99 Things...

I have a lot of nervous energy this evening for some reason, so I've stolen this from Lia to pass the time. I'm surprised by how much I've already done! Of course, not all of the things are necessary good things, but still.

• Things you’ve already done: bold


• Things you want to do: italicize


• Things you haven’t done and don’t want to: leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not (physically) ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Saying goodbye to Moo...

Moo's first memorial service was held in central Texas on January 3rd, 2009. Here are some of the pictures documenting the BEAUTIFUL day that surrounded us. Moo would have loved it:











The first service (there will be another in Dallas soon) was very nice - despite a few hiccups, which I feel Moo would have found humorous. She and “Jem” were probably both giggling over the typos. Ha! The best laid plans...!

I cried during the solo.

I still can’t believe she is gone.

Moo loved the ranch, and so do I...

Here are some reasons why:

2009 is looking up for Lucy the Cow...

Thanks to Melissa, I am now the proud adoptive parent of Lucy the Cow. This essentially means that I own Lucy. She is now in my charge, and I have ultimate authority and control over her care and wellbeing. I have a certificate proclaiming it so. It is completely legal. A member of the museum’s upper-senior management SIGNED it!

First order of business: Building Miss Lucy the mansion she deserves. Those two overgrown jackasses donkeys can do most of the work.

Second order of business: Hiring Miss Lucy a staff including: a private chef, personal trainer, tailor, groomer and professional pedicurist. Nip and Tuck can serve as her personal whipping boys. Maybe. If they earn the honor of being considered by such a brilliant bovine.

The end of a year, the end of a drama...

The final outcome to the Guilford saga (thanks to the anonymous reader who – yet again – came through and posted the link):

12/31/08

GUILFORD GROUP LOOKS TO FUTURE AFTER HARD YEAR
MAN PLEADED NO CONTEST TO ASSAULT AT MEETING

By Diana Bowley
BDN Staff

GUILFORD, Maine — After a difficult year, members of the Guilford Historical Society are looking forward to 2009 with optimism.

“Our travails of the past we hope to keep behind us,” President Sieferd “Stubby” Schultz said Tuesday.

Schultz was speaking about an assault that took place among members in May. It came after a “pretty heated” meeting during which members questioned former society president Robert Shaffer about his release of original, one-of-a-kind photographs, police said after the incident.

Police charged Shaffer’s son Zarvin Shaffer, 38, with assault after he struck member Al Hunt in the jaw with his fist. A teenager who allegedly pulled the hair of Hunt’s wife later was charged with assault. Zarvin Shaffer pleaded no contest in 13th District Court in October and was fined $500. The charge against the teenager was dropped.

Both Zarvin Shaffer and the teenager have been permanently banned from the historical society and its museum.

Schultz said the event is in the past and the society’s efforts will be focused on what they should be: preserving the town’s history and making it a better place to live.

The comments on the article also cracked me up:

1. On 1/1/09 at 11:51 AM, renaruth wrote:
   sounds as if the thugs on the hill finally found out what justice in Maine is. Hope Bill (no assault ever took place) Hume got to read it.



2. On 1/2/09 at 12:04 PM, cobbmill wrote:
   Good luck to Stubby and the crew. I hope you all have smooth sailing from here on.................



3. On 1/4/09 at 10:38 PM, Sigfried wrote:
   It's sad this "family" keeps getting attention in the press. They live for the attention and the more negative the better. They prefer infamous and notorious to just famous. That way when people figure out that the Shaffer's don't do anything except try to destroy people and institutions they'll just blame everyone else and say everyone hates them, they're too eccentric, the children don't understand or some other pathetic excuse why nothing is ever their fault. It seems to me they started this whole mess because they knew they'd lost and had to do something to divert attention away from their defeat. Stop giving these people attention they don't deserve!!

Nothing quite like good 'ole small town drama!

A big step. Sorta.

As of 8 PM today, Trevor and I have officially merged our cell phone accounts.

For those of you who don’t know me, this is a HUGE step. Almost bigger than agreeing to marry the guy in the first place. After all, I have this completely irrational fear of commitment…

Not wanting to go completely overboard in the commitment department, however, I added Trevor to my account – not the other way around. This now makes Trevor my Cell Phone Beeotch (CPB), which makes me giggle to no end.

Luckily, Trevor is a saint and is fine with being my CPB as long as I allow him to have unlimited data so he can access his sports scores 24/7/365.

Fair trade, my man. Fair trade.

Haskell's "Mini Me"...

On Christmas Eve’s Eve, I visited Larry Powell’s website and discovered a list of animals scheduled to be destroyed the following day at a local animal shelter. In the immediate wake of losing Dolly, I found myself longing to save one – especially when I stumbled upon the picture of one dog in particular: “Scooter”.


Scooter looked like Haskell with stand up ears, and weighed only eight pounds. He could have been Haskell’s “mini me”.

With tears in my eyes, I dialed the shelter’s number. I was serious about adopting the little guy and sparing him a Christmas Eve euthanasia (even though the last thing I needed was another dog). However, I was I met with some happy – and unexpected – news. Scooter had been already been adopted. He had a home and new family for Christmas.

For some reason, this totally made my day. Even now, almost two weeks later, thoughts of “Scooter” continue to warm my heart, which is silly because I never even met the little guy.

This story has no point other than to share what little I know of “Scooter’s Tale” and it’s happy ending. Oh, and to give everyone the mental image of Haskell running around with a miniature version of himself (which makes me giggle inside even now).

Black dogs with white paws rule.
Adopt a shelter dog today!

Alley takes a mud bath at the ranch...

This is what Alley NORMALLY looks like (at least when she is clean):



This is Alley after thirty seconds in a mud puddle at the ranch:

How she got it all over her face like that is a complete mystery. But how funny! I don't think I've laughed so hard in a LONG time.

(Note: I let her dad hose her off, afterwards...)