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Amy
Fire in the sky this morning. Thankfully, it was just from the sun (or Son) & not from missile strikes. Did I ever tell you about the first time I went to Nebraska? It was for an animal health trip, way back when in like, February of 2002, I think. Anyway, we were on our way back to the airport, riding along in the van before daylight, across all these cornfields & wheat fields. The sky began to lighten & I blinked like a rat coming out of hibernation. It looked like it was going to be something truly spectacular, with these streaks of pink threading through the darkness. I’d had a pretty late night the evening before, but I struggled awake, thinking “I don’t want to miss this.” So I battled fatigue & kept my eyes open & watched as more light blue filtered its way into the sky. I thought the outlines of the irrigation systems would be a stunning contrast against the brightening horizon. And then, suddenly, everything was drenched in white light & it was over. No magnificent blazing sky. Not much of nothing, really. It looked like the middle of the day. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. But at least East Tennessee knows how to do it right…
Day 17: A Quote You Try To Live By Well, there are several. I tried to find some scriptures that relate to how I strive for compassion and patience, but ran out of patience hunting them. So I went to my Pinterest quote board, aptly named “I Do Declare!”. Most of them don’t have an author noted, but here are a few that you can say I live by: Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons Start each day like it’s your birthday Speak the truth even if your voice shakes {LOVE} Go ahead, underestimate me. Some days you have to create your own sunshine Be BOLD or italic never regular. And the one that’s been taped to my computer at work for years: All of us could learn a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism. ~Devon Stutzman That’s all I’ve got for you today…
I don’t understand the concept of entitlement. For example, commending someone for not stealing. Almost every day, someone comes to the counter to pay for some bolts. Some of them can get fairly expensive, as far as bolts go, & it never fails that someone says, “I could’ve stuck these in my pocket, you would have never known.” While that’s true, the Good Lord would know. And it’s wrong. I’m not going to thank you for not stealing. If you’ll steal a bolt, you’ll steal a car. I could set the Co-op on fire, too, but I choose not to do so. It’s wrong. What the heck?! 11-17-15 11:16 am…
Day 16: Bullet Your Entire Day • Woke up (late) • Burned tongue sipping coffee • Fixed up beans in the crock pot • Attire change after brisk walk to start Patsy, which left no time for makeup • Belted out “Mama He’s Crazy” on commute • Learned my brake light is out on the Amy side • Thought about crawling through phone & choking woman customer who was pricing tile • Peeled tangerine & ate it • Wished I was home reading • Wished I hadn’t forgotten my crackers • Got called Pinky • Emailed Loveday about Purina feed • Sold a ton of reindeer feed to Kyle • Stuffed new Montana Silver in case & hoped Kelvin & Nancy will come by soon to fix my merchandising catastrophe • Sold $3000 worth of seed & fertilizer • Texted Mom • Talked about horses • Called my Farrier Supply to check on bill correction • Texted Shug • Carried out squirrel corn for old man • Shared grapes with John. It’s our thing now. • Adjusted hat. Wished I hadn’t bought it. • Assisted a new equine owner on the phone about feeding hay. Again. For the sixteenth time. Also assured her that when he ran in his pasture, holding his head sideways, & kicking his heels up that he wasn’t having a seizure or feeling the need to break out of his enclosure. • Ate leftover red beans & rice for lunch • Adjusted hat • Got called Pinky • Trolled Facebook • Gave several suggestions to my friend Kay about what to do…
Day 6: Someone Who Fascinates Me & Why The human population. It fascinates me that we’re not all dead, with our failure to use turn signals, to yield to emergency vehicles & people in the passing lane, & inability to follow directions. Also, that I haven’t been shot yet due to my extreme sarcasm in all instances. Also, mermaids. Because mermaids…
Day 14: My Life in Seven Years One of my coworkers is a guy with whom I attended college. He regularly reminds people he’s known me almost 20 years & I haven’t changed a bit, why do they expect me to be different from one week to the next? You can’t do anything with me; I’m set in stone. My temper hasn’t lessened, my sense of humor still runs to goofy, my favorite cowboy is still George Strait, my taste in clothing hasn’t varied much, & I still work at the Coop & drive the same Chevy pickup. Anybody I’ve kept in touch with will tell you I’m the same; I don’t change. But seven years ago, I subsided on a primarily liquid diet. I wasn’t married, with no real prospects on the horizon. I was quite a bit thinner, but we won’t talk about that. These days I cook at least one meal a day & I’m settled & content. Seven years from now will probably find me much the same, still married to Shug, cooking & reading in my spare time. Maybe I’ll have a blog or a book deal by then, but I’m not holding my breath. I don’t respond well to criticism, so I doubt I’ll pursue anything like that. Maybe I’ll…
Three pet peeves. Only three. Well, I guess that’s why it’s a challenge. But I must go on. I’m already halfway. #1) People who have pets but don’t take care of them. With some, early on, I do believe it is a knowledge issue, but you can’t claim ignorance forever. Compare your pets with other ones. Can you see hip bones, ribs, on other horses of quality? No. You shouldn’t be able to see them on yours, either. One horse needs two acres, period. Or lots of quality hay. That means no mold. Keep clean water out at all times. If you wouldn’t drink it, neither should your horse. A new lead rope & halter isn’t important to the health of an animal, a clean place to live & plenty to eat IS. I’m far from being an animal rights activist, but I do know that some people aren’t qualified to own a goldfish, let alone anything else. And I also don’t believe that he or she is a “good person”. If you let animals starve & suffer, you are inherently evil. Get rid of them one way or another before you let them suffer. Take care of your dogs, too. No, I don’t mean buying them clothes & grain free dog food (although it really IS worth the money). I mean, provide them…
Day 13: Your Commute To/ From Work, School, etc. Me & Patsy for the last fifteen years. And I am, without fail, LATE. My commute is about 15 miles each way, about a twenty minute trip on a good day. But it’s not bad because it’s all highway, no interstate or sitting through a million red lights in town or tourist traffic, so I don’t mind so much. And it’s scenic. There are people who appreciate the beauty of the surrounding area & want to take a picture to capture it, & there are people who zoom through life & don’t look up & appreciate it. And then there are people like me who want to write about it and try to describe the purple mountain’s majesty. It IS truly magnificent. In the morning, my first glimpse comes as I top the hill at the McMansions & if the sunlight isn’t in my eyes I take it all in with a deep breath & remind myself how fortunate I am to live here. I am ashamed to say that more often than not I’m aggravated that whoever’s in front of me is poking along, riding their brakes. Then there’s the congestion around the schools, but I usually slip right through. The real catastrophe comes at the McDonalds/ Weigels intersection. You can’t stir ‘em with a stick! Forget about turning left out of there. At the light, I look around…
Day 12: Two Words/ Phrases That Make You Laugh #1) Toot ta la froot! ~ Joey on Friends, where Phoebe tries to teach him French. Oh my Lort, even though I’ve seen every episode approximately 300 times, that gets me every time. Johnny randomly texts it to me & I crack up. I think I’ll text him now 🙂 #2) Can I pet your dog? There’s this meme on Pinterest that I found one time with this terrified looking little kid running from a (photoshopped) Mastiff/ Shepherd mix. It’s freaking hilarious. I’ll find it & post it in the comments. For years, I kept a “Quote Book”. In a way, I still do. It’s where I recorded one liners, more often than not, funny ones. I could flip through it & get a lift. I could certainly use it this dreary morning…
I hate it when you’re driving down the road, all happy to be off work, sun shining, windows down… And a bug flies into your cheek. And you don’t know what kind it was so you debate pulling over in case it’s a venomous type, but you overcome your fear until ten minutes later you feel it crawling up your arm & it’s a red wasper so then you do flip out & try not to crash as you squash it with one of the 78 napkins from various fast food joints lying on the seat. Then, once you do squash it, you’re afraid it’s gonna come back to life & crawl out of the napkin & sting you for spite but you don’t wanna be a litterbug & throw it out the window even though it would eventually disintegrate. So you save it till you’re sweating from anxiety & wait till no cars around & DO IT then come home & confess your litterbugging sinful self among your peers on Facebook. Side note: I think tomorrow I’m putting my Fitbit on Lightning Bug (the more hyperactive of the dogs). I want to see what happens…
