Beauty in nature...

Seen this wildflower along the backroad I took going into town tonight. Had to stop and take a closer look. Luckily, I had my camera with me.

Isn't it gorgeous? It has some kind of prickly thorns on it. Only God could create something this beautiful!

This tree grows behind our shop. Think it is called a Catalpa Tree.

Here's a closeup of its flowers.

Honeysuckle growing along the roadside. Smells heavenly!

Old fashioned pink roses also growing along the roadside. Always in bloom just in time for my birthday!

Sometimes you just need to slow down and take the back roads to where you are going so you can enjoy God's beauty in nature. Life goes by too fast to not enjoy the ride.

Throwing my own birthday bash again!

I love to throw a party and of course my own birthday party!  Ive been known to have 75 friends attend and my philosophy is the more the merrier!
Everyone was very impressed with the newly enclosed gazebo. Was nice and cool inside even though it was 80 degrees outside and we didn't have to worry about flies around the food either. And the food was wonderful! We  had ham, brisket, Italian beef which son in law Steve made and of course the ever popular hotdogs!

Everyone was all smiles and enjoyed reconnecting with old friends.

It was nice and cool sitting out under the trees.

There was much laughter and relaxing and of course eating going on!

Two of my favorite friends. And one of my daughter in laws parents!

Even the older kids seemed to enjoy the food!

Good to see my young friend home from college for the summer. How fast they grow up! I came home one time to find this young lady hanging from the rafters in my garage after her and my son decided to go exploring or something. I just about had a heart attack!

Baby Kaden eats anything you put before him. Loves food and loves going outside!

And my little great-nephew peacefully slept through it all. He's a little sweetheart!

My daughter in law says I always take her picture when she is eating. And here's my very special friend Shirley. Missed getting to see another special friend Laura tonight though. Hope she gets to see the pictures.

I have so many friends and family that God has blessed me with.

And here's my grandkids Poppy taking the hotdogs off the grill. Even with the ham and brisket and Italian beef, we went through several packages of hotdogs. Everybody loves hotdogs! Remember the old jingle so popular back in the day "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer hotdog, that is what I'd really like to be, cause if I were an Oscar Meyer hotdog, everybody would be in love with me."

The smoker is empty. Perfect size for 3 chickens, a whole ham, and several briskets

The little kids loved playing in the little pool I picked up just for this day.

And the kids playgym was right next to where we were sitting . Gracie loved the swing. Adorable little great-niece of mine.

Best friends.

It was a day full of smiles and good times.

Although Koda seemed pretty solemn.

Hope everyone had as much fun being with friends and family as I did. Throwing myself a party was a great birthday present to myself. I think I will do it again next year!

By the way, Tool Belt Jim bought me an antique rocking chair for my birthday. Love it!

Blackberry Cobblers are done....

I love summer time!  And blackberry cobbler with homemade ice cream!

The day the snake terrified the sister....

Hicksie Chick # 4 and Hicksie Chick # 6 (that's what we'll call my sisters) were outside working in the yard when a small snake --possibly a baby copperhead slithered out. Hicksie Chick # 6 was standing with a hoe in her hand but the snake disappeared before she could do anything. Now Hicksie Chick # 4 had surgery on her foot or ankle and has a cast on it with open toes. She is almost positive the snake has went up her cast. She thinks she feels it move. Now the dilemma. How do you get that snake out if it really is in there?
Now the cast is to come off Wed. anyway, so I say either go to the ER and have them cut it off or let Hicksie Chick # 6 do it cause she works for a DR. and knows how. Hicksie Chick # 6 was going to bed and Hicksie Chick #4 was lying very quietly on the bed hoping and probably praying the snake is either dead, not in there at all or gonna crawl out somewhere when it gets quiet. And that brings us to another scary thought.

Hoping it is all her imagination and nothing is in that cast. Praying it does not bite her if it is in there. And also praying she uses some common sense and maybe goes to the ER to get it checked out cause baby copperheads are just as venomous as adult ones I hear.

Just so you know,  Hicksie Chicks are a little on the crazy side.

Present from my sister...

My sister brought me this cast iron rooster bell back from Mexico for my birthday. Don't you just love it? It's now keeping guard on my patio complete with a pull chain to call everyone in for supper.

My peonies bloomed for the first time this year!

I love peonies. Wish I had more but it has taken a long time for this one bush to bloom. Unfortunately, it is down by the greenhouse instead of up by the house. But it is lovely anyways!  I have a picture taken of me my Senior year in High School standing by the peonies dressed in my finery.  Takes me back a day or so and makes me smile.  So young and ready to start a life without school...

Dear Mr. Coon, There will be no chicken dinner tonight!

Well this is my solution to protecting my baby chicks until we can catch whatever creature of the night is slowly killing off my "little flock". Something got my Seabright rooster night before last so I am down to one pretty mille fleur rooster left from the ones I bought at the swap meet.
I had my motion light click on and then the head of a coon peeked into my patio door. So my guess was he was following the chicks to see if he could get a chicken dinner. Obviously the light didn't bother him==just made it easier to see what he was looking for. I think it is a coon getting my chicks cause something pulled the staples out of the wire and drug off my last banty rooster. Shoulda had a slat over the wire and staples is my guess.

Doesn't this little pen look sweet in my little secret garden with the flowers? The motion light kicking on and off all night probably drives the momma nuts but you gotta do what you gotta do to keep the little ones safe.

The flowers are beautiful this year!

Ferns were transplanted from my parents home when they were dormant...

Old fashioned Iris

my mothers favorite poppies....

my sister shared her yellow Iris with me....

yellow Iris growing in front of the old iron rake..

Wisteria start came from my dad and mom's property where I grew up...

Old rock step came from my Great Aunt Myrtle's property...

the outdoor kitchen...

What a beautiful Spring we are having and the flowers are glorious! What a creative God I serve! Hope you serve Him too!

Don't mess with a boy and his Coke!

The can was actually empty but he was gonna suck every last drop out. And don't anyone think about taking it away from him either!

Happy Mother's Day from the chicken pen...

Doesn't this little momma look happy? Notice the little one on her back. The one in front is the only one left from her earlier flock that survived the "predator". He's quite a bit bigger than the others but he gets under her wings right along with all 15 of the rest.

Don't forget to wish your mother a Happy Mothers Day this weekend!

Something is at it again!!!

Something once again got into the chicken tractor and killed my two favorite banty hens last night. I am getting really bummed by all this. And both these chickens were pretty big. Snakes couldn't have eaten these and crawled back out. Maybe minx?

Farewell my lovely hens! Didn't even get a chance to give you a name. And each of these hens cost me $15.00 each so something had a $30.00 chicken dinner last night.

Wasn't she beautiful? I'm gonna have a camera and a trap tonight. And I'm not gonna be turning whatever it is loose either! DEAD, DEAD, DEAD will be its fate! No mercy!!

What's going on with the "little flock"...

There is a lot going on with the "little flock" down on the homestead. Come take a tour with me.
What you looking at chump? Don't worry about her --She's paranoid cause she don't have a name yet!

There's an awful lot of crowing and strutting going on...

the pecking order is being established. This little guy needs a movie star name too. Maybe Jackie Chan... something feisty....

This pretty little lady is a mille fleur banty...

And here's her "significant other" or whatever they call it in the chicken yard.... They both need a good movie star name also... Something flashy.... Maybe Elton John for him....

I love his tail feathers!

He thinks I am invading his private space...

Mark named this one Popeye and his main squeeze is Oliveoyle but he's so mean he should have been named Brutus.

cause he's such a bully in the barnyard....

He's been known to try to flog the other roosters through the chicken wire..

And here's his main squeeze Oliveoyle...

Sittin in the shade...

This is Rhett Butler and he's my Silkie rooster. His little woman is Scarlett O'Hare and she's the momma taking care of the little bunch of chicks I now have. ... she's a good woman!

And here's John Wayne the first rooster in the barnyard. But he's feeling a little threatened right now cause there are so many roosters invading his territory and unfortunately he is the one having to back down when the fights are on.....Popeye is too mean for him so he runs! He does not do his name justice and I am ashamed that something called John Wayne is such a sissy!

Go somewhere and hang your head in shame John Wayne!

Can't a girl go lay an egg with a little privacy? Geez....

And of course we can't forget my sister's chickens. These are the "floggin champs". But in a couple weeks we're packing them up and shipping them back to my sister who swore to me they would eat out of your hand cause they are so docile and sweet. Humph....

You see that defiance in his eye? Makes me want to "knock him in the middle of next week" as they use to say when I was a kid. Excuse me while I go down to the hen house and knock him around a bit just to show him this "Hicksie Chick" still reigns supreme on this homestead....

Did have two turkeys in the chicken yard but loaded them up this morning and headed them out. They ate way too much..... Let this be a lesson to the little flock.....Beauty will only get you so far in this life!