Goodbye........2011

Another end to another year!

Have to say 2011 had its share of surprises and challenges. Grace being the biggest surprise.

Wishing you all a year full of......... 

Love........

Friends.......

Family...........

Laughter..................

Health......................
and

Prosperity!!!




May 2012 be the beginning of wonderful things.


Happy New Year to you all.


Big grin!!


Until next year!!!!!   

Busy as usual

Can you believe the end of 2011 is just days away! What a year! And where the heck does the time go? Seems the older one gets, the faster it goes.

Yup, as usual I have been busy. Always, always something to do.

Ever since moving here Arnold's feet have become a daily challenge. Some days he walks just fine, others he can barely move.  Thank goodness I know what is going on so basically it is just dealing with his laminitis issues. I have talked about laminitis before and let me say, it keeps you on your toes on a daily basis.

And it isn't just Arnold's feet I have to watch constantly, it is also AJ's feet! Who would have thought that a Mustang would have issues with laminitis! Arnold and AJ are always on the radar.

My dear friend Sue, who had a major stroke almost three years ago, comes out to get donkey therapy. Her and her husband bring out goodies for the donkeys which as you can see those donkeys really enjoy! Sue has come a long way since her stroke. Feeding and petting the donkeys has helped with her hand eye coordination.  Oh and yes, I know the fence is leaning which is an ongoing project to keep it up until we can sink some wood posts this spring and run new livestock wire. I sure do miss the wood fence at the old house.

Grace's first Christmas. Can you believe she is going to be a year old at the end of January! Not only is she walking and running everywhere, she also climbs onto everything she can. Talk about keeping me hopping! I am teaching her colors, shapes, numbers and the alphabet.


Grace's mother, my middle daughter, needs to get her priorities in order. There are days I just want to punch her in the face! 

Just recently found out that some friends are losing their house to foreclosure. This truly saddens me because they are in the mid 60's.

I have decided that when we plant out garden next year, we will plant extra veggies for friends and whoever else needs them. I have already started asking friends what veggies they like so I can make sure to plant them. Going to check into donating fresh veggies to the local food bank.

Every evening a Buck and his four Does graze in the front yard. What a beautiful peaceful sight to see.

I have to go over to my oldest daughter's house soon and help her git rid of a spirit that has decided to hang out.

My youngest, who has OCD worse than my oldest daughter and myself has been keeping me busy helping her get through her crisis's. I have figured out why she has steadily gotten worse over this past year. It is all due to Grace's mother being an idiot and not telling anyone she was pregnant with Grace. For some reason the delivery of Grace in the bathroom triggered something in my youngest.  Slowly but surely progress is being made with my youngest.

Now that horse slaughter is set to begin in the USA, horse theft will be on the rise so I have decided to freeze brand the horses and donkeys. I am working on a brand to have made and then register it with the state of Oregon. I want a visible mark on the horses and donkeys to hopefully deter theft.

Okay, I don't want to bore you with the ramblings of a tired mind so will end this post now.

Here is a hug for each of you. Everyone can use a hug!

Until next time.........................





 

Animals, animals, animals

What does Grace, donkeys and the Gator have in common?

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! Two of my donks jumped the fence day the other day, got out into the road and stopped traffic. Thankfully some of the drivers got out and helped me get the donks back onto the property. Put the donks in the front pasture ( which isn't all fenced). Ran back to the house, grabbed Grace who was in the stroller this whole time, ran into the house, put Grace in her car seat, ran back outside, strapped Grace into front seat of the Gator with lead rope, drove up to the barn, loaded up hay, drove to back pasture, grabbed lunge whip to get the other donkeys and horses away from the gate, drove through gate, spread hay into back pasture, drove back to front pasture leaving back pasture gate open, with lunge whip in left hand and driving with left hand while holding onto Grace's car seat with right hand herded the two escaped donkeys into back pasture. Then it was fence fixing time with baling twine ( which is all I had on the Gator). Yup, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

I had to rehome the Guineas. For some reason they kept going out onto the road and yes, they too would stop traffic.  I did not want them getting hurt or worse killed nor did I want to get sued for causing an accident, rehoming was the best option. They also had become vicious towards my chickens. The have been gone a few days and although I am glad they are gone, I do miss those stupid birds.

A few weeks ago as I was locking up my chickens for the night I heard rustling in the leaves behind the coop ( which is right by the house). As I was securing the door to the coop I hollered out to the outside cats that I was going to feed them as soon as I was done ( thinking it was one of the cats wanting dinner). As I walked out of the coop I looked up to see what I thought was a stray cat. Upon further looking it wasn't a 'stray' cat, but a Bobcat! He looked at me. I looked at him. He bounded up towards the barn, stopped and looked at me again, then was gone. I was so excited to see him. My adrenalin was pumping and I ran into the house to tell everyone what I had just seen. The next day I realized that having a Bobcat that close to the house was not a good thing.

Now that hunting season is over the Buck and his does are coming down off the hills and grazing in the front pasture. In fact one of the does was grazing right in the front yard!

Last night as I was having the last cigarette of the day I heard crunching sounds in the yard by the walnut trees. Hmmmm, what the heck! After getting a flashlight I found out what was making the crunching sounds. It was a huge squirrel eating the walnuts that had fallen on the ground.

I seriously love and enjoy all the wildlife.

Oh, one more thing. The pic of Grace, well, to me she looks like Curly from the Three Stooges in this pic.

Until next time..............

Wow!

Yup, it's me! Took some time but think I am alright now. John ( Going Gently), thank you! Also a thank you to Ron, Jim, Sophie, Tina, Lilla, Rachael and my Sister Connie.

A lot has been going on not only in life, but mentally as well. I needed time to regroup and figure out what the hell was wrong with me. There was a pretty big problem with hubby's and my relationship. It's been a year since I lost my house. Grace is ten months old now. Well, let's just say everything finally came to a head.

I have always been a strong person, but there for awhile I didn't feel I was. And that bothered me! I knew something wasn't right and had to figure it out.

Slowly things started to surface. And when they surfaced it was like a volcano! Just erupting up and out. Wow! Yup, a lot of anger and resentment was unleashed.

I was angry as hell for losing my house. Angry that my one daughter didn't say a word about her being pregnant and having to deliver a baby in my bathroom! Angry that I didn't feel I was taking care of my horses and donkeys the way they were used to at the old house. Angry at my hubby for several large reasons. Angry that Grace's mother was in fact taking advantage of me as far as Grace was concerned. Angry that I allowed myself to get into such a depression ( which is what it was ) and put my life on the back burner.  Angry that for the past year I have been unable to help more animals in need. Angry at how society has crumbled. Let's just say I was damned angry!

It's funny, but when you realize what is going on with yourself you can see it in a whole new perspective!

So, instead of pushing the anger further down any longer, it was unleashed!  Once I let it out, said what needed to be said, I threw it out to the universe to be rid of it. Not saying it is all gone, but a lot of it is.

Now instead of  dreading 'what the hell is next' in life. Instead of trudging on an uphill battle in the mud getting worn out.  I have decided that I want to see what is on the other side of the hill! Whether it be good or bad I want to see it. And what's over the next hill, and the next. Sometimes alone, sometimes with someone else, but getting to the top and seeing.

There is so much more going on but will leave for that for future posts.

Big, big hugs to the folks I mentioned in the beginning of this post. You may not know what you did for me, and that's ok, because I know what you did!

Until next time.............................