Snow Storm

We had quite the storm last night. 

Over a foot of snow.

It's normal for us to have a couple feet of snow in the winter BUT we don't normally get it a foot at a time.

So today was pretty muchly spent de-snowing.

We got to hand dig out 4 gates plus the doorways to the shop, pump house, and tack shed.

Plus hauling feed in the sled.

We were able to get the tractor started & spent a few hours plowing the driveway.

...and about an hour pulling the tractor out of the ditch it got stuck in.

I think we may have even liberated the Toyota - no easy task.

We shoveled the snow off the roof of the camp trailer.

We hauled straw & gave everybody extra bedding because it's supposed to get down around 6 below tonight.

My whole body hurts but at least I got to spend the day in the snow :)

Snow kitty on the loose.

Proof.

Snow dogs.

Just keep swimming... just keep swimming...

Annnnddd... there's more snow in the forecast!

Blessings.

Winter Wonderland

I love where I live. I abso-freaking-lutely love where I live.

I think it is pretty close to being the most beautiful place on Earth.

And there are plenty who agree with me.

This morning the beauty was almost unbearable.

We had hoar frost this morning.

If you have never seen it it is amazing.

It's a crystalline growth that forms on trees, fences, twine everything that stays still long enough & up close it looks like millions of tiny ice feathers.

Glorious.

The whole world looks like an ice sculpture.

It forms on very cold very  clear nights.

So yes.

You walk outside & the air hurts your face.

But this is what you see...

See how it looks like feathers?

This is a horse hair.

Look at the blue of that sky. Clear & bright & blue, blue blue for miles.

I will take this over almost any other weather every day of the week & twice on Sundays.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. 

12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.  Psalm 96: 11-12

Blessings.

A Mother's Lament

Tucking in my babies tonight we started talking about DP's bear "Peppy".

Peppy gets her name from the movie Alaska where 2 kids make their way thru the wilds of Alaska to rescue their father. A polar bear cub keeps them company along the way.

The bear is named "Cubby" but for whatever reason DP heard it as "Peppy" & that is what he named his bear.

She's also a brown bear instead of a Polar bear but let's not get bogged down in details...

So my sweet boy has this bear named Peppy.

 Peppy wears a pair of red little boys underpants. She used to have a little shirt as well but she shed that somewhere along the way.

DP used to bring her everywhere. She's been to Reno & to visit friends near Portland. To the Red Bluff Bull Sale and the Tulare Farm Show.

He used to send Peppy with his daddy when daddy went on business trips without us. And being the excellent daddy that he is, he always brought Peppy into the hotel room & sent pictures of her home to DP.

Even when his coworkers gave him a hard time about it he still did it to make his little boy happy.

DP is 10 now & Peppy doesn't travel with us much anymore.

And I'm sitting here crying like a sap because Peppy doesn't travel with us anymore.

My youngest is 7 & he still loves his stuffed animals & brings them out & about but it won't last much longer.

My mama heart is struggling with my babies growing up.

I know it has to happen.

I know I will like them as grown ups.

I have 3 grown ups already.

I just don't want to be out of babies.

Lots of parents complain about the younger years.

Heck I'm sure I've complained a time or 2...

But I love babies.

Love love love little chubby hands & sloppy kisses & speech impediments & tiny clothes & even traveling with a backpack full of animals.

I don't want them to outgrow it.

Can I turn the clock back just a few years?

Hold on to a moment in time?

I know I can't...

And I know I've written about this before. It's becoming my theme song...

Because it's my reality & I'm struggling.

It's a whole new world of uncharted waters.

And my boat keeps growing older.

Maybe someday soon I will have grandchildren to fill the empty baby spots but for now I'm going to hold on to my bubs & encourage them to be little just a little while longer.

And maybe Peppy & I will take a trip together somewhere.

Kiss your little ones. Hold them tight. Because if you blink you will miss it.

Blessings.

The Christmas Card Saga

Every year we send Christmas cards.

Which means every year we take pictures for said Christmas cards.

For the last several years we've had friends come over & I take pictures of their family & she takes pictures of mine.

We get everybody into coordinating outfits & threaten them encourage them to smile & stand up straight & not dork around.

And we pick 3 or 4 backdrops & several poses & then we take, oh, I dunno, maybe  12 million shots & we almost always get at least 1 or 2 that don't totally suck.

Because small children.

And, being the glutton for punishment that I am, combined with my PollyAnna tendencies I not only pose my kids but I add the animals in as well.

Because hey, what could possibly make taking photos of small children harder than adding in 3 or 4 dogs, a couple cats & an equine or 2???

But who can resist photos with puppies & ponies? Seriously.

After all, those are memories right?

Like this one here. The "before" shot...

Which led to this one which is absolutely perfect except for decapitating the dog. Darn it.

This is one of those squirrelly bob moments...

Which led to this one which ~ buy golly! ~ is a keeper!

Moving to a different spot & chaos ensues. See the crying child? Dad made him let go of his kitty. *sob*

But a few threatening encouraging words & we were back on track. Another keeper.

This is the one my daughter wants to use for the card. No. Just no.

I have no idea.

But this one is awesome.

A little too much enthusiasm going on here...

Recovery...

Chastisement...

Success.

Merry Christmas. Happy Hannukah. Joyeux Noel.

Blessings.

Election 2016

I woke up this morning to my 10 year old shouting "Hallelujah Donald won!" And giving me a hug.

He may have been a little caught up in the election process...

But the little boys & I still went to bed long before the results were in. And we had spent the day avoiding election coverage as much as we could.

As a survival mechanism I've had to keep this election process on the periphery of my life. For the last 2 years (rolling eyes) I have tried to keep it arms length.

Not because I don't care but because I care too much.

And the ugliness of politics starts to reflect off my soul if I get too involved. So I have to not get too involved.

So the 64 Million Dollar question (reference to an ancient television show. I'm sure you can google it.) this morning is "How do you feel about the election results?"

Technically **we** won. I voted for Trump. But was he **my guy**?

No.

Early on in the election process there was a candidate who was very much **my guy**. For the first time in a looooonnnggg time there was a candidate I believed in. One I thought would be a great choice not just the lesser of evils.

But, sadly, he didn't make it through the primaries. That took a lot of wind out of my sails.

The election went from having such promise to being something to be feared.

So am I elated this morning? No.

I am sobered.

Am I relieved? Yes.

Am I thankful? Yes.

To be honest, the other candidate scared me.

Not because of the title "democrat" or "republican" because I am neither.

But her vision of what America should be is frightening to me.

Her utter lack of reverence for life is horrifying to me.

So I am exceedingly grateful this morning that God did not raise her up as our leader.

I am saddened too.

Saddened by the choices we gave ourselves.

Saddened at the lack of respect & honor within & for the office of president.

Saddened at the lack of respect & honor our once great country receives from the outside world because of our choices.

Saddened at our fall.

I do not think Trump is a bad man. But he is brash. He is foul mouthed. And he is on his third marriage. Not attributes I look for in our Commander in Chief.

It is my great hope & prayer that he will be an excellent president.

That he will bring our greatness back.

I love my country.

I am thankful I was born here. Born free.

But we need revival. We need to turn our faces back towards God.

We need to become a God fearing country once again.

We do that thru prayer.

I pray for our new president. I pray the Lord will use him to restore our country.

I pray for revival.

I pray we will become a Christian nation once again

I pray you will pray with me.

God Bless America.

Blessings.