Moonbow Tonight

Tonights moonbow forecasts a storm brewing on the horizon.

I worked until after 10 tonight getting ready for corporate hot shots to come. Then tomorrow I will be back at work at 6:15 am. When they come you'd think god is coming to visit so everything has to be perfect. But right now the customers are more like preparing for the second biggest storm of the winter.

Generators sold out tonight and by tomorrow ice melt, salt and sand will go next.

I'm prepared though. Got a good load of firewood to heat the place, plenty of food, gassed up the car, a fancy new lantern/flashlight and batteries in case the power goes out, I'm all set. I'll be off just before the storm hits Thursday afternoon then off Friday to sit it out. I have a good book, taxes to do if I'm that ambitious, and plenty of animals to take care of to occupy the time. The puppies have their eyes open now and Darla's wanting to spend more time with me rather than the puppies. Hopefully Amber and Cameron will be safe and secure before the storm sets in.

Heading off to bed soon, sleep just doesn't come as willingly as it used to.

But there's always Friday..

Have a great day!

Sandy

A Nice Night

Hard to see but that is my view of the Big Dipper tonight. Coming home after a long days work (and it was longer than necessary) was a peaceful, quiet house. Darkness only accentuated the stars and the half moon shining through the bare trees of winter.

Streaks of clouds were flying across the sky preceding the incoming storm but there's a window of clearness at the moment. The half moon shines through the bare trees of winter, surrounded by a million stars. It's beautiful. I wish you were here to see it all, feel the breeze turning into gusts that have dropped from springlike temperatures to the tell-tale cold that says we're still in winter. (Must've dropped ten degrees since I've been home.)

The wind chimes were blowing wildly when I heard the sounds of a flock of geese honking. I held the chimes still to hear better but there was no doubt. Their distinct honking, not a big flock, but big enough to be sounding the alarm of a storm coming, warning all who could hear that whatever is coming was worth flying in the dark to outrun. It really is a sound I haven't heard often, geese flying at night, frantic at that. In the daytime when there's no distress and they're flying low enough you can hear the brushes of strong wings in the air, working powerfully enough to carry such a large bird. When 20-30 of them fly low over your head, those wings create the most beautiful sound.

Then coyotes started off in the distance. The moon being half full brings them out. They'll only get more active each night as the moon gets more full. And judging by the sounds of them Darla's not the only one with puppies.

Darla met me on the porch tonight and ran right in the house (well, kitchen...she has ulterior motives) and spun around happy to see me. She really does miss our company and acts like she's happy to have someone to catch up on things at the end of the day. (And she likes sharing dinner with me too. That seems to be our "thing" now.) Half of the puppies have their eyes open and are doing fine in the barn. Bambi is staying close by and mooed at me and nuzzled me good this morning. The ducks were hanging close to the chicken coop instead of sleeping at the pond (I guess they're anticipating a big storm too.)

I'll be heading for bed soon, one more long day at work tomorrow before one day off. Maybe just one more look at the stars while I have just one more smoke for the day. Maybe I'll see a shooting star....

Have a great night :)

A New Day

This is the sight I awoke to this morning.

Armed with a cup of coffee, camera, having the first smoke of the day the sun rose to absolute brilliance. As if on cue, the birds came alive. A small group of ducks flew over on their way to the lake or one of the ponds. It was quiet and subtle at first, a few here and there. Then the roosters made some pathetic attempts at crowing, crows around the pasture topping them with more well seasoned calls.

As the sun lit up the world, more birds of all kinds, going many different directions filled the sounds of the morning like a symphony that had a slow start then surprised the audience with a powerful sound that made a person want to dance. Cardinals brought their bright reds that turned the scene into a living painting one could just listen and watch for hours.

Yesterday I saw a bird flying overhead that was too big to be a hawk and had the characteristics of an eagle. It had to be one. This is the time of year they migrate through so it's not out of the ordinary. Just not so ordinary to fly over my head just as my company was finally leaving. Surely that was a sign from the Universe that all is well.

A hawk that must be nesting nearby has not been shy with its presence either. I've gotten used to seeing it perched on an oak limb, unperturbed by Bambi or the commotion around the place, as if it feels quite at home regardless.

My house is quiet once again and I'm off to work in a while. Darla will settle in the barn with her puppies since it's warming up again then I can finally get some sleep. Amber and I are scoping out where the vegetable garden will go.

I'm really looking forward to whatever this year brings. At least I know today will be a very good day. Hope yours is as wonderful!

The Blur of 2009

Well, maybe it's more like the tail end of 2009 was a blur. Where do I begin?

Probably the end of November, flying to Chicago to see Cassie graduate from boot camp was the start of hecticity. (I made that word up) From then on it was work, getting ready for Christmas, visitors. Cassie flew home for Christmas. Randall's wife surprised him with a ticket home for Christmas so we kept it a secret so he could surprise his sisters, which worked with Cassie but Amber guessed when she saw his luggage. Guess I'm not so good at that. Their Dad came from California with his girlfriend whom I got to meet for the first time. She has been wonderful and we get along great! So before, during and after Christmas was quite the houseful. Along with the kids' friends popping in and out while they were here too I have been juggling a busy house and working during the most busy season.

Don't know what I'd have done if it hadn't been for David to keep me grounded. At least there was some peace amidst all of that. :)

Then the blizzard on Christmas Eve that I almost didn't make it home through. The worst in 15 years they said so that kept us all snowed in, and in a tiny house at that. But it was a good Christmas, the kids had a blast being together again and I was so happy to have all my kids under one roof for Christmas. The older they get you just can't tell when the opportunity will come about again. They played in the snow, went sledding with a 4 wheel drive and a car hood tied to the back (They had a blast!). Built a giant snowman then used it for target practice. Kids...

Cassie flew back to Pensacola, Florida, Randall flew back to Southern California. At least I still have Amber and Camaron here. And Amber announced she and Camaron plan on getting married in June. :) They want to get married in Lake Tahoe and have a reception out here with the families. By then he'll have graduated from pharmacy school and is looking forward to working.

Randy (my ex) and Sarah will be leaving the end of this week. They've worked very hard around here and Sarah is spoiling me rotten. She was raised on a dairy and loves being out in the country again. I try to get my chores done but she seems to always beat me to it! My firewood is stocked for the rest of the winter too.

Yesterday Amber, me, Sarah and Randy went into Oklahoma City for a day at the zoo. Sarah had never been to a zoo that big and it was almost warm enough to go without a coat. Almost forgot what warm sunshine felt like after temperatures dipping down to 0 and other single digits. It was wonderful and we even went to the Oklahoma City Memorial (where the Murrah Building was blown up) and it was impressive to see as the sun set. No pictures though since the memory card was full.

Darla had puppies (8) and is settled in my room until the weather is better for puppies. She's really liking that! Bambi is staying close to home and it will be a while before I can tell if she's pregnant or not. She tolerated the cold as best she could but still had frost on her back and ice crystals on her whiskers. She can't fit in the laundry room so she'll just have to get used to the straw in her stall.

I'm looking forward to getting my house back in order... I like to start the New year off with a very organized house but with the company I'm a little behind. It will happen though.

Now to start working on those taxes...

I really hate paperwork...

:)

Watching and receding

Arnold Genthe was a great photographer. This particular one is of San Francisco taken April 18, 1906, the aftermath of the Great Quake that became the Great Fire. It took three days after the quake to burn over 4 square miles before the U.S. Army used dynamite to put out the fire. By then 435 died and 514 city blocks had burned. A lot was learned from the event, affecting architecture, fire and safety standards and city planning for the future.

But what strikes me so much about this photograph is the calm spectacle sense of the crowd watching. They are lined block by block, watching as the fire consumes what hasn't been destroyed by the quake. The photographer watched as the fire grew closer, people would move up a block and settle down to watch again, quite calmly, but maybe just numb. They'd already endured quite a lot from the quake but now a fire consumed the rest. They just sat watching..waiting...

Well if you get a chance to look at more of Genthe's photos you'd see a view of the times that few cared to capture. He most definitely had a good eye with a camera.

The cow came home

Yesterday my cownapped cow was brought back home. Of course it was a mixture of a flat out runaway cow (her being in heat and well, there was that cute bull in the next pasture..) and her just deciding to hang out with her own kind for a while, then the herd just decided she was theirs. The kindly farmer next door just said to let her stay for a while and he'd be bringing her back when he rotated his herd to greener pastures.

Keeping true to his word he loaded her into his big trailer and brought her right to the house. I can only imagine how he got that stubborn cow in there... Her head lifted in recognition as soon as she heard my voice and she easily left the trailer, going right to the old food trough. She hadn't forgotten where THAT was! Darla had been off who knows where but then she showed up running across the pasture...from the direction of where Bambi had been staying! That would be like her to go looking for her cow. Darla was always with me when I had to bottle feed her and back when we had our own herd of 20 something cows she eventually was let out with the rest of the herd. Then I would find Darla out at the back of the property, always sitting nearby Bambi. Guess she's always thought herself as the other momma or at least a best buddy.

But when Bambi came home she was mad!! Whether it was from being taken from her new found friends, or rudely loaded and hauled in a trailer, I'm not sure. But when Darla ran up to nibble and groom her cow as she's always done, Bambi pushed her away. Charging at her is more like it. Darla learned quickly things were different. She stayed on the other side of me keeping me between them. Bambi still lets me pet her but she's not as nuzzley as she used to be. And Darla acts like her feelings are hurt.

It will be a little bit of a process to de-program a brainwashed cow but that's what we're going to have to do. Bambi will stay penned up at the barn for a little while. At least a couple of weeks maybe 3 to be sure. By then the fences will be fixed better and maybe she'll have settled down a bit. I've been blogging about her since she was a baby way back when Y360 had its day. (Sure wish I had some of those pictures posted back then..) Being without her the last month or so has been like losing a child. (I know..she's a cow but she's really not "just a cow!")

Anyway, it's all good now. She's home! It will be some time before I can tell if she's pregnant but if she is her baby will be named Thumper. And Cassie and Randall will be coming home on Sunday!! Yay! Randall has decided to join the Special Forces training so we'll hear more about that when he gets here. Cassie is in limbo in Pensacola, Fl, waiting for her classes to start. She'll be looking at months of school so is very excited to come home. We all are.

It's going to be a nice homecoming Christmas! Hope everyone has a wonderful one too!

:)

December

This past week the weather has been so very cold. A couple of mornings dipped down to 9 and 10 degrees F. (32 is freezing) Had to remind myself all the little details of such cold weather...

Made sure the well house was in order (freezing pipes are a real pain), make sure the chickens light was plugged in all is well (their faucet was not wrapped enough...faucet didn't drip...it froze..lost one churkin...I'm a bad farmer..), load up on firewood (got a future pharmacist for that).. Things were taken care of, more or less.

Ozzie ventured out onto the frozen pond. Sharon, as usual, a little too prissy to get her feet wet. You should've seen the lacy icicle patterns on the grass. It was beautiful.

Last week I went out to see Bambi. The herd she's been cownapped by followed me all the way back to my property, deftly maneuvering between me and Bambi. They seemed to stampede at times...on my heels. If I ran...they ran. So I tried to stop running, but really wanted to.. Got to the fence and finally got Bambi over where I could pet her. She nuzzled my coat (the one I wore when I bottle fed her as a baby) and I could see the recognition. She seemed to want to follow me but the herd kept cutting her off. One cow even growled...I've never heard a cow make a growl noise.

These are a different breed of cows for sure. The owner of the herd must've put off moving the cows because of the weather but has assured me he'll be bringing her home. I'm off Monday and Tuesday so that and wood cutting is the next project.

A funeral Monday, woodcutting, Randall and Cassie both flying home on Sunday YAY!, the ex and his girlfriend visiting, this will be a busy December. And then there's work..

I'll be doing my best to keep preoccupied from it all. :)