Life decades…life dreams…life…life goes on.
I suppose wisdom is good with age…I like the wisdom but not thrilled about the age.
I miss the old days of life…sitting a saddle everyday on a horse, looking and gathering cattle…doing what I know, that is as natural as breathing to me.
Feeling mother nature on my face as she bathes me with her skies, and the beauty all around me…full of God’s glory.
And the smell of a horse under you…together we are a team…hearts are joined.
A quick summer shower that was enough to cool you off and the warmth of the sun above on my face…
And the cattle…mooing…snapping brush and twigs as they try to out maneuver you…softly mooing for their babies as the dogs nip a few heels…the herd bellows a bit while moving out with you and your horse.
I miss cowgirling… I miss the long days in the saddle and the short nights before you got up and did it all over again.
I miss the mountain smells of pines, different grasses that drifts in the breeze…the smell of horses and cows…the sound of the creek gurgling on a hot afternoon…and the smell of mud as mountain mud is different…I loved the mountains…I loved the smells and the sounds of living on a cattle ranch.
I loved the isolation…the hard work we did together…the incredible scenery…and cowboying with my hubby…we were hauling water to cows on a warm summer night in this photo.
Never a dull moment as each day brought new adventures…
You never knew from day-to-day what you would see and experience!
At day’s end, once you tucked yourself into bed snug as a bug, drifting off to sleep,
Snapshots of life would roam through your head as you dreamed of tomorrow’s life on a cattle ranch.
Wishing You A Fun Funny Friday Full Of Fantastically Fabulous Follies!
Hot Rod Cowgirl 
Mar 30, 2014 @ 15:03:42
I hope to do that tomorrow just to see if she will eat some senior canned food…she has wrinkled her nose to all canned food, tuna fish and every moist canned stuff….she is picky….loves people food as in bq hamburgers, steak, chicken, pork chops. Of course she will come and pat your leg to get a few bites…and then it is her dry Science Diet…and she likes some cat treats but she is picky with them too.
Yes I do think very much that is why Nylablue fights to get well as she is being loved and she has a identity and she feels chosen…they are much like us. I think kitties are very intuitive and sensitive to their families as in us…the abuse she endured made her think that she was not worth it and she was only used as an object…and then you brought her home and whole it has taken some time to convince her that she is worthy and very much loved, she has accepted that now….and she is happy….she wants to live and stay with you…she knows what you have given her and that is precious to her….she loves you too. Minnie loves WB too but she loves me all the time….when she was 2-3 and I was working in town then she would sit on the kitchen table and watch out the window for my return….sometimes all day WB would tell me…and often she meowed mournfully…we have connected and I am her Mommie:) I love her lots:) I agree on the four legged!
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Mar 24, 2014 @ 14:03:40
So as I sit in my living room looking out at the snowbanks….lol…
I met Mingflower when she was 5 months old. She was under my Cousin’s couch & peeked out. Our eyes met & it was love at first sight!
I asked my Cousin if I could have her….he said NO & then 5 days later called me & asked me if I wanted her…I was there within an hour with a box & brought her home….we had 18 wonderful years together! Mingflower loved when I used to smudge her also & pray over her! Nylablue does not like the smudge smoke but she does like when I sit beside her & pray & talk to her about what she wants to do. The funny/odd thing is everytime I have told Nylablue it is ”all right” for her to move on to Summerland she rallies & stays with me….
Your Zoo sounds like he was an amazing cat also….They each have such unique personalities & they hold a special place in out hearts. Sometimes I miss the 4 leggeds more than the humans….
Wishing you a wonderful week…the Sun is shining here altho it is still way below freezing so there is NO THAW yet…
Sherri-Ellen & Nylablue too ❤ ❤ ❤
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Mar 24, 2014 @ 21:27:48
Ahhhh Nylablue is happy with you and her life…I am praying she will live and be healed…she is kind of like a small child who was abused and then adopted by loving people…she would not want to leave this heavenly gift. We will pray that God takes Nylablue in the right timing and mainly in His timing:) Minnie is not thinking heaven either…and I worry over her and fret like you do with Nylablue…I am thinking she does not see very well at all…and she is doing good but weird things…in all of her 19 years she has not liked tuna or canned cat food…well this week she likes tuna…I love it and was having it for lunch and Minnie wanted some and she ate it:) So now I need to try canned food for her but not sure what kind… I agree with the four legged…I have two of my horses buried across the road in the pasture…killed me and my heart for many months…I loved them both very much. Loosing our dogs and kitties too also bring us a heavy sadness…I know you know.
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Mar 22, 2014 @ 12:52:26
I too beleive & hope I will be reuntied with my beloved 4 leggeds in the Spirit World/Heaven.
I understand your love of Minnie as I had that connection to Mingflower (b4 NB) & when you spend a lifetime with a 4 legged it imprints deeply on one’s heart.
Nylablue has also imprinted like this due to her chronic health issues. I spend more time with her & doing hands on care so there is a deeper bond.
I am glad Minnie is still with you & coping so well with reduced eyesight. I used to tell Mingflower I was her “seeing eye Human”, lol.
Aren’t the snow banks lovely?? (sarcasm there). We had 8 more inches of snow last night & there is more on the way…welcome back to a traditional Canadian winter!!! My friend in New Brunswick is in the midst of a blizzard this afternoon also….
Nylablue continues to soldier on…she is so amazing 🙂
Hoping you have a good & peaceful weekend.
Sherri-Ellen & Nylablue xx
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Mar 23, 2014 @ 15:46:06
Ewwww on the snow banks! I can not believe it is almost April!You are right as Minnie and I bonded the first time I saw her…she was maybe 5 weeks and was a tiny bundle of tiger stripes, watchful green eyes wondering if I was her new Mommie, and her cuter than cute personality…initially Bill had told me no more cats in the house ok but we need them in the barn…and our barn is a top end cat condo let me tell you:) So I said well ok. We still had Kalamazoo, who was 16 years old, Zoo or Zippy had a huge personality and he too was part of the family. He was a solid black Manx that we got when he was about 6 weeks old. So Minnie came to live here in June and by the end of June she was living in our house….we had her sister too and she was a tuxedo kitty..and she loved WB. So Zippy was fine with them for a good year….and he passed away a year later at 17.With Minnie I can tell when something is not right immediately and we do communicate with words and thoughts…she loves it when I pray over her:) She is precious and a gift from above to me:) I am blessed in being her Mommie:) I am so happy to hear Miss Nylablue is doing well:) Sending you hugs and prayers….and prayers for sunshine and warm days!!!
HRCG and Minnie
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Mar 17, 2014 @ 10:52:06
Hello HRCG! Good to hear from you again! Glad you got over to our blog. Nylablue’s paw is all better; so I have no diea what she did to it. She was running around last nite as if she were a kitten & even did a few *binkies* (she learned from her bunny friends).
I am pacing myself during the day. Sometimes have a wee nap before supper with NB. I also make sure to go to bed around midnite & I do get decent sleep. Keeping a schedule helps alot.
My Fibro/Arthritis/Hyperostosis has settled a bit due to me not running about like a madwoman! I have learned to pace myself when in flare-up & to take the pain med & rest.
Prayers for Ellie! So glad she got thru her spay & I hope she is feeling good now.
Minnie is a wondercat! I adore her! She reminds me of Mingflower…a real trooper!
Canada is a huge country; still alot of open space….
If you ever get to my province there is a bed here for you 😉
Sherri-Ellen & Nylablue too xoxo
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Mar 17, 2014 @ 21:24:15
I am so glad to hear that you are doing well…my thoughts and heart is with you. My biggest thing anymore is where does the time go in a day? It seems to speed by me and while I accomplish alot it amazes me that time seems to speed up…and I live out in the boonies away time grabbers!Yes Minnie is amazing and so much my heart…she has always been a joy in my life and I hope I am in hers…her vision now seems to be failing more…nights seem the worst…we leave her night lights on etc. and she kind of likes to say close to her routine of the sofa…days are better but she has moments where I do not think she can see very well…my prayer to God for her is for her to not suffer as she ages and that He will gently take her in His arms one of these times when she is sleeping. Our animal babies are each so very special…and God loves them each as much as we do:)
Love n Hugs,
HRCG, Minnie and Ellie:)
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Mar 16, 2014 @ 12:12:06
Canada is such a big country….it would be lovely to meet people from USA…Banff is out on West coast. I am in central-east Canada….far far away!
Sorry I did not get back sooner; it’s been a long week 😉
Sherri-Ellen & Nylablue too xoxo
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Mar 16, 2014 @ 17:58:16
Hi there:) checked your blog out today to catch up with you and Nylablue….she sounds stable and that she is doing ok….how are you doing Mom? I pray for you and for Nylablue…I truly understand how difficult it is to worry 24/7 about your very much loved kitty or doggie or horse…they are family and when they hurt or struggle it keeps you on alert…I hope you are resting and sleeping as you need it:) Minnie is doing ok for 19 years old and Ellie is healing up from being spayed this last week…and doing well:) Canada would be wonderful to travel and I love love love the Rockies:) Hugs and prayer…HRCG
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Mar 12, 2014 @ 20:13:48
What a nostalgic post, M. Beautiful pictures of you and your life! 🙂
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Mar 13, 2014 @ 10:03:44
Thank you so much:) It was a fun post to write:)
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Mar 13, 2014 @ 11:57:32
Agreed! 🙂
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Mar 14, 2014 @ 16:47:39
🙂
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Mar 09, 2014 @ 13:16:02
Wow that was some trip you went on HRCG!! I ber there are scenes etched in your mind forever! I have travelled to quite a few of the States. Never been anywhere else in Canada tho’. I have alot of places on my travel lsit but I am an ‘armchair’ traveller now which is all right…
I feel like you about being in Canada especially with the general ‘climate’ of the world with all that is going on….
I think our side of the world is still safer than much of the rest of the planet….
LOL about isolating in a building my size; the High Rise next door has 8 floors & there is approx 160 units in there!! I would go out of my mind living in that place!
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Mar 10, 2014 @ 19:35:18
I loved seeing Petra in Jordan….and there were many kitties that lived there….and I was happy to come home:) It was a once in a lifetime trip and I am content to stay in the US now too….I would love to visit Canada someday….when my parents were married in 1939 they drove mostly gravel roads from here to Banff for their honeymoon on Lake Louise and the beautiful Rockies:)
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Mar 08, 2014 @ 14:56:15
I moved away from Hamilton pop. 417,000 to Owen Sound pop. 22,000…some days being in theis building with 55 of other people makes me a bit crazy. If my health were better I would live outside of town but alas I have to be close to Doctors’; amenities, Vet, etc. There are nights I just turn everything off & sit quietly in the dark with Nylablue…sort of in my own bubble 😉
Wide open spaces would be awesome!
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Mar 08, 2014 @ 09:32:53
This is a lovely tribute to the life you have lived, many great photos and memories attached. I enjoy reading your posts, living a country life and riding horses vicariously from those times in your life, it was an everyday experience. You make it so much more! Smiles, Robin
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Mar 08, 2014 @ 14:52:38
Thank you much:) I never knew until I was older that living on a remote cattle ranch was anything interesting and special…I thought all people had ranches…when I came to understand private land etc. I knew we were very blessed to live on such a beautiful ranch. The older I got the more I have felt I best write all my memories down as when I am gone, there will be no one who can carry on the memories of my parents and I growing up and my hubby WB and I as adults on many different cattle ranches. Adventures and good times with many bad times thrown into the mix for a bit of seasoning:) I plan to write a book soon if the time works out…one on life lessons and my life and then a fiction too:) Happy Saturday!
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 09:08:12
What a lovely ode to your past!! You painted such a vivid picture with your words! The photos are lovely also & compliment what you wrote!!
I often wished I had been born into a life like yours…the idea of ranching always appealed to me; but being a small town; then big city girl there was no chance of ranching here….
What I really wanted was to be with horses…. 😉
Sherri-Ellen ❤
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 17:38:56
Thank you so much…the words tumbled out of my heart to the paper or in this case the computer screen:) I loved the cattle ranch…its in my blood and every time I saddled up to gather cattle in a very large area, I knew exactly how to do it…Dad taught me well…it does become a part of you and I think that is why I miss it so much. It was great to ride your horses that way as they had a job to do and you took it all in:) I wish I had the camera I have today and a journal:) I can see you with horses too as you do connect deeply with animals…that is what it takes in understanding how a horse thinks, feels etc. I did enjoy going to the big city twice a year for school clothes but wa always happy to get back home to quiet:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:07:23
cute pooches and beautiful horses (especially the one with the white blaze!)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:25:18
Thank you much:) I need to get some new pictures of me…the one with the dogs was last summer. I am the camera person so I have lots of pix of everyone else and also of life but me…who?:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:28:38
I find a high enough table to be good enough when the tripod has been misplaced! 🙂
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:35:09
I do have a tripod but am yet learning to use it and to remember it! I know my photos would come out much better…thank you for reminding me as I need to find a good class to learn more about photography and also developing my style:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:38:25
My own experience with the tripod was quite limited until a couple of weeks ago 🙂
there are actually quite a few good WordPress blog sites dedicated to improving photographic skills.
I try to learn a new thing every day … yesterday was how to use Shutter Priority mode and adjust the Exposure Compensation sufficiently so that the resulting action photo shots would be lit enough and blur free.
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:47:37
I need to look into that…with the weather being warmer it would be great to learn new things and try them. I have a Sony 77 with lots of buttons etc that I have no clue on yet…I am learning daily like you…but I want to know more too…I love capturing good shots:) My tripod is good quality…and then I see myself carrying it up the hill behind the house and I get glazed eyes:) What camera sites do you use and how do you find them?
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:07:48
I just use good ol’ Google and type in Photography Tutorials. some times I’ve WordPress blog sites that like my posts, and so I follow them (can’t actually find them at the very moment, with 346 followers to scan through).
I read that if you invest in high quality photographic equipment and accessories, it might be a good idea to ensure them. (I have dunked a non-insured camera in water before, but it wasn’t worth more than $100, but imagine if I had a $3000 telephoto lens and a $1500 SLR camera with me, and those got cracked or scratched … ouch)!
Here are two sites that might help you get started.
Have fun snapping away!
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2014/02/07/77-photography-techniques-tips-and-tricks-for-taking-pictures-of-anything/
http://www.slrlounge.com/
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:13:29
Yikes…I believe you are right…I will check with insurance tomorrow…I try hard to be very careful. I love my Sony but now I am thinking of a Cannon to advance further..like the 5D…if I had nothing else to do I would shoot photography…love love love capturing that one magical shot…and learning to dig deeper in figuring it out…spending money on cameras, lens, and etc. makes my day…
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:17:47
5D … now I’ve got to brush up on my photography terminology!
some credit cards offer a one-year warranty extension on your (electronics) purchases, so in the event that your equipment gets damaged within the warranty period, there’s an additional year of warranty on it, so that you won’t have to fork out for repairs.
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:25:16
What do you use? I love hearing of other cameras and how they are being used…I could live in a camera store…there are no bad ones and if you have the passion, no matter what you have it will show…for me my camera is part of me…it speaks for my heart and grabs what I hope it will.
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:30:10
my equipment is pretty primitive (and by that, I mean it’s not a DSLR or mirrorless/bridge camera). it’s a 4-year-old Kodak EasyShare Z990 12.0MP (a prosumer point-and-click camera).
other than the fact that it takes about 5-6 seconds between photos for processing (when you’re shooting birds in motion, it’s an eternity to wait), it’s actually quite a good camera if a bit old … I have shot some fairly decently photos of the moon with it!
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:33:50
I think the older cameras are very good…they may not have the techy stuff but they work…I still have our old Cannon from 1984…I need to get it out and play with it again….even though it was not digital it shot some cool shots…yeah I need to get it out again and lean more with it…I love your photos and in my opinion it takes more of a photographer to shoot good shots with older cameras:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:39:14
thanks, Hot Rod Cowgirl 🙂 your photos, especially the landscape ones, look better than the ones on postcards!!
I remember the really good ol’ days when my first film camera took only black-and-white photos!
Oh, the fun of loading your 35mm film into the camera in pitch black darkness, getting photos, and then heading back to develop the negatives and positives in the very smelly darkroom 🙂
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:43:32
Thank you much:) I do try hard to capture what I see to share with others as I know I am blessed to see it myself:) Learning how to develop your film and also how to load your camera in the dark…what a good good lesson. When I was little little I remember my Dad explaining horses to me and what to do and what not to do…and when he put me on one I learned…like you with your cameras. When we learn it the hard way…we learn it right:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:44:54
so true! I always feel a greater sense of accomplishment if something is more difficult to learn (bonus points if I can learn it myself)!
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:55:00
I agree…I need to feel and do what I am learning…it makes it click in my head…but I am a visual learner too…so just reading about it or listening would not quite be enough…holding it in my hand is good even if I do not know what I am doing?
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:58:05
me too … I need to be able to experiment and make my mistakes (hopefully they won’t be too expensive!) That’s how I learn best!
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:04:34
Totally me…when WB is explaining how to do something I have to tell him to stop…let me do it and you can watch or go with me…too many words and my eyes glaze over:)
He is more text book and visual…
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:06:39
I like that photography is a subject (no pun intended) that encourages its students to experiment, experiment, experiment!
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:08:41
I do too…and agree as it gets you pulled into it whether you know what you are doing or not…and you do learn fast….and even if you make mistakes you can go on and learn from them:)
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 01:05:41
HRC,
You may find these photography tutorials helpful:
http://leannecolephotography.com/learning-photography/
lilmisspoutine
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 17:08:40
Hi there:) Thank you for the links..I will enjoy learning some new things this weekend:) It is beautiful here today….calm, blue skies and 65 degrees….it is incredible this time of year from now on here in Juniper…I always says now this is why we live here:) Wishing you a wonderful weekend and some sunny warm days too:)
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:13:16
I hate to do this but I need to go to bed…I do not need as much sleep now that I am older thankfully:) I have truly enjoyed talking or yakking:) Where do you live…I think you told me, Canada? I would love to travel all over the US and Canada as well as Alaska:) Wishing you a warm cozy night:)
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:14:42
Vancouver, BC, Canada. The warmest part of Canada right now … we have had the least amount of snow compared to everywhere else.
Ditto, and zzzs for me too. Have a good night! 🙂
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:15:36
That is not too far from here:) You too.sleep well:)
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:16:23
thanks, HRC!
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Mar 07, 2014 @ 00:18:59
Ditto:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:32:20
My mare Lottie is the one with the white blaze…I know she was gorgeous and I loved her so much…bought her form a good friend when she was not quite 3 and she was a cow horse…loved working cows…I had her for almost 18 years…still think of her and wish I could finer her bloodlines and her beauty. She was from the lineage of a horse called Leo…very hard to find now…she is the one that I talk about going with me to Central Oregon and we both got introduced to rattle snakes and then we went to WY. at 7500′ and that was an adjustment too but she did great…she was the best horse I ever had…so smart and intuitive…and all class:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:41:31
wow! what a sweet story. it’s nice to have such beautiful creatures share your life for almost two decades. I wish all animals could be as long lived!
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:44:37
Me too…they are incredible…so smart and they do have emotions…almost 19 year old Minnie is sleeping beside me on her heat pad:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:49:28
wow!! is Minnie one of your dogs? 19 is incredible!
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 22:57:00
No Minnie Mouse is our kitty…way back in 1995 she and her sister were brought to our barn to be barn kitties…when I saw them I could tell they were too young…so I brought Minnie and her sister that was a tuxedo kitty into our house…WB just looked at me rolling his eyes…we had a black Manx named Kalamazoo then who was 16…anyway…long story…Minnie has been with us forever…and she is very intuitive and incredibly cute…her vet told me that Minnie is her oldest patient…and she is very healthy. She has always been in the house with us as we have coyotes etc.
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:02:00
aha! I thought Minnie was a cat! 🙂 19 years is definitely not unheard for felines … I know of at least one or two who have lived as long. 🙂
cute to name your kitty after a mouse 🙂
hope there are photos of her somewhere on your blogsite?
very cool that you had a black Manx. mostly I hear and see cat owners with Maine Coon, or Persian or Siamese.
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:08:39
Most recent photo of Minnie was 2-23-14 on Photos of This and That On HRCG…she is the first one…her name of Minnie Mouse came out of WB giving her table treats…her name was Isabella or Bella or Isszerbe…well WB taught her to mooch…so then he called her Minnie the Moocher…somehow we came to agree that no we would call her Minnie Mouse. She loves steak and chicken and she will politely pat you asking for a nibble…if you ignore her, she pats a bit harder and if you ignore her again she will hook you:) I call her Minnie Mouse the Queenie of my house…she is my Minnie Mouse:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:13:55
cats are hilarious and so *human*, some times.
our former next door neighbour had a Siamese who would visit us quite often. when we played bocce in the back yard, it would actually try to intercept the balls! we were sure he must have been part dog … those bocce balls were not light or small!
another time, we came back to a half-eaten mouse on the lawn … I guess we should be flattered that kitty was sharing its meal with us. 🙂
another time, it was waiting for us on the front door steps when we pulled up in the driveway.
and one final time, we actually walked past the blueberry patch twice before noticing that kitty was having a snooze in the soil. 🙂
so we bought a can of cat food … and wouldn’t you know it, the next door neighbour sold his house not long after that and took kitty with him .
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:21:02
And they are so funny…very human and smart…we had this ball called a boucy ball for kitties…you let it bounce and it would go crazy as tall the sides had uneven ball shapes…so when you let it bounce it went crazy and Minnie would chase it all over the kitchen and then once she caught it, she would bring to me or to WB and drop it panting…and ready for more:) The black Manz Kalamazoo was the last kitten in a litter and no one wanted him…he was a kick..he grew up with our kids…and when the kids were irritating to him, he would remember and when they were not expecting it, he would pounce when they walked by and wrap his legs and paws around their legs biting them! He also hated Garfield…one of our kids loved Garfield and Zoo or Zippy hated him….he had a rep around here with all the kids that went to school with our kids…
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:25:14
🙂 and speaking of interesting cat stories: one of my former co-workers was visiting (a friend who had a cat).
well, kitty wouldn’t let her pass until he had ‘inspected’ the contents of her rather large handbag.
so she opened up the handbag, he pawed through it, took out his paw, and then meowed as if to say, “Okay, you can go!”
that story has always had me in stitches. 🙂
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:27:01
Truly good and funny:) and I can imagine it…now I am laughing:)
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Mar 06, 2014 @ 23:23:06
And he sounds hilarious…so human really…all animals in my opinion are more human that people think.
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