March Madness!

March came in like a lion and seems to be going out like a lion! (All those roars make me hungry!!)   But between all the growling we have had some pretty nice spring weather which translates to work, work, and more work around the farm - with a little bit of fun thrown in to even it all out.

It doesn't matter what the calendar says, the fact that there are hatched bird eggs on the ground says it all!!  Spring, sweet Spring!

Warm weather and drier pastures means it's time to move the cattle from the Longhollow pasture to the North pasture where there is plenty of winter grass for the cows to munch on. So, a few weeks ago JR, Big A and Papa G set out to do just that.  Big A and Papa G were on the four wheelers, following the trailer full of cattle, being pulled by the tractor, driven by JR.  Whew!  That was a mouthful!  HERE THEY COME WITH A LOAD.......

 

 



               AND THERE THEY GO.......TO GET ANOTHER LOAD! 

And on and on and on it went like this all day long into the early evening hours.  The guys would round up the cattle using the four-wheelers and chase them into the holding pen so they could be loaded up and transported across the road.  (JR says having an underpass or overpass would make it so much faster!  Maybe we should petition the county - or maybe not!)  Cows spook very easily when they are being moved so I kept my distance......Of course, there were a few stubborn females that refused to cooperate but that's a another story!

 

 

 



Oh no you don't ladies......you ARE NOT coming into my yard!!  Go find some other field to fertilize!

 

 



Meanwhile, Wee Bob, Pooh, and I visited the local Wall Mart so Wee Bob could try out his impersonation of Elvis!  Way to go Wee Bob!! " Now don't you step on my blue suede shoes!!"

 



On another pretty March day Wee Bob visited Meme T, Papa G, and Uncle A for some play time in the warm spring sun......

 

 



 Wee Bob got to jump around some with Barsha...Whoof!!

 

 



Spring also means the time is here to burn brush piles and pastures.  This day started out warm, peaceful, and still, but then the wind picked up and JR's little fire got out of hand and jumped into the woods and caught a few trees on fire. The men in the BIG  red trucks had to pay us a visit!  I was in the house, doing what I usually do, unsuspecting of all the drama going on just outside my door.  Papa G and Meme T had just passed our house and Meme T called me to ask if I knew the woods by our house was burning.  So, I told her "yep", JR is out there burning. I was not concerned at all.  Then a few minutes later she called again and said they had passed the fire trucks heading down the road in the direction of our farm.  I was still doing my thing in the house - CLUELESS!.   I had no idea that right outside my door was a three alarm fire and that any minute I might be toast!!  Yikes!  So much for spousal communication!!!
 

 



This is March so blooms are blooming.  Or is that buds are blooming?  Or flowers are blooming?  Well, something is blooming and it looks like Spring!

 

 



One day, Wee Bob wanted JR to take him across the street, down the road, around the bend, behind a house, to see a few ponies and baby donkeys a neighbor had. "Let's go Pappy."  (Wee Bob is just a little bit into Sponge Bob - can you tell?")

 

 



First, JR put some feed into the bucket so the donkeys and ponies would know that we were friends....

 

 

 



Then JR put the bucket across the fence and we waited for the animals to get brave enough to check it out....Patience, patience...

 

 



Wee Bob and this precious little donkey had a staring contest!!

 

 



Wee Bob also visited me at school this month.  He loves to explore the toys and manipulatives.

 

 



He also likes to visit with the pretty girls on the playground!! 

 

 

 

 

Oh Happy Day! Good-bye Hot Chocolate and Welcome Popsicles!! It was just that perfect kind of day!!

Dee Dee


Sound the Trumpets!

There is one place I have always wanted to visit......The Walls of Jericho.  So, when Meme T, Papa G and Big A decided last week that the perfect day had arrived to pack up the gear, drive to the starting point, and hike down the mountain to see the "walls", I could not wait to include myself in this little hike.  Wrong!  JR had a bad attack of "something" and we wound up driving to the big city to seek out emergency treatment.  Fortunately, Meme T took lots of pictures because she knew I was sobbing uncontrollably over not being able to hike down the mountain for 2 hours and then hike back UP the mountain another 2 1/2 hours!!  (No four-wheelers allowed on the trails - just humans, snakes, and wild animals!  There is a separate trail for horseback riders but unfortunately we don't have a horse....just an old mule!)  After putting on old clothing and comfortable walking shoes, the adventure began.....


 



First you drive many miles to a remote mountain top where you arrive at the starting point.  It's a good idea to carry water, a knife, snacks, first aide supplies, toothbrushes,  jackets, rain gear etc. just in case.....

 

 

As you can see, Big A and Papa T are totally empty handed.  So much for being prepared!  What if they sprained an ankle, or got snake bit, or attacked by bees, or met a bear, or got lost and had to spend the night on the trail????  Horrors!!  And there is no cell phone service way out in the wilderness!! What were they thinking???

 

 

 

 

It's a good thing Big A was a Boy Scout in his younger days.  He demonstrated how to safely cross a swollen creek walking along a log.  Yikes!  

Meme T and Papa G seem to have gotten stuck!  Just close your eyes, hold on and keep inching along.  You can do it!

Big A carving his initials in the "old oak tree".  Look closely and you can see that many others have done the same thing.  

The scenery was beyond spectacular......

The sunlight lent a golden shimmer to the rippling water.  Nature is one fantastic lady!  (Why do we call "nature" a she as in Mother Nature?  How do we know that "nature" is a lady??) 

Another hiker enjoying the view.  See his backpack?  He was prepared!!

Waterfalls abound near The "Walls of Jericho". 

For hundreds of years the "Walls of Jericho" were home to native Indians.  Fresh water, lots of game, protection from the elements....

 

 

 



Taking a break before starting back up the mountain...

Big A sitting at the foot of the "walls".

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starting home......look closely.......see the hiker in front?  He is loaded down with emergency gear.  Maybe he would have been willing to share....or maybe not.  Take notice.....be prepared!  Isn't that the Boy Scout motto?  Or is that the Marines' motto?  Well, it's a good motto regardless!  Fortunately, Papa G, Meme T, and Big A made it back to the starting point safely after hours and hours of hiking.  Meme T can't wait to do it again!!!!  LOL  Next time I will just have to go because someone has to keep these "younguns"safe!



Oh, The Places Four-Wheelers Will Go!

It looks like the snow and freezing temperatures are a thing of the past.  Hooray!  Make way for blue skies and warm sunshine.  What's a family to do when the weather decides to cooperate?  Go four-wheel riding of course.  And the fact that it poured down rain the night before makes for even more fun.  At least for some folks.  Me, I am just glad the daffodils are alive and well and that the trees are budding and the tulip trees are decked out in their seasonal splendor.  Oh, and the forsythia bushes are showing off their bright yellow blooms.  There's a little bit of heaven going on right now here in the south!!  So, with the fragnance of blossoms all around, start your motors and let the fun begin.......

 Finally, SPRING has sprung here in the good old south! Time to hit the trails!!

Big A crossing his own, muddy, Rio Grande!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pooh following right behind Big A.  I think they were having a contest on who could get the muddiest!

 "Yep, Wee Bob, that is definitely red clay mud!"

 Brother and sister - once they clashed now they clink!...or is that clank?...clink, clank?

 Oh, the joy of riding on a warm spring day!!

 Wee Bob was more interested in the heavy logging equipment than riding through the mud!
"Follow me guys...march!....one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four!"

 Miles and miles of old mountain roads and trails to explore!

 "They'll be coming around the mountain when they come......"

 "Look Mom, more mud!!"

"Uncle A, when I get big I want to be just like YOU!! -- with just a little less mud."

 

 

 

 

Once you reach the top of the mountain, if you reach the top of the mountain, you are rewarded with a magnificent view. I can't wait to see it when the grass is green and leaves have unfolded.  It has got to be out of this world beautiful!!

Join me soon for some more warm weather fun.....like hiking to the Walls of Jericho.  I know Meme T can't wait to do that again!

 

One Hundred Days of School!!

A few weeks ago, while the snow and sleet was swirling around outside and wrecking havoc with everyone's plans, we celebrated the 100th Day of School!  In our neck of the woods, that constitutes a real celebration.  It's almost as good as a snow day!  Southerners will use any excuse to eat baked goods and drink sweet drinks!! Our Kindergarten teachers really get in the spirit of things as do the students and parents.  I don't remember being as creative when I was in Kindergarten.  Of course, that was a longggggggg time ago!!  So how do we celebrate ONE HUNDRED DAYS OF SCHOOL?  Check out a few ways below........

One very creative teacher demonstrated how far 100 dog bones would go....The 100 Bone Man!!

 



 There is nothing like a 100 Day Monster lurking in the hallway!!

 

 

 Lots of bags full of 100 items....from pennies, to eyeballs, to Lego's to cotton!

 

 

Is this not creativity at its best?  One hundred race cars!!

 

 

 

 

 



One Hundred Fish and One Hundred Gum Balls!!  

Lets fly away with a balloon made from one-hundred pom poms!! 

 

 



One-Hundred snow balls!!  Brrrrrrr!

You have to LOVE the corn picker and one-hundred pieces of corn! 

 

 

 

 

 



Oh my, I wish I had these one-hundred bills!!

For the child who gets lots of bumps and scrapes ---  one-hundred band-aids!!



What could be more suitable for the budding football player than one-hundred helmets?!





Super Hero's celebrate one-hundred days too!

 

 



For the "couch potato" (that would be me) we have one-hundred kernels of popcorn!

 

 

 

An artist's delight!  So pretty and colorful. 

 

 

There were so many wonderful ideas I cannot post them all.  Every time a new poster was hung I declared it my favorite!  But soon another one would be hung and that one would become my favorite.  And on and on it went until I decided they were all my favorite!!   It's a good thing I did not have to choose a winner because I would have had to disqualify myself.  Or stayed home in bed!

 

Now that our 100 Day Celebration is over it's time to get ready for Doctor Seuss week.  Oh the places we will go with that.......

 

Dee Dee