All the news that is news

Gotcha!!  :)  

How's that for a catchy title huh???  

Sorry for the bait and switch, but there really isn't much of anything "news worthy" to report from my neck of the woods...how 'bout yours?

We've returned to our usual Pacific Northwest late fall weather pattern.  Yep, it's classic; grey, dreary, mild and wet.  But for the last week or so, we were blessed with sunny and gorgeous, albeit quite frigid weather!  I loved it!!  The mud was frozen, the horses' coats fluffed up and they looked like they were wearing LL Bean down parkas, and we were able to set aside our muck boots.  
Aahhh, it was glorious while it lasted.  But we knew it had to change.  No worries, you just gotta roll with what is.

I've finally filled my prescription for new reading/working glasses.  I'm quite slow, since April I've been carrying around this battered, ragged script from my eye doctor, but in a week or so, I shall be sporting brand new spectacles!!  I'm so excited!!  Yes I know, it seriously doesn't take much to get my juices flowing, does it?  

We made a trip to Costco last weekend and spent too much money.  I hate it when that happens, but the upside is we have enough food in our pantry and freezer to last us until *)!* freezes over...and I got new slippers!  Soft, cushy new slippers are almost as good as new socks.  One of those simple pleasures in life that just makes me giggle and wiggle inside!  :)  You dig?

We've been feeling blessed indeed, and just in time for Thanksgiving too.  One, if not my most favorite of all the holidays.  I just love it!  Firstly, it brings to mind all the blessings we have to be thankful for.  I'm a sucker for counting my blessings, as it just lightens everything and makes me feel good.  It really does change everything!  

Gratitude changes everything!!  Ah, how sweet it is...

So, in no particular order, here goes...

*  We're healthy, and finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of these blasted colds we've been living with lately.  That's a good thing!

*  Our horses are fat, sassy, fuzzy, happy and healthy.  Can't beat that with a stick!

*  Our dogs are loved, pampered and spoiled...their favorite holiday is Thanksgiving too!

*  Our pantry, freezer and cupboards are full.  I don't think we'll starve this winter after all...

*  Our barns are full of sweet smelling hay for the "hay burners".  

*  Our wood shed is chock full of wood, and we're thankful that we don't have to cringe when the electricity bill shows up in the mail.  

*  We have a ton of wood pellets for our little pellet-burning stove on hand.  You know, for those days we require just a smidge more warmth, or we're just to blame lazy to build a fire.  :)  

*  Our roof don't leak!

*  We have lots of cozy, warm blankets to snuggle under in our bed!

*  We have jobs, providing us with the ability to "fend for ourselves" and pay our bills.  But...business remains frightfully slow at the clinic where I work, so if you're of the praying kind, would you please keep us (and my boss's family) in your prayers?  We need work man!!!

*  And as always, we firmly believe that God is in heaven and fully aware of our (and your) situation in life, and will handle all those messy details.  He's in charge and we have faith!!

As I said, we have so many reasons to be thankful, and to acknowledge where our blessings come from.  Give it a try, won't you?  Try it today, I promise you'll be surprised at just how much you have, and how many reasons you have to be happy.  

Count your blessings!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Nothing exciting but the weather

Yep, that's about the size of it.  Our freezing rain is the topic of the day.  It's since changed to just a very cold rain, but this morning's commute was a bit treacherous and our weathermen are all over it - wowza!  I can't really blame them because our weather is pretty moderate most of the time.  You know how it goes, same ole, same ole.

I'm feeling a bit better today, without any cold meds I'm breathing on my own.  Just the usual hacking and nose-blowing - you know.  Nuff said.

Anyhoo, I really don't have a lot to say today.  My hubby did some "fence checking" yesterday and reported that the fence...and the pups, appear to be fine.  *wink*  He said the gate was closed and the pups were both outside, happy and clean.  They were very happy to say hello and ran over to the fence for pets.  I'm so glad, I was beginning to get worried as we hadn't seen them for days.  One of their older dogs narrowly escaped being hit on the highway Sunday evening.  The young gal who came to our door was very upset, and reported that she had to slam on her brakes really hard to avoid running the dog over, who was dragging a leash.  He ran down the driveway, apparently none the worse for wear.  This was after I'd called the dog control...hopefully it was just an oversight.  I'm really hoping that she convinced them that it's very important to keep their dogs contained and safe.  *fingers crossed*  Anyway, it's a relief to hear that the pups aren't locked up or chained, and appear to be doing well.  

The horses are all fat, fuzzy, healthy and happy, enjoying being inside today out of the icy, wet weather.  The dogs and I are hanging out at the clinic, doing "busy work" and answering the few phone calls that have come in.  It sure makes for a long day...but it is, what it is.  We too, are thankful to be inside on a day like this.

Until next time,

Be careful what you ask for

It's so true, isn't it?  There are times I have to remind myself, but I'm usually too late.  

Last Sunday we spent a couple of hours (that felt much longer) moving our alfalfa from one shed, to a fully-enclosed location in our hay barn.  Anywhere that the air touched the bales, there was mold growing.  I blame this on our warm and extremely wet fall thus far.  
So, struggling with the heavy bales while battling a cold, I was hot, sweaty and feeling weak.  I complained about our "hot" weather and wasn't it just time already for a little cool down?  It's almost the middle of November for Pete's sake!

Fast forward to Tuesday.  I got what I asked for.  We've turned cold, and in a hurry.  We had our first freeze last night, and the winds are howling making it feel even colder.  We actually had a layer of ice on the horse's water trough.  I'm thankful it's a dry cold though, all the horses were turned out with their coats on.  They didn't seem to mind at all, each one standing very still for their windbreakers to be put on.  

There's been a lot of falling trees and ensuing damage to some homes, cars and such reported on the news.  We're thankful to be alright and doing just fine.

My only complaint is that I have succumbed to this nasty cold.  I'm not sure whether to blame my husband or my boss, both of which have been suffering with colds lately.  This is the first cold I've had in several years, so I guess I can't really complain...but I still do.  My head feels like it's full of cotton, my throat is sore and I've got copious amounts of "stuff" that needs to come out of my head.  Where does it all come from!?  *sigh*  So, it's off to Safeway at lunch time to buy some nasal spray and cold meds.  If I can breathe, I can sleep, and that's about all I want to do right now.  For now, I'm grateful for business at the clinic continuing to be slow.  My brain isn't exactly functioning, and I'd be in trouble if I had to actually think.  :)

Time continues to baffle me with the speed in which it passes.  Wasn't it just summer and I was splashing and crashing down the rapids in a raft???  It's almost Thanksgiving for heaven's sakes!!  What is with that?  Maybe I can finally stop living in denial now that it's cold outside...hate to break it to you folks, but summer really is over.  

So we're cozying up inside, staying close to the fire and drinking warm drinks instead of cold ones.  And giving thanks for our warm little home, and our warm little barn that protects us and the animals we love.  

Be warm and safe my friends...

Lorie @ Cingspots

Harboring a fugitive

Indeed.  And she's an angel.  She's a Great Pyrenees puppy of, I'm totally guessing here, somewhere between 4-6 months (?)  She's going to be a large dog, but not even half as ginormous as her brother.  

I would absolutely keep her if I didn't already have two dogs, two cats and six horses to care for.  In a New York minute!  She's sweet natured, kind, sensible, quietly playful, thoughtful, intelligent and has a laid back personality.  She sleeps through the night without any accidents and goes potty and poo on command.  She hasn't chewed anything except her Busy Bone or her sock toy.  She doesn't seem to be a real mouthy pup at all.  She's very sensitive and thinks things through.  She's a gem.  We've taught her to walk on a lead with only a few, short lessons.  Good dog.  

The sad part of this story is that she's owned by our neighbors who got her and her brother to guard their chickens from the coyotes.  The male was caught red-pawed chasing our other neighbor's horses and took a kick, but he's apparently alright.  But he is imprisoned for his transgressions in a roughly 6 x 6 cage on concrete with a roof and slatted walls, so when it's windy and rainy, you know how wet he must get.  They seem to spend no time with the dogs, allowing them to run at large and they don't even bother to close their gate.  We've had the little female the last 3 nights and they haven't even inquired about her.  We should be the first place they check because of the number of times we've taken her back home to them.  But I'm finished doing that, so we decided to bring her in, clean her up and see how long it took for them to notice she was gone.  3 days later and no one has even inquired as to her whereabouts.  Unacceptable!  My hubby did take her home this morning, knocked on the door and a man asked, "who's there ?".  My hubs called out that I'm your neighbor and I've got your pup.  Then he waited and waited and waited...he never came to the door.  They do not care.

We're trying very hard to find someone who is interested in giving her a good home.  If we do, the pup is just going to disappear.  I will do it in a heartbeat and not even think twice about it.  No guilt at all.  It's the right thing to do, for this pup.  I may not be able to help the little male, but I would if I could.  She deserves a good home, with people who love her and who care enough to train her to be a good member of society.  Dogs running at large are as bad as horses let go untrained in my book.  I've talked with my neighbor about the situation, and she's the one whose horses were being chased.  She is their landlord and is ultimately responsible for what they do on her property.  There are several other issues besides the dogs too, but I won't get into that here.  My main concern is for this pup right now.  

As you can see, she is lovely.  She will be large, but not overly so for a Great Pyrenees.  I think she may be the runt, or at least one of the smaller pups.  

That's it for today...