The Spirit of Oz

Yes, his name is Oz. And what a wizard he is! This Arabian gelding can run with the best of them! I'm so proud to own him, and we've bonded like a horse and rider should. Every horse has but one rider, and apparently I'm Oz's. I just wanted to share with you his personality. He's that lovable fleabitten gray Arab in the picture below.

Blonde Joke

Q. What did the blonde do when her computer froze?
A. She put it in the microwave.

Arabians

In the world of horses, there are very few pure breeds left. Most of them have been created through mixed breeding and inbreeding. This is why it is so important to recognize the Arabian breed as being one of the last few breeds left to be pure.

Many horseowners don't realize this and want to destroy their bloodlines by mixed breeding. This is bad news for the Arabian breed. Unless Arabian breeders start to say no to breeding their Arabs to other breeds, then this pure breed will be no more. The Arabians are still there in their pure bloodlines, but they won't be soon unless breeders take action.

(I did not take this photo, and I claim no rights to it.)

Black & White

Some people live in black and white. They believe they only have two choices in any decision: black or white. While I was in the wilderness, I found out how many colors there really are to choose from. There are so many things to decide on and so many choices to pick from.

Now it amazes me to know that some people only see things in black and white. Life isn't so difficult as that. There are many different angles to a problem, and each has a solution, though they may not be the best.

Camp Out in the Wilderness

Doesn't the wilderness give you such a calm, peaceful feeling? It seems to bring you closer to God, allowing you to see what is left of His beautiful creations. The mountains and rivers, I find, are especially grand, seeming to rise to the height of all His glory.
This week, I will take a trip to see this beauty of His in a campground in the mountains. The wild rapids and scolding blue jays are the lesser of two evils when it comes to choosing from them and from reckless drivers and crowded parking lots.
I praise the Creator for this uplifting opportunity to live in His peaceful creations for a week. I'm eager to relax and truly feel the splendor and awesome works of the Lord.

Book Reviews

The Edge On The Sword

I found "The Edge on the Sword" to be a very interesting book. Full of adventure and struggles, this story held my interest securely. The deeds in the book are most heroic and touching, and Rebecca Tingle has written an extraordinary book. I give this book by biggest thumbs-up attitude and thank her for placing some values in this tale.

Francis and Clare: Saints of Assisi

This book has provided me with some insight of the faith. Helen Walker Homan portrayed St. Francis and St. Clare as they should be, giving up everything to serve God. He is our guide, and this book has shown me that we must put aside the pleasures in life, take up our cross, and follow Him. Thank you so much, Helen Homan, for writing this astounding book. I was very pleased with what I read.

The Lost Island of Tamarind - Book Review

I found The Lost Island of Tamarind an exhilarating book with adventure, fear, and excitement all rolled into one. This thrilling book written by Nadia Aguiar keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. At the end of each chapter, you can't wait to find what twists are waiting in the next.

Thirteen year old Maya and her ten year old brother, Simon, sail to an island where few have been - but they are separated from their parents in the process and left in the care of their eight-month-old sister, Penny. The two make their way on foot through a jungle with carnivorous vines and jaguars until a boy, Helix, comes to their aid. But Helix isn't your typical boy. He knows every path of the Lesser Islands of Greater Tamarind. He has ice blue eyes and rumpled brown hair, dark as walnuts. Three sharks teeth glitter on his necklace, and he has a parrot named Seagrape. Will Maya be surprised to hear the true story of how he lost his left ear later on? Or will she be shocked to find out that her father has become an old man with ivory hair? If you love adventures and stories with meaning in them, read The Lost Islands of Tamarind.

Dustfinger Captions & Photos

Some Cool Captions

Photos that set you laughing...

One of my favorite quotes...

PET MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An Impressing Post

Check out this post: http://afocusinthewild.blogspot.com/2008/07/battle-scars.html

I found the content to be very impressive.

Earth Hour!

Do you care about saving energy? If you do, you should participate in Earth Hour! All you have to do is turn out your lights, computers and TV from 8:30 to 9:30 local time. If you still need light and want to have some fun, try eating dinner by candlelight, take a walk out under the stars, or play some card games by the fire with your family. Or perhaps you can even read to your family as you all snuggle on the coach together with a roaring fire as your light. Try it. You might find yourself become more relaxed and stress free using natural lighting.

Don't Leave Me

My heart breaks
Everytime you leave me!
So don't do it anymore!

I need your arms around me
To protect me.
I need your love to be my shield!

Say that you won't leave me
Ever again!
I need you so!

Show me that you love me
And that your love is true,
Cause I need you more than I can say!

Don't leave me!
Don't ever ever leave me!
Don't leave me. . .alone.

Once Or Never

This is your chance,

Take it, go ahead!

I need you to be strong,

Just do like I said.

My heart and colors go with you!

Don't stop now, go on!

Prove yourself to me and them,

Do it for me, or be gone.

My colors are your colors,

My heart is your heart,

Use your lance to fight him,

And use your wits to thwart.

My heart goes with you,

To the battle field.

Don't say goodbye yet,

Your fear will yield.

Dustfinger

Dustfinger

A broken heart,
And a broken soul.
Got to get a fresh start,
But where to go-oh?

Stay alongside me,
Don't let your dreams turn you down.
You yourself must be
The man you always were.

Let the fire in your heart shine around you,
Don't let go of life!
You must be brave, too,
And let others know you're there for them.

Not a broken heart,
No broken soul,
Don't even try to start,
There's nowhere else to go,
But home.

Storms Brewing

Rolling water,
Like a great black beast,
Clashes on the lonely ship,
Sailing east.

The sailors struggle,
Trying to secure the mast.
Then one of them calls,
"Land ho at last!"

Bravery and Fear

The shadows begin to dance. A black shape stretches forth from the dim nothingness. It awakens a fear which only it can. It fills you with cold terror and emptiness. Then suddenly flames begin to dance in front of your blurry eyes. They drive away the black terror and dancing shadows. They light your eyes and dance up your arms. Their warmth fills you and surrounds you like a blanket. Then they slip away before you can call them back, and the dark terror returns, filling you again with cold bleakness.

The feeling of real fear and true bravery.

A Mustang Story

A Mustang Story

Winds blowing across a frozen lake,
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Rain beating against rough sand,
Hoof beats sounding, seeming to sing.

Brown hooves and grey stone,
Clashing together.
Never to be caught,
Never a tether.

Mane all tangled and windblown,
Tail streaming out behind in a feathery banner.
Burrs in you coat, tickling your back,
Bucking in a crazy manner.

Sing to the wind,
Your sweet song.
Beautiful and loving,
Not too short, or too long.

Rain slowing down,
And stopping.
Clouds fly away, sun peaks out,
No more water, leaving you sopping.

Finish your song,
Bask in the sun.
Night falls upon you,
Day is done.

Night

Silent as an owl during day,
Dark as pitch,
As dawn approaches, turning grey,
Towing day along behind.

Never escaping the rays of the sun,
Cold as death's icy fingers.
Day is the mother, you are the son,
The stars are your sisters.

A Flower For Every Month

Roses bloom in January,
Daisies are for February,
Lilies are beautiful in March,
Violets open their petals in April,
And Bluebells ring during May.
Tulips blossom for June,
July's flower is Sweet Pea.
August clings to Daffodils,
While September's flower is Geraniums.
Morning Glories bloom in October,
And Alyssums blossom in November.
Lastly comes December with Zinnias.

Trouble With Words

For centuries, our world has grown on words. The minds of the greatest authors are proof of this. Civilization clings to words like glue to your finger. The most obvious point that I see is that we need words to survive. Without words, we would have no way to express our joys and sorrows. Words are emotions. They help us bring forth new feelings and ideas we never knew we had. They can impose upon us the need to use them. Words are a gift that everyone has within their grasp, and it is up to us to snatch them while the opportunity lasts.

The trouble with words as I see it, is chat. Our scientific minds have turned to cotton balls and yarn with this new "development". It breeds stupidity and lack of knowledge. With chat, words become crude and harsh under the fingers of their creators. A beautiful sentence such as this, "I have to leave now." can be shortened into a ugly strings of letters like this "G2G".

Are you a lover of literature? Do you lament the fact that the majority of civilization has gone down the tubes with chat? If you are, you can do something about this injustice to life. It is up to us lovers of literature to strengthen the words in our life. We can use them more and more to express ourselves. In this way, we can help the greater population of people to adopt words into their lives again, like a sickly plant stretches to the sun after weeks in the shadows.

Note: This article was inspired by the Words Matter Week.

"The Mysterious Benedict Society" Book Review

Are you ready to read about some mind-bending tests? Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance race the clock to discover the answers to these tests before their time runs out. But their reward is something very different than they expected. Their love of truth that they all share is something that twists the plot of this story into unimaginable problems that will keep the readers on the edge of their seats.

Dreamriver Valley Acres

Hello All,

Welcome to the Dreamriver Valley Acres blog post. I customize models with acrylic paints as well as soft pastels. Sometimes I collaborate with both types of mediums on a custom. So far, my bodies have been Breyer, Stone and Schleich. I started my herd many years ago and it hasn't stopped growing yet!

I am starting to do commissions, so check out the models I've already customized and also look at my prices. Enjoy yourself while looking at my site. Any problems or something you think you'd like to see? There's a contact page on this site, so don't worry.

Please check out my Live Show page to see my Eureka Live winnings. I'm so proud of them!

New things are being added to Dreamriver Valley Acres. Please check back often to see new and exciting things pop up on Dreamriver Valley Acres! Thank you for visiting us!

Regards,
~♥Dreamriver Valley Acres♥~

A Letter

Dear Readers,
Yesterday I went to the park. What a time I had! Feeding the ducks was so fun, especially when they nibble the ends of your fingers with their rubbery beaks. Have you ever felt duck down? To touch it is so soft! No wonder the mothers never break their eggs keeping them warm.
I find that going to the park is one of my favorite pastimes. You can always smell the daisies during springtime, especially after it has rained. And when the wind blows your hair back, creating loud ripples in the water, you can shut your eyes and pretend you’re sailing in a storm.
Yesterday it rained in the morning, so the grass was damp when I went to the park. The ducks seem to enjoy the rainy weather; I can’t imagine why. One of the mother ducks hatched her eggs while I was there. It is so funny to see them so young. They look like little dandelions floating in the pond.
After I fed them the last of the bread, it began to rain again. My umbrella was left at home, so I had to use the bread wrapper as a shield against the cold drops. Needless to say Mother was not happy when I came back home, sopping and muddy.
So as you can see, I had so much fun. I’m looking forwards to my next trip tomorrow. Mother wouldn’t let me go today, seeing as it was pouring this morning. She says that I’ll catch a chill in this weather, but I think she just doesn’t like me spending so much time with my duck friends.
Write back soon. I look forwards to hearing about your eventful days.
Warmly,
The Author

(Please note that this letter was constructed by me, using my imagination only. I did not actually do the things in this letter.)

Can You Guess?

I am warm, snugly, and I like to stay close to you.
My styles can vary, but my purpose is always the same.
I never have short sleeves, but always long.
Everybody loves me during the cold days of winter.
I am usually casual, but can be made dressier for special occasions.

What am I?

A Bunch Of Laughs

Random Profile Questions

Here are some random questions that my profile has given me. I hope you find some of them as witty as I do.

Question: Your people want to make a statue in your honor. What will it be made out of and what victory will it commemorate?
My Answer: I would have it made of marshmallows, and it would stand for my victory over carbohydrates.

Question: The first time you had your shoes taken off - how surprised were you to see that you still had toes?
My Answer: Very. At first I thought they were just big blisters.

Question: You've rented a sky-writer to propose to your significant other, but it's completely overcast. What will you do?
My Answer: Dye the sky-writer.

Question: The love potion you made tastes terrible. How will you drink it?
My Answer: Who said anything about me drinking it? I made it for the neighbor's watch dog.

Question: What spells can you cast with magic markers?
My Answer: I'd tell you if I hadn't erased my book of spells with the magic eraser that went with them.

Question: You've been entered in a shadow puppet contest. What's your best pose?
My Answer: I have stage fright and I have goosebumps, so my friend suggested I try a chicken.

Question: Why does the color blue mean raspberry-flavored?
My Answer: I've often wondered that myself...

Question: You're in the grocery store with a broken cart. How will you ever be that hungry?
My Answer: When I'm on a diet.

Question: You've got to make contact with the alien leader. How will you tell when the conversation is finished?
My Answer: When he hangs up on me.

A Scene For You

I am sitting on the computer writing this as I listen and blink. A car horn honks in the distance, and the muffled sound of a plane comes from overhead. My fingers flash across the keys, only pausing a moment to contemplate a new sentence. I can hear the clear chirping of birds, most likely the house sparrows who fly near here. I see the letters string across the screen, forming words, sentences with meaning. The sky is white with clouds smooth as peanut butter. My ears ring to the soft sound of chimes singing in the neighbor's yard. I sit quietly, thinking of what to say next.

Then with a sudden burst of energy my fingers alight on the keys typing this very sentence as though I was being followed and tracked. Then silence. Calm, quiet silence. The kind of silence that rings in your ears like a siren. A seagull lands on a street light not far from here. He keeps watch, quietly, calmly. The room is so quiet you can almost here the breeze talking. Then a car's alarm breaks the peaceful nothingness, and here I am, once more typing at the computer.

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

Have you ever wished to be popular by way of beauty? If the answer is yes, which it probably will be, then let me tell you what is wrong with this from my perspective. True beauty isn't how good you look on the outside. I don't care if you have blemishes all over your body, or a wart on your nose. It doesn't matter that your feet may be twice as big as other peoples' or your fingers fat and stubby. This doesn't count for whether you are beautiful or not. True beauty lies within yourself. Kindness, thoughtfulness, love, charity, hope, and faith are the real qualities of true beauty. The phrase "Beauty is only skin deep" is not true. The real phrase is this: Beauty lies within.

Why the Splat Blogger?

As many others who have viewed this blog, you might be wondering about the randomness of the title. Perhaps you have said to yourself, "How odd..." or maybe "The Splat Blogger?" In truth, I can hardly say that I can't agree with you. If I happened to step into your shoes, I would likely think the same thing. Or perhaps not. You can never tell really what you would do in a situation if you have not encountered it yet. But getting back on track, as I'm sure you might wonder what a Splat Blogger really is, in truth, I'm really not sure myself.