Goodbye 2010

 On the last day of 2010, here's what's happening on the Ponderosa!

Happy New Year!

What Santa Brought 2010

 

You have to get ready for Santa. You should leave a note and some snacks with a Christmas coke.

 

Don't forget the reindeer, leave them some feed on the lawn. Just give it a throw, they will find it!

 Next morning you will find the stockings of good little boys filled with presents.

 

And just what you ask Santa for--golf clubs in a bag!

 

If you are a good big kid, Santa will bring you some cheese balls!

 

But, this year Santa brought everyone on the Ponderosa something on Christmas morning! And after a big Christmas breakfast the whole Ponderosa crew enjoyed the snow!

Definitely a Christmas morning to remember!

I love words--always have.  I can't remember when I couldn't read.  My mom says I would not go to sleep without my little Golden Books stacked in the crib with me.  I notice words!  Lately a word I've noticed everywhere is joy, a simple small three letter word.  I first noticed this word a little over a week ago.  It was in a church, hanging in the recessed area of the auditorium where the casket of my dear friend's husband stood while we waited for his funeral.  You couldn't help but notice it, several feet high with red letters, and my first thought was how ironic.  On a day that was anything but filled with joy it was hanging there for the hundreds of people gathered  in that church to see. As I sat quietly and absorbed the scene it became oddly appropriate.  It fit the season, it fit my friend's life and gave hope!
In the dictionary joy means a state of happiness or a cause of delight.  Today at church I heard the word joy used many times in the songs and the sermon about the meaning of Christmas. Thinking about the word joy reminds me of a popular song from my teenage years.  It was called Joy to the World (not the Christmas carol) by Three Dog Night.  It went like this:

Jeremiah was a bullfrog
Was a good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him a-drink his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine
Singin'...


Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me 

To be such a tiny word it can mean so many things. . . eating great food can bring you joy, spending time with friends and family, the Christmas season is associated with bringing people joy. I felt it just last week when I worked the last day of my career, and  the little guy below brings me great joy!  So give it some thought what gives you joy? I hope your list is long.

Current Conditions on the Ponderosa

Wordless Wednesday

Amazing Pumpkin Facts

 

 Pumpkins are really gourds, some have little boys in them!

Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.  This makes it hard to choose just the right one!

Really hard to choose!

    Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. It has taken much longer to grow these three!

 

The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds. 

Pumpkins are 90 percent water, this is why they make a mess when you drop them! 

 

 Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites. There is no proof however that painting a pumpkin on you face will help any condition other than to make you festive!

 

The self proclaimed "Pumpkin Capital of the World" is Morton, Illinois where Libby has it's pumpkin industry and plant. This is not Morton, Illinois, but in the background is the retirement home where I could possibly reside someday.  I just hope I can look out my window in October and see the pumpkin patch!

City Girls Visit the Ponderosa

Stephanie, one of the Ponderosa Princesses, brought her friends, Carson and Kenzie, to spend a night on the Ponderosa.  They enjoyed two days of country life and did lots of things like driving for the first time.  As you can see from the pictures, they also smelled some country smells!  Both girls reported to their mom that they enjoyed the country cooking at Granny Lerion's house. They took in some of the local sites on their second day and then headed back to the city.  We are going to make them honorary Ponderosa Princesses and let them come back any time they want!

Wordless Wednesday