Mish Mosh, Pish Posh

So i want to start this off: RIP Stacy, my little calf that was Clinton's twin. She passed away on Feb. 12, 2010. I was on vacay and only received the information yesterday that she had passed away. Stacy was named after Stacy London, who is on the show with Clinton called What Not to Wear. She was a small little critter and i hope that she is playing in the giant pasture in the sky.

I sit listen to some dance music, THE BLACK EYED PEAS, and i ponder what to write to you.

I could go totally patriotic and blab about how wonderful it is for Canada to have the leading count in gold medal winnings on Canadian soil. Especially the mens hockey game... what a great finish to a great games. I didn't watch the Olympics that much. I saw some really good important parts though, ie. Alexander Bilodeau winning the first gold, the woman ice skater who won a bronze and competed even though her mother passed away 2 days before, the ice dance team winning gold, and so on. The thing that i like more about the Olympics is that the biographies and commentating is very inspirational. Some people were rewarded with one of the rarest gifts for being good people. Maybe people will create new heroes that they can follow and aspire to be.

ROCK YOUR BODY comes on and i just start to move with the music. Hips doing deep dips. Thighs swaying from side to side to the electro beat. Every once in a while my hands pump and raise the roof. My carpet is my private dancefloor with no limits. I can shake my money maker. I like to get down. Dance like there's no one watching (my cats look at me like a lunatic!). Be totally free. Even break into lap dance mode!

There's this guy that i wish i got to know on my vacay instead of leaving without hardly knowing him. He's very creative and seems interesting. I think he has some great stories, wish i heard them. He's mysterious but i like it. I want to get to know him better, but i don't want to come across as that chick that is desperately wanting to know your deepest darkest secret. I want to be distant a little. It's hard but i have had some success so far. Just got to keep up the cool persona!

The lights on my wall blink green and blue to red and orange. That's one thing that i really love about what i did to my apartment. I have my lights up in a design, it almost looks like a face but it's not meant to be that way. I love turning them on and having them on while i am chillin' at night time. They make me happy, and can entertain me for a few whole minutes.

I had an interview on the weekend. I hope i get the job. I'm confident that i can do it and it's so close to home. With it comes responsibility and organization (which i know i can do, that's one of my best selling features!). I have already figured out what my special title would be EQUINE EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTOR, which would be the long title for "I work in a tack store" or "I work in retail". Now remember how i used to call myself an Equine Stall Sanitary Technician, which was long for saying i shovel shit. And i want to say that it sounds really professional so when i said it to people they would just look at me and nod with a look of WOW on their faces. Any job can have a fancy title so there!, you just have to be able to create it.

I'm still very addicted to the application of FARMVILLE on facebook. There's something about it that i just love. I like that none of the animals are for edible use. I like that i can grow just about anything and not have it die unless i leave it too long. Oh yeah, I'm RICH! (If only it were real life, TEAR)

Ramblings of a Highly Allergic and Sneezing Sarah

This is a note that a friend passed on to me, and in turn i am passing it on to you:
How grateful would you say you are? Did you know that your gratitude level can directly affect your wealth and happiness? Now that may sound strange, especially in light of our current economy, but I've seen it time and time again in my work with clients. I have guided many clients whose charts I felt displayed a need for gratitude to bring about positive change in their lives. And I'm happy to say that those who took my advice to heart have reported a positive shift in their lives and a boost in the things they view as good, including increased wealth. Even financial experts and abundance speakers agree that gratitude is a vital component for increasing wealth and success. This basic premise of gratitude is to acquire a more positive and receptive state of being. Here is how it works. You begin by being grateful for the smaller and more immediate things like having a place to live, food to eat, and a car to get around, etc. By placing yourself in a positive frame of mind through gratitude, you open yourself to all the good things the universe has to offer. That is when you can actually begin to attract good things to you, and most of us could certainly benefit from this idea right now. As you become more comfortable with the positive things that basic gratitude brings, you will likely find yourself feeling grateful for even bigger things like being alive, learning hard lessons, your past mistakes, the freedom to make choices in life, and more. This type of gratitude catapults you even further along the path to a successful and happy life. That's because you begin to lose your fear of change or loss and you begin to develop a deep appreciation for the exciting adventure that life truly is. Once you reach the point where you remain in a constant state of gratitude, you will become a magnet that attracts the positive things to you . . . the things that resonate with who you are and what you desire to do with your life. So, if you are ready to enjoy more happiness and wealth, I challenge you to take some time every day this week to note those things that you are grateful for, from the smallest little gifts to the bigger ones. And may you attract the most wonderful and beneficial things into your life.

So i am on a dating site and i have to say that if i read the words "I am an open book" one more time i think i might just go bananas. Why are guys expecting women to do all the questioning, why can't they just be a little more open and post it on your profile. Another peeve is when guys use improper grammar, punctuation or spelling. This bothers me because it raises these few questions in my mind: Why does everything have to be LOL or like short form? Is this person illiterate because they can't spell worth a damn? What is the issue here? Yes you may be thinking wow sarah that's a little over the top but how many profiles do i have to see that are just malarky. I guess i am a bad critic because i am a writer and stuff like that gets to me.

My calves did awesome today. We were able to work with them instead of them running around like march hares. I was able to pet them all and get them used to human touch. Clinton and Stacy were not so fond of the petting but Gem got used to it and Taylor and Summer know what the deal is. I think that Taylor is going to be a champion calf. He's built like Mini B but he's getting lighter each day, more like Bigguh. All the calves will be good though because we will make sure that they are perfect just like the one year olds!

Yesterday i went golfing and had another stellar round. I shot 40 on a 36 par. Yes, i only played nine holes but that's alright i am doing really well. I am told that i shoot long for a lady which makes me feel well. I also broke out another club, my nine iron. So far so good with that club, just need to figure out where is the proper distance to use it and stuff.

My best friend Becs, is visiting from the Cayman Islands and I can't wait to see her. I am waiting for her to come over right now. It's been a long time since I've seen her and we have been missing each other on the phone. That's alright though i guarantee we will make up for lost time. Welcome home, and take some time to relax!

What Matters To You?

Dear Reader,

It has been a while but there have been a few things that have sparked my interest to write this post to you. A very dear friend of mine, recently lost her mum. I feel for her and when I heard the news I was brought to tears. Her mum will not get to see her first born child or her brother's second child. This got me thinking about our time here on the planet. Some of us are here for a long time, a friend of my parents, her mother passed away at the age of 88. She had a long life and it was well lived. My friend's mum was only the age of 54, this hits close to home for me because my mum is going to be 57 in July. I can only imagine what my friend thought and felt as she watched her mum decline so rapidly. Not only is she pregnant and having to keep on top of that but she also had to deal with a matter that would break most people's hearts. She's sad and wishes her mum could be there but she knows she isn't suffering anymore and considers that a blessing. I put my heart out to both my friend and her mother.

At this point in writing this post I want to take a moment and I would like you to do the same. I want you to think about your time here. Have you accomplished what you wanted to this point? Do you still have goals and dreams that you are working and aspiring to? Have you made amends with those you had problems with? Have you gotten rid of any feelings of hatred? Do you know who you would miss the most, and why? What would you say to those people?

I know that there have been many accomplishments in my life to this point and I am still trying to reach other goals that I have set for myself. I know that I am at peace with my parents and that we have a good relationship and that we can talk about a variety of things. I know that as a writer, I am constantly trying to work and find new avenues to release and create my work. There are a few people that I have not made amends with but I can say that I tried and did all that I could. I have accepted responsibility for destroying particular relationships and then trying to make amends and apologizing for such poor behaviour. I have hatred within but each day if I can try and get rid of a modicum of it maybe there will be none one day. I would miss my parents and best friends. The people I can bear my soul to, the people that know the real me, through the good and the bad. I know that I would be reunited with my precious Phildog and that would mean the world to me.

Those are the things that matter to me right now!

EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE

Dear Reader,

My progress on the name jar for my dad was good till this weekend and then $5 went in the pot. At least I was faithful about contributing when I called dad a bad name. My mum suggested that I carry it on until I can go a week without calling dad a bad name. The fact that I didn't really see dad helped and a few phone calls is not exactly like seeing him in person.
Sadly dear reader, I didn't receive any reports of suspicious activity which was a shame. I would have liked to hear what you guys considered funky junky.

This week's task:

EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE: THIS WEEK, FIND OUT WHAT IT IS

Go up to people and ask them how much they would require to part with their much-prized possessions, there and then. Here is a rough guide to the going rates:

Selling you their unfinished coffee:$9.04

Selling you their left sock:$16.28

Selling you a mouthful of their three course lunch:$10.85

Selling you the book their reading, book price +:$18.09

Selling you their pet:$2170.74

Selling you their umbrella in a downpour:$63.34

Selling you their place in the queue:$27.14

Selling you their soul:Negotiable

In some respects I find these prices quite exorbitant but in some ways these prices seem quite understandable.

My thoughts:

I would sell my soul for a decent price. I would be more then negotiable.

I would gladly give my left sock away because it's less laundry, and it probably stinks.

I would never give my unfinished coffee away because that's how germs spread, and most likely
I would like to finish it, add to my caffeine consumption for the day

I would never sell my book, especially the one I am reading unless it was really shitty, otherwise I would keep it and hoard it like I do with all the rest of my books.

I would gladly sell my umbrella in a downpour because Singing in the Rain was a great film, so maybe I could achieve some star status!

USE A PERSON'S REAL NAME or REPORT SUSPICOUS ACTIVITY

Dear Reader,

I have choosen a tough task for us this week. It's called, USE A PERSON'S REAL NAME. This task did not come from the book but I will add task from the book if you like. I personally think this is a great task. The point of this task is to pick one person, and make an effort to call them by their name instead mean things.

Ex.

I regularly call my dad Stupid, Dumbass, Idiot, etc. For everytime I call him a mean name I am to put a $1 in the name jar.

The idea comes from the well known swear jar, but I have tailored it to suit a different purpose. Once you have completed an entire week you are to give the person that the name jar is for the monies that have collected by your mess ups. This also works well if you tell the person that you are doing this task, the down side to that is they may try to egg you on to using the regular BAD names for them, but that makes the task more challenging.

If you do not like the above task here is the alternative from the book.

FIND SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY AND REPORT IT

We must be vigilant in the face of the terrorist threat. As the (UK) police suggest, “Where there's unusual activity that doesn't fit normal day-to-day life, we need to know.” -a broad call to action if ever there was one. Still, citizens must do their duty “if you suspect it, report it.”

Please leave your report of suspicious activity as a comment to the blog/post and it will be duely noted in my records.

Examples of suspicious activity:

“Mary at 29A hasn't put her recycling box out this week”

“There's a chap outside my house who's been tying his shoelaces for 2 whole minutes.”

“This bald man in local grocery just bought a three-pack of shampoo.”

“The Johnson's have bought fertilizer and it's not even planting season.”

“A dark brown 4x4 has just driven past the train station 3 times.”

“My colleague always puts down the phone when I walk in.”

“The curtains at #98 are always closed in the afternoon”

“How can that ghastly family afford such a bigger house then ours?”

Some of my reports (to start the week off with a bang)

A) There's a constant knocking sound coming from the apartment below (are they trying to let me know they are doing something mischeivous).

B) Someone always leaves the parking garage door unlocked (intruders could enter the building)

C) My cats freak out in the middle of the night, what causes this? (maybe they are under some
spell)

D) Particular neighbours always want to talk to me, when I really have nothing to say to them. (what information are they trying to extort or get out of me)

E) People randomly throw garbage my apartment buildings' and work buildings' dumpsters (is there something in the garbage that needs to be hidden)

F) Runners...they are always listening to something when running and appear in the zone (what are they listening to...instructions from the Master Runner and what zone are they locked into, one from Mars?)

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH EVERYONE WEEK

Dear Reader,

First I want to commend you on your fantastic efforts in participating in SWEAR WEEK. It truly was a hit. For me, it was nice to just forget all inhibitions and just let everything out. Not worry about offending anyone because I made sure it was known that it was SWEAR WEEK. Potty mouth was initiated and exercised, now it is time for a new task for the upcoming week.

THIS WEEK SHARE YOUR EVERY THOUGHT WITH OTHERS

You are an extraordinary human being. The only reason others don't always appreciate this is because they're not inside your head to witness the creative maelstrom of your consciousness. This week, turn to the person nearest to you every time you think a thought, share it with them, and watch them succumb to the magnetic pull of your mind. If there is no around, email or call or text. But get those precious thoughts out there!

Examples

I think I'll watch the news tonight.

I'm quite hungry.

Sheila in accounts is a good laugh.

Does my cat dream of me?

I had a ham sandwich for lunch yesterday, I might have the same again.

One day they'll be able to stitch tiny mobile phones into our ears.

My wife doesn't understand me.

What's my mother's favourite colour? We've never discussed it.

That man is sweating like a pig.

I'm bloody starving.

Here are some of my thoughts at the moment: (ENJOY)

I wonder if I will get that job in Australia that I applied to?

One day I am going to be a famous writer and people will want my autograph.

I walked a mile today.

Why are my cats so insano sometimes?

I'm trying a liquid diet for a day and so far so good, and no i am not pureeing my food I am just drinking juice, tea, coffee, and water.

My trip to the Cayman Islands is soon and I'm going to have a blast.

Tom Jones is the greatest!!!! Particularly the songs It's Not Unusual AND Sexbomb.

I think I should turn my bed heater on, so that it's toasty for when I want to go to sleep.

Had a bath and I feel great.

SWEAR WEEK was so awesome, I am considering making that a monthly ritual or something.

I want to go to Tuscany.

I desperately need a mani/pedi/eye brow wax.

I love writing to you!

It Keeps Gettin' Better....

Dear Reader,

Things have been quite busy in the last little while. I thought that I would bring you up to date because today is MY BIRTHDAY. I have received a number of birthday wishes from family and friends, and I have made it my job to personally send them a message back and thank them.

WORK
That’s right I currently have a job. I’m working for a company that I used to work for, that specializes in Rapid Prototyping. Some of you may not know what that is but if you look it up you will find out that it’s a special world for techies and there’s some interesting stuff that comes out of this type of work. I would put my company’s website up but I don’t have permission and I don’t know how they would feel knowing I am writing a blog post while at work. All the pressing things that were for me to do I have completed though. It’s nice to be back working and have an income that is regular and coming in. Sometimes it gets stressful but I have stated that I haven’t worked in 2 years so I need things to be easy for the first little bit. I have actually been working here a month, I almost forgot that. I am thinking about re-negotiating in January, more hours and such.

MOO NEWS
This weekend just past we had to give the babies their second set of booster needles. MJ, Nibbs, Mini B and Starlett were fab. I walked them over to the special pen, which is away from their mum’s and they are champion leaders. Mini B and Starlett can still have days where their attitude is quite prominent but this weekend they shone brightly. The kids are also exposed to the bull, Junior, who is their dad. I think they know that he is their daddy because they are very fond of him and spend a lot of time with him. Unfortunately, Junior’s time at the farm will be coming to an end soon because he has to move on to the next herd of ladies. He looks great this year, a lot better then last year. I got some pictures to post so I will try to remember to post them here as well. I’m hoping that we can get Junior again next year because the kids won’t be able to be bred so it will just be their mum’s that need servicing. The year after is when we will need to get a brand new hubba hubba for everyone. Junior will always have a warm place in my heart though because he helped create the wonderful kids that I have now.

THE HILLS
The Hills is turning out to be one of the best seasons ever. I know at the start I was complaining how it was slow and blah blah blah but it’s great. I re-neg all my previous statements. Each character is coming into their own and learning what is necessary as goals and wants and desires. Whitney has been lucky to get a spin-off from the hit tv show to create her own tv show called the City. This follows Whitney as she moves up in the fashion world and out to New York. The Speidi drama is rich as always and with a surprise turn, Heidi lost her job last night because she was drinking on the job. I think it’s going to get steam-ier with everyone.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY
Just wanted to mention that my best friend, Rebecca celebrated her 26th birthday on October 29, 2008. I was silly and didn’t send her anything for that day but I made sure to make it up to her by posting some videos on YouTube and sending her something which arrived yesterday, Monday November 3, 2008. My other best friend, Meggy has her 26th birthday coming up which is November 9, 2008. Please be sure to drop by her blog http://www.aphoenixlament.blogspot.com/ and give her a happy birthday wish. Then on the 28th of November my friend Sher Bear has her 26th birthday coming up November 28. Happy Birthday Sher, not sure if you read my blog but a big shout out is going to you.

WRIT 2900
This is my writing course that I am currently enrolled in. I think we are in our 6th week of sessions… and I am in love with this course. It is making me push the envelope, experiment with point of view, look at narrative structure, write lyrical poetry and much more great stuff. The teachers are James Dewar and Sue Reynolds, who if you have read my blog taught the fabulous Erotic Writing workshops that I participated in. This course has nothing to do with erotic writing but it is well rounded and focusing on the rules of writing so that when we know them, then we can break them! I have learned so much and will continue to do so. This course is great and I am learning so much more then I thought I would. This course also brought some of my fellow colleagues from the WRIT 1900 to the forum and it is great to be in class with them again. They too are excelling in their own ways and developing a voice they can call their own.

RIDING LESSONS
My one student, a young girl the age of 9 completed her set of 6 (½) hour lessons, which was given to her as a birthday present from her Grandpa. She truly enjoyed the experience and got to test out both my small ponies, Stewart (on lease) and Casper. She was so smart as to want to switch riding them between lessons because she said that she liked them both and didn’t want one to get more attention then the other. This gave me warm tinglies because she really cared about the ponies, and that’s the first step. I have since been approached by a girl to give lessons and we had our first lesson on Sunday, November 2, 2008. The student really liked how I accommodated her and her horse and made exercises (on the spot) suitable for what her training needs are. She plans to be showing in the spring, and I hope I am her coach for that because I would really like that. If you are interested in lessons please leave me a message and I will get back to you asap.

Even though the posts have been sparse I am trying to bring you up to speed in each one. I know that I have to get back to doing it regularly. For my next post I think that I should do some fun facts or something. Give you faithfuls a laugh!!!

Mish Mosh Monday

Dear Reader,
I miss writing to you greatly so I decided this morn that I would post you a little ditty. My mum is on holidays in Edmonton, but is currently in Jasper. My dad was a complete dick last night...no surprise there I guess. Because of that happening I have changed the thingy under my name on msn to “to be or not to be an asshole”. Yes it's hamlet-esque but that's ok, Shakespeare wrote a ton of good stuff so why not remember him by a quote from one of his fab plays. As you can tell from the start of this post it is going to be a post with a bunch of mish mosh cause I am just going to pour my brain on to the computer screen for your pleasure. I'm not even going to put paragraphs or anything. Today is mish mosh monday.BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER is a documentary that I watched yesterday. It was a great movie because it brought light to how American's consistently depend on steriods to keep themselves big and muscle-y, like Arnold, Lou Ferrigno, Jose Conseco, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Ben Johnson, Sly Stallone, and many other celebs that you would know. It was very informative because as serious as steriods is, it doesn't kill as many as the FDA, and other organizations say. It kills 3 people every year, while alcohol, hard, drugs, car accidents and other things kill thousands upon thousands of people. Very interesting and I totally thought the documentary host CHRISTOPHER BELL was hot and he was 1000000 times better then Morgan Spurlock (SuperSize Me). The weather last night was completely crumby too. There were thunder bolts and lightening crashes a lot and then came the buckets of rain. What a crappy night, it should have been predicted though because yesterday was very cold and yucky all day. The book I am currently reading is THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES by Cecila Ahearn (wrote PS I LOVE YOU), it's a very interesting book. A woman ends up getting a blood transfusion when she loses her baby and the donor's blood has come with memories of his family and life and job. So not only is her mind filled with her own life's disasters, she has to deal with his too. She actually goes on a quest to find the donor that saved her life. Interesting concept. Haven't finished it yet but I'm more then ½ way through and it's good. In my downloading travels, I happened to come across an album that was all burlesque music. I have listened to some of it and surprisingly, it is quite good. It's sort of like electronica but not quite, but I find it very interesting. Let's say that i am considering getting a pole for my apartment so that i can work out and get hot! (I know that's not really burlesque but ....). FYI= It's monopoly days at mcyaks so to all you die-hards, try and participate the prizes are really good and I wish you well and I'm hoping I get some luck too so that I can fun during monopoly days! Yes, it's my most favourite time at McYaks ever!
Signing off,
10 / 4 Good buddies

A Little Bit of Everything!

Dear Reader,
It has been quite some time since I have written, and I didn't think it was so bad until I got a message from a FAN saying “Write woman Write! I love your blog.” So getting a message like that has kicked me into to writing overdrive and I am going to give you the down low on absolutely everything that has been happening. Hope that is good for a refresher on my life!

MOO NEWS
I am happy to announce that all my calves have been born and they are growing tremendously. I have 3 wonderful little girls (Mini Mol aka MJ, Mini B, and Starlett) and a stubborn little boy (Nibbs). The mothers are happily letting my dad and I work with the babies, getting them used to having halters on and MJ has a solid grasp on being led around. We tried Nibbs and for the first time he did amazing, not a lot of fuss or any hullabaloo. Baby Starlett is the youngest but she is so young that she is taking everything in like a sponge which is amazing and useful for training purposes.

MY HAND .. Specifically My Pinky Fingy!
My cast came off on July 4 and I have been going to physio since. The doctor and my physio therapist were totally impressed that after 6 weeks from the break date, I had my full range of motion back. That takes a lot of work and a lot of persistence but I realized how important it was to get the use of all my fingers and wrist back. I have a splint that I am only supposed to wear when I am working with the cows because the fingy is not totally healed and it is for safety reasons, just in case anything happens. Can never predict anything when working with animals.

ANNOUNCEMENT
I am currently teaching horseback riding lessons, which I love to do. I am considering expanding my horse variety so that I can be more accomodating for potential students. My facility is located in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada. If you would like to contact me please leave me a message in the comments section so I can get back to you or drop me and email at Ginger_Girl_1010@yahoo.com with subject line as RIDING LESSONS.

WRITING
I have been working on collecting a list of words for when I am at my writing group. The list contains a variety but I am looking for suggestions. Any words out of the ordinary that are used in the English language would be great. If you would like to suggest anything please feel free to do so by leaving it in the comments section, and I can tell you guys how it went when I used it in my writing challenge!

MY LATEST PROJECT
I have been on a mission. The mission is to create a collection of 80's cartoons that I grew up with for my potential child, if there is one. I have already collected: HeMan and SheRa, Rainbow Brite, The Last Unicorn (movie), Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Ponies (movie), Jem and the Holograms, Astroboy, Sailor Moon, and the Jetsons. As I am getting these movies, I am watching them and it is like I am reliving my childhood. I loved each and everyone of these programs and if I have a child I would like them to grow up with the same tv that I did. Tv from the 80's is a lot different then cartoons from now. There is less violence but a ton of cliches. I know that dvd's don't last forever but I hope that these ones will last till when I need them!

A LITTLE DITTY .... AS A TREAT
Sitting at the counter of a restaurant I wait for my delicious treat that I have ordered. Time passes slowly as I wait. My sugar is low so I have the shakes but maybe I have them because of anticipation. I hear the machine blurring together my wonderful creation. I forget about the busy hum of the restaurant the door bell indicating when new customers have arrived or satisfied customers are leaving. I am in my own head space, trying to patiently await my treat. I watch the waitress carefully as she pours the silver canisters contents into and large glass. Thick and creamy.... She is sure to add all the canisters contents because she knows I am excited for my treat. Wiping the rim of the glass to make sure that presentation is perfect, she adds the finishing touch of a red and white striped straw.

“Here ya go!” She says with a huge smile.

“Thanks so much. I have been dying for one of these all day.”

I close my eyes and start to suck on the straw so that my palette is able to get a sweet taste. A thick sensation enters my mouth and I get the beginning of a brain freeze. I am not bothered by this small hinderance because it means that my milkshake is made to perfection. The rich vanilla flavour hits the spot on my tongue and my whole body relaxes with a yum.
Hope you enjoyed the milkshake ditty as much as I did because I have a craving now! Who knows maybe you will too!

Thanks for being true and sticking with me dear reader, even though I haven't written to you in quite some time. I plan to be more faithful and give my audience what they want. Humour, and stories with a dash of education!

Yeah For Babies!

Dear Reader,

I have some fantastic news. It's funny the other day that I posted a pic of a boy and girl stork because I received a call from my dad this morn to say we had two babies born. I rushed over to see them and take some pictures. So both babies were born yesterday night (June 23, 2008), and the pics were taken today. The gray baby is a girl and her name is Mini B and her mother is the fabulous big lady, Bigguh. The black baby is a boy and his name is Nibbs because his mother is Nubbin. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Mini B!!!

Mini B having a nourishing drink from mummy Bigguh!

Baby Nibbs getting cleaned by mummy Nubbin!!!

Nibbs: Man being cute is a lot of work, I need to take a break if I'm not getting paid!
Sibling love!

So Much to Say... So Hard to Type With 1.5 Hands!!!

Dear Reader,

So I am awaiting the birth of my next baby cow, and I'm very excited. Today will be Mini Mol's first day with a halter on and i'm going to brush her. Hopefully bonding with her will go well and she will like it. As I have said before I love baby time and I get busy with the babies when they are all here. I'm as to what my new arrival will be, if it's a girl that would be cool because we get to keep her but I have got myself thinking it will be a boy because 2 girls in a row would be what we want and that usually is not what we get!

This pic is cute because it addresses whether we get a boy or girl, or even twins!

So I just want to inform you about my cast life. Life with a cast sucks!!! I am managing though and with help from family and friends, we do more laughing about the cast then just being down by it imposing on life. My cast is starting to get very loose which is not good but I'm told that is what happens. I'm wondering how my fingy will be on the 27th and whether i will need to get another cast or will i be able to get something else....maybe a little easier to work with!!!

My cast is a little bit different then this one. I wish my hand contained as much history as the hand in this pic, which happens to be Chopin's. This cast of his hand was made after he died.

My friend Meg as down this week from Tuesday to Thursday and then I took her to the train early Friday morn. She had a really good visit and was able to enjoy a relaxed lifestyle for a little bit. She was great company and when I saw her son for the first time in a while, he was walking everywhere like a march hare. It was really cool to see him motoring around because the last time that i saw him he was just getting ready to crawl. Being able to witness the growth of a child is amazing, I think that's why I enjoy baby time at the farm because they develop so fast.

2 babes, 2 brains = Trouble!!!

Well if we have a baby born today i will be sure to post again. I just wanted to drop you a quick line because a fellow reader made a comment that I had been slacking on my posts. I must do a better job to keep you guys better informed....and i plan to!

New Arrival At the Farm + My Broken Fingy!

Dear Reader,

I know it has been a while but I will tell you why. I recently broke my finger which makes doing everything 10 times harder or more awkward at least. I broke my right pinky finger June 1. I have a cast now, which is fibreglass, so that means that it can go in the shower and it's more durable.

Next thing on the agenda, we have our first baby girl Mini Mol, born to Molly. She was born on June 7. She is absolutely adorable. I didn't know this but baby calves are born with no pigment in their eyes so they all have blue eyes to begin with. Mini Mol suits her stunning blue eyes.

Mini Mol born June 7, 2008, mother = Molly
Aunty Bigguh doing her job already, while Mummy and daughter look pretty darn cute for the camera!

Mini Mol is going to be a Papa's girl, I can just tell!

Anyway my hand is pooped already. Sorry reader, I may have to make my entries short but frequent.

Enjoy the pics!

Tribute to Ben, Sparty and Newt

Ben ( Ben Hur)

Sparty (Spartacus)

Newt

Dear Reader,

Some unfortunate news but we all knew this day would be coming. My calves Ben, Sparty and Newt left today. No they didn't go for meat they went to a better place where they will be fed like piggies and get to make new friends. After that the rest is history.

I want to write a tribute to them because they were the first babies actualluy born on the farm and it was such a great learning experience as well as enlightening. Each day one of the babies was born was really special because I gave them names and got to see them learn how to stand and then eventually walk. For each baby there was a lot of wobbles on the first day they were born. As I got to watch them grow like most mothers watch their kids I got to see them develop personalities and traits that were specific to each one. Ben was the first bornn and he was always very docile and quiet, much like his mother Molly. Sparty was the argumentitive baby that was always disagreeing with whoever was handling him, (I didn't handle him often because I couldn't deal with his attitude when it was bad!). Newt, my precious little boy, was the most outgoing, curious and well socialized of the group. Because Newt learned to be led around at a younger age, it was his forte, while the others were not far behind in excelling at their leading skills. The funny thing is Dad was fixing the fence in the cows paddock the other day and Newt was around being silly of course. Dad said that he actually stole the hammer while it was on the ground and he was running around with the hammer in his mouth, while dad was chasing him trying to get it back. I don't know about you, but it definitely makes me chuckle a little bit. The times that Dad and I would go out to the field and all the cows would start a mini stampede and kids would always be the first to kick up their heels. It was so much fun to watch them play and frolick with the mums.
All my boys I am very proud of and they all turned out to be wonderful babies. Ben, Sparty and Newt you were the joy of my life when you were at the farm, and I loved you with all my heart. Seeing you grow up I can relate to mothers with children, just in a different way. No other babies will replace you because you guys were the first and will always be. Even though new arrivals are making me excited for June/ July time, you guys will never be replaced and in my heart you will always have a spot. Love Mum/ Sarah.

Ben and his mother, Molly

Newt, his mother Scarlett and Sparty

Return of KOJAK THE LUMBER JACK (just slightly different!)

Part 1 - The initial cut and the first TIMBERRRR!!!!!!
Part 2 - Ferrying the loads of limbs to the trailer
Part 3 - Carrying the last reminants of the tree to be put in the truck. A job well done!

Dear Reader,

From previous posts you can tell that I am a jack of all trades. I bake, cross stitch, knit, tend to my blog (THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THEM ALL!) and do a variety of other things. Well I seem to have inherited that trait from my dad. His full time job is being a veterinarian, and of course with the funny farm and the addition of the cows he can call himself a farmer too. He also dabbles in woodworking, mild mechanics and a variety of other things when there is something that needs fixing. Well today was interesting because my dad brought me along on a journey that took him to his co-worker Betty’s house to cut down a tree that had died this year in her yard. Now this is no task for the average joe, you have to be well skilled in the using of a chain saw and then be tidy because you are doing a job for someone. Here’s where the funny part comes in, before I was born my dad had a shaved head (right to the skin) and a handle bar mustache, and his nickname was KOJAK THE LUMBER JACK. It’s funny how today he had reverted back to his roots and entered the wood cutting skill of Kojack once again. While dad was slicing and dicing the dead tree I went around Betty’s backyard and took snapshots of things that I thought were interesting or I just really liked. Then it came to be work time for me. Dad had chopped a fair bit of the tree down, actually all the limbs, so we started the easy task of ferrying them to the trailer and coming back with an empty wheelbarrow ready to take another load.. Once that part was done dad had to do the final job of actually making it look like the tree didn’t exist, the final cut that truly opened up the back yard. With one swift stroke with the chainsaw it was as if the tree had never been rooted there before. Betty was happy that we were able to do her a favour as well as visit with us. She was so thankful that she showered us with gifts before we left. So that goes to show you dear reader that not all good deeds go unnoticed.

COWS

My dear calflings are doing excellent. They have large round bellies that never go empty for even the slightest second. They have whiskers like an old man and they are only 3 months for Ben and Sparty and 2 months for Newt. Today was interesting though, and I will tell you why. I took the feed out tonight and was able to get it all ready before the HERD came rushing over to get their din din. It was great because I was able to get a picture of the rush and the dash over, everyone mooing with excitement that they were getting fed. The cows and calves are a great pleasure of mine and I have really enjoyed watching them grow. Even when you can see the slightest bit of weight gain on them, you feel a true sense of accomplishment. I am going to leave you with some pictures of the darlings because I haven’t in a while. Enjoy, hopefully as much as I do!

Ben, Newt, and Sparty enjoying their dinner.

Creative Writing x2 and More Cow News!

Dear Reader,

So I finally did it. I signed up for a course that is really close to home to expand my knowledge on creative writing. I will admit that I am excited because it will only help me with my new found passion. I have found that within the last year that I love to write. I write about absolutely anything as you well know. Hopefully this course will encourage me to write more wonderful assignments that I can post on here for your viewing pleasure.

Next topic….

Yesterday, we de-horned my little calf Spartacus. The process wasn’t nearly as bad as the method of ‘gouging”. With the method of gouging, what the instrument is, is like a long pair of pliers with sharp ends that go into the calf’s skull and take out the horn buds. After taking out the bud it is normal procedure to then stick a cauterizing iron into the gouge area to stop the bleeding. I am not sure whether this method is done with freezing or not but it is way to bloody for me to even think about doing it to the poor little guy. So there is another method of actually burning the horn off. What it is, is a butane torch with a little cup shaped figure on the end. The idea is to put the cup shaped area over the horn and gradually burn the horn to the base of the bud so that there is no blood supply therefore the horn cannot grow. My dad gave Sparty more freezing then necessary, and I will admit that I was unsure how I was going to be able to endure this, even though I wasn’t the one getting the procedure done. So before you start burning anything you insert a needle just above the eye area to the base of the nerve that goes to the horn bud. The needle has the freezing so you are freezing the nerve which in turn will freeze the horn bud and the horn. Then you heat up the butane touch till it is nice and hot. You place the mini horn in the cup shaped area and then kind of rotate the burner around so that you are burning the horn. Because Sparty had a fair bit of hair around the little nibs the smell was of burning hair. Then you gradually press a little deeper. Eventually the first little cap will come off of the mini horn. Dad chose to burn the left-over mini horn to ensure that he was doing a good job. Now as a mother watching I thought it would be disturbing but really it was the opposite and quite fascinating. When the cows grow horns think of it as if they are growing finger nails, that’s the analogy my dad gave me.

Next topic….

So we now have a bull on the property to pleasure my 4 big ladies. They will be coming into season soon so he will definitely have his hands full. The bull’s name is JR. It’s kind of funny because he is this massive sized cow, not something I would really call JR, I would probably name it GIGANTOR or something of the like, but oh well! JR, is a black angus cow, all black no white at all, he has a little bald patch on his head from rubbing it on things but hey some men go bald it’s ok! It’s really funny because he is always checking out the ladies making sure they are ‘ripe’ for the taking. There has been no breeding going on that we know of but whatever happens at night is between JR and his ladies. The babies are loving having a male figure around. They look up to him like a father figure, often playing around him and making sillyness in his presence. JR doesn’t really care! Although yesterday JR got to the notion that he was going to have a drink of milk from Molly like the babies do. He got in there and was sucking away, probably sucking the life out of dear Molly, poor girl! Finally she got irritated with his rudeness and started trying to walk away. The best thing was that JR had total milk mouth and face just like the babies do. He definitely had a treat that he was not expecting, that’s for sure! Pics to come soon, I have to get off my butt and take them.

Next topic…

Just for you keener readers that have checked out my friend Meg’s blog, the address has changed once again, :
http://stay-at-home-maven.squarespace.com/
Like I have said before she’s a really good writer and the things she writes about are fantastic. She rants and raves about some things like the best of us bloggers do. So stay tuned at this site to see what next funny adventure she’ll take you on!

For now I have said my piece. Don’t forget that it is the Hills tonight people so I will write a blog post right after the show. Should be quite interesting, so stay tuned here for the latest Hills re-cap! I have also decided that I want to put more pics on the blog. It has been proven that readers retain and enjoy reading more if there is some visual stimuli so I am hoping to do that for you.

Newt Breakthrough and My Student Kimmy and Avis

So loyal readers,

I want to talk about 2 things.

NEWT
So tonight I was inspired to start leading Newt. My dad wasn’t feeling well so I decided that I was going start working with Newt. Since Sparty and Ben are usually done at the same time, there was no way I was going to catch both of them and have a decent walk. So I fed the mums and made sure that Newt was in the corner so that I would have an easier time catching him for the first time. I caught him but it took me too long to get the halter on him and he escaped. I didn’t think that I was going to have much luck with catching him again but I corralled him into the same corner and worked faster at getting the halter on him. He was backing up and acting funny but no different then Ben or Sparty when they first started being led. I did get a few steps that were good for starting him out though. I am really proud of him because I was able to catch him and do it all by myself. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without watching my dad do it with Ben and Sparty so I owe my tricks to him.

My Student KIM
I have a girl, Kim riding my horse Avis. I mentioned this in the previous email. She is an amazing rider. We are going to be going to a few fairs to see if she can win some money. I don’t really want to start out that way, I would like to do schooling shows first but she is a student and she’s not made of money, neither am I for that matter. We have to work around her draft horse show schedule which is totally fine by me. She currently is in Ottawa, hopefully winning with her team that she shows. We have one possible fair this month, but it’s next month that has a lot of options. While Kim is away I have been doing a bit of leg work and trying to find places that we could go and practice at. I have found about 25-27 places that we can work at. Now all we have to do is book one and go practice and see how it goes. I am really looking forward to seeing Kim show Avis!

Updates, Get Your Updates!!!!

Dear Reader,

I know I have left you hanging for quite some time. I can’t remember the last time I wrote and I need to start writing to you instead of leaving you in the dark like I have for so long.

COWSI have 3 beautiful baby boys and the mothers are all doing really well. The first birth was on July 3 @ 12:30 pm. The baby that was born to Molly we named him Ben Hur but he just goes by Ben for short. The second baby born was on July 17, 2007 @ 10:30 am. He was born to Nubbin and we named him Spartacus. The last the baby born was on July 24, 2007 @ sometime in the afternoon. He was born to Scarlett and his name was Newt. I named the first two boys because I wanted to have babies named after famous men. I had to let dad name the last baby or I would never hear the end of it. He picked Newt which rhymes with cute so it’s not too bad. Ben has been learning to lead on a halter and leash and Sparty is on his third day of leading. They are both doing fabu! I’m really proud of all my little boys.
If you go to the link below you can get a look at all the wonderful pics of the babies:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7892&l=61087&id=513636945

GYM
I have started going back to the gym again. This is the beginning of my third week of going. It is not so bad right now. When I first started going I really hated it, but now I am at the point that it is ok to go. Hopefully this will be good and I will make some progress again!

STUDENT
I have a student riding one of my horses. She is really great and a good worker. She is critical about her riding just like I use to be. I really enjoy coaching her, she takes her work seriously and I like that. We are planning to go to some shows in the near future which will be fun. I am so proud how much she has progressed in two weeks, it’s unbelievable really, but she has done it!

Movie Reviews (Short and Sweet)
Stomp the Yard = really good dancing movie, it’s different from all the rest though. Very interesting.
Apocalypto = excellent story, another hit by Mel Gibson. A bit gory as suggested in reviews but the story is amazing.
Hannibal Rising = big disappointment, not a very good film and it really wasn’t as great as the other Hannibal movies. Not hardly any gore either.
Reno 911 = Absolutely freakin’ hilarious, if you want to laugh watch this. I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard!
Miss Potter = A nice sentimental film, if you read the Peter Rabbit books, it’s about the creator of them. It was a little bit of a love story as well. Probably the best chemistry between Rene Zellweger and Ewan McGregor yet!
Breach = A really good true story about a breach in the FBI. Gary Cooper was fabu and Ryan Phillippe did well as a secret spy. The story is true don’t forget!
Shooter = Mark Wahlberg was eyecandy as usual but the story was really good. Kind was like a government conspiracy movie. Very good guy movie.
Black Snake Moan = Very sexual movie. Christina Ricci was really strange in it. Samuel L. Jackson does a fabu job playing the electric guitar, I hope that part was really. J. Timberlake didn’t have his greatest performance. Movie was just ok.
PRIDE = An excellent inspiring film. Terrence Howard was very captivating and even though I normally don’t like him Bernie Mac was pretty good too. Good film for everyone.
Astronaut Farmer = Really inspiring film as well. Gives the impression that you should never give up on your dreams. Not a true story but would be interesting if it was. Billy Bob Thorton was great as a dad and a man with a dream. Good movie for all.
Factory Girl = Probably one of Sienna Miller’s toughest roles to play. She plays Edie Sedgewick, Andy Warhol’s muse if you will. The movie is a true story but it shows that Andy was not nice and kind of scummy. A tad on the long side too. Interesting flick for people who like biographical flicks.
The Number 23 = An excellent film. Totally pulls Jim Carrey out of his funny man roles and into something different. The movie had me guessing the entire time. Don’t think the ending is predictable at all. Kinda creepy but it was great.
Zodiac = A true story as well. About the unsolved mystery of the Zodiac killer from the 1960’s. Jake Gyllenhall is great and Robert Downey Jr. even though he is screwed up he’s great too. Good cast and great story. I never figured this one out. At the end you get the deal with what happened after. Really good murder mystery/drama flick.

My New Cows

Scarlett

(Left to right) Molly & Nubbin

Molly

Dear reader, I thought that I had mentioned my new cows around the time I had gotten them but I was looking back through past posts and noticed that I had not mentioned them.

We received the cows on June 3, 2007. We got 3 pregnant mummies. I chose to name them Molly (she is lighter around the eyes and mouth), Nubbin (she has a little nub of horn left hence the name), and Scarlett (she’s the darkest red out of all the cows). We still have Bigguh of course, even though Shorty passed away (May 24, 2007). We have the cows divided like this: Nubbin and Molly are together because they were already pasture mates and they were the closest to giving birth. Scarlett is with Bigguh and they get along so well. It’s sort of funny because Scarlett is so much smaller then Bigguh, it’s like she could be her calf. Scarlett tends to act like Bigguh’s calf which is cute. I talked about the cows in my post from yesterday, so I thought I would give you more info on them. The 3 new cows are Limosine crosses. They all show their personalities each day and it makes me love them even more!

Updates, Get Your Updates!!!!

Dear reader, so I haven’t written something really personal in a while so I figured I should bring you up to speed on a few things, etc.

THE COWS
I am waiting (patiently, or at least trying) for Molly to give birth. She is as big as a house, there’s a possibility that it may be twins! Two babies, that’s great! I can’t wait to see them. It was predicted when we got her that she would be calving within the week that they arrived but she’s two weeks over due and she doesn’t look like she will be having a baby/babies over the weekend. She doesn’t run very much and when she walks she waddles. She has about a foot sticking out from where her belly would regularly be, on either side! Nubbin will be next to give birth and then Scarlett and Bigguh. We aren’t watching Nubbin closely yet though because she’s not ready for sure.

MY NEW PASSION
I really enjoy taking pictures. I have been practicing when there is riding lessons going on. I am getting a lot better. I find the action shots hard to take, for example when the horses are jumping that’s difficult but I am getting better at it all the time. Even the horses are getting used to me being in weird areas around the ring so that I can get what I think would be the perfect shot. The first lesson, I took approximately 45 pictures and I nearly doubled that the next lesson I decided to take pictures at. I am also taking pictures around the farm of things that look nice, sometimes the sky, the cats, the sunset, anything really that I consider pleasing to the eyes. I have posted a few of my pictures (a lot really) on Facebook, if you are interested in seeing them you can look me up there.

SCHOOL
School is almost done. I have been guaranteed a pass with one credit already completed (Computers). I am trying to find a volunteer placement somewhere within the school news paper or something so that I can enhance my newfound writing skills. If I don’t get that I will ask Erin if I can do my placement at the cleaners because it’s close to home. Dad thinks that I should try and find a placement at one of the local papers but I said that I have to like working where I am and I doubt that I would like working for one of the local papers. The benefit for working with the school is I may be able to write about the program I am involved in and how it is changing and progressing. The second semesters have their graduation next week on Friday. I will take my camera because I really want to capture their happiness and excitement and also get pictures for my own memories of them. They are a really nice bunch of people and I wish them all the best.

GOLF
For Father’s Day I treated dad to a round of golf and then made him a really nice dinner. I tried to tell him that he didn’t need to do chores around the house but he insisted and I wasn’t going to argue with him. The golf was nice but it was probably the worst round of golf for a long time. I realize my season was cut short last year and that we haven’t been to the driving range much this year, so I am not going to be amazing on the first try. We are going again this weekend, which will be nice, and we are making a tentative date for Tuesday after I am done school. I miss my hobby but I am lucky that I am able to do it a little bit rather than none.

Tribute to Herbie

So folks I have had another death in my animal family. My dear Herbie, my first betta fish passed away June 9, 2007. Herbie was a really interesting fish. He was at the point where he would almost do a mini jump out of the water to get his food. He was really skiddish and didn't like foreign things in his home, but overall he was a wonderful fish. I painted a rock for him so that he can have a place within our little animal cemetery at the back of the property. I put all things that were important to him on the stone, his name, a heart because i loved him, the sun because he loved the warmth, and a wave because he loved water of course. I hope that Herbie is swimming around in his big fish tank in the sky or wherever it is. He will be missed dearly but I will carry on and Barclay will also carry on with good memories of him close to our hearts. You will be greatly missed Herbie.

On a secondary note, my dad has now changed his stance and he thinks that we will be having calves on Fathers Day. The girls are pretty big and their titties are full of milk ready to feed hungry little ones. It will be Molly and Nubbin that are expected to calf. I will be sure to get lots of baby pictures and keep you updated. Scarlett and Bigguh are due around August 1st so we have a while to wait. I am ready to be in parent mode though and am very excited as it will be my first time seeing a birth.