Riding Through Life One Horse At A Time…Courage Is Being Scared To Death But Saddling Up Anyway!
27 Dec 2015 17 Comments
in Barn Cats, Cats, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Ranch Life Tags: Barn Cats, Cats, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography
“Caterpillar Cat is Morris The Cat!”
It was an early summer evening, close to magic time, when I captured this cute shot of Morris cruising our Caterpillar tractor!
I knew I had to share! I took this shot with our old now, but new back then, AE-1 Cannon camera, around 1987.
Morris was one cool cat kitty…who loved to explore everything with Cattitude!
“Minnie Mouse 1995-2014”
I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday season and a Merry Christmas!
18 Jan 2015 81 Comments
in Cats, Grief, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Minnie Mouse, Photography Tags: Cats, Grief, Hot Rod Cowgirl, kitty angel, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Photography, Weather, Wild Bill
Sweet paw prints forever on my heart is the story of my forever love, for a little green-eyed kitty girl named Minnie Mouse…she was my beautiful kitty angel girl…full of sweetness and vivid colors with defined stripes and Minnie dots with lots of white splashes here and there.
“My Sweet Minnie Mouse, you wore a coat of Minnie colors designed by God above! We had almost 20 years together…you made such a HUGE impact on our lives…and also on others…you were My Heart Kitty, Who Truly Made My Life Better:)”
My Dear Min-Min I miss you so much…you have been gone almost eight weeks and I look for you when I round the corner of the kitchen or
When I go upstairs or when I sit on the sofa or…or…or…
I’m used to seeing you laying in your favorite spots…on the back of the sofa so you could look outside and watch the birds…
On our bed at night snuggled next to me…
Riding shotgun with me in the office, in your very own office chair, with your heat pad under your Navajo blanket… which had good wooly nubs for you to rub and roll on your tender skin and soft coat of Minnie colors, a purrfectly good kitty scratch…
And in the living room, how you always curled up where I sat on the sofa when I went to town for the day,
I would come home and there you would be, waiting for me to return while keeping my seat warm, with a hint of kitty annoyance that I left you for the day…
And you snuggling up in my horse quilt on my lap when we watched TV, rolling over on your back just like the above photo, wanting me to rub your soft white tummy as you loved for me to stroke and itch all the places you could not reach. I miss you Min-Mouse…my beautiful sweet girl…I miss you much.
I remember when you first came to live with us you were so teeny tiny….you fit in my hand and as you grew and got a bit stronger you chased your toys under one of my antique cupboards that you could also fit under! After you chased a real mouse under there, he was too scared to come out so he died at some point and made an awful smell…I unloaded all the dishes I had stored so that Dad could roll the cupboard over to get the smelly mouse out of the house and to our surprise you had a dozen of your toys under there too….after that Dad made a wood cover to cover up the narrow place where you crawled under it…we didn’t want you to get stuck too!
I miss you playing on your Navajo blanket that you truly loved…and doing catestetics chasing that darn red mouse!
And I miss the sound of your sweet claws clicky click-clicking each morning on the wood floors letting me know “Here She Comes, Purring Along The Way.”
After Christmas one year, you decided the small figurine my Mom gave to me of a small girl who fell asleep in her saddle, while riding her white pony was your play toy at night…the figurine reminded my Mom of me when I was little on my first horse, Prince who was white…however, the girl was yours and you loved to drag her off her pony by her hair every night after we went to bed…you were so funny and very determined! That girl was yours…and yes I was!
And all the times you raced Dad to the office when you thought he was going to sit in your office chair…
You were so cute, we always laughed as you won the chair every time…you were a very classy, sassy kitty girl, my Minnie Mouse and yes, you reigned as the Queenie of my House!
When I first saw you, I named you Isabella or Bella as you struck me as a very regal kitty…as a nickname, I often called you Izzerbee, as you were my sweet kitty girl from the get go…
Until Dad taught you how to mooch and he began calling you Minnie the Moocher, but I liked Minnie Mouse better and you became my Minnie. Every once in a while I would call you Izzerbee or Bella or Isabella and you would look at me like you knew exactly what I was saying…you knew who Izzerbee was. You were so smart and intuitive as you truly were the “Cat Who Knew Where It Was At!”
You loved to play the clown to keep us laughing…you were always in the moments of my life…full of sweetness and God’s grace. Going through every part of life with me…through the illness of both my parents…first, loosing my Dad and a year later loosing my Mom…
You played the kitty clown as you loved chasing your tail or the air on your very cool kitty scratcher…you knew it was a tough time and you played the funny kitty girl to make her humans laugh and we always did:) !
When I went through breast cancer, you became my kitty angel nurse, attaching yourself to me like glue…WB always knew where I was in the house by seeing you in various windows…you were so loving and caring with your big heart and beautiful green eyes.
I remember the night when we came home after being gone 10 days to Oregon Health Science University Hospital, you were beside yourself with love and worry for your Mommy…and the night before traveling back to OHSU for my post op…you insisted on laying next to me…something you never did before. I knew something was not right in the surgical site but you knew much more…it was a blood clot and when my Dr. saw me the next day, I was in emergency surgery within the hour to deal with the clot.
And you tried to protect me from your illness during the last weeks of your life…you tried so hard and you were so very brave my sweet Minnie…you were very strong and so beautiful as you tried to live your life as normal as you could…but when I found you asleep in your litter box, I knew there was something very wrong…and there was. You did not have the strength to get out of the box, as it took all you had to get the few feet to the box from your comfy bed on the sofa…I cradled you to my heart to comfort you as I carried you…and stayed by your side 24/7 those last days to help you…bringing water and food to you. I did not know until your doctor examined you and found your heart was failing with Congestive Heart Failure.
My Brave Sweet Kitty Girl…we knew it was time to let you step away and into God’s heaven where you would be free of suffering and pain…it was ok for you to go my Min Mouse. I could never wish for you to stay here with me knowing you were suffering.
My beautiful kitty girl full of heart…my forever kitty girl…and my forever heart.
Now you are safe…and you are well and in God’s kitty heaven playing and eating catnip greens with Nylablue and lots of kitty angel’s just like you:)
I love you Minnie Mouse and I will forever hold you close in my heart until I see you again…
We will have a happy reunion with lots of purrs, tummy rubs, head butts, more kitty purrs, chin rubs, ear scratches, eye rubs and more belly rubs with lots of snuggles!
“God Bless You Minnie, God Bless You And Keep You, May God’s Face Always Shine On You. You Are Precious In His Sight And You Are Precious In Mine. I Love You Minnie Mouse…You Are the Queenie Of My Heart and My House Forever:)”
“Rest In Peace Sweet Angel Kitty Girl”
May 14, 1995 – November 24, 2014
30 Nov 2014 74 Comments
in Grief, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Minnie Mouse, Nylablue, Wild Bill Tags: Cats, Grief, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Life, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Nylablue, Nylablue & Mingflower' Z Purrfect Pad, Photography, the Rainbow Bridge, Wild Bill
I’ll Love You Forever, I’ll Like You For Always, My Baby You’ll Always Be, Oh My Minnie Mouse…My Sweet Forever Kitty Girl!
It has been a very tough few weeks here…I’m sorry to be so long in writing new blog posts…I hope I have not lost any of you that usually read the blog…I have lots of new photos and lots to tell you in future blogs…however, for the last several days, words escape me and tears come easily…you’ll see why.
I have very SAD news, our Minnie Mouse crossed the Rainbow Bridge, slipping peacefully into Heaven, last Monday, November 24th…a week ago tomorrow. I was so not ready to loose her. The last week of her life her health began to slowly fail, and by the end of the weekend, I knew something was not right as her back paws were swollen. Minnie’s vet examined her Monday and found that Minnie was in Congestive Heart Failure or CHF…it was such a shock as Minnie had always been so healthy and we did not see it coming at all.
I have cried buckets since Monday…my words are yet stuck…it has been a wordless week for me. Even so I am trying to write memories of Minnie and also her memorial as with almost 20 years together, I have many good stories to share with you about the pure love of a very special kitty, my beautiful Minnie, who will forever be the kitty of my heart!
My good friend, Sherri-Ellen also lost her beautiful kitty girl Nylablue (photo above) on November 22, a week ago yesterday…it has been a mighty rough week for us both as Minnie and Nylablue became best friends during this last year. When Sherri-Ellen learned that Minnie had crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she did a memorial blog about Minnie, despite her own grief, it was so very sweet of her and much appreciated. I have heard from many fellow bloggers the last few days that left their condolences for Minnie and I…and I thank you, your caring words have hugged my heart…I am not alone in my heartbroken grief. I will answer each of you very soon…
I urge anyone reading this to hop over to Sherri-Ellen’s blog and leave her your condolences/thoughts on loosing Nylablue, (Nylablue had beautiful blue eyes and was so pretty) it has been very hard for Sherri-Ellen…loosing our precious kitty girls hurts deeply as they are part of our family and become a huge part of our hearts/lives, we miss them dearly. Sherri-Ellen’s link below will take you to her blog, you can read her memorial to Minnie Mouse and also hear more about her sweet kitty girl Nylablue.
http://nylabluesmum.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/minnie-mouse-has-joined-nylablue/
Sherri-Ellen is an amazing kitty Mom with tons of love and she loved Nylablue so much!
Last Friday as I was writing to Sherri-Ellen to thank her for Minnie’s memorial and the many comments I had received…we had a very short rain shower and when I looked out I saw a double rainbow!!! A double rainbow as one for Minnie and one for Nylablue. I tried to capture the two rainbows but the second one did not show very well…you can see it faintly behind the prominent rainbow to the left of the photo…I felt like Minnie and Nylablue were letting us know they crossed the Rainbow Bridge together as best friends and they were happy…it was a beautiful sight to see! To the naked eye, both rainbows were vivid and quite bright…the second rainbow seemed to shadow the first rainbow.
The above photo was taken last summer of Minnie in our yard, (she loved exploring the yard as she lived inside our house)…she was 19.6 years old this month and would have turned 20 years old, on Mother’s Day, May 10th, 2015.
Minnie came to live with us in 1995…the owner could not find a home for her and asked if I would take her and of course I said yes! She was maybe 5 weeks old…and I became her “Forever Mommy.”
When I saw her precious little green eyes peeking out of the hay…and then her little striped head popped out and baby Minnie greeted me with the sweetest mews-mews…our eyes met and I knew she was my special girl…my forever kitty girl.
Tears are running again…I miss Minnie so much!
God Bless You Minnie Mouse!
“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, Your Mommy I’ll be!” “That means eternity my Sweet Minnie Girl.”
When God says I’m done here, I’ll see you in Heaven…Summerland…Across The Rainbow Bridge, My Baby Kitty Girl!
“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, Your Mommy I’ll be!”
HRCG is over and out for now…
10 Nov 2014 65 Comments
in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Minnie, Photography, Sunrise Tags: Cats, Dogs, Heritage, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscape, Photography, Sunrise
As Dawn Breaks…A New Day Begins In Juniper.
Rays of light sparkle and dance on my window…calling me out of bed to capture the first blush of dawn.
Wiping sleep from my eyes, I throw on some warm clothes and grab my camera hurrying out the door!
Daybreak will soon be exploding into heavenly colors full of majestic beauty.
“God’s Glory” shines with heavenly delight above me as,
Sky colors dance across my lens, filling my heart with strength of heart and a renewed hope!
Hey Min-Min? Psssst…wake up…its almost daybreak:)
Magic time light surrounds me as the silly struggles of life softly fade away…
It’s a brand new day to write a page or two on a clean slate!
Deep gratitude fills my heart with joy…today will be full of good things!
Minnie’s awake…my beautiful green-eyed kitty girl…so very precious to my heart and she is almost 20 years old:)
And its coffee time…Java Java Jing Jing Jing! (My parents sang that tune way back in the early 1960’s)
Coffee? Who needs doffee, I’m wide awake and still on the night shift. Hey Minnie, quit yawning…you silly kitty girl:)
Welllll…Tucker I’m not silly!!! I had the night shift too and Dad snored…kept me and Mom awake all night! Mom, tell Tucker to quit staring at me!
Lets join in and sing Barry Manilow’s song “Daybreak”…I love that song as it puts you in a happy mood! And its Daybreak…ain’t no time to grieve…its Daybreak, if only you’ll believe and let it Shine Shine Shine all around the world…so lets Sing Sing Sing it to the world…and let it Shine Shine Shine, all around the world! Keep singing Barry!
Mom…seriously, look into my green eyes…do I look happy? Tell Tucker to buzz off! Now where is my caffee?
HRCG and her gang are over and out for now…but we will be back:) Now hush all of you guys…we all have to get along:)
23 Feb 2014 16 Comments
in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Lifestyles, Photography, Wild Bill Tags: Cats, Heritage, Holton Secret Lab, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscape, Odd beauty, Photography, Traditions, Weather, Wild Bill, Winter, Writing
Photos of this and that on HRCG is me sorting through over 3000 photos.
Minnie Mouse telling me….”Ahhhh Mom, don’t worry I am with you…I will be your nurse and your heart…I will make you smile as you recover from BC.” And she did:)
Remember you can click on all my pictures and they will enlarge:)
Annie’s time…hooking on with son Curt!
Pat and Jack…
Dasher and Kiah!
My sweet Melody:)
Solitude…
Incredibly quiet and beautiful!
Wishing you a fun-filled week wherever you may be!
Stay tuned as I did not make a dent in the 3000 photos:)
13 Jan 2014 47 Comments
in Family, Heritage, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography Tags: Australian Shepherds, Cats, Family, Heritage, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscape, Minnie Mouse, Odd beauty, Photography, Traditions, Wild Bill, Writing
A throw away nation verses a cowgirl heritage keeper…Me!
In today’s modern world if I want it…I can find it. And if I break something, I can run to Wal-Mart and replace it…and if I get tired of something, well I can throw it out and get a new one…furniture, computers, phones, cars…marriages are easy come easy go if it does not work out…and the American Family that God created, is gone. I remember reading long ago in the bible that in the end of days brother would be against brother and children would be against their parents…at the time I could not fathom that…but today I can. We have it in our own family and we see it in families around us.
But…what about heritage and family history? Easy come…easy go you say…what? No that is not the way it is to be…family honor and people are important. Heritage sometimes takes hard work and sometimes it is not easy but in the end it is so very worth it!
I took this photo of Minnie on New Years morning while she was waiting for her bacon…
And Miss Ellie was waiting for her bacon too…she is my shadow now and Minnie is my master…I’m in good hands, I mean paws:)
After breakfast…I downloaded my photos and noticed how interesting this photo turned out with the intense colors in the morning light. I love the varied deep red colors full of artistic patterns that pulls the design together with the old wood floor and the old dry sink. I began to hear the stories of life and the history in each piece…which made my heart smile.
The red leather sofa you see is full of family history, young love, lots of heritage with a great story to tell. In the early 1940’s, my Mom and Dad were preparing for family to come visit the ranch. Mom was cleaning house so she sent my Dad to town by himself to purchase a bedroom set for the guest room…why I don’t know? The road to town was 20 miles of dirt and gravel, with ruts and various other things to drive over and through…maybe that’s why she sent him? Dad was gone all day and when he came home, he had gotten a good deal on the bedroom set, so he bought a red leather sofa and chair set to surprise Mom, for their living room.
Mom was surprised and more than a little! Mom did not like the color red or leather furniture! She told me she instantly saw red when Dad got home with it!
Dad was shocked as he thought she would “Love the rich brown leather sofa and chair“…but Dad was color blind and red looked like brown!
Mom was a trooper as they used the red sofa for many years…and she kept it, she did not throw it away. In their 60 years of marriage, they only purchased 3 sofa’s…you see the world was different then…you appreciated things given to you or things that you bought. Society had a better value on the things we saved our money for…and hardly anyone used a credit card. Mom always told me to “Spend wisely and be sure you will be happy with what you choose, as you will have it a long time…you don’t need top of the line but medium is about right as you want it to last.” And “If you choose wrongly and are not happy with it, you have to live with it and make the best of it.” I had good parents…if I made wrong choices, they made me learn from my mistakes. In today’s world, we see kids make wrong choices and their parents either rescue them or do not make them pay the price to learn from their mistake…its sad to see as part of learning about life and being responsible for yourself, is learned through our mistakes.
Dad loved his sofa and so do I as it’s long and we are tall. I will keep it forever…it has never been recovered, they made things to last in the 1940’s! I love the wear of life that shows on the old leather! Mostly though, I love the story.
The Navajo blanket has a chapter to share too. Dad took a trip with a buddy to Texas to buy a young horse named Red that had good bloodlines etc. It was not a quick trip on freeways like we have today.
Dad was on a mission to find the perfect gift for Mom, hoping to win a few brownie points for his being gone and buying another horse. He found a beautiful Navajo Blanket and proudly brought it home thinking Mom would love it. Notice the red again…whoops…darn color blindness! It was not fun to be with Dad in a large city either…red lights, HA!
Mom kept the Navajo with the red sofa and chair for a few years in the living room, after all they matched. When Mom told me the story, she he told me “its the thought that counts and not the gift”…so very true. Eventually, the Navajo hung with honor on the wall of the den with the red sofa under it when I grew up…I love it and so does Minnie Mouse!
Red turned out to be a great horse that Dad had for many years, and he eventually became my second horse, that’s Red with me above.
In closing I wanted to share this photo of Mr. Rooster. He was showing off for me on the log fence…he hung around the pasture close to the house when I went through breast cancer a few years ago…each morning he appeared promptly about 8:00 to visit me out my window, as if he was checking on me. I’m coming up on my 8th Anniversary and was thinking about him…truly he was a gift of Majesty!
As I sit with my feet up enjoying the view of family history…I realize we grew up in a different world than today’s world. Oh sure sometimes I love technology, or going to the big city to shop for clothes and I appreciate a good running vehicle…but nothing can replace family heritage, family honor, cherished memories, truth, dignity and respect…my parents saw to it that I learned these valuable lessons for living life…as our traditions tell the story of family history and that is the basis and foundation of our lives.
Life is too short and precious to throw it away.
Wishing you a peaceful night…and a wonderful Happy New Week!
05 Oct 2013 36 Comments
in Australian Shepherds, Dogs, Ellie, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography Tags: Animals, Australian Shepherds, Cats, Dogs, Ellie, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Minnie Mouse, Puppy Girl
Life with Ms. Ellie has been one of the greatest blessings and events of our life this summer.
Here she is at six weeks of age…before we brought her home. She is adorable and then some with her sweet eyes and fun disposition.
She is so smart and attentive to life around her.
Do you remember Kiah? She is the one in front in this photo from last summer. She is a half-sister to Ellie. They both have the same father. Kiah was super smart…hard to explain but she was smarter than Tucker and Dash…and they are smart. Kiah and Ellie are much more connected to you in relationship and they discern events before they happen…very intuitively smart…good watch dogs…and very protective.
And here is Ms. Ellie the day we brought her home, meeting Tucker, she was 9 weeks and very cute:) She snuggled in my lap the 6-7 hours it took to get home and never got sick…she immediately fit into our hearts:)
Sweet Little Ellie Bell!
And what is she doing but crawling under the fence to snag a horse nugget!
“Honest Mom…I’m only eating two-horse nuggets!”
“Mom I saw Ellie eat three nuggets!”
“Uh-uh no I only ate two really…look at my eyes, I love you Mom.”
And she was soooooo excited after the terrible storm we had that appeared to be some kind of funnel cloud that swept up millions of horse nuggets, depositing them in her yard just for her to have for snacking!
I love the way Ellie lays in the yard…her usual pose as she likes the feel of the cool grass under her…she is so cute:) Can you tell I’m a push over with my girl?
Ellie and I walk together for exercise and to burn off some of the puppy energy she has. Ellie is 15 weeks old now, you can see the maturity coming in her eyes.
And yet as we are heading out for our walk, passing by the arena, I feel a tug behind me on the leash…what? “Ellie, what are you doing….oh geez, more horse nugget snacks sidetracked her!” What is it about horse poop that cow dogs are drawn to? By the way notice her copper bottom is in the shape of a steer head…her little steer head bottom makes me smile no matter what! I loves her lots and lots! We are making many good memories together that I will carry in my heart forever.
Like the first time I took her to our vet for her next vaccination, she was about 11 weeks old. Wild Bill could not go with us that day, darn it! I could not drive and hold her on my lap to comfort her from the intimidating feeling of the Suburban. I had lots of rags just in case she got sick etc. Well about half way to town I smelled it…oh my gosh!!! She had pooped a very smelly one in the back of the Burb! She was so scared that it scared it out of her…I felt so sorry for her. I pulled over to clean it up but I did not have any paper towels or napkins…typical! I figured out a way to hold her in my lap and drove the rest of the way to town one-handed, as I worried for her being scared and was afraid she would walk in it! As soon as we got to the vet’s they had stuff for me to use to clean it up! Ahhhhh yes puppy love! Nothing like picking up smelly gooshy puppy poop with a thin paper napkin….eeeeew!
Minnie decided Ellie is ok…they give each other respect for being different, which is good. Ellie would love to play with Minnie, but I told her, NO, not until Minnie is ready…Minnie has to know you better. Yet Ellie will protect Minnie if she ever needs it as she looks at her as part of her family. That is the true heart of an Aussie…they love and protect their family.
Kiah would have loved Ms. Ellie too…she would approve. We miss you and love you forever Ms. Kiah:)
“Come on Mom, let’s go explore some more!” Ellie loves our walks as do I! And as I bring this post to a close, Minnie is in her chair with her heat pad on, all snuggled down on one side of me and Ellie is asleep on my feet as I type on the other side of me:) I love our animal babies….each and every one of them:) May you be blessed tonight, knowing that your animals love you and need you…have a wonderful tomorrow!
HRCG, her critters and camera are over and out for now…but not for long!
“I love those horse nuggets! Mom doesn’t know what she is missing!”
14 Feb 2013 31 Comments
in Gratitude, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscapes, Miracles, Photography Tags: Animals, Cats, Clouds, Farm House, Heritage, Holton Secret Lab, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Juniper T Ranch, Landscape, landscape views, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Odd beauty, Photography, Ranch House, Sunrise, Sunset, Traditions, Weather, Wild Bill
Blessings that fill your heart with gratitude are little miracles in themselves, bringing sunlight and glory to our days here on earth.
Sometimes you have to look around to see the blessings in your life and other times they can be right in front of you!
I thank God daily for my life as I watch the sunrise on a brand new day, full of God’s plans for my day and His breath of love on each one of us, for we are all His kids:)
And at the end of each day I am always blessed with each beautiful sunset, filled with God’s golden glory…with a renewed hope for tomorrow.
Growing up Mom had a newspaper clipping on our refrigerator for many years held by a magnet. The clipping stood on the truth of its words.
“Oh Lord, You have given me so much,
Give me one more thing, a grateful heart.”
Gratitude…remembering the incredible things we have been given. I still have the clipping in my bible…and had it on my refrigerator for several years until we bought a stainless steel refrigerator…then my magnet would not work, so it is tucked away in a safe place.
I am thankful and more than grateful for the many blessings in my life. When things get bumpy on the road of my life, I try to focus on the good and positive blessings that God has given to me…so I often make a gratitude list to add to as life is ever changing…below is my current gratitude list…if I were to write them all…I would have a book to share with you:)
1. I am thankful that I have the freedom to worship God.
After traveling to the Middle East in the mid-90’s, I experienced many different ways of life and many diverse cultures. I loved seeing where Jesus walked..it was profoundly holy and spiritual to walk in His footsteps. I loved the Old City and seeing the diversity of people. Israel was beautiful to see…I was blessed to have had three weeks to travel, as there were so many historical sites to visit and experience. However, when my plane touched down at JFK, I made a beeline to a Burger King for an all American hamburger with the works! The next morning was surreal to wake up here in Juniper Canyon…the farmers were in full swing of wheat harvest. I remember thanking God that He decided I was to live here in America, it was so peaceful and quiet. We do not know how blessed we are to live in the USA!
Jordan was ancient in the scenery and beautiful. I loved seeing the desert and Petra was my favorite.
Petra was incredible in how they carved it and designed it…it was one of those places that all you can do is take pictures and stand in awe. I also enjoyed having dinner with the Bedouins one evening in their tents. Kind and wonderful people to meet. Everyone I met on the tour was very nice. We began our tour in Damascus, Syria and I loved seeing Palmyra too….we did a day trip into Turkey and then on to Jordan and finally Israel…loved the Sea of Galilee, so peaceful and yes you do float on the Dead Sea and Masada was incredible too. I did ride a camel which was both fun and funny:)
2. Thank you God for my hubby Wild Bill…my soul mate and my forever. We actually do fit together like a jigsaw puzzle made by God. He is the most thankful part of my life on earth and the best part is that we will be with each other forever into eternity and beyond:)
3. I am grateful everyday that I am alive and living with good health! Having gone through a serious diagnosis puts a new spin on your life and you truly do see life in a different way….with a thankful heart:)
4. I am grateful for my parents….who loved me and kept me forever. I know I will see them again. Both WB and I were lucky that we lived next door to them for 20 years, as we were able to help them and do things for them before they became ill….and when they did become ill, we were there 24/7 for them. We were able to support them, finding things to laugh about, long talks into the night, helping them through medical tests and the pain, taking them places and helping them maintain their dignity. I loved my Mom and Dad more than I can say.
5. I know I am one of the most blessed women to live with always owning a horse….growing up on a large cattle ranch helped…so did having a Dad who was as horse crazy as I was! We always had horses….and we still do. I love the smell of horses, the sound of horses and the relationship one can have with horses and everything about them…they represent a part of life that is my history and heritage. God loves horses too!
6. Minnie Mouse our kitty girl…almost 18 years old and so much a part of my heart and my life….our life. She has been with through losing three of our parents, cancer and various tough times, and she always gave us her love and lots of funny antics to make us laugh…she has been with us longer than any of our kids and she loves us…we love her and she is our kitty angel:) Blessed by God:)
7. Living in the very house that I grew up in with my Mom and Dad….that my Grandpa who I never got to meet, built for his mother, my great-grandmother who I never got to meet.
Living here in a 100 year old family house though, I feel that I do know them and carry the same beliefs and family heritage they passed on to us. A house full of memories, honor and gratitude.
8. I am grateful that I have always lived in the country, away from the hustle and bustle. I love the quiet and peaceful life of country living here, but I miss the solitude that I grew up in when we summered at the mountain cattle ranch without telephones, electricity, water and no TV let alone radio signal. It was pure bliss to live in such a beautiful place in the Blue Mountains, riding my horse everyday moving cattle or checking cows with my Dad. Life was simpler and the world was different then. I am grateful for all the memories I have of that period in my life growing up.
9. I am more than blessed to own my “Little Red Car”…WB surprised me as he said “For my redhead and my love, this is your car”. And we do belong to the “Little Red Car Club”.
10. And for my forever horses, that I will never forget…as they are forever with you:)
Mostly what I want to give to you is this…
Sometimes when we look out the window of life…we see life that is gray and stormy. It can be depressing, discouraging and tough to see the storms of life we are facing…that is when we plug into our gratitude list, that is filled with determined faith, full of both small and large blessings and the tough times we survived before…as we can’t give up or in, we gotta keep on a going.
And as we “stand strong on our faith and hope”, life will get better again. The good in life, continues to battle it out, with the evil during our lives…as life will never be perfect until we get to heaven.
And God has already won for us! No matter how dark it can look in our lives, never ever give up:)
Wild Bill and I are celebrating the day we met 37 years ago on Valentines Day…February 14, 1976! The picture above was taken two years ago when WB and I were interviewed here in our shop Holton Secret Lab on TV. Notice who is cracking a joke at the end…I am sure we were all nervous and making a funny joke was all I could think of doing…I love to laugh:)
Happy Valentines Day! My hubby surprised me with the beautiful red roses this morning:) I wish you all a very special day or night where ever you are!
As a footnote: I am working on the many awards I have been given the last few months. I am terribly slow this time and I hope that all the award givers will not give up on me:) I so appreciate you thinking of me and this blog. Wild Bill had a second surgery December 26th on his shoulder that has taken a longer recovery…he is getting better and still has to take things slow for a few more weeks but he is doing well…he began PT this week:) That is part of the reason for being slow to post new awards and blog the last few months…but I am here and working on getting those awards passed on soon:) Hugs and Blessings:)
08 Feb 2013 37 Comments
in Barn Cats, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Ranch Life Tags: Barn Cats, Cats, Clouds, Heritage, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Juniper T Ranch, Landscape, landscape views, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Odd beauty, Photography, Traditions, Tucker, Weather, Wild Bill, Winter
Ranch Lessons 102…”Muddy Muck & Yuck” is now in session:) Today for fun I am sharing a secret cattle ranch factoid called when “The Ground Quivers With Mud & Cow-A-Pooey…Watch Your Step!”
Having grown up on a large cattle ranch, I learned early on about cow’s pooping in all the mud puddles creating…”Cow-A-Pooey Muddy Muck”. I have accidentally stepped into the quagmire of “Cow-A-Pooey” before and the sludge would literally suck my boot off my foot! I would hop on my other foot that was still in my other boot, trying not to fall down, as I grabbed hold of my yucky boot…which had sank deeper into the boggy mire of muddy poop and give it a hard yank…while trying to not put my foot with only the sock on, into the mud for balance but…as you can imagine, that was just about impossible!
This muddy mix is with horse poop, so even though it is still not fun to walk into, it is different as it has a horse poop smell and since it has something to do with a horse, it’s not so bad:)
Right Annie? Cow manure mixed into mud is worse! It never fails the night before, after you have gathered up your herd, you get an inch of rain in the corrals where you plan to work the cattle…at least it settles the dust, but now you get to deal with slippery, muddy cow pooey/sludge, as they have pooped all day and night
I have heard them “snicker-snort-moo-snort snicker” as we walk by…they smirk with gurgles and rather interesting noises to let you know that they have more to conjure up…and I promise, you will slip and slide or get your boot stuck into their mixture of “Cow-A-Pooey Muddy Muck.” It is at that moment, the “cowgirl life” loses a bit of the glamour and glory, when you have to work the cows and the gates on foot instead of horseback in the mud…in the sludge and in the poop!
Both WB and I remember working gates in muddy puddles, when the cow ran by you at warp speed giving you the gift of “Cow-A-Pooey Splatter Shower”, covering you from top to bottom!!! You learned early on to keep your mouth shut as they ran by! I liked having my hat on, hair tucked into it, wildrag covering my mouth and nose if needed, with my sunglasses on even if it was cloudy! Ahhh the good old days:)
Looking out one of the barn doors down on the arena presently…hey WB, look at how nice my round corral stays with the sand, compared to the arena where the water stands on top of the dirt and takes forever to drain off…hint-hint, more sand…more sand:)
Barn Lion Jack, did not like my camera flash…he looks kind of grumpy huh?
Brother Pat is not quite as grumpy and he was sort of interested in the camera…but just a little bit.
Back to “Muck Pooey”…this particular mud is clay dirt with older cow poop and fresher horse poop mixed into it and it is slowly draining the standing water into the ground. Note: It is always good to tuck your jeans into your boots…preferably higher top boots with galoshes over your boots.
Nummie nummie munch munch…I love the sound of horses eating their hay:) Annie is so patient with my camera…she lets me take pictures anytime.
And back to that round corral with the sand…a beautiful design in the sand in an interesting odd way. My round corral always makes me think of the song called “Barn Cat” by Mary Ann Kennedy. It is great, in fact all of her songs are great…Barn Cat was on her first album called “The Trail Less Traveled.”
“Barn Cat” by Mary Ann Kennedy
I’m a barn cat, not an alley cat or a house cat, I don’t sit on laps
I got a real job…I catch mice…It’s a tough life…I’m a barn cat
Meow, this is my territory…Bow wows…look out…I got sharp claws
And a king size bed made out of straw…I’m so glad I’m a barn cat
I got a feed room, and a tack room…And 4 stalls…I stalk em all
Don’t need a litter box, I got a round pen…60 foot of sand…I’m a barn cat!
Meow, this is my territory…Bow wows…look out…I got sharp claws
And a king size bed made out of straw…I’m so glad I’m a barn cat!
Be sure to check out Mary Ann Kennedy as I love her music:)
Tucker waiting patiently for me…thinking something like this “Mom, can we go yet…all this talk about muddy poopy corrals makes me very glad that we do not have a zillion cows anymore…I would not like getting all my fur muddy and stinking like a cow patty either….ewwwww!” I love how her colors blend in with the rocks…didn’t have it planned but Tuck is very photogenic with her color and sweet eyes.
Okay Tucker let’s get out of this “not so bad mud” and head for the house…we’ll go see what Minnie Mouse is up to.
Ms. Minnie says “Meowsy Hi All!” She looks pretty with her markings as they blend into the Navajo rug in this image. She loves her Navajos and prefers sleeping on wool blankets…she has sensitive fur and the wool must have an interesting tactile feel to it that she likes.
She told me that the “Barn Cat” song is fine but she would like to have a song called “House Cat”, as she prefers her house and is a very lady like kitty angel:)
And this concludes Ranch Lessons 102…”Cow-A-Pooey Muddy Muck” from the Juniper T, for now…wishing you a super-duper weekend where ever you may be! HRCG and crew over and out:)
02 Jan 2013 60 Comments
in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Ranch Life, Winter Tags: Animals, Barn Cats, Cats, Custom Cars, Dogs, Holton Secret Lab, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Hot Rods, Juniper T Ranch, Kiah, Landscape, landscape views, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Odd beauty, Photography, Snow, Sunrise, Weather, Wild Bill, Winter
Last Sunday, on a typical Juniper Canyon morning the end of December, we had fresh snow, loverly foggy views and crispy, cold, frigid temps!
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:)
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.
Ok guys I’m a coming…hang tight…love you Ms. Mel and Mr. Buck:)
But first I have to go through the hubbies massive shop and into the century old barn that I love…
Then upstairs to check on Pat and Jack, our monster orange Lion Cats….and to get Annie’s hay for her breakfast…
“Did someone say hay?”
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.
My winter round corral….resting and waiting.
Annie is waiting too:)
And, I’m sure she can hardly wait!
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.”
Tuck is waiting patiently for me to come out of the shop…
So is Ms. Melody. She really likes her food…she enjoys every morsel:)
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!
“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!!!”
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.
“Wild Bill I hope you have the coffee on and ready….Good Morning Sunshine:)”
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.
“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.”
Hot Rod Cowgirl 
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