Camera-Critters Sunday #4 *Matouk*

This post is dedicated to the 'critter' who has been the main subject of my prayers since Monday night...

He's not a dog (I can't tell you how many times I've reminded my dad of this)...

(c) Misty DawnS

See those yellow eyes? A young boy was out for a walk with his mom and sister one day. They passed my dad and his 'dog' out for a walk. The little boy looked at my dad and said "You can see the evil in his eyes!" My dad just laughed, because Matouk is definitely not evil. But, there is definitely something about those eyes... I can just sit and stare into Matouk's eyes for hours. Through those eyes, you can 'see' him thinking and planning.

No, he's definitely not a 'dog'...
But, he's also not 'completely' a wolf...

(c) Misty DawnS

I don't know of many wolves who own Beanie Baby stuffed animals, have their own couch, have ice cream for dessert at night, or take inventory of the fridge contents whenever it is opened. Nope, I don't know many wolves like that. However, Matouk is more wolf than he is dog, in my opinion.

He even 'sings' like a wolf...

Low Pitch - (c) Misty DawnS

High Pitch - (c) Misty DawnS


So, he's not a 'dog', and he's not a 'wolf'. He's my boyfriend - but don't get too jealous ladies, because he LOVES ALL ladies, especially if you talk to him, because he loves women's voices. But, honestly, the best and only way to describe him is "He's Matouk." He has his own ideas; his own way of thinking; his own plan of how life should be lived. He is smarter than any creature I have ever met, and I must admit that includes humans. That may sound like a rather crazy remark, but if you met him and got to know him, you would understand. "He's Matouk", and he's truly one of a kind.

Why has he been the subject of my prayers? Because he had been missing since Monday night. I prayed, and I prayed. You see, last year, he went for a walk by himself, and when he came back, he had been shot three times with a 22 caliber gun. So, you can understand my worry, especially when you add in the fact that my dad lives by a very busy interstate. Yesterday, on my way home from work, my dad called. He has spent the entire week walking the woods, hanging up posters, talking to people, looking... hoping... praying. Yesterday, Dad had been at the pound and the APL, just to check for himself, even though he had already called them. When he got home, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Matouk in his dog house!

Matouk is VERY sore, exhausted, and has an injured foot. However, he's BACK and he's alive! Now, in my prayers, I just keep repeating "Thank you!" over and over again.

There are SO many entertaining, funny, and thought-provoking stories I could share with you about Matouk. Some of the stories, you probably wouldn't even believe, because, sometimes, you can be there watching and seeing it for yourself, yet you still can't believe what you are seeing. I cannot accurately describe the depth of his thought processes, reasoning, premeditating, and logic. It may sound corny, but I say with complete conviction that I am thankful and honored to have had the opportunity to have Matouk in my life, and I'm a better person as a result of getting to know (and love) him.

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Camera-Critters Sunday #4 *Matouk*

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2008/05/this-post-is-dedicated-to-critter-who.html

Heads or Tails *Anything Green*

One of my favorite bloggers, Skittles has started a Tuesday meme. It is LOTS of fun-so you'll wanna join us right away! If you click on the Heads or Tails logo - it will take you to the post to tell you more about the meme.

This week's topic is Heads - anything green. Skittles chose this theme because St. Patrick's Day and Spring are in the immediate future.

When I was in second grade, we were going to have a big St. Patrick's Day party at school. My dad had come to visit me at my grandparents', and I was busily going from room to room, picking things up, crawling in the cupboards and back out, lifting up the rugs, peeking under the furniture... searching every nook and cranny.

Finally, my dad asked, "What ya doing, Mist?"

I replied, "I'm looking for the leprechauns, Daddy! You know, those little green guys?!?! They have gold, Daddy! And, if I find them, they will have to show me where their gold is! It would be better than what the Tooth Fairy would leave me if I lost all my teeth at one time! You wanna help me look for em?"

My daddy smiled and replied, "I don't need to look for them. You see, Brandy is a great hunting dog, and when I get home, Brandy will show me exactly where those little green guys are."

"Are you serious Daddy?!?! They'll have to show you where the gold is if Brandy finds them!"

Brandy was my dad's Irish Setter dog. She was one of the highlights of my life. I loved her SO much, and she was one of the smartest dogs I ever knew. So, I wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that she could track and find little, miniature green guys. (Yes, dogs were my whole world back then too)

My dad left to go home, and I took my bath and was sitting on my grandma's lap in the rocking chair for my bedtime story. (I can even remember which book we were reading!) I heard the door open in the other room, and looked at my grandma and started to ask who could possibly be here at night, but, when I looked up, I saw my daddy. Seeing my daddy walk through the door on any day was the greatest thing ever; I used to pray over and over again 'Please let my daddy come over today'. So, having him walk through that door twice in one day made me an extremely happy girl.

My dad came up to me, and as I sat in my grandma's lap looking up at him, he held out a small, square, glass jar with something in it. He handed me the jar, and I stared in amazement... I was absolutely speechless for a bit, and then I whispered in awe...

"ohhhhhh it's gold. Brandy found the little green guys, didn't she Daddy? Woooooow"

I took the gold to school with me, and I excitedly told the whole class that my daddy's Irish Setter is the greatest, most beautiful, and smartest dog in the whole wide world, and she found the leprechauns, and they had to show my daddy where the gold was, and my daddy brought some of it to me. (You know, I rattled all of this out in one very long breathless sentence, in typical second-grader fashion.)

My teacher then had the nerve to start telling the class about something called Fools gold. She proceeded to claim that what my daddy brought me was actually Fools gold... and blah blah blah. I was one furious little girl. I stood my ground...

"NO, Mrs. Doesn't-Know-Real-Gold-When-She-Sees-It! You are wrong! That is REAL gold! My daddy has the greatest and smartest dog in the world, and she found the little green guys, and she showed my daddy, and they took him to their gold! No ma'am, I am not arguing with you; I would never do that, because my grandma taught me not to argue with grown-ups. I'm just telling you that my daddy would NEVER lie to me, and he said the little green guys showed him this gold!"

I can only imagine what a time my grandma had trying to explain to me that, no my daddy wouldn't lie to me... but...

I still have that bottle and the gold, and I still go crawling and peeking around in every nook and cranny looking for the little green guys on St. Patrick's Day... eventually, I'll find them. I have to admit - if my daddy walked through the door on this St. Patrick's Day, I would be that excited and thankful little girl all over again, and I would truly feel like I had just been shown the gold.

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Heads or Tails *Anything Green*

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2008/03/heads-or-tails-anything-green.html

Heads or Tails *Love*

One of my favorite bloggers, Skittles has started a Tuesday meme. It is LOTS of fun-so you'll wanna join us right away! If you click on the Heads or Tails logo - it will take you to the post to tell you more about the meme.

This week's topic is Love.

Let me tell ya, today has been a pretty lousy day. I've had three disappointments today - one of which I feel like a complete idiot about because, like a big dummy, I got my hopes up and should have known better. So, nothing cheers me up more than the first and most important men in my life... the father figures. Yes, I love Hubs more than anything... well, almost - no one comes before my dad. Don't worry, Hubs accepts that - everyone accepts that, because it has always been that way.

So, here are two of the three most important men I ever had in my life (of course, Hubs is the third - but he's a funsucker and won't agree to my posting a photo of us on here, because he hates having his photo taken.):

Me and Grandpa
He was one of the two most influential people in my life (the other was Grandma)
And

Me and Daddy (Yes, I know my dad was a hunk - he still is!)
Check out my shoes - pretty awesome, huh? They even match my outfit!

Please forgive me for posting this so early - I found out that I have to go to work at the insurance company tomorrow. So, I hope you will also please forgive me for taking longer than usual getting around to everyone else's HoT posts tomorrow.

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Heads or Tails *Love*

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2008/02/heads-or-tails-love.html

Beautiful Gifts for Your Valentine

I just finished watering my plants a little bit ago. One of them has little flowers in bloom, and it made me smile. I remember my dad buying me a flowering plant last Winter and telling me that a girl needs her daddy to bring her flowers in the Winter to give her something bright and pretty to look at and smile. My dad has always been great like that!

He's right, you know. When it's gloomy and cold outside, it really helps brighten up the inside when you can see a beautiful, living plant or flower. Of course, we also have Valentine's Day right around the corner, and that's a perfect excuse to get someone you love some flowers as valentines gifts. Now, if you go to 1800flowers.com, you'll find many gifts to choose from to ensure you pick the perfect thing. I know most people love roses, but I personally love to receive a flowering plant, because I can keep it and enjoy it for years to come.

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Beautiful Gifts for Your Valentine

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2008/02/beautiful-gifts-for-your-valentine.html

Happy Holidays!

It's been hectic and crazy here, but I'm not complaining, because I have seen my dad every single night for the past FOUR nights! I'm SO happy about that!

It's so great to see everyone in my family! Tomorrow, we are having our get-together with Aunt and Uncle J, LMQ and LMK - I can't wait!!!

I've been absolutely spoiled rotten by Aunt L, with this gorgeous laptop I am using to make this post!!! Yep, you read it - we got here Wednesday night, and Aunt L was knocking on the door before the sun had come up on Thursday morning to go shopping for a new laptop. Don't worry, I do NOT ever disagree with anyone when they comment that I am spoiled.

We are spending ALL of Christmas day with my daddy, his girlfriend, and the wolf :-) Yes, Misty is a happy girl!

Then, Wednesday, my step-daughter is coming to see us and going to spend the night with us.

It's all so wonderful, but it is all going TOO fast!!! We are supposed to be leaving to head back home on Thursday or Friday!!!

I promise to be posting more next week - It will be back to normal, and I'll be regularly visiting everyone's blogs again! I miss you all!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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Happy Holidays!

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2007/12/happy-holidays.html

Updates on My Random Thoughts.

I'm going through withdrawals from talking to my dad! We usually talk each.and.every.single.night! But, he went hunting this week, so I haven't talked to him since Saturday. YES, I realize that it has only been two nights I haven't talked to him. Just imagine how I'll be when it's Friday or so!!!

I've decided that the contest I will host on this blog will be for my photography. That's all I've decided so far. Don't know when. Don't know which photos. Don't know how many prizes or how many photos. I'll figure it all out... soon.

After reading a few friend's posts about attempting to change their blog design... I am now petrified of attempting to switch over to three columns. It would look SO much better... but I'm feeling rather chicken right now.

I'm down in the dumps emotionally today. But, y'all don't come here to read that stuff. So, I'll keep it to myself. Besides, I'll get over it soon!

If you have time - read my Heads or Tails post for this week... Wrote that one when I wasn't down in the dumps and I think it's a fun post :-)

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Updates on My Random Thoughts.

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2007/11/updates-on-my-random-thoughts.html

Is It ESP?

One of my new favorite writers, David at authorblog asks a weekly question for his readers to answer.

If you want to join in here's what David would like you to do:

Please answer today's question on your own blog, any time until next weekend. Just link to this blog (or to this post) so I can follow the progress of the discussion.

This week's question is "Do you have ESP?" Of course, I'm going to tell you a story. It's not so much about ESP as it is about a strong and eerie mental connection...

My dad and I have always had a strong mental connection. In the days before caller i.d., he knew when I was the one calling on the telephone, and would answer the phone with "Hi Mist." When asked how he knew it was me, he would reply either "I was just getting ready to call you" or "I was just thinking about you." My husband used to doubt this connection and think we were just talking. That is... he USED to doubt our connection... Now, he swears that he will never doubt it again.

My dad had brought over a book for me to read called "Into the Wilderness" by Sara Donati. It was the first book of a series. Since he liked the book so much, I purchased the next two books of the series for him and gave them to him to read while I read the first book. While I was reading, my dad refrained from asking how far I was in the book, because, for one, he didn't want to pressure me into reading it, and, also, because he didn't want to be tempted to tell me what was going to happen next. I was at work when I finished the book, and I loved it so much that I was actually sad and depressed that it was over. My boss said "Tell me the name of the next book in the series, and I will go get it for you tonight so you can start reading it tomorrow." I replied "Nah, that's OK. My dad will bring me the next book, because he will sense that I need it." My boss has NEVER doubted the connection between my dad and me, and he looked at me and said "I'll be very interested to see how long it takes for him to sense that. I'll see you tomorrow morning." I left work, drove the fifteen minutes home, and when I was pulling in our farm driveway, my husband stopped me. I rolled down my window, and he said "I had a visitor today." I asked who, and he just replied "Oh, he was on a motorcycle and had a ponytail." I excitedly replied "My daddy was here? And I missed seeing him??? Why did he come while I was at work?" My husband replied "He said that he wanted to drop something off for you before he went to work. I just sat there staring at him and asked "What did he drop off?" My husband replied "I don't know, there's a plastic bag on our porch for you." I ran to the porch and opened the bag, and, yes, you guessed it - there was the next book in the series. Dad later told me that something just told him he needed to drop that book off that day.

Oh, but the story doesn't end there. I had finished the second book in the series while at work too. I came home from work and was playing ball with Molly. My mother-in-law was talking to me, and I said "My dad will be coming any time now." She asked "How do you know that?" I said "Because I just finished the second book in that series." She laughed and said "Oh brother" (that phrase is a thing with her). The next morning, I awoke to the sound of a motorcycle pulling in our drive. I ran outside in my sheep slippers to jump into my dad's embrace. Then, he went around to the saddlebag and stood there looking at me. He said "Mist, are you needing something from me? Because, I have NEVER come here in the morning when you needed to get ready for work, but I just felt that I had to throw this book in the saddlebag and head over here." I just started laughing, while my husband stood next to me shaking his head. My husband was muttering some things like "Unbelievable! You guys are creepy! How do you guys read each other's minds like that? I'll never doubt you guys again, you can be sure of that." We just laughed at him and walked inside to talk about the book I had just finished.

There are many, many more stories of my dad's and my mental connection, but I've already made this one heck of a long post, and I'll be honestly surprised if you have read this far! LOL

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Is It ESP?

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2007/11/is-it-esp.html

I Got Another Package!

I love getting unexpected packages in the mail! It really makes me feel like I'm being thought of. My dad had told me the other day that he and my boyfriend (the wolf) had sent me "a letter". Some letter! They sent a whole box of stuff!

I got three books:
The next two books in the series by Diana Gabaldon, for when I finish the first book (stupid college homework keeps me from reading for enjoyment! UGH)
and a book called "In The Season Of The Sun" by Kerry Newcomb (I think this is the one he was reading and it was taking place in Missouri, which made him keep thinking about me and missing me).

I also got a holster for one of my pistols and a cleaning brush for another one of my handguns. Yes, I have many guns ;-) Which is probably why he also sent me the Missouri Wildlife Code book and the Hunting & Trapping Regulations.

He also sent two giant bulk bags of cereal (he realizes how much stuff costs out here). A bag for me and a bag for Hubs. Oh, and he sent a book for my husband to read (Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it).

I also got the miscellaneous 'dad stuff' that I've come to expect from him: A feather, One of my favorite photographs that he took, and a business card for a place in Ohio that sells meats, cheeses, bulk foods, deli trays, baked goods, spices, candles, and ice cream. That's my daddy!

Last but not least, he sent a bag of yummy treats for his girlfriend, my Molly-Collie. They are crazy about each other - it's true puppy love (hehehe, I crack myself up!).

Both times that I have received one of these care packages, I have broke down in tears. Partly because I miss him so much, and partly because I can see exactly what my dad was thinking when he put each item into the box. Gosh I miss him!

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I Got Another Package!

http://www.mistysmusings.com/2007/10/i-got-another-package.html