Introducing....

'NICKY'

My daughter has a horse! She is a beautiful, 6 year old 'pintabian'. Isn't she beautiful? Right now she's enjoying several acres with about 2 dozen other horses. When we go out to get her for a ride, 4 or 5 males follow us and wait for her. They are all so sweet!

9/11

I remember the night before~there was a HUGE spider in my bedroom. I was unable to catch it (to return it outdoors) and decided to sleep on the couch. My daughter woke me up in the morning~yelling to me that her Dad had called and told her a plane had flown into a building in New York. We turned the TV on to see the horrific image of the second plane flying into the 2nd tower. Never in my life will I forget the sound of that plane or those images. My spider emergency didn't seem like such a big freaking deal anymore.

Wishing everyone a peaceful day of remembrance today...

Finally...

I picked up Poppy's ashes today. It's taken me this long to feel like I could go to the vet's and get them (she died at the beginning of November) They gave me a certificate for the cremation and a copy of 'Rainbow Bridge' which made me cry..

I have Gypsy's ashes too. Maybe one day we'll take them to the park and scatter them along the trail. Or not..

It's holiday time!

It's the hottest summer here ever~at least up to now~just as my holidays have started, so has the rain! WTF is that about?

We spent yesterday at a local Blues and Roots Festival. It was great! There was a bit of rain on the drive, but it cleared up just as we arrived. Awesome music, lots of food, alcohol for those who wanted it. Sharon Jones has incredible energy, and Smokey Robinson has great pipes! Honestly, when he came out in those shiny, skin-tight red leather pants, well, it was just a hoot!

At one point we watched an eagle fly overhead with a fish in it's talons~and just before 8 PM hundreds of crows started flying to their roosting spot! there were dragon flies all day. Wasps too, but they were just annoying. Next weekend we're travelling to another festival about 5 hours away, encompassing the entire weekend! I can't wait!

it's an invasion!

Saturday morning I got up to discover a major ant invasion in my kitchen. After taking about a jillion of them outside in shotglasses(I'm a catch and release kind of gal) I googled non-toxic deterrents and discovered that they hate cinnamon-who knew! It looked to me like they were coming in where the water pipes are under the kitchen sink, so I covered the area with cinnamon! Either they are using another entrance or there were lots hiding out, because I've taken at least 30 out today. Honestly, I like ants. They're cool. Just not in my house! And seriously, why does this happen when mr pawprint is out of town??? And don't they ever sleep? It's nearly 1:30 in the morning and I'm still trapping them. Jeez, I'd have a martini, but all my shot glasses are in use...

it's summer!

Man, it's hotter than stink!! I don't want to complain tho~our winters are sooo long here. The biggest challenge (besides coping with the sauna-like atmosphere) is making sure the cat doesn't get out when the doors are open~we've been shutting her in the bedroom, since she usually sleeps there, but she's on to us now and has started sleeping under a desk in the living room! She stays put for awhile once the door is open, then when I'm not looking, she quietly pussyfoots outside and jumps off the deck to eat grass!

It should start cooling off in an hour or so. Then it'll be my fave time of the day~sitting in the cool air with a bunch of candles and some juice or a martini..

Hope everyone is having an awesome summer...

an anniversary....

Yesterday was our 4th anniversary of being together~the anniversary of our first date. For the first time, we didn't celebrate it, or even mention the day. I'm sure he knew~he gets email reminders for all special days~but this year even I didn't feel into the day. I'm not sure what, exactly, we would be celebrating. He remains married to someone else. Never would I have thought, 4 years ago when we started out, that this would be the case at this point in time. I have no feelings that we are moving forward in our relationship. I no longer wear my engagement ring. For the first time, this year we are not having vacation time together. He will be going away at the end of this month for a week and possible two weeks. And you know what? I am so looking forward to it! I wonder how we will both feel when he returns. There are lots of good things about my partner. He is wonderful to my daughter. He is so kind to my Mom and other family. He and my brother get along really well. He cooks. Often! He massages my neck and my feet when they're sore and tired. Again, often.

It's time to make our relationship a priority. We have a weekend away coming up in August. It'd be nice to really enjoy it as a couple. Better get crackin'...