Living in a small town.

I LOVE living in a small town. No, I can't just go to the mall, and I spend more time than I want to admit shopping on line because I HATE driving to the big city. It's the sense of community and caring that I find here. The Big City was so cold.

I am working this weekend, but call has been light so I was trying to get some yard work done. When I moved into my house 4 years ago, there was a big old tree near the corner of the property with a lot of broken limbs below it. Those limbs had brambles, etc. growing inside. Each year, I have told myself that I would try to tackle that ode to the wild-side, and each year, it got a little worse. Last year was my own personal year from...heck. I was basically a prisoner of the inside with allergies out of freekin' control. I started allergy shots, and now, armed with nasal saline washes, Singulair and Flonase, I can actually spend some time outside!

This weekend, I mowed the five acres and then decided to tack the Wild Side. The large tree in the center died last summer (a victim of the drought) and I need to get the Wild Side cleared so that I can have someone cut down the tree. While I am struggling to haul limbs (cut with my trusty twelve inch saw), out of the blue a man in a pick up truck stops, introduces himself and informs me that I need help. True. He hauls out a chain saw and goes to it. Part way through, he discovers that I have bees in the dead tree. Rut-row. Like most men with pick ups, he's resourceful. He tells me that he used to keep bees and will come back later to harvest. Finding that the wild side was little more wild than he thought it would be, he also tells me that he will come back in about 6 weeks when he moves his tractor to the tract of land that he owns near my house, and clear the wild side. He will also cut down my tree. I offer to pay him. He refuses. I know his name. I'll send him a thank you gift.

Would this have happened in the Big City? I don't think so.

OK....maybe my house is looking so bad that the neighbors are taking pity?

I am beginning to fall in love with men in pick up trucks. They are a very handy sort.

A picture from my front yard....I planted this last year and it didn't grow. This year, tons of flowers. I wish I remembered what type of plant it is.

Fun Monday #11 Our Super Hero

Kitten wants us to share our super-hero. I almost didn't sign up for FM this week.....because I wasn't certain who that would be. I probably should have stuck with that initial inclination.

There are several people who deserve the award of Super Hero for sticking with me through some very tough times, but some of those relationships are private (i.e. not quite ready for BlogWorld exposure). However, the odd thing is that when I think about those really tough times in my life, the times when something had to change.....there are angels among us, people who become super-heroes, perhaps, without even knowing that they were.

I'll share one of them.

Super hero #1, random nice guy on the street. I went to graduate school before medical school. I had always been interested in medicine, but for several different reasons, did not think that I would make a good doctor, or even be able to get into/through medical school.

Graduate school became my own personal hell. Without airing on the bad and the nasty (but it was not a pretty time in my life....), the process systematically destroyed me as a person. I lost faith in my abilities. I had gone to a program associated with a medical school because I wanted to do basic science research that would hopefully, some day, have an impact on people. As I got further into my graduate program, the link between people and the research seemed too remote. I regretted the fact that I hadn't tried to conquer my fears to go to medical school, yet the systematic destruction of my self-confidence in graduate school, had left me....in a deep hole. While waiting for an appointment, some young, handsome man was sitting next to me. As we were both stuck in the waiting mode, we started talking -- he asked me what I did for a living. I explained that I was a graduate student. Somehow, in a 30 minute conversation, he drew me out. When I told him that I felt like I had made a mistake, that I should have tried to go to medical school rather than graduate school, he gave me a look of incredulity: "If you can be a graduate student in that department, you certainly have what it takes to be a medical student anywhere. Sounds like they are doing a good job of destroying you. You need to go to medical school. Just go to the undergraduate counseling office and ask an undergraduate student counselor to point you in the right direction." And so, I changed the direction of my life. I did complete my graduate career (with the goal of going to medical school afterwards).

I have no clue who that young man was. That simple conversation changed the direction of my life. (BTW, he wanted to become a nurse). You never know when a simple, kind comment may help a person in a hole, change their life and give YOU the designation of super hero.

Random nice guy on the street: You are one of my super heroes.

On a different topic. We traveled this weekend. I needed to get out of town for a break, and marathon drives sometimes do that for me. I no longer wonder why there is dog hair on the roof of my van.....

I hope everyone has a great week. Thanks for coming by and remember, kind words at the right time may make you into somebody's super-hero!

Fun Monday #10

I can't believe it's been a week since I last created a blog entry. However, life at work has been quite....hectic. That's the word!

AOJ has asked us to take the readers on our favorite walk. This FM was supposed to be easy. I was, in some weird way, the first to sign up. However, when it came to doing the deed....not so easy. First of all: I don't really walk, I jog. Also, I jog at dark-thirty (read before the sun comes up). For your Fun Monday pleasure, I present a daylight version of what we do because the night version is boring (except when one notices the phase of the moon). When I jog, I take along the hounds, so my view is something like this (except, of course, it's DARK). My friend Patience has some advice about walking/running with whippets attached to one's body at the waist her book, but I LIKE living life on the edge:
First, we run down the driveway. Not too exciting, especially since the city garbage truck messed up the end of it (I'm the last on the route and they were turning in; they aren't supposed to be on private property with those heavy trucks, but they were. Sigh. Anyway....it's just kind of depressing). The red arrows point out the trees that I planted 18 months ago. They are small -- about 18 inches, now, but I am so proud of them. The tree-lets are really beginning to grow this year. I live in a pasture, but someday, it will be my forest! My contribution to green. My survival rate was low (I started with saplings). I hope to plant again next fall).


The turn to run west down my road. Everything is very green right now . Can you feel those allergies kicking in?
Further down the road is the city golf course. Remember, I live in SmallTown America so the golf course is fenced on the one side with barb wire. Skunks and bunnies like to cross the road at about this location....
Turning south.....
The club house for the golf course.
The Big Cities have more amenities but this has always seemed to fit.....The red truck belongs to the maintenance person for the golf course. I see him every morning at dark-thirty. I am not confident he sees me, or perhaps he does and it's game on how close he can come....
The Elks Lodge.
I was driving and someone was behind me when I took these pictures so it isn't the greatest picture. I don't know what they do in an Elk's Lodge, or what you have to do to join. However, there is a LOT of activity at the lodge at dark-thirty in the morning. I used to think "oh, they are going to have some fund-raising breakfast at the lodge. " Now, my inquiring mind (that can think LOTS at dark-thirty when I can't see anything) has come up with all sorts of other activities for the lodge....
Chow dog.
He sleeps in the corner of his fenced in yard. Gabi always wants to go greet him in the morning. I don't think he notices us though, and dark-thirty in the morning is NOT the time to meet and greet.
We turn around to head back home about here. You can see the "Loop." You can't really see it in this picture, but I am not that far from Home Depot. The LaQuinta Inn just opened. The sprawling building is the Toyota dealership. There is a pile of dirt in the foreground of the picture. That belongs to a new construction house. They finished if several months ago (and someone has moved in), but they never landscaped (odd). Odder is the fact that the configuration of the driveway makes it impossible to pull a car into the garage. One would think they would design those things better. But who am I to judge?
Running back down the road. A very nice house (I was driving and shooting so missed the best shot). It's a huge house on about 25 acres. Apparently, it only has two bedrooms. I'm willing to made the sacrifice to move in :D.
A field.
Nothing very exciting. Recently, it was cleared, and I fear that they are going to extend subdivision land closer to my home :( I love the big old tree.
The corner of my road.
The land I live on used to be the Smallwood ranch. Better than a subdivision entry way any old time.
This lot is for sale. When I first moved here, there was a very cute cottage (probably 900 square feet or so). An elderly couple lived there, and frequently, I would see him out on his scooter watering the flowers. Tragically, the couple was murdered by their drug crazed grandson 3 years ago. The home was put up for sale (and didn't sell). Finally, they moved the house off the lot (that was an interesting scene), but still the lot hasn't sold. SmallTown America has a long memory for this sort of tragedy. The red shed sat behind the house.
I purchased my home about this time....I remember the first time I drove down the road with the realtor. I was floored by the vegetation.
The cat house.
When I first moved in, a lady with a gazillion cats lived here. Running by this house, even with sight hounds partially compromised by the lack of early morning light was always a little exciting. Kitties like to live life on the edge, too. About a year after I moved in, the cat lady was cleared out. The home had been obscured by brush and that was cut down. Then, a very odd gentleman moved into the house. He would frequently be out at dark-thirty. He would complement the hounds and then call out ways that we could all be saved. Apparently transport to heaven or hell can be a group event. All of a sudden, he was gone. This house is for sale. It hasn't sold, either :D
Further down the road.
I wish the idiot that owns the lot with that dead tree would have it cut down. Oh, yeah! I'm the idiot! The tree died last summer with the drought. I have GOT to get that thing cut down, but there is a bees nest in the base of the tree. Sigh.
I guess you all are probably tired, now. We have gone about 4 miles (either tired, or bored to tears).
The front view of the house. Notice the little trees again. The double arrow points to my azaleas peeking around the house. I haven't planted my summer flowers, yet. When I moved in, the shrubs were over-grown. Last year, I pulled out the majority of them (I felt like such a Rambo Gardener after that experience), and and I planted a beautiful border of flowers around the house. Some of them are coming back, but they aren't in the blooming mode, yet.
Sometimes, the best part of the "walk" is looking out the south-east from my house....yeah, I like it (the field beyond the fence line to the east isn't mine, and I hope the person that owns it never builds on it).
Waiting for the flowers to bloom.
Feel free to join us again, OK? Sorry it's kind of boring, but we like it that way!
Respectfully submitted by Celeste and the hounds.

Now, go check out where the rest of the FM participants are walking!

Fun Monday #9. Five and five.

The Nekked Lizards (I LIKE that name) have asked to post FIVE pictures with captions of FIVE words. I LOVE this request. The challenge for me was to make it five non-dog pictures (OK, I could have done five dog pictures, but that demonstrates a certain obsessive aspect of my personality that i don't want EVERYONE to know about).

My First Birthday Long Ago:

Butterflies: fragile beauty symbolizing hope

OK. I think two pictures without any reference to a dog is quite enough. What are you expecting of me? See, I AM versatile. Now, to the dog pictures:

Dog feet smell like Fritos

(note: a bi-sensory picture)

Female hormones speak without words
Emma is my parent's clown

Now, go see what the other FM participants shared. There's LOTS this week!

Peter Pan needs to be contacting me for commercial material...

Charlie scored this morning. Actually, I LET him score. He likes to get the PB jar off the counter (watching him pogo stick to do it is kind of fun). The jar was empty today so....

Fun Monday #8;

Jo Beaufoix wants to know about our first celebrity crush.

This was one of only two celebrity crushes in my life. In case you all haven't figured it out, I'm kind of a nerd, geek....card carrying member of the Awkward When Growing Up Society (AWGUS). Yup. Even ran for national office in AWGUS but was too shy (OK....I'm making things up, now).

In high school, that Oh, So Awkward Time That Should NOT Be Remembered, I had a crush on Barry Manilow. Yup. Oh, he could write the songs! During football season, on the way back from the games, we girls would sit on the back of the band bus (only the juniors and seniors could be on the co-ed bus....), and we would sing those songs. Talk about a man who could make a young heart dream.....



Thankfully, I am unable to locate any pictures of me during that time of my life! Use your imagination. (Long hair, pulled off my forehead, braces).

My other crush was also a male musician. Want to hazard a guess?

Now, check out the other brave Fun Monday participants.

Lazy weekend....Sunday musings

This has been a lazy weekend. Except for the outdoor work.

Remember the lemon of a lawn-mower? Well, it's STILL in the shop (basically because it has been too wet to return the thing. I am still living under the (inappropriate) pressure that it was my fault that I have had so many difficulties with the lemon: that I mowed grass that was too high or too wet (although, in case you missed it: miracle of miracles, the MOWER WAS BROKEN WITH A BAD PULLEY. It was not my fault; they just never checked because they have "never" had a problem) . SOoooooo....even if I had Lemon Lawn Mower back, I couldn't mow because it is too wet and it would sink (the thing weighs something like a gazillion pounds, and the ground around here has been super saturated with about 16 inches of rain in the past two weeks). Since I want my expensive, yet limited, zero turn mower to be happy when it is returned, I have been walk-mowing my yard this weekend. The problem is: a) there are some areas that just can't be mowed (sitting in an inch of water) and 2) I have five acres, and after about 2.5 hours of mowing, my hands are numb from the vibration of holding onto the mower.

I have been messing around this morning, trying to avoid the work that is calling me.

My youngest hound Mati is just....photogenic (on top of that, she has one of the sweetest personalities I have ever met in a whippet....and that is saying a LOT):
I took the above picture last year, but decided to "artify" it in the interest of her birthday (which was yesterday.

I find it hard to believe that Mati is now 2 years old. She is the pup that chose me, and I am so glad that she did.

Hudi turns 3 tomorrow We will probably have a party for the pups this afternoon....after the yard work. Sigh.

Anyone want to come to my place for a mowing party? (They call it "shredding" in these parts).

On the up side: my allergies have only been crippling rather than suffocating. Perhaps, those shots are working!