Outside my window...........it is cool and breezy and the sun is shining.  A perfect day for a bike ride before we get to the usual Monday morning chores.

I am thinking.........I miss Matthew already.  I do hope that this two weeks turns out to be all that he hopes it will be.

From the schoolroom...........there is silence since Matthew's learning will be done in New Hampshire these next two weeks.  I think I shall take some of this time to prepare for our next school year.

I am thankful for.............my family.  For my husband who came with me yesterday to help with the driving and to be company on the trip.  For my daughter who stayed at home and did a HUGE amount of baking while we were gone.  For Ian who picked MK up from 11:00 mass so that she could fulfill her obligation to play the organ while we were gone.

From the kitchen...........I don't really know.  Perhaps chicken fajitas again.  There is chicken leftover and they were really good.

I am wearing..............grey tank top and white shorts in preparation for my bike ride.

I am reading.............nothing at the moment.  I need to let my brain heal from reading Kierkegaard.

I am hoping...........that Matthew has a good time at the college and learns a lot, that MK has a good time with her friends at the fair this week and comes home refreshed.

I am creating..........a plan for the time that they are gone so that I can get much done.

I am praying.............for safe trips, happy homes, deep loves and increasing faith.

Around the house..........just a little sweeping and dusting to do.  MK kept it nice and clean here yesterday.

One of my favorite things............driving through the mountains and wondering at the majesty of God's creation.

A few plans for the rest of the week............laundry, get my hair cut and colored, get MK to her friends so that she can go to the fair, prepare the books and the schoolroom for the upcoming school year.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you..........

Matthew in the car on the way to New Hampshire.  He doesn't like to have his picture taken but he was very tolerant of his mother yesterday.

The view outside the front of the car as we approach the Green Mountains of Vermont. 

I would like to say that nothing much is happening around here.  That we are having a nice leisurely summer.  That days are spent laying around the pool and much refreshment is being consumed by all.  That, however, would be a lie.

After all the battling with the varmints and the weather, I am now beginning to see the fruits of my labor, literally.  Today I picked the last of the peas.  Very labor intensive but well worth the treat of having peas fresh from your garden.  The green beans are producing nicely.  The first planting has been picked off twice and the pole beans are starting to produce and the second planting of pole beans are almost ready to start their climb.   The broccoli has been cut twice now and I am selfishly putting it all into the freezer to be enjoyed later.  I dug a few hills of new potatoes today so that we can have them with the peas for supper.  The zucchini is coming in nicely too.  I think that I shall make some zucchini parmesan on the weekend and perhaps leave a couple on the vine to get over ripe so that I can make and freeze a few loaves of bread.

The chickens are growing and growing.  They have outgrown their accomodations twice now and are beginning to escape from their enclosure.  The new coop is ready for them but alas they aren't big enough to keep from tempting a rat yet.

Every other day or so Matthew and Doug help MK move them to a new spot on the lawn and that is making the feed go farther since they eat the grass and any bugs that might come their way.

Doug and Matthew decided to try and salvage the cement blocks from the side and front of the barn before the bulldozer comes tomorrow to level it.  They have plans to build a gazebo and root cellar and the blocks will come in handy for that.

I also think that it is an excuse for my husband to "play" in the mud.  He surely likes digging with the backhoe and mucking around in the hole that results.

So far Matthew has been able to remove 300 blocks whole and intact.  At approximately $2.00 each that will be a big savings when they get to building their root cellar.

More power to them for all that time spent in the sun and the mud.  Of course we have been "blessed" with hot humid weather just in time for this project.

Years ago Ian found this bench on someone's junk pile.  He brought it home and refurbished it for me for Christmas.  I very much enjoy coming out in the morning to sit on this bench and say my prayers and get a nice peaceful start to the day.   Unfortunately the weather hasn't been kind to the bench.  In the last couple of years it has become rickety and worn and just not very nice looking.  Then Mary-Kate got the notion to redo the bench again.  So she took it all apart and wire bruched the metal parts.  Then she gave them a new coat of paint so they look fresh and new.  After a trip to the lumber yard for some new slats she cut them to fit, drilled holes for the bolts and sealed them against the weather with a bit of weatherseal.  Night before last she put it all together with the help of her father and now I have a new bench to sit on in the mornings. 

The biggest battle in my garden has been for my pepper plants.  I truly enjoy eating fresh sweet green peppers in the summer.  I have several dishes that I make that require fresh pepper.  But the chipmunks and the rabbits zeroed in on my pepper plants as something that they craved in their diets.  I seem to have prevailed, though.  After replanting twice and shooting a bunch of the culprits I have fruit on my pepper plants.  Not large and impressive yet but they will grow.

At the last religion class of the year one of my students brought me this little miniature rose plant.  I am not a big flower grower but I put it out in the garden and gave it orders to grow or else.  While walking down the garden path last night I noticed that it is not only thriving but it now has blooms on it and several more buds coming.  Guess the love with which that student presented that plant was just the impetus it needed to grow in my garden.

As some of you know we had a fire in January of 2007 and lost our barns, hay, and most of our herd.  Ever since then we have been doing a lot of recovery around here, both spiritually and physically.  One last wound remains and that is the constant reminder of what used to stand behind our house, the barns.  Unfortunately two things had to happen before we could have that eyesore cleaned up.  One is to let the pile of barn rubble to settle completely before it is covered, and we had to come up with some money to pay the $120/hour that it costs to hire a bulldozer to do the job.

Ian announced yesterday that the bulldozer will be here at the end of the week to start the clean-up. 

So here are my before pictures taken and posted to record these changes for the years to come and to pass down to our progeny.  These cement strips were the floor of the cow barn.  The center one is the barn floor with the gutters that the barn cleaner was in.  The side strips of cement were the mangers where we used to feed the cows.

The break in the weeds way back is where the barn cleaner turned the corner and dumped the manure out onto the pile.  That is also approximately where the fire is supposed to have started.  The chicken coop where the most complete burn was and where the fire dept. decided the fire originated was to the left and forward of the barn cleaner unit.

I took this shot standing on top of the place where the barn cleaner took its turn to go out over the pile.  Below is where they pushed the rubble from the barn the day of the fire.  All of this will be covered with dirt and graded so that we can easily drive down into the valley again.

All of the over growth and the rubble will be pushed into the valley and covered with dirt.  I look forward to seeing the truck arrive with the dozer on it.  I have tried very hard to heal and get past what happened but it will be easier once that big scar is gone from our landscape. 

 Did I mention that I mowed my MP3 player last week?  Lawnmower versus Zen, the mower is going to win every time.  Saturday night I owned up to that fact and my wonderful husband, who doesn't understand why music is good for his wife's mental health, bought me a new MP3 player. 

So, here I am, equipped with music rolling along at today's chores.  Laundry done and on the line, peas picked and shelled, house cleaner than it has been in weeks, and lunch served and cleaned up from.  Now I shall endeavor to pick the beans and the rest of the peas.  It helps to have my music to listen to and to give me a pleasant background to the work that occupies my hands.

Outside my window...........it is sunny and pleasant.  Temps in the 70's today and no showers until late day.  I just love cool summer days.

I am thinking.........I wish that this past weekend could last forever and ever.  But as I have told my children over and over, if it happened all the time it wouldn't be special.

From the schoolroom...........silence, because the schoolroom has moved outdoors.  Matthew had a lesson in welding yesterday and today he is out working on the backhoe bucket. 

I am thankful for...........good friends and neighbors, a weekend spent enjoying my husband and children's company and the weather to go along with it all.

From the kitchen........there will be much going on.  Simple hamburgers and hotdogs for supper because the kitchen will be busy putting up vegetables for next winter.  I have peas, beans, and broccoli to blanch and freeze.  I think that while I am at it I will make a batch of jam from the blackberries that I have been hoarding.

I am wearing.........blue denim skort, green life is good tee shirt, and black flip flops.

I am reading............Kierkegaard's book on Love.  A bit of heavy reading now that the gardens are caught up on weeding and I will be spending a lot of time watching pots boil.

I am hoping............that everyone is having a summer like mine.

I am creating..........lists and lists to get Matthew ready to go to New Hampshire this weekend.  What will I do with him gone for two weeks?

I am praying...........for my son Adam who just turned 23 yesterday, for the big guy that he is happy in what he is doing, for my oldest son that he finds contentment, for my daughter to continue to grow daily in the love and service of the Lord, for Jason to learn from the training that he is going through and from being separated from his family, and for Matthew that his two weeks in New Hampshire are fruitful for him.

Around the house......floors are swept, bathrooms are cleaned, everything has been put in its place.  Now I just have to start laundry and get the kitchen all messed up again.

One of my favorite things............flip flop tan lines.  They mean that I have been outside a lot during the summer.

A few plans for the rest of the week...........stay on top of the peas and beans, getting them into the freezer as they come in.  Get Matthew all packed and ready to go on Sunday.  Prepare myself mentally for the 5 1/2 hour drive to New Hampshire on Sunday.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you...........

The kitchen garden is finally prospering since I seem to have the varmint problem under control.  I love to come out the back door in the morning and see this lovely sight.

Mary-Kate's chicks are growning.  Elvis and Einstein are beginning to exert themselves and take charge of their flock.

Yesterday while training more of the hops vines I noticed that I have fruit beginning to show on the vines. 

Matthew and our neighbor Chris.  Chris came down last night to give Matthew a lesson in welding.  He wants to repair a crack in the backhoe bucket so he can dig up all the cement blocks that are left from the barn.  He plans on using them to build me a gazebo with a root cellar underneath it.  I have always wanted a root cellar.  Matthew has measured and planned and consulted and he and Doug both think that he can do it and that there are enough cement blocks from the barn to get the job done.  I am very proud of my industrious children.

For awhile now Old Hat and the Mrs. have been doing a lot of dancing.  Dancing to encourage each other.  They have not complained but while they have ridden the wild bull of their medical problems they have encouraged the rest of us and lifted the spirits of those of us who have been need.

So, tonight, my husband and I will dance a dance for the Cowboy and his Mrs.  I encourage anyone else out there who has been lifted up or encouraged or just plain made to smile by reading Old Hat to put on something slow and sweet and sway to the beat in honor of the love that this couple shares and have shared with the rest of us so generously.

God bless you Old Hat and Mrs. Hat.  May He make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.

Nor am I lazy or illiterate.  I do not sit about all day long watching TV and living off government handouts.  My home and my children are clean and well behaved.  I endeavor each day to make my husbands paycheck go as far as I possibly can. 

My husband isn't ignorant either.  He works hard for the wages that he earns.  The callouses on his hands rival the callouses on the butts of those who ride a desk all day long and earn far more than he does.  But if it wasn't for men like my husband all of the desk jockeys in the world and their families wouldn't have a thing to eat. 

My husband isn't uneducated and unable to get a "better" job.  He has a bachelors degree in Physics but chose to stay on the family farm so that when his father got old he could still work the farm without having to retire and die from not having anything to do.  I am also not uneducated.  I am a Licensed Practical Nurse, but I have chosen to stay at home a care for my children rather than turning over my responsibility over to someone else.  My family does without luxuries that other families expect so that I can stay here at home to care for my family.

Why then do I get treated like I am ignorant and lazy when I go to be recertified for Family Health Plus insurance?  Why must the people at the department of social services stereotype those of us who qualify for this insurance.  No we cannot afford private insurance, but that doesn't mean that we spend all of our money on junk food and alcohol.  When we bring in proof of our income, we know that you can verify it, so why must we be asked over and over whether that is our only form of income.  Why, when I answer that I stay at home with my children, do I get asked what I do all day long?  Is it assumed that there is nothing for me to do?  Is it assumed that because there may be others who sit and watch TV all day long that all who apply for this type of assistance do also?

Don't get me wrong, I have encountered social workers who are compassionate and humane.  But my most recent encounters have soured me against those who administer this type of insurance forever.  If we didn't need health insurance so much I think I would tell them all what I think of their methods and treatment and let the devil take them all.

It's black raspberry season around here, as opposed to blackberry season which is in August.  So I have been scouring the woods and fields for berries.  My husband like berries of any kind but he particularly like black raspberries.

You really have to love someone to wade through weeds that are taller than you are, I kid you not, to get to thorny canes that rip at your hair and clothing only to find meager amounts of berries.  It has taken me three pickings to come up with three quarts of berries.  One more quart and I can make him a batch of jam. 

Black berry picking also tends to turn one into a bit of a selfish beast.  Whenever I am out there and I see a bird swoop down a swipe a particularly fat one off a bush I feel like it has stolen from me.  It's going to take a long time before I forget all this angst and I let my husband eat any of that jam.

I love you Doug, really I do.

Outside my window............the sun is coming up and I can hear the birds singing.  I hope it is going to be another nice day.  It is so nice to be able to spend all my time outside soaking up the sunshine and the fresh air.  I often feel like I have to do this in preparation for the winter to come.  Like it is as necessary  a part of summer as harvest and preservation of food.

I am thinking............about all that has to be done this week.  This is going to be a busy one.

From the schoolroom...........there will be lots of silence since Matthew has to work all this week.  But of course that doesn't mean that there won't be plenty of learning going on.  Just that there won't be many books being opened.  It will give me a chance to catch up on some much neglected paperwork.

I am thankful for..............the lovely day that we had yesterday and all of the lovely days to come.

From the kitchen............I'll have to think about that.  I have part of a heifer to make into hamburger patties and freeze.  That should take up a large part of my day today.

I am wearing.............don't ask.  It's way to early to be dressed for the day. 

I am reading.............nothing right now.  It is too hard to read a book when the sunshine and the gardens call to me.  (they really do call)

I am hoping............that the dogs behave at the vets on Wed., that it doesn't rain on Ian's hay, that we get the results of MK's financial aid this week, that the health insurance battles are resolved.

I am creating............well, let's see........weed free gardens, dust free house, laundry free laundry room.  Is that enough for now?

I am praying............for success for my soldiers and sailor.  For maturity and deepening faith for all my children.  For health and happiness for my wonderful husband.

Around the house...........the usual Monday morning stuff.  We have to redo all that got undone over the weekend.  Fortunately yesterday was nice and the rains came late on Saturday so we spent a lot of the weekend outside.

One of my favorite things............laying on my back watching the clouds and speculating about what is going on up there. 

A few plans for the rest of the week............the usual round of chores and errands along with Matthew working everyday, doing battle with the insurance people to get insurance for Doug and I, taking Brutus and Isabella to the vet on Wednesday for a checkup.  That should keep me busy and out of trouble for the week, you think?

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you...........

I drove out to see how Ian's oats were growing.  I think they look just lovely but he says they aren't what they should be.  Can you tell I'm not a farmer just a mother who is proud of her son.  The field looks beautiful to me anyway.  I had to refrain from walking out into to it because I know that wouldn't have made him happy.  He needs to learn to have patience with himself and realize that this farming thing isn't something that happens over night.  I guess I'll just have to keep praying.

I just took Isabella for a two mile walk instead of the other way around.  She is really making progress.  Before she would practically pull my arm out of the socket.  I couldn't get the 1/4 of a mile to the neighbor's house before we had to turn back 'cause I was just too tired.  Now we can get to the end of the road and back.  Now she is stretched out on Mary-Kate's bed sleeping off that bit of exercise. 

Brutus is standing here begging me for his turn.  I can't help but wonder if it is because of the treats he will get in the end or if it is because he just wants to be a well behaved dog. (look at me projecting human traits on the dog!).  Being male I suspect it is for the treats that he begs.  He'll have to wait until a bit later for his turn.  It is warm out and I need a bit of a rest before I take himself out for a walk.  He is up to more than two miles and he weighs considerably more than Bella does.  He can sit and stay for brief periods now. 

They are both good finds and I count myself blessed for having found them.  Now if we could only break Belle of running away everytime she sees the steers across the road and both of them of running after the lawn mowers and the gas powered trimmers they would be, to quote Mary Poppins, "practically perfect in every way!"