Cancer Sucks

So, my Husband is filled to the brim with cancer.  What to do, what to do.......  I've cried, I've screamed, I've hit things, crumbled up into a ball, what else can I do.....  Oh yes, I can take care of my three kids (7, 2, and 6 months).
I'm kind of lost right now.  Everything seems surreal.
Anyway, I didn't know if this blog still existed.  I guess it's still a piece of the internet, floating around in the ether.
My kids haven't seen their dad in a month and a half bc he's been in the hospital out of town.  How will that affect them?  Maybe in no way at all, I don't know.
Anyway, I am not sure what will happen.  Such a strange and unexpected turn of events.

Merry Christmas!

Teaching Evan to shoplift as a “cost savings” approach to this year’s Christmas shopping probably wasn’t the best idea after all…..

Why I hate Randall's Grocery Store

So, before I joined the "I hate the Randall's Club Card" group on Facebook the other day, I had already taken notes and photos that describe precisely why I hate Randall's. So here it is:

I am wondering why Randall's Grocery Store is engaging in fraudulent advertising? They are the type of store that has a "club card" and if you use it, you pay one advertised price, if you don't use it, you pay a different advertised price. Well, I found a book in a bin full of clearance items that were 50% off, according to the sign. When the cashier rung it up, it came out to the full price. I told him I found it in the clearance bin and it was 50% off. He told me that the 50% off only applied to "club members". I went back and looked at all of the markings on the bin, as well as the book, and no where did it specify "club members only". People that have been to Randall's know that there are always 2 prices listed for all of the items: the "club" price and the "regular" price. I went online and nowhere online did it state that only "club members" were entitled to clearance priced items. There’s not even a “color-coding” system or anything listed anywhere that describes that “x” color code means this price and “y” color code means this price. I think that Randall’s is full of sh*$! While standing there at the checkout, the lady in front of me who had not completely walked off yet, turned around and said that I could use her card if there was a problem. She was very sweet but I told her “no, thank you”, I will not use the card, thus allowing “The Man” to keep tabs on anyone. I deliberately don’t have a “member card” b/c I find it unseemly to discriminate like that for no good reason. This isn’t a program that you pay to get into and that offers something special for being a member. They just make non-members pay outlandish prices and play “Big Brother”, spying on all the “members”. I have gone to that store when I needed something quick because it’s the closest to my work, but never again. I will most certainly drive out of my way from here on out. That is a promise!
I consider what they did to be outright fraud. They advertised a specific price - no strings attached - and then did not follow through on the sale. In fact, I’m wondering if it was illegal? I am attaching a couple of photos so that people can see that they did not identify the bin items as “club member only” ANYWHERE.
I hate Randall’s Grocery Store and I will never again give them any of my business.

Anybody who would like to explain to me how Randall's is not engaging in fraud and is actually a great company, please, by all means, enlighten me.

A Sunday here at home

I thought I would share a typical Sunday in the summer out here at my home. Being that the temps have been in the 100's for most of the summer, it seems like most of us come to life in the morning hours, then hibernate for the day until the temperature drops below 100 in the evening. These photos were taken around 8:30 am today:

Scott and Evan check on the water level at the tank in the lower pasture.

Hummingbird at the esperanza.

Hummingbirds at one of the feeders.

A doe and a buck at the barn.

Butterfly, a purple-spotted or a pipevine swallowtail, at the esperanza bush.

Indira, my peahen, sits on the car that I should have parked in the garage just for the very reason that she usually likes to perch there.

My peachick, who is quickly growing up.

Then, as I said, not much happens during the heat of the day. I cleaned up a bit outside, cleaned the chicken coop, etc. and felt absolutely awful, like I'd run a 10K or something, and wanted to throw-up. It's just so damned hot!

By 7pm, the activity starts back up and I captured a few more pics of the residents out here in my backyard. Here they are enjoying the evening hours:

These two photos are of Buddy, Minnie Pearl, Almond, then Prime Time and Paleface.

The hummers come back out to get some dinner at the feeders.

Evan helps water the plants.

Then, it's time to go inside, cool off a bit, get ready for bed and start a new day...Monday.....

A couple of notable passings in the backyard

A couple of my favorite animals past away this past week.

My very elderly longhorn, Honeycake, finally went to sleep and didn't wake up. She was a lovely and sweet cow. Very pretty and a truly wonderful and strong mother to all of her calves. In fact, she had her last calf this past winter. She lived a really long life, approx. 30 yrs. give or take. I am glad that she didn't suffer. She was up and walking around, eating, drinking, using the bathroom, just being a cow, all the way to the end.

Then, one of my favorite chickens, a little white bantam I call Ballerina didn't come in to roost the other night and hasn't been seen since. I'm guessing it was a hawk, but I don't know for sure. She was incredibly sweet and one of the few that would always let me pick her up.

I really miss her.

We had a batch of chicks earlier in the month and three of them are hers, so I am hoping that maybe one will look like her and have her temperament.

Everybody is trying to get by in the heat this summer.

Well, we have made several heat and drought records this year. Fifty-something days of over 100+ degree heat. Very tired of the heat.

Oh well.

It seems that everybody is hot and thirsty. I took a pic of a frog this morning around 10am that was hanging out at one of the chicken waterers. Neither the chickens nor the dogs paid him any mind. I guess everybody understands we all need to just get through the summer.

More Pictures from Evan's Birthday

Max is such a little sweetie.

Scott's old friend, Layne, and Scott.

Ed and Jenny.

Ed, Steph and Mom.