ANGELS WATCHING OVER ME

Charmin' as a long shot candidate on Election Eve, Angel has had a horrifically difficult year . August 2010 this beautiful gal had a tumor removed from the base of her brain-steam and was diagnosed with Medullobastoma .She was lifted with God's love and masses of prayers as she seized the moon with her teeth and beat the cancer odds. I have to tell ya'll my heart was heavy the day she told me she was tired of the fight. Her bony body was unsteadily frail and she was so stinkin' skinny she'd need to run around in the shower to get wet. Doctors found puttin' weight on our Earth Angel was kinda like tryin' to put a dress on a worm. I'm pleased to say that Angel had her last souped up mega blast of chemo in September. Three weeks later it hit her like a ton of bricks when she lost her hair...again! She tells me it's difficult to remember a time before she had cancer. It's been all consuming for her.

Angel Dawn is now a full fledged seventh grader attendin' Tiny Town Middle School. Her favorite part of school is lunch (the girl does love to eat) and gettin' to participate in PE with her friends. The spunky little doll says havin' cancer has made her trust others, especially her family. Like any teen she loves the music of Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne and Zach Brown. Although she still adores purple, she's quite smitten with blues and greens too. Angel is ecstatic that she's able to go outside and do 'normal' things like pick up walnuts and play with her animals. I saw the old twinkle return in her eye when she boasted "I jumped this week!" I have observed that she has become more self~confident and outgoin' through her illness.

Today she is stronger and has plumped up a bit. Isn't she prettier than the precious perfectly spotless lamb of Passover??? Ya gotta love that smile! She occasionally misses her friends at the hospital but doesn't miss the needles one bit. Angel returns to the hospital monthly to have her port flushed and every three months for a cancer recheck.

The girl's as happy as a hog in slop when she's in the presence of animals. She wants to be a Veterinarian or Board Animals when she grows up. Her current menagerie consists of six goats, five cats, twenty chickens, four callin' geese (forgive me, I have not self~control), five ducks, twenty~eight rabbits and the gerbils are multiplyin' to rapidly to count. Eat that Dr. Doolittle!!!

Amy Grant sings "God only knows the times my life was threatened just today." This Ozark Farm Chick must confess that watchin' Angel fight her battle tried my faith to the max this summer. The 1984 song that won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Vocal Performance states, "If your asking me what's protecting me, then you're gonna hear me say: ' Got His angels watching over me, every move I make." Angel Dawn can belt out first hand that He's got His
"Angels Watching Over Me!!!"

Please read Angels amazin' story here (Pretty Little Angel Eyes) and here (Earth Angel).

*Angel is a neighbor of the Ponderosa. She is also one of my Sunday School students and a member of my Kid's Church. Would ya'll join with me in prayer that she remains cancer free?

PUPPY LOVE

Her name could have easily been Hatchet, Buzz Saw or Wood Chopper but 'round here she's known as Pepper. This little Blue Heeler is wound tighter than a new girdle and has the jaw force to gnaw through most anything. Bred in Queensland, Australia, these popular ranch dogs are cultivated to herd wild~eyed cattle by 'nippin' at their heels. That's how she came to acquire her second name, Nipper. She joined the Ponderosa early this spring where she practiced her 'nipper' skills on this Ozark Farm Chick's naked heels. Now, that's about as cozy as wearin' barbwire panties. Ya'll should of seen the back of my heels! Ouch!!!

I do declare, trainin' Pepper Nipper not to jump on others or chase cars is goin' slower than a bread wagon on biscuit wheels down a dirt road. When this little prunin' expert sees cars or bodies she's off slicker than a chased greased hog on a downhill run. I swear she was more obedient as an itty~bitty puppy than she is now. She's gotta be in those rebellious 'teen' years.

Pepper has cluttered my otherwise immaculate yard 'cause anything she can drag, carry or kill ends up smack in the middle of it. She could chew the north end off a south bound polecat (skunk) or most anything else. She has pulled the drain tubing outta the bottom of my car, eaten the corners off the house, bedded down in my daylilies and massacred a forest of cannas. 'Chews 'em off right at the base folks and hollers, "timber"! The other day I was workin' in my rose garden when she nipped off all open blooms off slicker than a schoolmarm's leg. Hubs tried to convenience me our little Nipper was just helpin' deadhead and truly wasn't out to slaughter my beautiful gardens. Nope, this chick's not buyin' it! It's a conspiracy...she's disserverin' my efforts.


Puttin' all her trouble aside, Pepper Nipper is as smart as they come and very affectionate. She's always at my side (or on my heels) and will forever be my protector 'cause she's loyal that way. The song written and sang by Paul Anka for his girlfriend Annette Funicello (yep, they were really datin') hit the Billboard Hot 100 single chart in 1960. Donny Osmond's 1972 version is the more familiar adaption we all know and love today. Although Pepper tries my patience to the max and back again, I've definitely found myself fallin deep into this "Puppy Love"!!!

IT'S GROWING

Barren as a freshly spaded female dog, this ginormous hole in the ground sat empty and lifeless a good part of the summer. We had just enjoyed a wonderful Ozark shower before the bulldozer was summoned thinkin' it would make for an easy dig. Mr. Burly Tobacco Spittin' Dozer Man uncovered earth that was drier that lizzard spit on a hot rock only an inch below the surface. The in-ground silo was dug just awaitin' some form of life.

Meanwhile, down in the bottom land there was activity takin' place. Hubs had planted a couple of the fields in dwarf sorghum this year. Yep folks, ya heard me right, this stuff was "dwarf". Can ya imagine if we planted the "giant" stuff? In spite of spring floods, tornadoes and summer drought this species of heavy headed grass yielded a whoppin' 311 tons. Woohoo baby, the cows are gonna eat high on the hog this winter just like my hunka'~ hunka' burnin' love who's outstandin' in his field! I love this man!!!

The chopper ate it's way through the fields like a hungry 'coon knawin' on a juicy ear of corn fillin' up one truck's appetite after another. We chopped our sorghum into silage (livestock feed) but with over thirty varieties it abounds in uses. It can be used to make syrup, molasses, fodder, alcoholic beverages, feed grain and seed. The trucks ran hard fillin' up our big barren hole in the ground where it suddenly took on a hue as green a gourd guts.

Tractors packed the green morsels down as tight as a camel's derriere in a sand storm while the trucks continued pilin' more in. The heat of the product began to radiate the sweetest smell arisin' from the once comatose cavern. New life grew as nature's enzymes worked hard to produce a priceless commodity. The choppin' crew said, "we ain't never seen a crop like this before!" Our phones began ringin' almost immediately with farmers wanting to book and purchase the quality livestock feed. Ya'll gotta remember...it's Tiny Town...word travels faster than an hyperactive auctioneer high on coffee can holler, "sold!"

I got to thinkin' that big old hole in the ground is kinda like a life without God, empty, barren and unproductive. Then ya plant the love of the Lord in our hearts and it simply makes us priceless children of God. Now, ya'll gotta love that transformation more than fresh molasses drippin' off a homemade biscuit. My Mini~Me asked Jesus into her heart a little over a year ago and kept it to herself for awhile 'cause she didn't want to hurt her daddy's feelings. She thought he might feel bad 'cause she now had a Second Daddy~God the Father. Doesn't that just melt your pea~pickin' hearts?

This summer Miss Honor decided to take a stand and be baptized, her public obedient declaration that she has decided to follow Jesus. Our little princess is not barren. The Temptations said it well when they sang,"like the rose bud blooming in the warmth of the summer sun," in the song written by Smokey Robinson back in 1965. I'm just pleased as punch to say that little Honor's faith, walk and relationship with God..." It's Growing!!!"

IT'S A MAN'S MAN'S MAN'S WORLD

The day was prettier than a fat spotted pig standin' smack in the middle of a Missouri cornfield. It was June 18, 1997. 'Twas the day Geek Son had a job interview and my lovely daughter~in ~love , The Latin Lovin' Hillbilly, had a late stage doctor's appointment. This Ozark Farm chick was the designated driver for her appointment in the Big City. "I've been leakin' all mornin, is that a problem," was the question. "Hon, your water is breakin'... ya need to call your doctor right away," was my reply. Plantin' both feet firmly in the ground the well rounded Latin insisted we eat first. Mexican!!! She'd heard those stories how you couldn't eat while in labor so off to a Mexican Restaurant we went. Nope, this one couldn't survive on ice chips alone. Our Hillbilly sweetheart called her doctor's office as soon as the last bite was consumed. Faster than a hound can suck an egg we hoofed it off to the exam room where our soon to be mama was whisked away to the hospital. That was the day I called Geek Son away from his interview. Comin' by it quite natural, the babe ate salsa and chips before he had the teeth to eat 'em. Meet Ethan Issac, the center of attention at his first birthday party.

He was the first grandkiddo to ride a tractor. Yep folks, gotta start 'em young 'round these parts!!!

Ethan or 'Ike' as we sometimes call him, was the first put in the old washtub to eat his chocolate Easter bunny. Ya'll know what a twisted neat freak I am. It worked so dang well, I'd do it again!!! Matter of fact...I did. Heeehehehee!

This clone of his father, is an bright inquisitive child who drank in every experience with enthusiasm and gusto. He's always been a sweet tenderhearted child who has never gotten to old to give his Grandma Muzzie a great big squeeze.
As he got older, he grew a patch of hair on his chest, a mustache under his sniffer and he started talkin' like a briny pirate. 'Just one of the many great birthday parties The Latin Lovin' Hillbilly has thrown her handsome pirate.
Faster than the swish of a cow's tail on a humid Ozark summer day, Ethan appeared to become a rebel. I said appeared ya'll, don't let the vision of this fine young man fool ya. He's a kind thoughtful young man of God.
Sure shootin' this is one fella makes this rockin' grandma more blessed than the first mosquito that entered a nudist camp. My heart is full. Just as James Brown sang back in 1966 in his number one hit on his Billboard Top R&B single, Ethan has a fine strong foundation for walkin' right into " It's a Man's Man's Man's World !!!"

BTW: Geek Son still works for the company today where he missed that first interview. :o)

SOUNDS OF SILENCE

Whew!!! I bet ya'll didn't know this Ozark Farm Chick could hold her breath the whole blessed summer. It's quite a feat for a gal as full of wind as a corn eatin' horse. "Grandma Muzzie has amazin' lung capacity" was announced by my Grandson, Geek Son Jr., after Camp Grandma last year. "Who Can Hold This Note the Longest" was the game and I'd bet the hills and hollers of this Ponderosa ya'll can guess who was the grand champ of that contest. I've always been able to hold my breath or belt out a note like a ovulatin' she~whale on the hunt for her ever lovin'hunka~hunka burnin' love from the ocean's deep.



Summer gobbled up my energy and time like a teenager on steroids devours pepperoni pizza. Hi, my name is Nezzy and I confess I became a little more than overwhelmed. Bein' the all or nothin' Type~A gal I am I just couldn't do both the blog and life justice. I remember sittin' a the breakfast table askin' Hubby just how the heck I kept up last summer as he reminded me I was too sick with those stinkin' shingles to do much of anything else. When the man's right he's right!

Words like floods, plantin', replantin',Forth of July bash, elder-care, tornadoes, Alzheimer Disease, farm hands, heart surgery, wheat harvest, birthdays, Camp Grandma, more heart surgery, glorious flower gardens, baptism, cattle, a major move, sorghum harvest, more birthdays and assisted livin' have flooded my family and my heart this summer. Dang it all to thunder, I haven't even enjoyed my Deep Clean Fridays for a month. I know...what is this world comin' to? I do so apologize to ya'll for just droppin' out. Thanks to all my wonderful blogsisters who have checked in on me over the summer. Ya'll make me happier than a duck on a June~bug. I know I have the best friends in all of Blogland.

Well tie me to an anthill and fill my ears with jelly 'cause if I don't write soon. my already cluttered brain is gonna burst faster then an overfilled water balloon. The posts are pilin' up in the old cerebellum faster than the manure in the low lands 'round here. Besides ya'll and writin' makes my heart sing.

Unlike those good old boys Simon and Garfunkel back in 1966, "The Sound of Silence," is not my cup of tea! Hopefully ya'll can find an upliftin' story and a good laugh when ya drop in instead of "The Sound of Silence"!!!

A SONG FOR MAMA

Prettier than a spotted heifer in a pansy patch , she could charm the dew right off the roses with her bright smile. Christy Brinkley certainly had nothin' on Mama 'cause she was definitely an Uptown Girl all the way. Yep, she was about as country as the Macy's Day Parade or the last curtain call at a Broadway show.

She was accustomed to fancy dresses, high heals and Sunday's hats with white gloves. She was oblivious to toilets flushin' and fresh water flowin' from the kitchen faucet. A bath was enjoyed effortlessly as was the food purchased from the corner market. Mom was footloose and fancy free enjoyin' the company of great friends and livin' the single life. (Mom's on the left) That was until she fell like a rock for a solider boy who was stationed at Sandia Base in Albuquerque who was as country as cornbread. They married living there 'till Dad was discharged from the army. Now ya'll know ya can take the boy outta the country but ya can't take the country outta the boy so they were off to Missouri faster that a hungry roadrunner can snatch a lizard!

This was Mom's either fish or cut bait moment. Through sheer determination and a bit of stubbornness she seemed to adapt faster than green grass through a goose. Suddenly goin' for a swim on a hot summer day included a stock tank or a nearby pond. A leaky barn roof always took priority over the leaky house roof. Her shoppin' list not only included groceries but items like fuel filters, tires, overalls or spark plugs. The hair on the back of Mama's neck would stand at attention when Dad would say, "could ya come and help me a few minutes." She knew that she'd be returnin' a few hours later doin' only Lord knows what.

Movin' a city slicker to the country is almost like teachin' a pig to dance...it's a waste of your time and it irritates the pig but this gentlewoman did it with grace and style. She learned the language of her new found Hillbillyland. The words my Granny Walden spoke like put it in the 'safe' (cabinet) or I've got to go to the closet (outhouse). Yep, Mama watched her Mother~In~Law leave the house and walk around the bushes goin' to the 'closet'. It was a world they might relax on the 'davenport' (sofa) and if there was a chill in the air, cover up with a countypin (quilt).

Mama learn to handle critters she'd never seen before with ease and that lookin' at the ingredients for a supper recipe just might remind her to do her chores. Talk about Venus and Mars, this Farm Chick can't imagine the culture shock my Mother endured in the city to country transformation but she thrived and soon became a mother herself givin' all she had to her new baby daughter!

Here's this Ozark Farm Chick supported by the arms of the most important woman in my world, my Mother. This child bearer was an encourager and a prime mover in my life. She nourished me both physically and emotionally. She pampered me, kissed my boo~boos all while bein' my biggest motivator. She taught me humor and how important it is to laugh at myself. Most important of all, she taught me how to be a mother and a grandmother. I'm blessed with an amazin' role model I feel privileged to call Mom! Now, I'd be lyin' like a no legged dog if I said that the city didn't come out every now and again 'cause she dressed me like this.......

I'd be as baffled as Adam on Mother's Day without my precious Mother. She has grounded and centered me teachin' me both love and grace. I want to offer this song written by Babyface, sang by Boyz II Men and produced by Motown Records November 11, 1997, "A Song For Mama", to my sweet beautiful Mama on this Mother's Day. 'Love ya Mom!

ONE..... (Two Giveaway winners)

Would ya'll look who I forgot! Isn't she a single sweetie? Yup, after I made that long, long slideshow of my collection of bunnies I left out one lonely little wide eared floppy legged bunny. I'm not sure this Ozark Farm Chick agrees with the song that bears the title of this post. "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do" is the first line of the song that Harry Nilsson wrote and recorded.

I kinda like one. One is a good strong number. It stands alone firm and tall. When ya think about it, it only takes one to be happy and enjoy a beautiful day. It takes one to flash a smile to a lonely stranger or indulge in a decadent piece of chocolate. (Mmmm. I'm droolin' like a teethin' four month baby here.) One can read, exercise, snap the perfect photo or paint a masterpiece. This chick can enjoy aromatic flower gardens, relish a good book or belt out a great tune without the help of another livin soul. Heaven knows I'm the only one 'round the Ponderosa deep cleanin' and I sure don't require any help enjoyin' a scented bubble bath. There needs be only one to be creative, write a story or make a difference. Most important of all, it take only one to worship and praise God. Yep, one is a perfect number!
The second line of this song says, "two can be as bad as one, it's the loneliest number since the number one." Wrong! I'm not even gonna go there...wouldn't be prudent but two is a very lucky number for me 'cause I have two fabulous Happy Easter winners. Yep, usin' Random Generator, Miss Tracy over at My Thoughtful Spot and Miss Deb at Smith Family Cookbook each won a $25.00 gift certificate over at The Rusted Chain for a wonderful piece of jewelry! Woohoo!!! Don't that just make your toes curl? Thank you Beki for your generosity. Congratulations to both Tracy and Deb, please enjoy your new baubles. Hop on over, pat 'em on the back, say howdy and tell 'em Nezzy sent ya. If ya haven't check out The Rusted Chain...go... do it now...your in for a treat better than cold chocolate ice cream on a warm summer day!

I'm not so sure that Mr Nilsson knew what he was talkin' about when he wrote 'One' but the world truly loved it when the rock group Three Dog Night snagged it and cut a single in 1969. 'One' soared like a hawk after one of my songbirds to #5 on the Billboards Hot 100. Nope, this chick doesn't believe that one is the loneliest number nor do I buy that two can be as bad as one 'cause I adore bein' hitched. I'm one gal, one child of God and one farm chick who simply loves bein' "One"!!!

Easter Parade (Woohoo Giveaway)

The Easter Bunny was born or hatched (that one is still kinda bogglin' the greatest scientific minds) in southwest Germany. Often refereed to as the Easter Hare, he was recorded in written publication durin' the 1500's. This Ozark Farm Chick is quite smitten with the chocolate version. MMMMmmm, my tummies rumblin' and the thighs are quiverin' just thinkin' about the savory little fella. The first edible Easter eggs were developed in Germany during the early 19th century concocted with pastry and sugar. The notion of the delightful Spring Bunny was introduced to the United States by German Pennsylvania Dutch settlers. Although the Chocolate Easter Bunnies are my favorite this chick also collects her fair share of the adorable cottontails. Yep, tucked here, yonder and there, ya'll can find a bunny hidden 'round almost every corner here on the Ponderosa. They make my heart flip! Aren't they the cutest???

To celebrate Love, Spring and Easter that sweet Beki over at The Rusted Chain is offerin' two of you faithful readers a $25.00 gift certificate to her beautiful online store. Now, doesn't that make you skirt fly all the way up? Shoot, she's even makin' me a beautiful personalized necklace for hostin' this great giveaway. Woohoo!!! Her most original and unique handcrafted jewelry has been featured in various magazines, advertisements, upscale boutiques and has been spotted on the sets of shows like Law and Order Criminal Intent. The Rusted Chain features Beki's Christian themed and custom baubles that ya'll can even add a personal touches to. Her Designs are a mix of rustic elegance for today's fashionista's. Beki's a farm chick herself who lives with her hubby and three beautiful youngens in an old farmhouse. Ya'll can also visit her on her on The Rusted Chain Blog where she shares the love of God, her beautiful photography and a little piece of her world. Please go visit both Beki's store and blog. Ya'll be happier than a starvin' buzzard with sun-baked road kill!!!

The love that God has for his children just blows my mind all to thunder. The fact that he loved us all, no matter our faults or failures, so unconditionally that He sacrificed His only Son to die a most horrific death for us. Wow!!! That makes me high as country air! Easter is a special time for all mankind. Some celebrate by participating in festivities like an Easter Parade. This popular melody was written by Irving Berlin in 1917 where he later added words and published the song in 1933. Bing Crosby sang it in the 1942 film Holiday Inn. I want ya'll to enter my Easter Giveaway simply by leavin' a comment to celebrate Easter. Then ya'll can go put on your new fancy dresses, frilly bonnets, shinny new shoes and some new beautiful jewelry by Beki and head out to the "Easter Parade"!!!

Happy Easter and the best of luck to ya'll!

WALK LIKE A MAN

My dear Granny Walden used to say, "girl...if it has testicles or wheels watch out 'cause it's gonna give ya a whole heap of trouble." This is the same wise woman who told me when she found out I was about to marry a dairy farmer, " you walk into that milk barn and act like ya never seen a cow before, child, 'cause if ya start milkin' you'll be the one stuck with it 'till the day the good Lord takes ya home." I decided my Granny was one smart cookie so I obeyed and never ever milked the cows but let me tell ya'll I've done 'bout every thing else up and down these Ozark hills and hollers that would boggle a three year old's most vivid imagination. We farm wives learn to read our men but I've never ever made it a secret that my favorite sayin' 'round here is, "ya want me to do what???"

In plannin' our fairytale life this Ozark Farm Chick didn't include visions of rakin' hay, drivin' loaded semi's outta swampy mud of the silage pit or pullin' said semi' outta that pit backwards with the big blue tractor. Nor anywhere in our weddin' vows did I say," I promise to stand at corrals covered in sweat, manure and the dust that the wild~eyed cattle stir up to fill vaccination syringes, hand knives for castration, pass dehorners to lop of horns, hold straws to inseminate cows and still have a good meal on at noon for the hungry Strongbacks (farm hands) all while singin', I Am Woman." I am as ya know... (super) Nezzy! Durin' the thirty eight years of wedded bliss to the man of my dreams, I've learned a thing or two about our dog huggin' critter lovin' rural farm fellas.

They can remember the purchase price of the old cow that bit the dust ten years ago, the fertilizer rate five years ago, the seed population from last year, the current cattle market average and crop yield rates but cannot remember the gallon of milk you need without a written note and five reminder calls durin' the day. I've learned that these fine gents will never ever throw out one of those plastic five gallon buckets or any rusty bolt and piece of scrap metal that they may just need someday. We farm chicks know that our men may know nothin' about fashion but they all have a special cap they wear to work, one especially for the local livestock barn, one just for a farm auction, another to plow in and the 'good' one that's put back for that rare vacation.

I would never ever ask my Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love for the use of his pocket knife 'cause we farm wives know that same knife has been used to castrate newborn calves, scrape the manure off nasty barn boots and peel an apple for the hungry man's afternoon snack. I've always had a theory all farm fathers teach their sons to run over their wife's favorite flowers or tiny strugglin' tree so that 'she' will never ever 'let' ya mow the yard again!!!' I can hear 'em sayin' , "ya only have to do it once!" Sure worked that way here on the Ponderosa.

There are just a few items we ever lovin' farm spouses would like for our honeys to know about us. A good farm wife can throw a meal together in two minutes and serve that meal six hours later if necessary. We are as comfortable operating large farm equipment as our guys would be in a barbed wire jock strap. Just sayin'! We don't view a trip out the the workin' pens on a Saturday night to sort cattle by flashlight as a night out. A trip to Bass Pro is not considered the perfect date night. We truly aren't convinced a deer head or a dead varnished fish adds ambiance of our home's decor. We farm chicks love our fellas more than chocolate cake heaped with fudge icin' and we'll do anything for 'em.

Hubs took this picture on the way to Jefferson City last summer. Yes Virginia, there is really an annual Testicle Festival. "Walk Like a Man was the song The Four Seasons recorded under some extraordinary circumstances. March 2, 1963 the voices of lead singer Frankie Vaili and the bass tones of Nick Massi echoed in the recording studio of the Abbey Victoria Hotel which caught fire durnin' the session. The group locked the door and refused to leave before the song that remained at the top of the charts for three weeks was completed. Gotta be a man thing! It wasn't until the firemen broke through with their mighty axes that the group left the building with their hit song in hand determined as a farmer gatherin' their last stray into the herd. I'm thrilled I married my farm fella and wouldn't have it any other way. These country men sure know how to love a gal as we gush and swoon while watchin' 'em "Walk Like A Man!!!"

Whew, fan me now baby!

GOOD LUCK CHARM

This is one chick who doesn't own a four~leaf clover, wear a penny in my shoe, lug around a horseshoe in my purse, dangle a rabbit's foot from my neck yet I feel as lucky as the proverbial fat cow who wouldn't fit in the cattle trailer to the slaughter house who got turned out to pasture in high grass!!! Woohoo!!!

Back a spell I won Pioneer Woman's new book, "Black Hills and Tractor Wheels" over at that sweet Teresa's place, Grammy Girlfriend! Now, if that don't crank your tractor ya must not be breathin'!!! Let me tell ya'll this is one book I can identify with! Teresa is one terrific gal who adores sharin' her love of God with others and is as about as proud as a Grammy can get when it comes to her adorable grandkiddos. Her blog oozes the love she shares with family,friends and fellow bloggers. She also has a wonderful Christmas blog A Baby Changes Everything. Life has been tougher than a two~dollar steak for her this past year so please, go pay her a visit, sit a spell...take your shoes off!

I have to tell ya'll the blender I've been usin' was ancient and about as useless as a Popsicle stick in quicksand! Tammy over at Flat Creek Farm gave me the great opportunity to enter her CSN Store giveaway for a fifty~dollar gift code. I'd already set my mind I was gonna buy a blender if I won. Imagine my delight when my Missouri Christian sister contacted me that I'd won but wait folks...it gets better. I hopped over to the CSN site to use my gift code and found a Cuisinart blender originally priced $110.00. This Ozark gal usually gets the standard Osterizer blender at Wally~World but this dream was marked down 46% makin' it $59.85. Well, call my mama 'cause this was somethin' I could do and the blender even qualified for free shippin'. Does life get any better? I entered my $50.00 code payin' out of pocket only $9.85 for my beautiful $110.00 Cuisinart that I love more than a chubby farm boy loves cake. Talk about squeezin' a quarter so tight the eagle screams!

Please go visit beautiful Tammy over at Flat Creek Farms where you'll find all kinds of rural things like rooster saddles (now there's two word I never thought I'd use together) and some of the cutest little mini~donkey's you've ever laid eyes on!

I've heard it said, "keep Nezzy away from the magic markers...she's dangerous!!!" Yep, I love to draw, doodle and have a colorful blast, it's just the way I fly. I was doin' quite the happy dance here on the Ponderosa when Kimberly over at Forever Daisies notified me that I'd won her Sharpie and Sticky Note giveaway. Yippee tie yie yay, if that's not just finer than frog hair split four ways! Ya'll know gal can never have too many Sticky Notes or Sharpies so I'm in Doodle Heaven! Kimberly is a precious small town girl who'll do just about anything to get that perfect photo. Wonder if she gives lessons? Her creativity flows through her lovely blog and when it comes to flowers she's just a daisy kinda gal. Stop by over at Forever Daisies and meet Kimberly.

Yep, this is one gal who doesn't need a good luck charm to be blessed. Oct 15th, 1961 Elvis Aaron Presley recorded one lucky pop song that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained number one for two weeks. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis didn't need a good luck charm either 'cause everything he touched turned to gold but just as The King sang this fine tune ya can hear this Ozark Farm Chick beltin' out that great old sixties hit "Good Luck Charm!!!"

COLD AS ICE

I make no bones that I think winter is about as useful as a rubber crutch. This Ozark Farm Chick is a summertime gal. I thrive in my biker shorts, cute little tees and flippies. I adore workin' my acre of flower gardens and afternoon dips in my swimmin' pool. Ya know, the things dreams are made of. This winter has been colder than a cast iron commode on the shady side of an iceberg and I have not hidden the fact that 'Nezzy' has not been a happy camper. With that said, of all things I could collect... I collect snowmen!!! I know, that makes me about a crazy as a sprayed roach but I love the little cold~hearted fellas. You will fine 'em nestled into every nook and corner of the Ponderosa's homestead from the edge of Autumn through the early stages of Spring.

Woohoo!!! It's Deep Clean Friday and I've been busier than a set of jumper cables at a Redneck picnic. Yep, faucets sparkle, furnace filters cleaned, floors shine and the dust mites are gaspin' for air. Ya'll know how clean rocks my world but as I was cleanin' I had little eyes givin' me cold hard stares. I'm thinkin'...it might be time to put my crystal gents with the carrot noses away, Spring bein' Sunday and all. Ponderin' on how each and every snowflake is as unique and individual as God made us, I carefully wrapped each snowman to be packed away. In doin' so I noticed that some of my snowmen have yellowed over the years while others are still pure white. Yellowed kinda like us when we allow sin into our lives. Psalm 51:7 says "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Now, I can't take the aromatic plant hyssop used to clean in ancient days to wash away my sins but this plant was also used in religious rituals in comparison to the blood of Christ. That's somethin' this chick can wrap her brain around! Now, if that don't put the pepper in the Gumbo!!!

Ya'll know that goin' to church doesn't make ya a Christian anymore than standin' in a garage makes ya a car. Far to often we are yellowed with unkindness we show others instead of reflectin' love of Jesus. Our hearts can become as stinkin' cold as the little snowmen I just packed away. Spring is upon us, a time of rebirth and new beginnings. I don't want to be like the 1977 British~American band Foreigner who sang "Cold as Ice" on their Billboard Hot 100 list record. As the warm rays of the sun melts winter's remnants from the earth, I yearn for The Son to warm my soul allowin' me radiate the warmth of His precious love. I want to be a servant, a warm lovin' child of God. I want it to never be said of me that "she was...Cold as Ice!!!"