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Morning Commute

      Even with a dreaded two hour delay, I made the icy drive to work. I was hesitant first to even attempt the drive, but I do not have to leave to take the day off. I really should move closer to my place of employment. It was a disastrous drive. I slid out of the road multiple times while also having to dodge neighboring vehicles slowly skidding into my lane. Would I do it again... absolutely not.     Everything was fine until I reached the mountain. Crossing the gap on the lower side of the south end was absolutely ridiculous. I understand that the roads were wet and a lot of people thought that means that they were clear. Honestly, that witness on the road with that elevation means that that was ice. Not just any ice, black ice. Yes yes yes I understand that they are much the same, but I was absolutely terrified this morning. Normally my commute consist of listening to an audiobook, but I was on edge so my soul focus was on just trying to make it to work. ...

Winter Storm 2.0 WNC

      Well, now the weather man finally made a good call, and we got snow. I mean SNOW. This is the first time in long time that our totals have hit this high. A whole foot of snow with more on the way tomorrow night. So, yeah... it's been cold and frustrating.      Cabin fever is a real thing. I've been home for days, which does in fact seem to cause issues for me. It wouldn't be so bad if I could be outside and not freeze my tail off. Completing farm chores has been absolutely frigid with temperatures in the single digits. My only pair of muck boots decided to bust a hole in it, allowing melted snow/ice get to my warm feet. The goats have faired well, and I was super surprised that Honey Bun has not kidded. Hopefully she can wait until it warms up.     My chickens, however have been total champions. Laying eggs and doing chicken business! My ladies are phenomenal and a little cold weather hasn't bothered them one bit. They are in fact enjoying t...

An Arrangment of Sorts by Rebecca Connolly

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      Well now, this is a different speed! Written like an old western movie, I was actually impressed with the rated G romance novel.  Horses, manners, and chivalry is not dead! I was refreshing to read something that wasn't filled with detrimental lust!     Nathaniel's character alone was swoon worthy! May we all find our own version of him. With wit and the goal of locating a lost love, our two main characters fall madly in love with out knowing how the other feels. Classic romance scenario, but with an endearing twist of  wonder.      I was glad this was included in the Audible Plus Catalog. I would highly recommend reading/ listening to this book in the near future. I would rate this book a 4.6 out of 5 stars. I need just a little more dialogue between the characters, but other than that I was actually interested the entire time.  

Needs Vs. Wants

      Right now, this is my biggest dilemma in life. Periodically will see something while online shopping or in person and I just have to have it. Honestly, it is such an impulse to purchase it that I have to completely talk myself down from paying for it. And then I have to make a list of why I actually need it. I tried to weigh at least 24 hours before I actually purchasing it to make sure that it is a, "need" and not necessarily a "want."      In today's society, we have become such consumers that a lot of the things we buy ends up, going to the landfills. I tried to make the conscious decision to only purchase things that I absolutely need, but my kryptonite seems to be clothing. Growing up, I didn't have a lot and I was all done picked on or the subject to bullying because I had the same four outfits that I rotated. Yes, my clothing was clean! As an adult, now I have my own money, my own budget, and my own wants. It is a daily monthly struggle fo...

The Blessing of a Snow Storm

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      What a pleasant surprise to have when coming home. Meet Cleo and Clover my newest additions to my herd. What a time to be born in the middle of a snowstorm. So they must've been born sometime today which means the temperature was around 20°. I am so glad that they survived because they were not born inside the goat hut.      Mama and babies are both doing great. I thought she had a few more weeks until she would give birth, but nature waits for nothing. So this has me questioning whether or not I had marked things on the calendar correctly. Which means, will Honey have her baby in the next few weeks or will it be now? She too is heavy with milk, so I guess I need to make sure she's trapped in the barn for the majority of her time so her babies will not be exposed to the elements.     All of my toes were exposed to Junior at the same time, but they are not birthing within the same few weeks. Faith, my most honorary goat has not even showed si...

Early Morning Adventures

      Well, now, this morning has been one for the books. Upon my early waking, I realized just how bitter cold it was in the house. With no electricity, and our propane heater set to a two the house had cooled down significantly. I quickly hurried and took a rather cold half bath to get ready for work.      I went outside and discovered that my car would definitely need at least a 30 minute thaw out. It always seems to amaze me just how cold it can get on mornings like this. As I made my way down our frozen mud puddle driveway, I noticed that the gate was open. So imagine this, wet, hair, dress professionally for work and now I have to gather all my goats. Luckily they are all food motivated, but still if it could've went wrong this morning it did. Armed with only the flashlight on my cell phone, I made my way to the goat, shed to ensure myself that they had hay. Yes, I will walk through the field in the muck to make sure everything is OK.     My...

2026 Snow Storm

      Well, the snowstorm started out as any other, the meteorologist clearly got it wrong. What was supposed to been a massive ice storm followed by snow turned out to be rain in my area. A day later the news station did not catch the fact that we were going to have a small snowstorm, following the larger one. With the sudden drop of temperature is everything iced over. Including our water.      I was not a happy camper and it has been a battle for a few days. Carrying water to flush the toilets is by no means a respectable task. I fell in the small stream this morning in 7 degree weather and barely made it back inside. I couldn't feel my legs or hands. As I was regaining feeling all I could sense was a stinging  sensation which lasted for hours. Yay, today has been so productive!      The goats and new babies made it through the storm okay, but I'm still worried about the dropping temperatures at night. Just before dark, I we...

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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      After being a diehard fan of the original Hunger Games trilogy, this book was no exception.  This particular series was one of my go to as a young teen. I was lost in the world that author Collins had created us. It is undoubtably a story of the underdog.     I do wish this book would have been written first as a pre-date the trilogy that was released when I was in middle school. We learned more about Snow and his childhood. This helped me gather while he was such a cruel person in the other three books. I usually hate when authors decide to write the beginning books after they've done written a whole series. Like why not do this first? So ladies and gents, I would highly recommend reading this book prior to touching the original trilogy. Although this book could completely be a standalone novel as well. The only way I was able to finish. This book was due to an ice storm that hit our area.     I have been reading/listening to books via Audi...

Spellbound by Dannika Dark

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    Dannika Dark is a fabulous author who has once again hit it out of the park! Like with all of her work, I'm completely wrapped up in the breed world that she was so creatively made.        Each character brings us new heart break and wonder. I like the Keystone group of misfits who fight crime and protect one another. Niko was especially endearing in this novel and to dive even further in their past as really created a wholesome novel set. When I have some extra money, I will be purchasing the next installment of this series. It's such a shame that Audible no longer carries them in their Pluc Catalog.     Gem finally saves Niko and their "friendship" takes on a new level of relationship. Although, not a sexual one, but one that will last a lifetime. My inner teen needed this book, so I will be rating this book a 5 out of 5 stars. In so many ways, Gem is the butterfly that Niko has never seen! You'll have to read the book to understand that sta...

The Widower by D.L. Fisher

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      White suburban housewives meets mystery murder  is how I would describe this book. I did completely finish this book, so it's not like I'm going to leave anything out in my review. Would I re-read this book? I don't think I would even darken its door.     Overall, the story just fell flat for me personally. With very predictable outlining plot, I was bored with the lack of creativity. I did, however, like the very ending of the book when you finally discovered that it was in fact the stepson who had killed some of the girls. I had suspected him all along, though, so it was no surprise.     I feel like authors, put their hearts on the line when writing books because it is their personal work of love that finishes a whole novel. I do not want to say that Fisher is a terrible author so please don't take it that way. Maybe this book just needs a revamp or refresh. The writing I would give this book would probably be around three stars out of fiv...