Gypsyheart Lady

In Our Garden of Eden

2010-06-13T00:01:00.009-05:00

Sights from our own Garden of Eden....

What Happened In....

2010-06-12T16:15:00.015-05:00

What happened in the past four months since I wrote the blog post "I Joined The 21st Century Yesterday on February 18, 2010 ? Believe it or not, a number of things did happen other than the fact that I became overly absorbed by Facebook . Here is my update:

It was an extra cold winter. It was an extra long winter. At the worst point, it was only 4 degrees here. Our ponds were frozen solid (6 inches of ice). We would bust the ice with a sledge hammer for the horses and in a short period of time it was refrozen. The water faucet near the barn froze up and at the worst point we were filling up five gallon buckets in the bath tub and loading them in the four-wheeler trailer and hauling water to the main barnyard, goat pen, chicken pen as well as to the blind horse habitat. Needless to say, winter is NOT our favorite time of year !

My Niece & Nephew made a short and unexpected trip to visit us here at the ranch. They brought along their precious 2 year old daughter. The weather was pretty good considering it was early March.

We all had so much fun !!!!

Another Niece & Nephew with their four kids came to spend a weekend with us during Spring Break. We expected fairly warm weather and planned to camp out but the weather turned cold so we camped in but did go up on our mountain ridge to our camp site and start a campfire. We hauled 3 of the kids in the 4-wheeler trailer, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to a windy day they were able to fly the cool kite that they brought with them. We drank hot chocolate, roasted marshmallows, sang, laughed and told funny stories. A great time was had by all !

In March "some sorry excuse for a human being" dumped a very pregnant Momma Cat at our barn. We set up a large pet porter in the house for her on a Tuesday and on Thursday she had five kittens. Two days after they were born we had the worst snow storm that we have had during the 7 years that we have lived here. At 8 weeks of age my Brother-In-Law adopted 2 of them. We took the Momma to the vet to be spayed after the kittens were weaned. Now the Momma Cat and 3 of her kittens have become the newest members of our very large but very happy family.

We had an unexpected and unwelcome snow fall. Better yet, let's call it a blizzard, because in this part of country on March 2Oth it is time to be working in the garden not to be shoveling 12+ inches of snow so that you can open the back door. On March 10th and on March 15th, two of my little cousins celebrated their very 1st birthday. They are on opposite sides of my family and are both the first born of the NEWEST generation of our families. Happy Birthday Baby J.R. and Baby J.W.

I took a road trip to the city and spent Easter Weekend with several of my Nieces and Nephews. I enjoyed two separate Easter Egg Hunts and a cook out at the lake. Very Fun !!!! April 4th of was one of my Niece's 18th birthday and April 5th was one of my other Niece's 22nd birthday..... April 10th was one of my Nephew's birthday, he turned 21 years old....April 16th was another one of my Nephew's birthday, he turned 25 years old.....April 27th was another Niece's birthday, she turned 20 years old. April is a Happy...Happy...Happy Birthday Month !!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Brother-In-Law was approved for SS/Disability in April. He received a near fatal traumatic brain injury in 2008. His recovery has been LONG hard road. He continues to do better with each passing day, for which we thank the Good Lord. As a celebration he and I went to the mountain top tower and enjoyed a day of "playing tourist" ! We went to the top of the tower and took lots of photos and he got his very first good look, actually a bird's eye view of the area he now calls home.

I went to my Niece's College Choir Concert in May. The timing was perfect for me to attend since she had no idea but that night she was presented with a special award. So proud of her and so happy for her. She just turned 21 years old in Feb. 2010.

I reunited with a long lost friend. It had been 17 years since we lost track of each other. I went out to dinner with her and her family in early May. She has a great husband and two awesome sons. I made friends with the three year old by offering him the cherry off the top of the fried ice cream I ordered for dessert.

I went to watch my 18 year old Niece walk across the stage as she received her high school diploma. Her school colors are black and gold, so she dyed her hair black and gold. She made sure to ask me to let her know if we could see her her hair color from from our seats the auditorium... Yes, we sure did !

Good job M. and Congratulations to YOU !!!!

MyHoney celebrated his birthday in May. His sister and his grown daughter made their very first visit to the ranch. He gave them the grand tour on the 4-wheeler. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely. And on June 9th, 2010, my stepdaughter D. turned 18 years old......She is ALL grown up now !!!!

May all of her dreams come true....

So you get the idea...just because I hadn't posted anything on my blog, doesn't mean that there was nothing to blog about around here. So much to do...........................so little time !!!!

Just Blame It On FaceBook !!!!

2010-06-06T14:47:00.007-05:00

Okay, I must admit that I've been a bit distracted lately. Yes, there has been a lot going on around here since my last blog post in February. But I must confess that now that I have a computer I have no reasonable excuse for neglecting my blog. My excuse is not reasonable but it may be considered understandable. My excuse is that I have become totally absorbed by Face Book. So, I've decided whenever you need an excuse for something, for anything at all...............from now on...................... JUST BLAME IT ON FACE BOOK !!!!

It's not like my Face Book account is new or anything, I've had it for a couple of years now. My cousin talked me into setting up a Face Book account so that I could view her photos. I would check it every now and then whenever I was checking my email at the public library but I had no idea of what I was missing out on. I had a few people on my friends list but not many. Now, I check it every single day and I have 112 friends. All 112 people on my list are people I actually know or at least used to know. When MyHoney joined FB and was adding people to his friend's list from school, I thought "those are people you haven't seen or talked to in 30 plus years". Now I've added people all the way back to first grade (1967-1968). It has been fun.

Face Book is an amazing thing. It's almost like a magic trick. You can see it with your own eyes but still have no idea of how it works. You just know that it does work. It also amazes me how little we have all changed. Personality wise we are still pretty much the same people as we were in first grade, maybe just a better version of ourselves. What I liked about a certain person back then is STILL what I like about them now, thirty-plus years later. The thing about friends from that long ago is they knew us way back when. They saw us go through those awkward stages, saw us with braces on our teeth, our first really bad haircut or the goofy clothes that we thought were cool back then. They knew our parents and/or our brothers and sisters. They rode the same school bus with us and some of them came to spend the night at our houses and spent most of the night, laughing and giggling during our slumber parties. Some of them remember our mom's special pot-roast and the names of our horses or the fact that we had a pet monkey. What people remember from so many years ago, is like a surprise package that you open and delight in how much of a surprise it is.

Having a teenage stepdaughter, I pay a lot of attention to what goes on with teenagers these days. On some points, I am amazed on some points I am shocked. But each generation has their own time, their own way, their own style. I am often overwhelmed by the amount of information they are willing to share and especially how personal in nature some of that information is. I've asked myself "what would it have been like to have been a teenager during the "Internet Era" ???? I remember passing notes in class to tell someone something really important and if the content of that note had been revealed it would have been devastating to say the least. Keeping secrets was the real test of how good of a friend you were. If you failed to keep a friend's secret you were labeled as permanently ineligible for best friend status.
(Not qualifying as BFF, not even BF-FAW = best friend for a week, much less
FOREVER )

I remember, as a teenager,being very secretive and NOT wanting others to know what I was up to and where I was going, what I was doing or with whom....now days, it seems like everyone knows everything and no detail is too personal to be shared. Ayyy, the times have changed but human nature does not. This leads me to believe that there is more to this "sharing" thing than meets the eye. I continue to analyze, research and study "teenager" issues and when I can't figure out something I turn to the "experts" - other teenagers outside of our household. I've told them if I am brave enough to ask the question then they can be brave enough to answer the question, also adding that if there is anything that they feel uncomfortable with answering, that we can just skip it, no problem.

Another aspect of this Face Book thing, I considered how that if they had FB in the 1950's that MY MOM WOULD HAVE BEEN THE QUEEN OF FACE BOOK. My Mom would have loved FB. She knew everyone. She went everywhere. She was a social butterfly. She was networking before networking was invented. If anyone needed to know what was going on....all they had to do is ask. She knew what everyone was up to at all times. She was one of those 1950's era teenagers that kept a black & white scrapbook of her and her friend's hanging out in town at McClard's and Cooks Ice Cream. She had many photographs of them swimming at Camp Charleston, in their "way-to-cool" - "old-timey" swimsuits and cruising Central Avenue in those (now) "vintage" automobiles often with those fin-type fenders,since many of them were convertibles they went riding around with the top down. They were the collective definition of "cool" teenagers. When I was a kid, I thought of her era as being just like the movie "American Graffiti". It seemed so clean-cut, simple and safe compared to being a teenager in the 1970's.

Now compare that to my stepdaughter's teenage era with Internet Access, Cell Phones, Text Messages, Emails, Instant Messages, I-Phones, Picture Phones, YouTube, My Space and dear ole Face Book....like having a magic wand...poof....with one click and you are connected !!

Shall I dare ask what modern technology will add as a new dimension by time my stepdaughter's children are teenagers ????

As the old advertising campaign slogan goes: "It's a mind-boggling thing" !!!!

I Joined The 21st Century Yesterday

2010-02-18T09:41:00.002-06:00

I joined the 21st Century yesterday. I got my very own real computer. For the past four years I have gained access to the Internet via the computer at the public library, which required driving fifteen miles. Two years ago, I started this blog. To blog without a computer takes some creativity to say the least. I have a library card in three states, which enabled me to be able to blog while traveling.

I was one of "those people" which wanted absolutely nothing to do with this modern technology. I was one of "those people" that hoped that this "computer-thing" would be nothing more than a passing fad, which would fall to the wayside with the passage of time.

When I was setting up a home office for the roofing company that I was working for in 1995, I got a computer, the Windows 95 version. It was the top of the at the time. After a friend helped me set it up. I began to explore this extremely unknown high tech apparatus and it did not take long to become frustrated. At the time I said " I know why they call it Windows 95 - cuz it was so frustrating that I wanted to go to the 95th floor of some building and throw it out the window". I'd never really felt lost, in my life, other than scuba diving in water so murky that you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face and couldn't tell the difference from up and down. Wading around in the depths of my first computer experience, I felt lost, as if I'd been beamed up by aliens and taken to some far away planet in some distant galaxy. I learned to be "computerrrrrized" on my own, through trial and error... mostly error. But over time, I proceeded to "take care of business" with software for accounting, office documents and payroll but was not connected to the Internet. I added some educational programs for my little nieces and nephews to play with when they visited. Later I added some programs for genealogy, recipes and maps but still never went online.

Four years ago when my stepdaughter, D. got her very own real email address, I told her I would find a way to answer her emails. I went to the library and asked the librarian to help me obtain an email address and teach me how to use it. Four years later I now have three email addresses, two Facebook accounts, two MySpace accounts, two blogs and a Twitter account. All these "extra" accounts are my secret anonymous alter-ego which were created to further a mission I am on related to my stepdaughter D., which I won't go into here. Now, imagine me trying to keep up with all this without a computer. Although I have access to the Internet at the library, the situation is far less than ideal, especially with a one hour time limit at the library.

Now, with my new, top of the line laptop with wireless Internet service I'm literally sitting on the top of a mountain, on the porch of a remote cabin blogging away to my heart's content. When I head back to the ranch, in a few days, I'll be "chomping at the bit" to go home to "play with my new toys". My Dad took me on an unexpected "shopping spree" and bought me some accessories, which I wanted but expected to buy little by little. My sweet papa got me a printer, an external CD drive, wireless mouse and HDMI cable so I can connect to our TV. Like a kid on Christmas morning, I walked out of the store anxious to try out all this technology that I was so against in past years. Now as soon as I figure out how, I'm going to add a photo to this blog post. So you should expect my blog to be updated on a more consistent basis now that I've FINALLY joined the 21st Century. Blog on......

I Bake.....

2010-02-16T12:11:00.008-06:00

I bake a lot of bread in the winter time. I used to stick to plain ole bread but in recent years I've branched out. I attempted the traditional sourdough bread years ago and through several attempts, I finally got the hang of it. My current sourdough starter is almost six years old, this holds a record for my being able to keep a starter alive long term. I want to build a brick wood fired stove in our back yard someday. When I do, I'll be able to bake bread all year long, since I refrain from excessive baking in the summer time because how much it heats up the house.

Lately, I've been experimenting with artisan breads of all types. I really do enjoy a bread that uses an Italian "biga starter", which I've perfected by combining the "biga starter" and my own sourdough starter. I've experimented with a variety of types of bread shapes. One of our favorites is the "classic bagguette", which has a crispy crust and is chewy in the middle. Yummy !!!!

Take A Ride

2010-02-15T13:56:00.001-06:00

My Honey and I took a Valentine's Day ride on the 4-wheeler around the ranch to see the snow.... It was fun !!!!! Click on the arrow button to view the video

Living In A Winter Wonderland...

2010-02-03T11:57:00.013-06:00

We are living in a winter wonderland. How beautiful everything looks with a fresh coating of fluffy white snow. This red bird was hanging out behind the chicken pen as the birds do every winter. The chickens probably don't mind sharing their food with the birds, but our goose used to chase the wild birds out.

This is Josie....the baby of our llama family....she will turn 3 years old on February 7, 2010 and her big sister Kate will turn 4 years old on February 9, 2010.

This is Baby Zora...she will turn five years old on May 19,2010, so I guess we should stop calling her Baby Zora and change it to just plain Zora. She is the youngest of our goats and the last one to have to be raised on a bottle. Click on this link to a past blog post that has Zora's newborn photo, which was taken just minutes after she was born. Gypsyheart Lady: Zaiah Zora's story is included in the following blog post, just click on this link Gypsyheart Lady: Bye Bye Billy

This photo is out our back door, looking out to the area we call the Blind Horse Habitat, which is where our two blind horses live.Click on these links to past blog post regarding our blind horses Lakota and Grace
Gypsyheart Lady: Lakota: A Blind Wild Mustang
Gypsyheart Lady: Amazing Grace

What's Cooking ????

2009-12-15T14:33:00.004-06:00

This first one is my niece's recipe

Is anyone hungry yet ????

Brrr....A Cold Windy Wintery Morning

2009-12-11T12:11:00.003-06:00

Brrrr.....it's a cold windy morning and I really didn't want to leave the ranch but there are errands to run & a blog of mine that has been definitely neglected. If it weren't for having to go to the feed store, post office, library, grocery store and bank we would much rather stay home. There are times when sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa is the absolute best case scenario. As I left the ranch I noticed all these water birds and as I stopped to photograph them the sound of my vehicle spooked them and made them start to fly away. What a beautiful sight !!!!

Thankful......

2009-12-02T13:17:00.005-06:00

This is me in my apron....although I've been cooking for 40 plus years, this is only the second time I've been photographed wearing an apron, lol !!!!

I'm so thankful for so many things this year. After four full days of marathon cooking, having over a dozen family members at our house for Thanksgiving and now spending several days eating leftovers (especially desserts), I am thankful to finally get some rest. I'm including a link to a prior blogpost about another Thanksgiving many years ago. If you haven't read it, you can click on this link. I hope that you realize all the reasons that you should be thankful during the holidays and year around. A Happy Belated Thanksgiving Wish To You !!!!
Gypsyheart Lady: Thanksgiving Day 1985

Burned Out....

2009-11-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

Burned Out is how I described us after spending so much time cooking for our holiday meal. We spent four full days of marathon cooking to prepare for that Thanksgiving party. We used the toaster oven all day long on most days. After we'd all eaten Thanksgiving dinner and were in the kitchen serving dessert, suddenly without warning the glass door on the toaster oven literally exploded. It had been turned off for a few hours when it just went kaboom but fortunately no one was injured. Thank goodness it didn't happen while the million dollar brownies were baking.

Fall Colors

2009-10-27T14:43:00.002-05:00

Fall colors surround us at this time. Although we've had more than our fair share of rain we do still have leaves on our trees. Around our house, it's a busy time of year.

A Little Behind The Times...

2009-10-09T13:57:00.002-05:00

I'm a little behind the times....as you well know. My blog posts have been few and far between. With all we have going on around the ranch, I don't make it to the library very often.

A good example of how far behind the times we are is this photo of a zucchini. If you've ever grown zucchini then you know how big and leafy the plants are and how well they hide from sight. I weighed this zucchini. It weighed 9 and 1/2 pounds and the chickens sure enjoyed it.

September Days...

2009-09-30T14:49:00.005-05:00

September days have melted away. When I wake up tomorrow, it will be October.

September was a busy month filled with many significant dates. Several of my lifelong friends have birthdays during September, like Chris, Bill, Mer and Mari. September 12th is My Mom's birthday, my stepdaughter's Mom's birthday and My Honey's brother's birthday. For My Honey and I September 23rd is our anniversary. This year was our 10th anniversary. During September there are several other anniversaries as well = Bill & Frankie 21 years / Mari & Jesse 11 years / Jan & Kevin 3 years. So a bunch of Happy Birthdays and Happy Anniversaries to you all.

I'll try to make it to the library more often in October to keep up with my blog posts, but don't count on it, since there's hay to haul, firewood to stack and stalls to build. The weather is changing and the hummingbirds will be leaving before long. The leaves are changing colors and starting to fall. September days have melted away !

My Favorite Avocado

2009-08-15T12:00:00.002-05:00

Avocado is one of my favorite foods. These are a couple of my favorite dishes that require good avocadoes.

Coctel de Camaron = Mexican Style Shrimp Cocktail

and

Sopa de Tortilla = Tortilla Soup

YUMMMMMMMY ! ! ! !

Lunch With GrandMother Harriet

2009-07-24T11:46:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday I made a spiritual journey, which was very important to me.

While on a road trip out of state to attend my niece's birthday party, I decided to dedicate a whole day to search for my GrandMother Harriet. This was not my first attempt to find her. Over nine years ago, My Honey and I went searching for her without success. This time I used the modern technology available and did a Google Search on the library's computer. This time, I headed out early in the morning with a map and detailed directions. This time, I was very determined and did not plan on returning until I found her. After a few hours of driving, I stopped at the famous "Dairyland Cafe" and picked up lunch. With a brown bag lunch in hand, I headed down the dusty dirt roads toward my destination. After another hour of searching, several dead ends and locked gates, I finally arrived.

It was a hot, sunny, still day when I parked my truck in front of the gate. A wide variety of emotions began to swirl around in my head and in my heart. I had finally arrived. I was finally there for the first time. I am forty-eight years old. It was a trip that should have occurred so many years ago. My mom and I had talked about making that trip for many years but we never made it there. My mom died in 2007.

As I opened the gate and took that first step inside, suddenly a strong breeze created a dust storm which stopped me in my tracks. I thought immediately "THAT IS A SIGN". As the dust settled and I got a chance to look around, I then realized that finding GrandMother Harriet STILL MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY HAPPEN. The cemetery had been well maintained. The grass had been recently mowed and many graves had flowers on them. I started on the west side and began a grid search, front to back. Many of the tombstones were very old and the words etched on them had faded out over time. Many of the graves did not have "real" tombstones, instead the graves were marked with a rock.

Finally I found GrandMother Harriet. She is my Great-Great-Great GrandMother. She was born in Tennessee in 1821. She was Cherokee. I grew up hearing stories about how she had survived "The Trail Of Tears" as a child, how she had survived the Civil War as a widow with eight children. She had seven sons and one daughter. Her youngest child was Mary Elizabeth, who was my Great-Great Grandmother, who died in 1932, three years before my own mother was born.

After all that she had been through in her life, more tears flowed when GrandMother Harriet faced the death of her 14 year old son William. They lived in a "Confederate" State but like many people back then, didn't have interest or affiliation with issues of war. William had been killed by the Confederate bushwhackers. In response to his murder, his four older brothers went to join the 4th Regiment Calvary of the Union Army. According to the story, after her sons left, the bushwhacker's returned and were intent on finding out their whereabouts. GrandMother Harriet was tied up and tortured for information. Like a scene from one of my favorite movie's "Cold Mountain", she stubbornly refused to tell the bushwhackers about her sons and she ended up with parts of several fingers missing and the complete removal of both thumbs. Their home was burned to the ground. She later relocated to nearby where her soldier sons were stationed and cooked for the troops in exchange for food and protection for her younger surviving children.

GrandMother Harriet died in 1904 at age 83. She was buried in that spot 105 years ago. Her grave is surrounded by the graves of a son, a daughter in law and two grandsons. I stayed there for two hours, talking to her about everything and everyone. I sat cross-legged next to her grave and had "dinner on the ground". I said a special prayer. I left an offering for her. I tied my special bandanna, into a bow around her tombstone. I took photos of the cemetery and the tombstones. I told her about each member of the family all the way down to the teenagers (Molly & Mary D). I even told her about the brand new member of the newest generation. Jayden is her Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandson, he is four months old and living 8 generations since GrandMother Harriet. I thanked her for her strength and determination which has shaped so much of my own life. I acknowledged that had she not survived her own struggle through such adversity, that none of us would be here today.

Since I was a kid, I've always felt connected to the Earth and to "those who came before me". I was the child that was fascinated by the old family stories and said that someday I'll write a book. I was the kid that always came home with pockets full of stones and pieces of wood. When I was little I used to use the brown crayon for the face and the black crayon to draw long dark straight hair when making drawings of women or girls. The other kids used yellow crayons to draw short hair and white for the face color. They said I was doing it wrong, but I didn't care. I just answered " I like it that way". I've always been the restless type and have always referred to it as being a gypsy at heart. It's taken a lifetime to understand those tiny details that connect us.

When I was trying to find the cemetery, I passed this grove of trees off the side of the road several times. Each time I felt drawn to it. I even considered parking on the side of the dirt road and crawling over the fence to investigate that area. Maybe I will stop there next time I go back. As I was driving away, following the dirt road back toward the pavement, I thought that when she died in 1904, her coffin must have been transported by wagon to the cemetery. Since most people weren't buried very far from where they lived, GrandMother Harriet probably lived somewhere nearby. Maybe I should go back to that grove of trees that drew me to that spot.

Thinking about it now, knowing about the joys and sorrows of several generations since GrandMother Harriet was forced out of her home in the East, I realize that we have all been on our own journey called life. We too, have left behind a trail of tears of our own, as well as a trail of joy and hope for future generations to follow.

Finally finding GrandMother Harriet's final resting place brought me a kind of peace that I've never know before. After a lifetime of struggling to find my place in this world, I feel that I've now come full circle. I know where my place in the world is and at last, I feel totally comfortable in it. I promised GrandMother Harriet to continue to search for those who came before me. I promised to go to the grave site of her daughter, Mary Elizabeth in the near future for the first time. I promised to share her stories with the 7th and 8th generation, so that they can teach it to the 9th and 10th generations. Thank you GrandMother Harriet, I love you !

I Can Can

2009-07-14T12:09:00.002-05:00

I can "can". Canning is part of my history. Growing up in the country, I helped my grandmother and my mom with many of their "country chores". Canning fruits and vegetables was a routine summer activity.

This week we've been busy canning the plentiful bounty from our garden. For the past few days we've been canning salsa. Since we have so many tomatoes and chile peppers, we decided to start with canning salsa first. So far we've canned over 4 gallons of hot sauce (one pint at a time). As I learned from a elderly "senora" in Mexico, to make "real" salsa, you have to roast the tomatoes and chiles on the "comal" (griddle) first.

This afternoon will be dedicated to "putting up" peaches from our first peach harvest. We ordered the fruit trees from a catalog about three years ago. When they arrived in the mail they were about 12 inches tall. Taking care of those little trees for the past several years is finally paying off. We have lots of sweet juicy "organic" peaches. Yesterday we had biscuits and homemade peach jam. Ahhh, just another day in paradise !!!!

Just Another Day In Paradise

2009-07-01T11:06:00.004-05:00

LAYLA: FUN IN THE SUN !

OUR FIRST HARVEST FROM OUR CHERRY BUSHES

HANDFUL OF PEPPERS

OUR FIRST JUICY SWEET PEACH OF THE SEASON

OUR FIRST TOMATOES OF THE YEAR

Sorry I haven't been posting much on my blog lately. I've not been able to get to the library very often to have computer access. As usual, we are busy, working around the ranch. June 20th was six years that we've lived at the ranch. One thing different this year is that My Honey is now home full time. This retirement gig is working out really well, especially for me. I used to have to do all the chores more than half the time while he was out of state working. It's a win - win situation. He loves being home full time and I love having him home full time. It's taken us ten years to finally get on the same schedule.We've been catching up on some of the things that we'd been behind on around here. We finally took the trailer load of stuff to the dump. We finally got our above ground pool cleaned and set up. Now it's like heaven with a pool, which is really nice after a long hot day working around the place. Mowing, weed eating, gardening and working on the flower beds have taken up a good portion of time. But this past weekend,we had a rare occurrence at the ranch, we had company. Our visitors were my niece Katie, her husband, Chilo and their two year old daughter, Layla. We had a grand time. We looked at old photos, laughed, ate, swam and explored around the ranch, garden/orchard and barnyard. A good time was had by all. My Honey and Chilo went fishing in the pond and Chilo "ran the fence lines" on the 4-wheeler. Layla and I had our photo taken sitting on one of our horses. I'm so glad that they came to visit and hope that by having such a good time that they will be inspired to come back for another visit in the near future. Hard work is our life style but you know what they say about ALL WORK AND NO PLAY !

Squash, Squish...Slice & Dice ?

2009-06-23T13:16:00.002-05:00

Squash, squish.....slice and dice.
Posting this blog is not easy to do without the use of all of my fingers. I got this new Slicer and with all the fresh veggies we are harvesting, it has been a great help in the kitchen. For dinner last night, I julienned some squash to saute to go with our grilled chicken and baked potatoes. Then I decided to slice some cucumbers as a side dish, that's where things went south. When I cut the squash, I did use the hand guard slider (in the upper right hand portion of the photo) but I (mistakenly) thought I'd slice about half of the cucumber and then put the hand guard slider on, but much to my surprise, about a third way through the process, the cucumber slid sideways and my pinky finger went right down on the blade, badly slicing it. I called out to My Honey to come help finish the cooking while I held pressure on my bloody finger. It probably needed a couple of stitches, but with my aversion to doctors and emergency rooms, I opted to put a couple of butterfly closure strips and be bandaged up. I've always been this way, a klutz of sorts. I was just thankful that my finger was still attached and that it wasn't more severe. Next time, I will use the hand guard slider and if you have a slicer, I hope that you do too. Better safe than sorry, like My Honey (Mr.Safety Dude) always says and HE IS RIGHT, again :)

Driving Country Roads....

2009-05-27T12:23:00.008-05:00

Driving country roads you never know what may walk out in front of you around the next curve....there are dogs and cats roaming freely. At any given point you could cross paths with a coon or possum. Routinely we see deer and turkey.We've even seen wild hogs. I've seen a wolf, a bobcat and my dad even saw a black bear cross the road in front of him a couple of years ago.But the other day while driving up a steep hill and around a curve, suddenly two peacocks were right in front of me. Fortunately I was able to stop in time and let them take their own sweet time to "strut" across the road.

Herbs and Butterflies In The Springtime

2009-05-15T14:11:00.002-05:00

I love the springtime. To me, the awakening of Mother Nature with all her glory is a magnificent event, even though it happens every year.

We have a wide variety of herbs growing in containers in our greenhouse. Basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, tarragon and mint are only a few. We also have lovage, lemon balm, stevia and lemon verbena. The butterflies seem to love the herbs.

Our greenhouse has become a favorite pit stop for the butterflies as well as lady bugs, mosquito hawks and crickets. Like I've said before the only regret we have about getting the greenhouse is that didn't get it six years ago.

He's A Fishin' Man

2009-05-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

My Honey, he's a "fishin man". After working all day long around the ranch, he still likes to go out to the pond to "throw a line". It doesn't matter if it's good weather or bad. It doesn't matter if it's early or late. It doesn't matter, if he catches anything or not. Besides all that, he throws back whatever he catches anyhow.

After twenty eight and a half years of dedicating his time to being a professional fire fighter in the city, now he can go "throw a line" whenever he feels like it.

I'm so proud of him and so happy to have him home full-time. It's only taken us ten years to get on the same schedule !

Early Harvest

2009-05-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

Our early harvest always seems so special. To most people it's just lettuce, a few radishes, a head of brocolli and a bunch of green onions. To us, it's the first taste of garden freshness which we've worked toward and waited for so long.

After "surviving winter" and eating "store-bought" food, our first vegetables are so anticipated that it makes them taste all that much better !

Rising Water

2009-05-12T13:22:00.002-05:00

The water is rising. As the Weather Channel shows, we are not the only ones getting way too much rain all at once. My Dad says that this is our July and August rain, that we are getting early, like an early birthday gift that we should appreciate.

The road that I take to drive to the library (in the above photos) will most likely be closed by this afternoon or tomorrow. The water was almost up to the pavement when I came through there this morning. Last year, the water came over the spillway, below the dam and the road was underwater and was closed for about two months.

If the road is closed we will have to take a 15 mile detour, but we are thankful that our place is only totally saturated but not underwater,,,,,yet.

Catfish Dinner

2009-05-06T13:26:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, I'd gone off to town to do my weekly errands. I called My Honey and told him that I was bringing catfish home for dinner. I asked him to get the 4-wheeler out, hook up the 4-wheeler trailer and meet me at the front gate.

Much to his delight, I was bringing home catfish and we would be serving dinner. Catfish food for the 100 new baby catfish would be served in all three of our ponds where we put the 6 to 8 inch Channel Catfish. We had meant to stock the pond with catfish long before now, but as usual something else came up to delay that project. I just happened to be at the Farmer's Co-operative on the right day, at the right time when the fish truck was there. For once I was in the right place at the right time. My Honey was a very happy man !

Stray Cows

2009-05-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Living in the country we always have had problems with stray dogs and stray cats showing up and causing problems at our place.How many people have problems with stray cattle? As I've mentioned before, our place is surrounded by government land which lease grazing rights to people with cattle. For the past six years, we've had problems with stray cattle coming in and taking over. In the past we've stressed out over it. In the past, we've herded the intruders out, mended places in the fence where they push their way through and spent time tracking down the owners to have them picked up. This year, I told My Honey that we need a new approach to this problem. We decided not to spend our time chasing someone else's cow around the pasture. We decided to "make friends" with them instead. At first three cows showed up in our barnyard. Later one of them had a baby, so there were four. A few weeks later, four more cows invaded our place. Now we had eight stray cows that were causing us problems. The local sheriff's department said for us to place an ad in the newspaper and if they were still unclaimed, that we would be legally allowed to sell them. After a few months, the owner FINALLY came looking for them. My Honey informed him of our "new plan" regarding the stray cow problem. Since the cows had been eating our grass, hay and feed we required the owner to buy us some feed and a salt block, which was still a pretty good deal for him considering that we'd "boarded" his cattle for two months. "Betcha" next time his cows are missing he will be more concerned about retrieving them before we "legally" sell them for our own profit.

In The Green

2009-05-01T05:00:00.001-05:00

In the green and loving it. Our new greenhouse is awesome. It has helped our gardening endeavors so much. Our only regret is that we waited so long to get one.

What A Difference A Month Makes...

2009-04-30T11:36:00.002-05:00

What a difference a month makes in the gardening world. Even though the weather has not been cooperating with our plans, we have been making progress. The second photo is our little cabbage and broccoli plants that we transplanted into our brand new garden beds. I meant to take the photo before I started adding the mulch so that you could see the plants better (by the way, we are using dehydrated alfalfa horse hay for mulch). The first photo is what we had four short weeks later. Working in the garden day in and day out you don't notice the changes as much as is evident in my photos which I can track by date. Wow, what a difference a month makes.

Now That Bush Is GONE...

2009-04-10T13:25:00.005-05:00

Now that Bush is GONE....

I can go back to taking my customary "state line photo". Whenever I enter the state of Texas I like to take a photo of the "State of Texas" sign. Last weekend was the first time since January 20, 2009 that I'd driven into the state of Texas. I was thrilled to see that they promptly removed the sign that had been attached to the State of Texas sign. For the past eight years the sign at the state line said: Home of President George W. Bush.

For the past eight years I didn't stop to take a photo, but yesterday I was able to pull off the highway and take my "state line photo". As you know, my blog is not politically oriented but I couldn't resist the chance to post my photo of the "State of Texas" sign now that they've removed the part about Bush.

As we all know, he IS NOT REALLY a Texan, we just had the misfortune to get stuck with him !!!!

Our First Greenhouse

2009-04-04T01:00:00.001-05:00

Since we move here in 2003 we've wanted to build a greenhouse to help facilitate our gardening endeavors but as you all know so well, time, energy and money always seem to play a factor in our progress. We decided that we should have a "practice greenhouse" before we make the decision to build a "real greenhouse". We bought a reasonably priced greenhouse kit as a compromise. The kit came with a gazillion little pieces but it was reasonable easy to assemble within a few hours. Next we made greenhouse tables from 1 x 6 x 6 lumber.

So far we just love it. Every year the farm supply stores put out the veggie plants way too early for the season. If we buy them early, they are in terrible shape by time they've spent weeks indoors without enough sunshine. If we wait to buy them when the garden and the weather are both ready to plant them, then the selection is very poor. We moved a number of our house plants in the greenhoue right away. Also it gives us a place to set up seed trays to germinate our own veggie plants from seeds, as well as giving the seedlings a good start before they are ready for transplanting. Like I said so far, we just love it.

Out Of Hibernation

2009-04-03T13:43:00.005-05:00

WATCHING MY PRESIDENT ON TV JANUARY 20, 2009

STACKING FIREWOOD

MY HONEY SPLITTING FIREWOOD

GETTING VEGETABLE GARDEN STARTED

OUR NEW RAISED BEDS FOR GARDENING BY THE SQUARE FOOT

STORM DAMAGE TO GARAGE ROOF

Out of Hibernation seemed like a good title for this blog post. It has been soooo long since I've posted anything but here it goes..... The winter months are not my favorite and our life is so much harder during the winter. Around our place, My Honey and I have a lot going on. Cutting, hauling, splitting and stacking firewood is a big chore. Everything to do for the animals is more difficult during cold weather. Busting ice off the water troughs is a common practice. Although I'm not complaining about our hardships, I am soooo relieved that SPRING HAS ARRIVED..... I thought I'd post a few photos to show what we were up to for the months that I didn't go to the library to have computer access.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR....

I realize that I've been neglecting my blog recently, as I did not post a single entry during the month of December. Not having a computer does hinder progress as any blogger would probably agree. This is a new year and a new opportunity to make the best of our circumstances, whatever they may be.

On New Year's Eve, I like to spend time thinking about the events of the year that is ending, be appreciative for the wonderful things that the current year has brought and give thanks for being able to survive the tough times. Now is the time to look forward to what the new year will bring and to make the appropriate changes that will make the coming year even better.

My wish for you is that 2009 will be your best year yet !!!!

Thanksgiving Day 1985

2008-11-27T01:00:00.001-06:00

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

2008-11-03T11:50:00.003-06:00

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...

2008-10-24T12:21:00.001-05:00

I voted early !

How about you ?

Choose or lose !!!!

To Drive Or Not To Drive

2008-10-14T13:09:00.004-05:00

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....

2008-10-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

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

2008-09-19T13:30:00.011-05:00

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

2008-09-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

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

2008-09-12T00:01:00.008-05:00

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

2008-09-09T12:41:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-09-05T11:46:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-29T12:49:00.002-05:00

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

2008-08-22T12:14:00.006-05:00

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

2008-08-19T10:24:00.006-05:00

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....

2008-08-11T11:42:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-08T12:13:00.000-05:00

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

2008-08-01T16:46:00.007-05:00

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

2008-07-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

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)

2008-07-29T13:15:00.001-05:00

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

2008-07-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

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)

2008-07-26T00:02:00.001-05:00

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)

2008-07-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

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....

2008-07-23T12:33:00.000-05:00

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)

2008-07-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

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?

2008-07-21T13:47:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-20T01:00:00.000-05:00

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 )

2008-07-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-18T05:00:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-17T11:37:00.006-05:00

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....

2008-07-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

"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

2008-07-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-11T10:47:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-07T10:31:00.004-05:00

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

2008-07-05T10:01:00.002-05:00

- 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

2008-07-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

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

Happy Independence Day...You Stay Cool !

2008-07-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-03T12:51:00.003-05:00

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 !

Cruel & Unusual Punishment

2008-06-27T13:11:00.004-05:00

We went to Geronimo's grave site a few years ago. He died February 17, 1909. This coming February will be the 100 year anniversary of his death.For us, it was a spiritual journey. When we went to Geronimo's grave, we went out of respect. We went to honor him and his memory. While he made many request to return to his homeland, the U.S. Government never allowed him to do so, despite what promises had been made to him.He remained a prisoner of war for the rest of his life. The following quote was when he addressed President Theodore Roosevelt regarding his request to return to Arizona. "that land which the Almighty created for the Apaches. It is my land, my home, my father's land, to which I now ask to be allowed to return. I want to spend my last days there and be buried among those mountains. If this could be I might die in peace, feeling that my people, placed in their native homes would increase in numbers rather than diminish as at present, and that our name would not become extinct." I referred to Geronimo in my blog post of 6-24-2008 titled "Where The Trees Know My Name" to express how connected I feel to that particular piece of land. When My Honey and I visited Geronimo's grave we found that many others had made the same journey to leave an offering and to show that even a century later Geronimo has not been forgotten. We were the only people present at that time but we did not feel alone. The wind blowing through the trees seemed to speak to us. While we stood near the grave site at the Cache River we each said our own silent prayer for those who came before as well as those who will come long after we are gone. We left feeling that that our spirits had been enriched from the experience. I personally believe that it was cruel and unusual punishment to not allow Geronimo to return to his homeland during his lifetime and even more so to have him buried where the trees do not know his name. I do not know the Apache tribes' opinion or his descendants wishes regarding the subject. I do not pretend to be an expert on the subject of Geronimo by merely studying history books, though I've read extensively on the subject of Native American Tribes. I do have a definite opinion on the subject. It seems to me that it would be appropriate to have his grave site relocated back to Arizona in 2009. A little too late but a little justice even 100 years late would be better than nothing.

Another Victim Of Human Irresponsibility

2008-06-26T12:31:00.005-05:00

This is the face of another victim of human irresponsibility. I just met him this morning but I'm sitting at the library's computer with tears running down my face. I have named him UnLucky Boy. As I type these words he is a mile down the road at a vet's office being executed by lethal injection. He has done nothing wrong. He has committed no crime. He is, or was young, friendly and healthy except for being very,very skinny. He showed up at our place a few days ago. My Honey told me that this stray dog was hanging around outback of the barn. Our place is surrounded by a wildlife management area and people from town dump out their unwanted pets on the dirt road that leads to our house. Over the past nine years that My Honey & I have rescued 15 dogs and puppies. We were able to find homes for all of them except for Maggi (that's another story for another day). But this UnLucky Boy came to us at a very unfortunate time. Our resources are limited. The recent burglary has been very taxing on us, mentally as well as financially. We have many "rescue" animals and could not see anyway possible to keep this UnLucky Boy. We tried so hard to find a place for him. We even tried to get him into a rescue organization in a neighboring state. Every where we looked the answer was the same. They all say, we are all full up. They say we have currently 75 dogs in kennels and have euthanized 25 this week alone. They say that the current status of the economy has increased the number of pets needing homes and reduced the donations received to help these unlucky animals. In our part of rural America, people don't seem to be able to make ends meet financially. I often wonder how people who can't afford this or that for their animals or even their children CAN AFFORD to smoke cigarettes and drink beer and gamble at casinos. After many, many phone calls it became clear that the future of this UnLucky Boy was not looking good. Starving to death is a long process of slow misery. We couldn't just ignore his plight and let him continue the starvation process. A employee of the nearest humane society agreed to "bend the rules" to let us take UnLucky Boy to the vet that they use for "putting down" animals at their expense for the lethal injection if we would agree to pay $25. for the disposal of his body. It wasn't a good solution but after much discussion we couldn't find a better alternative. We caught UnLucky Boy and locked him in our horse trailer. We gave him plenty of dog food and fresh water. We spoke to him kindly and petted him gently. We made him a big breakfast for his last meal. He thoroughly enjoyed a giant serving of thick, juicy country ham and soft scrambled eggs. Normally, with a starving animal you would give them only limited amounts of food at a time, but his time was running out and I wanted him to enjoy a feast like he'd never known before. I was supposed to be a the vet's office at noon so on the way I stopped at a house where I'd heard that they'd adopted a dog from another vet in town. I knocked on the door but no one came to answer it. I stopped by the library and talked to anyone who would listen about this UnLucky Boy. One person even went outside to the truck to look at him. She said she wanted him but she wasn't able to adopt him. I made every last ditch effort to find someone to take him and started to cry when I saw that the time was nearing for his appointment with the vet. I know that many people would have been embarrassed to cry in front of strangers over a dog that they'd just met this morning but I was not embarrassed. I was upset and feeling defeated that despite our best efforts and good intentions that this UnLucky Boy who was only a half grown and half starved pup was going to die in a matter of minutes. I tried to talk these two ladies in the parking lot of the vet's office into giving him a home or to at least take a look at him. I pleaded "Don't you know anyone anywhere and assured them that I'd drive as far as necessary to deliver him to some good hearted soul that could provide him a good home. By time I entered the vet's office at the appointed time it would have been impossible to hide my tears and red, irritated eyes. They again, assured me that I was doing the right thing. That this poor creature was going to spend his last moments with a full belly and the gentle touch of his "executioners" instead of being hit by a car, tortured by cruel people or slowly starving to death out in the woods during the heat of the summer. I'd never taken an animal, mine or anyone else's animal to be killed by lethal injection. If this UnLucky Boy had been old or sick or mortally wounded, this might make some sense to me. I took his photo while he was enjoying his breakfast. I made myself photograph him, to remember, when I'd really rather forget. But I know that I won't forget and can't forget. We work very hard to save any helpless animal from becoming just another victim of human irresponsibility. We advocate the spaying and neutering of pets to reduce the number of animals that will meet a similar fate as this very sweet and loving UnLucky Boy. If this is how you feel when you "DO THE RIGHT THING......let me tell you, at this exact moment, I'd like to give up on the whole idea of doing the right thing. Let me ask you, HOW COULD THIS BE RIGHT ????

Where The Trees Know My Name

2008-06-24T11:34:00.008-05:00

This is where the trees know my name. I borrowed the phrase from Geronimo. When he requested to be allowed to return to his homeland he expressed the need to return to where the trees know his name. I plan to post a blog regarding that specific subject but for now let me tell you about the place where the trees know my name. This cabin sits on a mountaintop and when you are there you feel like you are in another place,in another time, somewhat separate, even elevated from the rest of the world. Sitting on the front porch you have a million dollar view. I will post a photo of that a tad bit later. This cabin and the ten acres on which it sits are very special to me. Nine years ago, while reading the classifieds my Dad and I read about this place for sale. It was very private and only accessible by four wheel drive. We went to look at it. It wasn't completely finished and would require lots of work. But it was an awesome place. When I left Dad's headed back out of state there really wasn't a specific plan of action in mind. Really, I didn't spend much time thinking about it after that. And as usual, my Dad surprised me when he called to say that he'd bought it to make it his deer hunting lodge. The next time he called, he indicated that he'd actually bought it for me. The deal was that I'd have to pay the taxes and related expenses for completion as well as upkeep. WOW....thinking at the time....my Dad bought me a what? Where? Why? As a true daddy's girl, I gratefully accepted and didn't question the issue to any great length. Within six months, the motive was slowly and surely revealed when my Dad asked My Honey, "what do you think of a girl who's daddy buys her a cabin on a mountain to get her to move back and she's still living in the city?" Well, as most of my Dad's well thought out plans as well as some of his "spur of the moment" plans do somehow seem to work out over the course of time. Two years after he bought "my" cabin, My Honey & I moved out of state to live there. As you may remember from my 4-21-08 post "!00 Random Things", #49 , I lived in a cabin on a mountain for two years without running water. HA ! My Dad worked on the cabin from the beginning. He finished the inside back room complete with cedar trim. During that process, much to my dismay, he had an accident with a saw and cut off one of his index fingers. I grieved for his lost finger. My Dad always had such nice hands. To this day, I look at that beautiful cedar trim and think of my Dad's big, beautiful, hardworking hands. He built wood steps off front and back porch. The cabin has such sentimental value to me. It is the place that you feel like you are sitting on the top of the world. It is a place of beauty, peace and solitude. It is a place where you retreat to when the real world becomes to much to bear. The grave of my constant companion of 13 years is on that mountain. Maximiliano, a German Shepard loved the cabin and running around the 100's of acres of timberland which belonged to a paper mill company. There is also, other meaning to this special place. My grandparents and great grandparents were country folk from those mountain ridges. There are letters telling of how it took their people 8 days to come to this area from Wolfe City, Texas in a covered wagon. The road that runs in front of the property has memories galore from my childhood. Back then it was a dirt road with lots of hills and curves. We went on picnics. We swam in the creek. We explored the woods and an old lead mine. We took long drives on weekend through those lands. We were around there horseback riding. We even went on 20+ mile trail rides there. Often my grandfather, Pop led those expeditions. For more reasons than I can remember right now, that cabin on the mountain is my only way to ever go home again. For nine years, I've worked hard to hang on to it. I've worried about it whenever we haven't lived there. I remember sitting on the tailgate of the truck a few years back with Brother Bill (not a preacher or really my brother, but a close friend for 32 years)talking about how now we are living the future that we'd worried so much about as teenagers. We laughed and said, of all the things that we'd worried about that in reality very few of those things ever came to pass. Well, sometimes, what you worry about does come to pass. We haven't lived at the cabin for five years and even though we go to check on the place, we've always worried of "what could happen" to it in our absence. May 1, 2008, I arrived to find that a storm had taken off one section of the roof during a rainy week. There was damage inside from having it exposed to rain. The first box I tried to pick up in the attic fell apart in my hands. Suddenly I realized that I'd found our old home movies from the 1960's that I'd been looking for for years. They were wet and ruined. I'd been thinking a lot about those movies, especially since my Mom had died unexpectedly in 2007. I was heartbroken. This past Sunday, My heart was broken again when I arrived to find that the cabin had been burglarized. I arrived just before dark and was looking forward to sitting on the porch to enjoy the beautiful sunset. I noticed immediately that lights were on in rooms that shouldn't be. I carefully approached the cabin and was not sure if the people who'd invaded my unique, private and personal part of the universe were still inside. I've been lucky in life to never had experienced this before. I'm hurt in a way that many wouldn't understand. My next blog will tell the rest of the story but for now I feel too "traumatized" to go into it. I don't want to blog about it until I've had time to sort it out first in my head and my heart. I will tell you that I was armed and was angry and wanted to stay in the shadows of the woods to fire off a warning shot or two to see if I could flush out the people who'd broken into "my" cabin but I used the good sense that I was given to back off and call 911. Then I had to go back down five switchbacks to the bottom of the mountain to go pick up the sheriff's deputy whose patrol car wouldn't be able to make the trek up the mountain to the place where the trees know my name. Think about it, do you know the place where the trees know your name. If you do, enjoy it, honor it and somehow protect it.

Night Moves

2008-06-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

I have always enjoyed dawn and twilight. The first light of the morning and the last light of the evening always seem so special to me. The Great Blue Heron flies out of the pond headed toward the east pasture. The bats begin to fly around the night light out in the yard. The armadillos begin their nightly assault on our garden and yard. The last rays of sunshine reflect off of the pond. Around our place, we've been watching moonrise a little bit after 9pm. Since I've only been back from the city for a week, I've been catching up on observing the night moves around our place. It's like when the curtain goes down between acts in a play. The horse herd moves along their trails to graze in the west pasture. The frog's, cricket's and owl's voices fill the darkness. You can hear the night birds call out. The whippoorwill and the dove serenade me. The cows that graze on the surrounding government land make noises that seem like something out of a horror movie and are so un-bovine like. In the distance the coyotes howl and laugh as they try to locate each other throughout the floor of "our" valley and the mountain ridges out back of the house. Here everything makes sense to me. Everything is as it should be. Everyone is doing what they were meant to do when it was meant to be done. The natural rhythm of things goes unchanged and unchallenged by the human race.

Foreign Invaders In The Heartland

2008-06-20T11:37:00.009-05:00

No, it is not what you were thinking. But they are Canadian, so technically that makes them foreigners, right? Today, June 20, 2008 is an anniversary of sorts around our place. On this date, five years ago we moved to this piece of land that we value so highly. In the past five years we have spent all of our time, energy and money on "fixin-up" this place. In the past five years we have had to deal with a number of issues that we never expected. That is what brings us to the subject of foreign invaders. When we were dreaming of having a 100 acres of land, it never occurred to us that we would have to deal with invaders.We don't consider the coyotes,bobcats, hawks and owls that have killed our chickens, ducks and geese as invaders. They are doing what they were meant to do.We aren't talking about fire ants that weren't here when we arrived but now are everywhere.The howling of a lone wolf in the distance isn't a problem for us. My Dad even saw a bear a few miles down the road. If Mr. Bear is jut passing through and doesn't plan on making one of our animals his next meal, then he's also welcome and will not be put on the list of foreign invaders. We do realize that with the animals that WE are actually the invaders since most of them were there before we arrived and do have certain rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We don't classify the herons and other water birds that hang out in our ponds. However other invaders have caused more problems than we anticipated. When we moved here, the cattle that graze the government land thought that our place was just an extension of their grazing lease. They made themselves at home in our pasture and came right on into the barn as if they owned that too. The cattle guard at our front gate has deteriorated somewhat and the cows think that it is just a moo-cow welcome mat. We began to keep the front gate closed after waking up one morning to find a dozen or so of them in our newly planted vegetable garden and fruit tree orchard. We've worked on finding and repairing the little weak spots in the fence that they cross through to get into our pasture. Since our place is surrounded by a wildlife management area, the river bottoms and a lake, the deer and turkey are a daily sight. Which brings me to the next point. It occurred to me that when someone invades your territory they are only considered invaders IF they are UNWELCOME. We welcome the deer and wild turkey, so I guess they won't be classified as foreign invaders. The pair of Canadian geese that have come to swim in our pond and graze on the sweet new grass every spring are also welcome. So I guess they aren't really invaders either. However, the people from town that dump off their unwanted pets are not welcome at our place. In five years we've had more than our fair share of that type of invaders. The "dumped" cats reek havoc by fighting with our cats. The "dumped" dogs have killed our pet goose and a few of our ducks and our guinea. We did learn a valuable lesson through that experience. The next time a "dumped" dog shows up we will not "run it off", we will speak kindly to it and feed it. We've learned that it is better to catch it and find it a new more suitable home, as we did with the last canine invader.

This past springtime flooding caused an invasion of a different sort. The river bottoms were underwater. The wild hogs ( feral pigs ) began living in our pastures, foraging for their meals by rooting around and tearing up the pasture. One morning we woke up to find more than twenty of the porkers just outside of our yard fence. There were big ones, little ones, dark ones, light ones and spotted ones. Now, if that wasn't bad enough, it got worse when the locals started hunting them by running them with a pack of dogs. What happens on the government land which I refer to as The Deliverance Zone (another story for another day), isn't actually any of our business. But when the pig hunters run their dogs onto our land, it does constitute an invasion. The dogs chasing the hogs through our pasture almost caused a serious accident in the blind horse habitat. The sound of the yapping dogs chasing the squealing pigs caused our two blind horses to freak out and run into the fences. Grace slammed into a T-post and bent it over. Fortunately, the damage was only a few minor scratches and a damaged fence. But as we see it, we moved all the way out here to be able to live in peace with our many animals without having to deal with other people and their issues. Now comes the part that really upset us. We were invaded by the most unacceptable foreign invaders of all. ROCK POACHERS.....the most dangerous, most destructive and the most unwelcome. Humans that cut our back fence lines and cut down trees to drive their truck and trailers onto our land to STEAL big flat mossy rocks. In this area, there are a number of stone companies that buy rock for landscaping purposes. With 17,000 acres of government land behind us,that they could steal rocks from, we thought that it was totally unacceptable to trespass and violate our private property. We had our first contact with the local sheriff's department. They came out, took photos and made a report. I think they thought we were being unreasonable to protest the deeds of the rock poachers. We on the other hand, took action of our own. We posted private property signs and added extra T-post to make them work much harder at stealing our rocks. We spent the winter months cutting trails along our property lines to be able to "ride the fence lines", either on horseback or with the 4-wheeler. "They" promptly blew holes in our signs with their shotguns, so we just post more. We make sure to ride the fence lines often, and unlike in the Old West, we ride with a cell phone on one hip and a holstered pistol on the other to keep a eye our for the the next invasion.

Tomato Time

2008-06-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

There are home grown tomatoes on our kitchen windowsill again. Hooray !

We harvested our first tomato a few days ago. Yummmmmm.....
It made all the hard work worth while. It is just the beginning of our crop but the first one always seems to take so long. It was just a plain ole tomato to most folks but to us it is one of the simple pleasures that we so look forward to each year. Eating what we grew with our own two hands (four hands, between My Honey & I). I am looking forward to the heirloom tomatoes yet to come. The Black Krim, Green Zebra, Old German and Brandywine are just a few that will be ripening on the vine before long.

On Top Of The World

2008-06-19T12:54:00.005-05:00

This is a photo of Sylvia and I which was taken a few years back during a trail ride. She has since "crossed over the rainbow bridge" and our lives were changed by the loss of her life. If there was some kind of commotion going on out in the barn, you could be assured that she was in the center of the action. She was smart, sassy and stubborn. I'm sure we will continue to miss her from now on. I try to always remember the phrase "that it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." Around our place we should post a large sign to remind us of that fact during the hard times.

Amazing Grace

2008-06-19T12:48:00.005-05:00

This is our amazing Grace. Since I'd recently posted a blog about Lakota it seemed necessary to write something about Grace. She is now a 21 year old Appaloosa mare that is blind. We adopted her as a companion for our blind wild mustang, Lakota Woman. Gracie has lived with us since May 18, 2007. She was "given up on" by her previous owners and was delivered to a horse sanctuary about fifty miles from where we live. I was told that the previous owners didn't even look back or say good-bye to her. I had been communicating with the nice lady that runs the place. She said that she had been contacted by someone who wanted rid of this blind horse that was stumbling when their kids rode her. They said that she was causing problems around their place because she would get lost from the herd and end up in the woods all tangled up in the briers. The nice lady named Melanie offered us Grace as a companion for Lakota. We accepted and anxiously waited for her to be delivered. When Melanie drove up in the driveway I went out to meet her. She quickly went to the back of the horse trailer to open the door and unloaded Grace. She was a pretty Appaloosa except for her right eye, which was almost non-existent. The eye was shrunken into the eye socket, was badly deteriorated and infected and the eye lashes were curled into what was left of the eyeball. It looked terribly painful. Grace's face told a story of a horse left with a halter on until it wore into her nose. She was sweet natured and very tame. She and Lakota got along well from the beginning, which was something that we were concerned about. I began to contact veterinarians about what could or should be done for Grace's eye. Within about a month of when she arrived to our place Grace underwent an operation to remove the right eyeball. I had no idea of what we were all in for next. I found out that once the vet removed the eyeball that there was not a way to stop the bleeding. He sewed a gauze bandage to the front of her face to hold pressure and to collect the blood. We were told to keep the bandage clean and dry. That was a tall order. It was summertime when thunderstorms would brew up suddenly and I had to get Grace back to the stall before she got wet. It was hot weather which made it impossible to keep the flies away from Grace. And if anyone knows how to keep a horse from rubbing up against something, please let me know. Other than physically restraining her with a "horsey" straight-jacket, I don't know of a way. The wound oozed blood for almost three weeks. From the date of the surgery to completely healing, it took six weeks and three trips to the vet's office. Throughout it all, Grace was amazingly accepting of whatever we had to do to her. She showed grace and dignity as well as patience. Grace by nature is a sweetheart. She is calm and cooperative. I believe that if we had an riding arena with good even footing, that Grace would still be ride-able. From the beginning I tried to follow a pattern while dealing with her to make it routine for her to memorize our daily habits. We put the rubber feeder in the exact same position every day so that she can find it easily without bumping into the wall of the stall. We put her halter on only for a few minutes to move her from the stall to the blind horse habitat. We didn't even leave it on for the 30 minute trailer ride to the vet's office. It's been over a year and you can still see where the halter "wore into" her nose from the previous place she lived. We do everything in our power to make her at home and make sure that she is comfortable. She was a quick learner so I taught her two commands: #1 S T E P, to slowly pick her feet up higher than normal, to cross over obstacles and #2 F E E L to put her nose to whatever it is that I'm trying to show her. Unlike Lakota who is "spooky", Grace rarely gets too excited about much other than green grass or a bucket of grain. While Lakota is easily spooked, she is also very cautious.All of Lakota's moves are deliberate and well-planned. Grace on the other hand, throws caution to the wind and seems to injure herself more often. She is like the proverbial "bull in the china cabinet" slamming and banging her way sround. Nothing major, but she does seem to "bust" her head from time to time. This may just be a part of her personality (she may be like me, accident prone) and may have nothing to do with being blind. She has several "old scars" on her forehead under her bangs from before she came to live with us. As far as "pecking order" goes, over the past 13 months that they have been together, Lakota is higher in rank. Although Grace is the larger of the two, Grace seems content to let Lakota be the boss. And to think that we were concerned that Grace would hurt tiny little Lakota who as it turns out is quite a warrior when it comes to defending territory. When you hear a ruckus out back, it's just Lakota squealing and showing Grace how to get out of the way of her fast-flying hooves.

The Hippies Were Right !

2008-06-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

This is the T-shirt that I bought in honor of Earth Day, back in April. Supposedly, it was part of a campaign to help cotton farmers convert their conventional farms to an organic farming operation. I wore this shirt for the first time recently and was amazed how complete strangers would question the meaning of the message: The Hippies Were Right. While in the city, I received comments regarding the shirt and some disapproving looks as well. It's impossible to know what will get people stirred up these days !

Lakota: A Blind Wild Mustang

2008-06-17T10:32:00.003-05:00

This is something that I wrote this past October. I plan to write an update to detail the fantastic progress that Lakota has made since she came to live with us in 2007. Lakota proves daily how little we humans know about trust, patience and life's struggles.

October 5, 2007
Lakota - the blind wild mustang

My mom died in Jan.2007. She left behind a couple of horses which we adopted.... Lakota is a seventeen year old wild mustang mare that was born free and wild in Nevada. She was captured by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) adopted out and later sold to my mother. At the time, Lakota had a six month old daughter named Cheyenne. Both were wild and lived there on the property. After my mother's death, it became urgent to move them. Lakota had gone blind and moving her and Cheyenne became a monumental task...We set up a round pen (corral) and once Lakota was inside the corral, we began to remove panels to reduce the size of the corral...My husband roped Lakota and I injected her with tranquilizers from the vet. Even sedated she was terrified. After trapping, loading and transporting her to our house, we set up the corral in the yard, opened the horse trailer and attached it to the corral. It was a stormy night and Lakota unloaded herself in the middle of the night. Lakota was totally terrified by everything. I was told that being blind is hard enough for a horse and being wild and blind was an impossible combination, and that very likely we would have to have her euthanized. I looked on the Internet for expert advise....many had experience with wild horses or blind horses but to date I have not found anyone that claims to have experience with a blind wild horse.I was told that most likely I'd never get my hands on this horse, which if it weren't for medical reasons and the possibility of having to handle her for any number of reasons pertaining to her health and well-being, then I'd just as soon, let her stay wild. I started by just talking to her. The sound of my voice made her spook and move away from me. While feeding her, I tried to give her a carrot from my hand, which totally freaked her out and she wouldn't come near the feed bowl until I would leave the corral.. For the next three days she wouldn't eat until I would leave the area. Little by little, she allowed me to come near her again. I spent countless hours just talking to her. I continued to try to gain her trust and used the carrot to guide her to the rubber feeder that contained her grain. By tapping the carrot on the feeder bowl, she could find her way to the food. Little by little she began to tolerate my presence and be less spooky. Lakota has retained so much of her natural instinct, which is obvious by her reactions. She knows when a storm is brewing up, long before any of us or any of our many other animals. She notices any sound of movement long before any of the other horses. For months, we'd move the corral around to new grass for her to graze on. At first she was terrified of the sound made by the metal corral panels and would spook and bump into the panels.. After a while she would stand patiently in the center of the corral while we pushed it around,knowing that we were moving it to new grass and as soon as we would finish, she would have her head down searching for fresh grass. We began building our blind horse habitat and in the process, adopted Grace, a 20 yr.old Appaloosa mare, also blind but tame...Grace's right eye was deteriorated, infected and painful... The vet decided that it was medically necessary to have her eyeball surgically removed.. Within a month of adopting Grace as a companion to Lakota, she had the operation.. It was very much of a big deal ( for her as well as us ) to have an eyeball removed. After a tough month and a half, Grace finally was healed.After five months of living in the corral, Lakota and I had made progress. She now allows me to touch her face, neck and back.. She moves toward my voice and will "answer" back when I call to her. When we completed the fencing for the blind horse habitat, we moved Lakota's corral as close as possible to the driveway, connected corral panels to the new enclosure, opened up the corral and Lakota MOVED HERSELF across the street and into the new area. Now Lakota and Grace live together happily.They spend their days grazing, swatting flies and enjoying the shade of the big oak trees... and from a distance, no one would ever know that they are both blind.. Lakota and I continue to bond a little more each day as she permits me into her world, which is a calm and relaxed place compared to the terror of the darkness she previously endured. I am honored that she chooses to accept my presence and my good intentions despite what humans have done to her in the past. She was living wild and free then she was captured, freeze branded, adopted out and sold off and put out to pasture. With Lakota's experience with human beings, it amazes me that she could trust people again. For sure, she is more forgiving than a lot of people that I've known in my lifetime.

Happy Father's Day DAD

2008-06-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

My DAD, he is a hoot. He is a one of a kind. He's taken a licking and kept on ticking. There is no back up in him, but if you are waiting for him, you are backing up. He thought he was wrong once but he was wrong about what he thought. Patient he is not but good hearted and dedicated he has been from the very start. He asks too much but always gives back even more. If it is broken, he can fix it more times than not. If he hasn't been there yet, he's probably planning to go. If he doesn't know, he wants to find out.

He started out in life with nothing and has worked very hard his entire life. Whenever it became necessary, he picked himself up and dusted himself off and he started all over again from scratch.When he was sixty, he could outwork three 20 year olds on any given day. After 72 years of living, when he looks himself in the mirror, he sees a person that never went out of his way to cause harm to anyone despite what others have done to him. At 6 foot 3, he might give the impression that he is big and mean. When it comes to his daughters his heart always melts, then he turns from a grizzly bear to a teddy bear in a split second. He is a man of few words, however he is a man of action. Though he doesn't often show the tender side of his personality, he takes the time to pick out the most beautiful birthday cards with just the right words. My DAD's not old fashioned in any way. Unlike most people of his generation, he doesn't get nostalgic for the "good old days". He hates black and white movies and "old timey" stuff. He moves always toward the future. Modern technology draws him like a moth to light.

He's more well informed than most. He keeps a constant eye on the world. He warns that younger generations need to do the same before it's too late. He's never afraid to voice his opinion even when faced with strong opposition. He cares what happens to this planet and our civilization even though he knows he may not be here to see it come to pass. He has taught me so much by setting the example that doing the right thing isn't always so easy but if it were, everyone would be doing it. The bottom line is that you have to live with yourself and what you do or don't do will affect your life and the lives of others.

For 47 years he has been my father, my friend and my Rock of Gibraltar. I wish for forty seven more years together, but I fear that is too much to ask. I'll settle with whatever time we have left and hope that he truly realizes what he means to me, back when I was a little kid, now and in the years to come. I am so thankful that when they were handing out Dads, that he got to be mine.

A Thing Of Terror & Beauty

2008-06-14T11:46:00.002-05:00

This is a photo I took of a photograph. While staying at a friend's house in the city, this photo would draw me to it several times. Over the course of the week I spent at her house, I walked by this photo several times and found myself stopping to look at it again and again. Even without having been there I can imagine how terrifying it must have been for everyone in the area. I can imagine how it must have affected the wildlife. My friend lived near Vallecito, Colorado when this fire occurred. I know nothing about the details other than she referred to it as the Missionary Ridge Fire of 2002. I know that her home and family survived this fire. But that is all I know about it. How can something so terrifying and devestating be so beautiful?

In Memory Of Zena

2008-06-13T11:59:00.015-05:00

"No one ever held on to life more than she did...."

IN MEMORY OF ZENA
b. 4-21-2000
d. 6-09-2008

Best friends Zena and Josie

Camping on an island 4th of July

WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU NINA PULLINA AND THE JOY AND LAUGHTER THAT YOU BROUGHT TO OUR LIVES....WE WILL REMEMBER THE LESSONS YOU TAUGHT US. DESPITE LIFE'S STRUGGLES TO NEVER GIVE UP !!!!

A Sight For Sore Eyes

2008-06-11T15:17:00.004-05:00

Seeing My Honey, our animals and our place for the first time in a week was a sight for sore eyes. And my eyes have been sore. It's been five days since my eye surgery but I am feeling much better. The first few days were a bit tough. I am able to see much better. Yesterday for the first time I was able to read a menu while having lunch with a friend with my "very own real" eyes. It still doesn't seem real. Being able to see well for the first time in 47 years is going to take some getting used to for sure. It is somewhat distracting to be able to see so well. The first time that I got into my truck, I noticed that my windshield is really dirty. There is a small scratch on the dashboard that I'd never seen before. I've been driving this truck for over a year. Today I am working on the computer without glasses or contact lens. This is truly a miraculous thing. I've called my Dad several times to thank him. My eye surgery was a gift from my Dad. He's been calling and asking "so how are MY new eyes today", which makes him chuckle. During the course of my life he has been my dad, my friend and my Rock of Gibraltar He is one of a kind. Thanks again Dad ! Last night, I sat on the front steps for a good long while. I listened to the crickets chirp, the frogs croak and the owls hoot. At last, back to the serenity and tranquility of our own little piece of heaven.

Yikes, Let Me Out Of Here !

2008-06-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

Where I used to horseback ride in a beautiful meadow, just a few years ago

Tunnels aren't good when your vision suddenly becomes unreliable !

Early, early, early on a Sunday morning is the only "good" traffic time

From a distance the price looks like $13.79 a gallon.
A sign of things to come ????

I've spent a good amount of my travel time in construction zones and stop and go traffic, trying to avoid accidents and drivers with road rage !!!

YIKES......Let me out of here. One more appointment with the eye doctor and I'm headed back to the country. It's only been six days but I've had enough of this big city life. I'm seeing better than I have in 47 years, but my eyes hurt. My clear vision comes and goes, which can be a bit unnerving on the freeway in rush hour traffic. But my eyes are healing and it seems like a miracle to be seeing with my own eyes. It's been great getting the chance to visit with friends, but honestly, I don't know how people live all crowded together like this. There is no breathing space. It is push and shove, and push some more. Everyone is in such a big ____ hurry. If I ever feel like I'm missing out on something, all I have to do it venture into the city and immediately I remember why moved to the country.

Sweet Sixteen To My Chula

2008-06-09T14:25:00.006-05:00

Today is my stepdaughter's sixteenth birthday. My precious little girl is no longer so little.Today she is only two short years from becoming a legal adult. I'm writing this blog to preserve it as a somewhat permanent record of this special day. The birthday card may be forgotten, lost or thrown away, so I wanted to put it on my blog to record it for the future. I am going to include the wording on the birthday card as well as the note that I included in her card.
This is the birthday card that I chose for her 16th birthday:

HOW TO MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE
"Reflections For A Daughter On Her Birthday"

LOVE YOURSELF.
MAKE PEACE WITH WHO YOU ARE
AND WHERE YOU ARE
AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME.
LISTEN TO YOUR HEART.
IF YOU CAN'T HEAR WHAT IT'S SAYING
IN THIS NOISY WORLD,
MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF.
ENJOY YOUR OWN COMPANY.
LET YOUR MIND WANDER AMONG THE STARS.
TRY.
TAKE CHANCES.
MAKE MISTAKES.
LIFE CAN BE MESSY
AND CONFUSING AT TIMES,
BUT IT'S ALSO FULL OF SURPRISES.
THE NEXT ROCK IN YOUR PATH
MIGHT BE A STEPPING STONE.
BE HAPPY,
WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT YOU WANT,
WANT WHAT YOU HAVE.
MAKE DO.
THAT'S A WELL-KEPT SECRET OF CONTENTMENT.
THERE AREN'T ANY SHORTCUTS TO TOMORROW.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.
TO KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING
IS ONLY PART OF IT.
YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN, TOO.
AND IF YOU EVER GET LOST, DON'T WORRY,
THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU WILL FIND YOU.
COUNT ON IT.
LIFE ISN'T DAYS AND YEARS.
IT'S WHAT YOU DO WITH TIME
AND WITH ALL THE GOODNESS AND GRACE
THAT'S INSIDE YOU.
MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE....
THE KIND OF LIFE YOU DESERVE !

Here is my note to her.

Monday June 9, 2008
D.
On your 16th birthday I wish you all the best that the world has to offer. You've been through some hard times and there will be more ahead but it will make you a much stronger woman in the long run. Stay true to yourself, learn from mistakes, yours as well as those of others, be independent, study yourself to find your true purpose, enjoy simple pleasures, open your heart to those who honor and respect you, forgive those who don't. Don't let anyone tell you who you are - you SHOW THEM who you are by the way that you live your life. Over the years, you will change in ways that you'll never expect and the world will change in ways that no one will ever be able to anticipate. Change is the only factor in life that is guaranteed. Don't burn your bridges to your past, for the day may come that you'll want or need to cross back over them. No matter where you go or what you do, or what you become - my love, support and understanding are yours for as long as I live - 24 / 7 / 365. Remember I carry you always in my heart. With all my love, always, E

On The Road Again

2008-06-06T10:48:00.004-05:00

I am on the road again. Here are a few of the highway scenes that I captured on my way into the city. This is my first road trip in six months and the first one since I've gotten my new digital camera. Hesitatingly, I'm slowly but surely moving into the 21st century. Within the past few months I've started a blog and purchased a digital camera. Now, the motive of my trip to the city, I'm going to have Lasik eye surgery this afternoon. After years of avoiding most aspects of modern technology, now I'm jumping in with both feet. Who knows what will be next.

Road Trip

2008-06-04T15:01:00.006-05:00

I've left the Big Woods and have just arrived in the Big City. I've already seen more humans than I've seen in the past six months. I tell people that when you live outside of a town that only has two signal lights, that you should venture into the city from time to time to make sure that you haven't lost your nerve. Fortunately, I've always been like a chameleon. I have the ability to adapt quickly to my environment. I'll be in the city for a week, while My Honey stays home to take care of the ranch. He will have his hands full. I, on the other hand, don't have any chores to do. There is absolutely no one to take care of where I am now. Oh my, what will I do? Well, I'll find a way to pass the time. I've got a library card and can spend more time on the computer. I have many, many friends to go to visit. And I'm in prime garage/estate sale territory. We will see where the road takes me. With the price of gasoline, hopefully, not to very far, ha ! I will post some of the photos that I took during my five hour drive to the city so that I'll be able to view my blog if I get homesick this week. As for My Honey, he has big plans (all of which include long hard days of working around the ranch. I hope that he doesn't get too caught up on the chores because that could spell trouble. Hope he doesn't throw away anything. Admittedly, I am some what of a pack rat but he takes the slash and burn method to spring cleaning. Hey, a few years ago, while I was out of town, My Honey threw my toilet away. I came home to find that it was gone, gone, bye, bye. (Fortunately, we do have two bathrooms)So quite some time later, while was out of town, I stole his toilet and installed it in "my bathroom". Let's see what happens this time.

Bye Bye Billy

2008-06-03T11:08:00.002-05:00

Bye Bye Billy. Billy the Kid (AKA William Bonney) "was" our billy goat. He's a four year old South African Boer Goat. My Honey sold him to a co-worker this past week. He had to deliver him, which meant taking a 200 pound goat for a 300 mile road trip. It is so unlike us to "sell" anything but this was for the best. Billy now lives in a big pasture with twenty girlfriends. At "our place", he had to live alone. We had kept him separate from our other three goats for quite some time now. Our "pet" goats were rescues that we raised on a bottle. It was My Honey's idea to get a billy goat, which was not a problem for me, at least not at first. As I've mentioned, My Honey is out of town at least half of the time. It seems as though when the "blessed events" occur around our place he is always gone. Well, Miss Lilly had two big baby boys without problem. That same morning, Zena was in labor as well. By the evening she was in major distress. From my years of working in hospitals, I'd seen a number of human babies born and recognized that Zena was what they would have termed in a state of "failure to progress". In human terms that would have been grounds to do a emergency Cesarean-section, which I was in no way prepared to do. Without a vet available to help, I decided that Zena would die without invervention. I carefully tried to turn the baby which was not in the proper position. One of the baby's legs was folded back. I knew that she would not be able to deliver this baby on her own. At that point, so much time had passed, that I thought that the baby was still-born and my intention was to save the momma goat. Much to my surprise, I was able to carefully reposition the baby and literally pull her into this world. The baby was lifeless and discolored but I attempted my own version of CPR anyhow. I was shocked when she took her first breath. By this time is was late at night, Zena was drained of all energy and promptly rejected this tiny little baby girl. Being rejected by the mother was the reason that we took Zena as a rescue and raised her on a bottle. By then I realized that I would have to step in as foster mom and raise this baby also. I set up a large pet crate in the house and started bottle feeding Baby Zora. It took three and a half months to wean her off the bottle. She was a "good drinker", unlike Zena that I had to force every drop of milk in her for the duration of her "kid-hood". Zora is now three years old and she still thinks I'm her mom. She lives with the other two goats, but she still cries when she sees me or hears my voice. I think that she still misses "watching" satellite TV and the other perks of living indoors.

Living In "Gato-ville"

2008-05-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

Living in Gato-ville (Cat-ville) does have it's advantages. Thanks to our rescue kitties we never have a problem with mice in our barn. They are always quick to point out snakes that invade our yard. And on a cold winter day, there is always one of them available to keep my feet warm while I watch TV in the recliner.

Flower Power

2008-05-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

They say April showers bring May flowers. Around "our place" that seems to be true. We plant annuals in clay pots and put the perennials in the ground. Do you think that there is ever such a thing as "too many" flowers? We apparently don't.

Travels Of Gypsyheart Lady

2008-05-29T10:45:00.002-05:00

As I've previously mentioned, I used to travel all the time. Any place, any time, any where was an ideal time for a road trip. The above photo was taken in New Mexico at Shiprock. It stands tall and proud. You can see it for miles across the flat terrain. Shiprock is on tribal land and is not accessible by the public. I was on a 21 day backpacking expedition as part of a college geology class. We had to attain special permits to camp there. We slept under the stars near the base of this magnificent natural structure while coyotes howled all night. It was quite a hike to reach the point that the walls reach straight up to the sky. I was told that tribal people make the journey to Shiprock to touch the walls which are considered to be sacred. If you are ever driving through that area don't miss the opportunity to see a work of art by the Great Creator.

He's A Working Man

2008-05-27T11:40:00.012-05:00

My Honey, he's a working man. He's a Fire Fighter in the big city. He drives 300 miles to work each week. That is three hundred miles one way. He works a 40 hour week. Sometimes he works an overtime shift. He is always in a big hurry to get back home. There is no place that he'd rather be than back at the ranch....working. He was born and raised as a City Boy and a Flatlander, although he was a Country Boy and a Mountain Man at heart. Even though he lived in a major metro area, he was a member of the rodeo club in high school. He was a bulldogger and a team roper. When he was a little boy, he went fishing with his grandfather. He always loved nature and being in the country.

Back in 1999, when we began our relationship, he made a trip with me to my Dad's farm. I grew up in the country and had been doing "country chores" since I was a kid. I was mowing the pasture with the tractor and bush-hog, when he suggested that he wanted to start doing his share of the chores. I remember my Dad giving him a lesson on what to do and how to do it. When Dad was finished and sent My Honey on his way to start bush-hogging, we were watching from the back deck. The conversation went something like this: Dad said "Well, do you think that he can do it?" I said "Geeeez, Dad, I certainly hope so, because if he can't learn to bush-hog the pasture then I can't keep him". That was followed by much laughter by both of us.

Eye Will C U Soon

2008-05-24T12:09:00.007-05:00

I will see you soon...as I shouldn't be here at the library now. I'm in a rush to get everything ready for My Honey to come home. He's been stranded in the big city for seventeen days and for him that is considered cruel and unusual punishment. Although he's working, he has had some down time and could do some of the things that city people do. He'd however rather be at the barn cleaning out stalls. What a guy ! And I'm not being sarcastic. I truly mean it.

Between "all that mowing", "all that watering", "all that hoeing" (this word not being used in the sense of the modern connotation), getting another half dozen heirloom tomato plants into the ground as well as a number of other veggies, taking care of two lame equines on stall rest, being a feline midwife ( another story for another day, My Honey is always out of town when the blessed events occur around our place, lol.) and generally doing the chores for two I've held down the fort and kept the home fires burning. So for all these reasons and many more that I don't have time to go into, EYE WILL C U SOON.... A HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY TO ALL !

****the eye photo courtesy of Sam Starr, one of our many rescue kitties****

Mister Bojangles..... Dance

2008-05-22T12:47:00.006-05:00

Mister Bojangles had a birthday recently. He is a registered Missouri Fox Trotter. He was born on May 19, 1980, which means that this past Monday was his 28th birthday. For non-horse people, supposedly a horse year equals three human years. So, Mister Bojangles is now an eighty four year old gentleman who can still dance. With his typical Fox trotter gait, he looks like he's dancing as he moves along.

Mister Bojangles used to belong to my grandfather's nephew. We acquired Bo when he was nineteen years old, as my cousin wanted a younger horse for trail riding. At the time, my cousin was 84 years old.My cousin crossed over the rainbow bridge at the age of 91. We sent him yearly birthday photos of Bo though out his last years. Recently, my dad ran into Bo's original owner. He asked if we were willing to sell him back Mister Bojangles. No deal, Bo will remain with us for the rest of his days.

My dad warned me years ago that I should think about "peddling some of those OLD horses before they became so old that no one would buy them". He warned that my "silly" sentimentality would come back to haunt me. As usual, I didn't heed his warnings, as usual he was right. But on my part, I have no regrets. In our herd of ten equines, four of our horses are over age twenty. It does mean extra work and extra expense. We have had to have the senior's teeth floated and are always trying to help them keep up their weight.

For our seniors, we feed a heavy ration of a pelleted feed, mixed with fat supplements and water, which is stirred into a mush for them to be able to digest. Grazing on grass and eating hay will no long sustain them, only through our feeding program are they able to continue. So far we have been able to keep their weight up and keep them healthy and happy. I am aware that we will not be able to do this forever. The day will come when despite our best efforts that these seniors will not be able to thrive. We will continue to care for them until that day comes. When the time comes, they will each have their own special spot in the east pasture under the old oak tree, with a cross to mark their grave. Hopefully that day is still a long time away.

Believe it or now, Bo is not the herd elder around our place. That title is held by Ruby, our 30 year old Quarter Horse mare. In human years, that makes her the equivalent of a 90 year old woman.