Raindrops on roses

and whiskers on kittens, brown paper packages, warm woolen mittens.  You know how the song goes.  Some of my favorite things...

Well, today the raindrops feel pretty appropriate for how I'm feeling.  My hubs would say I've got the "dear oh dears" and my sweet mom would tell me I've got the blues.  Either way, they'd both be right.  I'm so sad today.  Watching my dear, sweet Annie and seeing that expression on her face, lets me know that our time is near.  Oh God...

I thought I was prepared.  I thought I had everything under control, including my emotions. I kept telling myself that Annie has led a very good life, and it's true, she has.  But it hasn't been long enough!  I'm so not ready to say good-bye to my girl.  How I wish I could have a different ending to our story.  My mind keeps saying that this will be a much better ending than some I've lived through, and that's true.  Annie hasn't experienced a sick day in her life.  Also true.  Annie has been loved and spoiled and given pretty much anything and everything her precious little heart has desired, she's gone almost everywhere I've gone forever.  She's had grand adventures, she's played, she's chased squirrels, she's played "kick ball" with dad, she's swam, chased sticks, had mom all to herself for about a year, and the other times she's had companions.  All true...but I want more. 

I am so greedy.  I don't think we've had enough, and I want so much more.  Last night after work and dinner, Ruby and I headed out to the barn.  My hubs had been home and the chores were finished except for the grains.  I spent some time with everybody; hugs, kisses, scratches and such.  I buried my nose in Harley's sweet-smelling neck and just lost it.  I don't know where they came from, but the tears flowed and I started to bawl like a baby.   I felt so lost.  Like I just couldn't take any more of what felt like everything with everybody going wrong.  I felt deep resentment and anger on Harley's behalf for his blindness at such a young age.  I felt like Missy's feet were never going to get better and what a waste of such a good horse.  And Annie, who's never done anything unkind in her entire life?  Why did she have to die before her time?  And then all of my anger and hurt just went away.  Only a deep sense of sadness remained.  I told God that I had trust in Him.  I didn't like what was happening, and I didn't understand, but I knew that He did. And that whatever would happen in my life and with these beautiful animals that He's entrusted to our care - whatever may come, we will trust and have faith that we'll all be okay.  My heart felt so much peace in that moment.  Dying sucks!  And I hate it.  Absolutely not one of my favorite things, but like Ray once told me, "you have to go through it, to get past it", and then he smiled and told me, "try it again".  And I did.  And it was alright.  That's how I feel about all the wrongs that I see in my life.  I don't have to like them, but I do have to get through them, to move on.  Unfortunately, in this life, here on this planet, death is a very natural part of life.  I will never like it, don't believe for one minute that it's what God had planned.  But here we are.  It hurts and will never be something I will get used to.  But, I know that everything works out in the end.  We will be okay.  

And you know what else I know?  My Annie is worth every single bit of this pain and hurt.  I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.  If only I could...

And I can honestly say that about everyone I've lost in my life.  My grandma, my dad, my mom, horses, dogs, cats, friends I've loved.  I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  Nope.  

I am so blessed to have this beautiful, yellow dog in my life.  Oh God...so thankful for her.  And poor Harley, I really think I scared him last night.  He was very concerned and nuzzled his lips in my hair and sent goose shivers down my back.  Before I realized what was happening, he had me giggling through my tears.  What would life be worth without moments like that?  

It's those little things that we experience, and keep tucked inside our hearts as memories, that bring such deep and profound joy.  And makes it all so worthwhile...

We've had so many good times.  :)

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!!!

The goin's on these days...

Here we are at Friday afternoon again...thank heavens!  It's been a pretty good week overall, but I've had a few trials thrown my way, and I haven't been sleeping very well - so I'm looking forward to a little home time.

My car is giving me fits...we thought it was needing a new battery, but I'm not so sure about that now.  The battery guy put his charger on it and the car wouldn't turn over at all.  Presently, I'm stuck at the clinic until my hubby rescues me later.  I still have 2 hours before closing time, so I'm not really stranded at all.  And I guess I'm thankful that it happened here where I have heat, lights, a computer and my dogs.  Right?

Anyway, we have the weekend to try and get the old gal back on the road, and in the meantime I'll be driving the truck.  It'll be good to get Big Grey back on the road and blow a little carbon out of the engine - that's what my dad always said.  :)

Last Tuesday was my birthday.  Yep, I'm officially 54 years old now...and I'm perfectly content with my age. I had to go into DMV and get my license renewal; new picture and all.  Have you noticed how much bigger the picture is now?  It's huge by comparison!  It's just this big, old face and not much else now...oh goody.  But surprisingly, there's not much change in the last 8 years, or at least you can't really tell by the picture.  :)  Cuz, let me tell you this - there have been lots of changes in the past 8 years!

My dear hubby took me out for dinner - my choice.  I picked the local Pub.  We had cheeseburgers and nachos.  Perfect!  My dear friend Claudia sent me a beautiful bouquet of tulips...so pretty!  The orange ones actually smell like oranges.  Isn't that something?  Another dear friend took me out to lunch - we had Mexican and a wonderful visit.  And, I received lots of birthday wishes from friends and family.  A lovely birthday!  I didn't even have cake, aren't you proud of me?  I've been saving that for this weekend!  My hubby and I are going out for a seafood dinner with my sis and bro in law and this restaurant has wonderful deserts...I'm going to splurge just a wee bit.

As far as our living room makeover goes, dear hubby is making good progress.  Ceiling is finished and looks great!  All trim and curtain hardware has been removed, and putty repairs have been made.  We have one wall finished and I'm absolutely loving the new color!!  It looks so rich compared to the stark white.  I was a bit concerned that it might be a little dark for the room, but it is just perfect.  And...I've double-checked on the laminate flooring and it's still readily available.  We're going with the same flooring we chose for the kitchen.  It's fairly dark and has a rustic, farmhouse appearance.  I love it.  Highland Hickory.  We're going to replace all the trim boards with more period correct type trim, and that will be painted a warm off-white.  I'm thinking it will contrast nicely with the gorgeous, rich wall coloring and the dark wood floors.  Then - I'm going to put a large area rug down in the main seating area near the pellet stove and the entertainment area.  I've found the rug I want at Costco...just might go and buy it this weekend, or at least check them out more closely and then buy it online.  I discovered yesterday that the online price is $40 less than in-store.  Can't beat that, and shipping is included.  I'm so excited!!

And then...comes the bedroom re-do.  Ssshhh!!  Don't tell my hubby, he just might string me up!!  :)

As a thank-you to him for doing all this work, I'm planning on surprising him with a new tv.  I'm thinking one of those large - 72" or so, flat panel tv's that make everything look so much more colorful and realistic.  Hopefully we can mount it up on the wall and save even more space by not having the big entertainment center in this half of the room.  Then we can add another chair or two, creating a nice conversation area which will accommodate a few more people comfortably.   Did I mention that I'm excited!?

In other news, our weather has been just outstanding.  Really.  It's been dry and sunshiney for the most part, and grey and fogged in some of the time.  But the temps are brisk, but not freezing.  We're in a very unusually dry weather pattern, and since there's nothing we can do about the weather, might as well enjoy it.

The horses are all doing very well.  They're fat, hairy and pretty much sassy frasses.  Ladde has been doing his utmost best at creating his specialized look of being chocolate-dipped.  *sigh*  Do you realize just how long, and how much effort it takes to scrape thick, dried-on, grass-encrusted mud off of a 17 hand white horse????  Ha! - White - I'm using that term lightly here.  Oh well, whatcha gonna do?

And my old, precious girl, Kadie.  She will be 30 years old this coming May, and she's doing great!  She's holding her weight well, eats all her senior feed and vitamins, all of her alfalfa but the sticky parts, and eats some of her grass hay.  She eats the grass hay much better when it's served up outside for breakfast, as that's all she gets.  :)  The point is, her teeth are fine, and she can still eat forage.  She's even been laying down more, which is a good sign that her hocks aren't as stiff or painful as they once were.  The joints are probably fully fused now, and when she lopes (which isn't often), she has this short-strided little bunny-hop lope that's just too cute.  She's too cute!  She's as fuzzy as a bear, still has a twinkle in her eye, and is quite opinionated about most things.  She's just simply an angel, with a little attitude!  Love her so much...

In fact, all the horses are doing just great.  Harley hasn't had any injuries lately, and that's always a reason to be thankful.  My neighbor did tell me that just yesterday, he ran into the perimeter fence when all the horses, (including him) were running around and playing.  She checked him out, and determined that no harm had been done.  *sheesh*  All I can say is that, I am so very, very thankful that I do not know what transpires out in that pasture when we're not around.  I would be a nervous wreck!!  Further proof that my morning ritual of sending up prayers for their protection every single day - is working.  Uh-huh.  I know that.

Weather is supposed to be spectacular this weekend.  We're working on the painting, going out for dinner and maybe making a trip to Costco...other than that, who cares?  We're free birds and have no real agenda!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!!!

Lorie @ Cingspots

season of thankfulness

this morning's sunrise

Have you ever wondered why there's so much frenzy associated with Christmas these days?  Have you noticed that Thanksgiving is all but forgotten in the brash commercialism of what this time of year has become?  I have, and it bothers me.  I'm weary of being rushed.  I wonder why I need to hurry up and get ready...don't let the season sneak up on you.  As if.  As if it has a life of its' own.

Breathe...

Relax...

Slow down and take a little of that precious time we've been given, and be thankful...for what we already have.  There, isn't that better.

My girls...loyal companions and friends

Thanksgiving isn't about buying, spending, giving, rushing, doing, doing, doing...instead, it really is about taking stock of what we've been blessed with.  Get that?

 I believe that's why so many people gloss right over this beautiful holiday and what it truly represents.  They don't know how to feel content with what they have.  Sometimes we can all be guilty of forgetting to give thanks for so many truly wonderful blessings in our lives.  Think about that for a minute.  Count your blessings.  Be thankful to your Creator for all that you've been graced with.  Like the Bible says, "all good things come from God".  Not just some.  All good things.  *sigh*  I like that.

our perfect weather last weekend

I don't know about you, but when I slow down, take a look around at all the beautiful things and wonderful lives that are in my world; I just can't help but smile and realize that it's okay to be happy with what is.  What I don't have, maybe I don't need.  That's a beautiful thought.  All that I need, I already have.  How nice.

So in this week of Thanksgiving, I'm choosing to fully realize all the wonderful blessings in my life.  I'm purposefully slowing my thoughts down, taking the time to take a deep breath, look around my world; and give thanks.

I have a loving and hard-working husband who takes care of so many of our needs.  I'm so thankful for him.  He's my best friend, and I love him.

We have a cozy home and we're so grateful to be warm.

Kadie

Shad

 Ladde

 Harley

 Eagle

Missy Sugar

 our little herd this frosty morning

 Merlin...llama dude

 frosty blackberry

 Ladde and the "father" who raised him, Shad

Patch aka One-eyed Patch aka Snaggletooth  :)

I'm so very thankful for all our fat, healthy, fuzzy, dirty and happy horses...they give us a reason to get outside in the fresh air every single day.  We call it free aerobics...who needs a gym?  I'm thankful for sunrises, sunsets, frosty mornings, beautiful clouds and sunshine.

And so, so much more...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Count em.

I double-dog dare ya!!
:)

Hazy days of fall

Harley (enemy of toes)

It's been one of those days that started out good, but has quickly led to discouragement for me.  One of my family members was stupid enough to breed her mutt dog and produce 9 puppies of which she has advertised on Facebook for $450 each.  Yeah right!  What some people will justify for purely selfish reasons like financial gain.  I could never be so irresponsible as to purposely produce so many little lives when there are so very many puppies everywhere in need of loving homes.  Just chaps my hide to no end!!!  Grrrrr!!!

Onward and upward.  Our weather lately has been more dry than wet, which is good.  The trees have mostly shed their leaves and are taking on the stark appearance of winter.  The skies are mostly grey, fog is plentiful and the temperatures are on the coolish side.  Not cold, but cool enough that a fire in the hearth feels really good.  It's a little surprising really, that we're in mid-November and we're still sleeping with a bedroom window open all night.  Nice!  And Thanksgiving is just around the corner...how the time does fly!

Kadie 29-1/2 years old...with a belly.  :)

We're back to ordering fresh fruit and veggies from Bountiful Baskets every other week.  Last week was our first one since last spring, and it didn't disappoint.  We got a head of cabbage, apples, tangerines, spinach, mushrooms, a coconut, bananas, lettuce, tomatoes and some asparagus.  I might be forgetting something, but I think that was just about everything.  And so far, everything has been delicious!

I had leftover beef broth heavy with onions from a pot roast that we had last week.  So, I sauteed the mushrooms with a little garlic in some butter and added a can of mushroom soup to the beef broth; added a little thickener and had a nice sauce that I served over egg noodles.  Yum!  As a side, I steam/fried the cabbage in a fry pan with an inch or so of water and a smidge of bacon grease and seasoned it with salt and pepper.  So good!  That was our dinner last night, and we'll be enjoying leftovers tonight.   I love leftovers!

I'm recovering from a squished pinky-toe on Monday morning.  Today I actually wore real shoes, but after a couple of hours was thankful that I'd brought my soft slippers to change into.  Maybe tomorrow...anyway, I was preparing to lead Harley out of his stall for breakfast.  I threw a lead around his neck and wasn't quite prepared when he immediately moved forward.  Note to self:  be mindful of where your toes are when dealing with a blind horse.  Live and learn.  The real bummer is that I got new winter boots that look all warm and cozy, and I haven't even been able to try them out yet.  New boots and I can't wear them - now that's a drag!  :)

It's supposed to be all stormy this coming weekend.  Winter storm warning and all that...nowadays it's always a storm blowing in when we're expected to get wind and rain.  That's pretty normal for fall in the Willamette Valley, I think.  We have no plans, except maybe unload some more firewood from the trailer into our wood shed and Friday after work I'm picking up my paint order for our living room project.  Before we get to the actual painting, I need to box up everything, including everything from the walls and prepare for a room in chaos again.  I'm seeing a trip to Goodwill in my future.  I'm really looking forward to the renovation because I think it will look beautiful (hopefully!), definitely an improvement; but if I'm honest, I am not anxious to do the work, or have our living room in disarray.  *sigh*  What I'd really like to do, is call up a professional and just have the work done.  But, that's definitely not in the budget.  Oh well, we'll just make the best of it and try to think of this as another one of life's learning curves/adventures.  Yep, that's what I'm telling myself...over and over and over.  :)

We have no plans for Thanksgiving yet, so maybe it will just be the two of us at home.  I will always cook a turkey over the long Thanksgiving weekend because it's so nice having all those wonderful leftovers, but I'm not going to invite guests over this year.  We hosted the family gathering last year, and I'm not anxious about doing all the cooking and cleaning this year.  Uh-huh.  No way.  I envision something much more casual and relaxed this year.  A real holiday.

So, overall we're preparing to settle in and get some work done, beautify where we can, take naps when all else fails and keep on, keeping on.  And as always, we are thankful for so many blessings in our lives.  A warm cozy home, more than we need of everything that we need, healthy and happy horses, dogs, cats and llama.  Can't forget Merlin!  :)  Hopefully you are all feeling the love and blessings that we are, during this time of year when we pause to reflect on all the wonderful things in our lives that we should be grateful for.

Until next time,
Lorie and the gang at Cingspots

Never a dull moment

This is the view from about halfway up the hill.  They could have run for miles down the other side

Well, we had plans to go on our last of the season horse camping trip this weekend.  I'd gotten a replacement to cover me at the clinic (4 day weekend), had a caretaker lined up for the horses at home, bought new and very warm sleeping bags (mountain temps in the lower 30's), done the grocery shopping, and was really looking forward to going.  But the planets weren't lining up or something...

Firstly, hubby realized we had no working brakes on the horse trailer.  Huh?  They had been working when we'd used it recently.  So, he stayed home from work to get them working again.  He calls me late afternoon, saying he'd tried everything and it wasn't working.  Apparently we need to replace the actual squeezing mechanism on the trailer itself, our old trailer is a 1995 model and we've never done that.  Guess we got our money out of those brakes.  Anyway, we have to order the parts and we weren't prepared for that.  So, no go over the mountain pass without working trailer brakes.

Alright, plan B...we decided that although it's been raining a fair amount the past couple of weeks, we would still go camping, just stick closer to home and bring tarps and such.  The weather forecast had been predicting a nice weekend with temps possibly reaching 70, with no rain in sight.  That's alright.

Yesterday, everything changed.  There was this little typhoon near Japan that's affecting our jetstream and now we're to expect monsoon type rainfall this weekend.  No sunshine in sight.  Winds.  Rain.  A real doozy of an early fall storm.  Batten down the hatches and all that.  *sigh*  Guess who's not going camping now...

So, I made the phone calls.  Cancelled the caretaker.  Cancelled the relief clinic worker.  Told my boss I'd see him Friday morning.

Fast forward to this morning...I'm almost ready to walk out the door and head to work.  Just putting a little finishing touch on my make-up and hair when I hear Harley call from the pasture.  I stop and listen...I heard him call out again, this time a more distressed calling.  I drop everything and run out the door...

to see the entire herd (sans Harley) out in the neighboring and newly planted hazlenut orchard.  Heads up.  Tails up.  Looking alert.  I try to walk quickly, but serenely to the barn to grab a bucket of grain.  They're suckers for grain.  Uh huh.  Not today momma.  Off they flew, tails up over their backs clear to the twin oaks at the top of the hill in the field beyond the orchard.  Oh no, not good.  I run back inside to remove my clogs.  Clogs are not an appropriate shoe for chasing horses through a bumpy farm field.  I grab my phone, change my shoes and offer up a quick prayer for some help, and sensible horses to stay away from the highway.

About a minute later, my angel in camo shows up in my driveway.  Do you need some help he asks?  A huge wave of relief washes over me, I offer a thank you to my Caretaker :) and off we go.  He flanked them from the off side of the hill and I approached from the front.  Ladde and Sugar trot right to me (always easy where grain is concerned) and I get the halter on Ladde.  Thank you God.  Off we go, at first I thought the entire herd was going to follow, but they had other notions.  Ladde was a real handful walking all the way back to the barn with the rest of the herd galloping back over the other side of the hill.  *sheesh*  I swear he grows about a foot or two even bigger when he gets all amped up, adrenaline pumping through his veins and all.  At one point, he was air-hoofing and his front leg was higher than my head.  Bad horse.  I scold him and keep moving, like I could do anything if he didn't want to comply.  Good horse.  Got him locked in his stall alongside the frantic Harley in his stall.  Closed the big sliding door on my way out and proceeded my trek back out to the north 40.  Again.  I'm already hot, wet from the knee down (tall grass) and my hair is all wet and sweaty.  Oh good.  Angel in camo (apparently his name was Brian) had managed to herd the horses back as far as the creek.  I kept calling Shad and Kadie's names while holding up the grain bucket...there's always hope that they'll come to me.  And they did!  Slowly, but they started heading towards me.  I dumped a couple of little grain piles to keep Eagle and Sugar occupied while I quietly approached Shad.  The big red horse let me put the halter on him.  I offered a little grain and off we went...Kadie in tow.  That was what I had hoped would happen.  :)

Before we'd gotten too far up the orchard, Eagle and Sugar decide they don't want to be left alone in the big, scary field all alone, and here they come a running!!  Big smile on my face.  I knew we had the battle won!!  Got all the horses safely locked in their stalls, with Merlin in the alley for the day.  I saw where someone (Sugar) had most likely been naughty to Harley and spooked him through the 3-rail wooden fence.  He took the post out and 2 sections of fence leaving a 16 foot gaping hole where the horses strolled through.  *sigh*  Back to the barn to do a once-over of Harley.  Sure enough.  A 5-6" long scarf down the bridge of his nose, but nothing else that I could see.  Again, thank you God, it could have been much worse.  A little ointment on his wound, a flake of hay for everyone and into the house to change my clothes so I could head to work.  I was an hour and 15 minutes late, my hair was soaked and I looked like something the cat dragged in, BUT I made it and all is well.

Despite everything.  I am feeling overwhelmingly BLESSED and thankful today that everybody is safe and sound.  Happy that I was home and able to get everybody back in, and absolutely, reassured that God listens to and answers our prayers.  And sometimes He sends angels named Brian dressed in full camo, driving big, Ford trucks.  :)

How's your Friday going?

p.s.  For a brief moment, when I saw all the horses standing proudly at the top of the hill, partially cloaked in the morning mist, I stood in amazement at their beauty, their speed and their grace...and wished I had my camera.  But then I came to my senses and started running.  It was going to take me a lot longer to reach that hilltop...

Blessings everyone!!

Whoohoo!! It's official!!

**happy dance**  I'm finally feeling secure enough to reveal my long-awaited good news.  We have sold our big horse trailer!  Oh yeah!!  That means a lot of different things for us.  In fact, this whole deal has turned out to be one very unexpected and multi-faceted blessing that we couldn't have anticipated or even imagined.  A true blessing!!

The guy that's buying our trailer has Fresians and Gypsy Vanner horses.  Incredibly beautiful horses!  In only my wildest dreams have I ever imagined having a Fresian.  They are so beautiful in fact, that I can usually only watch them through tears, that's how much emotion they emit from my soul when I see them.  Truly gorgeous and elegant movers.  But before we go any further, yes he did offer a young Fresian to me as part of the deal, but I said no.  Heaven knows we don't need any more horses!  But, for a tiny amount of time, my heart did dare to dream about the possibility...if only for a moment and only in my mind, I galloped bareback, glossy mane flying,  through a grassy meadow on the back of a jet-black phantom horse I called Gypsy.  *sigh*

Hmmhuh, sorry.  Back to reality.  Yeah well, it was fun while it lasted.  Anyway, we did eventually strike a deal that was pleasing to both parties involved.  Juan is also a contractor.  He owns a construction business and specializes in home remodeling.  My eyes begin to twinkle...he asks me, "is your home everything you want it to be?".  Are you kidding me?  Our little house needs lots of work, there's plenty of room for improvement.  We've just never got enough money, time, expertise, patience, energy...need I go on?  Then there's the likely event of a murder taking place between my husband and me.  We have differences in how we think things ought to be done.  You understand, I'm sure.  I invite Juan inside...

So we struck a deal for some cash and some work to be done in our house.  Specifically, they're going to demo our floor in the laundry room, which has dry rot.  Replace some needed joists and build a new sub-floor.  They're going to re-enforce the floor in our kitchen nook (wood stove room) and rebuild the sub-floor there also; it sags a bit.  They are replacing the flooring in the laundry room, the entryway (mudroom) and the pantry with new vinyl of my choice.  They're also replacing the flooring in the kitchen and the wood stove room with new laminate (fake hardwood) of my choice, and replacing all the base trim and the adjacent bathroom door facing trim, and we're getting a new front door too!!  Oh my gosh, I never would have expected such an immense amount of work to be completed; and by someone other than ourselves!!  I'm still in shock.  I haven't been sleeping well.  I make flooring decisions in my dreams.

And, we're getting enough cash to pay off some bills, enabling us to refinance our home at no cost at all.  That in itself will save us over $50,000 in interest over the life of our loan, cut our payments by over 5 years and cut our interest rate almost in half, while reducing our monthly payment by about $90.00 - can you believe it?  I am completely humbled by our good fortune, and overwhelmed with gratitude.  The overall value of our home will be increased, and it will be much closer to market-ready if and when we decide to sell and relocate.  It's simply better than we ever could have hoped for.

I'm going to try to remember to take a few pictures of the before and then of the after.  We're in the process of moving all our large appliances and furniture out to prepare for the work to begin next week.  I'm horrified by how bad it really looks without everything in its' place.  My husband found a mouse nest.  Good grief.

I'm also mildly concerned about the prospect of showering without a hot water heater.  And we may be eating cold sandwiches on paper plates for a while.  But that's alright.  We're thinking of this as one of life's little adventures.  Building a memory and all that...counting our blessings.

It's all good...

Until next time, Lorie @ Cingspots

It's Harley's birthday today!!!

 Lifelong buds

Harley & Ladde

 Buxton Linear Trail near Banks, Oregon

Harley's most beautiful butt - the boy's got hams!!

 Harley at 16 yrs

Yes indeed, it is Harley horse's birthday today!!  Our baby boy is 16 years old.  I did not miss that one!!  I was right there with Scooter when she brought her beautiful foal into the world...it was awesome!!  And this horse will be with us always and forever - that's what I tell him, and I mean it.

I'll be swinging by the grocery store before heading home this evening to pick up some goodies for the horses.  Apples, carrots and pears are the delectables in honor of the special day.  Some may feel that it's silly to celebrate a horse's birthday, but I don't care, and I don't think it's silly at all.  We love our horses and they are a huge part of our lives.  What does it hurt to provide them with a little celebratory treat to remember the day when they came into our lives?  It makes them happy and it makes us happy, to see them happy!  Reason enough for us!!  Simple pleasures are truly treasured memories that make life special.

 Amazing spots!

 Me and my mountain horse.

 Ready for a ride in La Pine, Oregon

 

 Camping at Flying M Ranch Yamhill, Oregon

 Me and Harley

 At a Ray Hunt clinic - Dundee, Oregon 2006
Harley, me, Ray and my sister

 Ray Hunt clinic

 Harley & me 

 Always the lover boy...

 Harley Ten Hairs - his nickname because he lost his mane & tail as a weenling 

 When he still had his sight

 Supper time?

 That's my boy!!

As you can imagine, I have so very many more pictures of our life and years together...so many wonderful memories with this guy!  What an amazing horse!!  And to think I almost sold him right after he was born...what a mistake that would have been!!  Cheers Harley - here's to many more memories to come!!

Happy Birthday my little Spunky!!  Always and forever my friend...always and forever.  I promise to love and take care of you.