Back to the Country Life!

We are back in the country - my Happy Place when I'm not at my Happy Home!

I am blessed to have both!

I always love the drive to Waco. 

It's just a short two hours with one stop at QT at exit 405.

That's where I get a big thing of tea......I mix the Black Mango and Pineapple Papaya! Yum!

This time I also bought a pretzel and Louis Dean got a hot dog.

We were in a hurry to get to the ranch so we ate our lunch as we drove.

We usually stop at the rest area just past Hillsboro and then we were at HEB!

I made a quick trip in for dish washing soap and HEB Steak Seasoning.

Home Depot for building materials (I sit in the gazebo display and wait for Louis Dean to call me and tell me he's checking out!) and on into Mart to shop at Read's Grocery for New York strip steaks and baking potatoes.

Our welcoming committee as we pulled up to the gate!

These belong to the neighbor Mr. Jackson.

I love that we get to enjoy them without having to take care of them!

They were all gathered at the fence line watching me unlock the gate.

And we are HERE!!!!

Monday was Dean's birthday.

I brought food for a special dinner and picked a bouquet of wildflowers for the table.

Steaks, baked potatoes, salad and cake!

Dining al fresco!

You simply can't beat the scenery!

The blue step ladder was used to take down the bird feeder - repaired and rehung.

So far we have not seen the red winged blackbirds that were frequenting it on our last visit.

Dinner was good and we all went to bed early.... as in 10:00!

Alas, we did not sleep as well as we thought we would!

At 1:30 Louis Dean and I were both back up sitting in the front room just talking.

We rolled with it and enjoyed our time together knowing that we don't have a schedule that requires us to be up early.

When I woke up this Tuesday morning at 10:00 - Louis Dean had already been working for an hour or more. He was anxious to get started on painting his wall boards for the utility room.

It was late afternoon when we walked down to Dean and Sherry's to check on our chicken.

Sherry had worked all day at her job and then hopped on her tractor as soon as she got off and worked some more.

I went around to see all the critters!

The ducks march in a line like little soldiers.

The horses were out by the meadow behind the hutches used for baby chicks.

They thought I had treats! I didn't but they let us pet them anyway.

Dean said he had not seen 'our' chicken today. This one is not Chicken Little but Louis Dean and I went around to all the pens and the areas where the chickens were. I collected some fresh eggs for breakfast in the morning while we were at it and found our chicken alive and well and happy to be back with other chickens that proved to be more friendly towards her.

We lingered at the peacock pen to admire Dean's work and visit with him for a few minutes.

This pen is huge as it should be to house a family of peacocks!

He's done such a wonderful job!

It is nearly finished!

We went back up to our place and I hung LED lights around the windows.

I love my little lights!

Louis Dean is a happy camper!

He dearly loves building!

While not big on finishing - he DOES do it - but his biggest thrill is starting a new project!

I set out my art and worked on several small projects.

Louis Dean says this is a lazy man's way to make a fire without using the chain saw.

Supper tonight was a simple soup of potatoes and corn with onions and celery.

We don't waste any food if we can help it.

You can always make soup of things that you need to use up!

We have the best neighbors!

Stephanie on one side of us and Olga on the other with Cousin Joe across the street.

His granddad is brother to my Aunt Irene's husband....both now deceased.

Olga is a baker extraordinaire and brought us a slice of decadent cheesecake before we left home.

We are doling it out a bit at a time to make it last!

I took a two hour nap from 3:00 to 5:00 so it was late when I finished my art for the day.

I left it out since I am on Country Time and can paint again tomorrow.

Louis Dean is still fighting the bees!

These are Africanized honey bees and are a real menace.

He used a lot of chemicals last week when we were here for a few days and it may well have done some good - but not enough.

After researching it we found that dishwashing detergent and water seems to work best.

Bees breath through their bodies and the soap prevents that.

He didn't wait until total darkness but sprayed them down - from what he thought was a safe distance - and only suffered two bee stings as he made his getaway!

He plans to continue to douse them with the mixture every night for the next two weeks.

We MUST get rid of them because it isn't safe to have them so close to the house/camper.

Once it is safe enough to get to the hive, he will take it and burn it.

I am about ready to blow out the candles and turn off the lights and go to bed.

The days are stretched out in front of me.......13 of them.

I shall paint, read, write, cook, walk, think, pray, meditate.......

and simply BE......