Bouffant Blonde

  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. – Revelation 21:4 He was smart and stubborn. He was my protector and rarely left my side. He loved licking bowls and eating treats of any kind. He was bribable in the best way. He loved walks in the pasture and aggravating his sister. His body failed him in the end. His hind legs were barely functioning. His back pain sometimes caused him to cry out. His eyesight was almost gone. But he was still so happy. I helped him stand when his body refused to lift his backside up. He rested against me until he could gain his balance. I covered him with my body when he started to slip down the stairs. We made countless trips to the veterinarian but there was no magic pill. He was only 14. He was about a year old when he came home from the kill shelter. He’d come into the shelter as a stray. Thirteen and a half years wasn’t nearly long en...

  The seats were uncomfortable at best. Knees pressed against seats and arms against arms. It was one of those beautiful old theaters that desperately needs a modern redo to accommodate an aging population. We weren't there because of the seats. The man standing before us, his red hair blazing under the lights, was worth the discomfort. We were all there to be entertained with stories and songs and not a few jokes. It was a beautiful night. Sean of the South, otherwise known as Sean Dietrich, never disappoints. This was our fourth time hearing him and he just keeps getting better and better. He was surrounded by a few extremely talented musicians for a time. Sometimes it was just him. He performed like he was at the Grand Old Opry. I'm so proud that he's done that and been invited back. What a guy! So many stories I could relate to. Some I could only laugh at. VBS was only part of my childhood once. And I was not raised in church, no matter how hard my parents tried to deny...

  Fear rises up in my chest and I scream for my youngest to “Get back!” She has already done so. Bless her heart! She is terrified of just about anything.   I look and don’t see anything. Typically her jumping back indicates a snake. I am terrified of snakes. We are in the front yard and I don’t have my gun. Even if I could see something, I couldn’t shoot it.   I yell for the older three dogs to come and we all head toward the back door. My youngest “spots” something and jumps again. I scream and two of the older dogs come running. I shine a light and see nothing out of the ordinary. My oldest dog, my hunter, finally arrives and inside we all go.   A tear rolls down my cheek. I once again am reminded that my vision is dimming. I have tried to ignore the signs. I love to pretend everything is okay or, at least, will be okay. But this will never be okay.   I shake off the pity party, take a deep breath, and get to work. There’s always so much to do...

  I am not yet legally blind. I struggle to see. I spend my days filled with gratitude and dismay. It’s like two sides of a coin I never wanted.   Did I mention that I am an artist? I paint furniture. Or I did. Now even solid pieces are filled with runs and drips. It’s a contrast thing. I can’t see the paint that’s causing trouble. It all looks the same to me.   And forget about details. The days of painting the alphabet on children’s furniture or painting small polka dots and squares and flowers are all gone. It’s just a mess when I try. There is before and there is after. I am living in the after.   It’s a perfect opportunity for laughter. I thought I saw a skank on my kitchen counter the other day. My heart stopped for a moment. Now, I’ve never seen one of those in my house but sometimes my vision “sees” things. On closer inspection, it was the coffee pot cord peeking out from under the panini machine. Up close, it’s not even remotely the same. ...

  I guess we’ve become a deer sanctuary. Maybe sanctuary isn’t the correct word. There’s nothing official about it. The deer seem to have determined their own place in our world.   We’ve always seen deer on the property. They would come and go. My Dad raised cows and never, ever allowed hunting. A few years ago I sold the remainder of the herd. I miss the cows sometimes. The deer seem to have taken their place and my heart is thankful for that.   F or years I have fed geese and ducks down by the pond. Whole and cracked corn are thrown out at least once a day. When the ducks are migrating in the spring and fall, I will feed more often. The deer seem to think the corn is for them too. The photograph above shows them eating away. I don’t have the heart to tell the deer to go away.   I have no idea how many deer live on the property. As I said earlier, they come and go as they please. We enjoy watching them and so far they haven’t caused any trouble. They even ...

  She came to us as a ball of energy that couldn't be contained by her previous owners. They were done and, well, my husband had a black lab when he was a kid. Need I say more? It didn't matter that we already had three large dogs. And it didn't matter that she jumped up more than she stayed down. She was sweet and loving and, did I mention, named after Alabama Football Coach Nick Saban. Nikki was originally adopted with the best of intentions. Someone offered a free puppy to a lonely man with health issues. Then she grew. He wasn't able to keep up, much less teach her obedience. She needed room to run and play and just be a puppy. I almost took her back that first week. She jerked on the leash, jumped on us with the full force of youth, and tore up yet another dog bed. I was just too old for this, I told myself. But sometimes she was just so cute -- like when she held her "pacifier" with her paws to lick the peanut butter flavored treat from it. Our three old...

  My kitchen is slowly transforming into a vibrant color palette. Bright blue, green, orchid, fuchsia, lemon yellow and white. It’s taken me a while to get to this place but my joy is worth every step.   I grew up in a brown, formal world. Vivid colors were not appropriate. I tried to conform. I really did. But the harder I tried, the more depressed I got.   Tricia Robinson, an artist from Birmingham, Alabama, talks about confetti and joy that come from color. She, too, understands heartache and the very real desire to surround yourself with happy.   I’m not bashing anyone who prefers neutral tones. For some folks, that is happy . But the rest of us like to live outside the box, so to speak. We do things differently, boldly, with little care of what others might think.   Years ago I went on a house tour that supported a charity. One homeowner, responding to a comment about the stripes and polka dots throughout the house, said “it’s only paint. If...

There’s never a dull day on the farm. The dogs and I were talking to our neighbor when a young calf decided to come over and play. That would have been fine if Mama Cow had been on board with the playdate. She was not. I gathered the dogs and we started toward the house. The calf decided that would be a great time to chase the dogs. Yes. You read that right. The calf was chasing the dogs. When the dogs scattered, the calf focused on Abby. At 93 lbs. and jet black, Abby does look a little like one of the black calves. I’m not sure the calf realized the difference. Unfortunately, Mama Cow grew increasingly agitated. The calf chased the dog and she chased the calf. Pretty soon a few more mama cows got involved. Try as she might, Abby couldn’t seem to outrun or outwit the calf. When Sammy, the Australian Shepherd, tried to help, a few of the cows turned on him. With the cows beginning to stampede, I decided to cut through another field and head toward the closest gate. Abby d...

Little Bit was having a really good day. He'd walked around quite a bit, especially for a tiny little calf who was only three days old. There were lots of other calves, some weren't much older than Little Bit. But he was the youngest. His Mama was very proud of him. Little Bit liked being in the big pasture. He especially liked the cool spot he found under the trees. The rest of the herd moved to a different pasture. Not Little Bit. He was enjoying his nap and he refused to get up when his Mama called him. Mama stayed with Little Bit for awhile, then she joined the herd. Little Bit wasn't afraid. It was quiet and peaceful where he was. Every now and then Mama would come back to check on Little Bit but he still wouldn't get up. Then the lady came out to see about him. He'd seen her before. She had a nice voice and she seemed to like little calves. She told Little Bit to get up and he did. Little Bit wasn't exactly scared of the lady. She spoke nice word...

Little Guy was really sad. Granddaddy said he had to sell some calves and Little Guy didn't want him to. Mama said Granddaddy just couldn't keep them all and they had to go to new homes. So Little Guy, Sunshine and Miss Lady Bug headed out with Mama to help Granddaddy. It didn't take long to get eight calves loaded on Granddaddy's cattle trailer. The calves were scared. Little Guy wanted to cry but he didn't want Sunshine or Miss Lady Bug to think he was a baby. Even though he was the baby. Granddaddy got ready to leave. Little Guy and his sisters went into the house with Mama. It was time to cook lunch. They'd barely gotten started when there was a big commotion outside. Little Guy looked out the window. Uh-oh! The calves were loose in the front yard! Mama rushed outside. Little Guy, Sunshine and Miss Lady Bug followed closely behind. Seven of the calves went back toward the pasture. One headed toward the highway. Mama went after that one. Little Guy deci...

Abby loves the rain. She loves mud puddles and swimming pools. She loves granddaddy’s pond and the bird bath. Abby really, really loves water -- so long as it doesn’t involve a bath. Abby doesn’t like a bath at all. One day Mama announced that they needed to go and check on the cows. Granddaddy wasn’t feeling well so it was up to Mama, Abby and Sammy to make sure the cows were okay. Abby walked outside with Mama, staying real close. She didn’t want to get left behind. Mama had a new stick in her hand. Abby wasn’t too worried about it. Mama always carries a stick to help her balance as she walks on the uneven ground. Mama paused just before she left the covered patio, lifted the stick up and pushed a button. It popped up with a quick snap. Abby jumped real high and almost knocked Sammy down as she rushed back inside. Sammy started laughing. Mama just shook her head. “Abby, what’s wrong? Don’t you like my umbrella?” “I don’t like umbrellas,” Abby sobbed. “It w...

The Little Purple Car Finds A Home The little purple car sat forlornly on the used car lot. It looked around and saw all types of vehicles waiting for a new home. Some were big trucks. Others were sporty SUVs. A few were cars. There was even a convertible that cried one day because she wanted to go to the beach so badly. They were white and red and blue and black and tan. A few silver ones glistened in the sun. But not one of them was purple. Every now and then the little car heard snickers. It hurt his feelings. He knew the other vehicles were pointing at him. They’d never seen a purple car before. He was different. He knew that. But that could be a good thing, he told himself. It was good to stand out from the crowd. The lady who’d taken him home when he’d been shiny and new had certainly thought so. They’d had so much fun together. It didn’t matter if they were cruising around town running errands or heading out on a road trip. It was fun. Unfortunately, the lady and her husban...

The five little girls were all the best of friends. They'd been born within two months of each other and their moms all spent a lot of time together. They had fun playing in the pasture under the watchful eye of the nearby adults. Late every afternoon they headed up to the house for a snack. One day there was an older man and woman there. They talked to the man who took care of them. The little girls weren't worried. Their mamas wouldn't let anything happen to them. Besides, the man and woman seemed nice. They smiled and laughed. That was always a good sign. The next day wasn't so good. The man who took care of them separated the girls from their mamas and forced them into a trailer. Before long they were headed down the road. It was really scary! When they finally stopped they were beside a house they'd never seen before. They saw the man talking to the couple who'd visited the day before. Then they heard another voice. A woman appeared beside the trailer...

One day Little Guy, Sunshine and Miss Ladybug were outside in the sun. Grandaddy was in the shop and Mama was working too. Little Guy was still mostly a puppy and he really wanted to play. He was trying to convince his sisters to run around with him. They were thinking about it. Suddenly, the neighbor's dog started running through the pasture toward the house. Uh-oh. Little Guy knew that dog wasn't coming to play. He'd heard Mama talk about how vicious the dog was. That dog was coming to fight! This was not going to be good. Mama spied the dog and came running from the shop. She yelled for her babies to get into the house -- NOW! Sunshine and Miss Ladybug complied. Little Guy thought about it. He did. But he just couldn't leave his Mama outside with that mean ol' dog. While Mama herded the girls into the house, Little Guy turned and headed toward the gate. He slipped between the gate and post and caught the dog just before he reached the gate. Little Guy gra...

One day a small white puppy set off to explore the world. He chased a squirrel. He watched a mama bird feed her babies. He smelled a few flowers. He sniffed the bushes and walked and walked. The sky started to grow dim as night fell. The little puppy tried to find his way home but he was really and truly lost. He spied a house that looked familiar. The little puppy headed to the back door and scratched and scratched. Finally, an older man opened the door. The little puppy rushed inside before the man could shoo him away. He didn’t want to go back outside in the dark. The little puppy looked up and came face to face with one of the kindest smiles he’d ever seen. “Well, what have we here,” the woman said. “It’s a puppy!” She bent down and took his little face in her hands. “What’s your name,” she asked. Tears welled up in the puppy’s eyes. The kind lady patted his head and he burst into tears. “I don’t know my name,” the puppy said. “And I can’t find my house.” The man, who’d sto...

The adventures of Little Guy were based on a real dog. He showed up one night at the house of my parents' friends. No one claimed him so my Mother brought him home. He was just a puppy but he was already quite smart. He knew "sit" and "no no." He quickly wrapped us around his little paw. He grew into a sometimes grumpy but mostly loving fellow. He loved to hunt and chase calves. He thought snooping through the garden while his Grandaddy worked was so much fun. He played with his two sisters, helped his Mama paint and grudgingly accepted her hugs and kisses. He was a beloved family member. He set off on September 7th for another adventure. He knew he wasn't supposed to go by himself but Grandaddy was busy and Mama and Gran weren't home. We think he stumbled over a loose tree root and landed awkwardly. Mama found him sitting in the branch near the pond, covered in mud and unable to walk. The doctor said he slipped a disk in his back. It pressed into ...

It has been really hot around here. No rain to speak of. Mama, Granddaddy and Gran spend a lot of time watering plants and sweating. Little Guy and Sunshine spend as much time as they can in the house under the air conditioner vents. Mama went out to water her strawberry plants. She has a little patch by the pasture gate. She babies them something fierce. Little Guy thinks she's still holding a grudge from when Granddaddy killed some of them a few weeks ago. He sprayed them with weed poison. About half of Mama's strawberry plants died. Granddaddy didn't do that to his strawberry plants. Well, Buddy the bull was standing out at the gate waiting for a snack. Mama couldn't water the strawberries with him looking at her with those pitiful brown eyes. So she got him some feed and poured it over the fence and into his snack bowl. Then Blackie the cow showed up. So Mama went back and got her some feed for her snack bowl. Little Guy could see the sweat starting to gather...

Little Guy is pleased to announce the birth of a new baby calf. Her mama is Big Deer, a very large cow with very big horns. She doesn't like Little Guy at all. Little Guy makes sure to go the long way around her most of the time. Gran had thought Big Deer might be about to have a baby. Granddaddy said no. Mama thought a baby was coming soon too. Granddaddy said no. Big Deer doesn't listen to Granddaddy at all. She had a baby calf anyway. Mama found the new calf. It was lying next to Big Deer. She asked Granddaddy about it. He thought Mama was crazy. He thinks that alot. He figured Mama just thought she saw a baby calf and it was really an older calf. Nope. It was a baby. So while Granddaddy was still trying to figure it all out, Mama went and got Big Deer some sweet feed. New mamas -- even the ones who have been new mamas lots of times -- get sweet feed after they have a baby. The little girl doesn't have a name yet. Mama usually does that sort of thing. She just ha...

Little Guy was having the best dream. He and Sunshine were chasing squirrels and he was just about to get one. Then he heard Gran's voice. "Little Guy," she called. "Time to wake up. You need to go to bed." Little Guy kicked her away with his foot and tried to recapture his dream. "Little Guy get up," Gran insisted. Little Guy growled. "I can't believe you growled at me," she said. Little Guy opened one eye and growled again. He heard a door open and Mama's footsteps on the stairs. That wasn't a good sign. Mama knelt down beside him. Little Guy turned over so she could scratch his stomach. "It's time to go to bed, Little Guy," Mama said softly. "Don't want to," he responded. "But you have to," she said. "Come on. Let's go." Little Guy got up and followed Sunshine outside. They both went potty. Then they went back inside and climbed into bed. Mama kissed her babies goo...

Little Guy decided he wanted a driver's license. He thought it would be fun to drive Grandaddy's truck to town or to get cow feed. He could even learn to drive the tractor! Wow! Little Guy knew the cows would sure be impressed if he could drive the tractor. He needed somebody to teach him how to drive. He could ask Grandaddy but he's not real patient. Besides he's been pretty busy with the garden. Little Guy really wanted Christopher to teach him. Christopher is lots of fun. He even taught Little Guy how to fish. He knew Christopher could teach him how to drive. Except Christopher wasn't around. That left Mama. Little Guy went to see his Mama. He smiled sweetly. Mama wasn't fooled. She shook her head no. He pleaded. Her answer remained the same. "You are too small for a driver's license, Little Guy," she told him. "Besides, I would worry myself sick if you were out there by yourself. I won't have it! No. No. No." Little Guy wa...