Boil or Bowl???

Will the South rise again?? I believe that is a question I ponder frequently. OK...maybe I don't ponder that exact question frequently but I do ponder the differences between the North and the South...possibly on a daily basis.

I suppose you could call me a natural-born "Northerner". I grew up about 30 miles east of St. Louis. I lived in a small town with a gigantic population of 900. I think in the twenty years I lived there our population sign went up to 930. Corn and wheat fields surrounded the town and we were lucky enough to have 1 bank, 1 gas station, 1 cafe, 2 churches and 2 taverns. Notice the correlation between the churches and taverns. Interesting.

I never really considered myself a Northerner. We lived in the south-central end of Illinois. Illinois wasn't a northern state. Now that I have crossed the line into Kentucky I can see that there is a difference indeed.

There is a difference in the way people talk, the terms used, the difference in food and even hospitality. Three hours difference physically leads to an interesting difference in culture.

The most noticeable difference is definitely the accent. Being from Illinois, I really didn't think I had much of anything. We spoke like a normal American..if there is such a thing. At college I could walk around campus and pick out those that were from Kentucky and Tennessee based on how they talked. They usually spoke slower, dropped the -ing 's and used -in 's instead (going would be goin), and used words like fixin. Not as in I am fixin some dinner but I'm fixin to go run.

Being down here for four years has changed the way I view the way people speak. I have been told I have picked up the southern drawl. Sometimes I catch myself talkin a 'lil slower, droppin the "g" in -ing 's and using different terms. No worries, I still have some North in me.

Dan's family is having a shrimp boil this afternoon with the shrimp they brought back from their vacation. They've been planning this all week and talking about the "shrimp boil". The way they said "boil" sounded like they were saying "bowl".I've been contemplating all week if we were having a "shrimp boil" or "shrimp bowl". They both made sense to me but obviously they were two different words. I felt silly asking which boil or bowl they were talking about. Last night I broke down and asked Dan. Of course he laughed at me and noted my Northern ways. It is a shrimp BOIL where they boil everything together. Duh! You see, back home we say something like "I am going to go get my o.i.l. changed. Down here they say "I am goin to get my ol changed. This is why I was so confused. It was pronounced a shrimp bowl but it was actually a shrimp boil.


Accents are the most noticeable difference but there are so many other things I find interesting that it would take a novel to explain. All of these are stories for another day!

The joys of being a farmer's wife...in the South!

My Dad...My Hero

Father's Day is here once again. Some may go out and buy extravagant gifts while others enjoy the simplicity of spending time together. Father's Day is a day where we honor our fathers. We tell them how much we love and appreciate them. A day where we realize how lucky we are to have these men in our lives. Father's Day falls on one day out of the year although it should be a daily occurrence. I know my dad does more for me than just to show him my love and appreciation one day a year.

So here is a tribute to my dad, my hero.

My dad is the one that puts his children first. He is always there to answer that phone call when his little girl is in tears because she doesn't know how to fix her car or how to handle a grown up issue...like taxes.


My dad is the one that always told my brother and I that we could do whatever we set our mind to...that the sky was the limit. He encouraged us to always do our best and take every opportunity we could...even when that meant sending his little girl three hours away to college.


My dad is the one who always shared his 12 famous words:
         They Show..I Owe
         They Neigh..I Pay
         They Poop..I Scoop
This pertains to horses of course. Yes, my dad was never that interested in horses but was always interested in what I had to tell him after my riding lessons. He always made it to my horse shows..even if it was just for the afternoon. He drove us 8 hours to a horse show just to make sure we got there safely. He did his research when we bought our horse trailer in order to make sure it was safe for the horses. All of this for his little girl.


My dad is the one that flew his airplane down to Kentucky  just so my horse could have the special grain that I got back home. He would fly down to Murray to check on my oil in my car and make sure the tires were safe. This man would do anything for his little girl.



My dad is the one that helped me plan my dream wedding. He told me that he wanted me to have the wedding that was Cinderella worthy. He helped me plan my big day down to the little details...even the flowers. He walked me down that isle and gave me away...realizing he was no longer the only man in my life.


My dad is amazing. I thank the Good Lord everyday for him. I am so blessed to be able to call him Dad.


I may possibly be the luckiest girl in the world. Not only do I have an amazing father, I have an amazing fathe-in-law as well! Brent  is the type that took me in as a daughter from the beginning. He is so kind-hearted and caring. I couldn't have picked a better father-in-law even if I tried.


Brent, thank you for raising the man of my dreams!


Happy Father's Day!!

Hallelujah It's Raining Men

Hallelujah it's raining men! OK, maybe it's not raining men but at the rate we are going, rain drops are WAY better!! I feel like all I do these days is watch the radar and pray for rain! Since I have become a farmer's wife, I do believe I have perfected the rain dance (minus the fact that it hasn't worked out very well just yet). We actually got nearly three tenths of an inch on Monday. These days three tenths is something you don't sneeze at.

I even bought a new rain gage this weekend in hopes it would be put to good use. Maybe I am trying to do some futuristic thinking but hey, it's worth a shot right?

My flowers are really enjoying this natural rain...not the kind that comes out of a watering can.

And the main reason I pray for rain...the BEANS! These beans are two weeks in and lookin good...so far.

As for me, I enjoyed the rainy day being lazy and went right back to doing my rain dance. I may just have to put up a video of this....or not. Oh the joys of being a farmer's wife!

Weekend Fun

About every other two weeks or so I am blessed to be able to spend some time with my parents. We are a very tight-knit family and living three hours away can sometimes be difficult. I am so grateful that I now get to spend more quality time with them. This is something I have learned to value tremendously.

Their trips down usually consist of me using them as my taste testers on new recipes, putting dad to work doing handy-man jobs and a lot of front porch sittin'. The lifestyle down here is a much slower pace than what they are used to. It is so amazing to me that within a three hour distance there is a lot of differences between the two places(this is another story for another day).A weekend getaway usually leaves them relaxed and well rested and possibly talking a tad bit slower.

This particular trip we had a rather large agenda to take care of. First on the list was to get my cat, Gracie, shaved. Gracie is a very personable and loving cat. The only issue with Gracie is that she is hairy...very hairy.

This is Gracie, pre-humiliation.

This is Gracie, post-humiliation.

Notice her fat pockets?

Gracie joined Pete in the nakedness. Poor things have to learn how to be comfortable in their own skin...literally. The rest of the weekend we shopped,played with the horses and took care of the typical farm chores. It still amazes my mom that I can walk the horses across the road into my front yard and let them eat grass. Now if only I can teach them to leave their homemade fertilizer in one spot for future use on my flowers. That would be quite a trick now wouldn't it!

Pete thinks he is big and bad until the horses actually move.

Mom and I also tried out this new recipe called Fire Crackers. I got the recipe off of  allrecipes.com. I am now kicking myself in the rear because these things are simply amazing! It is impossible to just eat one cracker. Believe me..I tried!





Ranger On The Move

After three weeks of sitting stranded on the side of the road, the Ranger is finally on its way to get fixed. With an appointment  set up with the mechanic, it was time to get this lovely red truck turned around and on its way. My father-in-law, Brent, called me up one day and asked if I wouldn't mind helping him.Well, Granny and I got the truck pushed to the side of the road in the first place so how hard would it be to move it again?

 Brent decided it would be best to put the truck in neutral and push it around in order to head it the right direction. For those of you that don't know already, it is not an easy task to maneuver a dead truck 360 degrees on a narrow road with a ditch on each side. It was a push and turn of the wheel, run to the front of the truck then push, then press the brake and turn the wheel, then run to the back of the truck then push, then brake and turn the wheel, then push then stop. Talk about a dizzying experience!

With the truck where we wanted it we hooked it up to the handy dandy Jeep and headed on our two mile excursion. Everything was going great...uphill. Going downhill was the real kicker. Being a witty and sometimes sarcastic person that I am, I made a wise decision to open my mouth and say something like, "You might as well just push me down this hill...sure would beat what we are doin now."

So with me in the Ranger steering, I was given a big 'ol push and down the hill I go. How do I find myself in these situations that leave me headed downhill in a vehicle without a good way to stop? And let me tell ya, that little Ranger scoots right along when you go down a decent sized hill!

As I scooted right on by Granny's house, she happened to look out. She gave me a look like wow...they actually got that truck goin again...WRONG! We were doing just fine until the bottom of the hill. She then realized that the truck really wasn't running. As the truck came to a halt, Brent hooked me back up to the Jeep and went on our merry way...until the next hill.

After several pushes down the hills we made it to the mechanics...all in one piece! My abs are still sore from laughing! Something about rolling down hills in a vehicle uncontrollably. Well, I did have the use of brakes if I really needed them but hey, you need some thrill and adventure sometimes right?!?! Is it sad that I consider this really adventurous?

Living in a very small town you learn to find things that bring you enjoyment. Now this might be against the law but I absolutely love washing my windows. Does it bring me enjoyment? Why yes it does! Does it bring adventure? Why of course...especially when you stand on a 50 + year old step stool while trying to reach the top of the windows. OK, this may be considered dangerous and stupid instead of adventurous but oh well. You are only young once.

There is something about having the cleanest windows in town. This actually may be the truth. Is it sad that people in town talk about how clean my windows are? Nah...I just like to see out! The key to clean windows, the type that birds fly into, is vinegar and water and newspaper. I have used my fair share of other products and nothing compares.

As far as a testimony goes, I have had several birds fly into my windows and die. The windows are just that clean. Dan was about to head out of the door one morning and there goes the famous CLUNK noise. I knew exactly what that meant. That meant I had the cleanest darn windows in town!

Pony Time

Our friends in town have "inherited" two miniature ponies.

One is a stallion. Cash.

One is a mare.  June.

You do the math!


 They are now left with a little bundle of joy named Johnny!

Here is the daddy...quite a handsome 'lil fella!

These precious little ponies stand at about three foot tall. Perfect size for petting and brushing and loving on! They are just so darn cute that I think I may need one of these! I don't think my regular sized horses will appreciate these mi nature sized bundles of joy. Maybe one day I will buy a mi nature pony for me  my kids!


On a sad note, natural selection once again took the life of a chicken. RIP Poach! Your furry little butt will be missed. I think this may be the end of my chicken business for a while. I think I am just going to take this as a sign that I don't need the little rascals.

The joys of living on a farm!