Early morning fright

This morning I let the dogs outside and checked to see if I need to defrost the windshiled on the truck.
Right away Mischka and DJ start barking and running after a coyote right by the fence. They chased him over onto the BLM land. The very scraggly coyote was about the size of M and could have made a snack out of DJ. Jack stayed on the front porch and barked.
Maks was in the house, having been outside earlier.
For a change, the truck didn't need defrosting which was good because after chasing down DJ, we would have been late for the bus if the truck did need defrosting.

Thanksgiving 2011

To start the Thanksgiving holiday off right, our school has a grandparent's day every year. Following a meal of turkey and all the fixings, the grandparents are treated to a musical extravaganza.

Alex spoke about what he was thankful for which included the fact that turkeys are easy to raise and taste good. I don't remember him doing much in raising any of our turkeys.

Andy told what he loved about his grandparents in the form of a poem. Andy was also one of the servers of the meal. That's his fourth grade teacher, Paul Frank, with him.

It's a dog's world

When we first moved here we had Corey, the cocker spaniel, and Katie the Keeshond. We soon added Bear the Great Pyrenees/malamute. They are all gone now. Our current dogs are Mischka, Jack and DJ.

Jack is a Shih Tzu we adopted from a shelter. He's about 8 years old and likes nothing better than to lay in the recliner and sleep. And if it's on Peter's lap, so much the better. Jack also travels well, he went with us camping last summer. That's the back side of Ming the Siamese.




Mischka is a austrialian shepherd, pekenese, and german shepherd mix. She looks exactly like her dad, Nick, and her grandpa Tick Tock.




We just got DJ from Magie's family. Magie and her youngest daughter are allergic to DJ. They were allergic to Connie, his mom. DJ's dad, a chichuahua, belongs to another friend of ours. DJ is short for and reversed for Junior Dog. DJ and Mischka have the same mom, which makes them half-siblings. Despite the four year age difference, not to mention size, Mischka and DJ get along pretty well.




After Danny and Eliza died, Mischka didn't have anyone to play with, Jack being the lazy bones he is. DJ loves to run with his sister.

Halloween 2011

Alex was a ninja (again) and Andy was a Pokemon character. Magie made the costume for him. We carved pumpkins at home on Thursday night, went to the carnival at the school on Friday night, stayed home on Monday night and Tuesday morning tossed the pumpkins in the horse pasture.
Saturday Magie and I worked concessions at the football game, it was close but the Eagles lost. So football season is over. And the Broncos lost.

Not a Good Day

Sometime during the night, Eliza, the little white dog, started hemorrhaging. This morning we had to put her down.
So I took her picture off of the blog. I also removed the horses while I was at it. We seem to have "inherited" a horse. For the last week, the neighbor down the road's horse (I know bad grammar) has been hanging out with Sophie. The neighbor hasn't come to get Muffin. We've called several times. Sophie likes hanging out with Muffin. Sophie's mom, Gypsy, isn't entirely thrilled but is adjusting. Gypsy is doing much better about it with Muffin having jumped into the pasture (she jumps out of the neighbor's pasture) instead of hanging out by the fence.
Changed the name of the blog. Going to let this one sit for awhile, see if I like it or not.

Waves in the Sky

Andy came running in to tell me to come outside and see these clouds this evening

Friday pictures

It may be antelope season but these two guys would have made a nice trophy for my BIL who walked for three days in the rain and never found one in the mountains. That's because they were out here on the plains. We don't see these to often. I spotted these laying next to a big hay bale but by the time I stopped and got out of the truck with the camera they were on the move.



Alex was the wind in his class play and his best friend Chase was the little ant looking for the strongest thing.



It's Dr. Seuss Day at school and STUCO was selling hats for the occassion. Andy got the green (a school color) and yellow (his fav color) and Alex had the school colors.

What's in a Name?

I've been giving some thought to changing the name of the blog. Something with "family" in it; or maybe something about the view of Pikes Peak. I still need to give this some thought. Although the way the wind has been blowing I was considering "As the Wind Blows".
Other changes we are making around here- selling the rest of the poultry. I just really don't want to take care of the birds this winter. After the birds are gone and two of the llamas go to their new homes, we will be down to three horses, two llamas, one calf, three dogs, one hamster and a fluctuating number of cats. Keiko is missing so not sure how many I have.
Andy has been wanting a tarantula. I priced the horrid things. $149.99. No thank you.
And the wind can just stop blowing.
We are having spirit week. We started with green and white day, followed by PJ or Ninja day, today was neon day and tomorrow is Dr. Seuss Day. Fall homecoming is on Saturday. I'll be working the concession stand again for the booster club.
Tomorrow morning Alex's class is doing a short play. He is the wind. Hopefully I will remember the camera to get some pictures. It starts at 8:30 if some grandparents wanted to come. And then it's off to find some hay (which is in short supply, especially in the small bales) and then pantry.

Pecan Cranberry Jello

The holiday season is right around the corner so time to start posting recipes. This one is from my sister-in-law, Debi, who lives in Idaho.

Pecan Cranberry Jello

1 Pkg. 3 oz Cherry Jello
1 Pkg. 3 oz Orange Jello
1 Cup Boiling Water

Stir together until jello dissolves.

Add:

1 Can Whole or Jellied Cranberries
1 Can (15oz) Crushed Pineapple DRAINED
1 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 to 1 Cup Chopped Pecans

Refrigerate until jello is set.

If can't find Cherry Jello, use Raspberry instead.

Saturday Date

Peter and I went out on a date today. The boys were with Magie. We went to a consignment auction. It was HUGE. There was farm equipment, furniture, cars, jewelry, guns, just about anything you could want.
Some of the things I was interested in went for more that I wanted to pay. We did come home with a new post hole digger with metal handles (our old one kept giving us splinters- gloves are hot to wear in the summer), two camping cots (I hate sleeping on the ground) a pair of car ramps, a small loom, a metal stick thing to break up hard dirt (Peter wanted it) and an almost new Lazyboy sleeper sofa.
It was nice to sit there and eat lunch and see the snow on Pike's Peak.

Catch As Catch Can

It's been a busy month or so. School started. Andy's in 4th grade, his best friend since Kindergarten has moved away. Alex is in 3rd grade and doing well. I'm volunteering at the school again this year.
We've had houseguests, two different sets, since July 17. For awhile there was some overlapping. The second set, still here, are some longtime friends who moved their trailer home onto some land not far from us. Getting the water well, electrical, septic, INSPECTIONS takes some time but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I sold all the chickens, every last one. I don't have any egg customers anymore and since we live on a private road it doesn't make sense to put up a sign. I kept the geese and the muscovy ducks, in fact, Lucky Duck hatched 7 babies today. Jenny Duck is sitting on 10 eggs. Mr. Duck is quite pleased with himself.
We have the goats and horses. Someone is buying the two llama sisters, a friend is taking Ariel and we will keep Jafar. Maybe.
Our old beagle, Danny, died a couple of weeks ago. He had cancer for awhile and it got to the point where he was better off. One lung had quit functioning.
I won't be on the school board much longer. Not enough valid signatures. Some people either lie about being registered voters or they think they are and they arent. Registered voters that is.
My camera is at Magie's house so no pictures. The boys are watching a Looney Tunes DVD I picked up today. Do you realize these were out when my father was a kid and I watched them. Why can't they make shows this good anymore?
When I get my camera back I'll have to introduce Chester.
Tomorrow is one of our school's two home football games. Since we don't have a regulation football field we have to have our "home" games elsewhere. Tomorrow I'm helping at the concession stand. Peter will be home with the boys. Not to worry, I bought lunchables for them.
Sunday is Back to Church Sunday. We might go to church, or maybe fishing. After the rain we had the other day, fishing might be the thing especially since it will be about 80 degrees on Sunday.

Calhan Auction

Most Mondays you'll find me here. At the Calhan Auction. I've bought and sold a lot of stuff and animals here. Comet and Gypsy came from the auction, so did Sophie but we didn't know it at the time. I can't eat a chicken I've raised so when they get older or stupid I take them to the auction. I've bought and sold goats and sheep. Bought Ariel and Kusko there as well and their son, Jafar, might be making a trip to the auction soon.
In addition to livestock, the auction also deals with "stuff". It might be junk to you but it could be a treasure to someone else.
Sometimes the prices are to the benefit of the seller, sometimes the buyer. A friend of mine had a pig she took the auction. She ended up owing the auction money as the pig only sold for $5 which wasn't enough to cover the expenses of the auction. It was a really fat (not large, fat) pig.
The animals are sold by the head (horses, most goats) but most are sold be the head.
People also bring free kittens and sometimes puppies.
So if you have a free Monday come to the auction in Calhan. There is also a horse and tack sale the last Saturday of each month. I don't go to that one, it would be dangerous to my bank account.

County Fair

I told everyone we weren't going to the county fair this year. We did. We went for fun this year. Next year Andy and Alex will be in 4H so they will have projects. Andy wants to do rabbits, geese and chickens. Alex wants to do a steer. I think we will wait for awhile on a steer. Maybe dairy goats. It raines a little last night.
Back to the fair. Andy and Alex really liked the superslide. Alex went on a few high rides with Melissa but Andy wasn't a fan. And we didn't get a funnel cake or candy apple or even cotton candy.

When it Rains...

...it pours. Last night the rain started right after supper and quit about 11 p.m. We received, ready for this...almost 4 inches of water. According to the rain gauge.
I wore the flip flops to feed the horses because their feed buckets would be full of water and usually I get my shoes wet. The ducks and geese were still wet this morning. Most of the mulch dust is washed out of the bed of the truck. Course now I have to deal with muddy roads and water across the road. Try to get some pictures as we journey to the book mobile.

Can you believe It?

For the second time this summer it happened again. Our second Jeep Cherokee bit the dust. Peter was driving to work when the engine fell out. Actually one side fell.
He calls me to come rescue him (bringing the boys) and we go to town to find new bolts. From one side of the Springs to another looking for three bolts. Finally find the bolts, drive back out to the Jeep and discover that the bolts didn't fall off, they sheared off. Which means, apparently, some major work.
Came home and Peter took MY truck to work. I really hate not having a vehicle out here.
After supper tonight we went to a small dealership out here in the country and bought a 1993 Ford Escort Station Wagon. Peter can drive this to work. I have my truck. Kind of a reversal of traditional car roles. It's a really nice car. But I have my truck.

The Calendar is filling Up

Our calendar is filling up, fast. This week started with Monday auction. Scored (9) 8 foot 2x4s for $5. These will be used to enclose the dining room. Going to use the folding doors that didn't fit the boys closet.
Tuesday will be laundry day.
Wednesday we head to town for hay and splash pad.
Thursday is meat package day and some general shopping.
Friday is pantry day as is Saturday.

Next week Eliza and Jack have hair appointments and it's county fair time. This year we are going to the Kit Carson County Fair in Burlington. We lived there for years and it's nice to go back and see some of the people and my parents live close to there. Plus it's the home of the Carousel which you should check out. It's over a hundred years old.
Before we had the satellite Internet, picture downloads would take about an hour. The two pictures took about 4 MINUTES. This is just totally awesome.

We've entered the 21st Century

Our local phone company tells us that because some box is too far away, we can't get high speed internet. Such is country living. What to do...what to do?
Here's an idea...satellite internet.
For the last few days, since Tuesday, we've been adjusting to having faster downloads, ability to play games on Facebook (I missed Happy Pets), watching utube, and having people (hi mom) being able to call while we are (gasp) on line.
Really if the phone company wanted our business, maybe they could have, oh I don't know, MOVED THE BOX CLOSER.
Am I bitter, You betcha. The ironic thing? The satellite costs the same as the phone companies high speed.

Big 8

Alex turned eight this weekend. On Saturday my parents, Peter's mom and sister came out for a small party. Peter fixed hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. My mom brought a grape salad and MIL brought a veggie platter. We also had chips. Forgot the cake and ice cream.

Several years ago a friend made Andy a dinosaur blanket. When my mom asked what Alex would like for his birthday I asked her about making Alex a bug blanket. She couldn't find bug material so she sewed butterfly and dragonfly patches on a safari blanket she made. That's the blanket Alex is draped in one of the pictures. He's been sleeping with it since.
We did have the cake and ice cream on Sunday night which worked out since it was his birthday.

Colorado Gator Farm

Happy Fourth of July from Green Gates Farm.






Since there is a fire ban here locally, we won't be doing any fireworks. Also not driving into town for the display there, traffic issues you know.
Here are some more pictures from our vacation when we stopped by the Colorado Gator Farm in Mosca. We had a coupon for a free bucket of "gator chow" it looks like dog food. We ended up dumping about half into the larger pen of gators just to finish it off.

Vacationing with sand and gators

We left our farm last Saturday morning and headed west. After several hours of driving we ended up at the Great Sand Dunes. Although first we checked into the campground, set up the tent and unloaded some of the paraphenelia you take camping. Let's just say for the record right now, I HATE sleeping in a tent even with an air mattress.
So we headed down the road to the Sand Dunes. It was still pretty warm and since my knee is still bothering me, I stayed at the truck with the dogs. We took Eliza and Jack with us.
So I don't have pictures of the Sand Dunes. The guys didn't stay on the dunes for long, the sand was still pretty hot and Alex went face down in it and had enough.
We went to Alamosa for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called True Grit. If you are a John Wayne fan, you seriously need to check this place out. They also serve very good food. And were quite accomadating in keeping my ice tea glass full.
Sunday morning we were going to go fishing at San Luis Lake but it is very low and surrounded by yucky black sucky mud. So no fishing.
We then turned our attention to the Zapata Falls. You hike up half a mile of rocky trail to get to a pretty awesome waterfall.






Sunday evening we ate at the campground's restaurant. Before I forget, Saturday evening the well pump went out at the campground. There was no water for showers and no water for the toilets. It wasn't until Sunday morning at 7 a.m. that portapots were brought in. And by 10 a.m. they were not pleasant.

Seriously, if I wanted a vacation with sand and wind, I could have stayed home and saved a lot of money.

We left the sand dunes on Monday morning and headed for the Colorado Gator Farm. They raise tilapia (it's a fish) and feed the dead fish to the gators. They also have crocodiles, emus, ostriches, a peacock, giant turtles, snakes, lizards and other creepy crawly things. The gator farm was, for me, the highlight of the trip. As was returning home and sleeping in a real bed.

The good news is the new truck did well on mileage. Many thanks to Magie for taking care of the farm while we were gone.

Father's Day 2011

We started Father's Day weekend by going fishing. Naturally. Peter got to drive the new truck. We went to our usual fishing hole, Willow Springs Pond. It has mostly blue gill, as shown by Alex's catch. He released it, on purpose. It also has a few lake trout, not very big ones. We did see a turtle. There have also been a number of cranes on previous visits

While Alex and Peter were busy catching the fish, Andy and I took Eliza for a walk around the pond. It's not a real big pond but there are two of them. We don't eat the fish we catch because just across the way is the water treatment plant for Fountain. Sometimes the smell can be...just bad.

During the walk we observed two sets of Canadian Geese families. One family had three juveniles and the other family had one youngster. Both families had both sets of parents. I'm guessing this wasn't a good year for goslings.


So...Happy Father's day to my dad. I hope this post makes sense, I'm doing it on four hours of sleep.

Wet fun in the Sun

Andy and Alex both had the same Kindergarten teacher. At the end of the year, Mrs. MacDonald has a splash party for her kids. One of the activities is a slip and slide. This year I bought one although our ground is bumpy. The boys are still having fun just playing in the water.
The slide goes down between the rows of our skimpy tomato plants. The winds have been beating the plants pretty bad.
Right after these pictures were taken, Andy jumped on the water tube and it split. Maybe we'll try that big ball that sprays out water.

New Baby

After eight years my Jeep Cherokee finally gave it's last. We bought the Jeep when I drowned the Taurus on our country road after one of our rare heavy rains. My grandma, Andy was 16 months at the time, and I were driving home at night in the rain. The kind of rain which brings out the millions of little frogs. The neighbor went through with his little sports car, I followed and the engine just sucked up the water out of the puddle and cracked.
Dare I mention that I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Alex.
So Peter's brother, Charlie who was a car salesman at the time, found the Jeep for us. It worked well for the last eight years but started having more and more behavior issues. With 300K miles on it, it just made more sense to get a new vehicle rather than pour more money into the Jeep.



This is a 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup. We named it Penny. It should work a lot better for farm activities, especially hauling hay and feed. It even has some farm critters in it already.

Speedy

Since I wrote a post about Andy, I have to write one about Alex. He wanted it to be about how fast he can run. This child has been running since he was born, almost. Our house sits at the bottom of a hill and the driveway goes up the hill (makes for not so great run-off when it bothers to rain) Since he started to walk/run, Alex takes that hill at a dead run all the way to the top about 100 feet or so.
He tells me he runs faster than some of the older kids at school as well. He's very competitive. I'm thinking he will be very athletic in school, in addition to being on of those brainy kids. He'll be graduating from college in a few years at the rate he's going. And his principal was worried about Alex graduating when he was 17. He will but will turn 18 a few weeks later, my cousin did that and she turned out okay. But in the meantime, the picture is of Alex almost 2 years old.

Musical tastes

Nine year old Andy has begun developing his musical tastes. Right now he likes jazz and celtic music. He will sit and watch Celtic Thunder on PBS. I always knew that Andy had good taste in music when he was three years old and his favorite song was "One of Us" by ABBA. I would have to play it over and over when we went on a car trip. And the car trips from out here in the boonies can take awhile.
Andy will come and tell me when a song that he thinks that I like is on the radio. He has been listening to 92.9 in the mornings. He thinks that Goose and Woody are just too funny.

Gosling Guardians

On June 1, Juliet hatched out three baby goslings. They are doing well, surrounded by their four guardians. Juliet left four eggs in the nest, which I tossed. The ducklings which Giselle had adopted disappeared. Lucky the muscovy is still sitting on seven eggs. Mrs. G, the African goose, is sitting on eggs as well.
Andy and Alex are enjoying their summer vacations. They are required to read for at least half an hour, a real book- not one of the Calvin and Hobbs collections. Andy is reading "The Lost World" (dinosaur story) and Alex is reading different things. Both were spending too much time on-line so they were limited to one hour apiece.