How About Sparkling Monday Morning!

My last post was titled Frosty Friday Morning I do believe ~well this morning's frost has that one all beat~~The frost lies white and sparkling on the grasses, on the glass, on the vehicles, on the fences. By golly it lies everywhere! You do not have to go out and check it out to make sure it is real. Believe me IT IS REAL!!
The sun is gloriously shining and bit by bit it is warming up the landscape. Mist is rising off of the river.The hay-meadow is sparkling. It is a very pretty morning. Kind of an understatement but this morning I am just in awe of the beauty that surrounds us. Words sometimes seem to demean that beauty.
Our grandchildren are gone home now and as I find a pair of socks here and little girls underwear there and a squirrel hide take to the stretching board I can only smile. They were so much fun. Sad that my camera batteries died as we started to do a ranch photo take. Was really hoping there were more batteries and can not find my rechargeable ones. Now to find a way to post these ones we took. The older boys took their b.b. guns and went on a rat patrol for us. No luck finding rats (thank goodness) but they found a very unfortunate squirrel. Granpa helped with the skinning. First off making a stretching board for it. It will be a lovely little fur when it is all done. All in all the baby of the family slept well and no screaming, howling baby or children (well except for a few minutes when one of the boys got his hand caught in the door of the suburban) Poor little guy! It is okay though PTL! Prayerfully next time they come it won't be so rainy!
Today I am planning on doing home things and really praying that it stays clear and can get to some more planting of our garden. Would be nice to get that finished before winter sets in. LOL!

If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those thing which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God.
Colossians 3:1

Looking forward to the day
In Christ
Roxanne

Frosty Friday Morning

The frost lies on the truck windows and all the flat surfaces and two of the dogs romp around through it. Just loving their morning. Me too as I scrambled barefoot through the remains of our woodpile looking for the perfect couple of pieces of wood to keep the fire going just a little longer. I don't want to chop any wood right now and I do find a couple pieces of wood that will suit my immediate needs. One with a little pitch in it and a poplar round. That is sort of like drinking orange juice and eating cheese. The juice for the energy and the cheese for the staying power. The pitch for the "energy" and the poplar for the "staying power". It will keep things warmish as the sun warms up here.
There are so many things on my mind this morning. I am still in shock and disbelief over the sudden death of a very dear sweet lady from our church fellowship in town. So loved by her husband and family and really so loved by anyone who knew her. My heart and prayers are with them.
Yesterday as I was checking on my happy hens for eggs I watched for the umteenth time the sandhill cranes as they glided in to the haymeadow. There is something so confident and peaceful and graceful in them. After they land they are intent on fulfilling their purpose for landing as they graze always moving forward. Sometimes one will stand and make the sandhill crane call.It will fill the world and then they go back to moving and grazing.
Fixing fence has been our prime entertainment and occupation these days. The ranch is fenced on the perimeters with snake fencing and the cross fencing is post and rail. the river ice has a bad habit lately of wiping out the fence along the bank. We are trying very hard not to share the haymeadow with cows that come in off the range looking for a sweet, easy life.Yesterday morning we had 15 cows and calves at our gate. Oh was I glad that gate was closed. We quickly got ready to herd them back out to the range when an old cow headed up the hill. Slowly meandering her way up then another one and another one and soon the whole herd of them headed back up the hill. That was the easiest "cowboying" we have ever done!! :)
The cows are great at finding breaks in the fences and making themselves right at home here.
I have spent some time inside because of all the rain and have managed to straighten out my sewing area. I want to do some super duper organizing there so this is the first step in many more steps to that goal.
With the morning summer breezes rustling the aspen leaves my thoughts turn naturally to the coming day and our grandchildren that will be spending the week-end here. That will be fun and interesting for sure. These little munchkins are absolutely full of life and "ideas". My concern is the youngest one that has just been weaned for three weeks. When he discovers his mama is not here I am not sure how well he is going to take to that idea. Will he think I am a blessing in place of the mama he wants. Oh Yikes! Unfortunately for me I have no fairyland fantasies of how sweet a one year old is when he wants his mama! My prayers are he will be just fine and between granpa and myself and the older siblings he will just go merrily about his days and his nights. Today we will go to a big family summer celebration put on by a family from the fellowship in town. That will occupy everyone and by the time we leave there they will fall asleep on the way out here. Maybe be too tired to protest when we get here.
In the meantime back at the ranch I have things to do to be ready for all of this. Probably would be good to make the first move and behoove mineselfes from mine chair and begin doing the things that need doing. Chickens to feed and dogs and cats to feed and water (don't forget the grouchy rabbit that growls and jumps and you when you attempt to feed her) My husband is feedint the piggies and I also have to water the greenhouse which is doing great! It is getting jungle like in there.
We still have not finished planting our garden but hopeful for this coming week as maybe just maybe it won't be raining too much. Oh have we gotten the rain. Impressive thunder and lightning storms too.
It is real nice to have a sunny morning even with the frost. It is not a heavy duty frost.

Blessed is everyone that feareth the LORD;
that walketh in his ways.
For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands:
happy shalt thou be,
and it shall be well with thee.
Psalm 128:1 & 2

Off to Get ready to go away to a party with
a bunch of grandchildren
God Bless You and Yours
Roxanne

An Ode to Dear Pepsi

We have an old dear friend ~~she is part border collie, part Newfoundland, and half Lassie collie (not sure what they are called) My husband got her for himself one day many years ago in the cold month of January. She was a shy pup of about 3 or 5 months when we first got her. I cannot remember for sure now. Scared of her own shadow. Eventually she settled into the family and has been a part of our lives for a long time now.
Over the years she helped my husband with cattle which she was pretty good at. Had a hate for coyotes and loved to put the run on them. Played well with her doggie family. Loved the children and I think even without knowing it was a big part of their lives just being there.
Pepsi had many litters of pups over the years. Being very prolific. At times her batches reached proportions of fourteen live puppies! There was a time she got distemper and I looked after her and pulled her through it even though there was a couple of times we almost gave up and put her down. She recovered on whatever homemade medicines I put in her and through her. The batch of pups though I could not save. She has been a close friend and dear underfoot friend. One that has slept under our bed for a long time groaning and uuuummm passing gas bad enough to make us choke. Didn't bother her though.
These last few years we have watched her having a harder and harder time getting up and down. Getting cataracts and having a hard time seeing. Not the best of hearing left. Sometimes having bowel control problems.But when I go for a walk she would be out there trying her best to keep up with me and the younger dogs. A few encouraging words to her and she would speed up for a few moments.
Always happy to see us come home if we went somewhere. Loved to bark and go greet folks that came down our driveway. We have a fairly long driveway.Yesterday she did her usual with the younger dogs running ahead of her to greet some dear friends who were coming to deliver some pig food. Now the dogs love to crisscross in front of the vehicle as you are driving down the driveway. All happiness with their tails wagging up in the air. Old Pepsi would try so hard to be a young dog too. But with her stiffness she is very slow moving and that was her demise. Our poor friends didn't see her as she tried to crisscross in front of their truck. They did not even feel a bump as they ran over that poor old dog. There was no hope for her as the tires went right over her middle I think it was a pretty instant death. Our friends were so upset But we told them we knew her time was coming and we had almost done the same thing to her more than once It is just that we knew she can't move and they did not.Today we will bury her. And say our final good-byes to a long time old friend. Our dear old Pepsi(doodle)

My help cometh from the LORD,
which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:2

May your day be full of blessings
Roxanne

Life's Little Details

This morning I went out around five-thirty and checked on our new to us chickens. Late last night I had to take all of them from their corner they had crammed themselves into and put them on the beautiful roosts my husband had made for them previous to their arrival. I do not know if roosts are a new thing to them or if they were just feeling a little disoriented from moving to here. Nonetheless there they were still "roosting" on the roosts! The sun had been up for awhile. They are not very pretty looking as they are molting but their legs look good with no mites or scales and other ugly things that chicken types seem to get. Our next question is ~~Will they lay their eggs in the nest-boxes? hmmmm Dennis just came in and it is after seven he said there is still two sitting on the roosts. UUUhhmmm How do you get off these things again?? haha Oh and I am wondering if I should do like the gal in England and knit the poor little things each a sweater. My one daughter-in-law's mother loves to knit(well at least she knits alot so I believe she loves it) anyways maybe I could employ her. she could knit some of the seaters and I could send her and egg or two in a cushioned box of some sort and post them to her.
In the meantime I have bread to make today. It was a good day to pick to stay home and work here with all the rain we had last night and so wet in the bush. The bugs even at 5:30 this morning practically packed you away. So there is the bread to make and things to sort out and put away. I found a crochet hook so now I can finish up the very colourful little crocheted sweater I was making for one of our grandaughters. Work on an afghan sometime today (probably evening) I would like to locate a missing shirt pattern and cut out a couple of shirts. Somehow the pattern that is used so often is evading being found.
We have company coming for supper this evening too. Some dear friends bringing out their feed for the piggies and staying for a visit.
Our garden won't get worked on today most likely but seeing as we are taking a few days off to get caught up here it will get worked on soon. a friend gave us 35 lbs. of seed potatoes to plant but we are not sure we should plant them as they are very scabby and apparently that is not good. We have looked up the potato scab and found out it can be a deficiency of various sorts or a disease. We know some people that have a big potato farm so we will ask them what their advice would be.
In all life's little details there is lettuce coming up in the little raised bed we built next to the house. Pigs are growing, growing! Cats are catching mice. Dogs are not sure what to think of the chickens. The sun is peering through the clouds. The aspen trees are doing their shivering aspen thing. Which I have loved all my life. (when I was very young ~~I was once very young!~~ I used to call the aspen trees "silver dollar trees!" my dad loved that but he told me what they were really called) I wonder how many remember silver dollars? I guess that gives a hint to my age! LOL
Thinking of aspen trees I wonder what causes the very interesting white patterns on the trees down by the village. Most of them have them and it makes the green leaves look chalky. So far it is not on our aspens but I am going to take time to look a few of them over to see. Our pastor friend thinks it is a bug that does it. Just what this country needs is another bug to kill off trees.
Sassy, one of the dogs just came back from the pasture closest to the house with a bone in her mouth. She is pretty pleased with herself. Time for me to take my bones into the kitchen and start some bread and have some breakfast all those kinds of morning things ~~

Praise the LORD;
for the LORD is good:
sing praises unto his name;
for it is pleasant.
Psalm 135:3

the LORD bless you
Roxanne

Sunday Blessings

After a restless night I awoke to a glorious morning! Still tired but enjoying the early dawn I made my usual pot of tea and sat at the computer for a bit.
Now the day is nearing time for supper so I will have to get that together real soon here. In the meantime I am taking a break and sipping a cup of milk while I ponder the ingredients of my supper. A little hamburger that was scramble fried for the two pizzas I made yesterday for our son's coming home party. I have a little sauce left over and enough of this and that to make us a pizza here and a salad I thought about some soup but not sure yet if I will do that.
My husband found the ranch weed whacker so hooray we can cut some of the grass down. That might help to slow the mosquito population a little. The breeze today has been good for keeping them at bay.
My green house is looking all organized again. Hip hip hooray for that. The little raised garden beds are watered and the greenhouse. I have the sprinkler going on the dried up grasses hoping and praying that it will make them come back to life in the colour green! :)
A friend of ours that lives on a ranch about 45 minutes from us(depending which driveway you use, it is a very big ranch) had a forest fire burning about 2 km west of them. That is a little too close for comfort. This country isn't usually this hot and dry for this long of spells. With all the dead pine trees it is a real threat to have a forest fire no matter how small it could quickly become out of control. It is a topic of discussion all over our part of the Cariboo. I don't know enough about the weather cycles to be able to tell you if this is a cycle or part of global warming that so many of us do NOT believe in. How do you believe in global warming when the spring is as cold as winter? Not only is it cold it takes forever to become warmish. Then just when you think winter is behind you and you are starting to wear less clothes the Sears catalogue comes out with the latest WINTER fashions. GRRRR ~~LOL I refuse to look at it at all until at least September.
In the meantime I WILL enjoy the short few months of no mitts, scarves, snowpants, snowboots, toques, longjohns~~etc.
I love just love to be eaten alive by blackflies, mosquitoes, horseflies, deerflies, gnats, sandflies, and no-see-ums! I think there is getting to be a taste of sarcasm here so better move onto a different subject.
It was so good to spend time with so many of our family members and dear friends yesterday. The grandchildren and friends got along so well ~~if there was any crying at all it was from some little one that had fallen not from fighting. Pretty good for the herd of children of all different ages that were present.
Anyways sorry about the lack of literary creativity here this late afternoon. Just a quiet day of getting things done before going back to wood cutting tomorrow. I am not sure if we will be finished the firewood tomorrow or by Tuesday but am secretly hoping it will be done tomorrow!

Have mercy upon me,
O God,
according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psalm 51:1

Enjoying the day and praying
you are too!
Roxanne

How to get By

In all the how-to books that are out there they do not seem yet to have one on how to get by. At least I have not seen one. Lots of ideas on how to be frugal for people who have the money to be frugal. We are way past being frugal.
It is nice to have food in the cupboard and in the fridge and in the freezer. It is nice to have a running vehicle with good tires all round (round in more ways than one)LOL
We do not have a steady income of any sort for a very long time. What ever we can do we do. Making firewood is one of those things and today we are off to do that and for the same friends we will after we have made four cords of firewood for them scrape and paint their log house. We have fencing to do too for our land-lady. So a little more income.
We manage to stay fed and to keep the phone hooked up which means we can have internet too. Sometimes working for someone we get paid a whole tank of gas which is good too. The old beast of a truck gets thirsty and it is very good to keep its thirst wetted.
Some of the ideas in frugality books are very creative and very interesting I just can't buy the things to do the frugality thing right now. When one has $40 for a months groceries one is pretty "frugal" with what one buys. I praise the LORD for the meat we are given in exchange for work or as a gift and praise the LORD that I can cook. I think in the end if one knows how to cook you can work miracles with very little ingredients. Maybe not be gourmet but very palatable. Yesterday I made a little hamburger patties with just salt and pepper added to the meat. In my cast iron dutch oven I put some potatoes, a few carrots, a couple stalks of wimpy celery and a half an onion cooked it added some vegetable juice with some ketchup and a tablespoon of some type of barbeque sauce I found in the back of the fridge,(that took a while to get out as it is the end of that bottle) put the patties on top and let it all stew slow for a little bit and we ate it up. It was a filling meal. Sometimes filling means more than super delicious.
anyways today we are off to do some firewood and somehow we have to find time to plant our 62ft x 80 some ft. garden. I have one row of my transplanted cabbages in. Lots of work to go yet there.

Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 2:11

Rejoicing in the LORD
Roxanne

What is so special about June 8th?

Really what is so special about June 8th? When I awoke this morning it was pretty chilly in our room. Being as it is below freezing and our window is open with a screen in it to keep the bugs out. The morning seems like the usual morning with some birds starting to make their own special little morning songs. Some frost clinging to vehicles and boards. Cats sitting around their outside dish waiting for some morning handouts. Sun rising in its usual spot ~~it is by all appearances a normal everyday day. Maybe that is partly what makes it special for me~~the other part is this is the day that our baby girl was born in1979. She was 6-8 weeks premature. Born at home which at that time was Deadman Creek BC and at that time about an hour or so from Kamloops. The roads are better and faster now so could be faster to get there but this is then not now. My friend Dolly and my husband helped to deliver her. She did not breathe at first but my husband managed to clear her and get her breathing. Later in the day we took her in to Kamloops to be checked ~~one thing after another and after releasing her from the hospital and us bringing her close to home she stiffened out and quit breathing so back to the hospital again where a pediatrician looked at her and had her immediately readmitted. She fought for her life for close to two weeks. By two weeks she was allowed to go home with us given special instructions on how to look after her.
She was such a little joy. Our Sam would carry her everywhere and all she had to do is give a squeak and he would walk the floor with her some more.
Her two older brothers loved her. She was just this friendly little curly haired sweetheart.She fell totally in love with her new baby sister a year and 9 months later.
We lost her at two years when she drowned and was washed away in the Deadman Creek never to be seen again.
The LORD is our comfort and we know without a doubt that she is there with Him.
A tragedy such as this is never really gotten over ~~there is always this spot in your heart that feels as fragile as a china plate being held over a cement floor~~life does go on though and there are loved ones who need you, the usual everyday chores to be done. Days come and go ~~ somehow they are more precious now than they were before ~~
Then suddenly it has been years and now we have a young grandson born on this day 10 years ago. God has been gracious to us. He has carried us through many trials and tribulations and given us many precious moments over the years of childrearing.Now He has blessed us with 10 grandchildren and 3 "step-grandchildren"
We have so much to be thankful for that to list all the blessings would take a loong looong time.

For the LORD himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the arch-angel,
and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the LORD.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Now my day is calling and there is
a huge garden needing planting~~ :)
In His arms
Roxanne

Wide Awake and Bushy-tailed

Waking to a very cool bedroom with only a few very lazy mosquitoes trying desperately to find a warm place to land, I arise. My husband still cozied up under the warmth of the bedding I slip out into the coolness careful to not step on one of the sleeping dogs or to disturb one of the sleeping cats on our bed. Taking in the sweet smell of the fresh cool air with the scent of river and leaves and grasses.
The geese are talking to each other but not in their usual loud voice. Little birds are waking and twittering about. But even they are in a whisper. There is just something special about the early morning before the sunrises above the horizon. I LOVE it!
So far today I have been out to check the piggies, the dogs following me, we went out for a walk then down and stood in the hay-meadow just close enough to the sandhill cranes to not chase them off. They made their loud grrraaaakking song while the Canada Geese stopped their grazing for a few moments to take us in! Everyone must have decided we were not a threat and went back to their grazing. Breakfast is out of the way and the day lies before me. ~~
There is a chicken coop to prepare for some neighbours chickens that we are going to care for until they can get a coop built and they will give us a dozen of these hens.Not too bad a deal if you ask me. We do not know the age or the condition of them so it will all be a surprise sometime next week.
I also have bread to make and one of our daughters is here so there will be visiting plus her going through her belongings to decide what she needs stored and what she doesn't want stored.
Lots of watering to do. Greenhouse work to do in my wee little greenhouse. Now that I have quite a few plants out of there I think I can move around enough to organize it. At least a little.
I would love to find my crochet hook that is the only one of the size I need to finish a sweater I am working on for one of our grandaughters. It is probably right in front of my nose but for some reason I cannot see it. Drives me crazzzy!
There is a couple of shirts that I must get to someday soon here not sure how much I can squeeze into my day. But nonetheless the shirts have got to get done. One is a birthday present for a friend's husband and seeing as I am using her sewing machine I should actually be conscientious enough to get it done. The other one I would like to have done for Father's Day.
In the meantime I am sporting brand-new running shoes. From Wal-Mart but hey they are foot coverings and seeing as my old ones fell apart while chasing cows maybe it was time for new ones. It is sure nice to have new shoes ~~

But if we walk in the light,
As he is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 John 1:7

Walking off into the day
God Bless all of you
Roxanne

Blackflies, Mosquitoes, Cows and ??

With blackflies clinging to my window screens and cows and calves and a few bulls in the corral the day with glorious sunshine greets me! Piggies are sleeping in their hay nest. They love to bury themselves in there. It has been a rather busy last few days. We got home late Sunday evening which was really early Monday morning. Went branding, tagging, and ringing, calves and a few bulls on Monday. Tuesday found us working around here trying to get things caught up after being gone for the week-end.
The breeze blew and kept the bugs down for a bit. Any moments that it stood still mosquitoes covered you and hungry little blackflies tore at you. Everyone wanting a piece of your flesh. Really though the blackflies are my least favourite. I have big itchy, dried bloody lumps all over meself!
Today the cattle are being moved to Teepee Lake their designated range.
There is hope of getting our garden plowed (rototilled by tractor) on the week-end. It is so busy everyone has to find time to get everything that is needed doing done.
I have somehow to get a couple of shirt patterns cut out and sewn in the next couple of weeks and odds and ends of projects to finish up.
We are excited for our little grandson Issac as he now has a new baby brother~~Pretty fun. That baby brother's other grandmother is not having a part in this baby so we are officially the other grandparents. That is cool with us. Can hardly wait to see this new little arrival. Prayerfully on Friday there is hope of going to town then.
We have been to the big city of Burnaby BC over the week-end.Visited one of our daughters and her husband there. That was a quick and way too short visit with them. Just one overnight but as far as the city part goes it was long enough to last me for years! It had been a few years since I had been down there. Come to realize that I am really out of it as far as make-up fashions go~~such as solar fingernail polish~pedicures as a part of regular treatment~~and beaded eyelashes!! Its all so ~~lovely!!
Well we are back to our reality and thoroughly enjoying it bugs, smell of burning calf hair, bears,broken down running shoes, cow poop jeans and all.
The day has it promises of work and challenges with sun shining down on us and warm temps. Clear air and glistening clean river water, green leaves coming out on trees,surrounding us. This is the day the LORD hath made and we will live it to the fullest!

Now to him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power,
both now and ever. Amen.
Jude verses 24 & 25

Have a great day
Roxanne