that bed has NEVER felt so good

It’s been 11 days since the girls left. Seems like a lot longer than that! And…a lot has happened since that day.

We had rain the day before they left. Not much but enough to stop us. I spent the day on Wednesday (the day they headed south) picking up what they left-towels, bedding, etc.- which all reminded me of them so I could move on and not cry every time I saw it. We were back to the field the next day and haven’t stopped until Friday night. And then it rained. THANK GOODNESS, it rained!

That would explain why I haven’t posted.

So, let’s backtrack a bit and I’ll see if I can get you caught up on our activities without making this too long.

We finished our second location on Friday (August 8) evening. The following pictures were taken before we left.

photo 3 (3)Seems me and the Beast have been doing quite a bit of this…sitting and waiting on a truck.

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use moisturizer every day…and don’t forget your neck

IMG_3206The view from my window today on a dreary, wet Autumn day.

The last month has yielded a few new experiences for me. One of them being asked to participate in the Housewives of Rural America blog which ultimately landed me on the “Freshly Pressed” page of WordPress.com (an exciting moment!). Being involved with this awesome group of gals has also brought back memories of who I was 30 some years ago. You see, I view myself as the “older, wiser woman” in this group. I’m not so sure that I like the hard reality that I’m not as young as my mind has me believing that I am. Jim’s dad once said something  that I now understand a whole lot better, “Sometimes I have to stop and remember that I am 80 years old”. I can honestly say, I understand! My mind wants to trick me into thinking that I’m this 30-year-old person rather than nearly 52. Does this make sense? I honestly don’t feel as old as I am (until there’s a little pain here or there).

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nebraska to montana – montana to nebraska

In my previous post, scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4 (cont.), I left you with the arrival at “home, home”.  This gets a little confusing with referring back to posts but if you need to be reminded where we are from this point with the pictures I posted, you can refer back to scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4. 

After we got home, we TRIED to turn on the water, went through mail and whatnot. The next morning, we packed for a week and headed to Grand Island for Husker Harvest Days. We ran into all kinds of people we knew – including the Miseners.

IMG_4600Entering Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, NE.

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meeting a love story face to face

1237066_10100299663010020_1663191947_nWe had visitors in Jordan the other day. Before our “chance” visit, I knew Jenny (aka @jenlynndewey) and Mark (aka @sunflowerfarmer) only through social media…Twitter, Facebook and Jenny’s blog,  jldphotographblog.com.  Who would have guessed my simple question, “Coming through Jordan?” on a Facebook status would result in meeting a love story face to face?

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adios, oklahoma

Leaving a place that has become “home” tends to make a person think about certain things. The one thing that I’ve thought about a lot this year is the fact that I take for granted way too many things!  I found myself looking at my surroundings a little more intense this year. I sort of figured out that I don’t have a guarantee that I’ll be back next summer.  So, I soaked in the lush green countryside, the smell of the wheat chaff, the beautiful water-colored sunsets (especially after a brief thunderstorm), the intense oven-like temps of the south winds (or Oklahoma gales) and the birds. I tried to take as many pictures of the countryside and the wheat field as I dared. The hot winds and birds are a different story.

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A Wheatie’s View on Wheat

Ok…that’s it…last straw…now it’s my turn!

I heard about cardiologist Dr. William Davis and his book, Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health quite some time ago. The first time I remember seeing mention of this guy was when a friend of mine posted his concern about the popularity of the book on his FaceBook page.  We are both harvesters and have been in and around wheat all our lives. Neither of us grow wheat, but we harvest wheat so it came off as ridiculous to both of us.

Yesterday, I opened my email’s  home page and what’s staring back at me? An article written by George Dvorsky titled, Why you should probably stop eating wheatWhaaaaaaaatttttttt?????

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Jamie – Our Firstborn/Our Guinea Pig/Our Leader of the Pack – turns 27

Twenty-seven years ago today, we brought home a tiny little baby – the beginnings of the Z Crew.  Jamie was just a little more than 24 hours old when we left the hospital in my little blue Subaru. It was sooo cold that evening, we couldn’t keep the car warm. I remember feeling like I was probably going to jail when I took that tiny little baby out of her car seat and held her close to me. I was hoping I would be able to keep her warmer than the car was providing.  Our little guinea pig was born at 1:01 p.m. on December 23, 1985.

jamie-1-001

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The Annual Hunt for Perfection

img_2435If you guessed Cabela’s – you were correct!

Yesterday afternoon, we made our annual trek through the pasture looking for the perfect tree. The actual job of finding THE one is an adventure in itself! Once you find one that might work, you just automatically think maybe you’ll find one better just over the ridge.  The temperature was in the upper 50’s when we left home but the sun was going down. That’s what you get for trying to squeeze too many things in at the same time! But, as it worked out, we had plenty of time to find three trees that would fit the bill for what they were meant to be – a Christmas tree.

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#3…this is for YOU!

“A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip.” ~ Unknown

Taylor turned 18 on November 2. It was the day we left on our annual fall camping trip. Life happened and I haven’t been able to do a post just for her. This is your post, Taylor…HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I decided what I wanted to do for you was to gather a few pictures together for all the world to see. What I really wanted them to see was a shortened version of the kid you were and the young woman you have become. I hope I have adequately done this.

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Just Checkin In

Some days seem so much fuller than others! Mine have been more full than usual since Friday. So full that checking in with my blog and my blog friends has been tough to squeeze in. I’m going to take a few minutes before the next half of the day begins and we’re off on another adventure.

I agreed to have Brooklyn and Jillian spend the weekend with us while mom and dad went to the NASCAR race in Kansas City quite a while ago. What I didn’t have planned when I agreed to that was the amount of bus time I’d also be putting in at the same time.

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