Blind as a Bat

It's been a week... we'll just leave it at that. This one will be short and sweet.

A few nights ago, as we were getting mom home from the hospital and situated, we were going through some of her meds. Dad hands them to me to read. I'm staring intently with no focus whatsoever. Fortunately, my sister (who's 12y younger than me... with young eyes!) was there, and she read us the bottle!

I'm quickly approaching 40... and will then be blind as a bat! LOL

Farm Antics

Charlie, Kellar, Bo - last summer

Hannah on BoomErRang

The cousins with their Gparents! (last summer)

The cousins together in March.*

Life on the farm. What could be better? My crew tells me how much they miss me each time we talk on the phone. I've asked if they've missed me as their maid or their mama! They assure me it's as their mama.

Last night our neighbors came down on horseback. J, B, & J each on their own horse. They're helping us 'finish' training Star. Grace saddled up Star and away they went in our paddocks. As they went to the front of the property, the cows followed behind curiously. When the horses turned around, the cows tho't they were being chased, so they took off running. At one point, Steve the Steer, got his head caught in a "V" of a tree. Grace said that he eventually broke free and had bark all over it.

Dory, our cow that jumps over the moon, decided to be precocious and boldly approach MoonMan, J's horse. She's trained him to take a few steps backwards and then he rears up. So, MoonMan did this to Dory. Grace said Dory came out of her hide! She was so freaked out, that she ran off to hide. Put her in her place, I'd say!

I miss my kiddos, I miss my hubby, I miss my home/farm/way of life. It's wonderful to be with my family here in Hot Country, but after a week of 110*+, I'm fried!

Mom thinks she may have a broken rib. This would be a huge set back post-op. So, we'll see what will happen as far as me coming home. Continue to hold her in prayer.

*When you look at the tree pix... look on the upper right portion of the trunk. Tell me, does that not look like Baloo, the Bear, from The Jungle Book!!!!

Long Day

Today we got to bring my mom home from the hospital. It's a huge relief and prayer answered to getting her back on the road to recovery! Please continue to hold her in prayer for full recovery... and that once she's feeling better, that she'll limit her activities to 'doctor-approved' activities... ie - not lifting or holding the g-babies!

I learned that in my absence today - back on the farm my mil took the kids swimming again, while my fil cleaned the fridge! While I'm so grateful for that act of kindness, it is completely and utterly humbling! However, I will say, with 7 sets of hands going in and out of the big box... it doesn't take long for spills and thrills to happen... and get lost in the crowd in the shuffle of milk and catsup and 20 different types of mustard and breads from around the world, not to mention the countless opened cubes of real butter. Thanks Boboo!

No news on the rooster, but Don did come up with one more farm cliche': "he's a tough ol' bird." I hadn't tho't of that one until this 'coop raider' fought the rooster, and hopefully lost!

I'm bone tired. I'm crawling into bed next to mom to play Nurse Hatchett all evening. I've got their cat begging to be pet... and I've no energy.

Silent Night folks.

ps... if any words are mispelled, it's spell-checker's fault, it's not functioning either!

Coop Raider

Some of you know that I'm not home right now... I'm in AZ helping care for my mom who has just had a major surgery. My in laws were so kind to come and care for the kids in my absence. While the kids might be crazy at times, I don't think they could hold a match compared to the stunts the animals have pulled since I've been away.

Farm life has many exciting moments: exciting in the way of terror of nature being nature as well as the opposite end of the spectrum of being absolutely rip roaring hilarious! These past few days have been no exception!

Don came home from church Sunday to find a flock of Turkey Vultures in our poultry pen. Well, if you're around us long enough, you'd know that when we see a T.Vulture we scream out, "I'm alive... I'm alive..." as they only feast upon dead things. Evidently the dead thing they found was one of our hens. Turns out we have a creature raiding our coop at night.

Don started the next day by being awakened at 530a by Jode, our newest cat, bringing a gift of fresh, screaming bunny! Jode thought my in laws should dine on such a tasty morsel for breakfast. But, instead, Jode was shocked to have Don chasing him down the basement, as the baby bunny is screaming his head off! (if you didn't know bunnies made noise... have no doubt they can be LOUD!) Don retrieved thus said bunny and cat, banned them from the house and started his day a bit behind schedule.

He headed off to the barn to learn the coop raider came back that night for his 2d course to dine upon, Hen Head... ummm... quite a delicacy (NOT). This creature also took on our Rooster with head to tail combat. Don ended up doctoring the rooster w/ hydrogen peroxide and bag balm, not believing the rooster would survive. Needless to say this cocky rooster has been taken down several pegs and has one tail feather remaining and very little beard about his neck! But was found crowing the next morning...

That evening, not to be outdone by Jode, Baby, our precious kitty, thought so highly of my in laws as to bring them a headless mouse for dinner! He was stopped on the deck with the cat door being blocked off! I'm certain he got quite huffy on everyone refusing his gift!

By the time I come home, who knows which animals will be left on the farm... guess when momma's gone, nobody is safe!

DUX

Our Momma Runner Duck successfully hatched all 9 eggs that were viable. These babies are now about 4 weeks old and are starting to lose their duckling down. They're so sweet and soft and utterly terrified of us.... I'm sure it has nothing to do with the kids going into their pen to catch them.... by means of conquer and divide!
Duck Cliches:
Like a duck takes to water (not always true... it's definitely learned behavior, IMO)
Sitting duck.... (just as the fox who went out on a chilly night, he prayed that the Lord would give him light. He had many a mile to go that night before he reached the Town-O, Town-O, he had many a mile to go that night before he reached the Town-O..... this 'catchy' tune is on the Nickel Creek - our kids LOVE it.... )
Duck soup... well, that would be the best garden fertilizer left behind in their waters... and you tho't it had to do w/ a soup found at an Asian restaurant, eh? Let's hope they're not one and the same!
Duck Muck... see above

As a kid I learned this little ditty.... let's see if you can read it correctly. Leave me a not if you can! or cannot!

C D E D B D DUCKS?
M R NOT DUCKS.
O S A R.

C D E D B D FEET?
O, I B, M R DUCKS!

Put Me in Coach!

I promised a few weeks back I'd have Charlie's baseball pix uploaded! So, here are some shots from a recent game. Again, he's the youngest and smallest player out there. However, everytime he gets up to hit, mission accomplished! Probably 9 out of 10 times, he hits the first ball out of the pitching machine! It doesn't matter if the ball is high, low, inside, or outside... he just smacks it! His coach wonders if he has a ball magnet inside his bat... I just inform them that he plays ball with me in the back... and that this is by far my worst sport. So, when I pitch, he gets them hi, low, in and outside! He just swings at them all! It's real cute to watch him out there. Some of the parents refer to him as the "Field General" as he's calling out plays and where each of the guys needs to be located - depending upon the hitter! This guy is typically very quiet and content and laid back... however when it comes to sports - he must take after his momma.... the fire of competition ignites and there's no putting it out! There's no option but to win! : )

Still even more photos of RFL

Grace hula hooping and winning her division!

Hannah hula hooping & winning her division!

Hannah in red shirt, Grace in green shirt... it ended up being a 3-way tie w/ girl in pink. They would have hooped all night long!

Yours truly, hooping!

Jeff trying to get away with hooping around his arm, while the other men are hooping around their waist! That was such a scream!

This is in remembrance of my cousin, Jodi, who was my sissy's best friend. We will always love you and think of you with delight! We'll see you in heaven again, Sweetie!

More kids! with a sweet baby bump!

Hannah & I during the Moment of Remembrance. We're in front of my cousin's luminaria.

Need I say more about the photo above.

This was our Silent Auction basket. It was a garden theme. I think it brought in $150 for the American Cancer Society.

Even more photos for RFL

Ms. Sweetie Pie next to her luminaria of choice.

Our theme this year was "Race for the Cure" so we have 'Jeff Gordon' and his lovely bride sitting side by side!

Don & Charlie

Don and one of the kids from church wearing the racing helmets!

Don with another kid from church...

Kellar with a buddy wearing the Gordon racing helmets!

More Relay for Life Photos

This is the Color Guard leading the procession of survivors.

Here is Jeff giving the opening speech for the year.

My mom's name... in honor of her.

Here's Kellar going down this massive slide... he's such a goofball!

Can you see how black his feet are?

My camera snapped funny... and caught Charlie running off the slide.

Relay for Life Walk

This past Friday night was our Relay for Life Walk. This was the first time that Don and I and the kids went. Just typing this brings out tearful emotions. Survivors of cancer sported purple T-Shirts and were honored with a 'Survivor's Lap' around the track. The 2d lap was dedicated to all the family and caregivers. We all participated by walking with friends from church who have survived colon cancer and prostate cancer, a neighbor who's survived breast cancer, and I met up with a survivor who was walking alone. We hugged around the entire lap and shared tears of sorrow and tears of hope. When the sun finally went down and all became dark the luminaries were lit up. By then the volunteers had input all the names of those who have passed on and these names scrolled across a big screen. That really grabs at your heart, as does the Walk of Remembrance.

Our church sponsored a booth this year, as they've done in years past. And when we flip thru the pages of the pictorial directory, there isn't one family that isn't left untouched by cancer in some form or other. Our Leader, Jeff, got to present the speech this year and one fact really shook me. He said that this year alone 12 million ppl will be diagnosed (Dx) w/ cancer and that 360,000 will no longer be amongst us next year for the walk. These will be the names in the luminaries burning bright into the dark night.

This year during the moment of silence, the space station flew overhead and it was just so appropriate for us (our group) to be looking up. Many other groups started taking pix of us, it must have been a Kodak moment having 50 ppl looking up into the heavens during this time. But, it was just so perfect. Many groups quietly let their balloons go.

Even though the occasion was very heavy, there was still so much hope and joy to fill the atmosphere. There were jumpies for the kids. (Kellar was barefoot and did this jumpy obstacle course that the National Guard set up... he was constant for 4 hours running thru this and sliding down the slide and flying across the asphalt. Poor kid, by the end of the night he had blisters covering the bottoms of his feet, crying the whole way home.) Don and walked for a while and we'd jump in with friends here and there. I tell ya, living in small town communities has many advantages. Everyone is a friend - everyone will stop their life just to talk to you. There were hula hoop contests, and both my girls were winners! They did an over 30 group, that I participated in... needless to say it came down to 2 of us... yours truly, and some other lady. So, they asked us to do the Mac-a-ran-ah (sp???) Well, I did, and the other lady didn't. I lost... but really - I was the better hoooper! ; )

I'm going to put a boat load of pix... I hope the ambiance of the evening shows through.

DeJaVu - It's a Ford

We're heading off to meet up w/ friends from church who have out-of-town guests and heading to the KY Horse Park when all of a sudden they brake in front of me - and my Excursion refuses to brake! Instead the RPMs fly past 3000 and I'm fighting against the accelerator still flying over 30, standing on top of the brakes. NO GO! so, my body flies into learned behavior from my early 90s of owning a Mustang that did something quite similar. I swerve to the shoulder, throw it up into Neutral and shut off the engine and quickly coast into a gas station parking lot! Call the dealership - and by the end of the day, NOTHING comes up on the diagnostics - no errors - no worries (according to them) - no problem (still, according to them.) No theories as to what went haywire with my loaded gun.


Can I just say that when I was in my late teens, early 20s and this sort of thing occurred with my Mustangs (yes - it happened w/ more than 1) - I was still invinsible then. I was single. I had no kids. I had no responsibilities. I had no worries. This time, this was WAY different! Not only did I have my 4 precious kiddos, I had another friend's son. Plus, I'm in the biggest family vehicle known to mankind... the Excursion. What a huge missile.


So - I told the kids... so be it! We spent $89 for this diagnostic thingy to be done... but the way I normally look at getting stopped at red lights, or stuck behind a tractor out on our country roads or having to yield for a train (we don't mess w/ those!).... I just chalk it up to God protecting us from some serious harm!


If I had to live thru my yute w/ those Mustangs in order to not plow over our friends in front of us... so be it... God provides... He protects.... I pray Psalm 91 many a time each week... Lord protect our household and those we love.. send your angels around us to lift our heels, so we don't strike it upon a rock.... (or in our case... our loved ones).

Charlie under the sign of a horse w/ the same name.

Here's a Shetland Pony with her baby who is about 2mos old!

These pix above & below are so funny. This horse kept sticking his tongue out!

Grace was able to get this horse to open his lips... too funny!

We did end up making it to the Horse Park, after the many morning obstacles were overcome. Here are just a few of the photos. I'll throw up another post with more pix later.