My Go-To Smile

Hello? Are you in there? Hello?

MMRROWW. We're hungry out here!

You can't retire from kitty cats. Not that I would want to. The little pests. I mean, the little darlings. Seriously, I love them. I gave the cats only one chapter in my book Crap Happens...Wallowing Is Optional, but they are part of my life every day. A good part! As Chapter 13 says, they're my go-to-smile.

I'm not overly obsessed with cats; I just enjoy them. Back in 2006 I painted a ceramic cat. It's the only house cat I have.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme & Mustard. Kit Carson. Spice Girl. Kitten Kaboodle. Winken, Blinken, and Nod. Dottie and Rambo. I've named over a hundred cats on the farm. Some people have tried to lighten the burden by giving me "cat name" books. If I remember correctly, the only name I got from these books was Indira.

I've purchased two books about cats ...

but I've taken hundreds of pictures of cats. Here are three recent ones.

Barbossa, who sneaked into the house TWICE the other day.

Gypsy and her four unnamed (as yet) babies.

Mrs. Mewer's unnamed four, plus Bear (topmost kitty)

When they're not being aggravating, cats and kittens are a delightful part of life. Kind of like people, right?

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!

Spring 2016

 In case you haven't noticed, it's been a while since I last posted here. I've been busy! I've been having fun! BUT, I know some of you have missed me, so here's a brief synopsis of the last two months. You'll most likely be terribly jealous, but try not to hate me.

March 5-9: North Myrtle Beach with the Ladies' Bible study group. Yes, we studied every day but we also ate well and played well.

When I got home, spring was bustin' out all over.

The yard was covered with violets.

Peach trees were blooming.

Even the tama-no-ura camellia had two flowers.

March 19-24: Road trip to Savannah, GA with my daughters! Waterfront, squares, parks, gardens, churches, cemeteries, FOOD.

Love the hanging moss.

Wormsloe State Historic Site

To the ocean again! Tybee Island.

Pearl Fryar's Topiary Garden on our way home.

Amazing! See the movie: A Man Named Pearl.

April: Mama cats are having babies! And, yes, Rita has babies in the attic again.

Mrs. Mewer has FIVE babies.

 

Saturday, April 9: Weldon and I took a historic steam engine train ride from Spencer, NC to Lynchburg, VA. Up at 4am, back home at midnight.

April 22-24: To Lake Junaluska with our church youth director and two young ladies for a confirmation retreat. My first time to this beautiful location in North Carolina.

In spite of lots of rain and cold weather, the flowers have been blooming well, with no help from me. And the skies have been amazing, almost every morning and evening.

Early morning iris.

Confused Christmas cactus.

Peonies are showing off and standing pretty well against all the rain.

The skies displaying the handiwork of God!

I told you I've been busy :) Next post, I'll fill you in on my new experiences as an author. Till then, keep loving life!

2015 In Review

This evening, Baba Wawa will be presenting The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2015. Since the year is drawing to a close, I thought it only fitting that I present The 10 Most Memorable Events of 2015. They may mean nothing to you or Baba Wawa, but they are memorable to me. Since this is my blog, I can write whatever I want. Rather than counting down to the Number One Memorable Event, my list is chronological, beginning at the beginning of the year and ending at the end.

#1. Both of my daughters and I went to Arizona in early February. What a treat! We saw my parents; my oldest brother, his wife and kids, and their grandkids; friends from Minnesota who now live in AZ; and an aunt and cousins I hadn't seen in about a hundred years. Every day was gorgeous and delightful and crazy. I love my family.

#2. A beautiful February snow in North Carolina. The snow covers a multitude of sins and turns the farm into a fairy tale.

#3. Roger & Eunice, friends from Minnesota, stopped by for a visit. They just happened to be in the area :) We had a wonderful time together, but they'll have to come back. It was so foggy/cloudy they couldn't see Pilot Mountain - not from the farm and not from the mountain itself!

#4. Rita had four kittens in April. That's not an oddity, but she had them in the attic! Totally not allowed. It's a long, goofy story, but all's well that ends well. They were born in the attic, but they don't live there. Yay!

#5. In July I went on a mission trip (through World Changers) to Philadelphia with the youth from our church. We had a great time, but I think I'm getting too old to be hanging out with these young whippersnappers. My time was spent at a Haitian church and I really enjoyed it—speaking Creole and eating Haitian food.

#6. Also in July, the introduction to my book Crap Happens...Wallowing Is Optional was published in Viga Boland's magazine Memoirabilia. You could say I was a little excited. If you look really carefully, you might be able to see my name listed on the cover.

#7. Vacation! Yes, we went to Minnesota in 2014, but Weldon said we were going again this year. I didn't argue. Like the previous year, we flew into MN, drove to IA where his uncle and cousin live, drove up through WI so I could see some of my friends, and then into MN to see my family. I love my family. Did I already mention that?

I love my family, but the photos above don't show my family :) Except for Weldon, of course, and he deserves a photo in this list of most memorable events. Anyway, it's my blog, remember?

#8. In October, I went to see Katie in NY. We did our usual eating and running around, plus we spent a day working on the cover of my book. I also got to meet her kitty cat, Sugar.

Since I flew out of Charlotte, I got to see Anna on both ends of my little trip.

#9. I became a published author! I published my book Crap Happens...Wallowing Is Optional on Halloween. I published the ebook version on Thanksgiving Day. I've sold over 200 copies, but have only eight reviews on Amazon. Such is life. You can buy it on Amazon. Then you can leave a review ... please :) In December I had my first book signing. It was a lot of fun.

#10. Last, but certainly not least, I got to see my grandson Marshall earlier this month. He'll be 17 in March, but I still make him take the back-to-back photos with me so I can see how he's grown. We had a great time together, shopping, eating, and going to a movie together. I love my family.

2015 - What a year it's been. I'm incredibly blessed and so thankful for my life and the good health to enjoy all I've been given. And a new year lies just around the corner.
2016 - It's gonna be an awesome year.