Yeah... whatever...

I know it's been awhile. Life's been a bit ducky lately... and that word could easily convert to sucky. A strategically placed "F" would be even more accurate!

Yesterday was particularly bad. And since I take such great pleasure and believe in and appreciate the healing power of four-legged love (just so long as the four legs aren't reptilian in nature!) I cruised on over, snagged the Wookie and we spent more than an hour and a half at the dog park. He loved it... I needed it.

It helped, but getting the hell out of Dodge worked even better. I'm visiting one of my oldest and dearest friends. Out here at the "Homestead", there are seven cats, two Dalmations and about 20 chickens. (One of which made it's debut in one of my previous posts) I'm hoping for a few more chicken pictures. I'm especially fond of Angel and the pair they call the "Spice Girls"

The cats here though aren't like Ludie. These cats actually know that they are cats. A couple of them are fine, but there's one that I've never actually seen when I've visited... He's terrified of strangers.

Then there's "Amy" and she's just out & out scary. She growls and screams like a mountain lion. The first time she did it around me I about went through the roof. It was late at night in their home out in the Texas desert near Ft. Hood. It scared the ever-loving crap out of me.

Ten years later and she still scares me! Amy you don't even try to touch unless you feel the need to bleed. So there I am... just sitting on the porch, enjoying the natural setting, getting jazzed by the sunshine and how everything is started to "green-up"...

...and here comes Amy with the biggest field mouse I've ever seen! Unfortunately, it wasn't quite dead yet. Then she gave it the killing bite. (I was relieved) then she starts tossing it up in the air, and batting it across the porch! So I do what any sane person would do when dealing with Amy...

I started yelling for my friend to come outside and take Amy's dead mouse away from her. (There was no way on God's green earth that I was gonna try to do it... I'm on blood thinners!! I'd still be bleeding!) So she got it away from her and then we just enjoyed the rest of the day.

Probably the weirdest and yet somehow not all that weird, is the cat named Fluffy. Fluffy hates people with a passion. Even the people that feed her. All the other cats however love Fluffy. So by a unanimous decision... Fluffy was officially declared the other cat's "pet cat"

Yeah, it may be too weird for words, yet out here it is merely, yet strangely fitting. And now you know why I refer to my friend as one of my oldest and dearest friends... I get the weirdness! (and she gets mine!) I love her for it!! Actually... I live for it. (I can also get away with the "oldest" references because she 12 days older than me! HA!)

This evening we got nailed with a big league storm. Lots & lots of major lightning, some heavy rain and then all of a sudden... Wham! Smack! Thud! It was marble size (and some were even larger) hail! Some were big enough to be breaking into marble size pieces when they hit the cement.

We stood on the porch and we were filled with dread about what our cars are going to look like in the light of day. The resonating sound of the hail bouncing off the hoods and roofs of our vehicles was sickening to hear. I'll be happy if I don't have any glass damage. Thankfully the hailstorm didn't last too long, but with hail that size it doesn't take long for the damage to be done!

At least where we are, we didn't get hit nearly as hard as some of the areas to the south and west of us. With so many bad storms and all the tornadoes that have been devastating so many areas already this spring... I think it's going to be a tough summer storm season.

Cripes! I can't believe it 2:30 already! I've got to try and get some sleep. The chickens and dogs will be up early... and the window I'm closest to faces the east.... and it doesn't have a shade... or even drapes... and the steps to get down to the kitchen are a nightmare... she'll have to bring coffee up here or there'll be a hospital trip for sure... HA!