Welcome to my front porch here in Texas and step into my world-if you dare-for a few moments.



I have been accused of many things: oh well, such as' having a hummingbird brain....and an alligator mouth'...in other words I speak before I think...and I will commit to things others dare not...or I am continuously 'biting off more than I can chew'.  All clichés...simply clichés. Clichés  which mean nothing to me...when it comes to the grandkids!  I love surrounding myself with them, having them here at the Barnyard, visiting, exploring, discovering and enjoying. All of them...all of them at the same time....all of them here 24/7 for as long as their parents will lend them to me.

 That is one of the reasons the Preacher and I,bought this little farm.  Hmmmm...think it was more me, as the Preacher would have settled for a Condo or townhouse with little or no maintenance, which means little or no character-cookie cutter-factory mass produced-just like everyone else.  Just not me...Anyway, it took 9 long, laborious months in looking for just the right place-well, the right place that fit our modest little budget.

House is not too small-yet not too big to clean and heat and cool when it is just me and the Preacher.
One with a decent outdoor area for running, playing, screaming.  One with enough land that we could keep a few animals...possible pond for fishing (hmmm...they are called tanks here in Texas that are mainly dry due to lack of rain)...creek, woods....just to get started....well, found a place the grandkids seem to really enjoy....for now.  I know all too well that each year they grow older, their interest will peak in other areas.  But, for now. they all enjoy Grannies Barnyard...The Farm.  Therefore, for as long as we can, I hope to keep this little farm up and running, available and ready when they can come. 

Why?  Well, many reasons.  I did not have the greatest childhood.  Just one of those things with the ways things were.   However, my grandparents, especially my grandpa-Pap Paw, opened up their humble little home to me in the hills of Kentucky-right on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains.  I was blessed to spend some glorious summers there.   It was a time of running and playing and discovering and drinking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the country. 

I hope to give my grandchildren an opportunity to experience life in the country.  I want them to have the opportunity to visit with each other, to get to know each other, to not only be related by blood, but to be related with a bond of memories built and forged and forever remembered.  Something they can sit around and talk about when they are adults and take a little jog down memory lane...I can hear them now...'remember when  we played in the creek at Grannies, remember the baby goats we held, remember the hay rolls we jumped on and played on, remember the living room camp outs'....remember...remember.....memories that are woven into the very fabric of their little souls.


This past week was one of those weeks.

Hmmmmm....well, one thing led to another and then another and so Spring Break Mini Cousin Camp was birthed!

Cousins came from North, South, East and West and some cousins brought their cousins...so throughout the week we had an average of 20 folks in and out of our humble little home. 

It was lively, it was loud, it was filled with laughter, it was lovely!  I enjoyed every second of it...kids camped anywhere and everywhere-mainly in the big room....every inch covered with arms, legs, fingers and toes...tussled heads, sleeping like cherubims....then springing up-bright eyed and bushy tailed (whatever that means)...ready to go!

 Some scoff and chide me and say' why have all those kids there at the same time, make it easy on yourself, only have a few at a time, your deserve a break, you deserve to rest...it's your spring break too...'

True...all of it true.

But, it is not what I want.  Yes, I could sit around, with manicured nails (not really), coiffured hair (not really), designer clothes (not really), designer handbags, (really?).  Really, while that suits some
 ladies just fine...it is just not me-maybe it was the hillbilly upbringing, maybe the hand- me-downs mentality, maybe it is just me-who I am and who I want to be and who I don't want to be.  ME.

I hope to leave a legacy to my grandkids of having an open home, an open heart, open hands, a welcoming place, filled with plenty of food, fun and activities that stimulate the body, soul and spirit.

So, every meal, every activity, every dollar spent, every moment spent has been done to pour into them. Spend precious time with them.  So while this is indeed my time, it is also their time. 

It is quite at our house right now.  Too quite.  Things are in order-well, the best order that I tend to keep things in.  I am not the best housekeeper as I prefer to be outside and out and about drinking in God's sunshine and fresh air.  So, as long as it is tidy I can live with it.  All laundry has been washed, folded and put away!  Floors are clean-as clean as can be for a country home with lots of mud and dirt. 

It is always bittersweet as they leave one by one.  Bitter because some of them live a distance away that makes it difficult to see them more than 2-3 times a year.  They grow and change so much in that amount of time.  It's bitter even for those who live close by; schedules and other circumstances warrant only seeming them so often.  However, it is sweet...so sweet, delightfully sweet, the memories! 

So, if the Lord tarries-if He does delay His coming for all of us who know Him, love Him and eagerly look for His return...perhaps if I am old and sitting around in a home, a room or wherever....I will not remember having nails manicured, hair done just so, a closet full of clothes with labels and designer names...I will remember (I hope! although some days I need a name tag on me to help me remember who I am!)...the egg hunts for the freshest eggs in town, the bleating of baby goats, and just the wonderful time spent with these wonderful quiver full of grandchildren....and I will cherish their sing song...'''love you Grannie"!

So, Julie, Lori, Joe and Tim thanks for the memories.  Thanks for loaning your precious jewels and gems to me and allowing me to get to know them, hug them, discover with them, and just breathe them in....priceless...

Until next time on the front porch....