I am woman hear me roar...

We are a might group of ladies here at ThunderCreek.  No chore that needs doing is beyond our grasp.  Ok, in this case, the guy that sold us the hay probably split his pants laughing and still tells this story to his buddies at the bar.

We go through a lot of hay here so most of the time we haul in a weeks supply at a time because that is as much as the truck and trailer can handle.  Delivery is far too expensive for our humble budget.  Instead we make fools of ourselves while trying to load the stuff.

On this trip, there were no men to coerce into loading the hay and the guy that sold it to us made it clear that the price did not include loading it.  So one short chunky monkey and the lovely lady pictured filled the trailer with hay.  Mr. Hay Seller made many trips before he finally got bored checking on us.  Seems we take a bit to long...

Glad he was not watching the whole time.  Doing our best Keystone Cops imitation, we would scurry up the tall stacks, knock down the bales we wanted (for once, gravity was my friend) and drag them around on the trailer.  It takes two people who throw hay bales like girls quite awhile to load a trailer so he would roll his eyes and drive his truck back to his house where it was cooler and come back later to check again.  Wonder how many miles he put on his truck that day ??






Ahh but the tortoise wins in the end.  Trailer loaded, we returned home victorious !!

Happy Easter

For many Easter is a very sacred time celebrating the rebirth of Jesus.  No matter what your religious views, few would argue that Spring is a time of rebirth.

The earth is born again each spring and does not care about religious or political views.  The evidence is all around us, green grass, fruit trees in bloom, lovely flowers and happy children rejoicing in the sun.

Have a wonderful Easter Sunday !!

Peaceful, easy feeling

There is a calm about this place that I have always loved.  There is always a spot nearby to sit and sort out your thoughts or a stump to split as an aid in anger management.  No matter what your burden, it does not seem as large once you come through the front gate and scratch the shoulder of a friend.

Many creatures, both 2 and 4 legged, have come to ThunderCreek to heal.  Some have had external wounds, some wounds were not so easy to see.  Most have found comfort in the simple life they found here.  The willingness of our friends and family to lend a hand when and where needed has created an environment that helps work out the kinks in one's life.  I won't say it is always a quiet process but the love and acceptance of our rag tag "group" makes it a safe place to deal with life.

The Guest Bedroom

My son recently "remodeled" the Guest Bedroom" for his children.  I really like the new blue and white mat that matches his dirt bike.  The old mat had seen many years of service and needed to be replaced to accommodate the next generation.  To most folks it would seem odd that we call a trampoline "the Guest Bedroom" but as you recall we are not "most people"

When the kids got older and went to high school I began to see more of their friends.  I was curious about this because they were not inclined to bring their friends home in the past.  My older son let my know that his friends all commented on his "ripped muscles" and tan.  They asked him if he went to the gym and the tanning salon.  He told them that if they wanted to look like him, all they had to do was attend "Mom's Summer Camp" and it was free.

The enterprising lad soon had his friends coming over on the weekends to help with his chores.  That is how our "Burn Parties" began.  Several teens at first and as they got older twentysomethings would gather to cut, drag and burn the brush all for the promise of a barbecue and bonfire.  Nothing like the smell of gasoline, sweat, charcoal and smoke.

Once they all turned 21 they wanted to add beer to the party.  My rules were that no alcohol was consumed until all work had ended and the power tools were put away and no driving home after drinking.  Because the House on ThunderCreek is small, the couch was taken almost immediately.  Those not wanting to share their bed with bugs, snakes and other creepy crawlies were forced to "think outside the box".

One morning I went outside to find 5 good sized young men asleep on the trampoline.  I laughed because they looked like the spokes on a wheel, feet in the middle and heads towards the springs.  They told me that it is cool to sleep on in summer and not that cold in the winter as long as it is not raining or snowing.  I tried it in the summer and it is definitely cooler than the house but winter, well...............................

About the toilet.....

Until you move to bare land, you have no idea how much you take for granted.  The toilet, for example.  Something you use often and do not give much thought to until you don't have one that flushes.

My husband brought home the portable toilet soon after we moved to ThunderCreek and although necessary, it's arrival was less than popular.  Like the other components of our new "outdoor bathroom" it offered little privacy and none of the amenities you would expect to find in even the most basic of bathrooms.  The kids have always claimed that our family provided all of Jeff Foxworthy's best material because for many years a trip to our bathroom did involve "slippers and a flashlight".

The indignities of life with an outhouse involve heat, cold and smell.  The temperature in an outhouse is either too hot or too cold and regardless of the temperature it always seems to smell bad.  Further, there are many very ugly creatures that are attracted to an outhouse.  First and foremost are the flies followed by mosquitoes and the bats that eat them.  This was not a place one is encouraged to linger.

Christmas Eve of 1995 was the first time that water ran in the house on ThunderCreek.  It should come as no surprise that after living with the outhouse for over 3 years, our entire family crowded into the tiny bathroom to watch the toilet flush for the first time.  Ahhhhhh the smaller pleasures of life are sometimes the best.

From the mouths of babes

We moved to ThunderCreek when my daughter was in the fourth grade.  She came home from school one day mad as a wet hen.  When I finally got her to speak to me she sounded more like a snake than a child. "We are reading a new book in school." she hissed.  "Really?" I said.  "It is called Little House on the Prairie." she spit back at me. "Oh" I said.  "The kids in my class have never heard of the things Laura talks about in the book." she hissed again.  "Oh" I repeated.  "You do them!!" she spat back.  Trying very hard not to laugh, I replied "I learned them all from Pa Ingalls".  She was clearly not amused and stomped off towards the horse pasture muttering under her breath.

Yes those were the days...

It all started when......

It all started when I wanted to live in the country and had to decide to rent or to buy. We could rent a small home and live paycheck to paycheck like most of America but you will soon discover that I seldom do "what everyone else does". The other choice was to buy land and live on it while we built our house. The kids were less than thrilled to discover that not only had I moved them away from our 3 bedroom house in the suburbs but I had also moved them to the middle of the wilderness. My son was horrified. "What do you mean there is not a 7-11 for over 35 miles" he exclaimed. "No TV ???" "No electricity or flushing toilet ??" The mutiny had begun.

We spent a short time in the desert and decided that no one was happy living on the face of the sun. Extreme heat, high winds, snakes and cactus were not for us. This lead to a search for trees (a Joshua is NOT tree !!) lakes, streams and cooler temperatures. We settled for 3 out of 4. Though cooler than the desert, California's Central Sierra is not all that cool in the summer. Bring on the boats and water-skis !! ( I told you we are not the Ingalls family.)

The House on ThunderCreek was born from hope, dreams, perseverance and just plain hard work. It took us years to build it and we hit many bumps on our dirt road before we could call it home. The house is not done yet (19 years later) but we love it just the same. I have been asked to put these stories in writing and never did because I thought no one would believe they were true. Some stories just beg to be told so I feel compelled to put them in print. Besides, what better way to embarrass your kids than to air the family laundry on the internet. Should have bought me a new dryer ;)