Garden Pictures and Selfies

 

Here we are standing on the threshold of June. I am saying good bye to May, who I think was quite a month. Don't you agree? I hope June is say a bit more temperate. Today is a beautiful morning. The sky is robin's egg blue, the sound of doves cooing all in the trees. Mockingbirds fighting and the blue jays scolding. The hummingbirds are really chattering today. A new batch must be learning to fly. They are so tiny no bigger than an inch. I could see how they could be mistaken for fairies.

Prettiest garden I have had in a long time, well since last year.

Before Ron trimmed them up.

This morning Ron trimmed all of the lower limbs. Now they look much nicer and I can give them their shot of manure tea this evening. I have so many tomatoes. That is a first for a couple of years to have this many tomatoes this early.

Isn't that nice? To see pretty green tomatoes?

I have to tell you a funny story. On June first, we have to cut our water consumption by 35 percent, Governor's orders. So last night we were rereading the guide lines. We can only water three days a week, no washing sidewalks or driveways. Things like that.  They are using your past water usage totals from 2013.
Guess what we were doing in 2013?

Em's Wedding

Yep, Emilie and Nik's wedding. We poured water on this place. We had so many people here every weekend. We watered this lawn three times a day not to mention how much I washed every thing over and over. It was crazy. We laughed and laughed about that. We have cut our water anyway but they will charge you if you go over your 2013 bills. We both thought it was one of those nice God things. He always looks out for us even when we don't know it.

We are already eating peppers out of the garden. I am so happy that we have these lovely peppers already. Ron makes wonderful omelets for us on weekends and we are really spoiled to getting our own produce.

Okay now the selfie part of this post.

Sasha Selfie. 

 She was not happy about a selfie.

Chicken Selfie

Chickens like to be photographed, but then there are the ones who want to photobomb.

 

She is a sitting hen, who got off the nest to get a picture of herself.

A Cat Selfie

This is Socks. I thought she did the Selfie thing the way a cat would. I thought it was very funny. I never could get her to look at me.

I think it is such a nice thought to think Summer is Here!
Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside. ~Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, 1941

Odds and Ends

I love short weeks, don't you? Tomorrow, twenty years ago I had our youngest son Peter. I am officially no longer a mother of a teenager. We have been raising kids for 34 years. I think, I can see the finish line right there just a bit further. I am so thankful for Peter as a little boy and now a man, he is still  Mr. Zest for Life. I am so excited to see what God will do with his life. His party will be this evening. Since he has to work on his birthday which is tomorrow.

Last night I took this photo.

 

 This is William and Makenzie. Just as when Nik walked through the door two years ago, and I begged God for him to please be our next son, and God did. I am once again, begging that God will bring Mackenzie to our family. We all are trying not to get attached, but we can't help it, she is such a wonderful, and beautiful girl. When Peter was going to be born and I was picking names, I wanted a baby girl named Mackenzie. Instead God gave us Peter. Now I know why, God had a better plan. I can't help it but if William and Mackenzie get married. We will be four for four, in having the most awesome people as mates for our children. Remember that verse, "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38) I feel like this, at the goodness of God, to someone like me, who if not for God might have been the woman in Proverbs, " A wise woman builds her home. but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. (Proverbs 14:6) (The foolish part.)

While I don't share many videos on this blog, I have one I would like to share. It is called "Makenzie Photography: A Story of Triumph. 
She was in a car accident two years ago, I received the prayer request two years ago to pray for a young girl involved in a accident. We were in the middle of getting ready for Emilie's wedding, so I stopped and prayed, and was thankful I didn't know the family personally. Then I ran into another friend, a bit later who told me about this beautiful woman who was doing wedding photography. Did I know her? I didn't and didn't connect the dots. Then yesterday when she and William came in for lunch, she told me her amazing story. Last night, she asked if we would like to see the video that a friend had made of her and her story. It won the spiritual short documentary category at the second annual Outside the Box Bakersfield Film Festival. It is worth the watch.  I admit I am in love with this beautiful woman, but after watching this, and talking to her last night and hearing the rest of the story, I am enchanted and praying even more.  I just had to share this little movie because I think it is that good.

 

I know this is another shameful brag post. William has been so alone and his being alone was hurting my heart, I have been praying that God would send him the perfect girl and to see my prayers answered and to see how perfect they are, well I guess I am a bit giddy.
Have a lovely weekend,
~Kim~

 

" She stood in the storm,
When the wind,
Did not blow her away,
She adjusted her sails."
---Elisabeth Edwards

Today on Tuesday---Finished Projects

I woke up this morning with that urge to do laundry, since this feels like Monday part two. Except I did it yesterday. Nice feeling to be ahead of the game. I hope you had a lovely weekend.

I had made up my mind last week that I was going to bind rugs and finish projects. Right now there seems so much to do outside but I decided I was tired of procrastinating.

I finished this stitchery that I have been working on what seems like forever.

Pattern by Brenda Gervais

It was a little larger than I anticipated for my wash board. No one ever looks at this stuff I make so I left it. I liked it and I was glad to finish so I can move on.

A table topper

This is Summer Breeze

Since I never show you my bound rugs, I thought I would show you these. I do finish my rugs and I do get them bound. I don't know why I wait then I have to bind them all at once. Getting three done though was nice, I never sat down this weekend without a rug in my hands.

My Three Guineas

Then of course my favorite. This took two whole days to bind. Now it will need a good steaming and I will list it. I just have so many rugs in the house right now, it is time to get hooking on new projects. I feel like I have been stuck in limbo. It should warm up a bit this week. We have had two lovely rain storms. One the other night with thunder and lighting and cloud burst.

 

 I was dreaming I was in Oklahoma. I have I admit stayed on AccuWeather and Facebook too much this last week. My sister keeps updating pictures as she is in the middle of all of this rain. We have talked and talked on the phone. So my prayers are with all of my friends and family in Texas, Oklahoma and of course Colorado.  One of my nightmares I keep having is I am on that bridge that goes over Lake Texoma, after you leave Dennison, Texas. We are driving on that tall, tall bridge and the water is coming over and we are trying to get across. Ron and I camped in that campground, when my Mom was in the hospital in Dennison and we would drive on the bridge a couple times a day. Every time I would almost be sick because it was so high and I couldn't make myself look down. Now the water is up to the top of that bridge. I can't even image that in my mind. So I keep having nightmares. Weird isn't it? I guess I am really worried about my sister. She is my youngest and only sister.

She said last week, before this weekend, they had three feet of standing water in the back yard. She has a lake, prettiest lake you ever saw I might add. So far the dam is holding and they have to go out and put the fish back in the ponds as the ponds are all overflowing.

 

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have a lovely sunshiny week. With no weather.

~Kim~

 

“In my opinion, too much attention to weather makes for instability of character.”
― Elisabeth Goudge, The Little White Horse.

Thankful In All Things

 

Today is a cool, cloudy, windy day. I am so thankful for clouds. I am so thankful today to have so many flowers to look at and to smell their sweet flower smell. I never knew hydrangeas even had a smell until I walked out to take pictures of them. I know you can't tell but these flowers are as big as dinner plates. They are just growing and growing.

 

I can't ever get them in one shot. I have always wanted to grow hydrangeas. I hate to think of how many I murdered through the years. Why they like this particular place I don't know. I think though, it is because Ron took over the care and feeding of them. They never grew until he started taking care of them. He feeds them every Sunday evening. We also never trim them. Never. I will remove the blossoms in the fall. That is that though. This year we never has a frost. I think that has something to do with it.

 

I just had to show you a picture of these beautiful tomato plants. I think they really like it here, protected from the harsh elements out in the pasture. They are also protected from the wind. We have had a lot of wind this May. Well a lot for here.

 

These are the peppers. You can't really tell but they are so tall too. We picked our first peppers last night.
I am enjoying this year gardening. Well so far. There are just enough.

 

I know this is my header picture but I had to tell you about it. I was taking pictures this morning and it is cold and windy. It is too cold for these little bees to be out. I think they must have got stranded out here on the sunflower. It wasn't this cold or blowy earlier. Then as the sun came up the temperature dropped and the little orchard bees ended up here. I have never seen orchard bees so still before. Never two together either.
As soon as it gets a bit warmer, I am sure they will be on their little merry way. 

This is such an easy day to be thankful. I love it when there are days when all around me are gifts of life. I love seeing the colors and the smells and the wonderful cool mornings. I hope you have a lovely day too.

~Kim~

 

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
― Helen Keller

Twaddle Tuesday

 

This sunflower is a volunteer. I am so glad I have a few that have managed to live in the dry pasture. Even though we have had a few days of rain.

 Today's twaddle will consist of the obsession I have right now with making jam. I guess I should show you my pantry.

 

This was yesterdays batch. I had so many to pick and then to make them in this and of course clean up the huge mess I always seem to make.

 

My pantry is a little wasted space place that was under the stairs. When we were building the house, I asked the builder if he would just turn this place into a extra place for me to store food. It is one of my favorite places. I feel like a miser every time I look in here. My work in jars.

The plums are starting to get ripe. When our grandsons were here, they ate so many of these plums. Even though they weren't ripe, they ate them anyway. They love plums. The apricots aren't ripe either but they ate those too.

 

The apricots are few, but they are very nice. Not enough to make jam.

 

I have these lovely little tomatoes. I haven't ever had tomatoes this early. This year, I have been putting manure tea on them. Ron put some magnesium this weekend. I think they like the manure tea the best.
I am going to keep giving that so than on my shelf in my pantry I can fill the top shelf with spaghetti sauce.

 

Behind the sunflower you can see how very dry the pasture is and how brown. At least the trees are green.
One thing about all of those cottonwoods that we planted is that they are pretty drought tolerant.
We had enough rain this last week that Ron was able to disk it and get rid of the weeds. So now it looks nice and fluffy. Though it isn't. It will be okay though for now.

It has been the most beautiful May. I really can't complain.
Have a wonderful week,
~Kim~

“The most pathetic person in the world is some one who has sight but no vision.”
― Helen Keller

 

( I have read the stories of Helen Keller and one of my favorite books was Helen Keller's Teacher. By Annie Sullivan. Miss Keller continues to be one of the biggest examples of courage in my life. Then when I lost my sight so briefly, I understood her words in a brand new way.)

A Busy Weekend

 

Grandma and Grandpa will be taking care of  our grandsons this weekend. In a couple of hours, the house will be filled with boys. Me and Sasha will be out numbered. Mom and Dad are celebrating their anniversary this weekend. I bought a new basketball. Maybe a few games of  HORSE. Elliot bought a new soccer ball. I originally thought we would be swimming, as it has been so warm.

Not this weekend, we are having the most wonderful rain. It is just lovely. The last time it rained here was February 22. It is really rare for us to get rain this late in the season, not to mention snow.

 

  I told you about the house next door selling. The man who bought it is our neighbor behind us. Which I suppose is good. He plans on turning the house into a rental. The back part of the land he is going to put in a huge shop for his race cars. He already has a huge shop on his property with his house is located.
He has owned it less than 48 hours. He has ripped out all of the fences, started taking down the metal horse pens and I imagine by the next weekend most of every thing will be gone. It takes my breath away.

I ended up with 41 jars of jam. I need to make double that as fast as they are going through the jars. I do enjoy making jam.

boysenberry and strawberry and triple berry.

 

I finally finished this little mat. It should have been finished weeks ago. It is just that life interrupting that goes on and keeps my creativity at bay. It is finished now, and I need to get busy binding rugs. 

I hope you have a lovely weekend.
~Kim~

Hydrangeas.

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies".
Mother Teresa

Working on Wednesday

When I woke this morning, I couldn't remember what day it was or even where I was. Do you ever do that? I haven't in a long time. On Monday, when I went out to take care of my chickens. I noticed that I had ripe berries. I thought there couldn't be any more that a cup or so.

I ended up picking this many. I had enough for one batch of jam. So instead of cleaning house like normal. I made colossal mess in my kitchen and it was fun. Even though, I had to really mop and clean up afterwords. I kept thinking one of the nicest smells in the world is ripe dusty berries on a spring morning. The sound of the birds. Except I was being scolded by the mockingbirds and the bluejays . They were not happy with me picking their berries. Even a couple of parrots flew in and scolded because they wanted the sunflowers and I was too close. Nothing like picking berries shouts to me that summer is on its way.

 

I made 10 jars and when I went to the store to get more sugar and lids. ( I used all of what I had.)
They had the nicest strawberries and blueberries. So I bought some and today I am going to make jam out of those. Maybe some triple berry too, after I pick boysenberries this morning.

We have a storm dropping down to us from the Gulf of Alaska. I do love weather. I am enjoying every single bit. The weather man said though, that when California gets storms this time of year, they cause the mid west to explode with tornadoes, thunder and lighting and all of that. My sister, got 12 inches of rain from the last storm. The parks have waterfalls and rushing rivers. I always feel bad about that.

I need to resume with my hook and needle soon. I haven't picked them up in so long. I am starting to get that antsy feeling when I haven't sewed much.

Well off to rustle up canning jars and get them in the dishwasher before I got outside to take care of chickens and pick berries. I love mornings in May.

Happy Wednesday!
~Kim~

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

 

 

Monday Morning in May

You know when I am going on and on about October, I can tell you I have completely forgot about May.
My goodness what a beautiful month this has been. I wake up every morning to a new world, it seems.
My flowers are just amazing. These flowers came from Nik. My dear son by marriage, because God answered my prayer and he married Emilie. I just don't know how our family ever got along without the wonderful people God brought into our lives through marriage. Then of course, all of the grand children. My cup does overflow. I hope your day was wonderful.

 Next door to me, on the left side is my grandparents house. On the right side is the house I grew up in as a child. The town was putting a new freeway in 1962. They condemned the houses there. My Dad bought a house and had it moved here. The house was built in 1943 and had been gutted and used for a warehouse. So when Dad bought it, it had no interior walls. My Dad and Mom worked on it one whole summer and I know every nook and cranny in the place.


After my Dad remarried, he sold that house and built another one way outside town so we could raise cows, sheep, and pigs.  My Dad owned six grocery stores and a feed store. So we had lots of chickens, ducks, turkeys and exotic chickens. 
The lady who bought the house almost 40 years ago, was moved into a care facility. She is still alive but her children sold the house earlier in the spring and this weekend was the estate sale. We will be getting new
neighbors soon. A couple of my boys went over and went through the house. I was curious, but somehow didn't have the heart to go look. It has been bad enough living next door, watching every thing go down hill.

I do hope they have sheep, and goats and chickens and children. I hope they will use the pens that my Dad built and that the house will be loved again. Such a lot of work they will have to do though. No one has done anything since we moved in 15 years ago. Or they may tear it all down and start over. It will be interesting to watch.

 

Of course, greedy ole me, they got a insane amount of money for that house, the fence in the back yard is falling down and they never even cleaned up the weeds out back. The carpet is what my parents put in it in 1975. The appliances are from 1970 ( The boys gave me blow by blow details when they got back.)  Just think what I could ask for this one.
Then I say, but I would never live anywhere else that I would like better, but the greed sometimes gets to me. No weeds to chop, no water woes. Then there is the problem of the porches. I don't want to leave my porches. Or the tree in front. Funny things as  I write this, that I think are important.

Okay enough rambling on and on. Life is always changing isn't it? I keep thinking, I am going to get better with accepting things as they are, and I realize, I am still not any better at it.
It is Monday, the laundry baskets overfloweth.
Have a lovely week,
~Kim~

" I believe that a woman's true liberation is obedience to God. A real woman receives His Word, allows herself to be renewed and remade, redefined, transformed by that Word."
Elisabeth Elliot---Let Me Be A Woman

" Let your beauty be...the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet
spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
1 Peter 3:3-4