should be the "Official Park Police" in her town. She lives right across the street and is very concerned about the happenings in the park. She has sometimes had to go remind the boys of the community about how to treat their lovely facilities.

We offered to make her a T-shirt with a logo of 'PARK POLICE' and buy her a toy sheriff badge to wear when she is about her duties. Hey, we even offered to get her a clip board with some official looking paper to take names on. I don't think she is game for it but we had a lot of good laughs. Our mother, who wouldn't want me tell how old she is, just looked at us like we were out of our minds. Sometimes we are a little crazy when we get together.

I do want to tell you that I have some great sisters though. My older sister, just makes the best pies. (I could write a blog about that) and she loves to make jewelry. When she spends her free time living the life of a retiree in her RV, she learns a lot of new things. Beading is her new love and she does lovely work.She is also great at home decor. My younger sister, still works but does a great job gardening and is creative in whatever she does. I am most proud of her new goal, You see, she is a breast cancer survivor and in November she is going to do the "60 Mile Walk for the Cure" in Dallas. She and her friend are in training, and I know she will make it. My other sister,(the one my brother brought home) shared her home with us yesterday. She is so creative. She is a yard sale nut and she has so many neat things, She has a great creative eye and knows just what to do with a piece of junk. Her home and yard show her abilities Hey, I need to have them all come and and spend a day at my house. I think I will make a list and pile the jonk and let them get with it.

I guess that I should also mention Mom here, She is the one who made us sisters who we are today. I know that she was the one who taught me how to cook, the importance of making my bed AS SOON AS YOU GET OUT OF IT and keeping the dishes done. She also taught me that a mothers love is giving to her children and doing without things herself. She taught me that it was okay to take the afternoon off and go to the lake and take all of my friends swimming. She let me be a free spirit and roam the pastures and the river, and knew that we would be okay. (this was even before walkie talkies). She taught me to drive the car, even if I wasn't old enough. She taught me how to make dessert for Sunday dinner (when I was about 7). Hey, the list goes on so I had better quit chattering.

I jsut wanted to let everyone know how great the girls in my family are. You already Know that I have great daughters, If you don't, I will tell you about them sometime.

The bus driver

Did you know that I am a school bus driver. Well, I am a retired one but spent a lot of years in the drivers seat taking all of the kids in this rural community on a 50 mile round trip twice a day. I actually enjoyed it. I watched the sun come up everyday and often watched it set in the evening as I was driving down the road. That is an understatement though. The sun would shine directly in my face both directions. I drove East in the mornings and west on the homeward ride.

I have a lot of fun memories of driving the bus and some that are not so funny. You learn a lot about what goes on at home when no one thinks you are listening. Actually the ride to town was usually a quiet one though as everyone would take a nap right after they finished their breakfast. Hey, some of these kids got on before 7:00a.m.. Life was tough. Some of them actually had to get out of bed and do chores. Some trips were marred by the definite aroma of fresh manure from the barn and "I didn't have time to change my shoes". The smell of cow manure couldn't compare to fresh dog poop though.

I also drove kids to different functions. Taking kids to Tri-State Music Festival and hauling cheerleaders to the game were some of my most memorable times. The only time that I was ever mooned was when a car load of boys bared it all to my bus load of cheerleaders as we were entering our nearby city one evening. I often wondered if something had brought that on.

Today, I saw one of my favorite passengers. He was an only child of a single mom and was quite a story teller. You couldn't tell when he was telling the truth or not. I always thought that he wanted his stories to be true because they came from his heart. What little boy didn't want a big brother!!! One of the highschool boys finally conceded to be his brother and he was one happy kid. Today he has a little brother and a cowboy dad. His fantasy finally came true.

I wish that some of mine would!!! I have always wanted to be skinny. I am afraid only I can make that happen though.

We have prayed for rain and have been so blessed. But at this point, I don't think that I could ever live in Seattle. I also like the sunshine. God is in charge though and I am thankful for that.

Go to Andi's Ramblings and see the woes that she has because of all the rain. Thank You God for putting me on this hill top.

Easter

This morning as I wondered into the kitchen, I had a sadness because there were no children at my house this week to color or hunt Easter Eggs and I had no reason to buy Cadbury or peanut butter eggs for baskets. This was a the first time in over 40 years that we didn't have little ones at our house sometime during Easter. Times change and as our children and grandchildren grow up, they are starting traditions of their own and we are glad for this but it does leave a vacant spot.

But Hey.....This is Easter Morning. It is not a time to be sad but a time to rejoice a Risen Savior. That is what it is all about...Not candy eggs, not the Easter Bunny or the Easter Eggs but it is about The Risen Savior and an Empty Tomb.

As I rejoice in this, my heartstrings sing and I know that all is well. Christ is risen and He is in my heart today. If you do not know about a Risen Savior, read through the Gospels. I love the story of Christ in the book of John. As Jesus was crucified, and resurrected, He sent a Helper, The Holy Spirit, who lives Today. Thank You Father in the Name of Jesus who has made it possibly for my salvation.

Spring has SPRUNG!!!!!

What did I say in my previous post about Spring???Well old Mother Nature had a change of heart. We had our big Snow of the Winter after the first day of Spring. Nothing is set in stone in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The weather can change in a heartbeat and YOU BETTER BE READY!!! The weather man said it could happen, but we had only had 2 inches of snow all winter so I was skeptical about the whole thing. On Thursday as the clouds rolled in I decided it was time to move a good amount of wood to the front porch on the east side of the house. This was to protect it from the snow and have it handy to the front door. I also put some in the shop and had an ample amount in the house. That done, I thought I maybe should draw some water up just in case the electricity went off. Our water supply comes from an electric pump and I didn't want to take any chances. I filled every empty container, filled the bathtub(for use to flush the stool) and braced for the storm.

When I went to bed Thursday night about 11:30, it was raining. Not good!! Rain freezes on lines and that causes problems. I also think that i see the trees whipping about in the yard light. Well, maybe it will just be rain, after all it was almost 80 degrees just two days ago.

The Rancher gets up at 5:30 on Friday morning, goes to the bathroom and gets back in bed. Just a little sleet outside, He says. At 5:50, I get up and head for my morning business. NO LIGHT!!! What has happened here. Did you have Lights. I asked the Rancher. Of course, he did. They had just gone off. I went to the window and couldn't see lights anywhere on the horizon that I have a clear view for 13 miles. Maybe it was because it was snowing and blowing so much but it was also because THERE WERE NONE. NOT A ONE FROM BUFFALO TO WHO KNOWS WHERE. Certainly none in our desolate area. They will be on eventually, Rancher assures me. So was our plot. For over 72 hours. Thank goodness the snow only lasted for two days but the wind continued. We had snow drifts up to the eaves of the barn and the wood pile at the front door, protected from the storm was completely covered. Worse yet, WE COULD NOT GET OUT THE FRONT DOOR.

I did get the tarp off the wood pile and burned wood until this morning. Through this time of power surges , the capacitator on the heating unit, freezer, and the icemaker of the Frig went out. We also lost the TV and satelitte receiver.

The rancher and son, had a lot of hard work feeding cattle on the tractors, and getting them to water. We praise electric pumps with timers, but when the weather goes sour, there is nothing like a good old windmill. They are still finding cattle that didn't make it out of the drifts, and I am sure others are too.

My heroes of the day are the dedicated linemen who worked in the blizzard and through out the day and night repairing the lines and replacing poles, also the men who spent many hours opening roads of 7 and 8 foot drifts. I have heard reports of 20 drifts on the highway west of home. I also am thankful for the local repairman who came this morning and fixed what he could and will bring out a new one of what he can't. (Sears will be sending one for my freezer full of food in about a week.) I told them to forget it, and that I wouldn't be back to do business with them even with my warranty. I also am thankful that I had a good insurance policy. Most of all I thank God for the wonderful moisture on the arid land and for keeping everyone safe.

Now if we can just get on with SPRING!!!

It's Is Spring!!!!

I knew that Spring was here when I looked out the window and saw the Rancher and Son working my garden spot. That is their contribution to the family garden. They might put the fence back if I get firm enough about it. I rally need the fence. I need a strong one. Last year, when they took it down, they replaced it with the plastic kind that you see around many gardens. That does not work. Did you know that a hungry rabbit will eat right through that plastic if there are enticing edibles on the other side of it. The plastic had to be repaired and repaired again until I ask them to please just put up some fencing this year. We will see if this happens. Fencing is also necessary to keep my free range chickens out of the garden. I know that they should be in a pen but that is not an option.

Did you know that free range eggs provide the vitamin D that you need for one day. They are also filled with other vitamins and nutrients. My Librarian daughter told me this and she pretty much knows. I just know that they taste better.

Anyhow back to the garden. I love to plant and tend to a garden. It gives me satisfation to know that I am providing for my family. I don't plant one as big as I once did, but then, the Rancher and I don't eat as much as my family did. Maybe I should plant, prepare and can or freeze for them. My dear Aunt would have done that, as did my grandmother. I really don't can that much either, but do freeze a lot and my family does love my Salsa. If I feel like it, I may share that recipe with you when tomatoe season comes around.

Right now, I must check to see if I bought enough Okra seed. The Rancher says that he couldn't find any in town, but I know that I bought some early on. I just hope that I can find it.

Fun on the Farm

Take a beautiful Spring evening, a lively hen, and a hay fork....


Add in a couple who like to have fun......


And you've got the new "American Gothic!"

You've Come a Long Way Baby errr-a Grandma that Is

What an exciting week I have had. We have had children, grandchildren, Moms, sisters, nieces, nephews, we have had a lot of family in and out during Spring Break 2009. It has been a great time. If you have read the previous post which was written and illustrated by daughter #1, you will see just part of the things that went on here for a few days.

I am so excited that I have my very own room. I have never had even a room of my own, much less a sewing and craft room. For many years, all of the sewing was done in the kitchen, or dining room. There was even a time that I had to have the sewing machine in my bedroom. When the other bedrooms were full and baby #4 came along, it was necessary to move . I moved to wherever I could find a spot. I loved to sew all of the little things that my children wore. Eventually I had a big closet with doors that opened wide and lots of shelves and drawers to keep all of my supplies in. This was on an inside wall, away from any windows, but I had lights that enabled me to see in my YOUTH. Somewhere along the way, it was not fun to sit facing a wall, in a place where I could not SEE. Again I drug the sewing maching out to the table when the urge to create, came over me.

For several years, I have wanted to convert an extra room into MY PLAY ROOM. For years, it had been a place for the grandkids to play, Little People, Cowboys, Barbies, Lincoln Logs, Polly Pocket and StarWars. You get the picture. The furniture was something that didn't belong anywhere else. Some of it I had an idea for, but that would be when I had the room to myself.

This week my dream came true. With the artistic abilities of my granddaughter Sarah and her Mom, I have a beautiful room of my own. The sewing maching is in place, the rancher built some shelves in the closet and The castoff wardrobe from my friend is loaded with fabric. Today I started to sew. My granddaughter Bookworm and I made an apron. It was fun.

A lot of memories were stirred when I unloaded the old sewing closet. Fabric from dresses, playsets, suits, formals, pj's and even underwear, was uncovered. I doubt that I get that ambitious again but who knows............. I might even get out the paints and canvas again. Yea, you've come a long way!!!!!!!!!

While you were out--Panhandle Style!

***Since I didn't take the time to upload these pictures to my mom's computer before Sarah and I came home, I'm being her guest blogger today! We didn't remember to take 'before' pictures and didn't really finish decorating the room--just got it painted and furniture moved. Just call me disorganized, but we were so busy painting and sewing and taking pictures and exploring rat infested cellars and playing with chickens.....

Hello. My name is Dawn, the daughter of the author of "Perils." I'm a librarian, a blogger, a wife, a daughter, a mom, and this week, I pretended to be an interior decorator!

Welcome to our version of:

WHILE YOU WERE OUT (aka--you'd better stay out and just bring us iced drinks!)

This is my mom's future sewing room.

It wasn't badly decorated--just not decorated. It was filled with excess furniture and toys for the grandkids and other paraphernalia that seems to accumulate no matter what. She'd been talking about how she wanted/needed to get that room cleaned up and turn it into a sewing room. So Sarah and I schemed up a plan and spent part of our spring break playing interior decorator.

And besides--we were afraid Mom would just paint it off-white and move her stuff in and not take the time to make it fun! And cause we thought it would be fun. And cause we were spending some one else's money...And because, well, just because!


I made the curtains, but kept Mom busy pinning, pressing and of course ripping out my mistakes! Haha! It's her favorite thing to do, don't ya know!



Mom, Dad and David looked in at the room occasionally, but when the crucial detail time came, we told them to stay out! Grace and Mindy helped out by painting in shapes, adding string detail to the wall murals and standing guard!

Here's a view of the South wall. We put the sewing machine under the window.

I made yellow gingham tiebacks for the curtains.


Here's a detail of the verse Mom picked out for the wall.


Miss Arty, Sarah, kept getting more and more elaborate with 'our' plan as the day went. Here's a closeup picture of the 'thread' holding the yellow patch to the wall--She insisted on highlighting and shadow and it really looks awesome!



And here's the north wall. I actually painted the stitches on the heart--the one thing Sae let me do, considering my limited painting abilities!



And here's the reveal! Mom cried--I hope they were tears of happiness, not tears of despair thinking 'how long do I have to live with this?!?" Teehee!


I guess Mom is gonna have to take her own 'after' pictures!