Donkey on the run!

    

 

     A few years ago now a Trail Riding group found our neck of the woods!  Every year since then they have a scheduled weekend that they (100's of them) come and enjoy a ride in our beautiful area.

    There is a donkey named Bo that lives in the pasture with our cows.  Bo belongs to my brother.  Because brother has a surplus of donkeys at his home,  brother decided that Bo should live here with us!  Except for the plug that he chewed off of our porch we get along fairly well.  Sister says he gets on her porch too, making her beautiful home look like a Spanish mission! 

     Back to the trail ride...Bo apparently got very excited when he saw them coming down the road.  According to the "trail riding cowboys"  Bo JUMPED our fence!   He then proceeded to run in and out of the riders. What to do, what to do?  The big Boss on the ride along with his buddies, chased him and roped him.  They put him back into our pasture where he ran wildly and brayed loudly.  He did some more crazy stuff before he finally settled back down to pasture life. 

     I think next year I'll put up a little sign for the trail riders.  "Throw the wild donkey carrots and he will calm down".   Or just maybe the trail riders enjoyed the excitement of a "wild donkey" running amongst them!

     Blessings from the pasture with the crazy donkey!



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Chicken Hotel

     Every now and then wishes really do come true!  In this case it has to do with  "chickens"!  When our kiddos were young, we had chickens.  That also means we had fresh eggs.  Since our move to "the farm", we have had so much to do that my wish of having chickens was put on the back burner.  (The burner in the very far back.)

     Long story short, A very kind man found out that I was wanting some hens and wa la... he sent home by my girls 12 beautiful laying hens of all nationalities.  Sweetheart was just as excited as I was....I think.  Well, the chicken girls needed a special place to scratch and roam around.  We have dogs.  Enough said!  The girl chickens would have to have their own "place".

     This weekend, I had to go out of town to a baby shower.  Upon my return home, my family along with some of our dearest young friends (Sweetheart and I both consider them family) had built and almost finished the finest chicken hotel I could imagine!  Life is good!

     The chicken girls and boys were moved into their new home and right away boom an egg! 

     Sweetheart and I went to church this morning.  Our worship service was awesome!  We are so grateful for the life that God has provided for us.  May you be blessed as we prepare to celebrate our risen Saviour.

     Blessings to you from our growing farm!

Wal-Mart shopping carts

     I had to leave the farm today as I had offered to help an older friend.  I decided to run into Wallymart first just to pick up a few things...(right...)  I felt fortunate as I was able to park right up front (under a tree).  I went in the garden center and was lured to all of the beautiful plants. (I love plants).  In no time at all I had more plants than I could carry.  So... I went in search of a basket. 

Because it was early there were no strays anywhere so I made my way over to the basket garage.  I was in luck, some very nice walmart worker had one out just waiting for me to unload all of my plants.  I was on my way now to get my "few things".  About the time I got away from the garage my buggy started acting wildly.  One of the wheels refused to roll,  I pushed it harder, kind of fast trying to wake up the sleeping wheel.  It started rolling and doing this bump thing.  I noticed that I (actually it was my buggy) was attracting quite a bit of early morning shopper attention!  I wasn't going to let this buggy win.  I kept pushing this skidding, wheel bumping, very rude buggy until I had completed my shopping.  Yea, I was exhausted by the time I pulled into the check out line.  The checker asked how I was doing....I decided to just smile and stay silent.  Moma always says..."If you can't say something nice...." 

To get to the car, I would need to help my buggy off the 2" sidewalk onto the parking lot, I showed it no mercy and pushed it a little fast.  It banged down onto the parking lot and I just smiled...victory...ah man I forgot that I had bought eggs.....

At the car I discovered why that particular spot was vacant....Walmart Birds!  They did a little decorating of the windshields... ewwwwwwwww

Blessings to you from the pasture!  (Glad to be back home where there never are any problems!)

Yard crew

    
Wow, it was an absolute beutiful spring day.  It rained in the wee hours here and by day break had moved out leaving everything fresh, green and in full bloom!  The yard crew showed up this afternoon to tidy up.  They bring their kiddos to work with them and sometimes the little ones get into a little mischief or just lay around and nap! 

 

 

     The wasp are out in full force.  Not sure why but they love our porch.  So Sweetheart went out on Saturday and bought four cans of the killer stuff.  I tried it on a wasp that had lit on an upper beam.  The wind blew just as I started spraying and I got a good dose of it all over my face.   The wasp flew away.  Later one lit down on the porch floor.  I got up and stepped on it.  Dead on contact!  Better than the can stuff!  Looks better on the porch  too!

     Thought I'd leave you with a picture of my "cow dog."  My buddy and loyal friend!

   
  Spring blessings from the pasture!

Recovering from the pollen

    For the last several days I have declared that I was feeling so much better...I was really just trying to convince myself that I was actually feeling better.  I wasn't.  Today, with the exception of my dog barking cough and the headache that lingered on, I am feeling better.  I was able to get out and go for a walk down our quiet little road.  The fragrant flowers from blooming trees and wildflowers is intoxicating.  I took a picture of these Blue Bonnets that are growing in front of our home.  My sweet 91 year old uncle has been sowing blue bonnet seeds along our stretch of the road for years.  His work has paid off many times over.  It is beautiful out here, and Sweetheart and I feel so blessed to be a part of it.!

     We put the girls out in a new pasture a few days ago.  That evening when we went to gt them out (we don't trust them to stay the night....they would go traveling...the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!)  one of the old gals layed back in the corner of the pasture and would not come with the others.  Sweetheart drove the mule over to her and discovered that she had a calf.  We were able to coax her out...like me they will go anywhere for something good to eat!

    I worked on the little baby doll Easter dress for Gran number 2.  Buttons on and a hem and I'll be finished with this project, and in time for Easter, imagine that! 

     I got up close and a little too personal with the nose of one of our girls.  Have you ever studied a cows nose...it gets pollen in it.  They don't care though.  I've never seen a cow sneeze, so I guess they aren't bothered with algeries!  Lucky ducks!!!

     Blessings from the pollenated pastures and noses!  May God's richest blessings be yours.
    

SPRING FEVER

     No, not that kind of fever...I caught the other kind.  The kind that makes you cough, sneeze, choke, be grumpy, basically just feel awful.  Sweetheart has been on pins and needles around me. 
  There's only one thing worse than me being sick...that would be Sweetheart being sick.
I'm hoping for a better feel good day tomorrow.  Maybe all of this pollen will disappear too!
     Blessings to you from the pasture where pollen is flying everywhere!

They came...and went!

     It was a busy weekend.  My Mother celebrated a birthday and almost all of the family came to help her celebrate, including of course my beautiful Grans!  We love it when they come up!  There is no better place to entertain kids than a farm!   Run, run, run, as fast as you can...jump on the beds and scream...feed the cows, ride the mule, play in the creek (br...to cold for that this time), in general just play their little hearts out ! 

     Back at Bella and Poppy's house a little inside play that lasted maybe 30 minutes.  Then they were ready to play back outside!  I left everything where they left it and followed them outside!  Wow this is just one area...there is more! 

                                                     It's beginning to look a lot like spring!

 

     Spring is my favorite time of the year!  Newness is everywhere.  Here is a new calf that came up with his moma the other morning! 

     And flowers,  beautiful!  Peach and plum blossoms...beautiful, and they smell soooo good!

     After the Grans left,  I had to get busy on a baby doll Easter dress that Gran number one requested!  And if I have to make one for her, I'll need to make one for Gran number 2!  My forth grade teacher drilled into her young students, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop"!  No idle hands here!

Wonderful blessings to you from the pasture!

Ramblings

    
 I've been keeping an eagle's eye on this tree.  I look at it everyday when I'm in my kitchen.  I call it the Louisiana tree.  I'm watching it so closely because we have lost four of these Post Oak trees this past year.  The drought proved to be too much for them.  The few that we have left have been in stress and this spring I am hoping that these few will pull through.  If and when this tree starts putting on leaves... I think a picnic will be in order right under it's beautiful canopy.

     Here is one of the Post Oaks that we have not finished cleaning up.  My brother who is a logger was at least able to get a log out of this one.  Later, Sweetheart will cut up the straight pieces for firewood.  This is the way our family makes the best of a bad situation!  Kind of like when life gives you lemons, make lemonaid. Some would say we are living "green".  The truth is we are just doing what Americans have always done...making it with what you've got!

     A grateful "thank you" for all who take the time to read my rambling!  May you be blessed by our wonderful Lord.
Blesings from the pasture...
 

Get ready, get set...

   No, its not out of my garden, someone else grew this one.  But I am soooo ready to get my garden planted.  Today I shoveled fertilize into my garden beds.  The ole girls (meaning cows) and the donkey provided all the fertilize that I should need. (thank you very much!)  I'll add some top soil and a little more organic matter (sawdust) and wait another week or two (so the weather can get the frost completely out of its system) then I'll plant a few tomatoes, some crookneck squash (my absolute favorite) and a few bell peppers.  Then as the weather continues to warm I'll plant a few more seeds. (Peas, corn, okra, and who knows what else I'll find to plant.)   Looking forward to some good eating!

     When I wasn't shoveling poop... I did some hand work on these little pink booties.  They were fun to make, I've never made booties before.  I used a few embriodery stiches to emblish the top.  I hope to give them to my little friend at church,  I still need to attach a ribbon to tie them with.  I'm not sure just how I'm going to do it because.... I'm not following the instructions! (shocked aren't you )  I will figure it out, it may wind up looking hookie, but they will tie somehow. 

Blessings from the pasture!

A-wall??

     It was a windy day today.  The cows all decided to hang out at the "home place"  today! For that I'm so grateful.  Sweetheart read my yesterday post a few minutes ago and informed me that the term is not A-wall, it is A-wol...absent without leave!  Who knew !  He said if they had a-wall it would have stopped them from visiting Mr. Good Neighbors pasture.  Well I'm thinking about that wall....sounds like a plan to me!  Until something interesting happens, I leave with you the mental picture of a-wall instead of a fence!

A-wall. .again!!

     Saturday was to be a day of celebrating our youngest daughters birthday.  However the cows decided to celebrate it next door again.  Because my Sweetheart had to work on Saturday, he called up "Mr. Good Pasture" and made arrangements for us to bring home the ole girls and the big daddy bull on Sunday after church.  They (meaning wandering cows) decided not to come when Sweetheart did his cattle call yell.  In fact they (meaning ...annoying and thoughtless cows) decided to hide!!!!

Sweetheart and I drove the mule around "Mr. Good Pastures" place.. it is just so beautiful!  I now understand why the ole girls and Big Daddy Bull want to be here. While we were on our hunt, we came across about 25 other trespassing varments...(Ferrol Hogs)!  When I saw them I yelled out a Ye-Haw real loud hoping to run them off. They all took off running.. over to our pasture of course. "NOooo not that way... too late."  We drove on and as we came around the next bend, there was the gang...  all together just mowing away at this beautiful pasture.

 This place is so cross fenced that we knew it would be hard to herd them with the mule. (When I say hard I mean impossible.) 
We came across one gal standing alone.  I've seen that look before and knew she had a calf.  We drove over to her and gave her a few cubes and tried to find the new calf. It didnt take me long to find her baby... in the creek.  Somehow the calf had fallen down the steep embankment and couldnt get back up. 

After much help showed up (meaning my only son, his best friend, Mr. Good Pasture and good pastures son) the calf was toted back up the embankment.  But for some reason the ole moma cow went shopping or something....she was no where to be found.  Why oh why?!? Seriously I believe my Daddy was right when he said that a cows brain is about as big as a peanut.  After a full day of more similar situations, the ole moma was reunited with her new calf on her home turf, along with the rest of the girls amd the big bull.   My Nanny used to call it cow punching when she and my Grandad would round up the cows.  Let me tell you..I would have LOVED to punch a few cows Sunday!  If they pull this trick again... I just might!

 

Inside/Outside

    
Inside the house it was toasty warm.  I decided to make a bonnet for the little one at church.  With the gusty winds we are having she will need something to keep those sweet little ears warm.  As usual for me I decided I probably knew more than those silly people who make a living making patterns. I changed it up a tad,... and then I ripped it out... and then had to rip some more.  I get myself into more pickles when I do things my way!  After I wore the fabric out with my fabric ripper gadget, I noticed I had created a hole. I believe I can mask this hole with a little ribbon and give it a tie around the neck! If it will keep those ears out of the wind then whats a little hole?  Well.... thats my logic anyway!  

     I helped my sis get her house ready for a special visitor that she is expecting on Easter.  She seems to think that I have special skills in decorating!  I call it untrained talent!!  I suggested that she just throw some tired old quilts (that I love) over the sofa,  scatter some of her grown kiddos childrens books on the table along with a few hodge podgy things and "walla"! Presto!  We brought in a few other things too but I dont want to get too wordy.. so I'll leave you with your imagination to wander. 

     Later when I got ready to feed the cows, I noticed that a few were "a-wall"... It really makes no sence.  We keep hay out, we have green pasture...well kinda green, ok it's green in spots.. and we feed them.. but still they forge the creek looking for a weak area in the fence where they can check out the pasture next to ours.  They do not run any cattle on that pasture so naturally our cows feel obligated to keep it mowed! I cant say I blame them! 
My Sweetheart was able to do his cattle call and get them to come back home.  Then with the help of my brother-in-law and sis, we all repaired the fence.  Well Sis and I really just walked around in the creek (its not too deep right now) and looked for violets and more holes in the fence.  We found violets and some weak fence areas...but no holes (yet)!  I love the purple violets that are in bloom right now... Beautiful little gifts from God just for our picking pleasure!

So as you see it was an inside/outside kind of day today!  Looking forward to a beautiful Saturday! 

Blessings from the pasture...