HAVE I…?

I WONDER…

Have I prayed enough?

Stayed enough?

Played enough?

Have I said the important things, enough times?

We've laughed--oh, how we've laughed.

And we've cried--even now there are tears.

But has it been enough?

Is it ever enough?

And who measures?

Certainly not the heart.

FAMILY CAMP AT WINDSONG

When the grands were younger--before they all started to fly from their nests--we had "Family Camp" every summer. Because their daddies both were firefighters, on different departments and on different shifts, it took a hunk of time just to figure out a stretch of days that would work. 

The families would come for lunch one day, stay the night and all the next day. It was a short time, but crammed full every minute. 

One or two days before their arrival, grandma and grandpa would haul stock tanks to the side yard, so they'd be in full sun, and fill them. We kept the tanks especially for this activity, so they were clean--at least to start with. As the kids got bigger, we added a second tank.

Each family was responsible for at least one meal.

 Rob and Tami had a BIG skillet.

Silver Dollar City has nothing on us!  This meal consisted of brauts, ham, bacon, chicken, potatoes, onions and vegetables galore!!

Lots of Dad and Boys time--and a good laugh at Dad's white legs and black socks!!  The granddaughters would now be humiliated, but they hardly noticed when they were young!!

We always had a pinata to end the camp!

Grands in birth order!!

RACHEL

Kip and Becky's oldest

Working in an orthopedic clinic and on her own!!

LEAH

Kip and Becky's second

Headed to Montana in less than a week to fulfill her dream!!

KIRSTEN

Rob and Tami's oldest

Now a sophomore in college in the nursing program

SETH

Rob and Tami's second

 Senior at Hesston High School

AMY

Kip and Becky's youngest

Junior in Council Grove High School

DREW

Rob and Tami's youngest

Freshman in Hesston High School 

GOTTA HAVE S'MORES

ALWAYS HARD TO SAY GOODBYE!

These pics don't even begin to show the activity--like the annual water fight with fire extinguishers (three firefighters could use nothing less); kids on hay bales; footprints in cement garden stones; balloon release; hayrack rides; homemade ice cream; hours and hours of just playing, visiting, and loving on one another.  

Redeem the time!

It goes by SO fast!

BEFORE OUR WEE COTTAGE

WELCOME

Come sit with me in my swing while I tell you about Windsong Ranch--HOME for twelve years before our Wee Cottage!

The swing hung on our front porch, which stayed shady until late afternoon. This same swing now hangs on a stand down by the lake in our wee cove. It holds many tears and prayers. 

Our front door was seldom locked. It opened into both the kitchen and library. And visitors were always welcome to both. 

We weren't really ranchers--nothing like the neighbors around us--but we did have a small cow/calf herd (25 mama cows and MoJo the papa), and hay ground. We hung wind chimes at various places, and there were very few days when they didn't sing to us.  Thus the name--Windsong 

One of the very first things we moved to Windsong was this small church we called Tam-Lor Chapel, after our two daughters, Tammy and Lori.  Bob built it for me after as a memorial to the girls, and a quiet place to 'be still'.  The grandkids played church in it a lot. There was stained glass in the arch of the windows, a small 'stage' and pulpit, and kiddy-sized folding chairs. I can still hear them singing Jesus Loves Me.  Sadly, we weren't able to move it with us here to our wee cove. Not allowed, they said. And the last time we drove by, the steeple was on the ground. Evidently the new owners didn't cherish it like we did. 

Oh, how we loved this big barn. Big enough to hold stacks and stacks of baled hay, pens for loading cows and calves to take to summer pasture, and/or shelter for calving mama's. We 'mothered-up' many a calf in here. It was home to our cats and their kittens, and held a wealth of 'treasures' in the three grain storage rooms on one side. 

Bob's shop, complete with chimney, wood burning stove and vaulted ceilings, and a wee porch!! We could have lived in it!!

   
Bob's welding shop, but my morning porch! I begged for this porch, and he very graciously obliged me. 

The back of our home. Large picture window was on the east wall of our 17x 20 kitchen. There was also one on the west wall. The three windows were the first set of three on the east wall of our family room. You can't really see it well in this picture, but there was also a porch swing under the covered patio roof. The old gate at one time led to a garden which was no longer there when we arrived. 

There was a wonderful wood vine that climbed the old garden gate and turned a beautiful red in the fall. It made a good backdrop for the bench and bird bath. 

A younger me in another swing in our back yard. The stack of wood is what kept us warm in the winter. We had two large fireplaces but only used the second one if it got really, really cold. But it took a lot of wood.  

So why did we ever leave Windsong? 

That's another blog for another time. 

FROM WHENCE COMETH INSPIRATION

I've already touched on one way I get inspiration for a story, and that is to be assigned a topic. I like those assignments, and I like the end result of multiple authors being assigned the same story line. It's a little like giving the recipe for funeral potatoes to five different cooks--and ending up with five dishes, all delicious, but difficult to tell who followed the original recipe. 

I have no problem coming up with ideas, but I have a special affinity for old abandoned homesteads.

If only walls could talk. Can't you imagine the once-upon-a-time beauty of this home? Built, perhaps, for a new bride brave enough to venture onto the unknown prairie and all that life ahead might hold? 

If I sit long enough, and listen to the walls, I can hear the whispered words of love; the shouts of anger and/or joy; the first cry of a newborn; or the brokenhearted weeping because of a loved one's loss. 

And because we become good friends--this grand old lady, and because I, too, am old--she allows me to tell her story. The story of those lives she once embraced. The story of the Kansas wind that never stops blowing; the tall grasses that undulate like waves; the rich grasses that provide sustenance like a mother's milk; and the flint hills that dip and roll over landscape that outsiders proclaim is flat.

My heart is in these hills, but it will stop beating long before I run out of inspiration they offer. 

That's okay. Because I know that I have a mansion just over the hilltop! 

And it will never be abandoned! 

WILL THE REAL BOB HIEBERT PLEASE STAND UP!!

Saturday morning, and hubs just left for an auction, his very favorite weekend activity. Does anyone know who the woman is beside him?  

HINT #1:

IT'S NOT ME!

HINT #2:

IT'S NOT HIM, EITHER. 

But he did have some explainin' to do!! 

Everybody has a twin, so they say, and this is proof.   

26 AND COUNTING

Yesterday, August 17, was the 26th wedding anniversary of our youngest son, Rob, and his wife, Tami. It's hard to believe it's been that long. A lot has happened in those 26 years. 

Three kids, two dogs, a big farm house, a sophomore in college, a senior and freshman in high school. They'd be the first to tell you it hasn't all been sunshine and roses. A few cloudy days (week, months, years) and a whole lot of dandelions, but they've weathered it all because of their love for the Lord, and for one another.

Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.  3 John 1:4

THE REST OF THE STORY

THE BEAUTY OF CHANGE

Because of a bum knee, which will soon be replaced, this hill seems formidable as I trek my way to the mailbox. However, it is in the stop and go of my present gait that allows me to observe what I might otherwise miss on the journey. 

You see, when I climb the first hill, I still have a distance to shuffle. At the end of this part of the drive, is yet another small curve, then a road to cross before I get to my destination. (I didn't take a picture of that because it was still in my nightgown when I took these.)

Yet, if I didn't have to stop every few steps, I'd miss SO much.

Like these clusters of white berries that grow profusely on one side of the drive.

And the yellow ones tucked away in the foliage. 

The jewels that grow on trees.

And the reminder that change means letting go.

If it were not for the temporary pain and subsequent hitch in my get-along, I'd have missed the beauty of change. 

And while I love the seasonal changes, I'm so very thankful that I have a Lord and Savior Who never changes.

 Never. 

Never.

Ever changes. 

FOODIE FRIDAY

 I've discovered a new recipe that I'm quite sure I'll be utilizing a lot during the winter stew/soup season. It's called Beer Bread--although you don't need to use beer to make it (which I don't).  

BEER BREAD

3 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1T baking powder

1 tsp salt

12 ounce beer OR any lemon/lime soda (I've use Sprite and Sierra Mist)

1/2 stick butter, melted

Grease bread pan and pour half of the melted butter into the bottom.

*Whisk dry ingredients together until well mixed.

*Add soda (or beer) and mix well.  This will be a stiff batter, but keep mixing.

*Place batter in bread pan. May need to smoosh it around so it covers the pan.

*Pour remainder of melted butter over the top.

*Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes. (my oven tends to run a bit hot so I check it sooner than that)

**Bread is done when brown and crispy on top and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

*Allow to cool in pan for five minutes before removing to wire rack. 

This is a dense batter bread and will have a crisp crust. If you use soda, it will have a mild sweetness. Sprite works best for our taste. 

Enjoy!! 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

HOW IT WORKS IN OUR HOUSE

From time to time I've been asked how I get ideas for stories.

One way is to be assigned a topic! 

For the Wings of Hope novella compilations the authors are given a topic, but they may choose to write in any time period, and the story is their own.

If you have shied away from compilations--you're missing out. Not only do you get several stories, but it's also a great way to find new authors--and if you don't like them, the stories are short. *insert smile*

The first compilation I was invited to be a part of was: 

These stories were about occupations that would have been unlikely either for the gender or genre we chose to be our setting. 

My story in this one is: Doctor Kat--about a lady veterinarian in the early 1900's.

The latest compilation--and the one now offered in a SPECIAL DEAL through www.WingsOfHopePublishing.com 

These stories were romances that grew out of encounters in places one might not expect them to blossom. And who doesn't like a fun romance story?

My story in this one is: A Shelter in a Weary Land--and takes place in a cave in Missouri during the early part of the Civil War.

Don't hesitate to get yours. You won't be sorry!!  

I CLIMBED A TREE AND BECAME AN AUTHOR

Growing up on a farm in the 40's, we had few rules; one was never to go into the pig pen; and never go into the corral when the holstein bull was in there.

I had no problem with the pig pen. But there was a tree in the middle of the corral that had the most wonderful notch--just girl size--and it beckoned every summer afternoon to bring a book, or two or three, and come for a visit. 

Now, in my no-longer-young years, I'm quite sure my daddy knew of my secret reading tree, but I was never scolded for going there. Daddy was a reader, too, and I think he understood the worlds that would open for me; places he would never be able to take me.

People have often asked me--now that I can put  'AUTHOR' after my name--when I knew I wanted to write.

Well--it was when I climbed that tree!! 

Home Again! Home Again! Jiggity Jig!!

Okay!  I'm back again at this old site. Ran into some problems with another venue, and wasn't able to post. Probably because I allowed it to become dormant for too long.  Anyway--I'm back now, and  hopefully I will do better.  I hope you will continue to follow as I bumble my way along...again!!