Oh what a beautiful morning!

I just love a pretty Springtime morning!  This morning, Duds woke me up to go outside a little earlier than usual - two hours before it was actually time for me to get up!  I blindly made my way through the living room to let him out and when I opened the front door I was bombarded by a deafening symphony of millions of birds singing!  It sounded like every bird in Tennessee was in our front yard.  Even the turkeys were gobbling across the road.

Poor Duds seemed a bit bewildered as he made his way down the front steps and out onto the lawn to do his business.  He just stood there looking this way and that, trying to figure out where all the noise was coming from.

On my way to work this morning, I saw so many turkey out in the pastures doing their little mating dancing and prancing.  The toms were all puffed up with their tail feathers fanned out to impress and the hens were doing their best to ignore them as they strutted back and forth.  The fields are so green right now and there are random patches of daffodils here and there as if God dropped bulbs all around willy nilly so even the cows and horses could enjoy some of their beauty as they munch on grass.  All the trees are budding and blooming and everything looks so fresh and new.

Happy Spring!

A Day with Duds

One of our very good friends came by the other day to visit with Daddy and Dudley.  It just so happens this friend is a super fantastic photographer and he brought his camera with him, so he surprised me with some wonderful photos of our favorite floppy-faced boy.

They played in the yard with Duds, put hay out for the donkeys, sat by the fire and talked motorcycles and enjoyed a nice springtime day.

The donkeys lined up at the fence to watch all the commotion when Dudley took his first ride on the lawn mower and then chased Daddy all around the yard.

Poor old Duds was worn out by the end of the visit!

Thank you Bob, for the beautiful photos!  You're the best! xoxo

Happy Dog

Dudley's First Easter

Yesterday was Dudley's first Easter.  I felt kinda guilty because for the first time ever, I didn't even fix up an Easter basket for Hubby, let alone sweet Duds.  I guess I got lazy this year.  I did get Hubby a card, and a couple pairs of new jeans, but no jellybeans or chocolate bunnies.  We just had a nice dinner and I baked him a coconut cake.  Dudley's treat was a little turkey bacon at breakfast and some carrots as a snack later on in the day.  He loves carrots!

My sister sent us an email with a bunch of pictures of dogs in silly poses with signs that had funny sayings to go along with the photos.  We laughed and laughed.  She challenged us to come up with a similar photo with Dudley, so this is what we came up with.  He was a trooper and hammed it up for the camera, bunny ears and all.  Hooray Dudley!

Southern Ladies' Luncheon

Oh boy!  It's time for my bosses' wife to have her famous ladies' luncheon again and today is the day.  Our office is situated in the upstairs portion of their home, so all of the heavenly aromas from the kitchen waft up the stairs to tickle our noses.  It's pure torture, let me tell you!

The guests start to arrive and it's so hilarious to listen to everyone coming in the door.  Southern women's voices are so much fun to listen to, especially when you yourself are not originally from the South.  The accents and funny sayings that come out of their mouths are so endearing.  Listening to it all reminds me so much of my Oklahoma Grandma and the way she used to talk and carry on.  She always said the sweetest and funniest things.  Just listening to her speak with that sweet, southern twang would bring a smile to your face.

The arrivals have been a noisy hoot!  Everyone talking and exclaiming at once, finishing each other's sentences and laughing and carrying on.  All the ladies make their way into the kitchen where they load up their plates with a bountiful feast that Martha Stewart herself couldn't have prepared any better!  Turkey Divan, potatoes au gratin, green beans, corn casserole, pasta salad, jello salad, muffins and bread and two kinds of cake for dessert.  My heavens!

The house gets quieter as everyone makes their way into the dining room and starts eating their wonderful foods.  Afterward, while everyone sits there wondering why in the world they ate so much, they visit and catch up on who's who and what's what.  Then the departures begin, which are noisier by far than the arrivals.  Everyone hugs goodbye and thanks the gracious hostess for the fine feast and fellowship.

I hope she has time for a nap after all this commotion.  She sure deserves it! 

Love Love Love

I don't know who wrote this beautiful poem, but I came across it this morning in an email that someone had forwarded, and wanted to share.  Hope you find some love today.

Love is such a precious thing.

It's fragile and it's rare.

It damages so easily,

so handle it with care!

It's free to those who seek it.

There's enough for all to share.

The more that love is given out,

the more there is to spare.

Inspired

I was telling a sweet friend this morning that I haven't been feeling too inspired to write in my blog lately.  After I said that, I thought to myself, "Why not?"  Lord knows I have so many things that inspire me on a daily basis!  A hilarious husband and his constant comic relief, the cutest ever floppy-faced bulldog, three loud-mouthed donkeys and the ever-inspiring surroundings at our peaceful little home on the hollow.  What more inspiration could a person ask for?

This weekend was an especially nice one.  Saturday, while Hubby was at work, Duds and I spent the day cleaning house, doing laundry, working on projects and watching tv.  That night we watched a marathon of spooky ghost stories on television that had us both on edge.  Dudley's ears would go back when the eerie music played during dramatic moments on the show, and any little bump in the house had us both jumping out of the chair we were cuddling in.  At one point Dudley decided to walk room to room, just to make sure all was safe and sound.  Most of the lights were off throughout the house, but I had left a candle burning in the bathroom.  When Duds got to the bathroom door, he nudged it open with his head and started barking and growling at the reflection of the flame flickering in the bathroom mirror.  His ears were back and his hair was bristling as he huffed and growled.  I couldn't resist scaring him even more, so I grabbed a set of keys and launched them into the air toward the bathroom.  I never saw him move so fast in all his days!  He came flying back into the living room with his hind-end tucked under, barking like crazy.  It was hilarious.  Up on my lap he jumped and there he stayed the rest of the night.

Sunday morning we woke to the sound of donkeys hee-hawing for breakfast and a frisky dog jumping all over our bed.  Note to self:  black-out blinds for the windows and earplugs.  The boys went out to feed the long-eared hayburners and I made the bed and started breakfast.  Hubby built a fire out back, and I straightened up the house and got dressed while the bacon fried.  The neighbors came by with their pup and Dudley was in heaven.  They romped and chased each other through the yard, rolled in the hay and slobbered all over each other until they were both soaking wet and out of breath.  Breakfast was on hold while we bathed and dried Dudley and after everyone had full bellies, Hubby hung his hammock out back between two trees and grabbed a big denim comforter and two pillows and went outside for a nap.  Dudley collapsed at the foot of my chair and was soon snoring away, while I enjoyed flipping through the latest issue of my Country Living magazine.

Later, when Hubby woke up, I went into town to visit a couple of my favorite antique stores.  Country Living magazine always inspires me, and I was on the hunt for a few special things.  As always, I came home with treasures.  While in town, I stopped at the store to get the ingredients for Hubby's famous salsa and Sunday evening was spent with a good friend of ours who came by to help us make about 20 jars.  The whole house smelled like hot peppers and garlic and we had to open the windows to breathe.  We made two separate batches - one flaming hot, tongue blistering batch for Hubby and one toned-down version for our friend.

That night we laid in bed with Dudley snuggled between us, him laying on his back with his legs up in the air, us listening to his hypnotic snores and the popping of the lids on the jars of salsa cooling on the kitchen counter.  Peaceful, happy and contented after our inspiring weekend of love.

Apparently, I'm old!

I learned something new today.  Something terrifying, even.  I'm old!  It was so shocking to me that I could be considered "old."  Me?  No way!  I don't even think of my own Mother as old.  She's still the same sweet, bubbly, young Mom she's always been.  39 forever!  She doesn't even sound old over the phone!  She has this happy twinkle in her voice that couldn't be mistaken for old by anyone that heard it.

My bosses' son, who is 21 now, informed me of this tragic news about me being old.  Yes, he kinda makes me feel old, especially since I remember when he was just four years old and the cutest little shy thing, hiding behind his mother's skirts.  Now he's all grown up with a deep voice, about 10 feet tall and working here at our office.  But he must have poor eyesight if he thinks I'm old, right?  I bet he needs glasses.

I remember when we first moved here to Tennessee.  I was in my 20's and one of my co-workers called me "Ma'am" for the first time.  Now that made me feel old!  I was mortified that he would call me ma'am and I chastised him for it and told him never to call me that again.  I didn't know then that he was just being a southern gentleman.  My bosses' children would call me "Miss Toni."  Even that initially offended me.  It sounded like something I would have called my kindergarten teacher, and I didn't think of myself as old enough to be referred to as "Miss."  But again, it was a southern thing that I eventually got used to.  Now it's endearing.

Yes, I see a gray hair or two popping up now and again, and yes, I do have more defined laugh lines then I used to.  I do have aches and pains I never had before, and I am noticing I don't remember things as good as I used to, but I still don't feel like I'm old!  It's just so distressing to think that someone considers me old.

I guess I better call and reserve my room at the local nursing home since I'm on my way to over-the-hill.  I might as well stop by Walgreens for a cane while I'm at it, because surely I'll be needing that soon too.  Thanks a lot, young whippersnapper, for making me feel old.  You sure know how to brighten my day. . . NOT!  I'm so depressed. . .