FEET

Let me begin by stating, "I hate feet!" Very few people have great feet. It has taken me years to show my feet in public. It all started when I was very young. My mother bought me a pair of blue sandals. I remember them to this day. She loved them. Thought they were cute. I wore them. Well, you know, kinda felt like I had to. I believe I may have been around 5 years old.

I went to play with my best friend. Needless to say, I had on my new blue sandals. We were in the bathroom (I remember this also to this very day.) She was sitting on the toilet when she alerted me to the fact that she hated my sandals. WHAT? I couldn't believe she hated them when my mom loved them. The she proceeded to share with me that I had the world's ugliest feet. That was the beginning of me not showing my feet for years to the public. I may have had to wear those blue sandals a time or two after that, but probably I despised every darn minute of it.

Through the years I would see people wearing cute shoes. Feet, toes showing and all. Some of them shouldn't...

Only within the past 8 years have I begun to show my feet, not minding what people think. Yes they swell. No they are not pretty. But I have learned there are so many more feet out there that are so much uglier than mine. To my best friend from many moons ago who taught me how to loathe my feet, I bet her perfect little toes are really no better than mine. So what if my second toe is a smidge longer than my big toe. Doesn't that just mean shoes will fit me better? I see little skinny women with the fattest little sausage toes. I wonder how that happens. Really? Can they fit those little box feet in cute shoes? Maybe. Maybe it just doesn't matter.

All of this leads to 42 years of my life and I finally got my very first spa pedicure yesterday. WOW!! Really. WOW!!! My favorite part was the paraffin soak and massage of that warm wax on my arches. Holy cow...I...am...hooked!

So now I dare to show the world my feet. They aren't perfect, but they are mine. They say a lot about me. Cause you know the old saying, "if you don't take care of your feet, you probably aren't taking care of other things either!"

Yes I bought these shoes this spring. I could not wait to wear them. My hubby laughed because he remembered a time not so long ago when I would try on shoes and say, "they show too much toe." He thought that was crazy. I guess I am too. The one thing I have learned in 2011 for those who take care of their feet, but have never gotten a pedicure. Now is the time. I promise from the bottom of my feet, you will not regret it!!!

YUCK

So tonight on my walk I see this yucky snake as I approach. It made me sick and I had to do some check, from a distance, to make sure he was really dead. This is the second dead snake I've seen on this route. I hope NOT to see any alive. Since my hubby loves this kinda stuff I was brave and took a picture of this ugly thing and sent it to him via cell phone. He had to ask me all about it when I got home. Yeah right...like I could possibly pick him up, look at him long, or even know what his name is...

Funny thing is, I saw him on my first trip. The second trip I must have forgotten about him. I thought my heart was gonna explode. I thanked my lucky stars that I did not meet any traffic to where I would have stepped off the asphalt. My heart would have really exploded, dead or not...

Annie Peanut, I Will Miss You Always & Forever

Dearest Annie,

I will never forget that day I called your future daddy telling him I saw you at Wal-Mart and asked if it would be a good idea to bring you home. Both of us fell in love the minute we held you in our arms. You were such a meek, quiet little puppy who loved to run as fast as your little legs could go. It didn't take long for you to get used to Big Boy Frankie and his monstrous stride. How you loved to run and play together. When we got Kia you tried so hard not to be jealous. But that little female venom got the best of you at times. You learned to love her sharing car rides and walks. Jumping in the lake and swimming to my raft so you could be by my side still tickles me. I've never seen a little do swim so far just to share a raft and soak up the sun. My biggest regret was not letting you be a mommy. You were such a caregiver and had a big concern for others. You understood grief, happiness and wanted to console those emotions for us. Even today on the way to the vet, I tried so very hard not to shed a tear on the way there. And, what did you do? You crawled to me to tell me you loved me with those big chocolate eyes. Annie, you've seen me through so many ups and downs over the past 7 years I cannot thank you enough for being there. You have always made me happy. (Minus the time you ran your little tail onto Sunset in front a huge Ford pickup, just missing you by inches. But I quickly forgave you for scaring me.) My biggest memory was the night I took you to Grandma and Grandpa's. You sat between me and mom almost hidden from view. Dad walked in and was so surprised to see you. I'll never forget what he said when you sat on his lap. Those words rang in my ears everyday, especially since he passed away. He said, "Annie, you are going to be such a joy." That my dearest Annie has echoed for you each day of your life. You have been such a joy. I love you my little friend. A spot in my heart has Annie emblazoned forever.

Always,

Your Mama

Oh Dear!

This is me and my co-worker Dennis. What a sad little photo, but I love it. We had quite a time yesterday visiting parts of the institution we normally don't get to see. It looks like we had quite a day doesn't it?

Meet Our Newest Family Member

This is Kenny Scruffs. Fortunately for him and us, our neighbors found him starving to death at the local lake. He could hardly walk and his ribs were sticking out. They brought him home, picked off tons of ticks and cleaned him up. We watched him for one night while they went out of town. We fell in love. Keep in mind my hubby and I are both animal lovers. He spent the night and the very next morning we got up early to go garage sailing. I took him back to the neighbors how thinking I would return from our morning run in time to bring him back to our house for the last little fun we could have with him. Hubby and I found a couple of toys for him. I couldn't wait to give them to him. Everything was so new to him since he'd been dumped.

To my disappointment, the neighbors had returned from their overnight trip by the time we got home. I told hubby I thought I was gonna cry. He giggled cause he knows me as well as anyone. He told me take the dogs toys to him so he could have something to play with. Then I dropped my big question: If the other people don't want him, do you care if I tell Tracy and Terry that we want him??? Of course hubby said he didn't care. So away I went.

I told the neighbors the puppy had been on a car ride, visited with my mom, spent the night with us and was really, really a good puppy. Then I told them if the other people they had found to take him, didn't want him, then, we would take him. Got that? They looked at each other kinda funny and my first thought was they didn't want us to have him. But then Terry said, "we'd rather you take him than the other people." I snatched my boy up and took him home, waving goodbye to Tracy and Terry, the foster parents, all the way.

We named him Kenny. Not that hubby wanted him to have that name, but he couldn't come up with something better. He's named after my second favorite bald guy, Kenny Chesney. At an Easter dinner with my Aunt and Uncle it occurred to me that he looked more like Ozzie Osbourne or Alice Cooper. Then hubby said he liked the name Ozzie, but Kenny had already stuck. Kenny Scruffs has added so much delight to our little home in just a few weeks he's been here.

I believe things happen for a reason. Annie Peanut has been ill for quite some time. Very soon we will have to make the last decision about her. If Kenny gives us as much joy as Annie has, we will be so very lucky he came into our lives when he did!! Welcome home Kenny!!