The best gift of all.

Recently I saw an interview of a man who spent a year travelling and saying thank you to everyone he had ever met that made a difference in his life. This could be a teacher, a friends parents, etc. I thought what a great idea. For anyone that knows me you pretty much know how I feel but it is my goal to do the same. If my time on this planted ever ends I want the people in my life to know how specail they are to me. At my funeral they can say how much I loved them and how special they were to me rather than saying what a nice gal she was. I will also give the best gift of all this year to my children. It will be the gift of love and respect which both of them have earned by being so wonderful and making me who I am. I am very grateful and that my friends will never be a question. So it is time again to put those red shoes on and get writing my letters to my sons. I prefer the red shoes than the big girl panties. Have a wonderful day.

Your Life Changes

This whole chicken thing has been a process in the making. It started about 3 years ago begging my husband to get some. His reply was we are not getting any flippen chickens. No, No, No. Then he started getting the idea that a homestead would be nice to create on our land. So.........we started this evolution with CHICKENS. The arrival date was Friday. I can not tell you how excited I was to pick them up. I realized on the way home that our lives had changed forever. There was never going to be a day that we had not ever owned a chicken. It was kind of a neat realization. It made me realized just how fast we change our lives. Sometimes it is the most simplist of ways. Our lives are supposed to change. Maybe I was not meant to be a city girl. I sure like the country and I love my chickens. We now call them the Ladies of the House or The Girls. Their new home is completed and once they have left the brooder they will be able to move in. It has been a very fun project for me to create this space. I bought the chandelier yesterday and it is going to be perfect. The nesting boxes were custom made by a dear friend and we are now in the process of finding the perfect tree for them to roost on. Photos will follow. In the meantime, put your red boots on and change your life forever. Happy Mothers Day......

Getting a PHD in Chickens

I feel silly. I have read more about raising chickens than I ever did about raising children. I am having a hoot. The coop has been ordered, the floor is in and we should have the bare coop here within a couple of weeks. It will be quite the coop. The girls will be living the life. Not so sure my dogs are happy about the "girls" but...... I cannot believe how excited I am about raising chickens. Wait, it does not stop there. I am even entertaining a cow and pig. This is crazy. Who would have ever thought. I guess for now I will put my red boots on and see how it goes with the girls before I become a true farmer. The smell is the only thing that would hold me back. Have a beautiful spring day.

How clueless are we?

I am obviously very clueless or too busy to see and enjoy the beauty of life. I just reviewed a slideshow of Vermont Nature photos and wondered to myself why I do not see those same things. These pictures came from a Senior in highschool. What a gift she has. I think it is time to put my red boots on and look for the beauty. It is there if we want to see it. We do not have to be so busy that we do not see the beauty of life right in front of us. Have a beautiful day.

One day I want to be..........

Have you ever wondered what you wanted to be when you grow up?. I always did and a couple of the things I really wanted to be was a Wife and Mom. The other things that were of interest to me I always put on the back burner and when the chance came other things were more of interest or importance. These things have changed over the years but I still have new interests so I may not ever get to do those things but if you never let those desires go, you still have things to look forward to. One of the things of concern to me now is when my kings move on to their life. OMG. I am already in therapy over it. (just kidding) I think it is important to have a plan. My life has been so busy and involved with the kids and school and all their activities and so on. What would I do without them? Because I have thought about it and dread it so much, I have been creating a plan for when that day comes to help my adjustment. However, I am starting to reach out and create a bit of "my life" again. My son's have blossomed this year and daily I see the man coming. I am very proud of both but the pealing away is awful. It is totally a bitter sweet. So my questions, my fears and my dreams are all surfacing. It poses a very good question. A question I have not thought about in years. What do I want to be when I grow up?. Right now I am in the process of becoming a chicken owner of 17 girls. I never would have imagined me owning chickens. I am now looking for red boots. My point. Put your red boots on and do what you want to do rather than dwell on what you never got to do for whatever reason. Let it go and get some chickens. Happy Spring

Vermont Queen aka "Dutchess of the Daily Grind": Acts of Kindness

Vermont Queen aka "Dutchess of the Daily Grind": Acts of Kindness: "I get great pleasure doing things for others and a couple of years ago I started something that also brings me great pleasure. I bought a co..."

Acts of Kindness

I get great pleasure doing things for others and a couple of years ago I started something that also brings me great pleasure. I bought a couple of little hearts made of silver at a local Art Gallery and at different times I placed them on my husbands key board. This went on for awhile and I would find little things here and there. It had been awhile since I hade done that and I again bought some different shapes of hearts. Rather than using a bag, I just dropped them in my coin purse. Before I got a chance to do it I was paying for something somewhere and the cashier was having a horrible day. The customers were agitated bacause the line was so long and even though she called for help, no one came. So when it came my turn I was more than compashionate than usual and when I went to give her change I noticed the hearts I had bought for my husband. I counted out the change and included a heart with it. The look on her face was pricesless. My heart grew that day knowing that even the simplest things can make a difference. I suggest you put your red shoes on and make a difference. It is a wonderful feeling and very unique. Have a beautiful day.