Granny K and Poppy White

Granny and Poppy-At least that's what we hope to be called. My youngest stepson and his girlfriend are expecting in November.I'm congratulating myself-I've known for 5 whole days and haven't bought anything baby related yet... making a Walmart run after work and somehow I think I may take a stroll down the little people isle. A grandbaby!!!!It's still sinking in..but I feel immortal. I have a legacy now. My kids(albeit a stepson but I still claim him) are having children and passing the torch and I'm still young enough to laugh and enjoy it. I have very few expectations-I want a name that I can say and spell.I hope she's healthy(ok -ok or he).

How do you say "Goodbye?"

 This morning I sat on the front portch staring at some pretty amazing snap dragons. Snap dragons are some flowers that I was introduced to as a kid growing up by my best friend's mom. Her name is Margret and she is incredibly talented with anything that grows. I secretly suspect that she planted hundred of poppies just to irritate the local police-that's something Margret would do. I also saw her flip off the officer while calmly talking to him-with her toes-and he was none the wiser. Can't tell you how many leg cramps I gave myself trying to master the art of flipping people off with my toes.
My best friend is trying to tell her mom goodbye and my heart and prayers and love go out to her. Margret has been given just weeks to live.

Hey, Chick!

Wish these little guys could have made their grand entrance last weekend when Connor and Casey were here, but the hatching continues even  as I type this. They weren't supposed to hatch until next weekend so we were a little surprised. So far, we've got 10 chickens and still 20 eggs in the incubator. A new chick is nothing like you would expect-they're just as ugly as a newly hatched robin. These are several hours old-and have learned to old their heads up. They don't know how at first. They walk like a blind, drunk. Dwight dips their beaks into water and it forces them to take a small sip. They're getting strong by the hour. We have to keep it really warm for them-over ninety degrees or they'll freeze.I'm going to go check on the eggs again.

Turpentine Creek

We went to Turpentine Creek this weekend and I learned some things. First of all, I'm proud to say that Arkansas is a state that outlaws the ownership of exotic animals. Turpentine rescues cats-but they probably wouldn't refuse to help any one.They have a coyote, a monkey, and several bears-along with over 130 rescued cats. 130! These cats on average eat 5 to 10 pounds of fresh meat per day. They walk using their claws-so declawing them causes walking problems later in life. No two tigers have the same facial markings-their faces are like fingerprints or snowflakes. Tigers and Lions respond to all scents but they love Calvin Klein's Obsession. They love to make noise at night-Chalupa wasn't going outside to investigate either.

Eureka!

Eureka -Springs that is -where we're headed this weekend. Can't believe it's the weekend already-haven't had time to post my pictures from my last wonderful weekend. Have some great shots to post as soon as I can.
I'm looking forward to exploring Eureka Springs-it's been a very long time since I've spent any great deal of time there. Chalupa's bed is all packed-along with a leash-and I think we've moved into the motor home. Camera is charged-and a kite festival is scheduled at the Turpentine Creek Reservation.Gps is loaded, food, beer(can't forget the beer), blankets, and clothing. See you Sunday night.

Friday at work

The only good thing about working on a beautiful Friday-lots of goood parking places.

Happy 20th...

Happy Birthday to my baby girl Lauren. She turns 20 today and is probably way too busy to stop and read her mother's blog, but someday she'll get bored and catch up on my goings on and what not.
If there's one thing I want her to know today-it's that I gave birth to her but every day since then she's given back to me. I feel blessed 20 times over. I'm very proud of the woman she has become. I'm amazed at her energy, her strong will, and her love.She's one of the most caring people that I know-and she sets an example for others to follow...if she loves you-you know it. I hope she knows how very much I love her.Always have and always will.

"The greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how much they love them while they're alive." by Orlando A. Battista

Mr. Battista my daughter shows no weakness..