oh deer

This weekend I took a stroll around the yard and found several blooms on the roses around the deck. Those roses are gorgeous from spring until frost - I love that they are just out the back door. Every time I walk into the living room, I see them. And this week they have burst into full bloom.

Some plants are spilling onto the deck.

Here's a look from the middle of the deck looking towards the end of the house.

Beautiful isn't it? So much so that today I thought I would walk out into the yard and have a look back at the house (the back of the house is my favorite view of it).

And this is what I saw...

Not nearly as pretty, is it? That's the same bush that is spilling onto the deck on the other side.

And this is looking towards the end of the house. Doesn't even look like the same plants, does it?

Can you guess what the problem is?

Deer! They are eating the buds off!

If I'm not quick, they will eat the entire plant. Lovey just ask me if I thought they might come on the deck and start eating the other side soon. And honestly, I scared that they will.

Here's the other end of the deck. Looking towards the same end of the house.

And here? I didn't take a step, just turned towards the other end of the house. There's still a few bare spots but lots of blooms here. Wonder what the difference is? Our room is on this end. The garage is on this end. There is more light on this end. The dogs hear whats happening on this end and bark more. The cats sleep in the garage.

I can think of many possible explanations, but honestly I don't know. And the deer have never done this in the spring before, just in the fall. But I have a plan to stop them. Several years ago Lovey and I did an experiment in the pea patch. We had tried several deer deterrents, but still had deer coming into the pea patch at night. We mixed a raw egg with a gallon of water and sprayed the pea patch. Every row except one. The next morning the rows that we sprayed were fine. The one we skipped was demolished - eaten to the ground.

Spraying roses is on my Friday list.

what's blooming

This morning I'm feeling quite a bit better, so I decided to plant the pots at my front door. Because I had everything ready to go, it didn't take long.

I hope to add some impatiens in front of the porch next weekend. The area there never gets sunshine and impatiens will bloom there all summer long.

That front door is just crying out for some sort of springy decoration. Any suggestions?

While I was out there, I decided it was time to fill the hummingbird feeders. I just bought new ones this week - I think they are so pretty.

Since I had the camera out, I walked around the house and snapped a few pictures of the plants and flowers that are loving this warm spring weather.

Here's a hosta next to my front steps. It's huge.

An awkward little corner between the garage and the breezeway. I put this pot there several years ago and didn't take it up that winter. Of course, it was a terribly cold winter with lots of freezing and thawing, and the pot cracked. I like the way it looks broken just as much as I did when it was new, so I leave it there.

Because this wall gets morning sun, the glare of the yellow siding just washed out the gorgeous color of this bed.

I just couldn't get a shot that matched the color of this lorapetulum. It's one of my favorite plants in the yard.

Again with the morning sun glare. But do you see all those blooms?

The lorapetulum is one of my favorites, but these forever roses are my absolute favorite.  They surround my back deck. Honestly, they have gotten so huge that they need to be pruned, but I just can't do it.

Last fall I found two yellow forever roses in the clearance bin at Lowe's. They were sad but still breathing. I planted them at the end of the house, and they are growing nicely in their new home. One has a few blooms already.

I can't wait until they are just as big as the pink roses around back.

This Japanese honeysuckle grows on an old iron bed frame. The butterflies love it.

So what's blooming in your yard?

a farm morning

I'm enjoying this warm early-spring afternoons. And the time change is always welcome around here. Having an extra hour of daylight when I get home from school makes me want to do more. But there is another reason that I love daylight saving time - the mornings.

Yes, I grumble when that alarm chirps.

Yes, it's hard to get up when it's so dark outside.

Yes, I stumble around in the dark for the first few minutes I'm up.

But every now and then, I time it just right. Like this morning. I got up, made the coffee, took my shower, and then went into the living room to let the dogs out. And saw the prettiest foggy, blue sunrise.

Even the moon waited around to see this beautiful sunrise.



I don't think I've ever seen a blue sunrise. It was stunning. It was eerie. It was mesmerizing.

I like this one where I can just make out the cows in front of the litter shed.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.  - Genesis 1:1-4

a cow's tale

Wednesday night Lovey came in for supper and said that he would have to go back out soon to check on a cow. She was trying to have a calf when he went to check cows just before coming in the house. For a while, he was able to watch her from the living room through the binoculars. She moved from nice high-and-dry ground to over by the creek. Then she just disappeared. He couldn't see her at all. He thought she had probably crossed the creek and was hidden by the trees. And then it got too dark to see from the house.

We ate supper and worked on a project then decided it was time to go check on her. We drove out to the pasture and found her standing down in the creek. She had tried to cross with a brand new baby. The baby had fallen into the cold water and wasn't strong enough to get out. Lovey pulled it out hoping that we had arrived in time to save it, but no.

If you've ever been around a momma cow, you know they don't usually like anyone messing with the new baby. I've seen Lovey do some juking and jiving to get out of the way of a few mad mommas. Well, this momma didn't really like it, but I think she knew that something was wrong and maybe Lovey could help. She was bawling and making all kinds of racket. She was shaking her head and stomping her feet. Several times she huffed and stomped right up behind Lovey. But she never even bumped him. She let him try to save her baby.

Saturday night just before dark, we drove out to the field to check on another momma cow who had been trying to have her baby earlier in the day. The baby was up walking around. The momma was up walking around.

taken with iphone -from a moving vehicle

But there was a problem. The baby was sucking the wrong momma.

taken with iphone

The momma who lost her baby on Wednesday has stolen a baby! The cow looking on is the real momma. And while we were watching, the baby never even acknowledged her.

taken with iphone

Animals just amaze me!

thirty days of thanksgiving 23

Why is a day off in the middle of the week so much sweeter than a Saturday morning? Don't get me wrong; I love my job and will be ready to see my students Monday, but I am LOVING the thought of three days of no school this week.

And it's not about the sleep - I don't really sleep late. And Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally not a weekend where I get much sleep.

It was wonderful to wake up this morning and just snuggle in the covers for a few minutes. I heard Lovey come in from feeding his chickens, but he soon headed back out. I grabbed the phone and called to see what he was up to.  Pigs. We had some pigs in the trap down at the barn, and he was going to see just what was there. I jumped up, threw on some clothes, grabbed my camera, and headed out to see too.

There were five little pigs in the trap. We caught two yesterday, but I was at work and didn't get a chance to see them.



We've been trying to catch pigs for quite a while. They tear up our fields. And then we don't have grass for the cows, or if it's been raining, we have a muddy, sloppy mess.

These pictures were taken just before 7:00 this morning. Then I came back to the house, made coffee and breakfast, and washed some dishes while Lovey vacuumed.

Not a glamorous morning at all. And I know that you sleepers won't agree, but it was a great morning.

Lord, I thank you for simple beginnings. For the everyday and mundane. I know that it is the simple and everyday that make the fireworks and glitter more beautiful. Thank you Father that I can enjoy these next few days with family and friends and then return to work next week rested and refreshed.

thirty days of thanksgiving 14

I didn't have school today - we always get out for the first Monday of deer season.

And Liz doesn't work on Mondays.

So the brothers decided that it would be a good day to work cows at the big field.

Working cows can be difficult. There's always a few crazies in the group - you don't want to turn your back on those. But with everyone around to help out, it isn't so bad.

The boys got the cows in the barn just as Liz and I were getting there this morning.  Apparently they didn't go in the first time. Nerves were a bit frazzled already. Liz and I were sent to get a table, and she had to change shirts because Lovey didn't like her pink one (remember what I said about frazzled nerves).

Joey and Baby Jus worked the pens, moving cows from area to a smaller area, and finally into the chute. I encouraged them to move through the chute and into the headgate. Big Boy had to raise and lower the back gate while Lovey worked the headgate and administered the wormer and shots. Liz gets the shots ready and does the paperwork.

Of course, everyone changes jobs when needed. I had to work that back gate some today; it doesn't take much of that to wear you out.

At the end of the day, everyone was a little sore, a bit bruised, a lot tired, and covered in dust with a bit of cow poop mixed in.


Dear Lord, thank you for your blessings in our family business; we know that everything we have, Father, is a gift from you. Thank you for the opportunity to work side-by-side as a family. Let us continue to find joy and laughter in our tasks. The job we did today can be very dangerous, yet we came away with just a few bruises and sore muscles, and for that I am grateful.

thirty days of thanksgiving 8

Listen, my child, to the instruction from your father, and do not forsake the teaching from your mother. For they will be like an elegant garland on your head, and like pendants around your neck.
- Proverbs 1:8-9

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.
- Proverbs 3:5

Listen, my child, and accept my words, so that the years of your life will be many. I will guide you in the way of  wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths.
- Proverbs 4:10-11

The big boy has always been more of a daddy's boy. If his daddy cranked it, pulled it, or loaded it; he wanted to do the same. From his first summer with us, he constantly asked, "Will you teach me to cut hay?" Finally to stop the questions, his daddy told him that he could learn when he was twelve years old.

Flash forward to a late spring day six years later. He is in a rush to get home from school, and I can't figure out why. As we drive up to the house, he jumps out of the truck goes to the fence and waits. His daddy is cutting hay for the first time that season, and Big Boy remembers a promise made many years before.

Flash forward to a summer day seven years later. Relationships are difficult. Many promises have been made. Promises and hearts have been broken. He returns home after several weeks searching for something that we can't give. Conversation is not easy. Words can't seem to jump the void. An offer is spoken, "That hay looks just about ready."

And then an  acceptance, "I can start cutting in the morning."


Dear Lord, thank you for bringing this child into my life. I pray that you guide him in the way of wisdom and lead him in upright paths. Lord, fill any void in his heart with your love. I ask that you put a hedge of protection around him and keep him safe in all that he might do.

two day outage

Living in the country has its ups and downs. Finding a way to connect can be a definite down. Where I live, I can't get DSL. We can't get cable. Cell coverage is iffy at best. It's just something we are accustomed to. So for me, it's satellite TV and satellite internet - and of course they are from different providers, so I can't bundle for a discount.

For the past two days we have been "experiencing an outage" with our internet. I do have to say that I got a call saying it would be up Friday morning, and when I got on today, it worked. But it was strange, and inconvenient, to be without an internet connection for two days.

And then this afternoon, the TV just went black. No static. No blinking. Nothing. Several minutes later we got a message that said something about the sun causing the disruption to our service. Really? The sun? We've had satellite TV for many years and never have I gotten that message. It didn't stay out for long - only a few minutes.

I discovered the internet was out on Wednesday evening. I had been sitting out on the deck watching the cows and the shadows move across the field.

The sun sets on the other side of the house.

The trees at the other end of the field glow - seemingly on fire at times.

It was a peaceful few minutes even with the crunching of the cows eating grass - have you ever listened to how noisy cows are when they eat? Like dry limbs rattling in the wind. Like a covey of quail taking flight.

It didn't take long before I had some company.

Mewing every few seconds. Sometimes the peace and quiet of the country can get really loud.

the scenic route

My house is at the end of a gravel road.

It's about a mile from here to the highway.

That's a mile of vibration along a gravel washboard.

It can be grimy and dusty or muddy and slippery.

Sometimes I hate driving on this gravel road.

But in the fall - I love the scenery.

no coherence here

Not that I'm normally coherent. But I wanted to give you plenty of warning. So you wouldn't get your hopes up that today would be the day.

My momma's birthday is this week. And my step-dad's birthday was Sunday, so we cooked lunch on Sunday. I made shrimp pasta. Not to brag - but it was scrumptious! My SIL Ashley brought her yummy bread. I would cook lunch every Sunday if she would bring her yummy bread.

Lovey has hogs in his hay field. And his hay field has taken a beaten already this year. It didn't need any more punishment. He set a trap last Friday. He hasn't caught a hog yet. The hogs have figured out how to dig under the trap and get the bait without actually going inside it. Lovey is not happy. And if Lovey ain't happy...well, he just isn't happy, and I sometimes laugh at him about it.

We interrupt this post to bring you breaking news....

As I type this post I hear Lovey go, "Oh." I look over and crack up. He has the dog comb that I got for Jacob - the kind to comb out the loose hairs. And he has it stuck in HIS hair.   GOOBER!


Yesterday my new glasses finally came in. I broke mine at the beginning of summer and have been wearing cheater-readers. I hate the on-off-on-off all day. Today was great to be able to look up and focus without taking glasses off. And I didn't spend half of my day looking for glasses.

Today was a long day. I leave each morning just after 7:00. I tutor from 7:30-7:55, do my literacy coach stuff until 11:15, then teach all afternoon. Most days I get home between 4:45-5:15. But tonight was parent/teacher conferences. I didn't get home until about 8:15. There was an upside though. Each year we have faculty t-shirts that we wear each Wednesday. This year we were a little late getting those ordered. They just came in last week. Our principal decided that we should wear them for the first time today/tonight. I think this should become a tradition.

I have plans to join a friend early Saturdy morning for junking - hit a few garage sales and maybe an estate sale or two. How goofy is it that I am excited about that? We'll have fun even if we don't find any great deals. But I hope to find something fantastic!

that's how he rolls

Tonight is the first home football game of the season - I'm excited. I love hometown Friday night high school football. Our school colors are black and white, and tonight the cheerleaders have planned a "black out" night - everyone wears black t-shirts to the game. So when Baby Jus came in from work, I asked him if he had his black t-shirt ready. He answered, "Yes, and I may need you to give me some cash."

After I glared at him for a few minutes, he explained that he had put gas in his truck the day before and used the last of his cash. (We don't have a bank or an ATM where we live - you have to drive to town for fancy stuff like that.) We were discussing how he should have written a check for his gas and kept his cash for the weekend. Then I asked him if he had put his most recent paycheck in the bank.

He was explaining how much he had deposited and how much he had kept, when I interrupted, "Have you called the bank about your ATM card?" (He lost his wallet a few weeks back and had to get a new card; the new one came with the wrong name)

"Yes, yes I did! I actually went in the bank to deposit my check and told the lady that she had put the wrong name on my card."

He just opened his account this summer, and I was so proud to know that he was being responsible and taking care of his own business. "Well, look at you being all grown-up and stuff!"

His answer:

"Yeah, I put on my good overalls and went in to see her. I didn't get all dressed up. I just put on my good overalls. That's how I roll."

Reasons why this cracks me up:

1.  He apparently believes that one pair of overalls is better than another - and he may be right.

2.  When he went in the bank in those good overalls, he probably didn't stick out at all. As a matter of fact, he might have had on better overalls than another customer doing his/her banking.

3. He thought about it enough to know that I would not be happy if he went in looking like a ragamuffin but assumed that overalls were classy enough to make me happy. And I guess it does - cause that's how I roll.

welcome home

I glance up just in time.

Lovey's day is done. Off the tractor and walking to the house when they see him.

Supper can wait for a minute. I drop everything and grab the camera.

Going from the cool house into the heat fogs the lens.

I wipe away the condensation and keep clicking.

Capturing the bond,





the obvious love,

between a man and his dogs.