That silly cancer nonsense

Just this one blog to get it out of the way.
I found the lump in my right breast the night we moved into our new house. July 5, 2010. I ignored it for a couple of months but in September I realized it had gotten larger and I could actually see the swell of it when I looked down., I think I am lucky for that on two counts. #1 the lump was close to the surface and could easily be felt instead of deep where it could not be felt and #2 the lumpectomy was not as invasive or as large as it could have been. Mt surgeon did a remarkable job and the lumpectomy scar is practically invisible.
My cancer was not aggressive and was easily treated with the lumpectomy and radiation . . . no chemo. I do have to take Tamoxifen for the next 5 years. This is to keep my estrogen at bay since my cancer was estrogen positive. I am feeling almost normal (except for the hot flashes) and count my blessings that was able to have it so easy. I made the friendship of two women that are still in their battle and their courage amazes me.
I know that in life everything happens for a reason so I try to see the reason(s) in a positive light. My family and friends and wonderful new neighbors always kept me moving forward and today keep me going in that same direction. I see my cancer as a life lesson and appreciate things in a new light.

Itty Bitty Baby Bunny Update #1

The Bun-Buns are doing good. I think they are closer to the 2-3 week age. They hop a little, use one corner of the bin for their potty (I did not have to teach them to potty so that's a plus).  I gave them some Kitten Milk today, maybe 4-5 drops each and after I tickle their chin they smack their little bunny lips and I think its all gone down.  Poor babies do have FLEAS . . . icky. Its a wild animal thing and I can't put anything on them if I plan to release them so I feel itchy after I care for them.  I put some strawberry tops and few pieces of salad to see if they can eat that yet.  If they can eat the greens then they get to go live in the woods in a week or so . . . far far far far away from my garden. . . I picture Peter Cottontail . . .and that ain't a gonna happen here!

They really are so sweet to look at and I just want to cuddle them all at once, but I am doing the right thing by leaving them alone. They are upstairs in a plastic bin and I only handle them to feed them . . . then its right back to the huddle with the other Bunny Brothers and Bunny Sisters . . .

New Additions

Our newest additions (I promised my husband they were temporary) . . . 6 wild baby bunnies! ! !

They look to be maybe a couple weeks old. Three of them are pretty weak. I gave them some sugar water to get through the night and will start them on some milk today.  I checked them at 3:15AM and all 6 were still alive (whew).
I was helping one neighbor clean up her poor Hens remains (frickin' stray dogs) and ended up meeting a new neighbor who told us the sad tale of these poor babies. They found the nest over the weekend while doing yard work and the Momma Bunny took off leaving the poor babies in the burrow and has not been back since. Before you could say Jack Rabbit I had the babies under my wing (actually in a plastic bin) and I will try and nurse them back to health and release them (no where near my garden).
When I was much younger, maybe 10 or 11, we lived in California and part of our animal collection consisted of some 300 Rabbits. Mama Rabbits are notorious for getting bored with their babies so we took care of lots of Itty-Bitty babby Bunnies. I hope I have not forgotten how. These little ones are so darn cute.

CooterBrown & Raven

We moved into our house on July 5, 2010. Since then we have had some difficult things to get through. Losing two of our beloved pets may have been the hardest.
On 12/20/10 our little girl raven passed away. Raven was a Min-Pin that I adopted back in 2001, along with her sister Lexi.  Raven was 13 when she died. She was a fat little stocky girl who snored like a grown man, loved her family and was generally in a good mood. Raven and Lexie were sisters from the same mother but different litters. They grew up together and did everything together. Lexie was lost for a few days but she is doing well today. Raven (and Lexi) went to New York with me and Tyler and she loved the snow, she was like a little gopher and would tunnel a few feet and then pop her head up through the snow, she loved it. A small rubber ball would drive her crazy, we had to hide them when she was not looking. I miss her snorty breathing and the way her itty bitty tail would make her whole butt revolve when she was happy.

Raven napping with her sister Lexi

This past April 1st we made the decision to put our loving CooterBrown down. This was one of the most emotionally devastating thing I have ever been through. The decision to put a pet down is usually because they are sick and to stop their suffering.  CB was different. She was an amazing dog, loved her family, loved her pups (my grandchildren, especially Lane). She was extreme high energy,  protective to a fault and territorial to the extreme. When she attacked a neighbor who was walking down the street we knew her fate (and ours was sealed).  We chose to put her to sleep on our terms. In our backyard, laying in our lap with us holding her. The thought of Animal Control taking her and putting her in a place all alone just broke our heart. We did not feel like it was fair to re-home her with her aggression issues, or would be like asking someone else to take our responsibility. Some may think that we took the easy way out with a problem pet but there was nothing easy about it and we grieve for this beautiful animal every day. Not a day goes by that we don't shed a tear.  The rest of the Pack changed dramatically after we let Cooter go, the calm is amazing. We know we did the right thing. CooterBrown is now able to relax . . . and play . . . something she never did before because she was constantly on Guard. We miss her. We miss her. We miss her.

Marty and CooterBrown - Daddy's Girl

Cooty squeezes in to her puppy bed

Top Ten List

My top Ten List of Great Things about Living in Benson

1. Our Subdivision has only 8 houses and each lot is 3 or more acres - PRIVACY ! ! 
2. I hear NO TRAFFIC, unless one of my neighbors is leaving for work or coming home. And the occasional UPS truck.
3. I hear birds and squirrels all day long and frogs and crickets every evening
4. I can check on the Hens and the Garden in my pajamas
5. The previous owner planted loads of perennials and every day I find something new (without the work)
6. My Girls have a huge backyard to run in
7. Our Garden is HUGE and I am so excited to see it fill in
8. I have amazing neighbors that quickly became friends
9. I don't have to stop at a few Hens . . . maybe some goats could be in the future
10. My wonderful husband lets me stay home so I can enjoy all this ! ! !

GARDEN IS IN ! !

YEA!  The garden is in . . . it was a pretty big task considering our usual garden was about a 10' x 15' patch in the backyard consisting of maybe 4 rows.  This year at the house we have a huge garden, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, Corn, Jalapenos, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Yellow Squash, Zuchini, and Watermelon are all in the ground. I am picking up my cantelope today. Marty worked so hard, I am still sort of puny so he did not get as much work from as I thought I could do.  But the end result is awesome.

 I have decided that this will be our "Spring & Summer of Simple". I am going to the internet and finding out how to freeze and/or can (probably freeze). So if anyone has website they can refer me to I would appreciate it. 

Eggs . . . Eggs . . . Eggs

Its almost Easter and I have more eggs than that Bunny can carry. Weird, now I have no little kids at home to dye eggs for.

 My hens - Chikin NUGGET, IMA Hen, DotDot Chickin, all leave me one egg a day. 3 a day does not seem like alot until you figure it out as 21 eggs a week. Luckily I have neighbors and when they leave me an empty carton in my mailbox I return it to them with a full dozen.

Two additional chickens - Chickin GRAVY and Chikin BISKIT should be laying by mid Summer. And we have one "Mystery" Chick that now resembles a chicken in shape and form but looks like a Hawk in color. We call him Chikin POO. IF all of the above are HENS then I will be up to my you know what in eggs this summer.

As if the chickens were not enough we also have two DUCKS, Finley & Capt. Awesome. Dumber than dirt but cute to look at.

All these crazy birds give me something to do. And it is FUN. The hens love to cluck and complain until I drop them some treats on the ground. I carry on conversations and chat with them every day. Wonder if the neighbors think its weird.