Spring has Sprung!

There is a crispness, a freshness in the air. It came through with the front last night and kindly greeted us as we awoke this morning. The grass was a little greener, the animals seemed a little happier. Robins littered the ground, hopping and chirping, searching for their breakfast, while squirrels chased behind them, eager for whatever the robins had dug up. Spring is peeking, ever so shyly, around the edge of winter's long, gray coat, begging like a child on a too long car trip: "Are we there yet?" "Almost," I whispered in reply as I picked up 3 newly arrived baby chicks from the feed store and brought them home as a new school project for Logan. Even if this dream, this Utopian lifestyle we desired for our family is short lived, my children will experience everything it has to offer and will carry with them rememberies of a great adventure. Rejoice! Spring has sprung!

Caribbean Kitchen!

Can you smell it? The kind of smell that slaps you in the face as you walk in the door from a long day of work, wrapping its arms around you and easing you gently into bliss? The kind of smell that hearkens sounds of steel drums and images of bright colors and beautiful, black skin shining in the sun. Hints of lime, tomato and vinegar....mmmmmm...Creole Goat!

The Breaking of the Beauty

Since Jeremy had a job over the weekend down in Miami, my parents came to keep me company. My dad took the opportunity to start training our pony and it was a roller coaster of bucking and running and near-miss kicks. So, here are the pics for your general amusement.

Sunday Hike

The crisp air gently whispers through the ageless Spanish moss as the sound of a 1,000 crickets mingles with the crunch of carelessly discarded leaves to create a symphony worthy of a moment of silence. Let us bow our heads and respect the Sunday hike.

My Girls...

Yes, you are seeing right. They ARE rats. They ARE purposely and lovingly kept and played with. They ARE the BEST pets on the planet! Wouldn't trade my girls for anything!

Countdown to 30!

This is the year. The year of dread. The year of anticipation. The year I say "Oh sh*t, I've accomplished nothing on my list......I better get a move on." This is the morning I woke up and realized all this, dyed my hair black, wore my eye make-up a little thicker than before and hugged one of my greatest accomplishments. Here's to 2008. May the goals I set out to achieve not be overshadowed by responsibility, duty, fear or laziness. May I suck it up, sweat it out and beat it down! Honestly, here's to me!

It's ugly outside....

So, we woke up to cold and wet and gray and as the day progressed it actually got colder and darker and now....it's torrential. What a nasty day. Your first reaction is "Wow, what an awesome day to curl up under the covers, watch movies and read." Then the screams start, and the crashing of undoubtedly unrepairable things, and the whining of the dogs to be let out, and 8 million other things that immediately ruin your perfect rainy day and remind you that those are the dreams of a single woman without children. Then again, there's nothing better than a warm little body, all snuggly in fleece pajamas, squeezing your last ounce of breathe out of you as he sweetly whispers, "I love you mommy. You're my best friend." 2 minutes later - screams and temper tantrums ensue. Ah, the joys of the Jekyl and Hyde nature of a 3 year old.

On the upside, we visited the Gainesville mall today and were so happy to find a sense of familiarity that we missed. The Ocala mall has nothing. When I say nothing, I mean we've been there 3 times and every time have walked out in 5 minutues because we have both, walked the entire mall (not joking) and could not find anything we were looking for. So, the Gainesville mall was definitely a welcome change. Then we decided to take the scenic route home. First of all, may I say that the UF area of Gainesville is one of the most architecturally beautiful places I have ever seen. The town itself is very...."bricky." Seriously, nearly every building is brick and old and crisp - like the feeling of a perfect fall day. We took 441 home through these beautifully historic little towns like Micanopy and McIntosh. Little towns where the people have things like "Historic Days" and everyone dresses up in period garb and reenacts how life was like in the 17/1800s. Can't wait until we can check one of those out. Beautiful scenery - giant trees, weeping with Spanish moss, decaying buildings dotting the countryside as a moment frozen in time. Perfect area to build a photography portfolio!

So, now we're back home. Back to our conveniences and electronics and preoccupations. 2 laptops open, Guitar Hero being played on the Wii, iPod blaring. But just outside, past the white window panes and the glare of artificial light lies beauty. The beauty we are desperately trying to incorporate more and more into our daily lives. The beauty we are striving to instill in our children. The beauty that is so rarely appreciated by Floridians living just a few hours south of us, waking up in their cold, concrete jungle they so willingly lie to themselves and call paradise. Though no one thought so when we made the decision to move, I wholeheartedly contend that we "moved on up" and 5 acres of open sky is better than a "deluxe apartment in the sky" any day!

So we needed the .22 today....

So...Big Poppa had to be put down today.


Strange thing about animals....they are all basically wild, I suppose, and can be completely unpredictable. When I fed him this morning - totally fine, sweet, grunting, rolled over for me to rub his fat tummy. Went out to give him water this afternoon, he greeted me, happily drank and promptly turned and attacked. Bit me, chased me, slashed with a tusk, chased some more - all while I'm screaming like a freakin' school girl. (Which in and of itself was embarrassing and an annoyance. For those of you who know me, I am in no way girlie - until, apparently, a 150lb pig is chasing me with a certain look of death in his eye. Then I scream like a freakin' 5 year old girl running in her prettiest Sunday dress away from the neighborhood bully.) Guess I made one too many bacon jokes and he just snapped. According to Jeremy, now he has to crackle and pop, pop, POP too. Sad, really. He was sweet and friendly and loved to roll over and let us rub his tummy. But now, we can't even approach the paddock without him charging the gate and frothing at the mouth and snapping. Rabies? That's what I thought at first. But then I read that male pigs can turn for no apparent reason, froth and posture. Or he could just be sick. Either way, he's ridiculously aggressive and a danger to us and the other animals now. We can't approach him to quarantine him and no vet will come out and deal with him. Neither will animal control.

I'll save you the gruesome pics of the bite marks on my leg and the tusk slash across my knee cap. Just know that it hurts like a *bologna sandwich*.

So, farewell Big Poppa. We hardly knew ye. May you run through fields of the freshest dandelions. May your mud wallows always be fresh and cool. And may your bacon be the best damn bacon we've ever had! Amen.