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Pinata's And Cupcakes.....

Pinatas are just a part of life in our neck of the woods...many a pinata has been broken

at our home...at birthday parties...at Christmas parties...well..at most any party;)

And why not?

I mean really...what could be better than beating an object...beating it HARD....and

then having candy fall out of it...to reward the beating!  Pretty great...right?!

The most fantastic pinatas are made at the local candy store.  It doesn't matter

what the theme of your party may be...there is a pinata for you!  It is pretty amazing!

The "method" to the pinata goes something like this...

You find the desired pinata...whatever shape...size...or Disney character you may want...

You then cut a hole, carefully, in a non visible place...you then remove some of the

newspaper stuffing, to make a cavity and then fill it will assorted candy.

You then cover the hole with tape so that the candy won't escape too soon...when

the pinata beating begins!  The great thing that I just discovered, is that there are some types

of pinatas that already have a hole prepared, so that loading it with candy is pretty easy!

In a group...such as ours...we have many different ages of little people.  So when

the pinata beating was to begin...we lined up the little people...youngest to oldest...

giving each age group a chance at breaking the candy stuffed object.

Now, another crucial part of the culture of the pinata is the "pinata parts."

There were many years at our home...when The Darlings were little.  That they would

return home, after a birthday carrying some random "part" to the pinata that had been broken

at the party.  Sometimes it was a leg, or an arm...or a if you were really lucky you could

have the head....a trophy of sorts...representing your participation in the pinata

"beating."  I made the grave mistake a few times, when The Darlings were small, of actually

removing the pinata "parts," that were carefully hidden under beds...and thrown them into

the trash.  Silly me...I thought they were trash...but noooooooooo, they were

beloved trophies....and upon discovery of the "parts" in the trash...there was much

crying...screaming....and some seriously broken hearts.  Never dispose of pinata "parts"

without consent from the owner....NEVER!

Thankfully we are past that time in our home...but it does make me smile to see the little people

proudly carry their "parts" home with them;)

After the little people have had their turn...then it moves to the bigger people...

and it isn't long until the pinata is broken.....

Spreading the candy all over the ground.

At this point...people of ALL ages then dive into the group...hoping to get themselves a

big handful of yummy candy!

And this is what you are left with!

It was great fun to end the Annual Easter Picnic/Egg Hunt with the breaking

of the pinata!  I think the whole group of cousins left filled to the brim with

candy...both in their stomachs...hands...and Easter Baskets.

It was the perfect ending to a lovely evening at the farm.

Easter Picnic/Egg Hunt Menu

Brisket

Potato Salad

Baked Beans

Sodas

Cupcakes - (and they were really cute!!!)

The Easter Egg Hunt....

The Easter Hunt was the best!

The "big" cousins took the nearly 200+ Easter Eggs and hid them well, within

the surrounding orchard.  The grass was tall, so that made for some great hiding places;)

In fact...I wouldn't be surprised if some of the men who work in the orchard, find

Easter Eggs for a long time to come;)  With the regular Easter Eggs, were 12 "golden" eggs.

They were filled with a treat...and a number.

The rule was...only one golden egg per cousin.

The hunt was done in shifts...beginning with the "little" cousins...and then worked

up by age.  As you can see..(above)...some of the cousins took this very seriously...

after all...candy was at stake!!

The "big" cousins came through after the majority of the eggs had

been found...helping the "little" cousins find the remaining eggs.

Some people really made an Easter Egg haul!

She happily announced that she had found 39 eggs!

Once the hunt was complete, everyone gathered around The Farmer, who tried to

explain what we were celebrating at the farm that day...I am not sure anyone heard

him...they just wanted to know who won the prize for the golden egg!

Everyone located the number that was in each golden egg....

The Farmer demonstrated what the prize would be....

$150 pesos...

and the drawing began....

The cousins was pretty excited that she had won the $$$....lots of jumping and

screaming took place;)  A couple of "little" hearts were broken that they didn't win...

but when all was said and done...The Cousins were thrilled with the Easter Egg hunt...and

the treats that were found inside each egg!

The Farmer's Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Picnic....

Last Friday...The Farmer hosted his annual Easter Egg Hunt and picnic...for the family.

We headed to Rancho Guadalupe ready for many fun activites.

The afternoon began with a little fishing....

Young and old enjoyed themselves....with a cash prize being awarded for the largest

fish caught...

The Rooster and Cousin Jacko were the winners!!

This post is dedicated to the hours of fishing that took place that lovely afternoon.

(photo by Shauna Nielsen)

(photo by Shauna Nielsen)

(photo by Shauna Nielsen)

(photo by Shauna Nielsen)

(photo by Shauna Nielsen)

(photo by Shauna Nielsen)

Messages From The Chalkboard....

Signs Of A Really Cold Night.....

(photo by Jade Jones)

This is how you know it has been a long and cold night....

The air is filled with black smoke.

It's nights like this one, that anything and everything is burned in an effort to save the peaches.

The Farmer was in the orchards the night of the terrible freeze, last week.

He said that once he realized that nothing more could be done to save the crop...he

began to take pictures.  He got some great shots!

It Really Was Beautiful....

Sad....but it was incredibly beautiful!  By late afternoon, you wouldn't have

even known that it snow.  It was all gone.

And so were the crops!

Our newly prepared garden...

Found On The Farmer's Nightstand....

After a LONG day...The Farmer arrived home, after The Rooster had gone to bed...

and sitting on The Farmer's nightstand was an envelope.

On the back was written....(above),

and when The Farmer opened the envelope he found the note written in

the sweet, not so legible;), handwriting of The Rooster....(below)
I might add...the value of $1,000 pesos right now is about $80.00.

He is really good at saving his money, so he had a little put away.

As you can imagine....The Farmer was pretty overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness

of his little Rooster...it really touched him.

That Rooster is a pretty special guy!;)

It Wasn't Such A Good Night......

I will post more pictures later today, but for now....

Snow flurries were anticipated....not 6 inches of snow.  Everything that could have been done...

was done...but when temperatures reach 12 degrees, it is really out of your hands.

Fruit is lost at 27 degrees.

I asked The Farmer this morning when he came in from a long night....

"what is the message in all of this?" to which he responded....

"when it gets down to 12 degrees in your orchard....your peaches freeze."

That was his message for today.

Are Your Ducks In A Row???....

These are the "farm ducks"....and they are never in a row!

Are your ducks in a row?

When I was taking these pictures...I started to think about that saying....and this is what I came up

with...(some really deep stuff....)

I have never seen a group of ducks in a row....except....

when they are baby ducks following their mother...and even then...not that straight of a row.

I guess the saying doesn't say anything about being straight......

Is that saying used like it is....because it is impossible to get ducks in a row?

Or...is it possible to get ducks in a row...and how would one go about doing that??

What is the purpose of having one's duck's in a row??

Will these ducks ever be in a row???....I am pretty sure they never will.

Is that a problem when you are a "farm duck"....I don't think so.

Just some thoughts I had while taking these pictures;)  Pointless, I know...but it did

make for some pretty funny conversation with The Farmer as we drove around the farm.

The Farmer and I ended up on an interesting adventure about a week ago...it began

with a visit to the farms to check the peach buds....and ended in a little town....past the

Rancho Guadalupe, where the "farm duck" live.  I hadn't been to this little town in

years...it a beautiful little place...well hidden and filled with some interesting folks...with some

interesting professions, (some legit...some, not so much)....anyway, regardless it is very

picturesque and lovely.  As we passed through the town, The Farmer chose to follow a dirt

road, which led to more and more beautiful locations!  It was a treat.

The Farmer found himself a swinging bridge...which I opted not to cross...it was too

scary for me.  He on the other hand, inched his way across this very rickety bridge, that

was made from old pallets, and other pieces of discarded wood.

You can see...that the cable holding the bridge up, is wrapped around the old log at the side

of the bridge....hummm...now that's security isn't it???;)

In the middle of nowhere, we came upon this cemetery.

It was really amazing!  It was well kept, pretty clean, and there was not a name on any grave

in that cemetery.  Not one name.

It made me wonder who cares for the cemetery...do people visit there often, and why

aren't there any names of the graves?  Certainly those that are buried are loved by

their family and friends, and I would guess that those families and friends don't want to forget

their loved one that has passed away.  Very unusual for a cemetery that is currently

in use...not to have names on the graves.  Many of the crosses were freshly painted, in bright

and cheery colors. And colorful artificial flower arrangements were in place in the

gravesites.  Rocks were carefully stacked....and very little garbage was visible.

It was even surrounded by a very rustic wooden fence, to protect the graves from grazing

cattle or other animals that may be passing by.  In all it's simplicity...

it was a pretty impressive sight. 

It was the end of our trail that afternoon.  And a perfect ending it was.

I often think I have seen most everything that is interesting in our area...and then I have

a day like this one, where I am quickly reminded that there is soooo much yet to see,

....in my own backyard!

Picking A Little Alfalfa....

(Nacho...(Ignacio)...Carne...(Incarnation) and Chencho...(Vicente)....the cows)

For historical purposes...

A few evenings ago....I headed to the Sol to pick something "green" for the chickens to eat.

I was feeling a little sorry for them.  I knew that I could find some weeds in the orchard.

Also growing at the Sol is alfalfa...to feed the animals.  So I thought that picking some alfalfa

would be a great treat for the chickens along with a few weeds. 

 I rode the 4-wheeler, the dogs ran alongside, with the biggest dog smiles I have seen in awhile;) 

The weather was beautiful...warm....it was just a lovely evening!

Passing the pastures that are home to the horses and cows....I headed to the field of alfalfa.

I picked and picked...filling up a box I had brought along and when I looked up...I noticed

that the horses were lined up at the fence watching my every move.  I carried the box,

filled with the picked alfalfa to the horses, and one by one they took their turns eating.

It gave me a chance to pet them and "visit" with them;)

I told them that their Boy was doing great!  That he was happily serving his mission and

that he was growing into a wonderful man...that their Boy misses them and wonders how

they are all doing.  I have to admit, I shed some tears....as silly as it sounds...

I felt like they understood everything I was saying to them.

He loved those horses, and they loved him.  They provided peace and comfort for The Boy,

when he was having a bad day.  Somehow they just knew that The Boy needed them.

He would take them on long rides.....bring them home and lovingly groom them and reward

them with bit of grain.  It was almost a ritual for him.  I truly think that one of the hardest

things for him to leave behind was his dear horses.   

(Bronze)

The horses gave me a great gift that lovely evening....it was a gift of connecting to my

Missionary Boy, who,on that particular day....I was missing terribly.  They did for me

what they had so often done for him....offered comfort and love.  I am so grateful that he is

where he is....doing what he is doing....I would not want it any other way....but as a very, very

wise may said to me when The Boy had only been on his mission for about a week....

"You will mourn the BOY that is leaving...and CELEBRATE the man that will return."

PreShie commented a few days ago, while looking at some new pictures of The Missionary Boy, we had just gotten in the mail...that The Missionary Boy doesn't look the same...he looks different

somehow.  She tried to figure out what the difference was...I finally told her that the difference

that she saw, what that he didn't look like a "boy" any longer...he now looked like a "man."

And she agreed.

I do mourn the boy...but I am thrilled a the growth and maturity that has come.

(Caballero)

Interestingly, the man that we purchased The Boy's first two horses from, passed away this week.

He was an amazing man!  He was often referred to as a  "gentle giant" because

he was a tall man  The Boy really loved this man.  He had a sweet relationship with him. 

They enjoyed talking about the horses...the funny little things that were unique to those horses.

As this man got older, and it wasn't so easy for him to climb onto the horses, he trained

Bronze to stretch himself out...quite far...which lowered him to the ground, and then this

sweet man was able to climb onto of the horse with ease.  He was grateful that the horses went

to The Boy...who loved and cared for them so well.

(Muneca and Reina)

The Farmer says that these horses will go down in history as the "best" horses The Boy ever owned!

The first horses hold a special place in hearts of young boys and girls.

The Boy will most likely tell stories to his "ninos" about how amazing his first horses were...

(even though they are quite average)....to him they will always represent a special time of life.

I did discover that Reina is a bit of a crazy teenager right now...if I would turn my head away from her

she would grab a mouthful of my hair...or bite the edge of my jacket...and then she would smile!

She has a really funny personality!

It was a very wonderful evening for me...at the Sol...something I really needed!

*To add to the animal update...5 more chickens have joined our brood....they are beautiful!*

(Chencho)