Music Can Soothe...

...the Heart and Mind!

But it also has a huge appetite for broadband!
My music has gobbled up all of my bandwidth time!
Who Knew?
I sure didn't until today when it ate right through the universe, through these invisible communication waves landing smack dab into my computer....
BAM! No more Internet connection!
I had to call Support Tech, or maybe that is Tech Support, for them to tell me I was not being "Friendly" by consuming so much 'space' with music! They told me I wouldn't get "friendly time" (their description of 'connectivity speed') until I reduced my usage to 70%. It would seem to me, that by having them control my access to nill, my usage should drop considerably, right?
But I still think this isn't very "friendly" on their part!
Heck I wasn't consuming the bandwidth, the music was!..
I was just enjoying some of my favorite tunes!
I'm wondering now, how I am supposed to know when that happens..reduced to 70%.
In their "friendly" manner, they told me it could take 24 hours for everything to be "digested".
So, like the "friendly" person that I am, it is now after midnight, being obedient to the Almighty Wild Blue...I'm on line for whatever amount of time I'm granted...
Long enough to REMOVE my Playlist!
I was told to wait until midnight, when I wouldn't be as "unfriendly" to others by gobbling up bandwidth that others may be hungry for.
Hey, why can't we all share? I thought I was paying my share! Hmpppmmmm!
Oh well, such is the way of my life...year after year after year!
So, no more music for my ears....my tunes or yours!
I will have to 'tune' you out if you have music playing....
Darn!
Sorry!
I had better hang up here before they tell me I'm being "unfriendly" again...
and let my appetite drop down to the 70%...whatever that is!

Why might I ask, couldn't THEY have been "friendly" by warning me! Send up flashing neon lights! Or wave huge red flags in front of my face...Anything! ...not....Nothing!
They can just flip a switch and say she's not being "friendly" anymore...

BAM! She's gone!

(I will be curious to see if tomorrow, they put me back in the "friendly" club...
or am I going to have stay in the Midnight Hour club awhile...)

~ ~ ~

Be sure and check out the next post down from this:

"Good Medicine Project"

Something different...

...something wonderful!

I came across this blog a few days ago and I must tell you what a pleasure it was to meet this lady! She is involved in an awesome project helping children either with cancer or those who must live alongside of cancer through friends or family.
PLEASE...visit this and see if you can help with this year's planned project...
"Good Medicine Project"


"I’ve told y’all a hundred times about Camp Sanguinity. It’s a summer camp for kids with cancer and their siblings. It’s a retreat for those children, so that for one week of their year they don’t have to think about The Big “C.” " S.T.

Go have a visit...see what I'm talking about! Maybe you can help too.

Just Feeling Nostalgic....

...listening to songs on my PlayList

Good Morning "Hydro"...this is for you

...because we miss you!

Holly Dunn's... "Daddy's Hands"

"Cowboy & Hydro" ~father/daughter dance....

(For those who don't know the song,

click on it at the bottom of posts in 'PlayList'... )

**EDIT 9/30/08~Wild Blue says I'm gobbling up too much bandwidth..so I had to remove the Playlist...

you will have to carry your own tune to this beautiful song...Sorry!

I remember Daddy´s hands,

folded silently in prayer,
And reaching out to hold me,

when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story,

in the callouses and lines.

Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.

I remember Daddy´s hands,

how they held my Mama tight,

And patted my back,

for something done right.

There are things that I´ve forgotten,

that I loved about the man,

But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.

Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.

Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle

But I´ve come to understand.

There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

I remember Daddy´s hands, working 'til they bled.

Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.

If I could do things over, I´d live my life again.

And never take for granted the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.

Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.

Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle

But I´ve come to understand.

There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.

Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.

Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle

But I´ve come to understand.

There was always love .....In Daddy´s hands.

* * *

**ps...Yes! "Hydro" came through with the robe I posted about ..The Procrastination Queen! Along with other goodies! Like a pair of slacks, shoes and several tops...she thought I would ..." look nice on you for your next Farm Club meeting"...

What? Is she trying to tell me....instead of being the Country Bumpkin she has known Mom to be forever, is she now wanting a Chić Mom¨má ?? Try as she might, and bless her pretty little heart, their is that old saying ..."you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl!"

~

You always fill our hearts with sunshine, "Hydro"...and We love you!

Where.. Oh.. Where...

...did all this JUNK come from?

Where.. Oh.. Where.. is beyond me!

(we are just getting started here..)

Today was a day for de-cluttering.

The garage.. ~Cowboy's Garage~..
(mine, believe it or not...is spotless give or take a few mouse droppings. Yes, I do have my very own place to park my rig out of the sun, dust and cold...it rarely gets driven so it needs its own hiding place!)

It never ceases to amaze me where all of our junk comes from!
It's not like we purchase things, because we don't!
Each fall & spring, we make a trip to the dump.
(they have special rates for those who like to clean and declutter...
which is NOT our favorite pasttime!)
I understood when we moved here, 3 years ago, while cleaning out and removing the remnants of the previous owners...there was junk.
We cleaned alot! Hauled a horse trailer & pickup full to the dump!

But since then?

This accumulation of junk baffles me!
Neither of us are junk 'collectors' and we've moved soooo many times, we always manage to declutter our lives at that time!

So where does it all come from??

Here, we have the 'dead' panels caused by horses.
They can be so destructive!

(actually these are only TWO of many!)

I posted about destruction..here...

and it happens continously!)









Here we have two dead mowers...
The 3rd one of the summer, may not make it through another mowing...thank goodness mowing season is coming to a close soon!

We have no small engine repair places available and there is no class at our tiny high school that could repair these as part of their learning experience. One would think with this being a farming/ranch area, these kids would have the 'opportunity' to be taught small or large engine work in order to take over for their parents ...not ! ...These kids plan for greener, more grandious pastures that the world has to offer. (our little community is shrinking each year! There are about 4-6 graduates per year, all achieve scholarships (which I commend them for) and move on!)


Each fall and spring, we also have a fire...when permitted.
This too, bewilders me! How on earth, can there be so much around here to burn? Two or 3 piles, two times a year?? It is not like we live in a forest, and we certainly don't waste anything!
We burn old feed sacks, baling twine by the tons.
We burn old fallen branches, broken boards from fences and such and the last of the bark from our winter wood pile, even 'acres' of tumbleweeds! There always seems to be so much to burn!
Even our Son, who is a pyro, can always find and add to our piles!

(But. he won't be around much now so guess we have to do our own scouting.)

As you can see...it's pretty darn dry around here. We won't be burning this one or the other one that has been accumulating on the other side, until we get several good rains...generally mid-October.

Now...we have this junk coming out of Cowboy's garage...WHY is it in there??
Maybe he thought he could 'fix' some of it? (he is NOT a fixer kind of guy!)
Maybe he thought he could 'give' it away? Who wants more junk...when we don't!



OK....why wasn't this blower part of the 'dead' riding mower disposed of when the rest was??
And why didn't that 'dead' sink go to the dump last spring?
This 'dead' weed wacker? ...Last falls trip?
We haven't even got the 'dead' hot water tank out yet..from June 6th!


We also have bits and pieces...BIG pieces...from when Cowboy flipped his horse trailer last winter on an icy bridge (yes, it was empty...thank goodness!)....
He managed to get rid of the crushed trailer....so why not these at the same time??

Go figure!

But Alas!

I can actually see the floor when I need to get to our spare frig and freezer now without fighting the maze of junk!

Sure, now that canning and freezing season is over!

Are we good now...'til Spring?

Hopefully next Fall!

During the hauling, the lifting, the gathering; coughing dust, spitting cobwebs, and even a few digruntled words...




I DID take the time to stop and smell my roses!

I Think H.O.W. Was Born Blind...

...and I just now figured it out!!

A good blogging friend created these 'pictures' for me, and no, she's never met or seen me either, her imagination just went wild!

Really Wild!

She is a single Mom with a bunch of little critters running about her place... besides her 'chillins', and to top that off, she's going to college to change her life~for a better life!
I'm really proud of her! (like a Mom except I'm not her Mom...
but like a Mom anyhow, I'm proud of her!)

Now ~the problem I have with these "Creations" she made for me are:

1-She should have been studying instead of creating and thinking about BlogWorld Buds!
2-She should have been sewing those clothes for her girls that aren't completed yet!
3-She should have been bonding with those 2 cutest fuzzy additions to her life!
4-She should have been wearing InterNET glasses before she delved into my world!
(see that picture in the sidebar to the left?
Yea, the Maxine one...that's really me, I posed for that! **wink! )

So, Jenn...now listen to your Mom! Just pretend Ok?
Get busy on those 3 top things in that list!
"Do you hear me?" I saaaaiiddd....."DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

You all know I have not put my "Mug" out here for anyone to see, except my "Coffee Mug"! ~That is a mirrored image of ME you know! Coffee! Coffee should have been my name!
And I do change "Mugs" periodically, in case you haven't noticed.
Oops, I forgot....the picture of Maxine in my left sidebar..is my "Mug" too..
(oh yea my "Mug" is also in the anniversary post with pictures ~ IONS & IONS ago.)

I realize I am selfish. (..even Hydro had a problem with me posting her pictures~at first~in my Procrastination post...then she gave in and said "oh...Ok...leave them there.."
See she and I are like 2 peas in a pod! Like Mother, like Daughter...imagine that!)
Most all of you, I've been able to see who I'm talking to or snooping in on and it is really nice to have a face matched up to the words you write and pictures you display, but you see, I'm just a plain ol' country gal, nothing more....well, maybe Worn Out Woman/Weary Ol' Wife too.
So I will gladly take this creation below, that Jenn gave me with a big Thank you!!...
even though you should have had your InteNET glasses on, Dear Girlfriend!....
I will pretend it's me, and I give you all permission to pretend it's me!
How's that?

Now, you must be wonderin about my title to this post...I know H.O.W. may not have been blind at birth, but...now, I believe he must have been blind at the time our
"Dance through Life" began.

I showed him these 'renditions' of ME that Jenn did just for MuWAA!

His response was.... "..yeap....in times gone by"!

And he must STILL be blind...thank goodness! *gotta love him for that!

A Quiet day...

...on the homefront....

Last evening there was calm in the heavens as Cowboy and I sat on the front porch, the evening chores were done. Supper was in the oven with the aromas of pot roast and blueberry muffins sifting through the door casings.

It was a quiet Sunday and we were able to catch up on our neglected pastimes. Cowboy picked up his carving tools. I curled up with chapters in a book that was awaiting me; one which had been collecting dust in its half open state.

The sun had begun to dim its glow over the horizon and for a brief interlude we were lost in capricious conversation.
A breeze played soft music through the wind chimes hanging on the eves, yet the locust leaves shivered. We listened, as over head the birds were hastily seeking shelter.

Is there a storm blowing in, we wondered?

Soon dirt devils began to swirl in a dance with the sagebrush and the elms began bowing with their applause.

We watched as the horses banished the wind in foolish delight. In the obscurity of the moment, cattle could be heard drifting hastily into the coulees.
Gusting winds began unleashing mayhem over the prairies, disarranging tumbleweeds, entangling them amid the fences.

Supper was ready. I gathered the corners of the blanket surrounding me and we went inside, closing the doors against the intrusive fingers of Ol' Man Winter.

Ol’ Jack Frost hasn’t knocked yet, he is still next door!

T'Was a S.A.D. Saturday...

...on the farm.

(no, this is NOT our farm!)

Unfortunately, it's that time of year that we must think about winter feed.

Ours is tucked neatly, in Kodak colors on the pantry shelves lining the basement walls, and sparkling of a frosty white behind the freezer doors.

*giving myself a nice soft shoulder pat*

But..these four legged, outdoor critters, oh no, they have to be difficult!

They need a completely different supply than ours.

Their preference is to have it packaged in colorful strings, either round or square in configuration; dry in texture with an 'earthy' flavor, and placed at a level low enough to hang their heads over the whole plate, Ala Naturál.

They will nuzzle it strewing it around,

toss it upwards into the winds, and munch away.

(Actually, I do know a few humans that prefer that posture also.)
They even think it's fun to trample the strays into mud mash...

being much too wasteful in my opinion!

I was taught to eat what is put on my plate...all of it!

We were not allowed to play in our food, let alone lie in it!

Luckily, I don't have to be their menu planner!

They are content with the same forage day after day,

with possibly some oats or other grains sprinkled about.

Horses and cows are grazers (humans are too in their own way....*snicker) and winters in the northern country does not provide natural grazing grasses for them to survive on, they depend on us!

That is S A D!

Us humans, must find, haul, stack and even pay for their nourishment!

Yes! With our hard earned green backs! Can you believe that?

Not only do we pay for our own, we must pay for theirs too!

Yes, I know, I know...they will pay us back in their own sweet time,

but I'll bet they won't figure the cost of living increases into the matter!

That too is S A D !

~ ~ ~

The economy this year has everyone up in arms.

Hay prices have sky rocketed!

Not only are there horses being turned out in the wilds to fend for themselves, there are many cattlemen cutting back in their herd numbers. They too, are losing the battles.

Will the 'Cowboy way' die a slow & quiet death?

If so, that will be S A D !

~ ~ ~

Yesterday, Cowboy went to fetch some winter feed.

(Not for us, for them!)

We much prefer to support the locals, but when the hay growers cater to the export market and carry their pricing over into the local's pocketbooks...

us locals, struggling to survive and care for the critters,

must weigh our options.

We weighed ours.

The price of hay + fuel = $107.00 per ton CHEAPER!

We went North!

(Actually, only Cowboy went, I stayed back to hold down the fort,

which was a good thing!

I had a stampede!............. JUST TEASING!)

He went North! No, not "North to Alaska" *sing, sing...

Just North!

You know.....to where the Hay is cheaper!

North to the Washington/Canadian border...almost (20 miles shy thereof).

A long-g-g-g-g-g 4 hour drive, empty~heading up.

A long-g-g-g-g-ger 5+ hour drive full ~coming back.

I must say long-g-g-g...as this Cowboy has a problem with sitting

behind a steering wheel and staying awake!

Not real sure how he accomplished this feat, and yes, I do worry!

We don't own cell phones, so for me, it was a wait and hope day.

Hope he didn't find himself in dreamland, deep in the Columbia River somewhere!

That would have been S A D !

But I became HAPPY when the whites of his eyes pulled in the drive late.

I could see from the porch he had toothpicks keeping those eyelids open.

The pain of that alone, had to be what kept him awake...don't you think?

We got up early this morning for the normal routine....

not the same normal as the past 4 months,

but the normal for the next 8 months.

"(If you remember, he was secretly grinning the other day, knowing he'd soon have my shoulders to count on, helping with "non-gardening" chores.) "

Today ended my front porch mornings, quietly sipping my coffee wrapped in the blanket (yes..blanket, not robe.. because dear, procrastinating "Hydro" called today to say my robe wasn't mailed until today! She promised it was, but we will see.)

"(This is an ongoing saga of 6 months so far....**wink**!

I think she's figurin' Ol' Mom will come visit, just to get her robe back, right?) "

Bring on the chores! I can only do so much, I'm out of barnyard shape!

I can quench the thirsts, visit with the chickens

and woo them into a few more eggs;

I can toss some forage, and sweep the planks.

But, tth-tth-that's all folks! for today....

While I shed my jacket and worked up a dew,

Cowboy positioned the rig and grabbed the tractor for off loading the hay.

Now this is where the S A D really begins.

So... S A D

Since his return of the night before, he's done nothing but rant and rave...

about the comforts of the ride, the gadgets galore.

He wants his old Jalopy~no more!

S..... So Sorry Charlie (oops, I mean Cowboy!)

I know you'd prefer the shiny new wheels, such as you borrowed.

Easy on the fuel and the power to pull.

Just be glad we have a verrrry nice 'neighbor' who would lend his to you!

(Just say it was yours for a day, who will know!)


A..... Already spent.. the allotment and then some...
(We need to find a way to fill our wallets, not deplete them!)

D..... Dollars...are gone

(too, too many! )

Quit being a Cowboy, then maybe you could afford those wheels!

(Oooops...but then you wouldn't need them... right?)

This HAY expenditure is a huge PITFALL to our Cowboy life!

Or is that Pit Full?

It does go in one end and comes out the other...

to fill a Pit....... Full!

It seems to Burn a hole in our pocketbooks,

As fast as The Hay Burners can chow it down!

(and that is pretty fast!)

That is S A D !

Hence, filling the Pit........Full!

.....But HAY! That's OK. I will recycle it next year...in my compost!


~ ~ ~

I know, you will always be a Cowboy,

and we will always be buying hay,

So forgot about those shiny new wheels

until another day!

I'm so sorry...

So S. A. D. !

I've Been Doing Some Heavy Research...

...on WHY humans must eat!

I've devoted my life pushed a few buttons, spent many hours a few minutes

and years in search of a simple answer.

It was to be my thesis of life brightest post!

I persevered through every waking hour tab I opened,
seeking the answer to a question that haunted my palette.

"WHY didn't our Creator provide for our total nourishment needs

through the absorption of the air we breathe?"

This question led to others...

"Did Taco Bell or McDonalds pull some strings?"

"Did Safeway or Albertson's make a special deal?"

"How about Lily Miller or Burpee..what did they promise?"

*
~FYI~
(in case you are not as conscious as I presume you are)
FOOD: Nourishment eaten in solid or liquid form
PREPARATION: the act of preparing something
EATING: (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming food to provide for nutritional needs, particularly energy requirements and for growth.

FOOD + PREPARATION = EATING!
*
Unless you are a guest somewhere, or have the luxury to dine out, the responsibility of the final chew/swallow/ingest process....

commonly (but not always I admit) falls onto the shoulders of the "Head of Household",

habitually, that being of the female gender.
I being of that gender, took it upon myself to resolve this dilemma.

Whether it is the slapping of two pieces of bread together

with the smearing of PB & J in the middle, or delicious culinary preparations

of Daube de Boeuf Provencal ...

EATING means W-O-R-K!

WORK means NO PLAY!

Who wants that?

Blah..Blah..
Blah.. Blah..
BLAH!

And then...a few days ago, I came a cross a post of a great friend Terri.
Her post blew all my years minutes of research, thoughts, plans and typing

(*with a big huff and a puff*) ~phewff~ out the window!

Upon finding Terri's post that day, the Blog-age-can gobbled up my lengthy,

precise dissertation in one big gulp! ...galumph..choke..Ahhhh!
My enthusiasm which kept my nose buried in books glued to the computer,

eyes scouring blurring with each word and pencils sharpened

fingers worn to stubs....was wasted!
Terri beat me to the answer in her straightforward forward family dilemma post.

Her answer was blatantly simple!

We eat because we are hungry and...

if we don't "we are crabby"!

Life's complicated questions are actually simple to answer.
Listen to your belly...your mind...and our heart!
The answer you seek will appear in no particular order...
It only depends on the question.

I Traveled to Jordan Today..

...into the Lost City of Petra!

What an adventure for someone who goes no where!
If you want to learn more, as I plan to, click here for starters.

Do you remember the movie
"Indiana Jones:
Last Crusade"?
Well, walk through the Siq
(to the left) and you come out at
'The Treasury'..
(to the right)
Do you recognize this?
It is where parts were filmed.
The Lost City of Petra is built exclusively out of sandstone.
Beautiful colors, which these photos do absolutely NO justice for.


To the left,
is the Monastery
"ed Deir"
which is a mere
900 steps to reach!"
*
"Lawrence of Arabia" was filmed mostly
here in Wadi Rum
(to the right).
Home to the Zalabia Bedouin people.
It is said T.E Lawrence wrote "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" here.

I had the most incredible journey today....
via video and the traveler who took us there!
*
THEN....
*
I WON!!!
*
All because # 11 is always my 'chosen' number when asked....

Aren't they pretty? And they are my 'birth month flower'!
A touch of Fall indoors now!
*
I ALSO......
*
Got "dressed up" today!
MY kind of 'dressed up'!
My best Wranglers, a pretty shirt and....




The only make up I own,
...Mascara!







And the most dreaded item in my closet,
...SHOES!




That is as dressed up as I get!
*
(I did get more dressed for my niece's graduation in June, ONLY because it was in a BIG city in Minnesota... & I think my family would have made me watch from the skylights if I hadn't.
I actually thought about returning the dress I purchased when I got home...heck!
It was only worn for 3 hours!...but didn't...
And I did get dressed up for our daughters wedding years ago...not sure why I had to though. Cowboy was allowed his spanking new Wranglers & Black Tux jacket & black Cowboy hat..."He wouldn't be Dad if he dressed any other way! "
...cough...er... um .. like I was ever seen in anything but Wranglers?
Dress? nada...but that's Ok "Hydro & The Guy"...

I did it for you because I love you!.. )

*
WHY?
Did I travel to Jordan?
WHY?
Win a pot of Chrysanthemums?
WHY?
Get 'dressed up'?
*
It was Meeting day! That's WHY!
*
No, not AA, or PTA; not even a Meeting of the Minds!
*
Nope!
*
It was our first Women's Farm Club Meeting of the year! Well, more like first of 8!
Why only 8? Because these are hard working Farm/Ranch women!
Harvest is mostly over, and the rush will all begin again in 8 months!
The Club was formed in the 1920's, which is the oldest,still active club in the County!
The women had very little time to socialize, homes were miles and miles apart.
Out of loneliness and lack of the access to socializing, they decided to meet
once a month, at each others homes.
Meeting time was set for 2 pm as these women had to prepare and serve Supper to
their working crews and families~ Supper, being the main large meal of the day.
The women whose families still harvest/ranch,...continue to do that, so the meeting is still 2pm!
There are 42 members ranging from 'Me' to 94 years young.

(Until today, I was the 3rd youngest member. The two younger ones whose lives didn't revolve around agriculture dropped out.)

My~does it feel good to be the "Youngest" at anything these days!

There are 27 active members and the remainder are 'honorary' status, because
they either live too far out and don't drive any longer, or they may be in nursing
or retirement homes elsewhere.
When I was asked to join 3 yrs ago, right after we moved here,
I was honored to be included as a member of the community.
This is the only socializing with other women I get to enjoy.
Everyone has tremendously busy lives and I thoroughly enjoy their company.
The stories they have to tell, the knowledge they willingly share,
and their trials, truiumphs and tears ~I empathize with.
All of these women are strong in faith, family and life.
They are fearless, sincere and have hearts as big as the sky!
*
The Club does community work helping to maintain the grounds of the tiny cemetary,
to painting a flag pole or replacing a bench in the park.
They contribute to the battered womens home in Spokane at Christmas with gifts of the little things these women might miss.
Donations are made to certain causes that come to the attention.
(Last year, the Club made a generous contribution to the Fistula Foundation.)
The women help with the sick, the dying or the lonely people in our community.
No matter how wide spread over a map our community is,one of us lives somewhat close to someone in need.Whether it be helping with grocery shopping, a trip to the doctor,
or the need to just have someone sit and listen in a time of suffering.
There is one of us to help. Always.
*
Holding to tradition, the two hostesses for the monthly meeting pick a program,
decorate, prepare delicious foods andserve with real china, silver, linens, and tea pots!
I think this idea was incorporated to make their meetings eloquent!To separate themselves from the aprons, stacks of pots and dishes;the dust, the chafe and the grime of their accustomed daily farm lives.
The women know how to put on a grand 'tea party'!
(and, yep, this hillbilly has learned! One time a year, I can pull it off!)
So....
Today, the Program was the sharing of an excursion by a Club member who traveled to Jordan and Egypt last year. Time didn't allow for her to present the complete trip that she had captured on video, but with her narration, her knowledge and the treasures she purchased we all were enthralled and had the feeling we were experiencing the trip with her.
It was an amazing journey! I plan to discover more about the history surrounding the Bedouin people and their country. I am facinated with what I learned today!
The Gift today, was that beautiful pot of Chrysamthemums.

Everyone was asked to speak a number, one at a time.
I was the 21st person to speak,I blurted out #11. Voila! I won!
That just happened to be the number the two hostesses were looking for!
*
Yes, I did get 'dressed up'. My way.
The other women go all out with earrings, necklaces, nice slacks and tops.
NONE of them, not even the two gals who dropped outwear jeans and tennis shoes!
JUST ME! I've always been the odd one out.
If someone doesn't like me for the way I am....oh well.
But these women don't care. Everyone is respected in their own rights.
(Besides, I don't own any of those kinds of clothes or accessories they do!
....never been in my budget or on my wish list!)
Now, it's been an exhilerating & exhausting day...
getting gussied up, traveling around the world, and winning a gift!
I'm signing off~
As tomorrow is just another day .....

The Dog Days of Summer...

...are winding down!


The chill of this morning’s air, a mere 33 degrees, fills my nostrils with a cool reflection of the days ahead. I am sitting on the front porch wrapped in my blanket (“Hydro” promises the robe is in the mail TODAY!) sipping my first cup of coffee and I see two deer heading towards the creek for their morning drink. They trod down the same dusty path that has been worn over the seasons,
they know their way.
* * *
I trampled the same paths every day for the past 3 months. I know my way.
But today, with the last of the tomatoes turned to sauce and the final Jalapeno’s thickened into jelly last evening, I can embark on a different route.
I’ve packed away the canners, the jars and the tongs; the kettles, the knives & the clean kitchen towels. What remains growing in the garden will garnish the chicken’s plates for a few weeks to come.
In a different time, in a different home, this time of year, the deer would come for their desserts of summer. I would watch them tenderly climb through my maze of tomatoes and vines, selecting only the finest at first. My garden beckoned them when I was through, and somehow they knew.
The deer here, in this place and time, seem to prefer the wheat stubble where the splattering of wheat kernels from the harvest now complete, will fatten them up for the long winter ahead.
I am grateful for this bounty that’s filled the freezers and lined my pantry shelves. We will reap the labors of my summer in the months to come.
When the killing frost arrives, I will pull the wilted remains tossing them on my newest compost pile. I then will do one last weeding, and fill my wheelbarrow over and over with compost from the 1st pile (I maintain 3, of different stages) dumping them into my raised rows, turning it into the soil lightly for winters rest period.
BUT… after this year? I may not plant another!
I say that every Fall!

I’m ready to enjoy the changing season.
With little time left before the cold Northerns begin to hover, I need to take the time to enjoy the warmth and colors of a lingering fall.



Today~ I will begin to breathe the sweet fragrance of the rose as it warms with the morning sun, and inhale the pungent Sage dripping in dew.



While Purple Verbena creep tenderly across the dampened soil,








a Yellow Rose will glisten under the
new blue morning.

Tea Roses will quietly open in a cool display,
as the “Flame Pot”warms with the breezy air.










My Crimson Roses will splash with color and profusely spread its perfume.
I love the mornings when they are living and vivacious!





The fresh cut grass lazily shakes its blades sending the bouquet of greetings to my senses, now renewed.

Even the spice of Marigold is welcomed this day as things awaken.



I am nauseous from the garden flavors,
their aromas drenching my walls.
So...
Today, I begin a new journey.
A new season awaits me.
I know there are more chores that await my attention, but for the moment, I plan to savor these mornings in their complete splendor.

Cowboy has been patient over the summer as he knows my passion for gardening, and he loves the rewards it brings, to his senses and his palette.
He does love to eat!
His labors are more intense without my help yet he never complains.
Secretly, as I stashed and stored my processing supplies for winter, I know he was grinning. Within a few days he can count on my shoulders to help him with summer’s neglected duties.

And I’ll be ready and eager for something “new”.
It will be a treat of sorts to get out in the barnyard, get a new kind of dirty!

Even back to the good old mucking!