The more we've done critter chores, the more we've learned how to do it.
This was our third weekend and I think the critters are used to us by now.
This was our third weekend and I think the critters are used to us by now.
The ducks are usually the first ones we feed and let out - possibly because they are the first ones we come to. I love the deep beautiful colors in some of their feathers.
The mean little rooster got loose when the wind knocked the hen house he lived in over and Dean couldn't catch him before they left town.
I'm back there to feed him and he still charged at me several times.
Ungrateful thing!
My two favorite things on Saturday .....
watermelon with a shaker of salt.........
and Chinese medicine.
Dean have me a patch to put on my left knee which is bone on bone.
I wore it under my knee brace and it has really made a difference.
The top bottle is some kind of ointment and I rub in on my hands and especially the joints that have grown so large and painful. After it dries, I rub a little bit of the cream in the tube (in the box) onto the really painful joint in my right hand. It was frozen stiff and I could barely bend it at all.
It has made such a difference.
Now the patch may not fix my knee but it has helped with the pain.
As far as my arthritic hands go - my doctor said there's really nothing much to be done about it so I think it's fair game to try anything that will work.
All the writing on the medicine is in Chinese so I have no idea what it says.
Dean is a martial arts master and uses a lot of Chinese medicines.
White Flower Oil is another thing I use.
One place Dean gets some of these medicines is Asian markets.
Irving used to have one and you could find all sorts of cool stuff there.
It's gone now and a thrift store is in its place - so I still visit!
Saturday night we sat around the campfire and talked of all the things we have done since we've been down here this time.
The ranch is a magical place for us.
The last few days are such special ones.
Easter Sunday morning I got up and made a batch of blueberry muffins.
We had one cup of coffee and one muffin before riding our bikes down to do the morning chores.
Oh, my goodness!
Those geese come running!
The pups are growing bigger every day!
They are good dogs but I spied one of them carrying something in his mouth that turned out to be a duck. I shouted at him to drop it and yelled NO at him. He minded and dropped the duck who then stood up and escaped. Sadly, the duck didn't make it. Casualty #1 on our watch.
When we went down to feed the chickens in the back coop, we could not find that mean rooster anywhere. We assumed the coyotes got him. Casualty #2.
I made an Easter Sunday dinner for two.
Potato salad using this seasoning makes it really special.
Plus the hard boiled eggs had such yellow yolks that Louis Dean thought I had put in too much mustard!
Baked beans, fresh corn cut off the cob, and a ham steak made up the menu.
After chores Sunday night, I worked on planning out the Texas quilt I want to make for Louis Dean.
I think it's going to be huge!
I may need to rethink this when I start sewing on it.
The blue squares were already cut out as well as the white ones but i had to cut out 84 red squares from a pair of red denim jeans and some Ralph Lauren denim curtains I have.
**Pinterest**
Mine will not look this neat and precise but this is what I am going by.
I think I have made at least two Texas quilts before. I know Amber and Mike has one of them and I believe I made one for a friend who wanted it for her husband's Christmas gift.
I have made a lot of denim quilts but this will be the first one I've made for Louis Dean.
Today is Monday and our last day on duty and our last full day here this month.
Just look who came back!
That mean old rooster!
Still, I was glad to see him.
Back to only one casualty!
These are some of the 'baby' chicks who are not such babies anymore!
They sure do eat a lot!
The peacocks and guineas are in a really big pen - so big it has three doors you can use.
The peacock was so beautiful I had to take his picture!
However, he has developed a real attitude toward me lately and attacked me as I was trying to feed them this morning! He's a really big bird and after the first time, I thought he would leave me alone so I was going to go ahead and fill their feeding pans. But, NO!!
He dove at me a second and then a third time. I got so upset I threw the feed I was carrying in two cans - straight up in the air! Unfortunately, it came right back down on top of ME! I had a little jacket with a hoodie on it over my sundress and it was filled with cracked corn and pellets.
I was shaking feed out of my clothes all the way back to the camper cabin!
Dean and Sherry arrived back late this afternoon.
They had traveled to Oklahoma for a wedding with Roy and Ruth Ann in their new motor home.
Louis Dean stayed at the ranch and took a nap while I met up with them in Groesbeck at the RV park to see their new rig.
It is super nice with all the bells and whistles!!!
It was so good to visit with Ruth Ann again!
It had been a long time since we have even seen each other.
They sold their home in Irving and moved to their farm out west of the DFW area.
We didn't get to stay long because it was time for the critter chores so Dean and Sherry said we needed to get back. We got to the camper and they dropped me off and SURPRISE!
Louis Dean had just come back from putting the ducks and goats up!
He said he figured we had got to talking and he better go tend to the critters as there is a 'magic hour' when the ducks line up to march in their pen like little soldiers and it's always better to deal with the goats in the day light!
Sherry had left her bee suit up here for me to try on tonight.
I am ordering mine tomorrow and I wanted to make sure what size I needed.
I can't believe I am really going to be a beekeeper!
Of course, I am actually just Sherry's helper. We bought two hives but I know next to nothing.
I've never seen a thing that Sherry can't do so I am along for the ride!
The bee meeting is tomorrow night and we are going home in the morning so I will miss it.
Once she learns when the bees will arrive - maybe we can make a flying trip back down here so I can go with her to pick them up. I have to be home for a doctor appointment on Monday morning so it would be a quick trip!
I spent a good while cleaning the camper cabin, vacuuming and sorting out the fridges.
It's always more fun to arrive than it is to depart.
These have been such wonderful days in the country.
3 weeks of nature and gentle living.
I like it here because I don't have to get dressed and leave the place every day like I do at home.
No time restraints here. You sleep, eat, do this and that and repeat.
We will have coffee and reading in the morning before we leave.......
but we will be back!
15 comments:
I wonder if there is a site where I might order those Chinese medicines? I ache so much from Fibromyalgia and arthritis! If I knew more about the names, I might could find somewhere to order them from.
You always seem to keep you joy and wonder in your voice when you are at the ranch! It's calming and exciting all at once for you, I believe. Tto never lose the wonder of life keeps you a very young woman! 💕
I am an awful person. I cheered when I read the news that the mean rooster had met his end. Then I groaned when I learned that he was baaaaccck. 😖🙃 And now the peacock, too? Good grief. A gal could get a complex.
Your willingness to be at the ranch and to love it and your willingness to go along for the ride on beekeeping shows a remarkable interest in new things. You are a wonder, Linda. Glad that you were able to visit with Ruthann for even a little while. Guess that your time together will have to be intentional.
Happy Trails home...
We got home yesterday and you are right, leaving is not as fun as getting there. I did all the coming home chores yesterday and did not even stitch one stitch so you know I was busy. Seldom a day goes by that I do not pick up my handwork. Marvin has all the bee keeping get up but now he just wears the hat and his gloves and does not suit up. His bees seem to know him and he has not been stung. We think we have the Italian bees and not the mean Russian bees.lol One thing I do like is having internet again. Off the grid is ok for a while but I love my laptop versus my phone. So glad to see Ruth Ann again!! I know you had a good time with her.
We've had so many mean roosters, that I've said "No!" to any more roosters! The last one was so bad that Kyle couldn't be anywhere on our 4 acre property without the rooster coming to charge him! Plus he jumped up at Kamryn's back and broke the skin, so he had to go... Sorry you have to deal with them. I know its their nature to protect their hens, but when they become a danger, that is no good.
You are lively and stay young at heart because you love to learn new things! You'll do great with bee keeping and helping Sherry!
It was good to 'see' Ruthann again! Glad you got time with her!
I was so happy the rooster was gone and now he is back, maybe PUPS could get rid of him. only the good die young, that must be for roosters to.... you already know I don't like chickens and hate roosters. be careful with those bees and have fun... keep the gardens growing. we need those bees. the pups are just sooooo handsome...as is that peacock.... careful or you and LD may become country folks. ha ha
You did have some wonderful days living the good life there. Except for the mean rooster, the loss of a duck and the charging Peacock, your days were so peace filled. Hope you have safe travels home and are able to get back to the ranch soon.
So glad you had some extended time "in the country". And your bonus of seeing Ruth Ann. Your smiles are so sweet! Miss seeing her on your blog.
The peacock is gorgeous, very photo worthy..
I am terrified of bees - of course that's because I'm highly allergic to their stings.
I hope you don't go home to any more water damage. The weather across the south has been so crazy this year...
Be safe!
I am so so sorry you have to deal with bad knees too, dear friend. Sometimes I'm in my own little world and when my knees are hurting so badly I can barely walk, I think I'm the only one on the planet who hurts so terribly. It's comforting to have company in the pain department but at the very same time I'm always saddened to hear that others suffer so too. *hugs* I've tried so many creams and such, to no avail. I'll keep my eyes open for the Chinese-type ones tho. I wonder if Amazon has any of them? I'll look.
I am a wilderness girl, tried & true, but I could not.... would not.... have any animals whatsoever. I am much too soft-hearted (over-the-top so) for animals to have any barnyard ones. That duck the dog killed would have left me bawling my eyes out for days, girl. I'm just not emotionally strong enough where animals are concerned. After something like that happened, those pups would never be off a leash until the owners got home & I was totally off the property.... and that's the truth. I'm not a farm animal girl and I'm smart enough to realize it... much to my husband's relief. *lol* I wish I could be more practical about such things and I admire you greatly for being able to handle that. And getting some bees, are you? Wonderful! You look mighty darling in that bee outfit!!! xoxo
Corn & watermelon make my blood sugar go into the stratosphere but oh how I love both. I don't know if it makes Louis Dean's sugar do the same but if his sugar goes up and you don't know why, keep that in mind... he might be the same as me.
Love-love-love you, Andrea
so much fun in the country...but i am not going to talk about the rooster...the pups are adorable!!
blueberry muffins are a favorite of mine!! that ham meal looks delicious....
the quilt is going to be gorgeous, what a treasure!!
A wonderful and happy place for 3 weeks - so many not your everyday adventures - even with the mean old rooster and now a cranky peacock!
Hugs
Joy
You look really pretty in the beekeeper's hat! And the two pictures of the mean rooster are so good, they look like paintings. Your muffins look so good. Oh my, I can just visualize you being scared of that peacock and throwing the food! I think they have a reputation of not being very nice to people. I have bone on bone in my knee, too. It has been like this for many, many years and now has bone chips floating in it. I cannot go up or down steps. I use to get the set of three shots every few months, and they worked for a few years, but the knee has gone way beyond that now. I would scream when I had to get up or down. I use a scooter in large stores and cannot walk very far. But I recently found out about Radio Frequency Ablation, and no more pain!!! I am still handicapped as far as movement and what I can do, but what a blessing! We have a handicapped license plate.
Oh, I really love that quilt. I know yours will be a masterpiece when it is done. I so admire people like you that can be that creative.
Like everyone else said I was cheering the rooster being gone and sad when he returned. Sorry about the duck though.
You look absolutely charming in the bee keepers outfit. What a wonderful adventure that will be. I know you can do it.
It's always a joy to come here and see what you have been up to. You make my day.
Sue
Linda, So good to see you and Ruth Ann together. I bet you had plenty to talk about. I think you need a shorter bee keeper suit. :) It is fun to learn , I think you will enjoy the bees. Your Sunday meal looked like something my mom would have make in our later years. Good home cooking. Every one back at your neighborhood will be happy to see you and so will the Bells . :) It' s going to be sweet you making your music man a quilt. I love it. Take care , stay safe. Love you guys, Blessings,xoxo,Susie
I know you will miss your time out in the country, Linda, after reading all the posts about how you tended the critters, enjoyed campfires and time together. It's been almost like being there and not doing any chores.
Busy, Busy...that is your life...and you wear it well. Everything at the ranch is out of a story book. Your Easter Dinner looks good. As do your muffins. I went on a cooking frenzy yesterday you can see if you check out my blog...hha.
My dearest is getting stronger each day, and I'm so thrilled that the blood is starting to flow again to his lower legs. God is good!
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