Luke 2

1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

Night Ride!

JOY IS HOME!!!! The first time I have seen her in months and I kidnapped her to come ride with me at John's. This time it was Scout and Aari's turn on the trial. We started riding so late that we couldn't go too far. But, we made it to the cow pasture and attempted to get some photos of the horses cantering. First, we had to teach the horses how to canter. By then it was so dark the photos didn't come out. We'll try again later. And, maybe by then John will be here and we'll have a gate key so we can go a little farther on the trail. Christmas shopping is DONE! AGAIN! Back to wrapping. Updating the blog is my way of procrastinating. Are you ready for Christmas?

Quote of the Day: "Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for." -Will Rogers

Champion of the World!

If you consider 2nd place and 2 3rd places champion of the world than Lilly has is WRAPPED UP! The day started at 6:00am...it was still dark. She was ticked off when we loaded her without Cole into a dark trailer. She probably thought she was about to take the long walk, uh, trailer ride. When we pulled onto the show grounds no one was there...no one was there. We saw a couple of vehicles scattered around an 3 horses jumping obstacles, which we don't do. Finally others began to show up. The most we had an any class was 6 horses. Lilly was perfect. The footing in the ring was deep. And, I just have to say it, she just a sat down and went to walkin' bo! I am so proud of her.

Cole, however, I'm not proud of. He got loose on John's farm on Friday night. Usually getting loose isn't a problem when it isn't 8 million acres of cow farm. He somehow crossed a HUGE ravine by himself and ran to a far away gate. I freaked. Thought he had fallen in the ravine and ran for about 45 minutes looking for him. I can hardly walk today. As punishment I made him go out to pasture with Scout. That should teach him.

Quote of the Day:
Phyllis: I'm getting married to Bob Vance.
Michael Scott: That's great! Congratulations. That is great and frankly... kinda amazing. See... everybody has a chance.

The Folly of Horses..and the people they own.

I just got Cole's gigantic ribbon we won last May for highpoint champion (remember: the one where he got last all but one time but still ended up champion). I haven't shown it to him yet. I'm afraid it would only confuse him. Tonight I bathe Lilly. I have warm water and blankets ready for her. She won't be happy and will probably roll so I'll have to re-bathe her on Sunday morning. Thank goodness she isn't white or it would be impossible...oh...wait. Scout has been acting nasty the past few days. He dumped his food bucket over and then ate all of Aari's grain. So, I wedged the bucket into a huge heavy tire. He picked the whole thing up and waved it at me. I think he misses John. He has no respect for me so he's had to go into "Respect Those What Feed You," training. John's Christmas present came and they sent me the wrong thing. I give up. Christmas has gotten way out of control. I need sleep.

Quote of the Day: "Yeah, Ryan snapped at me. But there was this twinkle in his eye that I picked up on which said, 'Dude, we're friends. I'm doing this for appearances. I am the big boss now. And I have to seem like an ogre. But you know me and you trust me. And we like each other. And we'll always be friends. And I would never take you for granted in a million years. And I miss you, man. And I love you.' His words." -Michael Scott

Never Ending Road

Speaking of songs...Hannah...John and I picked this song for the wedding. Not sure how we're going to pull it off yet. I found the piano music for it and it's beautiful. I have a few more songs in my head. We're going for some celtic sounding stuff. I'm not a traditional kind of person but I don't want a bunch of everyday songs in the wedding either. So far this song is my favorite. This week in going to be super busy. I have something everyday this week and still need to get Lilly ready for the show Sunday. Scout choked again today. Just as I was locking up the barn I saw him trying to cough up some grain. He would try to cough and it ended up in a high pitch squeal. Very pitiful. It took a long time and a lot of squirting water down his throat to get the clot out. We are going to have a plan when it comes to feeding him anything.

I miss John

Quote of the Day: So Phyllis is basically saying “Hey Michael, I know you did a lot to help the office this year, but I only care about you a homemade oven mitt’s-worth”. I gave Ryan an iPod! -Michael Scott

Sending Off Stinks

Well, John is off. He left on Monday for pre-Iraq training. We were able to see him on Tuesday. He isn't going too far until after Christmas. After New Year it will be about 4 months until I am able to see him again. At least he will get a week off before he goes to Iraq. I've already bought his Christmas present. Actually, I've already bought everyone's presents. Now I have to wrap everything. People like black trash bags, right? I know I sure do. Tie everything up, smack a bow on it and it's done. Wedding planning is actually coming along great. I know I have a year but I wanted to get it out of the way so I could get work done in the house. I just got my music a few days ago. I'm so excited! Carroll invited me to her mom's house last night to have supper and decorate their Christmas tree. I was in charge of hanging up all of John's ornaments. It was a lot of fun. John, if you can read this, the felt king is hanging on the front of the tree. I'll try to keep it there but I'm not making any promises.

Quote of the Day: "The most sacred thing I do is care, ... Today I am in charge of picking a great new healthcare plan. Right? That's what this is all about. Does that make me their doctor? Um, yes. Kind of like a specialist." -Michael Scott

Thanksgiving Thugs

This picture scares me. Martha and I got up this morning around 8ish and went shopping downtown. We discovered a little consignment shop and went absolutely crazy inside. We bought so much stuff, not only for Christmas but for John's house also. We all went hunting this afternoon. By we I mean me, Martha, Mike, John, Jimmy, and Kyle. No one shot anything. Figures. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Quote of the Day:
Michael Scott: I'm also part Native American Indian.
Oscar: What part Native American?
Michael Scott: Two-fifteenths.
Oscar: That fraction doesn't make any sense.
Michael Scott: Well you know its kind of hard for me to talk about... there's suffering.

Song Hunt

I was searching for a song to sing at the Christmas party at church in a few weeks. I was looking for "God Be With You." I found this song instead. Wow, talk about jumping back in to the past. This was one of my favorite songs growing up. I don't even know if the Cranberries are still around anymore. It's cool the things you can find online...even when you're not looking. Anyway, Becky was on the porch last night freezing. They shaved her belly to spay her and 20 degree weather does not agree with her. I made her a little be with old clothes and set her in it. Afton kicked her out and took it over. So, I had to make 2 cat beds last night. Dump came home the day before yesterday. He has been attacked by something. He has three bit marks on his shoulder that have healed over. I am going to try to keep him around. Anybody want a cat who hates to live indoors and doesn't stay around?

Quote of the Day: "Toby has been cruisin' for a bruisin' for twelve years. And I am now his cruise director. And my name is Captain Bruisin'." -Michael Scott

Winner By Default

I got a phone call on Friday that Cole won the adult high point award for heavy shod plantation horses at the horse show last May. WHAT? The highest award Cole won at the show was a second! Then I figured it out. The other people showing in the class were from out of state and weren't members of the club. Therefore (I said therefore:))we won! I'm not able to go to the award ceremony so they were putting the ribbon in the mail. I'll be camped out by the mailbox until it comes. Also, Lilly will be attending her second show in December. I am very excited. I hope she is. She just got a shiny new pair of shoes. We broke them in well on Saturday when Lilly stepped in a hole that went down to her chest and Martha plummeted to the ground. It was scary for about 2 seconds and then we about fell off laughing. John, Mike, Martha and I rode for a few hours on Saturday and got caught in the monsoon. It was great.

Quote of the Day:

Maxwell Smart: I think it's only fair to warn you, this facility is surrounded by a highly trained team of 130 black op snipers.
Siegfried: I don't believe you.
Maxwell Smart: Would you believe two dozen Delta Force commandos?
Siegfried: No.
Maxwell Smart: How about Chuck Norris with a BB gun.

Billions of Photos

John and I decided to ride Scout and Lilly around his farm and take some fall photos. Lilly isn't a very good photographer horse. A lot of the pictures came out blurry because she wouldn't stand still. I'd like to pick one and blow it up to frame in the house. Here goes all the pictures...(don't get overwhelmed)...













The last few are from John's back door. We have started a rock wall for a garden. Yeah, that's a fun project. Looking back at the post I obviously repeated a photo. It's too hard to delete a specific picture so it might just have to live there. Becky goes this Thursday to the spay and neuter clinic. She'll be the last cat I have to get fixed. I've started turning her off of the porch. She gets along really well with other cats. Ruby, however, does not. Afty smacked her in the face when she got too close to him on Friday and she smacked him back. She is very disrespectful to her elders.

Quote of the Day: "As of this morning, we are completely wireless here on Schrute Farms. So as soon as I find out where Mose hid all the wires, we can have power back on." -Dwight Schrute

The Road Goes Ever On and On...

With the election behind us I can now move on to areas of my life where I have a bit more control (famous last words). John will be leaving soon and I'm pretty sure I'll have to go on heavy medication to deal with that(kidding). But I want to make sure I spend all the time I can with him before he leaves and supporting him while he's gone. Then I can turn my attention to wedding planning. I have half a million dresses lined up. Just when I choose on I find another one I like better. The flowers are picked. Not picked but picked out. It's a frustrating process but it really makes me excited. We are shooting for March 2010. Yes, sounds like a long time away but so did this December. I'll put photos of desired wedding items up occasionally and see if there are any rich people out there who love me enough to fund me. Martha and I have decided to make a stained glass piece to go in the archway we will stand in front of for the ceremony. We were advised to do one more trial piece before we attempted that. I have a basic design in my head. It's just going through the billions of pattern books to find exactly what matches that vision. I'm thinking simple. So, stay tuned. Oh, and all of my kittens were adopted out. Johnny C. took the last fluffy kitten "Palin." He says it's working out. YES!

Quote of the Day:
Jan: Our CFO believes that Josh is going to play an important role in our company's future.
Michael Scott: Oh really, what role is that? King of the stupid universe?

I order you to VOTE!

Today is the day!!! Everyone get excited!! This is when your freedom gets put into practice. I am setting up a headquarters for John's dad at my house since he doesn't really want to. We are getting Assagios tonight and then planting it on the couch to watch the results roll in.

Quote of the Day: "I was allowed to ring the bell for five minutes until everyone was in assembly. It was the beginning of power." -Jeffrey Archer

Fraggle Rockin'

Today I voted. Now I will no longer think about the election. Terry's sermon on Sunday was perfect. It hit all of my biggest fears and worries while reaffirming that God puts up and he takes down. We can vote but ultimately God will decide. It's good to know I don't have to be in charge. Now, if I could only get the post office to quit putting other people's mail in my box....

And my one final political plug: "Obama for change. Because it's all you'll have left in your pockets."

Government Run?...Run from Government

I got a "change of address" notification from the Post Office at work the other day. A man was trying to change his address to our p.o. box. NOT OK. I went to the P.O. The guy running the place said, "Well, let me know if you get any of their mail. It's probably a typo." WHAT? Fix it now before I GET any of their mail! And, of course I got some of their mail the other day. It was a medical bill. I wrote a big note on it describing the situation, put it back in the box and forgot about it. The next day it was back in my box. I marched up to the counter, explained the situation again and the lady said she would give it to the head guy (we'll call him Gary). Good. Thank you. Today not only was the same letter in the box (with a "Give to Gary" note on the letter) but another bill for the people. I'd had it. Back to the counter I went. Then I had to wait for Gary myself. And wait. And wait. Finally he arrived. "I'll call the other post office and see what they can do." He stated. Thank you government. I'm so impressed with how flawlessly the system works. Standing in a long line to get vague service is awesome. I wish you were in charge of our HEALTH CARE!

Quote of the Day: "It was a pretty disappointing day. It was kind of a slap in the face, to realize that I wasn't as important as I thought I was to a certain young executive. Who I had cared about. But you know, I'm not going to cry about it. I did that on the way home." -Michael Scott

Glass Class

My mom signed Martha and I up for a stained glass class. It started last Tuesday night. We learned about the different types of stained glass as well as how to cut it. We had 6 people also in the class and 2 younger girls immediately proceeded to slice into their hands. Blood everywhere. But, we all had a great time. Last night we cut the glass for the butterflies we are making and learned house to "grind" the glass. This week Martha and I both came home with minor lacerations from the glass flying everywhere. The class was cut down to 3, me Martha and another guy. The girls with the near fatal injuries and their dad weren't allowed to participate because they showed up too late. The dad started a fight in the class...it was a mess. So we were sent home with homework of lining our glass pieces with copper foil so we can finish them next week. Martha and I have plans to start a harder piece when we're done. I absolutely love it. Ahhh, the possibilities.

Quote of the Day: "I’m very fast. I’m like Forest Gump except…I am not an idiot."-Michael Scott

At least I'm Honorable

Guess what! John's farm is going to be famous. Not only did Martha win 3rd place with her Noah on the farm picture in the Our State Mag but I got an honorable mention this past weekend with this one at an art show where my aunt lives. I'm pretty sure he has the most photogenic piece of property on the planet. I took this one last minuet after I drove it around the pasture. I named it "Reflections of a Combine." If you look really carefully you can see John's red shirt and arm.

p.s.: Congratulations Leann and Tommy!!!!!

Quote of the Day:
Michael: Look, this is very hard for me but I am going to give you my best man. You may have Toby.

Karen: Toby’s not a salesperson.

Michael: You can train him. He’s very very smart and funny and charming…yawoolch…I can’t do it. Toby is the worst. That was a bluff.

Whew!

When I pulled Cole out of the stall for the vet he barely made it into the hallway. She decided to start by pulling Cole's shoe. It took her FOREVER because it was nailed on so tight. It was obvious he was in a lot of pain. When she finally pulled it off puss spurted out. Completely nasty...but who cares. It was only an abscess. The abscess was in the toe of his hoof. She dug it out really well and bandaged it. I have to soak the foot once a day and keep it wrapped. Not a problem! I'm just glad it wasn't anything devastating.

I think my sea monkey needs a vet. He keeps running himself in to the bottom of the tank really hard.

Emergency Situation

Please pray for Cole. His front leg was badly injured over the weekend. We found him in the pasture hardly able to walk back to the barn. We gave him horsey aspirin and soaked his leg in lineament and cold water. After a night in the barn he seems to have gotten worse. He is unable to carry any weight on the leg. I'm calling the vet first thing in the morning to see if they can send someone out to help. It could be anything from a bad abscess to a torn ligament...even a break. There are no outward signs of injury. It doesn't look good. Hopefully I'll know more by tomorrow evening.

Chew on This

So, I've been working on not worrying lately. My Prevacid prescription is helping my ulcer and Martha sent me this fun little exercise to make my days a little more stress free:

HOW TO START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

1. Open a new file in your computer
2. Name it "Barack Obama"
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin
4. Empty the Recycle Bin
5. Your PC will ask you "Do you really want to get rid of Barack Obama?"
6. Firmly click "Yes"
7. Feel Better?

I thought it was funny. I do believe however that we do need to pray for our leaders. I'm reading the book "The New Eve" with Karen and I am really enjoying it. It makes it clear that God built up nations once again but many times it was after society had self destructed. It's sad but looking back at other nations that collapsed it seems that we are following the same patterns that led to their downfall...the extreme feminism, abortion, the revering of homosexuality. We can do our part. Pray first, vote and live right (and when people try to get you to do wrong...cause a ruckus).

Famous Last Words: "I'm making a citizens arrest!"

Frustration

What does it take for the American people to get happy about McCain. I am so disappointed in people my age. After the debate they asked one 20 something who he thought won. His reply? "I thought Obama was better because McCain kept taking shots at Obama and it wasn't very nice" (not a direct quote but you get the point).
It's a debate you idiot. They are supposed to spar at each other. If guy my age was looking for scattered/vague answers...Obama gave you what you wanted. McCain was direct and very on point. I hope the American people can pull their head out of the sand and vote for the only candidate that knows what he's talking about. At least he nailed him on who is responsible for the housing screw up.

And to answer Obama's question...yes. I remember 911.

Somebody help us.

Friday Night Fun

Well, with John gone to do National Guard stuff, my dad gone to a Civil War reenactment and it just me and my mom at the house...I thought I would take the opportunity to go to the emergency room. The stomach pain started Thursday night and by Friday night I was doubled over. We got right in (the only person there) they took me to a bed and hooked me up to morphine and a pepsid drip. Blood tests...nothin'. EKG...nothin'. Gall bladder...he saw something but it wasn't the cause of the problem. The doctor thinks it's possibly an ulcer. He asked me to follow up with my regular doctor and he put me on a bland diet. RIGHT! We got home about 4:45 and didn't set foot out of bed until 12:00 Saturday. Of all the emergency room visits I've had I can honestly say that was the best. Everyone was nice and they let us just sit and watch movies until we got results, however, I don't ever want to do that again. P.S.- I have the greatest mom ever.

Quote of the Day: "This is a good day. You guys accomplished something big. You lost a ton of weight, literally. A lot of weight. And I don't care what any stupid scale says, you guys are all gigantic losers."- Michael Scott.

Wrong Bed!

Well, we picked up the bed...took it to his house...wrong bed! We called the company. The guy ordered the wrong one. He took the blame. I'm sure he was so glad we called. The bed he sent us cost $1000 (pictured). The one we paid for cost half that. He's sending the right one on Saturday and sending the other away. I knew it was too easy. It always is. We'll take photos when it's all assembled or give tours. Kathy, come right on.

I just watched the debate. It was nerve wracking. Biden did a good job. He lied with enthusiasm. Palin was honest. I'd vote for her for president any day.

Looking Up

We just bought this bed. Ok, I'll be honest. John just bought this bed. We do get to pick it up tonight. I'm so excited. It's beautiful. We are going to get the back room in his house as finished as possible so he can move into it and have 2 extra bedrooms. Maybe he can help house some of his family when they come over for the holidays. I love decorating. I might not be good at it but I love it anyway. I'll have to find pictures of the rest of the rooms in his house we have redone. John was able to move into his grandmothers old house. It reminds me so much of my grandma's house that Matthew lives in now. It's funny because Miranda ended up in a house very much like it also. Martha/Mike/Burke, you're next. !!Go 50's style brick houses!!

Please pray for Ken. He is having a procedure today.

Quote of the Day:
Michael Scott: Tonight we are going to have an inventory luau. I want to bring back a little slice of paradise to the Dunder-Mifflin warehouse inventory, so party-planning committee, get on it.
Angela: By the end of the day? That's impossible.
Michael Scott: The Jamaicans don't have a word for "impossible."
Jim Halpert: Yep, it's English, it's "impossible."

HAUNTED

My flip flops (not the kind Obama has) are being held together by a paper clip and I have a pizza stain on my shirt from breakfast. I can't figure out why my sea monkeys keep dying. What is the deal? There are new baby ones but when they get about a week old they croak. My kittens are growing and playing a lot. They have learned how to climb out of their house. It worries Becky and she gets upset when they cry. I have 1 1/2 of them given away. And, If one more person calls the office and yells at me for ANY reason I'm going to loose it. If the rotten economy is making you mad then don't vote for the democrats making it that way.

Happy Birthday Dear Joooohn...

Happy 26th Birthday!!

Colin and Will Go To Town

Colin and Will Farel had their appointment with the mobile neuter clinic this morning. They were not excited to go. My poor babies weren't the only ones to go. Martha took General (otherwise known as Weoweoweo and I took Iggy for Katie and Justin). We looked cool dragging 15 cat carriers that smell like farm to the clinic. Colin and Will are now upstairs in my room, groggy and confused and being visited by Ruby. They will be staying in the house for a few days to recover. I might kick them out tomorrow if they tear up my room. But, I heart them and want them to be ok. I am not able to show my horse at the state fair this year because of scheduling conflicts so I'm entering the photo contest with Martha instead. Everybody needs to go check out the photography contest and cheer us on. It won't do any good because they'll already be judged but go cheer anyway. I won't think you're crazy.

Quote of the Day: "Did I do this for me? No. I did this, for the little guy. For Joe six pack. The guy who wakes up every morning in his four hundred dollar a month apartment, wonders how he's gonna pay his mortgage that month. Wonders how he's gonna fill his car up, with oil. Wonders how am I gonna pay my kids' orphanage bills. That guy, shouldn't have to wonder where he's gonna park." -Andy Bernard (The Office)

Awwwww Baby!!!!

"This restaurant is crowded!"

Becky is officially a mom. She went into labor on Tuesday night and by 11:00 she had had her first child...kitten. Two hours later she had given birth to 2 more. I had forgotten how unhappy cats get when they are in labor. She took it like a champ. I would feel her belly every day prior hoping I could tell if she was getting close. She hated it and would run off when I checked her. During her labor she wanted me to keep my hand on her belly. I knew then that she was in pain. She is such a good mother. She shows off her kittens to anyone who comes on the porch. Tuesday night Will Feral broke onto the porch. He obviously thought the labor and delivery required him. He was wrong. Becky would have killed him.

Well, take your pick. Right now their official names are gray tabby, regular tabby, and dark tabby. Yeah, I need better names.

Quote of the Day: "There are people who reshape the world by force or argument but the cat just lies there, dozing, and the world quietly reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience." --Alan and Ivy Dodd

Speaking of Cats

Baby Ruby is a terrorist. She has grown so very big. I'll have to get a real life picture of her up. I let her sleep with me the other night thinking it would be great to have a warm fuzzy kitten as a roommate. She slept on the back of my pillow. Everything went great until I tried to roll over. SMACK! She hit me in the face. This went on all night. She now sleeps by herself. She has become the boss of Colin and Will Feral (rescue kittens from the office). I do love all three of them very much. Just in case you don't remember where baby Rubs came from, Terry and Ruby M. brought her to me after she was dumped at the house of a lady Terry knew. Thank goodness the lady decided to find a home for her (mainly at my house. I heart this kitty). She came to our house while I was in a cat lull. Wow, I never thought I would have a cat lull. It's good to have another girl around. Tully is anti-social and Buzz is just crazy.

Becky (the black momma kitty) is living comfortably on the porch. Well, she's comfortable when Ruby doesn't run onto the porch and attack her. No kittens just yet. I am taking pre-orders so if you have any good families in mind...indoor/outdoor...I don't care just let me know and I'll tag the kitten as taken. I'm not expecting a run on unborn baby kittens so take your time.

Quote of the Day: "I love inside jokes. I'd love to be a part of one someday." -Michael Scott

Improving the Truth

Improvement

Free cat to loving home. Good personality. Friendly. Loves to eat and be petted. Recently vetted. Has rabies shot and is FeLuk Neg. Will one day make a wonderful mother. Lived on farm with large house. Up to date on flea/tick treatment. Gets along well with other cats.


Truth

Free cat to loving home: To any home besides mine would be just great.
Good personality: If you put food in front of her you can scruff her and hold her.
Friendly: See "Good Personality."
Loves to eat and be petted: Starving to death when she was found. Will eat anything including small children and puppies.
Recently vetted: Rushed to the vet to check for all sorts of diseases that a human could catch from a cat. Massive worm infestation.
Has rabies shot and is FeLuk Neg.: Whew! That was a close one.
Will one day make a wonderful mother: Is about 1 week away from having between 3 to 600 kittens.
Lived on farm with large house: Abandoned by her former family to fend for herself in the nastiest old house on the planet while "mom and dad" moved into a gorgeous huge house down the road.
Up to date on flea/tick treatment: Seed ticks were falling like snow...but not anymore.
Gets along well with other cats: Can't tear the heads off of other cats while locked securely in a pet carrier.

I'm going to be blunt. I'm tired of this. People, when you take on a pet it's your responsibility. If you are planning to move in few years to an area that doesn't allow pets then reconsider adopting one. Cats can live up to 18 years or more. Dogs can live just as long. It is traumatic to a pet to relocate. It isn't always able to be helped but in most cases it is. If you do have to re home your pet, do it responsibly and for crying out loud don't just leave it. As much as we all would like to think that the cat or dog will go into the wild and live a carefree existence, it's just not the case. If your pet is really old, re homing it may not be an option at all. Your old pet wants to be with you. You may need to consider putting the pet to sleep while you are there with it. It isn't an easy decision to make but taking an old pet to a shelter is usually the last home the pet will have. The cat mentioned above, who is named Becky, was close to death and delivering kittens that she had no way to feed. She was eating grass and seeds to say alive. She will recover but it's going to take her awhile and my parents money to do it. Spay and neuter your pet. Make the appointment today before you forget. I have 3 to take. It's not cheap but it will save you a fortune down the road. If you have no pets but happen to find a stray, don't call the person with 8 million rescue animals to try to take it. Keep it yourself if you are financially able to house a pet. Ye ole "I just don't like cats" bit doesn't work on me anymore. LEARN to like cats. If my dad could to it, anyone can. He's the one who found this cat in the first place.

Today you have witnessed a Rachael rant. It was intended for no one specific. Everyone I know who reads this blog is a responsible pet owner. I'm hoping someone out there who stinks at pet ownership will come across this blog and be able to reap information that will prevent me from having to clean up their messes. And no, I'm not going to just look the other way while a pet starves. God didn't make me that way.

END RANT.

Quote of the Day:

SO, WHAT HAPPENED WAS....

John's truck was pulling his trailer with Scout and Aari on it. Martha and Mike drove my truck with Cole and Lilly. The truck decided that it wanted to "jump" when John hit the gas. We made it about 25 min from his farm in Va. and it died....on the highway...WITH FAST TRUCKS FLYING BY. We made the truck go just a little bit more to a large grassy area where we could safely unload Scout and Aari and put them on the trailer with Lilly and Cole. Thank goodness Cole decided to not follow through on his threat to murder Scout and we all made it to the farm. The place was gorgeous! We decided that it was very much like Africa (non of us have actually been there). It was hot but we had a great ride. We then crammed all the horses back on my trailer and made our way back to where John's abandoned truck was. It CRANKED, then...IT DROVE. All we had to do was make it to a hill and let gravity take over. We did have to stop a few times to let it cool off but we finally made it home. John's truck is now at the doctor's office.

Side note: Our state inspector came to do his yearly inspection at the office today. Sheesh! He got on us for doing something that last year he told us to do! We aren't in violation or anything but he likes to have opinions on everything. At least he was nice today.

Quote of the Day:
Dwight Schrute: ["steering" the ship] Don't worry Michael, I'm taking us to shore!
Michael Scott: It's a fake wheel, dummy!