Hello again

Oh my! Seems like forever since I last wrote.  Probably everyone thinks that we have disappeared from the face of the Earth.  No. Just very busy!

The garden has undergone some changes.  The tomatoes are putting on little tiny fruits. The corn has been harvested and stalks pulled. What a harvest! I blanched and froze 13 gallon size bags of corn on the cob! Mmmmm....yummy! That should surely take us through to next year.
Saturday, I then mowed the garden spot.  (I know, I know.  It's weird.  But that is my style of weed control.) Not to mention all of the newspaper that I had put between the rows to be a composting weed mat.  Okay, so all of these newspapers were very dry and crunchy and just went into a million pieces up into the air and all over the yard!  As I mowed I smelled smoke.  I decided that probably it would be a really good idea to get done and spray it all down with the water hose, lest I have a burning garden!

Then this morning we went out and tore up the ground and planted a second crop of sugar peas, a few pinto beans, carrots and radishes.  Then put more newspapers in between the rows. I sprayed it all down really good with the water hose and decided it was too hot to keep on for now. I will do more in a day or two.  We will see how this late crop works out.

The young princess has begun on her studies for the year.  Just the fun and easy stuff for now.  But, she doesn't seem to think that I give her enough to do.  Hmmm....
We are kind of easing into school this year instead of just all at once.  So far, so good!

We hung our hammock a few weeks ago.  That was very interesting! I think that the rope that I used was a bit old.  Well, it was a big let down, to say the least! So we got some more rope.  It was really nice for a little while, but that was a let down too! That happened three different times.  By then the weather was too warm to want to lay around outside.  So when it cools down we will try again.

                       The princess loved to sit or lay there and sing and "play" her accordian, or just read.

Both of the little people have learned to ride the bicycle this summer! Yeah!! O boy!  Now they just fight over whose turn it is to ride.  (they share the bike)

                                                         The Princess

                                                    The very wobbly Prince

His interest in riding is much less than hers.  She could spend hours on there.  He just wants to ride when she is riding! Typical brother behavior!

The Prince asked the other day,"Papa, you wanna go fishin' with me?" "Where?" his father asked.  "Over there, at the river." (over the back fence in the pasture behind the house)  They caught lots of sardines and catfish.  They just cooked them right there in their invisible boat and ate them.  I couldn't resist sneaking up with the camera and catching a few shots of my own!

What wonderful imaginations children have! Just cast your line right out in the pasture and you can catch anything!

Well, it is lunch time, so.....That's all for now. 
Hmmm... what is for lunch?  Sardines? Nah!  Catfish? Nah!  Leftovers?  Now were talkin'!

That time of year

Yes, it is that time of year.  The time when the robin's are hatching in my burr oak tree.  The time when the passion flower is twining up the fence.  The time when you must remember sunblock and insect repellent every time that you go outside.  That time of year when the bees are buzzing and hummingbirds humming.  When you are glad for air conditioning.  And yes, it is the time of year for extra work.

You guessed it! We are up to our ears in hay! Well, maybe not the ears. But anyway, the Lord has blessed us
with an unusually abundant crop of hay.  Thank you, God! My farmer husband can be seen there in the distance on the tractor with the baler behind.
Now, you must remember, I am the farmer's wife. That does not mean that I grew up on a farm nor that I really know much at all about farming. I am in the life's school of learning.  Every day I learn more about farm life.  Like the fact that the saying 'make hay while the sun shines' doesn't really apply to us.  Cause we just keep on after the sun goes down.
Anyway, I am not very, ahem... stout...when it comes to picking up a bale of hay.  So my job was...

Yep, driving the obstacle course.  Keeping the truck (which I can barely see the front end of) between the bales of hay.  Going fast enough to keep up with the men, but not running off and leaving them.  Oh yes, and watching for my two little children who ran along, dancing beside the truck.  Talk about nerve wracking! It got better after I put them to bed and came back out to drive some more.  We gathered the hay from the field, (or should I say that 'they' gathered it) then carefully drove to the barn.  I say carefully because there was always at least one bale that was teetering on the tiptop, ready to fall off.

                                                                 And some did fall!
Then when we got to the barn, that was my signal to take a nap! Shhh! don't tell anyone!
They started sending the hay up to the loft where one of them would stack it up there.

We repeated this process over and over and over..... until about midnight last night! Told you we didn't stop when the sun did! That was a long night for me.  I can only imagine how it was for the poor guys pickin' the stuff up. 

                                                                 Break time for my sweet farmer!

We always have plenty to do this time of year. Always planning ahead for the fall and winter.  Right now I am drying strawberries to keep for the winter.  Yum!! If you have dried strawberries and throw them in a white cake mix... the cake will taste like it has fresh strawberries in it!  OH MY!! Makes me want some right now!
Our apricots will be coming off any time now.  Oh yes, and the sugar peas... Well, the few that we have. There aren't very many of them, but if you pick a few and toss in your salad it makes a very sweet little crunchy.  We haven't even gotten a pint of the little treasures, but they have been yummy.  I guess we won't be expecting too many out of 6 plants.  But it is a nice treat. 
I weeded the garden this morning.  Well, my style of weeding.  With the weed eater!
Hey! I don't have the time for the real weeding and those plants look awfully happy anyway.  Don't you think so?

They are just stretching right up and dancing in the sunshine! I don't reckon they actually have legs and feet on which to dance, but they could sure fool me!
Tomatoes, corn, beets, peas, lettuce and a bumper crop of marigolds left over from last year.  More on the marigolds in a minute. 
Just look at that corn! Already up past my knees!  I love it.

Ok, about the marigolds.  Last year I planted six marigolds along the edge of the garden.  Supposed to keep the buggies away, right?   In the early spring, my precious farmer tills the garden, like any normal farmer would.  When plants start pushing through the dirt, I see hundreds, yea, thousands of little identical plants all over the garden.  Hmmm.... thinks I.... what could this be that loves my garden spot and has come to live its blessing out on this little plot?  I pinch off a bit and oh my, the nose knows! I had thousands of the little marigolds popping up in my garden.  Now, a few is fine, fifteen maybe, fifty is too many, a hundred is overboard, but this..... my words fail me!  I pulled up bunches of them and got them down to maybe a hundred, then fifty, then twenty, then gave up!  They started blooming and that is when I just almost fell head over hills in love with them. Beautiful doesn't describe it.  Vibrant, glowing is more like it! Why in the world can I not look at a flower without loving it ?  Well, this morning, though it almost brought sadness (not quite), I weed-eated down about 10 of them.  Couldn't bring myself to cut them all down! If next year you see me on the side of the road with a trailer load of baby marigolds in little pots, well you will know.  They reproduced a hundred fold.  Again!

                      This is only a corner of the glowing garden that you can find at the OL' FARMHOUSE.

Well, I will be pulling beets soon.  Pickling them if there are enough.  And the work goes on, but that is the blessing of living on the farm in the OL' Farmhouse!

Have a blessed week!  Until next time.....

The Traveling Farmer (and his wife)

Ok, so it's been a while.  We have been super busy.  Just like the rest of ya'll. 
The Farmer and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this weekend. Wow! Time flies when you are having fun!  We have made it a habit to celebrate our anniversary with an annual "honeymoon". Each year we try to find an interesting location with lots of beautiful scenic roads to travel and lots of good food.  (We really like to eat!)
Mode of transportation:

Yep, you guessed it! That is the shadow of the farmer and his wife (me) on the motorcycle!  Just thought that that would be a fun picture.  It is rather challenging to take a picture of oneself while going down the road at 65mph! But you would be surprised at what can be accomplished while on the back of a motorcycle.  Take napping for instance....

Our travels took us South this year.  First stop: Jasper, Arkansas.  What is there? A beautiful campground run by a very sweet couple by the names of Jacob and Rebekah Ketchens.  The name of the campground is Dogwood Springs Campground resort.  They have places for R.V. s, tents (which we were toting) and sweet little cabins.  And I found out that they are also, friends with one of my friends.  You know who you are.
Ok so night number one. We are camping in a tent on an air mattress,  which we blew up using motorcycle battery power. Outdoor temperature- 37 degrees.  We didn't do much sleeping but did a lot of shivering.  Well, me anyway. And all night long a poor little whipporwill sat above my head and  after about 20 minutes of listening to "whippor will" it began to sound like she was saying "If Leonard will"  I then lay there and worried all night ' What if Leonard won't, then what?'  and 'What if Leonard does?' Then I got tickled and tried not to wake my dear farmer with my giggles.  In the morning, I told him and we both had a good laugh.  About that time we heard in the distance another whipporwill and she said 'Leonard did'.  So whatever was happening in bird land we don't know, but I will never hear a whipporwill the same again!
Well, when we went to start ol' Blue (the motorcycle), the battery was dead. Hhmm... wonder how that happened?? So my farmer rolled it down the hill and got it started and off we went.

Day two:
We rode all day through beautiful country.  Ah! The perfume of God's world.  All the way to Southern Arkansas we were surrounded by the perfume of honeysuckle! Then the fragrance changed to that of the pines as we were riding right through the middle of the pine woods. 

When we arrived in Monroe, Louisiana, we sought out a fabulous little place to eat called the Mohawk.  Not our regular type eating place but REALLY good food!  Now, I tried real hard to take pictures of our plates before we started eating, but I will just say that they didn't turn out.  Instead, the pictures made the food not only unappetizing but just downright nasty lookin'. So, just imagine a plate of really, really yummy crawfish etouffee. Mmmmmm! Good! And a plate of really, really yummy stuffed crabs.  Mmmm!
Then we went to find a campground.  We finally did in Delhi, LA.  Beautiful campground, just right for the mosquito population!! We settled in between the interstate and the railroad tracks. Lovely little campsite... until time to sleep! I lay awake most of the night swatting mosquitos and listening to the semis on the interstate and the trains with their abominably long whistle blowing! Oh yeah, and I sweated!  It is hot in Louisiana! And humid! 

Day 3:
Well, guess what?!? The next morning, the battery was dead on  the motorcycle. So, we drove in to the Monroe, LA Harley Davidson dealership, and they didn't even have a battery in stock.  They said it would be 2 weeks before they could even look at the motorcycle! Dandy! So we went on into town to follow our next interest.
The Beidenharn Museum and Gardens.  Oh, my goodness! That was really cool! And  beautiful, too! You really should go.  The Beidenharn family was the first to bottle Coca-Cola.  I will leave it at that and just say, it is worthwhile to visit if you are anywhere near there.

I can't even begin to put all of the neat pictures on here. But the above is one I took in the Museum.  Then you go over to the gardens.  Ahhh... If only I could have a garden half as pretty! They have folks just working full time in the garden! It really is beautiful!
We left Monroe, (after having someone jump the battery) and headed to Natchitoches, LA.  Never been there? Ya oughta go!  We got a room that night cause all of the campgrounds were full, full, full.
I slept like a baby!
Day 4:
There were hoodlums in the parking lot hanging out, polishing the wheels on their car and listening to rap. All this while my dear farmer went to get a battery for the motorcycle.   I called my aunt and she came and got me and we met Hubby on the other side of town. Then we all went for 'brunch' at one of the best restaurants in town.  Lasyone's Meat Pie kitchen.  Mmmm! Yeah!  If you have never had a meat pie from Natchitoches, then you have missed out!
Just down the street on the corner is a live oak tree where my grandfather used to park his truck and preach.
The tree is still there!

As is the radio station where he did his Sunday morning broadcast. And the river where he baptized converts.
And the church that he built and put a Bible inside one of the posts when he built it.  Just wish I knew which post!

Somewhere we have a picture of the original group  in this church.  My dad is on the front row and my grandfather is standing in the middle aisle. When I walked in, I knew it , not for any other reason than that it looked like the picture. Neat, huh?
That day we drove on to Shreveport, LA. When we got to town, the Farmer said, " Let's pull into this Wal-Mart parking lot and figure out where to eat and where a campground is."
We parked and looked up and there was Vince's restaurant.  So we decided to eat there. Yum! More crawfish ettoufee.  I was determined to get all the good stuff that I could while I was south! We asked our waitress about a campground and she drew us a map.  This led us to the Tall Pines Campground.  The owners there are very nice people. Tom and Tracy Landis.  They own another campground in Lamar, Colorado, but that is another trip.
They don't allow tent camping there, but had very neat little cabins at a very affordable price. So we stayed in a cabin.  Good thing! It stormed like crazy that night! But we slept very well!

Day 5;
We got up and packed our things away and started for home. This time we rode in high winds and right between crops of cotton, rice, corn, wheat and oil. Oil crops?? Well, whatever you wanna call 'em.  They were harvesting the stuff all over the place. Then we got close to some paper mills. Stinky!!
Came on in through Ft Smith and the through the Bobby Hopper tunnel.  That is fun in a car, but thrilling on a motorcycle.  Fabulously thrilling!

"

So, yeah, we had a good time! But it is good to be back on the farm.  There is no place like home! And that, my dear friends, is the reason that it has taken a while for me to write. We are home and God was gracious to keep us safe... Oh that is another story!  Now it is time for me to get busy making Ol' Farmhouse Recipe #1, for there are people who need it and I better have it when they call.
Oh yes! It can now be purchased at 4 locations! Berryville, Japton, Green Forest and Harrison!  If you have a favorite local store that you would like to carry this, have them contact me. www.olfarmhouseproducts.com
Have a happy day, my friends!

Livin' the busy life

Ok, so you all are wondering what my other exciting news is.  Well, things have happened so fast that my little fingers cannot keep up.   I thought that I could type pretty fast, but I guess I was not quite fast enough!
Last week, they did a very nice write up about OL' FARMHOUSE in the Carroll County newspaper.  What that resulted in was lots of sales. The article came out on Friday.  By Monday afternoon, both of my local stores were sold out!  Wow!!
This weekend, I got news that a regional distribution company was interested in distributing and selling our products!! Double wow!
This is so exciting!  God has opened so many doors so fast that my mind is boggled. He is so awesome.

Well, the rock wall around our garden is coming along nicely! I tried to turn the corner with it, but that definantly needs more work, as it is rather wobbly. But see, I have the rest of my life to finish it, so that is ok.

We went camping  this weekend at Cricket Creek over by Omaha. It was very beautiful and peacful. There was still some flooding but the waters were receding noticably by the hour.

When Hubby and the children came back from gathering firewood, they brought me a beautiful wildflower bouquet for Mother's Day.  How special! Anyone can go to the florist (nothing against florists here) and buy flowers, but how many men will take the time to gather them himself?  Pretty wonderful if you ask me!  (Can you tell that I am still very much in love with my farmer?)

Sweet, sweet, sweet!!

Well, dishes to wash, clothes to hang out on the line, children to tend and always, a rock wall to build.

I had better get busy!

The Things We Take For Granted

Wow! Rain!  That has been the story for about a week now.  It is amazing what the force of many rushing waters can do! We have seen the effects of the overflowing creeks and rivers right around here.  Rushing water alone can change the lay of the land.  Hmmm.... wonder what forty days and forty nights worth would do to change the Earth???? 
I have been thinking much these days about the many things that we take for granted.  "Oh," you might say " I know we do take things for granted." But are you thinking the same things as I?  Sure, we all know that we take our American freedoms for granted, but I am thinking of more than that.
I am thinking of some of the little things.
Take the honeybee for example. We go to the store and buy honey.  We pick up some fruit and vegetables while we are in town, maybe a peach, an apple or eggplant for supper. Then we pull OL' Farmhouse Recipe #1 out of our purse or pocket and slather it on chapped lips.
Did you stop to think about all that?
I would say, probably not.
You would have no honey if there weren't some very busy little honey bees working away somewhere.  None at all! Those fruits and veggies... they don't just happen you know.  Those busy little workers, flying from flower to flower, are what got the pollen to the right flower at the right time to make the fruit or vegetable grow.  What of the beeswax in that soothing balm that keeps it in the tin instead of running out into your purse or pocket?
What about all of those raindrops??  Oh, I know, we got a little overwhelmed and maybe even griped a bit about all that water.  But think about it...
Come summer, we will be very hot.  What will be in our mind?  A swim in the river? Filling up the swimming pool?  A drink of cold water?  Maybe watermelon... With what will the river be filled?  Rain.  With what will we fill the swimming pool?  Purified rainwater.  Where will your drink of water come from? Purified rainwater.(Whether bottled, spring water or well water.) Hmmm... makes me thankful for every single raindrop that fell and even is falling now!
And that rocky Arkansas soil? Yep, that too.  Those rocks kept us from being completely washed into the Mississippi River.  How? Well, though many small rocks moved, the biggest ones stayed put.  It just so happens that most houses are built upon foundations.  Those foundations are made of rocks, big or little. Oh my! We just don't think about that when we are tilling our gardens do we?
A bit more personal...  Do you have eyes?  I should hope, since you are reading this. But when did you stop to think about them? They work, right?  They  work very hard in fact!  And your ears?  Oh goodness sakes, Sara! You are making some folks think a bit harder than maybe they wanted to think on a Monday! 
Ah! My next point made! You have a very intelligent brain inside your head. I know, some of us use ours  more than others.  Nah, just kidding! But did you stop and have to tell your eyes what they were seeing?  Did you have to tell them to blink? Nope, that brain of yours took care of that for you!
Did you eat today? Think on that one a minute.
Did anyone smile at you today? Wow! When we really start to think, those special miraculous blessings of God just add up, don't they?
Let me share just one more thing.  There was a royal wedding this weekend.  I stopped and wondered what it would be like to be a common girl and be marrying a future king. What kind of feelings a girl might have of both awe and fear.  Then I thought...hm..
        The King of the Universe has invited me to marry Him! What a privilege! There will soon be a royal wedding.  I will be in the Bride and wear a spotless white gown.  I will live in, not just a palace, but a whole city made of pure gold! Cake? Yeah, probably Angel Food!  A whole marriage supper.  A honeymoon? Yep, for all of eternity! Never ending bliss in the arms of the One that my soul loves.
But I must build on our relationship that we have now.  I can't get sloppy in my day to day life! It isn't befitting the Bride of Christ.  Talk about Royal protocol!  Does it matter how we live, dress, talk?  You better believe it! The King will not marry a harlot! He will marry a virgin, one who has kept herself from the things of the low life.  Yes, the Bride of Christ will be different than everyone else. She will stand out as different in the way she dresses, talks, and behaves herself.  What an awesome responsibility.  Yet, so many times we take this, the invitation to be wed to  the King, for granted. We do get sloppy.  We try to blend in. We forget or maybe some even ignore, this awesome invitation.  Hmmm.... Are you ignoring the invitation? Are you getting sloppy? Are you living the low life?  You are invited to be His Bride.
If you need to talk about this and want to talk with me privately.. email me sarardavis@ymail.com .
What are you taking for granted?

Beautiful days

What a beautiful day on the farm.  Though it is cloudy, it  is a balmy spring day.  The butterflies and bumble bees are zooming around, feasting on all of the Lilacs and Iris, dandelions and henbit.  My peonies are near bursting into bloom and all of my perennials are peeking out to see the sun.
While mowing the grass this morning, I watched in wonder at the bees and butterflies. They would stay in place, just until the very last minute when I knew that I would run over them. And then in a heartbeat fly away.  Then while watching them, I ran myself right into a big clump of vines hanging down. I looked down and was up to the hubs in dirt.  I had ran into a little hill and gotten stuck!  So I reached up to get the vine off the top of my head and...Behold!! Twas poison ivy!  Then I decided not to worry 'bout the vine and just get the mower out.   Easier said than done! The mower deck was shoved deep into the hump of dirt, not to be budged!  So I walked back to the house, got a shovel and my little farmer boy.  We went down and I dug the dirt out from between the tire and the mower deck.  Wouldn't move.  Then I got the blade of the shovel under the deck and said "Okay, Michael, push!" He pushed and I pulled.  After 3 tries, we were free!  So I hoped back on the mower, pushed the poison ivy out of my face and finished the yard.  Whew!  After scrubbing with a Jewelweed bar, & changing my clothes, I decided that I had had enough excitement for one day.  It's a wonder neither Michael nor I gave ourselves a hernia!
I felt like I deserved a treat after that ordeal, so I made fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade.  Mmmmm!
That made it all worthwhile!
For those of you who are unaware of my first bit of news.....OL' FARMHOUSE now has a website!!
Ok, so maybe it isn't quite as professionally done, but we are still working it.  But you are invited to visit at your convenience and invite your friends to visit as well. Hear is the website, but first, read the rest of the blog.  www.olfarmhouseproducts.com.  I do hate it when people walk away while I am still talking!
Our next exciting news will come in a couple of days so, stay tuned for more information.
The princess of the palace has officially finished her second year of school. Yeah!!!  She is reading well beyond her level of schooling and we are very proud of her accomplishment.  She started her summer off right. Sleeping in....all the way to 7am!  Wow!  That's okay, there is too much to discover in life to spend all your time in bed!
I am going to fire up the smoker here in a bit, and yes, there will be beautiful links of boudin lain across the grills.  Ohhh, me o' my o'!  For those who have never tasted, well here is a Bible verse for you: 

"O taste and see that the..........   is good."  The Bible says 'the Lord is good'  and He is.  I believe that He is one of the only things better tastin'!  No, really, He is good and if you have never tasted His goodness, well, you are missing out!  He is the best thing that ever happened in my life and I don't want to ever be without Him!

Back to the boudin, leave the preachin' to my Papa... Boudin is a cajun sausage, made with rice and meat and all kinds of goodness that I really don't have to know what it is... just know that it is really good and yummy, and yummier when smoked.  Whewee! Andre Mika's blog does a way better job of explainin' than I could ever do.  By the way, I don't personally know this guy, but if you need something to encourage your appetite and get you good and hungry, his blog is the place to go. http://andremika.blogspot.com

No, you are not invited to supper, but if you'll bring your own boudin, I will smoke yours too!

Well, now, I reckon I'll go sit on my porch swing and watch the butterflies.....

Happenings on the Farm

The farm is a very busy place this time of year. 
We have been hauling rocks to build a rock wall in front of the house around the flower bed.  My dream is to have a  perennial flower bed surrounded by a rock wall. Inside the garden will be a bench for reading, bird watching, dreaming, and yes some day, for courting.  What a special place for courting for my children when they are of age.  But see, the beauty is that I can tell them, "No, you may not court her, the flower garden isn't done." Hmm... wonder if I will ever get it done?
We planted impatiens in front of the porch and dahlias at the corner.  Irises are in bloom as are the lilacs.  Oh!! And our neighbor has his mama cows in the pasture right out our back door. Every single day there are new baby calves to watch.  They are so cute! Tottering, wobbling, falling and trying all over again.  In less than a week they are running and chasing each other and staring curiously at us.  How I love to take my morning coffee to the porch swing and just sit and watch the show.  All to the soft music of the birds and the distant crowing of a rooster or bleating of a sheep.  Ah! Isn't farm life just the best?
Of course, if our steers see that I am outside and not feeding them or petting them, they start bawling and bellowing.  They are quite spoiled!  Thankfully, it doesn't taint the meat, just their character.
The little farm girl is almost out of school for the year! Wow! Then we will have day after day to just run and play and get as dirty as a little piggy.  (Her brother already does!  But that's what boys are supposed to do.)
For those of you who have tried to post comments, um, I don't know what the deal is but I can't seem to access the comments.  Hmmm...... Must not be technical enough for me. 
I guess if you have comments you'll just have to e-mail them to me right now.  Sorry.
The littlest farmer just asked me if today is tomorrow and if when tomorrow is here will it still be tomorrow?  Hm, that is a very interesting thought.  If tomorrow is tomorrow why is it today once it gets here?  Never mind!!
Be watching for some very exciting news coming in the very near future!!! You don't want to miss out on this!  Make sure you visit the blog regularly for the next couple of weeks!  Actually there are two bits of news!  There is the one about.. oh!!! I almost let it out!  Just come back real soon, okay?