Sandra,
I too agree with Meredith. You have earned the $50.00 not a pair of clippers that you don't need.
Maggie

You mean I'm supposed to keep those goshawful gifts from blood relatives???? The day Dave and I were married on the farm, folks wanted us to open their gifts to us. I opened a card from a lovely elderly woman and she had cut off the bottom of the card where the former person had signed their name. Then, she signed her name on the back portion of the card that was in sight. I'm a bad person for my feelings written on my face and, before I could help myself, I felt my face drop in amazement. "OMIGOSH," said I, I am so sorry. I've been spelling your name wrong all this time. Please accept my apologies!" Dave leaned over and whispered in my ear, "nice save!"

Thanks Meredithbead, Maggie and Chatty for your good suggestions. What I'm going to do is donate the clippers to the Curly Horse Rescue, let them auction them off and we all are made whole. One lemon is making a pitcher of lemonade <g>.

YES! Thistle, I finally got to see the Hobby Farm Magazine with your article in it. What a wonderful life you lead. Interesting to learn that all of this is new to you. You sound like an old pro. Must be a passion because that's what happens when you finally find what makes you tick. I tall comes so naturally.

The picture was precious. I also saw where they printed your prize. I had to laugh because I recalled how you felt about it.

Congrats. I'm proud of you. Seems like the perfect article to publish your work. Have you submitted again?

I'm with you Meredithbead...really scary and totally weird! Just think...they probably had children <g>.

Similinize - because it was Roman rule it was Roman law and they could do what they wanted. Kinda like where I live now <evil grin>.

Thanks Dotsie - most of this learning has been OJT or by the seat of my pants. I've gotten to be an old pro at giving shots <vaccinations>, trimming feet, shoving de-wormer down throats, etc. Unfortunately, an old hand at burying old friends as well. Zeke, our old barn cat passed away last week. God alone knows how old she was, she was an old cat when she showed up here. It was sad really, she made it through a particularly nasty cold winter and died the first warm spell we had.

Chesapeake Family printed my article in their April issue. They gave me cover publicity as well...there's probably a correct name for that but I don't know what it is. A title for an inside story...what's that called?
They printed photos on the table of contents page and on the 2 full pages of article. They also gave me half one another page and 1/4 of another page. I'm excited and happy! It's a 40,000 print to upscale families in Annapolis, MD and surrounding areas <Safeway Grocery Store and places where children would go...Toys R Us, doctor's offices, etc.> And they paid me. I sound like a hick I know but it's my first cover. The Hobby Farms Magazine is a bigger, glossier magazine but the Chesapeake Family stuck to what they told me they would do in the first place. I'm a sucker for honesty.

Oops...sorry Dotsie...forgot to answer your question. Yes, I submitted yesterday to Christian Woman Magazine and am working on a series of articles for an industry specific magazine. My big project now is workig on a partnership/exchange program between rural citizens in the USA <southwest Virginia> and Russia, Komi Republic and Armenia. It's starting out with writing the curriculum for the program and then, possibly, going to one of the former USSR countries as a exchange volunteer.

That's fantastic about the Chesapeake cover

I'd keep a copy of each magazine intact, and get another copy to cut out your pages and laminate them.