Morning Chores On The Juniper T With Fresh Snow And Artic Cold!

02 Jan 2013 60 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Ranch Life, Winter Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last Sunday, on a typical Juniper Canyon morning the end of  December, we had fresh snow, loverly foggy views and crispy, cold, frigid temps!

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I was out and about doing the usual feeding chores for our dogs, cats and horse’s morning breakfast buffet, while loving on each one of them:) It’s really not a chore, more of a love fest for all my animal kids:)

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As I went out the garage door first, feeding our doggies was top on my list….Ms. Kiah got to eat her breakfast in the garage as she has so much energy she has no fat so she needs lots of calories to keep her weight on. Ms. Tuck and Mr. Dasher Masher both have to watch their figures…so they eat outside.

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Ok guys I’m a coming…hang tight…love you Ms. Mel and Mr. Buck:)

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But first I have to go through the hubbies massive shop and into the century old barn that I love…

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Then upstairs to check on Pat and Jack, our monster orange Lion Cats….and to get Annie’s hay for her breakfast…

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“Did someone say hay?”

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Annie’s horse condo…auto water set up….and hay feeder….cushy rubber mats….nice lights to see and safe…I need more sawdust on the next trip to town….she likes her stall and so does Pat the cat sitting behind the trough…and often Melody stays in the stall across from Annie. You can’t see it but we have a hay chute that feeds her hay from upstairs into her feeder….nice and clean.

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My winter round corral….resting and waiting.

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Annie is waiting too:)

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And, I’m sure she can hardly wait!

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Coming back through “Wild Bill’s” shop…this is one of our latest projects…very cool huh? Every time I see this pick up I hear “ZZ Top” playing “Sharp Dressed Man.”

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Tuck is waiting patiently for me to come out of the shop…

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So is Ms. Melody. She really likes her food…she enjoys every morsel:)

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And Buckaroo Buck looks rather dapper this morning…I’m hurrying guys…trying to not fall on my hind end as it is super slippery today!

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“Ahhhhh…finally…munch munch munch…I love my yummy nummies”. “Life is good again!”  “Wait, Mom, put that camera down…don’t take my picture when I am eating….geez…Buck will think I am being a piggy or something!!!”

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It is dang cold and dang foggy too…the fog can get on your nerves if it hangs for several days and every once in a while that happens as the fog drifts up Juniper Canyon from The Columbia River which is about 20 miles or less from us.

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“Wild Bill I hope you have the coffee on and ready….Good Morning Sunshine:)”

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Last Sunday in a freak accident, we lost our beloved Kiah. She ran to greet me when I was across the road yet feeding horses and she did not see the slow-moving vehicle in the fog. I will share more of her wonderful photos and life in a post soon…right now I have too many tears. She was so gallant, so brave and so loved.

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“I miss you Ms. Kiah…I will carry you forever in my heart. I will like you forever and love you for always. God Bless You My Kiah…My Yippee Ki Yi Yay.”

The Mighty Columbia River Gorge Of Oregon…Round Two!

23 Jul 2012 18 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Ranch Life, Weather, Wild Bill Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As  side note…if you click on my photos they will enlarge so you can see them better if you choose.

Last weekend we attended our niece’s wedding in the small town of Carson, WA.

This was our view out the window in our very classy hotel room…we loved seeing the green trees and the mountains cloaked with weather…and hey…there is the Columbia River!

We stayed at Skamania Lodge…in Stevenson, WA. I highly recommend it…they have spa services and excellent restaurants for small snacks, as well as nice dinners or maybe just a relaxing sandwich at noon…we missed out on their Sunday Brunch which is famous for the food and atmosphere…next time WB. They offer a golf course, swimming and lots of great trails to hike that are mapped out from easy to difficult.

When we walked into our suite and saw the view…we instantly relaxed:)

Looking back across the Columbia River towards Cascade Locks, OR. The bridge you see is called “The Bridge Of The Gods”…it is one of the many bridges that crosses the Columbia River into either Oregon or Washington.

Looking East towards home for us…the Columbia River is a river that you respect as it is wide, deep and fast-moving. We have boated on it lots as our ranch is only about 30 miles from it…being able to make a quick drive to the river during the hot summers always appeals to you…I love boating, as long as the boat is big enough to ride out the waves with a V-Hull!

It was truly beautiful to see our niece look so very happy…you know without a doubt they are soul mates…like WB and me:)

Before we knew it, time passed quickly and it was time to head home. We decided to travel home on the Washington side of the river until The Dalles, where we crossed another bridge to reach the I-84 freeway…seeing the river from both sides is worth it, as the views on each side are vastly different.

We had quite a bit of wind on the way home and look who is out on the river…the windsurfers…they pray for windy days like this!

They fly across the river with the wind…they are true athletes and fun to watch…often we see 100’s of them on our trips down the Gorge to Portland.

I am enjoying the view but, I would not care to be on the water with the white caps…as you can see the wind is blowing pretty good…and about perfect for the windsurfers!

I was standing down there on the concrete deck when WB took my picture.

Looking West…pretty view huh?

One more view of the Gorge Wind and my flaming red hair!!! What a great hair styling job…ala natural…which I love anyway:)

Another stop for photos…we are getting closer to The Dalles and home…

The closer we travel to our neck of the woods…the Columbia Basin of Eastern Oregon…Cowboy Country…Let Er’ Buck…Yee-Haw…the less trees and green. Western Oregon receives several inches of rain a year, where we usually have around 9-10″ a year…we are on the dry side of Oregon.

Crossing back over the Columbia at The Dalles Damn…tried to grab a quick shot of the spillway…could not talk WB into stopping in the middle of the bridge so I could take pictures…geesh…he said something about cops and mumble mumble…hmmm?

And then we drove on another 100 miles into Eastern Oregon…to our home…to the North Country of Juniper Canyon…into wheat country:)

As far as you can see wheat fields…that are almost ready for the harvest of 2012!

Once we were home we had lots of petting and loves for all our animals, as they missed us…our dogs are so protective of us but so sweet to us too:)

And our horses came over to see us as soon as we pulled in the driveway…it is funny that they know the car…

And the real “Boss!” I know she missed us….right?

“Minnie….I missed you!”

Minnie said back to me “Oh sure…what am I chopped liver? Going to see the dogs first…hurumph!”

And then she took pity on me as I love her very much…”Well ok…just this once I will forgive you about the dang dogs!”

“But do not let it happen again Mom…”

“Ok already Mom….I am so glad you are home:)”  Me too Kitty Girl…my Min-Min Kitty Angel:)

We had only been home for a short time when the incredible clouds rolled in for a rock and roll thunder storm…

The summer of 2012 has gone down in history with different weather and clouds such as these…

Reminds me of Wyoming weather and not Eastern Oregon where for the most part we have mild weather…with four seasons.

It keeps it interesting and keeps me grabbing my camera trying to capture the strange weather…how about you…is your weather odd this year too or is it just here that it is a bit crazy?

Hope you have a great week! Enjoy your summer with warm days and magical nights! Find time to relax and take it all in as summer will be gone before we know it!

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

17 Jun 2012 58 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Cattle Ranch, Family, Juniper T Ranch, Ranch History, Ranch Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am a bit late with posting this but seems life right now is a bit fast and crazier than I want…today is a very special day of honoring our Dad’s.

This is my Dad…he was an amazing man…he lived with a left stiff leg from a football injury during his senior year in high school. Yet not once did he ever complain or make excuses for his life. Instead he fought to live a normal life and he did. I saw it and was witness to it…Dad was the real deal when it came to being a cowboy and a great Dad!

Dad with his horse Jingle across the road from the house in the 1940’s.

Dad roping in the 1950’s…

Dad in the 1970’s running one of the biggest cattle ranches in the state of Oregon. One of the very last cattle ranches in the state to drive their cattle down from the mountains in the late fall to the winter pasture. It was a 90 mile cattle drive with 800 head of mamma cows.

Newspaper Article On The Juniper T

Yearly Fall Cattle Drive

Cows headed home…we drove the cattle every fall for almost 30 years and by the time we did it the last year…it was a piece of cake. They knew where they were going…home.

Dad looking weary on the drive about half way through. This is my Dad…his horse Bucky…his dog Blue. He was pretty much John Wayne to me and Mom and kinda scary to Wild Bill:)

Oh come on WB Dad does not look scary here!!!

 “WB are you gonna marry my daughter?”

“Yes sir….I am!”

“She is our little girl…and our only child…so I am watching you!”

“Don’t worry Dad…I am good with WB.”

I have so many good memories of growing up riding with Dad and working cows…but some of the best ones are when Dad took me fishing or when he taught me how to drive a four speed Scout up in the mountains…he was the solid comfort in Mom’s and my life…and he always kept a going.

Dad, you gave me the gift of life and horses:)

Happy Father’s Day…I learned everything I could from you about life and living and I miss you and Mom so very much.

I thank God for giving me a cowboy Dad like you!

Hotrod Cowgirl headed on down the road with horse power and horsepower:) Over and out…see ya on down the dusty trail!

Weekend Warriors!

02 May 2012 20 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Landscapes, Photography, Ranch Life, Wild Bill Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A few weekends ago we began to move the portable horse stalls we set up here at the house to the new set up across the road from the house…last weekend we decided to move the hay/feed room.

With running a small business during the week and currently remodeling the exterior part of the house etc…often our weekends are when we do ranch chores.

In the spring especially, the ranch requires lots of TLC…we spray weeds and burn weeds…clean up around the buildings and along the roads…drag pastures as well as drag the gravel driveways around the ranch complex…fix fences, gates and sprinklers if needed…clean the barn, saddles and corrals…work up the dirt in the arena into nice soft un-clumpy dirt…lots of this and that type things.

There are not enough hours in a day for either Wild Bill or me from about February until maybe December and then we have the holiday rush!

“Wait…Hey Mr. Sun…you can’t leave me now…come back I need more daylight please!!!”

We began the process of dismantling stuff and I had gone to the house to grab some water for us to drink and my camera…I glanced out my kitchen window as I walked by and I saw this! We had moved the two stalls by taking them apart the weekend before…and Wild Bill…now you can see why he is known as “Wild Bill”…decided there were too many screws in the hay/feed room to take it apart sooooo…he was Wild Billing it!

“Uh honey, we are blocking off the road and it looks like you are beginning to slide down the embankment…which means you are likely going to roll the tractor and the feed room is chained to it so it will follow you!!! What are you #### doing!!!”

Yikes the tractor is sliding…ok I can’t watch this…no I have to watch this…”WB…there has to be a way to do this different #### !!!”

“Wild Bill get off the tractor!” The gravel and ground is sliding terribly!

Somehow WB, “Wild Billed it”…saving himself, the tractor and the feed room! Maybe it was me falling to the pavement kicking…screaming with a few swear words and praying hard!

Ta-da! Almost to the right spot! Aussie dog Dasher is supervising!

And then WB tries one more time to tip it over! I think he likes to give me a heart attack or something just to see if I am watching!

The new stalls are across the road from where they were before…this was a distraction picture as I was trying to not look at WB and the feed room that was trying to tip over!

Buck is munching away on the nice green pasture grass…soon the big irrigation guns will be watering the pastures again with having the new well:) “Psssst Buck…look at WB…the feed room is tipping!”

“Uh you mean the hay room…the feed room with the treats in it?” Buck was worried too!!! He loves that room!

Well we got it all moved without tipping something over and without yelling too much…just a few rather loud cuss words:) The feed room looks good…next we will re-assemble the stalls with a pen in front for a run and dry lot. I think they will like it better…more to do and not as boring.

Yes….we had more rain on Monday. Sunday had been beautiful…today it is semi cloudy and cold. I want warm days with sunny sunshine:) If you look close you can see the field down the road with the yellow hue to it. That is Canola…when you use Canola Oil this is how the farmers grow the seeds. I will get a better picture of it this week to show you.

Have a peaceful evening and a great week!!!

Round Pen Training…Developing The Foundation Of Trust

02 Apr 2012 25 Comments

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

Today we finally have a bit of a break from the rain and blustery wind…make that a deluge of rain and dreary gray weather…I know I know…blah and blah…grumble and complain.  The rain has kept me indoors the last week cleaning of all silly things, so I took a break one day and sorted through some old pictures on my back up drive…it was fun to look back on lots of good memories…good people…good times and good horses of course:)

March’s last week of blahsay (is that a word?) weather was much like the day in this photo…wet…cold…gray…and dreary. This picture was taken a few years ago in the round corral…Cowboy son had come home to visit for the weekend and while he was here, he wanted to work with Fanny Annie. He was working on desensitization with Annie, which is important as it begins to lay the foundation of trust. She is learning to trust in her human no matter if the plastic sack is scary or not…

This teaches her inner trust in us so that when anything unexpected happens on the trail or anywhere we go when we ride her, she will not freak out being triggered into the fear or flight instinct. As he asks her to move about, he is watching her body language…looking for the try in her to trust him…waiting for her to turn towards him with two eyes…instead of her hindquarters, which is a lack of respect.

He had a ways to go yet with her as she is yet turning away from him. As we waited and watched you could feel the rain coming as the air was heavy with mist and a feeling of ominous blahsay…it has to be a word, as it fits the dreary day!

He continues to move her feet about…it is not mean if it is done right…she is learning that her world is safe with her human leader…just as it would be in the wild with her herd…ultimately she is learning to trust. Horses are born with the biological fear or flight mechanism…it is what kept them alive for centuries. In the wild when a predator approaches, the lead horse in the pack will alert the herd to move out if danger invades their world.

We humans want to ride our horses like no big deal…but unless we first develop trust with them or a very good trainer does it before we purchase the horse…we likely will deal with a spooky jumpy horse and be upset or worse, either the horse gets hurt or we do or we both do. A good foundation is a must when you raise horses and if you purchase one then you need to be sure that the horse has been given a good foundation of trust and consistency. And remember if for some reason you end up with a horse that is not so great…it is not the horses fault…they are doing what their natural instinct says, “fear for your life horse”…and that would be due to lack of foundational training…with daily training and relationship. We would not expect to buy a lion and bring it home for a house kitty…and expect it to be fine to play or cuddle with us…horses are the same way…they are much more vulnerable to pain caused by humans as the human did not know or understand the horse.

All horses want to get along but if they have been abused and if they have not been handled correctly or right…then they are spooky and fighting for their lives…they do not know if we are safe or not until we begin with them from the beginning. By the way I refresh my well-trained older horses in the round corral if needed…often both of us need it:)

Here Cowboy is touching Annie softly on her shoulder area asking her if she will settle in with him but she is still tight and tense…not quite ready to listen…

He continued by moving her off again…in the direction he asks…always when you work your horses, if you ask them to go to the right and they go to the left…you stop them and turn them back to the right…they must go the way you ask…again this is good communication and respect.

Annie is beginning to settle…she is facing him and you can see in her eyes that she is thinking…she wants to hook on to Cowboy…the first step that all is well and  she is safe. “Annie will you hook on to me now and follow me?”

For the sake of your eyes and boredom, unless you have horses, I fast forwarded the process and the pictures a bit 🙂

Ry is in the corral now as he listens how to connect to Annie, as she is looking for that sign of trust that Ry is safe too.

Touching Annie on her forehead is reassuring to her that all is well.

I have found that horses have a bond with children that is hard to explain…they are very soft with kids.

Dropping down to her level…we are showing her we are not over her but we are partners in this relationship and as partners you will be the safe leader…submission and trust are critical in your relationship with your horse.

Still working on trust here but making good progress.

Incredibly beautiful…as this is the moment when trust is being given between horse and human…see how Annie is looking at Cowboy…when your horse gives you their trust it is a sacred relationship.

One of my favorite pictures of Annie and Ry…she is such a sweet girl…and he is becoming such a cowboy too:)

That rainy gray morning…Annie gave her heart with her trust…she relaxed…joined in and  became soft.

The lesson ended with Annie introducing herself to Bo-Bo…he is the best dog…and father to our dog Dasher.

From here on we continued to develop Annie’s trust. The most important part of the relationship with your horse whether young or old is consistency…that is the key to the whole deal of your horses knowing that they are safe in this life with you:)

No more blahsay…hoping for a sunshiny today…is that the right spelling for sunshiny??? It is a word right?

Smile….click!

“Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be”.

A bit of help from the Mama’s and Papa’s.




Ms. Madame Cold Winter Answered Loud And Clear

19 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Photography, Ranch Life, Weather Tags: , , ,

Ms. Madame Cold Winter answered LOUD and clear with drifting snow…freezing rain and ice…more snow on top of the ice…and frigid cold. Currently it is 7 degrees….wind is blowing a bit between 5-15mph…so it is a nice balmy bone chilling cold tonight in Juniper.

Ok Ms. Madame Cold Winter thank you for showing up but it is time now for you to head back home to the Hinterlands of the North…please or I will be forced to make you drink a nice hot cup of tea or something to warm you up all over.

Ms. Cold would you like to ice skate a bit tonight? It looks divine…a perfectly good time of slip sliding and fall on your patootie:)

Or how about a nice hot warm your tummy up kind of soup….I promise it will melt your heart:)

Living the isolated stuck in the house during a freak winter storm kind of day…you have to figure out creative things to do with your brain and time so you do not die of boredom or sit and chew your lip all day…so today I made ear rings…beading is fun and can take the ho-hum away:)

This is a picture of my process and how I decide which beads I want to use…first I put several beads together…I then look at the colors and light…hold them up to my ear…hmmmm…then I fiddle with them some more…and finally decide if they are right or not. The best thing about beading is that when you get all gussied up for a rare night off the ranch and your jewelery does not match your mood…you can whip up a pair of ear rings and off you go sparkling and shinning…looking darn nice!

Minnie Matilda agrees…she is safe and snuggly in her quilt and happy that I am stuck in the house with her:)

In closing tongight…when Wild Bill was feeding the ponies all three of our amazing Aussie Dogs came to visit me…they are in and out of the shop all day…of course today they never left the shop until Wild Bill fed…and yes they have nice warm dog houses with lots of blankets to snuggle down in at night…and they own the garage too…anyway…Dash is the blue merle male and he is the biggest…Tucker is the red merle female and she is the boss lady dog…don’t mess with her…and then there is Kiah who is the female blue merle that is always so dang cute…she is only a bit over a year old…so she gives poor Dash and Tucker a run for it…she is the young’un.

Tucker sitting with “Her” toy to the right of her…go ahead and make her day…she is “very” territorial about her toys and space.

And here is the cute kid Kiah….”Huh? Did you want me or can I play with Tucker’s toy???”

“Tucker’s ploy…c’mon Dasher…dare ya!”

“Yah-yah I sees it…should I do it?” “Where is that darn Kiah when I need her?”

“Ohhhh I’m so cute…I’m so cute and Mom loves me…I’m so dang cute”

Dasher sees it and wants it and ohhhh what do I do…”KIAH…go for it!”  But Kiah is only thinking one thing…”Mom thinks I am soooo cute and wellllll…hee-hee”.

Minnie is content watching the entire doggie game out the window and wonders….”Dogs…ding dongs and why do they lick themselves?

Stay warm and cozy where ever you are tonight…stay safe if you travel.

Winter Arrived Today On A Weird Wacky Wednesday

18 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

Winter arrived today on a weird wacky Wednesday!  Full of gusty wind…whoop ’em up country style weather with mighty might!  Going from snowy blizzard type conditions to freezing rain and late this afternoon freezing temps…it is 21 degrees currently…with a windchill of 11.

An early morning view today of our girls Melody and Annie waiting for their breakfast. I bet Annie is asking Mel what the heck happened the last few days…she is not yet 3 years old so this white stuff is still a novelty to her.

Chilly winter scenery….a frozen flower barrel with white fluffy snow growing out of it instead of summer flowers on a warm summer night.

Like this:)

I know we need the moisture and also the freezing cold temps which will help kill off the farm bugs…and we need the snow pack in the mountains for the mountain resorts that make their living off of the snow….plus with lots of snow pack the hay fields will grow better hay next summer and our wheat will be another bumper crop and the irrigated crops will produce more food for all of us…so quit complaining Cowgirl….right?

But…..brrrrrrrrr. I went out this afternoon to take a few pictures and froze in the short time of maybe 30 minutes with my Carhart’s and Sorrels on too.

Venturing out in the freezing cold temps to capture moments in time…tells me that the photography bug in my heart is part of the creative writer part of my heart…only with a lens instead of a pencil. Often that one image tells the entire story….life images…moments frozen in time.

Have I introduced you to Mr. Porch Owl yet? He keeps the sparrows away from trying to fly into the windows on the front porch in the spring and summer…today he is looking quite crabby about being blown around with the wind out of the North…he is glaring at me and you.

Hang on Sloopy…Sloopy hang on…this used to be one of my sledding hills when I was little…wheeeeeeee:) Yes without the log fence…LOL.

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.

– Edith Sitwell

A Stunning…Splendiferous And Sparkling Saturday

14 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Photography, Ranch Life, Weather Tags: , ,

A stunning…splendiferous  and sparkling  Saturday has arrived in Juniper Canyon!

Today we woke to a lovely temperature of 12 degrees at 6:30 this morning…with brilliant sunshiny sunshine along with funky shadows and my teeth chattering. If you look hard in this picture you can see two pairs of glowing eyes…that is the “Hey you…we want our hay hay hay breakfast!”

I can hear them snickering with the nickering, I think they figured if they could make their eyes glow it would scare me into feeding them early! But instead I dove back under the covers hiding….geez!

Brilliant idea guys but very twilight zoneish….I can hear it now…Rod Serling saying:

“Today was a spendiferous Saturday on the ranch for Hot Rod Cowgirl…until she woke to feed her horses…and then she realized she was no longer in this reality and no longer on the ranch but instead in the reality of planet Ding Dong and and and……whew!

Min-Min was not thrilled with being up early…she is still annoyed that I left yesterday to run errands in town…she runs the house you know and she is the queen:) She does not like it one bit when I leave to go anywhere….so today she is simmering with a bit of cattitude!

I was dressed with make up on and hair fixed before 7:00 this morning….things are getting even more bizarre and silly crazy!

Fortunately for Wild Bill I had my coffee…with sugar free vanilla and a lots of java caffeine:) I can not imagine not having coffee! My Grandmother and Mom used to give me the small creamer bottle that restaurants used to give filled with half cream and half coffee when I was a little girl…so we love coffee here…it is a Norwegian thing too.

They say we are to get snow this weekend and the incredible blue crisp sky late this afternoon is evidence of the weather changing as the jet stream is lowering bringing in arctic brrrrrrr cold air from Canada.

Oh ok the beautiful wall bronze cut out is really not me! Here you go, this is me today and I was ready to get going bright and early which is super silly as usually I am still in my sweats…my silly sweats…on most silly Saturdays.

And as the light is changing it is getting colder…clouds are rolling in…winter is in the air today for sure.

So I think I snuggle up with

 Ms. Minnie Mouse and Wild Bill.

Pour myself another cup of java…keep my camera handy and enjoy the splendiferous day.

Hoping to have some snow to photograph for you tomorrow…have a great weekend where ever you are!

Simple Times In A Simple Country Girl’s Life

10 Jan 2012 12 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Heritage, Juniper T Ranch, Photography, Ranch History, Ranch Life Tags: , ,

Simple times in a simple country girls life in Juniper Canyon can be interesting…always changing…certainly not boring. What is it like where you live? If you were to ask me what is it like here, this is what I would say…

Amazing views because you can see forever…ever changing incredible light for picture taking nuts like me…you never know what living scene of daily life you will see or experience.

Most mornings you wake to a beautiful sunrise…filled with a revered quiet…stillness that fills you with a sense of God and peace for the new day.

Equally beautiful sunsets kiss your face each night and never fail to put on a chromatic color scheme of pure country beauty.

Solitude…looking into forever…not seeing another person…just you and the stillness of the land.

I know that horses will be in heaven because God made them and He loves to ride them…I feel like I am already  in heaven when I ride Melody…she makes my heart rest and my spirit go ahhhhhhh.

A warm winter’s night that feels like spring…it was incredible to look up and see two jets overhead in the golden evening twilight.

One of our resident hawks taking off to hunt for dinner. I then convinced Wild Bill to hike up on the hill as I was hoping for some moon shots.

Even after living here forever I never get tired of the views and knowing that the ground I walk on has been in my family for over 100 years…that speaks deep to your soul. I thank God for our home and this land everyday.

Here is a bit of history…the old clubhouse that we made for our kids and eventually became our grandkids. It has been everything from a rocket ship to a fort to a tank to a spaceship. In real life though it was an original tractor cab way back in the early 40’s. It kept the weather out and some of the dust…if only it could talk the stories it would tell.

And then…the moon peeked out from over the hill….perfectly blessed:)

Wild Bill agrees the hike was worth it!

Country beauty…country blessings.

Always interesting and intriguing.

As we headed for home we passed the stand of old trees that my Dad planted way back when. The weather and harsh winds take a toll on them but they have an enduring beauty of their own.

Hey Little Buck Buck…he is enjoying his evening hay dinner.

One last Juniper moon shot.

I hope you have enjoyed a small…very small part of our simple life here. May you be blessed where ever you are.

Where Oh Where Is Ms. Madame Cold Winter?

07 Jan 2012 2 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Family, Ranch Life, Storms, Weather, Winter Tags: , , ,

Where oh where is Ms. Madame Cold Winter? I want the winters that I remember in my heart and soul.

Winters of being snowed in out here…incredible times of sledding down hills…crazy snowmobiling times of taking off from the back door…off we go over them thar hills all eight miles to Helix and back…by the time we got home we had at least 35 miles on our machines:) Yee-Haw cowgirl style:)

I want this kind of winter…snowed in…not going anywhere kind of snow!

Ask Miss Hobby Horse…she knows about snowy Juniper white stuff.

Tuck Tuck remembers the white stuff too…it was up to her belly.

Our 100 year old farm house remembers the snow and cold winters…it can tell you lots of history and stories of past winters.

Miss Melody was laying on top of the third rail of the log fence as we had so much snow a few years ago.

“Hello Ms. Madame Cold Winter Snow Person.” “We need snow…rain and moisture…not to be greedy but we also need some cold temps to kill the bugs and all of the things that hurt our wheat…please gf:)”

And Ms. Razzy says yeah…winter…snow…what is it…I am only two?

We need snowed in type of snow and cold…drifts and lots of white stuff…where oh where are you Ms. Madame Cold Winter?

It should be like this…when we bought our first Chevrolet Blazer the first 1500 miles were solid snow floor out here.

“Ms. Madame Cold Winter Snow Person…please come see us again…you are always welcome…we have lots of hot chocolate and blankets…flashlights too:) Love you girl and want you back:)”

“Happy Birthday Mom…My Mother My Friend.”

“We miss you much!”

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