The Sweet Sound of A Froggy Seranade

Oh happy day! After too many parched days and many petitions, our prayers have been answered! Yesterday we awoke to find this:


4" in one rain! That's not something you see every day around these parts and it's a huge cause for celebration! It seems the rain covered a good part of the country so be prepared for rain posts from many of us. When you ranch, rain is a big deal and every drop counts!

DD and I spent much of the morning splashing through the mud and the muck and wading in the newly replenished dirt tank. After more than a year, it's refreshing to see it holding water once again. DH couldn't even get around the ranch because the roads were too wet. We were also out of electricity until sometime about mid morning so he couldn't even work in the shop so he headed to town to run errands and fill a cart at the local Home Depot. None of us enjoy making trips into town, but if you have to go because you've had too much rain, that's a good problem to have. Actually though, there is no such thing as "too much" rain around here. We just don't want to tear up the roads too much. DH was able to check one more rain gauge at Antelope and he poured out 5.1" there. Needless to say, we are ecstatic! And so very thankful for this perfectly timed blessing!


It's always a good day when it is one spent with a good friend:


It was so nice and cool and crisp out - a welcome reprieve from the 100+ degrees we have been experiencing these past few weeks.


DD and I spent all morning outside, behind our cameras. It's been too long since we enjoyed a morning like that. It felt good to spend time enjoying the view from the lens again. DD has a wonderful eye and she captured some amazing shots and this one, which leads me to the 'frog' portion of my post, is one of my favorites.





Isn't he cute? I swear he's grinning! Yes, I know these are not frogs, but 'toad' seranade just didn't have the right ring to it so I am taking creative liberties.


When we receive a gully washer like we did yesterday, the peace and quiet disappears. It is instantaneously replaced by the sound of 1000's of toads croaking. It's another one of God's perfectly designed mysteries about how these critters can live underground in the desert for years on end, without nary a sign of their existence, and then suddenly pop up when the rains arrive. And they literally do pop up within an hour of the rain's arrival. The sound is defeaning and you literally have to yell to be heard above it, but it's a beautiful sound and last night I enjoyed being lulled to sleep by their symphany. They'll be around for a few days and then disappear as suddenly as they arrived.


I wanted to share a few more shots I took yesterday. The horses always make for fun photo subjects, as does DD, who takes after her mom when it comes to getting in position to capture that perfect shot:





The horses were feeling quite frisky after the rain. A good roll in the cool dirt always makes one's spirits soar:




As does a dunk:


This old tree is one of my favorite spots to snap shots.




Cooperative subjects. On the count of three...drink.



I think she got the shot:


But I'm thinking she should have pulled on waders instead of irrigation boots:


And I love this one:


The horses took their time and leisurly meandered across the expanse of water, towards the
pens to partake of a late breakfast:

I miss ya'll when I'm away. Hope all is well with y'all. Things have been crazy, busy around here, but I hope to check in more often. No promises though, the remaining days of summer seem to be slipping away all too quickly. I'd like to throw a rope around them and dig in my heels to slow them down, but if I did that today, I'd probably just end up being covered in mud...which come to think of it...that's not such a bad thing!

The Missing Ingredient

Remember me? I apologize for being MIA lately. I've simply been swept away by summer. I've written dozens of posts in my head, but they never seem to make it to the keyboard. Haven't really taken part in anything earth shattering, just the normal, day-to-day running in circles. Cooking for a crew, tending to the garden and yard work, working on home improvement projects, making quilts, getting DS ready for college, and keeping up with DD's social calendar. But, things have been piling up and it's getting kind of crowded in my little, chaotic brain so I thought I had better take the time to sit with you a spell so here you go...

I'm a throw it together kind of cook. I love recipe books, but if I don't have all the ingredients, I have been known to substitute. That works pretty well with cooking. Baking...not so much. It's imperative that you have all of the ingredients. I mean, who wants to go through life without baked goods? Not this family!

So I was really looking forward to a garden this year. I figured we would have whatever was ready to pick for dinner that day. So I built and hauled and planted and watered. I lovingly tended my fledgling project each and every day. I tossed the tomato worms off with a vengeance. I fought a valiant battle with the cutter bees. I watered as the sun rose. I watered as the sun set. I heralded each and every new growth. No, I did not weed. There may actually be something to this square foot gardening thing! And it grew. Slowly. In the desert. The only green thing for miles around. Then we were blessed with this:

That beautiful green and yellow was the answer all along and you should have seen the lightening that accompanied this storm. What a show! All the fireworks this weekend couldn't hold a candle to the one last night. The missing ingredient was a blessing from above. Seems you can water until the cows come home and just keep things hanging on, but bring on the rain and watch everything take on a life of its own! I am harvesting my first 2 heads of lettuce today! Note to self: start earlier next year. Since I'm new at this, I'm still getting a feel for how long I should wait between replanting, but I do believe that the rainy season has arrived. There simply is no substitute for the water sent directly from heaven. It's not just a figment of my imagination that things are growing overnight.

Which leads me on a rabbit trail. It's all related, but it's a rabbit trail nonetheless. We are so spoiled. We want this and think we have to have that when in reality, the only thing we really, truly need is God. I'm guilty as charged. Just have to have that cute fabric I saw in that quilting magazine or I'll just toss that cookbook that caught my eye into the basket. But, if you don't have that personal relationship with Him, then life is empty and you are missing a very vital ingredient for which there is no substitute. Without it, you may as well be baking without flour. And unlike flour, you shouldn't stash that relationship in a dark corner or your freezer. Keep it on hand at all times. Your life will be richer and more fulfilling and... His. It's my fervent prayer that everyone have an endless supply of life with Him. When he breathes life into your soul, it's like a good, soaking rain with a rainbow on the horizon:

Bits and Pieces

Yep. It's been a while since I posted, hence you get the title of this post. Just bits and pieces of this and that. Makes me think of all the bits and pieces of fabric I have stashed that are desperately crying out to be made into a quilt. Must make time to get that done.

So apparently summer has arrived. Didn't someone once describe them as 'the lazy' days of summer? Hmmm... Kind of makes me wonder what kind of life that person led because 'lazy' doesn't seem to be anywhere in sight around here!

No complaints though...well...one...and it's a biggy - I am going to voice my complaint about the lack of RAIN! Things are looking quite dismal around here. There was, and still is, a pretty good sized fire burning on a place just to the east of us. DH drove over there the other day. They've got 60 people from various departments working on getting it extinguished. It's in a difficult spot. Lots of sandy ranch land that you can't get to easily. They even had numerous planes dropping fire retardant in the area. The good Lord is receiving a continuous flow of rain prayers from our little corner of the world. In fact, he's probably being bombarded. But, we're also sending up prayers of praise and thanks because we are always abundantly blessed.

We actually got away last weekend! First time DH has been away from the ranch overnight since last August. I think a night away was long overdue! We made a quick trip to Albuquerque and browsed the aisles of a gun show, watched some friends compete in a hunter/jumper horse show, and spent hours at Guitar Center where DH was very serious in making his selection. DH and I bought him an electric guitar for graduation. The kid is crazy about his guitar. He has an acoustic that he plays all the time and loves, but when one is addicted to the guitar, one can never have too many. Or so I have been told! Grin!

It was a fast, but wonderful trip. We pulled into town at 7:30 on Saturday night and drove right to the rodeo arena for the PRCA Rodeo. DH's cousin is a saddle bronc rider as well as one of the pick up men and we always look forward to catching up with him when he's in town. He lives in Nebraska so we don't get the chance to see him other than when he passes through. Saturday was his night - he won the whole thing! Very cool!

Then my SIL and her new husband and my nephew stopped by on their way home and ate dinner with us. DD also had a friend out that day so I had 9 for dinner. We really debated when we were making the decision on getting a dining room table. I'm so glad we got this big one. I love it and heaven knows we've always got extras gathered around it!

So now we're back on track and our days are filled with ranchwork, yardwork, and housework. I love getting out in the early morning and making the rounds in the garden and yard. The garden is coming along well although I have no doubt that it would benefit greatly from some rain. I have decided that I'll start next year's seeds indoors in order to get a head start because it would be nice to be harvesting something from the garden before the end of June.

Yesterday DH and I made a 300 mile round trip to Hereford, Texas to take a load of cattle to the slaughter house. That's such a sad place. It would be a depressing place to work. I'm too much of a softy, but DH cheered me up with a stop at a quilt store in route. Sweet man! I didn't linger long though because I was planning on meeting some people in town later that afternoon and as soon as we arrived back at the house, DD, who was a dear and made dinner and cleaned the kitchen, and I headed to town. I met up with a neat couple from Virginia. A is on a scrapping site I frequent and yes, I met someone from the Internet (don't scold), but what a fun couple they are! They were traveling cross country and meeting lots of people from our group. We enjoyed a couple of hours visiting and lingering over Cokes and Mexican food and BLTs before they headed down the road. I love making new friends!

DH and the kids are out sorting cattle and working on their roping skills. One of DD's friends asked to come out for a bit so I guess we'll have company this afternoon. Goodness, that girl and her social life! She pretty much puts the 'homeschoolers are lacking in socialization skills' argument in the dirt.

So that concludes my rambling for the day. Hope ya'll have a good one! I've got to head into the kitchen and get some cookies baking for Cowboy Church tonight before it gets too hot!

On the Cusp of Musical Greatness - Tyler Bryant

Don’t know if y’all have heard of this kid or not, but mark my word – you will! Oh my goodness!

DS and I went to see him at the local Winery in town and we were completely blown away! This kid is a phenomenal guitarist, not to mention, an unbelievably talented songwriter! And he’s just 18! He’s crazy talented! He has a true gift for music.

The drummer and bass player are uber- talented too and it's hard to believe they have only been playing together for a month. They definitely make a great team. Jake runs the lights and sound and everything behind the scene and Tim is their manager. They are all very cool.

And he and his band are just plain nice guys - so polite and humble and personable. They don’t drink or smoke or cuss and they were just so well spoken - good kids with exceptional talent. I wanted to bring them home, feed them a good homecooked meal, stay up all night and listen to them play, and send them down the road with a batch of homemade cookies.

Tyler’s roots stem from the Blues, but he’s so versatile! He plays soulful acoustic, impressive blues, and sensational rock. His passion for the music was palatable in that room last night and I had to hold back tears.

This kid is crazy talented! Y’all are gonna be surprised because you probably don’t think this is the kind of music a dirt road gal like me would listen to, but dang! I LOVE good music – of many genres, and this is just great stuff!! I have a very eclectic taste in music. Genre means nothing to me. I like it if it speaks to me and this kid's music does just that. His writing transcends all genre. He's an 18 yr old with an old soul - an amazing young man.

Tonight they’re playing with B.B. King and then they’re touring with Styx and REO Speedwagon. Someone’s sitting up and taking notice. Someone’s intelligent and knows a good thing when they hear it.

While visiting with his manager, he asked me which of his music I enjoyed the most. All of it. Tyler is so incredibly versatile that I think they’re having a hard time pegging him down into a musical niche. I told his manager that Tyler needs his own niche. You can’t put this kid in a box. He lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes music and I get that from the songs he shared with us last night.

I don't enjoy big venues and there was something wonderful about the small, intimate gathering last night. Tyler is so good at drawing in the audience through his music and stories. He's just so genuine.

They don’t even have a CD out yet – it’s in the works for fall. I. Can. Not. Wait.
I’m a lot of things, but I never thought I would be a 45 yr old groupie! LOL! DS bought a shirt and we may have to fight over it.

You can hear a little bit here although I don't think it does him justice. Hearing and watching him live was definitely an evening I will remember for a long time. So if you get the chance to see one of his shows, take it. Hold on tight, cause you're doing what's right. Kudos to you, Tyler, you're on your way and the sky's the limit!
http://www.myspace.com/tylerbryantmusic