The Inadvertent Farmer

Tea Party Crashers

Do you know what is so good about having a little girl?

Tea Parties!!!

After 3 boys and lego wars, and fort building, race tracks and all things with wheels it is fun to see what a little girl loves to do...

She still likes legos and forts but she also spends time on the floor with her friends sipping tea...

Meet Katy and Cassie...they are sisters that live in the country and grow flowers.  They especially love catnip.  Peppermint tea is their very favorite...

 

Bubbles, Fifi, and Callie join the fun.  Bubbles if from Los Vegas where she is a regular in long running show on the strip.  Fifi is from the big city of New York where she spends her days getting her nails done and walking around town with glamorous human.  Callie is a farm cat who is visiting from the Dakotas...Green tea with lemon and honey is their choice.

 

Meet Laura...Sweet Girl's special friend.  Laura is from the prairie where she lives in a little house with her ma and pa and three sisters.  She is drinking pear tea with a spoonful of white sugar...she doesn't get white sugar very often at home.

 

Finally there is Mary...she is the girl that all of us know.  She has brighter eyes, clearer skin, prettier hair, and more fashionable clothes.  She is a bright and shining star...and we do our best to like her anyway.

 

She has declined any cookies but is having some white peach tea with lemon.

 

 The party is going perfectly with Laura and Mary hitting it off splendidly...we attribute this to Laura's down to earth country charms...even a spoiled girl like Mary cannot resist such sweetness.

All the girls are giggling and and sipping tea when...

Who should saunter in but the ruffians from Baby Boy's room next door.  Who invited these characters?

 

Lance is the leader of this gang of delinquents...he tries to hide his tender heart behind that sneer.

 

  Rufus talks a big game...but he actually as dumb as a post.  He also has no manners and slurps his tea and gets crumbs on the floor.

 

OK...hold it one cotton pickin' minute.

Who invited the camel?

Mary was that you?  There are no camel allowed in the house...ever.

 

Why is it that girls always like the tall boys?

 

In spite of the party crashers a good time was had by all...

Laura enjoyed her time so much that she has decided to leave her little house on the prairie and move in here with the camel...

Ohhh the scandal...

 

Playing With My Food Again!

October is almost at our doorstep!

As a gardener that means harvesting like crazy to try to beat the first frost. 

I have a wheelbarrow full of pumpkin, buckets of squash, baskets of peppers and tomatoes and...

I grew two kinds of eggplant this year...the usual dark purple and these lovely little gems.

They are 'Fairy Tale' from Territorial Seeds. I started them from seed...my first year of growing eggplant. The 5 plants in my garden have done remarkabley well!

They are beautiful but they are puzzling....

I have to admit after a whole summer of trying to cook with them that I am eggplant challenged it seems.

I have tried grilling them on the BBQ, putting them in casseroles, frying, roasting...I even tried baking with them!

They only tasty thing I like so far is roasted on pizza.

Will I grow them again next year?

Probably.

Even if it is only to do this...

Growing them for photo props seems like a good reason to add them next year!

My Child Would Never... Nor Would I

Sweet Baby Boy is 2...

I have never actually had a child go through what is typically 'the terrible twos'...

No, two has been traditionally one of my very favorite ages...

 

This could all change in a heartbeat...

Hey Baby...you're looking a little tired there.

 

No mama...me no tiwurd.

I'm thinking it might be time for a nap little man.

 

Me no wike nap...me no nap.

I really think you need to go to bed sweetie.

 

Pwwweeeze mama...no tiwurd, no nap...ebber, ebber, no nap ebber 'gain

You crying just shows me how tired you are...you look so sad. Come here sweetie and we'll sit in the rocking chair together...

 

Me NO SAD......Me MAAADDD!!!

Me NO NO NO NO NAP!!!!!!!

Of course being the loving, sensitive, caring mother I am I would never say this...

Fine, if you want to be a little grouch and have a miserable afternoon because you are so tired then be my guest.

Just don't come cryin' to me when everything makes you crazy...

 

Never would I say such a thing...ever.

 

Note to self...spell check does not speak toddler...ebber!

Come see what others are NOT doing today over at Mckmama's place!

Sunday Supper...Vegan Pizza from the Garden

I have been asked both in person and via email how the whole 'vegan thing' is coming...

Well to be perfectly honest it has been much easier than I expected.

I have learned to make both cashew and almond milk.  Egg substitutes work great in baking.  Cheese isn't something we ate much of anyway.  Since we went from vegetarian to vegan giving up meat wasn't an issue.  So it really has been a smooth transition...really!

Tonight we are having my all time favorite dish...pizza!

Now how can you have pizza with no cheese I can hear you wondering...

Well the secret to vegan cooking I have found is using the freshest ingredients (the toppings for the pizza are all from my garden) and ramping up the the taste so you don't miss certain things like cheese!

 

Now before I lose you all let me explain...

 

First I start with homemade crust, an olive oil dough that I always have in my fridge thanks to my 5 Minute a Day Bread Book.  I make it according to the recipe but substitute 1/2 of the flour with white whole wheat flour.

 

Next instead of regular bell peppers I have used fire roasted peppers done on the BBQ, they are sweet and smokey.

 

I have also roasted onions and eggplant from the garden...drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

 

How does it stay on with no cheese?

 

 

Glad you asked...the trick is to put the sauce over the veggies!

Instead of a canned pizza sauce I am using a sauce that I made from slow roasting tomatoes and garlic with some olive oil and then pureeing.

 

 

Put in the oven and bake on a pizza stone...

This is an delicious and intensely flavored pizza

You won't even miss the cheese...

 

Really!

Silent Saturday...

Since I have the Friday Funnies it seemed logical to me to have the Silent Saturdays...

Why? You ask... I do not see the logic.

You don't?

Well there is not really any logic per say...

It is just that I have so many darn pictures...

And Saturdays are usually kind of busy around my house...

And I don't get a lot of visitors here on the blog on this day...

And I wouldn't want to waste my precious words when no one is listening...

That would be too much like my real life...

So I am instituting

Silent Saturdays...

Yes a day with a little less talk and a lot more action...action photos...and still photos...and critter photos...and kid photos...and old photos...

Random photos that have no reason to be together than besides I like 'em.

We will see how many Saturdays in a row I can be quiet...

Starting next week

Because, well I have not been too silent today...

According to the men in my life I have actually never really been silent...

Except when I have been under for surgery or something...

But for some reason they don't think that counts...

 

I think that should count...

 

 

Homemade apple cake with homemade applesauce...heaven on a plate!

 

Come back next week and I promise I'll shut up...

Really I will.

 

Hey...I heard that!

Friday Funnies...Spanish Version!

This is a true account of what happens when you take a phonics using little white farm girl to a Mexican Restaurant...

Luckily for Sweet Girl her big brother took a few years of Spanish in high school.

This is a small part of their conversation before ordering...

Fr- i- j -o -l-es...Sweet Girl doing her best to sound it out.

Frijoles are beans...you pronounce it free-ho-lays, in Spanish the 'j' says the 'h' sounds.

Why?

Because that is just what you do.

It makes it hard to read.

Not if you're Spanish.

Qu-e-s-a-d-i-l-a-s

That is pronounced cay-suh-dee-yah

I don't know if I would like to eat that...

Well it is two tortillas with something between them like cheese, it is cut into little wedges.

Oh, ok...I could eat that.

P-i-c-o  d-e  g-a-l-o

You will like this, its tomatoes and onions and cilantro, kind of like salsa.  You say it peek-oh duh-guy-oh

That sounds like a game or something...

 

We need to work on your Spanish little sister...I'll help you.

Muy bien, gracious

(me chuckling at big brother's puzzled look)

Just because she can't read it doesn't mean she can't speak it!

By The Way...

Yesterday I did three oven loads of roasted tomatoes with garlic...

A HUGE batch of whole wheat bread...

Made chilled pumpkin soup with my own pumpkins...

Roasted the pumpkin seeds with Tamari Sauce...

Made my sweet hubby some sticky buns with raisins...

Cleaned up the kitchen after it all...

And lived to tell about it!

 

Know what I'm doing today and tomorrow???

I'm playing by the water wiggling my feet in the sand...

See you all on Friday!

 

Try not to miss me too much...

Playing in the Mighty Columbia River

As a life long resident of Washington State there are a few things that are so constant that I don't always appreciate them as I should.

The Pacific Ocean is always there just off the coast...it is stunning.  We have an actual rain forest, yep a real life honest to goodness rain forest! Then there is the mighty Columbia River runs through our state.

In fact the Columbia River Runs right next to our town.  We spend many summer afternoons playing along its shores and in its waters...

The Columbia is over 1200 miles long.  It starts in British Columbia and empties into the Pacific Ocean on the border of Washington and Oregon.  It is the biggest river in this neck of the woods.

Sweet Girl loves to play in it...

 

Baby Boy loves to play alongside it...

 

Sweet Girl in...

 

Baby Boy beside...

Hey Baby whatcha lookin' at?

 

Something we all like to do is watch the container ships go up and down the river.

Did you know that more than 40% of our country's wheat exports are shipped down the Columbia? 

We also see lots of windsurfers, jet skis, fishing boats and barges!

 

The Columbia River is also home to the rare and elusive Giant Fuchsia Crab...

I counted myself lucky to capture this one just as it was emerging from the water!

 

Keeping watch for pirates is an important duty not to be taken lightly...

 

One must find the highest spot possible in order to see those pesky pirates!

 

Permission to come on board?

Yes...but you've got to swab the decks and help me watch for pirates!

AyeEye Cappin'

I must say that we are very lucky to have such a great river on our doorstep to play in.

It is also the biggest generator of hydro electric power in the whole of North America.  We have great electrical rates.

These rates come with a cost...even with fish ladders it is hard for the fish to get upstream to spawn. Their numbers are dangerously low.

 Some want to breach the dams to help the fish.  But that would have a huge negative impact on the people and industries that rely on low cost electricity.  There does not seem to be a good solution for this, compromise does not come easily.

Unfortunately we also have issues with pollution...there is so much run off from farms and industry not to mention the Hanford Nuclear site up river from us.

As a parent I feel fortunate to have such a place for the kids to play, but it also concerns me about the health of the river and the implications on my kids.

It makes me sad that I have to tell the kids that they can't put their faces in the water, no drinking, and I shower them off as soon as we get home.

I wish we could solve these problems immediately, but that does not seem to be in the cards...

 

So for now the kids and I will sit here in the sand and watch the ships go by...

 

Fall Garden Prep and Cleanup

Although we are still in full harvest mode we are also getting some fall prep and clean up done around here...

 Baby Boy is helping my in the bed that soon will cradle our precious garlic...

We LOVE garlic!

We have planted a fall cover crop in some beds while others are soon to be covered with hay and manure.  Rototilling will soon commence in a new area of the garden in preperations for next spring (in the Northwest it is way to wet to till in the early spring).  After the ground is turned I will cover it will hay and compost thick enough to discourage weeds.

Some things are still growing like mad...

I have more pepper, eggplants, and tomatoes than I can just about handle!

(Come back tomorrow and see what I make with this basket of goodies!)

There are also a few beans, lots of kale, onions, and some swiss chard.

 

The flowers are still blooming.

Some purposefully planted, some not...

 

 

We are not the only ones hard at work...

Even the yellow jackets are!

If you want more bug photos and a little story or two I'm over at Not Dabbling in Normal exploring whether yellow jackets can be considered art!

 

Of course there are the jams and jellies to be made this time of year!

 

How about you?  What are you doing to get ready for change of seasons?

Friday Funnies...Here Comes Trouble!

Here comes trouble!

Double Trouble!

They run and slide and knock things over...

They laugh and wrestle like most brothers!

 

Only difference being...

They are 19 years apart in age!

Oh yeah, one more difference from most brothers...

They never, ever argue!

Having kids this far apart in age might be a little different...

But these two never argue over toys, who got the biggest cookie, or who's turn it is...

And I never have had to send them to their rooms for fighting!

Nope...nothing but the good stuff here!

Fun With Photo Editing and Manipulating

This photo was taken a few days ago in my mom's garden.  It is pretty typical of the kind of photos you find here.

Editing this was super quick and easy.

But sometimes when the kids are asleep and I am avoiding the sink full of dishes and the laundry pile that is growing at an alarming rate downstairs, I like to play around with photos.

I suppose you would actually call it photo manipulating instead of photo editing...

Here is the same hydrangea as above that I have put through a couple of filters and color saturation taken down...

Now before I go any farther let me state I am not even remotely and expert on any of this...

I have photoshop...I have heard nothing but wonderful things about it...

I have never used mine.

Yes I have yet to learn to use it and it has been residing on my computer for almost 2 years, sigh.

I still use an old Microsoft program that you can't even buy anymore, 'Picture It'

I will learn Photoshop one of these days...when the laundry is done, the kids are bigger, the garden is weedless, and the camel quits breaking the fence!

On this I made it black and white, softened the edges, brightened, upped the contrast and then sharpened just the little fuzzies.

 

On this one I selected the pumpkins using a little tool that grabs the edge pixels as you work your way around them.  Then I inverted so the background was chosen and made it black and white.

I love these little pumpkins they are just too cute...I'm going to plant many more next year!

 

A Dahlia up close and put through 6 filters until it looks like a painting!

 

When I was looking at the original photo I was trying to imagine what I could do with it that would be fun and different.  I thought having one of hubby's bees look like they were pollinating an old painting would be unique.

So I carefully selected the bee to make sure I got all his little parts.  Then I inverted the selection just like the pumpkins.  Next I put the flowers through a bunch of filter till I liked it and and voila...a bee on a painting!

 

Even my kids aren't safe from being manipulated...well their photos anyway!

You saw this photo last week in my homeschool post.

This I did similar to the bee and the pumpkins but when I was all done I overlaid a grunge border I had...I must say I LOVE this one.

I think I will redo this one to clean up the edges of Sweet Girl and her doll then have it printed and framed.  I have the perfect spot in her room to hang it!

 

And one last photo...

 Kiss Me....I'm Irish!

Mending Fences...Yet again!

You know you're a farmer when the expression "I have some fences to mend" has nothing whatsoever to do with apologies, grovelling, or admitting to being an arse...

  

No when you live on a farm mending fences means...well your fence is broke and before everyone escapes you better go fix it.

  

It also means in my case that the #&%! camel has broken it...again!

  

 

This is what an electric fence insulator looks like when it battles a 1500 pound camel...yep busted clean in half!

  

It is a battle it will never win, even with 2000 volts on its side, Gizmo always wins!

  

 

But at least I had good help along...

  

 

 

Another way to tell you live on a farm is when you ask your two year old to hand you the long fence insulators...and he knows exactly which ones those are.

  

 

Sweet Girl is not so much into mending fences...she much rather stand in the middle of the field and direct traffic!

 

 

"HALT...this is a goat crossing, you are a camel, you must halt!"

  

 

Baby Boy went and played with his sister for a while but ran back needing a hug...

 

 

As we were sitting together in the grass and singing 'Bob the Builder' Sophie our young female llama came up to let us know we were off key!

 

She is such a lovely girl!

 

Her parents were two strays I took in not knowing anything about them...turned out they were male and female...

 

In fact they liked each other so much that we have had three baby llamas produced from them so far!

 

Anyway we got the fence fixed and it was time to go in and get dinner on...

 

This was the response I got...

 

 

"NO mama...me no want to go in.  Me no like go in house.  NO!"

  

"Mama make me sad"

  

 

So what did we do?

 

Well we stayed outside of course...

 

Until the llamas...and camel...and goat came home!

 

 

 

Then had a very late dinner and went to bed...

 

As I was drifting off I sent up this prayer...

 

"Dear God, I know Gizmo is one of your creatures and I certainly wouldn't want to break one of your commandments by killing him...so could you just keep him from breaking the fence for at least a couple of days?  I would surely appreciate your help on this, thanks...amen."

Fun Do It Yourself Project with Chalkboard Paint

I do a lot of little projects around here.  I rarely share them here on the blog.  I have decided that it was high time I did so. 

You shouldn't just come here to snicker at my rose eating camel or my sandy nosed kids...no you should also come away with at least something interesting that you might try at home.

So today, if you are willing to give it a try, we will make something with one of my all time favorite things...

Chalkboard Paint!

And because I'm feelin' a little groovy and retro I'm doing most of this post in black and white...well I'm not black and white my pictures are.

Ok, come to think of it I usually am quite black and white...but that is my issue and I won't burden you today with it...maybe tomorrow.

First I started with my glass jars that I store my bulk foods in...

I must say right here that not only do I buy lots of food in bulk but I also have this slight addiction to glass jars...love the things!

I have some HUGE ones for things I use a lot of like flour and oatmeal and some tiny ones I reserve for spices, some are airtight some are not...

I dig each and every one!

My biggest annoyance at these jars is that I couldn't label them in a way that I could easily change when I put something new in. I've tired masking tape and a marker but the tape left a sticky residue each time I relabeled the jar and frankly it just wasn't very cool!

So I decided to paint little chalkboards onto each of my jars!

First I taped off a rectangular shaped section with painter's tape...

Here is a tip for you, I didn't want my edges to be perfectly straight.  I wanted them a little rough, a little wavy, perfectly imperfect.  So I tore each piece of tape down the middle lengthwise.  Purposely making the edge uneven.  For those straight edged, perfect angle people out there...my sincerest apologies!

But I figured I'm a bit wavy around the edges so my jars should be too!

Here is my oatmeal jar all taped off...

Yes this does say something about my personality that I was too lazy to find a jar to put my oatmeal in while I did this.

Moving on...after taping off I started to paint.

Another tip here...I ended up doing three coats of paint. When I pulled the tape off it also pulled up the edges of the paint.  So the next batch of jars I did one coat with tape, removed the tape, then did the next two coats by hand following along the edges of the previous coat of paint...it turned out much better.

Follow the instructions on the back of the can for drying time between coats.

The other thing I learned is it is best to put on your paint in different directions each time...first I did vertically, then horizontally, then vertically again.  It made for a chalkboard that had a slight crosshatch design instead of all the little paint lines running the same direction.

And yes that is my jar of unsweetened organic coconut that also did not get left out in the rain overnight.

All the while it helps to have a lovely assistant hanging around making sure you do all of this correctly...

Here is my oatmeal jar after it was done and I had written on it with chalk...

Here is the whole gang...or the ones I've done so far anyway.

Now you could get all fancy and draw little flowers and vines...you could use colored chalk, but I'm a simple kind of girl and I like the old fashioned white chalk...and have no patience for drawing flowers on glass jars.  But if you are so inclined...feel free to express yourself!

Let your inner artist loose...let your bulk shopping self go wild!

Make some little bitty chalkboards on jars...its a fun and cheap project!

After all that's me...fun and cheap!

Note:  I found American Made glass through Amazon.com made by Anchor Hockings. The paint I got at Lowe's for around $10, and I can do a LOT of jars with this one can.

If you are interested in other projects that use chalkboard paint here are some more...

Chalkboard paint and sheet metal calendar.

Craft storage dresser with surprise

Chalkboard 'to do' or 'NOT' cabinet

Beach Vacation!

Hello everyone in my little corner of blogdom...

I am at the beach right now.

We are enjoying the majestic Pacific Ocean, wringing out the last drops of summer!

I was going to leave you with a romanticized picture of my children leaving tiny footprints in the sand...

Or holding hand while skipping along on the edge of the surf...

But...

I figured this one would be more in keeping with my life...

 

I went to the beach to play in the sand...

But tripped over sister and where did I land?

I fell on my face and not on my toes...

And ended with sand up my sweet little nose!

 

Have a wonderful Monday...I'll see you here, same place same time, tomorrow!

Because You Asked...

Favorite Word(s)…Bedtime, Bubble Bath, Book...in that exact order!

Least favorite word…No (I have a 2 year old and it is said in a defiant manner... "Nooooo" usually followed by "WAY"

Turn on…"Hey honey the kids are at grandma’s, wanna get lucky?”

Turn off…"Shhh…the kids might hear us!”

Sound I love…silence, if I can remember what it sounds like!

Sound I hate…silence, it makes me paranoid about what they are up to!

Favorite Curse word…I don’t curse, I figure it shows a lack of imagination and/or self control. It is one of my pet peeves. That and 25 items in the express lane.  I do say 'crap' once in a while...does that count?  I have 5 kids and a lot of animals, I have a lot of crap in my life, BIG crap, little crap...crap, crap, crap!!! Snort....crackin' myself up here!

Profession I would like to be…architect in a quiet corner office overlooking a lovely park adorned with a sparkling pond, with swans lazily swimming in circles, while young couples in love picnic on plaid blankets in the sun…

This is exactly why I am not an architect, I would spend all day staring out my window and would get nothing done.  Maybe I should be the grounds keeper in some lovely park with a pond, swans and couples making out!

Profession that I wouldn't like to be…preschool teacher, well teacher of any kind actually. What is ironic about this is that I homeschool…I need to ponder this point.

When I get to heaven I want to hear…"Good job all your kiddos made it too...now they can torment your for eternity!" 

Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?

Susan over at Blue Planet Garden Blog  and Tatiana over at Life in Cowtown asked me for a list of things that you don't know about me already.  So instead of the usual I was answering a set of questions that Katie posed over at her blog Confessions of a Young Married Couple...which by the way is the glimpse into the life of an absolutely charming young couple and their darling baby Bean!

And because I can't leave you without at least one photo...

And this one cracks me up soooo much.

Nothing like a camel looking like something out of one of the Alien movies!

If you are concerned for the safety of Fluffy the goat...here is the link to find out how this all ended!

Blackberry Picking...

No I don't mean the phone silly

I suppose many people think of the new fangled phones that you can do almost anything from twittering to keeping your calendar on...

But I am actually talking about the old-fashioned, thorny, juicy, berries that grow wild all over Western Washington.  The ones that have tried for centuries to take over the world...and on our property they just may be winning the war.

I have a love hate relationship with them...I hate them 10 months of the year.

Passionately with all my heart I loathe them...

But for this small window of time, in the late summer, they can be tolerated because...

They give me these...

These lovely, sweet, melt in your mouth berries...

I am over at Not Dabbling In Normaltoday extolling the virtues of food foraging, jam making and thorns that could puncture armor!

Come on over and visit...

The cobbler is warm!

Some Fridays are Not so Funny

I just couldn't do my usual Friday Funnies...

Today I do not feel like being silly...

I found my eyes welling up this morning while drinking my tea...

And while tending my sweet children...

 

It has been 8 years since that horrific day.

The day I remember sitting in front of the tv in stunned silence...

Shocked that such a thing could possibly happen to my countrymen.

Things like that don't happen here...

Not here...

 

But here we are, getting close to a decade later.

Our family has grown by two children...

I have buried two babies and my beloved father.

I have a nephew who is now a Marine.

I have sons in college.

Life has changed...

 

But in many ways it has not...

Hubby has the same job.

I am still homeschooling.

We still live on the same farm.

We are healthy and happy...

 

Yet things will never be quite as they were...

While I still feel secure,

It is not in the same invincible way I did before.

I do not look at the world in quite the same way...

I am more cautious, but not paranoid.

 

The way that we have gone on, to find joy, and peace, and happiness speaks volumes of the resiliency of our country...

The strength of its citizens.

We have not forgotten...not even close.

But we have learned to live with the heartache and still find our lives full of hope and promise.

 

We were bruised mightily on this day 8 years ago...

But still we remain as determined...

And stubborn...

And strong as ever.

 

When I look into my children's eyes...those who weren't even born on that day.

I explain to them what happened...

I tell them that they should be proud of the country into which they were born.

They and their older brothers are indeed the lucky ones...

The ones that are free to voice their opinions without fear of arrest...

Ones that are free to get an education no matter their gender...

Ones that can worship as their conscious dictates...

Yes they are free to lives their life as they see fit...

So although I find myself reflecting on this day as a day of sadness and loss, I also find much hope and joy in my heart for the privilege for living here...

A country that keeps on keeping on even after they have been kicked in the gut.

 

So today I will shed a tear for the victims.

And I will say a prayer for the survivors.

And thank the good Lord for all He has given all of us.

 

First Day of School...Ballerina Style!

As many of you know we homeschool.

There are many reasons why we do.

But if I had to pick my favorite reason it would be this...

 

Because if Sweet Girl wants to spend all day in a tutu...

 

 

Hanging out with her beloved doll...

 

 

Hey...why not?

 

Even math is more fun in a tutu!

 

 

Wearing satin and tulle makes counting by 10's much easier...

 

 

Besides I can't even tell you how much I would miss my little ballerina if she was gone all day!

 

 

Sweet Girl...

Living life on the tips of her toes!

 

 

 

How to kill a camel without the neighbors knowing

Alright yes he is a minor neighborhood celebrity and the adoring public might notice if the big guy went missing.  He also does brings joy to small children in the Christmas parade every year.   And yes he even helps my teenage sons pick up girls but...

He is eating my ROSES! 

He's reaching over the fence seemingly ignoring the 2000 volts from the new fence zapper I just purchased and is eating my roses.  Not only are my roses in peril but he is violating the sanctity of the garden by snatching my tomatoes. He seems to prefer heirloom tomatoes mind you, the late to ripen harder to grow kind.  My just now ripening Brandywines seem to be his favorite!  So I'm left with no other choice but to kill him or put razor wire around the garden.

That is what I need...the garden looking like a prison exercise yard!

Before I went out and smacked him up alongside of his big hairy head I snapped these pics for evidence in case I'm prosecuted...

"But your honor he was eating my Brandywines, that certainly makes it justifiable homicide!" 

Reaching over the fence to eat my climbing roses growing around the chicken yard...

Good thing camels are vegetarians or the chickens big would be in trouble!

 

 I am the master of my domain...

I can bend small fences with a single push...

I laugh at high voltage...

I drive my human insane without even trying...

Yep, it is good to be me!

 

Life is not Symmetrical...not even close!

sym-me-try. n., 1.correspondence in size, form, and arrangement of parts on opposite sides of a plane, line, or point. 2. a. excellence of proportion. b. beauty characterized by excellence of proportion

Always two socks...but never to the same pair.

The slices of cake are never cut exactly even.

Five kids...four of them boys.

Most day more laughter than tears.

My life is not symmetrical...not remotely close!

 

Could it be that is why I find these little guys so fascinating?

Perfectly symmetrical...

Perfectly even.

 

One side never complaining about the other side having more leaves than the other....because each side has the same...always.

 

No,

This is my life...

 

Beautiful...but not at all that symmetrical.

With a few spots...

And some aphids hiding among the blossoms...

Some slugs in the mulch...

But it is sweet and full...

 And fragrant...

It is the life I have chosen, the one God has blessed me with.

 

So while I will admire the perfect order of one...

I will live out loud in the chaos of the other!

 

Because I do chaos really well!

 

Photos from the Farm...and the Lake Monster!

Had enough?

I hope not 'cause I've got a ton of photos...

I had a hard time choosing just enough for three days...

I have enough for at least three years worth of post with just photos!

Although I suppose these posts weren't just photos.

I put in a little commentary...just enough to keep me sane!

So without further ado...or further words...

Remember the pictures are links to the original stories behind each one!

Had enough yet???

 

I have to show you one more...the photo that gets more hits than any other when people search Google for picture.

Think its of my cute kids? Nope.

The ornery camel? Not him either.

Not even the well tended ,cough, garden...Doesn't exist actually.

No,

It's this...

My very own personal,

Lake monster...

Who would have thought???

 

More of my favorite kid and critter photographs...

Welcome back to the strangely quiet funny farm...

Where the blog host doesn't speak...

But the photos do!

 

Well she doesn't speak as much as usual...I can't go without speaking at all!

That would be just torturous!

Note, most of the pictures are links if you want to see the stories behind them!

 

Sorry...this is neither a critter or a kid,

I just like it...

 

Here is a kid,

 

And another one...

 

Actually that is a bewildered kid and his goofy father...

Here is a critter,

 

World...meet Fluffy the Pygmy goat.

Found wandering the streets of my in-laws neighborhood and brought home in hubby's Subaru.  I do believe I've told you all this story...

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

 

Here...just one more for kicks,

 

Ohhhh this one brings tears to my eyes...That smile...Those cheeks

He is now TWO!

It almost makes my womb long for another...

 

Almost!

Purely Pictures of the Farm

Since my family...and yours I'm sure will be busy and/or gone this weekend I am going to shut my big mouth and just share some of my favorite photos.

"She's not going to talk?"

I hear you say...

Yep I'm gonna shut up and just let the photos speak to you...

as opposed to me speaking to you.

Really I am!

If you want to know the story behind each picture click on it and follow the link!

 

  

Look how long I was able to be quiet...

You should be impressed...

You have NO idea how hard that was!

 

Come back tomorrow for a few more photos that make my heart go pitter pat!

You can also find me here today over at Not Dabbling In Normal with a whole batch of different pictures!

Friday Funnies...Ride 'em Cowgirl!

You know you probably are a country bumpkins when...

 

Your daughter uses a broken composter for a buckin' bronco!

While wearing tights...

And boots...

In the summer!

Since we have no real horsepower on this bronco we must use...

Baby brother power!

Hold on tight Sweet Girl!

You've drawn a wild one this time!

 

And the winner is...

Sweet Girl riding Crazy Compost!

Sponsored by...

Baby Boy in Boots!

Little Workers...start them young!

One variation of the same conversation I have had many times with my kids...

 

"Mom...you had us so you could have free slave labor didn't you?"

 

"No, because if I didn't have you guys around, the house wouldn't be a wreck, there would be very little laundry and the dishes wouldn't be piled up in the sink.  So although I appreciate the free labor...you are the reason I need it."

 

 

"Whatever..."

 

 

 

If you want good child labor you need to start them young...

 

 

 

Really, really young...

 

Notice big sister supervising...he hates that!

 

 

 

Sweet Girl takes her sink cleaning very seriously...I thought she might polish the chrome off!

 

 

 

 

Baby Boy likes to sprinkle the baking soda...ALL over!

 

 

 

She seriously didn't miss a spot...

 

 

 

Don't fall in Baby!

 

 

 

"Wook...my hand cween"

 

 

 

 

 

"Mell my hand...mmmm good!"

 

STOP...back up...

 

"Sweet Girl, he is two and you have no idea where that hand has been, seriously girl!"

 

 

 

 

"Oh mama its ok, he's my brother and I love him"

 

"I love him too, but you don't catch me smellin' his hands!"

 

 

 

Ever play sink top Twister?

 

 

I thought not...

 

 

Great job guys...thanks!

 

 

In all seriousness people...

 

How do we expect our children to ever grow up to do for themselves if we do everything for them?

 

What happened to children having chores and responsibilities?

 

When my oldest son went off to college all his buddies would come over to his place because he was the only one who knew how to cook or do laundry...what is up with that?

 

We do our children our children a HUGE disservice if we don't teach them to be self-reliant, industrious, and capable.

 

Besides it gives them a great feeling of accomplishment and pride knowing they can help...no matter how much they moan and groan in the process!

 

So yes, I'm all for child labor...it does a wee one good!

 

 

Rant complete...

 

Now go find your kids something productive to do!

 

 

Hmmm, wonder if Sweet Girl is old enough to shovel camel poo???