Mucky & Yucky & Ouch!

Goth,my ram, penned in the little run I use to confine him while I clean out his pen. Goth is dangerous because he is a ram, and especially because he is a 4 horned ram. I will not work inside a pen with him, that would be asking for severe injury or death. You cannot appreciate how much work I did here, but the yuck and muck was well over the concrete block supporting the shelter post. The muck was about a foot deep. I was sure I would get this done with no problem once Goth was confined elsewhere.

Little did I know that cleaning just this pen would hurt so bad...(BTW, the tarps in the background obstruct Goth's view of the other sheep , thus minimizing his ramming of the fences)

The mucking out caused great injury to my back and for the last few days I have been in pain and of little use to anyone around here. My poor husband has been doing all the chores and fixing our meals. I can barely sit at the computer to enjoy reading your blogs. Seems it is not only the head of a ram that causes injury,the output from the other end of the ram and wet straw are as heavy as a ton of bricks. I felt a little better today, but am going to take it very easy tomorrow. I still have a lot more work to do before lambing begins and I need my back to work so I can get back to work~

Cozy Rain, Time For Tea

The weather was rainy, very rainy, today - and I just felt like sipping my tea from a cheerful pink butterfly cup and saucer, and sitting back on the sofa to view the pond from a warm and cozy spot.I did not feel at all like venturing outside to do all the necessary things around here, like feeding the sheep , chickens ,dogs, and even more daunting responsibilities like cleaning their pens. Do you have any idea of how back-breaking and yucky it is to clean chicken and sheep pens after this much rain? Slogging in the mud and poo is a more apt description of such activities. I made a pot of Red Rose tea and sat it on the coffee ( tea ? ) table on top of a big stack of magazines I have not had a chance to read yet. What a perfect day for sipping tea and reading magazines. Miss Marple sat on top of the sofa so as to be near me and see what was going on in her domain outside. ( not to be confused with her domain INSIDE )

Lots of informative, inspiring, and interesting reading !

The pink butterfly pattern of this china makes me happy. It is one of a set of 6 cups and saucers by Yeti, Classic Coffee & Tea , made in China

Miss Marple is not impressed, it is NOT catnip tea, but I very much like the gold butterfly handle and design of this teacup and saucer. The tea is tasty too.

Time to get busy, stack the magazines, take one last sip of tea and get going. Outside to feed the animals and make a list of things to be done before shearing the sheep and lambing begin. Gotta get the chicken pens cleaned too... Miss Marple doesn't even give me an excuse to linger over tea. She abandons her spot on the top of the sofa to check out the bird feeding stations from her other indoor perches.

"The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember , the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency. " - Susan A. Toth, 'England For All Seasons ' Please check out cozy tea times and beautiful teacups these ladies have to show you ~be sure to have a good hot cup of tea and something to nibble on as you enjoy all they have to share.

• Martha *
• Terri *
• Lady Katherine *
• Wanda Lee *
• Pam *
• Sandi *

Hold Fast & Remember...

Hold fast and remember "whether you are on the upper side or the underside of a storm...God will make a way. " R. Morgan

"Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. " Philippians 4 : 6,7 "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." Psalm 50:15

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19 "When God does not deliver overtly ( through a miracle) or covertly ( by providence) , He will deliver mysteriously with a deeper level of intervention than we can discern; in the end it will be better for us, though for a time we may be perplexed." Robert Morgan "..your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men but on the power of God."I Corinthians 2:5

Rose The Rooster

Rose the rooster. I did not name him. Rose can thank our oldest granddaughter for his name.

Our granddaughters from the other side of the mountains were here to celebrate the New Year with us, and on New Year's Day they checked on their now-grown chicks. Our oldest granddaughter shown here wearing her New Year's party hat, is holding Rose, her chicken. You might recall this chicken hatched out of his shell in her hand.* (click here to read the story) She was so excited, and immediately named the chick Rose, for she was pretty sure the chick was a hen. Obviously Rose is not a hen, and I have suggested he be re-named , but like a 'Boy Named Sue', I believe Rose is stuck with his name.He will have to deal with it.

Baby Rose, just after hatching in our granddaughter's hand.

Rose is getting checked out by the other granddaughters.

Our youngest granddaughter is not too sure about chickens and keeps a safe distance.

This granddaughter is holding her chicken, a bantam red cochin she named Lucy.

Lucy successfully hatched out and raised a few chicks that another of the granddaughters has adopted as her own.

Rose though, is most definitely a rooster. I think he is a fine frizzled bantam cochin rooster too. Maybe our granddaughter will re-name him, and hopefully the granddaughters will be able to keep their chickens at their place sometime in the near future where Rose will reign supreme and rule the roost - curls , crows, and all.

Bird Of Paradise Tea For One

One of my few souvenirs to remind me of my trip to Hawaii with my 3 younger sisters, this teapot / teacup combo. The colors are true to the tropical foliage painted on them. Teapot on top of teacup, on saucer. Look at the Bird Of Paradise flower and foliage painted on them. They are just as I remember the Bird Of Paradise plants my mother and father had growing in our gardens when we lived in Hawaii. Growing these beautiful flowers in Hawaii is very easy, and the flowers really do look like exotic birds, hence the name. Do you know when you get off the plane in Honolulu and stroll through the airport you first encounter beautiful gardens full of these flowers? "Designed In Hawaii, Hand painted in China" is written on the bottom of the set, and the company name "Island Plantations". This set is called "Bird Of Paradise Tea For One".

The set looks like pottery but is very fine in feel and heft.

Although I cannot grow the beautiful Birds Of Paradise here,I do have orchids that will bloom again and again for me in my sun room. Bird of Paradise, meet my yellow bunny and her orchid! To see more tea cups, and all things tea, warm yourself by sipping a hot cup of your favorite tea and visit these ladies:

• Martha at Martha's Favorites *
• Terri at Artful Affirmations *
• Wanda Lee at The Silken Purse *
• Lady Katherine at Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor *
• Pam at Breath Of Fresh Air *
• Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *

Aloha !

I have been away, in Hawaii,enjoying myself with my 3 younger sisters as we celebrated the 50th birthday of our baby sister. We lived in Hawaii many years ago. I and 2 of my sisters attended elementary school there, took hula dance lessons there, swam in the ocean and played on the beaches. Our parents grew bananas, plumerias and hibiscus in the yard of our home on Schofield Barracks - the Army base on the island of Oahu. ( Above is a picture of myself, in red, with my 3 younger sisters.) My sisters Karen and Joni were very clever in hiding this banner to present to our sister after our climb of Diamond Head , on her birthday. What a great hike ! When you get to the top of Diamond Head you can see the most beautiful sights of Hawaii and Honolulu. ( Baby sister is wearing orange)

Lighthouse seen below , from the trail leading to the top of Diamond Head.

Our rented condo is over there, can't you see it?

I have a certificate to prove I climbed to the top!

Diamond Head, as viewed from a boat on the ocean.

As we 4 sisters shared a week together, and shared our lives with each other, it is very apparent all of us will encounter difficulties, tragedies,and disappointments along life's road.Yes, there are great joys and blessings, and hopefully a lot of laughter along the road too. Sometimes though, the sadness and even despair cloud our lives and heavy-laden hearts hold us back from remembering there are sunshiny days to come if only we can hold fast to what we KNOW in spite of the hard times we are seeing and experiencing ." The Lord tests our faith, leading us into hardships, teaching us wisdom, showing us His ways. Our first reaction may be a surge of panic and a sense of alarm, but we must learn to consult the Scriptures for guidance. So, take a deep breath and recall this deeper secret of the Christian life : when you are in a difficult place, realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there, for reasons perhaps now known only to Himself. The same God who led you in will lead you out." The Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan. ( Thanks Mildred for the heads up on this book. ) We had a good time in Hawaii,and I am thankful to God for my 3 younger sisters and with the life He has blessed us. My prayer for each of us is to seek God's wisdom and discernment regarding all aspects of our lives, and more importantly, remember when times seem dark and depressing that God can and will work in us for His glory, we just need to remember... "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19

Sisters, Together Again!

Here is a picture taken of me ( back right ) and my 3 younger sisters with our father, 50 years ago. Our little baby sister is turning 50 this week. In honor of her birthday and our 50 years together as sisters, she is flying from New York to join us, her older sisters, for a week of celebration! I will be away from my computer until Friday, the 14th. These verses exemplify some of the gifts I have received from my sisters in times of need, and my prayer is we strive this coming week to uplift and encourage one another even more!"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself ( herself); Philippians 2: 1-3 I am blessed to know all my sisters are believers, and we all attempt to encourage Godliness in one another, Happy Birthday Baby Sister, we love you!

The New Year Arrives With Fairy Wings

The Granddaughters from the other side of the mountains arrived last Friday to celebrate the New Year with us. As soon as they gave us kisses and hugs they ran upstairs to put on the dress-up clothes we keep in a special box in the spare bedroom. The weather outside has been very cold and the temperatures were below freezing all weekend, but the days were filled indoors with playing dress-up and WII. ( I am so glad my husband and I gave ourselves a WII for Christmas, anyone with grandchildren needs one of these !) Cowboy hats and pink heels are the perfect accompaniment to fairy wings, everyone knows that. Yes, the days were filled with fluttering fairy wings, feather boas, high heels clip-clopping the hard wood floors, pretty dresses and draping tulle. The girls played outside in them,ate meals wearing them, wore them to bed. They did decide it was too uncomfortable wearing the wings to bed though. On New Years' Eve we watched special movies and had a lot of snacks. My husband and the girls got a few WII games in. We had party hats, noise-makers, and poppers. We were all going to ring in the new year before bed.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Hey, wake up sleepyhead.

Look at this , will you? Even the dog won't wake up. WAKE UP !!!!!

One lone little fairy is still awake. We stepped out into the chilly air of the new year and pulled the poppers and blew the horns. We heard fireworks, shotguns, people near by yelling "Happy New Year" ! Then we tucked 4 little girls into bed with prayers , expressing our hopes for this new year, knowing 2010 brought us much to be thankful for and that we are blessed beyond words especially because we know the Maker of time . Happy New Year to you all~