Under Heaven's Gutter

Wheew, I can't believe the amount of rain we've soaked in in the last 24 hours!
I've heard over 3 inches...

 My flower beds underwater.


The cow pen underwater.

 The whole barnyard underwater.


Last night the clouds finally broke up and the sun peaked for the last few hours of the day.


Everybody went for walks to check the creek water levels.


They were very high!


Annie tried to unclog this underwater culvert. A washed down beaver dam had it plugged pretty good.


But the water was still flowing out the other end quite well despite it.


The trees are underwater!


Then the girls and I took a walk to see the Cranberry river.


It too was incredibly swollen. (Find Theresa!)


We hiked for awhile and took some pictures..








Some silly...


Some not...


Then, when we got back we were informed that that the horseshoe bend in the creek was overrun.


Amazing!


This is the kind of adventurous stuff that fascinates little boys.

They feel the draw of the water and aren't happy unless they're standing right there and plunking rocks into its bubbling belly.


This is the same little boy that, along with his crazy older bros, was catching up an umbrella and running out during the torrential downpours to check on that Momma duck. They were worried about how close her nest was to the creek (isn't that admirable of them?). After the rain, their next visit showed that her nest had indeed been washed away in the rain. Their disappointment as they reported this sad news was so sweet. Is it just me, or does this farmin' life bring out everybody's sweetest side? :)

Lightning Show

Last night, after the rain chased us off the volleyball court, we spent the evening on the porch watching a neat lightning show as a southerly storm blew in. Along with the rest of us, Donna loved it. I remember being afraid of thunderstorms as a tot, so I was enjoying watching her marvel with us over the thunder and lightning booms without the slightest bit of fear. "Oooh, dat was a goot one!" she kept exclaiming after a streak or a boom. I think the hours of entertainment that the storm provided us is proof that we're country bumpkins. ;)

Stephen got his camera and was having fun setting up an elaborate lightning-streak photo shoot. Here's just some of his fantastic results:

After the younger kids drifted off to bed, I grabbed a guitar and, backed by the resounding echos of thunder and illuminated with the strobe lights of lightning streaks and flashes, the girls and I practiced some of our harmonies out on the porch. Such a relaxing way to wind down before bedtime.

(Annie's not a bottle drinker herself, she was just minding it for Donna.)

Today, it's still been raining cats and dogs outside, but we're all quite happy about it because yesterday our wonderful Daddy donated a drum set to our band! We have it set up it out in our mobile home living room along with the other instruments and we've been having a blast (literal 'blast') out there blowing the roof off the place while the rain pours down outside...

(Like my makeshift mic stand? hehe!)

Just in for lunch right now, but headin' back out for more fun shortly! Here's hoping that the sun stays behind the clouds, the gardens continue to soak in more rain and the music and fun hold out for the rest of the afternoon!


Did I mention I just love these kinds of days?!! :)

The Hero's Job, Day and Night

Ever wonder what Johnny is thinking while he's running around the barnyard in his cape all day long? I know I do. He decided to write a blog post on it to explain. I still don't know if that cape Theresa that made him for his birthday last year was a good idea or not... Either way, it sure gets a lot of use! 
Okay, here's Johnny's hero post for you all. Hope you like it! :)

The Hero's Job, Day and Night

 

The hero always has a cape.

"Oh no, the sheep is getting hurt!"

So, the hero goes and gets the sheep.

Oh no, the bunny is getting hurt because the other bunny is siting on him!

Oh no, now the goat is jumping on the fence.

Oh no, now my cape is stuck in the fence.

Oh no, now the goat is eating my cape!

You bad chicken, now I will have to squeeze the egg out of you.

pop! Crack. Oh yuck, I hate eggs.

The End.

Heehee. All in the day of the life of a hero! :)

Being goofy w/ baby bunnies ;)

Soo, Annie and I were out playing with my 4 week old baby bunnies this morning...

 
And, after realizing all the useful things that you can do with them, we decided to get the camera and show you ;).

First off, you must be able to find 'em ;).

Okay, now that we've found them...

(Aren't they the cutest things ever?!) 

They make great youngster entertainment when Donna babysits them for us! She's good at it, too; never lets them out of sight and is good at keeping the cats away.

They really do have all kinds of uses (aside from adorableness)..

.

Like pocket pals...

Heehe. :)

Dandelion disposal... 

Laundry softeners...

Simply stick them in Dad's smelly socks for ten minutes,

or until their nap time is over anyway...

...And don't tell Dad, whatever you do! Heehe! ;)

So, what do you think? Are they useful, or were we just in a really giddy mood? :)

(My vote: giddy!)