Pretty Picture Monday

Yellow Roses For Crystal

Thursday Thoughts, Kids on Farms

I'm sure you've heard a least one news report about kids working on the farm,

and how the Department of Labor, has come up with new rules for "Their Safety"

"" BULL SHIT""

It's about unions, if your kids can't work, then you have to hire someone

approved by the government to do the same job.  That can be unionized.

It's about the right to raise your children, how you see fit. It's about 

property rights and the right to have as little of the 

government in your life as possible.

I grew up in a ranching an farming family.  Rode behind my mom,

horseback from fist light till last, moving cattle.  When I could ride

 by myself, my babysitter was an old roan horse.   My mom know,

 if I couldn't keep up, Red would head for the barn.

I was as safe as any kid.

At age nine I started driving tractor for my dad. 

At first running tools while he fixed fence,

then doing more, little by little.

I can hunt and fish, cut and rap my own meat.

Grow and can my own food, drive almost anything and do almost anything. 

By the time I was in high school the ranch I grew up on was gone.

I've lived a privileged life since I've been married, but not without hard work,

side by side with my husband.  The same as my mom did with my dad,

and her mother did and they were both ranchers daughters.

Who I am and what I have achieved on my own,is because of how

 I grew up.  "Ranching and Farming".  The best thing I ever did for my

 kids, was to move them to our 18 acre farm and put them in 4-H.

To the powers in Washington DC.

""Leave Us The Hell Alone""

Garden Project, "Biting Off More Then I Can Chew"

That seems to be a common theme with me.  The yard is looking
 good, but not nearly as far along as I was hoping.  That's OK, it's neat
 and clean and about as weed free as I can ever remember.....LOL

Kitchen garden is tilled and just needs a little top dressing before I plant.

Won't start planting till May first.  You can never trust April not to

have a last minute freeze or hailstorm.   I've learned my lesson.

Even no-man's-land is clean, thanks to son Shane and his muscles.

I did get plants put in to the front planters, as you come up the walk.

Going to also put in Asian Lily's when I find some.

The roses are looking nice and I wish you could smell,
the orange blossoms are in full bloom.

JS even had the painters come and repaint the arbor. 

Thank You !!!

And the Hostas will be all out and showy by Sunday.

Running out of time, Thursday it's suppose to rain, Friday

 cleaning house and Saturday I'll be in Chico most of 

the day for Cattlewomen.  If I don't get any more done,

 I think the a garden club will enjoy it all the same.

Pretty Picture Monday

Sunday Stills, In Honor of Ed

Ed is the creator of Sunday Stills and it's his birthday.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ED"

So it's pot luck, our choice of a photo from a past challenge.

This is mine from Best Photos of 2011

Blue Lake, enjoy the view ED.

USS Hornit

I need to make a correction.  The USS Hornet is not in San Francisco ?

It's in Alameda on the San Francisco Bay, just south of Oakland.

Who ever made the fliers for the event, missed some important 

information.  "You can however see San Francisco"

We had a great day, the weather was perfect, sunny with no wind or fog.

We arrived a couple of hours early.  The Hornet is now a museum and

we wanted to have time for the exhibits, before the Pella Expo. 

The USS Hornet is an Aircraft Carrier that fought in WWII

and was the first carrier to strike on Tokyo Japan.

In 18 months of combat operations, Hornet was under attack 59 times,

but was never hit by a single bomb, torpedo or Kamikaze.

Her crew shot down more them 668 Japanese planes in the air

and holds many impressive records.  She was decommissioned in 1947.

The Hornets story doesn't end there.  The Navy selected her to be the

 Prime Recovery Ship in 1969 for the Apollo 11, were she recovered

 Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins and the Columbia.

Today the Hornet is visited by thousands each year to relive her

history of WWII and see the many artifact form Apollo 11.

The ship is filled with aircraft such as Skyhawk, Vikings, F-14 and F-11.

Sea King and Sea Horse Helicopters and propeller aircraft as well.

As you wonder threw the ship you experience how the crew lived and 

worked.  The living quarters, mess hall, mail room and sickbay are 

as they were, during the war time. 

JS and I enjoyed standing out on the flight deck were we had

a great view of San Francisco.  Sorry, thats the Bay Bridge not

 the Golden Gate.

The Expo was also great, we were treated to a wonderful dinner.

prises and of course the new windows by Pella.

JS even tried out the flight simulator.  What? why didn't I go? 

I only fly if I have to.   Thank You Pella for a great time.

If you ever get a chance to visit the USS Hornet of any ship, do so.

History is an amazing thing.

I would tell you about our trip home, but that's another whole post.

Just think City,  Rush hour traffic and two country folk.

If your ever read "Mr Toads Wild Ride"

you'll get the picture.

Garden Project

It's coming along pretty good,

the plants from Lowe's are in the ground.

Spanish Lavender, Lithodora the blue ground cover and 

California Sunset Breath of Heaven, not shown.

Love all the colors.

Sunday, I cleaned the walkways in the kitchen garden,

also cleaned and transplanted the strawberries.

Yesterday was able to get most of the beds roto tilled,

hope to finish that up today.

The plan is to have all of the front yard and the kitchen garden 

cleaned, planted and done by the end of Sunday.

Tomorrow, JS and I are going to be in San Francisco for the day.

Pella Window Co. has invited us to their PRO EXPO,

held on the USS Hornet Museum.

Stop by Friday (afternoon) and I'll have pictures

 of our day in the big city.

Pretty Picture Monday

Sunday Stills, Reflections

Soapbox, A Small Rant

This week has been pretty uneventful.

It's been raining, on and off or just to wet to do much.

The biggest thrill has been going to the mail box.

Cattlewoman's meeting was Tuesday, that was depressing.

One of the members and her husband had all of their 

Powder River livestock panels stolen.  Thieves stealing metal is a

 big problem here.  Then we got to talking about all the new

laws this stupid state is trying to pass and how the state, want to

 widen the flood plane in the valley.  That will take 40 thousand 

acres of prime farm land, out of production.

I can't believe the dumb asses that get voted into office in this state !!!

I can't believe the dumb asses that vote for them  !!!!!!!

"On a happier note, I got to got to Lowe's and get plants" 

Yard Facelift Begins

Last week phase one of the yard work took place.  The side yard

 between the house and the shop, it was never part of the

"professional" landscaping and has just evolved over the years.

   

Mostly raking and weeding.  JS brought me a tractor bucket of 

dirt and son Shane helped me spread it. 

Two bags of grass seed from Home Depot, put down before the

 rains and its looking pretty good.

Hope to get over to Chico to Lowe's, for some new plants

and this section will be done.       "Yah !!!"

Wordless Wednesday

Pretty Picture Monday

"HAPPY EASTER"

Just Wanted to Say "Happy Easter" 

Hope Yours is Grand.

From the Starr Family 

Thursday's Thoughts, Friendship

This past month I had two different friends ask a favor.

Both, have had their lives thrown into turmoil, not of their own making,

but because of the thoughtlessness of others.

The favors were miner and only required a small amount of time, gladly given.

Both have been my friends for over 30 years and the favors asked, 

were for family members and not themselves.

What moved me to write about this, was the amount of gratitude given by both,

for a small effort on my part and not at any time, feeling put upon by the request's.

My one friend used the words, act of kindness.

"What you did was a great act of kindness."

It set me aback a little.  Never crossed my mine not to do it,

yet, she was so moved.  It was a good reminder, that friendships that

 spend years in the light are often defined by one moment in the dark.

Wordless Wednesday

Click on Photo to Enlarge

The 20 Year Plan

It's finally dry enough to work in the yard.  I've always joked that it 

was on the 20 year plane to get it finished.  This summer will be 22.

My other inspiration is the fact, that I volunteered to host the,

"It's not a garden club, garden club" at the end of the moth.

"" Because I'm into self masochism !""

( "enjoyment of hardship", not the other meaning! )

The yards not terrible, nothing a good cleaning can't fix, but there's a

 lot of bare spots.  The biggest problem is no dirt.  My yard is rocks,

roots and two Australian Sheppard's".

This bare spot is were I parked the quad last summer, with a full thank

 of Round-up.  Guess what happens when the temperature hit 100 ?

Hoses blow off and cussing starts.  

I thought it would be fun to take pictures of the progress, 

flowerbed by flowerbed.

Field trips to the nurseries for the new plants and

 then show you how the flowerbeds are taking shape.

 So, come hangout with me in the garden and lets go play in the dirt !

Pretty Picture Monday

Sunday Stills, Birdstalking