And They Lived Happily Ever After

I love living in the country, more and more every day.

Once upon a time....

I woke up yesterday morning to take Ikey out for his morning jaunt. Before I got out the door with him, I spotted two little baby doves laying on my porch.  They were right above the steps, right in the way!  They were laying facing the same direction, looking onto the porch, about 10" apart.   I thought "oh my word...now what".  I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of photos trying not to disturb them.

To take care of Ikey I took him out the back door.  Curious and fascinated, I then went out the back door again with my camera and snuck around the front to take some closer photos.  They were still as posts, only blinking their eyes.  They did not seem to be bothered by me.  Oh mercy, I didn't want anything to happen to them.  I didn't know what to do.
I called my sister.  My sister said "I think it's best you just leave them alone" (easy for her to say 80 miles away, not watching them, worrying).  I called the vet.  The vet's receptionist said "we don't have anyone we know of that can help you" (easy for her to say, she wasn't seeing them, lying there alone).  When I called the game warden he said "what we tell people in situations like this, is that the best thing to do is just let nature take it's course", (easy for him to say over the phone because he didn't see the stray cat in the pasture next door earlier this morning).  Seriously, are these folks kidding.  How am I going to just watch these little guys wither away to nothing while I just "leave them alone and let nature take it's course!"
So what did I do?  Prayed and then I left them alone.
I did go up and down the stairs on the opposite side of them however, several times after that and they never moved.  I took a few photos.

They had gotten together and were snuggling in opposite directions.  "Huh", I thought.  I left the house about 3 pm and headed to town for the rest of the day but only after refilling the birdbath with water.

When I arrived back home about 9:30, they were no longer there.  I got the flashlight and looked around a bit on the ground for them and found nothing.  "Praise God", I said "the mom came and got them and they are gone.  No need to worry about them anymore."  I was so relieved.  Can I hear a hallelujah?

This morning I woke up and began one of my newest rituals when the weather is colder outside...getting on my computer with my tea and toast in bed!  (Ikey loves staying in bed longer).  Out of the corner of my eye I see a dove land on the rocker outside on the porch.  "Huh"?  I think.  "What in the world.  No birds ever fly up on the porch like that and sit in the chair."  Then I think, "Oh my.  Could it be?  Could it be that those little birds are still up there on the porch somewhere and she's come to check on them?"  I get up and go to the window, peer out, and sure enough, much to my "oh no" feeling, there they are, all huddled together under the rocker!  Good grief, what to do now?  Take more photos!

I call the vet's office back and tell them the story.  It's a different person.  She says "bring them in. We'll see what we can do.  We can't promise you we can save them.  If you've seen the mother she will keep coming around looking for them".  Oh great, I'm thinking of stealing her babies.  She'll be heart broken.

I call another friend who recommends calling an animal refuge in Kendalia.  She gives me the number and I call them.  A nice gal answers.  I tell her my story.  She asks some questions about them.  She says they are "fledglings" and that they are probably just not quite old enough to fly yet.  She says once they fall out of a nest a mother will continue to come and feed them for up to 2 weeks until they are old enough to fly.  She tells me I can put a little box out there to see if they will get in it to protect them from the weather.  She says I don't need to put water out or anything.  She says the dreaded "for now, let nature take it's course".  But she also said if they started to look lethargic and I no longer saw the mother coming around, the refuge would take them in.  Much relief on my part.  Turns out Mom's truly gonna do her thing.  I mean, right?  I've already seen her close by this morning.  Could my sister and the game warden have been right?

Then the coolest thing happened.  As I'm looking out the window from my bedroom at them, the little birds start moving around.  I put my iphone on record.  I'm videoing them.  They start ruffling their feathers and holding their wings all the way out.  They start picking at bugs and scratching themselves.  They get perky.  I don't have a good view with my phone but it is taping.  Then out of the corner of my eye, I happen to see a dove out on the birdbath getting I drink.  I think "could it be her?"

She flew!

Next thing I know I hear this weird sound, like mumbling, singing, calling.  They little birds get up and start moving toward the center of the porch.  It's MOM!  She's come.  She starts feeding them!  They are all over her.  They are so tightly knit and touching it looks like they are all connected.  They crawl up on her back.  They nuzzle her neck.  They talk dove talk back.  They're SO HAPPY!  I'm so happy!  I've got this all on video!  Wow, Mother Nature you are amazing!  Mom flies off and they stay on the porch.  However, they start moving toward the edge of the porch by the steps.  I'm worried.  I decide to go around the house and shut the little gate on the porch to keep animals off the porch.  I had left it unclosed last night.  I got as close to them as I had yesterday when they did not move.  However, this time the both gave me the eye, spread their wings and off they went, one after the other, flying into the tree just over the fence.  The mama bird is there too; I can see several small doves in there.  "Could they be siblings?"

Wow.  Great.  Praise God, they are flying! All this is happening right in front of me as I stand in my night gown in my front yard.  Is God good or what?

I go around the house and walk in the back door.  As I'm headed back to the window to look out again, I hear this ruckus.  From the window I can see Mom has brought them back onto the porch.  She feeds them AGAIN!  They are all over her, mouths open.  Oh my, I would have not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.  There are three of them again.  Then, two fly away and one stays.  A tiny one.  And then, he flies off too, into the same tree just outside the yard.  As he is sitting on the branch, I snap his photo.

And they lived happily ever after!

Genesis 1:22
God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

This is truly a lesson in leaving things up to God.  He really does know what he's doing.  He really does have a plan.  You don't see Mother Nature trying to do it herself.  She lets God lead her.  He shows her the way.  If we follow Him, he will do the same for us.  Praise God!

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love to you.

Imminent Storm Sandy

Hurricane Sandy

Today's weather was absolutely "stunning" (my sister's word), phenomenal, gorgeous here where I live.  It was a day you could do almost anything; go to church, walk, play in the park, fish, fly a kite, swing, read, relax, you name it, you could have done it.
I chose to ride.  As I was horseback in the pasture feeling so blessed by the incredible weather here and by just the opportunity to have a horse and have a great place to ride him, my thoughts went out to the folks being caught in the middle of "Sandy".  The weather forecast, the threats, the predictions regarding the hurricane headed for the east coast are all terribly frightening.  It's likely that if your not in the wake of this storm, you will know someone who could or will be affected by it.
Mine and many other prayers are going up and out for those of you who will be touched one way or the other.  Stay safe, stay warm and dry, and keep God close to your heart.

MATTHEW 8

²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Encourage one another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love

If You Like Eggs

I read this on someone else's blog and I thought it was worth sharing.  I'm pretty sure there are some folks who don't like scrambled eggs, but pretty much everyone in our family does.  And how simple are they?  Eggs-pan.  So, next time I'm cooking them or neighbors or guests, they will be better!

5 Common Scrambled Eggs Mistakes

10:00 AM / OCTOBER 23, 2011 

/ POSTED BY Danielle Walsh

• COMMENTS (4)

Photograph by Lisa Hubbard

They're an everyday breakfast staple, but scrambled eggs are no piece of (pan)cake. What's supposed to be a creamy, delicate breakfast often turns out spongy, grainy, browned, and overcooked. It's okay; most people don't know how to properly scramble an egg. And it's no wonder--there are so many variables. Do you use high heat or low heat? Add cream, water, or neither? What kind of pan is best? To get some clarification, we asked the staff of the BA Test Kitchen how to correct some of the most common mistakes home cooks make. Their advice, below.

1. "Don't be wimpy with your eggs. Whisk well and be vigorous about it--you want to add air and volume for fluffy eggs. And whisk the eggs right before adding to pan; don't whisk and let mixture sit (it deflates)." --Kay Chun, Deputy Food Editor

2. "Don't add milk, cream, or water to the eggs. People think it will keep the eggs creamy while cooking, but in fact, the eggs and added liquid will separate during the cooking process creating wet, overcooked eggs. Stir in some creme fraiche after the eggs are off the heat if you want them creamy." --Mary-Frances Heck, Associate Food Editor

3. "Don't use high heat. It's all about patience to achieve the soft curd. Whether you want small curd (stirring often) or large curd (stirring less), you need to scramble eggs over medium-low heat, pulling the pan off the heat if it gets too hot, until they set to desired doneness." --Hunter Lewis, Food Editor

4. "Don't overcook them! Take them off the heat a little while before you think they are done. The carryover heat will keep cooking them for a minute or so. Also: Use a cast-iron or a nonstick skillet. If you don't, there will be a rotten clean-up job in your future." --Janet McCracken, Deputy Food Editor

And last but not least, ditch that fork! Scramble your eggs with a heat-proof spatula, a flat-topped wooden spoon, or for the perfect curd, chopsticks. 

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2011/10/scrambled-eggs-five-things-you.html#ixzz2AVFr0E9N

Deuteronomy 10:17-19

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. ¹⁸ He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. ¹⁹ And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love..

With or Without Marshmallows

With marshmallows for me!   Hot chocolate that is!

Today was the first cold day of fall and hot chocolate was absolutely called for.  A northern blew in sometime early this morning in a huff and you could feel the difference.  The wind blew all day, hard.  I don't believe the temperature ever got above 50 degrees here today.
Ikey and I, we just hung close to the house, close to some hot tea, grilled egg and cheese sandwich for lunch and chili with rice for dinner.  I wish I"d had a tamale or two to go with it.
Ikey insisted on being in my lap all day and has only been out three times!  Generally he's got to check out every scent in the yard.  Today, however, he just did what dogs do and headed straight back to the house...in a hurry!
Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny and cold.  Another perfect day.

Deuteronomy 28:2
All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:.
Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love.

Cowboy Tom and Cow Dog Jewel

Several weeks ago when Baby Gray was staying with me in the country we had the opportunity to witness some "cattle workin" right outside our window.
We were busy eating breakfast and from the corner of my eye I saw my neighbor, horseback, gathering his calves in the pasture next door.  I said "Look, it's a cowboy!"  Low and behold right in front of him, leading the herd was his rat terrier, Jewel, just running, circling and barking up a storm.  She was jumping and and down and bouncing trying to stay on top of the tall grass so she could see.  It was just this side of hilarious seeing her out there.  Surely the timid, loving little dog I had met next door recently was not out there being all brave with these big ole calves? But, yep, she was.  It's amazing what a dog will do for someone they love!  I had to text the cowboys wife and tell her of the goings on out here in the country.  Her text back was a "lol".  Baby Gray and I left our breakfast on the table and headed out to the porch to watch.  We had to see this up close and personal.
Sure nuff it was Cowboy Tom!  After he got his calves in the pen we gave him a holler!  He loped ole gray over to see us (his pony just happened to look a lot like my horse Mosey).  I introduced him to Baby Gray who was just in awe of the whole thing.  And then here came Jewel.  I said, "Oh my gosh she is out there amongst all those cattle like she knows what she's doing".  Tom said "actually, I'm pretty impressed.  She's staying in all the right places".  Now if you know about cattle, you know they don't like dogs, not even a little bit.  They'll snort at them, kick at them, run at them and run from them. They seemed to have all kinds of respect for this pint sized girl.  Did I mention, she's small.  My goodness, she's not bigger than a minute.  But obviously, she's got the heart of a big brave girl.
She came bounding over to Baby Gray and I and we gave her a big ole pet.  Baby Gray also gave Chama, the new gray horse, a pet and before leaving gave "Cowboy Tom" a knuckle!
It was just truly a sight to see and a great way to start out day.
Later the next day we went to the parade.  Guess who was there?  Cowboy Tom!  Baby Gray recognized him immediately.  Another knuckle!  What an impression he must have made on Baby Gray.  He talked about it the rest of the weekend.
That particular day, with Baby Gray in hand I did not get any photos.  Today I got a second opportunity to see this amazing event happen again.  Cowboy Tom, another cowboy and cow dog Jewel were out in the pasture gathering those same calves.  Jewel was once again bouncing over those same tall weeds doing her job.  They managed to get them into the pens with Jewel as proud as ever.  I rushed to get my camera this time and here are the photos.

 I see Tom and Chama first.

 Oh my, there she is, and in a big hurry.  Legs stretching as far apart as possible!

 Just look at her looking at him!

 "What's next dad?"

"Oh, ok, pushing them into the pen."

 Go Jewel go...she's right there in the middle!

 Almost there.

 Almost.

OK, now, finished, shutting the gate....good girl!

What an amazing little dog.  I don't know for sure, but I suspect Cowboy Tom might be thinking about  loading little Jewel up in the trailer and taking her to the next pasture to work cows.  Truly she measures up to her name!

Miss Jewel, cow dog extraordinaire!

Zechariah 9:16
The LORD their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love to you.

The Butcher, the Baker.....

Luke 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”

About a month ago I put out a request on Facebook to see if any of my friends knew anyone who made homemade bread and who might be willing to show me how.  I got a couple of suggestions but I got phone call from a friend with a solid offer to show me how to make sweet (cinnamon) rolls.  I immediately took her up on it and we set a date!
That date was last Friday.  I asked if I could bring anything along.  The only things she suggested were pecans (uh, no), raisins (uh, a BIG no) and pans.  The pans are what I took.
When I arrived we perused the recipe (which she had read over numerous times already since it had been quite some time since she had made some).

She already had just about everything set out for this event including bowls, measuring cups and spoons, ingredients, etc.  So fun.
We set about our task, each making their own "batch".
First up, bowl of liquid ingredients including milk, sugar, salt, butter;
Second bowl, warm water, yeast, sugar.

When the yeast is ready it's sort of frothy.  

Beat 2 eggs, mix/knead 7 cups flour in slowly, till no longer sticky.

 This was the fun part.  Kneading!

Linda's on the left, mine on the right.
Put in bowl to rise in a warm place, cover; resting, rising.
After a couple of hours, dough doubles, punch it down.
Rise again...roll out dough, spread with softened butter (a lot); cover with brown sugar (a lot).

When you think you have enough butter, add more; when you think you have enough brown sugar, add more.

Linda added chopped pecans to hers.
Roll up dough, cut in slices, grease pan, line pan with rolls,

Let rise, bake at 400 degrees 12-15 minutes
Icing is made of powdered sugar, tbs spoon butter, vanilla, milk or half and half (yum).
Viola!

Ice while hot then EAT!!

Oh my, heaven!
I'm hoping the friend I found who does make bread will call and make a date with me.  I'm sitting by the phone.
Till next time...

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Footnote:  I took 85 photos; I didn't figure you wanted to see all of them!

It's a Breezy Easy Kind of Day

Ikey and I are just hanging around the house, resting once again, and re-cooping from a few days away.  We're relaxing inside with the windows open watching the trees blow and listening to the chimes sound.  We're also watching the cattle standing outside, napping and chewing their cuds under the oaks.

Only thing that would make it better would be if those were "our" cows and they had names like Daisy, Bess, and Lula!

We'd just be watching them get fat and feeding their babies.  It's hazy so the temperature is in the 70s.  It's a fabulous fall day without a doubt.

So if you'll excuse me, we're just gonna chill!

Psalm 62:5
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

Encourage one another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

"I Can Do It Myself"

I remember reading that book to my daughter a 1000 years ago and yesterday I was saying it to myself. I guess I'm a bit lazy when it comes to doing things that need doing.  I prefer a "fix it" person, a "honey doer" or someone else to do it.  I just don't want to get the stuff out to do it.

Well last week and this week I've been trying to get some more things put up, out of boxes and organized.  I got some organizers for my scarves (actually one was for pants but I used it for scarves) and belts (found a belt hanger in a box that was my dad's and I have no idea why I kept it but I did).

 I also put this boot rack together but it only needed a screw driver.  I did read the directions as it had about 50 pieces!

Well the scarves, when hanging, took up a lot of room in my closet.  I have one other closet that had room but no rod in it.  I thought it would be a great place for those things to hang...so I went to the other closet to see how that one had been done.  I measured the empty closet free space, got out my drill and plugged in the battery to recharge it, went to McCoys, bought the bracket and the rod, came home, measured some more, drilled the hole, placed the rod and "voila", closet rod installed.

 See my drill there resting after it's hard work?

Simple really as I got the brackets that only called for one hole instead of three like the other closet (1-2 holes would be easier to measure for than 3-6 for the screws).  Ok, it's no real feat, no major deal, and almost anybody could have done it.  I guess it's just the point I got up out of my lazy self and did it.  I'm officially naming this my accessory closet!

So, I'm feeling more organized today and liking what I did the last few days.  Anything to get the rest of my things out of boxes and somehow put in a place I can find and use it is making me happy.
Next week I start this e-course called "Creatively Made Home" with some amazing gals on the internet.  I'm hoping for some great ideas for my "space/studio/art room/room I share with my grandson" when he comes to visit.  I want it to be awesome.  I want things to be visible.  I also will need for it to be practical for a 2 year old to stay in.  So we'll see how it goes.  It's the only room that is still totally in a disarray in my new home.  All my art stuff is still in cardboard boxes.  First call of action is the sleeping arrangement that will need to include a place for Baby Gray to sleep and for anyone else that might come to visit...so that's a bit of a challenge.  He is still in his crib at home.  Anyway, that room and that creation will be an ongoing story I'm sure.

God is good.  He gives us gifts we sometimes ignore, sometimes are too lazy to use and sometimes take for granted.  Using my hands and creating things is a gift and I thank God for it.  I thank Him for bringing it to my attention and letting me be successful, no matter how big or small!

So, till next time, just call me "Tim the tool man Taylor" or "Mr/Ms Fix-it" or just plain "do whatcha gotta do when there's no one else to do it".  Have drill will travel!  I have another project or two in mind and I'll keep you posted on those.  I'm pretty sure, like Ernie, "I can do it myself".

Deuteronomy 2:7
The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. 

Encourage one another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love.

Sneaky Pete's First Escape

Sneaky Pete AKA Ikey
Saturday afternoon I stuck my head and my camera out the front door to get a quick picture of something.  Little did I  know or see or hear, "Sneaky Pete" creep out the door without me seeing him.  I went back inside to finish what I was doing...some more organizing and unpacking that there is still plenty of to be done.  Anyway, I was standing beside my bed where there is a big window viewing the side yard of the house.  All the sudden I see this white flash go by....IKEY!  I hear guns, dove hunters, in the distance.  That is what sent him home!  He hates thunder and the sounds of guns and there is nothing that will send him by my side any sooner.  I rushed to the front door to let him in and I wanted to give him the "what for" verbally, but upon looking at him, scared and wanting his mama, I chose to just give him the "stink eye" grab him up and love him for coming home!  I did give him a little soft spoken speech about going outside without me know it, which he ignored.
Phew, what a close call.  No telling how long it would have been before I noticed he was not in the house.  I doubt he had gotten any further than the side yard, but on that particular day, the sad death of a dove brought my puppy flying home!

Psalm 121:7
The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
(and Ikey too!)

Encourage one another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Kindred Spirits

Warrenton Day Two Continues

It happened again.  One of those chance meetings with someone you feel this deep connection to and you can't really explain it.  Here's the story.
As we, Janie and I, are finishing up our last day, trying to get the last of the best under our belt, we headed off to look at something Janie thought I would like.  As it turned out, that was a false alarm.  However, the booth next to that one just drew me in.  They had creatively decorated their booth and had these adorable succulents in tea cups that drew me in.  Every where I looked something caught my eye.  We started chatting with these three gals who were the venders and they, all three of them were just delightful.  Two of them were sisters, identical twins to be exact!  We found that they were from Canton.  When asked if I'd been to Canton, "oh yea" was my reply.  "Have you been down on the square" they asked?  "Well, no" I said and they proceeded to tell us of all the very cute and cool shops on the square in Canton.  They told about several of those, two of which were theirs.  I can hardly wait to go back to Canton!
The Picket Fence  131 W Dallas St, Canton  (Carrie)
Whimsical Gardens of Canton   (Lanette and Yevette)

During our conversation I eyed these sweet crosses made from old silverware.  They were all very different.  Several had tatting handcrafted by the designers of the crosses.  I had to have that one.  Well, I had to have two!  They showed me around the booth where all these crosses  were hanging and as it turns out, I ended up with six!

(I'm only going to show you a peak at my crosses because I don't know where these might end up!  You know Christmas is just around the corner.  This one has a hummingbird on it...you know how I love those.  So this one I'll probably keep.)

(Guess who this one might be for?)  I love things that are "upcycled" or made for one intention and crafted into something else.  These were a great example of that.

Every time I turned around there in this little shop there was some fabulous other handmade thing that made me swoon!  I kept putting things on their counter saying "I'll take this too".  About 13 items later I made my final purchase.  This shop was truly a fabulous find.

During my shopping we starting sharing things about ourselves.  We had so many commonalities it was uncanny.  Horses, one twin raised cutting horses.  So we had to have a conversation about my horses too.  One twin's last name started with T, as does mine. Interesting.

The most curious thing however, was when I found a sweet little vase with lace and a butterfly on it.  Had to have that too.  I explained how my mom loved butterflies and every time I saw one I thought of her.  Both the sisters looked at each other and sort of turned their heads in that "hum" kind of way and said "us too".  It was then that I knew this stop was a God thing.  He just doesn't do things by accident.  He obviously had some reason for me to walk in this little fabulous booth of women.  We talked a few minutes about our mothers.  Everybody got a little teary.  I have never met anyone who thinks about their mother when they see a butterfly like my sister and I do.  Butterflies are just dear to us....and to my new friends.

1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

We then shared phone numbers, email addresses and cards and all hugged as we were leaving, like old friends do.  It was just a special meeting of women among thousands of people in the fields between Roundtop and Warrenton.  It was a delightful way to end a great day!

I don't know that this is the end of my "chance" meeting with these new friends.  I believe God has something else in mind.  I believe the connection was made for some reason.  Who knows when we might find out what that is.  In the meantime, I'll just enjoy the story and will certainly share it with my sister.

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Encourage one another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love...

An Unexpected Treasure

There is something about treasure hunting through zillions of booths, and tons of stuff that thrills me.  Just looking for that one thing I love is fun to me.  It's not really something I grew up doing and no one else in my family really enjoys it.  Guess I'm a bit of an anomaly in my family.  However, there are tons of folks who love this past time!

This week was a bit like Antique Roadshow.  On my first day at Warrenton we went into the "fields" to look for bargains.  The things we found in the more populated areas seemed to be more expensive.  It was getting close to six and most places start shutting down about then.  I had an idea that I had seen on Pinterest that I wanted to try to duplicate over my mantel.

Finding the items to make it was on my list of "keep your eyes open fors" at Warrenton.  We had about an hour in the "fields" to search for things.

First I found the pickets, 18 of them, painted, shabby, white, perfect, for a steal (in my opinion) $15.  I explained to the sellers about my idea and that I was also looking for a metal star.  A really friendly gal at that booth took me around the corner where a guy was selling some stars.  We found a couple, but I decided to take the pickets home that night first to check it out and sure they were the right size before purchasing the star.

Here is the start of my version.  Looks like they would fit.

So next day at Warrenton, I went back and bought the star first thing.

I'll have to do a little work to put it all together but I think it will be great.  I also thought that if I decided not to use it above the fireplace, it would look great at the entrance gate to my house.  So regardless, it was a good buy.

The guys selling at this booth were really friendly.  One of them makes fabulous wood pieces for mantels.  I hope to visit him about that in the near future as his shop is only about 50 miles away.  While at this same booth they had several tables of just "stuff" lined up.  I picked up a couple of other things, a cool tin thermometer with a horse on it and two very neat ceramic pumpkins.

Great greens and brown colors.  Love these!

I also spotted this horse.

I have seen these Painted Ponies at places like Dillards and Macy's but never really looked at them.  I actually like older horses to collect better, however, the pony was $10 so I figured how could I go wrong?  I didn't really look at him closely until I got home.  He was very pretty with brilliant color and had very intricate details.  The The black lines going up his sides are actually charred pine trees that have been burned and have no foliage.  So I googled Trail of Painted Ponies "Wildfire" (it's title) and discovered that this pony is valuable.  "Wildfire' was the first of this line to be retired, thus making him very special.  He is actually worth about $150 (with the original box and tag it's worth about $350).  I'd say a pretty good "Roadshow" find.  I'm thrilled.  While I have no intention of selling this pony, it's cool to know it's special in it's own way.  Being "retired" is a GOOD thing!  This was an unexpected treasure no doubt.

Here are a some of the other horses I picked up.

 Grindly pottery.

 California pottery.

Probably from the 1950s.  He has a little chip on his ear and just really needed a home!  He was $2.

Day two brought about a lot of horses of another color as you can see.  Usually I just look for one special one, but they were just every where on Day Two.  What's a horse lovin' girl to do?

Horses are like people I guess, all different kinds, all different colors, different personalities.  God made us that way.  Each of us is a treasure to Him.  And He blesses each one of us.  Look for your blessings today!

Isaiah 2:7
Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots.

I've got one other really good Antique Days story to tell, so stay tuned till then...

Encourage one another, Continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love...