Chicks Hike On Top Of The World

Me - Dolphin Goddess - Mist - Cronin on top the world!! The Dolphin Goddess
Cronin
Yeah, we hang out on top of mountians all the time.....

Here are some fun pics from our chicks hike today. We climbed up to a mountain top together. It was so much fun!

Narley's 19th Annual Community Pig Roast

The Sock Fashion Expert is real elated because the local mercantile owner just consented to carrying a line of her authentic porcupine quill earrings (for no charge). Check out that grin!! Groups hung around and visited...................

Elasta Woman's Eldest took charge of the little girls.............

A Family from our Church with Daughter and Grandson.





Elasta Woman's Littlest girl - She's Moonbeams best friend and arch enemy - lol

Sorry, no action shots here! But you can see me in the back corner. Mist is in front of me sporting hardly any tummy for being 4 1/2 months along!! Then there's Elasta Woman with Matthew her husband. Also Kiree...... you even get to see the much written about Haas.

Cowgirl and Her Mom.........

The Sock Fashion Expert Asks Narley Some Questions. He tells her one of the things he loves about his pig roast is how people from "the church group" and people from "the bar group" all come together.

Art Dog and Firey Playing Horse Shoes (check out the look on Art Dogs face)................

I thought I'd put up some pics from Narley Gilson's legendary 19th annual pig roast. It was such a fun day!! Narley cooked a pig in a deep pit as he always does. People came from far and wide bringing scrumptious desserts and side dishes. We played volley ball most of the day and jumped off his bridge into the river in between games. Wow did i get brain freeze from that!! Kids played in the soft grass. Adults sat around visiting. Music resonated from the house. Something about the lazy, hot summer day was idyllic, now forever to be lost in time as a memory of a great day. The kind of day where neighbors, friends and strangers come together and nobody fights, nobody judges. Its just one of those days lost in time where everybody gets along and some how enjoys each others company..........

Playing in the Forest

Here's some fun photos in the forest lupine. Kudos to SFE for putting up with me doing them!!

Bon Jovi's Brief Visit

Fun Memories for the kids at the Lake on Tuesday.

Our chicks picnic on Tuesday - Mist shared some things she had read earlier that morning. Later Elasta Woman reads another chapter of her Allegory while the children play.

Mist and Fiery had us for dinner earlier this week. She made Parmesan Chicken.

We're just getting ready to head out to Narley Gilson's famous community pig roast. That should be a lot of fun. It got me to thinking that I have a lot of photos from the week that I want to put up and will probably have more - oh ugh!! The rain and several sad reports this week got me into a bit of a funk. For the past three days I decided if I was going to get any exercise I was going to have to do it in the rain. I ran 3.2 miles 3 days in a row in the rain. Yesterday, out of boredom I headed out on the river during a bit of sunshine. Sure enough before I had gotten far tiny fine drops started to shower me gracefully. At least they were polite anyway.
I've been feeling the need to blog lately, but instead chose other means of stress relief. They involved misc fitness endeavors, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and a binge of lousy satellite television. I think the funk is passing now. The sun always comes out again.
My sister called the other day. She had sent me a box of gifts for the children including beautiful handmade robies for Moonbeam, shoes for some of the kids, artwork from her kids and a very special gift for me. It was a Bon Jovi poster board with the inscription of "Hey Babe" on it. He is sporting a flirty smile and there is chest hair being flaunted. Truth be told, I am the one who sent the unaltered version to her. She hates Bon Jovi music. When I was a teenager I used to play it a lot and so she claims to be traumatized from it. Anyway, she altered the photo and sent it back to me. Then Sock Fashion Expert placed the photo directly across from The Archers private toilet. He got home from work the other day exhausted. He sat down on his toilet and there it was looking at him saying "Hey Babe". Jon really travels.
As I was saying before I got off on all that, she was in the mall and frustrated with her kids. As she tried shopping at JC Penny, her kids kept acting like hooligans. They ran and hid in clothing racks, fussed, squawked and did what kids do best when you try to shop. She was so frustrated she yelled at them. Suddenly an over head speaker announced a tornado warning. She had minutes to exit the store or go directly to the safe room. She chose to go to the safe room with her girls. The frustration with her kids was gone in an instant. As she later drove home, she felt an overwhelming gratitude for life. The tornado bi passed her city, but 3 people else where died. Life is a gift. We should treasure it each day and remember to thank our Creator.

death of a sandal..............

The Birthday Boy's Grandpa took boat loads of kids out fishing.........
Birthday Boy showed each gift to his dad as he opened them - it was cute.

Kids at cow lake birthday party......

Moonbeam falls asleep with a friend - she is a teacher at the local school who is leaving. She will be missed.

I stopped by a friend's wedding reception. I'm so happy for her...........


Boy oh boy has it been a busy weekend and beyond! Saturday I worked a 12-hour shift and then stopped by a friends wedding reception. Sunday was church and a big birthday party bash at a local lake. Monday we had dinner at Mist and Fiery's place. Tuesday was our girls day at the lake followed by a 12-hour night shift. Just writing it all is taxing on ones brain.....

I still haven't figured out why I pace myself like this but if you have any ideas let me know :-)

Sunday was a beautiful day at a near by lake. The boys were invited to a birthday party and I thought it would be fun for us all to go. The family has 5 grown girls (the oldest girl's son was having the party). The grown sisters are loud, expressive and fun. They remind me a little of my own family. It was a sultry 80 degree afternoon. I enjoyed lounging around the lake and getting a good swim in. There were a lot of people I knew to visit with while the kids played. Earlier that morning i had just drove everybody nuts making this big stink about not finding my sandals. At the last minute before it was time to leave i found them. Well anyway, as I was saying, I was standing around visiting. I had finally dried off from the long swim and was finally warm and relaxed. Suddenly somebody says to a kid "stop panicking and swim". I look out and this little kid is way over his head. His inner tube is floating in the other direction and he has a look of sheer panic. He is starting to bob up and down. I ran out there and grabbed him. He was almost over my head and I was sinking in muck as I reached him. I held him up high as I could and carried him out of the water. I set him on the ground and went back to intercept his inner tube. Suddenly my sandal is sucked into the mud never to be heard from again....... I had to go barefoot the rest of the day.

I was a little bit embarrassed about the attention. I offered to pay kids to find my sandal, but it was buried too deep to be found. Of course, the day wouldn't be complete without me making some social foe pas, which I did. I won't even bother to elaborate on them because I don't want to remind myself - lol. I also looked rather strange walking around gingerly in bare feet. Otherwise it went pretty good. Mainly I enjoyed being around the water with friends I don't normally get to see. Some where in a dark, watery grave, my sandal rests in peace. Please allow a moment of silence, perhaps share a warm word in its behalf........

Heavenly Forest Lupine

Today The Dolphin goddess and I hiked up a wooded hill road. It was a beautiful morning - the perfect kind for a hike. As we ascended up into the forest road, her dog quickly picked up the scent of a cow elk. Deer grazed among the grasses. Lupine cast their heavenly purple glow among the trees painting the forest floor with almost unimaginable beauty.
When I got home, Kiree the neighbor girl was waiting with some of her Thyme. She and the kids all had a dart gun fight while I rolled out home made tortillas and taco fixings. Then with much persistence from my kids, we all headed to the lake.

Deep Thoughts With Me (What You've Been Waiting For) Just Kidding

Today, as I stumbled out of the kitchen with my fresh brewed coffee, I followed my familiar routine and I headed for the door. I slipped on some shoes and disappeared ever so quietly into the fresh morning air - armed with my Bible. It had rained hard last night, which was no surprise and everything was sopping wet. Around the side of the house, I shook off my lawn chair and set an old coat down on top of it. A heavy mist hung low in the valley as I looked downward over the wooded hills and placid river.
A sense of peace transcended as I turned to 2nd Samuel. Nathan the prophet went to David telling him of an injustice done with a little lamb. In his fury, David said that the man must die and Nathan told him that the man was David himself...........
David had done some very evil things. If you remember your Bible stories, you will know that David had a good, honorable man murdered in order to cover up his adultery and keep the mans only wife, Bathsheba. She was carrying David's child. It was a terrible injustice, worthy of death.
Nathan goes on to tell David that his child born by Bathsheba will die and the child becomes sick. Despite David's fasting and prayers, the child dies. Then a funny thing happens. Bathsheba immediately becomes pregnant again. God's Mercy Prevails. That child went on to become Solomon, wisest king in the world. Because of David's sexual perversion, perversion clung to his lineage in Solomon and also Absalom. It became a generational curse. That's not the point of my story though. My point is, God was Merciful. He gave the mourning parents another child despite the terrible sin.
Many times I have wondered why I put forth the effort I do to help people who don't always deserve it. Recently, I'd been praying about it and wondering why I do what I do. Once, many years ago during my days of travel, I was working in a small town hospital. My first week or two on the job, it became apparent that nobody liked a particular newer nurse who worked there. She was an older woman who had recently gotten her nurses license. Her mannerisms were gruff and she made a lot of mistakes. She was an alcoholic. She had extremely different political views than me. Really, we had nothing in common. I owed her nothing, didn't know her well and didn't relate to her in the least bit. She had just made another significant mistake and she was on the verge of being fired. Most of the nurses were all for it. I went to the Director of Nursing and asked her not to fire her just yet. I implored her to put her on my shifts and let me try and teach her. I even told her I would take responsibility for her on my shifts. After that, when people started gossiping, I would stop the gossip. Though I was a new employee, I was a seasoned nurse and had earned respect. Soon the gossip stopped circulating, for sure around me anyway. Though the woman still made mistakes, she started trying harder. Something about the situation had changed.
Over and over, when I find myself doing these strange actions, I ask myself why I am doing them. Then, just like this morning, I find the reason all fresh and new. God is Merciful. He loves His children. Despite our evil ways, despite our sins, despite the way we mess things up, He has a plan to redeem us. When we follow His perfect plan, things go well for us. When we chose to divert from God's ways, pain and suffering surely follow. Then there is Gods Mercy and He reaches out to us once again. I suppose if I can be a small part of that process for a few, it is my privilege and not my obligation. After all, I've made my own share of mistakes.