Life Update~ Progress on the land

Lots of progress in the land.

New tiller for the back of the tractor.

Land cleared…by hand.. The hubbies and mine. We are tired!

 

There is about of meter cleared out from the trees for a long stretch. Prickery trees and vines make the work very hard. but very satisfying.

Cherry Trees are blossoming

This is one of the wild cherry trees beside our fields.

You can see a blossoming sour cherries in a field below. Up close the blossoms look like big puffs of cotton.

Bees are buzzing.

New seedlings planted last fall are doing well!

Our muscles are sore, But the progress is great.

We have had some wonderful spring thunder showers.

Munchkin was fascinated by the big thundering booms.

 

The rain and mud that follows is giving us some much-needed rest! Yippee!

Time for some play.

Celebrating in the park with Munchkin is fun.

One of her favorite things to do it blowing on Dandelions that have turned white. She doesn’t mind sharing that with her kitty friends.

Dobar Dan Y’all!

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Whatever Wednesday~ field work

Yesterday, we literally were working in the fields. I saw three field mice when I disturbed their shredded corn husk nests. The pair of us, my man and I were picking up piles of corn stalks to stack and use later in planting our baby sour cherry trees. I also saw a tiny lizard on the same field.

The hubby and I made quick work of that small field and soon we were off to harvest walnuts. A very long stick was used to beat the upper branches to free some of the clingy nuts, that was the tall man’s job. I scavenged on the ground for those who had already given up tree hugging. The pastures floor was riddled with nuts and I soon had my bucket full.

http://www.nuts.com/gifts/bucketsofnuts/walnuts.html (My bucket was much less commercial looking.)

Buck kept us company. Our “hot dog” style mutt, ran from one of us to the other and around the field and regulated the vehicles that passed occasionally.  Once he tried to steal some nuts from my bucket, but he wasn’t pleased with the taste.

Back at the house there were a few more trees to smack and more nuts to harvest. One of the biggest trees stands over a small ridge where a small creek trickles below.

The hollow under the ridge was covered with nuts, so we went back for our boots and went down the hill like Jack and Jill. This was the easiest place to find them with no long grasses hiding them, and there were so many!

While we were down there, the hubby found an old horse or cow skull. You don’t see that everyday. Well, unless you have a love for south west  art including cow skulls….

Site Credit: http://wizartbyoonagh.blogspot.com/2010/09/painted-cow-skull.html

Soon the munchkin made her way down via Baba’s arms and when she saw me, it was all over. Back to Munchkin duty. Thanks God for naps that allow me to sneak away for a bit.

It is morning now, and she will soon wake from her long nights nap so I will bit you adieu for now and share more stories next time.

Wish me luck, I have my third TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) class tonight. I have been taking an online free class in TEFL course and I am excited I have learned so much to help me do a better job!! Can’t wait to use my new skills!! Thank you TEFL boot camp!

Happy Hump day Y’all!

Photography Friday~10.4.13

I was taking a bimble around the village not long ago with the good camera. Finally, Hooray!!

Simultaneously, I was pushing the Munchkin in her dog cycle that she is too short yet to peddle. I was so focused on her, crying and fussing, I didn’t realize why the camera wasn’t focusing. It was on “Manual Focus” (Wah!  Mental tantrum!)

I did get some decent shots anyway. Not great, but decent.

This gate is a gorgeous pop of color in any season. It is kind of an unexpected delight for the eyes.

Yellow flowers along the fence are the village welcome sign for all who enter.

Almost every house has peppers hanging to dry some where on the house. I love them as a vibrant red decoration.

In this picture, see if you can find: 3 tires, 2 doors, and one bath tub.

I would love to fix up this house and make it mine! I love the arched windows and doors. Gorgeous.

I even love the weeds growing under the window.  Is something wrong with me? I have porch envy with this house. I would love to have a cup of tea there and enjoy the view of the back yard/garden and the creek below. 

Eater pastels come to mind with the look of these two beauties. We looked at them 3 years ago when we were considering buying a home in the village. Only one had an indoor WC or Toilet. Mold was everywhere at the back of the yellow house because it sits back against a hill and because they used porous rock to build. But I still like to have my own mental International House Hunters moment when I look at them.

Happy Weekend all!

Photography Friday~ Sheep

A typical day in most Serbian villages is something you may see as fairy tale book illustration. I know I have made these references before and I am positive I will again.

These pics are from my visit earlier this summer to Zubetinac. I love that village sooo much! Too bad the roads are an utter disaster and the muz is against driving their in fear of ruining “his” car. 😦

Baba Mary and her lambs * (Notice the chinese “crocs” she is wearing. Lots of farmers are forsaking their traditional plastic foot ware for these nowadays.

Baba Mary and her grown up lambs a.k.a. sheep passed the village house every day 2x. Their passing was announced by the clanging bell on one or more of the sheep.

Ring your baeeeh eehh elll Ring your bell!

They pass pretty quickly, I had to run to get the camera to get these shots. I just loved watching them follow the shepherdess. She was one of the sweetest ladies we met in the village.

Mary and her flock were on their way quickly. The sheep are always grabbing a bite from their favorite fast food “drive thru”!  A spot of grazing here and there and then off like a shot to catch up with the rest of the crew.

This is why I love Serbia. The antiquities and the bit of surreal-ness that is for real every day!

* The song lyrics that inspired the renaming of the Baba are below thanks to Wikipedia.

Song[edit source | editbeta]

In the 1830s, Lowell Mason set the nursery rhyme to a melody adding repetition in the verses:

Mary had a little lamb,
whose fleece was white as snow.

And everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day
which was against the rule.

It made the children laugh and play,
to see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
but still it lingered near,

And waited patiently about,
till Mary did appear.

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
the eager children cry.

“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know.”
the teacher did reply.

Site credit

Dobar Dan 🙂

Photography Friday~ Soko Shadows and Reflections

Shady Bales

The fields above were a last minute shot I got on our way home from Sokobanja. It is just about my favorite pic!

The steps to the Soko banja Museum. Closed on a busy summer Saturday afternoon.  Only in the Balkans! lol

Looking into the door of the museum, I found the perfect self portrait for the two of us. 🙂

One last shot taken on the way to the Sokos where a gorgeous mountain spring cooled the visitors.

 Dobar Dan !

Walking on a dirt road

I walked home from working with the hubby on clearing a field. There was nothing left for me to do. He and papa had to finish the rest with the tractor. Joyfully, I was able to walk home in silence. I found myself surrounded by so much beauty that I had to stop and take some pics.

A field of sour cherries not long for the picking.

so much color framed with mountains and fruit baring fields.

Wheat and barley fields sway in the wind like waves in the ocean.

 

The dusty path brought my uncle and cousin by. Just another pleasant surprise.

Almost home enjoying the shade in the forest.

Check out the Woodpeckers nesting tree!

A nice long walk is always a good mental break. This fence marks the beginning of the village. And the end of my quiet walk home. Back to the munchkin.

Here is a song for the road… Though I am not a country music girl. this song minus the dumb wrap seems just about perfect.