P52: Self Portrait

Cameras are a wonderful thing . . . until one is pointed at me.  That's when horror strikes. Maybe a little bit of the feeling I had when I saw this week's assignment.  NOT my favorite one, to be sure.  But, I thought, it's only one week, and it's only one post. (sigh)  I'll resign myself to that.

I had to smile when my family began asking about it.  Things such as "Next week is self portrait . . . are you doing that one?" or better yet, "Who's doing the self portrait this week?"  They know me well. : )  As it turns out, I'm the only P52er in our family at the present, so you'll just have to bear with me.  Hopefully next week will bring better subject matter. : )

If you have to do something you dislike, make it fun!  Right? : )  So I straightened my hair, borrowed my brother's hat, and got busy.  I don't have a tripod, so it took a little bit of creativity in that aspect.

Necessity is the mother of invention. : )

It about cracked me up when one of our cats saw what I was doing and got curious.  I would set the camera, position it, and then hit the shutter button and patiently wait the ten seconds for it to fire.  Sugar watched this process from a distance at first, but, curiosity getting the best of him, he began creeping closer and closer to that strange looking black box that I kept fidgeting with.  By the last shot, he got close enough to sniff it when the shutter clicked.  You should have seen how quickly he jumped back! : )  Now, had he started messing with that expensive black box, there may have been new meaning to the old adage "Curiosity killed the cat"!

Project 52 at www.my3boybarians.com

Plans and Provision: Part 2

You're probably thinking that Part 2 will give the grand announcement that the sawmill is fixed and operations have resumed, but, no . . . we still have yet to find the solution.  No worry.  Determination is half the battle, and there's plenty of that to go around. : )

There's nothing like a good, soft rain while camping.  Of course, if you have a leaky tent, it's not such a welcome experience.  But those problems had been taken care of, and we could enjoy the pitter-patter of the rain hitting the canvas.  Ahhhh . . . so relaxing.  Now, granted, the ones working on the land didn't view it with such welcome, but it wasn't all that bad.

 Faithful . . .

The sawmill was out of commission, but we couldn't just spend the remaining time piddling.  There were plenty of other things needing to be done.

 Such as the poles for our pole barn needed leveling.  We had been planning to use milled lumber for this, but as that was not an option . . .  Mom and Christina visited a local lumber yard (where they mill it) and asked if they had any coil, explaining what we needed it for.  The man there was very nice and helpful.  They usually had a big pile where they threw it ~ they could have that.  But, alas! when they got down there, the pile had already been taken the day before.  Poor guy!  He felt so bad and really seemed to want to help.  That may be an option sometime down the road.

We ended up buying the lumber somewhere else.  We didn't need much, so it wasn't that bad.

Just a little more . . .

 Looks good!

 Ray thought he'd make the "barn-raising" a little more exciting. : )

 Gives a better perspective.

About halfway done . . .

 Daddy ~ such a hard-working man!

 The campfire . . . again. : )  Ray had made his seat all comfy.  Nothing like relaxing after a full day's work.

And the next day?

 Smile . . . You're on Candid Camera! : )

Such a wonderful sight!  The barn poles are all leveled!  And next trip in, we're hoping to get a load of dirt hauled in and get the ground leveled up and ready to pour concrete for the floor!  Woohoo! : )

P52: I Dreamed A Dream

And she's still dreaming . . .

. . . of walking.

Allison has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type, a connective tissue disorder.  This affects her joints, ligaments, etc., and from time to time she loses her ability to do things that most people take for granted
. . . even walking.

She's a great inspiration to us all . . . so cheerful and sunshiny, always ready with a laugh and an encouraging word . . . always thinking of others.  Even through the most difficult times, her trust in the Lord puts a smile on her lips and a song in her heart.

It's been since September (the 8th, to be exact) since she has been able to walk unassisted.  Working hard.  Gaining strength and stability.  Getting ready for the series of casting to stretch her heel cords.  She has a lot going against her.  It's been 4 months and 12 days.

But she's still dreaming . . .

And (might I add) she's gonna make it! : )


Project 52 is hosted by Darcy at my3barbarians.com

Plans and Provision: Part 1

It has been quite a while since we've posted anything about the progress on our land.  For several years it seemed we were practically spinning tires . . . the harder we worked, the slower the progress seemed.  But now we are reaping the benefits of all those long hours invested seemingly without reward.

Our last trip out there was the middle of November just before Thanksgiving, and since there is so much to cover, there will likely be at least 2 posts' worth. : )

Even in a van full and overflowing with people and their "necessities" (a whole 4 days' worth!), Allison still managed to make room for Lickerish and all her doggy luggage.

Unsweetened tea????  Yup ~ seems to be a staple around here . . . : )

(Only for certain individuals!)

The main objective of this trip was to get the boards milled for the barn as well as the shed for the mill.  Those were our plans, but God had something a little different in mind.

"The Dreamer . . ."

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

~ Thomas Edison

After huffing and puffing for a few minutes, they got the log out of the middle of the driveway.

In case you saw the seeming haste Sara seemed to be in (note last picture), this is what she was checking on . . .

She was cooking the squirrel they had shot that morning.  They said it turned out a bit tough.  Maybe the rotisserie wasn't such a grand idea?

We had bought a compressor the trip before, but everything worked out to where we didn't need it.  So this trip, we were able to return it, which meant an outing to Fayetteville.

By the time we got back, they had the log on the mill, and had done the first cut on it.

This is hard work!

They had definitely earned their breather!

We girls had to hurry back to camp to get supper going.  Getting late, and we needed a little bit of a head start.

Daddy helping????

The daily campfire was so much fun!  It was kept going almost constantly . . . as long as the wood was there, the fire was burning. : )

Poor Daddy was plumb tuckered out!

It was so relaxing to spend the darkness of the evening sitting around the fire.  Some listened to music, some fed the fire, and still others sat as close as possible while their fronts roasted and their backs froze.  That's when Sara's rotisserie would come in handy! : )

Our stay was not without the usual campsite critters.  At least it wasn't the yellow jackets this time . . . they're the worst nuisance of all!

I love how the sand is still in position from where the mushrooms pushed their way through to the surface.

Cacti! : )  This is not a new revelation to us.  No, not in the least.  It's almost as rampant as poke weed around there.  We mean to someday try to cook the blooms (the red part).  We've heard it can be done and that it's edible, but we'll have to do further research to learn exactly how.  Wouldn't want a prickly esophagus!

"Me 'n my pup . . ."

Coffee . . . it must run in their veins by now.  Coffee and unsweetened tea . . .

Here is the building that was built to store the windows in.  We desperately needed a storage building anyway, so this has served a double purpose.

They are able to store their tools, etc. in there instead of having to keep them on the truck.  There are also some things that we don't need anywhere but there, so now we are able to leave them there meaning less cargo on the long trips back and forth.

Can't remember the conversation, but it sure does look lively . . . : )

Dad spent his time roofing the building.

Our driveway . . . the tiny speck of a vehicle marks approximately the halfway point.

Can't wait til the mill is running smoothly.

Mom and a couple others decided to take on the big job of organizing the building.  And the first step to organization?  Shelves! : )

Just a tweak here . . .

. . . and a turn there . . .

Gotta get it just right.

Ahhhhh . . . sawdust!

Test run . . .

He was trying to get the blade lined up just right.  For some reason, the mill is cutting at an angle (from thick to thin).

Just gotta love those unscripted moments . . .

Well, during the last test run, a gear broke.  What to do . . . what to do . . .

That is still the question.