Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

I want my life back or should I say my mind back, oh heck I am not sure what I want, that is the problem in a nutshell. Do they make blinders for people or is it mind blinders I need? My house is a disaster, the yard is a disaster and all I can think of is new projects, till I think them through and it seems like to much work.God help me please or kick me square in the butt.
       Last year my father in law past away and since then I have become the Fuzzy's hired hand, sounding post, and numerous other things, you get the picture. Years ago when we were newlyweds I was under the misconception that we would work together just the two of us, but that was not the way things turned out. Family that have always worked together do not easily let new people into the mix and I gave up trying and just helped during the calving and when no one else was available, hence my nickname( the last  resort). As the years went by I found my own life, raised my girls, went to work off the farm and worked on the yard ,gardens,sewed,did crafts and the cattle. Okay so life changes, but at my age I am not handling it well I like my space, oh God do I like my space. I never thought of myself as a person who needs to be some what organized and others would laugh at this but I like to now that I can start a job and get it done if the mood is right I can't be sure of that anymore. Now its a case of "Bob can you come and give me a hand for five minutes or I only need you for twenty minutes," does not matter that I might be in the middle of something, and good lord don't say that you are busy because then you hear" well what is more important " or my favorite" well if you don't care about this place we might as well sell it". Forgot to mention  that my dear sweet man does not know the difference between five minutes and two hours. In his defense though he does need help at times and things have to be done, but why ,when I am busy with my own life. Guess that would be a case of Murphy's law coming into play.
    So here I sit because things have got bad around here and I don't seem to be able to know what to finish or were to start. The washer has just quit and so it should be changed, the dishes should be put away the floor needs sweeping the carrots are ready to be put in the jars, and I sit here typing because I can, no one is here but me, it is so peaceful . In my defense I do have the bed made the pickles put in the basement and the table washed off and new cloth on, the dog and cat fed some of the flowers watered wash started dishes washed. I feel a sense of impending doom because of my lack of  work done , I just know I will get caught in this mess and there is no one to blame but me .
Now that I have got that out of my system maybe just maybe I can find those blinders and stick to one job at a time and get it done,please Fuzzy stay away I think I can feel the motivation coming on.Darn it, I hear the tractor,he is home for lunch,oh well life goes on. Someday I will get everything done,maybe in time for my funeral.

Royality and the New Project

O.K I admit it I am a freak about the Royal Family. I have been a royalist since I was nine years old and Her Majesty The Queen,their Royal Highnesses Prince Philip,Prince Charles, and Princess Anne came to my hometown for the provincial centennial celebrations. Wow what  excitement, and I was chosen as one of the two children to present flowers from the town,caused a little excitement at our house, that was the beginning. Since then I have watched the royal weddings and every highlight that has taken place on the television, read most of the newspaper stories,and have a collection of books,china and assorted other things royal.
   This winter was long and hard, but the one thing that kept me going was the knowledge that there was a royal wedding in the spring, along with Colin Firth in a Kings Speech, love that man.I decided to be brave and invite a few around to share my excitement for the young couple and watch the wedding live from the comfort of the family room. I thought champagne,strawberries,p.j.s and hats would be wonderful for our gathering. Then the week before, the idea that fasinators would be the way to go and figured I could just whip them up that day.Wrong the Fuzzy had plans of his own for me, so they were done in a heck of a hurry just before the guests arrived. Thus they were not what I had imagined they would be.The ladies arrived, those who were brave enough to join in the fun or just a little nutty like me and we had a blast. The wedding was beautiful and we managed to stay awake.
    In June our church was taking part in the annual parish picnic, we are an interesting group and like to go with a theme to these affairs, guess what we chose this year,yes it was a tribute to the royal wedding by way of fasinators for the ladies and top hats for the men or replicas of military dress head gear. A dear friend and myself were to look after the ladies, so out they came and I touched them up a bit and she made some also.Well we all arrived at the destination of the picnic and went to the church service quite proud of our efforts.Upon entering the church we seemed to create quite a stir,our beloved vicar was almost beside himself when he saw us,which caused a lot of head turning and strange looks smiles and other reactions. Poor Rev. had trouble all through the service as he was trying not to burst forth in laughter.Our rector's warden who is quite tall was wearing a lovely number with pheasant feathers and cabbage roses,she was a stunner almost as great as Princess Beatrice!Our wonderful Vicar was thinking of William Tell and how he had missed the mark, every time he looked at the warden, he was rolling with laughter, not the effect we were after I'm afraid. It was all worth it as it set the stage for a relaxed fun filled day.(and we won the games championship)
    Each month the church puts in the village paper an article of our comings and goings, our highlights from the parish picnic were published and it was jokingly mentioned about our fasinators and how they would be offered on eBay for sale to raise funds for the church.(all a joke) Now there is a group of young women who all get together at the local lake each summer and have their idea of a traveling tea party with gowns and gloves and this year they decided fasinators. Guess who they called after reading the article? Yes they called me and requested the use of the fasinators, got me back in action as I felt they need some touching up and changing, and I got on a roll and created more, so much fun!
 So here are some of the creations.

Harvest Time

Yes it is the beginning of harvest! I love the smell ,the excitement,and my little bit of harvesting I do from nature and the garden. The swathers and combines are rolling, to be outside working in the evening and hear the hum of the machines, the smell of the grain, does my heart good. You hope and pray everything will go good, no breakdowns,good yields, and no untimely rain.
     I love the smell of fresh made pickles,relishes, jellies and to see the counter covered in neatly lined up jars ready to go to the basement for the winter.I don't  even mind the sticky floor or the stains on the tea towels from wiping the jars off, I forget just to use a dish cloth. This year so far I have been quite daring and have tried some new recipes woo ho! I made a mean nanking cherry jelly, dilled green beans and mustard bean pickle,so far everyone in the family has approved, so those new recipes won't hit file 13.I have to get to the dilled carrots yet and then find a good hiding place for them as for some reason they go missing very fast and I just find empty jars hmmm. Boo have you been home again, or was your sister here. The chokecherries are ready,not many to be found this year,but I am on the hunt for more, makes the most wonderful jelly and makes not a bad liqueur when mixed with gin, that is chokecherries and gin.The oldest has put in her request for red pepper jelly and has even provided more jars so how can I refuse, nice to be able to do something for her as she tries to help me when she can.I am blessed with two great girls who when they can are the best help you could ask for. Boo has not given me her requests yet, but I think it might be the dilled carrots and mustard cucumber relish.
   So here is to the farmers out in the fields, fruit trees laden with fruit, the coop for having such a good sale on sugar, garden that  is pretty good in spite of the weeds, and the smells of harvest during a full moon.Oops and I almost forgot Mr. clean for the help with the clean up.

Time Flies Things Change Fast Life Is Good!

Wow, if anyone would have told me a month and a half ago that things would be so dry that the ground would be cracking now I would have laughed my face off. Yes we have gone from water water everywhere to dry dry dry, almost scared to ask for rain because it may not quit but we really could use some.Please forgive me Fuzzy ,I know we have the last of the hay cut and it would be nice to get it up without a rain but the lawn is going brown and things really look nasty.
      Fair season has pretty much come and gone, with allot of the local fairs being cancelled due to too much water, but our one local fair was able to continue on, so I got brave and entered a few things, and did not to bad,sorry no pictures always forget. Was very pleased to be asked to help with the setting up for the judges so learned quite a bit from the judge that my firstborn's mother in law and I were helping. Great to see fellow blogger, Knit wit's entries, which were very beautifully done, keep up the good work!It is very sad that more people do not enter these fairs, as each year entries get fewer, and soon we may not see them anymore. With so many cancelling this year you wonder if they will continue or just not try again as it becomes harder and harder to find volunteers to help put them on .
     Well we finally got haying again this year, took awhile to start as we had trouble finding a way into most of our hay grounds, hard to believe now. It has been very interesting for lack of a better term, Fuzzy  is always interesting to have as a boss, but this haying season it has almost caused me to tell him where he might stick the 14 wheel rake and 2130 John Deere tractor I run for him during haying.I do truly love him, but I think maybe we should not work together that much. We have got most of the first cut up and should finish the rest in the next few days with the cooperation of the weather and no more trips to the hospital or the machinery dealership. No I did not commit spouse abuse he just had a wee accident while attending to a problem with my tractor.This summer my Mom has been with us,she has her own travel trailer parked in the yard, nice to have some place to go when the boss is not pleased, have a game of cards and reminisce about days gone bye, we are so lucky to have her as she is the only parent left, so I share her with the Fuzzy, she loves him as her own.
 

Sunshine,Warm Days,I am So Thankful

Life is good! The sun is shining in the sky, the temperature is where it should be and things are starting to dry up a little. I feel like a kid in the candy store, which way do I go where do I start so much to do and so much I want to do. I have been trying to keep the blinders on so I finish one job before I start the next,but it is so hard,need to have more hands, more energy, less visions.  Keep busy and remember Rome was not built in one day, and it took God 6 days to create the world and he rested on the seventh day if I remember correctly,so breathe work smart and by the end of summer the garden may look like someone does truly love it, and it will be ready for me to start all over next year the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.
    Seriously things are slowly coming together,the Fuzzy finally got my lawnmower going after I was a good wife and went and helped take down a temporary fence,and I never complained once or asked how much longer,( and he did not see me mud bogging with the quad when he was elsewhere with the tractor) so much fun put her into 4x4 lift your feet and go for it through the mud and water as fast as you can, very very fun! Okay so I drifted of topic,part of being menopausal.
    The perennials are coming up nicely, not to much winter kill on the roses, and I have the loveliest yellow flowers coming up everywhere, you know the kind that you make a wish on and blow.The hedge needs trimming , and the veranda needs to be stained.
    I started washing down the exterior of the house, that got boring so I started to dig around the perennials and get rid of the quack grass, back got sore so picked up branches ,could hear the phone ring so got side tracked . Remembered needed baking for church so got that done and made lunch, went to church, got home and spent the rest of the afternoon blissfully cutting the lawns and dreaming up more projects and just enjoying my lawn mower( the sucker turns on a dime).Tomorrow I will be good, I will not deviate from the list of jobs I shall make and things will get done, as long as I don't misplaced the list or The Fuzzy does not make new plans for me away from the garden,nah he wouldn't do that not The Fuzzy.
       Tomorrow is a new day, and what will be will be, but please let there be sun and warmth.

Lets Remember To Thank Our Military Families

     Have you ever thought to say thank you to a military family for their sacrifice? You ask why should I, they chose that life,and knew what they were getting into. O.K. yes they may have thought they knew what they were in for, but thinking you know and living the life is quite different.Let us face it we all go into situations thinking we are prepared and know what is ahead of us,but sometimes learn we were not as prepared as we thought.
     Can you imagine having a quiet day at home with your spouse, enjoying each other and your children and the phone rings and that peaceful lovely day is finished with a blink of an eye.Thirty minutes later you are by yourself with your children and are not sure when you will be seeing your partner again, will they be there for the ball game, concert,martial arts demo that your child is participating in a week later, or will they be home for supper the next night. These people have to be strong ,but flexible spouses or they could not manage as well as they do.
    They have to be adaptable in most situations, how many of us would be prepared to move whenever someone else told us to, leave your friends, family,and everything familiar and start fresh in some strange place,different houses, new schools, doctors,stores, your whole world turned upside down,sound like fun, I don't think so.
      It is not just war time or when our country is in a state of emergency that life for a military family is turned upside down or is changed the men and women of or military are regularly sent on course, or maneuvers.The family changes pace sets new programing to suit them, then the soldier returns who has been living a different life, the two collide and it must take time for everyone to reajust,I myself would find this rather frustrating but is part of their lives. How would you deal with it?
   Can you imagine saying good bye to your spouse or parent and that might be the last time you see them,or having them come home but not being the person  you kissed goodbye and saw last?
    I have only stood on the outside and observed a little of their lives I don't pretend to understand or know all they go through, but lets try to make sure they know we appreciate their sacrifice.
    God Bless Our Military and Their Families!
    Take sometime and be thankful for our many blessings and lend a hand to those who could use one.
 Remember to say thanks and show that you care!

Water Mud Manure ,Got To Love It!

Enough already!
     O.K. I know that there are a lot of people dealing with a whole lot more and a whole lot worse,but I have had about all my pretty pink muck boots can handle.I am a person who likes to be outside working in my yard or helping with the cattle. By this time most years you would find me out playing (Fuzzy's description of gardening and landscaping) in my yard from sun up to sundown if I have my way and most times Fuzzy does not mess with me and my projects as he is afraid he may be called into the action, nothing makes him disappear faster than me and the garden tools. I have also been known to have borrowed the tractor I had the run in with so many years ago(mentioned in my last blog),I since have become quite fond of the old girl.and have learned how to compensate for the lack of leg.
       This year I look out my window across to the park area where my water garden is, the play area for the grandchildren and what do I see water,water,water.Every winter I gaze out the window doing dishes planning the next addition to this area or the changes to be made,these plans are put on hold, and maybe for the entire season as every little rain it gets worse, the grand kids cannot even get to the swing,the sand box looks like a beach, maybe I can forgo the play area and permanently make the pond area bigger with a beach,no that would not do, kids need somewhere to play.
    At the south side of the house I have been working on creating a dry river bed,well it has not been very dry this year, when I started this project people asked me where the water was and how I was going to move the water, what part of dry bed did they not get, they should stop by this year!
       Then there is trying to feed cattle, good lord I am scared I'm going to come out of the pens in my sock feet yet(have given up on white socks)as every step you take you are sucked in the mud almost like quicksand, those pretty pink boots are not so pretty anymore. The poor cattle we have moved their feeders to make it easier for them but it is worse for us. The cows and calves are the lucky ones as they are out on the hills. I pray for sun and a little wind and warm temps so things will dry up.
    We are some of the lucky ones, there are people who are in danger of losing everything they have due to the flooding, running out of feed and dry land for their animals, there are people who may not get a crop in this year. So I am feeling a little ashamed of myself for being upset for what we are dealing with, my mother has always said be thankful for what you have there are a lot who don't. So I will stick a smile on my face and thank the Lord for his blessings.

    Oh, by the way if you are wondering who the heck Fuzzy is, he is my husband in earlier posts referred to as the boss as he did not want to be known in this blog as the Fuzzy but has since changed his mind.And they talk about woman!