Colors in the Sky

My kids keep telling me to stop taking pictures of sunsets.

 Nope.  No way.

Home Remodeling - Part 1

Our first task in the adventure named "Remodeling" was to dig three basement window wells.  We had decided to put egress windows in the three future bedrooms in the basement.  I innocently went outside to take pictures and asked if he was having fun (which he was) and said it looked fun - and then I became the operator.

 I wasn't expecting to help so I'm wearing Crocs while operating the backhoe.  I'm pretty sure we broke a few rules with that one.

 It wasn't easy to see around the shrubs, so Darren actually did need help.

I helped him dig one of the other window wells - wearing boots that time - the next day.

I think that is the most fun I have had in years.  I loved it.

Unsupervised Sucker Frenzy

 Sometimes little girls find something they really love.

Sometimes they just help themselves.

Most times we just smile and take pictures.

But, Mom, we were hungry for suckers.

Yup, you were.

They Rest Near Us

Have I mentioned there is a cemetery on the hill by our house?  The old Topbar Catholic cemetery  is next to the hay yard on top of the hill.  The St. Joseph Catholic Church was also located up there at one point. There are twenty-four gravesides in the cemetery.  The earliest burial date on record is 1907, which is a year after Frank Gebes staked his claim on the land here on the ranch.  The last recorded burial was in 1940.  There are seven infants buried in the cemetery.  A testament to the hardship the community faced.

The local funeral home donated grave markers a long time ago, but no one has taken the time to find and mark the graves.  We decided we were going to do that in November.  The weather was pleasant, but too dry to move the cemetery, so our wonderful plan had to be put off.  By the time it was safe to mow we had snow and frigid temperatures.  Next spring - no excuses.

Stephen and Gianna helped clean the grave markers.

 Blase, Stephen, and Grandma Linda did try to mow, but it was dangerously dry.

They located a couple of the already marked graves.

 You can see the house from the cemetery.

 This is an actual distance picture.

 This is from the house looking up towards the cemetery.

Actual distance picture.

I told Blase I thought he should make a sign for the driveway and one for the actual cemetery.  We can work it into a shop credit for high school.

If anyone asks - I think we should be buried there.

Sunsets on the Ranch

I love sunsets.

I'd probably love sunrises too, but I'm always sleeping.

When in Doubt I Remember

If ever I have a bad day and think I'm failing at everything I'm going to remember these things:

 First thing - Brigid puts the strangest things up her nose and I helped her get it out.

That is a rock.  It was so far up there I almost couldn't reach it.

Why couldn't she be like the other kids and put raisins or cooked macaroni or even a piece of cereal up her nose?  Why a hard and inconveniently sized rock?

 The next thing I'll remember is that I can back up a trailer on the first attempt - and do a pretty great job at it.

Twice in the same day, in fact!  This particular one I actually backed up in the dark with just a porch light on.  Even straighter than the first attempt.  To be honest, I did have to try this one twice.  Not because I wasn't straight, but because I had to pull ahead to see the kids.  I thought they had moved the bikes out of the way.  They hadn't.  Then I wanted to make sure I could see them all (in the dark mind you) so I pulled ahead to wait for them to move.  

Sometimes awesome days make all the difference in your opinion of yourself.

Friends and Fishing

Still playing catch up with posts here - as this can't possibly be now as we have snow and below zero temps.

One of the first things Darren did this summer when Blase and he moved to the ranch was find a friend for Blase.  John is between Stephen and Blase in age.  He is a great kid.  Best part is - he has three younger brothers who are amazing kids too.  Gianna is the only one who hasn't found a friend yet.  She's okay with that.  She just plays with the boys.  We try to get the kids together a couple of Sundays a month.  Either their house or our house.  What a blessing to have friends so soon after moving.  God is good to us.

 I photobombed this, 'cause I can.

 They caught the fishes in the dam down south.

Blase just about died after catching these.

You see, he didn't tie off the stringer. First mistake.  To fix that he jumped into the dam to catch the fish.  Then he came home and changed.  He walked through the house with wet pants and socks on.  I could smell him two rooms away.  Second mistake.  Then he left his soaking shoes in the middle of the pile of shoes.  Third mistake.  He almost paid with his life.  His shoes, caked in mud and stinking like last week's fish guts, sat outside for almost three weeks before I finally washed them THREE times to get all the smell and mud off.  He almost paid with his life.

I fried the fish up that evening and boy did they taste yummy!!  I hope the boys can do some fishing again next year.  Memories like this are precious.  So are friends.