Itty Bitty Hooves

Sign Of Hope

i just had to share this picture with you. With all of the rain we’ve been having up here–nothing like the horrible floods in Iowa and Missouri though, I’m so sorry for all of you in those heavily hit areas–I thought this picture was so beautiful, and such a symbol of hope as well.

For The Record–No Longer A Test

THIS is so cool! It has probably always been an option and I just didn’t know it. You can create a post on here, edit the timestamp for a future time (an hour, a day, a month) and the post will show up when you programmed it to appear. I have always know you could post date a post to an earlier time/date, but not a ‘future’ post. That’s just excellent. Apparently Blogger allows it now too. So I can make sure there are posts scheduled for every day if I can manage to type them up, if I’m going to be gone for a day or so. What a neat thing.

If this works it’s cool. I just found out that Blogger added a post function that allows you to create a post and schedule a time for it to show up on your blog. I’m seeing if Word Press’ timestamp will allow that too. So basically, this is a test. It is only a test. If it proves to work, I’ll post to tell you all about it.

Our Horses

Here’s a vide of the horses on our farm. Hope you enjoy. I love making these videos. I have to get one done for the goaties… and maybe just for fun, all the new kittens too!

The Kitty Circus

I brought one of the barn kitties in to show my mother-in-law today. She just loved it. They’re about six weeks old now and at that really fun, crazy, cuddly stage all at once. I LOVE the kitty stage. They’re so much fun to watch. Once they get older they aren’t nearly as playful anymore. It still happens, but only once in a random while. At the 2 month or so area, it’s non-stop. We got these kittens early, mom is very friendly, and didn’t mind us playing with them. So we really have got them tamed, and friendly. Now… the two babies in the house… boy when the ‘cute and playful stage’ hits there, it’s going to be a real circus. But fun!

SHAKEDOWN video

I made a video trailer for SHAKEDOWN, my new novel release today! I hope you enjoy it. I think I have almost as much fun making these as I do writing the books:

The Great Cat Fight of 2008

It’s still going on—but now I know why.

Thank Heavens.

For awhile I was sure my cats had just gone insane. Two formerly loving cats who co-existed without complaint for years suddenly decided to do battle with the warzone being my entire house. I’d about had it until…

Yesterday I was searching in my usually unbothered upright file cabinet deep in my office closet when I looked down to see my black cat ‘Spooky’ all curled up on the bottom shelf. That is no surprise. That bottom shelve with its deep recess has always been her little ‘hidy-hole’. This time, however was a little different. This time I saw a dingy white thing curled up by her stomach. At first I thought it was the dingy, dirty little white ‘rat’ toy that came with the scratching post. The two cats had long ago severed the toy from the post, and dragged it about the house until it looked like hell, but they still love it, so I don’t throw it away.

This little dingy white ‘rat’ was squirming though. EEK… my mind couldn’t figure it out for a second. Either they toy had come to life, or it was a real rat she’d found and decided to take to ‘bed’ with her and play a bit… or…

A few days ago my mother-in-law who is living with us while she undergoes cancer treatments suggested Baby (the other war monger) might be going through a false pregnancy, and thinking she was protecting babies…

nope.

Wrong cat.

And NOT a FALSE pregnancy!!!

There curled up with my black cat were two (upon closer inspection) little white/gray kittens. Well, little in that they are babies, but danged HUGE for their approximate age. No wonder Spooky had all of a sudden the last month or so looked like she was finally ‘filling out’. Yeah right… well I had liked it because she’d always been such a lean (not skinny, just lean) cat, and she’d begun to look like a well-fed housecat for a change… Oh brother. Well, she’s lean again. Haha.

So–now at least, there is a reason for the war, and poor baby who I’d blamed for the way it seemed she was always being the aggressor, really was just defending her poor self from Spooky who doesn’t want her anywhere in the house at the moment. She’s holed up in a nook above my cabinets in the kitchen, poor thing, the ONLY place Spooky will leave her alone.

I saw her this morning though, attempting to come out, and Spooky once again cornering her. I rescued her, but she’s so thin. Now that I know exactly where she is hiding, I’ve put some food and water up inside the ‘nook’ so hopefully she’ll at least get something to eat. Poor baby.

So once there were two—-now there are FOUR.

I need a valium. What am I going to do with FOUR house cats? LOL

Non-farm Animals

I talk on here all the time about my farm animals. That’s what the blog is mostly about so that makes sense. It’s about my ‘life’ in rural Illinois too, and I talk about that, but I don’t talk too much about my non-farm critters. Poor babies, they think I don’t love them. Not true. They are a huge part of my life, and, as someone said recently ‘God’s gift to us to make us smile’. They do that too. They are a constant source of amuzement, and joy… well most times.

Today, and for the last couple of days my two inside cats have decided to play ‘war’. It’s true. Suddenly, and for absolutely no apparent reason, cats that have lived together for several years without a complaint have come to the conclusion they can’t STAND each other. I’m sitting here now in my office typing this and can hear one low, ominous growl eminating from one of them, I’m sure she’s decided the other is too close.

My mother-in-law who is staying with us said she had two dogs once, that when one had to be gone for a couple days–vet stay–caused a huge war between it and the other upon return… I can see that. Most animals are very territorial, even housepets, and when one goes away, then comes back, it’s as if it is suddenly invading the turf the other has decided is all it’s own now, so fights and anger can ensue… but my cats have not been seperated.

Nothing out of the ordinary has occured in the last few days to bring about a sudden, and swift change of heart on their parts, but there has been one. A loud, and occassionally chaotic one. Last night as I was shutting down my work space I heard a loud crash, and my son exclaim some expalitives that can’t be repeated here, and I ran into the other room where he said ‘Baby and Spooky just tore through here (the living room) in a blur, toppled an end table and it’s contents, and hissing and growling like crazy’.

Yeah, God’s gift to us to make us smile… um… okay.

Not.

I have four fish tanks too… thank heavens none of their inhabitants have declared war on each other!

Missed Opprotunities

Do you know, I’m (blah-blah-blah) years old — ha ha, you thought I was going to tell you right? Anyway, I’m old, and I’ve NEVER had a passport. It’s not something you really think about unless you’re planning on going on a vacation overseas, or you travel for business overseas a lot (okay, overseas includes Mexico, lol). The thing is, it’s easy to get… it just takes time. So if you’re someone like me who often has to pick up and go on a moment’s notice, you could be out of luck. I don’t know why I’ve never bothered. It’s hurt me in the past too. I missed out on a couple of possible trips because it was a - time to go, oh wait, you don’t have a passport? type of thing. That’s not likely to happen much anymore because the situation of that time has changed, but, now when I think of it I kind of kick myself. Because I was too lazy, or just never thought about it, I missed out on some interesting possibilities that could have been great memories. If it was hard to get I could put it off as just not worth it for the possible few times, and probably never again gonna happen times… but it’s easy. Why not be prepared?

Defensless? Not me!

There have been times in my life when I’ve felt defenseless. Usually due to circumstances. Those types of scenarios you really can’t avoid. There are things in your life you can’t control. Your physical safety shouldn’t ever be one of those things though. Living out in the country like I do can lead you to have a feeling of false security. I mean all the bad stuff happens in the big cities right? After all, who is ever going to find me out here? The reason that is a false conception is one little fact. The police, or any type of help at all is MILES away. Unfortunately, crime happens even in rural areas. In fact, I think the criminals in those areas are bolder because they know how far away police or other help is too. I’ve decided it’s a good idea to investigate the available self defense products that I can have around to feel more secure about my personal safety. Life may throw me blows I can’t control, but no intruder better try it.