Winter

Winter

Friday, March 30, 2012

Lovely Fridays

It is Friday and I am so happy. My back yard is green and the trees are filled with lacy new leaves. It really does
look like a place to spend long hours in just being outside. I am so thankful for spring. I went outside to the mailbox and the smell of orange blossoms is so sweet. I just want to stand and breathe. My sister in law's old, old Wisteria is covered in purple blossoms. What I love about her wisteria is that it is maybe 100 years old or older. It grew on an old arbor that was with the original old farm house. The people who homesteaded this place had all kinds of vines growing every where and trees and shrubs that would bloom all year long. After the wisteria stops blooming the old trees start changing from purple to white as the old locust trees start blooming. The old house was originally surrounded by old elm trees but they got dutch elm disease in the 70s and 80s and there are so few left.
The old farm house didn't have a cooler or anything so they put in trees to keep things cool. There was a lovely screened porch on the back of the house.
A man was talking to my brother the other day and he told him that when he was a young man, this place was a dairy. There was an old milk house when we moved here and he told my brother that was where they filled the milk cans. I know why when we moved here there were so many milk cans around.
There was  milk house and  next to it was the pump house. On the outside of that growing all over it was trumpet vine and I would sit out on the back porch and watch the hummingbirds in the summer. Out in front on the house next door are two very old palm trees. When we moved here owls lived in them. One day I was riding my bike down the street, and the owls had a nest in one of them. That mother owl flew down and knocked me off my bike. My feet were all tangled up in the bike and every time I raised my head she would fly down and try to hit me. I was so scared. My grandpa had a old truck sitting there and I watched her as she flew up to make another pass and I jumped up and crawled away to the truck. It was starting to get dark and my knees and elbows were skinned, no one was home at my grandparents, so I jumped out of the truck and headed for home.

I know now I must have scared my Dad to death, dirty and bleeding but he grabbed a shot gun and took off down there. The owl came out of the palm tree and my Dad made me stand my ground, while he shot her.
I was sick she was only protecting her babies, and I guess Dad was only protecting me. After that though,
no more owls ever lived in the palm trees.
It always makes me sad about that. One summer before the above incident,  we were all sitting out under the trees playing with some new kittens when a owl flew down out of the tree and picked up one of the kittens and took off to the top of the tree. We were all sitting there opened mouth. The kitten was heavier than the owl realized. We grabbed gravel that was there and started chunking the owl and the kitten was fighting and the owl dropped the kitten.The owl that knocked me off my bike was a barn owl and the one that grabbed the kitten was a great horned owl.
That kitten never was right after that. It always ducked every time anything flew over or ran for it's life.
In the spring when I walk around and look at the things growing. I see all of these things in my mind.
I have been so blessed.
Thank you so much for reading my stories of springs and summers past. I do hope you have a lovely
weekend,
~Kim~

20 comments:

Christine said...

Poor little Kitty! But nature has to take care of itself!
You must have been so shaken up that day! What a memory - it's like a movie scene.
Have a more relaxing weekend!
Christine

TexWisGirl said...

you're lucky to have so much history in that one place - new and old. :)

Pom Pom said...

Hi Kim!
Wow! Such scary owl stories! I just can't picture an owl in a palm tree. Isn't it nice to live on land that has been in your family for a long time? I love that!
I'm so glad spring is here, too. I shall rejoice with you as you revel in your spring break. I hope it brings you a sweet change of pace!

Kim said...

Kim, my Dad's father used to own a Dairy. I think I was around 3 when it burned down.
That owl deserved its fate - poor little Kimmie and that little kitty :(
Have a "fabulous" Saturday. Be fierce!

Debbie said...

all day today, i thought it was saturday!! i love spring also kim, i always want to be outside and really neglect all my "inside" stuff!!

Nancy said...

I loved hearing your childhood memories...Sounds like you are making many more each season you live there...I hope you have a wonderful weekend....

Dog Trot Farm said...

First I must say, you grow the prettiest darn sunflowers...How wonderful to have your brother and sister in-law living close by. Do your married children leave near too? Owls, I have one residing outside my bedroom window, it likes to serenade me at night, I attempt to fall asleep by the words who-who-cooks-for-you! I so enjoy reading about your childhood adventures and your wonderful family, past and present. It is winter once again in Maine, hugs-Julie.

Nellie said...

I've never had a chance to catch the aroma of orange blossoms. That's really special! We have a locust tree, but it hasn't bloomed yet. Our blueberries are really full of blossoms, though.
Have a great week-ene, Kim!

Nellie said...

Oops! I had a typo! Have a great week-end!:)

Miss Debbie said...

Love your stories! I love wisteria, too. I think it is so pretty....the color and the way it hangs so gracefully.

Primitives By The Light of The Moon said...

You have had one EXCITING life...Not sure if I wouldn't be ducking everytime I saw an owl, too!

Homeschool on the Croft said...

I love that you're able to go 'back in time' and know some of the history around your home. I always want to know the story behind old homes, barns and homesteads....
What a scary experience with the owl. I guess there's more to them than the big cute eyes, and the sound of tw-oot-to-woo!

Sassafras and Winterberry said...

I love owls...but after hearing these stories...well, I have some new feelings! Seems like you are enjoying a lovely spring. We have a ways to go, but I see forsythia blooming all around. Here on our hill, there's nothing planted. I can't wait until vacation to get some flowering shrubs in the ground. I had to leave a newly planted wisteria at the old house. I just love wisteria.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs,
Courtney

Debbie said...

Good morning...I almost missed this post and I am so glad I didn't...how interesting. I love when people stroll down memory lane sharing all their thoughts. How scary that owl story would have been. I'd love to smell those orange blossoms. Hope you have a lovely week-end! HUGS

Kris said...

Your sun flower pictures are so awesome. I can't wait for mine to come up. I hope they look half as nice as yours do.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Another story for a book...or books of yours. I can just see it.

You had owls...well my Dad shot a rattle snake right in front of my foot before I stepped on it. He yelled, "Stop" and I did, good thing or I would have been bit or a bullet through my foot!

Yes, spring...everything is green here for now also and so enjoyable...and my sunflower seeds are popping through the soil.

Happy Spring Break!!!!!!!!!

Ellen said...

I love your stories! I can just imagine it as you describe it. Sorry for the owl, but I guess she had it coming. You could have really been hurt. I can smell the orange blossoms (one of my very favorite scents). Love our sunflowers.

annie said...

Wonderful stories, I loved reading this.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Your stories are wonderful and a joy to read. Is there anything better than sitting on a porch at day's end with someone you love and talking of this and that?

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

I just love reading your stories. I think you could write a book! ;-)