Harvest Time ~ the corn is cut!

Where am I??

Something weird has happened

Last night I thought I was in Illinois watching the sun set with my honey,

rocking in his new hammock.

But this morning when I awoke and went outside ~ I was in Colorado.

The temps were under 70 degrees, with very low humidity.

Hey, if I am in Colorado ~ then where are the mountains??

Turns out, I am still in the Midwest.

I guess just a little sign that it is nearly fall ya'll!

Josh wants a bunny

He got this idea from 4H. He wanted fainting goats, but we have convinced

him that he should start a little smaller, so bunnies it is.

Him and Dad worked all day Sunday creating this grand little hutch.

It will have bead board panels that will be screwed onto each side

when the weather gets chilly, and a nice removable roof,

so we can move Mr. Bunny and his house closer to the garden in spring.

He has saved up enough money now to buy the bunny and get food.

Bunny pics I am sure will soon come.

This young guy was wandering the lane the other evening,

Allie our dog was the one to let me know. Things are quiet here,

so something is always up if she goes a lil crazy.

Things coming up on the farm:

Apple picking

Barn tearing down

New birthday camera (BEWARE: LOTS OF NEW PHOTOS!!)

Coop building

Bunny adventures

Camping out

A Wonderful Independence Weekend

Saturday's Adventures














Rooster Hill Farm ~ Fults, IL
(Just a little south of Waterloo)
Drive down this country lane to find a great little country shop in an old barn filled with great country items. Then add a gorgeous country setting, beautiful weather and great food! We enjoyed some iced tea while we sat outside eating lunch and even splurged on some dessert. The owner was very sweet and gave us some input on our berry farm. She is interested in selling our honey and shared some contacts with us.








Fort de Chartres ~ Prairie Du Rocher
Boys LOVE forts!
The fort was started in 1753, however much of this has been rebuilt since by the State of Illinois on the original stone foundations. The powder magazine is the oldest surviving non-Indian structure in the entire Midwest.









Of course, I loved the garden of the old days.

















































~ Ye Cutting of Ye Olde Cedar Trees ~

Since we found our property, we knew we wanted this row of 5 cedars along the drive to be removed to open up our view of the fields. It is the perfect place for a perennial flower bed.

So to get started Jeff was removing lower branches and burning them. The boys job was to haul them around the house.

Is that a live chainsaw in my boys hands??
Ohh yes, Jeff felt confident Josh could NOT start it, so after letting him try for over 5 minutes, he started his countdown to stop: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4" rrrRrRRR R (that was a chainsaw sound) with under 5 seconds left to try, he actually started it! So now what? Well let them cut a piece a wood, of course! I am a mother of boys, and I wanted a country life for them. May the adventures begin . . .



















Sunday's Adventures

Tractor Pull at the Monroe County Fairgrounds
Antique tractors, homemade ice cream cranked by an old John Deere, and watching lawn tractors pulling, makes for a full day in the sun.






Another gorgeous Illinois Sunset




*** Happy 4th of July America! ***
I hope you and your family had as great of a weekend as we did.

Picnic dinner in Valmeyer watching the fireworks display.

Snapshots

Final Move to the Loo & Festival Time

Chickens loaded and ready to go!

Whiskers and Allie on the move.

After moving the animals and the beds we enjoyed dinner at the 30th Anniversary Porta Westfalica Festival. Watched the parade, and the people. Weather was perfect after the storm rolled through earlier. Can't wait to have family and friends join us at this next year!

This is the guy who took our money for our brats and pork steaks, poor guy we confused the heck out of him. He laughed when I asked if I could snap his picture.

Yummy Food~ Brats and German Potato Salad

Potato Pancakes with applesauce

Josh enjoying the "BBQ, not German food!" he requested. (Note the bratwurst in his hand.)

Blake enjoying a pork steak sammy.

My honey looking cute and a bit relaxed finally after a very stressful couple of weeks.

Streets of Waterloo

After wandering around a bit, we headed to the new house and slept in our beds, under our roof for the first time. Boys woke up the next morning saying how great they slept. Ahh no highway noise, just birds and frogs. Loving the country life . . . .