Age 10 and Age 63

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Dayphoto

Bladen and I are born in January, one week apart. We are both gaining a year this coming January!

He is a delightful little boy, but growing rapidly now. I can see huge changes in him. The changes really started in the fourth grade, but now he is in the fifth grade and the changes are immense. Next year will be the 6th grade and then onward to Jr. High and High School.

The years are going by.

It makes me really sad to see him growing so fast, but it is also really exciting to watch him developed into the young man he is going to be.

He is always willing to come over and help me with really hard yard work, or to help Grandpa with some sort of chore.

For instance when we were putting the roof on the house he helped scrap off the old shingles and then helped pull the nails that were left after the shingles came off.

Having grandchildren close by is full of lots of good, for them and for us!

Linda

Walking With Grandpa

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Dayphoto

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I know we are giving the grandchildren memories. I so remember both sets of my grandparents.

As I grow older I have even clearer memories.

Like our grandchildren we lived just up the orchard from our mother’s parents and a mile from my father’s mother and her second husband.

The small things are the real joy…they are memories that stay forever.

Linda

Let Me Introduce You to————-

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Dayphoto

Tommy!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tommy is a Royal Palm Turkey!

Isn’t he beautiful?

Tommy is also a rescue turkey.

He isn’t my turkey, he belongs to Shannon. Our oldest daughter that has the two Rottweilers and Princess Houston the Mountain Cur.

Shannon also volunteer’s (with me) at the Animal Shelter as a dog walker. Although, she has been known to be a kennel cleaner and a vet runner. She likes to be there to just love on the dogs and cats so winds up doing many other things. (She does have a full-time job, just to let you know)

But this is a tale about Tommy.

One day, when Shannon and Buddy were driving around in the countryside they saw a sign that said turkeys for sale. Not ever having a turkey (or three) they thought a cool thing would be to get a live turkey.

There were many turkey’s , you could pick out what you wanted, pay for it and go. As they were looking around they saw Tommy and two hens in a very tiny, itty-bitty wire cage. It was so tiny they were stacked in there together–hen, tom, hen. The feathers were wore off of Tom and his chest was bare of all feathers, the hens were scrawny.

When asked why these three were in such a tiny pen, they were told there wasn’t enough room for all of the turkey’s so he had them in this pen until he could make room for more birds.

So….for a price– the cage and two hens and Tommy came to live in animal heaven with the three dogs, two cats, 8 hens and just found rooster-Jethro.

Sadly the hens didn’t make it. But Tommy did!

What a wonderful turkey he is. I have been around very mean turkey’s, but Tommy isn’t one of those kind. We all pick him up, carry him around, the little kids pet him, and he even walks over into the onion fields and drums from the workers over there.

We do have to go get him and bring him home because Tommy is never destined to be on someone’s table.

So, as you can see, he is now a completely healed and a very magnificent bird!

Linda

Houston Better Known as Princess

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Dayphoto

Houston a.k.a. Princess is a Mountain Cur dog. She is four-years-old. And papered.

Houston was Buddy’s dog, the two Rottweilers are Shannon’s now with Buddy’s passing, Houston is Shannon’s dog also.

From what we understand, Mountain Curs are a breed the originated in the southern Appalachia mountains. They are hunting dogs used to tree squirrels and raccoon’s and other critters that climb trees. They are known to be able to climb a tree and hold the creature right there. That’s called ‘hard treeing’ —

(Just to set the record straight…I know nothing about hunting, or hunting with a dog. Buddy came from a tiny town on the Texas/Louisiana border and grew up hunting. I only know this stuff because he told us.)

The rancher that rents our place in the winter to calve out his cows has Black Mouth Curs, they are also hunting and treeing dogs.

Princess Houston not only climbs up a tree but she can climb down a tree. The first time the dogs and I saw her do it, we just stopped and stared. Boomer ran up to the tree and put his front paws on the trunk and hallooooooooooooooowd at her. But he could in no fashion ever get up there. Fuzzy looked at her like she was out of her gourd some how. The Rottweilers didn’t even pay attention to her since they have lived with her from her puppyhood.

Since Boomer and Houston are both hounds they love to go searching and sniffing around all the holes and hollers and dales and valleys on our place, but they are both good about coming back and being with us — if we call.

Oh, wait…Boomer sometimes has to play tricks on us and only come way after we call! 🙂

Anyway, I had lots of questions about Houston and if she could also climb down the tree once she was up there…yep, she can!

And she has a heart of gold and is an outstanding watch dog although, she no longer goes hunting.

Linda

Monday, November 19, 2012

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Dayphoto

I’m back. Slept off and on yesterday and even slept in really late this morning. I got up at 6:30, with everyone else up and doing stuff.

I feel good.

I think I just got really tired from doing our things here and then running down to our oldest daughter’s place (only 2 miles away) to feed her fire and watch over her animals. She only heats with a wood stove so I had to be extremely diligent to keep the fire going so her pipes wouldn’t freeze all through the day and night.

She is back home now so everything will mellow out until our other daughter and her family heads to Nebraska for Thanksgiving on Wednesday. They heat with wood also, but they have a backup propane system. I will just have all their animals to take care of, which won’t be as exhausting.

Terry and I and the dogs all went around the place yesterday checking on the fences. It’s getting close to pheasant hunting season, which means people will cut, break down, and destroy fences to get to the birds. Everything is posted, not because we are against hunters, but because we are against property damage. It works most of the time.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

These lovely birds are back. I tell them all of the time they are most welcome to land on our place…we are a no hunting zone. Although, I don’t think there is a Sand-hill Crane season I know there is a Canada Goose season, of which they will be safe here!

Linda

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Dayphoto

I guess I’m going to have to take the day off — I a bit tired for some reason or other and can’t seem to get myself together.

I will be back Monday, bright and early, that is for certain and for sure.

I hope you have a really nice Sunday!

Linda

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Dayphoto

8:00 this morning saw much warmer temps than yesterday at the same time….

Still cold, but I’ll take it.

The dry, powdery snow is just about gone except in spots on the north side of things.

But we have snow in the high places

This a photo of Grand Mesa at the front of our place

The snow along the Craig Crest Ridge on Grand Mesa. This part is closer to the Cedaredge, Eckert area.

The snow along Green Mountain and the Ragged’s. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the Paonia Mountains or the Gunnison Mountains or the San Juan Range because of a haze covering those parts of the mountains surround us.

But the Uncompahgre Plateau was looking good, with a little snow ridge in the higher parts of the Plateau

The canyon, that our mesa tops off, is called the Roubidoux…

No snow there, unless you look way, way, way at the top where you can see a tiny white ridge of snow.

A good start for the potential of water for next year!

Linda

Clear Skies and Warming Up Some

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Dayphoto

The windy, sleet-filled, blustery, bitter cold storm has moved on. The last two nights have been very cold but beautiful. When out getting wood or checking on something the sky is a delight of twinkling stars in the deep, deep frozen sky.

The dogs always sleep in the house when it’s winter time, but Fuzzy much prefers outside in his dog house, he will open the back door and go out — I will find him there and ask him to come back in. He always comes, but if he gets too hot out he goes again.

Boomer has very little fur so he very much enjoys the house routine.

As it warms up (at night and in the daytime) they both like being outside, as there is so MUCH to do while others sleep, you see.

I have to force them to come in, soon Fuzzy is outside and Boomer is panting at the door to be let out. (He can’t figure out how to open the door—just push Boom, just push)

Anyway, as the storm played around with our area, a gentle little rainbow glowed over our neighbors metal building.

We were lucky enough to see it!

( I hope you can see it)

I was lucky enough to have the camera ready.

The temps this morning were around 18* (at 5 A.M.). The weather guy says we are going to have a small warm- up before the next storm comes in sometime next week.

Thank all of you for your support and also for your understanding of what a fool and a jerk that man was Sunday at Wal-Mart!

Linda

Veteran’s Day

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Dayphoto

I missed Veteran’s Day yesterday, but I did NOT forget!

I had a horrible incident at Wal-Mart that made me very mad and then made me very sad.

I had stopped at the table where a lady from the VFW was selling Poppies (for remembrance and pins for support for those returning vets with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

As I was giving the lady my money, she called out to a man (I will NOT refer to him as a gentleman—ever) and asked if he would like to purchase a poppy!

He replied in a nasty sneering way: ” I never support your F*%*&%# organization and I ain’t going to start now”!

Right at that moment my daughter called me on my cell phone, which (in hind-sight is probably a good thing) as I was ready to give him a good talking down too.

After he smugly walked on in I asked the lady if that happens a lot.

She replied: “Sadly, yes,”

What has this world come too? I am horribly embarrassed for that man and for those who think like this way.

People may not agree with the policies of the government, but the men and women who are there–in the fight — are putting their lives on the line.

And NO it isn’t just a job to them…it is a fight for US-you and me! Just ask any vet or any person in any branch of the service. They are foremost and first fighting for US, you and me, and YES for that pathetic man who was so incredibly rude.

In his 11th hour of need I wonder if anyone will be there for him?

I thank both my grandfathers, my uncle, my Daddy and my son for for care and belief in America and in freedom for all.

Linda