A ray of light...

Up at the sheep barn I was caught off guard when I casually walked through a beam of light shining through a hole in the tin.  It was weird -- kind of like being shot without feeling it, but knowing *something* happened.  I stepped back and felt for my pocket camera and snapped a picture.  Just a cool thing.

Today I rode to town with hubby for some supplies.  He's going to build a feed bunk for the ewes with triplets.  We're going to try to feed them extra so that they can raise their own triplets instead of bumming them.  We'll see how that goes.  It's sometimes hard for a ewe to raise three lambs when there are only two spigots.

While Hubs was running errands, OnlyDaughter, her two Littles, and I went thrifting.  We found childrens clothes for the girls, and I found some fun dishes.  For six bucks I got 4 plates, 4 salad plates, 2 cups, 2 saucers, a sugar bowl with lid and creamer.  OnlyDaughter took a couple plates for her plate wall and I took home the rest. 

 After washing up the dishes, I decided I really liked them.  Initially the sugar bowl and creamer caught my eye, but now the rest of the dishes are growing on me.  After supper I decided to go looking for the brand online:  Taylor Smith Taylor Ironstone, USA.  I found that this style is a collectable  made in the 50s and 60s.  Now that I have these few pieces, I'm going to keep my eyes open for others.  I like this retro look and shape.

 Mint by Taylor Smith & Taylor Ironstone

There is another style that is popular in the Taylor Smith & Taylor line called Atomic and a similar pattern called Cathay that looks like the dishes below.  Again, another very retro look that I think is fun.  I'm going to keep a sharp eye out for this style too.  I love thrift shops, and how much bang I can get from a buck.  It's like the barn -- a beam of light shines onto old, forgotten things, and I see them in a different light.

Atomic by Smith Taylor & Smith

The moon, Little Women, and twinkle lights...

 Full Moon taken at 7:30 pm MST

Have you been out to look at the moon tonight?  Oh, it's glorious as always, but tonight at our house there is a rainbow-type ring around it which usually means moisture is in the air or that it's coming soon.  We call it a "moon dog."  I'm not sure if it's a real term for this phenom, but I know that a sun dog is a true term for a ring around the sun.  What all of us will see near the moon tonight is the planet Jupiter and the bright star Aldebaran with faint Pleiades above.  I brought over this good picture from Sky & Telescope where I like to check out the things I see in the sky.  I love this site. 

 
I also like to read about the names of the full moons so here's what the Farmer's Almanac tells me:  "Full Beaver Moon – November This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon."  We have beaver on the river where we lease some land.  It is absolutely fascinating to me how those big yellow beaver teeth can cut down great, old cottonwoods in a very little time.  They are quite destructive and it's sad to see such beautiful trees that took so long to grow destroyed.

Besides moon-gazing, I've been reading on my "Christmas Book," Little Women.  Oh, how I'm enjoying it!  Just take a listen to this part:

'What in the world are you going to do now, Jo?' asked Meg, one snowy afternoon, as her sister came  tramping through the hall, in rubber boots, old sack and hood, with a broom in one hand and a shovel in the other.

'Going out for exercise,' answered Jo, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

'I should think two long walks this morning would have been enough.  It's cold and dull out, and I advise you to stay, warm and dry, by the fire, as I do,' said Meg, with a shiver.

'Never take advice!  Can't keep still all day, and, not being a pussy-cat, I don't like to doze by the fire.  I like adventures, and I'm going to find some.'

Meg went back to toast her feet and read 'Ivanhoe;' and Jo began to dig paths with great energy.  The snow was light, and with her broom she soon swept a path all round the garden for Beth to walk in when the sun came out; and the invalid dolls needed air.

 Isn't that just fun reading?  I think so too.  I feel much like Jo a lot of the time.  As much as I enjoy a good book to read, I really can't sit still for very long before my hands get fidgety and my legs begin to ache for want of exercise or something to do -- mostly outdoors.  Are you more of an adventurer like Jo or a pussy-cat like Meg?  Or perhaps you are like Beth, taking care of her invalid baby dolls or Amy who is petted and spoilt by her older sisters.  Each girl has her noble qualities and each has her shortcomings, but    altogether they compliment each other and challenge one another to be better people, moving ever closer to that Palace Beautiful as told in their Pilgrim's Progress.
........................................

Ours is still the only house "on the block" which doesn't have it's Christmas lights strung  and lit.  Peach asked me why I didn't have my Christmas lights up, and I replied to her,  I had the porch light on, wasn't that good enough?  Bless her heart, she told me it was very nice, but it was not a Christmas light.  One thing Hubby and I did put up is The Star on the Barn.  Travelers-by will see it shining in the night, and I hope they think about that Star of Bethlehem.  The Littles love to go see it at dark.  It's a mile up the road to the barn so someone has to take them, just like you would in town when you want to go out driving up and down the streets to see the neighborhood Christmas lights.  Simple little things is what they love most.  Me too.  I hope your eyes light up with each strand of twinkle lights you hang and every candle you light.  You are making someone's holiday special when you do it. Every new day brings us a little closer to that Joyful Day.

An evening walk...

 I went for an evening walk the other night and grabbed my camera.  I couldn't help taking a picture of this toadstool for my bloggy friend, Pom Pom, who adores toadstools.  This is the real deal -- 'shrooms growing strong on a pile of cow manure.  Some might not think it's a pretty sight, but I do.  I like mushrooms and toadstools.

 I walked myself a mile and a half, down the trail to the old shearing pens where we work our sheep.  The sheep and lambs aren't here today.  They're out to pasture now, grazing to their hearts content,  and the yearling ewes are having their babies all on their own.

 I walked through the alley where we load sheep into the trailer and I hopped over this white, rusty gate to get to the barn.  I had heard that there was something special growing inside, and I had to see it for myself.

 See how broken down this old place is?  The tin is off the roof and so are the boards.  It's still standing despite the wild winds we always have and despite the heavy snows.  When I look up at the holes in the roof of this barn, I imagine them as holes in the floor of heaven.  There was a song by that name.  Do you know it?  I think of those holes as places where God sends his mercy down and where our prayers rise up to Him.

 Back to the thing growing in the shearing pens barn -- this tree!  From what I can gather, I think it's an apple tree.  The bark and leaves look like an apple tree, and it makes sense that there would be one growing in here.  Hubby says he threw many an apple core through the roof when he was a boy, and I'm sure the old shearers had their share of apple cores left behind.  It's a perfect growing place for a tree too.  Lots of protection from deer, from wind, and from hail (unless it came through the top).  It has the perfect amount of sun -- not too much scorching prairie sun, and not too little.  I hope it grows through the roof and puts on apples some day.

 I found these letters on the wall in blue paint -- G R with a curlycue underneath.  I wonder who that wrote it?  I can't think of anyone in the family with those initials.  Maybe a shearer or a friend who came to help dock lambs.

 And here's a tool that was left to rust on the beam.  It's a sheep piller.  You put a tiny pill (likely de-worming medicine) in the tip and put it down the throat of the sheep.  I brought it home.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but something will tickle my fancy, I'm sure.

This is the stockade on the south side of the pens.  I just liked the look of it against the blue and white sky.  I realize it's not officially summer yet, but are you taking summer evening walks?   What do you see when you are out for a walk?

Golfing in the Heartland...

 We just got back from the NJCAA Golf Tournament in Newton, Kansas.  We thoroughly enjoyed the drive through farmland and crops, through grazing land and wind, and onto the Sand Creek Station golf club  where we were surrounded by amber waves of grain.  It was beautiful.

 

  

 The amber waves of grain.

 

This was a pretty birdie shot right up next to the pin!  

 

 Out of 120 players who qualified for the national tourney, our young man placed 30th.  There were very few low rounds posted, but it was totally understandable due to the strong, hot winds that blew each day.  It was totally exhausting and we were so ready to get off the course after every round.  It was a great course and a terrific experience though, and we were glad we were able to go.   

School events are over; now we are moving on to SUMMER!  The Golfer starts his job tomorrow at a local course 70 miles away.  He's going take an apartment in town so we'll probably only get to see him once a week.  The other college son is home and working for us on the ranch this year.  Yay!

 Speaking of summer, look who visited my backyard Columbine flowers today!  

I like butterflies.  We rarely see Swallowtails so this black & yellow beauty was a special gift.

Barns...

Frawley Homestead

Honey and I went on a road trip yesterday.  We were on the way to the Big City to do some shopping and decided to take the back roads part of the way.  We had to stop by a golf course for some supplies before our trip to the NJCAA National golf tourney and the back road was the prettiest way to get there.  I asked Honey for a couple photo stops along the way and he gladly obliged me.  I hope you enjoy the old homesteads and barns I captured along the way.  I'm a collector of barn photos and these local barns will go into my collection. 

 

 Frawley Estate, Lower Ranch, Elkhorn Ridge

 

 Reddick Ranch (note the dugout/cellar in the background)

 I don't think this is a barn, but rather, a home. 

Whatever it may be, I think it's a really interesting building along the St. Onge Road.

The building in the background of this photo is what we call The Shearing Pens.  Not a barn, really, but a structure that was used to shed sheep when storms came and to shear sheep in back-in-the-day.  We got the ewes and lambs in a couple of days ago and wormed the lambs. Oh my, but the lambs have grown -- so big and healthy!  It was fun to get a close look at them again.  Aren't they beautiful creatures?

 

Here is the grandgirls' new puppy, Charlie.

He is just learning about sheep.  He's half Australian Shepherd/Border Collie. 

He is very calm and quiet and thoughtful.

 

Sue did most of the dog-work that day.  She's getting a bit old and fat so she had some trouble jumping over the gates.  It used to come easy for her; now it's hard work.  I know how she feels.

If you are a barn lover like me, you might enjoy one of my favorite books called An Age of Barns by Eric Sloane.  He researched all kinds of barn styles and types and then sketched them and painted some and put them in a book.  Eric Sloane inspired one of our sons to draw -- in particular barns and buildings -- and he was good at it.  If you'd like to take a look at some of Eric Sloane's work, take a look here.

We have a dilapidated barn that will one day need to be replaced with something else.  I'm hopeful that we can build an old style barn that will be beautiful to look at and yet very functional too.  I've always thought it would be neat to have a barn with an upper level for storage and for roller skating, for barn dancing and maybe a workshop of some kind.  I also think there should be a rope hanging down from the upper level to climb and swing on.  I would like Hubs to have an office out there too.  A girl and her barn dreams.

 Then our sons in their youth

will be like well-nurtured plants,

and our daughters will be like pillars

carved to adorn a palace.

  Our barns will be filled

with every kind of provision.

Our sheep will increase by thousands,

by tens of thousands in our fields;

  our oxen will draw heavy loads.

There will be no breaching of walls,

no going into captivity,

no cry of distress in our streets.

  Blessed are the people of whom this is true;

blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

~Psalm 144:12-15

A prayer....

 

Old Barn near Kallispell, MT

Oh God, give me grace for this day.

Not for a lifetime, nor for next week,

Nor for tomorrow, just for this day.

Direct my thoughts and bless them,

Direct my work and bless it.

Direct the things I say, and give them blessing too.

Direct everything that I think and speak and do,

So that for this one day, just this one day,

I have the gift of grace that comes

From your presence.

Amen

~Marjorie Holmes

Pickin'....

I just couldn't wait.....

I had to pick.

These two cucumbers could not stay on the vine another day.  Even though they would have, could have, gotten longer, I couldn't wait.  I have been waiting a long, long time already for a fresh cucumber.  It could hail tonight and then where would I be?  Cucumberless.  That's why I picked.  They are going to taste so delicious sliced with red onions and stirred into some sour cream. 

The carrots are nice too -- crisp and sweet.  I've been thinning them, a few at a time, so I get some small  fresh carrots through the summer and will save some good long ones for fall harvesting.  It's so nice that carrots grow underground where grasshoppers and hail can't kill them.

Now the beans.  My favorite way to prepare them is to boil them for about 5-10 minutes and then toss them in a skillet along with some bacon and onion and then a few sliced almonds at the end of cooking.  It's amazing stuff!

We went on a little excursion this weekend to watch our youngest son play some tournament golf.  He was trying to qualify for the USGA Amateur.  He sadly did not win, but it was a good experience for him.

It was just a short trip with a lot of walking --36 holes of golf in one day.  I'm glad all I had to do was to walk around the course.  Hubs caddied and carried the clubs and Youngest Son did the golfing.  We were all glad to collapse into our beds at home late last night.

On the way, we passed this beautiful barn huddled against the pines.  I'm a big barn lover and wherever I go, I am camera-ready to snap a picture of pretty barn or an old dilapidated barn that might come into view.

Here is a picture with the house alongside it.  It has the barn's similar structure.  I like it.

On the drive home, it was beginning to rain and I noticed a rainbow blob.  There wasn't the full rainbow that one always think of, but just a tiny hole in the sky that revealed the colors of the rainbow. 

Today there was laundry to do, sheets to wash, gardens to water, home-brewed coffee to drink.  There's no place like home.