Category Archives: The Ranch Hands

The cows come home

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The cows have come home – well to my home anyway.  The grass is so high out back the farmer came to mow and bale for grass hay.  But there was plenty left for grazing. 

cows back

I can't remember if I shared here or on Facebook but this is how they left us last fall.  The farmer came along with his tractor and pen-on-wheels.  You don't see large stock trailers here.  Actually I have never seen one here.  But we did see this.  They herded the cattle into the pen and began to slowly move down the road to winter quarters.  

(an aside – that sign says Road Damage which in CO means "Get out and walk because you aren't getting through here no how."  Here it means, "Someplace on this stretch of road there may be a small bump.  We will be along shortly with road crews to block the way and fanatically smooth and level to perfection.") 

come-home

There is a lot of farmland around us but the farmers all live in the villages and the barns are usually attached to the farmhouses.  The tractors and the animals move in and out from the fields but return to the village at night. This works well for creeper photographers longing for a close up.  

tractor front

This fabulous vintage tractor was parked at a farmhouse down the street last week. I noticed it driving home from an early morning errand and thought about Rebecca's awesome tractor pictures.  I figured this was my best shot. 

tractor model

I toodled down the street and snapped a few quick shots.  It was good thinking too.   They had been working on the old empty place and moved the tractor shortly afterward.

tractor

 

 

There’s another day tomorrow

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Oh, drive dull care away

For weeping is but sorrow.

If things are wrong today,

There's another day tomorrow. 

 

So drive dull care away

And do the best you can.

Put your shoulder to the wheel

Is the motto for every man. 

 

…and woman.  Lovely folk ballad sung by Pa Ingalls under another starry sky.  

 Just some random everyday-ness here tonight. My shoulder has been to the wheel and there hasn't been much time for blogging.  But we have walked and read and these is what has stayed with me.

path

pub
barn

WW memorial

roofs
 

Changing what you can

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A recurring comment I have gotten lately mentions the peace some people notice in the images shared here.  I have thought about this a great deal.  There IS great peace but I would add that it is also the very kind Jesus promised – not the kind the world usually refers to.  It has taken me a long time to understand the difference. 

"Even peace may be purchased at too high a price." – Benjamin Franklin

So often we confuse peace with with conflict avoidance.   That isn't real peace.  It is simply the refusal to acknowledge a problem and in fact creates exponentially more inner turmoil.  Part of cultivating real serenity  - for me – has been being very honest about what I am comfortable with and what I am not. What I can do, and what I truly feel I should not.  That is the first, essential step to peaceful living – honesty, as much with ourselves as with others. 

It can be very hard to know which response will result in true peace and healing because sometimes God asks us to be still, and allow him to be mightier than the storms which surround us.  Other times He says Arise, and walk. He gives you strong legs to replace those once paralyzed by fear and intimidation.  He leads you to a different place. Sometimes we are to remain and endure bravely and quietly, other times we are to shake the dust from our feet and move on. 

Peace is costly but it is worth the expense. – African Proverb

 It takes careful discernment coupled with sincere prayer to know what He is calling us to in a given situation.  But in the end we know.  It is a 'simple, not easy,' thing.  Sometimes the most difficult steps are taken with remarkable calm.  Conversely, what others around us assert should be easy leaves us with tremendous inner unrest.  And we just know.  

Blessed are the peacemakers.  – Mt 5:9

Peace is defined not as a gift of the Spirit, but a fruit borne through careful cultivation. It is not something you get but something you make.  That is where the blessing is promised. I have stopped waiting for it to just happen and tried to understand what had to change in my life for it to grow.  

Peace is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it. 

Be assured of this. We do not have a perfect life, but no doubt we the perfect life for us. Perfectly suited for our salvation.  Perfectly fitted with crosses which many would find unbearable to carry.  His simple – but never, never easy – plan for my life is indeed perfect. Resting in that knowledge brings true peace. Nothing else can. 

And I am not sure any of this makes sense to anyone else.  It is just what I have been thinking about lately.  

 

Serenity

Ombachsee

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The rest of the pictures from the wonderful day at Ombachsee. There were some wardrobe changes but they are all from the same day, which involved sand, trail, water, and lots of sunscreen. : ) 

point
The sand pit at Ombachsee has a system of narrow troughs channeling kid pumped water.  I am telling you, the Germans think of everything.  Except ceiling fans.  And ice. But that is another post. 

pump
They were enthralled with every part of this system. 

trough

hands

dig

fball

The sand pit fun, delightful as it was, was just a prelude to the lake itself. 

M lake

hill
 

lake

We had all the ingredients – kids, water, stones, dirt.  Not much else needed for a perfect day. 

skip

swan

Omsee ….perfect day. 

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

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pretty:

I glanced up from the kitchen window this afternoon and this web caught my eye. 

web

happy:

Abbie and her Daddy.  

squish
smile
funny:

I have come to take a deep breath when I hear Hey, Mom c'mere!

milk tower

I think this one was the milk tower mastermind. 

kitchen

He had a funny little run in with Brendan this week too. B had gotten one of those rubber bracelets as a promotional giveaway at a booth. Aidan had been eyeing it and I noticed he was wearing it another day.  I asked how that came to pass.  He said "Brendan gave it to me."  "B," I said, "did you decide not to keep it?"  "Yes," he said very seriously, adding,  "but I am still little and I didn't know better."

So yeah, he's got it back. ; ) 

real:

sigh.

There is a story here. It pains me to write it.  I blame Angry Birds… 

phone
No, it's not what you think.  Truth be told I have never played with an Angry Bird.  I am not sure how the game even ended up on my phone.  Nor the giant pimple one which makes my stomach turn everytime I flip through my app's wondering where my Hipstamatic disappeared to. 

Anyway, I asked for my phone the other day and several people under double digits knew right where it was and rushed to get it, like, before the others got to it. The race to retrieve it was over faster than I can type this out. Abbie had an early lead but Brendan was closing in fast. She 'won' by making a Hail Mary pass in my direction…

"I gotchyer phone Moooom!" she squealed in jubilation.

so yeah again. 

If it survives the screen transplant I swear every frog breeding, pimple popping, bird flinging app is gonna be SO gone. Just Mom's boring old ical and shopping lists.  That's it. 

making things with light

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The littles have had fun way disproportionate to the $11 price tag on the Lite Brite this week.  Retro Hasbro games have a special place in my heart. ; )  Lite Brite was invented the same year I was and I still get a rush seeing the neon pegs light up. (remember this? I have been humming it all day.) 

lite 3

Turns out that magic works in this generation as well. 

lite
screen
Since she is wearing it here I should show you the outfit for Tess that is finally finished and on the girl.  We made the peasant blouse from Emma Hardy's Making Children's Clothes which I have mentioned before.  I LOVE this book for people like me with very basic sewing skills. It is a compilation of the best kinds of online tutorials but someone has drawn up and printed the patterns on heavy paper.  Saves a ton of time. 

blouse
Best part is that there are no special constructions and the sizing appears to be spot on.  The parts assembled easily and the finished piece lays nicely.  

blouse
And it has been tested and proven twirl worthy. 

zon en zee

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(remember I am editing all out of order)  

We decided rather spur of the moment that we would proceed to the coast. We landed in Noordwijk between Den Haag and Amsterdam.  

sign

On the way we were held up for a bit as a boat passed through a canal ahead.  The road was rising up in front of us which completely amazed the children. 

road
We were able to park very close to the beach and spent a few hours roaming the beach.  It has been ten years since I have stood on the seashore which means several of the little kids had no frame of reference.  It didn't take long for them to decide it was a very good place. 

lighthouse
walk
bridge beach tents
dig
family

run
parasail

 

{pretty, happy, funny, real} Easter edition

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(more here)

For all you dear readers who imagine we live in a world where the women are all strong, the men are good looking, and the children are above average, please read all the way to the 'real' part.  This isn't Woebegone <g>  (But I think the man here is still good looking ; )) 

pretty:

The rainbow cake Alannah made. We have wanted to try it since we saw pictures of a similar cake online.  Very cheerful!


cake

 

Also pretty:

family

The family picture taken that day with the self timer.  Not too shabby and you can hardly tell Dad just raced back from the tripod in time.  Hardly. ; ) 

happy:

beach

Husband and I on our Easter/Birthday trip to the Netherlands.  I was SO happy.  So. 

funny:

out take

The out takes are always more fun than the 'good' shots

real:

I hope you read this far because y'all, let's be REALLY real.  Life isn't picture perfect.  Some days the pictures are all that comes out close to perfect.  Easter was like that here.  I honestly can't remember everything that led up to the wknd but I know there was a lot.   The bigger people sat around the table Saturday night, after Easter outfits were selected but not yet ironed, and little people were mostly in bed.  Mostly.  Allen asked, shouldn't we dye the eggs?  Yawn.  Probably we should.

We opened our PAAS package ('cause girlfriends, you didn't really think I was going to whip out my wax stylus and vegetable dye vats now didja? come now ; ))  I had picked up said packet at the thrift store.  It didn't appear to be opened however there were no dye tablets inside.  None.  That was also real.  Real annoying.  Luckily we had more artificial colors in the cabinet.  (we are being real, right? that cake didn't become what it was by beet juice lol) 

The bigger kids dyed the eggs in a food color and vinegar concoction.  We went to bed.  Sunday morning we had ham and eggs to break our lenten fast which was exciting.  We keep a traditional fast and let me tell you, you get hungry.  We decided no special place settings etc.  Just eat simply and quickly and start church prep.  We all got out the door and began the long trip to our little chapel whereupon we discovered…. we had read the bulletin wrong and had missed the last mass entirely.  In the real world – our world – these things happen. 

You have two options at that pt.  You can fume and beat yourself up or you can resolve to do better… and go buy ice cream.  We did the latter.  I spent the trip back to town making new lists on my iphone and plotting to tighten up the schedule.  We grilled hotdogs and ate Easter candy. 

The long and the short of it is that some things worked well this lenten season.  The fast sort of absorbed my attention.  We had Monica here for a few weeks.  Asher left for boot camp.  Half of us went to Rome.  Surely the Vatican must count?  Flipside, there was nary a craft done, nor theme lesson to be seen. We are just people, not superheros and that is the best I could do.  The most thematic thing that happened this weekend was….

Easter bunny

We met the bunny at the Keukenhof Gardens the next day for their Easter Monday celebration.  Even though 'the bunny' is certainly not the be all of Easter, it was a nice surprise and after being disappointed in myself for all I didn't do for Easter it was almost a little vote of confidence from God.  

This isn't all on my shoulders and He is perfectly capable of making up for my lack. Perfectly.