New Life Old Farmers

One of my favorite days of the year came!  The weather was Spring perfect, cool not cold, sunny not hot, no wind, rain or snow and beautiful blue skies!  Our Friend the Farmer needed his cattle worked.  This is his big day for the year and it takes a bunch of folks to get it all done.Everyone arrives…some of the neighbors just jump on their bikes…For Our Friend the Farmer’s family, his kids, and grand kids big and small…this is a working day in a celebratory way.  The herd is handled.  The kids test their growth by throwing calves, and there is room for all to learn and grow.

I am beyond thrilled to have been solidly upgraded to ‘Tetanus Shooter’.  Tetanus shots for all the bulls, except by the end of the day they are all steers, which is why they are getting tetanus shots.  I am careful in the close space to only shoot the bulls, no heifers and especially no people and to stay clear of the son with the branding iron.A break is taken to move calves, eat banana bread, and show the littlest grandson the herd.The calves are big this year…healthy…and loud as they ‘Moo’ for their Mamas.There is laughter, and occasional warnings of ‘watch out’.  Our Friend the Farmer is always concerned that someone might get hurt, but knows it takes a team and the team with experience teaches those without…whether it is an 11-year-old or a 56-year-old.  That is part of what makes the day so special…everyone is allowed to help…working together.

…and then we are done…and the calves are returned to their Mamas and the herd is feed.

The celebration continues as the people are fed…

…and…such…

How blessed I am to live this life.

The time finally came to unload our ‘free’ wood.  (The ‘free’ wood that we’d set out to collect, which led to My Loving Spouse’s accident.) The ‘free’ wood had been loaded into our horse trailer.  The ‘free’ wood was so heavy, that My Loving Spouse had trouble getting the trailer unhooked from the truck.  The only way he could detach the trailer, was to remove the hitch from the truck and drive off…leaving the horse trailer standing in the snow.  The ‘free’ wood was set to stay in the horse trailer until the snow thawed and the recovery came.

The thaw finally did come and now all we had to do was unload the ‘free’ wood.  The heavy ‘free’ wood…very heavy.
I managed to roll one round out of the trailer.  It was not easy.  Clearly, we were going to need…the A Team or at least Number Four Son.  He is strong…really strong.  So, with 3 strong men and 2 fairly strong women, in a matter of time, we’d managed to unload the ‘free’ wood.

The only question that remained, was how in the world had Number One Son and Number One Wife alone loaded all this wood into the trailer after the accident?

(Number Four Son the strong one – upper left, Number One Wife upper center and Number One Son lower center.)

Can you say ‘Adrenaline’?

 

 

 

It is easier for me to tell you stories about my learning curve in driving a tractor or sharing the excitement of calves being born, than it is to share that I had an idea and it might somehow be brilliant.

We, My Librarian and I are a great team, mostly I believe, because she allows me to be more than someone who shelves books.  Our elementary school is K-5.  Every class (regardless of attention span) comes to the library each week for 40 minutes.  It is often a safe haven for kids who struggle in other parts of the school day.  (Yep, we love that!)  In their 40 minutes classes are given a lesson, guidance, attention, help finding books, offer creativity, direction, redirection, advice, redirection, encourage the love of reading, how to work the Dewey Decimal System, where to put the returned books, why the book they returned to the public library is still ‘out’ and to make the library a place they like to come to…

“Our kids” are wonderful, sweet, smart, fun, funny, creative, etc….you might be surprised to know that a few of our classes are also…how shall I say…’challenging.’  It was because of one such ‘challenging’ class, that we learned the magic of the ‘buddy system.’  This class was a group of second graders…and they were awful.  Awful to each other, loud, disorganized, rude, unruly, and like a pack of wolves fighting over a cheeseburger.  Their teacher was also aware that they were…’challenging’.  When they would leave, My Librarian and I would look at each other with our eyes like saucers and say something akin to….

‘Wow, they were awful!’

“If they were 5th graders we could just try to get through the year, but they’re second graders.  We’re stuck with them for a long time…  I think we need to try to humanize them.”

We decided to try my idea..our library Check Out Buddy System.

I explain that at school each class is like a family.  We need to get along.  We need to ‘grow our hearts’, and we can only do it by being kind to each other.  I pull their library cards out two at a time and randomly pair two kids together.  I remind them that there are only 3 responses to who their buddy is…

1.  A smile
2. They can say, “I am glad you are my buddy.”
3. They can say, “I am really, really glad you are my buddy.

That is is…no stomping of feet or rolling of eyes, nothing to make their Buddy feel bad, as it will make their heart grow smaller.

We use the Buddy System after the lesson.  The Buddy’s then have book check out together and some free time.  They need to help each other find books, stay together, not abandon a Buddy in the fiction section.  In the beginning there is a learning curve with some kids who seem to lose their Buddy, but surprisingly few.

I do not really know why it works, but it is like MAGIC!

The cream rises to the top…almost instantly!  The kids are smiling, helping each other and playing with one another…nicely!  The noise level is dramatically lower and the room is calmer…everyone is happier, especially the adults!

The Buddy System takes a class that cannot come into the library and sit on the rug with out arguing to a class that is a delight to be around.Seeing a kind little boy, who usually spends his free time with his best friend, sitting and coloring with a very shy girl, talking to her and seeing her smile….it is a beautiful thing!

…and we are all blessed.

Two men (hatched a plan),

two dogs (Labrador’s to be exact)…
One in heat…

Executed THE plan…

As the famous dog Scooby Doo would say, “Rut Row!”

Two men pleased with THE plan’s success…

One wife wondering, if at the end of April Her Loving Spouse will be home or away driving for work, when the ‘action’ begins…

never a dull moment.

 

As they neared the end of their life, my Mom and Dad did their best to divide up their ‘stuff’ as fairly as they could between 6 kids.  They had a plan (which was good, as it was their stuff).  To be honest, the few times we siblings had to get together and ‘pick’ items we’d like to have, it was exhausting.  It feels like just yesterday, but My Mom has been gone now for 10 years.  The very last item to be decided was her sewing kit and at the time, I did NOT even sew.  My brothers were not interested.  My two sisters looked at it…looked at me…and both said, “You should take it.”

‘Really?’

‘YES!’

‘Okay…if you are sure.’  I love that I use her sewing kit complete with her bobbin and her very funny one of a kind organizational skills and am grateful that my sisters pushed it toward me.

To be honest, the only real reason it even occurred to me to take Mom’s sewing kit, was that I knew it contained THE Scissors.  I was sure my sisters had forgotten that  THE Scissors were in the kit.  THE Scissors…were a pair of excellent sewing scissors and every time we saw my mother use them, she said informed advised told instructed threatened,

“NEVER USE THESE GOOD SCISSORS ON ANYTHING BUT FABRIC!!!  YOU WILL RUIN THEM IF YOU USE THEM ON PAPER!!”

Believe me…we KNEW!

My English Sister-in-law never met my mother…however, her mother was cut of the same cloth.  When she was visiting, she needed to trim some jeans.  I opened my secret drawer and handed her THE Scissors, and she knew.

‘Oh, are these THE Scissors?  Don’t worry I will not cut paper with them.”

“It is okay.  I trust you, but hide them back in this drawer when you are done,” I said.

Honestly, I still cannot believe that THE Scissors are mine.  I usually keep them in a special drawer, one I think no one will find them.  Sometimes I slip up.  I left them out on my work surface…and then I got a phone call….from Number Two Son.  To be clear, Number One Son is a Firefighter and rushes into burning buildings.  He is brave.  Number Two might be even braver….or…something.

‘Hi Mom!’

“Hi Buddy!”

‘I borrowed a pair of sewing scissors for my class at school.’

“Which ones?“, I said, slightly panicked.

‘You know… the ones that were out.’

“You borrowed THE Scissors!!!”

‘Yes, I only cut fabric with them….for my class.  We have to sew a messenger bag.’

“Did you loan them to anyone?  Because you know, if you did and they cut paper with them, you’ll have to kill them.”

‘No, they are already safe back in my back pack,” said the son who is bright, funny, loving, talented and sometimes looses stuff.

“Yes, well…okay, but put them back as soon as you get home…and…please do not do it again…not with THE Scissors.”

THE Scissors returned without further incident.  I am planning on sewing with them today…

and looking for a better hiding spot.

 

 

The twinkle is back in his eye.

The scar on his forehead?

I love it,

because it says…

that he is still here.

It was just 6 weeks ago that we had ‘the’ accident.

He is looking good!We were blessed and bathed in prayers….

for healing,

for strength,

for patience,

for a new job….

and we appreciated each and every one….

and we are well.

To top it off,

My Loving Spouse has finally found a ‘good fit’ job.

Driving a motor coach for a well-respected company,

this pairs all things he likes…

Driving!

People!

(chatting with strangers)

and

Going out-of-town!

Not only is he looking good, but

he is happy at work,

and…..

in his free time,

he’s back at work on our half bath

(half done bath)

A heartfelt “Thank You” to you all…

We have been having Mr. T and Z weekly since last fall.  Their Mom needs some respite care as a single Mother with health issues.  In case you are wondering, no, we are not wonderful for doing this.  We just feel called to walk along these two kiddos, to be their ‘local Grandparents’ as it were and provide some consistent, normal (well, sort of normal) family farm time.

They have taught me how to make snow men.God has taught me that I only need to do the part I am ‘called’ to do.  There is a lot of ‘drama’ in their lives…sometimes I have responded to it…now I am learning not too…that is not ‘my’ part.  ‘My’ part is these two…just being consistent…having them weekly…and doing with them what I would do, if they were THE Grandson.  Mr. T’s language is delayed, so I read to him and rock him and talk to him…and snuggle him a lot.Mr. T and Z love Number Two Son like a special Uncle.  Number Two’s heart breaks for their situation and he loves them back…Having them through many winter nights, cooking becomes a great way for us to spend time together.  My Loving Spouse and Z make home-made pizzas for dinner.Our hearts are stretched and we worry about them…but we have figured out that we cannot fix much, but we can do this part…and be consistent.  They always want to come and they are never in a hurry to go and truth be told, sometimes they are even a little annoying, which we believe means that they feel very comfortable and hopefully safe with us.

Last week was Z’s birthday.  She and I made cupcakes for her to share at school, as is the school tradition.  I told her we wanted to take her out to dinner for her birthday.

“Have you ever been to The Yellow Church Cafe?”

Her eyes lit up.

‘No, but I’ve seen it!’

“It is a very special restaurant.  We are going there and you can order anything you like, because it is your birthday.”

We could not have done this, except we’d been blessed.  When My Loving Spouse got hurt, we received in the mail a very generous gift certificate to The Yellow Church Cafe from our friends, anonymously.  I had sort of thought of saving it for our anniversary this month, but then asked My Loving Spouse what he thought about taking Mr. T and Z there for her birthday dinner.  He said that was a great idea and so off we went.

There was just a hint of bravery taking a 2 year old to a nice sit down restaurant, especially a 2 year old that rarely experiences sitting at a table for family meals.  I pulled out every trick in my old toddler book to keep him contained and quiet while waiting for our food…sitting on my lap whispering in one ear and then the other the words to “The Wheels On the Bus”.  Luckily, the food was served quickly and let me tell you, these kids can eat!  Mr. T gobbled up bites of my steak, carrots, parsnips and huge heaping globs of his macaroni and cheese.

Z dug into her steak saying, “This is the second time I have ever had steak.”Our meals were delicious, and I enjoyed every single bite!  Z ordered a large piece of chocolate cake, a neighboring table made her a balloon animal and it was a delightful success!

After we dropped the kids at their house and were driving home, My Loving Spouse and I reflected on the evening.  The gift certificate had been so generous that our meals were all covered as was a lovely tip…and we think that whoever gave us that gift would be as happy as we were, with how we used it…

and we are blessed.

 

Number Two Son’s simple words put everything in motion.

“Hey, Mom, I bet you could sell your sewing in the Cave B tasting room.”

‘What?’

“Oh, yeah, you know, your bibs and table runners and stuff.  People like to shop when they are wine tasting.”

‘For bibs?’

“You’d be surprised.  A lot of folks come for the weekend and this is the first time they’ve left their kids.

My first serious thought was business-like:  I can’t imagine I’d make much money selling bibs….?

My second thought was tenacious worker-like:  I wonder how many bibs I could make in a week…?

My next important thoughts did not come for a long time, because I was busy sewing bibs.

A nice selection of ‘Betty Bibs’ were delivered to the winery, just as they were going into their slow season.  With winter upon us and the Cave B Inn closed, my expectations were realistic.   However, I did receive a small sales check out of the blue…which brought new thoughts…creative person-like:  Someone who doesn’t know me, liked my work…and paid money for it!  This was a meaningful affirmation and it settled deep in my soul.

‘Hey, Number Two Son, do you think that Cave B would sell my table runners too?’

“Ahhh, yes Mom…I sort of told you that in the beginning.”

‘Oh, really?’  (This conversation is somewhat a recurring theme with Team Offspring and I).  

The Tasting Room Manager said, that they would love to have ‘any items we wished place in the tasting room and that many of their artists provide ways to display their items’.

I am now bombarded by thoughts…creative person-like:  She called me an artist!  I start to revel in this thing called creative entrepreneur.  

Entrepreneur-like:  I am delighted that I get more control of how our items are displayed.

My Loving Spouse builds me a glorified step-ladder, perfect for showcasing our items with a small footprint, for the tasting room.  Just right for my table runners…

My Loving Spouse’s chalkboard pigs and saddle crosses.

…and of course…Betty Bibs!I become more confident in our pricing…channeling what I call my ‘inner Ta’.  (Ta is a creative friend, with loads of talent and bucket loads of self-confidence about the worth of her products.)

With the joy of creating, the confirmation from buyers and my own little entrepreneur artistic space…my self confidence grows and I keep sewing…

…and surprise myself!  (Yes, that is a wine glass in the far corner as this was finished up after dinner.  Let’s remember that this is a true life blog!)I have learned so much about sewing from Pinterest, other artists, sewers, quilters who willing share their knowledge.  I saw these string blocks and jumped at the chance to try it out!  One of my very great surprises about my new life here is this sewing…that it calms me, provides gifts for friends and family, support (quilts) to people I may not even know and this artistic business.

Yes, I am blessed.

It was a last minute invitation, but we jumped at it.  Would we like to join our Lutheran friends for a Fat Tuesday Jambalaya diner potluck and hymn sing?

We said yes for 4 very good reasons.

1. We like these folks.
2. Football is over…
3. We like Jambalaya
4. We, or especially I, love to sing hymns.

There was a cornucopia of Jambalaya and we were encouraged to take some of each, which of course we did.  A King Cake had been ordered from New Orleans for dessert.  It didn’t look like anything I’d ever had before, but it was delicious and I will refrain from mentioning which one of us went back for a second slice.

With clean plates and full bellies we moved into the sanctuary for a hymn sing.  Led by a rich singer with a great sense of humor we sang the old hymns.  Allowed to pick our favorites, (as long as we raised our hands) I was quickly reminded of my mother’s Lutheran roots.  Although some of the hymn titles were different the songs and words were the same.  One of the biggest things I do miss about our former life is singing in the church choir.  It was a simple and lovely evening.

We are blessed.

(Random cow picture, because I love my girls.

Eliza Doolittle, Agnes, Clara Belle)