It's amazing how incredibly busy our lives are. Actually, to be perfectly honest it's kind of sad. In the scheme of things, we shouldn't have to work four or five jobs EACH to survive. Even sadder, we are barely surviving. Aren't most of us anymore? Turning on the television is depressing and I don't read newspapers because it's usually just bad news too. All of society is bad anymore. But, we've turned it that way over the course of many, many years and it's not going to fix itself overnight. That's certainly obvious.
Last week, I was asked how I was going to fit in this new job I have, with everything else I currently do. After all, there's the magazine and all that entails each month, then throw in the farm and the daily chores that are involved in running it and I stay busy. But the truth is, running the magazine has only gotten more difficult over the years, between all the competition that has sprung up around us and - again - the economy. We don't have the heart to raise our prices, and really haven't in all the years we've been doing it, even with all the improvements such as going to the magazine format.
Not to mention, it's hard enough to get small businesses to buy ads with the prices we've always had so I can't imagine how many advertisers we'd lose if we raised our prices. We've asked for donations before and put up donation jars with the books, but that didn't really work either. Mama Hazel's Bakery in Grayson always has change in it when we visit there and I get such a smile on my face when I look in there. But they are one of the few jars that ever contain change.
So we do other jobs too. I do graphic design and typesetting for people when I can. Most of the time, I do that type of thing during the evening hours, after dark when I can't be outside. Needless to say, I get alot more work done inside during the winter months. I tend to stay outside as much as I can during the other seasons.
The Dave person is now working at WSKV 104.9 FM over in Stanton two days a week, so that's been an adjustment to the schedule. Getting up at 4am throws things into a tailspin on Mondays and Tuesdays. But, I'm thanking the Lord for the job and would do it every day of the week if he worked more over there. That's down the road though.
And now, my new job as Booking Agent for The Velvet Blue, a local bluegrass band that I've been following for the past 18 months or so. I've never done this sort of thing, but I'm all for getting this band known - both around here and nationwide - and getting them booked as much as possible in 2014. After all, this is just promoting a small business and those that know me know how much that means.
For some reason, bluegrass groups don't make much. And they have to really work and travel all over the place just to make a living. If you don't believe me, check out Rhonda Vincent's schedule sometime. That girl is all over the place, all the time. And I'm sure she's not making millions like some of the performers out there. There was one group that performed at Poppy Mountain on Wednesday, Thursday they were in North Carolina, Friday they were in Maryland and Saturday - back at Poppy Mountain. And this group actually has a dedicated show in Branson too. Yet, they were up on stage reminding everyone to buy their merchandise because it's what pays for them to be on the road.
My observations on bluegrass music? You won't find a better bunch of people than you'll find at a bluegrass event - right down to the bands. Every one of them will visit their merchandise table after their performance and pose for pictures, give you their autograph and even sit and chat with you. The Judge Talford Band performed at Poppy Mountain this year. They drove up from Tennessee in the middle of the night, performed twice the next day - after getting dressed in their utility trailer and drove all the way back to Tennessee that night. I'm guessing they didn't make $100 each. Not a big money-maker.
Why do they do it then, you might ask? The only thing I've been able to figure out is they genuinely love bluegrass music. They love the challenge of the instruments, which are some of the hardest to play in the music industry. Goodness, have you watched someone play the mandolin? Amazing is all I can say. Taylor Hampton of The Velvet Blue won't even consider a girlfriend because it would interfere with his music. And you can tell when he plays just how much he loves it.
The same reason that The Dave Person and I do what we do. Because really, we do love to stay busy. We have no kids or grandkids living close, so we watch the kids around here and live vicariously through them. We truly care about the businesses that have supported us over the years. We truly care about our publication and all the areas that we travel to each month. I just watched people travel to every state around us this past week for their fall vacations, yet some people have never even been to West Liberty, Kentucky since the tornado hit. They've never seen Broke Leg Falls or hiked in the Red River Gorge. It's stuff like that that keeps us doing what we're doing.
I hope you have a great week. And remember, come by the AlpacaBerry Farm sometime! We love kids, and we love showing off the alpacas. And above all, we are just another small business we hope survives these tough times!
Blessings to all,
Pam
Monday, October 14, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Strange twists and turns
Life has sure thrown us some strange twists and turns along this journey we've been on with All Things Country Magazine. When we started it, there were hardly any free newspapers out there. Goodness, aren't there a lot of them now? Some of these publications even use the same printers as us. Of course, none of those publications have the Dave person. I figure I've got a leg up on them.
When we started the magazine, every ad in the first edition was given away free. Three of those from the first edition never advertised again. That was dis-heartening right off the bat. But we kept at it, and kept improving, until we got to where we are today.
Have I wanted to quit? Oh, just about once a month - every month since I've started. I'll be having a really terrible day and then check the mail and read the most wonderful letter about the magazine and I just get a big smile on my face and say "yes, maybe another edition or two." And we just keep on keeping on.
With the economy the way it is though, I'm really not sure how much longer we can keep it up. As it is, both Dave and I have taken second jobs. And we take on added jobs all the time. It's harder and harder for us to drive around each week to twenty different counties and not sell a single ad. And it's hard to get it across to our advertisers that we simply cannot come back four or five times each month.
We could hire someone to help us out. We've tried that - several times - and it just doesn't work out. And with the current government shut down, we couldn't afford it anyway. No one is doing anything right now. The whole country is just petrified at where we'll be even in a week. I can't blame people for not wanting to spend their money. But, I also can't deliver our magazine to them if they won't advertise. So it really is a vicious circle.
We do have some excited news to share though - we've made it to round two in the Intuit Big Game Sweepstakes. If we get enough votes in round two, we'll advance to round three where the folks at Intuit will select 20 businesses for the final vote. If you'd like to help us out by throwing us a vote or two, here is the link: https://www.smallbusinessbiggame.com/KY/All-Things-Country-Magazine/374560. You can vote once a day - and if you'll go through each little story, you can vote on those pages as well.
Many blessings to you - today and always.
Pam
When we started the magazine, every ad in the first edition was given away free. Three of those from the first edition never advertised again. That was dis-heartening right off the bat. But we kept at it, and kept improving, until we got to where we are today.
Have I wanted to quit? Oh, just about once a month - every month since I've started. I'll be having a really terrible day and then check the mail and read the most wonderful letter about the magazine and I just get a big smile on my face and say "yes, maybe another edition or two." And we just keep on keeping on.
With the economy the way it is though, I'm really not sure how much longer we can keep it up. As it is, both Dave and I have taken second jobs. And we take on added jobs all the time. It's harder and harder for us to drive around each week to twenty different counties and not sell a single ad. And it's hard to get it across to our advertisers that we simply cannot come back four or five times each month.
We could hire someone to help us out. We've tried that - several times - and it just doesn't work out. And with the current government shut down, we couldn't afford it anyway. No one is doing anything right now. The whole country is just petrified at where we'll be even in a week. I can't blame people for not wanting to spend their money. But, I also can't deliver our magazine to them if they won't advertise. So it really is a vicious circle.
We do have some excited news to share though - we've made it to round two in the Intuit Big Game Sweepstakes. If we get enough votes in round two, we'll advance to round three where the folks at Intuit will select 20 businesses for the final vote. If you'd like to help us out by throwing us a vote or two, here is the link: https://www.smallbusinessbiggame.com/KY/All-Things-Country-Magazine/374560. You can vote once a day - and if you'll go through each little story, you can vote on those pages as well.
Many blessings to you - today and always.
Pam
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Independence Day Week
Tomorrow is July 4th - our Independence Day. It's a time for gathering together for picnics and celebrating our wonderful country. It's a time for flying the U.S. flag and showing your pride in the good ole' USA. It doesn't seem like many have anything good to say about our country anymore. Looking through Facebook and seeing all of the negative things being said on a daily basis is saddening. I grew up in the United States Air Force. I am very patriotic. And I was taught from a young age that you NEVER bad-mouth our country in public. I'm pretty sure I would have gotten my butt beat for saying negative things about our president and our country.
My father fought for this country. He served over 20 years in the military making sure we were safe. I guess it's the reason I am so patriotic. I have a great amount of pride for those serving both here and overseas. I follow several of our daughter's friends while they serve (or their husbands serve) our country. I watch on the television and online the videos of servicemen and women coming home and the welcoming home parties. And I get tears. For two reasons .... I am proud of the way they are welcomed home and it tears me up every time. I also get tears because my dad wasn't treated that way when he came home. He fought in Vietnam, people didn't give those guys big receptions when they returned home. It saddens me because my dad was only doing what he was ordered to do, he deserved every bit the welcome that troops today received.
What really saddens me though is the way our citizens bash our government, our people, just about everything. And why, you ask would this sadden me? Because these people do it on social media alot of the time. Every other country in the world can see through social media just how fractured our country is. I'm pretty sure if people in some of the other countries out there bashed their country, leaders and government the way folks here do, they'd be be-headed or asked to leave the country. But, not here. Bullying is the norm in America anymore.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not all together thrilled with the way our country is run. Haven't been for several administrations. And I'm pretty sure that any post I put on FB, Twitter or any other page wouldn't help one bit in fixing things. So, I'll continue to try and consider what is good everyday in my life and not what is bad.
Between Dave and I, we are trying to operate two small businesses. Both of them struggle every month and have only gotten worse in the past few years. We consider closing them, but what are our options? We could move to the city, both get jobs with regular paychecks and be home each evening with the worries of trying to make enough to make our bills. Or we can continue to work 7 days a week, 14 hours or more each day and have the worries of trying to make enough to make our bills. The difference is the quality of our life. We wouldn't be happy in the city. We've tried that and hated it.
So, we'll continue to promote this great area we live in, we'll continue to beg people to advertise, we'll continue to invite people to our farm in the hopes they'll drop a quarter or two in our donation box and we'll re-evaluate things in a couple of months. Because we love what we're doing. And when things get bad enough to over-ride that, we'll change things up then. And until then, we'll at least have good veggies to eat and a beautiful deck to sit on each evening.
Have an absolutely fabulous Independence Day - and maybe think about everything that is good in your life as you celebrate the 4th, instead of all the negativity that exists in our country. God Bless the U.S.A.
Many Blessings ..... Pam
My father fought for this country. He served over 20 years in the military making sure we were safe. I guess it's the reason I am so patriotic. I have a great amount of pride for those serving both here and overseas. I follow several of our daughter's friends while they serve (or their husbands serve) our country. I watch on the television and online the videos of servicemen and women coming home and the welcoming home parties. And I get tears. For two reasons .... I am proud of the way they are welcomed home and it tears me up every time. I also get tears because my dad wasn't treated that way when he came home. He fought in Vietnam, people didn't give those guys big receptions when they returned home. It saddens me because my dad was only doing what he was ordered to do, he deserved every bit the welcome that troops today received.
What really saddens me though is the way our citizens bash our government, our people, just about everything. And why, you ask would this sadden me? Because these people do it on social media alot of the time. Every other country in the world can see through social media just how fractured our country is. I'm pretty sure if people in some of the other countries out there bashed their country, leaders and government the way folks here do, they'd be be-headed or asked to leave the country. But, not here. Bullying is the norm in America anymore.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not all together thrilled with the way our country is run. Haven't been for several administrations. And I'm pretty sure that any post I put on FB, Twitter or any other page wouldn't help one bit in fixing things. So, I'll continue to try and consider what is good everyday in my life and not what is bad.
Between Dave and I, we are trying to operate two small businesses. Both of them struggle every month and have only gotten worse in the past few years. We consider closing them, but what are our options? We could move to the city, both get jobs with regular paychecks and be home each evening with the worries of trying to make enough to make our bills. Or we can continue to work 7 days a week, 14 hours or more each day and have the worries of trying to make enough to make our bills. The difference is the quality of our life. We wouldn't be happy in the city. We've tried that and hated it.
So, we'll continue to promote this great area we live in, we'll continue to beg people to advertise, we'll continue to invite people to our farm in the hopes they'll drop a quarter or two in our donation box and we'll re-evaluate things in a couple of months. Because we love what we're doing. And when things get bad enough to over-ride that, we'll change things up then. And until then, we'll at least have good veggies to eat and a beautiful deck to sit on each evening.
Have an absolutely fabulous Independence Day - and maybe think about everything that is good in your life as you celebrate the 4th, instead of all the negativity that exists in our country. God Bless the U.S.A.
Many Blessings ..... Pam
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Survey results are surprising
Today is a gorgeous day in Central Kentucky. Through the windows that is. It's hot outside. Very hot and humid. You can almost feel storms heading into our area by the way the humidity is today. I've been trying to divide myself between farm chores and magazine chores for several days now. During the summer, it seems to work better for me to work on the magazine during the early morning hours before the sun rises. Which makes for a beautiful morning, although I'm not a fan of alarm clocks. But, we do what we have to do around here.
Being a business owner is tough in today's economy. Heck, it was tough before the economy tanked. It's even tougher now. Even tougher? Owning two small businesses in today's economy. Some days I'm not sure it is worth it. Maybe that 9 to 5 job would be easier. Nah. Who am I fooling? I did that, from the time I was 14 working as a carhop at my uncle's drive-in to my many years with Gannett in the newspaper business. I've had many bosses over the years - and remarkably enough I'm still friends with just about every one of them. Some, of course, have passed on. Or I'm sure I'd still be friends with them as well.
I like being my own boss - well most of the time. Some days are tough. Many days are tough. But I take things one day at a time and that's a good thing. If I looked out too far it would be so overwhelming that I would give up. It's funny because when I'm planting something in the garden, this philosophy just doesn't work. You have to look five or ten years out and see how big that thing will get! That's my only time to look too far into the future.
We did a survey this past month in All Things Country and many of our readers have returned one with their Abby Track entry. I'm amazed by some of the answers. They have changed the long-range plans of the magazine, that is for sure. Most people don't read it online. At least from the surveys I've gotten. In fact, I'd say it's running about 50% of our readers don't even have email. Most don't do social media. Meaning most of my readers won't even see this blog! I'm guessing that a transition to online-only would be a huge mistake. At least at this point in time it would.
Another interesting fact, most of my readers don't vacation in Kentucky. Very sad. They list the closest state park to their homes as the one(s) they visit. There are 52 state parks in Kentucky and most of our readers have visited one, maybe two. I'm guessing that marketing our state in bigger, outside publications isn't always the best thing. I have long believed that we have to have our local people visit our parks, recreation areas, lakes, etc. before we start inviting the rest of the United States here. But, that's me. And since I get very little advertising out of the State Tourism Department, I'm guessing they don't agree with me! But I won't give up! I still email them each and every month asking for an ad.
Most people like the magazine the way it is. That's a good thing. One wants more racing, and so do I. We've tried. We used to have Mountain Park Dragway quite a bit, but they decided on the national advertising thing. And Richmond Raceway, I can't ever find anyone there. When I do, they aren't the right people. And you can only take so many trips over there before the gas you've spent is more than they ad if they buy one. So, it's a double-edged sword.
What it takes is for you, our wonderful readers, to recommend us. When you visit a store that you think would be a good addition to our book, please tell them about us. When you travel, take your copy along to share with people. When you do business with your doctor, attorney or accountant, ask them if they've ever heard of us. We surely appreciate the shout outs - and if they take an ad, that's a bonus. When we visit new businesses, it usually takes several visits back before we can convince them to advertise. But, word of mouth does wonders too - and if you guys recommend us then it's double the pressure on them to consider us.
Well, I've cooled off enough to go back outside for another round with the weeds. Have a great afternoon and thanks for reading along. I appreciate each of you. Many blessings to you and yours.
The Pam person.....
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The older you get, the busier you get?
It sure seems like I get busier and busier every day. What's up with that? I always kind of figured that the older you got, the more you slowed down. That's certainly not the case for the Dave person and myself. We got to looking at our calendar last night, thinking things were going to slow down now that the Mushroom Festival is over. Nope. Not gonna happen. We have something going on just about every weekend from now until the end of September.
How can that be? Is it ever going to stop? Not until I learn to say no. That's what the Dave person would tell me. I guess it runs in my genes. My grandmother stayed busy up until she went to heaven. Heck, I think she was worried about an Avon order in her hospital bed the day before she died. I'm going to throw it out there and just wonder to myself, "what will I be worried about" when that day comes. Probably promoting someone's business, ha ha ha.
It seems like all these weekend gigs would be for summer vacations during the coming months, but most of our activities are related to work. And that's okay. It is our intention at All Things Country Magazine to spread good news. And good news to me doesn't always mean a good story. We have some wonderful businesses in the area. In my humble opinion, every time I can promote a small business that is hanging in there, well that's good news too!
I go back to It Takes A Village all the time. That saying has stuck with me so many times over the years. It takes all of us to keep these small, locally owned businesses going. It's my sincere hope that some of our readers pick up the book on a weekend day and say, "let's go check this place out." Heck, you are already getting a beautiful drive if you are going to a neighboring county, without the visit to the business. And if you find a new place to shop, that's an added bonus. An even better bonus is when you go home and tell your friends about it. Because, really, it truly does take a village.
I love hearing from our family of advertisers about the visits they receive throughout the month. It tickles me to hear Wanda down in Kingston tell me that she actually shipped yarn to someone in Beattyville because of her ad in All Things Country. That, my friend, is good news to me!
Have a great day. It's so beautiful outside that I might just take my lunch break out there and, what else, pull a few weeds and work some more! Many blessings to you.
Pam
How can that be? Is it ever going to stop? Not until I learn to say no. That's what the Dave person would tell me. I guess it runs in my genes. My grandmother stayed busy up until she went to heaven. Heck, I think she was worried about an Avon order in her hospital bed the day before she died. I'm going to throw it out there and just wonder to myself, "what will I be worried about" when that day comes. Probably promoting someone's business, ha ha ha.
It seems like all these weekend gigs would be for summer vacations during the coming months, but most of our activities are related to work. And that's okay. It is our intention at All Things Country Magazine to spread good news. And good news to me doesn't always mean a good story. We have some wonderful businesses in the area. In my humble opinion, every time I can promote a small business that is hanging in there, well that's good news too!
I go back to It Takes A Village all the time. That saying has stuck with me so many times over the years. It takes all of us to keep these small, locally owned businesses going. It's my sincere hope that some of our readers pick up the book on a weekend day and say, "let's go check this place out." Heck, you are already getting a beautiful drive if you are going to a neighboring county, without the visit to the business. And if you find a new place to shop, that's an added bonus. An even better bonus is when you go home and tell your friends about it. Because, really, it truly does take a village.
I love hearing from our family of advertisers about the visits they receive throughout the month. It tickles me to hear Wanda down in Kingston tell me that she actually shipped yarn to someone in Beattyville because of her ad in All Things Country. That, my friend, is good news to me!
Have a great day. It's so beautiful outside that I might just take my lunch break out there and, what else, pull a few weeds and work some more! Many blessings to you.
Pam
Monday, February 18, 2013
Another beautiful day ... followed by snow on Tuesday?
It is gorgeous outside, well at least here in Palmer it is. Bright blue skies overhead, crisp morning temps that are supposed to raise up to nearly 50 degrees today. This is winter? Well, I guess it's winter in Kentucky. Weird and wacky weather for sure. Tomorrow they say we may see snow! What's up with that?
Even more of a question? Will we really see it tomorrow or not? It seems to kind of go over the top of Kentucky and hit the states around us. Some people on the weather blog refer to our area as the snow dome of Kentucky. It falls, then just rolls off the dome onto the states surrounding us.
After living here for over ten years, I've come to the conclusion that Kentucky will never get another monster snow. I've heard about the 'dusting' for years, but have yet to see over 3 or 4 inches on the ground at once. I am really not complaining. Not much at least. When we do get severe weather of any type it usually results in a disaster of some kind for someone in the state. And that's just plain awful!
I've lived in the north enough to know that snow is very pretty on the ground. It gets very old by April or May..... Sometimes in the mountains of Idaho, roads don't even open up until June or July. The snowplows can't get through some of the roads so they just close them off for the winter. Snowmobiles are very popular in these areas.
I remember living in northern Maine as a child and not seeing the ground except for about one month, walking over a raging river to get to school - until the spring thaw that is. We also lived in northern Michigan and all I remember about that is the snow. I barely remember seeing the ground there. My dad has pictures of us camping in the snow while we lived there. That's dedication to camping I'd say.
As much as I'm ready for spring, I doubt we've seen the end of winter. I'd love to spend today - President's Day - planting seeds to get a head start on my garden. But, I'm pretty sure I've got another week or so to get it accomplished. Maybe the next snow day???
Have a great week everyone. It's deadline week for me, so I'll be attached the this keyboard for the better part of the week. And for that, I'm grateful. Without our wonderful advertisers, I wouldn't be!
Even more of a question? Will we really see it tomorrow or not? It seems to kind of go over the top of Kentucky and hit the states around us. Some people on the weather blog refer to our area as the snow dome of Kentucky. It falls, then just rolls off the dome onto the states surrounding us.
After living here for over ten years, I've come to the conclusion that Kentucky will never get another monster snow. I've heard about the 'dusting' for years, but have yet to see over 3 or 4 inches on the ground at once. I am really not complaining. Not much at least. When we do get severe weather of any type it usually results in a disaster of some kind for someone in the state. And that's just plain awful!
I've lived in the north enough to know that snow is very pretty on the ground. It gets very old by April or May..... Sometimes in the mountains of Idaho, roads don't even open up until June or July. The snowplows can't get through some of the roads so they just close them off for the winter. Snowmobiles are very popular in these areas.
I remember living in northern Maine as a child and not seeing the ground except for about one month, walking over a raging river to get to school - until the spring thaw that is. We also lived in northern Michigan and all I remember about that is the snow. I barely remember seeing the ground there. My dad has pictures of us camping in the snow while we lived there. That's dedication to camping I'd say.
As much as I'm ready for spring, I doubt we've seen the end of winter. I'd love to spend today - President's Day - planting seeds to get a head start on my garden. But, I'm pretty sure I've got another week or so to get it accomplished. Maybe the next snow day???
Have a great week everyone. It's deadline week for me, so I'll be attached the this keyboard for the better part of the week. And for that, I'm grateful. Without our wonderful advertisers, I wouldn't be!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Do you have a dog? We've got two, sometimes three!
Dogs are filling up the television screens this morning. Tonight the winner of the Westminster Dog Show will be chosen. I can't help but watch each of the breeds as they walk around that area. I find several breeds I would love to have each and every year.
The only problem is I already have dogs. Two of them - sometimes three! Everyone knows about our Abby dog. We got her from a friend in Irvine who couldn't keep her. The first week .... adorable. The second and third weeks .... ready to give her away! I hadn't had a dog in years, since living in Oregon. And Abby was such a cute puppy. We took her to the vet for her shots and found out she was part beagle. Oh, so that explained her need to run every time we let her out the door. She's a leash dog. Yup, runs off every chance she gets.
Then there is Gracie, our great white pyrenees. What a big ole' lovable thing she is. All 85 pounds of her. She was actually another rescue .... her owner had a heart attack and couldn't keep her. We got her when she was about 6 months old. She lived in a kennel for several months while we waited for the sale of the farm to go through and then she lived in the barn with the critters.
Well, she lived in the barn until her first big shock at hearing thunder. She's the biggest chicken. I think she would come through the front windows if she could when the storms hit. And we're pretty sure she heard a pretty big boom in the barnyard because she doesn't like it out there anymore. She's perfectly content lying on the front or back decks, out in the yard, down by the pond. Just don't lock her in the barnyard. She'll find a way out every time. She's climbed over bull gates, snuck under woven wire fences, we've even caught her squeezing her body through a 4-inch woven wire. She's just spreads the wire out to allow her body to get through.
Our third dog, Sheba, actually died a couple of days after Thanksgiving last year. She ingested some type of poison while ---- wait for it ---- running off! Yep, she was another of our wonderful dogs that wouldn't stay behind a fence. We certainly aren't very good at training our dogs, are we?
I did mention that we sometimes have three dogs. And we do. The neighbor's dog, Boomer, seems to have fallen in love with our Gracie dog. He hardly ever leaves. He's a good dog, just not ours! He runs down the road every day when the bus runs, since there are three kids on there that actually own him. He walks them down the road .... and then comes right back to our porch. Boomer's 'dad' drives by in his big red Dodge truck and the dog's ears perk right up. He follows him up the road too. I guess just to make sure his master gets home okay, because he comes right back to our house.
He's taken up residence in our back screened in room, taking full advantage of the couch back there. He stays comfy, that's for sure. We aren't sure whether to feed him or not. Gracie certainly doesn't let him eat her food. We sneak him food once in a while ... not really knowing if his 'owners' feed him. I'm guessing that we should head down to the neighbors one of these days and talk about visitation and support!
Well, have a great day everyone! Enjoy every bit of this wonderful sunshine as you can. My friendly weather-blogging dude says snow may return tomorrow.
Blessings, Pam
The only problem is I already have dogs. Two of them - sometimes three! Everyone knows about our Abby dog. We got her from a friend in Irvine who couldn't keep her. The first week .... adorable. The second and third weeks .... ready to give her away! I hadn't had a dog in years, since living in Oregon. And Abby was such a cute puppy. We took her to the vet for her shots and found out she was part beagle. Oh, so that explained her need to run every time we let her out the door. She's a leash dog. Yup, runs off every chance she gets.
Then there is Gracie, our great white pyrenees. What a big ole' lovable thing she is. All 85 pounds of her. She was actually another rescue .... her owner had a heart attack and couldn't keep her. We got her when she was about 6 months old. She lived in a kennel for several months while we waited for the sale of the farm to go through and then she lived in the barn with the critters.
Well, she lived in the barn until her first big shock at hearing thunder. She's the biggest chicken. I think she would come through the front windows if she could when the storms hit. And we're pretty sure she heard a pretty big boom in the barnyard because she doesn't like it out there anymore. She's perfectly content lying on the front or back decks, out in the yard, down by the pond. Just don't lock her in the barnyard. She'll find a way out every time. She's climbed over bull gates, snuck under woven wire fences, we've even caught her squeezing her body through a 4-inch woven wire. She's just spreads the wire out to allow her body to get through.
Our third dog, Sheba, actually died a couple of days after Thanksgiving last year. She ingested some type of poison while ---- wait for it ---- running off! Yep, she was another of our wonderful dogs that wouldn't stay behind a fence. We certainly aren't very good at training our dogs, are we?
I did mention that we sometimes have three dogs. And we do. The neighbor's dog, Boomer, seems to have fallen in love with our Gracie dog. He hardly ever leaves. He's a good dog, just not ours! He runs down the road every day when the bus runs, since there are three kids on there that actually own him. He walks them down the road .... and then comes right back to our porch. Boomer's 'dad' drives by in his big red Dodge truck and the dog's ears perk right up. He follows him up the road too. I guess just to make sure his master gets home okay, because he comes right back to our house.
He's taken up residence in our back screened in room, taking full advantage of the couch back there. He stays comfy, that's for sure. We aren't sure whether to feed him or not. Gracie certainly doesn't let him eat her food. We sneak him food once in a while ... not really knowing if his 'owners' feed him. I'm guessing that we should head down to the neighbors one of these days and talk about visitation and support!
Well, have a great day everyone! Enjoy every bit of this wonderful sunshine as you can. My friendly weather-blogging dude says snow may return tomorrow.
Blessings, Pam
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