Sunday Drive…and a PEEP! (edit)

Tonight Kate got to take a ride in “Lola”…

… which was built from scratch by a very good buddy of hers! They needed a little push to get her started…

… and two Dads and a Pop-Pop (Pop-Pop’s behind Kate’s head!) were very happy to offer their assistance…

…and off they went! 

Isn’t that the coolest car you’ve ever seen?! Great job Stevie!!! 

And thanks to everyone who commented on the Freebie post! There’s still time to sign up for the drawing! (And I’ll have another papercutting freebie coming soon, so keep checking!) Hope everyone had a wonderful Lord’s Day! 

Monday morning edit: Sometime in the night a Peep hatched! More may be coming…

Stay inside a sturdy building.

Well. I was getting ready to hang a small load of laundry on the line, and heard a distant rumble. A long way away ominous sort of rumble. So, I decided to check the weather to see what was coming. It was a storm, and our entire county was under a severe storm warning until 9:30 a.m. Not unusual. However, I don’t think I’d ever seen the warning to…

Stay inside a sturdy building.

That was quite impressive and thought provoking. So I did. Stay inside that is. The laundry will have to wait. However, it is now 10 a.m., and nothing too severe happened. The rain is gently and steadily coming down, and the thunder is thundering in a rumbly sort of way. 

While on the subject of weather, the other day we had the most wonderful breeze all day long. The windows were open so we could enjoy it, and we actually were serenaded… Kate’s harp was sitting by the window, and every time the breeze blew in just the right direction, we heard a heavenly sound! It’s a very quiet sound, but it’s as if somebody strummed their fingers across the harp strings.

And lastly… before I go… we’re very honored to be able to change the logo on our sidebar for Early American Life’s Directory of Traditional American Crafts from 2008 to 2009! Our copy of the magazine came in the mail yesterday, and it’s wonderful. I cannot say enough about this magazine. If you love Americana, please subscribe… it’s worth it!

Thought for the day…

If you pray for rain, be prepared to deal with some mud.
~ Mary Engelbreit ~ 

 

All Creatures Great and Small…

Today we had several visitors to the farm, each providing a welcome distraction from work! The first that we  noticed was a HUGE snapping turtle that was heading from the pond to our ditch. Chris (Hubby) was at the kitchen sink and saw it, and I headed out the back door to get a closer look, with cell phone in hand to call Chris (my brother) who we knew would want pictures. The turtle saw me coming from about 20 feet away, and went inside her shell. Soon the whole gang… me, Chris, Kate, Nana, Pop-Pop, and Uncle Chris were surrounding a 12″ snapper! She was not interested in making new friends at all, so we left Uncle Chris with her for a private photo session. 

Not long after, Hubby came in the house with ANOTHER turtle! We got pictures of this one, but the size was much different!

It’s hard to tell, but Hubby thought this one was a baby box turtle. No sooner had we returned him to the great outdoors, we heard that characteristic squeal of a baby rabbit in trouble. An un-named beast was chasing the poor creature, and Chris and Kate quickly rescued him from an untimely demise. Hubby thought he was the little guy who’s been visiting the barn, so that’s where we put him.

  

And the un-named beast was not very happy with us.

 

Three wild creatures (four, counting Oreo) in one day! I have to say I’m partial to the furry ones, but the turtles were really interesting!

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all. 

Determined.

Early this morning, before anybody else had ventured downstairs, I was reading and heard an odd sound. It was a bird sort of sound, but one I hadn’t heard before. I looked out the picture window, and guess who was back in our yard?

Mr. Wood Duck. Actually the pair was circling the house yesterday morning also, but this morning Mrs. Wood Duck convinced him to land and she was on the chimney telling him all about the decor of their possible nesting spot. She makes some interesting sounds, not at all like I would expect a duck to make!

I don’t think that he thought it such a great idea, considering the trouble he got himself a month or so ago. It’s a long way down, dearie!

I’m guessing we should discourage them from nesting there in some way? A screen or cap on the chimney? We don’t mind being hospitable, but it looks dangerous to me. Anybody have any ideas? They seem to be very determined!

 

A Not-So-Square Triangle.

I left my plastic triangle on the dashboard of our mini-van this morning. The mini-van was sitting in the sun. And now, the once flat and very accurate triangle is now an abstract sculpture! Maybe I can sell it on E-Bay!?

We spent the afternoon painting frames, painting papercuttings, and digging in the dirt. Actually Hubby did most of the digging, with Kate coming in a close second. I went out for the grand finale and planted asparagus roots. Chris has been working on some new raised beds for asparagus, rhubarb, and strawberries, and nearly has them finished. We’ve planted all sorts neat things this past week… chestnut trees, a mulberry bush, red currents, blueberry bushes, thornless blackberries, sweet cherries, and apricots! Hopefully the farm will have lots of fruits and nuts in years to come! Kate’s working on her end of the garden too… she has peas coming up nicely, just thinned out her broccoli, and the lettuce is looking good! The carrots just went in today. There’s a sort of  ”no man’s land” in the middle of the garden, and Kate and Dad are each advancing their trenches toward each other. I wonder who’ll win? I’ll try to get a picture sometime this week!

And our lilacs are blooming and smell heavenly! However, we usually enjoy them outside… they get a little heady for us indoors. 

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth;
but the Word of our God shall stand forever.
~ Isaiah 40:8 ~ 

The Pecking Order…

I finally got this flock of hens in a frame! One of our customers requested a flock of chickens a while back, and after several versions of it, I’m pretty sure this one is my favorite! It really shows the personalities (or chicken-alities?) of the gals in our backyard. I particularly like the attitude of the old gals who is completely unimpressed by the rooster’s loud crow or the squabbles of the younger gals. If you’ve kept chickens, you will definitely understand about the “pecking order.” It can really get vicious sometimes, and we’ve had to rescue more than a few gentle hens from being pecked to death! Some of the terribly wounded ones have recovered though, when sheltered in a quiet spot and shown lots of love and a bit of first-aid. We had one named “Sweetie” that was so bad none of us thought she’d survive, but our resident-mother-hen Kate took her under her wing and doctored her. Sweetie resided with the goats from then on, followed Kate as if she was her protector, and finally passed away gently due to old age.

The frame on this one is actually wider, but it wouldn’t fit in my scanner, so this is a cropped version.
Framed Size 6″ x 12″ (Outside Edges)

P.S. If you have a backyard flock, treat them to a marshmallow every once in a while! They will get their exercise chasing each other around, and you will have stitches in your sides from laughing at their antics!