Because I Am!

Last night I made a really big mistake that has cost me. After I had posted my blog last night I decided to watch  Slumdog Millionaire. The more I watched the movie the more depressed I got so I turned it off after only watching it for thirty minutes. I kept thinking it was going to get better but the violence and torture scenes were just too much for me to continue on.

I couldn't get the sad and sick images out of my mind so I tried watching a rerun of Newhart hoping that it would make me laugh, but those images wouldn't go away. I was so mad at myself for not turning the movie off the minute the violence began but it was too late.

I cannot stand violence of any kind because it literally makes me sick and depresses me and I do not think it is healthy or good for the soul and that is why I only watch romance or comedy movies because they make me happy. Okay, I am not going to get on a soapbox now, so enough said.

I went to bed before nine o'clock since my evening was ruined but unfortunately I didn't get much sleep. When I woke up this morning I was tired and depressed because the scenes from the movie kept jumping back into my head so I decided to do something about it—I walked eight miles. And after that as I caught up on some paperwork I listened to my music which really seemed to help cheer me up. It always does.

It is now a little after four-thirty and I am fine and nearly back to normal—thank goodness. It is raining outside and my dogs and Lucky are asleep in the chairs as my favorite music fills the trailer and I sit here at the kitchen table and realize how grateful and lucky that I am for everything that I have.

I love my twenty-seven year old trailer, my fifty-five year old husband, Tony, my family which includes Kinky and Ben even though we are not actually related, all of my pets, my job, my iPods, my Bose iDock, the Hazels, the Space Ship, my writing cabin, Outer Space, the guitar that Ronnie custom built for me which is autographed by Willie Nelson and Billy Joe Shaver, my Apple laptop, my cameras and I love all of the many friends that I have that are too many to count here. I am so lucky to have it all.

Y'all have a great evening because I am!

The Chihuahuas Are Coming!

Well I am glad that yesterday was peaceful and quiet because today a lot has happened and it was all good. This morning while I was drinking one of my super healthy-smoothies for breakfast I realized that it is only twenty-six days until my drum class for beginners and I can't wait, even though I have not had any time to secretly practice on my pretty lavender colored drum pad.

While I was walking with Leslie I decided to walk eight miles, again so I could get a nice head start on this months 140 miles. So as of this morning's walk I only have a 124 miles to go!

Around eleven o'clock I went outside to thank and to visit with our super volunteers but they were all  out walking dogs so I went into Nellybelle's and Hank's pen so I could take a picture of him for our utopiarescue.com web site. The original pictures that I took of Hank Hill were not great pictures because they showed Hank as a scared and unhappy dog and I do not like to use pictures like that on our web site because no one will want to adopt him.

When I went into their pen I gave them a couple of treats and then they took turns jumping up on me for more treats and their tails were wagging high. Normally we don't encourage dogs to jump up on us but it was okay for Hank because he was showing his love and giving me kisses. Here is the picture that will be going up on our Utopia site in a few days. Doesn't Hank Hill look fantastic! He has definitely gotten his confidence back. I am so in love with this magnificent dog and so proud of him.

While I was playing with Hank and Nelly—Lisa, Meghan, Bethany, Carly, Steve and Don returned from their dog walk and I had a fun visit with all of them as we took turns praising and talking to Hank. During our visit I glanced back and saw Hank standing up on his hind legs kissing Meghan on her face! 

As we were saying good-bye to Lisa and her troop of super volunteers a pickup truck drove slowly into the rescue ranch. "The Chihuahuas are coming!" Tony said as Lisa and her friends drove off. "Nance, meet me down at the puppy pen." I started walking down to the puppy pen as Tony went to greet the man who could no longer keep his two little dogs.

Five minutes later the three of us were standing inside the puppy pen with two cute dogs and talking to the man about his dogs that we had agreed to take. I didn't like the names that he had given them so after he left I renamed them, then we took them to Hoegemeyers Animal Clinic to get them spayed and given all of their shots.

These pictures that I took of them are not all that great because they were squirming in Tony's and the man's arms but I want to show them anyway. Please meet Bonnie Raitt. She is about seven months old and as sweet as she can be.

And this is a picture of Sheryl Crow who is about one and a half years old and Bonnie's mama. Sheryl is a sweetie pie, too and loves to cuddle and give away kisses. (I know that in real life Bonnie Raitt is much older than Sheryl Crow, but to make it simple for us and our volunteers to remember these cute dogs names I named the little black one Sheryl Crow because crows are black.) 

After Tony and I dropped off the girls at Hoegemeyers we went to Wolfmueller's Books so I could buy a copy of my book so I could give it to Josh, who was coming out to the rescue ranch at three o'clock for a tour. When we arrived at Kerrville's favorite bookstore we found Mary Jo holding down the fort for Sandy and Jon. We had a short but fun visit with her and then we went to Randy and Lisa's Save Inn Restaurant for lunch.

Angie, their sweet, upbeat waitress waited on us and she had us laughing before we even gave her our order. Our lunch was delicious and fun as always. While T. paid for our lunch at the cash register, I asked Angie to please tell Lisa and her daughter-in-law Trish, over at Copies Plus, that I hoped that they were taking the beginners drum course with me, Lisa, Sara and Donna "The Drummer" Schloss and she said she would. After our bill was paid we went to Walmart to buy dog food then Buttermilk took us home.

At three o'clock sharp Josh arrived at the rescue ranch. After Tone and I greeted him I gave Josh a tour of the rescue ranch and he seemed impressed with it. Then I gave him an autographed copy of my book so he could learn more about us because his new company wants to help us. After a short visit inside the trailer, Kermit took Josh and me over the river and through the woods to the Lodge so Kinky could meet Josh and it was a fun visit. Here is a picture that I took of Kinky and Josh in Kinky's office.

After Josh left I came inside the trailer to find that I had twenty-seven new phone calls to return, most of them were from people wanting us to take their dogs. I returned half of them and plan on calling the rest of the people back tomorrow morning after I walk the walk with Leslie Sansone. I may try to walk another eight miles if my old body is up for it. Wish me luck.

Y'all have a great evening!

Peace and Quiet!

Today has been a quiet day and I am not complaining about it because I needed it. This morning after I walked eight miles I pulled the calendar off of the wall and added up how many miles I had walked in January just to make sure that I had walked 158 miles with Leslie Sansone. When I re-added the numbers I was right on the money. I have walked 158 miles, which is three miles more than the required 155 miles needed to walk the 31 days in January at 5 miles per day!

I am trying to stay ahead of the required miles, so I can take a day off  here and there without falling below the number. I just calculated the required miles that I have to walk in February and the number is only 140 miles and I have already walked off eight of them today! Yeah!

Unfortunately, this is about the only news that I have to tell you about today. Like I said earlier it has been a quiet and restful day at the rescue ranch and I plan on going to bed early. Before signing off, I want to thank our dedicated volunteers: Lisa, Matt and Meghan for coming out this morning to help Tony with his chores and to walk our dogs.

Y'all have a great evening!

Well, I'm A Long Tall Texan—I Wish!

Early this morning before Tony did his chores outside he and I went to Kerrville to eat breakfast at Randy and Lisa's Save Inn Restaurant. They make the best breakfast in town and to prove it, when we arrived their parking lot was nearly full and the restaurant was packed with happy people laughing inside. The reason that it is a happy place can be blamed on the sweet and funny waitresses and the good food. Not a bad combination if you ask me. And as always our breakfast was absolutely delicious.

After we left the Save Inn Restaurant we went to H.E.B. to get a few groceries and that is when things got a little weird and ugly. As Tony and I were walking to the store an old man probably about my age came walking out of the store nicely dressed but wearing shorts and it was twenty-nine degrees outside. Tony and I looked at each other and chuckled because we knew what each other was thinking—the guy was crazy.

When we arrived in the dairy section I just about had a cow when I saw an old woman probably about my age wearing just a sweatshirt and sneakers with rolled down black socks. We're talkin' no pants at all and the bottom of her dark blue sweatshirt just barely covered her bottom and she had varicose veins so bad her legs looked like a road map done by a drunk tattoo artists who had tried to connect all of her dots—it was not a pretty sight to see!

Everybody was staring at her and holding their breath as she casually lifted a quart of milk off of the shelf and then put it into her carry basket.  Tony and I looked at each other trying not to laugh and then we got out of there as fast as we could. As soon as we were three isles down and completely out of sight of her, near the frozen pizza section I said, "Tony, that woman wasn't wearing any pants! I can't believe it. Thank goodness the milk wasn't on a lower or higher shelf." Then we laughed all of the way to the bean isle.

When we got home at nine-thirty I helped Tony clean pens while he fed the dogs. Then I spent the rest of my day working on my book. Around four o'clock I went back into my office to try to find the picture I have of Molly Ivins and me because I want to put it into my book. After a ten minute search I found it along with a couple of hilarious pictures of me when I was young. They made me laugh out loud.

At four-thirty Kinky called to ask if he could come over so he could have a picnic with Toto. Ten minutes later Kinky was having a picnic on the front porch with Thunder, Little Girl, Hank and Toto. Here is picture that I took of the picnic.

When the picnic was over and our dogs were full of fried chicken I showed Kinky the photos that I had found. He loved this one of Molly and me that was taken in 1999 while she and I were visiting backstage at our first Bonefit.

Then Kinky laughed out loud when I showed him this goofy picture of my sister Cindy and me on my parent's patio, when I was a sweet sixteen. We were working on a dance routine for the song "Well, I'm A Long Tall Texan." Cindy is wearing the hat and I'm pointing a fake pistol at her. 

And Kinky nearly flipped out and then he started laughing when he saw me wearing a "Flip" hairdo at a party at my Uncle Howard's house. I was seventeen. My grandfather is the gray-haired man on the left standing by the door watching the man flirting with me.

Well, I hope that my pictures made you laugh out loud because I am still laughing about them. The Grammy's are fixin' to come on so I must end tonight's blog. I've gotta feeling that the Black Eyed Peas will win everything tonight and I hope they will.

Y'all have a great evening!

Multi-Tasking Ain't Easy!

This afternoon while I was outside the phone rang and Carlton took Sheryl Eddins message for me. Ten minutes later I came inside the trailer and listened to Sheryl's message. "Hello, Nancy. I am leaving Kerrville now and I should be there in about thirty minutes with my finished edits for your book."

I was thrilled that Sheryl was coming out and had finished editing my book but the thought of knowing that I would have to spend at least another six or seven hours making her corrections made me yawn, so I decided to take a mini-nap with my fur family before she arrived.

Twenty-five minutes later, I had almost fallen to sleep when they started barking. Sure that Sheryl was here I jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom to put on my new (the second pair) bifocals and cap at the same time, a multi-task that didn't seem to be all that difficult to do, but somehow it was for me.

As I put my white, Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, cap on my head—I stabbed myself in the left eye with the earpiece! Talk about hurt! I felt so stupid as my eye began to water and throb with pain so I said a few cuss words to make me feel better. Thankfully, Hank, Little Girl and Thunder are deaf so they just wagged their tails as they looked at me.

When I went outside to greet Sheryl no one was here except for the two young wild hogs that have been digging up the rescue ranch. When they saw me standing on the porch holding my hand over my eye they that ran off into the woods. Then Sheryl arrived.

When I told her about my stupid eye-stabbing-accident, which of course I totally blamed on being under the influence of the full moon, she laughed and told me to flush it with cold water. Then we came inside the trailer.

After I had flushed my eye with cold water we sat down to discuss my book and her final edits and then Sheryl and I had a fun visit before she had to take off for Kerrville.

While I was outside thanking Sheryl for editing my book for free and saying goodbye to her, Carlton was busy inside taking a message from Kinky: "Call me, Nance. I am back at the ranch."

Five minutes later, after I had called Kinky—Tony and I were over at the Lodge, sitting at his kitchen table with him and catching up with each others news. Kinky has been gone for ten days and I was so glad to see him and so was Tone.

When I told him about my multi-tasking eye accident, which fortunately isn't near as sore as it was, Kinky laughed and told me that he thought it was pretty funny.

Tonight, before posting this blog I want to do a big shout out to Sheryl Eddins for helping me not look so stupid in my book: Thank, You, Sheryl! You're, The, Best, Editor, In, Texas,,,,,,!

Y'all have a great evening!

Sorry, Not Tonight! We're Talkin' Full Moon!

Congratulations, Kelly and Pete!

It 's offifcial ! Our dear friends Kelly Bloomfield and Pete Hartje ran off and got married in New Orleans! Tony and I are so happy for them and I am sure that Fiona and Smilin' Jack are smiling about their union! We love y'all!