Deer Days

It seems that it's finally fall around here now that it's cooled off and the deer hunts have begun. This past weekend was Youth hunt weekend in Mississippi so Jason took his daughter Mary Cecil on her first hunt. He and I loaded up ourselves, plus Spencer, Caitlin, Brooklynn, Mary Cecil and Anna in the Tundra. We started out with my 2 dogs Annie and Gizmo, but before we even left town I changed my mind on taking 2 dogs along with 5 kids! So we headed to Carrollton to the deer camp where Jason's family owns around 140 acres to stay. All 5 kids scrunched in the back seat of Jason's truck for that hour long ride. It rained all night Friday night so the deer hunters waited until Saturday afternoon to go to the stands. Spencer went to his own stand, while Jason sat with Mary Cecil in one. Right off the bat MC shot one, but they never found it. Then she got another chance and shot another one. By that time Spencer had shot a 7 point buck. They did the whole drag 'em in, gut 'em and hang 'em thing. Then we had a weenie/marshamallow roast that night. Spencer got up Sunday and shot another 3 point buck coming back to the camp after not seeing anything for a few hours. Jason made him gut that one by himself. All in all, we all had a good time "roughing it" at the camp (which is a fully stocked mobile home, so we had satellite tv, cell phones, hot showers, nice beds, etc...) ;) Now, after seeing all the excitement and actually being part of the deer camp thing, I'm considering letting Jason teach me to shoot and maybe try for a deer of my own!!

New Children

Well it finally happened........I have 2 new additions to the family after searching and wanting....a pair of Shih Tzu's. They are the sweetest mild mannered dogs I've been around. I lucked up last Thursday looking through the classifieds in Monticello and saw this ad on the last page for 2 free Shih Tzus to a good home. I checked out the owner and my lady friend next door called her since she knew her. She and her husband have recently retired and are getting ready to travel and see the world in their luxurious RV....selling their home and cars....and wanted both dogs to go together to a new home. So I went by to see them and instantly fell in love. Annie Too (named after the owner's first dog Annie) is the black and white female. She will be 5 in November. Gizmo will turn five in March. She's sorta caramel and white colored. Annie is much fatter than Gizmo. They are both so well behaved and trained. I could never have asked or found any better pets for me and the kids! House broke, house trained, don't chew up stuff, don't mess around in stuff, don't yap and bark.....just precious. When I picked them up yesterday she had just gotten them groomed and they had little candy corn hair bows and halloween bandanas! Just too sweet!! They've spent the day with me at the office since last night I was babysitting all 5 of Tera's kids (4 plus 1 extra) while she is away on her honeymoon. Needless to say, Caitlin and Spencer were just so excited and giddy to get them! Both Annie and Gizmo slept with me last night so we'll see how it goes tonight in our own home!

Back Breakin' Labor

I know I haven't blogged in a while.....I've been extremely busy! But this past week I have been doing some sure 'nuf "back breakin' labor" on this dining room floor. I just got a wild hair one afternoon and decided to rip up the nasty looking carpet in my house and put down this fake hardwood flooring stuff...Man what an IMPROVEMENT!!! It was really really easy getting the stuff laid out and put down. What was so hard was the ripping up the wood that was nailed down that held the carpet around the edges.....My whole body was sore and give out after that. But it is all worth it now seeing how much better my dining room looks. I plan on doing the living room next, and the hallway all the way up to the foyer and the hallway down to the bedrooms. After I get all those areas done I'll have to get my molding for the edges of the floor. Needless to say I am proud!!!

Country girls on the farm

This past Saturday was spent with me cleaning house that morning and afternoon, and then off to the cotton field with all 3 girls. I was determined to take some photos of them out in the cotton....all wearing white shirts. I wasn't sure how they'd all act but once I started snapping pictures, they all started suggesting a photo by "this" or a photo with "that"...so by the day's end I had quite a selection. We did the cotton field pictures, we did the tractor pictures, even pictures on old tractor tires. Then it was off to the Fairview Baptist Church down the road that has a swampy pond behind it. Then I got the bright idea of them in front of an old shack and put it in black and white....so on the way there they saw an old cemetary and wanted to stop there!!!! So what did I do? Stop at this very old cememtary with headstones dating back to the late 1800's and early 1900's. Then when we finally got to the old shack they were almost too scared to get out and get near it. They thought it would fall down around them! Well, I made them hop out and stand in front of the old porch and then I snapped one and back in the truck they jumped! Man, Saturday WORE ME SLAP out! Three little girls....aged 10, 9, and almost 8...whew....but I survived!

Napanee Farms

Today I got the opportunity to take some shots of Jason out at Choctaw cutting beans for his operation Napanee Farms. Well, actually, I rode out their to pick up the prawns he got from somebody so I could put them on more ice and take to Sue Sue (his mom) for her to fix for supper! At Choctaw, he and his partner/best friend Bryan, have about 2300 acres of soybeans. I think they still like about 1500 to cut. The elevator lines are so long (like 100 trucks waiting...) that they can't get alot cut and in hoppers and have a truck to dump in. And to make things worse, the elevator is shutting down tomorrow. It was so dry and dusty to have been so soaking wet and under water just a couple of weeks ago. I only rode a couple of loops (cause riding a combine is pretty monotonous and boring) and then I headed back to the house. And after I write this blog I'm going to take myself a much needed afternoon NAP!!!!

Irresistable

Would you just look at this precious little dog! This morning Mark, Brandon and I rode out to a local chicken farm on official business and this little dog was there. The farmer told us someone just dumped her out there. Well, she took a liking to me. I opened the truck door to get in and jokingly told her to "come on" and she jumped right on up in there!! She stayed by my side the whole time we were there. Well, needless to say, they convinced me this was a good dog, and would love to go home with me and I agreed. Of course I only agreed because Brandon said in the event I couldn't that he would. I called her Skeeter at first. We got on down the road and the discussion of her being a good farm dog came up and that I should take her to Jason in Mississippi. Now his mother assured me Jason loves dogs and has always had a pet dog in the past until now. So, I called him up and told him I would bring this little jewel to him! He didn't seem overly excited at that. The more and more I play with her and pet her, the more attached I get.....but reality kicks in and I know that I can't take a dog to my house and leave the poor thing pinned up or tied up all day while we're at work. So, alas, I decided to let Brandon go ahead and take her home with him to live out in the country. I did give her a KFC chicken thigh and a cool whip bowl of water while here. Anyway, she's sorta been named the USDA mascot up here. Goodbye Skeeter.....happy living with the Satterlee's....and hope you don't meet the fate that most of his outside dogs have met!!!! (that would be meeting the rubber under a tire!)

Drew County Fair

Last night was armband night at the Drew County Fair so I took Caitlin, Brooklynn and Spencer and met Roxie and Ryan out there. The parking was awful...not because it was crowded but because it was MUDDY!!! People were getting stuck left and right. Thankfully we didn't get stuck. The kids bailed out and Spencer took off to go with his friends, so that left Brooklynn, Caitlin and Ryan to ride the rides together. The girls rode the Tilt-O-Whirl, Sizzler, Swings, 1001 Nachts (wait til you see that photo below....can't believe Caitlin rode it!!!!), the Merry Go Round, Nascar Race Cars, did the big slide and little slide. I even let them waste $10 on a couple of games. Trying to throw ping pong balls into bowls floating in a baby pool of water...to win a RABBIT!!! I was praying that one of them didn't get lucky and make it. I sure didn't want to haul a rabbit home. Anyway, by 8:00 p.m. my feet were hurting, the girls had a caramel apple everywhere and were still begging to ride more. I said Hell to tha naw! We got Spencer at 8:30 p.m. and hauled our tired butts home!!!

Guess who is up there on that????? WAAAAY UP THERE????????

Yep, these 2 little heathens!!!