Sunday, October 11, 2015

Our Country Weekend!

Life is easy in our camper down here on the ranch.
Things seem to revolve around meals.
Coffee is the way we start off  our mornings and by the time we are good and awake, I rustle up something for a meal. It's either a late breakfast or an early lunch fare.


Saturday featured Frito Pie!


We fired up our brand new grill for the very first time!


Our entertainment this weekend has been back to back episodes of Season 1 of LOST!
We are loving this show!!
Robert found this for us and we are totally HOOKED!!
How did we MISS this???


Since we have the awning rolled out, the deck makes a good place to do my art.
I brought a couple of canvas boards to paint two Santas. I found the gift box with the Santa pic on it  at the Dollar Store last week and just loved it! I brought everything I needed to paint it - except I forgot the Burnt Umber!!! I don't believe I have EVER done a painting without using Burnt Umber! This will be a first! Thank goodness I have Burnt Sienna which is a red brown and essential for this painting. BU is a brown brown. I find that Burnt Sienna + Payne's Gray makes a suitable substitute.


I chose 12 X 16 canvas boards - which is a hard cardboard covered with a sheet of canvas - because I have a pair of custom frames I want to use. Louis Dean will have to cut the canvas down an inch along one side so they will fit the frames.


It was a great way to spend an afternoon.


The camper is just 31 feet long so there's not much housework to do to keep it tidy.
I make up the bed every morning - which is the hardest chore since it's a queen size bed in a full size bedroom! Preparing meals and doing the dishes are actually more enjoyable here than it is at home.
There's no laundry to do because we'll just go home when we run out of clean clothes.
We spend a lot of time sitting out on the new deck. Louis Dean put out some cracked corn and a bowl of fresh water to attract some birds. We miss watching the feeders like we do at home. Normally there is a pair of mockingbirds that perch high up on the power pole by the camper, but they haven't been up there singing this trip. We are cocerned. We did see them in a low tree the other day but they flew on. We miss our mockingbirds.

We have been here for the last four nights and have slept well every single one of them.
So far we haven't stayed up past midnight and we have been getting up before 9:00 AM!

As soon as we are fortified with that first cup of coffee, we head down to the goat pin to let them out to graze for the day.


Robert (our grandson) is very good with the goats so he's the one who makes sure they are chained where they can get some good grazing.
He left them here along what is essentially a fresh salad bar for goats while he prepared a place to chain them up.



The goats LOVE this weed but I don't know what it is!
The 'blooms' are filled with air. It is everywhere!


The baby goat isn't chained as she stays close to the older ones.
She also follows Lucy around!


She's a pretty little girl! Her baby brother was taken by the coyotes a few weeks ago.


Beebee is a pretty goat!!


It was a peaceful Sunday morning down here!


While Robert and I did the chores Louis Dean did what he does best!
Supervise from his chair where he sits in the shade!

This afternoon we did a variety of things. I rode my bike. Read my book. Painted on my Santa.
Robert tuned us into the Cowboys game on the radio.
Not a happy time but we listened to the very end.


I left potatoes baking in the microwave while I rode my bike down to the bath house.
Sherry, my DIL, taught me how to make excellent baked potatoes.You wash them well and wrap them tightly in plastic shopping bags, twisting the ends! The microwave steams them and they are delicious! We also cooked onions in butter and had green beans as a side dish.
The food was wonderful and we ate in the camper while watching yet another episode of LOST!
We are totally addicted to this program!


I found this on Facebook today and was impressed with the wisdom of it.


This has been a Sunday well spent.
We read the Bible.
We prayed for each other and our many friends.
We enjoyed being out in nature and spending quality time with our grandson, Robert.
I do not claim to be Robert's biological grandmother but 'step grandson' doesn't work for me.
I know with all that is within me that Ellen, his REAL grandmother and Louis Dean's beloved first wife, is happy knowing how much I love him! She would be proud of him! He is a caring, thoughtful and kind young man and we are so happy that he chooses to spend time with us!

That's our weekend!!
We still have another week to spend down here and we are enjoying every single minute!!

11 comments:

Aloha Acres said...

Lost was filmed here on Oahu. I hope you'll think of me when you watch. ;) I'm going to try potatoes in the microwave like that. I'd never heard of that, but it makes perfect sense.

mxtodis123 said...

I always love seeing your pictures and appreciate your allowing me to share your life. I look forward to to your posts.
Mary

Vee said...

Happy times at the ranch! How sad about the little goat taken out by coyotes. Into every life... Don't get me started on LOST. I was lost in real time for six long years with that show, but I shall say no more. Keep having fun!

Nita said...

Sounds so peaceful and relaxing. You seem to re-charge while your on the ranch. I'm happy you have this retreat.

MadSnapper said...

I would love staying there and i liked hearing the eating machines/goats gobbling along the buffet. i would like to live in a small space all the time, no housework needed and could not buy anything but what we ate or used up. and it would be moveable to where ever we wanted to be. hubby doesn't share that dream

Susie said...

Linda, You took plenty of fun things to do. Love LD new grill, can cook lots on that. Food cooked outside taste different to me. :):) That relaxing is so good for both of you. You'll feel brand new when you go back home. Blessings, love you, Susie
p.s. the santas all look so pretty.

Kelly said...

Sounds like a great weekend! I remember watching Lost on tv years ago. I didn't see all of the shows though. I've heard it was good. Your Santa pics look nice! I bet painting out there was fun.

Debbie said...

What a wonderful, restful place to be! I am SOOO impressed with your Santa paintings. Soo good! We have gotten soo hooked on soo many netflix series it has become all we ever watch, lol. Have never tried lost, but now you've got me interested. I too have two step grandchildren but I consider them mine, lol. Their daddy was NOT involved at all in their lives or upbringing, in fact the 15 year old girl has never even met her father. The grandparents from his side of the family are involved occasionally when it suits them. Soo sad really. But their loss for sure, and totally my wonderful gain. It would be soo different I can see in your circumstances, but I am sure his beloved wife is happy that you are there to love them all in her absence. Hope you have another good week at the ranch!

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Love your country setting. Hoe cool to sit out there and take in Mother nature. The goats are so cute. There is something about cooking food outdoors. It seems to taste better. Do you separate the potatoes and cook them individually?

Carole said...

Ok, I am definitely going to try your potato trick! How long do they take to cook? Cheers from Carole's Chatter

Carla said...

I can't wait for our country life. I microwave our potatoes but I've never wrapped them in plastic bags before....gonna have to try that.