rosiesbooks

The cold rain rapidly falls outside as the cold wind blows.  I sit with my grandaughter watching Tinkerbell while all the chores wait for another time.  The floor needs swept, the counters need cleaned and so many things need done.  This moment is precious to me because as each moment passes we lose time to spend together.  Everyday brings a new learning experience with this sweet little girl.

 It seems that children today learn so much faster than previous generations.  It's no wonder how it happens since the technology is so advanced.  It is fun to watch two year olds probe the buttons and figure out how to navigate computers and cel phones.  It's also a little frightening.  The world may not be ready for the new generations coming up.  There is so much more to explore.  

For instance, last night I watched a documentary on tv that explained how yarn  is made from recycled plastic.  I have touched this yarn in the stores and it is very soft and feels nice.  But it's still plastic.  There is also yarn made from bamboo which is also used in flooring.  A couple of years ago I was in a store that showed a display of bedding made from corn.  These are just a few examples of our modern technology in action.

My question is, for the new generation that are toddlers at the moment, what will they change when they are adults?  I have no idea how far their creativeness can go but I would like to be around to see what they do with it.  In the mean time, I will just sit here and watch another Tinkerbell with my sweet little innocent granddaughter as the cold rain falls outside my window.

Have a wonderful day,

Rosie

To all who read this blog, I apologize.   I didn't realize I was stuck in a rut.  I thought I was a very versatile person but then I noticed most of my blogs are about the weather, the garden, or the dogs.  I really do have more of a life than that.  Theres also the alpacas.  So, I thought I would change it up a little and write about the alpaca babies. 

For the next few days we are on "baby watch".  Alpacas gestation is about eleven months.  Juliett, a bay black female, should  be having her first baby in a few days.  WE HOPE!  Since this is her first one, there aren't as many signs to go by to tell if there is a baby to be born.  We could take her to Champaign and have her xrayed or something to tell, but that would take all the guesswork out of it.  Whats the fun in that?  Besides, there would be an extra vet bill to contend with and we don't want to stress her out too much.  So we patiently watch and wait.  It's always exciting to see whether it's a boy or girl, what color they are and then to see them stand for the first time.  The wonders of God's creation before your very eyes.  But as I said, we watch and wait, or is it wait and watch.  Living with the excitement is hard too.  I don't want to take too much time for other chores so as not to miss it.  At any given moment there could be a baby alpaca drop to the ground so I will remain vigilant to catch the moment.  If I miss it, then theres another year to wait.  

The animals seem to have a sixth sence at this time of their life.  The can spot the binoculars a mile away.  Every time I pick them up, Juliett goes into the shelter or somewhere out of sight.  I have even had the mamas look toward the house and make eye connection through the binocular lense.  Yep!  She just spotted me.  I quickly duck out of site and quietly sneak back to the window but it doesn't matter.  Just as well sit  and wait for a while.  

Three years ago I was waiting for one of the other alpacas to give birth.  I went out to the pasture about nine in the morning and spent the day with them waiting and watching.  About three o'clock I decided to come into the house and fix a quick sandwitch.  I had it made in about five minutes and then sat down at the dining room table and ate as fast as I could.  I looked out of the window to see where they were before I went back out to the pasture and to my surprize, lo and behold, there was a baby on the ground.  Juliett was born in that fifteen minute time slot.  I am wondering if this will be a repeat of her birth.  I wouldn't put it past her to make me wait.  Maybe this is a good time to go on a diet.  If I don't  come into the house and eat, she will have to have her baby while I am out in the pasture.   But since its so hot out today I'll just watch with the binoculars through the dining room window.  I must hurry and get back to my baby watching.  In fact, I don't even want to take the time to check my spelling today.  So if there are any errors you can let me know.  I can fix them later.  Gotta hurry and get back to the window with the binoculars.  I don't want to miss a thing.  I'll let you know if its a boy or a girl.

Thanks for reading my blogs,

Gotta go

Rosie

Push button dogs. Its a catchy phrase which some people use in reference to dogs that seem to be the perfect speciman of canine behavior. Let me assure you there is no such thing as the perfect dog. What people are seeing are the movies made revealing the, well trained behind the scenes animal that has gone through hours with a dedicated trainer. In other cases, which appears quite often, are the owners who overlook the faults of their perfect little angel. The cute little lap dog growling and snarling while sitting in his owners lap is "just the cutest thing". People enjoy the little tiny dogs chasing and barking at anything that moves, and are sometimes proud of the behavior it possesses. Since they feel there is no need for discipline because they approve of the behavior, they feel they have the perfect little push button dog and everyone should have one just like it. It doesn't matter whether the dogs are small or of the larger size. Dog lovers all have their special pick of favorite breeds. Mine is the Newfoundland.

Now lets look at the flip side of the push button dog. This section is about the dog that likes to push your buttons. You know what I mean. The little things that frustrate you, take up your time and send you over the edge, and you wonder "what in the world did I get myself into".

I have owned and helped raise several breeds down through the years. We began with a "beautiful collie named Lassie", then added Poodles, then the Labrador retreivers, and the Bernese mountain dogs, and now I own a Newfoundland. I have wanted a Newfie since my teen years when my older brother brought one home for his family. Tuffy was a very special dog. If there ever was a "push button, easy going dog" it was him. There was something different about this breed and I fell in love with it. It was uncommon to find Newfies in this area and that was before the internet, so finding a breeder was very difficult. Finally after years of looking for the right breeder and saving for a puppy, I have my very own Newfie puppy. Bonnke is almost five months old and weighs close to fifty pounds and is definetally a push button dog. He is a fast learner and has the most wonderful temperament and sweet, sweet face. But, he is a button pusher. The first thing I taught him were the words, "leave-it". He learned it very well and must love hearing me say it because the buttons that he is pushing at the moment are causing me to say leave-it several times a day. Each time I pull him out of something or remove stuff from his slimy mouth (yes, I knew Newfies drool), I wonder how many of my buttons he can push before he finally grows up and settles down into the gentle giant the breed is known for.

The whole thing in a nut shell, as they say, is this. The dogs that push your buttons will eventually turn into a push button dog, if you do your homework, administer the proper training, remain consistant, and don't give up on that aggravating four legged fur ball. It's worth the work.  Your end result will be a loving well behaved companion that will love you unconditionally while providing you ideas for future writing material and a lot of slurpy, slimy kisses. 

"Can some one please bring me a towell?"  "Thank you!"

I positively cannot believe I have let my website go this long unattended.  I apologize to all websites everywhere, I have done you an injustice.  I don 't know if the word for this behavior would be slacker, or busy. 

When the high heat of summer hit, (as it usually does, all of a sudden) something happened to my routine.  My routine of daily chores is not always the same anyway, but that's hardly an excuse.  The heat messes me up a bit.  I didn't want to go out in the hot sun to work, but since we do not have air conditioning in the main part of the house, I didn't want to stay inside either.  I managed to get the garden planted which didn't like the heat either.  I think if the green beans could have, they would have reached out and slapped me as I walked by.  The tomatoes didn't do very well either.  They kind of look warped from the happy little green worms that slurped the life out of their stems.  It's not entirely my fault, they blended in with the stems so well that I didn't always see them until the leaves were totally gone and the plant was a measley stick poking out of the ground.  The tomatoes hated me but were to weak to do any harm to me.  We won't even talk about the eggplant.  They went into total rebellion.  Beautiful plants and purple flowers but absolutely no fruit.  The rest of the garden couldn't speak to me because it was smothered in crabgrass.  So I spent the summer arguing with my garden and we parted ways.  I gave in and let the grassy weeds have its way for now. 

When cooler weather gets here, my energy and the desire to get chores done should return ( I hope).  Then I will get the tiller out of hiding and show those mangy plants who's boss.  They may knock me down for a while but I am still in charge of what will be planted and next year, we will conquer the vegetable rebellion in our back yard. 

So in reality, I don't feel lazy, I was fighting a battle, caught up in vegetable warfare.  I was so caught up in my task of gardener, that I neglected the other aspects of my life.  We do tend to get sidetracked from time to time.  It's times like that we can turn to our Creator and give it all to Him to help us work out the plan needed.  When we have done all we can and feel like we have failed, God is there to pick us up, dust us off, and help us get the job done.  Then we can stop and smell the roses.  That is, after we get the japanese beetles off of them.

Enjoy the end of an interesting summer.

Rosetta McHugh

I finally begin to feel spring is in the air.  Never mind the fact that I saw robbins out in February, or that the Canadian geese have already headed north.  Spring is happening because ....."I SAID SO!" 

Now for those of you who may be thinking, that I am thinking, that I am so important to God our Creator, that He would listen to me and make spring happen because "I said so", as fun for me as that sounds, it is not at all what I think that matters.

Spring is happening because I choose to come out of my wintery thinking processes.  I have a habit of not wanting to let go of winter sometimes because I love snow so much.  When there is snow on the ground, cold weather fits and cold doesn't hurt as bad.  But when the snow melts and everything turns to yucky mud, then I have to let go of winter and embrace springtime.  (I do have hope that there may be a little snow happening in springtime.)

There's a few springtime signs that have helped.  For instance....The mail man has helped by delivering garden catalogs.  Oh wait!  I was getting those back in the winter. 

Also the dogs are shedding their winter coats.  Oh wait!  They shed all year long. 

The Lilac shrubs have buds on them, Oh wait! They did that last year too; budding too early.  Let's see. well now.  I guess I have run out of signs for spring. 

So I guess the signs of spring are hidden in my brain.  I have to admit that winter is over and not go by the calendar or the normal signs.  This is the time of year we have to forge ahead with our thinking process and renew our goals in life as spring renews this earthly life.  God created seasons in our world and that means He is not against the need to change things up a bit.  If we never change, even in our thinking, we never learn and experience new things.  We die and wither away.  I love winter!  And even though I don't always want it to be over, I love the new spring that follows.  The earth begins to warm, the ground swells with new life and the trees bud with new leaves that wave in the wind.  Oh wait!  It will be time to start the garden and the mowing soon.  I don't think we're ready for that yet.  Maybe we could have winter for just a couple more weeks or so to give me time to get use to all the work I'll have to do.  Yeah!  Thats it!  We'll wait on spring for a while.  Maybe even skip spring and go straight to summer.  Yep!  Sounds like a plan to me!

Never stop thinking!

Rosetta McHugh;)

Character builders are something we often take for granted.  They change us in ways we would not ordinarily think of.  I am privelidged to have had 6 character builders of the brother kind.  While many things in life build character, such as trials, troubles, tests and such, a brother can have more influence by providing said trials, troubles, tests and such than any other situation or person this author can think of. 

For instance:

Brother #1 the oldest of them all was the quiet type until the opportunity arose to tease an already troubled little sister.

Brother #2 was very resourceful.  He could talk his way into or out of anything.  Little sis took on extra chores because of this one.  (dishes, picking beans etc.)

Brother #3 most easy to get along with.  Played house with little sister until the teasing started then little sis decided she needed to learn to play ball.  (If you can't beat em, join em.)

Brother #4 became a marathon runner.  Usually Dad was chasing him.  He provided a lot of entertainment when Dad caught him.

Brother #5 what can I say.  Really, what can I say?  Born with a physical challenge he learned to use his wits to get others in trouble.

Brother #6 the last of the group.  Mom got tired of chasing kids so this one presented more challenges.  One thing you had to learn was to make sure the table legs were screwed back into the table before the evening meal.

In learning to deal with all of these character builders, I realize that through it all, I have learned many things to deal with life.  I can withstand "most" teasing.  I can hit baseballs far enough to break the neighbors windows.  I can handle the garden work by myself.(Thanks Chuck).  I know how to take apart many things and put them back together.  I can replace glass windows.  But most of all, being the only girl stuck in the middle of six boys, I can love all of my brothers and be blessed to have them in my life.

I am just one of the guys!:)

Did anyone read my blog about the snow.  If you didn't, just scroll down a little bit and see if you can remember what it's like.  Right now it is above 90 degrees outside and I think 100 inside.  (We only have air conditioning in the bedrooms)  I usually don't complain about the weather because as they say, "If you don't like the weather stick around for half an hour, it will change."  That's what they say.  By the way, who are they?  You know, the ones who always say something but you never know who "they" are.  Well right now, they say its hot outside and I believe them.  The heat index is about 100 degrees and the dogs are panting and alpacas are drinking all their water and waiting for more.  Right now, I am going to turn off the computer and go to the airconditioned room and cool down.  I'm not complaining at all because I remember how cold it can be in the winter.  I love the season changes and all that comes with them.  I just enjoy life.

Keep cool!!

Rosetta McHugh

I am not a "blogger"!  This is a fairly new concept for me, a person who has reached the sixty year mark, and I am having a hard time keeping up.  First of all, to blog correctly, you need to keep it up on a daily basis.  When you get older you forget from one day to the next what your suppose to be doing that day let alone the next one.  So beginning to blog at a late age in life is probably not a good idea unless you do it just for fun and aren't too serious with it.  Otherwise it can drive you batty! 

Another thought about my situation is I don't consider myself a "cool" person.  That is, fitting into the younger age group that fits the profile of a genuine blogger.  It took me two years to be able to walk into a coffee shop and order a frappa-, capa-, mocha something or other, chino.   I usually stick to the drive through when ordering so I can talk to a speaker box in case I say the wrong thing.  Another reason is when I order inside the coffee shop, I have a tendency to stand and wait for my drink to be handed to me.  I just can't get past the fact that after they take my money, they put my drink at the other end of the counter.   Give me another year or so to get use to walking to the other end and waiting till they give me my coffee.  It will probably take another year because of another problem I seem to be having.  You see, by the time I walk to the other end and they step up to the counter to hand the drink to a person, (they don't call a number of which you have a ticket with a corresponding number or anything resembling this process), I have forgotten what my coffee drink was called.  So if I were a little younger (say fifteen or twenty years) I might be able to fit into the "cool" group and I would not only remember my favorite coffee name, but I would probably be better at this "watchya-callit-writing kind of stuff".  You know, writing a blog.

I think I will let this one go for now and sit in the rocker while I enjoy a good cup of coffee.  I'll be waiting for your comments.

Have a wonderful day!!!

We are in the last week of February and it doesn't seem to me that spring is ever going to get here.  I know I am a "Winter" person but that's only if we have a cover of snow on the ground.  When the snow melts off and you see the brown grass, mud and the like, then it is time for spring.  I love snow and would have it all winter long if it would cooperate.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not talking ice here. 

Spring is coming soon for all those that have given up hope of ever feeling warm again.  I have had the  priveledge of a "sign" for spring.  You might think it is the bird that I heard chirping the other day, or the few hairs that Stacy's horse is shedding.  Or you might even consider the daylight sticking around a little longer.  Nope!  None of these are it! 

Tired of guessing?  Here it is.

I was outside yesterday and the temperature was 30 degrees.   Stuff is still frozen.  While moving some hay out of the shelter, I saw something out of the corner of my eye.  It was a bug.  Not just an ordinary bug, but a fly.  It was moving around and flying in the sunlight.  I realize this is not much to some of you but I find it quite exciting that a common housefly can tell me it's time for all the other bugs to begin their wake-up process.  Spring is coming!  It won't be long till I can till the ground and plant my garden.  But wait, the garden will bring bugs, soooo, I'll get some chickens to eat the bugs.  But then the coyotes will come after the chickens eat the bugs.  That is, if the cats don't get them first.  But then the cats will be fat from eating the chickens and the coyotes will come after the fat cats. This could be a problem.

I have the answer!  Kill the fly and keep winter going as long as I can.  Yep!  That works!

Thanks for listening!

Rosetta McHugh

I am sitting at my computer, sipping eggnogg, and thinking about Christmas.  Money is very short and I face the day wondering where the funds will come from to buy Christmas gifts.  I am reminded of a cold, blizzard-like day last December when I went to the Alpaca shelter to feed and water the animals.  Their water freezes quickly in this kind of weather so we have to take special care to make sure they have fresh water all day.  As I stood in the shelter out of the wind and blowing snow, I felt a peace come over me that I had never felt before.  I have never claimed to hear God's voice audibly but I do know it was Him speaking to my heart that particular morning.  The shelter is a very simple three sided building.  One whole side is completely open.  There was a special warmth inside the shelter when I stepped in out of the cold.  As I fed the animals their grain and hay, they calmly ate and then lay down in the fresh straw bedding.  That's when my Heavenly Father whispered to me.  "This is what it was like the day my Son was born."   I stood there for a while thinking and absorbing the peace and love I felt.  The difference between the blizzard and storm a few feet away outside the shelter, and the animals lowing in the hay, peaceful and calm on the inside. 

So it is in our daily lives.  When we see the problems and confusion that overwhelm us like a blizzard, we can look to God's Son whom we have invited to live in our hearts and feel His peace.  He brings peace and love to us and keeps us calm as we put all of our Faith and Trust in Him.  No need to worry about the storm on the outside.

We have received the best gift when God sent His Son to be born in the lowly manger.  No other gift, whether given or received, can compare to Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son.