Country Things......

 It was early afternoon when Louis Dean and I left the city and headed for the ranch.

He drives the Big White Truck but I am the designated navigator and, believe you me, it is a job!

"Stay right in your lane. NO! This lane that you WERE in! You are going to tuen left up here. NO!  Do NOT get in the right hand lane! Watch that truck! STAY in YOUR lane. Turn here. I SAID TURN. Too late......"

And all this starts at the very corner of the street where we live! As in three houses up to the stop sign where he turned RIGHT instead of left to get to the highway. So I gave him directions to 114 instead of 183.

I was so relieved and so exhausted by the time we got to the end of our time on I20 and just a mile or two from I35 that I suggested we stop for a late lunch!

He was more than agreeable!

See my crown??

I loved every single drop of that margarita!

We were at Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen and I usually order the veggie plate.

The salad alone filled me up!

So I took the rest with me and had it for lunch today.

Louis Dean goes off the deep end with his chicken fried steak and EXTRA gravy!

Thank goodness Louis Dean can pretty much drive on his own from I35 to the place where the road forks near Hillsboro and I napped most of the way there.

One stop at the rest area and then we drove it on in to the ranch.

The moment we drive through the the gate is one of my favorite moments of all.

We have the whole visit ahead of us!

As long as we have been coming out here, Dean and Sherry have kept their gate painted red, white and blue for the Texas flag.

We have two big gates like this now that Louis Dean has fenced in the front 'yard.'

I'm thinking of painting them like this one come fall and cooler weather.

It was arounf 6:00 when we arrived and it takes us an hour or so to unload and put up - less than that on this trip since we are not staying but a week and didn't have a lot to bring down here.

I normally leave the beds all made up with fresh linens - but not last time.

Since the girl bunk was undone anyway, Louis Dean came right in and fixed the toilet connection - which is underneath the bunk. Then I made up both the girl bunk and the big bed, we had a glass of wine and watched the stars while we chatted on the front deck for a few minutes and then I took a shower and went to bed. LOVE that we have a real working shower now!!

What a lovely feeling stretching out under clean fresh sheets! Makes me wish I would change my bed linens every morning. Nearly! But that's way too much trouble!

First thing Tuesday morning I was preparing our medicine for a month. 

This right here reminds me how fast Life is spinning away.

Seems like I just did this chore!

Thankful for the medicine we need to keep going.

It was later in the morning when I took my coffee out to check the gardens.

I lost a really nice cantaloupe that I should have  cut last time we were here but I thought it needed another week. I didn't want to lose this one so I plucked it from the garden and cut it open for breakfast.

While it wasn't the very best one I've ever eaten - it was good!!

 I am going to have to shell up these purple hull peas to cook tomorrow!

There's still more out t here waiting to be picked!

My one project on Tuesday was recovering the seat of this chair using a pair of jeans from my brother in law, Charlie! This makes a good place for Louis Dean to sit and put his shoes on. Who knew we would use a chair in the bathroom so much??

Sherry called me right before she got off work and played a joke on me!

I had planned my entire day around and looked forward to the bee meeting and especially meeting up with Rosey for dinner before that at El Conquistador in Bellmead.

I answered the phone and Sherry said, "I'm just too tired to go to the meeting tonight!"

I immediately prepared my voice as I replied, "Are you?"

For a brief second or two - I was SO disappointed and did NOT want to make her feel any worse than she did.

But, she didn't let me suffer long and started laughing!!

We look forward to meeting up with Rosey every month.

It's a real treat to get to visit with her!

Notice I had another 'margarita day' again??

I ordered on the rocks since we had a meeting to get to and a frozen one takes me forever to drink!

Sherry and I split the potato nachos......

and guacamole for the table.

SOOOO good!!!!

Rosey got a half order of nacho supreme......

and eveything was absolutely delicious!!

We had a good bee meeting and I even won a door prize!

I hung this up along with some of my other bee things.

We are glampers - a step up from camping but still.......

So you see the fancy white fluffy stuff stuck up there to cover the plastic trash bags I have poked in along the top to keep most of the bugs and spiders out? Bet you can't guess what it is!

When we had the septic tank put in 4 years ago, we had to buy sewer cloth to lay down on top of it.

I still have a huge roll of it - so I stuffed it up there like bridal tulle!

Talk about redeeming things!!! I love that!

Well, Sherry and I are about to leave and drop Dean off to teach his karate class and then we are driving to Abbott, Texas (not that far) to see about another bee removal.

This poor lady has bees in the house under her roof - by the looks of the photos she sent us.

We are taking our suits and equipment to do an inspection and evaulate our ability to help her.

She has already paid hundreds of dollars to 'professionals' and the bees remain.

Another BEE Adventure!

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I will close this journal entry with a prayer.

No matter how wonderful our lives are - everyone has burdens and sorrows.

God knows this and hears our heart.