Halloween

Compared to the way my mom did Halloween, I am such a LOOSER!! I so remember caramel apples, homemade costumes, and neighborhood parties. When my kids were little, we would go to the wal-marts pick out a costume (some of which did double duty as pajamas until they were too little to wear) and do the trick-or-treat thing. Nothing was spectacular, nothing of any notable memory I'm sure. 

Rodney and I had to go to Mena today to run some errands and every place we went in, DMV, court house, bank, tire store, restaurant, all of them had big bowls of candy in plain view, free for the taking. It really became pretty fun hopping from one errand to the next, wondering if the next stop would have "good" candy that we could munch on, or just put in my purse till later. All of this "trick-or-treating" got me all mushy and sentimental inside for fun Halloween traditions. I really really wanted to carve a pumpkin with my kids but I forgot that Taylor had to be at a party and that Kyle detests pumpkins (ever since an encounter with a rotten one). Long story short, I resolved myself to do the carving with or without the kids. And, I did. 

It was fun, but nothing is quite as fun as it is when I get to share it with my kids. I so loved the lighting of the candles and the wonderful glow that it created. 

We didn't go trick-or-treating either!! But, I did promise Kyle that we could hit Wal-mart tomorrow and buy some of that day-after-halloween bargain candy, that will be fun too!!

Morning Feeding

I have a wonderful morning ritual. It helps for my attention deficit brain to have some structure so most mornings for me are pretty well ordered. Tuesday through Friday, Kyle and I leave the house about 6:15 so he can be at cheer practice at 6:30. When I get back, I wake up Taylor and let Sophie and Charlotte out to potty. Then I get to have my cup of coffee, this is one of my favorite things about the morning. Rodney makes the best coffee ever. 

Then, I get to go do this!!!.......

Feeding goats is one of those chores that I look forward too. This is Mo. He is our buck and is such a cutie pie, or was until his hormones kicked in a couple of weeks ago. There are things going on out there in that goat pen that I can't quite describe. 
And then there is Rain. Yes, I have a goat named Rain, not because I'm a hippy or that I make my clothes out of wheat or some such sillyness, she came to me with this name which was bestowed upon her because she was BORN in the rain. Now don't you love her even more??
Salty, my "big" doe has to eat by herself because she lacks proper goat etiquette when it comes to eating. She isn't very pretty to look at, one of her previous owners let her gorge herself and her tummy is quite misshapen. I love her anyway. She is just one of those people that it is hard not to love, even if she looks funny. 
I love the feeling I get when I get to provide sustenance to the animals. Be it birds, cows, dogs, fish, or...
Well, hello kitty!! Are you hungry too?? Everybody is hungry in the morning. 
Or do you just need some lovin?? I like to provide this service too. Mmmmm, that morning sun feels so glorious doesn't it? 

Charlotte and I

I guess everybody knows that Charlotte is the cutest doggy ever. It isn't just her big donkey ears, or her precious little pleading eyes, her pearly white "dentures" or even that every licking tongue. Her cuteness lies in her demeanor, her sweet personality, the way she sits beside me or on me and cuddles. It is in the way she sits for crying out loud, on her tooshy with both back feet in front (which by the way I need to take a picture of and post). The way she won't jump on the four-wheeler but waits for me to lift her, (she waits for me to lift her a lot). Bless her little puppy soul, I do think I could cry from her darling precious cuteness. She is my friend and friends are hard to come by. Thanks Charlotte. 

Rodney and I went to Texarkana a few days ago and I talked him into taking me to the pet store. I really wanted to look at rabbits and had planned on probably bringing one back to the farm, but I was really disappointed in their selection. Not that all bunnies aren't the cutest things but they only had long haired ones and I could for-see many hours of brushing out matted hair on a wiggly little critter, not something I really have time for. So, we just looked around a bit, there were the cutest little critters in there, including ferrets (which are so adorable but super stinky), guinea pigs (who make the funniest sounds I've heard from a critter) and even a hedgehog, (who I so wanted to pet but they were quite shy and protested my hand in their pen quite aggressively). SOOO, there were a stack of all these beautiful beta fish in tiny little plastic jars and I decided that I would give one of them a home on the range. 

I've named him Hamlet. He is quite the Shakespearian character, don't you think? I only put the plant in his bowl yesterday and am hoping that it will grow bigger roots for Hamlet to hide in. He seems to have perked up since I gave him forage and sanctuary. Now, I just need to find some rocks to put in the bottom...hmmm where will I find rocks?? Hamlet isn't a real cuddly, furry pet, but I've placed him on my desk near my computer and have found myself watching him casually meander about his little bowl and feeling all my worries and stresses melting away. It hasn't taken a lot of adjusting to get used to him being around and his food bill is minimal. Next week we will be introducing a new member to the family that is sure to turn our world upside down and I CAN'T WAIT!!! 

Cold Morning

One of the best things about a cold morning are thick wool socks and a fire to toast your feet by. This morning I woke to an outside temperature reading of 34, which we call "fricken freezing" around my house. It will only get colder from here on out, with a few spurts of warm weather here and there. I bought this heater a few weeks ago, got it hooked up last week and could not wait for it to get cold enough for me to turn it on. The only thing missing was a bowl of chicken soup, which I have been known to eat for breakfast.

One thing about me is that I normally am a barefoot person. I feel like shoes smother my poor feet. I keep boots by the door that can easily slip off as soon as I come in the house. However, I do LOVE socks!!! When the weather gets cold enough, I dig out my warm wooly socks, slip them on my feet, and warmth radiates through my entire body. I've been asking for years for some darn flannel sheets but still haven't gotten any. I can just imagine that this would be like crawling inside a big sock, how much more cozy could you get?? 

So, I am going to go out into the cold sporting my beautiful old wool socks, probably have to break out the ol' chap-stick, and maybe I'll have enough time this evening to make a big pot of chili or soup, then tomorrow morning, I can have it for breakfast. 

Goats in the yard

I decided to embrace my inner bumpkin today and turn the goats out in the yard. I put muzzles on the (which they were NOT happy with) so that they couldn't eat my trees or the lovely greens growing in my garden. I am, by the way, playing around with my blog and trying different approaches to uploading pictures and the layout and so forth, so please pardon any weirdness that may come up in the next few days. 

Hillbilly Musings

Doesn't it seem like when things go wrong, that it happens all at once? Well, yesterday was one of those days that made me stop and ponder what in the world is going on in the universe. Remember how I was enjoying my morning in my pajamas while doing laundry? In the middle of my jubilation, my washing machine died. I've had the thing since Taylor was a baby and she is now 16. I wish I knew the number of loads the poor thing has done. After we moved to the farm, it began heavy duty work in washing all of our poo laden overalls. 

So, the mess began. Dad has a consumer reports account online so I took advantage of this and found the best washer for the money, called my local Sears store and decided on the one to buy. When we got a chance to break from the farm, Rodney and I hooked up the trailer to Mom and Dad's Yukon and headed to Mena. Of course when we got there and began to look over the washer and it's specs and so on, we ended up buying the dryer that went with it. After everything was paid for and loaded up, we headed home with our new appliances. I was so confused whether or not it was appropriate for me to be excited or not. I didn't wake up yesterday thinking, I sure want a new washer and dryer. 

Anyway, the mess began when we had to gut our utility room of it's contents, including the old washer and dryer and a shelf, along with all the crap on the shelves and a mountain of laundry.

 

                                        

So this is what all of these activities created. Don't the new washer

and dryer look out of place somehow? There they sit all shiney

and new in the middle of the rubble that has become my house. 

 This is when I started to feel like my life has gotten

    off track somehow. Please note my teenage son

lounging on the couch while we suffer through the

pain of swapping appliances.

Also note in the above picture the can of pineapple

on the coffee table, I can feel the hick-i-ness growing

However, observing this mornings view in my yard really made me have

to reevaluate my whole existence. Did I turn into a hick somewhere in the night?

Did little hick elves with their trucker hats and tobacco sneak in and 

place old appliances and cars in my driveway? It's like Christmas for bumpkins!!

All I need now is about 5 kids in the front yard eating dirt. I guess

I could put Kyle out on the front porch with a shotgun. 

I assume that my uneasiness about all of this is a sign that perhaps I'm only 

a weekend hillbilly and I can get it all cleaned up and return to being merely 

a rustic country dweller. Lordy mercy, the work I have ahead of me now

I'll be sure to post pictures of my triumph over this hopefully short-lived disaster. Or

maybe I'll just get used to living like this, it does have a strange endearing 

quality. not

Redemption and Pajamas

This isn't the best picture because I took it with the camera on my computer but I thought Charlotte needed a little redemption after posting the last pictures of her. This is her "spot"...on the big leather ottoman. She especially likes it when mommy is sitting here. Mommy, by the way, has been hanging around all morning in her P.J.s. I even went out to feed the goats in my pajamas just to shake things up a bit. Do you want to know why I've been in my P.J's until this late hour of...let's see, it's 10:36 right now???? Because I can. I have been so busy with every blessed thing going on around here; I won't torture you with an itemization of my list of duties lately as I'm sure all of you have your own list. Rodney made sure that I knew and that my other "employers" knew, that I was going to be needed by him today. He left at 8:00 and told me he would call when he was ready for my help and so far...no call!! Well, he's called a couple of times, once to tell me about a calf that was born, once to tell me he wasn't ready for me yet. ha ha. So, I've been doing laundry and other house stuff in my jammies. Rejoicing in my socked feet and pink polka dot oversized pajama bottoms burying my face in warm loads of fresh laundry and neatly folding each piece has somehow rejuvenated my spirit. 

goofing off

This is quite disturbing I'm sure but I thought it was hilarious. I very much enjoy reading Pioneer Woman's website. If you haven't read it you should. 

Anyway she had an amusing twist on the whole Yearbook Yourself tool and used her darling dog Charlie's face to insert into the models. So I decided to do Charlotte's sweet face!

look how cute she is!!This is back when Charlotte was a school librarian with a drinking problem. 

Now I think I better call it a day. This is all just too weird.

Bart

So I'm sure you have figured out by now that this blog has no rhyme or reason, with either subject or consistency of posting...so here is a totally random subject. I LOVE Bart the Bear. Do you remember him? He was in the movie "The Bear" and "The Edge" with Anthony Hopkins. I remember seeing him in some other things too and I even remember the year that he was at the Oscars. Sadly he died in 2000 at the age of 23 but I am still a fan. 

If you get time, go to youtube and watch his tribute...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAOc3mKWzyo

It will make you all warm and toasty inside and probably make you cry. I am so impressed with his trainer Doug Seus. He seems like the perfect animal guy. He used complete and total positive reinforcement and never said a cross word to this bear (you'd have to be pretty stupid to pick a fight with him). When he died he weighed 1500 pounds and when he stood up he was 9 1/2 feet tall. Can you imagine that? And yet, he was as gentle as a puppy and lived to entertain and please his trainer. One of the best things I've heard in a while came from the tribute to him. Doug's wife said that you can look out at a mountain and if there isn't wildlife in it, it's just scenery, it isn't alive. Wow, that made me stop and think. I've always made it a point to touch the earth softly, to not leave a mark and keep it preserved the way God made it. I have a deep respect for mother nature and all her glory, I always have. When I get to witness something as profound as a 1500 pound bear that will hit his mark because a human tells him to, it really causes me to ponder the great and wonderful world we live it. So much is possible. 

Toasty

WARNING: This blog is full of mushy sentiments. 

I woke up this morning feeling all warm and toasty inside, well that is after I was fully awake. When I say toasty, I mean mushy and sappy like when the Grinch came to his epiphany when the Who's started singing down in whoville. 

I've been enjoying the incredible weather that we've been having, day after day of sunshine and cool breezes keeping me busy outside and working in the shop. Now that the weather has turned rainy and gray, pushed me back indoors, and limited my time outside, I've found that this too has it's good points. Mom made chicken and dressing for everyone last night followed by peach cobbler and ice cream. After we did dishes and my family came back to my house, we sat around by the warm lamp light while the rain fell outside and watched Dancing with the Stars. I would like to tell you that we all sat around and played cards or did something much more sentimental than t.v. watching, but we love Dancing with the Stars, and now that we've been watching it for several seasons, it does feel quite wistful. Maybe waking up with dressing in my tummy caused my insides to feel warm and nostalgic, maybe it is because I dreamt of puppies last night, again...or it could possibly be that I have some sort of heartburn?? Anyway, it is a feeling that I would like to keep around for a while. In just a few minutes, I'll have to put on my rubber boots and navigate my way through the mud and puddles to go feed the goats. Working in the shop doesn't stop because of the rain either but it sure makes it feel nice to come home in the evenings. 

This picture is of the road just before you get to my driveway. So many times I've driven this path, sometimes it is habit and I don't notice how lovely it is. Most of the time, however, I pull in and my heart gets warm, like I feel now. It gives me such joy to have a place to belong, not just a house but a home. And, whether or not it is sunny or rainy, warm or cold, winter summer spring or fall, it is home and it always welcomes me.