Ok--who do you think this baby is? Leave your comment and I will tell you the answer tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Our Weekend
Brrrrrr!! We have had some unusually cold, rainy weather lately. Though, after watching the Green Bay game last night I have NOTHING to complain about. But I have enjoyed sitting close to the woodstove and staying indoors. AND Jenny and her boys came home for the weekend. It was such a nice visit. We did nothing but visit, play games, play with the boys, eat, and watch a little football. The sausage soup and cornbread Jenny requested was perfect for our cold, rainy Friday night. Mason and Pop-pop played cars a lot and messed around outside together. It was just a nice quiet fun weekend. And now I sure miss them all since they had to go back home today. Thank you, Jenny, Mason, and Grant for coming to see us. Now, I'll go download the cute pictures I took of them. I love my new camera!
Dog Dilemna Conclusion
Don went over to our neighbors with the unruly dogs to talk to them about the problem. They acted like the only thing they could do would be to put the dogs down. Don told them that was not at all what we wanted but just that they kept them home. She said she just couldn’t keep them in all the time, kept saying they would have to get rid of them. Don suggested putting an ad online in the “freecycle” place and they agreed to that but said they did not have a computer. So Don offered to do it for them and put their phone number in the ad and they agreed. By that night he had had two responses to the ads and on Sunday someone came and loved “Megan”, the young yellow lab that is the most trouble. He lives in another town on acreage and has kids so it sounds like a great solution so Megan now has a new home far away. The new owner says he is thrilled with his new dog but it was a tearful farewell for our neighbors.
So why do I feel so awful and so guilty---instead of happy and relieved? Why did they have to let it come to this??? I feel so sad for this nice old couple that had to give up their dog. I hate being so mean. But I know we did the only thing we could do. We begged them to put up a fence, contain the dog somehow, get a neighbor kid to walk the dog daily, do something to keep the dog from being a neighborhood terror and nuisance. We ignored and tried to understand the first several killings of chickens--we have a Lab ourselves who will kill chickens when he has the chance--BUT we keep him contained in a fenced yard. It was just their unconcern for our pets and their safety that finally got to me. We did the Biblical thing and went to him first with our complaints---three or more times---we have three different eye witness reports of the dog with our chickens dead in his mouth and the owners even admitted he brought dead chickens home (and dead cats). How could they be so uncaring and unthoughtful of other people’s animals? What choice did we have but to call in the authorities? Even if he paid our vet bills but still lets the dog roam we were so fearful of Pete being mauled again once he is healed and allowed to go back outdoors. I feared for our other cats, our ducks and guineas, and I want to be able to have chickens once again. I know we did what we had to do to protect our animals but I feel lousy.
I hate stuff like this.
So why do I feel so awful and so guilty---instead of happy and relieved? Why did they have to let it come to this??? I feel so sad for this nice old couple that had to give up their dog. I hate being so mean. But I know we did the only thing we could do. We begged them to put up a fence, contain the dog somehow, get a neighbor kid to walk the dog daily, do something to keep the dog from being a neighborhood terror and nuisance. We ignored and tried to understand the first several killings of chickens--we have a Lab ourselves who will kill chickens when he has the chance--BUT we keep him contained in a fenced yard. It was just their unconcern for our pets and their safety that finally got to me. We did the Biblical thing and went to him first with our complaints---three or more times---we have three different eye witness reports of the dog with our chickens dead in his mouth and the owners even admitted he brought dead chickens home (and dead cats). How could they be so uncaring and unthoughtful of other people’s animals? What choice did we have but to call in the authorities? Even if he paid our vet bills but still lets the dog roam we were so fearful of Pete being mauled again once he is healed and allowed to go back outdoors. I feared for our other cats, our ducks and guineas, and I want to be able to have chickens once again. I know we did what we had to do to protect our animals but I feel lousy.
I hate stuff like this.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
I'm Back
I’m back. I am re-entering the blog world. I have missed it so so much. I promise not to disappear for so long again. But I had to discipline myself to stay away. The computer just sucks time like a vacuum sucks dust bunnies and I needed to spend that time getting my house and my life back in order.
Seriously, we have been home so very little this year that I actually still had LAST Christmas’s magazines on the table by my favorite chair. And there were still Christmas presents from last Christmas sitting in my office still in their Christmas boxes and bags where I put them on Christmas afternoon of 2006.
You see, we left on December 29, 2006 for Arizona to help when Don’s dad went in for surgery. We stayed there for nearly three weeks and on our way home got called to the Oklahoma ice storms with Red Cross. Then we were home a week or so when we got called to the Daytona Beach, FL tornadoes in early February where we spend three weeks. Then we were home for a week or so before going to the ranch to take care of things there. Then to San Angelo for a bit for Kylah’s wedding and Mason’s birthday then back to the ranch for several weeks.
In mid-April we were sent to New Hampshire for the Nor’Easter flooding there. We spent two weeks there, flew to Ft. Lauderdale and spent three days with Don’s sister, Chris, before departing for a 10 day mission trip to Haiti to repair water well hand pumps. Six days after our return home from Haiti,family from New York arrived. We had a great visit with them and it was now June.
We spent the summer on 5 different Texas disasters--floods in Gainesville, Marble Falls, and Wichita Falls; flooding in San Antonio from Tropical Storm Erin, and damage on High Island from Hurricane Umberto. So we were never home for longer than two weeks at a time. First of September we went to the ranch and stayed there while Don worked on building a new fence until we were called to California for wildfires on the 23rd of October. Stayed in San Diego for three weeks, flew to New York for family visit there and arrived home a couple of days before Thanksgiving when we left again to spend it in Leander with the family. I was home one day after Thanksgiving before I left for San Angelo to stay for over a month taking care of Jenny’s boys and to spend Christmas there. We got back home from San Angelo on December 26 late. On the 28th 12 more members of my family arrived for a visit over New Years.
As of New Year’s Day it had all caught up with me. I was the most exhausted I have been since we worked 15 hours a day on Hurricane Katrina. I burst into tears at the thought of preparing one more meal. I just wanted everyone to go home and to get my house back in order---just to get me and the scattered pieces of my life and house back together. Don was sick with a really bad respiratory infection and I was worried about him. I was so stressed I could not sleep at night. Had it not been for Adam leaving for the Army and me wanting everyone to be there to tell him goodbye and support him, I would have called the whole visit off and just said NO. But it WAS a wonderful visit with everyone and I did enjoy it---just wished it had come at another time when I wasn’t already exhausted and stressed and felt like a stranger in my own home, and my husband had not been so sick.
So, after everyone left I made a big long list of everything that was bugging me that needed to be done to get me back to feeling I was somewhat in control of my life again and I knew where to find things in my house and the clutter was cleared (from my mind as well as my house). And I denied myself computer privileges until I got the majority of my list accomplished.
I have worked hard and diligently the past two weeks and accomplished great things. Maybe if someone else looked at my house they could not see it, but I do.
Seriously, we have been home so very little this year that I actually still had LAST Christmas’s magazines on the table by my favorite chair. And there were still Christmas presents from last Christmas sitting in my office still in their Christmas boxes and bags where I put them on Christmas afternoon of 2006.
You see, we left on December 29, 2006 for Arizona to help when Don’s dad went in for surgery. We stayed there for nearly three weeks and on our way home got called to the Oklahoma ice storms with Red Cross. Then we were home a week or so when we got called to the Daytona Beach, FL tornadoes in early February where we spend three weeks. Then we were home for a week or so before going to the ranch to take care of things there. Then to San Angelo for a bit for Kylah’s wedding and Mason’s birthday then back to the ranch for several weeks.
In mid-April we were sent to New Hampshire for the Nor’Easter flooding there. We spent two weeks there, flew to Ft. Lauderdale and spent three days with Don’s sister, Chris, before departing for a 10 day mission trip to Haiti to repair water well hand pumps. Six days after our return home from Haiti,family from New York arrived. We had a great visit with them and it was now June.
We spent the summer on 5 different Texas disasters--floods in Gainesville, Marble Falls, and Wichita Falls; flooding in San Antonio from Tropical Storm Erin, and damage on High Island from Hurricane Umberto. So we were never home for longer than two weeks at a time. First of September we went to the ranch and stayed there while Don worked on building a new fence until we were called to California for wildfires on the 23rd of October. Stayed in San Diego for three weeks, flew to New York for family visit there and arrived home a couple of days before Thanksgiving when we left again to spend it in Leander with the family. I was home one day after Thanksgiving before I left for San Angelo to stay for over a month taking care of Jenny’s boys and to spend Christmas there. We got back home from San Angelo on December 26 late. On the 28th 12 more members of my family arrived for a visit over New Years.
As of New Year’s Day it had all caught up with me. I was the most exhausted I have been since we worked 15 hours a day on Hurricane Katrina. I burst into tears at the thought of preparing one more meal. I just wanted everyone to go home and to get my house back in order---just to get me and the scattered pieces of my life and house back together. Don was sick with a really bad respiratory infection and I was worried about him. I was so stressed I could not sleep at night. Had it not been for Adam leaving for the Army and me wanting everyone to be there to tell him goodbye and support him, I would have called the whole visit off and just said NO. But it WAS a wonderful visit with everyone and I did enjoy it---just wished it had come at another time when I wasn’t already exhausted and stressed and felt like a stranger in my own home, and my husband had not been so sick.
So, after everyone left I made a big long list of everything that was bugging me that needed to be done to get me back to feeling I was somewhat in control of my life again and I knew where to find things in my house and the clutter was cleared (from my mind as well as my house). And I denied myself computer privileges until I got the majority of my list accomplished.
I have worked hard and diligently the past two weeks and accomplished great things. Maybe if someone else looked at my house they could not see it, but I do.
- Each room is ordered to my satisfaction.
- Thank you notes have been sent.
- Bills have been paid, files cleaned out, bookkeeping caught up.
- Don is feeling much better though he did have to start a second round of antibiotics.
- I took Gina to Dallas and she is happily enrolled in her new school, Christ for the Nations.
- Pete, the mauled cat who has had to live in a cage for six weeks, gets his freedom on Saturday and is healing nicely.
- I have enjoyed getting back in the routine of having a quiet time with God in the early mornings.
- I have potted several pots of pretty pansies to spruce up the dead looking front porch area.
- Don and I have enjoyed quiet evenings alone together watching some of the DVDs we got for Christmas.
- Alisa and I had a nice long lunch together.
- All my Red Cross stuff is organized and ready for our next adventure.
I had a quick run to the ranch and reunited two lost baby goats with their mama’s and was refreshed by the tranquility and peace that reigns there. Only alarming thing is that hunters called us yesterday to say they have heard coyotes and saw a dead goat yesterday so I imagine we might be heading to ranch next week.
But I feel good. I just needed to go into hermit mode for a couple of weeks and take care of me. It just feels so good to have order restored to my life--to begin the year now refreshed and renewed. I was really blessed by Jenny’s blog about God “thumping” her. I needed to hear all that myself. Just please Jesus and all else will fall into place. That’s it--so simple, but often so hard to remember. I catch myself getting all stressed about stupid stuff--how my house looks to others, etc. etc. etc. When all I really want is for it to be pleasing to Him--to be warm, welcoming, inviting, full of love and laughter, full of Him. And me full of Him, too. That is what is important. It is so good to be blogging and sharing thoughts with family and friends again. I have missed all of you. It is good to be back. (uh, beware following post--I was a tad upset.....)
I'm so Mad!!!
I am so mad right now. Early this morning I was sitting in my living room having my quiet time when suddenly I heard all this growling and commotion on my front porch. I ran to the door to see this black lab trying to get our big old tomcat, Big Sir. In his fury to get hold of our cat he knocked over and broke my pot plants. The cat escaped up the tree and I yelled at the dog to get out of here and he took off. It was then I saw coming from behind our house the stinkin’ yellow lab dog that has killed our chickens and ducks and mauled Don’s cat, Pete, to the point of over a $1000 in vet bills. Two neighbors were walking down the street when all this occurred and were my witnesses. Both of these dogs belong to the same owner. Don immediately jumped in his truck and followed the dogs home, confirming with the neighbors walking that these were indeed the same dogs, then knocked on the door repeatedly of the offending owner. Finally his girlfriend answered the door and said she just couldn’t keep the dogs inside and she shut the door in Don’s face. So we called the Animal Control officer out for the 2nd time and issued a 2nd complaint which meant a second fine for the owner.
In December when Pete was injured and Don filed the first complaint, he went to the neighbor who promised he would get a fence built and never let the dog out to roam again. He was very apologetic and even paid our vet bill which was $900 at that time. So we did not pursue further legal action. We had also come to the neighbor three different times when his dog was killing our chickens--each time he was very nice, offered to pay for them, and swore he would contain his dog. I should have been forewarned when he laughingly said his dog was dragging home dead cats as well as our dead chickens. Stupid me. We were nice then and took no money from him, just wanted the assurance he would be a responsible pet owner and contain his dog.
Two weeks ago we found a dead duck right outside our backdoor--one of our ducks. It had no visible damage or mauling to it so we didn’t know what to think. UNTIL neighbors told us this irresponsible neighbor had put a muzzle on his dog and was then letting him roam the neighborhood again. Thus, we figured he had killed the duck by crushing and stomping it, even if he could not bite it. BUT we have no proof of that. Muzzling your dog who terrorizes other people’s pets is not a solution for your problem. I am just so angry. This is an elderly couple--late 70’s I would say--who are doing this. We have tried to be nice and respectful with them but no more. This morning I filed a complaint with the animal control officer asking for a hearing about this issue. They will put lots of demands on him about his dogs and a time period to comply and if he does not they will destroy the dog. Now, I love dogs--all animals--which is obvious by our own menagerie--and it kills me to have to do this but what other choice do I have. I was so angry this morning that had I had a pistol close I think I would have shot him myself.
And the other thing that really makes me mad is the pot he broke was one Jenny and Mason painted for me for Mother’s day and I had just planted it with pretty purple pansies. Dumb, stupid dog. I am going to try to glue it back together. So that is my tirade for today.
How quickly one can go from praising God and worship to all out fury.
In December when Pete was injured and Don filed the first complaint, he went to the neighbor who promised he would get a fence built and never let the dog out to roam again. He was very apologetic and even paid our vet bill which was $900 at that time. So we did not pursue further legal action. We had also come to the neighbor three different times when his dog was killing our chickens--each time he was very nice, offered to pay for them, and swore he would contain his dog. I should have been forewarned when he laughingly said his dog was dragging home dead cats as well as our dead chickens. Stupid me. We were nice then and took no money from him, just wanted the assurance he would be a responsible pet owner and contain his dog.
Two weeks ago we found a dead duck right outside our backdoor--one of our ducks. It had no visible damage or mauling to it so we didn’t know what to think. UNTIL neighbors told us this irresponsible neighbor had put a muzzle on his dog and was then letting him roam the neighborhood again. Thus, we figured he had killed the duck by crushing and stomping it, even if he could not bite it. BUT we have no proof of that. Muzzling your dog who terrorizes other people’s pets is not a solution for your problem. I am just so angry. This is an elderly couple--late 70’s I would say--who are doing this. We have tried to be nice and respectful with them but no more. This morning I filed a complaint with the animal control officer asking for a hearing about this issue. They will put lots of demands on him about his dogs and a time period to comply and if he does not they will destroy the dog. Now, I love dogs--all animals--which is obvious by our own menagerie--and it kills me to have to do this but what other choice do I have. I was so angry this morning that had I had a pistol close I think I would have shot him myself.
And the other thing that really makes me mad is the pot he broke was one Jenny and Mason painted for me for Mother’s day and I had just planted it with pretty purple pansies. Dumb, stupid dog. I am going to try to glue it back together. So that is my tirade for today.
How quickly one can go from praising God and worship to all out fury.
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