IT'S ALIVE!

Life is tenacious this time of year. It shows up everywhere. Even our new hedge fence posts are growing! When it gets dry, I go out and water them too. I hope they all turn into trees.

When I called the neighbor who brought them over for us, he offered to come take them out and bring new ones. "No way! I was just calling to tell you how wonderful it is to have the fence start growing. Thank you!"

The ants have all decided that our house is so way awesome that they all want to do their mating flights right in the bedrooms. Yup, you read that right...the bedrooms. And it goes on night after night too. Have to admit I wish life wasn't quite so, ummmm, tenacious with that one. Right around 7:30 PMish, they show up. I swear they're coming through the walls! I've used Windex, bleach and water, vinegar, peppermint oil and pleading, all to no avail. Nature is calling and they're answering...on the walls of the bedrooms. (I even tried turning on the AC and closing up tight. No go. )

We have frogs again this year too... billions and billions (in the words of Ralph Nader). I love them though. And I'm guessing that the more ants we have, the more frogs there will be to eat them. So, GO FROGS!

And the neighbors have put in a new chicken coop! We have chickens everywhere. I love free range chickens. They're so much fun to watch and friendly too boot. I've started saving some of my kitchen scraps for them and, when I find a particularly big, juicy grub in the compost, I take it to them. Lucky them, it's a year for over abundance. And they will soon lay lots of very rich country eggs. I just love the way a plan comes together!

I've been working on my "mojo" too, trying to get my slightly dented self confidence to bloom along with the wild flowers that I planted last year and are growing this year. I decided to set up a Question Box out in their pasture. I think that it's original intention was to provide a rider a place to set up patterns but I decided to use it as a starting point with ground work.

Apache loves to play at Liberty (typical Left Brain Extrovert) but we really need to clean up our act, so to speak. I want to be more specific. So the challenge with him is to make On Line fun and intriguing. And, as it's one of those 'full of life Springs' he is too.

He loves to play, oh boy does he! I think he would make a wonderful cutting and reining horse, something I know very little about. But he does love to move things around...me, the dogs, the Canadian Geese that stop by in the mornings, the very confused male Turkey that keeps trying to mate with Willow (I've been trying to catch it on film. I'm too far away with the lens I have on my camera and he takes off when I walk down there. I'm working on it though. How could I not? It would go viral if I could just catch it on film.) and Willow herself. He loves to play his version of 'dodge the horse' with anything he takes a fancy to.

It is working though. I went out this morning (fourth morning for the Question Box) and he was waiting for me smack dab in the middle! Nothing like taking the time it takes for all of this to work. All I did was put the halter on, give him a massage and then take it off. Blew his circuits with that one. He followed me all the rest of the morning while I did chores. WOOHOO!

Lucky, gentleman that he is, came to me the first time I walked in to the pasture with the halter and said " What took you so long? I've been waiting and I'm ready to go!"

I kind of think obsession and love go hand in hand when it comes to being with my herd. I love every single, muddy, mucky moment of it! Speaking of which, I have a book to recommend. It's titled THE POWER OF HABIT, WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO IN LIFE AND BUSINESS by Charles Duhigg

http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Habit-What-Business/dp/1400069289

Excellent read. I kind of wish I'd bought it in hard cover instead of on my Kindle though. It's one of those books that I want to put lots of bright colored sharpie marker highlights in and stick bright colored sticky tabs on the best pages. Guess I need to learn how to use the highlighter in the Kindle. One of my 'bad' habits is being shy with the new technology. Maybe it should be my first habit to change? Another project! I love a challenge.

My life status is changing too. I'm going to be a Grandmother, for the first time, in June of this year. Looks like life is REALLY tenacious this year. It's busting out all over!

I am, ever yours, Nancy, laughing out loud

PS. Joe moved, doggone it. Decided to use it anyway. It's a nice shot of Miniver, our 120 pound puppy. Like I said...LIFE! It's going to be an interesting year.