tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55992010269745455492024-03-18T21:57:57.200-05:00Life is Good on HeartSong FarmSimplicity, beauty, creativity, & sustainability on my very own piece of The Earth.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-31897537711400712262015-09-07T13:12:00.000-05:002015-09-07T13:12:07.680-05:00We came, we crafted, we had a ball!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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We braved the Texas Summer Heat and arrived at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LoneOakRanch"><span style="color: blue;">Lone Oak Ranch & Retreat</span></a> near Gainesville, Texas, on August 7, 2015, to experience the wonderful community of crafting, fiber, fun, and friendship! We were not disappointed. There were 37 of us this time, more than ever before. New faces, familiar faces, sharing, laughing, eating, learning, crafting in the inviting atmosphere that is Lone Oak Ranch Retreat. And the WiFi signal is strong and well-used, I must say. What would we do without our electronics and our knitting needles? I do not know, but suffice it to say we can have it all here at the Chix Packin Stix Retreat, twice a year, and that is definitely a Good Thing!</div>
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It is a five-hour trip for me to get from Nacogdoches to Gainesville, so I got up before the sun and left home around 6:30 am on that Friday. I have figured out ways to cut almost an hour off the trip by trying different county roads and highways. There is absolutely no direct path to the destination from anywhere, but that doesn't mean it is hard to find. Along my route are horse farms, hills, prairie, and lots of beautiful bodies of water to cross. It is a very satisfying and peaceful road trip for me.<br />
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Some of the Committee members and helpers met at a sweet little restaurant, <a href="https://foursquare.com/v/sarahs-on-the-square/4c8042d651ada1cd99640810"><span style="color: blue;">Sarah's On The Square</span></a> in Gainesville, Texas, for lunch, before heading a few miles south and east to our destination. Upon arrival at the venue, we immediately got to work, unloading cars and trucks, setting up tables and chairs, and getting organized for registration and the weekend's events.<br />
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As the self-proclaimed Goodie Goddess of Chix Packin Stix, I set about organizing all the donated "goodies" I had collected for our weekend. For each and every attendee, in addition to door prizes, there was a "Bag O' Goodies" stuffed with a project bag, samples of recycled sari yarn, wool wash samples, stitch gauges, and other "freebies" from the wonderful shops and businesses that were kind enough to donate to our retreat. Later there would be door prizes and some bright pink bags filled with the yarn and pattern to either crochet or knit a little sheep! What fun!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Cyndi and Joyce came up with this adorable idea of</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a Survival Kit for our Retreat. Enlarge the photo and </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">read what is on the card! Quite clever, I must say!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Setting up for the weekend.</span></td></tr>
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In the midst of setting up, the attendees began to arrive, and, as sisters in crafting are inclined to do, pitched in to help after they had moved their things into their sleeping assignments. Foodstuffs, Ott lamps, knitting/crochet project bags, and spinning wheels began occupying spaces around the tables. Our buffet-style supper of baked potatoes and all "the works" was organized and set up along one wall, and large containers of tea and water, coffee pots and K-cups, and soft drinks appeared on the counter of the bar.<br />
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After supper, we had a fun "getting to know you" activity, then went straight into learning how to do our first planned project - shawl pins made of metal, taught by Terri. Simple, fun, and lovely! I am working on a prayer shawl for my friend, Judy, and I think one of these would be just perfect for holding it in place. And, I can definitely see myself playing with metal wire quite a bit in the future.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first project of the weekend, a pair of metal shawl pins!</span></td></tr>
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After finishing this first project, beginner knitters and crocheters were invited to learn the basics of those yarn crafts, while the rest of us got busy on projects, or just making the rounds and visiting. This really is a weekend of doing whatever you want, or nothing at all. And there are always plenty of snacks! <br />
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I spent most of the evening visiting with old friends, and meeting and getting better acquainted with others. Smiles and laughter were everywhere. And so ..... I didn't make it to bed until ..... 3:48 am! Thanks, Gracie Lou, for my pink sheep pj's and the late night sharing! <br />
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As you can imagine, our continental-style breakfast at 8 o'clock Saturday morning came just a bit too soon for this old gal after such a late night. Our first door prize drawings were scheduled to start at 8:30 and I needed to be alert! Thank goodness for a couple of cups of coffee from the Keurig machine is all I have to say. Caffeine totally ROCKS!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Breakfast time and relaxing before the beginning of activities on Saturday.</span></td></tr>
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Door prize give-aways started off with my donning my Goodie Goddess Hat, which is quite the Attention Getter. It is huge and, as I found out during this retreat, quite hot if worn for more than 5 minutes during this time of the year. This hat of mine is part of my costume when attending the Texas Renaissance Festival in late Autumn, when the weather is decidedly cooler and I have had a few tankards of Guinness. I think it must be a lot cooler then! I may have to reconsider my headpiece for the future ....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Me and my feathered hat at the Texas Ren Fest!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">For this Retreat, whenever you saw me don my huge feathered <br />hat, it indicated that it was TIME FOR DOOR PRIZES!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Some of the awesome door prizes I was handing out.</span></td></tr>
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At the Chix Packin Stix Retreats, everyone is the lucky winner of a door prize! No one is left out of the goodness of donated gifts. We are truly grateful to all of the wonderful shops and vendors who made a donation of something from their businesses for our weekend! We couldn't believe all the wonderful things we received for this August event. There were hand-painted yarns, coloring books for adults, jewelry, chocolate, knitting books, handmade goat milk soaps, needles in various sizes and styles, notions and so much more! AWESOMENESS!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some hand-painted yarns for door prizes from </span><a href="http://www.paradisefibers.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">Paradise Fibers</span></a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.darngoodyarn.com/" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;">Darn Good Yarn</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">not only sent a skein of their recycled chiffon sari yarn, they also sent each of us a<br />5-yard sample card of their sari ribbon, enough for using in a project.</span></td></tr>
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When contacting the various shops to ask if they would participate, I would tell them we would have about 40 lovely crafty ladies attending and using that information, some sent 40 little gifts for our "Bag of Goodies" along with their business cards. One of those was <a href="http://www.happyewefibers.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Happy Ewe</span></a> in Jonestown, TX, who sent a humongous box full of little pink bags.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A huge box arrived in the mail from Happy Ewe!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Inside each of the little pink bags was a pattern and the yarn to either crochet or knit a little sheep! ADORABLE!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzslTZ1vjwpX1qaJFeCz9tyz2G3vWiwWLG3KG-K0ZPbZoC9CWwR5F4SjxtHIL_CPwEyQraO4orOfEe2izQNNE6Bn6vGWSyOu_OGNYHVyLPyo4JLR5XLo7kTXtjhE7LHxgTlo8aaUjf9q0/s1600/happy+ewe+made+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzslTZ1vjwpX1qaJFeCz9tyz2G3vWiwWLG3KG-K0ZPbZoC9CWwR5F4SjxtHIL_CPwEyQraO4orOfEe2izQNNE6Bn6vGWSyOu_OGNYHVyLPyo4JLR5XLo7kTXtjhE7LHxgTlo8aaUjf9q0/s640/happy+ewe+made+up.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Joanna R. has finished her hot pink "sheepie" from Happy Ewe already.</span></td></tr>
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I haven't made mine yet. But when I do, it will be pink like Joanna's and it will find a home right up there on one of the window shelves in my den, along with the rest of my "flock". It will really stand out, I think! I really do need to get crackin' on that project ....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of my window shelves in the den at HeartSong Farm. </span></td></tr>
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For every Chix Packin Stix Retreat, we have a Project For Charity. I really love this aspect of our group dynamic. We can give so much from what we have, and it is also quite a bit of fun for us to create something that is so appreciated. <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-0-zNZhD2oHX4r_EiINGTJhX-mbcPZt1by32juTFQCcXuX6MqFsM1GWfzKILJEAiu-v3oktNJGCZJ9VFyjas3rWtLhLtGJLBCQnk7I6G_DwGQe1CUBemS8ZOn2WhodF4Ul6CpJ33lq0/s1600/2015-06-21+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-0-zNZhD2oHX4r_EiINGTJhX-mbcPZt1by32juTFQCcXuX6MqFsM1GWfzKILJEAiu-v3oktNJGCZJ9VFyjas3rWtLhLtGJLBCQnk7I6G_DwGQe1CUBemS8ZOn2WhodF4Ul6CpJ33lq0/s640/2015-06-21+010.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This was my contribution for our charity project - fleece blankets for babies and kids in one of the<br />Dallas-area hospitals.</span></td></tr>
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Saturday morning, after the first round of door prizes, it was Astrid's time to teach us all about rug hooking, traditionally done with wool fabric strips. Wool fabric is quite expensive, so we were going to throw in some yarn and some other types of fabric strips for our creations this weekend. There were traditional designs as well as some more modern looks to the projects the ladies were inspired to work on.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WQWGhHLziaboifE5qYckomLWybvvpmzhM0D7GxDP9Zq6U5Bra3IEw5MF7vg2zWr4qqBRAdgxZ5j4hmz5_J2YskkrMz2HLVpPusA2mjipcJxuX49O4WQx2KJpTlq98JLcjtX2EkMIGQQ/s1600/2015-08-08+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WQWGhHLziaboifE5qYckomLWybvvpmzhM0D7GxDP9Zq6U5Bra3IEw5MF7vg2zWr4qqBRAdgxZ5j4hmz5_J2YskkrMz2HLVpPusA2mjipcJxuX49O4WQx2KJpTlq98JLcjtX2EkMIGQQ/s640/2015-08-08+022.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Astrid brought some of her finished work along with her expertise.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ebjiWIpqG6R62IvxVHGzzeNBCRLNX_r6bD4ZzHADjORxQG0s1bBLJFSj5WHXxrPT_sG08GgQhIoz0loh7bFCxreKsuZe3pcf7nirYUf43IbRhmla2djeOgf-jvEoeVps8cDt40aSTaA/s1600/2015-08-08+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ebjiWIpqG6R62IvxVHGzzeNBCRLNX_r6bD4ZzHADjORxQG0s1bBLJFSj5WHXxrPT_sG08GgQhIoz0loh7bFCxreKsuZe3pcf7nirYUf43IbRhmla2djeOgf-jvEoeVps8cDt40aSTaA/s640/2015-08-08+004.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mounds of fabric strips for the rug hooking class.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VWTiBa2h0ocTHg1sYA6bcvwMFbbQryOv6rKdY7QrV5XQ8v8cPJVo_qJ8kFXv1S3YPJEDlRPPuEsWySMyKMmnaS3GESecK4a595O3OcV3CIUJ8jrsSSgMQz4_WEEpG5_e5sGJVQ2DH3I/s1600/2015-08-08+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VWTiBa2h0ocTHg1sYA6bcvwMFbbQryOv6rKdY7QrV5XQ8v8cPJVo_qJ8kFXv1S3YPJEDlRPPuEsWySMyKMmnaS3GESecK4a595O3OcV3CIUJ8jrsSSgMQz4_WEEpG5_e5sGJVQ2DH3I/s640/2015-08-08+028.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Intent, yet Conversational! That's what it is all about!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQzUzMe0eVB046De48Rwc0MH1uskGYUSyWg4eZ68X5gBpVzJY2oHbe2EKyb8UvpjETFRWKmNNJdCzavpcQF53x5THC8-3RLdy23pMHke2a0j1sw0_p1YEJWsHtQSJiHaSJqpUiSdRpyo/s1600/2015-08-08+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQzUzMe0eVB046De48Rwc0MH1uskGYUSyWg4eZ68X5gBpVzJY2oHbe2EKyb8UvpjETFRWKmNNJdCzavpcQF53x5THC8-3RLdy23pMHke2a0j1sw0_p1YEJWsHtQSJiHaSJqpUiSdRpyo/s640/2015-08-08+026.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Looks like the beginnings of a sheep to me! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP2XZ0fSbdxcdtdUuD1E85nRXc5YtkmUAuuD9Bj2oO9RTgEQN5t2k_8YEUuHzDcxZC7cCP8KDofOc-gK2uBwG85wxWEGUx7kT3Sw5tKjwN1tvK8J6TDSmj2NjK6yiYo7uA5prCLcaIMQ/s1600/2015-08-08+020+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP2XZ0fSbdxcdtdUuD1E85nRXc5YtkmUAuuD9Bj2oO9RTgEQN5t2k_8YEUuHzDcxZC7cCP8KDofOc-gK2uBwG85wxWEGUx7kT3Sw5tKjwN1tvK8J6TDSmj2NjK6yiYo7uA5prCLcaIMQ/s640/2015-08-08+020+%25282%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And here we have a Dominiker hen, I believe!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2PvyitopQJONeBb-vt9umU5_NMnA7sIWO_yMf_OkUpZ0JV5Ccn0uk6I7DVHQoXtyeGBdNMcMbjlKtH9RP4u86IIPqup65Wi5m5AMuesAb9N9TmLRXfEPUjv_Bk-kC_8oM9CEgwaWNxQ/s1600/2015-08-08+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2PvyitopQJONeBb-vt9umU5_NMnA7sIWO_yMf_OkUpZ0JV5Ccn0uk6I7DVHQoXtyeGBdNMcMbjlKtH9RP4u86IIPqup65Wi5m5AMuesAb9N9TmLRXfEPUjv_Bk-kC_8oM9CEgwaWNxQ/s640/2015-08-08+027.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And a black cat .....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidj5gEQPq8Vi9LZRbbkfiijGHH8x5u_NpMfH5QLRKE8eMIDkg-mmmq-TdP3nWipi1jhoElPXvribrXxctV8-qvLEKuvNZUFnD4_VGPm5wQrALH0r0UbvecHkdOiUbgT22mudaJ4gITOkg/s1600/2015-08-08+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidj5gEQPq8Vi9LZRbbkfiijGHH8x5u_NpMfH5QLRKE8eMIDkg-mmmq-TdP3nWipi1jhoElPXvribrXxctV8-qvLEKuvNZUFnD4_VGPm5wQrALH0r0UbvecHkdOiUbgT22mudaJ4gITOkg/s640/2015-08-08+061.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">.... a llama with a hat and bandanna?!!!! Why not?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5UH_KmLYr2ifZM8B5AFskpR6nhmXzAgeKfkqU_OdSpfPj40UZtpbfY4fWh1B8UuwhgSmqvjXsFdzw4bBFkucKOLEgy-FtDOaLCXpyP_2-WEgMmdbcnUTTb4VL1K3WSYo8zFhVHrp16Q/s1600/2015-08-08+060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5UH_KmLYr2ifZM8B5AFskpR6nhmXzAgeKfkqU_OdSpfPj40UZtpbfY4fWh1B8UuwhgSmqvjXsFdzw4bBFkucKOLEgy-FtDOaLCXpyP_2-WEgMmdbcnUTTb4VL1K3WSYo8zFhVHrp16Q/s640/2015-08-08+060.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And ..... a mermaid under the sea!</span></td></tr>
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As you can see, rug hooking can be anything that strikes your fancy .... traditional designs or not. We had some really wonderful interpretations of this very old craft. I was too busy visiting to really get started on mine and am still contemplating what I want to make. At the time, I was much more interested in going around and seeing what others were doing than sitting and concentrating on crafting that day. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpAMSrU_5e7ecG44nZFAJqjmL-j7zikbbw9rTXxyB1rDIC5Qy7cvgBNAxQnXNoqfsE3aPMHiih_DaWGTRe12w8Yma4rWug5V-5DP0nGGk_NRXk36L0KNKjVjhSI6_EJxIA9otbTK0yOE/s1600/2015-08-08+079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpAMSrU_5e7ecG44nZFAJqjmL-j7zikbbw9rTXxyB1rDIC5Qy7cvgBNAxQnXNoqfsE3aPMHiih_DaWGTRe12w8Yma4rWug5V-5DP0nGGk_NRXk36L0KNKjVjhSI6_EJxIA9otbTK0yOE/s320/2015-08-08+079.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A gorgeous pine needle basket creation was inspiration for the Saturday afternoon project class.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwRWEtC_EattDH0EcLCsRihxvPN7tgZJ59IJtgT44U4AfDq-mtDlC3Xm5Osgs4EH5tlNLzuwCMO1tYEj1ZKZ0RBzRIPMWSbhlhMjbK0SGFg60sHsLJv0ksAm1a3CIdPQ8aAHjNBM1VdE/s1600/2015-08-08+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwRWEtC_EattDH0EcLCsRihxvPN7tgZJ59IJtgT44U4AfDq-mtDlC3Xm5Osgs4EH5tlNLzuwCMO1tYEj1ZKZ0RBzRIPMWSbhlhMjbK0SGFg60sHsLJv0ksAm1a3CIdPQ8aAHjNBM1VdE/s640/2015-08-08+052.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Rapt attention on Rachel B. as she introduced us to the craft of pine needle basket making.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeZsG9o65I6-w_fS7w-zy9ejK4BelHuxymtttAhasnp6IRf6LTAGgwLkHxDMCxZ0xZVopuibwFnKd69lEDk08qpVaaStztTuY9bTDickYKUWfZt3prrMoyi18zzenef1qnLCspxIIZe8/s1600/2015-08-08+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeZsG9o65I6-w_fS7w-zy9ejK4BelHuxymtttAhasnp6IRf6LTAGgwLkHxDMCxZ0xZVopuibwFnKd69lEDk08qpVaaStztTuY9bTDickYKUWfZt3prrMoyi18zzenef1qnLCspxIIZe8/s640/2015-08-08+049.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Pine needles prepped and ready to be woven, walnut pieces for basket bottoms, and sinew to hold</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">it all together.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJMuFVGoXPPA8RcJ7HbN7hhVbuZkbZ2fPWNq5279xK0U680fPG87-VYvRLNSDsvAMSv_S0kvb1YCWlN4dQUvdKg4WsfZ0OIegFr6s__PVds3Asmpd93qDosBtHN2JSCHmV9ts54nm89s/s1600/2015-08-08+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJMuFVGoXPPA8RcJ7HbN7hhVbuZkbZ2fPWNq5279xK0U680fPG87-VYvRLNSDsvAMSv_S0kvb1YCWlN4dQUvdKg4WsfZ0OIegFr6s__PVds3Asmpd93qDosBtHN2JSCHmV9ts54nm89s/s640/2015-08-08+058.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Basket weavers sporting our Retreat tee-shirts.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNnJ4sFZMj19HAyw3-shRPwha42ueNa2wE7TKyukQ6XVT29gX4BE04vRxVarLzpWO6zevX_a3uBLGvDLgnF8deN2R1EHatP22dP4NCCLmwEetpHZTVLQ_Za6hVk2LcnHfArYXnUEqvRs/s1600/2015-08-08+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNnJ4sFZMj19HAyw3-shRPwha42ueNa2wE7TKyukQ6XVT29gX4BE04vRxVarLzpWO6zevX_a3uBLGvDLgnF8deN2R1EHatP22dP4NCCLmwEetpHZTVLQ_Za6hVk2LcnHfArYXnUEqvRs/s640/2015-08-08+068.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Around and around we go ....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1jD_U2xbosjc_wQGoUHQpkVJowRBpau5UdlFR9g0nz3eZbkIU7Hp6ki-iExIvew9u7jsGVLay3EHuJ3dLMkEJAm-QFU1i4RKtbT-cYSVPRKkahPTPBrhIhBtv9iBaMY3OeSGf2MGZJo/s1600/2015-08-08+075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1jD_U2xbosjc_wQGoUHQpkVJowRBpau5UdlFR9g0nz3eZbkIU7Hp6ki-iExIvew9u7jsGVLay3EHuJ3dLMkEJAm-QFU1i4RKtbT-cYSVPRKkahPTPBrhIhBtv9iBaMY3OeSGf2MGZJo/s640/2015-08-08+075.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I see the beginnings of a basket there! Whoo Hoo!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj874uEzlEOOux8QkslcxsluXE_55UIJQS7KSEue0g-gwg8K0F6rsJUGRb9srsxgcCB2lsWNYkFEhvFftu09nNjUO-l6vTV_SW4AJcXWRwmOK-OGZ4OqUVXXR8YSx59Zm-vullVKwCGc/s1600/2015-08-09+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj874uEzlEOOux8QkslcxsluXE_55UIJQS7KSEue0g-gwg8K0F6rsJUGRb9srsxgcCB2lsWNYkFEhvFftu09nNjUO-l6vTV_SW4AJcXWRwmOK-OGZ4OqUVXXR8YSx59Zm-vullVKwCGc/s640/2015-08-09+008.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">There were a greater number of spinners at this Retreat than ever before.</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWnuk9dFforcKQXQLrKbnIqFsw_ERF2LJjWtEplRqymyLIM3EJQoGKXM2CrT0fJ16vVKgtmI0cUkMITk8Z1_lpxtLGw_54mAPuKEmQ_HyGTZtjDnW36rCZVnb5gOkuk6TeIajGgErkc8/s1600/2015-08-09+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWnuk9dFforcKQXQLrKbnIqFsw_ERF2LJjWtEplRqymyLIM3EJQoGKXM2CrT0fJ16vVKgtmI0cUkMITk8Z1_lpxtLGw_54mAPuKEmQ_HyGTZtjDnW36rCZVnb5gOkuk6TeIajGgErkc8/s640/2015-08-09+017.JPG" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And a new spinner being created right before our eyes!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWULxqRZI7WOQdtpzSWrZ1mipXRBWxslEmFO2sHsROGu82M8ZMjwku-dBpx09ifZS8PfuVdwQbdQIvqQEX3WexJ0bRf66N0hiNxboK7AGV0Klbiw9gbNdEASM5NBma8a-PtdPrO16ks60/s1600/2015-08-09+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWULxqRZI7WOQdtpzSWrZ1mipXRBWxslEmFO2sHsROGu82M8ZMjwku-dBpx09ifZS8PfuVdwQbdQIvqQEX3WexJ0bRf66N0hiNxboK7AGV0Klbiw9gbNdEASM5NBma8a-PtdPrO16ks60/s640/2015-08-09+003.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sunday morning it was time to learn our last project for the weekend: crochet/felted flowers!</span></td></tr>
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Diane P. showed us how to make some cute flowers using felted wool, yarn, and buttons. As she remarked, the sky is the limit on the creativity this project can encompass. Lots of almost instant gratification!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1Hlo2O8MaeYfqUbbbJZam3ZVrA4Gyh3DCxOzpabKVtNB91Ul67TrYMNdARR_VdBduz9cGszsKku3AaW9FgXjJ2pq_xWabw8xTQwJqu6h3M5xYKJE_-7q5EfPDOp91fl-xXJqidn-YAM/s1600/2015-08-09+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1Hlo2O8MaeYfqUbbbJZam3ZVrA4Gyh3DCxOzpabKVtNB91Ul67TrYMNdARR_VdBduz9cGszsKku3AaW9FgXjJ2pq_xWabw8xTQwJqu6h3M5xYKJE_-7q5EfPDOp91fl-xXJqidn-YAM/s640/2015-08-09+015.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Quick and easy to make, these would be cute on a vintage hat or .... make two alike and put them</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">on a pair of flip flops! And matching ones on a beach bag and sun hat????!!!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKrUdOWhlzqiSagFerXi7y-uBwPDMnhDonAC1q_qIYjJ4DwpAIuuIfmQq6hKow7Hmpw6nbV9YtmX-wR4oFCXRzerhRBq8qy-P9752I22_f3dYRHo1MlKQ3zvsdJ4ICeD7IKw1pmm-bNg/s1600/2015-08-09+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKrUdOWhlzqiSagFerXi7y-uBwPDMnhDonAC1q_qIYjJ4DwpAIuuIfmQq6hKow7Hmpw6nbV9YtmX-wR4oFCXRzerhRBq8qy-P9752I22_f3dYRHo1MlKQ3zvsdJ4ICeD7IKw1pmm-bNg/s640/2015-08-09+012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">So pretty! I can see this on a hat or scarf or barrette, can't you?!</span></td></tr>
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After a wonderful lunch on Sunday, it was time to start packing it all up and heading home. The time had come for Gracie Lou to part with her tree babies as she passed them on to me to care for on HeartSong Farm! She brought me 6 seedling pines and 3 seedling pomegranates. The pomegranates came from seeds from her grandmother's original tree in Laredo, TX, and the "mother tree" of the pine seedlings had been transplanted many years ago from Nacogdoches, TX, near where I live (and where Gracie Lou had attended college) to the Dallas area. Now its babies are coming back to their "roots!" Pun intended!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXONGLzmoZME7HkUJM1RNDRCGO2BTWwYaERpMZXKuakGOU-L2WofxeVfgJoNjSeaQb86J_Cidfyml5_qN1B0g8Jj5DTYDNElHU3m_WyYmbPuVcqWckMyfk4MyZo9fg0s5zS0RYEzsr-q8/s1600/2015-08-09+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXONGLzmoZME7HkUJM1RNDRCGO2BTWwYaERpMZXKuakGOU-L2WofxeVfgJoNjSeaQb86J_Cidfyml5_qN1B0g8Jj5DTYDNElHU3m_WyYmbPuVcqWckMyfk4MyZo9fg0s5zS0RYEzsr-q8/s640/2015-08-09+019.JPG" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Gracie Lou and her tree babies.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8z0o2qwb4pEcsYvaBLX1Lqzh0qFfVa_0jQBzKQZJMdLLu4paFWq7hVktWm2-bbbFHXxLOJkmPBNamziw5QY3SmnPK2kPMZmG0fd-qRTuqnJRrUu-TxWH06v-Jqmwx7J3MXIrn8l8O4U/s1600/2015-08-09+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8z0o2qwb4pEcsYvaBLX1Lqzh0qFfVa_0jQBzKQZJMdLLu4paFWq7hVktWm2-bbbFHXxLOJkmPBNamziw5QY3SmnPK2kPMZmG0fd-qRTuqnJRrUu-TxWH06v-Jqmwx7J3MXIrn8l8O4U/s640/2015-08-09+020.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Kissing her babies goodbye! I promise I will take great care of them!</span></td></tr>
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Gracie Lou and I believe that by sharing living things with each other we are also sharing a spiritual connection. I have shared seeds and plants with my friends Jo, Judy, Astrid, Wanda and Ellen in recent years, and I plan on doing even more in the future with others. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0UXp-73P5frFedjyy3TOg2R8bOc6f1aiyC33jq9-8Sb8nJ5n38yWx7uDhy2GmQoB3XXz6_7JP_-Yhyphenhyphen4NFVp078MKKeSsLQOZoEB27B8V0l8hHxx1avVB01QaIFkf4F3_RHt7scYw-Hg/s1600/group+photo+cps+aug+2015+%2528Mobile%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0UXp-73P5frFedjyy3TOg2R8bOc6f1aiyC33jq9-8Sb8nJ5n38yWx7uDhy2GmQoB3XXz6_7JP_-Yhyphenhyphen4NFVp078MKKeSsLQOZoEB27B8V0l8hHxx1avVB01QaIFkf4F3_RHt7scYw-Hg/s640/group+photo+cps+aug+2015+%2528Mobile%2529.png" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The August 2015 Chix Packin Stix Retreat Group Photo.</span></td></tr>
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With hugs and fond farewells to new friends and old, we packed up this version of the Chix Packin Stix Retreat and vowed to meet again in March of 2016 for more fun, sharing, learning and laughter.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiPOGLrFXTQqM7uALabe9i13Q4UqlToiScCSE9zPFezutUcce8pytRyKyB6CzoYM6jJml9aJlNAlPaIIALWbpWrgZxtLF8MPkOVjT3wMNxp5x08FxqxU1_Garp1nnXx-OMJf3ChAezyU/s1600/11846736_669100849856660_7680819094462072896_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiPOGLrFXTQqM7uALabe9i13Q4UqlToiScCSE9zPFezutUcce8pytRyKyB6CzoYM6jJml9aJlNAlPaIIALWbpWrgZxtLF8MPkOVjT3wMNxp5x08FxqxU1_Garp1nnXx-OMJf3ChAezyU/s640/11846736_669100849856660_7680819094462072896_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Some of what happens at Retreat must stay at Retreat ..... for next time!</span></td></tr>
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And back here at HeartSong Farm, we are anxiously awaiting the advent of Autumn and some much cooler temperatures.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-57674830838838076362015-06-14T19:15:00.000-05:002015-06-15T11:06:14.801-05:00The wisdom of trees<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">As I have watched this Spring 2015 unfold, it occurs to me that there are even more lessons that can be learned from trees, in addition to the one I mentioned in my post entitled "Longing":</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I realise there's something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">they're experts at letting things go." -<i>Jeffrey McDaniel</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqYmEVc8iFmRJRilhDzDsSgITVnpR9K3GDIFJqPThtd1d834uqrn_eMIfAIDPLEMFIVGYEOOwzCnfkdeHB3o3kPI29Zu1Uf4Q_n_Eh04Kp35ogB1jw2jpZ4R3fhcsZqlhmQcAkehJ64k/s1600/2015-03-28+048.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqYmEVc8iFmRJRilhDzDsSgITVnpR9K3GDIFJqPThtd1d834uqrn_eMIfAIDPLEMFIVGYEOOwzCnfkdeHB3o3kPI29Zu1Uf4Q_n_Eh04Kp35ogB1jw2jpZ4R3fhcsZqlhmQcAkehJ64k/s640/2015-03-28+048.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the back pasture here on HeartSong Farm, there are various kinds of oaks and willows, as well as tallows, maples and what is often called a Chinese umbrella tree (which is not the same as a Chinese tallow or popcorn tree).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPdTmkolkemG9QsFaeQQfRJxdNBsPw0RqeMg985gWcCX5RQ3nsWCZHla_ZI_ptDhcTl3Fm5yNM5cnTE_zab8mWwEvtEfjNySKdU7eU8ujNu5TewdTFUtiQW6fRCcEVnsisDMXa7h561k/s1600/2015-03-28+043+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPdTmkolkemG9QsFaeQQfRJxdNBsPw0RqeMg985gWcCX5RQ3nsWCZHla_ZI_ptDhcTl3Fm5yNM5cnTE_zab8mWwEvtEfjNySKdU7eU8ujNu5TewdTFUtiQW6fRCcEVnsisDMXa7h561k/s640/2015-03-28+043+(480x640).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Leafing out starts off slowly.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9v5BF6gBGDTeMnIh0Toust6ZXUIWIXQaymcaAnW2Jq9uFJV1-sjx2TM_Y1B3CWctQm1BcK6gaj7GB9ptag5-YuN6zveXvZ9RFYYhzBJoPTOavscFPDXFKgZ1bH-w1o4FKHVerZ_DKkg/s1600/2015-03-29+002+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9v5BF6gBGDTeMnIh0Toust6ZXUIWIXQaymcaAnW2Jq9uFJV1-sjx2TM_Y1B3CWctQm1BcK6gaj7GB9ptag5-YuN6zveXvZ9RFYYhzBJoPTOavscFPDXFKgZ1bH-w1o4FKHVerZ_DKkg/s640/2015-03-29+002+(480x640).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the backyard, next to the house, it is easy to see that the Japanese<br />magnolia is way ahead of the crepe myrtles in leafing out.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some trees bud out as soon as the temperatures warm up a bit, while others wait longer, maybe a week or two, to sprout new leaves, Some flower first, and some don't bloom until late Spring once they are all leafed out. So, </span>if we let them, <span style="font-family: inherit;">trees can teach us about "everything in its own time". Realizing this helps me get through the impatient times that I struggle with as I get closer to retirement. Everything is unfolding as it should, after all! Relax and enjoy! Breathe and pay attention!</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KImTT7vuNsfBpF9syso9dN_9Ar5AZAh5D9o7g6N1j5DeUImNa5OqOgTrwqvHkc928ljw43ix4aIcw3wshE4hZ803d6GUm9a1uQsCPG-FUyWkH4AeOifTy7CkGcRwif_qBTlkGgS0ezY/s1600/2015-03-28+056+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KImTT7vuNsfBpF9syso9dN_9Ar5AZAh5D9o7g6N1j5DeUImNa5OqOgTrwqvHkc928ljw43ix4aIcw3wshE4hZ803d6GUm9a1uQsCPG-FUyWkH4AeOifTy7CkGcRwif_qBTlkGgS0ezY/s640/2015-03-28+056+(640x480).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Look at all the manifestations of green just in my front yard!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we look around at all the various shades of green in early Spring, and, later when we admire all the colors of Autumn, trees can teach us to notice and appreciate all the shades of the human race. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All the greens go well together, no clashes in shades or colors. There are yellow greens, blue greens, true greens, purple greens, light and dark greens, and they all exist side by side in Nature. In Autumn, the yellows and russets and oranges and crimsons once again co-exist beautifully, and we admire them as they stand out against the greens of the pines and cedars. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Similarly, shouldn't we admire and appreciate all the colors of the people of the world?! Our different colors, talents, histories, stories, religions, philosophies, foods, and music is what makes our world a very special place to live. </span>Shouldn't we appreciate all the differences which make our world rich and interesting? <span style="font-family: inherit;"> I happen to believe we should, and I hope that you do, too! It really is a beautiful world out there, you know. Take a look around you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a Tree Hugger, and unabashedly so. When I was a child, my Daddy often read to me from his favorite poetry books, and one of the first poems I can remember loving and then memorizing for him was this one:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Trees</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">By JOYCE KILMER</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think that I shall never see</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A poem lovely as a tree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A tree whose hungry mouth is prest</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A tree that looks at God all day,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> And lifts her leafy arms to pray;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A tree that may in Summer wear</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A nest of robins in her hair;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Upon whose bosom snow has lain;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Who intimately lives with rain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Poems are made by fools like me,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> But only God can make a tree.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <i>Poetry</i> (August 1913).</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgv7S1gjJk2ZDH8eE2a1fupUoBHklyqD9cH4BEBvCz5dnbI360hrBRUMoUcjH-4hahS-Mq9xIOWOFHxE6elQQJ14kmxyiP4PlAjl-Rx1x5J7PsAA-7NYTLdRUUeGfMBl2-jls4lYOS0A/s1600/2015-05-30+009+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgv7S1gjJk2ZDH8eE2a1fupUoBHklyqD9cH4BEBvCz5dnbI360hrBRUMoUcjH-4hahS-Mq9xIOWOFHxE6elQQJ14kmxyiP4PlAjl-Rx1x5J7PsAA-7NYTLdRUUeGfMBl2-jls4lYOS0A/s640/2015-05-30+009+-+Copy.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I absolutely adore the heart shaped leaves of a redbud tree! This one planted</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">itself by the driveway a couple of years ago and seems to like it there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq7WurhA2FcyryZc2U0gIRHRwQmfTj06R1kPgdcojwt5CLH0maM-vTZ9-Fvtp2hu0rbD6YEVDOfJFhu7La037dnZPGJGfefgOUqyEg3OVqVjp7Qvoq5kjRgyPSU5unZVcJ-dhMkyKmGc/s1600/2015-05-30+010+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq7WurhA2FcyryZc2U0gIRHRwQmfTj06R1kPgdcojwt5CLH0maM-vTZ9-Fvtp2hu0rbD6YEVDOfJFhu7La037dnZPGJGfefgOUqyEg3OVqVjp7Qvoq5kjRgyPSU5unZVcJ-dhMkyKmGc/s640/2015-05-30+010+-+Copy.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: left;">This oak sapling has sprung up out front near the fig trees. Although it </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: left;">is</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> not really in a "good" place, I am inclined to leave it right there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeB_OogJRV4r09x1LGlJShcCD02YfFdavdlTb6wivwxGZVgCGCA-dJ6p0sfZxAALXKckpNb4Rg0qSkIaAUyTyf9SX9eldOPqqM1vUDnBDUOMB-ZlSnLhIEHLFCJxwR_NUGnzwsk8l3N4/s1600/2015-05-30+014+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeB_OogJRV4r09x1LGlJShcCD02YfFdavdlTb6wivwxGZVgCGCA-dJ6p0sfZxAALXKckpNb4Rg0qSkIaAUyTyf9SX9eldOPqqM1vUDnBDUOMB-ZlSnLhIEHLFCJxwR_NUGnzwsk8l3N4/s640/2015-05-30+014+-+Copy.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Trees that produce fruit like my two fig trees are especially wonderful.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KS7jfRBSSzupop5uMARYO6aYPE6mtbpRbLSGMbBqcDuYAm2ObF9Dma53nSKmYN39iKPLB2MG-XnzfyTCiXzL3mDhZPrikReoqoWxf3bYuKTSyKxzeOKrcTCbajbEOCdPq5OumTAnmlo/s1600/2015-06-09+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KS7jfRBSSzupop5uMARYO6aYPE6mtbpRbLSGMbBqcDuYAm2ObF9Dma53nSKmYN39iKPLB2MG-XnzfyTCiXzL3mDhZPrikReoqoWxf3bYuKTSyKxzeOKrcTCbajbEOCdPq5OumTAnmlo/s640/2015-06-09+011.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This little cottonwood (pardon me while I sneeze!) has sprouted in the<br />parking lot at work next to where I park my car.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IhEf2NGn5T3RyU69Qc1xFssrCPBlpGob1JH39Gv038-xSJXLtPedIalnOYyBE4Ax-FFP8obt_mgpaMYbz9utax3LZPgiFbFyTf8BgHi7Yfnb113YU3gqDUpusab3LJQITdPgCLWP2QM/s1600/2015-06-14+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IhEf2NGn5T3RyU69Qc1xFssrCPBlpGob1JH39Gv038-xSJXLtPedIalnOYyBE4Ax-FFP8obt_mgpaMYbz9utax3LZPgiFbFyTf8BgHi7Yfnb113YU3gqDUpusab3LJQITdPgCLWP2QM/s640/2015-06-14+009.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In pots, next to the side entrance, I have several "treelets" I found in the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">yard last year: a crepe myrtle, a redbud, and a cedar. Where shall I plant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">them?!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI6zarhLX7BuVkZClsHmr_9aEEcqZXQ86FhyXLRt0XIGmPmbbBbOeS0yk3vK0Z2EDbKmgPANkbZhsvn_okv1qX7q2z4-VJSuX_actCIs1fzDl9C13xF8HWywEMxfHgiSCiJ0nBtPPCfw/s1600/2015-06-09+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI6zarhLX7BuVkZClsHmr_9aEEcqZXQ86FhyXLRt0XIGmPmbbBbOeS0yk3vK0Z2EDbKmgPANkbZhsvn_okv1qX7q2z4-VJSuX_actCIs1fzDl9C13xF8HWywEMxfHgiSCiJ0nBtPPCfw/s640/2015-06-09+005.JPG" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">All the rain of this Spring has really pleased Gloria, the bald cypress! She </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">has dressed her lovely horizontal branches in a double layer of fringe,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">something she has never done before.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiId3Vn-iqadqhG1hUyXsUKDvNpEgA3xCDNs2cqSx8H51Pf7AL2aPxCGw4XUcuX0qXZy3maBgrb5XQoPjAKRLMtpeUQWQbyKmY5SaTkJxsL2yc24l7f3hZAfQISYLgIb6KEuk_2joODYU0/s1600/2015-06-09+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiId3Vn-iqadqhG1hUyXsUKDvNpEgA3xCDNs2cqSx8H51Pf7AL2aPxCGw4XUcuX0qXZy3maBgrb5XQoPjAKRLMtpeUQWQbyKmY5SaTkJxsL2yc24l7f3hZAfQISYLgIb6KEuk_2joODYU0/s640/2015-06-09+006.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In fact, she has even sent up some vertical "arms," perhaps in praise to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mother Nature for her "waterful" bounty this Spring?!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZcgb8eeQE9g_t5eZQBg6dSkV5f_KL2Jh4S9qdekkfK259q2PSh_8PpBZjnXGaKPsCxlRvl62RWaukJtcPBdIqGmGW97UTD1RjZCuLiFzJMN03u_u4CbOJk_lYxySq5bat9VA1hPnmSw/s1600/2015-05-30+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZcgb8eeQE9g_t5eZQBg6dSkV5f_KL2Jh4S9qdekkfK259q2PSh_8PpBZjnXGaKPsCxlRvl62RWaukJtcPBdIqGmGW97UTD1RjZCuLiFzJMN03u_u4CbOJk_lYxySq5bat9VA1hPnmSw/s640/2015-05-30+024.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">After each week of rains, Ben needed to rework the dyke and trench</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">in the driveway that diverted the water into the bog for Gloria.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrdGhGE_jNRP3boNzfN21NsUMVEOx8ygaKQMfdbdeDe_S16elj0fIgIrzKjaBUQjnKboapTsiYkCPM9SAwrPA9VdukpxKTz4LG_nZUZ5AJoifFX7iyBaoECA-SUUekVXKCyFq1fhG5hg/s1600/2015-05-30+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrdGhGE_jNRP3boNzfN21NsUMVEOx8ygaKQMfdbdeDe_S16elj0fIgIrzKjaBUQjnKboapTsiYkCPM9SAwrPA9VdukpxKTz4LG_nZUZ5AJoifFX7iyBaoECA-SUUekVXKCyFq1fhG5hg/s640/2015-05-30+027.JPG" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Diverting the water from the driveway helped relieve the muddy water </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">trying </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">to get into my house at the side door by the parking pad, as well as</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">delighting Gloria with all the extra water for her feet and knees!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two weekends ago the weather changed to a nice dry spell and I pulled my garlic bulbs from the garden. In the process, I got bitten by fire ants all over my hands and feet! Dang those obnoxious little creatures! I am not positive, but I think the ants actually devoured one of my garlic bulbs as I was only able to locate and pull 49 out of the 50 that sprouted when I set the buds last October.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Garlic bulbs fresh out of the garden.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the last two years of growing garlic, I have learned quite a bit. The first year I planted buds from garlic bulbs bought at the grocery store. I planted them in the late Spring and dug them up a year later. Out of the 15 buds I planted, only 4 or 5 produced anything. This had to do with the fact that they were most likely from hybrid garlic, plus the fact that I planted them at the wrong time of the year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
I have since learned that garlic should be planted in the Fall, usually early October so that it can have a chance to start its root system and sprout before cold weather sets in. It is ready to harvest in late May, usually, when the stems turn yellow and flop over. So, this year's crop was much more successful by far than last year's uneducated attempt.<br />
<br />
Something I learned with this year's crop of garlic is that I planted them too close together for them to become as large as I would have liked them to be. I spaced them neatly at 3" apart in rows 6" apart. Ideally, they should be minimally 6" apart in rows 12" apart. Come this October, I will be remembering that!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Zdbv1cO2KVieYaaF5W0cLnLUh_fE5B8jtcHBMzPexW69jkPZ8jW4pNiDr74dobVs2M5Nv_DFaxna-kYYJbUTF_zrt1SRFoLtwFFgXsJpAMaa5rjybAPMxcurdqvOZoqtwQMOmOlHnKU/s1600/2015-05-30+032+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Zdbv1cO2KVieYaaF5W0cLnLUh_fE5B8jtcHBMzPexW69jkPZ8jW4pNiDr74dobVs2M5Nv_DFaxna-kYYJbUTF_zrt1SRFoLtwFFgXsJpAMaa5rjybAPMxcurdqvOZoqtwQMOmOlHnKU/s640/2015-05-30+032+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I set the garlic bulbs to drying on the racks of my little greenhouse unit on the back porch where it is shady, cool and dry. With the garlicky aroma I am not expecting any problems with vampires for the time being!</span></td></tr>
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And finally, I discovered that you do not wash the dirt off of the garlic bulbs until after they have been allowed to dry, with stems on, for about 10 - 14 days in a cool dry place. They are ready to wash up and store when you can press your thumbnail into the neck of the bulb and hear a nice crunching sound. Last year, I washed them all clean and whacked off the stem and put them in a bowl on the counter by the stove. It didn't really ruin them because I didn't have but about 5 and I used them up quickly. But, they would not have lasted more than a couple of months before they mildewed and/or rotted. The flavor is also enhanced by this "right out of the ground" drying process.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeO7Ggka0BVOE2OfQWi0Ji4_DmGqEG2MooB5tesqM7BCt22QzOAzukFNiy0tHqPmnxesbEgbz7aUHCac_GkguziRzoc9pGgJ5rYRsCLUqp9Dxfaz8BsmmkOwOEZtn9T8mEN_RqnyrUvE/s1600/2015-06-14+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeO7Ggka0BVOE2OfQWi0Ji4_DmGqEG2MooB5tesqM7BCt22QzOAzukFNiy0tHqPmnxesbEgbz7aUHCac_GkguziRzoc9pGgJ5rYRsCLUqp9Dxfaz8BsmmkOwOEZtn9T8mEN_RqnyrUvE/s640/2015-06-14+006.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My very first homegrown, handmade garlic braid!</span></td></tr>
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The rain total for the year so far in my neck of the woods is a tad over 46". Incredible! That is almost four feet! And California needs it so very badly. Wish we could pipe some to them, but the pipelines around here are used for oil and natural gas. My kitchen sink "burps" now and then, and drains slowly because the septic field lines are so saturated with the unusual rainfall totals making the ground stay soggy.<br />
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The rains and standing water and cloud cover have done a nice job of keeping the air and soil cool so far this year. It has not gotten hot enough here on the farm to heat the soil up consistently so that I can plant any cotton seeds. There have been only a handful of days where the humidity was bad enough to make me think it was finally time to turn on the air conditioner. This was the case last year, also, and the heat didn't really get insufferable until July. My cotton crop last year was minimal, at best, and I expect this year to be the same, if I decide to go ahead and plant any seeds. <br />
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Speaking of cotton, I do need to "gin" last year's minuscule harvest this summer and add it to the bumper crop harvest from two years ago, then card and spin it. That is something I hope to accomplish this summer. It is on my Summer 2015 Bucket List! And also to learn to spin it on my book charkha.<br />
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I have finally turned on the air conditioner here at HeartSong Farm, and am ready to work mostly inside this summer, hopefully finishing up quite a few projects I have started and never finished over the last several years. I do miss hearing the sounds of frogs, crickets, and birds, though, through the open windows. I feel less connected to Nature, all closed in and cool. That is when it becomes time to take a glass of iced tea out on to the back porch, sit in the swing, and relax in the balmy breeze of an East Texas summer and listen to the songs of mockingbirds and orioles, and watch the dragonflies skip across the tops of the grassy weeds and dip down into the water troughs.<br />
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Meanwhile, another little leopard froggie has left the habitat for the spacious wilderness of what is HeartSong Farm!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-6166065749013800052015-05-30T19:52:00.001-05:002015-05-30T19:52:17.311-05:00Down on the bayou<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHp8mZI-5tuShyphenhyphenjD_nz-qWp3lwxTDSWE6YrR2T2NIJbTSdLLBVmD2Iotkxwn_63X5Hnm6S2x8diFtzPBkpF5C-iBFAhD-dolFVH7H7Qzi5qimHOrp8Eazu6Z_aefpc35g-Tnn349qDVI/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHp8mZI-5tuShyphenhyphenjD_nz-qWp3lwxTDSWE6YrR2T2NIJbTSdLLBVmD2Iotkxwn_63X5Hnm6S2x8diFtzPBkpF5C-iBFAhD-dolFVH7H7Qzi5qimHOrp8Eazu6Z_aefpc35g-Tnn349qDVI/s1600/007.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A huge red metal crawfish adorns the kitchen counter of Debbie and Rick's open kitchen. A promise of the hospitality to come!</span></td></tr>
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Over the Easter weekend, I took a road trip to South Louisiana. It is one of my favorite places to go because I get to spend time with my friends, Debbie and Richard, who I have known since BK (Before Kids). That, folks, is a very long time! The mid-70's as a matter of fact. They are the epitome of welcoming, generous Southern folks. I pull into their driveway in Pontchatoula, Louisiana, and I think: <i>Laissez les bons temps rouler!</i> And .... they do!<br />
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This time I brought with me two gallon bags of frozen figs from last year's harvest with the idea that Debbie and I would make fig preserves. It was also time for strawberries from Ponchatoula's area farms to be for sale on the roadsides and street corners. So, Friday and Saturday, she and I spent our time together "jamming", while Richard ran to the store for more sugar, more pectin, more jars, and once for a new blender so that we could chop the strawberries more efficiently. He also kept the Diet Cokes (Debbie) and beer (me) coming. He had a vested interest in all of our activity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcSZapoKaOXeBwwnvC93RPUUkXWtYLXNbPJXKmF0H28AHIp_7L_Wn6RO85-tbfjFInn_CLjEowUlcumIsgNozGZuKMN9jSke-tAgyGR4tc4o5ZbxxaPmsSFKaqi5ln8sTZMGHfZ0KkpE/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcSZapoKaOXeBwwnvC93RPUUkXWtYLXNbPJXKmF0H28AHIp_7L_Wn6RO85-tbfjFInn_CLjEowUlcumIsgNozGZuKMN9jSke-tAgyGR4tc4o5ZbxxaPmsSFKaqi5ln8sTZMGHfZ0KkpE/s1600/002.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We got 7 pints and one quart out of the 2 gallons of figs I brought.</span></td></tr>
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You see, Rick is a Certified Fig Fanatic. He loves them. I mean, REALLY loves them, and he was keeping track of where each filled jar was at all times. Upon opening and tasting from the first jar, Richard declared that our fig jam tasted just like his grandmother's and that he claimed every jar as his. " <i>They</i> can have strawberry!" were his exact words, as I recall. Richard is one reason I am trying my darnedest to root some fig twigs. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjWXZ1BlQ2m971NBgsRia0YnF5ZEo0uI-kwy6Gs4AClDwL3tei20twEZCVdJahWZEi_dja4C8_DrZ6jpArtYM1C1hLnu7bO6GrCmrdqko9Mba1SzV-IQ2V5G9LRDyrOJdMzAvkQL_uW0/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjWXZ1BlQ2m971NBgsRia0YnF5ZEo0uI-kwy6Gs4AClDwL3tei20twEZCVdJahWZEi_dja4C8_DrZ6jpArtYM1C1hLnu7bO6GrCmrdqko9Mba1SzV-IQ2V5G9LRDyrOJdMzAvkQL_uW0/s1600/015.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We bought a flat and a half of freshly picked strawberries, still warm from the fields!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iS_1txHCOS4Sue7CBaCeL0K9eeUIdVJ8ClbYWPwihwpL3wkY5Hf_gS5DM2hmoJsGSNikPLb8yBtLl9TR-TzUrxBtslF4Q2CwKerIHwjMDbe9RE2elyBNvESQo574jRZgmCKpEhGgxMM/s1600/014.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">They smelled like strawberry cotton candy, full of sunshine and natural sweetness!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuJJpNHFkC2qmcQaiih0_uLWtHlesdc59T0b5OwcBhTF_nAlXp5IClEr6lCw85T7sJjsyoBAqvtCXH3vjEdGSVxVZL-zp3GYd8xwqTII7dYuRaozhrhTKSNKEutzpJdZ0g4doFgi0rk4/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuJJpNHFkC2qmcQaiih0_uLWtHlesdc59T0b5OwcBhTF_nAlXp5IClEr6lCw85T7sJjsyoBAqvtCXH3vjEdGSVxVZL-zp3GYd8xwqTII7dYuRaozhrhTKSNKEutzpJdZ0g4doFgi0rk4/s640/021.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We made 5 batches of strawberry jam, and they have been declared "scrumptious" by those who have tasted them. To one batch we added cracked black pepper, and another, vanilla extract per some recipes we came across. Not bad, but not especially interesting either!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbUtdDVhrUNNX1mdWXJL4cVns9hWqzrwOxauzhmbfv2N5gMsMoX5_hbPPvogUhbu6ARbQCzFCq-LxxbdKKBKAFVX72JJG_h9v0J3k-sI3VOBsywwSpiue5Zd82owPFUi73U6sYbMmH30/s1600/IMG_2912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbUtdDVhrUNNX1mdWXJL4cVns9hWqzrwOxauzhmbfv2N5gMsMoX5_hbPPvogUhbu6ARbQCzFCq-LxxbdKKBKAFVX72JJG_h9v0J3k-sI3VOBsywwSpiue5Zd82owPFUi73U6sYbMmH30/s1600/IMG_2912.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Friday night it was time for boiled crawfish and shrimp, potatoes, corn and "real" French bread ... the kind they only make in South Louisiana..... wonderfully soft in just the right places and perfectly crusty everywhere else!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had another good reason to visit the bayou country that weekend. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In mid February, Debbie had asked me if I would be able to knit an afghan for her that would go in a very special friend's living room in a very special home in the Garden District of New Orleans. I would have a deadline, that being May 15. Could I do it?! I said yes. </span><br />
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She told me that it needed to be very particular colors: a very grayed blue (no lavender, no green), ivory, buttery yellow, and a peach that was not too pinkish, but was more orange and brownish. She wanted a variety of yarns for textures and no squares (too "quilt-y"), but stripes would be okay. I was excited! No problem!<br />
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Well, yep, problem! Hard to find yarns in these colors. Hard to make these colors work in one piece. Hard to find a variety of textures in yarns in these colors. Before long, I began to hyperventilate and lose sleep. Fortunately, I had already planned that road trip to Pontchatoula because I was going to need her input on this. I couldn't do it alone!<br />
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In the meantime, I gathered up yarns I thought would work from my own stash, Hobby Lobby and from some of my online sources. There was also a budget, mind you! I knitted at night after work, and most of the days on the weekends. I planned and knitted, and "frogged" what I had knitted and started over again. I did not like what was coming off my needles! Panic! Hyperventilation! Oh, NO!<br />
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The blues and peaches were just not right. I needed to dye some yarns to get what I needed in those specific shades. I thought we should add some greens after looking at a photo of the room itself. I gathered up several shades of Rit dyes,both powdered and liquid, that I could mix in my dye pot and, hopefully, come up with what I needed. I absolutely love to dye, and prefer to use Kool-Aid, Rit and sources from Nature itself, so this was exciting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04V5EQbF-gNlrDXv0gn9OkbFtYf6XcIPm0Xbkz4XdG3kBJMHJM9rBWQm15H9nPnM5_1LYSOrtegPDtAi2TyhRlKIhsOKQYyobr-ehpPaTkH32XzKGCPpxcKHNw3C8KfJFEOGIOvAg1is/s1600/2015-03-14+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04V5EQbF-gNlrDXv0gn9OkbFtYf6XcIPm0Xbkz4XdG3kBJMHJM9rBWQm15H9nPnM5_1LYSOrtegPDtAi2TyhRlKIhsOKQYyobr-ehpPaTkH32XzKGCPpxcKHNw3C8KfJFEOGIOvAg1is/s640/2015-03-14+001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I gathered my dyeing pot, my dyes, my salt and my vinegar, and skeined off yarns for dying.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xEtaxirGFwgf1n16tvnUrt8DSMTb0MOSFaJBMnC8nimRsV5R-5simMQtH04Udu9gB2oEGkpB8DvHzCYAxyYUfRm-UYjKh4pt9HxGOoJ3LUkcP7kUub1zFNnWcCMHNlswmEvOmLCHROA/s1600/2015-03-14+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xEtaxirGFwgf1n16tvnUrt8DSMTb0MOSFaJBMnC8nimRsV5R-5simMQtH04Udu9gB2oEGkpB8DvHzCYAxyYUfRm-UYjKh4pt9HxGOoJ3LUkcP7kUub1zFNnWcCMHNlswmEvOmLCHROA/s640/2015-03-14+005.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And I got to work in my kitchen!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A break in the rain that weekend allowed me the pleasure of hanging my new yarns out to dry on t</span><span style="font-size: small;">he </span><span style="font-size: small;">clothesline. A colorful sight!</span></div>
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And now, back to Easter weekend in Pontchatoula. After the wonderful jars of jams were made, I brought out my yarns and swatches for Debbie to look over and tell me what she thought. We culled some colors and yarns immediately. Debbie said "no!" to any green and praised the shades of peach I had produced. As expected, the blues were the hardest to decide on as to which would work and which would not. She loved the textures, both in the knitting and in the yarns themselves, that I had produced. And the stripes she wanted, were what I would call "bands" of color. In the end, we had a plan and there was Excitement on both our parts. For me, there was also Relief! <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is what Debbie and I ended up with as our Afghan Plan. This shows 4 of the 5 color bands</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">that we decided on. The fifth was a beautiful blue chosen from a small sample I brought with me.</span></div>
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Back home, I began ripping out squares and re-knitting them into the chosen bands, but the blue chosen from the small sample did not coordinate well once it was knitted into a larger amount of color. Dang! It happened to be my favorite of all the yarns, but I just could not make it work! My friend, Judy, and I took a road trip to Tyler on the following Saturday to check out the brand new JoAnn's Fabric store, and there I found a blue yarn to use for that final band. It was a much thicker yarn, but I felt it would work. The color was just perfect. I breathed a sigh of relief!<br />
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As the deadline quickly approached, I finished the five bands of color, joined them with a mattress stitch, and knit several rows of edging on all four sides, with smaller size needles, to give it stability. The various textures and thicknesses of the yarns needed to be controlled, you see.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-K63HZ6OrPSiavBrOr3lJkZVasg5-LfM0fgbEwAeh8O4-RWfgLNsBHkCHxFnXgmCa1o_-jfrnOkKkrgcVYUoWk05cW6Ec3ba4fDMof7lQsBJ0_1dwAXuxaRVOS0ajFiJFG5QhAG2_0A/s1600/2015-05-02+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-K63HZ6OrPSiavBrOr3lJkZVasg5-LfM0fgbEwAeh8O4-RWfgLNsBHkCHxFnXgmCa1o_-jfrnOkKkrgcVYUoWk05cW6Ec3ba4fDMof7lQsBJ0_1dwAXuxaRVOS0ajFiJFG5QhAG2_0A/s640/2015-05-02+011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I steam blocked it, pinned in place, on my bed. This helped it maintain its shape. Very important,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">as the different yarns had different weights, as well as a mind of their own!</span></span></div>
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Under the ceiling fan in my bedroom, the afghan dried quickly, and while it dried, I gathered and cut the ribbons and yarns I planned on using for the long fringes that Debbie wanted. At this point, I was still not yet confident in the design of this piece. Something was missing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0QdXfnDgPZBGmSd5VrLw5hOBYgssfa5kdU-1p2qWguC0tiKMw6CqviP0irR6nqkhS4SIZlhP_xNUnMvYfFn2wi8x0AojtfNONIuI7QV1xJQ3Ya203YsisfJhkDcsY1TeVEUmjFMMq4s/s1600/2015-05-03+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0QdXfnDgPZBGmSd5VrLw5hOBYgssfa5kdU-1p2qWguC0tiKMw6CqviP0irR6nqkhS4SIZlhP_xNUnMvYfFn2wi8x0AojtfNONIuI7QV1xJQ3Ya203YsisfJhkDcsY1TeVEUmjFMMq4s/s640/2015-05-03+005.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">As you can see from my photos, these colors can look so differently in <br />different lighting.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbdEmUlpWxGE1Ar48do-xGyRiWdSvlcO96cX_xOTqVsvokevw7xpwSkxIbM3nnLBBzBqPDsH-hLkaulRCeAsfOpTlfpfnHciP0MxGsP6XAhq2tzLbPmHVGKuNyJlpoFpV1oPIDfyw1HQ/s1600/2015-05-03+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbdEmUlpWxGE1Ar48do-xGyRiWdSvlcO96cX_xOTqVsvokevw7xpwSkxIbM3nnLBBzBqPDsH-hLkaulRCeAsfOpTlfpfnHciP0MxGsP6XAhq2tzLbPmHVGKuNyJlpoFpV1oPIDfyw1HQ/s640/2015-05-03+015.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The fringes are 8" long and made of narrow ribbons and textured yarns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once the fringes were on, it looked beautiful and all the colors and textures came together, and I sighed a HUGE sigh of Relief. And smiled!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I got the afghan in the mail to Pontchatoula in plenty of time for the events at the New Orleans home, and Debbie said she loved it and was pleased with how soft it was. I want to see a photo of it in the room on the back of that sofa before I can know for sure!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With this project I learned a few things. One is that "simple is usually better", especially with things that are complicated. Also, when you are doing a project for someone, find out as soon as you can, EXACTLY what they have in mind ..... BEFORE you start working on it! It turns out, Debbie said "knit" when she really meant "weave"! When she said "stripes," I thought no more than an inch wide, possibly thinner. She was thinking wider, more like what I would call "bands." Ask them to show you what they mean, because once they do and you are both on the same sheet of music, you can have your Ah-Ha moment without pushing the Panic Button ..... hopefully! </span><br />
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Now, for those of you who didn't see my post on Facebook of the photo of my first little leopard frog:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEEfZo3-KeAeQLy4IOYWq3ocmd-i5z0RkVHVXe-EMW4jKXghMVrFEzqlobWtVDWCnb3KwOJjjnH0c8VR4PjkSiDoyJTs6ZsFJ5011BJrDCZQbZTu4Zx-pjsj_vja3j8AtQYCBBkRJAmk/s1600/my+first+little+froggie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEEfZo3-KeAeQLy4IOYWq3ocmd-i5z0RkVHVXe-EMW4jKXghMVrFEzqlobWtVDWCnb3KwOJjjnH0c8VR4PjkSiDoyJTs6ZsFJ5011BJrDCZQbZTu4Zx-pjsj_vja3j8AtQYCBBkRJAmk/s640/my+first+little+froggie.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Leopard froglet. Is it not just the cutest thing you have seen in awhile?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6lY0Ur-lEdo2ldVGYfKIJ1iQH882ljefx721rcGX_t_EKWctgAEegIP-7XC58rXSF6oASXMGdcwc6hjCjG1RQfO_nN3ZnZzwRFmv_FR30zBU9mxhee18Aq1MdKYWtdXkUWoRCtA3M3c/s1600/2015-05-13+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6lY0Ur-lEdo2ldVGYfKIJ1iQH882ljefx721rcGX_t_EKWctgAEegIP-7XC58rXSF6oASXMGdcwc6hjCjG1RQfO_nN3ZnZzwRFmv_FR30zBU9mxhee18Aq1MdKYWtdXkUWoRCtA3M3c/s640/2015-05-13+011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Here you can clearly see his "leopard spots".</span></td></tr>
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I named it "Prince," but I did not kiss it. I thought about it, but I didn't. Within the week, Prince had left the tadpole habitat and gone off on his Life's Adventure. I hope he is able to live a long and happy life, eating as many mosquitoes and flies as he can around here. It will be a good year for those mosquitoes what with all this rain! Meanwhile, another tadpole is growing hind legs, and soon there will be another little froglet here on HeartSong Farm's back porch.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBiIx1RvsBMFi7W3PVCcIj4utYbmZ2OXrfoCsKkLQisndXNZ-MHkOQxEpC7xJdBjVI1F5YDYdplk5eGZEyNdA5wY-ktsGqXFua7iomYzSZzlofELaGkW70879Qs1hdGaegfhxmMaCh2U/s1600/2015-05-29+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBiIx1RvsBMFi7W3PVCcIj4utYbmZ2OXrfoCsKkLQisndXNZ-MHkOQxEpC7xJdBjVI1F5YDYdplk5eGZEyNdA5wY-ktsGqXFua7iomYzSZzlofELaGkW70879Qs1hdGaegfhxmMaCh2U/s640/2015-05-29+006.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And crawfish has made another appearance in my life! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last night, Tammy and Chris brought me some boiled crawfish because they had too much! Now wasn't that nice of them to think of me? I sure thought so! There was enough to enjoy right out of the bucket, and some reserved for making etouffee later. Almost as good as being back down on the bayou!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And Richard ...... it looks like we may have another bumper crop of figs this July and August! YAY!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDCm124OAyogAu1GDbNxT2-RbZnyKJEj3aHacVriYZCvktRSOJWghQWGc3wkga-EJrO4ZFzW2h3Fc2miHLOzWiHP9sg4cCqOTc2la70zmtgJMxjkGR2RiWMEhGVsPHrMyjd3HOL0qQI4/s1600/2015-05-30+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDCm124OAyogAu1GDbNxT2-RbZnyKJEj3aHacVriYZCvktRSOJWghQWGc3wkga-EJrO4ZFzW2h3Fc2miHLOzWiHP9sg4cCqOTc2la70zmtgJMxjkGR2RiWMEhGVsPHrMyjd3HOL0qQI4/s640/2015-05-30+017.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Figs developing on my fig tree, loving all the rainwater this spring.</span></td></tr>
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It is still very very muddy here on the farm, but we have not been involved in any of the tragic flooding of this past week, and for that we are grateful. Prayers to all those affected by those recent storms. More evidence of Global Warming, I wonder? Hmmm....</div>
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Today, we are enjoying a day of mostly sunshine here on HeartSong Farm!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-89789088674107840752015-05-12T14:03:00.000-05:002015-05-12T15:55:33.513-05:00It's a jungle out there!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJNgBRVuH81Ktacc-qRqikV-07RGo-blkVpfQHZbDcpLboB_5aC4Ej8scefE53fNK1ZGn6p4mVE3yeap442E63fJKnY4_lzDb5XltDDphgmGp7vqeSh4ZQ4eyalp6igVcjg_dLVZJeGU/s1600/2015-04-12+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJNgBRVuH81Ktacc-qRqikV-07RGo-blkVpfQHZbDcpLboB_5aC4Ej8scefE53fNK1ZGn6p4mVE3yeap442E63fJKnY4_lzDb5XltDDphgmGp7vqeSh4ZQ4eyalp6igVcjg_dLVZJeGU/s640/2015-04-12+011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The front yard at HeartSong Farm was a jungle, recently. You can barely see the metal roof of the house from this angle!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">I started writing this post a month ago and am just now having the time to finish. When I began, we were still being deluged with rain, rain and more rain, with cloudy, rainy days in the forecast. In fact, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">27.25 inches of rain officially fell in my town center between 1/1/2015 and 4/16/2015, and by now it is close to 40". I think that probably even more fell on HeartSong Farm. I bought myself a cute brass and glass rain gauge several years ago, but a week after Ben installed it on the backyard fence, a windstorm toppled the big maple tree over on top of it, and I have not replaced it. For the time being, I must rely on a co-worker to relay the rain amounts that her husband keeps excellent track of in town. Good enough.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">By mid-April, the scissor-tail flycatchers had arrived, the first batch of Eastern phoebes had fledged from the clay nest on the front porch, and the grass was as high as an elephant's eye. When I was much younger, I wanted to live in the jungle for a few weeks, and now, it seems I have gotten my wish. But, I also wished for a baby elephant and a pet monkey. I haven't seen those yet! </span><span style="text-align: justify;">I actually do have algae growing on parts of my car.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">All the mud has been appreciated by the barn swallows and phoebes for refurbishing their nests from last year, and for supplying materials for those that need to start brand new. One afternoon, Ben showed me how some small orange-brown butterflies were landing in the mud in the driveway, taking on moisture before taking off again. And, for sure, Gloria is loving all the excessive rain. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsKn9Rer7jJXmU2NDjRytvbGkICBzqGNz3v_8MQ2zHhhgmdzHyj1Npd1qtgbZ4vw3cOd19om7bH0c7mdJjcM6LTaU82ukdsYzsJ6nOZKgk5WrwxLBnBJUcJrV1Z2VcL64s9eN7gwE_FE/s1600/2015-04-19+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsKn9Rer7jJXmU2NDjRytvbGkICBzqGNz3v_8MQ2zHhhgmdzHyj1Npd1qtgbZ4vw3cOd19om7bH0c7mdJjcM6LTaU82ukdsYzsJ6nOZKgk5WrwxLBnBJUcJrV1Z2VcL64s9eN7gwE_FE/s640/2015-04-19+001.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Gloria, the bald cypress, flourishing in her modified bog. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShh7X5kZC_yFm9_-Mu0SKxZoVqI3u1oxPkq7xXBPTk2nkoFXyu6AYzgIlq2qffdmztt2ufx7tRvex4F52rF4V0c3fsp_lfQKA051T6sEWnTbP74xz-1CQ_aSf2ATs_j9Rcl_Iw-p9Mvs/s1600/2015-03-28+059+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShh7X5kZC_yFm9_-Mu0SKxZoVqI3u1oxPkq7xXBPTk2nkoFXyu6AYzgIlq2qffdmztt2ufx7tRvex4F52rF4V0c3fsp_lfQKA051T6sEWnTbP74xz-1CQ_aSf2ATs_j9Rcl_Iw-p9Mvs/s640/2015-03-28+059+(480x640).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In mid-March, the front yard was coming to life with the warmer temperatures<br />and all the rain.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJNgBRVuH81Ktacc-qRqikV-07RGo-blkVpfQHZbDcpLboB_5aC4Ej8scefE53fNK1ZGn6p4mVE3yeap442E63fJKnY4_lzDb5XltDDphgmGp7vqeSh4ZQ4eyalp6igVcjg_dLVZJeGU/s1600/2015-04-12+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJNgBRVuH81Ktacc-qRqikV-07RGo-blkVpfQHZbDcpLboB_5aC4Ej8scefE53fNK1ZGn6p4mVE3yeap442E63fJKnY4_lzDb5XltDDphgmGp7vqeSh4ZQ4eyalp6igVcjg_dLVZJeGU/s640/2015-04-12+011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Just a few weeks later and we had a jungle of high grass and weeds growing with no </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">way to </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">control it without getting stuck in the muddy ground. Yep, we could actually see </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">and hear it growing!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20gNmjJhxJpc13-Fkh3DhQF_Jbz-7Cd6I8XVaQxTzuHpjVHkh-2fEVtK60zZW474Dj1Jb8ZiOcGqKAYM5Uvk1RkE08NUQ0ZkaeOdEijIhE0YE1VAUQn_ulvE3l8Kqm2mqoVEUpUqMtOc/s1600/2015-04-12+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20gNmjJhxJpc13-Fkh3DhQF_Jbz-7Cd6I8XVaQxTzuHpjVHkh-2fEVtK60zZW474Dj1Jb8ZiOcGqKAYM5Uvk1RkE08NUQ0ZkaeOdEijIhE0YE1VAUQn_ulvE3l8Kqm2mqoVEUpUqMtOc/s640/2015-04-12+007.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The back yard was the same. The pastures were lush and the llamas were </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">enjoying all the high green stuff. Quite a salad bar, I suppose.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFbQYeQ7mRnhOH3KmcWL7ssTOVu6L0yQem77S-ywmtNWfrH8saPAUw0oc1dIehRIsZZhYwflXJI_NUZ03FzGPDfsUPcnihmJwOHtIBzDuFR3YUsnUifNh-81Mog9kln3R_3DctczXyYU/s1600/2015-04-19+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFbQYeQ7mRnhOH3KmcWL7ssTOVu6L0yQem77S-ywmtNWfrH8saPAUw0oc1dIehRIsZZhYwflXJI_NUZ03FzGPDfsUPcnihmJwOHtIBzDuFR3YUsnUifNh-81Mog9kln3R_3DctczXyYU/s640/2015-04-19+024.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The vegetable garden area quickly became overgrown with weeds from all the rain.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuftd7SxzpkxL4bV4Z4lPWml2pAzZToihOU7K1LhUY-NYbzPWyqr7Kc6IrckejW5R4x5hvq0UpkiTij0nqaYK219a8xL2sv2uq6c0CD9YaqRZ9zmgBJSmF4dmhmnBnsQj9WpRkSCf_ZE/s1600/2015-04-20+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuftd7SxzpkxL4bV4Z4lPWml2pAzZToihOU7K1LhUY-NYbzPWyqr7Kc6IrckejW5R4x5hvq0UpkiTij0nqaYK219a8xL2sv2uq6c0CD9YaqRZ9zmgBJSmF4dmhmnBnsQj9WpRkSCf_ZE/s640/2015-04-20+013.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Looks lush, doesn't it?! Sadly, the only thing actually planted in the garden on purpose is the garlic.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">It appears that I have a big job ahead of me in the next few weeks. Luckily, this was not to be a </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">year </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">for serious gardening, anyway. (This is the year of finishing projects already started!)</span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_KXppi_zd1HIxMWkUSDAapxJpMKEN2nnteMWL7ZSJn6nEC4ObuyK43D5zC7d4VQWCl9oSn8WkqZRW4RKwNx_BkTqn4b2wyJ12qEZPeR6LMY2F6Eh0tn4d8v-_G0dk1hLUccpAoW96vU/s1600/2015-04-19+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_KXppi_zd1HIxMWkUSDAapxJpMKEN2nnteMWL7ZSJn6nEC4ObuyK43D5zC7d4VQWCl9oSn8WkqZRW4RKwNx_BkTqn4b2wyJ12qEZPeR6LMY2F6Eh0tn4d8v-_G0dk1hLUccpAoW96vU/s640/2015-04-19+027.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The old rose garden in the front yard was overgrown like everything else.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEctxjkvLfFzGB9R0g7CzL76auFhIDmnmgVSz8plC9gEBiSzsVO-vXxTCCHxOhTAXbbu86tJ5jlJypTxZhmjByH-xZFwZAhwJlSPVfS_MgjFBiiRAU-6sreEDtb05_q6De_img_dKfZRM/s1600/2015-04-12+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEctxjkvLfFzGB9R0g7CzL76auFhIDmnmgVSz8plC9gEBiSzsVO-vXxTCCHxOhTAXbbu86tJ5jlJypTxZhmjByH-xZFwZAhwJlSPVfS_MgjFBiiRAU-6sreEDtb05_q6De_img_dKfZRM/s640/2015-04-12+015.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The old rose garden is made up of rogusa roses now</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">. The tea roses that were here when I bought</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the farm became neglected those first years, and all but Mr. Lincoln have returned to their root </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">base, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">rogusa. I rather love them, though!</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFo2iH_RR97soTPs3eAfaTzqAW-NPGNkqx4v83WJ6OIJ15tpvenJEgGeG8uBAa5kBhJ_zXzP5SeeaOqCk-Vy7w2njokl5KAVpXD5u6589fI_nGoQ8lstWmKHDzLnqz8NniGTTRHTxzi8/s1600/2015-04-12+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFo2iH_RR97soTPs3eAfaTzqAW-NPGNkqx4v83WJ6OIJ15tpvenJEgGeG8uBAa5kBhJ_zXzP5SeeaOqCk-Vy7w2njokl5KAVpXD5u6589fI_nGoQ8lstWmKHDzLnqz8NniGTTRHTxzi8/s640/2015-04-12+029.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Taking a walk down the driveway towards the mailbox and highway, I stroll under the shady</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">canopy </span><span style="font-size: small;">of several huge hackberry trees. Not my favorite specie of tree, but they sure do provide</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">some nice </span><span style="font-size: small;">shade in the heat and humidity of the East Texas summers.</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4w91g5rk82VTwhApGfiQ46fB5p4BB1bnq6d1WFQl2rUOO6QEUfKpUQruwT7sqbGT7f7YzDQBgqHBmBMSWjkm4FVTdg3vf3Nn04ZfNbisYtUyWBjzyocZG6ZJjlW-O0hhchY59uDqRNpk/s1600/2015-04-12+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4w91g5rk82VTwhApGfiQ46fB5p4BB1bnq6d1WFQl2rUOO6QEUfKpUQruwT7sqbGT7f7YzDQBgqHBmBMSWjkm4FVTdg3vf3Nn04ZfNbisYtUyWBjzyocZG6ZJjlW-O0hhchY59uDqRNpk/s640/2015-04-12+023.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Along the way, I pass the English dogwood that </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">has also enjoyed all </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">the</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> extra rains early this year.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZm8grS6XynYdPy6IxBsXAPotZjcb76WJBoDqCcshIxVsjMYPXxf7yubXo0k3Pkdj0_HnhFYsp0YRXCL3rpOWtyhAnfkZSpwL34GeJOnWufXKXsGPzgxcfdPVYkVJc7R_YPEv0RCLczI/s1600/2015-04-12+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZm8grS6XynYdPy6IxBsXAPotZjcb76WJBoDqCcshIxVsjMYPXxf7yubXo0k3Pkdj0_HnhFYsp0YRXCL3rpOWtyhAnfkZSpwL34GeJOnWufXKXsGPzgxcfdPVYkVJc7R_YPEv0RCLczI/s640/2015-04-12+025.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The lovely blossoms of the English dogwood, which also goes by the name</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"mock orange."</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_1ZAJ3R2LtQbhsBuWHxVhd55fndM9w9ioJEoc7JyDpap0rZgori6RzwNPXL59ylNl248h9cLHOnVT03AV3vOapKMcB21oiZcsWnEc3POWF4YGOY0o3hYf5YtRWsPTbpW2P_qRCRJNGM/s1600/2015-04-12+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_1ZAJ3R2LtQbhsBuWHxVhd55fndM9w9ioJEoc7JyDpap0rZgori6RzwNPXL59ylNl248h9cLHOnVT03AV3vOapKMcB21oiZcsWnEc3POWF4YGOY0o3hYf5YtRWsPTbpW2P_qRCRJNGM/s640/2015-04-12+020.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">One of the old hackberry trees along the driveway. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">There are lots of iris</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">growing around its base, but they need to be dug up and replanted where</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">there is more sun as they have not bloomed for several years. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will put </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">that on my "To Do List".</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k4rn08a4aBQ80kupI8SOB7XgguH__PjS5QdK8yYJSOYQ-EHw8Bh2hmbb2cqueEwRWzXyWy5vzbjZrclABJcNuDB99d15ctdcR6RFsTkVIwypg5J8WqV5at6gb_EamULBNdOFGWCyKGE/s1600/2015-04-12+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k4rn08a4aBQ80kupI8SOB7XgguH__PjS5QdK8yYJSOYQ-EHw8Bh2hmbb2cqueEwRWzXyWy5vzbjZrclABJcNuDB99d15ctdcR6RFsTkVIwypg5J8WqV5at6gb_EamULBNdOFGWCyKGE/s640/2015-04-12+019.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Out front by the highway stands the largest of my two fig trees. Last year, it produced </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">the best crop </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">ever after getting lots of rain in the Spring. Hopefully, the rain of this Spring </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">will give me an even </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">more abundance of figs. Yum!</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUzLdjDwoHAtcgXPMev6FUdz7sTh9KGZX9tBWBK9jhCg5DzCB9zIlG3MsPYc9p9tkboqw4xOfEwT2GVINHQNT8ZKRsG3DJ0cStQPe9WjSWHwLcLEDEYRNSFknVIadEttPY0e56Ap0JLY/s1600/2015-04-12+035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUzLdjDwoHAtcgXPMev6FUdz7sTh9KGZX9tBWBK9jhCg5DzCB9zIlG3MsPYc9p9tkboqw4xOfEwT2GVINHQNT8ZKRsG3DJ0cStQPe9WjSWHwLcLEDEYRNSFknVIadEttPY0e56Ap0JLY/s640/2015-04-12+035.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Of course, with all the rain, fire ant hills have popped up all over the place</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and you really have to watch your step. I appreciate how these little </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">varmints </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">aerate the soil when building their mounds, but it really isn't enough </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">to forgive </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">those stinging bites they are so quick to deliver!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9faf-ej7OSnxIROW_ZnE7KKe0_fhqvSkMFcNvhSaaJeaSBk7qORegaN3nhWABXSHfHDjSlHQ1bQbGQR8SzHW25ecpjgUdo6-XrsZDKwyjhSmpUN7Mw21cjqoNyXFn4s9r_FJgmkgQZwg/s640/2015-04-19+003.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Hidden</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> in the tall grasses, some purple bearded irises do have enough sunshine </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">to bloom. I want to dig them up, though, and place them in a garden where</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">they will be able to get more sun and much more attention in the future.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphKt88D34niSVBCTetYrca8irGC3gEXXyfaW4JszSX2T_6qoYqTcgmZdscKkOudoMye00dR5hS2l8o91cl9Dp2uAZei6cRs8DT22AaEA9fv-k5sMC25hImyRXmRWxWeNIjQYm3qf4kXg/s1600/2015-04-19+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphKt88D34niSVBCTetYrca8irGC3gEXXyfaW4JszSX2T_6qoYqTcgmZdscKkOudoMye00dR5hS2l8o91cl9Dp2uAZei6cRs8DT22AaEA9fv-k5sMC25hImyRXmRWxWeNIjQYm3qf4kXg/s640/2015-04-19+005.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This perky little flower is a Japanese iris that I brought with me from </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">my </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">home in Connecticut. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLrUDT_isK7T7EfKR9nfqxze36-tRdHu09owZmVhfoC1h1WoaFWa-UirVZpcKqFbCiDj8IwAMM9HjFLR4TnPxb9iRIDCLKK_IcZw3MfvyhbYPU4qG9-Q10A2xxROv2qO-oR1UNMvEAWQ/s1600/2015-04-19+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLrUDT_isK7T7EfKR9nfqxze36-tRdHu09owZmVhfoC1h1WoaFWa-UirVZpcKqFbCiDj8IwAMM9HjFLR4TnPxb9iRIDCLKK_IcZw3MfvyhbYPU4qG9-Q10A2xxROv2qO-oR1UNMvEAWQ/s640/2015-04-19+011.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The water continues to stand and accumulate in the front and back yards, making it difficult to get</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: left;">the grass cut with our lawn tractor for way too long. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAcT2py6fWsPn8pNxWr54iucD7YlPqmdmBlYTHQmz6ewuPNNVl-3ZQv80m-bmkAhIA1NQA9zWvC4Dlu1b2xu9zoHLuqojrqdlRQB6PXdofiQ_bhz5dz54BCSmCCYff0I6Brl-MsKweBg/s1600/2015-04-19+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAcT2py6fWsPn8pNxWr54iucD7YlPqmdmBlYTHQmz6ewuPNNVl-3ZQv80m-bmkAhIA1NQA9zWvC4Dlu1b2xu9zoHLuqojrqdlRQB6PXdofiQ_bhz5dz54BCSmCCYff0I6Brl-MsKweBg/s640/2015-04-19+014.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">At the driveway entrance to the house, the two Lady Banks roses that we</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">had to severely prune in February are coming back with lots of vigor! Way</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">to grow, Kate and Bess!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sjIf9Eiwp6QBFyWX__iY0YIjYQK9rTk97X-AUCEAtR8BpV1NBgQnoyZxf6F_e9dCmcMFBRQWQEn47n7_VU1IH5fkxFatO2yqbTNC9Q6DiCjSJQZxwtBKnS9vxNr8ygbhpQPuZzOdGCo/s1600/2015-04-20+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sjIf9Eiwp6QBFyWX__iY0YIjYQK9rTk97X-AUCEAtR8BpV1NBgQnoyZxf6F_e9dCmcMFBRQWQEn47n7_VU1IH5fkxFatO2yqbTNC9Q6DiCjSJQZxwtBKnS9vxNr8ygbhpQPuZzOdGCo/s640/2015-04-20+010.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The climbing rose at the entrance to the back yard across from the veggie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">garden has bloomed more profusely than it ever has with the abundant rain.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyXCza9WcH0v9EXAqF-4kMMzTWgxXRkuPYOhpas1VUD8Y5ztxCdXtQOa4gNiG1J-t5KUinU7i8BS8kdamjrlJ41rLUDuD4of-xQd6RyyDXRzm4Fno6wdXcbRVXZKvpQb78z1zo8U7qAI/s1600/2015-04-20+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyXCza9WcH0v9EXAqF-4kMMzTWgxXRkuPYOhpas1VUD8Y5ztxCdXtQOa4gNiG1J-t5KUinU7i8BS8kdamjrlJ41rLUDuD4of-xQd6RyyDXRzm4Fno6wdXcbRVXZKvpQb78z1zo8U7qAI/s640/2015-04-20+005.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In fact, there were blooms way up into the crepe myrtle tree and lots of new growth for future blooms!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z_hjRZXAnVFN8TNRKECdUV4p5sUilrfsRrQoZ0O8qF4tYNUnwVLHgZLjjIXUTrV4oT-cmQ2KkmMVUEGR7D03fKsFFFa9hM9PRaBGnGB6hdU9Cm0VJYEW90nL_E6khvUdh5cKebbTrhw/s1600/2015-04-25+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z_hjRZXAnVFN8TNRKECdUV4p5sUilrfsRrQoZ0O8qF4tYNUnwVLHgZLjjIXUTrV4oT-cmQ2KkmMVUEGR7D03fKsFFFa9hM9PRaBGnGB6hdU9Cm0VJYEW90nL_E6khvUdh5cKebbTrhw/s640/2015-04-25+005.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">On the back porch, the question was when will the tadpoles become frogs?! It's a Big Mystery!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qVsxCp5xWO-tUTeOBbnbI4DUzSfoyxKyeADE2Z8ZXLFwqzrPrscC4HLPLAADU1f6Fp1d6rYiBE4jcmIVd0hUcYz1KageuMBMjYr7Jw_xTlc-2lT48bnoMmDzYQHz5UpcCmTkAcYib7Q/s1600/2015-04-25+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qVsxCp5xWO-tUTeOBbnbI4DUzSfoyxKyeADE2Z8ZXLFwqzrPrscC4HLPLAADU1f6Fp1d6rYiBE4jcmIVd0hUcYz1KageuMBMjYr7Jw_xTlc-2lT48bnoMmDzYQHz5UpcCmTkAcYib7Q/s640/2015-04-25+010.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">There is one little fella who has gotten his hind legs!</span></td></tr>
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The rains stopped, eventually, and we were finally able to fix the lawn tractor and get the majority of the front and back yards mowed. All it took was a bit of duct tape! Well, duh! Isn't that usually the case?!</div>
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After so many weeks of rain, things were finally beginning to dry up here. And then, right this very moment, it is raining once again for the next several days. With all the storm damage and tornadoes just north of us, we really must be grateful here on HeartSong Farm!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-13388529195595553902015-04-01T22:40:00.000-05:002015-04-01T22:40:27.076-05:00Oh, those muddy blues <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHpvqF0CaM_yofjY09YbcdEJwJZXfaSuNFV25Qlz63RsGn_W_kAh9WE0YHikJ4Q5CXtTWYtjAIL50d2_uX67_iBvf82-mp_un3_2wOKFwpQxiGhiNQuA0_xYkK0F91nZ5ewSnLjT3oIY/s1600/2015-03-15+001+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHpvqF0CaM_yofjY09YbcdEJwJZXfaSuNFV25Qlz63RsGn_W_kAh9WE0YHikJ4Q5CXtTWYtjAIL50d2_uX67_iBvf82-mp_un3_2wOKFwpQxiGhiNQuA0_xYkK0F91nZ5ewSnLjT3oIY/s1600/2015-03-15+001+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recent rains made mud<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In driveway, pastures, yard and</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">then mud came inside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It came down from the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sky, traveled down the driveway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Puddles everywhere!</span><br />
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It has been a very muddy start to Spring 2015. In the past month, we were inundated with monsoon-like rainstorms and, in no time at all, there was no where for any more water to go in many places around HeartSong Farm. We sit atop part of the Carrizo Creek aquifer which is less than a foot below the surface in quite a few places. For two weeks, the pastures and yard were completely saturated with the rains and the runoff, above and below the surface. I am not a fan of mud and muck! I tend to get my vehicle and/or my shoes stuck in it. Ben tends to tromp it through the house.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEPVowih8TUtcpsjfovJA2k6Kg1NujZWt-bmUsYjgWCrmL2dUgKAqyVI5PlRzcaurJ-_QYSup__hYCGdwjISpsyqDOM1KbPRLfU7G45MbQwvmXoJqP4eEoD8SsFhWG5liGLsIeioC1is/s1600/2015-03-11+012+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEPVowih8TUtcpsjfovJA2k6Kg1NujZWt-bmUsYjgWCrmL2dUgKAqyVI5PlRzcaurJ-_QYSup__hYCGdwjISpsyqDOM1KbPRLfU7G45MbQwvmXoJqP4eEoD8SsFhWG5liGLsIeioC1is/s1600/2015-03-11+012+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcchHg1tvUcJsJ0OCRzcunnvFBfq3CdjEn5N9A42d2GMplvPwk5T1MSOR-6COxOOFd9bWSepvnYQoemU455ZgTf6C2yHwSq8Nu79gKM-TGBgnZX3rVVO_1_v5_dmBhrUQuUaz2S4sD3PY/s1600/2015-03-15+004+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcchHg1tvUcJsJ0OCRzcunnvFBfq3CdjEn5N9A42d2GMplvPwk5T1MSOR-6COxOOFd9bWSepvnYQoemU455ZgTf6C2yHwSq8Nu79gKM-TGBgnZX3rVVO_1_v5_dmBhrUQuUaz2S4sD3PY/s1600/2015-03-15+004+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Yucky!</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58IrtQRzQ0KaX_S9VBMNOQJvLf_iIlvVH-F2uQEguuQzaXw7mNIpecpV0OkH2BdFu5ADm0prJ__kFnPlSmXvdBn3wCa0wrGS4Mj-L6jblJjHc5YpgyUlTwfvgDLgMzGOSE7oDdZi6Muk/s1600/2015-03-19+015+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58IrtQRzQ0KaX_S9VBMNOQJvLf_iIlvVH-F2uQEguuQzaXw7mNIpecpV0OkH2BdFu5ADm0prJ__kFnPlSmXvdBn3wCa0wrGS4Mj-L6jblJjHc5YpgyUlTwfvgDLgMzGOSE7oDdZi6Muk/s1600/2015-03-19+015+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Way too close to the back door!</span></td></tr>
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For awhile there, I was beginning to think the sun had completely deserted us! I love hearing the sound of the rain on my metal roof, but enough is ENOUGH! You can't do much in or with mud, after all, unless you are particularly fond of mud pies! I guess you could use the red clay that it is the pastures for making pottery. Hmmm, maybe I need a pottery wheel in retirement?!<br />
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Fortunately, I did not get stuck in it with my car .... or shoes. Neither did my son. We are grateful for that. We are also grateful that the sun has finally decided to stick around for more than a day or two. Even when it wasn't raining, the sun was being shy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAVlv1vJdK-gGuTIuYgRMp2PihPLoK0uoLuQskg5qOZZiwowS2MxIVZYO9jQiTqYk5si2jHWWIiX-Nm-wFs-iCk0RklCwwxrZbQIt1LO20JVkf2c5JDnvT8s5mixxaOCJLl9BdZ11opo/s1600/2015-03-15+008+(424x602).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAVlv1vJdK-gGuTIuYgRMp2PihPLoK0uoLuQskg5qOZZiwowS2MxIVZYO9jQiTqYk5si2jHWWIiX-Nm-wFs-iCk0RklCwwxrZbQIt1LO20JVkf2c5JDnvT8s5mixxaOCJLl9BdZ11opo/s1600/2015-03-15+008+(424x602).jpg" height="640" width="449" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We are planning to rework this area from right to left so that water will<br />flow across the driveway at this point and into the bog area where<br />Gloria, the bald cypress, stands. This will keep a lot of it from heading<br />towards the house!</span></td></tr>
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In between rainstorms, we were able to identify additional places where we can redirect the torrents of water that run down the driveway heading towards the parking pad and the back door. We will also be working on a solution to the water coming from the neighbors' yard, especially when they drain the stagnant water from their in-ground swimming pool. Yuck.</div>
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Hopefully, we can use the water flow to our advantage in the veggie gardens of the future!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzv6PG2oo9l5ybn_fJetSdF-NVxa8V11EmAsJswFvI3f30HugL5wDgyc-f6hNxV7j118brZFPSp40snIsxdSu3quFbpKjiP7Ku2hTsaRpP5dV-NfyAlZLGUdbsWPIj0G5S3hrxvgh2vc/s1600/2015-03-29+001+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzv6PG2oo9l5ybn_fJetSdF-NVxa8V11EmAsJswFvI3f30HugL5wDgyc-f6hNxV7j118brZFPSp40snIsxdSu3quFbpKjiP7Ku2hTsaRpP5dV-NfyAlZLGUdbsWPIj0G5S3hrxvgh2vc/s1600/2015-03-29+001+(480x640).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The seasonal creek runs to the far right in this photo where you can see<br />that the land slopes downward somewhat.</span></td></tr>
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Way out in the back pasture where Armando, Moonshadow and Texanna currently reside, water drains from the road and lots to the west of HeartSong Farm, and flows into the seasonal creek that begins on my property and eventually ends up in Carrizo Creek to the southeast. Further along, it flows into the Angelina River and eventually makes it to the Gulf of Mexico. Recently, I have seen a great blue heron stalking the swollen creek bed back there, hunting for bugs and worms. I was unable to get a photo in the rain, unfortunately. You will just have to take my word for it.<br />
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I would love to have a pond back in that area to catch some of that rain and runoff. I could have ducks and geese again like I did in Missouri and Illinois. I loved watching them waddle around my property, quacking and honking, and playing in the ponds. Great entertainment on a summer day, viewed from the back porch swing. I hope that some day I will have that pond .....<br />
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There is also an area back there that is lower than the rest of the pasture and stays quite wet for most of the spring. I have noticed crawfish "castles" quite often most years, and have seen crawfish a few times, too. In fact, one of my favorite memories of life with llamas here on HeartSong Farm includes a poor little crawfish being surrounded by the female herd and several crias, curious as to what this tiny armored creature was. <br />
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When I went out to see what had gotten the lady llamas excited and concerned, there it was right in the middle of a circle of huge beasts. It was standing upright and had its claws extended like it was just daring one of them to pick it up! While I stood there, a cria named Cisco got close and tried to sniff it. The next thing we all knew, the crawfish grabbed Cisco's nose and wouldn't let go, until he was finally able to sling it off and into the pasture somewhere! I can still see the ferocious look in that crustacean's eyes!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Bluebonnets in a yard in town where I pass by on my way to work. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bluebonnets begin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To bloom along the roadsides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dogwoods, redbuds, too.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzYSIP-t6v5kh7GjHTNRjb3lQhcMQm9CqzJLnpT_b7UGdMSPy9gxtDSFGoFf0KstxnWsz2zQL5Qlj6KY0XmgJhFqXXIPZi9lKgztjDATsMmYCsT_3AyaL2UsAGRVboo6KdEMWSFL_Vec/s1600/2015-03-19+003+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzYSIP-t6v5kh7GjHTNRjb3lQhcMQm9CqzJLnpT_b7UGdMSPy9gxtDSFGoFf0KstxnWsz2zQL5Qlj6KY0XmgJhFqXXIPZi9lKgztjDATsMmYCsT_3AyaL2UsAGRVboo6KdEMWSFL_Vec/s1600/2015-03-19+003+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Redbuds blooming in the front of my home.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoao1YXTvPfGyIUp9WZhKJGb-mC2Zs3Oa9iJfABjomM8gDY8QNo5fhUKLIuthtsmvKRTkUw5c_XQUECPULnInfvumk5eXF_nSgszGmr5KRBhU1zFl2Rx7WROwn6etk8ihXGjutC6-s2s/s1600/005+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoao1YXTvPfGyIUp9WZhKJGb-mC2Zs3Oa9iJfABjomM8gDY8QNo5fhUKLIuthtsmvKRTkUw5c_XQUECPULnInfvumk5eXF_nSgszGmr5KRBhU1zFl2Rx7WROwn6etk8ihXGjutC6-s2s/s1600/005+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Wisteria at the back of the parking lot at my workplace.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YtxfS2nGSO-3JTMISKB4xfH2fNWLgSg4WVztdltIRy3vEUbxVUb8AmwYp9rJzZCcQRWHzKFZY3cPyLsqMQ4hc47y7oYY_ly29OIMkZUipXx9q9CopBZ2laAIgNbPqPevRjJFn_SIn4w/s1600/2015-03-24+018+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YtxfS2nGSO-3JTMISKB4xfH2fNWLgSg4WVztdltIRy3vEUbxVUb8AmwYp9rJzZCcQRWHzKFZY3cPyLsqMQ4hc47y7oYY_ly29OIMkZUipXx9q9CopBZ2laAIgNbPqPevRjJFn_SIn4w/s1600/2015-03-24+018+(480x640).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">All of the rain was perfect for the blackberry vines, and I hope to have</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">a nice batch of berries to pick later in May!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lots of recent rain</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Makes yards and pastures glow in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Technicolor greens!</span></div>
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<o:p><o:p>Meanwhile, absolutely nothing has been happening in my little greenhouse on the back porch. We have had very little sunshine until this past week. Even when it wasn't raining, the sun stayed behind clouds and kept the world looking quite gloomy. The greenhouse needs sun to warm it up, of course, and I am remembering that last year at this time my two little greenhouses were overflowing with plants grown from seeds planted in March. We had an abundance of sunshine then, even when the temps were cold.</o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p><o:p>Another curious thing about this Spring is that we have had no robins or starlings. I missed the robins, but definitely NOT the starlings! They usually invade and stay way too long in my estimation, covering the trees and yard and fighting the hometown birds over the seeds in the feeders. Starlings don't play nice at all!</o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p><o:p>The pair of Eastern phoebes have been back on the front porch defending their nest for several weeks. Their first brood is almost ready to hatch. My hawk, Token, finally found its mate in the sky above my home. I suppose they have flown off on a honeymoon of some sort. </o:p></o:p>I rather miss the "scree, scree, scree" sound as they call out for one another. But, they will be back soon. Meanwhile, the white wing doves that perch on the chimney continue to call and coo as they do for most of the year, and the notes echo into the den as I knit or read to keep me company along with the cats.<br />
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Speaking of cats ....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0X2YD0DRR0juk2rxG-1xoWHXCtDBwfiUW0ceJrVA2IqgUjelFOBlVUeVgKwSBLGwpVRNE0-GSj1qvIEsLr1d4nVaLTI4eUf6aeNP0QFBBCyAZ0JnK1fXU9xz8LtPwr-01Z3u6TmtrMAc/s1600/2015-03-24+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0X2YD0DRR0juk2rxG-1xoWHXCtDBwfiUW0ceJrVA2IqgUjelFOBlVUeVgKwSBLGwpVRNE0-GSj1qvIEsLr1d4nVaLTI4eUf6aeNP0QFBBCyAZ0JnK1fXU9xz8LtPwr-01Z3u6TmtrMAc/s1600/2015-03-24+006.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Godfrey claimed the box first.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLfq5-I-VrQ0WL5IU49lM2mIadaEyvGULRmXLN845VGXhMvw0i56RaUX_AqzGowxHpzfinI0XIrSmwldyqk66EHOAKizN4CNcYE7clqOpxEuGIYHZr71j75iSw5AUbDF9woLd09tqR_c/s1600/2015-03-25+001+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLfq5-I-VrQ0WL5IU49lM2mIadaEyvGULRmXLN845VGXhMvw0i56RaUX_AqzGowxHpzfinI0XIrSmwldyqk66EHOAKizN4CNcYE7clqOpxEuGIYHZr71j75iSw5AUbDF9woLd09tqR_c/s1600/2015-03-25+001+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Oh, there is nothing like a new box!</span></td></tr>
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Last week I received the charkha that I had ordered from The Woolery (photos coming soon!) and, as usual I put the empty box down on the den floor for the cats. It turned out to be just about the most perfect box ever! Godfrey claimed it first, stretching and curling up and fitting quite nicely into it. He did NOT like it when he saw Axl trying his best to fit his huge body into that same box! A fight ensued, but Axl was determined he was going to get in it and take a nap. Which he did a few times, but then he handed it back over to Godfrey.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLy9rGlcnMcS521JP162AqTAbsRN7yZo8mdkaMruENRr2xckWwKHvhrPwDkWujeKT1obRUCtG9ET8qTucBfXJ4cDCTpL5n6Hq0_IABckeECoJKKfLQ261hxB0Gt1BBXfmMrb6cUZXsWI/s1600/2015-03-27+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLy9rGlcnMcS521JP162AqTAbsRN7yZo8mdkaMruENRr2xckWwKHvhrPwDkWujeKT1obRUCtG9ET8qTucBfXJ4cDCTpL5n6Hq0_IABckeECoJKKfLQ261hxB0Gt1BBXfmMrb6cUZXsWI/s1600/2015-03-27+001.JPG" height="448" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">After much maneuvering, Axl finally got most of himself into the charkha box.</span></td></tr>
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Meanwhile, Jessy has not been feeling very well, and seems to have good days and bad days.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglED5TgpwWwkyD8ix1beSuMlIlGmZpjpo3AtVRjeH6z_R8FAwzJozoxJPkqXm6-JqyJ1RMB8fw1V-2KoeTsdRMPGxctKa8Qv5nVyoG42vhjk_IQpCsT3fkxDPpz0VkF-SPHxrKNkqszz8/s1600/2015-03-25+011+(462x626).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglED5TgpwWwkyD8ix1beSuMlIlGmZpjpo3AtVRjeH6z_R8FAwzJozoxJPkqXm6-JqyJ1RMB8fw1V-2KoeTsdRMPGxctKa8Qv5nVyoG42vhjk_IQpCsT3fkxDPpz0VkF-SPHxrKNkqszz8/s1600/2015-03-25+011+(462x626).jpg" height="640" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Jessy is usually found on the window sill in the breakfast room.</span></td></tr>
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Even so, eventually she had to try out this charkha box for herself! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0ajUv_ilMDqjRlJR3oTDvfgWVIb1QONYdWofH6_9wi2QefmT5DLr1uw8P5KFfbpB26vtoRMvLfxpTvnZnlXiOvye3rluwUI09OVgi_0QYcK0Jo-nv_ejoNYkTJIceVAxDiqavHkAb34/s1600/2015-03-28+073+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0ajUv_ilMDqjRlJR3oTDvfgWVIb1QONYdWofH6_9wi2QefmT5DLr1uw8P5KFfbpB26vtoRMvLfxpTvnZnlXiOvye3rluwUI09OVgi_0QYcK0Jo-nv_ejoNYkTJIceVAxDiqavHkAb34/s1600/2015-03-28+073+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And she, too, pronounced it a nice fit.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiy2DSc3EPoWDb0PR7ZUx6py390iL8htYOEV1IvlvnxukIlIvmc5okgZzhs0cmTu1h7mIvUVvQuOryQwdZrRu8jsEtexmT3IHh04-KOz_xTMNdKyY-vMnt2GNZA20L4OHft5F41w8Tzc/s1600/2015-03-28+003+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiy2DSc3EPoWDb0PR7ZUx6py390iL8htYOEV1IvlvnxukIlIvmc5okgZzhs0cmTu1h7mIvUVvQuOryQwdZrRu8jsEtexmT3IHh04-KOz_xTMNdKyY-vMnt2GNZA20L4OHft5F41w8Tzc/s1600/2015-03-28+003+(480x640).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Must be The Perfect Box!</span></td></tr>
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Even with all that mud, life is still good here at HeartSong Farm!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-11155340464829323602015-03-08T18:16:00.001-05:002015-03-09T10:12:44.387-05:00A weekend walkabout<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQE9das38Qj3bUwAMRMdVtsQY579aCLEolRhE-VDzoptRuefjNu4jg-BRuYrG7trNy_4hyphenhyphen9AH1EOh3u8CXyVEPzYhCTfiDoV_2HaFlSoDJLVLBQfzR4S93z-70eE3Hvo56fk4IIwmxgdE/s1600/2015-03-04+004+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQE9das38Qj3bUwAMRMdVtsQY579aCLEolRhE-VDzoptRuefjNu4jg-BRuYrG7trNy_4hyphenhyphen9AH1EOh3u8CXyVEPzYhCTfiDoV_2HaFlSoDJLVLBQfzR4S93z-70eE3Hvo56fk4IIwmxgdE/s1600/2015-03-04+004+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Japanese magnolia blossoms outside my dining room window.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This morning, I woke up to the pattering of rain on my metal roof and it was so beautiful that I lay still and listened to it for way too long. Godfrey kept tapping my nose with his paw ... his signal that I needed to get out of bed and give him and Axl their morning snacks. Finally, I rolled out of bed and made it into the kitchen to start the coffee and deliver those snacks only to find a sticky note from my son, Ben, that read: "Spring forward!" accompanied by a smiley face. Oh, no! Now, not only had I stayed in bed being lazy, enjoying the sound of the rain, but I was automatically going to be behind the rest of the day! Bummer!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEonuu1mg3R2Tbaq72KMdpbM9qI1ufFce_Tk3G5Y_NFmibTz0IqD2WoG_YdZKnfhCMaki_7VUROSXSMlyUFzRbBx7PzEgHxWA3IU8jNV4atfUX9G9EgAjxJPHrlxQnZYuWxcyBpjCVWY/s1600/2015-03-04+003+(560x372).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEonuu1mg3R2Tbaq72KMdpbM9qI1ufFce_Tk3G5Y_NFmibTz0IqD2WoG_YdZKnfhCMaki_7VUROSXSMlyUFzRbBx7PzEgHxWA3IU8jNV4atfUX9G9EgAjxJPHrlxQnZYuWxcyBpjCVWY/s1600/2015-03-04+003+(560x372).jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Two weekends ago, I took photos of the Japanese magnolia in the back yard sporting lovely blossoms. It had been nice and mild for a week or so. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The weather has been the main news around here the last couple of weeks. Twice snow has missed HeartSong Farm by about 30 miles to the north, but we were treated to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">sleet and snow mixed with rain for a couple of hours last week. We did not get to enjoy the 6 inches of snow that fell on the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Wednesday of this week, however, the temperature dropped 20 degrees between 4 pm and 5 pm, going from 75 to 54, as the sky turned ominous with dark storm clouds roiling up from the southwest. Temps continued to drop throughout the night, and I woke up to a cold but dry 30 degrees that had already risen to 37 by the time I left for work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Friday morning, cedar waxwings and myrtle warblers, who usually migrate together through here in late January/early February, came through, enjoying the flower buds on the Bradford pears. Unfortunately, it has not been sunny enough for my little greenhouse on the back porch to heat up the dirt in the pots on the inside. I planted pomegranate seeds the first week of February, and there are still no sprouts. I have been trying to "hatch" an avocado in there, too. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFICzQAtzpoymf_73Kuta7-reXQXM-cNSxDOiUsRZ3-b0-auEfgO6bvDXMeu8EAosqTJbIJKGjJorib4044gFG5DUKQIu0kvV2sCQY6OCW1JMgnTypD4zPgWOg18tn8Fkl0_98pAuTXM/s1600/2015-03-07+061+(442x614).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFICzQAtzpoymf_73Kuta7-reXQXM-cNSxDOiUsRZ3-b0-auEfgO6bvDXMeu8EAosqTJbIJKGjJorib4044gFG5DUKQIu0kvV2sCQY6OCW1JMgnTypD4zPgWOg18tn8Fkl0_98pAuTXM/s1600/2015-03-07+061+(442x614).jpg" height="640" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My little greenhouse and the plastic tub with the tadpoles on the back porch</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndZdBiHtwlCwEcexbJsTNXORglo74GplnURSknDrSs5kTEd-BLv71GcP8sb-OcUq0kfYgbXCbjRHVTpgPN63wENvQQWF-lKuWDOXuEVYbzdYX19xrsrT1n5V2JvGJaIJ0fely-sohaxE/s1600/2015-03-07+054+(626x462).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndZdBiHtwlCwEcexbJsTNXORglo74GplnURSknDrSs5kTEd-BLv71GcP8sb-OcUq0kfYgbXCbjRHVTpgPN63wENvQQWF-lKuWDOXuEVYbzdYX19xrsrT1n5V2JvGJaIJ0fely-sohaxE/s1600/2015-03-07+054+(626x462).jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The tadpoles have made it through all the cold weather, slowly growing, but still no sign of legs!</span></td></tr>
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Yesterday was quite sunny and mild, and since it was the first non-rainy Saturday in awhile, I decided to take a bit of a walkabout on the farm to see what was happening in various areas. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBQYnT3WMn9RCZls4fP8yrvY4HGEWud3CroQX7BOVBW1iZ_HDCITLAANVb8TPjWR-b4YAs3FuqLvtbZRAUA8tnpdfJ4WUOmpXRorYkIPKnY883WpTQyE1_E0KvbdM9RTfrMwiGWkOxoM/s1600/2015-03-07+051+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBQYnT3WMn9RCZls4fP8yrvY4HGEWud3CroQX7BOVBW1iZ_HDCITLAANVb8TPjWR-b4YAs3FuqLvtbZRAUA8tnpdfJ4WUOmpXRorYkIPKnY883WpTQyE1_E0KvbdM9RTfrMwiGWkOxoM/s1600/2015-03-07+051+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is what the poor Japanese magnolia blossoms looked like this weekend. They got zapped!</span></td></tr>
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The poor Lady Banks roses at the driveway entrance to the house needed cutting back to fix an issue on the roof a month ago. This past week, the weight of the remaining branches caused them to flip over and pull the arbor away from the fascia on the house. So we are going to do some VERY DRASTIC surgery. Ben is not sure they will recover, but I told him they were two very strong Ladies. He must have faith! I guess I need to name them since they are such strong Ladies. Hmmm .... I think Bess, on the right, and Kate, on the left facing the house. Yes indeed, that will certainly do!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWF6mw955DyoxPI1smUknDpE8wNQzwsx7IntuvXEZ26v30HRCKmda8mc3erphMhmvkst3ZD1Amrn5-5ckrnfgj6EePOSUpJVaV8fbB3_6V5DE10bZ_AgcU1U0Y5T7FaQVT_rOALlN5eM/s1600/2015-03-07+008+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWF6mw955DyoxPI1smUknDpE8wNQzwsx7IntuvXEZ26v30HRCKmda8mc3erphMhmvkst3ZD1Amrn5-5ckrnfgj6EePOSUpJVaV8fbB3_6V5DE10bZ_AgcU1U0Y5T7FaQVT_rOALlN5eM/s1600/2015-03-07+008+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The toppled over arbor with the Lady Banks roses. Fortunately, my car was with me at work when</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: justify;">the arbor lost its grip on the house!</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>
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I started my walkabout in the front yard and over to the fence to the east where the front pasture is located.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrlWC_IYuUV7NW9nVsC-Lm2JW5RBRTc7-od5JpF15_h1NgoCBhbBKiQy7FTgdUXxGA2cQ3VzUsRsHTbEbCDLV9JifyAa1ohPLQMmdFhG01Np_m2HplmE29DUQRlbJi6nxLsG3TBNS-Ic/s1600/2015-03-07+010+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrlWC_IYuUV7NW9nVsC-Lm2JW5RBRTc7-od5JpF15_h1NgoCBhbBKiQy7FTgdUXxGA2cQ3VzUsRsHTbEbCDLV9JifyAa1ohPLQMmdFhG01Np_m2HplmE29DUQRlbJi6nxLsG3TBNS-Ic/s1600/2015-03-07+010+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The first thing that caught my eye were these lovely and adorable hyacinths in the yard.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPtbv8lyuDN71DYX55gP8v7Le0j4LAJ4yd4J_z0ir7SQMnOZ4L6HGbDfW6wQutwC2Nd3rHqQroaoWDLH2ooNpdN6MgsYb-X8DIswDDffDYm9kI8oxbVZQM28RdtzPJ7opWn01bezmgdc/s1600/2015-03-07+013+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPtbv8lyuDN71DYX55gP8v7Le0j4LAJ4yd4J_z0ir7SQMnOZ4L6HGbDfW6wQutwC2Nd3rHqQroaoWDLH2ooNpdN6MgsYb-X8DIswDDffDYm9kI8oxbVZQM28RdtzPJ7opWn01bezmgdc/s1600/2015-03-07+013+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I wandered over to the fence and caught this photo of Sir Prize grazing on some new spring grass.</span></td></tr>
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Honey bees were already enjoying the early pollen treats they found in the blossoms of the Bradford pear tree near the front pasture fence. They seemed to be ready for Spring to get busy and get here! Let's hear it for those bees!!! We need them for pollination of all our fruits and vegetables. They need protecting from insecticides, folks!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYbS0jNdnKrne7IxUpMyMVxz9CSgoBg3thQAQRBfZuabsuOKMhEFD-t1K74PYgGEGqI2nOKHB6nD3W7qibHzOXPmmLIz6Zs7OJf-8looRbJugGZBCUda9zj2OZ0SL43KnVViQUOMNoBo/s1600/2015-03-07+020+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYbS0jNdnKrne7IxUpMyMVxz9CSgoBg3thQAQRBfZuabsuOKMhEFD-t1K74PYgGEGqI2nOKHB6nD3W7qibHzOXPmmLIz6Zs7OJf-8looRbJugGZBCUda9zj2OZ0SL43KnVViQUOMNoBo/s1600/2015-03-07+020+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Bees and Bradford pear blossoms!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpDWAUSPY0Sd3YeebtJek1q0fIyoQIX2CZGQ7agvnyq3uwb6ukXhsx_XLrjPyHCuZOG99imefRLx7rRCejaqwMH66VfCDX8fHzEOb3_rCbZr1rcwpu3R6cYNYw0Ck04uEhZ30r5xYK84/s1600/2015-03-07+022+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpDWAUSPY0Sd3YeebtJek1q0fIyoQIX2CZGQ7agvnyq3uwb6ukXhsx_XLrjPyHCuZOG99imefRLx7rRCejaqwMH66VfCDX8fHzEOb3_rCbZr1rcwpu3R6cYNYw0Ck04uEhZ30r5xYK84/s1600/2015-03-07+022+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Bees!!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVb4OATQsZwj1UJ4c6ZiK8HxsNRqwO7-Rf6kKECgE748q7Gh4koIb1JNxGNtBMcXKMaiqMNBM9XxeIhi_mAWJkkxFm84GO0L7dBAXDLcR-njl2oHvHNLI0uWSnYti_-85nuMqbfL6i-w/s1600/2015-03-07+024+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVb4OATQsZwj1UJ4c6ZiK8HxsNRqwO7-Rf6kKECgE748q7Gh4koIb1JNxGNtBMcXKMaiqMNBM9XxeIhi_mAWJkkxFm84GO0L7dBAXDLcR-njl2oHvHNLI0uWSnYti_-85nuMqbfL6i-w/s1600/2015-03-07+024+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And bees! Bees everywhere on the Bradford pear blossoms!</span></td></tr>
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And then, I took a look at my poor old barn .... The wind storm we had about six weeks ago had blown off part of the tin roof. It had made a huge thundering noise at it hit the ground. I actually thought there had been a wreck out on the highway at the time! It remains to be seen how long the rest of the main roof will last, since it was improperly constructed. I am just glad it lasted as long as it has.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1QKuRA4f5I7F9aProGchMxzOE5dhdFHy0BfLmb7wJc2dxUEK65zhlAE7Vs98-C0SpnQrRCunZJYXOXpDVsdv9NlkibF7iQY2C8dzbvBr6258cy3I7l5fcSZQOLCaYtsRYaU-faLLLeo/s1600/2015-03-07+025+(442x614).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1QKuRA4f5I7F9aProGchMxzOE5dhdFHy0BfLmb7wJc2dxUEK65zhlAE7Vs98-C0SpnQrRCunZJYXOXpDVsdv9NlkibF7iQY2C8dzbvBr6258cy3I7l5fcSZQOLCaYtsRYaU-faLLLeo/s1600/2015-03-07+025+(442x614).jpg" height="640" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Poor old barn! We have had some good times ....</span></td></tr>
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Next, I turned my attention to the west side of the front yard, and there was my lovely red oak, standing strong and tall! This tree reminds me so much of my Daddy. Oaks were always his favorite.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0saeF3wlDNh-NaPrkH-uYTMCbBqw2EHXEPLbIzpcvh3yRlhxDfTbZzcrXbp51RNfZtYZx4QU4YmYJ64caa9sDEfYha3C1N9gnVMSvAiDn6Y_np31ocUbA7c55JDKn4K7GNht2KC51xQ/s1600/2015-03-07+026+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0saeF3wlDNh-NaPrkH-uYTMCbBqw2EHXEPLbIzpcvh3yRlhxDfTbZzcrXbp51RNfZtYZx4QU4YmYJ64caa9sDEfYha3C1N9gnVMSvAiDn6Y_np31ocUbA7c55JDKn4K7GNht2KC51xQ/s1600/2015-03-07+026+(480x640).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This oak's leaves turn rusty red in Autumn, but it does not shed them until </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">winds of March come visiting.</span></div>
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You can see in the photo that I still have a large pile of dirt leftover from last Spring, as well as two stacks of cement blocks for re-doing my raised beds this Spring and Summer. Fingers are crossed that I will get around to it!<br />
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Before I made it to the driveway, I found a jonquil blossom all by itself. Actually, I am not sure if it is a jonquil or a daffodil! I have never been able to tell the difference. Maybe in retirement I will try to figure that one out, once and for all?! Nearby was a nice patch of irises that are left over from the previous owner. They bloom lovely in purples and blues. I will take a photo when the time comes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7AzdCWvizUWXJ09S2Pse0yZj2cdEnLUKSCetPDvPPUTlLfEcXwsStaeexzgagQgpS8EUIXbmWPVf0PSexOJPQaKAKKUVHJrtshaFI2WUq9mOyZRT4Toi2YVtreAmdc64SmKYaCEJg2c/s1600/2015-03-07+031+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7AzdCWvizUWXJ09S2Pse0yZj2cdEnLUKSCetPDvPPUTlLfEcXwsStaeexzgagQgpS8EUIXbmWPVf0PSexOJPQaKAKKUVHJrtshaFI2WUq9mOyZRT4Toi2YVtreAmdc64SmKYaCEJg2c/s1600/2015-03-07+031+(480x640).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Is this a jonquil or a daffodil?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLRlp4-wkbp1gt3k8PCyF8Q66yjRULE4CjYBJVqe-XpJHU7TUU0ColOsIqpoF18Qm26vxc4D7Uk_zEBCBoPnKnOSUGkfjSzFi-lvFRQabwZINSCdkqsHJV2IKiuwS0mP7ghgU9aE51Ns/s1600/2015-03-07+028+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLRlp4-wkbp1gt3k8PCyF8Q66yjRULE4CjYBJVqe-XpJHU7TUU0ColOsIqpoF18Qm26vxc4D7Uk_zEBCBoPnKnOSUGkfjSzFi-lvFRQabwZINSCdkqsHJV2IKiuwS0mP7ghgU9aE51Ns/s1600/2015-03-07+028+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Irises</span></td></tr>
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By now, I am at the driveway, and, as usual, the neighbors' pit bull starts barking and growling at me.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX49UVgWITy__OxD6yXq4WT2cTCfD0trl_qoH42t_wtQxO-s9TZjSsmekTHuMsm9nCla8LN7NQEGma-ZdNnAN20dIPWGxkelp_fusQI_0sXUI4F13_aHCywLbPjJStUwvBehYa-8l5fD8/s1600/2015-03-07+038+(638x478).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX49UVgWITy__OxD6yXq4WT2cTCfD0trl_qoH42t_wtQxO-s9TZjSsmekTHuMsm9nCla8LN7NQEGma-ZdNnAN20dIPWGxkelp_fusQI_0sXUI4F13_aHCywLbPjJStUwvBehYa-8l5fD8/s1600/2015-03-07+038+(638x478).jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is what I have to deal with whenever I am out along my own driveway! A reminder of what</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: justify;">happened to me and my young llama .... It still hurts.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl3EwAobRaakpcLAp8bPHssg_SKv-JH0CE2K8LfUs5xdEKzhxW31frbBfVqklI2buVsOeoSJ1UGu-uAm0XO3oCGrsOaxuZHAfx0JNWE53j_drt2N4SeItJD9VMuIspTWcmYNSRVHYfMM/s1600/2015-03-07+034+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl3EwAobRaakpcLAp8bPHssg_SKv-JH0CE2K8LfUs5xdEKzhxW31frbBfVqklI2buVsOeoSJ1UGu-uAm0XO3oCGrsOaxuZHAfx0JNWE53j_drt2N4SeItJD9VMuIspTWcmYNSRVHYfMM/s1600/2015-03-07+034+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is how the neighbors' have "fixed the fence." They piled junk up against 72 feet of the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">fence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So far the junk includes a trampoline, numerous old bikes, a toilet, two doors, two stacks of old car tires, numerous window screens, several chairs, and an old water heater. Quite a lovely sight from my side, I must say! Last week, they started adding trash bags which the dogs got into, of course. Duh!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ben and I have a project in mind to hide this unsightly attempt to keep the dogs in the backyard. Stay tuned! It involves some lattice panels and posts, but we have to wait until the weekend weather is warm and dry for digging the post holes. It will turn out quite lovely as well as utilitarian. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI8KlkrhKIp1bemdW3KzSZySdDKj37J966La63DIxD0OxmVwjL5JtpaW-ylO6cS-1FHz4MdFq7cMWrR1ZSqrfjdLgnjE9rLYZ8X7lP-viML3ZeY7ht_YRLrRxmWGqOqi2IH7FZZYoghQ/s1600/2015-03-07+036+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXI8KlkrhKIp1bemdW3KzSZySdDKj37J966La63DIxD0OxmVwjL5JtpaW-ylO6cS-1FHz4MdFq7cMWrR1ZSqrfjdLgnjE9rLYZ8X7lP-viML3ZeY7ht_YRLrRxmWGqOqi2IH7FZZYoghQ/s1600/2015-03-07+036+(480x640).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Out front by the highway are my two fig trees. I took several cuttings from</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: justify;">this one during my walkabout.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>
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I walked back up the driveway towards the house to have a look-see at the garden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1f5SFYnsgjT4Ak2CtQ428PhbKS27VXg1xLmVEV5z_w-DU_sQZvF-VaSpNHWMIiuFUKK4ieUDdWS-Rt_0MKCTVhDXLAPEfNEnmVoD7Awfgl7ZJtmHZuYnz9drG11l3bCCfRK7dtN9P0P0/s1600/2015-03-07+044+(640x478).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1f5SFYnsgjT4Ak2CtQ428PhbKS27VXg1xLmVEV5z_w-DU_sQZvF-VaSpNHWMIiuFUKK4ieUDdWS-Rt_0MKCTVhDXLAPEfNEnmVoD7Awfgl7ZJtmHZuYnz9drG11l3bCCfRK7dtN9P0P0/s1600/2015-03-07+044+(640x478).jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The mustard plants were blooming and going to seed. There were bees all over them, too, as well as the little </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">purple flowers growing alongside them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFX57NBXrgvz2PUfLRx7LTRQLiIkmht6ZJ8xKVx5bP7gqIsxwf_HCmPzeDEDZ0PUvOzDGNwws8kLfroRAPtOvDb2dzp0Rn0G4rj-PF7zQSGc4-e_u4T0Joh29bfIjtqrNaBQ7ZU7QwME/s1600/2015-03-07+047+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFX57NBXrgvz2PUfLRx7LTRQLiIkmht6ZJ8xKVx5bP7gqIsxwf_HCmPzeDEDZ0PUvOzDGNwws8kLfroRAPtOvDb2dzp0Rn0G4rj-PF7zQSGc4-e_u4T0Joh29bfIjtqrNaBQ7ZU7QwME/s1600/2015-03-07+047+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Nearby the ruby red Swiss Chard was beginning to put on some growth for a Spring harvest!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DcGyVrLFhgDQZMwToAHd4BTQOdaf-D2R4b6LpdoDLVYV0kDp9Rqj5FJREWgirZnzsTlzKv9cxoIgH3TFbB2nfzRnwlvvtH2DYs-8nwSaErEWsNUyGhWc400jaXMrAc91b-gxIYzoYa4/s1600/2015-03-07+048+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DcGyVrLFhgDQZMwToAHd4BTQOdaf-D2R4b6LpdoDLVYV0kDp9Rqj5FJREWgirZnzsTlzKv9cxoIgH3TFbB2nfzRnwlvvtH2DYs-8nwSaErEWsNUyGhWc400jaXMrAc91b-gxIYzoYa4/s1600/2015-03-07+048+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And the 50 garlic plants just continued growing beneath the ground, awaiting a May harvest.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-NcG6roT7jENccIo0QWTHU3DZdOu8OKCzDBBxFL8W2YbIcthPVIkOrs0wG4TN75k_0K6KHdvMhBsiRQE7-7svlPwZsTgVcjv9hlTU9u7-e6zQT1YTKKST5XF3BZRs2VdSAVTSxmqizY/s1600/2015-03-07+050+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-NcG6roT7jENccIo0QWTHU3DZdOu8OKCzDBBxFL8W2YbIcthPVIkOrs0wG4TN75k_0K6KHdvMhBsiRQE7-7svlPwZsTgVcjv9hlTU9u7-e6zQT1YTKKST5XF3BZRs2VdSAVTSxmqizY/s1600/2015-03-07+050+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Outside barn cat, Max, followed me, as is his usual habit, around on my walkabout.</span></td></tr>
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The walkabout over, I went into the kitchen with my fig twigs and readied them for rooting. I had cut 8 twigs about the diameter of my pinkie finger from what I estimated to be 3 year old growth. I cut the top ends at an angle, and the base ends flat. I lined two pots with some newspaper, then filled them with potting soil. I sealed the tops of the twigs to prevent disease by dipping them in liquid dish soap. Then I moistened the bottom ends and dipped them in a rooting powder, and stuck them into the potting soil mixture in the pots.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKbZwNVOlTnVeGCEsuJnVtk8qyCHU9clu5uZeISUO26gMidEup8nWK695QH9eQwmEqwRBBP7xNGSpqm3v8Q8WsjX2JLpoQmpEaFgHrXiDXSmYP8mYulq23JSccSvp2Vwj9kBnoUIJoIY/s1600/2015-03-07+069+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKbZwNVOlTnVeGCEsuJnVtk8qyCHU9clu5uZeISUO26gMidEup8nWK695QH9eQwmEqwRBBP7xNGSpqm3v8Q8WsjX2JLpoQmpEaFgHrXiDXSmYP8mYulq23JSccSvp2Vwj9kBnoUIJoIY/s1600/2015-03-07+069+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fig twig cuttings and pots ready for potting soil and planting.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW874bhyphenhyphenkdBiVFU2b57vzLqVw1rSZnJsPA_tIDXTWASeAhAJOCl-46WfNNMk4YJ46rBwBiJCJyEVDz5yT_Sgn61BtgaPd29bz_1BUFwA6u4uo4PvG2hdmzhp6rJKiWo5sRo9LMXwh43s/s1600/2015-03-07+077+(630x466).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTW874bhyphenhyphenkdBiVFU2b57vzLqVw1rSZnJsPA_tIDXTWASeAhAJOCl-46WfNNMk4YJ46rBwBiJCJyEVDz5yT_Sgn61BtgaPd29bz_1BUFwA6u4uo4PvG2hdmzhp6rJKiWo5sRo9LMXwh43s/s1600/2015-03-07+077+(630x466).jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I put the two pots inside my small greenhouse on the back porch, next to my avocado seed.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQABfspvJ_0m22cAPCSlsnz2OsU7_g2MUjNifo1kG3-1y7Im926-yUkrd0rvGkjdXiAr2rm1l2AexHLp9duEOdJRN-H09jeLdub1ILCFsml3RPQTeWsJWqtW64HVU2dHeVpti63Th0q8/s1600/2015-03-07+078+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQABfspvJ_0m22cAPCSlsnz2OsU7_g2MUjNifo1kG3-1y7Im926-yUkrd0rvGkjdXiAr2rm1l2AexHLp9duEOdJRN-H09jeLdub1ILCFsml3RPQTeWsJWqtW64HVU2dHeVpti63Th0q8/s1600/2015-03-07+078+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Max, as I said, is never far away when I am outside. I guess he thinks my greenhouse is a sauna?!</span></td></tr>
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Back in the house, I took some photos of the inside felines:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1jgjvLC6MzXDKYfHMLHPiMC69OQnkotLUagluuJFS1PPsfkQMwAmgDPrxyPyH91DZSIszmMRf7ix0zxHEfgwJNib1WEVBNXYdKtW3Vq7xuB1wcRXk6kewnSb05lOgh5mXNqiGsZlyW0/s1600/2015-03-07+096+(632x470).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1jgjvLC6MzXDKYfHMLHPiMC69OQnkotLUagluuJFS1PPsfkQMwAmgDPrxyPyH91DZSIszmMRf7ix0zxHEfgwJNib1WEVBNXYdKtW3Vq7xuB1wcRXk6kewnSb05lOgh5mXNqiGsZlyW0/s1600/2015-03-07+096+(632x470).jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Old Jessy was sleeping on her pillow in the sunny dining room window. She has not been feeling</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: justify;">very well lately. We are unsure as to her exact age because she was a shelter kitty.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDU3J6STiW0CC-yIvBge7ojnaMjFxZKPm1nYzSA_0W2ggjJngRL1KV_H8D5FyvfziO1T89x6ExCsf9SjSxQeQ_ByTdNFnULVFcd7ftd6Wz8R_7DxxEX0sUUGv3rtFGMXS7Leb5ZrkWw0/s1600/2015-03-07+094+(480x640).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDU3J6STiW0CC-yIvBge7ojnaMjFxZKPm1nYzSA_0W2ggjJngRL1KV_H8D5FyvfziO1T89x6ExCsf9SjSxQeQ_ByTdNFnULVFcd7ftd6Wz8R_7DxxEX0sUUGv3rtFGMXS7Leb5ZrkWw0/s1600/2015-03-07+094+(480x640).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">As usual, Axl was hopefully waiting in his usual spot under one of the</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; text-align: left;">bar stools for a snack.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrdQdRsdx7mLODsHUIy3nzap92EnlwLdQCW2cS1Eiw7X_vVyUxwSy5mmBWN29PtxjFK37Mlc1J68hN8bj-Qb7YhB1olwItUhlLiihI6bN7hmyOJecn04qrLUshNIZkNlyIFh-ZbGxIkA/s1600/2015-03-07+085+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrdQdRsdx7mLODsHUIy3nzap92EnlwLdQCW2cS1Eiw7X_vVyUxwSy5mmBWN29PtxjFK37Mlc1J68hN8bj-Qb7YhB1olwItUhlLiihI6bN7hmyOJecn04qrLUshNIZkNlyIFh-ZbGxIkA/s1600/2015-03-07+085+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And, Godfrey was pretending to be a Box Troll ....</span></td></tr>
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So far today, it has been a constant and cold rain outside all day. I am glad I decided to take my walkabout yesterday, for who knows when the next dry sunny weekend will occur! <i>Carpe diem!</i><br />
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Thanks to Netflix, I think we are going to catch up on the "Outlander" series with some hot tea the rest of this cold, rainy afternoon here at HeartSong Farm!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-39469333651589490242015-02-25T16:20:00.000-06:002015-02-26T13:34:49.945-06:00OMG, did we have fun at CPS #3!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="477" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9wNnJZyXB2KermXMtcrf7Y1tCntiB3XWyNW9cAt6jUq1Zvr2dnXhd7f4oNjRhkjm60xEyiSGujtGKmiFS0mCI6XPRsmB_9OB3N0psDfhMz-ULZmT29Xo2-VZmb0FYmEiFPBxjtO6ahk/s1600/2015-02-01+003+(1024x764).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The lodge facility directly across from the Activities Room and Pool at Lone Oak Ranch Retreat.</span></td></tr>
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The last weekend of January 2015 found me on a wonderful road trip with my friend, Wanda. We were headed for the Chix Packin Stix Retreat about an hour north of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. I was so excited that I didn't even care that it was also Super Bowl Weekend. That says a mouthful, if you know me well enough!</div>
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Wanda was quite excited, herself. She was looking forward to finally learning how to knit. You see, Wanda is left handed, and that makes it hard to learn knitting and crochet because almost all directions for everything is geared towards being right handed. So unfair, right?! She desperately needed help and there would be at least two left handed knitters at the Retreat! </div>
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It took us the better part of 5 hours to reach Lone Oak Ranch Retreat near Gainesville, and, I am not kidding, we talked non-stop about anything and everything. I had to hunt for my chapstick before I left my car. Finding it amongst the stuff in my purse was a godsend, because I was going to need it quite often during the rest of the weekend!</div>
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The fun began with the opening of the door of the Activities Room on January 30, 2015, at the Lone Oak Ranch Retreat venue and site of the 3rd Chix Packin Stix Retreat. I could hardly wait to see who would be attending, and what projects we would be exploring. Pictures are said to be worth a 1000 words, and I think the following photos say a lot about how much fun we had! Enjoy!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCbqDCy4K8jD8fNVvu6ItRhvmQz6vsWGGi-zqQn8o2uBWSmsPqWE1vO97KIJ36bl5hja1taGZdwazhgdT9axhfopqgoyUCTnUhUDnY-T39oIH3Eu7MYSsm55eB0P-hY2pUmP5Skce5Cc/s1600/2015-01-31+003+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCbqDCy4K8jD8fNVvu6ItRhvmQz6vsWGGi-zqQn8o2uBWSmsPqWE1vO97KIJ36bl5hja1taGZdwazhgdT9axhfopqgoyUCTnUhUDnY-T39oIH3Eu7MYSsm55eB0P-hY2pUmP5Skce5Cc/s1600/2015-01-31+003+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Early arrivals found a table to call home base and got to work on a project of their own. Hugs and screams of delight were abundant as each new attendee entered the building!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJaa3_8Jkr9Vyc3auZ1LF3OExYCsUn94hSdQzm_JSTEaJg1AgmNRn2CZ9iK4Oxd1Br_CjMwAhDguO5ZYaa6LAoYQwpywDdYlT9ne3hrGxJvFLTG11ieYQ765IoOZKak7G9AEVPKmaTmw/s1600/2015-02-22+008+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJaa3_8Jkr9Vyc3auZ1LF3OExYCsUn94hSdQzm_JSTEaJg1AgmNRn2CZ9iK4Oxd1Br_CjMwAhDguO5ZYaa6LAoYQwpywDdYlT9ne3hrGxJvFLTG11ieYQ765IoOZKak7G9AEVPKmaTmw/s1600/2015-02-22+008+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After a Friday Night Potato and Soup Bar, we started things off with a "Get Acquainted" game that</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;">involved trading lengths of yarn with everyone. In the end, we were each able to make a Friendship</span></div>
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</span>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Scarf by tying, braiding or whatever we wanted to do with our colorful strands. It was a loud,</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
rambunctious and crazy way to make new friends and greet the old!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlqVRi_8ub4HQt6bMq5jUbDLsbVxZHxO6VoDc3DTLy0nEtZkIFZL4cO00ErdbO6I2Y2qmQhVIm03z7T7O5gNwLSnn2F5sk3GFxK0B6ZJONSRS4_MR34ROSm0LF8zJiE2JVKRARD15XZM/s1600/2015-01-31+011+(681x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlqVRi_8ub4HQt6bMq5jUbDLsbVxZHxO6VoDc3DTLy0nEtZkIFZL4cO00ErdbO6I2Y2qmQhVIm03z7T7O5gNwLSnn2F5sk3GFxK0B6ZJONSRS4_MR34ROSm0LF8zJiE2JVKRARD15XZM/s1600/2015-01-31+011+(681x1024).jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">There was crocheting and weaving on a peg loom going on.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZsZwPFV5NGH6WlVnUpZsaG6PW8o5miksJIqvvdIbhRiLDAptFDLMW9BVu7fxlav_VCdJiWwgfcYvYImHTtc8HXb3Bomj7yoazJkoLMKUM2QJL9yInl7e5gs01YEJAVkFYqXw-3tIvQo/s1600/2015-01-31+020+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZsZwPFV5NGH6WlVnUpZsaG6PW8o5miksJIqvvdIbhRiLDAptFDLMW9BVu7fxlav_VCdJiWwgfcYvYImHTtc8HXb3Bomj7yoazJkoLMKUM2QJL9yInl7e5gs01YEJAVkFYqXw-3tIvQo/s1600/2015-01-31+020+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">At each Retreat, we make something for a charity. This time we brought</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">fleece and crocheted around the edges to make blankets for the kids at</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">either Parkland Hospital or Medical City Dallas.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s6xBdBCl_mA-h7HRRq03_odGMnlGyDW1GqGtmkamoBE2QTwZFj_fNEFVu51Ep4444fP_7Q9EuMlPqeNgtVDwLGpH-IPatoJJFfjBHENprsJMmhT3LGDKYcBvlt1gibABSFwtImNYd3o/s1600/2015-02-01+017+(768x1024).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s6xBdBCl_mA-h7HRRq03_odGMnlGyDW1GqGtmkamoBE2QTwZFj_fNEFVu51Ep4444fP_7Q9EuMlPqeNgtVDwLGpH-IPatoJJFfjBHENprsJMmhT3LGDKYcBvlt1gibABSFwtImNYd3o/s1600/2015-02-01+017+(768x1024).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A finished blanket ready to be loved by a child at a local hospital.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXEIjMBEQ3v3HAwwkNSqoasDBGXFNMr-40Vz6BSTdCM_u3mbAMxO6czbLm6EXGb3tRhCRWhLw1tJKJ9b7qo8BOdQNSey80slJR7P9Qww6e2mJnmMgu2YbL7-fL1VmZUcWJq8UVV4-5qk/s1600/2015-01-31+029+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXEIjMBEQ3v3HAwwkNSqoasDBGXFNMr-40Vz6BSTdCM_u3mbAMxO6czbLm6EXGb3tRhCRWhLw1tJKJ9b7qo8BOdQNSey80slJR7P9Qww6e2mJnmMgu2YbL7-fL1VmZUcWJq8UVV4-5qk/s1600/2015-01-31+029+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Crocheting edges to blankets and crocheting a shawl for someone special.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0G_iDpNYqf4ry2m3gtV_KcLiBthYeYExnKqjGnSieJJrv7_Mr__gbzyEYec5KeMyemdEOyGZZOUMUv8WZinc_gH6qNAK53bO3hSDlytp9cksW-wuR-Zw4zhuXO4QDsKfC-IxySgSabY/s1600/2015-02-01+012+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0G_iDpNYqf4ry2m3gtV_KcLiBthYeYExnKqjGnSieJJrv7_Mr__gbzyEYec5KeMyemdEOyGZZOUMUv8WZinc_gH6qNAK53bO3hSDlytp9cksW-wuR-Zw4zhuXO4QDsKfC-IxySgSabY/s1600/2015-02-01+012+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">A colorful tower of blankets for the kids at the hospitals to enjoy! Mine<br />is the plaid one on the very bottom.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtgtGlK2Y_2XALEE8PKHYHDUdMx9a9YQRck9b0F7pC_YhzcmSEUgpGdGzh1HT7USdhsWaV03jnvvWGhnBQ9QMpDT7QzZ0WUuUIiWutQx3rKK_4TV_5s7z2i66l6QAQVVuJI9_Qi13T0M/s1600/2015-01-31+019+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtgtGlK2Y_2XALEE8PKHYHDUdMx9a9YQRck9b0F7pC_YhzcmSEUgpGdGzh1HT7USdhsWaV03jnvvWGhnBQ9QMpDT7QzZ0WUuUIiWutQx3rKK_4TV_5s7z2i66l6QAQVVuJI9_Qi13T0M/s1600/2015-01-31+019+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Gathering beads, button, ribbons and other pretties for making our Inspiration Flags.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFfPjTF_El4gsWsvy84aaLJxcjRSmVcFL3dn6N-v0P4lIxfANYleh10GvZN6xZLULdglI1tYLxbXG75JGLM0qUjw8XgfVsDz3hSU_DibgJlX95n-BG63lcyl-XUjgojklYLLD23_LQ6s/s1600/2015-01-31+017+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFfPjTF_El4gsWsvy84aaLJxcjRSmVcFL3dn6N-v0P4lIxfANYleh10GvZN6xZLULdglI1tYLxbXG75JGLM0qUjw8XgfVsDz3hSU_DibgJlX95n-BG63lcyl-XUjgojklYLLD23_LQ6s/s1600/2015-01-31+017+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And the process begins!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R18T1pg-CtodfVg5Z-U_axiGz8BLhyphenhyphenDGQgp1WjBR82iDmbqRA-ociqasB4pVJdqmnv0O1Jsl09CHalS2sKqPSs8zMusX26a56aWS8IM4psHB6IYCF_E76J2DNN7Xp623D-aQhF6YNqs/s1600/2015-01-31+059+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R18T1pg-CtodfVg5Z-U_axiGz8BLhyphenhyphenDGQgp1WjBR82iDmbqRA-ociqasB4pVJdqmnv0O1Jsl09CHalS2sKqPSs8zMusX26a56aWS8IM4psHB6IYCF_E76J2DNN7Xp623D-aQhF6YNqs/s1600/2015-01-31+059+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Each Inspiration Flag was unique!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiNcMwxwseeM_4ZSO-hO_K0zhaRcfOBkqh4UOyNdwLz_wnHe8bjbSdnfrQSQBJCBdbZsvIc5qsndsxCWAhrgNMcYuuue6tUFtfFPo7BfmbM5MlK-Mdv4hTiMc65AJYwgew829CRo56To/s1600/2015-01-31+040+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiNcMwxwseeM_4ZSO-hO_K0zhaRcfOBkqh4UOyNdwLz_wnHe8bjbSdnfrQSQBJCBdbZsvIc5qsndsxCWAhrgNMcYuuue6tUFtfFPo7BfmbM5MlK-Mdv4hTiMc65AJYwgew829CRo56To/s1600/2015-01-31+040+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Each was beautiful!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8VtEMJARH12bsacPJLhPtaLYtNN5f1dXuVyOntPsPIa08i1agzby4abFx7u_Eqkv7ji-1Gf6DH9Os76zoXjsnhSzwmqjIR5Bv6cD8jgIQSnHg5K5w27zprnsBYTsRPPO_itqrWVMZqQ/s1600/2015-01-31+056+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8VtEMJARH12bsacPJLhPtaLYtNN5f1dXuVyOntPsPIa08i1agzby4abFx7u_Eqkv7ji-1Gf6DH9Os76zoXjsnhSzwmqjIR5Bv6cD8jgIQSnHg5K5w27zprnsBYTsRPPO_itqrWVMZqQ/s1600/2015-01-31+056+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Each was .... inspirational!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lsWOAI05Q18LgeeaOFbaegMkqAwPIGdpCLNK3L4VkDWJoVfwxyEcQLrUBfCuxobL7Po2jRBcF0GeXIFs3JUVQpBjU_U6zbwldX5DZ3eKOJP06x0MqfcJa83NUc2h0exNvoLa7DSA5UQ/s1600/2015-01-31+018+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lsWOAI05Q18LgeeaOFbaegMkqAwPIGdpCLNK3L4VkDWJoVfwxyEcQLrUBfCuxobL7Po2jRBcF0GeXIFs3JUVQpBjU_U6zbwldX5DZ3eKOJP06x0MqfcJa83NUc2h0exNvoLa7DSA5UQ/s1600/2015-01-31+018+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This Retreat,several of the ladies brought their spinning wheels and set them up in a group. I wish I had brought my Joy, but I decided at the last moment not to do so. Next time, she will definitely accompany me on my trip to the Lone Oak Ranch!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrwq2Pyp9mxHPYC7evLuuRngIfhGC1GtaopTTTjON8lkXIo4mu65KE4yebnhH9kV3oXfo2pUkyv1czSYceR4W8BAklgYuRd83fSeu7X6WwMSAo6wqY4psP5hlDV5VOVCRcEiSgrevHoY/s1600/2015-02-01+015+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrwq2Pyp9mxHPYC7evLuuRngIfhGC1GtaopTTTjON8lkXIo4mu65KE4yebnhH9kV3oXfo2pUkyv1czSYceR4W8BAklgYuRd83fSeu7X6WwMSAo6wqY4psP5hlDV5VOVCRcEiSgrevHoY/s1600/2015-02-01+015+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Oh, the colors, creations and equipment! A fiber gal's dream weekend!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGtfRiHorpx09rhwlqBUHoxWM66r3iHhbzMiFoxV1ppF_AyNsG9HxOrYn_MqzpuxPCyXokBIuiiN_cUXw7NUpUExEAXJxSz6ZYKowH7dJRD3GfF56IUKKyeAf0cwZKjT809NIi4d9BEI/s1600/2015-01-31+023+(1024x683).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGtfRiHorpx09rhwlqBUHoxWM66r3iHhbzMiFoxV1ppF_AyNsG9HxOrYn_MqzpuxPCyXokBIuiiN_cUXw7NUpUExEAXJxSz6ZYKowH7dJRD3GfF56IUKKyeAf0cwZKjT809NIi4d9BEI/s1600/2015-01-31+023+(1024x683).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sharing is what it is all about at Chix Packin Stix Retreat. We all learn from each other throughout the weekend. Sometimes it is about a technique; sometimes it is about life. But we all learn something new.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l6iyxLSHIA1nfrUnT3V_ZrIHJo02l4Pzf8roDzN92GEUgMKiB5G50BzGqc1VcAhVaD0E_8DuMXPGR47rpB4kn2olgLAVAh_dG0uB3GhtIle68LR1uiH0lu3FdXDCh-xaSm4gGJYVldQ/s1600/2015-01-31+010+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l6iyxLSHIA1nfrUnT3V_ZrIHJo02l4Pzf8roDzN92GEUgMKiB5G50BzGqc1VcAhVaD0E_8DuMXPGR47rpB4kn2olgLAVAh_dG0uB3GhtIle68LR1uiH0lu3FdXDCh-xaSm4gGJYVldQ/s1600/2015-01-31+010+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Concentration on our projects did not interfere with our visiting and sharing.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3lOSCxOVdDmFVCIe0JhifdvicgktD1gu_coer14TcVwStvmFDvV1LKF8087f-9VbBc7y_AW24cVt2Uw1wxzztV98yeUVxypfg42rABtp2b5NYu5o28jYrxAZZryxyNFq6PNjl3kLjcI/s1600/2015-01-31+053+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ov86mpu2fCDU4jLgZemIboG-MdvVpRlTX9AnB6FUlGKAK-TPf4CLe7Vce6jgs_xPxzlwb9YRr1dSh2ExmhUMPVB9nEOaBMq8w0K3dXsvlyuvnfew4_VsCdo3yP_4DBNaygCdnKbMerk/s1600/20150131_173650+(576x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ov86mpu2fCDU4jLgZemIboG-MdvVpRlTX9AnB6FUlGKAK-TPf4CLe7Vce6jgs_xPxzlwb9YRr1dSh2ExmhUMPVB9nEOaBMq8w0K3dXsvlyuvnfew4_VsCdo3yP_4DBNaygCdnKbMerk/s1600/20150131_173650+(576x1024).jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">As usual, I am talking with my hands .... even while doing<br />some handwork on my Inspiration Flag.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIKWS1OVwWJuQYOZ8yAOFxd2_s-bGl_iy7CiL0q01o_zEKpBtKiYcaRo1NZnws49SjPTaoPneYBE6p69L45Hl0Ak883MkfadBU14OZUG4VFpIUdq6uAQZDwE1BK4ehfFCe_OfvP4DzqU/s1600/2015-01-31+055+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Some of the ladies learned how to use a small triangle loom.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIKWS1OVwWJuQYOZ8yAOFxd2_s-bGl_iy7CiL0q01o_zEKpBtKiYcaRo1NZnws49SjPTaoPneYBE6p69L45Hl0Ak883MkfadBU14OZUG4VFpIUdq6uAQZDwE1BK4ehfFCe_OfvP4DzqU/s1600/2015-01-31+055+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWAg3Ocu6BueRZYSsaj8NTdaAhLp4Xc18o3GEgx7dUCr7lL0-wCJp6rp2jnxtwTL5FWMavCvAoTpWhryX1PRvR4QGdnukxdTz0yjlr3UIfKl7KZMbl5lZpanOpb7ATHmcTmieagJ2QPc/s1600/2015-02-01+006+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWAg3Ocu6BueRZYSsaj8NTdaAhLp4Xc18o3GEgx7dUCr7lL0-wCJp6rp2jnxtwTL5FWMavCvAoTpWhryX1PRvR4QGdnukxdTz0yjlr3UIfKl7KZMbl5lZpanOpb7ATHmcTmieagJ2QPc/s1600/2015-02-01+006+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Oh, my, YES! There were plenty of snacks to keep us going throughout the day and night!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0WNl5DyUyOlV2aQIkEkU-MGhKeRWhlMUr8tlUkWkke9KyH3QAU4MHsU7xSZOgRNOv-J0FuWPPc2UihBJanp5NuweppfmWAK6J88DU7IVVt50Q-zqa1UrDL5DOFZwOG3gwNFqvRLoFC8/s1600/2015-01-31+026+(683x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0WNl5DyUyOlV2aQIkEkU-MGhKeRWhlMUr8tlUkWkke9KyH3QAU4MHsU7xSZOgRNOv-J0FuWPPc2UihBJanp5NuweppfmWAK6J88DU7IVVt50Q-zqa1UrDL5DOFZwOG3gwNFqvRLoFC8/s1600/2015-01-31+026+(683x1024).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Saturday night we had an impromptu pajama party, and a fire in the <br />fireplace kept us all cozy. A perfect place to handcard some fiber!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdUuzqbZsEcmirTYSADMn5wNVfjfRrmObzZIySphSmDnVQVc9ER9H25H5gYmxs_mhcnUkrCTvv4Qvrkp6hjcpujzsrNKC8QddI1hHj0TIrScjYQfNL9CjfjRjfPYqbpf6jmBYiPmFjFQ/s1600/2015-01-31+050+(768x1024).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A new spinner shows off her handspun and crocheted alpaca shawl!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3lOSCxOVdDmFVCIe0JhifdvicgktD1gu_coer14TcVwStvmFDvV1LKF8087f-9VbBc7y_AW24cVt2Uw1wxzztV98yeUVxypfg42rABtp2b5NYu5o28jYrxAZZryxyNFq6PNjl3kLjcI/s1600/2015-01-31+053+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3lOSCxOVdDmFVCIe0JhifdvicgktD1gu_coer14TcVwStvmFDvV1LKF8087f-9VbBc7y_AW24cVt2Uw1wxzztV98yeUVxypfg42rABtp2b5NYu5o28jYrxAZZryxyNFq6PNjl3kLjcI/s1600/2015-01-31+053+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Saturday night we stayed up late working on projects, making new friendships, and catching up with old friendships. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO49wWXvWw2-jhyhyWcsIuL2wozdO0ZKmstY2NVYbzmbmfsDzecy32d6kDAAxTmbNjL0qtjkpvwohTsouDbCiQ9hgSIn4mX94mogAtnwkBwqmqLXf9DbVCeQ7za_d7AevdTTgsCR1vXo/s1600/2015-02-01+047+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO49wWXvWw2-jhyhyWcsIuL2wozdO0ZKmstY2NVYbzmbmfsDzecy32d6kDAAxTmbNjL0qtjkpvwohTsouDbCiQ9hgSIn4mX94mogAtnwkBwqmqLXf9DbVCeQ7za_d7AevdTTgsCR1vXo/s1600/2015-02-01+047+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Lots of laughter and lots of smiles! Busy, busy, busy!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdAVgfBBCGd2JcB40qqHN7UBZRM4OPKQvPVczYcRqd1aKMCKMsCB0uCwXkWfvFXz0jt1DkHpnZDa0TiF5ot0I4epU-XwhRUrIrnAlRRsqmleL2cusK5SK7cU9Sx3T0uGkferg-hIIV1Y/s1600/2015-02-01+035+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdAVgfBBCGd2JcB40qqHN7UBZRM4OPKQvPVczYcRqd1aKMCKMsCB0uCwXkWfvFXz0jt1DkHpnZDa0TiF5ot0I4epU-XwhRUrIrnAlRRsqmleL2cusK5SK7cU9Sx3T0uGkferg-hIIV1Y/s1600/2015-02-01+035+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Linda J. of Wildflower Studio brought each of us a kit and gave instructions<br />for needle felting an Easter egg! What fun!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmMQGiFPNOQI5kgGVoPAkp7vLGY58AyojJ5vmnqjEzTohqVWH57Z0501ErjwxSBxQGaUi-43ehbwkhWT9mMmgvGXVQzgykNm5FKmUza2MID5OoMLGb9efBoARxoQA5ZjqLqJIejeK_io/s1600/2015-02-22+015+(640x480).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmMQGiFPNOQI5kgGVoPAkp7vLGY58AyojJ5vmnqjEzTohqVWH57Z0501ErjwxSBxQGaUi-43ehbwkhWT9mMmgvGXVQzgykNm5FKmUza2MID5OoMLGb9efBoARxoQA5ZjqLqJIejeK_io/s1600/2015-02-22+015+(640x480).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The kit for the needle felted egg came complete with a bandaid .... just in case! I started my egg!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ljthloys71ir9xw0b88CgdIhuG2herFzII2xYA3exhtjNsmHa0OTi0W3mubQCMGiNmxBw4pdWeiGsS2kt__E80klAuV6W2XWcWDBTKCOPmRBebhB6cAApP69uNoYut0gi-VJ9kxcfy0/s1600/2015-01-31+043+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ljthloys71ir9xw0b88CgdIhuG2herFzII2xYA3exhtjNsmHa0OTi0W3mubQCMGiNmxBw4pdWeiGsS2kt__E80klAuV6W2XWcWDBTKCOPmRBebhB6cAApP69uNoYut0gi-VJ9kxcfy0/s1600/2015-01-31+043+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Some of Linda's wonderful needle felted creations! Visit her at<br />ljswildflowerstudio.com</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSgzi4sROQD6IqaHs3Gi3jy2NHH3499fn-lGcLxkrm06CWdnbQ7KRJTdCub3A5ezEQk80oa4AhMq-6mpCYxVtR4mnZJxZYUh04M7f3WWbi4QEw2BjeAZdjvIzT0OrKrLyacNzoAVcOTg/s1600/2015-02-01+053+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSgzi4sROQD6IqaHs3Gi3jy2NHH3499fn-lGcLxkrm06CWdnbQ7KRJTdCub3A5ezEQk80oa4AhMq-6mpCYxVtR4mnZJxZYUh04M7f3WWbi4QEw2BjeAZdjvIzT0OrKrLyacNzoAVcOTg/s1600/2015-02-01+053+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">After a bit of instruction from Linda, we got started on needle felting our</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> eggs.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOKV57Skqs-sH3QXi_u8iuwO-NZ_W4RNl2uKT8sKTt9grKC2CLLSgNLboCagCpFTgcWYHLN9A6QAcP47K-Qo6qErEO5tdjGoqFvqtRtWJ0BoIgJBhsKl1Dio355vb0XIr69sh2z64nO0/s1600/2015-02-01+042+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOKV57Skqs-sH3QXi_u8iuwO-NZ_W4RNl2uKT8sKTt9grKC2CLLSgNLboCagCpFTgcWYHLN9A6QAcP47K-Qo6qErEO5tdjGoqFvqtRtWJ0BoIgJBhsKl1Dio355vb0XIr69sh2z64nO0/s1600/2015-02-01+042+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lots of concentration and creativity going on here! Mind those sharp needles, gals!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMKC9jSSaBBfFlrk88jyf61fDVZFYwRI7I3M5ND8GrD3CPUxHqbI65KB02iL_3lEB7YpM6SNHzmLOi9Ms_u-MxOXV3DjiII7rkzYl1YybOQgnWR3-3F97k-Mq0Us_5lOylgGGqPjeI08/s1600/2015-02-01+039+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMKC9jSSaBBfFlrk88jyf61fDVZFYwRI7I3M5ND8GrD3CPUxHqbI65KB02iL_3lEB7YpM6SNHzmLOi9Ms_u-MxOXV3DjiII7rkzYl1YybOQgnWR3-3F97k-Mq0Us_5lOylgGGqPjeI08/s1600/2015-02-01+039+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Needle felting is not hard, you just have to get in the groove!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh2lz6WN3OLbLuR_A0iku779OKzT73kzbyRwQk5wC5RClZJbDccHGdM3KgF-duKB-A9a4R_neZV5Mk3a3GPAG3wQ7-fRSqbbn8tOBwI185sOyhJ4TgG__nW0rLVaobvuy1gr32p1SjaA/s1600/2015-02-01+049+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh2lz6WN3OLbLuR_A0iku779OKzT73kzbyRwQk5wC5RClZJbDccHGdM3KgF-duKB-A9a4R_neZV5Mk3a3GPAG3wQ7-fRSqbbn8tOBwI185sOyhJ4TgG__nW0rLVaobvuy1gr32p1SjaA/s1600/2015-02-01+049+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The special felting needles are VERY SHARP, so you must be careful as you jab the fiber into your</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">design.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlcFeBFYkEnVSCHBw-TH9gbLDbu4K_6Vhy8xtFK0k4-AR0AlRpkST3MlNhIT78CZIlmAVIX_5OAT4dF6ustnsN-Bp-XDwvIv52oD70caH2jAk81k2Bypr4BxLg_eId38fhO9tLI4t0Vo/s1600/2015-02-01+055+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqlcFeBFYkEnVSCHBw-TH9gbLDbu4K_6Vhy8xtFK0k4-AR0AlRpkST3MlNhIT78CZIlmAVIX_5OAT4dF6ustnsN-Bp-XDwvIv52oD70caH2jAk81k2Bypr4BxLg_eId38fhO9tLI4t0Vo/s1600/2015-02-01+055+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Let me just say that there are some people that, if you hang out with them, craziness just has to happen! That is all I am saying. I am not calling out any names. You know who you are!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEUVcFWRIf2nqhSiZgjnz_JOe8v5Ugr7KQo_VIXNWig3NI7mauVcyUCXuemN48ipzYgMPpOP9fmNN_cieltZa7qj9XE8CBcp0zNPd_fr-JX6V8G6vIZomAaK4bLhRzXyhfbG8JG1U4lw/s1600/2015-02-01+025+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEUVcFWRIf2nqhSiZgjnz_JOe8v5Ugr7KQo_VIXNWig3NI7mauVcyUCXuemN48ipzYgMPpOP9fmNN_cieltZa7qj9XE8CBcp0zNPd_fr-JX6V8G6vIZomAaK4bLhRzXyhfbG8JG1U4lw/s1600/2015-02-01+025+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The lamp post outside the Activities is just screaming for a yarn bombing!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfIgWd2Ip4Fn01dcI4Z-2Wzdmgh4kyqFi2i7DZEan4foptsLEnERDYQjyHJ-PQplouMovu_ATKpLLnyf2smQctQ96McNVmUh9VKxx3g6uXsnarFnFX1ZTc_v7FoM1ppQ0RYC-9oxz4bA/s1600/2015-02-01+056+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfIgWd2Ip4Fn01dcI4Z-2Wzdmgh4kyqFi2i7DZEan4foptsLEnERDYQjyHJ-PQplouMovu_ATKpLLnyf2smQctQ96McNVmUh9VKxx3g6uXsnarFnFX1ZTc_v7FoM1ppQ0RYC-9oxz4bA/s1600/2015-02-01+056+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Here is the whole gang right before lunch on Sunday. Does it look like we have had some FUN?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-brei4kDpcn_sQbyZeH1X0HBeKQhamIOy_1YYQU3dtqh3MHPK8jQHiErIi3crO9oslA7Cn1k3ovqpud2ylV3WzXrxi3IaVt3rhszJu9W-FVCzfH7YPBf8em2p_hGxYmfsQ55tihM7Vc/s1600/2015-02-04+003+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-brei4kDpcn_sQbyZeH1X0HBeKQhamIOy_1YYQU3dtqh3MHPK8jQHiErIi3crO9oslA7Cn1k3ovqpud2ylV3WzXrxi3IaVt3rhszJu9W-FVCzfH7YPBf8em2p_hGxYmfsQ55tihM7Vc/s1600/2015-02-04+003+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Another project was card stamping. Here are the four I made. Mine were</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">made in a hurry because I was so busy visiting and talking that they were</span></span></div>
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</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">cleaning off the table when I finally decided it was time to make mine!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7vGfxjtrKLJiUCVSfIK3_WUBspqnzKgQ_biQ9Sww-L4tlY3tYdvlMPCwqR-3Iv3vilCHI743ldYfylyLnJhZRN9uzxLYQBj5nsLGOGfhcxSjP-wB4_F9S8yUSwxznEeP52fFhAe1UIE/s1600/2015-02-22+005+(466x630).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7vGfxjtrKLJiUCVSfIK3_WUBspqnzKgQ_biQ9Sww-L4tlY3tYdvlMPCwqR-3Iv3vilCHI743ldYfylyLnJhZRN9uzxLYQBj5nsLGOGfhcxSjP-wB4_F9S8yUSwxznEeP52fFhAe1UIE/s1600/2015-02-22+005+(466x630).jpg" height="640" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I hung my Inspiration Flag on the mantel in my den. I like it!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Me and my roomies shared a hug after Sunday lunch, before packing up and heading homeward.</span></td></tr>
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And then, Wanda and I talked non-stop the 5 hours we were homeward bound! I was, by then, on my second tube of chapstick, but it was all very well worth it! We were almost home when we noticed the most amazing sight to the west ..... a rainbow around the setting sun within the most gorgeous sunset I have seen in a very long time! A rainbow around the sun, folks! It is called a solar halo. Awesome!</div>
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Well, I haven't finished my needle felting project yet, but I am working on it. We also received several skeins of yarn and patterns for shawls, cowls and fingerless mitts. I haven't had a chance to play with any of those yet either. Maybe this weekend.<br />
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Retreats like this are a place for the communion of the souls of women, a coming together to share and learn and support each other. Sure it is about the fiber and the yarn, the knitting, crocheting and creating, but it is much much more. I know that I always leave such a gathering of women with a sense of worth and energy that allows me to return to the Real World and go forth on my Path with more confidence and happiness than I had before arriving. <br />
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And so, I came home after this Retreat so "tired, but happy" that I accidentally wore my Wednesday shirt with my Friday jeans to work on Monday! Oh, my!<br />
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BTW, I have joined with the organizers of the Chix Packin Stix Retreat and will be helping to come up with door prizes for our twice a year events. I have chosen to call myself the Goodie Goddess! (I have some nerve, eh?!) And, there just may be a costume involved .... Stay tuned!<br />
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SO ..... if you have any ideas for acquiring some goodies for our door prizes, please email me at chixpackinstix@gmail.com, attn: Sara. I am looking for some sources of interesting items that would charm a knitter, crocheter, fiberist, woman's heart. Yarn, fiber, fabric, notions, books, chocolate, soap, etc. is what I have in mind. So, please put on your thinking cap (hopefully a hand-knitted or crocheted one!) and help me come up with some great sources!<br />
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And, if you would like to find out more about Chix Packin Stix and to sign up for the next Retreat (August 7 - 9, 2015), you should visit the Facebook page and sign up to "Follow" us! There is already a registration form there on the page. Or you can go there to find even more photos of the fun we had. For those of you who attended, it will be a walk down Memory Lane, for sure!<br />
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Feeling better after a bout of pleurisy and a sinus infection here on HeartSong Farm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8oLl22ebFzT5JUwlU8U7v4rttbUEBdDUFVQZMdmRm9IEsFMamJEK1oI2ToIBITDq8Jg4Wx1Fm0lW5N06T2W_GlHer8vaPnHh8dQtyvGzYKqsLuvU9kg8gus2rDV8eMKj8dBxwEa_xBg/s1600/2015-01-18+027+(1024x743).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8oLl22ebFzT5JUwlU8U7v4rttbUEBdDUFVQZMdmRm9IEsFMamJEK1oI2ToIBITDq8Jg4Wx1Fm0lW5N06T2W_GlHer8vaPnHh8dQtyvGzYKqsLuvU9kg8gus2rDV8eMKj8dBxwEa_xBg/s1600/2015-01-18+027+(1024x743).jpg" height="464" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fresh homemade bread and oranges right off the tree!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, I drove through a cold January rain to visit a dear friend in Houston that I had not seen in quite a while. Veta was my next door neighbor when I was growing up, and I have always thought of her as my second mother. She and her husband, Rob, were just starting their family when they moved into our neighborhood in 1957, and my youngest brother, David, and I were completely fascinated by our new neighbors!</span></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">You see, Veta is Italian, second generation from Sicily, and that meant that there were all sorts of relatives and get-togethers going on at the house next door. David and I, brimming with curiosity, would peek through the slats of the redwood fence that separated our backyard from theirs, and marvel at all the activity, laughter, food, and people that overflowed from her home. It appeared that her family and friends celebrated EVERYTHING! The grass definitely seemed much greener on the other side of our fence.</span></div>
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Not only all of that, but they had a television set (black & white, of course!), a huge refrigerator in the kitchen and a "deep freeze" in the laundry area at the back of the carport, TWO cars (and one was a Nash Rambler station wagon!), AND an aquarium in one of the den walls! Plus, they were growing strange vegetable in their backyard, like Swiss chard and a very long green squash that they called a "gugutza." And in the brick planter of the carport was a cute little bush called a "pomegranate."</div>
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David and I would often sneak over and watch television through the window on their backdoor. No sound, of course, but we could figure out what was happening on the "Shirley Temple Show" or the "Walt Disney Show" well enough for us. When we were spotted by someone in the house, we were always invited in and a phone call made to our house (on a party line, of course!) to let my parents know where we were. My grandparents in Mississippi had a television, too, and to us it was pure magic!</div>
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We were neighbors for almost ten years, and as I grew up, Veta would take me here and there with her, let me babysit with her four children, and welcome me with an open heart and arms whenever I needed to escape my own home, no questions asked.</div>
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She is 20 years my senior, but we have always had a very special friendship and connection, even though we have rarely visited in the past 40 something years. It is amazing how friends can just pick up where they left off, as if no time has passed at all. And that is exactly what happened that recent Saturday morning, from the moment I rang her doorbell, to the moment I made myself get back into my car for the return trip to HeartSong Farm! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My second mother and dear friend, Veta, in mid-sentence!</span></td></tr>
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I arrived a tad bit before one o'clock in the the afternoon and greeted with a wonderful welcoming hug (ahhhh!), and then two more! Then we began to talk. And we talked non-stop for twelve hours!!!! In between, we sat down for some of her freshly baked bread (she let me have the end slice!) and some homemade jams and jellies. We talked while she made us meatballs and spaghetti, roasted eggplant, and a berry cobbler for dinner and I sat on a stool at the counter. Kitchens are wonderful places to share and visit. Don't you agree?!</div>
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We finally crashed just before 2 am Sunday morning, then got up and started talking again at 8 am until I finally had to drag myself away at noon in order to get home to wash the weekly clothes and rest up for the work week ahead. </div>
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As is her way, Veta had packed me a "goody bag" to take home. Inside was a loaf of that freshly baked bread, a plastic bag full of pecan pieces from her neighbor's yard, some of the leftover spaghetti and meatballs, a jar of homemade chicken chili, jasmine teabags, a pound of ground meat, and two rib eye steaks! And a bag full of oranges from the tree in her backyard. Wow! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Rain was dripping off the roof, but I just had to get a photo of the orange <br />tree in Veta's back yard! She has gotten over 200 oranges already this year!</span></td></tr>
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When I told her thanks and what a surprise it was, she said: "I just did what I would do for one of my children." Wow, again! I am so blessed with this wonderful friendship.</div>
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During the week prior to my visit with Veta, I received an interesting package in the mail from a fiber friend that contained a tiny pomegranate and a photo of her grandparents. There was also a very sweet card asking me if I would please plant the seeds of this pomegranate on HeartSong Farm in memory of her grandmother, Sofia. My friend had wonderful memories of the pomegranate tree and fruit that had grown in her grandmother's yard. The house was being sold and there was no way that she could bring the big tree to her house, but she could pass the seeds on to me to plant for her here on HeartSong Farm! She had recognized one of the aspects of my farm, and I felt such a rush of Joy to have the privilege of doing this for her and the memory of her grandmother.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vO0m6_HjPvs7R9oh3JyRgYXoPczEs9ncoHFOaekuHEWh8CvIQxnE64dWG-ff5TNXLgJu7KxptjNzNZh6LWFkqJ257zQdXH6jUbLCRFYwx3x6O3UHeM225WUeZeMfUqg3k0WlGUIAMPc/s1600/2015-01-09+004+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vO0m6_HjPvs7R9oh3JyRgYXoPczEs9ncoHFOaekuHEWh8CvIQxnE64dWG-ff5TNXLgJu7KxptjNzNZh6LWFkqJ257zQdXH6jUbLCRFYwx3x6O3UHeM225WUeZeMfUqg3k0WlGUIAMPc/s1600/2015-01-09+004+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The pomegranate and a photo of my friend's grandparents.</span></td></tr>
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The seeds are in the process of drying out, and soon I will plant several small pots and wait for some sprouts to appear. Another reason why this is so special to me is the memory of that small pomegranate bush that grew in that brick planter at the house next door growing up. I find the timing for the arrival of that package and my trip to visit Veta rather interesting! </div>
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Pomegranates are considered a super food these days, and are quite expensive in the grocery. But, pomegranates have other uses than food. For instance, a red dye can be extracted for the pretty flowers, a yellow dye from the fruit's skin, and a black dye from the roots. You can bet that I will be trying this out on some fibers at some future date!</div>
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My research tells me that pomegranates are very east to grow, have lovely flowers, and are well suited to hot, dry conditions, although plenty of water is necessary for larger fruit. The Spanish brought them to Mexico, California, and Arizona in the 16th century. My friend's grandparents lived in Laredo, Texas, and were originally from Mexico. Maybe, just maybe, these seeds came from seeds from a family tree that started out, long ago, in Spain! Wow!</div>
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It will take 3 - 5 years to produce fruit, so I can't wait to get started. I am also going to be trying my hand at rooting some fig twigs from my two trees this February. My own grandmother grew figs in her Mississippi back yard, which is one reason I have fig trees on HeartSong Farm. The bees and the butterflies really love the figs, and I hope they like the pomegranates, too!</div>
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Meanwhile, the 50 garlic cloves that I planted in October are doing very well. Looks like I will have quite a nice harvest come May.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Garlic rows doing quite nicely in the garden!</span></td></tr>
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Remember the leopard frog tadpoles I found this past Fall in one of my wheelbarrows? Well, they are still alive and are slowly growing even in this cold weather. I had feared that they would not make it through the freezing temps we have had this Fall and Winter, but apparently they just slow down their metabolisms, and go dormant in the cold water, even under a bit of ice. After all, they are cold blooded creatures. Well, duh! We just always had them in the hot summer time when I was a kid, and I guess I didn't think past that. Silly me!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A video of my cute little tadpoles! My first attempt at movie<br />making with my new camera. Not sure if I have done it right.</span></td></tr>
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It has been a lot of fun keeping an eye on the tadpoles in their plastic container on the back porch. I have tried to share some of them with friends and co-workers, but no one except me wants them. I can't wait for them to become tiny froggies! I have named them all "George, " so that I can tell them apart.</div>
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This week at HeartSong Farm, I am getting ready for the Chix Packin Stix Winter Retreat up in Gainesville, Texas. My friend, Wanda, and I will be traveling together on Friday, and it is looking to be a lot of fun. Photos will definitely follow as soon as possible!</div>
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I have been hearing the orchard oriole's call this last week, seen flashes of blue in the pastures, and this morning came the drumming of the red-bellied woodpecker in the Bradford pear tree near my bathroom window. With all the cold and rain and mud the last few weeks, I am beginning to look forward to Springtime here on HeartSong Farm.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-57275481341936908912015-01-18T18:39:00.000-06:002015-01-18T18:39:42.450-06:00Longing <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1kFBTXepkD-Ek0DUt2xujhEgxmkPYJTBZ6JqG_hkjTPT4ENnP_FRgy1qVjChW1CoCdKfATEqkh7Uwo6GySGJuJJqeR44xpUxcuBDmQamxqqK9yR8IdrrSlQYIP9Zyfy6yO7OdU4NPQA/s1600/001+(1024x767).jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Stained glass in my dining room window.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">As you know, I have been longing for so long to be at home where I need and want to be, instead of at an office where I need to be in order to earn money to pay for my home. There are two types of need at play here. One for my soul and one for my physical needs. I hear some people, both men and women, say they would go stir-crazy at home, and that they do not look forward to retirement at all. Work is their Identity, who they are. Not so with me. My Identity lies at home and home is my Comfort Zone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And even though, by and large, I am a solitary soul, I also long to be around people of my own ilk some of the time. It is so nice when you find your Tribe, and can enjoy feeling like you are understood and belong. I suppose some people feel they belong no matter where they go or what they do. Or, maybe those are people who don't really have a Tribe or just want to be welcomed into all the Tribes merely as a guest, and not as a full fledged member, never having to commit or really participate emotionally. But, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">belonging to a Tribe does not have to stereotype you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">I belong to the Tribe that loves to laugh, think positively and for myself. My Tribe likes to share, create, support each other, and live life to the fullest. My Tribe is friendly towards the Earth and all its Creatures and Wonders. We are not all alike within the Tribe. We do not all think exactly alike, look alike, or have the same hopes and dreams. But, we do accept each other for who we are, no questions asked. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">Within my Tribe, I belong to the All Things Fiber Clan. We are a happy and busy bunch! Our fingers are nimble and there is almost always some sort of fluff covering the surfaces of our homes. At the end of this month, I will be visiting with one branch of my Clan at the next Chix Packin Stix Winter Retreat! Whoop! Whoop!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">I have come to realize and accept that Longing and Impatience are part of my Existence almost constantly. Over my lifetime I have had an ongoing battle with Patience, with a longing for this or that to be achieved, acquired, or visited. In a sense, Impatience is a huge part of Longing, and Longing is a huge part of Hope. And who can say that Hope is not a good thing? This is what I tell my Self, any way, to calm it down at times. It usually works ... when I remember to do it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">And then there is the fact that some of what we long for is beyond our control. For instance, a grandchild or two in this lifetime, or winning the Lottery (you have to buy a ticket first!). Or even hearing the words "I love you!" or receiving a hug. But, there is always Hope.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">From my 1997 trip to County Kerry in Ireland.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #134f5c; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Below are the reflections of Irish Catholic priest, mystic and poet, John O'Donohue (1956-2008), from his book </span><u style="color: #134f5c; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">To Bless the Space Between Us</u><span style="color: #134f5c; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">. There is such Beauty in his words.</span></span></div>
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<strong style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="color: #33cccc;"><i><span style="color: #ac193d;">For Longing</span></i></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">Blessed be the longing that brought you here </span></em></span></strong><br />
<strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">And quickens your soul with wonder.</span></em></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire </span></em></span></strong><br />
<strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">That disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May you have the wisdom to enter generously into </span></em></span></strong><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">your own unease</span></em></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">To discover the new direction your longing wants </span></em></span></strong><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">you to take.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May the forms of your belonging -- in love, creativity, and friendship ---</span></em></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">Be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May the one you long for long for you.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May a secret Providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May your mind inhabit your life with the sureness </span></em></span></strong><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">with which your body inhabits the world.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures </span></em></span></strong><strong style="line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">of old damage.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency.</span></em></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #33cccc;"><em><span style="color: #ac193d;">May you know the urgency with which God longs for you.</span></em></span></strong></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A sunset over HeartSong Farm</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">My mother recently passed away quietly in the wonderful</span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> nursing facility that was part of the retirement community where she spent the last 13 years of her life. She had age-related dementia and fifty years of glaucoma had finally robbed her of her eyesight. She was being taken care of by a very attentive, caring staff. She was the last of her family's generation, surviving even her two younger brothers by a number of years. HeartSong Farm was just 30 minutes away.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">For the last several years, she no longer knew who I was, or even what a daughter was, anymore. She spent most of the last three years sleeping or fretting. When I called to talk to her, she would tell me that she had nothing to do, that she didn't know what she was supposed to be doing, and that she didn't think she would go to lunch because she had not been doing anything. When I visited with her in person, it was always the same conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">She longed for something to do. She longed to be able to see again. Reading was her favorite pastime, and she longed to be reading. She was almost 94 years old, and still she longed for something. Longing is part of being human, I think.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">She grew up in a structured environment with no give and take, and this made her very rigid in her life here on Earth. It formed her into a very negative type of person, and it caused her to think that she did not deserve to be happy, even at the end of her days. She did her best to continue that Tradition with me, and I bought into it for quite a while. Throughout my life she often said to me: "Do you really think that you deserve to do that (have that, wear that, be that, etc.)???" And: "You are just too happy."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #134f5c; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">I found it interesting that, even at her age, after all the years, she could not relax and go with the flow....let herself be taken care of, eat dessert first, ask someone for help when she was in pain or needed help getting from one place to the next or to sew on a button for her. She would not even let herself enjoy listening to a book being read to her, whether in person or on audiotapes. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #134f5c; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">I have spent the better part of my 65 years longing to hear the words "I love you" from her. I have also longed to be hugged, tight and comfortingly, by her. I remember distinctly the one hug I did receive from her, quickly given and as abruptly ended. I do not remember at all what prompted it, just the glorious feeling of this rare demonstration from her. I do remember that she was wearing a red shirtwaist dress with a pattern of white sailboats. I was eleven years old.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A hot air balloon that took off near our home in Illinois (1986).</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Now that she has passed on, I have to say that I feel free. I know that she is in a better place, where she can once again see and read. I hope that she can allow herself to be happy at last, and that there are lots and lots of books that she can spend time reading. Now that I can view our two intertwined lives from a distance, I long to discover the ways in which we were actually alike, instead of reliving over and over again just how very different we were in our outlooks on life, the world, and how to do things.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Longing can often be bittersweet. We don't always get what we long for, no matter how long we wait. I am reminded of the phrases: "In God's own time" and "God's will be done." And lines in a Garth Brooks' song: "Thank God for unanswered prayers." And yes, "Life is (a lot) like a box of chocolates!"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">I feel the bitter sweetness of longing strongest in Autumn, most likely because of the winding down and the shortening of the days of the year. In the fall, we begin to want comforting foods, the comforting smells of candles and fireplaces, and we look toward our hibernation during the winter months that are not too far distant. It reminds us that our life here on Earth does not last for ever. Hopefully, it reminds us each year to look towards the Future with Hope, and to be Grateful for the Past and all our many Blessings.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I realise there's something incredibly honest about trees in winter,</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">how they're experts at letting things go." - </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeffrey McDaniel</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">I am spending time these days teaching myself to relax and go with the flow. Actually, I have been working on this for several years and have gotten quite good at it. Not perfect, mind you! I still have my moments, but I can do it if I remind myself that it is okay to be idle now and then. It gives the body, mind and soul a chance to regroup and refresh. It relieves an abundance of stress, and we all know that these are stressful times we live in.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">So ..... beginning now, in 2015 ..... go out and find your Tribe and Clan if you haven't already done so. And hug your children, tell them you love them as often as possible. And do the same with everyone that is dear to you. Let them know how you feel about them as often as possible. AND, occasionally, let yourself eat dessert first! It is especially fun when you are ordering at a restaurant. The reaction of your waiter or waitress can be very interesting!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">And yes, we do deserve it!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">Looking forward to the Future while trying not to look back too much here at </span>HeartSong<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;"> Farm.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And stockings were hung by the chimney with care ... </span></td></tr>
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We had a very merry little Christmas here on HeartSong Farm this past week! The key words for my little family of creatures and two grown sons is Moderation and Tradition.</div>
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On Christmas Eve, for instance, I watch "Steel Magnolias" and put out a tray for the creatures in my yard to enjoy (unless it is raining, and then it goes out on the next available clear night). I make some snacks like hummus, deviled eggs, and spinach dip for Ben and myself. There may be something hot to drink like mulled wine or cocoa if it is truly cold outside. I hang our two stockings and dust off the carved Santas that were made for me by my Daddy over the years.</div>
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I have not put up a tree since my divorce. I sold the family tree in a garage sale when I first moved to East Texas. A few years ago, I bought one on sale at Lowe's, complete with lights already strung upon it. It is still in the box, never opened, and some years I think of putting it up, but, so far, the closest I have come to that was when I have propped up the box in a corner of the den!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Last year's tray for the critters.</span></td></tr>
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Christmas morning finds me waking not too early, but certainly earlier than Mr. Ben! While the coffee is brewing, I see a gift or two from Ben on the counter top or on the coffee table, and my stocking hanging stuffed on the mantel! I sit down in the quiet and drink my first cup, with as many cats in my lap as will fit, listening to the holiday music playing on my DirecTV station. Peace on Earth is my prayer, and I think how Life is Good for me.</div>
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In a bit, I will go outside and see what is left of the treat tray for the critters who passed by in the night. Some Christmases there is little left, some it is hardly touched. But, I know that my offering was appreciated and enjoyed by those who came across it, and I smile.</div>
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Eldest son, Matt, calls mid-morning from wherever it is that he is living. The last two years, it has been Sacramento, CA. It has been a number of years since he has been able to spend Christmas Day with us in person, but a phone call is a wonderful substitute, and now we have SKYPE (if we can remember to use it!).</div>
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Ben wakes late morning because our Christmas Day Tradition will begin around noon-thirty. He grabs a cup of coffee and heads out to his outside "man cave" to wake up. He is not awake, really, until he has finished that first cup, outside, and by himself. My Daddy was just like that!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Santas that my Daddy carved and painted for me through the years. Each is based on an historic</span></div>
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depiction of the jolly old fellow, and they hang out on my mantel all year long.</div>
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When he comes back inside, we exchange our gifts and delight in our stockings. Hugs are exchanged, as well as smiles. Then it is time to get dressed for our favorite part of Christmas Day, our special Tradition .... a movie and IHOP! </div>
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This year, the movie was "The Hobbit" first, and then early supper at our local IHOP branch. God bless those folks at the International House of Pancakes who stay open and serve all of those who love to gather at a local restaurant with family and friends on Christmas Day. Ben and I appreciate you very much as a huge part of our Christmas Tradition.</div>
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This Christmas I was blessed with some awesome gifts: a nice bonus from my boss, gift cards from my boys and a surprise one from a dear friend, a basket full of new dishtowels, lots and lots of chocolate, and an awesome new kitchen knife.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Thanks for my new knife, Judy! I really love it!</span></td></tr>
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But, for me it is not the gifts, it is about the enduring love of my family and friends that reminds me that life is indeed good. It should be a time to stop and reflect on this goodness in our lives, and to slow down and enjoy what we have been given by so many, past and present! Crowded malls and stressful shopping do not apply!<br />
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Here at HeartSong Farm, we hope that you have had a happy and wonderful holiday season, and that the new year is most kind to you all.</div>
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Life is very good here on HeartSong Farm!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8QatYcnhgTkTitmM1AP2AJtEj6vnIHttYElZrOAANPGcCv8zQACl65aohs84bACwfSFodTfCFvv8UGFJiAN9_LSsUCSqOiFeyPRrcyG-fxWB0QxHntNFtDbfmmx9ZL27hDjzOyjgMWE/s1600/Jagger+in+snow+2014-SNOW.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8QatYcnhgTkTitmM1AP2AJtEj6vnIHttYElZrOAANPGcCv8zQACl65aohs84bACwfSFodTfCFvv8UGFJiAN9_LSsUCSqOiFeyPRrcyG-fxWB0QxHntNFtDbfmmx9ZL27hDjzOyjgMWE/s1600/Jagger+in+snow+2014-SNOW.gif" height="477" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My precious Jaguar Moon aka Jagger (March 2012 - June 2014) enjoying the snowfall last winter.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A very Merry Christmas and Holiday Season to all who read the blog from HeartSong Farm!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I hope that you are able to stay safe and warm, and that you enjoy whatever might come your way during the remainder of this year as well as throughout 2015.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And remember to be kind to those you meet along your way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Peace,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">S. H. G.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-36187595602427844862014-12-14T17:41:00.000-06:002014-12-14T17:41:49.892-06:00Thankfulness<div style="text-align: justify;">
Frigid temps came even earlier this year, here in East Texas, than last year, and Autumn was way too brief for me and the trees. The trees never had much of a chance to change into their Fall dress before the Arctic air blew into town! I told them: "Maybe there is still time .... maybe it will warm up just enough ..." Meanwhile, the week before Thanksgiving week had us in temperatures in the low twenties for many days and nights.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The oldest Bradford pear in the front yard pre-Thanksgiving 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Gloria beginning to change her dress pre-Thanksgiving 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJKNJoOmLAKl6NoKqnrK8pMg3rLTU1Hr3E1cYCQt8rxb0_qmxmFRekubsdPu9P80n26UBiC9ZbfB3XtNvP6YDnusT_ZAloGaHpeoz0BmHY-MnqX92TriKvMZGffK2ok25CBRyATZ7ZaE/s1600/009+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJKNJoOmLAKl6NoKqnrK8pMg3rLTU1Hr3E1cYCQt8rxb0_qmxmFRekubsdPu9P80n26UBiC9ZbfB3XtNvP6YDnusT_ZAloGaHpeoz0BmHY-MnqX92TriKvMZGffK2ok25CBRyATZ7ZaE/s1600/009+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A mix of light yellow-green, orange and rusty red for Gloria.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We don't get an abundance of color here, so I am thankful for what we do get. I became spoiled living in Tennessee, New England and Missouri, I suppose! HeartSong Farm is located in the Piney Woods area of Deep East Texas. That means that the Autumn colors play against the greens of the pine forests, a contrast that is beautiful in its own way. Not as "knock your socks off" as in Vermont, but lovely in its own way. It is usually individual trees that catch your eye in this neck of the woods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know about other folks in this area, but it makes me very grateful to catch sight of a tree here in the full and glorious colors of Fall, because it is so fleeting and so individual. For me, to spot a dogwood dressed in crimson, or an ash or hickory sporting a bright yellow makes my heart and soul sing with the beauty! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In retirement, I plan to plant some more individual trees to add additional color for my Autumn viewing pleasure. I am making a list of what I want to plant. A few dogwoods, a hickory, and a black jack oak or two are first on the list. Sweet gums make beautiful fall color, but you also get those prickly sweet gum balls. They can make a mess when caught up in a llama's fiber coat, plus they are not fun to step on with your bare feet and I am all about bare feet! Maybe I could plant sweetgums up along the back fence line, out of my usual path, but still in view from the back porch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, I am content with the lovely colors of the trees already in my yard. I love picking up fallen leaves and marveling at the shades, patterns, shapes and sizes. They inspire me to create these same shades in my batts and rolags for spinning. After all, inspiration for creativity is everywhere, quite abundant in our marvelous Universe!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It did warm back up during Thanksgiving week, thankfully, and the trees finished their color changing before dropping their leaves onto the ground. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyq5UUYq_uR0MrN2yj1Lc9_040cxbh0D6tz2u2gRS3dWl9qAIsE5YYsaTlq622bAtImRNyStZIkrz9a3Jf5hcgtKXDrI9udSjm5WODzrSgh4b34bOVmAlrgKqzz0IDbnPSZeZP9hiZwto/s1600/018+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyq5UUYq_uR0MrN2yj1Lc9_040cxbh0D6tz2u2gRS3dWl9qAIsE5YYsaTlq622bAtImRNyStZIkrz9a3Jf5hcgtKXDrI9udSjm5WODzrSgh4b34bOVmAlrgKqzz0IDbnPSZeZP9hiZwto/s1600/018+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The Bradford pear tree leaves after Thanksgiving. Look closely and you will see teensy-tiny pears! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw014xOV6x_cvpoNNnysRzd0P_umBUzoPH3rivWWqmxlMSto5TmdnJwRddVmsCbIuS1_QyqQDyPW8GCt6dp_l64F1u5lsrbfdIuWDLF-0a9EAcYIHatOi8FVxUup4O5GrnsMKx2D3D4hg/s1600/017+(766x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw014xOV6x_cvpoNNnysRzd0P_umBUzoPH3rivWWqmxlMSto5TmdnJwRddVmsCbIuS1_QyqQDyPW8GCt6dp_l64F1u5lsrbfdIuWDLF-0a9EAcYIHatOi8FVxUup4O5GrnsMKx2D3D4hg/s1600/017+(766x1024).jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Gloria's beautiful scarlet dress the week after Thanksgiving 2014!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1kHBoHqeUU_dh_66GztgbCmHdpfzdfMoCSwcYUvIYms7DjpYNpfa2EOfz0xjJHrA2JfC8svNKO6_cHGPEYNec5nyTKlWNa-V5EcPM-Am52kRY24KWzB6_GX1bprN_IarDRdD3ESqyuY/s1600/015+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1kHBoHqeUU_dh_66GztgbCmHdpfzdfMoCSwcYUvIYms7DjpYNpfa2EOfz0xjJHrA2JfC8svNKO6_cHGPEYNec5nyTKlWNa-V5EcPM-Am52kRY24KWzB6_GX1bprN_IarDRdD3ESqyuY/s1600/015+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My red oak in the beginning of change, with Gloria in the background.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OuScg2Y9J3g8W7LnEqXChIsEsA06NVrI1w1dmI0UBw_1Wtzas9i7bAeg-X1f1WsSpg7SnDSlzf39zK53O7_QEtcoTtW8R_jjknTOeZ_JXsxPHbXJ1k8APo4zDHQ1jubJSdCvNmDbLeM/s1600/040+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4OuScg2Y9J3g8W7LnEqXChIsEsA06NVrI1w1dmI0UBw_1Wtzas9i7bAeg-X1f1WsSpg7SnDSlzf39zK53O7_QEtcoTtW8R_jjknTOeZ_JXsxPHbXJ1k8APo4zDHQ1jubJSdCvNmDbLeM/s1600/040+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A baby oak in the front yard near Gloria. I have found several of these </span><span style="font-size: small;">in the</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">front yard this past year and I hope it is not too late to transplant them to where</span></div>
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Last year, a nearby landowner planted quite a few acres of little baby pine trees. I noticed them last Saturday on a trip into town and they made me smile! The land looks much like a miniature Christmas tree farm right now, with these sweet little 18" high green triangles dotting what used to be just a common cow pasture. This, my friends, is how a pine forest begins!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRHM0nTOUOHp1oNraNSGAJIXZuLjNtSl9n9XSHOWv1lyWjo8a9-ogNLtumGoQvDGXSC3MbFwcv0xsGlSsS70UfiCqkfBSaqjpNLQZLNL4qeZQ5vwx4QVlj8daBPCUmX9Q_cx2bALzaVU/s1600/032+(1024x756).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRHM0nTOUOHp1oNraNSGAJIXZuLjNtSl9n9XSHOWv1lyWjo8a9-ogNLtumGoQvDGXSC3MbFwcv0xsGlSsS70UfiCqkfBSaqjpNLQZLNL4qeZQ5vwx4QVlj8daBPCUmX9Q_cx2bALzaVU/s1600/032+(1024x756).jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Sweet little baby pine trees, dreaming of being a forest one day!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am thankful that more trees are being planted to replace those that have been lost to concrete highways, industry and so-called progress. I am, after all, a "tree-hugger," (and very proud of it). We need more oxygen in our air and trees are quite happy to produce it for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While Matt was here for Thanksgiving week, the Sacramento area received some much-needed rain. I know that they were very thankful for the moisture, but they are still in a severe drought in that agricultural area of California where an abundance of our nation's produce is grown.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I picked Matt up at the airport in Houston on November 22, and he stayed with us until November 30. It was a nice long, enjoyable and mostly lazy visit for me and my two grown boys. They will always be my boys even though they are now fully grown and in their mid-30's. I am thankful that they are both healthy and happy and gainfully employed! They are still as different as night and day, but they have always gotten along well enough despite having almost polar opposite ways of doing things.</span></div>
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Matt and Ben worked together to take down the old ceiling fan in my den and replace it with a newer and larger fan. By the way, I did give Ben a much-needed haircut after the fan was up and running!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqZQiydMgXcF84kksMxbfl4aVV4BAQQI5BTcDHPPhBi3Gbbr6LTPSSn6kAOMykhcJT5c8YMIBNT9NNuAeahYDuVzNIPk2Jxb9JFpjksN82lmCx5fpBx9ONahC1bCduC3eSchGPuGyj0I/s1600/002+(1024x758).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqZQiydMgXcF84kksMxbfl4aVV4BAQQI5BTcDHPPhBi3Gbbr6LTPSSn6kAOMykhcJT5c8YMIBNT9NNuAeahYDuVzNIPk2Jxb9JFpjksN82lmCx5fpBx9ONahC1bCduC3eSchGPuGyj0I/s1600/002+(1024x758).jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ben (left) and Matt (right) beginning the job. Matt is actually reading the instructions. I am just so proud!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Progress is being made and parts are being put into place.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Close to being finished ....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UK8JCePqDKsd3u1mfFBWUwKcKOfip1MU6eQwME2R3le_feLeMlEdy_q9wynHTx5fhlnN8h7e_bRD3Nhb6blinguXZTN5cf0CQ4DVOIMl8RBCgT0fSpr6UGBpxxOqps2hPm8k68ya4sk/s1600/056+(1024x763).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UK8JCePqDKsd3u1mfFBWUwKcKOfip1MU6eQwME2R3le_feLeMlEdy_q9wynHTx5fhlnN8h7e_bRD3Nhb6blinguXZTN5cf0CQ4DVOIMl8RBCgT0fSpr6UGBpxxOqps2hPm8k68ya4sk/s1600/056+(1024x763).jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And, it's up!!!!</span></td></tr>
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I cannot tell you how thankful I am to get this project accomplished! The old fan and its light fixture "died" almost a year ago, and we have really missed having the moving air as well as the additional source of illumination.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My new "dike" at the meeting of the driveway and parking pad near the door into the house.</span></td></tr>
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This project has not been properly tested yet to see if the boys' idea of creating a dike will solve the growing and very aggravating problem of rainwater rushing down the driveway and almost into the house by way of the driveway side door. We are hoping that the runoff from the highway will be diverted towards the front yard instead.<br />
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We used unopened bags of Quikrete, set them in place, and hosed them down, leaving the paper on them for now. There will probably be a few more adjustments and additions, but we have a good start towards success. Tweaking is, after all, part of most processes. If it works, I will be quite thankful, for sure! Wading through water to get to your car on a workweek morning is not my favorite thing to do, especially when it is ice cold.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I am thankful that Matt was able to come visit us and that he returned home safely to Sacramento eight days later. And also, that I was able to drive the 6 1/2 hour round-trip to the airport and back with no problem. Make that two round-trips to the airport, one in a driving rain in the dark!</span><br />
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Many years ago, I began a Gratitude Journal, wherein I wrote down five things I was grateful for that day before I turned out the lights for the night. I have since filled up four journals and am mid-way through my fifth. It is true that, even on a seemingly terrible day, you can still find a few things for which to be thankful. It becomes a lesson in joy and appreciation of the little things in our lives. If you do not already have a Gratitude Journal, I highly recommend that you consider starting one in the new year. You will most likely find that you have many more Blessings than you ever thought possible!</div>
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I am so thankful for all my wonderful friends who support me and make life so enjoyable no matter where I am. Old friends, new friends. Friends that are near and those that, unfortunately, are far away. <br />
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I hope that you all have had a Happy Thanksgiving, and are now enjoying a lovely holiday season, whatever that means to you and your family.</div>
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There is much to be thankful for here at HeartSong Farm!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-90745143459167240612014-11-23T16:00:00.000-06:002014-11-23T16:00:19.231-06:00To the Heritage Syrup Festival and beyond!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Spinning at the Heritage Syrup Festival </span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;"> in Henderson, TX, on November 8th.</span></td></tr>
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Bright and early on the morning of November 8, 2014, four happy spinners sat down at their wheels at the Heritage Syrup Festival that was taking place in the East Texas town of Henderson. It started off a bit chilly, and never really warmed up, the sun preferring to hide behind the clouds most of the day. Nevertheless, there were probably close to 10,000 visitors at the Festival, and we enjoyed demonstrating our craft and answering some really great questions from the crowds. I have demonstrated at quite a few venues over the years, and I must say that the folks at this one asked probably the best questions ever! I was very impressed.<br />
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And, of course, several times we were asked if we could spin straw into gold. What would a demonstration of spinning in public be without being asked that question at least once?!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tammy spun some bamboo and llama fibers. Jo spun some lovely variegated purple Merino wool roving, while Donna spun some of her homegrown white cotton, and I spun up some Black Welsh Mountain/Shetland wool roving. The crowd was fascinated with the various fibers we were working with as well as the variety of our spinning wheels. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tammy, Jo and Donna spinning and fielding questions from interested Heritage Syrup Festival attendees.</span></td></tr>
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In the early afternoon, a young lady of about 11 or 12, along with her mother and two younger sisters, made her way up to us from the crowd. As it turns out, she was already a knitter and loved and appreciated yarn! She and her sisters were all drawn into the motion of the wheels, the treadling, and the magical transformation of the yarn being made from the carded fibers. She told us that she wanted to learn to make her own yarn, and being home-schooled, she thought she could incorporate that into social studies or history with no problem. Wow! That made our hearts really nice and warm!</div>
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To be able to pass on our love of fibers, spinning and weaving to the younger generations is always a thrill for us, and we were especially pleased to watch it happen right in front of our eyes! The two younger girls seemed very interested, also. Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, right there on that spot, three future fiber sisters were created to join our ranks!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Donna is the one who invited me to join them at the Festival this year.<br />Her shawl is hand-knit from hand-spun mohair yarn! Awesome!</span></td></tr>
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It was mid-afternoon when a young couple with a pit bull on a leash came up to inquire about the spinning process, and, just before they turned away, I asked if I could pet their dog. I told them I had recently been attacked and bitten by a neighbor's pit bulls, and that I wanted a chance to erase the negative energy that had covered me ever since. Folks, I want you to know that this was a very beautiful, well-behaved, calm pit bull named Max. He was a lovely shade of blue gray with white, and his breeding was impeccable! He looked into my eyes and I into his, and I found reassurance that not all pit bulls were as vicious as those inbred, abused dogs that my neighbor owns. I feel cleansed of my traumatic experience.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.3333330154419px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We were each awarded a quart of fresh (HOT!) cane syrup as thanks for<br />demonstrating our fiber craft with the crowds. Yummy! </span></td></tr>
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Across from where we were seated all day, a mule turned a cane-breaking machine and the pulp was boiled nearby in huge iron pots to make the cane syrup. I should have gotten a photo of that, but next year that will be first thing on my list. And second will be getting a bag of kettle corn before the line gets to be too long! I can see myself attending this Festival and spinning with my friends for years to come.</div>
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Spinning at the Heritage Syrup Festival got me back into playing with my fibers, finally. I had been in one of those funky moods lately, where I just couldn't get going on my spinning projects, or knitting for that matter. I was having a hard time making the transition from gardening and reading to spinning, knitting and reading. Sitting and spinning with three fiber sisters, however, got me back in the proper groove.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Black Welsh Mountain roving (left), a blend of Black Welsh Mountain and white Shetland (right).</span></div>
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The fibers in the photo above are what I worked on while at the Festival. I have been collecting Black Welsh Mountain roving, 8 oz. at a time, from Suzanne at Fire Ant Ranch (nka <a href="http://www.fiberartsrepublic.com/">Fiber Arts Republic</a>) over the last several years. I was not sure what I wanted to make with it, but I knew that I wanted enough yarn to make a statement of some kind. You see, I am of Welsh extraction on both sides of my family tree, and felt a connection to Wales and King Arthur long before I discovered my actual heritage. And besides, I am the black sheep of my family!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Black Welsh Mountain ewe and lambs from Desert Weyr Farm, Paonia, CO.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Shetland sheep produce a longer, softer wool that comes in a variety of colors.</span></td></tr>
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I have just recently decided on what I want to make from all Black Welsh Mountain yarn I have spun. Since the Black Welsh Mountain fleece is not for "next to the skin" projects, I had long ago decided I wanted to make a cape, ruana or coat, but which ?!, and what pattern ?! Yep, decisions, decisions .... arghhh! Well, while I spin, I do a lot of thinking, of course, and I have finally decided to make a winter coat in a very simple style that I knitted for someone many years ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Skeins of my Black Welsh Mountain yarn collection so far. The various colors are achieved by the<br />fact that some have Shetland or Gulf Coast Native wool or some dyed mohair locks added to the<br />roving for a bit of variety. </span></td></tr>
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It will be made up of knitted squares, joined for body and sleeves, with a ribbing all around the edges which will incorporate a collar of some kind. And, of course, there will be pockets! The piecing of the squares will make use of the fact that some yarns have a bit of added color in them. There may or may not be a pattern in the center of the back, but I think that there probably will be. I also have not decided if I will knit all of the squares and then join, or join as I go. More decisions! Meanwhile, I am back to spinning, and my heart is singing!<br />
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Part of the reason for my stalling on the spinning is because I have been in a dither about cleaning before my older son, Matt, gets here for Thanksgiving week. But, I have finally reasoned, he is coming to visit me, not my house. And, as long as he brings his allergy medicine, he should be alright among the dust and cat hair. I hope. Still, I do need to make some sort of effort on my weekends, but so many other things keep calling my name!!!<br />
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After the frigid temps of the past week that may continue into Thanksgiving Week, Matt also needs to bring some warm clothes with him from California! <br />
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Spinning happily along these days here at HeartSong Farm!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-314640736243025002014-11-16T15:09:00.002-06:002014-11-16T15:09:13.622-06:00All creatures, great & small<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">All things bright and beautiful,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">All creatures, great and small.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These timeless words by Cecil Frances Alexander, published in her book, <u>Hymns For Little Children (1848)</u>, have spoken to me ever since I was a little girl. The past two weeks have brought a number of creatures to my farm's door, porch and wheelbarrow, and I wanted to share them with you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Female cardinal feeling somewhat woozy after a slam-bang into my bedroom</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday afternoon, November 1, the cats and I heard a very loud bang on my bedroom window that overlooks the back porch. It sounded like a gun shot, louder than a bird hitting it, but it turned out that is exactly what it was. I went outside, and huddling under the porch swing, was a very dazed and confused female cardinal. She not only a had a really bad headache, her beak could not close, one eye was half-closed, and a dark fluid was coming out of one side of her beak! Look closely above. Poor dear thing!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Feeling somewhat better</span></td></tr>
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After about 10 minutes of my stroking her feathers and talking to her, she was able to grip my index finger with more strength and stand straighter, although her left eye was still half-closed. A few minutes more, and her beak (jaw?) could close and the fluid (saliva?) stopped flowing from her mouth. She looked at me when I spoke and seemed to enjoy the stroking of her feathers. I was able to admire up close and personal all her lovely shades of brown and red.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Feeling better and almost ready to fly again!</span></td></tr>
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As I continued to stroke her back and to speak soothingly to her, her balance improved, and her beak was able to finally close properly. As her grip on my finger-perch grew tighter, I gently tossed my hand, palm upwards, into the air a few times. She kept her balance by spreading her wings, but she was not quite ready to leave my protection. I decided that I would take her to the arbor between the backyard and the vegetable garden where I felt she would be safe from Max the Outside Cat. Fortunately, he was nowhere to be seen at the moment.</div>
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I left the safety of my back porch and started toward the arbor. A few feet from my destination, Ms. Cardinal took flight and landed near the top of the crepe myrtle nearby. She was back on her own!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tadpoles in the wheelbarrow full of rain water! Several hundred of them, at least!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The weekend that I was planting my garlic and winter greens, I passed by my wheelbarrow and saw a very interesting, unexpected sight .... tadpoles swimming around in the rainwater from a recent heavy downpour. It brought back memories of scooping up ditch water full of tadpoles in mason jars, and watching them grow into frogs or toads! I think that it has gotten too cold for the little fellas to survive to be frogs, but I will be keeping an eye on them, for sure. It has been in the low 30's, or lower even, for several nights here this week.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIWrg7_DFsQzc6yhA5ITZmDgUqik1d86PTApTRcFg0HU2H8YPPOHIcM3dXWnU1lvbrOu0Y0GXqQut25YbS0Van5knhJ2fejZItVLQuwwdEIdlLcn-XcjNYfbF-RVNI24n7hzATaEm1cw/s1600/015+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A leopard frog, probably one of the parents of the tadpoles in the wheelbarrow.</span></td></tr>
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Leopard frogs are really quite lovely with their spots and sleek, moist skin. They can make almost as much noise as a bullfrog sometimes. BURRUMPH, BURRUMPH! Sometimes I find them in one of the llama water troughs in the pasture. I remember finding one several weeks ago, after a lighter rainfall, in this same wheelbarrow!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A yellow jacket (left) and honey bee (right) on a tassel of goldenrod near the wheelbarrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My little green (sometimes brown) back porch friend in a bucket of rain</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">water.</span></div>
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This little guy (a green anole) is the one who lives behind my door-facing on the back porch. He has startled me a number of times this Fall when I reached to open the door and he jumped out. I swear he said "Boo!" once! It is unclear to me as to whether he was intentionally swimming or he fell into the bucket accidentally. But, he looked pretty water-logged to me. I think he appreciated my helping him get out of the water when I did! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I put him on one of the vines that covers the arbor off the back porch.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Soon he was relaxing and enjoying the sunshine on his back. I love these little creatures!</span></td></tr>
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I grew up calling these cuties "chameleons" because they could turn from bright green to brown, depending on what they were perched on. We loved to watch them run along the top of our redwood slat fence, and we loved to try and catch them, too. Sometimes, we would grab them by their tails and we would be left holding only the tail as the lizard scrambled away! You could always tell the ones who had lost their tails at some point because, when the tail grew back, it never quite matched the original.<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Not a great photo, and although that is Max's food bowl, that is definitely NOT Max! What it is, is a</span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;">very plump opossum that has been regularly visiting my back porch the last few weeks. So far, I have not been able to get it's face in a photo. It is very wary, this 'possum! And it has lots of tiny sharp teeth that I would not want to mess with! It tends to "grin" at me, and then go back to munching on the kibble.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5f5C-eHGF3LK3M4MSs5bPNC5RSwX4Oz4_E5p4Wb2bNJCKVO3ZIYUNDF0ldENb_rUPkJ-E4gbKs38-e92Q9db61EohdktBDVZD5DlsDC0XHitqV9ifUfI82Cuz4dGjYtJCrjLS1r2_-Y/s1600/014+(683x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5f5C-eHGF3LK3M4MSs5bPNC5RSwX4Oz4_E5p4Wb2bNJCKVO3ZIYUNDF0ldENb_rUPkJ-E4gbKs38-e92Q9db61EohdktBDVZD5DlsDC0XHitqV9ifUfI82Cuz4dGjYtJCrjLS1r2_-Y/s1600/014+(683x1024).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
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About a week after the opossum started coming around, a young raccoon began coming around about 30 minutes later than that early diner. I guess word had gotten around that food was available on my back porch?! </div>
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This is the second raccoon that we have had as a visitor over the years here at HeartSong Farm. I think we will name this one Bandit. The first one, Rocky, has not been seen for two or three years, and this is a young one, probably coming into its second winter. When he stands he is about 24 inches tall, and is only slightly leery of me. I can get within two feet of him, with no problem. He has growled at me only once, and since then seems to have accepted my presence as non-confrontational.</div>
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I have always wanted a pet raccoon, for real. My daddy's mother had one when he was growing up, in St. Petersburg, FL. I am so tempted to try to catch this one, but I know it is really not a good idea. So, I make sure there is always a bit of dry cat food on the back porch at night, and that way I get to observe it up close and to enjoy it in that way.<br />
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One night this week, I felt a pair of eyes staring at me as I sat reading in my den chair by the window overlooking the back porch. I turned to look, and there was Bandit, front paws on the window ledge, watching me through the screen! Well, turnabout is fair play, I guess!<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Ben says that he has seen this youngster climbing high in the pine tree near his "man cave," so it must have found Rocky's old nest.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A Hispid Cotton Rat. Isn't he (I checked!) adorable?! Looks similar to a hamster to me.</span></td></tr>
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Last Sunday, I was at my computer in the dining room, when something caught my eye outside by the clothesline. It was Max the Outdoor Cat tossing something in the air. Oh no! I could see that it was a rodent of some kind, bigger than a mouse, but smaller than a gopher. And, strangely, it seemed like it was playing a game with Max. It was not even trying to get away, but would run around to his backside, then around him again, then leap up in the air on his own, and then crouch in the grass right next to him. This was strange. Strange, indeed!<br />
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I grabbed my camera and an old towel and went outside, intrigued. Max walked off, but the little critter was hidden in the grass, crouched down and really quite hard to see. After several attempts to locate it, and then capture it with the towel, I was at last successful. What I discovered was that it was neither a mouse or a gopher, nor was it the kind of rat that I would have expected. It's coat was rough, like a nutria, but he was way too small to be one. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0Tg1O5HEYkl6-lBZ8KEsgQGFYEPHVGfE-uEk-38uCukugXXzr1Bir9AsEi1Yfj2HZdwp01JyucFR5kV5AOIlBsZ3ACO3NKadIaE6mIgUq_CmQ4C4GMxzlflQRlXYEScx3kePg5Z_Lrg/s1600/032+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0Tg1O5HEYkl6-lBZ8KEsgQGFYEPHVGfE-uEk-38uCukugXXzr1Bir9AsEi1Yfj2HZdwp01JyucFR5kV5AOIlBsZ3ACO3NKadIaE6mIgUq_CmQ4C4GMxzlflQRlXYEScx3kePg5Z_Lrg/s1600/032+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">He has a very coarse coat of dark brown and golden brown, and is about the size of my hand.</span></td></tr>
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He was nervous at first, but, in no time at all, was relaxed enough for me to examine him and to release my tight grip on him. He even felt comfortable enough to perch on the towel in my hand. I had seen his sharp, yellow rodent teeth and I was not taking his calm acceptance of me for granted! As you can see from the photo above, however, that Max had, indeed, injured him on his tail.</div>
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Eventually, I put him back in the grass near the clothesline, and he scooted off towards the back pasture fence. I immediately went inside and grabbed my <u>Peterson's Field Guide to Mammals of North America</u>. I discovered that he was a Hispid Cotton Rat, and are known for making runways and tunnels in high grassy areas. I wonder how many are out there in my back pasture?!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And then there was this on the kitchen floor!</span></div>
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What the ..... ??!!! This sure isn't one of the typical Dust Bunnies found in my home! I have the feeling that Godfrey had something to do with this, whatcha wanta bet?!</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Axl (aka The Big Guy) enjoys watching creatures, both great and small, from his perch at the dining room window. There is absolutely no way he could fit on the window sill like an "ordinary" cat. He is, after all, a Maine Coon cat!</span></div>
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With the very cold temperatures here this week, out in the pastures the llamas have been looking like smoke-breathing dragons in the early mornings! Steam rises off their woolly backs from their body heat. I have been trying to get a photo of that, but I am having trouble pressing the buttons with my gloves on. It is almost time to buy a new camera, I think. The buttons on this one keep getting stuck!</div>
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There are a lot of interesting creatures here on HeartSong Farm!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-923515616598427602014-11-07T14:13:00.001-06:002014-11-07T14:13:18.491-06:00Spinning my wheels!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8dFvox21jtn1oQFV8c44fPmbE33K-p_HdHpqVtpcVn3WTj-HyBRfubRPcd9dDdg79bX4hQLQP1DqJj9DT9ibzukqGzb1AjTzIEYncmsiAbBIWpwmdbKgAOG6kgpIIlqh__N38S32-VU/s1600/114+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8dFvox21jtn1oQFV8c44fPmbE33K-p_HdHpqVtpcVn3WTj-HyBRfubRPcd9dDdg79bX4hQLQP1DqJj9DT9ibzukqGzb1AjTzIEYncmsiAbBIWpwmdbKgAOG6kgpIIlqh__N38S32-VU/s1600/114+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A really awesome basket of some of my hand-spun yarns!</span></td></tr>
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I have had a love affair with the fiber arts since the age of 7. My mother's mother taught me to crochet with both yarn and rags, and to embroider. She, herself, made beautiful hooked wool rugs for her wooden floors. I taught myself to knit in college, and I came to spinning by way of weaving. </div>
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I learned to weave when I was in college at North Texas State University, in the summer of 1970. It was a requirement for my art major and I fell in love with it! The feel, textures, the way the colors worked with the various weaving patterns. I hoped that one day I would be able to have a loom of my own.</div>
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Flash forward to the mid '80's and I am now living outside Springfield, Illinois, and very near Lincoln's New Salem, a recreated historic village where Abe Lincoln lived and worked before getting married and becoming our Nation's Sixteenth President. It was in New Salem was where he did odd jobs, learned to read by firelight, and delivered the mail on horseback to the outlying rural areas. The historic site needed someone who could weave on the old looms in the Museum and in the Trent brothers' cabin. I was game!</div>
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I spent six very wintry Saturdays in 1985 with other new volunteers in seminars learning details about the time period of the village, and I became a docent. I just adore history and here was a chance to "live" it! I needed to wear authentic period clothing, so I made a calico dress of blue with cream, a bonnet to match, and purchased a pair of high top leather shoes from the old General Store on the square in nearby Petersburg, IL.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGf0bCX3wpDKaFvEKBlBZZjUugrE828WwKq1Y8KPu7mSxidsao6UisU38rynWhkzSVo5JqVWvjGp7APMafyJ442x3j6dRhnJQUVIBqdwyinmdF88PyHTjYLxVKMznH3ghAri4ncNRcyw/s1600/PICT0170+(4)%2B(1024x683).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGf0bCX3wpDKaFvEKBlBZZjUugrE828WwKq1Y8KPu7mSxidsao6UisU38rynWhkzSVo5JqVWvjGp7APMafyJ442x3j6dRhnJQUVIBqdwyinmdF88PyHTjYLxVKMznH3ghAri4ncNRcyw/s1600/PICT0170+(4)%2B(1024x683).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">My son, Matt, joins me in the Trent brothers' cabin of New Salem, IL. The loom I wove rag rugs<br />on in the cabin was a handmade two harness rigid heddle counter balance loom. </span></td></tr>
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During the Winter months, I wove on the floor loom in the Museum. The 4 harness counter balance loom was made from hand-hewn timbers and had cotton heddles, and I wove diligently on the blue and white overshot coverlet that had been abandoned years before by another weaving volunteer. When it came late Spring, Summer and early Autumn of the next three years, I worked in the Trent brothers' cabin weaving rag rugs on a two heddle loom in my period clothing while, in the summertime, my two elementary-aged boys ran around barefooted in period clothing pretending to be boys of the 1820's. They played with a stick and hoop, climbed trees, helped the blacksmith, and helped make soap and cottage cheese. We three had so much fun!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2eiNZpebbvRaCqB282yDLpUtubjoR__Sy8vhOX3BrDiX8pRxx22W67ZaTfS7gMabrMOugUhUw9mbXWWLmH2BUFwJbfeEjn1_iJwUhfo8uvNrN2j3YPHew1CNhuCi3-2jGAmu9TMohmo/s1600/PICT0181+(4)%2B(683x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2eiNZpebbvRaCqB282yDLpUtubjoR__Sy8vhOX3BrDiX8pRxx22W67ZaTfS7gMabrMOugUhUw9mbXWWLmH2BUFwJbfeEjn1_iJwUhfo8uvNrN2j3YPHew1CNhuCi3-2jGAmu9TMohmo/s1600/PICT0181+(4)%2B(683x1024).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Youngest son, Ben, just being a country boy. Notice his dirty feet!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0HR3IGTtI7hnHIERaHwOULzr0K7FllrXaFDEGZdnpiCUJ9C2ZejU5YSol_49wTolJkQvUWV1G-TcxIGJwodk4MYgqkFl5wVcnvN1T8y0kMCki1XtOaAQBr8lBvONGMAsm4tAaYtRkzk/s1600/PICT0183+(4)%2B(1024x683).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0HR3IGTtI7hnHIERaHwOULzr0K7FllrXaFDEGZdnpiCUJ9C2ZejU5YSol_49wTolJkQvUWV1G-TcxIGJwodk4MYgqkFl5wVcnvN1T8y0kMCki1XtOaAQBr8lBvONGMAsm4tAaYtRkzk/s1600/PICT0183+(4)%2B(1024x683).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Not sure what is on the other side of this fence, but Matt and Ben can see it! I think it's a little pig.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFiUwOzEotOmBaf-I3uV8wWMbdtNewlvHd-HQMZ4CTizOK3AbOItsS3-bgQhc0Wk9qhdDnqwM4kODQBdTHIMNy6YHLG2Un2dgrs4p5930txYCOqrhn29i7kwhtxtXpDdsvKXKKdmNlO8/s1600/PICT0186+(4)%2B(1024x683).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFiUwOzEotOmBaf-I3uV8wWMbdtNewlvHd-HQMZ4CTizOK3AbOItsS3-bgQhc0Wk9qhdDnqwM4kODQBdTHIMNy6YHLG2Un2dgrs4p5930txYCOqrhn29i7kwhtxtXpDdsvKXKKdmNlO8/s1600/PICT0186+(4)%2B(1024x683).jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Matt and Ben petting the ram outside the cooper's cabin at New Salem, Illinois.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I managed to purchase a floor loom for myself during this time as my love for weaving was renewed and blossomed. But a new love was soon to take hold! One Winter weekend at New Salem's Museum, I took a workshop in spinning and learned to card and spin cotton on a Great Wheel, and wool on an handmade Irish castle wheel! Oh, no! Now I needed a wheel, too! I began hyperventilating immediately. My pulse was racing. I had found a New Love, a new Passion!!!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHv_141QdWoCmff_gxQz0S6xo2yEq1DnE7vPQuKT1LmY0qX1We73wSg8BDF4rXmhDebX6a8vtwv-RGnE9akuPLtvpRt7el9BU_M3W0pOMWNMa9aaOeBQClD10zbj7Mt-7k0JqMMOTPyXE/s1600/PICT0182+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHv_141QdWoCmff_gxQz0S6xo2yEq1DnE7vPQuKT1LmY0qX1We73wSg8BDF4rXmhDebX6a8vtwv-RGnE9akuPLtvpRt7el9BU_M3W0pOMWNMa9aaOeBQClD10zbj7Mt-7k0JqMMOTPyXE/s1600/PICT0182+(4).JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A spinner demonstrating her craft alongside a dulcimer player at Lincoln's New Salem, IL.</span></td></tr>
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It took three years for me to acquire that first spinning wheel, and, like my Harrisville floor loom, I bought a kit and put it together all by myself. Not only was this the less-expensive way to go, but in both cases, it allowed me to learn the parts and mechanisms intimately. You really need and want to be intimate with your looms and wheels. Just ask any spinner or weaver!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3EZVca9ifdKbp3ioslmX99xVi_tiXMDMSe1FuUT6yKGRBrI5fSrudnpcUVGKEbS9AOE6R7BlNPrOGDkBghQvChI7STjb9GBE8f4so-T2J-1LS9v-eFGBINeti5LgFPIo5MNZ7TgSFaw/s1600/048+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3EZVca9ifdKbp3ioslmX99xVi_tiXMDMSe1FuUT6yKGRBrI5fSrudnpcUVGKEbS9AOE6R7BlNPrOGDkBghQvChI7STjb9GBE8f4so-T2J-1LS9v-eFGBINeti5LgFPIo5MNZ7TgSFaw/s1600/048+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is my first wheel. Her name is Betsy and she is an Ashford Traditional.</span></td></tr>
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It took three more years and a move to Connecticut from Tennessee for me to finally get "real" lessons from another spinner, and not just reading about it in my subscription to "SPIN OFF" magazine. My passion never wavered, however, and my spinner instructor, Anne Williams, also shared the art of dyeing a fleece with natural dyes from the garden and the kitchen! Oh, no! Something else to be passionate about! </div>
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Soon I was experimenting with rhododendron leaves, Osage orange (aka horse apples), yarrow, onion skins, purple cabbage leaves and black-eyed Susans in a huge metal pot on the stove! Then I tried solar dyeing in a garbage can covered with black plastic trash bags set out on my driveway to catch the rays of the sun. My then-husband thought I had completely lost my marbles, and said so in no uncertain terms! He was quite sure some of the neighbors had seen me playing with a garbage can in the driveway, and that was just not to be tolerated!</div>
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My Daddy was an enthusiastic woodcarver and was also handy at making just about anything out of wood. He recognized the passion I was feeling with the weaving, spinning, and dyeing, and was very pleased to help me along. He made me some drop spindles in several weights, my loom bench, a warping board, and the most used tool of all for my new found love .... a niddy-noddy. Actually, he made two for me .... just because that was how he was.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_Qxnmt0zyYrgQS9eD_yhuAQp6hgO1QXkugSnakdDBLHJFUAlzcyIzPJOv_tyNLVT5YFAJKlEj2kgz0M99-zNIhTa2tfckbnNwbGod4oCa2J2iWa3ZdQ8ABOwM2tlEY-SMCHCNlBlmN4/s1600/079+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_Qxnmt0zyYrgQS9eD_yhuAQp6hgO1QXkugSnakdDBLHJFUAlzcyIzPJOv_tyNLVT5YFAJKlEj2kgz0M99-zNIhTa2tfckbnNwbGod4oCa2J2iWa3ZdQ8ABOwM2tlEY-SMCHCNlBlmN4/s1600/079+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Part of my collection of drop spindles. These are the ones my Daddy made for me, and on some he<br />hand-carved motifs on the whorls. Quite special, indeed!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglERV7mVCUR0WiP31D_lvaMh_VprZ7AjN20FUftzdaFTAllaB68FNOTVHWuD2DMnGcDI0jQ4prDDqYX50iCsQN-2r-VBAzsOJruO8gPe_vYzjPMwkeQ1HuEEuHO9ps2grdAz8rEuJ4wwY/s1600/111+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglERV7mVCUR0WiP31D_lvaMh_VprZ7AjN20FUftzdaFTAllaB68FNOTVHWuD2DMnGcDI0jQ4prDDqYX50iCsQN-2r-VBAzsOJruO8gPe_vYzjPMwkeQ1HuEEuHO9ps2grdAz8rEuJ4wwY/s1600/111+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">One of two niddy-noddies that Daddy made for me. These are for winding off yarn from the wheel.<br />You can also use them as a way of measuring yardage of yarns, and to help set twist. Daddy made<br />my niddies out of Parana pine and Philippine mahogany on his lathe. I sometimes wonder just how<br />many miles of my yarn has been measured on my niddy-noddies!</span></td></tr>
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Anne had told our class the story of how she came to be a spinner and it started with a drop spindle. She was of the opinion that everyone should learn to use a drop spindle before going to a wheel because it gave you a sense of history, and also helped your fingers memorize the necessary movements before adding the rhythm you needed for treadling a wheel.</div>
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Some of us are more impatient than others, but I did take that advice somewhat to heart, especially since my Daddy had made such special spindles just for me. Naturally, I wanted to show him what I had made with his handiwork. So, I bought some wool dyed in lovely blues and greens and carded it into rolags for spinning. And, I practiced with my drop spindle, and made lots of pretty darn good singles that I then plied on my spindle. </div>
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I took great pleasure in showing off my handmade yarn, but most of the reactions I got were: "Can't you buy that stuff at Walmart? Why do you have to/want to make it yourself?" Some folks will never understand, and that is all there is to it!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapMaiNewl5Ut4QrR7S2Od8Zn4YzxIAwBUruCGeYnAaudmZYzuoXWJA1nK1en1tNlNpHXIwDZ8TZUu88-R09y9vjRVS4YJDvaTzFFxVOQpEPaQ0rUgrD-lTlWWoPseijpnvd8bGpd4yaM/s1600/065+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapMaiNewl5Ut4QrR7S2Od8Zn4YzxIAwBUruCGeYnAaudmZYzuoXWJA1nK1en1tNlNpHXIwDZ8TZUu88-R09y9vjRVS4YJDvaTzFFxVOQpEPaQ0rUgrD-lTlWWoPseijpnvd8bGpd4yaM/s1600/065+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mittens made from that first wool purchase and the mahogany drop spindle made by my Daddy that spun the yarn.</span></div>
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While living in Connecticut, I also received my second wheel. My Daddy's older brother, John and his wife, Mary Anne, had come across an old spinning wheel in the 70's at a junk dealer somewhere on the East Coast. They went through several boxes and found what they hoped would be all of the pieces, and they bought it because it looked "Early American" which was the latest style in decorating (along with orange or green shag carpet!). Think Ethan Allen and you will know what I mean.<br />
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They took it home, put it together and painted it black and gold to go with the ambiance of their den. They were pleased. They had absolutely no idea what they had found! When my Uncle John found out I had learned to spin, he wrote me a letter about this "decorative wheel" they had found over two decades before, asking if I would like to have it.<br />
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I said sure, and in a few weeks a large box from my uncle arrived with an honest-to-gosh handmade Pennsylvania Dutch flax wheel, complete with the maker's mark! There is only one bobbin for her, handmade of course, so I haven't really used her for any serious spinning, although I have played around with it at times. <br />
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She is extremely fast, double-drive, she is quite lovely even in the "stylish" black and gold. I named her Priscilla, and when I retire and have the time, I plan on stripping the paint and getting her back to her Pennsylvania Dutch roots!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmTfCK3hpCerR_jzN5HBIwdWzBZ84aKdJ2-qNGRWhN9dLcSy0E4mkJwHCGi_5lXv-9z2r7RXA1ZnBF1GBe_rYH473R9RC6U6j2ZfgU29CoRufPQQDZhQACMHqllsH6kNsWoy9mG5NI98/s1600/095+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmTfCK3hpCerR_jzN5HBIwdWzBZ84aKdJ2-qNGRWhN9dLcSy0E4mkJwHCGi_5lXv-9z2r7RXA1ZnBF1GBe_rYH473R9RC6U6j2ZfgU29CoRufPQQDZhQACMHqllsH6kNsWoy9mG5NI98/s1600/095+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is Priscilla. She is my antique flax wheel of Pennsylvania Dutch origin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">That is one of many rag rugs I have woven that Priscilla is standing on.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi200Gxd7ZwcCHW9TpPxQ_qAuP7SqdG53fyzEt0CDzXBg28HR9IzSnmW-gmOy5nGFaXThH0EWtCNvvWk4w89pdWqh4vi4-Wfj2oiqGQY5kACqWM1H5y7Jk6SES-P1ChVXH884m_08udxwQ/s1600/103+(1024x768)%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi200Gxd7ZwcCHW9TpPxQ_qAuP7SqdG53fyzEt0CDzXBg28HR9IzSnmW-gmOy5nGFaXThH0EWtCNvvWk4w89pdWqh4vi4-Wfj2oiqGQY5kACqWM1H5y7Jk6SES-P1ChVXH884m_08udxwQ/s1600/103+(1024x768)%2B(2).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Look closely and you will see the "mark" of the maker of this wheel: "I JACOB". I imagine that </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">he made it as a wedding present for his bride!</span></td></tr>
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And yes, most spinners do name their wheels. Each and every one, no matter handmade or factory made, has a individual personality all its own, even within the same manufactured model. Getting to know your wheel is exactly that, for they have quirks and sounds unique unto themselves, and finding their name is a true bonding experience. Next time you are near a spinner and wheel, listen for the creaks, squeaks, chirps and whirrs of that particular wheel! <br />
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My third wheel is another of the New Zealand-made Ashford models .... a "Joy," ... and she is just that. Although I tried out other names, I could not deny what a joy she was to spin on, and Joy! is how I know her. She is a traveling wheel, and folds up wonderfully into her padded, zippered bag. She fits in the overhead compartment of an airplane with no problem, and is an easy tote from home to retreats, trips, demonstrations or wherever. She arrived in my life during the winter of 2005 and she has been a constant companion ever since. <br />
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Betsy got her feelings hurt, however, and has to be sweet-talked into spinning properly again if I spend too much time away from her. (I am NOT kidding!) Priscilla, on the other hand, is content to be admired for her heritage and nothing more right now. She probably has a lot of squeaks and clicks and wobbles at her age that she would rather no one knew about?!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFn3mlDyK-KmbzCQpPYU3vd2nSSpRc9XBJgUWE8hmry2SrtyLEZCSJ26IhplG2_PTzej5nICp20LA8OpJJW1XJKGOo-18wDuxRu73_PKwHHUZZo9t2WMRVAPGscGwmlQFS4kEzfzelt4/s1600/088+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFn3mlDyK-KmbzCQpPYU3vd2nSSpRc9XBJgUWE8hmry2SrtyLEZCSJ26IhplG2_PTzej5nICp20LA8OpJJW1XJKGOo-18wDuxRu73_PKwHHUZZo9t2WMRVAPGscGwmlQFS4kEzfzelt4/s1600/088+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My newest wheel, Joy!, is well-used since she can travel with me anywhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Spinning on my back porch has been quite a joy!</span></td></tr>
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Learning to spin and work with fiber has led me on an exciting and fulfilling journey from Illinois, Tennessee, Connecticut, Missouri, and, finally, to East Texas. Along the way, I have met some amazing people (spinners, weavers, craftsmen and craftswomen, and artists) and formed many friendships. It was because of my love of all things fiber that I began to dream of owning my own sheep and llamas, which led to the birth of HeartSong Farm. I have had the pleasure of attending the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival in Upstate New York, the Bethel Sheep and Wool Festival in Iowa, and the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (along with dear friend, Stephanie), which happened to be an item on my Bucket List.</div>
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Here in East Texas, I was a regular attendee of the Wildflower Fiber Retreat each March, and am now looking forward to the retreats ahead with the Chix Packin Stix gals, and becoming more involved in demonstrations of spinning and weaving in my retirement years in the community. I still dream of attending the Taos Wool Festival as well as the Kid 'n Ewe & Lamas, Too! in Boerne, Texas. The latter is bound to happen the first November after I retire! I even have a place to sleep, right Judy H.?? Hint, hint!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsf3ShAOpdyZC3kKn5JL_3tVyU31VV0rfdOavY_mfZx5CnPToMwSZ19xNKSf3zQvgXyuqEYcCmKWdcn3sbVgwkdAEKX9nor5yF2dfv3HY37SsnjpU5mSgrYOzSsS2-ainA0iJQx7iMzc/s1600/021+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsf3ShAOpdyZC3kKn5JL_3tVyU31VV0rfdOavY_mfZx5CnPToMwSZ19xNKSf3zQvgXyuqEYcCmKWdcn3sbVgwkdAEKX9nor5yF2dfv3HY37SsnjpU5mSgrYOzSsS2-ainA0iJQx7iMzc/s1600/021+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A gathering of fiber sisters is an awesome event! This was the final Wildflower Retreat, March 2014.</span></td></tr>
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This Saturday, November 8, I will be spinning with two fiber sisters in Henderson, TX, at the annual Heritage Syrup Festival. Joy! will be accompanying me, and if you are in the area, please come by and see us!</div>
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And now, I have a request for my niece, Heidi, who lives up in Washington State! I promised her nine years ago when I learned that she was a knitter (I was so very excited!) that I would send her some of my hand-spun yarns for her to knit with. So, Heidi, choose one of the two rovings below (merino wool and silk blends), and this will be my next big project on my wheel! Let me know which one you choose when you get a chance, and I will get started spinning! And I am sorry it has taken so long to fulfill my promise to you.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Pinks and greens.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HtFP6ZM9ExHob34qeromglTCR41nsrqOohSoSR3GiGEXSNboKZp3wzJ70l0fmtGM09d6zOfidIdCaQeraRB_YMdbznX2Vl0D8-uU53vJUI7l736luvLg0VPlL8SkV4ekdw4HgD8LVI8/s1600/059+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HtFP6ZM9ExHob34qeromglTCR41nsrqOohSoSR3GiGEXSNboKZp3wzJ70l0fmtGM09d6zOfidIdCaQeraRB_YMdbznX2Vl0D8-uU53vJUI7l736luvLg0VPlL8SkV4ekdw4HgD8LVI8/s1600/059+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Blues and purples.</span></td></tr>
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!! NEWSFLASH FROM THE GARDEN !!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K-6c-hNqhIOQU_pQpN66t5WoWMbfVbauQam6yFpWT2szv2ZG18Mou_PxRxtjYwSkqi5ENVEAhzsfI8qDNbmskNE0naDlrbIK1ADALuP2gWZ3Oq7gqBFuy7rwO_zzd027C6vkbGLyKGw/s1600/013+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5K-6c-hNqhIOQU_pQpN66t5WoWMbfVbauQam6yFpWT2szv2ZG18Mou_PxRxtjYwSkqi5ENVEAhzsfI8qDNbmskNE0naDlrbIK1ADALuP2gWZ3Oq7gqBFuy7rwO_zzd027C6vkbGLyKGw/s1600/013+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Garlic bulbs with cloves to plant (left) and the cloves too small to plant, but fine for cooking (right)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">(resting on a blue rag handwoven woven place mat that I wove many years ago).</span></td></tr>
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A friend gave me five huge homegrown garlic bulbs in August, and last week I put 50 garlic cloves in one-half of one of my raised beds. I made sure to plant them before October 31, as instructed by Dan. Was that to make sure I would be safe from any local vampires on Halloween night? Well, if so, it worked! And, next May I should have 50 big beautiful bulbs to lift from the soil for my culinary needs, saving five out for planting next October. A Circle of Garlic has begun!</div>
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It's time to get back to spinning here at HeartSong Farm!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-81512425178575751892014-10-19T20:48:00.001-05:002014-12-17T14:09:43.054-06:00Piddling, puttering, pondering and perusing<div style="text-align: justify;">
There are Four "P's" that spend a great deal of time in my life: Piddling, Puttering, Pondering, and Perusing. Each is quite an art form, in and of itself, and each has a special place in my life. <br />
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Let me explain.<br />
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Do you have unfinished projects that hang around for awhile? I do. I am, in fact, a member of the Royal House of Unfinished Projects. Maybe you are, too!?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJkLAAsnAWL_WjHn-E0opSIqPsSohcvU1uq6WA_FghK8ECYntjqg87vMkrH_i3RdKy3ftRh5ef7ZAiZNHllkrU9qZEkyfHu2hApX2dx11Og0IXXbYp0J7U-pVcl5mj6v5YiFkTfczpdk/s1600/IMG_3052+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJkLAAsnAWL_WjHn-E0opSIqPsSohcvU1uq6WA_FghK8ECYntjqg87vMkrH_i3RdKy3ftRh5ef7ZAiZNHllkrU9qZEkyfHu2hApX2dx11Og0IXXbYp0J7U-pVcl5mj6v5YiFkTfczpdk/s1600/IMG_3052+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is one of four iron breakfast room chairs I have been working on for<br />several years. I think I painted them with their first coat of black paint 3<br />years ago .... and they have been ready for the second coat ever since!</span></td></tr>
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The Reason that I have so many Unfinished Projects, simply stated, is because I rather enjoy the Fine Art of the Four "P's", as described below:</div>
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<b>PIDDLE</b> - to spend one's time idly or inefficiently.</div>
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<b>PUTTER</b> - to occupy oneself in a pleasant manner, doing a number of small tasks or not concentrating on anything in particular.</div>
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<b>PERUSE</b> - to look at or read something in a relaxed, informal but careful way.<br />
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<b>PONDER</b> - to think about carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.</div>
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UNDER THE BANNER OF PIDDLING:<br />
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During the last few weeks, since my return from the Chix Packin Stix Retreat, I have been restless and full of unfulfilled energy. I look around at the clutter in my den and dining room (This is Perusing), and I think: I need to do something with this stuff! (This is called Pondering.) <br />
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Mind you, some of this "stuff" has been piling up for years, not just months, the product of Perusing magazines and Internet sites of interest. Oh, sure, I move the stuff around now and then, find something I forgot I had started or bought and never done anything with, and reorganize everything nice and neat. (This is called Puttering.) But then Life will get in the way and I will put whatever it is down, and next thing you know, it will be stuck under a pile of this and that somewhere in the den, and I start Perusing a magazine or pattern book, or .... Piddling with nothing in particular.<br />
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The Four "P's" can be combined, and are usually intertwined in some way or another depending on the situation one finds oneself in at the moment. I am not sure, however, if you can actually do all four at the same time. If you happen to know if this is possible, please drop me a note as I would love to try it out at some point in the future. Probably when I am retired (20.75 more months). And maybe I already have and just don't realize it.<br />
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UNDER THE BANNER OF PIDDLING:</div>
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There are times, I go through stages, when I do an awful lot of Piddling. These are times when I am feeling restless, distracted, anxious and I just do not have the energy to stay focused on any one thing. So, I Piddle with this and then that, and so on. For instance, let us say that it is Saturday morning and I am having a hard time getting motivated to go grocery shopping. I will turn on my Kindle Fire and check my email, then play a game or five of Sudoku, make any moves for Words With Friends, then read for 30 minutes.<br />
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I might then get up and grab a second cup of coffee and head out onto the back porch swing for a bit of Pondering, and while I am sitting there I see something worthy of a photograph. So, into the house, put down the cup, find the camera, go out and take the photo, then see something else interesting. Next I spy some things that need to be picked in the garden, so I go in, put down the camera, and grab my basket for the veggies. Before I get back into the house, however, I stop and pull a number of pesky weeds in the backyard. This makes me feel really good! Not a fan of most weeds, and especially not stinging bull nettle which had decided that my yard is a good place to live. Utilizing the Art of Piddling, I have extracted most of these suckers from my back yard this summer, and my bare feet are SO EXCITED! <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPV-XhBXnNkIzx7dPGco19X9pq4UOS3y66VwgzxF9rNc3f2RfbuD0-5tNZvQj-xDfpYnkBS4cvwAWvzN3wW_ZgdhRPuDb7nxz3MFPIETwkKT6IVnr546LPisfYwBU9c17xo4LYnu2te8/s1600/026+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPV-XhBXnNkIzx7dPGco19X9pq4UOS3y66VwgzxF9rNc3f2RfbuD0-5tNZvQj-xDfpYnkBS4cvwAWvzN3wW_ZgdhRPuDb7nxz3MFPIETwkKT6IVnr546LPisfYwBU9c17xo4LYnu2te8/s1600/026+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This my "new" and almost weed-free backyard. I am letting the Bermuda grass go to seed right<br />now so that it will come back strong next Spring and choke out the rest of those pesky weeds.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back inside, I sit down and read for a bit, play a game or two, and then look at the clock and say to myself: "Well, Self, you have wasted most of the morning already, now get thee to the grocery!" That, my friends, is a morning of Piddling!</span><br />
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UNDER THE BANNER OF PUTTERING:</div>
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As you readers know, I have been Puttering around in the vegetable garden all spring and summer, but what you don't know is I have also been puttering inside my home!</div>
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I often Putter around in my kitchen on Sundays cooking for the week to come. This sometimes, but not always, involves a bit of Perusing in my cookbook collection, recipe box or one of those ragged bits of paper on the counter that I have torn out of a magazine and laid aside for future possibilities. <br />
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I enjoy the slicing, dicing, stirring, and pouring along with the aromas of what is cooking on the stove top and in the oven. It satisfies the domestic goddess in me. When I am retired, I plan to learn to bake homemade breads from scratch. Making homemade yogurt is another goal of mine for my crone years. I would love to have a milk goat for this so that I could also make cheese, but I haven't figured out what I would do about the daily milking if I wanted to take a road trip somewhere or was laid up with a knee replacement. That consideration has been put on my schedule of Things to Ponder.</div>
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Sometimes I just like to go bravely towards the stacks of Stuff and find something that interests me at the moment and grab onto it. Usually, this will be something that I worked on until it got to the point that I got frustrated with it and laid it aside. Or, it might be something that I bought at a fiber event because I was drawn to it, but had no idea whatever what to do with it at the time. The vast majority of the Stuff, however, is either hand spun yarns I have made but have no project in mind for them, or printed out directions for projects I think I might want to make .... one day .... maybe. And there is way too much of it. So many ideas, too little Time!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnALKzAibmFpMBUMw7aMOlnLDX_BwwkQmVgAJHKdx0WrrFkS9eVqJRbyXN_smEWTc-KHHp78r1BjNnQlBOfa16ySNWQAW3cXnzlAaJFXLoklAQp1b-TjTauRG730FDfbrJgR9CsmaXOo/s1600/028+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnALKzAibmFpMBUMw7aMOlnLDX_BwwkQmVgAJHKdx0WrrFkS9eVqJRbyXN_smEWTc-KHHp78r1BjNnQlBOfa16ySNWQAW3cXnzlAaJFXLoklAQp1b-TjTauRG730FDfbrJgR9CsmaXOo/s1600/028+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is one wall of Stuff in my dining room that I am fond of Perusing to see what I want to Piddle<br />or Putter with at the moment. In the center of the wall is a yarn-crafted "painting" I made while in<br />college over 40 years ago. I still have not gotten around to painting the frame black, but I recently<br />purchased the pint of black paint to do so, someday ... hopefully soon. It's about time!</span></td></tr>
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It has become quite clear to me that I need to do something with this ever growing pile of papers and yarns. Oh, yes, my Studio! I want my Clutter Room (nice euphemism, that!) to be transformed into my working Studio so badly, but it has to wait until I finish the kitchen, I think. Maybe not. When my elder son comes for a visit at Thanksgiving, I am going to enlist his help with cleaning out that room and with moving the Stuff from the den and dining room in there. This is an great example of Puttering. Puttering with a loved one or dear friend is lots of fun!</div>
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Meanwhile, since the garden is getting a face-lift with the hoe and trowel in order to plant my garlic bulbs before October has left us, I am once again Puttering in the garden. Then it will be time to Putter in the barn a bit to ready it for winter. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXQXzlX-lOZ2suj62f7bShGVl4ziTodnA712DTCeMQBvjRUCN8Rc5rUhHrm72sQuMg7_hlwNuXqet06-VUZQhOe9IAZn3dU1oqOhAVVK8G7IEG2nwaQINR-TSPKK-xdr907u-7d36Pqs/s1600/016+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXQXzlX-lOZ2suj62f7bShGVl4ziTodnA712DTCeMQBvjRUCN8Rc5rUhHrm72sQuMg7_hlwNuXqet06-VUZQhOe9IAZn3dU1oqOhAVVK8G7IEG2nwaQINR-TSPKK-xdr907u-7d36Pqs/s1600/016+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I was busy Puttering in a section of the veggie garden this weekend. I'm<br />getting a bed ready for planting garlic bulbs before October is over.</span></td></tr>
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UNDER THE BANNER OF PERUSING:<br />
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At times I have been able to turn a morning of Puttering into a morning of Perusing, and even Piddling. I am very talented. Here is how it goes. I will decide that my bedroom really needs dusting and re-ordering (and, believe me, it does!). So the plan is to Putter in the bedroom, getting it all nicely re-organized, dusted and possibly rearranged just a bit. I start with the bookcase. Big mistake! Next thing I know, I rediscover a favorite book of, let's just say, poetry from my college days. I decide to peruse the pages and read a few poems. Time passes and I have been Piddling.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC2o7BBdprNGqAy7GTNxY8tMxZCWdVmtF88S0zTyzi49ersKB-enP_teV3OCvUmc9m5A9TlEmNjfgW0WP6-Yau6fohKQKrgwF-t5Wk9xIIAomPl2nEIxzLNMs7mas6xKmbhKRd1EUQ4w/s1600/036+(739x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC2o7BBdprNGqAy7GTNxY8tMxZCWdVmtF88S0zTyzi49ersKB-enP_teV3OCvUmc9m5A9TlEmNjfgW0WP6-Yau6fohKQKrgwF-t5Wk9xIIAomPl2nEIxzLNMs7mas6xKmbhKRd1EUQ4w/s1600/036+(739x1024).jpg" height="640" width="460" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">These are two boxes full of the correspondence from Jo, my friend of <br />over twenty years, that perch on my dresser.</span></td></tr>
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When I start removing the dust and cobwebs from my bedroom dresser, I inevitably stop and take the top off one of the two boxes of Jo's letters, sit down on my bed, and begin Perusing. Time flies as I re-read her letters and cards and go back in time. Jo and I prefer handwriting over email. Always have, always will.</div>
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Lately, I have noticed that Godfrey often Peruses the distance from the bathroom vanity counter top to the top of the cabinet over the toilet, and from the edge of the bathtub to the window ledge on the nearby wall. He moves his head up, down, as he mentally measures the distance and matches it with his ability to jump. So far, he is not convinced of his prowess, but he continues to Ponder it.<br />
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I, on the other hand, spend my Perusing time with seed catalogs, spinning, weaving and knitting books and magazines. Perusing involves a certain amount of dreaming. It was while I was Perusing the Internet last Spring that I found the two greenhouse kits that I am now in the midst of Pondering. I constantly Peruse magazines, brochures and the aisles of Lowe's and Home Depot for ideas that would help me with the remodeling of my kitchen. I then put those ideas and information in a folder for Pondering later on. I have Perused and torn out articles on plants and trees and flowers I would love to have one day. Another folder for future Pondering!</div>
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UNDER THE BANNER OF PONDERING:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu3lC94E_MD96dW1TXgiUbYnY092HqRXxGSBybV6ZN2od1d6DgDd26lybFPWrh0L-75Od6ZRboUNqYD5dwKu_AkomFQ1DlmhP8fEqI3QcKnc53vP9BU4-VhjkJsNjEhOd67opZAo4r1E/s1600/013+(1024x733).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu3lC94E_MD96dW1TXgiUbYnY092HqRXxGSBybV6ZN2od1d6DgDd26lybFPWrh0L-75Od6ZRboUNqYD5dwKu_AkomFQ1DlmhP8fEqI3QcKnc53vP9BU4-VhjkJsNjEhOd67opZAo4r1E/s1600/013+(1024x733).jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This my back porch swing where I do a lot of my Pondering. One day, I will make it a nice, plump<br />weatherproof cushion. That has been on my list of things to do for over 12 years!</span></td></tr>
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Pondering involves a lot of questioning: what if, what is, who is, who should, how can, why not, etc. A lot of times, at least for me, Pondering comes after a bit of Perusing. I might Peruse in order to find what I want and/or what is available, but then I might need to Ponder in order to make a choice or decision. You know me and my decision-making skills. But, a lot of times, Pondering is just that .... sitting around and thinking about things. I have been told I think too much, but I do it instinctively.</div>
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Sometimes, I look at something a creature does and think...I wish I could do that! Now, I am not talking about really having the ability to do a certain thing all of the time, just being able to experience doing it once is all I am about. Here are some of what I have Pondered being able to do:</div>
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<li>Snake - slither here and there</li>
<li>Monkey - swing from trees and hang by a tail</li>
<li>Cat - purr </li>
<li>Vulture - circle on air currents high above the earth</li>
<li>Whale - blow sea water out my blow hole</li>
<li>Dog - wag my tail</li>
<li>Elephant - spray water out of my trunk</li>
<li>Wolf or Coyote - howl at the moon</li>
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On the other hand:<br />
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I HAVE felt as joyous as a ferret doing a "happy dance" at times.<br />
I HAVE felt just as contented as a llama chewing its cud on a late Spring day.<br />
I HAVE felt the power of natural childbirth, shared with so many of the Earth's creatures.<br />
and<br />
I HAVE been inside of a real cloud at Franconia Notch, NH. (And, I am not talking about dense fog!)<br />
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More recently, my Pondering has taken me back to the <a href="http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/" style="text-align: center;">Little Greenhouse website</a>, where, after much Perusing, I am Pondering whether to go with the wooden "Sunshine" kit or the metal "Aspen" kit. I have a legal pad with pros and cons for each on one page, and on another, a comparison of various features. This is my usual method of decision-making on big purchases. (And sometimes on not so big purchases!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="8 x 12 Sunshine Greenhouse Gardenhouse" src="http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/pics/sun-812-pic.jpg" height="500" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">8 x 12 "SUNSHINE" model, redwood, recycled plastic base that requires no foundation, a bit more<br />expensive, smaller, but with more headroom, easy to assemble.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Aspen Greenhouse" src="http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/aspen-9x14-easter1.jpg" height="396" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The 9 x 14 "ASPEN" model, slightly larger, but with less headroom, less expensive, easy to<br />assemble, metal, requires a foundation.</span></td></tr>
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Can you appreciate my dilemma?!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My sons and I like to collectively Ponder the absurdities of life, politics and the world we live in. We have suggestions to change a few things ... if anyone is interested!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, I have actually finished something I started Piddling with, and I did it without too much time passing from start to finish. Here it is:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DIRyGBymfNPLZcYoxyC8-DdrFr8vVcpW3la99b56rFtL2A_b5x-JX9bss-G5iqV9zbUwny7AaOmt8E_J7aq2CJUr7sJWa9AKF_hW7dAP4liHx5zsqCx1D_wD6WW-tEVyS71EjGGJT5k/s1600/003+(1024x716).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DIRyGBymfNPLZcYoxyC8-DdrFr8vVcpW3la99b56rFtL2A_b5x-JX9bss-G5iqV9zbUwny7AaOmt8E_J7aq2CJUr7sJWa9AKF_hW7dAP4liHx5zsqCx1D_wD6WW-tEVyS71EjGGJT5k/s1600/003+(1024x716).jpg" height="443" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the Autumn Wreath I made for Melissa, Matt's girlfriend, who lives in California. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I started the wreath at the Chix Packin Stix Retreat in August, and then added the floral and leaf embellishments once I got home. To make it, a commercial brand of loopy yarn is hand crocheted completely around a metal frame and then sort of fluffed out a bit. Then you just add whatever other decorations that you want to finish it off. I think that this particular yarn looks very organic, and reminds me of lichens and fungi and other woodsy stuff. She liked it! I was pleased!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so, in light of my obsession and utilization of the 4 "P's," some folks might say that I have Attention Deficit Disorder, but I am not convinced. I simply am truly interested in way too many things, without enough time to devote to being involved in all of them. It is like my mother used to say: "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach!" Funny thing is that I have already put aside quite a number of interests, like fishing, quilting and stained glass making. All of those that are left now are non-negotiable! I still would love to explore pottery. Maybe in my next life .... or, I am sure there will be a pottery wheel in Heaven, next to a loom and spinning wheel, in a room full of books and a lovely chaise lounge .....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As for the Four "P's," you might say that if I spent less time with them, I would have much more time to spend finishing projects and accomplishing a lot more around the farm and home, inside and out. There is some truth to that assumption. However, the F</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">our "P's" are as much a part of me as my hands and feet. I cannot imagine life without their company. They are as necessary as food and water to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I retire (20.75 more months!), I will have the time I need to play with them AND work on and finish the other things. There is a Time and Place for Everything. Sometimes we need to not only "choose our battles," but choose how we spend our time in order bring us the most happiness. Some things are just more important than others, and I have made my choices. Besides, I am a dreamer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, do you have unfinished projects (also known as UFOs - UnFinished Objects) lying around waiting to be picked back up and loved into completion? Do you catch yourself Piddling, Puttering, Perusing and Pondering? Well, you are in good company and you don't have to attend any 12 Step Programs. It probably just means that you are Creative and/or a Dreamer, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtvjgnbMTQvlG0tCj-OtxHWf1H8q1KVmi0PdeRPx8R4ZTMai_CM0zinKPvQHDGma9d3cxSIB2ftotwQcN9SQbze-4kc6MBv8BSbRmRyWqYAzWESvxzkIRR3-SYJsNj-ArysIqnjQyPxo/s1600/027+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtvjgnbMTQvlG0tCj-OtxHWf1H8q1KVmi0PdeRPx8R4ZTMai_CM0zinKPvQHDGma9d3cxSIB2ftotwQcN9SQbze-4kc6MBv8BSbRmRyWqYAzWESvxzkIRR3-SYJsNj-ArysIqnjQyPxo/s1600/027+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">If I hadn't been Piddling after Puttering this afternoon, I might not have had<br />my camera with me when I caught this little fella on my back porch door!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">BTW, this is my 41st blog post and it has been a fun first twelve months. Thanks for going on my journey with me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even if it doesn't look like it, something is always happening here on HeartSong Farm!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-8654995356784233022014-09-28T15:09:00.000-05:002014-09-28T15:09:07.952-05:00Falling into Fall<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"Mare's tail" clouds above the metal roof of the log home on HeartSong Farm.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fall has always been my favorite of the year's seasonal cycles. I love the feel of the air as the temperatures begin to change, cooling down from those of the summer. It is crisp and vibrant, matching the colors of foliage beginning to change into a fall wardrobe, and the fragrance of fall produce like apples, pears and oranges. There is the hint of wood smoke in the air which brings a smile as I look forward to being inside for the next few months where I will spend good times baking and making soups and stews. It is the Autumn time that makes me feel most domestic, a feeling that carries over into the winter, until the seed catalogs arrive and I begin to plan my spring garden. And, of course, it is the time of football.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglY5etE-xMnqufyGlnK8kn-d4-M6MO1z4O4JMp2gUWRXBHbDBfrBgSILVLNq0GQgKuD8NHg3tl9I5iXq8VXU6P6zMfQnNPoXEBo69tzwJ3TMAmRvOPh_t4CY_QwkeLhJPGSnP3AOYvUkE/s1600/IMG_3058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglY5etE-xMnqufyGlnK8kn-d4-M6MO1z4O4JMp2gUWRXBHbDBfrBgSILVLNq0GQgKuD8NHg3tl9I5iXq8VXU6P6zMfQnNPoXEBo69tzwJ3TMAmRvOPh_t4CY_QwkeLhJPGSnP3AOYvUkE/s1600/IMG_3058.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">One of many butterflies that have passed through on their fall migration this year.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But, more than anything else, Fall is a time where I look back as well as forward, before the hibernation of winter sets in. I look around and see what I have accomplished and what I have left unfinished, what the future holds and what parts of the past I can finally put aside. There is excitement, joy and sadness. I always get a bit down and depressed as Fall approaches during the last weeks of Summer. This year was no different. I have to let it all wash over me and play itself out, trusting that on the other side of my intense gloom is that blue sky, the crispness in the air, and homemade soups to be enjoyed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">During this time, I lean heavily on dear friends, and on the following quotation attributed to Julian of Norwich, a mystic of the British Isles who lived from 1342 to 1416.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: inherit;">"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One reason for my depression is that September is the month my first son was born 37 years ago. He has been away from home, on his own, since 1997, and I have not gotten to see him even once a year since then because of where he has lived and worked. We talk often, usually for an hour or so, but it really isn't the same as seeing him, hugging him, or cooking for him! September also brings back other memories that haunt me and are not for these pages. </span><br />
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Recently, my friend, Elik, shared a Navajo prayer chant with me that has really touched my soul. When I step out onto my back porch, feel the fresh air around me, and look out over my back pasture, I cannot help but know its truth: <span style="color: blue;">"All around me, my land is Beauty."</span> I am blessed.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The back porch at HeartSong Farm. The door next to the porch swing leads to my bedroom. The</span></div>
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door to the far left goes into the den and kitchen.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yuZb66-ruKrSpiPnnD1o5a2Eq_EUkIFF57AJU_wrhaFtZkqe0sqhKIgiEB15J-QDu2MPGQFFTfUWOHQHgq1mjpDAXDc837KNrUbKXQ1NYcfJ4PhH65lycp-AA8z9Atd-wiF8VlMksBg/s1600/014+(1024x683).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yuZb66-ruKrSpiPnnD1o5a2Eq_EUkIFF57AJU_wrhaFtZkqe0sqhKIgiEB15J-QDu2MPGQFFTfUWOHQHgq1mjpDAXDc837KNrUbKXQ1NYcfJ4PhH65lycp-AA8z9Atd-wiF8VlMksBg/s1600/014+(1024x683).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br />As I look towards the back pasture, the back pasture looks back at me! That's Texanna in the forefront, with Moonshadow on the left, and Armando on the right. Reading their thoughts is quite easy: "Does she have the white bucket of treats with her? Huh? Huh?"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij_lR__lDZQRQEFlH06e2d5US9XrOvJDFRRqcKXbpy0WU_xfWWiHtNBaCkPFyOwvDkWyz8ouK8BhwYB64Igu6RkUsbg2b2K3YzYZPilwhqCR0NFfD_r-qnt1ytabGHcIUslcGSzBtyX4/s1600/2013+goldenrod+backyd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij_lR__lDZQRQEFlH06e2d5US9XrOvJDFRRqcKXbpy0WU_xfWWiHtNBaCkPFyOwvDkWyz8ouK8BhwYB64Igu6RkUsbg2b2K3YzYZPilwhqCR0NFfD_r-qnt1ytabGHcIUslcGSzBtyX4/s1600/2013+goldenrod+backyd.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The goldenrod is blooming, attracting butterflies first, and later, finches and<br />cardinals will enjoy the tiny seeds.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nCgxJQWfF1pIl_E-KKuse0pljL5FTzl7-2UrzxoIm9DxVLBPtmOiKYumBWHVsHznM67Z0zDo5PW2_01RYB3BfpA_a8sjALfTdWTjwOCn7yk_EPluUNtZkGN3xLFLbrSpKj1_ofB_CNM/s1600/2013+cardinal+vine+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nCgxJQWfF1pIl_E-KKuse0pljL5FTzl7-2UrzxoIm9DxVLBPtmOiKYumBWHVsHznM67Z0zDo5PW2_01RYB3BfpA_a8sjALfTdWTjwOCn7yk_EPluUNtZkGN3xLFLbrSpKj1_ofB_CNM/s1600/2013+cardinal+vine+flowers.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Cardinal vine, morning glory, and coral bells bloom on the arbor near the</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">back porch, inviting bees and hummingbirds from late summer into fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />During this past week, as the official beginning of Fall arrived, I was brought out of my depression by two things. First, there was lunch with friend, Judy, who is a great listener and is always supportive. She is also talented at making me laugh even when I think I can't. Second was the first sighting in town on Monday, and later in the week outside my bedroom window, of the annual blooming of "naked ladies"! Some people know them as spider lilies, but many of us in the South grew up calling them "naked ladies" because they pop up almost overnight and have no visible leaves. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spider lilies, aka "naked ladies," outside my bedroom window.</span></td></tr>
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I love how they appear magically. How can you not smile when you see them?! Especially when you have completely forgotten they are there until, all of a sudden, there they are! And they are so joyful-looking!</div>
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I have a wonderful memory of these Fall flowers that centers around my Daddy, who had a very wicked sense of humor. When I was about 5 years old, in Shreveport, Louisiana, my Daddy said he wanted to show us something after church. Something, he said, that he had seen on Friday on his way to and from work. </div>
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My mother rode in the front seat of our old "Woodie" station wagon, dressed primly for church as usual, while two of my brothers and I rode in the back seat. We rounded the corner in an old residential area and pulled up in front of a charming white house with a yard completely covered in spidery red flowers, so many that hardly any green grass was visible anywhere. It was what we would label "totally awesome" today. And my Daddy said:</div>
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"Have you ever seen so many naked ladies in all your life?! I know I haven't!"</div>
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And my mother hit him with her purse and said: "Take us home right now, Edwin!" My Daddy turned around in the driver's seat and grinned. My brothers and I giggled in the back seat all the way home. </div>
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Fall is here on HeartSong Farm!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-77162482108424352512014-09-11T15:45:00.000-05:002014-09-11T18:20:39.119-05:00My retreat to Lone Oak Ranch<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been back from my first retreat with the Chix Packin Stix gals for over two weeks and I am still riding high on the energy and creativity inspired by the gathering! One of those "natural highs" that I love! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The location for the retreat was the Lone Oak Ranch near Gainesville, Texas, and that was five hours from where I live. I was not sure how I would survive the ten hour round trip and still be able to show up for work on the Monday morning afterwards. Not to worry! I was Energized!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The flyer said that we would be playing with a peg loom, sewing a blue jean bag/purse, knitting washcloths for charity, making a wreath with yarn and perhaps felted balls, and having a wonderful time just being with fiber friends. It all sounded just wonderful to me, especially since I had always enjoyed the company of the two organizers/instigators, Cyndi and Joyce. All materials were to be provided and the peg looms were ours to keep! We could do as much or as little as we wanted. There was an online sign-up sheet for choosing what to bring for the Friday night pot luck supper and the snack island in the Activities Room. Alrighty then, sign me up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was excited, too, because the venue was within a few miles of the university I had graduated from in 1970, North Texas State University in Denton. Maybe I could visit the campus on the way home and see just how much it has changed in all these intervening years!? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The drive was quite nice and very easy, with great highways and little traffic (until I hit McKinney!). As I left the hills, red clay and pine trees of the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas and headed north and west, I passed through open fields, flat land that changed to rolling hills, and eventually to areas of scrub and mesquite. Pastures changed from cattle to mostly horses .... gorgeous horses ... and in one, there was a herd of bison! The area north of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area where I had attended college had turned into horse country with lovely estates scattered across the rolling green countryside! Crepe myrtles appeared to be the landscaping tree of choice, in shades of pinks, reds, purples and white. It was all quite lovely!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Landscape of North Texas, with a lovely buttermilk sky!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Upon arrival, I was greeted warmly by new and old friends, and noticed that everyone was already having a great time. Some gals were at the sewing machines making purses and bags out of blue jeans. Others were moving into their rooms in one of the buildings, bringing in their contribution to the potluck dinner on Friday night, or just sitting around in the air conditioning knitting and visiting! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is the Charles Goodnight House which was my "home" for the weekend. </span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj19iK6ENlP3g4V0YWqPWNh4ZfDi2ejdoYWUfewgmPGsyeS3MzSkd3eMtPuoWNSyYnfXghaPcgUon7etQ8T_h3GSfbqTHFP0HJTEMzFF1XDd1ya50ou_6fkYYYMgekDvEVSyQi9nhDXk/s1600/061+(1024x757).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLj19iK6ENlP3g4V0YWqPWNh4ZfDi2ejdoYWUfewgmPGsyeS3MzSkd3eMtPuoWNSyYnfXghaPcgUon7etQ8T_h3GSfbqTHFP0HJTEMzFF1XDd1ya50ou_6fkYYYMgekDvEVSyQi9nhDXk/s1600/061+(1024x757).jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I thought this stoop with the horseshoes was kinda cool!</span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I dropped my things off at the little house I was assigned to, which turned out to be where Cyndi and Joyce were also staying. That would turn out to be even more than a lot of fun!<br />
<br />
Then I gathered up my "stuff" for the retreat activities. This included my knitting bag (full of needles and hooks of all manner of sizes in metal, plastic and wood, straight and circular and double pointed, along with pens, notions, scissors and notebook), and a bag of yarns and projects in progress. Once those were deposited near the seat that I had chosen in the Activities Building, I looked around and breathed in the Wonderful Air of Creativity! Yes! I needed this so much, and I was so very glad that I had decided to make the trip to the Chix Packin Stix Retreat. It was around 4:30 pm, and Life was grand!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0MfmE_SX9oNQt8uNz7hLyUkQKLIidb8N5OHLY_5tczxSRrro6DMdFASJ8L3Av21ul2tBWqhWGN28lO7shFBDulDQzTjKMvEA04_rDp-M-xqeCCjuTWZ5LhenhIfPqIjZdiPoiO3f9Qg/s1600/067+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0MfmE_SX9oNQt8uNz7hLyUkQKLIidb8N5OHLY_5tczxSRrro6DMdFASJ8L3Av21ul2tBWqhWGN28lO7shFBDulDQzTjKMvEA04_rDp-M-xqeCCjuTWZ5LhenhIfPqIjZdiPoiO3f9Qg/s1600/067+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The Activities Building at Lone Oak Ranch</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuO_zrn3LjPDSrTeuEB5XHWg04-x_SCe42Tsg3hkLy1PD_hNz3F2x39bHkjoRR2ZhBL49vQUkkc7qw7mjPBlrOGaJpK5J-Ym3fqYPU8rZObOSEPbZHHRcrmpl98rPs1Xi0mipSVkuVuA/s1600/076+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuO_zrn3LjPDSrTeuEB5XHWg04-x_SCe42Tsg3hkLy1PD_hNz3F2x39bHkjoRR2ZhBL49vQUkkc7qw7mjPBlrOGaJpK5J-Ym3fqYPU8rZObOSEPbZHHRcrmpl98rPs1Xi0mipSVkuVuA/s1600/076+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Chill-laxing with new and old friends at the second Chix Packin Stix Retreat.</span></td></tr>
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Not long thereafter my arrival in the Activities Building, I was introduced to a sweet lady about my age who was in need of some knitting tutelage so that she could get started on the pattern for the washcloths we would all be making to benefit the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The washcloths are given to cancer patients who have just recently finished up their chemo and/or radiation therapies, to symbolically wash off the lines and marks of the battle they have just fought so courageously. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw41mY72iC_UL_G6dF82foOfHMluA_3I9tQv9z12aC9zuu0RX5Ws0diVh2HEZPKkxDr5l9Y9pcKgnxVxcrCRa_CnbPkMUauw9MvsOz2xp6fEgJ8QDDPLTsU8MpVejewrqo1XFxwdxnl0/s1600/007+(995x1024)%2B(995x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZw41mY72iC_UL_G6dF82foOfHMluA_3I9tQv9z12aC9zuu0RX5Ws0diVh2HEZPKkxDr5l9Y9pcKgnxVxcrCRa_CnbPkMUauw9MvsOz2xp6fEgJ8QDDPLTsU8MpVejewrqo1XFxwdxnl0/s1600/007+(995x1024)%2B(995x1024).jpg" height="640" width="620" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Hand knitted washcloths are fun and quick to make out of cotton yarns easily available. They</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">make a really nice gift along with some special soap.</span></span></div>
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As we were getting acquainted during the next hour, Liza asked me where I had gone to high school in Houston. I told her Robert E. Lee, and she said: "ME, TOO!" It turns out that we were in the same grades at the same schools in 7th and 8th grades, and then again in 10th and 11th grades, but there were so very many of us in our grade that we really didn't know each other. We did, however, have some of the same teachers, and knew some of each other's friends. How cool is that?! To finally meet, after 47 years!!! She grew up as Betsy and is now Liza; I grew up as Sally and am now Sara. Small world, indeed! I couldn't wait to get home and find my year book.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74jfLJV3WMcisxnhdfjG-F0S9P8auqAEN9cezKF5wgsEtHk2zKCf8y_2nwbn_YNQv2p4WROs6Smhk6gZdISyXXIqZ0u7Dysz8brW8J2kqXQVgr5zZLiY12PzfZRfYGFLzH4v928OvFZI/s1600/078+(722x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74jfLJV3WMcisxnhdfjG-F0S9P8auqAEN9cezKF5wgsEtHk2zKCf8y_2nwbn_YNQv2p4WROs6Smhk6gZdISyXXIqZ0u7Dysz8brW8J2kqXQVgr5zZLiY12PzfZRfYGFLzH4v928OvFZI/s1600/078+(722x1024).jpg" height="640" width="450" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My new high school friend, Liza</span></td></tr>
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After a delicious pot luck supper, I found myself sitting at one of the 4 sewing machines working on my blue jean purse. I picked out my pair of jeans, some red print cotton fabric, and a bag of various brown, purple, white and red yarns, cut to length and chained together. I also picked up a pretty silk scarf that I thought might be useful, but later put it back. It didn't seem to go with the way my creation was developing, after all.<br />
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I cut the legs off of the jeans, seamed across the bottom, and then sewed the red fabric into a lining. Next I twisted the colorful bundle of yarns into a shoulder strap and attached it to each side of the blue jeans' waistband. I tried this and that with some ribbons, admired what others had done with theirs, and decided that I was happy with what I had done so far, but would need to get home to my stash of "this and that, bits and pieces" in order to finish and be pleased. I find that I have to think about my projects, even agonize over them, and I rarely finish something at a class or retreat. That is just how I operate! I think way too much, and have difficulty making decisions, but I am working on improving!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIi6AkG50cNC32NqKEh4tPZxrSZnxqD0IID8fftNn2sRO7LVKQrIlVnl8nkS9nF-sCmoFy8WBbRbOQrMouXOKiRp6VYpSJoT0ag9Tg7bMUQcX3QxItUBNRUcwtebaGbkc0gkPmuTS81Eg/s1600/082+(683x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIi6AkG50cNC32NqKEh4tPZxrSZnxqD0IID8fftNn2sRO7LVKQrIlVnl8nkS9nF-sCmoFy8WBbRbOQrMouXOKiRp6VYpSJoT0ag9Tg7bMUQcX3QxItUBNRUcwtebaGbkc0gkPmuTS81Eg/s1600/082+(683x1024).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This one is full of Bling!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5y2fE6X_LL1NuCMRacWhhEcbvZH5n0B-OsRar3KQINNVUmq5o_QOTE84sa212WUrgN7QaSAujoNoUWDbxalWVCXQVOXnJmFKNU43onc4WcrmCjOg5NZf8p-f8xvcqa4C7wPi7j3QKYA/s1600/083+(683x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5y2fE6X_LL1NuCMRacWhhEcbvZH5n0B-OsRar3KQINNVUmq5o_QOTE84sa212WUrgN7QaSAujoNoUWDbxalWVCXQVOXnJmFKNU43onc4WcrmCjOg5NZf8p-f8xvcqa4C7wPi7j3QKYA/s1600/083+(683x1024).jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This pair of jeans was turned on it's side, with the zipper on top, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> and appliqued with flower </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">prints and gingham leaves! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">
</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUb36Hp5SQqxfGuVRxQRkx0LWVW-xmXxfxaHNmuFJr4amdAweqebY_DmwMCM5UiwGo5L-yN4cz8YMfTdcCYZwxGEwFPXVATcNRBX08yt_9Xwv9ee-O50TTm7nEOHfqZsx5fwIK8o8FfA/s1600/084+(1024x682).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUb36Hp5SQqxfGuVRxQRkx0LWVW-xmXxfxaHNmuFJr4amdAweqebY_DmwMCM5UiwGo5L-yN4cz8YMfTdcCYZwxGEwFPXVATcNRBX08yt_9Xwv9ee-O50TTm7nEOHfqZsx5fwIK8o8FfA/s1600/084+(1024x682).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And a very stylish bag with handmade flowers of ribbon and fabric!</span></td></tr>
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Around 8:30 pm, the "early to bed ladies" went to their rooms while the rest of us stayed and worked and visited and relaxed a while longer. By 11:00 pm, all but us certified night owls had left the building and gone to their beds, and the 10 of us that were left ended up "partying" until 1:30 am before retiring as well. We were still full of energy, but we knew we needed to get to our beds and catch some sleep before morning and the activities planned for Saturday!<br />
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Cyndi and Joyce, as organizers of the retreat, were responsible for making the breakfasts both mornings. Those of us who were lucky enough to be in the same little house with these two gals, got to help in the kitchen. What fun making pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and breakfast casseroles with fiber sisters!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6dMqUSB89OrrxQrTSXoFF3YL7-QyW-ENdeQp1VmVJaxS7xX7igvligyQFssKxNXmD89ddIQ5EkjzwGYj9qj9a9G7GPHWrWbvGeG5A1yrU3jNkJdRdiq2DWPn5IpD4mfZi5P_zpx-yos/s1600/063+(767x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6dMqUSB89OrrxQrTSXoFF3YL7-QyW-ENdeQp1VmVJaxS7xX7igvligyQFssKxNXmD89ddIQ5EkjzwGYj9qj9a9G7GPHWrWbvGeG5A1yrU3jNkJdRdiq2DWPn5IpD4mfZi5P_zpx-yos/s1600/063+(767x1024).jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Making the batter for sourdough pancakes on Saturday morning.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWG7BWE9hhAbZfxkRL7gVruyt_Up4gvghxsytDIIhk51_p3Qyk-P1uKWcmWRqs-tdyNsyZwhs0znTbTF5CI4YlAoDVqZHEyYJeSYraXUQz1ltfiAOxkxTJmjCBTstzox1drnp-9cms8Y/s1600/070+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWG7BWE9hhAbZfxkRL7gVruyt_Up4gvghxsytDIIhk51_p3Qyk-P1uKWcmWRqs-tdyNsyZwhs0znTbTF5CI4YlAoDVqZHEyYJeSYraXUQz1ltfiAOxkxTJmjCBTstzox1drnp-9cms8Y/s1600/070+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tasting committee! YUM!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1IyqXqzRfcqYZmQL9qk_yeFpMJQcOJSyN1UOhRj8jXLKpPZDB1tNdwmxeK2u0Zt8FWi4LbyuQUGfN8HbhdSTnzoIvilMci9bBrs-dYAtDhq4hxL8ZDQrPGutUnaeejmbjn7IdUgkgM4/s1600/072+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1IyqXqzRfcqYZmQL9qk_yeFpMJQcOJSyN1UOhRj8jXLKpPZDB1tNdwmxeK2u0Zt8FWi4LbyuQUGfN8HbhdSTnzoIvilMci9bBrs-dYAtDhq4hxL8ZDQrPGutUnaeejmbjn7IdUgkgM4/s1600/072+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The finished product ready to be taken to the Activities Building for the breakfast buffet.</span></td></tr>
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Saturday morning some of the ladies opted to sit and learn to knit from an experienced knitter. For the rest of us who wanted to participate, Joyce passed out the peg looms with pegs that she and Cyndi had made for us, and then invited us to grab some chenille yarns from a big cardboard box for our next project. Talk about a mad scramble! And, did I tell you that the peg looms were ours to keep?!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZS37oYUPM51nC0mhltPT3QzO5Nqv0pRDF4j4NkdfQ1mz0YG0e2PGtXhcbLNqpIQMZ_Mk5tFTieEgJIHQYfw1NUeUiE0O6fUquK29wqSKAHu4lc6YXdeM7-Cly1e91qXBnqAzZvya4Yg/s1600/079+(1024x681).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZS37oYUPM51nC0mhltPT3QzO5Nqv0pRDF4j4NkdfQ1mz0YG0e2PGtXhcbLNqpIQMZ_Mk5tFTieEgJIHQYfw1NUeUiE0O6fUquK29wqSKAHu4lc6YXdeM7-Cly1e91qXBnqAzZvya4Yg/s1600/079+(1024x681).jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Joyce demonstrating how to weave on the peg loom, with help from Terri.</span></td></tr>
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Joyce patiently gave us our instructions, and showed us some examples of items made from peg looms that she had brought: scarves, bags, purses, and rugs. There was a flurry of activity and we all got down to threading our pegs and then began to weave with these clever little looms. Some of us caught on faster than others, and, as usual, I was one of the ones at the back of the class trying desperately to keep up! But by late afternoon, even I had finished my little green and beige bag for carrying my Kindle Fire. Some had already started on a second project! I began to think, what else could I try on this clever little thing?! I am thinking maybe some new bath mats made with old towels cut in strips for the weft. Stay tuned ....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8ILAuFPBP7w66U1ltuI-r6b4TlKzwKIRVdycXnIxbSTJ10Z6Z1iJ5IP0qzpKKUJVu3QZZKA-QlE6_CbzJDrhzq68Dxy_ICIr4bF81GX0rcwPn2bxBDK0mX9UAtBKUxXM16Ed7VDpE4I/s1600/087+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8ILAuFPBP7w66U1ltuI-r6b4TlKzwKIRVdycXnIxbSTJ10Z6Z1iJ5IP0qzpKKUJVu3QZZKA-QlE6_CbzJDrhzq68Dxy_ICIr4bF81GX0rcwPn2bxBDK0mX9UAtBKUxXM16Ed7VDpE4I/s1600/087+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My peg loom with weaving in progress.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwV8v83g5JnyoliMhjTbZze7CcOsDpShTv59KcEEEK5-4LzkXgU6_5dfK7ZqN2PKszj4c4C2mMGzdRUsyJVq3RKO5VXYArLPJ8WJSX8YoirJ_mbcjTEPZmlh9rByVep12lefq3WOJbIA/s1600/019+-+Copy+(767x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwV8v83g5JnyoliMhjTbZze7CcOsDpShTv59KcEEEK5-4LzkXgU6_5dfK7ZqN2PKszj4c4C2mMGzdRUsyJVq3RKO5VXYArLPJ8WJSX8YoirJ_mbcjTEPZmlh9rByVep12lefq3WOJbIA/s1600/019+-+Copy+(767x1024).jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is my little bag for my Kindle Fire that I wove on the peg loom. I</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">added all of the finishing touches after I got back home. I made a </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">macrame</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">shoulder strap, then raided my button jar for the perfect mix of </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">buttons!</span></div>
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Lunch and supper were served by the folks at Lone Oak Ranch, buffet style. The food was good and plentiful, and the conversation delightful. Food always brings out the best stories with fiber folk! The evening continued with desserts and snacks always available in the Activity Building. One new friend had brought an awesome banana pudding, and another gal made spongecake rolls filled with whipped cream and fresh peaches! We spent the evening visiting and finishing up what we had started at the retreat, or working on projects we had brought from home. Some decided to play a board game and had us all laughing at their antics!<br />
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After breakfast on Sunday, Joyce showed us how to go about making a seasonal wreath out of a wire frame, some funky art yarn, and small felted balls. The yarn colors I wanted to use for my fall wreath were gone by the time that I got to the yarn box. Although there were plenty of yarns of other colors, I am very particular when it comes to color choice .... AND, the wreath is to be a gift for Matt's girl, Melissa, and it just has to be perfect! So, Cyndi said she could order and mail me the yarn colors that I wanted so that I could make mine after I got home. Awesome! The yarn arrived yesterday, and I just love, love, love the colors! They remind me of the Texas Renaissance Festival. Will take a photo when it is finished!<br />
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Joyce also showed us how to make some felted balls for decorating the wreaths if we wanted to use them for part of the decoration. The process involved small styrofoam balls, soap, water and tiny amounts of wool, both natural and dyed. We were running out of time, so I opted to just sit back and work on my washcloths and visit with those around me. I needed to start winding up the weekend, and tie up some loose ends. This was the way everything worked at the retreat. No rules, just fun. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes we need a helping hand from a friend!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">New friends working on their wreaths on Sunday morning.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was time to pack up our things and head out in all directions for home after our lunch on Sunday. </span></span>I decided that I would save the trip to visit Denton and my old college campus for another time. I already knew that I would be attending another Chix Packin Stix Retreat! So much fun! Just what the doctor ordered!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I chose a different way back home in order to bypass McKinney's traffic, and was rewarded with more lovely horse country and the sight of a roadrunner along the side of the highway! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would often see one near HeartSong Farm, but not in the last several years. So, that was pretty fantastic, and seemed like a sign that I should definitely make road trips now and again to this area. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had no problems getting up for work on Monday morning. I also had lunch with my friend, Judy, wherein I just about talked her ear off about the good time I had, poor thing. She quilts, and I keep telling her she needs to go to a Quilting Retreat sometime! She just smiled ....</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is my Daisy Duke Bag that I finished after I got home from the Retreat. The inside lining is the red calico print like the "belt". I am not overly fond of the light blue button, but until I find the perfect one, it will have to do. I want a brown or purple one, I think, but there were none in my button stash. I think a trip to Hobby Lobby is in my future! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSjwRksg7RLQGi-xyddK_GOS-9fx4DB-I8k_KazeIovOuGOyl3RdbXO3_vLDt8m-Y1w3gf8ZVvbH3sL7PxJ_mHKAaA_Prnhlcf0yy-AQWISDJz7QxWH-gK2qoVvbVZHiXnTr04i6ccCo/s1600/025+(1024x760).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSjwRksg7RLQGi-xyddK_GOS-9fx4DB-I8k_KazeIovOuGOyl3RdbXO3_vLDt8m-Y1w3gf8ZVvbH3sL7PxJ_mHKAaA_Prnhlcf0yy-AQWISDJz7QxWH-gK2qoVvbVZHiXnTr04i6ccCo/s1600/025+(1024x760).jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">It is sassy, like me!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next Chix Packin Stix Retreat is already set for January 30, 2015 - February 1, 2015. For more information and more photos of the retreats, go to their Facebook Page <span id="goog_389550742"></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chix-Packin-Stix/1395500864054356">here</a><span id="goog_389550743"></span>. I have already sent in my registration and deposit! Maybe I will see you there?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am now working on some previously abandoned knitting projects here on HeartSong Farm.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-69018721019202293722014-08-31T22:24:00.004-05:002014-11-26T09:50:37.899-06:00Godfrey puts in his 2 cents!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">Lately, Godfrey has been expressing his need to put in his two cents in a blog post, but first I must share what is going on in his young life at the moment!</span></div>
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Godfrey has become, literally, CATatonic in the past few weeks! He has fallen in love, of all things! And fallen hard, sweet fellow. Apparently, he got online one day while I was in town. I had left the computer on, and he discovered that one of my friends knows a tortoiseshell kitty name Gumdrop who is quite the looker! In fact, she has won numerous beauty pageants and has her very own <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GumdropSuperCat">Facebook page</a>. My, my! I came home and found drool all over my keyboard ........</div>
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Well, all I can say is that it has gotten a bit silly what with Godfrey going around all lovesick and moon-eyed. He is now practicing the art of writing sonnets, and he hasn't eaten in hours or taken more than 20 catnaps per day since she let him know that she returned his love! I am afraid that he is totally inCATuated, poor dear! The "X" & "O" keys on my keyboard are just about worn out!</div>
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So now he is insisting that I let him email her back and forth IN PRIVATE, and he says he needs his own computer and credit card so he can send her catnip, toys and treats. Actually, he also wants his own Amazon Prime account, but I said "No!" to that immediately! I don't care if it does include free shipping! This is all happening just way too fast if you ask me.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQj4Ys8jjcp9qFnr6GWu7jCVTsjAD3513S_uppTNuQFve_1f9yJQcQ8pQfyY0KPmo3uwS5oTa41MCsPnV8PT5jAAygYjSxQJF9XjzcjH6GMf4MtmulbtFpPrJznYGLbdHFaBTFwywEH0/s1600/gumdrop+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQj4Ys8jjcp9qFnr6GWu7jCVTsjAD3513S_uppTNuQFve_1f9yJQcQ8pQfyY0KPmo3uwS5oTa41MCsPnV8PT5jAAygYjSxQJF9XjzcjH6GMf4MtmulbtFpPrJznYGLbdHFaBTFwywEH0/s1600/gumdrop+1.jpg" height="627" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: small; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: justify;">This is Gumdrop, the object of Godfrey's affection (and obsession!).</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: small; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: justify;"> She really is quite lovely and I can see why Godfrey has fallen under </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: small; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: justify;">her spell! You can just fall into those eyes and lose yourself! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgKE9JTPuGiKh-s9HIRu5WiUHzBMSZNs2He-h2vJtPU0oUB9sib698hKFofQW9aW3W4rykkhyUw562oEg24MMV3N8U13X_izNi5AnU0qX8QJIjCdBqcQrb5iSDAvcksSGAWUAuYBO5PQ/s1600/gumdrop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="426" /></td></tr>
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He must be having some trouble with the sonnet writing, what with all the rules and regulations for their composition and form, because I have yet to see any finished poems. There HAS been A LOT of wadded up bits of paper in the wastebasket of late, however, along with 3 chewed up ballpoint pens. He is giving it a good go, at least! I have tactfully suggested he try haiku, but so far he has not bought into that idea.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYRF-JZgsx0f_aA47hGfOiAmh4SkQgisCX6mf_sePMAnXJV4c-BKvZ73cBsG89WpV2ZDwhhA1oWdSCkT63QCknFFFBWaQgsi4O8OwKKsQPhOgAQ-ODSQREx7uubqdITGVNRcJOJEP4gM/s1600/115+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYRF-JZgsx0f_aA47hGfOiAmh4SkQgisCX6mf_sePMAnXJV4c-BKvZ73cBsG89WpV2ZDwhhA1oWdSCkT63QCknFFFBWaQgsi4O8OwKKsQPhOgAQ-ODSQREx7uubqdITGVNRcJOJEP4gM/s1600/115+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Another attempt at a sonnet hits the waste basket! This is hard work!</span></td></tr>
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Fortunately, Godfrey has forgotten that I forgot about sharing his very first birthday party photos in the middle of June because of the dog attack on me and my llama, Jagger. Truth be told, he was pretty devastated about the whole thing, too, as not only had his Person been injured, but one of his outside buddies had been brutally attacked and killed. So, to make it up to him, I am allowing him to post now, and I hope he will say: "Well, better late than never!"</div>
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<tr><td><img alt="Godfrey and Jagger at heartsongfarm.blogspot.com" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4uItW81UXzLN-1rJllNi-GohGnSIgpj6yh2-1uMKa_NGsCflnwW5m1iEljQyYDUbcUsUFtMncc63Dk5PkBnE_6SPekFNMvqyBvg-65lFoyTgrtpbjOrA6SK-lROs063Ld5Qe92avTaM/s640/Godfrey+%2526+Jagger.jpg" height="473" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Godfrey & Jagger spent a lot of time communicating through the dining room window this past spring. Two beautiful friends. </span><span style="font-size: small;">This photo really makes me start to tear up .... </span></td></tr>
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Here he is to tell you all about the Big Day.</div>
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<i><b>GREETINGS! SALUTATIONS! HELLO, EVEN!</b></i></div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqeRhLvWDBaSCGi5SmbakjDWGlbi5aGyjUZ5maVLwgK92HlnQSqLqLIzVj1BWu0Rs9jnKzt1XPHE8lZQHYd90sM5Vsd1-T62XxBArD8RjPDUFNHwOM7oCgrrW4n0dJ5RUR1AepvRguBo/s1600/Godfrey.jpg" /></div>
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<i>Godfrey, here, with some photos to amuse you, as well as some advice from my heart to yours. First of all, I wanted to share my first birthday with you as it was quite a blast, if you ask me! Of course, it's being the very first celebration of my gracing this world, I was not sure what to expect. But, there were snacks and plenty of catnip, and my big pal, Axl, participated in all of the shenanigans! Jessy, on the other hand, just watched from her nearby perch on the arm of the den sofa. She can really be an old stick in the mud sometimes, bless her heart!</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>My favorite birthday present! I still spend hours trying to get that danged ball out of this circular<br />contraption. Once I actually succeeded, but according to my Person, that wasn't supposed to<br />happen!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Axl found where the catnip was hiding .... right there in that </i><i style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">light blue thing in the center. He sure has a nose for catnip, my big buddy, Axl! </i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqekdJTfQ_h4GafYWGHn3yIOjDIZLOd8oSFGFEGeRyAPHVathfsLq4BvR6a7WJYpESv9QuTfCspJ2N9LMHIRCiZEo20mNDEcbZpomTudIctk73DHGQy9qIjPAEGigesbsfAXfoVgjkO2A/s1600/035+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqekdJTfQ_h4GafYWGHn3yIOjDIZLOd8oSFGFEGeRyAPHVathfsLq4BvR6a7WJYpESv9QuTfCspJ2N9LMHIRCiZEo20mNDEcbZpomTudIctk73DHGQy9qIjPAEGigesbsfAXfoVgjkO2A/s1600/035+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Axl was a good sport and let me have the first turn with my new toy, even though it was laced with<br />catnip, and then I let him have a spin with it!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2sxYfxCML4yQ7oG6_ugqvrXiXcmjsICMu2dAndgmU87FVKp2irwUwQ12_q0D4kAP0fmvLfBuBvPxvq03Mv5PkucH8pxkUxz2IPMflnXMNiE4MRnan28Ekn2OMx7TUF6Y2k21TApnUDM/s1600/039+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2sxYfxCML4yQ7oG6_ugqvrXiXcmjsICMu2dAndgmU87FVKp2irwUwQ12_q0D4kAP0fmvLfBuBvPxvq03Mv5PkucH8pxkUxz2IPMflnXMNiE4MRnan28Ekn2OMx7TUF6Y2k21TApnUDM/s1600/039+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Soon we were feeling real good!</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy20cGkYx51GfvwVlZFrcaZBdDScDJjudJmW0ouxeb9zQ0bKKQc-o86QUnaxNx22y4qAYtErbNXmLaViCtEOMOHNJHwqwVWXk4_G9xwyrYlnwjf6zkrpkUBtL7fP8lJfLJGp8CRM5dQQ/s1600/040+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy20cGkYx51GfvwVlZFrcaZBdDScDJjudJmW0ouxeb9zQ0bKKQc-o86QUnaxNx22y4qAYtErbNXmLaViCtEOMOHNJHwqwVWXk4_G9xwyrYlnwjf6zkrpkUBtL7fP8lJfLJGp8CRM5dQQ/s1600/040+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>After a bit of a snooze, we played (and sniffed) some more ....</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPC_JcEk21ZlbdMJl-2fHolCxXwkgBUWZlNPCD48VKDdBrqU7269S-0hbheTBc_EXLvYlEAvNGaYK5BwGBTp5SQoe-8yR4r61Qqep2IO_4EKxVabZarqgL_cqjRRdTDyws6OvBb4BSxo/s1600/044+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPC_JcEk21ZlbdMJl-2fHolCxXwkgBUWZlNPCD48VKDdBrqU7269S-0hbheTBc_EXLvYlEAvNGaYK5BwGBTp5SQoe-8yR4r61Qqep2IO_4EKxVabZarqgL_cqjRRdTDyws6OvBb4BSxo/s1600/044+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I really do think that Axl is affected by the Good Stuff more than I am.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj830a2DGTNSiPwVfxt3jHuW7L3_gXUI7Of0WVfk8ijIdNqcRt2oR0BWWQ75UNjayMKf-vb8ICrj-jm-SNnxx7i-pyKDeVIJheyjMHlAJ61Kkk8k2VRszAvzI1kOrbWekm6-NDf9ZgmsTo/s1600/046+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj830a2DGTNSiPwVfxt3jHuW7L3_gXUI7Of0WVfk8ijIdNqcRt2oR0BWWQ75UNjayMKf-vb8ICrj-jm-SNnxx7i-pyKDeVIJheyjMHlAJ61Kkk8k2VRszAvzI1kOrbWekm6-NDf9ZgmsTo/s1600/046+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">But soon, we were both completely "under </i><i style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">the influence!" Best party EVER!</i></span></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i><b>And then there was THIS:</b></i></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNEvg05YkMmC6sLLD1sUtxHPN_iDa6OVZF2Ca6I-XklzOue1JzVoVEiaTOQOIKsvrrII_bRj-mxMLbWezqRqxxxxQYKOJdk5FSB6fUw_3mK_NabfZw3nQMTBLs9jhrVvmIUbr_z10tJM/s1600/130+(682x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNEvg05YkMmC6sLLD1sUtxHPN_iDa6OVZF2Ca6I-XklzOue1JzVoVEiaTOQOIKsvrrII_bRj-mxMLbWezqRqxxxxQYKOJdk5FSB6fUw_3mK_NabfZw3nQMTBLs9jhrVvmIUbr_z10tJM/s1600/130+(682x1024).jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This was my other gift from my Person. I have to admit, I have no </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">clue </span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">why I need this for sharpening my claws.</span></i><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNSrVumhALxsM6hTqY8oPbHSV7ZSiMbbmjTIfdctwBxNqOX0nh3sjuKRIeBujzLikdMPFlZ-pZNUDN-Ww4RyMeTMlrKSsUVS2yend5Nc6EkhXGfq6Omd7p5P8PYz4SluePKLoRq7U0p0/s1600/128+(746x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNSrVumhALxsM6hTqY8oPbHSV7ZSiMbbmjTIfdctwBxNqOX0nh3sjuKRIeBujzLikdMPFlZ-pZNUDN-Ww4RyMeTMlrKSsUVS2yend5Nc6EkhXGfq6Omd7p5P8PYz4SluePKLoRq7U0p0/s1600/128+(746x1024).jpg" height="640" width="465" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I much prefer sharpening my claws on the door </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">facing of the hall </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">bathroom!</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I don't see myself </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">making any changes anytime soon.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>
</td></tr>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>During these warm, lazy days of Summer 2014, I have been reading a good bit.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHYw0k1wAVR0x7wKqVt6foI2s8ATuaST4lYgjQDZtkRj5vOGjotx5C6GCaMjAy0O44BsqfXD-N0L6xHZfv5k-8ZJS09tqI1SODkG78tOeYQzb1wHWSAaSp9MCmzJGpmtZgBPtRI1g9cE/s1600/022+(1024x683).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHYw0k1wAVR0x7wKqVt6foI2s8ATuaST4lYgjQDZtkRj5vOGjotx5C6GCaMjAy0O44BsqfXD-N0L6xHZfv5k-8ZJS09tqI1SODkG78tOeYQzb1wHWSAaSp9MCmzJGpmtZgBPtRI1g9cE/s1600/022+(1024x683).jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I absolutely adore my Kindle Fire HD! I can easily turn the pages with one paw and I can read at night in the dark. Awesome!</span></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Two of my current favorites are pictured below. I thoroughly enjoyed these when I was looking for something a bit on the lighter side after finishing </i><u>A Tale of Two Cities</u><i> earlier in the spring. At first, I just wanted to see if that was my sister, Bella, on the covers. She has not written since the day I left home and who knows what she has gotten into in the meantime. It looks quite a bit like her, although I cannot get a glimpse of her white paws in either cover photo. Both books are available for your Kindle, etc., and SHE has a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DalaiLamasCat">Facebook page</a> of her own, too! I want MY own Facebook page!</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4QET0x67XoP0QHqRSD5FCXTIxgEimMRbMZRLHU6-cGbSzKykwwtT166YiY6LplIu4WrxpayUxALX-tRYAsK4n6WxVSgQ8CkbZeP3R9ooHquRT8d0-UYPZ-QSayUH3EVBEYW-KNq14FA/s1600/dalai.jpg" height="400" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="247" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>This is a really good read. And it turns<br />out that is not Bella on the cover, after<br />all.</i></span></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRW4_bp3YHGaE3DDDOKQwNBPUK3ZC1XvZn6ZYuG6YCRMioS5EDgocCOyZCUja8lWCuSch8tdpHlFYQRRpXBYtzodwppwFD0rnF-i-aAPW2SuW4s9IsJJ6nBRyl5JJXO1vLeFNq84SXmA/s1600/41RbJ11U9BL.jpg" height="400" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="255" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>I am only halfway through this one, but<br />it is a good read, also. I really DO want<br />to learn how to purr .... don't you?!</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I, for one, believe wholeheartedly that it is the daily practicing of mindfulness and the principles of Zen that have brought me to my place in Life with my devoted Person, as well as milady love, Gumdrop, and I challenge you to try it for yourself. You may be very pleasantly surprised by the results! One word of caution, however. Do not rush the Process!!! It takes Time as well as Mindfulness to discover and achieve what it is that we Need.</i></span></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Here is a little something I found while perusing the Internet recently. I really liked it and think it is full of Great Wisdom. I have noticed that my Person has already been practicing these for some time but she has a bit of trouble with #1, #3 and #5, if you ask me!</i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikotlQrrJlfibvrCeP8wKBGbB31yt615pQfgomh5syh9bCyTVc9aXCFcDBgKAac8PX_VDjVbuRsdLawscU5jpSaG9oyBVAheDa9vaK57FtdpbBPEueelp2GUlf38ZSm8pdBXgnhwurtEQ/s1600/zen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikotlQrrJlfibvrCeP8wKBGbB31yt615pQfgomh5syh9bCyTVc9aXCFcDBgKAac8PX_VDjVbuRsdLawscU5jpSaG9oyBVAheDa9vaK57FtdpbBPEueelp2GUlf38ZSm8pdBXgnhwurtEQ/s1600/zen.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I also stumbled upon this popular little bit of wisdom online, also, and have decided to share it with you, my friends! At first, it may seem strange to be coming from a feline, but the Wisdom is there in the idea that we should push our boundaries, and try something new, something different now and then! </i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> ENJOY!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMzgl0nFj3s">Be More Dog</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And last, but certainly not least, it is that time of year again ... Football Season! YES! I just love lying around on the coffee table or lazing about on the ottoman, watching my Steelers play their game. Oh, I watch other teams, too, but the Steelers make my heart sing! I have my very own Terrible Towel that I drape over my shoulders or cuddle up with during the games, but my Person has not gotten me my very own t-shirt as of yet. Maybe for Christmas?! Hint, hint!!!!!</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Godfrey's fav football player is Troy Polamalu on heartsongfarm.blogspot.com" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwjyihGTZIWMhLgP1mPrkM2yegHllTbmvarfgCuRO1huG8UURcMfzAIQ3xNeYWbRnw8AZmnMyQtmK4u0wyzTLrlXFPsCxih5JIgEluCnowNuWRPp8XVA93XA2bX6DPlcPR10nkcPl94w/s400/temp2013_MiniCamp_0611_0818_1--nfl_mezz_1280_1024.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="425" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Troy Polamalu will be back on the field and throwing </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">his body through </span></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">the </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">air just </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">like a circus performer. </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Pure awesomeness! He has just got </span></span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">to </span><span style="color: #141823; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">be part cat!</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And with that, I turn this blog post back over to my wonderful Person.</i></span></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaW8ry0VLmo4u2Nlx1PTf7d5LsjV24ifyumayzR03dVQNFk4alzEdiAfASQFTo2O8B2p4_i8KCmI7XTL-UsB3HJ5cTcjTsCAV6nFC5PFOYeDR3M8hs_wO6-YFyxEqwjTx21Raqkfx4Y58/s1600/pawprint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaW8ry0VLmo4u2Nlx1PTf7d5LsjV24ifyumayzR03dVQNFk4alzEdiAfASQFTo2O8B2p4_i8KCmI7XTL-UsB3HJ5cTcjTsCAV6nFC5PFOYeDR3M8hs_wO6-YFyxEqwjTx21Raqkfx4Y58/s1600/pawprint.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I remain your devoted feline friend,</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>GODFREY.</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, it me, Sara. I am back! While he was pounding out his thoughts on the keyboard, I went to the store and had some prints made for him of his sweet and lovely Gumdrop. I put them in some nice little frames so that he doesn't have to be online in order to gaze into her liquid eyes. I am just that kind of Person. Also, I was getting tired of wiping up the drool on my keyboard! But he really is such a sweetheart, and I do tend to spoil him, along with Jessy and Axl, because they do bring such joy into my life.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He was thrilled, of course, and is now in the process of hanging them near one of his favorite chill-laxing spots.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As for me, I have been looking at my veggie garden, which is just about played out now, with only peppers, eggplant, okra and some tomatoes left. I am trying to decide if I want to continue my experimentation with gardening during the fall and winter months as I did last year. It is a Big Question for me, but I think that I have made big strides in gardening over the last 12 months or so, and can now be confident enough to know that I can grow my own favorite vegetables year round as I have dreamed of doing for sustainability.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlb3GvtOjrYP5_rs8QCJq8Z8wGn95RDIA8CU7LhctOkr_V_nR0WhDpKHKCRTj992FuutkFFiUtMWGlbeyA5USfjkSIWyPqBBPBR7YbBDg3KIaI5XcHzkvy1hoi2r7SsJd1jkxtewSWfS8/s1600/092+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlb3GvtOjrYP5_rs8QCJq8Z8wGn95RDIA8CU7LhctOkr_V_nR0WhDpKHKCRTj992FuutkFFiUtMWGlbeyA5USfjkSIWyPqBBPBR7YbBDg3KIaI5XcHzkvy1hoi2r7SsJd1jkxtewSWfS8/s1600/092+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My harvest this weekend. Just look at the lovely colors!</span></td></tr>
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With just the two days of my precious weekends available to me each week for doing any project until I retire, I want (need) to be doing something else for a change of pace right now. I am getting restless, and experimentation is time consuming! Being self-sustaining is also time consuming! I will probably still plant a few things (there will definitely be garlic), but I am switching my concentration towards working more with my fiber and knitting, as well as some more of the interior remodeling on my home.</div>
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I have had to forgo construction of my greenhouse this year due to circumstances of finances and practicality. I do not view this as a failure, however, just a change in timing. I will have it, just not this year. We really do need to be flexible in our lives or we run the risk of being broken, snapped like a twig, and disappointed in Life itself. Things happen. Go with the Flow! Find your Zen!</div>
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I have been able to narrow down my choices of greenhouse kits to two from <a href="http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/">ACF Greenhouses</a>, so I have made some progress. Deciding on a kit instead of building it from scratch made sense to me as I really do not have the help I would need for the latter route. The kits are supposedly easy to construct with the help of just one other person and without much experience other than reading and following directions. That means that Ben will help me, and I will be the supervisor of the job site! My only concern is that I will have to supply a foundation for it, and foundations are very important. So, I will be figuring that part out over the next few months before I commit to a kit by ordering it.</div>
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My retreat with the Chix Packin Stix gals two weekends ago was just AWESOME! It has me picking up my knitting needles once again, and I am busy finishing up abandoned projects as well as those I started at the retreat. The next post will fill you in on just how much fun we had, and I will say that I cannot wait until the next retreat at the end of January, 2015!</div>
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So, it is time for me to do something different here on HeartSong Farm!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmUMuBkAImmpqfcN0Pv-c2TYh1EjU5ZSUlo6gotzz2k33G5IyPGpqknMjrUySi8N2uMBa-TOB6VQ8xZyGe9DUOlOcTMTxs1c6zFHmbhiwBlS2wBwaT03X7Hn9GWjhzo5TNaKjS_Q4Z5c/s1600/pantai-pasir-putih.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmUMuBkAImmpqfcN0Pv-c2TYh1EjU5ZSUlo6gotzz2k33G5IyPGpqknMjrUySi8N2uMBa-TOB6VQ8xZyGe9DUOlOcTMTxs1c6zFHmbhiwBlS2wBwaT03X7Hn9GWjhzo5TNaKjS_Q4Z5c/s1600/pantai-pasir-putih.jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have you ever thought about being shipwrecked on a deserted island, and if so, with whom would you like to be stranded, and what books and comfort foods you would want to have with you? I had never given it much thought, but recently I read something, can't remember where (part-timer's), about the ten books you would want to have in such a situation. That got me to thinking. (Yes, I know ... a dangerous thing, that!) And, the following lists are what I came up with after some very interesting time spent pondering.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">My comfort foods on a deserted island:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 1. Rice and gravy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2. Steamed broccoli</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3. Vanilla ice cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4. Dark chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 5. Baked mac and cheese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 6. Seedless grapes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 7. Eggplant Parmesan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 8. Pot roast</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 9. Cottage cheese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Tiramisu</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only thing I really went back and forth on was the choice between tiramisu, creme brulee, and flan. I can still change my mind before I actually do get stranded, can't I?! I also had a bit of a go between rice and mashed potatoes, but I realized that I really do like the texture of the rice better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Do some serious thinking about this and see what you select. Don't just pick what first pops into your head because that defeats the purpose. The idea is to find out what really are your Favorites, not just Likes. It may surprise you!</span></div>
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<img src="http://uventure.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Stack-of-Old-Books-iStock.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My books for a deserted island:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 1. <u>The Unvanquished</u> by William Faulkner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2. <u>The Once and Future King</u> by T. H. White</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3. <u>An Enchanted April</u> by Elizabeth von Arnim</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4. </span><u style="font-family: inherit;">Where the Sidewalk Ends</u><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Shel Silverstein</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 5. <u>David Copperfield </u>by Charles Dickens</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 6. </span><u>Huckleberry Finn</u> by Mark Twain </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 7. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><u style="font-family: inherit;">Leaves of Grass</u><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Walt Whitman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 8. </span><u>Here Be Dragons</u> Sharon Kay Penman </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 9. </span>A comprehensive survival guide with identifying edible plants, making potable water, etc.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">10. </span>A Journal with an unlimited number of pages.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I would burn some twigs for making my marks until I could gather some feathers large enough to create quills for writing, and, of course, I would then make ink out of crushed berries! Well, wouldn't you?! </span>Also, I wanted a variety in my reading material because who knew when I would be able to download to my Kindle again! So, there is poetry and reference as well as favorite reads.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And last, but not least, my company for a deserted island </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(These can be living or not, real or not, and you can choose, at the time of being stranded, whether you want them all at once or one at a time, etc., and how long they can stay. My rules!):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 1. The Dalai Lama for wisdom and joy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 2. Leonardo Da Vinci for engineering skills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 3. My Daddy for companionship, humor and fishing skills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 4. Matthew Gannon for companionship and conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 5. Ben Gannon for humor and to keep me grounded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 6. Mohandas Gandhi for wisdom and insightful conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 7. Mother Theresa for inspiration and joy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 8. Johnny Depp for insightful conversation, humor, and music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> 9. Kris Kristopherson for music and poetry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Neal De Grasse Tyson for astronomy and insightful conversation.</span><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5599201026974545549" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5599201026974545549" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5599201026974545549" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5599201026974545549" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5599201026974545549" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, I guess you can see that I enjoy "insightful conversation" a lot! I have only recently realized how important this is to me, and just how much I need and miss it. And take my word for it, J. Depp is more than just a pretty face. </span>Among other things, he actually owns an island.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And, if you are one of my close friends reading this, and are thinking "Why aren't I on her list?", then I will explain. What kind of friend would I be if I wanted you to be stranded on a deserted island, for heaven's sake?! Now, let's just leave it at that, okay! Besides, maybe you are stranded on a nearby deserted island at the same time, and you would have your lists and I would have mine, and then we could build a boat to go from my island to yours, and share what is on our lists! Bet you didn't think of that, now did you? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh_mUesfraB6Hw9nPeIvJ-TId5Lpt33kYfawPJPdi6hSno29ABPaO_oKJi1aj4kUS9vnp6_mWf4TBHMbmW_-nEIDI2KP571SGK9m5lisLMx3_cxI-t0w_rFXY9rdEZ-u8QY0PJ1kVLWY_jvhD1sXTvMInBt-xzjVdr5KIccfsKLgAeFiB8=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.amazingpics.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BucketList0.png" height="200" width="190" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, what about a Bucket List? Do you have one of those? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I made one many years ago for myself that was 3 typed pages long! I have been able to cross a few things off as having been accomplished, but in the last few years I have had to revisit my Bucket List many times, and trim it down to a more reasonable size. I have had to pick and choose what I really REALLY wanted to do in light of my resources as well as my energy and my age. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">My Bucket
List</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(in no
particular order!)</span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Visit William Faulkner sites in Oxford, <st1:state style="text-indent: -0.5in;" w:st="on">Mississippi</st1:state>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
· Go to Key West, FL & see Hemmingway's cats & stop by Jimmy Buffett's bar.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Go to the
beginning of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place w:st="on">Mississippi
River<span class="apple-converted-space"></span></st1:place> in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:state w:st="on">Minnesota</st1:state>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Go see A
Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Spend a
month in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wales.</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Spend two
weeks in <st1:city style="text-indent: -0.5in;" w:st="on">Cornwall</st1:city> &
King Arthur sites, & also go see the White Cliffs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of <st1:city style="text-indent: -0.5in;" w:st="on">Dover</st1:city>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:country-region style="text-indent: -0.5in;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Scotland &<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>most especially the Isle of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place style="text-indent: -0.5in;" w:st="on">Iona</st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></st1:place></st1:country-region></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Visit two
more Mayan sites: Tikal & Palenque<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Ride in a
hot air balloon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San
Diego<span class="apple-converted-space"></span></st1:place></st1:city> &
go to the zoo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Learn to
cook Asian & Oriental foods really well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Make a
quilt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Travel up
the West Coast by train & visit Oregon and Washington State.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Take a
weaving retreat with the Navajo Indians in NM/Arizona.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Remodel my
kitchen just like I want it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Fix up my
Studio just like I have dreamed of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Screen in
part of the back porch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Build a koi
pond in my yard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Visit Bryce
Canyon in Utah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Go on an Alaskan Cruise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Get a tattoo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Create my
own little “beach” in the back yard with a hot tub.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Have a
greenhouse of my own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Build a
chicken coop and raise chickens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Buy a charka
& learn to spin cotton really well on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Learn to
play my ocarina.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">· Attend at least part of “Burning
Man”.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.5in;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">·</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Visit Frank
Lloyd Wright’s “Falling Water”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 17.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">· Attend a
Steelers home game.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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And, I am sure that I will need to trim the list down again at some point, but I think that I can get around to doing most of the things eventually. Hopefully! The traveling outside of the US will be the most likely ones removed, due to cost, but that will be okay. I have already been able to travel and experience more great places and things in my life than I ever thought I would by now. <br />
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<img src="http://makeitbe.net/wp-content/uploads/knitting-supplies.jpg" /></div>
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This weekend, I will be going to a knitting retreat in Gainesville, Texas, north of Dallas - Ft. Worth, and I am so excited about it! Our usual Knit Camp retired last year, and some of the gals that attended it and our Wildflower Fiber Retreat have organized this new one and named it "Chix Packing Stix". Love that name! It will mean a four hour drive each way for me, but hopefully it will be an easy one, and maybe I will stop in for a look-see at my old college town of Denton to see how much it has changed in the last 40 plus years. If not this trip, then definitely on another because I have a feeling this new retreat is going to be a blast! I will share when I get back, for sure. <br />
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Meanwhile, here is your assignment: Over the next week or so, think about what you would put on your lists for a deserted island, and, even more important, make your own Bucket List. Put some real thought into it. Find out what it is that you really enjoy, and who you'd like to have for company. You may be surprised at your answers! You will probably learn a few things about your self in the process. The Bucket List will be the easiest to make, so you might start with that one. <br />
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Except for the heat and humidity, everything is cool here on HeartSong Farm.<br />
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"MY HEART LEAPS UP WHEN I BEHOLD A RAINBOW IN THE SKY"! That was the first line of the first poem I ever memorized... in second grade .... with the help of my Daddy ... one of his favorite poems, which became mine. William Wordsworth was the poet, and the poem is perfect!<br />
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Are there things in your life that make your heart leap and sing?! <br />
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My heart does so on a daily basis once again these days. Just driving up my driveway after a day at work or a trip into town, when I catch sight of my home, with its silvery metal roof and sturdy logs, set back from the highway, and the llamas in the pastures, I catch my breath! This is my home that I have made for myself, all by myself, and, in two years, the mortgage will be paid in full and it will truly will be all mine. Whew! and Wow! I am planning a mortgage burning party, for sure, and maybe with a "Hello Kitty" theme to it!? (Are those groans I am hearing out there?!) "Hello Kitty" makes my heart sing!<br />
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My home is truly where my heart is. Now that I am single and unattached, beholden to no one but myself, I am closest to being my True Self at home and it feels so good! It is where I am in my Element, and I can relax and enjoy and create in the many areas of my home....cooking, gardening, designing, remodeling, spinning, weaving, knitting, painting, crafting, and dreaming. The Circles of Life and of the Seasons, along with the sights and sounds of the surrounding flora and fauna keep me company, which is so much better than the almost constant (and, too much of the time, inane) chatter and gossip that surrounds me at my workplace, chewing unmercifully on my Spirit, leaving me feeling devoured! My heart rate slows on the farm, my breathing evens out, and I am at Peace. Ahhhh! And my heart sings!<br />
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Now, I must point out that there is a difference between your favorite things and those that make your heart skip a beat and goosebumps happen! I am not talking about double chocolate ice cream or a Big Mac, or watching favorite TV shows or a sporting event, or a new purse or golf clubs, all of which are very good things. Don't get me wrong. I love me some NCIS, Big Bang Theory, and football. But, I am talking about the deeper, more meaningful things that actually touch our souls and our emotional Selves.</div>
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Many things bring joy to my heart and I think that it is because I truly enjoy "the little things." For example:</div>
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<li>the purr of a momma cat as she contentedly nurses her babies</li>
<li>sitting in my porch swing on a balmy summer afternoon, with a cold glass of iced tea, watching dragon flies skip and dance across the top of the pasture grass</li>
<li>walking around my pastures, touching the trees, feeling the ground, MY ground under my feet</li>
<li>leaning on the fence and watching the llamas kushed in their pasture, contentedly chewing their cuds and feeling safe</li>
<li>witnessing a birth, the miracle that is life</li>
<li>catching sight of a hawk perched, gliding over the ground, or soaring high in the sky above</li>
<li>listening to opera or Mozart while doing housework</li>
<li>watching a "kettle" of turkey vultures enjoy circling on the summer air currents overhead: up, up, up, and then down, down, down, and back up again</li>
<li>Synchronicities that connect people and places to one another</li>
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In the early 90's, I read <u>The Celestine Prophecy</u> by James Redfield, which introduced me to the concept of synchronicity. This really resonated with me and, over the past two decades, I have found that paying attention to the little things, to the details, and to our gut feelings and instincts, can enrich our lives beyond measure in so very many ways. I have truly found that the more I Notice, the more I See!</div>
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For instance, recently I was driving down the highway on my way to work and, as always, looking for my two red tail hawks, Aegis and Aurora. I spotted one of them on top of an old wooden fence in a pasture, tail feathers and wings spread, warming in the morning sun. The rusty color of the tail feathers was just incredible, and I knew that this majestic bird was enjoying one of the little things, the warmth of the sun on its back. Ahhhh!</div>
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Of course, this event did not change what I needed to do on my trip to town, and I still had the same bills to pay, and chores to do at home, but it did put a skip in my step and a smile on my face and made me slow down for awhile, which is always a good thing!<br />
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My list goes on and on .....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavdAejS8qSBALkJOKAgxnB7-d11FXXBWWE9MXUz9yjbNc8ysn5HssZJqFx1aTko2hAVcapRsb1-RqpTfHi97pDuxjRBzprhFFYa4i1JlN0rBG2MJzdWoOp1TT0Qftum7kN1g0EMdp5WQ/s1600/IMG_3244+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavdAejS8qSBALkJOKAgxnB7-d11FXXBWWE9MXUz9yjbNc8ysn5HssZJqFx1aTko2hAVcapRsb1-RqpTfHi97pDuxjRBzprhFFYa4i1JlN0rBG2MJzdWoOp1TT0Qftum7kN1g0EMdp5WQ/s1600/IMG_3244+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My Kia Soul makes me giggle each time I go out to find her parked and waiting for me! Her name is </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Steel Magnolia aka Maggie, and she makes my heart sing because I worked and planned so hard to get her, and she has not disappointed me one bit! Fun to drive, and lots of room for my stuff when I am on the go.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MZNAteCK38DRmSFSMB0wgbYWKDrNY6mK-tDSid9UFswhZuZAU0-A6-W4j7TdQJkGU7o5sE5gYRWwtwvNxq6P5YofCWOtzHMdmV8Rsejgu9TDRQPV-btFP66GtACWU-fWP62oeeX7W8M/s1600/IMG_3252+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MZNAteCK38DRmSFSMB0wgbYWKDrNY6mK-tDSid9UFswhZuZAU0-A6-W4j7TdQJkGU7o5sE5gYRWwtwvNxq6P5YofCWOtzHMdmV8Rsejgu9TDRQPV-btFP66GtACWU-fWP62oeeX7W8M/s1600/IMG_3252+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A basket full of colorful fiber and handspun yarns to touch and enjoy! Oh, the possibilities!!! That makes my heart sing for sure. I really need to get back to spinning and knitting soon!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2jm_DPMGgPihomiJqBJhqe881rpc2HFeNr4HS2V39eQMqG55JXkNJ-QJnbGxrBdrn1F87wLcLqS1JkK6AwN_BDTKMcSRvoiI45zAJYQC-pM0d29oMDEtrXgl4nkaEQh4wkcrJ1BVETk/s1600/017+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2jm_DPMGgPihomiJqBJhqe881rpc2HFeNr4HS2V39eQMqG55JXkNJ-QJnbGxrBdrn1F87wLcLqS1JkK6AwN_BDTKMcSRvoiI45zAJYQC-pM0d29oMDEtrXgl4nkaEQh4wkcrJ1BVETk/s1600/017+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And finally, this week, some baby eggplants that certainly made my heart sing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">There are seven of them so far, and growing so fast that I should be able to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">enjoy a roasted feast pretty soon and hopefully for weeks to come!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And now, meet Gloria, my beloved cypress tree! My sons, Matt and Ben, created a bog of sorts the first summer I moved to my farm so that I could plant one of my favorite trees, a bald cypress, which needs a wet environment to really thrive. She truly makes my heart sing!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Gloria, early in the spring, with yellow-green fringes developing on her branches.</span></td></tr>
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I first fell in love with cypress trees as a child, fishing with my Daddy on Lake Bistineau in North Louisiana. Lake Bistineau was heavily populated with bald cypress trees and cypress knees, as well as Spanish moss, which was draped nonchalantly over everything and created a mystical quality to the whole adventure of the fishing trip. As I sat in the flat-bottom boat and looked around me, I imagined the trees to be some sort of fairy tale creatures frozen in Time, their feet stuck in the warm brown muddy waters of the lake, and the moss was what was left of their hair. Indeed, it was very much like being within a fairy tale, sitting with my Daddy in the dappled sunshine, listening to the sounds of summer buzzing around me, the lazy rocking of the boat, and watching dragonflies come to rest on the end of my cane pole, their fairy-like wings sparkling in the sunlight.</div>
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Although I did not know the word for it then, the breeze smelled organic, with the scents of mud, fish, feathers, leaves and bark. And many years later, before we had our boys, my husband and I would go fishing and crawfishing in the bayous, swamps and lakes of both South and North Louisiana where the cypress and the Spanish moss were so abundant. My love for the two grew even more as they came to signify summer and good times, adventures and lazy days. Ahhh!</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO0XeAabeajSoocvuujSGAhmSpRt8T88_sINzRAJioULaZ_lwd1iBxMH4VXoW38SVPXExd4ejkuiwfCzMJb1jDAmLRWSXo-Yl-4g1PrnYM_Uzr8KbHh5ZpNQFLgdNAf-gC8hmpYsbPoY/s1600/020+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO0XeAabeajSoocvuujSGAhmSpRt8T88_sINzRAJioULaZ_lwd1iBxMH4VXoW38SVPXExd4ejkuiwfCzMJb1jDAmLRWSXo-Yl-4g1PrnYM_Uzr8KbHh5ZpNQFLgdNAf-gC8hmpYsbPoY/s1600/020+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Gloria in her full summer dress this year.</span></td></tr>
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I planted Gloria as a small sapling the first summer I lived here on HeartSong Farm (1999). She is now about 25 feet tall and has begun to make seed pods in the last year or two. She reminds me of a ballerina dressed in a green fringed tutu, and my son and I anxiously await her "greening out" each Spring. There is no other shade of green quite like hers on my farm, and in the fall, she dresses herself in shades of russet.</div>
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Three summers ago we experienced a drought and high heat like nothing I had seen since moving back to Texas. Ben and I were worried that she might not survive as we made sure to keep some moisture around her "toes" with the garden hose. The following Spring we waited anxiously for her green fringes to appear, and, when they did, we literally celebrated with grins as big as Chessy-Cats! Since then, she seems to have gained strength from that Ordeal of Mother Nature, and this year I have noticed that she has begun to grow her "knees!"<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVCC8gzKtR7BvPoxpBUpwGUvwDFd-nQIbIZq6q996RnEr543585whiviUrikY2b4_xhXGvSpkZSlgx-DdE4iB_lBFB8TuJiwp98z6l8Wou_w8sCx_AExyM3bpQQZh0LE9CmazPG-QBME/s1600/004+%2528757x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVCC8gzKtR7BvPoxpBUpwGUvwDFd-nQIbIZq6q996RnEr543585whiviUrikY2b4_xhXGvSpkZSlgx-DdE4iB_lBFB8TuJiwp98z6l8Wou_w8sCx_AExyM3bpQQZh0LE9CmazPG-QBME/s1600/004+%2528757x1024%2529.jpg" height="640" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Gloria's knees! I am so EXCITED!</span></td></tr>
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Ben and I are in the process of creating a bog for her by diverting more of the rain runoff from the highway and neighboring properties that flows down my driveway and, at times, nearly comes in my back door. It will be a good thing for us as well as for her, and eventually I hope to plant some other bog plants to keep her company. I have always loved swamp lilies and <i>equisetum</i> aka "horsetail."<br />
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So ..... what makes your heart sing? Have you thought about it?! Do you notice and pay attention to the little things around you? How do you feel when you notice them? Why not spend part of a day just paying attention and being in the moment. Make notes as to what you saw and how you felt, maybe in a Journal like I do. Then, if you would like, share them in the comment section below. I would love to hear what makes YOUR heart sing!</div>
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It has been a much cooler summer here in East Texas so far this year. The first day of August saw temps in the low 80's! We have also had a regular dose of heavy rains, and so the lawns and pastures have remained green instead of turning dry and yellow-brown. We are all very grateful. <br />
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The fig trees are now covered with bees and butterflies enjoying the sweetness of the figs I didn't get around to picking. Ben reported that a mockingbird dive-bombed him when he went to get me a couple of handfuls to enjoy with a bit of cheese on Wednesday. I say, "Let them eat figs!" Besides, I have noticed that a second crop of fruit is developing on the ends of the branches, so there will be more for me in a few weeks!<br />
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I'm enjoying my life here at HeartSong Farm.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-55564081593752101592014-07-27T20:43:00.000-05:002014-07-27T20:43:01.999-05:00Those pesky garden pests<div style="text-align: justify;">
Okay, so I spoke too soon about how well Max Steed, "Security Cat," is doing with keeping the wild bunnies out of the garden! Well, let me back up a bit. He is apparently keeping the bunnies out, but Something is climbing into one of the container beds and snacking on my cantaloupes! The container is too high for a rabbit to get into, I think, so it must be either a raccoon, fox, or 'possum. I know that coyotes love watermelon, so maybe it is one of the foxes from the woods behind my back pasture. Something has also dined on one of the zucchinis this past week!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRF0KnNXapGJ5qd04TE-PYGfLF5G7N46sGwe6iqHIS2garsIE4yFdhMs6ja7jZgOvsDgDP5WhGyITV0zdYSN0jwPaTE6J7nvUfdw_furmqWKOBrXLA-kevCj37OSHMnKCAYUbeHRfWvw/s1600/036+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRF0KnNXapGJ5qd04TE-PYGfLF5G7N46sGwe6iqHIS2garsIE4yFdhMs6ja7jZgOvsDgDP5WhGyITV0zdYSN0jwPaTE6J7nvUfdw_furmqWKOBrXLA-kevCj37OSHMnKCAYUbeHRfWvw/s1600/036+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The zucchini was the first thing I noticed with some teeth marks!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNqFus9kC9JwCYZQnx6ZvuMVffFBLZHblChjjfWr8oERLg6DvGbtEZYKFK9Kbl35cMcWXJh6_y0VZ0UMAqA4R1hhibKUCc4tjon5F1StIze3e38zrp7LRARSZOlPVZHt1R57w5LrMH7Y/s1600/039+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNqFus9kC9JwCYZQnx6ZvuMVffFBLZHblChjjfWr8oERLg6DvGbtEZYKFK9Kbl35cMcWXJh6_y0VZ0UMAqA4R1hhibKUCc4tjon5F1StIze3e38zrp7LRARSZOlPVZHt1R57w5LrMH7Y/s1600/039+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Then I discovered my cantaloupe! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2-EAL1Ag2IUjTtiOm3O2y9KrOyy0Dkbs12d7SLcs7jds8XMJwepg5MzAUAnTWGsY1gBvWQsMI2ym4hZRzAf1uem83OdOOBu8A4IzkFd5PVkD-amFGKD2bZDRSJEd4tuvhmfBH_A1yqU/s1600/044+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2-EAL1Ag2IUjTtiOm3O2y9KrOyy0Dkbs12d7SLcs7jds8XMJwepg5MzAUAnTWGsY1gBvWQsMI2ym4hZRzAf1uem83OdOOBu8A4IzkFd5PVkD-amFGKD2bZDRSJEd4tuvhmfBH_A1yqU/s1600/044+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">So far these two "mystery melons" have escaped detection, but for how long?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYkWo39EsQZsbNSg5KfR7zRcPSdRk5ev_TshomFJbmbLTAaaz77ioK07BFJR3Fls7Q8_PpmIR0M5vTyOScyeubS4fYNMQUVauiay6_tvCfwBAeX-_7ySFVHx8w1ipsDWhv6bkU_W3CIc/s1600/003+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYkWo39EsQZsbNSg5KfR7zRcPSdRk5ev_TshomFJbmbLTAaaz77ioK07BFJR3Fls7Q8_PpmIR0M5vTyOScyeubS4fYNMQUVauiay6_tvCfwBAeX-_7ySFVHx8w1ipsDWhv6bkU_W3CIc/s1600/003+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Still, I had a pretty good harvest this weekend ... lots of variety, with acorn squashes, frying peppers, okra,</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">lemon cucumbers, and tomatoes!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3jdR7mWVytQJkVSJmynr5QukcAsN5NpDYfCrzTjdZ63l5Rf69P3vVjDzz635mciGeGsD2hT6mYEeTN_O_kkYB5GYf0Je_QWeoSXrFGzKB7qz0_6Xw5iv9ZGh_tmTZh6z3bbSqbc6fTI/s1600/012+%25281024x683%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3jdR7mWVytQJkVSJmynr5QukcAsN5NpDYfCrzTjdZ63l5Rf69P3vVjDzz635mciGeGsD2hT6mYEeTN_O_kkYB5GYf0Je_QWeoSXrFGzKB7qz0_6Xw5iv9ZGh_tmTZh6z3bbSqbc6fTI/s1600/012+%25281024x683%2529.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is one of the red frying peppers. They resemble a flattened bell pepper, and from the bottom side they look like a red shamrock! How cool is that?! These guys will be awesome in some stir fry dishes!</span></td></tr>
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This summer I have been doing some studying on bugs in my garden. I wanted to make sure I was being kind to the good ones, and making life miserable for the bad ones. I have discovered that the phrase, "the good, the bad, and the ugly," doesn't necessarily make sense in the insect world!</div>
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So, for you, a bit of a primer. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>GOOD BUGS</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0zR5h7BrTcF0C1Av3m6fol2eDOcxyA_je3NDa-wiUvYf_159A89AyykWo_8w-Ce1YkhXI20q_jaFb6-iu2BwUst7VWaAhBnL6VTRemiIwUiHIfKWRcPcEFDkjL5-9r09jj4nFwOCNcs/s1600/assassin+bug+nymph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0zR5h7BrTcF0C1Av3m6fol2eDOcxyA_je3NDa-wiUvYf_159A89AyykWo_8w-Ce1YkhXI20q_jaFb6-iu2BwUst7VWaAhBnL6VTRemiIwUiHIfKWRcPcEFDkjL5-9r09jj4nFwOCNcs/s1600/assassin+bug+nymph.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Assassin bug nymph</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0l4uQ4lv7gvEr0miLHOz7_5fFOq6js6Qz3P_kFBsMuAjjA6Z2trK4vXDpgFxdYH9G2Jz5bAgnPB7hdt0paVIHRni2EpAtQc5bIMnTNK3vmgEtRi2vdC1ZaSTen7P22Rr3tzR8Kbe-LY/s1600/assassin+bug+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0l4uQ4lv7gvEr0miLHOz7_5fFOq6js6Qz3P_kFBsMuAjjA6Z2trK4vXDpgFxdYH9G2Jz5bAgnPB7hdt0paVIHRni2EpAtQc5bIMnTNK3vmgEtRi2vdC1ZaSTen7P22Rr3tzR8Kbe-LY/s1600/assassin+bug+2.jpg" height="364" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Young assassin bug</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbUmhFZxg76wGTIp_9r1GpD3QXv0Zu8NoaRJYsmcHtWFhWStr_VE8dn_PEnMjWnsVvI0hPJhV4Uq4fy6J2cDNP-Oju_33c6BxmhvS1Bm1PgdGvrB3dkvxAyNWhCd9LLYiK8q9S8a9_cA/s1600/adult+assassin+bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbUmhFZxg76wGTIp_9r1GpD3QXv0Zu8NoaRJYsmcHtWFhWStr_VE8dn_PEnMjWnsVvI0hPJhV4Uq4fy6J2cDNP-Oju_33c6BxmhvS1Bm1PgdGvrB3dkvxAyNWhCd9LLYiK8q9S8a9_cA/s1600/adult+assassin+bug.jpg" height="325" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Full grown assassin bug. These can look similar to stink bugs </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">sometimes, but the antennae on the assassin bug is much shorter.</span></div>
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I used to think that assassin bugs were bad guys ... must have been the name?! But they are on the gardener's side, so leave them alone and let them do their work!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKEya-QZcnk45cebiKIVZu5XV69nboZ6TTbW3FhUtJjLj-P6bfYwzHOuW83JwpXWuaPJa5LgDyyPuBryBCqxOpq1b9Yz6ACGgwhzbTuUP5In6lfRrbCCs7LzVenlQ1sp7EF2Kmg6V8Ok/s1600/ladybug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKEya-QZcnk45cebiKIVZu5XV69nboZ6TTbW3FhUtJjLj-P6bfYwzHOuW83JwpXWuaPJa5LgDyyPuBryBCqxOpq1b9Yz6ACGgwhzbTuUP5In6lfRrbCCs7LzVenlQ1sp7EF2Kmg6V8Ok/s1600/ladybug.jpg" height="310" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Lady bugs come in shades of red, yellow, orange and with varying</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">numbers of spots or even no spots. You definitely want them in </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">your gardens!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLAQFg7uu-2ZhJ1Sncx_uHKJBwZY39oqkSDvSth-83tVsDEHwE2O0WLU2ailbzWBdXc__ojkJR2oLtnJ93VH-M905KPuRUOGn5pd6d7CwtBMYntRepGDVKOhxTDf5ADTlo6YhQPlnic0/s1600/praying+mantis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLAQFg7uu-2ZhJ1Sncx_uHKJBwZY39oqkSDvSth-83tVsDEHwE2O0WLU2ailbzWBdXc__ojkJR2oLtnJ93VH-M905KPuRUOGn5pd6d7CwtBMYntRepGDVKOhxTDf5ADTlo6YhQPlnic0/s1600/praying+mantis.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Praying Mantis. He may look ominous, like a creature from outer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">space, but remember that he or she is your friend!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVk7MZscyufw_eCNEsXpLiTC010SwNsfw5ftNGlJZjY5eKqYwuIFbB7dq9BDng4YnY0FwN-JPL7U06No53IOxCDuH6QH5Ueu225W62kWJRMh5pa_94OObpkl8TvhdbM2ndSpasSAuqvI/s1600/praying+mantis+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVk7MZscyufw_eCNEsXpLiTC010SwNsfw5ftNGlJZjY5eKqYwuIFbB7dq9BDng4YnY0FwN-JPL7U06No53IOxCDuH6QH5Ueu225W62kWJRMh5pa_94OObpkl8TvhdbM2ndSpasSAuqvI/s1600/praying+mantis+2.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Just look at that adorable face! I LOVE these guys and gals!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlFh74HZzfmjjKYYbqPolXclMf7PamSkYpy4YKxKWEgucC7dNgI11Zqy90bcjW7MJSeVDbnh14D3ZbteuMyoR3YIyEovuFoDaSVClgeI4rVFofXkdYDrR5Wyacn7k242B3vc2sdBXmQc/s1600/anchor+bug+-+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlFh74HZzfmjjKYYbqPolXclMf7PamSkYpy4YKxKWEgucC7dNgI11Zqy90bcjW7MJSeVDbnh14D3ZbteuMyoR3YIyEovuFoDaSVClgeI4rVFofXkdYDrR5Wyacn7k242B3vc2sdBXmQc/s1600/anchor+bug+-+good.jpg" height="400" width="346" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">This bug is a variety of Anchor Bug.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The Anchor Bugs are a type of stink bug, but they are a good one! You can easily identify them by the pretty red design on its back in the shape of an anchor. Let it be and it will be a good garden friend. I have never seen one of these. Have you?</span></div>
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There are places online where you can order lady bugs, praying mantis, and other good insects. I have never done this before, but am thinking of doing it in the future. Also, I have read that some good local plant nurseries have them available in the spring of each year, so you might check that out also. Here are a couple of interesting websites I have found to order online (click on the name to go to the site): <br />
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And now, I present to you:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BAD BUGS</b></span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6J562D_BKUs08jilcigAAlMIlapsQMOLj8Ec0OfswZ5tPCBGg2sy969cV1awJNkfMMMPQePUyiy2jdvZlGY6D0F6OSg8zHtHbvt9sU3lNsZ1kWcFBgdnvhzMsz31p9VdPXkxBoJp7CeI/s1600/stink+bug+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6J562D_BKUs08jilcigAAlMIlapsQMOLj8Ec0OfswZ5tPCBGg2sy969cV1awJNkfMMMPQePUyiy2jdvZlGY6D0F6OSg8zHtHbvt9sU3lNsZ1kWcFBgdnvhzMsz31p9VdPXkxBoJp7CeI/s1600/stink+bug+2.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a common type of Stink Bug.</span></td></tr>
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I found one just like this one on one of my cucumber leaves this week. It's body was 1-1/4" long and looked pretty ferocious! I covered it with a piece of paper towel and smushed it. I just hope it didn't make any babies before I took care of it!</div>
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<tr><td><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaSHn2KJjYb6EuHFEA5nNm3JyrYC95OlgmR17w5M1_H5JFQSn92oMmWyykQ0WxYP-Bzj_p4mgTLYDY4dPzW5QPLuc_MX3OouBtQSM5DViyptAfXgL6E1wmFh2OLsOPvz6WQ1Mu7kaJ1k/s1600/stink+bug.png" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="307" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Another common Stink Bug, often called a Shield Bug.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRaSHn2KJjYb6EuHFEA5nNm3JyrYC95OlgmR17w5M1_H5JFQSn92oMmWyykQ0WxYP-Bzj_p4mgTLYDY4dPzW5QPLuc_MX3OouBtQSM5DViyptAfXgL6E1wmFh2OLsOPvz6WQ1Mu7kaJ1k/s1600/stink+bug.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a></div>
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I am finding these shield bugs on my asparagus beans and squashes. I smush them as soon as I spot them!<br />
They have a sickly sweet smell that lingers on your fingers, so smushing with paper towel is my preferred method.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwqMXtrW8CZJGrFUbe7xtfEAkSlD526FOJ3UpEj7PEHsfIqzt711OW-hoZM1f2WBGQ7h-_9DSTuteZvt_vbW5NSYkWSkahgvbESDw4ReSiHbj2eIJ3t8H9UuWd4Tl4CyTgmxR8-xSP5U/s1600/aphids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwqMXtrW8CZJGrFUbe7xtfEAkSlD526FOJ3UpEj7PEHsfIqzt711OW-hoZM1f2WBGQ7h-_9DSTuteZvt_vbW5NSYkWSkahgvbESDw4ReSiHbj2eIJ3t8H9UuWd4Tl4CyTgmxR8-xSP5U/s1600/aphids.jpg" height="304" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Aphids on the stem of a plant, highly magnified.</span></td></tr>
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Aphids have been really active on the asparagus beans, squash and okra, and they seem to appear overnight en masse! They are also known as "ant cows" because ants herd them on the plants and then stroke them to harvest the milky-like substance that the aphids produce from sucking the juices out of your precious plants. Ants and aphids are symbiotic. So, if you see ants on your plants, you almost certainly have aphids. Grab your spray and go to work, Gardener!<br />
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I recommend that you use an organic way to rid yourself of these bad guys, and here is one I use with a good deal of success:<br />
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<b>ORGANIC ALL-PURPOSE INSECT SPRAY</b><br />
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1 T liquid dish washing soap such as Ivory Liquid or Dawn<br />
2 T vegetable oil<br />
1 T cayenne pepper<br />
1 qt lukewarm water<br />
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Stir to mix, then slowly pour into a quart-sized spray bottle. It will make soap bubbles, so you may have to let it set for a bit in order to get it all into the spray bottle.<br />
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You can add salt, tobacco, and vinegar to the solution also. The soap and oil make it stick to the insects and plants nicely. After a rain, you will need to make another application in order to keep your plants protected. This is a really nice, simple, and organic pest control solution. It can also double as a powdery mildew inhibitor.<br />
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Another recommended homemade insect spray:<br />
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2 parts rubbing alcohol<br />
5 parts water<br />
1 Tbsp of Dawn or Ivory Liquid dish soap<br />
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You can add salt, tobacco and/or cayenne to this one also. I have not used this one yet, because the other one is working well for me this year. <br />
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Now, if only I could find a really good homemade organic weed killer! Oh, I have heard and read about the one with vinegar, but then I read the fine print on several reputable sites. Vinegar WILL kill weeds fairly effectively, BUT it will also kill your grass, your petunias, and any other plant it comes in contact with, AND once it is in your soil, you will not be able to plant anything in that spot for several years and have it live! So, be forewarned about using vinegar as a weed killer, and use it carefully. Also, it works best at a higher concentration than is on your grocery shelf, according to what I have recently read. I think I will only use it on the grass and weeds coming up in cracks in my driveway and walkway.<br />
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Now, here is a great book on the subject of companion planting, just as the name suggests! I have downloaded quite a number of books to my Kindle trying to find some comprehensive information on this subject. I have gotten all them as a "free book of the day,' so I haven't wasted any thing but time with the others. I was disappointed in them all until I found this one, which I highly recommend to you, and it is available from Amazon.com. Don't let the use of the word "crop" in the title fool you into thinking it is for huge gardens only!<br />
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I am fascinated with the idea of planting certain plants next to each other for the benefit of one or both. Some plants are good for putting certain nutrition into the soil, and some attract bugs away from other plants, and some actually repel the bad bugs from surrounding plants. This book gives an extensive list of what goes with what, and for what reason. It also tells what should not be planted next to each other, and why. I always like to know why! <br />
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Last weekend, my fig trees were ready for harvesting to begin! This is the best year I have had so far for my two fig trees. I think that the cool June temps along with the abundant rains at the same time made them very happy to produce! They are about 10 years old, I think. I have done little to really cultivate them, and yet they have always given me something to enjoy despite my neglect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEafspeo8bI0CYL_oHAzqqY1Ap3V_7_Kd63ja5PP1FWEocfwX8v0mLJ-dbEkco8rt2qECaQbFl5VzFzQfdL3J1k0EmGw0RI3ec0MOHesi2BkoRdt3sN3286FUt3MhCMP4iIBi0F2b3cdI/s1600/053+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEafspeo8bI0CYL_oHAzqqY1Ap3V_7_Kd63ja5PP1FWEocfwX8v0mLJ-dbEkco8rt2qECaQbFl5VzFzQfdL3J1k0EmGw0RI3ec0MOHesi2BkoRdt3sN3286FUt3MhCMP4iIBi0F2b3cdI/s1600/053+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6L16iRdHrfNG6Tz3RCHBJxyUnfx3Yti58wDg5ttY44ghVPgA4UMfgov2FVL1Fv5ZNDfv5pe50B6oFRrZ9NM3hzEzqO-Cap-cQkYWs35rJNLhQI3Y6u3ERQd9GPbZu_XoAVHePheFf1Y/s1600/089+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6L16iRdHrfNG6Tz3RCHBJxyUnfx3Yti58wDg5ttY44ghVPgA4UMfgov2FVL1Fv5ZNDfv5pe50B6oFRrZ9NM3hzEzqO-Cap-cQkYWs35rJNLhQI3Y6u3ERQd9GPbZu_XoAVHePheFf1Y/s1600/089+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The first day's harvest yielded almost a bushel of the sweet things. I LOVE the various shades of browns, yellows, greens, purples and reds!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00ehLCL43EQJxNvzGE1f5XWim7_oDDx63vaDfagG3utrQkhMyt9rtG89FvAHaereGw8j-mV1mBZAsl4Ci__X90iE0PQraPLhmBl43ORVGMYXGtUx1007z3SFJmN9W6_IscKrfnx0RSfI/s1600/082+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00ehLCL43EQJxNvzGE1f5XWim7_oDDx63vaDfagG3utrQkhMyt9rtG89FvAHaereGw8j-mV1mBZAsl4Ci__X90iE0PQraPLhmBl43ORVGMYXGtUx1007z3SFJmN9W6_IscKrfnx0RSfI/s1600/082+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I found this little cutie on one of the fig tree branches. It is a walking stick (female, I think, from the size of</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">its abdomen), and it really is not so little! But it is cute, if you ask me ... I put it back right where I found</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">her/him. They are a Good Bug!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINO4nWq08A4_gQUrwawAstTT8y4fwGIPoHDtt1MxvSfvArQWUiS8SKNbNNmUUroCUeMw1X2pJiNb3VPAeQuCblUayW4iDVOmNNkzdli8PwRcfWnkMjawrn1yaSlZB-UpxgBZIPIh8EBw/s1600/004+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINO4nWq08A4_gQUrwawAstTT8y4fwGIPoHDtt1MxvSfvArQWUiS8SKNbNNmUUroCUeMw1X2pJiNb3VPAeQuCblUayW4iDVOmNNkzdli8PwRcfWnkMjawrn1yaSlZB-UpxgBZIPIh8EBw/s1600/004+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I traded some of my figs to Judy for some purple hull peas!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxc4ekkyOUwzEqgHtKvzI2Ekci-fX6va4G6e1RGuumvS1S7lj9wR4JeXaaZvEWFLrcoB48RiApLWJM7TxQYJW3ZQUt8OSw3RGMsCOXA9qqX4P4j_F4WDVSwrB4rSa2AnD-vNzR5GVeeU/s1600/008+%25281024x683%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxc4ekkyOUwzEqgHtKvzI2Ekci-fX6va4G6e1RGuumvS1S7lj9wR4JeXaaZvEWFLrcoB48RiApLWJM7TxQYJW3ZQUt8OSw3RGMsCOXA9qqX4P4j_F4WDVSwrB4rSa2AnD-vNzR5GVeeU/s1600/008+%25281024x683%2529.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Found this little guy all worn out from trying to get out of a rain bucket.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkf-SLtfXa_6bfpCXjkyIYMKBswr6cIUSkuAcVcXTHmGBKsOziIbyM8vhgmRSbZwnfajC-2kinzn4JmHo6DSAZWzjmc52fxFmIDSP09ULC98Fho0EfDihdDD8gyrGnOFMjYp-CAdWU5A/s1600/010+%25281024x682%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkf-SLtfXa_6bfpCXjkyIYMKBswr6cIUSkuAcVcXTHmGBKsOziIbyM8vhgmRSbZwnfajC-2kinzn4JmHo6DSAZWzjmc52fxFmIDSP09ULC98Fho0EfDihdDD8gyrGnOFMjYp-CAdWU5A/s1600/010+%25281024x682%2529.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I lifted him out and placed him on solid ground. Soon he was on his way to doing whatever toads do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope it is eating flies and bugs for me!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_W_Zd_KlL6ZjIwBdjFvEGNLqSwq474hK9GYP8F2EOa6JeJ2uqrbcEOh9l-5HohultDI_cXLHUMUeOQXSSSb49iiljZwT8pWi7LSO-3cP4vEZUzaf27FisK5tiL9JTcaTr1VojydrJkM/s1600/005+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_W_Zd_KlL6ZjIwBdjFvEGNLqSwq474hK9GYP8F2EOa6JeJ2uqrbcEOh9l-5HohultDI_cXLHUMUeOQXSSSb49iiljZwT8pWi7LSO-3cP4vEZUzaf27FisK5tiL9JTcaTr1VojydrJkM/s1600/005+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In my back yard, near the gate that goes out to the vegetable garden, is an old</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">arbor of crepe myrtles. I love how the bark peels back on the old trunks, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">creating designs in gray-green and brown.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfACwhLaN1b6c5I2QPfaD03CKrDnDY4skj1OS8WNLSpbGLJHOuBDuYHNKpFDWPGlLeJ3_ICANpVgyY1qRZkTMIE_i8IhBn9QEgE9donHIl5rjbkCRaV7YC5PHVSBDtdCI3yhJzx5LEzA4/s1600/006+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfACwhLaN1b6c5I2QPfaD03CKrDnDY4skj1OS8WNLSpbGLJHOuBDuYHNKpFDWPGlLeJ3_ICANpVgyY1qRZkTMIE_i8IhBn9QEgE9donHIl5rjbkCRaV7YC5PHVSBDtdCI3yhJzx5LEzA4/s1600/006+%2528768x1024%2529.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And look what I found on one of the lower branches! Another cicada shell!</span></td></tr>
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Oh! I have recently added to <a href="http://heartsongfarm.blogspot.com/p/haiku.html">MY HAIKU page</a> to help me make some sort of sense of things after the dog attack.<br />
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Well, that's about if for now from HeartSong Farm. Hope you are staying cool!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-80477294462872565112014-07-20T21:14:00.000-05:002014-07-20T21:14:07.148-05:00Vacation, Birthday and Gardening, oh my!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This month, I turned 65 while visiting in the New Orleans area with my dear friend, Debbie, whom I have known since 1977 when her</span> husband, Richard, was a young architect who came to work at the same firm where I was working<span style="font-family: inherit;">. In the last few years, we had both gotten caught up in our own daily dilemmas and lost touch, yet kept thoughts of each other in our hearts and minds. Recently, we "found" each other again, and i</span>t was wonderful!<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Things seem have calmed down a bit for the most part in both our lives, and it was decided that I would make a road trip to her home for a much-needed visit of catching up with each other, and of revisiting a part of the country that I had been away from for far too long. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The drive over the Atchafalaya Swamp just south of Lafayette brought back so many good memories of fishing, crawfishing, and camping, as well as collecting snakes and frogs for my husband's college herpetology class at Southwestern Louisiana in the first half of the 1970's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>I didn't take photos on my visit because we were just way too busy talking and sharing the entire time for me to remember to pick up my camera. <span style="font-family: inherit;">But, we did have a typical Fourth of July barbecue, N'Awlins style, with her family and friends down in the Garden District, and we drove down into the Lower Ninth Ward one day so that I could see for myself the aftermath of the destruction left by Katrina, and the rebuilding that is now going on there through private organizations like the Make It Right Foundation. There are still so many empty lots with concrete pads overgrown with grass, indicating places where families used to live and work and play, but there is also a large measure of Hope there, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Having spent the '70's and part of the '80's as an architectural drafts person</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, I was very interested in seeing for myself the innovative designs of the houses being constructed there. Most were modern takes on the old shotgun style of houses that had dominated the area prior to Katrina, but not all. And there was a riot of paint color everywhere! Bright yellows, oranges, pinks and blues. New Orleans is known for its colorful homes, and the new construction in the Lower Ninth Ward did not disappoint! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were lots of porches on houses built up off the ground, with parking underneath. Solar panels and geothermal HVAC units to save energy, porous concrete to allow rainwater to soak into the ground instead of building up and causing flooding, and water collection systems for cooling and landscaping, as well as many unseen "green" building innovations within in the homes themselves. Most of the houses were single units of about 1400 square feet, built so that former residents could safely and affordably return to where most had spent the majority of their lives before Katrina.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/379/Architecture-in-Times-of-Need-9783791342764.jpg" height="640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="462" /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Debbie and Richard got me this book as a souvenir. Cool, huh?!</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are interested in learning more about what is happening in the Lower Ninth Ward, and about the great work of the Make It Right Foundation, I highly recommend this book, which available on Amazon, both new and used.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I took off 6 days plus one holiday plus two weekends from work, all in a row. I spent part of the time at Debbie's home and the rest pretending I was already retired! One day I went to my friend Judy's home and we had a Sewing Day, which we do every now and again. This time, she worked on getting two quilts ready to go to the quilter, and </span>I used my new sewing machine for the first time to<span style="font-family: inherit;"> make little aromatic cedar bags out of some discarded quilt blocks to put in closets, drawers and in my ever-expanding fiber and yarn stashes in hopes of keeping pesky moths away. After sandwiches for lunch, we finished up our sewing projects, played with her puppies, and then went shopping at a local quilt shop and Tuesday Morning where I found a jar of Thai Green Curry and a wire colander for my kitchen. Judy is lots of fun to go shopping with and I don't do it often enough. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gB-HEUWDPAbhF5RXhbYZgH96FNEzjyCGaUgzJfDMFpOs0M9NEhFxxEXMLzNftlr1juHtnPwmNIXkfcJN4joeFvPw3S7SVzrn2xLqzDp0ga6TFSTvAc-JqwWwy7v3YqshWxQf2XHE8bc/s1600/099+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gB-HEUWDPAbhF5RXhbYZgH96FNEzjyCGaUgzJfDMFpOs0M9NEhFxxEXMLzNftlr1juHtnPwmNIXkfcJN4joeFvPw3S7SVzrn2xLqzDp0ga6TFSTvAc-JqwWwy7v3YqshWxQf2XHE8bc/s1600/099+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I bought myself a new sewing machine last year for Christmas, but am just now using it for the first time. I love it!</span></td></tr>
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While I was down in South Louisiana, the East Texas Heat finally turned on Big Time, and although Ben had watered as instructed, I came home to some devastation in the garden .... mainly the summer squashes. It seems that Spring and the entire month of June 2014 were too cool and wet to set much fruit, and then suddenly the rain stopped and the temps soared into high gear. I think I may need to replant and hope for a nice fall crop. I was so looking forward to yellow squash roasted in my oven with some spices and olive oil drizzled over the top.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The poor squashes! I moved them into an area where they got full sun for only half the day from now on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They seem to be doing better.</span></div>
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The eggplants continue to drop their blooms without setting fruit, too, but the tomatoes are doing very well. The peppers are growing and are almost ready to turn color, and I picked the first handful of okra on Sunday morning. The cotton, too, is blooming and starting to make some bolls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDhA12yDY67Y7yIvfPxHIcJLma7rbtKv5LkBqC_cwRE3_4vTi5B-4tLl6_feOvIgFLCEvTRdlt8JXKzIQpzGpgkAM6FjLq8Gls07Jwn79wcGz0sM71AaGzHIhEGgmdcLjkJ9CZE5vLRA/s1600/032+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFDhA12yDY67Y7yIvfPxHIcJLma7rbtKv5LkBqC_cwRE3_4vTi5B-4tLl6_feOvIgFLCEvTRdlt8JXKzIQpzGpgkAM6FjLq8Gls07Jwn79wcGz0sM71AaGzHIhEGgmdcLjkJ9CZE5vLRA/s1600/032+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I decided to move the pots of eggplant onto the back porch where they had about 6 hours of sun each day. This is where, two years ago, I had great success with them. They are feeling much better now!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">As you can see, the regular cukes, on the left, have won the challenge to get to </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">the top </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">of the </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">arch first!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZYaRogExws62YEg1rZKZ22L2RckV7E59h4QKn3jzO4Yk-Nf7qlZH0o02isT6gxHfc3cgzaELDe4nfJkSyutsnSxgxQSKDxiBKj2lhUNTVpx-nv9A_VSAbVc2AQE7n2JTJzRk6yHav_E/s1600/047+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZYaRogExws62YEg1rZKZ22L2RckV7E59h4QKn3jzO4Yk-Nf7qlZH0o02isT6gxHfc3cgzaELDe4nfJkSyutsnSxgxQSKDxiBKj2lhUNTVpx-nv9A_VSAbVc2AQE7n2JTJzRk6yHav_E/s1600/047+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Bees LOVE the cucumber flowers!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGUGkfPPEuoA9kBc0ceX5xUdKoa4WADbo_eFLsEUsTUHLlfhwNnfOj1gErSZwu5OUYVkyZQEJW4kce2ly74ZHiKgabUNbHb8mF3s2EVy2pOs92oqSIxYsJ76f3lOQDrHN9d_99Vvss_Q/s1600/050+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGUGkfPPEuoA9kBc0ceX5xUdKoa4WADbo_eFLsEUsTUHLlfhwNnfOj1gErSZwu5OUYVkyZQEJW4kce2ly74ZHiKgabUNbHb8mF3s2EVy2pOs92oqSIxYsJ76f3lOQDrHN9d_99Vvss_Q/s1600/050+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My idea that the cukes would hang down from the arch for easy picking seems</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">to have worked! They are easier to see grown this way, too.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAQ6Gcd7X3laRe-zmQZirarVKRx7_M9lglZbANn71IO-zjNGeMAQV2tst_edgih4h_B5NqfudLmJBift4sG1SFIM8EalGDDKVtlwBjUCw8DJ4do5P6WAfF8BzQUf2yeEDkQGxS9XjdV8/s1600/048+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAQ6Gcd7X3laRe-zmQZirarVKRx7_M9lglZbANn71IO-zjNGeMAQV2tst_edgih4h_B5NqfudLmJBift4sG1SFIM8EalGDDKVtlwBjUCw8DJ4do5P6WAfF8BzQUf2yeEDkQGxS9XjdV8/s1600/048+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Look closely and you will see three of the lemon cucumbers hiding in the leaves.</span></td></tr>
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The regular cucumbers are doing well enough, but these new types are really impressing me ... the lemon cucumbers! The instructions said to pick them when they were yellow and about the size of a tennis ball. Well, none have turned yellow so far, but I have picked several that were the size indicated or larger, and I am here to tell you that they are delicious! They are crisp with tiny seeds, and the flavor has more depth with just a hint of sweetness. I am really thinking of planting only these in my future gardens.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYhzhA5LZ2NksXOJjZCD2PA7WR2O6IlYQ6GYZ7iiDyOeKOAxylGJalMwfO-AbEFy85pI7wr6zmk3kNY_8n4I3ds0OIHL-myvF04aq8p-mxtClMeeamfkeHbLSFh1Rv6kc5-Cu4ClCeeQ/s1600/026+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYhzhA5LZ2NksXOJjZCD2PA7WR2O6IlYQ6GYZ7iiDyOeKOAxylGJalMwfO-AbEFy85pI7wr6zmk3kNY_8n4I3ds0OIHL-myvF04aq8p-mxtClMeeamfkeHbLSFh1Rv6kc5-Cu4ClCeeQ/s1600/026+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Okra and lemon cucumbers</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PKQom2-jkxJuz_i2l6E3NSjPOpZCMrW2lxrLXFz7M7gHZVR9aRuq01NEbytXNHT5GoVjZKNJWXAfPZpDDqv28QeUy_EXAe-Nm96t8TBK1czlaUJ5fLTwLu09QoeRTCcy0dbrUgmRBuU/s1600/097+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PKQom2-jkxJuz_i2l6E3NSjPOpZCMrW2lxrLXFz7M7gHZVR9aRuq01NEbytXNHT5GoVjZKNJWXAfPZpDDqv28QeUy_EXAe-Nm96t8TBK1czlaUJ5fLTwLu09QoeRTCcy0dbrUgmRBuU/s1600/097+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The inside of the lemon cucumber is very similar to the inside of a honeydew or cantaloupe!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KzBwx3Qa3kM0jahjgQD_Cfb1jw9byAJxUykvMD6Qzu6w1g-htH-dYsLmj-RYALysxI3clYrg9y7ekmntFD6YOlHv6IlEzaozBigXYek2okFa3BpzAa6StsNwiTT6jkl2nj_fI5-uoeY/s1600/012+(768x1024).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KzBwx3Qa3kM0jahjgQD_Cfb1jw9byAJxUykvMD6Qzu6w1g-htH-dYsLmj-RYALysxI3clYrg9y7ekmntFD6YOlHv6IlEzaozBigXYek2okFa3BpzAa6StsNwiTT6jkl2nj_fI5-uoeY/s1600/012+(768x1024).jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A recent harvest</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSCXNXsxdYZqkzj_vsH2yl9A9HZ2A2aeuc2fxAIipy59g8I6tFg8r_e8sH-72gOl3V0NdeLMbSxDhG4pvMQFEEkUoYx8LEwm0Tb4YLOYZkM7LbHSuydDLAfE7k6ZEzDKnivpLrzwKj28/s1600/010+(1024x768).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSCXNXsxdYZqkzj_vsH2yl9A9HZ2A2aeuc2fxAIipy59g8I6tFg8r_e8sH-72gOl3V0NdeLMbSxDhG4pvMQFEEkUoYx8LEwm0Tb4YLOYZkM7LbHSuydDLAfE7k6ZEzDKnivpLrzwKj28/s1600/010+(1024x768).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">These little beauties are "Matt's Wild Cherry" tomatoes, but they are really only as big as small grapes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They are very sweet and prolific! Easy to just wash and toss into a salad.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">They grow in clusters just like grapes.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">They are a bit delicate. You have to be careful when picking them as they tend to</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">split open easily. Usually, when that happens, I just pop them in my mouth right </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">then and there. It is okay because I have grown them chemical free.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Four of the five types of tomatoes I have in my garden this year. Left to right: Marglobe VF, Ozark Pink VF, and Celebrity, with Matt's Wild Cherry in the front.</span></td></tr>
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Recently, I caught Max Steed, "Security Cat", keeping watch over my garden. This may explain why I have had no damage from any of the cottontails that live in the brier patches out front and in the woods beyond the back pasture. I have seen the wild bunnies out and about, but so far they have not dined on any of my precious veggies. I must remember to put a bit of something extra in Max's food bowl for a job well done!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Good boy, Max! You are a good Watch Kitty!</span></td></tr>
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There have been three definite failures in my garden this year: the Moon & Stars watermelon (of which only one sprouted but it never made it's second set of leaves even after hanging on for a month after emergence), the Malabar Spinach (which never, ever sprouted though I replanted a second time, but the seeds had come from a friend who wasn't real confident about them in the first place), and the icicle radishes (which was totally my fault because I planted them too late and did not direct sow as directed!). I don't count the yellow squash as a failure, just a huge disappointment.<br />
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Did you know that watermelons have both male and female flowers?! That was news to me, too, until I read a short book on growing fruit recently. The book also said you really can grow full size pineapples from planting the tops of those you buy in the produce aisle of the grocery store. It may take 24 months to accomplish, but it can be done! May give it a go when I get my greenhouse.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">One of several cicada shells I have found this summer.</span></td></tr>
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Have you noticed how loud the cicadas are this summer? What's up with that? Did more than one batch hatch? Do you love to discover the empty cicada shells on tree trunks and such? I do! Along with catching fireflies and walking barefoot in thick St. Augustine grass, cicadas were an integral part of my childhood, and will always reside in a special corner of my heart! What brings back memories of summertime's past to you?<br />
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Last but not least, the pit bulls were seen in the neighbor's backyard late Sunday morning as I went out to do some yard work along my driveway. As usual, they barked and growled at me the entire time, but I was prepared with my pepper spray just in case they got out from under their fence! It reminded me, however, that a month has gone by and I still have my medical bills, my scars, and my dead llama, and the neighbor's still have their dogs. There has been no response to the demand letter from my attorney. "The System" says that it is really my fault because I did not shoot them the second time they got into my yard in April. No one ever said Life was fair, but a bit of Justice now and then would be nice, I think.</div>
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Right now, it is very hot and dry here on HeartSong Farm!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-85420096530813918912014-06-29T22:47:00.000-05:002014-07-01T14:13:35.968-05:00Restoration of the Peace<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, the lovely Peace and Tranquility of HeartSong Farm was violently disturbed by the savage and murderous attack on my sweet young llama, Jagger, followed by an attack </span>on me <span style="font-family: inherit;">the very next day</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by the same dogs as I walked to my mailbox. First shock, then anger, then a constant state of anger/shock took over my whole being until the following Sunday afternoon when I realized I could not let these feelings </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">hijack me and erase everything I had worked so hard to create here in my own little piece of the World.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">RESOLVED: I will not allow the Evil That This Was to take control of my Joyful Existence here on HeartSong Farm. If I do, then the irresponsible neighbors win, and I lose. I lose not only my Joy, Peace, Tranquility and Way of Life, but I will have allowed myself to be victimized one more time, and I will have lost my True Self. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel like this has been a test by the Universe to see if I really have learned to stand up for myself, and my Self. To see if I have really grown past the mental and emotional abuse that was my marriage, as I claim to have done. A karmic reality test, mayhap?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Those first five days after Jagger's tormented death were spent in sleepless shock. Thankfully, a week from the attack on me I woke up almost completely restored to my feeling of peace and tranquility after days of reaching out toward the strength and truth that would make that feeling happen. Emails and phone calls from friends during the traumatic week helped me so much in regaining the wonderful atmosphere of my beloved HeartSong Farm. Friends are definitely a Necessity of Life, aren't they?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">During that initial week following the attacks, I tried to find joy in my garden and with my remaining llamas. I found I couldn't sit still long enough to find it. Restless and unfocused </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">a</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">t that point, weeding and cultivating and watering my garden was a chore instead of a pleasure. And so the weeds had somewhat of a reprieve. Fortunately, we had quite a few nice rains, so that my lack of watering did not cause any harm to my vegetable plants. I also had to keep my wounds clean and free from dust and dirt, so shearing the final two llamas was out of the question, as was mowing the yard. Hanging my clothes on the line did little to lift my spirits, and I didn't even notice the heat and humidity coming through my open windows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this time, however, I can share that I have finally and successfully put all those negative feelings behind me, and I am once again at peace .... or at least 98% at peace .... I still have a twinge of fear several times a day, but the anger is gone and the fear that is left will just keep me on my toes, and will fade in time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>M<span style="font-family: inherit;">y longtime friend, </span>Debbie,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> ordered Ben and me some pepper spray canisters from Amazon.com, and they arrived on the 19th with a message to "carry these and use them". Yes, ma'am, I responded! She said she likes my attitude!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My very own pepper spray, ready to use!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And for the time being, all is quiet on the Western Front, where the dogs and their owners live with their children. I was notified by animal control that the male dog had been released to the owners on the tenth day after the attack, with no evidence of rabies. Nice to know! I received my copy of the attorney's letter to the neighbors and it is eloquently written. It states the facts succinctly, and is in no way combative or antagonistic. It states that they should not have contact with me about the situation, that I want to be reimbursed for my bills, and the pain and suffering of my young llama, and requires that the two dogs responsible be removed from the premises since nothing had been done to remedy the situation of the dogs getting out when I had originally requested it several times and several months ago. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have not seen either of the pit bulls in almost a week now, but I have heard dogs whining and yelping from inside the neighbors' home several times at night. The people have mowed their lawn three times since returning from vacation (we haven't finished once!) but, since early this week, Ben and I have seen absolutely no outside activity over there at all. We are grateful for the peace and quiet!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">SO ..... are you ready for what is happening otherwise around here?! I sure am ready to change the subject!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">First harvest of 2014 Summer Season! Two zucchinis, two patty pan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">squash and one long bean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Amidst all the drama around here with the pit bulls and their owners, that first week I was out in the garden only long enough to harvest the first veggies of the season. At first I thought that I had left this zucchini on the vine a bit too long, but this variety of zucchini naturally grows much larger than the little skinny ones we see in the grocery. I sliced these up and sauteed them with some purple onion and olive oil, then garnished it with grated Parmesan cheese and some slivered Greek basil from my garden. Talk about yummy! I later roasted the other squashes with a garlic, sea salt and olive oil drizzle in my little toaster oven and they were quite tasty, too. Bring on the veggies, I say! I am ready to enjoy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The second harvest, last weekend: beans, basil,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">tomatoes, </span>patty pan<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> squashes, and the first yellow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">squash of the season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Yesterday's harvest: crisp corn salad greens, a</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Today's harvest was a few more beans, some Thai and purple basil,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">a mess of chard. This became my supper alongside some</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> new</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">potatoes from my friend Judy's garden, and a small batch of the shelled</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">asparagus beans.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Shelled asparagus beans. They seem to go through several color</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">stages as they grow in the pod. The smallest looking much like a</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">black-eyed pea, then turning red, and finally black at the largest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The asparagus beans are really growing fast now, and each measures about 26 inches in length. I have discovered that you can either harvest them to eat as green beans, or wait a day or two and harvest them as shelling beans. </span>I have already shared with you that one of my favorite things to do is hang clothes on the line to dry. Well, another one of those favorite things is to shell peas and beans! <br />
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I do not know exactly why these activities bring me such joy, but they do. I feel the same way when I am spinning, weaving and working with fibers and fabrics, as well as chopping and cooking in the kitchen. They seem to cause me to stop and breathe slowly and experience what is going on around me, and to appreciate the little things that I love so much. The hectic pace of the world seems to slow down, and I am in a world of my own.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQF9HF2cHzstYSDCKBeEojjwHV7N83HwmGATfXiCYhL9_Cebhdy4lj4fG5cGNXp2B42OHgX2rVk-ZT1l_w7NRHdG88LnRI27YqOmTOFD_C0rGLPtZZtHx2U8ha1b9hTTGvhs8uJOrEjtA/s1600/059+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQF9HF2cHzstYSDCKBeEojjwHV7N83HwmGATfXiCYhL9_Cebhdy4lj4fG5cGNXp2B42OHgX2rVk-ZT1l_w7NRHdG88LnRI27YqOmTOFD_C0rGLPtZZtHx2U8ha1b9hTTGvhs8uJOrEjtA/s1600/059+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Blossom of the asparagus bean. They bloom early morning, and by</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">noon they have closed up. The bees love them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I harvested my garlic and was pleased enough with the results considering that I planted cloves from garlic bought at the grocery store just to see what would happen. They are drying out on my back porch for a week or so in order for them to cure before using them. I knew that the possibility of getting a large harvest was far less using the grocery store garlic due to the probability that they were a hybrid that would not reproduce well, if at all. This is something that can be avoided by purchasing "sets" from a seed supply company. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtOVnpt6ZlBj7wc3_EOAHQJ46r_iZSvbhpMRw7Djxj5YfwbwQu9J1q3jERYnHSDsdgBy0mwftqcK2C1NR0B8fQUeMwzxmEgUdUv3qILM_e94nJo7N0fu4MV_kUXLUCfFa-Pzfg6LQq4I/s1600/027+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtOVnpt6ZlBj7wc3_EOAHQJ46r_iZSvbhpMRw7Djxj5YfwbwQu9J1q3jERYnHSDsdgBy0mwftqcK2C1NR0B8fQUeMwzxmEgUdUv3qILM_e94nJo7N0fu4MV_kUXLUCfFa-Pzfg6LQq4I/s1600/027+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">First ever garlic harvest on HeartSong Farm</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the fall, I will order and plant garlic sets, and that way I will be sure of what I will harvest come this time next year. I can then save some of the smaller buds or cloves from that harvest to continue my year to year plantings. I must say, though, that the garlic I planted last fall was very easy to grow and if you have just a little bit of space for growing anything, and don't want to invest in purchased sets, it is well worth having fun growing some garlic from the grocery for yourself! You can grow them in pots as well as the ground.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A new and quite interesting friend came visiting two Saturday afternoons ago to pick up some of my "rogue" chaste trees that the bees and butterflies love on my farm. </span>When Ellen arrived she said she would "just be here for 30 minutes, tops." But two hours later, we were still having a wonderful time on the back porch sipping iced tea, swatting flies, and sharing stories before she left with 8 little trees to take home and plant for the bees! <span style="font-family: inherit;"> We met through a mutual friend on Facebook. Thanks, "Gracie Lou!" And thanks, Ellen, for planting more trees for the bees! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFrcaqYnGaAvZ2eXbqnX8rQgjygAibRcD_-KgJcUkNaUUje0hn-zw8UQdPoVCpzXn7Yu6dJqOJyrPVcE2NGL7uwcRVjg87hYjJ56OuBZU7uigFcOz9yzFNvpmevLxzvZpyXTAYtatx30/s1600/033+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFrcaqYnGaAvZ2eXbqnX8rQgjygAibRcD_-KgJcUkNaUUje0hn-zw8UQdPoVCpzXn7Yu6dJqOJyrPVcE2NGL7uwcRVjg87hYjJ56OuBZU7uigFcOz9yzFNvpmevLxzvZpyXTAYtatx30/s1600/033+%25281024x768%2529.jpg" height="451" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Crepe myrtles and the original chaste tree, quite large now. You cannot see, but all of the above are just </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">covered with honey bees, bumble bees, and several other varieties of bees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One of the "rogue" chaste trees that pop up in my </span><span style="font-size: small;">yard near the original tree.</span></div>
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Readers, are you doing your part for the bees? They need us! They really do. On HeartSong Farm, two of the current bee attractions are the chaste tree and the crepe myrtles. Butterflies are also attracted to these popular trees. Why not plant some in your yard to help attract and sustain our winged visitors?! A list of bee-loving plants is forthcoming here on my blog, but for the time being you can "google" and discover them for yourself. Be careful, however, where you purchase your plants! I suggest to get them from a friend, neighbor, farmers market or a plant nursery because the major retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's (yes, my dear sweet Lowe's!) have plants that are treated with a substance that kills bees along with the actual pests the substance is touted to keep out of your garden! Be wary! Without bees there would be no pollination, and with no pollination, no good veggies to enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chaste trees can be kept small and bush-like, or allowed to grow as tall as they can, which you can see is quite tall. It is best to trim them during the fall if you wish to keep them small. They grow very quickly, and they have a second, smaller bloom in August. I got my original one at the end of the season in 2001 at Sutherlands for $1.19 with no tag and no one knew what it was! What a deal, huh?!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVa6F-jUghdMRmAev4NYKKfZro7GOR8Q8q8o_G00AS3lJSK73ZhbhB3zQBjeRzJZl3UeS4B0D-wOdzXhB32iEKhftLhvKaM9JdNYRv5nY9dSRKJYmPXgB902cOpBfPidlgGe8HjgUA3o/s1600/001+%25281024x748%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVa6F-jUghdMRmAev4NYKKfZro7GOR8Q8q8o_G00AS3lJSK73ZhbhB3zQBjeRzJZl3UeS4B0D-wOdzXhB32iEKhftLhvKaM9JdNYRv5nY9dSRKJYmPXgB902cOpBfPidlgGe8HjgUA3o/s1600/001+%25281024x748%2529.jpg" height="466" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Butterfly on one of the small chaste trees in the pasture. I should know the name of this winged lovely, but I can't think of it right now!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tried to capture a photo of a Giant Swallowtail but it kept moving away from me, a bit wary of the human with her camera!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">During this past week, I also spotted a kingfisher on an overhead line next to a large pond near the highway. Folks, I was overjoyed at the sight! These interesting birds are solitary, and when I first moved here in 1998, I regularly saw one on my way to and from town. After Hurricane Rita blew through here in 2005, I no longer saw it, and I was so sad. So, this sighting has brought me immense joy to know that they have returned to my environment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">AND, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have finally finished getting everything sorted out, filled out, applied for, and received, and I am now 100% ready to be on Medicare come July 1st. It is a Rite of Passage, don't you know, and I am excited. And, only 24 months to Retirement, Glorious Retirement!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so, thankfully, Life is getting back to normal here on HeartSong Farm....</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07214093454006569715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5599201026974545549.post-10194335454615561162014-06-13T13:07:00.001-05:002014-11-19T10:22:06.532-06:00And then I was attacked<div style="text-align: justify;">
The day after my sweet llama friend, Jagger, was attacked and killed, I was attacked by the same dogs as I walked to the mailbox in the morning before leaving for work. By chance, I had my camera with me because I had been in my garden taking a few photos. I caught the dogs red-handed on my property and coming towards me as I stood stock-still in my driveway.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaZS6yXmpImQZ6EVXeUYJXRpxphzngodVi37b0rF1m5VarshLl4eGhG9A0Aew4tiV7sbjRTg0EpK27_u9GIf8CG19YeK6nv4D-R-OJY-5NFb19vRM73eePLQeXhbWDFuF3U2c3VmfSZQ/s1600/dogs+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaZS6yXmpImQZ6EVXeUYJXRpxphzngodVi37b0rF1m5VarshLl4eGhG9A0Aew4tiV7sbjRTg0EpK27_u9GIf8CG19YeK6nv4D-R-OJY-5NFb19vRM73eePLQeXhbWDFuF3U2c3VmfSZQ/s1600/dogs+1.jpg" height="640" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This is what appeared from the property to the left in this photo which belongs<br />to the absent owners of these two dogs. They seemed to appear out of nowhere<br />as I started down my driveway to the mailbox. Can you hear the background<br />music from some old western??! (Sorry I tend to make stupid jokes when I am<br />upset, angry, or scared.)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Close up of the dogs in my driveway.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioQ6hjgvJxcoXO8JxeKHF4WMiPEZFurUTVyjn8mri_56DcQyZj200SI7uMRHGoQrqzg7rvi1DkQLKgi8xNHQzTGgrJXIA19LrTb10i4EbTUVejqLws0epCjTqckpVMJs3MG8lSiJIFkM/s1600/dogs+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhioQ6hjgvJxcoXO8JxeKHF4WMiPEZFurUTVyjn8mri_56DcQyZj200SI7uMRHGoQrqzg7rvi1DkQLKgi8xNHQzTGgrJXIA19LrTb10i4EbTUVejqLws0epCjTqckpVMJs3MG8lSiJIFkM/s1600/dogs+3.jpg" height="640" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Close up of the male dog.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pz3L09NnuGJnO56iuLHCp_atglIV5coGms-HLleYXytLUkxJgGhJe3mlWCq3ncsykvaso_0csEahLG4XGHTO874dOtDg4LySm8HC4idWIqyhX5qgTi5L9-iidPBUA0d4QIZO1tfzzI8/s1600/dogs+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8pz3L09NnuGJnO56iuLHCp_atglIV5coGms-HLleYXytLUkxJgGhJe3mlWCq3ncsykvaso_0csEahLG4XGHTO874dOtDg4LySm8HC4idWIqyhX5qgTi5L9-iidPBUA0d4QIZO1tfzzI8/s1600/dogs+4.jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I noticed the first time I looked at these photos that the female, on the right at this point, is nursing puppies! Great, even more of them next door, and small enough to get under the fence Really Easily! You can tell that I have not moved one step in their direction. I stood stock still. It seems to me in this photo that they are communicating to each other that they will attack. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">They then switched positions, female on left, male on right.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This was taken seconds before the male, on the right, attacked. You cannot imagine how quickly he</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">went from this position to biting my forearm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">My wounds before my visit to the urgent care center where</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I received stitches and antibiotics for puncture wounds. You</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">can see bruises and swelling already happening in the 30 mins.</span></div>
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since the attack.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The animal control unit picked up the male for observation yesterday, but ONLY because he did not have a rabies tag. In ten days he will be returned to the owner if he doesn't show signs of rabies. If they had found the dog had an up-to-date rabies tag, he would not have been impounded, but left in the yard. Unbelievable, right?! How ludicrous is that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The owners of the dogs are out of town and the dogs are on their own, except that once a day a relative of the owners comes by to check on them. He happened to be there when the animal control came to get the male. According to animal control, this relative's concern was if this would go to court or not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I confirmed this morning with my real estate attorney boss that it is not that I don't have rights, I just don't like the rights that the law gives me. I have two choices: 1) Take care of the problem when they get on my property again, ie: poison or shooting. (This is if I see them and hopefully before they do any more attacking.) or 2) Take the neighbors to civil court. (This could take months and expense for me. Meanwhile the dogs are still there and could attack again.) </span></span>Law Enforcement can only warn the owners because this is not considered a criminal act. They have not warned them yet, however. <span style="font-family: inherit;">My boss' gut reaction yesterday when I came to work with my injuries was that I need to shoot the dogs as soon as possible!. When I said I didn't have a gun, he replied, Well, get one! (Like what is wrong with you, for heaven's sake!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Either way, I would run the risk of retaliation by the neighbors. I have no rights other than those two. I would not take pleasure in killing the dogs. Sorry, I just can't do that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the local newspaper today, the incident report was printed:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Animal problem. 200 block of Katy Drive. Deputies told a woman that she has the right to defend herself and her animals after she felt threatened by a neighbor's loose dogs."</span></div>
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Yep, that was the incident report in its entirety. And my house is on Hwy 7. So is the dog owners. Katy Drive is a little road that runs on one side of the owners house. And I was not told I had the right to defend myself by this deputy constable. Sorry, not true! I was told that 12 years ago when I called the constable about a previous neighbor whose pit bulls were chasing my llamas in their pastures. But this deputy did not inform me of this. </div>
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I didn't make the headline of the police report for today, however, but this did:</div>
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"MAN BLAMES HOUSE DAMAGE ON GOAT."</div>
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There was no mention of my llama being killed. I guess my expectations are just too much, and if I am going to continue to live here, I need to continue to lower them in order to remain sane. My attorney boss is getting noticeably frustrated with me for not accepting the reality of my situation. It is a good thing that it is Friday, and the weekend is coming up. I feel like I might explode!<br />
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I plan to put my photos of the incidents on a flashdrive, take them to CVS and get them printed this weekend. Then I plan to take the photos and a flyer and go door to door down Katy Drive and talk to my neighbors. I will leave a flyer if they do not answer the door. I feel obligated to warn them of the potential danger to their children this summer since the Authorities to do not seem to be concerned. I will take a golf club with me. I am told they make really good weapons. Just ask Tiger Wood's ex-wife! (Sorry, inappropriate humor again.)</div>
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Here at HeartSong Farm, I am once more wondering why we can't just all get along and do the right thing?</div>
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