Oh my!  I was taking stock of the front yard yesterday afternoon, planning what needs to be done and what needs to be left alone.  Low and behold, there at the end of the gutter at the downspout were two pretty little pines trees, sprouted and growing as pretty as you please.  Well, that is a sure sign to get it in gear and clean the gutters out.  The only problem is that end of the house is about 20 feet to the gutter and I will not climb that far without proper supervision.  So, a good excuse to put it off until I can find a responsible person to take care of that problem - usually my son. 

I have to clean some dead and damaged limbs out of the pear trees.  These trees have been here over fifty years and have to be petted and pampered at this stage.  My pears had some kind of blight last year, previously mentioned here, but they seem to have recovered from this.  This year the squirrels feasted on the blooms and the nuts from the baby pears dropping them to the ground for the rabbits to feast on as they came along.  Therefore, I had no pears this year either, which makes for two years in a row there will be no preserves.  I am thinking I am feeding God's creatures more than keeping food in the pantry.

There are many changes taking place in all our lives and this takes adjustments and reorganizing.  I am thankful for all of God's blessing for all time, but especially over the last few months.  I am thankful for God hearing and answering our prayers when our cousins serving this country were concerned.  One cousin arrived home safe and sound from Iraq this week. Thank you sweet Jesus!

My redneck chihuahuas are having quite a time adjusting to the drastic change in temperatures we have experienced over the last 3 weeks.  They have returned to their cuddle mode for warmth and have been spending more time inside.  They love the hot sun of summer, but that is passed and they are now waiting for me to build the first fire of fall so they can warm their backsides.

Have much to do so until next time  . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Pears, Spiders and other anomalies of my life

I have an abundance of pears this year which due to the weight of the little gems has led to the loss of many limbs out of my three trees.  Now the squirrels have started devouring them so I don't look to have many left to ripen.  They love pear seeds and don't mind one bit chopping down to the core of the pears to get to the seeds.  Strange though, once they eat the seeds the rest of the pear goes on the ground to rot.  Finicky little eaters, but I will sure have some fat squirrels to make dumplings with this fall!

The spiders are out again also.  I found the largest milk/writing spider I have seen to date guarding the handle to the barn faucet.  I hate to disturb a web in the wild as they catch so many insects. but this fierce looking spider was not about to get a chance of tasting my skin.  I broke part of the web so I good but on the faucet and left the other alone.  I don't think he/she was happy, but this morning the break was repaired so maybe I am somewhat forgiven.  I hope it understands when I have to break it loose again this afternoon. 

It will be a busy week outside with all the wonderful rain we received the past four days.  The temps are set to rise but I think I can get it all done before it gets too hot.  Work is calling so until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Rocking In The Rain

Yesterday afternoon we were blessed with showers that lasted until well after dark.  It had cooled down a bit and I took to the rocking chair to watch the rain and think.  I didn't get much forward thinking done as I sat and remembered Smokey and Fireball the two family horses sticking their heads over the fence and whinnying at me.  Smokey loved to share my cup of coffee with me in the mornings, but she liked it real sweet.  I know, horses aren't suppose to have coffee, but like people they like what they shouldn't have.  Fireball preferred apples and pears, which at the time we had plenty of in the yard, but what he really wanted was just some attention and a good scratch.

I looked at the new barn roof still shiny after several years and remembered the boys climbing onto the steep roof and sliding down onto the trampoline.  They would scare me to death and they would run for the woods to save their tails from a spanking.  The three older boys would run and climb for hours until they were worn out or so hungry they could no longer go. 

The pecan tree that the boys would climb is still there, but the lower limb that secured their climbing rope has been long.  The other climbing trees are still waiting on some little boy to take up the challenge and see how far into its branches they can go.

My daughter and her cabbage patch could be found under some low hanging tree limbs or safe inside a canopy of bushes where she had built a house for the two of them.  She could play for hours with just her dolly, but when she tired of being alone she would capture one of the boys - no they didn't stand a chance - and force him to play with her and dolly for a while.

The old tomato bed, once filled with mulch and super rich dirt, now is the home of a group of red buds that I planted right in the middle of the tomato bed.  The landscape timbers holding in that rich soil have since long gone and the beautiful draping limbs of the redbud is now the playhouse of my granddaughters.  When those red bud seeds were planted I had every intention of transplanting them when and if they came up, but good intentions were lost to other more important things that must be done.  Surprisingly, most of the seeds germinated and have now made a wonderful tree group. 

Several of my beautiful old oaks have been ravished by time and weather.  Lightning has claimed two and another has been hit but is still standing.  It is a beautiful white oak that is so breathtaking in the spring when the little leaves first open and the morning sun shines on the leaves turning the whole tree into shimmering white and silver.  It is only a moment in time for this special show only last for about three days before becoming a memory, but a memory that is well worth hanging on to.

The strong winds have taken their toll on the trees, too.  Many of the older trees could not withstand the winds and their old weak roots could no longer keep them upright.  Many have been toppled over the years. The apple trees are gone as is the old peach tree.  With all the cedar trees in the yard and at the edge of the wood line, the apple trees don't stand a chance.  The plums, figs and pears are still prolific in their production and feed the birds and squirrels as much as feeding us. 

With the loss of trees, the landscape around the house has changed greatly.  I have replaced several trees and have planted 4 oaks and 2 maples which are coming along nicely in the front.  One maple seems to be the target of every car that comes to visit.  It has been run over at least five times since its planting, but always springs back with little harm done.

I miss the smell of the baby calves that once graced our little farm, but I also remember the cold icy winters of making sure that had plenty of hay and water.  On the really cold nights they were kept in the barn.  They enjoy the warmth of the barn, but the call to freedom meant trouble.  Many a time when the barn door was opened one would come barrelling out just to get free which meant a cold wet chase to get the rebel back to the warmth and safety of the barn. 

Yes, the rocking chair and a little rain can do wonders for the mind.  I enjoyed my short visit down memory lane and look forward to another trip soon.

Until next time . . .

Happy reading!
Belle

Belle and her business

I am ready for some squirrel dumplings which should be really good with all the scratch feed they have consumed this summer. They are starting on their third 50 pound bag and I have given up trying to put a stop to their antics. They must have heard me load the rifle - they have started hiding from me rather than swishing their bushy tails in my face as they scamper across the yard. They are going in the stew pot, along with that chicken that isn't laying but loves to eat. She is good and fat, too and will be real good with some dumplings. Oh my, I am getting hungry just thinking about it.

Have you ever stopped to really look at a feather. Mr. Rooster lost a tail feather the other day in his prancing around and jumping at the neighbor's rooster. The feather is really beautiful and the colors are outstanding. The soft downy dark grays tipped with rust at the base give way to the shimmering greenish blues all the way to the swirling tip. Amazing! Even the hens rusty feathers are each unique in their colors and shape.

The change in the weather makes me change my cooking style - I must be from the old country. Cooler air means heavier meals. There goes our diets - it is not salad weather. Well, I take that back. I usually don't buy potatoes, but picked up a bag the other day and made potato salad. Yummy! Then I got carried away and made garlic mash potatoes. Believe it or not hubby can have a small serving of potatoes with his diet. Of course you need to use the fat free milk and the Heart Smart butter, but they were still delicious. I think I have finally figured out that I won't have to work so hard in the early spring to get the jelly rolls off if I don't stuff my face so much during those cold days of winter. But oh how I do love food.

I have started diligently working on my yard again. Fall temps do that for me along with the change in my cooking. I have pull out dead limbs and deadheaded all my flowers. Plan to do a light fertilizer today and contemplate where I am going to move some shrubs around. I am also trying to coordinate all my old scattered plants - lamb's ear, four o'clocks, mums, day lilies - and decide where they will be happiest come spring. My hostas did not get enough shade this year and I will be moving them. I have moved my elephant ear as it wasn't getting enough sun and it is doing great. It just needed some loamier ground and more sun. I have some trimming on the agenda also. I have waited too late to move the forsythia and still have it bloom next year, but may fore go the blooms to get them moved.

I have a pomegranate that I plan to move this fall also. It is surrounded with trees and not growing at all. It is from the old homestead that was once on the farm and is now overgrown, not receiving any light and is starved in its present location. The pears will be severely pruned this year as they have become misshapen with many dead limbs caught in the tops. The production was real low this year, but the fruit it produced was large and juicy. These trees were also a gift of the old homestead. I would love to add a couple of apple trees to my collection, but have been advised the cedars would gift them with disease. I will need to do more research on this. I cannot give up all my cedars, fruit or no fruit.

For those who don't know the history of my little farm - my Dad bought this property consisting of 98 +/- acres in 1948. He farmed much of the land until the mid 1980's. There is a wonderful creek and many wet springs on the property. When Dad farmed it, it was mostly pasture and field. It is now mostly wooded as a result of Dad planting pines. When Dad quit farming, he sold most of the land and it now has produced many neighbors and provided homes for some 14 families. Through the years we have been able to purchase surrounding parcels and add to our little farm. We are blessed with good neighbors and a relatively quiet neighborhood.

Till next time - keep smiling and share it with someone.

Belle