Good News - Bad Reaction

At 10:30 last night, I got a text from my son, Redneck. It was a picture of Barbie's hand, with a huge rock on it. My son is engaged. I feel like puking. Seriously. Why? I'm not sure. He is almost 22, has a good job, as does she. They have been together over a year, and seem happy. But, my stomache is acting like I'm on a loopy rollercoaster. Engaged? Married?

Why am I having this reaction?

The baby

So......

I was going to skip posting today, because I had nothing to write about. You can only post so many times about the birds at the feeder, walks in the woods, and housework. After a bit, I even bore myself. LOL

This afternoon, I was asked to meet the hayman in the top field, to open gates & let him in with the round bale. I snapped a few shots.
















The boys were feeling a bit frisky. The temps dropped today, and they were enjoying it. Kicking up dust, making laps, and just being playful.

They stopped their horseplay (haha) to watch the haytruck come in. Food? Hey, it's about time!












We get them fed, and head back to the vehicle. Locked. Cujo was left inside, and stepped on the autolock button.




Looks innocent, doesn't he? Meanwhile, it is cold, the wind is whipping, and I'm trying to get the rotten little hairball to step on the locks again. Ricky, however, doesn't have much faith.






















































Finally! Warmth! Today's lesson, never leave your Westie unattended in the vehicle, with the keys in the ignition, even if it is turned off.

A Morning Walk

Woke this morning, and decided to take a walk, to clear the rest of the cobwebs away. It was a chilly 26 degrees. Naturally, my escorts had to come along for protection.



Kinda makes me feel important to have them checking the area for snipers & such.



Frost was still on the ground in places. I tried to get a shot of the grass, but this one of the leaf came out better.



As I started the downhill stretch....the scene of the crash! Where DQ pinballed off a tree in the golf cart!



In the bottom, my faithful escorts pointed out some deer tracks.



Kind of cool to know they are coming so close to the house. And then....



WTH?? T-Rex tracks??! That, or a very large deer on steroids.

Amidst the "winter" scenery, it's always nice to see some green. Be it moss...



or the pine needles...



Before returning home, I had to get the mandatory shot of my octopus tree.



Funny how a bit of time out in the woods is like hitting a reset button, when you need to pull things back in to perspective.

Ripples

Had things weighing on my mind & heart this morning. Wondering how people can be so self centered, that they never stop to think of anyone's feelings but their own. We've all been guilty of it at times. But to do it continuously, as a way of life? I simply don't understand that. I can't help but think, karma is going to make sure they end up very alone. If you never "give", never put yourself out there, how can you expect someone to give it in return?

A ripple in the pond happened yesterday. A small stone dropped, that had ongoing, far reaching effects. The ripple was caused by someone being uncaring. The good news is, my husband (who it happened to) turned it around for the good. Sending positive ripples out.

He picked up the phone, out of the blue, and called his folk's house. Why? To let his dad know that he loved him. It wasn't a holiday, wasn't his birthday. Just letting him know ~ "I love and miss you, Daddy".

His dad can't hear well enough to talk on the phone, so the message had to be relayed by his sister who lives there. Coming out of the blue, as it were....she grew concerned that something was terribly wrong. She called my husband's brother. Who then called my husband to check on him.

One act of selfishness, caused ripples that made 3 siblings call one another, chat, laugh over the misunderstanding that something was drastically wrong, and tell one another they love each other. Dad was also told. Amazing how things work out.

BUSTED

As I posted in a previous blog, Jay & I made a bet to see if she could keep Daddy from discovering the horse wreck she had. Last night, he saw the scratches on her back. She tried blaming Blue....no dice. She said she tripped coming up stairs....he wasn't buying. So, the story came out. It was rather simple. Jay was going one way, Sancho thought the other way was faster. He didn't use his turn signal. ROFL Daddy took it all rather well, until she asked to borrow $5 to pay me for losing the bet.

Getting Out of My Safe Zone

Sometimes, it is tempting to take the the easy road. To do what you want, rather than trying to please others. Because of my very nature, I often prefer to hole up on the compound, and not go out into the "rest of the world". There are several reasons for this. Some valid, some medical, and some others would say are excuses. But, they all make up a part of who I am. And, looking 40 in the eye....I've accepted myself.

Yesterday, feeling a bit bored, I suggested to Ricky that we go for a drive. Usually, when I say this, it can easily be translated = I want to ride through more of the country and take pictures. That is my obsession, photos. They capture moments in time, and can bring back such vivid memories years, decades later. But yesterday, I had another motive.

Years ago, in a flea market, I found a pair of ankle high, soft soled, moccasins. I bought them, and immediately fell in love. (those of you who know anything about me, realize I HATE shoes, and am barefoot 95% of the time) However, wearing a pair of soft soled mocs is the closest you can come to being barefoot, and still be allowed into places like stores, banks, etc. They finally developed holes several years ago. I've looked, half heartedly for a replacement pair, with no luck. But now, living smack dab in the middle of Oklahoma.....I'm thinking I can find some!

As I am getting dressed, and putting my face on, Ricky asks if we should invite aunt. She gets out of the house, but not often. So, I asked if she wanted to ride along, and she jumped on the offer. The three of us pile into my montero and head out. Our first stop was "cowtown". To make a long story short, 4 stops, and many miles later.. I had to throw in the towel and give up. No one carries the soft soles.

At this point, we are all getting a bit hungry, and my dear Ricky suggested we go to Firelake. It's a casino, with a huge buffet. My aunt's eyes lit up. She enjoys going to the casinos and playing slots. On the whole, this doesn't sound like a huge ordeal. But, this is me.

I'm a bit agorophobic, and suffer from panic attacks. To a panic attack sufferer, a casino would rate in the top 5 toxic places. An overload of senses....too many people, too much noise, flashing lights everywhere, too much motion, smells...I could go on, but you get the idea. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and agreed.

We got there, and had a very nice dinner. Then aunt was off and running. Ricky & I sat at the table a bit longer, while I smoked a ciggie & had a Beam and coke. We talked about everything & nothing. Just keeping me focused on him, and not the total chaos that was happening outside the cafeteria barrier. Then, with resolve, I ventured out into the play area.

We stayed about 2 hours. Ricky had fun, and my aunt had a blast. I did okay. The ride home was the best part, as we talked and laughed. I realized that the "little bit of effort" that I had put forth, made two other people very happy. I so easily could have insisted we come back home, rather than walking into what I knew was not a safe place for me. I'm glad that I didn't.

TGIF, Git R Done

So, I woke up in a fairly decent mood. Decided to get off the compound for awhile and run some errands. Beautiful, sunny day out, upper 60s.

I drove into town, stopped at the cafe for brunch. Had a big western omelet & grits. This, of course, put me in an even better mood. Ever notice those little country cafes have the best food?? So, I enjoyed my meal, and flirted with the 2ish (?) yr old little boy at the next table who was making goo goo eyes at me. He was blonde/blue...not my type at all, but I didn't want to scar him & his first attempts at getting girls to notice him.

I left there and went to the Dollar Store. Walked in, and completely forgot what I was going there for. No idea. I walked aimlessly up and down a few aisles... nothing rang a bell. I finally grabbed a camo Git R Dun ballcap, to replace my old american flag one. (hey, when you are having a bad hair day, ballcaps are the answer)

Then, on to the bank. Needed to deposit some money, and speak to a human. This bank is so small, they do not have a website. You can't bank online. Also, they apparently only have one phone which was busy half the morning. So, I go in. Made my deposit, got a stop payment on a check that went MIA.

Back in the Montero and to the post office. I just bought a book of stamps like 2 weeks ago, and they are MIA. Probably ran off with the check! Bought a book of stamps, sent off the storage bill.

Ta-da. Missions accomplished. Heading home. Listening to my music, hair up in my new cap, windows down. A mile from home..... I get pulled over. By a highway patrol. (couple of weeks ago, my speedometer stopped working)

So, when he asked if I knew why he pulled me over, I took a stab in the dark. "Speeding?" He looked taken aback that I would offer a bullseye guess, rather than play dumb and try to weasel out of it. He cracked a grin, and said yes, then asked for license, registration & proof of insurance. As I was digging each item from their respective areas, I told him that my speedometer had stopped working, and we were taking it to get checked out on Monday. Then I laughed, and said, "I know you probably get all kinds of excuses, but feel free to hop in and I will drive you down the road aways to show you that it really doesn't work".

At this point, the ol guy was actually smiling. He said that wouldn't be neccessary, took the items & went back to his squad car. I'm texting the hub. Using not so nice words about the cop pulling me over. The cop returns, hands me my things back...... and lets me go. With only a verbal warning. My luck is never that good! I then had to text hub and retract the unkind things I had said about the trooper. LOL