The World Is A Stage

My favorite line ever is ironically from Shakespeare. I say ironically, because overall, I couldn't stand the dude. Alas, he did write some good stuff, especially "the world is but a stage, and we're mere players". If you think about it, he's right. 

People want you to act a certain way, but you have to decide how to act. You can't please everyone nor can you go against the grain of your personal character. Most fall in line, changing their personal attributes to resemble those around them. I'm not that way. 

This week has challenged me to stay true to myself regardless of how others view me. It has been lonely. It has been difficult. I have persevered. There is only one me and I'd rather stay true to myself than become one of the masses. Oh, the m is silent on the last word of the previous sentence. 

Have a great weekend everyone. I'll be there bitter old lady biting people before too long!

Chocolate cupcakes delivered. Taste 10/10. Appearance 5/10. 

Emotions

I apologize for not writing a blog yesterday. I was feeling betrayed, disillusioned and angry. Those aren't emotions I do well with, but that anyone would. I'm still feeling those ways, but I know I'll get through it. All I'll say is, if someone is an asset to your organization, don't allow them to be bullied by someone who isn't and asset. 

But, switching topics. We got a cold front! Imagine my surprise going to sleep in summer pajamas and waking up to winter temperatures. I didn't need caffeine to get that jolt this morning. Letting my dogs outside with that cold burst of air did the work instead. The cows loved it, that's for sure. 

Ok, I will say Rob supported me incredibly with the drama yesterday. He's got my back and I'm lucky to have him. 

One of my favorite pics of Rob

Day Off

Today was my only day off for the week. I'm talking about the whole week, including the weekend. Tomorrow onward, I'm going to all the places and doing all the things like I normally do. So how did I enjoy my day off? I cleaned! I need to get my head examined. 

Rob and I have a theatre board meeting tomorrow which should be a doozy. Rob's amped for it, I'm decidedly not. I wish I could share why, but let's just say there's more drama offstage than onstage with this theatre. 

All the animals are doing wonderfully. We think Maesie may be due any day now but the looks of it. But then we could be way off as well. She won't let me examine her belly too much, but I'm almost certain we'll be seeing a calf soon!

Share the Love

Another weekend in the books. Overall it was a good weekend. No hilarious donkey basketball this time, but we did squeak out some fun. I dressed up as a Circus Ring Leader and joined the fun at the Goldthwaite Theatre Share the Love Open House. And before you ask no one else was dressed up, but then no one else was representing the stage either. I march to the beat of my own drum and I'm ok with that. 

The first of the Goldthwaite Theatre season begins a week from today with the dramatic reading of "The Messiah Inquest". It's a powerful piece and luckily, I didn't have to direct it too much. I'm already juggling enough. 

This week will be more insanity and frivolity. Have a great start to the week!

It's February

Rob and I have been debating this for the last few days, but we finally turned on the air conditioner. Yes, it's only February, but a few days in the eighties and the house needed it. Fine, I needed it and I don't regret the decision. 

Next week, our forecast has us in the nineties one day and this worries me. If summer temperatures start in February, what possible hope of survival do we have by August? 

Have a great weekend everyone. We'll be doing our usual of everything unusual. Check back Sunday to see what we do!

Go Fish

I've decided I'm going to bring the phrase "Go Fish" into my repertoire. No reason why, or is there?

It's mid week and if y'all haven't gathered this by now, this is when I start to lose what's left of my marbles. I'm knee deep in rehearsals for plays, juggling animals, keeping houses, and stretching that time clock just a little bit more than the day before. It hasn't been that bad yet this week, which makes me wonder if I'm forgetting stuff. 

For now, it's ten at night and Teddy Bear has decided to go AWOL outside. Let's just hope he hasn't found a skunk again. 

There's Always One

I've been a part of many groups and committees over the years, and there's always that one person. The one who even if they're not in attendance at the meeting, gets signed up for everything. Luckily, I'm not that person in any of the groups I'm in, but I feel bad for those who are the person. And I'm going to do everything in my power not to become that person either!

It does amaze me that the more people you seem to add to a group, the more work there becomes. The purpose of having more people is generally thought to disperse the workload, isn't it? Yet, it seems like only more ideas are produced and that same one person is put in charge of handling it all. Again, not me. I do what I can to help, but I'm not becoming that one person. 

But the joke is on me it seems. I just got my notice to attend jury duty. This is not something I wanted to be part of with everything else I've got going on right now. 

Sticks & Bones

Lately, the dogs have been bringing in all sorts of stuff from the outside. Sticks that self destruction into a mountain of mesquite confetti; bones from animals long departed and drudged up from recent rains; and miscellaneous items I don't want or need to identify. My dogs are cute, but they push it sometimes. 

Luckily though, we had Gator out today to patch escape routes in our exterior fences. The pups have been roaming outside our land and therefore have needed to be inside more often to prevent that. With all the holes fixed, they can now safely keep all their "finds" outside. That's the goal anyway. 

I will say, one of the coolest things they brought was a dessicated armadillo shell piece. They were unhappy when we threw it out, but I did give them a little admiration for going out of the ordinary. 

The two least messy beings of the house, but the bar is set really low

Whole Lotta Love

We had a good weekend. A weekend in our hometown and in our home. If there hadn't been laundry, it probably would have been a great weekend. But I had put it off long enough. 

Brogan is now a one and a half horn band. When the horns grow, they itch and my boy didn't know when to stop scratching. His horn will regrow, but for now he's even more special. 

We took in our first ever donkey basketball game. It was fun to watch and also to see that we're starting to learn more of the people of town by name. They already know us. Nothing stays quiet in the small town when transplants move in. 

Finally, we had two special guests to come meet our furry family. We have a special connection and I was so happy to see that special connection carried over with my animals. They were calm, loving and friendly. Yes, even Fiona and Ciarán! They allowed me to share a pic I took. Enjoy and have a great start to the week!

Two Horn Band

I'm starting to learn that Brogan just loves his own voice. As I'm writing this, he's making soft little humming grunts. It sort of sounds like a higher pitch snoring sound. He's completely fine, it amuses him. So I guess he's part of his own band now. Check here for upcoming tour dates. 

In other news, the week is almost over. Again, it doesn't really make any difference for us. We've still got events to attend, animals to care for, and I really really should do laundry soon. Although, we're supposed to get into the eighties next week, nah I should still do laundry. 

Have a great weekend and if you have any songs you want Brogan to cover, let me know. His range is three notes though, so choose carefully. 

Valentine's Ash Day Wednesday

It's almost ten at night, and we're just now getting home. An early morning run up to Goldthwaite to deliver three dozen cupcakes and two bouquets of flowers. Then straight to Lampasas for a meeting. Back home to handle some business before back to Goldthwaite for a rehearsal and then dinner. A long day. 

But, it was also a good day. I got to bring smiles and laughs to people. Rob gave me the same type of bouquet of flowers I had given him yesterday (local fundraising we both supported without knowing the other had). But my favorite part, was the time I got to spend with my animals. Rose and Callie allowed me two swipes with the brush, Ciarán let me brush one whole side, and Mango gave me an extra long petting session. If you need a reminder of who these animals are: calf, calf, mama cow, cat. 

Happy all whatever!

A heart cheese curd!

What's That Smell?

You know February is mating month for skunks, right? We, as Gen X, were told this multiple times with Pepe LaPew after all. Valentine's Day was his day, but apparently, Teddy got his Valentine's early. 

Last night, Teddy Bear got his first spraying and our house is still recovering from it. He didn't get hit in the face, so at least he did try to dodge the spray. But, he was hit broadside which I think was even worse. I got him all rid of the smell last night, still have to work on towels and the shower though. 

The secret mixture? Hydrogen peroxide to loosen the spray oil from the fur. Step two, baking soda to absorb that oil. Step three, Dawn dish liquid to safely remove any residual from the oil, peroxide and baking soda. That's it. I finished it off with his lavender shampoo just so we could smell something better, but that's optional. Hope you don't need it!

Brogan Boy

Oh my goodness, Brogan is definitely a special kind of bull. Yesterday, I was outside with the pups on the back porch when I kept hearing this rhythmic grunt. Get your minds out of the gutter please, it was almost like a diesel engine backing up sound. 

It started to get louder and was keeping almost perfect timing. I finally got up and walked over to see the pasture better, and there was Brogan walking. Every step he took, he grunted. Not in pain, not any kind of issue just him being silly. He finally saw me watching and started his loud grunt call to say hi. He's my special boy. 

Alas, my pajama day is almost over and it's almost time to go to bed. Early wakeup to head to, you guessed it, Austin in the morning!

Mardi Gras

Ok, technically Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday and won't happen until Tuesday, but Rob and I already celebrated this weekend. We went to a fundraising event themed as Mardi Gras and I was personally asked to come dressed up and bring a Krewe. Rob and I did as requested and you can enjoy some pics. 

First though, I will wish you a great start to the week as I'll be enjoying my first day off from going anywhere in three weeks. Yes, pajama day! Maybe after tomorrow, I won't be so snarky. 

Finnish The Week

I didn't misspell the title of tonight's blog. The other day, a friend of mine came over with her Finnish niece who was visiting to see my animals. They had a wonderful time and my cows did well for the most part. 

This was the first time since October we've had anyone new come visit the cows, and apparently they had forgotten that other humans existed. Once they warmed up, they enjoyed the petting and love bestowed upon them. Brogan especially. I think he had a crush on the Finnish girl. 

I'm hoping to sneak some time this weekend to spend with the cows and donkeys more. I'd say the goats as well, but they're just excited with all the new grass popping up in the fields, they probably won't be as social. Have a great weekend everyone!

The very first pet Callie allowed! Caught on film

The Animals

Enough about me for awhile. Y'all are here for the animals after all. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to spend much time with them lately. I did get some cuddle time yesterday though, so here's the updates. 

Callie finally let Rob pet her! She's still not sure about me yet, but she has sniffed my hand. This is huge considering she was attached to her mom Ciarán for the longest time. 

Brogan is having a growth spurt in his horns and the fool has actually scratched them enough against the fence to make them lightly bleed. He's fine, but he's the first one to have done this with horn growths. It is incredibly itchy for them though, but there's really no good way to relieve that itch I've found. Luckily, it passes quickly. 

Lastly, the goats and donkeys are doing well. Oreo is a menace with the does, but right now he's just playing. At least he's friendly and does socialize with the wethers. Something Nutty never did! Fancy has gotten more moody than usual so maybe it's pregnancy? We'll see what happens!

Heart of a Lion

Tonight, Rob and I attended our first Lion's Club meeting. We're now part of this great group to help our community, particularly by raising money for scholarships. We got thrown into the deep end and now I've added to my plate, but that's ok. 

The first big thing with them is happening a week from Saturday. Donkey Basketball!!! Professional donkeys will be ridden by inexperienced people from our town while playing basketball. It'll be fun!

Of course, I'm now selling tickets for that. It's February 17th and the school here. Text me if you want tickets. They're only $8 per person, so buy even if you can't come. 

Not my pic

Still Monday?

Here I was thinking it was going to be a slower week. I managed to move some stuff off my plate just to have other stuff added. Oh well, that's life. 

The older pups, Reggie and Kenzie, went in for their dental appointment today. Now they have bright shiny teeth. The better to chew you with haha. They did beautifully and even got their nails trimmed. Now I can't hear them coming anymore. 

I added an admin to help me out with the Friends of the Night Sky stuff, but added more theatre stuff. This year is going to fly by! That's all I got for now, I need to eat. 

Long Week Over

In seven days, we've traveled to Austin five times, Goldthwaite three times, and San Saba once. We've been to Brownwood, we've been to Round Rock, we've been everywhere. We did it, but we're tired. 

I've handled stuff for Friends of the Night Sky, stuff for the theatre, stuff for Jen Whiskin', stuff for the animals and stuff for friends. It's all handled, but I'm tired. 

But here's the thing with me, I'm happy and we're happy. We don't mind being busy. It's the idleness that gets us. If I'm sitting on the couch with nothing to do, I eat junk food and do too much online shopping. If Rob sits around, he falls asleep. Granted, he needs the rest, but still. 

What I'm saying though is we're never too busy or too tired to be where we need to be or who we need to be there for. But maybe just maybe, I'll do a pajama day here soon. 

My lap is big enough for Mango and Flurry at the same time

Rehearsals

Well, the spring season of rehearsals has begun! In case I've never mentioned it, I'm the Goldthwaite Theatre Resident Director now and I'm starting off big. I'm directing four plays in four consecutive months. I'll also be adding a youth camp this summer, but that's for another blog.

Anyhow, tonight was the kickoff on rehearsals and it went well! Three out of four of my cast members have said that I type casted them. Let's just say, I've always been a great judge of character. This play centers around a lot of alcohol and wouldn't you know it? I picked up something today I can't wait to try. It's a King Cake Flavored liqueur. I may not be acting this spring, but I do have to know how to direct all my drinkers in the play!