About Last Night

For the first time ever in my life, I experienced running from a tornado (rather tornadic weather).

The storm sat about an hour and a half away from us for several hours yesterday evening.  About 9pm, the "super-cell" began to move eastward/northeastward toward Amarillo.

I watched and watched, but at 10:15pm, I sent the children to bed, as the cell was headed more northeast and that put us just within the safe-er area south of the storm. We are located approximately where the black arrow is pointing.

At 10:50, a weather advisory came on and the storm was, once again, going directly eastward. I immediately made the decision to leave our mobile home and get to town (Amarillo) to a strong brick structure. A hotel. I went to the hotel that my ex-husband opened here, the one that moved us to Amarillo to begin with. I know that the building was built to and above safety code. I know it is the safest place we could be, if not underground.

It took me nearly 20 minutes to wake up Felicity and Gregory, pack a quick bag, gather the dogs and get into the truck and head to town.

By the speed the storm was traveling at the time I left, I had plenty of time to arrive and get into the hotel safely.

While we were in route, the storm picked up considerable speed and met us at the hotel, which is on the west side of Amarillo.

This is not my video, but it is exactly what we saw heading into town. Felicity recognized the funnel cloud and I did my best to convince her it wasn't so. This was about 1 mile away from our destination. I was terrified!


When we were seeing the funnel cloud, though, there wasn't anything being said on the local radio about it; still music playing. For about a quarter of a mile....then the EBS (Emergency Broadcast System) broke in and that was it....."Amarillo, take cover NOW!"  We heard this over the radio as we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel.

I put the kids and 2 of our dogs out at the entrance door, parked the truck quickly, grabbed the other 2 dogs and ran for the hotel entrance.

Hail had started and beat me (and our Chihuahua, Petunia) in the head as I was running to the door.

We got in, and into our room. Immediately went into the bathroom. All 7 of us (yes, the dogs, too) sat there until the storm had passed. It lasted about 20 minutes until we didn't hear the hail hitting the windows in the room any longer.

Once we were all calmed down, I went downstairs to the truck to get our suitcase and this is what I found.

I have never in my life seen so much hail! Reports north of town were some had measured 12" deep.

There were no reported tornadoes with this storm, but two funnel clouds were witnessed. They say it cannot be officially called a reported tornado unless it touches down.

We had some hail damage to our truck...but nothing that cannot be fixed.

The children, dogs and I got a good night's sleep.

Once I had taken them to school this morning, I came home....we got nothing! Not a single drop of rain, possibly a bit of wind, but that's it.

What an eventful night. Don't want another like that ever!

Between me and the barn

this morning is this...

It's a good thing my wonderful hubby got me these two weeks ago!

We had a huge thunderstorm come in and start around 3:30 this morning. It woke up Gregory and I for about 2.5 hours. Both children and I are sick, so sleep is what we need, not storms to awaken us. We had some storms and short lived fall weather early in September, which is typical here in the Texas Panhandle. Now, I do think it is here to stay. The forecast is for more storms today, tomorrow and on Sunday. We will see. The rain is wonderful, though. This summer (in my opinion) wasn't as dry as some have been here since I moved here in 2006.

See the little inset on the page to the right? The Early Look at winter? We are right on the outside edge of "colder" than normal for October! YEE HAW!!! I love the weather here in the Texas Panhandle! Maybe we will have snow before Halloween like we did last year!

I am finally back to my blogs! Kids are in school and David has returned to work in Afghanistan. Time for me to get into a schedule and a groove and "get 'r done" around here. I will be doing a "Summer Recap" post to share all of our adventures from June through September around here. Believe me, there wasn't a dull moment.

I've started a couple of new blogs, though just informational ones, and as soon as I get them up and going, I will share them here.

Now I'm headed to start a movie, get Gregory started on watching "The Lorax" (he loves that movie) and do some crocheting.

May in a nutshell

I posted about the beginnings of my garden on April 30, then I looked up and it was mid-May, then May was gone. Oh how I have missed blogging. I am going to share with you in photos a re-cap of how May went for our family. You will realize, then, why I missed posting.

My birthday is May 1. I turned 46 this year. I don't feel it and if you ask most folks, they will tell you I don't act like I am 46 years old.

Vintage Postcard postmarked Jan 1910 and its mine :-)

David got me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I just love it!  THEN a couple of days later he surprised me and was able to take his R&R two days ahead of schedule, so he arrived on the 6th instead of the 8th. While he was in route coming home from overseas (he is a civilian contractor over there), I used the information I got when I watched "Homestead Blessings: The Art of Making Candles" to make beeswax tapers. The night I was working on these, I was continually texting with David while he was in a holding pattern waiting to get on his flight home.

We traded in my 2009 Dodge Caravan and David's 2004 Avalanche in on a new truck! It is a 2012 Ford F150 Crew Cab. The new models have so much space in the back seat, it would compare in side to a small car.

This gorgeous machine drives amazingly & rides like a car!

While the kids were spending some days with their father, David decided we would take a road trip and head to the casino in Clinton, OK. It's only 2.5 hours away and was nice to spend the time together. On the way back, we stopped in. Shamrock, TX and saw the vintage gas station that was depicted in the movie "Cars".

David being his typical silly self.

"Look at that price! $.38 per gallon!"

Then we headed on down I-40 back toward Amarillo and stopped in Groom, Texas to see the GIANT cross.

The next adventure was to Palo Duro Canyon. It is less than a half-hour from our house.

Even though I have been several times....the canyon is still gorgeous to me!

Whew and I am only to the 13th!

We have been trying for the past couple of months to decide what to do about where to live. I currently have 1.17 acres with a 1981 very small manufactured home on it. David and I have gone through so many scenarios about what we want. This piece of land keeps calling us thought, to stay right here. So, we ordered a new manufactured home! OUR NEW HOME! Together. It is 320sf larger than the one the kids and I live in now. NOW this little homestead is OURS. We just found out yesterday that the home is built and will be in Amarillo sometime this coming week.

 

Ours is hunter green on the top and beige on the bottom.

We went with a single-wide because we don't want to put too large/pricey a home here and price it out of the area when one day we decide to sell the place.

The next thing I have to tell you is not easy to talk about. Many of you that have been reading my blog back to my old one, are familiar with Roosevelt, our Serama rooster. He hatched in my hand on January 2, 2010 and played a vital role in Gregory learning to talk. One afternoon, Felicity went out to the barn and found him dead. We don't know what happened. But I am thankful that David was here. The kids and I were in tears for quite a while. Losing Roosevelt was a huge loss for the kids and I.

Rest in peace our special little man.

Next, we headed to David and I's hometown, Leesville, Louisiana. I am the youngest of eight kids and we have not all been together in one place since 1983, when we buried our father. This weekend...we were all together! I am not sharing photos, because I don't know how they would feel about it.

Margo our Poodle, Petunia our Chihuahua

Bailey, our Maltese mix

Yep, all FOUR of our dogs went on the trip with us. (Ariel is in a later photo) They all did amazingly well and enjoyed the travel and meeting all of the new people.

I started and finished my first ever knitted project while we were on the road!

My daughter, son-in-law and first born grandchild, Madeline.

On Saturday of that weekend, we all headed out to Toledo Bend Lake for a day of fun in the woods (and on the water).

Toledo Bend Lake

Later that week, David and I enjoyed sitting out by the pool at our hotel and watched the kids swim.

Favorite things to read for me while watching the kids.

David was "pondering"...I don't remember what, though.

This was really the first time to swim in a big pool for Gregory, to the best of my memory. He loved it! It took him a few minutes at first, but then he realized his floaties wouldn't let him go under water.

Felicity loves to swim. She is now 11 and as tall as me! She is such a wonderful big sister to Gregory, too.


Oh how I miss the green of Louisiana! I love the State flower, Magnolia.

Then before we were ready, it was time for David to fly back overseas and the kids and I to come back to Amarillo.

We stopped in Canton, TX at a little place called Dairy Palace for lunch and Gregory actually ate BEANS AND RICE!!! Of course, I mashed it all up together, but he ate it! This is MAJOR for him! He still has such problems with food textures.

At the end of our first day on the road headed back to Amarillo, we stayed in Dallas. I took the kids to Bass Pro Shop because I thought they would think it was pretty neat. We were in that store for 2 hours! Felicity really enjoyed it...Gregory not so much.

We were all exhausted at the end of the day. Even Ariel our 3 month old puppy.

I ended the month of May with 15 fewer chickens due to a dog that got into the yard while we were gone. BUT on a better note...my first harvest of the year. HERBS!

 

Basil, Chamomille, Oregano and Cilantro.

Hope you enjoyed your little tour through our month of May. I will be back to blogging now and am so glad!

An interesting little visitor

Yesterday, as I was coming back into the house from being out at the barn, I noticed something little go scampering past me. I looked down, it looked up at me. I fully expected it to keep running, but it didn't!

A "Horny Toad"!!!!  I was so glad I had my cell phone in my hand. He sat so still for me to snap several shots. By the time I was finished, I was only about two feet away from it!

We were told by our neighbor last spring right after we moved in here, that they are "all over the place", but only saw one last year. This is the second sighting in three weeks so far this year.

Actually, they are a Texas Horned Lizard. Until I "googled" them today, I really knew nothing about them. Quite interesting little critters, they are!  You can read about them here.

Here's a better photo I found on the internet.

source

So now I (and you) know more about these little critters. Nice lesson for the day.

Enjoy!

Like a rollercoaster

The past week has been quite crazy around here.

I will be back in a day or two with some exciting news for David, the kids and I. We are just waiting on a couple of final bits of information before we can share.

Keep an eye out!

Sunday Share {Week-3}

Today starts off a really crazy busy week for me, nice to have a pleasant Sunday visiting before the madness starts.

This was the sunset on Friday out our front door.

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars -  Colletta's Kitchen Sink

Make Your Own Half Slip -  Candle on the Hill

Build Your Own Goat Milking Stand - Fias Co Farm

Fruit Peel Jelly - Country Blessings

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar - New Life on a Homestead

Here's wishing you a wonderful week!

I got my break

Back in November, I posted about needing a vacation-a getaway.

Well I got my wish!

Five days in Dallas then a week later, six days in my hometown of Leesville Louisiana.

Image Credit

I will share more about my trip very soon.

Merry White Christmas!

from the Texas panhandle!

We had snow in our forecast twice this past week and didn't get any at all. At one time, that forecast was for at least a foot of snow!

Look what I awoke to this morning:



It is so beautiful and peaceful.

The things I mentioned before are beginning to play out and will be settling down very soon. I am ready! I am ready to get back to posting here and sharing with all my readers.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Glorious Snow!!!

The first snow of the year started falling in the wee early hours of the morning today! At 9 am, we are expecting another 1-2 inches and that's just fine with me. The weather is one of the main reasons we stay in the Texas Panhandle. We have four true seasons here and it is wonderful, especially considering I grew up in a place that had nearly no spring or fall, llllooonnnnnggggg summer and almost no winter. Central Louisiana. Then I spent many years in the Houston, TX area. Weather was the same. So to have the seasons is something amazing for me.

I took these photos this morning out our front and back doors. I wasn't out of my night clothes yet, so wasn't about to trek out into the snow.

All is quiet in the barn. We have all of the Seramas in the house, using the dog's crates for cages. We weren't ready for the cold yet, and their coop isn't weatherized yet. Mike's two dogs (puppies) are in the house, too. Even though they are big, they are only 5-6 months old and not ready to stay out in the cold and elements yet. He doesn't agree, but Momma says they come indoors.

Now Felicity, Gregory and I are going to watch a movie, snuggle and watch the snow continue to fall. Have a wonderful day!

All is well and a cow

While it does take adjustment having another child in the house, we are all adjusting well.  Each of us has our *moments*, but things are much better with Timothy than we anticipated, and that's a great thing!

It's so hot and dry here in Amarillo. The flower above is Lantana. It's a native Texas plant and loves the hot, dry climate. This is by far the worst summer since we  moved here five years ago.  During the heat of the day, we are stuck indoors watching TV or playing games. I just read this morning, the La Nina has moved (or dissolved?) and that leaves us open with the possibility of record rains in July and August. I'm sure there's not a person up here that would complain about record rainfall.

The chickens and goats are all doing well. The goats are absolutely wonderful to have as pets! Although it's almost like having two more children, but that live outdoors. Buddy even comes up to the back door and *knocks* with his hooves. It's really funny.  Eleanor hatched two more Serama babies last week and I'm so excited. I am working on growing a pretty large Serama flock because we love them oh so much!

We've discovered that Timothy fits right in with our family and his love of milk. We have been discussing buying a milk goat or a milk cow in the past. Now we are REALLY considering it.  While a goat is smaller than a cow and easier to handle, I can't make all of the products from goat milk that I can from cow milk. That's our big issue with making a decision. So soon, we may own one of these beauties! We are looking only at Jersey cows for milk and I've found some for sale locally.
I'm pretty excited. It's been a joke in our home for years that "we need to buy a cow" because, to begin with, Katie and I drank LOTS of milk. Then, after Mike and I married and had Felicity, she followed in our tracks and LOVES milk. So we often times have commented that we needed to buy a cow. Now toss Timothy in the mix. It looks as if we just might own a milk cow soon.

We are going in a week and a half to meet and visit with another prospective foster-to-adopt son. So exciting! I will post how it goes afterward. If it goes well, he will come and spend the 4th of July weekend with our family as a trial. I never imagined myself surrounded by male children before. It must be what God had intended for us, though.

Have a great day!

Windy Memorial Day

To all that have fought for our freedom, including my husband, Mike; Thank you!

What are you doing this Memorial Day? We are praying for rain and for the insane winds to finally stop. It is always pretty windy here in the Texas Panhandle in the spring. Normally, by now, the really high winds are gone for the summer. This year has been so different. As I look out the window, the winds are blowing around 35-40 mph, with gusts around 50 mph. It's just awful!

Yesterday there were several wildfires in our area. The worst one (photo above) was in the neighborhood where we lived when first moving to Amarillo. The insane winds make the fires so much worse because they can get out of control in a matter of minutes.

Please say a prayer for all of us experiencing drought; that God will send his glorious rain to us.

Happy Memorial Day Monday.

Bring it on!

Tomorrow's forecast??

"Snow and Wind, high 34 degrees". YAHOO!!!! Bring on the snow, baby! It's actually supposed to start snowing this evening and through the night.

You see, before we moved to Amarillo, TX 2.5 years ago, I had never seen "real" snow. I grew up in central Louisiana and lived for most of my adult life in the Houston, TX area. So, the most snow I'd ever seen up to that point was little "flurries", mostly flakes that never stuck to add up to anything.

On November 30, 2006, we got an awesome snow!!! Seven inches!! I'm told that is not normal for so early in the season here, but I LOVED IT!!! It actually started falling around 7pm on November 29, and snowed through the night. I was in total heaven. I stayed up most of the night with a roaring fire in the fireplace and crocheting while watching the snow fall through the sliding glass door. This photo is of the houses across from the house in which we were living at the time. We hadn't purchased a snow shovel or boots yet, so couldn't get across to take photos of our house.

The rest of that winter, we seemed to get a couple of inches about every other week. It would come, then melt away in a day or two. HEAVEN I tell ya!

Last winter was awful. I think the most snow we had at one time was 2 inches. Mostly the winter was COLD and BITTERLY windy! YUCK!

So, I keep hearing locals saying they predict a snowy, hard winter this year. We'll see. I hope they are right!

I'm busy today trying to get the house cleaned and everything picked up so that I can spend tonight and tomorrow watching the snow fall in front of a roaring fire and crocheting or sewing!

I've read all my favorite blogs for the day. The incubation of the eggs is doing perfectly.

I'll leave you with this image. Wish it was our place ;0)

Have a great day!

Out our back door

Aside from the flat, flat (did I say flat?) landscape that surrounds us here on our 6 acres, there are many things we love to watch out our back door.

Sunsets to die for!

Adorable Prairie Dogs! Last count was 16!! They are cute and adorable, but really tear up the terrain. There are little hills all over the place. They have gotten so used to us that they are moving their hills closer and closer to the fenced in portion of our back yard. It's so fun, especially in the morning, to hear them chittering and chatting amongst themselves.

Let me tell you!!! The Jack Rabbits here are HUGE! They must weigh an easy 15 pounds full grown. Now, those ears. Nothing can describe those tremendous ears those rabbits have to carry around on their heads. They must be 6-7 inches long! The rabbits are also getting used to us being here and come closer and closer to the fenced portion of the back yard. Last count was, I think, 7-8 grown ups and a couple of babies.

Even though we don't plan to stay here past the end of our lease in October, we do enjoy the "scenery" out our back door.

Heat and wind

The wind here in the Texas Panhandle has been EXTREME this spring and so far this summer. Even the locals are in awe, it's been so bad.

Now, add to that, extreme heat...OMG it's absolutely CRAZY!

Right now, at 4:30pm, it's 103 degrees, 7% humidity and sustained winds in the upper 30 mph range, with gusts around 50mph.

EXTREME WEATHER, I tell you. EXTREME WEATHER.

WHEN WILL IT END!!!???

Grand Canyon of Texas

Today, since Mike was off from work, we decided to do something fun! We took a trip to Palo Duro Canyon. It is only about a 30 minute drive from our house, so was something nice to do for the afternoon.

Palo Duro Canyon is called the "Grand Canyon of Texas" and rightfully so. It's gorgeous! We visited 2 years ago when we first moved here, but it was late in the summer, (a very hot, dry summer) and everything in the canyon was brown. We've had a few rainy days lately, so things are "greening up" nicely lately.

The kids were glad to get out for the day. Gregory just loves to "go"!

Margo, my poodle, we adopted through rescue nearly two years ago. She's very scared of men, but put her in a car, and you'd never know it! She spends most of her time riding nuzzled up next to Mike!

Felicity doesn't remember our trip to the Canyon two years ago, so it was a new adventure for her today.

More gorgeous rock formations while in the bottom of the canyon.

This formation is called the Lighthouse and there is a hiking trail up to it. The trail is over 5 miles round trip, so needless to say, we haven't been up to the Lighthouse yet.

Wild Turkey! After this guy saw me attempting to take his mug shot, he started running away and I just knew I missed the shot! To my surprise, I didn't!

Prickly Pear Cactus are EVERYWHERE!

This handsome fellow was hanging out in the rocks outside of the gift shop. He's a lizard, but I've never seen a lizard like him before.

After we returned from our drive, we all decided to just relax and take it easy for the rest of the evening. We actually watched TV!! We never have time to sit and watch TV, much less for 3 hours!!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday weekend!