just peachy

To plan or not to plan?

I know some people who don't do anything without planning. And sometimes I do plan things. But not planning can work. Several years ago, I was at my sister's classroom as she finished up her last few days of her contract. After lunch we were discussing our plans for the summer. And then we decided we wanted to take the kids to the beach - right away. We made a few calls, ran home and threw a few things into a suitcase, and were on our way by 7:30. We reached the beach just after sunrise the next morning. It was one of our best beach trips ever. Around here we often fly by the seat of our pants. So when my niece called and asked, "I know this is spur of the moment, but we are going to pick peaches. Do you want to go?" Of course I said yes.

We grabbed all of our buckets and baskets, drove to the orchards, and started picking. The trees were loaded. And the smell was heavenly. We did have to watch for the honey bees. But picking was easy.

Sometimes the best ones were just out of reach, so we made Laynie climb the tree. That helped to reach some but not all. It was so hard to leave peaches on the tree.

The ground under the trees was covered with peaches that had already fallen. Sometimes when I tried to pick one peach, two more would fall to the ground. Occasionally we squished one while trying to reach a perfect peach. Everyone was glad that we had worn tennis shoes instead of flip flops.

Some limbs were just filled with perfect peaches, and I couldn't stop picking even when my hands got full.

Our buckets filled quickly. Sister had such a hard time not picking every single peach. She didn't want to leave any to waste.

But soon every bucket, basket, and tub was full. We loaded the truck and drove to the front of the orchard.

We had lots of peaches but couldn't leave without a few blueberries. Eli didn't really care what we were picking - it all looked like balls to him. And he just loves having all of his people in one spot.

Maybe we should have picked blueberries first because it didn't take me long to figure out that my bucket wasn't filling up nearly as fast. And it was much hotter without the shade of the trees. I gave up first. Laynie loves blueberries and was determined to keep picking, but she gave up soon after me. We had to drag Momma out of her row.

When I got home, I washed all of my fruit and left them on the table until the next morning. I've made peach jam, peach marmalade, and canned peaches. Friday night we ate with friends. I made pound cake with peaches and rum sauce. We also had frozen peach drinks. And I still have some peaches left.

It wasn't a planned trip. I had to do some extra work the next few days, but I'll have yummy peach jam and marmalade to eat all winter long. And we had a great afternoon.And those peach drinks were perfect for a hot afternoon swim.  Doing things spur of the moment can make some of the best memories.

a love/hate relationship

In my last post I mentioned that I sweated through a workshop this week. I may have been burning up the entire day, but I love that the information shared was useful. We read and discussed just the preface of Teaching Argument Writing. I'm thinking the book should have some great stuff in it if we spent a large part of entire workshop just discussing the preface. We were given a copy to take home - I love that too.

I hate going to workshops with high expectations and coming home feeling as though I've wasted an entire day. Thankfully, this week's workshop was nothing like one of those.

While I was in the workshop, the facilitator mentioned two other books that she liked. I love that I was able to pull up my amazon account, quickly find the books, add them to my cart (which had one lonely book waiting), and have them delivered to my front door. I've whined mentioned lately that I have to drive to Little Rock to get many things that I need - add books to the list.

I hate that we don't have a wonderful bookstore nearby. The book aisle at my local Walmart just doesn't cut it. They still have the Hunger Games Trilogy featured; I read that several years ago. And (I may offend a few people here) Nicholas Sparks just doesn't do a thing for me. I crave visits to the big bookstore in Little Rock, but I wonder if I would enjoy my visits so much if I could just pop in any time.

I love that my friend Emily messaged me this week and asked if I wanted to meet and walk this morning. I sometimes meet Melissa and walk, and I've wanted someone close to walk with more often. Why did I never think of Emily - she lives just up the road! Maybe because she's younger and in great shape, and I never thought I could keep up. But I survived our two miles this morning. And I'm not at all offended that I was a frizzy-haired, huffying-wheezing, sweaty mess when we finished and Emily, who had run  the mile from her house to meet me, walked the same two miles as me, and was going to run the mile back to her house, looked fresh and glowing. No, I'm not bitter about that at all.

While I am glad that we got in a walk, I hated hearing my alarm this morning. And I was already awake. Why is it that the morning alarm is such an offense noise? My normal alarm is crickets chirping. I thought that might make it a little more soothing in the mornings. But no. Just makes me want the catch every cricket I see and jerk their little legs off.

And now I'm ready to enjoy my quiet Saturday morning. I love Saturday mornings. Just me and the dogs for a few hours. I've got laundry going. The coffee is hot. I've a few new books to browse through before the dew is dry and I have to go mow the yard.

I hate that my coffee cup is empty and the kitchen seems so far away. But I've come up with a brilliant idea. You know those Roomba vacuums that putter around the living room all day just sucking up dust bunnies. I'm going to make a Cofoomba - it will shuttle empty coffee cups back to the kitchen for a refill and then return it to the correct chair in the living room. Doesn't that sound like a great idea? QVC, here I come!

showing some pluck

Are you brave? How do you define bravery?

When are you definitely NOT brave?

I like to think of myself as being brave.

I know people who never spend the night alone. Several years ago when I was coaching cheerleaders, Lovey was at his mom's while I was at a far away game. She must have been sick or recuperating from something because he decided to stay the night with her. I remember that he called me and told me to just have the bus to drop me at her house. I told him no. He said he would come to the house to get me. I told him no. During that very busy time of my life, the thought of sleeping completely alone in an empty house was such a treat that I felt guilty for ignoring his pleas to come to his momma's house. But not guilty enough to go. It really had nothing to do with bravery - I was just tired!

I sometimes have to go out in the pasture to retrieve Lucy Mercer from one of her midnight romps. And I'm usually so mad at her that I don't give bravery a second thought. During deer season, I frequently walk across the pasture (and cross a creek) to reach my deerstand in the cover of darkness. Again, it's not about bravery, in this case it's about not making enough noise to scare any deer away.

Each summer I go camping several times. Lovey doesn't go. I pull my own camper, back it in, and set it up. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to have some help from one of the boys or a niece or nephew or brother or sister, but sometimes I do it alone. I can't consider it bravery because usually some extra body ends up sleeping in my extra bed. And if I need any help, there's almost always friends and/or family nearby.

I'm not sure if any of this qualifies me as brave, but I would say that I have pluck.

My sister and I once built a fence around her back yard. I can give a cow a shot. I can install a ceiling fan. I know how to change a tire. And if I had to, I could change the oil. I even caught a possum one time.

Heights of more than 6-12 inches scare me. Truly scare me to death. But if I absolutely have to I can force myself to climb a ladder or stand in a chair.

Yep, I'm full of pluck.

Unless you throw a frog in the mix. No, you'll never see me at Conway's Toadsuck festival. I just can't stand toads and frogs. They. Creep. Me. Out. I have learned to restrain myself from the bloodcurdling screams that have scared the bejeezus out of Lovey since we got married. He has run to my rescue so many times, only to find me standing on the front porch frozen with fear because of a toad between me and the front door.

While I was working on the terrariums this weekend, I went out to get an old screen. Thank goodness I had shoes on. It was dark. And I didn't turn the porch light on. Somehow a toad managed to get back in the house with me. I think I stepped on him and he stuck to the bottom of my shoe! (It grosses me out to even think of it now) Let me tell you, my reaction was anything BUT brave. I did let out a little scream. I whined. I ran away. But then he started hopping further in the house. I just couldn't stand the thought of a big, fat, ugly frog in my house. And the bravery kicked in. I didn't actually touch the vile creature, but I somehow managed to get him outside. I have to admit that if Jus had been home, he would have had to get out of bed and rescue me. But I just couldn't bring myself to wake Lovey up to help. Getting the thing out of my house all alone is probably the bravest thing I've ever done.

No matter how brave I think I am - a frog or toad can bring me to my knees (not literally because I have to be ready to run).

So what's your frog? What scares you most?

When are you the bravest? When do you show some pluck?

i'm from the boondocks, and apparently okay with that

There are advantages and disadvantages of living in the boondocks.

 I love that my closest neighbor is almost a half mile up the road. I love that I don't have to have curtains on all of my windows. I love that even with those naked windows, I can get out of the shower in the morning and walk around the house in my underwear - I'm very hot natured and it takes me a minute to cool down after a shower. I don't even mind that occasionally a hunter might be driving by, and I have to run for cover. I love that my dogs can go out and romp without being fenced in. I love watching deer and geese and turkeys and cows and coyotes from my living room. And I love, love, love that those neighbors up the road are just a phone call away if I ever need anything

On the other hand, living in the boondocks makes it so hard to do things that people in the city never think about. Like go out to eat and have a drink with dinner. Or pick up a few new books. Or sewing items. Or craft supplies. No Target. Or Old Navy. Or American Eagle.

After school today I ran to Pine Bluff to get some things for a project. I thought I could easily get everything I needed at Lowes and Staples. I wanted engineer prints from Staples. I wanted to see just how they were done so I hung close by the printing desk to watch. When the first one printed, I asked to see it. It had several lines all the way across it. I asked why they were there. The girl told me that they just came like that - that's why the prints are so cheap. And if I wanted to get rid of the lines I would have to do a poster print for $47.99. Needless to say, I didn't get any prints there. I then went to Lowes to get some plywood and paint. The guy at the paint counter was very helpful. After I had already paid for three sheets of plywood that were to be cut to in half, the guy who was supposed to cut the wood told me that (after I went over to make sure that I didn't get the warped pieces on the top of the stack) they didn't cut the sheets that I needed. Needless to say, he DID most certainly cut those sheets and haul them and load them in my truck with absolutely zero help from me. Once in my truck and on the way home, I called the Little Rock Staples. The lady at the printing desk was very sweet. She told me that no, the engineer prints should not have lines going across the print. That their machine made very clear prints. And that obviously something was wrong with the machine at the PB store.

I will be driving to Little Rock in a few days to get the needed prints so that I can finish my project.

Sometimes the inconveniences are just so damned... inconvenient. Sunday afternoon my gas light was on. I had to go to youth. I drove by one store between my house and the church (maybe 12 miles from my house) and then another store maybe a couple of miles on the other side of the church; both were closed. I had to drive to the Country Store which is another three or four miles up the road.

But I'll take the inconveniences. I've never been able to run in store in Little Rock and say, "I don't have my wallet. Write it down and I'll pay you the next time I'm in."  Or tell someone else headed to the store, "Pick me up a tender box and tell them I'll come by after school and pay for it."

And I can't imagine that city neighbors would appreciate seeing me walking around in my underwear every morning.

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?

lucy mercer meets a movie star

Lucy Mercer, Great American Cat Wrangler.

When last you saw her, she seemed so calm, so peaceful, so lazy. But...

Lounging in the sun on a lazy morning.

She has grand adventures. I've written about some few of them. Here. Here. Here.

Like all great American heroes, she has a sidekick who joins her on many escapades. Here. Here. Aaaannnddd Here.

Like all great American heroes, she has garnered a small following. She has groupies -those who love to be in her presence. Just a few weeks ago, I had a Silpada jewelry party. Several friends came - most for the jewelry, but a few for Lucy. My little blonde preschool neighbor came in excitedly asking, "Where is you pony?" She meant Lucy.

And like all great American heroes, she sometimes has a run-in with the rich and famous. Or at least as close to the rich and famous as we get in south Arkansas. Unfortunately for us, this week she crossed paths with the famous Pepe Le Pew. Emphasis on Le Pew.

Wednesday night she wanted to go out just before bed time. Lovey warned her that she had to come right back in - she's been hanging out really late this week. (Monday night Jus was outside looking for her at about 11:00. She slept in the laundry room that night because she was so wet when he finally got her inside.) Jacob went out with her but came right back. I knew we had a problem when she wasn't back within 10 minutes.

After about 20 minutes Lovey went out to hunt her down and drag back. I grumbled when he knocked on the front door instead of just opening it and bringing her inside. When I jerked the door open calmly opened the door; he simply said, "Smell."  With one whiff, the Pew part of Pepe Le Pew filled my nostrils. I quickly packed her an overnight bag (pillow and a blanket) and sent her to the chicken house to sleep.

Like many celebrity encounters, Lucy, as well as the rest of us, won't soon forget the day she met Pepe Le Pew. We are reminded with each breathe - uh, sniff. And if you come to see me any time soon you will be able to experience a bit of the excitement yourself when you step into the laundry room where we tried to wash away the memory - three times so far.

And now I've got to go find a skunk - before Lucy finds him again.

i got sunshine on a cloudy day

The weather here in Arkansas has been a perfect match for my mood lately.

Dreary.

Cold.

Yucky.

I've worn a jacket or coat everyday this week. And on Monday, I put it on every time I went outside. And it was my big coat. I even put on my jacket to do afternoon duty yesterday. I rarely have to wear a jacket for afternoon duty.

And today just before time to go home, I put my jacket on in my classroom. I. Never. Do. That. I don't know if it's the crud that keeps hanging on or the damp that just won't go away this week, but I've been cold several times in the last few days.

This evening while I was cooking supper and waiting on the guys to come in, I glanced out the back door just in time to see the sun light up the treeline.

The picture just doesn't do it justice. It was foggy. And the sun reflecting of the bare trees was beautiful. 

I grabbed my camera and went into the yard to take a picture. Without my jacket. In short sleeves. And it felt warmer than it had all day.

It's just amazing how a little sunshine can change things.

a dash of this; a dab of that

My week has been a bit of this and that. So this post is going to be the same.

Our winter has been extremely mild - almost non-existent. Wednesday started with beautiful sunshine, but it was hot and humid. I am stay hot. Every Wednesday the teachers on my campus wear our matching t-shirts. It's usually such a comfortable day. T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. For the last few weeks, I've worn a long sleeves t-shirt under my teacher shirt. I did the same this week, but by 10:00 I had to go to the bathroom and strip out of the long sleeved shirt. I had broken into a full blown, middle of August sweat. That humidity was killing me. Later in the day a storm blew in, and the temp dropped very quickly. There was a beautiful rainbow that I watched all the way home. I wanted to stop and get a picture, but I didn't have my camera. And I knew that if I could make it home in time, I would have a great view of it.

And I did have a great view. I just couldn't get a good picture. But in trying to get the picture, I noticed just how green things were looking in the pasture. And the frogs were just a singing. They have been for the last couple of weeks. Spring is trying so hard.

I never could get a rainbow picture.

But I turned to the other side of the field at the perfect time to see the sun peeping through the trees for one last hurrah. I've seen some beautiful pictures of the rainbow that day. And I saw it at times where the colors were so vivid. But this flash of sunset was my favorite part of the day.

Today a guest speaker came to visit with my 7th graders. He was born in Holland during the Nazi occupation and is the grandfather of one of my students. He wore wooden shoes, a traditional fisherman's cap, and caught my students off guard by speaking Dutch for the first few minutes of his presentation.

He explained why the people in Holland wear wooden shoes. And the differences in all of the shoes he brought. Students passed these around - everyone wanted to hold the biggest and the smallest.

He showed us pictures of Amsterdam. The house he lived in there. He explained the windmills. He discussed the canals throughout the city. He told about his aunt who was taken to Germany to work in a hospital there and of her dying when the hospital was bombed by allied forces. He spoke of the dikes that keep the city dry and of how the Dutch people purposefully flooded the city to defeat the Spaniards. Then of how hundreds of years later, the people of Holland called in the British Royal Air Force to bomb those same dikes and flood the tanks of the enemy.

We listened to a story of two young brothers who were sent to the country to bring back potatoes from a relatives farm. But encountered German soldiers, and only one brother made it home. But in such a horrific story, he reminded us of hope when he told of another German soldier who put down his rifle and risked his life to get the boy and his burden home.

When we read of the Holocaust this year, my students will have background knowledge that I would have never been able to give them. It's going to be so hard for me to finish the unit we are in without rushing.

How thankful I am for a momma in the 1940's who demanded the doctor admit her infant son into the war-torn hospital which couldn't guarantee proper medical attention, and that son who grew into a man and wanted to come to the land of milk-and-honey where money grew on trees, and fathered a daughter who married a man, then mothered a daughter who quietly spoke up and said, "My pappaw  would probably come for a visit - he likes to talk."

country boy special

I've posted several times lately about trying new recipes. And I may have mentioned that Lovey doesn't always appreciate the NEW in the new recipes. In the twenty plus years that we have been married, he has tried lots of new things. Like camping. And wearing jeans that aren't Levi's. And footwear that's not a workboot. And a sandwich on something besides Wonder bread. I have broadened his horizon!

But every now and then, I don't push the new. After all, I don't want to change him - I like country boys. So tonight I made him a very happy man.

When he asked, "What's for supper?" I surprised him with the country boy special. Country fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, and cornbread.

It has been a very, very long time since I made country fried steak. I had forgotten just how good it tastes.

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!

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.