Fireworks and Parades

We had a blast at the local parade where my girl got to throw candy out to the crowd of people. The good part is since she threw it out we did not bring very much home from her collecting it. 

This is the most stressful holiday for farmers. In fact it is the only one that I know many farmers stay up all night to watch. With thousands of acres across Southwest Oklahoma in wheat stubble and add into the mix fireworks, it makes a dangerous combination. Between the city folks that have bought a house in the country or the towns people that just head to the country to pop fireworks we have many fires. Most seem to want to launch their fireworks from the middle of the road instead of their yard. Luckily this year the volunteer fire departments could put them out without it being large fires. 

This stays hooked up in the front yard in case we need a fire break on some one else's fields. Ours have one just in case.

We sat on the back of out truck on the Fourth to watch fireworks being shot all around us at the farm. It was pretty. Except for one fire on a farm a few miles from us, we did not see any disasters.  Friday we did shoot firecrackers too. We try to plan a little bit, though. We brought the mother tank full of water and shot them over the pond. So what did fall to earth would hit the pond and not the dead grass. 

I may sound like I am on my soap box but I have seen hundreds of acres burned and hay that was suppose to last all winter gone just from someone not planning or paying attention. 

Just a reminder that Green and Gleaner are on Auction on eBay. Good Luck and God Bless.

Painting Harvest

 Last week it was warm enough to crawl into the ponds. Just watch out for the turtles they bite. Even the old cows knew when to cool off. This week it has been almost cool. The coldest 4th of July yet.

 I wanted to show you this old tractor because I went and helped my brother pack to move yesterday. Just by luck I saw it hiding in a pole barn. Now I have another  tractor for a painting. Moral of the story, Always look for the next painting.

 I started working on an old gleaner and truck this week. The old 70 model Ford and Gleaner Combine make a great image. I also wanted to show you how I work. You can see my NOOK on the table that I use to reference pictures. It allows me to zoom and get details that a photograph would not.

I worked on the under layer of the combine Trying to bring in the bright colors because gray is a dull color you want to really push the undertones of the drawing.

Here I have almost got all the undertones done on the combine. I hope to have this one up on eBay by Thursday July 4. We will see.

Have a great 4th of July and Remember to thank the people that helped keep it this way. Be Safe ya'll.

Painting for Christmas?

This week has been cranking up the heat. My little girl and I  have been working on the garden in the early morning and then painting and cleaning house all day long.

We are having trouble understanding that the green tomatoes stay on the vine. She finds them and picks them excited to show me what she found. Yesterday she brought a watermelon that was the size of a football to her dad. We cut it open and explained that it should be red in the middle and this was not ripe. Lessons to learn.

Well when the sun gets hot the hot get going. In the house at least. We have been painting the heat of the day away. This week I have painted on a old water pump. It was a lot of fun. Still working on it but here is a sneak peek.

Also I have painted on some Christmas ornaments that I will sell in November. These are all different styles on glass ornaments. They are painted with acrylic and sealed.

It is on sale on Ebay and she is called a Sharp Flower.

Gardening and Painting

The garden is looking great. It is growing like crazy and squash and zucchini are coming off daily. 

If my daughter will leave the tomatoes alone we may have some to harvest in a week. She just gets so excited with finding them she forgets they have to turn red to pick. Learning is part of the joy. 

This week I have tried my hand at painting a thistle. Now these are pretty little weeds. Purple and this year being 5 foot tall with thorns to boot, These little weeds are a pain and my hubby sprays them to keep them from taking all the water from the good grasses. The one I decided to paint was just blooming and not open yet. Even with all the points that will stick you, you see the pretty in it.

It is on sale on Ebay.

Garden to work and Paint to splatter. God Bless.

A Busy week of Farming

Our plans were to harvest wheat when my husband took off. His job ask in January what full week do you want off. He looked at June and said this should be harvest. Well the old saying goes "If you wanna hear God Laugh tell him your plans."

That week spent time raining. Just enough not to get in the field. So we took our little girl to the zoo and the museums. It was a blast and for us a great little time away from our daily grind.  Above it the Railroad Museum in Oklahoma City. It is free and you get to climb all over old cars and engines. It was fun. Below is my girls favorite animal. She loves turtles.

When we got back, Harvest started. We cut Saturday and it rained Saturday night. We waited till Tuesday after work and started. It stayed dry just long enough to get the wheat out of the field. No joke we finished Friday at midnight and it rained the next morning.

I will not complain about rain because we were about 16 inches short in May. Ponds are not near where they should be and lakes are a puddle around here.

My husband and girl checking the grain bin on the combine to see if  it is empty.

Well time is running short. Don't Forget that on Friday this week is the end of the Horse and Colt.

 Click here for the eBay.

I will just keep praising God for what we do receive.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalms 42:5

Wheat Harvest and Rain

 The old weather joke goes: If you are flooding expect more rain, if it is hotter than Hateis, it will get hotter. If it is dry, no rain is in store, and if it is windy put a rock in your pocket because it will blow harder tomorrow.

The joke is almost true around these parts. We have a pretty crop of wheat standing in the field and it has been so wet we can not harvest.

On Sunday we got into the field about four in the evening only to have it rain that night. Here is my husband on the antique combine that still runs. His grandpa custom cut and cut about 600 acres of his own wheat a year with it when it was new.

Harvest is a family affair. We all have our part to do. My daughter helped my mom take the guys a sandwich that night in the field. Supper many times is about six, a sandwich and about ten that night, they are hungry for a meal. This photograph was taken by my mom. She has her camera at all times. Well I will have something maybe on Thursday on eBay. Watch my Facebook page to see when the next auction will start. Wheat Harvest trumps all things in our life. God Bless 

Horsing around with Paint

With planting millet, spraying pastures, and preparing the combine for wheat harvest, night comes too fast and are too long. We have so many things that must be done for this is the high of the farming season.

 Here I was sweeping out the last of the millet. I promise when it sprouts I will show you. I hate to vacuum  the house but the grain drill is nice. Once it is clean it stays clean til you use it next year. We sweep it out to keep it from clogging with sprouted seed and so we can drill wheat next fall without millet being sewed in among the wheat.

 Not a great picture of me but you can see that I use a shop vac and just lean in and get it done.

 When I got done with my chores, I had time to paint. Since the weather was nice I worked in the shade outside at the farm. You have probably read that I paint between the seconds. This is that time. My hubby did not need me to help him spray, my daughter was napping with BiBi (Grandma) so this was my first few seconds.

Now I am no horse expert. Yes, I was raised on a farm but my family did not have horses except for the meanest Shetland pony around. It's main goal was to dump you off so it could go back to grazing. Me being under five years old was a easy target. With this in mind, I do not know if this is a fine quality horse but I just loved the way she stood by her colt and protected it from the crazy lady with the camera (me).
A neighbor has a herd of horses close by. When this mare had her baby I just couldn't help to catch a few pictures when she finally brought her near the fence.

 I have taken some more time to flesh out the colt and mare. I will show you how the glazing looks tomorrow.

Don't forget, Finishing a Day is on eBay. 

Click here for the link.

Do you give the horse its strength
    or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Job 39:19