Where's the song ~~ "Don't let your daughters grow up to marry a Cowboy" ?

​​​​​​​Life is tough! Requires hard physical work, long, long days of pain, dirt, and broken fingernails.​
​Days of frigid cold & scorching heat; through the dust & mud; daybreak into the darkness of nite~~​
​the heart & body becomes toughened & weathered replicating leather!​
​A forever constant factor for a real Cowboy's Wife is tons of sweat, oceans of tears and a constant 'drought' in the wallet!​
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​​​​​​​​​IF​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ she wants to spend anytime at all with her Cowboy, she must do as he does, you become partners!​
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​​​​​​Kick off your boots, grab a cup of coffee, sit back and envision yourself in my life!​
​... It really isn't that bad! There are many rewards to be had to make it a great lifestyle! ...​ ​​​​​​​


Monday, October 6, 2008

Fall Cleaning...

...Has had me under the weather lately.

QUITE~LITERALLY!

I have spent the past week outdoors! Working my hiney off!
Summer was here early last week with temperatures of 86+ degrees,
which was wonderful.
Fall reminded me that it is here by bringing us back down
to 70 degrees on Thursday and 60 on Friday ~ with rain!

YEP! ...I'm talking about that wet stuff that drops from the sky!
It is a rarity for our parts of the world because our average rainfall for a year
is 11-13 inches total.

Rain is good though.

But then, Winter showed it's vengeance Sunday with a whopping 47 degrees!
The hefty winds arrived overnight bringing more rain!
I don't own an umbrella or galoshes, so proceeding with my agenda
for the day, made things (and Me!) pretty soggy!

I know I've been neglectful here, I haven't been able to check in on my friends and I do have some things I need to acknowledge
(I'm getting there
Ms Train Wreck..keep singing for awhile longer Ok? American Idol may discover you yet!) but I've been pretty bogged down.
No! Silly! I didn't say BLOGGED down...I said BOGGED down!

PLEASE FORGIVE ME for being otherwise consumed!

Some things around here call out MY name only! I'm not sure why they seek MY attention and drop right upon MY shoulders this time of year,
but they always do!
(Maybe it's because Cowboy is trying to earn the $$ and I'm sloughing????)
Don't you dare answer "Yes"!

Admittedly, I can't seem to get things done as fast as I want
or used to......which really irritates me!
I then end up accomplishing less because I've spent too much time stewing about how
"it used to be"!

Here is what's on my list that I've been struggling to accomplish with hopes
(yea I know, they are High Hopes!) of completing within the next 3 weeks:

  • Clean and store patio furniture.
  • Clean BBQ & Cover.
  • Touch up paint on door trims, railings and windows. (partially done)
  • Check caulk around windows and doors. (re-caulk if needed).
  • Inspect external doors. Do they close tightly? Install weather-stripping?All is well!
  • Wash exterior windows 26. 19 to go! (Yuk!)
  • Wash interior windows 26. (Double Yuk!) ...I'll move this to my Indoor Fall List...
  • Gather, clean, Oil garden tools.
  • Pull lingering plant in garden. (1/2 done)
  • Turn #2 and #3 compost piles
  • From compost pile #1, spread around shrubs & perennials
  • Drain and store garden hoses.
  • Winterize/weed n' feed lawn
  • Take apart and find parts to repair frost-free spigots outside on house.
  • Install insulating covers on exterior spigots.
  • Check gutters and downspouts ...(miles & miles of!). Clear of debris if necessary.

The worst part of doing these gutters..is my fear of heights! While cleaning pine needles & gutters over the back porch (the only semi-FLAT roof there is), the ladder fell stranding me until Cowboy came around close enough to hear me calling out...which was about an hour later!
But Hey! I was able to take a snooze and luckily... I didn't roll off!
(In this climate, I don't have a clue why someone installed these darned things! They never get used except for collecting dust and leaf debris).

  • Stack firewood (what we have so far...)
  • Clean both fireplaces of last years soot and ashes.
  • Check stock tank heaters, make sure they still work. MEMO: Need one more!
  • Check extension cords and repair if mice dined on them over the summer. MEMO: Repair two
  • Check hay tarps~ which is not easy, as they are those really heavy duty ones made by that company in AZ I used to work for... they ARE heavy & cumbersome for little 'ol me!


I'm so sorry............but I've been exhausted come nightfall!
If you don't believe me? Come and walk in my shoes for a day.
Oh, that won't work because I don't wear shoes...
so you'll have to be barefoot too!

I AM making a pot of coffee right now....
(and my dear friend the CoffeeLady...Thank you!)
Pssstttt.....she sent me some wonderful smelling packages!
Of Coffee! You guessed it!**huge smile**
...and I am going to stay up tonight...

...and 'catch up' on all of my wonderful Blogging Friends!

Don't wait up for me, just leave the light on...
I have my coffee & I will let myself in....






20 comments:

Sage said...

{{hugs}} that is quite a list, just make sure you are not too tired at the end of it to rest properly.

Anonymous said...

Hé Barb! Thanks for stopping by and leaving me your encouraging words! We all need that more then ever now! But don't you think that at some point folks will get closer again? I mean, look at the list of stuff you are working your way through, what would it be like if there was more people then just you and Cowboy to get things done? Not so long ago farms were full of family, cousins, nephews, grandparents and so on. They just had to live together to survive and get things done. I wonder if that would come back some day ...

Big hug! Take it one step at a time and you'll get things done! This, by the way, one advantage of me having bad eyesight is that I don't notice as quickly when my windows need cleaning! LOL

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Barb,

You have been busy! Just take it one day at a time. That's what I try to do. Love the pictures!

My son does the gutters here and many other outdoor chores. Our weather is still in the low 80s, but the nights are nice and cool for sleeping. Today, we are getting nice rain, for which I'm thankful. The colors are just starting to come in. I love Fall!

Take some time out for a little enjoyment!

Hugs and blessings,

Renie

Cactus Jack Splash said...

Wow, your list made me tired. It also made me feel a bit guilty, but not too much, for grouching around about my list of things to do.

Anonymous said...

Good Morning!

You are wonderful! I admire you. If I wasn't out bringing in the bacon, I still don't think I could do all you do! Many ((((hugs))) to you my friend! Good to see a post from ya! Take Care and enjoy!

Christina

Adventure girl said...

Oh gosh! Your list is making me aware of my LIST;)

Good luck with all that! I feel ya!

The Blonde Duck said...

Whew! You've been a busy girl! Time to put your feet up and rest awhile! (And read the new Vivi and Wade!)

Anonymous said...

Tell me about it the cleaning never ends!!

I love your post though it's nice to hear I'm not the only one bogged down by a list of unending chores.

I read another cute little post the other day that I saw on Where Families Connect that showed you how to clean your whole house in less than 20 minutes... I tried it and was somewhat successful haha.. check it out it could lessen the load!

http://wherefamiliesconnect.com/2008/09/30/clean-your-house-in-under-20-minutes/

Linda said...

When you get done yours you can come visit me, our lists are similar so it would be easy for you LOL!!!
I dislike heights too so I just wait and wait and wait for someone to get up and clean the gutters.........sometimes a couple of years I wait and wait:)

DesertHen said...

So good to find a post from you this morning......wow, what a list!! I too have a list of my own that must be completed in the next few weeks.....some days I wonder just what the heck I've done all day other then go around in a circle....Ha, ha.....

Love your photos.......I do think we have some of the same weather patterns and yes, "great minds" do think alike.....referring to the "storms brewing" in both of our posts.....=)

We are still trying to catch up on the haying process around here after the rain we had over the weekend......the guys are out now rolling the windrows in hopes it will help them dry out faster......we need to get the last three pivots of hay baled and up before the next storm makes its way to us.....( forecast for this weekend!! )

Enjoy that coffee......and try to relax a bit in between those tasks you must complete........

GeckoGirl said...

Oh my gosh! I thought I had a list from H-E-L-L! You have by far surpassed me; I have to laugh tho' cuz if DodgeMan1 saw that list he'd think TWICE about wanting a BIG RANCH to live on!! He teases me sayin' if we won the lottery that's what he'd want to do: Big Ranching....I think that's why we've not won yet?! :@) I'm makin me a pot of coffee too...it's chilly today and I'm thinkin that I might fire up the heat today! What a kick.....my folks have already used their stove this past week. Take care and I will look for another post from you soon:) Put some fuzzy socks on and relax! ~Teresa~

Jenn said...

Barb
Glad to hear all is well (well... sorta... is being busy well?) and I was worried. Now, if you find time to peep online, just skip my blog until about Friday, I've got two mid-terms on Thrusday, and I won't be online. :(


Jenn

terri said...

I know just how you feel. Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day. I've spent my evening trying to catch up in blogland... but I'm ready to hit the sack. This chick's exhausted!

Hope you catch up on your chores soon!

Train Wreck said...

Oh I could totally step in your footsteps! I don't wear shoes either!! I am afraid of heights too! Wow, Wow that is some list!! Holy too much, for one woman, Batman! I don't ddare make a list! I would get tired just writing it out!! Let's see the song for you today is...hmmm... me me me Row, Row, Row your boat, gently down the stream, Merrily Merrileeey merrileeey Life is tooooo extreme...ahem.. I mean a dream!! he he he!! Simon will love me!!!

Pearl said...

Hi Barb... UGH... I got tired just reading your lists... all I can say is, Bless Your Heart... I'll say a prayer for you... Ohhh, and thank you for your prayers... I'm starting to feel a lil bit better! Take a bubble bath if you can... God bless...

~hugs 'n prayers~

Pearl

RazorFamilyFarms.com said...

You are amazing!

I wanted to say thank you for your sweet words about my little story. I'm having a lot of fun writing it segment at a time and sharing it with my reader friends. Being published is ultimately the dream though.

Blessings!
Lacy

Sarah said...

Oh girl, your to do list is making me tired. I need a break on the couch just from reading it. :)

Theresa @ Take A Sentimental Journey said...

ah shoot ! Your list made me tired just reading it, I'm going to bed !

I left the light on for ya !

Greyhound Girl said...

Holy cow lady that list makes me exhausted just reading it!!!!!! dang!!! you need lots and lots of coffee- and then some peach wine to celebrate! we're still here whenever you can get back to us.

(And as far as the weather- did you get part of the huge snow mess last weekend???)

Egghead said...

Oh wow you are one busy lady. I will join you with my bare feet....well not exactly bare. I am wearing socks since it is so cold. I wish I had more time in the day to do all the chores that need to be done AND read my favorite blogs. I am having a very difficult time keeping up.