Haiti needs Prayers

I usually avoid news and world events, but Haiti needs serious help with the aftermath of the earthquake. I have lived through several hurricanes; I know what is like to live without after a serious disaster. And I have seen the good and the evil that comes out of people & governments in times like these.

So many lives lost and what little they have is destroyed. I found a blog of an American family in Haiti keeping the world updated about events there:

http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

Lets keep the people of Haiti in our prayers and give what we can.

The Ice Hollow

We are located near Buck Hollow. It is part of the Ozark Scenic Tour roadway. It is neat to drive the curvy road and see the ice coming out of the cliffs. I have never seen this before, so unusual.

Snow Tracks

The Arctic freeze is leaving the Ozarks for now. A mild winter is upon us as the snow melts back into the meadows. The ice falls back into the pond and tracks appear as testament to the visitors we've had. Rabbits, possums, birds, deer and cat have all crossed the pond super highway to get from the meadow back into the forest.

The Uninvited Guest

Yesterday, as I got ready to feed my two headed dog beast, I had one extra head! It was a huge coon hound with no collar; waiting to eat with my other two dogs. I have a large female shepherd, but this coon hound was much larger. They make them big in the Ozarks. Being fearful of big drooling dogs I called A. to come by to rescue me from a possible rabid coon hound. As A.drove up it was apparent the drool was from hunger and not rabies. The big lug just wanted food and to come into the house with the rest of my ark. I don't need nor want another dog.
It was late afternoon and night was setting in. We figured if we did not feed this stray he will go home. Instead he ate from my compost bin and howled at the moon from our deck ALL NIGHT LONG! Yes folks, coon hounds howl and there is no off button.

So this early Tuesday morning I got on the phone and called/woke up the neighbors. Turns out one had just gotten a male coon hound stray and had not had time to get a collar on him. And they were out off town. They asked we drop off the hound to an in-laws farm nearby. Great! We packed up the hound into our car and drove him to the horse farm. It was just what the dog needed, people who would give him attention and food. All before 8am in the cold 13 degree morning on our way out to work.

We were lucky to find his owners. So many strays turn up/get dropped off at rural farms these days. Their care then falls onto the rural farm owner to deal with, no fair. I am sure city folks would not like it if we dropped off a few cows, pigs,chickens and horses on their front lawns one Tuesday morning before work!

Two headed Dog Beast

Ok, it is not a weird deformed dog. Instead it is a solution to my wandering dog problem. Hickory, my small city dog, keeps wandering off our land and chasing after cars and cows. We had to keep him on a tie out so he would stay put, very boring for an active dog.

Osa, our shepherd, stays on the land and behaves. My husband suggested I tie the two together to make a better dog. Eureka! By using my twin dog lead to tether them together; I created a two headed dog beast.

Now Hickory gets to run all around our property all day long with Osa. They eat birdseed, visit the compost bin, chase squirrels and pee on the run. A full day for Hickory is just a normal day for Osa.

This is all grand for Osa, she loves to pull. Hickory only weighs 30 pounds and is getting more exercise than he ever got before.

And at night when it is bedtime, Hickory sleeps like the dead for a change. No more waking up in the middle of the night. And the next day it starts all over again.

The Cow Gloves

I was on a mission to find the warmest gloves I could find on -line. I got gloves from all over the place. But the neatest was an Ebay find. Cow hide gloves owned by a cowboy named Will Brant. These are real winter cowhide hand sewn with Will's name in them. These are real cowboy gloves. They looked like they were made of Ewok. If anyone has heard of a Cowboy named Will Bryant let me know. These gloves were used but are still in usable shape.They are a neat item from the cowboy past. Cowboys are real popular still here in the Ozarks.