checkered flag

Im sitting here at 5am because I'm a glutton for punishment and got a new puppy.  It wasn't planned but almost seemed meant to be.  Lets go back a few years so you can all understand why.

I've always loved animals. I always told my parents the only grandkids they'd ever get would have four legs and a tail. As we all know, I didn't stick to that promise which I question almost everyday.  I've had many pets over the years, mostly dogs, which they are all worth writing about and I could tell you love stories on all of them but that's another day. 

Eleven years ago I was given an Australian Cattle Dog pup from my best friend.  I named him Tucker.  He turned out to be the most loyal and obedient dog I had ever owned.  He went through a lot with me. He was there with me through my most emotionally difficult time of my life.  He never left my side and I took him everywhere. 

Willie and I almost split up over him when we were dating.  When Willie and I moved in together, the only place we could find that would accept a dog was a severely broken down single wide trailer on a cliff in the middle of the woods. It was horrible. we would lay in bed at night and feel the wind blowing over us, which would be nice on a summer day with a window near by but considering it was winter and no windows were near us made for some concern.  The mice would hide DeCon in willies boots every night and the whole place wreaked of cat pee.  We heated with propane and it was costing us $400 a month (yes, I said a month) to heat it because they're were holes in the walls.  Willie couldn't take it. He said "The dog has to go. We could have a descent place if we didn't have a dog"  Well, Im sure most of you know what my response was, "Don't let the door hit ya on the way out babe".  Don't be mistaking, I loved Willie then as I do now and would've been devastated had he took me up on the offer, but he didn't, and as he always does, God provided within a month an awesome place to rent with the best land lords ever that loved Tucker as much as we did.


Three years ago we lost Tucker. I won't go into the details of how that happened because its painful for me and I don't want to make any of you cry.  We've had a few strays since then and Willie has his "girlfriend" Nellie, our beagle.  I have said for a few years now that when I do decide to get another dog, I would want another Heeler like Tucker only female.  I've come across a few but refused to pay hundreds of dollars for a dog I just wasn't sure I was ready for anyway. 

So Friday morning I log onto Facebook and scan the home page of stats.  I came down to one that read "Free female Heeler pups".  What?? could she be serious?  I messaged her, made sure I had read right, and immediately told her I definitely wanted one.  So, she lives an hour and a half away. I have three kids, two of which get car sick, and a husband who has no clue of my plan.  I have a million things to do this weekend, how am I going to sqeeze four hours out to get this dog?  It comes down to the last minute and I come up with a babysitter and a co pilot for the trip. So 8pm Saturday evening I bring her home. The kids are thrilled because they thought momma was going grocery shopping.  Ashton asks her name. I say "Id like to call her Dinga"  he thinks about it, "mom that name is just too long and I'll never remember it, how 'bout we call her Checkered Flag?"  of course, because thats so much shorter then Dinga.  But by the end of the night she ended up being Maggie May.

Now as I sit here Willie still has no idea that we have a new addition.  He left for work yesterday morning and won't be back until next weekend at the earliest.  So today I'm sending him a picture of her sitting with his "girlfriend" Nellie, on his recliner with no explanation. Hehe, I know, Im so bad.  Ill let you all know how it turns out.

The Day I Saved Hennie

7:50 am starts my four hours of "somewhat" peace in the house.  I've gotten my Kindergartner off to school so that leaves only the four yr old and one yr old.  The house is surprisingly quite when one boy doesn't have the other one to fight with. 

It was a brisk morning walk to the bus stop this morning.  A cup of coffee in one hand, the hand of my six yr old in the other.  I really enjoy the five to ten minutes Im outside with him.  I love the cool fresh morning air.  The bus comes, he walks on while turning around no less then five times to tell me bye and he loves me, then they drive away.  On the way back up to the house I stop and check our hens nest (a pile of rope in the corner of the garage that she has claimed since the coons found her previous nest in the barn and stole her eggs everyday) and I collect my egg for the day.  I look out into the pasture and see only lone rooster and hen pecking away and I wonder how much longer they will be with us.

We started with 16 chickens total about 2yrs ago.  Slowly they have dwindled in numbers due to the many coons, weasels, and hawks that inhabit our little mountain home.  We are left with our two survivors, Jonny the Rooster and Hennie.  That wasn't her given name but since her four sisters died, Amy, Beth, and Jo, it didnt seem right to have Meg with out them so I started calling her Hennie. 

Jonnie proudly and faithfully starts his wake up call at 4am. Some days I'd like to shoot him, but then I think about the day I almost lost Hennie and I know I will miss him terribly when he's gone.

About two weeks ago, I got up just at day light. staggered downstairs to the kitchen and started heating the water for my tea. I heard this terrible screaming sound. What in the world?  So I open up the back door and look out into the yard.  I see Jonny and Hennie strutting right into the edge of the woods just cackling and screeching away. Whats wrong with them?  There must be a coon or weasel after them.  Just then a red tailed hawk came swooping right past me and up into a tree overlooking them. OMG, that hawks after my chickens.  I stood there frozen with fear. What am I gonna do?  Jonny and Hennie continued walking and screeching through the woods. Just as they exited the woods and into the edge of the yard, that hawk swooped down on them again. I screamed. He flew back up into a tree.  I took off running through the house screaming "get the gun, get the gun".  I have no idea who I was talking to since the only people awake were my children sitting on the couch watching their "toonies".  As I skidded past them towards the closet where I keep my shotgun, my "socked" feet when sliding out from under me on the hard wood floor and I crashed onto my left side. I lay there in terrible pain. "Ouch" I said. Then the adrenaline kicked back in and I jumped up, grabbed the gun from the closet, and ran back outside.  I ran up through the yard in my stocking feet till I saw that hawk, aimed the gun, and squeezed the trigger.  Now mind you, I had never shot that gun before (or any gun bigger then a .22 before).  I heard crashing through the branches and I "think" I got him. 

I turned back to the house huffing and puffing to see my husband (who had still been sleeping) and children standing at the door looking at me like went mad.  "What the heck are you doing?" He asked.  "A hawk was trying to get the chickens!" I screeched.  "Good Job Annie"  He said. 

He went in search of the body, but couldn't find it. I was disappointed because that meant I probably missed.  But one thing is for sure, had I not went on the attack, Hennie would've been breakfast for that hawk for sure.
So that's the story of me saving my chickens.  I know its just a matter of time before that hawk or another one probably gets them but I feel pretty darn good about being the hero for that day anyway.

Let us begin

so I've been wanting to do something like this for a while. I just feel like I have so much to say and my status updates on Facebook only allow so many characters.  I feel so out of touch with people most days.  Maybe you all can read my blogs, send me comments, and I can feel closer to everyone.

Ive just recently started texting (I know, Im a dinosaur in so many ways) Im addicted to it just as I became addicted to facebook about a year and a half ago.  Ive become so connected with so many new and old friends that they consume my mostly lonely days as a stay at home mom.  Dont get me wrong, Im in no way bored at home with my three children, six, four, and one, but mature conversation is limited. 

I don't necessarily feel what I have to say is "important" or even entertaining, but I do think I have a lot of pleasantries in my life and I know some fun stories I'd love to share.  My husband has a large circle of friends that he's known his whole life. When they get together their stories are the highlight of their time together. I love listening to all the adventures they've endured through out their life but I often times sit alone off to the side and think "I have so many fun stories too", but my circle of old friends has dissipated and it just doesn't feel the same telling a story to a group of people when there is no one there to share the memory with you.

So I hope you all enjoy my blogs and I welcome all your comments and feedback.  Take care of and see you all soon.