2017 Walker Christms Newsletter

Hello to all our family & friends!

After a late short autumn we are having a milder winter so far.  We enjoy the wood heat and crackling fire when the temperature dips down to freezing at night.  We are blessed to head into winter and the coming New Year with a full pantry of canned stuff from our garden and a freezer filled up as well.

It's been a busy year here at the Walker farm with our two ducks, five Guinea hen chicks that are busy growing now out of the brooder and under the nests, who hopefully will help the two older ones keep the tick population down once they are grown, two golden half grown chicks one of my hens hatched out for the first time this year, and four large buff roosters- that were supposed to be hens- who strut around the chicken yard and crow loudly early each morning. The hens continue to give us brown eggs every day. Our Texas heeler, Tex, who turned a year old this summer is convinced he is the boss of all.  He helped me chase two black bears that got into our woods and with his boundless energy keeps guard over our place. Texie boy ate the strawberries, blackberries, and ripened grapes almost as fast as I could pick them. Thankfully he left my green beans and tomatoes alone. Never a boring moment with Tex, who we are working on training.

Besides the regular upkeep around the place, this year I white washed the hen house and shed inside and out this summer. It was quite the undertaking, but looks so nice now that it is done. I also painted the back steps and rails along with the outside window frames of the sun room.  There is always plenty to do to keep one in shape. I'm so thankful that for most of the year I was able to be up and around.  There is much satisfaction in completing ones tasks.

Dana continues to be on oxygen most of the time now and even with physical therapy he still is weak.   He barely is able to make it to church once a month anymore so I only am able to go when Dwight can be here. Thankfully with increased and new medication, most of Dana’s seizures are now under control. If he exerts himself much it will set one off so Dana is mostly housebound. Every time we turn around another medication is added, which keeps me hopping to keep up with it all.  The eye doctor kept adding to Dana’s prescription eye drops until I was giving Dana twelve eye drops a day besides his four insulin shots and other meds.  Can you imagine? Some days I feel like I am going around in circles.

Dawn is doing better with her monthly shots and was able to do four VBS’s this summer even traveling out to Idaho. Annette is driving, plays the piano & violin, and loves to cook. Right before Thanksgiving she had to have gallbladder surgery. William, who is taller than me now, is the farm boy taking care of all the animals. He plays the piano, guitar, and banjo. Katie started kindergarten this year. This little tomboy sings with the family, loves to feed and pet the chickens and goats on their farm. They got two guard pups to train this past year.  Dawn’s family also came out twice to work around our place doing jobs that were beyond me.

Dwight continues to work at the body shop when not slowed down with a bleed. Right before Thanksgiving he scared us when he got a shoulder bleed that filled up his chest making him short of breath. It slowed Dwight down for a couple of weeks as he was weak with the loss of blood. Case continues to come every other weekend. His biggest thrill was getting a dirt bike for his birthday. He is growing, still full of energy, and almost as tall as me. Can that boy ever put away the food!  Every time I turn around he is hungry.

It’s always such a joy when my children and all the grand-kids come home. Our house rings with laughter and chatter while the walls vibrate with all the bouncing energy. Thankfully there is plenty of room to run around the Walker farm. The last couple of times William, Case, and Katie played “tag” with Tex. It was a tie who got worn out the quickest.

This Thanksgiving Lois, Ted, and Kyle drove down from Pennsylvania for the day.  It was such a special time. Lois and I hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years. Of course we never did get caught up talking- ha!

God has been good to our family this past year. We are truly blessed!

May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season

and a

Happy New Year!

Dorcas & Family

November Newsletter

Hello!

This is the time of the year to give thanks- something

I try to do every day as there is always something to be thankful for. No matter how bad our situation if we look around we can find someone a lot worse off. And you, my family and friends, are at the top of my thankful list this month. I am so blessed to have you in my life even if we don't get the chance to see each other often.

We had a late autumn season with barely enough time to enjoy the colorful leaves before they were gone. Today a thick fog has settled down on the mountain with colder weather headed our way. A couple good hard frosts killed my beans in the garden. I've harvested about all the seed I plan to save this year. I have planted bulbs for next spring, transplanted some of my flowers, and trimmed hedges.

 I've had fire in both of my wood stoves during the cold spells.  Nothing like hearing the crackling of a hot wood fire and feeling the heat to warm up one's aching/hurting bones. When it is freezing at night, I love to sit in my recliner close by the fire with a book.

After several days, I finally finished white washing the inside of my hen house barely getting it done before it got too cold. I first painted the wall opposite the nests so as not to disturb my laying hens in the morning. Wouldn't you believe it though that afternoon when I was up on the ladder to do the wall above the nests if four hens didn't decided to sit in a nest anyway?   So while I leaned over white washing four chicken heads watched my every move. Even when their head's got splattered they still sat. Unless we get a warm spell I may have to wait to white wash the inside of the shed until next year.  I also painted the steps and railings going down into my enclosed garden out back and the arch inside. Everything looks so fresh and new with a coat of paint.  When I get a paint brush in hand it’s hard for me to stop.

We had shock a couple weeks ago when I found my youngest black and white cat dead outside from no apparent reason. I figured when my long haired calico, Sarah Annabelle, and my house dog, Lucy Lou, who are both old, finally gave up the ghost I’d still have Elsie Mae as I only had her for four years.  Thankfully the two chicks that were hatched earlier and the five guinea hen chicks (one chick drowned) are still active and growing. I have the guinea hen chicks under a heat lamp in the brooder to stay nice and warm when it gets cold out.

Dawn and her family came up for a work day repairing two roofs, cleaning out gutters, putting up two lights/fans in the study for me, etc. A week before a couple in our church came, mowed, and weed-eated around the place as our riding mower isn’t working. It was such a blessing. Then Dawn and her family came up for a quick surprise birthday visit for Dana at the beginning of the month and ended up doing more work. I declare if they stayed for a week this place would look like new. It is wonderful seeing all the grand children helping and working right alongside their parents as Dwight brought Case too each time. Fifteen-year-old Annette, who needs gall bladder surgery, is quite the cook and loves helping in the kitchen. Five-year-old Katie loves helping me in the hen house while the boys work outside- between playing “tag” with Tex. If I could only harness some of that energy for myself! In the evening there is 4-wheeling. It kept us girls busy feeding all the fellows, although we sat on the porch for breaks whenever possible.

Even though the weather has gotten cooler, Dana’s oxygen hasn’t improved. He stays worn out most of the time, although the physical therapy did help some. My sister, Lois, who I haven’t seen for a couple of years, is coming down for Thanksgiving.  I am quite excited. Since Dawn is having a houseful herself they are coming up the weekend before to celebrate Thanksgiving with us as Dana isn’t up to traveling anywhere.

Wherever you and your family meet, may you all have

a blessed Thanksgiving season!

Dorcas