Catching Grasshoppers

No one can say that this squinty-eyed cowgirl is afraid to dig her hands in the dirt! Grasshopper wrangling’s her favorite thing. Oh my… She has good company, and it (Click here to read more or leave a comment on Catching Grasshoppers)  Read More

Blessed Rain

An unexpected rainstorm dumped a half inch of rain on our place… has it been over a week ago?! This was the storm whose violent lightning shut down our internet for five days. It also blew out the control box for our electric livestock fencing. Powerful. But all too short. Afterward, it looked like a different world outside, with the dust washed away and the sky still half... Read More

A Visit to a Local Farm

We spent a day at a local organic farm recently. There were games on the lawn… a hay rack ride… (Click here to read more or leave a comment on A Visit to a...)  Read More

Carrots and Freckles

My internet was down for five days – one of those blessings in disguise. I discovered, while I had a chance to gather my thoughts, that I have a backlog of farm pictures. I’ll post several of them next week. But I’ll start today with these: My son picked carrots in the sweltering heat with his dad, never mind the sweat and grime (or overdue haircut… what... Read More

The Amazing Adventures of Kitty Kitty

Last week we had to say goodbye to one of our cats from this post. The hero of the story is alive and well, but his orange buddy has gone on to greener pastures (the back west pasture, to be exact). This story happened when they were both tiny. (The pictures were taken when they had grown up more.) We try to celebrate these good, fun things, keeping in mind that faith is a relationship,... Read More

Word for Wednesday: Déjà vu

We picked mulberries off the trees last week. It reminded me of the huge, old mulberry tree that stood near the front of our house growing up. It was the best climbing tree ever, with large, low, sprawling branches – my favorite place to play. Our feet were stained purple all summer long. I was so sad when my dad cut the tree down. The berries covered the ground by the front... Read More

Word for Wednesday: Papilionidae

At this stage of parenthood, “developing my own interests” may be as simple and uninvolved as chasing backyard butterflies. Add a little Wordsworth, and it seems more aspiring… 🙂 I’ve watched you now a full half-hour; Self-poised upon that yellow flower And, little Butterfly! Indeed I know not if you sleep or feed. How motionless! – not frozen... Read More

Mother’s Day for Mama Mabel

The calf from last week’s post is still alive, but not without a good deal of blood, sweat, tears, and vet expenses. “He’s a dandy,” an old cattle rancher told us. Translation: he’s a big, fine-looking calf. But he wouldn’t nurse. We don’t know why. He was separated from his mother for a short time. Maybe he couldn’t nurse, or maybe... Read More

A Week of Homeschooling

As the kids get older, we’re slowly shifting our focus toward homeschooling activities. Last week was a good one for showing the types of things we do. Monday, it looked like it was shaping up to be “Duck Week.” An egg hatched in our incubator overnight! It was at least a week early, so the first thing on the agenda involved ditching our original plans and driving... Read More

How We Became Backyard Beekeepers

A huge box arrived on our doorstep one day last winter. The boys tore open the box and spread pieces of wood all over the living room floor. And so began our adventures with beekeeping… including me getting stung by a bee for the first time since childhood! (That story mid-way down…) Part 1: The Hiving of the Bees My husband built several hives. Then he ordered our... Read More