A Poultrygeist (?)

I'm not a huge Halloween fan, but I used to be. We used to get all dressed up and go to parties and well, you know...party. But, I've grown up and grown older and I don't get nearly as excited about these things like I once did. But the kiddies - oh how much fun is it to see the little ones in their cute little costumes?? Gotta love that!! Where we live, however, out in the country, we never get any little ghosts or ghouls or princesses trick-or-treating so, us poor country folk - we kinda like the spooky stories. You know...kinda like this one here...

Once upon a time, there was a gal named "Peach". Peach liked to take her dog "Moochie Poochie" for walks during their lunchbreaks, you know get out, get a little exercise, clear the mind and get some fresh air. Now there was this park waaay out on the edge of town which was kind of magical.

All foresty-like and kind of dark - you know, the kind of a park that once you step inside you feel like you're in a whole different world.

See it's pretty spooky in here...so this might be a good time to tell you about the Urban Legend of the Halloween Chicken - yep, that's right THE Halloween Chicken; the very same one you've heard about since olden times, you know way back in the dark ages when we were just little hoodlums ourselves. Nope, I'm not gonna spread silly legends around so, back to the story at hand...

Peach and Moochie Poochie set out on their walk. And before long, that creepy feeling set upon the both of 'em - that feeling like they was being watched. You know what I'm talking about. The kind of feeling that makes those little hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your skin goes all clammy and cold and yet you're kind of sweating at the same time...and your heart starts racing just a bit and you tell yourself to just "stop", just cut it out already!! This is 2008 and there ain't no such thing as ghosts or Halloween Chickens or any other kind of such nonsense!!

So they continue on, with the brave and loyal Moochie Poochie in the lead - ready to defend her beloved Peach at great risk of paw and tail, no matter the cost. Dogs are just that way ya know? Not far down the trail, Peach realizes that she's forgotten her cell phone back in the car - oh no!! It can't be - now she's really worried because what if? I mean, just what if those stories weren't just stories after all?? And what if a ghost or something were to happen along the trail - I mean, who ya gonna call?? So, they bravely forge ahead accepting their fate, whatever it may be. When all of a sudden, up ahead - what's this???

Why...it's a giant mushroom and it's been here a really, really long time cuz there's moss growing on the top and spider webs hanging off of it and everything!!! All of Peach's senses were SCREAMING at her: Don't go near it!! DO NOT !, under any circumstances, go inside or else, gulp, or else...

But, you know, like most women...Peach couldn't resist - she was just too dad blamed brave for her own good. So, she ventured forth into the sweet darkness of the inner chamber and this is what she saw!!

Waaay cool - petroglyphs!!! Man oh man this has been here a long time!! Peach just didn't know what to expect, but she never in a million years would'a thunk it! Ancient drawings on the inside of a prehistoric, giant mushroom!!!! AWESOME!!!!! So, relaxing somewhat, she went inside and explored a bit.

Wow, what a discovery! Peach just couldn't believe her amazing luck!! Boy, did she have a story to tell when she got back to work. Just amazing!! So, much lighter at heart, Peach and Moochie Poochie continued on with their little walk through the forest. When all of a sudden, Moochie Poochie sniffed something in the bushes!! The hair stood on end on Moochie's back and she began this low, deep growl that made Peach stop dead in her tracks...

Unbelievable!! Oh Saints preserve us!! It's the nest for the dreaded Halloween Chicken!!!!!! Peach could not believe what she was seeing!! Oh no! - she and Moochie had to get out of here NOW!!! Run fast, run now!! When all of a sudden, out from behind the tree - it sprang!! Quickly and ferrociously, it pounced right in front of Peach!! It's knife-like spurs glistening in the afternoon light; it's chisled beak razor sharp and deadly!! Oh horrors!!

And then it happened, that mean-spirited evil menace Halloween Chicken lunged at Peach! There was a scuffle and so much debris and leaves stirred up from the forrest floor that nothing could be seen! Loyal, brave Moochie Poochie watched as her beloved master fought beak and spur for her very life!! Who will feed me?? Who will take me on walks??? - wondered Poochie...(coward). After the battle, and the air had cleared; this was the only visible remains that could be seen...

Peach stood up, brushed the dirt off of her clothes and said "Guess that'll teach him to peck me!!"

Happy Halloweeney ya'll!!!!!!

An Autumn Sunday Drive

Since last weekend was so amazing, I thought I would chronicle a little road trip we took last Sunday afternoon. We woke up as usual with no plans for the day other than a little house cleaning, laundry and a minor repair job in one of the outside horse shelters. My hubby had to replace a 4x4 post which is one of the main supports of the roofline. The horses have decided that this makes a lovely butt-rubbing post - one of many I might add - but needless to say, it's a little rough on the supporting structures of our old outbuildings. And then we headed out of town on a little country road that takes a very direct route although a much-less-travelled one.

This lovely little road meanders through and over the foothills of the Coast Range Mountains. This little stream used to empty itself into a mountaintop lake called Meadow Lake where there was an exclusive Gentleman's Club/Resort that's been gone for well over 50 years now. The dam was destroyed allowing drainage of the lake and has never been rebuilt. There are several small campgrounds along this route and it's a favorite spot for local hunters. The fall foliage was absolutely stunning and driving through here was sort of magical...

These are the first pictures that I've shown on my blog using my new camera. I'm still in learning mode for sure, but it seems pretty straightforward. I love, love, love the zoom, zoom, zoom. It is too much fun!! The colors are very true to life as well. So far, so good.

The road near here was quite damp with moss growing on it. Quite treacherous in the winter, I would imagine.

And here is our little poochie, "Annie". She is a bonafide momma's girl. She goes to the clinic with me everyday and on many days we go to local parks and go for walks. Annie looooves walks! We've recently discovered a new park for walking and it's very forest-like with a stream that winds throughout and little foot bridges and hills and even squirrels. Annie loves squirrels too. I don't think the feeling is mutual...

This was a cool, old barn we spotted at the base on the beach side of the hills. I just love old barns.

And this is a picture of the same barn using the wide angle, instead of the zoom lens. Have I mentioned how much I love the zoom!? Notice how blue the sky was - amazing for late October!

And here's a picture of the lovely ladies we passed by as they were enjoying this delightful fall day. Ahh, the very image of contentment - no worries, no deadlines, no political commercials...

And here, we've arrived at the beach!! This is the beach at Tierra del Mar where we used to live. In fact, this was "our" very own beach. We loved living here. That big, long finger of land that you see in the distance there, is Cape Lookout. A marvelous hiking trail goes clear out to the very end, and is a perfect place to do some whale watching or even more spectacular, storm watching.

And this is our old house. We lived here about 16-17 years ago. It looks like they've recently replaced the cedar shingles, but when we lived here, they were weathered and grey colored. See all those windows that face the ocean? Magnificient views!! And that deck was a great place to sit and read a book or just gaze out across the beach. It was a very peaceful place to live. One time during a storm when the tides were particularly high, the waves were within a few feet of lapping at the posts that the house is built on. It's hard to tell from this picture, but the house is built on stilts over the garage. The local fire department had gone from house to house and had everyone ready to leave at a moment's notice. Awesome storm!!!!

Here's that wonderful zoom, zoom put to good use again. I just love that pale green color of the surf just before it crashes down and becomes white and frothy. You can just get a glimpse on the far right of this picture. Such a calming color. Wouldn't it be so much fun to fly over the waves like these seagulls?? Just imagine...

Look at that face!! Ya just gotta love dogs - the sheer exuberance of running along a beach!!

From here, we took yet another backroads route towards home, stopping by the Casino for dinner...where we proceeded to stuff ourselves silly. Ooh, why do we do it to ourselves??? I was so full, I'm pretty sure I resembled a beach ball and just rolled my way outa there.

Annie however, thoroughly enjoyed her very large piece of prime rib confiscated just for her!!

Life is good - just ask the dog.

Blue Wednesday

Boy, what an emotional day it's been for me. I can be an overly emotional person a lot of the time anyway, at least by most people's standards. At my age, maybe that's not uncommon, but even by my own standards, this one's been a doozy. It's very tiring caring so much about so many. And, as I continue to learn, I'm not in control in this life. That's the really frustrating part, coming to the realization that even though I care deeply and passionately about some things, be it people or animals or causes, I am just along for the ride most of the time. We all do whatever it is that we can do to help - in our own ways. But at the end of the day, we have to be content knowing that someone besides us is in charge and we just keep going, and each doing what it is in this life that we do.

I feel sad because the first thing I did after arriving at the clinic was check out a few blogs and my e-mails. I learned from a fellow blogger that the little starving horse named "Noah" died shortly after arriving at his new home. They named him "Noah" because that is the Hebrew word for peace. That's a very nice name, I think. He deserved some peace in his life, if anybody did. I'm not sure what touched me about this little guy, but his soulful face seemed to cry out for some kind of love and compassion. Mrs. Mom who is obviously a passionate individual jumped in along with some other caring people and re-located this horse and were ready and willing to go the distance and try to rehabilitate him and bring him back to health. But alas, it was too late and Noah didn't make it. I have to be satisfied knowing that there are people in this world who do care and are willing to go that extra distance to try. I am thankful that Noah died in a warm, cushy bed of shavings with a blanket on and his belly was somewhat satisfied from a meal. I believe that he felt safe, maybe for the first time in a long time. I believe that he felt loved: and that will have to be enough. I am thankful for that. Rest in peace little Noah.

On a different subject, I have been feeling very lonely for a while now. I guess I've just been feeling nostalgic lately, reminiscing about the way life used to be. My parents are both gone. My dad died almost 14 years ago and my mom died almost 3 years ago. I still miss them both very much. I have 2 sisters, but only one that I have a relationship with. Most of the time, it's just my hubby and me and our animals. Thank God we have them. They really do enrich our lives every day. Life would be far less sweet without them and that makes them very valuable to me. Not in monetary value - the kind of value I'm talking about goes so much deeper. I've learned more from my horses than from any other teacher I've known. My horses make me laugh, they definitely keep me humble and they are better listeners than any counselor or psychoanalyst ever could hope to be. They are always honest and you never have to worry about them divulging your secrets or gossiping to strangers about you.

They are a blessing and once again, when I go home, I will give thanks to a wonderful, loving Creator who gave mankind such wonderful companions. I am constantly reminded that although my life is not perfect; it is a good life. I am forever in His debt.

Glory Days

I had a nice weekend. I slept in Saturday morning and lounged in the sun on the deck watching the horses eat their breakfast and the cats playing in the yard. We have about umpteen cats now and I will spend a small fortune getting them "fixed". Hard to believe they all originated from one dumped off mama cat we took pity on and named "Snip". She soon gave birth to 1 kitten - "Sally" and the rest is history. I had all the males fixed, but need to focus on the females - good grief, they can get out of control before you know it! Sheesh...needless to say, we don't seem to have a problem with mice. Like Forrest Gump says...one less thing.

I made chili, cornbread and pumpkin bars with cream cheese/maple frosting to take to the potluck at our Harvest party Saturday night. I took a bunch of pictures with the new camera too. I seem to be having a little trouble (imagine that!?) with getting our computer to recognize the camera or the chip without installing the Kodak software (which kind of sucks), but will continue working through the bugs. The camera itself is pretty straight forward. Pictures are good and the zoom is awesome - I love that!!

We took a leisurely drive through the mountains and ended up at the beach Sunday afternoon. BEAUTIFUL!!! Not a cloud in the sky, not a wisp of a breeze and the temperatures had to be near 70. Perfect, t-shirt weather. We drove to our old beach and checked out "our" old beach and house. It looks good - hard to believe that we actually lived there. The little pasture across the road where the goaties lived is now home to two horses and no goaties. And the growth is astounding - housing market slump?? Hard to believe when you look at the hill above and behind where our old house is!! New McMansions everywhere with freaking awesome views to die for!!! What is it with people building huuuge McMansions everywhere??? Why do people think they have to live in huge, fancy mausoleum-type beasts instead of the cozy, quaint cottage-style beach houses that I remember and admire? I just don't get it. I think it's very sad that people all think that bigger is better. They all seem so ostentatious to me - maybe that's because I can't afford to build a huge house, but even if I were rich and had money to throw away - I don't ever see myself wanting to live in a big, fancy, un-friendly, look-at-how-big-I-am over-bearing house!! What is the point unless, a) you hate your spouse or, b) you have a dozen or so kids???
Is everybody really so caught up in keeping up with the Jones' that they all think they NEED a McMansion??? I don't think so!! And...I think that is one very big part of why we are in the financial mess that we are in today!! People - and I use this term very loosely, because I realize not everybody is this way, get their wants confused with their needs. It's that simple. People are trying to find happiness and personal contentment with their little plastic cards. Well...get a flipping clue folks!! It ain't ever gonna happen!! You will never be able to buy peace or joy or fulfillment - it comes from inside. So, just get over it already and buy your kids clothes from Walmart or something... whew, I need to remember to breath when I do that! I feel kind of dizzy now...and the feeling ain't half bad.

I'm dismounting now - from my 14 carat gold, diamond and ruby-encrusted soap box (which is waaay bigger than yours, by the way...neener neener neener...

I feel much better now.

Maybe there will be some pictures tomorrow.

Bye-bye

**!?*#?!* grrrrr

Did I fail to mention before that I don't know what I'm doing here????

Weekend Comin' Up!!

Yippy skippy!!! I love my weekends. I am excited because again, we are being blessed with yet another outrageous, sunshiney, glorious Autumn weekend!! Whoo hoo - what the heck is going on here?? This is sooo not like Oregon...but then, who am I to question the powers that be??? I am just a little old human type person, whatever. My sole responsibility is to be thankful, bask in the warmth, revel in it's beauty and ... take pictures!! Yes, that's right - I got my new camera today!! I am so assited!! Which one did I FINALLY decide on, you ask? Well, it is a Kodak 1015 IS with a most important thing here - 15X optical zoom - oh yeah baby - zoom, zoom, zoom!!

So, as soon as I figure it out (which I apparently have a problem with sometimes, you know, figuring things out) I am going to give it a go!! Jolly good old chap - a picture-takin' here I go! Okay, enough silliness.

We are members of a trailriding club called AHA - that stands for Adventist Horsemen's Association. There are many chapters throughout the U.S. and several, in the Pacific NW too. Our club is meeting this Saturday night for our annual Harvest Party. We meet up in a clubmember's arena and have a big old campfire, make homemade apple cider, eat a potluck dinner and visit. It's a lot of fun and last year we had an impromptu softball game right there in the deep dirt - running was a little tricky, but hey, we're not professionals - we just wanna have fun! This particular family has a big ole boy named "Ben" who is a dapple grey Percheron draft horse who used to be a carriage horse in Disneyland. He is just too cool for his spots!! It's always fun getting to see good old Ben again. They also have 4 kids, 10 or 12 other miscellaneous horses and ponies, a bunch of chickens, a bunch of dogs and the occasional barn cat. The dad of this very entertaining family is also the dentist for the Portland Trailblazers. And, in case you don't follow basketball - that's our local team. I don't usually follow them, so I don't know if they're doing any good this season or not...oh well, just a little bit of local trivia for you there. Anyway, this might prove to be the perfect foray into trying out the new camera...keep your fingers crossed for me huh?

Anyhoo...have a fantastic weekend and I hope everybody gets on their ponie's backsides and goes for at least a little trailride...this weather ain't gonna last forever ya know!?

Bye for now, Lorie @ C-ingspots

p.s. just gonna throw in a random picture or two just for fun - kind of a farewell to the old camera - she's served me well.

Hang on to your dreams

Another autumn Tuesday and it was so foggy until early afternoon, it was eerie. But, alas the sun is shining brightly now and wowzer, how it does effect the spirits!! Mine, anyway - not those Halloweeny spirits. I'm not sure what it is, but when the sun is shining, all is right with my world. Truly amazing how it effects my state of well-being. That being said, there are probably more appropriate climates for a sun-loving gal to choose to live. Ahh, there you have it - I didn't choose to live here. I was born here; in fact, I live within 10 miles of where I was born. Not exactly a world traveler, I guess.

I did live at the beach for a little over a year - didn't think I would like that at all, but I loved it! It was a tiny beach side seasonal community - not really a town at all - named Tierra del Mar. We had a house right on the beach and it was built on stilts over the garage. The entire west side of the house was a wall of windows facing the ocean and the views and sunsets and moonscapes over the water were amazing! I remember waking up in the middle of the night and wandering out to the living room and just gazing out at the eerie effervescent quality of the moonlight casting over the ocean waves - lovely. We also had a deck on the front side of the house where we spent a lot of time. Our dog, Abbey was her name, used to bark forewarning us of someone approaching her domain when people would walk along the beach. We had no yard, just sand and beach grass and our house was no more than a few hundred feet from the actual beach, so she just assumed that the entire coastline as far as she could see was ours. And, looking back, it did feel that way sometimes. The only real signs of life in the off-season were on the weekends when cars, campers and sand toys showed up to go dory fishing in nearby Pacific City or playing on the dunes at Sand Lake. Our little house was right in the middle and we loved it. We would get home from work and go surf fishing and catch dungeness crab for dinner. Once, my husband rescued a deer from the surf. She was young and disoriented and kept trying to jump the waves and go out to sea. He caught her and pointed her in the right direction, and moments later she seemed to regain her faculties and bounded away from the ocean and disappeared in the trees up into the hills. There were these little goats that lived across the road from us. I don't remember who owned them, but we used to feed them fresh veggie treats and scratch their heads. They were so cute. Those were the first goats I ever knew personally. Amazing the things that a person remembers when you start reminiscing. Those were good times and someday, I wouldn't mind living at the ocean's edge again. Sleeping is supreme when you have a cool, ocean breeze to lull you into dreamland...

But, I've never lived in the mountains yet and I love, love, love the mountains. I love the sweet pungent smell of the forest, a mixture of fir and pine trees and summer berries and warm, sweet earth. If I could have what I wished for, it would be a cabin near a babbling creek sitting at the edge of a beautiful meadow where I could gaze out my window and watch my horses graze alongside the deer. Oh, doesn't that sound just divine? Maybe a view of a gorgeous snow covered mountain peak and an abundance of trails just waiting to be explored on horseback...oh, maybe someday if I'm truly blessed I'll get to experience that. I know just the place too. We spent a week there a couple of years ago and it was just magical. A place where sweet dreams are made to be sure.

What's your wish?

Putting one foot in front of the other

Good morning everyone. Well, here we are, another Monday morning and it is raining and cold. Truly a dreary beginning to another week so far. I can only hope and pray that it gets better. We had a beautiful weekend and as I'd hoped, my husband and I relaxed. It felt nice for a change of pace. We slept in, lazed around and had our coffee. After all the horses and the poochie were fed, we took ourselves out for breakfast. How nice it is to have someone else cook for a change! For some reason, it always seems to taste better to me, if I'm not the one cooking the meal. After breakfast, we went to a local park and went for a walk with Annie, our dog. I took a few pictures of the beautiful fall colors and basked in the warm fall sunshine. I feel the overpowering need to soak in as much as possible knowing that there will be many dark days ahead. I don't do well in the winter usually. I'm not sure if it's the lack of bright light in the Northwest, or if it's the damp, cold days; but it's always a struggle for me mentally. I get depressed sometimes, and I actually feel fearful of the coming winter months.

But anyway, as I'd hoped, we did go for a short ride on Sunday afternoon. The sun was out, the temperatures were brisk, and the horses were feeling fine. Maybe a little too fine...we set out across the field and at first, everything was great. I felt good, felt relaxed and we were settling into a quiet, companionable ride. But, for some unexplicable reason to me anyway, Harley, my usually trusty steed, soon became turbo-charged. It felt like I was sitting upon a keg of dynamite! I could feel every one of his muscles beneath me tautly strung. His head was held high, neck arched, ears erect and his hindquarters were well underneath as if he were ready to launch himself into the next dimension! What on earth?? I tried the usual stuff, got him busy moving his feet, tried to give him a job to get his focus back on me and took several deep, steadying breaths to calm myself. Everything seemed to be of no use. He was tightly coiled and ready to blow and what was worse, I was growing more nervous by the second. We were obviously feeding off of each other now and this was going south rather quickly. And to make matters worse, my husband was riding Ladde who was taking cues from Harley to be a butt!! I swear, they are peas from the same pod, those two. Ladde decides to "spook" over the dog who he knew was there - that was the best excuse he could find, I guess. Yi yi yi, I could visualize myself getting dumped right there in that huge field on the top of that hill right there in front of God and everybody! And what's worse, I haven't been dumped in years and I have enough aches and pains without being dumped - thank you very much! So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I started to panic and I made the decision to get off. Now, I don't hardly ever advise anyone to get off of their horse when they get scared. I try to tell myself and others to stay put, take some cleansing breaths and GET MOVING! The horse's energy has to go somewhere and forward is always the direction of choice. I should have kicked him into a nice, easy trot and took hold of the cantle as a pacifier if necessary, but by all means, moved him forward and stay seated! I am so disappointed in myself. My patient hubby rode my "spotted pill" (borrowed from PonyGirl) back home while I walked with Ladde and the dog. You see, Ladde is way too tall for me to mount without a tree stump or a very deep ditch or a mounting block or something, and I already had myself worked into a fine tizzy by this time, so getting on top of the "LadMonster" at this point in time was out of the question. I walked home with my tail between my legs feeling like a loser. So, after getting back, I mounted Harley and rode him for a half hour or so in the ring just to show him that he wasn't the declared "winner". I had managed to regain at least a small portion of my dignity before retreating inside the house for some lunch and an afternoon nap. It truly is hell getting old...do you think that God strengthens our fears as we get older as a form of our own self preservation?? Or do I just need to ride my horse more often so that these things don't even become an issue? *sigh* I was never like this when I was younger, you know before things hurt so much or before mortgages and responsibilities...

So, here we are back to Monday and like I said, it's raining and it's gloomy, just like my mood. My boss, the "doc" is out of town until Wednesday, so another veterinary clinic was on-call for our emergencies over the weekend. Looks like we lost two of our patients - one to a colic and one to an almost completely-severed calcaneous tendon. Both horses were euthanized due to a poor prognosis in each case. I will need to contact our clients today and give my condolences for the loss of their beautiful horses and then, once again offer up a prayer of thanks for His continued protection of my beloved ponies.

Sending well wishes to all for a good week. Good-bye for now,
Lorie aka C-ing Spots

Friday Follies

Happy Friday to everybody in the Blogosphere!! Well, here goes nothing...believe it or not, I've been working on learning stuff all morning (I am just not a techno-type of gal), probably stuff that most all of you have known for eons already. I'm a little slow, ok?? This computer stuff is all greek to me...I find it all sooo confusing and intimidating. Give me a 1500# horse and I'll show ya some stuff - now that I know something about...but computers and bytes and downloads and data files....aaack!! I couldn't find my way out of a wet paper bag...or whatever that saying is. Anyway, I'm going to do it. I will attempt to "transfer files" from a CD to my computer's hard drive and then transfer those files again from the hardrive onto this here blog thingy which, as you probably already know is on the worldwide web - also known as the Blogosphere. Hot Dog!!!! I am ALLL THAT!!!! Even if I am the only person who says it. I thunk it, so therefore I AM - too cool! Ok, if ya'all out there are believers, and I sure do hope ya are - then now would be the time to send up some little ole prayers for yours truly...ready, now...go (deep breath)and...

Well, there they are - a random group of photos. But they are not where I wanted them and not the size I wanted them....so I guess it's back to the drawing board.

My head hurts now.

Wallow in the Quietness

Howdy! I've had a good day today. I made it to the clinic early - which is sooo unlike me - what's with that anyway?? Anyway, early arrived, yes I did and checked e-mails, ate my muffin and drank my coffee, checked out some blogs, fed my poochie and settled back for another busy day. Alas, it never happened, oh sure, there have been a few walk-ins, a few phone calls, but no emergencies (gotta love that!) and nothing out of the ordinary at all. I've had time to play catch-up and goof around, check out some new blogs and even reconciled my checkbook. Woo hoo!!! Goooo me!! I've still been working on my camera research and I think I'm getting very close to a decision...you'd think I was buying a house or something - but I want it to be one I'll have for a while, so you know...I'm chewing, so to speak. Anyway, the search continues. More on that later.

I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow too - always a scary thing because I never know what I want to do, and it seems that no matter what I do, unless I go drastic and get it too short (which I always hate), it always kind of looks the same...sigh...the thin-haired, wavy-haired gal's lot in life - to always look....average. I wish I had, oh well I'm NOT even going there. I am just glad to have hair - I guess.

Anyhoo...like I've said, I've had a quiet day. How is yours going?

Being Thankful

What a beautiful fall morning it's been here! It's since clouded up a bit and the forecast is for some showers tomorrow, but so far another nice weekend is on tap. I am so glad; maybe my hubby and I will get in another trail ride yet. Keeping my fingers crossed! I am hopeful that we can overlook our many projects this weekend and just enjoy this lovely weather before it's gone for another season. In Oregon, we usually have some nice October days, but November? - well, that's another story altogether. Come November 1st, all bets are off and you can usually count on one thing for sure...rain, and then some more rain - which, at our house means MUD!! Oh gloom, how I hate the mud! But then again, watching the news reports around the country reminds me that we, here in the NW have absolutely nothing to complain about - hey, what's a little rain and mud between friends?? I just keeping telling myself that...over and over again.

I've been following several other horsey type bloggers who are having difficulties lately with abscesses and some colics. Both of which, are very common this time of year. My prayers go out to all you caretakers and your horses for good health and safety. Everyday, I am thankful when I go home and see our 5 beautiful horses munching contentedly in their pasture safe and sound. Working in the veterinary business gives me daily reminders that a lot can and does happen everyday. We all need to remember to count our blessings! No matter how much frustration or pressure we may be feeling - it could always be a lot worse. So, look heavenward and take a moment to whisper a special thank-you to the good and loving Provider for all your blessings. And remember this...if you love a horse - you are truly blessed!

Happy Wednesday

A Busy Monday

Well, it was a glorious Autumn weekend and we accomplished several projects at home. We burned our huge pile of debris that's been collecting since last falls burn season, canned 1 quart and 12 pints of homemade condensed tomato soup from the last of the tomatoes in the garden, stained the replacement wall that we built a few weeks ago after "Ladde", my lardass horse knocked the old one down rubbing his butt, went to Costo and spent over $300 on groceries and supplies for restocking my pantry, cleaned the house and did the laundry. Kind of makes me tired all over again just thinking about it. And the worst thing is, when I left the clinic on Friday afternoon, all I wanted to do was enjoy the warm, sunshine and go for a trailride...sigh...maybe we'll be blessed with another beautiful weekend again soon. I can only hope...

Any hoo...I thought that I could come to work and rest up after such a busy couple of days past; but oh no, it has turned out to be a "monday" - you know the kind - the minute you cross the threshold, all helter skelter breaks loose and the phones and the questions and the clients just need, need, need!?!? Whew, I'm bushed!! I now know exactly what an egg feels like when you puncture a tiny hole in one end and blow the inner contents out the hole in the other end! Bloosh!! All the life has been thoroughly sucked out of me and I just want to go home and retreat to my little haven of peace and solitude where I can "just be" for a little while - maybe contemplate the universe, solve the recent economic crisis, bury my nose in my horse's neck, you know - relax. Ahh, breathe deep and recharge for what might be a very long week.

Oh well, I am thankful that I have a job - really, I am. I just want to show up everyday and not have a bunch of people have all these expectations from me---that's all!! Is that too much to ask?? I don't have all the answers!! Sorry, I feel better now. Venting is very important.

So, I do hope that everyone out there had a pleasant weekend and feels refreshed. And if not, well, just hang on tight cause here we go again...

Oh, thanks to Michelle for the recipe, thanks to Katie for my very first comment ever and thanks ever so much to Katie (different Katie) and Betty for their comments and friendship!! And, I still haven't figured out which camera I'm going to buy!! But, I am intrigued by Kodak's EasyShare Z1015 IS. Does anyone have this camera or know anything about it??

I'm going to go home now and spend some quality time with my wonderful ponies...whatever would I do without them??
PERISH the thought!!

Inquiring Minds

Happy Friday to everyone!! I just love Fridays, don't you?? Well, truth be told, I love Saturdays and well, even Sundays even better - but hey - we're talkin' about workdays here and I gotta tell ya - I LOVE FRIDAYS!!! Not that I don't enjoy my job, because I do (usually anyway), but I love, love, love my free time to be at home working on one of our many, many projects, some small, some not so small or napping or reading or riding my horse or just lollygagging around the homeplace. The point here is this: I love doin' just whatever it is, I (emphasis on I here) want to be doin' at any given moment in time. You see, I've always been a little bit - oh, ok a lot stubborn and don't take too kindly to being told what to do - not one little bit...ever. So, I wanna do what I wanna do - even if I don't know what that is. So, there you have it - a dirty little secret about my personality. I'm just too stubborn for my own good.

So...moving right along to the point of today's post - "Inquiring Minds". I want to know what kinds of cameras you are all using out there. Are you mostly the point and shoot kind of gal or guy (no gender preference here folks - well, ok maybe some, but that's another topic for another day)...I digress, sorry...OR are you the fancy schmancy kind who favors those digital SLR cameras the professional photographers use - or hey, maybe you have an old 35mm that you just love. Whatever your preference - I'm interested in knowing what kind you favor and why - oh yes, the whys just might be the most important part in this here little experiment. So, come on, out with it, fess up!!! Just what in the heck is it that ya got?? Poor, poor grammar, yes I know! I apologize to my grammar teachers of yesteryear.

You see, there's a method to my madness here. I just started this blog thingy here yesterday and as you've probably noticed - it's a bit drab - no pictures or anything. But, I wanna change that! I need a camera to do that, and I need your help, your wonderful advice and your vast, worldly experience in this department!! Because I just NEED help and I'm not afraid to ask for it, ok? Please help me, pretty please...with warm, gooey chocolate on top? Ooh yum!! - now don't that sound good?

Bye y'all - I hope everybody out there has a fantastic and blessed weekend doing just exactly whatever it is, YOU want to do!!!

First Day in Paradise

Well, I did it - I've created a Blog!! Whoo hoo!!! Kudos for me and all that good stuff. My real intent here is a journaling of sorts to track the goings-on of our little farm and our ups and downs on this jolly ride we call "Life". I guess this means I will have to learn how to post photos on the computer or this might get kind of boring. I've only recently been introduced to the world of blogging and I find it very entertaining and educational. There are sooo many interesting and fun people out there and this seems like a great way to tap into a vast array of knowledge, experience and opinions that I just can't resist. I've always wanted to keep a journal, and I've even tried, but I don't like writing - it takes too long, and I tend to be rather impatient. So, I hope that this will work for me. It's so much fun looking back over times past. I have high hopes! So, having said that...alrighty then, let's get goin...