(originally posted January 2010)

Well, Oscar had a very nice Christmas. His present did not actually get here until yesterday but once he saw what it was, he was not upset, LOL~!!! It's a miniature Palimino filly that we got from my youngest sister's fiance. I was so proud of having the darned camera ready this time but I could kick myself for not recording the audio. ::dies laughing all over again:: OMG~! The nickering/braying/whinnying/ that went on. Just when we thought they were thru, we would start talking and all of a sudden...they started up again.

She's shy... she would not come out until we all backed away including Oscar. Then we coaxed her out with a bit of carrot and Oscar got jealous so we had to give him a piece.

I think he forgot about the carrot. Awwww~! We have not named her yet, but two suggestions; one from Henry who said, when the trailer first opened up, "She has Tina Turner hair" and my sister who always thought our "food" names for our dogs.... peanut, popcorn, nestle, ... was cute, said we should name her "Myer"..... I'll let you think about it before I make the connection for you LOLOL~!

So after letting them sniff around each other a while, and soon after Oscar tried to ....umm...... errr..... after he tried to jump her bones, we took her to the stall. She will stay there for a week until donkey, horse, cats, dogs get a little more used to each other.
Somehow, Oscar does not look all that happy about that decision.

How Do You Spell Relief?

Remember that commercial? R-O-L-A-I-D-S. Let's try a non-chemical relief. Let's spell relief "K-O-I P-O-N-D". I love spending time at my koi pond. Even with the house barely 15 feet behind me, when I'm at the pond I am the only one around for miles.

It really is a world unto itself. Living in the country, I have always lived among wildlife... deer, possum, skunks, boars, vultures.. not to mention the daddy long legs and scorpions. I usually let the bats take care of those critters. .

But the pond is mine. My special "end of the day let it all roll away" place

There is a small pool behind the sun where the birds play and use it as a birdbath. It drives my dogs nuts seeing the birds in "their" pond.

The newest members of our family, little chihuahua sisters named Thelma & Louise, love exploring while I sit and relax.

Thelma is determined to find one of the two turtles that keep a low profile. I have tried for two weeks to photograph them myself but every time I see them, they scurry back to their cave before I get the camera set.

The fish, the older ones anyway, are so used to me they will come up to the very edge where I am sitting and look at me with those fish eyes and wait for me to feed them, but I guess the turtles are too cold blooded to be friendly... (no pun intended). No matter, I know they are there and thriving, so it is what it is.

It has become such a neat little environment since we put it in. Attracting all sorts of new wildlife to the area. Including a migrating crane that thought it was his own personal buffet for a week or two then happily went on his way with a full belly.....
During the summer, it is the first place my rottweiler runs to when I let her out of her kennel. She heads for the very middle, sits down and bites at the water as the fish swim around her. After she cools off, she climbs out and gives the rest of us a shake bath before running off to the far ends of the property.

I noticed soooooo many new fish this spring. Sometimes, when feeding them, I'll sprinkle some of the food near the lily pads. The little guys can get to it easily while the big boys prefer munching in the open areas.

I always see something new or observe a new habit of the fish. And once in awhile, when I lose myself in the quietness and total peace of the moment, I am rewarded with an opportunity.....

I don't think the turtle even noticed I was there. I imagine he was just as relaxed as I was.....