Meet the Family

Well... technically, we moved in before I started this blog. That is the good news. It is kind of comfy (small), and feels more like home everyday. Gone are the smells that used to linger, the walls I was afraid to touch, and the floors I was mortified to move around on. I am cooking every night in my kitchen, adding good scents of my own that are good to come home to.

The bad news is this. All of the packing and decorating is not complete yet. Boxes that need to be put away, or put in storage still linger around in some of the rooms. Stuff isn't an all of the walls. The place is kind of dirty. Once these things get done, I will invite you in for a look around! Until then, you must wait (as always) patiently.

The move went good. Took a while. It was bittersweet, but I am glad it is over. Day after day of driving back and forth from the new place to the old. I liked the old place. I miss it fiercely. For those of you who don't know, my old place used to belong to my dad and mom. Living there gave me comfort, and never a day went by when I didn't imagine them there. Daddy in the kitchen cooking a big country supper. Mom sitting in her recliner watching sci-fi, with a big smile and her middle finger pointing up (a story for some other time maybe). So naturally, leaving was a tough thing to do. But as the course of life goes, it had to be done. The house, after being on the market for several years, finally found someone else who loved it. It was time to say good bye. I will always have memories, but I don't know if I can ever go back. Here is my favorite view from Daddy's place.


So, back to the new place. Still so much to do. We are here... our new home. Never a dull moment!

So, I figured that you could meet us... the family here in this podunk town. That way, as the days go by, and the story stretches on, you can see one of us as you are reading along. Silly? Maybe, but it is my blog after all, so I can do this if I want... right? Of course I am!

You know Me and Drew.

The newlyweds, soul mates, new home owners. But what about the rest of the crew?

There is Hunter.

Hunter is Drew's daughter. She is 7 going on 17. She lives a couple of hours away from us, but she spends every other weekend, and also holidays here. She is so smart and so eager to please. She likes the 'Littlest Pet Shops'. That's her thing right now. The energy that girl has, let me tell you... makes me wish I was young again. And she is just like her Daddy... always hungry. I don't have the foggiest idea where they put all of that food. Both are built like a beanstalk! I worry about her teenage years though. Long legs, thin, dirty blond and huge eyes with the most beautiful eyelashes. Yep, Dad... start cleaning that shot gun!

The next oldest relative residing is Belle.

She is the spoiled rotten mama's girl. Jelly Bean is almost 15 years old, and at my side (usually) whenever I sit down. She and her litter mate were born by c section, by me in my vet tech days, and bottle fed. I lost her brother, Tazzy, last April after a long battle with chronic renal failure. She is fat, and demanding when she requires attention... if she wants a scratch, she will pat you with her foot until the loving reconvenes.

Then there is Dutch.

Also a rescue. 12 1/2 years ago, I found him abandoned on the side of the road. He was a tiny thing, a big crying ball of fur, so young his teeth hadn't come in yet. For a few days, I didn't believe he would make it. Luckily, he did. He is the smartest (and weirdest) dog I have ever come across. I am not a big dog person. I really like my cats. But with Dutch, an exception had to be made. He found his way to my heart quickly and has been there ever since.

Magnum is Drew's dog.


He and I don't like each other. He is 4 years old, deaf, and selectively stupid. (sorry, babe... but he is). I don't have much else to say about him. He lives outside.

Meet Ivy.

She is an Umbrella Cockatoo hatched 4 years ago during Hurricane Ivan. I have had her since she was about 5 months old. She didn't like me much at first... I bled a lot. She used to bite me. Now we have an understanding. Her and Drew get along alright, but she gets vocal in the evening, and while I can tune it out, it annoys him. She and Hunter have a hate/hate relationship. I don't allow those two in the same room, as the fear emitting of of each of them is so thick that you can't see through it. Ivy is quite a talker. She has my laugh down to a tee. She waves and says hello, how are you? And if I am not showing her attention, the word 'MAMA' resonates through out the house. She probably has 70 words in her vocabulary, not bad, but then again, cockatoos aren't well know for talking... they like to cuddle. And Ivy does that! She will probably outlive me, so she and Hunter better learn to love one another!

We have horses. I have 2... Onique and Stormi. Drew has one... Casey. They come home to our new place tomorrow, so I will write about that then. They haven't been in my back yard for a year and a half, so I am extra excited about having them back. Like I told you, Drew fixed a paddock for them last weekend, and spent this afternoon filling up the water trough and hanging a gate. Eventually, they will have free reign of most of the acreage, but for now it is what it is. They will have to be patient too.

That's it. Except for the fish tank. Not really family members there, but relaxing to watch none the less. Thanks for humoring me again today. Maybe things will get exciting around here again soon! Who knows!