Riding the Range

Well, sort of anyway.....It was a great day...I got up wondering what I was going to do today to amuse myself.... it turns out that Becky and Katheryn wanted to go riding at Rafter D's and I got myself invited to go along....Becky brought one of her horses for me to ride (Rose). George had taken our big truck to work, so I couldn't haul Goldie today....and she and I may not be ready to go out in public yet. But we're working on it....hopefully my helper, Heath, will be able to come out tomorrow and work with us some. Goldie and I just need an opportunity to get used to each other.

It was a great day out on the trails...the sun was out and the temperature was just right. We had lots of fun--I'm glad I went.

A day alone

Today is the only day during the whole Christmas holiday that I have been or will be completely alone....for those of you that know me, you know I enjoy time alone...but I also enjoy the time spent with my friends and family....but....today, I took advantage of this alone time....I got up this morning, fixed myself a cup of coffee to go and drove to West Plains..I made a loop from my house to WP and back thru Ash Flat to my house again....I was on a search....a search for a saddle.... and you will never believe it.....I found one.... all morning, I had no luck...and then I come across a nice used 15" leather saddle...light weight and priced rigth too! I now have all the tack required to ride and haul my horse too....(at least I think I do)....I've discovered that though it looks simple, getting it all together and getting it right takes a little practice...put practice makes perfect and I'm planning on getting this right soon.... I know that I've got a lot to learn but I'm determined to make this work. I've even got a couple of people lined up to give me horse care and riding lessons....get ready Heath...I'm fixin' to call you!

A day outside

We have had a beautiful day after such in icky stormy day yesterday. It was sweatshirt weather and dry! We got a lot done today and I really enjoy being outside with the animals.... I took a ton of photos today...I'm sharing several but not nearly all that I took...I think I should change the name of my blog to A Day in the Life of a Goat and Other Creatures.

After getting lucky enough to get back into our bed at night (Russell is out of town...she's been sleeping with him), Tess is having a hard time getting out of it in the morning. You'll notice that she is in the middle and not at the foot of the bed....this is her favorite spot at night.

This morning when I went outside to feed Goldie (the horse) and the goats, I noticed that the frost had thawed from the porch...with the exception of a few spots....it is amazing how such a small amount of shade could keep a spot from defrosting.

Sometimes, Goldie and I don't see eye to eye on where she should stand so that I can take a picture. Today, she wanted to stand with her nose touching me...I think she was sniffing for apple treats...however, she had eaten them all before I started taking pictures. She and I took a walk to the new barn so that she could check it out.

Another "bird's eye view" of Goldie....

Aggie is one of my most favorite goats. She is not shy and is very curious. She is a milk goat and has twins that are almost as big as she is now....anyway....Aggie likes to investigate and she was very interested in my camera today.

This is Andy and Annie...Aggie's Twins.... aren't they sweet. They come close but are a lot more timid than their Mom....maybe one day they will be like Aggie and Mable...

Sadie and Aggie can't let you walk through their pen without getting some attention. Isn't Sadie beautiful. She is the sweetest thing and craves attention, even though she gets plenty (I promise)!

Here's how we spent our day....very productive if you ask me (and I'm sure Goldie will appreciate it....I think she was thinking "a day late" after that rain last night.

This is how the barn looked this morning when we started.... Ryan, George, Russell, my Dad (Tommy) and I have all worked on it some before today....

Ta-Dah! It's done...other than the paint job that is...and that will be a while probably....it can be used now. There will be some fence building to follow very shortly.

Hum...what are we doing now?

All is quiet on the homefront....Just me, George, Tess and the rest of the animals hanging out on the hill today.....waiting out the icky weather.....

We've picked up, sorted thru, tossed out and all that stuff...so now, I've got to have something else to do today.... Yesterday we went to Jonesboro to have George's dad pick out a new mattress and springs set... had dinner at Outback...and today...I'm in my pj's just piddling around.....

Don't misunderstand...I'm not ready to go back to work ;-)....just having trouble deciding what I want to do....

Merry Christmas

A holiday such as Christmas should be shared with your family and friends...up to this day, I have celebrated with my friends....today I celebrate with my family.... This photos is of my parents, my brother and me...Tommy, June, Thomas and Nancy.



This is George and the kids.... Ryan, Russell and Nicole. We really enjoy getting to have all the kids together.


Here, George decided to tell me all the things on his wish list...too bad it was the night before Christmas when all the shops were closed!


This is just a portion of all the Christmas goodies. We had a huge mess when opening of gifts was over.



This is the turkey and the turkey chef (you can decide which is which...haha) that we enjoyed on Chrismas day! It was soo goooood! George tried a new fried turkey recipe that included injecting the turkey with an onion and cajun seasoning...it was really good.



This is the pie that didn't get eaten....but isn't it lovely....I think it's the prettiest pumpkin pie that I've made.



It was a great Christmas holiday! I have had more attention, friendship, and love from the people in my life this year! I have achieved more, fulfilled my dreams and had received things that I have wanted forever..... This has been a year to be remembered thanks to my family, friends and most importantly, my George.

Kickin' back

I've spent this morning kicked back enjoying a cup of Ghirardelli Caffe Chocolate Peppermint Coffee with some Raspberry White Chocolate creamer (I know the mixture might not sound that great but...YUM!!!!) I got up at my usual time (even though it's my christmas holiday) to feed the animals and have some time to myself before the kids got up.

Christmas is fast approaching.....tomorrow is Christmas Eve and my family will be coming to visit...the kids are all here already.....I'm ready...groceries are bought, the decorations are up and the presents are bought and wrapped.....

Next week is our anniversary....I've been trying to think of something to do during the day but I'm not having any luck. I thought about Blanchard Springs Caverns or Ripley's Believe It or Not and stuff in Branson....it would have been fun with a group...but our group has dwindled... Looks like it's just going to be me and George for the daytime....maybe we won't do anything at all...who knows.....

Twice in one day......

Ryan has a girlfriend, Ryan has a girlfriend, nah-na-nah-na-nah-na....Ryan and Leah sitting in a tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-g.....

I guess you get the idea. This is Ryan (my oldest) and his girlfriend Leah. Leah's mom took some photos recently and Ryan let me scan them. We're looking forward to Leah coming to visit during the Christmas holiday break.