Hi!!! I've missed you guys!

[PattyInAK]

Just wanted to check in and let you know that Dan, Willy, Alex and I (and Pepper, Patch, Neeki, Hondo and Clyde) are all doing well.  Life has been......breathe in, breathe out, beathe in, etc..........I am still on disability, and Aetna hired this other company to try to get social security disability for me, but I know thats just so Aetna can get paid back, but whatever.  I am going to school, taking a tax course, so if need be I will have a skill I can use.  We are on the verge of selling one of our lots, which would get rid of most of my stress.  Some folks in Cape Cod want to retire in Alaska and are hell bent on buying one of our lots as soon as they get the financing in order.
Dan and I had a great time at the Alaska State Fair this year.  I won a blue ribbon for my Macaroons.  And an Honorable Mention for my Butter Pecan Fudge. 
I had a garage sale and made a bunch of money to have fun at the fair with......mostly food, the food vendors at our fair are outstanding.
Lets see, what else......I am keeping busy around the house, sorting thru boxes and junk, walking Willy and Alex, and I actually had a small garden this year that gave me lots of lettuce.  We had lots of visitors this year, but that is over with, my folks just went back home a couple of days ago.  I will miss all the people and activity.  BUT I can always drive down to Homer to visit my sister if I get the urge.  My class lasts until mid-November so, depending on road conditions I might make a trip to Homer before Thanksgiving.  Who knows.
Oh, I just filled out an application to volunteer at the Alaska Wild Bird Rehablitation Center here in Wasilla.  The area I am most interested in is raising orphaned baby birds, which includes bringing them home until they are grown.  I really, really love baby animals.
Well, this is about all for this update.  I really do miss all you guys.  I just don't have any friends around here, for some reason, no one ever calls me or comes over.  I have my friend Teri but I have to do all the initiating, it get tedious.  But I sure have a lot of terrific friends long distant, like you guys.
Will try to get on the board more from now on.
Bye!
Oh, I was out taking pictures the other day to send our potential buyer, and took this one.  Its not on our property but taken about 400" from our property line.

[Roberta]

Wondered where you had gone to..............sounds as if you have been go go go. That picture is stunning..............now if it was not as cold up north I'd visit.
Roberta
ps love to the gang

[sollysmom]

Glad you've checked back in with us.  You've been missed here, too.  Beautiful picture, but I'm glad I'm in the south where it stays warm longer.  Good to hear from you.

Darcel & Hilde

[Mike]

It's good to hear from you.  I was hopeing everything was ok in the great white north.  Stunning view, by the way.

[Merlin Magician]

:thinik: Heck, I thought Sarah Palin shut off the Internet when she bailed out!

Tee hee hee!

Guinness

[Spanish Teckels]

Great to hear from you!  Sounds like you´ve been very busy all round and will be ready for the quieter time in the Winter up there.  I would have loved to experience the show, sounds wonderful, your produce must have been delicious.  Good to know Dan and all the family are doing well too as well as "the boys".

Good luck with your disability application; I have no experience of how hard it is to get in the US, but I had 7 vertebrae replaced with titanium structure from pelvis to bra-strap, have 4 permanent, inoperable hernias in my neck, parestesias in both hands......didn´t get disability over here despite the spinal specialist certifying my physical limitations and pain levels.  A 17 year old "doc" (well, she was probably about 24) "evaluated" my case all of the 7 times we presented it and didn´t even know how to read the scans or reports....  It makes me so sick just to think of the injustice AND the taxes I have paid in over here for over 25 years. It´s impossible for me to work any more and I struggle through the pain each day just to keep our home going and try to help Miguel a little in our studio to stop myself from going mad.  I wish every screaming pain I feel every day could be passed on to that "doc" just for one hour so she would realize how wrong she was.

Sorry for the rant, but it really makes me so angry when on top of suffering we have to go through this administrative hell too.  I wish you all the luck in the world with yours and a successful deal with the folks from Cape Cod soon too to take the financial pressure off.

Thanks heavens for dachshunds to calm us down and love us unconditionally and for patient husbands who often bear too much of the brunt....

take care, love to you all, hang on in there and enjoy your wonderful surroundings in the meantime.

[Teresa]

I think the picture would sell any lot. I would love to do the wildlife rehab with the birds. Meg and Randy (and several friends) are starting to call me the bird lady. I've decided there are worse things to be called. I'll have to post some of my hummingbird pictures later.
Having the tax skills is brilliant! I also think that you will find that you make friends when doing the rehab with the birds. The people who do that seem to be of a kindred spirit and friendships seem to be made.
It is great hearing from you again. I'm still working on a visit there. Trying to get Randy out of S.C. sometimes is almost impossible!!

[TerriL]

Missed you to Patty!  I have not been on much either this summer.  Life just gets so busy sometimes.  I'm glad to hear that all is well with your family. 

[PattyInAK]

I think the picture would sell any lot. I would love to do the wildlife rehab with the birds. Meg and Randy (and several friends) are starting to call me the bird lady. I've decided there are worse things to be called. I'll have to post some of my hummingbird pictures later.
Having the tax skills is brilliant! I also think that you will find that you make friends when doing the rehab with the birds. The people who do that seem to be of a kindred spirit and friendships seem to be made.
It is great hearing from you again. I'm still working on a visit there. Trying to get Randy out of S.C. sometimes is almost impossible!!

Well it was either learn how to do taxes or go to work in a morgue........you know, the two guarantees in life, they both probably have job security. 

[PattyInAK]

Great to hear from you!  Sounds like you´ve been very busy all round and will be ready for the quieter time in the Winter up there.  I would have loved to experience the show, sounds wonderful, your produce must have been delicious.  Good to know Dan and all the family are doing well too as well as "the boys".

Good luck with your disability application; I have no experience of how hard it is to get in the US, but I had 7 vertebrae replaced with titanium structure from pelvis to bra-strap, have 4 permanent, inoperable hernias in my neck, parestesias in both hands......didn´t get disability over here despite the spinal specialist certifying my physical limitations and pain levels.  A 17 year old "doc" (well, she was probably about 24) "evaluated" my case all of the 7 times we presented it and didn´t even know how to read the scans or reports....  It makes me so sick just to think of the injustice AND the taxes I have paid in over here for over 25 years. It´s impossible for me to work any more and I struggle through the pain each day just to keep our home going and try to help Miguel a little in our studio to stop myself from going mad.  I wish every screaming pain I feel every day could be passed on to that "doc" just for one hour so she would realize how wrong she was.

Sorry for the rant, but it really makes me so angry when on top of suffering we have to go through this administrative hell too.  I wish you all the luck in the world with yours and a successful deal with the folks from Cape Cod soon too to take the financial pressure off.

Thanks heavens for dachshunds to calm us down and love us unconditionally and for patient husbands who often bear too much of the brunt....

take care, love to you all, hang on in there and enjoy your wonderful surroundings in the meantime.

I know what your mean about the pain.  All those folks out there...the docs and disability people, have no clue how painful it is.  You can't know until you have experienced it for yourself.  A lot of different things cause pain, but I don't think I ever knew what real pain was until I ruptured the two disk.

[Brekkesmom]

We have missed you!  I bet you missed me getting my two new dachsies, huh?  Their names are Rowan Bella and Bastian Edward, since I am a Twilightophile!

[Madderoos Mom]

Helllllloooooo girlfriend!
You ARE a sight for sore eyes, to be sure.  I'm so glad you and Dan and the boys and the horses are doing good.  The disability thing and all that goes with it.....well, let's just say, don't let the turkeys getcha down.

Now about that picture.  You should contact Rieman Publications and submit it to their magazine called Country.  A shoe in for sure!

Now, don't be a stranger, y'hear?

Bonnie the goofball and demented Madderoo say woof!

[Barb]

Holy Moley - GORGEOUS.....*packing our bags* 

Great to hear from you !!!  It'a a pain when life gets in the way, isn't it ? 

Would love to see more pics of all of you !

[cheryl186]

Patty, it is great to hear from you.  Were wondering what you have been up to!!!  Gorgeous view!!  My goodness, you have been so busy!!!  Anyway, glad things are going well.  Good luck on getting your disability!!!  I think working with the baby birds is awesome!!