Veteran's Day / Remembrance Day

It feels like any other Tuesday to me, except there's no mail service and the banks are closed. Oh, yes and all the government offices are closed in honor of Veteran's Day in the United States. Our good neighbors to the north in Canada, their holiday is called Remembrance Day. Either way, it seems like instead of a blanket holiday for some, our veterans should get a paid day off. Just my humble opinion, folks - for what it's worth.

But, however you feel about it - whether you agree with war or disagree with war, it is a reality of this life...and there are and have been many good men, and now women who have walked away from their own personal lives and given of themselves for the freedoms we enjoy.

I would like to remember them and honor those people for their selfless service to our country. What they do now and have done in past wars is an incredible gift to those of us who have been fortunate enough to remain at home - safe. My dad was an infantryman in the United States Army. He served in World War II and most of his duty was spent in Germany, but also some in France and England. He really didn't talk about it much, but I remember he told me that he was once a guard for prisoners of war in Germany. A German soldier taught him a little bit of the language and also how to make bracelets out of stainless steel and copper. He sent my mom one of those bracelets that he'd made and inscribed "Susie" on it. That wasn't my mom's name, but that's what he used to call her. My mom wore that bracelet until she died. My dad told me once that he was very proud that he'd never had to kill anyone, at least that he knew of and that he remembers almost always being cold. He also said that he'd spent more time in fox holes than he cared to remember and that there weren't many atheists in those fox holes.

My husband served in the United States Navy in the Vietnam war and his father was a pilot for the United States Air Force and served in World War II. My brother-in-law was an MP (military police) in the Korean War. I salute each one of these brave men who fought for our freedom in these wars. And, I am very thankful for what they did.

May God Bless our Service men and women and protect them. Thank you from one free to speak my mind, American woman.

I had wanted to show you a picture of my dad in his Army uniform. He was so very handsome. But, the picture was in DVD format and I couldn't get it to work. Maybe another time. And I don't have any pictures of my hubby in uniform, so instead the top pics are of my hubby and his horse, "Shad". This last one is our beloved "Scooter" - gone, but not forgotten.

Blessings everyone.

Quiet Musings

It's been a very quiet day today - almost eerily so. The doc is out of town on yet another quest for excellence through continuing education. The phone calls have been sporadic at best. Thank goodness there've been no emergencies - that's always nice. The whole world seems to be settling in somehow. Maybe it's because after all the election hype, people are just mulling it all over in their minds. I know that I am. It will take some time to get used to everything and see how it all pans out. But, I feel like most everyone else, glad it's over and glad to be getting on with the business of everyday life.

I've been looking through some of my old pictures today and also at my ever-growing collection of downloaded pics and art prints from the internet. There sure are some talented artists in this world. I can't draw a thing, maybe that's why I admire artists so much. Maybe I'll even upload one every so often to share them with anyone who might be reading.

Maybe I'm different than a lot of bloggers. I'm not sure why I started this except that this whole blogging world intrigues me so. I think of it as a way to reach out and in a way, get to know people who otherwise, I wouldn't even know existed. People fascinate me. They always have. I like co-mingling and hearing what makes people tick; hearing what they like and don't like. The endless variety of people and their personalities fascinate me. Ever since I can remember, I've felt somewhat detached, almost like being outside looking in, for a lack of a better description. Anyway, not sure of where I'm going here, but I've found that clicking away on these keys and putting my thoughts down is somehow reassuring and eases my mind that I'm not as alone as maybe I sometimes feel. I know that maybe many others might not relate, but this seems therapeutic to me. I have always admired people or friends that I know who keep a daily journal and chronicle their lives. They can look back over years past and laugh or cry or feel that moment, and be instantly transferred to that exact moment in time...re-live that memory once again. If you just think about that for a minute, that's a wonderful blessing. I know that as I get older, my memory is fading. Sometimes a friend or a family member will mention something that happened, and try though I might, I can't remember. It's forever lost to me. That scares me because I have so many memories that are precious to me - I don't ever want to let them go. Oh, there's some that I'd like to forget, but even those painful times have molded me, forever changed me and made me who I am today. For better or worse, I am who I am right now. And I probably in some ways may remain forever unchanged, but we as human beings are always evolving, growing and changing. Maybe not always for the best...who decides that? I don't know. I've always remembered a saying that I heard somewhere, but for some reason has always stuck. Opinions are like mothers - everybody's got one. Now, I have to admit that I've changed the adjective here; that's not exactly the word used, but the meaning is still perfectly clear. And it's so true. Whether we state them vocally or not, we all have an opinion about most things - one way or another. And you know what I've realized? Our thoughts are who we become. So, I try to stay upbeat and have a positive attitude, but that's sometimes easier said than done. There's a verse in the bible that says that we should focus on all things pure and lovely because what we see and what we focus on changes us. So true.

And so, as usual I've rambled on...I like to think of them as my musings - it sounds nicer. I'll leave this daily post with a little saying I happened upon one day. I like it. I hope you do too.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle

Another Blue Wednesday!!!!!

But definitely not for the same reasons!!! I am happy, excited and so very, very hopeful for our country for the first time in many, many years!! Yea!!, Pacific Northwest and most other states as well for being True Blue. Obviously, many people in our great country are pinning their hopes on this man, President-Elect Barack Obama. Congratulations to us everybody!! I hope you all got a chance to hear his acceptance speach last night. It was most encouraging. I don't expect miracles. As he mentioned, this is just the beginning folks, because our country is in one helluva mess. No matter who you are, you've got to admit that. And, there's lots and lots of work to do to dig ourselves out of this mire, but...as I listened to that speech last night - I felt oddly emotional (me? about politics??), and less cynical, and yes definitely - hopeful. Here is someone who by the grace of God, we can look up to, maybe even respect. Time will tell, but for now I am filled with hope for our country's future.

Another thing I thought of as I listened to that speach, was just how intelligent, thought-provoking and passionate this man is. He speaks not only with great passion, but with authority as well. I was a very young child in the early 60's, but like most of you have heard President John F. Kennedy speak at some time or another. For some reason, Obama reminds me a great deal of him. He too, faced uphill battles when he came into office, but he was courageous and energetic and eager to serve a great country that he had a tremendous amount of love and respect for. He was also very young as is Obama, and I for one am very thankful that he is as young as he is. Being President of the United States is a job that I just don't see as something anybody would want to do. It ages a person and takes a great toll. He will be assuming an awesome amount of responsibility at a time in history when our country is at a very low point. Not just financially, but in so many different ways. I'm not even going to get into it all right now, but I'm sure we can all agree that he will be facing enormous challenges right from the start.

May we all as citizens of a great country join together and work for the betterment of all. Hopefully with this new administration we will remember that our United States of America was founded on the basis of seperation of church and state. We are all free to make our own moral choices and never the twain shall meet. It will be refreshing to keep our religion and our politics seperate for a change.

God be with us. We do after all need all the help we can get.

Have a great day everyone - go blue!!

This Day in History

Yep! That's right everybody - today will definitely go down in history as a precedent-setting election. I do hope all of you bloggers and those with an opinion HAVE voted!! Cuz it's important, that's why - you silly goose!! The first Tuesday in November has traditionally been called "Election Day" and all of us citizens of this good old US of A has a right to put our 2 cents in. And by now, y'all know how much I like to put my 2 cents in huh? And because I believe that however you feel - whether you're red or blue or some other such party affiliate, or whether you agree with me or disagree with me...it just don't matter!! Not one little bit - go on now, just do it---go VOTE!!!

And by this time tomorrow, we will have a new president. Precedent-setting whoever wins. If Barack OBama wins, we will for the first time in American history, have a black man running our country. If John McCain wins, we will for the first time in American history, have a woman in the white house. We've come a long way, baby!! Or, at least I think we have - time will tell.

So, however you swing - just please remember all those wonderful women back in the day before women could legally vote, what they went through, trials they endured, injustices they suffered, all in the name of legalizing the vote for American women. It truly is amazing, check it out sometime and educate yourselves about the women's suffrage. You'll be proud that you are an American woman and have the right to say your piece with the vote. Go on now, git!! Go vote!!

On another political note, lest we forget....praises to everything that is holy! - NO MORE POLITICAL COMMERCIALS!!! Yippee kayeeeee mutha......pardon mois, I forget, this is a family blog. Merci.

On a completely different, more lighthearted subject I thought that I would throw in some totally random pictures for your viewing pleasure...or not

Hopefully, somewhat in the correct order: Hubby and me at some lake near LaPine, Oregon last June. Next is Hubby and our girls - both somewhat retired now, my beloved Kadie on the left and our grand dame of the herd, Frosted Siri L, aka "Siri" who will be 27 years old this coming January 1. She is finally starting to act like a little old lady. Photo #3 is "the boys", Harley (the punk aka "fly in the ointment" aka the baby of the herd) on the far left and my main trail mount, Shad in the center and Ladde playing in the mister (he is a sprinkler hog). Photo #4 is Affermative Shadow, aka "Shad" on the left - beloved surrogate papa of Ladde and my hubby's pride and joy. Shad is an ex-racehorse, colic surgery survivor, best babysitter in the world (to colts anyway) and last, but certainly not least, our herd boss. He even bosses the neighbor's horses from across the fence, and they usually oblige. And, on the right is "Wagtail Ladde", aka Ladde or Ladmonster; my pride and joy, son of Kadie and now my hubby's main trail mount. He is about 1500# and stands a true 17 hands. We're not quite sure what happened - be very careful with that Purina Equine Junior stuff - makes em big! And lastly, one of our grandsons - David atop the ever-so-careful angel horse, Kadie. Ain't he just so cute??? Ornrier than catshit!

Anyway, that's it for now from C-ing Spots!!

Summer of 2008

Well, I think maybe it's official - summer's over. The rain started on Halloween eve and hasn't showed signs of stopping. True to form, we turn the calendar page to November and all bets are off - ready or not, fall's here and winter's just around the corner! In the northwest, many times it seems like our fall or autumn season is quite short, going from summer to winter with a very short interval of fall. This year, it's been a nicer than average fall, I think. We've had several mornings of frost on the pumpkin and then warm sunny days filled with the splendor of autumn's amazing colors. It was great while it lasted.

So, in preparation for the changing weather patterns and cooler, wetter temperatures, hubby and I moth-balled the horse trailer for the winter (how sad!), put the barbecue in dry storage, along with the patio furniture and our little portable campfire pit. Our deck is empty and looks so forelorn and big. We have 2 tons of stove pellets in storage and 1 ton of stall bedding pellets. The pantry is stocked and the barns are full of hay. All the outbuildings have been cleaned out, reorganized and repaired in preparation for winter. With the exception of 2-3 more tons of hay which we will probably need and bedding pellets purchased as we need them, I think we're just about ready. The garden is empty and looking bedraggled, with all the produce canned or stored in the freezer for later use.

With the holidays looming, and shorter days and longer nights, we will gradually adjust to winter's slower pace of life. I'll avert my attention to more indoor activities and try to accomplish long-awaited projects on our little home's interior. The list is a long one, but I'd really like to concentrate on a partial kitchen remodel. New flooring tops my list of wants, followed by new paint and a new sink. Heaven knows the cabinets should be replaced too, but a new coat of paint and maybe new hardware would be an improvement.

But life's just too darn short to work all the time!! So...I plan to buy monthly passes at a nearby indoor riding arena and maybe a couple times a week, drag the horses out, scrape off the mud and go ride!!! Nothing in this world makes me feel more alive than riding my horse. Truly, as the saying goes...the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a woman!

So true

Nope these are not pictures from this weekend. I was too busy working this past weekend to take any pics, so these are from last June in LaPine, Oregon where we spent a week of pure heaven!! The riding was endless and there were about 15 lakes within a 10 mile radius. Wonderful place!! Central oregon at it's finest in my humble opinion!!

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.