Routine

It's been a great summer. All the swimming, ball games, BBQ's, tractor pulls, working and sweating were real fun. Now it's time for the routine. The work, work and more work routine.( Maybe a little school too.)
I had a routine once. I don't really know what happened to it. It just kinda disappeared. It was here and now it's gone. I'm not sure I want it back either.
I think I'm ready for a new routine.
The new routine promises so many things. It's fun because it's new. It's different because it's new. It's great.
Until about a week later. What is wrong with my routines? They are so boring after a week or so that I want a new one.
I don't know. I guess it's just me. Not the routine.
Well, my latest routine has been exciting. A little frustrating maybe but still exciting none the less.
Every night for the past 2 weeks we have had a visitor.
At first sight I thought it was a cat.
Then I saw it peck the ground and I thought it was a chicken.
Wait.... I think it's an.... owl.

This guy loves our yard. He's crazy. He likes to sit on the fence post and turn his head clear around.

It's really hard to get a good picture of him. I have to lay in front of the window and not forget to put the flash down. Geez.

See that...?! He almost looks like a cat. It's the ears... lol.  I think he is a Barred Owl. I'm not sure though. I'm not a professional.. in anything obviously. That is a blurry picture!
Well, so much for that routine. To try to get an owl picture every night, I'll need night vision lenses and lessons in stealth photography!
Poor Country Boy is hoping the events of this last week are not in his routine. So far this week, C.B. has been stung on the finger by a wasp and chased and stung by a swarm of hornets. I think he's lucky to only have 5 stings on his face and head. He looks really good with a swelled up lip and an eye almost swollen shut. I don't have a picture of this though. I mean really. I had to draw a line somewhere.
No stinging insects allowed in the routine.
My adorable daughters have school in their routine again starting tomorrow. They're not real excited about it. I don't blame them. It has been a fun summer. Sleeping late, eating all the time, sleeping some more.
I've enjoyed having them around too. I can boss them around and make them do stuff... haha.
No, really. It's hard to see them go. Although I am excited to rest up for the next few months. I'll need all the rest I can get before next summer!
I think I remember my last routine of morning coffee, a little Facebook, more coffee....
Yeah, I did like that routine.
It was comforting in an odd sort of way.
I might redo that one. Maybe not. If I remember right, I think it did get boring.
Not the coffee though. That is a requirement in my next routine!

The turkeys

I have been trying to get a picture of a turkey for several weeks now. Why can't I get one? They are everywhere. They are out along side the trees, in the pastures and in the road all the time. When I see one.. I don't have my camera. Or I just forget to grab my camera or of course the turkeys disappear before I can snap a photo.
My daughter got a picture. Adorable daughter #1 grabbed my camera and took this photo of turkeys out behind the garden:

If you look close you can see the mama and all the other ones are babies. She even got this picture:

Just look at those turkeys.. My girl did a great job. She knew I wanted a turkey picture and she got one for me.
Before this happened.. I was sitting at softball games in Kansas City and Country Boy calls me. Guess what... he says. There are about 12 baby turkeys and 2 mamas walking in our yard right in front of the garage. What?! Grab the camera I said.. grab it and get me a picture. Right in our yard for pete's sake. So C.B. grabs my camera and gets this photo:




Yes, that's right. He didn't get one. He thought he did, but my new camera had outsmarted him. lol. I must defend him a little. He hadn't even picked up my new camera prior to this incident.  ..   Poor guy.
It's not that I didn't believe him because of course I did. I just wanted to SEE them. I just wanted a turkey picture. Good grief. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to get a picture.
So, I started a quest. I at least had the photo my daughter had taken. It was better than nothing. I just wanted more. (isn't that the American philosophy or something.. haha). Of course then everyone starts seeing them.. at my house. Gosh, I just can't get into the right place at the right time I guess.
Last week I was doing dishes and I have a lovely window above my sink. I like to look out of it .. especially since it's been so hot. I like to be inside! Anyway...
Sure enough. I saw some turkeys. I about sprained my ankle trying to get my camera and find a place to get a picture quick enough. So I flew out the door and got these:

There they are. Thank goodness I have zoom on my camera..... You can tell how big the babies have gotten since the first picture. I'm still waiting though. I'm waiting for them to walk in my front yard. I need an up close and personal picture. It's my quest.
Hopefully the 100+ degree weather hasn't killed them all. Maybe it will just make them delirious enough to walk up my driveway. haha
I had such great luck getting those pictures, I decided to try my luck getting some pictures during our last thunder storm. I lucked out. I got this one:

The wind was blowing and the thunder was really rolling but I stuck it out and got this picture.
Whew.
The canning is still in progress. Tomatoes are the produce of the day. At this point I'm just hoping that the weather doesn't kill my whole garden. I didn't get any green beans canned. First time in 20 yrs. that I haven't gotten any. The heat must be getting to me too because I really don't care. I'm just going to have to buy some green beans on sale at the grocery store.
I think C.B. has lost at least 10 lbs. from working out in this heat. He didn't really need to lose any. (little turkey). The 100+ degrees has effected lots of things!

If I start sounding like Elmer Fudd, don't worry about me. It's just the heat. It's how the heat is effecting me on my turkey quest. I'm going to have a celebration when I get my turkey quest picture. Don't worry - you'll be invited. Turkey.. it might be what's for dinner.
Stay cool!

Busy

It's been busy the last few days. How does that happen? It just does. It just starts in and before you know it .. it's busy!

This is my ornery nephew. My girls stopped by my mom's house and he was there. Before they left to come home he decided he was coming too. To spend the night.
He did. (he's only 5yrs. old).

It was quite the adventure having a little boy in the house. You forget how little kids copy everything you say and do. The girls enjoyed having him. I think they were fine when he went home though... lol.
Then last weekend we had another visitor....

Yes, we had Chip again. My in-laws went for a few days of vacation and Chip came to stay with us. The picture is a little blurry. Possibly because I was putting up corn when I took it and I had corn juice everywhere. It makes all things sticky and slick at the same time. haha.

Chip wasn't much impressed with putting up of corn. He didn't like the shuckin' at all. So he would just come and get some husk and run with it through my yard. Geez. Before long I had corn cobs, husks, and silk everywhere. It was hot of course so by the time I got to the cookin' and cuttin' part ole Chip was worn out.
He just couldn't find a comfy spot on top of the loveseat in the kitchen... poor guy.

There was other canning being done too. Like these purty little gems...

I love pickled beets. They are the only thing I can pickle that comes out right. I can't make regular pickles worth a darn. They always turn out the opposite of what they're suppose to be. The opposite of crisp, not too salty, green dill pickles. whew. Slimy slop.. I always have to throw them out. So I quit making them. I just make these. Good thing I like them so much.

Anyway, between the nephew and dog staying, the canning of tomato soup and pickle relish, the freezing of a lot of corn, the mowin', the rainin', the hayin' the laundry and the kids... new tires on my vehicle, more softball games, adorable daughter #2's friends... canning more tomatoes... I"m really not sure what day it is. I think it's today, I mean I think I know today, oh boy, all I know right now is that I"ve been busy.

It's Hot.

It's hot. What else can you say? What kind of comeback is there for that?? The sun just sucks everything out of ya and all I can say is... it's hot.
You know it's hot when you are weeding the garden at 10:00am and sweat is running down your back.
 You know it's hot when your dog is panting while he's laying in the shade.
You know it's hot when you go to pick up your sunglasses and you drop them because they are so hot to touch.
When you have to air out the car and can't sit on the seat yet... you know it's hot.
Well, life continues on even when it's hot. It's funny like that.
We lost a heifer out of our pasture last week. She got out and has been running around. We put her back in a couple times, now the little brat isn't happy there and won't stay. ...  Did I mention how hot it's been?
Anyway.. we went looking...

We recruited some help and out to the pastures we went.

We had a follower.. wherever we went Commanche followed.

I got a little sidetracked and took some photos along the way... the next few pictures are from that evening and the next few days on our farm.

Kansas is a beautiful place. The moon has been just gorgeous and full the last few nights. I think I've noticed that especially because I only seem to go out at night now. It's too hot during the day. Okay, I think I"m whining now. lol.

I've really appreciated the country life in the last few weeks. It's not that I didn't before but it only takes a few trips to the big city to get me yearning for home. I really like to go places but the best part of that is then coming home. I've been a country girl too long I guess. I miss the locusts singing, the birds chirping, and the frogs in the creek. I miss my dog, my morning coffee ritual and oh yeah, my family being together too.

We were blessed with 2in. of rain a couple nights ago. My garden is actually muddy. I went out to do a little tilling this morning and had to weed by hand because it was so wet. Amazing.

The weather man is calling for a heat wave that is suppose to last until next weekend. Any farm pictures will be taken from my window ( from inside my house!). haha. I seriously thought I was melting when I was outside earlier. It's like walking into a greenhouse, or the rain forest dome at a zoo. I can't take it. 

Maybe I should say I don't like it. 

Maybe it's just extreme...

I think I"ll go try and cool off some more. Maybe I"ll be able to think straight after some ice cream.

Yeah, that's my plan. I"m leaving for ice cream then I'm coming right back.

I have to eat it at home... on the farm... with the birds.. the dog... maybe I"ll leave the kids in town. haha.

Garden time

It's garden time again. It's finally here. I've been eyeing a couple orange tomatoes and waiting..waiting..waiting..
The darn things just won't turn red. Guess I"ll have to harvest something else. How bout some carrots. Okay.

Aren't they purty? They looked real good in the basket. Then I washed them up. Oh my. There were a few worm holes. That's what my good knife was for though. I took care of that.
Now they look like this:

Whew. All the jars finally sealed. I love listening for the "ping". Sometimes they all seal real quick. Ping, ping, ping. Sometimes it takes forever. Ping........  ping. Occasionally a jar will seal real quiet like. You don't hear a thing. Next thing you know, you look at the jar and it's sealed. Whew.
I dug a few of these up today too..

New potatoes. Too bad my peas all died. I didn't get one pea. I was so excited over my asparagus finally growing that it didn't bother me at all. It does now. Peas go real good with new potatoes. Oh well. I just up and canned them too. Now they look like this:

I have a routine. A canning routine. My mother-in-law taught me how to can years ago. Our southern friends call it jarring instead. Makes me think of jawing... like talking a lot. I can't do that while I'm canning. I might mess up my routine. It's my own routine. It's occasionally adapted. Not very often though. It's comforting in an odd sort of way.

Sometimes I have two canners going. Today I just had one. Sometimes there's just so much to do I have to start early in the morning to get it all done. Today was a good slide into the routine day. It just took most of the afternoon.

I love to line the pantry shelves with jars. I like to organize my jars by content and color. I may have a sickness. I'm not sure.
In another few weeks I"ll be really tired of the vegetables and the mess. It's a love/hate relationship. When it starts to get cold out I'll really love it all again. Because it's over.
The eating part is the very best part. There's nothing like opening a jar of peaches or tomatoes in the middle of winter. It just tastes better.
For now I'll just keep canning. I know my family will keep eating. They're like that.
I'm still waiting for that red tomato. Just one. I have at least 20 tomato plants. One red tomato shouldn't be asking too much.
Maybe I can  can something else while I"m waiting......

Buzzards... again.

Yes, it's true. There are buzzards in my driveway. Right there. Look at them. They think they are so cool.
Actually, they are after that snake.
Great. There's a snake in my driveway.
I should know. I accidently ran over it.
EEwwwww!
It popped. Sounded like a balloon. I just pulled in my driveway and there it was. Too late.

That poor snake is buzzard bait now.  Buzzard bait. I"m telling you that buzzard was flying over in no time at all. How did he know I was going to run over a snake? Where's he been waiting at? What's he doing.. spying on me??

Now he's in the road. He just can't leave it alone. The only best thing about it is that he flew right off with that snake in his mouth. At least it won't be stinkin' up my driveway.
There's other stuff happenin' around here too.

There's C.B. He's in our backyard picking mulberries. Why? That's what I asked too. He's convinced that our white mulberry tree will make the best mulberry wine. Well you never know till you try and that's what he's going to do.

Maybe mulberry wine will go real well with deep fat fried pickles. Maybe not. I don't know. Fried pickles have become a favorite around here though. We had them on our menu for the 4th of July. Yum!

No, the buzzards didn't get this guy. He just died one day and C.B. took to preserving his head. I think he was the oldest steer in the county. We had him almost 15 years and all we have to show for it is this skull.
Good thing C.B. didn't have to fight the buzzards for it. The buzzards know your every move. The are like a big nose flying around. You better not smell very ripe out here on the farm. They will find you. They might even try to carry you away.

I worry about my dog. Can a buzzard carry off a dog? A cat? Maybe one of the kids.....
Beware of the buzzards!

Perspective

It's hayin' time again. It's harvest time too. It's a crazy busy fun time. The harvest trucks are all over the place. The dust is in the air. It's great. That's my perspective today.
We just got back from a short vacation. Adorable daughter #1 played softball in Colorado last weekend and we went along for the fun. It's so exciting to leave for a destination. About the day before you're packing like a mad fool. Checking your list twice. Do we have everything? Do we need anything else? Can you stuff anything more in the back of the truck?
It's funny like that.
Then the trip starts. Are we there yet? How much farther? Can we stop and go to the bathroom?
You kinda forget about all that in the excitement of packing and looking forward to the trip.
We finally make it to the destination.
It's nice, it's beautiful. The mountains are in the background.
Let's eat a good meal and check into the motel.
Okay.
So that's what we did. By the time you get to your room you're real tired from all the traveling of the day. You unlock the door and go bursting in and then you're real disappointed. It's a motel room after all. A cheap one. haha. It's close quarters for everyone and one bathroom. Whew.
4 nights in close quarters changes your perspective.
We did lots of fun things. Like white water rafting, shopping, eating, sitting at the ballpark and driving in the mountains. It really was fun.
It's fun to see all the farms and ranches along the way. Does anyone else have hay down? Are they harvesting yet? Look at that place....
Then you get home. Home sweet home. My house never looked so good or so big. Our Alfalfa looks great. The porch swing is calling my name. There's a mountain of laundry. That's my scenic route now... the path to the clothes line.
We rested a bit. We have a new perspective. We're ready to tackle all the work we left behind.
Maybe I need a vacation once a month so I can get all those extra things done.

Maybe I need to just go on vacation longer .. then everything will look that much better by the time I get home.

Maybe I'll just enjoy whatever I'm doing now. The work is hard but it is fulfilling. How did I forget that?
How did I lose my perspective? Did I lose it or did it just change?
I don't know. Right now I"m just glad to be home on the farm. Glad to be busy. Thankful for what we have.
And that's my perspective.