happy, sad, and mad

Happy…

As this little lady celebrated her 8th birthday! 

Bailey was treated to yummy snacks and now has

her own Lamb Chop to snuggle!

(If you missed the story of how Bailey came to the farm, you can read it here: Bailey. Oh my, how I absolutely love her sweet and gentle personality.

Sad…

We lost TinkerBell. She arrived at the farm nearly 18 years ago when she simply strolled out of the cornfield and decided to stay. 

The absolute Mom of the crew, she was in charge of all the barn cats. And with a tender heart, when our goat Glowbug became ill, she was right beside him, being “Mom.”  

She stayed smallish, like a kitten, and was oh-so patient during some silly summertime fun!
We will truly miss her.

Mad…

Ok, this may be where you’d like to stop reading. It involves mild ranting, considerable irritation, and absolute disbelief.  

However; if you’re still here, I would greatly appreciate some input from you...women who are wiser than me. 

The million dollar questions:

What has happened to good, old-fashioned common courtesy? 

Where is the time-honored sense of community? 

I’m sure there was a time when looking after one another was a way of life. 

Here are some examples of the things I am absolutely confused by.

-How many times must I have the door in front of me, that someone has just passed through, closed in my face? How hard is it to hold the door open for the person behind you? 

-Right after my daughter was born, my father-in-law had open-heart surgery, and my mother-in-law broke her ankle stepping off a sidewalk. They came here to rest and recuperate. I believe my daughter was two weeks old…how wonderful it would’ve been to have someone/anyone bring meals. One less thing I would have had to worry about while surviving on very little sleep.

-Several years ago a lady moved here from across the country, I brought her a pie to welcome her to our hometown. She looked at me as if I had two heads. Surprise? Gratitude? Nah, neither one describes the look that was on her face. Golly, it's okay if you don’t like pie, toss it in the trash, but at least say thank you.

-Not long ago someone mentioned I was losing weight, and then asked: 

"Are you taking pills?" Wow, um, no...I'm just spending more time at the Y.

So, goodness gracious, maybe it’s me. 

I am neither outgoing, nor a social butterfly. I'm rather quiet and reserved…often those characteristics are seen as aloof. Hmmm, do I have an RBF?  Not intentionally...that face is just me. Listening to whatever is being said, taking it in, thinking about it.

As Mark Twain said:

“It is better to keep your mouth closed

and let people think you are a fool, 

then to open your mouth 

and remove all doubt.”

Maybe, it’s how I was raised – in the country, by my grandmother…a different place and time. 

Maybe, it's modern technology and fast-paced lifestyles. No time to smell the roses, as they say. 

Maybe, it's because today everyone's in a hurry, moving past the moment they're in, making plans and thinking about what's next. 

Or just maybe, I was born in the wrong era.