A catch and a tag

   Here's the catch when I stopped by the pond after

my walk the other day.  Well, one of my catch.

Here's the rest of the catch, with just a wee bit of help,

but I caught most of them!

The crappie were biting as soon as I threw in the line.  

They ended up in the frying pan for supper. 

Umm, umm, good!

That was the catch...now for the tag:

 

One of my very first blogging friends and fellow Missourian, Deanna, surprised me with the Liebster Blog award.   Thank you, Deanna!   I had never heard of this award and didn't know what Liebster meant.   It means "beloved" or "good friend" in German.  This award is designed to bring additional recognition to those blogs with fewer than 200 followers.  If you receive the award, you should link back to the blogger that nominated you and nominate 5 more blogs.  That's it!  

I've linked back to Deanna and, without further ado, here are 5 bloggers:

Shug at My Steps of Faith

Carolyn at Aunt C's

Kim at Happy @ Home

Debbie at It's All About Purple

Marie at Women Talk About Life

It was difficult choosing just 5 bloggers because I like them all, but many have over 200 followers or have this award already or don't accept awards.  These 5 bloggers are all very interesting and have wonderful blogs.  Check them out, you'll be glad you did! 

Until next time...

Seen on my walk

 

Can you believe some folks think the lovely Goldenrod is just a weed?   

Along came a spider...

Let's get a closer look!  

I see some baby cedar trees and white flowers that I don't know the

name of.  We have several large cedar trees that I love to cut branches from at Christmas.  I love the smell of cedar and it reminds me of when I was a youngster at home and our Christmas trees were always cedar.

 

I didn't realize there were two on the same little wildflower I call an

Aster, I was busy concentrating on the pretty wings of the one on top!

A very large squirrel's nest high in a tree. 

A stop by the pond for a little fishing before going to the house.   Can you see the line on the left?  I'm standing on the dam of the pond on the south side.  It's time to concentrate on bringing in that big fish now.  I'll show you what I caught another day.

Until next time...

Take a walk with me

Take a walk with me on the back 40 6.  We have mowed a path around the perimeter of our pasture so I can see a snake if it should happen to be traveling in the same area as I'm walking.  Can you see the path in the middle of the photo?  It meanders to the left of where I'm standing taking the photo and down the little hill and follows the tree line and comes up a little hill to the pond and onward to the yard.  

Here's another shot of the path taken from the same spot as in the above photo using the zoom.  See how the ash tree's leaves have already turned color?  And just around the corner ahead on the path is another ash tree.  But before you see it, below is an oak tree that my son and his friends used to play in many years ago.  For those of you new to my blog, we've lived here just over 20 years.  

You can see one of the boards used for climbing up in the tree is still attached.  Hubby found years later, when the boys had outgrown climbing and moved on to more interesting pursuits...girls and sports, that they had left a small tool box behind up in the tree.

 

In this area of our property, there are a lot of wild grape vines growing.  When I was into crafting I used to gather these and wind them into wreaths and decorate.  I used to love making these back when they were a popular decorating item.  Okay, walking on....

I zoomed in on the ash tree that was just hidden from view in the first photo.  It's such a pretty shade of red when the sun is hitting it just right.  Soon the leaves will fall leaving the limbs bare.  Before we go any further on our walk, I have to stop and tell about the mighty oak that stands in our field. 

If trees could talk...I'd love to know what stories this huge oak tree could tell.  I'd like to know how long it's been around.  The span is at least 75-80 feet and the trunk is much bigger than it appears in this photo.  The sun was in the wrong place to get a good capture.  There used to be another huge oak almost identical to this one, but a storm blew it down.  Hubby and I just happened to be looking out the window a few years ago when a powerful storm came up and we saw it fall.  After the storm, we saw that the trunk was hollow.  This oak appears to have been hit by lightening and we wonder how long it will last.  

Well, I think I'll stop and rest a spell.  Walking makes me tired these days, my legs aren't getting any younger you know.  I'll have a few more things to show you that I saw on my walk and a stop at the pond is in order before heading back to the house.  Until next time...

The view from my kitchen window yesterday.

 

Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. 

Ecclesiastes 11:7

"A cloudless plain blue sky is like a flowerless garden."

~Terri Guillemets

"If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees."  ~Hal Borland 

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck." 

~Emma Goldman

From early morning before sunrise to later in the afternoon, I snapped these simple photos from my kitchen window.  I was pondering during the day on which major chore I should be working on while doing a couple loads of laundry and answering several phone calls.  In the end, I didn't get started on any big projects but just enjoyed the beautiful day mostly from my kitchen window.  Today won't see any big projects tackled either, I hope to do a little day tripping.  More about that later.

Until next time...

Do you have a sweet tooth?

 While we were at Silver Dollar City this 

month, we just had to look for their 

Apple Dumplings with Cinnamon Ice Cream!

Yum, yum!!  I took this photo on my cellphone

and sent it to my kids who sent back texts saying 

things like "so not fair!"  I'm a good parent 

that way...I like to share everything I do. 

I'm still missing Branson and was

having a "gotta have something sweet moment",

so since I'd been thinking of Branson I

thought...Funnel Cakes...which can be found

in abundance there.  So, I just whipped up

a batch of batter and decided to share a couple

of photos and the recipe with you.

Funnel Cakes

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

2 TB. sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

Oil for frying

In a skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat until hot.

You can test by dropping a pinch of flour in the oil and

when it sizzles, it's ready.

Beat egg and milk.  Mix all the other ingredients in a

separate bowl and add slowly to the egg mixture. 

Beat until smooth.

Using a funnel, drop batter into hot oil starting at

the center and working outward in a web pattern.

Cook a couple of minutes until golden and slightly puffed.

Flip over once while cooking.  

 Then sprinkle with powdered sugar

and serve.

 

I couldn't find my sifter so I just used a teaspoon to

sprinkle on the powdered sugar.  It really looks

much better to sift the powder over the cake!  

It was yummy.  I don't have any idea how many

calories are in this, and being a (slight) diabetic I 

shouldn't eat this at all.  I'll be good tomorrow!  

Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first.  

~Ernestine Ulmer 

Until next time...

Going to Branson - Part 2

A visit to Silver Dollar City is always a must-do for us when we go to Branson.  Silver Dollar City is a theme park dedicated to preserving the 1880's Ozark culture.  To keep this post from being too long, I'll point you here for more info on SDC.  I just love the atmosphere in Silver Dollar City, since I grew up on a farm with a few rustic looking old barns and buildings and playing in the woods and hollows, that separated the fields and pastures, much like some of the setting of SDC.  The sights and smells, the music...wonderful!

 Near the entrance to Silver Dollar City.

We went the first day of the National Harvest Festival.

There are craftsmen all around the park

demonstrating their crafts.

The park was beautifully decorated for fall.  Have you

ever seen a cornucopia this big?

This old home was actually lived in by a woman from Nebraska

whose family donated it to the park.  In one word...primitive. 

No utilities of any kind.  There are two rooms with 2 little

wood-burning stoves and the cook stove.  And we think

we have it rough sometimes??

The old one-room school.  

The Homestead Pickers that we always stop to listen to.

They're very good singers with a great sense of humor.

It was fun eating our food at a table beside this man-made waterfall.

  There are shows, shops, rides for kids of all ages, restaurants and food stands galore.  We stopped to sit at a bench after walking up "Heart Attack Hill" and after looking at our park map discovered 

things we had missed.  There is so much to see, we'd forgotten

a couple of "roads" to take.  But being...ahem...older, our

tired legs decided for us that we'd seen enough this trip.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Branson.  I love

the beauty of the hills and the sweet spirit that seems to

be over the area in spite of the crowds and traffic that can be

a bother during the busiest days.  

We had perfect weather until a little shower came up as we were

heading down the highway to our home close to 200 miles away.

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of Branson. 

And in this post, Silver Dollar City.  If you ever

have the opportunity to go to Branson, I think you'll enjoy it.  

There is something there for everyone.  

Until next time...

Going to Branson

 

  Hwy 65 heading to Branson.

 We'll be there soon.

Just ahead...Branson!

A few random photos in and around Branson:

 

Table Rock Dam and Fish Hatchery 

Table Rock Lake...with a power line 

coming from the dam which generates power.

Beautiful Table Rock Lake.  

The dam is just out of the photo to the left.

This cute tractor was sitting out front of a little Flea Market on

Fall Creek Road that we stopped at.

Mulberry Mill is a favorite shop at the Grand Village Mall.

I like to buy a few yummy dip mixes here to take home. 

 While cruising Branson we stopped in here for a 

Funnel Cake and Coke, it has cute decor

 and oldies playing on the jukebox.

The Legends in Concert was a fun time.  

From left to right are Patsy Cline, the Blues Brothers, and Elvis.

They are all very good performers who look and sound

much like the real artists.  We love music and enjoyed the show

very much.  I just had my little point and shoot with me,

so the quality of photos isn't very good.  

 

Also performing were Bette Midler and Johnny Mathis.

 Both photos were taken during the finale.

I have a few more photos I'll show another time.  We had a wonderful time in Branson and we were at Silver Dollar City for the first day of their Harvest Festival.  Which got me into the Fall Decorating spirit, so I'll be working on that and some fall cleaning which I'd started before vacation began.  I've washed some windows and curtains, dusted down walls, etc.  Much is still to be done, but I've made a start!  What about you, are you ready for fall?  Until next time...

At home...remembering

                                         (Air Force Photo)

Let us never forget.

 A very moving video is here that you may or may not

have seen.  It's worth a look.  

May God bless America.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

We are back from our week's stay in Branson.  It's back to the reality of work, chores...read Fall Cleaning, and the normal routine of everyday life.  It's certainly good to get away and relax.  We did just that...a lot of napping, eating, seeing the sights, eating, a little shopping, eating and...did I mention eating?  I think I gained 10 lbs on this trip!!  The first order of business is going to the grocery store and stocking up on healthy food.  Hubby got out the riding mower this evening and mowed a walking path around the back 40 6 for us to start walking on in the evenings.  

I'll share some photos of our trip later.  Meanwhile, it's good to be back and I'll try to catch up on blog reading soon.  Until next time...

Our vacation so far...

  So far we've survived an

emergency landing...

A trip over a waterfall...

And enjoyed a nice card game.

And that was just one fun evening at

Treasure Island Miniature Golf!

   We are having a fabulous time in Branson. 

We arrived Saturday and our children joined us 

for a few days.  They left today to go

back to work.  Hubby and I will be here until Sunday.

We had a wonderful meal last night at one of our favorite

places to eat in Branson, Texas Land and Cattle 

at the Landing.  We had dinner outside on

the patio overlooking Lake Taneycomo

and watched the fire and water show while eating.

The weather is cooler this week and it's wonderful! 

Hubby and I are having a low-key day today 

just relaxing in the condo, but we'll be going out soon

to grab a bite to eat and stop in at the
Mulberry Mill in the Grand Village.  They

have the yummiest dip mixes, among other 

neat things, that I always get several of

when we are here. 

Hope you are having a wonderful week, too!

Until next time...

A birthday today and on the road tomorrow...

 

Today is hubby's birthday...Happy Birthday!!...we will celebrate tomorrow when we arrive in Branson.  Our children will join us for the holiday weekend and they will go back to work on Tuesday.  Hubby and I will stay through the following Saturday.   We will take in a show or two, Silver Dollar City, and maybe a drive down to Arkansas.  I looking forward to seeing the Ozark mountains and checking out some of our favorite places. 

I'm off to pack again.  Hubby has been on-call this week, and he Never asks anyone to trade with him, so that is the reason we had a week at home in between 'vacations'.   Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back in a week or so, unless I decide to pop in and post from Branson.  See ya!


Until next time...