I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

My little sister Debbie and her daughter Jacqulin have come for a quick visit.  This morning we headed out to see the new babies.  All the goats greeted us when we entered the gate, except baby.  We all looked for her, but didn’t see her or hear her.  Mama goat was calling out, but I don’t speak goat real well, so I wasn’t sure if she was upset or just calling to her baby.  I got a little concerned, she is sooooo tiny I was afraid that possibly something may have gotten into the fence and harmed her.

My sister said…oh there she is…..whew….she’s alive.  I knew then that I wasn’t the only one who was afraid that something was wrong.  There she was, all nestled into a rock crevice without a worry in the world.

Pearl knew where she was the whole time.  I should know by now that mothers are just that way.

Jacqulin had seen pictures, but there is just something special about seeing it in person.

To actually hold this little creation, brings a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.

Maybe it warms both hearts!

Debbie looks very natural holding her….especially since she is a “City”girl.

I think little Miss Hoot n Nanny is very content.

Jacqulin drove me on the golf cart to check on Toots.  Time flies, the kids are growing up.  It is a golf cart now….a car in just a few short years.

This is another great thing about being out where you can have a little space.  Kids get to be kids.  I remember when I was young and we were able to learn how to drive things like go carts and stuff.  It was a pre curser to driving a car.  I think it can teach you responsibility and provides awesome childhood memories.

Toots really didn’t want to cuddle today.  But I made her let me pet her for just a minute.  You’ve heard the expression “big as a cow”.  Well, after holding little Hoot n Nanny, Toots is …big as a cow.

I headed to work…and the girls went for a “spin”.

They brought us some lunch at work with Ashley and Layla.

Of course it was Chick fil A….I love the cows they use.  When people ask us what kind of cow we have….sometime that is the best way to describe them.

We have Chick fil A cows!

The girls had to head back.  It was a whirlwind of a trip….but I sure enjoyed the visit.

Ya’ll come back now…ya hear.

This is Spring Break for our school system, I am working a few extra hours at the office so our daughter could be with her family this week.

O.K.,  So I didn’t have to work Monday or Tuesday because we were out of town ourselves , but I did put in a full day yesterday and will the rest of the week.  Since our daughter is gone we have her puppy, Bailey, visiting with us.  Billy and I hurried home after work yesterday… made a pit stop at the pasture to check on “Toots” the new calf and the other animals in the pasture.

Next stop was to get the dogs and walk them to the lake and back for some exercise then head to church.  This meant a speed walk due to time restraints.  That is just what we did, but we didn’t have time to check on the goats except to just see them through the woods.

On the way to church my neighbor called.  She asked me if we had a baby goat?

Soooo.  Long story short….SURPRISE…..we have a baby goat!

She was showing her nephew Logan the goats when they spotted the baby.

My neighbor laughed and wanted to know if anyone else was expecting….she said maybe she shouldn’t look at our animals anymore.   HA HA… It is rather ironic that two days in a row she would be the one to find new babies.

There again I couldn’t wait to get home and check out that baby.

It was dusk, but here is a picture I took late yesterday.  Hoot is Logans nick name, yes, these two relatives have had the nick names “Toot and Hoot” for years…so it is appropriate that since we have “Toot”…we must have “Hoot”.  We will probably add “Nanny” to it since she is a girl.  So I suppose Nanny Hoot it is!

I believe she is about half the size Jethro was when he was born….and I thought he was tiny.  She is so petite, and is just gorgeous!

AWWWWWW………

Of course Billy and I ran to check on them this morning…….

And give her a little kiss…….

Then it was my turn…..

I just love surprises like these.

What a cutie…..Pearl is the Mama…and she and baby seem to be fine.

I love living this farm life!

Billy and I had to go out of town Sunday.  I went to the pasture before church to do my normal check on everyone.

I was really hoping she wouldn’t deliver while we were gone.

BUT…….

Today while we were on our way home I received a phone call from my neighbor.  She saw Punkin in the pasture, away from the herd, and thought she might be in labor.

She offered to go in the pasture and check on her.

If I had not been in the car….I would have been walking the floors.  I was excited and nervous all at the same time.

I was so glad that she was with her, just in case she had trouble.  Once again, like last year, she had that baby a little after one o’clock  in the afternoon.    Just minutes after being checked on.

Mama and baby seem to be doing fine.

And our neighbor, the midwife, well she is fine too!  She did a great job.

We had 4 more hours on the road before we were able to see that baby.   We couldn’t get home quick enough!

She is a beauty.  Wow….that man is good looking too!!!!!

Punkin was sweet to let us come up and check on her baby.   She is a nice size calf.

I think it is always so special to see the Mama’s love on their babies.

What a sweet little face.  In honor of our neighbor we have named her “Toots”.  I think that looks like it fits her perfectly.

It is neat that they are pretty steady on their little legs so soon after birth.

It was time for Mama and baby to rest.  Punkin  gave a little moo and the two of them slipped into the brush and laid down.  I find it interesting that an animal as big as a cow can almost disappear in just a little tree line.

So until Morning….I will let them rest.  Whew….I sure am glad Mama and baby are alright.

With Spring comes the rain showers.  Friday we had a good bit throughout the first part of the day.

Ellie is our Weather Alert System.  If she finds a closet door open, she hunkers down until the rain lets up.

It wasn’t even storming this time……

We went on with our day, she eventually came out of the closet and joined us.

Billy gave her a milk bone.

The rain was gone, and she was a happy camper again.    She is so funny.

We were at the farm around sunset, the sky was just gorgeous.

Saturday started off like most everyday….I went to check on the girls.

This is Punkin and Brandy.  I think I interrupted their conversation.   SORRY…..

Punkin knows the drill by now, so she stood real nice and pretty and let me get a good picture.  She sure is round!  LOVE IT!!!!

Actually she has been really sweet the last couple of days.  She has been coming up to me, without me having to go to her.  If I didn’t know better, I would think she understands that I am concerned and she appreciates it!

Shortly after this photo session, we got more rain showers.  Billy and I tried to dodge them all day long.  We kept having to change our plans due to the rain.  Finally we both ended up in the sun room until it let up.  We enjoyed watching the goats in the Fence.  They sure like climbing on all the rocks.

I was able to get this picture before the rain set in.  I find that Violet blends into the surroundings very well.  She is gray, the others are white, I can always spot the others in the woods before I do her.

After one of the showers I saw these on the fence line.

There is just something special about the rain.  Everything  just does better, the flowers all perk right up.  They certainly enjoy the drink straight from heaven instead of treated water out of the hose.

This is one of my flowers that has come back this year.  It is a clematis.  I planted two different kinds.

This is the other one.  I alternated them up and down the split rail fence by the house.  I had to alternate them…well…because I caught them on sale and there weren’t enough of one kind.  I think they are really fabulous looking.  I hope they will do well, but only time will tell.

These are cyclamen plants.  I have never tried them in the ground before.  Mama gave me one years ago that I kept in the house.  But, I have this little spot that I decided I would see how these would do.  They really are a striking plant.  And the pin wheel…well, the grandkids love to give it a spin…so I try to keep it where they can reach it.

And last but certainly not least is Billy’s plant.  I came outside one day and saw that Billy had put this arrangement together in a pot by his side of the garage door.

I think he did a really good job!

So the fence is finished.  It looks good and I know that everyone that has worked on it is really really really glad it  is complete.

The terrain is very rocky and hilly which makes it a lot of work to put fence post in the ground.  Pulling the critter fence is hard too.  The rolls are very heavy.  I bought and carried  it from point A to point B via truck.  Luckily that is all the carrying I had to do.

The other day we tried it out.  Ellie got to go into the fence.  About an hour later, Ellie greeted us down the road.

I think she was really Houdini’s dog and he taught her all his tricks.

A trip around the perimeter, a few spots were fixed and then she got to try it out again.

She stood at the entrance for a while and whined.   She continued to stand there like….o.k. ….really guys….the jokes over….let me out.

I would talk to her as I passed by and tell her to go stretch her legs.  Oh….Ellie…..look at that nice fence daddy made for you!

Eventually she just laid down….and decided to wait us out.

She has several acres to run and play in. But this is where she stayed….ALL DAY!  Right where we had let her in.

Doesn’t she look pitiful.

I would think that too if I didn’t have such fresh memories of her running away all the time.   We would like for her to be able to enjoy being outside  on these pretty days even when we can’t watch her every move.

Yesterday we moved the goats into the fence.  The underbrush is already growing quickly, that is right up their alley.

We are hoping that this year it will stay nicer with the goats there to bush hog for us.  They loved the farm too, but if the ground stays too wet after a heavy rain they can develop feet problems.  So maybe this will be a good change.

Here they are checking it out.

They seemed to settle in nicely.  I noticed they started eating as soon as they entered the fence.

I gave them a couple of hours to settle into their new surroundings.

Then Ellie and I went for a walk.  Being a red bone hound, Ellie smells things before she has really even seen them.  She sniffed and walked that fence line with her nose hugging the ground.

Then she saw them….she thought she was tough stuff….because she was on the OTHER side of the fence.  Where the grass is always greener.  FREEDOM!!!!!!

Now the goats were taking it all in.

Here they are back at the gate where we put them in….what is up with that?

They were watching Ellie so close.

Don’t they look cute!

This is Punkin.  I believe she is going to be the first one to have our next calf.

I like the look in her eyes….like she is saying, there she is with that camera again.

Punkin and Brandy have similar markings.  From a distance it is hard for me to tell which one is which.  Clementine and Cupid have there own look, but these two are really alike.

This is Brandy and her calf Lee.  Isn’t it crazy how tall she has gotten, she is just 6 1/2 months old.

My brother and sister in law are who we bought these cows from.  She told me that Brandy had a tear drop on her face.  That made it a lot easier.

I do not have a lot of  current pictures of Punkins face.  I have been taking pictures from behind in order to tell how big she is getting.  Also, I am trying to get familiar with how a cow looks during different stages of the pregnancy.

I have kept a log, entering names and dates of any new animal joining the pasture and when they have babies.  I hope to get better at being able to accurately predict due dates.

Just like humans though, every pregnancy is different.

From our experience so far, the babies tend to be born in the early hours of the morning.  I have been fortunate enough to see a couple of births this past year.  It is truly a miracle.

Last year we knew Punkin was expecting, but she surprised us by giving birth sooner than we thought and in the middle of the day.  She lost her baby.  She must have had difficulty, my neighbor found her and had to help her to her feet.  It was tragic. We were blessed that he found her, we could have lost both of them.

Looking back on my log, I have a good idea of when the baby should be born.  However, since she surprised us last year, I have watched her like a hawk.

My neighbor has been around cows all his life.  He says we have two more weeks.  Poor Punkin, she has a few more weeks of me snapping pictures.  Actually it will be longer than that.   When that baby calf comes…there will be a whole lot of picture taking going on.

This is Punkin on March 6th.

This is her just a minute later, after the baby repositioned.  Pretty cool… huh?!

Billy gets a kick out of me running to the pasture every morning.

We walked through the pasture together the other afternoon.  He got to see the baby really move.  He was shocked.  It was probably one of the hardest kicks I have witnessed yet.   So I decided that I would try to see if I could get a kick on video.

The baby calf cooperated, it was a pretty good kick.   This was taken March 19th.  It is a 21 second video.  Watch carefully or you might miss it.  Enjoy!

Oh boy!  I can’t believe it….Spring is here.

Our weather has been amazing.  It is a little warmer than it usually is this time of year, but I am not complaining.

I have been scouting all the flower beds for signs of returning plants.  You see…I love plants, but they don’t always love me back.  So, if I see one returning from the previous year….I get all excited!

This is some phylox…this really decided to show off for me this year!

Please do not get the mental picture that my whole flower bed looks this good…..this is just one little corner.  But THAT corner sure looks pretty right now.

I love that they have done so well, I bought them after the blooming season last year.  I am a real softie for plants that need a home.  If I see they are on sale….then they go home with me!

I have to get them on sale because I have a lot of area to plant, and I have to factor in the re-planting when one decides not to like me anymore.

This is a return one too…it is called Darla Diascia.  It won’t be long and it will be full of those beautiful orange flowers!

I love all the colors and the different shapes of all the flowers this time of year.

This is actually a topiary azalea I bought last year.  It is called an Autumn Starlite.  I love it.  A lot of Azaleas bloom in the spring only.  This one is called an Encore Azalea.  I learned that in keeping with the name…Encore…they appear up to three times a year!  These are White single blooms with pink flecks and an occasional stripe.  They are so pretty.

This is a Hibiscus that I have had for several years….she is one that decided that she really loves me.  I brought her outside from the sun room and she immediately blessed me with two beautiful blooms.

This is a hosta plant that we planted last year.  My daughter Holly had these at her  house, she was redoing the flower bed and no longer wanted these there.  We dug up about 4 or 5 HUGE plants.  They had been in that flower bed for about 6 years or so.  Billy and I divided them up.  We were able to get about 5 plants out of the original ONE plant.  So I ended up with a lot of them.  Which is good, because they little guys usually do well.  I have seen them popping their little heads up everywhere.  Even in a couple of spots I had forgotten I had planted them.

I planted some pansies, they won’t last a real long time, but they sure make you smile while they are in season.

If you look closely you can see all the fine pollen that has settled on its petals.  Everything has had a touch of GREEN pollen dust on it lately.  Even the cars from just sitting out at work in the parking lots.  I can say that I am not the only one who sounds like a frog around here.

This is a viola…I suppose it is a miniature  pansy.  It is really dainty looking.

Well I just have to show you one more plant.

This is a Golden Euonymus shrub.  It is so pretty right now with the yellow in the leaves.

I went to the pasture this morning and I saw the sun slowly rising from behind the mountain.  The pasture just shimmered with the dew.

I was checking on the animals.

I saw Gumby and Pokey.

Zippy and Moses.

I love the fact that now they are enjoying the pasture again.  The grass is greening up nicely and all the animals are happy.  They really prefer it over the hay.

And the cows… all spread out.

I spotted two canadian geese the other day at the farm.  It was the first time we had seen them on our land.

But today, it looks like they decided to go for a swim with a friend at our neighbors pond.

Yes, I would say that I am not the only one who is excited that Spring is here!

Everything is blooming!  That is great and not so great….

I mentioned several days ago that I was excited about being able to plant my flowers.  The weather has been absolutely beautiful!  So , I proceeded to plant and plant and plant.

Now this little guy and I have a lot in common.

I sound just like him.  I have laryngitis.  I have squeaked and squealed and croaked for the past 3 days.

Today, while visiting with one of my friends, I told her…in my frog voice…about this sign I had seen.

I like to talk….but I have also been learning through the years that there really are times when we need to hush.

This week I have had to be a little more quiet, I didn’t have much of a choice.

I need to exercise this more.  Not just when— I CAN’T TALK.

I  remember listening to a radio show years ago.  The speaker said,  about the time you figure out your children’s personality and how to relate to them, they are grown, and it is time to hush.  Your job is done, and now it is time for them to learn things on their own, unless they ask you.

Wow, that hurts.  I try to do that.  But I am not very successful.  I mean goodness, I have learned so many things, I want to spare them the heartache of making a bad decision.  Sounds logical to me.

I remember when we were first married and I was adapting to married life.  I would get so mad sometimes and I would spout off ….I know hard to imagine little ole me doing that….but I would.  I would just tell God all about it.  I would tell him that Billy was wrong…or he needed to apologize or whatever the case was.  I remember in the stillness of my heart…it was like God was telling me….”You need to pray it…not say it”.

OUCH!  So, I tried to put that into practice. I found that sometimes Billy would come back and apologize.  I also found that sometimes God would show me without a doubt that I was wrong.  Often, I had to apologize.  That was and is hard.

My father in law used to tell his children.  Put your mind in motion before you put your mouth in gear.

I suppose if we truly thought about things before we said them…we might not say as much.  I know that is true for me.

Billy and I took a road trip yesterday.  We went to visit my Mother in laws sister, Millie.  She is sick and so we  drove to see her with my in-laws. I saw many similar mannerisms.  But I also saw a quality they both share, they are soft spoken and kind.  They are truly interested in others and are not consumed with themselves.

Probably because I couldn’t interrupt with all my talking, I got to hear stories I had never heard before.  Stories of days gone by.  Precious memories of loved ones in a different time in history.

I saw this at the farm the other day.  It was so peaceful and calm I just had to take a picture….

Then immediately some little something, made this ripple.

I thought, our words are like this….they often start with something small and they just keep on going.

If they are good and encouraging words they can spread out and do good.  If they are bad or mean words, they also spread out causing harm.

I know I sure enjoy seeing a ripple of good come from my words  rather than a ripple of bad.  Saying something that make people smile and encourages rather than making someone mad or discouraging them.

Now, just because I am writing about this does not mean I have mastered this.  Matter of fact, I am the one who gleans more from my “blog thinking”  than anyone else.

I get tickled watching God work like that.  Kind of like when I said I wanted to spare my kids the heartache of making bad decisions.  God has given me the things I need to know in His word.  Now it is up to me to put them into practice.  That is the hard part.

I have really enjoyed this blog.  One reason I started it was so that I could use up my words!   But I try to think about what I say before I just put words out there in “blogville”.   I believe God is teaching me the very things I shared today.  Sometimes I am a very SLOW learner.

I find that I often reflect on things my mom said…funny how the older I got…the wiser she became.

I also am still learning from my mother in law.  She is slow to anger and she puts into practice this verse—-Proverbs 15:1   A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.

In this day of technology I sometimes am amazed at all the words we all use while texting, tweeting, using facebook, and yes, blogging.

I remember telling my kids when they were old enough to drive, with freedom, comes great responsibility.

I hope I will remember my own words as I blog.

Proverbs 15: 2  The wise person makes learning a joy; fools spout only foolishness.

3 The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.

 4 Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

 5 Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.

Billy had a birthday this week.

We cooked on the grill and just enjoyed some family time.  It was nice.

This picture was taken back in ’03 as you can see…but this is the typical Billy on the weekends.  He loves the woods.

He also loves to work.  And when it gets tooooo hot in the summer….He just keeps on going.

In the winter he bundles up….usually with a sense of humor….and heads out the door.

He loves Nascar,

He loves amusement rides.

He loves Ellie…..

He loves his kids and grandkids….

He loves his parents….and me!

And of course he loves his brothers and sister and cousins and Aunts and Uncles.  However, getting a picture with everyone would be pretty much impossible.

Billy likes to work hard and he likes to play hard.

There is another side of Billy too.

He has a deep love for people he doesn’t even know.

He loves to go on Mission trips all over the world,

helping however he can while sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

I think I kinda know why he likes to be outside.

Because all that love starts here….as he takes his daily walks with God.

Happy Birthday Billy!

If you have never been to the Grand Canyon I encourage you to do so.  It is an amazing place.

We saw it several years ago, it was a quick trip, but it made a lasting impression.  I often think about how majestic it is.

I had seen it in pictures and movies.  I always thought it would be neat to see….but little did I realize just how amazing it would be.  There is absolutely no way you can capture all the detail and beauty in any picture.

I couldn’t really imagine the depth of the canyon, and I can’t describe it well enough either, you have to see it with your own eyes.

I remember when we first arrived we walked to the rim and peered over.  I thought I was going to be sick.  It is sooooo deep I almost lost my breath.

It is so vast it is almost frightening…but amazing at the same time.

You have to take a second look.  It’s like a magnet.  Soon you feel more comfortable around it and even start to explore what it has to offer.

We were only able to visit one rim.  We were there for about two days, going to all the look out points.

Some places had rails for your protection….

Other places didn’t….

We were able to see the mules that go into the canyon.

we watched as they took supplies and people down into the canyon to spend the night.

I was amazed at how sure footed they were.

We ventured down into the canyon a little, they had signs before you would start to remind you that it would be all up hill on the way back.  They wanted you to be sure to calculate that it would take longer to come back up.  They didn’t want you to get stuck halfway when the sun would set.

You would think that after a while you would have seen enough.

But every point had a different view.

We found it so interesting.  We could just stand there and stare in utter amazement. Seeing something different every time.

We were intrigued with the way the canyon would change as the sun moved throughout the day.

About the time you thought you saw the bottom, it wasn’t really.  There is no telling how deep this water was.

I read that the canyon is a chasm 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide. It attains a depth of over a mile.  That is hard for me to comprehend.

It reminds me of Gods love, it is deep, like that canyon, so is His forgiveness, I will never be able to grasp the depth of it.

Life is fun, it’s exciting, and it is grand.

When I looked into that vast chasm.  I couldn’t help but thank God for such a beautiful world He made for us to live in.

Just like describing the canyon, you could be told all day about God and His love, but there is no way to grasp it.  You must experience it for yourself and even then it is so vast it will take your breath.

I stand in awe of Gods mighty power and I am humbled that He cares about every detail of my life and yours.