Starting 2012 Off With A Bang!

05 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

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

We started 2012 off with a bang with some target practice behind our barn. I would love to have an indoor target practice range as New Years day was a bit cold with a brisk breeze fluttering about.

Beginning with the cast of characters….hmmm…what one shall I shoot with first? The last month we have had several country crimes close to where we live due to drugs and various robberies. We have had a neighborhood watch out in our small canyon now for six years…believe me when you drive around out here to look at the country we see you and we write your license number down…then we send it to the County Sheriff and he checks you out. In this day and age, drugs and crime have become a common thing for all of us no matter where we live.

I aim to be a good shot…while I feel very good about being able to shoot good I also feel sad that I have to even worry.

Wild Bill is an excellent shooter…scary good.

This is serious stuff….grrrrrr…I shoot my gun in order to protect myself or Wild Bill and unfortunately  I will do it if I have to. Yes we have several alarm systems out here…we have various ways of knowing everything we need to know. Life has changed country folks in the last ten years with the growing drug crimes and addictions. With our actively involved neighborhood watch program; we all keep watch for each other with the sheriff’s help.

Okay moving on to other ranch happenings…Tucker was being optimistic by practicing her sunshine girl pose…wishing and hoping for that sun to come out soon…today would be nice!

One of our barn Lions made a rare appearance for me to catch a good photo.

Actually they both came out to see us….are they not cool? They are huge too!

“For I am ‘King of the Jungle’,
I am a mighty lion.
I am the one who rules the roost,
so don’t even bother trying.”

A winter view looking down the canyon…

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.”

Winter skies above…

“All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar.”

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.

Just As We Were Hurrying To Get All The Last Minute Christmas Shopping Done….

19 Dec 2011 1 Comment

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

Just as we are hurrying to get all the last-minute Christmas shopping done…holiday meals planned…and last minute details finished…we noticed a few days ago that there was an unusual amount of water on top of the road in front of our house. “Wild Bill” went out to look closer and found that we had a water leak under the paved county road.

After getting the necessary permits “Wild Bill” began the labor intensive job of tearing up the asphalt to get to the water pipe.

Not a fun job and rather over whelming to start this project now with freezing temps…but we needed water and we had to stop the leak.

“Yikes”….

This was rather serious folks…

As in trenches and “detours”…our poor dogs trying to do their job…barked and growled at every car that drove off the pavement to go through the detour…try to sleep at night…and no you do not.

Ask “Miss Melody”…she did not get any sleep either with the barking dog issue and “Patio Horse” was still staring at her too”.

And there is one of the culprits…and she is such a good girl..we love our Kiah…good good girl she is:)

Yes “Kiah my Kiah…you are a good girl!”

“Ok guys…what do you think?”

Since we fixed the leak of a 50-year-old pipe under the road it only made sense to fix the pipe all the way to the well…about 200’…to replace all the old pipe with new pipe….so Wild Bill dug and dug.  Dasher is the dog you see with Wild Bill…Dasher was born this time of year…perfect name huh?

The road is almost back to normal…the trench is filled with gravel…three days later all is well once again in “Juniper Canyon” and we have water in the house at last!

“Uh Dad….what do you think?” My two men…brings back memories of “Wild Bill” with my Dad.

Today we decorated our tree and got back to Christmas:)

And “Minnie Mouse said all is good:)”

This is country living folks…we is country folks…and we live it:)

Crazy…Fast and Furious…Unpredictable Life Filled With Many Blessings!

08 Dec 2011 4 Comments

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

Crazy…fast and furious…unpredictable life filled with many great blessings…I often experience a mix…and even though it is fast and furious I find myself grabbing on to the important seconds that tick by….filing them away in my heart and trying to see every little detail of God’s world that we live in.

Prince was my first horse and best friend. Prince carried me for several years all over out here where I still live…a heartful of memories in a young cowgirls life.

I grew up behind my Dad’s back…where Dad went on a horse I went too…that was life to me…being on the back of a good horse…riding behind my Dad…and I miss his back.

Cows and horses or horses and cows…how I grew up and what I saw daily, normal everyday cattle ranch life…my history filled with many memories.

I am sure you all have those early life memories of daily life with your parents and where you lived…how you lived and what your life was about…moments that will live on forever and yet often, only live on in your memories.

My life was growing up here…on the Juniper T Ranch…various family and friends were around during early summer when we moved the cattle up to the mountain ground and again during the fall gathering. Three of my Aunt’s are in this picture…and this is where my Mom cooked for 20-30 men every day on a wood cook stove in this log cabin…no water except hauling it by bucket…that was life back in the late 60’s for this redneck girl.

  With this post I am writing about life chapters…old times and new times…old memoreis and new memories.

A glimpse of the special moments.

Experiences of a lifetime…Hobby and I playing with a cow.

She was just learning to hook on here.

And then she got it!

I loved the feeling of a horse under me moving and dancing with a cow…nothing quite like it! Hobby I miss you girl…miss you lots.

From work to play on a simple warm trail riding kind of day. Sitting on top of the Blue Mountains…the best place to be on a horse around here in the summertime!

Life with many adventures and well-worn chapters in the book of simple times.

Chapters of buying a new horse and bringing her home…our time getting to know each other….Melody you are the song in my heart:)

Turning golden worn pages to another chapter of life…grandkids and fun times with friends at the beach.

Moments with our sons…ocean views…happy times…family memories.

Special birthday times with our youngest son who is a “Moose”…Hot Rod Cowgirl is 5’9″….youngest son is a “Giant” at 6’5″.

Snap shots of a funny moment of “Jagged and Wild Bill”…silly, crazy times!

Of course “Smart Alec Times”..I think Hot Rod Cowgirl is picking on Wild Bill:)

Birthdays and grandkids  helping me celebrate…two granddaughters…lots of resemblance in our eyes and mouth…you can see that we are family:) Ok guys you can close your mouth…Wild Bill…Natalie…Becca…ok I know the cake is looking yummy and all but come on for the picture…close your mouth like me and smile big:) Oh Becca…where oh where are you??? Come back to reality girl.

An ordinary life filled with times such as this with family…love…happiness…that incredible moment when time stands still and you know….this is beautiful life.

Life takes you to places you have been before and places you have never been before.

Like “The Portland Roadster Show” in 2006 when we took three customer vehicles and won three Best Of Class!

And snow storms that drift and give you great photo ops!

Christmas is coming sooner than we expect…and before we know it…less than three weeks!

Just ask Ms. Minnie Mouse:) She likes sleeping under the tree when we put it up…now on to decorating it.

Christmas with Grandkids:) on our antique red sofa…long story for another post….the sofa is 1940’s vintage red leather  and I love it!

Good Night where ever you are…it is super cold here tonight…snuggle down with your loved ones and remember to look for those special memories and moments in your life…may you be blessed by the season at hand.

Late Fall Is Rolling Into November In Juniper Canyon

02 Nov 2011 Leave a comment

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

Late fall is rolling quickly into November in Juniper Canyon and while the weather is still pleasant, Wild Bill and I decided to go for a drive yesterday on the ranch so we  took Leap-N-Leana our Jeep out for spin. Our skies and views here are amazing as you can see in every direction. Of course I had my camera in hand with my photographers eye looking for the perfect shot.

He really does not like me taking his pictures…I had to sneak a bit to capture this one through the wheat grass in the CRP.

This is what it looks like where we live…a lot of country and a lot of no where.

Can you see the very small trees off to the left in the picture…our house is below the trees. When I was little my Dad planted the trees on top of the hill behind our house.

This is a zoom in photo so you can see the trees…those are windmills in the distance…not stick art.

And here we have a Tucker in the bush…not a Bev Doolittle…instead a MJ Toolittleholton…she is reddish like the wheat grass so she can hide.

I love this picture with the contrast of the blue and rusty golden color.

Liked this one too with the interesting weeds…they look like a rusty flower bud.

Of course our gang came along with us for a fun family outing!

Looking the other direction…in the distance you can see the foothills of the Blue Mountains…which is about 20 miles from here.

Light is beginning to change and soon the sun will set.

Peek A Boo Blue Mountains…through various weeds and CRP.

This is what our Chamber Of Commerce sells…Eastern Oregon Sunsets.

One of our very serious guard dogs…I thought he looked good with the contrast of color.

Here you see the incredible solitude of the land…living here forever has given me the appreciation of the true beauty of the life that is all around me. The ever changing views of landscape as the weather changes with the clouds moving in and out of the sun…the quality of daily life out here where you still know your neighbors and they know you…we have a great neighborhood watch…it is still small town America where we live…where life still makes sense…and the times when it doesn’t…you have the support of community and family.

I love this time of evening with the magical light and colors which is perfect for photography. Ok I am grabbing my camera again…hang on the world is turning orange with color.

Turning from soft light to dark light.

There she goes softly slipping from view.

Beautiful sight on a beautiful night.

Incredibly lovely…we are blessed to see this and be part of it. The mountain that you see is Mt. Hood…which is 250 miles from where we live…skies here are usually always this clear so that you can see long range.

Sometimes there are no words…and my hubby would agree…he loves those times:)

As the sun went down the sky behind us turned golden…outlined with the windmill stick art over the hill from us.

One last shot…see the three jet trails….kind of a cool shot with the light and colors. Happy November and enjoy the night!

I Am Headed Down The Road Of Fall Colors And Autumn Adventures…

21 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

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

I am headed down the road of fall colors and autumn adventures…as

Summer has faded into history…and even though I grumble that summer went too fast…I am drawn into the change of seasons with the vivid colors of autumn…softer colors and softer light for photography…rusty colors…golds…greens…oranges….burnt yellows and the deep rusty reds that I LOVE!

The ever changing landscapes of life arise with new colors in each season…the seasons softly call my name as each season has much life to capture…so I grab my camera to record the life and adventures that I see…feel…and experience…I am blessed to be here and part of HSL and Juniper T!

A few days ago I walked along the edge of Payette Lake, which was incredible, with my hubby Wild Bill…we felt the brisk air of fall with a touch of winter on our cheeks…hearing the cold crunch of leaves and rocks under our feet and seeing the geese planning their flight South for warmer weather…means that soon winter…

Will fall up on us…but for now it is time for fall’s gentle rains and various curious clouds to add interest to our ever changing views…each day the temps get a bit colder…the colors get a bit bolder…and I hold on tighter to WB:)

Evenings can be spectacular as the soft golden light of sunset falls gently on the parched dry land left from the summer heat…creating a beautiful landscape  with incredible hues that speak to your heart…I grab my camera quickly…I do not want to miss out on the magical moment…you know the one…the photographers moment for that one incredible shot…the one you will love and feel a part of.

October is a time of reflection as we look back over the year behind us and then forward to the family holidays that soon will be here with lots of yummy holiday meals with family and friends…I need to think about making Norwegian Lefse or potato cakes…by the way they are extremely good, hot, rolled up with 100% butter!

It has been said that Autumn is the years last, loveliest smile…and I do believe it is so…it is bittersweet and yet it is very sweet.

Another part of fall for us is getting the last load of hay into the barn for winter.

Grandson Cody and Flame are getting ready to load the bales onto the hay elevator. Our barn was built in 1909…we sided it in 1981 to protect it but I remember it when it was a burnt red and then white. I love this old barn as it has been here through out my life…I made many forts in it growing up and played with my horses in the stalls in the winter…it holds 100 tons of hay upstairs.

Fall is family time with sons and dogs…grandkids…horses…sweet kitty cats and warm gentle days…memories and fun times.

Speaking of horses…here’s “Lil Buck”…he is watching his winter food being loaded into the barn. I love Buck…he is so very laid back and yet he is so galant and steadfast…he is very true of heart.

Having the hay elevator is a huge help! The way this works is that you have a trailer loaded with 5 tons of hay….bales are 100 pounds…you pick up one at a time and load it on the conveyor belt of the hay elevator…

It takes the bale up into the barn door where others catch it and load it on a cart…the cart is stacked three or four high and is wheeled over to the stack to unload…another art in itself!

Son Greg is running the cart…by the way the hay cart is 100 years old…this cart was a wheat cart from way back when…wheels made of iron…yep heritage runs deep here…I bet my Grandpa Gunder  built it or one of his brothers did…Wild Bill is catching the hay off the elevator and Robby Bobby Blue Eyes is watching…and notice in my barn and only in my barn…see the headers hanging on the wall behind Robby? There is the reason for my name…Hot Rod Cowgirl!

Three generations here…Wild Bill…son Greg…grandson Robert…and me taking the pictures:)  Family history and heritage is sooooo very important!!! There are many traditions we pass on to our kids as well as family stories about old times…and good times.

Ah here are the barn cats Pat and Jack…go ahead break into the barn and make their day! No the dogs do not go upstairs to visit them as they are afraid to!  Pat and Jack are happy…they are getting new condos in the hay!

Can’t you see their smile? Kind of a snarly smile…with a few hooks of the claw.

Grandpa and Cody hauling hay for my ponies up at the house…I have a couple of rather spoiled ponies right outside my kitchen window…I am able to keep my eye on both of them:)

“Grandpa..geez..I need help…it’s not working:( It’s ok Cody…all is well…Grandpa WB will fix it:)

Fall clouds with magical light and incredible colors.

Evening sunsets with cloudy skies can be incredible if you watch for that one magical moment

When the sun touches the dark clouds with a sun touched kiss of beauty…I am grabbing my camera and hoping to catch the artistic shot for you!

Buck agrees…he is very wise.

So does Ms. Kiah…she is wise too.

And Minnie has her heating pad back on so she is a happy wise kitty too:)

This is a glimpse of the view I see when I ride my horses up on the hills that are all around us…can you see the mountains…on a clear perfect night you can see three mountains…Mt. Hood…St. Helens…Mt. Adams…and once in a great while Mt. Ranier.

Fall delights us and gently invites us to enjoy the golden warm days with ever-changing scenery…wherever you are I wish you a beautiful fall!

Hot Rod Cowgirl Heads To Holton Secret Lab’s…Hot Rod Shop For The Day!

13 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Holton Secret Lab, Hot Rods, Ranch Life, www.holtonsecretlab.com Tags: , ,

Hot Rod Cowgirl heads to Holton Secret Lab’s Hot Rod Shop for the day as we had our house fumigated a few weeks ago…we do this every couple of years to get rid of spiders and various country bugs…and we have to vacate the house for a few hours…that means Ms. Minnie Mouse who is the Queenie of my house and myself move out for the day to the Burb and the Lab.

Minnie is 16 and a half years old….but acts like she is 7 years old…she is the sweetest girl!

Sadie Sue becomes our hang out place for a while….Minnie even has her own cat TV video that I can play for her in the Burb.

Ok well Ms. Minnie is not happy…do not blame her…but…we have to get those darn Juniper Canyon bugs out of our house. I promise we will watch your video Minnie:)

Off we go to the “Lab”…which is not that far from the house.

“Hey Leonard…what’ cha doing?”

This is a typical “Lab” picture…here we have two vehicle bodies on the rotisserie…a 1935 Dodge on this end and a 1954 Willy’s on the other end.

“Well…what do we have here?”

“Hmmmm….son Greg and Troy in the trunk…almost sounds like a game?”

Wild Bill says “Ok so what are you guys doing?”

“Hey It Is The Troy In The Trunk Game.”

” Troy” now realizes that “Hot Rod Cowgirl” “is taking pictures”..he is stuck and can not get out fast enough!

Serious panic time…”Does my butt look big???”

“No Flame…only when you ride a horse:)”

One of the cool things on the wall at Holton Secret Lab…with a cowboy flavor.

Typical “Lab” decor.

Can we all say together “Zoom Zoom.”

Always different various jobs going on at HSL.

Side shot of “Jagged” and son Greg working on the frame for the 1948 Ford that you see above.

This is the Media Blast Room…which we call the holodeck room…we grew up with Star Trek soooo…we often media blast the cars that we work on to take the old paint and body work off so that we can find the rust and places we need to repair and re-build…this is a rare 1969 Mustang on the rotisserie….stripped to bare metal. We use plastic media which is better than sand as it does not pit the metal or cause it to rust.

“The Lab” from a different view and angle….coming out of the paint mixing room.

Father and Son…”See this is what I mean.”

“Uh…wait I need to think…this takes intense thinking Greg”.

“Ok I think you have it.”

I love sneaking around the shop and catching everyone from different views.

Troy sees me and I am sure he is going to duck or hide:)

This is the custom fabrication part of the “1935 Dodge” dash.

More custom design by HSL on the “35” Dodge.

“Wild Bill and Leonard talking and thinking on customizing something on the Dodge”…what you see is wisdom, talent and experience.

“Wild Bill” messing with “Jagged” and Greg working on the “48 frame”.

Our fabrication area is a bit full…but that is good:)

“So Dad is Mom still sneaking around taking pictures?”

“Ah…yep she is…look busy son and maybe she will go bug Leonard or Troy.”

Another shot of the frontage of Holton Secret Lab from above…kind of cool.

Since I am in the barn..had to get a shot of something horse related.

Back to Holton Secret Lab….this is what we do here…incredible restorations and builds…perfection with attention to detail.

This F-100 will be incredible…it is going to “The Portland Roadster Show in 2012.”

Another cool shot of the frontage of “The Lab.”

Hey we are back in our house and all is well here in Juniper Canyon!

It is a late fall night here in Juniper…yeah the colors are incredible.

And amazing Ms. Kiah…we love her lots and lots.

And with that said…Good Night from Holton Secret Lab and the Juniper T.

Cowboys..Horses…Aussie Dogs…Late Fall

09 Oct 2011 2 Comments

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

Cowboys…horses and Aussie dogs…always make  for a good story and good photos!

October snuck in gently with warm temps the first week but now is letting us know that our late fall-summer is officially over. I had to finally change out my capris and t-shirts for jeans and sweaters.

I never get tired of taking pictures of clouds and funky colors…out here where I live…this is what we see on a daily basis…I keep my camera handy for shots like this!

We are to get rain this week finally…the farmers need it for fall seeding for next year’s crops.

Can you see the deer…they are my early morning and evening visitors.

I love how the light filters through the clouds this time of year with soft beautiful colors that bathe the land in golden hues.

This is little “Buck”…he is our newest family member joining us here on the Juniper T.

Buck is special to us as he belongs to our Cowboy Son. We first knew Buck when he was two years old…he lived out here for a while on the ranch while Curt broke him to ride.

The round corral was built that year with Buck in mind.

When our Cowboy Son and his wife called us to see if we would like to own Buck, we immediately said yes! They live in Seattle now where the weather is gray, rainy and muddy…they felt that Buck needed to come home where he would be out of the wet weather for his feet. A decision that was not easy.

Buck is the classic old-fashioned quarter horse build which I personally love:)

Curt trained Buck and he trained him the right way!

This is a horse that listens and trusts…it was not easy for Curt to leave Buck as they are very connected in heart and spirit.

The relationship you have with your horse is profound and truly from God above. Horses are incredible…beautiful…spiritual beings and they love us…they feel and think.

You have not been loved until you are loved by your horse…it is a very special bond.

Cooper…you are such a good boy… I love you too:)

Curt is getting ready to ride bareback…making the halter lead rope into a rein…and talking to Wild Bill.

Wild Bill is making some profound point…I wonder what he is saying…hmmm?

As you can see…Curt truly takes Wild Bill seriously:)

Camille and her herd of Aussies! We all love our Australian Shepherds!

Cowboys and horses…and the women who love them.

Riding Buck…with Cooper following.

Camille keeping her eyes on the gang…”You guys sit and stay and be good.”

This picture brings back old memories…Curt on Buck with Coop following.

Summer night 2004…Curt on Hobby with Buck following.

Coming down the rail…2011…I think I have seen this before?

Yep pretty close…Buck is following down the rail as a colt in 2004.

Buck and Curt 2011

Buck and Curt 2004…this was Buck’s first ride and Curt rode him out into our fields with a halter…no bridle…and all went well.

Wild Bill and I plan to go on some mountain trail rides and plan to ride all over out here…it is incredible out here in the summer as when you ride on top of the hills you can see three distinct mountains…with incredible views for miles.

We will watch the sun go down and the moon come up…taking time out to enjoy life when we can…away from the stressors of life…it is true that there is something about a horse that is good for the insides of a man or woman.

We will ride both Buck and Melody this next year…they will carry us on down the dusty trail:)

Annie will be broke to ride this next year too…and that will mean lots of time on her too. I am looking forward to it as I have ridden alone most of my life…except when my Dad or Wild Bill rode with me on the Juniper T.

Thank you Curt and Camille…we love you both very much…and Buck will always be here for you to come home to and ride…anytime.

Curt On Hobby…”Bo The Incredible Aussie”…And “Little Buck”…Summers Night 2004.

My guy with Bo on the left who is Dash’s Father…Dash is on the right…Bo was significant in our getting Aussies…when Curt introduced us to Bo we fell in love with him right away…he was protective and could be scary mean if the wrong person came around….and he was always here with us…did not wonder off…very smart dog.

Curt with our Kiah and his Tuff…they are brother and sister…not from Bo but from a different lineage…very smart dogs too.

Another shot of Camille with the gang:) ” Sit still so I can brush you!”

Typical summer nights on the Juniper T.

Buck is awesome and beautiful….so are the hearts behind him.

Look for joy this week and good stuff…simple stuff…family times…making memories…your life has a beat…listen for it and find your rhythm…it’s there…so often we do not get quiet enough to hear it with the fast pace of our lives…but it is there…and the peace that comes with it is incredible.

Gentle Days Filled With Golden Beauty

28 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Heritage, Horses, Photography, Ranch Life Tags: ,

Gentle days…filled with the golden beauty of Fall have arrived quietly and softly…light and vivid colors. Summer came and went quickly this year…a late hot summer almost fooled us into thinking summer was young yet…that time would prevail and stall the summer we had all waited for.

My parents chose to marry September 23, 1939…when the colors of fall were warm, vibrant and full of rich reds, golds, maroons, yellows and rust…they were in love and so alive with life. They honeymooned in Banff, Alberta staying on Lake Louise…visiting Jasper National Park and the surrounding area…can you imagine driving from here on gravel roads to Banff…seeing 1939 America and Canada…how different it all looked before tourism took over. Mom always said it was stunning…”The Rockies were stunning as was our drive up and back.”

Mom and Dad at the University Of Oregon Spring of 1939…they made a perfect couple! I think of them often and I celebrate the life they have given me with a humble heart filled with thankfulness. They taught me life lessons that I now apply and rely on in my own life…God Bless you Mom and Dad…WB and I love you both:)

Each night and day out here in Juniper Canyon I do not take for granted…even though I have lived here forever…the pictures I see and the life I experience…the memoreis…I want to bring to you as I know that I am blessed with how I live and what I have lived…and you will be also.

Tucker says well now be careful up on that table…”Don’t worry Tuck I am being ever careful gf..and I love you too.” I got Tucker after loosing my Blue Heeler “Maggie May” the summer of 2004. I was lost without Maggie…she went everywhere with us…traveled with us when we went camping and on road trips to see friends in Montana or Wyoming…everywhere we went she went with us.

We had located two Australian Shepherd rescue dogs that needed a good home, Tucker was one of them and a year old when we brought her home in October 2004. Interestingly enough see that red blotch on her side…Maggie had the same reddish blotch on the same side….even the same shape….and see how her right ear stands up and the left ear doesn’t quite make it…Maggie had the very same ears…in some ways I do think that Maggie May told God that I needed Tucker as she would heal my heart and remind me of Maggie as I do believe there is a large part of Maggie in Tucker. Truly funny how things work out for us in this big world that often is not that big at times.

Looking across the road last night you can see that our neighbor has started preparing the ground for his 2012 crop…all of us out here in the heartland are hoping for a good rain to water the ground for the fall seed…rain is good and if we get it seeded right it is perfect!

Our son and his family came out this last weekend for a family B-Q…Jigs is his Blue Heeler on the back of the four wheeler…and Jigs goes everywhere with him. Our ranch raised son is tall…6’5″…yep kind of a big cowboy kid of ours…he is the youngest…and we are rather proud of him…my down home ranch cooking was good judging by his size…meat and potatoes…with more meat and potatoes

“Hang on Jiggers…Cow dog rough and tough style!”

Constantly changing light and colors…keeps me busy shooting pictures every day and night.

“Wild Bill is thinking…oh heaven help me…when he does this…this happens.”

“Hello…Hot Rodder! ” This is Wild Bill’s touch!

And then he does this…”Jagged…with nitrous…WHAT…between the seats…NO WAY Wild Bill! Uh-uh…nope…where is that handle you promised to build me…you know the OSH…known as the Oh Sh*t Handle around here for me whenever I ride down the road with him!

Can you say “Zoom Zoom…Go Fast.”

Grandsons Cody and Robby…I love seeing their red and blond heads…”Wild Grandpa Bill” is training the next generation…hang on it will be a ride for sure with these two!

“Grandpa has them hooked already”….look at the seriousness here…I better put on my seat belt.

Magic time…Magic Skies.

Okay now for a few pictures of horse stuff…of course.

My tack room full of training snaffles and short shanked bits…I believe in preserving a horses mouth…no pulling or yanking or ruining mouths.

I am lucky to have a safe round corral with nice sand behind the barn…I will have to write a post on this round corral as my hubby built it for me with “Cowboy Son Curt”…I thought it would be rather easy to build…no it was  NOT…it took “Cowboy Blood, Sweat and Tears!” It works perfectly and I appreciate it a lot!

“Cowboy Son Curt” on Hobby with Buck following on a summer night in the arena.

Half of my hay is in the barn…yee-haw!

Fanny Annie says “Yeah…Hay Hay Hay Haw.”

A perfect fall day fading into a peaceful night in Juniper Canyon.

Another view of my bits…with just a tweak of color. I am learning about all the fun things you can do with photoshop…and my iMac.

Wherever you are….enjoy the gift of fall…life like the seasons is ever changing…each day in your life there are miracles around you in the people you love and the animals you adore…when the sun comes up….look at the beauty around you, breathe deep and feel the heartbeat of life with your heart…let the gentle days of  fall filled with gentle beauty find you.

Till next time….I will post the last Pendleton Round Up post for the year soon.

Fall Days On The Juniper T…Getting Hay In The Barn

22 Sep 2011 3 Comments

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

Fall days on the Juniper T finds us hauling horse hay home for the coming winter months.

I always feel better once we have the hay bought and loaded into the barn.

The colors of Fall are more intense…softer light…with amber hues. I have loved my flowers this year…with the cooler weather they bloomed incredibly…they will continue until the first freeze.

This planter of mine is interesting…do you know what it is? It is the iron wheel off an old combine used to farm the land here…my Grandpa would have used it way back when…sometime in the 40’s my Dad had the idea of making it into the barn water trough in the large corral beside the barn…it was perfect for watering our horses.

When I was little my Uncle caught me drinking in it with my horse Prince…of course he gave me a swat and said “You do not need to drink out of that Marcia Jean”. The water trough continued on at the barn through raising our three kids…we even had goldfish in it for a while…and in 2004 Wild Bill remodeled down at the barn…installed a new trough and I said ok I want that…lots of history in that old wheel.

“Hay…did I hear someone mention hay?”

“What? Who said hay…new hay….fresh hay…my prayers have been answered!”

Melody loves her hay…and I love her and Annie:)

Pat and Jack are excited as they will get a whole new house for this winter.

Kiah is the cutest girl we have had….”What is hay?”

“Horse food?…No bones or chewy stuff then huh? Can I go with you to get it?”

“Oh geezo…she is rather simple-minded huh…why did you bring her home anyway?”

“Oh for the love of Pete…I am 16 years old and I still wonder why any of those dogs are outside my window…they are very much complete ding dongs…even I know what hay is…mice hide in it and I can burrow in it and use it for my bed if need be…although I sleep here in the house on Mom’s bed…”

“Seriously…what is hay? I am only a year old…and I don’t know…but I am cute.”

“Ok so let’s go get the dang hay so Kiah will know what hay is already…”

Annie is ready to go…such a pretty girl!

I am pulling into the hay-field with my Burb…

Wild Bill’s trailer is almost loaded…he loves it when the hay farmer has a tractor to load the hay on the trailer!

“I expected him to break into song and dance”…”It’s a beautiful morning…ooooaaahhhh.” It is embarrassing but he has been known to do that at certain times.

One trailer loaded and ready to go…WB tying it down.

And then he did this…you want to know what they are talking about…cars…old cars…how you could fix one up…hot rod or antique…hmmmm.

So I took pictures while they discussed life and cars.

I found someone to talk to…look deep into my eyes…and say “Mooooo.”

A fun shot…we actually live just over the hill…but we have to drive about 2 hours to get there as the gravel road over the hill is not good right now.

Ok my turn…”Saddie Suburban”…yes we name our rigs…on another post I will tell you more!

We are loaded and headed for home!

Fanny Annie is waiting…hay hay hay!

So is Melody…did you say hay hay hay?

“I just want to be loved”….Dasher is very cute too…waiting on Wild Bill to get home.

“Zoom Zoom…1928 Dodge Coupe with a V-12 Jag Motor”…”Wild Bill is still building “Jagged” and we do intend to take it to the Grand National Roadster Show”…I know kind of odd for me to put this in but remember I am a “Hot Rod Cowgirl”…be sure to check out our web page too if you like cars and artistic ability…www.holtonsecretlab.com

“We build cars…restore cars….frame off restorations…whatever our customer wants from classics to muscle cars to hot rods to antiques. Go to our website and there is a link for YouTube…we have several videos up of the restorations we have done.”

“Yeah well I was here first….well they love me as I am cute….whatever I am older and wiser….well I am cute and playful…well…shut up…no you shut up…no you.”

And with that said…all was quiet in Juniper Canyon on the Juniper T…everyone was happy…Hot Rod Cowgirl got her hay…Wild Bill got to dance a bit and was happy to get the hay too…all the animals were happy too…”Night Wild Bill…Night MJ” and all was quiet on the Juniper T Ranch.

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