Postcard from Ajdovscina, Slovenia. The population of this city is 8000 and is known for a strong wind called "Burja" that blows 200 km/s (124 m/s). Thank you Erik!

Postcard from Ohio. Say hello to Rocko and your cat! Thank you Kameron!

Postcards from Longji, China. These were my first private swaps. The gentlemen who sent them was so kind. These are pictures of where he lives; the top one during springtime and the bottom in winter. You can see how the land is farmed on the hillsides. Very beautiful. He also sent me pictures of his son who is very cute! Thank you!

Postcard from Holland. I don't know what it says on the front. I can't get a translation on the computer. These are areas in the south of Holland near the German and Belgium border. Thank you Sarah!

Postcard from Pargas, Finland. The lime quarry is going to used for concerts in about a month. I bet the sound will be amazing! Thank you Bror!

Postcard from Whitte Plains, New York. The city of Sleepy Hollow really does exist! It has a very old church and cemetery. Thank you Tara!

I'm changing this blog to follow our adventures in postcrossing instead of my boring life. Ella and I belong to a website called http://www.postcrossing.com/. We exchange postcards with people all over the world. I am going to post all the postcards we have received with a description of where they are from.

FEBRUARY 18, 2011

This was the first postcard we received in February of this year. The woman on the postcard is Anne Summers. If you look her up on the internet make sure you put the "e" on Anne otherwise you will come up with someone in a totally different industry.Who is she?

Anne Summers, born in Australia, 1945, is known not only for her liberating writings but also for her active role in the Feminist movements in the 1970’s. She wrote several books on the role of Women in Australian history and contributed to society as a journalist, writer and in a lesser sense, a historian. One of her most notable works was Damned Whores and Gods Police, written in 1975.

The postcard was created to acknowledge her life's achievements. Thank you Isaac!

This is a very special handmade card sent to me from  my friend Renee (Dora) and her daughter Bri. It is a pressed flower and was very welcome when the weather was so dreary at the time! Thank you so much!

Postcard from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This is a picture of flowering crab trees in Liberty Park. Thank you Veronica!

Postcard from Shenzhen, China. The postcard is handmade from a sheet of tiger stamps. I wish you could see the handwriting on the back. It is beautiful! 2011 is the year of the Rabbit. Thank you Cloud!

Postcard from Helsinki, Finland. I had a very hard time reading the writing on the back of the card. The picture is of the Uspensky Orthodox Cathedral built in the middle of the 1800s. Thank you!

Postcards from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My wonderful cousin Jennifer sent these to us! Thank you Jen!

Postcard from Chicago, Illinois. This is from Jen's sister Sarah (she's wonderful too) and her husband Tom (yes, you are too). Say hello to Lena and Banjo! Thank you!

 

Has it really ben a month since I last posted !?!

Wow, I haven't posted in quite a while I guess. Here's some picture updates:

Billy is growing fast and SO spoiled. He gets to come out of the pasture and wander around the yard with us. He just follows us around, content as can be. He's so sweet.
Mabel has turned out to be the most mischievous of our goats. We still have a bit to learn apparently...she ate the rope off the gate and had a party out in the barn. When I found her, she had her head buried in the goat food bag which was pretty ripped open. Half eaten paper everywhere. Things knocked over. She had a good time. She gets jealous easily too. I really love their personalities.
We also got some sheep. Our first two, Earl and Pearl are seen here on their first day. This is the pasture they are to eat. Start mowing!!!!
Another pic of Earl and Pearl.
A close up of Earl (our ONLY boy-lucky guy). They have the SWEETEST faces. Long eyelashes and soft features.
Then we got ten more...have only named a few. The all brown one is Cinnamon. There's a Freckles and a Gretchen out there too. They are skiddish so I haven't had a chance to get really good pics yet. They have really done a job on our pasture since we've had them! They are Katahdin/Dorper crosses. Considered "hair sheep," which means their fleece will shed off naturally-no shearing. I am told I will not be able to spin any of it because it is too short but I'm thinking-don't they spin dog fur and similar shorter stapled stuff. I'll just have to check into it or look into some other sheep or goats. We have another pasture they haven't even touched yet! I hope they are hungry.
Ella's first last day of school...Field Day with her friends Victoria and Kaitlyn. They are so cute!
Allie and Ella on the four wheeler. She loves being on this. And she's always saying go faster, go faster. Scary, she's a little daredevil. We went to the Bullitt County Fair tonight. Ella got on every big ride she could. I thought she looked as though she were going to throw up on one or two of them but she didn't. She told us as were leaving that she did throw up but swallowed it. Yeah, gross thought, sorry. I guess she wasn't about to let any puke spoil her fun cause she was non stop all night. She's a tough little girl. I really wish she wouldn't have done that though. I guess it wouldn't have been cool for her to throw up on herself and everyone else on the rides either. It's a toss up unfortunately. I wish I could have known what was going through her head.

I'm still working on my classes. Headed for 3 or 4 midterms all at once. Getting a TON of stuff done on the barn and house. I've repaired boards on the outside of the barn, made two stalls, fixed the outer animal shelter and added a loft to it, landscaped the front of the house, painted the foundation of the house, painted our living room, changed our sunroom into another bedroom, and my garden is just growing like crazy. Nothing has gotten into it cause it's surrounded by dogs. It's still early though, I could end up killing a few plants. We have one peach and two apples on our trees, the frost really did a number on them. We have a ton of grapes showing up on our vines too.

I have been looming a little. I feel guilty when I do though cause I know I should be working on my schoolwork. So when I finish an assignment I allow myself to knit a while. I still very much want to get the website back up and everything else but I haven't figured out to manage my time in a way that I can fit everything in. I have started making some stuff for baskets my Gma's Homemaker's Club will raffle off this winter. A little at a time. Be thankful for what you can do when you can...

Ups and Downs

Today we celebrated Caleb's 11th birthday. Time is going too fast. He's already at the age where you don't know what to get them so you get them clothes and you KNOW that isn't what they want. That in-between awkard age. Almost too old for "toys" but not old enough not to get some. His birthday was actually the 1oth but he was at his Mom's and had school. Yesterday wasn't a good day. One of my baby goats had a case of scours which we have under control now but the other for some reason just stopped eating. He was doing so much better than the other and then all of a sudden I couldn't get him to take his bottle. I forced him to take some but he just wouldn't. He died in my arms. I really hate it. I can't stand not to be able to help something like that. I don't know what I did wrong or if I did do anything wrong. I got our goats from a livestock auction so I'm sure there was a reason he was being sold off so young in the first place, but still. Our other baby is so sweet. He just loves attention and loves following everyone around. Our two girls are doing good too. They are just as curious. I really enjoy being around them. I just wish I could have prevented BillyBob from slipping away. I guess I can only try to do the best I can for the others.
Today was better. Still a little gloomy after yesterday. The best part of the day was a "Muffins with Mom" time with Ella at school. They all sang for us and had pictures they had drawn. They told us what made us special (in thier eyes). It was really sweet. One of those times when you're so proud of your child and love them so much you have tears in your eyes. You actually feel a little ache in your heart. I've often wondered about this "ache." It amazes me that our body can produce such an intense "feeling" that it causes on organ inside our body to ache. And you usually associate an ache with pain but these aches come from joyous occasions too. I do believe people can die of a broken heart (I've felt that pain but apparently not as bad as I thought or else I wouldn't be here) and they can also die of sheer joy as well (I'm in no hurry for this one...too much I want to see and experience). It just seems kind of a strange experience. I wonder what it's purpose is?
Well, after reading Dora's blog I'm going to spend the weekend with the kids in focus. I hope every MOTHER out there has a great Mother's Day. And even if you don't have kids you probably take care of someone (another relative, friend or even pet) in the same way and deserve just as much recognition so here's to all of you as well....Happy Mother's Day! You ARE SPECIAL AND LOVED!!!!