Our Walk Today

This is one happy dog, can't you see that smile? She loves to go for a walk and I know that is a doggy smile.

These guys look like they are having fun too.

We found a little pond in the woods and did a little science for school.

Frog eggs anyone? This is a fascinating subject for 7 year old boys!

Whiskers found a good spot to cool off.

The pond was about a mile out from the house and it was a beautiful day for a walk in the woods.

We are on our way home now but it has been about a mile and a quarter. Timmy has been sick and was getting a bit tired so we had to take a few rest stops.

Always time for a little loving for Timmy's favorite girl.

"Do-Me-To" dog doesn't want to be left out

At about a mile and a half thats all, its over folks. He wasn't complaining but didn't turn down a ride.

The neighbors tractor looks like a good place to rest while......

Sis goes home for the 4-wheeler.

Help is on the way!

Now is she an angel or what?

Now, the race is on. This is the view from the back of the moving 4-wheeler.

You should have seen her when she flopped down in the nearest mud puddle. I tried to get a picture but she moved too fast.

Home just in time for breakfast. The country air is good for a kid. I think it was 3 pancakes before he quit.

Just a side note, Sis collected a quart of sap while the maple trees were running and we boiled it down today. Thats water in the jar but it represents the amount of sap compared to the syrup derived from it. It was good though.

She was quit proud of herself for actually making maple syrup herself.

Look what we found when we got home tonight! 4 of the little stinkers. We didn't even know she was preggers. They gestate for 90 days and we have only had her for about 2 months so she was pregnant when we got her. They are about an inch and a half long, not counting the tail. Born with all their hair and with their eyes open, ready to run in about a day.

Ed shoots em, Terry feeds em. I guess it takes all kinds. This could be the one we raised from a baby one year. It's a cute one anyway. This is the view from my kitchen window. I see him or her every morning when I get up and start the coffee pot. He can see me too but doesn't seem to mind.

I planted some tulips today, about 4-5 months late. The neighbor gave them to me last fall and when she did she said, "Today would be a great day to plant them." Well, I didn't plant them that day or the next. I figured hers will be blooming soon and she will me looking to see if mine are blooming too. I hate to disappoint her but maybe I can just say that I got them in the ground a little late. Think she will notice?

Look what I found in the yard today! Now doesn't spring make you so glad to be alive? It does me. Today is the first time I have been home on a warm day and been able to be outside and enjoy it. I just had to go for a walk. I am glad I have the dogs to more or less make me walk. They have gotten so fat and lazy this winter that I have to get them out and get some exercise. That makes it good for me because I think I have gotten fat and lazy this winter too.

I decided to walk around the 9 acre field in the front instead of just out the driveway. That is where we want to build our cabin some day. It is fun to stand there and try and imagine what it will look like. I think I have decided that a smaller house will be better. I first wanted a large cabin like, 30'x50', but that seems so overwhelming to accomplish, especially on our income. I have been thinking that I could survive in a smaller house. Maybe, 25'x30', one bedroom and a loft upstairs, one bedroom, a nice big kitchen and a decent size laundry/boot room downstairs. If I invest some of the money that I would have put in a larger house and use it to create a more organized space I could be happy.

Wow, I'm impressed! It is blurry but I just had to snap this shot. She had just turned off the TV so she could read a book. I have been trying for years to get her interested in reading, a pass time that I have enjoyed for years, but had not had much sucess. She got interested in some mediaeval era movies and then found some books at the library about that time and managed to actually finish a book or two. The one she has here is about 3 inches thick and it took her about a month but she did finish it today and can't wait for the library to open so she can get some more.

Rachel, I need to know how to contact you on the internet. Do you have an email address? Is it the same as before? Do you have a Yahoo name? Same as before?

We went and got our taxes done last night and this was the first time since we have been self employed that I didn't get a stress headache or stomach just thinking about going. I have even threatened to quit self employment and go get a job because tax time was so stressful! Not this year, I think I finally got a handle on it. I probably shouldnt say that, then something else will pop up but this year I had it laid out for the tax preparer and all she had to do was enter the figures, hit the right button at the bottom and it all popped out the printer! I made Terry some spread sheets for each day of the week with headings like, Gas, Maintenance, Bought Logs, Sold Ties, Sold Lumber, Paid help, etc. Every night when he comes home he has to fill that out and at the end of the week I add that info to my Monthly Expenses and Income spread sheet and by the end of the year I add up each months income, subtract the expences and there you go. That seems like a lot of work for what little we made but we got back a nice piece of change this year, mostly because of Sis and her earned income credit. This time of the year I always wish I had about 6 kids, but only if I can give them away after tax time again. We wont be going on vacation with our refund, that is for sure. Just will be able to get caught up in outstanding bills with it but I thank the Lord that we can do that much!

Seen any of these lately?

Terry came to Bea's and picked us up this morning. Church has been called off all day so I vacuumed the living room floor, straightened the kitchen, messed on the computer for while and took a little nap in the chair. Sis went out to play in the snow with the dogs for a while and apparently left a few of them outside because I can hear them squealing to come back in. Their toes must be cold.

Terry went to the shop to try and sell something but there have not been alot of people stopping in this weather. It only takes one though, to have a good day. Somebody stopped late in the day last week and bought $250.00 of junk furniture to repair. Can't beat that.

I am looking forward to enjoying a nice quiet evening at home.

I can't hardly wait for my iris to start blooming again. I aquired a few more colors last year so it should be a pretty site. I thought this was such a pretty picture, much prettier then what is outside my window right now! You can have the snow, I'll take the pretty iris.

Well, guess what! It thawed out to 32 degrees and I heard the sound of spraying water under the house. This time it is under the kitchen sink and we will have to dig a wiggle hole under the foundation and the ground is frozen so I don't know how soon we'll get this one fixed. This is really getting old!

Wow, it is warm in here tonight! We shut the door to the bed room and hung a blanket over the kitchen door and that leaves the woodstove to heat the just the living room. You could strip naked and be warm in here now but I think I'll pass on that. There is a small heater in the bedroom and a gas wall heater in the kitchen so it won't get too cold there but it does cool off significantly.

Anybody tired of winter yet? It has been under 20 degrees here for more than a week. I think 40 degrees will really feel good.

Okay, I'm awake now!

Meet the newest member of our Zoo. It is called a Degu. Don't ask me to explain what that is, you have a computer, look it up. It is hard to explain. She is friendly but very fast. I am always afraid she will get away from me and if she ever does get away we probably can't catch her. She eats basically what the rats do, just without the sugary stuff.

I am sleepy! Bea hasn't slept for more then an hour for the last two nights and I am bushed! Good night.

It is 1 in the morning and I don't think I'll even go to bed tonight. Bea went to bed about 7 tonight but has not been asleep yet, I've had to go calm her down a couple times already and I see no sign of sleep. Looks like it will be a long night. The only good thing is that I have my computer to keep be busy while I have to be awake.

I think Terry got our water fixed this morning. I left Sis at home to help him and she said it was fixed. We need to re-plum the who outfit under the house. Seems like as soon as we get one fixed, it busts some where else.

That big German Shepherd is still here at Bea's, living in the basement. He wants up here in the house real bad but since that doesn't go over very well he'll settle for the basement. I put a found dog ad in the paper that will come out Wednesday. I hope it gets a response.

Well, did I have a premonition or maybe I just go by past experiences? Anyway, I am sure I got my laundry done. We kicked the water pump on tonight and I heard the water spraying and hitting the under side of the floor! I have bottled water to get us through but it sure puts a cramp in flushing.

I don't know where this little bananna came from, I just found it on my computer and thought it was cute.

Brrrr.... it is cold out tonight! We (Sis and I) are at Bea's tonight and I am glad. She has a gas furnace and I can turn it up as high as I want and not have to worry about the bill. It is probable warm at my house too, as long as you are in the living room by the stove. The dogs will appreciate their heat lamps tonight.

Yvonne mentioned doing two days worth of laundry, I was doing laundry the last two days too. I was behind in the laundry department because I was afraid I would run out of water and didn't want to buy a load of water. With all this rain we have been having our cistern was filling up so I grabbed the chance. I want to get it done before the weather turned cold in case the pipes froze too. The drain pipe always freezes when the temp drops. Anyway, what was so funny was that Terry went to the shop yesterday and wanted to know if I was coming out. I said I wanted to get the laundry done first and would be out when I got it done. Well, about 1:30 pm I called him and he ask me what I had been doing all day. I said I was doing laundry just like I said and the last load was in the machine. "Bull-ony!" he exclaimed, "It doesn't take THAT long to do the laundry!!" Sounds just like a man, doesn't it?

When we got to Bea's this morning we were met by a new face. A very large, very skinny, male German Shepherd decided to move in. Now, what? Mom said 'they' told her not to feed him but she couldn't stand seeing a starving dog begging for food through every window so we found something he could eat. Since it will be so cold out tonight we brought him in to the basement. I'll keep you posted, don't know what we are going to do with him.

Now why do I keep finding hickory nuts in my laundry baskets???? Strangest thing, every time I go to do a load of laundry I have to remove the hickory nuts. Any ideas?

Terry found these pictures in a box of junk he bought from a neighbor. They are from the 40's or 50's. I thought they were so pretty.

I found this on Yvonne's blog many months ago and saved it to share someday. I just found it in my files and finished filling it out so I thought I would share it. I have removed a few lines that didn't pertain to me or just couldn't think of an answer so some of the numbers ar out of order and some answers are from way back when I first saved it but basically, it is me.

1. What time did you get up this morning? Somewhere between 7:30-8:30

2. Diamonds or pearls? Not interested in either one.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Narnia

4. What's your favorite TV show? I watch Animal Planet mostly

5. What did you have for breakfast this morning? 2 cups of coffee and 2 oranges

6. What's your favorite cuisine? I don't eat 'cuisine' but I love spaghetti.When I eat out I love to eat Chinese.

7. What foods do you dislike? Vegatables!

8. What is your favorite chip flavor? Anything cheesy

9. What's your favorite CD at the moment? I like Daniel O'Donnell

10. What kind of car do you drive? Mercury Topaz, don't ever buy a two door!

11. Favorite sandwich? Tomato and Mayo

12. What characteristics do you despise? Lying!

13. What is your favorite type of clothing? Jeans and t-shirt

14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go? Ireland, England, or a deserted Island

15. What color is your bathroom? White with country blue accents

16. Favorite brand of clothing? I don't have a favorite brand but if it is in Goodwill I will wear it.

17. Where would you retire? Anywhere near my family

18. Favorite time of the day? Right after supper, relaxing in the chair.

19. What was your most memorable birthday? Don't have a particular birthday memory

20. Where were you born? Paintsville, Kentucky

21. Favorite sport to watch? I can do without watching sports.

24. What fabric detergent do you use? Purex

25. Were you named after anyone? Nope

26. Do you wish on stars? No

27. When did you last cry? Probably when my daughter and I had an argument, Last year?

28. Do you like your handwriting? Sometimes, it seems to change with my moods.

29. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? I would but not real close friends, I don't make real close friends. Except my husband.

30. Are you a daredevil? Probably not.

31. Do looks matter? I try not to make that an issue.

32. How do you release anger? Can't remember when I have been angry enough to need a release.

34. What was your favorite toy as a child? A large wheeled tricycle, ran the wheels off that poor thing.

35. What class in High School was totally useless? Geometry and algabra

37. Favorite movies? Vintage romances.

38. What are your nicknames? Can't remember any.

39. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No, to much effort.

40. Do you think that you are strong? Physically, I am, Terry calls me 'Stout'. I can help him lift most anything.

41. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Most exotic flavors

42. What are your favorite colors? What ever goes with my mood.

43. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? The extra 30 lbs. I gained since I married.

44. Who do you miss the most? Everybody being home at Mom and Dads before they married and left.

46 What color pants are you wearing? Black denim

47. Last thing you ate? Club Crackers

48. Favorite song? I heard the Bluebird Sing, a bluegrass song, sung at our wedding.

49. If you were a CRAYON what color would you be? yellow

50. Last person you talked to on the phone? Sister

51. Who controls the tempature in your car, you or your husband? I do mostly.

52. Favorite drink? Root Beer

53. Do you wear contacts? No

54. Favorite day of the year? Tomorrow - always looking forward

55. Endings happy or sad? Happy

56. Winter/summer? I like Spring and Fall best

57. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs

58 What is Your Favorite Dessert? Molasses crinkle cookies.

59. What Book(s) are you reading? Melody, by V.C. Andrews. Not keeping my interest though, too predictable.

60. What is on your mouse pad? Rain drops.

61. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? Didn't watch tv last night but right now the Dog Whisperer has my attention.

62. Favorite Smells? Outside-woodsmoke in winter. Inside-black cherry candles

63. Stones or Beatles? Beatles

64. What's the furthest you've been from home? Nassau and Jamacia.

This is while he was missing his two front teeth.

What are little boys made of?

Notice the head, shoulders and on the piano bench.

Just some pictures of little Becka. We took her in for shots and worming and she weighs 3 1/2 lbs at 4 months old.

Aunt Marge said she wanted to see some more pictures so I browsed my computer and found some that might be interesting. These are from the 70's and 80's.

We had a lovely Christmas Day dinner at Mom's house!

Mom was worried about it being too crowded and we did bump elbows somewhat but we all get along well with our neighbors so it was not that bad.

This is Great Grandpa with his great grandson.

They look like they are enjoying the day.

Almost looks like they tried to dress to match the kitchen.

She is still our favorite Mommy!

Aaawwwwwww........

Well, I have managed to simplify my life a little, I gave all the birds to LeAnne, my neice, and tonight I found someone to adopt Boogie, the little chihuahua that was peeing all over my house when he didn't have his diaper on. By tomorrow night I will be down to 3 pups left and that sure cuts down on the clean up time and effort. Hopefully those last 3 pups will be gone by the weekend.

Does any one besides me feel like the Christmas season is rushing by and there is no time to enjoy it? Terry ask me yesterday, " Is this what Christmas is supposed to be like?" We rushed home after church to stuff all the puppies in a cage and rush to the shop to meet a buyer. They took their time deciding but that was okay because they finally decided to take 2 instead of one. When they left we had to rush to Jasper to open presents with Terry's family. We rushed to WalMart to get dog food and some stuff for Terry's lunches this week and barely made it back in time to pick up the leftover pups at the shop, rush home to deposit the pups in the pen and rush out the door for church. It was our night to go caroling at the housing then back to church for a snack. We ate and left early to stop a Dad's so I could read my email. I was having trouble connecting at my house and this is a bad time for that when I have puppies advertised and customers wanting to email me. By the time we got home it felt like we had been gone for a week.

We got up at 8 this morning and I had to be to work at 9 so I just had a minute to drink my coffee and eat my donut holes, feed and water the dogs, clean out the puppy pen and kiss my husband goodbye at the door. He follows me out the driveway and we head to our seperate ends of town. I kinda like my job here at Bea's, I can just sit and do nothing most of the day and it's great. This was not my job of choice when I started here but it has turned out to be a lifesaver and not as bad a job as I thought.

So how about this weather? Some December, huh?

I took puppy pictures today of the puppies that will be for sale next week and just had to get on of little Becka too. She will be 4 months old on Christmas day and weighs just 2 1/2 lbs. Some of the puppies that are just 8 weeks old outweigh her by a whole pound!

I am at Bea's right now, looking for something to watch on TV. She has about 85 channels and I can't find a thing to watch. Maybe it could be because it is 10 minutes till 1 in the morning, you think? I had 2 cups of coffee for supper and they were not decaffinated. I have had a caffeine buzz for about 6 hours now. It's a wild ride too. I usually drink decaffinated coffee, I am not used to this!

The coyotes were just outside my window having a wild party, I thought I heard something on the TV but I muted it and I still heard it so I went to the back door to listen. I must have made too much noise because they quit and all is quiet now.

We sure do miss Sis while she is in Florida with Lois. She said she misses too, a little bit anyway. Lois said they might go somewhere and do something fun if she could just get them out of the pool long enough.

Today I went to Dad's to help him install his new printer and digital camera. That took us about 3 hours but we got it done. I think he will enjoy that camera if he can just remember all the steps to taking pictures and putting them on the computer. When I left there I had to go home and clean up 24 to 28 hours of puppy poop. For some reason I can't seem to get Terry to do that while I am gone. Go figure. The puppies were out of their little pen and into the big dog's pen and had been for a long time so it was a mess in there. When I got it cleaned up and locked them up in their pen again you would have thought I had locked them in prison. I was VERY loud in there until they wore them selves out and fell asleep. Ask Sarah, she called me during the melee and couldn't here herself think.

Well, it is after 1 in the morning now and I may be able to fall asleep now if I try real hard so I guess I'll give it a try.

Note to self: NEVER DRINK 2 CUPS OF COFFEE BEFORE BEDTIME AGAIN!!!!!!!