Eggs in my pocket, A Needle In My Hand

Just down the hall...........

2012-01-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

the door to this bedroom, now , remains closed. Not a sound comes from the other side..................

Just yesterday, at any given time, one could hear the sounds of a guitar being strummed, bongo drums being paddled, or Mozart or Irish music being played.

And now.............there is nothing left, but silence, and the belongings of a tall young boy who used to call this room his space.

My youngest son has left today to start his life's journey in the Navy.

The next 8 weeks will be boot camp................although I have another child who has gone through this whole process and loves her Navy life............the word........

"boot camp"

strikes worry in my heart. I know he will do fine..................

it's just that he is such a good kid and his heart belongs to the Lord.........

and I don't want anyone yelling at him..............

which will happen in boot camp.

He is the brave one and has looked forward to this day, ready to begin his adventure.

Could you please keep Joseph in your prayers?

How about you?

Have you had your young ones go off to boot camp?

I would love to hear

I've Gotta Crow!

2012-01-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's just that I am what I am

And I'm me!

When I look at myself

And I see in myself

All the wonderful things that I see

If I'm pleased with myself

I have ev'ry good reason to be.

I've gotta crow!

If I were a very ordinary

Ev'ry day thing,

I'd never be heard cock-a-doodling

'Round like a bird!

I've gotta crow!

"would you crow and let me go back to my nap??"

I'm really a rare thing,

Such a fair thing,

I can't keep still!

I'm bursting with pride

And I just couldn't keep it inside

If I tried so...

That I've gotta let go and crow!

" They may crow, but I do all of the work!!"

(lyrics from musical Peter Pan)

Hope you all have something to feel good about and to crow about!

The snow has finally melted away.................

2012-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

although it took a while in doing so..............

during the time I could not get outside to piddle in the yard,

I stayed inside and crocheted...............

quilted and embroidered............

now the sun is warming up the earth and the wind is not blowing as bad..........

maybe I can convince Sophie to come out of her blanket and go take a walk with me this afternoon.

What's a chicken to do

2012-01-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

when her west Texas home gets hit with a gigantic snow storm???

Stay in the warm nest and lay beautiful eggs!!

Hope this finds all of you tucked into your nests and staying warm.

Milk...........it does a body...............umm...plant good??

2012-01-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'm not kidding. Feeding you plants a mixture of milk will give them nitrogen building protein.

In my greenhouse, these petunias are in full bloom, even though at this moment ,there is snow falling outside.

I bought and planted these in the hanging basket of March 2011. They survived the hot Texas dirt and wind in the drought we had this past summer. They are still growing and blooming because of the milk and other feed I have been giving them. I feed the plants in the greenhouse on a regular schedule.

I feed the outside plants as well. This is an ornamental kale that I have had since the year...............

2009.

No kidding. It has stayed out on the front porch in the winter, where it is right now and in the summer when it was assumed that it should die, it lived on and sits out in the shaded flower garden. It even managed to survive the hot dusty winds of the drought this past summer. Again......it loves to get it's drink of milk.

Yes, a good shot of milk can do wonders

for beast, man, ..................and plants alike.

Successful gardening always begins with good soil. All plants need to eat..........just as you and I, in order to be healthy and productive.

Sometimes I will use store bought food, but I have really turned to making my own organic food and fertilizer. It certainly is much healthier and it reduces the cost in garden care. Below is a list that might help and inspire you to create your own mixtures.

Your kitchen is the best source for such things:

****Please note: When adding anything to your plants, store bought or homemade, watch your plants carefully during the process. If your plants flourish, use regularly , however, if they tend to react negatively, discontinue use. Just like anything......don't overfeed.

Milk: Milk mixed with water will give your plants nitrogen building protein. Mix 1 part milk with

4 parts water. You can feed this to your plants once a week.

Egg Shells: Dry empty shells and grind them up before sprinkling into your garden. These are a rich

source of potassium and calcium.

Banana Peels: Wonderful to place underneath outside plants or shrubs. Promotes healthy growth and

blooming.

Coffee Water: Mix one part used coffee grounds after making coffee with 4 parts water. Spray onto

the soil of your plants. A great source of potassium, nitrogen and magnesium. You can do this

once a week.

Epsom Salt: Mix 1 tablespoon Epsom salt with 1 gallon of water. A good source of sulfate and

magnesium. Wonderful for potatoes, tomatoes, roses and more. Use once a month.

How about you? Are there other special remedies that you like to use in your gardening?

I would love to hear.

The new garden method is not so new to some..............

2012-01-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

but it is new to me. I found out about this after a conversation with an elderly friend of mine, which led me to do some research. My friend has just moved from her large home, which she could no longer handle alone, and into an apartment which has a small fenced backyard. She had commented about how she still would love to garden, perhaps along the fence border of her small yard, but did not want the task of digging up hard grass grown soil..................

the new method,............. maybe one you folks are already familiar with, is

"bag gardening"..........have any of you heard of this?

It is so easy and wonderful for the beginning gardener or for someone who wants to grow things, but does not want to have to dig up hard ground. You simply purchase a bag of garden soil, with fertilizer included in the mix, and you have an instant raised, good quality bed, to grow whatever you might wish

. Here is how to get started: Please note, I have not started this as of yet............these are borrowed pictures from the Internet.

You can grow a plant directly in the bag your potting soil is sold in, eliminating the need to purchase a bucket or construct a growing box.

Select a bag of potting soil that includes fertilizer and is pre-mixed with an aerator like perlite. You can purchase either a small bag for growing an individual plant, or a large bag for growing a couple plants per bag or seeds if you desire. Purchase as many bags as needed to grow all your plants.

Spread dampened newspapers along the area you wish to place the bags. Lay the soil bags in an area you have designated as your garden. Be sure to leave a pathway between the bags if you have several rows. Slice multiple slits into the side of each bag for drainage, then flip all the bags over so that the drainage holes face down.Cut square openings in the bag, leaving the sides and ends intact to ensure no soil leakage.
Sprinkle the seeds or insert the seedlings into each bag. Consult the plant or seed's packaging for the appropriate depth. Water the seeds or plants.

Maintain your grow bag garden the same way you would a normal garden. Water when necessary. Remove any weeds that may have been transmitted to your bags. Harvest the fruit or vegetables when fully grown. After harvesting, remove the plastic, shaking out the dirt onto the ground. You will have enriched soil to feed the ground over the winter .

Although I have my large garden areas tilled and waiting, I am still planning on using this method along some hard ground problem areas, where I want to see things to grow and bloom. I will be showing my progress when planting season comes to my area. I plan to plants flowers and vegetables using this method. Garden soil bags can be somewhat costly, if you plan to use a lot of them. I have a substantial compost pile ready for use..........I plan to use thick bags to put that soil in and have somewhat of a homemade bag....................I will find out how this works..............as well as you, as I post this garden journey.
How about you?...........have you heard of this bag method before?..........if so, have you worked with it? I would love to hear/.

This new year..................

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I am looking up the road into the new possibilities

of all I can do.................

I hope to start a fruit orchard and to raise berries...........

I have a new kind of pumpkin that I want to try to raise.............

my Zinnia seeds are lying in wait to touch the soft earth............

as well as the cosmos.............

I have decided to raise a vegetable garden this year,

and I have stumbled upon a "new way" of gardening..........that I cannot wait to experiment with,

and I hope that the grounds will someday look like the photo above......

I will let you know about the new gardening idea and take you along the journey in future posts.

With this New Year.................I am not looking back,

instead.........I am keeping my focus straight ahead,

armed with prayer, hope and faith.

How about you?

Are you looking back, weary of how last year was?..........or perhaps with sweet memories of things that occurred?

Or are you looking ahead with worry about what is to become?..........or maybe you are full of excitement and can't wait to step out into the New Year.

I would love to hear.

Happy New Year

dear blogging friends.

Walking in the woods on a snowy evening..........

2011-12-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

on Christmas Eve.....making my daughter's Christmas visit wish come true.

We have had such a wonderful time as we all gathered together.

The fields as far as one could see were covered in a blanket of snow on Christmas morning..........such a rare thing for Texas, especially since we have suffered such a sever drought this summer.

It has been such a magical time, with photos being taken, hands held in prayer at the dinner table, memories shared and memories made.

How about you? Did you have a lot of guests at your Christmas table?

Did you have a lot of snow outside your door?

I would love to hear.

Christmas is almost here..........

2011-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

and I am looking forward to it more than any other Christmas over the past few years..........

for this special Christmas...............

my daughter is coming home...........

traveling a far way to get here..............

taking a break from her busy Navy life.......

making this holiday a time where,

for the first time in many years..........

all of my children along with my husband and I, will all be together to celebrate..........

as a complete family............

just like those Christmas times a long while back.

I am taking a break from blogging.......

to just enjoy...

family.

For all of you who visit here..........

Have yourself a very Merry Christmas!

There are hundreds of mesquite trees

2011-12-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

here on the grounds of "Pleasant Prairie". I know, because I have walked the woods with Sophie, looking over every one of them.......

However, in the back yard, ...............in front of my greenhouse, is a younger mesquite tree that has a wonderful clump of mistletoe growing on it. It is the only one out of all of the trees here on the grounds that has mistletoe. I know it is actually a fungus...........but I love it!

This is how it looked last week when we got the "big snow". This tree also supports one end of my clothesline...............which I love!

DID YOU KNOW?
Kissing under the mistletoe, our favorite sprig of green leaves and white berries, dates back to a 17th century English custom.
At that time, a berry was removed every time a kiss was made, which meant there were no kisses when there were no berries.

How about you??

Do you have mistletoe hanging in your trees?..................or more important...........

do you have mistletoe hanging where you can get a kiss or two??
I hope so!

Just a thought for the beginning of the week...............

2011-12-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock”(Psalm 27:5, NIV)

Snow usually does not last long

2011-12-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

in the part of Texas that I am in..................

( our home looks like a winter wonderland..........don't you think?)

however, we managed to get 6 inches in one day................

Every thing was covered and we are just now seeing the last of the snow melt away.

As you know, I love old fence posts...........

you can see where the snow blew in from the north on this one. Today, we have sunny skies,

and it looks like it will stay this way for the weekend and into next week.

How about you?

Are you still under snow, rain, or deep cold??

Or do you have sunny skies?

I would love to hear.

Why did the chicken cross the road??

2011-12-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

Shrek: Urrrrrp - What chicken?

George Bush: To face a kinder, gentler thousand points of headlights

Darwin: It was the logical next step after coming down from the trees

Bob Dylan: How many roads must one chicken cross?

Robert Frost: To cross the road less traveled by

Gilligan: The traffic started getting rough; the chicken had to cross. If not for the plumage of its peerless tail the chicken would be lost, the chicken would be lost!

Martin Luther King : It had a dream

James T. Kirk: To boldly go where no chicken has gone before

Sir Isaac Newton: Chickens at rest tend to stay at rest. Chickens in motion tend to cross the road

Mr. Scott: 'Cos ma wee transporter beam was na functioning properly. Ah canna work miracles, Captain!

Mae West: I invited it to come up and see me sometime

George Washington: Actually it crossed the Delaware with me back in 1776

Albert Einstein: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road crossed
the chicken depends upon your frame of reference

Darth Vader: Because it could not resist the power of the Dark Side

Lord Baden-Powell: To earn a Road Crossing merit badge

Colonel Sanders: I missed one?

A blanket of thick white snow

2011-12-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

blew across the prairie in the wee late hours

and covered the woods in it's crisp, cold, brightness.

That means just one thing to Sophie..........

Playtime!

She looks like she is making her own snowman.........or snowdog

We walked all over the grounds this morning........oohing and ahhing............well, I did, Sophie, just sniffed. But all of this snow means one wonderful thing for me and for Texas............

moisture!!!

How about you? Have you already received enough snow that you are already tired of it?

Or are you still out there making snow angels and snowmen?

I would love to hear!

Tex and Tess always sit together in the hen house..............

2011-11-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

Just like a set of salt and pepper shakers......................

don't you think??

Looking out the window, I can see the wild doves

2011-11-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

have settled in for a feast. They have become abundant lately...........I suppose seeking refuge from all of the recent gunshot and hunting activities that go on throughout the neighboring landscape. The feed and water is also a big draw.

The woods lie in quiet stillness, with only the sound of wind rustling the dry prairie grass..........

along with the prowling sounds of Salem ..........

and Boo, who have

joined Sophie and I on our morning excursion. The trees are losing their leaves and the hues of green are fading to yellow and brown..............

however, the Lantana always shows off it's bright berry seeds this time of year....

and some of the most unusual colors can be found on the most common of weeds and sage brush.

The eggs in my pocket are still running over. The young hens that came here in early spring are laying .........and I was able to keep my customers stocked in eggs for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Did you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving?

I would love to hear!

Thanksgivng is here............

2011-11-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

a time when we all have a chance to gather together in happiness and thankfulness

for all that we know and love

and for all that we have.........even if it is not so much. .................

It's funny.................some of the "richest' folks I know ...............

are those who live a simple and common life............

and don't measure their thankfulness by their purse strings.........

and then some of the folks I know who do have a bounty of plenty.............

are always stretching out their hands..........

giving to others in need..............

thankful for the opportunity to do so.

I guess, you might could say,.........

Thanksgiving is in heart.......

where it matters the most.

Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving to you all!

By the way.............

there is a really good cobbler recipe on my cooking blog for

Thanksgiving, just hop over to

My Country Kitchen

My Grandfather's trunk

2011-11-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

still had the smell of mothballs lingering inside when I opened it up...................

I went down to my mother's for a visit and to bring this piece of cherished childhood memory back home with me. I feel so blessed! Not just of because of the piece.............but because of the memory I have of the tall, gentle, old blue eyed man that once owned it and would let me sometime peek into his personal life of the things he stored in it..............with that whiff of mothballs always greeting me.

It is in rough shape,...........being stored in an outside building...........the dirt and the weather has treated it poorly........but the detail and the character is still there.......

I am in the process of cleaning, stripping and repainting the outside. It has some damage on the bottom, but my sweetie, husband says that he can fix it for me...........what would I do without him??

I don't mind the black paint, however, I want to change the blue................I am thinking of either just sanding it off and leaving the silver...........or painting it a lighter color..............but I have not a clue as to which color will look good. Any suggestions???

The inside is what I cannot wait to start working with. I already am in search of wall paper heavily laden with roses and vines .............or wildflowers...........which I really like the best. I want to fix some kind of ribbon on the inside lid to slide in photographs and special pieces of paper.

There are a couple of dates that are handwritten inside.............I have no idea what their meaning is, however, I am cutting them out to preserve.

When I am finished with it, I am storing my hand embroidered linens, items that I am hand stitching for my children to have for their families someday, and crocheted pieces inside. Boo is ready for me to place a quilt on top for her to claim as a resting place............

I will store this somewhere in my home so that I can enjoy looking at it................

remembering a man who wore light khaki pants, sitting in his rocking chair, while playing solitaire and smoking a pipe. He never minded my interrupting his game to listen to my girlish chatter and would sometimes sing an old song to me.

That is the memory I hold dear.

How about you?

Do you have your grandfather's old trunk?

If so, is it decorated and stuffed full of your special items?

I would love to hear!

The cooler weather

2011-11-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

has started making the mesquite tree leaves to change color and to start dropping.

It wont be long that the woods will be only a mangle of twisted and thorny trunks.

It is also the time that I start focusing on clearing out some of the brush..........hopefully the rattlesnakes will be more sluggish this time of year..............

although we are dry and brown.............bright red cactus pods

catch my eye in the over growth

and bright red berried are abundant throughout the woods.................we might have a deer or two to come visit.

How about you?

What is still in color around you? Are you under snow?

I would love to hear.

When you feel that you have reached the end

2011-11-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

and you cannot go one step further,

when life seems to be drained of all purpose;.....................

what a wonderful opportunity

to start all over again,

to turn over a new page.

*Eileen Caddy*

I know of a place.............

2011-11-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

where the tall prairie grass is pink..................

as well as some of the weeds...............

where bouquets of wildflowers are still blooming........

even though it is November.

I know of a place.............where the road curves

to where there are woods where children used to roam and play............

in those woods, there is an old weathered mesquite tree,

where a family of woodpeckers make their home...........

every year.

In that same tree, this young pilot, tried out his wings..........

and then left the nest..............

I know of a place where a badger goes to sleep.......after he has had his early morning drink,

I know of a place............that if you look straight up at night with a flashlight.......

you will see a great horned owl looking back down............

I know of a place where the most whimsical creatures gather.................

and all of these.............

memories gather and stay in the depths of my heart................

always to be remembered.

It's funny...........most folks think of heaven as being a place where we all float on white fluffy clouds in a bright blue sky.............

but I just know............

my heaven will be.........

where a coyote calls out and serenades under a moonlit sky...........

where the wind tosses the prairie grass like waves on an ocean............

where at every glance there will be some creature staring back with the same amazement that I am staring at it with.........

this is the heaven I like to envision.

How about you?

What places do you know the secrets of ?

What do you imagine your heaven to be?

I would love to hear.

It's November................

2011-11-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

and Isabella is broody...............

Maybe I should put a calendar inside of the coop so that she will know

that chicks usually don't hatch in winter..............

or do they??

I would like my studio to look like this..........

2011-10-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

What do you think??

*********************************

A woman was asked by a co-worker, " what is it like to be a Christian?"

She replied, "It is like being a pumpkin,

God picks you from the patch,

brings you in,

washes all the dirt off of you.

Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all of the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed.

Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts

His light inside of you to shine

For all of the world to see."

****************************

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

EVERYONE

2011-10-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

What lies behind us

and what lies before us

Are tiny matters compared to

What lies within us......

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have always loved the words from this man......ever since the first time I was introduced to him through his works in high school..............
Through out life, there has always been times that I worry about what lies ahead and then way to many times I look back and fret over what has happened............
so I try to stay focused on what my purpose is......deep within..........listening to what God is telling me...........not always hearing perhaps.............but still listening.
How about you?

Every thing changes..............

2011-10-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

in today's world.........it just makes sense.................

That does not mean I like it any better............

especially when it comes to the things I have always loved.............like long country roads.......embellished with barbed wire fences. These fences have stated their claim over a course of many years..........the posts cut from fallen trees. Each post holds it's own unique character.

Tumbleweeds find their journey's end up against an old barbed wire fence.

Just recently, I was told that it costs $10,000 a mile to make a barbed wire fence...........

the old posts being exchanged for the metal T posts and losing all of it's character with each long Texas mile. For now, this small stretch of fence still stands firm, it's posts as strong as when they once grew as a tree. I hope it stays that way.

What about you? What kinds of fences do you have in your area?

Has new day and more convenient replaced the old worn out charm?

I would love to hear.

This is the time of year for gathering...........

2011-10-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

and for all of us, "gathering has a whole different meaning".

For me, it's a gathering of the last of the pumpkins on the vine,

a time to gather seeds from the fading flowers ,

a time to gather the many pieces of nature( from pine cones to dry leaves and twigs)

that lay in wait for my imagination to use them in some way or another.

It is also a time to gather my thoughts...................

with holidays approaching, it's a time I think upon those I love and look forward for them

to gather at our table ,

and a moment to gather my feelings as I think of the loss of some of those dear ones who won't be joining us this time.

It's a time to gather up my mind's list of all that I am thankful for and that my family got through the year on,

and then there is the hope and faith I gather in my heart........

for the days to come..........

How about you?
What are you "gathering" this time of year?

I would love to hear!

"This is the beginning of a new day

2011-10-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good."

My greenhouse door fell off early this spring...........

2011-10-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

it was a "track sliding" door..........which I have never liked because dirt always gets into the sliding frame and makes opening and closing the door impossible.......and I was forever wrestling with it.......this is how it broke..........along with my gardening spirit.

But it's back on and improved and made so much better............

by my sweetie, my husband, who put the whole greenhouse together for me a few years ago.

He agreed about the track door,(he has been the one who fixes it each time it breaks) so he attatched small hinges onto the frame,

a reliable hook to keep it closed...........

and now it's like a regular door that swings open without me having to wrestle it.

He even put a cute little knob on the door.

(sorry about all of the dirt in the photos)

we had severe wind and dirt for two days straight and then a wonderful heavy rain........I have much to clean up.

Inside of the greenhouse, I have tomatoes growing, new flowers sprouting,

moss rose blooming,

as well as the herbs. It is so fragrant inside. I have more plants that need to be moved in.........the weather at night has turned out quite chilly.

Do any of you have a greenhouse?

Do you have door problems..........or other issues?

Is so, how did you solve them?

I would love to hear!

Something to make you smile............

2011-10-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

for the weekend

Do you have one???

Best wishes for a great weekend!

The wind is high ....

2011-10-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

blowing the dirt and clouds across the prairie .It whistles and moans through the closed back door, as if to beg to be let in..............such a blustery day.

I have felt a change in the air for the past couple of weeks..........and I know that all of those summer days I grumbled about will soon be replaced by the cold howling wind.

Salem has sought refuge in the front porch columns, but you can tell by his eyes, the wind sounds fierce and he is thinking about seeking shelter in the warmth of his bed inside.

Sophie has already thought of that............our short walk to the gate and back with the wind pushing and dirt stinging us all the way, has made her realize..............

there's no place like home.

The days are still quite hot , however, nights

2011-10-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

dip down and are quite chilly........as well as the mornings.........

making outside life, a little slower.............

and a little less active until the sun comes out..........

the fish in the pond have noticed the difference as well...........they have slowed down in eating and seem to drift in the water instead of rush around as they normally do.

They linger out in the morning sun instead of seeking the shade underneath the boards.

4 newly hatched fish somehow escaped being eaten this summer and are growing well...........

All has slowed down.............except my embroidery.............I am finding more time to stitch with less outside work to do.

How about you?

Have your outside activities slowed down?..........or is this the busiest time of year for you?

I would love to hear!

The farm grounds are in line with the migratory

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

path of the Monarch Butterfly

who travel all the way from South Dakota..........on their way to New Mexico......just to feed, lay eggs, and die. They have a life span of only 90 days.

For a few short days,they fly in by the hundreds to rest among the crooked Mesquite trees here on the grounds. One can walk underneath the trees and the butterflies swirl around as they take to flight. It is a wonderful sight witnessed each year since we moved here.............so many years ago.

The cool weather drop and the rain showers have brought life to the flowers in the garden............

The Zinnia are so cheery that I had to capture that in my embroidery this week.

How about you? What wee creature has made it's path to your door?

Wild geese in flight perhaps.............or maybe a colony of ladybugs?

I would love to hear!

Just a thought

2011-09-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful;
for beauty is God's handwriting ~ a wayside sacrament.
Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower,
and thank God for it as a cup of blessing......

Ralph Waldo Emerson

This handmade life

2011-09-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

is the path along my journey that I have chosen to take.

It may not be a life full of riches, ...........

.it may not be the path others would desire to walk..........

for each must find their own path .

But this handmade life is full of treasures ..............

happiness, simplicity, ............peace.

In this handmade life I feel blessed............

that is enough for me.

k.m

............

How about you?

In your journey, what path have you decided to take?

I would love to hear!

The sound of splat, plat

2011-09-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

as I write this , is coming from outside................we are getting

RAIN!!!! and lots of it!

Thank you, thank you, for joining us Texans in prayer!

It started last night and is still going on. Stopping for a break now and then.

The Cosmos seem to look up at me excitedly as if to say "it's raining!"

By the way, Cosmos is another flower I have started growing here at Pleasant Prairie.

They seem to grow better when plant in late summer and they bloom throughout the fall.

The rose, which has weathered the harshest dust and heat, this summer, is still blooming and happily wearing it's raindrops.

This is a good time to stick a large pan of baked spaghetti in the oven. This is full of the goodness of onion, mushroom, bell pepper and tomato. If you would like the recipe ,just visit my cooking blog! My Country Kitchen

http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com

I'm Too Sexy For My Coop

2011-09-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

A drop from the extreme heat down to a pleasant cool temperature, has put my hen Gladys,

along with the other hens, into molting stage.

Please Pray

2011-09-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Isiah 41:10

This is a prayer for rain in those dry areas of America

As evidenced by people living in Oklahoma, West Texas,
South Texas, and New Mexico. . . also ever-increasing areas in other parts of the country,

the drought condition is reaching critical status;

cattle are being auctioned off; crops have burned

up; and drinking water is becoming a concern.

Lets make this one of the largest prayer circles ever.

Please join us in this prayer circle.

Dear Heavenly Father,

You said whatsoever any two or more come together

and agree and ask in Your Son's name it shall be given.
We come to you, humbly, and ask that you bring down the rain to our parched lands.
Our farmers and

ranchers need it desperately, as well as our firefighters.

We ask this all in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you all who have asked about our safety and who are praying for all of us. Blessings,Kathleen

A cool spell has swept across the prairie

2011-09-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

allowing the days to be pleasant enough for long walks along mesquite filled ranch land and barbed wire fences. A time to slow down.........enjoy........and to be grateful.

And in between that "slow time".............. I stitch.

The past few weeks, I have been stitching on this "Seasonal Clothesline set" There is a stocking filled with colorful leaves for Fall, a colorful mitten filled with greenery and berries for Winter, an apron with a pocketful of strawberries for Spring, and a whimsical bonnet full of white daisies for Summer. A delightful little bluebird is featured in each design.

One set for me........I have wanted to stitch it for years..........and the other set is to sell in my Etsy on line shop. To see more on this pretty design set, you can visit my embroidery blog

Yesteryear Embroideries, by clicking onto the link below.

http://yesteryearembroideries.blogspot.com

How about you?

Is this a slowing down time for you..........or is this the busiest time of year?

I would love to hear!

The late afternoon and nights are getting cooler

2011-09-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

and this is the time of year that I clear the grounds

of weeds and start to till up the hard packed earth of the garden spaces.........

getting them ready for next year's planting season. Although the grass will be removed, I still love the way the seeds look as if the grass is dressed in pearls.

The Zinnia beds and other flowers are enjoying this relief from the heat and starting to look vibrant and full in vivid color.

Some plants are just so lacy and dainty, that it is a shame to call them a weed.........

don't you think?

I am being supervised by a wary horned toad, as it watches me destroy the thick cover it was hiding underneath. There is so much to be done........it will take me all the way up past fall to finish.

How about you? Are you still enjoying the bounty of your gardens or are you getting the space a time ready for rest?

Labor Day is upon us............I have a delicious recipe for the creamiest fruit salad for a Labor Day picnic. The recipe is on my cooking blog...

My Country Kitchen

Just click on the link to go get the recipe.

http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com

Have yourselves a restful holiday weekend!

My grandparents lived in an old white farmhouse

2011-08-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

nestled in the middle of mesquite filled ranch land...........with a creek in the far back full of crawfish and surrounded by cotton fields. I don't quite remember if Grandma raised many flowers,

but I always have a vivid picture in my mind of her two large Lantana bushes that greeted everyone as they stepped up to the front porch. These two bushes spread the length of the porch and their pink and yellow blossoms were full with buzzing bees and floating butterflies. When my grandparents moved into town, a few cuttings were taken from the bushes and planted at my grandparents new home and my mother also planted a cutting.

Now I have a large Lantana in my front yard, from that same cutting of my Grandmother's so long ago. It is full of buzzing bees and butterflies of every shape and color. It is in full bloom now and I always think of my grandparent's and their place out in the country when I see it like this.

How about you?

Do you remember special plants of your grandparents?

I would love to hear!

Goodbye, my dearest friend.......

2011-08-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was not ready to let you go..............

and I want you back.............

just one more cup of coffee, one more smile, one more recipe shared............................

I will forever miss you............

Alice

12-13-43---------8-21-11

Should you go first and I remain
To walk the road alone,
I'll live in memory's garden, dear,
With happy days we've known.
In spring I'll wait for roses red,
When fades the lilac blue,
In early fall, when brown leaves call
I'll catch a glimpse of you.

Should you go first and I remain
For battles to be fought,
Each thing you've touched along the way
Will be a hallowed spot.
I'll hear your voice, I'll see you smile,
Though blindly I may grope,
The memory of your helping hand
Will buoy me on with hope.

Should you go first and I remain
To finish with the scroll,
No length'ning shadows shall creep in
To make this life seem droll.
We've known so much of happiness,
We've had our cup of joy,
And memory is one gift of God
That death can not destroy.

Should you go first and I remain,
One thing I'd have you to do:
Walk slowly down that long, lone path,
For soon I'll follow you.
I'll want to know each step you take,
That I may walk the same,
For someday down that lonely road
You'll hear me call your name

By A.K. Rowswell

There is an iron skillet with fresh baked corn bread

2011-08-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

sitting on the stove to cool, now in the oven is a large pan of country fried chicken, sizzling away. A pot of red beans is simmering on top of the stove, and to go with all of this is a creamy dish of Baked Creamed Corn. The recipe is on my cooking blog...........My Country Kitchen..................

my cooking blog, that has been long, long, neglected...............I haven't posted a recipe there in ages!

http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com

Many of you already know that I have a cooking blog, but for those of you who don't and want a taste of good country cooking, just click onto the link above and visit awhile! There is also a link on my sidebar if you want to come back and visit in the future.

I cook constantly............all throughout the day. I always like to try new desserts and breads, and I am always in search of something different to feed my family. Somehow, through all of this cooking, I have let my cooking blog go to sleep. So today, there is a new recipe.

Do any of you have corn from your gardens............or do you love corn and have some cream style corn ready? I have a wonderful, creamy recipe for Baked Creamed Corn, that is just the best with any dish you decide to make!

How about you?

Do you have a different way of preparing corn for a meal?

I would love to hear!

It is a 60 mile round trip into the nearest town

2011-08-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

for me to run errands or to buy groceries. So I always try to stay "stocked up" with the basic ingredients in my pantry. However, sometimes, I forget........today........was one of those days. I forgot to buy aluminum foil. I use strips of foil to place on the edge of my pie crust.........because if I don't, the crust always gets too brown.

I already had my pie mixed and poured into my crust when I realized my shortage.........and then I remembered seeing a wise old cook on TV one day, who prepared and baked a whole chicken .............placed in a brown paper bag.........in the oven! It came out looking wonderful and the brown paper bag never burned. Luckily, I had a brown paper bag in storage and cut strips of it and placed it on to the top of my pie crust edge.

I then placed it into the oven and baked the pie , for the required amount of time.........and look!!!.........a beautiful, perfect crust !!

As my family devoured the pie...........I was thrilled at my new discovery, and promptly wrote down aluminum foil on my grocery list............how about you??

Have you any special baking hints on what you do when you run out? I would love to hear.

Look at this....................that's right !...........it's mud !!!! Thank you all for your prayers for Texas, and for me as I whined about not having any rain. The biggest , blackest cloud pulled up and just sat over the farm grounds........for over an hour and a half..........dumping 2 inches of much needed rain !!

Since I was relieved from watering duty the next couple of days, I put my crochet hook to work and made some plaid pot holders. Now back to that pie................pumpkin..........is there any thing better??

What is your favorite type of pie?

This is the time I start getting the greenhouse ready

2011-08-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

for fall planting and storage of plants for the winter. I am beginning to enjoy this greenhouse with each year that I learn from it. It's hard to enjoy one of these in my area in Texas, because of the extreme heat. It stays vacant from early May thru September. Because of this, ones that I know who also have these, do not enjoy them.

But I am finding ways to make it work. As most of you know,in late fall, I drape the whole greenhouse in plastic and then place a heater inside of the greenhouse for the winter season. This has worked so well in keeping my plants alive. In late spring, I tear off all of the plastic and remove the heater, and then open the windows and door. I really can't find a realistic way to use it in the summer. I also have problems with mice moving in and eating every thing.

How about you?? Do you have a greenhouse? What are your issues with it?

I have also began to appreciate container gardening more. It's funny. I thought that when I had acres of land, I would have acres of every thing growing on them. The drought, the weather and the critters have given me many challenges. With the containers, I have been able to control the weather elements and watering conditions................

and things seem to grow better..............

however, I have placed rubber snakes within the flowers and vegetables, because even the birds are raging havoc on every thing that I try to grow. So far, the rubber snakes have scared them away.......I might use them in the greenhouse to scare away the mice............will it work.........do you think???

I am thinking of raised beds out in the garden area next year, protected with fencing, and chicken wire over laps with the rubber snakes.

I really like the primitive and country look that the wooden containers give. The flowers and vegetables have a nostalgic look to them on the porches and patio.

How about you??

Do you like to plant in containers..............do you have critter problems?

I would love to hear!

A Texas prairie, for some folks,

2011-08-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

is nothing more than an eye sore, especially during severe drought,................

full of thorns from the cactus and the weathered mesquite trees,.......

rock hard ground, dry drab grass, and venomous creatures, like the rattlesnake and scorpion...........

much of this natural prairie is being plowed under..............for cotton or maize or other crops............leaving nothing but dry dust...........

now.....hang on................

this is not a post to bicker over what folks do with their land............

and I am not going to be chasing a tractor out in the field with a "Save The Land" sign...........

no, I won't be doing that..............

I will just take care and enjoy the small acreage I live on ...............which to me holds so much beauty..........one just has to look to see it all. There is so much more to this prairie than the eye can see..........in the above photo is a bush that grows abundantly on the grounds. It is a Joint Fir.

In plant talk, the Latin name.........Ephedra antisyphilitica.

It is a shrubby, squat, conifer. During a wet season, it has a blue green color. It is more like a bush than anything.

However, the deer love to eat it..........we had a buck in our front yard last year.......which makes me glad that this bush is growing on our grounds.

Throughout the whole grounds are wildflower ..............and weeds.

However, some , even if they are weeds, hold such a beauty of their own.

I fell in love with this plant/weed pictured above. I have not found the name of it yet,but isn't it cute with the little pod that almost, (to me) looks like a miniature Chinese lantern??

This is what it's small bloom looks like.

There is also tall and strong weed- like prairie grass. The rabbits and mice love to hide in this.. Among it grows this plant/weed, with clusters of pale blue.

A look closer and one can see the soft petally flower that grows on it. Even though we are dry as over cooked toast, I still leave a large pan, about 3 ft wide and 2 ft deep of fresh water out where I feed the birds.

We have quail, two types of dove, road runners and quite a few different type of birds come to bathe and drink daily. I know we also have the scary wild critters at night...........

But I love the fact, that in the middle of this dust bowl...........there is a prairie..........

a prairie,........ that when I am an old lady, asleep in my bed.........

, among the memories of the one I love and the babies that came and grew up............

will remember and dream about.

That is the sweetest of dreams for me.............

Salem, my color consultant, is as excited as I am

2011-08-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

with piles of of enticing embroidery floss lying here and there.

I have taken on a business offer with my embroidery that I cannot refuse. I am now selling my embroidered items in an antique/consignment gallery in Dallas, that a friend of mine operates.

This coming month I will be offering hand towels with vintage designs on them. After that, I will probably do a few holiday designs. I am looking forward to see how this venture goes!

The vibrant orange rays of the early morning sun

2011-07-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

are just beginning to streak through the crooked branches of the mesquite woods

as Sophie and I head out to the chicken yard. The chickens and ducks are starting to squawk and quack, knowing that I am on the way to let them out of their enclosure to wander the grounds for the day.

Even if I live to be 95, I think I will always enjoy the need to be out of bed in the early morning hours,......if it's to either feed and take care of a chicken, or even if it is just to see the still quietness of the woods............whether it is freezing snow on the ground, hot wind and dust blowing, or heavy pounding rain outside. These early morning moments are what I look forward to.

How about you? Do you like being able to just stay in a sleep a little longer,

or is life outside tapping on your window and calling for you to come out?

I would love to hear!

Two new roosters have come to the farm..................

2011-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

one actually to the farm kitchen............I started working on this cross stitch rooster years ago, always putting it away and then going back to stitch now and then..........off and on. But these past 8 weeks or so, I have stitched continuously on this project and now it is finished! I plan to frame it and hang it in my kitchen around my other "rooster collection". I am also toying with the idea of offering my embroidery services to others..........for those who have cross stitched projects started, but not completed,........ but would like for me to complete them. But that is a plan still in the thought process.

Meet Lil' Tex. Out of the 18 "hen chicks" I purchased this spring, was this little rooster. I almost gave him away to a friend, however, changed my mind because of his small size and of the small size of 5 hens that are of his breed. This set will make a great addition to my " chicken raising plan".

This poor dry creature says it all about how the conditions still are here in Texas. This is a Vinegar Roan. Evil looking, but completely harmless, except for the vinegar smelling spray they give off when something bothers them. I have seen the cats and dog get sprayed by them, and it seems to sting a little, making them to remember to not mess with this creature. It usually looks a shiny black, but with the drought, it is as dry as the hard ground it comes from. It boldly approached me as I was watering............desperate for a drink.... and I cannot refuse any creature when it is thirsty.

Yet, in all of this............hope has it's many different forms. This young one was in the middle of flying lessons when I interfered.............with both parents scolding me. It wasn't long before it and it's parents were flying off into the woods. Sophie and I usually take a little midnight stroll out to the yard before retiring for the night. Last night we surprised a badger, who had come up for a drink of water out of the bird's bath. Thankfully, he was as scared of us as we were of him, and quickly darted off into the blackness of the woods.

What kind of creatures are you encountering?

I would love to hear!

Farewell Max

2011-07-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 17 years since this striped, soft ball of fur with 7 claws on each foot, entered our lives. When we lived in the city, he was the neighborhood prowler and warrior. There was no cat too big or too mean to win over Max. He was king of his territory. When we moved out here to the farm, Max was upset and ran away to find his old home in the city............and he let us know that he was a city kitty, not a country prowler. Four days later, he returned, worn out and starving, but glad to be back with us............and soon accepted his more quiet and peaceful life. Over the years, he changed from the king rodent hunter to passively lying on the coolness of the front porch..............sleeping, while his tail flicked and his mouth quivered in some dream of catching his latest bounty..................a surrendered country gentleman.

I 've been preparing myself for this day..................all of the signs have been here in front of me for the past week. Yesterday, I found him, curled up in his favorite spot, where he had gone to sleep, and dreamt a dream of thick green woods, full of mice and other small creatures to chase..............this time, he kept on chasing them to where ever these sweet creatures go for eternity. No matter how much I was ready, I was not ready to let him go..........although I know it was the best and sweetest way for him to do so.

As the years go by and we get whacked by life's stick of disappointments, I have always thought that our hearts are supposed to grow tougher............isn't that the way it works??

Well.............it has not happened for me yet.................or my heart just hasn't gotten that message.

For awhile, I will still fix an extra plate of food, go out and call Max's name and wait for him to bring me a small captured prize from his prowling, and shed a tear. For a little while ......................

farewell Max.

No rain in sight...........

2011-07-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

and it has been this way in our part of Texas for the past few months. The dirt from the cotton fields have blown into our back property, leaving us with sand dunes,as if there is a beach with water on the other side................but no.

No green grass is growing and water is so sacred that we don't dare water the yard.

I am watering my zinnia and pumpkin gardens, but doing so late in the evening and being careful not to over water and waste.

All around the grounds, it looks like winter instead of a green summer.

We all pray and question God.

And He lets us know that He is still here.............

watching over us....and giving us hope............for a day when maybe........

it might rain.

When I saw these prairie flowers the other day, my mind instantly went to the Bible verse

" I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am......."

Philippians 4:11

The flowers grow and bloom , no matter how harsh the conditions are.............and they seem content and do what they need to do. Giving me a good lesson to live by ................and I will try to follow their example.

If you could come and spend the day

2011-06-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

here at the farm with me,

we will sit at the kitchen table

and visit over a cup of tea.

We will talk about the weather

and the happenings of the year,

We will talk about our children, our family,

our life...............what we hold dear.

We will walk through the woods and prairie,

you'll meet the critters

that live here too.

We will walk out to the gardens

where I will pick fresh flowers for you!

A bubbling soup and homemade bread

will be ready for us to eat.

Along with blueberry muffins from the oven

for an after dinner treat!

We will linger in the shade of the front porch

and watch the day come to an end.

I'll feel blessed that you came to visit

and that I can call you "friend".

But blogging friend, the miles are between us,

there's no way to visit, it's true........

So here's the recipe for those

blueberry muffins

that I can share with you!!

BLUEBERRY CRUMB MUFFINS

2 cups flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups fresh blueberries

( crumb topping recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 400.F. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter and vanilla. Then add to flour mixture. Blend well, then gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.

Sprinkle about 1 tbs. crumb topping onto the top of each muffin.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from tins.

Enjoy!

Crumb topping:

6 tbs. butter

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

Mix butter, flour and sugar with pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle onto top of muffins.

How hot is it here in Texas??

2011-06-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's that hot!

I have been fighting the battle

2011-06-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

of extreme drought, choking dirt, and blasting winds,................and to my delight........

the soil is breaking,

from the zinnia seeds I have planted in my zinnia gardens. I have planned slightly larger gardens this year, and I am anxious to see how they turn out !

I am also trying to raise tomatoes in container crates on the patio, instead of out in the open wide spaces. The patio is more protected, and I am looking forward to many dishes of fried green tomatoes and tomato pie.

Even the pincushion cactus that is accustomed to the harsh conditions on the prairie, seems to be enjoying itself in it's new container home.

I absolutely love rose moss, and planted a large crate full of this a few weeks ago. It has turned out so lovely! As for my pumpkin growing,............it has been a tough season, however, I have planted them in different locations to see how they do. Hopefully, I will have pics to show later. How about you?

Do you prefer container planting or open space growing?

I would love to hear!

On the front steps of the porch

2011-06-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

on any given day, a visitor is greeted by a roll of old water kettles....................do any of you remember your granny using these?

I have had them for many years.............given to me by family.........who have told me that they belonged to my grandmother. They all have wooden handles with either heavy wire or metal............

they all have many dings, dents, and probably a few leaks. I never saw my grandmother actually use these, but I am sure they probably came in handy in a time of need. I cant explain why I love them so..........I just do...........do you ever feel that way about certain things?

This water kettle was found right here on the grounds, during the first month that we came to live here. My husband found it half buried underneath an old mesquite tree, and brought it home to me...........I cherish it for this memory. I wonder who used it...........what the house looked like that use to be here before our home was moved out to this land. When I see them, as I approach the porch after a late afternoon walk, they make me smile..............it feels like home to me.

How about you?

What feels like home to you?

I would love to hear!

For just a short time, these past few days,

2011-05-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

I had all of my flowers gathered........into one sweet bouquet.

I excitedly ran to the airport and picked up my daughter, Hannah, who has been away in the Navy,..........but worked very hard to get clearance to join

her two brothers, Zack, the computer wiz, on the left, and Joseph, the physics brain, on the right,who were already waiting for her to join them and the rest of our family at Joseph's high school graduation.

What a happy and busy time!

My cheery bunch enjoyed catching up with each other and we spent the few short days, visiting, remembering, and laughing. Now, Hannah has flown back to Hawaii, Zack is back to his job, and Joseph is about to start his journey in life. I am not sure when I will have them all together again.

Life has taught me to enjoy these moments that come and go as if on wings of an elusive butterfly.

How about you? Are you able to have your family all together at one time a lot..........or does it take some planning to make it all happen?

I would love to hear

My roses are heavy

2011-05-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

with rain drops...............yes!.........your prayers came through and we got a good soaking the other night!

Thank you for your prayers!!

My chickens nests are overflowing with eggs. I just love to see all of the colors, don't you? I was delivering my eggs to my customers, and now,......... they come out to me for fresh eggs! Something that I have been wanting to happen, and even though I never asked them to, they were able to find me and tell their friends!

It is wonderful,to me, to know that people are now connecting my "farm" with fresh eggs!!!

I have been busy getting my nest ready. Children sprouting their wings and leaving and children flying home to visit! How about you? Have you been safe from the storms? Are you having visitors? or are you having your young ones leave the nest?

I would love to hear!

The smell of cinnamon and cloves drifted through the house

2011-05-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

as an applesauce cake baked for about an hour in the oven today. I lingered in the open doorway as the aroma, drifted by me and out onto the porch, making me smile................ and for an moment.........remember.

There is just something about an old fashioned applesauce cake baking and filling the home with these favorite aromas, that brings back a flood of memories ..........for me. Scent has always played an important role in my "memory bank". Does it do the same for you? I can smell the heady fragrance of a cabbage rose and fondly remember certain people who raised them.

The baking smell of applesauce cake, always makes me think of a well worked and gathered in kitchen, stocked full of vintage figurines and canisters full of flour and sugar.

with canning jars and other glassware on the surrounding shelves. Upon entering this space, one could smell the spices of the baking that had previously taken place that day.

I remember a tiny and gentle elderly lady, guiding my brother and I back to such a spot and having us sit down at her table...........where a small flower patterned dish was handed to each of us, with a slice of this wonderful cake sitting on it. It was still warm.............and so delicious.

The years have passed and I have made many of these cakes. It is one of my favorites...........

a comfort food of sorts.

How about you? What scent do you remember and smile upon?

What is your favorite smell from the kitchen? I would love to hear!

Sand dunes are surrounding the grounds

2011-05-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

of the farm.........they remind me of the beach that we used to visit when our children were small. However, these dunes are from the cotton field that lies behind the farm. The high winds and severe drought has blown all of the dirt into the grounds here.

Somehow, the prairie flowers still burst forth,

their vibrant blossoms waiving in the wind.

Closer to the house, the flower and rock beds are showing new flowers sprouting in the sun.

I had meant for this to be a rock garden only, which in the winter it is,

but in the spring, the marigold, cosmos and mountain garland, work their way inbetween the rocks and

have found it to be the perfect spot to bloom. Here's hoping that where ever you are, the rain is not flooding, the sky is not storming, the dry brush is not catching on fire and that somewhere, you have found a safe and content spot to be in.

Something To Crow About!

2011-05-09T11:15:00.001-07:00

This blog has been temporarily interrupted..............away from chicken talk, away from egg counting, away from duck watching and away from the grounds of the farm.................

I had made it a point to not to write about my family in this blog................

My family is what my whole world is made of and I am very protective about each member and their privacy...................however, this is one thing I just cant keep quiet.................... no matter what...............

My son Joseph, who is a senior and will be graduating from high school in just a couple of weeks, won the gold medal in Physics in the UIL State Competition!
He had been gone pretty much of all of last week..............off to Austin TX, the state capitol, to compete with the other students from around and across Texas. When he called to let us know he had won, I cried!..........sigh...........I always cry at happy events. ..............do you?
I will be back .............later, with chicken and duck photos.............but now I must find a tissue.........{:

Baby's Day Out

2011-05-06T07:52:00.001-07:00

The baby chicks are growing , but still too small to leave

the safety of the shed. It will be just a little longer before they can be with the others out in the chicken yard.

However, the ducks have just grown in a short matter of weeks! Today was their first day to enter the pen.................they were just like 5 year old children on their first day of kindergarten............they have only known a light and an inside pen.............dirt is something entirely new to their feet................and I was just like a mother on that first day!
I kept checking on them hour after hour to see if they were ok.
But soon, the realization that they were ducks kicked in and they were making the rounds, checking out the chickens and the grounds of the chicken yard. I think they are going to be happy!

Are clotheslines just a memory for you??

2011-05-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know.............

1. You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any clothes.
Walk the length of each line with a damp cloth around the line.
2. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order and always hang whites with whites and hang them first.
3. You never hung a shirt by the shoulders, always by the tail

A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the fancy sheets
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the company table cloths
With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed
You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now"
When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
With not an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon
If wash was dingy gray,
As neighbors raised their brows,
And looked the other way..

But clotheslines now are of the past
For dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
When neighbors knew each other best
By what hung out on the line!
by Marilyn K. Walker

The bees have a good reason for hanging around the house............

2011-04-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

with no moisture in sight........or in the near future.............they clamour around the pet's water dishes for a much needed drink....................
Also the rose garden I have created around our back patio is now in full bloom. Yellows......... in shades of butter and lemonade,

Frilly pink roses with star shaped petals,

and the old cabbage roses........the ones I find so lovely and inspiring for my needlework, are attracting every bee of every shape and size. .....................

A word of thank you............for your prayers, concerns, and sweet comments , for my area..........as well as for the state of Texas.

It is a trying and scary time..............as it is for others in the country who are going through their own concerns with mother nature.

But from my heart...........I want you to know.........your thoughts are touching and they mean a lot!

Wishing You, A Joyous And Blessed Easter!

2011-04-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

As the distant fires and worries from Mother Nature rage on

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it is a tranquil time here on the grounds of the farm..............for which, I am thankful.

Flowers are beginning to bud............. as well as the roses.....................

pumpkins out in the greenhouse are getting stronger and taller and will soon be transplanted to their awaiting garden space. A pomegranate tree and a lilac bush have come to live here on the grounds as well...........and I look forward to seeing them bloom .............

Even the mesquite trees which , during the most part of the year,are gnarly and thorny, are showing off their best during this time of spring. Their honey scented blossoms have attracted small bees , whose buzz can be heard when walking underneath the cluster of leaves and thorns.

Among the dust, the hot dry winds, the scratchy rough plants of the prairie, and the endless struggles of taming a wild and unyielding land, I find peace, happiness and hope in what there is that surrounds me. It's bliss................when looked for and appreciated.

How about you?

Although I am sure you are going through your own conflicts with mother nature..........

what speaks out to you and takes you away if just for one moment??

I would love to hear!

Fires are spreading across Texas

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fed by high winds and drought dried grasslands. Thousands of acres of land has been destroyed and many have lost their homes.

Prayer circles are formed in every church and center available with everyone gathering to pray for rain and for the safety of loved ones near and far. Everyone is sitting anxiously by the phone..........waiting for a call to say that "all is well".

Please pray for us here in Texas.........for rain and for the safety from these treacherous fires.

Relax.................

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The weekend is here!!!

Have a good one!

It's Monday???......................

2011-04-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Are you sure?????

The sand has been blowing across the vacant cotton fields

2011-04-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

this past week. The dry, hot, west Texas heat makes the wind feel like a blow dryer as the sand stings and covers everything that walks into it's path.

It's times like these, when I am thankful for the the woods that surround the house .They serve as a wonderful barrier from the dirt of the cotton fields that run along the back of our property.

This past winter, the woods stood silent and bare...............the trees curled and curved

in their frozen slumber. The arrival of spring has awakened them...............and they actually look as if they are reaching up and stretching out their curled limbs . The silence has been replaced with the constant chatter and singing of the many different birds that are coming to visit the grounds. Some are here to stay for the summer................some will leave in just a matter of days as they travel on to their final destinations. The ground that surrounds the farm, as you can see, is still yellow and dry.............no rain has graced the prairies..........yet. I still have hope...........and faith, as I look out across the clear blue sky, that maybe a cloud will form and bring this parched piece of heaven some relief.............soon. How about you? Are you awakened by the melody of a visiting songbird? Is the wind howling at your door? I would love to hear!

The dream of creating fruit orchards

2011-04-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

is starting to take form.

I planted two apple trees...........well........twigs, last week. They are starting to leaf out. It will be a small orchard..........for now,

I am starting out slow and taking baby steps...........but one day........it will be complete. I plan to have peach and pear trees as well. I love apples most of all and can't wait to be able to pick my own someday!

If you love apple pie.............well, any kind of pie..........visit my cooking blog.......... My Country Kitchen.

I have just made these wonderful small hand pies...........so flaky and tasty! They are so easy to just pick up and eat with your hand..........almost like fried pies,..........but baked and so easy to make! You can hop over by clicking on to this link........

http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com

We also had a visitor to the farm. My son spotted her sitting on the edge of our property. When I approached her, she was so sad and alone. She soon cheered up and followed me home. I had plans to keep her.........if no one answered my ad...........no one did..........

I already had a name for her............Bell.

However, she stayed one night...........got rested up and was gone the next day. I really am relieved............I really do not want another dog. Sophie is just fine and enough!

In between my embroidery work............I like to take on something different. I dug out my crochet hooks and decided to work away the weekend on this. It is not quite done, but I am enjoying the process. You can visit my embroidery blog, Yesteryear Embroideries, by clicking onto this link.

http://yesteryearembroideries.blogspot.com

So how about you??

Do you have fruit trees growing? What is your favorite kind of pie?

Do you have four legged creatures visit you from time to time?

I would love to hear!

Lately, I've been letting uncertainty and doubt

2011-03-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

storm over my thoughts and heart..............

making myself completely forget and almost give up doing what I love to do the most. The whole reason I convinced my husband that country living was the thing to do...........

I was allowing "the ways of the current world" scare me out of. So today, I went to town, completely armed with my pet carrier and scooped up handfuls at a time of these fluffy and chirpy little ones.

Just look at those eyes.............

For years, while we lived in town, this is all husband heard about...............

chickens. And fresh eggs.

and look at these precious little feet ............I love little duck feet, don't you??

Let me ask............how in the world could I resist this??

My whole dream has been to raise a family, live out in the country and raise lots of chickens and ducks..........and what ever else might come along.

And yes, hard times are near and far.........all around and all across the country. But I can't put off living the happiness of today in fear of what will happen tomorrow...........I know that is something the Lord does not want us to do.

I have decided to work at making my dreams come true.................until the hard times come..........when they do...........I will just lean on the Lord and work through them as best I can.

How about you? Are the struggles and the worries of the world slowing you down to run the race of what you love to do? Are you putting things on hold............until a better day?

Or are you jumping in with both feet and living life to the fullest?

I would love to hear.

This is a Texas Prairie Dog.............

2011-03-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

yipping at me as I got too close to take it's photo..........and this ..........

well............... this is another Texas Prairie Dog...........
who hams it up for a photo.................
and this.................

well this is a ham..........all the way around........enjoying a long, cool, drink in front of the birds...........out of their bird bath.............

Spring arrived wearing

2011-03-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

her purple floral dress with butterflies. Her bags are packed full of pumpkin and flower seeds to sprout...............her pet birds of every kind are singing in my trees! I think she placed a cottontail bunny in my yard!

What has spring brought to you? I would love to hear!

Fire swept across the prairie

2011-03-21T13:47:00.000-07:00

way too close to grounds of the farm. Although at night, when all of this happened, it seemed much closer and worse, but in the light of day,............. not so bad.

The scariest part............my husband and I were not home when this broke out, and were called by our son(who was home) who told of what was unfolding........while we were on the road to home............ in the middle of a hail storm, trying to get out of it.............. Have you ever noticed that when you are hurrying to get somewhere.........you can't go fast enough.? It seemed as if our truck was driving in molasses...........so slow.........as the hail pounded us! All we could see when we got closer to our home was a long, high, wall of orange haze along the dark horizon.
Thank goodness for the farmer's cotton field. It lay between our land and the land that caught on fire.
That term I have always heard.................(Support your local fire fighters)............it's not just a phrase for the bumper sticker.........it's something that I truly hold as an important phrase and something that needs to be done. They were out in all of the fire and the pitch black night..........making this country life peaceful once again.
Sophie has a smile on her face, as much as we do now.
Hope this is finding you safe from fire, floods and storms.

Happiness for me is.....................

2011-03-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

a handful of chickens and ...............

a basket full of eggs...............

May you find happiness in the smallest of things today!.................
What's your happiness?

I step out and instantly,

2011-03-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

the fragrance of the heavy blossomed Stock flower

gets my attention and greets me in the new day. It's vibrant purple blossoms sway in the breeze ...............a gentle breeze, that will soon become hard blowing and full of dirt by mid day. However, this is one tough Texas lady as she survives the drought and the harsh winds hanging on to her petally blossoms.
I finally have finished some hand embroidered things and have placed them in my Etsy shop in hopes for selling. I still have a basket full of things to stitch...........sigh.........bliss........... {:

With the warm spring weather , I am busy getting things done outside. Flower beds are clean and ready and new flower beds are in the making. Mice attacked in the greenhouse and ate all of my pumpkin seed that I had just planted..........so another week to exterminate them and then time to replant.

Always, always there is brush and weeds to clear. There is so much ,it seems ,this year and it has taken up much of my early morning. But with each cleared space, there is a blank canvas for flowers and pumpkins to grow! Hopefully by now, you are experiencing signs of spring?

What are your plans for this coming growing season? Do you have lots of things to clear away.......or perhaps you are ready to start growing? I would love to hear!

The red, brown, cotton field road

2011-03-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

is still just as hard packed as it was yesterday, before the rain last night, although the much needed moisture soaked the land well.

I have grown to love a cotton field road.................ever since...........way back.........when I was small and would travel with my parents to my grandparent's house. Their old white farm house sat in the middle of mesquite woods............just like my house today. That old cotton field road turned off from the paved county road and led anyone who turned onto it, up to Grandma and Grandpa's yard. It was where I learned how to take long, slow walks, with my aunts..........not caring about where the road led, but to enjoy the process of walking and the journey...........as I would listen to songs and stories told by my aunts................as I looked for a rock or a horned toad or two.

It was where I took my first motorcycle ride..........sitting on the seat behind my dear uncle, as he patiently drove us kids, back and forth, on that hard packed road.

It was a road that took my aunts and I to the crawdad creek way off into the woods and where I was amazed that by tying a piece of bacon on one end of a string and then pulling it out quickly when the string pulled at my hand,...........a strange red creature, with large pincher's, would come sailing out!
I really don't think any of my remaining aunts and uncles know just how much I loved that place, and my grandparents and all the aunts and uncles that came to visit there.

I don't think they know what an impression it left on me, to know that to live way out in the middle of nowhere with an old cotton field road running along side the property...........would be the only way I would want to live my life.

The only one who knew all of this, I know for sure.............was my husband..............patiently listening about this far away land..........just over the fields and way off the highway...............for almost 20 years...............if not every day................at least once a week......................while the loud traffic and sidewalk.............growled outside our little house in town.

And now, the cotton field road runs along our property...........on one side lies the cotton field...............on the other the thick mesquite woods that surround our home.................where just now, as I walk this hard packed road with Sophie.............a covey of quail are running ahead in front of us............looking for a spot to dart back into the woods..................and a dove is calling out to it's mate.

To me, when I see this cotton field road.............or remember the old one in my youth.............

it calls out to me and says

"your home".

Rosa Rugosa.................

2011-03-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

sounds like something that Dr. Seuss named.......doesn't it? ..........

and it's not moss covered ........or 3 handled............{:

It's this very tired.........at this time.........rose plant that now has come to live in my garden...........
thanks to a couple of dear friends, Jane and Mary, who dug it up........hard work..........thank you Jane, and brought it home to me. In all of the years of my garden experience, I had never heard of this wonderful plant and am quite delighted to have it come live here on the grounds. It is now making itself at home in the flower garden that I have been working on in the past couple of years.
I have been adding various perennial plants to make a natural fence line to the garden. One long side of stock flower, the front entrance lined with Italian Jasmine, the front walk with a welcoming pink and yellow Lantana, the back with a crate of climbing roses...........and now this to fill in the gap between. If it does well............which my friends guarantee..............that even I and the harsh climate can not kill ...................I will as the years go by, transplant cuttings from it to add to the other long side............thus, completing my natural fence.

This is how it is supposed to look, if it decides to stay here.........(photo borrowed from a garden website). I was quite surprised...........after some research, that it is not an American beauty at all, but actually Asian. Here is the information on the sturdy and durable rose plant..............
It just shows, how different things can be when researched..

Rosa rugosa
"Hamanasu" redirects here. For the Japanese train service.
Rosa rugosa (rugosa rose, Japanese rose, or Ramanas rose) is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in northeastern China, Japan, Korea, and southeastern Siberia, where it grows on the coast, often on sand dunes.
It is a suckering shrub, which develops new plants from the roots and forms dense thickets 1–1.50 m tall with stems densely covered in numerous short, straight thorns 3–10 mm long. The leaves are 8–15 cm long, pinnate with 5–9 leaflets, most often 7, each leaflet 3–4 cm long, with a distinctly corrugated (rugose, hence the species' name) surface. The flowers are pleasantly scented, dark pink to white, 6–9 cm across, with somewhat wrinkled petals; flowering is from summer to autumn (June to September in the northern hemisphere).
The hips are large, 2–3 cm diameter, and often shorter than their diameter, not elongated like most other rose hips; in late summer and early autumn the plants often bear fruit and flowers at the same time. The leaves typically turn bright yellow before falling in autumn.
Cultivation and uses
Rugosa rose is widely used as an ornamental plant. It has been introduced to numerous areas of Europe and North America. It has many common names, several of which refer to the fruit's resemblance to a tomato, including beach tomato or sea tomato; saltspray rose and beach rose are others.
The sweetly scented flowers are used to make pot-pourri in Japan and China where it has been cultivated for about a thousand years.
This species hybridisis readily with many other roses, and is valued by rose breeders for its considerable resistance to the diseases rose rust and rose black spot. It is also extremely tolerant of seaside salt spray and storms, commonly being the first shrub in from the coast. It is widely used in landscaping, being relatively tough and trouble-free. Needing little maintenance, it is suitable for planting in large numbers; its salt-tolerance makes it useful for planting beside roads which need deicing with salt regularly.
Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use, with flower colour varying from white to dark red-purple, and with semi-double to double flowers where some or all of the stamens are replaced by extra petals. Popular examples include 'Fru Dagmar Hastrup' (pink, single), 'Pink Grootendorst' (pink, semi-double), 'Blanc Double de Coubert' (white, double) and the more common 'Roseraie de L’Haÿ' (pink, double), which is often used for its very successful rootstock and its ornamental rose hips.

Are any of you familiar with this plant. Do you like it? Do you have photos of it?
I would love to hear!

I awoke Sunday morning to the sound of the wind

2011-02-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

roaring against the house. Making the large wash pan I nailed on the porch wall to clang and bang. The smell of dust was everywhere inside of the house. I look out of the window..............this is how our drive looked, when the wind was just beginning to build it's strength.

I opened the back door and the wind smashed it up against me, and the sand from the distant cotton field stung my face. Winds blew at 60 miles an hour here and across our dry area. This caused many problems along the way, for folks near and far. The blinding sand from all of the cotton fields caused a major pile up on the interstate. The interstate was then closed for hours. Because of the winds and the extreme dry conditions, high line wires sparked, and the heat from passing cars caused the dry areas to catch fire. Many folks had their acreage burned and some lost homes. The fire fighters were fighting one fire after another and not able to get to them all at the same time. I have grown to love this prickly, thorny, and windy place. However, when times as these come about............it causes my soul to be unrestful. Worry seems to be a constant companion at times like this for many Texans. We get our hope and our joy when storm clouds form on the horizon.....................a hopeful glimpse of much needed rain to come.

What are you going through at this time? Are you still digging out from the snow?

Are you also going through high winds and dry earth?

I would love to hear.

For the longest time

2011-02-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

Abby has been sitting in the window,........................ quietly,

........................... motionless, looking at something. ................What can it be??

Is it the pretty primrose I have just potted and placed in the windowsill below her?

No...................

It's this speckled lovely that must have been fluttering about and finally came to rest on the outside wall.

I love the way it appears to have a long shaggy hairdo.........don't you?

So full of color when only yellow seems to be the brightest color it has.
Whoever thought that white and black spots would go well with black and white stripe legs??
God and mother nature are truly the artists!
I really need to take some lessons from them!
How about you?
Any color sprouting or fluttering around in your corner of the world?
I would love to hear!
*********Also, I have just posted a wonderful hearty soup on my cooking blog to warm you up from the winter chill! Click on this link and enjoy!

My Country Kitchen http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com/

The warm weather

2011-02-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

has made every thing wake up from it's winter slumber.

The noisy flocks of birds that have migrated to and from the farm are almost too much for Salem to bear. He sits in the tree, motionless, hoping the birds are not smart enough to figure him out..............but as I know...........and he soon finds out............no bird to catch today!
In the far back corner of the hen house, lies a lonely little egg, cautiously watched by Maggie ,the speckled hen, who hopes that I have not found her secret spot.

Out in the greenhouse, the tulips have come to life and have started sprouting, unaware of the chilly weather we have just had. I wonder what color they will be...........

The bougainvillea is putting on new blooms and is stretching it's limbs throughout the greenhouse.

while out in the pond, a bullfrog has dug himself out of his hole and jumped into the cold water, making him a little slower that usual.

Out in the woods, the wind blows through the dry and crackled brush

as an empty nest hangs on to the thorn of a mesquite tree, waiting for life to once again call it home.

Spring won't be too far away now............I am ready!

Are you?

I love cookbooks..........

2011-02-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

have I told you this before????????

I do!

I can sit and READ a cookbook just as if it were a romance novel! I have spent years collecting.............not just old ones,............but all and any. Many I have purchased either new, but the larger part being at library books sales..........a wonderful place to find them! I have been giving so many from friends, who no longer want them and who find them on their travels. I am truly grateful!!

I have a small section of vintage cookbooks,some old in years, but look as if they were never opened, some more tattered than the rest, but all full of the good old recipes that we all have grown up tasting.

This week instead of stitching or playing in the greenhouse, I set out to get my home in order............room by room. One of the things on my list was to get some more shelving for my new bunch of cookbooks, that found their way to my porch and into my heart.
Can you tell how much I love them? {:

I don't just collect and read, I also cook out of all of them. I go through them, mark the recipe I want to fix and after I have fixed it, I write notes as to how it was to fix,along with the date, who did or did not like it,.......and why.............. and whether or not, if I will fix it again.
I have gone back and found where I have written something years ago! It makes me smile. So if one were to say that I have an addiction.............it would be cookbooks...........sigh.

How about you? What do you like to collect?

Do you collect cookbooks like I do, or do you collect something totally different?

Do you have something vintage in your collection?

How does your item wind up in your collection? Do friends and family pass them along? or do you go on a massive search?

I would love to hear!

The snow has left

2011-02-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

but Winter's icy breath still blows around the corners

of the house and through the dry grass of the prairie.
Her friend Jack Frost has been busy decorating the cars,

and the windows.

I am always in awe of this beautiful form of ice work!

Valentine's day is almost here!

What do you have planned? A basket full of sweets for your sweetie........maybe a nice romantic evening alone together by the fire?

Valentine's day stirs up images of sweet hearts with sweet sayings, ....................

Here is a simple and sweet design to stitch for the one dear to your heart. You can get the free pattern by visiting my embroidery blog, Yesteryear Embroideries. Here is the link..............

http://yesteryearembroideries.blogspot.com

and the image of rich and creamy chocolate!
For a rich, delicious dessert after that romantic meal, visit My Country Kitchen blog for the recipe. Here is the link..............

http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com

What is your favorite thing about Valentines day? The baskets filled with heart shaped candies?

The beautiful bouquets of flowers perhaps?

I would love to hear!

Have yourselves a sweet Valentine's Day!

The Texas sky that was once a cheery blue,

2011-02-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

has been a smokey grey for the past 3 days,.............(we are not supposed to have snow for 3 days!)

covering the dry grounds with thick ice and fluffy snow. Every thing lies motionless and quiet. The pond is completely frozen over. If you look closely at the right side of the pond, the sweet little bird I posted about in my last post, has just perched on the frozen rock. It seems to dart in and out of the trees above me as I walk. I am so relieved to see that it is still alive and well! I am still curious as to why it is not afraid of me. (smile)
The snow is not deep, in fact, what has slowed us down the most, is the ice and the wind chill!
Where is the sun??? ..............have you seen it??

I am also snowed under with my handwork. I have one pile finished and ready, and one pile waiting to be stitched. I have also decided to start posting on my cooking blog again. I have missed my little "on-line cookbook" and I just received a large bag of orphaned cookbooks to go through. My cooking blog will be the perfect blank canvas to introduce you to these recipes as I work my way though them. For all of you who are going through this snow and even worse conditions, stay warm and safe!

If you find the sun..............send him this way.............please?

The woods and grounds are under a blanket

2011-02-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

of snow that came to us in the night............(much needed moisture). As I write this, I can still hear the wind roaring outside, as it blows the snowflakes into the porch area.

Such a cold day...........................I am the only one who has dared to venture out to feed the animals this morning. Even Sophie decided to stay in her snug corner and to sleep a little longer.

Just yesterday, I was outside in the sunshine, being visited by this friendly little bird. The past few days, it has sat on a tree limb just inches away from me. I am not sure why it is so friendly,

but it is patient enough to let me follow it around the grounds, taking close up photos. I am always amazed and delighted by nature's gifts and God's little surprises during my day! I have seen this kind of bird during this season each year, by spring, it seems to have moved on. This year, I feel blessed to have such a friendly one to visit................I hope it has found a warm spot to stay in today!

So today, I will not be sitting outside to stitch, or to work the garden grounds.

It's time to find a really good old movie, to make a pot of stew and to enjoy the view from my window.

How about you? Are you enjoying the snow............or are you really ready for it to melt away?

I would love to hear!

This is the view from my porch..............

2011-01-27T06:42:00.000-08:00

....................in the dead of winter.......... I am sitting out stitching.(no snow yet!)

Stitching is what I have been doing all of these past weeks. I have gotten quite a few things finished and am almost ready to start showing and selling.

Although the weather has been chilly, the days are filled with sunshine.

This is one of my favorite stitching retreats. The light is perfect, there is the sound of nothing but the birds singing. I sit in silence, to think on my plans and my stitches.
The Yupon Holly by the porch is covered in red berries, and the birds have been flitting back and forth in it all during the day.

This is a decorative kale....from last year, that is still living. I was told that it was supposed to die, however, it hung on all summer, so it deserved a new pot of soil and a pleasant spot on the porch. I also have around 20 little kale in the greenhouse that need to be out in pots during this time of year. I gathered the seed from this plant when it flowered this past summer, and the seeds sprouted! If any of you were here.............I'd be handing you a potted kale to take home with you! The warm days are trying to tear me away from my hand work and a part of me is wanting to go out into the gardens and start digging...............but if I am to try to stay at home this time.............I really need to get my work done

And then there is this............Sophie....................

"How long does it take to finish one piece??" She seems to ask.

I promised a long walk with her hours ago. She had been content to sleep at my feet during my work, but the shifting wind has awakened her and now she is impatient with me. Just look at that face..........how can I refuse?

Up until recently..........I have associated bread crumbs

2011-01-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

with the children's story of Hansel and Gretel, leaving bread crumbs to find their way home, or with the saying....."we've been living on bread crumbs". All in all, bread crumbs left me with the impression that there was just not that much to them..........................however,

I first started baking with bread crumbs, when one summer , I was rewarded with a large harvest of garden tomatoes. I scoured through my cookbooks for all kinds of tomato recipes...............finding stuffed baked tomatoes................so delicious! This recipe called for the use of Italian breadcrumbs..............something I was not accustomed to, but managed to find in the store. I have made that recipe several times................one time forgetting the bread crumbs..........and finding out that this little insignificant ingredient carried a lot of flavor..........especially when remembered to be added! But that is all I have used bread crumbs for................. until the other day................

I ran across a recipe titled Italian Chicken Sticks. I decided to give this a try with my homemade pasta. Oh, let me tell you!.............................just wonderful! Now, in my cooking, I will never take those tiny, grainy bread crumbs for granted ever again! I have made them to be a constant in my pantry. If you are tired of chicken fried, baked, and roasted,..............give this tasty and( may I add, quick and easy), recipe a try. You'll be glad you did! Enjoy!

Italian Chicken Sticks

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 1/2 tsp. thyme

1 1/2 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Pinch of ground red pepper

1 stick of melted butter

8 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch strips

Marinar sauce or honey mustard for dipping

Preheat oven to 400.F degrees. In a pie plate , combine the breadcrumbs and seasonings. Dip the chicken strips into the melted butter and then dredge them in the breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken strips in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken sticks hot with sauces . Enjoy!

It's that time of year...........at least for me............

2011-01-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

that I start thinking about the purchase of baby ducklings,

and new baby chicks...........baby hens, I hope.Last year I wound up with 2 roosters in what was supposed to be hens. I now have 3 roosters and not enough hens to keep everyone happy in the hen house.
The eggs are starting to show up in the nests in the most wonderful colors of Easter egg green, farm house brown, and whites. How I would love to make a box of crayons with the names of farm house brown, corn field yellow, and pumpkin patch orange! Wouldn't you? I always wonder who gets to make up colors for different products and then gets to name them. What would you name a crayon color , if you got to?? I would love to hear!

I currently only have 9 hens............which are giving me a good amount of eggs each day. If I did get more hens, I can always easily sell the eggs. Now that I am staying home full time.........(and loving it!) I, once again, want to throw myself full time into raising different farm foul, and working on a field for my orchard.
I would also love to start raising peacocks. I have loved these beautiful creatures from the first time I saw them. They are so expensive to start out with and the worry of losing them to predators is what is making me not to make the commitment to get any. However, I have the pull of my heart to just jump in and get started.

How about you? Is there or was there something that you wanted to try your hand at, but kept putting off? Have you given it a try yet? Perhaps raising sheep or a horse? Maybe going back to school? I would love to hear!

Several folks have been telling me

2011-01-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

that our area is supposed to be going through a drought....................

it looks as if their words have come true..............every thing is still in the colors of yellow, gold and brown.Every thing is dry and waiting to be refreshed. The Italian jasmine , with it's cheery, bright yellow flowers,.............the one I usually show photos of this time of year, is still............... lying silent, waiting for the true deep moisture that wakes it from it's winter sleep. However, as I look all around me..................
there is still beauty in the dry, yellowed , prairie. So many interesting shrubs and flowers..................I wonder if I would notice their curious shapes if they were in full color?

How about you? Are you still under a silvery, white blanket? Maybe the drizzly, damp rain? Or maybe you are seeing the sprouts of color emerging? I would love to hear!

There just isn't anything better than having

2011-01-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

homemade cookie dough in the refrigerator, is there? I grew up associating these

chilled cookie doughs with the name of "Icebox Cookies".......did you? This cookie dough pictured above has the consistency of brownie dough after it has chilled. It has the rich appearance of dark deep chocolate........................it actually reminds me of the concoctions I use to make outside as a youngster...............during my mud pie baking marathons..................did you make mud pies and cakes when you were small? Do you still have any of the toy baking items that you used for these?
Oh..............back to baking..................make small balls out of the chilled dough and then roll them in granulated sugar. Then place onto a cookie sheet............parchment paper lined sheet is best for this...........but you can do as you please...........and then bake in the oven and....................

Enjoy!!!

The little white cookie above is also an "icebox cookie" and I will share that recipe with you later on!

Sugared Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 sticks butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs (stolen from Eleanor's nest)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tbs flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 package (6oz.) chocolate chips
granulated sugar for rolling
In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Gradually add this flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend. Stir in chocolate chips. Place batter into refrigerator for about an hour to chill. When dough has become firm, roll dough into 1 inch balls and then roll the balls in granulated sugar until well coated. Place onto lightly greased cookie sheet (parchment paper lined sheet works best) and slightly flatten. Bake at 350 F. degree oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan. Enjoy!

Heaven........I'm in heaven........la, la, la, la,.........

2011-01-07T12:41:00.001-08:00

Mr. Sinatra's tune has been playing in my mind..........

as I rise early in the morning.................to stitch..............
and then out to the greenhouse and gardens to play in the dirt in the day. By the way...........thank you......dear blogging friends...........for your encouraging words on my recent job bailing decision. I loved reading your comments, an about your experiences on the emails you sent. Where would I be without your thoughtfulness????

Just arrived...................a Christmas package from my son! When he asked what I would like for Christmas........... I replied........."flower seeds!" He knew the right place to go!
(actually..........online)

The wildseed farm in Fredricksburg, TX. Some of you are probably familiar with this piece of heaven in Texas. Here is the link to their website.........

http://www.wildseedfarms.com

As I wrote in the previous posts.........I am only working with flowers and pumpkins this year. I decided on trying something............new................something I have never planted before. The above photo is Mountain Garland and it is suppose to be a wonderful growing flower all over the states. I can't wait!

Have any of you grown Mountain Garland? Was it an easy growing flower?

How can I resist cosmos?
They are such a lacy, petally, flower.

And of course..................my favorite of all flowers (and Sophie's as well)............zinnia............
The seed is in, my energy has been restored and my beds are almost ready. I already have spring fever! How about you?

Are you still wearing mittens and sipping hot cocoa?

Or are you able to get out and play in the dirt? I would love to hear!

I have closed a door in my life

2010-12-30T18:03:00.000-08:00

and am re-opening one as the New Year begins.

As many of you guessed,........................ yes, I have walked away from my grill job. It just got to be too overwhelming and conditions with folks there were just not right for me. I know "in these hard times" this decision might not be the wisest........as some of you wiser readers might be thinking. The door I am re-opening is my embroidery work and to start working more on the book I want to publish with my designs. In between this, I might find another job.........that does not kill me in the process of making $$$$.

Have any of you been there before??
So I am ending this old year and starting the new, with a little worry, a lot of hope, and hard work to make my dream come true.
For all of you, dear friends,
may all good new doors fling open wide,
may doors close on your unhappiness,
and may new paths full of hope and blessings lie in front of you!
Have a wonderful and blessed new year!

The fields lie open and blank

2010-12-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

waiting for the crops to be planted,............. new plans to be completed.

That is how I am facing my life with the new year approaching. Looking forward for good things to come...............but also facing a difficult decision that I am thinking about making ............about my working world..............what the result will be in the new year...................I am not sure. All I am sure about, is that I have always believed that if I am not pleased about something............it is up to me to change it. At this time, I do not wish to keep letting things continue as they are.

Also, I am busily stitching away to create the linens I have been wanting to create. I also have open and blank garden spaces waiting for the new pumpkin and flower seeds that I will decide on planting this year. I have made the decision to plant only what I really love to work with this coming spring. That, of course, are pumpkins and flowers. So, I am readily saying goodbye to 2010, and looking forward with hope to 2011.
How about you? Are you looking forward to the new year? Do you have big plans? I would love to hear.

Merry Christmas....

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to each and everyone who visit here!

And have yourself a happy new year!

This was the view from their porch

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every day...........at least during the time I knew them.

My grandparents lived way out in the west Texas brush........the same way I do now.........and it is because of the visits to their house, all of the walks with my aunts through the woods, all of the memories formed around the white old house, surrounded with mesquite filled ranch land
and cotton fields that stretched as far as the eye can see, that my heart was forever filled with a longing to live the same way.

No matter how many times I see a twisted old mesquite tree, or an endless cotton field, it makes me smile with the memory of my grandparents place. The dry, thorny, prairie that surrounds me at this time of year might be an eye sore to many...............

But to me, because of Frank and Pearl,.............. it is the sweetest place on earth. I wish I had got to know them better,.............and I wish I had gotten answers to questions like........... how hard was it to raise 13 children in the depression?..........and how did they feel about each other when they first met?....................so many questions, I wished I had asked, but being a busy youngster, I only loved to see them.........grandma and grandpa. Right when these things became important for me to know.............they had already long passed away. I have gotten some information from aunts and uncles...........but not like I would have from them.

How about you? What was your grandparents home like? Did you love to visit...........are you living the same way as they once did?

I would love to hear!

I step out onto the quietness of the front porch............

2010-12-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

a quietness I have not heard since the beginning of this week.

The holly bush is all dressed in it's holiday attire and seems to speak to me.......saying......

"what is wrong with you? why have you not started decorating yet??"
It's true.............I'm just not in the " Christmas mood" this year.........for many reasons.........and it's not the usual reasons of money being spent or the rush of crowds at the store...............no . One reason,................... the noise that has been clanging and banging around this week, and the debris that, at this time, lays completely around the grounds of the house......................is from the fact that we are getting a new roof on................( a process that we have been getting started since last June, and I have not wanted to blog about.........sigh)

and now it has all started................ in December.............where the weather has been warm and fall like............and the wasps are still swarming over their nests and stinging the roofers. Such a mess..........all around the house............. Although I am away at work a good portion of their work day...................the hard work they are doing, goes on until almost dark.And this work will continue for the entire next week. The cats are freaked out by the strangers who are tearing down the house..............yelling and singing to music from their boom box. I have to go to the edge of the woods after everyone has left and call out for the scared critters........that it is now safe to come home. That is one reason I am just not in the mood, plus being tired from a new job............ when in the past I would be home, baking Christmas goodies and stitching Christmas projects. I also miss the excitement that our young children would bring at the first arrival of the Christmas season. There is just a fun magic to Christmas when there is a small one in the house. All of my chicks are grown...........no big wish list to fill............sigh

However, the roofers left early yesterday...........giving themselves, I am sure, a much needed break, as well as myself,............peace and quiet. Once I opened the shed closet door that keeps every glittered and shiny Christmas object, my mood slowly came back. I have to be careful to not have things I want to keep nice..........away from the house's edge.............

however, the window boxes are under the big eve of the house and debris can't fall on them.

This year, I decided to use our small Christmas tree instead of our usually 12 footer. That large tree just gets harder and harder to decorate, (for myself) every year............and I just want things..........simple this year. Although this tree is smaller, it is still full of cheer and Christmas spirit. Maybe next year, we will haul out the giant tree and do more.

How about you? Does home makeovers upset your peacefulness? I'm sure they do.

Do you go all out at Christmas or are you finding yourself to want to slow down?

I would love to hear!

It's past midnight............

2010-12-03T22:41:00.001-08:00

almost 1 in the morning, in fact, and I really should be asleep...................but I don't have to be up at 5 tomorrow morning like I usually am, (a day off from work)................although I will be up at 6 to let all of the chickens and ducks out of their enclosure. One hour to sleep late! It's funny how one whole hour makes me feel like I have gotten a bonus! Do you agree? {: ............speaking of sleep..........

this is a picture of what was once mighty and powerful claws, now the claws of a very old and sleeping ............
Max.................. He spends much of his day and night sleeping..........and wheezing. He is so old and ragged.........like an over loved teddy bear. The whole house is quiet as I sit and type away...........with the sounds of breathing from the cats , Sophie, and the family members who know it's time to get some rest. From outside, I can hear the hoot of an owl who has taken up residence in the woods surrounding our home. I have been bringing egg shells, coffee grounds, tea grounds, and potato and onion peelings from work for my compost "project". My boss was more than happy for me to take them home with me every day. Now I have quite a big pile. I have it in a large container in which I rotate and add to, and then I have an enormous pile on the ground that I am going to till straight into my garden spaces. I shovel the mixture all on top of the spaces and then work it all into the soil with the tiller. I till the ground throughout the winter, (weather permitting), and by spring the ground is rich and ready for planting. I mix the part in the container with soil and other compost medium and use it for potting mix. The bag I bring from the cafe each day has given me enough to work all of my spaces this year. Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be pleasant, and I plan to work out in garden. I have decided that I am only growing flowers and pumpkins in the next year. It is what I love the most. How about you?
Do you compost? Are you thinking about what you would like to grow next year?
I would love to hear!

The cold wind seemed to bite

2010-11-28T05:45:00.000-08:00

as Sophie and I took an early morning walk. The warm, fall like days have left the farm , as well as the cheery colors in the landscape.However, I still think so much holds it's own beauty. So much color can still be seen. Looking out over the dry ranch land, there is a golden brown glow across the horizon, where all of those sunflowers, I previously posted about, once were. The old barbed wire fence seems to always have something of interest clinging to it during the different seasons. The grays and browns of the post and the surrounding trees bring out the yellow and golden hues of the grounds even more.

How about you? What colors are surrounding you? Browns.............grays? Perhaps a blanket of white?

I have to say...............I am excited! I have now added this wonderful book to my overflowing collection. Although I have never been much interested in French cooking, I have always admired Julia Child. I have two of her other books, although I have never cooked any thing from them.{: She inspired me many years ago when I learned about her life and how she started her career in her 40's. I was a stay at home mom...............and it seemed that everyone around me had a career and a label of some importance. I loved being a mother and was proud to be doing what I was doing.............however, the dreams I stashed far, far away, would still call out to me now and then. When I learned that she chose to do what she loved and was successful at it.................not in her 20's but later on in life, ...............it gave me hope, that after my busy "mother" life was finished, that maybe I too, would find my path later on. Although I am still "mom" I am not needed as much as I once was, and now I feel that I am at that moment in life.......................I guess that I why I took on the cooking job a few months ago. But there is much more that I want to do.............as you, who have all read me these past few years know, ..............besides melt away at a grill. Maybe, I will get my feet on that path................soon. Since the wind gave us such a good chill, I am going to cook Boeuf Bourguignon..........out of Julia's book. It is basically a beef stew, but with wine added to it.............something I have never actually cooked with............however, I have all of the ingredients and I am ready! I will let you know later, how it turned out. How about you? Do you fix soup or stew on cold, cold days?
Who inspired or inspires you ? I would love to hear!

Have A Wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

2010-11-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

Not too much to write these days................

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but...........wow!..........thank you,dear friends, for commenting on the last post about sprouting acorns! You are all such a good wealth of knowledge and encouragement.............and even though I might have a little garden experience.................I totally did not even think about how long it actually does take an oak tree to grow................thanks to you who mentioned that. I find my mind crowded with what I want to create for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast............and work?...................work has become increasingly hectic and stressful. There are days that I simply cannot take a break because we are so busy with customers calling in orders for food. I am amazed and overwhelmed at how many people know this little cafe exists and want food! By the end of the day, I am completely worn out. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving coming up..........that day I get to escape the hectic cooking and sink back into my life of comfort cooking.....for just a short blessed period! How about you? Are you looking forward to your Thanksgiving feast? Are you cooking something new and different? I would love to hear!

The cool weather is making

2010-11-14T09:00:00.001-08:00

the leaves of the lonely little oak tree turn to a beautiful red. I say this tree is lonely because it is by itself in the back, by the tool shed door. There is only one other tree like it on the grounds and it is out in the front. I would love to be able to plant more of these trees, plus other varieties of shade trees all over the grounds........................
maybe one day if I win the lottery...................if I ever played...........
The acorns are also all over the ground and I wonder.............would these sprout??
Do any of you know? Have you tried sprouting them?
I would love to hear!