FEBRUARY 2020

Happy February 2020!

TRUDY:
I hope they figure out that Gemma needs a better environment than with her mother. Sad to say, but it isn't always the right place for a kid....
The auction ended up not being so bad. I blocked the entrances to our property with our trucks and the auction company had made arrangements with the property across the road for parking. There were cars and trucks parked all over, but it was semi-controlled. The house was sold to the couple I was hoping would get it! They are neighbors down the road a bit who have been so helpful to us over the years. Good people. The house was originally in their family many years ago before the farm was broken up. Our property was part of the original farm, the house was the farm house. If all the paperwork goes well, they should get the house.



Donnie is feeling much better today! It has been a rough week, but I think he has turned a corner today. He has been walking around with his walker all over the house, doing his PT exercises, and is very alert again. His pain seems to be under control, thank goodness! I, on the other hand, am exhausted! Besides cooking, kind-of-cleaning, doing his bidding, and being at his beck and call, I also cleaned the barn, took care of the animals (twice), supervised the carpenter guys and helped them work on the peacock dome's new mesh. When they went to lunch, I crashed into a nap. They arrived a dawn to beat the auction crowd and left at sunset. It was a long, but fairly productive day.

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY...today is the day here in PA. Punxsutawney Phil will doing his thing in a couple hours and we will have 8 more weeks of winter. Now PETA want's to retire Phil and use a robot groundhog. Are they NUTS or what??? It's too stressful for the groundhog.

Good morning...........I'm hoping everyone has a good February. Glad Donnie is on the mend.

Our country is such a mess................a robot for Puxatauney Phil due to the stress is hysterical
to me.

Make every day a valentine..............

Ark...ice helps with pain...harry had a cold water wraparound thing. Also a shower chair ...our tub is high so that helped. H is walking without a cane now...thakfully hes doing better. I was exhausted and i didnt have outside chores...you are doing good! Course i had cleaning and packing all by myself and cleaning up outside to make yard presentable. I was so wiped out...so know how you feel.

Trudy...oh no. He needs to have a good lawyer and sue for custody the first time the so called mom does anything wrong and held on to at least one visit a week. It would have at least looked better for him. Poor lil tyke is the one who will suffer. I hope somehow she can remain safe.
Its hard in this world.

We are putting last things in the camper this week....closing is coming up....we will stay at the base rv park while i get some dental work done since we dont have to be in tx for grd dghters graduation until may...id rather use a dentist im familiar with...as im such a chicken.
They already know me!

Ellen..thats a nice story of the horse couple...hard work...but pays off.
GM hows your hubby?
Ark...glad you are getting good neighbors!
Wheres everyone else.....helllooooo!

Ok back to work....sigh...ill sleep 24 hours straight when we move to the base rv park....get everything sealed and delivered into hands of new owners! No more cold wet winters.

Good news for Phil...he didn't see his shadow this year, probably too scared, in case they bring in the robot groundhog. I guessing PETA has never met any of the people from Punxy...they will not take kindly to anyone fooling around with their buddy Phil. Ground Hog Day is a National holiday there and Phil is their hero.

TRUDY:
Hurray! An early spring won't hurt my feelings! I bet poor Phil is stressed . He works one hour a year, gets fed and coddled and doesn't end up a target for someone wanting to kill him and all his relatives. Poor Phil. Peta is a dangerous joke.

CB:
Donnie swears by ice, it is his friend. I personally don't like ice except in tea. He is walking better today and even got in a shower using a step stool as a chair in it. He feels better. Our carpenters didn't work today, so my day was easier, too.

It was very pretty and warmish today and going to be in the 60s tomorrow! Phil could be onto something....

I received an e-mail from a friend who is on a 46 day cruise along south Asia, leaving from Perth, Australia.  She was laughing about trying to explain Groundhog Day to Australians.  I hadn't thought about trying to explain that particular celebration.  It would be a challenge.

I'm glad to hear that Donnie is healing.  I still recommend getting Bill Engvall's "just Sell Him for Parts".  You will both understand it.  
I love the picture of the little girl on the rocking horse with the shadow in the background. That would have been me at about 2 or 3 years old.

CB, it's good to hear from you too.  How soon do you have to be moved out?

It was 57° yesterday and will be near that today.  Then... tomorrow?  Back to winter.

Cold for here, it's going to be 28-30 tonight...............humidity 15%........brrrrrr. Horses in.
Dog in. Stray cats in barn I think...........

Winter is returning.  This lake is still frozen, although some of the other lakes have thawed.  

This is the time of year when not too much is happening.  Maybe snow tonight.

Ark, how is Donnie doing? And, how are you doing?

ELLEN:
Donnie is doing much better, thanks! He is moving around the house with his walker and talking about transitioning to canes....I think that is too fast and we have agreed he'd wait until the PT person advises it. His pain is managed much better and he is helping out a little in the house now and then. So things are better! I am fairly exhausted, but seem to be getting stronger. Taking care of everything, taking Donnie to PT, and supervising the carpenter guys, is keeping me run to death. On top of that, it has rained constantly yesterday and today, making the barn work even more fun. Mud. The horses are snug in the barn, I came in soaked.

I've got a beef roast cooking in the crockpot, so dinners will be easier for a couple of days. I will try to find the Bill Engvall's video, thanks! We've only been watching hour or less shows lately, but yesterday we did see an Amazon movie called "Troop Zero" that was very cute. It was about a little girl wanting to go into space in 1977.

LOL. I just put a chuck roast in the Insta Pot, ARK.............we're all eating well today.............

I'm trying to take it a little easy on the food today since two neighbor couples and I are going to the Essenhaus for lunch tomorrow to celebrate two birthdays. That place has mostly old fashioned Amish home cooking. I want to be hungry when I get there.

The big snow storm totally missed us.  HOORRAYYYY it stayed up north and went east.

ARK:  I just love that picture at the top of the forum, every time I see it, I smile and remember that was me, in fact it was probably all of us as little girls.  I still have a little wooden rocking horse, bought it for $5 at a yard sale, fixed her up and all the grand kids grew up riding on her.  She is still in the living room.

Going to a Quilts Of Valor event today.  Daughters of the American Revolution, hand make quilts to give out to Veterans and one of our Purple Heart members is being awarded one today.  It should be a nice celebration of honor to a great guy.  He received 2 Purple Hearts during his tour of duty.  

Today, two neighbor couples and I went to the Essenhaus for lunch. The men were celecbrating birthdays. One of them will be home and getting schnockered on bourbon balls. The other will have to wait for warmer weather to wear his t-shirt with a fish on it.
The Essenhaus is a nice restaurant complex that also has various shops with Amish stuff. They have a nice buffet with basic good food. You can also order from a menu with a wider range of choices. Nobody leaves hungry.
I appreciate my good neighbors so much. All are good people and fun to be with.

Ark, are you about worn to a frazzle? How is Donnie doing?

Graymare, how is TL doing?

CB, where are you?

ELLEN:
Sounds like some nice presents for those fellows! Glad you had a good time!

Yes, I am fairly frazzled, but Donnie is getting stronger fast and has been helpful with some things. Today he had his staples removed from his knee and the doctor said he was making very good progress. His range of motion is increasing daily and he was told to give up his cane in the house. He's not used the walker in several days. It's just been two weeks! I am amazed at his progress. When I broke my leg, I was told to keep weight off of it for nearly 3 months. Donnie is walking around on his new knee in a week and a half. He still has to be careful not to twist it or fall down, but overall, his experience has been mostly positive. I am still the driver and have to pick up heavy things and such, but the job is getting incrementally easier.


I think the farrier may have trimmed Daisy's feet too close last Friday. She is sore on at least three of them. Bute is her friend. I hope it isn't a laminitis attack, but with no grass and hay that has to be eaten thru a slow feeder net, I don't know why she would have had an attack from that. She started limping a couple of days after her trim. I suspect he cut the bars of her feet too much, Daisy needs more support there. I put her SoftRide boots back on today and started giving her Bute. Daisy walks a fine line, she has to be trimmed just right. She hasn't had on her boots in over a year, she has done very well up until this weekend. I need something else to worry about....

Rain, rain, rain. Sunday was a beautiful day, but that was the last one. My stupid trick of the month, so far, is misplacing my trailer keys with my tack locked up in it. I can remember thinking I needed to put them in a safe place. Well they are safe from use by me!!

Ark...sounds like donnie is doing great. H is off his cane and doing pretty good. Little slower this time around...
We have been busy packing the camper and getting things donated out. Almost done.
Almost. Im looking forward to traveling again while we can

Hi everyone else! Im still alive just busy.
More snow coming and we have a snowpack of 146 inches in the mountains....just mud here right now.

HAPPY VALENTINE DAY!

Hi all,

I've been very busy getting everything ready for T to come home.................AND, too tired to write much.
I still have to get home health lined up.

Anyway, love you all and see you later....................

Graymare, I've been wondering where you were. I'm glad to hear that TL is going to be coming home soon. That's very good news.

Ark, another week has passed.  How is Donnie doing?  Are you completely exhausted yet?

Graymare, is TL home yet?  Are you completely exhausted yet?

CB, where are you.  Are you completely exhausted yet?

Trudy, are you busy as usual? Are you completely exhausted yet?

ELLEN:
You sound exhausted! LOL
Donnie is doing very well . I am sitting in the PT parking lot waiting on him . I am pretty much recovered from exhaustion, but am run to death. This morning we ran to breakfast in Radford, then to Blacksburg to get Bute for Daisy at the vet school, then to Donnie’s workplace to get some paperwork, then to the nice Kroger’s in Blacksburg, then ran home to put up groceries and get a pain pill for Donnie, then back to Dublin for PT.
Why yes, I am exhausted and still have to clean the barn! :-)

Ark, I'm not tired at all. It's winter and there isn't too much to do around here. I did embroider a t-shirt for a neighbor and I'm going to make a jacket for another friend. Nothing too strenuous. LOL
It's good to hear that Donnie is doing well. Is his knee already feeling better than it did before the surgery? I've heard that happens fairly shortly after the surgery.