In Texas we love to make a casserole or a cake for any family in need. This comedian speaks about what we all know too well every once in while you need the ingredients for something right now. Here is a recipe we use for 7 Up Pound Cake look HERE.
This comedian is from North Carolina, but the South will always provide food when a family is hurting.
Okay I know my politics belong elsewhere. But let me just vent for a second what I am seeing is a trend in America. I find it totally disturbing that two journalists are getting a first class hero’s welcome when we have soldiers barely being acknowledged. Where is the media, Bill Clinton and the Hollywood producers with the soldier being held captured in Afghanistan?
The Military and their families do more each and every day for me and my family than this adored group headed home from North Korea. You put credit where is credit is earned! I am just worried sick that when you a drug addicted, suspected child molestor is getting full press coverage for over a month but the kids missing in my post a few days back have barely been mentioned.
There is something scary about our society when Michael Jackson gets more coverage than soldiers dying for our freedom. I pray for America, our military and the lost children each day. God knows our society is making choices about what is important that my grandparents would be shocked. Our forefathers did not build this country on the backs of “idols”, they built it on freedom and pursuit of a place where they can worship God not Idols freely.
With that being said, I do not cover people like Michael Jackson, Kate and Jon, the Octomom and any other publicity crazed self absorbed idiot. I am far more interested in real people that actually make this country great each and every day.
Yes I will step off my soap box!
The Best show Ever! Last night as I was cutting onions, potatoes and snapping green beans I watched bits and pieces of the ACM Artist of the Decade show honoring George Strait. He and his wife looked wonderful, he was his handsome tan self. Bubba had a girlfriend I guess or maybe by now Bubba is married. Anyway the parts I loved was watching all these “big stars” singing his songs. Everyone loves George! He got off his boat, down from his horse to sing just one song, and watch so many artists perform. To pick out one great song to sing from 57, what to pick?
Here is a little video of George answering questions.
So many great artists, but to listen to all the hits was just great! Here is a glimpse of who all came to honor the King!
Okay I have to add just one more. Watch Miranda at the end, she speaks from such a deep truth. Ahh George…
There are lies people tell themselves to justify their actions. I see it all the time. for instance the dog poops too much inside, but you have refused to take them out often enough. “We” don’t enough money yet you find out people are going to get their nails done, and going golfing. It is what it is justifications, not reality.
I am a child of divorce, actually I was teenager of 19 when my parents divorced. The person that is most hurt by divorce is the kids. Bottom line that is the reality, regardless of what any parent says. It takes the kids from a life with two parents to a life without history, stability and what they know. Do some kids excel? Yes. Do some kids seem unhurt? Yes, but it is not easy. Is it fun to live in a home where your parents are totally unhappy? No, not at all. I know this first hand as well. There are no easy answers in divorce, no black and white only shades of grey. The kids that come out the best figure out how to survive at a early age in life.
Do parents putting their personal differences aside help a kid, oh absolutely. Because every kid blames themself for the divorce, you try not to but in the back of your mind you think if you were good enough the divorce would not happen.
If parents would begin separation with these realities it would help the kids. Because the divorce may be final, but that previous person will be a part of your life for the rest of your life. Regardless of your situation, that parent will forever be your child’s parent.
Divorce is rampant now, and it will continue to rise. Marriage is never easy, it is a hell hole at times. All marriages have rock bottom lows. it is a reality. I know because I have asked people married fifty years, they all acknowledge that in past times they really struggled being married but because they figured out how to get past it the marriage survived.
Not all marriages are healthy and need to be saved. Abuse is never okay.If your husband is abusing you, get out any way you can. There may be other reasons that a marriage should end in divorce. But regardless of the situation, the guilt will still happen to a kid. Just know it is not easy no matter what happens.
Thanks for letting me vent, I truly wish I could help every kid going through divorce. It is a pain you don’t forget.
With everyone having goat babies, there is very little free time in my life. If I had any hope for relaxation would be disappointed. That is where you have to begin, then if you can carve out fifteen minutes anywhere it feels like a vacation!
As I type, Tom Thumb has been fed, Gator has been taken to school, trash has been taken out. I need to start a load of laundry and do dishes, but right now I am enjoying Sweet Time. The time where you should do something but for a few minutes you are just relaxing.
Alright, now my baby bottles have been washed. I retrieved another cup of java, yum. I finally broke down and bought a bottle brush along with a big bottle, Tom Thumb is headed to take in over six ounces soon. Bottle brushes God gift to a young woman, or an old woman with a baby goat.
Hopefully this morning will find some babies born, LittleHornedOne has been off and on labor for days but she lost her plug yesterday I think. Tom Thumb and I learned how to do a goat enema last night, his stomach is trying to adjust to cow’s milk. Sometimes I look at my life and shake my head, never before 1988 did I think I would be doing 75% of the things I do.
Hubby and I have grown together in marriage. Our life is totally different than either of us expected in many ways. If when I graduated from college someone would have told me what I would be doing at 50, I would have thought they were nuts. That is the beauty of love, of a journey. I am here, I am glad to be here. I cannot imagine giving up anyone or any pet, livestock or anything at all of what I am blessed with.
Yep Sweet Time! Time to reflect on blessings, on challenges, and most importantly how lucky I am to live this life!
I named Krissy’s Triplet Tom Thumb. He is a tiny guy, matter of fact he is the tiniest runt in a sea of 12 babies. He is drinking five ounces at a time. It is taking me some time to stretch his tiny stomach. When we brought him home he was too tiny to suck, too small to fend for himself. He was destined to die, without human help. Krissy did her best to help him but with two others taking her milk, and only two teets she was overwhelmed.
I guess I am running a Goat NICU. I have done this before with no success after three weeks. It broke my heart, but I will do whatever I can to help an animal that would die otherwise. The difference is with this guy, I think we got him in time. I think I did it the way it needed to happen.
Sophia had her babies, two baby Alpine/boer boys. One has a dirty blond head, and the other one is sort of like a little tan color. We have yet to name those two, except SnowWhite which is a girl’s name. Snowflake and BlackBeauty are up to no good, they are strong and fast. When we let them out to run, Snowflake will change BigUn and run laps around the pen. She has a graceful ballerina body for a goat. A true heartbreaker, she is gorgeous.
Today I believe Miss Princess will finally give birth! She and Jillian are both trying to become the lead goat, Jillian does not have the gentleness Faith did but she does have the strength.
This afternoon I will try to take pictures of the babies playing. Grandpa comes out to watch them play. It is total entertainment. Krissy babies stick to themselves, Krissy is like that as well. She is an independent goat. Otherwise they all frolick and run as if it is a goat play date! Snowflake takes the star quality with BlackBeauty and BigUn right behind. Brown Spot squeals if she doesn’t her way, it a pure delight for us. After all the sadness at least we can see thier babies frolick.
Update Stephanie has taken care of the three boer babies in her care. They are doing well. She does not offer milk, but when we hold her chain she obliges. Splitear is alive and slowly getting stronger. I am making sweet tea to take to everyone. We are all hot and pooped!
I spent the morning getting what I needed. It will take me six days to treat everyone but after that the herd should be fine. We are going to start doing our own fecal studies which will help us keep up on the latest needs of the herd.
Faith passed away today. I was too late. She stood by the fence Tuesday night like she had something to tell me. I did not know how ill she was. If I had I would have spent more time than I did with her.
Splitear is very ill. I have done everything I know to do. Faith or Splitear lost a boy as well. It is all up to Stephanie now. She has to feed five kids. She can do it she has the milk. The kids have been getting milk when they could. There is a boy we call Hopper. He is strong and well fed, Faith did everything she could to prepare her babies and me for her departure.
I have been reading tonight hoping to figure out what Faith died of. I think I know but I am still unclear. Both Faith and Splitear ended with infections, but what caused them I am unsure of. Splitear is so weak, she is trying hard to survive. I have to expect her to go, that way if she makes it I will not be disappointed. I hydrated her well on Wednesday.
I am writing this late Wednesday night so I can get up early and get the things that may help the rest of the herd. I owe it to Faith and Splitear to do whatever I can to make the rest of the herd well and healthy. Sudden death in goats is not odd, I wish it was. Internal things can go for months with no outer symptoms, then suddenly they are overly weak. The strain of birth can bring out all kinds of things.
It may take months for me to do what I think needs to happen to get the herd healthy. I want to help them but not overmedicate them. Much like humans, goat parasites can become super parasites with over treatment of animals. You want them naturally strong but not medicated strong.
I kept counting the goats today looking for Faith. Gator had to tell me once that Faith was gone. It was surreal to me. These last few weeks she was suddenly showing her age.
I know some real goat experts that I will contact tomorrow. I know Wednesday I did everything I could to help Splitear, it just may be to late to get her well. If I can save her babies, at least her bloodline of survival through harsh times will live on.
Princess is the survivor of Faith, she is due perhaps Thursday or Friday. I hope Princess will be with me for a long time.
I have been very busy. Dunk’s truck needs some work, so I had to take him back to school and back. A wonderful short six hour trip was done in a few short six hours. There are times with Hubby that he is too busy to do the farm feeding. So I have to help the boys pick up the slack, and this week is filled with us doing that.
My day was a whirlwind between the college drive, parent teacher conferences and feeding of the animals. Not to mention feeding my family.
Don’t think I didn’t think of my blog, I did just couldn’t find the time to do anything about it!
This picture is one of Dunk’s favorites. He is in the tractor plowing, you can see the plow behind him, and he is carefully trying to stay in line. Anyway I thought I would show my readers Dunk in action.
I did some jean shopping Sunday, good gravy jeans have gone up. Once you have four people with holey jeans you have to buy some. I bought two pair instead of three pair this time. Hopefully the two pair will last some time! Dunk has actually found a brand at Wal-Mart that is cheap and he likes. His were the cheapest! If I had bought the jeans that fit Sconicle at Wal-Mart his would have been the most expensive! I am going to the local farm supply store and getting a bargain.
There is a lesson to be learned there, Academy had been the cheapest on Wrangler jeans. Wal-Mart used to not carry the particular style, now they do but they have very few sizes. For kids jeans, good luck finding a cheap price! Wrangler kids jeans are high! It is the only brand that Sconicle to fit into easily everytime! All other brands are too wide, legs are too short or some wierd look on him. Sconicle is a tall lanky kid, and apparently that size is not easy to fit!
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This is the next series of pictures. You load the seed, back up to the roller and off you go. The tractor heads out to plant along with Hubby, and the kids drive off. Parts unknown until they have to come back to reload the planter. The cell phones come in handy now, we used to have to play the sit and wait game in the field. Gator tended to get into trouble when he was bored. Gator has always played around, and giving him time and nothing to do means only one thing he will be entertained! Don’t misunderstand Gator works hard when he “has to”, but on his own with no plan he is a mischievous young man. Thankfully this day the boys had about four things to do.
This day was the day something was in the field besides Dad and the tractor, they were headed off to get back-up. Tomorrow the Rest of the Story as Paul Harvey would say!
I do love the way this field looked like dirt nine days ago and today it is sprinkled with green. This is the hard work, but when you see a field transform before your eyes it is wonderful.
Yes my kids are big and small! Just like my dogs! Now you know why I am so busy!
Our farm is not fancy or brand new. It is the farm, Hubby, his family and the boys. That is what it is. There are days that you think they will never finish, that the farm is not worth it. Then all of the sudden you see this series of photos. A family working together with what they have to plant the wheat that one day may turn up on your table.
Every seed is precious, and they try to make sure none are wasted. As you can tell Gator and Dunk are shoveling in the seed into the planter. This day Hubby was the planter, so he rested while they shoveled. They played while he planted. Sconicle, Lefty and Pancho do a lot of playing.
These are the moments I know my kids will cherish, because when we are working together it gets done quicker and easier. The tractor life can be lonely, and I know Hubby is glad for us to just be nearby.
You have to love Dunk in his wired Taco Cowboy hat, what a strange hat that is! The ground that you see is now turning a full green field. Soon the plants will be solid green without any dirt showing.
If you think our equipment is old you would be right. The one thing about farm equipment is if it works you use it. Believe it or not this planter is in demand in our area, Hubby’s other farmer friends use it as well. It is a drill planter where it not only puts it is, the seed is drilled in deep then you roll over it. This is the fun part, you can drive on it right after planting.
The other story to these pictures will come another time. The picture right after this is one is Hubby driving off with the tractor and the boys, and dogs leaving the area!
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