Slaters' Funny Farm

Happy Friday! I hope that you all have had a prosperous week. Mine has been busy but not truly prosperous I don't think. I am happy to report that the doctor visit went well yesterday and the doctor said that my grand dolls legs are looking good. That brings tears of joy to this grandma's eyes. Of course, we have several more months of waiting to see what the end result will be. You can read about her journey will Blount's Disease  here and the post on her surgery  here . This photo makes it a little hard to see because of her unicorn tail on her costume, but if you look at the left leg, you can see how bowed out it was. It was the worst of the two and I believe that it is slowly beginning to straighten up. While at the children's hospital yesterday, I was shocked to see a much younger girl dealing with a more severe case of it. It is amazing that the walk and run even when the legs are not correct as it is all they have ever known. Well, she will return to see t...

What are morning routines like at your house? Busy with getting children out the door? Busy trying to keep everyone on a schedule? I remember those days when the children were younger, but now that they are basically all out of the house, one would think that the morning schedule would be easier, but I find that most mornings can still be a little chaotic around here. Usually, I am up and running before daylight. This morning was one of those early morning wake ups and nothing would allow me to go back to sleep. I decided at 5 a.m. that it was time to rise and shine. My first thought was that I would mop the dining room and kitchen as it is hard to do when anyone here is up and moving. With the rain, snow, sleet, 50 degrees, 20 degrees weather we have been having it seemed that the floor was constantly dirty. ( By the way, farms are muddy most of the time). So that was my first chore. Lysol floor cleaner, a good pair of gloves, a towel and my mop quickly became second nature as I wen...

Today as I sit here to write, I am going to ask something of my readers here. If you are a praying person, could you please say a special prayer for my grand doll. She goes to the surgeon on Thursday for a follow up on the surgery on her legs. Could you please pray that the x-ray shows that her legs are improving and are getting less bowed? Those would be greatly appreciated! If you are not a praying person, lift her in your thoughts and send some love her way. My fear is that the left leg may not be improving which will mean another surgery later to do a different type of treatment and it will be a more painful one as well as a longer recovery time. That makes me so nervous and heartbroken. She will be three this year and I want her to be able to play and run like all the other kids her age. She gets around well, but I just want her legs to straighten and allow her no more pain. It is truly heartbreaking to hear her say that her boo boo's hurt and that her legs hurt and there is...

I usually prefer that people mind their own business, but I am encouraging you all to say something to someone if you feel there is anything out of place with neighbors. Following the case that is happening now in California, where 13 children have been recovered from a home and authorities are saying that the children have been abused and tortured for years, PLEASE  pay attention and speak up if you see something wrong. You can report things like this anonymously and it MUST  be done! These poor children needed someone to speak up. It is reported that family members had tried to visit and were given the wrong address or something, neighbors report that they either saw the children out at night and that they looked very pale, or that they had seen them scavenging through the trash, and other things that I just find appalling that someone did not alert authorities. I hate when these stories hit the news because I always catch the fact that it is reported that the children w...

As many of you know, I am not a fan of cold weather and I am certainly not a fan of artic cold air, but once again we are being blessed with it. ( Looking on the bright side that for some reason, God must want it to be this cold.) A few days ago, it was near 60 and then the bottom fell out of the thermometer again and it turned cold. We have had ice, snow and now artic cold again. Temps over night are to be around negative 5 and wind chills could be as cold as negative 20. BRR!!!! That is the kind of temps that really make you long for the summer heat. It is the kind of weather that makes me really want my turtleneck sweaters, gloves, and my scarves. Warm winter boots ( which if you are female are nearly impossible to find) are going to be on my to find list for next year. It seems that they are stylish but never truly warm. Fur lined would be nice but in the foot area and not just the top. I call these birds snow birds, but I am not sure of what the correct name for them are. I ...

Good Thursday Morning! Welcome to my little corner of the world where I am watching the weather man predict snow for us of possibly 6 inches or more and add that we are under a winter weather advisory for tomorrow. Oh well, it is January so it is expected and furthermore, it is January 11, our 23 wedding anniversary and I am surprised that it is going to be in the 50's today and not snow. It seems that the past few years it has always been bad on this day. Actually, the day we married, we went to a local nursing home and got married so that my grandmother could be there because we decided last minute that we were getting married then and it was cold and icy out. She was in a wheelchair and it was too dangerous to bring her out so we went to her. It was a nice ceremony and my mom, grandparents, and daughter was with me while his mom and dad were there too. My brother and his wife and son were there as well. It was a nice family event. Here we are 23 years later and still happy. ...

The farm has been so cold since the beginning of the new year and now we have yet another problem - ICE! Overnight, we had some freezing precipitation come into the area and now things are looking slightly icy. I looked out the window this morning and luckily, it is not as bad as we had suspected, but things are a little icy. Mainly, I believe the issues will be sidewalks, porches, and areas like that but still it is slick in some areas. Of course, we aren't that icy but it is such a interesting picture that I could not pass it up. I believe that trees covered in ice are so pretty. No fun in driving in it or anything, but so pretty.  Our barn sits downhill from our home and I believe that the path to it today will be an tricky walk. I have been down there a few times that you felt that you needed ice skates to get there. I never ice skated or roller skated so I think I would be in trouble if that were the case. Luckily, Snickers, my grand doll's pony has survived the w...

IT IS COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Many parts of the United States are waking up in bitter cold temperatures with air temps and wind chill temps in the negative. Since the new year began, cold temps have been the story here. Never mind the fact that it is winter, but it is bone chilling cold. We were under a wind chill advisory the last few days and it has went into effect again, I believe. Living on a hobby farm makes this cold even more unbearable because animal water containers have to be unfrozen and refilled, extra precautions are taken to keep them warm, and just feeding can be a real issue due to fingers and toes becoming so cold. My father in law likes to feed the animals here, but I hate for him to be out in this crazy cold weather. Luckily, we don't have much snow but it is still miserably cold. Our water pipes seem to freeze easily so I have had our water running for most of the last week so the water bill will certainly be increased. I have saved ...

Welcome 2018! You arrived fairly quietly in the middle of the night and I welcomed you with open heart, mind, and soul. This year will bring many challenges as did the last, but I am ready to face the challenges head on and with a renewed love for my family, friends, and most importantly God.  By the end of 2017 my head was tired and my heart was not wanting to bear anymore hurt, sorrow, or anger. My love for most everything was wavering and I was not my cheerful self. I vow to sing and laugh more, read more, and craft more in the new year because those are the things that make my soul awake and alive. I vow to do more than work and I intend to spend time with friends and family. I will make this year my year. I was reading my Bible and praying daily, I would sing hymns to my grand doll and while doing my work, but I felt that the weight of the world was on my shoulders and that I was failing because I was not able to do all that needed to be done. Well, watch out because t...