2008 in Retrospect...

Today is New Year's Eve...I can't believe another year has come and gone, but welcome 2009 with open arms! :-)
2008 has been quite a bittersweet year. When I look back at everything that has happened in my life in such a short time, it makes me very aware that God really does carry you when you can't walk, and when you get to the other side of things, He gives you blessings beyond belief.
January 2008:
The heart-breaking end of a 6 year relationship with a man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. But it was also the beginning of another adventure. :-)
February 2008:
Purchased my little 101 year old "hovel" on a farm and moved to Yutan, NE. I grew up in the country and when my folks split up we moved to town. I spent nearly 30 years feeling like a piece of me was missing. When I found this place, I felt like I had found home again. So like Jed Clampet, I loaded up the dog kennel on a flatbed trailer, packed everything I owned and moved! Finally, I was able to have my horse, Cowboy with me where I could see him every day. I also brought with me my two blue heelers Lucy (who was pregnant) and Neuman, Lucy's pup from another litter I couldn't part with!
March 2008:
My friend Barb was diagnosed with Cancer. We had talked about her wanting to get a horse as she had ridden as a kid as well and missed it just like I did. I told her "NO MARES". On March 29th, Ki, the mare, came home with us.
Lucy gave birth to 5 puppies!
April 2008:
Suffered my 5th heart attack. Quit smoking.
May 2008:
Petey (Sweetpea), one of Lucy's puppies was adopted as another family member, as I just couldn't bare to part with her.
Sent my son Tyler down to live with his dad, uncle, and oma in Topeka.
June 2008:
Tornadoes and flash flooding....consistent digging and piling dirt around the foundation of the house!
July 2008:
Another stay in the hospital!
August 2008:
The devastating "down-sizing" of a job I absolutely loved after nearly 6 years.
The stray cat in the barn had kittens.
September 2008:
Job hunting, and more job hunting!
October 2008:
Accepted a job, called sister Kathy on my second day at work as I crouched under the table in the conference room stating, "What the hell was I thinking???? I think I made a huge mistake!"
November 2008:
The loss of another job...grateful to be put out of my misery!
Thanksgiving at Kathy's house and the privilege of having my other sister Kara and her family stay with me. :-)
December 2008:
The job search continues.
Pipes froze due to temps.
Ozzie (one of the kittens) now lives on my back porch.
Spent Christmas with my friend Barb and her family.

I have been so fortunate to have friends and family who are always there for me. Life doesn't always work out the way we want it to, but it does go the way it is supposed to go. That is life, on life's terms.

I'm still waiting to get to the other side of the "seemingly bad" and look forward to seeing what the new year will bring. :-)

So come ooooonnnnnnn NEW YEAR! This one has had it! ;-)

Happy New Year Everyone!

Holiday Sentiments

What a wonderfully laid back day it was today! I got up, fixed a cup of coffee and headed out to the barn to give the horses their Christmas goodies. Today, they each got a full scoop of grain, a whole bale of hay, and some apple treats!

My morning was spend talking with friends and family exchanging Christmas cheer and sentiments.

Later, I went to my friend Barb's house to spend Christmas with her and her family. Barb's family consists of husband Keith, daughters Rhiannon and Koren, and son-in-law Phillip. She also has three pugs, Scarlet, Rhett, Dexter, and a Boston terrier named Stitch! Below is a picture of Scarlet and I giving our version of "Bah Humbug!"

The day was filled with laughter as on one occasion I bent down to give Rhett Butler a bite, and low and behold let a not so silent fart that lasted nearly 10 seconds. All I could do was pray that it would be over soon and that not everyone heard it! Barb and I laughed until we nearly cried. I kept hearing my dear Grandma Ford in my head saying "Yee dawgies girl! If you'd have fingered that one, you could have played Yankee Doodle!"

I got the opportunity to play Wii, which I had never seen or played before. Barb was quite pleased with herself that she kicked my butt in a boxing match. I swear I nearly dislocated my shoulder!

While we were playing, Phillip came out and showed me the biggest bottle of tequila I have ever seen in my life! He pointed out that it was still quite full, and I informed him that if he would have shown me that back in my drinking days that most likely if I had been there earlier, it was water and he just didn't know it! :-)

It was hard to pull myself away from the fun, but I knew if I didn't get home soon, I would have three very upset heelers to contend with! When I arrived home, two of the three were happy to see me, while the other one (Petey) hid behind the couch as she had torn up yet another of my DVDs!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I'm pooped and on my way to bed now. Thanks again to family and friends for everything you do! :-)

A White Christmas!

Although temps have plummeted enough to create some obstacles to overcome here at the farm, the peace and beauty of the farm makes it all worthwhile. :-)

I got up this morning and observed my morning ritual of getting a cup of coffee and sitting down at the kitchen table. When I looked out the window, it was so quiet and WHITE outside! The sun is out today so the snow is very bright and it looks like God sprinkled glitter everywhere. It definitely looks like a holiday....yeah.......definitely.......definitely a holiday. :-)

My family and friends are all in my thoughts...so here's to wishing everyone a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! :-)

"The Night Before Competition"

This wonderful poem was written by my dear friend Bonnie. I had the privilege to ride and shoot with Bonnie in some Cowboy Mounted Shooting competitions. Not only is Bonnie a sharp shooter, but a teacher, writer, and artist as well! Thanks for the smiles Bonnie!

The Night Before Competition
by Bonnie Andersen
‘Twas the night before competition, when all through the camp
Not a shooter was stirring, not even the champ;
The holsters were hung by the trailer door with care,
In hopes that clean pistols would soon be in there;
The Wranglers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of new buckles danced in their heads;
And Ma in her Wah-Makers, and I in my chaps,
Had just settled down for an evening night cap,
When out in the arena there arose such a clatter,
I fell out of the trailer to see what was the matter.
Away to the crows nest I flew like a quail,
Threw open the door and leaned over the rail.
The moon on the breast of the newly plowed ground
Gave the luster of mid-day to the objects around,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature rider dressed in all his cowboy gear,
The little old codger was lively and quick,
I knew in a moment this was no hick.
More rapid than eagle the courses he flew,
And he shot, and shouted, like a true buckaroo;
The "X", and the Post, and the Dice and the Arrow!
The Double Run Down, the "T" and the Desperado!
To cross the time line, in just a blur!
Now Giddy-Up! Giddy-Up! Whip and Spur!
As lightening and thunder before the storm brews,
The black powder from pistol, at each shot it spews,
So around the barrel the courses they flew,
With guns a blazing, one shot takes two.
And then in an instant, he was done with the run,
He slowed down his horse and holstered his gun.
I drew in my head and turned around,
Down the steps of the crow’s nest, I flew with a bound.
I rounded the corner and opened the gate,
Strolled into the arena to ponder and wait.
He was dressed all in leather, from his head to his foot,
His clothes were all tarnished with black powder soot;
A box full of ammo he pulled from his bag,
He lit up a smoke and took a log drag.
His eyes were all wrinkled! Their glow was quite scary,
His cheeks were all weathered and really quite hairy.
His droll little mouth was tight as a rope,
And years of hard labor made his shoulders slope.
The .45 pistol he held in his grip,
With a matching one attached to his hip;
His legs were bowed and his boots were quite dusty,
He winced as he moved as if his joints were all rusty.
He was as tough as they come, in a cowboy way,
And I thought as I watched him, he was good in his day;
A wink of his eye and a tip of his hat,
Soon gave me to know I was right about that.
He spoke not a word, as was the creed,
And loaded his pistol; then mounted his steed,
Raising the reins within his left hand,
He gave me a nod, and looked over the land.
He rode to the hill and turned to the side,
Raised his hat in farewell, and thanks for the ride.
But I heard him exclaim, as he rode out in the night,
"Keep your butt in the saddle and a balloon in your sights."

Oh, the lessons in life...

The other day I woke to find the temp in my house at 50 degrees. We had a major cold front move in that dropped the temps to an average of 3 degrees and wind chills in the -degrees. I quickly cleaned out my wood burning stove in efforts to get things warmed up. I stumbled into the kitchen to make some coffee and discovered that I had no water in the kitchen, the pipes had frozen. Oh the joys of living in a 101 year old farm house. :-) I immediately stuck the blow dryer down the hole under the sink to begin thawing the pipes and was lucky to have water within 20 minutes and no damage. Lesson: When temps are this low, always leave the water trickling so it won't freeze!

The next task on my list was the morning ritual of going out and feeding the horses. I noticed when I got to the barn that their water was getting low. There isn't a water pump in the barn, so I have to string a garden hose from the pump out by the garage to the barn. Not a big deal and I have been really good at disconnecting the hose when I'm finished and walking the water out of the hose so it won't freeze. However, this particular morning water must have accumulated in the hose as it was frozen solid and no water was coming through. I thought perhaps if I worked my way up the hose bending it to break the ice up, I might be able to get some progress. Nope...no joy here. The horses still had enough water to last them until the next day so I decided to bring the hose inside the house to thaw.

I spent nearly 1/2 hour wrestling with the frozen hose trying to coil it up to bring it inside. I finally got it to where it was manageable to carry and was gingerly carrying it up to the house when suddenly I found myself parallel to the ground. Yet another life lesson: Crocks (or as my sister Kara refers to the knock-offs as "Crooks") will keep your feet very warm, but they are made out of rubber and have no tread. Lesson: Not recommend to wear during snowy, slick conditions. I lay there for a moment flatly stating "This is going to leave a mark", then picked myself up and went inside struggling with the discombobulated hose.

The next morning, I was able to easily coil the hose up and prided myself in the fact that I had positioned both ends of the hose to drain into the sink so I wouldn't have a water mess to clean up. I did notice that I had cracked the hose in one place where I had bent it to break the ice, so I patched it up with good ol' duct tape and proceeded out to water the horses.

I got everything hooked up and in position. I turned on the water only to observe what was once a hose was now a "soaker hose"! Lesson: Never bend or kink a frozen hose in attempts to break the ice. Every place I had bent the hose had a left a hole in the hose! Who knew???

So today I go into town to buy another hose....given what I have had to learn the hard way, I think this one will last a while!

P.S. For those of you wondering, yes...I think my mother may have dropped me on my head when I was born. :-)

The Best Laid Plans....

This is Ozzie, Oz for short. He is the last remaining kitten from the litter I found in the barn in August. As you can see he is a little black fur ball with eyes and I be surprised if he even weighs two pounds.

Since I moved to the farm, critters have come and gone, but somehow I never get used to them dying or disappearing. I try very hard not to get too attached, but my avid love of animals tends to always get in the way.

Oz was the only male born in the litter and is and always has been the "mama's boy". Zippy (the mom) continues to live and hunt in the barn and for whatever reason, Oz refuses to wean himself, nor does she encourage it even tho she has no milk to offer him. I have been worried about Oz getting dehydrated as he won't drink the water I set out every day. I also set out kitten chow. So I started taking out powdered milk for him in hopes that he will eventually start drinking out of the water bowl as well. He has gotten to the point that every morning I go out to the barn to feed the horses, he comes running and acts as if he is starving. I have worried that he can't take care of himself and won't survive the winter.

Well, yesterday he didn't show. I thought maybe he was off hunting with his mom (ha!) but then she appeared. No Ozzie. And wherever she is, Ozzie is... I thought that maybe he would be there in the evening when I put the horses to bed for the night. Again, he didn't show.

So this morning, I headed out to the barn again in hopes that he would be there, and was disappointed to only see Zippy again. I emailed my friend Barb (who is Ozzie's surrogate owner) to let her know he is gone. We both beat ourselves up for not bringing him inside.

I decided to go out and comb the wooded area of the farm in hopes of finding him. As I headed out, I decided to check the barn again. To my surprise, there he was! He came out of nowhere! I was so excited to see him I almost scared him. Barb and I had decided that if by some miracle he ever came back that one of us would make him a house cat. This is where the "best laid plans" come in:

I called Barb to let her know the good news. I decided to bring Oz into the house and see how he did with the three heelers (with cat killing instincts). Oz was a little nervous at first but quickly acclimated to being inside. He never left the kitchen table and didn't seem to be too concerned about the three dogs looking at him with lunch in their eyes. The dogs were more upset than anyone! Lucy kept pretending to sniff and lick him and then quickly try and snag him with her teeth!

I mixed Oz up some warm milk and he sat contently on the table drinking his milk and walking across my laptop as I was using it.


I was just thinking to myself that this could work, when suddenly Oz walked across the table, butted me in the head with his head, purred, then turned around and exploded diarrhea all over me, the table, my cell phone, and the computer mouse! He just kept walking across the table as if this was just a normal event in the day and life of Oz. I, on the other hand sat gagging, paralyzed in disbelief with a lap full of Ozzie poo. Funny thing is, the dogs quickly disappeared through the pet door and didn't come back in!I called Barb to let her know that Oz is ALL hers. Needless to say, Oz is back out in the barn with his mom.

So it just goes to show that sometimes the best laid plans are better left to those more qualified to handle them! :-)

Congrats Cassie!

Better late than never! Last Friday I had the honor of attending my niece Cassie's graduation from cosmetology school! Well done, Cassie! She looked so pretty and my heart filled with emotion as all of her classmates stood in line to hug and congratulate her.

As I watched, I couldn't help but remember waaaay back when I finally graduated cosmetology school. At that time it was a nine month course which took me 18 months to complete! School interfered with my priority of partying first, so it was very difficult to get up on Saturday mornings to attend! My sister Kara used to come into my room and sing to me in my hungover state, "Beauty School Drop Out.....Go Back to High School"! Wow, sure glad those days are over! :-)

Merry Christmas!

Compliments of my creative and perverse humored sister, Kara! Hope this brings you as many laughs as it brought me! :-) For those of you who are wondering who these people are, this is my mom (Crazy Jane), three older sisters (Kristin, Kathy & Kara), and me!

How Do You Keep A Turkey In Suspense?

This is the thanksgiving phone call I have called my Aunt Ann with nearly every year, for years. :-) Tradition...I guess it comes in many shapes and forms.

This was a Thanksgiving I was really looking forward to this year. Although emotionally reflecting was painful at times, I took comfort in being able to freely be with my family this year. I was like a kid at Christmas time anticipating the moment we would all be together again.

My sister Kara, my brother-in-law Clay, and my niece and nephew Payton and Scott were all coming from Colorado, so I spent two days painting the "creepy green room" getting it ready for them to sleep in. I'm glad I had a project, or I would have been climbing the walls. :-)

Everyone arrived safe and sound and we went to my sister Kathy's house for Thanksgiving dinner. As always, the food was wonderful (special thanks to bro-in-law Steve for being quite the baker this year!). My Mom and Russ, sister Kristin and nephew Kameron, were also there. My son Tyler came later in the day and I was so excited to see him as I didn't think he would be here until that Friday.

Way too much to write about! Below are some pics I took with my handy dandy cell phone!

Who's A Happy-ass?

It must be the time of year, or perhaps not being employed, I have way too much time to reflect! :-) In the past week, I have had conversations with my sisters and dear friends, and the commonality of the conversations has been that I always seem to be happy. Given that, I am aware that my "perkiness" can wear on one's last nerve, but to no avail have been able to change this defect? of mine. However, this does not by any means put me above getting angry, depressed, sad, self-righteous, insecure, or any other normal human emotions. The way I look at it is that no matter how I feel or what I'm going through in life that may be tough, there is always someone who is worse off than me. So why mope around about my piddly problems? No one likes to be around a losery sad sack...especially me. I have had my share of feeling sorry for myself and feeling that life had dealt me a bad hand. Better a bad hand than no hand at all, right? I guess my point is that if I want to be happy in life, I need to do the right things and get busy living life. I've learned that if I don't take risks, nothing is ever gained or lost. How can I be grateful if I don't experience either?
This Thanksgiving season, I am most thankful for the life that God has given me as it is a good life. I am thankful for the family that still invites me in and lovingly tolerates me. For the friends who see every single defect of character I have, but love me anyway. And for my critters who remind me to spend my time with God.

American Cowgirl

I saw this video, loved it, and wanted to share! :-)

Persistence or Stalking?

Earlier today I spoke with my sister Kathy. I was telling her that I still had not heard back (yet a week later) from my latest job interview. She told me I should call back today to find out. I told her that I had already checked in last week. She said that it would show persistence and interest on my part to check back again today. In my role as a recruiter, we called these people stalkers. :-)
I was reminded of when I was 16 and had just moved to Topeka with my mom. Kathy was there for the summer as well and was giving me guidance (even then) on how to pursue a job. I had applied at a clothing store and she told me to just keep calling every week until they hired me. I continued to call with no response. She then told me to show up in person. So I did, every week until I wore that poor man down. He finally hired me for seasonal gift wrapping that November. So in short, I literally stalked this man for nearly four months until he hired me!
Today, I would probably be arrested and a restraining order issued. LOL!

Brrrrr!

After nearly a week of beautiful weather in the 70's, it looks like winter is on its way. Last night the temp dropped into the 30's. I put wood pellets in the wood burning stove and snuggled into bed for the night.
Apparently, some time in the wee hours of the morning, the pellets all burned up. The wind came up and blew the front door open while I slept. So I woke up this a.m. to 34 degrees in my house! No wonder I couldn't feel my nose! I plugged in every space heater I own and sat down at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee.
Today, I devise a plan on how to get through the winter. With the high cost of gas and propane, I elected not to fill my propane tank and try to manage heating the house with space heaters and my wood burner. Should make for an interesting winter! :-)
The job search continues. Times are tough and it is challenging to not get into a funk. I try to remember that I have been through way worse than this, and God has always brought me to the other side stronger and better. In the meantime, I keep busy and take pride in the things I can do for myself, like building a bench in my mud room. :-)
As I write this blog, I watch the horses play in the front pasture. They are frisky with the cold weather, and often take time out to stare at the house as I have not been out to feed them yet! Ki is not shy about whinnying at the house for me. Cowboy just stares perturbed, with one ear back.
I don't know what I'd do without my critters. They bring so many smiles and peace to me.
I do know that I could do without the mice. I clobbered yet another mouse yesterday with the broom. Hopefully, they will go away soon, as I really hate killing them. I feel so guilty, but don't want them in my house!
Zippy Pinhead (mama cat) is a great hunter and I often wonder if the mice were smart enough to figure that out, hence moving into my house, or if they just came in to get warm.
This week Zippy's prize was a rabbit nearly as big as she. She and her kittens have been lounging around fat and happy.
The dogs have been a handful as usual. Lucy has it in her brain (she is in heat) that Neuman is the source of her stress and continues to pummel him every chance she gets. I felt so bad for him yesterday. He was peacefully taking a nap on the floor by the couch. Lucy was doing the same, and all of the sudden looked up, directed her stare at Neuman, and proceeded to attack him while he was sleeping. Neuman immediately came slinking over to me for protection as Lucy looked at me with contempt for protecting him. Today, I also call the vet to see about getting her spade!!!
Well, that's all folks. :-) Tune in soon for more boring crap at the farmstead.

Yesterday morning I came home and was talking to Mom on the phone. I was standing in the kitchen and happen to look down and was startled to find a little mouse sitting right by my foot looking up at me! I screamed and it went under the refrigerator. I pulled the fridge out looking for it, but it had apparently crawled up inside. I had to go to my interview, so I thought I would just deal with it later.

When I came home from my interview, the dogs were going nuts with excitement on my arrival (like they hadn't just seen me a couple hours ago). Through the chaos, I looked over and there was that little mouse sitting in the midst of everything looking at me. I grabbed the broom and clobbered it, picked it up and threw it outside.

When Gary came out later, I was telling him about it and boy did he tease me. He said that here is this little friendly mouse just stopping in to get warm and say hi to me, and I clobber it. He said it could have been someone I knew from a past life just checking in on me, and I clobbered it! He was having way too much fun at my expense. So here is to the little mouse I clobbered: Sorry I wronged you, next time call first, or just leave a note! :-)

Ms. Bungle Strikes Again!

After being on the job for 4 weeks now, I reluctantly reported to work. It had been what I consider probably the worst job I have ever had. As I sat through the Monday morning meeting, my head kept telling me, "Just give them your notice today....you can't do this anymore!" After the meeting, the big boss asked if he could speak to me in private. He was obviously painstaking in what he was about to say to me. He finally got it out that "they were letting me go.....today." My reaction caught him totally by surprise as I busted out laughing as I exclaimed, "OH! THANK GOD!!! I have never been so happy to be let go from a job!" I then proceeded to let him know that I was planning to give him my notice. We both sat and laughed and he agreed that this was the best "firing session" he has ever had.
Where being unemployed with bills to pay is not an ideal situation, I trust that God will lead me in the right direction. I just have to keep putting in the footwork. I have an interview this afternoon. Hopefully, this will be the answer. :-)

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY TYLER!!! - October 1, 1987

Happy birthday to my one and only favorite son! Its hard to believe that it has been 21 years since the earth moved (literally, as we lived in California and you decided to arrive 30 minutes after an earthquake hit) and you came into the world. Although there have been challenging times, being your mom is the best job I've ever had. :-) I'm very proud of you. Love you buckets Sweetie! Happy 21st birthday. Mom.

A fence bulider does not a visionary make.....

Well, it was Monday...I was to start my new job on Tuesday and was panicking because I did not have a fenced in yard for the dogs. I could not imagine leaving all three of them locked up in their kennels in the house day in, day out, all week long.

So, in my panic mode, I went to Menard's and purchased ten 12 ft. long chain link panels for quick and easy assembly (wink wink). When I got home, I quickly realized that in order to get the panels up where I needed them, I would have to trim back some of the Evergreen trees out front. Repeating over and over to myself, "Work smarter, not harder", I headed to the garage to find a hand saw to trim the branches back. Things were going well and I was progressing proudly when I came across a pretty thick branch on the bottom of one of the trees. This is when I got to learn a very important lesson about leverage.

Still repeating to myself, "Work smarter, not harder", I stepped on the end of the branch and pushed it to the ground and once again, proudly started sawing the branch half way up the middle. To put that extra oomph on it, I leaned over and picked up the speed. Things were going impressively well, when all of the sudden it felt like someone stepped in and punched me directly in the nose! When I was able to make sense of what had just happened, I realized that I had been sawing on the wrong side of where I had placed my foot for leverage. When I cut through the branch, it had popped up approximately three feet and poked me in my nose! At first I thought it was broken as it went numb and I could feel it running. Fortunately, no blood, just immediate bruising and swelling. This should look great for my first day on the new job!

After collecting myself and repeating again, "Work smarter, not harder", my next step was to support the fence with T-posts. I have put in hundreds of these things using a post driver (see picture for reference).

My post driver weighs approximately 25 lbs. and has been a life saver out here at the farm. Well, I was holding onto the post driver pounding away driving the T-post into the ground when I suddenly realized that the post driver was no longer in my hands. Before I could even put together what happened, it came down and beaned me right in the noggin! Knocked me silly, I tell you. I was leaning on the trash bin stomping my foot trying to make the stars and pain go away. I couldn't help but laugh as it is yet another confirmation of "Miss Bungle".

Looking to the sky with my arms held up, I exclaimed , "Okay God, what is it I'm not getting?" The thought crossed my mind that I definitely should not operate any power tools! (But quickly left as I needed to trim more bushes and resorted to the reciprocating saw.)

All in all, it was a day of reckoning (I reckon I'm a little too self-willed and prideful to ask for help-mmm-hmm). The fence is up. The dogs are happy. And I have yet more opportunities to laugh at myself. :-)

Friends, Family, and Frogs....

On Labor Day I went to my friend Patti's (that's Patti with an EYE) house to lay out by the pool. We had a great time relaxing and catching up on things.

Later in the afternoon, my son Tyler came by Patti's to see me before he went back home to Topeka. When he went to sit down in the lawn chair, there was a baby frog sitting in the chair. He prompted it to jump out of the chair and sat down. As he was talking to me, I was surprised to see the little frog come crawling up Tyler's back! Glad it wasn't my back... I probably would have had another heart attack!

Status on Cowboy

I continue to administer antibiotics, bute, and change Cowboy's dressing. The vet said that the wound would look worse before it got better. Although there doesn't seem to be signs of infection setting in, I'm concerned that the gaping laceration is not closing. (The picture above doesn't really depict the severity of the wound)

I have Cowboy confined in his stall as I don't want him running or walking around too much. The first day I changed his dressing, I decided to give him some "free" time and let him graze. Ki decided to be a brat and prompted him to come running to her. He was favoring pretty bad and skipping as he tried to run to her. So that was the end of his free time. He really hates being in the stall.

Being that today is Labor Day, I won't be able to contact the vet until tomorrow.

When it rains...it pours....

After last night's heavy rain, I started out to the barn to check on the horses this a.m. I was met at the gate by Cowboy, who sluggishly stuck his front right foot out at me. When I checked to see what was wrong, I discovered a gaping hole in the back of his front leg right above the hoof. He couldn't put any weight on his leg.

I immediately called Zak, my farrier, and met him to pick up a trailer so I could haul Cowboy into the vet.

After going through four vet clinics, Zak called a friend of his whose father is a horse vet, and we hauled Cowboy in to Waterloo.

Apparently, Cowboy had stuck his foot through the barbed-wire fence. He sliced it up pretty good, but the vet didn't think that he cut the tendon.

So the next few weeks will tell the tale. Cowboy will need antibiotics, bute, and new dressings every day for the next two weeks. Makes me wonder if this is why I'm unemployed at the moment. :-) There is always a blessing to count.

Sorry Kath....the birds are for the kittens!

I laughed when I read my sister Kathy's comments on my last blog about wanting to see more birds! Since the dirty racoons ate my chickens, all I have now are those nasty Barn Swallows! I figure the new kittens (but they're not my cats - right?) will assist with some population control! :-)
I took some more pictures the other day of Zippy and her babies and have come up with some names for them:

This is Tiny Tim ( for obvious reasons). He/She seems to be the social one of the bunch and comes out by himself when he hears me coming. He/She won th "Ugly Award" along with the "Congeniality Award".
This is "Mable" only because I couldn't think of another name! :-)Shown here with Zippy is "The Face". This one has the cutest, unique face I think I have ever seen!

And last, but not least....this is "Ozzie". Apparently, Ozzie has a different father. That's all I have to say about that. :-)

We got babies!!!

After my last blog, I was feeling a little down in the dumps. It was Sunday morning and I went out to feed the horses. They were in their stalls waiting patiently for me to get their hay. I went to get their hay, and when I rolled the hay bale over, I was startled to find a cat lying there.
I had seen her around the farm before, and she had always been friendly, but I hadn't see her for quite a few months. She appeared to be just as startled as I was. When I got my bearings, I noticed that she had four little furry things attached to her!
I wasn't sure how protective she was, but when she started purring, I figured it was okay to pick them up, as it would have taken every ounce of self-restraint I had not to hold one!
As I picked them up one by one, everything became okay with me. I wasn't scared anymore and became extremely aware of being right there, right then, just enjoying the moment. After all, that's what its all about, right?
The little kitties are definitely not the shiniest tools in the shed, but adorable none-the-less.

Since then, I have visited them every day, 2-3 times a day! Mama cat (I call her Zippy - short for Zippy Pinhead) is always happy to see me as I bring her food and water. But technically, she's not my cat (wink, wink).
On another note, there has been another kitten that must have been left behind when I moved in. I named her "Stray". The horses have been her best friends, as until recently, she has never gotten within 20 feet of me. Amazingly enough, she let me pick her up the other day and now she comes when she hears me coming to feed the horses.

I don't know what I'd do without my critters. I do love them so. :-)

Still Ms. Bungle....

I have always hoped that with my age, would come some grace. But after this week, I've resigned myself to believing that I will always be "Ms. Bungle".

It is my nature to step in whatever pile I can find. I guess it is a good thing that I can find the humor in life.

This week, after six years with my current company, I was "down-sized". I was a recruiter in the healthcare industry and can't count the times I told my new hires that "the healthcare industry is the only recession proof industry". I guess I'm feeling a little silly now. :-)

So now I embark on yet more new adventures. Change is always tough, but I know that God has bigger plans for me as every time I have been through the "seemingly bad", I have always come out better on the other side.

(This is me targeting those who wronged me....JUST KIDDING!!! - Hey I wouldn't be human if I didn't have some mixed emotions!)

Meet Barb & Ki

This is my dear friend Barb and her horse Ki. Barb bought Ki in March and she came to live on the farm and keep Cowboy company.

Since then, we have had quite the adventures to include wee hour of the morning escapes, bucking bronc rodeos, etc. :-)

I think my favorite story about Ki was a few weeks ago. The dogs woke me up around 2 a.m. barking. I looked out my bedroom window and could barely make out the image of Cowboy pacing the fence.

I got up, put my shoes on and headed outside to see what was going on. As I was stooping trying to see through the trees, I could see Cowboy, but I couldn't see Ki.

All of the sudden I heard foot steps behind me. When I turned to see who it was, I was startled to see this big horse head right in my face. It was Ki. She had gone through the fence we had just put up the week prior. She was standing behind me looking as well as if to say "What are we looking at??"

I told her to stay right there (I was afraid if I showed her I was mad she would run off) and I ran to the barn to get her halter and lead.

When I came through the barn door, I almost fell on my butt as I was startled to open the door and find that Ki had followed me to the barn for a treat and was standing at the door waiting for me!

I got her halter on and put her back in the corral. Needless to say, I spent the next two hours putting up the temporary electric fence to keep the brats in!

It seems every time Barb comes out to see her horse, we end up working on the farm. One very hot day, we were sweating our butts off putting up yet more fence, and Barb asked me "What the hell are we doing???" I replied with a smile, "Living the dream, man!" :-)

And then there were none......

Over a month ago, I was piddling around the barn and noticed a few loose feathers. I didn't think anything of it until my roosters (Red and Goldie) weren't anywhere to be found. At first I thought perhaps they were out picking in the corn field just east of the farm. But they never came back...and I never saw them again.

HoHen continued her quest of sitting on a rotten egg in hopes that it would hatch. She spent weeks sitting on that egg until one day I heard her causing such a commotion in the hay loft. I went up to see what was wrong and she was frantically running around the loft squawking her head off. I'm thinking that she had finally realized her "boys" were gone.

Due to all the worrying I had done that she wasn't eating or drinking anything as a result of sitting on the rotten egg, I thought I would cease the moment and get rid of the rotten egg. That was definitely NOT a good idea. The second I got close to her prize egg, I swear everything on her extended to ten times its size! She came at me with such a vengeance, I ran screaming "Okay! Okay! I won't bother your rotten egg!"

From that point on, she started coming out of the loft more frequently. It was sad to see her by herself, but she wasn't alone for very long. Last week I went to the barn only to find a fury of feathers spread from one end of the barn to the other. HoHen was gone...for good.

Apparently, judging by the tracks I found around the barn and the mess inside the barn, there are a few coons that decided to prey upon my family of chickens.

It seems so silly that I could get so attached to some stupid chickens, but I did.

So I now have a new goal and wonder how fried coon will taste. :-)

Posted in loving memory of Big Red, HoHen, and Goldie.

How To Mutilate An Antique Plow

Saturday, if anyone would have caught my escapade on tape and narrated it, it would've sounded something like this:

"You can't say persistency isn't in this woman's blood. Her dilemma is she needs to plow up her arena, but she doesn't have the equipment. Watch as she goes and grabs an antique plow and tries to attach it to her lawn tractor……oops…..she's got to figure out how to attach it without it tipping over….there she goes…..looks like she has tied some rope onto the handles and is trying to attach to the tractor seat????......no, she's going to try and balance the plow by holding onto one of the ropes and driving at the same time……hey!.....she got once around the arena…..looks okay…..but wait, now where's she going?......yeegads she is dragging back a 50 lb. cinder block….what on earth does she plan to do with that? By golly, she's attaching it to the plow!.....Okay, looks like she's got it…..she's on the tractor…..OUCH!.....the vinyl seat must have gotten hot in the sun!.....did you see how fast she jumped up? Okay…not sure what she's doing….is she….? Yep, she's stripping off her shorts!.....good thing she has a swimming suit on….she's laying the shorts on the hot seat….Okay, we're back on track now….she's starting the tractor…..and……we're offf……nope…….looks like the plow tipped over again. She's off scratching her head…..Now where's she going????.....you're kidding…..here she comes back with another 50 lb. cinder block!.....she's tying this one to the handles of the plow……yep, still threading the rope to hang onto for balance…..everything secured….back on the tractor……DAMN IT!......the shorts slipped off the seat….bet that's going to leave a mark! Is she swearing??.....yep, she certainly is……okay…..shorts are back on the seat and we're off……oops….there goes the plow again tipping over….oh no…..looks like one of the handles went flying!! Now where's she going??? I swear….this woman never gives up!.....look at that….she's back with two sets of pliers! Now she is taking the blades off of the plow and attaching them to the back of the tractor….looks like she may have figured it out…..okay…..back on the tractor……WOW….this woman has absolutely no short term memory as she forgot to make sure the shorts were in place on the seat! Bet she won't be able to sit for awhile unless its on an ice block! Okay….now she's going……nope…she stopped….now what?......She's tying one of the cinder blocks to the itty bitty blade?....I gotta see this work…..she's back on the tractor (she remembered the shorts this time) and she's off…..what the ?????......the blades disappeared! She's off the tractor again….looks like the blades could not withstand the weight of the cinder block….who knew??? Okay, she's taking the mutilated blades off the back of the tractor…..NOW where's she going?? A RAKE???? What is she going to do with a garden rake? You're kidding!.....she is tying the handle of the rake to the back of the tractor. Okay, this could work…..no…wait…..what is she doing with the cinder block? She's tying it to the garden rake!.....Back on the tractor…..she forgot the shorts but seems too irritated to care!.....There she goes….hey, not bad…….oops…..she lost the rake, but hey….the cinder block drags really well!.......Now where is she going??......You mean to tell me after three hours of trying to plow the arena she is just going to give up and go lay in the sun?????? What a whimp! :-)"

Sorry to those interested about not blogging for awhile....I lost my camera and need to get another. I hope to be back blogging and catching up soon as I have many stories to tell since my last blog!