Wyoming in the Spring

Wyoming is a unique state.  It has amazing natural wonders.  On the west side of the state, you have Yellowstone and Teton National Park.  You have The Bighorn Mountains, in the North Central part of the state. There are amazing valleys and Mountains.  The first National Monument, the Devils Tower, in my neck of the state.  The wildlife is phenomenal!

Growing up in the Southwest area of the United States, it had its own beauty.  One thing you could count on is lots of sunshine.  You had some crazy weather occasionally, but sunshine, it was pretty much guaranteed most days of the year. It made you excited for a little storm to go through for a little variation.

Here in the Northwest part of the Wyoming, the weather is not so predictable.  In the Springtime it can vary 40 degrees in a day.  Sunshine and 70 one day, 30 and snowing the next.  It is quite the adventure, to be sure.  However, I love the spring time here.

Baby everything starts to make their entrances.  Calving season is in progress.  Nothing cuter than a little calf, a lamb, piglets, or goats.  Wildlife babies will also start making their appearance as the season progresses.  It is a time of renewal and new beginnings. 

I'm patiently waiting for our cows to begin calving, to give each one a number and a name.  Yes, I name all of our cows.  They all have a personality and our happy little herd is spoiled and fairly gentle.  Our first cow we purchased was a little calf that had to be bottle fed.  She is still a big baby. Her name is Wendy.  She is such a good momma.  Wendy has the most beautiful calves.  I only name the females, it is too hard when the males (steer) have to go to market. It is easier if they don't have names to let them go.

In the coming weeks, hopefully, I will be able to get some good pictures and share with you the joys of spring here where I am.  I hope you are enjoying springtime wherever you may be.

February already?

     The first month of 2017 has flown by for me.  Do you remember as a kid when the days would linger on and on?  Especially when you were waiting for a special day or event?  Why is it, as an adult, the days go faster and faster?  I think as an adult we have more going on.  More irons in the fire and more items on your to do list, more commitments we tend to have.  This "adulting" gig can become overwhelming at times.  Deadlines, due dates, start dates, appointments, they all have us constantly going, worrying, planning, stressing and just frustrated sometimes. 

     I find myself not taking the time to enjoy life as it is meant to be.  Although I enjoy life, sometimes I have on blinders and worry about the "adulting" things and forget about stopping to smell the roses per say.  Today I told my hubby I want to go plow the roads after our storm yesterday and last night.  In the skid steer I went.  I had my water, Meeko's control gear, and off Meeko and I went.  She loves running along side the skid steer or the UTV.  She just likes to go.  Anyway, after a brief practice run to remind me how all the controls work, I got to work.  It was so much fun.  It was enjoyable to just do something that is not normally part of my day.  It took just over an hour I think, but it was a joy.  Some may say I'm a little crazy, but I enjoyed it.  Perhaps if it was something I HAD to do day after day it may not have been. 

     This brought me to the conclusion that it is good to switch things up a bit.  Switch chores with a loved one.  Cross train at work if possible.  Try a new hobby or a new work out.  Learn something new.  Do something that lets you see another side of life.  If you don't enjoy it, well at least you tried and maybe it will help you appreciate something someone else does regularly or what you normally do more. 

     On that note, I have applied for 4 jobs this last week.  One I have never worked at or anything even similar, but they said they would train the right candidate.  Well, why not? It could be interesting and fulfilling.  The other three I have not done directly.  I have been or volunteered in aspects of each, but have not actually been paid to do two of them. The other one is in the realm of something I was cross trained for at one time in a different industry.  We'll see what happens.  One of these I would dearly love to get the position.  It is something I am passionate about and have volunteered a significant amount of time doing in the past.  I could easily see my self doing it for the next 10-15 years.  This is the one I am hoping and praying I am hired to do.  I'll keep you updated on how the search goes.

     Lastly, I have to tell you one of the results of my "healthy me" journey.  I have had several people comment on how much better I look, more radiant and healthy.  Yes, in the past year people were always asking me if I was doing ok, was I sick, or tired.  It happened all the time!  But in the last month or so, people have really been noticing my appearance looks healthy and as one person put it, radiant.  I attribute this change, to the things I have changed (see post It's Been Awhile).  Juice Plus I  feel has been a huge factor.  Let me know if I can help you on your journey to healthy again!

     Have an awesome week!


             Jan

    

Chinese New Year

     Chinese New Year begins tomorrow.  I always enjoy doing a little something for this.  Usually just eating out or cooking Chinese food at home.  I don't live anywhere close to fun celebrations like in some areas.  I do find it colorful, fun and fascinating.  Here is a fun link with information for this years celebration and other costumes that happen.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2577084/chinese-new-year-2017-when-animal-fire-rooster/

     This week has been busy, between substitute teaching, trying to get all of the end of the year book work done and updating my resume to send out.  It is crazy to me the whole process of writing a resume.  When you're older and have more experience, it is difficult to put it on one or two pages.  Information may be left out. Information that tells more of your life experience.  When looking for new career path or opportunities it is a decision that I feel needs to be directed by God.

     I love listening to Dave Ramsey audio books.  I have listened to and I am re-listening to his Entreleadership book. I wish I had this book 20-30 years ago.  Of course, he was learning most of the things he talks about and hadn't written it yet.  Even 10 years ago, would have made a huge difference in how I did things. All of his books makes me wish I was on his team.  His philosophy about business and life in general is how I feel and think.  He has helped me see things differently.  So now, I'm moving forward and listening to this book again and absorbing the information to jump start my next 20-30 years.

     I'm still not sure where I'm headed, but I'm expecting the journey to be awesome, hard, fun, educational, and hopefully full of growth and self discovery.  There is never a time to quit learning.  Sometimes we just have to remember that we can do anything we put our mind and energy to.

Jan
    

It's Been a While

     It's been a while since I've been on my blog.  Life gets busy and I let the priority of blogging slip. Much has happened, some good, some not so good.  Life goes on.  We grow, we learn and we move forward.

     This year I turn 50.  I'm not sure how that happened.  I decided (even though I'm a couple weeks behind) to take a page from my sister-in-law, Julia at http://www.keepingitsosimple.com/.  She blogged her journey to 50 a few years ago.  My journey will be different, because I'm different.  However, I want to share it with you.  The things I want to focus on are my health and wellness, trying new things, growth spiritually, and developing a new business/career that will work for me where I live.

      My health and wellness journey has been on going and has really taken a turn for the better in the last 6-9 months.  On December 12, 2015, I had my piano we were moving fall off a forklift from above me about 3 feet and land flat on me.  It had me pinned from about the waist down.  You know in the cartoons when a piano falls out a window or something similar and flattens the character?  That is what it felt like.  There are many reasons this happened and why it shouldn't have, but we won't go into them.  What I will tell you is my husband threw the piano off me and I laid there several minutes.  My husband was rightly panicked and I wasn't sure if I could move or not.  I asked him to give me a minute to recover my senses to see how I was.  It took more than a minute needless to say.  I slowly rolled over on my belly and crawled to the fence post and climbed my way up.  By standing on my own, I was pretty sure nothing was broken.  I told him I was I didn't think I need the ambulance.  That was probably not smart on my end, but hey, I'm stubborn.

     We actually finished moving the piano.  I know, right?!  Stubborn.  I went and rested, messaged my EMT chief to let him know what happened.  He also said I should have gone to the emergency room.  Of course I didn't. Extremely stubborn.   The next Monday I was scheduled to substitute teach at our local school.  I asked if they had anyone else available for that day.  They did not.  They already had every available substitute working.  So, I went in or I should I say hobbled in and made it through the day.  After that, I was down for approximately 2 months and still had knee, leg and lower back problems.  That was health set back number one.

     Number 2 happened that March when I had stomach surgery.  It has a long back story that goes along with it.  I'll try to condense it.  In January 2005 I went to Mexico and had a lap band put on.  I was at my wits end with my weight and also the heaviest I had ever been.  I had a dear friend who had great success with hers she had done a year prior.  To say my experience with my band was horrible, is an understatement.  I couldn't eat or sometimes even drink water.  I wasn't getting the healthy nutrients my body needed.  I was eating junk (highly processed) foods.  It was the only thing I could keep down.  My health was declining (even though I lost 50 pounds, it was a very unhealthy loss).  I finally was told by my physicians in Mexico that they couldn't figure out why I was having a certain issue and that it wasn't related to the band, but that I should see if a U.S. physician could figure it out. They "emptied" my band.  I couldn't find a doctor in my city that would touch me with the band (I decided to get the French version instead of the U.S. one.).  After a couple years and many issues I finally found one that would see me.  His out look was not good.  Previously he had been the chief surgeon at Cedar Sinai in L.A.  He had seen a couple others like mine that had to come out and they had not gone well.  He told me I'd be down 3-6 months if I decided my band should come out.  Who has time or money for that?  I opted to keep it in. 

     Fast forward several years.  I am now living in Wyoming.  Through a friend I finally found another doctor who would take me as a patient in South Dakota.  My friend also had the band and really liked this doctor (who also took hers out after she had issues).  Dr. Sufficool had never seen my type of band, but researched it and said he would take it out.  My surgery was at the end of March.  I had a Priesthood blessing from my husband and Branch President of my local unit at church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) the Sunday prior to my Tuesday surgery.  I was scheduled to stay overnight.  Not only was my surgery a success, it took less time than anticipated, there were no problems and I was actually able to leave the surgery center that day and stay in a motel room with my husband that night and go home the next day.  It was amazing and a miracle in my book.  Incident number 2 though had me down for another month or so.

     With those two issues somewhat under control, I was then able to take a look at some other health issues that had been plaguing me for years (talking decades here).  I had given up on doctors, mostly. I had been trying to do things as natural as possible. Anything synthetic made me ill after even a few weeks.  (Example, vitamin supplements, energy booster I won't name, pretty much anything that wasn't from nature). The month of May rolled around and all though I was eating better again, I was not doing well.  I had actually ordered a German Shepherd pup to train as a service dog, since I hand not been able to find a doctor that gave me hope of having a productive active life style.  People always asked me if I was okay, was I feeling well, that I didn't look well.  I looked tired.  My sugar levels where up and down (I had been pre-diabetic since 18 and full blown diabetic since 2010).  I was extremely fatigued and achy.  My desire to do anything was gone.  My sex drive was non-existent. I had given up hope.  I was not in a good place.

     In June one of my friends was telling me about similar problems she had and that she had found a doctor she was going to go see in Gillette that looked promising.  It took me a week or so, but I decided that I'd call just to see what it was about.  It was great timing.  Dr. Shelley Shepard was having a seminar the next week and there was still an opening.  I went.  I was amazed and for once in a very long time (again decades here) I had hope!  They took my blood that day.  Two weeks later I went in for my first treatment.  BioTE hormone replacement therapy was one of the key elements to getting my health and wellness back!  It isn't a quick fix.  My body took over 3 decades getting this far out of wack. It would take a while to get it functioning properly again. I couldn't expect a quick fix for something that took me years to develop. 

     In July, another friend of mine was telling me about a whole food supplement she had discovered and she ended up reintroducing me to Juice Plus. I had first heard about it from my best friend in the mid-90's.   After research and really studying the company, their product and process of producing the nutritional supplements, I was sold.  I tried it out and became a independent health consultant.  Again, not a quick fix, but a lifestyle change that would help bring my poor body back to health and wellness.

     This was the beginning (or in some cases, continuing) to my journey for health and wellness.  I will share with you my journey and progress with my health and other adventures.  I am not one to push any idea or product unless I am 100% behind the product and company.  I will share with you below website links so you may do your own research and investigating to.  I am always willing to answer questions about anything I put out there.  Just please be respectful in any comments for or against anything I post.  Hope you have a wonderful week!

     Here are the links I mentioned.  you may need to copy and paste some of them.

Julia (my sister-in-law)  http://www.keepingitsosimple.com

Dr. Shelley Shepard, Gillette, Wyoming:   http://sshepardmngr.wixsite.com/revitalize
Bio-hormone Therapy:  http://www.biotemedical.com/

Juice Plus:  http://jan-pruet.juiceplus.com/us/en

If you are on Facebook, come like my page and follow along there also:
https://www.facebook.com/Janpruet/

This is Meeko, my baby I picked up back in June of 2016.

Summertime, Summertime, Summertime!



Crazy time this thing called summer time.  Busy, busy, busy at the ranch.  I went on a road trip to see family and was gone just over 3 weeks and 4000 miles!  It was good to see everyone, but boy was I glad to get home. 

We started the garden just before I left and it's progressing nicely.  I've already picked some lettuce, spinach and zucchini.  Yum!  Nothing like fresh from the garden!



We've had a very busy rooster or two. This one is the sweetest. Okay the only one that has NEVER tried to get me :) hahaha. 31 chicks were born while I was gone!

These little babies were also acquired while I was gone.  Meet Lil' Joe (the black steer) and Ms. Wendy.  They are very sweet.  They were bumb calves so we've been bottle feeding them.  Kind of fun!  Here they are chomping on some grass after their morning bottles.

This is Ms. Wendy sporting her new brand.  This brand has been in my husbands family for generations.  What a great feeling it was to be able to carry-on the tradition.

Summer has finally arrived!

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!

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.

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.

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 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

Jack Frost nipping at my... windows

Today's art work provided by... Jack Frost




The ice crystals are so delicate and intricate.



It's a cold day here in northeast Wyoming. When I woke up this morning it was -12 Fahrenheit and our high for the day topped out at about 13 degrees. Granted that is a bit (okay a lot) colder than this desert rat is use to, but it does have it's advantages. Nature has a way of showing its beauty even in the cold. I love the ice etchings I've been waking up to and the icicles coming off the buildings. There was an awesome icicle growing outside my office window till it warmed up yesterday to 40 degrees. I'm sure I'll have a few more before winter is over however, so it will be something to look out for.

The animals amaze me when it's cold out. The wild ones go about their daily lives of eating, drinking and procreating. It seems the blue jays are a more brilliant blue since it gotten so cold. The turkeys are coming into the yard to eat what ever seeds the blue jays leave. We've spotted a few bobcat, foxes and even one mountain lion so far this month. They all just go about their lives.

Our pets are adapting quite well. Their fur is thick and soft. They come in when it's really cold, but are good sports about going out to do their business. Even poor little Chiwa goes out. Albeit she is the quickest of all :) Then she has to come in and get under a blanket and cuddle for a few minutes as her reward.


I love finding something everyday that's new, exciting or beautiful. It makes life that more joyful and rewarding. I'm truly thankful for being able to live in such a beautiful place.

So cool...

The world around us is so amazing. No matter where you are you can find things that are just beautiful, unusual, or just plain cool.

This picture was taken out behind our house. The snow started to slide off an old tin roof. It slid in a long sheet and froze as it curled down toward the building. Not completely falling off that day, but just hanging there. It reminds me of an ocean wave... but frozen ;)

It doesn't matter where you live, you can always find something to intrigue you. In the desert it was the beautiful flowers that would bloom in the spring after we had rain in the winter. Or a leaf as it is changing colors during the fall. I love to sit and watch the birds that fly by and I'm always amazed at how many different types there are where ever I'm at.

My challenge everyday for myself is to take the time and find something beautiful, unusual or just plane cool. I challenge you to do the same. It makes life a little sweeter. It makes me thankful for the wonderful planet we live on, problems and all.

Trying to teach my self to cross country ski...

I've always thought of trying cross country skiing (xc skiing). I've been down hill skiing when I was younger, but I'm a) not very good, and b) not fond of going fast down hill. I don't know. I just never really took to it. I had a roommate in college who xc and it sounded interesting. I just never really lived anywhere that it was feasible... until now :)

So, Lloyd and I found me the gear I'd need. I looked up some things about it on the Internet and watched a few videos. I decided today was the day I'd try it out. My first trip out I was the only one home and just went around in our yard. Made some trails, fell a couple times, you know all that fun stuff. Of course the hubby wasn't around to get pictures, until later that day when I went out again. I am so glad he has me around for his amusement :)



Me and Maggie moo going out... on a hill...


at first things seem to be going all right...


Then I get to close to the muddy-icy-muck made by vehicles...and WIPE-OUT :) Thanks Maggie and Hada for all the support and kisses, hahaha :)



But I make it back on my feet...




and Maggie and I are off again...



I think next time I'll try an area more level....

The first snow of the season

We had our first real snow! (We had a dusting last month, but it melted faster than it fell). Everyone has been teasing me, because I'm excited about it. Of course coming from the desert snow is not something I have seen very often, except when I would travel to it. I'm going to enjoy it. Lloyd took me out for a driving in snow lesson. I stomped around in it and played in it. So, tease me all you want. Maybe by March or April I'll be tired of it... or maybe not. ;)

The ranch was beautiful. The landscape reminded me of being in a Christmas card. In fact this will be the first time I might actually have a white Christmas! That's never happened before for me.

This is coming up our lane once you turn off the highway.



The trees just looked magical...

Lloyd took these pictures of the snow hanging on the antlers on one of the old buildings.

I thought this one looked pretty darn cool.

This is one of the old bunk houses. Just imagine living in it...

and having to run outside to use this... brrrrrrr

Rex was not to sure about his first snow storm. He didn't want to come out from under Lloyd's pick up, so...

Lloyd had to shovel him a path to the sidewalk :) Spoiled cat!

Maggie went out to "rescue" Miss Em... I don't think she really appreciated it that much.

So how are the animals adjusting...

We were wondering how our pets were going to take country living. For the most part, they had only been city animals...


We especially worried about Rex. He was kind of a sissyfied city cat.

He was a very good kitty when he traveled the 1100 miles north. He didn't even complain about wearing his leash :)






We need not have worried. He took right away to ranch life. Catching mice, stalking birds, scaring the deer and turkey. I have a feeling I will have many tale's of the adventures of Mr. Rex!

Rex sitting on the porch of the old house.

Mr. Hada loves to go where ever Lloyd goes... as long as it's in the Rhino or Pickup. If you want to ride with him in the Rhino, you have to share HIS seat.


Hada overlooking his domain :)





Miss Maggie? Well, she has become a regular ol' ranch dog. She has discovered the lab within (bahahahaha) and loves to get into the ponds. She goes or follows Lloyd everywhere! She has really become a great dog. She just needed to get out of the city and into the country.

She plays hard...

Maggie exploring one of the ponds...



and rests hard....

Maggie taking a nap while her dad works :)






Chiwa? Wellllll.... She's not to sure about all this. However she is one warm puppy! She loves to snuggle under ANY blanket with us. I had to get her a coat for when we are out and about.

Whats funny is she is a great cow dog. You tell her which way you want the cows to go and she chases them that way, then comes right back to you :) The cows are probably thinking "What the heck was that"....

Chiwa modeling the latest in fall puppy wear :)
Notice the hunter orange for her protection?






This little kitty is our newest addition. Her name is Truffles and she is a sweetheart! Except she talks way to much. :) Meow, meow, meow... on and on if you don't give her your undivided attention.

Truffles standing on Lloyds leg.

This is Bandit, his sisters, Miss Em (on the top with him) and Katarina below them.

Miss Em's new technique for stalking birds... Just lay in their bird feeder and let them come to you :)

The only cat not pictured is our barn cat "Little Joe". He's kind of shy and the only kitten that actually stayed up at the barn!

Fall on the ranch

Once we got somewhat settled in, Lloyd took me out to see the place. I had only been up there twice that wasn't in late fall or early spring in 22 years. There were many parts of the ranch I had never seen. This is one of my favorite views. As you cans see Maggie and Hada like it also.




One of the things we did (even before I got there, thanks to my wonderful MIL) was get kittens. Because no one had lived full time there for so many years there were many rodents. This one is Bandit. He was helping me take pictures of birds.


Can't you tell how much help he was?

Lloyd's parents also bought him a buffalo hunt at an auction for his 50th birthday. (The auction was a benefit auction for the local volunteer fire department. Lloyd got to hunt it and keep the hide and half the meat. The fire department received the other half of the meat.) So Lloyd and his cousin Craig went to the IPY Ranch for the hunt. They had a blast and we have a freezer with half a buffalo!



Lloyd and his buffalo.

The Year of Change

A lot of things changed for us this year. My husband lost his job after being employed with the same company for 9 years. Unfortunately the Las Vegas economy was hit hard, especially in the construction industry, which he had worked in for over 30 years. After months of no positive feed back looking for work, we decided maybe it was time to go in a different direction. Things fell into place once we made that decision and we moved to his family ranch. And the adventure began...

I had to have surgery right before we moved. I wasn't able to help pack or move! Thank goodness for a great husband and many wonderful friends from church who were willing to come over and help. What a blessing they are!




Lloyd starting to box up our Vegas house...




One of the trailers/loads to go north...




Lloyd and a couple of great boys from our church took the first smaller load up. This is the crew at the other end who helped unload it! What a great group of family and friends we have been blessed with.

Cake Camp

For, four days in the middle of September, I was able to attend California Cake Club's Cake Camp! It was four days of cake classes, a Vendor room filled with "cake toys" and great people!

I had so much fun! I met some wonderful people, learned some great new things and was able to hone a few skills I needed work on. The teachers were amazing! I was exhausted after the four days were up, and could barely walk each night when I stumbled home :) but it was worth it...

I wish I would have remembered to take more pictures, especially of the people I met, but of course I always forget (that's why Lloyd does it :).

This is a few of my Yummy Art Pals. It wasn't all of them that were there, but we had a class by Tammy Utley right after this just for the YA members. It was great to meet them all in person after reading them on the forum for a couple of years...

This little fairy hippo princess is what Tami Utley taught us how to make. it was a lot of fun... she was very patient with all of us :)

I had ten classes (counting Tami's) and I remembered to get pictures of TWO of the instructors! Ugh... I am so bad about that. This was Kathy Scott... she taught quick and easy side designs. She was so much fun and funny too.

This is Roland Winbeckler. I had two classes with him. Writing Made Easy (hahahahaha, you need good penmanship to have good icemanship, which I don't :P ) and an Airbrush demonstration. He makes it all look so easy... but I am anxious to try some of his tips and such out.

I also took classes in ...

Painting on Sugar-Watercolor, pen & ink and oil effects by Ruth Rickey.

She so full of energy! I don't know how the lady does all the things she does and is involved in... I was tired just thinking about it!

I also took a class in making Cattleya Orchids by Janet Foster. She is the sweetest lady from England. I just wanted to take her home with me! This is her example. I didn't get mine all the way done in class, so I was going to finish it at home (giving it color). I dropped it! I was so upset. It shattered into many little pieces. One of the pitfalls of working with sugar!

I also had a class by Dianne Gruenberg on how to make life like apple blossom branch. It was so fun and informative. You could tell I was a novice at gumpaste flowers, for I took a long time to do this and the orchid above :)... I need way more practice to to a bunch at a time!

I also took a class in buttercream roses by Linda Bills. They were one of those things, I knew how to do, but didn't feel like I did very well.

Break the Mold - Make It! by Marina Sousa

And finally a class on building, owning and operating a successful cake business by Lori Vreeke.

She was really helpful and full of information and experience from her own venture. It gives me a lot to think about and consider.

Now it's time to use all the things I learned (and bought :) and put them to good use!