Noahs Ark and then some.

We always wonder where authors get the ideas for their stories.

Do they walk in the woods getting clarity on a lazy, Sunday afternoon or does it come to them gently as they sleep?

I never felt as if i had a story to tell till I danced with cancer and now it seems, I learn something in EVERYTHING that I do.

I have always had a deep love for animals. More-so than most others in fact.

When Freddy and I got together, he saw in me a 'mother' to look after any beast on his acerage and I saw in him someone who who do whatever was necessary to make me feel 'fulfilled.'

The only thing that seperated me from any animal I wanted to buy was Freddy's cheque book and a few loads of hay.

By 8:00 am, I am leaning over steel gates with rubber boots on hanging off of them and watching the sun come up through the sky and I breathe in the smell of ostrich shit and cow piss and I'm strangely way more peaceful.

I un-tangle the fucking dog from the post that she's been barking at since about 1:30 am and I'm grateful when she shuts the fuck-up.

I hit the 'hissing,spitting' goose that is becoming a bit more 'randy' for my tastes, with the horsey bucket and it goes away thank you very much.

I load the buckets and buckets of 'animal' feed to them over and over again. They don't really care if the food is for 'ratities'...(WTF? They are ostriches people.) or pigs or ethiopians for that god-damn matter...They eat it ALL...)

I will even admit to falling in about a foot of pig 'shit/piss/phlem/vomit' whatever and going back in Jim to get my glasses afterwards.

Our lazy life living in the country on 5 acres of land comes to a fucking halt at about 5am when all the animals decide that they are getting up and so are you.

I wanted the animals though. I still do...

Fred thinks I'm nuts most days but he keeps paying the feed bills and I'm wearing out my first set of boots and most nights I sit on the back steps and watch the sun go down with my rubber boots on and I wonder what I did so fucking good to be able to sit there and smile like I do.