A New Family is at the Ranch

At first the female Great White Heron just showed up to hang 

out with the ducks which live on the pond at the ranch.

 

I saw her more and more frequently, but 

it was always difficult to catch a picture. 

 

Then looking out the kitchen window, I saw her again, 

along with three smaller versions of the Mama!

She has had three baby chicks which she 

had taken out of the nest for their first outing!

This May Sound a Bit Conceited...

I do have the most beautiful Christmas tree!  Make that the most beautiful Christmas tree in the whole wide world!

 

See the cute little white pony on the far left of the tree?

                                                           

There are so many bears in there, and a little gray cat with a fluffy black bow!

I love the little fisherman nutcracker, and 

believe it or not, that penguin can sing!

I love the butterfly ornament in this one, and the bear dressed in lace!

THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING!

THE CHURCHES ARE SILENT.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/27/a-global-slaughter-of-christians-but-america-s-churches-stay-silent.html

THE MEDIA IS SILENT.

http://www.thecommentator.com/article/3079/christians_slaughtered_world_yawns


THE WHITE HOUSE IS SILENT.

 http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147539915



A WAY TO SUPPORT THE MARTYRED.
 
 http://frrme.org/

This is It, Will She, or Will She Not Herd That Armadillo?

You Know What They Say About Talking Softly, Carry a Big Stick! Patti Part II

This little dog that I found abandoned can be such a trial. She is an Australian Shepherd, and is so full of energy, so intelligent, and so devoted to me, I am afraid she is going to trip me as I go down the stairs, as she tries to walk so closely to me.  Her name is Patriot, Patti for short. I found her abandoned with two siblings at a local cafe after church one day. She chews up every thing, steals jalapeno peppers from the garden and eats them, chases the kittens, the ducks, the old dog Ginger, Rocket, our little goat, and the miniature horses, (she has learned better on that one, they kick.) She torments the chickens, rabbits, and pigs, even though they are in pens she can't get in. She delights in running up and hitting the chicken wire, and bouncing off, causing what ever is on the other side to squeal, cluck, or dart in terror and panic. (I think the hens are laying fewer eggs because she keeps them so agitated.) When I found the garden dug up, holes dug all over the yard, and I mean all over the yard, she got the blame. Then I saw Patti alerting on something at the edge of the woods. It was an armadillo, and I suddenly knew what was trying to dig into the chicken pen. Armadillos love eggs! I also understood Patti had been falsely accused about the digging in the garden... However, although she is very brave when she chases and herds kittens, not so much so when she has to herd an armadillo. I promised to post two more videos on my blog to tell, "the rest of the story."  We had been unable to gently poke the armadillo with a stick found on the ground and tried poking her little hard shell with, to get her to mosey on along, as I have found where she was trying to dig into my chicken pen, as well as all over the place.  There are about 5-6 inch deep holes everywhere near the garden.  As I said, I had just assumed Patti did it. Armadillos are notorious for this kind of behavior as they love grub worms and such. If Patti will learn to bark at and hassle the armadillo, she will move back into the woods.  So here as I promised, our next effort, a BIG stick.

  

And so the saga continues... Will Patti prevail?  Will she overcome her fear, and herd Jasmine back to the woods where she came from?  Only the Green Lantern... knows ... wait a minute... that is the rest of another story...

Patti Is Learning to Herd... and Practicing on Armadillos!

This little dog that I found abandoned can be such a trial. She is an Australian Shepherd, and is so full of energy, so intelligent, and so devoted to me, I am afraid she is going to trip me as I go down the stairs, as she tries to walk so closely to me.  Her name is Patriot, Patti for short. I found her abandoned with two siblings at a local cafe after church one day. She chews up every thing, steals jalapeno peppers from the garden and eats them, chases the kittens, the ducks, the old dog, Ginger, Rocket, our little goat, and the miniature horses, (she has learned better on that one, they kick.)  She torments the chickens, rabbits, and pigs, even though they are in pens she can't get in. She delights in running up and hitting the chicken wire, and bouncing off, causing what ever is on the other side to squeal, cluck, or dart in terror and panic. (I think the hens are laying fewer eggs because she keeps them so agitated.) When I found the garden dug up, holes dug all over the yard, and I mean all over the yard, she got the blame. Then I saw Patti alerting on something at the edge of the woods. It was an armadillo, and I suddenly knew what was trying to dig into the chicken pen. Armadillos love eggs! I also understood Patti had been falsely accused about the digging in the garden... However, although she is very brave when she chases and herds kittens, not so much so when she has to herd an armadillo. I had promised to post two more videos on my blog to tell, "the rest of the story."  We had been unable to gently poke the armadillo with a stick found on the ground and tried poking her little hard shell with, to get her to mosey on along, as I have found where she was trying to dig into my chicken pen, as well as all over the place.  There are about 5-6 inch deep holes everywhere near the garden.  As I said, I had just assumed Patti did it. Armadillos are notorious for this kind of behavior as they love grub worms and such. If Patti will learn to bark at and hassle the armadillo, she will move back into the woods.  So here as I promised, our next effort, a BIG stick.

 

And so the saga continues... Will Patti prevail?  Will she overcome her fear, and herd Jasmine back to the woods where she came from?  Only the Green Latern... knows ... wait a minute... that is the rest of another story...

Another of My Favorite Rooms

When I first told Randy I wanted to paint a bedroom purple he raised an eyebrow, and said, "Debra, this is a ranch..."  I told him, "trust me," and he did.  He likes the room too, but it is mainly a room for the grand-daughters, they fight over who will get to stay in what has become called, "the carrousel room."

I keep the little carrousel on top of the  armoire, so it cannot be explored by little hands that might not understand how fragile it is.

I bought the little carrousel on sale a Lowes about 20 years back at Christmas time, and the little figurines are from the Dollar Store.  I have had them as long as I have had the carrousel.  All of the little children portrayed by the figurines are looking up, and when I saw them, I knew they were perfect accent pieces, as they are perfectly proportioned.





The bed is an antique reproduction I bought when we moved to the ranch. I made the form which holds the dressing above the bed.  The floral print is another of my favorite possessions.

There is a couch in this bedroom as well.  and it is very comfortable, and when you have enough company, three of the grand-children can sleep in this room.

I love this antique chest I bought for $25.  That old gilded mirror is so heavy I like to have never gotten it hung.  The closet is built out into the room, so it makes a nice little niche for this little table and lamp.

The print  hanging above it was a gift from my oldest daughter Amie.  It is a favorite of mine.  As you can tell the purple is a very soft color, and I think it works well in the room.

                
This photo of the couch with the puzzle put together and framed above it is in exactly the colors to compliment the room and the rest of its furnishings, but looks a little too blue in this photo.  The puzzle is a mural of carrousel horses in different shade of blue and purple.

The rug beside the bed was a gift from Randy from Afghanistan which for that reason, I truly love. 

Above the closet there is space where I can display items, and that is what makes all the grand-daughters love this room so.  I have placed a small collection of vintage dolls and bears there, along with another piece that goes with the theme of this room.  It is a horse from an old miniature carrousel.

This room too is one I love to clean and make ready for Randy's home coming and the company we will be having.  Children and women love staying in this room, especially those with a child's heart. 

Getting the Barbie Barn Ready for Halloween

Just a little sewing will make something special, like a pirate Arggg!!!

The Best Photo I Made This Summer

It was during a rain, right at sunset, looking down our road to where it meets the highway, from our house.  I captured the rain drops as they were falling, ad the eery light almost makes it look like a black and white photo.  The goose in the corner just makes the photo I think.  

Where There is a Will, There is a Way

As you can see, Brenda and I have been hard at work fixing the baby bunnie problem.  An extensive program to find homes for the ten, make that nine, Brenda finally agreed to let her grand-daughter have one, bunnies has begun in earnest!  This is just three of the special Easter Baskets we have created to sell while we find good homes for the rabbits, and to draw traffic in.  As a matter of a fact, we have now added baby chicks, ducks, and geese to our entrepreneurial endeavor on behalf of the rabbits.  More details to follow!