"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." - St. Francis of Assisi , Roman Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans Order

I am a hobby farmer. I love animals. The running joke is that I love them more than most people. I wouldn't go so far as to say "most people," but I do love animals more than those who are mean, those who lie, those who steal, those who don't mind harming people or even hurting their feelings...and that's about the extent of "those anyone doesn't like." Animals are God's gift for us to look at and see, if not how we SHOULD be, then we can see how we COULD be if we lived our lives more like them.
If you are a regular reader of my blog, I talk a lot about my animals. The "antics" part of Annie's Antics often times has a lot to do with funny stories or experiences with my animals. I have a range of them. I have eight goats: Ben, Buster, Grady, Milo, Sophie, Dice, Beau and May. I have two donkeys: Cinnamon a mammoth sorrel jenny and Muffin, her daughter. I have two cats: Tripod (and yes, he only had 3 legs) and Izzy, a hurricane rescue cat we saved during Hurricane Isabel several years ago. We have a lot of dogs! Geordie is the elder statesman of the lot. He is eleven and a half and is a red border collie. Then there's the other red border collies: Darcy, Chris (who's real name is CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY!), Dixie (a rescue from an abusive home) and the son of Dixie and Chris, ROLY, who was named "Roly Poly" as a nickname when he was a new born pup! Changing breeds, we have LUCY, THE WONDER BEAGLE! She too is a rescue. Someone put her out as about a 4 week old puppy on a very busy road in Pamlico county. After watching her run up to cars looking for "anyone" for a few days, we asked around, no one knew where she came from, so she came to live with us.
Now, we have obtained TWO MORE DOGS. I tried get them to go away, but they made it clear they were not going to leave. So, we have Maybelline and Inky added to the menagerie. That's a grand total of EIGHT DOGS! Whew. But I love each and every one of them SO much. They all have totally different personalities and they're so much fun.
These animals enrich and touch my life in so many ways that I couldn't even begin to describe "how." Each one of them has their own space in my heart. Each one has a role that only he or she can fill. Their personalities lift me up, make me laugh and carry me through day after day, even when times are difficult. Of late, I have seen more than I ever dreamed possible in terms of behaviors coming from human beings that animals are not capable of demonstrating. Perhaps predator animals are capable of harm to another animal, but it is within their cycle of life. It is certainly not planned malice. Human predators are another story entirely. That behavior is "chosen" and unacceptable.
I've spent the past several days with my friend Grady the Goat. He has been ill. Very ill. I have stayed awake nights and days to have nurse him constantly since I discovered his belly was distended early on Tuesday morning. There is a condition that goats and other ruminants get called "bloat." It occurs within the complicated physiology of a goat and you can research that yourself. It happens quickly and it can lead to a horrible death if not treated. Then there are the after effects that can occur from bloat that has been treated...and that's where we are now. Grady is in a very vulnerable, weak, "touch and go" place and we're fighting hard together.
Grady is my friend. He has made me laugh, he has entertained me for hours on end, he has made me as mad as a wet hen when he gets into mischief, and he is the "leader" of the other goats. Goats are herding animals. They stick together and make a fascinating community. I have learned so much about "community" from observing them.
I have had to accept losing some of my friends too. I have lost Lupin and Henry, two of my goats. I still miss them today. I am committed to helping Grady. At the time of this writing, he is not doing well at all. I have spent time telling him what he means to me, how happy he makes me and remembering funny stories of all sorts. Grady and I have always seemed to get into all sorts of things together. He listens and doesn't seem irritated by the sound of a voice who loves him.
He has spent the last several nights in the bathroom because the temperature has dipped so low. I wanted to keep his body temperature warm and consistent. He was in terrible shape on Thursday night. I had been in with him and once he was going to sleep, I thought I'd lay down for a few minutes. I heard a tinging of his bell hit the floor and thought he had passed. I jumped and ran to the bathroom only to find Grady standing at the toilet drinking water! I laughed at him and he just looked at me like I was nuts. He seemed to be improving. I felt well enough on Friday, Halloween afternoon, about leaving him to go out to dinner and when we got back he had moved to another spot. I felt encouraged by that and decided he had gone to the goat shed with the rest of the goats. Wayne and I were happy to see he had moved around.
As I was getting things together to check on him and give him his medications, I kept hearing a bell tingling. (Grady and Dice are the only two goats that still have their bells. The others have lost theirs and I haven't replaced them.) I kept hearing this "ting, ting, ting," going on as I changed into my work clothes. I went to the door and was astonished to see, coming up the front steps, GRADY! I guess he thought I had forgotten to come and get him, so he came to me! He, in fact, was our ONLY "trick-or-treater!" I was completely stunned and over the moon! I was yelling for Wayne to come quick, adding, "You'll never believe this!" And he couldn't! I opened the front door and in walks Grady. He never paused. Walking into the room, he turned left to go down the hallway, then he took a right, going straight into the bathroom and stood there. We howled with laughter. "That's Grady." He has always been very decisive in what he wants to do. He seems to have reason and is able to make decisions. HE WANTED TO COME INTO THE HOUSE, SO HE CAME TO US. He knew exactly where to find us. Even weak, sick and certainly not himself, he wanted comfort and he knew exactly where to find it.
As people, are we that willing to let our friends and family know our needs? I doubt it over all. First of all, no one wants to be a bother. Second of all, WE don't take the time we should to study the behaviors of those around us and OBSERVE that they might be in need and reach out. We are too self-serving, too absorbed in our own worlds and we do not look beyond that. Consider how much LOVE you miss in not giving of yourself and reaching out to others in need. It's not easy. People think you are weird. In fact, I have even been called "WEIRD" for completely dedicating myself to another human being who was gravely ill and NEEDED love, support, attention and affection.
I'll be weird from now on if that's what "love" is...and happily so.
Part of my love for animals is their acceptance of whatever comes their way. They accept love, they accept our failures as humans, they simply "live and love." A CARDINAL RULE of keeping livestock and maintaining healthy happy animals is that you MUST take the time to OBSERVE THEM and to KNOW THEM. If not, you won't know when they have a need. How much observing do we REALLY even do in our marriages, our families and our other relationships?
That's a HUGE question and a hard one to answer honestly, isn't it?
I don't know what will happen with Grady. I know I will keep doing what I know to do and I will keep telling him I love him and I will do all I can to help him.
I encourage you to take a good close look at how you respond to others. Do you observe them? I mean REALLY observe them, notice their nuances so when anything IS out of whack, you can pick up on it and offer help, or an ear or friendship or comfort.
Understand that we are ALL creatures of God. He loves us one and all. For me it is hard to differentiate loving my neighbor, whether it's a canine or a bovine or a feline or a human being. "Love is love." You cannot turn your heart away from those in need and feel very good about yourself.
I thank God for all I learn every day from my animals. I hope with all my heart that Grady makes it. I have so much more I want to see him get into. Even in his illness, he is teaching me about observing, love, gratitude, patience and even acceptance. I will let you know how things turn out with my friend Grady. He's SUCH a character. I'm not ready to let him go.
The bigger meaning in all of this, however, is to LOVE.
Just love. Then no matter what happens in life, I think you're much more prepared to deal with difficult things when they do come your way when your heart is free to love.
...I'm now going to check on my friend Grady and tell him again that he is loved. No time to proof read! You can correct my errors as an exercise in "observing." (grin!)

Till next time,
Annie

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WHEN HOPE IS ALL I HAVE, YOU'RE ALL I NEED.
by Anne Haley @2008 FAR FETCH'D MUSIC

There's a light in the darkness that seems so far away
It seems to be too far for me to follow
I know I long to go to it and my mind tells me to stay
Yet in my heart, I feel the hope that guides me on my way.

When hope is all I have, You're all I need.
When light is just a tiny glimmer
It's enough for faith to lead
And time will draw me closer, ever closer to the flame
Until I see the morning, and I will praise Your Name
When hope is all I have, You're all I need.

Before me there is water raging and there is no bridge to cross
Unsteady in my footsteps I feel it in my heart
That I must take a giant leap to cross the other side
And trust a hand will reach for me, bringing me safely from the tide

When hope is all I have, You're all I need.
When light is just a tiny glimmer
It's enough for faith to lead
And time will draw me closer, ever closer to the flame
Until I see the morning, and I wlll praise Your name.
When hope is all I have, You're all I need.

Outside my door the winds keep howling deep into the night
Dare I open up the door, abandoning my fright?
Knowing there's a risk I'll take in facing all my fears
There's a stillness deep inside my heart that says You're always here.

When hope is all I have, You're all I need.
When light is just a tiny glimmer
It's enough for faith to lead
And time will draw me closer, ever closer to the flame
Till morning comes and shines upon the fears I've held in vain.
I'll see the new day dawning and I'll ever praise Your name.
When hope is all I have, You're all I need.

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For my parents, Frieda, Buddy, Brenda, Joyce, Al, Dr. J., Flavel, Wayne and Marah, for all of my friends, and most of all to God, who blesses me with true and wonderful friends and family. -Annie
For now, you'll just get lyrics...when I get it onto an MP4, I'll post it on my site.

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I've done a lot of thinking, studying and watching folks who know more about this subject than me and have determined that REAL change, even in the face of adversity can be achieved. Change is inevitable. So, why then would it "not happen" just because we might be going through difficulties in life? The problem with us regular folk is this...we FEEL that "change" needs to be put on hold JUST because we might be embroiled in whatever battle of the week we're facing. LIFE doesn't stop and wait for us to get through the "icky" parts. In fact, it's when we're in the most difficult or hurtful situations that life seems to race by us and we don't know up from down.
In my last post, I discussed intentions. I will bring that into this post as well. We are HERE on this earth to change, to grow, to learn and to overcome obstacles in life. I was watching Joyce Meyer...who has seen her share of adversity...and she's a tough gal. She's certainly a straight shooter. The thing I admire most about Joyce Meyer is that she will speak to us from her OWN life experiences. She even tells some things that I go "WHOA! I'm not sure I could tell that!" But Joyce does! She's a great example of leading by example.
"Adversity" can be a varied and complex word. Depending on who you're talking to, the meaning can be worlds apart.
I know that even in the deepest, darkest, most alone moments, if I step off the pity pot for just a few minutes, GOD makes sure there's a ray of sunshine that appears when I least expect it. So, why then do we fight it? With what I just stated from my own life, would it not make sense for me to say, "OK GOD. I'M ALL YOURS." I GIVE UP. I WILL NOT FIGHT, I WILL NOT TRY TO CREATE MY OWN STRATEGY. I WILL JUST HAND IT ON OVER TO YOU AND LET YOU HAVE FULL CONTROL." Have I done that completely? Nope. I WANT to. But then there are little whispers that say, "But if you do that, you'll lose CONTROL over your own life. If you do that you won't know what's going to happen! HOW can you plan anything if you don't know what's coming?" Those whispers are NOT of God. Fear is NOT of God...but TRUST is.
Being able to totally let go and allow God to "manage" us is a mighty tall order. I'm the first one to say that I have failed miserably at that. I know God knows my heart and sees my struggle to simply let go...and I do ask for the strength to do so.
It's kind of like the feeling you had as a kid the FIRST TIME you jumped off the HIGH diving board. You knew what to expect on the pool slide and the LOW dive, but that HIGH DIVE was another matter completely. Stepping out of predictability is probably one of the most difficult steps as humans we can take.
So, one of my (many) goals is to step into TRUST. I need to stop being a hypocrite and allow God to parent me as HE sees fit. When I really consider that, HOW on earth could things go wrong? I will have wasted a lot of time in my life with worry, strife, upset and knowing there is not one EARTHLY thing I can do about it...but when I take that step off the high dive and into the trust and power of a Love greater than we can know on this earth, therein lies comfort, peace and acceptance of "the unknown." At that point, it's all "okay." GOD is in control and He does not fail us...EVER (even when those little whispers might tell us that He has!). That is called TRUE RELEASE. There is a feeling of peace that comes over me as I type that. It's instant stress relief. God doesn't want us to struggle and fight our situations. He simply wants us to trust Him enough to allow Him to handle things for us. He promises us by releasing our fears and problems to Him, the reward will be more than we can imagine.
So, change in the midst of adversity is indeed probable, possible and WAITING...with just one step. Trust that God's will can get us out of all the messes we make of our lives in ways we could never dream possible...and HE WILL! God tells us "Be not afraid, only BELIEVE." It sounds so simple, but God also knows He's working a tough crowd, so He waits as we make our choices.
I'm also pondering forgiveness right now, but I'll save that topic for another post. We've covered INTENTION and ATTITUDE and today I've discussed CHANGE IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY.
My dad says often, "FEAR: Future Events Aren't Real." I'm going to stop playing "WeatherAnne". I can't predict the weather any more than I can predict what will happen tomorrow, but I can PRAY and I can just hand my life over to the One to CAN take care of all the adversities that might surround me. It can happen for you too! What a cool thought.
"GIVING OVER IS NOT GIVING UP."-Anne Haley
Till next time,
Annie

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I do.
Today was one more great big giant step in the healing of Frieda Hudson.
First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU on Frieda's behalf for those who have prayed for her, believed in her and most importantly believed without fail that she WOULD get better.
Today was a HUGE day. We went together as friends for an afternoon OUT. I've spent hours now trying to find words to express the hundreds of feelings that I am experiencing after today's outing. I cannot even try to imagine what it was like for Frieda.
We have waited for a long while to take Frieda someplace...any place that was outside in fresh air, sunshine, cars, buildings...LIFE. We wanted so badly to get her out into the world again and out of the facility. I am SO happy that today was the day that happened for Frieda and in fact for ALL of us. We were out as FRIENDS...just like we used to be. We have all waited so long for this day.
So, today we decided was "it." Wayne and Buddy had made a ramp and we took Buddy's van up to Washington. JUST IN CASE the headroom wasn't working in our favor, we carried a measuring tape. We had agreed not to "say" anything until we were sure the chair would work. Well, that was dumb on our part, because as soon as Buddy took out the tape, Frieda knew exactly what he was doing, what was going on and she was ready to roll. She even indicated that if the power chair was too tall...too "ANYTHING," that she could use a regular wheel chair! What a riot that was! She was DETERMINED that she was OUTTA THERE and that was that.
So, we got into the van with absolutely no problems whatsoever. What was precious was a family standing outside the door. There were about 15 people out there and they were on the sidewalk. When we came out, I said excuse us and that we were excited, as this was our first outing. The folks got on each side of the walk and as Frieda and I passed by them, they began to CLAP and shout AMEN!!! We were just overwhelmed...but in typical FRIEDA FASHION, she began to "parade wave" as we went through the group of people! I followed suit and said to Frieda, "I'll bet you never expected I'd have a parade arranged for you, did you?"
The folks laughed, we laughed and we were on our way to the van with soaring hearts!
As I said, there were no problems getting in the van. We road to Washington Park and around Washington. We went past Wal-Mart and Frieda made it CLEAR that she wanted to stop. So, we did. She wanted to go straight to electronics and dvds and such. We parked where the curb was high at the garden center and while the guys parked, we headed inside. She was moving through the place like a pro. It was incredible. After snooping at all kinds of stuff, we made our way to the electronics department, where we had told Wayne and Buddy to meet us. We went through EVERY dvd in in the place I think..even all the cheapy ones. Frieda picked out several dvd's and soon we were on our way snooping our way back out of Wal-Mart. Next, she wanted to go to Blockbuster. So, there we went. We looked over all the twofers, the fourfers and all points in between. She picked out a few more dvd's and the next thing you know, she wanted to go outside. She sat there in the sunshine, just letting it warm her, hit her face and she took good deep breaths. I had asked her what the fresh air was like for her and she was LOVING IT! We had carried blankets, etc to make sure Frieda was warm. After all, it has been nearly 8 months since she had been exposed to the outdoors to amount to anything. I had carried her into the courtyard on warmer days back in the fall, but of late, it had been too cold. Frieda is hot natured, so she was fine. She even rolled her eyes at me when I asked her for about the hundredth time "if she was warm enough."
After a while, we headed back to the facility. It was a great day. She wasn't exactly ready to go back, but because it was her first outing since learning a while back that she could leave, we didn't want to over do anything. We assured her that we'd do it again on a regular basis and we got an "OK" sign and a thumb's up with that. She said words for us today. That is still SO wonderful to hear Frieda using her voice!!! I've never been so thrilled to hear "ANNE." She wrote sentences and we "talked" about some things in that way. Frieda reads, writes pretty much what she wants and so communication is getting easier and easier. It never really felt "hard" to me. You just had to pay attention and focus on FRIEDA. She's always let you know what she wanted...it just took a bit more effort a few months ago.
I am SO proud of the FIGHT that Frieda Hudson has in her. I have never doubted for a second that she would do everything in her power to improve to the best of her ability. Frieda has had people who have prayed non-stop for her, believed in her and asked God to restore her to His will and His plan for her. We cannot say just how far Frieda will go with all of this. All I know is that she improves DAILY and from my vantage point, there is no stopping her.
I want you all to know that you were with Wayne, Buddy and me in our hearts as we made this incredible journey today.
We take short rides, short runs to Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, etc. for granted. I saw what those simple outings meant to my precious friend today and as I said earlier, I am so emotional, I'm still more or less at a loss for words.
Words are not necessary, as Frieda has shown us over and over again. Commitment, love, support BELIEF and PRAYER, however are what keep us moving forward each and every day.
We love you SO much Frieda. We are so happy to have shared such a NORMAL day with you. I look so forward to many, many more days just like today and even BETTER!!!
This is very emotional so, that's about it for this post. I just knew I owed it to the faithful readers and those of you who have consistently prayed, loved and believed in Frieda's recovery to know that she had a TREMENDOUS step forward today.
God bless you all. We love you and FRIEDA loves you for sticking with her. You can bank on that!
Till next time,
Annie

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This week has been a busy one! I helped Wayne on Monday with his work and that was fun! I haven't had the opportunity to do that in a long time, so it was kind of neat. I learn so much about how a house is constructed (a HOME is constructed in an entirely different manner!), I learn what is called what, how it all fits together, etc. and VOILA! It's a house! Well, not THAT simple, but there is a "process." Wayne can do so many things and I am in awe of that talent. I work hard at not taking for granted that we do not have to call anyone to do really anything. He can fix anything...and fix it correctly...and if you knew WAYNE, you'll already know it would be better than new! He's just "like that!" I call him "HOWARD" as a nickname. That comes from not the nutty Howard Hughes, but the "neat freak" everything has to be done JUST RIGHT side of Hughes. When we watched the Aviator, before ol' Howie went out of his gourd, Marah was saying OH MY GOD MOM! I understand now!!! HA! We all had a great laugh about that.
Frieda has always laughed at how Wayne will try to eek more out of 60 seconds that anyone she has ever known. When he says "just a minute," I typically count on at least 30 of those minutes. Wayne is a part of a dying breed of men. He actually CARES about what he does. He CARES about his work being honest, ethical, fair and complete. I have seen him paint a house twice because the clients "changed their mind about the COLOR" that they had been on and on about for MONTHS!" They selected the color and since all the painters were charging an arm and a leg, Wayne painted the house. When it was finished, the (I'll save my description) ahem "people" decided they didn't LIKE THE COLOR!!!!! I almost had a stroke. I was devastated. "Didn't like the color? After carrying around boards with the paint on it in the car? After doing test paints all over the house? But, Wayne painted again...doors, trim, walls, EVERYTHING. So you see? My husband works HARD. VERY hard. It does me good to help him and be reminded of just how hard he does work and what a magnificent brain he has. I hurt for him when he deals with ungrateful people or people who think they are entitled to something for 'nothing.' There's a lot of that going around these days, everywhere, as I understand it. I know our property, nor its upkeep is free...so I don't understand those kinds of people...nor do I want to. I wouldn't want to be around them. GOOD PEOPLE RULE! Wayne can think and have something figured out before I can even understand what the problem is!! And many times, he's working alone. He has learned to adapt to that too...that people can be unreliable. As for that paint work, Wayne painted that house twice for less than the price that quotes from painters did it for ONE PAINTING! Not two. That is another great quality Wayne has. He would give you the shirt off his back. That's a dying breed of men too. I've noticed that "MEN" in the context that I was raised aren't REAL MEN anymore. That's sad to see. I think about my great-grandfather and what his motivations were...to help others. And he did just that. Helping your neighbor was MANLY. Men who didn't help out, weren't generally considered "neighborly." Those were good days and I'm glad I was raised in that tradition.Wayne and Buddy work great together. They are a great "Ying and Yang" and offer each other stability. Wayne is a fantastic motivator. Buddy is a fantastic leveling person and together they've got it down pat! I'm so proud of them both and what they do. We have been blessed with our businesses and we are so excited to see them flourish and we are most of all, THANKFUL.
With overpriced real estate and the market sinking, (WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION, BY THE WAY! I'll cover that later!!) We are dealing with a nation of GREEDY PEOPLE. People who are so happy to put unrealistic prices on real estate and then the crazy people who pay more than it's worth on an ARM mortgage...and now the TALKING HEADS are wondering WHY these homes are being foreclosed on??? GIMME A BREAK! And the real estate slickers are wondering why and boo hooing about nothing selling? I speak for around here only....perhaps some of those agents should have done like the rest of us and put back some kind of nest egg. There are some real estate agents that might as well be selling bad used cars. They are just trying to pass off anything as "wonderful" to turn a buck. Not ALL real estate agents are that way, but there are many who could care less about anything except a "closing." P.T. Barnum said "There's a sucker born every minute" and if you pay some of the prices that people pay around here for SWAMPLAND, you do QUALIFY ( to use a real estate term) as a SUCKER!
I thank GOD that even when markets change, things look bleak( if you listen to the media) and dishonest people think they are in charge of how things work around here, ol' Wayne keeps right on moving forward. He and Buddy are both SMART MEN! They're both creative thinkers and they can run a business like nobody's business. Yep...so I got all of that out of me just by talking about working with Wayne on Monday! Good for ME! I eeked out a word or two, huh?
We've had two big storms this week. We need the rain badly and it has done that. I'm glad. The storms anticipated were not as bad as predicted. I was glad for that. Now WHO wants tornado watches and warnings in the DARK? On Tuesday when the WARNINGS were out at 1am, NOAA weather was saying "If you SEE a FUNNEL CLOUD..blah blah blah..." and I'm like SEE????
WHAT? WHERE??? It's flipping DARK out! And RAINING! And STORMING! Perhaps between flashes of lightening I can catch a glimpse of said "funnel cloud!"
So, by Friday of this week, I was GLAD it was Friday. Wayne, Buddy and I watched the movie "MICHAEL CLAYTON." I didn't want to like it because I thought it was going to be George Clooney anti-American propaganda. But it was SO good! I really liked it a lot. It shows how "lawyers FIX things," etc. I'm going to watch it again because it was so enlightening. Hmm...maybe take notes this time! (Giggle!)
My friend Flavel and I had a LONG conversation last night after the world was asleep!! We had a blast talking and remembering. We lost a friend this week WAY too early. Janet was only 44. One of Flavel's" kids" had also passed away when she got home from work. One of her 2 adopted kitties "Shadow" had been ill. So, I hoped that our phone visit would cheer things up a bit for her. As always, Flavel is forever the optimist. She has to be..you ought to see her list of "friends!" HA! GOTCHA FLAV! (We only talked 95 minutes and 54 seconds...so, what's the big deal with that??)
I pray a lot while I'm doing things around here..typically alone and singing to the top of my lungs. I guess the folks across the creek "wonder." Let 'em wonder...they're getting a free concert! So, I was singing "Somebody's Prayin'" and thinking about everyone I love and care about and even those I don't love and care about. They need prayer very much too. As a mere human, I can say that. I don't" love everybody." I don't love mean people, harmful people, dishonest people, but I TRY to seek forgiveness for that. I figure praying is a step. Anyway, one of my dogs, Chris, loves to "sing" with me....so I sang and he howled...and I loved it.
I came in and emailed the song to many people who are on my mind often and that I do indeed keep continuous prayer for. I didn't email the "mean people" because I don't have their addresses! (OH I'M BEING BAD TODAY!) I gave them to God, because I didn't want them hassling my heart anymore! God can handle them. I can't. I'm sincere in what I say and I'm also sincere in my humor...so, I don't mind a little tongue in cheek humor with my sincere discussions on the importance of and the POWER of prayer.
So, it's still cloudy, wet and blowin' a gale... I'm heading out to feed and sing and see what the world is doing today...and here's hoping you have a great weekend!!! Wayne and Buddy are, of course, out working on something! I'll see what they're into and move along.If I stay too long, they'll ask me to help or hold something or I'll end up "involved" somehow! I couldn't have that TODAY! It's SATURDAY!
Life is good, we are so blessed and so very, very fortunate. When things are bad, remember..."Somebody's Prayin."
Check out YouTube and do a search for Ricky Scaggs "Somebody's Prayin'. What a fantastic song! Blogger is acting up with me and I can't get the link to post! ARGH, so you'll have to search it out, if you'd like.
Pray for us too. None of us can ever have too much of that. (And when I talk about the "mean people," I'm just having FUN! Something else we all need more of!)
And that's it from the DBR (as Flavel calls it! THE DUMB BELL RANCH!) Just do the right thing and you'll always be A-OK.
Till next time, my friends!
Annie
PS: I'm going to want my HOUR back tomorrow. I do fine in the fall, but it just BUGS me to give up my hour in the spring!!! I'll be looking for it until fall arrives. (And yes, I'm aware of the extra daylight. I just miss my HOUR!) Hope you got your clocks all changed by the time you have read this! Or that you didn't show up for church AFTER the service was over! I've sure done that before!

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When the storms of life make things look hopeless, the clouds cover everything in sight and a shroud of darkness seems to envelope the entire world...firm up your faith and pray.
Soon, things will brighten. The clouds will give way to rays of sunshine and if you're looking outward and upward at just the right moment...
You will see the reminder that peace and comfort are only faith and a prayer away!
This photo was taken on January 12 after a long period of rain and thunderstorms. Wayne and I had stepped out onto the porch and were watching the sun break through the clouds, when this rainbow appeared.
We needed to see this beautiful, comforting reminder. Rainbows do our souls a lot of good, don't they?
(I added this post as just a thought...please have a look at the story about the Myers family and other wonderful folks who give of themselves below. I think you'll find inspiration and good feelings.)
Post Statement: DOUBLE RAINBOW!!! When I took this photo, I didn't have a proper lens to get an exceptional shot, so I was mainly trying to get as much of the rainbow as I could. If you will look to the right of the rainbow, you will see a second rainbow. Martha Myers confirmed it this morning. I had looked at it, but resigned it was wispy clouds. When Martha saw it, I went back and filtered the picture and there it was! The original is what is posted here. I won't post the enhanced version...we'll leave it like I saw it!

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