The best words are not fancy. It felt like I exhaled for the first time in 4 weeks as the doctor told me, that they found ‘NO Cancer’!
We had spent the day before my surgery with THE Grandkids. How I love this picture…
How I yearn for her to know her Grammy, which can only come with time. How grateful to be told that there is time.
… and I am blessed.
Dear Friends,
A short note to update you after my surgery, as silence is not always ‘golden’. We are not ‘out of the woods’ yet, but the edge of the woods is getting much, much closer.
I felt your love and prayers, I mean it, I really felt them. I was at Swedish hospital in Seattle for 4 days, with only My Loving Spouse and One of the Seattle Cousins near to visit me. I usually feel lonely and scared left in a hospital alone, but this time I did not. I know it was my prayer partners keeping me lifted up, that made this difference, so I thank you so very much.
The large tumor was generated from a different site than expected. The first look from the pathologist was positive. I’ve had Cat Scans, and ultra sounds. Now, we wait for the final results. We are expecting good news, the pathology takes a week and a half to be definite.
I currently walk like an Old Lady (no comments from Team Offspring) and am wearing My Loving Spouse’s pajama pants. I do hurt and have no energy, but I am hurting a bit less today than yesterday. I came home from the hospital 5 pounds lighter.
I am excited to use our recent garage sale finds, so that I can rock out side and rest in the fresh air. (Damn Cat)
When I want a dear and delightful giggle, I read some cards from the large pile our kids at school have made for me.
Did you notice the pictures of cows and hearts? It doesn’t get much better than that.
I have to give myself a shot each day. This is very hard for me to do. Shots on cows easy. Shots on self, not so much. The only way it seems to work, is I pretend I’m one of the nurses and use her words out loud.
“Okay, this is going to pinch just a bit” I say to me. “Oh, we’re almost done, you’re doing great.” Then it is over and I shutter a few times and know I have 24 hours before I need to be the nurse again.
When I really need a pick me up, I watch THE Video. THE Video is my entire elementary school chanting my name, wishing me well and waving to me. Yes, it makes me cry…in a good way.
…and I am blessed, by you all.
I have started this post (in my head) many times and abandoned it many times. Six years ago, my big adventure started and along with that, this little blog started. I did have small visions of the blog bringing fame and fortune. Instead, it has brought me blessings and connections with very dear people, God’s richest gifts.
Just like this tree at my school, there are sometimes 2 different sides to the tale. Two weeks ago, My Loving Spouse rushed me to the hospital with the worst pain, I have ever felt. We were sure my appendix was bursting. Between pains, I did have that one quick thought…
‘Oh, no, am I wearing my bad underwear.’ You know, the one I should have thrown away, but don’t because it is still better than nothing when I need to get the laundry done.
Sharing or over sharing…
I am not always sure where that line lays.
It was not my appendix.
My Loving Spouse, my sons, my neighbors, church family and co-workers have been wonderful. 
If I say nothing, how will you know to pray for me. This saying something is a challenge for me.
A ‘football sized’ mass was found in my abdomen. It is expected to be benign. The surgery (May 21, 2018) is large. The recovery will be long. 
I know that Our Lord will be holding my hand, but I covet your prayers for all things…
….still my anxious heart, still Team Offspring’s anxious heart, make sure the cows don’t get out while we are gone, the surgeon’s capable hands, loneliness while being down, being down instead of up…
Thank you for sharing this next path with me….
and I am blessed.
“Agnes is calving!” was the cry, and from that moment, I did not leave her side. Well, her ‘near side’, or about 12 feet away, as this girl does like her ‘space’.
I knew what to watch for and watched quite well. Agnes mooing loudly and looking at me as if to say, “Seriously?!”
Her water broke and her contractions were fierce and yet I did not see any little hoofs sticking out, which is what happens soon after. Well into ‘it’, I called Our Friend The Farmer, who answered,
“Is it time?”
I explained that labor was not progressing and with her history of multiple calves, we both had reason to be concerned. He, said let’s give it another 30 minutes. The 30 came and went and Our Friend the Farmer (Chief Calf Midwife) was on his way. My Loving Spouse and I only had to move Agnes into the head catch in the barn. This became something of a cow rodeo, as you can imagine, that Agnes (heavy with uncomfortable labor pains) did not wish to be moved anywhere.
Calves birth best coming front hoofs first. I was really concerned that the lack of progress meant she calving head first with possible twins. Seeing a hoof made me extremely happy, but still Agnes was not making progress. Our Friend The Farmer did his best James Herriot routine.
Yep, there is a reason why you only see one hand. He then says,
“Okay, Ellen roll up your sleeves.”
I quickly take off my good watch, roll up my sleeves and double-check that my rings do not come off easily, because where I was going was slippery! I stuck my hand inside of my cow, got pooped on and felt a huge hoof, learned how to apply the chains we’d use to help pull the calf and then reached in farther to feel for the calf’s face. I felt an open mouth and long tongue. It was amazing! (Sorry, no pictures, as we were all busy trying to get the calf out, but here’s my hand after!)
With lots of pulling from Our Friend the Farmer, a large bull calf was born!
Prior to his leaving, Our Friend the Farmer stuck his arm in one last time, to see if Agnes was done calving or if she had another surprise up her…well, not her sleeve exactly. He declared her calving finished, no twins or triplets this year. We just needed our little bull to stand up and nurse.
Standing up on the wooden barn floor proved slippery for our bull. Between the barn floor, the wind outside and the tough birth, little bull was going slow.
I checked on him after dinner, to find him up on his hoofs, but not nursing. Agnes would not go back in the head catch, so we could push little bull up to nurse. The barn is a fairly small space and Agnes is a fairly big cow. One must be cautious when dealing with a big maternal cow! The little bull was up, just when Agnes decided to lay down.
I followed Our Friend The Farmer’s advice to try to get a bit of Agnes’s milk into the calf, so he had a taste and smell of things. This is how, I came to be milking our big, black Angus cow who was lying on her side in the barn. Black Angus cows have all the equipment of a milk cow, but not the disposition, so milking them at anytime is something of an accomplishment. I couldn’t help but think, if my Uncle Jim (our Farmer Uncle) could see me now, milk in the bucket and she only tried to kick me twice!
Just as My Loving Spouse showed up with the bottle, Agnes stood up and the little bull finally found her teat. The barn cats got the fresh milk and My Loving Spouse was quite amazed at what a good cow Agnes is or at what a great cow woman his city born wife is, yes one of those.
Welcome ear tag H18 or as we’ll call him…Hal. 
The pictures could be blurry and our clothes smell of barn…stuff, but believe me, we are blessed.
My After School program, Kids Club, continues through the end of May. I will confess to having a very special place in my heart for these kids and with my long day, to being a tad tired.
Pinterest has been my ‘go to guide’ for games, art and even snacks, and they ate every bite.
Some enjoy the process more than the project.
Most days, I provide the opportunity to just be ‘kids’. Boxes have not gone out of style and I cherish their giggles.
I do believe that their favorite thing to do has been to take ‘stuff’ apart.
They’ve dismantled a sewing machine, a radio, a pencil sharpener, a grinder, a clock, an espresso machine, a vacuum cleaner (that was messy), a drill, remote chargers and a few toys. They have a tool box, screw drivers and repeat out loud, “Lefty Loosy, Righty Tighty”, often followed by, “Miss Ellen, which way is left?”
With all the ‘taking apart’ we’ve done, I knew we needed a ‘putting together’ project. My Loving Spouse (Our Master Carpenter) cut out the wood and packaged the parts for each child to build their own tool box.
Kids Club Kids got to hammering. Let me tell you, there was a wide learning curve here. Yes, fingers were smashed, but everyone lived and only one whined. One little guy, said, “I can’t wait to show my big brother my blood blister.”
6 years old and missing teeth, this little one, learned a lot about nails and wood.
On day one, Our Master Carpenter was there to lend a hammering hand, as I was glad that I could still crawl around on my hands and knees to help each child as they cried out, “Miss Ellen….”.
My little girls sanding away, earned the Rosie the Riveter award.
Day two, this tenacious little gal got hers put together while Miss Ellen was busy helping an older child.
Day three, I thought would be easy, after all, all we were doing was painting them. How hard could it be? (I should have called for back up).
I ran around fetching paint and answering the never-ending…
“Miss Ellen, I need….” 
“Miss Ellen, I had an accident.”
“Miss Ellen…whoops! I have paint on my elbows.”
“Miss Ellen…”
Yes, it has been worth it! Yes, my ‘tank’ is running on empty. Summer will be here soon…
With Spring upon us, Facebook helps those in the country with all the social media power there is. It often just cracks me up and I have to share….
Agnes is in her field, it is not us! (This time…)
Calf clipping? Haven’t learned that cow skill yet.
No comment.
Pimp your donkey?
Again…no shaving animal experience.
Only in the country…we had one, but we already shared it….
Happy Spring!
This is THE Bathroom’s big reveal or shall I just say, “TaDa!”
My Loving Spouse and I are feeling very pleased with ourselves and the final outcome of the ‘Attic’ Bath. We started this process years ago, when we were much younger…no, that’s not entirely true, we were old then too. 
The floor is freshly painted. The shower glass door is installed, even though the instructions were the worst we’ve ever seen, possibly written by a 7 year-old whose primary language is not English. Seriously, don’t try this at home, unless you are like My Loving Spouse and you’re “handy as pockets”.
We’d planned on the most amazing set of medicine cabinets for Team Offspring. They would be extra deep and include outlets inside, so the kids could charge their beauty supplies and be ready for all quaffing emergencies. There were some ‘stud’ issues and we had a few ‘design’ discussion/fights. I recently looked at My Loving Spouse and said, “Scrap it. Team Offspring doesn’t even live here anymore, let’s just put up some mirrors.”
I painted our little footstools in matching colors. We are completely ready for small visitors.
The hand towel hook performs a dual purpose, providing a handhold for the secret hatch, which allows us to access the plumbing behind the wall.
My Grandfather’s Clothes Tree stands at the ready for a towel or bathrobe.
I don’t know which we are more please about, the fact that the bathroom came out so nicely, or the fact that we are finally done!
We’re planning on a little toast tonight to celebrate THE Bathroom!
We are sort of proud of our old selves…
So….it took a while…and a lot of help,
and we are certainly blessed!
(Bathroom posts, which prove it only took a little over 4 years, and here I was thinking it was 5. Ha!)
What A Difference A Door Makes
We are waiting on Agnes to calve, which means we spend a lot of time checking her udder. My Loving Spouse and I have very serious conversations regarding said udder.
Don’t you think it is bigger?
Look at her teats, aren’t they longer than Alice’s?
I am sure she is bagging up.
We also notice every time her tail is extended, which means, that I believe we’ve seen every poop that cow has made for the last 2 weeks.
The first thing we do each morning is run to the window for an Agnes sighting. So far…nothing, although, I do have to say, that today I definitely feel her udder is a big more jiggly than yesterday.
In an effort to have the illusion of control over our menagerie, we built the chickens a second yard to flock in. When the pond is full, the end fence will be removed, giving them the opportunity to wander all the way down to the pond, but to keep them from pooping on the porch and eating my flowers. 
Someone came home with 2 baby ducks to add to the flock. They are currently housed in a brooder alongside the baby chicks. Someone says, that they will be so cute swimming on the pond.
I said, ‘I bet they poop on the porch.’
Spring in the country means working cattle.
One of the best days of the year!
I am blessed to be part of the ‘crew’, giving tetanus shots to all the little steers, sharing in the camaraderie of the day.
Good humors and willing helpers come in all sizes.
The pictures speak for themselves….
…and we are blessed!
Two crucial issues aligned, a broody hen and a request that I give the Children’s sermon at church. This lead me to pick Mathew 6:26
Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren’t you worth much more than birds?
A verse that gave me hope during a lonely time in my life.
I calculated the date of our broody hen’s eggs hatching and realized she was a week later, than my sermon Sunday. Of course, I didn’t need live chicks to bring to church, but once I’d thought of it, there was no going back. Luckily, chick days came to one of the local farm stores.
5 Bared Rock and Bufforpington chicks were procured and with the help of THE Grandson, named Ryder and Gold Bug (a Paw Patrol and Richard Scary book reference).
Chicks in church? Yes, it was a fun surprise and all went well.
We now had 5 chicks to keep alive in the kitchen until our broody hen’s eggs started hatching. We only ran into one problem, well, maybe two.
We had 2 hens fighting over the clutch of eggs, jostling for position. They did a really poor job of keeping all the eggs warm and turned and no eggs hatched. It was time for the swap.
I gathered up the growing chicks.
I outfitted myself for the dark of night…
and snuck into the hen house. I removed all the unhatched eggs.
and replaced them with 5 live chicks, shoving them under my broody hen the best I could. My Loving Spouse checked on them when he got home at O’Dark Thirty. Stuart (the mother hen) was protective of her new brood, even if she didn’t quite realize how they’d gotten there.
The next afternoon, we were delighted to see everybody out in the hen yard enjoying a bit of spring!
Mission accomplished!
