Itty Bitty Hooves

The Wayback Machine #4

I was talking with some friends the other day about how today’s young adults can’t imagine a life before the Internet and constant connection with cellphones, text messaging, IMs and blogs… now that I think about it those of us that were they’re parents and grandparents may just have been the reason for that. Here’s what I mean. A picture from 8 years ago, my new grand-baby Alexis Marie at 3 months old (or thereabouts) sitting on my lap playing on my computer.

Get Mom a Mother’s Day Plant That Will Keep The Thought Alive All Year

I love flowers. Just about any flowers on Mother’s Day are perfect and I adore the delightful vases I’ve received over the years to use over and over, some have even given that extra bonus of being daily useful such as coffee cups. I have a couple that I truly treasure and they make great gifts for a mom. What I really like are plants, though. A Mothers Day Plant is something that will continue to thrive all year and every time she looks at it will remind her of you. I’ve gotten several over the years that are still going strong, and a couple that have even branched out, just like my family over the years. They bring a smile to my face every time I pass by, water them, or just happen to glance in their direction.

Flowers and plants do a lot for any room just on their own, but when you give a Mothers Day plant it adds extra love to the mix to make it more than just a room accessory. You don’t even have to live nearby because 1800flowers can put together the perfect plant or floral arrangement and deliver it right to mom’s doorstep for you.

Okay, if mom doesn’t have a green thumb, you can always send chocolate. 1800flowers can do that too, and do it in style.

Way Back Machine 3

Very VERY way back–this one is from the early 80’s. Me and Bob and Nicole as a (I think–I should have dated the picture) 2-year-old.

Healthy Pets

Having owned just about every conceivable pet type animal you can imagine I’ve also bought a wide variety of pet supplements. Jeffers is one of my favorite places to shop online to find products for all types of animals from indoor house pets to livestock. They are great. Pet supplements are important because I want to give my pets the best life I can and make sure they are as healthy as possible. Pet supplements are more than just vitamin additions to diets, although that is one type of supplement, they are also joint relief for animals having trouble moving due to injury or age, muscle or weight builders, and even in some cases fly control if you need it. There are coat and skin health supplements and even products aimed at freshening your dog’s breath (we all know they can use that from time to time.

Way Back Machine 2

This is really way back… probably circa 1978 or so. It is a picture of a drill team I was on with one of my horses, a saddlebred named Prince Albert. I appologize for the darkness of the picture, that’s how the original is but nothing you can do about things like that, memories are memories and you can’t go back and do a re-do.

(I also remembered to make this one smaller, hopefully it was small enough this time.)

Great Deals Make Redecorating Fun

I’d like to think that I had the money to just go out and buy whatever I wanted. However, that’s not the case even though I can’t claim abstract poverty. I recently bought a new easy chair recliner (with vibrating massage–I love it) and although it’s a great chair it was cheaper than many of its kind. I just got lucky and found a good place for discount furniture. I actually ordered a second one and will be getting a big overstuffed couch too. I love overstuffed furniture. I can’t stand anything hard or rigid. Why would anyone want to relax on that? Next up–discount wide screen if I’m lucky enough to stumble upon one.

Fire Up The Way Back Machine Simon

Allrighty then. In case you are too young to remember the old cartoon with Professor Know-it-all and Simon the way back machine took the pair back in time to discover important events in history–well, I entered my own way back machine this morning when I found an old photo album. Over the next few weeks I’ll be tripping through the past by entering some of the new found memories up here for you to share with me. Here is just one sample of my photographic memories.

A memory montage of Nicole, my daughter

Is IT it?

I’m pretty sure now if I had to re-enter the outside workforce and leave my home office behind I’d be doing an IT job search. It’s funny because prior to 2000 I would never have thought of that as an option. I knew IT people at companies I worked for, but never considered myself one of them. That’s the great thing about working from home, not only can you do your job you can expand your abilities, begin to use them where working for a single company would pigeonhole you into a position without much hope of going far beyond or outside of your original realm, and if you find yourself back outside you can use those skills to get a better position than you ever thought possible before you started. All things considered though, I’ll keep working from home.

Jurassic Park again

I’m watching Jurassic Park. This is a movie so well-done that it doesn’t appear dated even 14 years later. Produced in 1993 it is as fresh looking today as it was back then, and the part when they first show the field of Brontosauras is still as magnificent as it was the very first time seen. The actors, especially Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neil are marvelous in their parts and reactions to the situations around them. Beyond the marvels of the movie itself the message is strong–messing with nature will bite you in the ass–literally in this case, and who doesn’t love when the blood sucking lawyer gets eaten by a t-rex?

Safety First

Working with large animals like horses, goats, sheep, pigs and cows over the years I’ve learned that farming can be dangerous. It takes specific safety equipment as much as any construction or factory worker would. While the types of safety equipment are different not paying attention to their need can land a farmer in trouble faster than a charging bull. My most important type of safety equipment is something many don’t think of when working around animals but I’ve found after many broken pair that safety glasses that are hard to break, shatter or crush are vital. Most farmers working around cattle know there is a need for safety vests, especially when working with the horned breeds, and the same is true of goats and sheep when left horned. Just because your animals are gentle and tame doesn’t mean you don’t need them either. Even the gentlest animal with a set of horns can do excruciatingly painful damage with a careless twist of their heads. I have the ripped clothing and a few scars to prove it. Always exercise caution when dealing with large animals whether they’re pets or not.