Is there a sign on my house?

There must be one somewhere that says - " Bring me your tired, bring me your poor, bring me your stray animals. " We now have a new dog, a dog that we threatened to call the Humane Society on, but due to the fact that she herded the goats when they got out and kept them by the fence until I could get home and return them to the safety , I just couldn't call them on her. The second I put her in with the goats, she decided to "herd" them here and there at warp speed,so...........she is now living in the back part of the enclosure in relative comfort with shelter, food and water, not to mention the,uh....protection of eight goats that sometimes stand at the fence and stare at her. Everyone is chilled out now; the goats are enjoying their usual siesta and "Cookie" as she has been known in the neighborhood, is enjoying the comfort of her little lean-to in the shade. Life is good.

ALERT!

Due to computer malfunction, the posts on "It's a Goat's Life......." will be few and far between. I will miss posting, however, they just don't go for that kind of activity too much at work.( Much deception and subterfuge is involved just to post this.) Sometime next week, I'll blathering on as usual. Have a good weekend!!

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Today, I have something new on my blog.....probably the most important thing I've put on here so far - a post by WhyMommy and the Team WhyMommy button . Who is WhyMommy and why does she have a team? WhyMommy is a beautiful lady whom I learned of through the Blogger Chicks and it became my mission to show my support for her in her endeavor to kick Inflammatory Breast Cancer in the butt. You can make it your mission too. Tell everyone you know - have yearly check-ups, get a mamogram, do self-exams and above all - spread the word to everyone you know. The more people who know about IBC, the sooner it can be caught. And per WhyMommy's wishes............steal this post again and put it along with the button on your blog/website and show her you're another block in the wall!


Monday, July 23, 2007
We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?
I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.
Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. That test showed that I have inflammatory breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer that can be deadly.
Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis because many doctors have never seen it before and consider it rare. “Rare” or not, there are over 100,000 women in the U.S. with this cancer right now; only half will survive five years. Please call your OB/GYN if you experience several of the following symptoms in your breast, or any unusual changes: redness, rapid increase in size of one breast, persistent itching of breast or nipple, thickening of breast tissue, stabbing pain, soreness, swelling under the arm, dimpling or ridging (for example, when you take your bra off, the bra marks stay – for a while), flattening or retracting of the nipple, or a texture that looks or feels like an orange (called peau d’orange). Ask if your GYN is familiar with inflammatory breast cancer, and tell her that you’re concerned and want to come in to rule it out.
There is more than one kind of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer out there, and early detection is critical. It’s not usually detected by mammogram. It does not usually present with a lump. It may be overlooked with all of the changes that our breasts undergo during the years when we’re pregnant and/or nursing our little ones. It’s important not to miss this one.
Inflammatory breast cancer is detected by women and their doctors who notice a change in one of their breasts. If you notice a change, call your doctor today. Tell her about it. Tell her that you have a friend with this disease, and it’s trying to kill her. Now you know what I wish I had known before six weeks ago.
You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.

WhyMommy

It's your turn.

Up Close and Personal..........

Gussy really knows how to live on the edge. Here, he is investigating Hermione's tail, which was waving around like a red flag. I was waiting for the inevitable smack - down, but he lost interest before she was incensed enough to exert herself. It was a rather interesting exchange nonetheless. It's so bloody hot outside that if I were the cat in the chair, he probably could have gnawed my tail off before I even started to get disturbed. The backyard, is ummmm, looking rather junglesque due to the fact I am not into heat exhaustion or stroke. Now that the clover is gone, the goats have started munching grass again , thankfully. Everyone thinks that goats eat anything and everything - they don't. My guys are rather picky, in fact. (This could be due to the fact that they are extremely SPOILED - as in brats. Last night around eleven, Trixie was on the deck bleating her head off because she wanted a snack. There's no ignoring her either - it just goes on and on until you pony up the munchies. So, there we were in the back yard, doling out feed to the seriously oppressed.............poor babies.

Hey - this is cool!

What Your Favorite Color Pink Says About You:

Blissful --- Content --- Romantic Idealistic --- Expressive --- Artistic Funny --- Quirky --- Individualistic

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Are they for real?

Once upon a few years ago......

I started a scrapbook as a gift for my friends Jeff and Casey, who got married.........well, let's just say some time ago, and well, you know, with life being the way it is and all, I haven't finished it yet. I am thinking that I will definitely get this done before their grandkids start making an appearance. This picture is the front of cover of the actual album, complete with the sadly disturbed plastic cover. I thought it was just the perfect album for pages that show their lives up to the wedding.

I haven't actually mentioned my scrapbooking passion before, but I do love to scrap and I've decided to start talking about it here, maybe in hopes that it will make me accountable to someone. Or something like that. I have to admit that so far, while I have spent some quality time in the activity itself, I have spent more time even perusing the online stores shopping for paper, embellishments and the latest gadgets. There are some really incredible online scrapbook stores - AllyScraps, Rocky Mountain Hobbies, and for looking at their incredible papers and their huge layout gallery, Basic Grey. I love their paper and it is second to no other. All their papers are heavier than most and their designs are so unique - I can spot their paper without even looking at a label. I have a wonderful time scrapbooking, but I just haven't been able to devote the time to it that I would like here lately, so from here on out, I am making a vow to myself that I am going to start scrapping at least three times a week and , uh, no more shopping . So there it is.

Never wake a sleeping baby.....

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Originally uploaded by lr4rr

Look at the sleeping babies with their mommy, Twister standing guard. Trixie is resting her head on Gus's behind and he's all curled up into a tight little ball. This is their morning siesta - something that occurs every day without fail. I've pointed out more than once that goats have got it going on.

SSDW

Same shit different week. Still hating the sinuses, hating the poison ivy /spider bite on my right arm even more. WTF? I can understand life's need to pour when it rains, but a friggin monsoon!??!?!?!? As you may have guessed if you have read this far, the morale here at the Casa Van Goat is pretty low. My poor children are wondering when the "dementor" possessing their mother is going to finally leave and render their home somewhat normal again. For those of you not in the Harry Potter know, the Dementors sucked the life out of people leaving them feeling like all the happiness was gone. Sadly, that about sums me up right now.
On a brighter note, I did get the carpet cleaned yesterday - an arduous long overdue procedure. When you have one dog, three cats and eight goats, your carpet should be cleaned, umm like, every five minutes. You can see where once a month wouldn't really be getting it. The Van Goat Ranch isn't truly set up to be a ranch, but it sort of works - the neighbors took some convincing, let me tell you.
I think pictures add so much to a post, but I have come to realize that it isn't always necessary. A good rationalization when none are forthcoming. If you do really want pictures, then you may or may not have noticed that I have attached a cute little link to my Flickr site - am I cool or what!!! Next think you know, people will actually be reading this thing and they really should, you know - the Van Goats read it every day.

Arrgghhh!

Sinuses suck and I really don't see the point - mine are completely stuffed up right now. My poor sweet angel has seen my stuffy sinuses and raised me an ear infection. She went to the doctor today, courtesy of her daddy - yours truly was bringing home the bacon. I'll be damned if I'm frying it up in a pan tonight - ordered out. I feel guilty about ordering out, but I am just too tired.

Four Year Old Tyrants

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Originally uploaded by lr4rr

Everyone should experience one for at least a week in their lives - it has to be for a week because you wouldn't want to miss one of their "personalities". Yes - I'm feeling a little injured right now having awakened to my very own "tyrant" - and she's got a bad cold. Waking up to a sick four year old just isn't like waking up to smell the coffee - it's more like waking up in the path of a speeding Mack truck - painful. If you add not sleeping well and being somewhat under the weather yourself - well that's just an equation that Albert Einstein himself would not have touched. Now, having gotten things somewhat squared away - it's amazing what "green yogurt" and ginger ale can do - things are calm once again and the dictator has left the building , miraculously replaced my sweet, smiling angel. Whew.

As it happens, no sooner than I thought I was home free(that's what I get for thinking!) my cell phone rang and it was AT&T, finally showing up to fix our phone line which has been out for a week. Do I really need to tell you - yes the phone was dead courtesy of one Vincent Van Goat a.k.a. " Butthead. When you see a black cable with little wires hanging out of it - a cable that used to be attached to something on your house - then you know there's going to be a problem somewhere. Such was the case with our phone line. Should I admit that this was the second time? So ....back to the phone call ;I loved having to answer the question " Well , do you know what happened to your phone line?" Uh, lightning, lawn mower, an Act of God - you choose."
He had the line fixed in no time at all with our assurances that we would keep it safe from the goats. So now there's a Little Tykes play house nestled comfortably up against the back of the house - in front of the phone line.

Slacker Alert!!!

That would be me, slacker extraordinare! Haven't posted in a week, so I thought today I would break the silence - I find this ironic, since it is not likely that anyone is listening anyway. (This, in and of itself, is cracking me up.) It's been a hellatious week, let me tell ya. I started working 7a-7p during the week - a break neck shift in orthopedics compared to the weekend pace. It felt good to work hard non-stop and I think maybe I lost 5 pounds - no lie. Rachel, Alex and I all have been struggling with some version of sore throat and snotty nose, but Rachel seems to be bucking for the most persistent snotty nose. I feel like a dirt bag today since we apparently didn't help her cause by going down to the flea market - my first trip ever to a flea market and not one damn flea! - follwed with lunch at Don Lo Lo's (ya gotta love that name - does it sound like Mexican food to you?)and then the grand finale - a double feature at the Wilderness Outdoor Theater. Frickin awesome - I haven't been to the drive in since I was Rachel's age. Richard, Rachel and I watched The Simpson's and License to Wed. Alex went to screen one for The Bourne Ultimatum and The Transformers. I really enjoyed both movies, but due to the wanker in front of us in the concessions, we missed probably the first half hour of The Simpson's. Other than that, it was time well spent. We backed the truck( for truck, see this)
into the appropriate space, set up the chairs in the back of the truck, tuned in the boombox to the correct frequency and Hello - that is the ONLY way to watch a movie! I don't ever want to go to a regular theater again. Uh.......yeah! I've already said I'm a redneck! Alex and I are, being Halloween fanatics - both the movie and the holiday - looking foward to Rob Zombie's upcoming version of the movie Halloween! I am really hoping that it's going to be at the outdoor theater - talk about a hella-bomb way to see that movie! I ,uh, admit to listening to his music on occasion - usually at work where the kids aren't listening. It makes for efficient adrenaline usage in the work place. We all have our dark sides.
Although I do actually have more to ramble about, we're off to get Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and ginger ale. The princess needs pampering. And meanwhile.............the Van Goats are enjoying lazy, hazy Sunday afternoon.