YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT BULL HAS BEEN UP TO

Ok remember my post about the neighbors dog sleeping over and Bull and he running in and out of the pond splashing and having so much fun? Well I kept looking over there and seeing that the water level was way down and the dogs had stomped down a lot of the cat tails, so when I got on the lawnmower, I drove over to mow a couple of times around the pond so we could maybe walk over and not worry about the giant water snake. Only my dog could do this (and I know he thought it up).

No this is not snow....I live in Texas

It is cat tail fuzz

And see the sparkles? Not fairy dust or pixie dust...cattail fuzz after Bull ran through!

And he just had a bath!

SLEEPING DRAGONS..BY ME

SLEEPING DRAGONS
transparent wings of nymph made glass

and eyes so round and clear

bear witness to this mighty king

all seeing..all knowing....come close and hear

this season he has fought to keep

his kingdom free and true

and now near the end of summers heat

with an evanescing gauzy heart

the king declines his throne this night

his kingdom at an end

you see his rest has finally come

as this is his night to be swept away

on cobweb clouds and pixie dust

THE VIEW THROUGH MY WINDOW

I slowly woke this morning, after a late night of getting caught up on line to the soft sounds of the owls in the creekline talking back and forth to each other. Then a mocking bird, a chickadee and two cardinals in the tree outside my window added to the chorus and for just a brief 5 minutes or so I could hear all of them together. Then the owls faded and slowly were gone as the day birds became louder and more vibrant. The coffee is made, and I sit now at my computer and watch the sunrise and the hummingbirds make their way to the feeder. Not sure how much longer I will have them before they begin their treck South. I need to mow but not today. I will have a long day there today. It is frustrating because If everyone would come in and push none of us would be there very long, but there are only a few therefore we will be there a long time. It will be dark again before I get home. That's ok, just one step closer to paying off debt.

I know a chicken that I want in my chicken house when it gets done...I want a rooster and several hen Maran's. I have fallen in love with the dark chocolate brown eggs and want those genetics in my chickens. I wish my mom wasn't ill so my dad could come and finish the chicken house.

SORRY FOR THE DELAY IN POSTS

LOGGED 75.5 HOURS THIS WEEK. DISAPPOINTED...THOUGHT I WOULD MAKE 80...DOGGONE SICK DAY! 40 MORE DAYS OF HURRICANE SEASON! OF COURSE THEN THERE IS WA WIND AND THEN COMES A LITTLE BREAK IN JAN-FEB UNTIL...YOU GUESSED IT....TX HAIL SEASON! I LOVE THIS JOB. MY FARM SUFFERS FOR IT THOUGH.

COYOTES AND CRICKETS

Tonight I took my medicine and lay down in my bed. I thought briefly of reading by decided to turn of the light instead. As I snuggled into my soft mattress, my cat Flash curled up next to me purring. I can finally sleep with the windows open. The moon is very bright. I can hear one cricket by the window, and many cousins out in the tall grass. Then the sound of a lone coyote. Possibly a big male as deep as his voice was. Just one brief howl....then silence. Then another...this one closer...louder. And then another....closer still. Suddenly from out of the darkness through my bedroom window, there was an explosion of joyous coyote howls...adults, juveniles (with their little voices still cracking) and tiny baby pups....all howling at the top of their lungs about a hundred yards from my bedroom window. I could hear in their voices the joy of reunion as they met up with their lost pack member. Then there was silence as they moved on their way. Had to get out of bed and share.

OK SO MAYBE I WENT A LITTLE OVER BOARD...

BUT I DON'T FEEL GOOD. MY THROAT HURTS AND MY WHOLE BODY HURTS! OVER NIGHT HALF OF THE PEOPLE IN MY DEPARTMENT...ALL OF WHOM HAVE BEEN WORKING 70-80 HOUR WORK WEEKS TRYING DESPERATLY TO GET THE PEOPLE IN HOUSTON AND BATON ROUGE BACK TO NORMAL...CAME DOWN WITH A BAD SORE THROAT AND THE BEGINNINGS OF A WHOPPER COLD. LAST NIGHT WAS A VERY LONG NIGHT AND I WAS AT WORK AT 6:45AM. SO I DECIDED TO BE PREPARED FOR JUST ABOUT ANYTHING THAT COULD HIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

Fall is Here!

Houston is going through unbelievable devastation. So are thousands of others in the path of Hurricane Ike. I am so very grateful for my grand children. with just a little effort I can look at their loving faces and forget the world of hurts and fears and just focus on their sweetness!!

THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT

After a 14.5 hour day and a 1 hour commute each way, I was thinking as I walked up on my porch "what the heck are you doing all the way out here??" I looked up at the front of my half pink house and here is what I saw. Not just lizards, but little workers. Here they are working all night long trying and curb the ever growing population of insects which are in constant reproductive mode on the farm. They never complain, at least not audibly. The intrude into my home only in pursuit of stray bugs which I don't want in there anyway, and they are quiet. They don't bark, meow, or ask me to feed them. They are fully self reliant. The look lazy but looks can be deceiving. These really are amazing creatures. I am glad they work at night because I would hate for one of the chickens to make them into dinner!

Looks like all the prayers are being answered with Hurricane Ike. Keep it up.

INSPIRING INSOMNIA

I woke at 5:45 wide awake this morning with a need to clean. Before I even left my bedroom I made the bed, put away clean laundry, set out the millions of unpaired socks ready to sort tonight, cleaned the bathroom...scrubbing bubbles and all! Then because it was still dark, I made myself a cup of cafe vienna, and played on the computer. It is very quiet this early on Sunday morning. I could feel rather than see the fog laying very soft on the tops of the fields around me. Birds began to wake up and I could hear Bull chewing something up outside. I walked out ready to yell at him and instead the morning sky took my breath away. I don't know what the temperature is outside but it is cool enough to feel cold. Down in the creek I could hear two owls talking each other to sleep, a dove shot past in an attempt to avoid hunters. And this sky greeted me. I could smell wood smoke and dry leaves, the smells of fall. Summer is gone.

DELAY IN POSTS

I AM SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY IN POSTS. I WILL BE WORKING HURRICANE DUTY WHICH IS 12 HOUR DAYS 7 DAYS A WEEK. LOOKS LIKE ABOUT THE TIME GUSTAV CLAIMS SLOW DOWN IKE IS GOING TO HIT. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE IN LA, MS, AL! IT'S NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY.

Northeast Texas NWTF Chapter's Women in the Outdoors Event

WOMEN IN THE OUTDOORS EVENT

OCTOBER 18, 2008

SPONSORED BY THE NORTHEAST TEXAS CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

FOR MORE INFORMATION: CONTACT DOROTHY MCCARVER dorothy.mccarver@sbcglobal.net

PLEASE EMAIL DORTHY FOR MORE INFORMATION. SOME OF THE CLASSES OFFERED ARE:

OUTDOOR HABITAT
CANOEING/KAYAKING
FLYFISHING
OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY
PINE NEEDLE BASKETS
BLACKSMITHING!
DUTCH OVEN COOKING!
ARCHERY
SHOTGUNNING; INTRO AND ADVANCED
INTRO TO HANDGUN
.22 RIFLE PLINKET
TURKEY HUNTING 101

AND MORE!

THIS IS AT MY DAUGHTER'S FAVORITE CAMP IN THE WHOLE WORLD! SHE AND I WILL BE GOING TOGETHER....EVEN THOUGH SHE IS KIND OF A CITY GIRL!

http://www.womenintheoutdoors.org/wito/?SUBSITE=wito

September 1-summer is over; dove season begins

What a wonderful 3 day weekend this has been. I am writing this on the morning of the 3rd day. Daughter and 2 grand boys are still asleep....the only sounds I hear are the far off sounds of shotguns as today is opening dove season. I plan to continue to paint sealer on the pink house. One day it will not be hot pink any more. It is still horribly hot though. Painting stops at noon.


At sunset last night I knocked down a bunch of large pine cones. I am going to give these to my sister. She wants to make cinnamon scented fire starters to give away at christmas.


The boys continue to renovate the club house. The sign out front by the way says "Santas Drop Off for Jayden and Dakota".....they are drawing "lights" up the slide with a water proof marker as a runway for reindeer. I will take more pics when they are gone. Their minds simply amaze me....and because to them it is very real makes it all the more special.


Here is a picture I took just at dusk last night. Jayden was saving a doll from Bull.....but when we came in and stuck the photo chip into my computer, that scene transformed into Jayden saving a princess from a fire eyed demon dog. Funny how he suddenly became very proud that he had saved that doll!!







Prayers for all who are in the path of Hurricane Gustav!