He's An Outside Cat

No, Really!

Do you hear that, Charlie? You are an outside cat.

Yes, I know you are the sweetest cat in the world and tolerate all sorts of attention from small children.
And I appreciate the fact that you like to cuddle. Your purring always makes me smile.

I am also grateful for the supervision and advice you have offered during my many painting projects lately.

But you really are an outside cat.


A farm cat. A barn cat.


You are not a house cat.

Connecting to the Past

I love books. All books.

But I especially love old books. They have a story to tell that goes beyond the words printed on their pages.

So, last week, when feeling less-than-stellar, I browsed my bookshelves for a comforting, old book to read. I was really hoping to find some Thomas Hardy--either Far From the Maddening Crowd or Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

Alas, I did not have either novel in its entirety. I did come across this book, though.


It was from a pair of textbooks that belonged to Chris' grandmother. She passed the set onto him while he was in college.


I started reading Beowulf again. I don't think I have read this story since I was in 8th grade. I love it! It was especially neat reading the notes Grandmama had jotted in the columns while she was studying.

But I had only begun to discover the gifts she had left for us . . .

Roses were pressed between the pages. There is no way to know for sure when these were from, but I suspect they might be from when Chris' grandfather was courting her during their college days. They were at different schools, and met on a blind date. He married her the day after he graduated.
This was definitely an influential factor in Chris calling to ask me out on our first date--we were set up blindly as well.

I will never fully know the story behind these flowers. But they will be treasured and kept safe, still pressed between the pages of Grandmama's literature books.

At Least She Has Good Posture . . .

Because, bless her heart, she still isn't graceful. Or focused.

This week was "Parent Visitation" at Morgan's dance school. Chris came as well and the parents were invited to sit in the studio while the class showed us what they had learned.


Chris and I spent the majority of the time trying to hide our hysterical laughter. Don't get me wrong, we love our daughter. We think she is one of the two most beautiful, sweet, intelligent little girls to ever enter the world.


But she isn't coordinated. And we know it. Look how confused she looks right there. Poor girl.



And she isn't focused. Notice everyone else in a nice line. Lil Bit is doing her own thing.
Not in line.
She might have a touch of her mom's ADD. Sorry about that, Morgan.

Still, she has come a long way. She can now twirl without falling over or running into a wall. (Seriously, this was a problem.) She can shuffle and step and kick and do a couple of ballet positions that I don't know (you would have to ask my mother-in-law, she is the ballerina).

And she has fun. Lots of fun!

And we are proud of her.
And we don't really care if she falls into walls when she twirls--we love that little girl like crazy!

Randomness

1. I met my handsome husband when I was 18. We married when I was 21 and he was 23--we weren't even old enough to rent a car, so we had to go on our honeymoon somewhere we could drive (plus, he didn't have any vacation since he just started a job). One day we will actually go on our "dream vacation" to Scotland and explore our roots.


2. I started riding horses when I was 6. I was thrown for the first time when I was 17. I didn't like it and try to avoid hitting the ground that hard.

3. I play piano, and one of my most special possessions is a 5'9" Steinway grand piano that my grandma, Mimi, left me. Mimi was very instrumental in giving me a love for music. (Yeah, that was a bad pun--I tried to avoid it, but it really was the best word.) I still miss Mimi.


4. Artichokes are my favorite vegetable in the whole world. With mayo. Which pretty much kills the health benefits, but I don't care.

5. I am 5' 1/2" tall. I have a bit of a napoleon complex. I refuse to admit I am not big enough to do something. I am a little better about this than I used to be, but I still move furniture by myself pretty regularly. Chris fusses at me for that.

6. Whenever I see a llama, I think of a road trip from my childhood and my mom screaming "llamallamallama!!!!!!" when she saw one (this was before they were very common). I took a picture of Lil Bit with a llama just for my mom.


7. I love my home and my farm. It makes me happy to pull into my drive and see the fencing we worked so hard on, with the horses grazing, and my 100 year old farm house up the hill. There is a lot of work, but we are making it ours bit by bit.


8. I have been proposed to by two different men. The second one was after I was married to Chris, and the guy's main argument was (read this in the most redneck accent you can) "b/c I got a house and gots all mah teeth". It was hysterical, but I think he was actually serious. (I didn't laugh, I politely refused--several times--on the grounds that I already had a husband. Took him a while to get that, though.) Chris proposed to me at a lighthouse--it was very romantic. Until our boat broke down. But I still said yes--am I am glad I did!

9. The ladybugs that invaded last fall have taken up temporary residence in my upstairs bathroom (they will move out when it warms up). I go out of my way to keep them from washing down the drain when I take a shower. (There are usually only 4 or 5 visible at any given time, it isn't like they are crawling all over the walls and floor. It is just something you have to accept if you have an old house in this area.)


10. I taught myself to can last summer, and plan on doing even more this summer. The pickles, peach preserves, and apple butter turned out fantastic! And no one has died of botulism yet, which is a real plus.

Guess What We Found

While looking at the garden plot that we recently tilled--I found these guys growing along the edge.


We planted carrot seeds last year, but only got about two actual carrots year long. One of them we chopped up and put in a salad, though, and Lil Bit loved it.

These were pretty yummy, though. We ate the one to the far right and a couple of smaller ones. The funny looking (2nd from the right) we sent in to Lil Bit's school--they are studying plants right now--which she loved and apparently got to carry around to all the Kindergarten classes.

oh no--we are turning Morgan into a teacher's pet geek!!!

oh well. There are worse things in life, I guess.

Simplicities

Clothes drying on a clothesline.

One pair of Daddy size jeans, one pair of Mommy size jeans, one pair of Lil Bit size jeans, and one pair of Bitty Bit sized jeans.

And then a WHOLE lot more laundry.
Because, my children aren't models, even if Bitty Bit likes to strike a pose now and then.

They're farm girls.

And farm girls get dirty derrieres.

Lazy Days

Yesterday was a lazy day. We need them sometimes. Chris was sick and trying to rest, and it was a nice day, so the girls and I spent a lot of time outside.

Morgan and I went on a rock hunting expedition. We searched high and low, scouring the farm for the PERFECT rocks.

Ok, not really.

We mostly looked in the big pile of gravel and then walked up and down the gravel driveway. Still, it was fun finding the pink rocks or the bits of quartz, or the silvery rocks amongst the plane gray rocks.


The best part wasn't finding pink rocks with green stripes, or even rocks that shone when the sun hit them right. The best part was carrying buckets down the drive and letting Morgan take me back to childhood, when a little piece of granite was as good as a treasure.

The Beauty of Brown Eyes

All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay, and he'll listen to me any day.

Annie
I have whispered my secrets, my heartbreaks, my joys. I have looked into Annie's deep brown eyes and known that there is a trust there. We have raced the wind (and won) across fields, and I have taken naps on her back. When life is overwhelming, I can drown out the stress by listening to the beats of her 4 hooves and letting my body take up the rhythm of her movements.

Horse, thou art truly a creature without equal, for thou fliest without
wings and conquerest without sword.
The Koran


Ming
Ming is strength. Even at 22 years old, he has a presence. And if you walk up to the fence, Ming will always come over to you. His shaggy winter coat is perfect for hiding your face and closing your eyes and just enjoying the sound of his breathing and the world around.

Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with
thunder?
Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils
is terrible.
He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to
meet the armed men.
He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted, neither turneth he back
from the sword.
JOB 39: 19-22



Chivalry
He always looks like he is up to something. He still has a "little boy" expression. If you are standing where he can reach you, he will usually nuzzle your shoulder or hair. He loves to let my girls kiss his nose. And when I am going for a long ride on new trails, he is the horse I trust the most to get me there.

(we also have Jasmine, Morgan's pony--but she was being uncooperative when I was taking pictures, but this post pretty much sums up Jazzy well. She is no one's pony but Morgan's.)

To learn all that a horse could teach, was a
world of knowledge, but only a beginning. .. .
Look into a horses eye and you instantly know
if you can trust him.

Something Weird Happened Yesterday . . .

At one point in the day, Kallie DID NOT have a stick.

It was very odd.

I considered taking her to the vet.

I first became concerned when I noticed Kallie in the background while taking this BEAUTIFUL PHOTO OF MING WITH MY BRAND NEW CAMERA!

(um, I am not overly excited or anything. and I did not have any fun at all yesterday taking photos of daffodils, dogs, children, and fence posts. none at all.)

Really--look at the photo and you can see why I immediately thought something was wrong. Kallie was sitting there calmly. With no stick!

I immediately went over to check on her, of course. Because that is the kind of responsible dog owner I am. I told her to stay so that she wouldn't cause further injury to herself (b/c, obviously, something must be wrong).

In Kallie's mind, as long as she didn't actually get up it counted as "stay".

So, she belly crawled over to me.


When I finally convinced her that "stay" actually meant "stay in one place" she sunk into a deep depression.

This lasted for 1.3 seconds.
It was a really rough period in Kallie's life.

Then she saw Pi enjoying a good rolling spot (see that blur on the left side of the photo? that's Kallie)

And she enjoyed the good rolling spot as well.

Then she found a stick.

And all was back to normal at the farm.

Just For Giggles

If you need a good laugh--and a good arm workout--nothing is better than a fabulous game of "Toss the Baby!"

Actually, that name should be "Toss the Toddler!" now, since Addie is almost two.


Either way, it was fun for all involved. And Dad and Uncle Joe got tired LONG before Adeline was ready to quit. Right there she is trying her best to use her big sad brown eyes to get Daddy to continue.

Chris couldn't look at her for fear he would give in and his arms would subsequently sustain serious injury.




So, if anyone needs a good arm workout and a laugh, come on over--Adeline will love you forever!

And I will love you forever for entertaining her so I might finally be able to clean for more than 37 seconds at a time.

Faith

I don't often talk about either religion or politics on our blog. Those are topics that can cause a lot of division, especially when there is not in-person interaction to balance beliefs with love. But this weekend was a really important weekend for our family and I want to include you all in the joy that we had.


Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)



Sunday was very special for our family. Morgan had decided to be baptized as evidence of her Faith and Chris was able to actually "dunk" her.


Morgan has been contemplating this decision for several months. She would ask questions, and Chris and I would answer to the best of our ability--anyone who knows Morgan, knows that she can ask some incredibly perceptive questions (far beyond what you would expect from a not-quite six year old). Chris and I taught and discussed, but did not push, because we strongly believe that the decision HAD to be hers. (Because a decision is not really a decision if someone else makes it for you, or talks you into it. And I hope that, as she grows and matures, Morgan studies and seeks knowledge and truth because we also believe you need to know WHAT you believe and WHY you believe it.)


And our church was awesome! I have never been in a community where the kids have "shakers" and everyone cheers for each person who is baptized--the happiness and pure joy was almost tangible.

The atmosphere was more like a child's birthday party than a church service!


"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." (Ephesians 3:20, The Message translation)

I also really like part of the phrasing from the King James (not a translation I use often--but it is beautiful): "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think"

My Daily Commute

. . . Is grueling.

I mean, I have to walk 300 yard each way.

Twice a day.

The commute is filled with such treacheries as gravel, potholes, hawks overhead, the occasional deer (at certain times of year), and (lately) a small flock of geese that visit the horse field. Plus, various squirrels, birds, dogs and cats (well, I bring those with me), and who knows what other small animals (there was a turtle once, and there are often frogs and even a crawdad a couple times).

Plus, there is what is known 'round these parts as a Wild Adeline.

She is small, and adorable. But don't let that fool you. She is a mischievous creature who can wreck havoc on your entire home in less than 4 seconds.



She can disappear from your sight in a blink of an eye.



And she can entice almost anyone to do whatever she wants by staring at them with her big brown eyes and employing the "one tear rolling down her cheek" weapon. It can bring the strongest man to his knees.


And her smile can melt any heart. It always amazes me what this little girl can get perfectly sensible people to do--including grown men we don't even know (you should see the antics otherwise sane business men in grocery store lines, in restaurants, etc, have done to get her to smile or laugh).

This is a little video of our daily commute . . .