Inspiration Sunday

Image source: Brit Rouse via Pinterest


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I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
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If you have a question that just can't wait,
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How My Dog Makes a Difference in Our Family

“This post is underwritten by Dog Fence DIY, the most affordable resource for wireless dog fencing.”


How My Dog Makes a Difference in Our Family

People get dogs for all sorts of reasons.

To be a companion for their children,
Watchdog for house and home
Exercise, hobbies, sports…

Dogs will generally fulfill whatever role you have in mind for them, with a tongue-lolling grin and a wag of the tail.

In my home, we have gotten dogs to protect livestock, to herd sheep, to keep our family safe, to play with our children.

However, one of our little dogs came into our lives without a purpose, and then accidentally found one.

Sophie is a shelter dog; a mixed breed whose owners didn’t want her back. The scars on her head and her history of being a repeat runaway told a story of abuse. After she had been home with us for a while, I was watching a program on TV about animal rescue workers. When our Sophie heard the sounds of the dogs yelping in the animal shelter, she ran across the room, jumped up in my lap, and buried her head in my arms as she trembled. It seems that between her abusive first home, and her time spent “behind bars” in the shelter, she had some trauma to deal with.

Our family is no stranger to the issue of trauma. Three of our six children are adopted, and were old enough at the times they were placed in the orphanages to remember the abuse. Their years in the orphanage were not easy, either, and when they finally joined our family at the ages of five, 10, and 13, the memories of their traumas were here to stay.

Sometimes, just like with our little dog, when these kids appear happy and well-adjusted, it’s easy to forget what they’ve been through until something triggers memories of darker times. Sophie made it clear to me, because dogs don’t pretend. The sound of the crying dogs triggered a memory of a traumatic time for her, and she came to me for comfort. With my kids, it’s rarely so obvious what’s at play, but Sophie’s actions help me to look a little more closely at what’s going on, and to question what might be happening under the surface.

Besides being a good reminder to me of what to look for, she is also a fount of unconditional love for the oldest (and most traumatized) of my adopted children. The two of them share a very special bond that can’t be put to words. If he is sitting on the sofa watching TV, she is beside him as he strokes her velvet ears. When he starts up the stairs to go to bed, she is right behind him. They sleep together in his bed every night, both haunted by dreams of days past, but comforted by the warmth of the one snuggled against.

Friend, companion, therapist. Sophie fills many roles in this family, and for one special boy in particular.





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In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Farm Friday: Poppin' Stray

Miss Kitty?

Our front porch stray?

She's about ready to pop.

She first started getting friendly with us about a month and a half ago, and I suspected then that she was "with kitten".

Cats have about a two month gestation, so if I'm right, we could be looking at kittens any day now.





I'd better get knitting....




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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************


Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Visit From Afar

Last weekend we had the most amazing visit.

Coming all the way from Kazakhstan, Pastor Alexey and his family are spending two months in the US, driving from New York to Portland.

For those of you who don't know, Alexey was very instrumental in our adoption of James and Julie. As in, it might not have happened at all if it weren't for him.

See, when we first tracked down James in Ridder, Kazakhstan, we weren't all that sure what to do next. Through a friend of a friend, we found Alexey, who was pastor of a church in Ridder. Alexey was willing to work as a go-between for us, translating letters, and arranging for James to get English lessons. After a couple of years, we asked him if he could make some inquiries to find out if James could come visit us in America (we had always been told James was not available for adoption), but he did one better. He found out that we could petition for his adoption!

The rest, as they say, is history.

But Alexey and I had never met.

Till Saturday.

What a wonderful, miraculous visit it was!

Alexey saying grace at our dinner table, with his beautiful wife and their six angelic children all shoulder to shoulder with my own brood, was one of my most memorable moments. Ever.

Listening to James and Alexey catch up with each other in Russian, seeing Alexey remark on how much James has grown since he last saw him when James was only about 11 or 12, filled my heart  with joy.


Here are all the kids from that night. Two are missing: Patrick, my oldest, who is in Italy, and their three year old, suffering the effects of jet-lag on our couch.




And here are James and Alexey.




If anyone would like to donate to Alexey's church, please contact him here.

People International USA

P.O. Box 3005, Vancouver, WA, 98668-3005

for Alexey and Olesya Bannikov, acct # 141

or donate online: www.gopeople.org



I can completely vouch for him, and he truly is a man of God doing wonderful work.



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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!


*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Wordless Wednesday: Springtime

What could be stranger than several inches of snow a few days from Easter? Me not getting back onto the first page of Top Mommy Blogs! Crazy, right? Help stop the madness by clicking on this button.
Every day.
I'll love you forever!



Thanks!


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And now to continue on to the "Wordless" portion of our Wednesday programming.....













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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

TALU Tuesday #35

Welcome to the TALU Tuesday!

That's right, the Tuesday Archive Link-Up.

Time to pull your treasured old posts out of those cobwebby archives, dust them off, and give them new life where they will be seen and enjoyed by untold millions OK, thousands of viewers.

See, this link-up is hosted by several people, who, all together have thousands upon thousands of followers. So when you link your post up with this party? Your post will show up on all their blogs, to all of their followers.

All you've got to do is:

1) link up your post using the linky tool below,

2) visit the hosts and leave a comment to say hi, if you'd like,

3) and try to visit three or more of the blogs linked up and leave a comment. They'll all be doing the same, so it's like a giant hippie love fest. Bring your own flowers.







Oh and when you comment? Put in the secret code "TALU" (Tuesday Archive Link-Up) and then give a little wink so we'll all know what you're talking about.

Have fun!

Now here are your TALU hosts, wonderful gals every one....



Jennifer, author of I Am Not Superwoman

Anne, author of Life On The Funny Farm

Debbie, author of Wrinkled Mommy

Kenya, author of Here's The Thing...

Shanna, author of Motherhood On The Rocks.

Rachel, author of Homesteading Quest











PS: If you've never participated in a link-up/blog hop before, and you have any trouble, try clicking here for some tips.



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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************


Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Mirth Monday

Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************








Image source: Rebecca Vincent via Pinterest




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Read it.
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***************************



Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Inspiration Sunday

Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************













Image source: Caroline Turner via Pinterest



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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Summer's interview

Hey, what's this Top Mommy Blogs vote button doing at the top of my page?
Well, I'll tell ya'.
I was getting pretty darn comfortable with my first page status.
Maybe a little TOO comfortable.
As in, I've been on the second page now for a few weeks.
I don't like it there very much.
No offense, my fellow second-pagers.
So I'm hoping if I put the button at the top of the post, folks might be more inclined to vote?
Remember, it's just a matter of clicking the juggling chick and you've voted.
You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!


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Hey!

I was interviewed!

I was interviewed by someone really cool!

Summer, of Writing Like a Mother is doing a series of interviews with Moms who are also writers, and she asked if I would like to take part.

But of course!

So please head on over to Writing Like a Mother to see what she had to ask and what I had to answer.

It promises to be fascinating....

(tee hee)





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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Farm Friday: Weaning Finn

Apologies for another dusted off post from my old blog. I'll eventually adjust to my new work schedule.
Won't I?

This was from about two years ago when I was putting Finnegan through the weaning process....


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I'm finally starting the weaning process for Finnegan. You know, our blue-eyed colt that you got way TMI on regarding his recent testicular incident?



Yeah, him.



He is a hopeless Mama's Boy. He is still nursing at one year. I know I should have weaned him about six months ago, but I don't really have the proper facilities to separate them in cold weather, as I only have one barn. Not even a small run-in shed.



I know some folks subscribe to the method of completely removing the foal from the dam. As in they ship one off to be boarded at someone ele's farm till the deed is done.



Not to be judgemental or nothin', but that's not an idea I could get behind.



First off, it places a terrible stress on both Mama and baby when they're removed from each other so suddenly. Neither one knows what's going on, Mama turns her Mother Bear switch on when her baby is taken from her and who can blame her? They pace, they cry, they scream, they gnash their teeth

you say grazing I say gnashing, tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to.



Second, as a fellow mammal who has formerly nursed, I can tell you right here and now that cold-turkey weaning could be considered a form of torture. If it could be applied to men, it would be banned by the Geneva Convention.



At least when it was time for my babies to say goodbye to the boobies, I could do it on my own terms. And if the pressure

pun intended

got too much for me, I could always jump in a nice hot shower to express my discomfort

pun intended again.



So I'd much rather keep them together, within sight, within ear shot, just maybe separated by a fence.



Even that can be difficult. Tuesday I put Genevieve in the side pen and gave her a nice big tub of fresh water (of course, I had my kids haul about 10 buckets of water to fill it for me) and a few forks of hay. Pippin and Finn were in the field. At first they were visibly distraught even by this small degree of separation, and Finn wouldn't stray far from the fence, but as the day wore on they seemd to settle into this new turn of events.



After a spell, Finn did as any young boy will do, and went off to explore muddier fields with his brother. Gen would cry and pace a bit but eventually settle. And Finn would check in with her from time to time. Throw the poor old hag a bone.

Is this what it will be like when my kids leave for college?



My plan is to increase periods of separation gradually so the demand on her milk supply will also decrease gradually. Purest example of supply and demand I can think of. More comfortable for Genevieve, my sister in lactation.



The weather has played nicely into things because the next day we had threats of severe wind and thunderstorms. So when I got home with the groceries, I quick ran out to the side pen, (hoping the ice cream wouldn't melt), talked to her and pet her for a few minutes, then let her reunite with her baby. They immediately ran to each other and snuggled, then he checked out what was on tap and drank his fill.



Storms over on Thursday morning, and back into the pen for Gen. I'll keep her in there for two or three days this time, then let them briefly reunite. After that, a week.



So if my plan works out as I've intended, Gen will be all done with the whole nursing scene for the first time in many years. She was kind of a rescued broodmare and I believe Finn was her 8th foal in about 10 years. Yikes.



I'm all for large families, but my hat's off to this girl.







Here's Finnegan on his birthday last year in early June. Cute, right?







This is Finn and his brother Pippin about three months before going under the knife.


*************************


Post note:








And here he is last summer, bigger than his brother. How quickly they grow...





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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!


*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Gotta Love My Patients

Best thing about being back to work?

I'll be honest. The paychecks. That's the only reason I went back.

Second best?

My patients.

For the most part, they're pretty nice. Mostly elderly. Often funny.

Sometimes without meaning to be.

Take, for instance, little Miss G.

She's roughly 212 years old. About 85lbs soaking wet. Hasn't been out of her bed in a dog's age and she's none too happy about it.

So when I saw her for the first time, I was doing the interview part of my evaluation, asking Miss G and her daughter a lot of questions about previous level of function, past medical history, that kind of thing.

The whole time I'm yakkin', Miss G kept saying,

"I got to get out dis bedddd!"

"Pleasssssse, help get me out dis bedddd!"

"I can't take dis bed no longer, won'tchou help me out?"


So I finally finished up with the questions. It was time to see how this old bird could move.

"OK, Miss G, are you ready to get up?"

"Awww honey, not today."














Image source: www.aare.edu.au


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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Wordless Wednesday

My oldest child left yesterday for a 2 week trip to Italy with the high school.

I know he's 18, but a mother can worry, can't she?






















Arrivederci, my son! Be careful!



****************************

Read it.
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Follow it.
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Thanks.
(Follow my blog by adding yourself as a follower with Google Friends Connect in my sidebar!)


***************************


Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

TALU #34!

Welcome to the TALU Tuesday!

That's right, the Tuesday Archive Link-Up.

Time to pull your treasured old posts out of those cobwebby archives, dust them off, and give them new life where they will be seen and enjoyed by untold millions OK, thousands of viewers.

See, this link-up is hosted by several people, who, all together have thousands upon thousands of followers. So when you link your post up with this party? Your post will show up on all their blogs, to all of their followers.

All you've got to do is:

1) link up your post using the linky tool below,

2) visit the hosts and leave a comment to say hi, if you'd like,

3) and try to visit three or more of the blogs linked up and leave a comment. They'll all be doing the same, so it's like a giant hippie love fest. Bring your own flowers.







Oh and when you comment? Put in the secret code "TALU" (Tuesday Archive Link-Up) and then give a little wink so we'll all know what you're talking about.

Have fun!

Now here are your TALU hosts, wonderful gals every one....



Jennifer, author of I Am Not Superwoman

Anne, author of Life On The Funny Farm

Debbie, author of Wrinkled Mommy

Kenya, author of Here's The Thing...

Shanna, author of Motherhood On The Rocks.

Rachel, author of Homesteading Quest











PS: If you've never participated in a link-up/blog hop before, and you have any trouble, try clicking here for some tips.



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Follow it.
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Thanks.
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***************************


Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************

Come take a look at my full hoppin' schedule in my sidebar, and come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Mirth Monday

Image source: Penni Putman via Pinterest


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Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Inspiration Sunday

Image source: Amanda DaCunha via Pinterest


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Read it.
Like it?
Follow it.
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Thanks.
(Follow my blog by adding yourself as a follower with Google Friends Connect in my sidebar!)


***************************


Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies You'll EVER Eat.

I've been making these cookies for about 20 years, and I am here to tell you they are The. Best.

First the recipe, then a few tips.









2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 box (3.5 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp bkg soda
1 tsp salt
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream the softened butter with the sugars, pudding mix, and vanilla.
Add the eggs and mix well.

In a measuring cup or bowl, combine the flour, salt, and soda.
Gradually mix into the butter/sugar mixture and beat well.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 for 9 - 10 minutes, or till lightly browned.

Makes about 4 dozen with a little left over dough for shamelssly stuffing in your face.
Raw cookie dough, schmaw schmookie dough, that's what I say.





So, tips...

1) Set the butter out several hours ahead to soften. But if alls-a-sudden you get the hankerin' for these babies and just can't wait, I'll not judge. Just put the butter in the microwave, and set on the defrost setting. That will soften the butter instead of just melting it, and you'll thank me.

2) Cream the butter and sugars really well, till it's light and fluffy.

3) The chocolate chips? Don't skimp. Use the good stuff. No generic chips in this recipe!

4) Do you have a cookie dough baller? No? Get one! I never had one growing up. Never even knew they existed! But now I have one. Magical things. If you don't have one, treat yourself.









5) Best to take the cookies out when they still look a little underdone, b/c they'll bake a bit more on the cookie sheets once out.

6) Prepare yourself for making these.  A. Lot.  Because everyone is going to ask you to make them for the rest of your life.








Image source: www.onecountryshop.com

***********

Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!


*************

Check out my blog-hoppin' schedule in my sidebar, and come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Farm Friday: Baby Bunnies

What ever would I do without my trusty old material from my old blog to repost when I get too busy to write new stuff?

I don't know, but here is another dusted off post from my old blog for your reading pleasure. I think this was from about a year and a half ago.....



We have a new critter here at the farm.



Couple days ago, we saw our cat Punkin running by the pond with something in her mouth.



Rosie chased her down and got her to drop it. A baby bunny. Sadly, it died moments later, most likely from internal injuries. Sniff.



Clearly, that is not our new critter.





Few minutes later, Punkin was off and running with another small furry creature in her jaws of death. Rosie got her to drop it again. Another bunny. This one looked OK at first. We were hopeful he would make it. Then we learned it had a spinal cord injury, rendering it a paraplegic. Not too much longer, tragically, he passed on. Possibly he drowned in tears rather than dying from his injuries. Either way, he was buried under the cherry tree with his brother, with heartfelt eulogies cried into the falling dusk.



Clearly , that is not our new critter.



However. Yesterday afternoon. Julie fetched me and expressed with great urgency that I needed to run with her to the dining room.

Great, I thought. The puppy pooped.

And truthfully, when I looked in the corner Julie was gesturing to, that's what I thought the little pile of brown was at first. But as my eyes adjusted, I came to realize it was not a pile of poo, but a pile of bunny. Cute, alive, adorable baby bunny. Healthy, even.







What to do, what to do...?



To put it back outside was to put it straight back into Punk's jaws. This was the third bunny that we knew of in the last couple days that she had caught. Plus a mouse.



Couldn't keep it as a pet. I had heard that wild rabbits, even when raised in captivity from babies, make for lousy pets when grown.



So we compromised. Decided to raise it to maturity and then release it. It will have a better chance than if we release it now. And it's not like it will lose out on skills training by being raised in captivity. They don't forage. They don't hunt. They eat grass. How hard can it be?



After losing the nest of bunnies by the pool, after losing the two that Punk injured, we're hoping this one might have a chance.






















But jeesh. I think it's high time I start distributing little tiny rabbit condoms around the pastures so I can put an end to all this nonsense.





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In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

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Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Wrong Place, Right Time

Recently the whole fambly (less a couple kids) trekked into Philly to see a Blue Man Group show.






Have you ever seen them? If they're ever in your area you MUST go. They're amazing.

Anyway, our getting there was touch and go. Fred got back late from being on call. We left without the tickets and had to go back for them. The car started acting funny. We had to drop two kids off on the way, and that made us even later. We finally got there and got through the doors to take our seats within about a minute of them closing the doors to late arrivals.

The seats we had were less than stellar. There had been some kind of problem with the original tickets Fred had ordered, and the agency exchanged them for different seats. We never did find out why they made that switch. So we were in the very highest section of the balcony in the very back row.

OK, whatevs. It is what it is, I figured, even though some of our view was obscured by the slope of the ceiling.

But about halfway through the show, the weirdest thing happened.

The ushers were escorting a man out. I guess they believed him to be drunk, the way he was staggering, and they were more carrying him than escorting him, walking down the aisleway right behind us. Then he slipped out of their grasp and fell to the floor, slumped halfway down the stairs a few seats away from me to my right. He was lying there on the steps and several ushers were just standing around him staring at him, I guess unsure what to do.

"Fred, what's going on? Something's wrong with that man," I whispered.

Fred looked over as the ushers were hauling the man to his feet. They dragged him a little farther, opened a door, then released him and he fell forward again onto the fire escape landing two or three stories up.

Fred got up then to go check things out. I saw him work with the ushers to get the man up and bring him into the lobby.

He was gone a good long while.

I heard the siren of an ambulance.

Fred finally made his way back to his seat, but I didn't get the full story till we were on our way home.

That man? Not drunk. Apparently he has cancer, and he had given blood that morning in preparation for his upcoming surgery. Also, he hadn't eaten much at all. So his blood sugar went a little wonky, and he had a vasovagal reaction.

When they got the man to the lobby, he was in bad shape. Disoriented. Couldn't stand. He threw up. These guys were all just standing around staring at him as Fred was trying to roll him onto his side so he wouldn't aspirate and choke on his own vomit. He had cut his head when he fell. No one even called 911 till Fred told them to do so.

But Fred had control of the scene and made sure everything happened that should have.

And that guy? He's going to be OK.

And I can't help but think that if our seats hadn't been switched, we never would have been aware of what was going on with that man.

Those idiots threw him onto the fire escape.
Stood and watched him as he lay on his back and vomited.

I know Fred has saved countless lives in his 20 years as a trauma surgeon, by being in the right place at the right time in the hospital as dying patients were brought to him.

But this is the second time he has saved someone by being in the wrong place at the right time.

Someone had His hand in this....






Image source: bluemangrouptickets.wordpress.com





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Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.  Check out my schedule in my sidebar and come join the fun!



*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.

Wordless Wednesday

I'd like to thank everyone for their kind words and interest for the inclusion of my "Meeting Bella" story in the book Miracles and Moments of Grace.

I said I would randomly select two names form those who commented on my previous post about this, and I have.

Congratulations to

Lori Blumberg and
Colleen Seeber-Combs!


Please email me your full name and address, and I will get it to the publishing company, who will mail your copy directly to you.

Thanks for your interest and thanks to all who participated!

****************************

Read it.
Like it?
Follow it.
Please?
Thanks.
(Follow my blog by adding yourself as a follower with Google Friends Connect in my sidebar!)


***************************


Don't forget, I will love you forever if you throw me a vote on Top Mommy Blogs. You know the drill by now, don't you? Just click the juggling chick and you've voted. You can vote every day till like, forever.



Thanks!



***************

In case you didn't know it, I'm like the queen of blog-hoppin' lately. It's kind of like square dancing but without the dated outfits, smelly gym, and elderly caller.

Come join the fun!

*************

Rudeness disclaimer:

I love all your comments,
I read every one!
But I can't hit 'reply',
I've no time for fun.
Please don't judge me,
Please don't hate.
If you have a question that just can't wait,
Send me an email at farmbeachgal@yahoo.com,
And I'll answer right back because I'm, you know, the Mom.