Happy Thanksgiving

I hope our American holiday finds all of you, in whichever part of the world you're in, well and happy today.

My family has a lot to be thankful for this year.  Even though we are lost without Mom this Thanksgiving, we are so grateful that we were able to get to spend that extra time with her before she passed.  The doctors had only given her a few days or weeks to live when we brought her home in January and we were blessed with eight extra months.

Dad and I are especially happy to be here today as we were involved in a traffic accident on Tuesday evening.  We were in a rental car (my truck was in the shop) driving back to the ranch when a van ran a stop sign and drove directly in front of us.  I stood on the brakes, but had nowhere to go as there was a car to the right of me and a curb on the left.  The fact that it had been raining all day and the roads were wet didn't help the situation.  The tiny little Ford Fiesta that we were in is no more.  It did what it was supposed to and protected Dad and I by crumpling up around us instead of into us. 

We are both pretty sore and banged up, but are very much alive to tell about it.  The ironic thing is that a few minutes before the wreck we had been discussing how uncomfortable we were in the minuscule little car.  Dad and I both drive big Ford F250 pick-ups and don't feel especially safe in smaller vehicles.  I was comparing this car to the one Fred Flintstone drove where he could put his foot out to stop it.  Thank you little Fiesta...

BIG (probably politically incorrect - BUT I DON'T CARE) RANT ALERT!  Of course, being that this is California - the driver WHO BROKE THE LAW is unlicensed, had NO ID and is here ILLEGALLY.  The police could only give him a citation and let him leave the scene, with the SIX little kids that he had in the van with him.  THAT I am NOT thankful for.  He almost killed Dad and I and put all those little kids in extreme danger and he just toodles on his merry, LAW IGNORING way.  While we, as law-abiding, tax-paying CITIZENS, have to make arrangements for a now totalled rental car, have to find a ride home, and then take care of all of the LEGALITIES and FINANCIAL ramifications of being in an accident/CRIME VICTIMS - PLUS we both hurt like HELL.  Our state is so messed up, it is scary.  We have no rights or protections.  Sorry about the rant and if it offends you, but these are the facts and it just hit me while I was trying to share how grateful I am that I am also pretty pissed and sore today.



OK, back to the reason for this post.  I truly am thankful for my loving husband, for my family and all of our health.  I am grateful for hubby's job and that we are well-provided for.  I am grateful that we will be spending this afternoon with my Dad and Mr. MoonCat's parents who are up visiting for the holiday.  I am thankful that they are all relatively healthy and that we are all together.  I am grateful for all that I have, my family and friends, my most beloved animals and their health, and most definitely, ALL OF YOU.  Please be happy and safe.

And to end on a light note, my chickens would like you all to know that THEY are thankful to live here at MoonCat Farms and that they are not TURKEYS!

Fall Fix-Ups

I'm sorry to disappoint you if you thought I was going to talk about fixing up single people with other singletons.  The topic de jour is actually fixing up our bathroom!

Much to the dismay of the ever tolerant Mr. MoonCat, I've decided to make some changes with our very blah guest bathroom.  It has blank beige walls, beige tile, and plain boring fixtures.  It is a snooze..

I tend to get into the "spring cleaning" mode in the Fall and it usually includes some type of refurnishing/rearranging.  Since we can't paint, one of the first additions we're implementing is bathroom shelving.  I looked at several places locally as well as online and have narrowed it down to the following choices:

So which do you prefer?

What I See Wednesday

Here's a bunch of photos of the chickens.  We've added a big red rooster to the flock.  A friend of the family dropped him off at the ranch for Dad.  Only problem was that Dad's little banty (bantam) roosters were beating up the big guy.  He's pretty much a gentle giant, poor thing :)  He had to learn his place in the flock quickly here too as Stella immediately whooped on him too!  You don't mess with the alpha hen around here!

Red hen close-up



Big Red and his harem



Playing in the water

 

Bedtime

 

Big Red shows the girls the way



Thelma finds a tidbit

  

My pet

My lap full of chickens

 

Stella gets up close and personal



Big Red's a beauty

Pretty feathers



Another Conquest for Swifty & Cattle Sorting

Mr. MoonCat's horse Swifty has yet another admirer......

Does this photo make
my nose look BIG?

 

He really is a looooooooong horse

A couple of weeks ago the hubby's folks stayed a few days with us and we dragged them along to a cattle sorting with us and my Dad.  Mr. MoonCat talked his own Dad into getting up on Swifty for a few photos.  They got along really well and make quite the pair don't they?  ~Mr. MoonCat took these photos so Swifty can't blame me for the big nose shot... :)

So now I'm thinking we need to get the hubby's Mom up on Swifty too!  We'll have to work on that when they come up to see us again at the end of the month...

Here are some other photos from the cattle sorting that day:

Everyone waiting for their turn



Mr. MoonCat & Swifty calmly strolling
Moi & Fella not so much



The hat's on backwards....
he must be seriously concentrating



Dad and Petey sorting the cattle....fast!

Sorry, no action shots of me this time.  But..I did end up placing 5th out of 102 teams!!  Not bad for a rusty old fat woman and a rather hyper horse :)  We had a lot of fun that day surrounded by family, friends, and furry creatures.  Great food finished off an almost perfect day.

Sunday Selections

Delicious autumn!

My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns.

~George Eliot

Wave from Wedgie

I spent the last few days helping Dad at the ranch.  For once I remembered to take my camera so I could update all of Wedgie's fans with a couple of new photos.  It is hard to believe the little poop is already 5 months old!  As you can tell, he and Dad's dog Adolph are the best of friends.  They play together all the the time.


Do you have grain for me?



Here I come..



Can you see me now?



Wedgie chasing Adolph?



Adolph resting after the race