Summer Sound Effects

Here in North Texas and Oklahoma we have a soundtrack to our summertime.


"After mating, the female cuts slits into the bark of a twig, and into these she deposits her eggs. She may do so repeatedly, until she has laid several hundred eggs. When the eggs hatch, the newborn nymphs drop to the ground, where they burrow. Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. . . .Cicadas live underground as nymphs for most of their lives, at depths ranging from about 30 cm (1 ft) up to 2.5 m (about 8½ ft). The nymphs feed on root juice and have strong front legs for digging.
In the final nymphal instar, they construct an exit tunnel to the surface and emerge. They then molt (shed their skins), on a nearby plant for the last time and emerge as adults. The abandoned skins remain, still clinging to the bark of trees."(Wikipedia entry- edited by me for applicability to my topic - if you want to read the whole thing and to avoid giving an illusion I'm some kind of plagiarizing bug writer - here is the Wiki link) .





The cicadas are mature now - the one I found this morning has most likely mated and laid it's eggs. Now as part of the natural cycle - it will be eaten. ( Important note: it will be eaten by birds or other insects not by the food loving people of Buhlaland!)I am sure I could find dozens of appropriate scripture and try to drag out a spiritual lesson - but this blog post is about loving the creation - and not having to hype the Creator. The heavens declare His Glory .
It is noisy during August on Buhlaland and that is very good. Last day of August and the chorus at night is already dying down. Hope your summer brought blessings, growth and rest.

Some Rain and a song I needed to hear

Philippians 4: 6-7

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Leaning on the everlasting arms - really hard leaning here on Buhlaland - some rain and storms but nothing we can't weather with our Father and each other. It is good on Buhlaland - hard sometimes but the goodness is still there.

Ain't Big Enuf for Both Us!

Showdown time in the Coop Mahal - Buhlaland style western movie!

We are easily amused here - and grateful for the bounty of lovely brown eggs the Cluckers are providing -we do wish the silly boids would learn to use one of the other boxes - there are three which is more than enough for 8 cluckers.

Ah - always the same - bird or human - what someone else has looks so much more attractive or tasty or comfortable than our own portion no matter how generous or small our portion might be.

James 4 (New International Version)
Submit Yourselves to God

1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

So whether a Clucker or a Texan or anything in between - we need to spend our energy on things other than quarreling and fighting. We should be enjoying our nest boxes and eggs and the love of our Lord. It is good and well blessed here on Buhlaland - hope it is for you also.

This week on Buhlaland (sounds dramatic - it isn't)

Found a very nice oleander at the Depot this week - we've been looking for oleanders to plant around a little memorial stone we're going to put up for DH's sweet little mom. Over a year since she passed - embarrassed to admit I haven't sent off all her things to be shared around with her granddaughters and nieces. Just been too much free floating stress around here this year!


White flower is a Maid of Orleans Jasmine - wish I had smellovision for you - intoxicating fragrance!












Dear Hubs on the trusty tractor scraping the -- how to say it delicately? - the goat poo out of their big shelter. We've learned it works best to scrape out into the open area of the pen - when we get rain ( a faith statement 'cause I believe we WILL get rain again) the natural effects of water on dry poo makes for a good pen - lots of lush grass for the goatzees to lounge upon and eat.










Our vegetable/container garden didn't work out very well this summer - but the Brown Turkey fig planted near the Coop Mahal (chicken run) actually is making figs! I'm so excited - the plant smells wonderful and we might get a harvest of 4 or 5 real figs!









The chickens have kicked it into gear at long last - this morning the east nest box (preferred spot for depositing one's cackleberries) had five when I was out with camera.











The chicks still have serious "attitude" - chickatude is not an attractive quality in an animal who tastes good fried or stewed! we'll see how things go. Steadily getting seven eggs a day - who the one slacker is I haven't figured out yet.





DH has his next doctor's appointment next week - he is slightly better. We are leaning heavily on the Lord - not knowing is one of those valleys nobody enjoys -ignorance is NOT bliss it is the lack of information. His timing is perfect so we are remembering to stay in prayer and read the Word.
"Ephesians 3:14-21 (The Message paraphrase)
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! "
Only rational response is --Amen!
- we find the Word trustworthy and life is good here on Buhlaland. We pray you are finding the same in your part of God's world.

Nosey Goats

Our goats grow up with me taking pictures of them - so it seems they LIKE to have their pictures taken. How spoiled are they? well I walked up to the fence and here they came pushing their heads through just in case I had treats available! Goats lead a pretty nice life here on Buhlaland - but then so do the people.

Biggest picture is our sweet wether - Bandit - amazing eyelashes huh?

Then we have Pearl - a middle aged doe who had twins this year.

Ellie is an aunt to Bandit - she was the mother of Bubba (rejected him at birth so he was a bottle boy).

Bubba the ham - bottle raised goats are such babies.

Then we have a few shy goats - the buttery colored one is Butterscotch - she doesn't let us touch her at all.

Then we see Blackie - a doe about the same age as Pearl and one of Blackie's twins - a doeling named Fawn who is beginning to let us touch her.

It is good on Buhlaland when there is plenty of grass to graze and goat antics to watch!

Now where DID I leave that word?

Here on Buhlaland we often sky gaze and star gaze and always find something worthy of our attention. Paying attention is harder when we are scattered mentally and emotionally - a situation we've allowed to exist far too often in recent months. DH and I will ask one another "what was that guy's name?" or "where did we read such and such?" or the worst "you know - one of those _____s?!" we exclaim with such frustration. Misplacing a memory, a word, a name, a doe a deer a female deer - oops got carried away there- is so exasperating. I just read a blog posting which tickled me no end - glad to see it isn't our aging brain cells solely to blame for us playing hide and seek with our vocabulary. Thanks for bringing a laugh to Buhlaland ButterflyMama!

Butterfly Mama: A Brain With a View

We're still standing

We don't believe in luck, we do believe in God's provision, hard work and the occasional dietary indulgence involving butter, chocolate with some Blue Bell ice cream. We aren't experiencing "bad luck" - a series of unfortunate circumstances perhaps? DH is doing OK - now being treated for a form of asthma ( not a diagnosis of asthma just all the medications for asthma - no it doesn't make much sense to me either). I'm recovering slowly from the fall I had several weeks ago on the dreadmill (also known to the wider public as a treadmill). Zoe Dog is on her last round of restricted activity following treatment for heartworm infestation and oh yeah - our house got hit by lightning last week.

You just have to laugh - and laugh a little more. The lightning was a tad terrifying - very loud noise, bright lights and bad smell of things burning. DH and I checked the house from attic to garage and found lots of melted wires, many non functioning electronic things and our two absolutely terrified little dogs! Now busy doing the insurance claim things. We will see when we get a settlement what will be possible to replace. Right now I'm on our Fred Flintstone level laptop computer - mine is fried. So no pictures for now - but it is good on Buhlaland when the sun shines and even when the storms come - because no storm lasts forever.