Happy Anniversary To Us

Well, it was my anniversary, but unfortunately before knowing the date, I committed the kids and I to show sheep with our 4H club at the Colorado State Fair. So, 5 girls and Ian loaded up a bunch of sheep in the back of the truck, hauled them to the trailer, loaded them into the trailer and drove down to Pueblo. We then transferred them to their pens at the fair. Boy was that some fun! None of them were halter trained so we man handled them all the way into the fair. We got some weird cross-ways glances the whole way in!

Hauling Hay

Izzy hauling water

Ike & Dixie hauling water

Kelly & Izzy feeding Dudley

Waiting & waiting for the show to start

And waiting

Kelly, Ian, Shelby & Izzy taking Douglas for his winning picture

Kelly & Sundance posing for the winning photo

I finally was able to kiss and hug Mac and tell him Happy Anniversary at about 11:48 PM, with 12 minutes to spare! We learned a lot about showing sheep, finally were able to go to the state fair, and had a good time with our 4H peeps!

4-Wheeling Georgia Pass

Rough Riders Horse Show

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!

Ike Returns

Ike got back from scout camp a few days ago. We actually drove about three hours further into the mountains of Colorado to pick him up. We were about ten minutes from Wyoming. That's some beautiful country, though. I was so happy to see him and was pleasantly surprised that he was just as happy and excited to see me. That'll warm a mama's heart. If only he would have bathed once or twice while he was gone. But then the trip home wouldn't have been nearly as exciting and eventful. We actually stopped at the nearest gas station, made him go to the bathroom with a change of clothes and wash up as much as possible. I even paid three dollars for a tiny bottle of Fabreze. Unbelievable. I knew we would never make it the three hours home, though, with our heads stuck out the window. Really. It was that bad. You've never smelled the kind of funk a twelve year old boy puts off after a week of fly fishing, hiking, and horseback riding and not taking a shower. OH MY GOODNESS... And the layers of dirt...you couldn't possibly understand...And to think I hugged and kissed him without considering my personal health and welfare...

Anyway, I was so glad to see my boy. I missed him like crazy. Izzy and I were pretty busy with VBS and chickens which helped. But every day I got more and more anxious to see that sweet-smelling boy. Hmph. Shudder.

I think he was glad to get home, take a shower and sleep in his own bed, too. There is just something precious about coming home to your own bed and stuff. Not to mention all the hugs and snuggles he got...after a long, hot shower, of course...

He said he had a blast, made some new friends, got a few more merit badges, learned a couple new card games, perfected Old Macdonald on the harmonica, and gained some extra blisters, too. Battle wounds, I suppose. He was very excited to learn that we got some chickens while he was gone. We got home late and the poor boy headed straight to bed after his shower, but he was up bright and early the next morning meeting the new additions before running out the door. We had a parade to attend...

Chickens

My girl and I found four laying hens someone was giving away last week. MacGyver helped us turn an old shipping crate into a roosting box. He put it up two feet off the ground and then made us a chicken ladder. Izzy and I went to the local feed store and picked up some laying feed and some pine shavings for the roosting box. The lady let us use her little cat sized carrier because the trunk we brought only fit two chickens. She told me she also homeschools her four boys and is involved in 4-H, as well. She invited us to come join her local homeschool group. Evidently they have a  12+ adventure club. I don’t think either of my kiddos need one more thing to do, but I might look into it. It might fit the bill for our friends’ young son. He’s not big into scouts but needs an outlet like that. Since one of my parenting philosophies is to let my kiddos dip their toes in as many ponds as possible until they find their niche, we might check it out. Who knows what we might find in that pond. Everyone needs a niche. The biggest problem for us seems to be narrowing down ALL our individual interests; and we have a bunch. So far, Ike’s niche is scouts and shooting sports. Izzy’s niche is definitely horseback riding. MacGyver’s is scouts and search and rescue. Right now my niche is supporting everyone else’s niche. What are my interests if I had all the time and money in the world? Medicine, horses, quilting, painting, scrapbooking, and since you asked me today…definitely chickens. Since we brought the chickens home I haven’t been able to keep my hands or eyes off them. Izzy seems afflicted with the same illness, as well. We are as excited as little kids on Christmas morning! I have wanted chickens for a long time. I don’t know how long we will be in this house, on this property, or in these exact circumstances, but as far as I’m concerned, it couldn’t be a better time to have chickens! The lady told us that she’s been getting about two to three eggs a day and isn’t sure why all four aren’t producing. I’ll have to give it a go and see what we can find out. One is an Anacona. She’s black and brown with a little crown on top. Her name is LuLu. I’ve laid claim to her.

The other three are Red Stars, I believe. We’ve named one Nana, another one Penny. Nana has the smallest "waddle" under her throat and Penny has a crown that looks like fingers. We’re waiting until Ike gets home from scout camp to name the last one. He won’t be home for three more days and we can NOT wait to tell him all about the new chickens. We set their nesting box up in one of the outdoor kennels so the mountain lion or other varmints don’t try and get to them. We figure we’ll let them out to do a little free ranging when we’re home and once they’ve figured out where home is. I think I’ll work on cutting some ventilation holes and attaching some hinges to the top so we can get to the eggs easier. It was sort of a rushed job. It will definitely keep them safe but I’ll make some modifications as I notice the need. Izzy and I are instantly in love with our new girls. We watched them scratch and scratch at the floor of the kennel.

No name on the left; Penny on the right

Several of them found worms and then fought over who got them. We got a few chuckles out of that! Izzy cut a bunch of grass and gave them a billion little tiny snippets. I gave them some chunks of celery and they seemed to love that. All I know that they can’t eat so far is potatoes. We’re going to have so much fun learning all about chickens. Nana wasn’t feeling so well when we got home. She was pretty lethargic and even let Izzy hold her and pet her for a long time. She eventually “laid” a broken egg and the shell was thin and rubbery looking. I’m not sure what that means or what to do about it. She drank a bunch of water and came around enough to eat some fresh grass and scratch around with the other girls. We were happy to see her acting more normal. I’m still worried about her, but have a better feeling that she’ll at least make it through the night. Izzy asked me to check on her first in the morning before she did. She has already found herself attached to Nana {with Izzy on the right} and doesn’t want to find her lifeless body in the morning. I don’t blame her. Neither do I! it was so much fun to watch them first huddle in a corner and then settle into their new home and set about doing what chickens do…scratch around for bugs and plants. What fun.

Evergreen Rodeo

Evergreen Father's Day Parade

Our 4H club, the Rough Riders, got together this year and made a western themed float for the Evergreen Parade. We had a blast and handed out gobs and gobs of candy.

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?

Best Concussion Story EVER!

March, 2011

Our 4H club is called Rough Riders. We usually meet at Dixie's house for riding practice. Not only does she have horses, but also laying hens, 15 or so sheep, and a whole herd of dogs! One day while at Dixie's riding, one of her Shetland rams, Douglas, managed to get over into the pen with the ewes. She asked us to help her get him back into his pen. The four of us tried working together to squeeze him into a corner so we could grab him by the horns and then lift him back over the fence. At one point I managed to grab for his horns as he darted by, missed, and just got a handful of wool. Well, Mr. Douglas didn't want any part of that! In a split second he turned around, butted me square between my eyes and knocked me off my feet. The world just about went black. I lay there, face down, with my head in my hands not caring at all that I was reclining in sheep poop. I thought I was going to be sick. The world would not stop spinning. My eyes began to water, as snot and blood poured out of my nose. When the kids asked me if I was okay all I could manage to say was "Ice. I need ice". I didn't know if I was okay. I didn't know if I needed stitches. I didn't even know if I had passed out. I just know I wouldn't be able to stand up for the next 10 minutes. I could see. I could talk. But my head felt like it was splitting open. All I could think about was how badly I wanted ice. It wasn't until I finally managed to drag my dissheveled self up off that manure-covered ground that I knew I would be okay. I called my husband and asked him to meet me at the bottom of the mountain and somehow managed to drive the curvy roads with a bag of ice between my eyes and melting water running down my face. I will never forget what it felt like to be taken down by a ram. They may not be very big, 90 pounds maybe, but they pack a whallop! I had a headache for the next two weeks, but hands down one of the best concussion stories, ever!