So What's Your Vote?

Summer Vs Winter...Are you a snow bunny or a sun lover?


This is a typical summer day at our house. My dogs are outside enjoying the sun and the grass, and I'm working in my flowerbeds and garden. It's warm, beautiful and enjoyable.



Now, jump to the picture below......









I don't take many pictures in the snow, so this is the front yard up against the fence, not where the flowers were, but about 30' away.

Now you tell me, which is more enticing for you?

A few days ago we had very cool weather for our area. It should be in the high 80's and 90's all through August, with an occasional day or so over 100. We spent 3 or 4 days in a row in the low 60's, dropping into the high 40's at night. And it felt like fall.

Can you tell I'm dreading winter? Yep. Don't like it. Not since grade school when snow was fun. When winter arrives I start counting the days until spring.

If I could vote, I'd have three season. Spring, summer and fall. No winter.

How about you? What's your favorite season and why?

Ladders, Part 2

I don't have a picture of this one because, well....I was lying flat on my back and in no shape to take a picture.

It started with my decision to stop at a U-pick orchard to get a bucket of cherries. It's at the tail end of the season (that's already running late due to a delayed summer/heat). So, all the fruit that could be picked from the ground was gone, leaving only what could be reached from a ladder.

I was the only one in my section of the orchard, although I'd walked past a mother and her two teenage girls not too far away. I set my ladder (the type with a pole you set apart from the legs in a triangle). My dad had a small orchard while I was growing up and I'd set these ladders many a time. I could hear his voice in my head reminding me to check it to make sure it was square. It wasn't, and I reset it. But this time when reminded again, I disregarded it, sure it must be fine.

Bad decision.

I climbed up and picked a half bucket of luscious, dark purple cherries and had almost cleaned out the area I could reach. A few big handfuls were a little farther away, but I could reach them by leaning.

Another bad decision.

The ladder went one way in slow motion, tipping off to my right. I saw and felt it going and knew there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it. I remember thinking it was going to hurt when I hit. I also had the presence of mind to holler for help on the way down, as I knew I might not be in any condition to do so once I hit.

Good decision.

I bounced off several rungs, impacted the side panel with my thigh and calf, and landed on my tailbone, then flat on my back, then my head whipped back and connected last.

Thankfully, on grassy ground.

No broken bones, but LOTS of big bruises and a separated tailbone that's also bent to the side.

The woman and girls came running, as did the orchard owner. I lay on the ground getting my breath, then when I felt able, they helped me up. After determining I didn't have any broken bones, I bemoaned the loss of my cherries, scattered across the ground. The owner scooped them all up and offered to help me to my car.

Nope. I came to get cherries, I wasn't leaving without them. I had company coming and wanted those cherries! I climbed back up the now stable ladder (half way this time....my feet were on the 6th rung the first time) and proceeded to finish off my gallon bucket.

Then I called my chiropractor and made a beeline for his office. I've been back about 5 times since, and he's got my tailbone almost back in place. The bruises are healing, I'm still sore and it's still hard to sit. But I'm sure enjoying those cherries!

Ladders, Gates and Other Assorted Dangers

What a day! It started out innocently enough but by bedtime I felt as though a cyclone had hit, upsetting my emotions and pummeling my body.

See the little dog in the foreground? That's my 7 lb. Chihuahua, Lacey, and her sister Bella (with the floppy ears). My two cats are in the background. Two weeks ago today Lacey decided to escape and run down to my daughter's house whose property adjoins ours.

See the crack between the wood post and the metal gate? Bella is standing just a few inches in front of it. Narrow, huh? You'd think too narrow for any of these four critters to get their heads through it, right? Wrong.

I heard loud crying/yipping and raced outside. Lacey's head was jammed through the crack and she was stuck. Body on one side, head on the other. bove the bottom hinge that you see in the picture, so she was standing on her hind legs to keep her balance. I held her body up and tried to gently work her head back through. She screamed, quite literally, both times.

I sat praying and trying to figure out how I could free her, and thought maybe her collar was impeding her release. I had to let go of her and run to the house for scissors. When I returned she was wheezing and panting. It was in the 90's that day and her throat was against the hinge. Not good. Cut the collar and tried again. More crying and screaming and still stuck.

By this time I was close to crying. My daughter and her hubby were gone, as was my husband, and I don't know any phone #'s of neighbors. We're 9 miles out in the country and no one close besides our kids. I ran back in, grabbed the phone and a bottle of cooking oil. I figured if you can get a ring off your finger by making it slick, it might work with her head. It didn't. More crying and struggling. By this time I was crying.

I called my husband in a near panic, sure my dog was going to die before anyone made it home to help. He calmed me down and I finally explained what happened. He instructed me to lift up on the gate...hard...that it would pop off the hinges. I gave a hard yank, and the gate went flying. I grabbed Lacey, cuddled her to my chest, thanked him and ran in the house to get her some water. She didn't want to do anything but stay in my arms for the next 20 minutes. Poor little thing was too scared to even shiver, which is her normal reaction when she's afraid.

I'm hoping she's learned her lesson and stays away from the gate, but at least now I know what to do.

Tune in tomorrow to hear about the rest of my day....and the episode with the ladder. Bruises, bruises, everywhere!

Catching Up or Procrastinating-- How About You?

The summer is flying by and so much has happened that I've put several projects on hold. For weeks now a couple of obligations have stared me in the face, taunting me with their need to be finished. Each day I promise myself I'll work on them, and each evening near bedtime I realize I've once again put them off for another day.

I'm not sure why I torture myself this way. Why not just get it over with, even if it's something (paperwork) that I hate doing? Wouldn't it be easier not to face the same thing day after day, and keep dealing with the dread, stress and guilt that comes with not getting it done?

Yesterday I sat staring at the stack of paperwork and resolved that another day wouldn't go by with the pile on my desk. I'll bet you're thinking.....she put it off again and has to face it today. Nope. I actually got it done, faxed it off and am now facing a relatively clean desk. What a huge relief! And just think, I could have experienced this joy and satisfaction weeks ago had I followed through and not procrastinated. Sure, I had a book deadline also pressing me that I felt was more important. I had a garden needing tending, family to visit and a tailbone to nurse after my fall from an orchard ladder. All good excuses. But if I were totally honest I'd admit there was time for the project, I just didn't want to do it.

Anyone else have the same problem as me? Do you get projects that you dread done first, or drag your feet and put them off till the last possible minute? If so, why? I'd love your input!