Update on my aunt...

Mom talked to her brother again today.  There is a bit of good news, that being that the Drs. were able to pull 2 of the 8 IVs and without her heart going haywire.  She is still in a coma though.  Please, keep praying.  Thanks so much!

I spent a good portion of the day over caring for Johanna and Tracy Jo again.  We went for a nice long walk this morning BEFORE it got so hot out.  We read books, built towers with blocks, and just lived.

When I got home, I whipped some cream to go on top of the pancakes Andrew was mixing up.  Then, I did the goat and turkey chores while Andrew did the cow and calf chores.  I took a stroll through the garden to see how things are progressing.  Our cucumbers are blooming like crazy, but don't have any fruits on yet.  The zucchinis will soon be ready to eat though!   The peas are producing well and, of course, the lettuce is still producing.  The beans are blooming, as are the potatoes.  The corn is getting very tall.  My lime-green zinnias are just opening now.  I was so excited to see that the lilies my grandma gave me are about ready to burst into bloom, as we're going to their place on Sunday to celebrate Grandpa's birthday and I'll be able to take her a lovely bouquet.  :)

My dad is still over by Hazelton, working on putting up the ditch hay.  The boys are working on or playing on their computers.  Mom is doing a long-distance session for a client.  I was just playing piano for an hour, then decided to do something else, like writing here...

Andy and Barney Return...

I did not realize that Andrew had put this on You-Tube until just a few days ago, so here is a link to the skit my brothers did (last minute style) at Prairie Days:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sBfegJRXFnI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>iframe>

This day started out as interesting and ended on a sad note.  The interesting part was when I went to get the 4-wheeler so as to go get Sally in from pasture so I could milk her and then 5 horses suddenly came around the corner where I was walking towards, running full speed.  They ran down to the goat pen, paused, then turned around and ran back out of the driveway.  I asked Mom to call our neighbors to let them know where their horses were, but we learned later that my dad and Andrew had already called them, as they both headed for Bismarck before chores this morning and saw the horses and called their owners.

Then, after I'd finished chores, but before I left to babysit, our insurance man (that we've known forever, it seems) stopped by so I could sign the needed paperwork to get my own liability insurance policy.  Now that I'm 25, I have to have my own policy....  SO, signed on the dotted lines, wrote out a check, changed clothes quick and headed for work.

The girls and I had a usual day, splashing in their little pool in the afternoon and staying inside out of the heat for almost all of the rest of the time, except for when we went on a short walk.   We did puzzles, colored, rocked in the chair while watching "Word world" and the like, ate, drank, and were merry, most of the time.  ;)

When I got home, I learned that my mom had talked to my uncle again and had got a more detailed report on my aunt Lv's condition, after her open heart surgery.   He had just said before that things were not good/terrible, but he told my mom today that LV never woke up after the surgery and is in a coma.   She's on life-support and her wishes before the surgery were that she would not be kept on life-support if something should happen...   Please pray for my uncle Russell and also for LV, and that the Lord's will would be accomplished in this.   Uncle Russell loves LV so much that it's going to be very hard for him to go on if she passes away now.  He used to be quite "Wild", but she's brought a lot of good things into his life and mellowed him out, shall we say?    "Father in Heaven, please be with them...."

We said our goodbyes...

It felt like Summer today, which is a good thing, since it is.  :)

I watched/cared for/enjoyed "My" little girls again today.  Probably the funniest part of my time there was when Johanna was naming her blocks, alternating between "Mommy" (toss the block into a pile, pick up the next); "Daddy" (toss block); "Mommy".....    She's in the process of learning to say my name, so yesterday I was "Tora" and today I was "Dora".  What will I be tomorrow?  :)   Little Tracy Jo is growing and changing so much!   She's now at the stage of pulling herself across the floor with her arms, scooting on her tummy.  She's so fun to watch, and she can play with a pile of toys for longer and longer times now, kicking her little feet all the while.   The 3 of us almost all fell asleep this afternoon though (after getting in from a short trip outside) while I sat rocking with both of them on my lap.   I also always enjoy visiting with the little girls' parents (AKA: Daddy and Mommy).   In case you couldn't tell, I'm enjoying my job! 

This evening, Mom, the boys and I went to another John Birch Society meeting (the 2nd part of 3) about the United States' Constitution and what it really means to be responsible citizens.  This is the 3rd time we've heard the 3-part series, but each time we learn more and it's become more interesting as other people are getting involved as well and we get more discussion going and stories being told....   There was a really good turnout tonight, compared to the last one, that is.  Sadly, it might be the last time we'll get to see Mr. Stevens---and his son was along too (he's a friend and the teacher of the class), as he and his family will be moving to Montana next week to be closer to their extended family members.  The good thing is that he will still be carrying on the message of hope to the people surrounding him there, but we will miss their family.  (We've had them here a few times and stayed with them during the home-school conference this last year, so have got to know them pretty well.)  The good news is that we will not be left hanging, as the JBS is constantly growing as more and more people wake up to the realization that our rights are being taken away left and right, while we do nothing.   The JBS will be hiring someone else to come to our state to pick up the torch and continue to light the way for others.   

I highly recommend concerned citizens to find or start a local JBS chapter of your own and learn the things that used to be common knowledge to every American, when this still was without a shadow of a doubt, the land of the free and the home of the brave!    You can buy the story of John Birch's life HERE.  He was actually a Christian missionary to the Chinese to start out with, and ended up (after fighting heroically and getting lots of medals, ) getting murdered (in China) because he was speaking out about the dangers he saw coming from communistic thinking----but I don't want to ruin the story for you...

We're all back home again...

Yesterday morning, I said goodbye to our cousin and then did all the chores while my dad and Jacob took him up to Steele to meet up with his grandparents who he rode with.  Then, they said goodbye.

I'm not even sure what Dad and Jacob did yesterday, but I'm sure they were busy.

I babysat Johanna and Tracy Jo most of the day and then got off work about 6:30.  I'd told my new friends, Lauretta and Sarena that I'd be over there after work to visit and to take them the next season in a video series we're both watching.    Sarena wasn't there at first, so Lauretta and I talked and looked at the garden.  When Sarena got back, we visited some more, and then they asked if I'd like to ride horse, as it was a lovely evening and we'd talked about doing that other times.  It's been about 12 years since the last time I rode, and even then, I'd been riding very old horses who didn't go faster than a walk.  We mostly just walked, although we did trot and gallop for a while, until I stopped my horse as I felt like I was going to fly off.  :)  It was fun.  We got back to their place just as it was getting dark.  Then we talked a lot more, I guess, as it got pretty late. 

Andrew got home around 11:30; I arrived a little after that; and Mom came home too---around 1:00AM I think, although I didn't hear her pull in.  SO, we are all back under the same roof once more.  PTL!

A derby...

Yesterday, last minute, my dad decided to take us to see Linton's Demolition Derby (with cars).  It was a loud and interesting 3 hours, especially since there was a guy right behind us who decided to befriend us and he was very talkative and loud. 

We played several games with Hristiyan yesterday too (pool, Koosh-ball, Bocee...), and then Jacob and I stayed up pretty late with him, visiting about police jobs (he wants very much to be a policeman when he is old enough.) 

I need to go make sure he is awake right now though, as we're meeting his grandparents in Steele in an hour.   It's been lots of fun having our 2nd cousin here!

Some of the calves got loaded up....

This morning, after helping get Mom on her way to Canada (and she e-mailed much later, letting us know she arrived safely), and after the boys did chores, we all went up to the pasture to move the cows to their next cell and to sort off 3 steers for Andrew to take to the Bartletts.  Thankfully, that all went very smoothly.  Thank you to you if you prayed!

Right after an early lunch, Andrew took off, after saying goodbye to Hristiyan...and the rest of us too, of course.  Not too long after he'd left, he called Dad to tell him there was a white calf out by the road up there by the pasture.  He thought it might be ours, so my dad went to investigate and found that, yes, it was ours.  He came back for panels, the stock trailer, and some help.  Sadly, we were not able to get the calf loaded though, as he'd crawled the fence in with a neighbors' cows.  Dad called the neighbor and got permission to try and get the calf out, but he wouldn't sort out of the herd and it just wasn't working, so we came home.  We'll have to try to get him in when Andrew returns home to us.

Outside of the cattle busyness, the day was spent in different ways....  My dad worked on one of the grain-cleaners.  Jacob and Hristiyan did some odd jobs (cleaning up fireworks from last night, setting the table, etc...) and also spent some time "Farming" together on the computer and bouncing on the trampoline.  I cleaned the house and made tortillas for the tacos we had for supper.  I also made a gooey crumb cake, as I was in a hurry to get it out of the oven so as to go help try and get that white calf in........ 

This evening, after supper, we showed Hristiyan the old, but funny movie, "Hot lead and cold feet".  And now I'm heading for bed.  I think the boys are not quite tired yet, so they'll probably be up a little longer.  It's hard to believe we only have 1 day left with Hristiyan here.  Time sure does fly by!

A picture-full post!

It's been a busy couple of days!  You  may have noticed I did not post last night----the reason being that we got home from the Mandan rodeo (and fireworks display) a little after 1:00AM, and as I fell asleep on the way home, I felt like I was sleepwalking while getting ready for bed and certainly didn't have any thoughts of posting.  BUT, I have been working on a nice long picture post throughout the day, so I hope you all enjoy it (especially Hristiyan's family!). 

Here it goes:

Andrew's used car/pickup lot:

The garden is doing well, with the aid of the very tall sprinkler you see in the picture below.  It's so tall that it can water the garden in 4 settings. 

I'm sure you can all guess what that little green squash is between the flower and the plant!

A couple of the lovely orange lillies that Sarah gave me last Summer (and you can see the raspberries I also got from her, growing in the background).

I took this picture yesterday morning....   We decided to go see a parade and, after much thought and debate, it was at last decided that we'd go to the parade in Linton, like we used to do in the "Good old days".  :)    So, we put on our walking shoes and......   walked across the road to hop into Andrew's pickup! 

Here we are waiting for the parade to start....

I think the boys liked the yellow car?

These were the only horses in the parade:

I liked this car:

After the parade was over, we visited for a while with some people we used to go to church with, then we headed for home, but got a bit distracted.  :)   We drove back to the farm where we used to live and were happy to see that there's someone living there now.  Then, we showed Hristiyan our Temvik house (the big blue house in a previous post).  We had a belated lunch when we got home.

It was pretty nice and warm out, so after some convincing talking (I won't say by whom or whom to), my brothers, Hristiyan and I headed up to the big lake in our pasture.  I wanted to swim, but the boys wished to stay dry, so they went in boats/rafts.  It was pretty windy, so we had some difficulties getting back to shore, (Kristi M, I'll let Hristiyan tell you about that experience)....

Jacob by his pickup, with "Paddle boats" on back....

Hristiyan and Andrew...

After about an hour, we decided to head for home.  There was a slight problem with the cows' fence though that we tried to fix, kind of.....   Apparently, someone didn't notice the fence or know that the road there's been closed for many years, but at any rate, they bent over a fencepost and lost some plastic from their lights. 

 Trying to pound in a post with a rock (it didn't work)...

The guys did chores early while Mom and I packed some sandwiches for supper, then it was off to Mandan for a RODEO!

 This was the bare-back bronc-riding event....

Calf roping/tying event: 

 Everyone enjoyed the Chuck-wagon races!

Then there was more wild horse riding (with saddles this time).  Thankfully, nobody got hurt too badly, although I'm sure some of the cowboys were a bit sore after some of the landings they took....

This cowboys' guardian angel was working overtime I think!  He actually flipped up and over the horses' head, but then he fell to the left and the horse went to the right.  Yikes!

Another cowboy with an awkward landing...

Steer wrestling (jumping off a horse and twisting the calf's neck sideways so it tips over---along with you.)

They had "Mutton Bustin' " this year, which was so cute to watch.  Basically, little cowboys and cowgirls rode on sheep and tried to stay on as long as possible.   The one boy who actually stayed on the full length of time was so funny to watch, as he was leaning way off to the side, but just had such a grip on that sheep that he stayed that way-------even after the beeper beeped and he could have let go!

Team roping...

 
The bull riders are getting ready....

Barrel racing...

 The bull pictures are all a blur, so this is the best one that I have!  I think there were only 2 cowboys that managed to stay on the whole amount of time.  I can not even imagine trying to ride a bull.  That is the ultimate in scarrieousness!

 After the official rodeo was over with, there was a Ranch Rodeo which was also very fun to watch.  My favorite of the 3 events they did was the WILD COW MILKING!   One of the team members would rope the cows' head, then some would also rope the back legs or else one team-member just pulled the cows' tail, but the goal was to milk a bit of milk (enough to poor out) into a baby bottle, then a team-member had to run the milk to the judge, all in as little time as possible.  It was so funny!

In the picture below, 2 teams would be competing at the same time, trying to rope their designated calf and get it loaded into the trailer as fast as possible. 

Oh yes, during the main  rodeo, there was a clown and he had a special act, but we didn't like him much at all!   There was another special event though, which we enjoyed a lot...  Shooting balloons while riding your horse around the course.  I have a video and will maybe get it posted sometime?

After the Ranch Rodeo was over, there was a gigantic, loud, amazing fireworks display, which we all really enjoyed.  Then it took a long time to get out of the parking lot, with everyone trying to leave at once......    We finally did get home, like I said, a little after 1:00 in the morning.  I was surprised that we were all up around 8:00 this morning!

This day was special too.  Most of the day was spent in work (the guys went over to the hayland and fixed the tractor and finished stacking bales after lunch, and Mom and I cooked and did laundry, and I ran the tiller through the garden paths), but this evening was really fun.  We invited Tom and Virginia M. over for supper/campfire and fireworks, so they came and we had a very nice visit; ate; roasted hotdogs and marshmallows; swung on the swings; played Boccee until it got dark; then the 3 boys lit off most of their fireworks and the rest of us enjoyed the show (and more visiting). 

It was a delightful day.  

Please pray for my aunt LV in the morning, as that is when she is having her open-heart surgery....  Also, if you would, please keep my mom in your prayers as she has decided (last minute) to go to a class in Canada, travelling with friends.  She'll leave in the morning.  Also, prayers for cooperation from the cattle would be nice, as the remaining 5 of us will be attempting to cut out 3 young steers from the herd and getting them herded up to the old farmstead and loaded up.  Andrew plans to take them up to our friends in the Turtle Mountains (they're buying the calves from us) tomorrow, as soon as we get them loaded.    Life is never, ever dull! 

Cousin Hristiyan is here!

He rode with his grandparents to Bismarck, where my mom and brother, Jacob picked him up before heading home.  They arrived here at the farm around 8:15PM, just in time for supper.  ;)  Then, Mom and I planted the flowers she brought home while the boys bounced on the trampoline, and then most of us swung on the swings in the cool evening breeze.  We're trying to decide what to all do tomorrow.  Hmmmmmm..............

It was a HOT day, weather-wise.

You know the kind.... 

When THIS:

...would feel oh so good!  :)

Unfortunately for them, my dad and Andrew weren't home to enjoy the air-conditioned house.  Fortunately for the rest of us though, my dad got done hauling grain at noon and came home for lunch, at which time he put a new breaker in, as the AC had blown one while Mom and I were out in the garden this morning! 

Then, my dad went out cultivating.  Andrew was also cultivating, but he was doing it for our Organic farming friend, Dave, over by Linton.

Mom, Jacob and I worked inside most of the day, cutting up rags for the shop; I made a carrot cake; and just doing odds and ends.  Jacob and I did go outside for a while to rework-up the front flower bed so we can plant flower plants in there after Mom gets some in Bismarck tomorrow.  We had tried a new product (flower-bed-in-a-roll) but it did not work AT ALL, so now we need to start over, with plants though.

We learned to day that my Aunt LV's open-heart surgery is set for Thursday, so please join us in praying for that to go very well.

We're excited for our 2nd cousin, Hristiyan to be coming tomorrow from WI.  He's never seen a rodeo, so we'll be taking him to the one in Mandan on the 4th.  Fun times!  :)

Gone most of the day...

I took care of/played with/enjoyed Johanna and Tracy Jo from 6:00AM to almost 8:00PM (actually starting at 6:30, because that's when Tracy Jo woke up!).   Their mom had to work and their dad was at a threshing bee. The girls and I stayed in the air-conditioned house a lot of the time, but did venture out to splash in the pool for a while and to try out the big beach-ball sprinkler.   It was a nice day.