KA-RAY-ZEE Day!

I'm just feeling the need to vent a little and to share with you what happened to me today.  I also want to write it down so I don't forget.  Because it was, to me anyway, just that crazy!

First of all, I woke up.  Actually got out of the bed and placed my feet on the floor at approximately 8:30 a.m.  By 10:30 a.m. my dad had come over to stick his nose into whatever I have going on check on me.  He lives next door to me (about an acre or so away) and when he gets bored he comes over to bug the tar outta me see his grandbabies, tickle them, and give them treats. By noon, he stated he had things to do and he left. 

Lemme back up a little bit, 2 1/2 weeks ago, my doc and I made the decision for me to begin weaning off of the 50 mg of Zoloft that I have been taking for 5 years.  Just a few days after that decision, I fell and hit the back of my head, giving myself a concussion.  With these two things combined, I have set myself up for a great amount of stress....and that's if everything was running like a well oiled machine!

Anyway, as a result of weaning off the Zoloft, I have been very emotional.  I know that it's because my doc and I are experimenting.  I have been attempting to use other ways to control my feelings and for the most part, it's been working.  However, by the time my dad left today, I was a wreck.  I managed to hold it in and stay in control until he was out of the house but after that, I caved....just a little...not entirely a melt down...just a few tears.

I began to hyperventilate and my sweet husband came over to me and helped me to think of more positive things.  He helped me to visualize peaceful, tranquil settings to calm me down.  He was awesome!  After that episode, I fed the kids, had some lunch myself, and then laid down for a power nap.  Thank God I did too because just 30 minutes after I woke up it seems that all hell broke loose!

I had planned to run some errands in town, taking my 23 y.o. DQ, her infant son, and my Little Bird and Kangaroo along for the ride in order to free up Dahlin' so he could enjoy the local college football game in peace.  I had the girls all loaded in the SUV, completely buckled in, when I remembered that I had forgotten my cell phone in the house.  I returned to get it, and my dad walked over as well.  

This was right at the end of the 1st quarter of Dahlin's football game.  Dad and I both entered the house and as we did so our very ADHD beagle puppy flew out the door.  Any other time, that might not have bothered me.  Let the dog run around....he'll come back.  But this time, he went straight for the neighbor's (and my dad's) free range chickens giving every available hen a run for her money. 

I have to admit that the sight of him flying through the air, the sun shining off his coat as he jumped a ditch while trying to bring down a hen in flight, was quite a beautiful sight.  If only I'd had the camera....but I didn't. 

Dahlin' paused his football game (Thank heaven for DVR!) and for the next hour he, my dad, and myself all chased that damn stupid dog around the neighborhood....eventually catching him and saving a few hens; although, they may not be laying eggs for the next week.

Meanwhile, back at the SUV, my daughters were patiently waiting for my return so that we could resume our afternoon plans.  My 23 y.o. had been entertaining the younger ones with the portable DVD player plugged in and powered through the in vehicle power port.  She thoughtfully had turned the vehicle off in order to save fuel.  Unfortunately, it never occurred to her that by doing so AND using the power port for an extended length of time would result in low truck battery.

I took my place behind the wheel of the SUV, turned the key, and heard....."Click-clik-clik-clik".   I banged rested my head on the steering wheel before getting out and heading BACK into the house where my Dahlin' had resumed position in the recliner in front of the squawk box TV to finish watching his game.   

I sat down in MY reliner, took a deep breath, and calmly said, "The truck won't start".  He not so very calmly replied, "JUST GIVE ME 10 MINUTES!"  and I replied.....well, I didn't reply.  I waited.  The girls waited.  Buddy the Beagle waited....and wagged his tail.

Ten minutes later, Dahlin' rose and proceeded to the SUV where he connected jumper cables to the battery to get us going.  Ten minutes after that, me and my girls were on the road.  Ten minutes after that, I hear a "Ding-Ding-Ding" and a flashing light on my dashboard informing me that I now need to put fuel into the vehicle if I plan to go any further.

Next stop, the gas station!  I filled up the tank, started the truck, put it in gear, only to hear "Ding-Ding-Ding" and see a message flashing "Check Tire Pressure".  By this time, I'm ready to explode!  But I didn't.  I stayed calm, and drove over to the air tank to plug 4 quarters into it for 15 pounds of air pressure. 

Got that done and I'm back on the road. 

I was able to run my errands and make the purchases I needed before returning home to vent through the blog world and to all my bloggy friends (all 5 of the them) so that I may cool off and calm down before running myself a bubbly bath and turning in.

Thank you all for reading, enduring, and listening to my rant.   How would you handle such a day?  Please comment below and give me some new coping ideas!

From My Dad's Front Porch

I went next door to my dad's house and visited for a little bit. I just happened to have my camera with me and I tried to play with some of the settings. Here is what I got!

Peach Blossoms

The hens

Gypsy

King of the Farmyard

I just thought this was an interesting shot.

When ya live so close to the water, you must watch out for gators!

A close up of the beautiful sunset tonight.

Another sunset shot.

The night photos are kind of challenging. I think I need to take a photo class or something to learn more about this type of photo settings.

Saintly Louisiana mammals

A normal passage of time in Louisiana will show us the slight chills of winter time, pleasant weather during fall and spring, and heat and humidity during the summer. Of course, the flora and fauna react to the change in weather as always. Green can be seen all over the place in the spring and summer..and of course, brown during winter...or, depending on the tree...no leafy greenness at all.

Lately, I have noticed something else..something peculiar. While the color scheme is in keeping with the season..it’s the fact that the animal life seems to have adopted the behavior of the plant life that I find interesting. Specifically- I have begun noticing far more frequently some mammals who are gold and black...perhaps as a natural camouflage and in order to avoid predators. However, the color change seems to be on those more usually at the top of the food chain: Humans.

Peculiarly, these people have begun wearing gold and black everywhere. But there is more evidence to consider: The same people will be seen with some emblematic flower artfully done and also emitting(often and seemingly as a call to other tribesmen) a loud (and joyful?) "Who Dat?".

While I had seen this species before, I confess I have not seen the population increase so rapidly as during the past year and beginning of this one(2010). I am thinking there is something in the water down here or perhaps, the natural predators have gone into hiding.

Whatever the case, in each member I sense an increasing urgency in their tribe-speak...as if something is coming that only the members are privy to. In fact, I have heard one or two..after a particularly boisterous rendition of 'Who dat's?'..echoing all around, refer to something coming on the 7th of February somewhere south of here.

Well, all I can say...is there were far fewer of this species around until recently. I find this interesting.

From the mouths of Babes

Hubby and I have been sitting around just relaxing today. He has finished a bookhe's been reading and I've been researching our upcoming summer vacation. It was just us here .... and Kangaroo.

Kangaroo rose wide eyed and bushy tailed at 6 a.m. this morning and boy, was she raring to go! She ran and played all day! So sweet! She eventually pulled out her make up kit that she received for Christmas from our babysitter.

She sat and primped and got herself looking all pretty. Then she presented herself to us. Well, to her daddy anyway. Not to me.

She approaches her daddy, blinks her sweet little blue eyes, and coyly gushes, "Daddy, do you think I look pretty?"

He chuckled and responded, "Yes, honey, I sure do! I think you look just like mommy!"

Kangaroo is a little takin aback and says, "Mommy!? You gotta be KIDDIN' me!!!"

I wasn't sure how to feel as I sat here listening to this little exchange. I recognize that hubby was paying me a compliment...in a way. But her response? I don't know if it was taken as a compliment or an insult from her daddy. Is my own appearance so horrible that my child doesn't want to look like me?

Oh well, she's a sweet little cherub anyway and I love her bunches! :D

My Mom's First Published Book!!!!!

I'm so proud of my mom! So this little book review may be a tad biased. :D

I just wanted to brag a little bit and perhaps give you an opportunity to purchase a beautiful new children's book that's just been released. This little book, called "Salty Seas & His Heroic Friends", is a story of a shrimp boat as he and his friends learn the importance of friendship and teamwork.

The phenomenal artwork was provided by my mom, Paulette Ferguson. A Hammond, LA native, she studied Fine Art at the Southeastern Louisiana University. Although she works in mediums such as watercolor and acrylics, she prefers to work with oil paints. She also teaches adult and children's art classes.

If you'd like to order a copy of this sweet book for your own home, you can print out an order form here. You can also view more of her artwork here.

Enjoy!!!

Field Trip to the Farm: The Rest of the Story

I know there's a lot of pictures here. But I'll try to keep the typing short so you can look at the pictures. Now, here, we have the group listening politely as Mr. Bryant of Red Bluff Farms talks about the milk cow and how she affects our lives.

After explaining the old fashioned way to milk a cow, Mr. Bryant introduces the children to the mechanical milking device. He explains that this does not hurt the cow but in fact, gives her some udder relief.

Look at how much milk she's given us in just a few minutes!

My little farmer!

The group marches to the back 40!

Mr. Bryant explains about hogs and how they affect our lives with the various products they provide.

Did you know? When a hog has babies, the piglet chooses a "nursing station" (that's what Mr. Bryant called it) for all of the entirety of their nursing days.

Little Bird absorbs all the educational information she's learning today.

Mr. Bryant talks about beef cattle and the products they provide. I knew about gelatin and glue, but I didn't know about toothpaste!!!

Marching to another learning station.

Lunchtime!

Lunchtime guests!

All lined up like little rows.

Seed corn!

Ready? Set?.....

Goooo!

Walking around the hay maze that is laid out in the shape of the state of Louisiana. Notice the Lake Charles sign? There were similar signs marking the location of the bigger cities of the state. There was also other state information at each hay bale, such as the State Fish, the State Insect, the State Crustacean, etc.

This butterfly garden was so intriguing! See the signs? They tell all about the life cycle of the butterfly.

Okay, that's it. I hope you enjoyed the field trip to the Farm with us. If you'd like to know about the beginning of our day, read it here.

Field Trip Day to the Farm: The Beginning

My Little Bird and I woke up this morning looking forward to our first Kindergarten field trip with the school. We've been on field trips before with the local homeschool group last year, but this one was special because it's the first one with the public school.

My day started with my going into Little Bird's room to wake her up. She responded, "I donwanna." Then I said, "But you HAVE to. We're going to the Faarrrrm!" She sat straight up, grinned from ear to ear, and said with a little shake of her head, "Oh, I'm AWAKE now. Thanks mommy!"

She hopped out of bed (literally!) and went straight to the breakfast table for a bowl of Frosted Flakes. I got her school uniform ready. I had bought her some new pants just because the weather was beginning to get cooler. Skirts, skorts, and shorts were soon not going to be enough to keep her legs warm. After she ate breakfast, I instructed her to get dressed. She put the pants on and I immediately noticed that they were too big in the waist. Soooo, out comes the sewing machine for a quick alteration.

Now that she's dressed, she asks me to fix her hair the way Jessie wears it in Toy Story. That little task takes a little longer than I thought it would and as a result, we're now behind schedule...but not too badly. We head out to the surburban to hit the road. We have to be at school by 8 a.m. We get loaded up and on our way.

About 6 miles down the road, for some strange reason my thoughts turn to whether or not I have everything I need. Lunch...Check...Camera...Check...Bottle of water...need to stop at the store...Purse? Arrghhh! Where's my purse!? Shoot! I left it at home. I look around for my cell phone to call hubs to bring my purse to me. guess what!? I left my phone too!!! A quick glance at the clock tells me that I do not have time to run back to the house. I'll have to get Little Bird to the school, come back home to retrieve the forgotten items, and then try to catch up with the Field Trip caravan in route to the Farm. Yeah, that sounds like a plan!

After dropping Little Bird off at school, I hit the ground running, driving no faster than 85 mph. Once I got home, I got my purse and cell phone, double checked the address on the computer for the Farm, and made a potty stop. Great! Aunt Flo has decided to drop in on me....TODAY of all days! Early!!! This day is just keeps getting better!

Finally, I'm out the door.....again....and again I drive no faster than 85 on my way back to the school. Now that I have my cell phone, I call ahead to see if the group has left the school yet. Nope, they haven't but they will shortly. I breathe a sigh of relief....and hear a "ding ding ding" sound coming from my dashboard. Well, hmmph, I seem to be low on fuel. It's a good thing the gas station is right THERE!! I stop, insert debit card, key in my zip code, and put the nozzle into the gas tank. I begin pumping the gas, and look up to see the school buses and following parents going past me. Okay, no biggie....I pump about $15 dollars worth, snatch the receipt from the pump, toss the nozzle back on the pump....oops! I need batteries for the camera. That task taken care of I exit the store, jump into the Surburban, and catch up to the caravan....just like I had planned!

We got to the farm and I put my lunch on the trailer with all the other parents' lunches. I got my camera and trotted over to where the children were sitting. I turned it on and got a little flashing message, "Low Battery". Since I had just bought some new batteries, I thought, "Hopefully, nothing cute will happen while I change the batteries."

Those brand new batteries I just bought? Dead. As a doornail. What else could go wrong today? This is soooooo very frustrating! Now I have a dilemma. Should I leave my angel with her class while I hunt down a store somewhere to purchase some more batteries? I don't want to miss anything. After dwelling on the problem for a fairly short amount of time, I decide to go search for a store. I ask one of the tour guides, er, farmers where the nearest store may be. As it turns out, there's a Dollar General only 5 miles up the road! Perfect!

So, having made up my mind, I leave the field trip to get the needed batteries. Upon my return, I learn that I had indeed missed the cutest photo op ever! My baby's Kindergarten teacher had kissed a pig!!!

Oh well, the day isn't over yet. More photo ops abound and now that I have fresh batteries, I intend to make the best of it!! See Field Trip: The Rest of the Story to see the photos.

Oh, and thanks for listening. I really needed to vent after the morning I've had!!!

Immensely Valuable

I was talking with an old friend today with whom I've recently reconnected. I'd always wondered about him and his family and whatever happened to them or where they went. Anyway, as it turns out, he's been nearby nearly the whole time! Well, not the WHOLE time because he's had other places to go too, but .... well, you KWIM. Anyway, he is now a Captain in the Louisiana Army National Guard, Alpha Co., 256th BSTB.

Today, we were chatting about some things from our past, the childhood we shared, dreams for our children, etc. At one point, our conversation turned quite serious, deep thoughts were exchanged, and it was mentioned that his unit will be deploying for Iraq shortly after this coming Christmas. It struck me that I needed to thank him. First for listening to me and then for serving his country and protecting me, the constitution, and my freedom.

His reply was:

"I listen because I believe ya'll are immensely valuable. I serve for the same reason."

This statement has stuck with me for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Eventually, I began to hear another voice telling me the same message. The voice of my Father in Heaven telling me that He is there to listen to me. Why? Because He believes that I am valuable! And that is the reason that he hung on the cross for me. Because I am valuable!

And ya know what? I just had to share.

I would love to be able to write a huge essay on the importance of this statement and the realization that came because of it, but I'm not much of a writer. I just sit here with my laptop on my lap and type my thoughts into a little white screen.

The bottom line is, and forgive me for sounding like a broken record, I am Valuable .... to a friend ... to a soldier .... but mostly to Jesus in Heaven who hung on a cross, died, and rose again to save my miserable little soul. Wow.

Natchez Trace: Tricycle

Some time ago, I made a post about my bucket list. The number one item on that list is to bicycle the Natchez Trace. Lately, I have been revisiting that idea. I have spent the last few evenings researching road cycling for beginners. I've learned a few things but haven't been able to put any of it to practice yet. I will need to purchase somet things before I hit the road. First up is a bicycle and then riding clothes.

My main concern about the bicycle is comfort. If I'm gonna be on that thing for up to 6 hours at a time, I want my butt to be comfy. I prefer wide cushy seats to ride on. I also prefer riding upright in order to see the country side. So handle bars to support me in that position would be great!

Then I thought, well, heck, I'll have to haul camping gear too. How am I gonna do that AND be comfy! I can't sleep on the ground the way I used to when I was a youngster. Air mattresses are comfy but a pain to get up off of. I prefer sleeping on a camp cot. How am I gonna carry a camp cot on a bicycle?

AHA! I've GOT IT! Forego the Bi-cycle and take a Tri-cycle! Thus, my research turns towards a tricycle. I found one today while searching. It's an iZip 2008, Tricruiser Adult Electric Tricycle! I have decided that this is the vehicle for me to putt putt along on the Natchez Trace while enjoying the scenery AND there's a basket on the back for all my stuff!!

Features include a 450 watt Earth magnet motor (whatever THAT means) and a rechargable battery giving this trike at range of 30 - 35 miles per charge. It can also reach a maximum speed of 15 mph. That's good for me when I want to get a little distance on the road. It had an EXTRA WIDE seat and the basket I previously mentioned. It also has some other techno stuff that I'm glad it has but I really don't give a hoot about at this point. AND if the charge runs out, well, there's always the old fashioned foot power that'll keep it going.

One thing that bothers me is that if I get it stuck or something, this thing weighs 128 pounds. So, it won't be too easy to unstick it. The other thing that bothers me is the price. Do I REALLY want to spend $1100 on this? Just because it's got a little motor to help me along? It would certainly be more cost efficient to purchase a trike without a motor. A new Schwinn trike would only be about $300! But it will be totally human powered.

So anyway, whatdaya think? Should I try this thing on the Natchez Trace? Should I go with a trike or a bike? I'm totally out of shape but feel that I can get where I need to be physically within a few months of training.

Newly Found Proverbs?

The title of this post refers to the book of Proverbs in the Bible. As I understand it, Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings from the biblical period.

I found some books in my house. A set of "Rare Recipes & Budget Savers", first printed in 1961. At the bottom of each page of these books is a sentence or two of wise words titled "Last Blast" (thus the Proverbs reference). As I was reading through them, I laughed out loud. Others are quite profound and thought provoking. Then I thought, "I would love to share these with my bloggy friends". Thus, the following.

1. Don't be offended if someone tells you to "go fly a kite". Ben Franklin made it pay off.

2. Everyday is Judgement Day - use a lot of it!

3. If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd.

4. The hen is the only thing we know of that can lay around and make money.

5. People who live in a one-bathroom house should never drink their prune juice at the same time.

6. It's better to tighten your belt than to lose your pants.

7. The only people you should try to get even with are those who have helped you.

8. For some women, marriage can be a sweeping experience. It also can include cooking, baking, ironing, and serving as family chauffers.

9. Poise isthe art of raising the eyebrows instead of the roof.

And I'll leave you with a thought provoking LAST BLAST for today.....

10. The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and miss, but that our aim is too low -- and we reach it!

Ya'll be sure and stay tuned. There are many more where these came from!!