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Update from the Country!

This has been a busy week! I know I updated you all earlier this week. But I have a few things I wanted to share before I forget! 


An update on the chickens and pheasants: The chickens are thriving and getting big. They are still living outside in their little house. We still have to give them some windows, but they are handling the cold and wet well. We have been having some pretty wet, cold weather these past few days, unusual for this time of year. We even had hail yesterday. 


The pheasants didn't do so well, though. Out of the five, we have two left. They just got too cold and wet. Calvin and I brought the two survivors back in the house and got them warmed up. We held them in our hands close to our bodies as we stood next to the wood stove. I brought a cage back in the house for them to stay in for now. We will build them a better shelter outside, before they go back out. 


It just broke our hearts to see those three dead birds. Calvin buried them for me, so the critters won't get them, or the dogs. 


Some good news to share, the corn I planted some few weeks ago is finally coming up! I walked out to the garden yesterday with my dear husband and saw green stalks coming up, I was so happy and excited I did a little dance there in the garden. It was heartening to see new life after having seen death.


I wrote a new poem, it's posted on the Poetry page. Please take the time to read it and leave a comment, if you would. I enjoy reading your responses. I have also added something to the Green Pastures page. I hope that it will encourage you and help you in your walk. Even challenge you in your faith. Look for May 21, 2010.


My sweetheart and I will be going out tomorrow to the coast. He and a diving buddy of his will dive tomorrow, should the water be clear enough to see. Please keep us and especially Calvin and Mark in your prayers for safety and for a bountiful harvest of fish. 


It is time for me to work on an outline for a story I feel the need to write. I had a outline format on my computer, but now my computer can't open it up. So I have to make a new format. That will take some time. Grrrr..... sometimes  I think technology isn't really better! There is still something to be said for go old-fashion paper and pencil! 


As I bid you all adieu, I do pray that each one of you has a blessed week-end. I pray the good Lord will keep each one of you safe as you go about doing your week-end things. I pray He will bless your families sweetly and that you will not only sense His presence but be filled with His peace and joy. God bless you all.

Another Update!

I have to share some good news with you! I had entered a writing contest on Women's Memoirs and even though I didn't win the grand prize (sigh) I did make it to Honorable Mention, which is really pretty good! 


They will be publishing my memoir some time in the month of July, on their website. It will be in their "Kitchen Scraps" section. Here are two links to the site, these are permanent links so you should be able to access them anytime.
 http://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-scrapbooking/april-memoir-contest-winners-announced-first-place-story-published/


http://bit.ly/9EblVw


I hope you take the time to go over and read it when it's published. And I hope you like the story! So remember, that's going to be some time in July. "Kitchen Scraps" is published once a week, I think it's Thursdays..... they always have a new memoir published. 


Well, the computer is up to it's usual tricks so I am going to close before I end up taking the hammer to it. 


Have a great week everyone! God bless you all!

Update From the Country!

Greetings everyone! I figured it was time for an update to let you all know how things are going here in the country.


Have you ever had a week-end when you looked forward to Monday just so you could relax? Let me tell you, my week-end was like that. 


It began with Friday, my day off. I started the day with checking my email, then I spent the rest of the day down in the garden digging rows and planting seeds. There is now seventeen (17) rows of seeds planted now. 


The weather was absolutely beautiful for it. Sunny, warm and just beautiful. I started out with a long-sleeve shirt and ended up with my tank top. Of course, silly me, forgot the sunscreen and now I have a sunburn. Thankfully it's not too  bad.


I was exhausted though, from the work. I still have about 10 more things to plant. But I am buying seedlings for that. My wonderful husband, Calvin, is putting in more water lines for me so I can strategically place sprinklers down the rows to water. I can't wait. It will make watering that garden so much easier.


By the way, the picture is the first strawberry blossom in our strawberry box. There are now a dozen with more coming out! Yummy! Fresh strawberries!


Saturday Calvin and I drove down to Albany for a family gathering. My baby sister's middle daughter had a baby shower. That was okay. For those of you who know me, you know I'm not really a baby shower person, or wedding shower person or any of those shower things..... I went because I wanted to surprise my baby sister! I hadn't seen her since 9/11. (She was visiting me in Arizona at that time.) 


She wasn't doing too good that day and couldn't make it to the shower. She has MS, and has good days and some not so good days. Anyway, we got the directions from her husband and drove to Sweethome to see her.


Was she ever surprised! It was a great visit. So Laura, if you are reading this....know how much I love you!


Sunday was another day that was very busy. My husband tore down the truck so he can replace the clutch and flywheel, I spent it in the garden, watering, and then feeding chickens and I made a place for the pheasants to live in outside. Whoohoo! No more stinking birds in the house! 


Of course, my dear Calvin, who is such a brat sometimes, locked me in the cage for the pheasants, as I was cleaning it out, and took a picture of me in the cage! When he gets the photos downloaded to the computer, I might post it.... depending on how silly I look! 


Then it was laundry, cleaning the livingroom from bird mess and then out the door to the Senior Dinner.


Senior Dinner is something that takes place once a month here. Calvin's folks go, along with his uncle and aunt and other people we know. We go to a decent restaurant and have dinner and fellowship and get caught up on what's going on in each other's lives. It really is a nice time. 


Then back home to finish laundry, clean the kitchen, feed the dogs and finally drop into bed. 


Yes, I am thankful it's Monday!


The week-end was really an absolutely beautiful week-end, for those who don't believe we in the PNW can have beautiful days. The temperatures ranged from 70-76 degrees, sunny and breezy. Just perfect. Of course today we have ...... drum roll please.... RAIN!


At least I don't have to water the garden today!


Oh, I forget to tell you.... Thursday, my Calvin, such a sweetheart, woke me up (actually scared me to death) to show me something. After my heart stopped racing, I looked out of our bathroom window and there was a doe in our yard. Very cool! Except she was eating my roses! I did advise my love that we are going to put a fence around the garden to keep her and her family and any other critters out. Those veggies might make them taste good later, but I want to eat some too!


Well, everyone, it's that time....I must get ready for my other job. So I shall bid everyone a farewell......


May the Good Lord bless you and keep you and your families safe this week. May His precious presence fill you and bless you all week long.


Until later.....




(Don't forget to enter the contest on my book review site..... Just click on the link to LaTawnia Kintz Reviews sign up to follow me on Twitter and Google Friends or NetworkBlogs and leave me a comment with your email address.....in other words.... just follow the directions! Many blessings to you!)

My Weekly Update

Hello everyone! 

I hope you all had a wonderful week-end. Belated Happy Mother's Day to all of those who are mothers....whether you are natural mothers, foster, step, adopted... etc. 

The picture above is some apple blossoms on the apple trees down in the garden. The trees were loaded with blossoms this year. So I am praying for a good harvest this fall. 

Mother's Day was a bit tough for me. I think it can be one of those holidays that is hard for a lot of women, especially those who have suffered loss or are dealing with children or mothers who are physically or mentally sick or unwell. 

My mother died back in 1998, so even though it has been some years, I still miss her. My only natural child has walked out of my life. It has been a year since I have seen or heard from her and my granddaughters. 

But the Lord has blessed me in giving me a wonderful step-mother and a mother-in-law, whom I love, and three great step-children with children of their own to love. 

So was Sunday an emotional day for me? Yes. Through it all I counted my blessings and thanked the good Lord for all that He has given me. 

My poor husband though, just didn't quite know what to do.... so he went out and tilled the garden, again. The Lord bless him. 

While he was re-tilling the garden I planted corn. We have four rows of corn now. I no sooner got it planted when the rain started. It was a gentle rain, so the corn was gently watered. Thank you Lord.

I still have more planting to do. I believe, should the weather cooperate, I will plant some more vegies Friday. That is my day off. Saturday I have some family to see, so I will be gone all day. Going to surprise my baby sister!

Well, it's that time when I have to get ready for work. I pray all of you have a blessed week.

Don't forget to go over to the review site and enter the drawing for a free copy of "The Heart Mender."

God bless you all! 

Weekly Update

I decided I needed a calm color to write in, today. It has been a bit maddening working on a computer that works at snail speed. I finally got two book reviews posted on the book review site. It only took me all day to do so. Grrrrr.......


Ok, deep breath.... 


Hi everyone! I hope your day is going better than what mine has been. Yes, I have been fighting with a computer all day long. I want to say I finally won... but I think the outcome has yet to be seen. I believe I need a computer doctor. This thing definitely has some issues.


Hmmmm.... Book reviews.... Oh yeah.... If you go over to my book review site you will see two new book reviews. Now...there is a twist to one of them. There will be a drawing for a book so you will want to read the reviews to find out how to enter it. 


I do hope everyone had a good week-end. It was a bit damp here in Forest Grove. The weather people told us sunshine and warm weather. Well, we got, liquid sunshine (that's rain to you non-Pacific Northwest people) and cold. Today has been liquid sunshine mixed with sunshine and cold. So I have had to keep a small fire going in the woodstove so me and the dogs and the chickens don't freeze.


Did I mention I have chickens? We bought them about two or three weeks ago. We got some pheasants as well. I can't believe how fast they have grown. They are ready to go outside and I don't have a place for them yet! They have to have an enclosed place so the coyotes don't eat them. 


Anyway, I have 16 chicks that are becoming chickens very quickly. Oh husband..... You need to fix their little home!


Speaking of husbands.... My husband, Calvin, went fishing over the week-end and came home with five beautiful trout. Mmmmmm.... were they ever good. I had forgotten how good fresh fish tastes.


I am going to have to cut this short. The computer is daring me to take a hammer to it. I know, I know, breath.... it will eventually work out in the end. But I have a feeling it might be the end for this computer!


Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the week everyone. Don't forget to go over to my review website. I would like to see you all enter the drawing. I wish you all could win the book.... but you are all still winners to me!