A Full Life

Lordy! It's been a coon's age since I've posted anything! I had to go back and read what I wrote just so I wouldn't backtrack and share the same thing again!

There have been a lot of things goin on around here lately! My cousin had her fifth baby. There was a bit of a scare because my cousin's other children had come down with the H1N1 flu. She was running a high enough fever that at her check-up, the day before her scheduled c-section, she was admitted to the hospital. Medical precautions were such that she was isolated in a compressed room and could have no visitors in her room! Not one of her family members or friends could go to see her. Her husband stayed out at their farm to take care of the older children since he wasn't allowed in the room either. After a shot, an IV, and lots of praying, her contractions stopped over the course of the night. Her fever left and when she had been 24 hrs fever free she was released to go home. Bein' that her delivery had been scheduled via c-section the morning after she was admitted, they re-scheduled the delivery for the next Monday. A healthy 7 lb 15 oz (if my memory serves me right) baby girl named Sage Lillian was born. Her middle name, Lillian, is in honor of the greatest great-grandmother she never will be able to know.

Last week Sunday, I received news that a very dear friend of mine was rushed to the hospital with severe pain in her female organs. After being transferred to an unknown (to me) number of hospitals they found she has cancer. As of yet, I do not know the date of her surgery and the doctor's have no idea as to the extent/growth of the cancer. She had text me last week Monday to let me know, firsthand, what was goin' on. I replied her my sisters were on it and I had known there were complications since the day before. She was flyin' in a good friend from Florida that night, to help her care for all the critters on the farm; a doe with two fawns, a few horses, a herd of dogs, a number of cats, a coop full of chickens and who knows what else she's coaxed in to adopt and care for! She is a very grounded individual with a husband who has made her his life. I have no doubt they are finding strength in each other and very importantly, leaning on God's understanding and peace.

In betwixt these to tidbits of news, my aunt had her 3rd and (and very strongly pray) her final back surgery!! She has been at home for almost two weeks now and has been improving and healing very well! She's been down a long path of back pain and previous surgeries. This third time has been easier than the previous two but in a way, harder emotionally, waiting for the healing to take place and the extensive therapy that will be involved.

Before the cold set in we were havin' beautiful weather! So much so that I opened the windows and we welcomed, much to some of the kids' dislike, a number of outdoor insects! Here is one of our guests which made my nephew yell repeatedly during lunch time, 'Aunt Janae!! Aunt Janae! I don't like spiders!! I want my momma!' And thus began a fit of crying mania.



I trapped the green invader and let him back outside. Bug gone, drama vanished.

Jd has taken to 'sleeping' with Buster.



And then he pesters him while his brother wants to share the pillow with Buster:





Oh, look! There's our toothpaste! That kid has been stealin that tube for over a week now! Never a dull moment!

We've had an owl in our maple during the evening hours, and I caught this avarian species out back just the other day:



Where's Woody? Where's Pecker? Never mind. My version of 'Where's Waldo?' isn't goin' to be a sensational hit among any genre, young or old. Anyway, it's a red-bellied woodpecker. And so far, he's left the siding alone. He's gonna have to find different peckin' ground if he so much as puts one hole in my house!

Talkin about birds. The kids and I made bird feeders from pinecones, peanut butter and seed the other day. Of course, the day I chose to make these just had to be a warm enough day that we couldn't even hang them up! The feeders are in the freezer waitin for the next onslaught of cold days, which will be comin soon. Sooner than I want. Oh, I guess it is mid-October. Blast it!





I'm not sure what's up with the ever-pensive look on my son at this time but it seems he was really chawin' on some thoughts. Maybe he was creating a plan to save the people of our country from impending doom!



Okay, back to the feeders. It's so much more philosophically soothing to think of feeding birds in your backyard.



We've also, this past week, been in a great friend's wedding! We had a weekend full of wedding festivities and a grumpy lil' cowboy who almost ended up in his own Boot Hill!! More on that later!

Have a great weekend, especially now that it's half over!

Yard Work

This past weekend we spent waitin the storms that were supposed to come. They didn't show up til Saturday night so Saturday we spent the day outside. Kenneth, our good friend, and his son Austin, our god-son, came over. Austin's birthday is comin up and one of the things he wanted was some rails to ride his skateboard on. Eric had some leftover tube steel pipes so he welded them onto pieces of angle iron for a base. They worked on them from noon til about 8 in the evening. E made a double rail and an inclined single rail. After the welding was done, they bondoed the joints, sanded and painted them a sky blue. They look really sharp. Austin was pretty excited about them but didn't realize they were gonna be so slick. He hit the double rail, stayed on for a bit, and because of the downhill speed off the driveway, the board slipped right out from under him and he hit the driveway pretty hard. I'll have some pictures up soon of the rails and hopefully a video of Austin ridin. Austin drove the boys around in their truck and the boys had a great time!





On Sunday, we filled in the buffalo wallow the dogs had made in the front yard with fill dirt and seeded grass. In other areas, like the spot where we've had the fire pit all winter, we turned up, added dirt and overseeded. We also mulched the flower beds and raked up the side yard. This is one of the flower beds with views from either side of it.



I killed the first black widow of the season in the pile of bricks that the kids just happened to not get into these past two weeks. The first thing Wyatt did after he walked out the door was to take a pass thru ever-single-lovin mud puddle he could find! He was soaked from his toes to his knees within 5.294 seconds. His jeans, after we took them off, had slightly dried and could almost stand on their own. Take a look-see:



E sprayed weeds again. They seem to have permanently taken over the back yard. I planted tomatoes, bell peppers, jalepenos, green onions, sweet onions, carrots and zucchini, and lots of different kinds of flowers. Wyatt helped E chop out weeds in the yard.

E cut down to size a small-headed hoe for Wyatt. At one point, E stopped, leaned on his hoe and asked Wyatt, 'Well, what d'ya think?' Wyatt stopped workin, leaned on his hoe (his hand all stretched upright to cup the end of the handle) and said, 'I don't know. What d'you think?' Daddy got Wyatt to hold some worms.



Up til now he's not wanted to touch them no matter how hard we've tried and no matter what we've told him. We've been talkin about fishin a lot and he's been askin to go. We keep tellin him he's got hold the worms so he can put 'em on his hook and catch fish when we go to the lake and river. I think he put two and two together and obviously his love for fishin took precedence over a crawly snake in his hand. He also held a grub worm. Now, I don't touch those unless I'm usin them for bait so I was glad he was holdin that one by himself! Of course, if he'd a asked me to hold it I would've had to because I don't want him seein me not likin it. Wyatt also took a ride on the dolly:

Redneck entertainment, I know, but it was fun and he obviously enjoyed it so we don't care!! This kid don't need expensive toys and movies to keep him occupied! All he has to do is dig in my utensil bucket and drawers and go outside and he's good a quite a spell!

Guns, Doves and Daffodils

Friday, March 20, 2009

Well, like I've mentioned before, which is pretty darn obvious, we are an outdoors family. Grass, mud, tree buds, sticks-all have made permanent residency in our house. Oh, not that I really really WANT them there but it happens and I'm okay with that. Last week we had a 4 ft long branch on the blanket that covers the piano keys. After a couple days I finally tossed it outside. It made it's way back in within HOURS! I don't really understand. No one played with it the whole time it was on the piano and then, like it has legs of its own, it shows back up in the house almost immediately. And I never know who the culprit is: Buster, our lab, or Wyatt.
Monday was a gorgeous day! I called up my friend who lives about 40 min. out of town and within an hour the boys, rifles, dogs and I were packed up and headed out to Kendra's place (http://kendras-bliss.blogspot.com/). We ate our packed lunch and was outside the entire afternoon. We all got some good sun. We set up cans and bottles on the treeline and spent an hour puttin holes in them with my Ruger bolt action .22 and Wyatt's inheritted Henry lever-action .22.

Kendra taught Riverlyn all about a rifle and how to shoot. Riverlyn did great! She shot the Ruger 3 times. JD was unphased by the shots and Wy, for some reason, didn't like it. I think he's used to the fuse being lit on a firework and giving him the second or two to get ready for the blast. I tried letting him know it was gonna 'boom' just before we shot but that still didn't work.
On Tuesday, at lunch, Wyatt kept sayin he heard an owl. I told him it was a dove. Then he kept sayin, 'see? see? there's the dove mama!" I looked outside and sure enough, there she was. After a minute of callin to her, her mate sailed in and took his rightful place beside. We took a couple pictures and had fun watching them.


We've also been watchin cardinals out front:

And tryin to keep this guy away:

Wyatt's been very busy in the yard doin what 2 yr olds do best: shootin his 'guns' and playin in the dirt.

JD has been very entertained by Wyatt. He's been playin on the blanket and spending time in the jumper and walker when we're outside. We've taken the boys and the dogs on walks down to the creek a lot lately. As soon as JD sees the wagon his legs start kickin and he starts yelling.

My flowers are poppin up all over and I'm really glad because the seeds in my indoor flats are just comin up and it's too risky to plant them outside yet.