Sunday, June 19, 2011

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,

He called it ... Dad

~~Author Unknown.~~
 Happy Fathers Day to you dad!

What day is it?

I woke to a loud booming thunderclap, my heart thumping and my head so dizzy and full of congestion...  The clock reads 9:26.  Is that morning?  Night?  The sky isn't indicative of either.  I am rubbing my temples now trying to figure out even what day it is but there's this anxious ache in the pit of my stomach.  The animals are quiet and that is shocking in itself.  Kids!  Ok there are two next to me in the bed but they are sleeping.  I drag myself out of bed and stumble.  The dizziness is extreme and I am having trouble walking.  One more kid is sleeping in the living room and two in their bedroom.  That makes 5.  Kids are accounted for.  Brian wouldn't be here either way.  He had part time at night and district in the morning.  Finally, i find my cell phone and look to see that it is Sunday morning.  I haven't slept this long in...well I can't remember when but it's been a long long time.  I must have an ear infection for me to be this dizzy and out of sorts.  That along with the sleep deprivation I've been dealing with lately.  Well, I'm going to lay here I guess, until the kids wake, and hope for a lazy Sunday.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sheep!!.

It has been 153 days since my last post and much has transpired here at our little Honeysuckle Farm.  I guess the only way to really catch up is with photo evidence since that will more than likely speak for itself and save my fingers from all the typing.  (This may be my longest post yet!)

 During the winter there was an ice storm.  It coated the field with a thick enough layer to create the fastest most slippery sledding surface - EVER!  Fast enough to give my stomach the butterflies. 




Weeeeeeeee!!  Oh it was so great to feel like a kid again.  We were out until it was too dark to see anymore...






 Jocelyn had a superfun time.  My computer is telling me that superfun isn't a word but I'm telling you it was SUPERFUN!!






 My first purchase for the sheep adventure.  It's shiny and red and reminds me that it won't be long till there are little sheep out here in the barn!








 The kids love to ride on the tractor.  All of them.  At the same time.  And grandma loves every minute of it!
 Digging the post holes for the stalls we built in the barn.  Have to make sure they're straight.  Have to! (OCD!!)
 Tamp tamp tamp tamp...  After Brian and his mom took turns tamping the ground around the posts I put the finishing touches on top with my pink muck boots. 
  I don't think he was ready for this photo but here he is...  my sexy cowboy.














 Pounding t-posts.  Not so fun when it's 200 degrees out... 

 Jocelyn and Ani waiting on the horse trailer for us to decide which sheep to purchase.  Jocelyn... love that girl's style. 
 Ethan holding the girls so they don't decide to leave the trailer before we get the ram loaded.  From left to right: Molly, Butternut, and Willow. 
 This is Bobby John.  That has to be the most redneck hillbilly name ever but it's his and I guess I have to get used to it.  He has an unusually gentle loving personality.
 We returned, our pockets empty and our trailer full.  Everyone is excited to get them unloaded into their stalls. 
Gwen could not wait.  She had to peek through.  After being told how dangerous a ram is, miss smartypants decided that if she was elevated he couldn't charge at her








 Ethan is finally old enough to drive the tractor around.  He was beaming.  I think that just made his day.  Or his year. Or his life.

 Look at that straight line! 
 This is the day we never should have used the post hole digger.  Remember when you were a kid and you stomped in mud with your shoes or boots and they suctioned themselves somehow and you couldn't move your feet?  Like quicksand kind of?  Well...  our ground is made up of mostly clay and today it was very very wet...

 Someone, who will remain nameless, didn't listen to his mom and kept the auger rolling deeper and deeper into the ground where it inevitably suctioned itself into the ground.  Hmm... what do we do now...
 Well, we dig it out. 
 This hole was 3 1/2 feet wide and almost 4 feet deep.  The clay was thick and heavy and as we dug deeper it became the consistency of wet concrete.  Finally, we were able to lift it out - thank goodness!

 This is their makeshift pen until the property is completely fenced in










Brooklyn, Gwen's birthday present, is the dual purpose dog.  Gwen's sweet little puppy and future sheep herder.
Molly.  I love her color and can't wait to have some soft wooly socks... 
I think he may be smiling for this photo.  Funny!
Free to roam!  They are loving the freedom of grazing all over now. 
And since it is that time of year the garden has been planted.  I can't WAIT to gather the produce, eat it, and get the rest canned for the winter. 
Pretty bloom on my clematis
After a rain I took some photos.  If you look carefully you can see the water drip on the limb of my lavender.
One of my budding roses.  Oh I love the smell...
This one I experimented with some photo altering techniques.  I know nothing about photography but I do enjoy playing with it a little.  It's an enjoyable hobby, even for us amateurs. 
Columbine.  It's a delicate flower with a sweet smell.  I love the intricate detail.   
And that is about 4 months in a nutshell on our little city farm.  Now I'm going to walk out my front door, smell the honeysuckle in the air, and drink some coffee while the kiddos watch a cartoon inside.  Happy relaxing Saturday to you all!