Why? Because it didn't fit the left wing narrative.
 

So when her Mama and sister were out of town, shooting pistols off the back of a horse, and daddy was likely working on his hot rod, Stella came out to hang with me. We went to the beach. I figured there would be plenty there to keep her happy. After all, her big brother had spent countless hours, having a bazillion "adbentures", in that very place. 

I thought for sure it would be a beeline to the dock or the water as soon as we stopped. Or maybe a quick check at the creek for snakes or bugs. Did I mention Stella loves bugs? :-) 

But, nope. Stella hit the jungle gym as soon as she shot from the car. She asked, "Gramagylah, what's this?"

"Well, Stell, it's a rope ladder," I told her. 

"Can I do it?", she asks, but doesn't wait for an answer before she's on it, sizing it all before she will certainly conquer it.

Once she got her feet off the ground, albeit not far, it was enough to let her feel the unstable nature of a rope ladder. So she was concentrating, hard. 

It didn't take but a minute though and she was on her way to the top with nothing less than full confidence. 

She concentrated on every step; every pull. Looking down with every wrung up...

...and then back up again with such excitement. 

By the time she was just a couple of levels off the ground she was sure of herself and up she went like a jackrabbit. 

And there she was! All the way at the top!

And she is hollering, "Hey, I'm on top! At the whole top!"

She was SUPER PROUD!

Then I asked, "Now what?", and she realized she had made it to the top but she was far from done. There was no walk through from the ladder. She had to go over the short wall to get inside the gym. 

"Whaaaaaat?" Her only other option was back down.

But then she thought about it for a few seconds. 

It really must look like a big hurdle to such a small girl, the top of that wall. But that didn't matter to Stella. She fears nothing. So she sized it up a little more. 

 And then she got that look. 

And that was it; over she came. 

"Hey, seeeeee meeeeee?!" The excitement just rang from her!

She was so proud! She'd made it all by herself. Up AND over the top!

And before I can snap a pic of her over and done, she was down two flights and on to see what's next.

She finds the chain swingy things. "Can I do this?" she asks.

"Well, sure," I tell her, "that's what they're for."

That lasted about two minutes before I could tell she was bored. And then she began describing to me her trip up that ladder. 

Then the hands came up on the hips. I knew her decision had been made.

Stella commenced to telling me how swinging on those chains wasn't much fun, "kinda' boring", she'd said, and the rope was just more fun. And by the time she finished telling me, well as she trailed off......it was back to the rope ladder. 

I'm glad she had fun. I did. 

Family and friends, the pics are here if you want copies. Same download password as always.

Enjoy...

His very petite female was along for breakfast as well. I never though female cardinals were much to look at until I started looking at them really closely not only through my lens but through the window where one of the the feeders hangs but 18" from these days. 

Old or just ugly this fat boy surely sticks out. His color is faded compared to the other red birds hanging out in my hood and his feathers look almost tattered.



The mourning doves are back around and soothing to listen to in the mornings and evenings. I wish I could get them to the front of the house this summer so hat I can hear them when I sit on the deck in the evenings. 



And when the rain starts falling again it's my queue for work and hers to fly for cover. Female cardinals may be my new favorite bird. I just think she is stunning.

Needless to say the older and more mellow horses don't appreciate a young colt with nothing on the brain but play and mischief, so Sterling frequently occupies his own space at the front of the farm where he can run it off. 

But everyone, even horses, need socialization to remain healthy. Really, what good is all that energy if you have no one to share it with?

Enter Phoenix.

I am not sure of his age but Phoenix has a little fire of his own and he's ready to share it. Phoenix belongs to Catherine and family, longtime friends with the whole RHF bunch. 

I was lucky enough to be at the farm they day they paired these two up. They appeared to be enjoying themselves- running and bucking and carrying on like a couple of clowns. It was obvious all was good in the front pasture. 

The game of chicken was fun to watch. 

But no real surprise to see that in the last seconds, they both cut and run opposite directions. 

Here's a couple of the little clowns when I could catch them standing still. Well, kind of. 

Phoenix made friends with Clint pretty quickly. He was born and raised around children so no doubt he's already socialized. He's kind of like a big puppy. (Phoenix, not Clint, hahahahaha!)
 

Sterling's been at the farm awhile so he knows everyone. I understand he's a nipper so watch those fingers, Clint!


If I want to see Gare these days I have to chase him around from barn to barn as he follows the girls around when they feed. Today they had their little dog along. What a cutie, huh? 


Love those ears. 

Never did see much more than a glimpse of Gare. 

But no trip to the farm is complete with out popping in on the girls. Daninica was away with Grandma having a fun afternoon but Stella was there and full of bounce as always. 

Love this kid. She's such a hot mess. 
 

If you want to check out the full album of the day, click here and it will take you right to it. 

It's not long before she's back to munching and chattering to me at the window. 

But not too long before I realize what she was chattering about before. Her brother or mate has arrived, which usually means an instant tussle and a gob of chatter but she's paying too much attention to me to realize he is there right away. 
 

She's gets it soon enough, the wrestling matched ensued, and she was out of there. 

Little man here though, he stuck around awhile and stuffed himself at least long enough to get caught a few times by my lens. 

He just looks rough...

Fall is coming quickly this year and I am betting it will be short lived. This past week I have been amazed at the rate at which the leaves have been dropping from the trees around my place. I'm seeing a lot of yellow and gold speckling the woods and roadsides everywhere. 

Winter will be here early and I suspect it will be a nasty one. The squirrels have been leaving empty nut shells and acorn tops on my deck for weeks. I'm planning on lots of frigid temps and piles of snow. That means I'm already inventorying sweaters and firewood and already know I don't have enough of either. 

I slept through the storms last night but by the looks of the kiddie pool I catch water in on the deck, it appears I have plenty to water with the next couple of days. My plants soaked up the obvious downpours like sponges after a week of nothing but blazing hot sun beating them to death on this open deck.

I am still kicking myself for cutting down that small tree that provided so much shade. If it hadn't warped my deck rails I'd have probably left it but it had bowed just about as much as it was going to give. I should have just cut a big ole notch in the tree and let it go. Note to self, "try that notching thing next time as it (the tree) is already growing back". 

I looked around the deck and realized that in just a few short weeks I may find myself in a mess. 

The way I figure I have about three weeks to get my houseplants off the deck and into the house. If I wasn't already overloaded on plants before my friend suddenly moved to Florida and left me all of hers, I am now.  I have been selectively passing some along to friends. No one needs five blooming spiders plants!

This rubber tree is going to be especially difficult. It stretches more than four foot wide. It needs pruned and re-potted before it goes indoors. Otherwise, I am just not sure where it will live for 6 months. Once I prune it I can pot those cuttings for new plants (like I need that) and the smaller, new leaves inside of that mess will bloom up and out like mad. 

I never thought I would see the morning glories this year but alas they finally went nuts a couple of weeks ago. I planted them in April so I guess that's about right but man, what a wait. I've had a cascade of blooms every day since they started. Thank goodness they don't come in the house because they have gone crazy creeping everywhere. 
 

They took right over my mama spider plant and climbed right into my overhang. 

They crept over to the far side of the deck and bloomed all down the outside of the rails. I just love them. The hummingbirds seem fond of them too. :-) I am throwing out a couple packs of seeds along one whole side of the deck early next spring and hope for the best. The birds and butterflies will be pretty happy about that, I'm sure.

So many leaves opened overnight. Rain is amazing stuff. Elixir from the heavens. This is one of my rubber tree starts from early this spring. The first one I have ever been able to get to take off and actually live. Not sure what I did that's any different that I have done in the past but whatever it was, it worked. 
 

Here's another start from a different variety. It's doing well also and the rain has opened the leaves so nicely. 
 

Sun bleached leaves of my ivy have all but disappeared and new leaves are greening up nicely. Loss of shade from the tree I took down nearly burned this beauty up. I still don't know what I was thinking. 

I have this whole bed in front of my deck to dig up and set up to grow veggies in next year. It's been a faithful herb bed for more than a decade but now it's time for a change. I miss having my own homegrown produce and will have to build soil to grow anything on this hill. Starting with a small 4x14 raised bed will be a good start I think.

I'll have to have dirt hauled in. Nothing grows in the base soil of my yard except for that crazy carpet grass and a little Sedum (Frog's Belly). It's all clay and rock and red as the hair on my head.  I gave the DNR a sample of my soil when I moved here and asked what I should add to my yard for better growing and the answer was dirt. No kidding. No dirt here on this hill. 

So during a discussion about this new bed with my pal, Lisa, she mentions that I have red bud trees. I was like, "Where?"

She says, "Right in front of you in that bed you are going to dig up and redo."

Okay! So apparently the following is a red bud tree. I can't believe how many of these I have cut down over the years not knowing what they were Ooops. If that isn't crazy enough she points out another red bud tree in the back of my driveway. It's about 16' tall. I have to say, the leaves look like one and there are pods on it but I swear I have never seen it bloom. 

Another shot of my Swedish Ivy. I started this last year from a plug. This spring I gave away more than a dozen 4"pots of it to friends and family. 

One of too many spider plants. Seriously, I think I think I have five of them and they all all root bound and all full of babies. 

I just started this Schefflera. I already had two larger ones and they needed to come down is size a bit. Both are in 5 gallon pots. One is 3' wide, at least. Pruning them encourages new growth and will make the mama plant bushier. When I put her out next spring, she'll go nuts and need pruning again sometime over the summer and probably again next fall. 

 

If I drag all these green lovelies in the house and have to care for them all winter there is going to be a really big plant sale at my house next spring.
 

Love you, Claire. 

Last year there were trips. This year it looks like just twins. 

Not the best pic, but at least this time I got close ;-)

The cookie was bigger than her head but she had no problem latching on, skurrying off, and running up the next tree over. 

After she thought she was far enough off the ground, time to change lanes. 

Everything was working out swell until she decided to hit the off-ramp. 

The cookie dropped about ten feet. She fell to the trunk of the tree, albeit bounding from branch to branch, and before I knew it she'd found that Oreo and was off into the woods to stash it no doubt. 

No, I do not feed the squirrels sweets. I would have much rather have eaten that cookie myself. 

But bless her heart, I'll bet she is at my window bright and early in the morning. 

Before you judge the horribly blurry images...have you ever tried to focus on a moving squirrel making off with a stolen Oreo? 

Yeah, that's what I thought :-) 

This one is an older one and by the looks of that underbelly, I am wondering if it isn't a female carrying her next clutch. 



The Titmouse lands on the feeder and grabs a seed then jumps over to a nearby branch, pecks the sunflower seed to smithereens, and comes back to the feeder for more. 

The Chickadees hang out doing much the same thing, all day long, every day. 



I have the occasional Cardinal, Bluejay, Woodpeckers, Wrens, and a variety of other species that come around but the Titmouse and Chickadees are the regulars. They have all gotten accustomed to me sitting little more than an arm's length away and I am pretty sure if I went at it a bit I could probably hand feed them. Sometimes they just look me right in the eye like they are ready to chat. I get the occasional visitor right in the window sill. 



These birds bend and bow the branches of those three little trees as they come and go and I am so used to it that I typically don't notice much as I type away. 

Now, that feeder is close but hasn't always been quite as close as it is now. And there is a reason for that. 

Just a couple of days ago I was eating lunch at my desk, dogs were out like lights, and the cats were laid out somewhere doing whatever cats do. The place was pretty calm. All of a sudden I feel like I am being watched. You know the feeling; suddenly uncomfortable- on the spot like. 

Well, just three foot from my head...



Looks like the birds and I have a new visitor. And when I look over and stare at him, just a little startled myself, he just sat there, eyeballin' me, like, "Make your move!" 

So I pecked on the window and he acted as if he might leave, but then just kind of hung out, still eyeballin' me. 



And I do mean, hung out. 



"Oh hell no," I'm thinking. Three-pound squirrel is not testing me. I had wondered why the feeder was going empty so fast and now I knew. I raised the window real fast and off he went. 

I rearranged the branches of those three little trees and brought that feeder closer to the house, hoping it would be far enough away from any limbs that might support the tree rat. I made enough racket to raise the dead; wasn't anything wild hanging around my window. 

I sat back at my desk to finish my lunch and it wasn't long I feel eyeballs again. I turn to look and guess who is slinking up those branches all sneaky like? 



I can see he is realizing that the feeder is now about 18 inches farther away from where he can get to it and I can tell he is mad. 

I started laughing and this is the response I got. 



He's pissed. And this is why the birdfeeder got brought closer to the house. Hopefully, the branches holding it won't be enough to support this little monster raiding it every day. 

Hopefully. 

Me, I just want to get it done and not have to do it again for decades. Maybe never if I do it all just right. But between my access to time and funds simultaneously, dictating what work I can do myself, what I'll have to hire a contractor for and when they can fit me into their schedule, it's just a bizarre process; tedious and frustrating to say the least. 

One of my biggest indecisions is what to put on my walls when the painting is finished. Most people would say, "Duh, pictures," and I naturally have hoards of them. But with all the fresh, clean lines going up, I'm entertaining the idea of a couple of nice sized canvases. Artsy looking stuff. 

Maybe something like this on canvas. 

It's eye-catching, thought-inspiring, and no one alive would ever guess what it is. 

Naaaaaaaaaaaa, probably not for my walls. But it was fun playing with it. 

I messed with one just a little. Claire does well with a camera; the editing will come later. 


 

Guess who was super excited to go bye-bye? (Besides me!)

We weren't three miles from the house and nosy ole Frank was in the front seat checking out every little thing and Roman splayed out across the whole back end of the car. They were ready for the ride. 

I have well behaved dogs and knew they'd travel well but I worried how they would react in a place they had never been. And my mom, well, she keeps a nice house. The boys are big, Frank's so nosy, Roman's like an elephant in a china shop, so, I was understandably hesitant. But I was as excited as they were. I felt like a kid on her way to the swimmin' hole. 

Obviously the worry was for nothing. Both Roman and Frank bounced right in the door at Mom's and made themselves right at home with no hesitation. Frank found his place on the couch soon enough. 

Mom made a pallet on the floor which Roman promptly made use of.
 

My mother wasn't long spoiling the two, that's for sure. Roman would lay there all day for those belly rubs, and he did :-) I think my mom misses having a dog, just a little. And that's okay because we plan to visit more and she can get her dog fix then. I am sure the boys will be ready, any time. 


At some point Mom was crocheting and watching the tube whilst she and Frank munched on club crackers and cream cheese. Claire managed to get a couple of shots of Mom walking Romey. They got along fine. 


When Mom saw Claire honing her photography skills she busted a move and did a little modeling for her whilst Roman sniffed everything within reach. Mom and her towel. Way to accessorize there, Sal. :-) 



At just like that, Mom and Roman are both bored, done with the scene, and on their way. "And there you have it," as Sally might say.


I didn't take a lot of pictures during my visit. Well, not my normal bazillion but I did get a few. Like this little monkey making fun of his auntie always with a camera in her face. 
 

Giving me his meanest super hero glare. 


And of course, his adorable mischievous smile when I call him out for being the most precious super hero I know. 


No images or description can convey what a character this little man is. He must be experienced to be truly appreciated. In the words of my friends the Hoods,"Crackup," but honestly, that doesn't ever cover Hudson. 

Frank: this goofball had a blast. He rolled and scooted in the grass for three days and sneezed the whole time. His apparent allergy didn't seem to matter as he was nose to the ground like a bloodhound covering every inch of Mom's yard. I swear he left ruts all over Mom's yard, and Marcy's, from scratching and slinging the grass out behind him like fishtails. 

He's excited, can you tell?
 

Even with Mom living so close to the road she has wildlife galore in her yard these days. Deer bed down beside her house. Coons and opossums come to her door to eat cat food. Feral cats show up too. Large birds and a multitude of squirrels litter nests throughout the wooded area behind her home. Smaller birds light on the railing of her deck. According to my mom a groundhog large enough to keep her from letting Hudson play out there, is roaming the back yard. She deals with all of them just fine. She feeds them and enjoys them. All of them, except for these. 
 

No, not the Crocs, but the little house wrens that get into her garage. This one is looking for the nest that used to be in the garage. Mom removed it after the last clutch was hatched and the fledglings had flown the coup. She digs wildlife, but no birds allowed in the garage, no sir. After the trippy experience she had with birds as a young child, I can't say I blame her. Mama wren was confused none the less. 

As we sat on the front porch late one evening, talking about the wildlife, up popped a sizable rabbit in the filed across the highway. I say sizable because neither my mother nor I had glasses on and actually saw it from several hundred feet away. I was able to see it through the camera lens but still he wasn't close enough to get a decent shot of. 

We were actually waiting on the deer. 

As Mom was telling me about the deer we watched a mama coon, followed by what looked like five babies, come out of the tree line across the field. (Probably the fat old coon eating cat food at Mom's back door!) Again, too far away and too late in the evening to get a decent shot. 

And just when I was complaining that I didn't have enough light, Mom says, "Hup, there she is."

And there she was. 


All super-cautious-ninja-deer. Got those big ole' ears moving like radar. 



She finally got comfortable enough to eat. 

And scratch her butt.


And eat some more. 


But then something away from us got her attention and she was all ears again. 

 
It wasn't but a minute and she was looking at us. No one had said a word. The dogs hadn't even snorted. What ever it was that caught her attention, this here was the last we saw of her before she bounded into the trees. 


And then came the sunset. First images I ever shot were of sunsets across from my Mom's. They are still beautiful. 

Yes, I love some of the things you can see in clouds; I'm one of those weirdos. 

And the closer I look the more I see. 



Suddenly the sky looks like the terrain of a molten planet, with smoke and vapor rising. (Well, yeah, so what do you see?)



And then, there's Prairie State making clouds of its own.


Sigh........

She's a wicked looking little Persian kitty that could seemingly score the Grumpy Cat title with ease. 

But she really is the sweetest little thing. 

I'm working all weekend so it'll be a minute before I can get through all the images I took at the event. 

In the meantime, check out Sharon Shannon's awesome drone video. It puts a whole new perspective on things! Fantastic job Sharon!! 
(See update below with a link to images)

Check out Sharon's other work by clicking here. 

UPDATE: I have been adding images to the team sorting album for a couple of days. There are currently over 250 images loaded and more coming.
Click here for more... 

These babes are fearless. They go right in the barn and out pops a half a dozen horse heads.

We have to visit everyone. Stella feels it imperative to pull some hay from the mouth of one and examine it. 

Nothing interesting here according to Stell, so off we go. 

We're soon out the other end and making a pit stop at the house on our journey to one of the far barns. There's a cat there I need to see, Danica says.

Danica made it to the kitty first and Stella was a little put out that she wasn't the one showing the cat off to me. I am not sure what she was saying while these faces were happening but she was dead serious and completely matter of fact about it. I was the smart one and agreed. Danica just ignored her. 
 

Danica is just proud of her cat.
 

Stella is soon over it though. She's an easy going kid and doesn't stay mad long. Besides, she's ready to explore the yard when I show her and Danica the plantain growing all over the place. They were fascinated when I tell them that if they crunch up the leaves of plantain, and rub it on their chigger and skeeter bites, it will help stop the itch and burn. 
 

Danica is such a considerate child, she picks a handful for daddy who has some of those nasty gnat bites. 

Stella's down to gather up a few too. 
 

We found Gare, who was as I suspected, right between two girls in the farm buggy. 
 

He disappeared as quick as we spied him and low and behold the monkey had come out in him. 

Crazy kid was at the top of one of the tanks. 
 

Time to go in the house for supper but before that, one more stop because the girls tell me there is something I "must" see. Danica is all about "let me open the door," she says. 

They're pretty proud of the new kitties. 
 

And really, who wouldn't be? 

It was a good day on the farm. 

Ok people, snakes are out in Missouri. And if you have lived here more than five minutes, and say they are not, well, you're just special I guess. 

"Good morning Gila. How are you? Me? Just hanging out here, eight-foot off-the-ground in the canopy, just a few feet from the window beneath which you sleep, waiting on the sunshine to commence." - Snake

Happy Spring!!

That's most of the time, so parents, beware. 

Danica is one such child. She's a doll. But every time she realizes I am trying to get a good shot of her she goes all kid like and here's what I get. On the Farm RHF-1927190406

Or this...

On the Farm RHF-1939190406

...which is cute, or not, but it's what I get.

The upside is that I plan to whip these and others like them out at her sweet sixteen, graduation, and possibly her wedding. Who knows. I'll get creative. She'll love it, or not :-)

But if she's not being all cray-cray for the lens, she's hiding her smile. Hiding it I tell you. 

See?

On the Farm RHF-1971190406 On the Farm RHF-1975190406

Sister Stella is animated almost all of the time and she isn't apologetic for any of it. She's cute and she knows it no matter what animated state she's in. Go Stell!

On the Farm RHF-1977190406 On the Farm RHF-1976190406 On the Farm RHF-1983190406

So sometimes I have to make Danica a mission.

And so, mission accomplished. 

On the Farm RHF-1969190406 On the Farm RHF-1964190406

Hopefully, we are over the hump. 

I came in from the pastures just before the girls woke up from their nap. When they came down it took all of about three minutes for them to be awake and ready to go. Daddy handed off a couple of white chocolate suckers to insure there would be fuel for the short time until supper. 

Daddy is a hero.  On the Farm RHF-1948190406

Stella was out the door and mounting the trike ready to go and Danica in the car for a drive. 

On the Farm RHF-1952190406 On the Farm RHF-2011190406

Danica drives like her mom :-) Take note. -------------(Just kidding, Kristin)

Stella decided to get motorized and hopped in the truck. 

On the Farm RHF-2007190406
But it wasn't long before sister had to pick her up when her ride ran out of juice. Nothing like having your sister around to get your back.  On the Farm RHF-2036190406

On the Farm RHF-2087190406 On the Farm RHF-1987190406 On the Farm RHF-2114190406

I kept thinking Gare would be around a little but he was apparently busy trying to get chores done before he was off for a weekend at the cabin to hunt turkey. 

On the Farm RHF-2027190406 On the Farm RHF-2031190406

He stayed busy almost the entire time I was on the farm; moving animals from pasture to pasture- pasture to stall, feeding, scooping, go, go, go. 

And there is always windsurfing. 

On the Farm RHF-2235190406 On the Farm RHF-2239190406 On the Farm RHF-2240190406 On the Farm RHF-2243190406

And there is always the newest baby that just won't lead. 

On the Farm RHF-1925190406 On the Farm RHF-1926190406
 

I don't think it bothers him a bit that he has help from a bunch of girls (or he is the help for a bunch of girls) and they all have a good time doing actual work. 

Meanwhile, back in the yard, I thought we were worm finding. The girls love gathering worms. But on this day it was all about the ants. Danica actually gave it a shot at counting them until that rock got flipped over. 

Both girls have an amazing fascination with bugs. 

On the Farm RHF-2237190406

Smiles for miles now from Dan. 

On the Farm RHF-2257190406 On the Farm RHF-2254190406

Stella

too. 
 

Gare finally made his way over to us and the girls were ready. 

On the Farm RHF-2275190406 On the Farm RHF-2283190406 On the Farm RHF-2284190406 On the Farm RHF-2277190406

On the Farm RHF-2288190406 On the Farm RHF-2285190406 On the Farm RHF-2290190406 On the Farm RHF-2292190406 On the Farm RHF-2296190406 On the Farm RHF-2298190406 On the Farm RHF-2299190406 On the Farm RHF-2300190406 On the Farm RHF-2302190406 On the Farm RHF-2305190406 On the Farm RHF-2307190406 On the Farm RHF-2309190406 On the Farm RHF-2312190406 On the Farm RHF-2313190406

It was a fabulous day. I'll post the pics from the pasture in another blog, soon. 

Friends and family, you can break the rest of your awwwwwww button and get any prints you want by clicking here. 

I've been working seven days a week, all but for one week, since the first of the year. A lot of things are going to be happening to my house this summer and that requires moo-lah- lots of it. 

Aside from my regular "day job", photography season is amping up. Lots of kids and horses and dogs and who knows what all to chase around in the coming months, trying to get that perfect shot. 

I tried to work on handouts or upcoming events, but just getting through this day was almost too much. I do believe my schedule has caught up with me and a nasty bug has come along for the ride. Headache, chills, feeling like I've been whipped, nausea. I rest my case. 

My supervisor, pictured, has indicated we are done for the day.

I concur. 

Recipe for the block shown, starts with equal parts of beef tallow and peanut butter. 

I stir in the following until I can form a decent ball with the mixture without it being too gooey.

• Raisins or any dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberry in this batch)
• Cornmeal
• Oatmeal
• Crushed dried beans
• Bird seed and other grains like rice, wheat, etc.

Once I get to that point, I pack it in any container I can find to make blocks about 4 x 6 inches. The lid to egg cartons work well. I usually use old carry out or frozen dinner containers. Just remember you don't want the blocks to be to heavy to hand in your location. Mine hang on some flimsy limbs so I have to watch the weight. 

Crystal stays busy watching the birds feast much of the day unless of course she's on the side of my desk supervising me (napping). 

I think she enjoys the birds as much as much as I do. They are a pleasant distraction for sure. 

We are seeing chickadees mostly, a few finches, a couple of wrens, cardinals abound, a single mourning dove, and three species of woodpeckers; red headed, hairy, and downy. 

This guy is a Red -bellied woodpecker. 

You would think that this one might be the red headed wood pecker, but nope. Most male wood peckers, regardless of the species, have a red head, or at the very least a dot of red at the nape. 

He's the super-duper paranoid boy in the yard. If you have ever done much bird watching you've probably noticed they are constantly scanning their surroundings; looking for preditors I would assume or bigger birds to be swooping in for a meal. This one, he never lands anywhere in sight for long. And if a twig snaps he splits without a second thought. They are supposed to prefer suet but I have only ever witnessed him at the window a handful of times. 

As long as he stays off of my house with that destructive little beak I don't care where he hangs out. We see him very infrequently and never at the window feeder. 

There are always cardinals hanging around. Always. Everywhere. 

In the trees...

...all over the ground. Can you see her?

The big fat wrens never miss an opportunity to peck away at those tasty seed and fats in that suet.

And our tiny little chickadees always wait quietly for their turn and there are many turns throughout the day.

This particular baby (above) and a couple of his friends made their way onto postcards and stationary for a private bed and breakfast in Virginia. How cool is that? Missouri birds are getting around without leaving the yard.

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Try not to hate on me for being a photographer and taking such foggy looking pics. I shoot many of these through 40 year old windows. The weather dictates how much fog hangs out between the panes. Let's just call it nature's filter :-) 

Companion planting has been common practice for farmers and gardeners since, well, forever. Companion planting aids the health and growth of other plants they are grouped with in the garden or field, mostly for pest control.

Example, planting dill along side tomatoes will help ward off tomato bugs, aphids, and other pests. 

The same plants that protect other plants in our garden can also be used to protect our homes and environment without the use of toxic chemicals. I found this great little schematic online that illustrates a few plants and what they repel. 

I grow all of these and can attest to their effectiveness. I live half in and half out of a wooded area with a lake a stone's throw from my front porch. I experience a few bugs. The places I grow these plants, bugs are minimal. I try to keeps several pots growing around my doors and windows. 

Just about any mint repels ants but peppermint and spearmint are especially good for this. (Basil is a mint, by the way) 

Another thing: mints are good for is soaking up water. If you have a low or soggy spot in your yard, plant mint. It will thrive sucking up all that water you don't want laying around anyway. No more mosquito breeding ground due to laying water and mint thriving to drive off anything that might breed and hatch nearby.

It's a win all the way around. 

In addition to being beautiful, smelling awesome, and helping with pest control, many companion plants are herbs and can be eaten or used for crafting or household uses. Lavender to make sachets or oils. Basil, Rosemary, and mints for cooking, and so on. 

My favorite way to use spearmint is to crush and soak handfuls of it in a jug of iced water in the summer. My favorite is cucumber and mint water. Sounds weird but really tasty. Mint and apple peal water is tasty too. 

If you have some great gardening tips, please comment below this post. Growing season is fast approaching and I would love to hear your tips, tricks, and recipes!

Here's a sigh of relief. I haven't been able to download a full set of pics in a while. The system was so full and my existing backup drive reached capacity weeks ago.

One of the many unthought of reasons photographers are not free or cheap. After the season gets rolling, I'll have this one full but the end of the year.

Only one available session opening in April. Who wants it?
 

Frank-9990

Or maybe arranging my pile of pillows was just easier. Whatever the case may be, Frank had made his spot. 

And just as he began to shake off the grogginess of his afternoon nap he realized I had grabbed my camera from the stand. Frank-9992

"Awwwwww mom!", I just bet he would like to say, "I'm not awake enough for that yet" as he buries his nose in the soft and warm of the pillows.

Silly pibble.

I tried multiple times to recover it. My friends tried. It was just unreadable. Over forty thousand images, poof-gone. It still makes me sick to think about it. 

It's possible that I could send it off to a static free lab to pull the inner disc and try to recover it. But that costs more money than I make in a month and there are no guarantees. It will be some time before I can try that. 

But once in awhile the universe throws me a bone. I find on old disc, or maybe a smaller hard drive I may have had a few backups on, or even an online storage file I'd forgotten about.

And when that happens, I breath a small sigh of relief. I stop and celebrate a thankful moment to have restored a small portion of my past that I thought gone forever except in my memories. 

Garrett was two. I had a substandard camera and minimal editing software back then. I am thankful for every shot, good or bad, that I recovered. 

Me?

I did not get my new feeders up before the winter storms hit last weekend. My birds have been having to scrounge feed from the log behind my house where it lands as I drop it from my bedroom window. 

Real fancy, right? Me, dropping the feed onto a fallen tree below my window. Me, hanging out my bedroom window that lost its screen eon's ago for this very reason, to try and take pics of wildlife in the forest behind my house.

Hell yea! Trained professional. :-) 

Linda still has me beat but here's what I came up with today when I finally pulled the camera out of the case.

There are usually a variety of Cardinals around my place.

Here's a young male that twitted all over for several minutes before he finally landed long enough for me to get a shot. There was another larger, more calm bird to the left but I couldn't seem to get him to focus and this little fella was having a fit about him. 

I often hear the Mourning Doves in the summer but seeing them in the winter is a rarity. I wasn't sure what I was looking at when I saw the big old clump hanging out in the limbs from a distance. I thought at first it must be a large leaf hung in the brush because it was at least four times bigger than any of the other birds hanging out by the brook. 

Its camouflage was good. I had to zoom in to make sure it was a bird at all. 
 

Though they don't appear a colorful sort just wait until they fluff their feather or spread their wings and you'll get a bit of a surprise. 

These little Chickadees are all over the place. 

I thought this might make a cute card or some inspirational meme. 

I totally felt like I was invading the privacy of the following gal but it was cool to watch this female Cardinal bathe in the brook and them promptly pluck herself out while hiding in the brush. 

And yes, that is green growth you see in the brush. It was in the 50's and 60's here just days ago. Southeast Missouri has the oddest weather. 

And just before I put my camera up, this little sneak popped out from the other side of the tree. 

Ah-la Red-Bellied Woodpecker. Beautiful birds but destructive as hell. I have to have the entire encasement for my wood stove pipe replaced because of all the holes these little monsters put in it and that have now rotted. 

I only got a couple of shots off before he decided to split the scene. These little ones don't stick around long with the bigger birds in the area and I am glad of it. I don't need another hole in my house. 

And off he goes. 

Oh yeah. They say Cardinals are supposed to be spiritual messengers to bring you comfort and encouragement, right? 

I wonder what it means when you can't quite seem to get an image of one. 

Here's a couple of shots straight out of the camera.

I'd love to hear what my spiritual friends have to say about these? 

I have used the following feeds for the birds in my Southeast Missouri territory. Both are listed as Amazon Prime items so shipping is free and you can have them in a couple of days. I love using the Classic Wild Bird Food in my homemade suet blocks. The birds really like them. (click the name to go to the link on Amazon)

Wagner's 52004 Classic Wild Bird Food, 20-Pound Bag

Wagner's 76027 Black Oil Sunflower, 25-Pound Bag
 

So what do you do when your babies are bored hanging out with you?

Well, you hang out with them, of course. Luckily my grandson does things I am still capable of keeping up with even when it means a little hike.

When his mother started telling me he had plans to work at the creek instead of coming over for the weekend, my interest was at its peak. What work was he doing at the creek? 

I decided to go check it out.

The journey begins here- the mouth of the thicket. 

The woods are pretty dense behind the farm. It's for sure there are a fair share of critters hold up there. We saw coon tracks all over the place. They were sizable. 

A small journey through the creek bed was beautiful in the fall. Leave were not yet starting to change but a fresh rain brought the small creek to a swell in the days before. Still running but much recessed you could see where the creek had recently been out of its banks. 

What a beautiful walk. Just a few hundred yards from the house but it seemed like a different world. It wasn't hard to imagine how fast that small brook would rise as acres of water shed from these hills. 

But what was bringing a teenage boy out to these woods every chance he could steal away? What was more important that watching movies and eating a ton of food with grandma on the weekend? 

Then I saw it.

I can't remember what year it was built and I had forgotten all about it being back here. But there it was right where his daddy put it, so far up in the air I'd never be in it. I think he did that on purpose. 

Gare and his buddy J had found a place to escape the hustle and bustle of the everyday mundane. A place to have their own adventures. I'd pay to be a bug in the bark during some of the conversations that go on up there. 

So what was this work that was going on in the woods? The tree house hadn't had any recent additions. 

Seems it's a hard, steep hill to climb to get out of the creek and over to the tree house. And after a good hard rain the incline was challenging. There was also the matter of crossing the creek without getting soaked.  

A bridge and some steps were in order according to Gare. 

He cut the steps with a sickle. Yeah, a sickle. 

And the bridge laid across the creek was once a tree where only the stump remains. 

The tree came down with a shovel, a pick ax, and a sickle. 

A new bridge was under construction as I watched. 

J says, "Hey, what's with your grandma. She thinks she's a photographer or something." 

"Well," Gare says, "that's because she is."

"Right on," says J. 

It was fun to watch them work and play.

What a mess but nothing that won't wash away with the next rain.  

It was a good day. 

I pointed out all the places I thought critters might be making a home for the coming winter. The roots of every tree on the bank had hollows in them rooted out by warm blooded things and not the wash of a hard rain. 

And those steps though! I need some just like this coming up the hill to my house. 

Maybe a good reason to come to grandma's soon. Put me in some steps so I don't break a hip going down the hill to the car in bad weather.

Think that will work? 

We'll see.  

But if I want a framer :-) ...........................

Same deal here. Background is way too busy. 

But if I want to hang it on the wall I want it more like this. 

Proof is as you see it in the image gallery. Portrait is what I see through my lens. 

My Illinois peeps got distinctive bolts busting out of the sky, some sizable, and some hitting ground. Massive show... and I am jealous.  I think you can see Gretchen's shots on Facebook by by clicking here.

So I checked my favorite website in the whole world, the Real Time Lightening Map. to see what we have popping up in my neck of the woods. 

Not much happening in my area. It's all north of me. Bummer. 

Before long I'm hearing thunder booms and go outside and the sky is lit up in three directions. Good old Southeast Missouri never fails to deliver on the unexpected. For several minutes the wind blew. The sky blackened, then grayed, and with every flashing of light you could make out the change in the the cloud formations. There were no visible bolts in the sky, just flashes; big, bright, flashes. The light reflecting and bouncing through those heavy clouds, layers and layers of them, made for some strange colors. 

The image below is shooting straight up over my head. There was a break in the clouds, but not a break nearly large enough to catch the streak I was looking for. I have no idea what the orange, parallel lines are on the left. Play on lighting and reflection? 

I'm moving all over this deck at this point, trying to get the best angle, when I realize there is literally unbridled electricity flashing all around me. I am barefoot, on a wet wooden deck, with a metal tripod in my hand. I can hear nothing but my mother's voice in my head, scolding me about how ridiculous I am and to go in the house. She's certainly right, but nothing like living dangerously, right? Right. 

Suddenly I see one small streak and manage to catch it. 

The bolts are making it lighter and lighter out each time. The clouds are thinning maybe?

And then boom! For several seconds the whole neighborhood lit up like it was a stormy mid afternoon. A little after 11:00 pm and I could have seen a candy wrapper in my neighbors yard. 

And then it was black again, with flashes of light so far up in the clouds nary a bolt fell through. At least not on the top of this hill. 

Not sure what makes all the orange color in an otherwise gray and bluish sky. Maybe one of my weather bug friends will chime in and fill me in. I find it interesting. 

The rain came and in the house I went. I wasn't getting any shots worth talking about anyway. 

It wasn't long before the rumbling started again but when I checked my map, grrrrr, the next front, the one making all the noise, was sliding in just south of me. 

It was pretty cool to watch it all cross the river to Illinois on the map though, and then jump Route 3. 

Saturday night, and I am sitting at home blogging about the lightening pictures that I didn't capture.

Man, I'm getting old. 

This year's mini sessions at Rolling Hills Farm & Equine had a great turnout as always. What a bunch of adorable kids and majestic animals. 

But thankfully, there's always a bright side, even when skies are gray. 

Everything must eat weather the sun shines or not, and the birds come out in droves here in the winter. Hanging out my bedroom window with my camera always proves productive. (Dropping nuts, cereal, and bread of out my window, frequently, almost insures I will see a doll or two like this, daily.)

Enter one of my resident female, Northern Cardinals.

From a distance they look mostly gray. What a pleasant surprise to see one close up and realize they are really full of color. 

She looked through the sleet for 20 minutes filling up with seed. There's Millet under all those pellets of ice. The flocks out here love it. I throw it out for the smaller birds but the big ones love it just the same. 

Then I just happen to notice my neighbor's place and realize how much I miss you, Red. 

Be safe. 

Last week we were all running around in flip flops and shorts. Last night was a blasting, spring-like, thunder storm. Tonight it's 20 out there. Yeah, 20 degrees, brrrrrr. 

I heat my home with a wood stove. Aside from a couple of chilly nights I haven't burned a real fire, for any length of time, all winter season. Small infrared heaters have done the trick to keep the chill off, until now. 

Aside from the rich warmth the wood stove provides, it's a cooking medium for me in the winter as well. I mean, why turn on the range in the kitchen if you already have one fired up in the living room, right? It's great for simmering stews and chili, steaming veggies, and even cook a cast iron skillet full of biscuits. (You need a cast iron lid to make it work right, but yeah, even biscuits.) 

Some times it's like a crock pot. Throw everything in one big pot, put a lid on it, stir on occasion, and a few hours later you have a simple, no fuss meal. It cooks the best Ramen noodles you'll ever eat. Cooked through and through but never mushy. Imagine, a Ramen noodle that's not slimey. I would have never have believed it, but the wood stove does it. 

So, this was supper off the stove tonight, vegan friendly even; perfect rice and veggies in 25 minutes, and that includes the time throw it all together. It's super tasty and costs me pennies a meal. 

I measure my rice and water into my pan. I use the same pan that inserts in my rice cooker. I have a small skillet that fits in the top of the rice cooker pan, and I put my veggies in it with some seasoning and cover it with a lid. I put it all on the wood stove. I don't mess with it in any way. In about 20 minutes I have a nutritious meal that I didn't have to slave over with minimal dishes to do. It is just that simple.

I'll admit I cheat a little with frozen, already chopped, oriental veggies. The Fusia brand I get at Aldi's is really firm and there is a wide variety of veggies in the bag. They are the closest to fresh that I have found. The bag includes a flavor package that taste's a little like Teriyaki but you can omit that and use a little chicken broth to simmer the veggies in for flavor. 

Where most Americans love potatoes, I prefer rice, and I eat a fair amount of it. I've tried using cheaper rice to cut costs, but have found there are some things I just won't cut corners on. Rice is one of them. I like rice that holds it's shape and doesn't cook to mush and will hold up to a good frisk stir fry without busting open in the process. 

I found this brand at Walmart, and I love it. 

It costs about $1 a pound. Best rice ever and has this beautiful Jasmine aroma in cooking and a full body flavor without using any salt. 

I've added chicken or a fried egg, chopped, and stirred into the mix for added protein. More times than not though, the rice and veggies are just fine on their own. 

There was a slight hitch.

Zoey was led to believe it was a party just for Granny.

See, Granny got to wear the crown and everything.

What a surprise when we sang Happy Birthday to.......Zoey!
 

It was great. Zoey was happy to get her cake and a few gifts! (We love these little cakes from Aldi, they are Zo's favorite) And of course she ending up getting to wear the crown!

Amanda loves to pull off a good surprise. She almost looks devilish doesn't she? :-)

We had a nice afternoon visit. We were missing several people but it was so good to sit around and just talk to everyone and enjoy the kids.

My sister Marcy has the greatest laugh ever.

The kids had such a great time. Elly was a little doll as always. She's so bouncy and upbeat and has a smile for everyone.

She loves to do her nails and just had to make sure I took a picture of her "splashed paint" look. She was so proud of the design.

Little Mr. Hudson eluded my lens most of the day. He's fast, and when I did get his attention he got overly concerned with what I might be doing.

With Claire not in attendance to challenger her, Zoey just hung out and soaked everything in.

Happy Birthday Zo!

"You'll take a picture of anything won't you," my sister insinuated, more than she asked.

"Why yes," I replied, "if I find it interesting, I certainly will."

And I do, no matter how weird it might seem to someone else, if something catches my eye, I'll end up with a picture or two (or ten) of it.

You can only imagine the thousands of images I have collected in my life. And I can't describe to you what a pleasure it is to relive the memories, over and over again, every time I see them.

I was particularly happy to find this image and others of the same batch. I hadn't realized that I printed them and overjoyed to discover that I had.

You see, a couple of years ago I had a hard drive fail on me. It contained six years of my life's memories on it, the majority of which were personal, treasured images. Pictures of people no longer with us; years of my oldest grandson growing up and new grandchildren's first pics; family holidays and get togethers; nieces and nephews.

You get the idea. Really, really, keepsake type images.

I cried when that drive failed. Seriously, I sobbed. I was devastated. Finding out that it would cost me hundreds and hundreds of dollars to even attempt to recover the images from the drive meant it likely wasn't going to happen any time soon, if ever, and so all those keepsakes were just...gone.

But then I found this batch, printed and tucked away in a box, the originals laying dormant on that failed drive.

I was ecstatic to find this fun time between cousins; my grandson and nieces. Days like this that started with great intentions and aspirations of youth.....

and developed into more fun that anyone could possibly have imagined.

It all started innocently enough. Aunt Marcy let the littles go into her garage and bring out buckets, scoops, and shovels to dig around in her fire pit. Next best thing to a sandbox, right?

And in the beginning, it was just a couple of cups of water, right?

Oh yeah. Until Aunt Marcy turned on the hose that is. How cool is that when you're like five or six?

Such good memories. They had such a fantiastic time doing nothing more that playing in the mud.

I love mud. 

Now, most people hang nice, clean, well dressed pics of their kids on their walls.

But this, this, is what I printed on canvas to hang in my dining room. It's one of my all time favorite images, ever. And I thought it was the only surviving shot, until my recent discovery.

I mean, who wouldn't enjoy seeing kids having this much fun? I would honestly rather see pics of kids in their "element", and relive those memories, than to have a bunch of decked out, starched looking shots with fake smiles, and posing like fashion models.

Images of kids having the time of their lives, that's what it's all about. Well, it is for me anyway.

But hey, not for Granny. She didn't think so much of the mud play. She never does. I have been trying to convince her for 50 years that it a simple pleasure in life but she's not buying it. And I have seen this look as her argument for as many years.

The smug look of her not budging; her not buying into how fun it is, 'cause she hates it. And to her, it's gross. And I love to tease her about it. And she loves to not budge.

Well....

Granny just don't like mud. Nope. Not at all.

"You're not really going to let them dig in that fire pit are you? And pour water in it it with that hose, are you?" she asked.

"You betcha we are, Sally." (At this point you can see her skin crawling)

She watches all she can stand and then it's over for Sally.

"Well," she says, "it's time for me to go home."

And off she went. Just like that. The mud was just too much for her. (Love you Momma :-) )

And the fun continued.

Nobody (but Granny) wanted to go home even after hours of hard play, digging, hauling of buckets, soggy clothes, and wrinkled fingers.

Zoey can lay it on thick too. How cute is that muddy pout?

I am so thankful to have found these images. So thankful that they are not lost to me forever. All my memories from that day, preserved, to enjoy over and over again.

Kylie and Kaiden have been living in Florida for the past couple of years. They have grown up sooo so much in that time. This weekend they got to do some catching up with Nany.

When Kylie moved away she wasn't much on having her picture taken. She used to give me these real hard looks like she thought it would stop me from taking the pictures.

She was more cooperative today. I think she actually enjoyed getting her pictures taken this time.

She's a darling child. She's smart as a whip, outspoken, and very confident. In other words she's a handful.

Earlier, we had her hair pulled up, all cute looking, but just before our little photo shoot she decided she just want to let it all hang down. We compromised. We pulled it back instead of up.

And meet Kaden.

Kaiden is a hot mess.

He's a darling child too, and every bit the little-big-mess his father was, and then some. He too, is sharp as a whip, and pays attention to your every move. Let him catch you not paying attention for even a second and he's into something he knows he shouldn't be.

He's three, and plays the part well, and what can I expect, right?

He wore me out.

He keeps his sister, Kylie, on her toes his every waking minute. She says he gives her a headache.

"Like this," she says.

"Oh the drama," she tells me.

And she's so serious when she says these very mature things.

And Kaiden, when you ask him if he flushed the washrag down Nany's toilet?

Is a verbal confirmation even necessary?

All in all I think these two are thick as thieves. I love the stuffin' out of them, hot messes that they are.

They hang together pretty tight.

I don't remember exactly what provoked this look, but I am guessing is was a "no" response to one of her many requests.

We are missing dear Karsen. He's a little too young to stay over at Nany's just yet. (At least when I am trying to wrangle these two.) I'm looking forward to another nice day when we can include his sweet smile in the mix.

From that instant on I was bound to spend every moment I could with my girls before Daddy finished boot camp and drug them off to parts unknown.  This adorable face is going away in just a matter of weeks. 

How can that be? 

And this chubby one. Little Miss Amelia. Be still my heart. Always smiling chunky butt.  

How many memories will I miss? 

While Anthony is in boot camp, Lacey and the girls went to stay with Lacey's daddy. He lives way out in da' boonies; a little over an hour trip from my home. It's a beautiful drive and doesn't seem a terribly long trip, but when your car is having issues it might as well be a thousand miles away. 

You never know what you might see along the way though.

Turkey anyone? 

I made the trip out today even though my car has just been dying at will. Never know when you might need the tow truck home. That's no joke. I drove on a wing and a prayer. Every second of the white knuckle ride was worth it. Those tiny smiling faces are worth it. 

I couldn't resist stopping for a barn along the way, even one that's falling in on itself. It's Southeast Missouri. This one may stand to rot like this for years. The loft is now about four foot off the ground and keeping nothing out, and nothing dry. I am sure the squirrels and deer and very well nested and fed around there.  I saw signs of some sizable coons so I didn't hang out long; no telling what wildlife takes refuge there now. 

Before I arrived at the Pack's, the neighbor's dog came to meet me at the end of the lane. Nice looking Heeler mix, if not a little intimidating. He turned out to be a really sweet dog. When traveling in rural anywhere, especially Missouri, it's a crap shoot to how a country dog will act when you exit your car. 

It was great to see Ally having such a good time with her cousins. 

She's a handful but keeps up with the boys just fine.

Amelia was tripping on my camera, even without the flash. You'd think she's be used to it by now, but she's not. I could sure get her used to itwith a little practice if daddy weren't about to drag you off away from home. 

Allison is all about giving Nany a pretty smile, chocolate-cookie-lips and all. 

Amelia will settle for sweet little toes to snack on for now. They leave less of a ring around your mouth than Oreos. :-) 

Ally look so much like her Grandma Angie here. She walks just like her. Odd the little traits that children inherit. 

And here. She's Angie's mini me, for sure.

We had a big "adbenture" in Grandma Kathy's back yard . Ally wasn't real wild about that very tall grass, well over her head, but she just couldn't stand it and barreled right in. She's fearless I tell you. 

I'm going to miss this wide eyed beauty more than I can say. I was so prepared to spend the next 20 years dragging her around. And her sister too. Now they are army brats so that won't be happening. But even without me, I am am very excited for them and the real adventures they will surely have, in places I will never see. 

Maybe I'll luck out and one of them will be a camera bug like Nany and they will allow me to see the world through their eyes. 

Miss Amelia just likes to hang out with her mom and chew on her toes. I cannot fathom the things I will miss out on with her. I have always thought my grandchildren would be nearby. Now I wonder if they will ever really know me. 

On the way home, I realized just how true the statement, "Southeast Missouri is an odd place," is. 

Sometimes while driving, I hold my camera and just shoot off the cuff. No focusing, just snapping as I drive, and I get the to see the treasures when I get back to the house. 

I'll leave with you with these. 

Bus stop straight ahead- Do you see the curve?
 

And just around the curve.... this one stopped and never started again. 
 

Sitting along side a field full of...

And made it home just about nightfall. 

As Romey sleeps by the fire. What dog sleeps like this?As Romey sleeps by the fire. What dog sleeps like this?

Last night temps dipped into the teens here in Southeast Missouri. There was frost on the ground by 9:00 p.m. Up to stoke the wood stove before dawn this morning, the dogs didn't leave the confines of the warm bed to follow me into the living room as they normally would. When I made it back to the bedroom, I couldn't see anything of Frank but his butt that was sticking out from under his favorite blanket. Shorty was buried in the pillows and didn't budge when I crawled into the sheets again. Roman was still covered, balled up and snoring when I returned. Jack didn't even look up.

Being Saturday, I slept in late. A little too late as I could feel the chill in the house when I woke and quickly got up to get the wood stove stoked. Typically, all the dogs would be up and ready to jump and run before I got my slippers on. But this morning, not one of them moved. Instead, they all just laid there looking at me as if to say, "get the fire going and I'll see you when it warms up in here."

It was certainly chilly as I pulled on my hoody and noticed the thermometer in the dining room showed 59 degrees. A quick check of the stove revealed a small bed of coals and a firebox full of ash. I decided I might as well clean it out while it wasn't overly hot so I set to shoveling out the ash, careful to preserve some of the biggest coals to get the fire going again. All that noise and still no dogs in sight.

I made my way out to empty the ash bucket, stopped at the woodpile for and arm full of logs, and back into the house. It was certainly frigid. I could see my breath.

Back in the house there was still no sign of the dogs. I began to worry and made my way back into the bedroom to check on them. All were still buried in blankets and sawing their own invisible logs.

I got the fire going, swept the floor, and then went back to the bedroom to see what on earth was keeping the dogs from coming to the front of the house. I couldn't believe it when I made it to the back and found them all still asleep. I clapped my hands. I said "outside" more than once. Only Jack looked at me paying attention at all, but still no movement.

Shorty just wants to be left alone in her blanky.Shorty just wants to be left alone in her blanky.

Now, I myself hate the cold. But I had gotten up, got the stove cleaned, got the fire going, got things straightened up, and made a ton of racket doing it. Still they slept. Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to crawl back in beside them and snuggle up. It was a long and restless night, but that's another story altogether.

Finally I tried rousing them. Shorty climbed right out of the pillow pile and under the blanket with Frank. I tried to get Frank to play. He wagged his tail and otherwise didn't move. Romey, well, he just grunted and rolled over. Jack lay still in the floor just eyeballing the process.

This was worse than trying to get kids out of bed for school.

I finally walked out into the dining room and pulled out the secret weapon- the squeaky ball. "Squeak. Squeak."

Finally they all came running and scrambling to the front of the house, and I could see as they did, that they were contemplating returning to the comfort of the blankets and warm bed. I quickly moved to the back door. "Potty", I said. And they all moved toward the door, stopping short when they felt the cold air.

Nope. That was a game changer. They all had to pee, but they weren't having any part of that cold blast. I had to quickly get to the bedroom door to keep them from going back to bed. I then went back to the dining room, opening the door, and literally had to push them all outside.

Jack in his chair. HIS chair. Jack in his chair. HIS chair.

They all did their business in record time and in what seemed like only seconds were back at the door, Frank barking to be let in. When I opened the door, all came inside like a shot out of a cannon. The brisk air had woke them all up. Shorty barking like a mad dog, Roman doing zoomies through the house, and Frank trying to find a way back into the bedroom and barking profusely at the bedroom door like somehow that would make it open.

Not happening.

Plans for the day changed so and I did something I almost never do. I did nothing but read, stoke the fire, and carry in the occasional armload of firewood. I read blogs. Blogs about refurbishing old houses. Blogs about farm living. Blogs about people spending a year sailing on the ocean on their boat. Blogs about animals. Hours of reading, and it was blissful. I did manage to bake a pan of hot rolls. 

And the dogs- well, they did what they do best. Nothing. Slept. Snored. Chased rabbits (or cats) in their sleep. They occasionally got up to go out to do their business with a little coaxing of a treat. But for the most part, they soaked up the warmth of the stove. In front of the stove is the place to be in these temps and they all know it.

A few months ago I decided to kick back and take pause. I booked only a few photo gigs, laid off the odd jobs for the spring and summer, dropped almost completely out of rescue, and haven't written anything to really speak of. I really needed the break.

I've filled my days with my "day job", (a new position I took in the spring), as well as my family, and of course, my animals. As full a my days still are, it's been a much needed break.

One of the things I found time to actually enjoy this year was tending my plants. My yard soil isn't all that great so most of what t I grow is in pots. At the end of the season, a lot of my plants come indoors; all the house type plants and some herbs.

While I do prune in the spring, fall is usually when I prune the most. Some of my plants and trees get sizable over the summer, basking in the sun on my deck, and typically I have to prune them when I bring them in because I only have so much space in my little house.

That wasn't the case this year.

Spring before last, I messed up and put everything out on the porch too early in the year. We had a week of perfect spring weather and then one night everything froze.

I was devastated (yes devastated) when I thought that most, if not all, of my plants were gonners. I've had some of them for years and years and spent a lot of time and love tending them. The memories some of them hold are priceless.

At first I thought they might come out of it if I brought them back into the house. But every stalk turned golden, dried, and snapped easily within days.

I got discouraged, but instead of throwing them out, I thought I'd cut them back completely and hoped that might force some shoots from the roots. But when I cut into the stalk, I saw larva. I knew I was in trouble then.

Turns out that those pesky Japanese beetles that kill 100 year old trees aren't all that picky about where they live, eat, and lay babies; almost any stemmy plant or tree will do. My Ficus and Fig trees worked out just fine for them. The stalks were all just full of larva.

I cut everything back to soil level, plucked out all the larva I could find, and spray painted the open cuts in hopes of smothering any worms left behind still alive.

Weeks passed and nothing. Everything went out on the deck, and what a sight it was. A bunch of huge pots with nothing but stumps showing. I waited and watched patiently for a couple of weeks, and nothing.

Then the rains came and blessed our area for about 5 days. By the end of those five days all of my plants had some green showing. A couple weeks later, and another couple of rain showers, I was seeing life in the pots again. And thankfully, no sign of bugs.

By the middle of summer, here they were. They were only fractions of their former size.

The Ficus (Indoor Fig) was about 7-8 ft tall and at least 3 foot in circumference before I had my lapse of judgement. I've had it 16 years this May. The plant in the middle, the one I can never remember the name of (schefflera), was about 3 ft tall and 2.5 ft in circumference and also 16 years old. My poor of Rubber Trees were both over 4 ft. tall and sprawled out in circumference that two people couldn't wrap their arms around them. I was looking forward to sharing some good cuttings from those with friends last year, but they don't freeze well. :-(

Over the winter and this past summer, everything regained some size and vigor. The only plant that required pruning was my Spider Plant. She had so many spiderettes (babies) spilling over the pot, the weight was more than my wall mount could hold. I hung her up and walked into the other room and then heard a crash. I wish I had taken a picture of her and all those cascading babies before I pruned her today. She was huge.

Hearty Potato Soup

• 5-6 medium size red potatoes, diced to 1” cubes
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 4-6 cups of chicken broth or bouillon  
• 6 thick slices of bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 4 cups cream (I use Half and Half)
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3-4 green onions, finely diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place diced potatoes, carrots, and celery in the soup pot filling with water just over the top of the veggies and throw in 4-5 chicken bouillon cubes. (You can use 4-6 cups of chicken broth or stock if you like but the bouillon is convenient for me.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a hard simmer.

While your veggies are cooking, fry the diced bacon in a skillet. Once the bacon browned, remove from skillet, leaving the grease in the pan.

Saute’ onion in the bacon grease until almost cooked.

Once veggies are tender, add onions, half the bacon, and two cups of cream to the veggie pot. Reduce heat to medium.

Add butter to skillet on medium heat. Once melted, add flour using a wire whisk, to make a thick roux. Cook one minute.

Using your wire whisk, blend in two cups of cream. At first this will look like milk gravy but the mixture will thicken fairly quickly. You’ll know it’s thick enough when it begins to pull away from the pan while whisking. Remove from heat.

Now, this step is us to you. If you like your soup chunky, skip it. If you like creamier soups use a potato masher or stick blender to mash up some of the veggies in the soup. I just give it a couple of quick burst with a stick blender until the consistency looks right for my taste.

Once soup begins to thicken add a handful of green onions. Stir and reduce to low heat, allowing the flavors to marry, 30 minutes or so.

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve topped with bacon crumples, a dash of shredded cheese, and a few green onion pieces. Some people like a dollop of sour cream on top as well, but using Half and Half in this recipe makes it rich enough that the sour cream is not necessary for me.  

This soup freezes well and will keep well in the frig for several days.

Allow soup to cool completely, uncovered, before refrigerating or freezing. Covering cream soups while warm will turn them to a watery consistency.

And they did it all without Lacey and Anthony ever knowing a thing. Did I mention we had to keep it secret for a month?

Anthony and Lacey thought we were going back home for one big birthday party, for all the September and October birthdays in the family. There are many. Since "back home" means a drive of more than an hour and a half, one big party seemed logical, right?

The party was supposed to take place at one of my sisters. We met at my mom's ahead of time though. I got out of the house to get to the hall before Anthony and Lacey arrived with my mom, an hour later.

My mother came up with this story that a close family friend, Anthony's first-ever sitter, was in town at a family get together and wanted to see Anthony's little girl, Ally. On the way to our "family birthday party" they were going to stop at the hall to see Deb for a few minutes. Always happy to oblige his granny, Anthony agreed.

While twenty of us gathered in the hall, the door opened and in came my nephew, then my mother, and then Lacey. She was expecting a family reunion of a bunch of people she didn't know, and she walked into a party, decked out in pink and gold, that she said later, " looked like she was crashing someone's baby shower. "

And then she realized it was her baby shower.


It took Anthony a minute to process the scene, but his surprise was obvious.

 

The look I am getting in the last picture is when he realizes I have been lying to him to cover this all up, for a month.

And here's another one of those looks to let me know we would be discussing this deception, in more depth, on the ride home. And of course, my sister laughing about it.



Of course he quickly dismissed my deception when he saw the food.

Everyone who attended was generous beyond compare, and indeed showed baby Amelia a bounty of gifts to get her started in this life. Anthony and Lacey were both humbled and grateful.



I got to spend some time with a couple of my oldest friends. There's never enough time, ever. I love you girls and miss you more than you would ever believe. So many memories with these girls. Where does the time go?


Back to the shower.

There was this monster cake. Jim cut each piece very large; more than I could finish.



But let their be no mistake. This is, hands down, one of the best party cakes I have ever eaten.

Well played, Hayley.
 

Claire was  huge help in making the decorations happen. She's a pretty talented young lady and a wonderful niece.

Aunt Karla, Aunt Deb, Aunt Deniesa, Cousin Heather, and some Gresham littles even made it. Been awhile since I'd seen them and catching up was good. This shower was the first gathering of this kind we've had back home, and close enough for them to attend. We usually do this stuff in Missouri and that's a pretty good drive for them.



Everyone had a great time chatting and catching up. One of Heather's littles is not so little anymore. Where does the time go?




Deniesa and her wee ones.



And of course one of my wee babes had a blast in all the commotion.



Some more of the decorations Hayley and Claire worked so hard on.



Of course no family gathering or batch of images is immune to at least one shot of the wild inside of Marcy or Amanda. This day, it was Marcy who obliged. "Give me a smile", and she does, the biggest one she can muster.



Amanda was content, this time, to just flash that gorgeous grin.



Sweet, dear Elly. What more can I say? She's just a lovin child and was so good to help keep track of Ally all day.



Hudson just hung out being adored. This child is such a snuggle bug it's unreal.



And of course, Deb was there. She's been "family" for as long as I can remember and really was Anthony's first sitter. Always smiling. She, my mother, and Rose make a good trio. Partners in crime for many years now.

Zoey had fun reading the blog about our last family get together. She doesn't get much internet time but I hope she enjoys this blog as well.

Hunter was illusive and managed to dodge the camera more times than I could count. It's a shame too. He has a cool looking new hair cut which shows off what a handsome young man he's grown into.

• 1 lb of bacon, fried and set aside to drain
• 1-2 large yellow or white onion- chopped or diced
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 box of pasta (about 4 cups), your choice (I used chewy rigatoni noodles for this batch)
• 1 pinch of sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
   

1. In a large pot (or large cast iron skillet which is my preference) fry bacon in strips and set aside.
2. Remove all but enough grease to coat the bottom of the pan or skillet.
3. Add onions to pan or skillet and saute' until softened.
4. Add tomatoes and a pinch of sugar and bring to a simmer. (you don't want this to be sweet. Use just enough sugar to kill the acidic bite of the tomatoes.
5. Chop cooked bacon into 1" pieces and add to mix.
6. Add pasta and 4-6 cups of water to pan or skillet. (The amount of water used depends on the type of past you choose.)
7. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stir well and simmer until all liquid has been mostly absorbed and pasta will have a nice sauce coating. If pasta doesn't seem tender enough, just add a little more water and simmer a bit longer.

This recipe will make 4 adult size servings and goes great with a side salad or can be used as a side dish.

Freezes well.

The first week of July we have a family gathering at my place. There's always a lot of good food and we always have too much. It's great for everyone to take a plate home, something to have around the house a couple of days to munch on, and even a few goodies the dogs can eat.

This year I threw the buns in a plastic box to keep them fresh throughout the day. After everyone had eaten and taken what they wanted, I cleaned up the mess and while doing so, nonchalantly put the box in the cabinet and basically forgot about it.

Today as I was cleaning the kitchen cabinets, I realized the box of buns was still there. I felt a little ashamed that I had let so much bread go to waste as I pulled the box out of the cabinet. When I opened the lid I expected to see a couple of bags of green, fuzzy, buns. But much to my surprise they looked, well, normal.

I pulled one of the buns out of the bag and checked it out. It smelled right, it looked fine, and other than a tiny bit drier, they appeared just as they had almost seven weeks ago when I had purchased them. I even tasted one. Tasted like bread. Not a single speck of mold on a single bun, in either bag. And yes, one bag had been opened back in July.

Now, I know that I don't have the world's most efficient bread box that magically keeps bread fresh forever. So I ask myself, what in the world are we putting in our bodies when eating this stuff? What kind of preservatives are manufacturers putting in our food so that even bread will stay virtually fresh and without mold, for seven weeks?

Long time companions and both of them gone within a couple of weeks of each other. I was devastated.

It was strange to have a cat free home for the first time in almost two decades. Right after they both passed away, I had my first mouse in longer than I could remember. Even in their declining health neither Cleo, nor Eddie, ever allowed a mouse in the house except for the ones Ry kept as pets. Cleo actually played with those. This unexpected visiting mouse was not welcome, and it finally took a cat to move him on his way. But I digress.

It was an adjustment having no cats, but I managed, and had honestly vowed to myself, "no more cats for me." The dogs were more than enough to keep me busy, entertained, and broke. I was good with that.

Meet Crystal. She's a diva, no joke.

She's nothing but a fur ball- a tiny little body under all that cottony fur. She was full of knots when I first got her. So much so I just shaved her instead of trying to brush her out. She would have hated me for sure. Not that she loved me over the clippers, but it was better than hours of tugging and pulling at her sensitive skin. She's not fully grown out yet, but at least no mats of fur to struggle with.

She's got this super smashed face, and of course the watery eyes that all flat faced kitties seem to struggle with. But she's picky about herself, cleans well, abides by the constant eye cleaning by me, and actually seems to enjoy a good brushing. 

Did I mention the word Diva? She really is. She struts all over the place like she owns it.

Crystal's not into other cats at all and merely tolerates the other little kitty I got talked into. (She's a whole other story) No major cat fights between the two but they each have their own territories, one venturing into the others only rarely.

She didn't like the dogs at first but now owns them all, even without a single front claw. And she bawls if you try and pet anyone but her. She has taken over my desktop and enjoys frequently shoving everything on top of it, off in the floor.

A friend of mine built her a cat tree so that she would be able to lay in the windows, up high, where the dogs wouldn't bother her as she basked in all her cattiness. She digs butterflies, and with the petunias right outside of the window, she gets to see a few of those. When she does, she gets wild looking if they get too close to the glass.

She's real "catty", and like I said a little diva, but a blessing non the less. She's got lots of personality and companionship for everyone around her.
 

This is one of those meals that you throw together with bits and pieces of stuff because you don’t have enough of any one thing to make a meal out of. My kids loved it and thought it was some great masterpiece. In reality, it was mom just trying to throw together a full meal about the time a trip to the grocery store was overdue.

The following recipe is cut in half and makes four servings for me. When the boys were young, we doubled and sometimes tripled the following.

• ½ lb bulk style breakfast sausage
• 3 Eggs
• 1 small onion
• 1 green pepper
• 2 stalks of celery
• 6-8 Baby carrots
• 4 T Olive oil
• 3 C Cooked rice
• 3 T Soy sauce
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 t freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
   

1. Chop all vegetables to ¼ to ½ cubes. Size just depends on how chunky you want your rice.
2. Set aside large bowl.
3. Brown sausage in hot skillet, chopping as it cooks.
4. Remove from pan and put in large bowl.
5. Add and heat 2 T oil in skillet.
6. Crack three eggs into hot oil leaving yolks whole.
7. After eggs appear firm, chop and mix yolk slightly and allow to finish cooking.
8. Use egg turner to scrape bottom of pan well.
9. Remove eggs from pan. Place in large bowl.
10. Add 2 T oil to pan.
11. Add vegetables and stir well. Just brown, don’t cook until limp.
12. Remove vegetables from pan. Place in large bowl.
13. Drizzle everything in big bowl with ½ the soy sauce and mix well.
14. Salt to taste.
15. Add three cups cooked rice to hot pan. Brown rice and use egg turner to scrape pan. When rice is dryer and brown stir in the other half of soy.
16. Add all contents of big bowl to rice and stir over med heat until combined.
17. Salt or soy to taste.

 

On June 26^th I published an article on Examiner.com in reference to my most current feelings about animal rescue, as well as my past involvement in such, and my need to step back away from it all for awhile. It was only one of a handful of editorial type articles I have ever published there.

As I hit the publish button, I contemplated it being my last article to publish on Examiner, forever.

I had been writing there since 2009, it was a great outlet to publish about animal news and welfare, and I had thousands of readers subscribed to my column. It was a real pip that I remained in the top most-read-column line up on the site for several years. I managed to make public a good deal of important information, publishing some things that other news groups refused to touch because of the emotionally charged nature of the material.

However, the articles were extremely time consuming and took away from a lot of the things that I do; things that actually pay my bills. As much as I enjoyed writing on Examiner.com there was nothing financially beneficial about it. Even though I had a couple of pieces hit big and go viral, that was not a constant and I was tickled when my earnings paid even the water bill. And for that reason, many times over the years, I have considered leaving Examiner. Each and every time I did consider it, friends (many involved in rescue) convinced me to stay, to give voice to so much in the animal world that others won’t talk about. And so I continued.

But on June 26^th, I was more than a little ready to just chuck it all.

Well, life has a way of making decisions for you, and sometimes, whether we like it or not, we go along because we simply have no choice.

Just days after I published that last article, in the midst of all that contemplation, Examiner made the decision for me. I received an email that stated, as of July 10, 2016, Examiner.com would shut down its feed, and Examiner would be no more. It was simple. The platform was changing to an entertainment driven crowd, there simply wasn’t any money in it for them to continue to operate a news site, and they were chucking the whole thing, including all of its content. Journalist who wished to save their work had just days to do so or wait for it to all disappeared.  

I had seven years of articles on the Examiner.com and just days to save what I could or it would all be gone. I wasn’t even sure that I wanted save any of it. Was it worth the hours it would take to collect it all? Who was reading it anyway?

So I compromised. I saved some of it. I saved the articles that were popular in first publishing and still being read, some that had special meaning for me, and certainly some that more than a few people would like to see completely disappear from existence.  There was just some information I could not bear to see simply fade away.

I’ve had a couple of offers to write for other online publications but decided against it, for now. Instead, I intend to republish those saved articles from Examiner here in my own space. Anything I write in the future will be found here too.

And since my blog is such a big mix of so many different things that I do, the easiest way to find what you want to read about, is to use the convenient little search box or keyword listing on the blog home page. Anything animal welfare related will be tagged with the keyword, “animal welfare”. Old Examiner.com articles will be tagged with “Examiner” or “Examiner.com”.

As always, thanks for reading! I look forward to hearing from many of you.

Pepper Steak

I grew up eating potatoes at almost every meal; southern roots, southern meal ingredients.

Mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, fried potatoes, potatoes in soups and stews, and the list goes on and on. Potatoes are great filler food, albeit a serious starch overload. They are cheap, can be prepared hundreds of ways, and they keep well in the pantry or frig for a very long time.

Me, I prefer rice. Rice, like potatoes, goes with just about anything else in a meal, and is so versatile I often wondered why we didn't eat more of it when I was a kid. Also like potatoes, it's cheap, has hundreds of uses, and can be stored for long periods of time. Unlike potatoes it doesn't take up a lot of space to store.

One rice dish we did eat as a kid was Pepper Steak. If I recall correctly, it was my Aunt Janice that introduced me to the stuff, and I will forever have her recipe burned into my brain. I could eat the stuff until I was sick. Over the years I played with her recipe a little and came up with one of my own that I enjoy frequently. It's inexpensive to make and a filling, tasty meal for all seasons.

-1lb round steak cut into 1/2 inch slivers
-1 large green pepper
-1 medium onion
-1 small bunch of broccoli (about the size of your fist)
-2 celery stalks
-1 large carrot
-1 small zucchini
-5 or 6 fresh button mushrooms (sliced or or quartered; your preference)
-Garlic- 2 cloves
-Olive oil
-Soy sauce
-2 T Kitchen Bouquet
-1-2 T Worcestershire sauce (your taste)
-Soy sauce to taste
-Fresh ground pepper
-Salt
-1 C water

I rarely measure anything, but I have given my best guess on measurements and below is how it all comes together. Chopping everything up is the only time consuming thing about it. The rest is all just about layering everything in on the cooking process.

• Brown slivered steak in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in hot pan. (I prefer cast iron) Salt and pepper while cooking.
• Once meat is almost cooked through, add celery, onions, broccoli and green peppers and 1 more tablespoon of oil.
• When first round of veggies has browned slightly, add the rest of the veggies and garlic.
• When all veggies begin to soften add Worcestershire, soy, Kitchen Bouquet, and water.
• Simmer 20 minutes and serve over white rice.

I have substituted the rice with pasta on occasion, and it's tasty that way as well. I just prefer the rice. Freezing leftovers from this meal works well.

Had a great holiday weekend with my family. July 3rd, every year, we have a neighborhood party, and that's my one day-of-year that my whole family tries to make it down for the day. My whole neighborhood is full of dozens of BBQ's, all day, simultaneously. Fun stuff!

Late in the afternoon, the local, rural fire department comes through, blowing their sirens and making their way to the beach. Kids and adults alike are welcome to check out the fire and emergency vehicles throughout the evening.

When everyone's arrives at my place, we eat a bunch of good food, spend time at the beach , and watch the fireworks at the end of the night. It's been a neighborhood tradition for my last 11 years, excepting for a couple of years that I've had to work.

After two days of cooking and getting things ready for the day, family started arriving after lunch, and I finally got out my camera to capture a few memories. No pics of the food this year. Sorry. I know it just breaks your heart [sarcasm], but I didn't even think about it.

This fella was the first things I noticed. He wasn't that striking all closed up in a huff, but in macro, I could actually see his beady little eye following my every move. I am not that great with macros, but I had fun with this one. This little fella just hung out and let me get very close, staying completely still, moving nothing but that big ole' eye.

It wasn't long before he finally started warming up to me and opening those wings. It was strange to see how plain he was folded up and so colorful when relaxed with wings splayed open.

Ally was running all over the front deck wanting to get the party started. She's always on the go and ready to roll. Bless her heart, she's so precious.

Last year we waited too long to head down the beach for a swim. We got there just before sunset and other than splashing around along the waterfront no one got much playtime in the water. Elly was bummed. Well, all the kids were bummed, but Elly was the one child most heartbroken over it. So this year I planned to make it a point to get the kids to the beach so they could get waterlogged and worn out. But Missouri nature has a mind of it's own and thunderstorms were predicted for the entire weekend. Niece Zoey had recently had surgery and wasn't going to be able to swim even if the rain didn't spoil the scene. The beach visit was going to be tricky.

Not long after everyone arrive, sister Marcy and I made a run to beach. It was cloudy but there seemed to be a break in the clouds, at least enough to afford us an hour or so before the rain came. We hurried everyone down to the beach. It wasn't much of a chore. All the kids were ready and raring to go. Well, all except Zoe who would be watching from afar, nursing that ailing leg. Poor kid.

Elly was ecstatic. She couldn't wait to get in the water.

This however, is most of what I saw of Garrett. It kind of made me nervous that I saw his feet more than his head, in a lake.

Well, I did see his sweet face occasionally. :-) He gave me his well-rehearsed-best smile for the camera.

But the rest of the time it was all feet, or watching him from a distance, enjoying time with his cousins. Good times :-)

Claire had been camera elusive all day, and the only shots I got of her were in the lake. It wasn't just fun at the beach. Well, it was all fun, but some of it was educational fun. Garrett has gown up seeing and messing with the mussels in the lake, but our Illinois family was infatuated with them.

Ally was all over the place. That's Ally. She is fearless, curious, and easily intrigued. She keeps Lacey hopping at a regular pace and it's sure that when her new sister arrives this fall, Lacey is going to really have her hands full. She's a wonderful mommy, so I am sure she will pull two little ones off like a breeze.

She's so stinkin' cute she's going to get by with everything she comes up with too. Meanwhile, relaxing in a chair beyond the beach, is niece Zoey. Poor Zoe. Tore her Meniscus, had to have surgery, and is now down for the count, for the entire summer. She loves to swim. It's got to be killing her to hang back with all that frolicking and laughter that's happening just a few dozen feet away. She's hanging tough but it's certain she would have rather have been swimming than sitting in that chair watching.

I turn to see a conversation taking place between two of my sisters. They are standing on the waterfront, watching the kids, and there is no telling what kind of snarky chat is going on here. These two are priceless. I love them both endlessly. It's like Marcy is saying, "You know it's true", and Amanda is looking at me like, "Are you hearing this?" No "Manda, I didn't hear, but I could only imagine.

And of course, Amanda isn't going to let me get by with a whole batch of images for the day without at least one, crazy, thought provoking image. It's a tradition. I expect it. I capture it for future reference. :-) Oh Amanda, honey, you just aren't right. But I do love you, just like you are!

A quick catch of Zoe tells me how she really feels about sitting out the summer with a bummed up leg. Poor kid. Can't feel bad enough for her. In pain, restricted, and missing out. Just caption these two shots. I think they should both be memes.

Memes. I tell you I am going to start making memes.

Amanda says she sees these looks all the time. Ah, the joys of having a preteen girl, an active one that's confined for the summer, at that.

Hayley and Hudson are just hanging out, watching Claire and the other kids in the water. Hudson's just a little too small it the britches for the lake already. But next year it's sure we'll have him digging sand and splashing like the rest of them.

Brother in law Jim always has that look of brotherly love for me. Ha ha ha ha. He's the only man alive allowed to get by with it.

I keep telling my oldest here, we need to put pony tails in that beard so he can get some air. He's intent on looking like ZZ Top's twin and he's pulling it off quite well too, I'd say.

Caught Marcy looking all serious and deep in thought. Loosen up sista. It's a holiday. Time to have fun. Stop all that serious contemplating.

That's better.

All in all it was a great day. Zoey, while bummed I'm sure, was still full of smiles for me.

Amanda was having a relaxing day. She's got a smile that will light up a room.

And Hudson's day was fairly laid back. Hayley is just busy doing what she does. She's such a good mom. She takes a little time to give me a look.  

Little Miss Ally, well, she spent a couple of good hours with her Mama chasing her around the beach. She swung in the swings with Daddy, picked up a gazillion items for examination, dug in the sand, and run out more energy in just a couple of hours, than you and I combined could produce in a week. She's just perfect in every way.

And Elly, well, she was more than a little happy that she got to play at the beach this year. She was so excited and played so hard. So I asked her, "Elly, how much fun did you have today?" And this is the smile I got. A picture's worth a thousand words, right?

When it started getting dark, we could see the neighbors getting ready to unload the fireworks and float them to the island to prep the show.

For the first time in almost two decades I spent the rest of the evening, even during the fireworks display, without a camera in my hand. It's the first time in more years than I can remember, that I don't have any fireworks shots other than the couple of failures on my cell phone.

Amanda and her bunch hadn't planned to stay and watch the show, but did. Marcy had planned to go home early too, but stayed. So instead of being displaced behind a camera, I enjoyed the show with them. I watched the wide eyes of all the kids. I watched Ally, so worn out from the day, that she fell asleep in the middle of all her ooooo's and ahhhhhhhs'. Good times. Really good times.

This year we sure missed Granny who didn't feel well enough to travel or brave the heat and humidity. We also missed cousins Dyllan and Hunter who couldn't make it. We wish you three could have made it and enjoyed the day with our fun loving bunch. I look forward to seeing your next year!

On a closing note, two drones hung out in the sky over the lake during the fireworks display. I haven't been able to find out who they belonged to or if there are any images. So if you know who and what, send me a comment and clue me in.

NOTE:
If you are family or close friend, and I haven't sent you the link to the gallery yet, just send me a message or leave a comment and I'll send it to you too.

Murky Stream: Wikipedia images usage allowed

I rarely write editorials, but one is due, as I have stepped back from something I am passionate about, and folks have noticed. And the strange truth of the matter is, that it's happened for reasons not at all what most people might expect.

It is with utmost certainty that this piece will ruffle the feathers of more than a few. There will be rescue people, even good rescue people, taking pause and asking themselves, “Is she talking about me?”

All I can say is this: if something you are about to read hits home with you, if there is something in the following words that you yourself have done or seen and done nothing about, well, then it is about you, absolutely. If nothing in this writing resembles the way you operate as a rescue person, you still have likely known others that it most definitely pertains to. Either way, just mull it around a bit, and examine how it is you conduct yourself on a daily basis. It can’t hurt, or maybe it will. I've far surpassed caring who it might offend. Life is not a popularity contest and none of us are going to make it out alive.

People who work animal rescue ask themselves almost daily why it is they continue to put themselves through the stress and heartache involved in this business, and it comes from all sides. They frequently tell themselves, “I just can’t do this anymore,” but they rarely say it out loud and hang tough as they continue to struggle on. The compassion fatigue they suffer is very real. But it's not just from the horror they see inflicted on animals each day, or the lack of understanding they get from the general public, or even because of bad pet owners who don't have the first clue about actually caring for their pets. The heartache and drama they witness comes frequently from inside the world of rescue, from other rescuers. It’s a crazy, cut-throat business, that no one, I repeat no one on the outside of it can understand, no more that they can understand what drives rescuers to do the things they do, and stay with it.

The world at large thinks that rescues work together in some kind of peaceful harmony. They are all in it to save animals, right? They have the same goal, right? So certainly they would all agree, get along, and strive together to improve the welfare of animals, right?

Well, yes, and no.

Most people in animal rescue do have the same goal; to save and rehome needy pets. But let there be absolutely no mistake, relatively few animal rescue organizations work together, much less in harmony, even though they all have the same general goal. Few have the same idea on how to rescue, how to care for, or how to find new families to adopt out the animals they take in. They are all in direct competition for support and funding as most are non profits that rely on every donated penny to survive, whether they’ll admit that or not. Some can agree to disagree, not step on each other’s toes, and network animals to get them into better circumstances. But more times than not, it’s a competition, pure and simple. It’s all about who saves the most, who rakes in the most donations, and frequently, whose ego can be charged to the hilt. Just hit up Facebook and check out rescue pages and see who rattles their own chain the most.

You can tell a lot about animal welfare groups by what they post on social media. Are they promoting the animals they have for adoption? Are they working tirelessly to raise money? Are they sharing the animals they have adopted out? Are they praising their volunteers? Do they build up the people who support them? Are they praising the families that adopt their animals? Or are they boasting about all they do, how little help they get, or how they struggle while no one helps or understands them? Are they showing you all that’s wrong with people who own animals or are they encouraging people to be better pet owners? Are they proactive in helping others be better pet owners? Or are they constantly brow beating pet owners who aren’t doing it right, based solely on their own opinion? Are they educating the public, or are they scolding the population for not doing things their way?

I have been rescuing and dragging home animals my entire life, but for more than a decade, about 15 years to be exact, I have worked deliberately and consistently in organized animal rescue, in one form or another. I have worked with rescues and shelters, for rescues and shelters, and done more behind the scenes than I could ever explain, nor would I want to. And although most local animal lovers, and many not so local, are well aware of how in depth I have I have worked with rescue, it’s not like I publicized my every move, searching for the recognition I see others in rescue looking for. I have always been quite content working in the background and speaking out only when the need arose, i.e. when I just couldn't keep my mouth shut a minute longer. I've never made it my mission to point out every animal I saved or the work I did to help animals find homes. I was just content to do it whether anyone knew I was doing it or not.

I have, however, been very vocal and outward about the organizations which I supported and drew as much attention to those organizations as possible. Good attention. Good support. I have been very vocal about how I feel about animal abuse and neglect. I have worked very hard and exercised extreme patience, many times, to help people be better pet owners, get help with vet care, and help them safely find new homes for their pets, and yes, called out more than a few atrocities, in-the-flesh and face-to-face, as well as on social media. So while I don’t advertise my every move, I certainly haven’t hidden myself. I often wonder how some rescuers have any time at all to do any real rescue as they seems to spend an awful lot of time, online, telling the world about every little thing they have done.

In all the truly good work I have witnessed over the years, with rescue people who strive to do more and better, daily, there have been equal amounts of shady business occurring all around me. Organizations that hoard; organizations that collect stray animals that they ship out to places hundreds, or sometimes thousands of miles away, without ever giving owners a chance to find them; some of the same organizations that ship those animals having no real idea where or what they are sending those animals to; organizations that claim to be no-kill but will transfer animals to other organizations that do kill, just to clear their own kennels; organizations that operate under the radar without licenses; organizations that spend thousands of dollars to import animals in from other communities, and sometime other countries, while thousands of animals go without help and die, every day, in their own back yards; organizations that find a way to justify buying animals from breeders and auctions under the guise of rescue, putting money into the pockets of the breeders they say they so despise, and claim to rise up against; organizations that do little in comparison to neighboring groups, that take away funding, needed by their neighbors that do so much more than they ever could; organizations that behave unethically and sometime form vendettas against individuals they deem unworthy, by their own personal standards, and justify those actions with half truths, manufactured 'facts', and mere fragments of the real story; organizations that run people in the ground for being less than their own idea of perfect; organizations that think that no one else can care for animals as good as they can and drive off potential adopters and supporters with their constant ranting and raving; groups, rescuers, and organizations that sit so high on their own self righteous pedestals that they have loss complete track of reality.

I really could go on and on, but you get the picture.

And for all the wrong I’ve seen, I've managed to continue doing what it is I do with animal rescue, telling myself that ever popular phrase, “Not my circus, not my monkey.” That is, until an organization I was deeply involved with did something not quite legal and certainly what I consider unethical; something that has eaten its way to my core.

No amount of advice or argument from me could convince them what they were doing was wrong, not only to the pet involved, but to the people who love him. I felt I had no other choice but to cut ties with the organization and everyone involved with them as I worked to do everything within my power to make right what I truly believe was a major injustice. In doing so it caused me to reexamine to what extent I would ever allow myself to become involved with an organization again. If I could not trust people I have known for decades, people that claim to hold the same values as me, to make decisions that I could stand behind, who in this crazy business could I trust? The answer that I arrived at was a real eye opener.

For years I thought that compassion fatigue would be what would drive me from organized animal rescue; the suffering and abuse we see inflicted upon animals every day is so profound and overwhelming. But as it turns out, it is actually rescue people themselves that caused the light bulb to come on, or go off, however you want to look at it.

So much I have believed in, for so long, has turned out to be a lie wrapped in the egotism, arrogance, and self righteousness of others, and it has nothing to do with abusive or uneducated pet owners, but rather the very people who claim to be “all about the animals.”

This is not to say that all rescues and shelters, and the people that run them, are bad. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There are still very good people running excellent organizations, doing outstanding work, although it’s become increasingly difficult to distinguish the good from the bad in this ‘dog eat dog’ business.

In short, I’m taking my own advice, stepping back a bit, and taking the time to just breathe.


Originally published on Examiner.com
June 26, 2016
Author, Gila Todd

Arabella Brian D. Garner of Hayti faces two counts of animal abuse stemming from a complaint made to Hayti police concerning several Pit Bulls in poor condition. Two of the dogs required immediate medical attention.

One of the dogs, now named Arabella, showed injuries consistent with having been dragged. “Her back paws were rubbed to the bone and her nails are ground down,” said Karol Wilcox, president of CHS-PAWS. “She also has abrasions on her belly and chest that appears to have gone untreated for some time and have resulted in a serious infection” said Wilcox.

The second dog, Liberty, was underweight and anemic from flea infestation. “Liberty is by far the better of the two,” stated Wilcox, “but both dogs are responding well to the treatment they are receiving from our vet and shelter staff. They are improving daily.”

This is not Garner’s first brush with the law, nor the first animal abuse charge he has faced. Garner was convicted of animal abuse in 2014 in Hayti’s municipal court.

Wilcox praised the Pemiscot County Prosecuting Attorney and Hayti Police Department for their prompt attention to the complaint and subsequent investigation. “We are very glad we have such a good relationship with Hayti Police and the Pemiscot County Prosecutors office,” says Wilcox.

CHS-PAWS took in and cared for Skelly, the dog from Garner’s previous conviction. Skelly’s condition was dire and his recovery took months of care and rehabilitation. Skelly was eventually adopted to a good home out of state. His owner continues to stay in close contact with the organization.

CHS-PAWS will continue to work to bring Arabella and Liberty back to good health and find homes for them as well. “They both appear to have been bred many times, but their disposition is very good,” said Wilcox “We will be working to move them out of the region as we think that is the best call for their safety in their future life.”

Garner is scheduled for his first appearance in front of Judge Bill Carter on June 30th in Pemiscot County Circuit Court Division II.

You can follow Arabella and Liberty’s progress on the CHS-PAWS

Originally published on Examiner.com June 20, 2016
Author Gila Todd
 

So, I was thrilled when Kara sent me shots of her recently printed session, on canvas.

The boo boo happened just before the shoot did. It was touch and go for awhile folks, but the crisis ended soon enough, and two little girls were having a blast playing dress up in the back yard. Boa's, beads, hats, frilly dresses, sidewalk chalk, and a sand box. What more could you ask for?

Good times ensued.

I do feel bad that I promised Lylah that I would edit out her new boo boo, and I didn't. Somehow that boo boo mattered and I couldn't bring myself to take it out of the memory. I hope that she will forgive me someday :-) 

I love it that this session came out looking exactly as it was; real. Two cousins, best pals, playing and doing their thing.

And real life boo boos. Even the little ones that shape us into who we become.

I love the canvases! Thanks for sharing them with me, Kara. I hope they bring you many years of smiles and good memories.

~Gila

Animal Welfare Alliance of Southeast Missouri– P.O. Box 647, Poplar Bluff, Mo.
(573) 840-0664 | Facebook | Website

Bollinger County Stray Project–  Bollinger County, Mo.
Facebook | Website

Canines in Crisis– Desoto, Mo.
(636) 208-9037 | Facebook | Website

CHS-PAWS (Formerly the Caruthersville Humane Society)- 204 S. 4th St., Hayti, Mo.
(573) 359-0113  Voicemail available after hours Facebook | Website

Dexter Animal Shelter- 601 E. Grant St., Dexter, Mo.
(573) 624-5512 | Facebook | Website

FPAC (Farmington Pet Adoption Center) – 2901 Hwy 67 South, Farmington, Mo.
Facebook | Website

Fourche Valley Rescue– Bloomsdale, Mo. (Foster based) 
(573) 702-9112 | Facebook | Website

Gray Hawk Project Stray Cat– Ste. Genevieve, Mo
Facebook

Hearts for Rescue – 452 County Road 565, Poplar Bluff, Mo
Facebook | Website

Humane Society of Southeast Missouri– 2536 Boutin Dr., Cape Girardeau, Mo.
(573) 334-5836 | Facebook | Website

Mac’s Mission– Cape Girardeau, Mo.
(573) 275-7039 | Facebook | Website

Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary- 359 Cree Lane, Jackson, Mo.
(573) 243-9823 | Facebook | Website

Saving Whiskers and Tails, Bernie, Mo.  (Foster based) 
Facebook

Sikeston Pet and Animal Welfare Services (Sikeston PAWS)- 1900 Compress Rd., Sikeston, Mo. (573) 471-7387 (PETS) | Facebook

The following is a listing of notable animal control agencies (that do more than average animal control, including adoptions) with links to their Facebook pages. If the animal control unit does not have a Facebook page, links will lead to that localities police dept.

Kennett Humane Dept.– Kennett, MO.
Facebook

I love a good sandwich. You can pile almost anything between two pieces of good bread and have a wholesome meal. I like to play around with taste combinations and this one came out much better than I anticipated. I wasn't sure how avocados would jive with green pepper and the butter glazed bread, but it all blended nicely.

I used Ciabatta bread for this one but you can use the bread of your choice.

Here's the mix for the butter glaze. You just melt the butter in the microwave, add all other ingredients, and stir well.

• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

For the sandwich filler you will need:

• Chicken or turkey luncheon meat
• Your choice of cheese
• Green pepper
• Avocado

1. Drizzle butter glaze over split pieces of bread.
2. Pop both sides of your bread, buttered side up, under the broiler of your oven on a cookie sheet. Toast to your preference.
3. Pull from broiler and add another good drizzle of butter glaze.
4. Top bread halves with thinly sliced chicken or turkey and cheese of your choice. (I prefer Swiss or Provolone.)
5. Pop back under the broiler just long enough to warm meat and melt cheese.
6. Remove from oven and top with sliced green pepper and avocados.
   
   Enjoy!

Pico De Gallo

Pico De Gallo

• 1 can diced tomatoes (drained well)

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 cloves of finely diced fresh garlic cloves

• 6-8 sprigs of diced fresh cilantro

• ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• Juice of half a fresh small lime

• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Traditionally this recipe would call for green onions, fresh jalapeño, and fresh tomatoes. All are great but you cook with what you have available, and for this recipe, my named ingredients were what I had. Play with the recipe and find your favorite combination.

Note:
Throw this in with a few cups of white rice cooked with chili powder, cumin, and green pepper and you'll have some seriously tasty Spanish Rice.

She made these apple dumplins for Thanksgiving and Christmas and they were such a big hit they have replaced the pumpkin pie that almost nobody eats each year. One of my sisters, not necessarily a big fan of fruit pies and the likes, ate 4 or more of these! Apple Dumplings from Tiphero.comGet the recipe here, at tiphero.com

Mom said they were the easiest thing she's ever thrown together and I can attest they are super scrumptious.

 

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and peeled
1 stick (4 oz) salted butter
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 oz lemon-lime soda

Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.

2. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.

3. Slice the cored and peeled apples into eight wedges.

4. Open one of the cans of crescent rolls and carefully unroll it. Separate the 8 triangles from each other.

5. Place one apple slice on the wide end of the triangle, then roll up like a crescent roll (the package has an illustration on the back if you’re not sure what that should look like). Tuck the ends around the apple slice to completely enclose it. Place in the baking pan and repeat with the seven remaining triangles from the first can, then repeat again with the second can of crescent rolls.

6. Place the butter in a large microwave safe measuring cup and microwave until melted, about a minute.

7. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, then spread evenly over the dumplings in the pan.

8. Pour the Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan.

9. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown on top.

She got the recipe from Tiphero.com and you can see the video by clicking here.

Last Wednesday crowds scrambled to grocery stores buying up milk, bread, water, and other rations, stocking up for the impending weather approaching the Midwest. The weather man was calling for up to an inch of sleet and ice in some areas on Thursday, and significant snowfall on Friday. Everyone scurried at the news.

Conscientious pet owners with outdoor pets made haste to secure proper shelter for their animals, bringing some inside for the storm, while others did little to nothing to insure the comfort or even the lives of their pets. At least one Perry County dog has died from it's owner's lack of concern.

Sleet and ice covered Southeast Missouri in a matter of just a few hours and as predicted almost a foot of snow fell on the area shortly after. By 6 p.m. on Friday there was as much as 14 inches of snow on the ground in rural Missouri on top of a layer of ice. Temperatures dropped below freezing.

In a backyard in Brewer, Mo. two dogs were chained with no food or water, and had little more than makeshift shelters to protect them from the winter storm. The pet's owners were not home to care for them much less bring them in from the blistering cold.

The dog owners, however, were coming and going, moving belongings from their rental home. There were tracks everywhere to indicate the move, but there were no tracks to be seen, leading to or from the area in the back of the property where the dogs were chained. No one had even checked on them.

The call to Rough Road Rescue came too late for one of the Brewer dogs that had been forgotten. Upon arrival authorities and Rough Road Rescue discovered one dog dead and the other hanging on but cold and in poor condition.

It was apparent that the Boxer had made it through the storm. But malnourished, with no water and no way to maintain his own body temperature in the makeshift wooden box he was left to survive in, he died; cold, hungry, and alone. One can only guess as the misery this poor animal suffered in the blistering cold.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the dogs death.The outcome of the investigation will determine whether or not any criminal charges are in store for the dog's owner.

The second dog found on the property has been taken in by Rough Road Rescue.

This will certainly not be the last winter storm of the season here in the Midwest and pet owners should pay closer attention to the environments pets are forced to live in.

If you see an animal being neglected or abused, call your local sheriff's department immediately. Animals in imminent danger can be confiscated and moved to adequate shelter before it is too late.

If you are having trouble providing food or shelter for your own pets, please contact your area animal shelter or rescue to inquire about any assistance they may provide. Most animal welfare organizations are willing to provide assistance for those that ask.

To contact the Perry County Missouri Prosecuting Attorney about this case call or write Tom Hoeh, prosecutor.
Email: [email protected]
Mailing address: P.O. Box 570, Perryville, Mo. 63775.
Telephone (573) 547-1023
Fax: (573) 547-4718.
Office hours are 8:00 a.m.-12:00 pm. and 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Mon. - Fri.

The Prosecuting Attorney's Office prosecutes violations of state law occurring within Perry County, Missouri. The offenses include everything from traffic offenses to murder.

Originally published on Examiner.com
December, 8, 2013
Author, Gila Todd

Covered in sores from abuse and neglect, improperly healed broken bones, heartworm positive, and with infection throughout his body, there didn’t appear to be much chance of recovery for this poor boy. But such dire situations have never stopped the dedicated crew at CHS-PAWS and they went to work to getting Skelly on his road to recovery.

Skelly’s vet bills soared. His daily care and rehabilitation were taxing. But Wilcox was determined to bring Skelly back to health and find him a home outside of the city limits where they have a breed ban prohibiting the ownership of Pit Bulls. If his health and rehab weren’t challenging enough, finding him a home certainly would be.

At the time of rescue, Skelly appeared to be a pup of no more than seven or eight months old. But the vet discovered Skelly was much older; he was a dog of at least two years of age. The abuse and neglect he had suffered had stunted his growth and as Wilcox was finding out, it had stunted his social development as well. Skelly simply didn’t know how to be a dog.

Weeks passed and Skelly’s body healed as much as it ever would. He was left with scars but had regained good physical health. During Skelly’s recovery, Garner, Skelly’s previous owner, sent many people to the shelter to attempt to adopt Skelly. Wilcox was later able to successfully prosecute Garner for animal abuse and she was wise from the beginning when Garner’s friends were trying to adopt the dog back.

Wilcox, having made Skelly’s rehab her personal mission, worried that she may never find the right home for this special boy. He was sweet and loving, but he was strong, stubborn, and to the average person, a little intimidating. And as Wilcox readily admits, he was at times, more than she was sure she could handle. He didn’t know how to play like other dogs. Even the simplest thing like stairs and interior flooring petrified him. He was leery of almost everyone but Wilcox and other shelter staff. He was overly protective of her and his personal toys. Wilcox shed many tears and spent many sleepless nights worrying about the future of the little Pit Bull she had saved.

Wilcox found herself reaching out to larger animal welfare organizations asking for help. And just about the time she thought that help would never come, she received a call. An organization was interested in taking Skelly into their custody and moving him out of the Bootheel.

The Missouri organization that took Skelly relocated him to one of their branches in New Jersey where he went through behavioral rehab. Skelly worked on his social skills and began learning basic commands. Part of his ongoing rehab was to go into short term foster care with Erin Corcoran in New York City.

Erin knew of Skelly’s past and was impressed with how far he had come since his initial rescue. She worked with him on his socialization and playing skills and his tendency to be nippy and mouth people’s hands during play time. She was amazed that Skelly really didn’t know how to simply be a dog.

Skelly continued to perplex Erin with the average everyday things that he had no clue how to do or react to. Stairs were a big item since Erin lived on the upper floor of her building. For weeks Erin had carried Skelly up and down the stairs to take him out for walks. He’d been around other dogs at the Missouri shelter but really didn’t know how to interact and play with them. Erin’s brother’s dog Murray was a frequent visitor and Skelly followed Murray around like a puppy. When Erin would lay on the couch Skelly would sit and look at her longingly until Erin realized he literally didn’t know how to jump up on the couch or that he would be allowed to stay there.

As time passed, people started applying to adopt Skelly. With each application Erin held her breath, dreading the day when one of the applicants would work out and she would have to part with Skelly. She’d become attached to her ward, as many fosters do, and the thought of him leaving her was heart breaking. She and Skelly had taught each other so much and become so close, Erin felt that Skelly’s true home should be with her.

After careful consideration Erin contacted the organization that had custody of Skelly and told them she had made up her mind and that she wanted to keep Skelly as her own. The paperwork was filled out and signed and with that Skelly was officially a foster failure, and Erin’s forever fur baby.

Skelly has come a long way from life, and almost his death, on a chain in that small town in the Bootheel of Missouri. He’s mastered the stairs and enjoys daily walks in the big city where he meets hundreds of people and animals at a time. He also enjoys his time with Murray who teaches him more and more each day about how to be a dog. Skelly has also made his way into the hearts of Erin’s parents, who at one time had no use for Pit Bull type dogs. Skelly and Erin’s dad are big buddies who enjoy every minute they spend together. The one thing Skelly has mastered is working his way into the heart of everyone he meets.

Erin says that Skelly still hates baths and is protective of his things but he’s never been aggressive and now enjoys his favorite place on the couch for a good snuggle. He’s terrified of the little Pomeranian across the hall but thrives on the frequent visits from children in their building. And while his visible scars are a constant reminder of what he came from they are also a reminder of the good hearts of the people who saved him and all he’s overcome.

Skelly Bean, as Erin calls him, has traveled and had adventures all the way from the Bootheel to the Big Apple and now lives better than most two legged children thanks to a handful of loving and patient people in animal rescue. Skelly enjoys long walks in the park, trips to the dog park, weekend visits to the grandparents, bring your dog to work days with Erin, and has many new friends both two legged and four. This boy who once suffered so greatly now thrives in the loving care of his new mama. He snuggles on the couch, sleeps in mama’s bed, and enjoys adventures with her regularly.

Originally published on Examiner.com
November 1, 2015
Author, Gila Todd

On October 15, 2015, these two wonderful men were able to join hands and commit themselves to each other in matrimony. Who would have ever believed it possible?

The location for this wondrous occasion was just outside of Cape Girardeau, Mo. at the home of a friend. The scene was as beautiful as the moment.

It was one of the most touching occasions I have ever witnessed.

Steve was so nervous putting the ring on Wil's finger.

But sealed with a kiss...

...and a heartfelt hug...

...and this union is complete. So I introduce to you, Mr. & Mr. Wil and Steve Halter.

So many family and friends gathered to celebrate.

Even the pup got in on the ceremony and celebration.

Everything witnessed and signed.

It's all settled. Wil and Steve pose with Candice Evan's the ceremony officiate.

In all the years of loving one another, their wedding night was the fist night they had ever danced in public together.


It's hard to believe that in all the time they have spent loving each other, their wedding night was the first time they had ever slow danced in public together. 

Here's to wishing you both, many more wonder firsts, and a long, and happy life together,

-Half a blender of ice
Pour on:
4 oz. strawberry lemonade mixed double strength
6 Large strawberries
1 T. sugar
2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon
 

I didn't manage to drink the whole batch, small as it was (about two drinks this size), so I threw it in the freezer, still in the blender.

Next day I remembered it there and pulled it out and it was a mass too solid to blend, although not rock hard.

So I added another ounce of bourbon and a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and got this:

I think I like them the second round much better; sweeter and creamier. Either way quite refreshing, but the overnight freeze and re-whipping gave it a nicer texture.

Cheers!

Joe's appearance in June 2015June 2015. Joe was rescued from an East Prairie, Mo. residence by one of his former owners in May 2015. Now being cared for properly, he's gaining weight and well on his way to recovery. (Corey) Several weeks ago there was public outcry about a horse located in East Prairie, Mo. Reports stated that the horse was “starving and had signs of being shot.” Several people said that they had made attempts to involve authorities but Weren't seeing any results. Reports had been made as far back as early 2014.

An article was published on Southeast Missouri Animal Welfare Examiner about the horse's condition and the lack of action being taken by authorities.. The following day a deputy from the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department contacted me and stated that the horse had been checked on in 2014 but nothing had ever become of the welfare check. He further stated, that there was currently a second investigation being conducted on the same horse. With the investigation ongoing he was unable to elaborate further.

A second article was published informing readers that authorities were indeed investigating and after several weeks had passed, I contacted the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department to find out the disposition of the case. I was told at that time that the horse had been rescued by one of its original owners, even before the investigation's conclusion, and was living safe and well in his new home. No further details were made available at that time, but a public announcement was said to be forthcoming from the department, however, no PSA was ever released on the horse. Joe, May 2015Joe's appearance May 2015 on the Sprinkles farm outside of East Prairie, Mo. Joe was rescued from an East Prairie, Mo. residence by one of his former owners in May 2015. Now being cared for properly, he's gaining weight and well on his way to recovery.

Recently I was able to locate the horse’s rescuer and former owner, and found out that the horse named Joe is indeed doing well and on the mend.

As it turns out, Corey, one of Joe’s original owners, had seen the article about Joe and his plight on the Southeast Missouri Animal Welfare Examiner column.

“I knew it was Joe as soon as I saw the article,” said Corey. “I got the papers from my vet to confirm, got some additional information from the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department, and sure enough it was Joe.”

With the information provided in the article, Corey was able to locate Joe with the enlisted help of a local law enforcement; an official that had been a long-time family friend.

Joe was located at the Sprinkle’s residence just outside of East Prairie, Mo. Before approaching the property, Corey made inquiries with neighbors and found out that Sprinkles and his girlfriend were riding Joe daily although he was in such poor condition. According to neighbors, Joe had appeared thin for a very long time and never seemed to put on any weight. Several of the neighbors said they had reported the horse’s condition to authorities on multiple occasions.

When Corey arrived at the Sprinkles residence, she was sickened to see the condition Joe was in. She spoke with Sprinkles’ girlfriend and convinced her that Joe would be much better off if she could take him home with her. Corey assured Sprinkle’s girlfriend that she could provide the care that Joe needed to be the healthy and vibrant horse he once was. With Sprinkles away for the day, the girlfriend conceded, and Corey was able to take possession of Joe, with permission. Joe was then removed from the property and held nearby until Corey could get a trailer to transport him back to her farm. Joe's appearance early 2014 on the Sprinkles farm outside of East Prairie, Mo. Joe was rescued from an East Prairie, Mo. residence by one of his former owners in May 2015. Now being cared for properly, he's gaining weight and well on his way to recovery. (Anonymous)

Once back at the farm Corey examined Joe closer and noted he was malnourished and had considerable rain rot. There was no indication he had been shot but there were sores on his hips from his skin being stretched so thinly over his bones. Much of the hair was worn from his withers due to poor condition and daily riding by Sprinkles.

Corey immediately made an appointment with the vet and began a proper feeding regimen for Joe. He was even allowed to graze the yards of his new neighbors, enjoying all the tasty and nutrient-rich clover in abundance there.

Once at the vet it was discovered that Joe was not thin from simply being old or not being fed enough, he was full of worms. The veterinarian gave him a de-wormer, trimmed his hooves, and put him on other medications to improve Joe’s health. Joe would need to have several teeth pulled so a future appointment was made for him to have the extractions done.

It’s unknown how old Joe really is although Joe’s vet is quoted as saying, “very old, well over 20 years”.

Corey says Joe is a very calm boy and seems content these days. “Joe is great with the whole family and particularly fond of the kids. He shows us love and affection all the time; I know he remembers us. He actually bows his head for my four year old to love on him,” said Corey.

Corey says that Joe will live out his life in the pasture as a pet, not to be ridden by anything more than a child, and not until he is well enough.

“Joe has lived a long life and is now receiving the right care. He’s been to hell and back and deserves to live in comfort and he will do that here. He is in the pasture enjoying an endless supply of Bermuda hay,” said Corey. “It is funny to watch him eat because he does so with his eyes closed, like he is really enjoying it.”

Joe Joe Joe

 

Originally published on Examiner.com
July 14, 2015 8:02 PM MST
Author Gila Todd

Sug came from a very large litter of pups. Her momma's owner had decided to breed his dog because he had been able to "pre-sell" four pups from his beautiful, registered female.

Once the pups were born (over a dozen off them), he sold the four that were spoken for, and he was left with rest of the litter to contend with.

After a trip to the vet he quickly discovered how expensive it would become to care for the litter until they could all be sold. Breeding dogs was not so profitable after all.

With the litter's second round of vaccinations coming due the dog owner decided that it would be cheaper to euthanize the remainder of the litter instead of keeping them and attempting to sell them.

He decided to try to give the remainder of the litter away and those he couldn't find homes for would go back to the vet to be euthanized.

These were registered Labrador Retrievers and it had come down to euthanasia as an affordable way to manage the situation. Breeding dogs, for the average individual, just doesn't pay like some might think. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
A group of people got together, made a few calls, and one by one the pups found homes. None were euthanized. (One of the few situations of the kind that ended up coming out okay but a reminder that even full blooded dogs can easily end up homeless or euthanized due to irresponsible breeding.)

I personally did not intend to take a pup for myself. I had taken a friend to pick out one for himself and stood in amazement watching more than a half a dozen lab pups bounce off the walls of the barn. A puppy was not on my agenda. Puppies are just not my thing.

As I watched the rambunctious pups bark and bounce and carry on, I noticed the only remaining yellow pup sitting quietly under a heat lamp, making no fuss at all. She hadn't moved in the 30 minutes we had been there. She just patiently sat and watched the commotion around her. My friend asked which one I was taking, to which I replied, that I wasn't taking any of them. I'd try to find them homes but I wasn't in a position to take on a new pup.
As we began to leave, my friend had his pup, and again reminded me the fate of the pups that might be left over saying, "Surely you can take a pup home and maybe find it a home later if you decide not to keep it."

As I stood by the barn door I looked at the little yellow girl as she watched me on my way out. On a whim I said "Hey girl, are you ready to go home?" And as if on cue, up she got, and came over to me and sat by me looking up with this wanting look in her eyes as if to say, "I'm ready."

I picked her up, we came home, and she has been my side ever since. That was 12 years ago. I knew once I had her she was mine and I was hers, and I wouldn't be looking for another home for her.
Sug has been the most wonderful girl and never once have I regretted that day in that barn. She has mothered every rescued animal I have brought into her life (there have been more than a few) and every child that has come into our home. She is the best natured dog I have ever encountered and I have been blessed by 12 wonderful years with her.
I saved her once and she has saved me more times than I can count. She reminds me constantly the true meaning of unconditional love.

Sug passed away on March 11, 2015 and there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss her, terribly. RIP baby. You'll always be my girl.