Starting the day after Christmas I got a great Christmas present.  My three bred sows started to have their piglets.  One of them only had three.  But the other two had 11 each. 

The one that I am holding here is the runt of all three litters.  It needed a little extra TLC.  So I kept it in my coat pocket to keep it warm. 

The others came out and were ready and fighting to get something to eat right away. 

After they have had enough to eat they snuggle down in the hay and go to sleep.  Being born is a very strenuous thing.  We got a lot of color this time and buyers like that so I guess I should do well when selling time rolls around.

As of today we have we have 19 still living out of the original 25 that were born.  That's pretty good for winter piglets.  Last week the temps. were in the single digits but this week they are supposed to be in the 40's so that should help everyone to grow well. 

For those of you who hear New York and think New York city.  A little geography lesson.

This is a map of New York State.

Down here at this little island that hangs off the end of New York State is where New York City is.  But there is more to New York State than meets the eye.

This is a map of New York with the counties on it but unfortunately I am not computer literate enough to give you a really good representation.  But right in the middle of the state is a county that is named Oneida.  In the middle of that county is where I live.  That county and just north and east of it (where the Adirondack mountains are located) is some of the most beautiful country that the Lord ever put on this earth.

This map is a better representation of New York State.  We have very fertile farm land.  We have winerys in the finger lake region and peaches are grown up near Lake Ontario.  At one time the Erie Canal was one of the most advanced methods of transportation in the northeast if not the country. 

That is New York State in a very small nutshell.  So the next time you hear New York, don't automatically think about the city, which is only a small part of the state geographically.   

  I have said many times that central New York is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I have had the experience that when people hear that I come from New York they automatically think New York City.  New York state is not New York city.  There is so much more to enjoy.  The city is beautiful to visit, don't get me wrong.  I have been there a few times and I would go back again, given the opportunity.  But I would happily come home to my part of the state.  Here are a few examples why.

This is our horse Champion grazing in the neighbors pasture.  We have since sold him.  My daughter and son miss him very much.

This is a neighbors hay field that we rented last summer.  I took this picture right after we finished baling the hay off the field.  The ground looks just like green velvet.

This is our horse Starbuck (not named after the coffee but the character from the book Moby Dick).  He also was sold because he was too small to carry our son Jason on his back. 

This was taken from the top of Bald Mountain in the Adirondack mountains.  Second only to our farm the lovliest place on this earth.  Going to the mountains each year renews my spirit like going to church. 

Another shot from the top of the mountain.  My husband is there walking up the mountain.  Every year we take at least one trip up to climb the mountain.  The view is glorious.

These are a neighbors barns.  We made hay on their farm this summer, both first and second cutting.  This particular day I sat in the tractor you see waiting to hear a weather report.  Severe thunderstorms just missed us passing just 5 miles to our south.  We got all the hay that day without any trouble.

Here are a few scenes from our farm lest it is thought that off farm is where I like to be the most.  This is our shop where machinery is fixed and most of the clutter accumulates.

This is our cow barn before the fire.  Past the tractor is the milkhouse and the heifer barn.  You can't see the pole barn that held all of our hay storage.  All that complex of barns burned in a fire a year ago January 28. 

Side view of the cow barn with the milkhouse attached.  Check out that beautiful blue sky.  That is what late summer days are like around here.  To the right of the picture is the machine shop and under the leanto that you see is the fuel tanks that we use to fuel the machinery.

A close up of the cowbarn.  At the end of the far right was the hen house where the fire started.  The wiring was faulty and it just couldn't take it any more. 

This beautiful view is from behind the barn.  It is one of the loveliest parts of the farm.  It actually over looks a neighbors farm but the scenery is one of my favorite because looking this way there is no sign of civilization.  Sometimes you can see deer on the hill late in the afternoon. 

No concrete jungle out here.  If anyone wants to see the true beauty of New York just come to Central New York and you will see God's country.

Christmas morning in our home is a special event.  Gift giving is saved until after we have arrived home from morning Mass.  Then we have to prepare our Christmas dinner.  (mostly finger food and snacks)  Then we all sit down and we start with the youngest child handing out gifts and work our way to the oldest child.  That way everyones gifts get appreciated equally. 

Matthew made this shirt for Jason.  His hard work and perseverance paid off.  Jason was duly impressed and pleased.

Mary-Kate was thrilled to say the least with the skirt and vest that Matthew made for her.  She very much likes bright colors and patterns so this sunflower pattern is perfect for Mary-Kate.

Here's Adam all wrapped up in the fleece blanket that Matthew made for him.

Ian was pleased and surprised with the very thoughtful gift of the coffee maker that Matthew bestowed on him. 

Matthew and Mary-Kate will be engrossed in their new books.  Perhaps they will also learn some new skills.

Jason received two DVD's from Adam. 

Mary-Kate has increased her music collection with a batch of new CD's.

Doug and I added to Ian's too collection with a creeper stool and two new hydraulic jacks. 

Is that a grenade that Matthew is holding?  Fear not, it is not a working grenade.  But he was pleased to get it from his silly sister none the less. 

A good time was had by all and everyone was duly spoiled. 

Happy 18th Birthday to Mary-Kate.  Today 18 years ago God saw fit to bless this family with a little girl after having given us four boys.  What an adventure we were launched upon.  To all who say that raising boys and girls is the same, to you I say, Nay!!!!!!  But it is an adventure that I would not have missed for anything.

Here is my very accomplished daughter at one of her organ lessons.  She is at present in her third year of organ study after 9 years of piano.

Here she is singing with our local civic chorale.  She has sung with this group for 4 years.  She is even getting up the courage to sing a solo with the group.  She is very talented if I do say so myself.

Her senior picture.  I applaud the modesty of the dress of my daughter as compared to the other girls in her senior class.  Much censure has been heaped upon her for the fact that "she is a lovely girl but you look very old fashioned and frumpy dressed like that".  Reasons for exposing oneself?  I think not.  Rather cover what is given you by God to save for the eyes only of your future husband if that is what God intends.

My cowgirl daughter.  She loves still to dress-up in all kinds of costumes.  May she always preserve the little girl inside.

The day of her Confirmation.  Dressed in her white dress to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  How eagerly she approached the altar of the Lord and accepted the blessing of the Bishop and the gifts that the Spirit gives so freely.

Our lovely daughter after one of her haircuts which she so generously donates to Locks Of Love.  God has blessed her with such thick and beautiful hair that grows so fast.  She has done this four times now.

One of my favorite pictures of the little pixie.  She was posing in this "store bought" dress that she loved so much.  Maybe to humble her mother who used to make all her clothes?  I don't know, but the look on her little face is so precious that I couldn't stay vexed with her for long.

Notice the hole in her smile.  While she was losing teeth she liked nothing better to show off the hole, usually with her tongue hanging out.

Happy birthday to you Mary-Kate.  You are growing up to be a very lovely and accomplished young woman.  The beauty of your face is eclipsed only by the loveliness of your soul and the generosity of your spirit.  May you continue to "grow in wisdom, age, and grace before the Lord".  Your father and I are proud of the kind of woman that you are becoming.  You remain in our prayers.

When we bring the tree home then comes the strange task of bringing it into the house and setting it up.  Ian gets it through the front door.

Then they have to test it's height against the height of the livingroom.  (why didn't we bring a measuring tape when we picked out the tree?)  Of course it's too tall!!!!!!!

First we trim off some of the bottom branches to expose the trunk.  Dad works while Ian looks on and coaches him.  Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Can someone please find me a real saw? 

But dad persevered and sawed his way through the trunk and now the tree fits in our livingroom.  We don't use a tree stand we use a 2 1/2 gallon bucket so that part is easy.

Now dad has to hold while the boys attach the wire to guy it to the hooks on the ceiling.    In this family nothing is easy.  But finally the tree is up and now we can start to decorate, or can we?

Our family has a very strange way of picking out and cutting our Christmas tree.   First we go into the woods and look for the "perfect" tree.

Then we have to throw some snowballs at each other.  This helps with the selection process.  I think that it helps clear the mind for finding just the right tree.

Next we have to lay hold of someone, usually the youngest child, and wrestle him into the deepest snow.  This takes a lot of time and requires  that both the holder and holdee yell a lot and there is a lot of laughing on the part of the spectators. 

You can see the obvious delight on the face of the holder.

Not quite so much delight on the face of the holdee.  But it's all good clean fun.

Then we find the tree and someone weilds (sp?) the saw and the tree is cut and dragged out of the woods and loaded onto the truck and brought home.