Monday, September 30, 2013

The "Mother" of All Storms

This last week we've had some really hard and heavy winds, and more than once we thought we would lose our power, but we didn't - which is a miracle as we have lost power in lighter wind storms.

However, one of our trees on the barn side of the property (pictures are from Martha's side of the fence), was blown over and it had to be chopped up, cleaned up, and the fence repaired. Bob and Liz took care of it!

*Friends and Family: Send me pictures of rain, wind, lightening, and/or storms so we can all see what the weather is like in your neck of the woods.*









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Come Little Leaves

My friend put some poetry up on her blog, and that reminded me that I taught this early 1900's poem as a skit and memorization project to my kids when they were small. They each took turns saying every other stanza while they both acted out the poem. Frank gets embarrassed when I remind him of it. It's my favorite. And, I found a Prairie Schooler cross stitch pattern with some of the words on it and a cute Fall design too:



It has been very windy, rainy, and cold here the past week. Fall has come! Now we're worried about winter...




Come, Little Leaves
by George Cooper

"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day.
"Come over the meadows with me and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold,
For summer is gone and the days grow cold

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all;
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the sweet little song they knew.

"Cricket, good-bye, we've been friends so long,
Little brook, sing us your farewell song;
Say you're sorry to see us go;
Ah! you will miss us, right well we know.

"Dear little lambs, in your fleecy fold,
Mother will keep you from harm and cold;
Fondly we've watched you in vale and glade,
Say, will you dream of our loving shade?"

Dancing and whirling the little leaves went,
Winter had called them, and they were content,
Soon fast asleep in their earthy beds,
The snow laid a soft mantle over their heads."

X O X

We May Have Colors!

Tiffany Blue and Gold...still thinking of end of 
August, 2014.

Happy Birthday Justin!

Happy Birthday to you all!

Happy Birthday Henry!

Happy Birthday Zib!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

More Deer Stories From Idaho


Hello Sherry,

Nice collection of photos you've gathered of the friends we have hanging at our place.  I've included a couple photos of Chester and his buddy John (Deer).  Chester showed up a couple years ago as a spotted fawn with a broken hind leg and no Mom.  He was with Daisy, a year old doe that ate apples out of our hand.  He stayed with Daisy until the neighbor shot her the last day of deer season.  She had lunch at our house, walked across the street and I heard a shot and then never saw her again.  We helped Chester through the winter with his broken leg and then he was gone over the following summer.  That fall, near the end of hunting season he showed up again, this time his other hind leg was broken, so we nursed him again.  He ate apples, alfalfa and whole corn.  His leg mended the best it could and he survived the winter.  John had been here late last summer with another friend that looked just like him, just a little larger, yet friendlier.  The neighbor shot and wounded that deer as his blood trail ran up our driveway and disappeared up the hill toward the south.  They looked for him, but couldn't find him.  He likely died somewhere.  

After hunting season was over lone John showed up and started hanging out with Chester, so I fed him too. They have been friends over the past year showing up often during the summer and now they are here daily due to the fallen acorns and collected apples from our orchard.  As we all know, it's tough to grow anything outside that deer like unless it's protected by a fence.  This year I put up a 7' chain link fence so Sally can do a garden and flowers without having them harvested by nature.  I still have the east gate to install, but yesterday Chester and John were in the yard checking out my handy work.  They are a little confused as to why such a thing suddenly appeared.  We had a good time watching as they tried to figure things out.  

Last evening I was outside working when I saw a pickup on the road stop and then rapidly back up to the end of our driveway.  I walked over to where I could see what they were up to and saw Chester and John standing about 100' up the driveway and they were looking at the guys in the pickup.  I whistled and they came running to me, knowing I likely had an apple for them.  The guys in the pu just sat and watched until another car came up behind them.

I'm guessing John has a target on his back this year, but I called the neighbor and asked if he'd give Chester a break.  We'll see if it did any good.

Ron







I love these stories! We get traces of deer (eaten plants and broken limbs) but rarely do we see them this 'up close'.

x o x




Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Spike Visit


"Have you ever seen one of these?  Should be an interesting set of horns in a few years.  We call him Spike." Ron



Ron and Sally live just up the road from us and are good friends - but they have some odd looking visitors! Check out their other friends under 'Ron' or 'Sally' in 'Labels' at bottom right of this blog. It's definitely hunting season up here....

x o x

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Winds Drive Chuck's Gang to McMinnville

"We had to leave the coast due to 50 mph winds.  Met kids in McMinnville at the water park.  Spending the night, will start home in morning."  Looks like FUN!



x o x

Still Travellin'

"With the kids, Julie, Steve, Justin, Zack and Terry 
at the Oregon Sand Dunes."



---

Work....Work...Work


Dishwasher's Grace

Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell.

While other folks go hungry,
We're eating very well.

With home and health and happiness,
We shouldn't want to fuss,
For by this stack of evidence,
God's very good to us.

---
I've had this prayer over my sink to help me remember to count my blessings, and not complain - just wash the dishes!  This prayer was  cutout from a cooking magazine many years ago. 

I've been asked for a copy of this several times so here it is - just highlight the poem and click copy.


X O X


Thursday, September 19, 2013

What Liz is Up To

Liz has been working as a civilian volunteer at the same Police Department her Dad works at. She works in the records division (where she also has helped in fingerprinting) and she is currently at the front desk where she answers phones, helps walk-ins and does office related duties. She's also in the process of being accepted as a civilian volunteer at another local Police Department. She loves it. She's getting her name known in Law Enforcement circles in the County and will be applying for a full time paid position as a Records and Evidence Technician.

Liz is also a volunteer for the Idaho Auxiliary of the Law Enforcement support group Wives Behind the Badge and is the newly appointed Idaho Coordinator for Blue Line Kids (a sub organization of Wives Behind the Badge). So, she's very busy - as she should be and loves it.

She's had to take a break from her piano lessons and testing. She's incurred an injury to the tendons in her fifth fingers on both hands -  the doctor said the "tendons are off their axis" because of her constant training and playing over the years, so this causes her pain when she plays the piano too much.  We're still looking into this.




x o x

More on the Wedding


Oops - not their wedding!

Frank and Theresa's Wedding!

Frank and Theresa are still planning their wedding for next Fall, here in Idaho - in August. Until the end of the year, they are planning the wedding details and 'the budget'. We're so happy for them, and really look forward to helping anyway we can. We're busy making it a 'wedding year' by celebrating with special dinners for them at every turn until the big day! We'll keep you posted!
- - - 


Chuck and MikelAnn are on the road again -  


"We are at the coast and found the remains of a shipwreck."

This looks like the Roman Amphitheater in a way...
---

Saturday, September 14, 2013

A Poem for a Squirrel

Since we're on the subject of squirrels, and it is Autumn, and apparently the squirrel(s) are still harassing Alta's yard items, I found this poem to celebrate 'the squirrel'.

His store of nuts and acorns now
The squirrel hastes to gain,
And sets his house in order for 
The winter's dreary reign.
- Joyce Cary

So, Alta, maybe your backyard is in his way....

X O X

Monday, September 9, 2013

Charlie's Dog Lulu Comes to the Rescue!

How Cute!



Last month my Mom, Alta, went out in her backyard and found her outside cushions torn up and spread all over. The squirrels had apparently waged war on her, or her cushion stuffing.

Alta, Chester and Lulu.

Cushions are costly and she had never had problems like this with the neighborhood squirrels - although they did eat all her plums from her tree - a 'heads up' I would say! So she staged war on the squirrels - whatever that means to them!


Good Luck With That!

I think Grammie Alta's best bet is to get a Security Dog like my brother Charlie's Lulu, and have her sleep outside patrolling the backyard!

X O X

More Frank and Theresa News...


We had Theresa's family over for dessert Saturday night and Theresa's Mom, Marianne, gave us very organized plans for Frank and Theresa's wedding, which they are hoping to have in July/August. We are so excited! Great night - great pies - and a great way to start wedding planning! 
Oh, and Liz is the Maid of Honor!


Frank and Theresa
September 2013

Monday, September 2, 2013

In the Saddle Again

Since we haven't heard from Frank and Theresa, et al, lately, I decided to do some cross stitch on my Anniversaries of the Heart sampler. I left off working on my Mom's block which has lots of potted tulips on it - eventually! I'm really liking the pinks in it once I saw them. I found several mistakes in the border flowers of the right hand upper corner, so I'll have to take those out and redo them. Here's another look at what I've done so far.


''The holiest of all holidays are those
Kept by ourselves in silence and apart;
The secret anniversaries of the heart.''
-Longfellow

My Mom's block and my sister's on the left.

The entire top row of the sampler.





The 'folks' block...I still miss them.

My Dad's block...I miss him too.


x o x