Bye Bye Babies!!!

Yup that's what it's gonna have to be. Something's got to give and as much as I hate the thought, I am advertising some of my critterkids... will put for sale or lease and hope for the best.

Can't even talk about it right now. Gotta go...

You Gotta See This

I just added to my blog roll... go click on El Mariachi's Story...

Oh wait - get a Kleenex first!!!!!

And thanks to Mikey for sharing...

Snake Skinning 101

Mikey was SUCH a good teacher that I got brave enough to teach a handful of other folks today... Fawn brought her granddaughter Kenz to watch, and the snake from their front porch... Lisa brought her son Carter, who did my second snake... and Melanie came with the snake from her BACK porch... which had just eaten!!!

RULE #1 - CUT OFF THE HEAD!!! One of "my" snakes, donated by my friend Mary who got it from her neighbor... apparently HE doesn't know Rule #1!!!

So I took care of THAT!

Now that's more like it!


Part One is slitting the skin from neck to rattle...




That includes cutting sphincter muscles so the skin doesn't tear when you peel it!



Part Two is peeling!
Here you can see that Melanie's snake had a "bonus" inside...


And of course, Part Three - TAKE PICTURES!

Just kidding, Part Three is cutting at the rattle... but I didn't get a shot of that.

Part Four - check for scraps of flesh on the skin...


Part Five - Deciding what to make out of your skin ;)
Melanie can't decide between a bikini...

Or a cell phone holder...


Part Six - Into the bags they go, in a mix of half rubbing alcohol, half glycerine for the first day... after that it's straight glycerine for 3-4 days.


And Part Seven - at least, if Melanie is involved! SNACK!!! Melanie thought a jelly roll would be an appropriate snack for a snake-skinning class... once sliced, it does kinda resemble a coiled snake...

oh well, at least it tasted good!

This Economy Sucks!

Today was my first paycheck with missing Fridays.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE not having to go to work on Fridays. However that part about not getting paid is a real problem...

Randy lost his job in March and hasn't been able to find another. My youngest turned 18 in Februuary but didn't graduate until May... however once she graduated, no more child support! Add my 20% pay cut and we are "suddenly" - well, over the last 5 months anyway - trying to survive on about HALF the income we used to have. And none of the bills have gone down!

Where is that winning lottery ticket when you really need it?????

Happy Birthday To Me!

Well with my hand being stepped on I don't dare ride... so Lindsey got to take Luna in the gymkhana. I only got a few shots, then I went to the video camera. And haven't gotten the videos processed yet. But I have to say, despite stepping on me Thursday, Luna did me proud for my birthday... she's NEVER been asked to do events like this and she got WAY better each time.

I love this mare!!!

Got Buck???

Luna does! And I did! Yup my baby girl bucked me off yesterday, just 10 minutes into our first ride of the 4-day weekend :( AND she stepped on my hand! Had my helmet on but of course did NOT hit my head... Oh no, hit my HIP and wow the bruise... Skinned up my left arm pretty good too. I'd go ahead and ride through the rest of it but that stepped-on hand has no strength and if she decides to blow again I'll be toast one-handed... so no more riding for me this weekend :(

Worst part is, I KNEW BETTER! Haven't been on her in a week, just had a long trailer ride up to Flagstaff, set up camp and go for a quick ride... Hilary says, "I want to go fast!" I say, "That is NOT a good idea..." I've only loped Luna a few times and only at the end of a long trail ride when she is already tired... She is young and energetic and a happy girl - did NOT buck to be mean!! But boy did she BUCK!!!!

Please... send chiropractic thoughts ;)

Happy Birthday Rocket!!!

Well my little Rocket man is a year old today (and his 4 brothers and sisters lol). How times flies when you are having fun... he learned to ride like big brother Sherman and is doing a great job. And this morning we are off to Mormon Lake which was his very first camping trip at 3 days old last year!!! Tried to leave mama Hannah and her 5 pups with a friend last year and she was fine while we were there but half an hour after we got home from dropping them off, we were headed back to pick them up, Hannah was bound and determined she was going to protect her babies from our friend lol. What a weekend that was, NINE dogs camping with us LOL.

Ah, memories...

Well, again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROCKET!!!

And for a present, we got a vet bill. But not Rocket. Little Ty is always getting in the way when the big dogs play ball but he gets bowled over and gets right back up. This morning, probably because we are heading out of town, he gets bowled over and gets up shrieking to high heaven with one front leg stuck straight out sideways...

The good news is, it was just a dislocated shoulder, had popped back into place and the vet bill was pretty little...

A Little Risque'...

...but I about fell off my chair laughing so just had to share this joke...

An older couple goes to the Doctor. He asks the husband if sex is still good, and if he has any questions.

"In fact, I do," said the old man:

"After having sex with my wife I am usually hot and sweaty, and then, after I have sex with her the second time, I am usually cold and chilly"

Surprised that he can still do it twice, the Doc then sees the wife.

After examining the elderly lady, the doctor said: "Everything appears to be fine. Do you have any medical concerns that you would like to discuss with me?" The lady replied that she had no questions or concerns.

The doctor then said to her: "Your husband has an unusual concern. He claims that he is usually hot and sweaty after having sex with you the first time, and then cold and chilly after the second time. Do you know why?"

"That Moron," she replied. "That's because the first time is usually in December and the second time is in July!"

Today's Quote...

My daughter gets a daily quote that she shares with me from time to time... this one cracked me up!

"Tact is the art of making people feel at home when that's where you wish they were."

-Ann Landers, columnist

On Independence Day...

Just gotta share this story I got via e-mail:

"We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers.

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945..." at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy... do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem."

I was standing with a genuine war hero... and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip."

My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center.

No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

A very small effort to honor a man who has earned it.

> Dave Duffy
> Director, Strategic Planning
> Director, Government Services

"A nation without heroes is nothing."
Roberto Clemente

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you... Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul - the other for your freedom."

In honor of my disabled veteran husband and all of the others who have served, I just had to share this... REST IN PEACE, SHIFTY!

Swimming With Luna

This morning I actually managed to get HIlary out of bed to go riding with me, but it was a SPECIAL ride...
We went SWIMMING with the horses :)

Cowboy Rules

Gotta Love This!!!

Cowboy rules for:
Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Eastern Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho, Nevada and the rest of the Wild West are as follows:

1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head ain't crooked.

3. Let's get this straight: it's called a 'gravel road' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.

4. They are cattle. That's why they smell like cattle. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-10, I-40, I-70 and I-80 go east and west, I-17, I-15, I-25 and I-35 goes north and south. Pick one and go.

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 Combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.

6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept...

7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin' in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outa your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.

8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.

9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.

10. We open doors for women. That's applied to all women, regardless of age.

11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham and turkey.

12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah . . We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!!

13. You bring 'Coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.

14. College and High School Football is as important here as the Giants, the Yankees, the Mets, the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.

15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.

16. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers! Refer back to #1!

A true Westerner will share this with a few new friends that probably won't get it, but we're friendly so we share in hopes you can begin to understand what a real life is all about!!!

Guitar Hero

Well, okay, not really... not in the video game sense of the word! Lindsey stopped by my office today and had her guitar with her. She only got it about 5 weeks ago and she has really learned a lot! I am sure that I would not be near that talented... I've heard Smoke on the Water... the ABC song... and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star... plus she is working on writing some songs of her own! But when we went to the store with her to look initially, and I was sitting there strumming on a really pretty guitar, Randy came and took it out of my hands and said NO MORE PROJECTS FOR YOU, you have enough to do...

And you know what? He's right... so I guess I will just listen to Lindsey play...