While I was out in the barn mucking away, I got to wondering just how did everyone become so darn self absorbed. I see it in many friends and my daughters and son, occasionally. I try to catch them on it and one daughter just screams at me, the other daughter will absorb what I've said and sometimes apologize later for being so selfish, of late.

It is part of the media culture they are so much a part of right now, I think. Facebook, My Space and all the ridiculous reality shows they watch, which all shout out that title mantra. Ugh, it is so sad and depressing to see decently raised individuals not be able to look up from their own navel. As a parent, I feel I have failed on some elemental level and need to quickly back pedal to discover what learning tool, I forgot to install in their tiny brains. As a friend to friends who use this mantra way too often in my presence, I have come to simply tune them out our leave them on the other side of the street, wondering if I ever existed, or was just a figment of their imagination.

I simply do not care about their mundane little lives, unless it was somehow put to use in caring for another. But instead, I hear about, endless hair appointments, pedicures, massage appointments and I want to gag, some of them have brought women back to the 1950's. They are their own mothers, hideously brought to life in 2008. If they only could take a look at themselves in one of those salon mirrors...to see their own Mothers looking back.

It's just plain boring to me. I have been weeding out some of this negative material in my life lately, but I keep seeing it pop up all over the place. It is worse then the weed population on my lawn. I would rather watch bad television or read a lousy book then listen to some peoples' atrophied lives. What ever happened to thinking about others? Or helping someone less fortunate?

Well, thanks for listening to me vent, I sometimes have to just let it all hang out. How do these people even find me?? Ugh.

n.

How many of you women out there have men friends? I mean really friends, someone you love to hang with or someone you e-mail and wait on bated breath to hear an update on their life. I have a few male friends that I communicate with here on the stream and some that have been life long friends and we will communicate probably for life. I love them all for their minds, you all know who you are. These relationships are a very special, added addition, to my already strong and bonded female friendships, those near and those far, you know who you are, once again...and I desperately need you all.

I love the camaraderie and the added dimensions to my thinking that the friendships bring. I think it is vital to the human element to have friends both male and female to add to our perspectives. This goes along with friends of color, gay and lesbian, different religions, ages and political viewpoints, this is all vital for a well rounded person. Being the animal lover I am, I cannot leave out our connections to this kingdom, as well. No person is an island, though some profess to be, but I personally think this is hogwash, since they are communicating this on a blog to thousands... some island! Maybe they are Manhattan...it's pretty crowded there.

Well, just want to let all my friends and relatives out there know how much I appreciate every single one of you. And, I never bunch you up together as groups, of course, except for this posting, only as a way to tell you how much you mean to me. So, let's continue this repartee for as long as we can stand it...what deya say??

luv ya,
n.

Well, yup, as a Mother's Day promise my 15-year-old rode with her old lady, little ole' me, out of the ring and up to the Tower and I did not fall off and my horse did not run off with me. We walked there, and trotted all the way back, both horses behaving by not galloping back. I wanted to go yesterday, with my husband, but the darn horses avoided being caught, too happy with their pasture grass. And...who's the boss here?? Well, I have conquered my fears once again with a little help of a persistent daughter.
`
Last night I ran with my old Chocolate lab again, and as we were running up the hill to the tower, he spots a deer and off he goes after it....my face slamming intimately into the grassy knoll. Ouch, he ran off, leash and all with the Old English Sheepdog. I'm completely out of breath and yelling for Bailey, but, then I realized I was yelling for the wrong dog. So, I yelled for Brinkley, the sheepdog and he immediately returned to me...good doggie. He growled when I held onto his collar, he just hates anyone to do that, but he could see I was panicked and trying to get Bailey back, who sheepishly returned to me...bad doggie.

I released Brinkley, to his great relief and we walked back, the adventure, just an unpleasant memory. Well, I hope all you Mom's out there were spoiled a little bit by those that love you.

n.

Today, this moment, is the first quiet...all gone from the house, at least for 20 minutes, until my next appointment at noon. I have been working the house for a big charity event to be held here on Saturday. My husband has been doing sanding and painting all the doors and walls that my dogs have clawed. So, people don't look in shock or horror at the house my dogs seem to be constantly either clawing their way out or into.

Five dogs is a lot to own. You have to feed them, groom them, get them dog licenses, take them to the doctor yearly for shots, etc. Every morning and evening they need to be fed and five bowls are all laid out and the amounts are divided out, some get more because of their ability to burn it off and some, the older ones, get a little less. Quite often they are running amuck and barking at the UPS truck and jumping all over our leather couches and drooling all over our windows . I actually had a friend point this out to me when I lived in MN, she said, "These dogs are running amuck here!" Duh! Like I didn't know. I just choose to ignore it.

The entire family has developed a high tolerance for doggie disobedience. I was just looking at the doggie Orvis Catalog and it has a special collar you can buy that when a dog barks it automatically dispenses a spray of eucalyptus, which distracts him from what he was barking at and so he stops. And leaves a pleasant smell in it's wake, not a bad deal.

Well, my husband is going to drive our son all the way to Worcester, MA to row for his college crew team because he has to stay for a final presentation in his Collective Bargaining class, thereby missing the bus to the boat.

I hope you all enjoy a sunny weekend, as you can see, I have progressed to laughter in the writing of this post. It may be madness disguised in this last laugh, however. I will keep you posted.

n.