Where the antelope roam

Mountain Lions

My goodness, has it been a long time since I blogged! I'm not exactly sure why that is; maybe a combination of lack of creativity, too much going on, not enough going on, sometimes I get tired of hearing myself talk, summer is chaotic, and I've had a string of not so fun or interesting things happen lately. With that note, I've got a lot to write about now. Or maybe I have all along but now I actually feel like writing about it. For whatever the reason, I am inspired at midnight on a Thursday night to tell you what happened just last week.

About midnight (does anything good happen at midnight?) I heard the mountain lion right outside our window pacing up and down the road screaming its head off. I woke hubby up, too. I'm not sure why, maybe because I was so freaked out or maybe it was because I wanted to see if he thought it was a mountain lion, too. We were told when we moved in a couple years ago that if we ever heard what sounded like a woman screaming outside our house NOT to go outside and investigate because it would be a mountain lion. Evidently, that is their mating call. I am SOOO glad J.D. gave us the heads up because that was the absolute most eerie thing I've ever heard. I recorded it but haven't figured out how to upload it. It went on for about 20 minutes and echoed up and down our canyon. I opened the front door and stood with just the screen door between me and possible death and shook until I had thoroughly erased all chances of sleep that night, but I got it on audio, by George! MacGyver rolled over and went right back to sleep. Nerves of steel, I tell you, but not before telling me he was glad I woke him up because he wouldn't have believed me, otherwise. What? Thanks for the confidence, bubba! The kiddos were upset I didn't wake them but there was a good reason, which I will divulge another time. But I did promise to wake them if I ever heard it again. I'll have to warm up some milk and bake some cookies if I do, because there aint no way those puppies are ever going back to sleep after that, either! I know! Bad grammar! But this girl is NOT joking. That is the spookiest sound I have EVER heard.

It reminds me of the time we were camping in our camper up in Pike National Forest. MacGyver was at work and my mom had come up to camp with us for my birthday. We made dinner and played some cards and when it got late we snuggled down to get ready for bed. About that time Maggie started growling at the door and we heard what sounded like a mountain lion outside our camper. Boy I have never been more excited to have four solid walls in my life! Anyway, the more Maggie growled, the more freaked out the kiddos got. I think we all got the willies pretty bad. I finally decided to take Maggie and our gun outside and shoot it off. The idea was to make the kids feel better because the gun shot would scare away the mountain lion. I have to admit it actually worked. It made me feel better, too. That was just one time when I had to put my "Big Girl Panties" on, as I like to call it, and muster up the courage to do what it took to make those kiddos feel safer, if not truly safer. There were more "Big Girl Panty" moments still to come, but this was one of the more memorable ones.

4-Wheeling Georgia Pass

Animals, Animals Everywhere!

My chocolate lab, Molli, broke into their kennel/coop area and attacked our nicest chicken, Melanie. When we got to her she was still alive but her wings were broken and she couldn't stand up or move. I'm guessing her back was broken, too. The other chickens and the kids were beside themselves! I sent the kiddos inside, and grabbed my leather gloves. I had to put my big girl panties on and do the dirty deed since Mac wasn’t around to do it. The kiddos were so traumatized, as was I! I kept thinking, “These are the hands of a murderer!” We buried her under some trees and they cried and cried. It was pretty sad. They were ready to shoot Molli. Ian helped me fix their coop back up and now all is well at the Cooper Cabin again. Now we’re down to 3 chickens. They aren’t laying as many eggs as they used to. Unfortunately, Melanie was one of our best layers. I’m trying a few new things to see if we can remedy that.

We had a bear break into our pump house. That’s where we keep the horses’ feed and our garbage, too. When I went out that morning to feed the horses there were 6 bags of garbage strewn up and down our road and even up the side of the mountain! That was fun! I don’t think any of us ate much after that! I had hoped our webcams picked him up but the computer went down and didn’t pick up anything that night. So far all we’ve picked up is birds, birds, more birds, and some elk. Our neighbor picked up a mountain lion on his webcam. He walked up on his front porch! Can you believe it?


The DOW officer stopped by last week to let me know we have a mountain lion hanging out in the trees at the top of our pasture! He’s collared and they stop by all the places he hangs out if he spends more than a few hours there. Evidently, he’s been bedding down less than 100 yards from our cabin. YIKES! I’ve been walking a mile or two every morning and most evenings (when it isn’t storming). I have philosophical debates with myself every morning. It goes something like this… ”Is it better to know where your enemy is and be scared of that specific area, or not know specifically where he is but know he is probably somewhere around you?” I still don’t know the answer to that, but l’ll let you know if I come to some conclusion. Often my thoughts are influenced by tracks I see, or Maggie’s countenance, or when she alerts on something up the side of the mountain. Shudder. Regardless, I carry Mac’s awkwardly huge and heavy pistol when I’m out walking. As you can imagine, it goes a long way in making me feel safer. 

Mac and I went looking for me a new pistol once. The salesman asked what I was looking for. I told him a mountain lion gun and possibly one I could carry concealed. He said, “Ma’am, you’re talking about two different guns!” I had to laugh. He thinks I need a .40 for the mountain lion and a .9 or for concealed carry. We never did replace my old one that broke but I think I finally figured out what I want. I really don’t like how awkward I feel carrying a gun around, though. But I don’t think I’d like how awkward I’d feel if I didn’t carry it around and needed it. We both took the concealed carry class but I don’t think I’d ever conceal carry. So much responsibility! I’d just rather open carry! Mac had some guy we didn’t know coming up to the cabin to look at a ladder rack for his truck we were selling. I told him, I didn’t mind as long as he didn’t mind me having a big ‘ole .9 mm sticking out of my jeans! Regardless, when Mac is home I make him walk with me and carry his unusually bulky and heavy gun himself. Things just seem more right with the world that way!

Expectations

I'm sitting here on a cold, snowy May morning having some hot oatmeal listening to the dryer hum, the cat meow, and the horses scoot their feed bucket around in the pasture. It seems like an eternity since I blogged last. I thought we had made it through winter and would have a spring before summer came. I'm doubting both at this point. I planted my Mother's Day flowers, following the Rocky Moutain planting guide which says not to plant flowers before Mother's Day or risk losing them to frost. It's a week after Mother's Day and we've had snow 5 of those. Ugh! I know I shouldn't complain. Rationally, I realize I am surrounded by 360 degrees of a constant reminder of wildfires. In April, there were no less than 10 fires within 20 minutes of me. Every summer is like that in Colorado, but that many fires before spring is quite sobering. But since I am a female, and not always rational, I do get carried away sometimes by emotions. Really; it's true. :-) And today, my emotions tell me I hate gray. I hate cold. I hate muddy roads. I hate slipping and sliding when I go out to feed the horses. I hate when the dogs track their muddy feet all over my rugs and recently mopped floors. I hate that I will have to slip and slide on the way to church this morning. And then I am reminded, "This is the day the Lord had made. I will rejoice and be glad in it". So, I choose to see the beauty in the sparse snowstorms, abundance of mud, rejoice in the moisture our trees and brush are getting, and be thankful we'll have a few less wildfires, recognize my flowers can be replaced, and be thankful my loving, rational Father is in charge, not me. I wouldn't be so good at deciding when it should snow and rain. I'm spoiled that I live in a beautiful, sunny place like Colorado. We get more sunny days than Florida, the Sunshine State! Even yesterday, it was overcast in the morning, the sun came out for a few hours and then it started to snow. I think it all breaks down to expectations. I expect May to be warm, sunny with the typical 2 hour rain showers every afternoon. When my expectations don't line up with reality, I get mad. I'm that way about a lot of things. I expect someone to act a certain way and they don't, therefore I get mad, hurt, or disappointed. I'm learning to take inventory of my expectations and compare them to what God's Word says. In Ecclesiastes it tells me there's a time for everything. Right now must be the time for snow and cold. Again, not my idea of the perfect timing. I'm just glad I don't have to be out in it. My sweet and giving husband is. He's been camping in this mess all weekend with Ike and his scout troop. I got a text message that the wind ripped apart their tent and they've been sleeping in the truck. I think they'll be ready for a hot shower, a roaring fire and a nap! See? There's always a new perspective. I've been sleeping in my warm, comfy bed all weekend while they've been out braving nature in THIS weather! See how blessed I am?

Animal Rescue

I realize it's been over a month since I've blogged. I've had plenty to write about but I've been so busy or too exhausted. The last month or so have been a little more than a normal person could bear. We've been sick, the pipes have frozen, we lost water, the weather has been unbearably cold and last week we got three feet of snow. Last Friday the stallions, Amar and Sharif broke out of their pasture to go socialize with the mares. Unfortunately, we were visiting cousins in Steamboat Springs and didn't get home until 10:00 that night. Needless to say, it was a long night. I think we finally crawled into bed at 11:30 cold and exhausted. And then Tuesday night they did it again. Fortunately, we found them about 1:30 in the afternoon and were able to get them situated and the fence patched up by about 4:30. Unfortunately, it was 7 degrees and there was three feet of snow on the ground. The owner flew out to Cabo, Mexico yesterday morning and I had to take the kiddos into town for school. Everybody was safe and sound and feeding quietly when I left. When we got back from town to do afternoon chores at 4:30, we found Amar out of his pasture and straddling a fence trying to get to the mares. His stomach and front end were in the mares' pasture and his back two legs were barely touching the ground on the outside of the fence. The top piece of steel was bent into a "V" shape. He was quiet and a little out of it. I didn't know how long he had been there but he was covered in sweat, even though the temperature hadn't exceeded 35 degrees. I was concerned that he may have cut off the circulation in his rear legs. It didn't look good. I silently prayed that the Lord would help me, protect Amar and not to let him be lame or have to be put down. Ike was with me and we tried to drop the fence but his 1600 lbs +/- 200 lbs pressing down proved to be too much. The section of fence it was hooked onto was frozen to the ground in three feet of snow, as well. I thought that if we could get something under his back legs, he might have enough leverage to jump over the fence or get his weight off the fence so we could drop it. We grabbed a couple bales of hay and I instructed Ike to push it under his hoof when I said go. I used my shoulder to push his weight onto his left leg and lifted his right leg. We were able to get his hoof on the bale of hay but I just didn't have enough strength to lift the other one. After about twenty minutes, I knew I couldn't do it alone. I needed some manpower. I ran inside to call for help. I called MacGyver at the station to see if he could get ahold of our dispatch to get an assist up here. I called the vet and got them on their way. We fed the others to keep them busy and away from the action and tried to get him on the bale of hay again. No good. After about an hour I heard the sirens and shouts from the firefighters. After a few minutes they were gone. Again, I knew they couldn't find me and wondered what to do. I knew the vet would know where we were. I prayed they would intercept the firefighters so we could get some extra manpower and power tools. The vet got stuck on the incline and had to back her truck the rest of the way down the mountain. One of the volunteer firefighters was able to get her truck up top where I was and the vet caught a ride with her. I gave the vet a quick run-down as more firefighters started showing up. With more hands and power we were able to get him up on three bales of hay and relieve the stress on his abdomen. By this time it was 6:30, dark, and the temperature was quickly dropping. Everybody seemed to be out of ideas. While we worked that angle, I asked if they had a saw that would cut the steel pins on the fence so we could drop it. By the time they got back with the saw and had it running, Amar had tried to use the bales of hay just as I had hoped. Unfortunately, he got his right fetlock hung up on the fence and was now balancing vicariously on three legs. It made me cringe. The Animal Control Officer arrived about that time and asked if we needed help. The vet requested a transport to the local Equine ER Clinic so he could be checked out and help for observation. She had to go back down the mountain to get radio contact. It seemed to take forever, but the firefighters were finally able to get the saw running. I'm sure the weather didn't help. But as soon as they got it running strong and started to cut into the pins, Amar freaked out enough to get the rest of the way over the fence. We all cheered. The vet and I ran aound the fence to secure him and check him out. We were both pleased to see him being able to hold his weight on all four legs. The relief was short. As soon as he was free of the fence, the shock started in and he began shaking violently and swaying side to side like he was getting ready to go down. I called out to the firefighters to "block traffic" from the other horses who were curious to what was going on. She quickly sedated him to calm him down and we got him back outside the fence and over to the single light pole so we could check him out. His shaking grew worse and I feared he was decreasing rapidly. His gums were pale and he didn't look so good. I asked her if he needed some fluids for the shock (which is one of the first things they do for people who are in shock and have had some kind of trauma). She said that would be a good idea but she would have to get down to her truck to get it, which was a half a mile down and then back up. Somebody offered to give her a ride down. I think she was gone twenty or thirty minutes. The Animal Control Officer said everybody was getting stuck and were having to back down the mountain but they were blocking the main road below. She called for a horse trailer but didn't think they would be able to get it up the road. She wanted to know if we thought we could walk him down to the road. By the time the vet returned, Amar was eating some snow and nibbling at the bales of hay he had previously been resting on, and his shaking had decreased dramatically. The vet explained that, unlike our human counterparts, a catheter (IV) was a surgical procedure and would have to be sewn into his neck and would need some assistance to keep it sterile. It reminded me of old war movies I'd seen of the army medics doing field surgery to stabilize someone for transport. That was basically what she was doing. I always find it so fascinating watching them work! I held Amar's head, not because he was struggling but because he was sedated and wanted to drop his head. I had to get my shoulder under there to be able to support that kind of weight. Once we got the IV started, the ACO told us the transport was on its way and that we might want to start the trek down the mountain. He did pretty good, even though he was wobbly at first. He woke up enough halfway down that she had to give him more sedative. That made for a much more compliant boy! The road was, of course, slick so we just took it slow. Once we turned the corner and saw the flashing blue and red lights, he startled a little so we called down to have them turn off the lights. I couldn't see the trailer but assured it was coming. When we reached the bottom, there were SO and fire vehicles absolutely everywhere blocking traffic. After a few minutes two more ACOs arrived hauling the trailer. They got turned around and loaded Amar. It was about 8:30 by then. The vet showed them the way to the hospital and one of the firefighter was kind enough to give me a ride back up the hill. I asked him if he wouldn't mind helping me get Sharif into Mia and Serena's pen so he wouldn't be left alone all night. He graciously complied and was able to lead Sharif in beautifully while I distracted Mia and Serena. I took him back to his truck and Ike and I headed home. It was about 9:00 when we got home. We all ate a rice bowl and I sent the kiddos to bed. It had been a long day! I had to email Gary to let him know what had happened and so he could contact the ER Clinic. I had know idea what would happen next, but I knew he was NOT going to be happy. I called the vets to make sure they had my contact info, made a fire, took a hot shower, prayed desperately that Amar would be okay, and then crashed. I was so glad the day was over but I knew the next day had its own set of troubles!

Snow Day!!!

The kiddos had a planned snow day today. Yes. Even homeschool families love and take adavantage of snow days. Our goal: to do only those things we deemed fun. The only caveat: we had to clean up after our messes, feed the animals and wash sheets. It started with Krispy Kreme doughnuts. We moved quickly to cutting out snowflakes. Then they decided they wanted to go sledding which quickly became, "Hey, mom, will you pull us on the four-wheeler?" That definitely sounded like fun so I jumped on board.

Next on the agenda was building a ginger bread house.

Complete with Santa on the roof, snowmen on the lawn and a goat they found in their toy box.

We did some more "sledding" via the ATV until we destroyed their sled. We played Life and Mexican train (dominoes), sat around the fire, had cocoa and generally enjoyed our day. Yes. The house needs to be picked up and there are dishes in the sink ready to be washed. But I must say, all in all, it was a fun, relaxing, non-schooling snow day with my kiddos. The BEST!



Disclaimer: This is not my photo. This was found on google images.

Now that I got that out of the way...

Mac and I were on our way home from Christmas shopping the other night. It was about 5:30 and getting dark. As we headed up our driveway, we rounded a corner and saw two little mountain lion cubs in the middle of our driveway. I think they were about 2-3 months old and cute as a button. They even still had their spots. I wanted so bad to jump out of the truck and get a better look. As I put my hand on the door handle, Mac reminded me that mama was probably sitting on the rock outcropping just above my head watching and waiting. Was this a trap? Surely no! They were so cute and I wished that the kiddos were with us to see them. As soon as we got home, we told them all about it. They were excited until Ike remarked, "Great. Now we have to watch out for THREE mountain lions right by our house." They wanted me to show them what they looked like and I found the picture above which was the closest to size and look. I'm guessing it was the mama I saw right by our house a few months ago. You can read about that here in Exhilirating and Terrifying. I don't know how common it is to see mountain lions, much less a baby, or a set of twins. I have to tell you, though, seeing twins, the mama, the bear, the mountain goats and then the moose all add up to a very memorable year!

Still loving the adventures,

Shotgun Brooke



Christmas is a'coming

I got a late start this morning. MacGyver had today off and we didn't have to jump out of bed and attack the world. My morning coffee was about 9:30 in fact. But when I bundled up to go out to feed the horses, I was shocked to find that it was already 52 degrees outside and was instantly surprised and excited. We've been putting off getting our tree for several reasons. We've had a hard time lining up several things...time, lack of snow and freezing temperatures, Mac's days off, time (which seems to be short these days), and no agenda or kids' activities. Today seemed to be that day. I almost pushed Mac out of bed. He didn't seem to want to budge. So this is how much I packed into today from about 9:30-7:00. Got breakfast, cleaned house, did two loads of laundry, made 2 roasted chickens, spent 2 hours putting 5 rim joists about twenty feet into the air, wandered around the property and found 2 Christmas trees (will explain below), spent an hour locating and digging out our Christmas trunks from the storage shed, cut and stacked several trees, finished dinner, made dinner for the next night and spent an hour cleaning up that mess. I just sat down to listen to some Christmas music and eating some of my leftover gluten free pumpkin pie which happens to be delicious. The kiddos are playing with the Christmas train and setting up the track. MacGyver is trying to see which of our lights work so he can string the tree. Whew! What a day.

So, the 2 Christmas trees. Our goal was to cut one tree. Unfortunately, the first tree we cut was perfect except for one fatal flaw...the pine needles were just that...needles. Four of the fingers on my left hand were stabbed trying to hold it while Mac cut it. It wasn't until it was cut and loaded on the truck that I began to question the sanity of such a sharp tree when nobody would want to get within 2 feet of it and I wasn't sure it would ever get decorated. Therefore, we continued the hunt for the perfect tree. This time we set out for the touch test before deciding which one was "the one". True to history, we cut a 40' tree and had to cut it down to a size that would fit in our tiny cabin. We cut the rest of the trunk, and some other brush that was evidently bothering my hubby, and he decided to keep going and spent another hour cutting up some of the other wood in our pile. We're planning on cutting up the razor tree for firewood, as well. The second tree is truly beautiful.  I think it might just be might favorite one so far. Full, round and soft. Very soft. What more could a girl want?

Being so patient waiting to go cut our tree

Both trees and some extra greenery for the front porch

Cut down to size

Izzy all excited to put the tree up

Ike trying to play it cool

So, dinner. I'm trying to go completely gluten free. I'm pretty certain I've got gluten issues. Izzy, too. I picked up 2 whole chickens that were on sale and decided to roast them so I could cook them at the same time. Normally, I would throw them on the rotisserie in our dual function toaster oven. This is my favorite way to cook a whole chicken. But I knew I wouldn't be around to babysit it. I had places to go, things to do. Plus, I love my retro roaster I picked up for something like $13 at a local antique store, The Barn, in Castle Rock. Love that place! I just love the design on the bottom. Isn't it cool?

Anyway, I tried some new gluten free garlic risotto and made some parmesan green beans, cranberry apple jello and sweet tea. Have you ever made that jello? I stole it from my MIL and I crave it this time of the year. It's just lemon jello, cranberry sauce and diced apples. You can throw in pecans or walnuts if you feel crazy. This stuff rocks. I've seen it with strawberry jello, as well. Good, too.

Obviously, we had a bunch of chicken left over (my plan). I pulled the chicken off the bone and put some of it aside for another dinner and finished boiling the bones to make some more broth. And then I looked at all the leftovers I had, the report for snow tomorrow, and all that chicken I just made and that leftover ham from Thanksgiving. And I started thinking about Brunswick Stew. I start craving that, as well, in the fall and winter. Ever had it? I'm a Georgia girl. It was a staple growing up. It is a barbecue based stew that we used to throw in a crockpot with whatever leftovers you have. I'm sure at some point in my childhood squirrel or rabbit found its way into the pot. I personally have never chosen to eat or cook either of said wild game. This is basically what I put in it but can be substituted with whatever leftovers you have (even squirrel or rabbit if that is how you roll).

Chicken
Beef
Pork or Ham
Chicken broth
Potatoes
Okra
Lima beans (not my favorite)
Corn
Green beans
Onions
Celery
Garlic
Canned tomatoes
*Liquid smoke
*Brown sugar
*Worchestershire
*Tobasco
(*or bbq sauce instead of the previous four if this scares you or you don't have)
Salt and pepper to taste

I cook it all day and then blend it up sort of chunky with my submersible blender but that isn't necessary. I make a big pot of it and freeze it for another day. Like chili, it just gets better and better. Add some creamed-corn cornbread and you've got a meal made for a...Georgia Girl. Not many people in Colorado have ever had or even heard of such a dish. They just don't know what they are missing! Yum!

Fall in the Rockies

Random thoughts about fall in the Rockies...

1. Fall has definitely arrived in the Rocky Mountains. It's was 34 degrees outside this morning. It was pretty cold in the cabin, too. I had to get up and start a fire this morning; the first for the season. The bridge over the creek was frozen. I just about lost my footing when I went out to feed the horses. Luckily, for me anyway, the creek dried up a month ago. Even so, I'm thinking handrail?

2. The cold is bringing lots of changes. The leaves are turning yellow, red and different shades of brown. I had a little 'walkabout' to take some pictures. I LOVE fall!

3. The elk have also moved up higher in the mountains. The last one I saw on the property had antlers with an 8' spread. Yup. Big guys. Bigger than my Jeep. I've been hearing them rutting (sparring) and bugling. I love to hear them bugling but it takes a little getting used to. It is almost eerie and it echoes in the canyons. The other day I heard it and was wondering if there was a donkey in the woods.

4. We spent several days this week hauling wood. One of my friends called and asked what I was doing that day. I told her we were pulling trees. She wanted to know how you pull trees...MacGyver cut down a bunch of standing dead aspens and then again into 10' sections. I would take the ATV into the woods, attach 6 or so with a chain, and pull them out to the road near one of the piles. The kids would unhook them, push them closer to the pile of wood and the whole process would repeat until we got them all out. The next day we went back, loaded up the truck and hauled them to the woodpile and dropped them. The last step is to buck them to 18" and the larger pieces of pine have to be split. Most of the aspens are no bigger than about 8" in diameter so we don't have to split them. We guesstimate the grove we were working in has another 50 trees or so that need to come down. We need about 3 chords of wood to get safely through the winter so that should do it. I think we have about 2 chords but we don't have it all cut and split so it's hard to tell. We've got our work CUT out for us! (Sorry, couldn't help myself).

Wood waiting to be bucked

Wood waiting to be split

In the woodbox waiting to be burned

5. We have a trash situation. We used to empty our trash can once a day or once every day and a half. That adds up quick. We also don't get curbside trash service so once a month we would haul it in the back of the truck to the local dump. But with the bears, squirrels and raccoons getting into it, it often means we are having to go more often or pick up a big mess. We decided a few weeks ago to get a trash compactor to see if it would help the 'situation'. Since getting it, we have only taken the trash out THREE times. We can't believe it! I think every house should have one. It would save everyone money, time and energy and think about the landfill space we could save. We even used it once to crush our cans. It is totally worth it. Plus, there has been no more squirrel, raccoon or bear sightings. And I don't have to pay out chore money quite so often! HAHA! One word: Awesome!

One week's worth of trash in a nice, compact 8"x16"x16" bag.

6. Ike and MacGyver are going camping with the Boy Scouts this weekend. This is Ike's first scout camping trip. He's trying to move up in his rank and he'll be able to knock out most of the camping requirements this weekend. He's using my old internal frame backpack. He's excited beyond belief! He's packed, meals are bought and packed and ready to go. Now all I've got to do is make some Rice Krispy Treats for a bunch of hungry boys. I think I'm going to make him add some long underwear, in light of the recent nighttime plunge in temperature, as well as a sleeping bag liner.

7. We met one of our neighbors yesterday. He lives at the end of our road (on the paved side). We were getting a new propane tank because we are switching companies and getting the propane topped off for the winter. Evidently, Mr. Propane guy couldn't find us and stopped to ask Mr. Neighbor where our house is. It isn't a surprise, really, when even the fire department can't seem to locate us. So, Mr. Neighbor jumped on his ATV and came up to our cabin to inquire if it was the correct address. I was just getting back from town and pulled up to a traffic jam (haha) on our road with the confused Propane Guy, Mr. Neighbor Guy, and MacGyver on his ATV. The propane guys aren't able to get back here between October and May so we have to make sure our tank is full before the snow starts to fly. Anyway, Mr. Neighbor knows all the ATV trails around these parts and offered to show them to us. I see plans in the near future! The kids were hoping he'd drop a tire like this guy.

8. The puppies all have their eyes open and have doubled in size. I think it's just about time to start feeding them solids. I'm not sure Molli is able to keep up...plus they are getting teeth. She has it written all over her face: "I'm DONE"! I'm going to run to Wally World and pick up a couple of chip and dip serving trays. You know the kind with the bowl in the center? They are pretty cheap and is a great way to feed the puppies and keep them from walking all thru their food. We still have to wipe them down or give them a full bath once in a while, but it reduces the frequency.

9. We have a new 9 week old puppy. I know. We are insane. At the moment, we have 3 dogs and 9 puppies. We are training him as a Medical Alert Dog. He chewed thru our high-speed internet yesterday. Luckily, MacGyver had enough cable to replace it. We also hung it higher so he couldn't get to it again. I scolded Tank for not being a better babysitter. He gave me the familiar look, too... "I'm DONE"!

10. Maggie caught a pheasant the other day. She caught us a little off guard, too. We didn't know she was a bird dog. When we yelled at her, she let it go and it flew off. We saw a pair of pheasants a few days later and wondered if that was one of them. One of them was looking a little dazed and confused. I'm guessing the sight of us gave him a little Post Traumatic Stress.

Ahh, Fall in the Rockies!

Kenosha Pass, Georgia Pass & Breckenridge Pt. 1

A few days ago, we took a break from everything remotely considered work and decided to go four-wheeling. A much needed and much deserved break. MacGyver's been working me pretty hard lately (can you hear the violin's playing in the background?). The kiddos were also starting their Thursday school the following day and we wanted to get one last fling in before school set in full-force! So, we decided to head towards Breckenridge via Georgia Pass. Georgia Pass is a four-wheel drive trail rated easy to moderate so it should be easy enough to do in the truck. We usually save the harder trails for the Jeep. We definitely needed the high clearance but only used the 4x4 in a few spots. We took almost 300 pictures in one day. Yikes! I've pulled out a small percentage of that to share but still decided to break it up into 2 blogs...Going over Kenosha Pass (which is a paved road) and Georgia Pass (four-wheeling), and then Breckenridge, where we ended a beautiful, fun-filled family day with more fun and yummy pizza! These are mostly flora and fauna pictures and not a lot of family pictures. We are definnitely nuts about God's beautiful creations!

Stopping for a picnic lunch

 Remants of the old Santa Fe railroad

Snow still visible in the valleys with temps in the mid 80's

First sign of leaves changing

MacGyver teaching the kiddos how to gold pan in one of the creeks we crossed

Chipmunks (aka minibears), cool rocks and flora

And when we got to the top of Georgia Pass, we saw these:

There were about a dozen mountain goats hanging out, eating the grass. (I'm not exactly sure why their tongues are sticking out but we thought it was funny)! Ike decided he would try to sneak up on them and see if he could pet them. After ensuring him they were wild, would run and may charge, he decided to listen to his own wisdom...I want to pet them! Needless to say, we were ready with the camera to capture him getting butted by the mountain goats (we are solid parents, huh?). An eleven year old is old enough to know better! Fortunately, they were indeed scared of him but did little more than move away slowly and continued to hang out and graze. He did get within a few feet of the big daddy! It was funny to watch him squatted down, walking like a duck one step at a time trying to "sneak" up on them.

At one point, MacGyver yelled out the window, "watch out for the one coming up behind you"! He shot up and started running for the truck before he realized his dad was teasing him. LOL!

We also saw a bunch of different kinds of huge, cool looking but very poisonous mushrooms.

An old outhouse just a few yards away from an old mining cabin

But the highlight of the trip, was seeing a mama and her two baby...

MOOSE!

They were grazing in one of the meandering creeks. We have never seen the wild moose in Colorado before. The only wild moose we've ever seen were in Yellowstone. We were so excited!

  

The babies went and hid behind the shrub while mama continued to nibble

A beautiful pond showing the signs of mining from over a hundred years ago!