All posts by ruthsoaper

A Quick Update

Reflections

We have a busy day ahead but before we get started, I want to share this quick post.

Finished

I still haven’t got caught up on some of the posts that I have started from earlier this year but before I get more behind let me show you our completed project. Last month I blogged about the work we had done in the Prayer Garden. I mentioned that we were going to put a fence around it to keep the chickens out (chickens scratch all of the mulch out and make a big mess). I also mentioned that by the time we finished weeding we needed to start over again because new weeds were showing up. We finally got that finished.

My husband got the fence up, then I began weeding while he edged along the fence. We each worked on it at least a couple of hours most days. He also brought in bucketfuls of mulch with the tractor, that he got from the neighbor, and we spread the mulch after weeding and edging.

This is the best the prayer garden has looked in years.

Our teamwork really paid off.

Who’s In the Pond?

One day my husband was feeding the fish in our pond and the catfish came up to eat. We have three very large catfish. I tried to take a picture of them, but they never learned to pose in front of a camera, so the above picture is the best I got. The dark spots in the upper left are two of the catfish.

Ruby, who thinks she is the boss of the place, spotted the catfish and went in the pond to check it out. She swam between the catfish and one of them smacked its tail at her before they swam off. It didn’t phase her but I’m sure she was happy that they were gone.

Ranger loves to swim. We have nicknamed him the beaglefish.

Just Something to Make You Smile

Thanks for visiting.

Monthly Inspiration

Inspiration, Reflections

Hello and Welcome!

Well, another month has passed us by, and it seems to me they just keep going faster and faster. This morning I came across this quote that addresses that very thing.

“The bad news is times flies. The good news is you are the pilot.” ~ Micheal Altshuler

Now I had never heard of Micheal Altshuler so I looked him up. Among other things he is a global speaker, success coach and bestselling author. You can learn more about him here.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy what is left of summer. 🙂

Learning A New Craft

Crafts, Diamond Dotz, Reflections

Yes – you can teach an old dog new tricks (but this one was easy).

I think it was more than a year ago that my sister asked me if I wanted to try the Diamond Dotz kit she had bought. She had started it but hadn’t worked on it for a while and didn’t know when or if she would have time for it again.

Until a few weeks ago it had been sitting in my craft room still in the box she sent it in. I hadn’t even looked at it to see what was involved. Suddenly I found myself without anything I wanted to crochet so I pulled out this project to work on in the evenings.

In this particular kit, which reminded me of a paint by number, the flower area was divided up into small circles each with a symbol inside indicating what color dot should be placed on that circle. There was a symbol key on the border of the picture. The flower area was also coated with some type of glue. The dots are made out of faceted resin and to apply them to the fabric I used a stylus that was included in the kit. First I dipped the tip of the stylus, that is slightly bigger than a ball point pen, into a wax. The wax helps the dot adhere to the stylus. Then I picked up a dot which fit perfectly on the end of the stylus and placed it on a circle that contained the matching symbol. The dot sticks to the glue on the fabric.

As my husband observed he first told me I was crazy (several times). Admittedly it was very small and intricate work, but I did not find it stressful. He eventually realized that I might find it therapeutic, which I did. Mostly I enjoyed the creative process, but I know the focus and fine motor coordination required is beneficial. I worked on it for one or two hours each evening for about two weeks. In the end my husband very much admired the finished project.

When it was finished I gave it to my sister. She loved it and plans on getting it framed.

I did enjoy this activity and would enjoy doing it again but only if I find a project that I really want to make for myself or someone else. I suspect it could be easy (for me) to get carried away and make a bunch of these and have nothing to do with them (LOL).

Thanks for visiting.

Tractor Pulls and Hot Air Balloons – Does It Get Any Better?

Reflections, Tractor Pulls

Long time readers might remember from this post that my husband and I enjoy going to watch tractor pulls in the summer. We opted not to go to the Armada fair this year because of the on and off rain that weekend. Disappointed about missing the tractor pulls, we began looking for other upcoming pulls nearby. We discovered there was a pull scheduled in Metamora, about a 45-minute drive from us, on Saturday August 24 at 5:00 P.M. We decided that if the weather was good we would go.

As we looked at the schedule for the Metamora event, which was called Metamora Country Days, we discovered that along with tractor pulls they had, a craft sale, a bounce house for the kids, food vendors, chicken poop bingo and at 6:00 P.M. on Saturday night a hot air balloon festival.

One thing that I have never mentioned on my blog is my love for hot air balloons. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve even seen a hot air balloon, but in the 1980’s and early 1990’s it was quite common to see them in our area. I think it was 1986, the year I turned 21, that I decided to treat myself to a hot air balloon ride. I talked a friend into going with me and after we each saved to $125, we scheduled the ride. Flying in a balloon was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

My husband and I watched the weather forecast all week long, hoping and praying for dry weather, and I have to say that the weather couldn’t have been more perfect – clear, dry, hot but not humid, light winds for the balloon launch and a wind direction that carried the balloons right over the heads of those watching the tractor pulls and over the track where the tractors were pulling. Those watching the tractor pull did not even need to leave their seats to enjoy both shows.

Tina and Ken and Jackson and Addie met us there and we enjoyed burgers and fries, then my husband and I went to check out the balloon launch field while Tina and ken took the kids to play in the bounce house, eventually we all met up to watch the tractor pulls.

The first balloon to launch. It rose up out of the field behind us and floated over our heads before I took this picture.

I didn’t get many tractor pictures at this event.

For me the balloons were the icing on the cake and this carousel balloon was the cherry on top of the sundae. (I also love carousels!)

In all there were 22 balloons that went up that evening. What a beautiful sight! I suspect this annual event is one we will attend again in future years.

Thanks for visiting.

Welcome To August

Black-eyed-susan, Flowers, Hibiscus, Prayer Garrden, Reflections, Wild Flowers

Garden Work

In the past month we spent many hours working our way through the prayer jungle garden. The work included weeding, deadheading, pruning, thinning and even relocating some plants. Some areas even got a top dressing of mulch to finish it off.

It looks so much better but as we finished it up we made note that it was time to start weeding again because weeds had started to pop up again in the end where we started. A never-ending battle! Our next project is to put a small wire fence around it to keep chickens from scratching the mulch out. Chickens have no boundaries!

Mom Smiled At Me

Last Saturday, August 10 was my mom’s birthday. She would have been 79 this year. She was on my mind a lot that day especially when I was working in the Prayer Garden and saw the beautiful hibiscus in bloom.

Two years ago, on August 10th, I was having a rough day. I was really missing mom, so I went to my favorite greenhouse to buy something to plant in her memory. I bought a hibiscus. I wasn’t sure what color or variety it was because it was from the previous year’s stock and wasn’t labeled. It didn’t matter. I planted it in the prayer garden. It didn’t blossom that year, but I was thrilled when it blossomed last year – a beautiful pink but a different variety from those I already had.

It had a lot of buds last Saturday but none had opened. I was just thankful for the others that had.

Sunday morning when we arrived at the farm to finish up work on the prayer garden that hibiscus was blossoming. It felt like mom was smiling at me. 🙂 I will now look forward to seeing flowers on that bush each year around mom’s birthday.

Flowers Gone Wild

Last year I decided that panting black-eyed Susan’s along the fence might be a good idea. They are very prolific, compete well with other weeds and wildlife (deer and rabbits) don’t eat them. They spread through their underground rhizomes and by self-seeding and are often included in wildflower seed mixes. They are also beautiful and large patches can have a stunning effect.

This is the patch that I planted last year. They have really filled in that corner. I planted another area along the fence this year and may continue propagating them until the whole fence is lined with them. 🙂

Thanks for visiting.