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 |  A Journal of our Adventures in Country Living.... |
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"Home is where the heart is" and this is the continuing story of our life on the farm....where our heart is and where we make our home. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I want to thank janieruthryals for this wonderful Merit Badge: ![Merit Badge in Nature
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For the wonderful visit to your farm, all through the words in your blog.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Nature-1125.gif) |
| David commented one time that I always walk with my head down. "Lift your head, hold it high, walk like a queen", he said. You see, I do walk with my head down. It's not because I don't have any confidence in myself, that's far from the truth. It's not because I feel inferior to the people around me, or am embarrassed. No, the reason I hold my head down is because I am looking. That's right ! All my life I have always looked for things laying about on the ground. I have found some interesting artifacts doing this and have even come into some money once in a while. I remember the one day I was walking to school and surveying the surrounding ground around me as I walked and by golly.... there lay a folded up $20 bill along the curb. You can bet I was a happy camper that day ! I have a box full of fossils that I have found throughout my life, and have probably gained a hundred dollars or more during this time if you count all the quarters, nickles and dimes I have pocketed. There is a diamond ring in my jewelry box and a 14ct gold bracelet that I found laying here or there. Yes, I do try to find the owners if I can as I know how devastated I would be if I lost something of value. I still have the habit of doing this and I still find some interesting things. Since moving to our little 10 acre spread, I have found Indian arrow heads, a few other Indian artifacts, a bleached out turtle shell, a few small animal sculls and this.............. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Now you tell me what that is, will you. It sure as heck looks like a human nose to me. Do noses petrify? David said that a human nose, since it is made up of cartilage, would rot fast once layed upon the ground. But what if they fell into water that had a lot of minerals in it? I keep telling David that this is my nose, and that it's not just an amazing natural rock that imitates the human nose. If you could look close enough, it even looks like you can see the pores in the skin.... sort of like thick leather..... ewwwwwwww ! I wonder if I could sell it on Ebay? Things a lot weirder than this have been bought for lots of money by some strange people. So what do you think...... Petrified Human Nose or A Rock |
| Just want to wish everyone out there a Happy Mother's Day. I am heading over to my mothers to celebrate the day with her. Thank goodness she is close by. Her birthday is May 15th and she will be a young 90 years old. This is not a great picture of her, but I took it a few days ago. She is holding my sister's new puppy "Rags" that showed up in my yard last week. I convinced my sister that she needed a new puppy.... as I sure didn't !!! He really is a sweet thing. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I love crafting and sewing. I don't have a sewing machine at the moment, but my sister does so I am going to be working on a small project over at her house this coming week. This is something I am making for my grandson, who should enter this wonderful world around June 11th. It's a baby blanket, but unique and so, so soft. If you have DSL this should be easy to view.... now sure about dial up.... but here is a video that shows what I am doing. I remember making these back when I was a teenager, and I loved them. http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/5375_rag-blanket.htm Since my son is a helicopter pilot in the Army, I thought a soft flannel fabric with helicopters would be appropriate. This is what I found: ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I will cut this fabric up into 12 inch squares and then find some other flannel colors that match to fill in. I think it will be cute. Ok, I've got to run.... and hug my mom. At her age, I never know how many hugs I can still get in. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of you out there. |
| There comes a time when you just have to let some of them go. I always worry what kind of home they will go to. Will they be taken care of, fed and watered, handled and enjoyed... or will be neglected after the novelty wears off, left to fend for themselves or die of dehydration or disease. You can ask all kinds of questions and you try your best to weed out the people who only want a Pygmy Goat because they are 'cute'. After a while, running out in the cold of winter or the heat of summer, through storms and rain to feed a 'cute' little goat becomes a chore and gets forgotten or put off. Adults lay the responsibility on children and children are not reliable enough to depend on. I sold Casper today and I was a bit worried about where he was going. I didn't get a chance to really talk to the lady that wanted him. The sale took place over the Internet and she was going to meet me in the Bluff to pick him up. David helped me load Casper up this morning in a large dog crate in the back of the truck and I took off to meet up with his new owner. I do think that Casper will enjoy his new home. I was able to talk to her and her husband at length when we got together. They have a little black doe and want to raise some young goats to help keep the brush down on their farm. They fell in love with Casper the minute they saw him. I could tell from their behavior that Casper will have a good home. They ohhhed and awwwed over him, how good looking he was with his little tuft of hair in the middle of his head giving him the 'Elvis' look. They were amazed at how small he was. Their doe is a little bit bigger they said and were happy that he was smaller, as they like the smaller goats... they're easier to handle. So now Casper will have is own 'gal' to hang out with and raise babies with. They plan on increasing his harem as soon as they can find a few more does. So Casper will be a happy camper, and so will I. I really worry about my critters, and always hope they go to good, decent homes. Here is Casper ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I have also sold Wally, the little spotted buck. A lady in Southern Illinois saw him on the Internet and emailed me. She also raises goats and various other critters... just like me, and she said she fell in love with him the minute she saw his picture. She may have a nannie or two for me and she also has a pair of "Fainting Goats' and will let me know when they have their babies as I may purchase one or borrow her buck for a while. She and I talked for a good half hour when she called me, checking up on Wally. He won't be going to his new home until he is weaned around June 1st. He is a sweet little goat, now that I have put my foot down on the horsing or should I say goating around that David and he were doing. I have one more goat for sale. Doolittle, the little black and white buck that I took back is looking for a good home. He needs some groceries and a good grooming as he is trying to shed, but his winter coat is not coming out well. I have him on a good goat chow, plus forage so he should start shaping up well. If I don't sell him, he will be fixed and turned out with the herd. Well, that's life down on the farm. Oh, I checked my status online regarding my Disability claim and they said that a decision has been made, but they won't tell me online what it is. I have to wait for the letter to arrive in the mail. I am not getting my hopes up as I was told that about 90% are denied the first time. Then you have to go through the appeal process. I am still recovering from the 'busy' day I had the other day. The soreness and exhaustion is slowly dissipating. The trouble I have is that I hate to quit. I love doing things and sometimes I just over do it and then pay for it for several days. But even then, I hate to stop. It's so beautiful outside, and there is so much to do, and I love to do it, I hate laying up, it's so boring !!! |
| Have you ever had one of THOSE days.... when if something can go wrong, it does? That was the day I had this past Monday. It started when I was woke up at 4:30 in the morning by Booker needing to go out. That would have been find, but he has this slight problem.... he wakes me up after the fact. Usually he makes it through the night with no problems, but once in a while, nature hits him at the most inappropriate times. So I wake up and hear this little scratching and whining at our bedroom door. He sounds desperate so I jump up and throw on my robe. I open the door and the poor little thing runs past me and over to David's side of the bed and jumps on the bed and climbs all over him, biting his nose and licking his face. So now David is growling and moaning and all bent out of shape because he is also awake at 4:30 in the morning. I finally get Booker off David and head to the door to let him out when I spot the neat little pile left by said dog, in the middle of the living room floor. I look at Booker and he does the hang the head, roll over on back and look cute maneuver. I put his butt outside anyway and commenced to cleaning up the floor. I crawl back into bed and snuggle up against a still growling David with a beard full of puppy slobber. After David left for work, I was picking up the house when I kept hearing this noise coming from the goat pen. I look outside and the three bucks are fighting through the fence. They just about have a whole section of fence torn down. I have the pasture for the goats and then butting up next to this is a smaller area that I have to keep either a momma about to kid, new goats or a sick goat in. I call it my catch pen. I had put the new goats; Holly (the Fainting goat) and Doolittle (a buck), in there until they get use to me. Holly was in season and the three goats, my two out in the big pasture and Doolittle were butting and fighting through the fence. They had the wire all stretched and two of the fence post all lose in the soil. Addy, my senior goat had a bloodied face from pushing through the wire. So I had to drop everything and fix fencing. I ended up putting up boards between the two pens so that the bucks couldn't get to each other. I pounded the post back in a bit deeper and fixed wire. That just exhausted me and I headed back into the house to sit for a while. Here is a picture of David standing in the goat pasture right after Gypsy had her babies, and my two bucks are in the catch pen. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** The rest didn't last long, as I heard the dogs barking and went to check on them. They had dug 2 holes under the fence and were trying to get into the goat pasture. I ran out there with my big stick to beat some more butt and find rocks and stuff to fill in the holes. Sherman loves to get in with the goats and run them. He doesn't hurt them, he just thinks it great to run them around the pasture a few laps. Needless to say, the goats are not happy campers about this forced exercise. I am going to have to run a hot wire around the perimeter of the backyard to keep the dogs from digging under the fence. I got the holes filled and staggered back into the house to try to rest up again. If I over do it, I will not be able to get out of bed the next day, and I hate that !!! While filling in the holes, I didn't realize that one of the dogs had carried a rather large stick into the house. I was laying down in the bed watching the news when I heard barking and growling coming from the living room. I stiffly made my way out of the bed to see what the 'children' were up to now. There were 4 dogs chewing and fighting over a stick. Do you know how hard it is to remove a 4 foot long, 3 inch diameter stick from carpet after it has been chewed and shredded by 4 dogs. I couldn't sweep it up and my vacuum wouldn't pick it up. All the little pieces were hanging onto the carpet fibers with everything they had. Do you also know how hard it is for a person who has fibromyalgia and is achy and sore because of fixing fence and tending to critters all day, to get down on the floor and clean it all up.... then have to get back up off the floor? Just let me say.... it wasn't pretty !!! I threw all the dogs back outside and crawled back into bed for a bit. The sun was shining and there was a real nice breeze blowing and I hate being stuck inside on such a beautiful day. So I once again crawled out of bed and wandered outside to putz around in the flower beds. Booker, our little dog can crawl under the gate and he always comes out and hangs out with me when I am in the front yard. He has never attempted to go down the driveway into the road, always having fun exploring the flower beds and side pastures. So I am puttering around by the front fence and just happen to look up and what do I see.... Booker standing right smack in the middle of the road. Thank goodness it is a dirt road with very little traffic. I grabbed a little twig and marched out there and told him to get his little butt back into the yard and hit the ground behind him with the stick. He tucked his tail and ran back into the yard and I praised him for being a good boy. I went back to checking out some Lilacs I had moved and checking on my Peonies when I looked and saw that little bugger back in the middle of the road.... just standing there daring anything to try to get past him. Although I said that the road wasn't busy at all, the cars that do past, fly by throwing up dust and dirt. I called to Booker to come, and he ignored me. I called him again and started to walk towards him, and he took off and ran.... away from me down the middle of the road. Heck........... I took off after him. I just knew that a car would fly by and not even see him in time to stop. He stopped and looked at me. I called him. The little Sh#$ turned and ran away from me again. Here I was chasing this little 10# dog down the middle of a dirt road and he was winning. It had become a wonderful new game for him. So I changed the rules of the game. The next time he stopped and turned around to look at me, I turned around also and started running (well, maybe it was just a fast walk) back to the house. I ignored him. I was praying that a car wouldn't come by. I was hoping the game would work. Sure enough, he couldn't stand it, and here he came running as fast as his little legs would carry him. He passed me up and ran into the driveway and up to the house and then sat down to wait for me.... huffing and puffing and again, totally exhausted, to catch up. Once he figured out that is was sort of neat to head out to the road, as it was a big unexplored area for him to check out, I couldn't keep him out of it. So I had to place a board across the bottom of the gate to keep him in the big side yard with the other dogs. I had just returned to the comfort of my chair when I heard a familiar 'Baaaa ba'. You see, our little black nanny, Gypsy has this bad habit of finding those hard to find spots where she can stick her head through the fence. This would normally not cause a problem, except she has horns, and she gets her head stuck and can't get it back out. So out the door I head once again, this time to find Gypsy and fight with her to get her head back out the same little square of fencing that somehow she forced her head through in the first place. She is never appreciative of my efforts, and it's a fight to get her head in that one, exact position that will allow it to slip on back and free her. Of course she was at the furthest reaches of the pasture. I know there were a few other episodes that happened that afternoon, but for the life of me, I was so exhausted by that time, I can't remember. I just know that by the time David got home from work, I was one bitchy, tired, worn out gal. Of course, as I told him of my trying times, he just laughed and said, "Poor Baby." Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !!! Here is Booker, the little demon !! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
OMG, I need HELP. I just don't know what I am going to do. I know that if I don't do something, David and/or I will end up in a jail somewhere. I have to come up with a solution in the next 2 months, or you may not see us (especially David: David McClain  ) around as often.Here, let me back up a bit and let you know what is going on in my life right at the moment............... My son and his wife live up in Yakima, Washington. He is a helicopter pilot in the Army and is stationed up there. Well, they are expecting their first child, my first grandbaby in June. Of course they want us to come up and visit and see the baby and do a bit of sightseeing so they offered to pay OUR way up there. That is where the trouble lies. Those three little letters.... OUR. Not me, but David and I. That would be great, except there is one BIG problem....... Now I don't know if any of you remember my blog about the one and only time David and I flew together. It was not a fun experience and I swore right there and then that David and I would never be seen in the same airport together again. You see, David has this little bit of a problem. When he gets nervous and irritable, he relieves his stress by making jokes. Well, that is fine and dandy in most instances, but with all this heightened security at airports, and strict procedures..... it is not a place to start cracking jokes, ESPECIALLY jokes about hijackings. I guess it is all my fault, really. Let me back up a bit further here and explain. I was in St. Louis visiting my kinfolk when 9-11 happened. We all sat there in awe and shock at what was happening. Then 3 days later I had to fly to Detroit. No big deal, except when they find hints of TNT (dynamite) on your belongings. They took me into this room and search everything I had and the only place they found traces of it was on the bottom of my purse. It took awhile, but I finally had an explanation for them, you see, I had stopped at Bon Terre, Missouri for lunch on my way to the airport and that is a mining town. It was just a little mom and pop restaurant and the only thing I could figure out is that some of the miners had sat there at my table before me and left dynamite dust on the floor from their shoes or equipment. Of course, when I sat my purse down on the floor, it picked up a minute trace of the dust. That's all it took for me to be pulled inside a small room and interrogated. They finally let me go, but I guess I was 'tagged'. Every time I have flown since then, I am always pulled aside and doubled checked, along with anyone who happens to be flying with me. Sure enough it happened when David and I flew to Maryland to meet up with CC. We were pulled aside and sat there while they went over everything we had with us with a fine tooth comb. David was nervous. David was irritable. David started cracking jokes about hijackings and bombs. "David," I whispered quietly. "SHUT UP." He just couldn't help himself, he was trying to relieve the stress that was building up inside of him. He either had to joke, or he was going to get mad and tell these security guards "with guns" where to go. We all know where David would have gone if that would have happened !! I was able to keep his joking at an almost inaudible whisper and we finally made it though the check point and onto the plane. I swear, if we had just been a few more minutes sitting in that small room waiting while they cleared us, we would have both ended up being arrested. So now, I have to fly with him again. Our departure date isn't until July 26, so I may just have to find some good 'drugs of choice'.... like a horse tranquiler, to give him so he doesn't get us both thrown in the slammer. He hates to fly anyway, and having to go through the check points is bad enough, but to be pulled aside and led into a small room to wait is just to much for him.... and the sarcastic jokes start to fly. I wonder if duct tape would work? But it will be a good trip, once we get this little problem resolved. Three of David's kids live in Yakima or close to it, so we will also be able to visit them. One of these is Ricky, and it will be really good to talk to him and see how things are going, medically, with him. It will ease David's mind to be able to sit down and discuss what has been happening and what is in store for him in the future. We are tentatively schedule to fly out on July 26 and return August 1. The closest airport to us is Memphis, it's probably about a 2 1/2 or maybe 3 hour drive. So I still have some time.... if any of you have ideas... I would be happy to hear them !!! Back to the farm........... Our little Fainting Goat has arrived and she is a cutie. I will try to get some pictures of her today, if the rain holds off. I also had to go to the doctor. I am applying for Disability Retirement as I just can't work. Just the little things I do around here just wipe me out and I find myself either laying down or sitting in the recliner several times a day just to get some strength back. They set up the appointment for me and this doctor confirmed that I do have fibromyalgia... all the pressure points were there as where the other symptoms. He said he couldn't verify the other diagnosis of Polymyalgia Rheumatica but he was sure there was also something else going on and wrote it all down. So I just have to wait now. I was told that they almost deny everyone on their first try, but then you have to appeal, so it is just a waiting game now. Don't forget, I need ideas on how to get David and I through the airport with no mishaps!!! |
| I am sure that some of you remember my blog from last year talking about Fainting Goats. These are goats that have a genetic condition called Myotonia Congenita which causes their muscles to stiffen when they are startled and they fall over as in a faint. The goats aren't hurt, nor does it hurt them and after several seconds, they are able to jump up and carry on with whatever it was they were doing. These goats were originally used by sheep herders. They would keep a couple of "Fainting Goats" in with their sheep herds. When a predator invaded the herd, the sheep would run off and the poor goat would 'faint' and the predator had an easy meal right there before him and would leave the sheep alone. Talk about a sucky job! Over time, these goats became rare and the breed was almost lost. Then breeders discovered their novelty and over the past 10 years have brought the breed back from extinction. Here is a youtube video of 'Fainting Goats' in action..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_3Utmj4RPU Well, come tomorrow, I will have a Fainting Goat. There was a guy who lived down the road from us who had a couple of pygmy goats. He stopped by last fall and wanted to buy one of my Billy's. He needed a guy to introduce to the ladies and he really liked Doolittle, a little black buck I had. Doolittle was one happy little buck as now he had his own harem to look after. A few weeks later I stopped by his house to see how Doolie was doing and was surprised to find out that one of the little goats was a 'Fainter'. She was a cute little thing and would faint at a drop of a pin. He had several other colorful little Pygmy does and Doolie had a big grin on his face. Well, yesterday, Randy stopped by and asked me if I wanted his little "Fainter" doe. I guess he has been ill and just wasn't able to take care of everything so moved his goats over to his dad's farm. Well with all the commotion going on at his dad's working farm, the poor fainting doe just wasn't settling in. So he wants me to take her. The only catch is that I have to take Doolittle back also. I guess his dad has goats and has a rather large buck, who is just not impressed with little Doolie. Doolie has been cast out of the herd by this bigger buck, so needs to find another home. Tomorrow, Randy will bring the two goats over. I will put both of them in the small pen for a while until the doe gets use to her surroundings. Then she will be put out with my herd. I will probably keep Doolie as a buck to breed the babies to when they are old enough as he is not related to them at all. I will have to put 'Casper' my yearling buck and 'Wally' the baby buck up for sale. That's the hard part, selling off your livestock. I always worry about what kind of home they will go to. Not to many people around here eat goat, so hopefully they won't become someones dinner. Here is a picture of Doolittle from last year. He got his name as I had planned on making him a wether (neutered male) and then would have been able to 'do little' in the baby making department. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I will take pictures of the little Fainting Goat when she gets here tomorrow. All the storms missed us yesterday. We got some lightening and thunder, gusty winds and some rain but nothing like they got northwest of us, or down in Arkansas. It is rather cool today and the wind is still gusty. David was complaining and whining all the way to the car this morning, on how 'cold' it was. I had the house windows open letting the fresh air in, and he was sitting in his chair at the computer with the little heater on full blast blowing directly on him, dressed in his sweat pants and shirt and all wrapped up in a blanket..... geeze !!! |
| Life is always interesting on the farm. You just never know what you will run into when you make your rounds and check on the animals. This afternoon I walked out to the goat pasture to play with the babies and found them napping in their feed bucket. They have plenty of straw in their little barn to lay in, but on sunny days, they like to climb into the bucket. I guess the black rubber retains the heat of the sun and feels good to them when they nap. Here is a picture of Wally (the black and white spotted kid) and Marta (solid black kid) trying to take a nap today. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I sat down on log and it didn't take long for them to come bouncing over to play. David has taught Wally and Marata a BAD THING ! Goats love to play... well... goat games.... and SO DOES DAVID ! Although playing goat games is cute when they are little, it's not so cute when they grow up... and have horns. David sits down on the log and the kids come over to play with him. He pushes them off the log and they jump back up and come at him with their little heads down and butt him. Then they get in the stance that says.... try that again, mister! So, David pushes them off the log again. Oh does that make them mad. They jump back up on the log and face off with David just daring him to do it ONE MORE TIME ! Goats love playing "King of the Log" with each other, and to them, David is just another big old goat (well, he is that to many of us also)! They get to butting him and pushing on him trying to knock him off the log. So now when I go out to sit and play with them, I use to get cuddly little goats who would come up to be petting on..... BUT NOW.... I get two goat kids who want to play goat games with me and butt me and push on me. But I must say, it is fun to play their games. You almost can't help yourself when they come up to you just daring you to push them off.... lol All of you that hate snakes... please leave now..... My sister stopped by and we walked out to play with the kids. We sat down on the log and I looked and there was a snake just a few feet away. It was all tangled up in a knot and the more I looked, the more I realized it was two snakes all tangled up in a knot. My sister had never seen two snakes in a romantic position before and she was fascinated. The goats were stepping on the poor attached couple, so I scooped them up with a piece of bark and put them in a more private area. They were Speckled King snakes. These snakes are great to have around the farm as they not only eat lizards and rodents, but they also eat other snakes like Rattlesnakes and Copperheads and other poisonous snakes. So I told them to take their time and to make plenty of babies ! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Springtime on the farm is time for reproduction, whether it be goats, horses or snakes.... it's a time of growth and beauty. |
| I had forgotten how nice a Spring day can be. The sun is shining, there is a breeze blowing and it's in the low 70's. I have all the windows open in the house and the smell of Spring is just permeating throughout. Poor David had to go back to work today after being off for almost 2 weeks with Bronchitis. I think he will enjoy retirement, as he sure enjoyed these past two weeks. Sitting out on the front porch early in the morning, listening to the low bellow of the cattle across the road as they search for their young ones is just exquisite. I wish everyone could enjoy such privileges. In the evenings we sit out back and watch the deer come in and graze in the pasture. They don't pay us any attention. They buck and play and then settle down to graze. Sometimes you can hear coyotes back in the woods. They are getting to where they run in packs now and you can hear the yips and yelps as they course their way through the woods and fields. They never come close to the house, staying way out behind our woods. There is a Whippoorwill in the woods across from us and he will serenade us in the late evenings. We also have a Chuck Will's Widow, another bird that sounds like a Whippoorwill, but with a slightly different call. I fell in love with the Mockingbird while living in Texas, and am glad that they also make their home here in Missouri. There is one nesting in a tree in our side pasture and he sings his melodious tunes every morning and evening for us. One thing about buying a house in the Fall, and not being able to talk to the previous owners, is that you have no idea what is planted in and about the yard. I was happily surprised to find all kinds of flowers poking up through the ground this Spring. Here is a picture of one of many groups of Irises that came up. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** There are also Lilacs, Daylilies, Peonies, assorted Daffodils and other perennials that I haven't been able to identify yet. They are in great need of some tender loving care which I will be happy to give them. Scarlett is growing and doing good. She is a feisty little thing and doesn't think twice about showing you the bottoms of her two hind feet. She is the kickingness foal I have ever had. A hard swat or two to her little behind put a stop to that nonsense. I mean she would nail you with a swift kick if she felt like it. Here is a picture I took today ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** She is growing more inquisitive every day and drives her momma up a wall trying to keep up with her and keep her out of trouble. She sure is a cutie, I am very happy with her. |
| David told me that I had better check out my Writing.com membership, as someone gave me a upgrade. Wow, that was so, so very nice of them. I don't know who it is, but I want to say... THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I just read my last entry dated 8-26-07. Wow, that was a long time ago ! So much has happened since then, I don't even know where to begin. Last August, when I sat down at my computer in Livingston, Texas, to write that entry, I had no idea that my next entry would originate from our home in Doniphan, Missouri. David and I had often talked of moving to Missouri so I could be near my mom. My sister was pushing hard for us to make the move, as then I would be close to help her with mom and also give her some much needed relief and a chance to get away with friends. My sister kept asking me if we would move if she could find us a place, and I kept telling her that I just didn't know. What a huge decision to make as both David and I were settled in our jobs, I had made some great friends and David had never lived outside of Livingston, let alone Texas. One day my sister called and in a very excited voice told me that she had found it. "Found what? I asked her. She went on to explain that she had found the perfect place for us. Unbeknowist to me, she had been working with a local realtor trying to find a small house with some acreage. They had finally located, what she thought was the perfect place for us. So I took a few days off work and drove up to Missouri by myself to look at this house she found. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed as the house had been gutted by the owner and needed a LOT of work. Supposedly, the owner was going to finish it all, but he was a young man and I just wasn't sure what his abilities were. All the electric and plumbing had to be redone, along with walls and flooring. From the outside it was a cute older style farm house, kind of rambling, sitting on 3 acres. It had a nice pasture with a small barn. But it just didn't feel right, and the price they had on it was a bit high. So I told my sister that I just didn't think that particular house would work out for David and I. I was only going to be in Missouri for 3 days so on the second day we were sitting at the realtor's talking about what was available. Our realtor called one of her associates in Poplar Bluff and told her what we wanted. That person said that they had just gotten a foreclosure in that very morning. They hadn't even put it on the market list yet. It was 10 acres with a 3 bedroom, 1700 sq foot farm house. It was just 3 miles from my sisters place and just 5 miles outside of Doniphan. We all jumped into the car and headed on out to take a look. As we turned into the driveway, I knew this was it. It felt like home. The previous owner had started to do some remodeling and had redone the plumbing, septic and electrical. He had also put a new metal roof on the house. It needed a lot on interior work, but most of it is cosmetic. The ceiling needs to be either painted or replace where it had leaked before the new roof. One of the floor joist needs to be replaced, and it needs new carpet and tile, but the house is very solid and sound. Because it was a forecloser, the price was REAL cheap. I couldn't believe how low they had it priced. I told my sister that this was it. My sister actually bought the house, and we are now buying it from her. It was just easier to do it that way as buying a foreclosed property is way different than your normal purchase. We were informed a few days later that we had gotten the house, and that we were lucky as there were a minimum of 25 people on the second day that inquired and wanted to buy it. So the rest is history. I know you have all read in Tor's blog, our experience in moving not only ourselves, but all our animals from Texas to Missouri. I want to use this blog to write of our experiences of "Life on the Farm". THANK YOU again to whoever was kind enough to give me the upgrade. |
| My sister’s place sits on twenty acres of rolling farmland. The barns sit up near the house and then the land falls gently away into a small valley, then ascends again to the woods. To the side of the house is a fescue filled pasture with a small pond that the horses get in to cool off during the heat of the day. Her home is a three bedroom brick house with a full walkout basement. One of the bedrooms is in the basement along with a bathroom, family room and small den area. My brother had arrived two days before us and had settled in the den where there was a sofa bed. We got the bedroom and Richard and Lindsey would have the other queen size sofa bed in the family room. They arrived a couple of hours after us, having left Fort Rucker, Alabama about 9 in the morning. It was great to see my family again. My mother is 89 years old this year and still pretty damn healthy for her age. She has some knee problems that inhibit her from doing a lot of walking, but she still gets out and about. Her hearing is a bit muffled and her memory fails her at times, but she still helps my sister cook, does the dishes and goes shopping with her all the time. At her age though, I know that every time I see her, it may be the last and that saddens me. She is probably the greatest mom a child could have had and I love her dearly. My sister is retired and maintains the place all by herself. She has two horses, two goats, four barn cats and four dogs. Richard and Lindsey had their two Jack Russell Terriers with them so it got a bit tense when all the dogs met each other. There was a lot of sniffing and posturing for a moment until everyone found their niche and settled down. My brother is ten years older than me and we hadn’t seen each other for several years. In fact, this was the first time that David had met him. My bother is the quiet type and sometimes, it takes a while to get to know him. He and David seemed to get along pretty well. Richard and Lindsey were in the process of moving back to Fort Drum, New York. He had been in Fort Rucker for the past several months taking some courses. The first of September they will leave New York and head out to Yakima, Washington for 3 years. It was so great to see them again. We really didn’t do much other than to just visit and enjoy each others company. The first day was spent catching up on all the news and events that had happened in all our lives. We headed out to Williamsville to visit my mom’s brother, my Uncle Burl. He is 91and was doing extremely well until this past year when pneumonia got him down. He has really never fully recovered and is weak and tired all the time. He still lives by himself, but his son and daughter stop by numerous times a day to check up on him, and he also has a home health nurse stops by once a day. His farm consist of approximately 400 acres of good old Missouri bottom land. It lays between two hills and the view of the valley is just unbelievable. This was my favorite place to vacation when I was a child. There is a dry creek bed that wanders through the pasture land, and we would always walk out there to look for “shiny’ rocks. Minerals would seep into crevices of the rocks during the wet season, then the summer heat would evaporate the water and the minerals would crystallize into diamond like projections and nodules. We have hauled off some really stunning and exquisite rocks from this creek. The only problem was reaching the creek, as you had to make your way through his herd of Black Angus cattle and sometimes the Bull just didn’t want you out there with HIS girls. So you always kept your eye on the Bull just to see where he was at all times. I took David down to this creek the last time we made the trip, 4 years ago. We got back to my sister’s house and made a pot of spaghetti and garlic bread. After stuffing ourselves we headed out to sit on the back porch that overlooks the pastures and fields. We talked until the mosquitoes drove us inside. Richard had a binder full of dvd movies and we picked out one and sat up way past midnight watching the movie and just talking. The next two days seem to fly by. We were going to go tubing on the Current River but for some reason never did make it. The weather was perfect. Although the local citizens complained of being extremely hot (it was 102), to David and I it felt perfect. Their humidity is not near as bad as we get it down here in Texas. Although it was hot, it was very bearable. Before we knew it, we were all packing suitcases getting ready to head out in different directions the next morning. My brother was heading back West to Denver. Richard and Lindsey were heading Northeast to New York and we were heading South, back to Texas. As we were standing out in the yard taking last minute pictures, Richard was complaining about his little dinky digital camera. It had broken and he had trouble with it staying together. He kept asking David questions about his Nikon digital SLR. David handed Richard the camera and let him play with it. Richard was in heaven with that camera. He caressed it and touched it like it was a polished diamond. He looked through the view finder and moved around the yard taking in different scenes. Finally he handed the camera back to David and picked up his little broken camera and walked off. Later that evening, David called me into the bedroom. “I want to give Richard this camera,” he said. “I haven’t been able to do anything for the boy and I want to do this for him.” I was flabbergasted. David loved this camera. He had been wanting one ever since I met him and I finally saved up enough to get it for him. I couldn’t believe that he would do this for Richard. I told him it was his camera and if he wanted to give it to Richard, then he should. So I called Richard into the room, and David turned the camera along with all the accessories over to him. Richard couldn’t believe it. He took that camera like it was a newborn baby and fondled it lovingly. He asked David if he was sure, and David said yes... that he could have the camera. The only payment we wanted was some damn good pictures of all the places he would get to visit in the future. Richard looked at me and I just smiled. He had that look on his face, like he use to get when he was a youngster on Christmas morning, shocked and excited all at the same time. They sat on the edge of the bed and went all over the camera together, the extra lenses and other stuff David had for it. Then Richard carried the camera out to show Lindsey his new pride and joy. He sat there on the bed and cleaned and fooled with that camera way into the night. That was the grandest thing David could have done for Richard. I am so proud of both of them. I know how hard it was for David to give that camera up, but he really wanted Richard to have it. He wanted him to enjoy it and it made David happy that he could do such a thing for Richard. Gawd I love that man. We finally crawled into bed around midnight. We were heading back to Texas in the morning........... |
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