Thanksgiving Day 1985

Friday, November 16, 2007 Thanksgiving Day 1985



(This is something that I wrote many years ago as an essay for a college admissions officer, when I applied and was accepted into a private university on an academic scholarship.)

Thanksgiving Day is a special time for love, togetherness and above all, it is a time to give thanks for the blessing bestowed upon our lives. Traditionally, that "fourth Thursday" in November places us around the dining room table at our favorite grandmother's house.
Do you remember where you were on Thanksgiving Day 1985 ??? I worked a sixteen hour shift on November 28, 1985. Separated by a thousand miles from my closest family member, my Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a sandwich and a semi-warm bottle of Coca-Cola. As a volunteer with the medical group PROYECTO HUASTECO "SONRISA ALEGRE", I had agreed to spend Thanksgiving week in Panuco, Veracruz, Mexico. Proyecto Huasteco provides plastic surgery to patients in Mexico to repair cleft lip and palate deformities.
The idea of showing love to your fellow man highlights the volunteer program. The Mexican people demonstrated an unlimited supply of love. Everyone in Panuco seemed to do their part to make the volunteer team welcome. Each morning the medical team volunteers were picked up in front of the hotel by volunteer taxi drivers. Arriving at the hospital, we were always met by the friendly "senoras" that cooked our meals. By 7:00 am the operating rooms were stocked and ready to begin surgery. My particular role in the project was translator, secretary and trouble-shooter.
Spending almost twenty-four hours a day with a group of strangers makes for quick friendships. Very few of the volunteers possessed bilingual language skills. It was not uncommon to observe volunteers "talking" to each other through a series of gestures along with pointing to a word in the dictionary. We worked together, ate our meals together and spent all of our free time together. We laughed and sang songs together. We exchanged gifts and mailing addresses.
Although Thanksgiving is not a Mexican holiday, the small town of Panuco, Veracruz had good reason to celebrate. At the end of the week, seventy-two patients were especially thankful for their gift of a new smile. The "graduation" ceremony marked a new beginning for these patients and a celebration of life and it's many blessings. Although there was no actual pay for the work done, we received much more than we gave. Money can not be compared with the warm smiles of the patients, the generous hugs and well wishes from the family members.
As I finished my Thanksgiving dinner, my thoughts turned to my hometown and my own family. I thought of how lucky we are to have our health, our family and a comfortable lifestyle. How very often we overlook the basics. At 10pm my visit to the children's ward found most of the patients asleep, holding in their arms new rag dolls and toy trucks. As I walked through the corridor, seeing the nurses making their rounds, I came to the conclusion that we should ALL be thankful to live in a world where people still care about strangers and the efforts of one person can touch the heart of another.

The Last Minute Lady

THE JUNGLE ROOM


My Honey has called me the last minute lady more than once over the years. I've often replied that I can still get more done than most do in the other 59 minutes of the hour. On Oct. 27th, we finally got all of our house plants and trees moved from outside to back in the house. Just in the nick of time, as we got a hard freeze that night. In past years they haven't done really well in the living room, the fireplace seems to take a toll on the trees and plants, so this year, we decided to turn our tiny guest room into the "jungle room". If we had waited one more day to move them it would have been too late to save them from ruin. With that in mind, supposedly being the last minute lady, this is one time that I didn't wait to the very last possible moment to take action. I voted (believe it or not) EARLY....fourteen whole days ago. I even voted before My Honey. I wanted to cast my ballot at the very first opportunity and get out of the way to see what the rest of the nation does. It is good to see that for the first time in many, many years that more people are being inspired to get involved whatever their preferences.

I Voted Early...

I voted early !

How about you ?

Choose or lose !!!!

To Drive Or Not To Drive

To Drive or not to drive....that is the question. Lately, I've answered that question by NOT DRIVING. Since My Honey drives out of state to work every week, he drives enough for the both of us. Round trip to work and back is over 600 miles per week. Since I don't "have to" drive, I've chosen not to drive. This explains why I haven't posted many blogs lately. I only allow myself to use the library's computer when and only when I "have to" drive into town for other reasons. I combine errands into one trip. Today my reason for driving is to go to the bank, grocery store, feed store and laundrymat. So here I am at the library. I wanted to post a blog about the "Chicken Tractor" that I've recently built. I was determined to build it with only the items that we already had at our place. This project has a two fold purpose. The idea of a "chicken tractor" is to allow the chickens to do the work of eating the grass in our unused garden beds instead of using a gas powered machine to clear back the unwanted overgrowth of grass and weeds. The second purpose is to give the older hens a new job since their egg-laying career is soon coming to an end. I took an old wood crate pallet and covered it with some chicken wire that was in the barn. I found a few srap pieces of wood and an old cabinet door with hinges to complete the top. It took a few nails and some staples that we already had on hand. The chicken tractor is portable. It can be easily moved with a two-wheel dolly which only requires a minimum amount of energy and absolutely no petroluem products. The chickens are happy to be able to feast on the green grass, scratch the ground for bugs and such and the wood cabinet door makes for a place for them to rest in the shade. That makes for a win-win situation for us all.

The Birthday Blues....

This is something I wrote last year as the date of my birthday approached. This year will be my 2nd birthday without my mom. She always called very early on every birthday morning of my adult life to sing "Happy Birthday To You". This year will be my 8th birthday without my step-daughter, which is an unresolved issue that could be best described as unbearable. Despite having the birthday blues, I am very thankful for being able to arrive to my 48th year, since several friends and family members never saw their 48th year of life. I am conscience of the fact of how lucky I am to have three of those original sixteen family members still with me: my Dad, my uncle Dale and my cousin Carol. I am very thankful for all family and friends that have in my life and for whatever the future holds in store for us all.


Happy Birthday to me.....

On Friday Oct. 12, 2007, I'll be 47 yrs.old and wanted to share some thoughts with all of you....

My 46th year has been a tough one.... starting in January 2007 when my mother died unexpectedly, then followed by five more deaths in the family within less than six months.

It occurred to me that at the very moment you are born, who you are is who you belong to, who your people are = your family....

At 1:44 a.m. on Oct.12, 1960, when I was born,
I had two great-grandmothers, one great-grandfather, two grandmothers, two grandfathers, one mother, one father, two uncles, two aunts and three first cousins.....By age 46, of those 16 people with whom I started out with in this world, only 3 are still living...thirteen members of my immediate family are gone forever.

When I was a teenager, all I wanted was to turn 18 years old and move away from my hometown and my family.... I've joked for years that I wanted to be born into a family like the The Waltons (TV show), instead I got a family like the Simpsons.

I realize, that no matter how difficult your family is, that they are still family.... and NO ONE is guaranteed another tomorrow no matter what your age is.

Honor those who are important to you, take time for them, don't leave anything left unsaid, live your life to the fullest, live each day as if it were your last, don't ever give up on your dreams and when we reach the end of the trail, may we all have as few regrets as possible !!!

(and to those younger than me,,,,take my word for it....time flies, its wasn't so very long ago that I thought that someone 47 years old was older than dirt, and now I'm going to be 47 yrs old and I now realize dirt is much older than I originally thought)

Stories of September's Past

It is now the middle of September, which is the time we look forward to each year to receive some relief from the hot dry weather. Around our place September means a number of things. My mom's birthday is in September. Several of my best friend's have birthdays in September and our wedding anniversary is in September. In recent years, September has brought us some unexpected llama problems. In September 2004, our "mama" llama Calamity Jane became ill and we took an unexpected trip to OSU (Oklahoma State University). First of all I must tell you that My Honey had always wanted a llama, so I got him one for his birthday. We found that Wild Bill Hickok was lonely and needed a companion. We got Calamity and a few months later we noticed that she spent a lot of time laying down. We were able to load her into the trailer and take her to the local vet. They drew her blood and said that she was extremely anemic. As a matter of a fact they said that her blood count was so low that it was amazing that she was still alive. They told us that if we "wanted" to try to save her that we should take her to OSU Vet Hospital in Stillwater, Oklahoma. We didn't even know where Stillwater was located. We found out that it was somewhere in the middle of the state, not so very far from Oklahoma City. They told us to take Wild Bill with us as well to keep Calamity calm. We loaded up and took off in a truck that had an electrical problem which meant that we did not have headlights. We arrived at OSU and were met in the parking lot by a medical team ready unload and care for Calamity. It was determined that she needed a blood transfusion. Their resident llama Samson provided the blood that was needed to save Calamity's life. We checked into a nearby hotel and received phone calls every four hours to update us on Calamity's condition. She spent a week at OSU and made a full recovery. I told everyone that if I become extremely ill take me to OSU Vet Hospital. I was so impressed with OSU. I'd worked for years in human hospitals, so I did have something to compare it with.

She & Wild Bill had their first born in February of 2006. Curly Earred Kate was named for Doc Holliday's girlfriend Big Nosed Kate. Their second born arrived in February 2007 and was named Josie for Wyatt Earp's wife. Kate was born on the coldest day of the February and nearly died of hypothermia. We took extension cords out to the barn and used a hair dryer to warm her up and get her on her feet to nurse. It was Calamity's first baby and she seemed at a loss of what to do, as were we. Once Kate warmed up and started to nurse, Calamity took over and raised a beautiful healthy baby girl. Josie was born on the warmest day of February and did not need any human assistance to get on her feet and start nursing. Kate was tiny and Josie was much larger at birth than Kate had been.
In September of 2007, Kate seemed to be lame. My Honey was bush-hogging and Katie didn't want to get up and move when he approached with the tractor. I was out of town, but by that evening My Honey said that she seemed to have problems in both back legs, not just in one, as he'd previously thought. In the back of my mind, I remembered something that I'd read about llamas being susceptible to a parasite which is carried by deer. Where we live we see deer grazing in the pasture almost daily. I spoke to the local vet and was told again, "IF" you want to try to save her, take her to OSU. Again, it meant another trip to Stillwater. This time we knew where to go. This time I traveled alone. This time I had a trailer tire blow out on the freeway and didn't have time to stop. There were still 3 good tires on the trailer, so I kept driving. Getting Katie to OSU as quickly as possible was my mission. At OSU, they determined that Kate's spinal fluid contained the menegial worm. This parasite carried by deer had invaded her system and caused the paralysis in both her rear legs. According to the books, often the end result of this parasite is the death of the llama. Kate's tongue was partially paralyzed by the parasite as well. She received donor spinal fluid and spent a week at OSU. During the process of handling the rest of the llamas to administer medications, My Honey ended up with four broken ribs which required a trip to a human hospital. The care he received was adequate but paled in comparison to OSU. A year later, Kate still has some issue with her tongue which doesn't function as well as it should but she is otherwise happy and healthy. From time to time we have to clean out her mouth because her cheeks get packed up with grass or hay. It makes her look like a hamster after a big meal. I still tell people that if I become very ill, please take me to OSU Vet Hospital. They provide medical care of such a high standard, that I know that I'd be in good hands if they'd only agree to treat me.

Zaiah

This is something I wrote in October 2003 about our Border Collie. I submitted it for a contest. I won first place for our region and received coupons for several bags of free dog food. Zaiah's 8th birthday was on July 9, 2008. He is so incredible that I say all the time, that if we humans had to live up to the same high standards that he has attained that none of us would be able to measure up to him.




This photo of Zaiah and Baby Zora was taken just minutes after she was born. Read my post "Bye Bye Billy" on June 3, 2008 for the details.






Oct.22, 2003
Zaiah should be the "Dog of the Year" because he is so unique. Zaiah's a "good-will ambassador", traveling extensively, no leash required. People are drawn to him. Strangers ask to meet him. At age three, he already knows more than 20 commands, in two languages. Whether he's leading a horseback trip, guarding baby ducks or playing Frisbee, Zaiah's incredibly focused. He's a bodyguard, a babysitter and referee, to be trusted with babies (human or animal). He rarely barks except to give warning of trouble. Zaiah hasn't saved lives, but only because the opportunity hasn't arisen yet. We are lucky to have him in our family.

My Maw

IN MEMORY OF MY MOTHER
B. 1935
D. 2007

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 WOULD HAVE BEEN HER 73rd BIRTHDAY


"MY MAW"

MY MAW WAS THE BIGGEST LITTLE WOMAN YOU EVER SAW
AT FIVE FOOT THREE, TALL IS ONE THING
THAT SHE WOULD NEVER BE...

SHE HAD A GOOD HEARTED DADDY, A WISE OLDER BROTHER
AND HER STRICT BUT VERY LOVING MOTHER...

BACK THEN WHEN SHE WAS SO VERY SMALL
SWEET AND BEAUTIFUL, SHE WAS FOR SURE
BOLD AND BRASH, NEVER EVEN SLIGHTLY DEMURE,
EVEN WHEN SHE WAS JUST LEARNING TO CRAWL...

BY HER BIG BROTHER A STORY WAS TOLD
OF A GIRL ABOUT THREE, RUNNING WILD AND FREE
OF ONCE, AFTER A FINGER HE LOST,
OF HER MISCHIEVOUS ATTACK
ONCE HE TURNED HIS BACK
HIT, LAUGH AND RUN FOR COVER AT ANY COST,
SNEAKING AND HIDING LIKE SHE THOUGHT
THAT SHE WAS A GHOST...

TREMENDOUS TODDLER TO AN "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" TEEN
ONLY A VERY FEW SHORT YEARS
OLD FOLKS SAID, SHE'LL BREAK A LOT OF HEARTS,
AND CAUSE THE SHREDDING OF MANY TEARS...

YEARBOOK OF '53 RECORDS LAKE HAMILTON SCHOOL FACTS
"DYNAMITE COMES IN SMALL PACKAGES",
BETTY JEAN W. IS THE LIVING PROOF OF THAT...

WHEN FINISHED WERE HER HIGH SCHOOL DAYS,
SHE MARCHED TO THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUMMER IN MANY WAYS
SHE WORKED HARD AND KNEW HOW TO PULL HER OWN WEIGHT,
ALL THE WHILE SHE PONDERED REALITY AND THE EXISTENCE OF FATE...

A WOMAN BEFORE HER TIME,
ALL THROUGH THE HISTORY BOOKS
SUCH WOMEN HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION
AND INEVITABLY A FEW STRANGE LOOKS
MANY WERE MOTHERS, BUT NONE QUITE LIKE MINE,
WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN TO YOU IN THIS RHYME...

SHE WAS AN ORIGINAL, ONE OF A KIND
IF YOU THOUGHT SHE WAS SIMPLE,
YOU OBVIOUSLY HAD NO CLUE,
TO THE WORKING OF HER MIND...

LUCKY IN LOVE, SHE WAS NOT,
EVERYTHING SHE THOUGHT SHE NEVER WANTED
IS EXACTLY WHAT SHE GOT...

SHE DID THE BEST THAT SHE COULD,
WITH WHAT SHE HAD AND WHAT SHE KNEW
SHE CHOSE A PATH THAT WAS NOT EASY,
AND IF SHE HAD NOT,
THEN NOW,
I WOULD NOT BE ME...

PRACTICAL ALWAYS, COME WHAT MAY COME,
SHE WAS SURE TO REMEMBER THE TRUE MEANING OF FUN,
QUICK WITTED AND QUITE SASSY TOO,
ARGUE WITH HER AND SHE'D TELL YOU
EXACTLY WHAT TO DO...

STANDING UP FOR WHAT SHE BELIEVES TO BE RIGHT
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, WOULD GET HER INTO A FIGHT
IT WASN'T IN HER NATURE, TO TURN TAIL AND RUN,
SHE STOOD HER GROUND,
AND WHEN SHE DEEMED IT NECESSARY,
WITH A SHOTGUN...

SHE WAS TOLD BY MANY OVER THE YEARS,
THAT EVENTUALLY,
HER MOUTH WOULD OVERLOAD HER ASS
AS FAR AS I KNOW, DESPITE THEIR FEARS,
THAT IT NEVER DID COME TO PASS...

IF YOU WERE FRIEND OR FOE
SHE WOULD BE QUICK TO LET YOU KNOW
IF SHE WAS AGAINST YOU,
NOT A SECRET WAS IT KEPT
SHE'D STATE IT LOUD AND CLEAR,
FOR ALL THE WORLD TO HEAR
NOT CARING IF THEY LAUGHED OR IF THEY WEPT
IF SHE WAS ON YOUR SIDE
YOU HAD A LOYAL SUPPORTER,
IN WHICH TO CONFIDE
AND YOU COULD COUNT ON HER
STAYING PUT TIL THE END OF THE RIDE...

ALL MY LIFE, I WAS TOLD,
FROM GOOD PIONEER STOCK I COME,
TO HONOR THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE,
BY DOING WHATEVER HAS TO BE DONE
IN THIS WAY, ME, IN THEIR HEARTS
THE ANCESTORS WILL FOREVER HOLD...

NOW...SHE LEFT TO BE WITH THEM
NO-ONE MORE SURPRISED THAN I
THOUGHT SHE'D GIVE US MORE TIME,
SOME WARNING, SOME HINT,
MAYBE SHE DID, IN HER OWN WAY
WISH SHE COULD HAVE FOUND A WAY TO STAY...

LIKE HER, NEVER, NEVER WILL THERE BE ANOTHER,
LIKE MY MOTHER
WHETHER SHE WAS YOUR SISTER, AUNT, COUSIN OR FRIEND
IF YOU MET HER ONCE, YOU WILL NOT FORGET BETTY JEAN
THAT IS HER PROMISE, AND SHE KEPT IT UNTIL THE END...
SEVENTY YEARS OF ORIGINALITY
DON'T BELIEVE ME,
JUST ASK HER BIG BROTHER !!!!

From Here to the Pavement

From our place, it is a half mile to the pavement. That is where our closest neighbor resides and where our mail box is located. Our place is surrounded by something like 17,000 acres of government land. Local ranchers have grazing leases on the government land and their cattle call that land home. The easement road which is our driveway is a favorite hangout for the cows. Often we have to "ease" our way through the cattle just to go check the mail. Most of the time they are reluctant to move out of the way. That gives a new defination to the phrase "traffic jam".

CowGirls Rule

I knew how to ride a horse before I learned to walk. Coming from a long line of pioneers, cowboys and country people I was born and raised as a cowgirl. When you are young you think that your lifestyle will remain the same. As you grow up and move around the country you find that where ever you go you take "the real you" with you but fortunately are able to adapt the the circumstances. For the years I lived the city lifestyle without horses I found out that I was never able to get them out of my system. One of these days I plan on visiting the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas. As I've said before "Cowgirls Rule" !!!!

Morning Glory

What a difference a week makes. Our weather has drastically changed. The blistering heat has finally subsided. After a number of thunder storms, high wind, several inches of rain and a tad bit of hail, this morning I awoke to a foggy 67 degree morning with bright sunshine. What a glorious morning in the countryside.

Dog Days of Summer

The "Dog Days of Summer" are upon us. Around our place this means a number of things. We've endured a number of 100 plus degree days as well as a drought. We have been fortunate to receive some relief from it all. We had six days of stormy weather in which we received over six inches of rain and enjoyed well below average temperatures. A break in the weather vastly improved our situation. We were able to get another round of bush-hogging done at the exact right time. Now instead of looking all brown and burned up, our pastures are nice and green. Our orchard and vegetable garden have also been revived by the change of weather. For the record on the steamy hot summer days our canines spend their days napping in front of a fan in the well air-conditioned living room.

A Beautiful Life

My cousin's wedding was an awesome event. In this photo the newlyweds are about to enter the reception area at the inn to greet their wedding guests. I wanted to document their first steps as a newlywed couple ready to face the world together. As they enter the reception their happiness surrounds them like a bright glowing light which radiates out to everyone in the general vicinity. A full year of planning and countless daydreams of a young woman's idea of a perfect wedding day culminated into just that, a precious golden moment frozen in time. I was thrilled to be able to be there to share in the joy of their golden moment. Since she was born, almost twenty-four years ago, there has been only one word to accurately describe her = precious. She is absolutely precious. The groom was tall, dark and handsome. They are both smart, sweet and funny. What a couple, what a wedding and what a perfect day from start to finish. I am so happy for them. I'm posting the wording of the card I gave them for their wedding. Good advise deserves to be repeated !!!!

HOW TO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE TOGETHER
REFLECTIONS OF MARRIAGE FOR THE BRIDE AND GROOM

Let your love be your shelter.
The world is noisy
and confusing at times,
so make a home
that is a haven,
a peaceful place where you can
listen to your hearts and savor
the comfortable closeness
you share.

No matter how busy
your days may be,
make time for yourselves.
Hold hands. Unwind.
Surprise each other.
Find little chances every day
to show you're grateful to be partners,
to be friends, to be married.

Life is not perfect.
You will make mistakes
but each time
you meet life's challenges together,
you will grow wiser, stronger
and surer of your love.

Cherish your yesterdays.
They are irreplaceable souvenirs
of your journey through life.
Make memories
that will bring smiles and sighs
whenever you look back.
(Look back often! )

Look forward, too.
Dream together. Plan together.
Make promises to keep.
Believe in your tomorrows,
because tomorrows
are what forever is made of.

To make love last,
put each other first.
That is the way to make a
beautiful life together,
the kind of life
you both deserve so much.

CONGRATULATIONS

Long Hard Road

It's been a long hard road since my blog post, "Where The Trees Know My Name" of June 22, 2008 about the burglary of the cabin. It seems that I've been somewhat of in a "tizz" since then. The family emergency regarding my brother in-law's July 25th head injury has kept us in chronic crisis overload. By the way, he continues to improve daily much to our delight. He definitely has a very long hard road to travel to recover from such a serious injury. We have faith and he has us, therefore it will all work out. This is to explain why my blog posts have been few in number recently as well as being the disclaimer of any responsibility for anything I say that doesn't at first appear to make any sense. On the bright side I'm in route to the ranch after a road trip to South Texas for my precious cousin's wedding. It was an awesome event. Everything was just perfect for their very special day. I am totally thrilled to have been able to be there and to share in the joy of their golden moment. This leads me to the fact that in the past six days I've driven mostly solo for over 2,100 miles. So as you see, tired does not begin to describe my current condition. I just had to stop at a library to post something today. As I've mentioned before, I have a library card in three different states !

I hadn't see the ocean in twelve long years, so when I arrived to the southern most part of Texas, I made a B-line straight for the coast. The sea has been calling my name for quite some years. But much to my dismay I hadn't been able to answer up until now. My cousins had a bed & breakfast inn for the weekend for the special occasion. What a gorgeous place it was to stay. I however opted to go pitch my tent near the beach on South Padre Island. It was only 20 minutes from the Inn which allowed me to commune with nature and still be around for the wedding hustle and bustle. I not only wanted to camp out near the beach, I absolutely needed to camp out near the beach. The full moon gave that magical "glimmerly" look to the water that night. The sea birds talked and chattered all night. The sound of boats both large and small off in the distance lulled me to sleep. I spent time with the sand between my toes and the ocean breeze in my hair. Photographing the sunrise, watching sea gulls and not just listening but actually hearing the rhythm of the waves I felt refreshed in a way that nothing else would have been able to achieve. I gave thanks to the four directions, east, west, north and south for everything and everyone in my life. No matter what the circumstances in which I find myself, I am ALWAYS conscience of how fortunate I have always been compared to two-thirds of the human beings on the planet. I really do understand that the road could be much much longer and much much harder so I never fail to count my blessings.

LIVE
BELIEVE
HOPE
SHARE
LAUGH
REMEMBER
LEARN
APPRECIATE
LOVE
ENJOY
RESPECT
GIVE
ALL
THE DAYS
OF YOUR
LIFE !!!!

Let It Rain....

After six weeks of hot dry weather, it is finally raining !!!! Around our place this is reason to celebrate. The animals are so relieved to spend the day relaxing in 70 degree weather. The fruit orchard and vegetable garden must sigh in relief. The rapidly dewindling water level in the pond is leveling off again. Last but not least, we are thrilled that the Great Creator has chosen to bless us with this heavy dose of liquid sunshine!

Our Old Pink Barn

This is the west side of our barn. When we moved here five years ago the whole thing was just about to collapse. It is so much work to turn an old cattle barn into a ten stall horse barn but we are still working on it. We now have five horse stalls on each side. When we completed the stalls we were so proud. We were telling people about it in a fashion that would surprise most folks. We were proud like we were saying that we had a 10 bedroom house instead of a 10 stall barn. I call it our old pink barn because the red paint has long since faded. One of the locals told me that back in the day, when he was a very little boy, that our barn was the biggest, newest, nicest barn in the area. The man that told me that is a senior citizen now, so I guess that makes our barn at least 60 or 70 years old.

Glory.....Glory.... Hallelujah

Glory Glory Hallelujah. After our family being in crisis mode for the entire week, today for the first time we are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My brother-in-law, who is like a "real brother" to me, has been a patient in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in a major metropolitan area since last Friday. Today he reached out for his son's hand and I haven't been able to wipe the smile off of my face since that moment. This is the first really good sign we have had that he has begun his journey on the road to recovery. Whatever your religious preferences, where ever you are on the planet, please take a moment to say a extra little prayer for Rick.

A Leap Of Faith

One has to have a certain amount of faith to be a gardener. I'm not referring to the job title of gardener, I mean to grow your own food. You must believe that the moon will rise and that the sun will set again like it has in the past. You must at least have faith that the "World As We Know It" will continue to turn. Weather plays a bit part in the whole gardening experience. A late snowfall or a early frost can squish your plans like the very bugs that torment the plants that you work so hard to grow. Anyone that has grown their own food before knows that too much rain, at the wrong time, or not enough rain, at the right time, will directly impact the end result of your gardening plans. But when you get down to the last step, that leaves you with another test of faith. Now that the tomatoes are planted, watered, weeded, tended to in a number of ways, vined ripened and picked then comes the next step. Now they must be preserved for yet another day in the future. Like I said, you must have a certain amount of faith to be a gardener because, providing you are still around on that future date, on the cold, wet, winter day when those tomatoes become a bone-warming bowl of comfort food, then and only then will you know that the soup or stew they provided was worth every spoonful.

Travels Of Gypsyheart Lady (6)

This was one of those days that the sunset was so magnificient that it made you wish that it could last forever. It was somewhat near Acapulco, Mexico at a place called Pie de la Cuesta. A friend's aunt had a seafood place right off the beach. We dined on fresh fish and enjoyed the Great Creator's Masterpiece of light and color. There were people horseback riding along the beach. That is one of the things on "My Bucket List". But I want to ride one of my own horses, not one of the old, tired and skinny horses that they rent to tourist. Who knows, when, where or how, but someday I do plan on scratching that event off my list.

Early Morning Chores

With the heat of the summer being so intense, I try to get out to water our garden very, very early in the morning. The morning light gives such a beautiful look to everything. You can see the water droplets on the roses, the pollen on the hibiscus tree flowers and the rays from the sun on the little red elephant ears.

Travels of Gypsyheart Lady (5)

This photo was taken at La Quebrada in Acapulco, Mexico. Since it was Christmas time they had decorated with Christmas lights. It was an impressive demostration watching the diver's perform at night. The diver has a lit torch in each hand as he dives off the incredibly tall cliff into the sea below. Believe me, the photo does not do it justice.

Travels Of Gypsyheart Lady (4)

This is a blast from the past. Parasailing in Acapulco on Christmas Eve many years ago. It was soooo much fun. I remember thinking that it would have been even more fun to be able to remove the parachute and jump into the ocean (a new version of sky diving without a airplane). I've been told that I have more guts than brains..... oh, so true.

Chill Out

From the archives:

The way we used to chill out back in the "old days" back when D. was a seven year old and we lived on five acres without trees. How things change over the years !

A Hawk Tale

This is one of those stories that when you are telling it, you can already feel that no one believes you. At the time that I took this photo, I remember thinking that I'd better document this for My Honey. He seems to always miss out on a lot of what goes on at the ranch by working out of state. One day back in the spring, while minding my own business, I had a run in with a hawk. He or she (not sure, which) was not a full grown hawk. He/she was not a baby hawk. He/she was a teenager hawk, which would probably explain how we crossed paths. Our birds live in the guest room. We have a cockatiel and a parakeet. I'd been in the guest room to feed the birds and to raise the mini blind to let them enjoy the warm spring sunshine. A short time later I heard a loud noise which was followed by the sound of flapping wings. When I entered the guest room, our cockatiel had left her perch and was flying wildly around the room. Something spooked her and she continued to be very panicky. I wondered what had caused her odd behavior and why she continued to shriek so loudly. As I returned her to the perch, I glanced out the window and saw the reason that Eve was so upset. There was a "dead" hawk on the front steps. He (we'll assume that it was a boy hawk, lol) had swooped down and had flown into the window in an attempt to have our birds for his lunch. His lifeless body lay there on the steps. I assume that the impact broke his neck and was surprised that the window pane hadn't broken as well. I was on my way to the barn to do the morning chores and didn't want the cats to get ahold of him. So, I reached down to pick up the hawk and received a cut on my finger from the razor sharp talons. I put the hawk in an extra birdcage while thinking that maybe we should bury him in our cemetary with the rest of our animals that have since crossed over the rainbow bridge. When I came back from the barn, the "dead" hawk's eyes were now open and it's wings were spread out but yet it showed no signs of life. As I went on with my day of working outside, I tried to explain why a dead hawk's eyes would open or it's wings would spread out like that. About three hours after the impact with the window, the "dead" hawk came back to life. I was surprised to see him sitting in the cage looking around as if to ask "how in the heck did I end up in here?". I put water in the cage and watched and waited to see if he'd made a complete recovery. That afternoon I put on some big leather gloves, since I'd already seen the damage that his talons could cause on human skin, and I took the hawk out of the cage and held him up as high as I could reach. I spoke to him and told him that to remember me when he was soaring through the sky over our ranch. I told the hawk to live a long and happy life of freedom and with one upward movement of my arm (like in the movies), he was airborn and again soaring above the tree tops in the west pasture. I told him that not to bother going back to tell the story to the rest of the hawks, because no one would believe him. Knowning that I had photographed him, I still wondered how many people would believe my version of the events of that morning.

Let Us....

Let us enjoy the twenty different types of lettuce and salad stuff that we are growing. Our chickens, ducks and geese as well as the rabbit are all glad that we grow so much lettuce.

Travels Of Gypsyheart Lady (3)

After hiking nine hours across the floor of the Grand Canyon, I realized that this was the path that lead to where I was going. From a distance, it looked nearly impossible to hike. The trail was narrow and steep which lead to the camp site and the only water source for miles and miles. There was no turning back now. After many, mamy switchbacks I arrive to find the most lovely stand of cottonwood trees near a clear, freeflowing stream. It was an oasis by anyone's standards. There I camped and fell asleep listening sound of the water.

Salsa Anyone?

Salsa Anyone? If you've read my blog post 100 Random Things, then you know that I was not referring to dancing, lol. The top photo is the Green Zebra Salsa. The middle photo is a red salsa made from a variety of our red tomatoes such as Jet Star, Early Girl, Celebrity, Roma and Beefsteak Tomatoes. The bottom photo is salsa made from the little bitty Yellow Pear Tomatoes. As I learned from an elderly "senora" in Mexico, the secret to salsa is to roast the tomatoes and chile peppers on the "comal" (griddle) on low heat until they are roasted and somewhat charred. My Honey and I did our own taste test and we decided that the Green Zebra Salsa came in first place with the Yellow Pear Salsa as second. As I've said before, to me, cooking is like life, just one big experiment.

Nice & Green

Everything is nice and green around our place. Good soil, hot sun and us watering everything morning and night has made everything grow. Here are the morning glories that grow on the trellis My Honey made for them. The Elephant Ears are special to me because we brought one small piece from my Dad's farm back in 2003. I said that I wanted them planted by the root cellar so that I could see them from the kitchen window while I wash dishes. Now that they are well established, I think I'll start a new bunch in another location.

Travels Of Gypsyheart Lady ( 2 )

Sometimes while traveling you can stumble across a place that will impact your view of the world. This was one of those places. I've heard that if you keep driving that eventually you will see everything. I know that is not true. Sometimes you have to get out of your vehicle and start walking. During a backpacking trip I spent two nights camped near these waterfalls. From the hilltop parking lot where civilization as you know it must be left behind to the village was approximately nine miles. The only way to get there is hiking or by horseback. In the village there was a shiny helicopter ready to fly in case of any serious emergency situation. There was a little store/restaurant. There was an elementary school and a church. After hiking quite some distance past the village you find the turquoise blue green water hidden from mainstream society. Thank goodness that has remained so hidden. I fear that it would have not been able to survive the modern world of progress. If you have been there, I'm sure that you'll never forget it. If you are going there, enjoy it as another place from another time. Leave nothing behind except your footprints. And please don't tell another soul the location of the people of the blue-green water. If you do, when you want to return someday, you'll find it has turned into a parking lot connected to a overcrowded luxury tourist trap.

Welcome Home

The Great Craator gave me a welcome home gift. What an awesome gift for my first night home to be "somewhat" cool and crisp. My first morning home was a foggy one. I've always loved to take photos in the fog. The light has such a magical quality about it. Here are some of the images I captured after I woke up from my nap. I had spent three days in the city, I arrived home exhausted. Fortunately My Honey was taking care of everything at the ranch because I was "zombie-fied". After a 14 hour nap, I'm feeling as good as new.