Rattle Snake Bite

Today was like any other day....the Chocolate Lab and I feed cattle, come home do some quilting and try to be productive.  Today was a different story--we start to feed cattle, but the bulls got to fighting for a girl and have mixed, so we have to call in the husband (boss and cowboy), he sorts the bulls into their correct pastures and I let the dog get a drink at the tank because it is so hot.  Not paying any attention to the stick laying next to the tank--I hear the dog yelp and run to the pickup.  About 30 minutes later my husband reaches out to pet the dog and she yelps and he tells me she has an ear infections....hogwash, she was fine earlier and they don't come on that fast, but that stick was not by the tank anymore....oh my goodness....her face is the size of a watermelon.  Poor dog she has been bit by a Rattlesnake, so off to the vets.  I get informed that it is a good thing that she has been vaccinated for rattlesnake because it keeps the venom from attacking the organs.  She is swollen and drooling, miserable but will be fine.

 Before the snake bite....she is happy

 After the snake bite she is huge....had to take off the collar to keep from choking her....poor, brave girl!!!
She will stay in the garage tonight with the air conditioner running and lots of water.  She will take antibiotics and steroids for the next 5 days and hopefully all will be back to normal.
But then we get home and she goes to the water bucket and what does she find???????? A MAD BULL SNAKE...scared the poor dog so bad she ran to the garage door to come inside.
And with all this I didn't get any of them killed...they all got away, I am not a very good hunter!!

What Storm are you in?

Today something was brought to my attention that I have not thought about.....maybe it would make others think, too.  Pastor taught on Matthew 14:22-23 today....he spoke about faith, fear and how fear gets in the way of our faith....but when he spoke of the storm that is what spoke to me most.  He talks about the storms and how Peter had faith to walk on water, but when he started to "fear", then he began to sink....He asked us if our storms come from being faithful to God's word or are we like Jonah and when God gives us a job, do we say "no thanks", I'll try it my way.  Got me to thinking about my storms- Am I in the storm because I am doing what God has asked of me or am I in the storm because I am defying what God has asked of me??????
I find that most of the time it is because I think and don't do what is asked of me...this shows little FAITH!!!
I relate this to my quilting, I had little faith in my God given ability to be creative and use the talents He has given me.  When I took that leap of faith I found that He rewarded me with an amazing talent.....so, for the lesson I have learned: ask yourself are you in a storm because you are faithful or defiant??


The latest coming off the machine:

 Carolyn's quilt....she modified a "One Block Wonder"

An up close picture of one block and the quilting
 

The back of her quilt....
I thought the quilt had a "60's" look, so I went with a flower quilting ...... using a variegated thread on the top and a multicolored red thread in the bobbin.  I enjoyed working with this quilt and I really like it when customers say "you quilt what you feel would look the best".  Thanks for all the freedom and don't forget to think about your position in the next "storm" in your life!

Some of the local wildlife

We have had a little family of foxes that have moved in just up the road....about 50 yards from my chicken....but they are so sweet that I can't see getting rid of them.

They are so precious even tho it is eating a chicken, not mine......

On the way to feed cows, about 11 miles from my house, I see a swift fox and she has 4 babies....the babies went back into the den before I could get a picture of them, but I caught the mom....will try to follow up with babies soon.

I love watching the moms take off to get you away from the den and the babies....they are protecting them by trying to lure you away!!

Thought you might want to see some of the other babies I have to work around....besides cows and calves...this is the other part of my job:

These are all being shipped to breeders, so I won't see babies until after the mom's are bred and ready to come home....I love having the babies around...they are so sweet!!

Artists?!?!

I have truly enjoyed getting in quilts from ladies that are wanting help quilting their finished products....I have found that I enjoy putting the finishing touches on these beautiful pieces of art.  I have been called an "ARTIST"....who me, I just have a good time sewing all over a quilt top.  Have you really stopped to think that we are ARTISTS?  We create beauty and love what we do, no matter how perfect, ugly or creative!!!

This is the latest to come off the machine.  It turned out really nice....the customer took oriental fabric and placed the black sashing between the pieces to give the window affect.  Blacks and gold, so I decided to come back in with a mustard gold to quilt over the whole quilt to bring it all together.  With all the straight lines in the piecing, I came back with a lot of curves in the quilting!!!  Feathers and swirls, they look soft and elegant.

 The borders of her quilt

Talking about ugly

The word "ugly" is used in so many different ways.....that is an ugly face, that looks ugly, she was acting ugly.....however you use ugly, is what I think about the latest project.  I absolutely love reproduction civil war fabric, so I decided to use all the civil war fabrics I have collected to make a "scrappy" quilt.  I had gotten a jellyroll, so that was the start of the design....2 1/2 inch strips, what an easy start and I love fall colors, so I had several yards of a rust color fabric....that reminded me of a civil war color....so I started sewing the strips together in a log cabin type design, alternating the civil war fabrics and the rust fabric....This is the result:

The pink sticks out like a bloody nose....then I thought that when I got it quilted it would work just fine....

this is the design throughout the quilt....the borders have different quilting....the quilting is nice!  I will bind it in the rust and hopefully pull it all together, but there are times you get done with a top and think "what was I thinking".....that is exactly what I thought.

This is what I quilted in the 2 borders.....like the quilting, just think I should not have used the rust, but what can you say after it is all done?! 
Our son likes it, so he will be warm this winter....and there is love poured into it!!

Back from the depths!!

Oh my goodness, I feel as if I am back from the depths of total loss!!!  I have been without a computer for a while: it started with my computer not wanting to download onto the blog and then slowly began shutting down whenever it felt the need --- yes, just shut off, nothing but black screen.  I got tired of fighting it, so I took it in to find that a part of my hard drive was starting to fail.....well, this mean--GET A NEW SOMETHING!!! I got a new hard drive and I am back up and running.
Here are a few things you missed:
Well, I got a coupe for some chickens moved in from down the road....and got 5 laying hens, a rooster and that just didn't seem like enough, sooooooooo I went shopping and bought 4 little one to add to it, but that still just didn't seem like there would be very many eggs when they all grew up, so I went back and got another 21......Now we are in the chicken business.  Love to watch them and love to here the rooster crow in the mornings and most of the day!!!

Rooster: AKA-Paint.....he is so pretty and his tail feathers have a green tint to them

The man of the yard watching his ladies

A few of the new additions to the crop!!

Penny seems to like her new home.....I am waiting on the egg!!!

Ok.....I know it is crazy to want chickens, but I love watching them and they are so funny....you should see when there is a miller in the light--simple country life--but many times it is a joy!!  \
This is just one more chore on the list of many.  My loving spouse says..."how bout some pigs"....had those when our kids showed, but really didn't seem to like them around much...they are so ungrateful and make terrible messes, NO THANKS!!!  Horses, dogs, chickens and cattle that is about all we can handle and sometime I think we are running crazy now....so until next time, enjoy the gifts God has given you!!

Easter/Spring

We have been busy getting the yard burned....trying to get rid of all the stickers...really tired of those...sprayed, got the sprinkler system turned on and the biggest change of all....a neighbor had a house for a chicken coupe, so after an afternoon of using 2 tractors, a one ton pick-up, a flatbed trailer and A LOT of patience.....we have a coupe moved to our place.  I need to paint it and we are working on the courtyard.  I need to get it finished because I already have 4 chicks living in the house....they are about 6 weeks old and on Wednesday there will be 5 bigger ones added and a rooster.  I love to watch them, they are so fascinating!!!  Will try to post a few pictures soon....we are needing to finish the cover over the courtyard, so they can't fly out or anything come in and get them.
Easter is here and I am remembering what my Lord and Savior has done for us....and feel blessed.  Happy Easter and enjoy what the Lord has given us!!!