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.

Tomato Talk

We've arrived to the time of year that we have a wide variety of tomatoes. We have a new one this year that we've not seen before. It is called Green Zebra. In the tomato photos shown above we have many types of red tomatoes. We have small yellow ones called Yellow Pear Tomato. And the green ones are the Green Zebra Tomatoes. Their look and taste are very distinctive. After slicing this one for the photo, I was thinking how to use it. Before I came up with some creative idea I picked up a slice and ate it. Normally I don't eat a whole plate tomato slices while standing in the kitchen but it was so good, so juicy and so "flavorful". After I finished it all, it was almost like I'd eaten some exotic tropical fruit. There are "bazillions" of different types of tomatoes. Why stick with the regular tomatoes when there is an endless variety of tomatoes that most of us have never even seen before.

Sign, Sign Everywhere....

Sign, Sign everywhere a sign, blocking my vision, breaking my mind like the 70s song goes. In the past few days I've seen one too many signs while traveling and then having to read those awful eye chart/sign things. I have always dreaded taking a test that I know beforehand that I won't be able to pass. This freeway sign was blocking my view of it but it was a beautiful sunrise this morning. It's been fun but it's time to get back to the ranch. My hats off to those of you who are fighting the traffic at 6 a.m. in major metropolitian areas all across America. I hope that where you are that the sunrise will be equally beautiful for your morning commute. Late last night, after three days in the city I put into motion my plan of escape. The plan was to have everything ready to go well before 6 a.m. Instead of spending part of the day in the city I bolted at first light. Heading back the the ranch as the sun was rising, I contemplated the events of recent days. All in all, it went well. The one month post-op check up after my eye surgery went well. My doc seemed less than pleased that I am struggling a bit the the left eye. He wants me back in his office next month. He also seemed less than pleased that I opted to cut his prescribed dosis of eye drops in half. And you should have seen his face when I told him I planned on using those eye drops for our blind horse that has "issues" with her "good" eye. If steroid drops reduce inflammation in the eye, it only stands to reason that Gracie could benefit from it. I personally try to avoid all steroids if possible, so instead of 4 times a day I'm using it 2 times a day. I could write 10,000 word blog post on how life changing it has been to have undergone eye surgery after 47 years of struggling with my vision deficiencies. And since I was "forced" to leave the tranquility of the ranch to go to the appointment with my "less than pleased with me" eye doctor, I took advantage of the trip to the city to do some visiting. I had dinner with one of my step-daughters last night. Emails are nice, so are text messages and phone calls but they pale in comparision with a sit down, one on one, heart to heart, eyeball to eyeball conversation. We had a grand time. The food was good but the conversation was even better. I spent time relaxing at the pool with my "first and best of all time" roomate and her family. I had a great time, however I did feel a little bit wierd actually having "real" leisure time. The "no chores, no one needing to be taken care of, nothing needing to be fixed or cleaned territory is strange and unfamiliar to my current lifestyle. I spent time with some of my "long lost" nieces and nephews. What a delightful bunch of young people. It gives me hope for the future of our planet and civilization as we know it when I hear how clearly they see the current status of the world. Now, I'm headed back to the ranch and to My Honey and all of our animals. Can't wait to get there, but I made this pit stop at a library to post this blog. Have I ever mentioned the fact that I have library cards in three different states ? Not having a computer does make blogging more challenging, but then I'm always up for any good challenge. I guess if you've read more than one or two of my blog post then you already know that.

Happy Birthday To My Gramma

"My Gramma" is the youngest child in this family photo






Today, July 15th is My Gramma's birthday. Her name is Annie. She was born in 1912 and this would have been her 96th birthday. Although she died in 1981, she lives on through members of my family which keep her memory alive. My Gramma was a tall, strong and proud woman. She loved to sing and dance. In my memory, I can still hear her singing at church the song that my little sister and I called "Bringing in the Sheets". In her last years she traveled around to different places to "Square Dance". She was an awesome cook. To this day, whenever people mention her name they brag on her homemade "fried pies" and other delectable dishes that she made for so many years. I like to think that I inherited her cooking skills. I still use many of her recipes to recreate the dishes that we all still long for. However, my recreation of her fresh from the garden, cream corn still doesn't quite measure up to hers. She rode horses and went fishing. I wish I'd had the foresight to ask to keep her old "Side Saddle". She made beautiful quilts. She made homemade butter and canned every vegetable and fruit imaginable. She kept a scrapbook of memorabilia and wrote down everything. I like to think that I inherited that trait from her as well. She lives on through other family members also though memories and stories as well as their skills or talents. Gramma's great-grand daughter, Molly, inherited Gramma's build. Like Gramma, she is strong. Now at age 16, Molly uses the inherited talent to compete in arm wrestling tournaments, in which she does quite well. She's going to National Finals next month. I'm sure that pleases Gramma immensely.
Happy Birthday Gramma.....we miss you still !

Wanted: A Cricket Wrangler

WANTED: A Cricket Wrangler. Must be able to start work immediately. Skills must include speed, precision and agility. A hat, boots and spurs are not necessary but the qualified applicant must have their own very tiny rope to lasso them in a gentle manner. We wish to start the cricket relocation program as soon as possible. This job requires a professional cricket wrangler which treats the crickets with respect and understanding. The hours are long. The work is hard and the pay is minimal.

(Recently we've been experiencing a major invasion of "itsy", "bitsy", tiny baby crickets in our living room, every night about dark-time they start moving about and singing. After a long days work, I'm trying to rest and relax a bit, however I'm spending my "down time", up and down chasing and catching crickets to take them outside. As you might remember from my blog post 4-21-08, I don't like to kill anything and I really do take bugs outside to set them free) ha ! ha!

My New Recliner

This is my new recliner. Recently my old recliner finally gave out. My exercise chair has spent most of the winter folded up and stuck over in the corner of the room. I decided that I'd move the exercise chair to where my recliner used to sit. My thinking was that if it was set up and there waiting for me that I would be inclined to use it more often. I'm happy to report that the experiment has been a success. I've been exercising "my abs" every day and when I'm not using it, my exercise chair make a mighty fine "kitty hammock".

Harvest Time

It's already the time of year that we get to harvest fresh produce. Much of what we eat comes straight from the garden to the table. The blackberries are ripe. We are enjoying many different kinds of tomatoes. We have cucumbers, which you can see in the above photo. We use the old clothes line poles with strings to have the cucumbers hanging instead of the vines growing all over the ground. We are already enjoying yellow squash and two different kind of zucchini. Our salad garden is doing really well. We've planted over 15 different kinds of lettuce. Enjoying fresh produce is the pay off for all that "back breaking" work !

Chickaboom

Chickaboom was the baby bobcat that we had when I was a kid. We bottle raised her after she was orphaned by hunters that killed the mother bobcat. Chickaboom was a popular song in the 1970's for those of you that aren't old enough to remember the 1970's. She was an incredible creature. She was just one of the many animals we had back then. Chickaboom could whip any one of our "regular" cats and most of the dogs too.

Good Pioneer Stock

All of my life, I've been told that I came from good pioneer stock. These are my grandparents. Their names are Earnest and Annie. I call them Gramma & Pop. I could fill books with all the wonderful memories that I have of them. The bittersweet memories of happy years long since past which I can still see in my mind's eye. He's been gone for 31 years and she left this Earthly existence almost 27 years ago. At this age, now, I realize that I'll be missing them for the rest of my days but that their influence on my life continues to guide and comfort me daily throughout my journey.

Days With My Dad's Friend John

I spend many long, hot summer days with my Dad's friend John. We work together every year from March until November. He's always ready to work and never complains about the long work days. A few times he was too sick to work and I had to take him to the hospital, but only once or twice. More times than not it's me that is ready to "call it quits" for the day. I'm usually the one that is "too tired", "too hot" or "too hungry" to continue with the work load of the day. He's content to keep working only taking a quick break every now and then to "fuel up" and then get right back to work. Fortunately I never have to push or pull to get the job done. Since my Dad's friend John came to live in our garage, "our place" stays nice and neat. Without "him" the long, hot summer days would be even longer and hotter.
As you see in the above photo, my hat is hanging over the seat. When we first started gardening, I said that I wanted a straw hat like those that the fancy, rich ladies wear in the movies. I went shopping to buy the biggest, floppiest, cheapest, ugliest straw hat that I could find. I left the price tag on it in true "Minnie Pearl style". It does the job to protect me during the long hours of mowing while I spend the long, hot summer days with my Dad's friend John LX-178

Around Where I Live

- AROUND HERE WHERE I LIVE -

-There are DEER living "downtown" locked inside a chain link fence without access to the woods and the cover of the underbrush which they so desire

-People only give you the last four digits of a telephone number since all the phone numbers begin with the same three numbers

-The nearest town has only two signal lights and that town is a half-day's ride by horseback from here

-You are considered a foreigner if you don't have at least two generations of family members buried nearby

-The feed store is the place that the locals congregate to discuss the current status of the community, weather and political issues

-Forest, mountains, trees, rivers, creeks, and lakes outnumber people.

-Store keepers still let people "run a tab" and "settle up" at the end of the month and many still don't take credit cards

-Any reference made to "organic", "environmentally friendly" or "recycling" will get you labeled as "a tree hugger", "a health food nut", "a hippie type" or something even worse

-You can drive in any direction and be surrounded by the Great Creator's Natural Wonderland. Nearby you can go hiking, camping, swimming, fishing, boating, backpacking, mountain biking or any other outdoor activity you can name

-People still know who their neighbors are and do help each other in times of trouble

-You can travel only a few hours in any direction and be in one of the four neighboring states

-The forest are still inhabited by wild creatures of many types. Bear, bobcat, mountain lion, wolf and coyote still live wild and free in this area

-There is less violent crime than in urban areas. Murders are still rare compared to the murder rate in the city however most murder victims are killed by someone they know instead of by a stranger

-There are HORSES living in the woods like deer without access to pasture and grass which they so desire. Unlike the deer who can jump the barbwire fencing, the neglected horses are trapped and always get very skinny in the winter.

New Faces

These are the newest members of our family. Hey, life is good, in Gato - ville !

Happy Independence Day...You Stay Cool !

This is our Gate Keeper. For the past five years he has lived in the metal post at our front gate. Why a tree frog would want to be a "pipe frog" is beyond me. In the summer, when it gets really hot this little frog comes out of the pipe. When watering the plants in the yard, I spray a mist of cool water which seems to be greatly appreciated.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, YOU STAY COOL !


(this is the view down the metal pipe)

Boys And Their Toys

You've heard the expression about boys and their toys. Well, this is my Dad's new toy. I'm very happy for him. While others might disagree, I always encourage him to do whatever is important to him. For an entire lifetime he has worked hard and he deserves to be able to enjoy his golden years in whatever way he wants. I'm glad that he follows the same advice that he's always given me, "You do whatever you think that you are big enough to do....."

You, go DAD !