Happenings Around the Ranch

This happened last weekend, thankfully no one was injured except our hay. lol  One of our neighbors, driving down the highway, saw this and called us.  We had no idea it was happening.  The men were able to get it out before this cold winter blast came through.  The wind would have changed directions toward the houses and been a lot higher, which could have caught the whole country side on fire, that would not be good.

At first I didn't take any pictures, guess I've been in a slump lately, but then my daughter told me she couldn't believe I wasn't out there taking pics so, I got off my butt and got out there!   

Here are just a few, I don't want to bore you with 15 million of these things, cause you know that's how many I took.  Well maybe just shy of 15 million :)

We lost all our hay, a horse trailer and a few tires.

If you've ever seen hay burn you know it is impossible to put out with water.  That stuff burns hot and keeps burning for days.  So the men got on tractors and started pulling it apart to give it more air so that it would burn faster and more completely.  The volunteer fire department stood by with water trucks just in case.

I think that clicking on the picture and bringing it up to full size on your monitor is the coolest way to view them.

The girls and their sweet babies were here for the weekend so this is how I left the men when I decided I should get back to the house and the company of my children and grandchildren.

The girls and I watched the kids play, gave the babies their baths and fix some dinner when I realized how late it had gotten and something said, "go check on the men".

And this is how I found him.  All covered in soot and ash.  Really?   My man, he turned out to be okay, no apparent smoke damage just dirty from head to toe.

Hope everything at your homes are going great, stay safe and warm.

See ya.

Brett Farve

We had this Jack Russell Terrier named Brett Farve. He was really my step son's dog but he became everybody's dog. He was the best mouser I have ever known. He didn't like kitties either.

So lately he started going down to the gate and getting out on the highway. I should clarify he wasn't technically on the highway he was in the bar ditch hunting by the highway. One day my husband was at the back of the ranch and he gets this phone call from a woman who said she was from California. She was driving by and saw Brett Farve on the highway and picked him up. She asked my husband what do you want me to do? He says well put him out, he'll go back to the house.

Well she didn't like that solution very much at all. But RS was working and couldn't come up to get the dog besides he knew leave him alone he'll go back to the house.

After a few days everyone around the ranch realized that we haven't seen Brett Farve in a while and started looking for him. Rickey and I were on our way to South Dakota when they called and asked is he had gotten in the cattle trailer and was going with us. We checked and sure enough he wasn't there.

Best we can tell the lady from California took him home with her.

She doesn't know what she has on her hands. I hope she doesn't have a kitty or a fluffy white dog. Brett doesn't like those. And he is lightning fast. It will be over before she even knows it's coming.

There is a difference with animals that live in the country and that are free to hunt. Some breeds can hunt themselves to far away and get lost, like Labrador retrievers or other hunting dogs. It's because they get their nose to the ground and just go. But Brett he was a different kind of guy.

We have three households here and a couple of barns. He could stay at any one of the houses and he like to hang out in the barns cause that's where the mice and the snakes were. We also show cattle and he liked to stay with them too. They lead a pretty pampered life.

You can't keep a dog like that couped up. He's used to hunting and checking things out.

We keep wondering if the lady from California is sorry that she took our dog and if her neighborhood will ever be the same.

And if there are any kittens left.

See ya.

Summer Pics

Just Another Day at the Office

Get the gate, Buster.

The Cure for a Bad Day

Grab camera.

Stand at the fence.
Cry to these girls.

They will never tell.

They just have a way about them.
Awe, I feel better already.

Doggone-it, That Bites

Poor puppy, she was just defending her territory.  Somebody tell the snakes.  No Snakes Allow.  

This reminds me of the time there was a porcupine in her territory.  I took her to the vet three separate times to get the quills pulled out of her mouth, nose and throat.  Poor baby.

Yea, those eyes say . . . seriously your taking pictures of me now!

I'm not laughing mom.

I forgive you, but I am not laughing.

Note to all:  Snakes are on the move right now, stinging scorpions too.  Be watchful.

While We're Waiting

I have a one track mind.  I can't think of anything but what Kristen is doing.  Are there any contractions?  No!  None?  Nothing?  Nada!!!  Hadley, it's time to come out.  We are waiting to meet you.  I get so excited when one of these young ones are getting ready to make their debut.  

Haddy, I've already talked to your mommy and she says she's ready too.  So it's okay, you can come now.  

Father, in Jesus' name, I thank You for my unborn grand child.  I treasure this child and all the children as a gift from You.   This child was created in Your image, perfectly healthy and complete.  You have know my grand child since conception and know the path she will take with her life.  I ask Your blessing up her and stand and believe in her salvation through Jesus Christ.

When You created man and woman, You called them blessed and crowned them with glory and honor.  It is in You, Father, that this child will live and move and have her being.   She is Your offspring and will come to worship and praise You. 

Heavenly Father, I thank and praise You for the great things You have done and are continuing to do.  I am in awe at the miracle of life You have placed inside my sweet daughter Kristen.  Thank You! Amen. 

In the meantime, things that are happening . . .

 

Some of the deer grazing in the pasture right behind the house.  I have been spotting deer almost every evening and some elk too.  The middle one is a nice buck. 

Pappaw and I were driving to town when we drove up on the beginning of a grass fire.  A landscaping crew was pulling a trailer that lost a tire and the resulting sparks, well . . .  sparked a fire.  

One of our local fire trucks was quick on the scene and Pappaw put on his fireman's overalls and climb on board to assist in putting out the fire.  

This young man is what I like to believe our future looks like in this country.  Young, strong, willing to work.  He is a high school graduate, working in the summer, planning for college in the fall and playing with their football team, then going to the army to be among our finest.

Not that everybody has to play football or go to college but everybody should get an education and make it a good one.  Anyway, I don't want to get on my soapbox on this subject but I admired this young man because while the others with him stood on the side of the road and watched, he grabbed a shovel and started putting out some of the smaller fires.  Bravo to his mom and dad for teaching him to work and to look for opportunities to help out.  Okay I can feel it, it's beginning . . .  the soapbox thing.

Later that afternoon, this fire was started by a passing car throwing out a cigarette, it burned 3,000 to 4,000 acres of ranch land.  Fortunately it didn't get to this gorgeous crop of cotton.  My husband and the volunteer firemen from three counties stayed on this one for two days.  They would get it out and then a hot spot would start back up, the next day the wind was blowing really hard and started it back up.  Hadley, don't ever smoke!  

So that's it, miss Hadley Ann, that's what is happening while we are waiting for you.  Can't wait to meet you sweet baby girl, you have a cousin just a few months older than you waiting and another one coming in December.  

Thank you Father in Heaven.  Bless the children and their parents.

Everyday Heros

You know that commercial where the everyday hero is wearing a yellow cape and comes to the aid of the women on the side of the highway with a flat tire or the crew on the roof of some one's house fixing what I think of as hail damage (but that's just me)  wearing their yellow capes?  You know the one?

Well, I met one the other day.  His name is Brad and he was my hero that day.   Sorry for the bad picture quality. 

Living in the country we have all kinds of fun things, like rattle snakes and black widow spiders and flies!! (I really hate flies!  Don't ask me why, I get kind of crazy) and bees.  Lots of bees. The day they landed here, I was so amazed that I just stood in this window and watched in awe.  The shear number was amazing.  Thousands of them.  I didn't even think to grab my camera and get the before shot and I missed the moment the thousand flew out when he first sprayed the magic "not at my house in a can" spray. :)

They landed here, right below that plug and covered the cedar paneling that the plug is on and the one next to it AND they were stacked on top of each other.  Like a glob of bees, just crawling up my wall and finding a home inside my TV box.  Which by the way is to heavy and if you let it down and don't know that it will fall like a . . .  a . . . I don't know what, but it's heavy, reeeal heavy.  Okay?  You got that little side note picture?

I was mesmerized.  They were only here for 4 days.  Our hope really was that they wouldn't stay because the world needs bees and although you can't be sure if they are European bees or the killer variety until they are sent in to the . . . place that things like that go, (man I'm feeling dumb, I can't think of anything here, so just bare with me - I gotta tell my story) 

 We must be on a flight path or something because every year "traveling bees" come here and land on something.  This year it just happened to be the wooden box that covers a TV we had installed on the porch.  the idea here was to watch football games?  I don't know, could be fun.  Anyway,  my yellow caped hero Brad says that the group is looking for the perfect place to live.  My hope was that they would not find that home here and move on in the next couple of days.  But these traveling bees  liked our boxed-in TV and decided to take up residence.  

Check it out!  Isn't that amazing?  In a kind of scary way, maybe.

And also beautiful.

Look at how busy they were.  In just 4 days they built this much and there is honey in them too.

The honey smelled like a flower that didn't have a perfume smell.  Like . . . umm _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank here) I don't know what!

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth, 

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens

and make its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure

and altogether righteous,

They are more precious than gold, 

then much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?

forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, 

by understanding he set the heavens in place;

by his knowledge the deeps were divided,

and the clouds let drop the dew. 

Proverbs 3:19 -20

Wordless Late Wednesday

Well almost.  This baby was found in the pasture while we gathered cattle, the horse almost stepped on him, yes it's a him.  We called the vet to make sure we could touch him and he said no problem, the mother will take him back, so they brought the sweet baby to the house and let me see him.  Awe, so cute.

Then he was taken back to the spot where he was found and left there for his mother.

Hope you enjoy.