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!

Wednesday Mornings

Wednesday Mornings mr Rancher and I do a Bible Study at one of the community churches. He gets up and goes early to meet with other men and I go at 9:30 to meet with the women. We are from different churches, but have a common bond in that we want to have a broader knowledge of the Bible and we enjoy each other's company.

The guys meet at 7:00 and are home for a late breakfast shortly after 8:00. They have work to do. They do not dawdle around and talk. I have told the Rancher that "Since you won't eat breakfast before you leave, you better hurry home." I have Bible study at 9:30 and I don't want to be late. He likes a good breakfast to start his day and for some unknown reason will not eat before he goes. It is okay with me though because it seems that our 9:30 Study, which should last for an hour, usually lingers on for .... well, sometimes until it is past lunch time. I don't know how that happens, as a group of women ought to be more conscientious about time. But then we are women and we have a lot to talk about. Sometimes we can't even get started until it is time to quit. But who really cares, we are there for a purpose and we need that reward of togetherness. This is the country for goodness sake and we have to make all of our time together count.

We are doing a wonderful study by Jennifer Rothschild. She is such a remarkable person. This lesson is about "Walking on Faith" If you don't know, Jennifer has been blind since her teen years. She has a wonderful testimony, about her "Walk by Faith". In this she has grown to be a powerful witness for God and the ways that he uses us and the ways that he sometimes allows things to come into our lives that we cannot understand.

I would recommend this study to you. It is published by Lifeway and if you are doing a group, you will want to get the video to go with it. Just to watch her is truely amazing.

Last week, as I was spending time with my two youngest grandsons for a few days, I really got into my last week of lessons and it was such a rewarding time. I had nothing really to do while they were in school and I enjoyed that time renewing my faith and feeding my spiritual mind. Thank you God, for those blessings.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Ps.37:4