Thursday, July 21, 2005

Here at the Flock...

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s!
Well, my, my...it's HOT! Our county is under a heat advisory for the next several days. ICK. I've thought for a long time that the best time to hibernate is in the summer...In the winter, you can always *add* clothes, but in the summer, well, there's just "so much" you can take off! ;-) On the other hand, the produce is yummy. We were blessed with some peaches yesterday and they are some of the ssssweeetest I've ever eaten. So, as in everything, there are always trade offs.
A sad occurrence: an agitated pack of neighborhood dogs caught, killed and dragged off one of our sweet little kittens a couple days ago. :-( We have a neighbor who keeps between 3-6 pit bulls, who, along with our other neighbors' dogs, wander around out here. They have carried off countless toys, bike helmets, etc...from our yard and now this. The Ewe is *not* a happy camper. Anyway, that was an awful thing to witness. And, yes, I did see it--thank goodness the children did not. Of course, my mind kept thinking, "That could be my baby!" So, I am looking into what back-up we can get from the county animal control officer. Meanwhile, we've put up the remaining kittens and I don't let the children play out unsupervised. I'll keep you updated...
On a happier note, we visited with our pastor's family yesterday...The girls got to help in the kitchen while Pastor's Family canned some of their homegrown produce. The children love to help out like that. We all got a short tutorial on home canning, as that is something I've never really done. Of course, my thumb is brown, so I've got to learn how to actually grow something! Anyway, we all had a great time.
Monday, I visited a new doctor. I wanted him to look at my wrist--I've had a ganglion cyst there for several months...Also, Musical's leg has hurt her off and on for a long time, too. The visit came off as I expected..."Yup, Mrs. Ewe...that's a ganglion cyst." "Yup, Mrs. Ewe, Musical has a strained muscle." So, also as I expected, there wasn't really anything he could do for us. He did stick a needle into my cyst (OUCH!) and puff air into it to try to pop it. Didn't work, but it did help me know not to complain about little things. The cyst is worse now than before. ;-) Ah, well...at least we know what we have.
Well, I need to run...we've got a trip to the grocery store on the docket...BUT, before I go...
As a "trained journalist," I understand about the public's "Need to know." So, in light of that: If you ever truly need to read someone The Riot Act, see the link below:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/rtact10h.htm

Y'all keep your wool dry!!!
The Ewe

Quote of the Day:
"I make milk...What's *your* superpower?" Overheard on an internet message board. :-)

Monday, July 18, 2005

Another Day at The Fold

Hello, F.O.T.E.s!
Well, another day under our belt here at The Fold. The Ram's deployment is over halfway done. I'll admit, though, that since we topped the hill, the roller coaster has slowed down. I mean, time seems to be creeping along for us now. The Ram, on the other hand, is really busy right now. That's good for him--makes time pass faster. And when the temperature is 122 degrees outside, it's good for time to pass fast!!! LOL He told me he hasn't gotten sunburned because you can't stay in the heat long enough for the sun to burn your skin. OUCH! What a harsh place.
We're surrounded by green here. It has rained for 2 solid weeks here. Thanks, in part, to Hurricane Dennis. Now, Hurricane Emily is churning out in the Gulf. Don't' expect we'll see any effect from her. She's aimed more toward TX, from what I heard last.
Oh, Friends. I miss my hubby. Sometimes I just wear down. I must remember, though, that we are so blessed. We have very regular contact with The Ram...not all soldiers have that luxury. Golly, though...a year is a long time.
Let's see...on the menu today was chicken, broccoli and cheese casserole--very yummy. We also made pumpkin bars--a recipe I made up. They're very good!!!! And, outside the 18 pounds of sugar, good for you! LOL Ok, so it's really just a cup of sugar...I guess that's not bad, spread out over the whole pan. May have to tweak the recipe and see what I can do to reduce the sugar content. Why didn't anyone ever tell me how nutritious pumpkin is?!? A whole lot of vitamin A and fiber. Beta carotene...it's good stuff. You oughta go buy a can and make muffins or something. LOL
Well, I'm a tired ol' ewe. I'm gonna go lay my carcass down and catch a few winks...y'all keep your wool dry!
The Ewe

Quote of the Day:
Horse sense is the thing a horse has
that keeps it from betting on people.

~W.C. Fields~

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Our Fourth of July Trip

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s!
Well, the Flock and I are back at The Fold after our safari adventure. What? You didn't hear about that? Oh, yes...we went to the land of fire ants, alligators and rattlesnakes...You guessed it!! ALABAMA!!!
Traveling (or would that be "travailing?") with 4 children is always an adventure in itself, but I will say I was very pleased with the children's behavior both on the road and at our destination. No complaints from me!
As for the wildlife...I had been warned to avoid the fire ants every year we'd been down that way, but never (in 15 years!) had an up-close and personal relationship with one. Well, I guess they felt an urge to get to know me better, because they marched in through the window of the room we were sleeping in, and right on into my suitcase and through my underwear and everything else in there. Imagine my horror when I opened the suitcase to find a colony of fire breathing insects rifling through my unmentionables! Imagine the increased horror, when I began shaking out my things (outside the house ;-) and the buggers started biting/stinging me! OUCH! The real kicker about those bites is later, when they start itching. My word! Talk about a make-you-crazy itch. I believe the ants are gone now, though the bites remain.
Now, just in case *you* ever get bitten by one of those ill-mannered creatures, the remedy recommended to me was meat tenderizer. Do skip the "pierce several times with a fork" part of the directions on the bottle. ;-)
Well, I'm still a tired mama, so I'm going to sign off for now.
Y'all keep your wool dry...
The Ewe

Quote of the Day: "Don't you bite my cellulite!!!" --overheard at The Fold (wink)