Sunday morning, April 29, 2007

Good morning everyone,
Well, it is still BRRRRR! My gosh. So much rain and cool weather. But, as hubby and I were discussing the other day, it did this the last few years in April.

The yard is so high, and it is so wet. To wet to mow and when it will get dried out is anyone's guess. The sun is coming up this morning, but I don't think it is going to get very warm. At least warm enough to dry things out. The garden that was plowed, harrowed, and disked, is a one huge mud area. Hubby will probably have to disk and harrow it again as it will probably turn into cement. Oh well, I really am not complaining, just trying to be patient for better weather.

I took Lucy the Beagle (rescued her last October) in Thursday morning to get spayed. She came through it all just fine. Although, Clara, her buddy, seems confused as to why her buddy is on a leash, can't play, can't run with her, can't fight over the balls, etc. and so on. Clara even brought Lucy her good red ball and dropped it in front of her. Lucy picked it up and carried it around with her for a little while then dropped it.
Hubby was upset on Friday. He thought Lucy had taken out some of her stitches. I turned her on her side and saw that she had not. She was licking it, and scratching at it with her back foot, so I called the vets office. The girl there said to get some "Solarcaine" and put on it, that it might give her some relief. So I got some. She wasn't too thrilled with the spray, but it did seem to give her some relief.

Lucy will be on a leash for two weeks. She is not obedience trained (hubby doesn't think Beagles should have this done to them because...because...because...I guess, because they are Beagles! Whatever.) Now she is pulling and tugging on the leash and it really puts a strain on my bad back. Hmm. Maybe she and I will have some obedience lessons very soon anyway.

Hubby spotted two Baltimore Orioles yesterday. I saw two female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks this week too. Pretty soon the hummingbirds will be here, if they aren't already. I put oranges out for the Orioles, and the Red-breasted Woodpeckers too. I need to get some Grape Jelly. Orioles love that! Soon it will be time for "Joe-Wren" to make his appearance and check out the housing structures I have placed in various locations. (My mother always insisted it was Jenny-Wren- but actually the male comes first and builds nest in different locations. The female picks the house she wants and they go from there to raise their young.) I have found some bird nests in the pine trees on the side of the house and out front by the fence. I believe some of them are Robin nests.

So, folks, patience is something I need to continuing striving for, as spring is really here, but the weather isn't the best. But, I know it will be soon enough.

Oh, I did spend the past week, (when the weather was sunny and warm), scrubbing down the outside of the house, spouting and all. Whew! What a job. I still have the back of the house to do. The other day when it was raining all day, I did windows and curtains inside. Glad that is done!

I am going to have some book sales and signings in New Philadelphia and Dover coming up in May. I will have my computer guy put them on the website. Maybe I'll see you at one of them!

Have a great week-stay safe-laugh often-and enjoy the days ahead. Warmer weather will get here, I just know it!

Becky :)

Sunday evening, April 22, 2007 - 7:15 p.m.

Hi, Folks,
Wow! What a gorgeous day! The sun was shining so brightly and the warmth of its rays was comfort to my aching muscles. I spent yesterday, most of the day, washing down spouting and siding on our house. What a job. I must have gone up and down the ladder a thousand times! I'm not done yet. I ran out of day and strength. (I use diluted "Awesome" cleaner-50/50 ratio. Great for siding, RV's, campers, house trailers--- just about anything. Dollar General has it for, you guessed it, a $1.00 a bottle with sprayer. Then, you can also get a refill jug of 24 oz. for $3.00-four extra ounces free!)
Today I went to a baby shower for a very dear friend. She is in her 30's and this is her first child. She is having a boy. I am so excited for her! The shower was very nice, and she received a lot of great things to get her started. She is a very special young lady to me, and she has been through a lot in recent years. But, she has recovered, and moved on, even finding a man who loves her and appreciates her for who she is. I know that baby (Hunter) will learn to laugh a lot because she has learned to laugh again also. Please pray for her though. She is having some difficulty with severely swollen feet, ankles and legs. When I saw her I became alarmed, as this is not a good thing. Hopefully when she sees the doctor tomorrow, he will tell her, "get more rest-or better yet, quit working 40-48 hour weeks! She is on her feet a lot. I know she only has two more months to go, but this is serious stuff! Are you listening girlfriend?

When I got home today, company was here, and we had a most enjoyable visit sitting in the backyard along with the birds singing, beautiful sunshine, a gentle breeze and sun rays warming our bodies. So nice.

Herman was able to get on his log the other day. I am so glad. Now he can bask in the sunshine on his log and I don't have to worry about getting that stuff around his shell and on his little legs and tail from not being able to get completely out of the water to dry out.

Hubby also disked and harrowed the garden today while I was gone. He and I are both anxious to get things planted, but we will probably wait on some things. I will put in my onion sets this week, and plant a small row of radishes. They like cool weather.

I am going to add some comments on the news article regarding the murder/suicide. Such a shame and a waste of precious life. I feel so badly for that woman and her family. It is so sad.

Just when we were trying to move on with the Virginia massacre, some lone gunman up and shoots someone and himself in the Space Center. Good grief! How did he get access to a gun if he was unstable? How in the world did he get into the Space Center with a gun?

I am not against guns, but I am very disappointed and angry that what systems we have in place fail to let others know about such mentally ill people that allow them to purchase guns and randomly or not, shoot innocent victims and themselves. What a mess. Something has to change. The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing and innocent lives are destroyed forever.

This will be a busy week for me. I do hope you are getting a chance to enjoy the beauty of the world this Earth Day. Yes, there is a lot of nasty things out there, but I count my blessings everyday because I am alive and functioning, so far! Praise God for that! He is awesome!

If you get a chance, purchase a little book called: The Prayer of Jabez or Secrets of the Vine -both are by Bruce Wilkinson. Inspiring, uplifting and encouraging little books.

Until next time, stay safe, be blessed, and hug someone. Happy Spring!
Becky :)

Thurs. morning, April 19, 2007-New and old stuff

Good morning to everyone.

Is spring finally going to stay??? The clouds have been constant, but I know the sun will prevail and shine through-it always does. It is getting a little warmer now...finally. Just for a fleeting moment, while the snow and cold, brisk wind was blowing, I thought about putting my Christmas decorations back up outside!

The IRS non-profit application is "In the Mail"-yes! Whew! Just hope and pray it is right!

The new organization had a fund-raiser at Ponderosa on Monday night, the 16th. We did pretty well. We had a 50/50 raffle and we were so blessed. At the end of the last shift, some guy from New York came in and bought some raffle tickets. He told one of our workers, if he wins, how will he know, because he was from New York? Our volunteer told him she was drawing the winning ticket at 9 p.m. Well, his ticket was drawn, and bless his kind heart, he donated $50.00 out of the $51.00 he won. back to us! Thanks fella!

We sure have a lot going on and planned in the next months ahead. We have had more people join and now we are at 95 members, including 7 Junior members. Great!

As far as the Virginia massacre, what a horrible tragedy. We will be reeling for months to come with questions, and maybe some answers regarding the shooter. What a troubled and very disturbed individual. How very sad. I can't imagine the pain the relatives and friends of the victims are feeling. I will just keep praying for them, as hopefully you will too.

My questions are: If he was proved "mentally ill" by the court, why did this not show up on a background check when he went to purchase the first gun? Was there a background check even done by the place that sold him the first gun? I am not an anti-gun-activist by any means, we own guns, but isn't this what was put in place in today's screening of people who want to purchase guns????

New! NEWS Alert button: I put a story on my website regarding a woman who was shot and killed by her abusive husband. He also shot himself. This is not the first time a murder/suicide has occured when dealing with domestic violence and abuse, nor will it be the last. So very sad. Could this have been prevented? Don't know.

If you know of any more articles in newspapers about such actions, let me know. The more I can put on this website, the more it might make someone think, and get out of the violent situation with their lives before it is too late. Just make sure I have the Newspaper name and the person who did the article so I can give them the credit.

I am going to have an author's workshop and club session next Saturday at the local Arts Center. I am looking forward to it as the workshops I held last year were a lot of fun and people learned a lot.

I am also going to have a book sales and signing sometime in May at the local Rite-Aid. I will have my computer guy post it so maybe you can come and get a book or two!!!

Gotta go for now,
Thanks for all your emails and support. Stay safe...and enjoy the warmer weather!
Becky :)

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007

Good morning, folks!

I just got back from the Community Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m. this morning. Very nice and very moving. Wonderful songs of praise! Great service!

Brr! It is so cold and snowy. Hard to believe it is spring and Easter with snow. Did someone say "I'm dreaming of a white Easter?" I have barely been out of the house for two days! So windy and cold! Chill factor in the teens and single digits. Brrr-Brrr-Brrr.

Hubby had to take the fountain out of the pond yesterday. Even though it was still functioning, (barely from ice forming at the spout), we thought it best to remove it before it froze and cracked.

I was cracking up at the blackbirds, bathing along the edge of the ice that was formed in the pond, but where the water was open from the fountain moving it, it was so funny to see a bird "test the waters" to see if he could bathe, then he would jump back and try another place where the vegetation was thick. Silly birds- bathing when it was 18 degrees above zero! Oh well, I guess they know what they are doing! Hard to believe it was 80-degrees the day before!

Obviously with the ice on the pond, I stopped feeding the fish again. Frogs, Herman and fish are back to hibernating.

Hubby plowed the garden a week ago when the weather was in the 70's-80's. It didn't dry out for him to disc and harrow, so it is frozen now.

I saw a girl at church this morning that I helped when she was dealing with a very abusive boyfriend through my W.I.S.H. program. It was so good to see her. She looked lovely, and had her son with her. We talked for a little after the service, and she said she read my second book, A BETTER DAY DAWNING. She said it helped her a lot, and she couldn't put it down. Great!

She has a new boyfriend and he treats her with respect. He has even talked of marriage. I suggested to her to go slow, as after one leaves an abusive relationship, it seems so fitting to fall into another relationship that possibly feels good, yet the survivor is still dealing with issues. A survivor needs time to sort things out, figure out the emotionally roller-coaster, put things in perspective, think with the brain and not the heart. But alas, it is common for a survivor to just want someone to love them, hold them, and comfort them because they have not had that for so long.

My suggestion is: Wait a year, at least before making a commitment. Give yourself time to come down off the roller-coaster. Learn who your new partner is or is not.

Father-in-law is coming down today. We will have a quiet day. I am cooking an Easter feast!

Be blessed-He is risen!

Becky

Monday, April 2nd, 2007

Greetings, folks,
Sorry I haven't "blogged" lately, it has been a little crazy and hectic around here!

Herman the turtle is alive and well. I saw him the other day. Boy has he grown. He tried to get onto the log I put in last summer for him, but he couldn't make it up. So, I got a flatter board and placed it in the water. Haven't seen him trying that one yet, but at least he was going on the grass/pond plant in the center and sunning himself.

I have been busy weeding and removing dead stuff from all my numerous flower beds everywhere. Whew! Lots to remove. I have picked some daffodils and brought them in. They are so fragrant and they are one of my favorite flowers.

I am still working diligently on getting the non-profit application done. So far I have over 40 hours into it, and it is really completed except for some additions to our by-laws that I will present at the meeting tomorrow night.

I have two speaking engagements this week, on Wednesday, for the new organization. It will be fun. Plus I am attending a Child Abuse workshop on Wed. morning for my supervisor. It should be very interesting.

I am sure glad March is over. Spring is here, although it is suppose to snow this weekend and turn colder again. Oh, well, summer will be here before we know it. I am looking forward to it so much.

April will probably fly by as I have so much to do and get done! It is nice to be busy.

It is so sad about all the pet foods that are contaminated. What a shame! I just wonder how many pets have died before they even started all the re-calls. I feel so badly for those people who have lost their pet, especially with a terrible disease such as kidney failure. I know, hubby and I went through it with our Sissy in January. It was very, very hard. We only feed the dry Imes cat food, for adult cats; the weight control and hair ball kind. So far that has not been on a list anywhere that I have seen.

Tomorrow night is a meeting, and I have to get a lot done for it. My computer has been acting very sluggish and weird for two days now. Not sure what is going on with it! I hope nothing major. Hopefully my computer guy can come out and check it out very soon. I really need it!

Gotta go,
Stay safe, be blessed, and have a blessed and wonderful Easter! He is risen---risen indeed!
Becky :)