The Back Burner

I've been on go mode for the last couple of years.  My business has taken off and grown.  I've been serving at my church.  I've been helping with the county fair, VBS, and the ranch whenever needed.  Not to mention hobbies and day to day activities/duties.  I've been spread thin during the day and have had too much on my plate most weeks.  Writing (even just journal entries at the end of the day) has dropped.  I'm not happy about it either.  And obviously, my blog has suffered. 

A lot of good things have happened lately, don't get me wrong.  But a lot of bad things out of our control have sprung up also.  It's been an overwhelming and stressful time for both myself and my family.  I know God has it under control and He knows how everything will turn out; we need only to trust in Him.

In the meantime, I feel like I need to make some changes, slow down a bit, and really focus on God more.

So, with a slightly saddened, but also relieved heart, I am going to put this blog on the back burner.  I may return to it and continue writing posts in the future, or I might not.  Whether I do or not, I just wanted to get on here and write this post.  I am one who does not want to simply stop writing on here and leave everyone wondering where I went.  

I am still on the ranch, on The Homestead.  I'm still running Savannah's Pet Boarding, I'm still trying to write, and I'm still doing a bunch of other things.

It has been fun during all of these years of blogging and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.    : )

Hello! Update on my Homestead Animals

With vacations and traveling on hold because of the Coronavirus, my pet boarding business is at a record low for this time of year.  But, among the abnormality and craziness in the world, I've found the much needed break I've needed for the last few months.  

Thus, here's a little update about my animals on The Homestead.

During the last few months of boarding pets, I've picked up a new hobby (as if I needed it, but hey, it makes me happy).  Back in November, I welcomed a couple of rabbits to The Homestead.  Just before buying them, I read and watched up on raising rabbits for meat and built a rabbit tractor (a moveable cage which allows the rabbits to eat grass right out of the ground).  Soon after buying my first rabbits, I found and bought a couple of used hutches.  With a little updating here and there, those got put into use quickly.

Long story short, those two rabbits had babies, and I purchased an additional 7 mostly-grown rabbits. As of now, I have 11 total.  

And they are cute little things. 

Mama Rabbit

Mr. Rabbit

Lupe, my goat, was with a billy in January, but time will tell is she is pregnant or not.  I hope she is!  

Behati, my dog, is becoming more and more protective and smart.  She is both an indoor and outdoor dog.  Along with her, I have my house cat, Little Siam, and they get along for the most part, though they still have their moments.  

Little Siam was born on the ranch in 2011.  He always wanted to be a house cat (he would come in whenever he got the chance), but was an outside cat up until I moved to The Homestead.  He adjusted quickly when I brought him here, he never looked back and is living his best life.  He still goes outside now and then, hunts a little, but really, he prefers to stay inside, recline on any one of the couches, and eat real cat food.  

I'm finally back into the chicken buisness!  I've longed for this since before I moved to The Homestead (my family still has chickens, but I didn't have my own here).  I haven't gotten hens before now because I wanted a chicken house.  But with everything else going on, I haven't been able to build one yet.  I thought about lots of different ways I could have chickens without a house, but I don't have much of any protection for them, such as outbuildings, trees, et cetera.  So, I held off and tried (which was hard) to remain patient.

After lots of thought, idea upon idea, and talking myself into and out of getting chickens, I decided, why not?  If people in town can have chickens in their back yard, I should be able to have chickens on my homestead.  I really wanted eggs and buying eggs is just not the same.

I made up my mind to get one or two hens and happily purchased two Cinnamon Queens.  I named them Dassa and Sickle.  Where am I keeping them since I dont' have a chicken house yet?  I added a perch in Lupe's shelter and they (the chickens and goat) sleep in the same outdoor dog kennel/pen, and they're all doing great!  

My goat and chickens are sharing one pen, but I let Lupe out to free range and graze everyday, and the hens will also be turned out during the day, so it works.  Otherwise, that pen would be quite small for the three of them. 

There is a bunch more to do here at The Homestead and I have tons of ideas still on my endless lists, but it feels wonderful to have more critters of my own.  With green grass shooting up from the ground, fruit trees coming alive with blooms, and the temperatures warming, it's finally feeling like what I've always wanted.  A homestead. 

Sickle

Dassa

New Fan Experience

To one of my relative's strong request... Hi, Lynelle! Today's post is about a couple nights ago.  What better topic to get back into the swing of blogging than baseball!  (Pun intended.)

The Bee Jays, a summer college baseball league (semi-pro), you've probably heard me talking about either while in person or on this blog, started this year's season on May 31st.  Since then, I've only missed one of all of the home games.  Local businesses always buy out the games so people can attend free of charge and some of the businesses even offer free prizes in between innings.

On June 1st, after grabbing my free little blue ticket, I went to my favorite spot in the bleachers, sat down, and so began the evening of watching my favorite sport.

Lo and behold, a few innings later, they were drawing a couple more ticket numbers for two more prizes.  I don't know about you, but I sometimes get a gutty feeling right before my winning ticket or name is called when such things are happening.  And I got that feeling right as they called out each number on my ticket.  I was excited and nervous because this prize was nothing like a free tee-shirt or gift card to a business or restaurant.  This one was much different.

I think I nervously grinned at myself because I had won and thinking, "of all of the people here, they picked me," I made my way down to the booth to receive my prize.  (All the while hoping I hadn't imagined my numbers being called.  What an embarrassment that would be!)

I handed over my ticket, and they gave me a sheet of paper.  I looked down, reading the words written in bold and regular print in at least two different fonts.

"This Certificate Entitles you to 'Fan Experience in the Pressbox' with (announcer) during a home Bee Jay game"

All I needed to do was call and redeem it and pick out a home game that would work for me to come to. 

~~~

June 18th, I got all of my boardies (pets being boarded at my boarding place) settled in and my family and I went into town to watch some baseball.  Like with most new experiences and unknowns, I was pretty nervous...something I'm not usually when going to watch baseball. 

We arrived around 25 minutes before the game started and I made my way towards the press box, acting as if I owned the place and knew where I was going.  (Maybe not quite, but I was trying to convince myself that I was beyond capable of doing this.)  

I opened the door with the "Authorized Personnel Only" sign clearly legible.  I figured I counted this time, and let myself in.  Instantly, I noted how big the stairs were which went up to the booths.  For some reason, I'd always figured they were steep, narrow steps, but they were like a staircase in most homes.  Wide, and not too steep.  I made my way up, opened the door at the top and right of the stairs, and found myself in a long hallway of doors.  With a little help, I found the right booth, went in, and met the game broadcaster I'd listened to so many times and was about to spend the entire game with.

He was very nice, happy to explain to me how some of the equipment worked, and who all was behind the scenes with making the game and all that available to listeners on the other side of the radio.    

He handed me my headset, asked a few questions, and there we were.  I was minutes away from not only being on the radio, but being on the radio with an amazing sports announcer and having the opportunity to be a color commentator! 

The press box view is really nice.  I used to only have one favorite spot to sit in and watch the game, which is facing straight up to third base from home plate.  I guess because that's the first place I ever sat to watch a baseball game, it's my best viewpoint.  But now, I really like that birdseye view from up there in the press box.  It's such a good way to see the field.  

I tried to sound interesting, be myself, and just enjoy this perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity.  I started out pretty nervous but ended by having a blast.  

I kind of took advantage of the moment and did a little free advertising by mentioning that I owned a pet boarding business.  

I was able to get to know more about the man who is hard to beat when it comes to how well he announces games on the radio.  I mean, he's one of the greatest! (At least in my opinion.)

I was able to experience baseball in a whole new and fun way.  

I stepped out of my comfort zone and spoke on the air.  (I have kind of always struggled with how I think my voice sounds, and I really think the struggle has gotten harder in the last year or two.  {But I didn't sound too bad when I relistened to parts of it.})

I got to learn a bit about behind the scenes stuff in radio.

I got to experience "pressbox life" firsthand, if you will.

I got to see how much paperwork there is in keeping track of how the game goes and what happens in each inning.  That was interesting.

I found out the announcer is left-handed like me!  Meeting a leftie is always a high point in my day.

I got to give shoutouts to my grandma, aunt, and mom as they were listening.  I had and still have no idea who all was listening.

It was amazing!

Though we lost, 7-1, and got rained out at the last of the game, I had a thrilling evening and it's one baseball-filled night that I'll forever remember and cherish. 

Day 14-18 / Farewell, South Africa

  May 15, 2018
We slept in until 7:30am while Dad and Big J. went bird hunting.

It's very cold here during the morning and night.  It's nice* during the day.  *Nice being still a little chilly.  The weather has been cloudy and now stormy this evening.  It tried to rain earlier.

This morning we girls went with J.L. and S. to town.  We "shopped" at a mall.  In all reality, we are not your typical girls who love to shop.  We actually don't enjoy shopping, but how often do you get to go to a South African mall?  We walked around stores and only bought chocolate and junk food and drinks at a general/grocery story.  Again, how often do you get to try South African food?  We did get to go to a pet store and I got Behati a green baseball.  And we went to the South African version of Walmart.

In the afternoon, I took a bunch of pictures and then Mom and I went to where Dad and Big J. were bird hunting.



They shot quite a few pigeons.  Instead of joining in on the bird hunting, I hung back and helped S. and another black man pick up empty shells and dead birds.

When finished with bird hunting, we went back to the lodge.  It was sprinkling on and off then.

Dad and J.L. finished the last of the paperwork, and we signed them. 

Little J. decided not to hunt a steenbuck anymore and so she had the day off, hence the reason she stayed back and rested.  She didn't want to make anyone upset for stopping her hunt and everyone was quite fine with her decision.  Dad told her he was proud of her, I added that I was as well.  Then someone said, "3 cheers for Little J.!"
Mom started singing "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow" and we just laughed so hard!  I don't know why it was funny, but it was.  In short, we were completely fine with her not hunting.  We want her to be happy and get or not get the steenbuck if she decided.  

Dad, Big J., and Little J. tried brandy, scotch, vodka, tequila, Malibu, and another thing.  No joke.  They tasted  shots.  Mom tried one or two different drinks as well.  (Both Big and Little J. had wanted to try alcohol, and Dad and Mom thought that it'd be better to give them a sample under a controlled environment compared to if they went out with friends and peer pressure was high.  After trying it, Dad threw a drink into the fire and the flame's reaction was strong.)  

My, did they (drinks) smell bad!

I enjoyed my water and hot cocoa....

For supper we had mini enchiladas and duck (which Dad and Big J. had hunted), chicken, etc.  It was very good.

Fun Facts:  Sweetie Pies are so good!  And red velvet hot chocolate here in South Africa is the best.

***

  May 16, 2018

This morning, we slept in till 8+/- and ate breakfast after showering.  

We packed the van and said last farewells to J.L. and S.  We said good bye to the staff at the last lodge and are now going to Johannesburg with J. and B. (the couple in charge at the bird hunting lodge).

***

May 19, 2018

We are home and have been since 12:45AM of May 18th.

Before flying out of Johannesburg, we got to shop at a huge souvenir shop.  That place was amazing and had so, so much to look at and buy.  The first room you walked into was covered from floor to ceiling with actual taxidermy mounts for sale.  Ah, I had heart eyes!  They had a box plumb full of warthog tusks and bunches of this and that.  Almost anything you could think of taking home to a friend or family member was in this store.

The flights (2 of them) were fine, but long and we are glad to be back.  From Dallas, we drove straight home.

Our family "selfie" became a family photo with the help of a kind person.

***

Below are some pictures I took while at the last lodge.

And thus ends the South African Trip blog series.  Thank you for following along on this wonderful vacation/experience my family and I got to have.  I hope you smiled and got a glimpse into what all we got to do and see.  Truly, all of you who've read and looked at my posts mean a lot to me.