Black Walnuts

We have a black walnut tree on the side of our house that provides good shade in the summer and a nice limb for the tire swing.  However, in the fall it drops all those walnuts.  It wouldn't be so bad but that is the part of the yard we use the most.  It makes tire swinging like a game of dodgeball  and walking around like a game of twister ... ankle twister, that is.  So a couple of Saturdays ago I spent an hour or so picking them up off the ground...look at all those walnuts! 

Oh, and here's what my gloves looked like afterward:

I don't ordinarily like to use gloves much but those walnuts have an outer husk that leave a strong smell on your hands and can stain them for life (nearly).  When the walnuts are dry enough, the husks come off and underneath is the hard shell.  Now, that shell is very hard and you have to have a hammer (or squirrel teeth) to crack it open.  There are special black walnut crackers you can get; they are huge with an anvil area to hold them and an extra long lever handle and press to crack them.  Anyway, if you manage to get them open, you'll be rewarded with large pieces (or halves if you're lucky) of black walnuts which have their own special flavor.

Wanna try them?  I'll trade you some for pecans.  :)

Tree Limb Crossing

One morning, a couple of weeks back, Big T came running in after taking out the trash saying that a tree limb had fallen across the road.  That was a surprize to me because we hadn't had any strong winds, so I tried looking out the window and even stood on the porch trying to see it.  The garage was blocking the view so I went out with Big T and Little A and sure enough a big limb had fallen down (mostly) across the road.  Of course they felt it was blog worthy so I took a picture with them and Squeakers (our cat) next to it.

Never a dull moment out here in the country...no siree...never a dull moment.

Hay Bales

It wouldn't be fall without hay bales.  This picture really doesn't do justice to the sheer number that are in that field because you can't see all the way to the back.  There must be hundreds!

Playing in the Stream

Wow, I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted anything until I saw the date of the last post.  Our schedule has really picked up with all the activites and now I have a whole backload of posts to put up.

A few weeks ago, after the rain subsided somewhat, Big T and Little A asked if we could walk to the stream.  We had been cooped up in the house for a few days because of all the heavy rain and when the sun started to shine again we just had to get out.  So, after lunch, off to the stream we went.

Of course, it's hard to go to the stream without putting just your toes in.  After your toes are in, it seems silly not to put your feet in.  Then, if your feet are in you must try wading a bit, with your pants rolled up.  And before you know it, somehow those pants get unrolled and you're practically swimming.  "That's okay," Big T assures Little A  "we have a country mom, she won't mind."  Lol. 

So here they are at the stream....

  

And with a "friend"...

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!