Friday, December 4, 2015

Ladies....

What's it going to be ladies? He at lake all summer?  He in woods all winter?  Or..... you shopping all year.


Missing my dogs....


I guess it's the story about the pit bull and owner from yesterday. I'm missing our guys really bad. This year was awfully hard. The seperate days these pictures were made were the last photos of well over 11 and 13 years with each dog - Ada Monroe and Diesel "Weisel".  Days which were terrible to come to terms with.

Several years of hoping they'd each "go in their sleep" were over.  I'm afraid we hung on to each for much longer than we should have.  Both dogs were telling us for weeks they were "ready" to go.  Especially Ada. Ever more my shadow toward the end. Those eyes begging for peace.  From grieving Diesel to her own bodily pain.

I remember so well the many times a night, when each was a puppy, jumping up from sleep to take them out to use bathroom. Curling up with a puppy at night while smelling puppy breath made it alright.  Y'all dog lovers know what I mean.....

Sometimes THE hardest thing to do is the most loving and humane thing to do.  I hope for every old dog to "go in its own sleep".  But as a owner, I hope facing that horrible decision is easier than Chris and I had. I truly feel it was an unfortunate thing we had to decide and our love for each postponed the inevitable for too long.






Thursday, December 3, 2015

Pit bull sits by owner. ........

Breaks my heart.  Poor guy wouldn't leave injured owner.  Diesel and Ada Monroe wouldn't have either.   Pitiful video.  The city put the dog in pound as it's illegal to own a pit in that city.

Now owner has to re-home.  I know she was breaking the law.....But it just seems unjust in a way.  So many dogs in pounds that can't get homes sit there.  This poor guy who is loved and loves has to be relocated to somewhere bullys aren't illegal.  Owner can no longer own.  Geez.  Don't hate the breed. Bad owners create bad dogs-of any breed.

(This is NOT, NOT a political post about pound animals or bullys, after all, I'm looking for registered puppy, not pound.  So I've no room to judge. DO NOT respond to this post with hate of either the bully breeds or the laws!  They will be deleted.  I'm just saddened and venting.

Oh, remember Petey on "The Little Rascals"?  He was a bully breed and everyone wanted a Petey. Or at least I did...)





Elbow!

Ouch!   I didn't realize how bruised my elbow was until Chris came home early this morning from OKC.  Hadn't even looked.

Monday morning Trousers had, I guess, eaten a possum.  He'd vomited up a huge chunk in the barn hallway and small chunks everywhere else.  I had cleaned up the mess and ran up the steps to our mud room in the middle of those horrible downpours of rain.  Down I went.  I told the girls at work about it that day and told them we needed some no slip thingies.  I've talked about putting some down forever.

Like I said.  I didn't look at my elbow when I told them Monday but Chris sure noticed today.  He said it was quite gross.

Again.  Ouch.



Wednesday, December 2, 2015

My cowgirl hat...

To sell or not to sell...that is the question.   I'll never show again, and only wore the cowgirl hat a handful of timed so really no reason to keep a beautiful Serratelli in a box.  With it's 30x felt and perfect silver and rubies on the brim.




AB puppies....

I long for a new puppy.   Ever since Diesel then Ada Monroe were gone this year.  I have a deep need to love something and it love back.  I've never in my life been without a dog.

Chris isn't ready for a puppy just yet.  He's home all day so most training would fall upon him.  Even though when customers bring their dogs along for horse back riding lessons he has time for a little dog trickery. (Especially with Heelers.) But spending time working with a friend's dog is much less time consuming than your own.

I will continuing yearning and try not to be jealous of the time spent on others than a new one of ours..... (Hear that Trousers. The wallet thief and possum killing bandit.)



AB litter in California....
Aw, puppy breath...

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Another Veteran's Day

Freedom.  Service.  America.  Veteran's Day.  Many of Daddy's Navy photos from WW II in Pacific make me stop and think about serving our country and what that really means. The first photo of Daddy in a school or orphanage or who knows what in China, I believe shows a side of service to country to help citizens caught in crossfire of war. To care.



The second, unloading of a tank while the men peer over the back of the ship represents things to come and planning for the what ifs.  Those soldiers are perhaps filled with excitement, awe, fear, regret, pride....probably every emotion possible.


The third photo, of Chinese (I believe) soldiers, exhibits during that time of this war reaching across the oceans on a common cause.  Partnerships built to help people, cultures, belief systems to do what's right and just.  Stop evilness from pervading the world.



I do not bring politics to my page.  I bring pride of a country, pride of the past and immense love and pride and awe toward a man from a little community called Soak in Monroe County.  Daddy.  Glenn J. Maynard. A man who loved his country so much he stood up to help defend her.

"Politics" should consists of emotions and practices from things represented in the photos.  Not from some who have an entitlement feeling of power to control situations which benefit a few.  But instead from those who actually feel unworthy of the position God placed them in to serve many and would also humbly bleed to provide for those in "politics".

I know my sisters would agree Daddy was a great man.  A man I can almost guarantee did not want to leave small Corntassel to travel across America and a sea to a foreign country. But a man, through that trial, taught me you always have to at least try to do what's right.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Bears

After our brush with death of driving off of 441 and then meeting Falling Rock up close and personal I layed down in the back seat to rest.  Thirty minutes later Chris slams the brakes and yells "here's your bear Marna". I jumped straight up almost into the front seat.  There. Was. No. Bear.  Disappointed ran threw me.  Chris told his mom "I knew that would get her up".


Chris stopped in Pigeon Forge for a carmel apple.  I guess he felt bad about tricking me about the bear.  He bought me a little bitty tiny black bear to make up for the fact I didn't see hide nor hair of one.


Driving 441 in basically unsafe conditions

Crossing 441 in the darkening of night during a slight rain in the middle of the "smoke" of the Smoky's at the very top?  Not a very good idea.  Visionability gone in a split second with a flash of thoughts of driving off the mountain to your death, much like Uncas and Alice in "The Last of the Mohicans".

You can see NOTHING in a split minute and somehow, somehow, thank the Good Lord, come to rest in a pull off near Clingman's Dome. The car behind you never seen again.

Your husband taking the wheel isn't much better.  The curves of 441 are nothing like our Cherokee mountains and he should never think something across the road is a branch.  Ummm....hence the warning signs of "Falling Rock" everywhere you turn.  Maybe we should have let Nana drive last night.  Bless it.  She remained amazingly calm while gripping the hound outta the door handle.

The unfair part?  I drove the climb up from North Carolina during the mess of weather.  Chris driving down on the Tennessee side?  Clear as a bell.  Except for that fallen rock he ran over, which wasn't a branch, honey.




Monday, October 19, 2015

Pink Regulations

There are no government regulations on "pink" sales.  This video is great about educating before buying pink - interesting NFL stats. Don't waste your $$ to buy a pink product just because it has the pink ribbon and you assume all the monies support a breast cancer cause.

If I see a shirt in pink during October I'll buy it.  But if I see two different pink shirts I like in October I'll try to choose the one that at least gives some $ to breast cancer charities support.  I know maybe I'm not "choosie" enough.  But I don't trust a product just because of a ribbon or waste my $ on something pink because I feel obligated too.

One day Chris and I were shopping and the lady asked if we'd like to donate a dollar toward breast cancer research.   Chris told the poor lady, "we've donated enough".  Bless her.  She looked surprised and didn't know what he meant.

(Plus. I really don't buy much pink at all. Ha ha)

link:
NFL is covered in pink...

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

New Oncologist

Tomorrow is my every six month Oncology appointment.  It's a dreaded one.  I'll have a new doctor as my beloved Dr. Charles has moved practice to UT.

A woman doc.  Hmmm...wonder if there'll be a difference between male and female oncologist for breast cancer?   We'll see I guess.

The appointment will be quite, really awful. Dr. Charles had been my mom-in-law's oncologist for lung cancer.  How strange it was.  Dr. Charles my doctor since 2010 then in 2013, I believe the year, Dr. Charles had become Emma Lee's as well. Six months ago we scheduled our appointments on the same day. I was told to schedule my next checkup in six months.  My mom-in-law was told she was terminal.   Her cancer was back and had spread from her lungs into liver.

Emma is 79.  She'd not wanted chemo after having half her lung removed.  I guess it was from memories of her precious sister, whom she spoke with everyday, dying of terminal breast cancer in 2011ish. Memories of pain and suffering.

(Forgive me of unsure years. I'm horrible at remembering dates. To me most dates are of moments best left not to be relived.)

So. Tomorrow is a double whammy.  A new doctor. But more importantly a visit to the office that fateful day six months ago....


A blog post link from 2012 about my mama and second mom, Emma Lee Hull. ....
click here for post:
Mommas, mother in laws and life lessons






Friday, October 2, 2015

Captain Ds with Chris's mom

Nana bought today.  I don't like her to.  But my birthday is coming and she wanted to treat me with lunch so I let her.

Do you notice something? 
Chris's mom hates waste so
she sticks the gum she's been
chewing on the side 
of her food container. 
 Then begins to chew after dinner.

Ranger

Bought a Ranger for farm. Should have had years ago.

Nieces playing and hauling 
few bales of hay for me.


Taking Chris's mom around farm
in the Ranger.


2015 Knoxville zoo trip

only zebra to be found 


elephant,  one favorite 

reason to visit.  Two baby gorillas!!! I could 
have sat an watched all day long hadn't the
kids elbowed me out!

September 28, 2015

Happy anniversary Chris!  ♡♡♡♡  1996 wow.  Where has time gone?  (Um. Yeah. Big hair, big dress, big flowers were all the rage way back when...)





Successful reining

Chris's customers and horses had a great weekend at the reining horse show.


Cora Veal Senior Citizens trip

Cora Veal Senior Citizens trip with mom-in-law to shop in Georgia.


Crab leg attack!

Amber (niece), Chris and I to Cherokee,  NC for Sunday seafood bar at Harrah's.  Chris was attacked by a plate!  Picked one up and shattered in his hand.   Soon found out Harrah's has their own EMS.  Who would have thought?

More blood than you can imagine! 



Chris didn't let him slow him down
 Luckily he was finished with messy crab legs and on to the steak!

Day trip with great nieces

Started in Vonore at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum festival.  Across 441 to eat crab legs in Cherokee, NC (no joke), back across 441 to Cade's Cove.

Sequoyah Birthplace Museum festival 

Me and the greats. 

Yummy crab legs.
Cherokee,  NC

Sequoyah Birthplace Museum festival 

Elk near Cherokee, NC 
on 441


Across 441

Great nieces 441

Cade's Cove 

People chasing momma bear and 3 cubs in a tree.  Spoiled the day for us.  And the bear.

No photo can do the Smoky's justice.   
I didn't try.