Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1. What's a word that describes your life? A word you wish described your life?

Blessed is a word that quite nicely describes my life. I can't think of a word better than blessed that I wish described my life so I'll leave it alone.

2. Back in my day we_________________?

Raised and preserved almost all of our food. I would love to get back to doing that again.

3. When it comes to takeout are you more likely to opt for Italian, Mexican, or Chinese food? Does a typical week at your house include takeout?

I love Italian food, but not everyone else in the family does, so I'll have to go with Mexican on this one. A typical week does not involve takeout at our house. A typical year does not include it. In fact we have never had takeout. Eating out is also a very rare occurrence.

4. Think about the people you most respect. What is it about them that earned your respect?

I respect people who demonstrate their faith in God. It doesn't have to be something huge and "important" but rather a peaceful, quiet type, especially women who refuse to speak negatively of their husband.

5. What's something your friends might see and say is 'so you'?

Pretty notebooks and journals are something my friends know I love.

They also think of me when there's snow, rain, or fog because they know that type of weather makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I also love sunny days, but days that aren't sunny are always welcomed by me. I have a few friends who will message me to let me know they're thinking of me during times when the weather isn't what most people would call great.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

It's hard to believe Easter is almost upon us again. This afternoon I need to make some alterations to the dress Rosie Mae will be wearing to sing with her youth group at church on Sunday morning. This is her first time singing at church. She's nervously excited about it.

The Great "Eggscape"

     I enjoyed Saturdays. It was nice to have a day off from school and help Mom around the house. We always cleaned the house extra well in preparation for Sunday. The windows had to be washed and all the floors mopped and once a month waxed. We would let the fire die in our Pioneer Maid cook-stove and take the ashes out. We would wash the stove top and then get an emery cloth and rub the top until it looked shiny and new again. I strongly disliked this job, not that it wasn't a pleasure to see a shiny stove top but because the sound of the emery cloth being rubbed back and forth across the top made a horrible sound and always made me shiver.

     On this particular Saturday we got up earlier than normal and hurried with the cleaning in hopes to get done in time to cook a good meal for lunch. One of the men from church was coming over with his bulldozer to do some landscaping around the house and he was planning to eat with us. He was one of the ministers so that made it extra important to have everything nice before lunch.

     Once the cleaning was done we started with lunch. Mom let me set the table with her Blue Willow dishes. They weren't as pretty as the china we used for Sundays but nicer than our everyday dishes. I carefully set the table. Daddy would sit at the head as usual and Mom and I at the side Roy would sit at the end and John and David at the other side. I felt important to be able to sit next to Roy. He was such a kind friendly man and I always enjoyed listening to him preach in his sing song voice, it was hard to believe that it was possible for him to have an obnoxious little boy like LV for his son.

     After the table was set I helped Mom prepare the food while John and David knelt on the wood-box to look out the window and watch as Roy was digging out some of the bushes and pushing dirt to make our yard nicer.

     Mom had hard boiled a dozen eggs and I peeled and cut them in half carefully. Mom showed me how to mash the yolks and then mix in the salad dressing and seasonings. I was thrilled to be able to make them all by myself and admired the plate full of stuffed eggs as we all sat down to eat.

     After a silent prayer we started passing the food. Our plates were filling up with steaming mashed potatoes and fried chicken when Daddy got the plate filled with the stuffed eggs and took several and passed them to Mom. I took one and as I started passing it to Roy I just had to let him know that I had made these, and I barely got done telling him when I happened to tip the plate a little too much and I watched in horror as the entire plate of stuffed eggs dumped into his lap and fell on the floor and I was left sitting there holding an empty plate.

     Roy took the plate from my hand and started picking them up. Mom hurriedly got up to help clean up the mess. After everything was cleaned up Roy took an egg. Mom told him he doesn't have to eat a dirty egg, but he said they don't look that dirty and he wants to see how good I can cook already. He smiled at me and ate his egg and informed me it was indeed very tasty. It helped my embarrassment a little and I thought he must be one of the greatest men ever.

Happy Homemaker Monday

Breakfast time, what was on our plate this morning ... I usually get up an hour before anyone else. I love having my Bible time and morning routine, and then get breakfast ready before I wake the rest of the family at 6:00.  This morning I woke up, looked at my alarm clock, and nearly flew out of bed. 5:53 it said, quite unapologetically. I hurried downstairs, made coffee, threw some eggs in a pan, slapped dishes on the breakfast table and then calmly woke the family at 6:01. There was no time for anything special. Eggs and then cold cereal is what we had for breakfast this morning.

On today's "to do" list ... Laundry. I used to do laundry once a week while LV worked at a job that provided their own laundry care for his work clothes. Now-a-days it seems I'm doing laundry every day. I'm trying hard not to be sick of it, because I know I should be thankful for the convenience of my electric washer and dryer, and I am. I'm also extremely thankful for the people in my life that are the cause of the dirty laundry, but every once in a while I wish I could go an entire week without thinking of laundry.
Vehicle maintenance ... there's an issue with one of the seats in the back of our vehicle, in that it seems to identify as a rocking chair. I'm taking it to the dealership to be taken care of. I've already selected my book that I'll be taking along to read as I wait on what they told me would be a two hour repair. A chunk of reading time like that hardly ever comes my way, so though it's a little annoying that I have to do this, I am looking forward to reading.

Currently Reading ... In the Bible. Psalms. I finished up the New Testament last week and decided to enjoy the Psalms again before reading through the New Testament again. I've read the Bible cover to cover once, but now I usually pick and choose which books of the Old Testament I read between reading through the New Testament.
In fiction I'm reading the Emily books by L.M. Montgomery. Her Anne of Green Gables series is still my all time favorite series of books, but the Emily books are really good as well. I don't know if it's just me though, but I detect slightly darker undertones in them than I did with the Anne books.

On the TV this week ... nothing much. There's too much life to be lived to be glued to the TV.

The weather outside is ... drab, dreary, and cold. Perfect for baking, crafting, and working on fun indoor projects. I do feel sorry for my guys who have to work outside and look forward to warmer weather for their sake.

If I have a few minutes to myself I will ... I have so very many options to choose from for things I would like doing in those few minutes to myself. Write, read, work on my lettering skills, sew, journal, art, the list could go on for a while.

 What I'm sewing, crafting, and creating ... I want to finish up a black and red apron for a young boy from our homeschool co-op who asked me to make it for him. I have a beaded project that also needs to be finished up this week, and then I need to focus on creating some photo projects on Word.

A new recipe I want to try this week is ... I don't know that I will be trying a new recipe, but Rosie Mae has this goal of making every recipe in her Rachel Khoo cookbook. Every Tuesday I turn the kitchen over to her and she cranks out a delicious meal planned from that cookbook. I don't know what it will be this week, but I'm looking forward to it. So far everything from that book has turned out fabulous, and having a night off from cooking is pretty sweet even though I enjoy working in the kitchen.

Favorite photo I took last week ...

I took a lot of photos last week, but I'm choosing to share this one. I love the splash of color cardinals provide during the winter.

Eggs

     It didn't take Mahlon long to become a very cute baby and John and I used to run home from school everyday, warm our hands by the stove, and then took turns to hold him. John usually didn't hold him very long before he decided it would be more fun working in the shop with Daddy.

     That left me alone in the kitchen with the hired girl. Mom had told me to be a good helper and even if she does things differently from what we were used to I was not supposed to say anything about it. I tried to stay quiet as I watched her haphazard way of doing dishes but kept a tally of all the dishes she broke. She broke more dishes in those six weeks than I had since the day I was born.

     Her cooking wasn't very good either, most of the things were edible but I couldn't stomach the way she fixed the eggs for breakfast. The egg-white used to still be runny and I simply couldn't make myself eat it, and morning after morning I would push the egg to the side of my plate and eat only my fried cornmeal mush. After several weeks of doing this Daddy happened to see my egg one morning and told me to eat it.

     I sat there and tried to choke back the gags that were threatening to come. I bravely cut a bit of the egg-white but when the half cooked egg white came oozing out, I gagged openly and started crying as I said "These eggs are not fit!" Everyone was quiet and looked at me, and I wanted to scoot down on my chair and out of their sight.

     Daddy told me to go get ready for school and I was happy to get away from the table and those awful eggs.

     The next morning the eggs were well done and I had no problem eating it, and that evening after we went to bed I could hear Mom and Daddy talk in their bedroom. I couldn't understand what Mom said but they both chuckled and then Daddy said. "I wish Mary Ann had said something about those eggs the first morning, so we wouldn't have had to choke through all those dreadful breakfasts."

     I snuggled deeper under my covers, happy to know that Mom and Daddy weren't displeased with my outburst at the breakfast table the day before, and knowing that I wouldn't have to worry about those yucky eggs again.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1. On this first official day of spring tell us something (besides the weather) you're looking forward to in this season of the year.

Spring is such a pleasant time of year. I'm looking forward to not having to wear a coat every time I step outside the door, and being able to make lovely bouquets with our spring flowers.

2. When it comes to spring cleaning would you rather wash windows or wash baseboards? Clean out closets or clean out the garage? Dust ceiling fans or dust bookcases? Wipe down the patio furniture outside or wipe down the light fixtures inside? Any of these tasks recently completed?

I don't mind washing windows, but having to crawl on hands and knees in order to get baseboards washed is not my idea of fun.
The garage is not my territory, and I'll happily clean the closets and let someone else care for the garage.
We don't have any outside furniture, but wiping it down doesn't sound horrible. Maybe because I've never had to do it. I don't mind cleaning light fixtures.
We're in the middle of our spring cleaning right now. I've been focusing on the bookshelves recently.

3. Your favorite thing to make/eat that calls for cream cheese? Sour cream? Whipped cream?

Cheesecakes, cheese bars, spinach dip, Thanksgiving pudding all take cream cheese, and I love them all equally.
We're big fans of sour cream. I don't necessarily have something I make with it, but we like dollops of it on salads, meats, anything spicy, and more. There's not much that isn't good with sour cream added.
Whipped cream... on the other hand isn't such a big deal, and we rarely ever use it. Though we did make some last evening in order to make our favorite no churn ice cream.

4. I read here a list of commonly mispronounced words. What is a word that gives you trouble when it comes to pronunciation?

I read the list of words and wanted to curl up and whimper at a word that I have apparently always pronounced wrong. I will continue pronouncing it wrong though, because pronouncing 'gif' correctly makes my skin crawl.

5. What's a song you love with the word 'rain' in the title or lyrics?

I can't say I love this song, but these are the first rain related lyrics that popped into my head when I read this question.

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Every once in a while something happens that reminds me of one of my all time favorite book series. (Anne of Green Gables) It happened again. A stray cat wandered in all scraggly and ugly, and I mean ugly. It looked exactly how I used to picture Rusty from Anne of the Island. Apparently I'm not the only one who thought that because Rosie Mae looked out the window and asked if I had seen Rusty.

We both got a chuckle out of how we immediately knew the poor thing. Thankfully it will not have to worry about any badly executed chloroform attempts with us.

It has been the easiest animal to name. There really was no other choice besides Rusty.

Mahlon

     The winter winds were sweeping across the hills and around the corners of the house when Daddy came upstairs one Saturday morning to wake us up. He told John and me to hurry and get dressed while he helped David. Once we got downstairs he gave us a note and told us to take it to Grandma Mast and then stay there until he comes and gets us.

     He helped us into our coats and we started up the road as the sun was beginning to rise above the trees across the road. We trudged up the hill and made our way slowly to Grandpas where aunt Emma arranged chairs around the kitchen stove for us to warm up. Grandma read the note and handed it to Grandpa, he read it and immediately went and hitched up his horse, Tony, to their buggy while Grandma hurriedly got ready to go with them.

     I was wondering what all the strange commotion was about and suddenly I recalled how they acted similar once before and I all of a sudden grew excited and could hardly wait till Daddy came to get us.

    He came shortly after lunch smiling from ear to ear, and asked if we want to go home and meet someone new. I asked if it's a baby girl and he said "No, we have another baby boy." We hurried out to the buggy and hurried into the house the moment we got home. Grandma was standing at the kitchen sink washing a few dishes and told us to warm our hands while we wait till Daddy gets in to show us the new baby.

    Once Daddy came in we followed him into the bedroom where Mom was in bed and beside her was the wrinkliest, ugliest little baby I had ever seen. I felt like crying. It had been bad enough that I didn't get a sister, but having such an ugly baby was about more than I could bear. Daddy gently lifted the baby and placed him in my arms and said, "Say hello to your brother Mahlon."
    I choked out a whispery hello, just as the baby opened his eyes and his wee little mouth and stuffed his fist in and started making the funniest noise as he started sucking on it. Daddy gave the baby back to Mom and herded us out of the bedroom saying that there is plenty of time to get acquainted with him once he is no longer hungry.
    I ran upstairs and flopped across my bed and cried. I could hear voices downstairs but I didn't even bother to try to listen what they were saying. After a bit I heard the squeal of buggy wheels in the snow and looked out the window to see Daddy, John, and David starting out the driveway and head up the road.
     After what seemed like a long time Grandma came upstairs to find me. She asked what is wrong, but I really didn't know what to say and finally blurted out. "The baby is so ugly!"  She chuckled a little and said "Don't worry, all newborns look like that. He will look a lot better in a few days."
     I went downstairs with her and helped start supper, and before too long Daddy and the boys were at home bringing a neighbor girl along. She would stay with us for the next six weeks and do all the housework while Mom rested and enjoyed her new baby.

The Start of Whispering Pines

      Since we had built a large addition to our house Daddy was working on getting a woodworking shop started in the basement of the new addition, in hopes that he could work at home with his growing family, instead of doing carpentry. It took quite a while to get everything ready. The electric motors had to be removed from the machinery and replaced with either a hydraulic or air motor.
     Once everything was ready to go he started working  in the shop in the evenings. We enjoyed watching him whenever we could. There was something about watching plain boring lumber being turned into something much nicer that sent a thrill through me.
     Besides starting a woodworking shop. Daddy and Mom also bought a fabric store from someone who was going out of business. We moved all of our furniture out of our living-room and sewing-room, and put it into our kitchen. And turned those two rooms into our store. Daddy built shelves along the walls to hold the bolts of fabric and the many other things Amish stores have. They also set up a queen size bed on which to display the many quilts to sell.
     After everything was set up and ready for customers Daddy fastened a small bell to the door so we would be alerted to any customers that came. And Mom painted a sign "Whispering Pines" Quilts, Fabrics and Gifts. After the paint was dry Daddy put it in the front yard, and there was nothing left to do but wait for customers to start coming.
     It wasn't long before people started coming. We children would have loved to be in the store with Mom to watch. But we were told to stay in the kitchen and try to be quiet. We stayed in the kitchen, but pressed our ears to the door to hear what was going on in our store. It wasn't very satisfying not being able to see too. And then a great idea popped into my head. I could climb up on Mom's china cupboard and peep through the vent hole above the door.
     I climbed up. And was delighted to not only be able to hear everything but now I had a birds eye view of the store. I stayed there until the customers were paying for their purchases and then jumped off and went to do something else before Mom came and discovered me there.
     From that day on whenever Mom went into the store I would climb up on my perch to watch, until one day several years later just as I popped my head in front of the vent, the lady Mom was helping look at quilts looked up at me and waved, which made Mom turn around and she saw me before I had time to disappear. After the customer had left Mom had a talk with me about how impolite it is to peep in on people, and that it would be better to sit in the chair behind the desk if I wanted so badly to see everything.
     That was the last time I watched from the cupboard. It was so much better to actually be in the store, even if I wasn't allowed to every-time.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

1. Best place you've been lately?

Home.

Recently I've gone grocery shopping, went to church, attended homeschool co-op, went to a birthday party, and took our vehicle to the car wash. Each of those places was something I enjoyed, but none of them as much as I enjoy being at home.

2. What's something you should say yes to today? Or this week? Or even this year?

Today I should say yes to my growing donate pile. The girls and I will be working in the storage room this afternoon, and I'm trying to become more heartless and get rid of the things that do nothing but take up space.
This week I should say yes to writing time.
This year I again should say yes to writing.

3. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form? If so tell us how. In Western cultures the color green is typically associated with jealousy, nature, good luck, and growth. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'green'?

I don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form. I don't even know when it will be this year. Is it always on the same day?
The first thing that comes to mind when ever I hear the word green, is a green crayon. The most coveted and special crayon in the entire box. As a child I wasn't allowed to use it for anything other than coloring trees, even grass was only outlined because it would take too much green to fully color it. I so badly wanted to color the dresses the little girls in the pictures were wearing, green, but I couldn't. Even so the green crayon always became short and stubby long before the rest of the crayons in the box.
Even now when I help Steven color, and I use green for something that wouldn't have to be green I feel somewhat daring and guilty.

4. What's a product or service you love so much you'd happily be their spokesperson? Tell us what makes you such a fan.

Bonne Maman  fruit preserves. I only recently discovered them, and I'm in love. It's all natural with no added ingredients. It also doesn't have that funny after taste that all other commercially produced jams and jellies have. An added bonus is the jar that can then be used for other things once it's been emptied. So far the peach is my favorite flavor, though all of them are delicious!

5. March 14th is Pi Day. How are your math skills? What's the last thing you did that required math of any kind? And most importantly do you like pie? What's your favorite kind? With ice cream, whipped cream, or please hold the cream?

My math skills are average. The last thing I did that required math was when I wanted to make a batch and a half of a certain recipe.

I love pie. Cherry pie is one of my favorites, though I do really like pecan pie as well. I was about to say I've never met a pie I didn't like, but that's not true. I don't care for any store bought pies.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Score ... Boys 12
              Girls  6

The amount of grandchildren my parents have since my brother Ivan and his wife had twin boys yesterday. We're all excited and happy for them.

Winter Evenings

     I loved winter evenings. John and I used to hurry home from school and enjoy the snack that Mom would have waiting for us. Most of the time it was half of an apple with the center filled with peanut butter, but every once in awhile she would have a warm Raisin Oatmeal cookie waiting for us.
     After we had eaten our snack we would quickly do our chores. The wood box had to be filled with enough wood to last until the next evening, and then I would have to peel potatoes while Mom got other things ready for supper.
     Once we had eaten and the dishes were cleared away and any stray crumbs swept from the floor, Mom would start popping popcorn while John and I would go down in the basement with a flashlight and a bowl to get apples from the storage bin. We would all sit around the kitchen while Mom peeled apples and read stories to us.
     After Mom had finished reading, she would work on her knitting or do hand sewing. I would work at cutting out patches for a nine patch quilt. Daddy would help John and David play. A little before 8 o'clock he would say "Time to get things in order." We would put our projects away, and turn our chairs making that if we knelt down we would be facing the east. Daddy would get his little black prayer book and read the evening prayer.
     Afterwards us children would race upstairs, calling out "Last one to bed is the green pig!" The upstairs was chilly as we hurriedly changed and jumped into bed. As I lay there I could hear the murmur of Daddy and Mom's voices, and the whistling of the pine trees around the house as the wind swept through them and piled the snowdrifts deeper. As I snuggled deeper under my covers I was sure winter would always be my favorite time of the year.

Winter Recess

    Recess was my least favorite part of a school day. I loved books and learning knew things, and would happily have skipped recess if possible.
    During the winter there were several different snow games we could play that weren't too bad, but most days they weren't the activity of choice.
    Behind the schoolhouse there was a very long steep hill with a creek in the bottoms. Almost every recess everyone would run outside and get a feedbag that neighboring farmers had supplied for this purpose and slide down the hill on them. I used to stand at the top of the hill and watch the others go flying down, but the sheer size of the hill terrified me and there was no way I wanted to slide down.
     Teacher Hannah was sure I would enjoy it too if I would only try it. I didn't want to disappoint her and she assured me if I didn't like it I wouldn't have to again. She helped me sit on the bag and told me to hold it firmly so it won't get away from me. I sat down and she let go of the bag. The sliding path was worn shiny and slick from the many bags and children that had already been sliding on it for days. The hill was steep enough that as soon as I started off I was flying and my speed only increased the further I went. Halfway down I somehow managed to get my hand between the bag and the snow but the ride was so dizzying fast I had no control of anything. Once I got to the bottom I saw that my mitten was worn through and the back of my hand was bleeding.
     It took a long time to climb back up the hill. Once I got to the top Teacher Hannah looked at my hand and took me inside to bandage it. She never asked me to go sliding again and I never did. That was the first and only ride I ever took during all my school years.

Currently ...

Reading ... In the Bible I finished 2 Peter this morning, and am looking forward to begin reading 1 John tomorrow.  In the fiction world I finished reading  The One who Waits for Me by Lori Copeland. I used to really enjoy her books, but ... I think I may have changed, or at least my taste in books, because even though this was a quick, light read it annoyed me. The only thing that made it kind of fun was that Rosie Mae read it too, and we got to laugh together at the preposterous happenings in the book. Things that would never happen. There was so much going on, and every time you thought that it couldn't get more outlandish, it did. In non-fiction I'm enjoying a cookbook.

Playing ... The girls are wanting to teach me how to play Skip-Bo this afternoon. It's a snowy, stay indoors type of day, so I think it sounds like the perfect plan.

Watching ... Spring training baseball. Well, not really. It's playing in the background in the evenings while we read, play games, and do things way more enjoyable than actually watching spring training baseball.

Cooking ... We had fried chicken and salad on the menu last evening, and for tonight it will be breakfast for dinner, complete with waffles, bacon, chicken sausage, and eggs.

Calling ... I'm not calling anyone, but since Kenneth has his own phone I've been receiving calls from him when ever he starts for home from where ever he is, to let me know he's on the way. The first few days the caller ID always said, Norma Ogletree when ever he called, but we managed to fix that to have his name come up now. Much to the girls' disappointment. They had way too much fun with the whole Norma thing.

Crafting ... the girls and I will be working on sewing aprons this afternoon. That should be a lot of fun. I love sewing, and every time I sit down to sew I always have to ask myself why I don't do it more often.

Loving ... the convenience of having electricity. There's nothing like having the power go out for a while to make you realize just how much you love it, even though it's so easy to simply take it for granted when everything is going as it's supposed to.

Disliking ... when my children aren't feeling the greatest. Everyone seems back to normal now, and for that I'm very thankful.

Celebrating ... each new day. Truly each one is a gift.

Feeling ... content. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but today I'm feeling happy and content with what we have, where we are, and life in general.

Listening ... to the dry boring voice of the teacher on Rosie Mae's Algebra II computer program, as she does her lesson for today.

Wanting ... to take more pictures. I love being able to look back at moments captured by my camera.

The Tractor

     John, David, and I loved playing on Daddy's new Leyland tractor. We used to sit on the seat and turn the steering wheel and pretend we were working in fields. The farms we owned and worked on in our imaginations were beautiful.
     Daddy didn't mind if we played on the tractor, but we had been warned not to touch the levers or anything except the steering wheel. One day we were once again playing on it. Daddy had it parked in the potato patch on top of the hill. As I was driving through an imaginary field I pressed my foot on the clutch and the tractor rolled forward slowly. I quickly took my foot off and John and I looked at each other. That had been fun. We had not touched any levers and certainly had not started the tractor so we really weren't doing anything wrong we reasoned.
     John wanted to know how I did it. So I showed him as I pressed my foot on the clutch again. The tractor rolled forward again. It was exciting to be on a tractor that was actually moving. John wanted a turn too, so I switched places with him and he pressed the clutch in and clung to the steering wheel as we rolled further down the hill. I wanted another turn so we switched again and we rode the tractor down the hill almost to the road.
     Once we were there we were presented with a problem. The tractor that had so willingly rolled down the hill for us now sat stubbornly and would not climb back up before Daddy came home and saw what we had done. We were glad for the row of pine trees that had blocked our adventure from Mom's eyes but there was no way we could hide that tractor from Daddy. It would be the first thing he saw as he was coming home from work. Since we couldn't hide the tractor we did the next best thing and hid ourselves. We climbed into the attic of the old house next to ours, but today all the fun antiques didn't even look interesting as we sat in a corner waiting for Daddy to come home.
     After what seemed like a long time we heard him drive into the driveway. We peeked out of the window and watched him go into the house. Before long he came out again with the milk pail and called us.
     We knew we had to go so we climbed down and went to see what he had to say. He just said it is chore time and we followed him out to the barn. I stood and held the cow's tail as Daddy milked her. I usually enjoyed chore time as John, David, and I would tell Daddy everything that had happened that day, but tonight we couldn't think of anything except that tractor and wondering what our punishment would be for driving it down to the road.
     Once the cow was milked and Daddy poured a bowlful of fresh milk for the cats. He set the pail down and looked at us. He asked "Is something bothering you? You have been very quiet tonight."
     John said. "We drove your tractor today." I quickly added that we didn't start it up though.
     Daddy asked how it happened, and we told him all about it. He didn't say much but then warned us to never try something like that again because we could have easily rolled on out onto the road and been hurt.

Picture my Week

   The girls and I went shopping one afternoon. After we got home I wanted to make room in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for some of the frozen things we had bought. There was a full bag of peas on the shelf. I got it to put it the freezer door, and that was the moment when I discovered it was not a full bag of peas. Peas went flying in a sweeping arc across the kitchen, and into the two adjacent rooms. I stood there, momentarily speechless as I tried to come to grips with what had just happened.
     Meanwhile the girls burst out laughing, while dashing off to grab a camera to properly document another one of Mom's messes.

    Rosie Mae has been sick. Yesterday the only thing she wanted was a cup of tea. A storm had passed through our area the previous night knocking out our power. I had to get creative as I tried to figure out a way to make some tea. This little candle setup took a while to heat the water, but it worked!

 

I thought the ice formations by the waterfall this morning were pretty.