Drought, Dust, and Climate Change

The recent drought, as in prolonged drought really since 2004, has me thinking....is dry and not enough water the new 'normal' for Sixty Miles North of Nowhere?

Perhaps.  We thought we would have to sell our cows this year but we just had a stretch of thunderstorms and now everything is green again!

But what if it hadn't rained?  What if we depended on those cows to feed a family like they did back in the dust bowl days?  How awful that must have been for them; scanning a sky for moisture they needed to feed their family, put in a crop, graze cattle.  Looking for rain that never came.

I interviewed a lady who lived through those days in the Red Canyon area near Lander, Wyoming.  She told me she got so desperate she shot prairie dogs to just feed her children.  Can you imagine!!  But she and her kids all survived.

And who can forget the depression era photo, Migrant Mother, by Dorothea Lange...

Taken in a California Migrant Camp for the Resettlement Administration.  To read more click HERE

If you have ever looked into the eyes of desperation, this has to be it.

I recently read where this lady, Florence Thompson, survived the dust bowl as did all her children and they stayed in California.  I'm glad at least this photo has a happy ending.   

I am not sure climate change will have a happy ending.  Maybe I'm glad I probably won't be here to see it, although my grandchildren surely will be.  AND that worries me.

How to Properly Eat a Lime

Brought to you by the Lovely Miss T - #1 Granddaughter

First take a good BITE!

Whoo EEE! It's so sour!

Savor the Flavor!

Yikes, what a Bite!

Miss T -  Toughest Lime Eater in the West

Girls are just so uncool.  Not like us Dudes in the sunglasses - Mr. B,  Da Little Brother

Hope your Memorial Day was Sunny and Fun.  And for that we can thank our wonderful soldiers who protect our freedom to enjoy BBQ's and everything life in the US has to offer.

We Would Like to Take This Opportunity

To Thank BOB; our resident cowdog and homestead Manager for bravely fighting one Pepee LePew (Skunk) the other night in Line of Duty and.....

Enthusastically Greeting the Residents of the Homestead 60 Miles North of Nowhere upon their arrival home, whereupon their eyes began to water it so bad.

Bob Helping Hubby yesterday

Visitors to ye olde Homestead may find it prudent to remain upwind of BOB for the next few days.  

Back from the Hiatus!

My old computer strangled to death on it's own guts -- you know Microsoft Windows Poisoning!  So no posting for a while.  A new laptop later I'm online again.  It has Windows 8 which I'm not fond of but at least it works.

I gave my Kindle temporarily to No. 1 Son and DIL thinking it would 'free' me up to do some sewing and it sure did!

Here's some of the projects I've gotten done......

Aprons for Grandson and Granddaughter -- and I made matching aprons for Mom & Dad too.  

Had to order the material off the internet; apparently cherries are popular for sewing.

Fleece bathrobes - my first serger project.  I was happy with how they turned out and will definitely make more of these.

Minnie Mouse Sundress.  The Fabric was $25 a Yard for simple cotton!! Wow they must know grandmothers are suckers for cute fabric.  

Lil cowpokes need little cowboy shirts - toddler size 3 with a bandana that has velcro to hold it.  I used the same sewing pattern I used to use for his daddy.  Glad I saved it.

Now I am working on doll clothes and a really cute short set for Granddaughter's birthday.

Only one cow left to calve and we are done with the herdlet calving.  All black heifer calves so far!! WOW.  That's never happened before.  Going to be hard to determine who goes to the sale barn and who we eat next year.  Might have to go buy a couple of steers.  I don't like to eat the girls.

Grass is starting to come up.  I missed five days of work in April because the cars looked like this (and I ain't complaining -- it REALLY helped out the grass).

This is what happens to your car when you choose your parking space poorly the night before a major spring storm.  A Porch Horse (poor choice).

However the Female in the house observed where there was a 'pocket' created by the winds and parked her car more wisely!

I think I will have to turn on the spam filters on this blog.  I am getting 10 - 12 spam postings a day (which do not go through the filter but DO go to my email.)  I hate those capcuta or whatever they are called things so I have resisted.  They seem to be increasing by the week so probably some robo commenting thing has found me.  Don't click on the links if they go through!!!

Snow Day or .....

Sometimes I guess my intuition is right; I delayed going to work this morning.  Unusual for this winter as we have had literally NO snow all winter.  But last night we got about an inch and the road reports were horrible--slick slick and darn slick.

My daughter in law just called and was glad I was home.  She said stay there!  Someone from their company just rolled a four wheel drive pickup near where I live.  Icy, icy, icy...  Fortunately they were unhurt (thank goodness for seat belts.

So I'm home!!  And now I'm gonna go sew on my projects....


And think Lovely, Summery Thoughts............Lots of them.  And think Rain, Spring Rain, Lots of it.....

Okay, even rain in the form of WHITE stuff would be welcome this year!!!

If wishes were horses, even beggars would ride.

Mr Weatherman, You & I need to have a Talk...

BEFORE we go into 2013.

You see 2012 wasn't so great.  I kept up my end of the bargain remaining ever optimistic for moisture in the form of rain or snow but you let me down you louse.  You let me down a LOT.

I even bought Mad Bomber Hats for both the grandkids thinking it would keep their ears warm when we pulled them with horses on the sleds.

This particular mad bomber hat is available at Sierra Trading Post.

EXCEPT you louse, you messed up those plans as we have NO Snow or so little snow no decent sled would be caught trying to sled over the dirt.......

And now to add insult to injury, tonight you predicted a low of 8 degrees Above zero.  Well I just checked and it's two degrees BELOW zero.  At 8 pm.  Its going to get colder......like maybe 10 BELOW.  Now there is a difference between 8 above and 10 below.  Like 18 bone chilling degrees.

AHEM, you really need to change your ways or I'm ending this relationship.

FRUSTRATION THY NAME IS COMPUTER

I haven't been posting for some time as my computer kept locking up after a few minutes.  Well it quit doing that about two weeks ago and started giving me THEE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH and then rebooting...ergh!!!

So over New Year's I will be setting up the New Computer I received for Christmas.  This one will quite literally go out the Window!

I think life was much simpler BC - before computers!!!  And maybe before Children....LOL.

Anyway hope to be back up blogging soon!

The Christmas Jammies were a hit with the Grandkids

Halloween was also Grandson's 2nd birthday.  Best Woody Cowboy and Snow White Ever!

Happy 2013 to All!  May it be the Best one year yet.