stuck... tired... bored.. too much to get done .. should be doing it instead of writing...

smokey lonesome sitting on my lap purring... such a good kitty .. never had a cat before ... smokey decided it was about time .. just adopted me about a year ago ... he comes when we whistle (well, when Rod whistles - i can't whistle)..comes running, tail wagging .. i think he is a dog in cats clothing...

we never really had cats when i was growing up - bubba had a cat named kitty lou before he went to the panhandle - we always had dogs .. big dogs little dogs old dogs mean dogs protective dogs .. dobermans, pekingnese, spitz, pit bulls - daddy raised them and yes he fought them - never could stomach that - i had a great dane once - tasha - had to give her away - she liked to chase and kill chickens.

horses we always had ... until Sister got hurt .. then Daddy got rid of them all ..stomach first onto a tree stump ..Gran & Peepaw were there .. Momma was there .. i think aunt jeanette and uncle howard were there too .. daddy was in the hospital .. his first of many heart attacks ..all us kids who had been born were there ...someone said 'it's terrible' - a friend, whose daughter was named terry - thought they said it was terry - took three men to hold her back .. another lady shoving ice chips at all of us .. tears... fear ...ambulance .. she was just 16 .. riding on a horse with another girl behind her, someone hit the horse with a quirt .. into a grove of trees, the horse turned quickly and the girl holding Sister started to fall and pulled Sister off with her, she landed against a tree, Sister landed stomach first onto a tree stump. .. it's a strange feeling, being a kid and seeing your Sisters picture on a jar in the local grocery begging for money to help with hospital expenses... hearing people whisper.."their father.. in the hospital with a heart attack .. their sister .. not sure she will make it through ..poor kids" ...Momma running from one floor to the other .. they didn't want Daddy to know about Sister until he was better... 4 kids at home ... we stayed with relatives for awhile .. then someone took the girls to take care of them ... and someone took bubba & me to live with them ..that wasn't fun ..

we did get to see sister, after daddy got out and we were somewhat a family again .. she stayed in the hospital almost a year, then.

we couldn't go up in the room originally, but Daddy would drive us into the parking lot near her window and he would point which window was hers and Momma would wave to us .. Daddy said it was sister, but we knew she couldn't get out of bed..

so Daddy sold all the horses - except Jiggs - couldn't get rid of Jiggs.

before, we always went on trail rides .. horse shows.. rodeos .. after, not so much...