This Little Puggle Came to Visit....

Dear Reader,

This little puggle named Chloe came to visit ....

(A Puggle is half Pug, half poodle (Oops!  Beagle) .. or so they tell me:)

She came for an overnight visit with her country cousins. 

(She herself is a city dog.)

So, of course, we all had to go for a good ol' country walk, but... first, Bud must inspect this odd little cousin attached to a red strap:)

...And the odd little country cousin must acclimate herself

to her new surroundings:) ...

O.K....I think we're ready ....

And off we go!

Oh, my, the things these country cousins will do!

Not I, says the Puggle.



Ahhh...home is in sight!



Plumb tuckered out ....

Night night, Cuz ...

Have a lovely day, My Friends,

and try to stay cool!

-Mug

To Be or Not to Be .......

Dear Reader,

Just about every morning I sit outside sipping on a large cup of fresh-brewed coffee ...
slowly waking up as I absorb the world around me.  



Sometimes I talk to God and read my morning devotions ... 

Sometimes I marvel anew at God's creation

Many times I ask Him to order my day as he sees fit

and to help me to keep my eyes on Him ... 

but sometimes I just sit :)

Sometimes it's good to "just be" ...



Have a lovely day!

-Mug

Sheer CrEaTiViTy! !

Oops!, Dear Reader, I left out an important character trait of the men (and women) who built this country (probably one of the MoSt important) that Hubby exhibited in "the bushhog feat" of my previous post.....

sheer CrEaTiViTy!!!

as he pondered how his 55-year-old self could get that big ol' heavy bushhog up off of the ground with only his wimpy 55-yr-old wife to help...(Actually, I doubt seriously that I really entered into the equation as he figured this out:-)

Have a lovely day!

-Mug

Men like this .....

Dear Reader,

As I watched my husband walk around the bushhog this morning 

(for you city folk, this is a large, heavy, metal attachment for a tractor that is used to bushhog, or cut, rough pasture land) 

that has  been lying in the same spot for quite a while under the pine trees surrounding our country home ....

..... as I watched him poke and prod that large piece of machinery with shovel in hand ....

.... as I watched him gather several bricks, 1/2 cement block, two 8-ft 4x4 pieces of lumber, and a long-handled axe ....

.... as I watched him grunt and groan in his sheer determination to lift that bushhog up off the ground and lean it against the pine tree under which it sat, I realized ....

Men like this built our country .....

Men (and women) like this, who used the talents, ...

clear thinking

focus

physical strength

determination

.... the strengths God gave them, and just did what had to be done!

When the bushhog was finally leaning upright against the tree, Husband wiped the sweat off his brow, looked at me with a grin, and said, 

Where there's a will, there's a way ... :)

Happy Independence Day, My Friends, and Happy Birthday, America!

-Mug

P.S.  Just for the record, Husband couldn't have done it, without Wife standing by to slide the bricks & cement block under the bushhog as he pried it up off the ground little by little .. :)

Thank you, Lord, that it didn't fall on him or our dogs ...

P.S. (again) In case you are wondering why it was so important to pick this bushhog up ....Husband wanted to sharpen the blades so that he could bushhog the overgrown meandering "walking paths" he has created through the pine forest around our pond ...

creativity

Inspired by my mother.....

Dear Reader,

These quirky ladies were inspired by my mother who lives in the Land of Pittsview.

THE BRIDGE CLUB

     I gave my mother and her bridge club ladies each a print of this painting, and, according to Mama, the first lady to arrive for that day's bridge game, decided who was who!  Mama, according to Ms. Teddy, is the one with the purple feather and shoes because she is the second shortest:)

THE LUNCH BUNCH

Mama and 3 of her old friends have begun meeting for lunch the last Tuesday of every month.  Two of the ladies have macular degeneration (gradually going blind) and one can't walk without a walker, but they have the best time!  Mama makes the rounds picking them all up (or at least 2 of them), and off they go to the restaurant of their choice for that month!:)

Different group of ladies.... Mama may still be the one with the purple feather...although I would choose the little lady in the pink pillbox hat for her:)

Have a lovely day!

-Mug

Playing Catch-Up ... A Recipe and a Loss

Dear Reader,

I can hardly believe I have been "away" from the blogging world for almost 2 months!

I have been busy

....working....baking....growing things...watering...organizing....spending more time with family....painting....creating notecards from my paintings....napping....walking....trying to grow in my walk with God...reading...cooking...Taking my entourage (not sure I spelled that correctly) of Parading Chicks to the Saturday morning market in downtown Columbus, GA....

but didn't realize I had been "away" quite this long.

On a sad note,

those of you who have been "visiting" my blog for a while may remember

Harry

Harry is no longer with us....

He was run over by a speeding car on the country back road on which we live.

Hubby found him .

Knowing Harry, he was probably completely absorbed in some strange small bug

or smell that he found in the middle of the road and never saw what hit him.

We had him for 6 years.

He is buried in the pine forest behind our home

with Bear, Blue, Sir Francis, Kate One, and Hamp...

 Our other dogs (Sapp, Kate Two, Bud, and Maggie)

 acted sad for several days after he died...as if they knew.

We all miss him very much...

Hmm...I didn't intend to "talk" about Harry when I started this post. 

I had every intention of giving you a wonderful recipe I found in Better Homes and Gardens magazine for fancy baked beans ...I took it to a family gathering at my sister's home ... It was quite a hit:)

Not sure how I deviated to Harry.....

Oh well...here's the recipe ....

might be just the thing to go with your Fourth of July Barbeque!

CALICO BEANS

Serves a crowd.

1 (15-oz) can green lima beans

1 (15-oz) can large lima beans (or butter beans)

1 (15-oz) can black beans

1 (15-oz) can red beans

1 (15-oz) can great northern beans

1 (28-oz) can pork and beans

½ lb. bacon (cut into 1-inch pieces)

2 medium onions(chopped) (I used one large)

¾ cup brn sugar (I only used about ½ cup)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup vinegar

½ cup ketchup

Fry bacon pieces.  Just as bacon begins to crisp, add the onions and fry together.  Then add all the other ingredients (except for the beans) and simmer for about 5 minutes. 



Meanwhile, drain the cans of beans, reserving the liquid, and put them in a large casserole dish.



Pour the frying pan mixture over the beans and mix thoroughly. 

Add enough of the reserved liquid to barely cover the beans

and bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 1 ½  hours,

checking periodically and adding more liquid as needed to keep the beans from drying out.

ENJOY!!

Have a lovely day!

-Mug

P.S.  It's good to be "back"....I'll be visiting all my blog friends over the next few days:)

We're having a bAbY........

.......Well......

 .....not US, exactly,

but our daughter and son-in-law are!

So, of course, I couldn't resist this
vintage crosstitched panel
from Etsy

And this little "how-to kit (also from Etsy)

so i can begin re-learning how to smock!:-)

I have spent $10 so far on my GrAnDcHiLd:-)

Now the big question...

What should he/she call us?

My husband likes "Pops":-)...

But do I like GrandMug....or "Mugsie"?

GrandMug & Pops...

Pops & GrandMug....

Mugsie & Pops....

Pops & Mugsie....

Both sets of names have an endearing  look and "ring" to them, do they not?

But GrandMug is a bit of a mouthful...

Hmmm .... And "Pops & Mugsie"
sort of makes me think of a 1940's "gangster" duo?

I guess it could just be plain ol'

"Mug & Pops"

"Pops & Mug" 

All right, Dear Friends, what do YOU think?

-Mug

P.S.  We are gaining TWO new additions to our family this year.....
a daughter-in-law AND a grandchild!
I posted here about our new daughter-in-law-to-be!