I Watched the Sun Rise This Morning

At first I watched from the back porch, there was a heavy mist, and it was awhile before I thought I could photograph the pasture.  I now wish I had captured the fog lying heavy over the land.  I will be up early and ready in the morning to do that.

But Chance didn't mind the fog, and raced down to the horse pen where he always follows Randy when he is home.  I can't mention Randy's name too much, or Chance starts whining and lays in such a pitiful way with his head down on his paws.  I know in those moments just how he feels.  Randy makes everything so much fun.  It is such a sorrowful look he gets on his face when he thinks of missing Randy.

Click to see the rest of the morning's images.  Blogger tells me in order to load my blog quickly, my posts must have page breaks.

I Delight in Finding Google+ Pages Like This!

Look this guy's page up it you value nutrition 

coupled with beautiful culinary art!

Look at

+Cedrick Niles 

Also look at 

+Sherldine Tomlinson 

They have good information and yummy stuff!

The presentations of the food are beautiful!

Makes me want to go to my garden 

pick stuff, and gather the eggs!  

Be Still

No matter how difficult the life situation, all I have to do at Soldier's Heart is go outside and be still... there is a beautiful Bible verse that says, "Be still and know that I am God." The birds here offer a constant concert to the Lord, they sing of his love, power, and amazing grace. We live in a corridor that goes from the top of the planet to the bottom, birds as well as butterflies travel this space, and many live here. It is amazing to me how tame wild birds become. Cardinals always follow me to the back pasture to feed the horses, they are waiting rather impatiently for theirs. They fuss and chatter, always wanting their free meal. They love the bird baths, the feeders, and the bird houses, and sing of their joy constantly.

Beautiful Wild Flowers and an Old House Down the Road

What a beautiful spring and summer!

Why Do They Call Them Blue Bonnets

Every Spring Texas has blue bonnets!  They are our State flower, and thanks to the work of Lady Bird Johnson, they grow everywhere.  Some Springs have more rain than others, and in those years,  the Blue Bonnets are even more spectacular growing along the road sides.  This is one of those years!

There are banks of them on the side of every road, highway,

 and in every other corner and place in the State!

OK, Guess!

There are two!   One is in the upper right corner.  See it now?

These are female cardinals.

I HAD SO MUCH FUN ON THE SOUTHERN BELLE SHOWBOAT!

She is a huge water craft, over two million pounds, and they built her right there on the side of the lake.  When it was time to launch this beauty, they didn't want to use anything that would pollute the lake to slide the boat in, so they used tons of bananas...  That's right, they slid the vessel in on bananas!

The views were to die for from the brow of the boat!

                                                                                     
The two giant paddle wheels are a
bright red, and an engineering marvel in their own right!  The inside of the boat is beautifully detailed, and the food was fantastic, and if you want to know where and how to get the best price on tickets, just let me know, we can direct you to the best places to stay, eat, and shop,in Branson, and I will be posting pictures of our travels and adventures to wet your appetites for a trip.   Branson is  great destination for a "get away from it all!"                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                              

 

I will be posting more pictures and details of this romantic evening with my sweet colonel.  The talent of the acts, and the inspiration they stirred in the heart were really spectacular! I am so spoiled!

I Experienced Such a Beautiful Few Moments Today

I have been praying all day that my husband would make it out of Iraq for a much needed R&R.  He has had the leave scheduled since last May, and I have been so afraid they were going to cancel it.  Then I received an email that he was out of Iraq, in Jordon, and on his way home.

It has been so miserably hot and muggy.  About that time a thunder storm rolled in.  Every day for the last couple of weeks, the clouds have billowed up, it has thundered for an hour or so, even a little lightning, then the rain would circle the ranch, and we wouldn't even get a drop.  My fall garden has needed the rain, and the cooling off of temperatures for a while.  The animals too have needed the cool refreshment of the rain.  

I left my work, and took a few minutes to sit on our front porch and watch God refresh the ranch, and to spend time thanking Him for his love, care, and mercy.  Wanting to share this beautiful little vacation, I filmed it, so here it is for your enjoyment.  I am sure you will find it soothing, make certain that you use the big screen so that you can see the turtles, ducks and the fish jumping.  As I spent time thanking God for the rain, and my husband's safety tonight, I  thought of the words of this  beautiful hymn.  

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
     This is the promise of love;
   There shall be seasons refreshing,
     Sent from the Savior above.  

 Chorus:Showers of blessing,
  Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
    But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing—
     Precious reviving again;
   Over the hills and the valleys,
     Sound of abundance of rain.
3. There shall be showers of blessing;
     Send them upon us, O Lord!
   Grant to us now a refreshing;
     Come, and now honor Thy Word.
4. There shall be showers of blessing;
     O that today they might fall,
   Now as to God we’re confessing,
     Now as on Jesus we call!
5. There shall be showers of blessing,
     If we but trust and obey;
   There shall be seasons refreshing,
     If we let God have His way.

I Love Sundays in Bellville

I love Sunday morning in Bellville, Texas.  Living in a small place where there is still a town square really is fun.  There are little shops all around the square and a cafe.  Of course, Big Hats, and Little Whispers is one of the neatest place in town to eat.  You never know if the building is going to fall completely over or not.

There are many businesses on the square as well as the quaint little shops.

The dry cleaners and the Chamber of Commerce are on the square as well as the Edward Jones office.

 The sidewalks always have flower containers during the spring, summer, and fall, and there are beds of flowers all through the town.

 Jewelry shops, craft stores, and a beautiful high end art gallery, just down from Big Hats and Little Whispers.

 The old town was established by Czechoslovakian and German settlers. and many of the restored homes reflect the architecture from the "old country."

 

 Mimi Bella's is full of treasures you will love browsing through.














Old farm houses dot the country roads surrounding our little town, and there are rich agriculture roots in the community.

You Just Gotta Love Goats!

This little fella is careful to give sharp looks to the other two goats if they even look like they are going to try to get one of those Doritos!

Now This is a Snake Story!

Introducing Leftie, my new "grand-rabbit," and boy is his story interesting.  Leftie is about two week old now, and his name is Leftie because his left eye hasn't opened yet.  That's probably because when the snake had him in his mouth he injured his eye...

Leftie had just been born when my daughter Meredith heard the screaming of the little fella from the tree.  Rabbits do not make sounds, that I am aware of, except when they are in dire straights, and then it is a high pitched tiny scream.  Well Meredith thought her cat was being trying to contribute to the household again by bringing various protein products to the porch as offerings to be cooked up by her.  He has brought mice, rats, etc., and left them as presents for her.  She really isn't ever impressed by these gifts, and she recognized the sound she was hearing, and felt it was probably a cottontail, and she ran to rescue whatever is in such distress from the cat.

Cottontails are small rabbits, even when grown, and when she realized the distress was coming from a tree she looked up just as the baby bunny fell from the tree.  A brown snake had the rabbit in its mouth, and she caught a glimpse of the snake before the rabbit fell on her.  She caught the tiny animal and knew he was just freshly born because the umbilical cord was still attached.

Meredith has always been such a gentle person, and very loving.  Her name means "gift from the water."   She had a near drowning incident at age 14, and that name given at birth gained such special meaning.  Always having been "gifted" with animals, Merrie, as we call her, rounded up what she would need to "save" the newborn.  

Goat milk is the favored nutrition source for a baby rabbit when no mother rabbit is available, and she purchased a doll bottle as well.  Right away she figured out Leftie didn't even have a large enough mouth for this bottle, and she had to squeeze a drop on her finger and allow the tiny little baby to suck it off.  I thought when she first told me about the rabbit that it probably wouldn't make it.  When she sent me the photo above after a couple of weeks, I was delighted she had worked her magic again.  Another good sign is today when she had him out in the grass, he began nibbling at some.  She has had several successes over the years.  I think Leftie has made it long enough that he is going to survive, ... as long as he stays away from snakes.  I always make it a point to stay away from snakes myself.

        

 

I Have Created a Monster!

I swear if she had opposable thumbs she would take off joy riding on the lawn mower, and follow me to town.  She has seen the dog go inside and decided animals are allowed in that door.  She tries to squeeze by my legs all the time. Also, she has seen Ginger the Wonder Dog hop in the truck to go to town and get hay... in her mind she is certainly as well behaved as that dog...  Sigh, how do you explain to a goat you don't want to look like a hillbilly without hurting her feelings?

 

OK, You Know Sometimes People Work You, Especially Children... Think Goats Too...

I have been letting Rocket out of her pen every day to play. She doesn't really like her pen, she wants to live on the porch. So I caved in and put a nice little basket out with a nice soft blanket, (which she chewed a hole in the first night...) Evidently now that no longer suits her, she has started trying to rush past me every time I go in the house... Not going to happen, not ever going to happen, I am not a hill billy... I think back to the pen and her little plastic dog house... I was just trying to watch a little CSI and fold laundry... and there was that pitiful little face, trying to make me feel guilty.

That sad little face peeking through the door, combined with the fact that she now tries to rush past me and come in the house when I open the door tells me how badly she wants to become a "house goat."  Sorry, Rocket, still not happening...

  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

I Had Burglars Last Night...

I heard noises on the porch... Got out the 9mm Glock... Peeked out the curtain...  Sure enough... Burglars on the porch!!!

  

Note how the brave, white, barn cat shows up after I run them off!

     

We Had Such a Blessed Easter

Even though my best friend was hospitalized at the last moment, Jared and Heather were unable to come, and we had such big plans for Easter, we had such blessing all day long.  Our Son-Boy, Brian, was baptized again as a personal commitment of  surrender of all his life to the Lord.  He had been baptized when he was 15, but since surrendering to preach, he has felt a need to reconsecrate his life publicly.  In his testimony he was careful to state he didn't believe in repeated baptism, but he felt he had "compartmentalized"  his life previously, behaving one way with college friends, and another at church.  He said he felt he really was not a "born again" Christian, but had embraced the faith as a "fire escape," wanting to "avoid hell," rather than "live for God."  It was an intensely personal decision, and it was between he and the Lord, and it really blessed my heart.  Needless to say, his father and I are very proud of him.  

   It was a beautiful day at the ranch, and we had dawned our best to celebrate the Resurrection.  We had prayed for my friend Brenda, who had experienced unrelenting pain that had sent her to the emergency room at a local hospital to make certain that it was not a heart attack.  By the end of the day we had received the news that it was a pulled muscle, rather than the much worse diagnosis we had feared.  We spent much of the day resting, as Randy, Brian, Willie, and the rest of the kids had spent all of Saturday working at the rent house in League City.  God is good, and His love endures forever.

   

  

Randy is Home, and We Are Enjoying Spring!

I have been pointing out the blue birds to him.  They are in the backyard every day playing in the water, and sitting on the utility pole.  The female is always with this little blue bird.