Wuwwied!

So, it should not come as a shock to most people to learn I have a morning routine.
Yep, same thing......every morning!

THIS morning, my schedule got interrupted, and I got worried!

Get up, let the dogs out. - CHECK!
Let the dogs in, feed them. - CHECK!
Check Facebook and text messages, respond appropriately. - CHECK!
Get ready for work. - CHECK
Let the dogs out. - CHECK!
Let the dogs in before I leave. - CHECK!
Kiss the hubby and head to work. - CHECK!
Txt with my friend Jen on the way to work. - well...i tried..... And this is where my morning went awry.

Yes, I must admit that I txt while I drive. Moving right along.....

Jen and I chat most of my way to work. She's already at work as she has a crazy job that requires her to be at work insanely early.

I sent her a txt. No reply.
Hummmmm. Wonder what's up with that.
I wait a bit, and send her an email. Again, NO reply.
Hummmm, this isn't like Jen.
I double check Facebook.....no am FB post from Jen..... OK, SUPER STRANGE!
I then turn up the radio as the daily "whats going on in the news" from the local Newspaper comes on.
No mention of an am accident.
I decide to check the website and see if there is a 'breaking news' story about an accident that might have been on Jen's way to work.
Nada.
OK.....PANIC mode!
I txt her BF. "Hay, have you talked to Jen this am?"
as he replies with "yeah, she's got a busy am at work, meetings I think" then replies with an "I'm OK, I'm at work".

WHEW!!
I had to concentrate on my breathing for a few minutes to get my heart rate back down to semi-normal.

I then relay to Jen all the crazy crap I'd done to try and find out why she wasn't replying and if she were hurt or not.
There was a minute or two there, I seriously thought about turning the car around and heading to her house to make sure she hadn't gotten hurt with her am feeding of the horses.
I then rationalized that the thing to do would be txt the BF, and if he hadn't talked to her, then I'd go into full panic mode and head to her place.

Well, fortunately for me the BF had talked to my friend, and saved the day by replying to my message.

So, folks, think twice about breaking your AM routines......you might just throw someone into a panic!!!
And what did Jen learn today? She's Lubbed, lots! :)

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear....

But the blaze faced sorrel gelding from our neighbors next door!

Nope, no joke.

We have dogs. Inside dogs, and outside dogs. We have deer that come to visit, making the outside dogs bark, bark, bark with excitement. They love to warn us when the 'killer deer' are in the horse pasture.

They started their ruckus at 5am. I elbowed DH and asked him to see what all the fuss was about. They were barking with more enthusiasm than usual. This was a "hay idiots there is something out here" bark. Not just a "I'm barking at the deer to drive you crazy" bark.

DH and I both looked out the window.

NADA.

I got up and let Tucker and Peetie out while he went to the back door for a look see.

"HORSE" he hollered.

"Ours?" I hollered back.

"Nope, neighbors" he replied.

GREAT!

We got dressed and proceeded to walk the little red critter back home.

DH held the critter while I proceeded to bang on the door.

I knocked. I huffed. I puffed. I was banging. I was pounding. Wood, glass, wood frame next to the door.
I even went around and tried the back door, which was 'plastic' with a metal frame. That thing made enough racket to wake the dead, I swear. But did the people inside wake up?
Heck no! I continued to bang.

I knocked with my knuckles. I knocked with my fist. I even smacked the door with an open palm. NADA!

I began to bang harder. I swear, I could have heard me knocking on my neighbors door from my bed inside my house. Did they wake? Heck no!

So, I put a little more elbow grease behind it and let it rip! I was smokin' now! Bang bang, bang bag, bangbangbangbangBANG!

What was that? Did I hear a bark from inside? I did! I started banging again! More barking!
"YES!!" I though, surely the barking dog will get someones attention.
And it did!

The little girl who owns the horse came to the door. Groggy eyed with wild hair going every direction she answered the door.
I explained that I was sorry to bother her but her horse got out and was at our back door.
She apologized many time and went inside to get a flashlight.
We walked the critter to his pen (keep in mind it's like pitch black out still) and found his pasture gate WIDE open.
Girlie insists it was closed and he must have figured out a way to open it.
Who am I to argue? I've been around horses long enough to know that if it is even remotely possible, it will happen if there is a horse involved.
We put the critter back in his pen and walked back home.

DH, back to bed.
Me? Not so much. It was 5:45 already and I had to be up in a few minutes anyway. If I went back to bed I'd still be sleeping right now instead of downing a Carmel Mocha Java Latte Caffeine Cup o' Joe and typing this mornings events.

I do hope that the rest of you had a more peaceful morning than I.

What a night! Errr, I mean Morning!

Have I mentioned that my Big, 80lb lap dog of a dog Tucker is a BIG baby when it comes to Thunderstorms? Well, if I haven't, he is. He hates them. He's torn up some things in the house, whines, pants, and just in general gets very worried and concerned.

Unbenounced to me, there were storms brewing when we went to bed last night. I, being wide awake was up for about 2 hours after my DH went to sleep. I woke up about 1:30 to heavy breathing, and a great deal of commotion in the bed. Keeping it 'G' rated people, get your minds outta the gutter. It was Tucker. He was upset.
I took a minute and listened and watched.......lightning, thunder, check. That's why Tucker is upset.
He settled down next to me and I commenced to rubbing his ears. Peetie was also upset, which was odd. To me, that was a dead give away that this was to be a pretty bad storm.
Grabbed the trusty phone and went to the radar on weather.com.
It. Was. nasty. Orange and Red all over the place. Thunderstorm Watch till 9am, Thunderstorm warning till 2:30am. That quickly changed to 3am, and then 3:30am.

There were various loud bangs and booms outside. And, at one point, I was pretty sure we lost a good size limb on the back side of the house. One more thing to pick up later, right?

Tucker would calm down, and then get upset again. About 2:30 Peetie decided he wanted to go out. And he was serious. When I got close to the door, I heard a scratching noise. The dogs in the back? Nope.....it was coming from the front door.
What to my sleep deprived eyes did appear, but the little mouthy terrier that we were watching for our M.I.A. neighbor.
I hollered to DH. "Hannah is at the door, soaking we. Do you want me to let her in?"
"Yeah" he rasped....."just grab a towel and dry her off".
And that is what I did. She was sitting on the porch (uncovered, by the way) soaking wet, shivering, looking up at me.......poor doggie.

So, enter new doggie. She was super hyper. Running through the house at mach 9, banking off the furniture and if we'd had a rug it would have been in a heap from her using it as traction to get another running go.

I went to let Peetie in, and took the time to peek outside and see what was going on. Rain, lots of puddles, dark....very dark. Except when the lightning illuminated the sky.
The limb that fell? Nope, not in the back, it was in the front. And, just for fun, it was laying over the fence. Or....was it?
Ummmmmm fence? Where is the fence? Where is the horse??? Ohhhh lordy!
3AM and I've got to search for a horse and fix a fence? UGH!
"DH, GET UP! We need to find a horse and fix a fence!"
DH - mumble grumble......grrrrrr
Dressed, grabbed flashlight and out we went in to the dark, rainy night to locate the horse and fix the fence.
We found the horse. Still in his pasture, thank goodness. What a good boy, respectful of the fence even when it's down!
Fixed the front half of the fence. And walked the rest of the fence. AT 3AM!
Drudged through the puddles, the muck, the sink holes I found while walking the fence line.
Had another horse MIA.......Walked his pasture and found him. Thank goodness. :)

It's now about 3:45 and I get back inside. DH? Back in BED! What?? I was out walking fence checking critters and he went back inside after fence fixing. Yay. At least he helped move the limb and fix the fence, right?

Now, I'm not the type of person who does well going back to bed after I've woken up when I won't get a full nights sleep. So...at about 4am when I needed up at 6? I got about an hours worth of sleep and was back at it.

It. Is. Going. To. Be. A. Long. LOng. LONG DAY!

PSA - Organizational Advice

For those that need a little help in the organization department......here is what I did to get my bills in 'order'.

I'm the bill payer in the house. If I left it up to my husband we'd be living in darkness every other month and getting collection phone calls out the wazooooh! So, I'd taken it upon my self to handle our bills.
I was good at it.
Everything was paid on time.
Then, "life" got busy.......My brain went on "life overload".....I thought I had it together but it didn't...... Let me explain.

We bought our house via OWNER FINANCE. We rented it for about a year before buying it. Our "mortgage company" is a very nice older couple who live about 9 miles from us, so most of the time I just run the payment over and drop it in their mailbox. Our mortgage is due on the 15th of the month. January 15th, 2011 came and went. I thought I paid it. We went out of town for my DH's grandpa's funeral.
While out of town our "mortgage company" calls, it was January 24th. They just wanted to check and make sure everything was alright. I told them well, not really, and explained where we were and why. They were understanding, and sympathetic, and said they just wanted to remind us about our payment.
MY JAW DROPPED. Payment? I put it in the mail. Right? I swear I did? Maybe?
I let them know that I was pretty sure I'd mailed it and would double check when I got home and apologized a million times before we hung up.
Wow.....what was happening? I forgot to pay a bill. That was SO not me.

I did, in a brief moment of....well.....during a brief lapse in judgement as DH to be responsible for the bills. I did a lot, it was the least he could do, right?
WRONG! I spent the entire month so worried about the bills getting paid I drove myself and him nutso! So, I took back over the following month.

I knew I needed a new system. but what? I googled different bill organization options......most seemed a bit more $$ than I was willing to part with for something I could almost make myself....
I found myself wandering around Wal-Mart (eeks!) the other other day, and came across a clearance section.
What did I find there?
One of those SMALL pocket calenders.....on sale...for a BUCK! YEP, $1.00. or, .100 cents!
The wheels and gears began spinning in my brain. Slowly at first, then the speed increased. I swore for a moment I smelled smoke!
This could work! This may be the solution to my bill organization conundrum!
I had, in the past, brushed these small, sorry excuses for 'planners' aside like yesterday's trash. They were too small, slight in stature.....the minute boxes in which they expected you to write each days activities were quite comical! But one item? One bill? genius!
I happily made my way to the register with my new found treasure, smile on my face, eyes a twinkle like Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. I purchased my prize, feeling like a cat who'd just eaten the Canary.
I could hardly wait until I got home to write down and organize my bills for the month.
And organize I did! This was last week........So Far, SO GOOD! I love it! No late bills, thus far, and it's so small I can just tuck it in the bag or purse and don't even notice it's there.

So, for those of you who are looking for a neat way to keep up with your bills, try it! Go find a mini calender/organizer and keep track of your bills!

March already?

Where in the heck does the time go?

I mean, just yesterday it was New Years....now we are in March.

This have been more downhill than up this year, I'm afraid. 3 people I was very close to have passed away already......1 in January, 2 in February.
My grandpa in law in January, and February it was my great grandmother, and then my step dad.

I've not known grandpa in law long, almost 4 years.....but I did know him long enough to know what a sweet, kind hearted man he was. He would tell you the same stories over and over again, every time he saw you. He always asked me about the 2 pennies he'd given me..... "you still got that money I gave ya" he'd ask, every time he came by the office or I talked to him on the phone.

My great-grandma and I weren't real close......it's hard to be close to someone when you live almost 2 THOUSAND miles away. BUT, my dh and I did get to see her when we went to NY for Thanksgiving. I'm so glad I did. She was bright, and alert....still living by herself at.....96 ( I think). She lived in an apartment complex for seniors. It was all self care, there was no one there taking care of her day in and day out. I'm so happy she could go that way......the alternative seems not so good.

My step dad. Oh boy, he was a character. He and my mom were not married too long.....7 years this year I think... (I'm bad with dates ) He had a great sense of humor, and fought cancer many times before it finally won in February. The Dr's have given him 30 days....he didn't even make it a week. My mom was devastated....still is. Just a month before that they had to put down their old dog, Max. Max was a Dalmatian/beagle mix. He was toooo cute for words. He had big beagle ears, but was about the size of a Dalmatian with small Dalmatian spots. I'm glad we got to meet Max too, when we went home for Thanksgiving. So now mom finds herself with out her canine companion, and without her partner.
I know it won't fix things.......only time will heal those wounds. BUT, on Saturday we are sending her a puppy. Yep, a puppy. She was talking about getting a puppy from a friend of hers, but wasn't really sure the breed was right for her. I mentioned that we had some lab puppies in the pound down here. She asked for pictures.....and then she fell in love with a chocolate lab mix with white markings on her chest and hind toes. Hershey is a pretty big puppy, and she is ALLLL PUPPY. She's been at our house since last week. We are trying to teach her some manners before she goes home to be mom's best friend. I told her the other day that she had a really big job to do when she got there. I told her she had to look after mom, and protect her, and keep her busy too. That's a tough job, but someones gotta do it. I think Hershey can handle it. She will love mom, and mom already loves her........

So....what will March bring? I'm hoping it brings better, happier things than January and February. If you are the praying kind, say a prayer from Mom and Hershey....that Hershey makes the journey well Saturday, and that the ache in Mom's heart will be eased by her new friend.

Hope all of you out there in blogger land are well......let's turn 2011 around, ok?

Greensburg, Ks - Tornado rescue!

I don't know what group/person this is....but they are doing a wonderful thing here. I couldn't help but pass this along!

The story begins with the rescuers finding this poor little guy they named Ralphie. Someone had already taken him under their wing but they weren't equipped to adopt.

Ralphie, scared and starved, joined his rescuers.

I wouldn't think anything could live thru this.... but we were wrong.

This little lady also survived that wreckage.

Here she is just placed in the car - scared, but safe.

and then..they are no longer alone!

Add two more beagles found after that .. the more, the merrier!

Oh boy, a new traveler to add to the mix.. (Note: the cat coming over the seat needing shelter...) Now just how is this going to work? (and remember they are all strange to one another)

It's going to work just fine, thank you very much!

Wow! The things we learn from our animal friends... If only all of mankind could learn such valuable lessons as this. Lessons of instant friendship. Of peace and harmony by way of respect for one another -- no matter one's color or creed. These animals tell you... "It's just good to be alive and with others." Yes, it surely is.

I don't like my medicine!

Sometimes, horses are like little kids....they don't like their medicine.

DH called me Saturday afternoon......he was complaining about whoever shot Skelly....he wished he could make THEM come deal with him.
Apparently he didn't want to stand still for his meds....not his oral meds...his topical meds.
We use Underwood's it's truly the best medicine on the planet!!

Skeletor hasn't been messed with much since he came to our place. I know, our fault.
We didn't have the place to work him till the end of 2009. We got a round pen. Then the weather got bad and...well...I know most of you can relate. We don't have any place covered to work our horses and we are at the mercy of the elements.
Skelly often times acts like a wild 2 yr old whose never been touched.
Apparently that's how he was acting Saturday when DH went to put his medicine on.

I told him to wait till I got home to help.
He said he got it done...
I said ok...I'll help you in the morning.....

Sunday am came and out we went to put Skelly's medicine on.
And the fight was on.
Guys don't always understand that 5 minutes of prepping can turn what might end up as a war into a small hissy fit.
DH had gone in with the 'just do it' (thanks Nike) attitude instead of the 'lets teach this little bugger something' attitude.
20 misn of squirting a spray bottle full of water on and around Skelly and he stood pretty well for his meds.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat Sunday PM and Monday am......what a good boy.....
Monday PM however.....a story all of it's own!