Happy 35th Birthday to my Mother

My mother has Alheizemers. She is taking medicine to slow the progress down but in some ways it is not slowing down. She still knows who I am most of the time and can still talk to me, although she cannot reason any type of conversation. I went to visit her yesterday. I said to her that her birthday is next week. She said "really"? I could see the confusion. I ask her how old she would be and she did not know. I told her I thought she would be 35. She said "yes she would be 35" Now my mother has been 35 for 50 years and once again she will be 35. I ask if she wanted a birthday cake and she said she did. I ask if she would like pretty flowers and she also said she would. Now I know the day of her birthday she will not remember it is her birthday, but I am going to have pretty flowers sent to her at home. I am considering silk flowers so she will have them to look at for a really long time. Real flowers do smell nice though. I realize she will not remember who sent them but hopefully she can enjoy them.
I will also deliver in person a birthday cake. I hope on this day she does remember who I am and can enjoy a slice of her birthday cake and realize that it is her birthday.
Alheizermers is a terrible disease that robs the person of memories that help them to go on in life. It robs the people around them of the person that they love. The lady sitting there sleeping is not my mother. She lives in the shell that is my mother's body but the words that come out of her mouth are not things my mother would say. The confused look on her face is not one that my mother would have ever had. She remembered everyone and what they said. It is sad to watch and heartbreaking to know that one day she will not remember me.
For now we will celebrate her 35th birthday and hope she knows who we are and can enjoy her birthday.
Everyone have a wonderful week and please remember to tell the ones you love that you do love them.

This is a photo of my Mom celebrating one of her birthdays before she got me. I am sure she was not 35 in this picture.

Help With Barn Repairs

I had gutter repair at the barn yesterday. One of the horses had bumped it with their head and knocked it loose on one end, making rain wash over it and flood into one of the stalls. I went over with gutter nails and tools, ready to fix my problem. I do not have a ladder at the barn so found a feed bucket that I could stand on. Now equiped with all my tools I climb onto the feed bucket and go about working on this gutter. Gerald and Edward are the two kittens pictures above sitting in the feed trough. They were found in the woods where someone had thrown them out. Apparently they are very grateful for being rescued because they want to be held all the time. If you sit down they jump into your lap. If you stand up anywhere near the barn they begin to climp your leg, wanting you to hold them. Such grattitude is really amazing. How do you be mean to something that is that grateful to you????? (A side note, any of you who read my blog know who they are named after. With names like that, they are always going to be treated really good)
Also pictured above are the other babies that live in my pasture. Three of them weight around 1200 pounds each while the fourth weigh around 800 pounds.
While I am standing on the feed bucket, Gerry and Eddy are all around the bucket wondering what I am doing. Also standing around and getting closer and closer are the equine babies that live there. While I am holding a nail and hammering above my head, while standing on a feed bucket, Gerry and Eddy begin to climb up my legs (at this point I am so grateful I am wearing a thick pair of jeans) Next all the the other babies have gathered around so close to me and the bucket that I can reach out and touch each one of them. I should have used Sage to sit on and I would have been taller but not sure if any safer.
Once Missy bumped the bucket and I thought myself, Gerry and Eddy were about to go down, but I managed to save it. I worked about 30 minutes under these conditions. Several vehicles drove by and one even slowed down to look closer. I had a cat hanging from each leg with very large animals all around me. Must have been a real sight.
The gutter was repaired and I am happy to say worked perfectly yesterday when we had a rain shower. Made me feel so proud.
I also am thinking that I should invest in a small step ladder. At least when I am knocked off the ladder I will not have to hear about why I should not be standing on a bucket.
Everyone have a wonderful day and tell the ones you love that you do love them. We never know what the future holds.

Revenge???

"Revenge is beneath me; but accidents do happen"  I read this on the internet recently. It sticks in my head. Funny, but sort of true in a southern kind of way. I also remember hearing from childhood, "I do not get mad, I just get even". Once again, funny but a little bit of truth in such a statement.
Do we go out and seek justice by getting revenge. If the truth be told, yes most of us have done this once or twice in our lifetime. In my younger years, I have looked for revenge and even gotten it maybe once or twice. Seemed more important in my younger years.
Now I really do try to live my the motto: "If a person talks mean to you or treats you badly, it is a reflection of them, not a reflection of you." Very wise words and certainly ones we could take lesson in. But friends, "My attitude toward you is a direct reflection of how you treat me" is also words that I have posted on my desk and I must admit I do believe them.
I am not upset with anyone nor do I feel the need to get even as one calls it. Just really thought it worth mentioning that "Revenge is beneath me but accidents do happen" really sticks in my head on this day and I have a feeling that I will remember the words for a long time. Makes me smile just thinking about them.
Thank you for reading and please tell the ones you love that you do love them.

Sure hope it rains

Sure hope it rains. It has rained every day for 4 weeks straight. I would hate to think it might not rain just a few more days. I have so much mud at the barn that the poor animals would not know how to walk on dry ground. Hoofs are cracking and breaking off. What do I do; put plastic garbage bags on their feet. It is an idea but not a good one.
I am seriously begining to think about a large enough boat to get my family and animals on so we can at least have something dry to walk on. It would have to be LARGE.
It is really hot in the south west and really wet in the south east. Would be great if there was a nice balance and we could share with each other.
One of the horses fell in the mud and cut her knee, causing blood and torn skin. Now we have another wound to keep clean and hope does not get infected. She cannot help it. Walking around in that kind of mud makes me fall. When she falls it is 1200 lbs coming down and that scraps knees.
If it does dry out and I complain about no rain at some point please remind me of this post.
Everyone have a great day and please tell the ones you love that you do love them. thanks for reading.

Small Town Fun

We had our annual 4th of July celebration this weekend. We had a parade downtown with games and vendors for most of the afternoon.

Small town parades are unique. I think this is a local band, but not really sure.

The local beauty queens are always there.

We had a couple of clowns. I am pretty sure the clown is the one in the golf cart, not the nice folk standing in front of Capt. Paw Paw's.

We had lawn mowers this year. This one was really nice.

Firetrucks are always there!

Old cars that have been restored. This was a really nice one. I love the color.

The tractors came out in full force. I am not sure how many, but there was a lot of them.

I thought Z Z Top had come to our little local parade, but when I saw the people inside, I really don't think it was them. Nice car though.

Transformers maybe? It never changed into anything though, but it sure cleaned up nice.

We saw some friends. Sky had fun. This is her friend Bella and Bella's Dad. He is having a really fun day!

We had games and other fun things to do uptown.

More uptown fun.

We closed the really fun day with some great fireworks.

It was a really fun small town Fourth of July celebration, even though it is not the 4th yet. Everyone seem to have a great time, eating great food and drinking fresh squeezed lemonade and enjoying all the fun and games.
Remember to tell the ones you love that you do love them and thanks for reading.

Well??????

If you read my blog enough I am certain you will recognize the beautiful girl who is pictured above. Well the top picture is not that beautiful but the lower one certainly is. Had to put the top picture in for you to see. Just luck that is came out the way it did. But so Sage would not be completely mad at me, I also put up once where you can really see just how beautiful she really is. Well except for the mud on her. But she is most beautiful.
We are really battling flies at the barn this summer. Alot of rain mixed with hot temps is giving us a fit. Then add mudd and horse poo to the mix and flies are everywhere. Poor Lil Ben is being eaten to death. His legs are bleeding from fly bites. I have tried several sprays but they last about 30 seconds and then the flies are back at it.
It is really a problem. The horses are miserable. I have researched online and found several home mix sprays. Tried one of them yesterday. It seemed to help some but still not what I would like.
I will continue searching until I find something that really helps them.
I hope you enjoy the pictures of Sage and remember to tell the ones you love that you do love them. Thanks so much for reading.

Good Morning

Good Morning. Hope everyone had a great night. I should sum up a few things from previous blogs. Miss Kitty has her kittens behind the hay in the barn. I have not seen them but I know they are there because she continues to go behind the hay all the time and once or twice she has come out from behind the hay after we have been at the barn for a short while. Something behind that hay keep her attention and I am betting it is babies. We have not seen them but with kittens it is only a matter of time and we will.
Construction at the barn is 98% complete and the guys did a wonderful job. Mostly left is clean up and just a couple of minor things. Clean up is this Saturday and the other minor things should come probably this week. It really looks great and the horses and Ben love the new stalls.
We have had lots of rain in the last few weeks and the mud problem is huge at the barn. We have a few ideas of how to help with this problem and we will begin that also this weekend.
I will have pictures of the new barn addition soon. I want to wait until clean up to take pictures.
Hopefully one day I will have pictures of the new kittens. Have to wait and see on that one.
All the animals are doing well. Lil Ben still rolls in that one spot and I never grew grass there, but grass did come up in other places and that seems to be working itself out. Bermuda grass runs all over so with time we should have grass there.
The horses are doing well. Hope managed to cut herself and the vet had to come out but she is doing good. Sage had a round with colic but we overcame and she is her normal fiesty self now. Missy has stayed out of trouble so far and she is good also.
Thank you for reading and as always tell the ones you love that you do love them.
Have a really great day.