Driving Home From Town On A Magical Country Night…

16 Feb 2012 31 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Heritage, Landscapes, Life, Lifestyles, Photography, Sunset Tags: , , , , , ,

Driving home from town on a magical country night was perfect for shooting pictures with the ever changing light! After running errands with Wild Bill most of the afternoon we headed for home just as the light was switching. The early evening was crisp and clear and you could see for miles. Thankfully I pack and travel with my camera…I had extra batteries and I was ready to go 🙂

This is the view that I see when I climb out of Juniper, the canyon that I live in…the Blue Mountains…incredible huh? No houses or people to be seen! A view like no other as most people look at people and houses and cities…out here…we look at a whole lot of nothing. Instead we enjoy viewing the rich landscape views and the interesting weather .

The 20 miles of country road that we travel to Safeway…the bank…and my hair dresser is over to the right of the photo…can you see the black top with the up and down rolling hills? The views of the Blue Mountains are always part of the reward for living this far out of town…we get to see them and enjoy them as we drive.

A beautiful incredible February evening…more like early April.

We are about a mile from my house…the view is looking West towards Mt. Hood about 200 miles from here.

Can you see Mt. Hood? It’s that little pointed blip in the photo. Next summer when I ride my horse at the magic time I will shoot some pictures that include Mt. Hood…St. Helens…Mt Adams and Mt. Ranier if I am  blessed with the perfect shot…and I know I will be:)

Why we call them “The Blue Mountains”…with the light they always look blue.

Rolling hills very close to my house…the golden fields that you see are last summer’s wheat fields…once the wheat is thrashed the combine leaves this…we call it stubble…it rests for a year before it is planted for wheat or barley…each field is harvested every other year…the dark soil you see in the fields is fallow ground….it is ready to plant again in the Fall or the Spring for Spring wheat.

We have our land in the Conservation Reserve Protection or (CRP ) program that pays the farmer to not work their land or grow wheat for 10-15 years…it is geared towards laying the ground off as it has been farmed and worked for over a 100 years.

We liked that idea when we had the chance to sign the land up so that it could rest…so that is what we did.

The light…the colors of the landscape and the sky pop…and I am clicking away with my camera with a big smile on my face:)

We were blessed with a beautiful sunset on a magical country night…the last shot as the sun sinks lower and lower.

Have a great day today…hoping you will get a gift like this…sunsets and sunrises are magical and I love shooting them 🙂

Happy 36th Valentines Day Wild Bill!

16 Feb 2012 13 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Holton Secret Lab, Hot Rods, Life, Lifestyles, Photography, Wild Bill Tags: , , , ,

Happy Valentines Day Wild Bill! I know this is past due but we were business busy yesterday:)

“It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may, I could never explain
What I hear when you don’t say a thing”

“The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There’s a truth in your eyes sayin’ you’ll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all”

“When You Say Nothing At All” By Alison Krauss

The day we met was the beginning of a life long love affair…36 years ago today!

In front of the kitchen window…summer 1980…married four years:)

We raised three kid between us…the boys and I doing Thanksgiving dishes about 1984 in the old kitchen of this house and looking out the same kitchen window.

Now we have several grandkids…we started having kids when we were 10 years old…or maybe this year we will celebrate our 75th birthday….either way we were young!

This picture was taken in 1964 up at the mountain cattle ranch and this is what my parents gave to me…the commitment of marriage and love…respect and honor. Mom was a city girl raised in a good life…Dad was rough and tough…he also was raised in a good life here…he was a cowboy and had survived some serious health issues…and he loved my Mom with every breath he took and she him. I thought of my parents as “John Wayne and The Lady.”

I remember writing stories about my parents before I was in school…I was an only child and for some reason writing was natural to me. I am rusty now…I gave up writing after loosing both my parents within a year of each other…I felt like I was 80 years old…the innocense of life disappeared…I have not written since 1998 until now this year…lucky you:)

I asked my Mom once in High School how she could stand my Dad as at times he was not a fun person to be with…don’t get me wrong…he was a great Dad and husband…but he was human. She smiled and told me this gem of wisdom…she said and I quote, “MJ, you make two lists…one has the bad points and one has the good points…as long as the good out weighs the bad, then things are ok…nothing is ever perfect but if you have more good than bad all is ok…”

Hot Rod Cowgirl in 1970 on her colt Stormy…waiting to meet Wild Bill.

I love how you love me Wild Bill!

No matter how tough…

Or rough….

I am with you always WB with lots of love and faith.

We will laugh and goof every day I promise…as much as we can!

Even when we are on TV:)

And when our Hot Rod over heats…we will tensely smile.

I will be quiet for a minute or two…then I will nervously laugh and smile:)

Or when we are providing vehicles for a catalog fashion shoot…a rather famous one.

I will smile because I am with you WB:)

I love you WB…I love our life together:)

Happy 36th Valentines Day!

Yep it’s true he is a Hot Rod Cowboy and I am a Hot Rod Cowgirl…we were made for each other:)

I love you forever WB…I will stand with you and always find a way to smile…cuz I love you:)

Happy Forever Day…36 years to the day that we met:)

Foggy Views From My Kitchen Window

10 Feb 2012 16 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Life, Lifestyles, Photography, Storms, Weather, Winter Tags: , , ,

Foggy views today from my kitchen window brings shades of gray into play…and my camera clicking away!

Familiar horses are now shrouded by the mist that swirls in and out of the canyon..night comes early on a foggy afternoon in Juniper.

A barren frozen tree takes on a stark beauty captured in the fog by the eye of the beholder.

If you look deep within yourself you can find beauty that is in every impression of your eye…no matter the color of the outside world you see or live in.

Depending on which side of the window you are on…you can go from foggy and cold to warm and inviting…life is like that…perspectives with different angles of view.

Winter soon will pass and the beauty of spring will return full of God’s grace.

Fillies will play under rainbows in the summer rains.

While the farmer’s golden wheat prepares for the bounty of harvest once again.

Gray foggy days like today usually bring reflective thoughts to mind as I pause to remember.

Memories of happy times…nostalgic times…thankful for life times. In all things I try to give thanks…even gray dreary days like today:) Spring is coming…then warm summer days and flowers.

Have A Happy Friday!

 

Minnie Mouse Is The Queenie Of My House

09 Feb 2012 10 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Family, Life, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Minnie My Cat, Photography Tags: , , ,

Minnie Mouse Is The Queenie Of My House  and My Life:) She is my constant companion and bestest ever friend.

Today Minnie wanted to add a blog entry… so I’m turning it over to her:)

 Uhhh Mom can I finish my bath first…I am so embarrassed that you caught me…I am very fastidious about my coat and stripes not being crossed up anywhere.

Meow and Hello, my name is Minnie…Mouse…and I am the Queen of My Mom’s House…I am a Cool Cat who knows where everything is at!

 I will be 17 years old on Mother’s Day this year…am I not the most precious and extremely wise kitty you ever saw? Emphasis on “Precious and Wise…”

I love rolling and playing on my Navajo blanket as it scratches my fur…and it feels sooooo good!

I’m a tiger…no a cheetah…a cougar…I’m bold…I’m rough…and tough… “I’m A Country Cowgirl Cougar Cheetah Cat!!!”

Ohhhh that feels so good to roll around and make my Navajo into a big fat wad with me inside it:) Hee hee as Mom then has to find me and straighten it all out again…kind of fun to make her work:)

Whew I had a workout…stretch…roll…romp…meow…I worked on my obliques and kitty muscle!  I hope Mom has the heating pad nice and warm for me:)

And of course I have several cat tv movies to watch on my laptop under the table…I love my Cat DVD shows with lots of birds and cool squirrels…wowie zowie meowie!!!

See how pretty I am…my heat pad is very complimentary to my colors and I love laying on it next to Mom is her office. Whenever I see Dad head towards the office I race ahead of him to be sure he does not take “my chair”…sometimes he tries to race me but I always win:)

I hate being picked up…I let Mom do it but no one else…she likes to cuddle and hug…uh…hurry up and put me down:) I love my Mommy and even though she gives me hugs like this and sometimes takes me to see the vet in the Burb…which I hate….I know she loves me a lot:)

I am the “Queenie of Mom’s House”…my name is Minnie Mouse….I know where it’s at cuz I’m the cat!!!

Hope you all have a meowie zowie day!!!

Looking Out My Kitchen Window…Chapter 1

05 Feb 2012 8 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Family, Heritage, Life, Lifestyles, Photography Tags: , , , , ,

Looking out the same kitchen window my entire life…I have watched a daily movie of crazy yet never boring life. I have seen wonderful moments filled with heartfelt memoreis…good stuff and good times…really boring times…terrible weather times…and tearful sad times.

1932 sorting wheat in the kitchen…in silence for the picture but…I bet they talked:)

I am not  sure how I will write this blog segment, I hope to share with you the memories that have been lived here while viewing life through my kitchen window…a significant portal to the outside world of daily life and memories.

My kitchen window began its life in a wild and wooly cowboy town way back in the teens of 1919. Pendleton was a rusty dusty small town at the beginning of the century.

Norwegians, Swedes, Germans and Fins were busy homesteading and farming the land around Pendleton…a dream they had in their heart from the time they left their homeland, setting sail for America, the land of opportunity. My Grandfather traveled by boat from Norway alone when he was 13 years old looking for a future and a hope… today I am living his future and his hope with the same deep faith and love of the land.

My window was carefully transported 20 miles on a wagon pulled by a team of horses headed out of town for the North country to Juniper Canyon. My Grandpa was building this house for his mother Anne Marie who was coming from Norway by boat to her new home in America, where she would join her sons and family to make a new life. She was 76 years old…can you imagine coming to a new world at her age? I have a deep appreciation for my Great Grandmother, as the world in 1920 was much more primitive out here without modern conveniences. She had the same kitchen window view that I have today, but in 1920 she had no electricity or telephone and the roads were dirt trails to civilization and life. I wish I had known her…how great it would be to talk to her and hear about what she saw and experienced.

 “Little Toot “and I in the kitchen in 1960… I still have the cookie jar…and the red hair:) I love red cowgirl boots…Mom liked Campbell’s Soup and the cupboards were now painted pale green.

I re-finished two of the red fir cupboards from the original kitchen…most people would have thrown them out as they were painted many hideous colors…but thankfully we saved them…and ta-da…they are beautiful and I use them daily.

My kitchen window is a quiet view of history…weather…life…and sometimes a lonely view…you see sunrises and sunsets…rainbows…incredible clouds and God given weather…horses, kids, cats and dogs…last minute crazy life pictures that make you hang on tight, which is why you get some of the wild pictures that I take. The dishwasher is right under the window…I will be doing dishes and look up and out the window saying ohhhh….

Wow, I have to shoot this and grab my camera which I keep sitting in the kitchen ready to go.

Looking out my window are many views of life, heritage and history that are reflected in today’s life and yesterday’s memories. Almost a hundred years of down home lived here in this house in a simple country girl’s life.

In sharing this part of my life the song “Guardian Angels by The Judd’s” comes to mind. When the going gets tough the tough get going…this song gave me the strength to fight and conquer the hard times of life.

Sometimes when I’m tired
I feel Grandpa take my arm
He says, keep a-goin, hard work
Never did a body harm.
And when I’m really troubled
And I don’t know what to do
Grandma whispers, just do your best, were awful proud of you!They’re my guardian angels

And I know they can see
Every step I take
They are watching over me
I might not know where I’m goin
But I’m sure where I come from
They’re my guardian angels
And I’m their special one

Have A Happy Superbowl Sunday!

Howdy Y’All…Let’s Go For A Walk About On A Beautiful Morning In Juniper Canyon…

01 Feb 2012 10 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Horses, Life, Lifestyles, Photography, Sunrise Tags: , , , ,

Howdy y’all…lets go for a walk about on a beautiful morning in Juniper Canyon…its a bit brisk but the sun is out!

It’s a beautiful morning…doo-doo-doo-doo…

Think I will go outside and just smile 🙂

Just take in some clean fresh air…ahhhh.

Aint no sense in staying inside…

It’s your chance to wake up and plan another brand new day….either way its a beautiful morning…doo-doo-doo.

Did anyone recognize the above lyrics…a few of the words may not be right but that was the song in my head as I wrote:)

“It’s A Beautiful Morning” by the Little Rascals.

Here is a little rascal herself…Kiah says yeah…come on let’s go feed the horses!

“Did I hear…hay?” Melody is all heart…I love her eyes…so big…soft and pretty.

I’m coming girls…hang on…the hay is coming.

 Fannie My Annie is playing peek a boo…

Remember this is “Fannie Annie”…chick a boom chick a boom…she is all Fannie!

Mel is sending me deep equine thoughts…”Look deep into my eyes…give me some apple treats and a good rub…keep looking deep into my eyes.”

By the time we finished feeding, the sun was fading and a few clouds were rolling into Juniper.

I went looking for interesting shots as the light was good…I love figuring out what to shoot and how as I learn this art of my heart.

Gray reflections of life in the puddles of black and white…all part of my life…in the wintry light.

Today we are faced with stark winter views that stretch into the horizon…yet as time spins by…soon warm spring days and flowers will bloom with vibrance and new life…as once again the cycle repeats itself.

In the mean time…Melody says “Hey the wind of winter is starting to blow again…I need my sweater.”

From a sunny blue sky to a silvered shade of gray…ripples and dapples of time slowly march across this puddle of earthy color.

“I luv ya Ms. Melody…I’m getting your ear muffs and coat:)”

Have a warm sunny day and if it is a dappled gray day outside…then stay nice and toasty warm on the inside…spring is a coming:)

Toodle-ooo and ta-ta for now:)

Here Comes The Sun

28 Jan 2012 8 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Life, Lifestyles, Photography, Sunrise Tags: , , , ,

Here Comes The Sun….(doo doo doo doo)….Here comes the sun and, I say it’s alright.

Little darling, its been a long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since its been here. Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo) and its alright….

We were up before dawn a couple of days ago as we planed a trip to the city for a Costco run and various errands…

While I was waiting for the coffee I decided to take a few pictures of the kitchen decor for fun as usually there is nothing really fun when you are up before daylight waiting on the caffeine…

We gathered around stomping our feet to keep them warm and planned out the day! As soon as the coffee was done Wild Horses could not keep me from grabbing a cup….

And Wild Horses were running as you see but I got my cup of coffee and the world righted itself once again….whew!

I was taking my first good sip of java when I noticed a reddish hue reflecting on the wall…I threw up my kitchen window blind…and was immediately grabbing my camera!!!

Click

Click and wow…coffee smoffee…I will take a sunrise like this to capture any day!

Melody and Annie are watching too but…

“Hay…put that camera down and get me my hay!!!” Ok ok I’m on my way…now where did I sit my coffee cup?

Hot Rod Cowgirl’s Fete A La Holiday

17 Jan 2012 2 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Cattle Ranch, Juniper T Ranch, Lifestyles, Photography Tags: , ,

Hot Rod Cowgirl’s fete a la holiday…in regards to yesterday…what is a holiday?

Hmmmmm…living in the country as a ranch wife or farm wife and eventually a hot rodders wife still living on the ranch/farm…

Means your life is pretty much committed fulltime to either the cattle and horses or taking care of the land or building and driving hot rods…oh what is a girl to do?

Growing up on both a large cattle ranch and wheat ranch meant I got to ride horses and take care of cows…and take care of the land.

Then I married “Wild Bill”…the crazy hot rod person:)

Follow me back in time before “Wild Bill” to the cows and horses. In the summers my parents and I moved to the mountains with 800 plus Black Angus cows…my relatives stayed here and took care of the land while my parents and I took care of the cows. Everyday we were either checking cows or moving cows to different pastures etc. and if that was not the case then we would be doctoring a sick cow or putting out salt blocks or fixing fence or building fence or looking for the leppy calf’s mama…or taking care of the horses and so on. As Fall made it appearance we began to gather cows…this took several weeks…once they were gathered…then my Dad began a 100 mile cattle drive to the low lands for the herd to winter on.

Through the winter months it was calving time and feeding time. I remember we would get done feeding the cows about noon…then we loaded trucks up again for the next day getting done in time to make one last check on first calf hefers…if we saw one that looked imminent it was either moved to the barn area or we would watch her through the night. In Spring we vaccinated and had a huge several day branding at the lower ranch…and June 1 we moved back to the mountains to repeat the summer pattern.

I know the rest of the world celebrates with several holidays a year but around here and to this country cowgirl most holidays are just another day…Thanksgiving and Christmas we take the day off but if we have cows or horses then we still have to feed them and take care of them .

Holidays?

Holidays were either working or moving cattle or cutting wheat after we were married and moved to the ranch.

Or doing Hot Rod Car Shows on Labor Day Weekends.

Or harvesting on July 4th…

And we usually do not want to see any fireworks!

Smile…smile….smile:)

Tack room wall of bridles and bits.

And working decor…yee-haw:)

Tonight as I close this sort of educating work verses holiday on a ranch post…we are under a severe winter storm watch…winds have been blowing all day…gusting to 45 mph…we are to be inundated with snow the next 48 hours…and it is snowing hard right now…we need moisture…but could we hold off on the freezing cold stuff as tonight I am dang cold.

Sleep well and I am wishing you a warm and gentle night:)

Sunday’s Fabulous Snow Follies

15 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Lifestyles, Photography, Storms, Weather, Winter Tags: , , , ,

Sunday’s fabulous snow follies did not show up as predicted…snow?  What snow?  Winter storm warnings….where?

This is what we woke up to…hmmm…Sunday sunshine and clear blue skies!

Tucker is sunning herself…she likes keeping her tan spots nice and tan year round:) She is quite a Diva around here too…she is Queen Meanie at times…the Boss…don’t cross her.

Ah-ha! The cast of characters are slowly beginning to mix things up a bit for a change around Juniper Canyon.

Clouds began to roll in on a mission impossible. The snow assignment had been accepted as their mission and it was going to go down.

Slowly the clouds snuffed the light of the sun out…it was time for the sun to take a nice winter nap.

And then…the onimous “Big Guy” showed up above…of course I was out with my camera clicking happily away with the ever changing shapes and rather threatening eerie light…perfect for photography.

 “Little Buck” here comes the snow instead of here comes the sun.” If you look close you can see his rear end across the road. He is a Buckskin and blends in with our scenery.

Melody is still truly wondering what Patio Horse is up too…why does he keep hanging around anyway?

And Kiah agrees…and wonders why am I shooting pictures in the cold…cuz I am obsessed Kiah and you are cute…kind of scary cute but cute.

Until next time…have a great Sunday night.

Ho Ho Ho Merry After Christmas And Happy New Years!

31 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Holton Secret Lab, Lifestyles, Ranch Life, Weather Tags: ,

Ho Ho Ho Merry after Christmas hello and as we approach 2012 we wish you the best of the New Year! ! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas time with your families.

Our Christmas was blessed with family, friends and lots of good food. No we do not have this much snow…actually we have none…this picture was taken in 2009 in front of “The Lab.”

Christmas morning broke, gifting us with a beautiful Juniper Canyon dawn which was glorious.

I love the early morning mist in this picture just as dawn broke…you can see the soft swirls of it. You can see two of our horses too…Annie is standing up and waiting on breakfast while Melody is laying flat on her side taking a nap….she likes to stretch out for her naps…she trusts me enough that I can walk up to her to scratch her while she is down…she is so sweet.

Santa Claws brought “Minnie Mouse” a new play house…it even matches her fur:)

I wonder what Santa brought Wild Bill? It looks like something for his horse Buck…ok smile WB.

Looks like Buck got a new bit…Wild Bill is modeling it…hmmmm…I wonder if I can put this to good use?

A-ha…Minnie got a little catnip…yee haw…we try to do it right down here on the farm!

Merry Christmas Yippee Ki Yay Kiah…we love you lots and lots:) Did you like your new chew toys and bones? Ah it looks like you enjoyed the black bird…

Minnie Mouse had a good Christmas…she loved her new house and her cat nip too…ahhhhh life is good:)

Wild Bill welcome to the technology of a Mac…you will love it. As you see…he is enjoying it and playing with  it:) We both have the iPhone 4S with the Siri feature which is awesome!!! Both our laptops have a similar feature.

Speaking of  Macs…as I said they are cool!

These are farm country Macs…hay swathers that we are painting for one of the local farmers here. They are parked at my back door…Hot Rod Cowgirl is not figurative.

I am real…a bit hot rod…a bit horse gal…a bit farm girl….thats me:)

Right Melody?

My hubby bought me this awesome ring from ZPT Silver…notice the bucking horse? That is the Pendleton Round Up logo and I love it!

Hot Rod Cowgirl’s garage…”Jagged and Sadie Sue Suburban”…we name our vehicles around here.

Note my cool bug shield painted by my hubby with his signature flames…and “Jagged” looking mean and nasty…waiting for good weather again.

This cowgirl thing goes way back to when my Dad stuck me on a horse before I could walk…this is me at a horse show way back in the mid 1980’s…it was extremely hot that day and I was riding one of our ranch bred horses Sally…it was her first horse show and we did fine except when we rode by some little kids who dropped their full plastic cup of ice water…poor Sally jumped but we managed to maintain and finish our class in western pleasure:) I was so proud of her as she had lived forever way out in the country so this show was a big eye-opening experience for her. Personally I like riding  my horses out and working cows or gathering cows…but in the 80’s I thought ok what is this horse show thing…had to find out…and it was ok but not my thing. Note…look at the hat …notice the feather and the high crown? Styles have changed…thank goodness!

Hot Rod Cowgirl and Wild Bill along with Holton Secret Lab wishes you a Happy New Year! Stay tuned….I did a photo shoot today and will upload some new pictures on my next post.

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries