Five generations

Well, it took an act of Congress and a small miracle to gather this bunch long enough for a picture. Hard to believe the matriarchs of our family grew up without the luxuries of running water and electricity - not to mention central air and a satellite dish....internet, microwave, cell phone....the list could go on and on. It was a different world indeed and I think in some ways better. It seems we spend more time working for the things that make our lives easier. Makes no sense does it!! I expect my coffee to be done by 7:00am, after I roll out of my sleep number bed {my number is 45}, I set our central air on 72 degrees and my dvr receiver records my favorite shows during the night so they're ready to watch at my convenience. I enjoy my hot baths, washer, dryer, and all the other conveniences we Americans are accustomed to. If I could somehow be thrown back in time about a hundred years, I'm not sure I could manage myself, much less a family. By the same token, if these saint of old were to come visit us, I'm not real sure they would be too impressed with us either. Makes you wonder what the world will be like during the thousand year reign when Christ is the "Commander in Chief"! Will this world hold the simplicity of ages old, or am I going to have my sleep number bed in my mansion?? Just wondering.....till next time, adios.

A few of my favorite things!

A while back, Ranch Wife challenged us all to post a few of our favorite things. It's not that I chose not to participate in this group effort, but like a good stew, you must throw a few things in the pot occasionally and let them simmer a while. As good as that sounds, the truth of the matter is, all I had to throw in my pot was hog jowls, possum and greens. A bad attitude had absolutely nothing to do with my lack of recognizing the blessings in my life...well, maybe I was a bit short sighted. However, I am happy to report that the scales have fallen off my eyeballs and I am ready to return to my normal sweet self. { You can wipe the smirk off your face at any time Ranch Wife} Not to sound overly sentimental, but the past two weeks have allowed me to appreciate what is truly important in this life and I am investing my time and efforts more wisely. Karli has absolutely nothing to do with that either. {You can quit gigglin too Dirt Scrapper} I believe with all my heart that a woman's first and only priority is to rock whatever baby is in their home at the time. It is only when this baby no longer wants to be rocked that we invent hobbies to take the place of this most wonderful but short lived task. Rocking tends to get a little difficult however, when they are 6'4" and weigh over 200 lbs. but it can still be done with a little finagling . Another favorite thing is sitting on the front porch with my husband in the cool of the evening and just visiting. In this day and age with all the busyness and such, we tend to become preoccupied with life and living and we neglect those we live with. I tend to do that on purpose occassionally, but we'll pick that one up another time. I also love the sound of thunder, flashing lightning, the smell of an imenent rain storm and the sound of rain running off the tin roof of the house . I love road trips with special friends.....as long as they behave themselves. I love to watch puppies play, homemade icecream, swimming in a stocktank, the dust boiling down the road of a kid coming home for the summer...... and at times the dust boiling the other direction as they make their way back to college. I love New Mexico sunrises and sunsets, snowstorms and everything about Christmas. I've even been known to play Christmas in July. I love riding in the tractor with my brother, the smell of a hayfield, the satisfaction of a job well done. Last, but not least I love the Lord for all He has blessed me with and the opportunity to fellowship with the sweet souls that I have met through this blogging adventure. Till next time, adios.

Kids, Cows and More

So there I was girls, one arm behind her head and the other under her leg, counting down from ten with each contraction.......cheering her on and fussing at her to push harder. I've birthed a bunch of critters in my day, but never one of my own. And for all you potential grandmothers out there, it's best not to joke about having ob chains and prolapse needles out in the pickup. Really.... nobody will think it's funny but you. { Don't ask me how I know.} Honestly, nobody has a sense of humor these days. I must say, my last blog was a bit sentimental.....I think I was lactating at the time. Speaking of lactating, I believe Katie's milk has finally arrived. The past few hours of tears and frustration explains much of the bad behavior of my favorite milk cow Abigail, {may she rest in peace} after she calved and I milked her for the first time.... only Katie hasn't kicked me or stepped in my milk bucket yet. The hormone hell we endured two months earlier pales in comparison to what we are experiencing now. And this too shall pass..quickly I hope. It's been three days now and I believe I am regenerating the loss of active brain cells. With each bottle washed, diaper changed and kiss given, I am slowly getting back to normal... whatever normal is. With that said, I believe Karli needs another kiss....and probably a diaper change.

Mamaws ain't not cool

Got a new perspective on the title, word, meaning and responsibility of the word "Grandma", or "Mamaw" as I have chosen to be called. Used to when I heard this word, a little fragile blue haired woman with a cane, a cat and the smell of "tonic" came to mind. Now however, after enduring twenty-seven of the longest, most heart wrenching, wonderful hours of my life, I see "Mamaw" as great strength, wisdom, agility, endurance, compassion and tireless sacrifice. How this little seven pound bundle no bigger than a sack of sugar can capture one's heart so completely in the matter of minutes is a complete mystery to me, but I'm here to say, it's worth it all!

Running buck naked

Ever feel like running buck naked down the road wearing nothing but a smile? Try not to picture that, but that's kinda how I feel today. It's been a rather long haul lately and I know the Good Lord has promised not to give us more than we can bear but sometimes I think He gets mighty close. Ya know what a full bucket of milk looks like after you've let it sit a while? The good, the bad and the ugly rises to the top of the bucket. If you don't strain it and get the "stuff" out, you can't enjoy the milk or the cream. I kinda feel like I've been being strained. Not that I'm complaining though, because it's been a good thing. When your plate get's full, you have a tendency to prioritize what's important and bunk the junk. You just don't have the time nor the energy to fret the small stuff. Plus, I think being tired keeps your mind straight. Ross has a good friend who's dad was the foreman of the Diamond A Cattle Company some years ago. Come Saturday afternoon about four o'clock, a truckload of sack feed would come rolling in. Those boys had to unload the truck before they could go out that night. No coincidence there! Well, I guess I've finally come to the place of taking one day at a time and blooming wherever I'm planted at the moment. My circumstances haven't changed, but I have found that I can blossom purt near anywhere, doing anything. When you finally let go and let God have the reins of your life and quit trying to ride herd on everything and everybody, you can rest even when you're working hard. Also, I have finally discovered that I cannot and should not fix everything that happens in the lives of my sweet but adventurous offspring anymore. Oh, it used to be easy. When the kids were little, there was nothing a bandaid and a kiss couldn't fix. What I wouldn't give for a bandaid big enough to cover all their teenage bumps and bruises. So I did the only thing I could think of at the time and gave 'em back to Lord and told Him I'd done the best I could do, and He could handle them from here...... and He has but I have a tendency to offer my advise when I think He needs it.... which He doesn't ...just makes me feel like I'm helping. Anyway, back to the buck naked part. We got two inches of rain last night so I got the whole day to myself....in town....getting groceries...not in a hayfield....so there ya have it. Till next time, adios.