Wild Bill | Hot Rod Cowgirl

Blessings That Fill Your Heart With Gratitude

14 Feb 2013 31 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl 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:)

Ranch Lessons 102…Mud…Cows…Pooey!

08 Feb 2013 37 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl 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:)

Surviving Storms Of Winter As Life Flows On.

28 Jan 2013 16 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Sunrise, Weather Tags: Hot Rod Cowgirl, Juniper T Ranch, Kiah, Landscape, landscape views, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Photography, Sunrise, Surviving, Weather, Wild Bill, Winter

Life flows on like a river, as winter takes hold of our lives in Juniper Canyon.

Surviving the storms of winter can be tough if you are caught without warning…

Life can change in the blink of an eye.

And yet if we persevere with hope…our faith is strengthened in a deeper, stronger way.

2012 ended with the physical pain of WB’s surgery and the emotional pain of loosing Kiah. Dealing with pain itself can be a life storm…a war that you fight for healing and the return to your normal life.

Loosing our animal family members is equally hard, as truly our animals are part of us, part of our hearts and part of our humanity. I grab hold of my camera every second I can to capture the ever changing life around me…now if I can find the words to express my heart.

I do know that we live life everyday, never knowing what each new day will bring…having “faith” to believe that no matter what it brings we will survive.

God never planned for us to have a perfect life as He wants us to depend on Him.

Each day the road is before us as we keep our focus and walk on. Life is full of adventure…hard times…exciting times…sad times…learning times, but mostly good times.

Where ever you are I hope that tomorrow or today or tonight is blessed with perseverance that develops your hope which will deepen your faith…no matter your circumstances.

Kiah Sweet Kiah, Yippee Ki Yi Yay…God Bless You And Keep You Always!

13 Jan 2013 42 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Kiah, Photography Tags: Animals, Barn Cats, Clouds, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Kiah, Landscape, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Minnie, Odd beauty, Photography, Sunset, Weather, Wild Bill

Every once in a while when you grow up living on a ranch…you will own a special dog, a once in a lifetime dog, a dog filled with heart and love for you…and your heart fills with love for them and they become your forever friend…the best dog you have ever had. When we lost Kiah December 30, 2012, we lost one of the best…she truly was our heart, our girl, our silly Ki Yippee Yi and we loved her so much.

Many of you who have followed my blog have been introduced to Kiah…looking at her face, you can see her heart in her eyes…she was so smart and intuitive as she seemed to know what you were thinking!

Kiah came to live with us in June 2011…turning a year old in September 2011. A good friend of ours mentioned to us that he knew the breeders were looking for a new home for Kiah and he told them about us. I called them and drove a 400 mile round trip to bring her home:)

Is she not beautiful? I fell in love with her the second I saw her…her cute face and her beautiful coat of colors. When we got home and she got out of the pick up behind me…my hubby, Wild Bill fell in love with her too. I knew God blessed us with Kiah as we needed her and she needed us:)

Kiah was immediately part of our hearts…she was full of love and so full of spirit. Our other three Aussie’s loved her too…Auz, the oldest in front just grunted at her and that was it. Dash liked playing with her and she loved to playfully grab his ears in her dog game version of “Speed Runs By Dasher To Grab Ears Hee-Hee.” Tucker in the back was not a huge fan at first as she had been the only girl for several years.

But Ki loved Tuck anyway and Tucker eventually loved Kiah too but, she was a bit jealous of this new cute doggie girl, who liked to take her toy or stick of the moment away, see it between them? Tuck is daring Kiah to try it. And if Ki managed to get it away from Tucker she would bounce around the yard with the stick doing the dog style of “Neener Neener”…while Tucker would try to keep up barking at her the whole time…it was funny and quite cute to watch as eventually Ki would drop it and let Tucker have it back:)

Kiah was very very human…she knew what you were contemplating and she understood your emotions in a very uncanny way. I don’t know how to explain it other than to say God made her different. She was a part of you and you immediately connected with her and she with you. She loved to crawl up into WB’s lap as she loved to cuddle…she was a large part of life here, our Kiah girl.

“Don’t forget us Barn Lions!” “We loved to watch her torment both Tucker and Dasher with “The Neener Neener Game!” “We just meow-laughed with hee-haw meowsy chuckles…plus we had a good view!”

I loved her silly smiles and grins when she bared her teeth…and I loved her eyes when she squinted them into little slit eyes that were so cute!

“Mom…I can squint my eyes and smile showing my teeth too!” I know Minnie and you are my baby too…my kitty angel that I love very much.

And I know you loved Kiah and she loved you…she sniffed your nose through the window and would smile at you…at first you were sort of like Tucker but then you warmed up to her too.

“Uh what?” “I didn’t kill the bird Mom really!”

How can you be mad at a face like this? Kiah had so many expressions, and she was so cute:)

But she could look mean too…she loved her family as all protective dogs love their family. I just miss her. Everyday I find myself looking for her as she would go hang out in the shop for a while to be sure WB was ok and then she would run up to the house and peek into the windows to be sure I was ok and all was well…then once she knew both WB and I were ok.

She would do a speeding bullet run up the hill to survey the ranch below circling back down to make sure the horses were ok too.

My Yippee Ki Yi Yay…

Who loved sleeping in my dirt flower pots like a curled up colorful doggie flower…ahhhh…make that muddy doggie flower:)

The day we buried Ms. Kiah…it was getting close to twilight time and I noticed out my kitchen window that the light looked sort of an odd color of gold on the hills…so I grabbed my camera and headed out the door in my socks no less as the light was changing quickly and I wanted to capture a few shots.

After a few landscape shots I looked up and saw the most incredible golden skies above. None of the following pictures have been photo shopped or light roomed or manipulated…just my eye and my camera took the shots capturing it well…I love my camera:)

Clouds with all kinds of layers and odd shapes…filled with golden swirls and colors of ember golden light.

I felt that Ms. Kiah was sending us a message from heaven saying she was well and happy…playing in God’s glory and all was well:) That she would see us again someday when we get to heaven and she plans to be in the greeting party with our parents and family members, along with various horses, kitty cats, and dogs.

I shot 44 pictures of this amazing sky…the layers of clouds with the incredible light and colors were truly not normal for this area…like Kiah who was unique and full of beauty.

God is good and I do believe He said something like this…”Ms. Kiah, welcome to heaven you cute little girl:)”

“Now come over and let Me have a look at you…oh you are so sweet and cute…we are going to send your Mom and Dad a message and you get to pick the colors as you are a colorful little girl…and I made you too:)”

I could keep going as I have so many more special moments to share with you but, I know having a ton of photos can be boring to your readers at times and I need to learn better how to pick and choose. With Kiah, I wanted to share her heart with you all, as she was so special, and we were so blessed. I hope you have enjoyed seeing parts of her very much loved life with us.

However, I do have to show you one more short set of a true “Kiah Moment”…a photography sequence that will make you smile…she was good at posing and looking adorable:)

“What?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, yeah I totally agree Mom.”

Our sweet Kiah may you rest in God’s arms and heaven’s peace…we LOVE you and hold you tightly in our hearts forever.

We will never forget you…we miss your sweet spirit everyday and night.

Our Sweet Kiah, We Love You Forever And We Like You For Always. Forever You Will Always Be Our Kiah Girl:)

Psalm 36:6 NIV

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: 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.”

The Miracles Of Christmas…The Miracles Of Each Season And The Miracles Of Life!

14 Dec 2012 31 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Christmas, Gratitude, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Miracles, Photography Tags: Christmas, Dad, Faith, Family, Family Honor, Grief, Heritage, holidays, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Losing Loved Ones, Minnie, Miracles, miracles of christmas, My Mom, Parents, Photography, Prayers, Traditions, Wild Bill, Winter

The miracles of Christmas, the miracles of each season and the miracles of life…meaning our lives! We have so much to be grateful for in our lives and a lifetime to celebrate that we are alive!

I love Christmas; the wonders of the season, the glory of God, the magical smiles in the hearts of children, the gatherings of family and friends, the amazing food with sugar and spice smells coming from the kitchen. And for me of course, Lefse or Norwegian Potato Cakes…warm or cold-rolled up with butter….oh my gosh…yum!

Meaningful memories, both joyous and sad, run deep in your heart and spirit as we look back, remembering our loved ones…wishing they were still here and in many ways they are…through our memories, the old stories and family traditions that they passed on to us.

My Mom in her later years celebrating Wild Bill’s birthday with us…every year of my life, she always without fail would order me a birthday cake. She loved doing things for others and took great joy in going all out!

The other day I ran across a quote by Lemony Snicket, from The Lump Of Coal…and it hit my heart, as it fit exactly what the Christmas season and our lives are all about.

“It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season…like all the other seasons…is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them.”

Loosing my Mom a few days before Christmas was surreal and hard for my mind to comprehend. We think our parents will live forever, even when we know, due to illness that we could lose them and even with that, you are never prepared. Mom was so brave and she had done so well that in my heart I held on to hope that she would be okay. On a December Sunday, Mom stepped from this world into heaven on a beautiful, clear, crisp, winter dawn, just as the sun was breaking over the hills of Juniper Canyon, spilling eternal golden light at the break of day, with both WB and I at her side. As my heart broke, as difficult as it was, I knew without a doubt that I would see my Mom and Dad again someday, as they were together again and with God in heaven. They had been married 59 years when Dad had slipped into heaven the year before and I know it was incredibly difficult for Mom to be without him, even though she tried to not show it to me as she did not want me to worry…but I did…as I knew my Mom.

A few days before, Mom told me she was going to take a nap and instead she fell into a sleep type coma for about 12 hours, I could not wake her, which was scary so I called her home health nurse, who came out to check on her and as she checked her vitals, Mom suddenly opened her eyes and was a bit confused and asked “Well why am I back here?” and then her beautiful brown eyes filled with love and she looked at me deeply and she began to pray aloud “The Lord’s Prayer” and I joined in with her, praying in unison together as we had many times before, only this time it was on eternal time. She shared with me that she knew where she was going as she had seen both my Dad and Jesus…and her dog Rhett Butler…she was so at peace having seen a glimpse of heaven.

The day after Mom stepped into heaven, we had to go to town as I needed black shoes to wear with my dress for Mom’s funeral…somehow my black cowgirl boots did not look quite right with my dress. We went to the little mall we had at the time and everyone was Christmas shopping and running all around town…I was in a daze of shock and could NOT believe that life was going on, as my life had stopped! I wanted to scream and say “NO wait, my Mom’s life is over and so is my Dad’s and I don’t care about Christmas right now!”

It took me a few years to recover from the grief of loosing both parents in a year of one another…the week we lost my Dad, we found out Mom was in kidney failure. I knew I could not take the time yet to grieve for my Dad as I needed to be strong for my Mom as she was so worried about me. “Mom, no not me….I am worried about you”…but she was my Mom and she always worried about me…no matter that I was now in my early 40’s and she was 80. No matter how old you are, your Mom will worry forever!

Christmas was an out-of-body experience for WB and I that year…we had not done any of our usual shopping. WB had decorated the tree and cooked for the many friends and family who came to see Mom as we had moved her to our home to be with us…she slept in her old bedroom that she shared with my Dad and the bed I had in the bedroom then was the antique bedroom set that used to be Mom’s when she was a little girl…how God like is that? I loved having her here with me even though at times it was sad…but many times we laughed together and watched old movies and talked all day and half the night and to me, that was a “gift from God.” I was a blessed daughter to spend that quality time with Mom as I was able to take care of her as she had taken care of me when I was a baby and as I grew up…and now I could support her with lots of love and lots of faith.

BTW the above picture was on Easter in front of Grandma’s house in town and all my cousins by the dozens along with me were trying to have an Easter egg hunt and Mom wanted pictures. All the Mom’s wanted pictures so there were some grouchy looking cousins…we wanted to find all the Easter eggs and candy that Grandma’s Easter Bunny had brought…and all our Mom’s could think of was pictures!!!

Mom’s funeral was December 23rd, and the church was beautifully decorated and filled with her life, as it was packed with her family and many friends. Our pastor began by saying “I have never been present at such a “Godly” death, as Casey’s, the peaceful presence of God was there”…the service was filled with love, just like my Mom, sweet and Godly with a personal touch of the classy lady she was.

I was deeply touched by the many tribute stories of how she cooked and took care of the world when they came to her house…she even tried to cook and take care of the care giver I hired to help us both with my Dad! She always had good food cooking, with a warm hospitable heart for people…and she always had a smile:) She loved to laugh and share funny stories…Mom and I could start giggling for no other reason than by just looking at each other, after all we spent many years with no one but us and Dad…poor Dad:) And we learned to survive on life…filling in the blanks with swimming when I could with her at the hot springs that was about 30 miles from the mountain ranch or we would look for rocks and do the rock hound thing…or she would go with Dad and I to salt cows on the rainy days in the Jeep…and it was always interesting as often Dad would make us both get out as he was not sure if he could make it and if he slid or rolled, he did not want us in the cab…oh great Dad! Mom was always a trooper and she loved Dad and I…and then WB…finally she had a son…when she was mad at me she would tell me she would trade me off and keep WB:) She was the best Mom ever and I miss her.

The day after Mom’s funeral, I wanted to cover my head up with the covers and dig a large hole to hibernate in, but I had to get out of bed early, at the break of dawn, as it was Christmas Eve Day. And because we had grandkids and kids to shop for, we did our last minute Christmas shopping in town. It was mind-boggling and exhausting…BUT…the best part of that day was waking up to a few inches of snow. I had complained for weeks that we had not had any snow yet for Christmas and when we woke up on the morning of the 24th, we had snow! As we drove to town that day, we found that less than a couple of miles away, there was no snow…it was only at our house…it felt like my Mom was saying to me “Now, honey, I know you are sad, but I am safe and with your Dad, and here is your snow from heaven.” It was beautiful to see as the sunlight sparkled on the fresh white blanket of snow with heavenly brilliance.

Shopping was difficult as I felt like a zombie and neither of us could think or make decisions…it was a long hard day. My sister-in-law and her family lived in town, and after shopping, we had dinner that night together, feeling surreal in the twilight zone…we ate and then took a power nap so that we could go to church. I was determined to go to the 11:00 o’clock Christmas Eve Service at the Episcopal Church…and we did. It was beautiful with the red poinsettia’s, boughs of fir, with all the candles lite. Having been there the day before for Mom’s funeral, I felt I was on “Holy Ground” as I knelt at the altar that Christmas Eve Night. I knew that at that moment, all of heaven was celebrating the birthday of Jesus and welcoming my Mom to the celebration table…and Dad was with her again, as were her parents and all the family that had gone before her. Christmas Eve that year and the moments in my life that night, felt like a glimpse of heaven with God’s glory. A true miracle for a daughter who was deeply grieved, yet knew that God was there and my parents were safely with Him. For a month after we lost Mom, her bedroom smelled with the scent of roses…both WB and I were drawn to spend lots of time in her room in the morning, during our quiet waking up time with God and our cup of coffee.

On Christmas morning, we got up early to wrap gifts and prepare for our son and his family to come visit us…they came and opened their gifts, sharing a few hours with us. And then, WB and I fell asleep on the sofa, we didn’t mean to, but we were exhausted emotionally and physically…we missed the dinner we had planned to fix for them as they left us to rest…and we did all day long and all night long. The next day we escaped to my in laws house in the mountains and stayed a few nights without a telephone or hectic reminders of life, just quiet rest with lots of snow. It was very peaceful to watch the snowflakes fall softly into the pine trees and fir trees in the forest around their house, with the fireplace crackling away, as the healing warmth of peace permeated deeply into our hearts. I love the stillness and the beauty of the fresh snow that falls quietly, untouched to the ground, as a pure white blanket…it seems that life itself stops, silently holding its breath, taking in the beauty of the glistening white snow as it sparkles in the moonlight or the porch light or when the first rays of dawn hit the snow, as it looks like a bed of white diamonds.

Coming home after a few days was hard as it was back to the reality that life had forever changed. At that time my parent’s house was right next door to our house…my kitchen window looked out at their house with a driveway between us…I could walk just a few feet for a cup of coffee to visit or if needed a Mom talk or a Dad talk. It was hard to see their house dark…so we decided to set a timer for the lights to come on at dark…but the first night I came home from work and saw the lights on I was stunned. Maybe I had imagined all of this and maybe Mom and Dad were there like usual…watching some old John Wayne movie on TV…much to Mom’s chagrin…and asleep on the sofa or recliner…waiting for me to get home. Mom always watched for my headlights to turn into the driveway as I would see her peek out the window to be sure I was home…safe and sound.

I was blessed as a daughter to take care of both of my parents at home, and the time I spent with each of them individually, was truly a gift from God…a true miracle of time and memories that will carry me forever, one of my Christmas miracles…feeling the presence of God and knowing that Mom was with Dad and with God. It will be 14 years ago this year that we lost Mom and 15 years ago that we lost Dad, and yet it seems like yesterday in many ways. I miss them both very much and often, I wish I could go next door to see them again for a hug and a cup of coffee. We have had many miracles to celebrate since then…my survival of breast cancer, Wild Bill’s two neck fusion surgeries and this year on Christmas Eve, WB will be having bicep surgery to repair three tears in his bicep muscle in his shoulder…it has been very painful for him and December 24th was the only day they could do the surgery. I know I will be attending another Christmas Eve Service in the hospital to give thanks to God, as our Christmas gift this year will be Wild Bill’s healing…and when I bring him home we will celebrate Christmas and life!

I hope and pray that as you look around your life or your circumstances during this Christmas Season, that you will see the miracles of your life. They can be small or they can be large…they can be minor or they can be major; either way, a miracle is a miracle of God…look deeply as we all have them. As I write this I see my Minnie Mouse snuggled up on top of the sofa on her blanket next to me…all curled up in her 18th year of a healthy life…and my hubby in his recliner…and I am here, alive and filled with God’s wonder and full of life. As I end this post, I will share with you one of the quotes that spoke to my heart that describes my Mom.

“Who is that lady, small and spry, who never lets a day go by…without a thought of you and me and nature’s sweet simplicity? Whose hands can quickly touch and bring a work of art from a simple thing. Whose youthful spirit wanders free into the woods or up a tree…”

“She never lets life get her down, she’s not too proud to play the clown. In every melody she plays she marks the zest of all her days.”

“She’s a lady like no other…she’s God’s own child, my friend, my mother.”

The miracles of life…the miracles of the season and the miracles of Christmas.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas from…WB…Minnie…HRCG…and our horses, Fanny Annie, Melody and Buck…dogs Tuck, Dash, Ki…and barn cats Jack and Pat.

Magical Colors In December Skies…Yippee Ki Yi Yay!

04 Dec 2012 50 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Clouds, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography Tags: Animals, Clouds, Heritage, Holton Secret Lab, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Hot Rods, Juniper T Ranch, Landscape, landscape views, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Odd beauty, Photography, Weather, Wild Bill

Magical Colors In December Skies…Yippee Ki Yi Yay!!!!

This just in from “Juniper Canyon” the fog has lifted…the fog has lifted!!! Blue skies with enchanted colors have returned, hurry and go get your cameras out…lets go:) Yee-Haw!!!

“There you go again chasing after dogs, clouds, sky and whatever…Mom, seriously you need to be only worrying about me and taking my pictures!”

The contrast of the various blues, greens, golds took my breath away after so many days of darkness…thank goodness God parted the skies for a while to give us all hope!

And Miss Yippee Ki Yay herself was having fun too…she always goes with me on my hikes with my camera:)

I could on and on about this beautiful incredible view…I am very blessed to see it!

One of the gnarly trees that we grow on top of the hill behind us. It is using all of its potential…and is a great photo opportunity for me:)

A different angle of light and colors.

The one and only time I like weeds…remember “farm girl/cowgirl girl here”…weeds can give a lot to your photos as they add a different view…they are rather funky…and mysterious.

Miss Ki you are so photogenic with your colors and cute face:)

This is home…

Extraordinary wildlife above, with inspiring blue skies.

And very cute doggies below! Isn’t she cute:)

Looking out the back door up towards the hill…

Watch dogs…seriously trained watch dogs…go ahead and make their day!

One more shot of the hillside clouds playing hide and seek with my camera.

Miss Muddy Fanny Anners:)

Next years crop was farmed with no till care and is already beautifully green.

My “Little Red Bay Horse”…Annie you are cute…and no I am the boss mare silly girl.

“And with all that said Mom…I am the Boss:)”

The winter storms are once again coming…maybe bringing snow this weekend!

Gray Haze Brings Lazy Blahzay November Dayzes While Minnie Mouze Snuggles In!

27 Nov 2012 51 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Minnie Mouse, Photography, Winter Tags: Animals, Cat, Cats, Christmas, Clouds, Farm House, Heritage, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscape, landscape views, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Odd beauty, Photography, Sunrise, Sunset, Weather, Wild Bill, Winter

Gray Haze Brings Layz Blahzay November Dayzes While Minnie Mouze Snuggles In For Winter!

With the ever changing landscape, normal objects look surreal as if held by a magical time warp…is it 2012 or 1962?

You are now entering….”The Twilight Zone…a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man, a dimension of imagination.” Oops, sorry I was getting a bit lost in the 50-60’s.

Minnie Mouse says “Not complaining about time warps-de-warps at ALL…I love my heat pad, good wintry zzzz’s…as I get more of both along with kitty strokes and loves…as Mom is finally stuck with me in the house:)”

Peekaboo sun shines out a morning “Hello” on a steely gray dawn…like a flashlight lighting the way for us to see our way for the day.

This year I had many incredible palettes of colors in the sky on warm summer nights and bright days of delight…now as we switch gears to seek out the colors and images of winter, we will find a different beauty.

Artistic skies that draw your eye into a different monochromatic world of color, with layers of gray-blue colors, blending magical shadows on the familiar landscape. A view that stirs a photographers delight and fills my heart with winter light, full of quiet inspiration for the profound beauty that I see through the lens of my camera, of the land that I have lived on forever and all my life.

Fun winter images and great photo moments to play with light on gray frozen days:) Shooting memorable snapshots in time and exploring different angles with my camera…smile “Yippee Ki Yay Yah!”

Summer skies will return full of God’s glory and heartfelt colors…and once again, I will stop what I am doing, looking up and grabbing my camera, knowing that I am blessed to live here on one of God’s slices of heaven on earth.

“Fanny Annie” will be posing for my camera with her sleek and shiny red coat once again…she is “One Sharp Dressed Lady!

And then there is snow that comes with winter….hmmmm. I have to admit I like it for Christmas week as long as it stays firm and frozen. When I was young here we usually had a white Christmas as I remember sledding down the hills…for the last 30 or so years we rarely have a white Christmas. A few years ago we had a brilliant Christmas morning to wake up to and I was on the move early to capture snow photos! This is part of the shop frontage that we designed to look like an old-time service station, under the bat and board siding is a steel shop…Wild Bill restored the antique gas pumps and added the hitching rail for my horse…with the old Chevy Pick Up and drifts on the roof and on the ground…is it 1930 or 2012? I hear Rod Sterling again with Twilight Zone music…doo-do-doo-do-doo-do:)

A beautiful image of our classic farmhouse in the snow…until it melted and then we had a mega mud mess. I got stuck in four-wheel drive in my Suburban in our driveway by the house that winter, incredible for me! Our parts delivery trucks for the shop got stuck as well as WB so I felt better:) It was a different winter as the ground was not frozen enough when we had the snow hit and as it melted it was like Jello.

This is my Melody and the fence is three rail…thankfully she did not step over it! Minnie said I got sidetracked as usual…writers…visions and memories and words…words and more words…sometimes I even wonder where they come from? Minnie what were you saying?

“Mom, get your warm sweater on, wool socks and slippers, then ahhhhh relax…it’s house time…now get that dang camera out of my face…see this paw and the kitty stink eye look?” “Well I am also giving you a cute love look too:)” “Meow, now, where was I?”

“Oh that’s right…roll back to the right side…hang paw over the chair…look cute for Mom…and here come the kitty loves and pets:)”

The beauty of summer will return with nightly visions of iridescent colors…images that speak softly to our hearts.

And yet, despite the cold, there is a beauty in winter…with the colors of glistening silver, brilliant vivid whites and various shades of silver grays…crystal particles that sparkle and softly float through the air…as the snow falls silently to the ground. There is a purity to the landscape and a serene quiet to the land that feels divinely holy…all of a sudden the dirt, the sage brush, the weeds on the hillside, the tumble weeds and the trees are covered with a beautiful garment of white. I love every season, not too crazy about being out in the freezing temps, but with my Carharts on I am good:)

Tucker and her other two buddies all got new doggie beds and yet here she is outside doing her guard duty….she is such a good girl!

May you all have a blessed week and stay warm!!!

Blessings Of Grace And Unwavering Faith…Full Of Heartfelt Gratitude And Thankfulness.

23 Nov 2012 27 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Gratitude, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Thanksgiving, Wild Bill Tags: Animals, Breast Cancer, Clouds, Family, Heritage, Holton Secret Lab, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Juniper T Ranch, Landscape, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Minnie, Minnie Mouse, Odd beauty, Photography, Sunrise, Sunset, Surviving, Weather, Wild Bill, Winter

Blessings of grace and unwavering faith, full of heartfelt gratitude and thankfulness.

Some of these photos are older and have been used before….my main computer and back up drive are at the doctor’s office right now…my back up drive has all my newer photography:( I will be taking new images this next week to share with all of you…in mean the time…I hope your turkey day was perfect:)

The Thanksgiving holiday is when we stop our busy lives to enjoy our families, our heritage and our traditions…food prepared with love and old family recipes by the many hands who made it special, the way that Grandma did. I love traditional holidays with all the wonderful trimmings.

Having gone through various hard things in life I began to understand that everyday we have is a day of gratitude and thankfulness…my life is full of many blessings that I do not take for granted. I thank God each day for seeing the sunrise and the sunset…for living here in America…for our heritage and history…for our business and for our ranch…for my husband and for my adopted sister, her family and also our families on both sides as well as our neighbors, and all our forever life friends.

I am thankful for Minnie Mouse, who is the Queenie of My House:)

And for our horses Melody, Annie and Buck:)

And for our protective dogs…we have three wonderful, loving Aussie’s.

I thank God for my parents and for the incredible life we lived together…for our relationship and memories.

To be the little girl who grew up into the daughter and woman they raised me to be.

I am thankful for our long talks in the middle of the night and the silly fun times we had with goofing off…those are the tender memories that hold me now when I wish I could go next door for a good cup of coffee and visit with Mom…or riding out of cow camp with Dad, just as the sunlight barely broke over the mountains on early summer mornings, heading out for the day to move and check cattle…cherished memories of the soul and nourishment for the heart…I will carry them forever.

Wild Bill and I have so much to be thankful for…36 years of marriage and our health…most of all our faith and depth of relationship with each other…we have lived through lots of life…floods, cancer, the death of my parents and of WB’s Dad…sad times, mad times and good times..and we keep on a going and love each other more today that when we married.

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” By W.T. Purkiser

That is the truth of our lives…being real with our life and being an example of God’s blessings in our life, as an act of our faith and gratitude. It seems that every good thing or our tough times can help others with encouragement that they too will make it through life.

Caring about our fellow-man, ready to help with our presence, as that is what life is about…as they are on the path of their lives that brought them into your life…and being loved with a big hug is the very best that we can give to others as we have much to be thankful for:)

Happy Thanksgiving from Hot Rod Cowgirl and Wild Bill!

God Bless The Red, White And Blue!

12 Nov 2012 20 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in God Bless America, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, United States Tags: Clouds, God Bless America, Harvest, Heritage, Horses, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscape, landscape views, Life, Life Scenes, Lifestyles, Odd beauty, One Nation Under God, Photography, pledge of allegiance, Sunrise, Sunset, The Pendleton Round Up, United States, Wild Bill

God Bless The Red, White And Blue…As we salute our veterans, we thank the brave men and women who fought for our country, our freedom and our security.

Many gave their lives for our life and for America, may God Bless each one of them and their families.

Growing up through out my school years, each morning of school the first thing we did was say “The Pledge Of Allegiance”, while placing our right hand over our heart.

Please join with me below in reciting together “The Pledge Of Allegiance Of America.” Beside each of the verses is the meaning and definition of what it means.