I Got Artistic With The Animals

I made a collage of my animals!











I am a professional!


Please do not try this at home!

That Time Of Year

Yes, it is that time of year for me to look at all the things I am thankful for. There are so many. This year has seen many changes and all of them have been blessings, some blessings were obvious and some were not. It has been a good year for me.

The things that come to mind all at once are:

1. My Momma. She is my rock and I am so glad she is still with me and I have had the time I have had with her. Regardless of how old I get, she remains my Mother and she teaches me new things every day. I can tell her anything and I always find in her the comfort and support I need. I hope I have many more years with her.

2. Denise. What can I say? She is absolutely the best! We share our lives long distance on the phone and computer. We have an unconditional friendship and it seems as if I have been in her life forever. I wouldnt take anything for her and I know that the day we are face to face it will be just like we have always been together living close by hitting the dollar stores and having margaritas on the porch on a daily basis. I love her.

3. I am grateful to be able to face each day and appreciate the beauty around me. There have been times in my life where that was not possible and I am so happy those days do not exist anymore.

4. My job--it is Walmart and it is tough. Some days seem so long and I dont even know if I can get through them. But so many people are not fortunate enough to have a job and I know how blessed I am to be able to work and make a living. The friends I have made through my job at Walmart are priceless and I wouldnt take anything for them. There are some really, really good people working in the store I work at. We can laugh at ourselves and we do so everyday.

5. My health. Some days are better than others. Fighting Diabetes and Depression isnt always easy. I dont intend to let either win the battle and right now things are good. It just takes dedication to do the things I need to do. Overall I feel better than I have for some time.

6. I am grateful that Lucky has only killed one chicken since moving in with Lester. She didnt mean to kill that one, she just wanted to play.

7. Lester--I am so grateful for him. His friendship is so important to me. We are like two peas in a pod and we enjoy hanging out. We laugh and we talk and we are great companions. I just love him and I never thought I would meet someone who made me feel so safe and secure. I believe Lester would do anything for me and I would do the same for him. For instance, just this morning I lovingly removed the callouses from his feet. I mean, thats pretty great of me dont you think?

8. I sleep through the night now. This is like awesome! I know the reason I do it is because I do feel safe and secure and I dont worry like I used to.

9. Kenzy and Owen. These two own my heart and watching them grow up is a continuous and fascinating journey through their eyes. They started school and since that time they have really grown up. They go to a Christian school and I asked Kenzy the other day what she was learning in school and she said- "I learn about him." Do you mean Jesus Kenzy? "No! That is JESUS, I learn about HIM!" I think she thinks it is two different people! Whatever! LOL! They are also learning their numbers and letters and how to be in a controlled environment so that when they start kindergarten they will understand how to act. Maybe they will learn how to act. LOL!

10. I am also grateful that we live in a country where we have the freedoms we have. This is a great country and despite the fact there are areas of improvement, I know we live in a special place where we can enjoy freedoms that other countries cannot. God Bless America!

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Hug your friends and family today and tell them you love them. To all the troops out there fighting for us--be safe and come home soon!

There Are Bumps But you Keep Going

Bethany

Miss Daisy

It has been a while since I posted last and there is a lot to say and I am wondering where to start. For one thing my life is so good. No, I havent gotten rich or anything like that. In fact, I have had a couple disappointments. But I am still extremely happy.

Living in the country with Lester has only gotten better. Everyday is fun. I am experiencing things I never thought I would or even considered experiencing. Lester is teaching me all about horses. I have begun to learn to train Daisy. Daisy is a half Belgian horse--she is almost two. Still a baby in the horse world. She was born and turned out to pasture with her mother and when Lester got her she was practically untouched by a human. She is learning to trust us and I am learning to get rid of my fear. I am not afraid of trained horses but an untrained one is afraid of me and that makes her skittish and she tends to want to do the opposite of what I want her to. Watching me try to get her to lead is very funny. Im pulling her and she is pulling me with her feet planted firmly on the ground. I have to win these battles or she gets the upper hand and I will never be able to do anything with her. I win, but I know I will have to do it all again the next day. She has these big feet that I am afraid she will kick me with. She hasnt ever done that, but you never know. Hopefully by the spring or summer she will be ready to hitch to the wagon and ride us around. If you have never ridden a wagon, you must do it sometimes because it is awesome! So addicting.

Rosie pulls the wagon right now. We went riding on the wagon the other day. I had a beer in hand, a straw hat on and just relaxed while Lester drove. People would pass by in the cars and stare and wave us on. Funny thing about the country, everybody waves when you pass by whether you are in a car or on a wagon.

Everyday the horses have to be fed, the chickens, the dogs and the birds. It is quite a job because we have horses in three places right now. We got rid of some chickens, got some more with 24 hours and then got 18 Turkeys. All saved from being Thanksgiving dinner for somebody. Eventually we will pass the turkeys on to someone else, but they are interesting to watch.

I applied for a job at an insurance company the other day. The potential for more pay was huge. Not to mention this is what I love to do. The interview went extremely well and the pre-testing was a snap. I just knew I had it. But they check your credit. My credit sucks. When you lose a high paying job and then your house and two vehicles behind that, it hurts your credit not to mention you heart. I didnt get the job. I was only slightly disappointed. Any other time I would have been crushed. But I think that because I am so happy in my personal life, it was only a bump in the road. Besides, I can stay at Walmart. I have tons of friends there, Lester is there too and money isnt everything. I will keep trying for better jobs, but not until after the holidays.

The other horrible thing that has happened is one of my good friends Bethany died last week. She was 29 and lit a room up when she walked into it. A beautiful person and mother of 3 children. I can still hear her laughing at me. The last time I saw her she was doing just that. Bethany went to sleep on a Thursday night and woke up in heaven on Friday morning. She wasnt sick that anyone knew of. We all miss her really bad at work. It was so shocking and even after the funeral I found it hard to believe. I dont know when I will stop missing her. But I know she is laughing somewhere at all of us.

Life has set backs and I have experienced many. But just for today they are only set backs and not the gripping catastrophe they used to be.

Happy Birthday Momma

Mother celebrated her 83rd birthday with me in Guntersville State Park this past weekend. It was just beautiful with lots of great scenery and lots of cool shopping in Boaz, AL. We shopped till we dropped! There arent as many outlet stores in Boaz as there used to be but we still managed to find some deals. There is an Unclaimed Baggage store there. This is where all the lost and unclaimed baggage comes to from all over the U.S. You had to pilfer through it all because some things were overpriced but there were still some killer deals. We also went to the Levi/Vanity Fair outlet and I got some nice cool jeans for $7.99! Gotta love that! I also got a bra and panties. For some reason I always desperately need underwear.

Then there was the coolest store of all called Little Lots. Im talking cheap, cheap. I got a bag full of makeup that would normally sell for $16.00 a jar for $1.50. ALL the makeup was $1.50. So I loaded up on enough makeup to last 2 years. I heard this one lady say you could store it in the freezer, the powder I am assuming, so I bought it as much as I could justify. They also had perfumes really cheap. They had everything cheap--from dog supplies, furniture, clothing, tools, housewares, etc. I could have stayed in there all day. And I practically did.

The first night we were at The Lodge in Guntersville State Park, me and Mother went to the lounge. It was me and her and the bartender. Quiet place, perfect for a couple of margaritas and nachos. Totally fun.

Im glad I took Momma. She had a ball and so did I. Spending time with Momma is awesome and it seems like as the years go by it gets more and more awesome.

Her are a few photos of our trip. I want to point out that all the scenery of the mountains and lake was the actual view from our hotel room and The Lodge.

The Wagon

As much as I love the horses I know I will never actually ride one. I just cant get rid of the fear of climbing on the back of an animal and trusting it to do what I tell it to. Petting the horse is good enough for me. I love talking to them, feeding them, and loving on them.

Yesterday I got a new experience with the horses. Rosie to be exact. Rosie if one of my favorites and she has learned to pull the wagon. Lester and I got her hooked up and we took off down the road for an hour and half wagon ride. The sun was shining, a little breeze in the air and fall colors everywhere. I had a Smirnoff's Green Apple Ice (well a six pack) and it was totally awesome! I loved it! I think I am addicted to it.

As we road Lester pointed out different peoples houses and told me stories about growing up. Cars drove by and people waved. Rosie was not disturbed by the traffic at all. Dogs followed us for a bit when we would pass by the yard. One mother had her toddler outside and it was a big thrill for that baby. A little girl ran out and watched screamed "Have a nice day!"

It didnt seem like an hour and a half. But it was great. Rosie did great, Lester is great and life is great.

Kinda scares me a little.

My Newest Friends

I have been taking a few pictures of the animals around the house. There are MANY more animals but I have a few I wanted to share.

This is Elsie, the 6 month old colt. Her Momma is in the background. She is a little doll. She loves, loves, LOVES to be petted.

This is Gracie--one of the miniature ponies. we have since cut her mane off because she had a terrible Tina Turner look going for her. You cant really tell how bad it was because her head is down. We also believe she is preggers.

Meet Willie--the father of the possible baby Gracie will have. They are in love and you cant separate them. If you do, Willie goes nuts. Also, he will most likely be losing those nuts very soon.

This is Orso. He is Lucky's newest friend. Sorry about the penis being out, at the time I didnt realize he was so excited.

One of our black chickens.

Sweet little Jasper the donkey. He is the biggest baby I have ever seen and I think he is just beautiful. I love him. When I go outside and he sees me he comes running and he yells the whole way.

The cock of the walk. He is about 3 years old and pretty much rules the chicken yard.

The ducks. They are fun to watch. When I go out and change the water in their pool they play and play and play.

As always, my Lucky. Notice she is no longer chained and she is sooooo happy. She has only killed one chicken and I think that was by accident. She just played with it a little too hard. We are learning not to do that anymore.

This is just a few. We have a lot more horses and I am going to take more photos. There are two more horses where these animals are - which is the pasture in the backyard. We have 2 other locations with horses and I cant wait to share these horses with you. Oh, and we have 2 doves also that I will get pictures of. They are really sweet babies too.

Chickens, Rats, Horses, Dogs and Men

It has been a long time since I last posted. See, my hard drive died. I buried it a week ago and got a replacement so now I am up and running again. Life without a computer leaves a lot to be desired. I love being online. I dont think I would ever tire of it.

I am settling down in my new place. There is a lot to be learned when you live around animals and have to take care of them. I have a list. I love lists.

1. Chickens will eat anything. Even chicken.

2. Horses love to eat sweet oats. They will run over you to get to the oats.

3. Gofer rats love chicken feed. I know this because we may have to burn the chicken house to get rid of them. Shotguns work but they dont kill but one at time. We have too many to count.

4. A gopher rat can kill a small chicken.

5. Since I hate rats, the gopher rats make me have nightmares.

6. I can live easily with 2 men. Why havent I done this before now?

7. Lester can eat 4 BLT's with chips on the side in one meal. With 4 pieces of bacon to a sandwich you would need a little over a pound of bacon for Lester alone.

8. Hispanic TV is not fun to watch for me.

9. Roosters crow all day long. Sunrise is just the beginning.

10. You must wave to everyone you see when driving down the road in my small town or they think you are rude.

These are just a few things I have learned. Everyday is a new beginning. Oh--one more thing--Lucky has learned a miniature horse will kick her ass if she tries to take it's food. She also has learned a miniature horse is not just another big dog.