Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Signs that Spring is here!
Often in life, especially growing up, we hear sayings that we might never experience or believe. Raised in the desert the "April Showers bring May flowers" was one of those sayings for me. We really didn't get much spring rain. Wind, yes! Rain no. (Side note, the annual rainfall in Las Vegas is only 4 inches, that's on a good year.)
Living somewhere now that that saying applies is awesome. Spring is here in a Wyoming sort of way. There are signs everywhere that it has arrived.
For example, the babies are starting to show up everywhere.
Baby cows...
baby chickens...
Baby flowers.... This one was really little. They just popped up out in the yard one day. Lloyd found them and had me come and look. They were white, yellow and purple. Not sure what they are. They didn't really look like anything I know a name for.
More babies to come also. The deer should have their fawns in late May, early June. The wild turkeys are out strutting their stuff, so it shouldn't be to long for them either. Miss M, one of our barn (snicker-snicker) cat's looks suspiciously prego already. And the list goes on. I can't wait to see what else we discover!
The garden is taking shape. Just another month or so and I can plant! Yay! So excited. First the deer fence has to go up around it though. I have it all planned on the computer. All my seeds and such are in (with the exception of my berry bushes). Summer is going to be a very busy time!
4/19/2011 4/20/2011
And of course the requisite Spring snow storm followed by a beautiful day that melts it all away!
Crazy huh? I'm told it can happen really anytime if conditions are right. But usually it stops snowing in May. At least when it snows in the spring, it melts right away and just lovely moisture is left in the ground.
It will be so fun to share the journey of my first spring and summer in the country with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I plan too!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Never complain about what a plumber charges...
This city girl turned country, has learned an important lesson the last few weeks. Plumbers earn everything they charge! As you grumble and complain about what your local plumber in the city charges to come out and work on your place, just remember at least he's there to do it and YOU don't have too.
The latest adventure started for us a few weeks ago. Problem number 1. We live in a rural area, so we have a septic tank. Plumbers are hard to come by and you pretty much do most things on your own. When the snow started to melt a few weeks ago we started noticing septic problems, like slow draining and eventually back up. At first we wondered if it was just because the ground was so saturated that the leach line had no where to go or was taking longer to leach. The leach line had just been replaced a couple years before, so it shouldn't be the problem. We decided we would have the septic emptied to see if that helped.
Finally, the second man we called, got his truck up and running. It was dry enough to get down to the septic accesses lid. He was headed our way. The hubby had already dug down to the access door, so it was just a matter of pumping it out right? Not for this adventure...
After the pumping was complete. I was asked to go indoors and flush one of the toilets. NOTHING! Nothing emptied out into the septic! We waited a few minutes and I tried it again. not only did nothing come out it started backing up! Now we had already snaked the lines when we started having problems. Didn't run into anything. But now we knew there was a problem in the line from the house to septic tank. So the hubby went to get the plumbing "snake". Side note... this snake has been used and at the ranch for as long as he could remember.
Weeelllll, the hubby opened the pipe... a bit of clear water came out... And the BAMMMM! The pipe exploded with YUCKY water! Ohhh My Gosh! talk about nasty... Poor hubby got covered not to mention everything in the Vincenty! It filled the tub he had there and then some! So as I started with the mop and then the shop vac cleaning up the mess he started the snake. Nothing. It didn't hit anything. Then he started measuring. The snake was not nearly long enough to make it to the septic. So that means he needed to go from the other direction also!
Problem number 4. Many of you might not know this. But my dear hubby has very wide shoulders. Septic tank holes not so wide. He had to maneuver a bit to get down into (thankfully the now empty) septic tank. He got down in there and started extending the snake. It only went about six inches when it hit a something solid. After taking out one piece to see into the pipe he found the problem. The end of the pipe was crushed and was just in pieces. So as he took out the broken pieces out, guess what happened? Of course it starts pouring out! Gobs and gobs of it! Poor hubby and his wide shoulders is trying as fast as he can to get out of there. Not a good afternoon for the hubby.
Well as most stories go, this one does have a happy ending ;) We called the neighbor who is a contractor. He came over the next day and dug out the offending pipe. It had been crushed, was never put in correctly so had probably been that way for a long time. Remember the snake? I guess this old house has had problems for some time, but no one before us ever figured that it wasn't long enough. The pipe was replaced, laid and attached properly and we once again have indoor plumbing! Yahoooo!
You know, that afternoon was not the best of days, especially for the hubby. However now that it is behind us and we can look back and tell the story, it's pretty funny. The hubby says he can mark the experience off the bucket list of things he NEVER wanted to do. We reinforced our belief that when you do a job, do it right the first time. Don't rig it to just do for now. It seems quite often things are done to just get by or to cut cost. But it always end up to cost you more in the long term to fix mistakes. Sometimes those fix it jobs are just plane crappy (pun intended).
Kudos to my hubby! He did what need to be done, with just a little bit of later repenting and asking forgiveness :) But like most things in our adventure we call life he is willing to take on jobs many others never would attempt.
The latest adventure started for us a few weeks ago. Problem number 1. We live in a rural area, so we have a septic tank. Plumbers are hard to come by and you pretty much do most things on your own. When the snow started to melt a few weeks ago we started noticing septic problems, like slow draining and eventually back up. At first we wondered if it was just because the ground was so saturated that the leach line had no where to go or was taking longer to leach. The leach line had just been replaced a couple years before, so it shouldn't be the problem. We decided we would have the septic emptied to see if that helped.
Problem number 2 began when we tried to get someone out to pump out our septic tank. Remember the saturated ground I mentioned earlier? It was too wet for the first guy we called to get down there (he got stuck, before he even got to the bottom of the hill) to where the access is. So we called another guy. His truck had just broke down. It would be a while before he could come out. So we called a little farther out to one of the bigger town/cities. They were booked solid with the mines for the next couple of weeks. So we waited, rationing ~ showers, doing dishes, flushing toilets (used the old out house that is about 124 years old ). You never realize how much you appreciate having indoor plumbing until you have to go out to the outhouse... frequently...at night...or when it's cold... just saying :)
Finally, the second man we called, got his truck up and running. It was dry enough to get down to the septic accesses lid. He was headed our way. The hubby had already dug down to the access door, so it was just a matter of pumping it out right? Not for this adventure...
After the pumping was complete. I was asked to go indoors and flush one of the toilets. NOTHING! Nothing emptied out into the septic! We waited a few minutes and I tried it again. not only did nothing come out it started backing up! Now we had already snaked the lines when we started having problems. Didn't run into anything. But now we knew there was a problem in the line from the house to septic tank. So the hubby went to get the plumbing "snake". Side note... this snake has been used and at the ranch for as long as he could remember.
Problem number three. After paying the septic pumper man, the hubby headed to the basement where he had installed an access (earlier in this adventure) in the pipe for such an occasion. We had waited a while hoping that most of the water from flushing had emptied out of the pipes.
Weeelllll, the hubby opened the pipe... a bit of clear water came out... And the BAMMMM! The pipe exploded with YUCKY water! Ohhh My Gosh! talk about nasty... Poor hubby got covered not to mention everything in the Vincenty! It filled the tub he had there and then some! So as I started with the mop and then the shop vac cleaning up the mess he started the snake. Nothing. It didn't hit anything. Then he started measuring. The snake was not nearly long enough to make it to the septic. So that means he needed to go from the other direction also!
Problem number 4. Many of you might not know this. But my dear hubby has very wide shoulders. Septic tank holes not so wide. He had to maneuver a bit to get down into (thankfully the now empty) septic tank. He got down in there and started extending the snake. It only went about six inches when it hit a something solid. After taking out one piece to see into the pipe he found the problem. The end of the pipe was crushed and was just in pieces. So as he took out the broken pieces out, guess what happened? Of course it starts pouring out! Gobs and gobs of it! Poor hubby and his wide shoulders is trying as fast as he can to get out of there. Not a good afternoon for the hubby.
Well as most stories go, this one does have a happy ending ;) We called the neighbor who is a contractor. He came over the next day and dug out the offending pipe. It had been crushed, was never put in correctly so had probably been that way for a long time. Remember the snake? I guess this old house has had problems for some time, but no one before us ever figured that it wasn't long enough. The pipe was replaced, laid and attached properly and we once again have indoor plumbing! Yahoooo!
You know, that afternoon was not the best of days, especially for the hubby. However now that it is behind us and we can look back and tell the story, it's pretty funny. The hubby says he can mark the experience off the bucket list of things he NEVER wanted to do. We reinforced our belief that when you do a job, do it right the first time. Don't rig it to just do for now. It seems quite often things are done to just get by or to cut cost. But it always end up to cost you more in the long term to fix mistakes. Sometimes those fix it jobs are just plane crappy (pun intended).
Kudos to my hubby! He did what need to be done, with just a little bit of later repenting and asking forgiveness :) But like most things in our adventure we call life he is willing to take on jobs many others never would attempt.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Squirrel!
I feel the need to write tonight, but yet I'm not sure what it should be. I have deleted several beginnings. Thinking it wasn't what I needed to express. My mind tends to wander all over at times. Okay a lot. Jumping from one thought to another. I made a comment recently to a friend, that my mind works like my black lab Maggies'... squirrel ... it gets distracted frequently and easily. You know, like a dog who is doing something, sees a squirrel and gets side tracked for awhile until you can reign them back in.
The thought of squirrels, brought a memory of talking with my stepbrother Chris. He's an amazing guy, very driven, creative and talented. One evening we were having dinner at our parents house and the subject of my "squirrel" mind came up. I quite often have problems accomplishing tasks I set for my day because I get side tracked by a "squirrel". An example would be, I start the dishes, I walk into the other room to see if anyone left a cup in there. I see a shirt that was left and needs to go into the laundry basket. I walk into the bedroom to put it in the laundry basket and notice it's full, so I take it into the laundry room to start a load of laundry. On my way I stop by the bathroom to pick up any towels that need to be washed and notice the sink needs to be wiped off. As I walk by my office on the way to get cleaner I notice my computer and remember an email I was suppose to send.... This can go on and on if I'm not careful. A few hours later I wander back by the kitchen to see the dishes (still not done) that I began that morning! Nor is the laundry in the washer or the sink wiped down. Then I think, no wonder I never accomplish anything on some days. I chase to many squirrels!
After describing a typical squirrel episode, we talked about how that also can happen to people in general during there day and life. Their goals get squirreled! The squirrel can be caused by many things. Above is one example, but what about the co-worker who interrupts you with something they need. A friend who calls or stops by. A child with a need. All those things can happen (my example is an extreme, but plausible in my life) . So how do you keep focused? How do you get back on track when you've been squirreled? Life is full of distractions. Things come up everyday that you just can't avoid or ignore. I like being flexible for those occasions. I also like however; feeling like I've accomplished something each day.
Since that talk, I've thought quite a bit about it. I've come up with some things that have helped me. I keep a list of things I need to do. Give them a ranking of importance. I keep lists of things I need to purchase when I go to town. Yes, I still get squirreled. But the most important things are usually accomplished. My dishes still have a tendency to get forgotten. My strategy is not completed. It is a work in progress. I hope to find more solutions to my squirrel problem. I will find them... as long as I don't spot a squirrel.
The thought of squirrels, brought a memory of talking with my stepbrother Chris. He's an amazing guy, very driven, creative and talented. One evening we were having dinner at our parents house and the subject of my "squirrel" mind came up. I quite often have problems accomplishing tasks I set for my day because I get side tracked by a "squirrel". An example would be, I start the dishes, I walk into the other room to see if anyone left a cup in there. I see a shirt that was left and needs to go into the laundry basket. I walk into the bedroom to put it in the laundry basket and notice it's full, so I take it into the laundry room to start a load of laundry. On my way I stop by the bathroom to pick up any towels that need to be washed and notice the sink needs to be wiped off. As I walk by my office on the way to get cleaner I notice my computer and remember an email I was suppose to send.... This can go on and on if I'm not careful. A few hours later I wander back by the kitchen to see the dishes (still not done) that I began that morning! Nor is the laundry in the washer or the sink wiped down. Then I think, no wonder I never accomplish anything on some days. I chase to many squirrels!
After describing a typical squirrel episode, we talked about how that also can happen to people in general during there day and life. Their goals get squirreled! The squirrel can be caused by many things. Above is one example, but what about the co-worker who interrupts you with something they need. A friend who calls or stops by. A child with a need. All those things can happen (my example is an extreme, but plausible in my life) . So how do you keep focused? How do you get back on track when you've been squirreled? Life is full of distractions. Things come up everyday that you just can't avoid or ignore. I like being flexible for those occasions. I also like however; feeling like I've accomplished something each day.
Since that talk, I've thought quite a bit about it. I've come up with some things that have helped me. I keep a list of things I need to do. Give them a ranking of importance. I keep lists of things I need to purchase when I go to town. Yes, I still get squirreled. But the most important things are usually accomplished. My dishes still have a tendency to get forgotten. My strategy is not completed. It is a work in progress. I hope to find more solutions to my squirrel problem. I will find them... as long as I don't spot a squirrel.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The New Chapter
I know I've said it before, but life just never seems to slow down. It's always changing, always bringing new challenges and surprises. We started a new business this year. Buckhorn Ridge Ranch. It's a hunting ranch and a dream of my husbands for many years. Of course my life has been busy getting everything started and paperwork in and completed.
Although the ranch has been in my husband's family since some time in the 1880's this will be the first time it has truly been designated as a hunting ranch. It has had hunters in the past. Many have come with us over the years. A few have been coming for over 40 and had started when his great grandmother was still on the ranch. Now it is our turn, to keep the ranch going and here for the next generation to enjoy.
It will be a lot of work and time, but isn't all things that way that are worth it? I think so. So come with us on this new journey our life has taken.
If your interested our website for the new venture is:
www.buckhornridgeranch.com
Although the ranch has been in my husband's family since some time in the 1880's this will be the first time it has truly been designated as a hunting ranch. It has had hunters in the past. Many have come with us over the years. A few have been coming for over 40 and had started when his great grandmother was still on the ranch. Now it is our turn, to keep the ranch going and here for the next generation to enjoy.
It will be a lot of work and time, but isn't all things that way that are worth it? I think so. So come with us on this new journey our life has taken.
If your interested our website for the new venture is:
www.buckhornridgeranch.com
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