how can people be so thoughtless?

how can people be so cruel?

a couple days ago we were taking a load of scrap metal (still leftovers from the previous owner) to the dump to recycle. while we on our way, we saw something strange. a little dog in the middle of the highway trying desperately to get into someone.. anyone's car. now we usually don't stop for every stray dog. you don't know how many we see out here. loyally waiting by the side of the road where they were obviously dumped by their heartless owner. we've tried before to stop. to help. but as soon as you call the dog, they get scared, run off. and then you are more worried they might run off in traffic and get run over. but this time we were both so shocked at what we saw. this dog. if you could call her a dog... she looked like a walking skeleton. she was at an intersection of two highways and was frantically trying to get people to pull over. we saw cars slow down as to not hit her. and we watched as she clawed at the doors in sheer panic mode. but people just pointed and drove on. we didn't. we turned the car around. opened the door and she climbed into jason's arms. we were afraid she wouldn't even make the car ride home. i had never seen a dog so thin in my life. it was utterly disturbing. in addition, she had scars on her, fleas, mud, her feet were raw from running. probably had mange. worms. and who knows what else.

after two days of food & water

we brought her home. she is quarantined in our shed. i've treated her fleas. and have given her ointment for mites. or course she is getting plenty of food and water. and lots of rest. our plan is to nurse her back to health and find a good home for her. she is a sweet heart. and looks to be a pure-bred rat terrier. we are calling her dinky.

dinky dog

yes, it's a lot of work. but our mr daniels has been missing now for six months. i would hope if someone saw him and he looked hurt or sick or hungry, they would take him in and show kindness. animals don't need to suffer.

victory egg.

donnie darko egg

yesterday was easter. the family celebrated with turkey, ham & an easter egg dyeing contest. i took both first place for best egg and for ugliest egg. i think i am most proud of the latter.

still feeling an empty house. no calls on the fliers or web-postings for mr daniels. i go about my life. fixing the barn, feeding the animals, treating marla the goat for foot rot (nasty, nasty, nasty). today i enjoyed working outside under a sunny sky. but still in the deep of my chest, below my throat and nuzzled somewhere behind my heart is this infected lump of sadness. it flares up like a fever when i'm not expecting it and delivers "everything is not alright" into my veins. and so i am reminded. but life goes on. and there are miracles and wood fairies, and stars in the sky, and dinner's in the oven and a bottle of red on the table...

and puppies that fight over dropped gloves

and beagle dogs that have a taste for cow-patties.

bring him home...

returned from a 10 day tour with the band to find mr daniels went awol. he's been missing since march 13. as much as that beast is an eternal pain in the butt, we want him back. the house is too big. too quiet. and smells far too good.

i've been privy to a secret wood fairy secret.... place a cracker drizzled in honey outside. tell the fairies what you have lost, and they will bring it back to you. i'm off to store to purchase crackers.

please pray for donkey's safe return. our hearts are broken.

thanks kristi!

my dear friend, kristi collins, has started her own pet apparel & jewelry shop called nina's boutique. she sent choppy and mr donkey some t-shirts. choppy's shirt says, "my human is a breast cancer survivor" and donkey's says "i bark for a cure". they love 'em! and so do i.

Happy Birthday, Mr Donkey.

Today, as a nation, we are not only celebrating the birthdays of two of our greatest Presidents, but also the birthday of one very important black & tan coonhound, Mr Donkey.

neither rain nor snow.... nor chicks?

monday morning i awoke to a phone call from the post office. our day old chicks had arrived! we ordered our flock of partridge plymouth rock chicks back in december. we had planned a brooder nest/box in the spare half bathroom. had the heat lamp all ready. what we didn't plan on was being hit by a winter ice storm and having our bionic pups escape the barn on the same morning. terribly bad timing. pups are fine. we wrangled them up from the cow field and brought them inside to avoid the cold. they have been enjoying the warm kitchen floor while destroying stuffed animals and shoes right & left. no pun. the chicks, aren't fairing as well. the ice storm came out of nowhere. it was just 58 degrees here on saturday! and then suddenly, the arctic. baby chickens aren't cut out for the cold. we've already lost several of them. i suppose this would happen regardless of the weather. chicks are fragile. survival of the fittest and all. but it is still sad. there seem to be a strong group of about 13 chicks that are thriving. and their chirps are just about the sweetest sound you can imagine. porkchop & mr daniels beg to differ.

baby chicks

lil'ann & jeliza-rose enjoy the full service kitchen

donkey & choppy are not amused

not afraid of cats, just dolls.

mr donkey went on the record recently to declare his adoration of cats. what he forgot to declare was his innate hatred..... of dolls. experts believe this hatred comes from a deep rooted fear. a fear most likely inherited from his mother who has always been dreadfully afraid of dolls (especially the ones with blinking eyes).

warning the photos below are gruesome and gory. not for the faint at heart. thank you. thank you. thank you.

a few words from mr donkey...

"i would like to set the record straight, i am NOT afraid of cats. my grandma rita gave the fine ladies at her work false information this morning. i have the utmost respect and admiration for my feline companions. this photo, i hope, will be proof enough. it is imperative that i be fairly represented. my fans, especially the fabulous ladies of washington county memorial, deserve at least that." - mr donkey

leroy's lament.

porkchop, donkey, chelsea & shade reflect on the life of leroy the turkey in "leroy's lament", the latest episode of "the secret lives of farm animals."

film on hold.

chelsea and leroy part ways for now

apparently i blew up my memory card with all my mad clips i been shooting, yo. actually it wasn't me or my mad clips. after some research, i found that the 2GB sandisk card i have is the one card that is supposed to be compatible according to canon, but it's not. it gives "memory card errors" for no reason. surprised it took this long to give me an error. most people get this error pretty early on. 1GB cards are supposed to work regardless. luckily i found a sale on amazon. so for now, my film studio is shut down temporarily. i suppose it's for the best. weather's rainy. leroy is hiding in the barn. and choppy & mr d are in low-barometer induced comas.

i suppose i'll do some research in my time off and watch "mooch goes to hollywood" again and again. one of these days amber will acquiesce and watch it with me.

there are more clips up from before the camera mal-function. check 'em out at:

larissa's youtube page

peace,
larissa

october is....

breast cancer awareness month. mr donkey is spreading awareness by sporting a stylish pink ribbon bandana. there are plenty of opportunities to give and learn this month. seek them out. you won't regret it.

and speaking of cancer awareness.... something we hate to think about. and something i can hardly comprehend.... children with cancer. i think cancer is hard enough for an adult. but i can't imagine what a kid must feel going thru such a journey. so this saturday, oct 6, i am playing the rylee's grampa benefit in tower grove park in st louis. donations will go towards camp sunrise at YMCA trout lodge (a camp for kids with cancer).

october is... also the month that i will officially become a country girl. yes, this former city girl is packing her bags and moving to her new farm this weekend. wish me luck. it is darker than dark at night out there. all the roads are 55 miles per hour. and there are no street lights. mr moon, please shine down on me.

who likes watermelon?

choppy likes watermelon.


donkey, not so much.

donkey, scrappy and the zoo.

this weekend, jason and i drove out to the country to get some fresh air. along the way we stopped for a garage sale at a goat farm. i purchased some lovely curtains. we got a vintage chair for the studio. mr donkey got a stuffed animal. and choppy got a very classy pilot's sport coat. amber came to visit saturday night. we ate mexican food and watched dazed and confused. then on sunday we were joined by my mom and amber's friend michelle. we celebrated earth day at the zoo. and amber drove herself home in her "new" car.

donkey & the bear.

choppy's on the prowl.

scrappy.

global warming earth day bear.

amber & michelle.

how i spent my birthday.

i kicked off my birthday weekend with benign biopsy results. what a relief! i figured that deserved some celebratin'. so mom and i went out friday for some pints of bitter at a local welsh pub. and i pretended i was back in the UK.

then saturday morning....

mr donkey helped me open presents

then we drove to joe & linda's tater patch in rolla, mo

to see our friends the dirty 30s play
and i did my leprechaun-prince impression

then jason did his gene simmons impression

then i blew out the candles on my completely truthful cake


then choppy got irish

then amber did too (ew... choppy was just wearing that!)

i'm 5 years old!

spent last weekend celebrating with my sistahs, ringing in my 5 year crancerversary in washington dc at the LLBC/YSC Annual Conference. words cannot describe what it is like to be surrounded by such strength and support. plus no one throws a party like a cancer survivor. and well, i like to party. apparently so does mr donkey.

our pink toes (uff wbs)

joyologist sarah's pink socks, eh?

laurel & dana's pink nap.

pink princesses.

pink donkey.

snow day.

after several anxiety-ridden hours of cursing the weather man and yelling expletives at the sky, my hard work paid off. i received a phone call at approximately 5am this morning that basically said, "go back to bed! you won!" and the dream of the glorious snow day came true. i slept late, drank hot chocolate, played in the snow, and snickered at the poor school districts that weren't on the snow closings list (including our district's rival). ha ha!

snow dogs scheme without speaking.

snow cats howl at the wind.

and there ain't no party like a snow dog party cause a snow dog party don't stop.

the ballad of the sad donkey.

"look choppy, i'm a cat!"


"loser."