Life on a Bison Farm

There's a new (tiny) Sheriff in town...

2011-10-06T16:25:00.003-04:00

And her name is Lucy.

Doug came upon her lying in the middle of the road presumably soaking up the last few rays of sunshine for the day and the heat of the asphalt. He picked her up and brought her home. I've checked the area and haven't found any litter mates so I don't know what her story is.

She's a tiny little thing but she has an attitude the size of Texas. She has no fear and just marches around as if she owns the cat house. She lets her feeling known if she wants attention as well ~ she meows louder than the big guys!

Lucy has found her forever home.

My New Compound Bow

2011-05-18T20:52:00.003-04:00

I had talked about getting a compound bow for years. It was something I thought I would enjoy and I am good with shooting guns so I figured I'd like to give it a try.

I bought a bow last Saturday. I really like it, it's a great bow and lightweight.

Tonight I took it out and got some shooting time in. It's the 3rd time I've shot and I don't want to toot my own horn but I did pretty dang good!

I would like to try a 3D shoot in the future but I need to keep practicing before I get in to anything type of competition.

I didn't know what this was called until I talked to my BIL...it's called a Robin Hood. I shot an arrow in to another arrow. I was told to keep them together since it's not that common to have it happen.

Riverboat Surprise

2011-04-13T19:10:00.003-04:00

I had quite an unexpected surprise for my birthday. My birthday was Saturday the 9th, my father in law had his birthday on Sunday the 10th. Doug came up with the idea of having a surprise birthday party for the both of us on a Riverboat named the Lantern Queen.

I didn't suspect anything and I know my father in law didn't either. When we arrived at the restaurant we were supposed to be having lunch and it was closed my curiosity got the best of me. I kept asking Doug where we were going but he wasn't talking.

We arrived at the boat and even as we boarded I wasn't thinking anything. Everyone was sitting or standing directly in front of me but wasn't until they yelled surprise I realized what was going on. I turned to Claude, (my father in law) and he had the biggest smile on his face ~ it meant the world to him. We had a great little cruise lasting two hours.

We had an excellent lunch with various wraps, salads and Maryland Crab Soup. There was a full bar for drinks, a cake and of course the opportunity to relax with family and friends.

It was a wonderful birthday and I know Claude loved it as well. It was pretty brave of Doug to pull off a double surprise party!! I loved the Riverboat and will definitely being going on another river tour. They offer just about anything you can think of and of course you can always charter the boat for private parties. They have a murder mystery cruise which sounds like fun.

After the party we stopped at another restaurant called the Tidewater for drinks & some oysters & clams. My cousin and her boyfriend, my mom & JC and a dear family friend were with us.

It was a great day and one I will always remember.

Thanks Doug!!!!

Sunny Sunday

2011-03-27T19:39:00.003-04:00

It was a sunny day but chilly. Our mornings have been in the low twenties and we are only warming up to the low 40's...where is spring?

It didn't seem to bother some of the residents. I captured them soaking up the sun or just looking awfully cute!

This is my boy Zeus. Long time readers (from J-Land days) may remember him, he was one of my first entries.

His expression is just adorable.

BeBe didn't miss the chance to soak up the sun, she naps every day regardless if she is in her stall or outdoors.

Her Mama is going to be THIRTY in May ~ she looks pretty good for her age.

My sweet little Hope taking a roll on the warm driveway. Hope is blind and is Zeus' sister. She's only outdoors when I am home & can supervise her. I don't want her to run off or become disoriented. She is amazing though and does a great job navigating.

Blind or not she's still a diva.

One mans trash is not always a treasure

2011-03-13T20:06:00.003-04:00

The first day of daylight savings time proved to be a long one for us. Our woodlands have a great deal of road frontage which seems to have turned in to a landfill in some places. After our last walk we decided it was time to clean up.

Doug worked a few hours yesterday and filled up about 11 bags. I didn't contribute too much yesterday but helped him throw them in the dump truck and we called it a day.

He started on the project first thing this morning while I took care of the animals and cleaned the stalls. As soon as I was done I joined him and we worked and worked and worked some more. I lost count of how many bags we filled.

I believe we could furnish a room, we found two box springs, a chair, a sleeping bag and enough carpeting to carpet several rooms. We found beer cans, soda bottles, lots of water bottles, baby potties (nice), baby diapers (even nicer), broken dishes, plates and just about anything else you can think of. I was shocked at how much plastic we found as well.

There were bags of trash under leaves & fallen trees. It boggles my mind people feel they are entitled to throw their unwanted items anywhere they choose. I can't even wrap my head around that kind of thinking ~ they must not care about the environment at all. We even found a propane tank ~ really, someone threw a propane tank in the woods.

We'll be heading off to the landfill this week with our full load of junk.

But a good thing happened while we were working. A lady stopped and told me how awesome it was that we were cleaning up and she was horrified at the amount of trash and a neighbor decided to clean up his land as well! It is definitely noticeable so I'm hoping people have some pride and keep it clean.

Here are some pictures...I think you will be shocked and maybe even a little angry when you see what was in our woods.

This is just a little pile but a good representation of what we encountered.

These are some of the bags we had filled - we used our feed bags so we weren't putting even more plastic in to the landfill.

This is our dump truck loaded to the top with trash.

Here is the pile of tires we collected. It will probably cost us quite a bit to dispose of these.

Community Photo Challenge

2011-02-23T15:51:00.005-05:00

This is my entry for the Community Photo Challenge. The challenge is Still Life - for more details click on the word community above or the banner.

Click on the image to enlarge. Thanks!

Old & New Friends...Pictorial

2011-02-17T18:06:00.004-05:00

Hello friends! I know it's been awhile since I've done an entry....it's been a long winter. I thought I would share some of our newest residents and some old friends as well.

I hope you enjoy the gang!

This little girl is Sunny. She just showed up one day and has become a resident of the Cat House.

Socks has lived in the Cat House for 5 years - she's showing off her skills

Everything is a muddy mess and as you can see Samson has decided he isn't happy unless he is covered with mud! I have my work cut out for me keeping him clean!

This is Pig...he's been around for about a year now. He injured himself and hasn't regained the use of his wing. I don't know if he'll ever be strong enough to go on his own again but until that time we'll keep him safe.

Meet Patches....I am pretty certain she was dumped at the end of the road. She jumped right in my car and after a vet exam & bloodwork she was integrated in to the Cat House. She's a sweet little lady and loves attention. I call her my Chunky Monkey since she is a bit "round". LOL

My dear old Flash is still a prankster. He's digging away at the snow ~ I'm not sure what he thinks he'll find but it keeps him entertained I guess.

Bob....Bobcat....what can I say about Bob? He just showed up in the barn. He was very elusive and he is a big boy. The first thing I noticed is the fact that he has no tail. I thought he may be mixed with a bobcat so I called him Bob.

I shudder to think what happened to his tail. He's a sweetheart and follows me everywhere! He's enjoying life in the barn with his buddy Ghost.

You can see he has no tail. He can still jump and he seems to have good balance even though he doesn't have his tail.

Bed & Breakfast

2010-11-27T16:06:00.008-05:00

I'm still toying with the idea of a Bed & Breakfast, actually more like a vacation home rental as I am not serving food. There are as many cons as there are pros so we're not rushing in to anything.

Call this a little a test run before I do a website. Of course I would take better pictures but you'll get the idea.

Tell me what you think...would you stay here?

I will be putting more pictures in another entry showing the kitchen, dining & living room.

In ground pool area

Peach Bedroom

Master Bath with Jacuzzi Tub

Master Bedroom with private deck & bath

Cowboy Bedroom

Foyer ~ Main entrance looking down from 2nd floor

Foyer - looking up from main floor

Southwest Bedroom (1st Floor)

I doubt this little lady is happy about Thanksgiving...

2010-11-21T10:57:00.003-05:00

Why I Love my Horse

2010-11-14T13:31:00.002-05:00

He's a free spirit......

He can be used as a hat rack when needed.....

He loves a good laugh with his friends.....

I think he's pretty handsome.....

Community Photo Challenge ~ Autumn

2010-11-07T21:14:00.003-05:00

http://communityphotochallenge.blogspot.com/

Here is my submission for the Community Photo Challenge. The theme is Autumn Color.

This photograph was taken looking East towards the lower part of our farm. I used an HDR program to enhance the shot.

Remember me?

2010-09-22T11:33:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. I/we are doing good. It's been quite an adjustment, closing our company has been much much harder on me than I had expected but with time it seems to be getting easier.

Doug is having a difficult time with the loss of his job. Seems there are a number of unresolved issues he would like to have clarified but I don't know that closure will ever come. He seems to be adjusting as time passes as well.

Doug has the farm looking pristine. Everyone who visits says it's never looked better & it looks like an estate. My mom & step dad are now enjoying time off as we are handling almost everything for them. They take care of the horses 2 days a week and I do it the rest of the time. My mom loves her chickens so she does take care of them everyday ~ they are her spoiled babies. I do love it and my folks deserve the time to relax.

I've started taking Zoloft for depression and Xanax for anxiety. As I said the adjustment to not having the company has been hard for me. I feel lost, as though I no longer have a purpose. I was important, I made important decisions that mattered. Now my biggest decisions are along the lines of what flavor cat food to feed or if I should put the fly masks on the horses or not. Don't get me wrong, I love being here and I love my animals more than I can say, but there is still a part of me that really misses being a part of something else. If that makes sense.

Doug and I do manage to get away one day a week. Just to get out in the "real" world. Once I'm out there though I find I really just want to be back home again.

So, that's all for now. Things are looking up and I know we are Blessed and for that I am grateful.

You may not believe me but I think of many of you often. Something I see or hear will cause me to think of my Blogger friends. I find I am busier now than ever and although I'm on the farm I am rarely in the house on the computer. I'm sure when winter rolls around I'll be housebound more.

And.....

TODAY MARKS ONE YEAR I HAVE NOT SMOKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come to my party....

2010-07-14T14:45:00.004-04:00

A pity party that is. Don't worry, it will be short & sweet. I don't wallow in the negative too long. Life is too short or too long, depending how you look at it, to do that.

Our family business is finally closed. We will close & lock the door on July 31, 2010 marking the end of 35 years in business. Who knew the closing of a corporation was such a long, tedious process. My next career should be an Attorney specializing in business closures! They certainly find reasons to trump up the fees & drag things on!

Sad as that is I'm afraid that isn't the worst. I was prepared for losing my job. I was NOT however prepared for Doug losing his employment. His last day of work is this Friday.

His company had a meeting Monday morning and they were told in 2 to 3 weeks they will no longer have jobs. They ran out of work sooner than expected and Doug will be done in two days instead of two weeks.

He is so upset. My heart aches for him ~ I wish I could make him feel better but there isn't anything I can do or say.

He's been with the company 15 years and they were like a family. I know how he feels and it hurts. He's shocked, they all are and I can say in all honesty they were blindsided and had no clue this was coming. My heart goes out to the other guys too, they have children to consider.

So...I was moving on to a new chapter in life and now it looks like we'll be moving on to that chapter together. The future is unknown and I have no idea what's waiting for us. We're mulling over several ideas.

Other than that it is a horrendous summer! It's been sweltering, heat wave after heat wave and it seems no long term relief is in sight.

The animals are all doing well and so far everyone has been surviving the heat. We do what we can to keep them comfortable.

That's all folks...I wish you all peace & happiness. I am done complaining and the party is over!

Cool Cats

2010-06-21T09:53:00.002-04:00

Yes...she IS a Diva.

Sweet little Shy, she is such a darling and quite a princess too. Can you imagine she was at one time severely abused, starving and covered with mange to the point she lost all of her hair? You've come a long way Shy girl!!

My cat house cats are so cool ~ literally. They now have AIR CONDITIONING!!! Yeah, I know...a little over the top but they deserve it. They deserve AC and much much more after what most of them have been through in their lives.

Basically I wanted something to keep the humidity down. The new insulation in the ceiling & block helps tremendously but if it's humid for several days in a row it does seem to get damp. Now that problem is solved.

It has been and is supposed to be hot as blazes. Seems a little too early for these kinds of temps.

We're to be above 90 the next 4 days which is a heatwave.

All the other animals are doing well and we keep everyone as comfortable as possible. The horses have their ceiling fans and spend most days in the barn under them. I put them out to pasture a few hours in the morning and the rest day of their day is spent napping & munching on hay.

Samson is still in training and we are doing great together. He is a different horse and actually has respect for me...imagine that. He will try to push once in a while but is quickly met with my being firm. He seems much happier now that I am in charge ~ he doesn't have to think anymore. haha

The Trainer comes every other week unless it is just too hot for any of us to work! I'm not having anything to do with horse training when it's over 90 degrees outside ~ that wouldn't be good for any of us.

Well, that is all for now. I hope everyone is well and life is treating you good!

Peace to all.

Hijacked Pansy

2010-05-24T14:49:00.005-04:00

I was putting my container gardens together and realized my market pack of pansies was short a plant. Upon further investigation I came to see a toad had taken the place of my plant. He looked so comfortable I didn't have the heart to make him go. I left him in the pack and he's now residing on my porch.

These are the birds on my outside light. They are Eastern King Birds ~ although I find them adorable they are making quite a mess on my siding so when it's time to go I'll take the nest down to discourage her from building another right here.

And.....Loudini has not escaped!!!

Have a great day everyone, peace to all.

The Great Loudini ~ A Cat Tale

2010-05-20T09:12:00.002-04:00

Cute, cuddly, innocent....whoa, backup....are we talking about this fellow? I don't think we're talking about Loudini with that glowing description.

As any good magician will tell you, never give away your secret. Lou obviously chose to follow the magicians creed and led me on a wild goose chase for the better part of a week. We will now defer to him as the Great Loudini.

If you've been a long time reader you'll know all about the CatHouse. It's a house for cats I've rescued or were were removed from abusive situations. The house is big (over 1200 sf inside) with a 30x60' outside enclosed run. 20 cats reside in this house so over-crowding is not an issue.

Last week my mom called and told me Lou & TuTu were out. I had no trouble getting TuTu back in but Lou gave me a run for my money. I checked the enclosure and zip stripped a few areas I thought were the problem.

Lou was in. Case closed? Not a chance!

Lou was out every morning thereafter. Every day I searched to find where he could possibly be escaping. I would zip strip every little place I thought he was getting through to no avail.

Loudini was mocking me ~ he was laughing at me. Lou had the upper hand I didn't like it, I didn't like one bit. No other cats were following him out and once Lou was out he wailed like a baby to get back in. Silly Lou, perplexed me.

Yesterday morning was the last straw. He was out yet again. I had to be at the office early and was not in the mood to deal with this yet again. A very unhappy Loudini was put in his own room for a time out.

I walked outside and looked up....there it was! I found his escape route, complete with evidence...HAIR!!! Yes!!!

It seems the blizzard popped the original zip strips and one entire are was not attached any longer. Loudini was climbing up the tree inside their run, walking the support beam and climbing out.

Doug & I went over the ENTIRE roof last night. We zip stripped everything to the point of paranoia.

Guess who didn't get out last night? Loudini.

"I need a nap!"

Newspaper story about my folks

2010-05-15T10:14:00.001-04:00

The local paper had an interview with my Step-Dad mainly about how he & his friend started the very first Make-A-Wish Truck Convoy. My mom & he founded the Lancaster Chapter of MAW in 1986.

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/255350

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T10:12:00.000-04:00

Some photos & some chatter

2010-05-04T10:20:00.003-04:00

Buddy

It is a perfect day! If I could bottle the weather we have today and sell it later I would be a gazillionaire. Warm in the sun with a wonderful cool breeze...yowza., it's perfect!

I had a horse trainer come last week for the first session with Samson. You may recall he had become so bad I was afraid of him. Anyway, the session went great and I have lessons to work on until our next session.

He has been behaving so well!! I work with him each night and it has made a huge difference. I think everything is going to work out, I just needed to get back in control.

Other than that things are just moving along. We've been working around the house quite a bit ~ working on the gardens and just getting everything tidied up.

I'm just thrilled to know winter is over and spring is in full gear! Everything is so much prettier in the spring, the earth feels alive & Mother Nature treats us to glorious sights.

That's it for now, take care ya'll and I'll be seeing you around Blogger or FaceBook, wherever you may be!!

Peace.

Party like a rock star!

2010-04-23T17:00:00.004-04:00

Yep, we party like rock stars here on the farm in April. It's our biggest month for birthdays.

April 19th was my sweet little boy Buffy...yeah, he has a girls name. He turned FOUR!!!! He's my personal heater, he sleeps with me every night & keeps me warm with his long hair.

April 20th was Lilly, Lou, Marti, TuTu birthdays, they all turned FIVE. They were born to Mama cat, the very first resident of the cat house. They reside in the cat house.

Wednesday the 21st brought about my Flash's birthday. He turned 25!!! As you can see in the picture below he partied a little too hard and was hitting the carrot juice.

Thursday marked BeBe's 14th birthday and we had yet another party in the barn!!!!

So here are some pics of the birthday kids and one who didn't have a birthday but looked so cute I added him anyway!

Flash

Chandler, it's not his birthday but he was enjoying the party!

Lilly

BeBe

Buffy

And last but not least Whiz & I shared our birthdays on the 9th. She turned 24, she's our beautiful Arab mare.

Frustrated bird watchers

2010-04-05T16:07:00.002-04:00

Buffy, Tony, Nick, Bobby

A little Jenny Wren lives right outside our front door. She's been here for several years and has raised quite a few familes.

Now that I've replaced the winter storm door with a screen each morning my boys sit and watch for her & other birds. I should do a video since their little heads always turn in the same direction at the same time ~ it's like they are watching a tennis match.

They watch & chatter to each other and I think the birds know they can't get to them, sometimes it almost seems as though they tease them. The mocking birds are the worst, they'll fly right to the door and get them all wound up & frustrated!

Sometimes a nail is just a nail

2010-03-31T17:57:00.002-04:00

I survived the auction. I arrived 15 minutes after it started, it drew a large crowd. As I walked in the auction house I didn't know what to expect. I had been to auctions before, that wasn't what I mean ~ I didn't know how I was going to react.

I stood alone towards the back of the crowd listening to the auctioneer and watching as our items were held up for people to bid on. Around the perimeter of the auction house were tables with our items on display for people to see before bidding and outside was our large equipment and some other items.

I watched the bidders. I watched the people looking through our "stuff". I watched them carry their items away. I looked at each person as they passed me with their things.

Then it happened. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "You can't cry, they are just nails." I told myself. But I was thinking about when those nails were purchased, where the nails were kept, the hands that touched those nails and where those nails were going. After all they were OUR nails, I knew their history. Now they were just someone else's nails.

No tears made it out of my eyes. I blinked them in. Nobody noticed my almost tears. It could have been allergies if they did. I continued watching the rest of the auction. Doug arrived around 4:30 and we stayed till 6:00. Even though I knew a few people there I felt so much better when Doug was with me. Having him by my side was comforting.

There were still items to auction but I had been there since a little after 2:00 and needed to get home & take care of the animals. My mom & Step dad had gone to dinner so the animals needed to be fed and put to bed.

Leaving before it was over felt kind of like leaving someone on their death bed before they died. I wish I could have stuck it out to the end.

At any rate, I got home, raced to the barn, fed everyone and took care of the cats. We had a sick BabyDoll sheep. She'd taken ill that morning and calls to the vet were placed. As I was leaving the barn our vet showed up.

Just prior to Dr. Rachael showing up I had moved BabyDoll to a stall filled with hay to make her as comfortable as possible. I knew she was dying, she was an old gal. Dr. Rachael agreed it was time.

We put the her down, I had her head in my hands as she passed. I kissed her goodbye and told her we'll meet again on my farm in Heaven. She passed peacefully.

It was a dismal ending to a dismal day. I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed.

And get this....through it all I'm still NOT smoking!!!! I think it's about 6 months now.

Welcome Spring

2010-03-20T10:42:00.004-04:00

It is hard to imagine not so long ago we were under four feet of snow. The past few days have been gorgeous and the long winter now seems only a memory.

I haven't been around very much. I've been checking in & reading blogs here & there but I've not commented very much.

I'm having a hard time with "things" right now, in fact I am very depressed. Being a person filled with pride doesn't allow me to open up and share what is happening in my life. In my mind I see myself as weak and inefficient when in reality it is really just being human. Maybe getting some of this off my chest is a good thing.

It seems I am having a much harder time than I anticipated with the closing of our family business. We've been in business 36 years and I've been part of it for 23 years. It wasn't just a job ~ it was a passion. I loved it and loved being a part of it.

We have sold alot of the equipment, and this coming week the remainder of the tools & equipment will be sold at auction. I don't know if I can go to the auction. It has been so difficult selling things and realizing with each day we are closer to leaving for the very last time. It is breaking my heart.

While I'm talking about grieving, I miss my Coco so badly and each time I go to the barn my heart aches and I think of our sweet Billy. Time, I know will heal my heart.

My new horse, Samson, had been giving me so much grief. I didn't mention this before (again, my pride) but I discovered he was pretty sick when I bought him. He was riddled with parasites and anemic. Now that we have finally gotten him feeling better his attitude has changed and he is challenging me with everything. He started rearing up and has been very difficult to handle.

It pisses me off to no end that I researched & looked for a horse for so long before buying and spent ALOT of money on him thinking I was getting a healthy, well trained horse only to find I was bamboozled. The seller has a perfect "out"....she offers you another horse. Hello....I don't want another horse ~ I want the horse I thought I was buying!!

Since he's been getting out now that the snow & mud are gone he's been a little better but he shook my confidence so much it's taking me some time to feel like I used to. I am going to start working him in the round pen and see how it goes. I have to gain his respect and get control of him before it's too late & gets too dangerous.

So, that is where my head is right now. I am looking to today, the first day of spring, as a fresh & new beginning which will hopefully bring me some happiness & peace.

Happy Spring!

At least you won't run off the road & other strange things!

2010-02-12T16:45:00.004-05:00

We were happy to see the plows come through around 8:00 last night. We were actually standing in our driveway heading down to the farm to get the tractor to plow the road open so an elderly neighbor could get home to his wife. Earlier in the day JC plowed a path from the farm to our house so we could get back & forth without having to walk each time.

It's been tiring! So much shoveling!!!! I finally got the buffalo & watusi grained today. Doug & JC worked on the buffalo road and found the feed tubs while I cleaned the horse stalls. They then plowed out neighbors while I grained the buffalo. They were eager for their grain and Bella came running for her meal. They have plenty of hay, I think they are bored since they aren't venturing too far from their shelter.

I dug out all the tubs in the watusi field, threw them over the fence & got the snow out of them. I was in the field with them and they just stood watching me. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't be in the field with them but I had to get the tubs out and they stayed put until I came back with the grain then they were wound up and came around.

Early in the day we took a drive - here are some pics of the local roads. We've uploaded more pictures on Flickr as well if you care to see more.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20832301@N03/sets/72157623404299814/

We have a full size pick up so you can see how high the snow is piled on each side of the road. It is like driving through a tunnel. A number of roads in our area are just like this.

Here is the trail Doug made for us to get to the barn. He used the snowblower! Next to the snowblown trail is our path from when we walked down. Ugh!
I don't think we'll see too many buggies today. This is one of our local roads.

Round 2 & some blizzard pics

2010-02-10T19:16:00.006-05:00

All I have to say is when the buffalo girls stay in their shed all day you know it's a bad snowstorm!!!! They hunkered in and I didn't see them since this morning, finally around 5:00 one of them ventured out. They have plenty of hay in their shed so I imagine it beat sticking their heads in the snow for a few tidbits of grass.

Anyway....WOW...we were hammered again!!! We had blizzard warnings most of the day and it was snowing about 2" an hour at one point!

Our roads are impassable and drifted shut. In 1996 the roads drifted so badly it took FIVE days until they were cleared! I hope we don't see a repeat of that but if the drifts are as high as they were then I will be taking alot of pictures.

We had about 20 inches with this storm so I would say we have about 45" on the ground.

Doug & I walked to the barn to feed, I am getting my exercise trudging through the snow.

Here are a few pictures, if you would like to see more click HERE to go to Flickr.

This is our front porch.

Pines & the fence - see how high the snow is on the fence? I bet by tomorrow we won't see the fence. We are having high winds which are causing drifting.

This is our road ~ I doubt they'll plow for awhile.

A view of our deck from the bedroom.

Doug trying to snowblow our porch & walkway.

More Snow & Pictures

2010-02-08T07:21:00.003-05:00

We were pounded by the snowstorm over the weekend ~ we had over two feet of snow. It was and still is a giant mess and now they are calling for another major snowstorm to hit tomorrow. I really hope we are spared.

There is so much plowing & hand shoveling but that's part of living on a farm and having animals. We had to walk to the barn as our roads were impassable even with 4 wheel drive. The snow was over our thighs in some areas! It was crazy...I just know I'm glad I'm not smoking anymore, I would have never made it.

Two weeks ago we had a freaky windstorm and our power was knocked out for a day & a half. We decided we are getting a Generac generator installed here at the house. Our little generator is great and gives us the power to do things but I can't stand managing the power usage. Our new generator will kick on automatically and run the whole house without our having to do anything.

The snow is pretty - untouched and pure. It's too deep for our snowmobiles or 4 wheeler so the only way to get around the yard is trudge through. It's thigh high in some spots.

Here are a few pictures. I have to break trail for Buddy to walk or the snow would be over his head! He hops along behind me but he gets cold and tired so he's been spending more time indoors than out. He insists on coming with me until he realizes how much work it is for him.

Click on the photo if you'd like to see it larger.

Community Photo Challenge

2010-01-21T12:57:00.006-05:00

Our photo challenge this month is TRANSPORTATION. You can use cars, trucks, trains, planes, even motorcycles! Some kind of transportation with or without people. You can be creative, you can use Photoshop or a paint programs.

I have named my entry....."TRANSPORTATION NO MORE" (click on picture to enlarge)

Just a little footnote. People lived in this bus - if you look to the left of the picture you can see the electric box. The inside of the bus has curtains & furniture.

Lonely Boy

2010-01-17T12:54:00.003-05:00

I remember a song from the 70's by Andrew Gold, it was called "Lonely Boy". It could be Buddy's song. He misses Coco so much. He looked to her for everything, he did whatever she did.

I took him to the vet 2 weeks ago because he wouldn't eat and had some bowel issues. She took x-rays, blood tests & we put him on medication for his belly. She agreed he was very depressed.

We are with him almost constantly. I take him to work with me and if we are running errands he goes along.

I take him for long walks everyday and he sleeps in bed with us each night.....still, he seems so sad. It's like he isn't here, he sleeps and seems to have little interest in anything.

I thought perhaps I should look in to getting a puppy but honestly, I am just not ready yet. I am still going through my own grieving and don't feel I can emotionally connect with a new dog right now.

So for now we'll keep trying to cheer Buddy up - he surely is getting spoiled through our efforts.

In Her Eyes

2010-01-11T14:09:00.002-05:00

A reflection of another buffalo in her eye.

New Year

2010-01-05T17:29:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! I am happy to see 2009 a memory and looking forward to a fresh start in 2010.

Thank you for your kindness with the passing of our Coco & Billy. I miss them more than I can say. I know many of you have experienced this heartache first hand and know what I am feeling.

It's been frigid and a few weeks ago we had about 2' feet of snow. It was alot of work clearing everything. Doug & I worked about 10 hours, he was plowing and I was shoveling and cleaning out all the feeders for the buffalo & watusi. I don't like snow like I used to. It takes on a new meaning when it creates so much work.

It does make for some lovely pictures though.

We were clearing out the feeding area for the buffalo and I was digging for their feed tubs ~ well I fell...not once but twice! Doug was on the tractor plowing and looked at me like I was crazy as I flailed around in the snow.

The road leading back to the buffalo.

Driveway to the house I hope to rent out as a vacation home.

The house.

We lost Billy this morning

2009-12-26T10:08:00.003-05:00

Billy died this morning. He became sick Christmas day. We & the vet did everything we could.

There just aren't words to convey how I feel. Coco died on Christmas Eve and Billy today.

We lost her

2009-12-24T15:31:00.002-05:00

Two hours ago Coco passed away. Our Christmas isn't going to be very merry.

I would like to wish all of my friends a Merry Christmas.

I am hopeful

2009-12-14T19:35:00.002-05:00

Of course we couldn't just let it rest with Coco. Both Doug & I agreed we would seek a second opinion. A parent would do the same for their child, right?

I took her to the Veterinary Hospital. I request one particular Doctor whom I have a good relationship with and trust very much. I managed to get in this afternoon after telling the receptionist the situation.

She said we have a 50/50 chance of the mass being an abscess as we do being a cancerous tumor. We are trying antibiotic therapy and will re-evaluate on December 29.

If the meds work then that's it - if they don't then we may opt for surgery to remove the bad tooth and laser the mass. We'll see.

Coco is 13 and we don't want to put her through too much but we feel this approach is sane and hopefully will work.

If you can spare it please send out some good karma for our Charming Little Coco Puff.

Thanks for your support & all the kind comments from my last post.

Merry & Bright?

2009-12-13T17:01:00.005-05:00

It's been sometime since I've blogged. I've been so busy ~ the days just fly by and before I know it another week has passed.

Doug & I are heartbroken. Our chocolate lab Coco has a growth, (most likely a tumor), in her mouth. There is nothing to be done for it. Our vet has said a few weeks to maybe a month time frame.

I just can't bear the thought of not having her in my life ~ honestly, it tears me apart and I find I am already inconsolable. She's my little girl, she's like a child to us.

Don't worry though, we love her too much to let her suffer at all. Right now she is eating as usual and doing her normal things and she isn't in pain, she is just sleeping alot more. We will let her go when the time comes.

More good news.......

Flash, my 24 year old appaloosa has now contracted Uveitis in his "good" eye. At this time he appears to be totally blind. The last time the vet checked his eye he thought perhaps he could see very little, shadow vision. Currently I am giving him eye ointments, eye drops, antibiotics & pain medication. We are trying to save what sight he had remaining in that eye.

He lost his sight in his other eye to this condition already. It's prevalent in Appaloosas but it's unknown why this breed contracts it so much. It's so heart wrenching to see him so frightened at times.

And finally.....

After 34 years of business our family business has closed its doors. November 30 was our last day of operation. I have worked there 23 years....literally half my life. I would be lying if I said it isn't emotional.

We kept our secretary on part time and we'll be there for a few more months cleaning everything out and selling all of the equipment.

Oh...my stepdad came home from rehab last Monday. He's using a wheel chair at this time but progressing I guess.

It's a difficult time right now. I'm not feeling very merry & bright, to say the least. I'm going to do some journal hopping right now and see what's going on in other worlds....I hope to get cheered up!

The Latest

2009-11-21T14:25:00.004-05:00

Sooooooooo...how is everyone? It's been awhile since I've had the time to do an entry. I have about an hour before I must head out again so I figured it would be a good time to do a quick entry.

My Stepdad went from the hospital to a rehab center. He's getting therapy and he is coming along okay, he doesn't like being there one bit. It may be another month until he can come home but it depends on his progress & healing. I think we'll tie him to a chair when he comes home so he won't do anything stupid again!

I've taken over feeding the Watusi & Buffalo. We had farm hands who did it in the past but we've been without help so I just decided I am going to do it. I love doing it. It's heavy work but I find it rewarding and I KNOW if I am feeding them they are fed right.

For years the buffalo have been fed by my stepdad or a farm hand. They NEVER came down or hung around for grain. They don't trust him or anyone else. Now that I am feeding them they thunder down for their grain & mill about. They do trust me and know I would never hurt them, I've spoiled them over the years with showers & treats. Just goes to show that any creature who is treated with respect & compassion learns who they can trust and will respond to that person.

Last week Doug taught me how to drive the BIG tractor. I was feeling pretty good about driving our little compact around but now I am really a kick ass farmer....I'm on the big boy!! He also taught me how to spear a round bale and put it in the feeder for the animals. It's not as easy as it sounds.

Today I speared & placed my own bale!!! I'm quite proud of myself. Isn't it funny how something that may seem so silly and mundane to someone can make me so happy. Some may think I need to get out more, I say I am quite happy taking care of the farm.

We did have a new fellow start this week - he helped me throw down & stack hay in the barn and helped me with the grain buckets for the big animals. I like him. He's retired and has common sense so we're hoping he works out. We haven't been lucky with help lately but this one seems much more promising than the rest.

It was great to have help with the heavy stuff. I've been doing so much hard, heavy work my back feels like it is going to break in half many nights.

Sunday is two months not smoking!!

Enjoy your weekend.

I knew it was going too smoothly....

2009-11-05T09:07:00.003-05:00

Here we go again ~ my stepdad is in the hospital AGAIN. This time he fell off a ladder which he shouldn't have been, nor needed to be on. He broke his leg. He had surgery around 10:00 pm Tuesday to repair the leg. I guess there are rods & pins... the normal thing when someone breaks a leg.

My dear husband retrieved my mom from the hospital at 1:00 AM since the ambulance crew insisted she ride with my sf when they took him in. Still not exactly sure why that was needed but anything to make an already bad situation worse and more inconvenient. Doug had to get up at 5 so needless to say we were all exhausted yesterday.

So while he lays in his cushy hospital bed barking orders, Mother & I are handling everything else, as usual. He hasn't been doing much anyway since he became sick. I'm not talking about physical duties, I've been handling most of that, it's handling of issues with the business and what not he occasionally handled now fall mostly upon my mom.

I realize I am not sounding very sympathetic. Of course I am sorry he broke his leg but it is the circumstances that irritate me. He didn't need to be on the ladder - his health is too poor and he is too weak (physically) to be pruning trees and the kicker is he was to have a new employee start on the farm today. It could have waited until today and the new fellow would have been more than capable of handling the task. Always something with him, he's just that kind of person it seems.

As they say, this too shall pass. It's going to be a long road though with all of his other health issues. It's my poor mom I feel sorry for the most, she is always stuck taking care of him in one way or another.

Other than this everything else is going okay, all the animals are doing well and enjoying our beautiful autumn weather. It was 29 this morning...brrrr...time to get out the warm clothes!! I enjoy how crisp & clean everything feels.

That's all for today ~ I realize you must think I am a total witch but as they say, you just don't know what goes on behind the scenes.

Peace & Harmony on the Farm

2009-11-01T17:04:00.003-05:00

I thought it was time Samson joined "The Boys" in pasture. Until today he had been in his own pasture. It went well - of course these photographs don't exactly prove this but....you'll have to take my word for it.

The cutie above is Billy ~ looks like he is floating.

Awww, this is my old man Flash ~ he's 24 but can still throw it down when it comes to attitude. He is blind in one eye.

Chief & Flash are best friends. Chief is Flash's seeing eye horse. Chief is 25. Doesn't it look like they are saying "What now?"

Oh Samson....he was full of himself today!

Oooops, looks like I caught Chief trying to give Samson a swift (two-legged) kick!! I see Billy is hustling to get out of the way.

Pictures & a few words

2009-10-29T19:33:00.005-04:00

Good Evening friends ~ Happy Autumn to all. It's hard to believe we are turning the clocks back this weekend. Life is just speeding by.

I am doing great and still not smoking. It's been five weeks now. I had my follow up appointment with my Doctor last week and he has decided there is no need for me to have further pulmonary testing. I've progressed very well and my lungs are clear.

It's been a busy month but I find I am drawing a blank right now and the words aren't coming....don't you hate when that happens. It's been a long day and I'm very tired.

Anyway, rather than just babble I'll leave you with some recent pictures.

I know these pictures will come as a huge shock ~ everyone is always amazed at how clean I keep my boy....I turned my back for an hour today and look what he did!!!!

Happy Tuesday!!

2009-10-13T10:39:00.004-04:00

Hello friends ~ let me first toot my own horn and VERY proudly state......IT HAS BEEN THREE WEEKS TODAY SINCE I'VE SMOKED!!!!

It's really starting to feel normal not to be smoking. I have my moments but overall it's not so horrible and the benefits of how I am feeling far outweigh the desire to pick up again.

I have been feeling really, really good, better than I have in a long time. My energy & stamina is up and I am rarely inside anymore. The weather is cooler and it's been gorgeous lately.

Samson is fabulous ~ we are getting so bonded, he is definately my baby (a very big baby!). I've been riding him almost daily and our trust & confidence in one another builds each time.

I was having some issues with respect. He lost his respect for me since I was loving up on him a little too much and became too soft with him. He decided he didn't want to go away from the indoor arena. I was getting a bit bored riding in the arena all the time :(

Last Tuesday, Don, the fabulous, superduper, magical horse trainer came and spent the day working with me and after a pretty intense training session all is well. I've once again regained control and since then it has been smooth sailing for us on our rides.

Other than that I am just trying to keep on top of everything else. You know, laundry, housework and the mundane things we don't like to do but must.

I've been reading journals but haven't been commenting. I'll get back in to my routine, right now I am just enjoying feeling good & spending time with all the critters before old man winter blows in.

Update

2009-10-01T08:49:00.003-04:00

Hello friends ~ thank you for the support, well wishes and encouragement. I appreciate each and every one of you!!

First off I have to say, I HAVE NOT SMOKED IN 9 DAYS!!!!! This is the longest I have not smoked in 30 years!! I am so proud of myself. I am using the Nicoderm Patch to help me through it.

Today is the worst day I have had so far. I am really struggling this morning but I know it will pass. I am using the coping tools I've learned and I realize smoking is not an option so I just have to get over it.

I've been getting back to the norm ~ I went in to the office a day and half and have resumed my farm duties as of Tuesday. Seeing the animals is the best medicine, it's good for my body & spirit.

I had a favorable follow up appointment with my primary doctor. He feels the ER doctors may have been hasty with their COPD dx. It is his opinion the only way to properly dx COPD is with pulmonary function tests, not an xray. He feels I may not have COPD. My last xray was perfect and my overall health is his basis for this.

I will be having the pulmonary tests done early November so we'll know more then. In the meantime I am getting better each day and am off all medicine. I have a nebulizer here so I can do a breathing treatment if I need it. I've only needed one in the past 2 days...to compare, I was doing them every 4 hours so I am making progress.

I am not too proud to say I have never been so scared in my life. I had a wake up call, big time.

I am not going to dwell on what happened but rather move forward but what took place is never far from my mind.

Last Tuesday I collapsed in the barn while feeding, I had been sick since the preceeding Saturday. I was totally alone on the farm and as I lay there on the barn floor I recall thinking I was going to die right there, I was terrifed. I remember looking up at the horses, they were silent, watching me gasp for air.

I crawled & staggered to my car and drove home. The same thing happened a few hours later. Luckily Doug was here and administered his inhaler as I was gasping. I doubt I will ever find the words to describe that feeling of suffocation, it is unlike anything I've ever felt.

The following day I was in the ER per my doctors instructions. They indicated my airway passages were so closed I could have died....that is frightening to hear. I know I had an Angel watching over me.

I feel I have been given a second chance, an opportunity to make my life better and not take for granted the one and only body I've been given.

I should also add Doug has quit his chewing tobacco habit as well. I'm so proud of him!

I'll be getting around to visit everyone as soon as I can, thanks again ~ you guys are the best!

Lisa will not be on here, for a few days

2009-09-24T10:56:00.003-04:00

Well, I am not the best blogger but Lisa wanted to let her friends on here know that she will not be posting for a few days or checking other blogs out, for a few days.
She got sick with the virus that is going around ( chest and head cold ). With her smoking for as long as she has, it hit her very hard. It is hard to explain how scared she was when she tried to walk 10 steps and just starting gasping for air. There are so many things I could write on here but I will leave that up to her when she gets better. Short story - I had to rush her to the hospital yesterday and she was diagnosed with COPD - This was a wake up call for her. They said her lungs are so weak right now but she will get and be so much better, then she has felt in a few years, if she quits smoking. But if she starts back up - it isn't good - which I know a lot of people should know. So it has been a little over 2 days that she has not smoked, which she said no more to smoking!
I am not a perfect person and know I need to change a few things but she knows how I feel about this. I honestly think there will be no more smoking for her - which I am praying so much. Don't worry, I will be sticking by her and would give up anything to see her quit!
It has been a very scary situation and I could not imagine her on oxygen all the time, let alone seeing her not do the things she loves.
Take care and thanks to all her friends on here, that let her know how you feel.
Doug

The Fruits of our Labor

2009-09-17T06:19:00.005-04:00

I'm posting some photographs of the trails we've been working on. We're not even close to being completed in just this section of our woods. We're going to try and get at least this trail finished this weekend and then move across the stream and work on those trails. Once they are complete we have another unrelated area to finish.

You may be able to see how pristine these trails are. We want them to be dual purpose trails suitable for horses, hiking, mountain biking and we do have our ATV's we take on them.

Why put all this work in to a trail system?

I haven't announced this previously but since my mom mentioned it to our hair stylist I figure that is like putting up a billboard so I might as well blog about it.

I am going to be opening up one of the houses on the farm as a vacation home. It's a 4500 square foot, totally private, modern house surrounded by woodlands and hay fields. It is beautifully decorated with marble floors, Corian counter tops, stone fireplace, cathedral ceilings and is almost all glass for a stunning view. It has a 13' deep in ground pool.

The bedrooms are themed, there is the Cowboy Room which is all western and a Peach Room which is Victorian and has windows which overlook the great room of the house. The Master Bedroom has its own private deck and a sunken jacuzzi tub. The library has been converted to an additional bedroom on the main floor.

Our plan is to allow folks to bring their horses. They can pasture them at the house with them or use one of our barns. We have 14 stalls available so I doubt we'll run out of room.

I am going to market to artists, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts and of course, equestrians. I'll be using the trails for guided trails rides. We've had interest from several groups in the past for bird & butterfly watching as well as a therapy group so I think it will go well. Guests will have the option of seeing how the buffalo & cattle are fed and will get an up close and personal look at the animals if they desire.

In comparing our place to the other vacation homes in the area, well to be blunt, nothing comes close. Most of them are normal houses for rent in populated areas ~ this is so different than anything else out there.

I'll be posting more pictures on here, right now I am trying to figure out what kind of website I should do. I am out of my element with that so any direction you may have would be appreciated!

In the meantime, these are the trails we have completed...come, take a walk with me and tell me what you think.

This is Little Muddy Creek which runs through our property ~ we own the land on both sides. There are trout in this stream ~ I would permit catch and release fishing.

Tuesday Tails

2009-09-15T05:34:00.003-04:00

This week we're going to talk about one of my favorite cats.....Morris. I think everyone knows who Morris is but do you know much about him? I loved Morris as a child so it was fun seeing & hearing him again. Enjoy!

The epitome of the spoiled, pampered pet, Morris the Cat (first appeared in 1968) was the fifteen-pound orange-striped tabby with dark green eyes and a torn eyelid who entertained cat lovers everywhere as the feline spokescat for the 9 Lives Cat Food Company. Morris' philosophy on life?: "The cat who doesn't act finicky soon loses control of his owner."

However, Morris' real life was not always as luxurious as in the commercials. This cute kitty, previously named Lucky, spent part of his life in the Hinsdale Humane Society Animal Shelter in Lombard, Illinois until Bob Martwick, an employee of the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency rescued him and turned Morris into a major TV star.

Then, by combining the raw animal talent of their newly adopted waif with the haughty voice of human John Irwin, the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency created one of the most successful television ad campaigns in history. Called "the Clark Gable of cats," Morris appeared in the movie Shamus (1972); and was even the subject of a book "Morris: An Intimate Biography" (1974) by Mary Daniels.

In the 1980s, Morris the Cat authored the books "The Morris Approach: an insider's guide to cat care" (1980); "The Morris Method" (1980), about new pet owners and "The Morris Prescription" (1986) about cat healthcare.

Morris has also appeared on the cover of Cat Fancy's 30th Anniversary issue in 1995 and on the cover of the 1996 book Good Mousekeeping by Ilene Hochberg.

Over the years Morris became a darling of the media. In 1983, Time magazine declared Morris "The Feline Burt Reynolds." US magazine called Morris the "Animal Star of the Year" (1982-84).

Morris has also been the recipient of a number of awards including PATSY (The Picture Animal Top Star Award) from the American Humane Society (1972 & 1973) and The Cats' Meow Award bestowed by the New York Animal Medical Center in 1992.

One year earlier, Morris hosted "Morris' Salute to America's Pets," a primetime TV special sponsored by Heinz Pet Products that spotlighted great pet relationships and deeds.

The original Morris reigned as king of the kitty commercials from 1969 until he was dethroned by death in 1975. He was replaced by Harry the Cat. The current Morris the Cat lives in Los Angeles with his handler and companion, Rose Ordile, the cat's official trainer.

(Article courtesy of TVAcres)

Finally...no rain!

2009-09-13T10:11:00.002-04:00

Ooops, it's been sometime since I did an entry. I guess this happens when you fall in love with a big boy with blond hair and blue eyes. I've been spending pretty much time with Samson. Did a little bit of riding in our indoor arena but today it's time to head outdoors with him since it has finally stopped raining! I don't know that he cares for the indoor too much, he's not been worked in an indoor so I'm sure it is quite different for him.

He's doing fantastic and it seems as though he's been here much longer than 5 days. He's smart and has figured out the schedule already.

Other than him it's been business as usual on the farm. We've had torrential rains and our pond flooded...again. I think that is the 4th time this year. Luckily we aren't losing any of our fish. I don't recall having rains as heavy as we have this summer. I bet we've had 10" of rain in the past few weeks. Seeing the sun today is a nice treat.

Doug & I have been cleaning up our trails in the woods. They are looking fantastic and I am not exaggerating when I say you could walk them barefoot! We're picking up all the stones/rocks (even twigs) and of course trimming back any jagger bushes or overhead branches. When Samson and I hit the trails he'll be comfortable to say the least.

Last weekend I managed to stir up a ground nest of yellow jackets and was stung twice on the arm. I got a little wimpy and almost....almost cried...I whined alot at first but stuck it out and finished the trail we were working on. I hate bees or anything that stings and usually run if I can but one of the bees kept following me and I was freaking out! He was a nasty bee.

We had a huge blacksnake in the chicken house last night ~ it had a chicken eggs in its mouth. Doug caught him, put him in a trash can and we drove him down to the far end of our woodlands. May he find a new place to call home!

That's about all for now ~ time to get some housework done and then it's time to play!!! Have a great Sunday!

Samson is HOME!!!!!!! Yee~~~Haaaa!

2009-09-08T16:48:00.002-04:00

OK, so I am just a little excited! Samson arrived around 12:30 today and he has settled in nicely.

We put him directly in his stall so he could quietly settle in.

All the other horses nickered and whinnied when they first came in the barn. I guess they were talking horse and welcoming him to the stable. I just went down to check on him and feed and the barn was quiet...seems everyone has adjusted already!

He has a bad sunburn right now, poor baby. Being so light he burns easily so I am going to have to stock up on sunscreen.

Here's a very short video of his homecoming.

A Lovely Visit with a Fellow Blogger

2009-09-06T19:52:00.003-04:00

This afternoon a fellow blogger visited our farm. Jennifer Macneill-Traylor is a superb artist and lives less than an hour from our farm.

She and her sweet little daughter Zoe took a tour of the farm and Jennifer took some great pictures while she was and has posted a few on her blog The Mare's Tales You will be blown away by her fantastic artwork.

I think Zoe's favorite place on the farm was the cat house! After we left the cat house she asked where she could see more cats ~ my kinda girl!

Jennifer was kind enough to give me a necklace she painted of Samson. I cherish this and was almost moved to tears when she gave it to me, it will always be special to me. Thank you so very much Jennifer. I apologize my photo doesn't do it justice at all.

Tuesday Tails

2009-09-01T09:58:00.003-04:00

Let me introduce you to Sister. Yes, it IS a strange name for her...if I remember correctly one of our farm hands just started calling her Sister since she was the sister of Teardrop (last weeks TT) and Tux. Sadly Tux passed away two years ago. :(

Just like Teardrop she comes out to greet me when I arrive at the barn except she is a talker. Cat people know what a talker is....she announces herself before she gets to you.

This morning as I was putting hay out for the horses I heard her before I saw her and sure enough she came flying around the corner for a bit of attention. She had her pet & a brief chat then casually turned and went to her bench for a nap.

She's a sweetheart but rather intolerant with the kittens. They pretty much steer clear of her ~ she's a no nonsense kind of gal. If she doesn't like you, you'll know it!

She was falling asleep when I snapped this shot. This is her bench but if you are nice she'll allow you a seat next to her. She's got 100% cat-attitude.... "catitude". Again, if you share your life with a cat you are familiar with catitude.

My Big & Wonderful!!!!

2009-08-30T20:42:00.003-04:00

So here is what/who I was so excited about!!! Doug & I spent the day at a wonderful horse farm in Virginia (3 hrs from here) and I rode several horses.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to MY horse..."Moonwalker's Orbit" or as he is called, Samson. (Moonwalker's Orbit is his registered name.)

He's a 7 year old Tennessee Walking Horse, 16 hands (yes, he's big!), he's considered a creamello color. Although he appears all white he actually has some beige spots and he has blue eyes!!! He is gorgeous!!!

He'll be coming "home" sometime in the next two weeks, I'm so excited! He's kind & gentle and professionally trained so he's an easy & willing ride. I think we're going to have a wonderful friendship.

I could go on and on but I'm exhausted, it's been a long day.

He's patiently waiting to go out on the trail.

Me & Samson. I know my form is wrong ~ ignore me...just look at him!!!

Busy Friday on the Farm

2009-08-28T20:58:00.002-04:00

We live in the middle of nowhere yet some days there are more people on our farm than the population of the community! Yesterday was that kind of day.

The power company came out in force yesterday to repair the broken cable from almost 2 weeks ago. They had been here Tuesday but couldn't complete the repairs so they came back. I am not real confident it will hold up since they ask if they could leave the spool of cable here so it will be accessable when (keyword here is: when) it breaks again. Nice.

We had 4 people here helping put hay in the barn and the girl who helps with the barn chores was here.

My vet was also here during the electric hullabaloo. Of course with all of their trucks blocking access to the barn I was forced to walk to get the cats & tote them around the farm in their carriers. Finally, for the last cat to be seen my vet was able to drive to the cat house. The kittens has their final shots, next step....spaying & neutering. One of the cat house residents needed to be seen as well, he's fine, nothing serious.

It is pouring here tonite. I see we have a flood advisory again. We've had more than our share of rain. It rained & stormed off and on most of today.

I am excited for this weekend. I'm not going to say anything right now but you can be sure I'll be talking about later. Until then I will give a little hint...

Something BIG & wonderful may be coming my way.

Any guesses?

Spoiled Horse - Must see!

2009-08-27T08:24:00.002-04:00

My mom sent me this video last night and I laughed out loud ~ it's GREAT!!!

Take a look, I guarantee...yes, guarantee, you will at the very least smile!!!!!!

Tuesday Tails

2009-08-25T08:35:00.003-04:00

Today you are going meet Teardrop. Teardrop was born in the barn and has lived here all of his life. He's 14 and as reliable as you can get. Every time I show up at the barn he welcomes me, rain or shine.

He's always the favorite of any barn helper we've had. He perches himself on the manure cart while the stalls are being done. He's the barn foreman and makes sure the job is done right!!

Whenever I take hay around to the pastures he's along for the ride. He just loves riding on the carts. His balance is superb most times but if it gets too bouncy he'll put his little toes on the front ledge of the cart and hang on. It's adorable.

We love our Teardrop, he's a very special fellow and has alot of personality. He's not much of a poser though - it's impossible to get a good shot of his face because every time you look his way he comes running for attention.

A Natural Slideshow

2009-08-23T11:38:00.003-04:00

Before I start my entry....I would like to wish Doug a Happy Anniversary!! Today is our 12th wedding anniversary. I'd do it all over again....... I would be lost without you.

Among the many wonderful artists in the world I don't think any can hold a candle to nature when she puts on her show.

Friday evening as I was wrapping up the day I noticed the sunset was literally changing by the minute.

These scenes occurred within about 15 minutes.

I didn't use any image enhancing techniques, other than resizing these are straight out of the camera.

It was amazing to see the sky change so rapidly.

I used my wide angle lens for this shot.

Below is an image I created using tone mapping and a little HDR. It's creepy and reminds me of what a nuclear sunset would look like.

Tuesday Tails

2009-08-18T08:47:00.003-04:00

This week I am featuring Maggie. She is the mother of the kittens; Brutus, Snooty & Nosie.

Maggie has been around the farm, that I know of, for a little over a year. Most likely she's been here longer but kept out of sight. We have a number of feeding stations set up around the farm for strays so we often have empty dishes but never see the eater!!

It took me a long time to gain her trust, she was so nervous and always seemed scared. It wasn't until the three hooligans were born that she warmed up to me. She became extremely affectionate and has been so since.

My vet thinks she most likely has had alot of litters. We now believe she may be the mother of Ghost, Jenna & Jingles.

She was in sad shape after birthing, very thin, frail and had no energy at all. It took such a toll on her, she seemed sore all over and if you would touch her she would cry out. I had her examined numerous times but Doc assurred me she'd bounce back.

She's starting to gain weight and seems to have more energy so we think she'll be back to "pre-baby" days soon. We're guessing she's between 4-6 years old.

She's been spayed and has all of her necessary shots and spends most of her time in the barn with her kids.

Maggie is a sweet little lady, very quiet and laid back and one heck of a mouser! She seems to enjoy having a place to call home, she's not so nervous & frightened anymore and has even made friends with the other barn cats.

Don't you just love a happy ending!!! :)

Her kids still try to nurse even though they are almost as big as her. Sometime she'll let them even though she has to be dried up by now and other times, like below, she'll try to push them away.

2009-08-16T16:03:00.002-04:00

My sweet little Buddy.

Good grief is it hot today! I know my southern friends are used to heat like this but it is gruelling today! I was wilted by 7:30 this morning while cleaning the barn!!

I just checked the animals and the temp inside the barn is 91...the horses are all standing under their fans and the sheep are laying in front of their giant fan. I guess since none of them are doing anything except eating they are fairly comfortable.

The buffalo rarely seek shade. They lay right out in the blazing sun. Supposedly their hair insulates them from the sun as well as it does the bitter cold. They sure look hot to me though.

We let the pigeon out today. He's hanging out with the barn pigeons in the indoor riding arena. They seem to have welcomed him so I am wondering if he is going to fly home or just stay here. I guess they'll teach him how to be a free bird if he stays.

Our power went off Thursday around midnight and was only restored at 4:00 Friday afternoon. Apparently something blew up in one of the power boxes and since it's underground they temporarily fixed it with a big cable laying around the barn and the length of the driveway! They are to repair it permanently in the next two weeks.

Our house, the horse barn and cat house were without power. We turned on the generator for the barn & cat house but I didn't hook up ours since they kept telling me it would only be "another hour". Besides, I'm afraid to hook ours up alone. Electric scares me and I just hate messing with anything electric.

The crew working on the problem thought it was funny the animals had generator power and I didn't. I told them that is my rank on the totem pole! I didn't tell them I was too much of a chicken to hook ours up!

And I've been forgetting to mention...T-3 is fine. Her horn healed over and she looks great so no worries there. So thanks for all the good wishes for my sweet girl -she is "Dreadlock Girl" on my sidebar.

Tuesday Tails

2009-08-11T09:45:00.005-04:00

They're back! A few of my readers have asked about Tuesday Tails so I thought I would bring them back.

For those who aren't familiar with TT, each Tuesday I spotlight one of my rescue cats and tell their story. We have a total of 46 cats on the farm. Half live in the cat house and the others live with me, my mom or in the barn.

A little background. I have a small scale cat rescue and they live in the "cat house". It's called the Peanut House and it is named for and inspired by the first feral cat I took in. He passed away from Feline Leukemia but his memory lives on and he will never be forgotten.

The house is 1500 square feet inside, with 7 rooms and they have a heated room for the winter.

They have an outside area which is 40' across by 70' long. They have a tree to climb, lawn furniture, a bench and a table along with some cots & chairs. They have a great view too! And best of all they can be outside but not in any danger.

Everybody gets along and currently their are 20 residents. Six of the 20 were cruelty confiscations from their owners due to abuse and neglect. They had some issues and were deemed unadoptable so I took them in. With patience and love to guide them I am PROUD to say almost all of the demons have gone and the behavior problems are a thing of the past.

I do not adopt the cats out, this is their forever home. I could have alot more in the house but I'm not a collector and quality of life and the time I can spend with each one weighs heavily in to my decision to keep it small. Of course if a special case came up I would take them in.

On to the star of the show today....meet B.G. Cat. He just showed up and was living in the hay shed. He wasn't feral but he wasn't tame and he was an intact male. After a month or so of sitting and talking to him he began to approach me. Once I gained his trust he was neutered and received his shots. The vet guesses he is in the 8-10 year old range. He has alot of scars so I think he had been quite a scrapper when he was loose.

I moved him into the cat house after he was in a fight and developed an abcess which required medication. Once he was healed he quickly became part of the gang and has lived inside ever since. His fighting days are over.

He's a lap boy. The minute I sit down he is on my lap ~ his affection has no end and I think he would be content to sit on my lap for days. He's a handsome fellow and his eyes are totally awesome.

He is afraid of the camera and climbed on the highest perch for these pictures which is why it looks like the ceiling is right above his head. LOL.

Archived pictures of their house - some of you have seen these before.

Just Pictures

2009-08-06T08:56:00.004-04:00

Shots of one of the White Tail Deer herds we have roaming our farm ~ all of the deer photos were taken by Doug.

Fawn, she bedded down right in front of him.

We have alot of nice buck

So beautiful

Waiting for mother to return

Cone Flower Feast

Playing with Photo Shop

Silly Nick waking from his nap ~ he sleeps on his back often

Pigeon Update & Buffalo Injury

2009-08-04T11:10:00.003-04:00

Doug spoke with the owner of the pigeon yesterday. He lives about 25 miles from New York City, that's about 4 - 4 1/2 hrs from here. He said he knew he was injured since he is a good bird and would have come home. The man sounds older so I don't think he'll be able to come & get him.

I'm to keep feeding him & if possible let him exercise to gain strength. His leg will heal on it's own and he will fly when he is ready. When he is better we are to put his open crate near a door or window, if he takes off and doesn't return he is heading home. There is a chance he'll stay here though. We have a friend who may be going in that direction, if he is he may be able to take him home. In the meantime I'll keep taking good care of him - he's very charming! He said with the rain & storms we are having in the East birds are flying low and hitting their little legs on power lines. Poor dears.

Onto the buffalo incident - it was very upsetting at the time. I hate to see any of them hurt.

T-3 and Little Girl somehow got themselves trapped in a small holding pen. They must have been messing with the gate, it opened but when they went in slammed shut again trapping them in.

Buffalo hate to be confined and away from the herd. They have strong herd instincts and when they are separated they go crazy. Everyone was in an uproar, grunting, snorting and overall agitated.

Doug climbed into the holding facility and pushed open the gate, Little Girl flew through but T didn't make it before the gate closed again. He told me T was bleeding badly. He opened the gate again and she charged the gate in a panic to get out, pulling it back thus yanking Dougs arm back with the gate.

He jumped or fell off the the boards. My heart stopped, I thought she horned him. They can jump up to 6' and she's a big girl so she could clear an easy 7' height with her head. He was okay but shaken up with an injured arm.

When they are in that state of mind you do what you have to do very quickly - you cannot reason with or calm them down as you can other animals. In many ways they are very primative and their natural instincts take over quickly...flight or fight.

T got out and everyone was running around. I went to another gate and she came to me. It was almost as though she wanted me to see she was hurt. The tip of her horn broke off. She must have done it earlier in the day while trying to open the gate for freedom.

Horns are filled with blood and will bleed profusely if broke or cut off at or near the base. She could have bled to death if she broke it off closer to her head, thankfully that wasn't the case.

She should be okay. We are going to have to watch for fly infestation though. It's dreadfully hot & humid and the damn flies will lay eggs and maggots will hatch causing infection.

If that happens she'll need to be sedated by the vet with a dart gun - usually requires more than one to knock them out. After she is down he can treat her as needed.

JC charged the dusticators yesterday and all the cattle rubs are full so if she goes under them and keeps getting the fly stuff on her head she should be okay. If she comes down to me today I am going to try and put Sevin dust all over her horn. They usually come to me but since this happened they may not for a few days. I know there is no way she'll willingly go into the chutes after that happened so we'll have to do the best we can through the gates to the pastures.

Send some good karma out for T-3....I am watching her like a hawk right now to make sure she is acting normally. I know my mom is keeping a close eye on her too so between the two of us we should be able to stop anything from getting too bad.

Another exciting but upsetting day on the bison farm.

Kitten Kapers & a Pigeon

2009-08-02T16:16:00.003-04:00

I haven't put any pictures of the kittens on recently. They are doing great and always amuse me. I wish I had 1/10 of their energy...of course they play for 20 minutes and nap for two hours so maybe I should wish I had their schedule instead!!

Seems they think they are kangaroos instead of kittens based on these pictures.

The two girls, Nosie & Snooty were very interested in a piece of hay.

Snooty looks like she is dancing

Diva Nosie says enough of the paparazzi!

Brother Brutus wasn't having anything to do with the camera, he was way too busy playing so no shots of him today.

I found this homing/racing pigeon in the barn yesterday. Poor dear has an injured, possibly broken leg.

We researched the internet last night using the band number, it was quite interesting learning about these birds. Doug spoke with a New Jersey club today and they will track down the owner and let us know what happens next.

He's beautiful! He came all the way from North Jersey and ended up in our barn! These birds just amaze me. I'm sure his owner is wondering what happened to him and will be happy to know he is safe.

Ooooh, someone is a little grumpy!

2009-07-29T06:26:00.004-04:00

This fellow was none too happy when Doug was trying to relocate him from our yard to the woods.

Happy to say he did manage to take him to the woods...I'm sure he slithered right back though.

Doug took the pictures, I wanted nothing to do with this guy.

At least we're never bored

2009-07-28T08:52:00.005-04:00

The weekend flew by ~ that would be expected when you work 12 hours straight attempting to unclog a simple drain. Did I say simple? That isn't in our vocabulary here on the farm, nor is giving up!

My cat house has a drain, nothing special, just an ordinary drain. It has not been draining properly for almost a year. I really like my drain. I can hose down the floor & walls and really clean & sanitize but I learned to work around not having the drain....bucket mopping works well too.

Doug decided to rent a 100' electric snake. Saturday morning, bright & early we took the snake down and tried to unclog the drain. No luck.

We took that back and rented a high powered pressure washer type thing to "blow" the clog through. No luck.

Step dad said we need to dig....and dig they did. After several hours on the backhoe I had a moat around my cat house and we still didn't find the drain pipe!!!! My moat is about 6' deep. At one point I thought I saw a Chinese man waving to me, I waved back. No pipe though.

I wanted to quit, I told them I didn't need a drain that bad. They told me they were going to find that pipe and fix it. OK, they had become obsessed with finding it.

First dig site...not on this side.

Maybe it's here......nope.

Yesterday Doug RE-rented the snake and guess what? We found the pipe last night. Yes, we were excited. It is about 15' from where all the digging has been done. I see more digging in my future.

The drain pipe is collapsed outside the building and has filled with soil so we need to replace the pipe. An easy fix, too bad we didn't know where the drain was in the first place.

Tonight we'll start backfilling my moat. The cats are enjoying it and it gives them something new to look at and I've always wanted a moat but it is a bit of an eyesore in its current state.

So that was my weekend....I know how to whoop it up!!!! LOL.

Wrong diagnosis by Dr Lisa!

2009-07-14T20:12:00.002-04:00

I should stick to what I know...animals & how to treat them because evidently I am not equipped to diagnose or treat humans.

Doug saw the doctor today and he has (Vertigo) Labyrinthitis. This is what has been and is causing his dizziness and nausea. He isn't feeling much better than when it first came on Saturday so a trip to the doctor was in order.

Poor puppy is feeling pretty lousy. He was given medication and has to go back in a week. If he isn't any better at that point he'll have to have an MRI to see exactly what is going on since a doctor can't really see in the ear.

And here I thought he had motion sickness from planting in the pond.....and gave him Dramamine.

Me = Dufos!

Let's just hope he gets better, if he doesn't he may have to have surgery to correct it.

Well I am making him Cheese Ravioli and it isn't even from a can, LOL, so I had better get moving ~ just thought I'd give a little update.

Thanks for all the nice compliments on the pond.

Take care all.

Going green & getting greener

2009-07-11T17:38:00.004-04:00

We bought 80 plants for our big pond ~ Doug picked them up yesterday. I had said I would do the planting but when I got in the pond I sunk in the silt and it felt like I was being sucked down. I didn't like that feeling and was doddering around getting up the nerve to go further so in the meantime Doug said he would do the planting.

We planted (24) water lilies, (15) arrowheads, (20) pickerels, (15) bog beans, (3) lizards tails and (3) variegated sweet flags. Once established they should produce not only a beautiful pond but a very healthy pond for all of our fishies to enjoy.

The lilies we planted last year are thriving and our fish are growing, one of them is at least 2 feet now and she is a beauty. We feed every evening and I love the fish, they are so soothing and it's fun to watch them grow and change each year.

So, poor Doug. Shortly after he got in the pond and began planting he said he felt dizzy. He took off his polarized glasses as we both thought that may have been making the ripples seem bigger or something. You know how polarized glasses kind of let you see through the water, so to speak.

After about and hour and a half the planting was done and he had mentioned how dizzy he was a few times and I have to say he was looking a little green around the gills towards the end. Once he got out and was on land he was staggering around and became violently ill.

I don't think I have never seen (or heard) anyone so sick. He's been in bed since we got back and I ran in to town and picked up Dramamine for him. Hard to imagine you could get motion sickness from being in a pond but I think the fact that his allergies are severe right now may be contributing to it. He never takes anything when we go on cruises and never gets seasick.

Hopefully the Dmine will kick in soon and he'll start to feel a little better. I snapped off a few shots while we were there.

We don't filter or treat the pond with anything. Our theory is if it isn't crystal clear the herons and king fisher birds won't see the fish as easily and decide to feast on them.

This is Harry, he is the bodyguard for the fish. We haven't had the heron problems we have in the past since Harry is on guard. We move him every night to keep the real herons guessing.

Doug doing some planting, to his right you can see a few of the new lilies.

This lily is huge, the picture doesn't show her size but her pads are at least a foot or more and she is blooming like crazy this year.

View from the dock, those are the buffalo fields and the buffalo handling facility in the background.

Shades of gray

2009-07-07T21:02:00.009-04:00

Remember Nick...the little straggly, half dead fellow Doug brought home around Christmas?? Well take a look at him now, he's gorgeous and a real sweetheart and quite a Mama's boy.

Isn't she a doll??? Little Snooty is definately a cutie. Just look at that face!!!

Nosie is the quiet one but you know what they say, you have to watch out for them. She pulls alot of "sneak attacks" on her brother & sister. She's also still very attached to her mother, Maggie and seems happiest when Mama is with her.

Brutus is all boy, rough & tumble and so curious about everything. He's a handful!!

Bye Bye Folks!!!! Nick being Nick.

Triplets and more

2009-06-09T09:47:00.004-04:00

I thought it was time to do a quick update.

My never ending spider bite is finally healing....(fingers crossed). Two weekends ago I was on our tractor for several hours and evidently the rubbing caused the skin to come off the bite leaving it open and exposed and very, very painful. It is now finally scabbed over (I know, that is gross to say) and shrinking each day. I think it's going to be fine. Thank you to those who have checked in on me - your friendship means the world to me.

We have been so busy - seems we only getting back in after 8 every night. We've been doing some renovations to the cat house. I had spray foam insulation sprayed in to the block and it's done wonders keeping it cooler for them.

Doug built some more perches for them and I did a good spring housecleaning. We also put new siding on since some had blown off in a storm. It's looking good and the cats of course are very happy and as spoiled as ever.

Other than that it has been just general upkeep and mowing....mowing and more mowing!!! I calculated the hours we spent mowing last Saturday between me, Doug & my mom to get everything mowed we had 14 hours combined. That in its own right keeps us busy along with the gardens, weed eating and all the animals.

We got a new tractor and I love it. We got a compact John Deere with a huge mowing deck, 64" I think, which cuts down the mowing time alot and it has a loader bucket too. I don't even have to get off the tractor to install the loader bucket or remove the mower deck...it's totally cool and a blast to drive. Put me in one of the big pastures with my MP3 and that tractor and I can go all day!!!! I never thought a new tractor would excite me so much!!! LOL

We have kittens - the stray I have been trying so hard to capture had 3 little ones. I am upset I didn't get her caught & spayed but it wasn't for lack of trying. I had her caught up twice and she went so crazy I thought she was going to kill herself. Now she is as sweet as can be very affectionate with me so as soon as she can be spayed she will be done as will the babies of course.

She's in the judges room in the barn with her little ones. She birthed in the hay shed but with all the activity in there and equipment running around we had to move them so they wouldn't be killed. She's happy and content and I think she knows she is safe in here.

I leave you with pictures of her and the kids, they are adorable and I haven't had little wee ones around for awhile so I admit I am enjoying them.

Well this got way too long and I know long entries are tough so I apologize. I've said this before and I'll say it again.....I really hope I get some time to get around to visit ya'll soon but right now I just don't have much down time.

The vet will be here shortly to take care of some dental issues with two of the cats & a light sedation for a shave down so I had better get moving.

Maggie and her babies...Brutus, Snooty and Nosie

Nosie & Brutus

Snooty

Nosie

The Itsy Bitsy Spider.....

2009-05-18T14:37:00.002-04:00

Well it's been almost a month again since my last entry. I had been doing good, getting around to visit & comment some and then poof..........my train once again derailed.

I came down with the flu/virus almost two weeks ago. I'm still feeling pretty lousy and just can't kick it out of my chest.

But worse than that ~ I was bitten by a spider over the weekend. From the appearance of the bite it seems (according to my doctor) that it was a Brown Recluse.

I am starting a high dose of antibiotics which will also help the chest infection if it is bacterial. I have to watch the site of the bite closely and check in with my Doctor every day.

There is dead tissue already and the main concern is that it doesn't spread. If it does spread then the dead tissue will have to be surgically removed and grafted. Damn Damn Damn!!!!!

I've seen pictures of these bites so I WILL be monitoring it closely. Our vet was bitten by one last summer and almost lost three fingers from the dead tissue so I am taking this very seriously. Funny thing is I didn't even feel it when it happened so I don't know where or how I got bitten.

I was bitten on the back of my leg ~ about midway between my knee and butt so it's always uncomfortable and my entire leg hurts. Obviously it was either in my pants (ugh) or I sat on it somewhere.

Well folks, I guess I just wanted to whine a little bit and let you all know I haven't dropped off the radar completely....yet.

Ya'll take good care and I wish you all peace. I'll be around when I can.

Fox Pup Photos & More

2009-04-28T11:38:00.005-04:00

We found a fox den with some pups in one of our fields. Last night Doug & I went over and watched them for awhile and I have to say....these little guys are just precious! My gosh they are adorable. I am heading back over after this heat spell breaks with the hope they'll be playing with each other.

Following are some pictures of the deer who frequent our fields. We have a strong herd and every evening we are treated to at least 15 deer right in front of our house.

This small herd hangs out down at the lower end of the farm.

Although not a great picture, this particular evening there was about 18 deer grazing - I captured 15 in this picture. This is across the road from our house in one of our hay fields.

The gobblers are out in force as well. There was a flock of about 30 the other week, of course I didn't have my camera for that but I've gotten quite a few shots of small flocks here & there. It's not uncommon to see them in our yard!

Every morning Whiz greets me with a big yawn - here she is in all her spendor.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as I enjoy shooting them. I could spend all of my time outdoors just watching the beauty of nature.

Peace to all.

The latest from the farm

2009-04-24T09:22:00.004-04:00

It's been so long since I've done an entry I almost forgot how to do it!! I hope everyone is well ~ seems everyone is busy with spring coming on. I've had a chance to visit a few blogs and hope to get some time to visit more this evening.

Sooooooo....we are adjusting and things seems to be settling in to somewhat of a routine.

JC (my stepdad) came home a couple of weeks ago. He's still on oxygen and although I see progress he is still very sick. My mom has her hands full taking care of him 24/7.

April has been a big birthday month on the farm. On April 9, Whiz (arab mare) and I shared a birthday. One of us turned 46 and the other 24. I'll let you figure out who is older but I'll give you a hint....the younger one has a mane.

This week my boy Flash (appaloosa) turned 24 and Miss BeBe (Tennessee walker) turned 13.

4 of my "cat house" cats, siblings born here, turned 4 on the 20th and my house mate Buffy (son of one of the cat house cats) turned 3 on the 21st. Whew....alot of birthdays!!

We lost another BabyDoll sheep two weeks ago. She had to be put to sleep. As if it isn't heartbreaking enough to say goodbye this one was particularly hard as one of our barn cats was extremely attached to her and meowed and bellowed the whole time we were working with her. She wouldn't leave her side and kept looking to me as if to say "my heart is breaking, please make her better", it brings me to tears just thinking how sad she was.

To think last year at this time we had 9 BabyDolls and now we only have 4. It's been a rough year losing so many. They are all just getting so old.

Doug has been going through some medical issues himself. He had to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours and has been dealing with rapid heartbeat's and generally not feeling well. It has been concluded the stress of the past month and a half has taken a toll on him. He goes back to the doctor in a few weeks but I would think if it was his heart they would have had him back in by now.

He's really been more than I could ask for in a husband and has provided so much comfort and peace of mind to my mom & JC. He's stepped up to plate and handled alot as well so I can see why he is stressed.

The stress has been brutal. So many people and animals depend on us ~ people in our Company and of course all the animals here. There were (and still are) alot of question marks regarding the future. Life will never be as it was before again but we will make the adjustments and we will go on. Despite the glee some people seem to get by stating "oh you'll have to sell the farm" or "how will you keep up the farm?"....we WILL keep the farm and it WILL go on. If I have to cut hay with a grass clipper and ball of twine I'll do it.

This is my home, my haven, my sanity...when you love something as much as I love this place you do what you need to do regardless of how you feel or how tired you are or how much you have going on. When I thought I had nothing left I found more....I took care of everything for my parents. I took care of my mom and gave her strength and encouragement and freed her mind of worries and allowed her to care for JC. I cared for the animals 24/7 and kept my home and our business going as well.

I rose to and above the challenges and I have learned who and what matters in life. I've also learned people will kick you when you are down and take delight in doing so. I've learned some people you never expect it from will rise up and genuinely try to help you. I've also learned not to ever expect anything from those you thought you could count on.

Most of all I've learned who I am. After years and years of self doubt, self persecution and questioning just what type of person I am I've come to realize I am stronger than I ever imagined and I do what is right. I stand by & protect my family and animals and I now know that I can handle whatever I am given and still keep faith, hope & focus.

I don't know what the future holds but I know I have been the best I could be to those I love and I have an inner peace I've never had before. If I should pass today I know I've been the best daughter, wife and animal mother I could have been and there is something to be said for that.

The latest

2009-03-25T16:33:00.002-04:00

Mom & I just got home from the hospital and I have a few minutes before I do the evening feed so I thought I would take a moment to update.

Thank you to all who have emailed and I apologize if I haven't replied.

Sooooo....you won't believe what we went through last week. On top of the issues with my stepdad we had three large water leaks (underground) on the farm and lost water to my moms house, all the barns and the automatic waterers.

Doug had some guys come over and they found the leaks. We worked until about 10 pm on Thursday and Friday and got each of the leaks repaired and the hydrants replaced. We didn't need that aggravation on top of everything else but it's over and all is well now.

My stepdad is off the ventilator, feeding tube and is conscious and talking. In fact, he is actually talking quite a bit and giving the nurses and doctors a hard time. He took a short walk with a walker for the first time in 2 weeks today while we were there - I think we gave him the confidence and determination to do it. :)

He's still in ICU and there is still no diagnosis but we are encouraged by the fact that his xrays are improving rather than deteriorating and he is now on normal oxygen. By that I mean not the mask. They are hopeful to move him out of ICU to another floor today or tomorrow.

They have found he has an infection in the lining of his heart which they are treating with the same antibiotics they use for QFever so they are covering all the bases.

He is down to only 2 IV bags but his arms are just black from all the bruises and look horribly painful. I can't stand to look at them. He has a central line now for the IV's since his veins are so badly collapsed. The Infectious Disease doctor is hoping to put him on oral meds soon.

He had an open lung biopsy and has a 6" incision on his back and is in serious pain from that so they are keeping him on pain meds to ease the discomfort.

It has been a horrendous 2 weeks - I can't find the words to even describe what I think or feel about the whole situation. I know seeing him on the ventilator was very unpleasant and one time when I was there they had brought him to semi-consciousness and he was trying to communicate and squeezing my hand...it was so upsetting to see and I felt so helpless. I left feeling very defeated and upset.

Although we don't have any answers yet he is improving and the docs are all happy to see this but we still would like to know what the heck happened to make him so ill. All we can do is keep hoping & Praying he continues to improve as each day goes by.

Thank you all for your kind & loving emails and Prayers ~ you guys are truly the best.

2009-03-19T15:39:00.002-04:00

If you read my previous posts you know the situation. I had to delete those entries for professional and privacy reasons. I am afraid I am forced to be even more discreet than I had originally anticipated - some of you who know the situation will know and understand. I don't mean to be clandestine or dramatic, it's just the way life is. I will share any information by email but I can no longer put details "out" there in a public blog.

Today is my mom and stepdads 26th wedding anniversary. Obviously not a very good one, to say the least.

The situation continues to be grave and there has been no improvement or progress what so ever. I am more afraid with each passing day - everything is so uncertain right now.

In fact, we still don't have a diagnosis so we just wait and see what happens next.

I can't thank you enough for your kind comments, your Prayers and the overall support you have shown me and my family ~ it has meant so much. It broke my heart to delete the wonderful comments but I have them in my heart and that is where they help me the most anyway.

Please, keep the Prayers coming.

I smell a rat.....

2009-02-28T13:17:00.005-05:00

Actually I smell a skunk, or smelled a skunk yesterday morning. Buddy decided to tangle with a skunk around 5 am in the morning. The moment he walked in the garage I was intoxicated by the wonderful aroma of skunk. Nasty. It was so strong my eyes watered.

After a complete shave down and a few baths he is smelling much better. We went to the pet store and bought him some "Baby Powder Fresh" cologne...not perfume, he's a boy ~ it's cologne. LOL.

A few years ago he was sprayed and we used tomato juice. I didn't have any on hand so I used Dawn, vinegar and a special kind of odor remover I bought to keep on hand. I think the tomato juice worked better.

Other than that there hasn't been too much going on. I am eagerly awaiting spring to get outside and get the house, barns & cat house windows open and fresh air blowing through.

Everything seems so stale this time of year after being closed up all winter. I did have windows open yesterday to get the scent of skunk out of the house but it got cold and damp in here quickly I had to close them.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I thought this cartoon was so cute.

2009-02-26T10:42:00.004-05:00

Doug turned FORTY yesterday - Happy Birthday Doug!!!!

I had a surprise birthday party for him on Saturday and he was totally shocked & surprised. He had no clue and even when he walked in and everyone yelled "Happy Birthday" he still didn't realize it was for him for a few seconds. He thought we were going to an animal fundraiser.

I had the party at Prudhomme's on Fourth. David & Sharon Prudhomme own Prudhomme's Lost Cajun Kitchen restaurant, this is another building where they have private parties and other events. My mom & step dad are close friends of the Prudhommes so I knew they would do good for us.

Even though they are known for their cajun food I stuck with more traditional items. I chose a buffet over sit down with meatballs, various wraps, salads, rolls and a nacho bar. The nacho bar was great and everyone enjoyed making their own nachos with so many toppings to choose from. Of course we also had a cake. I wanted buckets of craw daddy's but they aren't in season. My thanks to Dave & Sharon, they did a fabulous job and everyone raved about the room & the party.

My mom, cousin and her daughter did all of the decorating for me before the party and the room looked great. I had little construction cones with "over the hill" sayings and construction tape with "40th birthday party in progress", balloons and cascading "40th" table pieces. Very festive, thanks girls for the great job!!!

I was going to go with a huge party and hire a band but I know Doug and knew he would prefer a more intimate type of party so I kept it smaller and he said it was perfect. He had a chance to talk with everyone and the party just flowed nicely with everyone being involved.

We had such a good time. He was given gag gifts which we all had a great deal of fun with and the day was filled with lots of laughing - it was a great time for everyone and even though Doug hates birthday parties and being the center of attention he had a wonderful day and it meant alot to him. He's opening his "diaper" in this picture. I should say he also got some very nice gifts as well.

I don't know what the wispy hair is in the above picture, it isn't Doug's though!!! haha

The picture Rick is holding is a newpaper copy of the day Doug was born with his name inserted in it along with historical events. My mom gave this to Doug.

My video person missed Doug coming in, instead she filmed her daughter's arm and the lovely tablecloth...LOL. She did manage to get a few seconds of "Happy Birthday" and the cake. So Mom Karen, I know I told I would send you a video of the party but this is all we've got :( at least you'll get to see a little bit of your forty year old "baby". LOL.

Short but very sweet

2009-02-19T09:48:00.002-05:00

You may have seen this before but I thought it was adorable.

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard.I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard,
walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour.
This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar:
'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is
and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar:
'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep.
Can I come with him tomorrow?'

2009-02-15T19:29:00.003-05:00

This about sums it up!

I'm tired and cranky...I thought I would do a little venting though and make an entry.

I had a message on my phone Thursday when I got home from work. It was my mom and she was so upset. We lost another babydoll sheep. She had been up and moving around with the others throughout the day. When my mom went over to grain them she was lying down and her little legs were flailing. My mom knew something was wrong and got down on the floor of the stall with her and Babydoll put her head in her hands, took a gasp of air and died. It was very upsetting for my mom as it was so sudden. She said the other sheep were standing around her watching everything and were very upset as well.

My stepdad has been going downhill for the past couple of weeks. Turns out he has congestive lung failure and/or pneumonia. I'm not sure exactly what it all means but he isn't doing good. His doctors took him off the medication for his Q Fever, which all the other doctors say was not the right thing to do since relapse is so prevelent with it. The docs who took him off the meds screwed up big time. He's only 62 so he is fairly young to be in such bad shape.

There are some other things going on which I don't want to get into on a public journal, you never know who's reading.

Today I noticed the airator at the pond wasn't running. I went down to check it out and found it was unplugged. Long story short, a propeller broke so me and my stepdad fiddled with it and screwed around for an hour or more trying to get the broken prop off. Doug came down and had it off in about five minutes. Anywhoooo...par for the course of this week we put it in and it had an oil leak and oozed oil in the pond so we pulled it out immediately. Luckily we had another one on hand at that one is working. I am told the little bit of oil won't hurt my fish ~ I sure hope not. My step dad was panting & breathing heavily so I had to do all the heavy lifting. I pulled the airator out of the pond from the dock and it felt like my back broke in half - everytime I move I groan.

I did see quite a few of my fish. When they heard my voice they swam over to me...awwww, they remember me from the summer evening feeding. I can't wait until it's warm enough to start feeding again.

On a good note...and yes there is one. Our company was the winning bidder on a big project!!! It couldn't have come at a better time, we were running out of work for our men. We had everyone laid off but a little job came up recently so a few were called back but soon all the guys will be back to work and it also means alot of subcontractors will be working too. The trickle down effect is good and everyone is happy and it will keep us rolling for another 6-9 months which buys us time to build a backlog again.

I'm way behind in my journal visiting. I'll be around soon and get caught up on what's going on in your lives. I may not comment on each entry but be I will be reading.

Take care everyone.

Happy Birthday Billy!!!!

2009-02-07T09:45:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday to our sweet boy Billy!!! Billy turns 21 today!! Hats & Horns, there's big celebration going on with the boys...woo hoo!!! Billy is a Tennessee Walker and one of the sweetest horses you'll ever meet. He is a goooood kisser too and will kiss you forever if you have a carrot.

He can drive too...no, not a car but a cart. Billy will always have a special place in my heart and our farm history as he was responsible for delivering me to my groom on our wedding day. He took his job seriously and did a good job until he saw the barn & his stable mates and refused to stop. His trainer had to run full speed and jump two fences to get him to stop. It was quite funny as we zoomed passed our guests!

The sooner I get this done the sooner I'll be back with the gang...let's get a move on!!!!

I have my ear pinned back because I hate the camera...go away please!

Oh all right, just ONE and then will you please go away with that thing?

I can bite Flash's butt, it's my birthday!!!

Where are the girls? How can we have a party without the girls? Flash is looking for the girls but they are in a meadow far away.

Feh, this is a boring party - let's just try to find some grass and eat.

Crazy Snow Storm

2009-02-04T12:59:00.003-05:00

Well I have a snow day. I didn't go in to the office today as planned. It snowed most of the day yesterday but very little layed on the ground. It began snowing again last night around ten and we had a dusting. So why am I home?

Just a few miles east of us they had a foot of snow - it was unexpected. One of our guys went in to our office to plow and said there was close to a foot. Some of the roads in to our office were closed while they removed the snow to get them passable. So while it is bright and sunny here with clear roads across the river it is a different story.

I took my mom for her cholesterol blood test and then we had breakfast at a cute little diner. We then went to the farm store to get a few hundred pounds of cat litter and came home. I don't feel guilty about not "working" around the house since I wouldn't have been here anyway so it's kind of a free day.

I guess it goes without saying how happy I am my Steelers are champions, again!! That would be how many now...let's count them off....oh that's right SIX!!! That would be MORE than anyone else!!! LOL ~ I just had to be a little obnoxious with this. I'm done now.

I guess that's about it for now. I don't have too much to say lately. I've been feeling blah, that's a good word for it, blah. I'm just really sick of winter.

These girls were hanging out at the top of the meadow so they were pretty far away

But my sweetheart Bella always come down to see me. I just love this little girl, she is such a sweetie. (She is small compared to the rest so she is "little" to me)

NEW Buffalo Video

2009-01-29T20:47:00.002-05:00

It's been some time since I've put up a new buffalo video. I know some of you enjoy them. Soooo..her are my sure footed girls running full steam in their very icy meadow. I see them running all of the time yet I am always in awe of how nimble and balanced they are.

If you turn up the sound you'll hear them crunching through the ice AND as a bonus you'll get to experience me falling down the hill as I was filming. LOL. It was a solid sheet of ice, it is apparent I am not as sure footed as the girls.

I thought it was charming how Seven waits for her buddy to come through the gates and then runs with her towards the others. They are such interesting animals.

I hope you enjoy. (Watch in high quality if you can, it is much better.)

Nasty Nick

2009-01-24T19:20:00.004-05:00

I haven't had too much to say lately. There really hasn't been much going on ~ that's a good thing I guess. Just plodding along through this loooooong winter...can I just say I can't wait for spring.

Nick is growing everyday it seems. He is overall sweet and loving. As soon as he sees me put my laptop on my lap he jumps up and is fascinated by the screen. He purrs and falls asleep...awwwww...so sweet.

But...he has a mean streak! For no reason, totally unprovoked he will bite (hard) & wrap his nasty sharp claws around my hand and scratch the heck out of me. I reprimand him verbally but I think all he hears is blahblahblah since he looks at me with a blank stare and continues. I've started putting him on the floor when he does this - that does seem to get his attention, a little. I've never had such a nasty kitten - and I have had ALOT of kittens. I think he has multiple personalities since he'll go from sweet to demon and right back to sweet again. He's so darn cute it is hard to stay mad at him though.

Buffy is still treating him like he is his love child - I don't see how he can stand to be with him so much but I guess he overlooks little Nicks psychotic behavior. LOL. He never loses his patience with him and Buffy could kick Nick's butt from here to tomorrow if he got angry.

My Boys are Super Bowl Bound Baby!!!!

2009-01-18T22:22:00.003-05:00

Wooooooooooooooo Hoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

My Steelers won and are heading to the SUPER BOWL!!! GO GET EM' BOYS!!!!

I have been a Steelers fan since I was young...(just so you know I'm not a bandwagon-er!) LOL!

My mom is an Eagles fan so she isn't quite as happy as me tonite.

When Life Gives you Ice, Make Water

2009-01-17T10:56:00.003-05:00

This squirrel arrived before I had the peanuts and fresh water out for them. Clever little fellow figured if he ate the ice he'd make water. Talk about making due with what you've got. The ice chunk was from yesterday and hasn't melted at all.

Hmmmm...I wonder if this will work?

Let me just take a little bite. I hope my feet don't stick!

This is going to be harder than I thought.

Frigid Friday

2009-01-16T09:52:00.003-05:00

Hello from balmy PA....it is a lovely day, lots of sunshine, howling winds, 6 degrees and a wind chill of about -10. I look at it this way, at least we aren't suffering from the extreme cold they are having out west. I don't know how anything functions at -60....I can't fathom that. There is always a bright side to everything and I'll find that bright side!!

I held up pretty well doing the farm work this morning considering how cold it is but I won't lie, I am happy to be inside right now drinking coffee. But you do what you have to do, it comes with having animals and living on a farm.

The horses are staying in today. It's too cold for them to be out. I know others don't agree but that is how we feel so they'll be snuggled in their stalls today. They'll all get some exercise & socializing time in the indoor arena while their stalls are cleaned.

The buffalo are in their glory. They love this kind of weather and stand head on into the wind, unphased. Not so with the Watusi. They are from South Africa they don't enjoy the cold and stay in their shelters most of the day keeping each other warm.

I did get the stray in last night. She wanted out this morning so I let her go, she seemed stressed being in. I just hope she'll come to me tonite so I can bring her back in overnight.

I think Doug & I are going to sponsor the little boy from Haiti who I pictured in my last entry. My mom might want to sponsor him and if she does we will choose another child. It's only $50 a month and that assures he will have food, clothing, medical care and shelter. I know the organization and how it is run so I am comfortable doing this.

I've mulled over adopting a child at times in my life. I've never wanted children. I don't think I would be a good mother. I am annoyed easily by children, especially when they are not well behaved. I can't get away fast enough. I have been around kids who were very well behaved and although I did find them charming it has never made me desire to have one.

I have been extremely tied down most of my life. Sadly, the reality is things are winding down on the farm and I know I won't be so tied down in the future. I would like to take a three month cruise around the world and do some other things I've not had the chance to do because of my obligations here & at our company. A child doesn't fit in to that plan - sounds selfish I know. I know we could have a nanny but that doesn't seem right either.

On the other hand, I do think of what we could give a child. The child would want for nothing and would have so many opportunities in life including a top notch education. We could change their life so drastically and perhaps in turn they would make a difference in the world. But having the ability to give someone material things does not a mother make.

These are thoughts that go through my mind but I need to feel it, really feel that it is right and not look at what I would be giving up but what would be gained. Until I reach that mindset I think sponsoring is a better idea.

2009-01-14T06:50:00.004-05:00

The birds have been keeping themselves busy, I snapped this little fellow enjoying a sunflower seed. Isn't he cute. I thought it was a Chickadee - I don't know my birds to well so I welcome a correction but neverthe less he is darling.

Brrrr....we are having the coldest weather we've had in 3 years and it is due to get even colder the next few days. I'm concerned about the stray cats we have hanging around ~ I may try to catch the tamest one tonite and put her in one of the heated rooms in the barn.

The dress I used for the still life was my wedding dress. I wore this dress and the boots when Doug & I got married. Our wedding was very casual as it was here on the farm so that dress was perfect for the day. I still remember that day like it was only yesterday. It was such a perfect day and 12 years later it's still all good. I tried the dress on when I pulled it out for the photo - I was happy it still fit!!!

I haven't had too much time for blog reading the past few days. Seems everytime I get caught up life gets hectic and I fall behind again.

I'm having my annual audit at work this week, preparing for calendar year & fiscal year ends keeps me busy so the days I'm in the office just fly by. When I get home from work I just want to unwind & relax.

So, until I make my way around take care everyone and I hope life is treating you well.

Oh...I just have to share this picture with you. My husbands boss is involved in building a huge orphanage center in Haiti. He is there every two weeks running the project and he & his family have become close with the orphan children.

The povery is unbelievable and the stories I hear tear my heart apart. Well these kids love hats. It happened that Doug & I had a big duffel bag of sample hats from a company we used to deal with and we no longer use so we sent these hats along with Jeff for the kids.

Apparently within the hats was one of my (our family business) company hats....we didn't realize it was among the samples and we even looked at all the hats before they went out!! When Jeff saw this little cutie wearing one of OUR hats he had to snap the picture. I wonder if there isn't a message here since we didn't even know the hat was in there. My mom said it is God sending a message to adopt him. How cute is he? Bless his little heart.

Photo Challenge

2009-01-09T15:23:00.004-05:00

Here is my entry:

If you would like to participate in this challenge follow the link below,

http://communityphotochallenge.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=3

Little Video of Nick

2009-01-06T10:37:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd post a short video of Nick and Buffy. As you can see little Nick is doing really good and has been entertaining us with his antics. He & Buffy are the best of friends and are found together playing or sleeping. I guess Buffy has a strong paternal instinct because he just loves this little fellow.

Hopfully you'll get a little smile from this....it is best viewed in high quality.

Eagle Pictures

2009-01-04T11:27:00.004-05:00

Happy 2009!

We went down to the Conowingo Dam in Maryland yesterday to see & hopefully get some shots of the eagles who are calling the dam home right now.

They said in October & November there were about 200 eagles there! We saw quite a few even though they are now winding down living at the dam. I did manage to get some shots.

I used my 400 lens with a 1.4X extender but they were still pretty far away in some of the shots. Overall it was a great time although very cold!!!!

These were two young eagles (eaglets?) sitting in one of the towers very far away.

Christmas, Earthquakes & More

2008-12-27T20:53:00.004-05:00

Greeting everyone. I hope ya'll had a great Christmas and are recovering from all the visits or visitors. It's been a hectic few days around here getting together with family and all.

We had an earthquake last night. It was a 3.3 ~ not a big deal but it was enough to wake everyone and it covered a huge area. I was sleeping and felt the bed vibrate...not from putting in a quarter either. LOL.

I thought it was the furnace or our spa filtering but then figured since it was vibrating so much it must have been one of the large military planes which fly over frequently. Imagine my surprise when my mom asked me if I heard the loud bangs and felt the quake. Apparently I am one of the few people who didn't get up and call someone to find out what happened. The news reported they had 150 emails & quite a few phone calls right after it happened.

Christmas was great. I got lots & lots of wonderful presents - I must have been a really, really good girl!!

Little Nick has taken over the house and isn't in the garage anymore...anybody shocked about that news? He is growing up and is just so funny to watch, he keeps us amused and the other cats just love him. He is sitting on my laptop as I type.

I turned on our kitchen faucet this morning and it fell off. Yep, the faucet broke off at the base and water flew everywhere. We bought a new one to install but it doesn't fit so we'll get a replacement tomorrow. Seems there is always something going on with a house. It is the original faucet since I built the house and knowing how the builder skimped on everything else he probably used the cheapest faucet he could find so I guess 13 years of use isn't too bad but it is a pain to replace.

Well that's it for now ~ I am off to catch up on some blog reading.

"Appy" Christmas!

2008-12-21T15:19:00.002-05:00

Flash would like to wish everyone a Very "Appy" Christmas!
(he's an appaloosa, haha)

Chief would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!

Charcoal would like to get the picture taking over with!

All the horses are snug in the barn today. First it was ice now it is very windy and getting very cold. So.....I thought I would spend some time dressing them in christmas attire.

The other three weren't so cooperative...Billy tried to eat the antlers, Whiz jumped out of her skin when she heard the camera click and the hat flew off and BeBe ~ well she was just being Be.

2008-12-20T12:22:00.003-05:00

Traci at http://emmaandbella.blogspot.com/ has honored me with the Honest Scrap Award. Thank you Traci. I am so flattered you thought of me.

This award comes with a little meme as well. I am supposed to tell you 10 things about me. Hmmmm....I don't know that I am all that interesting and that I have 10 things to tell but I'll be a good sport and try!

1. When I was 18 I was thinking about joining the Air Force. The recruiter came to the house & spoke to my mom & I and then I took the required tests. I scored highest in mechanics and they wanted me to be a Diesel Mechanic or Jet Engine Mechanic. That wasn't what I had in mind so I opted not to join, I am sure there were other reasons too but I don't remember that long ago. Doug will vouch for the fact that I am very mechanically inclined and good at troubleshooting mechanical problems so I guess they had me pegged well.

2. I attended Cosmetology School and wanted to pursue a career as a make up artist. I never finished though. I broke my wrist and took a leave of absence and never went back. I didn't like having to touch people I didn't know anyway. HAHA, I am a Beauty School Dropout!

3. I use Purell all the time! Everytime I touch something outside of "my" environment I sanitize. I don't like touching door handles or money but I think alot of people feel this way. I will only use a public restroom if I am going to burst and then it is quite an ordeal trying to not touch anything....you ladies know what I mean!!!!

4. I cannot be around people who do not practice good hygene. If someone is smelly or dirty I will hold my breath and get away from them. I don't mean dirty from gardening or doing farm work or the like....I mean dirty from not bathing or cleansing themselves. Believe me I smell like a barn pretty often!! LOL.

5. I am fascinated with serial killers & what makes them do what they do. I'd like to know what makes someone so evil. I would like to be a profiler with the FBI or a psychiatrist who works with these type of people.

6. I am neurotic about my job. I am a corporate accountant and freak....and will work for hours...to find any discrepancies. My annual outside auditors are always amazed that my "books" balance "to the penny". It isn't uncommon for me to spend hours finding a few cent difference.

7. My desk and office at my job are organized exactly how I like. I have places for everything and I am not happy if my things are moved. A little OCD maybe?

8. At home I am not so organized. My office is a mess and I often don't even remember to record debit purchases in my checkbook. I will often let our bank recs go for months on end. I guess I burn myself out at work!!

9. I have a bad temper. It takes alot but once I blow it's all over. I tend to go into a rage and my mom tells me my nostrils flare!!

10. I don't give second chances. If someone hurts me, betrays me or screws me over it's done and there will be nothing they can say to undo the damage.

Wow...this was hard! I'm tired of thinking after all this.

I am to pass this along to 7 people. Since this is the busiest time of the year for everyone I will say if you would like to do this feel free to do so. Also, I haven't been around for a couple of days so I don't know who has or has not already received this award.

Silly Pictures

2008-12-16T12:56:00.004-05:00

Little Nick is finally starting to act like a kitten....meaning he is into everything and hard to keep track of. I'm glad he is feeling better but it was nice when he was just content to just sleep in my arms!!!

One of the other cats was coming towards "his" chair...note his defensive mode!! LOL, the other cats heads are almost as big as Nicks body but he isn't afraid!

Now it's time for a nap.

Poor Buddy - he doesn't know what to think. That is Coco's nose between the antlers.

He is saying just get it over with already!

Goodbye to a Special Friend

2008-12-12T10:24:00.003-05:00

We had to have our beloved Bert put down this morning. Bert was a pygmy goat ~ she was the best. She acted more like a dog than a goat, she followed me & my mom everywhere and loved her treats. Bert was always the first to greet, she loved to have her ears rubbed and be cuddled. She was so special and I am heartbroken, it's not going to be the same in "Goat Log Hollow" without our Bert. The other goats are very upset today, especially her kids..Miracle & Ernie. They loved their mama - it's sad to see how sad they are.

She was 13 and developed cancer. The vet had been treating her all week with no results and was afraid she would hemmorage and experience a very unpleasant death and suggested she be put down as she wasn't going to recover.

I said my goodbyes to Bert and told her how much I loved her and how deeply I will miss her. My mom is such a trooper, she stayed with Bert while the vet put her down. She is every bit as upset as I am ~ we both love the animals so much and are so bonded to them. Tears were rolling down my face as I cradled Berts face in my hands for the last time and said my final goodbyes, I knew I was going to breakdown and didn't want to make the situation any more difficult so like a coward I came home.

I came home and in did something I've never done before ~ I ran in the house and threw myself on my bed and sobbed. I don't think I've cried this hard in years, body wracking sobs. My poor dogs were so upset and licking my tears trying to make me feel better I'm sure.

The reality of the losses over the past two years hit me, we've lost so many. The farm is changing, I see it and more than that I feel it. Everyone is getting old, sickness comes and it seems they are too old too fight.

It is heartbreaking to think of losing them all but in all reality it is going to...it IS happening now.

I wish I could just turn it OFF. Stop loving with my heart & soul. Stop feeling a little piece of my heart break each time I have to say goodbye. But then someone like Nick comes along and I dive right in, giving everything I've got. You would think I'd learn.

It feels like just yesterday everyone was young & healthy. We were just starting out life on the farm, building a wonderful haven for the animals who live here, babies were being born, critters were running & playing everywhere ~ it feels like those days are so over now. Now it feels like the grim reaper has set up shop here just waiting to take another. I haven't gotten over not having Big Mister around and miss him terribly and now sweet Bert.

Hohoho, not such a happy entry today huh? Sorry to be such a drag. My christmas spirit is zapped. Don't mind me, I am very sad and feeling very lost at the moment. I don't want it to end, I wish I could freeze time.

Rest in peace sweet Bert.

Nick, Me & Doctors

2008-12-09T15:46:00.003-05:00

Nick...I named the little kitty Nick. I wanted to call him Doug but the "real" Doug was uncomfortable hearing me say "here Dougie Dougie!" LOL. So I went with Nick in the spirit of Christmas.

The vet saw Nick today. He said he should be called Nick because he was brought here in the "nick" of time ~ with the poor condition he is in Dr J didn't think he would have lived if he continued to live outdoors.

He only weighs 1.9 lbs. and he agreed with what I had thought, he is about 12 weeks old. His growth is stunted due to malnutrition.

He tested negative for FIV/Leuk (whew!) and overall his heart & lungs sound good. We just need to get weight on him & keep him drinking. He didn't get any shots today, they would be too hard on him in his current condition. He did get wormed & in two weeks I will worm him again just to be safe.

I gave him half a bath last night - he was so cooperative. He just stares into our faces when we hold him or talk to him. Doug was working in the garage last night and Nick sat on his lap the whole time watching him, it was male bonding for sure, LOL. He's such an affectionate little fellow and it is so sweet how he gazes into our eyes.

I think he'll be fine. I sure hope so ~ he already has me wrapped around his little paw!!

My test results came back great. No lyme, thyroid is perfect & kidneys are fine and blood pressure is good and all the other level they tested are normal too.

Only one problem - the kidney ultra sound showed an ovarian cyst. :( It's probably no big deal but I have to have a pelvic ultrasound next week just to be safe. Once this is done it's no doctor visits for 3 months!

So that's it...it's been a crazy day with very few minutes to take a break from dawn until now. I still have to clean up the house, feed & close up all the animals and make dinner so I don't know if I'll be getting around to many journals tonite.

Peace to all.

New Arrival!

2008-12-07T13:39:00.004-05:00

Doug went to pick up an engine and some parts this morning and returned with much more! He called me around noon and asked if I would take in a kitten. The kitten was at a gas station/store and kept trying to get into the store, of course the people working at the store kept putting him back out. He asked if he could take the kitten and they were happy to see him go.

Doug said he was shaking and meowing really loud, he felt so sorry for him. I told him of course, bring him home. He pulled in with the kitten cradled in his arm. A big awwwwwwwww.

After rearranging everything in the garage & putting a crate together he is settled in his new home. He ate a whole can of wet food and has been drinking alot of water. I know he is starving & dehydrated and most likely has worms. I don't know he would have lasted too much longer outdoors - it is freezing here today with high winds so the wind chill is about 15.

He is just skin & bone, you feel his spine and all his bones and he was wet when he got here. I am surprised his eyes are clear and he isn't having any breathing issues. That's a good sign. I have antibiotics on hand should he show symptoms.

I have the vet coming Tuesday for another matter so I'll have him examined at that time. Here is a picture of the little guy - he is laying on a heated bed. He looks so pathetic.

I am still shocked Doug brought him home - I must be rubbing off on him!!! :)

Holiday Spirit

2008-12-06T15:58:00.005-05:00

I am actually in the christmas spirit this year! I spent almost the entire day outdoors decorating yesterday and boy it was cold and windy! I had to ask myself a few times as I teetered on the ladder trying to reach the top of our 18' pines why I was doing this. Seeing the lights at night answered that question, they look so pretty against the black of night. I did one tree all red, one all blue and one in all white lights.

I have all of my cards ready to be mailed on Monday and I am planning on wrapping the gifts I have so far today and tomorrow. I am still waiting for some packages to arrive.

Thursday I put our tree up and have a few more little knick knack type things to get out yet. I can pretty much just sit back and enjoy now.

It is very cold & blustery today and it is ssssssnowing, that is even hard for me to get out.

When it snows the farm the work is unbelievable. All of the feeders, gates, waterers, barn doors and pastures have to be accessible, which means plowing and alot of hand shoveling. This doesn't count what we have to do here at the house so it is back breaking by the end of a day. This is why I hate snow!

I leave you with some pics.

Here is Billy grazing early yesterday morning, he is such a pretty boy.

This little girl has suddenly decided she wants to be a model - I was taking pictures of the sheep and she just kept sticking her face right in front of the lens. She wanted a kiss or a carrot, probably the carrot!! LOL

This is Tony, he looks alert and awake for a change. LOL. It's rare when he is not sleeping in our bed.

Star of Hope

2008-12-02T09:51:00.004-05:00

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the Christmas Star. I have my own christmas star - it is my star of hope.

My mom is a christmas fanatic. She loves christmas, she loves to decorate even more. Every year she puts up two very big stars...one on the old barn and one on the top of the horse barn. These stars are huge and quite an ordeal to put up. Each year she is met with moans & groans from my stepdad at the thought of once again gathering enough folks together and hoisting them to their rightful place.

December 13, 2003 - the date my mom completed her treatments for endometrial cancer. She was released from treatment on this day. During the course of her cancer and treatment I was a wreck. I remained strong for her and I was with her every step of the way, every treatment & every appointment with her oncologist. I never left her side.

I don't think I can even find the words to describe how I felt - fear, panic, sadness, anger...they are a good start although I could add more since my moods seem to jump all over the place at that time and I couldn't concentrate or focus on anything except her.

It was shortly after the 13th I noticed the stars. An odd feeling of peace came over me and I was never so happy to see these giant stars illuminating the darkness over the farm. The stars made me feel like everything was normal again....I had hope for the first time in months that everything was going to be okay.

Silly isn't it? Silly after going through months of turmoil & despair that a simple metal frame in the shape of a star filled with 7 watt christmas bulbs would impact me the way it did.

The stars are once again shining just as they have been every year - the difference now is that I look at them every night and enjoy them. They are my personal symbol of hope & light.

Regardless of where life takes me these stars will follow me and will shine. I will always cherish them and the comfort & hope they have given me.

I took this picture as the sun was coming up, to me it gives the promise of a new day with my star of hope lighting the way.

My mom reached her 5 year cancer free marker this year and I am please to report she is doing well.

Peace to all.

Saturday Night Fever Friday Morning

2008-11-28T10:48:00.004-05:00

This little fellow is Lucky. He is one of my moms furry kids. My mom was at a party when they were alerted the amish neighbor was going to drown 2 pups. My mom took them. She named one Lucky and the other one Chance. Her friend adopted Chance, he just passed away in his sleep this summer. Lucky is still with my mom and although getting on in years is doing pretty good. Mom wanted a nice portrait of him so I fired off about 75 shots the other day and I really liked this one. Isn't he just the sweetest little man!!!

SO...I woke up feeling good today!! It is the first day in some time I've actually went about my farm duties with enthusiasm and feeling good.

I don't know if I can convey this little story...it may be one of those "you had to be there" things. I was in the cat house this morning clowning around with everyone when "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees came on the radio.

Well, being that Saturday Night Fever was all the rage when I was young and we danced till our feet hurt I went into a very spirited rendition of "the" Stayin Alive dance...true Travolta style!

I don't know if it was the index finger pointed as high as I could possibly reach, the crossover with the index finger to the ground, the shuffling of the feet, the hand rolls or just the high kicks I threw in for good measure but my cats were terrified and I quickly realized they were paralyzed with fear!!!

They were all staring at me, eyes as big as dinner plates. Some took shelter under a chair or blanket, peeping to see what my next manic move would be while others just stopped in their tracks and watched with fear. They looked at me as though I had gone totally mad.

I literally fell to my knees laughing. I laughed until I thought I would burst...tears rolling down my face and it felt sooooooooooo good. I haven't laughed like this in a long time, you know, the hysterical laughing that no matter how hard you try to stop you just can't! Once the laughing stopped some of them found the nerve to come over to see what was going on, others fled to the outside area and some stayed in hiding. I told them I'll refrain from that type of dancing in the future and all was well when I left.

Insane laughing, even more insane dancing....yeah....it's a good day!!!! Laughter truly IS the best medicine.

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who passed the Real People, Real Blog award on to me. It meant so much to think you value and enjoy my blog so much.

I know I am to pass this award along to others. I am passing this on to everyone who takes the time to sit in front of a screen & keyboard and type words that mean something to them for that blog is very "real" to them.

I wish you all a happy, peace filled day.

2008-11-20T18:54:00.002-05:00

Hello friends...like my picture? It's my dark place - the one place on the farm that creeps me out. It's in the lower level of the old barn and the door leads to the generator room. There is a huge generator in there which can run the entire farm if power is lost. I keep thinking I hear a dog whining....as I approach this door I recall all of the horror movies when I've shouted "don't go in there you idiot!!" But I go in anyway just in case a dog is in there who needs help - so far, no dog. This is the barn the goats, chickens & geese live in so I have to be in here at night!! Yikes!

I've been negligent on my journal reading. It isn't for lack of interest, more like lack of time and energy. November is my fiscal year end, December is of course calendar year end so this is my busy time of the year at the company.

The cold spell we are having is brutal and has forced me to winterize the animals & me. I'm happy to say everyone is nice & toasty, including my feet. I bought myself a pair of Sorel boots which are rated to -40. They should do the trick, now to find gloves that warm where I can still have nimble fingers to work the gates & halters! Any recommendations?

I think I am single handedly jump starting the economy with all the shopping I've been doing..I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. Just Doug & my stepdad...the two hardest men in the world to buy for since they get whatever strikes their fancy themselves leaving nothing to buy as a gift.

I am going through some tests, they are testing for lyme and some other things and I am having a kidney ultrasound next week. I never feel good anymore and I am beyond tired. It is a push everyday just to get through the day and I count the hours until I can go to bed. I am not used to feeling tired, I usually have boundless energy and need little sleep. My blood pressure is all over the place, very high then so low I almost faint. We are adjusting the meds....again.

With the demands on the farm there isn't ever any length of time to just rest. Seems when you get tired or sick you just get more & more run down since there really aren't any breaks, if that makes sense.

I don't mean to boohoo and belly ache. I know how Blessed I am and I feel trite complaining at all considering what some are facing in these troubled & uncertain times but it is all relative I suppose.

So, I am going to say Goodnight for now. I may hit a few journals before having dinner and then going to bed.

Take care all and I wish you peace.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot

2008-11-10T19:12:00.003-05:00

The theme Carly has set for this week is "Windows". I am going for extra credit with the first shot :) It was taken through our truck window on Saturday as we were heading to Cumberland, Maryland.

This is a photo of our bedroom door/window. It looks much smaller than it is, it actually takes up almost the whole wall. If you look real close, 4th pane in, 3rd pane down on the left panel you'll see some of the buffalo grazing. They look like little dots. This is what I wake up to every morning and I love it!

If you would like to play along you can visit Carly at http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com/2008/11/ellipsis-monday-photo-shoot-10-windows.html

Lookout...I'm being serious today

2008-11-04T08:42:00.002-05:00

I just returned from doing the morning rounds...now that it is light earlier I can get a good head start on the day. The only good thing about the time change but I do loathe the long nights.

Thank you for the warm sentiments about Big Misters' passing. It was different today without him there. I looked to all of his haunts and could see him in my mind. I miss him but I smiled today thinking about him and the wonderful life he had. He roamed free all of his days, as do all our sheep ~ he was well fed (as you can see by his size) and above all he was loved.

He had an operation for a hernia six years ago. The vet said he wouldn't live very long after the surgery - well he proved him wrong didn't he!

Mornings are when my mind is clear so most of my "deep" thinking is done in the early morning hours. I am especially insightful when I am around the animals, they bring out the best in me.

I was in the cat house with the gang and I was thinking about how often I have people tell me things like this...

"How can you stand to think of losing all of the animals?" or...
"I could never do this, it would make me too sad when they die." or....
"I had a dog/cat/fish etc. once and it broke my heart, I couldn't go through it again." or...
"You are in for alot of heartache down the road." and the ever poplular...
"You set yourself up for this by having so many animals."

I believe you get my drift. And the answer is simple, yes, I am aware of the fact that almost all of the animals on the farm are geriatric and have lived beyond their "normal" life expectancy. The cats are the exception as they range from very young to seniors. And I am also aware that in all liklihood in the near future many of them will pass away and I will be sad & heartbroken. I can't dwell on these realities, it would take away from the time we have together now.

The most important lesson I have learned living with all of the wonderful animals who have and do touch my life daily is to live in the moment. No, not a blithering idiot kind of living in the moment, but LIVING as though you don't know the outcome. I love the simplicity of animals. They don't know what is in store for them, they don't worry about getting sick or dying because they don't know what that is. They are most concerned about being loved, being fed and feeling secure. I wish I didn't know the outcome, my stress level & bp would be much lower.

Do I set myself up for heartache with so many animals? I guess you could say yes, but it is me, it is what I do and what I love. Do I wish I never had to experience the pain of loss...of course but then I wouldn't be living anymore. Living is about loving with your whole being, taking risks & taking chances and feeling the pain ~ if I stop feeling the pain I will also stop feeling the joy and love and that is not an option for me.

Probably one of the best songs ever written was "The Dance"...yeah, I could have missed the pain but then I would have missed the dance.

Dance on my friends, it is worth it.

(Now, I am off to vote!)

Sad News from the Farm

2008-11-03T09:17:00.004-05:00

I'm working at the office today and received a call not too long ago from my mom.

Big Mister passed away in his sleep last night.

It may be hard for some to understand how you can love a sheep but we did! He wasn't your normal sheep ~ he was like a dog-sheep. He loved attention, would give & receive kisses willingly, loved to have his ears & back scratched and had a great personality..he was so cool.

He was the original guy....the other sheep are either his children or his wives, LOL. He was the leader of the sheep herd as well. My mom said the others are "baaaaing" for him, I imagine they feel a little lost at the moment.

I am going to miss him so much, it will seem so different without him not greeting me or snousing around for things. It's hard to believe he is really gone.

Rest in Peace big guy....love you forever.

Anyone have the time?

2008-11-02T12:28:00.004-05:00

If you do, please share it with my family. LOL.

Doug & his brother were to meet at our house early this morning to go on an expedition. I had the dogs out & Buddy was barking a ferocious bark...I immediately thought "deer!" and ran out to see Jay (Dougs brother) standing in the drive saying he had forgotten to change his clock.

So I entertained Jay in my pajamas and we chatted about family gossip ~ good thing I am a morning person since it was before 6 am!

Then I am at the barn doing my routine and my mom comes over in her pajamas. She thought we turned the clocks AHEAD and was concerned since I wasn't at the barn at my usual time. LOL

Later as I am ready to go to the cathouse she comes out of the barn in her robe! I told her she was a pajama wearing phantom and I felt like I was living with Hugh Hefner seeing her in her jammies everywhere.

She needed her bandage changed. She fell asleep with the heating pad on and sustained a horrible burn on her back. Poor dear...it is nasty.

The picture I posted yesterday was processed using a method called HDR. Doug & I have just gotten into this and I love it. I love the look it gives a photo.

You take several shots of the same thing but with different exposure and then using a program they merge and you can do editing to your liking. Some folks hate it and are quick to judge and say it isn't "photography"....to each their own . There is alot of art I don't like but I don't criticize the artist. If anyone would like to play with it with their own shots they have a free download, you do have a watermark if you don't buy the progam but you can still have fun with it. We bought the progam.

Here are two more pictures I used this with and a video of Billy. Some of you have been asking how he is....he is doing much better now that he has a farrier who knows what he is doing.

Billy is the black & white Tennessee Walker, he is the one the old farrier crippled. His first video can be seen in my You Tube collection if you didn't see how bad he was before. The other two characters are Chief & Flash. They were getting carrot treats.

Thats all for today folks - I'll be visiting everyone later. I have a busy day ahead so I had better get on it!

Our "Old Barn"

This is what we call "The Big House"

2008-11-01T19:02:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe it's November already, it won't be long until Christmas.

Our Road

Life on a Bison Farm

There's a new (tiny) Sheriff in town...

My New Compound Bow

Riverboat Surprise

Sunny Sunday

One mans trash is not always a treasure

Community Photo Challenge

Old & New Friends...Pictorial

Bed & Breakfast

I doubt this little lady is happy about Thanksgiving...

Why I Love my Horse

Community Photo Challenge ~ Autumn

Remember me?

Come to my party....

Cool Cats

Hijacked Pansy

The Great Loudini ~ A Cat Tale

Newspaper story about my folks

Happy Mother's Day

Some photos & some chatter

Party like a rock star!

Frustrated bird watchers

Sometimes a nail is just a nail

Welcome Spring

At least you won't run off the road & other strange things!

Round 2 & some blizzard pics

More Snow & Pictures

Community Photo Challenge

Lonely Boy

In Her Eyes

New Year

We lost Billy this morning

We lost her

I am hopeful

Merry & Bright?

The Latest

I knew it was going too smoothly....

Peace & Harmony on the Farm

Pictures & a few words

Happy Tuesday!!

Update

Lisa will not be on here, for a few days

The Fruits of our Labor

Tuesday Tails

Finally...no rain!

Samson is HOME!!!!!!! Yee~~~Haaaa!

A Lovely Visit with a Fellow Blogger

Tuesday Tails

My Big & Wonderful!!!!

Busy Friday on the Farm

Spoiled Horse - Must see!

Tuesday Tails

A Natural Slideshow

Tuesday Tails

Tuesday Tails

Just Pictures

Pigeon Update & Buffalo Injury

Kitten Kapers & a Pigeon

Ooooh, someone is a little grumpy!

At least we're never bored

Wrong diagnosis by Dr Lisa!

Going green & getting greener

Shades of gray

Triplets and more

The Itsy Bitsy Spider.....

Fox Pup Photos & More

The latest from the farm

The latest

Previous Posts

I smell a rat.....

Short but very sweet

Happy Birthday Billy!!!!

Crazy Snow Storm

NEW Buffalo Video

Nasty Nick

My Boys are Super Bowl Bound Baby!!!!

When Life Gives you Ice, Make Water

Frigid Friday

Photo Challenge

Little Video of Nick