Summer is finally here in full force. The weather has not been too bad this month. We are dry, but temps haven't been too bad. Garden is progressing well. Picked a few beets yesterday. Should have zucchini by the end of the week. Yellow squash close behind. A few new potatoes last week. Tasty. Tomatoes are setting ok. Can't wait. Beans are blooming.
Quail chicks are doing well. They are just learning to fly a little. Cute to watch.
They eat like there is no tomorrow.
About half of the floor is down in the cabin. Slow process there. Have more lumber now. Another old house is falling in. I only wish people would have done something with some of these old houses years ago. With all the homeless in this country, it seems something could have been done to use these places.
The pictures I took sunset last nite after a warm and humid day. I always like being at the right place at the right time.

I am ending with this from John Paul Jones "Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones
Til Later--johnnyb

Traer, America

Once again a week has passed and it was a busy one again. Quail chicks arrived on Wednesday and are doing pretty good. We lost a few of what looked like the runts of the litter. Can't believe the amount of food they eat. They are fun to watch.
Picked a few greens out of the garden this week. Spinach and lettuce have have been on the plate for a while, but the first of the Swiss Chard was ready this week. We froze some and ate some. Had a few small potatoes.

Started tearing some siding off of an old house. Owner is going to bulldoze it this summer. Some pretty good old dimension lumber.Will use it to build a new chicken coop among other things. Some of the new lumber is so crooked it is hard to use sometimes.

Yesterday was our anniversary. Seventeen years. Not bad for what one person said was only going to be a 6 month fling! It has been a good seventeen years and a happy seventeen years. We have done a lot,(bought and remodeled two old houses that we have lived in), experienced the happiness of birth, ups and downs of everyday life and the sadness of pain of death. As I stated in another blog, I could have taken a different fork in the road, but I would not really want to be anywhere else sharing life with the one I love and hold in the deepest respect.

God Bless all who read this and may your week be prosperous.
Quote of the day from Thomas Edison--"Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it is useless."-----'til later-johnnyb

Chic Pics

The quail chicks came in yesterday. They didn't get in to Colby early enough to make the mail truck to Oberlin, so I drove over and picked them up. They are doing well. They are about two inches tall if the really stretch. It is going to be interesting.
Started putting the floor in the cabin. It is going ok. Be glad when this project is done.
All for now. God Bless all and GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

New week

Another week is starting and I can't figure out where last week went. Was a busy week,but never seem to get as much done as I want. Finished the floor in Debbon's living room yesterday. It was all done except for the trim, which they did not have yet when we put the floor down. Looks nice and she is very happy with it. That's what is important.
Garden is doing ok. So are the weeds. I have added more dirt and sides to the potato boxes. No pics. Maybe I will do that today. Carol's strawberry patch is doing good. She has picked a couple of gallons. Not bad for just a few plants. They are spreading good, so next year should be good. I need to give credit where credit is due on the garden as last year we let pride overtake us and He does not like pride. The day that we patted ourselves on the back for a job well-done, the garden was beat to pulp by a tremendous hailstorm. It was not a widespread hailstorm. Only about a mile circle around our place. So we always have to remember that everything we have is only borrowed and He is only letting us use it. I thank Him everyday for the bounty that He provides us.
Quail chicks are supposed to be arriving towards the end of the week. We are just about ready for them.. Should be an experience and we are looking forward to the experience.
Need to go a get something done. The only pic today is two of our dogs at play. Neither are as mean as they look.
Quote today from Mother Teresa--"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier"---johnnyb

Dreams

Dreams. We have all had them throughout our lives. As we get older and look at the dreams we had and think--what if? What if we had taken the other fork in the road. Maybe we went left, not because we wanted to, but because it's what someone else wanted for us or what was expected of us, or maybe conditions did not allow us to take the other fork. As I look at those forks that I have come to in my life, would I do it any different were I to do it again? Some probably not, others I don't know. If I would have taken different forks, I wouldn't have met the people that have greatly influenced my life. Had I not taken the fork to be an EMT, I would not have been able to experience the wonders of life and death, and the extreme feelings of helping someone who is sick or injured. My years with the juvenile services woke me to the problems of the younger generation. I would hope that these are forks that I would always take.
Another fork and I would not have had the wonderful children that I have. Sure there would have been children, but they would not be Jason or Kym. Nor would I have had the joy of my step children. And then at another fork I would have missed knowing the one one person who has probably been most influence on my life, my wonderful wife Carol. There has been other influences,but none as positive as she has been.
And then there are the friends that I have met. Had I taken another fork, there would not be the friends I have now. Friends that I treasure greatly.
I am sure we all have been there and done that. I am not saying anything new. We have all had our dreams. Some we followed. Some we wished we hadn't.
Now what does any of this have to do with the pictures. They are dreams. Somebody's dreams. The first pic is Traer, Ks 100+ years ago. The house in the second pic is in the middle of the first pic. Somebody's dream. The town, the house, they were all dreams. Dreams shattered by life in itself. I am sure the house has many happy memories. I do not know who built it, but I hope they were able follow whatever their dream was. It is sad to see it sitting in almost total ruin, but if nobody had a dream for it in later years, that can't be helped.
Follow your dreams and make the most of them.--

Good morning!!

Blessings to all and give thanks for the beauty that has been provided for us, as there is plenty of that, especially this time of year. Cool morning, birds are singing, rabbits are probably trying to figure out a new way to get into the garden after I put up new fencing! I don't mind providing for any who are in need, I just don't think they need to eat anymore of the beans! They munched off about 20 feet of beans the other night. Replanted yesterday. Some plants look as if they still make it. I had put up some plastic fencing last that seemed to work. This year they chewed holes in it. No more nice guy here!
Everything seems to be growing well. Potatoes are doing quite well in the boxes. I have added more dirt and boards to some of them. Will be interesting to see how it works out. Strawberries have been real good this year. Carol has picked a few bowls full so far. Weeds are doing exceptionally well!
We got the back wall put up in the cabin this weekend. Slowly but surely we are getting there. Been cleaning out the cistern. We are going to raise some quail chicks for release. Our friend from Colorado is trying to rebuild game bird populations. A lot of quail and pheasant winter killed in the 80's. Pheasants are doing ok,but quail are slower to repopulate. so we will give it try. Time to go do something constructive. Later----johnnyb