Country Days!

 We are enjoying our days here at the ranch.

The cats are loving it, as well!

They sit in the sun and then run around playing CHASE and taking turns being IT! 

I would love to know how they communicate!

Thursday afternoon - as soon as Sherry got off work - we drove over to see our friend, Grace.

She is a recent widow and Sherry helped her decipher some documentation she needs to do following her husband's death.

Her cat Blackie had just had 5 kittens less than 3 weeks ago - and one was literally born on her lap!

I got to hold each one of the kittens and they are so precious!

They are so new that they just now opened their eyes!

This one was sleeping when the paparazzi showed up!

So tiny!!!

Two are girls and the other 3 are boys.

I would dearly love to keep the two Calico ones that look like Samantha.

Louis Dean has been saying he wished he had a lap cat!

We love our Tabitha and Samantha, but they are NOT lap cats!

Blackie is a good mommy!

Sherry reminded me that we travel back and forth from the country to the city with our cats and it would be a lot of work if we had FOUR!

Plus, if we needed to leave our cats with Amber for some reason, adding FOUR critters to HER four would be a little much!

So I ended up going home with a pig instead!

Last time we visited, Grace gave me Gracie, her cute little piggy bank.

This time she gave me Charlie so they can be a couple.

Her husband, Charlie, passed away on January 31st, so I have added Grace to my prayer journal of widows.

I was looking on Pinterst for some Santa paintings and went down a rabbit hole!

I am going to try this recipe because it sounds SO good!!

We got back to the ranch well before the storms hit!

Louis Dean even made us a small campfire and we sat out on the deck watching the pretty pastel colored cloud lightning until it got closer and closer and then BLEW in!!!

The only damage we had was to our pond liner and water fountain out by the crepe myrtle here.

The wind pulled the pond full of water AND the concrete pedestal out of the ground!

Back in Irving there was a tornado and hail, but our neighbors told us everything looks fine from the front of our house. We will see what it looks in the back when we get home.

The gazebo cover had already been torn up from the storm before this one so we will see what we will see when we see it.

That was our Thursday!!

Friday was St. Patrick's Day!

Sherry decorates her truck for the seasons and holidays.

My friend said this looks like a bouquet of potato chips.

It really does!

My brother, Buster, called me from Kansas City to remind me that I am part Irish!

I am loving getting to know my 'new' siblings better!

It's going to be a lot of fun taking a road trip with Louis Dean up to see them this spring.

He's never been to Kansas City.

I have been busy deep cleaning the front room and bathroom.

The bathroom has a real floor, but the front room is built on our former deck and covered in outdoor rugs. I like this as it can be muddy and dusty and dirty down here and all I have to do is sprinkle some Pine Sol or Fabuloso around and hose it all down!

Louis Dean has been sorting and doing the odd job and project and is as happy as if he had good sense!

That's an old saying that we tell each other!

At home I decorate for the seasons but here I leave up some of the things I love all year round.

The Dearborn heater is the heart of this place when it is cold.

We have been known to host gatherings in here, small ones. of course, as there is only enough room for four chairs.

Back when Deanie, Nita, Lonnie and I were growing up, we envied folks who had a Dearborn and thought that was the best ever.

Mother and Clayton had one in their room, but we had one of those old-fashioned open flame gas heaters with the cotton looking stuff in the back. I think it was asbestos, but I couldn't even find one photo when I looked it up. If I turned the gas up high on the one we had, I could boil water and cook oatmeal!

I love the big bathroom sink and HOT water!!

It's rustic but still homey.

The chest of drawers we picked up on the curb did not work out for me.

Louis Dean says he can make it sturdier and better so he moved it into this shop room.

I stored my clothes in plastic bins and stacked them in the bathroom.

UNTIL........

Son Dean said I could borrow his brand-new Craftsman tool cabinet!

Win! WIN!!!

It makes a wonderful wardrobe for me but I am thinking that I may very well be the only lady in Texas - or maybe the country - who keeps her t-shirts, pants and other clothing in a tall toolbox!

But it works for ME!!

I moved on to the 'kitchen' side of the front room so now I only lack the 'sitting area' to clean.

Celebrated by lighting a candle.

Since we are in the country - we must beware of scorpions!

And snakes.

This scorpion was dead but served as a good reminder.

Thus ended our Friday!

Saturday dawned a beautiful but chilly day.

The meadow is my all-time favorite area here at the ranch!

I especially love this photo with the red chair.

I fully intend to sit right there in that chair when we come down again and the weather is warmer!

It will be a great place to read, meditate and pray.

Today was a Party Day!!

Sherry and Dean had invited Les and Jeanie - Sherry's parents - and Cindy and Rick - Sherry's sister and brother-in-law - down for fajitas and a good long visit!

Dean is a master griller, and he also does a lot of things on his smoker.

I reminded him of the time he smoked Gouda cheese. 

It was beyond delicious and I have been wanting to smoke some more ever since then!

Sherry outdid herself with this amazing meal!

Now I know how to make Spanish rice!

The warmth and coziness of their home and the hum of conversation added to the mouthwatering smells from the kitchen made for a perfect family gathering!

After the meal, we all sat around and talked and son Dean kept us thoroughly entertained with his stories about Buddy - their favorite Billy goat from back in the day.

I did this painting of Buddy in 2018.

Dean says it is his favorite of all my paintings.

Sherry went out to gather up a bunch of duck eggs as no duck seemed to want to set on them, so Cindy and I went with her.

I did not know that the male ducks have those curly feathers at the tail!

All the others are female.

We came home later in the afternoon, and I went straight to the girl bunk for a nice long nap!

Thank you, Dean and Sherry, for a perfectly WONDERFUL day!