Nita's Week

03-07-10

Anyone know how to chase away a bunch of wild hogs? Probably 4 HUGE ones and maybe 6 babies. One minute we're wondering what the dogs are barking about, then it's what are the chickens going nuts about and then I can see them. On the far side of the chicken yard. They could have pushed down the entire fence with just a few more minutes' time. Oh goodness. I fear they will be back. The old mother came on up into our yard moving not toward the doggies who were scared silly but toward me. Oh dear. Do they carry rabies?

02-28-10

The puppies are not tied up yet so I've not accomplished a lot this week. I cleaned the yard and they redecorated it with new trash. Marley brought up an old plastic bowling pin. Nasty. All sorts of plastic pieces, bones and other yucky stuff.

Randy went to sit down in his chair the other night. It broke twice as bad as the last time it broke so it went out the door. I want the cushions for puppies to sit on but now, it will have to wait until they dry.

No article from Gill this week so I doubt she wants to continue. Strong hints that she must be making more money toward their remodeling goals and how very much it was costing for Molly's upkeep. Sigh. Whatever.

02-20-10

It's 68° right now and one very beautiful day. A few clouds drifting by but not the fog and drizzle the girl's basketball coach/weatherman had forecast. Much too nice to be inside but I am catching up on the newsletter and enjoying the sunlight. It's been all cloudy for so long and this is warm and lovely. We do have snow and freezing in the forecast for the middle of this coming week but the waves are fewer and farther between.

I want to be working on the garden but the puppies think it is their area. One of the bird feeders on the north side of the house had disappeared so I was out and looking for it. Found it in the garden where it was placed along with other puppy toys. Sigh. These girls are growing so fast and eating so much but Sparky will always be the smaller sister.

I have started getting an email series, sewing secrets. They will be kept in my Homespun Creations section. There are 3 so far but I will add them as they come to me. I learned a lot about sewing feet for the machine. Since I learned to sew on an old treadle machine, we didn't learn how to use the different feet. Or what the different sizes and types of needles were for.

02-07-10

Randy went to go outside to feed Blanco the other morning to be greeted by a young skunk. It was happily eating Blanco's leftovers from the night before. We tried tossing an empty water jug but it wouldn't leave. Randy decided he should toss some water its way but with that, it sprayed the house. We can still smell it a bit and it's been 3 or 4 days now.

The low for tonight is forecast at 39 but we won't have many days above freezing all week long. We have a few nice days and don't want them to end. On the days when it hasn't been raining, we've had either fog or freezing fog. That is not at all common for this area but quite the norm this year. But it leaves us wet. Lots of standing water and wood that is not just wet but moldy and growing algae. Makes us wonder what kind of a spring and summer we'll have this year.

I was sitting here at my desk the other day and noticed a canister in front of the tower. What is in that. It is my battery charger for the batteries that go to my camera. I had to have a safe place since the last one had its wires chewed up by the pesky mice. Now, the mice are all gone but I couldn't find my charger. Now, I know right where it is and will probably keep it there. Yes, it's been that kind of week.

01-31-10

Seems like we've spent most of the month of January just trying to get through the days while being frozen solid. But the last water I had to save into empty water jugs is still in place. It's handy to take out to the critters for them since everything outside is frozen. We've had several days where nothing thawed and we'd just carry out some water and fill whatever had space.

I looked out this morning to see what seemed like snow but it was frozen fog blowing off of  the tree branches. It was thick as sleet on everything but light and not at all flakes, they were long weird looking ice pieces. Long as in 1/4 to 1/2  inch long and thin. From here, the neighbor's pasture looks like it is covered with snow.

Blanco didn't show up for breakfast call this morning so I will worry about him until I see him. But I was late getting up and out and about so he might have found something to eat. I don't know.

I am getting notes from lots of folks about their weather, ice and snow except for Wanda in Washington State where they are having lovely warm weather and thinking about an early spring and getting their gardens started. What a thought.

I have been rearranging my storage tubs in the hallway and living room. About half of them are the way I want but I still have lots to do. The old pantry shelf is way to small for what we usually have on hand.

This past Thursday, the  28th, we have between 5 and 6 inches of rain. A slow to medium steady rain that lasted all day long. It didn't freeze until the following day and then it was a lot of sleet and a big mess for the streets and roads. We are still frozen but not much is falling.

01-24-10

It has been a week of nice days in the 50s to mid 80s. Even broke a record high and no freezes at night. If the cold weather crop had survived the deep freezes, it would not have survived the heat. Go figure.

We had about half an inch of rain yesterday morning. Hours and hours of slow but steady rain. It marked the one year anniversary of the fire that nearly took out all of our Pharm and home. Randy was wanting to work outside but this helped to keep us from burning. The wind from the west was still brutal at 50 mph but has since died back. That's good.

01-17-10

We finally thawed and I am still getting the plastic jugs refilled with water. I can hope that there won't be anymore extended deep freezes but we must be prepared in case it gets bad.  The forecast low for this morning was 37 but I left the water "dripping" and saw a layer of ice over everything this morning. We had what was called freezing fog and as it melted, it fell off in big clump drops of moisture. Very odd indeed.

The pups are really growing. If I work with them every day, they get better at minding and not jumping and nipping the fingers. I'd seen a page on my Purina email newsletter about training. I will make the time to go and see what it has to offer.

Do you remember my Aunt Ruth's writing about her life, "4255 Virginia Ave"? She passed away Christmas eve. CLICK HERE and read what she'd written. At the bottom with the added notes, you will find the conclusion. More Genealogy, CLICK HERE.

01-10-10

There is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that we thawed out from the deep freeze yesterday afternoon. The bad news is that there was a break in the water line and we were not getting water to the house. The more bad news is that there was a second break near the  first. Randy just put the glue to the plastic pieces and we are now waiting to let it set and hopefully have running water in another hour or so. What I ran out of the line is full of junk and useable only for flushing.

So, the menu for supper has changed to something that does not require a lot of fixing, as in leftovers and heat and eat. We've used up all the water that was stored and in the bathroom, hall and kitchen. There is plenty more but will required going into the bird's room and bringing it out.

The puppies had a grand time going with Randy down to the pump house and "helping" him work. They are good girls.

My week has been just trying to survive the cold. The forecast calls for more snow and sleet and ice about Wednesday or Thursday of this coming week. Sigh.

01-04-10

Randy had a checkup with the specialist and he said Randy was doing very well. The bruising is all gone, and the swelling is almost gone. Randy doesn't need the cane anymore and has no limp. He is very happy.

The puppies are doing great. CLICK HERE to see the photos. The one that looks like the Marley dog in the movies is named Marley. The other that looks like she was painted is named Sparky. Good girls.

The snow of Christmas Eve Day, 2009... CLICK HERE to see the photos.

12-24-09

Wednesday defied the odds and weather man, it rained all day then all night long. The forecast was only for about 4 inches of snow and sounded more like wishful thinking. But about 3 this morning, it started snowing. 8 to 10 inches in this area with drifts up to 3 foot. Randy tried to walk down to the water pump but couldn't get there for the deep snow across the entire driveway. Tomorrow is Christmas but we won't thaw out until Saturday and that's a long time to last on what water we have on hand. No matter the sediment, I will be refilling all my water jugs as soon as the water is flowing again. 48 usually sounds cold unless it warm enough to thaw out the water lines.

This evening I received an email from my aunt Ruth's caregiver. Ruth was my dad's sister, two years younger than he was. Liz sent the following:

Dear Nita,

        I have some sadness to relay. Ruth passed away this evening at 4:30 Central time. I have been in contact with hospice all day. She left this world with many around her that cared for her for years, she was in no pain and very comfortable. I did not have any powers legally with her, her grandson Jim was named executor of her will and he has been involved with her and I am confident all will be taken care. She had preplanned and paid for her funeral up front and was very proud of that. The funeral home is Lupton Chapel in St. Louis. Her home Church was Third Baptist Church in St. Louis.

    Please let me know if there is anything thing I can do or help you with information.

Liz Hille

I let Aunt Dorothy (Tweedt) know of Ruth's passing but she won't return to Tomball until after Christmas. They knew each other as children.

12-21-09

Randy is doing a bit better and the swelling is going down some. It isn't hurting as bad as it was and that is good. He's making a trip for groceries tomorrow and all that walking on concrete won't help things. We're trying to use less propane so he won't have to take the tanks for filling as often. We have a good electric heater now and that will help.

I haven't refilled the water jugs but the water is almost clear enough to use. Must get more done before the next deep freeze and I will be needing to use the stored water.

12-10-09

2:15 p.m. and we have running water again. Not yet out of stored well water but it's just not easy to do things pouring from plastic water jugs. It's 40 degrees out and that was enough to get the lines running. I will get clothes and dishes washed and refill the empty jugs for the next adventure. It went out on Tuesday morning but we didn't get above freezing all that day. Yesterday wasn't warm enough with 33 to thaw anything. I have instructions to refresh the chicken's water pans so they can have fresh water. I'll make my rounds here in just a few minutes.

The above declarations sounded good but it takes the lines several hours to run clear water. The yucky stuff looks like our red clay from down deep in the ground. But it did get cleared out and I will wash clothes in the morning and I will stay up late to wash dishes tonight.

Randy has to wear a "boot" on his injured foot. It hurts him terribly but he cannot move his leg with it on. His foot is badly bruised and foot and leg are swollen tight. He says the skin itches madly but the specialist he saw this afternoon warned that the next step would be to cut the skin to relieve the swelling. That would not be a good thing. I've threatened to hide his clothes so he'll have to stay in and off his feet. I may be close to getting the ramp into the front door that I've been needing for a long, long time and now Randy does, too.

12-06-09

Okay, today is my birthday. Randy brought home the Chinese food on Friday night and it was so good. Not as good as he can make it but it meant no cooking in the kitchen and easy clean up. I did make the egg drop soup since I make it so much better than the restaurant does.

12-05-09

Today will be better. Today will be better. Has to be. Thursday the water line to the bathroom broke and flooded the bathroom. Not good. I had already loaded the washer with dirty clothes so I spent 2 hours hauling water from the kitchen to wash and rinse the clothes. They didn't get completely dry so most are still out on the lines. Today is bright and clear with only a gentle breeze. 25 degrees with ice everywhere but the sunshine is oh so welcome.

The snow that was forecast did not happen here. It went south and to our east. The gulf coast got snow but we didn't. Thursday was a day of rain, all day long. Cold and wet and miserable.

Randy is going to look at the water line and see what he can do. We have the parts but I cannot get down in between the washer and dryer to put them into place. It won't be easy but I sure cannot. I'm afraid that the lines there are frozen solid so with temps getting up to 50 this afternoon and the little heater running, perhaps it will all thaw by then.

Wanda has been feeling bad. She over does her working so she is too tired and sick for the simple things. Go figure. Doubt we'll hear from her again this week. Her Christmas gifts are priority this month. We wish her well.

11-29-09

I made notes on the What's New page about the TDay fixings. When I read the instructions for the pectin, they told how many different versions they produced and that to use that one, I needed the sugar called for and not less and not Splenda so I didn't use it. I still put the berries on my dressing and was very happy with that. But it was a good meal and there will be leftovers. I've asked Randy to get some sour cream so we can have our usual turkey casserole on Monday night.

The cold front hit this morning with strong cold winds and some light rain showers. Wise Randy decided we should take the trash down to the road yesterday and we're sure glad now that we did since it is so miserable today.

I must note that the Zinnias are all gone now. The big Desert Willows had lost their leaves several weeks ago but the baby tree was looking good until this past freeze and is now dormant for the winter. The forecast shows that we will be down below freezing every night for the coming week. 

11-23-09

Finishing up as quickly as I can so we can get to town early in the morning. A little shopping but mostly just enough groceries to last through this coming week. Randy is enjoying his vacation time getting lots of work done on the porch to the house. This is an unforeseen project made necessary by the way the doors will be going together. Sigh. I can still get in by the back door so I will get some photos this coming week.

11-20-09

Randy was watching this afternoon when the neighbor's mama dog came over and all the puppies followed her on home. They were glad to see her I am sure. She's been back to eat cat food but the pups did not come with her.

11-19-08

Don’t know if they’ll be around in the morning since they are not enclosed but “they” were sure hungry. They came up to the back door to the trailer, whining and begging for food. Randy and I heard “them” at the same time and went running out. One, two, three. Oh so cute. Oh look, there are 4 oh my there are 5. Oh my goodness, there are 6.

They are maybe 8 weeks old and won’t be terribly big since their paws aren’t so big. There is a runt and a big one. But there is one solid black, one solid tan, and 4 that are black and white. Like a healer. Only one won’t come up and eat with the others. He’s skittish… or she. But it has sure been a much different way to spend an evening. Such cute doggies siblings from the same litter.

I think that for their breakfast, I shall scramble some eggs. We just happened to have saved all the on hand food from previous doggies. When I went out to close up the chickens, they were down in between the shop and the house. Now, Randy wishes he’d made a way to close the door on the new house. There are not steps and they can get under it in spots where they will fit. There is another bigger water pan there that attracts many dogs. They followed me and wanted to visit the chickens. One of the black and white ones would stop in front of me and want some rubbies and stroking. Wow.

If the neighbor’s dogs are barking during the night, they may go toward the voices. But there are wild hogs and coyotes and wild cats out there in the dark. Be careful little ones.

11-15-09

I thought last week was slow but this past week was asleep. Oh my. I get promises for articles and still get nothing to use. Ah well. I put together some seasonal images mainly because I am always needing something new. My old files had neatly and silently disappeared. Don't know why or where they went. Most of the best I had already taken to use. I have a click art that won't connect to the program on my machine. It has some fine artwork but it needs Randy to open it with a sledge hammer.

Randy bought the new 1.5 million Click Art and I am learning to use it. It does look like all instructions are some where online. The printed info tells nothing.

I made the rounds of the garden this afternoon. I picked the one and only sweet banana pepper, just right to sauté with just about anything. There is actually another plant that has never made a fruit but with hard freezes coming up, I doubt either will survive. 

11-08-09

What a slow week for the newsletter and I took the time to write to nearly everyone. Mostly no replies. Just got in Wanda's diary notes so I will be busy for a while yet. I'm not feeling creative enough to find some cute artwork so I'll just get it all in place and be happy for that.

Narita wrote of her weather but didn't mention anything new at her website. Gill wanted to find more comments on her blog so I left a note as anonymous but it looks as though she gets plenty of visitors. Makes me wonder why I add my comments on her week's worth of blogs. But she doesn't want to do it anymore so I need to figure out something better.

Sly won't let me have my chair back and has left me with the wooden bar stool. Not at all comfortable but at least he won't want it. When I got Wanda's email, I decided to swap chairs with Randy. He's asleep and won't complain. Even figured out how to raise the seat. Heavenly and I can keep working for a wile. Ahh.

I've taken the time to deep dig the new garden bed and get out more of the nut grass. There was so much in the first bed that I can't tell what is sprouting yet. There should be lots of spinach sprouts but I've killed several grasshoppers. Hey, I am ready to harvest.

11-01-09

Randy did battle for 2 weeks with our heater. It's a nice propane unit that he bought last winter. He was at a loss but talked to the fellow where he buys propane and he helped him figure out that the pilot light was stopped up and in need of cleaning. The air compressor sure comes in handy and now, the heater works like new. But no work on the house this weekend and no new photos.

We are scheduled to get DSL service from our current provider. It's taking an extra week but if all goes well, we should get it in the next few days. Hopefully it will not be such a chore to do the newsletter anymore. I will like that very much.

I got all the airplane and aloe vera plants moved into the light room the other day. We were getting night too cold for them to stay out any more. Randy had filled up the plant space with those silly computers and now must move them around again.

10-25-09

Already another cold front has hit with tomorrow not getting out of the 50s. I have way too much to do to take a day for searching through tubs for my warm clothes.

Randy has changed all the wiring for the phone line and still it will not work. We are ready for the switch to DSL. When he mentioned that the service people will have to come in and make proper connections, he also mentioned the sand dune under the heater. Like I should vacuum it up. Hum.

Randy worked all weekend on the phone lines, getting the air mattress aired up and on the new garden bed. No new photos of the house.

10-18-09

With Thanksgiving just over a month away, I am thinking about when to get a turkey and how to get it thawed and cooked without having space in the frig or freezer. It will already be frozen so it's a matter of being ready to cook it when it is thawed just right.

Randy got the work started on the fall garden. He made a pathway which will get me in and out again. But he turned the bed and brought in compost and manure. He bought some fresh Spinach seeds and I will get them planted tomorrow. But it means that he didn't get to do any work on the house this weekend.

I did spot a tomato plant that I want to move into the greenhouse and see if it will grow and make more fruit. First thing is to take out a 10 foot tall (long) devil plant that has been coming back from the root since the little greenhouse was built. But since I cannot move the plywood that covers the screened openings, I will have to get Randy to do that.

10-11-09

Sly did not eat my work, but he did take my chair and wouldn't give it back. So, I got very little computer work done this week. The sun did not shine all week so I didn't get any photos ready. A very dreary week with a cold north wind. I need some sunshine. I spent over an hour this evening trying to get Gill's pages to work and they would not. Finally, I gave up and sent her a message asking for help. We'll see. Wanda was going to send in Diary Notes and it's near midnight and no notes so I will find a spot for Jennie's new website link and give up on the rest. 

10-04-09

Finally posted some notes on my What's Cooking page. As it gets cooler, it is nice to have the oven or crock pot on to warm the entire house.

All together now, the photos of Anna Joyce that is: CLICK HERE and enjoy.

I was just hearing the weather guy say that this coming weekend would be the strongest cold front of the season. We will see. And I will look for more winter clothes and remind Randy to get more propane.

09-30-09

It was such a relief to look out on the porch this morning and see the silly tom cat. Looking up at me with severe hunger in his pale blue eyes. He didn't look like he'd been in a fight, he seems just fine. He appreciates Whiska's now more than ever.

09-29-09

Last night late I heard the shriek of a cat, loud and sharp but only one time and then nothing. And today, no Blanco all day long. He's always been a good one to come when called and he never would miss a meal. My poor little friend and already I miss him so much.

09-27-09

I was working here at my computer this afternoon and looked out the window to see three big old Blue Jays out in the water sprinkler. It was 97 degrees and they were having a fine old cold shower in the spray. There were probably a dozen Cardinals also in the water, so much fun and flitting about.

A cool front is coming in tonight bringing a bit cooler temps but we had stayed below average for several weeks and now all the bugs are back and we can put away the cold weather gear for a bit. I've requested Randy look for some new blankets.

I got one big sack full of Ragweed pieces but neglected to get them to the trash can. I don't want them staying around here but it's all I can do to cut and move the pieces. Noxious. I am very happy that I've had no more trouble with the allergy making my eye hurt so bad.

Sly's right eye is half closed. Looks like it could be an allergy. Don't know about that. He doesn't seem to be hurting. Just sleepy.

The Shop Vac Randy bought at Lowe's works great. It did not come with all the parts the manual showed it to have so Randy had to go back and buy them. Now, I find that the latch on one side doesn't work. I told Randy that I didn't want it to go back to them since we might get something worse. I can make this do the job just fine.

The acorns are beginning to falls from the oak trees. It's that odd sound of a little thud or ping and then some smaller thumps, rolling along. The wild pigs have been eating all the acorns already on the ground and now move through every night looking for fresh ones. They dig like this is a new garden. What a mess and a very good reason NOT to go outside after dark.

The neighbors to the south have a dog who has been coming over to eat Blanco's cat food every day. Several times a day now. She is so thin and those big brown eyes, looking so sad. Now, how could I resist. They have 2 VERY BIG dogs that come over in the afternoon and usually take the bowl with them. If I'm lucky, I will find it back near the shop. Hey, it's a big bowl.

New Photos: Zinnias, CLICK HERE.  Painted Buntings, CLICK HERE.

09-20-09

I heard the first Blue Jays this morning. Didn't see them at the water pans but it means they are back and that is indeed a good thing. It has been 2 days now since I have seen any hummingbirds at all. I think they have all moved on to the south. We've had a few days in the lower 50s at night but they are often here in the spring when we are still getting freezes and don't seem to mind that. Guess it depends on if they have any baby birds yet. And I did see some Blue Jays at the water pans north of the house this afternoon. Excellent.

Randy found a way around my camera program and I have new photos this week.

Randy and the House, CLICK HERE

Sly, CLICK HERE    Blanco, CLICK HERE

Ragweed, Honeysuckle and an Unknown, do you know what it is? CLICK HERE

Fungi, CLICK HERE

Next week I will have some photos of the painted buntings, the gardens and the flowers.

The Ragweed is no where near finished with its blooming. If the irritation was as bad to my right eye as it is to my left eye, I would not be able to see a thing or get anything done.

09-09-09

I had taken a few photos but could not get the program to work. Randy had installed it but I couldn't get it to find what I'd done in the past or go to downloading the new pictures. I will get Randy to check it out and have lots of new photographs next week. We have lots of weird mushrooms growing right now and they are sure an odd sight.

We've had 3 days of rain now, the 10th, 11th, 12th and half of today, the 13th. The most came this morning with heavy downpours. I never made it to the gauge but I can attest that the chicken yard is horrible. The hens love laying mash with the rain in it but the scratch grains were full of water, bubbly and sour. This heavy, deep rain is just what the Pine trees are needing. Now, I don't have to worry about watering them. 

09-07-09

The newsletter did not go up onto the Internet on Monday but will Tuesday. It's been an extremely slow week and that is fine as my left eye is worse than ever. I can hardly see what I am doing and have only a limited time with no pain. Soon, it will be better. I have new photos of baby Anna J. Can you believe she will soon be 2 years old. They are stationed in Hawaii now and she is a beach baby loving the water and sand. The photos will be next week.

08-30-09

Arlene sent in a collection of photos of Giant Panda babies after an earthquake in China. They will be at the top of my list for next week's edition. Poor little bears.

We have lots of Ragweed and I am most miserable. I am taking Zyrtec and learning to sleep a lot more. My eyes are having a bad time and the air purifier is helping so much. The longer my eyes are open, the more they hurt. I will never again not chop down the Ragweed plants before they get big enough to flower. What a big time mistake.

08-23-09 The hummingbirds are all but gone now. There are only 3 or 4 left now. That's down from perhaps 3 dozen or so. I was making up a new jug of nectar every day there for a long while. And that's more than we'd ever had before. There is still a male with the red bib that threatens anyone else no matter how big the bird. We have a flock of doves staying around which is normal during the hunting season which must be soon. Randy puts out a mix of seeds that they sure do enjoy and they tell their friends and relatives. There had been a flock of black birds for awhile but I've not seen them in days. There were cowbirds, grackles and some very big crows. They were only noisy at a distance but quiet when they came in for drinking at the water pans.

I have updated the Homesteading page with an update where I could complain about how Randy went to use the plywood he had ready only to find it wet. The new tarp did not help against the little bit of rain we had several weeks ago. CLICK HERE and check out the current entry. Next week, photos. I will beg every night for him to make the new computer program recognize my camera. Look for Summer/Winter 2009, doesn't that sound like cold weather is getting close?

It was this past Thursday, the 30th of July when a tanker truck didn't make the turn on our county road. Happened just after Randy passed through on the way home. The news reported an 18 year old driver who had to be cut out of the wreckage and an older instructor riding with him. They called in a helicopter for airlift to the hospital but the fellow was doing okay. Last we knew, there are signs posted for both directions of traffic noting the sharp turn but it's not the first time an oilfield truck has been going way too fast to safely make the turn.

Never fails that if I am ready to take photos, it will rain and rain but just enough to mess up the window and keep it cloudy. That's okay, the new computer isn't ready to accept my photo program. Maybe next week.

It is Tuesday of a new week now. Just spotted the painted bunting at the seed feeder, first the male and then miss female. So I ran to charge up the batteries on the camera. Sure want to get a photo before they leave. They have sure been a joy. Just wonder if they've made another baby. Wonder if they'll leave for the winter and be back next year or stay year round like the cardinals.

My window is no where near clean enough for getting good photos and Randy has not hooked up the computer to the camera for downloading. Must be patient and wait until he has the time.

I'd written of the hot days. We did get a cool front but 92 instead of 102 is still very hot. We got about 2 inches of rain which was great but also made the days very humid. I still have not charged the batteries on the camera but will this week and get out and take some photos. I was trying to finish up the newsletter and found that I could not get online so I shall just do what I can and call it done.

The hot days are hard to deal with. Sure enough, it's the Dog Days of Summer. Makes us look forward to the days growing shorter and cooling a bit. Any tomatoes out in the sun turn yellow and white with scalding. The cuke vines are suffering but with enough water, the still make lots of cucumbers. The grasshoppers feasted on the corn and green beans but finally the bird house gourds are growing fast.

This has been a slow week for articles and writing. But Randy is just finishing two weeks of vacation. He got the plywood down for the next layer in the house. But I didn't get the batteries charged on the camera so I have no new notes or photos. I will be helping with putting up the insulation and he started buying what we will need so I should be starting soon.

We've been visited by a male and female Painted Bunting, and their young son lately. Since Randy had started putting out some songbird seed and nuts and fruits mix for the outside birds, they have been showing up. But they are common for this area  CLICK HERE to see my From My Window page. So I found their images in the eNature site. Don't know  how long they will be around but they are sure a treat.

How hot is it? It's so hot that even Sly is in front of the a/c. He hates fans and cold and usually spends the day behind the toilet in the bathroom. Not today. It was an official 100° with 101 forecast for tomorrow.

Are you a fisherperson? Are you always looking for great places to go? I know that in Texas when you vacation at one of the State Parks, you don't need a fishing license. It's included, just bring your pole and  tackle. Calling ahead for a reservation would help as well. Not in Texas, just call and see what is available in your state.

Did you know that the name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Mexican for Texas. More tidbits added to my About Texas page. CLICK HERE. And more every week.

Our grown up kittens, the fluffs- Orange and White and now only White. Orange has not been around for almost a week. Randy encountered a bobcat on our driveway the other day and also found fresh hog tracks. Not good. We are so very sad now.

Arlene sent me  chart that shows how we benefit from fruits and vegetables. CLICK HERE. Thank you Arlene.

We woke up Saturday morning to most of the power in the house being out. It happened somewhere between 5 and 7 a.m. and at first I thought my nightlight had burned out. Randy had gone out to the shop and came right back inside. He wanted me to hurry outside with him. There had been a fire in the yard between the house and the shop. Looks like it was started by a worn out electrical cord and the fire spread to the west along a fence line and about 40 feet beyond. Wow, we were so lucky that it didn't burn so much more. The shop has remained without power until Randy can get a new line tomorrow in town.

Click Here to read of the freakish weather occurrence of Saturday night. I'd never heard of such a thing.

Photos: Work on the house, CLICK HERE. Flowers in the Yard, CLICK HERE. The Garden growing happily, CLICK HERE. With Randy waving at you...

I had asked Randy to buy some weight scales. The people kind and he did but he only found the fancy programmable variety which records loss of each person. Yikes. But I did figure out how to make it just a plain old unit. Since they must be on a flat and not carpeted area, I put it in front of the frig. No more snacks. No more onion rings and nothing late night at all. Sigh. I weighed myself this evening and I'd gained 2 pounds in the last several days. Not good. But supper sure was.

Added to my About Texas page is an item about the very first laundromat, the kind where you paid for the use of a machine to slosh them around and drain out the dirty water, then rinse. CLICK HERE. This makes me feel really old.

I am so glad to have Wanda back. It will take me a while to get her pages just right with the changes necessary but I am just glad to have her writing again. This is such a rough time for her and the girls but things will be much better now. CLICK HERE to read her latest and everything else in her section. Look for the Diary page.

CLICK HERE to read my latest notes on the  wildbirds outside my window.

I had an appointment with a dermatologist on Wednesday the 6th that seems to have consumed my entire week but it is now done and over with. The unknown growth on the side of my face is Seborrheic Keratoses. "Nothing to worry about" especially since it is most difficult to see and doesn't hurt at all. But the medical website info was wrong. It said that I would have a screening within 2 days and it would be free. Wrong. It took over 3 months to get an appointment and  I have no idea how much it cost since we only had to pay for the co-pay. What a relief. But I am back now and hope to get much more done on the newsletter this coming week. I might even take a photo of the two very little ripe tomatoes in the greenhouse. So many of the plants out in the garden have been tattered by the horrible winds, some hail and no rain. We've had cold snaps and two days over 100 degrees.

On May 9th, I heard several responses to Mr. Whippoorwill's call. First time this season that I had heard it. How sweet. They are making baby birds out there in the dark.

Randy fixed the memory card for my camera, I charged the batteries but still I didn't get back outside to take any pictures this week. It was cloudy and dark. And that's about all I finished this week. I've taken an extra day to finish up the newsletter and still it was cloudy and gloomy so I do hope that this coming week will have some sunshine and I can take lots of photos. The garden is looking great but they also want lots of sunshine. I wrote about talking with Wanda in the What's New this Week page.

I've added more Texas History items to the collection. CLICK HERE and let me know if you find more.

I heard the first Whippoorwill call on the 16th of April. We could hear it inside the house and then last night, I was outside and could hear it loud, clear and oh so close. What a beautiful song. But I did not hear any reply. He kept moving on around the area so maybe he did have a response.

I saw our first Hummingbird on Sunday afternoon, that's March 29th. We usually see them show up about the 23rd and I had the feeder out on the 21st. Wow, I just looked out to see another, not the same one,  feasting of the fresh nectar. Look above and inside Nita's Week for the link to my updated Wildbird Watching pages. Today is April 4th and I saw at least 8 today, no two quite alike. And even saw 2 at one time feeding happily.

We've not had any lows under 50 in over a week and that's good. Randy said that the cucumbers are starting to make a showing. He was out planting more tomato plants and the last of the seeds. He had to make another trellis for the yard long beans. Those are sure good.

I sent out messages to many of our writers but have not received any new articles yet. I can hope but I know that folks are oh so busy right now.

I finally updated my Wildbird Watching pages with notes on the Sights, Sounds and Happenings. Also updated is the From My Window page. CLICK HERE.

Randy finished 3 more beds out in the garden for the tomatoes this weekend. It is looking so nice. I will be out with the new trash can picking up trash and scraps. All the soaker hoses are now melted bits and pieces. But the old trash can is completely gone, not even a smudge of green. Just gone. I like a can that a big bag will fit and let me fill it quickly, not needing one hand to hold it open.

Click Here to see the photos from (last) Sunday. I will need to move them into other pages but for now, this will do find. Randy in the garden, waving and lots of tomatoes and of course, cats.

I called Wanda but Jay had not given her my message and I guess I didn't really figure he would. She sent in diary notes but her tone sounds as if Jay would say he was sorry and would go for anger management classes, she would stay. He won't change and I believe she knows that. He can never again be trusted. Getting Kaity and Jenni out of there is most important. In his arrogance, he believes he has the right to smash someone in the face when he feels like it. He should be in jail for assault.

We will start a prayer page. James William, that sweet little 3 year old, has gone to Iraq to fight bravely in this war we wage. Please pray for his safety as you pray for the safety of all our troops. Send your prayer requests to me and we'll start a new page.

Patti Love wants to help with a section on menopause. I will add what I know and the sites I have found. If you have knowledge or find a site to add, please let me know.

Thursday, January 22nd,  there was a big brush fire. The notes and photos are moved to the Homesteading section. I will get the camera out and take some more pictures for another posting.

More photos for the week, CLICK HERE to see Sly, The Skunk and Thanksgiving dinner.

Anna Joyce and her daddy as he was leaving for Iraq. CLICK HERE.

We'd recently heard the warnings that we should use caution as to where we bought Gift Cards for Christmas presents. CLICK HERE to see a long list of the current store and company closings and cut backs. If they won't honor the cards, you've lost all of your money. We always use Wal-Mart anyway.

I can now use my photos and it is easier than ever. I had to set up Paint which is part of Vista but with it open, the system will allow me to go directly to PhotoDraw which wouldn't work before. I can use the "slide show" and move from one photo in the gallery to the next. Easy to preview and gives me a crisp photo even from a page dump. I am happy. The Garden of 2008, CLICK HERE. The Fluffy Cats, CLICK HERE.  The Zinnias, Willows and Pampas Grass CLICK HERE.

Quick, before we have to give him a name. Help me discourage this skunk from moving in under our house. He seems to love cat food and is making a move on the chicken coop. CLICK HERE I am still working on a way to move the cat's food where it won't attract stray critters. Note: I have been putting up the food at dusk and the cats have to wait until we are up in the morning to get fed. It's been rare that I see a skunk and they seem to hate the sound of an empty water jug being kicked in their direction. I have not been sprayed and want to keep it that way.

BUT now I have discovered that what I wrote about outsmarting a skunk won't work on the new visitor. A possum chased me back to the house last night as I was trying to get out to the chicken coop to close up the hens. I shrieked and ran inside. White Fluff was doing a "point" to where the critter had gone since he stopped chasing me when I screamed and it ran under the house instead. As I was on the porch this evening going out to close up the hens, I hear loud crunch, crunch of the dry cat food. Sure enough, a possum and probably the same one. He scurries under the house and I go on out into the yard. As I finish my rounds and am bringing in the laundry, I hear him to the east of the house making his noisy way off and about to other places. We have LOTS of dry leaves covering the ground now and they make lots of noise as they move along.

The following was my encounter with a big bad skunk. Four nights later, he decided to spray something outside around the house and for hours we were gasping in disgust. But it did fade away. I have a difficult time going outside at all after dark. This was November 2nd:  It's a few minutes shy of being midnight, Saturday night and I just came running back inside. I was within 5 feet of a big fluffy old skunk. He was helping himself to the cat's food. I'd gone out to get a bucket of black sunflower seeds to feed the cockatiels. Wow, I was quiet and just went on inside the house. Sure didn't want to chase him and only asked Randy if he wanted to shoot it. He said no. The skunk didn't spray the house or me or fluffy orange cat who was sitting about 10 feet away. It will be a priority tomorrow to move their food to a spot where they can climb to but the skunk cannot reach. Wow, am I a lucky person or what. And with the time change, I will now get that hour back. But I will not go back outside tonight. Whew.

Updates are in place for Tip of the Week, CLICK HERE. It's been a month but hey. The What's Cooking page is also updated, CLICK HERE.

I now have a new page in the Homespun Creations Section for finding ideas with instructions to make gifts for any holiday or occasion. CLICK HERE and see what you think. If you can add any, send me an email. Kathy E. in New York State has started our page with her homemade hand creams. Thank you Kathy. I have almost everything I need to make the snow globes and want to get the materials for making the oven mitts.

My latest Birdwatching Notes are in the Sights, Sounds and Happenings. The geese are back for the winter. The last notes are in the From My Window section. I had to include the fall since I had so few notes for the spring and summer. Ah well. But we've had so many birds moving in lately and I was needing to write about them.  CLICK HERE. I have just added an article by BestNest. They often have some valuable tips and directions.

I must apologize for My Stay at Home Vacation, these are a few of my favorite places. I discovered that Wikipedia was not such a good place for information. Not at all. They allow anyone to edit, take out or add, information. I reached the point where I was seeing conflicting information. Waymaking was also the same. I looked to find that there was a new listing that posting "closest river" as being the same name for 5 different places. And not all in the same country. Imagine that. I will take the time to go back and take out all of their info. I will with time rearrange and confirm anything and everything from Wikipedia. Discouraging to say the least. Since I don't travel well and don't travel at all anymore, I sure have enjoyed putting together these pages. They are the best sites of many searches for fine and beautiful places, sometimes unusual. I hope you enjoy visiting. Let me know when any link does not work or if you know of sights we'd enjoy sharing. CLICK HERE (I have other interesting places yet to add but have finished the United States and there are now three pages Around the World.)

Past weeks:

I have been updating my notes. The Gardening Notes, CLICK HERE. The Weather, CLICK HERE.  I did go out and dumped over 3 inches of rain out of the gauge. Homesteading Notes, CLICK HERE. Wildbird Watching Notes, CLICK HERE. From My Window birdwatching CLICK HERE. Tip of the Week, CLICK HERE.

In our driveway we now have a good sized part of the Wall of China tree which has split and is falling. It is on top of the oak tree beside it but as it begins to dry and die, it is slowly getting closer to the ground. Randy can't drive the truck up the driveway and soon we will not be able to walk through to the house. What a mess and we didn't hear it split. It happened during some fierce winds. CLICK HERE to see photos. Update, it's weird but the broken limb is making new leaves on the ends of the branches. I can touch those branches they are now so near the ground. So, it is not drying and dying.

Walking around the yard, CLICK HERE...

Perhaps I will call it my stay at home vacation but I am still working on the new section of Caves and Interesting Pages. Our friend Deborah sent me info about the Caverns of Tennessee. I so enjoy the time online searching and have way too much fun. Some very beautiful photos to be seen. I will do more work every week. This is the only way I will ever see more caves and it's my cheap vacation. CLICK HERE and enjoy. Do you have a suggestion for a catchy name for the no cost vacations? I have even found some castles but sure love the rivers & waterfalls. 

Photos of the week: Willow blossoms, Trumpet Vines, the Zinnia bed and a couple of the kittens. CLICK HERE. 

I was out this morning hanging wet clothes on the lines when movement caught my eye. I stopped and looked to see 3 hummingbirds making the rounds of the Desert Willow blooms. Such a sweet sight. Made me smile and the chore easier to finish. 

We'd bought Randy new socks on the last trip to town and my plan was to throw away the ones with holes. They had formed a mound on the floor and my next step was the trash can. But Sly had other plans. We looked to see that he had taken the nice clean socks as his own special pillows. Sprawled out on his newspapers with his head on his new pillows. Such sweet sleep.

When Randy went out this morning, Wednesday, he found Beau's face full of quills. I don't think there is any critter except a porcupine that has such quills. But they are not indigenous to this area and we'd never heard of having them around. I did some research and know more now but sure hope it doesn't come back. Beau was so good to hold still for his gPOP. He was brave and didn't try to bite or snap at the helping hands. He did enjoy the sympathy.

CLICK HERE to see garden photos taken on June 1st. Grow you sweet goodies.

CLICK HERE to meet Anna Joyce, my first ever and only great grandchild. She is such a baby doll. Just added her "3-month old" photo. She's such a cutie. (Amazing, my ?dil sent me an email after no contact for years saying that I had a lot more great grand kids. I just had not been told yet. Whatever.)

Newest Homesteading Notes, CLICK HERE.

Find an excellent article from BestNest. com about Container Gardening. CLICK HERE and enjoy. They have plenty of Wildbird items and containers for gardening.

I have several contributors I cannot find now and all my emails are coming back to me. If you read this, please send me an email. Keep in touch. Sherri, Cherry and Bambie. Thank you.

The Current Project:  I finished this week and am so glad to have it done and stored for the first brisk cold day that it is needed. Perhaps by then, Randy will have another dog or two to take for walks down the road. October 1st makes it about a year to finish but it is perfect. I will get a photo and put it in my Homespun Creations section.  I am knitting a scarf for Randy. I had asked him to get me skeins of yarn to make some heavy socks several years ago. I had some instructions and tips for knitting them but got stuck when it came to finding a set of circular needles. What was available in the Wal-Mart was not what I wanted and what they had in the craft store was way out of my budget especially when I looked online and found they even more expensive. Someday perhaps. But for now, I can make a scarf from what I have on hand and it will be something that Randy needs. This he can pull up over his face to keep the wind out. He has a hoodie now and that will help so much. I started it this evening, 12-16-07 and put about 2 inches on it. A nice start but to finish in time for Christmas, I must do about 5 inches a day at least. Okay, it's February 17th now and I am still not finished with the scarf. It measures about 4 foot now and I found a pattern that called for making a scarf 60 inches long. I have a long ways to go. Randy thought 3 foot was long enough but I don't. He'll just have to wait, perhaps for next winter. NOTE: I am sick of knitting. The yarn must be coated with formaldehyde since it makes my fingernails grow 3 times normal. There is no way to wash it before using but I am still a foot away from being finished. There is little cold weather left. Come on Hot Weather.  It's May 4th today and the weather has gone from cool to hot again. I got the scarf out and put on another 6 inches but it's still not finished. It is in my way so I do want it done.

Gardening, (I have new photos of the greenhouse and will update more sections next week.)