SEALED WITH A KISS

Abominable Snowmen, Yeti, Forodwaith, Yuki Daruma or just plain old Frosty the Snowmen all melt away like a big old triple scoop bowl of Cappuccino Chocolate Chunk ice cream when the toasty spring weather begins warm the frozen earth. A snowman is an anthropomorphic icy sculpture of a human. The first documented snowman was noted by Bob Eckststine in his book titled "Book of Hours" in 1380. The largest snowman ever recorded was in 2008 in Bethel, Maine who towered a grand twenty~two feet, one inch tall. Heck, these cold hearted fellas even celebrate their own holiday on January 18th known as World Day of Snowmen. I've made no bones about my own abomination towards those tiny frozen lace doilies floatin' from the sky or how I loathe the nuisance of feedin' critters and replenishing the woodpile in it's cold repulsive layers. Ya'll get the picture, I dislike snow intensely finding it most unfriendly but even to my surprise, I collect snowmen. I know.......isn't it a shocker?

Yep, this Ozark farm chick has 'em stashed everywhere. They come out before Christmas and hide in the ivy or hang around the fireplace. My little recipe holder snowman enjoys sittin' on my kitchen cabinet. They hang off doorknobs, hunker down in baskets and snuggle on the sofa in the living room. As much as I despise the snow I love all my little snowmen tucked in every nook and cranny of the Ponderosa's homestead.

Today as ya'll know is deep clean Friday. The day I enjoy chasin' those dust bunnies right out the door. The day germs are destroyed and everything shines brightly. Oh baby I've got the cleanin' bug bad but folks it's also Spring. Time to bring out the fresh garden pillows. Time to open the windows and air out the house. Time for the snowmen to be gathered and packed away safely 'till next year. I found myself singin' (I know that's hard for some of your to imagine...heeehehe!) that old 1960's song of Gary Lewis and the Playboys,"Sealed Withe a Kiss." "Though we gotta say goodbye for the Summer," I,m beltin' out as I pack these well rounded gents away thinkin' maybe just maybe as the last snowman is laid to rest and the box is closed it'll be "Sealed With A Kiss!"

HAPPY SPRING EVERYBODY!!!

PLEASE MR. POSTMAN

The word blessing is defined as something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity. The subject of blessings is incorporated extensively in the Bible. There are three Greek words utilized to translate the word "blessing", a verb, a noun and and an adjective. They each mean "praised," "to call on Gods power" and "fine speaking" sequentially. This farm chick finds blessings come in all sizes and just as many forms. I feel blessed to awaken to the smile on Hubby's face when the sun arises in our Ozark holler beaming over the treetops toppin' the hill. My heart flutters watchin' the bluebirds busily furnishing their nests to raise their broods. Butterflies and flowers excite me and hummingbirds astound my very soul. I find joyous blessings waltzing with the granddaughters and doin' the Irish jig with my grandson. Yep, I did! I am continually blessed with the sweet comforting voice of a good friend but other day I found a blessing in my mailbox of all places!

I received a surprise package from Teresa@Grammy Girlfriend that has heaped my days full of blessings. Just look at all this loot! I'm tellin' ya'll this was like blessings raining from heaven filled with three wonderful CD's. Sheila Walsh's ,"All That Really Matters" worship, Sand Patty's, "Hymns of Faith Songs of Inspiration" and Women of faith, "Extraordinary Faith." Now if that don't make your skirt fly up, nothin' will! I have enjoyed this music so much while working 'round the Ponderosa. I do love beltin' out a good tune!!! I received a beautiful bookmark with scripture that can also be used on a key-chain to hide God's word in you purse. Heeeheehe! But that's not all folks....wait....cards, beautiful cards, just look at 'em! Have ya ever seen anything any cuter? She must of know how much I love to send cards of encouragement. Teresa is on a one woman campaign to revive sendin' snail mail cards to bless those you love.

Teresa is a God lovin' wife of her "one of a kind" hubby, Mama to two gorgeous children and Grammy to Parker, Austin, Jack and Grayson. She loves football, movies and is all about family. She is a colossal Disney fan. I think she's a bit smitten on that Mickey. She also has her Christmas blog, "A Baby Changes Everything, where you can always get the Christmas Countdown and enjoy the song the blog is named after. This Christian sister is on a card givin' giveaway frenzy. I tell ya'll the woman has gone plumb wild! Really visit her blog and enter her card giveaways so you to can be a blessing too. Go....visit....sit down and stay a spell at her beautiful blog but while you there leave her a comment for a chance to win some cards so you too can be a blessing just spreadin' the love. Why before you know it ya'll be singin' The Marvelettes 1961 single hit song askin',"C'mon deliver the letter, the sooner the better", "Please Mr. Postman???

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Life is a characteristic differentiating between something that has a self-sustaining biological process from those that don't. Biology defines "life" as the state distinguishing inorganic matter from active living growing organisms. This Ozarks farm chick firmly believes that life begins at conception. Be it attained in the heated throws of passion between two moon eyed lovers or the plannin' and breeding of livestock, I believe that life begins the moment the egg and sperm unite and the microscopic cell divides. A youngster raised on a farm never has to question life or how it begins. It is all second nature to them when they hear daddy talkin' about turnnin' the bulls into the cow pasture. Our little punks got to experience the miracle of birth as soon as they could toddle around under our barn boots watchin' mama pig, cow or donkey bring a new baby animal to the Ponderosa. Another subject completing the circle of life that country young'ens learn to accept is....death.

Exactly one week after Dead Dorothy went down she finally succumbed to pneumonia. Hubby and I had high hopes working diligently to save this poor depleted animal. Dorothy did not have to overcome the Wicked Witch of the West but starvation put her in the unstable shape she was in. The sky did not fill with Flyin' Monkeys but she was unable to take nourishment on her own, so we drenched her with needed nutrients twice a day. Winkie Soldiers did not try to keep her captive but immobility took it's toll on her already weakened body. Hubby would put her in a harness standin' her up with the front loader of the tractor for short periods of time prodding her to put weight on her frail legs that couldn't hold her 355 pound body up more than a few seconds at a time. A deadly field of poppies did not put her into a comatose sleep but fluid started filling her lungs. This could of been treatable if the wheezin' bovine was mobile but sadly she was not.

We had little sparks and glimmers of 'Kansas' that gave us encouragement. One morn' Dorothy put up a bit of a fight struggling against the drench bottle. Fight in an animal means it still has spirit and at least a modest amount of strength. She began drinking a little water and eatin' the tiniest bit of feed by mouth! Woohoo, I danced... Ya'll know it doesn't take much! Then she began to rattle just a bit and we knew she would be sayin' goodbye to that yellow brick road. She would never see Kansas or a sale barn again. Friday evening Dorothy gave up the fight and entered that big old Emerald City in the sky. This chick will just have to rest in the fact knowing that we did everything in our power and Dorothy finally made it home "Somewhere Over The Rainbow!!!"

WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD!

Meet Dead Dorothy. She arrived on the Ponderosa last week malnourished half starved to death. Her mange ridden coat lacks the luster and thickness of a critter prone to holdin' it's head in a feed bag. She is what we call here in the Ozarks a Swamp Rat. No disrespect to all you lovely wonderful southern ladies I love so much. A Swamp Rat is an animal who has been trucked into our area from states like Louisiana and Mississippi to be auctioned at a local sale barns. Dead Dorthy is suffering from starvation, stress and shipping fever. Movin' cattle from warmer states to cooler states works well in the summer but in the winter months...not so much. "Oh baby, I got 'em cheap," are the words I hear flyin' from proud Hubby's lips.

Hubby is accumulating a band of small cattle to feed out for market. He has enlisted the help of a wing man, The Ring~Master who owns a sale barn. A paper thin emaciated cow and her puny skinny calf were ran into the ring to sell and Hubby bought the pair for a mere $265.oo. What a bargain even though I constantly remind this burnin' hunk of love it's only a bargain if they live. The calf was really too old to be on it's bony mama but I'm thinkin' the ring~master threw it in 'cause he didn't want to get stuck draggin' the deceased critter off. Now if ya have ever been to a sale barn ya know it's an exclusive men's club in it's own rite. These guys have their own verbal language only those who belong to the club understand and a sign language they have no problem nodding and answering 'yep' to. In one of these exchanges Hubby understood that this cow~calf pair was part of a divorce that neither party wanted to feed. The cattle trailer arrived at the Ponderosa unloading the cattle purchased that day and the cow was put in the cow pasture and Dead Dorothy was to flourish in the weanin' pen. Yep, the man always has a plan. He's just that kinda' guy.

The first morning that I went up to water the clan at the weanin' pen where poor Dorothy had her heavy head hanging six inches off the ground. Nope, this is never a good sign in cattle. Ya'll want their heads high and ears up. The next morning this farm chick spotted Dorothy layin' flat on her side with her Twiggy legs stickin straight out like road kill. Her sides were not goin' up and down nor was her tail twitchin'. I hollored as I was banging on the metal panels and saw no movement. The other calves walked over and nudged her poor famished body gettin' no response. Now granted I didn't climb over the corral and poke, prod or nudge her but she was lyin' there lifeless as a virgin on a blind date. I'm a farm gal ~I know dead when I see it! First I called time of death then I called Hubby to announce Dorothy had passed.

Saturday morn' Hubby trots into the house singin'," she lives, she was probably sleeping soundly." Now folks, this calf was more than napping, it had to be in some kind of deep comma trance 'cause there was no sign of breath or a blessed miracle dropped from above and revived her. She was call a code and page Dr. McDreamy gone. Dead Dorothy is unable to eat normally so we are 'drenching' her. We take a contraption with a long tube and fill it with milk replacer and squeeze it down her gullet. Much like a NG tube in a human. She has not stood on her own four legs in a few days. Tonight when Hubby gets home he will take the tractor and lift her onto her legs with the front loader. This could be a Kodak moment except it will be dark and I'd only have the light of the moon and the light of a tractor so it could all be a little too scary to show. Thankfully Dead Dorothy's mama is doin' much better than she is.

I almost fainted when I saw the small vaccine bottle of Draxxin costing $355.oo or the Micotil at $150.00. The small $25.00 bag of milk relpacer was nothin' compared to that. There is an abundance of time and a mint put into a sick animal. Most farmers would just give up the ghost and put the poor animal down but Hubby is a wizard when it comes to doctoring cattle. Both Dorthy and Hubby believe that if she clicks her hooves together three times and recites ,"there's no place like the Ponderosa," Dead Dorothy will be granted a full and happy life runnin' up and down these Ozarks hills and hollers singing, "We're Off To See The Wizard!!!"