Don't Bother Me On Thursdays

My day is full if its Thursday.

This little thing is on the move, every minute.

She loves Nanny and Papa's farm.

 Ranch Dog and Ranger rides.

Cows and Picking Berries in the Garden.

Checking the Mail and Driving Tractors.

(with no keys in them)

Swinging under the Grape Arbor

 and Cheese.

Saying Good Morning to the Neighbor's Horses

and Chalk Drawings.

Running and Hugs..... and Kisses.

Napping on Nanny's Bed with the Big Pillows

and playing with the Water Hose.

It's a full day,

don't bother me on Thursday.


;D

Water Decisions...

 Didn't realize it had been so long, since my last post.

Had to make some hard decisions about irrigating this year.

Completely replaced all the water lines in the commercial orchard

and new risers and heads.  Also put in a new system so we can 

fertilize with liquid fertilizer through the water lines.

We have always used an above ground, dry fertilizer and had to have

 a good rain to soak it into the ground to the roots.  Timing was

 everything and with the lack of rain it's been harder to gage.

Went ahead and replaced all the shut off valves to the 

olive orchard and the pasture and fitted timers on everything.

Shane and a worker did a lot of it and we hired a man to set-up 

all the timers.   We decided that we will not irrigate the olives at all.

Olive trees can live for years without water and once the grass is all

 fed down we will haul all the cow to the sale.  That way we wont have

 any water tanks leaking and it will save quite a bit.

I'm not ready to make drastic water cuts on my yard as yet,

to much invested, but I am cutting way back on my kitchen garden.

That makes me sad.

Wordless Wednesday

Spring on the Farm

Except for the lack of rain,

It's pretty much been spring since January.

It's always busy on the farm in spring.

The orange orchard is ready for summer,

mowed, round-upped and fertilized.

This year we are putting in all new water lines

(drip lines).  All the pipe the fittings were delivered today,

so that will be next weeks job.  We've changed all of 

the irrigation stations, over to clocks.

Trying to be more conservative with our water.

All kinds of flowers are in bloom and the yard has already

had it's big cleaning for the year, do to Biscuits birthday 

party last weekend.

The new shop is getting closer to being done.

the building is finished, now the electricians are adding lights 

and the roll-up doors will be going in soon.

Can't Wait !!!!

Plan on doing a big clean around here as soon as it's done.

Working on the kitchen garden, hoping to get it all planted in the

 next two weeks.  I don't plant as soon as some of my friends.

April seems to hold out one more freeze or hail storm.

Thinking no more rain then we've gotten,

I'm safe.

;D

Two

The Biscuit, has turned two. 

 Her Mama and Daddy, had her party here on Saturday.

Small, mostly family and a few friend and perfect.

BBQ, Cup Cakes, Lots of Gifts.

Baby calf kelp all the kids entertained,

best decoration at the party.

The Biscuit was in high gear for the entire party,

till she crashed in the arms of her Mother.

Even Cinderella's Ball had to come to an end.

;D

Spring ?

I have the windows open !

It is just so beautiful out, which is so sad, in so many ways

and I keep finding myself outside.

I was counting on it being rainy and wintery, 

to force me inside to finish things up, 

before I take off the first of March.

Mother Nature is not playing nice.

;D

"Ordered My Very First Photo Prints Today"

This would be a Champlain day,
 if it didn't give me such a headache. 
A little nerve racking too.

I've signed up for a Portfolio Review,

 in March at Shooting The West 

in Winnemucca and entering photos in a contest, 

that need to be framed.

These photos are the test dummies,  

I'll be able to tell by these,

what adjustments I need to make and

 how the color turns out.

I'm existed also and have about ten more photos, 

that I'm going to have printed, after I get these back.

Then I'll make up the portfolio and decide which one to frame.

Now I can't wait for them to get here!!!!!

American Sniper

JS and I went to see the American Sniper last night.

To simple way it was a good move is not enough.

The world has always been at war, sad to say will always be.

The Greatest Generation never spoke of it, 

Vietnam vets were shun,

Desert Storm, make it look quick, easy and clean,

but it was still all "over there".

Our Iraq and Afghanistan vest we're not quite sure what to do with.

We support them, love them and are proud of them.

Unlike the others, they brought it home and put it in our hand.

The truth is, we're happy being blind.

It's not that we don't know what war is, it's just that

we want them to come back the same as we sent them.

No scares, no troubles and don't bring it home.

Chris Kyle is the necessary evil of war.

With out him less would come home.

Yes! I believe Chris Kyle and those like him are

"American Heroes"

1/1/2015

"Hello and Welcome!"

Happy New Year!

Little cold on the farm this morning.

Not enough to bother the oranges, but it did ice up the cow's water.

Had a great night ringing in the new year with friends, over dinner.

We were home by 10:30 and couldn't even stay awake to 

see the ball drop on the replay.

JS was sound asleep and I woke just after to turn the TV off.  

The full crew was working today, so it was for the best.

Hope your had a fun night and your head didn't hurt this morning.

;D

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.