Happy Mother's Day

I am blessed to have four lovely daughters! They are all so very special, each in their own way.......

These are flowers from my oldest daughter in PA

I love geraniums..... especially pink ones!

Aren't they pretty???

Thank you so much, Tina!

Auction Purchase

We had to run in to town the other evening for a couple errands and hubby decided he'd like to take me "out". There was an auction across the street from one of our stops, that we had never been to. Oh there was lots of stuff, an old wooden shovel, a set of light pink kitchen accessories from the 50's, a bottle capper and bottle caps, etc. Hubby decided we "needed" this. I said I didn't think so but I was out-bid. Now mind you, I am not one to have stuff just sitting around to have something else to dust. So my guess is this will eventually be put to use :) But it does have a nice nostalgic feel to it doesn't it?? (and I can always do a painting of it to add to my "homestead collection" :) At least I gave the dining room a good cleaning today. Couldn't bring a prestigious piece like this in and give it a dirty home, now could we?

Summer Happenings

We have had alot of company over the summer. My cousin and husband stopped in on their way through from Colorado to Pennsylvania, and took me with them so I could have a long awaited visit with my children in PA.

Next Hubby's cousin stopped in on their way back from PA to their home in Tx. We hadn't seen them for several years.

Then my sister came to visit in June and brought me these for my birthday (sorry, no people in this as I just took the picture) Don't they perfectly match our shutters?? And she got these beauties at a yard-sale and hauled them down in the back of her van.

We had a nice visit but we weren't able to do much in the way of "fun" things because of the limitations of my knees and the HOT-HOT-HOT weather. So we just enjoyed each other's company.

Also my niece and family were here the first part of July and Hubby and her husband Dave, both being of the "work-is-having-fun" type of guys, enjoyed themselves doing some needed electrical work and mounting more fans in the barn, while Rhonda and I cooked and chatted about several common interests, and the kids entertained themselves with Izzy and the rabbits.

A week and a half break and DD Tina was here to be with me for 2 1/2 weeks while I had knee-scopes and repair done. While here, she...

canned up 28 qts of delicious peaches,

and several pints of peach butter and peach jam.

We also stopped at a yardsale on the spur of the moment and found the bargain of the day...

a tread-mill walker for me to exercise on, as I can no longer use the eliptical I had.

She also got me started on a knitting project and I got her interested in doing at least a quilted table-runner. She is a fantastic knitter and has knitted some socks for me as well as a teapot cozy, which I have posted before.

This last weekend, we had emergency visitors, as our Amish friends who had moved to IL a couple years ago, were here for a funeral and needed a place to stay overnight. We were so glad they called us. It was not the first visit from them and hopefully won't be the last, but hopefully under happier circumstances next time. We are blessed with this home the Lord has provided for us, and glad there is room for company.

How about you? Have you had visitors this summer?

Company's Comin'!

First of all, I want to welcome my new followers! I hope you will find something here that will be of use to you, or maybe give you a smile. I will be getting around to your blogs and gleaning what I can from you also.


Company's comin'! Remember way back when we were kids and that announcement would make excitement run through your veins? Well, "Kissin' cousin" Connie and hubby Bud from TX will be stopping in tonight on their way home from visiting relatives in PA.


These daylilies bloomed just in time to greet them! They should be pulling in the driveway about 8 pm. It's been a few years since seeing them.


When hubby was a young boy, Connie would always stop and take him fishing with her own kids. After hubby and I were married, a visit from Connie was always something to look forward to. One year she bought me several cases of canning jars so I could put up all the garden produce we were harvesting from our huge garden. In turn we sent her home with many jars of honey produced by our own bees.

While driving truck OTR in later years, we were always welcome to stop at their home on our way through Texas. She would come pick us up from the truckstop and take us back a few days later.

Tomorrow we may go to some of the 400-mile yard sale taking place across 68/80 in Kentucky. I'll be sure to let you know any of the bargains we find... Have a great weekend!

(PS.... back to my organizing next week )

Pennsylvania Daughter's Place

Since I am currently on vacation in Pennsylvania where my grown children live, staying at my oldest daughter's home, I thought I would show you the highlights of her yard, flowers and herb garden.

Quaint front porch, where hostas, old tinware planters, roses and herbs line the porch.

On the east side of the house, lilacs and hostas are plentiful. Her bird feeding station near here has a huge pine tree for feeders and shelter.

In the back is this wonderful rock garden......

with Ivory White Columbine.....

Bleeding Hearts........

and full of Lily of the Valley and Forget-Me -Nots,

with a little toad house.

A sun garden above the vegetable garden, hosts many more herbs and lilies, and an old garden bench.

on the back and west more hostas and lilacs,

which were in full bloom when I arrived,

and a beautiful Japanese Maple for accent.

Those of you who have followed my blog will know that we have very much in common in the way of gardening! It always feels peaceful and homey here, which she also says when she visits our place.

Do you other 'mothers and daughters' have similar gardening interests?

Saturday Morning ... and an Afternoon Surprise!

We started off with a breakfast of bacon, eggs and Homey Oatmeal Scones, with dried cranberries and raisins! Baked in my cast iron skillet in the wood stove oven..



Topped with real butter and Pennsylvania honey! (the best of course ;)



Then it was out to cut another pick-up load of wood for hubby while I cleaned and puttered in the house. He cuts and splits the wood ...



and it is my job to stack, which I just love. Its great exercise!



Meanwhile in the early afternoon, a package was delivered to the door....
It had gloves and tee-shirts and cookies for hubby, a toy and treats for Izzy, and for me a teapot cozy knitted by my daughter Tina, to fit my Brown Betty tea-pot; along with an infuser that sits in the teapot, and some natural organic Lavender and Chamomile loose-leaf tea, and Stevia from Restoration Herbs. I made some and sipped it all afternoon Sunday! You can click on the photo and bring up the detail on the cozy. See the buttons in the back where it buttons under the handle? Didn't she do a fantastic job??

New Office Mascot

Hi everybody! ...... Meet "Bailey"!



There is quite a story behind Bailey. For the full scoop, go here

Can I get some Volunteers please?

my one and only mammoth sunflower for this year ...







Two huge watermelon plants .......







Dill, that I transplanted from the herb bed to the garden ...







Raspberry plants .... with berries on! .....









A tomato plant with our 1st tomato of the year, 3 times the size of the plants I started....

and a cucumber vine climbing up the hummingbird feeder pole near my front porch! See the little cukes on it?

What has volunteered in your garden?

Got to Make Hay while the Sun Shines!

Hubby had a good start on making hay 2 weeks ago .....





Then the rain came for several days ......



When the sun came out, a few rounds of the field were made ...... and the old mower flung its last blade and died ..... actually, where it had been welded twice before was again broken, this time too bad to be fixed. There was danger of doing damage to the tractor if we tried to continue using it. And there were 55 acres yet to mow.



Fortunately our calf sale three weeks ago had reaped the funds for a new mower.......



Our old Zetor tractor needs worked on once in a while but it does a good job. I hope it keeps doing just that because by next year the rickety old rake will be the nessessary replacement.



(The swallows follow after the hay is cut to get their fill of bugs)



We are glad the rain held off .....



until he could get this hay field rolled .....



Hubby enjoys what he is doing... being a farmer.... and I enjoy him being happy. It makes me smile!

Memorial Day week-end .......

Hubby had to work Saturday so I busied myself with things I needed to get done....



... made fresh strawberry freezer jam



... cleaned the chicken coop ... and they just didn't know what to think of that ....



Then Monday afternoon hubby surprised me by building us a new raised bed for the rhubarb! just in back of the future greenhouse ....

Cattle working day - not the best pics

Twice a year we "round up the cattle" in order to give them their booster vaccines and to de-worm them and check them over for any problems (teeth, feet, udder problems, tail clipping) and just a general check-up. (Fall photo)

We were a little late this year as we had taken the cattle-working chute out of the barn to rennovate for the rabbits. (Plans are in place for a simple machinery shed with a section of the back being for the cattle-working facility) So we temporarily set up the chute and corral panels a week ago to get this work done. Here they come .....

#39 .... that's my cow, born and raised here

Okay, no crowding .....

Some fall calves ...

Opps! wrong way, baby....

Working the head-catch ...

applying pour-on de-wormer ...

Acouple "cow-hands" in the back corral making sure the cattle keep moving through.. . wasn't able to get their picture in action. I manned the injections and record keeping and stayed put out of the way.
The "crew", dirty and tired, but happy to have the job done.

Cow herd early in the fall....

We enjoy the beauty of the Hereford breed, and their gentle temperament.We usually have calves born twice a year, spring and fall, and usually from an Angus bull. It is not a large herd but a small venture which my husband especially enjoys. ..... and it is a joy to raise and consume beef that has not been hormone-injected.