Morning Coffee With the Cows, Trip to Town, Critter Chores.....Our Friday

I woke up before Louis Dean and tiptoed out to the front room where I sat looking out the window at Mr. Jackson's cows while the coffee brewed.

Then I walked out and over to the fence to say hello.

I kind of love these donkeys. Whenever I hear them bellowing out their 'HEE Haws,' I always think of Kailey and how she alone refused to call me Grandma but insisted on MEE Maw!! Just like a donkey braying. Gotta love that little girl!

The cows all came over to the fence line to visit for a few minutes.

Aren't these pretty girls??

I'm collecting cow pictures now to paint from in the future.

They all look so different.

I know next to nothing about cows so I don't have any idea what kind any of these are.

I just know they are pretty and I love to watch them roam around what I like to think of as my front yard.

I love that I can go out in a long nightgown that's flapping in the wind, wearing bedroom slippers and a Hooters ball cap, carrying my cup of coffee and walking the fence line between Dean and Mr. Jackson's property! Just another day in the country!

I spent all morning painting and trying to wrap up last year's Santas. I painted on the one Deanie asked me to fix way too long and it is a mess. They say 'Stop one brush stroke before you think you are done.' I went WAY past one stroke. All I can do at this point is let it dry and paint again another day. Louis Dean asked to see it (I have hidden it leaning against the wall to dry. Seriously, it;s embarrassing to look at him!) I pulled Santa out from behind the chair and he studied it for a minute and said, "I think you can fix him. It looks like he has a lot of scars on his face." Yes, it does.

If I can pull off fixing this painting, I will have impressed myself!! Here's hoping....

I fixed us a really good salad and a baked potato for our lunch.

Louis Dean has been working hard cleaning up the front yard and clearing all the debris that is littering the what will eventually be our bathroom.

He had to take a little rest after lunch - he was so tired.

I think this is so much more exercise than walking at the gym.

I went to town this afternoon.

It felt good to drive that big old white truck down the country roads.

I saw two other trucks on my way to Mart. Usually you don't see even one other vehicle.

Mart is a cool little country town.

My first stop was to mail some letters at the post office.

Then I went on down Texas Avenue to the Dollar Store.

My last stop was Read's Grocery Store.

They had skinless boneless chicken breasts for just $0.88 a pound! Limit 3 packages to a customer and I bought 3!

I stopped the truck and rolled down the window to take this picture right outside Mart.

It's so much fun to be here every month and watch the seasons change.

County Line Road.

I drive to the very end and turn right.

Love this view!!

Louis Dean had worked hard the entire time I was gone.

He's cleaned out the fire pit and dug it down and put in the new dryer drum to use as a fire ring.

He spread all the ashes along the property line and picked up or cleared out the movable things from the front room because I was vacuuming tonight and then hosing the indoor/outdoor rug down with Pine Sol and a power nozzle on the water hose.

He helped me put up the perishables and then it was time for critter chores.

The horses came up as we were getting ready to go down so I gave them each a carrot from the bag I had just bought at Read's.

I can never remember their names!

This one has blue eyes.

It was the magical moment for putting the ducks up.

They gathered around me when I dipped a can into the cracked corn and then they all waddled right into the little tank and swam across to the duck pen. I walked around.

They followed me in just as if I were the Pied Piper of Ducks!

But goodness! They sure can make a lot of racket!!

I shut up the hen house and went around checking all the other pens.

The newest baby chicks are in Sherry's pantry area in a big container with a light to keep them warm.She bought six last Tuesday and lost three of them.

The other three were looking good tonight.

It was daylight when we started Critter Chores but it was dark by the time we got to the goats.

Louis Dean parked the truck so his headlights would shine on the goat pen.

Done!!! All critters safe and accounted for!

I think Rufus is missing his mommy and daddy.

Look how sad his eyes are. 

We each spent some time with him while we took turns taking showers.

Rufus sleeps most of the day and at night he stays down at Dean and Sherry's.

Louis Dean will go let him out in the morning and he may hang with us for awhile.

He's such a good boy......

So that's our day and there's Louis Dean counting down to 10:30 when he can take his medicine and go to bed. He got really tired doing all the work he did up here this afternoon. But he bounces back pretty quick which is a good thing.

He's been in bed for an hour and I am going to close out this journal entry and go to bed myself.

I may read a little first, though.......