Unable to upload blog

Hey there - well I am not going off on a rant becoming popular in the blogosphere- Blogger has a recurring/worsening problem uploading pictures to our blogs. Literally hundreds of people areparticipating in a cyber version of instigating a lynching. I keep thinking - but this is FREE we are not paying a penny to use this ingenious, fun tool. I'll try again tomorrow to uploada couple of pictures . We are having one of the most beautiful fall seasons ever. Not a lot of trees turning vivid colors, but the light this year is awe inspiring. Sometimes it appears our fields and animals were painted by one of the early American realist/romantic painters who captured that mote filled golden tinge of autumn (of course I cannot recall a single artist's name despite a few years ago having had a dear friend walk with me through the National Gallery of Art pointing out the special qualities of dozens)

Wanted to post because I am once again ramping up prayer levels for some people - one is a beautiful lady named Sharan who is struggling during her first week of treatment for leukemia, another is a blogger who goes by the name WhyMommy and is in the throes of chemo before she can have a mastectomy, our beloved little Toby Pannone is in a rougher time right now and Kyle Ogle has scheduled surgery to remove tumors in the lungs before he can qualify for another experimental chemotherapy. NOW - with all that said - I have a sense of joy about praying for these people - God knows and loves each of them, their situation is known to Him and the outcome was decided long before time began. BUT there is the fabulous mystery of prayer - He tells us to ask, ask repeatedly. So I'll ask and keep remembering a quote I read today from Elizabeth Elliot "about the wee small hours of the night making mountains of molehills". During the wee small hours of actual night or the midnight hours of our lives - it is too easy to abandon hope and forget all the blessings to focus on the what ifs and the maybes. Here in Buhlaland -~ it is well with my soul~ (look it up if that hymn is NOT a favorite already I'll post about it another time) - and y'all come back when we have pictures to share!

Diospryos Virginiana

Our neighbors across the road have a most interesting tree - from a distance - it looks like a tree of small pumpkins! It is actually a persimmon tree! I've done a little googling about it - not finding a lot that would be blogworthy. The primary reason I took pictures this morning was during our first walking turn down the drive - there were two sizeable bucks over there. I said something wothy of Animal Planet - "look big deer,over there" to DH and the deer disappeared through the clearing behind persimmon tree and that concrete barrier. Must have been health conscious deer, upon investigation there were several recently nibbled fruits!

It is fun to think it is a pumpkin tree. I'll have to ask permission to try out this american persimmon. Supposed to be very tasty fruit, but only at the right stage of ripeness - too early and they'll serioiusly attack your pucker factor.! See - you can even get botanical information here in Buhlaland.

Moonshine - OH not that kind!

We walk early in the morning,a repetitious statement from me but here's proof it is the truth. We've had the brightest full moons lately,this morning I remembered to take a camera along to get a picture with enough contrast. The one with road showing - also shows my beloved DH - all bundled up in vest and stocking cap. Neither of us like cold weather and we are determined to be more fit. DH and I dress with layers upon layers to trudge our way up and down the drive.

Second image was actually the first picture taken while the sky still quite dark and our eyes could see the range of colors. Harder to catch the colors or even the moonshine on our older model digital Kodak .It is beautiful, eerie and makes our goats restless when we have so much light at night. Moonshine mornings are a hoot! (In fact we have a large owl living in one of the dead trees west of the goat pens - hooo Hoot!)Life is changing with the seasons here in Buhlaland.

Goats, goats and more goats

Smile - you're on Linda's camera! Pearl (brown doe goat staring straight at me as I take her picture) is evidently amused - see the smile?
Next view is the goats taking it easy alongside the driveway - all still in the front pasture.
Followed by our hot style maven- Rocky sporting a "mohawk" - or would that be goathawk? now. He suddently has a long mane growth (black area) making the style statement.- the Rockster is all about style.
A fiberglass building serves as isolation shelter for newborn kids and their moms during birthing season . This area of their big pens can be closed off from the other side but the does are still able to communicate with the herd. We've learned that the does have a rough time if isolated too long so we try to give the kids 48 hours of alone time with their mamas for bonding to occur. Usually not a big problem with experienced does, younger mamas don't really appreciate having that new thing wanting to nurse all the time. During the no baby season - we put a mineral block that is evidently delicious to a goat's palate - they stand in line sometimes to get in there and lick, lick and try to bite off pieces. Some will get sore lips working it over too much , weird but true. The small doe in there is our beautiful little Ellie . A prettier picture of Ellie - she was scratching her backside up against the branches.

Finally we find Ellie with her Mom Nubie and half sister Norman - they are in the front pasture and we are looking toward the neighbor's house - lots of renovating going on there. They have a great view from their house and with all the changes it is so pretty - nice people too.

That's all folks - I actually thought I'd posted these earlier in the week - too many things to do and I just forgot to hit "publish post" - thank goodness the blogger.com people have an autodraft save built in the program! You've had your goaty update for the week from Buhlaland - Baaaaa!

You can't beat the lighting

Simply some views of the beautiful sky - can you believe this goes on all the time and we rarely even look up and appreciate the majesty, color and cool things in the cloud shapes? That is all this is - sky pics - over the land here in Buhlaland but courtesy of God.

Crybaby only looks sad

Hello - I'm Crybaby - a big girl with a huge appetite. When what's her name(the one who takes these dumb pictures of us) approaches the fence, I push my way to the front. Sometimes what's her name brings things we really like to eat and I eat the most of anyone in the herd. Got a problem with that?

Early morning rain

The small toads around here have rebelled against my camera - I almost had a good shot of 5 of them out enjoying the early morning soaking we got. Alas - ended up with only decent shot being this one tiny fellow up near the large cedar log we have in the side garden. We use pecan shell mulch - it looks so pretty when it is wet! No big news here - other than the blessing of over an inch of much needed rain.

It is a little muddy in Buhlaland!

Bloom where you are planted?

Trying to present something more lovely for you instead of the botany lessons about bugs, nuts and goat things.

I had to shoot this picture "tight" because all around these charming wild flowers was ugly. On the side to the left was one of those highly unattractive greenish phone wires "boxes" that stick up apparently purposed to be run over all the time. Other side was a dying plant and some trash (didn't have my gloves or would have picked up the trash - trash spreaders - HEY don't MESS with Texas). In between the two were these beautiful, delicate appearing flowers almost hidden behind weeds and junk. Won't go off on a long tangent about this, I'm working on blooming where I'm planted. I have to be reminded that being planted doesn't mean just a place - but relationships, jobs, ministry opportunities, websites - wherever I am - I need to bloom not be a noxious weed. Focusing on my blooming here in Buhlaland, on the internet, with people I don't think I wanted in my life - lots of issues but then life is like that. Sure like these flowers though!

Job well done

Welcome to our offices, DH and I came over this morning to clean the outside of the building. You'd think being outside (that is redundant - the outside/exterior of a building is by definition outside huh?) it would stay cleaner than the inside does. BUT - that would be a mistaken notion - a bazillion spideys and their attendant messy stuff had festooned (what a great word) the outside of our little rock building and the windows were not precisely transparent - verging on opaque in some places! So armed with pressure hose, scrubby brush attachment to hose,squeegee, fistful of papertowels and determination to clean it UP around here - DH worked hard and I hardly worked but those windows surely sparkle now don't they? The beautiful cedar front door is DH's handiwork also - please note the Texas flag front door mat - yes - we are definitely in Texas! The original little building here was begun in the late 1800's - the rock part and several additions came from the 1940's on (so we are told by the neighbors who all seem to know these things). Just thought you might like to know - we do work in Buhlaland - and like our buildings nice and clean!

Wow - just realized that with my frequent scriptural references you might think I was referring to the man in the Bible who was named Job and writing without respect about roasting him or something. Nope - I am referring to work as in we had a job to do - and did it. Whew - didn't want to be accused of false or offensive titling. Yes I'm being facetiously silly.

Nuts you say?

Tis the season for pecans to give up their glorious treats - the tree picture is what a pecan tree looks like - I probably should have also done some shots of the leaves of a pecan but I'm not quite that botanically complete today. The other picture is a study in pecan - from how they look on the tree (green husk around the nut shell) to ripened and on the ground - (brown with ridges showing where the husk has dried up) then the familiar appearance of a pecan. Last is how pecans look when we have too many pesky squirrels! Found these littering all over the front porch at our real estate office. If we want any of our own pecans we'll have to get over there soon and pick them up.

Next shot is of the goats (what - you thought I'd go more than a couple of posts without goats?) They are browsing intently under some trees to gobble up the acorns which dropped during the night. Entering from the left of this picture are a few latecomers - running like mad in case there were suddenly no more acorns. The no more acorns situation won't happen for a month or so - then the trees will have finished dropping acorns and goats will forget what the big deal was all about. Final study of "nuts" is a few of the different acorns just along our drive and front pasture - cannot honestly tell you the different varieties of oaks - other than pretty and prettier and some keep their leaves all year. So - there you go - nuts to this whole thing - it is great on Buhlaland when goats get goodies from the sky.

Memory Walk

DH and I did a 5K walk on Saturday for the Alzheimer's Association of North Texas - the red flag in this picture is for my Dad - he was robbed of his pleasant old age by that vile disease. Very emotional day, so many stories people share and a beautiful location. One gentleman was there by himself, walked alone and said he was walking for his wife who evidently has Alzheimer's - that's love folks - real love. If someone you love has this disease - make every minute with them count - it is the small things that touch your heart and keep them with you mentally as long as possible. My older brother and his wife were primary caregivers for our parents - and did an fabulous job - they showed incredible levels of compassion and patience during this "long goodbye". Thanks Bob and Shell!

Walking wise - we did pretty well - defnitely have the fever to do another 5K walk soon (not a fund raiser - I stink at fund raising). Buhlaland is a bit in turmoil right now - I'm not my usual positive self and it is difficult but the best and worst thing about this life is that absolutely nothing (other than faith) lasts forever. So it is still good on Buhlaland.

New faces,Familiar Faces - same places

DH has a son, daughter in law and grandson who are here on Buhlaland for a first ever visit. Grandson is a smart and often funny fellow who really likes Rocky the goat - Rockster is pretty crazy about the boy also. While we went for a walk (sometimes DH and grandson were running but I'm too dignified for that - actually -I value my joints too much to do that to them!) this morning GS talked about the goats and what were they doing and where were they going? We opened the gates to back pasture (trusting that drier weather would cut back on the need for isolating pastures for parasite control) and GS wanted a pic with Rocky - our very small and so far nonfunctioning buck! Rocky has developed a semi-mohawk - what style the little fellow has! OK - that is the kid and kids report.

Next picture is Hannah ( mother of Montana) literally chest deep in grass. What a difference a year of rain makes in the pastures! Hannah was quite ill for a while there - same problem that took her twin Bananna - but this time it turned out better - Hannah is regaining weight, her nose is no longer a whiter shade of pale and she is able to butt heads with the rest of the gals. With a firm belief in the totally subjective theory you cannot publish too many beautiful sunrises - Ta Da - First sunrise of October - life is good on Buhlaland. Y'all come back now.