Does this look like fall to you?

I took this pic tonight after mowing this pasture and putting Playmate out on it. How can all this green be here on September 20? What a weird weather year this has been here. It did rain a little Sunday morning, and Sunday evening, but otherwise it has been dry for a couple of weeks. Normally, the entire 50 acres is dirt by now, but that is not the case this year.

Playmate is doing well too. She has been in the back pasture most of the year, and is still doing pretty well holding her weight. At 28, she can kind of go up and down--and it just hit me that now she is the oldest horse we own. Wow. She used to be the third. Anyway, she is looking good for a gal her age, which is good to know--I brought her up to potentially put her in a pasture that is getting grained, but I can see now that she is doing just fine on the pasture grass alone. That is encouraging.

Cannot ask for more than that today. Unless it is for Fonzie to feel better, the foals I weaned on Saturday to decide I am not the worst thing in the world after all, and Uno's wound to heal up nice. Yeah, those things would be good.

Weather tragedy hits home

From the KFVS 12 News Team--this story is about Crazy Larry's step son. Everyone knows my cousin Crazy Larry--he is one of my favorite relatives, for many reasons, and he has this wonderful wife Pat, who is a saint to put up with him. John Owens is her son, and he had as of late been living with them. Weather tragedies are not foreign to this family, as they lost their wonderful old plantation home that I always think of as the family seat to a tornado a few years ago--there was something about that house that I just loved. Anyway--new weather tragedy is still unfolding--John has still not been found and it is day 10.


Search for Missing Man in Flooded Waters Turns to Recovery Effort
By: CJ Cassidy

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. - Rising waters may have claimed a fifth victim in the Heartland.

The weekend search for John Owens of Caruthersville turned into a recovery effort Monday.

Owens disappeared from his vehicle sometime Friday when water flooded a road near the Mississippi River Levee in Pemiscot County.

Search crews say they'll continue their efforts as long as they can.

Owens' family members however say John was the kind of guy who would always lend a helping hand and they think he drowned when he set out to help a friend.

"The toughest part of it is we've found no body. It could be two weeks, it could be never," Bryan Owens said. He can't believe he may never see his younger brother again.

He says 38-year-old John wasn't the type to take chances. But he wouldn't hesitate when it came to helping someone.

"He was on his way over to help a friend sandbag his property, save it from the river," he said.

Rescue crews believe the rising waters got to him first. All you could see was the top of John's jeep Monday afternoon.

Deputies say Friday night Owen's friend heard someone calling for help, but couldn't see anyone when he came outside.

"It was late. After dark. He came out Saturday afternoon and saw the truck. That's the initial call that came in. We've been here ever since," Deputy Jess Cagle with the Pemiscot County Sheriff's Department said.

Search crews say they found a cell phone cover belonging to John Owens on top of his Jeep Cherokee Saturday afternoon.

They believe at some point he jumped off of his vehicle and tried to get to safety, but officers with the Missouri Water Patrol say navigating the floods even in a boat can be tricky.

"You have to put in off the levee go through tree line, deal with currents. Even once you get out there you have debris. There's backwater from the flood going through, and other objects to tend with," Officer David Nelson with the Missouri Water Patrol said.

Still, seeing search crews continue their efforts brings comfort to Owens' family.

While John's dad walked along the banks gazing out at the waters that may have claimed his son, his brother reflected on his memories.

"He's a good guy. Hard worker, had three kids, and a real momma's boy," he said.

Crews from Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas helped search the flooded areas by boat and from the air.

The Missouri Water Patrol plans on bringing in sonar equipment and a diver to see if they have better luck that way.

Storm damage

Good friends suffered a chunk of damage in the crazy storm the other day. Their nice horse trailer was tipped clean over (hey Kate, maybe you could say it DFO'd), and the pile of rubble in the yard is the bulldozed remains of their 12 x 20 tack room.

Isn't this a hell of a mess?

Meanwhile, they have a Slybaby due soon out of a cute cute little mare. Sharon said the barn door slammed right next to her stall and sent her into a tailspin shaking and hiding in the corner. Some extra loving calmed her down today and she is fine.

On another note, the new cardioboxing girls stepped it up a notch last nite, and by the time I was done, I felt EXACTLY like that pile of rubble.

Jan 7 and 67 degrees!

How is this for crazy weather? This may not have even been the high, as I took it from our building at 4:30 this afternoon.

How very strange it is. This means that we have a tornado watch, and all hell will probably break loose sometime tonight, or tomorrow. The timing is about right, as the pastures have finally dried up and it is fairly easy to maneuver out there.

It has been a nice change though

And you thought I was being dramatic

I do not think that I can say anything that demonstrates how miserable it is here better than this picture demonstrates. On the other hand, we got about 10 minutes of rain that was just a hair above a drizzle, but significant enough I had to turn on the windshield wipers.

Tonight was our good bye to Cade the Cade-fish, my intern. I am confident it did nothing but get me liquored up, so I better go to bed. Morning might be ugly

Our anniversary

Today is the big day---13 years since our wedding. Hopefully, today will not be as hot! Barry even remembered! I imagine to celebrate, we might mow the yard and weedeat. Lest you think that is a strange way to celebrate, you should know that Barry weedeats twice a year whether it needs it or not. I think that actually might be generous, to tell the truth. It used to be funny when he said that but since it is now true, it is not so funny. It is a constant bone of contention. He blames it on the weedeater, but since we have a regular one, an electric one and a rechargeable one, you can imagine what I think of that assinine excuse. Plus, the regular man weedeater that he uses just got out of the shop so ought to be in perfect shape---no more excuses! So that is what I am asking for-- a weedeated front yard. And maybe the front of the barn.

The best possible Anniversary gift, even better than weedeating, would be a thunderstorm! It has been dry as a bone for two weeks, and with temps like we have had, that is pretty miserable. The radar shows we might get a shower---cross your fingers, as we certainly need it.

In an odd twist, today is also Mandy and Edward's anniversary--9 years for them. Yesterday was Edward's first Father's Day--even if he did not yet have his baby home with him, I think it was a big deal for them. I hear that Mom and Dad are going to Guatemala with them in August to see Gabriella again--I knew they could not stay away once they had met her.