The Best To You In 2015

Wishing All Of You, 

"The Merriest Of Christmases And A Happy New Year"

See you after the first with a new attitude and photos

;D

No ???? Picture Monday

Sorry there is no photo.

Somehow while developing and cleaning,

 I have managed to lose my entire 2014 Photo File.

;(((((

My computer is headed to the computer doctor. 

Hopefully its still on the hard drive.

The words Back Up! Back Up! Back Up!

are ringing in my head.

Along with Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!

Pretty Picture Monday

Thursdays Thoughts, Milestones

A couple of milestones were hit this October 2014.

The Biscuit, now 19 months started a new daycare at the Parks

 and Rec.  Mama decided she needed a little more structure in her

 daily routine and some social time with those her same height.

She's learning colors, letters, "how to wait your turn" and drinking

from a cup with no lid?  Not in Nana's house.  The daycare is part 

of the gymnastics academy and the Biscuit is learning tumbling.  

Grandma Lori and I still watcher her one day a week each.

It's amazing how fast she is growing and the changes, I've

seen in her over the past three weeks.  It's also amazing 

how much I can get done with that extra day!

A birthday was celebrated, my mom Diana aka Grandma Don aka GG.  

Mom turned 80 and the Clark Clan gathered to honor her.

Let me tell you a little about Mom. 

  Women's lib was the big thing when I was a teen.  

Never understood it because my mom was one of the most

 liberated women I knew.

In the saddle before the sun was up, hair in silver pin curls and a scarf

 to work cows, build fence or what ever the job of the day was.

 Always by Dads side.

 Cooking the night before to feed the help if they were gathering or branding,

plus clean her own house, tend garden and raise me.

Still can picture her covered with dirt and shit from a day of cow work,

go home get cleaned up, put her hair up in a French Twist, put on a 

dress she made herself from a Mc Calls or a Simplicity pattern.

Heels and finish ironing a shirt with snaps she made for dad,

then head to the Blue Gumm or the Elks for dinner and dancing.

Get up in the morning and do it all over.

After the cattle were gone, mom went to work in the mill office and

 over the years worked for some of the biggest lumber outfits in 

California.   Georgia and Luciana Pacific.

Cow camps, rent houses and single wide trailers were the roofs over 

our heads while I was still home and I never heard her complain.

As a kid,  I didn't know we were poor, there was always plenty to eat and 

a home at night to return to, because of Mon.

She'll be the first to tell you she's had (not and easy life) but a good one.

 

Biscuit showing her cousin Vincent her cows.

Pretty Picture Monday

Click on photo to enlarge.

Thursdays Thoughts, There's a Rock in My Tree!

It is way to hot for October!

It's still in the 90's, we've had a few cool mornings and two 

day of rain a while back.  I am truly ready for real fall weather.

Crisp cold mornings and an extra blanket on the bed!

 The other morning early, I went to do some clean up along the road.

For some reason, people seem to thing that if your in the country,

it's Ok to though you empty beer bottle over ones fence....  It's Not.

I had the camera along, you never know what you might find,

as the sun is coming up.   Maybe some wildlife moving about.

No!    I found a rock in one of the olive trees?

Thought it was really cool to find, then I got to thinking

about how long we have lived her and this was 

the first time I ever noticed it !?

Holy Molly.... 

 Make me wonder what else I've missed over the years?

;D

Pretty Picture Monday

Pretty Picture Monday

9-11 Have We Forgotten ?

I know the people haven't.

Our Government, I'm not so sure.

I'm to sure about a lot of things our Government does.

Thursdays Thoughts, Crossed Paths

Wasn't sure I still had this photo.

Yep! That's me, riding Salty at the 1972/73

California State High School Rodeo Finals,

in Antioch CA.

The reason for searching for the photo, came about when JS and I

 attended the team roping at our county fair a couple of weeks age.

Making our way up the stairs of the bleachers, the face of a women

caught my eye.  She was setting with a group of ladies 

directly behind the seats we had chosen.

I was sure of who she was, but hadn't seen her for more then 40 years.

Yes ... older, but still as I remembered her from my childhood.

I turned and ask "Are you Linda Rosser?"

She smiles and answered "Yes"

If your a rodeo fan then you know well of the  Flying U Rodeo 

and Cotton  Rosser,  Linda was Cottons first wife,

Mom worked for them in Cottons Cowboy Corral and was

friends with Linda when I was young.

The smile on Linda's face make me realize that she was probably

asked that question many times over the course of a week.

Never the less her answer was gracious.

Telling her who my mother was she smiled even wider.  Asked how mom

was and stated how on earth did I recognize her, that was so long ago.

Not wanting to take her time, I agreed and said how nice it was to see her.

What I didn't tell her is that we had seen each other, 

on the day for this photo.

It was the final go around of a two day event and the top 

three places would go to the National High School Finals.

I didn't have anyone to turn back for me in the cutting class and being

a kid, didn't want to ask those strangers to help.   Luckily when my name

was announced, one of those strangers was Linda.  She recognized my

name and turned the cattle back for me.

I placed Third, the final spot for Nationals.

It would have never happened if not for her.

No I didn't go to Finals, They were in Wisconsin and for most of 

the kids on the west coast it might as well been on the moon.

But on that day the planets were aliened, thanks to Linda Rosser.

Pretty Picture Monday

Pretty Picture Monday

 Need to step up my photography, I'm entering a photo contest.

Decided that if I'm going to get better,  I need to hear some

constructive criticism.

I've entered two photos, that I'll pick out of these five.

The bottom two are my least favorite, only because the color 

isn't as rich as I would like.

Let me know, what are you'r two favorites.

Or should I pick different ones........   ;D

Click on Photos to Enlarge

Bits and Pieces of August

The day to day is pretty much the same. 

 Get up, have coffee, see JS out the door, do morning choirs,

then the day is wide open to do the fun things in life.

Irrigate, work for JS, clean house, watch Baby, 

"You get it"

 Most every weekend is spent in the mountains,

working on the cabin/lodge.   We leave here on Friday night

 after work, drive the hour and 15 min. ......  check out the 

progress on the new cabin for that week and kick back with

 a cold beer and take in the view.   Spend all day Saturday 

working and head home at dark.......   By the end of this

 month the whole thing will be insulated and sheet rocked.

I have to admit, I'm looking forward to winter for a break.

We did have some fun this past week. 

Thursday night we attended the Butte County Fair,

Corn Dogs, Cold Beer, took in the Team Roping, visited with

 lots of people, we only seem to see at the fair.  Then a walk

 through the beef barns, spent a lot of years there with our kids.

Saturday I went back to the fair for the Jr Livestock Auction.

JS wanted to buy some of the FFA and 4-H kids animals.

In the middle of all the bids, big smiles, tears and noise,

the Auctioneer challenged our Congressmen Doug  LaMalfa

to kiss a pig for charity.  The local VFW was pick to receive the 

donations and the hat was passed around the audience.

Over a $1,000.00 was raised.  

 LaMalfa even put on lipsticks to kiss the pig.

;D

Pretty Picture Monday

Click on Photo to Enlarge

Rabbit Creek

A trip to the mountains today, was a nice change.

The electricians wanted to do a final walk though on the cabin

and to make sure they had everything we had talked about done.

Daughter Dawn had to drive me,  my truck has been running hot.

I asked JS to check it out for me before I took off this morning.

It had no water in it......   Yikes !!!!!  

Dawn had taken off work today, because her daycare person 

was going to the mountains.   It actually worked out well.

Dawn is my personal decorator. 

 It was nice to be able to run ideas by her.

On our way home we stopped in La Porte for lunch, 

at the Rabbit Creek Deli.  During the gold rush

La Porte was called Rabbit Creek and the 

Union Hotel is one of the few buildings 

left from that time.  Nice Day.

;D

Pretty Picture Monday

Photo Date with Sister Cindy

Sunday, Cindy call to see if I wanted to go with her to shoot the moon.

Heck Ya!   Photo dates with Sister Cindy are always fun.

She picked me up at 7 and we headed out to the After Bay in the valley,

thinking we would have a wide view of the mountains and open sky's.

Once there, the view wasn't quite as grand as imagined.  Plan B !

Took the road north, till we came to the dirt part of Nelson Ave.

Followed it east, to the top of the ridge, overlooking the  Fore Bay,

Table Mt and the dam.  This was a great spot.

Now, where to setup ?

Lucky for us, there had been a fire.  The fence had been cut for the dozer

to go through.   They even had a nice fire break graded, so we didn't 

have to stand in tall dry grass and a flat spot for our tripods.

Thanks CDF     California Department of Forestry 

After the right spot had been marked (a line in the dirt)

we retrieved our gear.  All setup and ready!

and then the moment we anticipated.

"THE SUPER MOON

The truth is the moon wasn't all that super and it didn't take long 

for other shiny things to catch our eye.

Fun night, time with Cindy is always great,

 we learned somethings and had a lot of laughs.

;D

PS...   See the little floating things in my photos?

They're not on my lens    :(((((

Pfriday Photo Play

Biscuit and the Bucket

Biscuit has a new toy !?

Even after Nanna went hog wild at TOYS R US

She has laid clam to the red feeding bucket.

It was in the back of the Ranger during one of our rides

around the farm and a must have,

in a Gals wardrobe.

It is quite versatile, just right height for setting.

Perfect for carrying those girly essentials, cell phone, keys,

sippy cut, rocks.  Rocks are a big thing this week.

Biscuits favorite use is putting her snacks in it.

Yes!  Cheerios, Blueberries, Yogurt chips.

She love eating her little goodies from the bucket.

Your thinking right about now,

"Sam that buckets is dirty !!!"

Yes it is  ...  covered in "dirt", grain , molasses

and God know what else.

But I look at it as a step up.

She was putting them in Ranch Dogs dinner dish.

It's not like I let her drink water out of it .

That's what the hose is for.

;D

Pretty Picture Monday

Not quite what you were expecting ?

It's hot, it's dry and even the mountain flowers 

are gone.

This is all I could fine,  the tall stock on this will 

be covered in little yellow flowers soon and 

will most likely be next weeks shot.

I think this is Skunk Cabbage, not sure.

I know by next week.

;D

Pretty Picture Monday

"I have Naked Ladies in my garden."

Pretty Picture Monday

"I love My Garden"

Just when I think the last blooms of Spring have been 

overwhelmed by Summer's heat, I am pleasantly surprised.

"Come on in, grab a cup of coffee and get caught up"

Glad you came by, hows your summer going?  The heat is unreal, 
even for California.  I've given up on trying to keep things green
and am working on just keeping thing alive.  Don't let the 
color of the orange trees fool you, they're stressed.
Water is my life right now, making sure garden, 
yard, orchard and critters have enough.

The young bull we have, seem to think the big game is to see how

many floats on the water tanks, he can break in a week. 

 Though he was sold ?  He needs some bigger and older bulls

to do some schooling on him.

And speaking of water, JS has announced he is running for a seat on

 our local water district board,  "South Feather Water and Power.

We're in the middle of a campaign !?!?!???

Oldest Son Shane is JS's campaign manager 

(having work in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Offices)

(Yes !!! I'm dropping names here)  His has experienced as to what 

papers and forms have to be filled out and how this all works.

He's got a tough job in front of him,  he already told his Dad

 and I that the hardest thing about this campaign is "Us"....

"I wonder what he means by that ?"

4th of July was pretty low key.  We spent it in the mountains at the

cabin.  JS's folks and my mom were up and Youngest Son Zach came 

for a day as well.  Had dinner one night with a group of friends, but 

didn't go to LaPorte for any of the festivities.  As a matter of fact 

I unplugged for the weekend, no phone, Kindle, computer or camera.

"Thank God for a deck of cards"

Two days a week the Biscuit comes to hang out with me.

We spend the day, watering the kitchen garden and eating all of 

Papa's raspberries.  Laundry, chasing turkeys in the Ranger, 

checking cows, reading her books, playing in the sprinkler and 

setting in Nanna's lap in the rocking chair watching the Disney 

channel till she falls asleep.  Two hardest days of the week !!!

That's about it around here.

What have you been up too...............  ;D

Wordless Wednesday

Pretty Picture Monday

"Hotter Than a Popcorn Fart"

One of grandpa Lloyd's saying for the heat.

I don't know if it actually got up to 108 or 110 like was predicted,

but I can sure as heck tell you it was 100 and HOT !

 If you'r on Facebook with me, you know I'm outside fairly early,

 but it was to hot yesterday morning to get much done.

I watered what needed to be watered and spent the rest

 of the day in the house.  Ranch Dog wouldn't even

 come out of her hole, she has dug.

Felt a little wussy about it, but not enough to go back outside.

This morning was much cooler, so I worked in the kitchen garden all morning. 

 Weeded the strawberry bed and got everything watered good. 

Inside now getting the house picked up and then headed to town.

Hope it's not to hot where your at.