I'm having great difficulty posting this, so please bare with me. The story of the past week brings tears to my eyes, not to mention that the horrible nightmare that is called "parvo" for dogs is not over yet for us.

So far it has taken the lives of four of our beautiful 4 month old puppies, two still in vet care and mom and another puppy still at home.

The complete story in detail can be read on my daughter, Miranda's, blog:
MirandaBlogSpot

I had planned a complete blog with photos of our new deer cam which I promise will be up soon. This whole ordeal has taken a toll on my whole family and with tears in my eyes I can barely type at this point.

So far we have had to put 4 of our beautiful babies down, so please pray for the two puppies that are still in vet care and not out of danger yet. We have two more at home. We also are bleaching our clothes, shoes, and will have to burn the puppy pen itself tomorrow. This is a horrendous disease which reminds me of ebola. We are strong, but we also are praying for strength. This is the ugliest suffering I have ever had to watch in my life...... even cancer in my own family.

Thank you so much for your friendship and support.

Susan, Kent, and Miranda

Our Cozy Cabin in the Woods



I'm getting ready to pack the truck and 4-wheeler with cabin supplies for the weekend. And then Kent and I will make the drive up the narrow, rocky road to our cozy retreat. (As soon as he gets home from golfing. Ha!)






We put up a deer cam about a mile from our cabin last week, and we're pretty excited about it. We'd like to check on it to make sure it's still in place. With deer and bear running through the woods, you never know what shape it might be in.






There were many days that I stood on our cabin porch last Summer and early Fall and watched the deer graze in the field above us. It was usually the same doe and her two fawns. Occasionally a large buck would run through the middle of them and down the hill through the woods. I swear the porch shook as he thundered past our cabin.

With that in mind, keep an eye out for a new post with deer cam updates and our latest cabin adventures.

I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing weekend.

I was tooling around the grocery store today and felt my buns clinching along with my wallet. My eyes even began to water as they bugged out on prices.

If you're like me, and feel like you've been paying more for groceries lately, you're definitely onto something. Why the difference? Unfortunately, the rising gas prices that are pinching your wallet at the pump also have a big effect on groceries. Fuel is needed to process the foods and truck them across the country. Prices for fruits and vegetables as well as milk, wine and ground beef are all on the rise.

Also, the high prices of gasoline have increased the demand for corn-based ethanol, which drives up the price of corn as well as other foods. Half of the corn produced in the U.S. is used to feed livestock that supply meat and dairy products, and corn is used in many food products (just think how many items contain high-fructose corn syrup or use corn oil).

With this is mind, if we are all to keep paying these prices, we should definitely be paying it locally. Support your local economy and your local farmers by patronizing our local farmer's markets, local grocers, and produce stands.

After I put away my grocery purchases and sat down at the computer, I decided it was time that blogging to my friends and readers wasn't all that I could do. I think a letter to the editor of my local newspaper is in order. I will let you know the outcome soon.

I just can't get this little tune out of my head tonight:

All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel;

The monkey thought 'twas all in good fun

Pop! goes the weasel.

A penny for a spool of thread,

A penny for a needle—

That's the way the money goes,

Pop! goes the weasel.

Goodnight my friends!