Looking Back

For the last couple of days I've been thinking about ideas to blog about. Honestly there hasn't been too much going on to blog about. So I'm thinking to myself, "Christina-think of anything! Anything that may or may not be interesting. Just get something down. Millions of people are counting on you! Waiting on you!!!" Well, okay-maybe not millions....heh.

I guess we're in the middle of winter which may be causing what I'll refer to as the Winter Blues. Not that we have that much to be blue about. This winter has been mild compared to last winter. Last winter, I was still living in the Big City while my husband and oldest son lived up here in The Country under ice storms, power outages with no heat that lasted weeks in some areas and a week or more of no school due to bad weather. Well...not this winter!! We seem to be the only area that has not had any snow or even ice too bad. I am a little disappointed only because we have weather like this where I moved from and was looking forward to the opportunity to hate winter.

Thinking about last winter made me start thinking about how my family was split for 6 months. I remember driving the hours to stay for a long weekend and how my heart would break when we had to travel back without half my family. I had forgotten how it tore at my heartstrings to not be here for my son's band concerts or school meetings. I had forgotten the desperation to see my husband even if it were for just one night and a day. There are many things I have started to take for granted just being up here for the last 6 months.

It was my friends and family who helped us get through being apart for 6 months. You know who you are (assuming you even glance at my blog) and I'll be forever grateful for putting us up and putting up with us! Hahaa!

I do not regret that time of separation as difficult as it was. We learned so many things about one another. Some relationships became closer. Some people were not taken for granted as often. Some hurts were healed. And deeper friendships were developed.

I am so glad that we have built a family together here. Sure I miss my family and friends that we left behind. But The Country has been a positive influence in my family. My boys are doing well in school and are enjoying new friends. We are experiencing things in The Country we would never have the opportunity to explore in The Big City. Things are slower here. Smaller...more accountable. And closer. You tend to treat people differently when you know you will bump into them anywhere.

Nothing is a guarantee. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. Living one day at a time with what you are given today is the secret to happiness and satisfaction.

A Lost Horse

Once upon a time, there was a horse named Buttercup. Her owner brought her home to a tiny pen even though there was plenty of room for her to roam. The problem was there was 16 acres of brushy land that was not fenced and she could wander to an open road or upon a wheat field newly planted. So here she stayed in a small pen all fenced in and bored.

Then one day, her owner decided he and his father could put up a fence! What a great idea!! They could put up a wire fence to keep her close so she couldn't wander off into the many dangers. They could hot wire it like most people do in these parts so it would keep her from breaking through the fence. The only problem was, there was no hot wire ready. Father would have to weld. Until he could, they decided to put up wire, along with some rope tied to keep the bored horse from breaking free.

The owner and the father spent many afternoons and weekends digging posts and installing a wire.

For a while it seemed to work. Plans were in the making to hot wire the fence and the horse seemed to enjoy being able to have more freedom, more grass and access to the bale of hay at any time she pleases.

Then one day when the family and the owner came home from town where they went to school and work, they come upon this:

The horse...was LOST!!! Where could she be? How did she get out? Was she near by? Did someone pick her up???? So many things could have happened!!! There was not even a broken line!!

After many minutes of following the very large "tracks" of the horse (that would be huge piles of horse poo) the father found the horse in the brush behind the dogs that follows along side the newly growing wheat. ( Yes that shadow is me)

The horse was so happy to be free!!! She ran, and jumped, and bucked and skipped. She thought it was a very fun game playing with these boys and the owner and the father!!! She especially liked the green wheat growing in the field. The only way the boys could think to catch her was to bribe her with feed. The owner's brother ran to get a bucket of pellets while the father tried to hide the harness from her for if she saw the harness coming, she would surely run and run with no chance of catching her!

The boys knew if she wanted to run, there would be no catching her. They were trying to be so sneaky...

Distraction and gentle words keep her from running. I can see there will be a patch of fully fertilized wheat next summer. And no we will not charge them for the fertilizer...

The horse was not especially happy about having to give up her freedom with the wheat field, grass, trees and no fence but the pellets tasted so good and the owner, boys and father were so nice and fun. They petted her, and loved her and sweet talked her...

Until....

Until...

Yay!!! They finally get her harness on and lead her towards the pen.

They have to shake that bucket of feed to lure her close. She stops a few times, stubbornly reminding them that she is the one in control here.

The horse named Buttercup thinks she likes it better out of the pen where the mountains frame the background, there is all the wheat you can eat and plenty of room to dance and play.

The horse named Buttercup suddenly realized she does not want to go back to that pen at all! But the boys and the owner and the father are so nice to her, she can hardly deny them.

Grudgingly she follows them back to the confines of her metal bars.

Back to where all good horses belong. (Can I just say here quickly that this will be the only time I know what I would look like with long legs....thank you)

Not in the open field of green, lush hay framed by the beautiful mountains with a setting sun.

But in the safety of her pen where there is food and water, shelter from the winds and protection from all things that can harm her.

And the horse named Buttercup ate her food and realized that home is the best place to be. The place where your owner and the boys and the father bring you food throughout the day and you have water whenever you may need. Where she can be brushed and groomed. Room to roam and explore but safe enough to feel secure. And as the sun sets, she realizes how much she is loved but she will never forget the day she tasted true freedom. She also knows she has taught her people a lesson.

The horse named Buttercup is not allowed to graze past the confines of the cold metal bars until that weekend when the owner's father hot wires the fence.

The End.

Catching Up

I know you were worried about me right? Figured something terrible happened since it has been so long since a post. I know how inconsiderate it seems knowing you are coming back every day, sometimes twice, to see if I've posted...right? Right? I know...I'm sorry.

In my defense, it was the Holiday Season. And there was so much to do, I didn't even come close to getting half way done. And we travelled. And we worked. And we survived. And here we are! So I apologize and for those few viewers that stuck with me...Thank You!!!

So here's a quick catch up that gets us at least through just after Thanksgiving. We had family come in. It was so exciting to have visitors out here in the middle of nowhere!!!

This is what we do when my In Laws come in. We play games...and more games...and more games!!! Sometimes it gets pretty brutal. But we all have a great time!!!

Board games, card games...you name it! The competition grows and tempers may flare. But we all get involved and we all leave loving each other rarely with any bloodshed.

We try to teach em young too. At all costs...YOU MUST WIN!!!! Naw....I'm only kidding.

So while it happened, a rare circumstance of all the grandchildren being together, my darling, talented niece took pictures of all the grand kids with The Grandmother. They turned out sooo cute!!! I'd show more but I didn't ask permission to post all her work. Guess I'll have to do that...

As you can see, the boys played some Football after pictures. Then we all went to the corral to help name the horse and let everyone say hi!

This is me and my Mom In Law. I love her so much. She is an incredible woman!!! So many times I hear other woman say they can't stand their in laws but I honestly have to say all of my husband's family means so much to me. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful in law family!!

So the girls here usually stay pretty goofy. They are only 6 months apart and are cousins believe it or not. Sure can tell they are related huh? The cute little goobers...

These next photos pretty much sum up the relationships of these siblings/cousins.

Yep...

Sums it up quit well actually. No words are needed...

On a sad note: we have lost our Trixie girl. Her and Rex usually spend time outside and meet us at the door when we get home. Well, one day, Trixie never showed up. It's a mystery. Especially when you consider it was Rex whose Gimpy at the moment. He has a hurt hip and hobbles around while Trixie is shy and darts back and forth unless she feels like giving you the time of day. Not sure what happened to her but I tell myself she found a nice home that has nothing to do with the Coyotes out here. Dang cats!!!

Here are some pictures of Brandon's horse, Buttercup. She is adjusting quite well to her surroundings except for the day we came home and she was gone!!! But that is another story for another time. Don't worry...I'll get to it...eventually. I promise!!

In fact, while it was going down...all I could think about was running into the house to take pictures so we could share the experience. Blogging is like an addiction. It begins to affect the way you view things that happen in your life. You begin to ask yourself questions like "Is this really blog worthy?" or "Oh my gosh!!! This would be great in my blog". Except for the part where I don't blog for a whole month. But gosh!!! I sure was thinking about it!

Anyway, she's only just turning 2 here pretty soon so we are getting her used to being in a harness and soon we will try to get her used to having a saddle on her back. It will be awhile before we can ride her. Did I mention that I'm hugely afraid of horses? Yeah, I am....

We also missed my baby's birthday here. So now my baby is 13. I no longer have "babies". I have teenagers. It's just not the same I tell ya.

His birthday is just a few weeks before Christmas and he asked for baseball stuff for Christmas so that's what he got for his birthday. Then we were clueless about what to get him for Christmas. Yeah, times that by 13! I think he was happy though.

And not only do we celebrate a birthday (besides THE birthday of Jesus) we decided to get married only 2 weeks before Christmas! Wasn't that smart thinking??? Anyway...my husband and I celebrated 19 years of marriage. Yay!!! We have certainly made it interesting right hunny? Nobody ever accused us of doing it the easy way! And as much as he gets on my ever-lovin' nerves ( and in fairness, I, on occasion, may get on his) I love him and wouldn't want anyone else gettin' on my nerves. True love folks! True Love!

So with the promise of a post very soon, I have to explain that my computer is moving veeerrryyyy slow these days and I'm just not too sure how much longer she's going to be with us...sniff. So, in part, that is why I am so sporadic between posts. It just takes so dang long for my computer to upload pictures. I will, on my honor, to no one in particular, resolve this 2011, to post more regularly on my blog for the enjoyment of my 5 or 6 readers so you may get back to your life and not be distracted by checking every so often whether or not I've posted. That is all. Thanks for hanging in there!