Sadly, we learned of the passing of a great bulldog today. He was UGA VI ; the mascot for the University of Georgia. He was much loved in the sports world and in the world of bulldogs. He was nine. He was the most beautiful bully, and I'm sure the team and his owner will miss him as will we. Godspeed UGA VI: angels will carry you home to the Rainbow Bridge to play with the other doggy angels that await you there. Here is a link to the story. http://www.ajc. com/services/ content/sports/ uga/stories/ 2008/06/28/ ugamascot_ 0629.html? cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=21
I'm crying as I write this, because we all fear that day when they leave us, that is why we treasure every day and give them our all. We spoil ours. We want them to have every experience they can, to feel loved like no other and to have all the doggy joy that all doggies deserve. We love them all so very much. They are our heart.
If you love doggies too and want to help but like many of us, can't afford to contribute money right now ( poopy gas prices are killing us all); you can click on the link on this blog for animal rescue; by signing up on their site, you can get a daily reminder ( as we do ) to click for a bowl of food for a doggie in a shelter. The bullies and I do this together daily, it is free and I feel like we are at least remembering those doggies less fortunate that are still looking for their "forever home". Also they have some truly nice gifts that you can purchase that fund larger amounts of food. They have both dog and cat themed items. It is a neat site to visit. Thanks, Merrie
Sunday, June 29, 2008
P.S.
Just a quick note before I forget; the wonderful graphics you see at the bottom (troop support, air force family ) were created by a wonderful person named Mandie; she offers many freebies like these and does sell her work as well. Please use the link here on the blog list to visit her and see her wonderful work. She makes it possible for us to create on a budget. Her art is fantastic. She is at Life in the Craft Lane with Mandie. Have fun there! Thank you Mandie!!!!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Saturday Antique Fair
The day started rather jarringly for me: we were finally leaving to go see this antique show I had been waiting three weeks to see. As I walked down our sidewalk with my hubby, I saw something that freaked me out and I ran screaming back up to our little stoop, ready to go back in the house; poor ole Niles heard me screaming and he went to barking which sounds like "woo-woo-woo!" You just KNOW what it was; a gruesome old garter(?) snake; YUKKY! Now, funny enough, I have read two blogs that had snake incidents recently, but I hadn't seen our Mr. Snake this year, ( so I hoped he had left and went to Shanda's house ( Hee-hee) see her front porches and sweet tea blog; link is here on the blog list) See, last year, he jumped off the gutters of the house right in front of me! That was TOO much! Well, hubby chased him, he was coming toward me now!!!! OOOOH they can move; I'm really screaming now; so he gets the booger to go toward the wood pile; me. I'm like, "KILL HIM,KILLHIM!!!" This is what the MAN says; "Oh he's pretty, he's not a mean snake, he's good for us." My reply?" AAARRRRGH! ARE YOU SERIOUS! GOOD FOR US! HE SCARES THE DOO-DOO OUT OF ME EVERY YEAR! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME WITH A HEART ATTACK? ( Well, he doesn't have ANY life insurance on me, so rest assured he's not trying to do that; LOL)
Now, I'm finally in the truck, nerves jangled, muttering bad words under my breath about icky old sneaky snakes, and we're off for a wander around the Thumb.Today was the Sandusky MI Antique Fair. We wandered over there this afternoon and saw some fun things I would like to share with you. Our first stop was the Mennonite Bulk Store in Sanilac County. They have lots of good things for a country kitchen! Bulk spices, staples, vegetables and of course my favorite vegetable; chocolate candy ( nonpareils!!!) It is a small store on a farm, but it is really neat. The Mennonite ladies that work there, as well as the men, are very nice and polite. It is not fast paced, hurry up shopping. It is wonderful to see the cheeses and meats that are made locally and in nearby states. They also have a beautiful flower garden as you drive in, which I have taken pictures of to share with you.
We left the store and drove on to Sandusky, which is a town in what is called the sunrise side of the Thumb. Lake Huron is about twenty or so miles away ( Port Sanilac ) It is a beautiful town as I have described before, it is much like a old town in those black and white movies .It has a center square courthouse ( and State Police post ) Shops line the square and a few are down some of the side streets. They have gorgeous homes, both large and small. The people are very friendly there. It feels like stepping back in time to me. The pace is not hurried, people stop and talk on the street and there is none of the loudness of a city. It is surrounded by open country fields.
We walked around the square, looking at the wares for sale. There were more craft items for sale than true antiques, but I like a mix of things. They had many unique crafts as well as some good old standbys; one man made wonderful birdhouses from old buckets that were rusty, which is right up my alley. Sorry, didn't get a photo!!! There were fabric crafts,crochet/knitting, jewelery. food items, even Tupperware. Interestingly enough, there were bikers, mainly from a Christian riding group which was cool (although we did not ride today, The weather guys said it would be stormy and raining; they were WRONG!!!) I did take a picture of a bike with the neatest trailer. It will be in the album below (hopefully??)
After the tour around the antique/craft show, we visited with our new friend Greg at his shop; Sandusky Antiques. I took lots of pictures. He has a great green thumb; you'll see in the pictures. He also has so many neat items in his shop. I asked if he has a website, he is working on it. When he gets it up and running, I will post the link on this blog. He is the nicest guy and so knowledgeable about antiques. One of my favorite rooms is the one he built from beautiful old doors; they are on the walls,ceiling everywhere! What a cool idea. I tried to photograph it for you, but I just could not do it justice; you'll have to visit and see it for yourself. Take a look at the photos, you'll see how many wonderful treasures there are in his shop. And I only took pictures of a limited few; you should see ALL the treasures. There were some stained glass windows in the front of the store that looked like they were from an old church; they had that wonderful point at the top. I am pining for the flag!!! My hubby said he thinks it is a 48 state flag; I didn't count; I just liked the texture and the pole!!!
Leaving the shop, we drove up and down a few streets looking at other shops and mainly houses. I love to see what other people are doing with their homes. They have some lovely yards and homes! I saw a few I could live in!!! I also took some pictures of our countryside to show you what our "country life" looks like. The cows are fantastic; there were so many cute babies! One cow was doing something natural when we drove up ( to another cow ) Couldn't get that photo; my hubby said it was two females vying for dominance! Well! LOL! Aren't you glad we aren't cows? Personally, I don't have the drive or the energy to go through all that! I guess I'd be the "dominated" cow LOL!
I hope you enjoy the photos from today. I especially love the Amish buggy signs; they are all over the roads out here. The sound of the horse hooves on the road surface transports me back in time to a simpler era when we didn't have todays worries. It's kinda nice to escape the modern world sometimes!
Now, I'm finally in the truck, nerves jangled, muttering bad words under my breath about icky old sneaky snakes, and we're off for a wander around the Thumb.Today was the Sandusky MI Antique Fair. We wandered over there this afternoon and saw some fun things I would like to share with you. Our first stop was the Mennonite Bulk Store in Sanilac County. They have lots of good things for a country kitchen! Bulk spices, staples, vegetables and of course my favorite vegetable; chocolate candy ( nonpareils!!!) It is a small store on a farm, but it is really neat. The Mennonite ladies that work there, as well as the men, are very nice and polite. It is not fast paced, hurry up shopping. It is wonderful to see the cheeses and meats that are made locally and in nearby states. They also have a beautiful flower garden as you drive in, which I have taken pictures of to share with you.
We left the store and drove on to Sandusky, which is a town in what is called the sunrise side of the Thumb. Lake Huron is about twenty or so miles away ( Port Sanilac ) It is a beautiful town as I have described before, it is much like a old town in those black and white movies .It has a center square courthouse ( and State Police post ) Shops line the square and a few are down some of the side streets. They have gorgeous homes, both large and small. The people are very friendly there. It feels like stepping back in time to me. The pace is not hurried, people stop and talk on the street and there is none of the loudness of a city. It is surrounded by open country fields.
We walked around the square, looking at the wares for sale. There were more craft items for sale than true antiques, but I like a mix of things. They had many unique crafts as well as some good old standbys; one man made wonderful birdhouses from old buckets that were rusty, which is right up my alley. Sorry, didn't get a photo!!! There were fabric crafts,crochet/knitting, jewelery. food items, even Tupperware. Interestingly enough, there were bikers, mainly from a Christian riding group which was cool (although we did not ride today, The weather guys said it would be stormy and raining; they were WRONG!!!) I did take a picture of a bike with the neatest trailer. It will be in the album below (hopefully??)
After the tour around the antique/craft show, we visited with our new friend Greg at his shop; Sandusky Antiques. I took lots of pictures. He has a great green thumb; you'll see in the pictures. He also has so many neat items in his shop. I asked if he has a website, he is working on it. When he gets it up and running, I will post the link on this blog. He is the nicest guy and so knowledgeable about antiques. One of my favorite rooms is the one he built from beautiful old doors; they are on the walls,ceiling everywhere! What a cool idea. I tried to photograph it for you, but I just could not do it justice; you'll have to visit and see it for yourself. Take a look at the photos, you'll see how many wonderful treasures there are in his shop. And I only took pictures of a limited few; you should see ALL the treasures. There were some stained glass windows in the front of the store that looked like they were from an old church; they had that wonderful point at the top. I am pining for the flag!!! My hubby said he thinks it is a 48 state flag; I didn't count; I just liked the texture and the pole!!!
Leaving the shop, we drove up and down a few streets looking at other shops and mainly houses. I love to see what other people are doing with their homes. They have some lovely yards and homes! I saw a few I could live in!!! I also took some pictures of our countryside to show you what our "country life" looks like. The cows are fantastic; there were so many cute babies! One cow was doing something natural when we drove up ( to another cow ) Couldn't get that photo; my hubby said it was two females vying for dominance! Well! LOL! Aren't you glad we aren't cows? Personally, I don't have the drive or the energy to go through all that! I guess I'd be the "dominated" cow LOL!
I hope you enjoy the photos from today. I especially love the Amish buggy signs; they are all over the roads out here. The sound of the horse hooves on the road surface transports me back in time to a simpler era when we didn't have todays worries. It's kinda nice to escape the modern world sometimes!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Introducing the Bully Babies
Well, this post should probably be more appropriately titled "Poopy Wednesday". First, I'll introduce you to the "bullies", and then I'll tell you THAT story!!!
To begin, bulldogs are like potato chips; you can't have just ONE! I will tell you how they MUST be introduced in public, by decree of the Murphy; Niles is the eldest, Sydney is the youngest, Zoey is in the middle, but Murphy is the "BABY" ( oh yes, he is too!)
We will start with Number One; Niles, he is 8 years old, he is the red and white bully in the pictures below. He is also called "Mister" and when he was little, "No-No Niles" ( at least that is what he thought his name was; he even had a dance to go with that name) Niles is very smart and wiley. He is the king of bullies. He says " all the girls love me" Well, they usually do. He is so sweet, but he has ADHD for sure. He loves McDonald's hamburgers, Plain Tim-Bits from Tim Hortons, MilkBones, and anything else he can scam frm his mom and dad.
Niles was lonely so we got Murphy who is now seven, Murphy is the baby at the top of my blog. He is fawn and white. Murphy loves the same things as Niles, with the exception of peanut butter ( which he likes some days but not others; LOL) Now, I love them ALL more than anything, but Murphy is my special little boy. Some of his nicknames are "Schmoo" "Momma's Boy" (he is and loves it) "Yella Fella" "Fee-Rocious" ( he's not, but we all have an ego, ya know) "Tater" ( cause of his tail, it is long like those tater wedges) " My little Sunshine Man" I love him so much. I have never known why he and I bonded so deeply, but we did. He was very ill when we got him as a pup, but because of the world's greatest vets in Oakville,Ontario,Canada he has become quite the big ole healthy bully. And his momma's love :)
Next we decided after a long interval, that we needed a puppy. Well, I searched around and found nothing available. I somehow wandered onto a website that had some breeder ads; ( never buy any dog from the pet store) I called one that was located in Indiana, right where we had originally come from. The lady was very nice; she had no "puppies" but, she did have a little girl who was 10 months old who had been a show dog. The show ring is picky I think, and so they didn't think she had a big enough head. Good Grief! Well, we weren't sure about this; a ten month old GIRL! We wanted a boy; they all seemed to get along, who knows what a girl would do to the brothers! ( They have always gotten along and loved each other so much! )
We went to see her; the minute I saw her I felt that she needed us to be her mom and dad. She has these big dark eyes that are hard to see as her face is dark. (You see, she had felt that show ring rejection I think. These bullies are smart, and very sensient. She lived with many show bullies) She was so sweet and wiggly! I laughed; she can't even walk in a straight line! She was just the most outwardly affectionate little girl. After some time, the breeder took us back to see her new line; she had some "baby" puppies. Well, this little girl did not want her dad to see those puppies. She followed him with her toy trying to engage him, to keep him from seeing those pups. I think she thought we would never take her if we saw those pups! This broke my heart when she did that. I had went there trying to be tough because I knew my hubby really wanted a baby baby as we call it. And, it is hard sometimes to make them fit in at later ages. Too bad, I melted! We both did I think. And so Zoey became our first princess. ( and SHE is!) She is called Zo-ey-Wo-wee, Princess Poops a Lotta, Zippy Zoey, Missy, and my baby girl.
The boys love her! She is the darkest one in the pictures.
And now, about three years later, we thought four is the optimum number. So we wanted a baby. I found a somewhat local breeder, but after visits and talking a while it didn't work out. They only wanted to part with one of their pups and we wanted a boy, so on we go. The funny thing about this is that I had called a breeder that was local sometime ago and didn't hear anything. So I forgot about it and went on with life. Funny how that goes. I was in a quilt shop waiting for my hubby to finish his guitar lesson. In talking with the clerk, she told me about another cool quilt shop just a little bit away. ( "I'm so there" is what I said ) While I'm talking with the clerk, my phone rings. Now, I'm so not into the cell phone thing, mine is usually just for emergencies, or to find shops. I don't generally walk around talking on them in public cause I hate that! I don't know why I answered it, (oh yes, I do; I put "Who Let The Dogs Out" on as my ringtone, for Mr. Niles, its his favorite song! ) and it is kinda annoying when you are trying to talk to someone!
It was this breeder I had contacted long ago; she wondered if we still wanted a puppy? What? Well, get this she is in the town just south of where the quilt shop was that the clerk had just told me about. Wow; was this meant to be or what? So, I picked up my hubby and we went to meet "the puppy" She had been sold prior, but the new owner got a new job out of town before he picked her up and so he decided not to take her after all. Now, I'm determined that this time I'm gonna be tough. That went right out the window when we walked in, I'm right behind the breeder, and she jumps up on the puppy gate. I see the most tremendously beautiful pair of eyes looking at me! I told hubby that he better sell everything he owned because she was too beautiful. When he saw her, he said the same thing. We visited her each weekend, and finally a check arrived that we were waiting for and home she came.
Her name was Miley, but I'm not that into Hannah Montana, so we called her "Bitsy" as in "a little bit of bulldog" and her "real name" is Sydney. She was born Dec 22,2007. She is a fiercely loving little girl. She loves her brothers and sister. And she loves us! She is the little brindle cuddling with Murphy on the couch. She eats everything; she has such a zest for life! Each new thing is greeted by " Oh My Goodness, that is the bestest thing in the world, I Love it! "
On to Poopy Wednesday; Almost every day "Daddy" takes the little girl out in the a.m. ( she is crate trained as is Zoey) He walks her around and she potties. Well, if she is really sleeping, he doesn't wake her, which is what happened Wednesday. She was zonked out in the crate, so Daddy let "sleeping Sydney lie" As soon as he left, Zoey, who usually sleeps in the living room with the boys, came busting in the bedroom demanding I get up. Now, Daddy tried to take her out, she wouldn't go! Well, I made the mistake of hiding under the covers. She decided that this was not right, so she banged on the crate and awakened Sydney, who started wailing.
In the past if you just ignored them for a few minutes after Daddy left, they would go back to sleep. Not on Poopy Wednesday! Suddenly I smelled something I knew was BAD!!! I jumped up, Murphy said the last time he seen me move like that was when the june bug flew off the ceiling and directly into my hair while I was trying to go to bed one night ( Oh, they're still laughing about that one, my babies are!)ran to the crate and there sat my baby Sydney; full of POOP!!!! When you look at that face, you can't be mad, but I do mutter under my breath sometimes about poop,pee and bully babies!
Oh, it was everywhere! In such a brief period of time!!!!!!!!!!!!! Out they went while I, the Queen of Poop Cleaning, took care of the mess. And Zoey was laughing to beat the band!!! Next time, mommy, you WILL get up when the Princess Zoey tells you to!!!! ARRRGH!
Now that is just a small snippet of the fun you can have with four babies. I love them anyways. The good, goofy things generally outweigh the bad. After all, they are my fur children!
To begin, bulldogs are like potato chips; you can't have just ONE! I will tell you how they MUST be introduced in public, by decree of the Murphy; Niles is the eldest, Sydney is the youngest, Zoey is in the middle, but Murphy is the "BABY" ( oh yes, he is too!)
We will start with Number One; Niles, he is 8 years old, he is the red and white bully in the pictures below. He is also called "Mister" and when he was little, "No-No Niles" ( at least that is what he thought his name was; he even had a dance to go with that name) Niles is very smart and wiley. He is the king of bullies. He says " all the girls love me" Well, they usually do. He is so sweet, but he has ADHD for sure. He loves McDonald's hamburgers, Plain Tim-Bits from Tim Hortons, MilkBones, and anything else he can scam frm his mom and dad.
Niles was lonely so we got Murphy who is now seven, Murphy is the baby at the top of my blog. He is fawn and white. Murphy loves the same things as Niles, with the exception of peanut butter ( which he likes some days but not others; LOL) Now, I love them ALL more than anything, but Murphy is my special little boy. Some of his nicknames are "Schmoo" "Momma's Boy" (he is and loves it) "Yella Fella" "Fee-Rocious" ( he's not, but we all have an ego, ya know) "Tater" ( cause of his tail, it is long like those tater wedges) " My little Sunshine Man" I love him so much. I have never known why he and I bonded so deeply, but we did. He was very ill when we got him as a pup, but because of the world's greatest vets in Oakville,Ontario,Canada he has become quite the big ole healthy bully. And his momma's love :)
Next we decided after a long interval, that we needed a puppy. Well, I searched around and found nothing available. I somehow wandered onto a website that had some breeder ads; ( never buy any dog from the pet store) I called one that was located in Indiana, right where we had originally come from. The lady was very nice; she had no "puppies" but, she did have a little girl who was 10 months old who had been a show dog. The show ring is picky I think, and so they didn't think she had a big enough head. Good Grief! Well, we weren't sure about this; a ten month old GIRL! We wanted a boy; they all seemed to get along, who knows what a girl would do to the brothers! ( They have always gotten along and loved each other so much! )
We went to see her; the minute I saw her I felt that she needed us to be her mom and dad. She has these big dark eyes that are hard to see as her face is dark. (You see, she had felt that show ring rejection I think. These bullies are smart, and very sensient. She lived with many show bullies) She was so sweet and wiggly! I laughed; she can't even walk in a straight line! She was just the most outwardly affectionate little girl. After some time, the breeder took us back to see her new line; she had some "baby" puppies. Well, this little girl did not want her dad to see those puppies. She followed him with her toy trying to engage him, to keep him from seeing those pups. I think she thought we would never take her if we saw those pups! This broke my heart when she did that. I had went there trying to be tough because I knew my hubby really wanted a baby baby as we call it. And, it is hard sometimes to make them fit in at later ages. Too bad, I melted! We both did I think. And so Zoey became our first princess. ( and SHE is!) She is called Zo-ey-Wo-wee, Princess Poops a Lotta, Zippy Zoey, Missy, and my baby girl.
The boys love her! She is the darkest one in the pictures.
And now, about three years later, we thought four is the optimum number. So we wanted a baby. I found a somewhat local breeder, but after visits and talking a while it didn't work out. They only wanted to part with one of their pups and we wanted a boy, so on we go. The funny thing about this is that I had called a breeder that was local sometime ago and didn't hear anything. So I forgot about it and went on with life. Funny how that goes. I was in a quilt shop waiting for my hubby to finish his guitar lesson. In talking with the clerk, she told me about another cool quilt shop just a little bit away. ( "I'm so there" is what I said ) While I'm talking with the clerk, my phone rings. Now, I'm so not into the cell phone thing, mine is usually just for emergencies, or to find shops. I don't generally walk around talking on them in public cause I hate that! I don't know why I answered it, (oh yes, I do; I put "Who Let The Dogs Out" on as my ringtone, for Mr. Niles, its his favorite song! ) and it is kinda annoying when you are trying to talk to someone!
It was this breeder I had contacted long ago; she wondered if we still wanted a puppy? What? Well, get this she is in the town just south of where the quilt shop was that the clerk had just told me about. Wow; was this meant to be or what? So, I picked up my hubby and we went to meet "the puppy" She had been sold prior, but the new owner got a new job out of town before he picked her up and so he decided not to take her after all. Now, I'm determined that this time I'm gonna be tough. That went right out the window when we walked in, I'm right behind the breeder, and she jumps up on the puppy gate. I see the most tremendously beautiful pair of eyes looking at me! I told hubby that he better sell everything he owned because she was too beautiful. When he saw her, he said the same thing. We visited her each weekend, and finally a check arrived that we were waiting for and home she came.
Her name was Miley, but I'm not that into Hannah Montana, so we called her "Bitsy" as in "a little bit of bulldog" and her "real name" is Sydney. She was born Dec 22,2007. She is a fiercely loving little girl. She loves her brothers and sister. And she loves us! She is the little brindle cuddling with Murphy on the couch. She eats everything; she has such a zest for life! Each new thing is greeted by " Oh My Goodness, that is the bestest thing in the world, I Love it! "
On to Poopy Wednesday; Almost every day "Daddy" takes the little girl out in the a.m. ( she is crate trained as is Zoey) He walks her around and she potties. Well, if she is really sleeping, he doesn't wake her, which is what happened Wednesday. She was zonked out in the crate, so Daddy let "sleeping Sydney lie" As soon as he left, Zoey, who usually sleeps in the living room with the boys, came busting in the bedroom demanding I get up. Now, Daddy tried to take her out, she wouldn't go! Well, I made the mistake of hiding under the covers. She decided that this was not right, so she banged on the crate and awakened Sydney, who started wailing.
In the past if you just ignored them for a few minutes after Daddy left, they would go back to sleep. Not on Poopy Wednesday! Suddenly I smelled something I knew was BAD!!! I jumped up, Murphy said the last time he seen me move like that was when the june bug flew off the ceiling and directly into my hair while I was trying to go to bed one night ( Oh, they're still laughing about that one, my babies are!)ran to the crate and there sat my baby Sydney; full of POOP!!!! When you look at that face, you can't be mad, but I do mutter under my breath sometimes about poop,pee and bully babies!
Oh, it was everywhere! In such a brief period of time!!!!!!!!!!!!! Out they went while I, the Queen of Poop Cleaning, took care of the mess. And Zoey was laughing to beat the band!!! Next time, mommy, you WILL get up when the Princess Zoey tells you to!!!! ARRRGH!
Now that is just a small snippet of the fun you can have with four babies. I love them anyways. The good, goofy things generally outweigh the bad. After all, they are my fur children!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Living in the country
Right now, while my bully babies are napping (well, three out of four) I thought I would tell you all about living in the country. At least from my perspective. I have lived in two countries now and four US states, in many types of living environments from apartments to houses and even mobile homes ( and I loved my first mobile home it was perfect!). The one thing they all had in common was that they were pretty much in a suburban area, surrounded by other residences.
That is why I chose to move out in the middle of nowhere. My "neighbors" are far enough away... and it is so peaceful here. My first night here, it scared me because when it gets dark here, it is DARK! But, go outside and look up; the stars are shining brightly, the moon often illuminates my yard and kitchen at night.
Last night, a lightning bug (firefly?) ( we called 'em lite-nin bugs) came to my sewing room window to show off his light. I had not seen one in a long time. Mr. Niles was interested in my story about lite-nin bugs, and he said he had not seen these kinds of critters before. Well, I talk to my bully babies and they answer me back so there!
Saturday I spent doing some planting in the front yard along the house. I am not a gardener, but I love plants and flowers, I'm trying to learn. Sunday, more of the same yard work and cleaning the front stoop. So I go in the back yard to sit on my swing ( my favorite summer thing, next to my bike) and I hear a noise behind me that sounds like hoof beats.
In the country, it could be hoof beats! Nope. Its two pheasants taking off from behind the lilac bush. They land in the wheat field at the edge of our property. Later, my hubby wants me to go to Tractor Supply with him ( I know it is too funny) and I keep hearing that sound pheasants make. Kinda sounds like someone strangling something! But I know it's really close. Being nosy, I tell hubby I'm going to find Mr. Pheasant. I walk over to the wheat, it is almost knee high. I'm fixin to throw a piece of rock in the field to drive him out, and all of a sudden, this big ole rabbit comes jetting right out at me, I scream, the pheasant flies out over me into the next field over. I laughed too hard after that. So that's just part of living in the country.
My other favorite thing is traffic jams. Round here, we do get in a few traffic jams, believe it or not. Sometimes three or four, even five cars ( usually pickup trucks) get all jammed up behind some big ole piece of farm equipment on a two lane road. Everytime I go down to the southern part of Michigan, especially Detroit, and running down I-75 I get reminded of what a real traffic jam is like. Them I don't like so much! LOL.
In closing for this post I would like to say this; I just heard that a motorcyclist was killed Sunday in the next town over and his female passenger was hurt badly. They weren't doing anything wrong, just sitting stopped at a red light enjoying the day until a 90 year old woman turned into the street they were sitting on crashing into them. I don't know these folks, but when you ride you are kind of in a big family. I just want to say I'm sorry to all the families involved, and to let others know; watch for us out on the street; especially in the Summer ( but some ride all year, so be aware ) And, if you have a relative that maybe shouldn't be driving, try to help all you can. I'm sure this lady feels terrible after this awful accident.
Even in the country, you have to be aware. Stay safe til next time and if you are a praying person pray for that motorcyclist and his family as well as his passenger and the driver that hit them. Thanks. Merrie
That is why I chose to move out in the middle of nowhere. My "neighbors" are far enough away... and it is so peaceful here. My first night here, it scared me because when it gets dark here, it is DARK! But, go outside and look up; the stars are shining brightly, the moon often illuminates my yard and kitchen at night.
Last night, a lightning bug (firefly?) ( we called 'em lite-nin bugs) came to my sewing room window to show off his light. I had not seen one in a long time. Mr. Niles was interested in my story about lite-nin bugs, and he said he had not seen these kinds of critters before. Well, I talk to my bully babies and they answer me back so there!
Saturday I spent doing some planting in the front yard along the house. I am not a gardener, but I love plants and flowers, I'm trying to learn. Sunday, more of the same yard work and cleaning the front stoop. So I go in the back yard to sit on my swing ( my favorite summer thing, next to my bike) and I hear a noise behind me that sounds like hoof beats.
In the country, it could be hoof beats! Nope. Its two pheasants taking off from behind the lilac bush. They land in the wheat field at the edge of our property. Later, my hubby wants me to go to Tractor Supply with him ( I know it is too funny) and I keep hearing that sound pheasants make. Kinda sounds like someone strangling something! But I know it's really close. Being nosy, I tell hubby I'm going to find Mr. Pheasant. I walk over to the wheat, it is almost knee high. I'm fixin to throw a piece of rock in the field to drive him out, and all of a sudden, this big ole rabbit comes jetting right out at me, I scream, the pheasant flies out over me into the next field over. I laughed too hard after that. So that's just part of living in the country.
My other favorite thing is traffic jams. Round here, we do get in a few traffic jams, believe it or not. Sometimes three or four, even five cars ( usually pickup trucks) get all jammed up behind some big ole piece of farm equipment on a two lane road. Everytime I go down to the southern part of Michigan, especially Detroit, and running down I-75 I get reminded of what a real traffic jam is like. Them I don't like so much! LOL.
In closing for this post I would like to say this; I just heard that a motorcyclist was killed Sunday in the next town over and his female passenger was hurt badly. They weren't doing anything wrong, just sitting stopped at a red light enjoying the day until a 90 year old woman turned into the street they were sitting on crashing into them. I don't know these folks, but when you ride you are kind of in a big family. I just want to say I'm sorry to all the families involved, and to let others know; watch for us out on the street; especially in the Summer ( but some ride all year, so be aware ) And, if you have a relative that maybe shouldn't be driving, try to help all you can. I'm sure this lady feels terrible after this awful accident.
Even in the country, you have to be aware. Stay safe til next time and if you are a praying person pray for that motorcyclist and his family as well as his passenger and the driver that hit them. Thanks. Merrie
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Exploring the Thumb part one
On Saturday, it was such a nice day weather wise; we have had so many poopy storms, we decided to go for a ride to Port Huron, Michigan. I am not really sure how many miles this is from our home, but it is a good ride, I was not precise in my mileage count but it was at least a two hundred mile round trip.
So, we started out on our bikes, I forgot to mention that we ride Harleys in my opening!!! OOPS! Well, we do. And we are not "BIKERS", but "bikers" I wear a pink flame helmet for goodness sake, I also have a patriotic one with the flag on it for those days when I feel really American. The reason I say these things is because the word "BIKERS" often connotes a bad image for many folks. You know the Hell's Angels and the like. Well, we don't pillage anything, okay other than quilt and antique shops ( and we pay for all our purchases, LOL) and we love to stop at restaurants!!! And, I have to say, that when I am not riding and talk with folks and they find out I ride a bike, they often seem to think differently of me. I am new to riding a motorcycle; four years really.
When we were in Canada, the Captain, as I like to call him ( he is a retired Air Force Captian, hee-hee) bought a Harley and a Honda Gold Wing. My initial reaction was not good!!!! I was soooooo afraid of motorcycles and didn't want to be thought of as a biker's old lady! Eventually, he convinced me to ride around the very quiet, trafficless street in Burlington,Ontario where we lived with him on the Gold Wing. Now, he has been riding for a long time, me pretty much never! After millions of trips around the block, I allowed him to venture down a real street; then we joined the Gold Wing club in Burlington.
These are mainly older folks who are nearly retired or already retired and enjoy riding together in a group. They are the nicest people and are so helpful. The bikes are beautiful, and when they all leave for a ride it is impressive to see. All the colors of the bikes, the outfits many of them wear match the bikes and each other which I find so cute, but the Capt. does not ( he call it "being twinks") Needless to say, I think they are so sweet and innocent, so hey after the breakfast meeting, I run up and tell the Capt. that we are going too!!!! He was probably stunned, ok I know he was cuz he said it.
Well, these folks may be older, but whoo can they ride; they left with us ensconced somewhere in the middle, away we go. All is good, the weather is sooo nice and warm the way I like it, the OPP are waving to us as we wind through the streets of Hamilton, and then I see it, OH NO!!!! these old people are trying to kill me!!! There before us is Hamilton mountain, and we are going UP THE MOUNTAIN!!! Now, I drove this route in my car many times, even though it was a bit scary, but beautiful. It is an escarpment actually, part of the Niagara escarpment I believe. At this point, I don't care how pretty it is. I want off, right now, well, I don't have a microphone on MY helmet, oh nooooo, because he knew I'd be yelling in fear at some point!
Along we go, I look over at the others, they are laughing and smiling!!!! I don't care I'm still scared. So we get up and over, I keep chanting 'I"m okay,I'm okay" We eventually get to Port Dover which is beautiful. I'm in one piece and we go shopping at the neat shops and eat lunch. Well, we decided to linger and rode back alone.
That was okay until Mr. IminaHurry decided to get on the expressway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRGH! I have never been so scared on my life; he goes down the ramp at like a million miles per hour, hey we're not taking off the end of an aircraft carrier, ( I think those jets don't even go THIS fast!) People are looking at me because I have my hands over my eyes!!!!!!!! When we got home I just was so happy to see my babies, and I promised myself no more rides. Okay I loved parts of it, but I am a control freak!!!! We did ride more, not as often as I would have liked because he was often traveling for business, and I didn't know how to ride, so I often longed to know how to ride to take advantage of the summer days.
We met a lady who owned a local restaurant that we frequented and she rode her own Harley; alone ! woo! So the idea was firmly planted in my head, but other things were a priority, but in 2004, I signed up for a class at a college in Port Huron. I figured, it's only $25.00, if I can't do it, or don't like it, no harm. But.... I LOVED IT!!!!!
I often try to figure out why I love it so much; I see things I never see in my truck; I feel and smell things I wouldn't in my truck, okay that can be good and bad; hee-hee. I often get a feeling of utter joy when I ride that I never experience any other time. I never thought I would feel like this on a bike. There are scary things; I have to really focus and stay way more alert on my bike, but the rider's class has made me a better all around driver too. Riding my bike is a learning experience for me each time. I try to learn from my experiences to make me a better rider.
So now that you know part of my history, back to Saturday; we started out at home, went through Cass City, Michigan to eat at McDonalds. This is all a country ride, quiet and pretty. Right around our home we have, cows, with their new sweet babies, crazy pheasants who I call the suicidal pheasant, cuz no matter what I'm in/on they jump out in front of you and scare the poop out of me because I don't want to hurt any animal ever. We also have deer, beautiful, but deadly to a bike and car ( I'll tell you about that one later) We have the most wonderful scents, lilac, lavender,lilies, the sweet smell of freshly mown grass, we also have the smell of nature; the cattle farm has the poop smell, the horses have the poop smell, very organic.
Hey, I live with four bulldogs, if you want an organic smell these babies have got it!!!! The gas in here would run a fleet of Hummer H2's if we could harness it!!! LOL! Well after a small lunch; we rode to Sandusky,Mi. If you come to Michigan, go to Sandusky. There are many lovely shops and it is just a sweet little town, with the old courthouse square. I realize now that I have this blog, I have to show you photos too. I'm working on it!!!
As I ride; I notice everything! Soooo.... as I am going to stop and get gas, what do I see but a pink quilt!!!!!!!!!! There is an antique shop and they have quilts on display outside!!!! ; the conversation between the big bad bikers goes like this; " Honey, did you see that quilt over there, no dear, well I am so going over there after we get gas!!! Okay honey" So now you know what us bad ole bikers are ripping about at the gas station, traffic lights etc. LOL!
( We did see and buy the quilt. we met a really nice guy who owns the antique shop; you should visit if you come to Sandusky; its called Sandusky Antiques on M46; the main drag. You will meet Greg; he is so nice and kind and honest too!; he kept the quilt for us until I could come back on Wednesday (yesterday) which is his first day open through the week; (Wed-Sat) He has so many fantastic finds, I'll have to go back and take pictures for y'all. On the way home I stopped at WalMart, then to the local Mennonite bulk store. I had heard of the store, but yesterday was the first time I went there. Wow, it is so neat. And many things are very inexpensive. I drove home a different way and saw the most wonderful sight; a mom deer and her itsy bitsy baby. They were in a field eating; I pulled off the road and was close enough to see them quite well. The baby was so little I had to squeal!! They heard me and ran back into the field, but it made me so happy that I got to see them! )
And now to the conclusion, finally of Saturday's ride; I know, I wander!!!! We left the antique shop and rode to Port Sanilac which is on Lake Huron. Now this is beautiful. We rode down the lakefront road into Lexington which has one of my favorite shops Gatherings; she has all kinds of country and primitive home items as well as a fantastic garden that her husband keeps us; I will go back and take pictures as soon as possible, I promise. There are many lovely shops there and restaurants all with that small time feel; it is in the country really. And then we left to ride on, at my urging, to Port Huron. We had promised ourselves many times in the past few years since I began to ride my bike that we would ride to Port Huron. Generally we did not ever go further on the bikes than Lexington for many valid reasons.
One is "shopping issues" Port Huron is home to Mary Maxim, which is a crafters heaven!!! Usually if I go there (PH) I have to go to Mary Maxim. I don't have saddlebags ( on my bike at least LOL) ( I told the Capt. that this is probably the only time you'll hear a woman ask for saddlebags!!!) But Saturday I had resolved that I would be good and not go to MM; ( I didn't go, I wuz good!) So here we went to Port Huron. It would have been so grand had not I gotten the POOP scared out of me!!!! Unbeknownst to us, the powers-that-be at the "Michigan Dept. of It's warm , so it's time to jack up the roads" had ripped off the top layer of pavement, leaving this wobbly grated up rough stuff that always makes my bike feel like a kid just learning to ride a two wheeler.
Add to that the fact that I was going highway speeds (55) when I hit it and the we went right into a curve and you will know I was trying hard not to poop! Of course, when you are that scared, your sphincter won't open as it is really puckered up I'm sure ( I don't know because I was trying to keep from falling off my bike) So as soon as I could I pulled off on to a sliver of shoulder which was DIRT AND GRAVEL !!! My sweet man says what's wrong??? ARRRGH!!! WHATS WRONG??? ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!! He has a different bike than I do; his rides way different that mine; he has more experience too; but I am sweating buckets!!!! He says well we'll turn around and go home, I say Im not going back through that curve on this icky stuff! So, eventually I got my nerve up to continue on; it was still scary, but we finally hit real pavement again. WOO-HOO!
Well, we wanted to eat at the Old Country Buffet, and I rode into the parking lot AND IT HAD GONE OUT OF BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah baby; got scared and now my favorite eatery is GONE!!! Well, we rode on over to the Golden Corral; which is also a buffet and sooooooooo much better!!! And, way cheaper too!!!
Okay, you ask, how did I get back home without going on the icky road??? HA! I did something I don't always like to do; I rode on I-69!! A big ole' expressway!!!! This is my second time riding on it and it was great!!!! And, in finding the expressway we wandered through some really pretty country in PH and found a flea market to boot; which I intend to visit in my truck so I can be sure to find and buy some really cool stuff to show y'all in future posts and maybe, if I can part with some treasures, sell a few to some of you who might not be coming to Michigan anytime soon. I know this is long, but I am a talker!!!! My babies want me to stop playing with the bad computer and feed them NOW!!! Sydney is pulling on my sweatshirt jacket so I better feed her and her sibs!!! Talk soon!
So, we started out on our bikes, I forgot to mention that we ride Harleys in my opening!!! OOPS! Well, we do. And we are not "BIKERS", but "bikers" I wear a pink flame helmet for goodness sake, I also have a patriotic one with the flag on it for those days when I feel really American. The reason I say these things is because the word "BIKERS" often connotes a bad image for many folks. You know the Hell's Angels and the like. Well, we don't pillage anything, okay other than quilt and antique shops ( and we pay for all our purchases, LOL) and we love to stop at restaurants!!! And, I have to say, that when I am not riding and talk with folks and they find out I ride a bike, they often seem to think differently of me. I am new to riding a motorcycle; four years really.
When we were in Canada, the Captain, as I like to call him ( he is a retired Air Force Captian, hee-hee) bought a Harley and a Honda Gold Wing. My initial reaction was not good!!!! I was soooooo afraid of motorcycles and didn't want to be thought of as a biker's old lady! Eventually, he convinced me to ride around the very quiet, trafficless street in Burlington,Ontario where we lived with him on the Gold Wing. Now, he has been riding for a long time, me pretty much never! After millions of trips around the block, I allowed him to venture down a real street; then we joined the Gold Wing club in Burlington.
These are mainly older folks who are nearly retired or already retired and enjoy riding together in a group. They are the nicest people and are so helpful. The bikes are beautiful, and when they all leave for a ride it is impressive to see. All the colors of the bikes, the outfits many of them wear match the bikes and each other which I find so cute, but the Capt. does not ( he call it "being twinks") Needless to say, I think they are so sweet and innocent, so hey after the breakfast meeting, I run up and tell the Capt. that we are going too!!!! He was probably stunned, ok I know he was cuz he said it.
Well, these folks may be older, but whoo can they ride; they left with us ensconced somewhere in the middle, away we go. All is good, the weather is sooo nice and warm the way I like it, the OPP are waving to us as we wind through the streets of Hamilton, and then I see it, OH NO!!!! these old people are trying to kill me!!! There before us is Hamilton mountain, and we are going UP THE MOUNTAIN!!! Now, I drove this route in my car many times, even though it was a bit scary, but beautiful. It is an escarpment actually, part of the Niagara escarpment I believe. At this point, I don't care how pretty it is. I want off, right now, well, I don't have a microphone on MY helmet, oh nooooo, because he knew I'd be yelling in fear at some point!
Along we go, I look over at the others, they are laughing and smiling!!!! I don't care I'm still scared. So we get up and over, I keep chanting 'I"m okay,I'm okay" We eventually get to Port Dover which is beautiful. I'm in one piece and we go shopping at the neat shops and eat lunch. Well, we decided to linger and rode back alone.
That was okay until Mr. IminaHurry decided to get on the expressway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRGH! I have never been so scared on my life; he goes down the ramp at like a million miles per hour, hey we're not taking off the end of an aircraft carrier, ( I think those jets don't even go THIS fast!) People are looking at me because I have my hands over my eyes!!!!!!!! When we got home I just was so happy to see my babies, and I promised myself no more rides. Okay I loved parts of it, but I am a control freak!!!! We did ride more, not as often as I would have liked because he was often traveling for business, and I didn't know how to ride, so I often longed to know how to ride to take advantage of the summer days.
We met a lady who owned a local restaurant that we frequented and she rode her own Harley; alone ! woo! So the idea was firmly planted in my head, but other things were a priority, but in 2004, I signed up for a class at a college in Port Huron. I figured, it's only $25.00, if I can't do it, or don't like it, no harm. But.... I LOVED IT!!!!!
I often try to figure out why I love it so much; I see things I never see in my truck; I feel and smell things I wouldn't in my truck, okay that can be good and bad; hee-hee. I often get a feeling of utter joy when I ride that I never experience any other time. I never thought I would feel like this on a bike. There are scary things; I have to really focus and stay way more alert on my bike, but the rider's class has made me a better all around driver too. Riding my bike is a learning experience for me each time. I try to learn from my experiences to make me a better rider.
So now that you know part of my history, back to Saturday; we started out at home, went through Cass City, Michigan to eat at McDonalds. This is all a country ride, quiet and pretty. Right around our home we have, cows, with their new sweet babies, crazy pheasants who I call the suicidal pheasant, cuz no matter what I'm in/on they jump out in front of you and scare the poop out of me because I don't want to hurt any animal ever. We also have deer, beautiful, but deadly to a bike and car ( I'll tell you about that one later) We have the most wonderful scents, lilac, lavender,lilies, the sweet smell of freshly mown grass, we also have the smell of nature; the cattle farm has the poop smell, the horses have the poop smell, very organic.
Hey, I live with four bulldogs, if you want an organic smell these babies have got it!!!! The gas in here would run a fleet of Hummer H2's if we could harness it!!! LOL! Well after a small lunch; we rode to Sandusky,Mi. If you come to Michigan, go to Sandusky. There are many lovely shops and it is just a sweet little town, with the old courthouse square. I realize now that I have this blog, I have to show you photos too. I'm working on it!!!
As I ride; I notice everything! Soooo.... as I am going to stop and get gas, what do I see but a pink quilt!!!!!!!!!! There is an antique shop and they have quilts on display outside!!!! ; the conversation between the big bad bikers goes like this; " Honey, did you see that quilt over there, no dear, well I am so going over there after we get gas!!! Okay honey" So now you know what us bad ole bikers are ripping about at the gas station, traffic lights etc. LOL!
( We did see and buy the quilt. we met a really nice guy who owns the antique shop; you should visit if you come to Sandusky; its called Sandusky Antiques on M46; the main drag. You will meet Greg; he is so nice and kind and honest too!; he kept the quilt for us until I could come back on Wednesday (yesterday) which is his first day open through the week; (Wed-Sat) He has so many fantastic finds, I'll have to go back and take pictures for y'all. On the way home I stopped at WalMart, then to the local Mennonite bulk store. I had heard of the store, but yesterday was the first time I went there. Wow, it is so neat. And many things are very inexpensive. I drove home a different way and saw the most wonderful sight; a mom deer and her itsy bitsy baby. They were in a field eating; I pulled off the road and was close enough to see them quite well. The baby was so little I had to squeal!! They heard me and ran back into the field, but it made me so happy that I got to see them! )
And now to the conclusion, finally of Saturday's ride; I know, I wander!!!! We left the antique shop and rode to Port Sanilac which is on Lake Huron. Now this is beautiful. We rode down the lakefront road into Lexington which has one of my favorite shops Gatherings; she has all kinds of country and primitive home items as well as a fantastic garden that her husband keeps us; I will go back and take pictures as soon as possible, I promise. There are many lovely shops there and restaurants all with that small time feel; it is in the country really. And then we left to ride on, at my urging, to Port Huron. We had promised ourselves many times in the past few years since I began to ride my bike that we would ride to Port Huron. Generally we did not ever go further on the bikes than Lexington for many valid reasons.
One is "shopping issues" Port Huron is home to Mary Maxim, which is a crafters heaven!!! Usually if I go there (PH) I have to go to Mary Maxim. I don't have saddlebags ( on my bike at least LOL) ( I told the Capt. that this is probably the only time you'll hear a woman ask for saddlebags!!!) But Saturday I had resolved that I would be good and not go to MM; ( I didn't go, I wuz good!) So here we went to Port Huron. It would have been so grand had not I gotten the POOP scared out of me!!!! Unbeknownst to us, the powers-that-be at the "Michigan Dept. of It's warm , so it's time to jack up the roads" had ripped off the top layer of pavement, leaving this wobbly grated up rough stuff that always makes my bike feel like a kid just learning to ride a two wheeler.
Add to that the fact that I was going highway speeds (55) when I hit it and the we went right into a curve and you will know I was trying hard not to poop! Of course, when you are that scared, your sphincter won't open as it is really puckered up I'm sure ( I don't know because I was trying to keep from falling off my bike) So as soon as I could I pulled off on to a sliver of shoulder which was DIRT AND GRAVEL !!! My sweet man says what's wrong??? ARRRGH!!! WHATS WRONG??? ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!! He has a different bike than I do; his rides way different that mine; he has more experience too; but I am sweating buckets!!!! He says well we'll turn around and go home, I say Im not going back through that curve on this icky stuff! So, eventually I got my nerve up to continue on; it was still scary, but we finally hit real pavement again. WOO-HOO!
Well, we wanted to eat at the Old Country Buffet, and I rode into the parking lot AND IT HAD GONE OUT OF BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah baby; got scared and now my favorite eatery is GONE!!! Well, we rode on over to the Golden Corral; which is also a buffet and sooooooooo much better!!! And, way cheaper too!!!
Okay, you ask, how did I get back home without going on the icky road??? HA! I did something I don't always like to do; I rode on I-69!! A big ole' expressway!!!! This is my second time riding on it and it was great!!!! And, in finding the expressway we wandered through some really pretty country in PH and found a flea market to boot; which I intend to visit in my truck so I can be sure to find and buy some really cool stuff to show y'all in future posts and maybe, if I can part with some treasures, sell a few to some of you who might not be coming to Michigan anytime soon. I know this is long, but I am a talker!!!! My babies want me to stop playing with the bad computer and feed them NOW!!! Sydney is pulling on my sweatshirt jacket so I better feed her and her sibs!!! Talk soon!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
In the Beginning
Welcome to my first attempt at a blog. I am learning all this new computer stuff at one time and it is time consuming and sometimes frustrating. So here's a brief intro to me; I am currently a stay at home mom to four furbabies; I love all things country and primitive. I am attracted to a simpler, less hurried life, even though mine isn't right now. I love to make items for my home and for others in the country/primitive style. I have the help of my four assistants, which is often hilarious. I live in the middle of a large farm in the Thumb of Michigan. We are truly living a country life. We only own one acre, but I am always plotting about how to obtain more land. My dream is to build a country store behind my home. The name of the blog came from the beautiful red-winged blackbirds who think they own me, at least for the summer months! We have one who thinks he owns our home! I am always so excited when I hear their first trills in the early Spring. I am not a winter person and long to return to the South; I was born in the North, but my heritage is in the South. I hope to make this a place to share stories and ideas, but right now my bulldog Niles needs a potty break. So, see y'all real soon.
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