My Chickens are Happy!

Hi! I came home to find my feathered children had turned their water tub over. That's their way of saying, "Fill it now, please!" So I scrubbed it out with dish soap (Ajax) and bleach (Clorox) and filled it with fresh water and vitamins. Look how happy those children are to have fresh, cool water to drink!

21 Hats for Food Pantry!

Good evening! So glad to see you! Come on in and put up your feet. Would you like a soda? What do you think of the hats I've knitted for food pantry at our church? I'm so excited! I was planning to have 40 completed and dropped off by Christmas. By having 21 ready to drop off now, I am over half done! This is so exciting as I will easily be able to make more than 40 in time. More than 40 people will have warm heads this winter. A warm head can keep someone alive when they're sleeping outside. I have 2 more half knitted and need to get back to work. Do mind if I knit while we chat?

My Hungry Children!

Hey! Come around back and watch my hungry children eat! Let's put out a fresh platter of leftovers and watch them wrestle over each morsel!

5 Minute Break to Knit

Hi! Glad to see you! Would you like to sit a spell out front with me? Did you bring you knitting? I love to take five minute breaks to sit in the hammock chair and knit.

Sabrina Guards the Back Door!

Leaves are Falling!

Hello! How are you this lovely afternoon? Such a beautiful day! Have you noticed the leaves falling yet? Some of my Mulberry leaves, out front, turned brown a few weeks ago and fell. Now I am noticing my Peach leaves are turning a bright golden-yellow and falling. It's fun to watch the colors unfold, and, although I'll miss all the outdoor summer activities, it just feels right for the seasons to change. Time for home canning, stacking firewwod, halloween costumes and Christmas surprises!

What is it?

FW: My Doorman~ dare to knock?

This fellow seems to be part of an overall omen of an early winter. He and his mates have decided to take over my home with oversized webs.

Matt put it up himself!

Our First Slaughter!

Hi all! Well, I thought this was gonna be tough to do, even though I'd seen my Dad do it as a child, but it was remarkably easy! I have to admit I am bad at cutting heads off. Have to learn to swing harder. And, don't behead near the coop as they run under it afterward! So glad he came out the other side before he died!! Otherwise I'd have been fishing him out with a broom handle. So now we have a rooster hanging upside down in a tree out back. Not the noisiest, but the one who was attacking hens when Candi put the leftovers in. Candi, Matt and Aiden all watched. No tears, but there was some cheering!

Not Enough Wood?!

Hi! Are you enjoying this beautiful warm weather? 

Have you thought ahead about winter winds to come? 

 I'm afraid I spent my summer on many things that did not prepare me for winter. 

Now, as I look at my pitiful wood pile, I wonder where I can gather more wood?

 It is definitely time to restack for hauling efficiency, then load the Jeep anywhere we see wood piled at the curb!

Damage from Neighbor Kids

Hello! Glad you came by!
 Sorry to say, but I'm stuck at the end of my drive amazed at the deliberate damage to my landscaping by the neighbor's children. 
Funny how people can watch you spend hours improving your property then allow their children to destroy it! 
 I was so upset to arrive home from work to find my landscaping rocks were missing! Then the kids told me they took them and refused to return them.
 I've now planted several Prickly Pear plants between the remaining rocks.

My Feathered Children!

Morning! How are you this lovely day? 

 I popped out to check the food and water for my feathered children and found the water was empty! After cleaning and filling it, with much coaching from the recipients, they flocked around to wet their collective whistles! This is the waterer I bought at 'Big R' in Morris when I first got them as chicks. It is, sadly, rusting already and will be replaced soon.

 Clean rust-free water is essential.

Hanging laundry... 0:)

Our campsite @ Silver Cross Field

Tonight is Rainbow Council Jackhammers Overnight! 

Candace, Matthew, Aiden and I watched the game against Kansas City. 

It was the slowest, longest game ever (or so it seemed), but we won! 

 After the game Matt and I gathered our camping stuff from the Jeep and set up our camp. 

He and I decided to sleep under the stars like a Webelo as we can always use more practice, but we did bring the 2-man tent in case of rain. 

 Well, no stars in the sky, but no hint of rain either. 

The movie, "The Sandlot", is starting. 

I need to relax with the best son in the world in the outfield. 

Have a blessed night all!

Great Service at Old Fashioned Pancake House!

Thank you so much to Stephanie at Old Fashioned pancake House on Jefferson St. for the great service on Monday morning! We had company here from Toledo and so had a big group. She was on top of everything and kept my coffee cup full. 

The baby spilled my daughter's water all over the table and Stephanie was thrilled to help clean up! She was quick with more napkins and a smile. 

We all had such a good meal and excellent service. 

Thank you again Stephanie!

An Invisible House?

Hi! 

Nice to see you again! 

This evening I am concentrating on pulling weeds in the parkway~ maybe the front 'yard', too. 

 I have the parkway all flowers with a few edibles so my house just sort of disappears. 

When I invite people over they have a really hard time finding our house. 

They drive right passed it!

 My thinking is that it is so much better to blend in right now. 

Not let people know who you really are or how much prepping you do. 

 An invisible house full of nondescript people will be more likely to be passed over.

Food & Fun at the Fair!

Matt at the Grundy County Fair

This was Matt's first experience feeding sheep and he really took to it!

Centennial Trail

A really nice hike for Cub Scouts! Xander and Matt are having a blast. So glad to hike this trail with such cool kids!