Prediction for spring......

Many animals predict the return of spring. There's good ole' Puxatony Phil, the buzzards coming back to Hinckley, Ohio and the swallows that return to Capistrano. Around here, we rely on Breezy on the hill.

Our senior broodmare Breezy, who will be 22 this spring, is not one caught in the cold during winter. She typically puts a good, thick winter coat on, way before the rest of the animals on the farm. But, when spring starts knocking, she is the first one to start shedding it off. And this evening, when I went to visit her, I couldn't help but notice, she is just starting to shed. Oh, I know there is more winter out there, but I suspect it won't be long before it finally looses its grip on us and we will be enjoying balmy spring days. At least, I HOPE we get there soon!

Listening when you are asleep

Yesterday morning, the weather people were all buzzing over the potential winter storm headed our way. When the alarm went off at 6am, I was listening with half an ear to the experts prediction of 4-6 inches of snow by Saturday night. I got up and began to get ready for another day at the zoo.

When I came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, hubby informed me that Mike Flynn on the radio said 6-15 inches of snow. WHAT???? I had just heard 4-6 inches a few minutes before. I told myself it must have been a revised forecast and went on into the kitchen. As hubby headed to the basement to check the wood burner, he told me he was really confused, because the TV forecast was for 4-6 inches also. Sheepishly, he said, "I think I heard Mike Flynn give the time 6:15, rather than the number of inches we were gonna get". That's what happens when you aren't awake when listening.

Oh, and the great storm we were going to get. They backed it off to 2-4 inches. I miss the good old days when the forecasters couldn't look at 20 computer versions of what the weather is going to do. It was a lot less "hyped" back then. I guess everything is news nowadays.

A Reprieve

If you want to call it that.

Thomas was scheduled for surgery on his ear tomorrow. It is off for now. He managed to be croupy yesterday and added pneumonia to the mix today. Neither our pediatrician nor the anesthesia department were impressed with all of that, so it has been put off for 2 to 4 weeks. I am thinking 5 weeks, since that is spring break week and he wouldn't need to miss any school.

Thankfully, his ear has settled down, and for the moment is pain-free. We are praying it stays that way and his body can recover properly from the pneumonia before he needs surgery.

Thanks for all your prayers and keep on for a little longer.

The Theater Room

My hubby has wired some pretty fancy houses in the past 25 years. One feature in several that he has done is a special theater room. They are typically found in the basement, and can be quite elaborate. They might include surround sound, a big screen TV, a sloped floor and special theater seats. One guy even had a snack bar complete with a movie popcorn machine.

At our house, we have a huge basement, and for the most part, it is a catch-all and play area for the kids. We have joked that someday when we have extra money, we would have our very own theater room. Not likely to happen a) because with three kids, who has extra money and b) if we had extra money there are about 25 things higher on the list of what we would spend it on.

But, just recently, the kids installed a theater room. It isn't very big, doesn't have surround sound, but it is rather cozy. They have taken an old dining room table and card table, covered them with a big sheet. They added pillows, sleeping bags and blankets and have an old 9-inch TV/VCR combo in there to watch movies on.

Don't you just love creativity????

Where have I been....

Not sure, just on the move and don't seem to have enough time to sit down and write about life. Believe me, there is plenty of material around here. That NEVER changes.

Like the night two weeks ago when we heard a louder than normal MOOOOO at the front door. Hubby and I were finishing up some bookkeeping, and sent Thomas and Suzanna to investigate. They opened the front door and "didn't see anything". We went about our normal Saturday night routine and everybody headed to bed at 10pm. Thomas came back out of his room almost as quick as he got in there to inform us he could see cattle where they shouldn't be. So, everyone bundled up against the cold to get three heifers, who from the looks of the tracks around the house and barns, had been out for a while. Thank goodness for tame 4-H heifers, as it was a quick job once Suzanna got her arms around the neck of Sami. On went the halter and back to the pasture she went, with Penny and Bella following. The kids spent a few minutes laying on their backs in the snow, looking up at the stars. It was a clear, cold night and the stars were just amazing. Not something you get to see unless you are outside in the middle of the night.

Or how about the mouse that wouldn't be flushed?? Wednesday night Suzanna called me to her room to say that Butterscotch had caught a mouse and it was still alive. By the time I got there, the cat had moved to the bathroom. I got a handful of tissues and took his toy away. My first thought was dump it in the toilet and flush it. Boy, can they fight the vortex of water!!! The thing finally went down and I walked away. Imagine my surprise when Suzanna said the mouse was floating dead in there when she went to the bathroom in the morning. Amazing!!!

Keep Thomas in mind for the next week. He has to have surgery to remove an ear tube that hasn't come out on its own. His body now thinks that there is a foreign body in it and is causing him a lot of pain. He is anxious at the thought of surgery, since this will be the fourth time he has had to have something done with his ears. But his bigger concern is the fact that he won't be able to eat after midnight Monday. He is sure he will be starving.

So there you go, just a snap shot of a couple weeks at the zoo. It is always exciting!