Greetings from Green Country

Busy As A Bee

2012-02-09T15:01:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

My goodness! I can't believe it's been over a week since I posted. I guess I have been busy! My last post was about the disappointing quilting class; this one is about the fun of teaching myself!

On my weekly trip to WalMart I went to the sewing section and looked at their "notions". Well, to my delight and surprise, I found the items of tools the teacher said we should have, i.e. rotary cutter, rotary mat and a big ruler. And the best surprise of all was that they were about 1/2 price of what they were in the fabric shop! So of course, I bought one of each! I'm here to tell you, there is nothing like a rotary cutter; it's the best thing since sliced bread! I would strongly suggest you get one if you do a lot of cutting out of material. They are amazing!

So once I had my "tools" I figured it was time to get busy and create! It took me awhile and a few piece of paper to decide how I wanted to lay out my table runner, and which colors of fabric I wanted to use. I decided on 3 of the red pieces from what my daughter gave me for Christmas, and a very simple layout, or pattern. See below. The hat in the one picture is all you can see of Ronnie holding up the runner after it was sewn together.

After I had that part done, I made another trip to a different WalMart to buy some material for the backing and something for the middle to give it some substance. I had some batting that I had bought to use, but found that it wasn't apparently made for what I was making as it was too fluffy and unruly! What I did end up getting was some material like the stuff older blankets are made of; I don't know what its called, some kind of fleece maybe? Anyway, it works perfect! And I got some red and white gingham check for the backing. I think it will look great! I got those two things all measured and cut and pinned on the runner pieces and today was the red letter day...............I started quilting my table runner!!

I've done one whole row the length of the runner, and I think it looks great! I'm so excited to be at this stage. I tell you, when I get this thing done it will be on my table for a long time! It seems the first time you make something it is priceless because of all the money you had to spend buying the needed supplies and tools, some ending up worthless! ha And not to mention all the time you have invested.

When I am all done you can bet I'll have a picture of it on my blog!

In between my sewing I've been doing laundry, cooking, boxing up some stuff to send to my grand-daughter and going to the post office! We don't even want to discuss the cost of shipping a good sized box. My friend Judy and I went back to our old church last Sunday. It was nice to be welcomed by old friends, but sad to see how attendance was down to about 40. I imagine we will be going back there. The only down side is that it is 16 miles one way and it would be nicer to be closer to home. I'm sure Jesus would have a few things to say about that! :)

That all I know for now. Take care and God bless all of your days.

Some Things Good - Some Not So Much

2012-02-02T14:09:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Well, yesterday was supposed to be my big first day of quilting class. As it turns out, it was my first and last day! I paid my $5 and met some nice ladies and then it began. The class was to make a quilt, and the teacher would not alter her plan any for me - which I can understand - and therefore, the class was not what I wanted. I did not want to make a "blanket"; rather, I wanted to learn the art of actually stitching or "quilting". I think the word quilting is applied mainly to a blanket, and therefore deceiving! Anyway, we were given handouts telling what tools we would need, how much material we would need, etc. It would have been easily $100 to get started, and I could not spend that kind of money then even if I had wanted to make a blanket!! I did learn some things about measuring and cutting and sewing pieces, which will be helpful. But otherwise, I guess I'll go it alone and make do using the Internet and trial and error as a teacher! Oh, also at the beginning of the class the teacher asked what kind of sewing machines we all had, and said it really didn't matter as long as it wasn't one of those cheap things from WalMart. Well, guess what kind of sewing machine I have???!! When she got to me I told her what I had and she did some fancy back-paddling! :) Too funny. Another OH! After you had spent a sizeable amount on tools and materials to make this "quilt", you had to hire someone to machine quilt it! Or search for someone who hand quilted, which I'm beginning to think is few and far between.

So, I am kind of disappointed, but I will continue on doing my own thing, and as long as I enjoy doing what I can, what difference does it make?!

Here is my new head board for my bed! I finally got the red rose decals sanded off the black paint earlier this week, and Ronnie got it spray painted for me yesterday. He spent a couple hours getting it to this point, having to adjust and make brackets to fasten it to. Also had to find different size threaded bolts and still need a couple. So it is away from the wall a little because it wobble some until we get to the hardware store and get more bolts. It sure make the bed look different. I love it.

That's all I know for today. The weekend is coming so hope you all have a good one. Thoughts and prayers to my cousin Joe in Alabama, waiting in pain for kidney stone removal procedure. Until next time, take care and God bless.

Cooking and Driving

2012-01-29T11:27:00.002-06:00

GREETINGS!

A pleasant Sunday to you. Things are pretty laid back around here today. I've got a pork butt in the crock pot so we can have pulled pork, mashed potatoes and cole(d)? slaw for supper. To go with what's left of this georgeous apple pie - that will NEVER come out of my kitchen again!

I made this from a recipe on the Pioneer Woman cooking show. You talk about making a mess! I usually don't make my pie crust - why should I when it comes in a box all rolled out? - but decided to give it a whirl. I'm sorry I didn't capture the "mess" while doing this! The filling was great, using brown sugar and white sugar and lemon juice and the spices. But the crust was/is sinful! 3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 sticks of cold butter, 3/4 cup of shortening, an egg, some water and salt and vinegar. I think that's it.....my arm got tired breaking the butter and shortening into little gravelly pieces so hubby had to come help. Then I had to wash the rolling pin cause it's been in a bucket on top of the fridge for 2 1/2 years as decoration. Then try and roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper to save a mess on the drain board. It was so rich it was very hard to turn over and especially hard to pick up and put in the pie pan. Which wasn't supposed to happen anyway, it was supposed to just be a circle of dough on a cookie sheet and then folded over the apples. The recipe made for 2 big crusts to do this with, but 2 cookie sheets wouldn't fit in my oven at the same time and they didn't have edges, so I knew that would be a sticky mess in my oven! whew So that's why I made a regular pie out of it! Also had some dough left over and made little sugar/cinnamon things that melted in your mouth!

Bottom line is it's very, very good but very, very rich and very, very messy! My daughter made it the right way, but she's young and maybe has more patience and know how than her mother. :) So I'll stick to what I'll call Corporate Woman pie crust and like it just fine!

Now, you are probably wondering what cooking an apple pie has to do with driving?! Well, the answer is........nothing. It's just that I had to take my beloved van in to the Ford garage one day last week for an oil/filter change, a new cabin filter and a new motor/regulator for the passenger side window that quit working. All that lovely maintenance was $300 +. And then they tell me I need new brakes and rotors to the tune of $308 + more! I said that's nice, I'll see you next month or so or whenever my brakes are totally gone, which ever comes first!

I love my 2002 Ford Windstar van. I have over 100,000 miles on it now and hope it will keep running for a long time. We talked about what we would do when it give out, and that was interesting! Like do we really need 2 cars and the Jeep? Will it be another van, or pick up or what? Only time will tell.

That's all I know for now. Until next time, take care and Gob bless you. And give thanks for all the things big and little that shape your life!

Winter

2012-01-25T13:56:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it, I think Winter is here around us. I was awakened about 2:00 a.m. this morning by the sound of thunder and lightening and a rain downpour! We've gotten about 2 inches so far, which we really need after the Summer's drought.

Another thing that reminds me it's Winter are the naked trees. Some in our back yard are all naked except for their "jewelry", which flashes in the sun at times. (You might have to enlarge pic to see jewelry! It's hanging from the tree almost dead center of the picture.)

I think this Spring I'm going to try and get some supplies and make some more jewelry for my trees. I love it, and it doesn't look very complicated!

Last Saturday I filed our State and Federal taxes on line - emailed them. Anyway, it appears that our State refund has already been deposited in our account! That's only 4 days, and 2 of those were a weekend! I'm in shock!
Maybe there are some good things about all this modern technology! Ha.

That's all I know for today. Hope yesterday's post didn't break your computer screen. :) Until next time, take care and God bless you.

The Price of Beauty!

2012-01-24T14:51:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

When I speak of the "price" of beauty, I'm not really referring to the actual dollar cost. More of what we go through to maintain what we think is beauty! I went to my hairdresser's today and got another perm, as my first one had grown out. I've still not decided why I am growing my hair out from my "spikey" short do, when it looked good all the time; well except for upon waking in the morning! Oh well, here's how it went............

Beginning

Middle

The End

Hmmmmmmm, looking at these pictures, I was better off before I got permed!
Too funny. You can totally tell I'm not one of those photogenic people; I mean really! I'm much better looking than those pictures!! :) Hope you all got a good laugh today....

We are still having mild weather - it's almost 60 out now, but rain is supposed to come tonight. We really need the rain too, as we've had no snow yet this year and not much rain. That's for you Carolina Nana! :)

That's all I know. Until next time, take care and God Bless you.

Chicken Barns Update & Other Stuff

2012-01-22T12:16:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

This may not be interesting to any of you, but I've been reporting the progress on the chicken barns since the beginning and it's been awhile since I posted anything.

So here is the latest pictures. The 2nd building is about done now also. The feeding bins/towers are up and I don't know what all has been done inside.

I don't know what the projected date of chicken occupancy is, and I wonder after it gets here if I'll still eat chicken! Moving on.........

The phone rang the other day and it was the lady from the Quilt/Fabric shop in the little town of Gore. When I first started wanting to learn to quilt I went into her store and left my name and number with her, hoping for what, I'm not sure. Anyway, she told me they were starting a beginners quilting class on February 1, and would I like to join in. I was so excited! I can hardly wait to go. It's going to be on Wednesday mornings from 10 to Noon, and only cost $5 a class. It's exciting to know I might learn how to make something the right way! :)

Had lunch Friday with my dear friend Judy. We get together once a month for lunch, but missed December in all the Holiday rush. So, we went to the Tea Room in Gore and had a great lunch, walked around the antique mall in the same building, and then went over the river to Webber's Falls and the new Mission Thrift Store and looked around. Was a very nice, relaxing time. We see each other in church, but don't have the time to visit like when we go to lunch!

I've been doing a lot of reading; just finished The Secret Life of Bees. A very good book, not unlike The Help in story line and setting. Don't know what's next, but will dig in my private box of books from my friend Kathy and find another good one I'm sure. Baked a cherry/berry pie a bit ago, so it will go nicely with a book this evening!

That's all I know for today. My kids are surviving the snow storms out in the Seattle area, and that is a good thing. Take care and God Bless you all.

Road Trip Treasures

2012-01-20T20:34:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

After we discovered Belle Starr's "home" on our road trip, we continued on to the little "wide spot in the road" town of Whiteside. They have a pretty big "junk" yard/store there, with stuff sitting all around outisde and rows of stuff inside. So of course we had to stop and do some digging!

I've been looking for an old metal headboard for my double bed for about a year now, and my goodness! I found it outside leaning up agains the wall. Of course I'll have to refinish it, but that's half the fun! Right now its black with red rose decals on it..........yuck.

I also found a bunch more baskets inside, way in the back. Had to dump some junk out of some of them, but what a find. They were really cheap, and you never know when you'll wish you had a basket to put something in!
Here's some of them..............................

These two I've already put to use in the kitchen: one for bananas and one for tomatoes!

Ronnie found a baby stroller with the kind of wheels he's been wanting to use to make himself a new gun cart. So we both got stuff.........yay!!

After loading up, we continued on the Stigler and did some grocery shopping at WalMart and Shelton's, and stopped at a Mexican restaurant for a late lunch. Ronnie has been looking for real, home-made tamales for a long time, and lo and behold, he found them! We've decided this is our new favorite Mexican restaurant. And the name of it is -- Reubens! How crazy is that?! Anyway, it was very good, the waitresses were very friendly, and I'm sure we will go there again. Oh, you can also order tamales to take home for $8.95 a dozen; but you have to give 2 days notice! That's fair...

After all that, we headed for home and the task of putting everything away. I was tired, but it was a fun day. I'm glad my husband likes to do road trips!

Until next time, take care and God bless you.

Hair Thingy's

2012-01-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

If you have ever tried to grow your hair out from an extremely short "do", you know how maddening it can be to try and make yourself look presentable.
I am in the process of trying to "grow out", and am even ready for my 2nd perm which will hopefully help.

In the meantime, the hair products aisle at WalMart has caught my attention and coerced me into buying all these items, thinking they would help! So far the most help are the little barrette type clippys.

Even old standbys are not much help............................

So what's a person to do?? Just try to be patient I guess, and remember that you should not be so vane! But I'm really looking forward to my next perm! Or maybe I should make myself some kind of cover-up scarf ????

Until next time, take care and God Bless!

Belle Starr

2012-01-17T17:43:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

We went on a little road trip today to see if we could find where Belle Starr - the outlawess from last post - had her home. And we got lucky and found it right off. It's only about 25 miles from our house, and very close to the Canadian River. The river is damned up now and makes the Eufaula Lake which furnishes power to a HUGE portion of Eastern Oklahoma; us included of course. I wonder what Belle would think if she could see all that now!

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures I was able to get. They are building a replica of her home fairly close to the road, but the gate was closed and we couldn't get up close to it. Will have to go back later. We did find the trail that leads to her gravesite and the place where her original home was.

This picture is at the entrance to the drive off the highway. Belle called her place Younger's Bend in honor of her first outlaw husband, Cole Younger.

This sign marks the beginning of the trail to Belle's grave and home site.
I can't remember what it says beside don't block the driveway! :) But I think it was something about a small fee and the dates the trail was open.

In a way it was disappointing not to get to see more, but it was also neat to see what we did, and try to imagine the outlaws galloping around the area! So much for my history lesson.

More on the road trip, perhaps tomorrow. Until next time, take care and may you be aware of God's blessings for you.

Queen of the Outlaws

2012-01-13T15:02:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Here is a tale of the Legend of Belle Starr, aka Queen of the Outlaws. Born Feb.5, 1848 and died Feb. 3, 1889 at the age of 41........almost. This was a really good little book, especially since it is centered probably within a 50 miles radius of where I live. So the town names, etc. are very familiar. She was a pretty tough cookie! She was married several times, lived her latter years around the Canadian River in Cherokee land(Oklahoma was all Indian territory at that time), had 2 children by different husbands, was quite a bank robber and excellent shot. Her daughter was a famous Madam in Fort Smith, AK, following in some of her mother's footsteps!

Anyway, for a little history and an interesting read, give it a try. Author is Stoney Hardcastle.

That's all I know today. Until next time, take care and God's blessings to you.

My Blossoming Hobby!

2012-01-12T13:41:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

My daughter finally got the potholders and hotdish pad I sent her, so I can show the picture now! See below.

The potholders are all machine done, but the larger hotdish pad is hand quilted. I think it's pretty cool. But wouldn't you know, after I was all finished I learned how it SHOULD be done so the tieoff knots don't show! Well I guess it's all about learning isn't it? I'm glad I know the right way to do it now. I'm sure my daughter won't hold it against me having a few knots on the underside of the pad! I really think I'm ready to tackle a table runner now.............. soon!

Yesterday we went to Fort Smith, Arkansas and had lunch at Olive Garden. My oldest daughter had sent us a gift certificate for Christmas so we were cashing in! Also went to a huge Hobby Lobby and spent the gift certificate I had for there. Once back in Oklahoma territory, we stopped at WalMart in Sallisaw and did our grocery shopping for the week. Since we have to go through there, it only made sense to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak! Again, we were tired out by evening.

That's all I know for now. Until next time, take care and God bless us all.

Rainy Day Doings

2012-01-10T19:55:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

It was raining when I got out of bed this morning! Probably why I went back to sleep and didn't get up until 7 a.m. -- which is late for me! We haven't had a nice rain for quite awhile, so we enjoyed it.

At least most of us enjoyed it......they did too once they got in the house.

Not too much of a "mess" to deal with considering what we got!

And what we got was a nice chocolate bundt cake with chocolate frosting! Tried twice to post the picture, but blogger poster went on strike I guess.
Anyway, Ronnie couldn't wait for supper to be over so he could cut a piece. He went about 4 days without a dessert and I think he was having withdrawals! :)

I was motivated to clean the refrigerator inside today, so had Ronnie pull it out from the wall so I could get at the underneath of one of the vegetable crispers. The way the fridge sets, the door can't open far enough to pull the drawer all the way out. It felt good to get that done. Also emptied the plastic containers (3) of about an inch each of cereal that was months and months old and stale and no one was eating. Scrubbed them up and they are ready to go!

I wanted to share this thought with you too. I think it was titled "Passing Through". "Just beyond our last heartbeat lies eternity. That's where our Savior is pointing us. The path may not be clear to our eyes, but Jesus is leading us there with a steady and sure hand. Our part is to follow in obedience so that we may reach heaven and hear the Father say, "Well done." " So you see, we are just passing through this place called earth, on our way to the most wonderful place we can imagine.

That's all I know for now. Until next time, take care and God bless you.

So Far............

2012-01-07T11:38:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Happy New Year! Although we are not long into it, I hope yours has been good so far. Mine has been pretty laid back so far. I've spent a lot of time reading - 2 books at once even - and can't wait to finish them and move on to the box of books loaned to me by my friend Kathy. They look/sound so good! Right now one of the books I'm reading is about Belle Starr, the famous - or infamous - Queen of the Outlaws. Very interesting, especially since she resided in my area of Oklahoma quite a bit.

This is my other vice taking up a lot of my time again this year..........

Since I can't find anyone in the neighboring countryside that plays pinochle, I play on line. It's not the same, but you do play with real people from all over the world and can chat with them while you play. I've talked to several older people here in Oklahoma about the game and no one seems to know what it is or how to play. The concensus was that it must be a Yankee game! Guess that makes me a Yankee........... The going game around here is dominoes...........go figure!! They don't play cribbage either!

This is our resident Cog. Sitting on the porch rail like he is King of the Mountain. "Cog" is cat who thinks he's a dog. Maybe you have one too.

Got my hair cut the other day and it sure looks better. I had a perm on the 4th of October and hadn't had anything done since then. Is only a matter of a couple of weeks and it will be perm time again. I wonder if this growing out thing is worth it??!! Also finished the pot holders and hot dish pad for my daughter and got them in the mail. Will post a picture as soon as I know she got them. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!!
Our weather has been pretty mild. High 60's during the day and high 20's at night. I'm sure it won't last and not sure I want it to..........it's too nice to be winter and do winter things, but to cold to get out and do spring things.

That's all I know for now. Take care and God bless. See you on the bus!

2012 Coming

2011-12-29T13:13:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

It's another sunny, blue sky day in Green Country Oklahoma! But time is quickly passing, and it will soon be another New Year. I hope you all have a very safe Happy New Year. We have no plans, other than firing off the shotgun at Midnight, as usual!

I do have two tidbits to share with you............one is a prayer for the new year: Dear God, My prayer for 2012 is for a fat bank account and a thin body. Please don't mix these up like you did last year. Amen.

And: You can only let your conscience by your guide when God guides your conscience! I love that one.

That's all I know for today. Until next time, take care and God bless you.

A Foxy Lady

2011-12-27T19:49:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

I took this through Kathy's living room window, over-looking the ledge and what little yard they have. This is Susie, a mature (grey?) fox, who comes up every afternoon between 3 and 4 to get her ration of dog food and bread rolls! And sometimes fruit or vegetables. Earlier she had 3 kits and was bringing them up with her, but they are bigger now and didn't come this day.

It is such a blessing to be able to watch these wonders of nature and God's creations up close and personal. She must live in a cave down over the cliff, and manages to come up to the top at feeding time. Here's another picture I took, not so good of Susie, but you can see the view again.

All is well here. My house is smelling less each day since Ronnie replaced the ring under the toilet in the guest bathroom. I tell ya, that sewer smell is enough to make you leave home! Got my laundry done up today so tomorrow, grocery shopping here I come!

That's all I know. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

That

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-26T20:20:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

What a great time we've been having. The day before Christmas Eve our friends Kathy and John took us to lunch at our favorite place in Muskogee. Her boss had given her a cash present and she wanted to share it with us! We had a great meal and a wonderful time visiting. She also gave me a gift certificate to Hobby Lobby; so I must hurry and go shopping soon! I gave her a bar of the soap my daughter made for me and some home made Biscotti. Yes, I re-gifted, but I think it was okay, I still have 4 bars of soap left! And I know Kathy loved it.

Later on the above mentioned day, Kathy contacted me and said she thought we should get together on Christmas Eve and have a party! I said that was a great idea, that I was baking a cake to celebrate Jesus' Birthday and I would bring it. Well, it ended up we had a great comfort food dinner - mac n cheese, grilled pork chops, weiners, deviled eggs, 5 bean casserole, cole slaw, fruit/jello salad and birthday cake and apple pie! The frosting came out of the tube as big as my little finger and I didn't have room for "birthday", but I'm sure Jesus didn't mind!

And best of all, Jackie - Kathy's dog - sang Happy Birthday with us and Jesus Loves Me. That dog cracks me up! You sign and she sits down and starts right in singing with you. A great time was had by all.

This Christmas tree is in Kathy's kitchen, by the sink. Yep, those are bobbers on it! They used to live on a lake..........

This is the bottom of her Cowboy tree in the living room. I should have gotten a full tree view, but didn't. You get the idea.

This is Kathy's collection of howling coyotes on her fireplace mantel.

There is always something to look at when you are at Kathy's house. I've got a couple more pics but I'll save them for tomorrow maybe. One thing we did while I was there: Kathy had a box of books she's read and wanted me to go through them. Lordy! I brought home about 22 books and they all look so good I can't wait. But first I have to finish the 2 library books I have here at home.

That's all I know for this time. Take care and God bless you. I hope your Christmas was full of joy.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T19:41:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Just a quick note from our four legged friends to wish you all a "woofing" good Christmas. So says Patch!

And not to be outdone, Salli sends her "woofs" for a Happy New Year too!

Couldn't get Jax the Cog - Cat who thinks he's a dog - to wear the scarf!

Made Snickerdoodles today for my husband, who didn't know what they were! Can you imagine that?! He loves them!

That's all I know. Until next time, take care and enjoy all the blessings God sends your way this Christmas.

Busy Day

2011-12-21T19:23:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Don't look too closely..........had to put something to look at on here!

We left home about 10:30 a.m. this morning, headed for Fort Smith, Arkansas. We both had appointments - 12:30/12:45 p.m. with Dr. Johnson, the dermatologist, for our yearly full body check for skin cancer. Ronnie was clear and fine; I had about 4 places where there were pre-cancerous cells and she froze them. One on my face, but that's okay. We were just happy with the results and good to go for another year!

After we left, we went to Chili's for lunch. I loved it - big bowl of baked potato soup, half a turkey sandwich and fries and great iced tea - but Ronnie not so much. Oh well, he indulges me every other time; next time we go out it will be his choice of place. After that we went to Petco to get some BIG doggie cookies and beggin strip snacks; then on to Home Depot to get some RidX for the septic tank to try to get rid of this terrible sewer gas odor filling the house. We will have to replace a toilet ring in the near future I'm sure.

Then as we get back in to Oklahoma, I miss my book - The Help - that I'd taken with me. I could have sworn I had it in the car, but can't find it. Called the doctor's office and they hadn't seen it. Don't have a clue where it is, but I sure as heck don't have it. And it was borrowed from my friend Kathy! So.............when we get to Sallisaw we stop at WalMart and I run in and buy a copy of the book. Well, at least now I can finish it, I was more than 1/2 way done - and Kathy will have a new copy!

So tonight my feet are tired, my frozen spots are irritable, and I'm tired. I tell ya, going to the big city just wears you out!!

That's all I know for now. Until next time, take care and look for God's blessings.

Ornament?

2011-12-20T19:08:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

I seem to have acquired a new ornament on top of my piano!

That is Jax. The most laid back feline I've ever had the privilege of owning! Totally declawed - front & back - loves outdoors, catches mice and rabbits and whatever, wakes you up at promptly 6 a.m. by sitting on your head! And if you don't get up, he will bite you just hard enough so that you know he's there! We love him.

That's all I know. Until next time, take care and God bless you always.

Busy Saturday

2011-12-19T19:26:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

This past Saturday was a great day. Ronnie went with his friend John to Fort Smith, Arkansas to a SASS shoot for the day; so I had time to do what ever I wanted! First thing I did was sit around and read for a few hours! I've now finished my latest book by my favorite author. I think it's the best one I've read so far; she is really great; Anne Rivers Siddon if you want to give her a try.

I finally decided it was time to make some Biscotti! It had been about 4 years since I made any, and my taste buds were working. The first phase looks like this. It bakes for 30 minutes and then cools for 10.

After the above cools for 10 minutes, you take a serrated knife and slice the slabs into these inidivdual biscotti. Then bake an additional 6 minutes; turn and bake 6 minutes more. Then cool completely.

Final step is to store them in the Biscotti jar by the coffee pot and hope you have enough willpower to leave them alone until morning coffee.......
or evening tea.

So, that's how my day went. I loved every minute of it too! Oh, I wanted to show you my new, hand picked, piece of Mistletoe! The trick is to drive around until you find a bunch low enought in a tree that you can reach! I don't know why this fascinates me so, but it does, and I love it!

That's all I know for now. Until next time, take care and may you take the time to recognize God's blessings to you. Chill out a little so you enjoy the Christmas season!

My Crafts & Stuff

2011-12-15T19:37:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

I thought I should share with you how I'm doing with my new "hobby". I'm a long way from hand quilting, but one step at a time I guess. These are a couple of potholders I made and gave to Kathy at Thanksgiving. The backs are faced with some denim from a pair of Ronnie's old jeans! How's that for being green?! :)

Sometimes I make then larger and use them for setting hot dishes on the table at supper time. I'm ready to graduate to table runners I think, and that's where my hand quilting will come in. I really don't know what I'm doing, but am trying to figure it out by trial and error. At least I'm getting more familiar with my little sewing machine. I can actually thread it without reading the book! ha

I got a notice in the mail that I'm getting a 3.6% raise on my Social Security check starting next month, so maybe I can afford a lesson or two in quilting. We'll see, don't know how far my $30 will go!

This is a jigsaw puzzle that we DID NOT finish putting together! It's a whole bunch of chickens and nothing else. Drove us nuts!

This is a puzzle we did finish. It was medium hard I'd say. Sorry if its a little out of focus.

I was in Dollar General the other day and went down the toy aisle. Lo and behold, I saw jigsaw puzzles! I bought 4 of them so we will be busy for quite awhile. I'm working on one now that is all different kinds of sea shells. Kind of hard but not as bad as the chickenss...........I don't think.

That's all I know for today. Until next time, take care and God Bless you.
I wonder if this big raise in SS means the bus will come sooner????!! See ya!

Critter

2011-12-14T19:35:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

This is going to be a very short post. We've been having a pretty wild thunder and lightening storm the last couple of hours. Along with pelting rain of course! I think it's about over, but you never know.

Since moving to Oklahoma almost 2 1/2 years ago, I have never seen a live one of these...........

I see lots of them in this state of being however! Kind of like opposum...
I think I've seen one live one and that was at our lake place in Missouri. He was rooting around digging trenches in the yard and leaves. They love to do that so I'm told.

That's all I know for today. Until next time, take care and God Bless you.
And some of you I'll see on the bus!

Kitchen Decor and.........

2011-12-13T19:39:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Hello again! Tonight I want you to see the beautiful carpet runners that are now in my kitchen (tongue in cheek). I tried to get something with as much red and blue in it as I could, so it would go with the rest of the kitchen decor. See below.

The purpose of these carpets is to make it so Salli (dog) will/can come into the kitchen. She was coming in with no problem, but then a couple of times she got spooked and took off on the slick laminate flooring and looked like a dog on ice, without the skates! Ever since then, she refuses to go into the kitchen. Which may not be a bad thing you say, but it is when you want to let her in or out the back door, or want her to come in to give her some food, etc. The runners did the trick.........she goes trotting right through the kitchen now without a problem. What we don't do for our pets!

Now, this next picture is of a contraption that supposedly gives you a moist, succulent baked chicken. Simply put a can of soda or beer in it and then plop the darned bird over the can so it's standing up so to speak; and bake in the oven.

I guarantee if you do the above, you will end up with this; a sparkling clean oven!

I have never seen such a mess in an oven in my life! Grease was splattered on all the walls, bottom and top, racks, and door. And that on top of what was already dirty in the oven really demanded an instant cleaning job! As for the chicken, Ronnie and I decided we'd rather stick to fried chicken! I suppose some of you will swear by this gadget, and if you do, happy cooking!

That's all I know until next time. Take care and God Bless you. And I'll see you on the bus!

Some of My Favorite Things

2011-12-12T19:39:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

I love to read - and pass on - words of wisdom and poems and inspirational sayings. So today I'm going to share with you a few I've been saving; and the bonus is if I put them on my blog, I'll be able to keep them and read them anytime I get the urge! Yay!! :)

Not a bad picture of the cedar arrangement on the bar between dining room and living room! Although it is getting a little limp! Time to cut more.......

When people walk away from you...let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they are bad people. It just means that their part in your story is over!

Love the people God gave you because He will need them back one day.

My middle daughter gave me this one Christmas many years ago.......... And the following little story is my recent favorite

To save the economy, on December 31, 2011, Congress will announce they are ordering the INS -the Immigration Department - to start deporting old people (instead of illegals) in order to lower Social Security and Medicare costs. Old people are easier to catch, and will not remember how to get back home! When I thought of you, I started to cry. Then it dawned on me...............
I'll see you on the bus!!

Until next time, take care and God Bless you. And for most of you dear friends that follow my blog..........I'll see you on the bus!! :)

This and That

2011-12-10T11:20:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Hey! Remember the picture I tried to take of my Christmas tree and posted a few days ago? Well check these out!!

The one above and the one below show (or try to show) my ornaments I made from last year's Christmas cards. I think they really look nice!

More close ups of the ornaments. In the one below, is my favorite. It's an angel jingle bell that one of my granddaughter's gave to me a few years back. During the rest of the year it hangs in my room on a mirror as a reminder of her.

And THIS my friends, is what is left for me and Ronnie!! Ahhh, but all is well. We just remember the things we got during the year when we wanted them!

So much for the tree saga! Yesterday was great. Took Ms Salli dog in to get her annual rabies booster. She weighed in a respectable 47 lbs and was a good girl. Ronnie had to carry her in of course, because when you put the leash on her she instantly freezes up! But, guess what?! Leaving she actually walked out on her own on the leash!! First time ever. Yay!!

Stopped by Dollar General on the way home and got new batteries for my camera - yay it works now - and some "money" cards for my grandkids. I can't believe I actually found 6 different ones. Then of course had to go by the bank and get the money to put in them! So now my "shopping" is done; what a breeze! If you wonder why I give money well............my kids all live 2000 miles away and mailing rates are awful. Besides, I have no idea what they want/need and what kid doesn't like to get money?!

Also stopped by a new thrift store on the way home. They have some nice stuff and it was fun looking around. Got myself a sweatshirt that says Florida (go figure), a book by my favorite author, a china cup and saucer for my tea and a blanket for Salli to lay on in the bedroom. All that for a mere $8 and change. Will have to keep an eye out for sure. Also, it's nice to know they take donations so you have a place to get rid of stuff! :)

That's all I know for now. Have a great weekend. Take care and God Bless.

No Excuse!

2011-12-06T15:17:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

I can't believe it's been since Thanksgiving that I've written, or not! That is a very clumsy sentence......... Anyway, I have no excuse other than that
I had Ronnie take this picture of me because I thought it was a "good hair" day, showing how I've grown out of my short, spikey hair cut, and since then my camera won't work! :) Go figure!! :)

I get a "batteries low" message and it won't take a picture. I changed the batteries and still get the same message. So I guess it will have to wait until I go to town and buy some more new batteries. Luckily, I did get a few pictures before my "do", but they aren't all that good. See below.

Our Christmas tree is up. In person it is standing up correctly! The pictue is all wiggly and blurry and I guess that's my fault. BUT, it really does look nice; and the ornaments I made out of last years Christmas cards are really nice looking hanging on it. And seeing who the cards were from is neat too. I don't know if you can turn it right side up or not. I did in Picasa, but it didn't take I guess. Can you tell I'm not a photographer or a blogger? hahaha

So the house is decorated as much as it is going to get. I've got a few wreaths hanging here and there, and an arrangement of greens and pointsettias and not much else. I just didn't feel like putting out all my Santas and snowmen this year. When no one comes to our house, it's kind of pointless to haul out all the stuff! I have enough to make it feel homey and Christmasy and I know the reason it's all there, and that's what counts. And this year I'm going to bake a birthday cake for Jesus!!

They have come and reworked our road, putting in a new culvert and rock and gravel, and hopefully our road won't wash out now when we have a downpour. Cross your fingers!

My brother moved in to his shipping container home the end of October. It seems strange not to see him every day. I guess they are doing fine and liking it quite well. I know Ronnie was probably as glad to have it finished as they were to move in. Although it did keep him busy most every day and out of the house!

Enough for today. I'm promising myself to do better at writing! I hope you all enjoy the preparations for Christmas and don't stress yourselves out!
Until next time, take care and God bless.

Blessings

2011-11-25T13:32:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Our Thanksgiving was very nice. I consider it a blessing to have found such wonderful friends as John and Kathy; here are two older couples whose children are far away, sitting down to enjoy good food and each others company and taking the time to be thankful for what God has given us. I think that is truly what the term "extended family" is all about.

The table was set so nice, with a mixture of "cowboy" and china!

We had a small turkey with all the trimmings (not shown :)

And lots of desserts! Our weaknesses in our "old age"...........

And a picture of Kathy taking pictures too!

We made it home around 4:30 or there abouts, and settled in to favorite chairs - after feeding the "kids" something. Because we ate early, about
6 p.m. I made two turkey sandwiches on yeast rolls for a snack! Yes, my dear friend sent home oodles of leftovers so we could enjoy the evening sandwich.....and more. At 8:30 p.m. we settled in to watch Lady Gaga's special and had some more dessert! As surprised as you might be to hear us say this, we really enjoyed her special.........she is quite the young woman, and very talented.

So! We had a blessed day, full of food and fellowship and knowing that all is right with our world. I hope you all had a day to remember too.

Until next time, take care and enjoy your blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T16:35:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Here it is Thanksgiving Eve, and I imagine most of you are busy prepping things for dinner tomorrow. We are going to some friends house, and Kathy loves to cook! So guess what? All I'm doing is making a pumpkin cake; which is in the oven as I speak! Can't wait..........and she is such a good friend, she sends leftovers home with us (we were there last year too). So I don't miss out on that all important turkey sandwich while watching TV in the evening. Just thinking of all that makes me happy!! :)

This picture below is of the pecans we bought from an orchard the other day on the way home from buying groceries. It was so interesting talking to the lady of the farm, and finding out about the pecan business. She said they have 300 to 400 pecan trees, and only one person working for them to harvest them! He uses a funny looking ball with spoke things on the end of a stick and rolls it over the nuts and it picks them right up! Amazing! Inside the big barn type building they had a fire going which was big barrels stacked up and the heat pushed down a pipe coming out under the pecans in a wire trough. After they dry them, they crack some, shell some and do a mixture of some and sell them to the public for $20 a 10 pound bag. I bought 1 bag and got about 10 cups of shelled pecans; works out to about $2 a cup, and you can't buy them in the store for that, as you know! She said the trees were planted in 1947, which makes them almost as old as me!

I'm thinking I might go buy another bag before the season is over........

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. It is my favorite Holiday of the year. I can remember cooking a huge dinner for 20 or more in days gone by. And I love to eat with those who have no family close by - which is what we do. It helps when my family is 2000 miles away! I know they will all be getting together and I wish them a wonderful day..... I'll miss them, but all the noise and hustle and bustle not so much.

I will count my blessings and give thanks to the Lord.

Until next time, take care and give thanks for all your blessings.

Hide & Seek

2011-11-14T13:36:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

This coming Saturday, the 19th, regular deer season opens. And for 16 days these little Bambi's will have to fight for their lives!

Top pic they are pretty visible, not so much in the bottom one as I'm looking through tall grass. So you need to do better little ones and HIDE good; cause some mean old hunters will come to SEEK you out!

\

And that very same night, the moon was very full and HUGE; but of course it didn't show up as such in my picture. And I was not steady......but you get the idea. It was very dark, but the moon lit up the area quite well.

Been busy today doing laundry as usual. It is Monday, after all. Not much else going on here today. Started another jigsaw puzzle yesterday, and a new book.

See you next time. Take care and God's blessings to you.

Friday Night Supper

2011-11-12T13:36:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

A trip last night to Ronnie's favorite place for catfish! It was his reward for fixing the floor in the front room........... :)

See you next time. Take care and God's blessing on you.

Autumn Leaves

2011-11-10T11:43:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Well, here it is Thursday already! My favorite television night with Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Those are about the only 2 shows I watch faithfully that are outside of the Home and Garden channel.

Anyway, I know you are probably tired of seeing pictures of trees, but I am still amazed that I find these right in my own front and back yards! So bear with me. If nothing else, they show that most of the "color" this year is gold/yellow. There is some red thrown in, but not as much as last year.

This one shows the "rust" or "bronze" color, which is nice too.

And this one is of what they call a cedar tree. I prefer to think they are Juniper trees and these are juniper berries and they make gin out of them!
Whatever, they make good greens at Christmas time!

And this is my shadow on a clear, bright, blue sky, sunny day in Oklahoma!

Hope you weren't too bored. I finished a potholder and 2 hot dish pads yesterday and gave them and an embroidered dish towel to Tom and Mary for a house warming present. I think I'm getting better with the sewing machine, but I still need improvement! What I really need is some quilting lessons, just need to find the money! I know where the lessons are................

Until next time, take care and look for God's blessings in your life.

Another Road Trip

2011-11-08T16:17:00.000-06:00

GREETINGS!

Saturday rolled around as usual, and I thought Ronnie and I would go do something, but brother Tom beat me to it. He and Ronnie took off in the morning and went to Muskogee shopping! And I'll tell you, I was so tired of being in this house for so long I decided I'd go by myself on a little excursion!

Of course, had to pass the chicken barns on the way out. Coming right along! These buildings are so huge I can't imagine the cost of all the lumber, steel for roof and cement floors and side walls. Amazing! Oh, they don't show in this picture, but there are 2 porta potties that keep getting knocked over by the wind and rain and earthquakes! Poor workers!

Once out on the road, I headed for Talequah, OK. That is the capitol of the Cherokee Nation, and a nice mid-sized town. The road I took up there winds through the Cookson Hills and I do mean it is hilly and curvy! But the colors on the trees was well worth it. Beautiful!! I came home another route, not wanting to do all the curves again, and that included the Muskogee Turnpike. A nice straight shot and good road all the way. I covered a little over 114 miles all totaled.

While in Talequah, I went to a farm/supply type store and bought an electric heater that looks like a small wood stove. Will be nice to take the chill off and pretend I'm watching a real fire! Once I get it all fixed "just so". Cozy.............

It was kind of dark in the living room, but you get the idea.

Sunday Ronnie went shooting - again - so I went to church with my friend Judy. This is a really small church, but is closer to home and everyone seems quite friendly. It's called Green Valley Baptist, and it does sit in the middle of a big green valley!

Yesterday, Monday, was of course laundry day. Also ended up going to Sallisaw to WalMart because I was out of flea medicine for Salli. And of course that means you might as well pick up some groceries, etc. I was really worn out come last evening. But, as I was sitting in my big chair watching Dancing With The Stars, my chair started shaking! and that really perked me up! We had another earthquake at 8:46 last night. It's the first one I've actually felt, and it only lasted what seemed like a couple of seconds. But there were also tornado warnings and watches last night and early this morning we had thunder and pouring down rain. If you need a variety of weather, come on down to Oklahoma! :) It has rained so hard our road is washed out again so I am home bound until the county comes to fix it.

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary! We were going to go out to dinner, but can't get out; so Ronnie made a huge pot of his yummy chili and we'll gorge ourselves on that! I am grateful to our Lord for keeping us safe and blessing our marriage.

Until next time, take care and enjoy God's blessings.

Recycled Shed

2011-11-03T14:34:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

Back when I had my donkeys, Ronnie built a shed for them in which I used to feed them and curry/brush them; and hope they would come in out of the rain in (like that never happened!. And that shed was attached to the wall of the pumphouse below.

Well, we decided the shed was serving no purpose there anymore so we should move it! Ronnie tore it down piece by piece (and numbered them) and rebuilt it at the back of our back yard.

It now houses his 4 wheeler and my lawn mower cart, with a lean-to added in the back for the other 2 lawn mowers!

He put doors on the front (which it didn't have before) and it really looks quite nice I think.

I guess that just proves there is always some way to use and re-use things, and we should be a little more in to looking for ways to recycle!

Until next time, have a great day and take care. May God shower you with his blessings; and may you take the time to notice them.

Fort Smith, Arkansas

2011-11-01T13:09:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

Gosh, I'm really getting slow in posting some of my pictures. I took these on my birthday - October 22nd - and am just now posting. But I'm sure nothing has changed in that time between then and now! :)

Here is the cake I made for myself on my birthday....It was really good!

This is coming in to the "old town" of Ft. Smith. What I love about it is all the old brick/ornate buildings and that they all hold a business that seems to be flourishing. Something you don't find in a lot of cities.

This is a beautiful Catholic church at the edge of "old town", kind of on a slight hill. The architecture is amazing.

I love this: It's a "doggie wash" place with sink, etc. to give your pet a bath and no mess at home! And its conveniently located at a car wash.....

And this! This is why I'm glad I live in the country.........a normal "traffic flow" on a Saturday afternoon. Don't miss it at all!!

Fort Smith, Arkansas is a neat place. It is closer for us than Tulsa so we go there more. And it has all the shops, stores, restaurants, etc. you could want. It's nice to visit, but nice to know you don't have all that hustle and bustle to contend with on a daily basis.

Until next time, take care and may God shower you with his blessings.

Road Trip!

2011-10-31T12:19:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

Saturday was go to the city day, and it turned in to a road trip by the time we had made all the stops!

Starting out of course, we had to pass the new "chicken barns" being built.
They are coming right along with #1.

And #2 is getting a start as you can see on the far right.

Somewhere between Muskogee and Checota, along the freeway - I69 South - were these beautiful golden trees. I don't know what they are, but when the sun hits them just right they are georgeous! The picture doesn't do it justice, that's for sure!

And close to home again, we see 2 deer in the brush/pasture. We saw 4 all totaled, but 2 here. (enlarge to see better)

So, we went to Muskogee to the Sooner Surplus Store where they have all sorts of things they've bought out from other stores. Furniture, electronics, clothes, shoes, some food, etc. It's always fun to go in and look around. Also in Muskogee, we went to Wall's - another surplus store - and bought a new fake Christmas tree! It's not super, but it will do. We went to Hobby Lobby also and looked at trees....Now that was hilarious! The cheapest one was $100+ and that was a little thing; most were $200 and up, and that was with 40% off! Needless to say, we didn't buy one there! I did buy a few fat quarters there though.

Then we left Muskogee and went to Checotah to grocery shop. But before shopping we stopped at Denny's for an early supper/late dinner. Nothing fancy, but it was good. Ronnie ordered a Philly sandwich and when it came he was upset because it had cooked red and green peppers on it! Which he absolutely hates - says they make him sick! I had ordered the senior chicken fried steak supper with mashed potatoes and cole slaw so I traded him. It worked out fine, and the sandwich was very good! I know he knows the trademark of a philly sand is peppers; he must have forgot! Senior moment maybe.........

Anyway, on to WalMart for groceries and new jeans for Ronnie. Got a new rug for the back door since it will soon be wet season with doggies coming in! Then to Shelton's where we buy milk and meat. I tell you, by the time we got home - around 6 p.m. - I was really worn out! I think we'd covered at least over 100 miles. Who knew shopping could be so exhausting?! I guess that's the way it is when you live in the far out country.

Until next time, take care and enjoy God's Blessings.

How To Pass The Day

2011-10-26T14:34:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

In the last few weeks we have started doing jigsaw puzzles.... or rather Ronnie has! He gets going on one and doesn't quit until its done; where I would do it over several days. But this is the latest one completed.

It's a great way to wile away the time if you've nothing better to do!

Oh, to Carolina Nana: my daughter's website is not completed yet, as I'm sure you found out when you tried to visit. Sorry, I posted that information not knowing it wasn't done. She said you can go to her Facebook page to see more about her products if you do Facebook. Hope you can find it! Up in the search line on top left side type in A Tree by the River.

Until next time, take care and enjoy God's Blessings!

My Birthday

2011-10-25T14:05:00.001-05:00

GREETINGS!

Last Saturday - the 22nd - was my birthday. I was a wonderful 67 years old! I say that because life is good, and God has given me an extra 20 years for which I am grateful. A little over 20 years ago I had a brain aneurysm and did what most people don't do..........I survived! So each year is a milestone that I thank the Lord for.

Anyway, in the mail yesterday I got a package from my daughter and grand daughter in Bonney Lake, Washington. Here are the contents:

From daughter some wonderful, organic home made soaps that smell divine and leave you squeaky clean! I love them.

And from Grand daughter a hand made cotton dish rag that I love!

This is the first one she made for me, so I was really happy to get a new one!

I need to work on my close-ups with my new camera I see! But you get the gist of it!

This is my daughter's business card for her soap selling adventure. Well shoot, it's blurry too. But you can go to www.atreebytheriver.com to see her website and what she has to offer. The name of her busines is A Tree By The River, Farm & Soaps, Hand-made soaps & farm goods. I know she'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, take care and enjoy God's blessings.

Need A Pet?

2011-10-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

On the way home Saturday we saw this in the road - about 1 1/2 miles from our house. I thought Ronnie had run over it, but he didn't, and had to back up and get a picture!

This is a "rear view" shot of it. Would have been better if from the front.
These are brown Tarantulas and not poisonous. The kind used for pets.
I keep thinking I should sell them, but don't know how to mail them! :)

This one was in our back yard and we saw him while eating supper last night. Of course Ronnie had to run out and take a picture. And the Tarantula was moving fast, and Ronnie was flicking it out, and it got irritated and kind of balled up! After the picture Ronnie got it on a stick and took it out to the bushes further away from the house. I think he was headed under our trailer!! :(

So if you want a new pet I seem to have quite a few around now. :) Just let me know!

Until next time, take care and God's Blessings to you.

Custom Made Sewing Table

2011-10-20T13:14:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

As you might recall, I bought a new starter sewing machine a while back. It was a portable and was very hard for me to sew on due to the narrow space given to sew on. So I asked my talented husband if he could build me a table and make the sewing area flush with it. And here is the finished product!

It's great being married to a master cabinet maker! Sewing is so much easier now with a bigger surface to work on. Thank you honey!

I even finished another potholder and "quilted" it on the machine. I've ordered a couple of books on quilting projects and am anxious to get them. I'm hoping they have patterns and ideas and most of all instructions!!

Until next time, take care and enjoy all the blessings God sends your way.

I'm Baaack!!

2011-10-19T19:27:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

Well,here is the first picture taken with my new camera! WalMart did not have a card for my old camera since it is so old, so I bought a new Vivitar. It's so cute! The camera was only $40 and the card was $10, and then I had to buy batteries, but all in all I think it was very reasonable. I think it's my happy birthday present! Nothing fancy, well maybe some if you read the book, but I don't do fancy - just point and shoot! Seems to take good clear pictures - I mean look at those wrinkles on my poor old face. Thank you Ronnie...............

Then he took a picture of the pumpkins lined up outside of WalMart. Nice!

Last Sunday my brother had a BBQ and invited the neighbors from the ridge and holler. There were 11 of us in all. Tom BBQ'd 4 big pieces of Brisket and we had potatoes on the grill too. I made a big macaroni salad, a cole slaw, a cold corn salad, a big bowl of baked beans and a jello salad. Mary made a cake. So we had a great feast and lots of fellowship and laughter. Was nice to get to know the neighbors better. It was also a thank you to them for letting the guys borrow things, etc. during the building. Our yard
looked like a used lot for 4 wheelers as that is the mode of transportation up here in the hills! :)

Sunday morning my friend Judy and I went to a different church for the first time. It is only 8.5 miles from home vs. 16 where I was going before. It's called Green Valley Baptist, and it literally sits in the middle of a big, green valley with cows on each side occasionally! It was a very nice sermon, the pastor was very friendly and so were the people. We sang several old hymns and the pastor played the piano for them. Great job. I think we may go back again this Sunday. It is a quite small church, both building and congregation wise, and we are hoping to feel a connection and have a real church family. Time will tell.

I am so thankful to be able to post again with pictures! Well, that's about all for this time. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Got To Take a Break!

2011-10-18T12:41:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

I won't be posting anything for a while. My camera is not working and I can't blog without a picture(s)! The card in my digital camera is locked and the lock lever broke off and I can't fix it, so no pictures until I buy a new card! Now isn't that disgusting?! As Ronnie said, I could probably buy a new camera for the price of the new card; but I really like this little old camera that I bought for Ronnie - must be nigh on to 10 years ago!

So, until my next trip to WalMart - sometime this week - you won't hear from me. Got stuff to tell too! :)

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

A Whole Bunch of Cluckin'

2011-10-13T14:21:00.001-05:00

GREETINGS!
About 1 mile by road or as the crow flies from our house, they are building two commercial chicken raising barns. I don't know what the correct term is. Anyway, they took some great pasture land and old gnarled trees out and cleared the land. (Pic 1)

Now they've started the building of the 1st barn and the 2nd to follow. (Pic #2 below)

We heard that the first chickens should come in mid November, but I kind of doubt they will make that now, as the building just started this week and they are huge! Anyway, this is some commercial company out of Sallisaw, OK and they furnish the baby chicks and pick them up and truck them away when they are big enough.

I'm wondering if the smell will be noticeable here, being just 1 mile away!
Will keep you posted on progress.

Until next time, take care and God Bless you.

Sunday Dinner

2011-10-10T16:01:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

It was a lazy Sunday, so what could be better than a roasted chicken, and...

a home made apple pie!

Went shooting with Ronnie on Saturday and had a nice visit with my friend Kathy. She is making another trip up to Wisconsin to her parents this week. This will be about her 4th trip and hopefully her last for the winter. Her parents sold their home, her Dad has been very ill, and the move entails about 30+ years of stuff in the house! Kathy will have her work cut out for her this trip! But what a thoughtful daughter she is. We should all be so lucky.

Anyway, other than that it was a quiet weekend. Hope yours was enjoyable.
Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Wrapping Up The Week

2011-10-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

Thought I'd just finish up the week with what I've been doing. As you can see, the cows have been back - 3 mornings this past week! Anywhere's from 4 to 6 of them. The dogs love to chase them out and up the road! Good practice for our Border Collie, and he's teaching Ms. Salli a thing or two on the fine art of "herding".

Yesterday I went to the Quilt Shop and bought some material to make some potholders so I can practice my hand quilting. I picked up 3 "fat quarters" and should get at least 6 potholders out of them. Also got the "stuffing" and some needles. They laugh at me in the store because I don't know what I'm doing, but I'll figure it out! I'm sure it will be fun and challenging!

After that, I went on up the road and stopped at an antique store to price the old metal bed frames they have sitting outside. I want one for my full size bed, and the store has several of them. Unfortunately, she wants $100 for any one of them. Kind of out of my range right now. Especially since its the whole bed ensemble and I only want a head board! But it was good to find out.

Then on to WalMart for flea meds for the dogs and dog food and a little bit of people food! Nothing too exciting happened there.........then I headed for home.

Now, if you are faint of heart, don't look at the last two pictures. Every once in a while I get the urge to curl my hair, and so I got a perm this past week. I know I'm not supposed to be vain, but I think it looks pretty good. HOWEVER, you would not think that when you look at these two pictures!! Why do I look so much better when I look in the mirror, as opposed to the camera? Only God knows!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Now, I must say, it has loosened up some since this picture and looks okay. Now is I could just find a cure for wrinkles and lines.......... Hope it didn't scare you too badly; kind of looks like I'm drunk or drugged or something; or ready for Halloween! Now that takes NERVE!!

Until next time, have a great weekend. Take care and God Bless.

Apples - Hooray!

2011-10-06T14:22:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

I have been having conniption fits over the lack of apples in Oklahoma! I have not seen one single apple tree in my area in over 2 years of looking. Now that may not seem strange to you all, but me being from Washington State where Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gravensteins, etc. are a dime a dozen and every where you look, it is most frightening to find none!

Oh, you can buy apples at WalMart, but they are quite expensive right now, and not all that good. What to do????? Well, my friend Kathy has been going to Wisconsin to help her folks out and she said she would bring back some apples! So last week I got some wonderful MacIntosh apples from Wisconsin. She brought me 4 bags of them and I was a happy camper!!

This beautiful dish of apples turned in to a super good apple crisp -below.

And the peelings and cores went out in the field for the deer. Waste not want not you know! And we've been having 3 does and 2 fawns come into the yard and field almost every night around 6 p.m. Perfect!

So, I'm happy to say I still have apples left, and may try freezing some for future pies and such. Fall DEMANDS apple stuff!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Wanna Be Clean?

2011-10-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

Like the title asks, "Wanna be clean?" Just follow the sign!

This is in a little family owned restaurant in Warner, OK, where we go once in a while. Always thought the sign was cute and wanted to take a picture.
Mission accomplished!!

Until next time, have a great day. Take care and God Bless!

Cow Chip Days

2011-10-03T13:35:00.001-05:00

GREETINGS!

Now how exciting is that?! A special day with a parade and a fairway and all sorts of fun just to see who can throw a "cow chip" the furthest! It is recommended that the "chips" are nice and dry for best results...

We parked at the end of the parade route, so didn't really see the parade per se, but we were right next to the "fair way" and watched them setting up and people watched. What fun. It's a good idea to double click on all the pictures so you can see the details.

This first picture is a shot of where all the booths were setting up. There were food booths, a lot of church booths with free desserts and drinks, face painting, t-shirts, jewelry, snakes and spiders, a band, etc. Never did find out when they were throwing the cow chips!

This one is of a teenage girl in her cowboy boots and jeans with sparkles on the rear pockets. Be sure to double click on the picture so you can get the whole effect! I thought it was interesting..........

And this another one of 2 teen girls and their cowboy boots. They'd gone to the face painting booth and were showing their Grandma I guess. It's amazing - or not - as to all the cowboy boots I saw on young people!

This is a good sized white wagon that was on its way to the parade.

And this is a carriage type wagon on the way to the parade.

And two members of the Senior population making their way in to have a look.

And my favorite, that just happened to stop by my car on their way to join the parade. All in all, it was a fun time.

Maybe next year we will be better prepared to see the parade and partake in the "fair way" stuff. This year we were 3 hours early for the whole thing and that gave us too much time to people watch! We were worn out while everyone else was just getting into the spirit! But I am thankful for the beautiful day God provided.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

Time Slips Away

2011-10-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

The batteries in my camera need to be replaced, so I drug out this last year's picture of the Fall wagon that a lady down the way always does. It is always nice to see this time of year, and breaks the monotony of all words!!

I've missed a couple of days blogging, and have no excuse other than the time just slipped away from me. Who would think that could happen when you are retired and don't really have much on your plate? Strange, isn't it?
But to catch you up here's what's been going on..........

Sister-in-law Mary's birthday was the 27th, and they went out for supper and a little entertainment. On the way home at dark thirty, they saw a little dog running back and forth across the gravel road. So they stopped and picked up the little gal and brought her home. What a cutie too! She is some kind of full blood Terrier we think, and very adorable. Seems to be potty trained and all; but is a little thin. It appears she was dumped off, so she was very lucky to be found by someone willing to give her a good home. Her new name is Brandy; her new brother and sister didn't like her to much at first, but I guess it's getting better. Now her and my Salli is another story all together!

The other day I noticed the front,passenger tire on my van was completely bald on the outer edge. So..........had to buy a new tire yesterday. They are so expensive! But now I feel safer.........of course I must have been driving with it like that for a long time, just didn't know it. Also went grocery shopping yesterday. That probably doesn't seem "newsworthy" to some of you, but when you have to drive 30 miles one way to the nearest store and get enough stuff for a couple weeks, it's a big deal! Got most of the ordinary stuff at WalMart and then on to Shelton's to buy meat. They have an on-site butcher and their meat is not pre-packaged, and the prices seem to be better. After spending close to $300 I had to come home and carry it all in and put things away.....the worst part of shopping!!

Being worn out and not feeling like cooking, we had pizza and salad for supper. Suited us both just fine. Then just as we were finishing, brother Tom came with a watermelon he just picked from the garden! We split it in half and shared; the smell was divine and who would think fresh, home grown watermelon the end of September! And I'm so thankful for the cantelope he grew and shared with us this summer; don't have to worry about the listeria outbreak!

So you see how the time just gets away from you? :) Until next time, take care and God shower you with His blessings.

NO MORE BACKING UP!!

2011-09-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

I don't know if you can follow these pictures or not, but here's how it goes. A while ago I thought it would be nice to have a "circular" driveway so I didn't have to back up to get out all the time. (And of course I never did it right! Was on the grass, crooked, etc.) So the other day I heard the tractor and went out to look and there was Ronnie pushing down small trees and making me a new road/driveway! I was a happy camper.

This first picture is a shot of the existing driveway and shows the new one going off to the left. Our house is behind that little copse of trees.

Just another shot of the new road winding to the house, with Patch watching!

And these two show the new road merging in to the existing drive where I park my car.

And this one shows the drive veering to the right meeting the main drive by the pump house and heading out to the road.

The drive is really not circular - I call it tear-drop shaped! But I love it! Of course it needs some rock/gravel, but we are waiting to get it packed down some before doing that. There were several deep places where trees came out that need the dirt to settle. Anyhoo, husbands are handy!!

That's all for today. Until next time, take care and God bless you.

HOBBY TIME

2011-09-27T15:24:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS FROM GREEN COUNTRY!

Oh my gosh! Two days in a row! :) That's a good start to the Fall Season.

Last Saturday Ronnie and I took about an 8 hour road trip. We went East on I40 towards Oklahoma City, looking for a Mall that we had stopped at a couple years ago. Unfortunately, we did not find it; I guess it was further than we thought! We drove about 30 miles past where I thought it was, then turned around and headed back. Went to Henryetta and stopped at a WalMart - I was looking for a certain sewing machine. Nothing. So we continued on using state highways as opposed to the Interstate.

This is my new sewing machine, which I finally found in a WalMart store in Okmulgee, OK. My plan is to learn to quilt things like place mats, table runners, pot holders, luncheon cloths, etc., so I thought I should have a sewing machine to make the things to quilt! Now I just have to learn to sew and quilt! :) So far its not going so well, but I'm going to go to a quilt shop and get some help!

We also found a Payless Shoe store in Okmulgee where I was able to get a new pair of mule tennis shoes I'd been wanting. They are not exactly what I had in mind, but will do. Then on through the beautiful countryside to Muskogee and the Golden Corral for supper. Then a stop at our friends house to pick up some embroidery hoops and a chicken table runner that some of you would love! and a short visit; then home. The plan is to make a chicken runner using hers as a pattern. Will keep you posted on that! :)

All in all, it was a great day - after the fussing about where the Mall was! Hope you all had a good day. I am so thankful for what God has provided for me in my later years.

Until next time, take care and be safe.

Sad Day

2011-09-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS FROM GREEN COUNTRY!

It has been a long time since I've posted. I guess because the summer was so HOT and long and there wasn't a whole lot to "blog" about! And it hurts to start in again with this story.............

Over Labor Day Weekend I gave my friends Eeyore and Jenny to a new home.
That's Eeyore on the left and Jenny on the right. They are looking at me as if to say, "What ARE you doing?!"

If we run really fast, they can't catch us and we'll be okay Jenny.

Ronnie and Uncle Tom think they can coax us close with some food...Ha!
We see that lasso in your hand!

Here's Jenny getting the old Heave Ho into the trailer beside Eyeore.
FINALLY! It only took about 3 hours to get to this point............

And away they go down the drive towards their new home. It was a sad time I tell ya!

And so it goes. Because the Summer was so ungodly hot and there was no hay to be bought, and the grass had all burnt up, and I couldn't afford enough grain (which wasn't enough to sustain them anyway) I decided to give them away. A very nice woman saw my ad on Criag's list and wanted them for her 20th anniversary present! She was very excited and I'm pretty sure they will have a good home. She lives in the country and has horses and pastures and ponds and surely seemed to love my donkeys. She called me later in the day and said they had unloaded easily and Eyeore was happy to see the horses!

It still hurt to give them up; who would guess you could become so attached to two donkeys in such a short time. I think I only had them about 6 months. But as they say: life goes on. Until next time I wish you well.
God Bless you and keep you safe.

The End

2011-07-25T09:01:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

Once upon a time our grass was green.

And our tomatoes were growing and producing.

And my Lemon Balm was tall and green too.

All of that has come to an end with the heat. I hope you all are managing in this weather. Stay cool as you can and drink lots of water! And give thanks to the Lord for seeing us through this. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Annual Cowboy Picnic

2011-07-14T19:41:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

It's been a few days since I've posted, and what do I find when trying, but a whole new way of adding pictures. Which really messed me up (of course it doesn't take much to do that!) and took quite a while to figure out. But I think I've got it half way under control. :)

Anyhoo, on July 9th Ronnie's Single Action Shooting Society club, aka the Rattlesnake Mountain Rangers, had their monthly shoot followed by their annual cowboy picnic. Since it was soooooo HOT, it was held at the home of the Club leader so the "boys" could cool down a bit.

Black River Jack (cowboy name) and his wife, Kathy, live on the edge of a cliff which provides them with an outstanding view of the valley below. See pictures.

Across the valley, just beyond the middle tree line, runs I 40 to Oklahoma City and/or Fort Smith, Arkansas and points in between and beyond!

These two pictures are of the yard - what little there is before the drop off - and show some of Kathy's handyword at pond building and landscaping. It's really quite beautiful and nature friendly.

Kathy also cooked all the vittles for the picnic, and of course they were delicious! Big platters of cold cuts and cheeses, rolls and buns, sloppy joe fixins, potato salad, 5 bean/meat casserole, vinegar/sugared sliced cukes, chips, chocolate cake, ice cream cake, apple cider pie w/sour cream & Cream cheese, and another pie that escapes me! Oh, and iced tea, soda, bottled water, lemonade and coffee. I think I remembered it all...........it was sure good, I know that.

And a great time was had by all! Was a kick to see 12 grown men dressed in authentic cowboy gear, seated at the dining table munching away. Guns checked at the door, of course!! :)

I am thankful that Ronnie has a hobby that he is so passionate about. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

P.S. We are still having extreme heat in the 100's with no end in sight. I am also thankful that our air conditioner is holding up to the task!

Haying Time

2011-07-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

A few days ago I went somewhere - would you believe I don't remember where? - and snapped these pictures of some hay fields. It is so great to see the hay all cut and laying to dry, and then the rakes coming along and putting it in rows. And finally the huge round bales scattered all over the fields. Not to mention the wonderful smell of fresh hay!

And this last picture is of the bale of hay we bought today for Eeyore and Jenny. It is one of last years, so it was only $40. I hear this years has gone up to $45 a bale. We had to buy one because it has been so hot the grass is all dried up and with no rain it can't grow and replenish itself. When Ronnie put it in place, they dove right in and haven't left it all day!

It was 105 (regular) degrees today. And the forecast for the next week or more is 104 on up every day. Thank the Lord for air conditioning. The dogs are spending a lot of time indoors too. I hope you all are staying fairly cool.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

How To Beat The Heat

2011-07-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

This is how I'm staying cool in this 100+ degree weather. I feel for y'all if you don't have a Muu Muu!

Have a Happy 4th of July tomorrow! Take care and God Bless.

Checotah

2011-07-02T13:31:00.001-05:00

GREETINGS!

I'm having a problem posting my blog! Did one yesterday and it won't post -- tells me javascript void, whatever that means. So this is kind of a test blog. If it works I'll redo yesterdays. Now isn't that clever?!

Left home this morning at 7:30 a.m. and headed to Chechotah to hit WalMart and Atwood's. Got the shopping done and then stopped at the donut shop for a fresh donut and cup of coffee. Very good.........that's the perk of going early in the day.

Got some good pictures of this years hay fields and bales, and will post them later if this is a success!

Until next time, take care and God bless.

OK! My guru sister in law fixed it! I spent a long time on the phone with the help desk to no avail, and then Mary came and got it working. Thank you to her, for sure. It was apparently some setting that needed fixing.
Will do more later.

From The Garden

2011-07-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

GREETINGS!

I cannot believe it's been a whole week since I posted! And I have no excuse other than time just seems to slip away.

We have been busy trying to stay cool, but what's new?! The report is we had 29 out of 30 days in June over 90 degrees. And this week is all 100 or over, so a hot 4th of July is coming. Get out the sun screen or crank up the air conditioning; or both!

These cute little cucumbers are from Mary's garden. I had some in a salad for lunch today and they were great. She said some were bitter, but I used my "rub the cut ends together" secret and they weren't bitter to me! Anyone else ever hear of that little secret?

And these are Early Girl tomatoes Mary shared with us as ours are a later variety and aren't ripe yet. Although, I did eat one of my black Cherokee tomatoes - that wasn't totally ripe - and it was out of this world. Got more getting ripe and can't wait. Will definitely plant more of them next year.

And this.........this is Webbers Falls Sweet Corn! I want to tell you, it is the best sweet corn I've ever eaten. Ronnie and Tom bought a bushel a week or so ago and we split it. Then a couple days ago, they bought another bushel. So we each ended up with a bushel. One was $10 and one was $12 - from different farmers. The locals say to just freeze it in bags with the husk on - no muss or fuss - and that's what we did. Saving out enough for a few dinners of course! We did take enough for a couple suppers off the cob, and it was delicious also.

So, tomorrow is go to town day and get the traditional 4th of July watermelon to go with the corn on the cob and who knows what else! Mary's watermelons and cantelopes aren't big enought to harvest yet, so we have to buy them! Can't wait for home grown ones.

I hope you have a great weekend and remember what we are really celebrating!------
One nation, under God, with Liberty and Justice for all. Thank you Lord. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Girls Day Out

2011-06-22T19:03:00.006-05:00

GREETINGS!

I am so slow in posting about my great "girls day out" I can't believe it. Last Thursday, a week ago tomorrow, my friend Judy and I met for lunch. We went to Duke's Diner in Warner, OK. A nice little Mom & Pop place in a small town. The food was good and the conversation was even better. It's amazing how one misses actual oral conversation with a real person! All this email, facebook and twitter stuff just doesn't cut it if you ask me!

While we were eating and talking, a woman with 3 little boys - a set of twins about 4and another boy about 8 or so - came in and sat next to us. I have never seen such well behaved children - boys especially - in a restaurant! They were very quiet, no fighting, no boisterous or loud talking, etc. I made it a point to let the woman know how impressed I was with her children; and she was very pleased.

After lunch we went to a huge shop called Country Boy to look around. They have anything and everything you could want to furnish/accessorize your home - especially in a Western motif. They have Fiesta ware - expensive, jewelry, antiques, linens and things, hand made wooden, Western style furniture, a huge room of cowboy boots, etc. AND, I found the barn star I've been wanting to add to the outside of our mobile. See below.

These are pictures of the stars I put up on one end of our house when we moved in.
I thought they were looking kind of lonely, and the other end of the house kind of bare! So...............

This is the BIG barn star I bought at the Country Boy store. I had Ronnie hang it at the opposite end of the house for balance. It looks pretty good to me. I should have gotten back further and took a picture of the whole front, but I didn't! Anyway, I'm a happy camper.

After shopping there, we went to the library. For a very small town, they have a very nice library. I got a library card and checked out 3 books so I'm set for a couple weeks. It is soooooo different than when I was a kid. I was looking inside the books for the card to tell me when they were due, and there was nothing. Then when I opened the book I started today, there inside the cover was a "receipt" just like when you use your Debit card, with the names of the books and the due date.

And that was the end of a very delightful day. We promised to do that type of thing once a month, and I so hope we do. I hope you all take time to have close and personal get togethers with your friends. It's another blessing from our Father.....
Until next time, take care and God bless. Have a nice weekend.

Why I Love Oklahoma

2011-06-21T10:37:00.007-05:00

GREETINGS!

Yesterday I posted pictures of our "neighborhood" and didn't get these included. So I thought I'd finish up and then be done with it..............for a while! :)

This is the road I most often take to "town". As you can see, a creek runs across it. What doesn't show very well is that it creates quite a dip in the road, and if it's been raining hard, I can't take my van through it because it's too deep. Going about to the 2nd white post on the short fence on the right.

This is a great picture of the wide "open" spaces! If you see waaayy in the background the dark ridge, starting far left, that's where we live - up on top. This picture is about 3 miles from home, looking South.

This is a continuation of the picture above, moving to the right. There is just something about the open spaces here that melt my heart! Love it.

It's somewhat cooler today, being in the high 80's. North of us they got some bad weather last night, and we were hoping to get some of the rain but it didn't happen. Not much going on today except laundry and de-flying the donkeys! Hope you are having a great day. I give thanks to the Lord for all that He has given me; and I sometimes need to work harder at defining/recognizing those things!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Things Are Good In The "Hood"

2011-06-20T13:46:00.011-05:00

GREETINGS!

Had to run in to Gore - little town - this morning for dog food, milk and gas, so grabbed my camera and made several stops along the way! Just had to take some pics of things in the hood..............

Whoever said corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July" didn't live in Oklahoma!
Two weeks to go to then, and this is over my head! :)

Here are some bovines trying to get cool under a tree................

Here is the bovines "pond" across the road! Poor things.

A patch of orange day lillies along the road. Love them!

This to me is waiting for Norman Rockwell to paint it. The old dock and the Swimmin' Hole! Never see a sole around it.................

More bovines...........white ones! Lots of white ones around this neck of the woods.

The "Whitey's" pond in the background. I'm sure they'll be in it soon!

Just a little of the scenery on my way to "town". Never grow tired of it; my heart cries for those who live in a big city with all the noise, people, sirens, hustle and bustle, etc. Thank you Lord for providing me with Peace and peaceful surroundings.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Great Weekend

2011-06-13T19:10:00.012-05:00

GREETINGS!

Monday is here once again. So far it's been good. As was our weekend.............

I went to the cowboy shoot with Ronnie on Saturday. Even though it was extremely hot and humid, it was nice to visit with my friend Kathy and listen and watch the men pretend to be 1860's era cowboys! They do have fun with their "target practice"!
After that was over we went in to town to buy groceries at WalMart and stopped at Atwood's (farm supply) to get another bottle of fly spray for my donkeys. Was a full, busy, hot day; but it was nice to spend the day with my husband.

Yesterday about Noon he pipes up and says he's going to take a shower and then go on a road trip. Would I like to go? I said where are you going and he said it was a surprise; I said how long you going to be gone and he said he didn't know. Well, of course I decided to go. He told me I'd better change my pants - from shorts to Capris, so I did, and away we went! We had a great trip taking back roads all the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas (about 50+ miles). Then stopped there at Panera's for lunch/early supper. It is my favorite place to eat and I don't get to go there very often as that is the closest one. I had my yummy French Onion soup and 1/2 a sandwich. What a great surprise and treat; especially since Ronnie does not like to go there! Then it was home on different back roads and it was a really fun day seeing new country and little towns and cattle, etc. The good old Sunday drive; but we don't do that too often with the gas prices like they are! It really was a marvelous weekend.

And that brings me to today and my daily morning ritual of feeding Eeyore and Jenny some carrots and spraying the fly repellant on them. Well, on Eeyore.........Jenny is not real cooperative; but then the flies don't seem to bother her like they do him. His ears and legs and face are just awful looking with blood scabs from the horse fly bites. Makes me want to cry. Aren't they just cute?

The wild flowers here in Oklahoma are amazing! There seem to be so many different kinds, and they grow in bunches! I call these brown eyed Susans. This is across the driveway from the donkeys pasture, but they are everywhere really.

This is just a close up of the "Susans"........................................

And these are little, tiny daisies. Really the cutest things.

This is my little Geranium I bought for about $1.50. Ronnie feeds it Miracle Gro and its doing great. It's in an old holey tin pot that was his Grandma's. Oh, don't miss my "dragonfly" in the corner. Hand made by a dear friend.........

So, that's my story and I'm stickin to it! We are in for another record breaking week of high 90's. We did get a little bit of rain Saturday night with some thunder and lightening, but not near enough. I hope you all had as nice a weekend as I did. It was sure something to thank the Lord for!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

It's Very Hot!

2011-06-09T19:23:00.006-05:00

GREETINGS!

We are well into our 3rd week of temps in the 90's! And the 8 day forecast is for more of the same. It's kind of hard to get used to it considering it's only the first part of June. I was looking at the trees in the back yard today and they have lots of brown, dying leaves on them. Waaayy to early for that! What's a person to do?! It's any where from 70 to 80 when you get up at 6 in the morning!

For that matter, what's a dog(s) to do? These guys were laying around in the shade of a little tree in the back, so I decided to help them out.

This little pool I bought for them just fits in the circle area made by the young trees. So I tried to level it up and fill it with water. Now, wouldn't you know, they won't get in it, but they love to drink from it. And pick out sticks I throw in for them to retrieve. It's also a neat place for one of my lawn chairs in the shade. I sat there today and did my devotional reading from the Bible. Was a nice change from the kitchen table!

I know you are probably getting tired of looking at my tomato patch, but my gosh are they growing! I think Ronnie went wild with the Miracle Gro! There are some fruit on them, but a long way from being ready to eat. Can't wait!

It seems the whole country is having some kind of weather problem: heat, fire, floods, rain etc. And hurricane season is almost here too. I wonder what message the good Lord is trying to send to us? No use trying to figure it out I guess; just prepare yourself and be ready! :) Even through all this, there are still many things I am grateful for and give thanks for.

I hope you are all "weathering" through. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Happy Birthday

2011-06-06T19:02:00.011-05:00

GREETINGS!

Saturday, June 4th, was Patch's 2nd birthday. So of course we had to have a party!

I made him this hat and he was kind enough to leave it on for a picture! He doesn't really look like he is enjoying it too much, but he did a good job!

Another hat picture. I think he looks a little happier in this shot!

Here he is with his cake and ice cream. It was a piece of Cinnamon Flop cake and vanilla ice cream. He loved it, needless to say!

This is sister Salli and Patch eating the cake and ice cream. So dainty!!

And this is Baby, one of the invited guests. She and her brother Gator had to eat in the kitchen so there wouldn't be any fighting! Salli and Gator do not like each other!! Especially when food is involved. Jax the Cog was also in attendance, and only ate ice cream.

So there you have it. A doggy birthday party with no fights or accidents. Praise the Lord! After they were all done, us grown ups had cake and ice cream outside too.
Salli's birthday is July 30, so we might have another party. She can celebrate with Ronnie; his is July 31st!

We are having very hot weather, going on the 2nd week with the heat index in the
100's, and no end in site for another week or more. But, I am extremely thankful for air conditioning and fans. See, you can always find something to thank the Lord for! Until next time, take care and God Bless.

New Toy

2011-06-02T19:41:00.009-05:00

GREETINGS!

A couple of weeks ago Ronnie and Tom were out riding their 4 wheelers. Tom had just bought a used one so he and Ronnie could go riding and they were out having fun. BUT, on the way back home Ronnie's broke down -- engine blew up is more like it! So naturally Ronnie was not a happy camper. You know how men are with their toys -or lack thereof. Anyway, finally this week he got a replacement.

This is it. In all it's glory! Brand spankin' new (and reasonably priced). He had to drive to Oklahoma City to get it, but what the heck. What's 3 or 4 hundred miles. :) Oh yeah, when he was almost back home - within 40 miles or so - he blew a tire on the pickup.........so now we have to buy a new tire - or 2. Ain't life grand?? But it's worth it to see such a happy face :) on a grown man! And have a way to get the mail when the road is washed out..........

We've been having some pretty hot weather for a few days and looks like it will continue for another week or more. 93 today - felt like 96 - so you can see that the dog days of summer are here! I mean, just look at these guys..........

That's it from atop Winter's Holler. Time to thank the Lord for all the wonderful things he does for us and count our blessings. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Post Memorial Weekend

2011-06-01T13:20:00.012-05:00

GREETINGS!

Well, the unofficial beginning of Summer holiday has come and gone! While we were busy "playing" and camping and doing whatever, I hope everyone took time to thank our Veterans who gave their life for our freedom. It's really quite an awesome thing when we stop and think about it. I think we should thank all Veterans, living and departed, on a frequent basis.

We pretty much stayed home this weekend and ate! Apple pie - which was very good.

Fresh asparagus which was still a bargain price at WalMart.

And a long overdue trip to Soda Steve's for some sinfully good food. The picture turned out kind of dark, but you get the idea of how it's decorated - meant to be a sort of tropical feel. Ronnie had a deep fried pork tenderloin sandwich - the meat hung out around the bun about 5 inches all around, and cheese fries. I had a Texican salad that was devine - chunks of breaded chicken breast, corn, onions, tomatoes, 2 kinds of lettuce, deep fried onion sticks and green pepper sticks, and all kinds of goodies. My but it was good - brought a quarter of it home.

Soda Steves' is on the South end of Lake Tenkiller, and is part of a big family resort. It is a 25 mile drive (one way) for us to get a burger (or whatever), but well worth it. It is open from the 1st of April until Christmas, so you see we waited almost 2 months to go get some marvelous food!

I hope you all had a very safe and enjoyable weekend. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Shelters and Blooms

2011-05-26T14:43:00.005-05:00

GREETINGS!

Here is the surprise I spoke of yesterday............my paddle cactus bloomed! I just happened to look over in that direction the other day and there they were. Bright and beautiful.

It's a good thing I took the pictures when I did, as I went out to look today, and the blooms were kind of closed up and ragged looking. Not near as pretty as yesterday. There are several more buds waiting to pop open and I can hardly wait. Isn't nature/God just grand? I love it.

Marilyn of Stories of NC Mountains commented on tornado shelters here in OK. I know the ones of which you speak; they are found in several yards of the older country homes. The tops are above ground, but the shelter is below ground and you enter through a kind of cellar door. The one I saw into had quite a large space underground. I would say it probably would hold a dozen or more people. You especially see them next to the old one room school houses. My guess would be they are a product of the 1900 to 1940+ era. Now days they have units you can put underground (they look kind of like septic tanks!) if your land isn't too rocky, or they have "safe rooms" that you can somehow put in your garage or inside the house.

Our ground is too rocky to allow an underground shelter, but my brothers steel container, earth contact house will work just as well. Like one of my daughters said, "thank God for crazy Uncle Tom and his tin cans!" Last night was calm, only a slight rain, no thunder or lightening Praise the Lord! We should be clear for a few days at least.

And Grammy of 13 - I'm sure my garden would not compare to yours at all. I only have tomatoes, 2 pepper plants, and my spent kale! :) But it's fun.

I continue to count my blessings and pray for those less fortunate. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

We Are Safe

2011-05-25T13:30:00.017-05:00

GREETNGS!

Well, here it is mid-week in windy Oklahoma! I am still giving thanks to our God for keeping us safe, and praying for all the families in Joplin, MO who were not spared.
What a horrible tragedy; I cannot imagine going through such an ordeal.

We were supposed have a very severe storm last night, but the good Lord had it skip over us, pretty much. We did have lots of thunder and lightening and rain, but it only lasted a couple hours. Oklahoma City was not so fortunate; a tornado set down there and several people were killed. About 6 p.m. I bundled myself and the 2 dogs into the back portion of my brother's house in process - made of steel containers - and felt very safe. I read and napped and stayed until about 11:30 p.m. when the last cell had passed and then went home. The others stayed at home and were fine, but I say why take chances when the safe place is available?! Anyway, tonight may produce more storms and then we should be okay for a few days.

Now on to other things:

Remember the other day I posted my "pond" and quiet reading area in the yard? Well here is a shot of the beautiful pink Hydrangea I got to compliment the area. Everyone thinks it is a fake one because it is such a perfect shape. I swear to you, its alive and real!

I love it!
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This is to show you how well our tomatoes are doing. The one on the front, right, is my Cherokee black tomato, and the one behind it is Lemon Boy, a yellow tomato.

These are the little spindly ones that I got from the "corner" store. I had no idea - or hope - that they wouled bulk up and look so good. Now to see if they produce. I think they are Early Girls and something else.

Okay that kind of brings me up to date with what's going on. But tomorrow I have a really cool picture surprise, ..........so stayed tuned!

Until next time, give thanks for being safe no matter where you are, take care and God Bless.

Why Do I Need a Title????? (on blog posts)

2011-05-20T14:05:00.014-05:00

GREETINGS!

Hi! Happy Friday! Hope it's being a good one for you. Mine is dark and cloudy and raining and thunder and lightening! But, it's in the 70's so it's comfortable. The donkeys and dogs don't think so, but that's life. Patch hides under the back porch and the donkeys huddle up under some trees trying to keep dry.

So far today I've done dishes from yesterday, vaccuumed, did my Bible study and worked on my embroidery. I'm doing more dish towels. Not a real busy day, but productive. Now for the pictures............

This is an area at the back of the back yard that Ronnie has been working on getting cleaned up and mowed and incorporated into the yard as a whole. The storage shed/barn will be behind these trees. Anyway, I raked up all the little sticks and leaves and cleaned it up. I had 3 or 4 wagon loads with my "mower" and little wagon. I think it looks pretty darned good!

This is another little area in the back yard that we worked on and I raked up. It made a perfect spot for my "pond" and a chair; and a place to get out of the sun and sit and read or just be.
I love it. Since this picture, I bought a beautiful pink Hydrangea and potted it and put it out there. Will take a picture when the rain quits! ha

And this.........ta da.....
is my first harvest of Kale. Remember we only had 4 little plants..........well, yesterday morning I went out and picked 2 quart bags full! Will have some for supper tonight; I can't wait. I love Kale. Having never grown it before, I don't know if the plants will keep producing or if it's a one shot deal. I guess time will tell............unless one of you can tell me!

And here we are back at my cactus patch! Now there are about 19 flower bud pods on the paddles. I can't believe how they are growing and getting ready to bloom. Apparently, below the bloom a fruit forms, and it is edible. I'm hoping when they bloom I can snap a picture and show you all.

So, that's the end of my pics for today. I did want to comment on tomorrow and those crazy cultists who are saying it's the end of the world..........apparently they don't read the Bible. At least not the part that says no one will know (or can predict) when Jesus will grace us with his presence again. Enought said about that.

Last, but by no means least, Sunday is my baby girl's 40th Birthday! How time flies. I hope you have a really awesome day Sonja and pray that God blesses you with many more birthdays.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Mid Week Musings

2011-05-18T12:58:00.009-05:00

GREETINGS!

Gosh, I can't believe it's Wednesday (the 18th) already. Seems like just yesterday I posted something, but since a couple of my dear cousin followers are asking why I haven't posted, I guess I'd better get with the program!

These 3 pictures are of our road that washed out during the rainy storms. It happened twice within a week! The trench that you see going across the road in the last picture was about a foot deep and a foot wide. As you can imagine, it was impossible to get my van out.

The County Commissioner for our area is supposed to come out next week to check out the situation and decide what to do to permanently fix the problem. i.e. put in a new culvert or make a flush cement crossing. We would prefer the cement crossing, but they say they are concerned about using that as people try to cross when the water is running deep and fast. Now, we are the only people living by this and I think we know better...........so we'll see.

This shot really looks like a nice little creek area..........too bad that's not what it is! We are due for more possible rain this week, so here's hoping it's just sprinkles!

One more little story. The other night/morning - about 3:00 a.m. - I woke up and heard a noise and the dogs barking. I lay there in bed for a minute or so trying to figure out what was going on. Then I heard a bang, and then a kaboom! Then I got up and went to the back door, which was open a little, and the back porch lights were on. I poked my head out and saw nothing. Then Ronnie came around and said he had shot a raccoon that had been on the porch. The dogs had cornered it and chased it down into the yard and that's where Ronnie shot it. Then Tom showed up with his gun asking what it was. The dogs were no where to be seen, so Ronnie went off looking for them. Didn't take long and here they came, all excited. Into the house they bounded and Patch had blood all over his white hair so he had to be washed up - luckily it was raccoon blood - but Ronnie did find an injury between some of the toes on one of his hind feet that was bleeding. Then I noticed blood on my arm and found it had come from a wound on Salli's nose. It wasn't real bad either, so we just washed it up. I think they were very luck that they had minor injuries. That darned coon had been getting into the bird seed and suet blocks that were on the porch, and any other things it thought edible. The dogs seemed to have worked as a team to capture him and so they got cookies after the clean up!

And of course, having gone to bed early, I was wide awake when it all settled down. Had some computer time for 2 or 3 hours then went back to bed for a nap. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the culprit - dead or alive!! Ahhhh, Country Life........

Well, that's all for today. I promise to do more tomorrow. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Friday the 13th

2011-05-13T14:08:00.012-05:00

GREETINGS!

Friday the 13th.........doesn't bother me at all. Guess I'm not superstitious; it's just another day. And I haven't seen a black cat or broke a mirror either......... BUT....

When I was posting pictures of our dogs the other day, I forgot to post one of our cog. (That would be our cat who thinks he's a dog.) He is not black, but rather a Tiger. So here he is, laying under the front porch bench looking like he owns the world........at least this little part of it. He is declawed, front and back, but it doesn't stop him from catching birds, mice, whatever. And he follows you around just like a dog does; and answers to his name and comes when you call him. Now how many cogs do that?!

These 3 pictures need to be put together horizontally, and then you can kind of see the new pasture for my donkeys. It's the area on the far side of the driveway. Ronnie and Tom worked all day yesterday moving the fence lines and making the area more than double what they had. They now have about 2.5 to 3 acres in which to roam.

The problem is, however, they so far refuse to cross into the new parts. They will not go past where the old fencing was. They are so smart (?) that they know there was a fence there and that it was electric, and they can't - don't cross the line. Too funny.

I'm sure in a couple 3 or 4 days they will venture out into it. The grass is new, and tall and just waiting for them to enjoy it. Hopefully they will cut down on their hay dinners - which last all day by the way. :)

We had more rain, hail, and thunder and lightening last night. Washed the road out again. But they came and sort of fixed it AGAIN today. I wonder when they will do something more permanent instead of wasting money on gravel that washed away???!!!

Until next time, take care and God Bless. Have a great weekend.

In The Back

2011-05-10T19:26:00.011-05:00

GREETINGS!

I seem to be fixated on the back yard this week! Maybe because it is finally coming into it's own, and looks like something you could enjoy!

These two, Patch on the left and Salli on the right, are the keepers of the outdoors. It is their job to keep the wild critters, i.e. skunks, possum, racoons, armadillos, fox, coyotes, deer, and the occasional stray cow or horse away from our plants. Now that is a big job! And they do it quite well, with minimal barking during the night. You just gotta keep the cookies at hand and everybody's happy. And don't make fun of Salli's big ears........that's her Blue Heeler showing. :)

And this is my "new" old rider mower (w/o a mower deck) that I use to get around the acreage. The little wagon is great for hauling the branches and sticks I rake up to the burning pile. You might recall I had a different Troy Bilt mower a while ago, and it quit running when it sucked up a tank of gas into the engine - literally. So it needs some work. Ronnie found this one for $25 and it runs great for the interim. And it even came with a mower deck that we might put back on. But for getting around without the pain of my artifical hip and bother of my COPD, it works great.

A few posts ago I featured my paddle cactus we found out in the weeds. They had little shoots on the rim of the paddles, and look at them now! I cannot believe how fast they have grown. I guess all the rain and then heat we had really did a number on them. It's so interesting to watch them grow. We had 90 yesterday and 89 the day before that and clouds today, with possible thunder/rain storms tomorrow or tonight. Spring is so changeable!!

So that's if for now. I thank God for the blessings he has given me, and His patience in my discovery of them. Know what I mean? Until next time, take care and God bless.

Hobby Lobby

2011-05-09T15:19:00.010-05:00

GREETINGS!

Boy, what a great day we had Saturday! Went to Muskogee to do some shopping and really had a good time. Ronnie dropped me off at Hobby Lobby while he went on to Lowe's to get some oil and stuff to fix up my new "mower rider". Picture of that later. Anyway, I had never been to a Hobby Lobby store before, so it was really quite a treat! To my West Coast readers, it is a combination of a Ben Franklin and Michaels......only bigger!

This is one of the things I bought......purple flip flops and some beaded strips to decorate them with. BLING!!
What a fun thing; the flip flops were $1.54 and the beads were $3.99.....go figure! So now I have a pair of $5.50 flip flops.....nice.

If you look very, very closely, in the front middle tree you can almost see my string of bling hanging in the tree. It's orange and crystal hearts and beads about 3 feet long, and they just kind of blow in the wind like a mobile. Pretty cool!

And this is my Lemon Balm patch, which Ronnie finished putting stones around. I found that kind of funny, because I had purposely left it open in front so he could mow around it easier. Oh well, you can never figure men out. I got this orange pin wheel at Hobby Lobby too. They had some huge ones too. These things were on sale at 1/2 price.

I also got a big book of iron on embroidery transfers (my reason for going in the first place), some new embroidery thread, a glass jar, and some small craft paint brushes. Ronnie came in and he got a stick on alphabet pack. I'm telling you, you could spend hours in that store; I'll definitely have to go back...........alone. With lots of money!

So of course after leaving there I had to go to WalMart to buy some flour sack dish towels (10) so I have something to do. The things like that were way too expensive at Hobby Lobby. Probably much better quality, but also a much bigger price; like $18 for one dish towel! And after that we went to Applebee's for early supper. It was a good meal and we got sucked in to getting dessert. We had the 2 for $20 deal and we thought it included dessert (like most places do) and so when they asked if we wanted dessert we said sure. Well, it was not included and the "lava" chocolate cake and ice cream dish was $5.99!! We shared it and it was good, but we weren't sure it was $6.00 good. :)

All in all, it was a great afternoon. I wish there could be more days like that.
Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T15:16:00.007-05:00

GREETINGS!

Happy Mother's Day to those who are and those who are to be! Seven Mother's Days have gone by since I lost my Mother, and I still miss her! I suppose one will always miss loved ones, especially Mothers.

My middle daughter called me this morning and we chatted for an hour. That was a nice surprise, as we don't talk on the phone very often as she is busy raising her 5 children and working too. She works at home - a medical transcriptionist - but it takes a lot of her time.

I was out in the back yard and couldn't resist taking a photo of my kale; it is growing really good! And the tomatoes don't look to bad either. I am so anxious for the tomatoes to mature so I can taste a "real" tomato and SAVE MONEY! Unreal what they charge in the stores.

Apparentlyl the dogs are doing a good job of keeping critters out of the box garden at night, as none of the plants have been destroyed. I know whenever I hear them barking during the night that there is something running around out there, be it coons, deer, possum or armadillo. Good job garden body guards! The sun is shining so bright it makes my tomato patch look dry and desolate! It really isn't.........

I am looking forward to a nice supper of grilled flat iron steak, pasta salad, green beans,Italian bread and later strawberry shortcake. Hope you all have a great evening. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

A Rock Garden?

2011-05-04T14:23:00.008-05:00

GREETINGS!

It's been a few days since I posted; that should tell you there's not a whole lot going on of interest up here atop Winter's Holler! The rain was horrible; we got approximately 14 inches in a couple of days. Very depressing.

Not to mention our road is still washed out and we have not seen any county road crews out to fix it. We got my van out one day, but then it rained some more and now I can't get it out. It's the pickup or 4 wheeler if you want out! Kind of cramps my style...........

Sunday we went to Checotah and stopped to visit with some friends. Kathy and I tromped around in her yard looking at her garden and flowers and getting soaking wet feet wise. But, she gave me a big bunch of Lemon Balm, and so that is what's in this little space. We divided it in half, hoping it would spread more. This area is nothing but cut down weeds and dirt, and I think it would be great to haul some of our huge boulders in and place them around in the open area behind the lemon balm and then plant different flowering plants amongst them. Make a real rock garden, instead of what I did here.

This is the same bed just a different hue with the sun I guess. Anyway, I found directions on line on how to dry the lemon balm for making tea. So that should be fun. It seems it (lemon balm) is good for a lot of things that ail you, i.e. (in)digestion;lowering blood pressure; easing stress and depression; etc. And it is safe to consume with other medicines. It is of the Mint family, and the lemony smell is great.

My friend Kathy likes to dry it and then says her house smells like she did some deep cleaning!

So, we have sunshine today and the rest of the week, with a 20% chance of rain a few days, but hopefully it will pass us by. The 80 temps will be much appreciated!

If I don't get on here again before the weekend, I hope all the Mother's have a great Day this Sunday. Try to take it easy. :) And thank God for giving you the opportunity to nurture. Sometimes I feel like I am not acknowledged by my children, but I know they have their own busy lives to contend with. What counts is that they are here on this earth!

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

The Garden

2011-04-26T18:58:00.006-05:00

GREETINGS!

One day last week we planted our "garden". There are 9 tomato plants of various varieties and 4 kale plants. The tomatoes are Lemon Boy, Beefsteak, Early Girl (I think) and a Cherokee Heirloom. I can't wait for the Cherokee one to mature; the fruit is a deep purple / black when ripe. Should be a real taste treat.

The reason we have so may tomato plants is we are hoping at least 2 or 3 make it through the wind and rain storms, not to mention through the wild critters. Last year we think an Armadillo dug up one of our plants! I've never grown kale, so am anxious to see how that goes. I love it - way better than spinach!

Since Saturday we have had about 15+ inches of rain and more is forecast for the next couple of days. The thunder and lightening and rain and wind is unreal. I'm amazed that the plants have survived it so far. Keep my maters in your prayers! :)

These two following pictures are of the paddle cactus we found kind of out in the brush in the back/side yard. I cleared out around them some and was amazed to see all the new starts coming along the edges. I'm hoping to build some kind of a rock garden around them and put in some other succulents. Lord knows we have plenty of rocks, boulders, etc.!!

That's all for tonight. I hope this finds you all well, and drier than we are! We can't even get to town for the flooding roads. Our gravel road has washed completely out where the "creek" crosses it. We are waiting for the county to come and repair it. But I guess we should count our blessings in that we have avoided a tornado; thank you for that Lord.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Good Friday 2010

2011-04-22T19:39:00.006-05:00

GREETINGS!

I hate to admit this, but Easter/Resurrection Day really sneaked up on me this year. I think it was this past Monday - the 18th - when I discovered when Easter was! Shame on me. Maybe it's because it is really late this year. At any rate, it is one of my favorite religious holidays. Where would we be without God sacrificing His only Son for us, and forgiving us all our sins. I love it. My favorite greeting on Easter Sunday is "He is Risen!" and to hear in response, "He is Risen indeed!"

And maybe because of this holy season, I decided to do devotionals during the week from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. I started in the book of James around Ch.18 or so, and read the crucifixtion story -- again. What a great place to start.

Now, what do these pictures have to do with Easter you ask? Well, on Palm Sunday Jesus rode a donkey into town. So the story goes. So I thought you might like to see my donkeys again! :)

This is - left to right- me, Eyeore and Jenny

This is Eyeore getting his treat - either peppermint or apple.

Eyeore is trying to tell me it's a curry comb in my hand, and he'd really like to have a combing! Providing I can figure out what to do with it.

And this is Jenny getting her treat. She is still kind of skittish, but getting better.

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I hope that each and every one of you have a Blessed Easter. And before the eggs and rabbits and candy (if you tolerate that stuff) take time to give praise to our God and His son, Jesus Christ. Enjoy your holiday meal.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Our Sunday Drive

2011-04-18T16:31:00.015-05:00

GREETINGS!

Yesterday we took a Sunday drive; something we used to do quite often, but hadn't in a while. It was so good to get out and see some surrounding countryside. We did over 160 miles!

These first few pictures are of Lake Eufaula, which is really a big resort and private lake homes area here in Oklahoma. The lake has 600 miles of shore line and 102,000 surface acres. It is on the Canadian River; it is the largest lake in Oklahoma and the 15th largest lake in the U.S.A.

This picture - above- is on the "Dam Road" and was just before we crossed the dam. That is the river area.

This picture -above- is in front of the dam. And what I could see (and the picture) is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak!

This picture -above- is one part of the lake separated by a one lane bridge going in to a little "town" called Porum Landing. The one below is the other side of the bridge.

The following pictures I took out the window of the van as we were traveling along. The road offered a beautiful view of the hills and trees of the surrounding area.

We stopped along the way in the "big city" of McAlester and had lunch at Wendy's. Also went to Lowe's and bought some paint to do the shower walls in the guest bathroom as they were all yellow from the old water. And got a big bag of planting dirt so we can get some tomatoes in the ground - or pots! All in all, it was a great afternoon. I hope we do it more often, but that depends on gas prices!!

Be sure to thank the Lord for your blessings. Until next time take care and God Bless you.

TA DA!! WATER IS HERE

2011-04-15T13:25:00.005-05:00

GREETINGS!

It's official! As of 5:53 p.m. yesterday evening we were hooked up to, and using, "city" water. It took awhile to get the old salty well water out of the pipes and hot water tank, but we are good to go today! There is lots more pressure and the morning shower was divine. I've been busy scrubbing faucets and sinks and shining stuff up; emptying the water cooler on the counter and getting some badly needed counter space. Life is good.

And this is a picture of the New Orleans Gumbo I made this past week. I've never made or eaten gumbo before, so it was a fun project. I loved it! The recipe was in the Feb/Mar issue of my Simply Delicious magazine and used chicken, kielbasa and shrimp, along with canned tomatoes and seasonings. I even used the Cayanne pepper and it was very good. I used instant wild rice for the rice and with the onions, celery and garlic it was delicious! I will definitely make it again.

That's all I have for today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Fort Gibson, Oklahoma

2011-04-14T09:50:00.016-05:00

GREETINGS!

I am finally getting around to sharing my pictures of Fort Gibson, OK. If you are at all interested in history I think you will enjoy them and hopefully will search for other sites to learn more.

Fort Gibson was built/opened in 1824. It's purpose was to keep peace between the newly arrived Western Cherokees and the established Osage Indians. The fort was an ending destination for 1000's in the Trail of Tears. In 1861 the Confederate troops evacuated the fort and it became a Union headquarters until 1865. In 1890 the fort was closed.

The above is a very short synopsis of the history. For more pertinent information google Fort Gibson, OK.

This is of course the official marker of Fort Gibson.

This is an outside view of the back of one of the "barracks". Of interest to me was the tower at the end -- just like the sets you see in movies, etc.

This is a cannon out in the middle of the "parade grounds", which I'm sure in the 1800's was all dirt, not grass.

This is either a well or a cistern, located outside the only two-story building in the square. There are 4 buildings forming the square enclosure of the Fort, with the center being the "parade" grounds.

These next two pictures show one of the three (3) barracks. One being just a view of one of the rooms in the one barrack. The rooms were set up for from 2 to 4 soldiers with a desk besides the bunks. Very interesting.

I think there were 8 or 10 "separate" rooms in each barrack. You can take a tour and go in all 90 (I think it was) rooms of the Fort. I did not do that!

So, history lesson completed. It was very interesting to me. I hope it peaks your interest and you have fun with it. Until next time, take care and God bless.

Water is Almost Within Reach

2011-04-12T20:13:00.009-05:00

GREETINGS!

Here it comes! Ronnie on the big backhoe digging the ditch and Tom on the tractor covering up the ditch after the pipe is laid. In this picture Ronnie is coming towards the house from across the field.

I think at this point the ditch splits and goes down to Tom's house and over to our place. So there is some kind of valve to direct the water - when it comes - to both houses.

More of the same. It's hard to believe that in the not too far future you won't be able to tell how this was all dug up. The total feet of ditches is over 2000. That's coming from up the road, down along our neighbors property line and then on this property to the houses.

We were supposed to have "city" water by this Friday, but after the big thunder and lightening and hail/rain storm Sunday night, it will be a little later. The ditches have to dry out some I guess, and we have to wait for the city to come turn the main valve and do whatever else they have to do. Seems strange to me that the guys are doing it themselves with no help from the city - except for 500 feet of pipe. I guess that's country living for you!

Here is where it will come into our house. I'm so anxious for this: no more salty showers, salt collecting on my scalp, spots on my dishes, my whites turning yellow, the bathroom fixtures staining yellow/brown/gold, etc. It'll be just like uptown!

So cross your fingers and say a prayer that it stays halfway dry and there are no problems and we get hooked up soon. This will be a red letter day I tell ya! The donkeys will be happier too.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

Another Week Gone

2011-04-08T19:58:00.012-05:00

GREETINGS!

Well, the calendar says that Spring is here; and the weather today was more like summer! It is now 82 outside and it is 8:00 p.m. Tomorrow is going to be another very warm, humid day as well. But back to Spring: The time for planting tomatoes. Ronnie just had to have one of these topsy turvy tomato planters so I obliged him and bought one. He got a tomato plant and a pepper plant and proceeded to "plant" them and hang the contraption on the corner of the front porch. If you look carefully, you might see a half dead tomato plant coming out the bottom, and the dead? pepper plant on the side. He says he probably over-watered them. I say the darned things don't work no matter what! I'm going to plant my heirloom tomato in the raised bed with a cage around it to keep the Armadillo's out! :)

Some time back I wrote about trying to fix my electric golf cart and get it back in to running order. Well, I found it needed at least one new battery (at over $100 ea.) so I gave up on that. We took it to a place that sells carts and they gave us $75 for it; which was better than nothing, besides getting rid of it. I then started looking for a riding lawn mower without the blade deck. And lo and behold, I found one on Craigs List. This is it, in all its red glory.

It's a Troy Bilt, so I assumed it was a good brand. The young man wanted $150 and I offered $125 and we had a deal. It has a 22 amp motor (or some such) which is quite big for a mower I'm told. Anyway, Ronnie got it running just great and I was putting all over the yard; down to my brother's new place, out to the donkeys, pulling the little trailer for hauling branches, etc. Loved it. Then it got very low on gas and Ronnie filled it up; which was a horrendous mistake! Something sucked that whole tank of gas up through the engine and out the front. Now it will still run, but it sends out smoke like it's on fire! I'm beginning to think I'm not meant to have ground transportation up here in the Oklahoma hills! :) Maybe at some point when Ronnie has nothing to do, he will take it apart and see if he can fix it. I can only hope.

The other thing I wanted to share was how I used to just hate to cook/fix dinner. Seemed I couldn't think of things to make, and didn't really have any ambition to cook. Well, then I was reading a blog - Homemaking on the Homestead - and saw where she posted her menu for the month. I decided that was a great idea and proceeded to make a monthly menu too. I used some of her ideas and recipes, some from my Simply Delicious magazine and some from the Better Homes & Gardens magazine and some from my old cookbook that I hadn't made in years. I'm telling you, it surely makes a difference! I enjoy cooking now, grocery shopping seems easier and even Ronnie likes the idea! So if you are having similar trouble, try the menu idea.

Now, I think I'm all caught up with the stuff I've been doing for about the last 2 months. I've still got my trip to the Fort to share though; will get to it soon. I hope you all have a blessed weekend. Until next time, take care and God bless.
P.S. If the blue characters still show up I'm sorry. Don't know what I do wrong.

How Quickly The Time Passes

2011-04-07T09:55:00.004-05:00

GREETINGS!

Here it is Thursday already! I can't believe how quickly the week has gone by. I guess it's true that the older you get the faster time goes by, just like when you are near the end of the toilet paper roll and "zap", it's gone! Or something like that. :)
I think I'm just going to do some catching up today, so bear with me.

This, my friends, is the best invention since sliced bread! I heard this 24 hour lipstick by Maybelline advertised on television, so I had to get some and try it. I seldom wear lipstick because it never stays on and I am not one to carry a tube around and re-apply. Now, I mean to tell you, this stuff LASTS for 24 hours or more!! Yesterday morning I put some on and have had 3 meals and drinks since then, and it is still looking quite nice this morning! And it doesn't rub off on anything. Imagine waking up looking so gorgeous in the morning! ha I love it.......I've bought 3 tubes at just under $8.00 a tube, so there's my allowance for this month. :) Seriously though, give it a try.

One day last week when we went WalMarting it turned out quite expensive. Besides all the groceries we ended up buying a new battery for the pickup and a new Kodak printer for the computer. Its the one that is supposed to save you money on purchasing ink cartridges so we'll see. The black cartridge is just under $10 and I think the color combo was $20, so not bad. It is black and sleek looking and prints, copies, and scans; all we need. Our old one was also a fax machine which we don't need anymore, so it was okay that it quit working!

On Tuesday I went WalMarting all by myself! That is always fun, when I can take my time mosey-ing around and not have to worry about Ronnie being bored and tired of waiting! I also went to Atwood's - a farm supply type store - and looked around. Of course I ended up buying a new curry comb for the donkeys and some fly spray. The darned horse flies and others are eating them up! Makes me so sad for them. Eeyore has little blood dots all over his nose and under his eye. Now I just need to get them to stand still and let me put the stuff on them! They don't like the spray so I guess I'll have to soak a rag and wipe them down with it. The clerk in the store also said you could wipe them down with diesel fuel and that worked as well. Always fun to talk to people and learn new info.

Tonight is my favorite television night with Grays Anatomy and Private Practice. I guess I'm hooked on doctor shows while Ronnie is hooked on CSI type shows. Good thing we have 2 televisions.......... Well, the dishes are calling so I had best get busy. I hope you all have a great day and take time to thank the Lord for all your blessings. Until next time, take care and God bless.

The Donkey Story, Cont'd

2011-04-05T19:51:00.015-05:00

GREETINGS!

This post is totally messed up when printed out. Sorry. Hope you can understand it.

About a week after we had Eeyore and Jenny, I was sitting in my easy chair after supper and heard a motorized noise out front. I looked out the window and there was this woman on an old, blue 4 wheeler - the kind you have to start with a rope like an old lawn mower. I put on some shoes and went outside to meet her. Come to find out, her name is Jackie, she is the sister-in-law to the couple we bought the donkeys from, and they live on the same property. Apparently she was quite friendly with the donkeys and missed them, so she came up the hill to see if they had a good home and how they were doing. We visited for quite a while, she pet the donkeys and talked to them, and then she went home.

A few days later, she came back and had brought 4 dozen free range chicken eggs for us! Well, needless to say, Ronnie thought he'd died and gone to heaven. He kept exclaiming "look how yellow these yolks are!" "You don't get eggs like these in the store", etc., etc. The free range egg is on the left by the way.

This picture is a comparison of the size of the eggs - store bought on the right and free range on the left. The smaller size may be due to the type of chicken, like a bantam or some such. (I have no idea how or why this type is blue and underlined. Please excuse it - I can't seem to fix it or remove it! :P)

And this is just a size comparison. Obviously, store bought egg on the right and free range egg on the left. I think I would have to use 3 or 4 of the smaller ones to equal 2 of the big ones. I did make some really good chocolate chip cookies with them; and Ronnie has had numerous fried egg sandwiches; and tonight we had breakfast for supper, which included free range eggs.

So! Now you know how I met my new friend, Jackie. I told her she could have visiting rights with Jenny and Eeyore and to feel free to come any time she wanted. She seems like a very nice person and I look forward to getting to know her better. Oh, another thing I learned from the man we bought the donkeys from: We live in Winter's Holler - or at the top ridge of it anyway. Don't know if anyone else knows where that is, but I like it......

That's it for tonight. I hope you all had a great day. Take care and God Bless.

Aren't Mondays Grand?!

2011-04-04T14:00:00.014-05:00

GREETINGS!

I have decided I love Mondays! Used to be, in my working for pay life, I detested Mondays; they were equal to my feelings for Sundays (which were ruined because the next day was Monday!) Now, I love looking forward to what the week has in store; after my laundry is done of course! :)

And on one day during the week - when I wasn't blogging - Ronnie came home and told me he had bought 2 donkeys!! This is Eeyore on the left, and Jenny on the right. Not real original names, but they know them, so felt I couldn't change them. Eeyore is about 7 years old and Jenny is about 2. She is Eeyore's daughter I guess. The wood structure you see part of is the beginnings of the shed Ronnie built for them to get in out of the rain and wind and thunder and lightening. Now, I don't know if they do or not, but it makes me feel better knowing they can!

This is a better picture of Jenny. They look a lot alike :) but besides the obvious plumbing fixtures, you can tell them apart by their face; Eeyore's is much darker. They have the cross markings on their backs and are really quite nice. They allow me to brush them in the shed, and feed them in there. They love fresh carrots and cabbage leaves. We had one of those huge round bales of hay delivered for them and also feed them sweet grain and corn. And of course apple and peppermint treats. I am new to Donkey Motherhood, but so far so good!

I was not a total stranger to these two; they lived just down the hill from us in the holler and I would talk to them every time we drove past them. Ronnie stopped and talked to "Bill", the owner, one day and told him I always looked for them and he said he'd sell them for $100 for the pair. So there you go - instant donkey farm. We also had to put up an electric fence and make a pasture. That didn't take long, and so far they have not escaped. The real trial was keeping the dogs out of the pasture, as donkeys and dogs don't get along. Tell that to a border collie and a blue heeler! But so far so good; a few shocks and kicks and hopefully a lesson learned!

TA DA!! This is the pair of "muck" boots Ronnie came home with for me. They are really cute - brown with pink horses. So far I haven't had to wear them, but I'm sure they will come in handy when it rains hard and gets muddy, etc. and I have to go feed them.

So, that's my story for today, and I'm stickin' to it! I love my donkeys and enjoy them immensely. Strange what can fill your heart with love and teach you things. My Savior does it all the time - puts stuff in my heart! Until next time, take care and God Bless.

I'm Back ---- I Think!

2011-04-01T10:18:00.007-05:00

GREETINGS!

A special hello to those of you who have asked where I've been. Thanks for asking!

And to the person who stated Frick and Frack were derogatory names and wondered if I liked them or not; they are the 2 most constant men in my life. One is my husband and the other is my brother, and it was with great fondness I called them Frick and Frack. To me in conjures up images of two people spending a lot of time together, trying to accomplish things/chores, and never quite having it turn out the way it should; but they have a wonderful time doing it! But sadly, it was one of my stories of Frick and Frack that led to my absence from blogging for a while; so I won't be referring to them in the future. Better to avoid any possible confrontation than to worry about stepping on someone's toes.

Now here's the bright spot of the day! This lovely lady is my Mother, who was born on this day in 1912. Yep, she would be 99 today! I had the privilege of having her as my Mother for almost 60 years. And I'm not fooling you either!! In this picture she was 91+ years old, and it was taken only a few months before she passed on to her new home. Can't wait to see her again!!

Things have been going well here in the Oklahoma hills. In following posts I'll try to fill you in on what's been going on. We are enjoying some sunshine - finally - today and for the next few days. May even see 80+ on Sunday. It seems Spring comes and then it goes! I used the time I was not blogging to let God do some of His changes to my heart. I think it worked, and I hope that all of you can come to rely on His wisdom too. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

A Balmy Mid Week

2011-02-16T16:32:00.008-06:00

GREETINGS!

Here it is Wednesday, February 16, 2011. The week is half gone. And what a great week it is turning out to be; 60+ yesterday, 65 today and 70 tomorrow and Friday. Then maybe a little rain on Sunday/Monday. The wind is gusting some good ones now and then, but it's what brings the warm air up from Texas, so we don't complain.

One day we decided that Patch and Salli needed dog houses to shelter them from the wind and rain; especially in the Spring. They have been able to sleep outside the last couple of nights since it quite freezing, which is nice, and they are getting used to their new "digs".

Ronnie bought 2 big plastic barrels for $10 each, cut the end out, leaving about 1/3 of the height so it would be waterproof, and a bale of straw to put inside ($5 or less). So for a very minimal amount, the dogs have great new houses.

After it was done we coaxed Patch inside with treats to see how it was going to be.

After we put the straw in, I put their "pillows" in to make it more comfy.
And of course painted their name on the stabilizing board!

I think they think they are lucky dogs!! :) One is on the front porch and one on the back porch, which is how they slept outside before. True guard dogs!! :)

So much for the "dog days of winter"! We did manage to get out through the mud one day (last Saturday) and do some grocery shopping and eat at the Chinese place in Checotah. That was really a treat! Our last mile of road was so deep with mud Ronnie had to put the pickup in 4 wheel drive to get through it. Forget taking the Van out! Maybe it'll be okay now that we've had a few days of sun and wind. Also need for the propane truck to be able to deliver soon. Oh the joys of country living!

Frick and Frack left about 9 a.m. this morning and are not home yet (5:00 p.m.). They went to finish the requirements for getting their Oklahoma concealed weapons permit, which consisted of a trip to the Sheriff's office in Muskogee for fingerprints and pictures and background checks, etc. And then on to Lowes to get the wiring stuff for Frack's "house", and who knows what else. Then had to pick up the new tractor tire Frack ordered yesterday. Now that was some big bucks!! Anyway, now that the weather is "normal" they are up to their old tricks again. ha.
Me, I've just been doing laundry, baking pies and doing dishes.

I hope this finds you all having an easier time of living; that the snow is lightening up for you and life is treating you well. We must remember to thank God for our blessings, because whether we know it or not, they are abundant! Take care and God Bless.

Wishing and Thawing

2011-02-11T13:36:00.008-06:00

GREETINGS!

Here it is Friday already! Ha, like it matters. You can't go anywhere...........
Even my "nephew" Gator came to visit from next door and all he could do was sit in my chair and look out the window and wish for better days!

And after awhile, even looking out became tiresome and required a nap!

But Gator! Wait!! Look at the thermometer........we're having a heat wave!

And look, you can even see the ground where the snow is melting! And Aunt Teri's dirty car!

It's 41 (feels like 35) now at 1:50 p.m. Tonight has 22 forecast, and tomorrow is supposed to be 52! One day next week in the low 70's. Go figure. Still probably can't go anywhere 'cause the dirt roads will be MUD a foot deep! :)

Be smart, stay bundled up, keep warm and safe. Say your prayers and be grateful for all the things the Lord gives us. Take care and God Bless.

IT'S SNOWING AGAIN!!

2011-02-09T16:11:00.012-06:00

GREETINGS!

When I went to bed last night the snow was practically all gone. You could actually see the grass and gravel and dirt! Patch had managed to get filthy dirty and required a bath.........things were getting back to normal.

This is what I woke up to this morning. This was about 7:30 a.m. - back yard.
We got about another 4 to 6 inches throughout the day.

And this is the "flock" of brown headed cowbirds, with a couple red winged blackbirds and other varieties thrown in, foraging for something to eat! Talk about telling your friends where to find food......we could fill the feeder 2 or 3 times a day and the suet cakes too. Poor things - ha! Most of these guys are too big for the feeder, but that doesn't stop them; they tip it and flick the feed to the ground.

And the above continues until this guy comes along! Then they all scatter and leave!
I don't know what Mr. Cardinal does, but he sure has the others buffaloed. (Mary took this and the following pics from her place this morning.)

And I can only assume that this is his wife - Mrs. Cardinal!

And this is Mr. & Mrs. Brown headed Cowbird! They are really pesty and prolific.
They will empty a bird feeder in a heart beat. Little pigs!

And this little cutie is a Purple Finch. Don't ask me why he's red........

So, that's the nature lesson for today. We are all going stir crazy. I am so ready for Summer to come. They say by Saturday it will start warming up and next week will be in the 60's. We'll see. I am grateful to God though for furnishing such subjects for me to fill my time with!

Take care and God Bless.

The Blizzard of 2011 ???

2011-02-04T19:03:00.006-06:00

GREETINGS!

The television stations/weathermen are calling this "the Blizzard of 2011". So here are pictures of our blizzard. Don't laugh, we got off easy; up in Tulsa and Muskogee and even a few miles from us it WAS blizzardy!!

This was the temperature Thursday morning about 7:30 a.m. (I couldn't post it last night as my server was down and I had no internet access for about 24 hours.) Anyway, it was kind of cold - I don't know what the windchill factor was..........

This is looking out the front door across the yard to the "orchard". Not bad at all.

And this looking down the driveway to the county road and the driveway where I park my Van. As you can see, it's not bad either.

However, it snowed almost all day today, adding another couple inches of the stuff. And the forecast is for more snow on Sunday and Tuesday or Wednesday. Is there no end? I'm getting cabin fever........what to do!

Before the snow came, Patch found himself a new resting place.........up on one of the straw bales around Tom and Mary's 5th wheel! Maybe it was warmer than the ground.

Frick and Frack did venture out to the store Thursday because we were out of dog food. They said the roads were very icy, but they made it with no problems. Mary was not so lucky when she went out, but all is fine now. I thank God for watching out for all of us.

I hope this finds you all safe and warm. Take care and God bless.

Cleaner and Snow....Wind........Cold

2011-02-01T19:48:00.004-06:00

GREETINGS!

A couple of weeks ago I was reading one of the blogs I follow and copied down this recipe for a cleaner to use on laminate flooring. For the life of me, I can't remember which blog it was, but I want to say thank you for the recipe to whom ever! I made it up and decided to try it out on my dirty, dusty silk plant before doing the kitchen floor. I'm telling you, that plant is so clean now it looks real!! :) I sprayed it with the solution, then rinsed it off with warm water and shook off the excess and laid the stems on a piece of paper towel to dry. Looks better than new. See below.

I was so impressed I couldn't wait to tackle the floor. And it did a wonderful job. If anyone wants to try it mix up 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water and 1 tsp liquid dish soap. Put in spray bottle and spray on floor a small area at a time. Mop up with DRY mop or dry Swiffer pad. I'm sold.

Well, the big Blizzard of 2011 has come and gone. We were on the edge of it and only got 3 or 4 inches of snow. But it was very cold and windy, and that will continue for a few days. Tulsa got over a foot of snow and Oklahoma City was hit hard also. Airports and freeways were closed and lots of schools. The closures were listed by whole counties rather than individual schools! i.e. "all schools in Muskogee County are closed", etc. I'm sure we won't venture out any time soon. I hope the rest of you fair as well as we did. God was watching out for us!

That's all I know for today. Take care and God Bless.

Containers In Place

2011-01-31T19:18:00.014-06:00

GREETINGS!

Frick and Frack have been very busy! Last Friday morning this heavy duty, industrial strength fork lift was delivered within a mile of here. The guys brought it home and set to work, as they only had it until Saturday morning.

After "towing" a container from the field to the building site, they got it lined up with the cement footings and were set to push it back in place. The footings were made to hold the 3 containers up off the ground.

This shows the container about 1/3 of the way in. What you can't see is Frack on the tractor on one end helping Frick push the container in. It took quite a bit of coordination with the pushing and keeping on the footings, which were only about 6" wide.

Ahhh, here it is perfectly set! It only took them 4 hours to do it. But there was a lot of "prep" work to do. Now they were ready for numbers 2 and 3. The 2nd one took about 2 hours and the 3rd one only 45 minutes!

This is a view of the back of their "house". It and the 2 ends will be covered with dirt or "bermed" to the roof line.

This is one end, which will be covered to the roof line with earth.

And this is/will be the front of their house. It will be open. So the house is
24' x 40' or 960 sq. ft. They plan on adding a big screened in porch to the front.

It was dark-thirty by the time they finished this project! But they were happy to have gotten it done with time to spare. The next project is to weld the containers together on top and put a roof on. They picked up the tresses today for the roof (and got gasoline for generators, etc. and that took almost all day.) There is still lots and lots of work to do......... Will keep you posted!

We are preparing for this huge winter storm that is coming in tonight, as I'm sure most of you are also. I hope you stay warm and safe. Take care and God Bless.

Exploring

2011-01-27T13:21:00.015-06:00

GREETINGS!

Yesterday Mary and I went on an adventure! She wanted to go up to a dam at Fort Gibson, OK to get some pictures of eagles, so we left home about 10 a.m. in her little Toyota pickup. We got about 5 miles from home and her truck started heating up so we called Tom and turned around heading back to home. Tom came and got us and took us back home so we could get my van and continue on our trip. The fan belt had broke on the pickup and caused the over heating problem so Frick and Frack fixed that while we were gone.

I drove to Fort Gibson which was a pretty drive through the dry winter hills. We stopped at Sonics in Fort Gibson and had lunch and then proceeded on towards the dam. We had to pass by the old Fort Gibson and so we stopped there to take pictures and walk around. I'll post those another time. On to the dam, but no eagles; so we turned around and headed back through old downtown Fort Gibson and on to Muskogee.
We also stopped at a huge antique store in downtown FG. I don't know that I've ever been in one so large, and with so much "stuff"! We had fun just browsing.

The next two pictures are views of the dam. As you can see, there is not much water in the river in front of the dam. Our rainfall is really low this year and it shows.

There are also no eagles present! Just a few scavanger birds on the bars.

This is a little cafe that is across the parking lot at the bottom of the dam.

When we got to Muskogee, we went to a couple of furniture stores pricing full size mattress and box springs to replace the twin bed in the front bedroom. We finally decided on one at Furniture Factory Outlet; but didn't have Mary's little truck. However, the salesman said he could tie it on top of the van! So........I think now I am an official Okie! See for yourself........... The mattress fit inside but..........

I drove home very slowly - about 35 miles @ 50 mph - so we didn't get airborne or lose it. I'm so glad we don't know anyone around here! ha :) What an adventure! Oh, we finally got home between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. - long day. Can't wait to see what the next outing will bring.

Isn't life grand? Take care and God Bless.

COFFEE ANYONE?

2011-01-24T20:09:00.004-06:00

GREETINGS!

Another Monday! They sure seem to come around quickly any more........but then it really doesn't matter when you are retired! I can remember when I was working how I dreaded Sundays because that meant the next day I had to go to work! I'm lovin' this life!

AND, I'm lovin' my coffee these days since I discovered the French Press pot and Arabica coffee beans. If you have not tried a cup of coffee made in a French press, you really need to. It takes that bitter, burnt taste out of the coffee that comes with electric pots.

This picture was taken at my computer "desk" the other morning. That's my new French press - the 2nd one in about 3 years, so that's not bad @ $17.00! The only other thing you need to make excellent coffee is a tea kettle of some sort to boil the water in. Let me know if you give it a try.

Take care and God Bless.

New Road

2011-01-19T20:16:00.008-06:00

GREETINGS!!

Today the dump truck came with it's second load of gravel to finish the road to brother Tom's soon to be place. I must say, it sure looks better with the gravel, rather than a dirty, rutted road through the grass! Looks like someone might actually be going to live down there!

This is kind of the same shot, but shows a dirt gap at the beginning. The gap is by where some trees(to the left)will have to be felled for the power line to go in. No point in spreading the gravel and then messing it up pulling trees out! And if you look closely, a little to the left at the end of the road, you'll see a pile of dirt. That's where Tom's house will go.

This shot is the road curving around between our front yard and the field beyond. Our house is to the right of the cedar tree. The new part of the road will hook up to this after the trees are out. And then it will be a continuous drive. I'll get a better view of it later. ( I should have stood at the other end and took this picture in the opposite direction so you could tell how the road will go. I'll work on it! :P)

Snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning, with temps dipping way down. I think we are on the tail end of the band, so hopefully we won't get any, or at most an inch or so. I wonder if this stuff will ever end. I feel for those of you who have been really getting hit with it. Spring can't come soon enough!

Stay warm, take care and God Bless.

My Litter Soap Box

2011-01-17T18:47:00.006-06:00

GREETINGS!

Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's been almost a week since I posted. Guess that tells you that not much is going on around here! The cat's fine, the dogs are fine, no wayward critters have come to visit, the weather's okay, etc. So what does one talk about?

Well today I decided to do something about my "favorite" pet peeve.....LITTER! This picture below is how a dirt/gravel country road should look..........

This picture is how one spot of the road looked today. I have driven by this mess numerous times and complained each time. So today I decided I'd pick up trash on 1.3 miles of the dirt road - the closest to our place.

This is the result of me spending 2 hours hopping in and out of the car, picking up trash and cursing the people who have no regard for our beautiful countryside.

I got two 30 gallon garbage bags and a good sized cardboard box full of litter. Mostly beer cans/bottles, and soda and water bottles, but there were lots of styrofoam cups from McDonalds and KFC and other places, disposable diapers, plastic bags, cigarette packages, etc. Oh, even a deflated basketball and some plastic bottles for car oil. I even got 7 cans of unopened beer! Maybe the cops were after those kids!!!! and they had to ditch it.

Anyway, that really doesn't begin to address the problem here in the Oklahoma countryside. I'm sure other states are bad also, but it just seems to jump out at me more here in Oklahoma. It even makes me mad at Busch beer - as that's almost solely the kind of beer boxes and cans thrown out. I'd like to say "this Bud's for you" and put it where the sun don't shine in the corporate office! Ohhhh, I guess I'd better quit.......I'm getting riled up again. :)

So how was your day? Take care and God Bless.

Rattlesnake Mountain

2011-01-12T14:23:00.005-06:00

GREETINGS!

This is the sign on the fence post at the entrance to the shooting range. Some of Kathy's handy work. She is very talented and crafty and bakes good cookies!!

Just had to post the picture of the new "store front" up on Rattlesnake Mountain. As you may recall, that is where Ronnie goes to shoot with his SASS group of Rattlesnake Mtn Rangers. His friend Jack, who owns the range/mountain is building the fronts; Ronnie goes to help him quite often.

I think when Kathy gets done with her handy work you will know this is a general store right out of the old west days. Can't wait for the finished product.

Well, Frick and Frack went to town early this morning to get propane for the 5th wheel. Then came home for a bit and took off again for Muskogee. Haven't seen them for about 3 or 4 hours now. Who knows when they'll come home, and what they'll bring with them! I'm sure glad they have each other to ramble with. I know I enjoy the peace and quiet, and I bet Mary does too!

Went to Sallisaw WalMart yesterday to do my weekly shopping. Had to buy a new French coffee press and some 8 O'Clock brand Arabaca coffee. I guess I'll donate the 2 pounds I bought last weekend at Sam's Club to the church. I just don't like it - ground too fine and tastes "burnt" to me. Got stuff for Ronnie to make a pot of chili Friday and can hardly wait. He makes the best chili........ The produce department is sure lacking these days. They don't have a lot of stuff - like Kale, rutabagas, turnips, Yukon gold potatoes, etc. - and what they do have is kind of old and wilty! Oh for Spring and Summer! Oh well, still managed to spend too much.

I'm still upset about the shootings in Arizona. What a waste of life. And then to use it to bring up gun control again. I used to be anti-gun, but lately I'm thinking more people should legally carry weapons and perhaps crimes like this one could have been stopped before it reached these proportions. You never know.

I'm starting (reading) a new book today called Danzig Passage. It's a fictional account of a couple helping to save lives during the Holocaust. I believe even tho some stories about it are fictional, they hold more truth than people know. I've read several autobiographies about it, and it's hard to think that people could match the truth in fiction. I'm not sure I said that right, but you know what I mean. The Holocaust is a time in history that fascinates me and I find it so hard to grasp the reality of it. And to think that I was born during that time - 1944. It is a time we must never forget, or let fall by the wayside; and we must be sure all future generations know of it.

I guess I've rattled on enough for one day. Take care and God Bless.

Easy Craft Project

2011-01-11T19:17:00.010-06:00

GREETINGS!

I saw or heard about this project some time ago, and decided to do it this year. It's a great way to recycle Christmas cards and enjoy the pictures on them again. And it's so easy little kids could even do it. You make ornaments out of the cards for the tree next year!

All you do is take a pair of scissors - pinking shears or fancy cutting scrapbook scissors - and cut out the picture on the card. I cut front and back so I had a sturdier ornament. Then put a string in between the layers to hang it by and glue them together with craft glue. Simple as that!

This is just a few of the ones I made. I also wrote on the back of each one who it was from. That was you can enjoy "hearing" from your friends again! So dig out the cards you got and put the kids or grandkids to work!

And this is just a picture of Mrs. Frick! Ronnie took it the other night practicing with the 4x power on the camera. Only I think this was 2x. Just about broke the camera!!

That's it for today. Take care and God Bless.

SNOW?!

2011-01-10T20:17:00.007-06:00

GREETINGS!

After about 7+ hours of snow yesterday, this is what we ended up with. I'm not complaining, as you can still get around and it happened during daylight hours so you could enjoy watching it come down!

Still doesn't seem to warrant closing schools, but I suppose icy roads is more the culprit than the snow. This picture is just me playing around with the camera using 4x power to take the picture. Finally after 7 or 8 years I figure it out! HA ha :)
Nice to stand on the porch and get a close up instead of practically climbing the tree to get one!

Did laundry most of the day and not much else! Hope you all had a productive day. Take care and God Bless.

Fun Saturday

2011-01-09T18:56:00.008-06:00

GREETINGS!

Tom and Mary wanted to go check out the possibility of joining Sam's Club, so the four of us hopped in my van and away we went to Fort Smith, Arkansas Saturday afternoon. We found Sam's Club and they joined, and then of course we all had to look around at all the stuff. We by no means covered "all the stuff", but sure covered the grocery end of it. I have not been in a Costco or anything similar for 12 years, and couldn't believe how alike the two places are. Both in layout and congestion! :)

I bought a 2 lb bag of arabica coffee and 2 big bottles of KC BBQ sauce. Wasn't planning on grocery shopping, so that was it. And don't you know, as much as I love arabica coffee, I don't like what I bought!! I'll stick with 8 O'clock arabica coffee. Oh well. Mary bought much more stuff, but she knew what she wanted.

After shopping, we went to supper. It was Tom's treat to Ronnie for helping him with the house building. Here's where we went - Logans Roadhouse - and it was pretty good. Frick and Frack had racks of ribs, Mary had a steak and I had shrimp.

Speaking of Frick and Frack, here's a shot of them standing before the outdoor fireplace at Logans.

That's Frick on the left and Frack on the right. Now isn't that a pair???

It's a good thing Mary and I were along or who knows when they'd have come home!

We left for home after supper, but had to make a stop at WalMart in Sallisaw so they could get water. It sure will be nice when Spring comes and we can get hooked up to "city" water. It was a good day, except for the terrible news about the shooting in Arizona, which we heard leaving the restaurant. All those people need our prayers.

Went to church this morning and came out to it snowing. It snowed until late evening, but the accumulation was not much. However, they are closing lots of schools for tomorrow as there is more forecast for tomorrow. I hope it is negligible. Be safe, take care and God Bless.

Big Truck

2011-01-07T15:56:00.005-06:00

GREETINGS!

Happy Friday! I've been kind of busy today doing normal "house" stuff. I did dishes, vacuumed a lot, burned papers, dumped garbage, etc. Fun day, Huh? Also watched the cement truck come about 8:00 a.m. this morning. Salli did not like it coming down the driveway and barked her head off the whole time.

This picture is the truck on it's way out, dumping the leftovers along the driveway. I guess the foundation pouring went well and it is setting up. I know that was a big relief to Frack as now he can do some sanding and waterproofing to the containers and put them into place. Weather permitting of course!

Frick goes shooting tomorrow. I usually go with him, but I think I'll pass this time; it looks like it might be kind of cold! I am going to send my camera along though so he can get a picture of the "store front" that's been added to the range. I forgot to take my camera last month so this will make up for it.

Not much else going on. We are all healthy and fairly happy :) and really couldn't ask for much more............except maybe to be a relative of the people in Idaho and Washington who won the lottery! Washington is my home state, but alas, no relative won. I hope the people who did win enjoy the windfall and use it wisely.
Oh, I got 2 new pairs of corduroy pants today. I had ordered them from Woman Within catalog a few days ago. One is a tan color and the other a light teal - almost blue. I'm hoping they will be warm in the cold weather coming. Jeans don't seem to do well with me. And I think these will fit better. I'll let you know tomorrow!

I give thanks to the Lord for what He has given me. Enjoy your weekend. Take care and God Bless.