Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for you to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in your life. If you have a blog, please sign Mr. Linky below and post on your blog. Please link back to this blog and you may use the picture above. If you do not have a blog, leave a comment on this post telling us what you are thankful for and what you are counting as a blessing today. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!



Today, I want to count the blessing of communication. Although the phone sometimes drives me to distraction, I am thankful that I can pick it up and hear the voice of a loved one or of a friend I have not spoken to in awhile. I can send out an email with pictures of things that happened that day, or someone can send me a picture of their new baby, or the latest project they just finished. I think it can be over used, but can also be a blessing.

Let's hear what you are thankful for?

Small Town America

Sometimes it really pays to live in or near the small towns in America. If you have read my blog for any length of time, then you know that my son is betrothed to be married this year. His lovely bride to be lives in Florida. The newspaper down in their area is not necessarily from a big town, but as often happens in Florida along the coast, the towns all run into each other and makes for a larger metropolis area. They put the betrothal announcement in their paper. The lady asked for a credit card number which they gave. What they did not do was ask how much it would cost. When it ran in the paper, it was 1.75"X5". When they got the bill it was $150. This is the same paper that when my Mom died and we put the obit in, they charged a huge amount for the obit, and still wanted $60 to put her picture in.

Now, come farther north to the little county seat town that is near us. They have a Monday through Saturday paper, that usually has 2 sections. The announcement ran and was 4.25"X5.5". I called to see how much it was going to be after hearing how much they paid. I was told it was free. =)

We also have a little hometown bank. It does have several branches (maybe 10), with only 2 in our county and the rest farther north. I love our bank. The first time we did any business with them was when we applied for a mortgage. They were so friendly and helpful. We decided that we would open our checking account with them. I went back about a week and a half later and as I walked in, I was greeted by name. They have always remembered our faces and names. I can call them and if I get certain people (ones I know well), I can just say, "This is Marci. Can you please transfer money from our primary checking to the mortgage for me?" They ask me how much and say OK. A couple of days later, I get a receipt in the mail. They know my voice. I don't even have to say my last name if it is those few I have learned to know well.

My son, got 2 pieces of mail from the bank this past week. One from each of the branches in our county. When he opened each one up, it contained one of these...

When he opened it up, there was a folded copy of his betrothal announcement from the paper in a little flap. When you removed it, this is what you saw....
I LOVE this bank.
Just another cute story about this bank. My friend Ginny and I must look a lot alike. We have often been confused for each other. When we both lived in Florida, my neighbor saw us pulling in our driveway. She told Joshua that his aunt had been there. None of his aunts lived in Florida. We were wondering who was in town. Then when I talked to Ginny, she had been there and talked to the neighbor. The neighbor just assumed we were sisters. After we both moved to Ohio, I went to church one day and this woman came up and just started chatting away to me. I could tell that she thought we knew each other, but I had never seen her before in my life. I very kindly told her that she must have me confused with someone else. She informed me that we had a long conversation the Sunday before. I grinned and told her she must have talked to Ginny, because we were not there the Sunday before. When Ginny and her beloved moved here, I bragged on and on about our bank. They opened their accounts there as well. Then they realized that there were several banks that would allow her husband to bank down where he worked as well as up where we lived, plus another bank was not too far from their home. So, she went into our bank and told them she was there to close their account. The teller looked all sad and said, "You aren't going close the Amazing Graze account too are you?" She grinned and informed them that she was not me. It was too funny that she even knew who they were talking about. The Wonderful Neighbors also have opened an account with our bank because of our bragging. =)

Fishing and Lamb Races

Clara sent me this darling card. There is real knitting on the little wooden knitting needles. It comes from the real wool that is covering the sheep. I just love it. I have it sitting in my office.

Here's my live sheep and lambs. They are all doing well and I am so thankful.

This little girl, Pepper, is my favorite. I have been trying to think of a way to get her to come to me. So far, I have not had any luck.

Here she is with her twin brother Psalty.

This is either Knit or Purl. I love their little white noses and their silver tipped ears.

Some of our friends have gone fishing at different lakes in the area. They have caught fish and brought them to our house and turned them loose in our pond. The pond is full of tadpoles and frogs. At night, it is quite the chorus. Maybe one night, I will run a short video on my camera just to capture the noise. You wouldn't see anything, but you would hear Great-Grandpa frogs with deep voices all the way to tiny little ones singing. Since they have brought the fish, we told them to feel free to fish. Some of them were trying their luck last night. I think those fish have not forgotten how they got here though. They did nibble some, but there wasn't a whole lot of catching going on.

I did a couple of videos of this last night, but I will only bore you with one. =) The lambs were running races. I told Michael that I should have called out like a race.... "Here comes Pepper around the first curve... OH, there goes Psalty blowing by her...." =)

"Tails" From The Farm Part 8

You can start reading part 1 here.

We finally made it to my brother's house. We got the animals in the barn and all squared away. Our new home for the time being was my brother's pop-up camper. All or at least most of our stuff was stored away in a storage unit. We had the bare necessities and that was it. It was still quite hot in Florida when we left. Ohio was warm, but we knew that those cooler Autumn temperatures were not long in coming. We had to find a house and get settled in before it grew too cold for the pop-up.

My brother and his wife had just had their 5th child. She was still a baby and her brother was only 17 months. I love babies and was thrilled to be able to hold and cuddle them often. I had not been around their youngest three as much as their older three. There was a good time of getting to know one another. We wanted to be a help and not a burden. There was one bathroom in their house. We had to make sure we did not wait until the last minute if we had to go. =) On Sunday mornings, it was quite a song and dance letting everyone have their turn in the bathroom. Our church started later than theirs, so other than just going to the bathroom, we would try and wait for the bathroom until after they left. We ate our meals in the house with them. I would take my turns at cooking. We had lots of fun while we stayed there. They had horses and Joshua and his cousin Carli would ride in the neighbors field. Joshua had only ridden a little bit, but he would fly on that horse. He enjoyed the time of having some siblings. Being an only child is not always fun.

My parents were up in Ohio at that time. They used to spend their summers up here. They came out the next day to see us. My Dad had been saving real estate magazines for us to look at. The first one I looked in had this house in a town called Big Prairie. It said Amish made house, 6 bedrooms, all oak kitchen, walk in pantry, barn on 5 acres. It was a really good price compared to other properties. However, when we looked on the map where Big Prairie was compared to Michael's work, we said NO WAY!!! It would be about a 2 hour drive. That house kept coming up. We started looking for property. We had a set amount we did not want to go above. The prices anywhere within one hour of his job were way out of sight. We wanted no less than 3 acres, but would like more. We wanted some sort of barn or shed already there. Our animals had come from Florida and this was mid September. They needed a shelter. We would also have liked some fencing, but were willing to put that up. Joshua and I would drive around through the day and look at the properties. Anything that was worth looking at, we made note of and would go back with Michael. We had a great real estate agent. We had tried a couple of different ones and they all basically told us to go fish when we told them what we wanted and the price we wanted to pay. She was the first to say she could help us. She gave me quite a print out of properties to look at. We looked and looked. Nothing seemed quite right. We were really not being picky or at least we weren't trying to be. So many of the houses needed a lot of work before winter and we were not sure we could get it done in time. Or there would be a 35 year old mobile on a bare 5 acres without a shed or anything on it and the price would be out of sight. We did find one house. I loved that house. It was a big old home with brick walls at least a foot thick. It was 175 years old. Johnny Appleseed had actually stopped there many times and had Bible study with the first owner. There were still a couple of apple trees up on a hill that he had planted. It had a spring house and a running spring. Both are things I had dreamed of for my homestead. The price was right and it came with 20 acres. The original property that was for sale was about an acre that the house was on and then the other 19 acres were across the road and had been sewn in crops, so there was no pasture. They were selling the whole huge farm though. We asked if we could get 20 acres around the house and include one of the old barns that was there. The man was a pastor and was very sweet. The farm was his wife's family farm. They agreed to that and we wrote up an offer. We found out by including the acreage around the house, that it also had to be approved by her sister. She did not like our first offer, so we countered and again she said no. We asked them what we could have and the pastor and his wife outlined an area that we agreed to. We wrote another offer. This time they told us that the sister was digging in her heels as she did not want her sister to sell the house they had grew up in. She wanted to still be able to go there for Thanksgiving, etc. So, they withdrew the property from the market. This had wasted about 6 weeks of our time. We were very discouraged. All of our stuff was still in storage. It had gotten too cold to stay in the pop-up, so were staying at my other brother's house. He had a little apartment on his big barn/garage. We would have to drive twice a day to go and take care of our animals. It was not that close either. I just wanted a home. I wanted to be able to make my bread and grind my wheat and all the other things I loved to do. I kept telling God, that I needed a home. I was so discouraged and just wanted a place that I could call my own. We were trying so hard to keep everything as nice as possible at my brothers. The carpet was lighter colored and there was no porch or overhang. There was a very small square of linoleum when you walked in the door. You had to take your shoes off before you could even shut the door. It seemed like there was lots of mud. I was so stressed we would mess something up. My attitude just went down and down.

My husband told me that Michael Card was coming to town and that he wanted us to go. We love his music, but I do not like big crowds and really did not want to go. He kept trying to talk me into it and I said no. He did something very unlike him. He bought tickets anyway. I could not believe it. I really didn’t want to go. Then the night of the concert came and I really didn't feel too hot. My stomach was unsettled and I had a headache. Michael, again very unlike himself, told me that I WAS going. It was a divine appointment. If you ever get to see Michael Card in concert, GO, it is great. It is like he is sitting across the coffee table talking to you and every once in awhile, he sings a song. There is no showiness at all. Everything he said that night or sang spoke to my heart. I started crying from the very beginning. He brought up things that ministered to old hurts. Some of the things he said were things I wanted to share with Cordelia Rose. I was crying for her and for me. Then it came to the last song of the concert. He looked out at the audience and said, “There is someone here tonight that is saying they need a home. God wants you to know that He will be your home.” He then sang that song...

"I Will Bring You Home"

Though you are homeless
Though you're alone
I will be your home

Whatever's the matter
Whatever's been done
I will be your home

I will be your home
I will be your home
In this fearful fallen place
I will be your home

When time reaches fullness
When I move my hand
I will bring you home

Home to your own place
In a beautiful land
I will bring you home

I will bring you home
I will bring you home
From this fearful fallen place
I will bring you home
I will bring you home

I sat there and just sobbed. That was a direct word to me from my Lord. I made a new commitment to just wait and trust Him in looking for a home. He would be my home until He brought me an earthly one.

There was a bread store called Great Harvest in a nearby town. They sold bread that was made from freshly ground wheat. We were so hungry for real bread and we were thankful to find a place to purchase it. My mill to grind the wheat and everything else I would use was in a storage unit that was piled high with boxes. God provided for us through this store. We would drive down and get 3 loaves. They were big round loaves and they were often still warm from the oven. We would take out one loaf and just start pulling off hunks. It would be almost gone by the time we would get back home.

It had started to get really cold and any warm clothing we had was in storage. We had no idea it would take us this long to find a house, so we had not prepared for cold weather. We just kept out the fewest amount of things to get by. Most of my dresses were cotton and thin. Even with a slip on, I was getting very chilly. I did not have one warm outfit. I really didn’t want to go out and buy a bunch of stuff, because I already had it, but just couldn’t get to it. I prayed and asked the Lord for some warmer clothing. The next day I got a package in the mail from my dear sweet Mother-In-Love. It was a warm knit jumper with snowmen on the front and a pair of stirrup pants to wear under it. Again, God provided. He had provided before I even asked, since it would take more than a day for it to have been mailed to me. He is so faithful.

We called the real estate agent and asked her if there were any new properties to look at. She told me that there wasn’t, but there was still that house up in Big Prairie. I told her that I would talk to Michael. This was already the end of November and we needed to do something. Michael told me to set up an appointment to see the house. He was going to time how long it took us to get up there. The house was empty and had been empty since March. Have you ever gone in an unheated building in the winter? It seemed colder in the house than it did outside and it was a bitter cold day. The house was an Amish, non-electric house. It was GORGEOUS!!! I fell in love with it right away. I did not say that out loud though. I did not want to put any pressure on Michael. It was a lot bigger than we needed as well. It had 6 bedrooms and there were 3 of us. It was in the right price range ( a bit higher) and there was a barn and a pasture. It did not have any fencing, but we were willing to put that up. The setting was beautiful and the area around was so picturesque and had lots of hills. Before we left, the realtor that was listing the place told us that he could set up an appointment if we liked to talk to the Amish man who owned the house. We left and Michael timed it back to my one brother’s house that would be on his route if he drove to work from this new house. He knew how long it had taken him to go to work from there. We got to my brother’s house and he looked at his watch. He said… NO WAY!!! It would take him 1.75 to 2 hours one way to work. So, we were back at ground zero. We asked again about new properties, but there were none.

One day out of the blue, Michael asked me to set up an appointment to see that house again with the Amish man. So, I did. We met Reuben at the house and explained how everything worked. The hot water was coal fired. The coal fire heated the water in the hot water heater. It did not have a check valve however. He said that you had to pay attention and make sure you used the water you heated, or you could have a problem. The house did have running water. It was all drained out when we were there since it was empty and the temperatures were freezing. To have the running water, you had to start a big diesel engine out by the barn. It would build up pressure in a pressure tank to push the water through. You needed to do this about once a day. This particular little Amish parish (each little group has their own church and their own rules) would only allow you to have 2 things in the bathroom. Most of them chose to have a toilet and a bathtub. The sink was in the hall outside the bathroom. In some ways this was handy. If someone was in the bathroom, you could still brush your teeth or wash your hands. It was also in a little back hallway that led to the back door. On the wall between the sink and the door were 2 levels of pegs for coats. The children could all come in the back way, hang up their coats and wash their hands.

To be continued…

Our Store Is Up

The store now has a web page that is up and running. We are still working on putting up an online shopping cart. Until then, we can take your orders via email. You can use Paypal to pay for items at this point. Please click on the above banner and let us know what you think.

Come Take An Evening Stroll With Me

I finally took the time to make a list on paper today. Normally, I list the things I want to accomplish in my brain. I then struggle to remember all the things I want to get done. So, today I wrote it all down. I had given a young friend a glass cookie jar for her hope chest. She asked me to paint on it. That was several months ago. I would see it sitting there, but my paints weren't out, or I had to do something else. Today, I decided was the day to paint it. She likes strawberries and hopes to do her kitchen in a strawberry theme. Here is what I painted. My husband said it looks good all except for it looks like it reads Gookies. =) Maybe that could mean Good Cookies!!Here are some lamby pictures. I think that Knit and Purl might turn brown. I am seeing bits of brown showing up. These first two pictures are of them. You can see it in the wool on the one on the right in the second picture.

This is Grace with Linsey and Woolsey.

Here is Psalty. He is roly poly!!!

The three smaller calves have been getting out. I don't know what I would do without my Cow Patrol. They have more than earned their crowns in heaven. Here they are all hanging out under the peach tree. Michael is just off to the right moving fence to give them more grass.

This is Phil A. Mignon. He is such a handsome fella!!!

This is an old potato planter that was left on our property. I would love to repair the seat and the wooden boxes. I would then fill the boxes with flowers.

These next two pictures are of baby oak leaves. This is one of the last trees to lose its leaves. In fact it has many dead brown ones that hang on all winter. I love the colors of the leaves as they start to grow. They are almost Autumn like.

Here is my Honeysuckle. The whole bush is full of blooms. They smell good, but are not very strong. I always thought that Honeysuckle was a vine, but it grows in bush form everywhere around here. It is considered a weed.

The Dogwood blossoms are still hanging on.

You knew I would not forget to put some Wisteria pictures up. I can't even begin to tell you what joy these blooms have brought me this Spring. The wind blows across the pasture and as you walk into or out of my house, the delicious scent of these blooms floats by you on the breeze.

Here is one of my Iris. I am not a big Iris fan. These were already planted here.

These pictures show much of the beauty around our farm. There are lots of spots, you will probably never see on my posts. I want to say again, I am a very real human being with lots of warts. I don't in anyway want to paint myself or my life as more than it is. I just choose to not share lots of the downside of our lives. Like you did not see my mention the great fall I took last Thursday when I flashed the Amish women with my bright flowery underwear. I ended up covered in mud all the way down the back of me. Sigh...... =)

It Takes All Kinds...

My Grandma used to say, "Takes all kinds to make a world." She would usually say this when we had just seen someone who lives on the edge somehow. =) There is a lot of truth in that saying though. We are all different. We are all created different. I was talking to one friend this week about a book she shared with another friend. My friend and I loved the book, but her friend did not. She could not look beyond the differences in the author and mine the nuggets of truth. That is OK. There are other books for her.

I was contemplating Mother's Day. I thought about doing a Mother's Day post, but when I had the time, my heart was not in it. It goes along with my Grandma's saying. Mother's Day can be looked at in MANY different ways. Let's just stick to the female gender.

As a very young child, you know it is a day to honor your Mom. You probably make her something, pick her flowers, make a card or draw her a picture.
Then as a young lady, you probably want to make her dinner, or possibly buy her something. You may even think ahead of the day that you will be a Mom. Maybe you have some tradition at your house for Mother's Day that you want to do when you have your own home.
Let's look at an even older single woman... say in her mid to late 20's. She may wonder if she will ever be a Mom. She is not sure what God has in store for her and she is willing to wait, but Oh, it would be so nice to know.
I got married just after I turned 20. My first Mother's Day was all about my Mom. I got married in April and I knew my turn was coming. Then when Mother's Day numbers 2, 3 & 4 came around it was a painful day. I wanted to get married and have LOTS of babies. God had other plans. I would go to church and they would give all the mothers a flower of some sort. They were recognized in the service. "Will all the Moms please stand up". I would usually be the only married woman still sitting down. I think there was even one year when I did not go to church because it was too painful. I could still honor my Mom and my Mom-In-Love, but I did not like the day.
I have a good friend who had one stillborn son. She never had another. We talked again this year and I told her she was a Mom as much as I am. She does not feel like it because she did not raise a child.
What about the young woman through whatever circumstances makes the choice out of love to give her child up for adoption. She is VERY special in my heart because that is how I got my son. Is she a Mom? How does Mother's Day make her feel?
Then there are the woman that have their first Mother's Day by being pregnant. It is a time of joyful anticipation.
Then comes the first Mother's Day when you are sitting there holding that child. I know for me, it was a day of great rejoicing. We had tried for 5 years. After getting on our knees and giving up our right (which was not really ours) to have children that God blessed us through adoption.
There are the Mom's sitting in the hospital with a micro-preemie, or the Mom's that have a severely disabled child. There are the Mom's like Mrs. Duggar that have a large family.
This Mother's Day, I did miss my own sweet Mom. I wore one of her sweaters all day and thought of it as my hug from her. We were able to visit my sweet Mom-In-Love. This was also my last Mother's Day with Joshua home.
Where are you with Mother's Day?

Here are a few pictures from around the farm.

Count Your Blessings Monday

Here is an opportunity for you to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in your life. If you have a blog, please sign Mr. Linky below and post on your blog. Please link back to this blog and you may use the picture above. If you do not have a blog, leave a comment on this post telling us what you are thankful for and what you are counting as a blessing today. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!



I again want to thank the Lord for my health and the health of my family. This past week a precious little boy named Samuel Backus went home to be with Jesus. He was just 6 years old. For the last 4 years of his life, pain was the norm. He went through more in his short life than most of us will ever face in a lifetime. There is a web page that tells his story and his family's story and his struggles. Read the updates on the last couple of days of his little life. Then pray for his Momma and his family. They have a lot to work through and heal from. It makes me realize how little suffering I have had to be part of in this life. For that I am grateful. I don't ever want to take that for granted.

Yes, Lambs Again.

Here are the lambs playing King of the Mountain.

Message Every Christian Needs to Hear

I would encourage every person to listen to this video. It is long, but oh it is powerful. Don't forget to turn the music off in the sidebar.

"Tails" From The Farm Part 7

You can start reading part 1 here.

Buttermilk, the calf did not like staying in her pen off by herself. It was on the back of their horse barn. There was a window (just a cut out hole) in the back of the barn. She would hear people and try to look out through the window at them. She was not quite tall enough. You would see these ears and the top of her head and her nose pushing up over the bottom of the window. It is amazing how high a calf can jump. She would jump up and through that window. She would head out to the pasture to find some company. She would go in with Buttercup or even in with the horses. We were so afraid she would get out and go in their garden. We had to work hard to keep her in.

We knew that we would be moving, so we started looking for a stock trailer. The Jeeters that we used to visit in south Florida had moved to Virginia. We had seen their trailer and really liked it. We called and they told us where they got it. We went over to check them out. The prices were much better than anywhere else we had looked. We ordered a 16’ one, in blue of course. We were glad that it came in before we had to move. It had a front section and a back section. We now had to figure out what we were going to do.

Well moving day finally came. The Mountain family had taken our chicken coop and our chickens all except 4. Our friends had given Joshua a hen for his birthday and he bought a rooster with his own money. We knew this move was going to be hard on him (on all of us actually), so we decided we would take those 2 with us. Then we figured we would go ahead and throw in 2 more layers. We had 4 chickens, 3 goats, 2 cows, and one dog. Sounds like a song doesn’t it? We had gotten health papers on all of them except the dog. We were told that we would need them at the agricultural stops on the freeways. Our vet called to see what we would need. He said we had to get what Ohio required as that was where we were moving to. That included a blood test on the chickens. Our vet was in disbelief that a blood test on chickens was required. He was not even sure on how to do it. He finally got some, but they did not bleed very well. Now remember, the only reason we were taking these chickens along was for our son’s sake. The vet had no idea how much the test would be, but the other tests were fairly cheap. We got the bill and it was $10 PER chicken!!!!! Our son looked at us and said, "Why did we even bring them if it costs that much?" Sigh... Then, to add insult to injury, the ONLY place that checked our paper work was Florida and it was on the way OUT of the state. Go figure!!!

We had our time of worship and fellowship with our homechurch that Sunday morning and we were going to leave after the meal. We said our goodbyes with lots of tears and hugs. It was so hard to pull out of that driveway. Our dream had been to move to Virginia and here we were going back to Ohio. We truly felt like we were leaving family. The whole morning had a sort of cloud hanging over it. We took a picture of everyone gathered around our loaded vehicles and stock trailer. We put Buttercup and Buttermilk in the back part of the trailer. The 4 chickens went in a dog crate in the front part along with the goats and some of the supplies. More of the supplies were in the back of the truck under the cap. I would be driving the car and Michael would drive the truck. Joshua would take turns with each of us.

We had planned out our trip. The Jeeters had told us of a bed and breakfast on the way that catered to horse people. We called them and they said we could put our animals out in the pasture. So we had made reservations for that night. Buttercup, Ellie and Minx were all in milk, so we had to milk twice a day as well. When we started out. Joshua was in the truck with his Dad leading the way. I was in the car following. We had walkie talkies so that we could keep in contact with each other. We got out in the middle of nowhere in Georgia at about 6PM that Sunday evening and a tire blew on the truck. It was LOUD and it blew up!! It was no flat, but an explosion. It even dented the side of the truck. The spare didn't have enough air. Michael took off in the car to find the nearest exit and get some fix-a-flat for the spare to help us limp into somewhere to get it fixed. Joshua and I stayed in the truck with the animals. Michael got back and put the fix-a-flat in and it just poured out in different spots. The spare wouldn't hold air. So, he called a tow truck company. Michael told us that the man would tow the trailer first to this well lit gas station at the next exit. It had a big grassy area that we could probably get the animals out to milk them. I was to follow in the car and stay with the animals until he got there on the next trip with the tow truck. So, I followed this guy to the exit. He pulled off and drove right past the well lit gas station with the nice grassy area. He took us to this really dark and secluded parking lot behind a bunch of businesses that were closed. I made Joshua stay in the car and went to talk to him explaining we were in the wrong place. He told us that the gas station would make us move. He said he knew the people who had the business we were behind and that we could stay there overnight until we could get a new tire the next day. It was getting dark and starting to drizzle. I pulled the car behind the stock trailer so no one could get in the back door of the trailer and we could watch the side door. We locked our doors and sat there and prayed. Once Michael got there, we got the animal out and tied to the sides of the trailer. We fed, watered and milked them out. Then put them back. Michael drove Joshua and I to a small hotel to spend the night and he went back and slept in the car by the animals. We called the Pastor family and our family in Ohio to pray, then called the bed and breakfast and told them we would not be there. It poured all night. The next morning, he came to get us and we got the animals out again in the thick mucky mud and fed, watered and milked them again. Then after they were back in the trailer, Joshua and I sat in the truck, while Michael went to get a tire. The company he bought it from came and put it on for us. We called and gave an update then headed out. When we got to a city of some size we stopped and bought more new tires for the truck to be prepared and kept one of the old ones as a spare.

Since we got such a late start we had to stop and spend another night on the road. We found a hotel with a huge parking lot that extended into gravel and then a sort of grassy area. Semi trucks parked there. There were several bars, just over beyond the grassy area and down a little incline. We got in fairly late as we were trying to make time. We got all the animals out and tied them around the trailer and started taking care of them. One of the hotel's other customers came stumbling (literally... he was very drunk) from the bar towards the hotel. He got near us and the cow bellowed and there were lots of other animal noises. He stopped... stared... shook his head as if to clear it... stared again and then staggered off to the hotel. I think he must have figured he had a few more than usual. =) I was hoping he would swear off the stuff.

To be continued...

Quick Trip to Check On Things

When I go out to do my chores in the mornings, I like to check on things. Here are the 3 smallest calves grazing away on the pasture. This is Knit, Purl and Psalty. I love those white noses and silver tipped ears.

Here is Pepper, Linsey and Woolsey playing Queen of the Mountain.

This is Knit. I just love her precious face.

Here is Knit and Purl in the background and then Linsey is in front of them and Woolsey in front of her.

I put this picture in so that you could click on it and make it big. If you look on the left side of the picture, you can see the curls that her wool has. This is Pepper.

Here, Knit and Purl bellied up to the feed trough with the Moms. =)

The little one facing the camera is Linsey. Woolsey has her back to me.

Yes, I am sorry, there are more Wisteria pictures. Ginny told me to take them..... =)

Here is the Dogwood in full bloom.

I noticed that the Honeysuckle is starting to bloom as well.

I loved to see the dew drops on the leaves of my bleeding heart. I was playing with my camera. I really like the last picture. That was a God thing. =)

Wisteria Update

The wind was really blowing hard yesterday. The Wisteria took the full force. Then it rained all night. I was afraid that the blossoms would all be knocked off. I went out late this afternoon to look at it. It is more beautiful than ever. I could smell it from about 5 feet away. It has a beautiful perfume.

Sweet Lambies, Sweet Blossoms & Belle

Star and Belle go out each morning with me to do chores. Star is always checking everything out. Belle just lays in the hay and waits on me. I really miss my Dixie girl. She always went with me to.

The sheep see me coming. They head to the shed to meet me there.

This is a close up of Linsey and Woolsey. Aren't they cute?

Here are the lambies playing king of the mountain. This is Psalty, Pepper, Knit & Purl.

This is either Knit or Purl. I have to see their backside to tell them apart. =)

Here is Pepper trying to find a way through the fence to the greener grass on the other side.

These next pictures are for Ginny. =) She does not have a Wisteria anymore. The blooms are opening up and they smell totally delectable.

Farm Livin'

The days have been so beautiful. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right. It makes you want to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Gone are the days of cold and gray. Spring is in full swing here on the farm. I always try to grab my camera if I am going outside. There is always something begging to have its picture taken.

I was out trying to get pictures of the lambs. I want to get some up close ones, but they are not cooperating with me. I did see this lone hen out looking for good things to eat in the sheep pasture. She might have been just passing through from the garden area back to the coop.

You may get sick of Wisteria pictures. I have always loved these plants, but never had one. I planted this one 5 years ago. I have waited patiently for it to bloom. It looks like this is my year. Everytime I go by it, you can see how the buds have grown and opened up more. I get so excited and just thank the Lord for allowing it to bloom this year.

My Dogwood is doing good also. A friend dug this up for me several years ago at the edge of her woods. It used to be about waist high. Now it is taller than I am.

I probably have more pictures of these lambs than I do the others. Pepper is my favorite. I just wish I could tame her to come to me. Sunshine will come up to me as long as no one else is around.

Here they are getting a drink. Psalty was on the other side at the same time Pepper went for this side.

This is Purl. See her little white pearls by her tail?

This is her sister, Knit with Charity their mama.

This is Linsey and Woolsey. Their mama keeps them close. It is really hard to get a picture of them.

Here is Pepper and Psalty again. Who could not love those little faces?

This is Clover my jersey heifer. I wish she was honey colored, but she was a heifer so I was thrilled.

This is Clover on the left, then Phil and then TJ.

This video gives you a tour of our chicken yard area.

Count Your Blessings Monday

Here is an opportunity for you to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in your life. If you have a blog, please sign Mr. Linky below and post on your blog. Please link back to this blog and you may use the picture above. If you do not have a blog, leave a comment on this post telling us what you are thankful for and what you are counting as a blessing today. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. They encourage others. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!




Today, I am counting my blessings of health. I am getting old =), and I do have aches and pains, but I am blessed beyond belief. I breathe on my own. I have both arms and both legs and can use them. I can see, hear, taste, and feel. I don't take any medications. I am so grateful for this. I know it is only by the hand of God. Sometimes I forget to thank Him for these gifts and I just take them for granted. Today, I want to be publically grateful for them.