Wow! Two blogs in one day, can you tell that it is raining outside?
I was talking to my eldest Son this morning and he brought up this attack that we made on the Moon today. He is a pretty deep thinker and tends to be skeptical about most things. If you didn't hear or read about it, NASA crashed an empty rocket hull into the moon. Then followed it up with another crash of a probe loaded with cameras. The probe was suppose to send us pictures of the crashes, so that we could see if there was any ice anywhere.
My Son told me that he didn't really think that this was a fact finding mission. He believes that since we successfully landed on the moon in the 60's and didn't stay there for any length of time, that we were probably run off by the aliens who live there. He also believes that the powers that be figured out that those aliens were getting ready to attack us. This talk of finding water or ice was just a cover.
I listened to his theory, thought about it and came up with my own theory. I believe that he is probably right in his thinking but what hadn't occurred to him was that they brought one of those aliens back to Earth with them to study. This alien ended up escaping and becoming President of the United States.
This little stunt today was just another cover-up. They were destroying his long lost birth records so the truth will never get out, he won't risk losing his Presidency or his Nobel Peace Prize. I am not sure that you have to be an Earthling to win the Nobel Peace Prize but I do think that you have to be one to be the President of the U.S.
Showing posts with label son. Show all posts
Showing posts with label son. Show all posts
Friday, October 9, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
This past week brought something new into our lives. We learned how quickly our lives can turn around and all of our plans and normal routines can be changed in an instant. The new thing that we learned was all about Guillain-Barre Syndrome (pronounced: gee-yan-buh-ray). Our youngest Son began feeling weak the week before last. He had an upper respiratory infection and cough for about two weeks and suspected that he might have pneumonia.
My Husband seen him walking across a parking lot at work and said that he noticed he was walking strangely. On Friday night he was here and was complaining about his fingers and hands being numb. On Saturday he was loading cross ties into the back of his truck and started feeling weak and fatigued. He has always been strong and a hard worker. On Sunday morning he couldn't get out of bed. His hands, arms, feet and legs were becoming numb.
On Monday morning his wife insisted on taking him to the Doctor. His Doctor asked many questions, then sent him to the Emergency Room for some tests. They did an MRI and other tests and would not let them leave the hospital. He asked if he and his wife could go for something to eat and they let them go but wanted them to return as quickly as possible.
Finally they were sent to a Neurologist at a larger hospital in a larger city. Once there, more tests were done including a spinal tap, shock tests, an EKG, an Echocardiogram and another MRI on his neck. He was diagnosed with GBS even though his spinal fluid did not contain the protein that is normally present in Guillain-Barre sufferers.
None of us had heard of GBS before and so the research began. The first thing that they were told was that this disorder could paralyze his diaphragm and he would have to be placed on a respirator in order to survive. This disorder is life-threatening and is considered a medical emergency. Which was the reason that they wanted them to stay at the Hospital and why he had to be admitted.
This is what we learned about Guillain-Barre Syndrome. It has no cure and is not a disease. It is a disorder where the body's own immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system, so it is sometimes called an autoimmune disease.
No one knows exactly what sets it into motion but it usually is brought on by an upper respiratory infection (in our Son's case), the stomach flu or a flu shot. The first symptoms are usually weakness and tingling in the feet and legs that ascend to the arms and hands and even to the face. In my Son's case it started in his hands and descended to his legs and feet. In severe cases symptoms can increase in intensity until the muscles cannot be used at all and the person is totally paralyzed.
We were told of several cases where the person could not even move their eyes or blink. One nurse told us of a young man who you would not even have known he was alive if he hadn't been hooked to a heart monitor and you could see his heart beating. Even his pupils were non-reactive.
Many people die from this by simply not realizing what is happening to them, they don't get to the Doctor fast enough or their Doctor fails to diagnose it quick enough. Our Son's was caught early thanks to his wife, his Doctor was smart and it wasn't a severe case but most of all, he had many, many people praying for him. For him to only be in the Hospital for six days is incredible and to leave the Hospital with nothing more than a cane is even more incredible.
On Tuesday he was at his worse, he could not move his right arm at all. His left arm was still slightly usable, he could still move his legs but walking could not be done safely. We were worried about it getting worse because by now we had heard the stories of total paralysis. His head got a little wobbly but it didn't go into his face. The good news was that he didn't have any pain because of the numbness and he never had to be put on a respirator.
On Wednesday he was on the mend, they had started treating him with infusions of intravenous immunoglobulins. We started seeing some improvements right away and by Friday he was able to hold his 4 month old Son and hug his three very young daughters.
Hospital stays with GBS are usually very lengthy, many months to a year. Our Son was released from the Hospital on Saturday after his last infusion. So he was only in the Hospital for six days. He had proved to the Physical Therapist that he could not only walk without the use of a walker but could also climb stairs.
Most Guillain-Barre sufferers are sent home with a wheelchair or at least a walker but he came home with only a cane. He is doing all of his therapy for himself as he is very anxious to get this behind him, he is working hard at it. On Friday before last he could curl 150 lbs. Yesterday he was able to curl 1 lb. and we are thrilled. Our Son has a new respect for paralyzed people.
Most people do recover from GBS but it is a long, hard road. Some are left with partial paralysis. There is always a chance of a relapse. He cannot ever give blood again, which is something that he always did. He can never have a flu shot or pneumonia shot. They will have to watch him very carefully if he ever has to have any type of surgery. He was also told that from now on if he gets sick with anything for more than two days he has to see a Doctor. 1 in 10 people will suffer a relapse.
The disorder can strike anyone at any age but it is more common in the elderly and young men. Our Son was told that if he had gone to the Doctor for his cough and gotten it taken care of, this would never have happened to him. Children can also get this disorder but it is not as common. Andy Griffith had this disorder and it is suspected that Franklin D. Roosevelt had it. It is also suspected that people have been buried alive who had it many years ago.
It was a tough week to say the least and it was very hard on their 2 yr. old daughter who didn't understand what was happening. She cried for her Mommy a lot. The 4 and 5 year old's were disturbed by seeing their strong Daddy so weak and unable to walk or give hugs. We had to take them to the Hospital to reassure them. The youngest was reassured by seeing that her Mommy was still alive but the older girls were still upset at the sight of their Daddy in his condition.
I am so thankful that he is home and doing well and that their little family is back together again. He even went back to work yesterday. Their 4 month old Son is the one who is having the most trouble readjusting. He stayed at the Hospital all week with his Mommy and Daddy, so he had gotten used to being held all of the time and passed off to every visitor who came to visit. He is missing the attention.
My Husband seen him walking across a parking lot at work and said that he noticed he was walking strangely. On Friday night he was here and was complaining about his fingers and hands being numb. On Saturday he was loading cross ties into the back of his truck and started feeling weak and fatigued. He has always been strong and a hard worker. On Sunday morning he couldn't get out of bed. His hands, arms, feet and legs were becoming numb.
On Monday morning his wife insisted on taking him to the Doctor. His Doctor asked many questions, then sent him to the Emergency Room for some tests. They did an MRI and other tests and would not let them leave the hospital. He asked if he and his wife could go for something to eat and they let them go but wanted them to return as quickly as possible.
Finally they were sent to a Neurologist at a larger hospital in a larger city. Once there, more tests were done including a spinal tap, shock tests, an EKG, an Echocardiogram and another MRI on his neck. He was diagnosed with GBS even though his spinal fluid did not contain the protein that is normally present in Guillain-Barre sufferers.
None of us had heard of GBS before and so the research began. The first thing that they were told was that this disorder could paralyze his diaphragm and he would have to be placed on a respirator in order to survive. This disorder is life-threatening and is considered a medical emergency. Which was the reason that they wanted them to stay at the Hospital and why he had to be admitted.
This is what we learned about Guillain-Barre Syndrome. It has no cure and is not a disease. It is a disorder where the body's own immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system, so it is sometimes called an autoimmune disease.
No one knows exactly what sets it into motion but it usually is brought on by an upper respiratory infection (in our Son's case), the stomach flu or a flu shot. The first symptoms are usually weakness and tingling in the feet and legs that ascend to the arms and hands and even to the face. In my Son's case it started in his hands and descended to his legs and feet. In severe cases symptoms can increase in intensity until the muscles cannot be used at all and the person is totally paralyzed.
We were told of several cases where the person could not even move their eyes or blink. One nurse told us of a young man who you would not even have known he was alive if he hadn't been hooked to a heart monitor and you could see his heart beating. Even his pupils were non-reactive.
Many people die from this by simply not realizing what is happening to them, they don't get to the Doctor fast enough or their Doctor fails to diagnose it quick enough. Our Son's was caught early thanks to his wife, his Doctor was smart and it wasn't a severe case but most of all, he had many, many people praying for him. For him to only be in the Hospital for six days is incredible and to leave the Hospital with nothing more than a cane is even more incredible.
On Tuesday he was at his worse, he could not move his right arm at all. His left arm was still slightly usable, he could still move his legs but walking could not be done safely. We were worried about it getting worse because by now we had heard the stories of total paralysis. His head got a little wobbly but it didn't go into his face. The good news was that he didn't have any pain because of the numbness and he never had to be put on a respirator.
On Wednesday he was on the mend, they had started treating him with infusions of intravenous immunoglobulins. We started seeing some improvements right away and by Friday he was able to hold his 4 month old Son and hug his three very young daughters.
Hospital stays with GBS are usually very lengthy, many months to a year. Our Son was released from the Hospital on Saturday after his last infusion. So he was only in the Hospital for six days. He had proved to the Physical Therapist that he could not only walk without the use of a walker but could also climb stairs.
Most Guillain-Barre sufferers are sent home with a wheelchair or at least a walker but he came home with only a cane. He is doing all of his therapy for himself as he is very anxious to get this behind him, he is working hard at it. On Friday before last he could curl 150 lbs. Yesterday he was able to curl 1 lb. and we are thrilled. Our Son has a new respect for paralyzed people.
Most people do recover from GBS but it is a long, hard road. Some are left with partial paralysis. There is always a chance of a relapse. He cannot ever give blood again, which is something that he always did. He can never have a flu shot or pneumonia shot. They will have to watch him very carefully if he ever has to have any type of surgery. He was also told that from now on if he gets sick with anything for more than two days he has to see a Doctor. 1 in 10 people will suffer a relapse.
The disorder can strike anyone at any age but it is more common in the elderly and young men. Our Son was told that if he had gone to the Doctor for his cough and gotten it taken care of, this would never have happened to him. Children can also get this disorder but it is not as common. Andy Griffith had this disorder and it is suspected that Franklin D. Roosevelt had it. It is also suspected that people have been buried alive who had it many years ago.
It was a tough week to say the least and it was very hard on their 2 yr. old daughter who didn't understand what was happening. She cried for her Mommy a lot. The 4 and 5 year old's were disturbed by seeing their strong Daddy so weak and unable to walk or give hugs. We had to take them to the Hospital to reassure them. The youngest was reassured by seeing that her Mommy was still alive but the older girls were still upset at the sight of their Daddy in his condition.
I am so thankful that he is home and doing well and that their little family is back together again. He even went back to work yesterday. Their 4 month old Son is the one who is having the most trouble readjusting. He stayed at the Hospital all week with his Mommy and Daddy, so he had gotten used to being held all of the time and passed off to every visitor who came to visit. He is missing the attention.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Dropping In
All of the hay is now in the loft, the loft is full and the hay elevator has been put away until next summer. We still have hay to put up but not in this barn/house.
Our main loft is located in the center of the barn with a lower tier on each side. One side is open, it doesn't have a floor in it and the other side is actually the roof of our little house inside the barn.
My young cousin was helping with the hay on Monday morning, along with a friend of his and our oldest son. After the second wagon had been unloaded and my DH was pulling it away to get ready for the next wagon. My cousin was following my son down out of the loft on a small ladder onto the roof of the house, my cousin skipped the last two rungs of the ladder, jumping onto the roof. At which point my son said later that he just disappeared.
I was washing dishes in the kitchen when I heard a loud crash and I thought to myself that they were being too rough and knocking stuff off of my walls. Then I heard my son very clearly say that my cousin had fallen into the house and someone had better go inside to check on him. I turned around and there he was in the doorway of the bedroom on his hands and knees, just looking at the rug. I am sure that he was wondering if he had landed yet.
He slowly pulled himself up to his full height and brushed himself off, I helped him out the door, where he declared that all was well. After he sat down outside in a lawn chair, we all questioned him about his well-being, then the jokes began.
My son is a quick-wit as opposed to a smart-aleck and there was just too much good material here for him. I know that I won't be able to remember every snide remark that he made throughout the rest of the day. But here are a few; He told him that when we said that he could drop in anytime, we didn't mean literally. He told us that my cousin enjoyed this job so much that it sent him through the roof. He also told him that he should apply for a job with the City because now he had experience dropping down through man-holes. He accused him of hitting rock bottom (our floor is concrete) and told him that the next time he needed a fall guy, he knew who to get. He also advised him that he would probably not make a good roofer. I am probably missing the best ones, but I'm sure that my cousin will remember them all.
He did end up unloading another hay wagon after his great fall because he didn't really want to get back in the loft, but when I called his mother the next day she said he was pretty sore and pretty bruised up. The hole was too tiny for him to fit through and when I finally got around to cleaning up the mess, I found his half opened pocket knife in the debris. It was one of those knives that clip in your pocket, so the squeeze was tight enough to scrape his knife out of his pocket and even open it. Which reminds me of another comment that my cruel son made, he told him that he might be able to get a job with a circus as a contortionist.
Thanks, Cuz, we really appreciate all of your help, even though sometimes you do fall down on the job, you are always willing to work and falling all over yourself to be a help.
Our main loft is located in the center of the barn with a lower tier on each side. One side is open, it doesn't have a floor in it and the other side is actually the roof of our little house inside the barn.
My young cousin was helping with the hay on Monday morning, along with a friend of his and our oldest son. After the second wagon had been unloaded and my DH was pulling it away to get ready for the next wagon. My cousin was following my son down out of the loft on a small ladder onto the roof of the house, my cousin skipped the last two rungs of the ladder, jumping onto the roof. At which point my son said later that he just disappeared.
I was washing dishes in the kitchen when I heard a loud crash and I thought to myself that they were being too rough and knocking stuff off of my walls. Then I heard my son very clearly say that my cousin had fallen into the house and someone had better go inside to check on him. I turned around and there he was in the doorway of the bedroom on his hands and knees, just looking at the rug. I am sure that he was wondering if he had landed yet.
He slowly pulled himself up to his full height and brushed himself off, I helped him out the door, where he declared that all was well. After he sat down outside in a lawn chair, we all questioned him about his well-being, then the jokes began.
My son is a quick-wit as opposed to a smart-aleck and there was just too much good material here for him. I know that I won't be able to remember every snide remark that he made throughout the rest of the day. But here are a few; He told him that when we said that he could drop in anytime, we didn't mean literally. He told us that my cousin enjoyed this job so much that it sent him through the roof. He also told him that he should apply for a job with the City because now he had experience dropping down through man-holes. He accused him of hitting rock bottom (our floor is concrete) and told him that the next time he needed a fall guy, he knew who to get. He also advised him that he would probably not make a good roofer. I am probably missing the best ones, but I'm sure that my cousin will remember them all.
He did end up unloading another hay wagon after his great fall because he didn't really want to get back in the loft, but when I called his mother the next day she said he was pretty sore and pretty bruised up. The hole was too tiny for him to fit through and when I finally got around to cleaning up the mess, I found his half opened pocket knife in the debris. It was one of those knives that clip in your pocket, so the squeeze was tight enough to scrape his knife out of his pocket and even open it. Which reminds me of another comment that my cruel son made, he told him that he might be able to get a job with a circus as a contortionist.
Thanks, Cuz, we really appreciate all of your help, even though sometimes you do fall down on the job, you are always willing to work and falling all over yourself to be a help.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Muggy
August has returned with a vengeance. It is still overcast here today but it is just plain hot and humid. When you go out the door you walk into a sauna. The air is too thick to breathe.
Our Grandson is coming to spend the night after school. I suspect that we will spend this evening and tomorrow in the pool.
We got around 70 bales of hay in the loft last night and still have three wagon loads in the neighbor's barn that has to be put up there on Monday or Tuesday when my DH has his next days off. I think that I have decided to go ahead and buy 50 bales of the pure alfalfa for my goats. That will have to be picked up and put in the loft this evening, if it doesn't rain.
My Husband is all for selling two of the does. He isn't putting any pressure on me to sell them all. He was also real understanding last night when he got home and discovered that I had bought a gun without his permission.
Our oldest Son called this morning to find out if Dad was mad about the gun. I told him that he was mad because I bought it out from under him. The person that I bought it from was needing money and I was suppose to tell my Husband about it but I went ahead and just bought it myself. It was just what I had been wanting. I told my DH that he never asks my permission when buying a gun, so turnabout is fair play. Besides that, you can always use a new gun, right?
Our Grandson is coming to spend the night after school. I suspect that we will spend this evening and tomorrow in the pool.
We got around 70 bales of hay in the loft last night and still have three wagon loads in the neighbor's barn that has to be put up there on Monday or Tuesday when my DH has his next days off. I think that I have decided to go ahead and buy 50 bales of the pure alfalfa for my goats. That will have to be picked up and put in the loft this evening, if it doesn't rain.
My Husband is all for selling two of the does. He isn't putting any pressure on me to sell them all. He was also real understanding last night when he got home and discovered that I had bought a gun without his permission.
Our oldest Son called this morning to find out if Dad was mad about the gun. I told him that he was mad because I bought it out from under him. The person that I bought it from was needing money and I was suppose to tell my Husband about it but I went ahead and just bought it myself. It was just what I had been wanting. I told my DH that he never asks my permission when buying a gun, so turnabout is fair play. Besides that, you can always use a new gun, right?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Girls
Yesterday was just fun, the girls were here. When my oldest Son called and he heard the commotion in the background, he asked, "if the girls were here?". That terminology will have to change when their new brother arrives.
The girl's ate, which is one of their favorite things to do, boys don't seem to really enjoy food like girls do. Then their Papaw took them swimming in what I thought was a really cold pool. Their poor Papaw thought so too, when he got in, but they didn't seem to even notice. Even the youngest one who is a year and a half didn't complain.
After swimming they ate again. Then I took the oldest two girls for a walk to where they plan to build a new house on the back corner of our property. We have to walk through the Enchanted Forest to get there.
The horses have many paths through the Enchanted Forest and the youngest girl who was leading the way kept asking which path to take. I told her that she would have to choose her own path. She had a hard time with that concept, she didn't like making that decision.
The oldest girl was walking behind me on the path, she was talking non-stop. Sometimes it gets a little difficult for these two sisters, because they both love to talk as much as they love to eat.
When we finally made it to our destination, the youngest girl announced that she was itching all over. The oldest girl asked where she was itching and she again said, all over. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that there were some places that she wasn't itching, so she started a running list of all of the places that she wasn't itching, body part by body part.
We started on our journey back home, with the youngest still reciting different names for the same body parts. I told her that we would stop at the first good "sitting" boulder that we came to in the Enchanted Forest and she could scratch the places that itched. The good thing about living in the Limestone Capital of the World is that your Enchanted Forests have good places to sit down.
When we got to the first boulder, it was too big for the girls, ages 4 and 5 to get up on, so I had to lift them. I had a canteen full of sweet tea that I handed to the youngest one, who drank, then shared with her sister. Things were going fine, everyone was sharing and no one had even remembered to scratch.
Then that all changed when the oldest one thought that the youngest one should let her hand the canteen back to me to drink and the youngest one wanted to hand it back to me. So, tempers flared and the oldest one gave the youngest one a slight shove, to which the youngest one answered with a grab and a vicious pinch that resulted in a sharp and loud slap across the cheek. It all happened so fast that I had a hard time separating them.
The peacefulness of the Enchanted Forest was then shattered by the wailing of the youngest Princess. Enchanted Forests tend to lose their charm when the beautiful Princesses are wailing. I finally managed to distract her enough for peace to return. We continued on our journey, talking, listening, choosing paths, picking flowers and picking up rocks.
All in all, it was just a perfect day, they caught some chicks with the help of their Daddy and Papaw. Then of course, they helped me milk.
The girl's ate, which is one of their favorite things to do, boys don't seem to really enjoy food like girls do. Then their Papaw took them swimming in what I thought was a really cold pool. Their poor Papaw thought so too, when he got in, but they didn't seem to even notice. Even the youngest one who is a year and a half didn't complain.
After swimming they ate again. Then I took the oldest two girls for a walk to where they plan to build a new house on the back corner of our property. We have to walk through the Enchanted Forest to get there.
The horses have many paths through the Enchanted Forest and the youngest girl who was leading the way kept asking which path to take. I told her that she would have to choose her own path. She had a hard time with that concept, she didn't like making that decision.
The oldest girl was walking behind me on the path, she was talking non-stop. Sometimes it gets a little difficult for these two sisters, because they both love to talk as much as they love to eat.
When we finally made it to our destination, the youngest girl announced that she was itching all over. The oldest girl asked where she was itching and she again said, all over. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that there were some places that she wasn't itching, so she started a running list of all of the places that she wasn't itching, body part by body part.
We started on our journey back home, with the youngest still reciting different names for the same body parts. I told her that we would stop at the first good "sitting" boulder that we came to in the Enchanted Forest and she could scratch the places that itched. The good thing about living in the Limestone Capital of the World is that your Enchanted Forests have good places to sit down.
When we got to the first boulder, it was too big for the girls, ages 4 and 5 to get up on, so I had to lift them. I had a canteen full of sweet tea that I handed to the youngest one, who drank, then shared with her sister. Things were going fine, everyone was sharing and no one had even remembered to scratch.
Then that all changed when the oldest one thought that the youngest one should let her hand the canteen back to me to drink and the youngest one wanted to hand it back to me. So, tempers flared and the oldest one gave the youngest one a slight shove, to which the youngest one answered with a grab and a vicious pinch that resulted in a sharp and loud slap across the cheek. It all happened so fast that I had a hard time separating them.
The peacefulness of the Enchanted Forest was then shattered by the wailing of the youngest Princess. Enchanted Forests tend to lose their charm when the beautiful Princesses are wailing. I finally managed to distract her enough for peace to return. We continued on our journey, talking, listening, choosing paths, picking flowers and picking up rocks.
All in all, it was just a perfect day, they caught some chicks with the help of their Daddy and Papaw. Then of course, they helped me milk.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Deam Wilderness
I was on the phone with my eldest Son while he was reading my blog Perfect Horses and Kids. He was having a wonderful time talking to me on the phone while being online at lightening fast speeds, he was telling me how fast he could pull up a page, then saying things like, "I have high speed internet and you don't.", he is just warped and cruel like that.
Anyway he was laughing as he read my blog about hauling horses in the bed of a pick-up truck, and he said that I should blog about how we used to make our kids ride under the horse instead of on top. I will tell that story in a future blog.
The area that we rode in was a national forest and back then there were no restrictions on where you could ride, you could make a trail wherever you wanted to. That area is now called the Deam Wilderness and the horseman's camp is called Blackwell.
We made most of the horse trails with motorcycles when I was a kid. My Dad and Uncles would haul motorcycles in and ride through the woods. They were logging there back then and they left big piles of sawdust and wood shavings everywhere, those were just perfect for playing with motorcycles on.
Can you even imagine a national forest that you could just use like it was yours? My Dad and Uncles drove their nice family cars and trucks back into the forest on logging roads and I remember getting hung up with those big old cars that were heavier than tanks. No one had 4-wheel drives back then.
We would sometimes get stuck on the frame of the car in a rut that was deep enough to hide a ferris wheel in. My Uncle would just jack it up and run the car off of the jack. You couldn't tear those old solid cars up.
My family would sometimes haul horses into the Deam Wilderness area and drive back a log road and just camp by the first pond we came to. We would spend a couple of weeks of vacation time swimming, riding, fishing and frog gigging. No one ever bothered us there, unless it was family coming to visit.
We didn't have to worry about hikers or DNR people walking in on us because nature, natural resources and conservation weren't popular back then. The only people that wanted to get out in that area were people like us and there weren't many people like us, we were way ahead of our time.
So while my eldest Son may rub in his high speed internet connection to me, I can always make him green with envy by talking about driving back to those ponds and spending a couple of weeks of seclusion in the summer. Not having to stay on the beaten path but being able to wonder where ever you wanted to go. That is something that he will never be able to do, well, at least not legally.
Anyway he was laughing as he read my blog about hauling horses in the bed of a pick-up truck, and he said that I should blog about how we used to make our kids ride under the horse instead of on top. I will tell that story in a future blog.
The area that we rode in was a national forest and back then there were no restrictions on where you could ride, you could make a trail wherever you wanted to. That area is now called the Deam Wilderness and the horseman's camp is called Blackwell.
We made most of the horse trails with motorcycles when I was a kid. My Dad and Uncles would haul motorcycles in and ride through the woods. They were logging there back then and they left big piles of sawdust and wood shavings everywhere, those were just perfect for playing with motorcycles on.
Can you even imagine a national forest that you could just use like it was yours? My Dad and Uncles drove their nice family cars and trucks back into the forest on logging roads and I remember getting hung up with those big old cars that were heavier than tanks. No one had 4-wheel drives back then.
We would sometimes get stuck on the frame of the car in a rut that was deep enough to hide a ferris wheel in. My Uncle would just jack it up and run the car off of the jack. You couldn't tear those old solid cars up.
My family would sometimes haul horses into the Deam Wilderness area and drive back a log road and just camp by the first pond we came to. We would spend a couple of weeks of vacation time swimming, riding, fishing and frog gigging. No one ever bothered us there, unless it was family coming to visit.
We didn't have to worry about hikers or DNR people walking in on us because nature, natural resources and conservation weren't popular back then. The only people that wanted to get out in that area were people like us and there weren't many people like us, we were way ahead of our time.
So while my eldest Son may rub in his high speed internet connection to me, I can always make him green with envy by talking about driving back to those ponds and spending a couple of weeks of seclusion in the summer. Not having to stay on the beaten path but being able to wonder where ever you wanted to go. That is something that he will never be able to do, well, at least not legally.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Writer's Block
I am trying to overcome this current round to writer's block, I have been struggling to think of anything to blog about. Pain is about all that I can think about right now. I don't really want to dwell on it but it continues to demand most of my attention.
My eldest Son and his family were here last night, he is a great inspiration, he is just a little off on the wrong side of normal. He has a great sense of humor and when he is around or when I am on the phone with him, he will bring up some odd fact or warped childhood memory that he says that I should blog about. The problem is that my aged mind can't recall what it was that he suggested when I have the time to sit down and blog.
During the course of conversation last night, my DH said something very irritating to me, I can't remember what, but I did threaten to divorce him. My Daughter-in-law jumped right in there and suggested that we both get divorced and we would go somewhere together. You see, I have this strange family, I love both of my Daugher-in-laws. I admire their fortitude for staying married to my Sons. It can't be easy, they are too much like their Father.
Happy Independence Day! Hopefully it won't rain out the fireworks like it did last year. We had a gully washer here last night, the barn is flooded again. We don't do much on the 4th of July if we can help it, this is the first day that my Husband has had off for weeks. So that means that he is going to have to catch up on all of the work that has piled up around here.
He works six days a week and we go to Church twice on Sundays, so it makes it hard to mow grass and bush hog pastures, not to mention trimming 156 feet that belong to horses and goats around here.
We do have a very accommodating neighbor who spends tons of money on fireworks every year. All we have to do is drive to the top of the hill to watch a fireworks display that rivals what they have in the nearest town. We don't have to fight traffic or crowds of people, although the word is getting out and we are starting to get lots of visitors to our neighborhood on the 4th.
The thing that makes it really nice is that we live in a valley, so with that valley behind us, we get a real good stereo with echo affect, it is like wrap-around sound. All of our horses are bomb proof, they stand at the top of the hill every year and watch the show with us, they love it.
I am a little worried about Angel though, it will be her first 4th of July because she was born at the end of July last year. She gets very nervous about loud sounds, but she is getting better. The first time we shot a gun around her, she ran off and didn't come back until the next day. We and our neighbors have shot several times since then and she doesn't like it but she doesn't run off. Tonight might cure her completely.
My eldest Son and his family were here last night, he is a great inspiration, he is just a little off on the wrong side of normal. He has a great sense of humor and when he is around or when I am on the phone with him, he will bring up some odd fact or warped childhood memory that he says that I should blog about. The problem is that my aged mind can't recall what it was that he suggested when I have the time to sit down and blog.
During the course of conversation last night, my DH said something very irritating to me, I can't remember what, but I did threaten to divorce him. My Daughter-in-law jumped right in there and suggested that we both get divorced and we would go somewhere together. You see, I have this strange family, I love both of my Daugher-in-laws. I admire their fortitude for staying married to my Sons. It can't be easy, they are too much like their Father.
Happy Independence Day! Hopefully it won't rain out the fireworks like it did last year. We had a gully washer here last night, the barn is flooded again. We don't do much on the 4th of July if we can help it, this is the first day that my Husband has had off for weeks. So that means that he is going to have to catch up on all of the work that has piled up around here.
He works six days a week and we go to Church twice on Sundays, so it makes it hard to mow grass and bush hog pastures, not to mention trimming 156 feet that belong to horses and goats around here.
We do have a very accommodating neighbor who spends tons of money on fireworks every year. All we have to do is drive to the top of the hill to watch a fireworks display that rivals what they have in the nearest town. We don't have to fight traffic or crowds of people, although the word is getting out and we are starting to get lots of visitors to our neighborhood on the 4th.
The thing that makes it really nice is that we live in a valley, so with that valley behind us, we get a real good stereo with echo affect, it is like wrap-around sound. All of our horses are bomb proof, they stand at the top of the hill every year and watch the show with us, they love it.
I am a little worried about Angel though, it will be her first 4th of July because she was born at the end of July last year. She gets very nervous about loud sounds, but she is getting better. The first time we shot a gun around her, she ran off and didn't come back until the next day. We and our neighbors have shot several times since then and she doesn't like it but she doesn't run off. Tonight might cure her completely.
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