What we found today

While clearing a tree from the 'pig pen'.
There's tons of junk out in that area. We've taken several thousand pounds to the recycle.
But these are unusual keepers.





Cast iron sash weights.

Two 8 pound and one 6 pound weight.

Not sure why the pictures are upside down. I flipped them, but they're still upside down. Curious, isn't it?

Have a blessed week! ♥

First

bush beans and wild blackberries of the season. :-)




Have a wonderful weekend. ♥

Try this before and after again

I've been trying to do a before and after post, but haven't taken enough of the right pictures. Oh well.
Here are a few, anyway.



This was behind the garage, back in 2009.
Here is that area now.






Broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush beans, pickle cucumbers, watermelon. bell peppers and four dwarf, or semi-dwarf fruit trees.
These are pictures from last month, sorry. Oh, can't forget the sunflowers. Got some of those in there, too.

Since we started coming here in 2008, we have planted about 26 trees of various sorts. Three died for who knows why. Three are not for food, but hopefully for catching fish. Yup. Catalpa trees. They grow a 'worm', or caterpillar, that is supposed to be a really hot fish bait.
I don't know, but that is what I've read.
Here is one of the catalpa trees from last fall.



Most of the trees we planted were pecan trees. We also planted 2 dwarf apple trees, 1 semi-dwarf apple tree, 4 dwarf pear trees, and an orange tree.
The orange tree took two years (or maybe three, darn memory) before it showed signs of any growth-though it never lost it's leaves.
This year, it surprised us by blooming like crazy.



Now we wait and see if we get any fruit...

2009



2012



2009



2013



I know, a different sort of mess.

So there is progress being made. Seems slow sometimes.
And since I lost my train of thought - something I seem to do a lot - I'll close here.
Hope you all have a wonderful, safe, Blessed weekend! ♥

P.S. I just wanted to add that my prayers and thoughts go out to those in Texas affected by that terrible explosion.

Crazy storm last night.

This happened about a mile from our house. We were fortunate. We had no damage.





The pecan tree was completely shattered. The house behind it lost 2 windows to bark 'shrapnel' flying through them. There were pieces laying across the street and down to the barn, the farmer told us.
But fortunately no one was hurt.

Hope you all have a safe, blessed week. ♥

Don't watch the super bowl,

but I'm glad I got to hear this on the Academy Music Awards tonight.

Paul Harvey's speech to the Future Farmers of America Convention in 1987, used by Dodge for their commercial.

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.

"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer.

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadowlark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church.

"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.


Have a blessed week, everyone. ♥

Update on hubby.

First, let me thank you all for your good wishes. They are much appreciated and will be kept close to heart.
We received a call today that his surgery has been delayed because he is 9 pounds too heavy for the hospital regulations.
Now he has been this weight for the last year.
Would have been nice if they could have picked up on this sooner.

The doctor who was going to do the surgery is part owner in the hospital, too. So after jumping through all the hoops, no surgery.
Yet.
We are going to see if the Veteran's Affairs Hospital about 40 miles from here will do the surgery.

Again, thank you all for your kind thoughts. We will keep them close.

Have a blessed weekend! ♥

Who has who trained here? ;-)

This is how one of our cats insists on getting her water, even if I have just put a fresh bowl down.













Hubby gets his shoulder surgery Monday. Could be as much as three months recovery. Hoping for better. We'll see.
Electric blanket time tonight!
♥