Something For Everyone

Flu is behind us....maybe a blessing in disguise. Now hopefully we all will be feeling well for the Christmas weekend.

I've finally got my mojo (?) back, and GirlKid and I hit the dollar stores for what I call 'accessory' gifts and stocking stuffers. I traded her rolled pennies for 'real' dollar bills and had her decide who she was buying gifts for this year. Grandma, Uncle Dwayne (and Poncho, his chihuahua), and Daddy. Luckily for her, her pennies added up to five dollars, so she also had one left for herself! Six year olds and dollar stores were made for each other. A buck for each gift...easy math.

It took about 30 minutes or more for her to make her final decisions. There was quite a bit of "I'll get this.....(put that down), no THIS...(put that down, too), now THIS is perfect." , with each persons gift. I was in the mood (rarely) to just let her take as long as she needed. If her choices were off the wall, heck, it's only a couple of bucks.

However, I was impressed with her choices:

Grandma: A calendar set
Reason: "So Grandma can keep track of things.....Like when I'm coming to visit, and when she has a doctor appointment, and to remember when the garbage man comes."

Uncle Dwayne: An ice scraper
Reason: " Because he has so many cars."

Poncho: Dog treats shaped like hamburgers
Reason: "So when he begs at the table, he can have his OWN hamburger."

Daddy: Zip ties
Reason: "Because I've seen them in his shop, and he doesn't have little ones like these."

Herself: A pair of 'el junko' mermaids
Reason: Because I wrecked my good mermaid's hair in the bathtub, and it won't matter if these get wrecked because they were cheap....and I really like them."

I had nothing but agreement to all of her choices, and to her great satisfaction she went through a checkout counter for the first time paying with her 'own' money, from her own purse and wallet, for gifts for other people. I was so tempted to help her get her money out of her stiff plastic wallet, as there was a line behind us, but I held off so I wouldn't squelch her first independent transaction. She carefully counted out the dollar bills to the cashier and then realized she didn't have any change for the 'extra' (tax). After a bit of a panic, she reached for her mermaids and said "Mom???" I told her I'd pay the tax and she could pay me when we got home. Relief flooded her face. A very quiet "I love you, mom." sealed the deal.

On the way out of the store, she said "Man, that was great, Mom. Five dollars, and I got something for everyone. I think I got my money's worth outta that place!"

I'm tempted to let her do the rest of the Christmas shopping!

I am so glad I am that kid's mom......I like the way she thinks, and I love the way she loves me.

Allll Aboard! The Flu sTrain!

Yup, you guessed it....we got it...two strains...three family members...two weeks. My goodness, it is hard to retain any sense of humor when you feel like crap, let alone get caught up in the Christmas Spirit.

GirlKid's gifts had been purchased before Thanksgiving, but are still in the bags they came in, hidden from sight. I have had enough time to question each one of them. "What was I thinking? Should I take it back and get something else? We already have too much plastic crap stuffed into every nook and cranny of our house! How many Barbie, Bratz, Winx, etc. is too much?" Whew, now that I have written my thoughts, I see how manic I have become regarding this Christmas season.

I feel paralyzed...I haven't bought any Christmas cards, let alone sent them out yet...so with each one I receive in the mail, I feel guilty and more guilty that I haven't gotten with the program.

I can't think of ideal gifts for friends, which usually comes easily. Nor for my husband, which is usually difficult.

Most of the dilemma is based on not having much money to spend this year. My recent root canal right after Thanksgiving sucked up all of our available funds. Also, the weather has been warm and rainy instead of crisp and snowy. And then, of course, the flu bugs that have been ravaging our household.

I know, MAKE something....couldn't come up with anything that caught my interest or didn't seem ridiculous (or cost too much).

Waaa, waaa, waaa, I sound like an infant who can't reach her binky.

I still have a few days before it is too late to recover from the Holiday blues....I am almost positive I will pull this off before it is too late. It isn't like me to completely succumb to hopelessness when the chips are down....

Chin up, Kath, grab the credit card and just GO to the store and buy stuff we can't afford because it's Christmas dammit!

Handsome Homer finds his forever family

Meet our most recent family acquisition! For two years I've been searching for a dog to help us take care of varmint control of our hobby farm after our beloved Aussie Dog passed away.

Choosing a potential family member is serious business for me...I won't make a commitment that I am unsure of in 'hope' that it will all work out. I've witnessed hasty pet purchases turn to disaster in short order because the human did not do the research of which breed, age, and sex of dog would best suit their living situation. After experiencing life with the perfect dog for many years, it seemed impossible that we would find that perfect match again.

I would routinely visit Petfinders to see what dogs were available for adoption in our area and always checked the "Pets" in the classified ads. I almost purchased an older Collie pup from a local pet store, but couldn't bring myself to encourage the ' puppy mill' business that it originally came from.

It couldn't be a hunting dog (tons of mixed Labs desperatly needing homes in area shelters) because we have free range chickens and other livestock. But we really needed a dog to chase off wild critters that want to winter in our outbuildings....

And then I saw a photo posted by our Humane Society that showed a Treeing Walker Coonhound that was abandoned by a shattered divorced family that couldn't get away from each other fast enough, and didn't care if the animals left behind lived or died. After the family left the acreage, a neighbor noticed that the family dog had been left behind and for weeks would sit at the end of the driveway waiting for his family to come home. Eventually he took the dog home with him when he realized there was no food or water available and the dog was surviving on eating grass.

As a courtesy, the Humane Society agreed to post the dog's story on their website, but would not take custody of the dog as they didn't have any more foster homes available.

When I read the profile of this dog I began to get a strange feeling of knowing... knowing that I needed to respond. He was four years old, raised around a variety of livestock, got along well with cats and other dogs. Excellent with children and adults. Needs companionship.

I Googled the dog breed to educate myself on the needs of this kind of dog and found more information that convinced me that the dog, our farm, and our family would all benefit from being together.

I called Husband and GirlKid to the computer and showed them the profile and breed information. They agreed that this dog could be the one....so I called the number.

I thought that if the dog was still available the people would be eager to find a home for him. I asked a lot of questions regarding the dog's behavior and personality. I was surprised and impressed that when I was done asking my questions, THEY had even more questions for me. Where do we live? (in the country, Check). How many hours are we away from the home each day?(I'm a SAHM, Check) . Do we have any children?(we have GirlKid and I did childcare for two more children, Check). Why do we want this dog? (we need help with varmit control and livestock protection, and we really missed our old farm dog's company, Check).

Apparently the man had received many calls from people willing to adopt the dog, but most of them were living in town and/or were away from home a great deal each day. He felt a responsibility to find this dog a home that would meet his physical and emotional needs. His own family already adopted an elderly shepard and owned two or three other dogs, and quite frankly I don't think they could spend one more dime on dog food each week. After visiting a while on the phone the man had that knowing feeling too, and I was invited to make the drive to meet and/or bring the dog home the very next day.

It has been a couple of months now, and once Homer got over his intense abandonment issues with a little "Cesaer" training for me, I can't believe our good fortune. He loves the kittys, walks right by the chickens in the yard, liked to visit the pigs, chased off a woodchuck, racoon, and oppossum in the first two weeks, doesn't let the kids out of his sight if we're outside, and so much more. We love his gangly long legs, his smooth coat, and floppy ears. He is absolutely nothing like our perfect Aussie Dog, so there is no comparing the two. I think that is the way it needed to be, so we can fully appreciate him for being the best coon hound and family companion we could hope for.

And isn't he handsome...?

I was Tagged!

Kelley Bell and WM tagged me quite a while ago....Just now getting to it. Sorry it took so long ladies, but here it finally is:

1) Things that scare me:

* high fevers in small children
* dentists (Sorry Tom!)
* spiders...if they are on my body
* a child or animal in danger

2) People who make me laugh:

* my daughter
* my husband
* my girlfriends
* my blog-friends


3) Things I hate the most:

* my extra 15 pounds
* long periods of cold, wet weather
* my tobacco addiction
* being talked down to
* anyone who hurts children

4) Things I don't understand:

* religious wars
* how airwave transmissions work
(radio, sattelite, ect.)
* people who attack children

5) Things I'm doing right now:

* typing
* drinking a soda
* trying not to get frustrated that these simple questions seem difficult today
* wanting a cigarette

6) Things I want to do before I die:

* visit New Zealand
* see a real castle
* swim with a dolphin
* hold my grandbabies
* travel the U.S. with my family

7) Things I can do:

* help children learn
* grow plants
* cook
* raise healthy animals
* keep my husband happy in the sack
* listen

8) Ways to describe my personality:

* helpful
* both outgoing and shy
* cautious
* loving
* laid-back

9) Things I can't do

* brain surgery
* find enthusiasm in boring, repetitive tasks (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc.)
* fix my car

10) Things I think you should listen to:

* your intuition
* older people you respect
* music that soothes your soul, or picks up your mood
* the sounds of nature and the outdoors

11) Things you should never listen to:

* most politicians
* some organized religions
* angry, hurtful music
* my mother-in-law

12) Things I'd like to learn:

* how to earn a few extra bucks working from home
* how to sew
* how to retain happiness in each day

13) Favorite foods:

* pizza
* ice cream
* chocolate
* Chinese
* authentic Mexican

14) Beverages I drink regularly:

* coffee
* soda
* energy drinks
* tea (enough caffeine, yet?)
* spiced rum
* white russians

15) Shows I watched as a kid:

* Little House on the Prairie
* All in the Family
* Grizzly Adams
* Flipper
* The Jeffersons
* Gilligan's Island

Peek a Baaa

Daisy just can't help herself...loves the attention, and apparently the camera. She has the most demanding voice, and if I am late to do chores, her wailing BAAAA almost makes me begin to lactate. These lambs were born as quadruplits (quite rare), however one of them didn't survive.
They were bottle fed, and attached to humans quickly. My GirlKid and daycare kids handfed them for their first month with us. Daisy, Rose, and Delphinium are a treat to care for. The end of the season is coming far too fast, and my heart grows heavier by the day. Life on the farm is not always pleasant.

My Bonnie

Here's a photo of my best barn friend this year, Bonnie. She and Clyde are my first ever experience at raising pork.

I try not to get too attached to the animals I know are being raised for food, however I did not know how personable a coupla piggies would be.
And if you keep their potty area cleaned out, they don't even smell very much.

Bonnie loves being fed animal crackers by the kids, having her skin scratched by the leaf rake, and her favorite foods are apples off our tree, and summer squash.

In this photo, she had just gotten herself a big drink(hence, the goober-slobber under her chin), and seemed to smile for the camera.

My theory on raising livestock was to provide the best environment possible to have the healthiest meat for my family. Raised with love = sweet meat.

However, I think it would be in my best interest to not be home the day Bonnie, and her brother Clyde, are loaded up in the trailer to go to the meat market. This time I've gotten way to attached...