January 2016

When I go out of here to go to the store (or anywhere else) I have to pass another lake. It is a little smaller than this one, and lies in a different direction so the wind affects it differently. It is completely frozen over. I'm sure it isn't thick yet, but with no open water, it will likely stay frozen.
It's just after dark here, and the wind is nearly gone for the day, so more of this lake will freeze tonight. This lake is spring fed and deep, so it always takes longer for it to freeze over.

Driving 70 mph and I saw a bird flying beside me and I asked harry, is that an eagle? he said where and about that same second it flew across my windshield, we really saw it close up! I missed hitting it and harry very calmly states, yes that was an eagle!....beautiful bird.....but at 70 I didn't need him blocking my windshield!.....there are more eagles here than I've seen anywhere else I have lived.

Grocery shopping done at the fort for the month, and have an appt to have fat boy (the puppy that harry wanted to keep and the one and same that was stuck and caused mom bluey to have a c section) to be neutered. boy money has a way of going fast!

Cold here.....brrrrrr......have my jammies on already! long day.

Sorry about Bode....

Oh BEECH.....what a sad sweet story of your friend. What I really respect is the man that admits hitting the dog. I'm sure he feels terrible and at a loss, too.
I'm glad your friend has many friends and a lot of love surrounding her.

Still cold & rainy here..............well, fairly cold, about 40........others have 0.
We're supposed to get the big rainstorm tonight...we'll see. So far, all we've had is just steady rain........mud and puddles gathered so if we get a really big rain certain areas will have a lot of water, not serious flooding.

Hope your lake freezes ELLEN.

Winter has arrived. It's 8 this morning. BBRRRRRR It was beautiful looking at the grass all covered with frost diamonds when I took Ace out. There is a beauty in winter that isn't appreciated until you don't have to travel around in it.

I'm one of the bitter Pennsylvanians who cling to my guns and my religion, and I will vote for the person who can bring this country back out of the downward spiral it is in. We all have concealed carry permits and know how to use them. My husband shed his blood & buried his best friend for this country and it pains him to see what is going with the VA and the men & women who laid down their lives to give everyone the chance to live in freedoms that are being chipped away, That's my 2 cents, I have no problem with anyone's opinion, freedom gives us the right to all have our own opinions.

Back to our regularly scheduled program. LOL

My Steelers are in the playoffs. YIPPPEEEEEEEEE

Thanks for all the good wishes for Ace, he is doing fine now, back to his old playful self. I think he must have ate something out in the field when I wasn't looking on one of our daily walks. Still taking Zantac twice a day.

BEECH: What a terrible thing for your friend to have her dog hit on the road. So sad. I taught Ace to sit anytime a car comes down our road since people think it is a shortcut and fly by here as fast as they can drive.

CB: Girlfriend how lucky you are to get to see a Eagle up close, good thing you didn't hit it, I think it could have cause a lot of damage to you car.

Have a great day everyone.

Love & prayers for all.

Whew, the magnitude of problems within our gov't and states is now
overwhelming. This is a seriously critical time in America. We need big prayer and self discipline throughout. My heart hurts for our grandchildren. We are leaving them a huge array of problems that seem insurmountable. So many in our generation upset and worried over our country with no foreseeable
solutions.

Still raining here with a slowing this morning, then another really huge system
coming in....So Cal is getting it now. Just messy here and chilly.....about 42.
Driving in our state is dangerous in certain areas right now, some schools closed today etc...........interstates open so far.

No news here. Off to grocery early (around 7A) to go & get back. Shoer coming around 9A. I want to be off the roads and back home before the crazies are out and then home for the day.

It's a chicken soup and good book day after I do the barn..............

Prayers for ALL.

More rain in the forecast...possibly snow......yay...can ya tell I'm so excited? NOT!

Everyone stay safe! stay dry and stay warm or cool whichever ya need!

Trudy, I'm glad I didn't hit the eagle too, but at 70mph, I wished it hadn't blocked my view quite as much....man even for those split seconds, I was like.......eeeeeeek! they certainly have a wingspan! and certainly very pretty, but the talons were a bit scary.....afterwards I wondered if he had come thru the window on us what would have happened!

Well its been a very long day.....saying good noght y'all................

BEECH
I am so sorry about Bode.  Some animals make such a big impression on people, even when they don't live very long.  Bode sounds like that....

CB
Wow! I would love to see an eagle, although maybe not that close.  I have only seen one wild eagle.  It flew over our heads as we canoed down the New River about 20 years ago.  Those birds are big!

TRUDY
 I am very happy that Ace is feeling better!  Dogs do eat the weirdest things.

ELLEN
 If this cold spell keeps up, your lake will be frozen soon.  I miss our warm weather.  It was 10 degrees here this morning.  The unheated water troughs had two inches of ice.  Thank goodness for heated water buckets!

GRAYMARE
 I am chilled to the bone and have been for three days.  Chicken soup sounds very good!  We are supposed to get to the low 50s tomorrow.  I hope so, I am tired of winter already!  Lori is coming for a lesson tomorrow and I would love not to freeze!  


I've been watching Willy Wonka this evening.  What a weird show !

Still raining here.............not hard. We have puddles and water but the big rains, winds, and storm is about 25-30 mi N of here. Ha, horses still casually munching hay.............me, I'll so stalls in a bit. I'm watching the local news and sipping
good hot coffee.

Bee called and is coming over tomorrow to see Eli. She's been off at school and hasn't had a chance to see him. She is so grown up now (25) and switched gears. She was in Physical Therapy in grad school and changed her mind to Athletic Trainer still in grad school and is LOVING it. I didn't even really know what that is. It's sports medicine and training combined and, for instance, football, they are at the sideline benches and do the immediate assessment
on the field for an injury. This fall she was with the NAU football team, traveling etc and having a GREAT time. She lives elsewhere and is rarely home at her folks. Anyhow, anxious to catch up and hear more about this. I see here being on the side of an arena for National Finals Rodeo someday doing rodeo sports.
She said she is going to head for that. We'll see. Am anxious to learn far more about her professional choice of a career.

Everyone have a great day. Prayers for ALL.

Gee. Wasn't it just a couple of months ago that she was 18 and just starting college? It's really nice to hear about good kids doing well.

GRAYMARE
Wow, Bee grew up fast! She sounds like a great young woman. Nice to see such progress.

CB
On the Virginia news today they said there was an eagle euthanized due to injuries. I don't think I have ever heard that here before. They didn't say how it was injured.

More rain coming tomorrow and Saturday.....sigh....I just got my new official Muck Boots yesterday. So far they seem like good mud/muck boots. Time and mud will tell the tale.

I had a lesson on Ivan today, it was 50°. He was mostly good, but nearly spooked out from under me while trotting towards Spook Corner. I don't know what he spooked at, but I came a whisker from rolling off his rump. I caught myself as my life flashed before my eyes. Areion was also spooky in that corner, so I didn't ride her. I had them both on a magnesium supplement until a month ago that is supposed to help calm a horse's nerves. I let it lapse to see if made any difference.. Apparently it did. More magnesium is in their future.

Ark you might try lavender oil rubbed around nostrils before you ride, it helps relax them...

Well the new dodge journey we bought in april had more bugs and bugaboos we asked if we could trade it....and dealership was very cooperative.....we now have a new dodge pickup .....payment higher but we r in love with ir already.....they bought the journey back so we weren't upside down....but the truck of course was more....but....hey I think it will work just fine. we will put our truck camper on it and travel...while we still can...and enjoy it.

Long day, but fruitful and its been raining all day and brrrrrr cold.....spose to get colder, too.....ugh.

CB, our rains are slowing now but wind is getting stronger and temps dropping........going to be in 20's tonight.........high today is to be 48-50......
Last night I went to toss extra hay and boy it was ugly......damp, windy, about 36. I came back in and had hot coffee at 9P..............LOL, slept anyhow.

Anyone heard from ROSE yet? Still praying for her to be good as new.

Everyone have a great day................despite winter for you guys in big time winter.

CB, forgot. Congrats on your new truck!!!!

CB, you'll love your new truck. My cousin has a big heavy duty Dodge Ram that he uses to pull his 5th wheel camper. He does take good care of things, so it still looks like new, even though it's 8 years old. It's also nice to find a dealer who will deal fairly.

Ellen, that did impress me, no fighting, but that could be becuz we spent more money......? I'm just glad they did that, made it better for us on payments not to be upside down on it.....

Well its 46 the warmest its going to be in a few days, ill take it!

Off for pt shortly and get more grain.....this weekend, just staying home and staying warm.....calling for 3 to 6 inches....snow.

I keep losing posts.....

Last night at midnight I posted, it feels like a ghost town in here....


This morning I will post that when u wake up and its soooooo quiet it takes a few seconds to realize that one inch of snow that was forecasted for today has already come and its blizzard conditions and really putting it down out there and you know you have to go out and feed the critters.....in my next life I will have a fabulous barn and arena all in one and a beautiful apartment on the front with a full window to over look the arena.....and learn to wear clothes at all times! gosh, wish I could have it in this life.......

Have a great weekend.....I'm cleaning house and doing laundry and basically taking it easy and staying home.



Later tater tots!

CB, so far, it is mid 40s and drizzly. That's going to change tonight. Not sure if or how much snow we will get in the next few days. The neighbors' cat is happily ensconced on my sofa for a few hours. I think he prowls around a lot of the night then comes here for a long nap. It isn't like he doesn't have a perfectly good barn where he can get in anytime he wants.
This morning, I decided to make some bread. Maybe because it's more humid today, it seemed to take a little more flour than usual. My stand mixer sure makes it easy. I was going to get a new breadmaker since the old one died, but the mixer will do nicely.
My neighbor's birthday is Monday and we are celebrating on Tuesday, so I'm going to embroider some cloth napkins for her.
I guess I'll keep busy on this gloomy winter day.

Ahhhh.  There are few pleasures better than slathering butter on the heal of a fresh HOT loaf of bread. And EATING it.  

Rick, can you contact Rose and see how she's doing?

Ellen ... I phone visited with Rose for about 10 minutes today ... she is "healing SLOWLY" and is still using some pain meds for naps, etc. ... STILL with Robin but hoping maybe to be able to go home in another week ... able to get around for 20 = 25 feet at a time, etc. ... broken collar bone (left side) that impairs her left arm/hand usage and makes it difficult to set her laptop (she's a leftie).

I extended our (collective) love, care, and concern. She will be in touch later as she is able.

I think she sounded pretty dog gone good all things considered. Our ROSE is gonna be OK ... give her time!

That's good news, Rick. Thanks for checking on her for us.

Rick, how did it happen? does she still have her mare? I know she was so darn excited about getting her. I can't believe it happened....I'm still in disbelief. I just want to hear from her to know she will be fine.....I know she will get healed, but will she be fine? worried about her....and been in that shape and know how it feels...from a horse who was gone before I got home from hospital. my hubby just said, enuf from him. a working cattle ranch got him and after a season on the range, dragging, roping, branding and bucking him out....he made a decent horse, but wasn't the horse for me. I came home in a wheelchair.....so I know the defeat that you feel...and the why and why me and all the emotions that come with....it takes awhile for sure.

We gotz snow and now cold a$$ winds....brrrrr.....critters seem fine....feeding extra hay.....

Spose to be really chilly tomorrow, below 0 with wind chills. I'm thinking time to move to warmer climate.....

Stay warm!

CB....I did NOT go ask those questions...feel like she will reveal that in her own due time.

Excuse me. good night.

Whew! It's cold and getting colder. I'm feeding the neighbor's cats for a few days. It was cold on the way to the barn and back. Not too bad inside, but sure cold outside with the strong wind.

Maybe you will get your lake to freeze ELLEN so you can get the tree cut down.
Here it is warm at 58, cloudy, breezy, no rain. So far, we don't get more rain until next week.

We went to a John Denver impersonator singer concert last night......2 hrs of straight music of John Denver, many of the films he himself made while alive. Eagles & Horses was beyond good and his song for Matthew, his uncle filmed in Kansas years ago. The entire concert amazed us. If you closed your eyes you would never know it wasn't John singing. In case any of you are interested:
www.jimcurrymusic.com..................check out "Calypso" if they have it to see...............films made while John was on the ship..........oh boy.

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/housedog.htm


CB I too am interested in what happened to Rose -- she was so invested in the new horse, who seemed the fulfillment of a long-standing dream. We are all in sympathy but perhaps there's something we can take away from her experience to ease our own.
And congratulations on the new truck! Here's my shared Dodge Ram experience: the Ram that I sold last summer was 27 years old and running fine!. I bought it used I can't tell you how many moons ago, when its odometer read 35,000, and when I sold it, it read, I think, under 50,000. Of course, it was so old that it dates back to a time when folks altered odometers more easily, so perhaps those numbers were false. But I do know that I scarcely used it -- and now, without the horse, don't need it. Fellow who bought it cannibalized it to build a showpiece Ram just a year younger. Now what's left of my old one sits on display in the yard of the mechanic who did the work just down the road from me. Memories! My you be equally blessed!

And ELLEN, I laughed when you spoke of your cousin's Ram as being old at 8! My new-to-me-car -- one that I got at about the time I sold the truck, one that's running superbly, and one that I absolutely LOVE -- is 10 years old, and I'm depending on it to outlive me. Or my ability to drive, anyway.

GRAYMARE - Your news about Bee reminds me of this thought that I had some time ago (I hope I haven't said this already): One of the great unsolved mysteries of life has to do with how children grow up while the rest of us stay the same age.

My friend who lost her dog last week has received many condolences, among them one containing Robinson Jeffers' moving poem "The House Dog's Grave." It's here http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/housedog.htm[/url] if anyone wants to look. By coincidence, today is Jeffers' birthday.

Pouring rain here all afternoon. I don't need a forecaster -- you all tell me what's coming our way.