That is sad news Liz.  I haven't got another dog because my heart is still broken over the loss of the last one.

You can only do what you know is right for you and Charlotte.  I'll be thinking of you both.

Hi friends.  Liz I sure hope you do OK in the bad storm in your part of the country now.  I am so sorry about Charlotte, but I know you will do what you think/know is best for her. Above all, we don't want her to suffer.  I would rather suffer myself than let one of my dearly loved pets suffer a minute.  Heck, I won't even let a dumb fish suffer.  I am sending a big hug to you and one for Charlotte too.

Dont feel too chatty now, but wanted to check in briefly. Hope you are all OK.  On a different note, my daughter and son in law have branched out from 1 dog and 42 chickens, to 2 baby goats!!  To raise and breed, and get milk, make cheese, and maybe sell babies.  They are getting deep into being farmers and ranchers now! Well, at least better than their former addictions of drink and drugs!
Barb

continued...

Sandra, April, their mother Judy, plus my SIL Martha in Brazil all know about this.  Marth is family and the others are like family.  We all thought that the vet would cost a fortune and they all know that I'm broke.  Martha is the only one who has real money.  She'd say that she'd do her best to pay for having the vet do it.  Judy and her daughters said they wanted to chip in.

It wasn't until today that I called my vet.  Apparently, large animal work is priced differently than small animal work.  He will do it for me for $150.  I was so relieved.  I told Martha who was ready to cover way more than $150.  But I told her that since the others said that they "wanted" to chip in I'd tell Judy who will talk to her daughters. I made sure that she knew that the amount wasn't important, the gesture was important.

That's where it stands at the moment.  I've got 200 lbs of feed left before the time comes.  It's almost time for Charlotte's dinner right now.

I have bad news to tell you about Charlotte.  Sandra contacted 2 rescues and they both said the same thing.  A horse of her age who has had the same home for so many years will not thrive in a new environment.  The best thing I can do in this case is to have her put down.  Judy told me yesterday.  Sandra couldn't handle calling me with the news.

After once having decided that when the time came I'd have Shawn shoot her.  How could I afford to have a large horse put down when having a dog put down costs $100?  But once this became a reality, it was just more violent than I'd be able to handle emotionally.

I';; come back in another post because I don't what what I've said already to disappear.

Hi Barb & Willie.  I watched the total eclipse here.  It was simply awesome.  I wasn't to excited about it, but as it unfolded it was errie and fascinating at the same time.

I assumed it would be like when rain clouds move in and it gets dark, but it wasn't like that at all.  It kept getting darker and darker, but there were still shadows from the remaining sunlight.

The birds started acting peculiar and when it got to 100%, it was as dark as on a full moon night.  Seeing the light ring around the edges of the moon was spectacular.

I can now understand why the ancients became very upset when experiencing an eclipse.  For an event that I wasn't expecting much from, it turned out to be amazing. 

Hi Barb and everyone. I was watching the eclipse on TV when one of my neighbors called me to let me know that they had extra glasses so I went over there to watch it in the backyard. We were not in the totality zone but we got to 89% of it.

I thought those glasses were interesting in that you couldn't see anything through them except the sun. It was total darkness when I looked anywhere but up.

Finally getting the flooring project off the ground this week. They are supposed to start the work Thursday. I can't wait until it's over. After that I will be looking for a new couch and love seat so I can get rid of my 18 year old living room furniture.

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Hi friends, did any of you see anything of the eclipse?  It was supposed to show here in eastern NC this afternoon, but I was out gardening for 2 hrs waiting for the sky to darken.  Nothing happened, just blue sky and bright sun. If it darkened for a few minutes I didn't even notice it.  Glad I didnt rush out and spend several dollars on the cardboard plastic glasses everybody wanted.  The stores here sold out of them!!  People were begging online for a pair, LOL.  This morning I spent in the dentist chair again, 3 fillings this time.  2 more crowns to go later on, then I am finally done.  All my ancient dental work is updated.

Liz, hope you can find a home for Charlotte.  If not, can you get someone local to help out with her care?  Maybe an older kid?  How are you Willie?  Ron, your fish/plant business sounds like it is going great, especially helping out the brothers with health issues.  I would like to see a pic of Lucy's painted chest of drawers, sounds beautiful!
Barb

Hi Liz! Your description of the blooms around you sounds lovely. Irises, as I may have said before, are one of my favorite flowers. The cacti and other desert plants are blooming here. Spring is such a promising time of year.

I hope someone else might be able to help you with Charlotte's care. She's a good horse.

How are you Muggers doing today? Alls well here.

A couple young brothers near me have started raising black knight and gold rams for Mike and me to sell. They contracted Lyme disease when they were pre-teens and have had serious immunological and other disorders since.  They're in their 20s now. Because of the times that they can hardly get out of bed, and the regular IV administration of immunological drugs, they cannot work. So we talked about them raising fish for us. I bought the first batch of 11 blacks and 11 golds from them. They still have at least 100 more growing out. We'll see how this little venture works out.

Lucy's been working on (painting) an 8-drawer chest for a month, trying to get the right color/patina to suit her. We finally moved it to her booth yesterday and it looks great! Now she needs to put a price on it!

The big Southwest Aquarium Keepers Event, SAKE, is this Saturday. Silent auction, live auction, and 4 speakers! All the clubs around here help with this event. RDS Aquatics (that's me!) will be placing things in the auctions and helping in one way or another.  People come from all over the SW. A bunch from California clubs. I'll be prepping all week.

Well, the big eclipse is the newsbyte of the day! I remember we had one when I was living in the Seattle area a few years back...I think! It got all dark weird out there. Be careful with your eyes, and remember, it's an E-clipse, not an Apoca-lypse!😁

It's the most perfect weather at the most perfect time of year.  My Iris are blooming.  Judy's old Grancy Greybeard is a work of art.  All the trees and bushes are their own shades of green. Wildflowers have started blooming.  By blueberry bushes are loaded with green berries.

I got bad news about Charlotte, though.  Sandra tried her best and the lady at the rescue was very kind, but she said that a horse of Charlotte's age would not continue to do well in a brand-new environment.

Hi guys!

That was quite a quake, Willie! Felt in a big area. I think it's amazing that 1) apparently no one was hurt, 2) no major damage was reported, and 3) you didn't feel it! I'm glad you were unaffected.

Big things going on in Phoenix this weekend with the Final Four in town. Brings a lot of money into the area. We stay away from Phoenix to avoid the traffic most of the time anyway.

Our weather is still springtime weather. Warm in the high 70s and low 80s and sunny, then a couple days in the 60s. Today will be 64/65, tomorrow 72, Wednesday 84, Friday 92!

Once again, Lucy's booth outsold mine last month.  She has higher priced stuff which appeals to a larger group of ppl.

My agenda today includes doing some bookkeeping, checking in at a fellow's fishroom to preview the fish he's raising for us to sell, meeting up with Mike to exchange some fish, and stopping by my LFS owner's store to see the changes they're making.

Gotta go get some breakfast now and get going on my day. I hope all of you are having a good weekend!