Christmas and New Year's are over.

When I was growing up my grandparents were old.  They didn't keep toys at their house. One set of grandparents had 26 grandchildlren!  The other set couldn't mess up their house with a bunch of toys!  So I have always tried to make my house a fun place for my grands! We've done craft projects, scavenger hunts, fireworks, birthday parties, made cookies and I have a slot machine that everyone puts tokens in when they come. And oh the HOLIDAYS!!!

I love having everyone here on Christmas Eve.  Usually it is just an unwrapping frenzy and then everyone goes home with their treasures.  This year I wanted to draw it out a little longer so we played a little game.  Left, Right,Center.  We provided everyone with $3. We went around the room and everyone rolled the dice. If they rolled a 1 or 6 they put a dollar in the center.  If they rolled a 2 or 4 they gave a dollar to the person on their right.  If they rolled a 3 or 5 they gave a dollar to the person on their left.  Whoever had money left at the end got the center. Oh those naysayers who didn't think this would work out, get the wet noodle!!!  The winner was G.G.!  It was fun.  Then the paper frenzy started!  May make this a tradition!!!

Then on New Year's Eve almost all the grands came to our house. We watched wrestling for awhile which I can really do without, but the kids enjoyed it. Littlest princess was doing her commentary  " ...ouch! ...eeeeeew! ...poor man!"  We played Guesstures and Black Jack (some of them learned it now from us).  We blew horns and toasted the New Year with sparkling white grape juice  Outside on the patio we threw those little popits that snap when they land on the concrete. The prizes for the games were big  chocolate bars.  So  everyone was on a big sugar high at 1:00 in the morning!  But I loved having my grands have a grand time at their grand-ma's house!

I went to the beauty shop this evening. In my earlier life, when I went to the beauty shop I came out looking like the person doing my hair?!   My hair is curly which has always been my personal challenge.  Yeah I hear people say "You should appreciate curly hair"!  I talk to people that don't like their straight, brown, coarse, gray, thin, red, too short, too long, not enough. I have straightened, colored, washed, conditioned, grown, cut my hair.  Now  in my most mature years I finally like my hair. It's taken 53 years to like something about me.  Sanetha

Surprise!  We had a baby on Sanetha's Country Lane!  It's a girl!  Her daddy is our own Leon so this breeding was technically "free". We thought Almond Joy was due to deliver back in October. We  had given up on her being pregnant.  I came home for lunch on Friday and there was a baby in the field!   

Alpacas are stoic.  They are prey.  If an animal appears sick or in pain in the field they will be the target of any predators in the area.  So they have learned to hide sickness, pain, labor.

Breeding alpacas is like tossing a ball in the air on a windy day and predicting where it will land.  Colors are unpredictable.  The cria  is slightly lighter than both her dam and sire.  She is beautiful.  She has her Dad's sweet face and is the color of coffee with cream. We' re naming her Creme Brulee`.   ...farm living is the life for me.

We shopped a few days ago for new fixtures for hubsters bathroom.  We priced a new vanity, sink, and cabinets.  We looked at textures of wood, designs of doors, colors of sinks.  At one time I had hopes of saving money by redoing this bathroom ourselves.  Nope ain't gonna happen...

We enlarged our house by two bedrooms and a bathroom in 2003. Though I love my country home. I should have paid better attention during certain conversations.  Like when hubster and the builder were discussing panels in my bathroom.  I was hearing wallpaper panels or other such covered panels.  Reality was out back of the hardware store looking at interesting pieces of PLYWOOD!  These were going to be the walls of my bathroom.  I wasn't computing.  I thought the plywood was to be covered by something  like wallpaper or paint.  But they covered it with varnish. I wasn't paying attention. Every time I plug into an electrical outlet or turn on a light in our bedroom the outlet cover is a different style/color.  Brown metal, white plastic, green plastic, wood, brass covers the various wall fixtures in our room.  We still haven't put up new trim around the windows in the old bedroom.  We used wood siding outside for its "rustic" look. It needed new stain about 2 yrs ago.  We tore out about 5 ft. of brick sidewalk from the old front walk and still haven't replaced it.

So when we were shopping today I wasn't quite into  it.  We are going to hire somebody else to do it.  Thank you very much.  ...farm living is the life for me. Sanetha

Aren't computers just SO MUCH FUN!!!

I found loading pictures onto my blog was taking 10 minutes, per picture! I ask for wireless Internet
for my birthday and magically I got it!
Then we got 2 different viruses in 2 weeks and had to put the 'puter in the hospital for antibiotics and needed treatment.

Now I have it home healed, cured, healthy.

Now I will try to down load some pics, and see what happens.  But watch out when you tell the computer geeks to save your pictures.  They saved the pictures, but they are all mixed up!  No dates, locations. All 6000!  May take me awhile to find a picture to download?

The weinie roast

I am updating. This new pic is from last summer but I just love it. We were having an impromptu weinie roast in the yard. All my grands, my mother and my daughter were here. Everybody was light hearted and having fun and I just love the happiness in everyone's eyes.

I haven't kept up the blog this summer. It's hard to commit to a couple hours of sitting in front of the 'puter when animals need to be fed, mowing needs to be done, the sun is still up. Autumn means slow. Cooler temperatures, shorter days, nature settling down for a long winters nap. That also means I can spend more time in front of the 'puter without the "guilt" sign flashing in my mind.

We drove from Kansas to Cape Coral, Fla. this summer. Visited Hubsters' parents in Cape Coral Fla., then Key West and back to Kansas. I love Key West. Love the gardens, homes, beaches, watering holes, museums. Enjoyed a sunset cruise. I also like the drive down the Keys, even though it's a 4 hour drive. Love all the little places called "Captain ____" or "___ of the sea". Such a different world than anywhere near the "lane".

While we were in Fla. our poor garden suffered. Weeds were so thick and tall we couldn't tell where the good stuff was planted. Grasshoppers had eaten all the tomatoes and corn. Cinch bugs got the cucumbers, squash, zucchini. So we mowed the whole thing under and vowed to do better next year. We had help to feed the animals and I think they liked them better than us. When we got home they were all nervous and jumpy, (I think they were pretending to have hurt feelings).

Our third annual alpaca farm day was yesterday. Hubster was in Florida assisting his parents, so I was trying to do all the things before alpaca day that we both usually do. I spent several days mowing, trimming, and digging weeds. We invite the public to see the animals and get up close with them. Alpacas don't come running when you call their names, but when they hear the rattle of the feed bucket their people skills kick in. They are curious when children are around. They push each other in order to see children and take treats from children. They let children touch their noses and they don't spit at them!!! I guarantee if I tried to touch their noses I would get a hand full of foul spit!