Registering a Complaint!

Why do I still have this Horse?!

You can see that I previously posted Libby, my Quarter horse mare for sale here: http://windyhillladventures.blogspot.com/2013/06/super-broke-been-there-done-that-for.html

Libby in the field with Sugar

I have NO idea why I still have her.  Since when is it difficult to sell and 9 year old dead broke, child safe trail horse that is a Quarter horse mare to boot!  I thought we were in Quarter Horse Country  here.   It's not that I haven't had people come out and look at her/ride her.  I have: some of them I turned away because I don't want the cowboys pulling her face off and kicking her in the ribs.  One person in particular was just the perfect match for Libby.  She was a charming older woman of very small stature that wanted a safe, small trail mount.  Libby is only 14.2 hands on a good day!  She couldn't be any quieter on the trial, if she were she would be sleeping!  We went on a short trail ride together (I, on the ever safe Sugar Bear and she on Libby) we amicably chatted about horses along the way.  Libby kept her head down and quietly walked along, just as I said she would.  

I know it's silly, but it hurts my feelings when people come out and and don't just fall in love with her if "I" think she is perfect for them!   It feels like the person is dissing my friend.  When they leave with the ever ready "We will let you know" statement, I look at miss Libby's soft, gentle eyes, and say "It's okay my girl, you were wonderful and you did a great job taking of that person.  We love you, that home just wasn't going to be right for you is all."

(My 12 year old son riding Libby at a Canter)

I have secretly promised her a home with lots of pasture and gentle horsey friends, and a child or gentle adult that will adore her as we do.  I am sure that home will come along. 

For now, I think I will pout a bit about it.  

Libby after a bath in the yard

PAST ADVENTURE post ~ continued cabinet saga

Well, as you know, the cabinets were indeed level.  However, it turns out that those “special cabinet screws and molly’s” that I mentioned in “The Broken Level” post did not move when the cabinet did.  

This meant that when daughter *C------- touched the cabinet one day that it fell down.  Dobby put it back up…but not next the other one…up one inch.

His solution to the cabinets being at different heights?

“I’ll get a dang board and put  under it and then they will be level” he states putting his hand under the cabinet that is now one inch above the other one. 

My cabinets, yes the double one on the right is an inch higher than the falling off one on the left

 I looked at him an noted that “This will not make the cabinets level, it only illustrate the fact that they are not level and someone put a board under the cabinet and I will have an unlevel cabinet with a board under it on my wall.”

He argued this point for quite some time, until I gave up and decided to be grateful that the cabinet was, once again on the wall.

This however, does bring us to the next section of the “cabinet saga.”

 Some background…the cabinets that are seen in the kitchen were here when I got the house, they are old, worn and somewhat in disrepair.  I boldly fixed them.  One in particular I fixed by placing a piece of wood at the back of it in order to stabilize the back wall of the cabinet.  I was quite proud of my silly-self at the time.  Sounds pretty intelligent doesn't it?  Yes ~ well….it’s not, because you see the cabinet that was so wondrously “fixed” also has to be hung on the wall.  A big old piece of wood on the back of the cabinet makes it pretty difficult to hang on the wall now doesn't it? 

But not for my “Wonder Dobby” ~ he hung it anyway.  We are currently waiting for that cabinet to fall as well.

cabinet coming out of the wall

Perhaps when it does we will level it with the other one? 

I must make honorable mention of the things that we did get right:  The little kitchen cabinets were hung expertly with the correct special screws, mollys, level and ledger.  I love my little cabinets. 

My little cabinets with traditional Auntie paintings placed in the center of the doors

 The one other cabinet on the wall was never taken down, so it's hanging steady.  The microwave "shelf"  is steady  as well.  I am grateful I have it, since I have very little counter space (and the counter is still crooked)  Alright ~ yes ~ I KNOW the shelf is ugly, and warped, okay?  When my house Dobby does a thing, he does it for function, forgetting that I am a girl and I like "pretty."  It works, it holds the microwave and one day I will get a pretty shelf for the microwave, for NOW I am not going to complain about the wood he chose for the shelf.  The Goth girl in me did not hesitate to note that we have several other choice pieces of wood that could have been used.  I ignored her and the Sunshine girl in me quickly noted that the microwave is NOT on the crooked counter.  All three of us left it at that:)

Never moved cabinet and my microwave shelf

 And THAT is the tale of  my kitchen cabinets  ~ to be continued for sure when we re-hang the falling down cabinet and get a new shelf:)

PAST adventure post: The broken level

PAST Adventure post :  the Un-level Level or the broken level
 

Alright, alright:  I am fully aware that these posts have gotten terribly out of order.  Thank you for the emails letting me knows that (really) the adventures happen around here on a daily basis and I don’t have an abundance of time to be playing at the computer.

I know I said I would make an effort, I know I said I would keep you updated.  I say a lot of things; I just said last week that I believe in unicorns to an older gentleman on the phone with me.  I stand by the unicorn statement.

photo credit www.fanpop.com

 So ~ in light of the out of order posts ~ Please note that THIS is a “Past Adventure Post”  Much like the “Pantry that could” post.

My kitchen has “quasi” cabinets.  They sat upon the floor for a month before the then visiting Dobby came over to hang them up for me.  I was armed with utube videos and advice from the local Ace hardware fellow.  We were going to hang the cabinets…

By “we” I mean “Dobby” while I work. 

The first attempt

I was very specific in my directions to the Dobby, “Make them Level”  I said, “Hang them with the special screws and molly’s” I said  “Follow the directions” I said

When he had hung the cabinets Dobby pranced proudly into the office after I got off of work to announce, “It is done!”

I excitedly rushed into the kitchen to see my cabinets…they were crooked, they were not even level with each other much less …just..level. 

“Did you use a ledger?”  I asked sounding quite knowledgeable thanks to diy shows.

“Yes, of-course I did” Dobby replied pointing to the tiny screw holes where the (uneven) ledger had been.

I cocked my head and thought a moment…

“Did you use a level?”  I asked again, sounding very much in the know.

“No” Responded Dobby  “I couldn't find one.”

“Couldn't find a level?  We have about three of them.”  I am getting a bit frustrated at this point.

“Well, the only one I could find was the one in the basement and it – it is broken” Dobby states crossing his arms over his chest and looking at me in his Dobby fashion.

“Broken?” I ask,  “How is it broken?”  I raise an eyebrow at him, ignoring his ever-darkening demeanor.

“The bubble only stays to one side, the bubble is broken” Dobby made this declaration with total confidence.

I am flabberghasted!  ‘The bubble is broken?’

As calmly as possible I say quietly “Where is the level with the broken bubble Dobby?”

Dobby produced said “broken” level.

Taking a deep cleansing breath I take the level from him.  I set it upon my (crooked) counter.  The bubble slants to the left.

“AH! HA!” Dobby screeches!  “You see!  It’s broken, broken I tell you!”

Something in snapped, I am ashamed to say that I raised my voice quite a bit and ranted

“OF – COURSE it the damn bubble went in one fricken direction Dobby!  It’s a damn crooked counter!! That is how these level things work!!!!  This house is 200 years old, the counter has been vandalized of course it’s crooked!!”

picture credit : www.signpost-online.co.uk 

I slid the level roughly to a level portion of the counter and – miracle of joy! The bubble slides to the middle…indicating that at least one portion of the counter is level. 

In a huff I storm out of the room muttering things about levels and bubbles and ledgers.  Dobby wisely stayed in the kitchen with his “broken” level and the crooked cabinets.

After some time and a lot of praying I realized that the poor man really had tried.  I didn’t specifically instruct him to use a level nor did I explain how a level works.  In my defense:  the goth/pessimistic side of me fiercely reminded me at this point that every man on the planet Earth probably knows how a level works.  I ignored that part of me and went in to talk to the now pouting Dobby.

“The Cabinets have to be fixed” I state.

The Cabinets were fixed and level.  Lovely.

But ~ this is WindyHill and there is more to the story.

Until next time…..

A Dobby Moment #1

Dobby Moments are brought to you as a courtesy of the Forever Kittens Cattery.

Sometimes they are funny, sometimes bitter sweet, and sometimes baffling...but always entertaining!

This will be Dobby Moment # 1

A Dobby Moment

 I am sitting at my computer desk, working away and in comes Dobby clutching a slender vase with weeds stuffed into it. 

I raise a brow questioningly and I am blessed with a rare Dobby smile.  After finishing my work, I put myself on break and peer at the still grinning Dobby. 

“Look!”  He exclaims with obvious pride.  “I picked you … um, wild roses” and with that he plunks the vase ever so gently down upon my computer desk above my monitors on the shelf. 

I look at the pretty weeds in the crystal vase and say “They are lovely Dobby, thank you so much for thinking of me.  That was very sweet… what makes you say they are wild roses?” 

“The thorns of-course” He responds with a quick grin.

I hug him and think to myself that I’m glad he sees these thistle weeds as “wild roses” and maybe they are natures wild rose.  Why not?

Dobbies "Wild Roses"

Enter my son….

“Mom, why do have thistles in a vase on your desk?  You Do know they are weeds right?”

“No they aren’t they are wild roses.”  I quip with a delighted smile

“Mom?”  B____ gives me worried look.

“Okay fine, yes, I know they are thistles, but they are rather pretty, and Dobby picked them for me and he dubbed them as wild roses…so they are now the wild roses of WindyHill…okay?”

B then proceeds to laugh his head off and of course break the news to poor Dobby that my desk is now graced with thistles, a weed that rabbits love.

Dobby took this exceptionally well. 

Meanwhile, I am a bit sad that the “wild rose” colored glasses were removed from our Dobbies eyes in regards to the thistle.  But none the less after all was said and done, even “B” appreciated the fact that the intention was good, and that indeed…perhaps under our rain cloud, the wild roses of WindyHill do exist.

Dobbies "Wild Roses"

   As a side note ** yes, I have already gotten several emails stating, “ A rose by any other name is still a rose”  …thus a weed by any other name is still a weed. 

I don’t care, hand me the wild rose colored glasses and my coffee ~ I have some calls to takeJ

The Story of the House Dobby...

Alright, I'm going to tell you the story of the house Dobby...hopefully I get it right....I used to call him the "kitchen fairy" because when I went to bed at night I would wake up to a clean kitchen.  I know, everyone wants one.  Get your own!

Dobby ~ a close relative to our house Dobby...the rooms look quite similar as well. 

Well, it turns out that the house Dobby has many more duties than just kitchen work.  He feeds horses, hauls things to the back or front yard depending on which direction you point him.  He feeds dogs, does laundry, finds obscure movies to watch when there is nothing on, and it always turns out to be a good movie.  He plays the dreaded never ending Monopoly with my son for hours without quitting.  (All Hail the house Dobby!)  He cleans stalls, he will run errands with me, he moves heavy objects, chops weeds, mows the lawn, splits wood, starts the fire, builds the burn pit, assembles things that need to be assembled,  and will pick up dog poo or barf on the floor with out complaint and, pretty much whatever is needed.  This is helpful to all in the house! So his name was upgraded to house Dobby.  The house Dobby basically lived at Weedy Flats in exchange for room, board and the occasional cigarette.   My understanding of the situation is that he can never escape...even if he is given clothing!  Though he can take an extended Holiday from time to time.  At present he is on Sabbatical   He slept on lowest level in the only room that the cats did not already own.  From time to time he would allow the occasional cat to enter his cave.  The rest of us dared not enter lest we disgruntle him and be forced to do our own dishes, laundry or take out our own trash.

Here is his story the way he sees it:

Dobby knew the truth of the situation.  He chose the dungeon for his living quarters because he had the entire bottom floor as his own.  All the others in the Kingdom of WeedyFlats had to share the other floors with each other.  Dobby never had to share.  The only living creatures allowed in his dark lair were the Kingdom cats.  (Who incidentally also believe the are the rulers of the Kingdom)

Now, Dobby living in the dungeon knew that he was in the Dungeon with the most precious beings in the Kingdom, the cats.  They toiled relentlessly catching mice, bathing themselves and loving their kittens.  The cats are mysterious, secretive creatures that produced lovely kittens for other Kingdoms to enjoy.  This only happened once in awhile in the Kingdom of WeedyFlats, and the house Dobby was always there...watching and sharing his space with cats, guarding them.  The kittens you see, they brought money to the Kingdom of WeedyFlats, and without the kittens there would BE no WeedyFlats.  So Dobby, knew the truth, he knew that as the guardian of the precious Highlander and Napoleon cats and Kittens he himself was the most important person in the Kingdom of WeedyFlats.

Forever Kittens Cattery Highlander Kitten

Forever Kittens Cattery Napoleon Kittens

Sure, he was seen doing regular household chores about the Kingdom, but the reason was not in-fact servitude, but because he knew that no one else would do it correctly.   He also knew that if he didn't act the servant that the others in the castle would suspect the truth of the matter and try of overthrow his Kingship!

Dobbies hidden crown

That is Dobbies story and I'm pretty sure he is sticking to it!

PAST ADVENTURE POST : The Pantry that could..

As is evidenced by the photos of my kitchen in earlier blogs, it's plain to see that I have very few cabinets.  Where do I put my kitchen things you ask?  Why, in totes of course!

Our food totes

The Totes are nice, I like totes...I would really, really prefer cabinets.   Well, barring the cabinet fairy floating down to earth and magically putting some up for me, that doesn't appear to be imminent, so I decided it was time for me to figure out how to fix the cabinets I do have, and the pantry as well.

The kitchen cabinet that is sitting upon my kitchen floor waiting to be magically hung was easy to fix with the
"JSchoot"  It isn't hung yet of course, but it's ready to be hung when I can drag, lure,   beg someone to do it for me.

Next the Pantry, with *B____ 's expert guidance we got it done.  I was super proud of myself for thinking of reinforcing it with wood in the back.    We did not have any huge mishaps either: sure, we dropped nails and screws every few moments, and yeah, the screws went through the other side several times... but so what!  I have a pantry, I'm proud of it.

Our repaired "pantry" it came with the house

After we had finished fixing the pantry and the cabinets, we rushed into the living room to unpack the mystery boxes marked "kitchen"  it was like Christmas, complete with hot chocolate and *B_______ humming random tunes.  We were so excited to see all of my fathers treasures carefully packed away and stored for us all of these years.  We placed each item with reverence and a smile  in a spot that it would call home.  Today, I will unpack our boxes from the farm house that will unfold more old memories for us.

Lastly, we moved the refrigerator to it's home and the large pantry to it's home.  I plugged the refrigerator in...it works! JOY!

working refrigerator!

As a final touch, we put my Dad's comfy lazy boy chair in the spot that has been waiting for it.  I'm not certain it will stay there, as *B_______  wants it in the sitting/reading room, and maybe it should be there...

Dad's Lazy boy

What makes me even more proud of all these adventures, is that as *B____ and I go through all of these experiences we come a step closer to this house really becoming a home.  We are building memories together and they will last a life time, and we are creating a legacy for generations to come.  I like that feeling.

Maybe I can hang those cabinets up myself...with a little help from *B____,  the carpenters son!

Queen Elsa Update ~ A Trip to see a King!

Queen Elsa Update ~ A trip to see a King

Greetings, all beloved adorers of ..me…Queen Elsa.  I simply must tell you of the trip I made to see the King of Highlander Haven.  He is known along the cat vine as the King with the big paws and big..well (ahem) you get the idea.

 Being the lady cat that I am I was at first very coy and reticent when I arrived.   However, he proved to be quite charming and kind, and before you knew it I was behaving as all the women do around men of such power….like a fool!  I rolled all over the ground and I purred and simpered and meowed and had quite a lovely time.  OH! And the food in this Kingdom was scrumptious, oh for joy.  I gained at least 3 pounds while I was there.  I came home, fat and sleek and shiny eyed. 

Forever Kittens Cattery Elsa

  

Humom was sure I was pregnant, she felt my tummy and swore that I she felt kittens.  She even made the announcement.   What humom didn’t know is that though I did enjoy my stay in the Kingdom of Highlander Heaven with King Yoshi, I had other plans of birthing kittens.  My greatest desire was to wait for my mail order Husband, King Impulse, he has the most stunning yellow eyes, and the deepest black fur all thick and soft and shiny.  After speaking at length with Yoshi, I found that he too, had desires beyond an arranged meeting.  He was in love with another as well.  Though Kings especially are known for having more than one wife, Yoshi was special, for he only wanted the wives that he chose himself, not those imposed upon him with such a visit.  So a plan was hatched.  We would enjoy each other’s company and play the great lovers in front of his humans and his slaves.  But secretly, I was passing endearing love notes to his true love’s there in the castle.  He signed them each lovingly with his giant  poly-toed paw. 

Obviously, I can not put the Kings real signature here ~ that would be forgery! 

Naturally, the object(s) of his affections were quite impressed with his loyalty and his way with words.  The cat vine has it that they are now living quite happily ever after.

Meanwhile at home, humom fussed over me, fed me extra and went on and on about big pawed kittens.  I would beam up at her innocently and purr for her (she seems to like that)

As my impending due date grew closer, humom began to suspect something was wrong.  Writing letters to others stating “Elsa should be bigger this far along in her pregnancy, and I don’t think I feel any kittens..but I would have sworn I did before.” 

Well, I couldn't hold my great love for Impulse in any longer, he had arrived 3 weeks earlier and sung his praises everywhere through out the house…loudly so that he would know of my great love for him.

At first, being a man of mystery he was silent and only stole quick glances in my direction whilst I serenaded him.  I hit all the high notes as I had practiced and I would throw myself at his feet and roll around on the floor to show him how athletic I am and what a good mother to his children I would be.  I will admit, Impulse the dark was a challenge for me, being only my second husband after all.  However, he did come around (I was never worried) Soon enough he was singing back to me, and following me around the house.  He became protective of me and possessive, yelling at poor tomato loving Mooshi should he come to close to our activities. 

Shaved Mooshi being Mellow Dramatic ~ don't know where he gets that from:)

 Needless to say, I gave birth to 5 amazing Highlander babies on July 17^th 2013.  As per the norm they will be available when they are old enough and they have found approved homes.  Two of them are already reserved.  Miss Chipmunk has a home already (when she is old enough) and so does Impela…(who will be re-named as soon as humom comes up with something better ~ sheesh) 

Highlander Kittens born to Elsa July 17, 2013

I am now happily raising my gorgeous children and looking forward to a long life with Impulse the dark. 

Yours as ever,

Happily ~ Queen Elsa e