Happy ST. Patricks Day

Time just has a way of flying by..I started making cards for some special people, then Blizzy died, the business got crazy and I lost my mind (what little I had left) so friends BD's got forgotten and special St Pats day wishes did not go out in time...such is my life.
I've promised myself I'd stop agonizing over the little things I just don't seem to fit into my life and start dwelling on all that I DO manage to fit into my life...but Friends and special wishes are very important to me, so I can't help but feel bad when I don't get all that I'd like to...done.
I know there are people who use the phrase "I think of you often", as just something to say...but I can honestly say that during the day, even while I am busy, people float in and out of my mind...Some of my Lizzies (they have no idea how much I miss them), special friends whose lives also seem to have gotten WAY too busy and very special friends That I seldom see any more but truly think of almost every day. I sit in a room full of reminders. As some of you know I find it difficult to dispose of things I deem precious...little things sent to me by friends...pin's, magnets, bits of fabric..it all has special meaning to me...heck, I've got this years BD cards hanging all over the place...Why? They will eventually come down but they make me feel good. Some of those cards are from people I've never met...yet they took the time to remember me, when closer friends hadn't. I'm not very good at remembering either, although I'd like to get more organized and remember each and every special person in my life...it just hasn't happened, and I doubt at this stage of my life ,if it ever will.
I really do not even get much time of the computer...if I did I could at least send messages that way..When did life get so darned busy...Aren't we supposed to slow up when we hit a certain age? What exactly is that age ?
For those of you reading this today...What the hell are you doing here when you should be celebrating??? Thanks for being here and know that I'll probably think of you today....Happy St. Patricks Day !!!

Rainbow Bridge

I am very sad today. Our beloved Blizzy went to Rainbow Bridge yesterday. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the trauma of being recued from the snow, she has been fine...well as fine as she was before that event anyway.
Blizzy came to us 8 years ago. I wasn't going to take her when I took my other ones because she appeared to be sickly, very bony and not well looking. The guy selling the goats assured me that she was fine, but threw her in for free, just so I'd take her, since I was buying her daughter, Oreo. I asked how old Blizzy was then and he said "about 14...or so" he wasn't real sure, but she was one of his first. She flourished in her new home, her hair got nicer looking, her body filled out (that's her in the picture with Emma) She outlived all the goats save Oreo. She loved the horses and became Reds best friend. The children all loved her because she was so gentle and loving. She slowed down this past year and although she seemed well enough, she just wasn't herself. She spent a lot of time gazing off into the distance...I often wondered what she saw...perhaps the Rainbow Bridge, who knows.
I love my animals dearly, they mean more to me then most people...they certainly can be trusted more...They will never betray you and their love is unconditional.
I know in my heart that I gave Bilzzy a new lease on life by loving her and giving her excellent care...but she will be missed. Even hard ass Rich had tears in his eyes as he dug her grave with the backhoe.
There is human suffering everywhere these days...Haiti, Chile..... all over the world people are dying...so in the Big picture Blizzy's death is insignificant...heck, I'm sure most of her relatives were eaten...but she was my pet, a living, breathing soul that will be terribly missed by those of us who loved her....in spite of the fact that she was "just a goat".
R.I.P. Dear Blizzy

Helping Friends

Now some people will tell you "they are only animals, they can't think"...I beg to differ.
Yes we do tend to humanize our animals and often give them more credit for thought processes then they deserve. However, one animal knows when another is upset, scared , hurt etc. Some are opportunist, like the coyote and will take advantage of a sick or hurt animal, others will walk away as if they didn't care....although I think there is a reason why some animals seem distant to others....Funny, animals are not much different then humans in that respect are they?
Yesterday I witnessed something quite incredible and I'd like to share it.
I have two pygmy goats left, a mom (Blizzy) and a daughter (Oreo) they live with my two horses Red a male and Emma a female. Yesterday they all seemed to want to go out even though the snow was pretty deep in places...so I let them. AS I was cleaning the barn I heard Oreo bleating in her panic voice, which usually means she can't see her Mom. I ran to the door and I see Blizzy stuck in a snow drift way down in the pasture. The horses were with her, Oreo was up near me and seemed to know she was too short to go join her Mom. The two horses stayed close and seemed to comfort Blizzy, I watched helplessly, trying to figure out what the heck I could do to help. Suddenly the two horses looked at each other, as if in agreement and they each took a side and literally lifted Blizzy from the snow drift using their heads, giving a little push to set her in a place she could walk. Then as if on cue they chased her up toward me. They stopped, she didn't, but alas, before she made it to where I was she was stuck again...Poor little thing is so short, it doesn't take much. As I started to walk down toward her I yelled at the two horses to "Come help me!", never thinking they would...Before I could get to Blizzy , Emma came running through the snow, head down, lifted Blizzy's butt end up and pushed... What I would not have given for a camera.
I know how it feels to need help, which is probably why I give it so freely. Yes I have been burned, unfortunately not by strangers I have helped but by family and people I have cared about...but still I help. It makes me feel good inside when I know I can tell someone something that will help change their world...or a little part of it. When I can share what I have with someone that has less...knowing they will pay it forward.
I have observed many times, Oreo butting her Mom out of the way because she wants to eat her food, or does not want her Mom to have a treat..I used to wonder why she was so mean and why Blizzy allowed it...But yesterday I saw the caring side of Oreo..she was really upset that her Mom was stuck..Just like there are two sides to every story, two sides to every human being, there are also two sides to animals and they do in fact "Think", perhaps not on our level...but they do think and it seems to me they are capable of some type of reasoning...How else would they have known to lift her, instead of push her?
I've been an animal fan all my life and I have many stories...but just when I think I've seen it all...I witness something incredible and I wanted to share it with you....

It's a Snowacain!!

WOW!! We haven't had a snowfall like this in a while, but it is so beautiful. People are forced to stay in because a State of Emergency has been declared, which means only emergency vehicles are allowed on the roads.
The problem with being confined to the house is that people tend to get blue and they weaken and head for the frig. I hope that all my sisters and brothers on this journey will remember how hard they worked to get where they are. Even the new little caterpillars who are trying to lose the pre-surgical weight, need to be very mindful. It is days like this that will cause us to slip into old habits. truth be known, when I see snow like this it makes me long for my childhood. These are days that my Dad would throw the sleds in the car and off to the golf course we would go. I didn't grow up with the perfect hill like I have now...When I think of the hours my Dad and I spent of sleighs and skates it makes me sad...I want him right here with me now. He'd be too old to enjoy the sled, but he would just love this place...Missing my Dad as much as I do could very well send me into an eating frenzy. It's what I do when I'm sad and blue...Hell it's what I do when I'm happy, or when the sun shines or when it rains or when I'm in pain or.....well I guess any excuse in the book will send me into an eating frenzy.
So my plan for today is to stay busy, if I didn't have so many projects to do, I might clean a closet or write some letters or read a good book or make some Butterflies....but I will be busy with my animals and then on to projects I have been trying to finish. I will be far away from the frig, that's for sure.... My hope for today, just for today...is that all of us get through it remembering how committed we are and remembering what it took to get here....

Birthday Come and gone

WOW!! Time does indeed fly when you are having fun...
I had a wonderful Birthday, my grand daughter brought her parents for a visit and we had a wonderful time. As always they went above and beyond with gifts. We had some problems due to the snow. But we managed to survive them and fit some sledding in as well. This old body ain't what it used to be LOL both in a good way and a bad way. The good is that I never could have gotten down onto a sled a year and a half ago, the weight loss truly made a difference in what I can do. On the bad side, the bones are still old, regardless of how I feel and the body doesn't take a beating as well as it used to. With that being said, we just got a new snow fall and I am tempted to speed down the mountain once again LOL Hopefully my DGS David will bring his mom and dad to visit real soon...
I hear from friends in Florida how much they don't miss the snow and cold. They just don't seem to get it...been there, done that....lived in a warm climate and hated it. I absolutely love the cold weather, the change of seasons...Everything about where I live now appeals to me. One season does not last long enough to really be an issue...Unlike the hot steamy environment of Florida where it is either hot or hotter and the dampness is horrible...if I want to live in a rain Forest, I will go to a place far less crowded then Florida, or Gods waiting room as I call it.
We are in the middle of a major snow event as I write. I am thankful that I do not have to drive in it unless by choice...It is breath taking to see the snow clinging to the tree's, like a lacey cloak of white sugar...Mother Nature is dressed to the nines this morning. It is silent and refreshing as I walk and listen to the crunch of snow beneath my feet... No dear friends, I have no desire to sweat to the sound of noisy birds and bugs, nor do I wish to spend my days locked in AC because of oppressive heat.
I love where I am and now being lighter and healthier, I love it even more..Instead of just seeing the breath taking, ever changing beauty of where I live, I'm now a part of it. Playing and enjoying it.
Every day I am so very thankful that I had this surgery. It has made such a wonderful difference in my life. Not just in my health but in the way I view my future..All things seem so possible now that I am not loaded down with so much baggage, physically as well as mentally.
It is just a wonderful place to be and if I could make a wish that would come true, it would be that all my friends could find the peace and happiness that I have found.....

Happy Valentines Day

I'm looking outside at snow falling and wind blowing and praying that we can keep the driveway clear for our Valentine Dinner party.
Not that Valentines Day is anything special in the BIG picture. I think people should tell people they are loved ALL the time, not just on a special day. But having a special day allows us an excuse LOL
I've done some crazy things for Valentines Day. I tend to buy up Valentines after the day (they are very cheap), you know , the kiddie kind. People look at me like I'm nuts.
However, you will never have so much fun until you start handing out Valentines to strangers..Not just anyone...look at faces, find people that look lonely or sad or even angry. Older people are the most fun (they can't run away from you so fast). I hand them a Valentine on which I've written "Someone thinks you are pretty special"...I never invade their space, never seem threatening...just hand it to them and walk away. The looks I get are priceless.
The person usually always seeks me out either to say thank you, or to bless me, or to tell me how special I made them feel. I've never had anyone show angry or displeasure.
For several years, I visited Nursing Homes and handed out Valentines...OMG!! Talk about reactions and what beautiful stories I was told mostly about love lost. I often thought about writing a book...It's on my list of things to do LOL That list is so long right now I have decided if I don't live until at least 130, I'm in BIG trouble. Talk about incentive LOL
This year , as some of you know, I adopted soldiers for Christmas...but I did so in the names of groups or friends (seemed like more fun that way and it justified my failure to send out a lot of cards) in doing that I managed to find out that we have some guys there who never get mail from home. They mail this year...yup...Valentines..lots of Valentines...telling them how special they are, thanking them for the job they do and wishing them a safe journey home.
You may have missed Valentines Day as a day to do something special for someone...but there is always St. Paddy's Day, Easter ? Seems to me any day is special if you make it that way.
Happy Valentines day to all who come here for a visit...Bless you all.

Snow Expected

So much is running through my mind. So much I'd like to write about and share, but today is one of those days.
There is a storm expected. That means we may not be able to use the driveway for a day or two..We have to get in some perishables , animal feed etc. I have some mailings that have to go out and I have to go to the shop and work on some stuff as well as bring stuff home in the event I can't get down there for a couple of says.
Actually a storm would be good right now. It would keep me stuck here and perhaps I could focus on things that need doing around here.
I have been so focused on this business and getting things off the ground that I have forgotten other things completely. Being too busy is not an "excuse", I'm sure I could fit more in if my time management were better.
So for today, those are my feelings...The creative juices are flowing and a lot is being done at the shop. Perhaps I will post some pictures here... It doesn't all have to be about weight loss...Creating is all part of my personal journey and I've been doing a lot of that LOL