Merry Christmas, everybody!! I'm pleased to say that I almost feel like Christmas. We had a two day cool snap over the weekend which helped. :) It also helps that I just got all my stuff wrapped and poked under our antique Christmas tree. It looks rather measly, but I'm used to have 7 people's things under the tree instead of only three.

The above mentioned cold snap has brought on the winter feeding routine. Yesterday morning I stepped out of the house, pleased with the fact that I needed a jacket, to be greeted by the smell of burnt plant matter. (That is frost bitten kind of burnt. ;P) I already was planning on going across the creek to feed my cows, but upon seeing the state of the grass (it looked like snow), I knew I really needed to go feed them. Wednesday I will be doing my feed-store routine.

Upon my arrival at our place this morning, I was greeted eagerly by all five head (the calf was on the other side of the house). Soon they were running each other off the pellets like their normal greedy selves. Socks is roping some, but she is no where near ready to have her calf. However, I'm not concerned because we learned with old Poky (I miss that cow!), that they fool you with their roping. As far as I can tell Socks is the only one of my four cows who is pregnant.
 
I'm not exactly sure how we are going to do Christmas Eve (we usually do a semi-fancy dinner--but I don't know if Savannah is planning on that); nor Christams day for that matter. I think this is going to be one of the most different Christmases ever.

Here's a few pictures of us taken yesterday, before we headed off to church...
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I was standing funny so the top of the tree could be seen--and it still looks like it got chopped off! :D
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My BE-U-TIFUL sister...
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I've had those shoes since I was 12 when Mama bought them for me at the PX in Arizona. Obviously, my feet haven't grown much!!
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Savannah's lovely hat. (This is one of my favorites.)
Have a Merry, Merry, Christmas!!!

        Racheal

 
Today, the 7th of December, is a day that brings back some memories...

Last year, at about 4:30 in the afternoon, I took a headlong fall off my horse and broke my wrist. Remember? (If interested in re-reading that tale, you can find it under December 2011 on the "Archives" page. I wasn't using the blog format yet...)
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This was the next evening...
Besides the pain, I was rather disappointed that it was (at earliest) 9 pm by the time Daddy and I left the ER with my fractures splited. (That splint cut the blood off from my pinky finger something bothersome!) The reason I was so disappointed was that I had really, really been looking forward to watching 'Tora! Tora! Tora!'. It has been a family tradition ever since I can remember to watch the movie on December 7th and we hadn't managed to see it for the last 3 years. (I'm fully planning on watching it tonight. I brought our VHS player over for that express purpose!)

The morning of the 7th of December, 1941 witnessed one of the most horrendous attacks our country had ever sustained up to that point in time. Many men died that day as the USS Arizona sunk and the other ships in the harbor were severely damaged. "The day that shall live in infamy" is one that my family has always honored. This is a day never goes by without a thought of the past. Thoughts of the men who died...thoughts of the men who sacrificed their lives so that we could be free. I pray that we will not forget the noble sacrifices of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines--past, present, and future.

While I may have broken my wrist on the day of infamy, even while sitting in the ER I didn't forget these men. (That's not a brag--at all.) I wonder how many young people my age pass the day without any knowledge--or care--of what happened at 8 o'clock that Sunday morning 71 years ago. This, my friends, is a reminder to never, ever, ever forget the men who have died to preserve our freedoms. This is reminder to honor those men...and I don't care if they are 100 or 18 years old! You owe your freedom first, to the grace of God, and second, to the soldiers He has seen fit to bless you with. Don't ever forget that.

God Bless Our Military!
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Pearl Harbor WILL NOT be Forgotten!!!

        Racheal

P.S. You won't get any smart-aleck remarks about the Air Force or Navy out of me today....
 
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Mr. L during one of the battles.
On the Photo's page you will find a new slideshow....I hope you get an idea of what everything was like. I had so much fun and I think everyone else did too...

I also wanted to add how impressed I was by the carriage and demeanor of the men from both camps. I have never been treated with such dignity and respect. I'd pass a soldier and get either a nod of recognition or even a lifting of the cap. I was spoken to as "ma'am" (something I'm not used to as I'm still something of a 'kid'). On my way back from camp Sunday after the battle, one of the Federal men lifted his cap and said, "I may be wearing blue, but I haven't lost my southern hospitality!" I laughed and dropped him a little curtsy. It was great :) {And believe me, it becomes easier to carry oneself in as a lady when one is treated like a lady--it doesn't change one's personality, but it softens the hard edges--perhaps :D}

Enjoy!

        Racheal

 
Ah yes...I know I haven't blogged in days...it's been rather crazy (fun)...

Let me see...the Tale of Two Gates must have taken place on Monday...no, it must have been Saturday because Junior was here Monday.

Anyway, we (Aunt T, Philip, Joel, and I) were going to plink. I had tied Snip to the gate at the head of the driveway because I didn't want him down range. I fired one shot from my .22 rifle and ol' Snip backed up in fear. Guess what? He pulled that gate and it's post right out of the ground! Of course, the post, while practically a foot in diameter, was rotten off at the bottom...
That was the end of the shooting. Instead we built a gap gate. Then, after Aunt T went in, the boys and I built the gap gate I was intending on building when I first constructed the horse lot. Well, it was mostly Philip that helped...Joel was busy holding Snip off. It was the horse's suppertime and he was quite insistant that his feed ought to show up sooner than later. He even got so close that he nipped my backside. Stinker!

Now, that would have been more exciting if I had written it right after it happened...but I didn't. Sorry.

Then next adventure...Monday. Uncle Rod brought Rod Jr. over for the day. Rod was supposed to mow...it never did happen what with the battery being dead...the belt shredding...and then the engine quit...Anyway, Jr. drove Joel nuts. I was grieved to hear some of the language my young cousin was using. I scared him at one point and he swore...while laughing. It is sad. He's still a 'nice kid' but with his ADHD and the life he has had, you don't want to let him out of your sight.

That day we fixed the fence where the old tree--that ancient oak, had fallen. I also shot an armadillo. I think I went to town at least twice. Both times I had all three boys...at one point, Jr. had his toes jammed against my heel making driving difficult--he obligingly moved them once I mentioned it.

Tuesday morning we got a surprise. Uncle Rod dropped Cassandra off early. I wasn't dressed yet (I usually drink my coffee and read my Bible before getting dressed.) After I let her in, I explained that the boys were still asleep in 'my' room and that I would wake them when I went in to get my clothes. Well, she started to go in anyway. I have difficulty explaining exactly what I felt--somehow it wasn't modest. (You're thinking--what's the difference between me and her? I'm older...they are used to me popping in in the mornings...they probably know me better...and anyway, it just down-right irritated me that she was going to preempt me.)

Let's see...I saddled Snip up early (the bit went in really fast) and rode off to open the gates. The cows didn't rotate til later and I hear the boys went out and closed the gates. I let Aunt T ride Snip and then I gave rides :) 
Later, after lunch, Savannah and I loaded up and headed off. We were going to V.B. for a SCV meeting. (Why were girls going to a Sons of Confederate Veterans meeting? Why, we were invited, of course!) We left a little early because we were going to go to some pirate musuem and walk on the beach. Well, we got to the museum five minutes before it closed...then it started to pour down rain and flash lighting...so no beach walk either. We drove around for a while to kill time :) Fortunately, Mr. F. showed up at the resturant 30 minutes early. He is all fired up over my Cow Cavalry documentary and I am thrilled. I fully intended to write stuff down yesterday, but didn't...the explaination will follow. Anyway, Mr. F. is basically offered to get me into contact with whomever I would like and he has some suggestions on who to contact, etc. I will certainly get around to squaring my head up with the stuff...but I think I will wait till next week. Why? Well...other stuff is going on around and around here :) I'm going to be totally wiped out on Monday.

Okay...Wednesday. I started the day out in a skirt. I ended it in jeans, dirt, and grease.

Episode one: Shortly after breakfast, Aunt T and I went out to take a look at the mower. I tucked my skirt up the way I do and went to taking the cover off the mower engine. In just a short time I discovered the problem. The gear on top of the starter was broken! I went in and changed...after I washed off the grease that encased my arms from the elbows down. Savannah told the boys to get up if they wanted to go to the feed store with me...I was going there as well as the mower place. We hopped in the truck and it didn't start. We jumped it. (The boys had driven it the night before and I guess it quit on them at some point.)

Episode two: The first trip to town. As we left, I had Joel call Daddy and talk to him about the truck. He told us to take it in to Tex and have him check and see if it was the battery or the alternator. Well, I decided to just swing by there last, since it would be on the way home, and just not turn the engine off at any of my stops. First stop: lawn mower place. All three of us piled out of the truck, leaving the engine running and walked towards the bays. The owner walks out and says something like, "What you got?" (We had the starter and the whirly-gig in hand). I said, "A starter and this piece is broken." I'm not even sure he looked at it, but he went straight to the shelf and got the right part. I had mentioned it was a Murry mower...but still it was amazing. I paid him and then we hopped back in the truck and went to Bryan's. Philip stayed in the truck, but Joel got out and came with me. I ordered my two bags of 'Stock and Stable 12', paid and left. Next stop--Smith's. Philip again remained in the truck...at Smith's it was a good idea since I could not see the truck from inside. I got some dewormer for Snip and 4 bags of mineral. Then we roared off to Tex's. I walked in, tailed by my cousins, explained who I was, and what Daddy had said. So, Tex gets his alternator tester, checks it and says, "It's the alternator." We took our mower part and horse medicine out of the truck and I called Savannah, "Come get us!" While waiting for her so show up, I called Daddy to let him know what was up.

Episode three: Post-lunch...we went back to get the truck. When we got home we started to put the part on the mower...we just couldn't get that little clip thingy (I can't recall the exact name) on so Aunt T said, "Let's take it back to the shop..." We did and he put it on in no time and didn't charge us a cent :) (That's good buisness sense.)

Episode four: It was time to put out the mineral. The truck wouldn't start. So we hauled the mineral out on foot. Joel and I took a sack to the closest mineral tub while Philip headed for the one on the north side of the pasture. After dumping my sack I got the fourth sack and followed him. Joel jumped in the golf cart and caught up to me, so I climbed in with that 50-lb sack in my lap. We did carry it the last 100 yards or so--that way we didn't have to open the gate. Joel got on the runway and I handed the bag to him, then I dashed to the other side and he handed the bag to me (there is electric wire surrounding the runway). I took the bag the rest of the way. Poor Philip, having walked the whole way, was out of breath--as he said later, "It had run on ahead of me so I was just catching up to it." (Philip is funny in a slightly different fashion than Joel ;) ) Anyway...that was the mineral adventure.

Episode five: The fourth trip to town. Philip and I took the truck battery in to Wal-Mart. Philip carried the old one in and I carried the new one out. I felt sorry for the scrawy fella :) That and he stayed to aske the cashier a question. When we got back we installed the new battery and the truck roared to life!
 
As a side note...the boys mowed the yard to that day.

Thursday...I was really tired yesterday, but I still ended up doing stuff. The other half of the oak came down yesterday morning. I am really glad no one was out there...

The pump was leaking some and later in the day we tried a fix with glue on the outside...it helped some although there was still a slight leak. Granddaddy told us it was fine and to leave it be. He was in a mood yesterday where you don't cross him.

Joel and I went in and picked up my post hole digger handle while Philip finished mowing. Aunt T came in this morning and said it doesn't fit. Before I take it back I'm going to do some looking at it myself. 

Joel lost his hat yesterday somehow and somewhere...so, if you happen to find a camo Florida Gators hat with a blue back let me know ;) *grin*

After dinner, the boys and I went mudding in the golf cart. It was really messy but lots of fun! I certainly wouldn't want to do it very often, but I did have fun--I even hollered as we barrelled down the 'hill' to the mud-pit (about 6'x6' area down by the creek). We kept getting stuck and having to push the golf cart out. I don't suppose it really is the healthest activity for the cart to be engaged in, but it's kind of too late now. After the last time we got stuck--we only got out because I found some sticks to put under the wheels--we went back to the house. We knocked on Savannah's window and told her to get the camera. The result was hiliarious!
Now, as to what adventures today holds...other than K. and M. second wedding ceremony (so everyone can be there)...I have NO IDEA. I imagine I'll get into some kind of scrape before then...

See you! (And check out the Photos page...I'll be putting pictures up. And yes, I know I still haven't gotten July 4 up yet...I will sometime.)

        Racheal

 
So I finally got the pictures from J.P. and Debora's wedding up.

I thought I would post some other random pictures of me and stuff...
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This is my Uncle L. look :)
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This is 'Blah'...you would understand if you heard her.
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I'm impressed with how great my hair looks here. It is quite obvious that Savannah braided it and not me!
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Mock Gibson Girl hair-do...
So, maybe you enjoyed these...maybe you didn't. Anyway, I have to scoot...I'm finally getting around to doing my lighting test. I interview "Cousin Hank" (aka Mr. Hendry) tomorrow!

        Racheal

 
On what? Oh, on the opening  for "The Florida Cow Cavalry" of course. Yes, you heard that right, I've spent two days (not entire days, by the way) attempting to build and building the opening--for the second time. For a grand total of 2 minutes and 5o frames (approx. 50 seconds, in this case.)

I got rather frustrated yesterday "because the animation preset isn't working the way it's supposed to!" Alright, so it probably was working extactly how it was supposed to (I still don't see how only 58 frames is that useful...) After ranting to both Savannah and Mom, I firmly decided to  make my own. That is what I did today. I went with a totally different look than the first time I attempted this and I like it better. I did have to change the font style, color, and size, but I still like it.
Here's a 'screenshot' to prove that I'm actually doing something and not goofing off. This stuff is fun, but also very time consuming. What makes it worse is that I get the munchies and I really don't need to be eating the whole time I'm building these compositions!

I've also washed a couple of piles of dishes over the last two days, cooked a lunch :), scrubbed a bathroom, took a walk, fed a horse, ran Granddaddy's lunch over to him, did therapy with Grandpa, talked to cows, and practiced my guitar and organ. And now I'm about ready to get off the computer for the day!

        Racheal


Added later...

I went out and shot some video and pictures. Some of the pictures are of palmettos and such stuff, but I took a few of myself (something I am extremely bad at :) ) These are my favorites.
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Got the idea for this one while taking clothes off the line...
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White hat on a blue sky. Funny how the composition on this one is nice, isn't it?
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Shooting myself shooting :) :)
Now I'm going to take the video off my camera :) I hope it some of it is good. I'm not the greatest at this stuff. Hopefully I didn't pan too fast...or too slow.

                                                  R

 
I declare! The 'blogosphere' is so tiny! I keep finding that one person's blog is followed by another person who I recognize off yet another person's blog! It's ridiculous! However, I didn't come on here to exclaim over such nonesense.

I did some hunting around in some of our old pictures and found a small number of photo's and line-drawings out of old newpapers that I can use for my documentary. A very small number--but some are better than none.

[By the way have you heard about the double barrel .45 in the style of the 1911? The AF2011-A1? It's nutty! (Sorry, Daddy was checking his Guns & Ammo e-mail  and clicked on the article.)]

Back to the point :) I thought I'd share a couple pictures of my Granddaddy when he was young. Just a quick warning--he was a looker! (So was Grandmother!)

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The Clark Gable mustache days. Granddaddy was a DI during the Koren War.
Now, wasn't that worth it? According to him, he was the meanest Drill Sgt. you could ever have had. The sad thing is, he's proud of it. He also denies that he was trying to look like Clarke Gable--no matter, he could fool you at first glance :)

Granddaddy always calls Grandmother 'my pretty woman' when talking about her. Anyway, it has always kind of mystified me why my lady-like grandmother married a drinking, smoking, rough cowboy. He wasn't a Christian when they got married. It was after the kids were born (or some of them at any rate) that he came to Christ. He quit drinking and smoking, but never left the ranching. 

        Racheal

 
...is really fun in my estimation. I have started to build visuals for the Cow Cavalry documentary. So far I have had to re-do the one composition in After Effects twice. I hope I don't have to do it again :) I do know that I need to tweak a part of it some...the scrolling words are a tad too slow.

I spent probably a good hour sitting out in the RV this morning talking to Grandpa about the Civil War. His folks up his mother's mother's side were Virginian's...but they were neutral. He also said that they freed their slave in 1850 (or there abouts). Anyhow, I did my usual touting of the Southern view, but I also tried not to be too hard on the Yankee's. At one point he asked me with a kind of grin if I knew what a Yankee was. Of course I do! To a foreigner (that is not meant to be derogatory) any American is a Yankee. To Southerners all Northerners are Yankees. To Mid-western types, Yankees are those of the Eastern states. And to those in the lower part of the New England area, those farther north are Yankees. (Grandpa told me this last; I think it is probably true.) Technically, a 'true' Yankee is from New England. Anyway, it was just kind of funny :)

My conversation with Grandpa (admittedly I did most of the talking) ranged from Florida's economy during the War to Andersonville Prison to Northern POW prisons, to Abe Lincoln to New Hampshire's threat to succeed in the mid 1850's (if I remember correctly) to abolishionists to Radical Republicans. (That is a looong sentence.)

The following are a few pictures of that horse I'm constantly yammering about...
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Sleepy Baby...

                      Racheal
                                 (and Snip)

 
I finally got around to getting the pictures from last weekend...
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Savannah and I on a trailer ride.
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Daddy
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That's me between the cabbage trees; off to check targets.
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The Snipers...
That last one is just a random picture of me...it has nothing to do with long-distance rifle shooting.