Keeping an eye on things

I haven't been blogging much - actually have had real life to do. Chickens continue to grow and are developing real "chickatude" - pecking at my feet or the dogs!

We had guests on Sunday - made a "lemonade" cake and dadgum it was good. Several activities at the end of a school year, even with no children of our own we can rejoice with the children in our extended family-by-choice.

When I get down about not having a family of our own - I am blessed by contact with the family of our hearts - thanking the Lord for those we love.

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the other person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."C. S. Lewis

Still busy - didn't want you to think I'd forgotten y'all - there is a time to reap and a time to sow - this is the time we are sowing whether it is a cake or hospitality or tending chickens and it is good on Buhlaland!

All in a day's work

A ring on the phone and a truck at our gate - hubby and I scurried up front hoping not to be late. What to our wondering eyes should appear - a huge honking truck with tree trimming gear!



After building our place here about 9 years, trees on Buhlaland have grown up enough to be a potential problem for power lines. Electricity is provided by the locally owned power company and their crews have always been super guys. The fellows on the truck were amazed when we asked if they would simply pile the branches up along our fence instead of grinding up and hauling off that supply of goat food.

Sizeable mounds of freshly trimmed oak limbs in our east pasture - ready for a goat feeding frenzy.

awwww cute little frenziers aren't they? It was interesting and goat pleasin' yesterday on Buhlaland. Hmmm now I wonder who is going to pile up those frenzied clean branches for the next big bonfire???

New Link - try it!

April Wilhite who is a dear friend of ours just opened the website to her business. It is a wonderful example of someone who took their love of "pretty pictures" to a whole different level. April's portraits tell stories, show a moment in time focused on a person. You can tell I like her pictures and love her. Jump over and look around - if you are in the North Texas area and want a special photograph - contact her. I'm waiting to lose this miserable weight (she may retire before I get that accomplished!) but we'll ask her to do our portrait - maybe for Christmas or January 1, 2010 is our 10th anniversary - that would be a perfect gift for my DH! He doesn't read my blog - ever - so it'll be a secret?! It is exciting on Buhlaland when someone we love begins a new adventure.

Zip-A-Dee = Cockadoodle?

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder

It's the truth , it's actual -

everything is satisfactual

zip-a-dee-doo-dah,zip-a-dee-ay

Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

Definitely not a bluebird and not even a rooster - but she roosted on my shoulder today!

Goofy birds on Buhlaland - but it says a lot about me that I bothered to take a picture of it!

Excessively tasty

If you read this blog you know I don't have children - we have kids but only the goat kind. I don't "do" Mother's Day, DH's sweet little mom died last July and my mom has been gone for several years. We DO like to have a special meal around noon on Sundays - Eggs Benedict was what I decided to fix for just the two of us. (DH set the table - I say nothing about choices but I would like to point out - the blade of the knife goes TOWARD the plate edge - whew now I feel much better).
Didn't have time to make english muffins and was strongly in the mood for Eggs Benedict. Made corncakes for a English muffin substitute, sauteed fresh spinach, put a patty of delicious hot breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean has an "all natural hot" yummogood), a cooked egg (not coddled - but beaten up and slapped around a while - OK I'm exaggerating - the eggs were cooked in butter on the griddle). Topping this cholesterol extravaganza - real hollandaise sauce. Thank you Lord for the gift of butter, eggs and lemon juice. Served with fresh mango and canned pineapple salad, sparkling apple cider and much sighing. It was GOOD on Sunday on Buhlaland. Just thought I'd share.

Lawn care - ecologically sound and fun

It is a good day when we don't have to get out the tractor and work for hours cutting back the various forms of growing grasses, vines and weeds in front of our house. Yesterday was a good day. Warm breezy weather and letting the goats out in the forbidden zone (around the house and driveway). A glad morning of feasting on vegetation.

Lucy liked nibbling off extraneous leaves on small oak trees.

Montana and her daughter Sugar Pie liked working along a retaining wall nibbling soft lawn grass.

Crybaby takes advantage of her height and stands up to prune roses for us.

All in all a good morning on Buhlaland. The vegetation was trimmed back and an added blessing was the goats fertilized our lawn a bit in the process. Yes - it was a good day on Buhlaland.

A bit of a croc(k)

Here's looking at YOU - kid - ala Bogart and Bacall the big time stars or in this case - Ellie and Hannah the goats

Nest is of unknown bird type - tiny little eggs in the ceiling joist of the fiberglass "mama and baby" shelter in our goat pen. Notice the lovely goat hair woven in for warmth and softness!

Haven't been blogging - I'd give lots of excuses but I usually tell the truth - been doing some real work around Buhlaland and lots of running around to stores (Lowes, Depot, Costco - source of my delightful crocky shoes and Wally World) . Even took pictures of food I was preparing for Sunday - and it didn't turn out all that yummy so why blog about it?

Ok Ok - so have also been playing with dogs, chickens, goats and making do without hot water.

Water heater began to leak (thank you - who ever did it - for the invention of drain pipes - very useful) so we ended up almost 5 days without hot water in the house. Blessed by having a small water heater in workshop bathroom so we trekked back and forth like we were at church camp! you know - without the meetings, crafts and some of the annoying songs.

Now we have hot water, addition is finished on the outside and tomorrow we drywall (I am using the royal we and no Prince William isn't coming to help DH). It is warm, we've had rain and are so blessed here on Buhlaland - we can take hot showers and wash dishes. Woo Hoo - it doesn't sound like much until you can't so easily.

I'm listening to Chris Tomlin's recording of Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone - can't put it here due to limitation at YouTube but here's the link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghZfnQxUhzQ

It is good on Buhlaland and grace is abundant!