Thursday, September 29, 2016

Quiet Gentle Days........

Our days are being spent enjoying nature and basking in the glow of being in the country.


Normally, outside our camper, we see mockingbirds up on the lines.
Not so this time. I think these are scissor tails. The field in front of our camper are full of them!
They dip and twirl and try to impress one another and have provided wonderful entertainment as we sit out on our deck.


I know my friend, Annie, from Hootin'Annie's could tell me just exactly what this bird is!


I watched them as I sat on the deck whacking up a dozen pair of jeans from my friend, Brenda.
Probably a good two quilts will come from this stack!


The view in front of me as I cut the legs off, split them up the ribbed seam and then cut that ribbing to be used as ties or on some sundry project and then fold and stack the denim for my next visit down here when I will cut them into squares.

This evening was our 'Shower Day.'
I COULD use the thimble sized shower in the camper but it's just easier to go down to my step son's place. I bathed first and I visited some of the critters while I waited for Louis Dean.


The geese were honking.....



and eating.


The chickens were rummaging around in the grassy meadow.


The swallows have built more than one nest by the roof line of their new house.


It smells so good down here.
I have been working the last two days on my book.
After a couple of hours this afternoon, I decided to take a nap in the girl bunk with the window right there open to the country air. Ah, the scents and the sounds lulled me right to sleep.


Everywhere I look I see a 'picture!'


I do love it here.


This is a zipper spider and he eats a ton of insects so he is a friend.


I wander around and find all sorts of fascinating things I haven't seen before.....
like this box of vintage metal toys.


It's so much fun to look around down here.


After our showers we came back to the camper and Louis Dean built us a fire while I grilled some smoked sausage and hot dogs for our dinner.


Cheers from the COUNTRY!!!!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Loving This Country Life!!

We slept so well last night! A/C off.....windows open to the chilly fall temps!
This morning it was.......
coffee and reading, housekeeping and Louis Dean repairing the camper awning, getting dressed and heading out to town.....Mart, Texas!

I love seeing all the country critters......this horse was along side the road out from the ranch.



We were on the road again - going to the big town of Mart!!



I love it when we go on the 'back roads!'


ALL the roads around here are back roads!
It wasn't the road we thought we were on but we did see a pretty field of yellow flowers!

We shopped the Dollar General for supplies.
I forgot we needed toilet paper, paper towels, Glade plug ins and coffee.
Of course, once I got there I bought a lot of other things!


Back to the camper under the blue sky!
It was mostly a winter looking sky all morning until afternoon when it blued up!


I had put a crock pot of soup on before we left and it was ready to eat when we got back to the camper. We ate while we watched an episode of LOST. We are still in season 4.
Naps followed. He in the bedroom and I in the girl bunk.

I woke up at 6:30 and decided to walk around to all my favorite places down here.


Louis Dean pointed out this honey bee hive in the wall of the shop next to our camper.
Reminded me of the time my mother had honey bees in her chimney.
They took out 7 Home Depot sized buckets of honeycomb!
Not sure how much is in here but we will tell Dean about it in case he doesn't know.



Can you see and hear these Honey bees???


My Country Look!!!!
That apron came in handy.
I have pockets for my phone and camera and really good socks to wear with my oversized pair of Crocs that work out well with my swollen foot.


Hello, Billy goats!


Pretty chickens.
I had so much fun going around and seeing all the critters!


These are the geese Sherry brought down a few months ago.
LD and I sure miss Larry, Curly and Mo. They were the geese that the mallard chased after he got tired of them chasing HIM!
The coyotes got them all but we still have fond memories of them!



The honking geese!


The Chick Chick Chickens!



I gathered their eggs up in my apron!
Breakfast in the morning!


Goats, chickens, ducks, geese.....


I love them all!


And I love how they all just roam around the place.
Best keep our camper door closed or they will walk right in and make themselves at home!


Such a peaceful place down here. 
No traffic.
No noise other than nature.


The tank aka Lake Tomaguchi...


I zoomed in to take this pic of our campsite.
Louis Dean had been out spraying around the place for bugs, ants and spiders.
It's wonderful that our so not new camper is amazingly air tight.
I never come in to cobwebs, bugs, ants or even dust.
Every tiny hole or crevice has been stuffed with plastic bags or caulking.


The meadow is one of my most favorite places.


You can even hear the buzz of the bees!


What a blessing it is to be able to disconnect from life as we know it and come down here to rest and recover from the faster pace we live at home.


The peacock didn't spread his feathers for me but he's still pretty!


These chickens are on TOP of the peacock cage.


Cluck Cluck!!


Look at the eggs they laid!
Lots and lots of eggs in the coops.


I took this photo from inside the coop!


They decided to come in and see what I was doing.


THIS is what I was gathering. 


The sky as I walked back up to the camper.


Ever changing but always beautiful.


It's been a wonderful day down here in the country.


I don't see many sunrises here but the sunsets are amazing.


The view from our camper door this evening.


I made a fresh garden salad for our supper and we sat outside watching the starry sky with a glass of wine. I bought this bottle of Pineapple wine at HEB yesterday and added a splash to Louis Dean's Sangria and my Chardonney. Delicious!


My left toe is doing very well.
By this time the bones are knitting theselves together.
My bone to the cadaver bone to the bone graft....
I can feel it as it tingles with the new growth.
It wasn't swollen before but it is now.
Still, not as much as the right one was.
That one was much more fragile.
It's a good thing to be down here in a 31 foot camper with no real work to do and lots of time to rest keep my feet propped up.


Monday, September 26, 2016

Finally! It FEELS Like Fall!

I am SO excited!!! The cooler temps and much lower humidity has finally arrived!
Louis Dean and I got up and, after a quick cup of coffee, we packed, loaded the truck and got on the road headed down to our camper! 

Our first stop was the HEB in Bellmead  - one of my 'happy places.'


I treated myself to two of my favorite magazines - Country Living and Victoria.
There's two things I always get when I shop HEB.....
steak seasoning and.....


.......these Made in Texas candles!
We stocked up on our favorite wines and a few other things and then we were ready to go to the ranch!!!


But FIRST - we stopped at Luby's for a good meal!
IF you can call chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and TONS of gravy a 'good' meal!
He thinks since he also got black eyed peas and carrots that this qualified as a 'healthy' choice.
Oh, well. I will feed him salads and soups the rest of the week.


Camera ready!!!


The countryside looks more like spring than fall!



I'm not sure this video uploaded right so if it's not there - I guess it didn't!


I just LOVE looking at the cows, fields, goats and scenery along the county line road that leads to the ranch.




We arrived! Only to discover that Louis Dean had left the keys to the gate in the CAR!


We called Dean and he was just up the road and said he would be right there to unlock the gate for us.


I couldn't wait!
I climbed the gate and then walked on up to the camper!
Notice I am wearing a SWEATER!!!! I love it!!


It's rained a good bit lately but the road wasn't all that bad coming in.



Louis Dean waited at the truck for his son.


Home, sweet away from home HOME!


We came in and opened up the camper letting in the cool fresh air!
Father and son enjoyed a good visit while I stayed busy fluffing my nest, lighting candles and sprucing things up.

We are now in and settled with the truck unloaded.
Louis Dean caught some of the debate on the radio in here while I did my journal entry.

Now I am going to pour my wine, wrap a blanket around my shoulders and go out on the deck and soak up the ambiance of the country! I love the night sounds here!!
I am in my most favorite Happy Place!!!!