When did Summer Happen?

Time really got away from me this summer.  It seems like I was sooooo busy yet do not have much to show for it.  Actually I had to go from part time at work to full time (and then some) and that really threw me for a loop.

The Civil War vacation was wonderful and we both so enjoyed the two weeks.  I will try to get some posts up on that.  Learned a lot!

Rebecca wants a picture of a calf so here you go ---

Most of our cows are about 3/4 angus now even though they might have a full belt.  Our bull is angus so we don't get too many belted calves anymore.  Occassionally a spot or two but the full belts are becoming rare.  Which for us is good as they dock you severely at the sale barn for white spots let alone a fully belted calf.

I did manage to do a little sewing this summer.  These were changing pad sheets I made for a gal I work with.  She had an adorable baby boy.

We went to a driving clinic in Gering Nebraska in May and had a great time! (Highly recommend the city campground in Gering.)  I fell in love with this mule who was the nicest boy ever, and his owner was a very nice person.  I believe his name was Festus and she would not part with him for love nor money and I can see why!

Course what's summer without baseball (or T-ball)?  Here #1 Granddaughter is at bat.

#1 Grandson had already had his game prior so he & Grandpa were playing catch.

AND BIG NEWS!!  We have a new granddaughter arriving late fall.  This is the little bib outfit I made for her recently, lined with green flannel and little hat to top it off.

And that pretty much sums up a summer that was way too brief.  We never even got up to the mountain this year.  But in addition to work overload, we've been busy trying to find a contractor (and are going with Morton Buildings) for a 60 x 100 arena/barn.  This is on five acres next to our #1 son near town.  A retirement place.  We will still spend spring/summer at 60 miles North of Nowhere but last winter, we decided it was no place for old people. 

Who wants to deal with this when they are retired??? Not ME.

So we will become snow birds.  Ha Ha. and go 60 miles SOUTH for the winter.  Horses will go with us, but we feed big round bales so we can set enough for the cattle for a week and come check them and feed them.  But retirement is still a few years off.  In the meantime we will enjoy that riding barn immensely.

Fall is really upon us.  In a few weeks the calves from the 'herdlet' will be shipped off and we will bring in two semi-loads of big bales of hay -- 44 tons.  Each bale weighs 1300 lbs and have to be moved with the skid-steer (tractor type machine).  I am not ready for winter again.  We had snow clear up to April and then just last week.  It seems it snows most of the year the past few years but boy did we have the GRASS this year.  And that is good.

Okay next posts have got to be about our vacation and what we found out and what we saw!

Spring in Wyoming, Mud and Snow!

This past winter was rough, not the roughest I've seen but we had slightly over 100 inches of snow.

The lane to the Highway from the house.

It was a good thing Hubby had our John Deere Skidsteer but by the end of the winter that nice wide plowed lane was down to one skidsteer width.  YOU did NOT want to get high-centered (stuck) in it as you couldn't open your doors to escape the vehicle!!!

Snow + Spring in Wyoming = MUD, SERIOUS MUD

And we've had it although I did not take any photos.   SERIOUS MUD + Warm Spring Weather = GRASS

And we are waiting for that warm weather.  We have 'some' green grass but it's really not coming in yet as it's been too cold.  Freezing most nights yet.  We had purchased extra hay last fall and it was a good thing we did. The past few years we've been done feeding usually by the third week of March.  This year we are STILL feeding but are down to about 2 1/2 tons left.  That's only one more week of feed.  Good thing we bought 12 tons more than the year before!

C'mon Grass!  We are Ready. July 2012

Only one more cow left to calve from our 'herdlet'.  We got one fully belted bull calf that is the prettiest thing.  I will have to take a picture of him before he gets much bigger.

The 2013 Calves

Tomorrow we are getting ready to leave for two weeks for a trip to Missouri and Arkansas.  We are going to attend the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Jenkins Ferry.  Hubby's gr gr grandfather fought for the Confederacy at Jenkins Ferry and we also going to Minden, Louisana, to trace the route/steps that Julia Johnson walked to and from to get her husband, Thomas Logan Johnson, from Camp Magruder at the end of the Civil War.  He became deathly ill at the camp and was unable to get home on his own.  You can read their story in more detail HERE and HERE.

I intend to take my laptop and hopefully find time to post some photos and information about the trip as it occurs.   I haven't had much personal computer time since January as I've been so busy with work.  I am hoping to get caught up and have more time by summer.  Sure hope that's not a Pipe Dream!

Hit a pretty good snow squall on the way to work this morning!  So still not raining but snowing......

Which brings me to the question -- Do Eskimos ever complain about the weather?

Some Days are Diamonds and some are

Lumps of Coal.  Today was a coal day for me.  STUCK both vehicles trying to get out.  Hubby even plowed at 5 am but the road drifted shut right after he left for work......

Sigh!

This was the road last Friday ... before the most recent snowstorm this Tuesday.  Me thinks we need to relocated our road elsewhere (like maybe Florida??? ROFL)

Tonight both cars are at the highway.  I will WALK out tomorrow morning.  

And what's crazy is the temperatures are in the 40's and upper 30's and I've been stuck....

Having FUN now!

How High can it GO?

Well I THOUGHT it was a good plan.  Do an end run through the pasture, around the drifts, and then JUMP THE HUMP and voila! I was back on the road at the Gate, and at the Highway......but I did not have enough steam going and FAILED .... slid to the fence and was stuck......

Know what the say about close only counts in Horseshoes?  Its TRUE!

Here's the road after it was plowed .... I stuck the car the day before this picture.

You can see it in the distance at the end.

Are we having Fun Yet???????

Fun on A Cold Wintry Wyoming Night....NOT!

6 pm - Dark out, snowing like crazy, wind blowing.  Animals are all fed and watered.  Hubby & I enjoy stew and homemade bread for supper.  Watching streaming TV on the Roku....fire merrily blazing in pellet stove.

7:04 pm - power flashes 2 times, goes out.   Hubby groans, pellet stove automatically switches over to back-up battery.  No TV, No radio, I forgot to charge my kindle, so no reading either.  Hubby says mild swear words.  Calls power company so we are on the call back list with updates on power status.  Told power will be on at 11 pm.  We sit and stare at each other in the dark, and sleep .....

Hubby is a Master at Sleeping in Place

8:45 pm -  I give up and go to bed with lots of covers.  Hubby sleeps on couch in living room to man the pellet stove, our only source of heat.  Stronger swear words about power company as I go to bed.

Use bathroom and flush the ONE tank of water we have down the toilet and hope power will be on Soon.

11:00 pm - I wake up to flashlight coming through bedroom.  Battery out on pellet stove.  Hubby coming in for some more clothes as he has to go out with battery to charge it up on pickup.  Calls power company, finds out restoration time shoved back to 3 am.  STRONG words about power company.  Hope power will be back on soon.

11:30 pm -  Hubby comes back in with battery partially charged.  Pellet stove back on,  Temps down in middle 60's in house.  Pray power will be back on soon.

3:00 am - NO POWER.  Battery out again.  Hubby looks different and language is barely understandable other than he his MAD.  Refuses to go with battery yet again.  Says power is suppose to be back on shortly.  Curses....repeatedly.  I go back to bed.  Realize we never may have power again----EVER.

4:30 am. -  NO POWER.  Temps in mid 50's in house, it's damn cold.  I put on my coat, and head scarf and call power company.  Restoration  time now 8:00 am.   Check gun locker and make sure it's still locked.  Inform hubby.   WORDS.  Hubby goes out and charges up battery again. I've given up and wonder what my fate will be. Death at the hands of this mad man or simply freezing to death.

5:00 am -  Pellet stove going again.  Still cold, cannot catch up.   I stay in coat, scarf and sit on couch.  Hubby has many many words about power company including 'grenades', pieces of s..., etc.  Plotting revenge.  I say nothing.  One wrong word and this guy will kill ME.

7:00 am - Hubby goes out and gets propane tank off BBQ grill and Little Buddy Heater to help pellet stove catch up.  I turn on gas oven and stare at mound of dirty dishes from supper and guess water is probably froze up.  Don't know, power out, no water. Hubby Struggles with tank, heater for quite a while.  He calls Power company, restoration time now 1:00 pm.....words under his breath, not discernible.

7:50 am -- Hubby has Little Buddy lit up and heating.  56.8 degrees in house.  Still in coat, scarf, and non verbal as threats are flying fast and furious.  Power company will be toast when this guy catches up with them.

8:05 am - POWER COMES ON.  Blessings, water is not froze in kitchen sink, I do dishes, fix breakfast.  Hubby returns to normal and goes to bed.  Cranky, but not a zombie anymore.  

And so goes life without power at 60 Miles North of Nowhere.

Hope it stays on - lows of -4 tonight predicted and -12 Sunday Night........Keeping fingers crossed.

Winter Moon

Oh it was a Memorable Christmas...

The Grand kiddos got a new puppy for Christmas...a minature schnauzer.   He is the 3rd family schnauzer that our #2 son has had.  First he had his little boy Schnauzer, Harvey.  Then when #2 Son was in high school, we got Charlie after Harvey had passed on at 14 years of age.

Charlie in 2011

Charlie passed over the rainbow bridge last winter at the age of 15.  Our place has seemed awlfully quiet without a schnauzer to keep the rabbits in line on the farm.  We are thinking of trying to obtain a new 'farm' schnauzer from rescue but first want to get a radio controlled dog door and yard fence up.  Somehow I do not think it would be cool to come home and find out Mr. Skunk or Mr. Racoon had invited himself into the house through the doggie door.

The grandkids combined the names of the first two schnauzers and have named the new one Herley.  Herley seems to be thrilled to have 2 kids of his own for Christmas also.  Course Herley will only get to visit us out on 60 Miles North of Nowhere.  Hence the need for another schnauzer still.

We spent Christmas Eve with the kids and grandkids and sure enjoyed it a LOT.  We were surprised to receive a new 32" LED TV so we can get rid of the Nine Ton Tessie television we currently use and have had it for almost 10 years.  So it's probably at the end of it's use anyway.  Christmas Day was spent with Hubby's family and we got to meet Herley over there.

I find I don't post as many posts to my blog because I only have Windows 8 which I absolutely loathe.  It's hard to find my photos or just navigate.  I bought a 'new' old desktop with Windows 7 and am going to get it set up.  I think I will be much more comfortable.

I sewed fleece bathrobes for the grandkids this year, and a matching one for their little cousin.

The Girls Robes

The Boy's Robe

Fleece sews up so nicely into something like a bath robe.

I did discover mid-project that once you break a needle on your serger, getting a new one into place without the proper needle inserter tool is NOT an easy task!!!  I finally gave up and just used a three thread overlock instead of a four.

I also made four matching stockings which match a tree skirt I did years ago for my daughter-in-law.

and then last, but not least, made a jacket and dress pants for my special little fifth-grader girl....

She had chosen the material and the McCall's pattern and I thought it came out cute as a bug's ear.  So I will probably make this pattern sometime again for the granddaughter.

And I sewed right up to we almost left for Christmas Eve!!!  I need more sewing time I think or less procrastination time.....ha.

Have some projects in mind for next year already.

Hope your Holiday was as great as mine was!

Onward to 2014 and Spring!

Veteran's Day Musing

Today is a cold gray day in Wyoming, and it's Veteran's Day.  Both my hubby's dad and my father were World War II vets.  I have a nephew right now who is deployed, something like his fifth deployment.

We salute our Veterans and remember their service.

Which brought Hubby and I to a conversation center around the Cold War era.  They gave all us kids 'lessons' in surviving a nuclear holocaust; quite literally.  I remember taking classes in PE on how to treat radiation sickness and managing a shelter, making sure those who went outside were decontaminated before coming back in. etc.

Holy Smokes!!!  It was sure nightmare stuff.  I was in junior high school during the Cuban missile crisis and we never knew how close we came to Armageddon then.  Turned out not only were all those Cuban missiles ready to go off--they were ARMED!!  Yikes.

Which brings me to the question, would they give those classes to our kids now?  I know it was pretty scary stuff.

One of Hubby's friends said we would all stay in those shelters 90 days, come out and take one look and decide we were sorry we lived through it.

Maybe.  Hopefully, we will never see a nuclear war....ever.  Not our grandkids nor their descendants.

Well enough of this morbid musing....not a pleasant subject.