Thanks for the words!

My friend James would be surprised at how often I think of his blog profile.  I was so awed the first time I read it that all I could do was just sit and stare at the words. He is a poet, among many other things, and has a way of putting into words what many of us feel but can’t even express to ourselves. I’ve pondered those words now so often that they feel like my own.  I can recite them verbatim.  I know they’re not though, but I thank him for them.

He describes dreaming his future as a young man – what he might become, a writer, an opera singer, a father of six or seven…and he wonders how he got where he is today, thirty years later - that it wasn’t among his dreams or plans or even expectations.  And then he says my favorite line “…I shifted right, then left, then right again, and I landed exactly where I wish I had dreamed I would be today.”

I’ve thought about those words so often since – today again, which is the reason I’m blogging about them. I know that these are not just words to James. He means them. He is describing his contentment with where life has led him - that he couldn't have dreamed it better.

How many of us can say we are where we dreamed we would be, let alone, that it’s even better? Aren’t most of us forever chasing dreams, one right after another - so much so that we don’t even recognize when we’re in a good place?

James’ words came back to me just this morning as I sat drinking coffee and looking through my latest Southern Living Magazine. As I read an article on the North Carolina coasts, I found myself dreaming of living on the coast and having my coffee each morning as I walk on the beach.

That’s when his words hit me again…

What is my dream anyway?  One minute I’m dreaming about living on the coast, the next I want to live in the country and have a garden and chickens, and then I’m wishing I lived in a big city, close to fine restaurants and the theater.  And yes, I’ve even dreamed of living in the mountains in a beautiful log cabin near a brook.

How fickle am I? It’s no wonder I have a hard time saying I’m where I dreamed I would be. But in reality, I can’t say otherwise.  I’m blessed. I have good health. I have a good job. I am fortunate to live everyday with the man who owns my heart. I love my home, adore my children and have the best friends in the world.

While I probably could have said it better, I surely couldn’t have dreamed it better.

Thanks, James, for the words…

Milking a goat - not so easy!

Well I learned first-hand last week that milking a goat is not as easy as it looks. As a matter of fact, it took me three different attempts over three days to get even the smallest squirt of milk.  Even then I missed the pail. 

Karen makes it look so simple; I just assumed it was easy. Even the goat let me know on my second day of trying that I was not doing so well. She must have thought I was just groping her because she kicked at me and refused to let me continue.  Karen then let me try on a different goat the third day - smaller teats. Boy was I taken by surprised when that one squirt of milk happened!

I'm sure that's why I missed the pail.

A Fun Way to Teach Children the Easter Story

I'm planning to cook at least one evening this week, maybe even two, so I've been surfing recipe sites off and on all morning. There must be millions!  I found one, though, that I really like and so I've added it to my blog list - A Flavorful Life.  It's cute, has a lot of variety, and the recipes seem simple enough for a simple cook like me.  I'm thinking about trying the Mexican Stuffed Peppers tonight!

I found another recipe though that I want to share here on my blog since Sunday was Easter - the one for Resurrection Cookies, also called Easter cookies.  You can find the recipe all over the internet, but this particular recipe has a new fun twist in that it uses Crescent rolls and marshmallows. It's a fun way to teach children the Easter Story.

I want to credit the Earle family for its posting and encourage you to visit their blog - A Flavorful Life.

Resurrection Cookies:

You can see the empty tomb in the middle cookie

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
Crescent rolls
Melted butter
Large marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Read Matthew 27:57-61

1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.
4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!)
6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

Now read Matthew 28:5-8

Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia!

After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them. Rather than being slaves to sin and death, Christians ( those who love and believe in Jesus) are free to obey God and do good ( Romans 6:17-18). The Bible says in John 8:36, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

However, we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit our helper. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing. It is important that we read the Bible (God's Word) because one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us obey God is by reminding us of what He says to us in His Word. God's Spirit will never go against his Word. In fact, when we read God's Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit. Of course, you won't always do the right thing; the Bible says this ) 1 John 1:5-10). But that is why we need to continue to confess our sins knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross. This is also a reason we need to spend time with other believers in Christ so they can encourage us in our faith.

- Author Unknown -

Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Easter!

Crazy Us

I love pictures, and often times to the dismay of my friends, show up with my camera. Why not? How else am I going to take hold of the moment and keep it forever.

I can't tell you the number of times I've pulled out my camera only to hear "Oh no! Not again!  Should've known Judy would have her camera!" 

That puzzles me.  I'm always thrilled when someone pulls out their camera.  Being the one with the camera most of the time means I'm often not in the picture - and I love having my picture taken. Not that I'm especially photogenic, but I'm often surprised how good I looked five years ago as compared to today - no matter how bad I thought the picture was at the time.  Ha!  So it's all relative, and we're all friends, and we all love each other.

I do try to be respectful of my friends and discard pictures I don't think they would find particularly flattering. I can't decide though, if it's the posed shots they dislike the most, or the impromptu shots.

One thing I have learned though, that after several "serious" shots, it's always fun to end the session with a relaxed, "crazy" pose. Everyone seems to enjoy it and then can't wait to see the pictures.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Bob's birthday 2011

Bob's birthday 2010

My "Friday Night" group at the Pannabecker's 2010

Crazy runs in the family - My nephew's family at Christmas 2010 

They say a picture's worth a thousand words.  I love what these pictures say!

Happy Anniversary, Music Man

Bob and I just recently celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary and so I've been thinking a lot about how blessed I am that this New Yorker, after graduating from Syracuse University, found his way to little ol' Salisbury, NC to eventually become my husband.

Not that we were each other's first love...

I think I've mentioned before that Bob has a first love that is still very much a part of his life - his saxophone. He loved her long before he ever loved me. She was with him all through high school and college, but then spent the next fifty years in a storage room downstairs. I often chided him, since I couldn't imagine how anyone with a musical talent (I have none) could just - not play!   So a couple of years ago, I dug her out of storage, set her on the den floor next to the sofa, and hoped he would at least be curious to see how well she had fared all those years.

The case sat there for months, collecting dust. I was just about ready to pack her back up when our friend Victor came over to watch a ballgame. Thank goodness Victor is the curious sort!  Being a musician himself, he recognized the music case almost immediately. It wasn't even half-time before both he and Bob were down in the floor, oohing and ahhing over how beautiful she was and what a sweet sound she still made! I knew at that moment, she would never see storage again.

Bob immediately began practicing daily, trying to get his "lip" back. He wasn't satisfied until he was playing in three bands and out almost every night of the week. A similar regimen continues. He never seems to tire of it and speaks often of his regret at having missed out on all those years she sat in storage.

And I love it too!  Few days go by that music doesn't fill our home.  I never tire listening to Bob play.  I figure God intended for some of us to be listeners.  After all, had He made us all to sing, dance or play a musical instrument, who'd be sitting in the audience?

God knew what He was doing when He made me a listener. Why else would He pair me with a musician!

Happy Anniversary, Music Man!

Bob plays with the Salisbury Swing Band. The video below is from a show they recently put on at the downtown Maroney Theatre.  Bob is just behind Lonnie's left elbow.

Back before the pan cooled...

I'm gonna have to quit reading Karen's blogs.  She's always up to something she couldn't have done when she was living over here on Anderson Street, in the city of Salisbury - exciting stuff, like delivering baby goats, making goat cheese or her own maple syrup collected from her own sugar maples, rendering lard, building goat pens or chicken houses in her own front yard, kayaking on her own river right across the street. And then there's those great pictures of the beautiful countryside - taken from her own bedroom window.

I could go on and on, but what's the use. I'm a city girl!  True, my head turns easily when I read her blog, or worse yet, when I visit her for a couple of days. I come away "wowed", wishing I could try a couple of those things myself. I've told Bob, not once, but several times now that I want to move to the country - but then yesterday put it all back in perspective for me.

I was doing something I don't do frequently, since Bob and I usually only average about one night a week at home together (and even that's not a given) - I was cooking dinner, or rather, I was starting dinner. I'm not a great cook, but I have been trying some new recipes lately. (Heck, I ought to find something I'm good at.)

Anyway, I had been to the grocery store and bought all the ingredients. As usual, my grocery list was back home on the kitchen counter, but still, I ended up doing a pretty good job remembering everything for "Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie" done "Mama's Way" from Southern Living's February issue. I already had some of the ingredients in my cupboard.

I had just sauteed the leeks in 1/2 cup of melted butter, sprinkled in the 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and was now ready to whisk in the can of chicken broth of which I thought I had at least 10 cans. But no! Not a one! The cupboard was bare.


So I turned off the burner, jumped in my car, walked into Food Lion 4 minutes later, was back in my car in less than 4, and back home pouring in the chicken broth, all in roughly about 12 minutes! I had to smile to myself as I sipped my wine and "whisked constantly." 

There are just some things I love about city-living! Besides, I wouldn't last a week doing a quarter of the things Karen does.

Ahhh! I guess I'll just have to keep reading her blogs and living vicariously through them! I'm probably better at dreaming about country living than actually living it.

Everything I know...

First goats, now chickens. I can truthfully say that any knowledge I have of goats and chickens, I owe to Karen Pannabecker.

Karen was a guest speaker on national radio yesterday - a blogtalk radio show called The Chicken Whisperer. She had a 40-minute spot in which she talked about homesteading. It was terrific! I'd never thought about it before, but she and James are true homesteaders! It's really worth listening to. Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/backyardpoultry and click on the January 26 segment.

Anyway, I listened to the whole show this morning. It was quite interesting, and as a result, I will end this day much smarter than I began it. So I want to share a little bit of that new knowledge with my friends.

First, a quiz:  How many cows does it take to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs?

No, this is not a trick question. I thought footballs were made with pig skin too, but apparently not. The answer is 3000.

No, that's not something Karen said. The radio host told that before Karen's segment came on. But I do have to give Karen credit for everything else I learned today - about chickens. Something she said today triggered an Internet search that led from one thing to another and then another, until I now have a new appreciation for chickens.

Karen mentioned "hen savers" when she was talking about a hawk getting one of her chickens. I had to jot that term down so I could look it up afterwards. I couldn't come close to imagining what a hen saver might be. The name certainly didn't give a clue.

As I learned later, Hen Saver is actually a brand name for a hen apron, also called a chicken saddle. This device is put on hens to protect their backs from roosters during mating. Apparently, during mating, the rooster can really tear up the hen's back. The apron provides protection for the poor hen during this apparently over-zealous encounter.  The hen apron also has the potential for protecting a chicken against a hawk attack by reducing the hawk's ability to grasp the chicken.

Hen aprons come in an assortment of colors, including camouflage. They fit over the chicken like a backpack. You can also get one that has predator eyes - believed to deter a hawk from even thinking about attacking the chicken.

Hmmm, a hen apron with predator eyes. Now that's a tough picture to conjure up in your mind.

The pictures below are from http://www.hensaver.com/.  The site has some great pictures and apparently some great products.  I hope you will visit the site and if you own chickens, purchase a hen apron or two. They look like good quality. Some are even lined with fleece and provide warmth.

The hen apron

The hen apron with predator eyes

I'd never heard of hen aprons until today. Another thing I'd never heard of until today...some people actually keep chickens as indoor house pets.  These indoor pet chickens wear these cute little Hen Holster chicken diapers and  run  free-range around the house. The Hen Holster also doubles as a harness, so when you want to take your pet chicken out for a walk, you just snap on a lease and out the door you go. Makes me look at chickens a little differently.

The Hen Holster Chicken Diaper with Lease Snap

I've never really considered owning a chicken, certainly not for a pet. Bob, though, would have a half-dozen chickens running around our back yard right now if he could.  He'd love to have the eggs. I wouldn't mind having the eggs either, but chickens in the city, in a back yard in a subdivision?  I don't know.
A strange thing happened to me today though, I guess from reading all this chicken stuff. I ran across this great website - http://www.thecitychicken.com/ - a site to encourage city folk to take the plunge into poultry. There was all this great information about how to keep chickens in the city, information about chicken laws, and dozens of pictures of the most beautiful chickens.  The idea of having a couple of chickens actually started looking pretty good.

I think it was seeing the chicken tractor though that really caused me to entertain the possibility. According to the website, a chicken tractor is basically a bottomless cage or pen that can be rolled from one area of the yard to another. It's bottomless so that the chickens can scratch and eat grass and bugs off the ground, and the chicken manure can go straight onto the ground and fertilize it.

Yes, I could almost imagine a chicken tractor with a couple of chickens like the one in the picture in our back yard. It actually made me a little excited. Excited enough to pick up the phone and call the city. I spoke to the nicest young man. No, he wasn't surprised that I might want a couple of chickens, and No, there is no code prohibiting chickens in the city. The only restriction is that chickens must not be allowed to cross over onto another neighbor's property, and they wouldn't in a chicken tractor.  Why, he even told me we could have a goat if we wanted. One goat per 1/2 acre!

Wait a minute!  What in the world am I doing!!

"Where do you live?" he asked. When I told him, he gave me the saving grace. He told me that while there are no city codes prohibiting chickens and goats in the city, there are, in all probability, deed restrictions that prohibit them in my neighborhood. And that is certainly and most likely true.

Whew!  Thank goodness!  I was about to get a little out of control there.

One thing about it though. It has been a good learning day. The more I learn about chickens and goats, the more I appreciate them. I might even have one of each some day.

Thanks Karen.