Slaters' Funny Farm

Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Bill Clinton, Bill O' Reilly, and Matt Lauer are all names that I am sure most of us if not all of us are aware of. Unfortunately, it is now that we know them due to the nature of the "acts" that they have done and not the talent that they possess. All 5 of these men have been accused and in some cases proven of sexually harassment at the workplace or with colleagues. These men, whether truly guilty or not, have become names associated with workplace harassment and using their power to manipulate these women. My fear is, that like so many things in society these days, the accusations may not all be truthful and some of what they are accused of doing may have been in a joking manner. I feel that as a society we have become fearful of a joke. We make it to be bullying inside the schools and we have made it harassment in the workplace. Let me add a disclaimer here for the comments that I am sure will follow this * I am in no way saying that ...

Fire is such a frightening word to me! I remember fire drills in school and several in the past years at work places and how awful I always thought it would be to lose your home in a fire. They can spread so fast and you rarely have time to escape or get beloved items out before the home is fully engulfed in flames. Of course, all material things can be replaced so as long as my family was out I would have to be thankful to God. Last night when my husband returned from hunting, he came into the house and yelled for me to grab my coat and get outside. I knew we were going to do some shopping, so I mentioned that I wanted to change shirts and he firmly said " No, grab your coat and come on". With no idea as to what the big hurry was, I grabbed my jacket and went out. As I hurried across our back yard, I immediately seen large flames above the trees. The neighbor's house on the other side of my in-laws was on fire. I picked up my pace a little more. I was in shock as I had...

Branson, Missouri is known for it's music roots and it is known for it's shows, but there is plenty of fun to be found without attending a show. There is plenty for a family to do and plenty of outdoor fun to keep the kids from being bored. I would highly recommend Branson as a family vacation spot. In September, my husband and I took a 4 day trip to Branson along with our oldest daughter and her fiancé. I was worried about whether my husband would enjoy it since he does not care about dinner shows and things like that and I knew that was Branson. What I did not realize was how much we could find to do that did not involve the shows. Since we were driving down, I suggested that we leave a day early and take our time traveling down and spend the night about half way. I Googled what the half way point was and it was a town along the Illinois/ Missouri border, so we were just a few minutes outside of St. Louis.  It was a nice break from the travels and we chose a less expensiv...

Alas! Deer season is in full effect in Indiana today. Of course, there are many times of the year that different animal and weapon seasons are in effect. Today is the first day of gun season for deer for the year. The weather is not perfect for hunting as it is very windy and warm. My husband woke up at 4:30 a.m. to be in the woods before sun rise and will probably spend a majority of the day there unless the storms that we are being predicted arrive. I don't mind as it gives me a chance to be up early and get some things done after he leaves and before my mom gets up. I have managed to vacuum and dust the living room, change the doilies on my tables to Christmas ones, clean the kitchen counter, find Christmas curtains, and straightened up some of the toys that the grand had drug out yesterday. My husband is not a trophy hunter. He doesn't care about the antlers and the deer head to hang on the wall. He won't kill a baby or a young doe, but the adults are for the taking...

This is about how my yard looked yesterday as the colder air and the winds that blew through made the trees lose most of the brilliant, vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows that had dressed them for a bit of time. Fall is such an amazing time of the year with all of the colors, but when those leaves fall you are sure left with a mess.   Over the weekend, my husband and I spoke of getting some of them cleaned up but the time never came to do that. Yesterday after work, I decided that while I had the grand doll and the weather was not too cold or rainy, that I would attempt to clean up some of the mess that is on the front yard anyway. I began raking while grand doll began jumping in the piles that I had made. I finally made her a pile and myself a pile to burn. She played in her pile for a bit before wanting to move on to helping me rake, which was not working. Living in the country is so nice at this time of the year because I know many people that don't have the option to bur...

Christmas is a comin" , at least, that is what my Granny used to say. Raised in very rural south western Virginia, she was truly a country granny. She used snuff, which I have many memories of as well as canning in the summer, wonderfully cozy and warm home in the winter from the woodstove, and how humble her surroundings were, but how much love we felt there. How I miss those days!! Anyway, now that we are in the middle of November, it is time to begin to think of the holiday season. I do have some shopping done, but not as much as I would like. I have no idea as to what to get my husband, but I will discover something. I truly don't need much but for some reason, I can always see things I want. I guess I should start a list so I will get a few of my favorite things. Chocolate and wine would be good. LOL!!! Christmas season at our farm begins when I decide to pull out my multitude of snowmen and begin setting them around the house. I also pulled out the farm Christmas cur...

My heart is broken! Every person in the United States should be heartbroken as we learn of yet another senseless shooting that has claimed the lives of young and old, men and women, and the mass chaos that has now came into Sutherland Springs, Texas. On Sunday, a gunman dressed in black and tactical gear, opened fire outside a small Baptist church in Sutherland Springs. He proceeded into the First Baptist Church where he began firing at parishioners and when he left, he left behind a trail of carnage that will be felt within the town for a long time. 26 people killed and 20 injured are the latest statistics that I am hearing. Ages of the dead range from 5-72, which truly breaks my heart. As a grandmother, I can't imagine anyone shooting a 5 year old child inside a church. My mind won't allow me to process that and when I begin to think of it, my heart just breaks. Reports are saying that one family was deeply affected by this shooting as a pregnant mother, her in-laws, and ...

Good Morning!  As I sit here to write this morning, I realize that I have been speaking of follow up posts about things and I never get those written. This one is going to be the first of many that I will try to get my faithful readers caught up on subjects that I have spoke of and never mentioned again. Blount's Disease, for those that do not know what it is, is a disease in which the tibia bone does not grow correctly and the outside of the leg grows faster than the inside and it causes extreme bow leggedness. It can be a debilitating disease if it goes untreated. In most cases, surgery is required. A month ago today, my granddoll went for the surgery that the pediatric orthopedic surgeon felt was best for her case. We were told that the surgery was performed often and that there was really not much danger of things going wrong and that results are usually successful. I have a friend of a friend that works in this particular field and she even reassured me that the surgeon we...

Tuesday October 31, 2017 was supposed to be a day of fun and Halloween celebrations across the United States but for those on a bike path in New York City it was anything but fun as another terrorist took the lives of 8 and injured at least 11. Another act of terrorism on the city that never sleeps. Sayfullo Saipov, 29, a man that came to the United States in from Uzbekistan in 2010,  was shot and apprehended by an officer after smashing into a school bus and getting out of his vehicle with weapons. Mr. Saipov was shouting messages in Arabic and waving guns. Mr. Saipov was here in the United States legally, but it has came out in news reports that he had been under the federal radar as a possible threat to the US. Mr. Saipov intentionally drove a truck that he had rented near his home in New Jersey down a crowded bike path in Manhattan just a few miles from the World Trade Center. The bike path was located along the Hudson River and is frequented by many joggers, walkers, and b...