Sunday, September 30, 2007

My Hero, Redux

Yes, once again B proves that he's my Major Dude. The dryer has been on the fritz forever, until recently when the motor literally blew up. With a pop and a puff of smoke.

We knew it was limping along all summer, but we didn't need it for much, since we hung clothes out all summer. Now, with fall around the corner, it was time to get it fixed. So we ordered the part, and B set out to play repairman. I did not notice if he was showing excessive buttcrack, as I was busy working on a task I was dreading.

Plumber pants or whatever his secret was, he had it running within a couple of hours. It's humming along, very quietly, with no signs of struggle. I never thought I would appreciate the sound of laundry being done.

Alas, now time to tackle Mount Washmore (stole that one from PW).

P.S. GREAT NEWS!!! The Slatterys are moving!!!! Sadly, they are getting a divorce. I would not wish that on anyone, and imagine their lives are in turmoil. However, I am glad they will no longer be our neighbors! Nor will their pack of wayward dogs!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Feeling my age

I work with three young women, in their early 20’s. I could most certainly be their mother. I would have been young, but it would not be a stretch. One of them is my assistant, S. I adore S, she is sweet, and extremely competent, pushes herself to do and learn more, and has an incredible work ethic. One of the other women, K, is also fabulous. One of the quickest learners I have ever known. She is sweet, with a soft side, but can run with the big boys. I am proud to know her. The other, J, is new, and I don’t know her well, but she seems to be cut from the same cloth as the other two young women.

Tonight is homecoming, and M has a date with her just-a-friend, who I believe is truly more-than-a-friend-now-that-she-is-in-high-school, J. So we had to find a dress. Not just any dress, not just a nice dress, but a FORMAL dress.

M hates shopping, and does not have a good sense of style. She definitely knows what she likes, but she is like a raccoon: she loves anything shiny, with sequins, or garish. Picture a 14 year old Joan Collins. So her style can’t be trusted, at least for Homecoming. She was attracted to the gold lame and the saucer-sized rhinestone brooches.

So I called on my young friends at work to help me out, and they came to my rescue. Not only did they clue me in to what was in style, but told me the cheap places to shop, and we got a great bargain on a dress, shoes, and jewelry. I believe we got it all for less than $50. And an Oleg Cassini dress, to boot. Very Jacqueline Kennedy-esque.

They helped me out, and were happy to share their expertise. I work very hard to share my knowledge with them at work, and even though it seems silly that they would have been excited to share something as benign as fashion tips with me, I truly feel like they were happy to finally be able to impart some wisdom to me. They are very innovative and savvy at work, but their ideas always need to be checked or validated before they can use them. This time I was lapping up their wisdom like a puppy!

They have told me before that they don’t think of me as old, they at least acted shocked when I told them that I was only a few months away from being 40.

At the moment, I feel 39 and 4 months. And it feels just fine.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Happy Anniversary!

Today is a double anniversary! First, but not foremost, it is the 3rd anniversary of my blog. I have been less than faithful at updating recently, but I do enjoy "penning" my thoughts. Hard to believe that three years ago I was trying to figure out how to get the mice out of my house! (not successful)

Secondly, and foremost, it is the 20th anniversary of the day that B and I met. :) We met in college at a party, so we didn't really have a "first date." But I tell you, he swept me off my feet that day, and I am still floating. I am so lucky to have him in my life, and I thank God every day that we are together. He is my best friend.

Happy Happy Anniversary!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

It's Hard to Look Cool When Your Car's Full of Goats

Isn't that a great line? I stole it from a book with a similar name.

Anyway, it's hard to look cool when you have a car full of goats. But people sure do stare.

Wanna know how I know?






Pssst! I gotta secret! Wanna hear?

Monday, September 03, 2007

Great Goats!

You gotta check out this website! I kinda-sorta "know" the shopkeeper...

You'll love the stuff, I promise!

Another Fair

The last one of the season! We pick the goats up today.

L showed his girl, and as usual, he brought home the blue and the purple. I am so proud of him, though, he is SUCH a good sport. He is always nervous, and is always blown away by winning. And he always hugs his goat.

L also showed one of my does, a young one, one of the January kids that we pulled. Hard to believe they are grown up and ready to show!! She got first in her class.

Then, M showed an older doe. She is a nice doe, and I like her type (big and bulky and wide), but I wasn't sure if the judge would. Sure enough, he loved her and she got the blue.

So there I was, two kids with blues, showing against each other in the grand champion drive! This was not something I had contemplated!! I even had to borrow a lead rope for them!

So what happend? How did it come out??



The 2007 Grand Champion Fullblood Boer Doe is on the left! Reserve champion is on the right.

So what did the boy do? 1) hugged his goat. 2) shook hands with the winner.

I am so proud of him!

Her, too, as it was her first time showing. So it was wonderful that she won GC. However, she won't let it lie! She keeps reminding him that SHE beat HIM. He keeps rolling his eyes and saying, "It was MOM's goat!" Remember, he also won GC with HIS goat. Thankfully he doesn't really care. But I think that they will both be caring when we pick up their prize checks today. :)

Sunday, September 02, 2007

My Girl

I always take pictures of the goats, and sometimes people (but bad photos of them), and I am always questioned on why I don't take pictures of my kids. Well, I take photos of the boy, he is photogenic and easy to capture. We have tons of pictures of him. But the girl, she hates to have her picture taken, unless it's on her terms. She has autism, and her smiles are usually forced, or she refuses to smile.

I have a new-to-me camera (thanks Dave!!) and it is fabulous for taking pictures of people (in addition to pictures of, well, ANYTHING). My dad is here now, and we went out on a tour of our county, taking in all of the local attractions. While we got some great photos of the sights, I managed to snap a few pictures of my beauty when she was laughing naturally. Finally, she figured it out, and rolled her eyes. Oh, MOM!!

You can see the sequence of events here.









Isn't she stunning?