A Post in 3D: with Dirt, Dirt and Dirt

Hay eddybuddy - member us? (I'm Taya, the purdy one onna left, and the grumpee one onna right is Lady). Mom sed that she wuz goin in Sane with Crazy Busy (I don't know who her friend Crazy is, but I think Sane is a store or somethin') an that she wood bee back soon. Maybe if me an' Lady does a good job wif our post she will bring us back a treat. Yum! U no what else? Mom forgot to 'splain about the spill check thing again so we still dont no what that is yet. Sillee mom, rite?

Mom did asked us to remind u guys about the Goodsearch and Goodshop place coz of doe nations an also too tell u that she is workin' hard on the Etsy shop an' that she only has a little bit of stuffs in their so far, but u should visit it 'cause she uses the monee to feed us. I know its green an stuff, but I don't think monee tastes very good. Maybe its like a veggable or somethin'.

She also sed that if u are shoppin' for presents and stuffs ('specially for furballs) pleas visit her friends at EFA on Etsy. They makes lotsa awesome stuffs for the good causes. Mom sed we are her favrit cause, but I think she did not finish her sentence since she didnt tell me cause why. My birfday is in March an I will be 7 yearz old so if you wanna buy me a present you can (I likes apples). I gots 'cited about the EFA 'cause I thought that EFA meaned Eat-Five-Apples, and I LOVES apples almost as much as watermellins :o) But Mom sed nope, it means Etsy-for-Animals and they gives monee to lotsa differnt chair-tees all the time. I guess thats prolly 'portant, but I'd rather havva apple.
I gotta go, 'cause Mom is callin us for breakstast, an' I'm hungry. Lady sed she's still not speakin' atall cause she's still mad about her pitcher makin' her look all ginormous big. Mom called her a Chunky Monkey, but I think Lady is a big fat partee pooper, but Mom sed thats knot nice so I was just a little bit sorry. Have a sooper day eddybuddy!

Dramamamas, Digital Dreams and the Call of Duty

Have you ever noticed how many strange meanings are attached to words in English? I do, but that's probably because I spend so much time explaining such things to deaf children (including DD). We'll start with the "dirt" on Sarabear (a.k.a. the latest, the skinny, yadda yadda). I think half the time (maybe more) I totally forget to report back on some of the stuff I talk about here.
Gee, I was going to add to that, but I forgot what I was going to say... Do y'all have that problem? (I think it's called AAADD or Age-Activated ADD). Ha. I am deliriously happy to report that SmartPak's SmartBreathe Pellets worked. Sarabear ate them easily (which was a big worry) and even better? Her cough has disappeared completely - hooray! I tried to take a picture that was close enough you could see what the pellets looked like; I'm not a big fan of powder, as it tends to slip through the feed no matter where you put it. SmartPak is apparently trying to convert a number of their supplements to pellet form, which is awesome (click here to visit their site). For those of you who are dog owners, they also offer a great selection of supplements for canines (click here). No cats though (my apologies to Banjo and Sparkle, et.al.).

Took a trip to visit my bestest galpal, Sandy, which is part of the reason this post was seriously tardy. Can't tell you ahead of time, as it's not the brightest idea to post to the world you won't be home for a day or two. Is this not the cutest little bunny? I think Sandy said she found him when he was itty bitty, and hand fed him (and do I remember? Nope. *bangs head on desk*) So anyway, I had an absolute blast at her house (and don't I always?) I'll have some photos for you next time - although my camera battery died, so I didn't take as many as I wanted to. Forgot the charger at home. *snarl* Can you believe it? Of course you can; hardly a shocker. *sigh*
Speaking of such mental moments, I don't normally post videos from YouTube but I just couldn't resist this one in case I'm not the only who missed it (click here to watch it if you are an email friend):

It's like looking in a mirror, I'm telling ya.... Yeesh.

I've been spending my evenings hooking, and oh my doesn't that sound dirty. (Aha! There's another meaning). I joined Ravelry to confirm the fact that I am indeed a Duly Dedicated Dodobrain (another 3D reference for you ;o) After all, do I need anything else to do? Probably not. And do I need to expose myself (Ha. Another "dirty" sounding statement) to a site that contains thousands of free crochet patterns? Noooo, I most certainly do not, which made it absolutely irresistible. I'm under "EpicFarms" of course, and have no friends as yet (how sad). So if you're into crocheting or knitting, leave a comment here or look me up on Ravelry. I could use a friend or two.

The third and final meaning of the word dirt I'm going to talk about today is the one in the literal sense. We finally got some dirt for the pasture. Hooray!! Apparently, my concerns about The Girls' reaction to a monster dump truck invading their territory were groundless (hee). I was mostly sure that as long as I was out there with them, they wouldn't be too terrified (those things make an awful racket) but you never know; it only takes one horse to create a panic. I'm sayin' we all stayed pretty calm. You think?:

The Girls looked at me several times for confirmation that all was well, but other than that we just stood around, spectated, and snuffled at bits of dropped dirt (well, I didn't but they did ;o) Isn't that photo funny?

Bella was a bit mifffed by the humongous pile of dirt blocking her path to the hay pile. She actually turned around and looked at me, expecting me to move it out of her way. My "go around it, silly" response was distinctly unappreciated (but she did).

Lady had the same thought when she arrived at the pile we put by the hill leading down to the stalls and water trough:

Horses are what I would call OCD/COH (obsessively compulsive definitive creatures of habit) which was a contributing factor to all that erosion we had. Walking the same exact path every day created distinct trails, which were slightly lower than the rest of the ground. Since the pasture is on an incline, that's where the rainwater always went washing down (taking more and more dirt with it each time). The repeated combination of extreme droughts and "gully washers" over time made a heck of a mess with ruts everywhere. On top of that, we had a uber evil mole that tunneled all over the place and after a certain amount of topsoil was gone, they collapsed making an even bigger mess. We have a couple more loads coming this week (because the 3 loads we got didn't go as far as we'd hoped), and then we'll have to wait awhile for the rest. Stupid as it sounds, dirt is expensive :oP 

Sarabear did offer to help us spread it out though; wasn't that nice?

That's enough for now, I suppose. I've got to go work on the patio/visitor area - we're finally making some progress there too (and hot diggity dog! :-D Have a big horsey hug and a marvelous week everyone! (what's left of it anyway - Oy).

"T" is for two...

To say that the natives are getting restless would be a definite understatement. More like the proverbial angry mob. For whatever reason, our spring break is much later than usual this year and everyone is sick. Sick of school, sick of schoolwork, and sick of each other. Tempers are in short supply, and sixth grade girl drama is at all time ridiculous high. I feel as though I have spent the week in the trenches for a Hollywood tabloid more than an elementary school. The phrase, "So and so is ruining my life!" coupled with shouting matches, shrieking hysteria and boatloads of tears have cropped up almost as many times as the political phone calls this week. I'm telling you; it's enough to send a grown woman into hiding under the first available desk. Between the two I'm just about ready for the loony bin. Even the normally level-headed kids have gone 'round the bend. Help!

Perhaps this is apropos, as it puts me in an appreciative frame of mind for jury duty next week. Criminals? Bring 'em. I'm ready to hang out in a saner, more peaceful environment. *sigh*

Not long ago, I stumbled across an interesting post (on a blog I can't remember the name or location of) about a handy little site called Clipix. Filed the information away to scope it out later, then forgot all about it. Big surprise there. Well. Finally remembered it, managed to check it out, and I love it! Although I did the Pinterest thing, I didn't really care about another community deal and sharing stuff with the world so much as keeping track of it for me and that's the whole point of Clipix. Too bad I didn't clip that blog - then I'd know just where to find it. I've been using it mostly to collect horse articles, free crochet patterns and craft links. You can choose the display photo for your board from whatever pictures are on the site page, which lets me use a shot of the finished project and makes patterns a million times easier to sort through. Yay.
At the moment, I'm all over headbands. I wound up altering one of the headband patterns I liked and then splicing my favorite flower from the 101 crocheted embellishments book. What do you think? Cute? It has a tie, so it's nice and adjustable. Here's a link to the  pattern I used; it's from the Crochet and Crafts blog (don't forget I changed it slightly though!) I'm working on a different headband for infants; I'll let you know how that one turns out. I'm still looking for just the right flower pattern. Picky. Picky.
P.S. No stuffed animals were harmed in the shooting of this photo (Thanks for modeling it there, Nala ;o)

I also signed up for Shutterfly this week - the offer of 50 free prints was irresistible. Of course now I'm uploading like crazy and agonizing over which digital prints to order - I only have 30 days. So many choices, so little time....eek.
DD finished a little storage unit for one of the teachers at school this week and brought it. It was to replace a rickety old metal cart full of brightly colored drawers that was ready to collapse at any given moment. Since there was nothing wrong with the drawers, the teacher asked DD if she could make her something that would hold them, and this is what she made. Did a good job, didn't she? Not the best photo though; I think the camera lens on my cell phone could use a good cleaning. Meh.
On the day she delivered it, she got stopped on the way home by the local police. She had left a few minutes before me, and although I saw the flashing lights I didn't see who it was that Johnny Law stopped until I had already gone by (there was a big truck in the other lane blocking my view). Awful feeling to see DD's snappy little red pickup pulled over in the rearview; gave me heart palpitations, let me tell you. With nightmare visions of a $500 speeding ticket (and other such awful thoughts), I went back to make sure everything was okay.

Being careful to stop where I was easily seen on the opposite side of the median, I asked the policeman if he needed me to interpret anything. Now color me paranoid, but many misunderstandings have happened between deaf drivers and police; most do not end well (like the teenage boy who got shot because he went to get a notepad out of the glove compartment and could not hear the cop yelling at him to freeze). Now DD has great speech, but you just never know. Anyway, are you ready for this one? Must've been some bored cop. She was pulled over for driving too slowly. Yep. He wrote her a warning for doing 50 in the left lane of a 65 mph zone. The fact that there was a yellow intersection sign nearby with 45mph on it didn't seem to be an issue for him. Go figure. No ticket though, whew!!

Last but not least, was the almost jail break bright and early this morning. Thankfully, I was still outside waiting for the boys to finish eating and playing with the camera. I heard the pop and clank of chain and the subsequent squeal of the girls' gate swinging wide. Right on the heels of that were two very loud simultaneous whinnies emitted by Rina and Bella. I turned around to see both girls eyeballing Taya like an adult would an incorrigible child. Sometimes it doesn't take any thinking at all to translate horse speak: "MOM, Taya opened the gate!" in stereo. So funny; of course that's only because they didn't actually venture out. Yet again, I say "Whew!"

Little Miss Tootie Patootie looked completely crestfallen when I closed the gate back and wrapped the chain around the post so wouldn't be able to open it again. Just look at that pitiful expression (the heifer).

Oh my, I think I've talked too much this time. If you actually read this entire post, thank you (and have an appreciative hug). I'm so glad you stayed with me to the end. Éirinn go brách to those with Irish in their blood; have a blessed week everyone! :o)

Squishyishy on Sunday

...and T is for trouble (and let's just make that a capital T, shall we?) I had a nice little visit with my friend Sandy the other day on the way home from my workshop. Somewhere amid all of our catch-up chatter, she mentioned that she was in the process of leasing a booth at an area antique mall. Well you know how much I love poking around piles of stuff: "Oh, how FUN!" *bounce*bounce*bounce* "Can we go see it now now now?". We shot out the door like we were going to a fire - which we were - though I did pause long enough to fling a "Right back" at DH over my shoulder *grin*. How exciting! Do you like those sprawling Antique places? I love them! Of course Sandy asked me if I had anything that I might want to sell in said booth (a question that I found hysterically funny considering the jam-packed storage state of our guest bedroom; although she didn't know that). That's Lucy, by the way. Is she not the cutest little thing? She's Sandy's inside dog and comes complete with her very own "I did it" face and an impressive - albeit terrierfying - wingspan (okay, that was bad sorry ;o) 

So now I'm spray-painting an old book rack for my cards and wondering if I've lost my tiny mind. Of course you can't lose what you don't have, now can you. *laugh* Have you ever tried painting anything made of wire? Whatta pain. Of course it's black and I wanted it white (just to keep it challenging, you see). I decided to use Epoxy Appliance Paint, because it was the best finish and the most durable. Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me to read the directions until after I'd already started. Duhhhh. Re-coat within 30 minutes or wait one week. A week? Seriously? That meant I was still spraying and respraying as it was getting dark trying to hurry and finish (hence the lousy lighting in the photo). It also means that a) I went through nearly two cans of paint trying to cover all that blasted black; and b) I have an actual blister on the tip of my index finger (and are you kidding me? *rolls eyes*) I thought about one of those handle attachments, but nixed the idea because they always clog up quickly and make a mess. 
So. Now we wait a week.... I hate waiting...*sigh*

We had an Elwood sighting at suppertime this week (Taya spotted him first). Wanna know the best part? Harvey was there too AND I managed to get a shot of those two capricious conies in the same frame (love those alliterations ;o) Grant you, they're sitting at opposite ends of the frame but I don't care. They are never right together; I'm thinking that's probably instinctive (preservation of the species, don'tcha know). For those of you new around here; Harvey and Elwood are two little wild wabbits (hee) that live just up the hill behind our house. For the longest time I thought I was losing it, because I didn't realize there were two. How could one bunny get from point A to point B like he did? Beam me up Scotty? I'd dubbed him Harvey (after Jimmy Stewart's invisible pal) as I almost never saw him until I'd all but stepped on him, and then WHOOSH he'd be 50 feet away and then suddenly pop up again somewhere else altogether. Anyway, the lighting is not so hot (getting dark). But now that the time's changed, we can have lots more for our picture taking day. Yay!

Guess this is why I never can sneak up on those two...and move over Lucy - 'cause wow. Kinda lends new meaning the the phrase, "I'm all ears", doesn't it? Hahaha *snort*

Elwood opted to lounge around the demonstration area for a bit:

Harvey hopped up the hill a ways to enjoy some yummy grass:

I tried to catch him with his mouth full, but that stuff sure did disappear in a hurry!

A sudden clunk followed by a thud behind me was the end of the cute bunny photo shoot. Seems Bella was sick and tired of my excited exclamations over a pair of silly rabbits and decided to prove her superiority by rehanging her bucket on the top slat all by herself.

Maybe it's just my imagination, but she appears to be just a tad exasperated with me. Wouldn't you say? Here's a sky shot (one more step to the left and it would have been perfect ;o)

Kinda neat though, eh? Looks like the sun, but it's actually the moon over my neighbor's trees. At least now you can see by the lavender color of the sky why everything was blue in the previous photos. As always, thank you so much for reading this far and have a blessed week everyone!

...and mudboggin' on Monday. Wow. It is definitely possibly to have too much of a good thing (except for chocolate cake, that is). Where is the sun? Does it still exist? Is it seriously soggy at your house or dry as dust? Or are you one of the lucky few that is somewhere in between perhaps? I pass a little pond every morning on my way to work that I look to as an unofficial water table. At the beginning of the year, that thing was down to a large puddle (and had been that way long enough there was grass growing where there had been water). I've never seen it get that low in 20+ years. Anyway, not only is it slam full, it's on the verge of brimming over. Not sure how much rain that translates to, but I know we've had umpteen inches in the last month or so. I sure do wish such things didn't always seem to wind up feast or famine. *sigh* Like the photo? Kinda puts you in mind of soaring eagles and majestic hawks, doesn't it? Ha. Apparently even vultures look pretty darn good from a distance. Huh. Sounds like some kind of life lesson to me ;o)

I wanted to apologize to my email subscribers for the previous post. *smacks palm on forehead* I totally forgot that the video clips don't show up in the emails and did not include a hyperlink to it for you (how rude). If you missed last week's clip and want to see it, click here to watch it on our Vimeo channel. I'm sorry, and I'll try really hard not to forget next time (have a hug?).

I have a couple of photos to share with you today. Pamplona may have the running of the bulls, but around here we have the running of the hay. The horses are quite familiar with the sound of the tractor and the moment that engine starts, heads pop up out of the grass all over the pasture. Most of the time, I let the girls into the training area [which is normally closed off] to distract them with forbidden forage so we can run a rope across the area that leads up to the hay without interference. Because we have to bring the rolls in through the Moo Crew's pasture, we block off the bottom of the girl's hill leading to where we set the roll so no one winds up in the wrong field. For some reason, this never fails to create an atmosphere of giddy anticipation among the girls.
While this next photo is hardly brilliant, it cracked me up because it looks like Lady (L) is giving DD the evil eye for closing off the upper pasture before she can sneak up there (which she actually managed to do last time - the heifer):

Now that I have a modicum of understanding with regard to camera settings (aperture, to be more specific) I finally managed to get a couple of halfway decent shots of the girls charging up the hill toward the hay. I think I should have uploaded at a higher resolution, though:

The pasture is, of course, a disgusting muddy mess...

Not so fast Rina... Woo!

Lady and Sarabear bringing up the rear...

Other than the icky mud, I thought this was a nice photo of Sara:

And finally: (though completely irrelevant to the theme I had going) a pretty sunrise over the tree tops on a misty morning just for you (I forgot I was going to post it last month :o)

As always, thanks for reading this far and have a wonderful week everybody!