Saturday, July 23, 2016

A Perfect Day

At various times today, I said to myself or right out loud, "What a day! What a perfect day!" This evening, as I was thinking I should blog about it, I remembered I'm working on the Children's Devotional for the September issue of Forsyth Family Magazine. Its working title? "What a Day!" I guess it just goes to show you need to experience what you preach.

I had no agenda today, no to-do list. Of course there were kitties to feed and breakfast to get on the table and then dishes to wash, but after that the day just rolled out, smoothly, a bit at a time. Actually, the first big smile of the day was right after breakfast when the mail came. Look at my new mouse pad from Shutterfly.
My family! A smile every time I sit at my computer :)
The cookie jar was empty, so I decided to make chocolate chip cookies. Instead of making the whole recipe, I went with a half batch. That means there aren't any extras to put in the freezer, but it was a good decision. And, if I do say so myself, Yum!
I have fresh peaches, thanks to Beth and Edith making a trip to the fruit stands the other day, so I decided to make a peach cake. It's not a fancy cake, but it's easy and delicious. I have the recipe written on a slip of paper, but I don't know where I originally got it. The recipe here is the same except for the following: Whisk the eggs in the bowl and add 1 tsp. vanilla. Then add the other ingredients (except the peaches and nuts) and stir by hand. (No beaters to wash). I used only 1/2 tsp salt. When it's all combined, then gently stir in the peaches and nuts. Bake as directed.
Music blasting from the living room kept me bopping all day long. Casting Crowns,The Beach Boys, Selah, Lady Antebellum, Kutless - good stuff!

Weldon came in about 4:00 and asked if I could come help him for a few minutes. Nothing was in the oven or cooking on the stove, so off I went. He was working on the baler and my job was to slip a bolt on either end of the big roller when he got it in position. Unfortunately, that never happened. That sucker is HEAVY!
The good news is that neighbor Clay stopped to help. I hurried out with some cake for him to take home. The bad news is that the bolt Weldon had didn't fit or wasn't just right in some way. The good news is that, after supper, he was able to get a bolt in town, so hopefully he can put it back together tomorrow. We're ending on the good news!

When I went out to feed the kitties, my heart almost stopped beating. There was Adorable (French pronunciation, please)! She has been gone for three or four days! She was coming across the yard, leaning into each cat she met, as though to say, "I'm home! I've missed you." She was a little thinner than usual, but otherwise looked good. She just kept leaning in for snuggles. So sweet!
Adorable (pictured) and Beatrice are the only two left from the first-ever batch of attic kitties :)
Today was an all-around beautiful day. Every time I went outside, I stretched my arms out in airplane mode and let the sun do its warming thing. I was glad I didn't have to be out there working, but I love the sensation of the sun soaking in a bit. Haiti memories :) Not only was the day lovely; my heart was calm, peaceful, and content. Beautiful.

What a day! What a perfect day!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

UFO Sighting

Friday evening, July 8, 2016

After feeding the cats, I hurriedly took a sample of my freshly baked Cherry Berry pie to Edith's.
Not wanting to get caught in the soon-coming rain, I didn't hang around to chat. However, as I crossed her yard, the brilliant rays of sunshine, coupled with the burgeoning clouds, grabbed my attention. I made a quick detour to the grassy area just outside the milk barn to get some photos of our beloved Pilot Mountain. The sun was at such an angle that I couldn't see what was showing up on my phone screen. Pointing and clicking, in the space of a minute or two, I blindly took 8 or 9 photos. When I got home, I checked out the photos, deleting the obvious junk. That left the five photos below.
Photo #1, taken at 7:07pm
Photo #2, taken at 7:07pm
Photo #3, taken at 7:07pm
Photo #4, taken at 7:07pm
Photo #5, taken at 7:08pm
Photos 3 and 4 are lovely, but nothing out of the ordinary. In photos 1, 2, and 5, however, a little sphere of light caught my eye. Do you see it? First I thought it must have been the sun peeking through the clouds, but NO. The sun is shining brilliantly in the upper left corner of the photos. Oh, maybe it's the moon. Again, NO. The moon would be on the other side of the sky, totally outside the range of these photos. The very strange thing is that the orb shows up in 3 different places: photo 1, directly over the Pilot; photo 2, way to the "left" of the mountain; photo 5, to the right of the mountain!

Next step: I enlarged/zoomed in on the specific area of the photos. See them below.
Photo 1, zoomed in.
Photo 2, zoomed in. This one totally amazed me.
Photo 5, zoomed in.
Weldon was intrigued. He studied my phone, turning it this way and that, asking questions. Then he asked me to send him the photos. His verdict?
Unidentified Flying Object!

Sunday, July 03, 2016

Still Farmin'

This is Farm Muse, but it's been a while since I actually posted about the farm. (I'm better at musing than farming.) You may have questions about how Weldon spends him time now that he's "semi-retired." I have answers.

1. Does Weldon still have cows? Yes! Although he stopped shipping milk commercially in January of 2015 and sold his best milkers, he has plenty of cows and calves. He's currently milking nine cows, and just yesterday I had to yell, "Cows are out!"
Youngsters
Milkers
2. Does he still bale hay? Yes! He bales the "good stuff" for the cows and bales the junk just to get it off the land.
Do you see him down there?
A man and his tractor. It's a beautiful thing.
3. Since he doesn't have so many cows, does he still plant corn? Yes, indeedy! But he doesn't have to plant as much as in years past. He planted early corn that's already about 8 feet tall, and the "regular" corn is coming along nicely. This year will be kind of sad because he won't have corn growing on both sides of the road coming into the farm. Neighbors and passers-by will be surprised.
This corn, planted in front of Edith's house, has grown quite a bit since I took this pic.
The corny blogger standing amidst the early corn.
4. Has anything else changed on the farm? Nope. Deer still eat corn. Coyotes still eat kitties. Machinery still breaks down. Following are a few miscellaneous photos.

The manure spreader broke down some time ago ... obviously. Makes a nice planter, doesn't it?
Manure still has to be moved, so Weldon hauls it in this wagon and dumps it on/near the fields.
Flat tire on the truck.
Kitties are still a joy and a heartbreak.
They can also be a "neckbreak" if you don't keep your eyes on the ground as you walk.
 5. So Weldon is as busy as ever? Not quite. He admits he has slowed down some and can't "keep at it" as hard as he used to. His favorite pastime, when morning chores and breakfast are finished, is computer time with his "tractor nut" friends. But, sooner or later, the real world of farming and it's never-ending needs call him back to the great outdoors. Somebody's gotta do it!