Just so frustrating

Blogger has some kind of issue with FTP publishing. Since I don’t use a Blogspot web site, I must upload pictures via File Transfer Protocol. Blogger is uploading them just fine, but refuses to link them, even with every workaround I can devise. And I am a very creative sort!

I’ve looked at every Google search suggestion that seemed relevant to my problem. Blogger said they had an issue about the 16th, but it’s resolved now. Hmpf.

This blog is just not the same without pictures and I have some fun ones to share. Sigh.

So, I’m not blogging because I have nothing to say; I’m not blogging because Blogger is uncooperative.

Maybe it’s time to move to WordPress?

Anticipation

Marilyn is out standing in her field.

With wheat harvest quickly sneaking up on us, I (Marilyn) thought it was time to go have a look-see at my small plot of grain! So Roxie and I took a country drive last night. Each field of wheat we passed gave us hope and encouragement! Upcoming harvest is an exciting time, even for those who don’t actually own land or run the combine! The buzz of excitement is contagious and, in farm country, even the city folk are excited to see what the results of the crops will be! The fields of wheat are starting to show great signs of those famous “amber waves of grain” blowing and bowing as the wind tosses them to and fro. As we walked into my little plot of land, Roxie was as excited as I was! She took pictures of the wheat heads and of me, as I surveyed the heads of grain blowing across my field. It had been a long time since I’d been to the wheat field. I’ve become more and more of a “city girl” and just don’t get out to the country as often as I once did. Standing in the midst of the wheat, though, I felt right at home once again. Sounds and smells of the country took me back to my country roots. Meadowlarks were fluttering and singing as a soft south breeze blew the warm evening air. Thunderheads were building up towards the south, lending themselves as a lovely backdrop for the pictures Roxie was taking of the nearly-golden heads of grain. A heavy wheat smell wafted through the air as the kernels of grain are ripening. Roxie and I both thought my crop looked good, with heads full of grain still in a milky stage. But I wanted my farmer-brother’s more knowledgeable opinion about my wheat stand, so we drove a little further to the farm. After all, he’s outstanding in his field! (Yes, that pun’s intended!) Brother agreed: “The crop looks good, Sis!” As Roxie and I made our way back to town, we passed several lagoons full of water from our recent much-needed rains. As we drove over hills, we looked across fields of wheat and green pastures, and we truly felt as if we were Country Girls once again. The white elevators stood straight and tall in the distance, framed by deep blue rain clouds and lush fields. As the country roads soon gave way to city streets, I realized that my life is so different from how it once was. My heart still holds the country life dear, but not being involved in it on a daily basis any longer, makes me miss it. For those of you who are country folk, I know your hearts will understand my ramblings! If you’re one of the folks who get your hands and faces dirty during wheat harvest, ENJOY it! It only comes around once a year!

Wall Street

I found this sign highly amusing. First of all, for the repetition of “Street St”; secondly, because “Wall Street” conjures up visions of a great banking center. One long-defunct bank does not a great banking center make.

I have no clue about this bank’s history, but, if it’s like many others on the High Plains, it went belly up in the Great Depression/Dust Bowl years. Farmers had no crops, so no one spent money with the merchants. Neither deposited anything in their local bank because they didn’t have money to deposit. As their dreams died, people fled. Grass grew on the sidewalks as communities shrank. But some of us are still here. This is our home and our choice.

Faded glory

At one time, this was the most luxurious house in our area, but neglect was about to bring it down.
Blessedly, a couple has purchased the house and is in the long process of renewing its once-considerable glory. If they had not stepped in a few years ago, the house would be in the state the motor vehicles in the foreground have reached. The abandoned vehicles make an ironic counterpoint to the house. They are probably beyond restoration, good only for parts, while the house is undergoing a resurrection of sorts.

The house shows what love can do; the vehicles show what neglect does.

A new closet

Storage is at a premium in our house, so when Hubby discovered a small unused space by our spiral staircase, we had to cut a door into it so we’d gain a closet.

Dad removes the mop board before cutting the door hole.

Hubby cuts the door hole with his uncle’s saws-all. The dust was awful. We had a lot of cutting to do since our house was plastered, not sheet rocked. Plaster chunks were everywhere!

Hubby installs part of the door framing. We did this project as cheaply as possible. Framing boards were all recycled lumber.

The sheet rock was a damaged piece the lumber yard wanted to get rid of. The leftover sheet rock went into a hole in our driveway. It has worked wonderfully. No more awful hole at driveway’s end!

Dad cuts the trim. Fortunately, the house’s original door frames were simply trimmed without elaborate, hard-to-match embellishments.

While the men were hammering and sawing, I was sanding and staining. December 2007 was warm enough to stain, although I added the final coats in temperatures just barely above the minimum required. They took forever to dry.

Dad and Hubby nail up the trim. Aren’t power tools wonderful? I love my men. Happy Father’s Day!

Yucca

The yucca plant is quite unfortunately named. The word “yucca”sounds far too close to “yucky” and the plant is far from that. Since this year has been unusually wet on the High Plains, we’ve gotten to enjoy a profusion of yucca flowers. This field is just one of many loaded with beautiful yucca flowers.

These yuccas on this road cut are helping to reduce erosion.

Yucca, also known as “soapweed”, is a very useful plant. Uses include fiber, baskets, rope/twine, paper, food, soap and medicine.

Cattle and wildlife have somehow not found this particular field. They love the flower stalks. The top blossom makes me think of some Aztec god’s tongue sticking out, just like the one at center right of below picture.

OK, so I have an active imagination, but, if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you already knew that, didn’t you?

Milk and cookies

I’m very used to seeing white-faced Angus-Hereford crosses in the countryside, but these Oreo cookie cattle (actually Belted Galloways) are not a usual sight. These two are prime examples of the breed. True “belties” have a band all the way around their midsections with no white markings anywhere else. Those who have other markings are considered undesirable by purists.

No matter what the purists think, those other markings are cute and fun, like this one’s heart-shaped mark. Is its name Valentine?

The calf at picture’s upper center lacks only cookies to complete this picture.

Glasses of cold milk with a bag of Oreos would have been a great way to enjoy our visit to the pasture, but we did not have this calf’s privileged access to milk. I doubt we could have caught up with Mama to get a share of her milk. Even if we did manage to get fresh milk, it would not have been cold. And we were a long way from any Oreos.

The cattle were pretty jittery with us staying at a distance. Getting into the pasture certainly would have stampeded them. I prefer to remain at a respectful distance.