Helping Hands

The guys are all loaded up and ready to go.

Actually, Kyle is already gone.

He had to run to the ranch today and

shoot all the cows with fly spray.

Have I told you about that yet?

He has an air rifle that shoots

paint balls, but these paint balls have

fly spray in them!

He just pours some feed on the ground,

the cows all stand a round to eat

and he shoots each one in the side.

The paint ball explodes, the fly spray

does its thing and the cows don't

even seem to notice.

Pretty nifty!

(And fun!)

Anyhow, he left about an hour ago.

Finally.

First he had to lighten his load a little.

So he shaved his mustache and I gave

him a "summer cut" (short) haircut.

He hasn't let me near his head for 

many many months.

There was a lot to cut off!

He once again looks like he

is around 18.

Which is kind of a bummer.

But you never know, there might be 

some nice girls up there helping...

They just got an email changing their

assignment from the town they

were going to, to another, different town.

This one (Bristol) is closer to the coast.

They had 17 jobs all lined up where they

were headed, so now the organizers

are starting over.

There is a large group going up from our two wards.

The 2nd ward volunteered to take care

of all the food for everyone (they have the

bulk of the folks who are going...)

Rod and Kyle are "unofficially" adopted

by the other ward anyway, because they

have the best equipment and work ethic.

Kyle painted his new grapple.

It looks great!

Rod is in town right now (took the day off)

picking up... something or other.

When he gets home I'll feed him some

lunch and then we'll go back into town to 

Sams and get another couple of flats of water

and some gatorade and maybe some snack-ish things.

He isn't leaving until the morning.

They are meeting for a prayer service

at the church at 5 am tomorrow and then

heading north.

Rod will peel off in Ocala and meet Kyle

there at the rest area and they will

follow each other up from there.

Prayers and good wishes are always welcome!

Meanwhile, I'll be packing up and heading south

Friday evening after I feed the animals.

We met some new folks in the ward last week

and I was impressed to ask if she would like

to take care of the animals for us.

Lisa has a very experienced horse person,

she came over Monday evening and I walked

her through the process.

And printed up a cheat sheet for her.

This morning when Rod went out to feed,

Buddy was "cast". It means stuck, basically.

He had laid down and rolled over under the

hay shelter in the pasture. Got his legs wrapped

around the roof support pole and couldn't roll 

back over (hay behind him so like rolling 

up hill) and was basically stuck.

Poor guy, he was exhausted from struggling.

Looked like he had been there for several hours.

Rod wrapped a rope around his back legs,

Kyle wrapped another around his front legs

and they flipped him over.

(sound MUCH easier than it actually was...)

Awfully glad he did that this morning

and not this weekend when poor Lisa was here!

He looks good.

A little wobbly for a little bit.

I didn't feed him anything for awhile.

I was a little concerned he might get

a gut twist, but he seems to be ok.

I'll give him a bath this afternoon

when things calm down here a bit.

Meanwhile - Rod just pulled in,

so I'd best figure out some food.

Just For Fun

Kyle and I have discovered a new game.

Hit pause at a random moment 

while watching TV.

And add dialogue.

We came up with some pretty funny lines

to go with that face!

LOL

Give it a try some time.

It can be hilarious!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today we get to celebrate Mom's birthday.

She and Dad get to celebrate their anniversary

just days before her birthday each year.

This one was a big one.

SIXTY FIVE YEARS!

That's such a testament to the love they share.

And it wouldn't be possible if they weren't

each amazing in their own right.

Just look how great she looks!

And this was the morning she was leaving her (their)

family homestead of over 50 years.

Incredible!

Mom has a loving family.

And she loves to spend time with them.

She also makes friends wherever she finds herself.

She is a master at knowing what will make others

feel comfortable and loved whether she has

known you for ever and ever or she just met you.

Despite numerous trips in hospital this year,

for treatments, tests, procedures,

and despite being the world's hardest "stick",

she makes everyone's day better for having

spent time with her and everyone is always

sorry to see her leave.

Mom has many traits that make her a wonderful

example of what a woman should be,

but her ability to make everyone better for

having known her is the trait I most want

to learn from her.

Yes, it's the same fabric as Grandma Hanna's blouse,
and that is one of her necklaces!

She's a terrific Grandma too!

And the queen of funny faces... (or I'm the queen of snapping at the wrong instant...)

My Mother.

She is gracious.

She is kind.

She is loving.

She is thoughtful.

She is resilient.

She is patient.

And I love her!

Happy Birthday Mom!

When Kyle is Bored

This is what happens when Kyle is bored.

He gets on a roll.

Our pantry as been a catch-all for many many years.

It's kind of scary in there.

Or at least it was.

Kyle put on some great music and got to work.

Looks amazing!

And now that all the laundry stuff

is in the pantry, the laundry spot looks good too.

Nice, eh?

Thanks Kyle!!!!!

The trash guys aren't going to be happy tomorrow though...

Made It!

And it was an excellent class!

I realized the time at 6:29.

Ran outside, dropped feed for the horses

and the cows.

Brought the dogs inside and put

them in their crates in the garage.

Put Beau in his crate in the house.

Jumped in the shower.

Dressed.

Jumped in the car.

Didn't even speed!

Arrived at the church at 7:03!

It was really good.

Taught by the CES Director for our Stake.

He's a really talented teacher.

Lots of student participation.

The topic was studying the scriptures.

I enjoyed it, felt like I learned something

and had a great example of good teaching

style that I might be able to incorporate

in my classes as well.

As soon as it was over (8:15) they served

doughnuts and apple cidar

(a nod to fall - even though it's still mid-summer here)

(I first typed mid-simmer, which is also accurate)

so I left. I don't need a doughnut or apple cider,

and my animals needed my attention.

Back to the farm to let the horses out

put the chickens in

let the dogs out and feed them

and make me a sandwich and soup for dinner

and again for lunch today.

I got an email from the Town earlier in the day

yesterday letting me know their secretary

was admitted to the hospital and could

I help out for a couple of days.

So I'm up earlier than usual,

feeding the animals and me,

and then I'll head over to the town.

Good thing I mowed the yards yesterday!

Watching Michael coverage on TV.

The guys are already planning work trips

up to the Panhandle. Rod has High Council

meeting tonight and they will get more

information on the Stake's plans.

But for sure they will be heading up there

for several weekends.

Kyle's house got successfully tied down,

and his property only got some light wind

and minor rain showers,

but he is only about 30 minutes to an hour

away from MAJOR damage.

I imagine he'll be doing lots of helping

over the next weeks and months.

Random Stuff

I haven’t done a blog post in a couple of days.

Not that I’ve been super busy or anything...

Just always sitting in the wrong chair,

Or doing something else when I think about doing one.

This is our sky when there is a hurricane on the other coast.

Hurricane Michael is hitting Panama City Beach

right now. Kyle is over on that side, but he has

only gotten a couple of rain showers and some

gusty wind, but nothing major.

They came today and set up his mobile home.

He still can’t live in it, but it is now tied down.

Which might have been important.

What with the hurricane and all.

Next they need to put in the septic tank,

and then they need to hook up the power.

But getting someone to do electricity might

be tough for a couple of weeks since most extra

folks will be in the panhandle helping the poor

people with no power.

Oh.

In the picture I was actually going for a picture

of the Jeep in front of me. His wheel cover

was cute. It said “Paved Roads - Another

example of unnecessary government intervention.”

Hahahahahaha

Alfalfa sprouts!!!!!
We used to grow those in Calgary!
These are a blend of broccoli, radish and alfalfa.
And they are yummy!

I made some really yummy rolls
(Super easy)
And had a couple of sandwiches with some
yummy cauliflower soup for lunch the other day.
Hit the spot!

Rozann sent us a free trial of her Purple Carrot
food program. Kyle gave one of the recipes
a try on Sunday while we were watching conference.
It was fun to make!
None of us are vegetarian / vegan, so it wasn’t
something we would have tried on our own,
but it was a fun experiment.

Today I gave another one a try.
(We got 3 meals...)

I made a couple of changes, used some of the
ingredients I prefer (konjac noodles instead of rice
noodles, coconut oil instead of vegetable oil,
and no cumin - I am not a fan...)
It was yummy!
Had an entire cup of edamame which is not
something I normally eat, although I LOVE it!
It’s not good for my thyroid, but it’s so tasty
that I didn’t mind slipping it in.
Made a delicious lunch.

Oh oh,
Just looked at the clock.
Better eat outside and get the horses fed!
I’m supposed to go to Homemakeing (or whatever)
in 15 minutes. Not going to make it.
Darn!

Rain Much?

We got a little rain Friday morning.

It woke me up.

(Kyle said later it woke him too...)

Both Rod and Jim got SOAKED

running to their cars before work.

The view out the back gate behind the barn.

Two years ago, we were waking up to the aftermath

of Hurricane Matthew.

It wasn't as wet!

Hard to believe...

The chickens were a little wet.

As usual, the pasture next door was even wetter.

Years and years ago Steve changed the slope

so it would drain to his little lake in the back.

Except clearly it didn't work.

Oops.

It's fun to walk around and see air bubbling up

from under the water.

This one bubbled and bubbled and bubbled

for several hours!

There was a LOT of air under there!

I was actually a little concerned we might find

a sink hole out there when it was all said and done.

The frogs had a LOT to say about it!

As usual, it is nearly all gone now.

The joys of living on a sand bar.

But the grass, new trees, weeds... lol, etc

are all VERY happy for the great big drink.

Old Friends

I met an old friend for dinner last night.

She was in Orlando for some conferences.

Remember her???

I swear Trish hasn't changed one bit.

We had a nice dinner.

Visited for a couple of hours

and got all caught up.

It was a wonderful visit.

Trees

Years and years and years ago,

we planted a tree.

A bald cyprus.

In the front yard of our city house.

It grew,

but it was touch and go.

Yesterday, Kyle and I were out and about.

We went to the mall to get some shirts

for Kyle (and a sweater and t-shirt for me).

Then to his favorite "voodoo" store

for some natural shampoo, soap and I

bought some sprouted bread.

On the way home, we decided to take a detour

and try out the new road they built this past year.

I've never driven down it.

It was nice!

And it connects with our old neighborhood.

So on a whim, we took yet another detour.

Drove by our old house.

Oh my goodness!!!!!

Well, ok, it's been 14 years...

but still!

That's a BIG TREE!!!

Huge around the bottom

and giant all over.

This morning we made a small addition to the farm.

These are Leyland Cyprus.

A different kind, but still Cyprus.

We planted the big trees 13 years ago when we first moved here.

Hopefully it doesn't take 13 MORE years.

But maybe, these little guys will get big too!

One can dream.

Macaroni?

My kids never made me a macaroni necklace.

I didn't mind.

(grin)

But I was super excited to get a necklace

from Kyle today that he made with his

very own hands!

As you may know, if you follow him on

Instagram, he has been teaching himself

to blacksmith.

Built himself a forge

and went for it!

He got some actual coal from Amazon

today (as opposed to bbq charcoal)

so decided to give it a try this evening.

It's pretty toasty!

(He had a hunk of wood on the top

to get the fire started...)

He has been making these leaves as

practice pieces. They have a big loop

on the end and folks use them as 

key rings, but I don't really carry keys.

So of course I hung it around my neck!

It's pretty nifty!

And knowing he made it himself

makes it all the more special!

In other news,

his best friend Carly (Linda's youngest daughter)

had her baby tonight too.

Welcome little Benny!