Kids Ask The Cutest Questions

Kids ask the cutest questions and I adore them for it! Here is a conversation with my 3rd born son from last week.

C-man (with a rather inquisitive look on his face): "Mommy?"
Me: "Yes honey."
C-man: "Is there really such a thing as stink lines?"
Me: "Stink lines?"
C-man: "Yeah. You know. The lines that come off of someone who is really smelly."
Me: "Oh." trying desperately hard not to laugh "No honey. No such thing."

This particular son of mine is quite the sensitive soul and does not care to be laughed at. I remained stoic until he left the room at which time I ran directly to his father....

"OMG!!!! You'll never believe what C just asked me!!! OMG!!! He is so stinkin' cute!!!!"

I tend to be quite visual. A big part of the reason I found the question so funny is due to the fact that I instantly imagined him walking around this whole time looking for 'stink lines' on people to see if they truly exist. I honestly don't believe I ever thought 'stink lines' were a 'real' thing. Then again, I wasn't obsessed with Garfield cartoons either.

In honor of C-man, I would like to introduce you to Candy!

If ever there were a creature worthy of stink lines, it would be Candy. She's an old beagle that lives in our neighborhood. We became acquainted with her through numerous yard escapes. The first time she showed up at our door she stunk to high heaven! You could hardly get near her as she was covered in something with an unGodly smell. We called the vet on her rabies tag. They tracked down the owners. Several years later and many more visits, (we have since exchanged info. w/the owners as they always call us when she disappears and we now know where to return her), she shows up as if visiting old friends, always stinking.  It's as if she stops and rolls in all the local dog piles on her way over.

Darling Daughter walking Candy on one of her visits.  We had to wait for the owners to return home to return her.

Candy, you are such an absolute sweetheart but that scent you wear does not do you justice!

Childlike Wonder

There's something about zebras that bring out the childlike wonder in me.

Their stripes are so bold, so exact, so... fake looking!

I've seen horses my whole life and the zebra looks like a horse in striped pajamas.

They appear to be imaginary. They are entirely too amazing to be real.

Zebras were always my favorite zoo animal by far.

When my local zoo took the zebras out, I was heartbroken.

Guess where I found them?

Near a local amusement park wandering the fields free and happy.

(as free as a large fenced field allows)

I was giggling with glee when I took the park's mini-train ride and spotted them grazing.

I could ride that train all day just to get a glimpse of this gorgeous creature.

Staring at them makes me feel like a child again.

They free my sense of wonder.

What frees your sense of wonder?

I challenge you to find something this weekend that wakes your inner child.

Give yourself permission to play!

For The Dogs

Hubby, Darling Daughter and I were running errands the other night and the first place we stopped was the hardware store. As we were leaving the back of the parking lot we saw a vehicle parked near fencing full of dogs. Hubby drove around for a closer look. I insisted that if he drove us that close, it would be teasing if he didn't stop to see what was going on. We pulled over and met Debbie. She is a volunteer for Luv-a-Chin (a rescue organization for Japanese Chins). Debbie was heading from Minnesota to Florida to meet with some potential adoptees. She had pulled through our local coffee shop and stopped to let the dogs stretch, eat their dinner and do their business. She had gotten the dogs out and organized when her coffee was dumped over. She seemed a bit frazzled so we offered to run and buy her another. We came back with an unspilled version of her drink and spent some time getting to know her.
Debbie lives near the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. She has grown children, grandchildren and is retired. She volunteers her time with the rescue because she adores the dogs and knows they need people who care. She fosters as well and claims that "once you've fostered them for a while, you almost hope they don't get adopted because you fall in love with them and would love to keep them all yourself." Of course she knows she can't keep them all and wants nothing more than to find good, loving homes for them.
The dogs she had with her had been rescued from a puppy mill. They had been spayed/neutered, treated for worms, ear mites, had their shots and exposed to that which most of us take for granted with our pets but these dogs had not experienced (grass, baths, love). A few of the dogs seemed a bit timid, but for the most part they were all happy little bundles of pup.
It started getting dark so we offered to help Debbie load her vehicle and she gladly accepted. I told her I had a blog and would love to write about her. She was more than happy to have the word spread. We packed her up and wished her a safe and successful trip. She thanked us for our help, we thanked her for helping the dogs. Her sidekick Hunter (German Shepard) hopped on board and they were off. 

This morning I raise my mug of coffee in thanks to Debbie and all the animal rescue workers who work tirelessly to help those who cannot help themselves. I'm also thankful for my husband who has the patience to put up with the fact that I tend to stop and talk to everyone who crosses my path even if it ends up taking all evening.

Japanese Chins

Debbie

Hunter

Animal rescues and shelters are constantly in need of volunteers, donations of supplies and/or funds, and forever homes for their residents. To find a rescue near you, check your local yellow pages or go to one of the following links...

Pet Finder Animal Shelter List

AnimalShelter.org

ASPCA

What A Pig!

Went on a farm field trip on Friday.

Tried to get a picture of the pigs but they just wouldn't cooperate.

Every time I went for a shot, they turned their heinies toward me.

All I could think was, "What a total pig!"

Ha ha ha ha ha!

I thought we could all use a good laugh on a Monday morning.

Especially after another weekend full of devastating news on the tellie.

I'm off to create something fabulous.

Give yourself permission to do the same.

Reverb - community

December 7 – Community Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?  How easy is this question? Why, I have discovered a wonderful sense of community right here on blogger! Wonderful, amazing, supportive, talented, loving, kind people. I am extremely thankful for that! In the new year, I would like to find a local art and/or environmental group to join. I was part of an environmental group for many years. I really miss the camaraderie. 

I took this picture years ago on a trip to Red Feathers, CO in the Rocky Mountains.

Something about walking through this tiny mountain community and seeing these hounds chillin' out in the back of a pickup truck made me smile.

I would join their pack!

Farm Faces

My mother owns horses.

They area boarded on a farm.

Took the kids riding this past weekend.

Couldn't resist these awesome farm faces!

 

 Okay, okay. This last one's a cheat.

He was asleep on my printer when I came home and I couldn't resist!

Did they make you smile?

Good!

My job here is done.

Have a smiley, warm fuzzy, everything you wished for kind of Tuesday!

Love,

           Me ;)

P.S. Elena - There's a horse here with your name on it!

Can you see?

Can you see? Can you see him back there? That's a red fox rolled up in a ball. He was sound asleep on a bale of hay beyond my raised garden beds. The kids noticed him when glancing out the kitchen window. The little fella must have been pretty darned tired. He was out there sleeping for two hours before he rose, stretched and wandered off. How very happy we were that he chose our yard for his slumber. Thank you little fox for sharing your beauty with us on this cold winter afternoon.