Some things I learned over Memorial Day weekend...

An 80-something year old woman (approaching 90 really) can scale a fence and trudge through manure like there's nothing to it.

Not having a shower is not so bad when the weather is cool. (Gramma has a bath tub, but not a working shower.) Yes, I bathed. No, not every day. It's a small tub and to be honest, it's a bit of a nuisance. Those of you who have been there understand.

Baby Bear has a healthy respect for farm animals. She stayed her distance from the heifers and chicks, but was quite happy to tackle Kitty.

Jay Alan Sekulow's organization is not exempt from the "charities that prey on the sympathies of the elderly" syndrome. Hubby signed Gramma up for the do-not-call list in her state. Hope it helps.

Gramma can relax. As long as there's no meal to be planned. We even ate out a couple of times, which helped her relax even more.

It's not appropriate to garden on the Lord's Day. Unless it's to dig up plants for your grandaughter who is leaving the next day.

Window a/c units don't have 9 lives. Therefore, before installing for the summer, make sure the unit still works. Especially if you're paying to have someone else install it.

Buckets of rain water make excellent water for flowers and new plants.

Cows like to eat watermelon rinds, but not asparagus. (Especially 1-inch thick stalks.)

Baby Bear can sit pleasantly in a church service- as long as the music doesn't stop. Once the music stops, she says and signs "more, more" and starts to cry. It doesn't matter if the music is your simple old fashioned organ and piano and not contemporary, either. Music is music to her.

Visiting with old family friends after 8 years brought back memories from my childhood. Who would have thought that I would distantly be related by marriage to the man who baptizd my younger sister at our church in Michigan?

The simple life is both simple and complex. Farmers must rely on faith, trusting God to send the water their crops need. All the planning and preparation in the world is dependent on nature... God's provision. Of course, without their diligence, the fields and animals would not thrive either. What a balance!

There are always tasks to do, but when distant relatives from the city come visit and request a tour of the farm for their 1 1/2 year old, they are your honored guests.

A 100 year old farm house, if renovated and taken care of, can look really new.

A white fluffy dog that lives on a farm is seldom really white or fluffy.

If you want a kitten, find a farmer. Many farms have dozens of them around. Too bad we couldn't convince hubby to let us take one for baby bear.

Sleeping in til 7:30 is really sleeping in on the farm.

Watching Kitty climb the maple tree is sure to amuse my Baby Bear.

Toys are silly. Sticks and stones will do just fine.

Lambs whose mommy's milk doesn't come in are called orphans and must be bottle fed. An IBC root beer bottle with a nipple contraption thingy will do just fine. No Dr. Brown's, Avent, etc. necessary for the lambs!

Oscar can be a female lamb's name. It was an orphan and is now the matriarch of the farm where it lives. The farmer's daughter will not allow her dad to get rid of it because it was born when she was 2. She starts college in the fall.

Jelly jars make a great bridal shower gift- if the bride knows how to make jam. Fortunately, the recipient does indeed.

It is possible to gain 4 pounds in 5 days.

Baby Bear, like her older cousins, does not like spatzel (dumplings). She does like the beef that goes over the spatzel.

Although Gramma's frozen raspberries did nothing for her in October, Baby Bear has since decided they are one of her favorite types of fruit.

While I did miss reading my friends' blogs, I actually didn't really miss posting every day. This means that with a little self discipline, perhaps I will try to limit my time online and accomplish more around here. Maybe. Oh, wait, that would require self-control. And I'm an addict.... if you don't believe me, scroll down to see how many times I've posted since last night.