A Gnoming we will go............

I am reposting this so that you might catch up with Ms. Baggs as she makes her way around the "others" that live in, under and around Casa de Cuckoo.

Ms. Baggs reporting:

I have been on a brief few weeks break from reporting. It's a wonder the folks around here don't take my little adventuring and reporting job away from me. I did get bit lost in the shuffle of life here and did get a little snippy about such.

It was the snippitty snit that let me to my serendipitous story of today. While having a good pout on I wandered the shelves, boxes and out of the way places of Casa de Cuckoo which is our headquarters. I had never realized that there were other being living here whom I had not had the pleasure of meeting. I dare say some more friendly than others. I also had never been aware that there were "doorways" in and out of most of the rooms. No, I certainly do not mean the ones used by the humans, of course there are doorways in and out of the living spaces of the humans. The ones I am speaking of are those which are used by the extraordinary "others" that inhabit this abode.

Let me preface my interview with just two of the beings by saying that I, Ms. Baggs am a true believer of all things fanciful, fantasy and phenomenal. Why wouldn't I be, after all how many wooden heads reporters are you familiar with in your day to day life? I am sure that is why I was allowed to view many different doorways and the occupants beyond. I also believe, after discussing my story idea with Oma Linda that her belief in the same are the reason why these beings are even here at the Casa de Cuckoo.

It was a lovely and timely meeting with Oliver the Gnome. As I was looking on the shelves of the newly arranged bookshelves in the living room/computer room, I noticed a gap between "Secrets of the Gnomes" and "Father Twilight". I wedged myself into the space and scooted down the width of the books and came out on the other side. There was a doorway and Oliver at the doorway. Tensch was just getting out of her sentry basket. She had been on guard duty and Oliver was calling her in for lunch and invited me to join them. Neither one of them seems too surprised by my arrival and Oliver beckoned me to follow them into the gnome hollow for a honey on nutbread sandwich and strong mint tea. 

I did so but I was warned that no photos could be taken in the hollow because any photography would dissolve their reality and none of the over 50 gnomes who live in the hollow could find their way back home. So of course being a concerned citizen I did not step over the boundaries of decorum and left my camera outside the hollow.

Upon entry, there was a smallish rustic room with all manner of drying herbs hanging from nails along the rafters of the hollow. It was in fact, the hollow of a tree. We passed a young male gnome named Elkin as he went out to guard the door and entered a second room. This space was wider, taller and brighter. As I looked up, I could see the sky through the non roof. We must be at the center of the tree.

We sat at rough hewn tables on log benches and ate as we visited. This band of gnome, as they are called, have lived here for the last 76 years. They are mountain gnomes originally and have made a wonderful life here enjoying the benefits of being close to a fae loving family. Taking what they need to borrow from the humans, small snippet of this and that and leaving the commodity for which gnomes are known. Giggles. Yes, they leave giggles behind as payment for what they have used. Oliver explained that's the way it has always been and also let me in on some secrets as to how humans can lure a band to inhabit their homes and lives.

I will finish my article on the gnomes with a more in depth look into gnome life, so come back next time.

It's alive.................

my computer just had a slight power supply problem and so I'm back.

Here are some of the pictures that were missing from the post you may have missed because of the announcement of the winners so I'll give you this link and just post the pictures here. Enjoy our visit to 7MSN, we surely did.

Thanks for a super visit and adventure Linda Carson at 7MSN Ranch. (blowing kisses to Hank the Handsome horse)

And the winners of the Celebrate Oz giveaway are......

Let me first say, I am doing this early because the computer that Ms. Baggs usually uses to report here on the Gazette is done, finished, fried, muerto and we are borrowing someone else's computer to announce this. So in addition to the early announcement.......Ms. Baggs and the editor (Oma Linda) will be out of commission for a while until the computer situation gets sorts out.

Winner of the Dorothy letter holder.................Faerie Moon

Winner of the Witch Crafts book--------------Maddyrose

Congratulations to the winners and thank you all for your lovely comments on my reporting. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with the troupe of traveling puppets that put on a great production of the Wizard of Oz. As an tattletale snippet....this reporter went out for tea with the tree after the interview, he was a bit touchy feelie but this old gal had a great cuppa.

Here's where we went.........

I am on someone elses computer to post this for you because after trying to keep the secret for me, mine died. Can't turn it on, so I can't post any pictures, le sigh.

But thanks to the person where we went also posting about it this morning you can see that after 3 years of watching to see what happens to all of the animals at 7MSN Ranch, Casa de Cuckoo, sans Sweet Man made the trek to visit Linda Carson. Here's the link, http://www.the7msnranch.com/2012/07/the-line-for-love-forms-here.html

The kids were in animal paradise what with rubs, scritches and views of Handsome Hank the horse, Lucy the sweetest, most patience, riding donkey in the world, George and Alan the goober brothers of donkeydom and Winona the pig, who when she drinks sounds like she's using a straw and the chickens.

Now Ry loves to eat eggs. It is one of his favorite foods. But to hold a still warm egg in his hand????? He said he was protecting a baby chick. NO matter what we told him. It was a thrill for GK as well. I have to admit it was pretty amazing for this city girl to hold it as well.

Inside the 7MSN Ranch house we met Smooch (and fell in love with her) and the cats Rosebud and Snapdragon. Rosebud gave us a concert much like our own Sunny Bunny and Smooch warmed up to us and we were treated to licks and wags like we belonged .

Linda Carson is the luckiest human in New Mexico. Every window of her home is a vista of true New Mexican beauty. It looks like she has the best art New Mexico could muster and it is right outside her doors. As a matter of fact, those windows look like paintings instead of windows......eat your heart out Taos and Santa Fe, the real artist beauty is provided by Mother Nature thru the windeows of 7MSN Ranch.

And when you go visit 7MSN's blog, check out the kiddos. They both got to ride Lucy. GK was over the moon about being able to do so with Linda giving her instruction but not leading her. GK looks good in the saddle and is very comfortable. Ry got two turns and by the time he finished his second, GK wanted a second also but sprinkles of rain were felt. And trust me when I tell you.....those red clay roads are not ones to travel when wet. So our time had come to an end.

We had such a nice visit. Couldn't have asked for a more welcoming host. And came home tired and happy in the knowledge that we had made a new human and many animal friends.

pssst....I have a secret crush on Hank. He really is a big wonderful dog but don't tell anyone. He got to licking us and Shelley and I are still tickled this morning, it was hilarious. Such a fun day. Thanks Linda, Smooches and Squoozes from Casa de Cuckoo.

The Cuckoos secrety trip............

I haven't been this excited, nervous, thrilled, twitchy in a very long time. Out of the 4 Cuckoos going on this adventure of the heart tomorrow (my Shelley, the grands and I), I am the most outwardly silly, silly, silly. I thought I would be the grands that I would have to hog tie and hold down until we got to our destination but no, it's me.

too offensive, oops, my bad

I am going to keep you in suspense because I want to be able to post on Tuesday and say ta dah.

I hope that you've had a wonderful Saturday and that you too will have an adventure filled Sunday. See ya on Tuesday with a big ole grin on my face.....I hope. Of course I will.

Smooches and Squoozes, Oma Linda

The Summer program talent show.....

First things first.....Ms. Baggs kicks butt. I think she did a fine job of interviewing the Oz Puppets and I appreciate her taking care of this blog for me so I could be a good hostess. At least I hope I was. I got to all of the blogs, commented to all of my visitors and am really happy for how the day turned out. We had a few snafus but no huge ones.

Of course now Ms. Baggs is going to want a raise. I guess we could negotiate about more pay and more duties for her.

Crazy hair day for program

Now on to the Summer Program Talent Show 2012. I know I said we would try for a video but well, we have one but I know you couldn't tell one kid from another as far back as we were sitting. So you'll just have to settle for my description. I hope that will be good enough.

Imagine if you will 800 differently abled children between the ages of 6 and 13, coming together for a variety show kinda deal. There were 4 program sights and all the staff and all the parents who could come to the event.

I used to go to all of Shelley's to do's in band, choir, performances in dance, swing choir and her college shows. There was always an air of competition. That's the nature of the beast or so I thought. These very special kids were whooping and hollering for each other. Never a slight feeling of competition but comaradery.

I haven't laughed or cried so much in a long time. So proud of all of those little sweethearts getting up on stage and singing and dancing (even the ones in wheelchairs) and those have got to be the biggest grins I've ever witnessed. So charming, so heart warming and so special. I felt humbled by their lack of guile. I felt lifted up by their sense of fun.

My grands are so fortunate to be a part of this program. They both had solo parts. Ry for his dancing and GK for her singing.

There was a hydrocephalic boy named Ben who just took over the microphone as soon as the music started. He was so cute. The staff person on his side of the stage tried everything to get his attention and literally held his hand to get him off the stage, while the others were just singing and dancing away. But Ben kept sneaking back up to the forefront. After the third time, the staff person brought him back once again and my adorable, sweet, kind and understanding GK went and took his hand, led him back to the middle of his group and continued to hold his hand until he forgot about going up front. I was mesmerized and so proud of her.

For that and all the love she has given the other kids, she was awarded the "Sweetart" (mostly sweet but sometimes a role model) award for her program sight. The award is voted on by all of the staff. This is her second year for getting this award. I am so proud of her acceptance of, encouragement towards and kindness given to her fellow participants. And the kids from both her last years sight and her this years sight helped the announcer when she said, I know I am going to mispronounce this Sweetarts name....she began and the whole audience pronounced GK's name and cheered for her.

Could an Oma be any more proud of both grands? I don't think so. Could I be any more proud of their mother who has done a fabulous job of modeling love, compassion and heart to her children, nope. Sorry if this sounds like a brag but it is. I am so proud of my offspring and her offspring, especially in light of their struggles and hardships.

The Cuckoos are fluffing up our feathers and high fiving each other.

Crack reporter for the Gazette interviews Wizard of Oz Puppets

I have been on an extended hiatus and have been spending most of my time with the gnome community that lives nearby. But that’s a tale for yet another day.

Today it is my extreme pleasure to interview a long lived group of thespians who have been presenting The Wizard of Oz for almost 50 years now. They are a dedicated group and have taken their craft very seriously. I am lucky to have caught them between gigs.

They are here visiting with a member of their troupe who had a unlucky incident with his personal effects. And also I must report that the Professor himself has gone over the rainbow and we will all miss his visage.

First I know that you would not recognize these players as they are because in the 1960’s these puppets were distributed by a soap company as a premium. The owner of the Gazette was a very young girl when she and her mother collected the entire cast, minus poor Toto. It was only a short time ago that he was located locally in a thrift shop. Happy Celebrate Oz Day. My name is Ms. Baggs. I am the head reporter here at Ye Olde Crones Gazette.

All of the original costuming was made of plastic and was not very attractive so through the years, other more appropriate costumes have been made for the Wizard of Oz puppets.

Well here we have the entire ensemble sans Toto. Poor little critter still doesn’t have a hand hold yet.

Let me begin with Glinda. Ms. Goodwitch, I would like to know how it feels to have been playing the part of the good witch for all this time? “Well, I must say it has been a pleasure to play such a divine and lovely personage. I feel Glinda would be quite pleased with my portrayal of her loveliness and grace.” Do you put any stock in the rumors that Glinda could have been anything other than good? “Absolutely not, where in the world would you have gotten that silly thought? Was it something that Baddy Bad said? I don’t have to answer that question, we’re not having any of that silly “house wife” tattling here!” No, Ms. Goodwitch, I was just asking a question, not trying to start any of that nonsense. Thank you so much for your time. “Well thank your lucky stars that I was available at all”.

Alrighty then, let us move on to a friendly looking fellow who has been anxiously swishing his tail to talk to us. Mr. Leo, how have you kept yourself prepared for the role of the cowardly lion? “I am by nature a very confident and brave lion but it is fun to play a fella who lacks the courage to truly live his life”. Are you aware that many of the readers love the way you roar and could you demonstrate for us? “Oh, I’m afraid not, I might hurt my growler and then I’d disappoint the fans who come to see us. Besides, it’s so awfully loud, it hurts my ears.” We’ll let you go to attend to your rehearsal then.

And now the very tall and attractive shiny man is in our interview setting. Mr. Woodcutter, is the Tin Man’s role in the play a hard one to prepare? “Why no, not at all, I am very fond of the role. My character commands such empathy from the audience. Wouldn’t it be just awful not to have a heart? I can’t even imagine such a thing.” Are you challenged by the role after all these years? “No, I have my part down perfectly but sometimes it’s hard to find the patience to keep everyone on task. We are a very amiable group but there is a slight undercurrent of emotions sometimes on the personal level. And when that starts then I have to step in and let everyone know, we can do this, if we just work together.” Wow, it sounds like the troupe is lucky to have a guy with such insight and heart, no pun intended.

And now if I can find him we will talk with the scarecrow character Mr. Stuffing. Well I guess he’s wandered off, so let’s interview Baddy Bad instead.

Ms. Bad, I am so happy to finally get to meet you in person. I have a lot of questions but I’ll try to be brief as I can. What is with the water? “Excuse me?” I’m sorry, but that part of the story just has never made sense to me. Could you please explain why water would dissolve a perfectly witchy witch? “Look, I’m only playing a part here. My real name is Baude not Bad. I have been stuck in this role for ions and I’m not a wicked old witch. As a matter of fact, I feel rather bad for having played this part because I have given the world of witches a bad name because of the script.” So, you don’t know why water would dissolve a witch? “Well I do know that I’m not the one folks should be afraid of around these parts and water alone won’t do anything to help, hurt or hinder a witch. As a matter of fact I’d like to state for the record that I know there is good and bad, light and dark in all of us”. Well, I am thrilled that you have set us straight on this point. Thank you for your time. “You are welcome anytime, come tonight and see our performance, I know you will enjoy it”.

Oh here comes the scarecrow now. Mr. Stuffing, could we sit down and have that chat we talked about earlier? “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I have a lunch engagement with my agent and my buddies the crows.” Well I am sorry that we won’t be able to interview Mr. Stuffing, he’s headed out of here like he’s on fire.

Last but certainly not least is the lovely young girl who portrays Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz cast of puppets. Hello Ms. Wind. “Hello Ms. Baggs”. What would you like to tell the readers about your character, her motivation and her appeal to old and young alike? “Oh my goodness, that is a compliment and a question. Where to begin? I believe that Dorothy Gale is like all of us. We all get lost sometimes and I also believe that we have to look inside ourselves to find our own way. Like being type cast because I am young and attractive. Now that could get in a girls way of getting where I really want to go, which is to get a contract with “Over the Rainbow” agency and get to the big city where I can show off my stuff, like on Dancing with the Stars, instead of being out here in the boonies, plugging along the same old path and having to act with a bunch of bit players. I’d love instead to be starring in a role for the crowned heads of Europe and other such wonderful people.” Well it’s nice to see you have ambition, my dear.

This reporter has had an eye opening interview with this cast of characters as they reach for their 50^th anniversary as puppet players in The Wizard of Oz. Sometimes even over the rainbow things are not what they first appear.

I hope you have been entertained by the goings on here and will return on the 26^th to see who our giveaway winners will be. All you have to do to win either of the prizes is to comment here on this post. Will it be the letter holder, or the Witch Craft book? 

You have two chances to win, so leave a comment on this post. I, Ms. Baggs will draw the names of the winners and make the announcement, good luck.

Now go back to the list on Oma Linda’s Olde Baggs ‘n Stuft Shirts and have more fun as we Celebrate Oz.

*****The opinions of the reporter and Ye Olde Crones Gazette are based on years of following this motley crew of puppets on many adventures. Thank you for reading it as tongue in cheek. And look for The Real Puppets of ‘Burque on TV in the fall. hehehehehe

They are just like the Jefferson's....movin' on up.....

I bought 2" feeder goldfish, seven years ago to inhabit my bucket pond in the front porch. There were four of them. 1 of them jumped out of the pond and I didn't find it until it was baked fish. The next spring another one jumped the side of the pond but I found him and put him back. His name was Abraham and stayed in the tank for another year but then he finally escaped to die on the concrete.

I now know that goldfish play a great game of chase and I'm sure the dead fish just zigged when they should have zagged.

The other two, who are named Shamu and Moby, were still alive and I moved into the house into a 15 gallon tank. At the time it was perfect for Shamu, Moby and their trained Plecostomus, Neal. But now three years later.....uh Shamu is 11" long and so is Moby with his fluttering tail. Neal is an underachiever at 9" and they needed a new dwelling. There game of tag was one good swish of their tail and then you'd hear this loud thunk and they would kinda look wonky eyed. I felt like a bad mommy that had let her kid wear shoes that were too small. Poor fish.

So Shelley went onto Craigslist to find them the equivalent of the Jefferson's penthouse in the sky. The song for those who never watched the Jefferson's on TV goes...oh we're moving on up, to the big time, to a deluxe apartment in the sky. And she did. She went to pick it up and had a blast because the people had miniature chickens, fainting goats and koi and all manner of "wildlife". The tank is huge and in perfect condition.

So today I moved my big fishies to their new tank. I have to admit that the adrenalin in my system worked overtime as I transported the big fishies from the little tank to the big tank. So, afraid that they were going to leap out of my grasp and crash and burn....but it's all good. And if the fish move by itself wasn't fun all by it's lonesome....the new cat Cybella came in to be my sidewalk superintendent. She just recently discovered that we had Fish TV in the living room anyway. So she was very interested...nom nom nom.

The fish don't realize that they can swim up in this tank. Poor things still think they only have a small area. Neal on the other hand is looking for the best place to hide away in such a large tank. I moved all their big rocks and most of their gravel but it will take awhile for them to acclimate.

These pictures really don't show that the new tank is over twice as long and twice as high as their old one. And if they grow any more, well let's just say that I hope there is room for them at the zoo. I have no idea why I get goldfish and they grow so big. Well I do but I don't want the family to say one more time.......are you feeding them again? Uh, no, I was just looking in the tank, checking out Fish TV.

Hopi Prophecy

I saw this on facebook earlier today. It was presented by the Wild Burro Protection League.

When I began to watch, it is about 10 minutes long, I felt my soul being touched by the words and the wisdom. And I cried at the message that we are following a path of destruction for our family....for we are the same as the birds, fish, animals and trees.

Take ten minutes to hear what Floyd Redcrow Westerman tells us about all of life being a family, that we should all be our own leaders and not let corporations rule our lives, and how every day we must do right and not lose our options. It has such power and truth and wisdom.

Blessings, Oma Linda
The Hopi Prophecy
http://youtu.be/U-NEZ0GGkAA

Just gotta gripe occasionally, otherwise I might explode.......

and that would be very messy.

I do a very light business on Etsy. That is mostly because I don't try very hard. I still have boxes and bags and all manner of items of the crafting variety to sell as destash in my OmaLinda's Boondoggle Emporium. But after the frustrating day I have spent......maybe I'll just chuck it and say whatever.

In order to complete the sale of an item, I must use The US Postal service or UPS. Duh, no really Linda. Yeah Joe's kinda opposed to me hand delivering things around the country while flying my broom. I wish. And I have nothing against either entity except.....I don't like liars, be they corporate or corporal.

It's really my fault. I should know better than to list anything that is bigger than a prairie dog. Not because of the weight of the item but because it is going to take a bigger box. Sometimes it takes more time to find a box than to ..... well just about anything. I have interested people who would like to know what postage will be. Sometimes on larger items, I indicate that I will charge exact postage if they will let me do the figuring before we conduct our transaction. I know I have Patsy written on my forehead but I don't like to overcharge folks.

Today I was preparing an item, in a box I searched for. I went online and got a price. I put in  the measurements of the item, the weight and of course the address of the buyer. The site gave me a price of $9.57. I thought that's great because I had indicated an $11.50 cost on the shipping. Then I went onto Paypal to print out the label and the cost was $20.52. I only sold the item for $6.00.

This is not the first time I have had this happened. And there have been some really upset customers when I have to cancel the transactions. There is no way I could complete the transaction. I can't afford to lose more than I ask for an item.

So the moral of the story is....don't believe the online cost indicators of the shipping folks or don't sell anything over 7 oz.

I feel so bad for my customer. I feel so bad for me. I spent an inordinate amount of time finding the "for crying out loud" box. Oh and if I had gone with Priority mail.....the cost would have been $29 something. Honestly, I give up. The silly thing didn't weigh but 3 pounds, it's not like I'm selling bowling balls. But they would be in smaller boxes and probably be able to ship them.......oh well.

I know that the folks who make their living by working for the Postal Service, hi Gail and for UPS, hi Tina aren't to blame for this problem. If the online calculator was correct, then I wouldn't have had to disappoint a very nice lady in Alabama.

A lovely update from Casa de Cuckoo

As of the 11th of July, my darling daughter is a single woman again. After many twists and turns her divorce is finalized.

I could go on about the happiness, jubilation and relief but then you already knew we would be such. Many of you have helped us through this process. Thank you. Many of you have cared for us when we were being sent all manner of negative energy and because of how magickally we live our lives, I can report, no scars or wounds. Blessings to all of  you who love us.

This next week will be very busy with the ending of the summer program for the grands. There will be a talent show on Weds. I can hardly wait, Ms. GK has a solo and oh my. We are going to attempt a video to share, we'll see. 


Tuesday I am going to go through a procedure (could be life changing) and I am very positive about the outcome. And all of you need not worry. I will also share next week about the results. I don't want to keep you hanging.


And then Thursday, I will be hosting Celebrate Oz. Ms. Baggs has already completed her interview and is preparing her report for you. I do hope you will join us on Thursday for what looks to be a fun mixture of all kinds of entries in the celebration of the iconic Wizard of Oz.


And as if that we not enough, Sunday we are going on a mystery trip. The details are top secret but I will share next week.


So you see, we Cuckoos are thriving and doing well. Hope all of you have a splendid weekend. We might, fingers crossed, gets some rain and that would be fabulous.

Ya know you're getting older when you're googling cures for gout.......

Me and the gout poster child had a lot of serious moments together

You know the fabulous doctor that I have....you know the one who was so kind and helpful? Well I called two weeks ago when I had my panic attack (which turned out to be a mini stroke) during the donkey roping and then gout set in, to make an appointment and I can see him mid August.

If I think it is hard to get to see him now, just wait until the medical care changes go into effect and there are even more patients wanting to be taken care of.....maybe. Anyway, I needed some relief and herbs have always served my family well. So I've been on the computer and I have found out some fairly interesting things.

I always thought gout was from overeating or from eating rich foods. Nope. Here's my list of new knowledge.

A. gout is associated with and is considered a form of arthritis. Prolonged attacks of gout (edema) actually destroy joint tissue and make the arthritis worsen.

B. gout is easily managed with just a few things that must be adhered to. No caffeine, limited salt, no organ meats, icing the affected joints, lots of water.

C. there are many herbals that can help a body to rid itself of the uric acid. (interestingly enough diuretics don't help, they hinder).
Some of these herbs are devils claw, bilberry, nettle root, and tart cherries, in either tincture or fresh.

D. the anti inflammatory medicine I was taking actually is on the list of prescriptions that may lead to high uric acid build up.

E. a change of diet to include more potassium, fiber, vitamin C and anthocyanines and no purine are highly recommended.

So everything I was taking to make myself feel better was contributing to the "cankle" problem I had. And the "cankle" problem was so painful and had spread to my finger and wrist joints. At one point my foot was 3 times the size it normally is. I freaked out. I hadn't done anything different and yet there it was. 


But I have such smart people around me. SM and Shel helped me see that the smoothies, paletas (Mexican frozen fruit bars but for grown up tastes) and frozen fruit treats I was making for the kids are what I should be eating too. As well as plain old fresh fruits and veggies.

I gave up all caffeine and that alone make a 75% difference. No more pills but rather fruit, herbs and walking (now that I can) are fixing my foot, wrists and fingers. The arthritis I have isn't going away. That's a part of my medical history but in two weeks time, the changes are huge.

So when I go in to my appointment with my doctor in 5 weeks. What will I have to see him about? Maybe the old complaints will be new information for me to share with him. And then we can talk about "biotch" TV, his favorite.

I just wanted to share the good news with you because I am a happy lady and can almost dance to prove it.

So many topic choices so little energy to post.....

Let's see, I need to wish all of you Blessings on this full moon. Thunder Moon. And it has been doing a lot of that in the last 24 hours. Not a bunch of rain but at least some. We'll take whatever we can get.

Royce_Duble on Pinterest

It is berry season and my turtles all have big red grins on their faces from the strawberries that we planted. And because we could get them so inexpensively as well as cantalope which is my turtles fave fruit of all time, the shelled cuties have been gorging on melon and berries. I have spent wayyyyyyyyyy to much time out in the heat watching them and listening to the thunder booming all around. But it is hard not to watch how funny and territorial they become over a piece of fruit.

After the floor show I come inside and drink mint leaf tea. Yum. I used to not like sweet mint. I thought it was kinda skunky but this years growth is really wonderful and pungent and so I am making good use of it.

This photo is on Pinterest and was posted by Stacy Brennan

And I will wish all of you Americans, Happy 4th of July. This is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for....or at least it used to be. Last year, along with banners and lights, we put out a bunch, like 20 something flags to line our driveway and some really wonderful human being stole every last one of them. Well, I hope his starving family enjoyed the broth they made from his stolen booty flags. That's sarcasm people and I have a black belt.

also from Pinterest from be different act normal

Why????? and then I say why do I ask why people do what they do?

I saw on facebook today that someone else had named tomorrow as national cower, torture and scare the june bugs outta pets day. Yep, I would say that kinda rings true as well. Because I am a city girl, I wouldn't have thought of the noise and stress that occurs like everywhere, city, farm, suburbs, where ever but this person talked about her horses and goats and how she wished she had ear plugs for them so they would not be so upset. Poor critters, they can't call the non emergency number and tell who and where.

I remember my Mother would turn the music up really loud when we left my Peke home alone during thunderstorms or fireworks. And yet every time we came home he was in the same place piddling and whining.....in the bath tub. Poor Tiki, he just hated bangs. And he was manageable to hold. When we had Saint Bernards, OMG, both of the girls wanted to be in my lap. That's a lot of dog to try to comfort.

Neither of the mutleys we have now are the least bit upset with bangs or thunder. Happy Dance. And speaking of mutleys, Happy Coming to our house to live Ms. Ellie Mae Scootles. It's been two years since we rescued you from those big old nasty semi trucks.

She is a bigger idiot today than when she came to live with us, but what do you expect when you live at Casa de Cuckoo????

So tonight, sans rain, we will have a rain dance in honor of the Thunder Moon and tomorrow night the kids and Shelley have a date with the huge fireworks display here in 'Burque. The old folks, us, are staying home and enjoying calling the non emergency number for illegal fireworks on our neighbors. Nah......just joking, but I do have them on speed dial.

Oma Linda