Frankie and Slim

Frankie and Slim
Happy New Year

Friday, November 29, 2013

HOMEWARD BOUND

It has been wonderful but all good things must end.  Today it is homeward bound to Slim, and the rest of my critters as I leave these critters that gave me such a loving welcome.
Hope wrote this on their television.
Met up with brother and sil for pizza.
Michael behaves himself in picture with Aunt Elaine.

I was shocked to see how much I have shrunk until I realized Michael was standing on his tip toes.
 
All kinds of turkeys:)
Beautiful family:)

Sunday, November 24, 2013

CATNESS CONFESSION

Grandson Michael (right with cat) and his friends want to take Catness back to college.
Most of you will remember when Catness was born.  We had a naming contest and from all the suggested names my granddaughter Hope chose Cube's suggestion. Anyway, as soon as Catness was able to be on her own, she disappeared, as my cat's often do.  

A new kitten was born on our place and it looked so much like Catness, I named it Catness II.  All was well on the home front and the family that had adjusted to Catness  being gone, accepted the replacement.  

One of our cat loving neighbors visited us and when he left, lo and behold, Catness was back.  She must have been living at their home and hitched a ride in his truck.  We rejoiced in her return...at first.  She returned a horrible and needy young cat.  Her mother David was not even very happy to see her.  Catness had been spoiled by the neighbor's granddaughter and expected the same from me and from Slim. 

Granddaughter Hope renamed the second kitten Cuteness.  Isn't that clever?  Anyway, back to the prodigal cat.

Catness was forever at the door and attempting to enter the house.  Definitely not allowed.   She would circle the house at night, crying loudly to come inside. She would appear out of nowhere at my feet when I walked around the property and try to trip me.  She climbed me like a tree when it was meal time and left scratch marks all over me.  Plus she would jump in the middle of the pan while I was carrying it and spill the food all over the barn floor. While Slim usually enjoyed the attention and playtime with cats, even she became annoyed by the forever pestering of Catness.  

When my grandson and his friends visited and wanted to take Catness back to school with them, I really wanted to let them have her, but they would have to hide her and could get in trouble for having a pet so I had to say no.

This past Thursday the neighbors drove over to bring me a light for my hen house.  We visited for a bit and when they got ready to leave, Catness hopped into their van.  They started to shoo her out but I insisted they take her back with them, so they did.  I know their granddaughter will be thrilled to see her and  if she misses us too much she can come in the morning with our cat Boomer who was born here a few years ago and moved to the neighbors but shows up for breakfast almost daily.


Okay, okay, truth be told, Slim and I both miss the little pest.

Friday, November 22, 2013

THE DIRTY DOZEN



I bought myself a Christmas present this week.  Actually ten Christmas presents.  Ten beautiful, large laying hens.  They are already hard at work and there is no waiting and wondering.  These girls know exactly what to do and perhaps they will influence the others to get to work.

It will always be a learning experience for me to raise chickens.  I started when Ron surprised me with a hen and six chicks.  I did not even know that I wanted chickens and certainly did not know what to do with them.  Three of the chicks did not survive and the other three turned out to be roosters, Claude, Hannah and Brittany. Theirs is a story on its own about how they came to be known as the Hole In The Wall Gang.  Meanwhile, here is another remembrance from my old blog of my second batch of chicks who were the Dirty Dozen.


October 24, 2004
SOGGY FEATHERS

Friday the chickens were out for a walk when a sudden rain storm hit. Ron and I were on the porch, dry and cozy but could see all twelve of my chicken-children huddling under the pickup truck. They wanted to get back to their house, but as soon as one would venture out it would return as quickly to the cover of the truck.

How could I help these young birds? Suddenly a light-bulb moment had me heading after my umbrella. Taking the point at the back end of the pickup and calling to my chickens, I ran toward the chicken house. Glancing back over my shoulder there were twelve wobbly young chicks following close behind me despite the pouring rain. Soon they were all safe and warm in their house. This human mother-hen emerged victorious. 

Ron met my return to the dry porch with his big ass grin as he had observed my entire performance in utter dismay. 

I have to tell you that this story is especially funny now (as I watched all of my chickens out in the rain yesterday) that I know chickens can and will stay out in the rain and I never needed to make that crazy run in the first place.  Of course Ron knew that:)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

JUST ICE

Entering a restaurant the hostess will inquire, "How many?"  You respond two or three, etc. and you are led to a table.  If you respond "One" the hostess will ALWAYS reply, "Just one?" in an accusatory tone. (I think we all know how Riot Kitty would handle this.)


My last Question Of The Week caused  heartinhand  to comment:   "I was once asked what I did for a living and I said 'I'm just a waitress.' The lady who asked said 'Oh honey, you're not JUST anything. Be proud of who you are!' I still try to remember that in times of insecurity."

I can remember saying "I am just a  housewife" when I was a stay at home mom, but I can never remember saying "I am just a banker" when I worked outside the home. 

This got me to thinking about the negative connotation the word "just" can bring with it.  Have you ever said "I am just....."

It is a bit of a cold word that seems to demean us in some way. Perhaps we should start a campaign to eliminate its use as an adverb:)

Sunday, November 17, 2013

A SUNDAY REMEMBRANCE

This is a post from my first blog SPONTANEOUS OVERFLOW OF A POWERFUL FEELING that ran from May 1, 2003 to February 10, 2005.  We lived in Kansas in a one room school house that Ron had remodeled and made into a cozy home.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

THE THRESHOLD OF AN EMOTIONAL OUTPOURING

Last night the chickens were put to bed. The door was closed and I told them all goodnight, I listened to them moving around trying to get the best roosting position. I listened to them whisper in their subdued clucking. It reminded me of girls at Camp Egan getting settled in their cabins. They were all accounted for and told “lights out”, but the rustling and jabbering continued. . I sat down outside the chicken coup to reflect and remember. Next I heard a flock of geese flying overhead. Soon the train chugged through my revere. This is my absolute favorite time of year in our Kansas home.

Today at church we sang congregation selections. They picked hymns out of the old hymnal and I blinked my watery eyes when we closed with WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER. If you every heard P.G. (My paternal grandfather) harmonize on this one, you would know right where I was coming from.

Now Ron is napping and I’ve been working in the kitchen cleaning up and peeling potatoes and making hummus and listening to bluegrass on Sirius cable TV. Our furnace is kicking on as the weather is growing colder and colder. I can hear needle tapping of the beginning of freezing rain. 


Thank you God for these framed moments to reminisce.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

THE LADY IS NO LADY


They arrived this beautiful, warm weekend.  I actually know a bunch of nature worshipers who opened their windows and invited the girls in.  I did not, but many got in the house anyway.  Lady Bugs, Lady Beetles, whatever you call them, they are annoying beyond belief.  If you don't know anything about them, you can read here and learn what happens this time every year.

Thankfully a freeze followed closely on this year's invasion and we may be through for this year.  Oh I know they are helpful for plants and kill aphids so please forgive me for wishing them away but I'm wearing my vacuum cleaner out trying to keep ahead of them.
Don't blink or you might miss seeing the arrival caught on my video surveillance camera.

Looks kind of pretty and harmless on the porch doesn't she?
Then she finds a way in and starts bringing her friends.
Did you have the pleasure of the company of these lovely ladies this year?

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

S.O.G.W.P.I.P

S.O.G.W.P.I.P stands for "Silly Old Grandma With Pictures In Purse".  

Not all seniors have grandchildren or even if they do, they might not carry pictures around.   

I had a dear friend who loved it when people began sharing family pictures.  She would grab her purse, pull out her wallet and proudly display a small photo.  

"Have you seen my pride and joy?"  she would ask with a delightful twinkle in her eye.  Then she would pass around this small picture.






"Allow me to show you my pride and joy!"

Monday, November 11, 2013

GIVE US A NAME

Question Of The Week 11-11-13

WHAT IS THE FIRST NAME OF MILITARY VETERANS YOU WOULD LIKE REMEMBERED?

Put his or her first names in the comment section and I will add them to this blog page as a way of saying thanks for their service.

"A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'  " ~ unknown

HONOR WALL
                                                     Ronald L.                                                   
                                                     James M.                                                  
                                                  Henry G.                                               
Martin M,
Mike L.
Paul V.
Juliette V.
Frank C.
Frank C. Jr.
David R.
Ralph C.
John L.
Douglas M.
Yancey M.
Buck J. 
Fred C. 
Joe K.
Jason B.
Leonard E. 
Alan B.
Mike
Alex
Joseph
Larry H.
Dale K.  
Walter C. WW1
Bill C. WW2 Korea
Michael C. Vietnam
Randy M. Vietnam
George B. WW2 Korea
Matthew M. Iraq
Gene O. Vietnam
Jeff C. Vietnam
Robert L. Vietnam
Tom K. Vietnam
Percy T.
Peter T.
Bill F.
Darcy W.
Frank S.
Jack H.
Dale B.
John N.
Paul W.
Robert C.
Jason M.
Gerald C. Vietnam
Darrel C. WW2
Averill C. WW2
Bill K. WW2 

William B 1813
Matthew G 1829
William M 1839
John N 1861
John Joseph Patrick D 1863
Andrew D
James D
Isaac John Joseph T
John T
Charles T
Alice T
James S
David H
Robert H

Wayne Tillitson. of Hopewell Junction Of Dutchess County NY
John Bear Of Albany NY.
 Joseph C.
 Waring H.
Buzz H.
Mary M.
Cody O.

Elwood C.
Don S.
Pat M.
Wayne M. 

 Rick
Kristie
Robbie
Cody

Bill H.
Glenn D 
Jack B.

THANKS TO EACH LISTED HERE AND 
ALL OUR VETERANS THIS DAY 
AND EVERY DAY!!!!

Saturday, November 09, 2013

HELLO AGAIN OTIS

This is not Otis.  This is Joyce:)
One of my new found friends from the church is Joyce.  This is her picture from the Halloween party.  No one recognized her in her hobo costume.  She used Vaseline and coffee grounds to make her beard.  You can tell that Joyce is a hoot. We learned that we only live a mile from each other.

Yesterday I went to her home for the first time (I thought) to pick Joyce up to take her to the senior center for lunch. 

Has anyone noticed that I talk about going to "the senior center" like I'm a visitor there? I am a member:) Hello, my name is Annie and I am a senior citizen.

Anyway, lo and behold, I had been to her home before.  Ron and I had been there together.  We had been there in 2006 when we first moved to this area and from that day forth, every time we drove by their home we would repeat these words, "Oh no Otis!". 

When Joyce got in the car, to make sure she had lived there at the time of the incident, I asked, "Did you ever have a dog named Otis?" Yes they did.  And the incident was related and remembered and she had her husband come out and we all recalled the story together and laughed and laughed about a time gone by that they certainly had never forgotten.  After all they had the clean up job. Later that day Joyce actually took me to the grave of Otis who died in 2011.

(click the link "Oh no Otis" above to read my blog post in 2006)

Monday, November 04, 2013

DEPARTING WARMTH

Question Of The Week 11-4-13

As we approach Winter months, reflect on this question:

What was your favorite thing 

to do 

during your summers 

as a kid?

Friday, November 01, 2013

I'M SORRY, SO SORRY....

Guess you could call me blunt or you could call me a bitch.  One employee at the bank told me she feared me for six months before she learned to love me.  Yikes!

My heart is good.  My thoughts are well intentioned.  But sometimes my mouth goeth before the fall. Sometimes I don't realize people don't want to know what I think.  Perhaps that is why my father tried and tried to emphasize that I should first "be a listener".  Perhaps I should realize I'm not in the workplace anymore and I need to lighten up.

There were times in my career when being a good guy was not the object of my mission.  Completing a task in a timely manner was the mission and success was to be the final outcome and while kindness was a good thing, taking time for too much kindness just didn't get the work done.  I was not a slave driver and certainly rewarded excellence but sometimes I left some chop in the waves.

Maybe I raised my children the same way.  They seem to forgive me. If anything they take after me.  Ron definitely forgave me.  Actually he applauded me.  When I read the plumber the riot act for trying to stiff us on more money for something he screwed up on, Ron winked at me and said "good job". It was like winning the Gold at the Olympics.

My bathroom floors are two weeks behind schedule but they will be completed today. The foreman has had many ailments that have slowed the progress and he was starting to complain again. I finally suggested he  hire a third helper to come and I knew a guy willing to work.    Suddenly the contractor got into action and this morning it is complete except for moving things back into place. You think maybe he didn't want to stretch the quoted fee any further?

Sometimes I think it also has to do with me being a woman who speaks up for herself, do you?


(Today is All Saints Day and obviously I will never make the list but thankfully I have known many who do and my life is blessed because of them.)