Torque on the Wall! ( Bad Ram)

Sing this to the tune of the COPS theme song 'BAD BOYZ": Bad ram, bad ram, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when he comes for you?

This is whatcha do! You dispatch him and send his head off to the taxidermists' ! Above is a picture of me holding him without him trying to KILL me! We just got him back after 18 months with the taxidermist.Torque was pretty impressive looking, but by the age of 3 years he had taken out most of our fences and not satisfied with that he deliberately went after me. He tried to ram me through fences and gates. That is unacceptable you know. I have a lot of friends and family who visit and I may be stupid enough to risk myself, but not them! This ram had to go, but he is still here in many ways. After sending his head to the taxidermist we cooked the rest of him up for the dogs. They thought Torque was pretty tasty. What? This seems insensitive ?

I spun up all of his fleece into yarn.

See, this is what ALL of Torques' fleece produced. Reduced into 2 ply yarn it does not seem all that much , does it?

I warped the loom and have just begun weaving a tablerunner of his wool, and I will call the table runner -Torque on the Table. So we will have Torque on the table AND the wall!

Goth is Torques' son. His horns are more impressive. So far Goth has been a normal, typical ram. He does not seem to want to kill me just for passing by his pen. Yes, all rams are dangerous and worthy of being careful at all times when you are around them. Goth has shown no unusual interest in smashing me to smithereens though. He is welcome to all the alfalfa he can eat ( that's a LOT) and is a keeper.......I hope.....

But I think Goth needs to know, we have room on the wall for him too!

Agnes Chooses A Winner!

This is Agnes, and she is going to help me choose a winner to receive either some Wee Little Sheep or hand spun wool yarn. Agnes resides in my dove pen, where she is supposed to eat all the seed the doves scatter and waste, and that is a lot of seed. ( you can see it , and I need to clean this pen)

Last Saturday the eggs Agnes has been diligently sitting on began to hatch. 6 of the 7 eggs hatched by Sunday evening. Note the egg by Agnes. She has NOT given up, no, no, NO!

Agnes rolls this egg around with her and the 6 chicks all day. When she rests, she tucks it under her fluffy little breast while her chicks scamper around her and under her wings.

Here is how I will choose the winners with Agnes' help. I made a BIG chart and drew squares enough for all the names of you sweet people who left uplifting comments on my blog. I put your names in the squares. Your names are in as many squares as you left comments since I started the contest. I promise! Here you can see Agnes checking this out, and she touched every square, she LOVED this big piece of paper in her pen. Now, whichever square Agnes leaves a dropping ( as in poop ) in, that will be the winner! It is called Chicken Bingo in 4H.

Agnes took her time I tell you. She also took the chicks with her, and they were so cute, pecking at names, me poised to photograph the winner......well...she took her time. I did some chores and then......

She took some more time, she even lifted the corners , pecked most of the squares again...

And LOOK! English Cottage in Georgia. I love her blog, and Agnes graced this square with her 'stamp of approval'. I thought this is the winner, and it is....but Agnes had another winner in mind too and she showed it by leaving something very precious to her....

She rolled her egg onto Mary's name! Mary also has a wonderful blog and she too is uplifting and encouraging, and she makes very nice soap, I know because I bought some and will buy more !

Thank-you Agnes, you have been very helpful . I hope you, your 6 chicks and little Eggbert have a pleasant evening and sweet chicken dreams. Maybe Eggbert will actually hatch out with so much love tending him. Thank-you all for your comments, for the time you take to read my blog, and especially for so much encouragement and prayer. I hope I can reciprocate even a fraction.

305 th Post & Pondering Prayer

This is one of the views from our front porch at 4:45 a.m.The sun had just made an appearance and the bird song was very loud and beautiful. What in the world was I doing outside on the front porch at that early hour when any respectable night owl such as myself should finally be tucked into bed for a few more hours? Well, I had not been to bed at all because I could not sleep. I could not sleep because I have been distressed over a concern that chews and eats at my heart , robs me of sleep, and most seriously causes me to question things of eternal value and consequence. I don't like to question such things.....I am always wishing I could be O.K. with "going with the flow", and that I could be happy with pat answers and nice songs. But unfortunately for me and mine, my mind does not shut off such questions and ponderings and they take me back to the Bible, and other works of philosophy, theology, etc. Such thoughts take me to God, His Son Jesus, and then as I read His Word, and sometimes read of the trials, and lives of the many, many throughout history who suffered mightily and GAVE THANKS to be considered worthy to suffer , well....I am ashamed..... I have to admit I suffer from the fear of things not going according to what my human mind deems right and just, and that is really a fancy way of saying I have little faith. "I need to ask myself, " Do I really believe? Do I still believe? Can I hang my soul on this, do I really believe God is governing this world and everything that touches me with perfect wisdom, justice, and love?" Elizabeth Elliot I say...YES! Then pray again, give my troubles and praises to God and read His Word for the encouragement and wisdom to go on. Tonight at our home church gathering we finished our last section in the series on Prayer, by Philip Yancey. Mr. Yancey asked the very questions in the study I have been asking myself . We discussed the lesson together, we laughed, commiserated, we prayed. I pray...and continue to pray because I cannot NOT pray, just as I cannot NOT talk to my husband or children. They matter, He matters. Most important of all WE MATTER TO HIM, and He wants us to pray. For no other reason alone, that is why we should pray. Does this mean He does not answer specific prayers? Well, He has answered specific prayers and requests I have made that could not have been answered in any human way of reasoning. He has not answered many desperate prayers the way I wanted , but God is not a genie or Santa who grants me everything I want, just as a loving parent doesn't give a child everything they request , even if the child feels they will absolutely die if they don't get their way, even if my human reasoning cannot conceive of any answer to prayer other than what I think is best. "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. " Ps. 55:22 and "Evening and morning and at noon , I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice, He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, " Ps. 54 : 17, 18 "There is no need to fear the future, God is already there." Elizabeth Elliot...""He is the same yesterday, today, yes and forever." Hebrews 13:8

~Another view from the porch at 4:45 a.m.~

This is my 305th post! I will add the names of any who comment to my 'drawing' on Monday at 2:00 p.m. I will post the winners of Wee Little Sheep or a skein of homespun yarn Monday evening. Thank-you to all of you who read my blog, and take the time to comment ,and to so many of you who have taken the time to write me above and beyond the comments on Blogger. Your encouragement , prayers,and yes - friendship, are valuable and precious! "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Spots of Green Amidst the Scorching Times

~Sedums growing in an old enamel-ware dish pan, placed in my herb garden. ~

I have sedums planted in a variety of old chicken feeders, hollowed rocks and logs, old pots and pans. I have also planted sedums in some of the very dry areas of our gardens, graveled areas , planters placed in hard to keep watered areas.The sedums bloom and thrive where water-needy plants do not. I have found the sedums have dropped seed and shoots in some of these places and delight me with patches of blossoms and green where previously dry and barren areas were only to be seen.This unseasonably hot weather has required constant watering for most of our gardens, but the sedums are doing very well with little care and attention.

" They will not hunger or thirst, neither will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; for He who has compassion on them will lead them, And will guide them to springs of water." Isaiah 49:10 "And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." Isaiah 58:11

Pt. Defiance Zoo

Lemur looks at us , we look at him. Isn't he gorgeous!

Our daughter , her 4 children , and myself all went to the Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma. Who knew there would be record high temperatures today?The 4 grandchildren squint in the sunshine as they patiently wait for me to take their picture.

This is a wonderful zoo and it is full of interactive educational 'toys' and playgrounds for children, big and little ones alike.

One playground area lets kids ( like #1 Grandson ) be hermit crabs, or there is a big toy sea anemone to to pop up out of, a large net shaped like a spider web to climb. You can view the real animals and insects too!

One of the new exhibits is a Meerkat village and I could have sat and watched these fascinating little animals ALL day.

Another new exhibit is a large enclosed outdoor area where you can hold up a little stick with bird seed and honey and have a budgerigar land on it . I liked this exhibit too, and I had a little budgie eat the seeds off my stick. I think BOB would like this exhibit ! Here #2 Granddaughter, KN, enjoys a friendly bird perched on the stick she holds out.

If you click on this it will enlarge and you can see the bird eating.

Our daughter and youngest grandchild, #2 Grandson, or , Little J. He was so happy all day. He is usually a very happy boy!

BUT...ENOUGH PICTURES GRANDMA!

This is my 303rd post, and I am still enjoying blogging, and reading so many of your wonderful blogs! Thank-you. I will be putting the names of anyone commenting into my "drawing" after my 305th post! So if you would like the chance to win wee little sheep or hand spun wool yarn, leave a comment!

An Uncles' Gift

Our youngest son Daniel is a horse trainer and horse shoe-er ( farrier ). He loves horses, and they seem to return the love and respect. Our oldest son and his 4 daughters live with our youngest son Daniel and his wife Breezy. Having Uncle Daniel and Aunt Breezy around has lots of perks, and horses are a big part of the perks! Uncle Daniel has found a kindred spirit in our # 3 granddaughter. What she lacks in size, for she is very, very tiny for her 7 years, she way more than makes up for in spunk!

Look at the intensity on her face. She follows Uncle Daniels' instructions carefully, and she is bold about it. She is also very confident ( not carelessly so ) and a little intuitive about horses.

The sight of her and our son on horseback, enjoying the warm sunny early evening and each other just made my heart sing with joy. I am thankful our son is happy to share his gift with horses . I am happy some of our grandchildren want to learn from their uncle.

Way to go little one, ride well and dream of pretty horses, and sweet fat ponies.

~This is my 302nd post! I will include the names of all who comment, as many times as you comment , and after my 305th post will draw names for winners. There will be a choice of hand spun wool yarn or Nativity sheep, shown on My Etsy, in sidebar of my blog.

About BOB, and Other Treats.....

TREAT # 1: A new bird bath !I love my new bird bath. It is just what I have been looking for, a blue glazed terra cotta bird bath that is perfect for my herb garden. It was on sale too! 25% off, which made it just the right price. As I was leaving K-Mart with my new prize I suddenly felt sharp prickles on my back and from the corner of my eye I could see something flapping...I screamed loud as my first thought was this was some kind of huge insect stinging me, but as I reached back to dislodge the creature ....... TREAT # 2 : I realized it was a parakeet !I pried him off my back ( he was hanging on pretty tightly, boy those little claws did hurt! ) and decided to take him home. I had an empty box in the car and that is where he rode home. Chirping every once in awhile from the depths of the box. Here he is in a cage I have on our front porch that I often put doves in. This little bird seems to like me very much and chooses to sit on my finger and chatter away at me. He does not like to get off my finger, and he does NOT like my husband.....I am positive this little guy is also saying half formed words, you have to hear the sounds he makes. I named him BOB. ( Bird On Back ) TREAT # 3 :And looky here! This is one of 2 ducklings hatched from my call duck / runner duck cross.The little ducks were hatched by a Silkie / Frizzle hen. It is a good thing I put 2 of our duck eggs under bantam hens because the mama duck was faithfully sitting until 5 days ago. She left her nest and I saw that she and her mate were sitting away from the nest, as close to the door of the pen as possible, and the eggs, just a few days from hatching were stone cold.We are pretty sure it is because we have had raccoons and coyotes skulking around the pen every night, trying to get at the eggs and ducks from the outside of the pen. My husband has had to go out and scare away the predators. I am so glad we built the new pen. The predators are very bold. TREAT # 4 :While I was gone my Ruth had a lamb. This is one of the teeniest little lambs I have ever had survive, and she is a healthy and feisty little girl. Here, her little tail and bottom are shaking as she nurses. TREAT # 5: Perfect Sunday weather. Here my Hubby reads by the pond. His dog Hawk sits with him, and Hubby keeps watch from this chair for the possible sighting of the wood duck and maybe her young, emerging from the big cedar snag. TREAT #6 : Time and good weather to work in my beloved herb garden. My blue bottle trees, my blue bistro table, my blue roofed dove cage, my blue weeding bucket, and my new blue bird bath. But this does not make me blue, it makes me appreciate God's bounty, and good enough health to work in the garden until.......

Evening comes. TREAT # 7: A beautiful evening.

I would like to offer you the opportunity for me to treat you. I realized this is my 301st post! When did I write so many posts? I know, I know, one day at a time and they add up. Anyway, between this post and my 305th post I will send a treat to someone who has commented. I will send a wee little lamb shown in my sidebar and My Etsy site , or a skein of handspun wool yarn! Also displayed in My Etsy. TREAT # 8: You! Thank-you for taking a few moments of your precious time to read my blog, what a treat you all are! Bless you blogging friends.