Slaters' Funny Farm

Friday was a bittersweet day with my daughter attending her senior prom with other homeschooled children and the loss of her horse. One of our beloved horses, Abdul, passed away on Friday morning and he was her dear companion. Abdul, was a Tennessee Walker- Arabian mix and he was a dream. We bought him from a friend about 6 years ago for my daughter to ride and show at 4 H. She was moving up in her riding skills and we were moving her from a smaller pony to a small horse. She was scared of him and swore she was not going to ride him. After my husband and our oldest daughter rode him, she decided that she would try. After a few rides, they were best buddies and have done so many things together. Abdul has participated in many 4H classes both halter and showmanship classes as well as contesting. He was not a barrel horse, but he did not mind to try. He would run when he needed and he would go around the barrels as though it was natural. He did not ride gaited as he had walked with qu...

No, I have not fallen from the face of the earth. The flu hit our house hard on Sunday and my granddaughter and I both have been so sick from it. My daughter has been lucky enough to avoid it at all costs. My husband has been coughing quite a bit which concerns me considering he has breathing issues anyway. But that is not what this post is about. It is about security shattered. Why? You ask. Yesterday was a day that shattered my security is such a way that I am not sure I will ever truly feel safe even here in my safe little corner of the world again. Less than a half mile down the road yesterday, they were searching for a young man that had shot a police officer yesterday morning. Fortunately, the officer was not killed or even seriously injured, but the young man is now wanted on resisting law enforcement and attempted murder. So sad! Sad, but shook my inner sense of security and safety. The shooting did not happen near us, but the search for him did as his last known address was ...

Today our weather is cloudy and cool, but with the weekend comes temperatures in the upper 60's and lower 70's by Tuesday. You can't imagine how extremely happy that makes me as I know that it means that spring is not far off and with spring comes new beginnings. Yesterday as I was moving things in the house to make room for a new bench that I have, I carried some items to the garage and as I was walking by my flower beds in the side yard, I was quite surprised to see green sprouts popping up in the yard, where new flowers are now sprouting up. Once again a sign of new beginnings. Life seems to go by so quickly that I feel we usually do not notice the new beginnings all around us. What is more precious than a newborn baby, a newborn foal, a newborn calf, or a simple new flower entering the world through the ground? Nothing! The signs of spring are right up with on a list of my few favorite things. The buds on the tree, the leaves sprouting out, farmers preparing fields ...