Back to our regularly scheduled topic

This is the poor cowgirls version of the Equine Vac N Blo. I bought mine at Lowes for less than 30 bucks!Mine has wheels, get the one with wheels. Star thought it was some fabulous massage machine until the floor attachment thingy sucked itself to her butt. That didn't go so well. Other than that she liked it. These are a priceless piece of equipment with a high shedding shaggy horse like I have. This year I have this to do the work for me! Plus it also is a blower, also a very cool option at shows! Ladies go get one, and then order the extra accessories online.


The Mrs. Barn Owner kept saying" she is so calm about it, she acts like it's no big deal" I replied " I make her do all sorts of crazy things, she is used to Mamma's antics" My husband shrugged and agreed that Star does put up with alot and is generally very good about it.
Star will be vacuumed like a rug on a regular basis this year.
I had a fantastic post about Star and how I expect her to behave when introduced to new things and places. How I train her to do what is expected of her when I ask her to do something foreign. But Blogger went POOF and it was gone. So I will have to save that for another post.
So go forth and Vac your Ponies!

The bridge of death

For those of you with a sick sense of wonder here is the bridge epic adventure. This is a true story.

Exhibit A: The Yaquina Bay bridge. aka Bridge of Death

Date: New Years Day 2008

Time: High Traffic about Sunset
Victim: JP

We were visiting my folks at our condo last New Years. This is the side of the bridge that we get to see from our balcony. Isn't it grand and architecturally amazing? My parents wanted pictures for the condo rental web site from the bridge view perspective. This is where it gets interesting folks. Shawn decides that " we" should go give it a whirl. Why not I say!

I did some quick self talk. " I 'm going to face my fears head on, it will no longer control my life"

" I will conquer my fears I will be victorious, I will reign supreme " So I donned my jacket, hat and camera and set out. We started at the South End, ( the longest span) and walked North.

I was doing fine, We got to the first tall spire next to the big Arch , then it happened. I looked into the dark grey deathly abyss of Yaquina bay. Not over the side that's just crazy, but DOWN. The gaps the deck, through what looked like more than enough room for me to fall to my watery grave.

Shawn says smile? I say get a lawyer or a parachute Mister... Notice that hat? Yep I was wearing wrong here too. BBFF can laugh manically now.

I completely freaked and grabbed the girder with both hands and started to melt down. Crying and saying " I can't go any farther Honey, I can't move from this spot, I'm Done" My heart had now stopped beating and was in my stomach. Notice I had only gotten a few feet from the spire?

See the gaps down by my feet? Yes those... My out of body experience was at it's apex in this shot.
So Shawn leaves me there clinging for my life with traffic whizzing by and proceeds to venture out to the highest point and snap a few more photos I mean that's why we came right? WHAT? I need a tranq dart in my a$$ and carried off this bridge ASAP. But I need to hold on while you get the Zoom right? I plotted his divorce the whole way home while I was trying to reconnect my brain and legs.

I woke up about 5 years ago with this fear, and it has steadily gotten worse.

This is not something I have had all my life, but it has definitly taken over my life as I live in a City that is nothing BUT bridges. Driving for me is a nightmare if I have to go anywhere West or North. Wasnt this fun? I have more....

We got the call

At a resounding 2:45 am this morning. Shawn and I received a call from the Portland Police that my dear step child had stolen my car and was out joyriding and got pulled over. I say stolen because he doesn't have a drivers license and even if he did he would have never received permission to take MY CAR. Lucky for us they didn't tow it and take him to the pokey. They waited for us to come get him.

He needed to go visit his girlfriend about 12 miles from my house at 2 am. In North Portland which is the least safest place in teh city to be at that time of day.
Come to find out he had been taking Big Bertha on little joyrides around the hood as well lately while we were gone.
I am positive this is not the first time he had taken my car either. I proceeded to tell him I hope he enjoyed it because he will never see the drivers side of my car EVER AGAIN. What gets me is the sense of entitlement he has, and I didn't feel like he was very remorseful in his two line apology at 3:30 am.

But the kicker is, even if he had not gotten pulled over at 2:45 am, he would have got caught anyway. WHY? Last night at 10 pm the gas light was on in my car. This morning I have a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE OF a 1/4 tank!! DUH! I would have busted him as soon as I got in to go to work! Amateurs.

So now my little leapshin will be without a social life, drivers education class,computer and cell phone until the 2ND coming of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To make my sweetie feel better I offered to make him his favorite dinner and buy him a movie he wants to watch. It's the least I could do...... So tonight Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with Batman Dark Knight.

It never ends here on Wacky Court.....

My home office

Here is the shelf of all my horse accoutrement , books, art, statues, Tonka Trailer was Shawn's as a kid, ribbons from shows etc..



Here is a framed art that Shawn bought me for Christmas one year. If only I had a chestnut!
It is above my sewing table that was my Grandma's letter table and antique chair. This year I will get the curtains done and the new pillows for the Living room sofas. I plan on taking a few sewing classes to brush up on my skills.

When I am done with the actual desk/craft area, I will post that. I am also going to be posting the before and after bathroom this week. I need to sew the desk cover and reorganize that area.

I have so many projects in the works. ugh..

I found the rug I want to buy and am also going to do a complete re-do in my front room.

Stay tuned! It should be a whirlwind of paint and thread on Wacky Court.

I got Scrapped.

Well I guess it's finally my turn!

http://vaquerogirl.blogspot.com/ California Cowgirl scrapped me. Which means I have to divulge some tidbits of crazy " lil scraps" information about myself. Hold onto your guns ladies! Here we go!

1. I love to cook. I always wanted to go to cooking school just to improve my personal skills. I am hooked on Food Network.

2. I wanted to be a Broadway Star, I can belt it out and shake the rafters. This I only do alone or in the car. Star thinks I am fabulous. She will actually turn her ear back to me when I sing.:)
I think Sound of Music songs are her personal favorites.

3. I am thinking about joining the Army Reserve right after my sons graduation. I want to do a tour in Afghanistan or Iraq as a surgical technician.

4. My first horse was a 1/2 arab 1/2 QH, I rode her through neighborhoods, traffic, bareback with a halter. She was amazing and so kind. I was so brave back then. No fear was my middle name. She could jump a 4 foot jump and clear it without trying. She was wicked awesome. I will have another one like her for endurance someday.

5. I love grooming/clipping and spa day for the pony. I just love seeing her clean and gorgeous. I am addicted to " horse products". If it smells heavenly I usually buy it! Bought a vac n blow as a gift to myself this year!

6. My horse dreams are simple, I want to do endurance rides and have a true partner no matter what we decide to do. Not to say that doing ranch horse/extreme cowboy race/Mountain Trail competition wouldn't be cool.

7. My Arab mare bucked me off and I now have a bionic neck. A wicked scar to prove it. I landed square on my forehead on a gravel road. Took me MONTHS to get back in the saddle. Vertigo first , then FEAR settled in. I never got that mojo back. Having Star be my steady eddie is helping.

8. I have had stage three Malignant Melanoma. I got a lymphectomy as an additional bonus. I was going through treatment and still going to work everyday. Going on 10 years clean, but you are truly never out of the woods with that type of cancer. It's just inactive for the rest of your life God Willing. I was given a fair prognosis, I was told I might not live past 40 if it ever came back. I turned 40 last October.

9. I tried to conquer my fear of bridges by going on to one last New Years Day. FAIL. I cried and had a breakdown right as we got 1/2 way across. I will post that story someday it's a dandy.

10. I am a secret WP Wanna-BE. I would LOVE to be the WP Princess Blinged out from hat to boot. Dripping in silver and rhinestones. A girl can dream! Too bad I married for love the 2nd time around.

Now that you all know totally useless info about me! Bored to tears? ha ha

So the gals that are going to get scrapped next are.... Drum Roll..........

Beauty is Grace-y
The Farm Blagh
Horse in my Bubblebath.
Viva Volte

Get on it ladies!

I got Re-Gifted !

I got SO re-gifted! Shawn and I decided to not exchange gifts this year. So what do I get under the tree this morning? THIS..........
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation anyone? Shawn will be henceforth named Clark.
Please note no animals were harmed in the making of this post.


Seamus new toy mousie wasn't getting any playtime, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Helllllllllllllllo!!!!!!! Can you hear me now? No?

How about now?

Well, this is how we entertain ourselves here on Wacky court. Being snowed in is hard on the pets:)

A trip to see the ponies.

The barn is snowed in and I mean SNOWED IN, the owners can not get out and no one can get in. Well, they were out of shavings and Beet Pulp. Tonight was going to be the only clear night for the next few days and with the Holidays coming, tonight was it. So I called BBFF and told her to get ready, I was coming to get her.

So, we get to the entrance of the driveway to the barn, Shawn had to put on the chains, So BBF took a quick smoke break while I did the wifely chore of holding the flashlight ;)
I'm handy like that. We didn't make it very far. BUmmer, so we had to get out and OMG! WALK !!!



This was the entrance to the barn. You can't see the top of the hill, but it is a VERY long ways up there and a sharp left after that. As you can see No one had been able to get in and they haven't come out.

So BBFF took a picture of me with my cute purse. Why? Cuz I can thats why.

Star could have cared less if I was there, and that I traversed through hill and dell in two feet of snow to bring her food and bedding. All the horses were acting a tad on the skitzo side. The weather is making them have cabin fever too. She has two blankets and we took off her sleazy because I am worried her mane will fall out again. Her new pet name is UNGRATEFUL BEE-OTCH ! She didn't even nicker or whinny at me, just hay hay hay, munch munch munch, yum yum yum, pretend I don't see you, pretend I don't see you, pretend I don't see you.

Needless to say, she is on the pony short list for Christmas. Santa go ahead and skip her this year and give Gracie hers too.

Another Union sanctioned smoke break. Wow, can you guess what Della does for a living?

Go ahead give it a whirl. First person to guess right gets a prize.

Those are the tail lights of the 4 wheeler, Heather got a ride back to the Pickup at the bottom and Shawn and I walked. It was a gorgeous evening, and the quiet was wicked cool.

This is the parking lot where I would normally park my little Honda car. Covered in two feet of snow. It will be a long time before I can bring the Honda back out here.

More and more and more snow. That's me breathing hard, I am so out of shape.

This is me and the BBFF at the BOTTOM of the driveway/hill getting ready to leave and go get Chinese. Unbeknown to me, I was wearing my hat wrong. I have been doing it for days that way! No one told me! Then I finally see BBFF and she is making fun of me and I have no idea why. Until I realize what she is talking about and well, thank goodness I didn't see anyone I knew.

So the ponies have shavings, Beet Pulp and Alfalfa Cubes,supplement baggies, they should be good until New Years when the snow is supposed to be melted and gone.

This will be the one and only time I ever go out to the barn in this weather. What a surprise the depth of the snow. Unless she is out of actual HAY, she's SOL.....

Seeking a snow leopard

Shawn decided that Seamus was channeling his inner snow leopard. Seamus thinks Daddy has lost his mind and will certainly pay for this major indiscretion later.
" I swear on my Catnip Mousie toy if you put me down I kill you"
So we bundle up, get the puppies all ready and snatch and grab the already wise-d up Kitty Kitty and head out back.
You have to be quick because the 20 claws of destruction come out and it's " on like Donkey Kong" once he starts wielding his mad shredder skillz.


I'm ready, down in the snow, kitty level, posed to take that perfect Snow Leopard photo. This will be one for the National Geographic record books. Watch out as Snow Leopards can be dangerous and unpredictable creatures. They blend in with the snow you know. Jim Fowler has nothing on the Payne's and our abominable Snow Cat.
He's tracking past us , not even noticing we are there. What's his next move? Snow Leopards are quick and agile predators. There is a hush in the woods, is it a show shoe bunny? A fawn?

Well, if I could read his mind right now it would be *___* you , and I'm going back in the house, you *_____* !! I'm not tracking*____* , I'm a cat you imbeciles.

So much for Mutual Of Omaha knocking on my door.

We are nothing but chock full of craziness here on Wacky Court.

The puppies had a great time outside, those pics tomorrow. Kellie dog has " outerwear" accessories. :) Stay warm and Fuzzy everyone!

Gratuitous Christmas Shots

Mr. P braved the Arctic Blast 2008 to go put the chains on Big Bertha. We needed to get out and do some shopping, and this was required by ODOT and City of Portland. I have the best husband ever, we were getting serious cabin fever and needed to get out of the house. Freddies is right down the road so we headed there first.

This is the scene going down the major street towards Freddies, Kohl's and Lowe's. That is solid ice folks, it was just insane to be out in it but we were determined. Bertha rules.

So, bargain abound on Christmas decorations. I got 20 of these glass icicles for a dollar each. LOVE THEM! They just really make my tree sparkle. Oh how I love a bargain. My mom has something similar on her tree so I just shrieked when I saw them and they were on clearance. Score! Ok, so I made Shawn go back to Freddies so I could buy more. I bought 10 and decided that it wasn't enough, so we ran/plowed/slid back for 12 more. **grimace** What a nice husband I have..

" for the love of Dog Biscuits will someone Pul -LEAZE throw my ball?

Poor Shannie is just as bored as the kids. She is dying for someone to throw the ball, but it's a no no , now that the Christmas tree is up.

Sucks to be a Labrador in Arctic Blast 2008.

This is the mantle in the Family Room. Shawn forgot to get asked to cut down the Holly and Cedar, so its a tad bit BARE. This is still a work in progress. I love the two little mini trees.

Everyone has a stocking, even the furry kids. Notice the cats is HUNG , and the puppies are not... hmmmmmmmmm Who rules with an Iron Claw around here eh?

I have horses everywhere in the front room. This is just a few.... Mostly Asian inspired art and statues. The dried flowers/hydrangea and curly willow are from my wedding.

This is the chair and side table that is normally where the tree is now. It's a cozy little corner.

The table has angels on it and candles lit in the background, The chair was Shawn's Grandmas. I coveted it and was so glad when I got it when she passed. I got a lot of cool things as she was a major collector, but the chair is by far my favorite.The hallway is where the three bedrooms are, our bedroom is connected to the family room " wing"

Here I am at command central all cozy with my hot spiced wine, fuzzy blanket and getting ready to start blogging! Anyone who wants to come over and sip spiced wine and get cozy are so welcome! Well, good night blogger peeps, and stay safe, warm and enjoy the holidays!

I am frozen

Well the Portland area is having a blizzard. I have never been so cold. Even the puppies are lethargic. I have slept all day from an huge allergy attack I had all day. I am severely allergic to my dogs, and when they are in the house all I day I suffer terribly. Not much I can do except take pills and lay down. Its like having a severe cold come on in about 30 minutes and kick my butt. Iam just plain miserable. wahhhhhhhhhhhh

Went and got Mr P last night, and lucky for him too because Alaska Airlines canceled pretty much all of their flights today. He would have been SOL. Thank you Jesus for bringing him home safely.Amen. We haven't done much of anything today except sit and watch TV and nap. its actually been nice for once. Normally we would be out and about and running here and there.

We will have extra kiddos at our house tomorrow night so I need to bake cookies and get the extra bedding out. We used to have sleep overs alot, and we enjoy it when we have extras. Sleep overs wont be happening much longer as the kids are getting older now.One time we had over 10 at once. It was a hoot. Pizza for dinner, pancakes for breakfast, all in shifts ! Good times.

Stay safe and warm everyone... Hugs and warm cider to everyone.

O'Tannenbaum how unfluffed are thy branches

Well, blogger peeps. Here is the token Christmas Tree post.
Let me first say that my Anal Retentiveness about my ornaments/decorations comes by genetics. This is not something I can cure. So, I have totes for them all. Load of bubble wrap, and they each have a specific tote and placement in said tote to ensure no breakage. This started when Shawn and I had our first tree. We were not rich, and boy were ornaments expensive! Plus the cost of the tree and 3 kids to buy for ! YOUCH! So... I decided that year that I would take special care of them all so I would not have to replace them anytime soon. I have only broken a few glass balls in the last 7 years. ! Bubble Wrap and Plastic totes are my friend.


So when I take out the ornaments they are in the same packages or ones similar that they came in. I know ANAL? Oh it gets worse, but I am not showing you those pictures.

Don't you just love these little birds? So cute! my Mom has bought me a ton of ornaments. If she see something Blue/gold/silver bling-d, glitter-y,Avant Gard she buys it for me. I love her!

You should see her tree, it is 10 feet tall. Masterpiece of pink, gold and BLING.Once again gentics comes into play here. I just can't help myself.

These I got on clearance at Lowe's 5 years ago , for like 75 cents each. They are some of my favorites. Oh lookie... The same exact packaging I bought them in... huh weird...

The priceless little gems are Mini Snow Globe ornaments that Shawn bought me from Costco. They are to die for.. Still in all same packages and not one broken in 4 years? Check...

This is our Angel. Now this girl was a serious cause of distress in our home. We could NOT decide on a topper. What I liked and what Shawn liked are oh so different.. I wanted Cherub-esque and vintage-y chatskie looking. He wanted Angel Barbie. So this was the " I will settle for this one until I can afford the one I really wanted" Angel topper. Such is the marriage of compromise.

We do however agree on bubble lights, we are on the search for the perfect set of bubble lights for the tree. They are so expensive that we haven't done it yet... Maybe this year on sale?

So, I didn't do a very good job at fluffing out my tree ( see previous post on my Holiday Gloominess) and Logen likes to put all of the nice ones smack in the front. I don't move them as the kids notice if I move all the ornaments they say " YOU DO WHAT GRANDMAS DOES" . Oh yeah, she does do that.. I hate it when she does that.. We only have about 65% of the ornaments on as I ran out of hanger dealies and wasn't in the mood to go get more. My tree is normally spectacular and WOW factor when you walk in to the house. But this year was all I could muster.

What was cool was that I didn't have to ask my 17 year old to help, he just stopped playing his video game and came and helped. Memories like the corner of my mind... Misty Water colored memories .... Yep, I love those great memories.

Next post? My mantle and piano..................

Oh yeah ..... stay tuned.. I've got all weekend baby!

something to think about

It's getting nearer and nearer to Christmas. Neither Shawn or I have significant plans and that's OK with me. We don't have any immediate family near by to celebrate with, and the family we do have often forgets to invite us. Maybe my last fruit salad was toxic ? Or I brought White wine instead of red ? Who knows....

If I had my parents and sisters close by I would feel differently about the holidays.

The holidays tend to depress me and get me into a downward spiral that I don't come out of until at least March. I know I know sounds cliche, but I am a Grinch. We are lucky the tree is up and decorated this year. I haven't seen my horse in days and my husband in almost three weeks, my level of enthusiasm is at an all time low. With a crabby teenager to boot, I think I want to head to Tahiti.


So next year my plans are going to be. A HUGE Holiday party at my house. With all my local blogger peeps, Barn Friends and Non Barn Friends. It's going to be an Annual event like no other. Nothing better to kick someone into the Holiday mode like having a bunch of friends over for my famous Christmas Spread.

We'll call it Blog and Nog Fest 2009.
It shall be spectacular....

Artic Blast 2008 and Shout out to BBFF

I am soooooooooooo sick of this weather already !

The roads are supposed to be nothing but ice rinks tomorrow. So, we'll see if the JP is brave enough for that? Proll'y not !
Tonight I made Spaghetti and a cake. yum yum yum.

I wish I lived closer to the BBFF, I would have brought her some wine to help her ease the frustration of dealing with a high strung filly and all the " stop it grace!!" episodes it can fester. :)
I have so been there. For Example:

When Star was a young'in , she had this fabulous habit of rearing up. I hate that. So one day I carried a crop and held it by the whip end. So when she reared up I cracked against her front legs with the hard handle end. KA-POW. That is a herd defensive move, they do it to each other in the wild. Well, I swear that was the final time we've dealt with that.

Star also had a cranky attitude on occasion where she would kick out or act like she was going to. On one particular day I was sweeping around and under her, when she kicked out at me and the broom. Oh no u di" ent" Bee-otch. Star got a lesson on broom etiquette right there in the cross ties. The stall cleaner what shocked and amazed that me and the mare had a "come to" meeting over a broom. I say one day broom, next day my noggin. Won't be tolerated.

Star liked to flee and avoid. typical horse behavior so I get that. But flee and avoid does not mean take me with you. Lucky for me and not lucky for Star, I am a very strong woman. Muscles of steel :) I dug those heels in and used my upper body strength to remind fleeing pony that when she gets to the end of the lunge line/leadrope it was a hard and abrupt STOP and SNAP. Like a dog on a chain chasing the paper boy. She kept fleeing and I was still there for 45 minutes we did this. Yep, last time for that too.

I talk to Star like a person.. When she is mugging me I poke her and tell her " stop being rude" in the Mom Voice. She knows the Mom voice. I don't allow mugging, licking, nibbling of any kind. One day lips next day TEETH. Jesus himself couldn't save her if she ever put her teeth on me.
She will rest her muzzle in my hand and sleep. She will hug me back when I hug her, she will follow me off a cliff if I ask her to. She is the other half of me.
The BBFF will get there too, it just takes time and more time and more time.....

I got yer back Mamma

On a typical evening the puppies look like this. All cozy, warm and docile. Last night was not typical at all. Players are: Shannon aka Lab aka Wussy run to my momma dog.
Kelly aka Blue Heeler /Terrier Mix aka Head of Ranch Security and Coon Bounty Hunter extraordinaire.
Seamus came by for an after dinner drink. The puppies don't even notice he is there.

But out on the deck there arose such a clatter I woke from my bed to see what was the matter, but what to my wondering eyes did appear? A furry hungry Raccoon trembling in fear.

This poor guy was eating the dog food I accidentally had left out. To give you perspective, this tree is right outside my slider. Not even two feet from door to trunk.

Kellie dog had lost her mind! She was doing that primal feral dingo act. Throwing herself against the slider. Nice.. So I shoo him away and then about 15 minutes later , it starts again.

He's back. Obviously my voice of reasoning through the door with said raccoon wasn't good enough. So I open the slider and say calmly, Listen you need to get goin, git, git ,git.

every time I would say " git" Kelly dog would bark like " YEAH WHAT SHE SAID NOW GIT"

She totally had my back on that one. While Wussy Dog was no where to be found. She isn't Yellow for no reason. It was then while I was within a foot of critter I notice his Velociraptor claws. WOW, those are bad A$$..

So the Critter eases himself oh so sloth like off the tree, not giving a Raccoons behind that Kelly dog was butting the back of my legs with her muzzle in attempt to " get me some coon".
She is known for her coon killing abilities. She is a master at it actually. But this one was only medium sized not the GIGANTOR Coon-zilla sized ones we normally have.

They live in a tree in our yard and we can count on them around 9-10ish to leave the premises to go par-tay they run across our flat roof like elephants, and return around 1 or 2 am when the Coon Clubs close. IN the summer you can set your watch to it.

So this is the big excitement over here at Wacky Court!

Shawn has been replaced by Sean

Our Kitty Seamus belongs to MR. P. They are bff's to the extreme. Seamus is a demanding feline. You must be sitting down with a blanket no later than 7 pm, so he can cuddle up and take his mid evening siesta with someone. Shawn isn't home so he needed a replacement as I am on the computer and not watching TV most nights. So Seamus found a new feline cuddle victim, Logens friend Sean. When they are playing video games and Seamus crawls up and sits down on him and that is that. Sean is very kind and tolerates his constantly bothering him while he is trying to play video games. Not to be unfair he has made it over to Sean's brothers lap tonight as well. Equal cuddle time for all Non-Shawn peeps. This is a daily occurance since Shawn has been gone. Sorry honey you were very easily replaced!



This was an actual snow drift in my front yard last night. I love snow I do not like Ice. So tomorrow I am taking mass transit to work.

Sleep well and cozy warm all my NW Bloger peeps! We have another few days to go with this " artic front" !!

Winter Whiskers

Shawn went to go look at a Public Boarding Stable in Anchorage today. The price tag? Double what I pay now ! Whoa Trigger.... So I asked my sweetie, did you see any Ay-rhabs? He said no, but I saw one big guy I really like. Shawn is so funny. He loves ponies too, and is so supportive of my passion for them. He took these pictures not for me but just because he thought this cute fuzzy icicle muzzle would be a cool picture. Also it was..............


attached to this hunka hunka burnin love big guy. What a looker this guy is! So, now I know what kind of horse to buy Mr P. Big Black, tall and oh so hunky.
Who could say no to that face? Those Black liquid eyes and pointy ears? Not me for sure.. Shawn might have to compete with a guy like this :) Especially if it was an Arabian.... Shawn who?

Also Blogger peeps, I actually drove in the snow today. I had to go to the grocery store and there was no way around it. So Logen and I trekked off into the vast white abyss called Gresham, Lucky it was less than 2 miles, but I made it there and back in one piece!!!

IF you knew me, you would know in my normal life I would NEVER. But kiddo needed bread, milk, juice and lunch meat.. ! WOW it was a teeth clencher!

Let it snow

This is a picture of my backyard and my gazebo. This was taken about an hour ago, and there is about another inch of snow out there already! You cannot see the wood on my deck now.
WE spend time out in the gazebo in the summer in the evenings, I love it. There is a table and chairs, Shawn smokes his cigars out there and hangs out. What's funny is that when we go out to the gazebo, Shannon our lab and our cat come out to be with us. We can never be alone!

Here is my front yard and cul -de-sac. This is the hardest part of getting to work,the roads are clear but not here, it's like an ice rink. Very scary. Big Bertha is parked at the base right now while Shawn is gone because parking is a premium in the cul de sac. OF COURSE!




I have a curse , whenever Shawn is gone during the Winter, I suffer some sort of calamity.
I kid you not.

• Last year the Hot water heater went out. I couldn't get to work even with Bertha. My boss is a total jerk if I can't make it to work because of snow and ice. I get a long lecture and guilt, to where I would rather brave the weather and put my life in peril than have to listen to one second of his BS.
• My Suburban got stuck in a friends driveway another time he was gone. I had to drive the Chevelle to Lake Oswego in the ice.
• First few months after we moved in together,I got stuck at home with my step-son with no way to get to work, as all roads were closed, one year while he was in HAWAII in December.His ex wife wanted ME to bring Catlin TO HER in Downtown Portland. I don't think so wench. I was scraping ice off my windshield and Shawn calls me from Hawaii. I wanted to kill him and his ex wife.

These are all in different years. I have many more stories of the things that happen when Shawn leaves, but you get the idea of what I go through. Good Times!

All Quiet on the Frozen Front

Tonight I made Curry.. yum yum yum.
I took Logen and his friend to my super favorite Asian Store. Logen had never been and neither had his friend. IT is on my way home from work, so I stop in then, that's why the kids had never been! Funny I thought as I go there all the time. The staff are so friendly and helpful, I just love the smells, and smiling faces and the food selection is to die for. Love it. I could live in an Asian Country and feel right at home. I am enamored with the culture and people.

Logens friend loves my curry.. yeah.. Another Convert :0

Tonight I went and rode Star, she was Cold backed as ever, but she warmed up. Only rode in round pen, just wanted to dink around just to make her get ridden and not have to work much. I am still not sure about that knee.
I had to bundle her up in all her blankets, sleazy etc... Don't want may girl to get chilly! As it is to be below freezing for the next few days. brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....
She is the only horse in the barn with that many layers on! Spoiled a skooch ! Most of the others don't even have a blanket on!
The BBFF has the flu, poor girl and so does her Baby.. So we are sending positive healing prayers her way. What a total drag... Being sick is one thing, but to have the baby puking too. I have so been there , my two kids and I all had CHICKEN POX at the same time. It was the worst.

Well, I still miss my sweetie, but it's only less than a week until he gets home, so I'm dealing.
The Winter/Holidays every year just puts me into a downward spiral that I just can't seem to shake until like March! Having him gone makes it worse. But, I have Logen to keep me company and his friend has been over almost everyday. Just the way I like it.

Good Night Blogger Peeps and tomorrow I am going to do the Goodwill Extravaganza!!! wooo hoo! So Stay Tuned...... I will also be shopping for my 100th post give away.....

It's cold and lonely here

My sweetie is gone. Normally I don't get that lonely, but since it is the holidays and I often get very depressed during this time of year, it makes it worse. He won't get home soon enough.

Lucky for me I have the BBFF and Star to keep me company at the barn this weekend.
I can't wait until more folks move in with their horses so I can make more new friends. No worries BBFF you will still be numero uno.

I am on the fence about what to do with Star. I would love to show, but money is going to be tight next year. On a surprising note, the Blue Tarp of Death became the Blue Tarp of no big deal last night. I just randomly took her to it , she walked on it over it and that's was it. No drama. Last time? Huge mare-motional drama. Mares are funny that way folks....
She also actually put her front footsies in a ................ mud puddle....... Yes you heard right, the Poo Princess herself doesn't not like to walk in/near/through water. Heaven forbid it's a mud puddle. I am as patient as Job when it comes to getting her to do something she decides she'd rather not. Like I tell her often " Mamma's got all day Sister"
So she actually got her footsies in said mud puddle after about 15 minutes of sweet talk and
" Star stop being a retard and get your feet in this ***ing mud puddle, you are not going to fall in you dumba$$". OR something sweet like that. Ugh mares......... They will make you work for every ounce of respect and trust.

That's why the BBFF calls me the Mean Mamma :) I'm not mean I am insistant that she behave.

So, it's time to get to bed because the quicker my days go by the quicker my sweetie comes home.

Trying not to kill my co-workers

As many of my blogger peeps know , my job well.. SUCKS.
My boss is a complete doof and micro manager. Who invariably has no clue of what I do, how I do it, the time it takes and the even how to use the computer.
He doesn't even own a computer, if this helps with the visual. He hand writes everything in chicken scratch half done and I am to finish it , filling the blanks and he will still the clients I am the one to blame for missing information.

NOW..... we have an ex employee back working on a new division of the company. He is the epitome of used car salesman, 3 pack a day, crude jack ass. HE is one of those " loud talkers" and has this raspy laugh which often coincides with crude and unacceptable humor.

So between these two gems, how I manage to not go postal I don't know.

Pray for me as I re write my resume and try to find another position in this economy.

Where do Santa's ponies live?

They live at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage Alaska. Shawn is there for work and he made a little side trip to go check out the base stables. He has an opportunity to take a long term assignment here and of course Miss Star would need a place to live! Local private barns are over $600 a month for board. The equine " base housing" is $125. hmmmmm

Doesn't it look typical Military? It looks like a giant refrigerator for horses. It is self care only and we decided that Shawn would have to be Stars new owner as he would be the one to have to take care of her morning and night. He just laughed, not a positive " I would love too!" laugh either. It is heated but not warm in there, just screams Dairy Case doesn't it?

The stalls are 12 x 12 with a corner taken out for tack. There is no way this is nearly enough room for the orange box! ha ha Great idea but this HAD TO BE thought of by a man.

HEY CAMERA GUY! Could a pony get some Hot Chocolate and some cookies around here?

The concierge service around here blows and you look like a sucker for a cute fuzzy face.

Note the Dairy Case plastic strips on the stall doors. :)

None wear blankets and are all furry mammoths. Guess what? They are not going to die from no blanket, sleazy, and hot bran mash with a side of alfalfa. Go figure. I knew there were horses out there who actually lived like that.

What do the ponies get to look at for entertainment? The AFB's very own ski slopes !

Can you imagine the barn talk?

Trigger:Hey Cowboy, did you see those stooopid humans attaching boards to their hooves and sliding down that snow hill?

Cowboy: Oh yeah , then the really stoopid ones keep doing it over and over and over again.

Trigger: My Mum says riding is alot safer than the hoof boards. At least I don't pay to fall down a hill and call it fun.

Cowboy: and they say horses are stooopid. Puhhhlease...

So now you know where Santa's ponies live... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

But the cool part is that there are literally miles and miles of places to ride, you can ride your horse to the BX if you wanted to! Could you imagine riding Star to the store? How cool would that be. I would ride her everywhere they would let me. Maybe even to the drive thru Burger King! FYI: Every AFB has a Burger King. :) I guess there were people out riding their ponies in 32 degree weather!

Good Night all and Happy Horse Dreams!