Ringo the Persistent Frog Hunter

Na-na-na-na-na!  That dog ain't  EVER gonna catch us!!!

(Those darn frogs wouldn't even let me get very close for a good pic... so you'll have to click to enlarge the pic and see the frog......we've got frogs here big enough to fry up some frog legs, LOL)

Home Sweet Home

Indeed, there's nowhere as sweet as home. Especially with 3 slobbery furkids to welcome my tired butt back!! I think the horses and the kittehs were happy to see me too.  And the hubster too, of course!  :-)

Upon my return, I was excited to see my complimentary issues of the May/June issue of Grit magazine, with a few more of my photos tucked between their beautiful rural living pages.

Check them out here...

And I promise, next week I'm going to get back into my "normal" and visit all my sweet bloggy friends. I sure do miss y'all! :-)

A particularly beautiful, bright day a few weeks ago at our pond

You're Not In Kansas Right Now, Oz Girl...

I can't remember the last time I dropped off the face of the earth and had so many days in between blog posts... it's been a CRAZY few weeks.


I'm back in Ohio, helping to settle my grandmother's estate/house. Seems there's just enough minutes in the day to get everything done that needs done.... I've literally fallen into bed the last few nights, exhausted.


Grandmother is in the nursing home; she has her days, some good, some not so good. Dementia is beginning to rear its ugly head. I hate it. There is nothing sadder than to see a feisty, stubborn and headstrong woman become someone you no longer know. Oh sure, there have been times over the course of all our lifetimes that we've wanted to rip her head off in frustration and sheer aggravation at how difficult she could make everyone's life, especially after grandfather died.


But you know what? When it comes right down to it, for all her sarcasm and tartness and loose lips and yes, occasionally her meanness, she's family. I mean, c'mon, there's not one of us who's perfect. We all have our faults and defects, our little quirks that irritate other family members to the nth degree! But my gramma is OLD family...93 years of history, 93 years of knowledge, 93 years of laughter and tears, of happiness and sadness. The last standing member of a generation soon to be lost forever.


How hard it is to clear out all the kitty and dog figurines, all the silly flower pillows and bird pillows, all the movies and CDs, family photos, her clothes and beloved jewelry, her furniture, the donkey statue in the backyard that us kids "rode" when we were just toddlers.... so many memories and what can you do with all those concrete pieces of memory? One person just can't feasibly hang onto the entire contents of another family member's house, especially 62 years worth.


And so it is with sad hearts that many things are relinquished - to be sold, to be donated, to be *gasp* trashed.


Imagine. Someday. It happens to all of us.  Our treasures are usually only OUR treasures. Our treasures become someone else's headache.


Just another reminder that it's all STUFF.  A reminder to make the most of everyday, to hug those you love.. especially your dogs!  *grin*

{I must apologize for the lack of photos here.... I neglected to bring my card reader.  Duh.}

The Not-So-Purty Side of Nature

We rarely see cardinals in our neck of the woods. But in the last few weeks, hubby and I had noticed a strikingly beautiful cardinal hanging out around our house and near our tree break.

I found this today.

And this.

 Fluff.  Suspect Number One.

 Barack. Suspect Number Two. 

I've told him repeatedly, NO BIRDS, only rats and mice.  But he is full of cat-titude and has refused to abide by my rules.  We are sad that our cardinal is gone and quite possibly endured a heinous kitteh-style death.

Ringo sez he didn't see anything while we were gone this afternoon.

Hmmmmm ...

looks like he just woke up to me.

Speaking of Giveaways...

The giveaway poll results showed that most of you enjoy contests and giveaways on blogs, but your comments told me that you really do prefer easy giveaways, and that it's difficult to find the time to tweet a giveaway, go to a product website and pick your favorite, FB about a giveaway, blog about a giveaway, etc., etc.  Which is understandable.  We're all pressed for time these days.  Goodness, I know I find it difficult to find the time to sit down at my computer and just visit/comment on all my favorite blogs!!!  And I always enjoy finding NEW blogs, but where do I find the time for that too??

What I learned from your comments and what I'll try to do in the future... keep my giveaways simple, and for the most part, only include items that are hand-made and home-made by me!  I've received a few emails from outside companies interested in having me promote their products.  I think my rule of thumb on this topic is going to be ONLY if it's a product that is dear to my heart and that I can endorse whole-heartedly!  And that hasn't happened yet.

So, moving on.... Mountain Woman of Red Pine Mountain is having a lil giveaway.  Right now, she's giving away a dozen I Heart You cookies for YOU and a bag of Barnyard Pals for your furry pup friend.  You have until next Friday, April 9th, to enter.  She'll be having different giveaways the entire month, promoting fellow bloggers' handmade items, so you'll want to keep an eye on her blog - she just had a giveaway for a beautiful chicken nest box last week!  I think it's a wonderful idea, and I wish I had thought of it first!  :-)  Check out her fresh new blog design while you're there.  I'm lovin' it, and thinking that maybe it's time for me to freshen up my blog design... hmmm... not now, maybe later.

Y'all have a wonderful Thursday, wherever you are!

I just love our Kansas sunsets!!