Weekend Winding Down

Here it is at the end of a long weekend.  Hubby's surgery went well on Friday, much less manipulation needed than planned and no cutting.  He is already out of the sling and washing dishes!! He can't help with Dad, but I'll give him a few more days to recover.  LOL

My brother is out of town, so we were on cow patrol this weekend.  Here is a picture of part of our herd:

Notice that they are doing what they do best...EATING!!  LOL  Tried to get a picture of our little white heifer, but she was hiding behind momma cow.  My husband loves the red cows, so there are quite a few with our brand.  Brother doesn't care, a cow is a cow.   No personal relationships there. LOL

Warning:  If you don't care for large spiders, skip the next picture.

Here is a little friend that we saw crawling our way.

Can you see the hairy little legs?  Mr. or Ms. Tarantula was in a big hurry to get under the haystack. Thank goodness we had already fed.  I don't mind watching them, but I don't like when they sneak up on me.  Can you imagine if I had picked up the bale and found THAT?  LOL

The property that we lease is part of a vineyard.  Only about half of their 600 acres are in grapes, so we lease about  200 acres per year.  I don't drink wine and I'm very annoyed with the vineyards that have taken up all the dry farming and ranching land. I try to find the beauty in all and I did get a great picture of the grape leaves changing color.  Very pretty.

I haven't done any work on my stitching, but....one of Dad's caregivers is a crocheter.  I was talking (whining) about how I was just not able to "get" crocheting.  She laughed, said anyone could do it.  I assured her that I was of the few in the world that was definitely crocheting challenged.  Well, Friday afternoon, she proved me wrong!  This is my amazing granny square.  I am just going to keep going, and going, round after round.  I should end up with a king size granny square by the time I get done. LOL  I've been stalking Pinterest, but most of the sites use all those fancy abbreviations when they talk about crocheting.  Guess I'll only be doing granny squares for a while.

So I'm off to finish my Dad chores and get ready for tomorrow.  It has been tough doing everything by myself, but it has made me more appreciative of what hubby does with Dad everyday.  

Have a great week and be kind to one another.

Roll That Beautiful Fish Footage

Good Friday morning to all from the rancho....

Up early, not for work, but taking hubby to the surgery center for a "manipulation" of his shoulder to break down scar tissue from his February surgery.  I'm pretty sure it's going to be a long weekend. He is not a happy patient.  Since he can't eat or drink...all the coffee for ME this morning.  LOL  And I've got one thing to say...Pumpkin Spice Creamer and fresh ground coffee. Wait, is that two things? Hmmm, not sure, but it is ALL MINE!

The reason for my title?  It comes with a bit of background information...

As my son was growing up, we were the zoo of the neighborhood.  We had fish, turtles, guinea pigs, snakes, mice, cats, dogs, horses, and cows.  It starts innocently enough.  Mom, can I have a snake? No, here's some fish.  Mom, can I have a snake?  No, here's a turtle.  Mom, can I have snake?  Oh, I don't care.  Even I can be broken down...LOL

Unfortunately, when my son moved from home, I became the zookeeper.  Over the years, the pets have passed peacefully and the various cages and tanks found their way out to the barn.  Except for one, the biggest fish tank.  I still have two VERY large plecostomus (algae eaters).  All the other fish had been gone for a couple of years and I was getting really tired of cleaning the tank for just a couple of fish.  A few of weeks ago, I went to the pet store and was told that they would take my two plecos. Not to put up for sale, but to put into their community tank.  I just couldn't.  I seem to be emotionally attached.  Sigh.  My other choice?  I might as well get a few more fish to make the tank pretty.  Here is a picture that gives you an idea how big these guys are:

This tank is about 4 feet long, 50 gallons.  The little orange spots are my new platys.  And this morning, I checked the tank...I got babies!  I know that all of them won't make it, but even if I can get a few to survive every  couple of months, I won't have to stock my tank.  I've got plenty of hiding places, so I am ever hopeful.

My other news?  I got a new Ottlite.  I've had a small one for over a year that I take when I go out of town, but have just lived with what I had at home.  I would use one of those "daylight" bulbs in my regular lamp. Finally decided to give in and get a 24-watt light to help me see.  Gee, can you see the difference?  LOL

                         

Have I used the lamp?  Nope.  I would need to stay awake for that!  LOL  I am AGAIN hoping that I will get in some weekend stitching.

I am off like a herd a turtles.  One more cup of coffee and I will be caffeined up for the day.  LOL

Wishing each of you a wonderful weekend.  Be kind to one another.

Warm and Cozy Sleep In

Good morning and happy Sunday to my peeps.

Up early this morning to do the potty run with my puppy dog.  But it was nice and cool outside and my blankets so warm, I crawled back into bed to enjoy a few more minutes of quiet time.  George was happy to lay down on his doggie bed and wait a bit for breakfast.  I love my dog, he can be so cooperative when he wants. LOL

I walked in a Making Strides 5K yesterday with two of my friends, one who is a breast cancer survivor.  I have never done one of these walks before, and had a great time.  I was a little sad when I first got there. You can write down the name of who you are walking for and it was very difficult to write down my boss' wife.  She fought so hard for her family.

Here is the starting line...

Me and Gracie.  This is as much of a smile that we could get out of her.

                                              

Do you like my boa?  LOL

And last, here is Gracie and Eva.  Eva is a three year survivor.  Yay!  Eva tried to get me to wear the tutu. Maybe next year.  LOL

At the walk, they announced that 15 teams had raised more than $1000 each.  Wonderful!

So my big plans for today?  Grocery shopping, a stop at RiteAid, and maybe, just maybe(!) I will get in some stitching time.  

Have a wonderful Sunday and be kind to one another.

Taking Advice to Heart and Finding Contentment

Here I am.  To say that all is fixed, well, that would be an exaggeration.  But, I am taking your advice to heart.  It is time to focus on my contentment, not on my happiness.

I gave quite a bit of thought on what brings me contentment.  My stitching, sewing with beautiful fabric, working outside.

 Soooo....

Saturday morning, my husband took care of my dad and the dog so I could sleep in.  I slept 9 hours, only getting up a few times during the night.  I was much more ready to face the world.  I finished all my inside chores and laundry.  Next, outside.  Filled all my hummingbird feeders, watered some bushes, and sat outside for a few minutes watching how excited the hummingbirds were to have fresh food. Then, back inside. Worked on my stitching lamp (got it work, yay) and then sat down and stitched for a bit.  In between, I took care of Dad, but it didn't seem so much of a chore today.  Here is where I am with my project.  I finished all the letters and am starting on the vine.  Since I have the attention span of a hamster, this is going to take me a while.  Count, count again, pick up the fabric, forget what number I counted on the pattern, put down the fabric, count, count again...see the problem?  I was pretty proud that the vine ended up the correct distance from the main motifs.  Yay for me.

This morning, up early to help my brother with branding.  I did not get any pictures of me, since I was holding a rope, but here are a couple of pictures of the newest additions to our "herd".

My brother and I run two brands, his and mine.  Since the white heifer is the great, great granddaughter of one of my favorite cows, I put my brand on her, he got the other two.  One was a bull calf, now a steer, so he will either be for eating or selling.  The other is a heifer, so both will stay with the herd. We are down to about 25 head, selling almost everything else to buy hay during the drought.  Two heifers will be a nice addition.   We've got four more calves, but they are all less than a month old, so we will get them branded in November.

Well, that concludes my weekend.  I had some inside time and some outside time.  I feel a bit more focused and ready for the next week.  I needed to get some rest and regroup.

On a very sad note, my boss' wife passed yesterday.  This was her second battle with breast cancer and it had become an everyday struggle for her.  She was on Hospice for less than 48 hours.  I wished they had offered it earlier, but she wanted to fight to the very end.  He is sad and heartbroken.  I am hoping that he will stay home a few weeks with his kids and have a chance to heal, even just a little.

Wishing all a good week.  Be kind to one another.

Mentally Dark Post With No Pictures

Dark and sad thoughts here.  If that makes you uncomfortable, please back out....I just need to talk this through...

The past week has been tough.  Not sure why.  I've tried to keep my usual sunshine and daisy attitude, but the lows are VERY low right now.  I go putting along, minding my own business, but at the edge of my vision I see little wisps of black.  Then the odd thoughts start.  Not thoughts of death, please don't think that, but thoughts of the LACK of happiness in my life.  Can you remember the last time that you were ecstatic?  So incredibly happy that you thought that you could never be happier?  I've tried to think of mine...maybe three years ago at my son's graduation from college?  And even that was tempered with the thought that we could only stay one day as we had to get home to care for my dad. Is my mood due to my circumstances, or have I lost the ability to be happy?  Have I been so sad with my dad, that I will never again find "my" happy?  How long can you be beat down before you crumple?

I will be 55 next month.  I will be able to retire and be financially stable. It is possible that I will work for one more year to help out my boss, but his wife was put on Hospice today, so his retirement schedule may change.  It is a goal of so many to be able to retire and do whatever they want.  But the other side...I will be leaving a job that I have worked at for almost 32 years...over half my life.  It will be hard to leave people that sometimes I spend more time with than my own family. And the next thought...will I be able to really do what I want, or will I continue to care for my dad?  I am trying to keep upbeat, but what if I am left with no outside contact, being a caretaker for the next 5 or 10 years?   My heart says I can do it, but my mind and soul are tired.

I've been a true believer that happiness is due to circumstance, joy in spite of circumstance.  Right now, that thought is hard to hold onto.  I keep telling myself that there will be an end, just hang in there.  I don't want to sound harsh, but there comes a point when there is no point.

So there is no answer...I will continue to exercise, try to eat well, and stay emotionally stable.  Thank you for being here to "listen".  Be kind to one another.

Happy Monday!!!

Good morning, peeps and peepettes.  Happy Monday!

I stayed home the whole weekend.  It was nice.  Got lots of yard work done and finished all my house chores, including grocery shopping.  I know, I know, not much fun, but it will be nice to not have to stop and do chores on the way home from work.  More nap time!

Here's a couple of snaps from the yard...a few of the green things I have left.  There are rumors of rain, but I'm not holding my breath.  LOL

One of my hanging succulents.  I like the white and green contrast.

Here is a pretty picture of my bunny ear cactus.  I liked the way the sun was shining on it, it shows off the yellow of the fuzzy needles.  Important safety tip...do NOT try to clean out the pot before pictures.  Those little needles "jump" out and get you!  LOL  Took me an hour to get them all out.

Last week, we had a few teaser days...looked like rain might happen, but just didn't.  Here is a sunset from Friday.

And for those of you who actually read the "About Me" section, that says I cross stitch...Ta Da! Stitching!  I finished the L and M later in the evening.  And yes, there is no J in the pattern.  I checked twice.  LOL  I know that old samplers usually do not have J's, but at first I thought it was my mistake.  That's been known to happen.  LOL

I'm off to work.  Have a great week and be kind to one another.

Quiet Night at the Rancho and Some Sissy News

Very quiet night here at the rancho.  DH is working late, Dad is fed and tucked in, and I'm watching the last of the news.  The heat has returned, it was 88 degrees today.  I checked the calendar. It's Fall, but you wouldn't know it by the weather.  In the morning, I need a sweater...in the afternoon, I'm using the air conditioner in the truck.

Dear Weatherman.  Please pick a season.  LOL

I helped DH with a wedding BBQ on Saturday, so I got Sunday to do whatever I wanted.  Chose to spend it with my baby sister.  We headed on down to Solvang for lunch and a bit of window shopping.  Mostly, it was just to chat.  She has met the love of her life and is making some changes. She hopes to move to England in six months.  She has to wait 90 days for an answer to her visa request, so she will be staying with us to save up some money.  She says that if all goes well, they will get married next year.  I am so happy for her, but a little sad for me.  She has been alone for 25 years and deserves happiness.  But, it will be hard with her on the other side of the world.  I've never had a passport, so I guess I better get going on an application! LOL

Solvang is about an hour and half away from our town and is a Danish-style village.  See the shiny walkway...it was raining!!!  It wasn't too cold, but Sissy was looking for a special store and took us about seven blocks out of the way.  She has no sense of direction.  I know better, but she SAID it was only two blocks away...Thank goodness I was wearing a lightweight shirt.  It dried pretty fast.  LOL

The weather cleared and it was beautiful!  Warm and sunny.  Here is me and Sissy...being silly.  She added the hat and crown because our hair looked really, really bad from the rain.  LOL

So I'm off to get my evening chores done.  Good night to all my peeps and peepettes.  Be kind to one another.