Scooters, Goats & Hairbrushes

Good day to all who pass this way! I have several things I want to share with you: hope I don't forget anything. First, let me report that hubby was better yesterday evening and I doctored him again last night, so MAYBE he can shake this off on his own.

You ever wonder what country kids do to pass the time? Well, Pete brought home an old scooter the other day and Bubba & Bug had the best time of thier lives! We live right next to a long, rather steep hill that goes down into Jack Gore Baygall. Red clay, covered with rock. The kids took the scooter and Bug's bike down there. Bubba would sit on the scooter like it was a lowrider, push off and hold his feet up and zoom down the hill, crashing into a large pile of pinestraw! Bug rode her bike down with him, braking most of the way. They were a sight! That long hair flying behind Bug glistened all the way to the bottom of the hill in the late afternoon sun. It was great to watch them have so much fun.......sheer joy! But of course, being sane and wise, Daddy said no more scooting and biking down the hill like that. That's okay, they have the memory. It's one of those tales that will be told to their own kids one day. "When I was a kid, we........." You know the kind.

Now what do I do with Matilda? We have three generations of female Boston Terriers living in our house. Zena, the patriarch, the good solid family dog. Diagnosed two years ago with conjestive heart failure, she takes meds every day. Then we have her daughter, Matilda. Tildy, as I call her, had been given away as a puppy to live with another family. But she came back, seems there were stories of her and other dogs hunting down and killing small livestock. We've never had her attack or kill anything here. She's extremely quiete for the breed. And there is the puppy of Tildy, Bugnamed Blackie (she is solid black in her chests and down both front legs and feet.....unusual for the breed.) Recently, Tildy and Blackie have been making excursions into our hog pen and barking at the sows. No harm done. The sows ignore them and all the dogs do is bark. But yesterday morning I let all three out to pottie and get some sunshine. About 45 minutes later, Zena and Blackie came right in when I called, but no Matilda. This is not so unusual. She often justs lays were she is and ignores me. An hour later.....still no Tildy. I go back about every hour and call .......but she never comes. Finally, at three in the afternoon I become concerned she may have wandered away and got in a pickle. So I get in the car and drive slowly down our road looking for her. Right around the curve, there she is! Inside a neighbor's fenced front patch. HHHuuuummm?!? How'd she get in there? I get out and call her over to the fence and she comes right up. But her chest and front paws are covered in blood! My first thought is the poor crazy thing has gotten herself hurt. I reach over and lift her out by the scruff of her neck. I kneel and examine her. She is not bleeding. This is something else's blood! I looked around the pen, but didn't notice anything amiss. I looked up the driveway and knew the folks weren't home. So, I call Tildy to trot along beside the car and come back home. I throw her in an empty chicken coup until I have the chance to bathe her. Too nasty to come inside and I don't trust her to stay. When the kids came in from school, I sent Bubba over to look around and to see if anyone had come home. He comes back to report that there is a goat that has been injured! Oh Bother! No one is home yet. We told Pete when he came in and still no one was home yet. By the time everyone finished what they needed to do and we settled down for the evening, Bubba offered to go back over there, but Daddy wouldn't let him. He figured more than likely the man would be home, but drunk by then. So.......I do so hope that poor animal makes it. That it's wounds aren't serious. Guess we may have to pay for a goat. And now, Tildy cannot go outside without supervision. Better pick up another collar when I go to town, so we can chain her for her outside times.

On the lighter side, right before I went to bed last night I checked my e-mail. There was a note from Pete's cousin Bill's wife letting me know what items her son Cody might need over in Iraq. (Please always remember our soldiers in your prayers!) Attached to the e-mail was a link to a Redneck Video Game. I played it a few minutes and was surprisingly good at it! So for your amusement, I'm passing it on to you. Just click and play! Or at least I hope it works. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

God Bless you all.......and have a great day!

Barbara