Nothing much doing around here today. Here are todays visitors to our wild bird dining table and one of the White Tail does that frequently visits the 'deer dining room'. Notice the small brown bird in the photo with the cardinal. That one looks like he is not to be intimidated!

Click to see larger versions. Oops, I accidently got yesterdays in there! Sorry!

To day wasn't the best day I've had. I heard a siren, (we hear them often going down the road). But this one turned in our drive way and came up here to the house. But they had the wrong driveway. They were looking for Sherry and Carol's house next door. There were already two sheriff's cars next door. I don't know what happened, but Carol passed away last night. It was such a shock to me, and everyone else too. We really liked Carol, she was such a happy person. It is hard to beleive that she won't be waving at us across the drive way now.

I went to the Photography Club meeting tonight. We had a speaker from the Indianapolis Star. She was one of the photographers. She told her story and brought lots of photos of her work. It was very interesting. She did a story on a small church that was meeting in an empty storefront and said she didn't beleive in God before that. But she and her husband started to attend church there, and she gave her heart to the Lord and was saved from that experience, and she told this testimony to our photo club of some 60 people.

So today, I experienced a sad ending and a happy new life. Full circle.

Hi all, I've had all kinds of trouble for the last couple of days trying to get a post on here. I couldn't get anyone else's posts either. Sarah was quite upset since she thought she had posted but nothing would go through, but...I guess it did anyway, when she wasn't looking.

It was so nice to have you here, Sarah. Lets do it again sometime soon, OK?

This is a Northern 'Yellow Shafted' Flicker. I see lots of woodpeckers at my feeder. I even see a Pileated Woodpecker there sometimes, working on my suet cake. That bird is HUGE! He is at least 12 inches long!!

We sure woke up to wintertime again! Yuk! At least we know it won't last long, since it is February already. Heard this morning that it is supposed to be 12° next weekend. I even rode Solomon one day this past week when it was 55°! I love winter when it is that warm!

We just came back from the grocery store. Ed got some apples and he sliced them up and put them on the dehydrator. I didn't know he liked dried apples. But he wanted the skins left on them, so we will see how that turns out. I would have peeled them first. But it is his experiment, right?

Weather like this makes me want to bake something!! Bread, a cake, or cookies, or a pie, or just something! Something to do, and warm up the kitchen at the same time! How about a pan of cinnamon rolls?

Hello everybody this is Sarah, I'm at Sharons this time you never know where I'll pop up! I came up here to visit since we didn't get to see her last week at our dinner. We went to Blooming Foods health food store and got a few things and drove to see a horse she just gave to someone this week . This is she. The person lived up on a hill sorta and there are no trees around to block the wind and it was blowing something fierce and we where frozen into a pop sickle the wind chill was at 19 degrees! The horse seemed to be just fine, she had a nice snug building to be in bedded with warm hay.
I told Sharon that for me to come and see her I had a sring attatched-my laundry!! It sure is a bothersome thing that laundry!! I made a pumpkin pie while I was up here we where looking at a new cookbook and I got inspired by the wonderful pictures! It was an Impossable Pie that is crustless and so easy to make. It was done in no time because it is made with Bisquick mix, and it was so good. Ed went and finnished off the Cool Whip just before the pie was done so we had to eat it topless!! Oh well I guess it is his house. Well I have the last load of laundry coming out so I better get on my way it is 7:00 and have a ways to get home, this pretty wintery wonderland!! So long and goodnight all! 

Yikes, I sure don't want Aunt Woosy's fate to happen to me!! That sounds pretty permanent, to end up as a bit of funny looking dust under the Christmas tree skirt!

Nuttin much happenin' around here. I couldn't function at 3:00 AM! I am falling asleep at 10:00 PM, when I happen to be up that late. I do hear Aunt Woosy's sister, Wiffy, scattering the newspapers and such, around the living room floor ocasionally. She makes a lot of noise!(the cat likes to play with her toy mouse in the middle of the night).

Remember the old mare that we were given last summer? She was skinny and neglected. She went to a new home this morning. It is an older gentleman, wanted a quiet, safe, laid back, gentle, not too tall horse, to ride in the woods when he goes mushroom hunting.

I went and looked at his place yesterday, and we talked for a couple of hours, about everything under the sun. I also talked to the veternarian, and she gave me her take on him and his horse care. He checked out ok. He lives 1/2 mile from Stone Ridge Arabians. I told him I will be ' popping in' . He said ok, anytime. He has offered to let us bring our horses over there to ride, and has offered to let Ed hunt there. There are 1400 acres, some of it in corn and soy bean crops, the rest in woods. The old St. Rd. 446 runs through the farm, too. He said it is in the will, that when the two remaining heirs die, the land will be turned over to a Wildlife Refuge, forever. It is a very nice place.

Sis, walked right into his trailer, and then started calling, and calling, and calling, I could hear her, still calling, when she was a long way down the road. It made me cry. (you know me, it don't take much). And Katie was calling back, from our pasture. And she still is and Sis has been gone for an hour. Katie was awfully mean to her. Wouldn't let her in the shed, wouldn't let her stand near them out in the pasture. Wouldn't tolerate her at all, unless I was close by to get after Katie, then as soon as I would leave, she would go after her again! The meanie!

I hope we did the right thing. I know, we don't need 4 horses, but, she has never had anyone to take care of her or show her any attention. She gained about 175 pounds since September. She was looking real nice. So...did I do the right thing? She was 22 years old, and we liked her a lot. She was such a gentle soul.

I am getting a strong urge to go out and stir around in the dirt in the garden. Last fall, I used the leaf shredder on the lawn mower and dumped 18 inches of ground up leaves on my garden. It has sunk down to about 8 now, but that is still a lot. I may just pull the leaves away and plant in it that way. Instant mulch.

Well, it is 1:00 PM and I have to get to the post office by 1:30 so gotta run.

We are home and Ed is resting. He bought a new western that is keeping him distracted for now. The procedure went well, even though he is sore. It was to be expected. He isn't in that groggy state now either. He is allowed to go back to work on Monday if he wants too. I think he wants to, he is awfully bored, even with a good book.

Well, I'm off to go and muck stalls, and feed the chickens, and the stove. How that stove loves to eat big chunks of wood! But I will gladly feed its big mouth if I can keep the house warm and toasty!

This was written for me!! It says it all, as if I wrote it which I didn't. I thought you might get a kick out of it too. For me it is all too true!! Waaaa!!


A few smiles in this very serious weight loss
journey of ours are needed once in a while.
Dawn wrote, "I thought this might be a light
hearted reminder for all those "slimmers"
out there!"
"'Twas the month after Christmas, and all
through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
'Til all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

Hello all. Life has a way of throwing us curves once in a while., doesn't it. On Tuesday morning in the early AM, I think he said it was 3:00, Ed woke up with pain in his lower right abdomen. He tolerated it until about 5:00 and had me call the hospital and ask what appendicitis symptoms were like. Of course they couln't really be specific, as it is different for different people.
I went out and did the very early feeding, and then drove him to the emergency room. It turns out that he was having another kidney stone episode. They gave him a couple of pain shots, and a prescription for meds and sent us home.
And told us to make an appointment with the urologist. This is the same dr. that did his 'kidney stone disintrigration' about 7 years ago.
Well after doing some diagnostics, cat scan and x-rays, and some other stuff, it seems that this stone is stuck just short of getting into the bladder.
He has some pain off and on, but is doing ok.
On Friday morning they are going in to get it, and as his other kidney has stones in it too, they are going to blast them into itty bitty bits and they will pass out on their own. But this one has to be taken out as it hasn't passed and it is causing swelling and such up in the tube.
This is the fourth time he has had stones! He had one last summer too. They are going to do a metabolic something or other, I forgot what they called it. It involves some blood work and a urinalysis. It is to find out what is causing him to produce so many stones. Is there too much or too little of something? They will do that in about 2 weeks.

Ok, enough of that. Keep us in your prayers.

And then to top it off, my computer modem crashed! When it was so windy on Tuesday, the electricity went flashed off and on three times, quickly, and it messed something up in it. But...I'm back on line now, so everything is back to normal in that department.

I am still deciding on what to make for the tea party. Somewhere I have a book of weekend projects to make. Now if I can just find that book!!

My Life as I See It

This is sure a strange January. It was so warm today. I turned the horses out this morning, picked stalls, and rebedded them, refilled all the water buckets, filled the hay racks for the horses' evening meal, and swept the barn aisle, all in just under an hour! Oh, and fed the cats and the chickens too!
I really don't mind picking stalls, but I like to have it done first thing in the morning, so I don't have to look forward to 'doing it' later in the day! Especially when I am trying to get supper started and whatnot. So I like to have it done early.

We had an insurance rep come and look at our place and give us a quote, and he called later and it seems that they can do it for half of what we are paying now. So we will likely change. Also their auto rates are quite a bit cheaper too. We have had our insurance with a company that Ed's sister works for. But that is about to change!

I didn't feel like cooking tonight so we went to Subway and I had a Veggie sandwich with Sweet Onion dressing. It was so yummy!

I made those brownies I spoke of in a previous post. They were very good. They were chocolate cinnamon, with candied cherries and walnuts in them, but...I know me pretty well! I wanted to eat the whole pan! I did eat a couple, but I put the rest in the freezer. We were given a Foodsaver Vacuum Packaging machine for Christmas. I put those brownies in a bag and it vacuum packaged them. Now they are safe from ME! And maybe we will have them for Lois' teaparty?

My Life as I See It
I had to go into Spencer this morning to the post office. Well, when I got into my truck, I discovered that the drivers door wouldn't latch! I had to hold the door shut with one hand and drive with the other. It is 6.8 miles to the post office. Whew! So I called Ed and we decided to have it fixed. This is just the 3rd time, we have had major problems with this door. The first time we took it to the dealership and we think they messed it up even worse, because it acted strange when they got done with it and they told us "it is supposed to do that". Well, it DIDN'T do THAT before they got in there. Ok,that is my rant for the day!

How is this for a relaxing Sunday afternoon?? Sh, he doesn't know I took this photo!

This morning as I was making the bed, I looked out the window and this hawk was sitting on the top of a fence post along side the horses' pasture. So I took his portrait. It was a long way away, but I think he looks majestic sitting there. It was rainy and gray, but you can still see his colors. I need a 600 mm lens to take photos of wildlife. Mine is too short. OH, well, someday.

I'm headed out to make some brownies. You are all invited to come and help me eat them. The coffee is hot and the milk is cold. Pick your favorite. And the door is open!!

Hi all, nuttin' much going on around here. And that is a good thing, I guess. Don't need anything unexpected to surpise me. I'm impatiently waiting for winter to be over. We had a taste of it a couple of days ago. It was 67° ! More, more! Well, it was nice while it lasted! But...I have seen a flock of robins!!!

This morning Ed and I went to Elletsville to a flea market. I bought a cookbook! Aren't you surprised? It was one of The Best Of Country Cooking Yearbooks, 2002. Love those books! I thought it was worth 3.00.

We went to Martinsville and bought some shelled corn from one of his farmer friends. We had to turn on the auger at the grain bins to fill our sacks. It was sooooo cold and windy, I nearly froze into a popsicle!! Didn't think I'd ever thaw out! Sometimes those horrible hot flashes come in handy!

Ed then took a five gallon bucket of the corn and filled his deer feeder when we got home. Tonight at dusk as we were doing our evening feeding, there were 4 deer down there eating. The feeder is battery operated and has a timer on it and it automatically comes on and spreads out a thin layer of corn on the ground. It has something like a small fan with fins and the corn comes out and the thingy spins around and the corn is slung out in about a 6 foot circle. And the deer come and eat nearly every kernal. We see them nearly every night. Ed counted 8 of them one night.

The chickens are laying again. Ed put a light in their house that comes on at 4:00 AM. This gives them several more hours of light, so they start laying again. If we had done this in October or so they would have kept on laying. The three pullets are just starting to lay eggs now. Two of them lay brown eggs and one of them is a green egg. Yesterday we got 7 eggs, and today we got six! (We have 10 hens) Eggs anyone??? We can't eat them all! Ed takes them to work and gives them away, sometimes!

I liked what another Blogger wrote (Thanks Yvonne) on her post. I don't usually dig this deep into myself, but thought I'd try it too.

What makes me tick? Here are a few things about me:

1. I love spaghetti!
2. I am a people pleaser.(Not sure if that is a good thing, though).
3. I'm very empathetic. A sad picture or something of that nature haunts me for long time.
4. I love to cook and try new recipes.
5. It is easy to bring me to tears. (This bugs me a lot!) Just watching a beautiful horse playing will choke me up).
6. I have been a people watcher ever since I was a little girl. People are such fascinating creatures!
7. I'm a methodical shopper.I love to check out this or that product against all the others on the shelf. (Drives Ed crazy)!
8. I love to bake.
9. I am very analytical. I want to know the how of something, and the why of it.
10. I love archealogy. The why's of what happened 'back then'.
11. I hate driving ANYWHERE new, with out detailed directions. The names of the three preceding streets, and landmarks, please.
12. I don't have a scrap of perfectionism in my body! I usually just do what it takes for the moment. (probably not a good thing, either).
13. I hate over easy eggs!
14. I love to iron. Such a sense of satisfaction to see a piece hanging on a hanger all pressed and smooth!
15. Even though I dislike a particular task, I do it well, when I do it.
16. I love it when one of the horses gently touches my face with their muzzle. Checking me out, a caress?
17. I get very frustrated trying to explain myself. I don't articulate my feelings very well.
18. I love organization, everything in its place, but I'm not a very organized person.
19. I am impatient.
20. I love to grow things, anything!
21. I married late, but Ed was so worth waiting for! Love him to pieces!
22. I was terribly, painfully, shy as a child.
23. I have learned to enjoy my solitude. My own company.

New Years Day. A time for starting over? Beginning again? Getting a fresh start?
We had our family Christmas on New Years Day since we couldn't get everyone together on Christmas. We had a large crowd of family and you know what? Here is a photo of the patriarchs of this group. They started it all. It was fun, food and laughter. The newest generation were still teething! It was so nice to see everyone. Since we are so scattered, around this country, from Florida to Alaska and states in between, it was wonderful to have everyone together for one day.
The food was delicious, hot and plenty of it. The desserts were sweet, good, and full of calories! But hey, Christmas only comes once a year, OK? Had a wonderful day!!!!

Here is the completed upscale, fancy, chicken mansion!! I haven't decided if they are grateful yet, because now they aren't really laying eggs. One a week, maybe. Click on last photo to see larger version.
Here is a shot of the 'old one' and the 'new one'. Quite a difference, eh?
Then, Ed pushed it into position with the tractor. It had runners on it, but they were rotten so Ed replaced them with treated lumber.
We set up a couple of jacks to hold it while we drove the trailer out from under it.
Here we are unloading it at home. We put a chain on the front of it and tied it off to a tree, and drove the truck out from under it.

Hey Mom, this is for you!! Here is our chickens' new digs!! And they love it!!
Here they are loading it on our trailer.

Well, lets see. How did my week go? Pretty uneventful, I think. I went to visit my former boss and took her some of my mulberry jelly, (the berries came from a tree on her farm), and a jar of the maple syrup that we made this past February. She was delighted with her gift. I also added a couple of extras this year, a Peach Plum Jam, and a Gingered Pear Jam.
I went over to the barn and talked to Enrique and the new manager. We talked for over an hour. The new manager asked me lots of questions about the horses and their former care and little quirks . He didn't know anything about the horses that he is responsible for, such as the fact that Stealth had coliced badly a few years ago because he doesn't drink enough water in the wintertime. And that Mickey had foundered several times, that Minnie has not been trained to ride, that Iris Anne has always been very round, (read, FAT). Little quirks and idiosyncrasies of the individual horses that he didn't know. Said he really appreciated my stopping by and talking with him.

Our chickens are taking a winter break. We have 8 hens and we are getting one egg about twice a week. I think they don't like cold weather! Well, neither do I!

Last Sunday we drove up to Lebanon and ate too much at the Wolfe Christmas get together. There was a lot of family there. It was nice to see everyone. The trip up there was slow and slick as it was snowing most of the way up there. The roads were slick and busy. It was nice to get home safely, even though it was 7:00 PM and the horses wondered what happened to us, as their supper was 2 hours late!

On an online Horse Training Discussion Board that I'm a member of on the internet, we decided to play Secret Santas. One member took the names and passed them out to others and we had a 10.00 limit to spend on a gift. It was a lot of fun. Here is a photo of the gift I received and I still haven't figured out who it is from!

So what is Kenny up to here?? Teasing someone, I'm sure. Wouldn't life be boring if we were never teased or whatever? Saturday was a fun day! All of us girls, and Mom, and a couple of the neices and nephews, all met at Lois and Kenny's home to bake cookies. We try to do this every year before the holidays, but sometimes there are too many other commitments that get in the way and it never happens. This year everything worked out well. It was a good thing Lois has two ovens. There were about 4 kinds of cookies baking at once!
The tasting was soooo good tooooo!!!! Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Potato Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter, Molasses Crinkles, Sugar Cookies. I am sure I've forgotten some too. They were all good. We will have a cookie exchange and everyone will take home some of each. Sarah Beth and Timmy did a nice job of decorating the sugar cookies.

The BBQ sandwiches Lois made for lunch were yummy too. I love BBQ sauces. Try it on scrambled eggs! Ed says that is 'sick', but it is not bad at all, especially for those of us that like catsup on our eggs! But then, Ed doesn't like BBQ sauce. Gotta be something wrong with a man that doesn't like the taste of BBQ, right??

The good company was the best part though. The visiting and the catching up with each other, over a cup of hot coffee and a good cookie or two, or....three. 

We have 6 inches of snow. No ice. Except what is hanging from the eaves and gutters. It isn't going anywhere fast when the daytime temps are only 24° ! Oh, where is spring????

The 4 young chickens (three hens and a rooster) haven't seen snow yet. (They haven't started to lay eggs yet, but should any day now). I made them go out of their house yesterday, and they squawked and hollered. I had to make them go back inside (it was 14° ) before they froze! The wouldn't even walk in it at all, just stand there, squawking! Their heated water bowl is outside in their pen, about 18 inches from the doorway. I even cleaned the snow away so they wouldn't have to walk in it to get a drink! I don't know if they came out or not. I guess if they get thirsty they will. The older hens in their own pen, would come out and drink their warmed water, then go back inside. The food feeders are all inside their houses.

Yesterday, I saw a squirrel jumping, running, hopping, up the middle of the back pasture. I don't know where he came from, but he was out in the open and if our little dog, Missy, (see above) had seen him, he would have been lunch, because he was a long way from any trees.

I saw a diferent bird at our feeder yesterday. I found out after looking it up in the birdbook, that it was a Carolina Wren. Haven't seen one at the feeder before.

I'm off to make some Christmas cookies. Ed had to work until noon today. They are doing inventory at work.

How is this for snow!!! YUCK!!! I hate winter! It was 9° this morning. Brrrr! Makes me want to hibernate like a bear. Just go in a hole and wait until it is at least 45° out there. The horses are in the shed, but are invisible!

This morning Ed didn't leave for work until about 8:00, because he waited for daylight so he could use the Kubota with the snowblower and clear the driveway. Since our driveway is just short of a 1/4 mile long, it took him awhile. He broke a shear bolt about half way through and had to come back to the garage and find a replacement. Then he finished by clearing a path for me to run my wheelbarrow up to the shed to feed the horses. I put a bale of hay in the wheelbarrow and push it up there, then throw it in the hay rack.

Poor Sis, she has been here since August 29, and the other three still won't let her near them. Well, Katie and Solomon won't. Maddie don't care one way or the other. But they run her out of the shed quite often, and she isn't aggressive enough to stand up to them. So she stands outside and watches them eat, even though she is hungry too. So I go up and make a place for her and she will go and eat as long as Katie, (who is the most aggressive towards her) stays on the other side of the shed. (It is divided down the middle with a wall). She stays out of their way. Katie has pinned her in a corner a few times, and she is very wary of her.

Lois called me yesterday from CoCoa Beach? Florida. She said it was 67° ! Made me jealous. I told her about going out to eat, and she said she would rather we all just come to her house like usual. Suits me. Cheaper. More personal than a restaurant. So...something to think about. Hey, Jeanie, you all come too. I wish you could.
Well, I guess this is enough rambling for now. Gotta go and get a sweater on!!!

 

Today, Ed and I drove down to meet Sarah at Bedford. I expected to find Dustin with her, but Mom came instead. Dustin had bagged a second deer yesterday, and they were going to process it themselves, (Dustin and Sarah) and she wanted my book on taking care of wild game. It has a lot of color photographs on how to make the right cuts of meat, etc. We met Sarah at Bedford to loan her the book. We had a lovely visit.

But I sure don't envy Dustin his job! I have processed a couple of deer and that is a messy, icky job. When it is all wrapped in the white paper and labeled and put in the freezer, then I like venison.
Here's a little trick I learned. If you have some that you think has a little more gamey flavor than you like, soak it in milk in the fridge for a couple of hours. Just rinse it and cook it. Makes tasty venison, with NO gamey flavor.

I finally got some Christmas decorations out! Last year I didn't even open the boxes! We go visit relatives before and during Chrismas, so I thought...why bother? I would just have to take it all down again!! And I didn't want to bother just for us.
But this year I think I will bother!! Ruth, maybe your photo inspired me??
When I get done, I'll take a couple of pictures if you want to see what I have done.

Now do you suppose they overloaded this poor donkey???? I just wonder if such a thing had happened to him before? I sure hope his load was made significantly lighter!!!

My today was pretty ordinary. I did some laundry and folded it and put it away. At noon I took some hay out to the horses for their lunch. They started munching right away. I peeked in the hen house and yep, there were 4 eggs in the nest box! Winter isn't a good time for getting lots of eggs. The hens slow down their production until the days start to lengthen again. (We could put lights in their house but haven't done it yet). We get more than we can use as it is.

For supper we had sliced turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and for dessert, we has some wonderful chocolate chip cookies that a friend in Illinois sent me! They were yummy!

 

We had a 'Girls Day Out' today in Brown County. We drove into Nashville to do some Christmas shopping in the shops there. It is a neat place to spend the day. There are shops selling everything imaginable. Crafts, fudge, candles, clothing, Christmas decorations, food, country decor, antiques of all kinds, artwork and lots more. Everything. We try to get all the 'girls' together once a year, and have fun. We had lunch at neat little place called the Hob Nob Pizza Place. The sure make HUGE salads!!!

Here we are during our day. It was rainy all day but that wasn't so bad. It kept the crowd thinned down a bit. Usually it is very crowded, but today was not bad at all.

I so enjoy our time together. It doesn't happen often enough. I'm grateful for such a loving family, that we can spend time together and want to do it again!

 

 

Today I tried explaining to Maddie about our Thanksgiving dinner. And this is her opinion of Turkey and Pumpkin Trifle!! She wanted to gag, obviously!! She has strange tastes too though, she like to eat birdseed, and she isn't even a bird! I guess, we all have odd tastes if you really think about it.

Ed and I went to the sawmill and cut another truckload of firewood. We have more wood now, than we have ever had at one time! Lets hope that that doesn't mean we are going to have an extra cold winter! So far, winter has been rather kind. Pretty warm and unseasonable. But I like it this way. This make winter seem shorter, right?? 

Here is a Thanksgiving photo of 'The Girls'. Being scattered around the country it is not easy to get everyone together. I am thankful for a wonderful family, loving parents and sisters. We get along well together (thanks to our parents) and enjoy each others company. The dinner on Thanksgiving Day was soooo gooood! Can we have a Thanksgiving day monthly, where everyone brings something? Especially Shoo Fly Pie and Pumpkin Trifle??? Yum!!!

It was hard to leave and go back home, but Ed was waiting for me. I took him home a plate full and he enjoyed his too. He went hunting, but didn't get anything. It was 19° and pretty windy when I got home at 6:00 PM and he was so cold from sitting out in the wind in a tree, that he was shaking! I hate being cold so that is something I just could not see me doing!
'Ain't' no venison worth that kind of weather.

 

We had a busy day today. Ed got up REAL early to go and freeze his bum off, sitting in a tree! No, he didn't get a deer. He saw one that was out of range, but that was all.

The farrier came at 9:30 and trimmed all the horses. She showed me how to do some touch ups in between her 5 week visits. By trial and error, we have discovered that she was trimming Katie and Maddie too short, and they were lame for about 2 weeks after her trims. So the last time she was here, I suggested that we try something different, and leave them longer. An experiment. Katie didn't have a lame moment!! KJ liked the results, and we did the same this time, and Katie and Maddie are good! The weekly touchups are to keep the toes from growing too long.
KJ is from Arizona and the horses feet out there are on dry, sandy, rocky soil, and here, they are on soft, often wet or muddy soil. The feet grow totally different, and she is trying to get used to having to trim differently. She does a good job, learning, as she does different things, now that she is in Indiana.

Ed and I finished putting the kick boards up in the run in shed for the horses. This is to keep the horses from coming in contact with the metal siding and possibly kicking and getting a foot through the tin.

When we finished that job, we cut pieces of roofing tin to extend the roofing along the back of the shed roof. The rain has been running down inside and soaking the floor. This should help getting the water to run away from the wall and hopefully to keep it dry inside.

Today was warm and breezy. Just perfect for working outside. The sun was shining and it was 54°. Real nice for mid November.

Poor Kitty, am I mean? I put bird seed out on the deck, and this chipmunk stuffs her cheeks, and then disapears under the deck to stash it in her winter den. Then she returns for more. Kitty sits here watching and wanting, but to no avail. That chipmunk has run back and forth right in front of the window, knowing Kitty can't get her. I enjoy watching her, but I don't think Kitty does!!

It was 18° this morning and in my book that is cold enough! I'm not a winter person by any means. I'm ready for March and April already! At least the sun is shining. That makes it appear warmer anyway. I bundled up and went out and fed the chickens and let them out into their runs. Even the chickens thought it was cold! They would tuck one foot up into their feathers to warm up, then switch feet and warm up the other one! They do tend to spend more time in their new chicken house too, now that it is cold outside.

I spent a couple of days this week making mulberry jelly. There was a mulberry tree on the horse farm where I worked last summer. And it had a bumper crop of berries. There were two employees that worked there. Myself, and the maintance man, Enrique, a Hispanic. We had worked together there for 8 years. Last summer we each collected the berries and froze them. He asked me if I would make him some of the jelly. (I had made some in the previous years also and gave it as Christmas gifts, so he had tasted some of my jelly). I agreed if he would buy the sugar, and canning jars. So, he brought me out all these frozen packages of mulberries!! He had at least 20 gallon bags of mulberries!!!!! I expected 7 or 8 bags, not 20!!!!!!
So I made the jelly. It made 4 cases of pints, that is 48 pint jars of jelly. Don't tell him this, but I saved 4 of those bags for myself since I put in all the work! And that is what I was doing this week, making those 4 gallons of frozen mulberries into jelly. It is rich, and soooo tasty! It tastes a bit strong to taste it on a spoon, but on a toasted Enlish muffin, there 'ain't nuthin better' !!! Since I don't work there anymore, these were the last ones I had. I will miss my mulberries. These were huge, big berries. Love 'em!

When I was a very little girl, I remember visiting some family friends at their home. We lived in eastern Kentucky at the time. My Dad had his reel to reel tape recorder along and this couple played the guitar and sang some lovely old gospel songs. I enjoy them so much that I thought I'd play a little of them here.

Some of these songs I've never heard anywhere else. They were sung out of a small handwritten notebook. There were recorded about 1963 I think. I still listen to them and just love the 'country flavor' of the singers.

My sunset photo. I can't get away from the power lines, since we live almost under them. The sunset was so pretty, I took several photos, as it changed every minute or so.

Today was such a nice day, it is hard to believe that it is the 12th of November! It was 70° and breezy and just a wonderful day! We moved all the equipment out of the shed behind the barn and made space to put the horse trailer under the roof for the winter. Then we rearranged everything else and put it back. (The tractor, the bush hog, the manure spreader, the riding lawn mower, and various other stuff). That is something we have been wanting to do for a long time. I'm glad it is done. We can even get it out in a hurry if we need too. But at least it won't sit out in the winter weather. Now it will just be a home for the birds that roost under the shed at night. OH, well, I guess they need shelter too! 

This has been a busy week. Ed was home all week and that limited my time to add to this, somewhat. He wanted to go hunting, but the first part of the week was too warm, so we just caught up on things that needed doing before winter really sets in with a vengence. I followed him from job to job, handing him tools or whatever.
This morning, it was 28° and he left waayyyy before daylight to go and sit in a tree!! Me??? If I was going to sit in a tree, I'd want to do it when it was 55° in the mornings, instead of 28°!!! But then...I don't plan on sitting in a tree, unless it is with a camera!

We very nearly had a bad accident this afternoon. Ed has an old homemade hay wagon that he put 2 foot tall sides on. He took it to the sawmill in Spencer this afternoon, and had them load it with two scoops of sawdust. (That will usually last us a while, for bedding the horses stalls, when the weather is bad). Since the pickup can't pull the loaded wagon up our driveway, Ed parked it up by the road and came to the house and got the tractor. He hitched it to the wagon and started down the hill with it. But the wagon was just too heavy and pushed his tractor sideways, and over a bank. Three feet more and it would have gone into a sinkhole!! Anyway, the wagon jacknifed against the tractor tire and it was stuck!! I stood on the front porch and watched this happen, with my heart in my mouth. I was expecting it to roll over, since it was down over the bank. Ed later said he thought that too!! Just by the grace of God, that tractor and wagon didn't roll and do some real damage or injury.

It took Ed 4 hours to extract it from its predicament. He had to off load the sawdust into the pickup truck, drive it up to the house and unload it, twice. The wagon was too heavy for the truck to try and move it from its jammed position.

Finally, he could hitch a chain to the back of the wagon and pull it sideways enough to get it off of the tractor tire, and we could hitch it to the tractor again and pulled it up to the barn!! Whew, I don't want to see such a thing again!!

Now you know why we want to move to a flatter piece of property. Everything,and I mean every square inch of this place is either uphill or downhill and is dangerous when using the tractor!!

I spent the day making Gingered Pear Jam. I made three batches. I was quite surprised that Ed liked it. Usually if it isn't grape or strawberry, he won't bother, but he liked it very much. Even suggested it as a birthday gift for a family member!

Ed has been home this week to go hunting, but it has been too warm. So we have been trying to catch up on 'stuff' that needs doing before it gets REAL cold. I have tried to do some of my pears in between helping him with this job and that one, so my pears aren't getting done very fast. Today a managed to get 6 small jars of Gingered Pear Jam done. It tastes really nice. There was none left to try on a piece of toast, but I did get to like the spoon!!

Yesterday we moved the chickens to their new chicken house. When I have more time I will post some photos of it. The chickens think they have died and gone to heaven!!!

Now...if I could just get my house cleaned like Ruth did hers!!!

On Saturday I drove down to Mom and Dad's and we worked in the garden all day. My baby sister came too, and we got a lot done together. With teamwork I think we rearranged it a little. We dug up the old railroad ties that divided it into sections. Most of them had rotted, so we dumped them on the trash pile.

I used Dads tractor and pulled out the old T posts and to drag out the old ties. We were going to rototill the garden when we got it all done, but the rototiller wouldn't stay running long enough to get the job done. I got frustrated with it, trying to restart it every few minutes. I gave up on that and parked it!

It was a beautiful day for November, sunny and 70°. Mom made a yummy lunch of turkey sausage links cooked with potatoes, gravy, steamed broccoli, and corn. For dessert we had homemade chocolate covered candy bars. Mmmm!

I didn't know if I should publish this here, but I couldn't resist! Ed brought me this from work.

If They Only Knew...

Calling in sick makes me uncomfortable. No matter how legitimate my illness, I always sense my boss thinks I'm lying. On one occasion, I had a valid reason, but lied anyway because the truth was too humiliating. I simply mentioned that I had sustained a head injury and I hoped I would feel up to coming in the next day. By then, I could think up a doozy to explain the bandage on my crown. The accident occurred mainly because I condeded to my wife's wishes to adopt a cute little kitty. Initially the new acquisition was no problem, but one morning I was taking my shower after breakfast when I heard my wife call out to me from the kitchen. "The garbage disposal is dead. Come reset it." I protested, " You know where the button is. Reset it yourself!" She pleaded, "I am scared! What if it starts going and sucks me in? C'mon, it'll only take a second." So out I come, dripping wet and buck naked, hoping to make a statement about how her cowardly behavior was not without consequence. I crouched down and stuck my head under the sink to find the button. It is the last action I remember performing. It struck without warning, without respect to my circumstances. Nay, it wasn't a hexed disposal drawing me into its gnashing metal teeth. It was our new kitty, clawing playfully at the dangling objects she spied between my legs. She had been poised around the corner and stalked me as I took the bait under the sink. At precisely the second I was most vulnerable, she leapt at my most private area and snagged it with her needle-like claws. Now, when men feel pain or even sense danger anywhere close to their masculine region, they lose all rational thought to control bodily movements. Instinctively, their nerves compel the body to contort inwardly, while rising upwardly at a violent rate of speed. Wild animals are sometimes faced with a "fight or flight" syndrome. Men, in this predicament, choose only the "flight" option. Fleeing straight up, I knew at that moment how a cat feels when it is alarmed. But, whereas cats seek great heights to escape, I never made it that far. The sink and cabinet bluntly impeded my ascent; the impact knocked me out cold. When I awoke, my wife and the paramedics stood over me. Having been fully briefed by my wife, the paramedics snorted as they tried to conduct their work while suppressing their hysterical laughter. At the office, colleagues tried to coax an explanation out of me. I kept silent claiming it was too painful to talk. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" If they had only known.

Here is another photo of my 'little buddy'. I have been putting bird seed out on the deck and as you can see by his full cheek pouches, he is packing it away!! I have also seen him picking up leaves in his mouth and using his front paws, he packs them in too, then disappears under the deck. I suppose he is insulating his nest for the winter hibernation. I think this one is a female but don't know for sure.

P.S. by clicking on a photo, you can usually get a larger version to view. 

I had a busy day today. I left the house at 7:10 this AM to go and take some photos of the fall colors. I put quite a few miles on my truck. I was taking a photo of a little white church surrounded by orange maple trees, when a farmer from the neighboring farm walked down to where I was. He wanted to know if I was surveying for the water lines!! He was older, and said he told them the water lines are in his cow pasture and he thinks they should find them because if he dies, and a mean person gets his farm, no one would know where they were! I guess that makes sense.

I got home about noon, and started working on canning my pears again. I put a roast in the crockpot with some potatoes. That is one thing less to have to do this evening. It is also one of Ed's favorite meals.

I carried a milk crate and a 5 gallon bucket of shelled corn down the back pasture to refill the deer feeder. It was nearly full already so that was a useless trip. We love to watch the deer. Usually there are at least three and sometimes more that come out to eat. If the dog isn't around they usually come out about 5:30. I hate it when they eat my blackberry bushes, and get in my garden, but I love watching them. A couple of them walked through the horse pasture this evening and the horses just watched them go.

I squeezed in some laundry in between slicing pears a slicing my thumb. I wanted to use the leaf bagger on the lawn mower, but ran out of time to get it all done.

This is rather crude, but I laughed out loud when I saw it! Someone had to have a very active imagination to think up something like this for advertising!! Even the shirts match in color!!

I took a long drive out on the back country roads of Owen County today, looking for some nice fall scenes to photograph. I found some, but also found some sites that I need to come back to in the early morning to photograph. If I can drag myself out of the house that early, that is what I am planning to do tomorrow morning. I also forgot my tripod and had to turn off my truck (to lessen vibration) and use the top of the door to set my camera on it.

We are having a photo share at the Photography Club and I need twenty images to submit. Some of them are from photos I have taken this last summer, but I need some fresh ones too.