Human Again

I had a flu like thing going on all last week. I finally feel like a human again.

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State Parks are being closed in Illinois.

Our Governor has so mis-managed our tax money, and our congress too, that he is now at a loss for when to get some funds, his bright idea is to close Historic Sites and State Parks.

Please if you are in Illinois sign up, and let Mr Blagojevich know he is making a terrible decision. If you are not in Illinois Please forward this link to anyone you do know from Illinois. Please and Thank You!!!

Stop Blagojevich

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QotD: There's No Place Like Home

What's your definition of home?
Submitted by NayNay72

Home. Home is partly geographical, and partly emotional for me. Our house is my home, the corn growing soybean farming Midwest is my home, and my family is my home. My Home is filled with my stuff, pieces of me, treasures I have acquired, and bits of things I have plans for creatively. It is a blend where I've been and the potential things I can create. The Midwest is my home. Where I am never more than a couple miles from the nearest cornfield, or piece of the prairie. There is only a certain area of the country that embodies this feeling for me, and I don't think I could live outside of it. And lastly, and possibly my family is Home. My immediate and extended family. I could not live far away from my family, I would not survive.

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In the Dog House

The dog and one of the kids. I know, I should have checked that he locked the kennel. I didn't.

I went to lock it and I was stopped by the boy who wanted to give the dog a treat. I said "ok, lock the kennel" In typical kid fashion he didn't hear or didn't listen. And while we ran errands and had lunch, the dog removed the trash from every garbage can in the house. And pooped on my bed room floor.

I'm not ever going to win any awards for housekeeping (even if there where such awards) But someone strewing trash all over the house certainly doesn't help.

So, exasperated and annoyed, I had the kids clean it up. I'm such a mean mommy. The whole time they cleaned up the mess they chattered on and on to their imaginary friends.

I wish my imaginary friends would help me do housework.

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How can it be, that with the technology they have at their diposal, NBC's Olympic coverage is still

LACKING? How?? I realize everyone wants to see their pet sport, and I am no different, I want to see and hear about the equestrian events. Unfortunately, I do not have cable or satellite, and all the coverage for equestrian events is running on Oxygen.

But wait!!! I can watch live streaming video on the internet.. But.. I can't. The live video won't stream, and the the highlight videos wont load correctly. It could be because my computer is 3 years old, or it could be because my internet connection is a verizon wireless card, rather than cable or dsl, neither of which is not available in the country.

I'm incredibly disappointed with the coverage running on my local NBC affiliate. Yes, the coverage of Swimming is fantastic! And the kids and I are excited to see Michael Phelps blasting his way through the medals. I was cheering hard for the mens gymnastics team right up until I fell asleep on the couch, and missed them actually win the bronze medal.  But, would it kill NBC or the commentators to just mention any of the other sports? Or for goodness sake run a freaking ticker across the screen with some information about the rest of the Olympics? If I did not know better I might think the games only consisted of swimming, and gymnastics.

The USA Womens Fencing team swept the medals in individualsabre. It received the barest mention! No replay in the wee hours of the morning. No reshowing of the medal ceremony, where the three flags raised all belonged to the USA. Former President Bush thought is was important to go to the medal ceremony to show his support, and NBC can't be bothered to do more than mention it on their main station?

But, every afternoon we are still treated to Days of Our Lives and  reruns of Rachel Ray and Oprah. 3 hours when NBC could be treating us to highlights from Olympic competitions they did not show or even mention in prime time.

NBC, shame on you. Shame on you for assuming, everyone in the country has access to all your channels and hi speed internet, shame on you for not keeping the coverage on your main channel more diverse and informative, shame on you for not making your website more user friendly, and shame on you for making your program guide a colossal pain to navigate.

Shame shame NBC, you should be doing a better job of covering the whole Olympic games, with the whole USA in mind. Shame on you; shame, shame.

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QotD: Lifestyles of the Rich ~or~ Famous

Would you rather be rich or famous? Why?

Submitted by Chris Vaughn.

Most definitely rich.   I think  sometimes about the things I would be able to do if I had money. Things like helping out a newly divorced friend whose husband did not pay the second half of the years school tuition for their kids, and now she may not be able to enroll the kids for the upcoming year.  I know $ doesn't solve all your problems, but there are plenty of examples where some generous soul has made a heck of a difference in someone else's life, by putting some compassion and cash together.

No contest, being famous is scary.

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Earth Movers

Last Saturday we went to a Caterpillar Tractor Demo with a friend of my husband. I took over 400 tractor photos. these are some of my favorites.

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In the past two days I have taken 575 phots...

The first 500 where taken of Caterpillar tractors and big earth movers. (and a few flowers at church this morning.)

The other 75 I took of my friend and her husband and their 9 month old baby girl, my God- Daughter. My friend was a collage of casual family shots and wanted to do some thing like it.

here are the ones we liked the best.

Collage1TCP

Collage2TCP

Collage3 TCP

Maybe I'll get around to uploading some shots of the big machines tomorrow...

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really?

Today I was pointed in the direction of a blog that's sole existence  is as a place for people to bash another MB.

Really? have people got so little to do that this is their entertainment? What if all those folks went outside and found something productive to do, OR what if they donated their time to any number of worthy causes....

really, what if they just stopped feeding on the hate?

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QotD: Won't You Be My Neighbor?

How do you choose your Vox neighbors and friends?
Submitted by gcgal.

I choose my neighbors in different ways, but always I choose people whom I enjoy reading their musings. I've chosen a couple people based solely on the way they write, and I have found more underneath their writing style that I enjoy about them.

I have chosen some people just for something we have in common.

I have chosen some people with different lives, opinions and worlds views than myself, but no one who presents their opinion in way that feels disrespectful to me. I don't come here for a fight, or to feel like I'm being baited into one. If I want to read someone's differing opinion from my own I want to read it so I can understand where they are coming from.

I have added some people just because they added me.

I do need to weed out the neighbors who dont post, or have closed their vox altogether. But I feel like such a traitor when I do that.

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Tagged....

I was tagged by R.G.  (secretly, I'm hoping he's looking for book fodder for the next one... ) Actually there was some mention of begging for forgiveness in his post, does that happen on your post or here on mine?

I've answered, I've tagged 5 people who I'm thinking will play along. And who I'm looking forward to reading about.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago at this time on any given day, I was driving a combine in a wheat field, chances are we'd have been in Nebraska. Would have been the second summer after Hubby and I got married. Our first two summers married, we went on custom wheat harvest with my father in law. I drove a combine, and occasionally when we moved I'd drive a pick--up truck with a header trailer on the back.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

1. Feed all the animals- partially done
2. Dishes-done
3. Laundry- partially done
4. Finish uploading photos to get printed.- partially done
5. Go to saddle club meeting- not done yet.

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Anything that cant get away? It really depends my mood, and what I'm hungry for.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

I can't honestly tell you what I would do if I'd been brought up with money. Now, if I had money thrust upon me? There are plenty of things I'd like to do. Some are just for me and my family, some are not. I'd set up college funds for my kids, first. And I'd probably look at paying off our house and making the repairs to it that it needs, and having someone who knows what they are doing come in and  restore the house. (It was built in the 1850's and it could use some tlc)  Included in the selfish part of our spending would probably be a new semi truck for my hubby, building a shop for him, and a horse barn for me. 

But, moving away from ourselves? I have two friends who struggle to make ends meet, and added to that struggle is school tuition for our Catholic school. I'd pay for their kids to go to school. I know what it does to your budget to have to sacrifice for school tuition, it does it to my budget. I'd pay for my sister's kids to go to their school too. (I believe in Catholic education) I would donate $ to the riding therapy center in our area. And I would offer to help buy animals for them. (I believe in riding therapy) I would donate to the women's shelters in our area, we have 4 that I know of and I have a friend who got on her feet by staying at one with her two sons for about 2 months. I would give to our church. I give what I can now, but I feel it isn't enough. Every week our church's expenses are greater than the collection taken in. by $1000 usually.  I'm sure I would find other things to invest my self and my wealth in. But I would start close to home and close to my heart.

5) Places I have lived: Illinois: Washington, Kewanee, Galesburg, Cameron.  Indiana: St. Mary of the Woods, Lagro. Wisconsin: Grafton. Pennsylvania: Macungie.  Some places shorter lived that others.

6) Jobs I have had: detassler, camp councilor, life guard, horseback riding instructor, stable hand, retail grunt, wife and mother.

7) Bloggers I am tagging who I will enjoy getting to know better:

         grungedandy, maura_ea, shy, girlwonder , joey

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the puppy

July2008 590.3

This is a special puppy. It is one of the most wonderful gifts ever given to me. On Mother's day this past year, my nephew had with him this puppy and another. Both very cute. He showed them to me and I commented how cute the borderCollie was as it looked just like the Border Collie I used to have, Lady.

LadyBW copy 2

I had Lady for 12 years, she was a shelter rescue, and my constant companion while Hubby was on the road. My nephew loved Lady. Upon my comment he selflessly gave me his little puppy. Just like that, not a second thought. It reduced my sister and I both to tears. and that puppy hangs out on top of my monitor. Little Lady.

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Weird Remix

My mother in law, K brought down her cockatiel about 2 weeks ago. K is an over the road trucker. Her friend was taking care of Max, until this friend got angry. She left Max on K's front porch. Kay was just going to take him to the pet store and leave, so I told her to bring him here, if he was not a good pet for us we'd find him a new home later.

Max has been fairly annoying. He has squawked one annoying note since he got here. Until Sunday. Sunday he started to ring like a telephone. beep beep beep pause beep beep beep pause beep beep beep. It gave us quite a giggle. Monday he expanded him repertoire to include a weird remix of robin chirps, sparrow songs, and juvenile chicken chirps. All mixed into the same weird tune. I can't wait to hear his next remix. (Thank goodness we aren't in the city so it wont be firetrucks and ambulance sirens)

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DIY Shooting Bag

Made this last night, its a knock off Shootsac I made the removable flap the same size as Shootsac covers so If I can ever afford a real Sac my covers will fit!

July2008 002web

July2008 005web

July2008 006web

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I caught my husband in a romantic moment with his new girl...

and all I have to say about it is EWWWW! dog breath!

June2008 1027 copy

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I'm having a good hair day..

and I didn't have anywhere to wear it.

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The trouble with Roosters

Is not that they are loud noisy or anything like that. It is that they are rude. A couple days after i took this lovely picture of Zeke, he attacked me. Earning him a beating with my shoe, and a game of hide and seek with the crazy snow shovel wielding psycho lady who takes care of all the critters. If he does it again he could be turned into a pie.

ZekeWeb

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A different Iris

I snapped a few shots of this Iris before I was interupted, by my brother-in-law, and then I never got back out to snap anymore. This was my least favorite shot in the camera, due to the framing, and yet out of the camera and on the screen, it is my favorite. go figure.

Purpleirisweb copy

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Snagged from R. G. Ryan

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was married barely a year, and I would have been on my second summer of custom wheat Harvest, driving a combine.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

Today is essentially over. But my list was short, Get haircut, feed children and animals, buy a few essentials.

3) Snacks I enjoy: what food dont I enjoy...  I love kettle cooked chips from target. And there are few fruits and veggies i dont like. and chocolate is always good.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Pay off all my debt, start savings for retirement and college for kids. Give to my church, and then invest in good people I know who are struggling to get by day to day.

5) Places I have lived: Various places in the state of Illinois, a little schooling in the Terre Haute, In area, and a short jaunt at a job in PA.

6) Jobs I have had: Cashier at a steak house, Girl Scout Camp Counselor, Horse Breeding Farm Slave, Camp Horseback Riding Director/Instructor,  Stable Grunt/Assistant Trainer, Retail Grunt, Animal Shelter Grunt, Combine Operator, Retail Boutique Grunt/Cashier, Wife, Mother

7) Bloggers I am tagging who I will enjoy getting to know better:

Everyone in my neighborhood!!!

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expensive chickens

Back in April I ordered five Americauna chicks from the farm store. And after we had had them for a month,  the dog in a fit of jealousy and getting into things she shouldn't, let them out of their box, and proceeded to pounce or play or grab and shake them while no one was home. She killed all five of them.

I was heartbroken, and incredibly angry. The dog, was very close to being killed or taken to the pound. I know someone out there is thinking, but she is just a dog. Yep, just a dog. But a dog who tore up the kitchen, that day, drug a bag of garbage into the bedroom to destroy, and urinated and defecated on my bedroom floor. She was willfully  disobedient.

She did not chew mangle or eat the chicks, and that is the only reason she is not gone. She screwed up, she destroyed and got into things she knew she shouldn't, so she got in serious trouble, and she spent a week in her kennel, only getting out to eat and go out side to stretch, and "go". Hubby was ready to take her to the pound, I was so angry. And had she eaten the chicks, I'd have let him. There is no fixing a chicken eater.

We are partly responsible, as we did not lock the kennel. So the blame is split. Last week the boys and I went out to check on and play with the kittens and in a jealous fit she destroyed the kitchen garbage. So, she obviously can't be left out of the kennel if we are not in the house. And when I take showers or have to go to the basement to do laundry I lock her up.

I ordered more chickens. It was too late to get more from the farm store, and hatcheries who ship to you have to ship about 20 to ensure that the chicks are warm enough to survive the trip. After some investigating I ordered from a hatchery in Missouri, that Hubby could get a load going past and pick up the chicks. He got a load going the other way. :|  So, I had to go get the chicks or forfeit the order.

$100 in gas and 13 hours in the car. Half of which was spent listening to the chicks peep. Incessantly. Apparently the reason they don't travel well is because they don't sleep.  These girls has better lay some really fantastic eggs.

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The Cat came back

Hooray!! I heard her out in the rose bush about noon, caterwauling and making the most gosh-awful cat in need of a good *ahem* -ing noises...  she is in heat something fierce, but hopefully it means she is not pregnant from her escapade outdoors. Gotta call the vet about that in heat thing soon.

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i feel sick..

Our cat got out. and she hasn't come back. I think she was hiding in a bush close to the house when I opened the door on Saturday night, but that was before I knew she had even gotten out, and I thought nothing of the rustling, we get all kinds of country critter visits. We live near a busy road, there are coyotes near by..

oh.. she makes me crazy sometimes, but i still feel sick.

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As Luck would have it....

I found the first this little gem in my yard this week.

Luckyweb

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Tired Kitty

So tired and so cute. Last year, we where adopted by a kitty, she  quickly began to waddle, after moving into our garage. And soon after gave birth to one kitten. Mama wasn't too friendly, but that was ok, my husband the kitty whisperer, sat outside and made friends with her, and when the kitten was big enough to explore, I sat around outside with my camera, making friends with them both. The kitten adapted to us quickly, Mama is still shy. We named the kitten Squirt.

 Squirt had five kittens this spring. Five. I have not idea how that little cat could have been carrying five kittens.Really I was thinking one or two was a nice number.

But they are so cute, and completely irresistible. I dont know how anyone can not like kittens.

Snicket

Snicket was really tired, and tired of me. But I kept shooting anyway. Isn't he cute?

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five years is a long time..

Five years is a long time for the life of a digital camera. Yes, five years., I have been shooting with a 3meg Sony Cybershot. We paid about $600 for it when all was said and done. And the first pictures we took of it where all of the arrival of our second child.

 It died. The lens started to click last week, and then it had a psychotic breakdown. Now the lens doesnt move, open, click, nothing. The last picture it took was the boys last day of school, and it would not focus. So I have a blurry picture of their last day. It is dead dead dead. I think the lens  motor died or the gears broke. I looked around the internet and found Best Buy was selling the Nikon D40 started kit with an extra lens.

My husband bought it for our anniversary!!!

I have a real camera!!!!

Hubby picked it up at a store in Indiana last Friday, and plugged in the battery so it would be ready to go when he got here with it. On Saturday we went to a birthday party (sans hubby), and came home to Hubby, and new camera about 11pm. (But he left the battery in his truck! At his brothers house where he had stopped to get an old farm pickup trailer and haul home a tractor and a mower. So I had to be patient. Sunday we went to church, went to get the baler and wheel rake we bought,  which should have taken us 30 minutes... It didn't. We spent the day fighting the old farm pick-up that apparently needs a fuel pump. (We had Taco Bell for dinner, on the side of the road while the truck cooled off) In the end Hubby's friend Todd had to drive over in his GMC dually and drag our sorry butts home. At 10pm we set off to go get the semi, and my camera battery.

I outfitted a cute pink and green bag with cushy guts for the camera to live, and then I set it all on the bed so I could read the manual, then went to brush my teeth. Hubby walked to the bed and quipped, "baby is not sleeping with us". I didn't make his let me, I put the bag on the floor, but I could hear her whimpering

YellowIris

YellowIris2

.

 

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So, it seems most of my pet peaves have to do with driving.

We all have a few pet peaves, its normal to have them. I've been thinking lately and I'd say more than half of mine are driving related. Mostly revolving around reckless, dangerous, or selfish driving. You know the people I'm talking about.

 The people who pass you on the right after you have just passed a semi, because they cant wait for you to get over in the right hand lane at a safe distance.

The people who dodge in and out between cars so they can get caught at the same train crossing as you, just 3 cars ahead.

The people who speed 90 mph down a country road so they don't have to drive the speed limit on the highway where there might be *gasp* a law enforcement agent.

The people who do not turn on their lights with their wipers, despite that it is the law and their grey car is the same color as the pavement and the sky, rendering them practically invisible.

The people who cut you off, making you slam on your brakes hoping the guy behind you does not rear end you, only to see that person dropping off their children at school with yours.

The people who cut across the parking lot, and are pissed off to find you driving down the aisle like you are supposed to, because you are in their way.

Or better yet the people going the wrong way down an aisle or in the entrance or exit who try to squeeze past you when there is barely room for one vehicle, and are equally pissed off to find you in their way.

It boils down to this, my life and the life of my children is worth more than the 5 seconds these people will gain getting to their destination. Isn't yours? I'm appalled that they don't think so, and frightened to be sharing the road with most of them. 

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Paper or plastic??

In the passed couple of months, I have seen the same news video 3 or 4 times. It sums up the paper vs. plastic debate pretty well. Paper while seeming to be the better choice uses more resources to make and ship, and takes up more room in the landfill. While plastic takes up to 1000 years to decompose, it takes less resources to make and ship and it is 100% recyclable, if one bothers to recycle them.  I would share the story with you, if i could find it. The story ends with a golly gee sort of "it looks like neither one is better, you have to decide for yourself" And that ending really ticked me off.

Since December, I have begun to amass alternatives, a few canvas bags and plenty of reusables. What ever was at the check out for $1. It started with a trip to the grocery store with out my car (you may remember the sad tail of the broken car for almost a month) I hitched a ride to the store from the kid's school, and I figured the walk back with a gallon of milk would be no big deal. After sitting in the cafe and sipping coffee and solving sudoku for a couple hours, I commenced my shopping. Besides the gallon of milk I decided I might as well pick up a few other items, a couple cans of soup, 5 lbs of carrots, and various assorted other things piled into my cart, until I thought i was really nearing what I could carry. At this point I went back to produce and picked up a $4 canvas bag that I had eyed on numerous previous visits, but had not spent the money on. I think that bag was about 25 lbs sans milk when I left the store, to walk the 1/2 mile back to school.

 That was all it took, however, to get me into using reusable bags. One canvas bag that I bought in kind of desperation.  I had been using that bag for a couple months, plus I had added quite a few of the dollar bags to my collection when I first saw that news story, and I sat on the couch waiting for them to say buy reusable bags, but they never did, I was shocked, and quite annoyed. I still am.

At any rate, while looking for that news story I stumbled upon this interactive bit HERE

And I figure I should share the link to my favorite non-canvas bags bringyourbag.

And my best tip for reusing your reusable bags? Empty them right away and put them back in the car. And if you can afford it get a few extras so you can forget one or two at home and still have some in the car.

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New Chicks

Last spring, I told my husband he could not buy any chickens until he built them a house to live in. He came home with five little fuzzy black chicks anyway. And after some looking on the internet, we discovered that we had FOUR black Sex-Link Roosters and one hen. Seeing as how we want eggs and not meat, we promptly returned two of the males for the last two hen chicks at the farm store. That gave us three girls and two roos. The ideal ration is ten or twelve girls to one roo. This makes a happy roo and girls who don't get an overabundance of attention.

Ack!!! :P

I hate being drawn into an argument.  Especially in a comment on someone else's blog. Sorry to the owner.

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If we knew each others secrets what comfort would we find.

That was the final quote on tonight's episode of Criminal Minds. What truth that one small sentence speaks. In our efforts to be normal, or to be perceived as such how many of us hide the very same things as everyone around us? Those things that make  us feel out of place or strange, but are also the same things that when found in another make us soul mates and kindred spirits. Or maybe it isn't an effort to be or appear normal after all, maybe it is only the fear of rejection and ridicule.  It starts when we are so young, that need to be like everyone else, to be liked by everyone else. And even after we are adults and we feel we should be past it, it's their. I have built some wildly strong friendships based on those little secrets.  A college friend and I built a relationship on the simple fact that be both showed up at school to foal-watch* with a car packed full of things to do,  cd players, decks of cards, books, magazines, snacks, (you name it we had it) AND dressed unintentionally alike.  We both left our bevy of stuff in our cars until we saw what the other person had with them. A life long friendship started with something so small. Just a tiny odd secret we shared. I have a couple of friends who are also Moms, friendships that also started with by revealing what we felt where our inadequacies as mothers are, and we had them in common.  Such small simple secrets, and sharing them gave us comfort by revealing that we aren't alone.

If we knew each others secrets what comfort would we find. We would find that we are all keeping them, and they are all similar, and none of us are normal and it is ok. Really it is OK.

*Foal watch consisted of sleeping in the classroom at school and checking on the pregnant mare every hour while waiting for her to give birth.

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The Defective Rooster

I guess that should be the rooster who defected, but really the defective rooster has more appeal. We have 5 chickens 3 hens, Grace, Guinney, and Rachel and 2 roosters, Spot and Zeke. Zeke is the dominant roo.  The roo's aren't necessary to get eggs, the hens lay without a roo. We only have 2 because you had to buy 5 chicks and they only had 3 female chicks left. Roos are kind of a pain, they feel the "need to breed" constantly. They are annoying to the hens, and if they perceive you as a chicken, then they feel the need to challenge you as another roo. This entails grabbing your leg with theirs and flogging you with their head. And at our house the attempt to do this is met with a kick in the bum or head. (plus some choice names said at the roo.)

 I'll grant you they are protective of the girls and they will get between them and a hawk or a possum, I have seen both things happen. But that is where their endearing qualities end.

After being locked up together in the chicken house for most of the winter, it is finally nice enough for the chickens to free range the yard, Spot, whom already had an inferiority complex, has decided to go live with the ducks down the hill. We rent a bit of our pasture to a man who has ducks and a few hens. Spot has decided to claim these girls as his harem and live with them. He's gone to visit before but has always been home at lock down time, no more. He has not come home all week, since Monday. And I have decided not to go chasing after him. I'm a bad chicken keeper aren't I? Oh well.

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House Keeping ADD

So, I started cleaning out the bathroom closet this week, on Monday, I think.. I have way too much stuff, soap, lotion and the like. What prompted this cleaning was my sister is looking to replace the discontinued lipstick she likes the best. So I was looking to see if I had that color or anything close that I don't wear.. and I wear so little make-up that if I have something she likes chances are that I don't use it. (That seems grammatically incorrect, but I don't know why) Not to mention I just jumped ship from regular makeup to BareMinerals. Need to weed out the stuff I wont use.

At any rate, we live in an older house, built in the 1850's and it is far from critter proof. There have been mice in the massive bathroom closet. there are trails in there... Ew. They are such disgusting little creatures, pooping on everything. Ew, ew, ew.  And my word, they have eaten enough soap that the little fiends should be pooping bubbles. Apparently Ivory is their soap of choice, but Dial must be what they eat only in desperation. And Sandlewood!, it must be a "fine after dinner soap", as they have eaten the entire little decorative soap, leaving the barest few crumbs and plastic wrapper.

Ew. So I'm trying to get rid of the things they like, get it out of the house use it up, whatever. but I'm tired of cleaning the closet from hell.very tired. So I moved on to the kitchen. I don't have the will to return to the bathroom closet yet.

And now the kitchen is a mess too... Maybe I'll clean off the dining room table.

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What's Your True Color?

as seen on maura_ea's vox

You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!

What's your true Color?

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a little lost...

My kids have been gone all week.

They went to Walt Disney World with my parents.

You might think the lack of children would be reasons for rejoicing. And really it has had its bight spots, The bathroom stayed clean all week, there is no tooth paste on the sink, no urine on my toilet seat, and no mysterious puddles on my floor.  However, all week, I have felt discombobulated. The first to days the kids where absent I did some major cleaning and tidying so I could have a PartyLite party on Saturday night.  On Sunday Hubby, Neighbor J and I went out to the west side of the property to fix the fence, (On Monday, 2 of the horses got out and Neighbor J's neighbor  put them back in the wrong pasture) We needed to fix the fence so the beasties could go to the right pasture. We came inside watched a movie and had dinner.

Since then I have been alone all week. Quiet is nice. I have been going through piles of magazines so I can throw away and pass along, and declutter my house. I haven't gotten very far. But I have realized how long it takes to really read a magazine and glean out any useful info. Magazines are a time sucker. I dont know that I want to keep going through the pile and just toss the whole pile out. (Or pass them on)  I feel like I accomplished something. But I actually did very little. Maybe I accomplished more by fueling my desire to declutter my life, than by the actual work I did this week.

I want the house to be cleaner, I want to be able to have people over without fear the house will swallow them whole. I want my kids to be able to have friends over. I want our house to be a restful haven, not a chaotic mess.

And I am ready for my tornadoes to come home. :) I'm ready for my cuddles.

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QotD: Staying Organized

How do you stay organized? 
Submitted by devillibrarian. 

Stay Organized.. lol.. I'm not organized at all. But I do have the Alarm clock in my phone set for various times of the day so I am usually on time. Usually, but not always.

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Oh Mother Nature why are your knickers in such a knot?

It was 50F when I took the kids to school this morning, and now we are under a wind advisory and a blizzard warning. There is a big storm moving across Iowa, only 2-4 inches of snow expected, but, winds of 25 - 45 miles an hour are beating a path this way.

The house is cold. The wind comes right through the wall of my bedroom, and up through floors in the kitchen and dining room. I'm not thrilled by this, but such is life in a 150 year old house. What I dread is the possibility of a power outage. Hubby is on his way to get a load in Texas, and I cannot start the generator.I cant start anything with a pull cord. Never once have I made that happen. I hope the power stays on.

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zoom Zoom ZOOM

On Sunday we bought a wireless card for my computer. I have been in the dark ages of dial-up now for two years. This means I have not gotten to see any of the videos people post or send me, they dont load on dial-up. All those informative news blurbs.. I dont get to see them.  I have had my Mom send me pictures I needed to have to make the photo tiles, that I make. But I usually have to make 2 or 3 attemps to download each picture so I get the whole file. And all the free digital scrapbooking goodies out there? forget it.  I'm so excited, I have been making a list of things for Hubby to download for me, but now I can do it myself!!! YEAH!!!

It is rough to not be able to utilize so much information out there because you are basically walking a dirtroad rather than riding the super-highway.

I'm so excited I have so much to catch up on..  knitting patterns to download, cnn news bits to watch, digital scap freebies to get,

AND!!!!   pictures to upload!!! I have not been able to upload a decent size picture to vox or flickr in so long!!

I need to go take a picture just so I can upload it here!!!!!

But first I need to feed the beasties.

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ok... what is up with the settings?

Why is the default for who can post comments nobody? and how many posts have I made with that setting now?

I did not realize until today when my only RL friend that voxes also mentioned it.

.
no I'm not being a snob..... I'm just flaky.

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Holy Mood Swing Mother Nature

It is 50 degrees outside today. 50!!! less than a week ago it was 0 degrees with a windchill of -10 to -20 for about 4 days in a row. All but the deepest drifts have melted, and the ground is thawing. it is a slop hole in our yard. I'm not a fan of spring mud, and this is pretty much what we have now. It feels like Spring... which feels so different  from Fall. I'm amazed at how a 50 degree day in Spring and in Fall can feel so completely different. They somehow feel wildly different. The air feels wonderful!

I appreciate the reprieve from the biting cold we have been having. Honestly, however, once winter starts I'm a fan of that 28 - 32 degree hover. not really warm enough to slop it up, but warm enough to melt an inch of snow off the roads.  Our road has been atrocious since winter started. The Township in charge of plowing it never does, nor do they put down salt or cinders, and its rough and icy. I slid off it in early December when I hit a slick patch. wrecked the car, by hitting a tree. (the car is finally getting fixed, I should have it back this week)

I also like the temperature to be not really cold enough to turn the water troughs into icebergs capable of sinking the Titanic. And we have had our fair share of icebergs this year so far.

I'm enjioying the warm air (its supposed to be 60 today, but hopefully the temperature will drop and the ground will harden up a bit this week.

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QotD: The Iowa Caucuses

What was your reaction to the results of the Iowa caucuses?  

Honestly?

Thank God it's over!!!!

I know, how decidedly Un-American of me, right? How can be so uninterested in such history- making events. But I'm tired of it. We live in Illinois but our news is out of Iowa, and I'm tired of hearing about it and I'm tired of the ads, and I'm tired of playing guess who's on the campaign trail with so-and-so. I'm tired of the I did/will change this country single-handedly, and no one else could possibly do a good job in the white house but me speeches.  I'm tired of I will take away tax breaks from everyone but you the poor and down trodden, and I will singlehandedly give you health care, and I'm tired of Who a better Christian for the White house? cmon you know its so-and-so...

I'[m tired of the obvious flaws and falsehoods in everyone's campaigns and promises. Hillary is going to take the tax breaks from the oil companies..  great so when Gas is $5 a gallon and we can buy groceries or fuel that will be better for us..  Obama and his long illustrious service to the state of Illinois..  hmmm... service to Chicago maybe.   And Edwards.. thinks he will singlehandedly take away health care from Congress if they dont bow down to him and pass universal health care..

And yes I'm conservative.. but I'm tired of the republican party being to scared to address the health care problems.. and we obviously have them. And I'm tired of them all refusing to acknowledge the need for a middle ground in the pro life arena. (Yes I'm pro-life, but our country is not ready to make abortion illegal.)

I'm really tired of the fight over who we should be taxing and who deserves help from the government, because it seems like no matter who is making the rules as owners of a business, trying to make it, and barely scraping by.. we get screwed every time

O_O

O_o

Yeah.. I'm tired of the political agenda on both sides of the coin.... from your party and mine..

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QotD: (Not) Far From Home

How far from your last home do you live? Why did you move and are you glad you did? 
Submitted by Matthew 25.

We didn't move far really, just outside of  town. Mapquest says 7 miles driving.. I think it's probably 5 miles as the crow flies.

We moved from a tiny rental house in a rapidly deteriorating neighborhood, to a big farm house in the country. Both places have their advantages and disadvantages, but we are glad we moved, the horses are here with us, and the hubby can park his truck in the yard and work on it here.  and the kids get to grow up in the country. Our power bill is a little higher in a bigger house that lacks the insulation the other house lacked and our load payment is higher than our rent had been. Both worth it, in the argument of rent versus own, for us.

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