Here ya go once again!!!

The day was beautiful today but very windy and no sun. The temperature was 65 at one point in the car but with the wind it didn't feel that warm. As I was driving down to Springfield this afternoon I drove past a field where a farmer was running a disc behind his tractor in the field. With the wind blowing I could smell the aroma of the freshly turned soil sifting through my vents. I absolutely LOVE the smell of dirt as it is being turned over to fresh soil. There where a flock of white birds that looked like seagulls reaping in the harvesting of earthworms being brought to the surface of the disc. I know they weren't seagulls but not sure what kind of birds they were. The field was outside of Lowry at Highway 13 and A Highway. We do have Truman Lake not far away but I doubt there are seagulls there. Maybe a few Eagles though. Eagles are absolutely beauiful to watch soaring through the sky. One time a friend and I had went down to Warsaw to mess around and went to the lake and there was an Eagle perched in a tree. It was outstanding.

Friday when I got home from Springfield Terry told me he saw a Bobcat in the field behind our house last week. We have a field, with a tree line maybe a 1/2 mile or so from our house. Behind the treeline is a lake and we see alot of wildlife but that is the first for a bobcat. We've seen deer, groundhogs but never Bobcat's or even fox but I bet my bottom dollar that they are out there too. I love watching wildlife and birds. As Terry calls me, his country girl!!! I like that too. I love to grow garden, flowers, can, cook and hike through the woods. You can take the girl out of the country but can't take the country out of the girl!!! LOL.

As I was pulling into Springfield tonight Brandon called and asked if I had ate supper yet. I hadn't so we went to our favorite sandwich place downtown Springfield. Pickleman's. Downtown is a very busy place in Springfield, lots of neat little restaurants and such and parking can be a bear. He saw me drive by and I went around to go back up Walnut street, talking to him on the phone as I was driving. I hate to parallel park but can do it and there was a place for me to parallel park. Pulled in like a champ. Hung up the phone, hopped out of the car and locked it with my keys still in the car. Suck a duck on a firetruck. I called a guy Terry had gave me the card for, that was super and got there in nothing flat, got me in the car within 2 minutes and walla!!! It was all good. I highly recommended if you are in Springfield MO area and have a problem call "Car Openers" Anyway Brandon and I have supper at Pickleman's which is another really good place to eat. Always enjoy having a meal with Brandon.

Josh has been talking to me today too. The rearend came out of his truck and he is looking for parts to fix it. He said he found a brand new one for $1000 but he thinks he can get one for around $300. He loves working on stuff like that and said he can get it replaced in like an hour, it's just finding one. I told him he is so lucky that he can work on it because it would probably cost me like around $2500 because I would have to have a mechanic to work on it for me. He is so good at working on things and was always like that as a child. He loves to work with his hands. Him and Brandon are so much different but yet still so much the same. They get along so well and I am so glad that they do.

If a son recieves the love and respect from his mother and recieves this his entire life, that love will never fade no matter what. If they have never recieved the love, respect, attention that they need while growing up from their mother they will leave and find someone or something to fill that void that she never filled for them when they needed her the most. I am so glad that I put Josh's needs top priority before mine while he was growing up. I always said to myself, he is only a child once and I am going to make sure his childhood is the best. I raised him in church and Sunday School. I made sure he was in all the sports he wanted to be in and I was there at all the practices, games and trophy nights. I was scorekeeper for the baseball teams he played on and made it to every single Parent Teacher Conferences and knew every single one of his teachers personally and still am friends with most of them.

Here's a text Josh sent me a year ago and I kept it. I plan to print it off and maybe even frame it. It has meant so much to me.

"Mom, I am sitting here talking to a single mother with two boys. She is going through a rough divorce. Got me to thinking what a good mother you are to me. You are a saint and a really big part of who I am today. You gave me what you could and we made it work. I love you and you are not only my mother, you're my best friend as well! You stayed strong and never gave up." I wrote him back and said, "I love you so much and you make me so proud." Then he wrote me back and said, "You better not be crying you sissy. LOL. I love you too mom." And that is why that boy is my life. I told him one time he's all I got and he's my world. Men come and go but children stay for life!!!

With that said, I will talk to you guys tomorrow. I'm tired and it's almost 11pm. 5am comes aweful early. Good night guys.