Christmas Morning

I hope on this morning you are with the folks you love and care about. I hope this day carries the magic and wonderment for you that it did when you were a child. I hope you remember the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas friends!

Christmas Vacation

Today was my first official vacation day. I'm off until January 5th. Lemme tell ya, I haven't had a vacation day since I started this new job back in May. I don't mean to sound like a whiner, but
dagnabit, I deserve some down time. I wonder how many days it will take before thoughts of my job will filter completely out.
So in celebration of my first day of vacation I woke up, ate some yogurt and promptly puked.
Then I took a nap. Woke up and ate some crackers and felt like I could make it out into the world. I hurried to the post office to mail a card and photobook to my grandma in Arizona. Of course there was a line out the door if you wanted to see an actual postal employee for assistance...lucky for me, I didn't! I went straight to the automatic postage machine to weigh my big envelope, pay for a stamp and chuck it in the bin. Ha ha, if only it had gone so smoothly. Nope, instead I went straight to the machine and stood behind a woman with a big "Arbonne" box full of packages that she was methodically getting postage for. I assume she also drove the car in the front row that had the big "Arbonne" sticker in the window. Sooo, ten minutes later she was done and the woman directly in front of me had a whole paper grocery bag full of large manilla envelopes. I sighed dramatically and waved around my lone envelope hoping the spirit of the season would inspire her to say, "Oh, you only have one envelope, please go ahead of me." But to no avail, I waited another ten minutes behind this clueless, self-absorbed postal patron. Little did she know I could puke in her grocery bag at any moment. After todays experience I am not a fan of Arbonne or going to the post office the week of Christmas.
After the postal situation, I went to the mother of all clusters...Wal-Mart. I only went to get a gift card for my brother and his wife because they grocery shop there and times are tough. So it was a noble cause. In fact I did a little grocery shopping while I was there..you know, kill two birds with one stone. Surprisingly, I zipped in and out and even had a friendly check out lady.
I made it back to my car just in time to drink the juice box I brought with me in case my blood sugar plunged since I horked up my breakfast.
At home I wrapped some presents and listened to holiday music...before I took another nap.
That's what vacation is for, plenty of naps.

Thursday night thoughts

I have big plans for this evening. First of all my husband is swinging by Rally's (Checker's to some of you) to pick up a greasy cheeseburger and seasoned fries for me on his way home. I intend to balance that out with a Diet Coke. Right. Then, at 8pm the John Mellencamp BIO will air. After that at 9pm the "Homeward Bound" 90 minute John Mellencamp documentary will air. I will be glued to the television all evening which is not typical of me. As you know though, I am a giant fan of the notoriously grouchy/mouthy rocker. I find depth and reflection in his lyrics...most of them. One song I could do without is "I need a lover." I think the intro is too long and I am sort of a feminist so the lyrics are a bit offensive. Just my opinion though..and you know what "they" say about opinions. This blog is named after his lyrics..Your Life is Now. It's a reflective song. I'm all about reflections tonight I guess...maybe I'll say it one more time.
Reflect. There, I said it.

* Just a side note: I finished watching the Mellencamp special. He sang an acoustic version of "I need a Lover" and changed the offensive lyrics...it was really enjoyable! *

This time of year, the holidays are a good time to reflect though. To consider what's important in our lives, what are our priorities? Especially in these hard times. With the new year just around the bend what will we do to make it a better year? See?...Time to reflect.

She's up to something...

"For whom the bell tolls...." I will tell you that there are some changes coming. Remember back in the early fall I said I could feel change coming but I just didn't know what it was yet. Well, now I know. You will know soon too. Doesn't that sound ominous? It's not really. Not ominous.
It's not one change, it's going to be a series of happenings. It makes me nervous and excited all at once. But I can't tell you yet because I don't have anyway of knowing who reads this blog and if the information got into the wrong hands before the appropriate time, well, that wouldn't be good.

So for now let's talk about the Turkey Day. On Thanksgiving Day my Boo and I went to his parents house for dinner. His lovely mom always cooks for an army even though only four people are eating. She got a new wedding band because her's had to be cut off her finger...she
outgrew it. I can't rememer how long they've been married but it's something like 40 years, she's due for a new band. She was so excited to show it off. The dinner was amazing as usual.

On Friday I did not go out shopping with the deal hunters. This is the first year I haven't gone since I don't know when. I just wasn't feeling it. There wasn't anything I needed.

Saturday Boo and I went and purchased a treadmill which is being delivered and set up on Friday. We're trying to be healthier. Or prevent bad health I guess. I figure a treadmill is less expensive than a heart attack in ten years. Right?
Meanwhile, I put my turkey in the oven for roasting. I tried something new this year, I brined it the night before. So I drained off the brine, rinsed the bird then stuck it in the oven. Several hours later my family showed up for dinner. We always have a good time and this year was no different. Boo and I have a Wii game system and everyone really enjoyed it. I hate video games, always have. But the Wii is different. It's great for all ages (they even have them in nursing homes!) and you have to be physically active to play it. For hours my family boxed, bowled and golfed in my living room. We sat down to a fantastic dinner, I cooked peas, corn and rolls in addition to the bird (which was so juicy and moist thanks to brining!) Mom made stuffing and mashed potatoes; my sister-in-law made green bean casserole, mac and cheese and cranerry cheesecake bars. I also contributed a homemade apple pie. Delish!
So glad we ordered the treadmill.
I'll keep you up to date on the big happenings, when the bell tolls, you'll be the first to know!

Observations this week

First, I want to share with you that I have a fresh zit smack dab in the middle of my upper lip. You know, the area between your nose and lip...the little dip right there has a magnificent pimple. I felt like every person I spoke to today was looking at it. It's like my zit was out talking to people all day instead of me. I don't typically get acne. Not even when I was a teenager, go ahead, send me hate mail.

Sunday morning I went out to the barn to visit my mare. Of course she and the other mares were in the farthest possible corner of the five acre field. I looped the lead rope over my neck with my scarf, dug around in my pockets for gloves and began the trek. I was actually grateful for the bit of exercise. It was cold but sunny and sunny trumps cold anytime in my book. If it had been cloudy and cold, I would've been curled up on my couch. Instead, Mother Nature was on my side. I reached the small herd of mares and called Dixie's name. She looked up and waited for me to get to her. I scruffed her heavy winter coat and spoke softly as I clipped the lead rope to her halter. Some of the other mares were getting nosy so I started leading her back toward the barn. We stopped halfway and she stood still while I gave her a good look-over. Her surgery site under her tail has healed completely and there were no signs of new growths, whew. Keep you fingers crossed. Slyly, I put my hand in my pocket and rustled the plastic wrappers of the peppermints that I brought for her. Ears pricked forward she began pushing her nose around my waist trying to find the goods. I had to take my gloves off to unwrap the candy. Her warm breath cut the cold as she lipped the treat into her mouth. She loves it when I stroke her just above her eyes, she gets all soft and doe-eyed when I do it. She's my beautiful mare and I feel like a kid everytime I throw my arms around her neck and bury my face in her coat. Satisfied that she was in good condition I unclipped the lead rope and told her to go on. She turned and cantered back to the mares. I started walking back to the barn and turned to look at her only to find that she was standing with her head up looking at me too.

Gordon is the old man that owns the barn and cares for the horses. He is a self described "Kiwi" because his native land is New Zealand. As I was coming back to the barn he was coming out of the house. We stood and talked awhile in the barn aisle. As a young man he was an exercise rider for racehorses in New Zealand, he tells stories of training them on the beaches there. Then he moved to the US and he and his daughter raised Arabians and competed in fox hunts. His daughter is in her forties now and is "out of horses" because of a riding accident she had. So Gordon runs the barn on his own. His wife mostly stays in the house while he putters away keeping the barn tidy. Twelve horses make their home there and he sees to it that they are in good condition and properly cared for. I would sleep in my mares stall, that's how clean it is. I don't know that I've ever actually seen poop in it. He cleans the water buckets every other day and the barn aisle is meticulously swept. They don't make 'em like Gordon anymore.

What do you really want to be?

It's Friday afternoon, thank goodness the weekend is here. I've been thinking lately about what I would do if I didn't have to work in corporate sales anymore. I have several ideas, not sure if any of them are realistic and so, friends, I ask you for your thoughts.
First, I could write. Probably try writing some fiction. I've already started writing my memoirs of my life thusfar. I can tell you that this blog really hasn't given you any insight into my past or the depth, perversion and weirdness of it all. My story might make for some interesting reading. A couple of you can vouch for that I know.
Or, I could develop my photography hobby into something. Maybe stock photos, maybe pet photography.
I'd really like to convert my passion for horses into a vocation but aside from lots of overhead costs of owning a boarding facility, I'm not sure what else might be an option. Please don't suggest selling insurance to horse people, no interest here.
Or maybe there's something out there I just haven't thought of yet.
How about y'all? Have you ever thought about what you'd really like to do for a living? If you feel like sharing your dream or passions, let loose! I'd love to hear what else other folks are thinking. I think we're in a very importent time right now in history and people are rethinking their priorities. What are your thoughts?

Sunday Morning

It's gray (or is it grey?) this morning in Indiana. And cold. Dang cold. Last week we had a little Indian Summer going on with a balmy 72 degrees. Now, it's about 40 degrees outside. It was the same way yesterday. Boo and I ran errands together yesterday. I like it when we run errands together on weekends because it's cozy and couple-y. I don't like it when we barely see/talk to each other because our work schedules keep us so busy that even when we're home we're both on our laptops. It starts feeling roommate-ish and less marriage-ish. I don't like that at all. I start getting all bitchy and mean and not feeling appreciated. Running errands together was nice.
Boo took off this morning to his parents house in southern Indiana. They need help picking out a new computer and setting it up and since Boo is a computer dude, he's the guy for the job. He's also the guy who is going to move some furniture around for his mom while he's there. That means I'm solo today. All day long on a cold cloudy Sunday. I need to go buy some new underwear and deoderant but I don't really want to leave the house. I should also go see my horse but she's at a barn 30 minutes away and I'm a cold weather weenie. She'd rather be in the field with the other mares anyway, right? I'd probably just cramp her style.
My faithful dogs are with me right now. Mya is curled up on the couch right next to me and Farley is stretched out on the rug snoozing. They are sleeping soundly but mark my words, if I sneaked off the couch and tried to go down the hall to the bathroom, they'd be on alert and escorting me all the way there. Then, since Boo isn't home, I'd leave the door to the bathroom open and they'd sit there and stare at me. There's nothing like having an audience. Mya might even come in and put her paws up on my knees wanting a pet on the head. After the flush, we'd all shuffle back into the living room and resume our places. Thank goodness for my dogs, I don't know how I walk around the house without them.
Maybe I'll take a little snooze too...then decide what to do with the day.

Toes in the sand

Hey "team!" This morning we are going to "push beyond limits" and "raise the bar!" No no no...we're not going to do any of that this morning I think that was just the leftover corporate motivational jargon in my head.
W.O.W, Tuesday night after dinner at a beachside restaurant in Huntington beach I did indeed dip my toes in the Pacific for you! It was a lovely evening of great food, great wine (I had one glass, some folks had much more!) and then some of us headed out to the beach even though it was ten pm. I rolled up my pant legs, flip flops in hand, ran down the beach to the surf...and it wasn't as cold as I thought it would be. Cold, but not intolerable. The sky was deep and clear and a few stars winked out of the darkness. On the horizon I could see lights coming from the yahts that were anchored way out in the deeper water. I wrote my name in the sand with my big toe and watched the tide roll in and sweep it away. The sand was chilly but soft and white as I burrowed my toes in. I am always humbled by the power of the ocean and the surge of its waves. I just stayed still for a few moments and took in the moment. I felt very blessed.

Palm trees or conference room?

Hey y'all, I'm leaving for a few days. In fact, I'll be gone the better part of the week. Actually I'll be back late Thursday night just in time for the best part of the week, the weekend. I've got a big whoopdeedoo national sales conference with my company out in California. My plane leaves tonight at 5pm and I know I'm going to be bushed in the morning being on west coast time. It's my hope that I'll get to see some palm trees and ocean while I'm out there and not just the inside of the convention center. Whatever I see though, you'll see because I'm taking my point and shoot camera. So, have a great week and I'll post next weekend.

I heart Horses

I love my mare. I wanted a horse so badly when I was a kid. I begged my parents everyday. I talked about horses constantly, in school, at home, at my friends houses, in the car, to myself. I'm sure I was known as the dorky horse girl to the kids at school. Whatever, we all have to have a passion, right? When I was four years old Santa left a little brown stuffed horse under the tree. She was not really bay and not really chestnut, but brown with a dark brown mane and tail. She was in a laying down position with each back leg tucked unnaturally on each each side and her front legs straight out. I named her Sugar and I still have her. She's snuggled away in my cedar chest. Sugar lit the flame of a lifelong blaze in my heart for horses. My parents never bought a horse for me. That's okay, I'm not traumatized, I simply bought one for myself when I graduated from college. I had an apartment and there was a barn down the street where I could board one. Long story short, I went through three geldings before I found the mare I currently have. The geldings were okay, but there were various reasons they didn't work out besides the fact that I discovered that I don't bond well with them. When I saw my mare the first time, we had an instant connection. We still do, and it deepens with time. I'm still the dorky horse girl and folks who aren't horse people might think it's strange to have such a bond with an animal. But I've never felt that I had to apologize for my love of horses. Some people don't get it, some do.

This time of year is fantastic for riding. My mare and I rode through the fields last Sunday enjoying the sunshine and crisp weather. All the crops have been brought in and the fields looked so inviting. We wandered along the edge of the fields for about two hours. No people, no houses. Just wheat colored fields and deep blue sky. The clouds in an autumn blue sky are always puffier with just a tinge of dark gray making them look more animated than other seasonal clouds. I breathed deep and closed my eyes so many times tilting my face to the sky. My mare was mostly on auto pilot. Her steady gait beat out a cadence that was soothing and rhythmic. She carries me effortlessly leaving me the luxury to be inspired and daydreamy. She loves rides like this too.

After our ride I wanted to capture it forever. I snapped a few shots of my mare back at the barn and thought I'd share a few.

Update and Apple Pie

Greetings on this Tuesday night. I just got home from Photoshop class...I think I know enough to be dangerous. I'll post some of my handiwork another time. In other news, my ex-husbands girlfriend emailed me back with useless information. Basically the transaction was handled over the phone and she doesn't have record of his phone number, can't remember his name, but knows he lives on the westside. The registration papers had a pre-signed transfer form with them (I forgot that was there.) So until he transfers the mare into his name I probably won't find my mare. Thank you all for your concern, if anything new transpires, I'll be sure to let you know.

Well, as you know this is not a cooking blog, nor a baking blog or even a pastry chef blog. But last fall I encountered the most sinful apple pie I've ever put my lips on. I wrangled the recipe out of this womans hands, after knocking her down and rolling down a steep incline and pulling her hair...oh well...I'm going to share this great recipe with you. I recently baked this glorious bit of heaven and even took photos. So, off we go...

Here is what you'll need to bake Apple Crumb Pie (It's the "crumb" that makes it extra special)

4 large tart apples (I used Granny Smith's)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

another 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

And a recipe for Pie Crust (I'll give you my recipe at the end)

So first, you need to pare your apples, cut into eighths and arrange in a 9inch pastry-lined pie pan.

Then mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples. Now, here's where the magic starts to happen...

Sift 1/2 cup sugar (the other one) with the flour, cut the butter in until it's all crumbly.

Now sprinkle the crumblies all over the apples. This is the reason for the season, the big cheese, the bees knees...the crumblies are the key to this creation. For you underacheivers out there, this could be a stopping point and you could pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

But I really really really love pie crust. Seriously, I love it. So I add lattice to the top of my pie. Lattice, not lettuce. Please.

By the way, my dog really really likes apples...or anything else that falls off the kitchen counter.

Oh, I forgot, I put lattice on one and a full top crust on the other, with fancy schmancy autumn leaf cut outs. That was a big deal for me...I felt like I should win a ribbon for knowing how to do that. I just used a christmas cookie cutter, it's actually a holly leaf cutter, but they sell the autumn shaped ones at places like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. So, be careful not to burn your top crusts, watch and when they are golden brown, pull those puppies out of the oven...and put on the vintage apron that you bought at a garage sale for your finished photo...

The recipe for the crust is easy...

For a double crust 9 inch pie: 1 and 1/2 cups sifted flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup shortening (I like butter flavor crisco) and 4-5 tablespoons cold water.

Sift flour and salt, cut in shortening until size of peas. Mix in water with fork until consistency to roll out. There, easy squeezy.

So go forth to your local apple orchards and bake something from scratch.

Whew, heavy.

Well, I really must apologize for my previous post. I will admit to you though that I'm quite a light weight when it comes to drinking. Last nights drunken blog was the result of three beers. Yep, three. And I truly am having problems with my "b" key. I have to push it extra hard to be sure it works. Also, I assure you that my sober husband drove me home last night. I don't drink very often and I think he finds it amusing when I do.
Anyway, I have an annoying addiction right now. I compulsively shop for homes on the "Mibor.com" website. I want to live in the country so badly that I drive myself crazy surfing around looking at online listings. It's like a hamster on a wheel, determined to actually get somewhere new, but finds itself running in place getting nowhere. I seem to be standing on the edge of discontent all the time and I feel like I've felt like this as long as I can remember, even as a kid. I always daydream of the future and the "what ifs" without really living in and enjoying the present. I have a hunch that mindset contributes greatly to my discontent. My mind is always looking down the road trying to see around the bend. Meanwhile I'm probably missing the important moments in a blur like trying to look at flowers on the side of the road when you're driving too fast. It's impossible to focus on the flowers and the road in front of you. Focus. I should try that too. Finding someplace to put my focus besides a future that will be just as fuzzy to me when I get there as the present feels right now. I was talking with Boo this evening about my discontent and how I need to figure out how to make myself happy. This is where some people go wrong, they look outside of themselves for happiness. They think their spouse or kids should make them happy. They think material possessions will make them happy. I am aware that happiness is someplace inside of myself, I just need to bring it out. My Boo is very sweet, he says," let me know if there's anyway I can help." I tell ya, that simple sentence is enough, just knowing I have his support is enough...he doesn't need to do anything.
So, I am on a journey within myself to find the happiness that I've been searching for.

I can't even think of a title for this.

Hey folks. I am at a loss. Literally. I had a beautiful miniature horse named Stouts Bluemoon. When I left my ex husband a few years ago I took her and my big mare with me. I boarded them both and got to be a little costly for a single girl. So, since my big mare had plenty of company at the stable, I loaned the mini back to my ex so his gelding wouldn't be all alone. I told him if his gelding died or he didn't want her anymore, I want her back. I want her back. Something to note, my ex husband has traumatic brain injury from a car accident, so he can't remember much. So, I told his whole family and some of our friends that I wanted her back eventually, when he no longer needed/wanted her.

Fast forward to last week. I went to the tack store and they told me that he gave her away. He and his live in girlfriend (with whom he just had a poor innocent baby) decided they could no longer afford to feed her and so they posted her on the, get this, effing Walmart classifieds website. Now, here's the beauty of his logic, he couldn't afford to feed the mini, but he kept his big gelding. Go effing figure. So now I have been waxing and waning back and forth about whether I should actually try to get her back or just cut my losses and move on. The thing is, they guy who apparently took her said he was going to breed her. When I acquired her she was in foal but she lost the foal because she couldn't push it out on her own and it was dead by the time we got it out. They both almost died. So, I'm afraid for her. I feel like I abandoned her. I wanted to protect her and make sure she didn't get bred again ever. Now I've failed her. I have called around, I even called my ex husbands stupid girlfriend to see if she had any contact info from the guy. As it stands now, she's supposed to forward me the email...if she can find it. She made it sound like it was going to be a big pain in the ass. Whatever. I also called the previous owner whose name is on the registration papers to inform her of what happened and not to authorize a registration transfer. She is totally on board. We're in a "wait and see" mode. So, I guess I've been waxing more than waning.

Horses, it seems like heartache is always around the corner.

Change is in the air

I feel like I am ready to climb the walls. I want to go through the house and throw everything away. Go through my closet and throw everything out. Take everything off the walls and enjoy the emptiness. We just had some of the rooms in our house painted so most of the stuff is off the walls anyway. It feels fresh. This time of year is typically when really big changes have happened in my life...I guess I'm waiting for something to change. Of course it's "back to school" season and that was always exciting for me no matter what age I was...elementary, high school, college...I love going back to school. I happen to be in a Photoshop class right now. So, that's nice...I love to take classes. Then, it seems most of my relationships have begun or crashed in a firey demise around this time of year. I left my ex-husband on October 1st 2004. My parents seperated and divorced in the fall. I move in the fall (I've moved on average once a year for the past ten years...no joke.) I got remarried last October 6th. Sometimes I change jobs in the fall. Yep, anything major in my life seems to occur in the fall. I'm not sure what, if anything is changing this fall. But I've got the itch. Something should be changing, I just can't figure out what it is yet.

Just a hunch?

I know, I know, I know....I was posting practically everyday then, BAM! Nothing. I probably should've been blogging this whole time though...I think it's a great way to vent. For the past week or so I've been completely covered up with my job. Basically 12 hour days, everyday. I even worked last Sunday. The sad thing is, my office is at my house...the house is falling down around me while I am working for a company that really doesn't give a hoot about me as a person. When I took this job one of the first doctors I met said, "Start your own business, it's the only way you'll make any money." Hmmm....my wheels start turning.

Then today, I was sitting in a doctors office forever while I waited for a signature so I read an article in Womens Day about trusting your intuition. The article said that instead of making decisions based on outside circumstances, the judgement of others, and even societal norms, you should trust you instincts. Go with your gut. Trust your own innate ability to know the truth about somebody, something or a situation. I am putting this mostly into my own words, but you get the jist. They had a few examples of women who have changed their lives based on the choices they made based on a feeling. One woman became a best selling novelist, one woman didn't trust a doctors assessment and insisted on a mammogram, etc. It's the August issue..try to find it.
We all have this ability. Everyone of us has a little voice in our head that says, "this is wrong, don't do it," or "go for it, this is perfect for you." Or instead of a voice, it's just a feeling. I try to follow the "doubt means don't" philosophy. If you have any doubts, you probably shouldn't do it.
If you have to force something to happen, maybe it's not really supposed to happen.
Maybe there's a constant gnawing in the back of your mind that you're in the wrong situation and you really should be spending your life doing something that means something to you. I think some people are content to work their whole lives in a proverbial cubicle for the man. Some people require more to satisfy their soul. I require more.

The New Dock

Friday night I loaded the dogs into the Honda CRV along with my husband and all our gear. Not only did we pack our regular "going to the lake" luggage, but we had to bring every conceivable tool that he might need to build a dock. Each male family member was required to show up with a power drill and enough stamina to build the new dock from start to finish in one day. I showed up with my camera. The guys built the new dock over at another cabin because they have a flat yard. Our cabin sits

way up on a a very steep hill. They figured this would be a more ideal location. This is how the dock began...My brother is attaching the floatation dealies. Once the floaters are attached, they have to flip the whole thing over to begin putting the decking in place. They are so manly.Here's my Boo and stepdad securing the bracing.The decking process begins.The guys are hammering the final board in place. Yay!The three manly men are trying to push that big ol thing into the water....
Turns out they needed to implement a little girl power.Look at that! It's in the water! It floats!My Boo and brother put a boat motor on it so they could "drive" it over to it's new home in from of our cabin. I think they look like Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer floating down the Mississippi. Right?Here she is at her new home. She will connect to the steps with a ten foot gangplank. This dock will serve many years at our cabin. She will rise and fall with the lake level, weather many season changes, feel the pitter pat of tiny feet, serve as a launch pad for our dogs as we throw sticks for them to fetch, patiently watch future children learn to swim and lie in silent counsel for moments of much needed retreat. Built with love for the enjoyment of the whole family.

The Old Dock

Here's the old dock at the lake. You can see that it's in pretty bad repair. And what in tarnation is that ugly green thing? Well, that my friends is my grandpas answer to a "boathouse." It has always looked incredibly out of place, an eyesore if you will. My grandpa didn't give a hoot about appearances. Practicality and functionality was his concern. Oh, and frugal...he was frugal. The man was an optometrist, I suppose he probably did pretty well financially, but you would never know it. He never felt that he needed to keep up with the Jones' or any other family that lived beyond their means. So, this is our old dock. It's gone now...we tore it out. I thought I'd share some photos of the demolition....





The guys are cleaning out the dock box, where motors and batteries are stored. Apparently it is also a shelter house for single mouse mothers (say that ten times fast). We found a mother mouse and three babies. She was evicted.

Here she is on the steps looking down at one of the babies. They eventually scampered off into the woods.That's my Boo wrestling a post in the water. My stepdad and brother look like they're taking a break, don't they?
Farewell old dock. Good ridance green thing. The new dock will be constructed this weekend, stay tuned for pics.

The Lake

We went to the lake two weekends ago to tear out the old dock. We are going back to the lake this weekend to build the new dock. One of my favorite things to do is scoot out of the cabin early in the morning to enjoy and observe the peace and quiet that I can only find there. Come take a morning walk with me...

My grandpa built this cabin 50 years ago. It sits on a small lake with some other cabins. It is the only remaining place from my childhood that I can still go to. It's not fancy but so many memories live there and so many more are waiting to be made.

Here she is!

There's my mare! She came home from Purdue and is slowly healing from surgery. She's just hanging out in the pasture in her fly mask. They removed the tumor with a CO2 laser and kept her in the large animal hospital for three weeks. A student called me everyday to tell me her progress. I am so glad to have her home.
Here she is hanging with her girls. All the boys are over in the other field. They flirt with her. And she teases them. They find her fly mask very mysterious and intriguing. Probably because
the other girls aren't wearing one. That's my girl, she's a horse of a different color, literally and figuratively. Yay Dixie! Welcome home!

Can't wait

I've been anticipating this morning all week. My Boo and I got to sleep in, in fact, he's still asleep. We are going to pack up, load the car, throw the dogs in and head out to the sticks for a nice relaxing weekend. We're going to the lake to hang around and be lazy. Today is also my mom's 50th birthday and Monday is Boo's birthday. I plan to sit on the screened porch at the cabin overlooking the lake and read, nap, chatter and go for walks with my camera. Boo plans to sit on the screened porch, drink some beer, play cards and eat. All in all, it will be a well deserved break from the grind. Oh, the dogs plan to swim in the lake, go for walks with me and my camera and sleep on the screened porch.
Hope your Labor Day holiday is everything you're hoping for, talk to you when I return.

Indiana State Fair

The entrance to the Indiana State Fair, home
of fried Twinkies, Snickers and new this year, Fried Pepsi. Don't even ask, I didn't try it and I didn't see any of it either, so I can't begin to describe what this concoction might be.








This little boy looks like he's never seen a cow before. Yes, even here among the corn fields and soybeans there are real people who've never experienced livestock. Which I find incredibly hard to believe.







This little girl, wearing her Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader outfit, upstaged the clown band and danced like nobody was watching.
But everybody was. The band had to start interacting with her to regain some of the spotlight.


Then there was this in the midway.....





Isn't that freakin' hilarious?! Nuns on the midway! Trying their hands at some games of chance to win giant bears and goldfish. I hope that Carnie treated them right, Lord help him if he didn't.
I tried to be discreet with my camera, but they must have known how out of place they looked.
I suppose the midway would probably be a good spot for some good olde fashioned ministry. Lot's of seedy business going on there. Maybe they were there to pray with people before they got on one of those death traps, uh, er, I mean carnival rides. Tilt-a-whirl anyone?