Remember those two kittens that Retta found beside the highway last month? Well here they are again, only this time they have names.  We named the cute gray and white kitten on the top perch Hobbs.  The other cute kitten, the one that sports a black and white coat, is named Bosco.

Bosco and Hobbs are doing just fine.  Their health is excellent, and they are quite pleased with their daily routine; sleep, eat, play….. sleep, eat, play….. sleep, eat, play. 

Max (our 2 year old tabby) did not know quite what to make of these kittens at first, which might stem from the fact that he was an “only child” and had no prior recollection of feline siblings.  Despite a little bit of trepidation, curiosity eventually got the better of Max, and he now seems to have accepted the two newcomers as legitimate members of the family.

Gracie (our huge but gentle Great Pyrenees) and George (a genius Yellow Lab) are well conditioned to the routines of our ever-expanding household.  To their way of thinking, two more family members to protect only adds to their status and prestige around here, so they are happy.  They told me so.

There are times in a persons life when dreams of the future are formed and nourished.  Hopefully, with honest work, persistence in the face of life’s ever-present obstacles, and a good dose of luck, a persons dream may eventually be realized.  I feel blessed in the fact that Retta and I are able to lead the life that we do, as this lifestyle has been a long time dream for the both of us.  Because we could not have arrived at the place we find ourselves in today without the freedom to make and implement our plans along the way, I am always cognizant of the benefits that living in a free country has bestowed on me.  And that is one of the many reasons that we proudly fly the Stars and Stripes on a daily basis.

When I look out the window in the morning as I sip my AM cup of coffee, I see our flag.  As I putter around the front yard, doing this or that, I see our flag.  As I drive back and forth across fields and pastures doing my tractor work, I can see our flag from various vantage points.  When I pull back into the barn to put the tractor away, I see our flag.  And walking back to the house from the barn/paddock area takes me right by the flag, so I see it again.  And every time that I see our Stars and Stripes, I am reminded that the opportunity to live my lifestyle, and enjoy the freedoms that I do, is because of the environment created in a free society.

Today is the special day for us to stop and pay our respects to all of those brave, and yes, the not so brave, men and women who payed the ultimate price so that you and I may exercise our freedom of choice.  Retta and I tip our hats to you all, and thank you for the sacrifice that you and your loved ones have endured to make life better for all of the rest of us.

Thank you.

Retta was searching for solutions to the problem of squirrels consuming the pears off our pear tree, when she ran across a website entitled “All Squirrels Must Die – the official homepage of the Squirrel Defamation League”.  This site is tongue-in-cheek, and it had me in stitches.  A good place to start your visit would be with the following essay.

Dr. Squirrelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Squirrels

It is well worth a click to check out this funny website.