Good For The Soul

The sky was shades of morning blue, all the way to the horizon, with not a cloud in sight. I could already feel the heat and humidity in the air, but the strong breeze blowing from the west helped it to not feel so oppressive. The sun shone brightly over the tops of the trees in the distance, its warm rays already bouncing off the metal barn roof in blinding spectrums of light. The collie joined me on my trek to the chicken coop. He knows he isn’t allowed inside, so he watched instead, gave a few sniffs, and wandered on down the yard. After feeding the hungry chickens I made sure to lock the door so they got no surprise visitors to their humble abode. Now, it was off to the barn to let the horse outside into the pasture. She made me smile with her fly mask on. Her attire reminded me of an equine version of a Halloween costume. Even though her eyes and ears are covered, I know she is watching me. Better to wear a mask then to have to deal with those pesky nuisance flies!

On the way back to the house I notice I have an entire entourage following behind me. It is an early morning farm parade… Me, the collie, the neighbor’s dog, and two out of our three outside cats, followed along behind me. I laughed out loud. The sound carried and bounced off the side of the barn, echoing back across the yard. Laughter. It truly is good for the soul.

 

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Today I am thankful for:

*blue sky

*pets…lots of pets

*laughter

*good food in the crock pot

*watching TV with my husband

*tall, lanky son

*daughter who wears her ball cap

*front porch flowers that explode in colors of purple and pink

*movie with friends

*ice cold water

*flip flops and rolled up jeans

*summertime music

*reading a good book and napping in the hammock

You Do The Crime, You Do The Time

 

This is a post from a few years ago…… I reread it and laughed all over again. I hope you will laugh too. After all laughter is good for you!

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My intention was to finish my story from yesterday….but, that will have to wait until tomorrow. I’m too wound up to type something serious this morning.

Some days are better than others. Just sayin’.

1. The indoor pets needed their flea treatments. The weather is getting warmer and fleas and ticks are already becoming an issue.

2. My husband was gone to a meeting in the evening. I was left to my own device.

3. My son helped with giving the dog a flea treatment. The dog behaved himself at the time….but, then proceeded to roll around in the grass afterward —during his evening walk. Sigh. I hope any nasty little blood sucking varmints that happened to be in said grass, were repelled. Sigh again.

4. I commissioned my daughter to help with the two indoor cats. I had been noticing a little scratching going on (with the cats, not her) and decided we needed to treat them now, while the getting is good.

5. The cats were okay during the treatment, that takes all of 60 seconds. Joe (the senior citizen cat) took it like a champ. No problemo. Nikki, my calico, stalker kitty….not so much.

6. She sulked in my closet all evening. I tried to get her to come out, but she just turned her head and continued to lay on my shoes. It was a major snub.

7. FINE! Lay in there and  I hope you don’t roll over and poke yourself with a high heel!!!! Hmmppfff.

8. Well, Nikki finally emerged, but if ever a cat was ticked off….it was her. Cross my heart and hope to die, if she could speak…she would have cursed me. I’m sure of it.

9. She skulked around.

10. Bedtime came. She usually lays at the foot of the bed…..after she gets pet and loved on.

11. Last night she decided to show her ire, by PEEING on the bed. Right up near me. As a matter of fact she peed all over my new Country Living magazine that I was just settling down to read….and a book….and on the quilt, which soaked through to the blanket underneath.

12. At the moment I did not see what was going on…..but, my husband did and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. He carried her out to the laundry room–where she was banished for the rest of the night.

13. While that was going on, I had to strip the bed linens and wash them in hot, soapy water….at 11pm at night. I was not a happy camper. In my mind I was thinking up horrible sayings….things like…. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”  Yeah.

14. Nikki was crying in the laundry room and I was yelling back, “Suck it up sister. You pee you pay!” (along with maniacal, sleep deprived laughter)

15. She got out of detention this morning….none worse for the wear.

16. The bedroom is OFF limits to her today. She is NOT pleased.

17. Hey, that’s the price ya gotta pay, girlie. You do the crime, you do the time.

18. My bed is now fresh and clean.

19. I am in a much better mood.

20 And Nikki is sulking behind the file cabinet in the school room.

AND THAT IS MY LIFE…..end of story.

Laughter Makes The Whole Day Better

A blog post I picked from my archive……..we all need to have a good laugh. It does a body good:)

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“A cheerful heart has a continuous feast.”  Proverbs 15:15

When is the last time you laughed out loud, tears streaming down your face?  Laughed so hard you snorted? Got the hiccups? Your stomach ached from the muscles you used for a good belly laugh?

Laughter feels good.

Nikki, the family calico cat, has a special fondness towards me. Some might call it stalking. She follows me around the house like my shadow. She makes me a little paranoid when she follows me into the bathroom…and sits and stares at me. Eh, hem….I can do this myself, kitty cat. This morning I was making the bed when she came flying out from underneath it. I didn’t know she was there so I nearly had a heart attack. She made me laugh out loud because she was covered with dust bunnies. Okay, I admit to all my blog readers that cleaning under the bed is not at the top of my list. Not this week. Um… okay. Not ever. Nikki looked hilarious with a big  ol’ dust bunny right on top of her head, between her ears. She did not appear too humiliated by the whole thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I laughed so hard this evening! My son’s dog, Lonnie is a terrier mix. He can stand and walk around on his hind legs. Lonnie loved the smell of the pot roast that I was serving for dinner. Boy, did he want some! He walked around on his hind legs trying to get at the plate. He was so focused on the plate that he backed right up into the garbage bag I had setting on the floor, ready to go out. The expression on his face was priceless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the same dog that I blogged about last week that would not eat his yummy, dog food, nutritional bits. Go figure.

Tonight, while preparing dinner, I was singing and goofing around in the kitchen. My son said, “Mom, you are very ‘bubbly’ today. I like it when you are in a good mood. It makes the whole day better.”  His words struck me. How often do I forget, in my day to day busyness, to smile and laugh, and joke?

My son reminded me  that

Laughter is the best medicine and….

It makes the whole day better.

 

 

I Know You Will Relate

Sometimes, I crack myself up. I laugh so hard that I sometimes snort. That is just how I roll.

In honor of the holidays quickly approaching, and  Black Friday and Christmas shopping underway, I’ve decided to repost one of my more funny blog entries about Wal-Mart’s parking lot.

We’ve all been there. I know you will relate.

Most people keep their less than flattering moments to themselves. Not me. I’ll share my moments….

Just to make you smile.

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Another Incident At Walmart

I’m telling you what! Every time I go to Walmart something happens to me. I must have a big bulls eye painted on my forehead. I got what I needed at the store. I walked carefully towards my car. I managed to avoid all crazy holiday drivers. I got to my Camry and an SUV the size of Texas is parked next to me. He left me about 1 1/2 inches to open my drivers side door and exhale any bit of air I had in my lungs in order to squeeze in. You know the type…the guy that parks NOT in the middle of the parking spot, but right on the yellow line that divides the space. I guess when you have an SUV that size you take up A LOT of space. UGH!! Now, you might be saying why didn’t you go around to the other side of the car and climb in? People. People. People. I don’t relish the thought of squeezing in on that side either. Then I’d have to open the passenger door and climb over the seat–making sure not to get mud all over it, since it had rained all night and all day, straddling the gear shift and pitching forward, cracking my head on the rear view mirror and landing on the car horn on the steering wheel……
Not that I’ve ever done that, you understand, it’s totally hypothetical. Don’t laugh. I know you are.

 

So, on with my story…. After I finally got in my car and readjusted my ribcage I started to pull out very slowly. VERY slowly because I couldn’t see around the huge honkin’ SUV to my left. I creep out. I finally get half way into the aisle before I can see and there are no cars coming so I finish pulling out. As I come up the aisle I STOP. There in front of me wanting to make a turn in MY direction is a HUGE red fire truck. In the Walmart parking lot. So, I can’t go forward and the driver of that big red truck for sure can’t turn around so I start backing up….and backing up…..and backing up. The pickup truck that was directly behind me in the aisle wasn’t going to back up at first. HELLO. Do you see the big red truck???? Move it Buster or he’s running us over. Well, we both did get backed up and the friendly, young fireman driving the truck waved at me. He probably hates the Walmart parking lot as much as I do.

Laugh Your Head Off

Sometimes when life seems crazy and out of control….

When the roof leaks and you notice the water spot on the ceiling, above your bed, growing….

When your elderly cat pees on the laundry room floor and you are the one blessed to clean it up…..

When the dog barks at 3am….again…….

When the to list has become a monkey on your back…..

And all you really want is to take a nap. Or to read a good book. Or enjoy a really rich cup of hot chocolate, but then you remember you can’t drink milk anymore…….

It is at times like these when one needs to laugh.

Laugh hard. Laugh loud. Throw in a couple of good snorts.

Laugh until your sides ache, and your eyes water.

Then laugh some more.

Laughter is good for the body…..and the soul.

God gave us a sense of humor, and we were created in His image.

I think God has a sense of humor too. He must.

On this note, I’ve pulled some funny blog posts from my archives, to hopefully give you some good laughs today:)

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Of Mice and Men…Uh Make That Women Too.

4 Nov

Life is difficult right now for a lot of people. The economy is in a slump, people not being able to find jobs, penny pinching is the norm.  We could all use a good laugh, and because I don’t mind using my own fiasco’s of life to make for a good story and hopefully some smiles….here it is.

Those of you that have been reading my blog for awhile know that my family moved into our new house this past summer. We had built it ourselves (of course with the help of at least a million other people) and are pretty happy with how things have turned out.  Except for the fact that since we built our house in the middle of what used to be open farmland, basically a big field, we have field mice. Okay, so we moved into their territory…..they need to get over it! They invaded our garage in full rodent force.   That was bad enough as I am not friends of rodents named Mickey, Stuart, or Jerry.  Well, really I’m not friends with any rodents. Period.Um….as a matter of fact I am an arch enemy. Just so you know where I stand.

So, the fact we had these furry creatures in our garage was bad enough……but when one escaped into the living quarters of the house…..and by living quarters I mean the master bedroom/bath…..this was all out war! So, here is the story from my point of view, others might say differently (namely my husband) but don’t listen to them…because I’m telling the story here.

The other night I had to use the bathroom before going to bed. (as God gave me the bladder the size of a pea, that is just my burden to bear) It was a little after 10 and I was tired. I trudged into the bathroom and had just sat down when IT ran right under my feet. At this point my brain has not caught up with my vocal cords.  As I lifted my feet straight off the floor I let out a scream. My brain kicked in when my husband came tearing into the bathroom, at my obvious distress. The fact that I’m sitting on the toilet with my legs stuck straight out, pointing at the corner of the room….. he guessed it was the mouse.  He is a smart man.  I, still perched on the toilet, told him “to get it!”  He grabbed a trap we had (since we had been trying to get the fur ball since the evening before) and he cornered the mouse.  Long story short the mouse got his leg caught in the trap and there was a lot of squealing going on. (by the mouse,not my husband) My husband stood there with a wriggling mouse. He was my hero!  The Mouse Master!

So, he wasn’t sure what to do with it since it was still alive. He took it outside where our outdoor kitty saw him and thought to herself, ” Daddy, thank you so much! You brought me a night time snack. How thoughtful of you.” She took off with it and needless to say the bathroom mouse was no more.

As an ending to the story I had to clean up the mouse “remnants” the next morning. Yuck. I know why I hate mice and their little “presents” they leave behind.  I cloroxed everything. Let that clean aroma be a deterrent to any other rodents that get the idea that they can share my house. The only time I’m interested in seeing a rodent is if it’s on TV being chased by Tom.

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Simply NOT Acceptable

24 Jan

Last night I was in bed, all propped up with pillows, snuggled in my super soft blanket, hubby by my side.  I was checking out something on my lap top with one eye while I watched TV with the other. (it’s  a gift) Then I saw IT. Well, I thought I saw it. Okay, I sort of saw it, out of the corner of my eye. A small, black mouse. I thought it might be my imagination, or a shadow. I tried to make myself feel better, but it didn’t work. I had hubby turn down the TV volume so I could listen. I have super bat-like hearing. The slightest squeak, rustle, or gnawing and I would hear it. I’m freaky that way. A slight rub on the side of one of my baskets…..a black flash scooted in front of the french doors. AAaaggggh!

Hubby set a trap, and placed it near the wall on my side of bedroom. My first thought was, what if I have to get up to pee in the middle of the night and forget the trap is there and snap my toe off? Stinkin’ rodent, putting me through this turmoil, and right before bed!!!! I finally got to sleep worrying that this mouse would wait until I’m sound asleep and then gnaw my face off. I have a vivid imagination.

This morning I carefully got up (it was still dark outside) and assessed the situation with the light from my cell phone. (didn’t want to turn the light on and bother hubby) I did not see a dead mouse. Ugh. I tiptoed around ( I have no idea why…I didn’t want to disturb the renegade mouse??!!) .

I made my way out to the dining room and kitchen. As I flipped on the light I saw our cat, Nikki, laying on the rug in front of the fire place. Just then—flash—the black shadow ran behind some pictures that I have leaning against the wall. I picked Nikki up and threw her at the pictures. Bless her heart she had no idea what was going on. She had her back to the whole mouse situation and didn’t see it and now her owner is throwing her and telling her to “sic it”.  Poor girl. She’ll need pet therapy.

Then it was 8 am and time to let the dog out. My son’s new little dog is part Fox Terrier/Schipperke. Both these  types of dogs have hunting small animals in their blood. Their ancestors are fox, squirrel,  and rat killers. A small field mouse should be a piece of cake. Alas, he was more worried in going to the bathroom than catching a sly field mouse.He and I are going to have a talk.

Now as I sit here typing, I notice Nikki stalking around the living room. I think she is on the scent. She is intently watching….something. If Lonnie, the wonder dog, sees the mouse it will be toast. He already nearly destroyed the cat’s stuffed gerbil toy. Wahahaha!  House pets, unite!

If this situation is an example of how the rest of the day is going to go, well than I am in trouble.

Lonnie, Nikki, and I are going on a mouse hunt.

It is totally unacceptable to me to have even one lone mouse in the house. I cannot deal with it. Dirty, disgusting, nasty varmint.

 

Beat The Heat…Again

It’s Still Summer…And It’s Still Hot

I thought I’d read back through my blog archives from last summer. To make a long story short…nothing much has changed. It’s still summer a year later…. and it’s still hot. I still can’t wait for Fall to arrive. I look so much cuter when I’m not sweating. Just sayin’.

 

Because laughter always makes things better……I hope you enjoy the “oldies but goodies” that I’ve picked out of my file:)

 

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Beat The Heat

 

 

 

 

It is a hot, humid, sticky, stifling Monday morning in west central Ohio. I know there are a lot of people dealing with temperatures much hotter than the 90′s, but it’s still hot, regardless. I could gripe about the heat (and I probably will, because I am not above whining), but I will begin today’s blog with being thankful that we have a working air conditioner in the house.

 

The last severe heat wave we had, the air conditioner was not working. We couldn’t catch a breeze and I was quickly melting in a pool of sweat. It was a gross and disgusting scene. Just trust me on that. Moist skin, hair plastered to my head, and a sweat mustache are not my most beautiful look. Needless to say, I was happy to see the temps eventually drop. Now, this week, I am looking at 95 degree temps again.

 

Have I mentioned that I enjoy the laid back spirit of summer? But, not so laid back that I drop over dead on the lawn from heat stroke. Just sayin’. Don’t waste your time telling me I am a heat wimp…because I won’t even fight you on that point. I will just agree with you and then request that you go and get me some more ice cubes for my tea…..or fan me……or spray me with the water hose. That’s just how I roll.

 

The dog days of summer are very real at my house. The outside dogs just lay around in the shade, and pant a lot. I make sure their water bowls are always full. I tell them to drink up. I’m seriously considering buying them a kiddy pool. They can lay around in it and I can bring them their water bowls with little umbrellas in them.

 

I’m already thinking ahead. Three months from now will be October 18th. Aaahhh….cool days and crisp nights. My perfect season…..Autumn, I miss you. Please hurry. Before I melt.

 

Well, it’s off to find something to wear today. Something cool…..but, still decent. And legal.

Just Laugh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A man isn’t poor if he can still laugh.
— Raymond Hitchcock

Sometimes all it takes is something little.

Something funny.

The laughter escapes…….

and all is well.

 

 

A Chapter Out Of My Life

Image via Wikipedia

It’s Saturday.

I took Lonnie dog for a walk,

He and Ace, the outside dog, got into it. Fur flying. Over nothing. Both males. Go figure.

I was having none of it. They both got that I was mad at them. Bad boys. Go sulk.

They are fine. Like 2 year olds.

My husband is mowing the yard on the one non rainy day we’ve had in forever.

I was outside picking debris out of the yard. Amazing what what can find after having winds in excess of 60mph this past week. Just sayin’.

The outside cat, Salem, wanted me to pet her. I did. She is not declawed.

She got her claws caught on my clothing. She panicked. I panicked…because she had her claws on me.

She hissed. I yelled, “stop it”. She didn’t.

Ouch.

We finally got disentangled. Two girls screaming in the front yard. But only one of us with claws. Not fair.

She went and laid down on the porch. Away from me.

I was thinking I should go inside, when my husband went zipping by on the lawnmower.

He is The Grass Geru. Lord of the Lawn. Mower Master. Okay….I digress.

Anyway, the tire of the lawnmower caught a rock and it shot up and hit our outdoor flood light. Well, it pretty much exploded.

Where I was standing.

Glass flew everywhere.

For the love of pete! At least it hit the light and not me.

I again resumed picking up debris. This time it was glass.

All the exploding excitement got the dogs to barking. Again.

That’s it.

I went inside. It’s dangerous out there!

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Say What?

Image via Wikipedia

Last evening I was looking through some of my blog archives. I came across one that made me laugh out loud. Such a window into my life.

Oh, the memories! Being an elementary school teacher in the South… Teaching was fun and the day to day escapades were good fodder for my blog.

Ya gotta love it!

Click on over for a good laugh:)

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God Must Have A Sense Of Humor

Image by cindy47452 via Flickr

Laughing.

Giggling.

Snorting.

Can’t breathe.

Tears streaming down your face.

Therapeutic.

Humor, is something to be thankful for. Life is a lot more fun if we laugh. There is too much in life to be sad about, or scared, or down right terrified about…..but, sometimes one just has to laugh. Laugh out loud. Who cares if others think you’re nuts? Tell them that you are just fine and this is part of your therapy.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 ESV

Today I am thankful for laughter. My eucharisteo is thanksgiving to God for blessing me with funny things. Things that make me “smile out loud”. Surely, God must laugh at the craziness that He witnesses.

#371  A cat that stalks me. I’ve never known kitty love before this cat. She is calico love, wrapped up in fur.

#372 The same cat that is a huntress and deposits her rodent “gifts” in my master bath, where I will be sure to see them…and praise her for her great effort and talent.

#373 A dog that will not eat his nutritional bits and instead spews them around the kitchen floor. I find myself talking to the dog, knowing full well he doesn’t speak my language.

#374 Mismatched pajamas and fuzzy slippers…a regular fashionista, I am.

#375 I’m a mom to 3 teenagers and that brings some good laughs…all by itself.

#376 Random conversations in the family van. About what? Weird stuff, usually. Don’t even ask.

#377 Extremely windy days…I think I saw a cat just fly by the window.

#378 Dark stormy day, that allows me to light my cookie scented candles…..the smell without the baking:)

# 379 Good friends that go to home school conferences together and laugh their way through the aisles of curriculum.

#380 Life can be funny.

*****Sharing all the ways that we are thankful. Click on the Multitudes on Mondays graphic on my right side bar. *****

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