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! ...​ ​​​​​​​


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

It Has Been a Whole Year...

...Since I had one of these...


NO! Not this....
You Turkey!

Yes, it has been a year since Thanksgiving,
but this in NOT what I've missed stuffing myself with!

..actually, my favorite part of Thanksgiving is cold turkey sandwiches..
just before bed! ...and again for breakfast!
So you all have a great Thanksgiving,
enjoy stuffing yourselves with all those wonderful goodies..


BUT.....
I'm already stuffed!
And delightfully so!
On a favorite of mine that I haven't had for a whole year!


THIS NOW...


IS TO DIE FOR!








...and I ate the WHOLE thing!!

Actually...

TWO!


Beats a Turkey feast anyday!
(and this is the truth...sort of, it's actually been 13 months!)



Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the U.S.

For those who aren't? Have a wonderful Thursday!

Me? Oh... I'll cook the whole shebang as I find humor in watching
everyone make themselves miserably full...and sleepy~
while I nibble on the olives & veggies!
I never said I was normal!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

"I Can Be Anyone…

….I Want To Be!"

That is what I was told when I was 18 years old...by my parents!


I was the gypsy of the family, with the desire to be different, to experience new places, new things the world had to offer! Every time Dad came home telling us about some foreign place he could take a job…..mentally, my bags were packed and I was ready to go come nightfall.
My dreams would carry me into the unknown places I would get to discover.

I would be as energized about the possibilities, as I was as a young child on Christmas eve!
I always made plans! Envisioned the adventure in grandiose ways!
Dad would always turn the jobs down.
My gypsy days were only to remain in my visions, my heart.

It was the spring of my senior year and Mom and Dad were making hasty preparations to move to Italy with my younger sister.

My Dad had finally accepted a job transfer, overseas! They would leave in July!
Upon receiving birth certificates for everyone in the family, as there was no point in getting only the three necessary ones for those who were moving, Mom felt that we should all have ours, for our own files.
Mine came, with a shock to my parents, with a strange excitement for me!
On the line where the given birth name is supposed to be printed, this line said:
“Baby Girl" Strong

They had forgotten to name me!

For 18 years, I was known as (what y’all know me as..)“WOW”.
My school records, doctor records and my Baptism certificate all claimed me as “WOW”.
My family, my friends, and heck, even myself…knew me as “WOW”.

Could it be that in my parents excitement to get me home from the hospital, it was an oversight?
Or…
Was it a subconscious knowledge they had, that I was going to be different than the other siblings, and that with a certain passage of time, the opportunity would be presented to them with a proper name for me?
(I am,after all, the only one of us four with dark brown hair, the shortest, the smallest feet, and the only lefty…..JUST like my Mom!)
Or…
Did they know somehow, that with my arrival...in such an untimely manner, I would bring to them~ the most obstinate, most independent child of all? I would present them with a behavior pattern that would try their hearts, keep them on their toes? Maybe they thought, they would let the clocks tick by…until the day came for them to set me ‘free’ and tell me…

“I can be anyone…
….I want to be!”


You see, so many years ago…on what I call my official Thanksgiving Day…
I blessed my parents, and the world, with my presence! (or maybe that should say 'cursed"..??)
I rudely & abruptly interrupted their traditional Thanksgiving gathering…
Mom did not get to enjoy all of her labor intense, delicate and artful preparations for the Turkey feast of the day! (And they even ran out of gas on their way to the hospital!)
Around 4:47 pm, that Thanksgiving Day (way back when)…I introduced myself ~in a defiant way…
A trait I’ve carried around proudly throughout my travels in life!

Leave it to me to begin what was to become years of stubborn, autonomous chaos!

I have been Thankful everyday of my life...that on that Thanksgiving Day so many years ago, I was blessed with my given life!

My folks? Blessed that day?.....I know they love me!

Yes...I kept the same name that I had bestowed on me for 18 years...I couldn't come up with anything better! Besides..."WOW" was Me!

Because today is my Thanksgiving Day...and I noticed, my 100th post (wow!) ...to all my new friends, my wonderful new family, whether by name, by lurker, by anonymous…
I hear by send you the warmest hug and thank you for sharing in my life!

One Step Forward...

...Two Steps backward.

I've succeeded in reaching my goal!
I reached "40" again...
and here is where I choose to remain!
Don't I look like it?


Thursday, November 20, 2008

"C" is For COLD...

...and I am NOT fond of that!
COLD is blowing in with a vengeance and
I'm desperately missing summer today!
"C" also is for Christmas. I love the reason for Christmastime,
but it has never been a favorite holiday of mine.
Money and family seems to always be beyond our reaches.
(quite possibly...our fault, for our chosen lifestyle, do you think?)

...BUT...

Over at Wise Herbs, I participated in a sort of voluntary meme.
So I asked for a letter and she gave me the letter "C".
I am supposed to list 10 things I LOVE that begin with the letter assigned.
Guess what my first LOVE is??

*
*
*
*

If You got this wrong...shame on you!


1) Cowboy-the love of my life! He completes my life, my heart, my soul! We have been to hell and back, many times...but our love is deeper and stronger than with each passing day!
2) Coffee-Black! Real Black! The heavenly scent of it brewing makes me welcome each morning with a renewed thankfulness for my life, a new zest to carry on with whatever comes my way!
3) Chocolate- (Sage, you cheated here!) Rich smooth melting chocolate, languishing on my palette…divine!
4) Chrysanthemums- these beauties carry with them, the last reminders & pleasures of summer into the chill of Autumn; they are my “birth” flower
5) Compost- the enrichment of this gives off a scent of the healthiest soil and Ohhh…I love picking it up by the handfuls, my nose catching the aroma as it filters through my fingers. Mmm
6) Candles-I love the flickering, the ambiance, the scents wafting through my house...they calm my soul.
7) Campfire-in the night mountain air, the crackling sounds, the aroma of pine, fir, tamarack;the whispering of creatures in the dark; the warmth of flames, friends, tales & songs!
8) Crashing Waves- at the ocean. Their strength, their sounds, their retreating…brings an inner peace to me. I can walk in or sit on the cliffs watching & listening to for hours upon hours.
9) Calves- baby calves!! Witnessing or even helping with their birth; Whether I get to bottle feed or watch them nursing on their mommas; their cozy napping or their frolicking antics…precious beyond words!
10)C...”- Last but NOT least...both our Son & Son-in-law have the same first name…and I love them dearly! These two “C” s bring the warmth and joys of sunshine to my heart everyday!


So if anyone else wants to play, leave me a comment and and I'll assign you a letter
but it is purely for fun this meme.
Then you list 10 things you love that start with that letter.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

We Can Choose Our Friends...

…yet we cannot choose our family!
A bittersweet reality...in our life.


****WARNING****
If you are looking for a smile or to enjoy that cup of coffee in hand,
you may want to leave and visit someone else's blog.
This is MY rant, from MY heart.

Before I explain, let me explain!


A brief history:
Cowboy’s mom died when he was 6. His Real Brother, (RealB) was 10 months old.
FIL married a widower almost right away. She had 5 children.

One of which, I will call StepB (Step-brother).
FIL passed away 2 years ago last month. We were very close and he lived not too far from us.
Cowboy was not ‘close’ to either of the brothers.
RealB, we had not seen in about 9 years until FIL’s passing.
StepB, we had not seen in over 20 years until FIL’s passing.

(we had never met his now 14 year old son “K”.)
*
StepB called out of the blue while Cowboy was gone.
It had been 2 years since last hearing from him.
He and his son were drawn for the late White Tail deer hunt in our area.
“Could they come over and hunt and thus his son “K” could meet us?”.
RealB would be coming too, with one son “C", because StepB needed a driver as he lost his driver’s license due to a DUI.
I told him my ‘rules’…and he agreed to them.

Both brothers are “injured” and drawing off of the ‘system’…labor and industries which goes against our beliefs~knowing their cases.
(This is one HUGE issue I will NOT go into!).

*
The brothers and sons arrived here the 8th, before Cowboy

returned from his school.
It was a nice reunion after 2 years!

We were pleased to finally meet “K”; to see “C” again, now 17.
Cowboy and I were hoping that these 2 brothers had done a lot of ‘growing’ up over the years and we were thrilled to have this time with them.
I had high hopes that maybe, just maybe, Cowboy could fill the vacancy in his heart, build a relationship with these two, as he only has a few cousins left to call family.
*
They told me they brought food and that they don’t expect me to do all of the cooking. “Great!”...I thought.
*
..WELL…
*
Saturday, these brothers and their boys were asked told to leave Sunday.
(Terri... No these “family hunters” were NOT appreciative! The other hunters Yes!)
*
This “family” of hunters brought one casserole that would feed 2 people

...and nothing else!!
Each night after hunting, they would plow through my doors, never shutting them , traipse around in their muddy feet, and call out “What’s for dinner?”
Each night, I’d kick them back out to the mud room to take off their muddy clothes, boots and to wash up! They never “got it”!
“K” did…but he was different than the other 3. “K” was very respectful.

Yes, the 14 year old!
In those horrific 8 days…I never received one thank you, not one!

(except from “K”).

I was seething! Each day I was getting closer and closer to grabbing one of their guns to shoot every bloody insolent bone in their torsos…and then some!!

I don’t have high blood pressure…but I might now!
*
Tuesday and Wednesday, the other seven hunters had left.

Luckily for everyone here, they had brought enough food to feed an army.
They had cleaned up after themselves, and never showed an ounce of disrespect for me or our home. I received a huge thank you after each meal and many hugs of gratitude when they left.
A magnificent bunch of guys! They are welcome in my home anytime!!
* * *
Now~ what do I cook? Four extra guys who brought nothing!
Two guys who’s wives work, two guys who draw more than several grand a piece, from the state each month with ‘play time & free money’ galore.


(I am going to be blunt here…)
We have food enough to last US…for awhile…until the economy turns around or something changes in our world.

We have a three (3) digit income each month right now.
There is NO room for recklessness, waste, or frivolous wants in the food department. It is the disposables such as produce, butter, milk, eggs, coffee, etc (not to forget the electricity bill) that we must ration with excruciating caution.
EVERY. Single. Shiny. Copper. Penny. Is scrutinized!

I am a light sleeper, so their nightly rampages through my frig and pantry,

eating anything they found, caused my hackles to rise.
Any other time, I may not have thought too much about it, and just let it pass. But we cannot afford this now and I’ve been very vigilant in my management of our food, to get us through these hard times.
The brothers were told. Yet, they could not or would not, respect our situation.

*
Friday night after supper, StepB asked RealB if he would take him to an 'AA' meeting 45 miles away.

“Would it be Ok if the boys stayed with us?”.
I was glad to have the brothers leave!
“K” sat and chatted with me and I helped him with his homework.

I love that youngster! He is the gem of the bunch!
“C”, on the other hand, ignored his homework, went upstairs and goofed around with the TV and literally blew it up!
YES! Smoke and all!

I don't know what would cause that...but he did whatever it took!
That was after, we heard him up there horsing around, hence popping one of the airbeds we had! He is 17 years old, remember!

I am at my blistering point! And I didn’t know I had one!


I went to bed. Frustrated and livid, I tossed and I turned.

Four a.m. rolls around and I hear the 2 brothers pull in. They are in the kitchen going through who knows what, making all kinds of racket.
Cowboy is such a sound sleeper, he heard none of it.
No, they didn’t go to an 'AA' meeting anywhere!

They went and got themselves drunk!
Six a.m. comes around, “K” and “C” are ready to be out to hunting again.

They convince their dads to head out by eight a.m.
I’m lying in bed listening and ... fuming!
I haven’t slept much this week, not a good sleep anyhow.
(I am still not sure why I didn’t have a heart attack, or go on that shooting spree!)
When I heard them leave, I got up to find my kitchen a mess ~again!
All of the eggs and milk are gone, and the last cube of my butter must have been smothered on their toast made from the last half of a loaf of bread!
$$$ Remember, my closest small store is 35 miles away! $$$

I don’t get mad easily. I usually hold it inside not allowing it to surface.

(I can’t hurt anyone’s feelings that way.)
This morning, the dogs ran and hid from me!
No one else was around and I blew up! I had had all I could take! (I thought..)


Luckily, those brothers stayed out, gone, away in their truck, ALL day.

They did not come back to our property showing their faces around me.
Just before dark, I saw their lights coming across the bridge.

A few minutes later, I saw them backing up to the pine tree. It meant one thing. Someone had got their deer, maybe both tags were filled.
They stayed outside until Cowboy got home.
"Something" was in the air.

"Were they feeling guilty for having lied to me the night before about an 'AA' meeting? "
I just sensed a difference. I didn’t know what.


I had made a pot of vegetable beef & barley soup and homemade rolls for supper.
Cowboy was hungry, as were “K” & “C”.
StepB and RealB didn’t readily come to table.
"Do you think they know by now how thoroughly disgusted and angry I am?

I hope so! I don’t care if they don’t eat! I’d just as soon not even see their faces in my house at that point, or even sitting at our table!"

After a solemn supper, without any conversation whatsoever, the brothers sent the two sons upstairs for their showers while they were next in line, they needed to go take care of the hanging deer. (yes, there were two).

Cowboy stayed in and helped me clean up. He was pretty ‘on edge’ I could tell, as we quietly worked together putting our house in order, as much as we could.
Finally, he took my hand and led me back to our room.
He had something to tell me.

Cowboy had been dayworking for a local rancher the previous 3 days, leaving at 5 a.m. and returning around 6 p.m. Each night, he was seeing my face laden with more stress, my tone shrouded with anxiety.
(I was holding everything in...I thought! After all, these are his brothers! I hoped, beyond hope, that they could build a relationship after all the years of never having had one. Maybe it was my dream…)

Cowboy had been biting his tongue all week too,

but he could not tolerate things any longer either.
The lack of respect for me, for us, for our home was beyond ~out of control!

This day, Saturday, the straw to the camel's back..was broken!
Earlier, standing outside with them when he'd returned from his daywork,

...he learned....

These two brothers had broken too many rules!
LL... Yes, some rules can be broken (fun blogging award rules..*wink )…but not the ones I’m about state.
Cowboy and I firmly believe that the most important word

in the vocabulary of this earth… is RESPECT!

In MY world, hunting dictates:


There must be the exemplary regard for safety! (“C” was not shown or taught this being his first time handling a gun, let alone hunting! I'm still surprised someone was not hurt...or...)

*
Then there is:
Respect for the laws
Respect for the earth you are treading upon
Respect for the owners of those properties you are treading upon
And ultimately ...Respect for the animals you are hunting!




ALL four of these rules were repulsively broken!

There was no asking for permission to hunt on properties and they admitted to Cowboy, of trespassing on those that were posted! This is a small community with vast open lands. These two brothers did not respect the fact that we are a part of this community…and their behavior could come back to haunt US!

That does not sit well with us.

Then, instead of hunting on foot, they drove everywhere! Their excuse was that it was too cold, too wet! They drove on the muddy steep slopes of our countryside, damaging the terrain and the owner’s properties.

UNACCEPTABLE!

Disregard for the laws?

I will not tell you how many of them or which ones they broke.
FAR, FAR too many!

Disrespect for the animals (pheasant & deer)?

I will not disclose because no one needs to feel the same repulsion I feel!

Cowboy, RealB and StepB were all raised by FIL. They were taught the precise rules of safety, the ultimate respect of hunting. They were enforced explicitly.
I have an unrelenting ache in my heart for my dear FIL. I pray that he does not ‘know’ that 2 of the sons he raised, with love and diligence-have tossed his teachings into the wind with total disregard and disrespect!

And what “K” and “C” were taught by their fathers those 8 days?

Abhorrent! Appalling!

After Cowboy finished telling me what he had learned about those past 8 days,
I was a shattered. Worse than I’d been that morning.
My stomach wrenched, the tears would not end.
He went upstairs to tell StepB and RealB they must leave
the next day before I wake up. They agreed.

And guess what?

When I awoke, they were still here!
Not in the house, but they had walked out back to hunt one last time!!
They returned about 2 pm. Empty handed thankfully, because I know at that point,
I would have gone on a shooting spree!!
(I'd be in jail right now, unable to tell you all where I had disappeared to!)

Cowboy told them to get their sh*t together and get out!

Never... Never… again!

Unfortunately, Cowboy’s immediate family unit did not strengthen and rebuild


~it disintegrated ..beyond repair.

It is with bittersweet admission, those other 7 hunters, those wonderful friends whom we’ve shared our lives and our home with, for years….may not be our blood family…but we treasure, respect and embrace them as “our REAL Family”.


I am slowly...putting those 8 days of hell, behind the locked doors of my heart.






Thursday, November 13, 2008

Tuckered out...

...Thursday!

The washing machine is drained, the dishwasher is crabby,
and the hot water heater is irritable.

The stove is screaming with fatigue,
the floors are annoyed from all of the scuffling,
and the doors are creaking in agony.

The mop is wringing in agony, the toilets are gurgling in misery,
and my computer feels rejected!
(It hasn't even been turned on until now...almost a week!)
~

"How is the Chief Bottle Washer N' Chef", you ask?
"Not worth a darned!" she says.
She's feelin' a wee bit quite distressed herself!
*

Where are the Cabaña Boys?
*
I need a break!
*
And I need to go Blog visting!

*
The Cabela’s Men have only bagged one deer, 7 went home over the past 2 days.
Yet 4 still remain…for 5 more days!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I think I'm going to run away!


Friday, November 7, 2008

The Cabela's Men...

...have invaded my home!

Every Fall, our doors swing to and fro for family and friends that live for love to hunt.

The weekends bring bird hunters as this area is known for Pheasants; yet Mother Nature affects their bounty. Heavy moisture in the spring can drown the chicklets as the nests are tucked into the ground. Coyotes are a predator that impacts their lives also.
Recently, there have been 3 reported sightings of wolves not far from here.
I'm sure with time they, too, will play a role in the numbers within the hunters bags.
The hunters come, nonetheless, to let their dogs prove their skills.


On any given hunting weekend, you can find at a minimum of 15 bird dogs tucked into their kennels come nightfall here, while their owners are huddled around our fireplace warming their aching muscles and discussing their dogs attributes or faults of the day.
*

The deer hunters love to trek the miles of rolling hills, too,
only they are in search of “the Big One”.


They seem to be more ‘durable’ than the bird hunters (don't repeat that to the Bird guys ) as they like to spend their evenings outside surrounding a campfire telling their tall tales of missing a perfect shot; or of the "Big One" they bagged back in 1995!

*
All of these "Cabela's Men" have known me for years. They know and respect my rules.
I have one, well two, rules all of them must follow if they want to stay here.

1) They cannot hunt on our ground

2) I do not want to see their "catches of the day"

Oh..I guess I have a third one...

3) I will cook their meals but it has to be "Beef...it's what's for dinner!"

*

Tonight, tucked away in our large, unused upstairs, sleeps 6 “Cabela's Men”.
I know they are sleeping because the ceiling above me is shaking with all the snoring!
(Yes, they have their own separte bath complete with a shower, thank goodness)
I am sure they are each dreaming about that "big 5 point I saw the other day"
…which is NOT allowed within their sights I warned them,
unless he has wandered on to someone else’s property!
There is some sort of late deer hunt going on here that one had to be drawn for.
Two of these friends were drawn, the other 4 are just Tag-a-longs to help keep the evening fire crackling with tales.
They are all here for that ever so necessary Guy Time!
Tomorrow, 5 more “Cabela's Men” will arrive, these being from Cowboy’s family.
Two of them were drawn also.

(I would like to know just how many names were actually drawn in total for this area
enabling my house to be blessed with 4 of them! What are the odds here?)


Tomorrow night, the upstairs will be filled with testosterone levels that is probably
(or should be) illegal to have contained within one room.
It will be wall to wall with guns, boots, sleeping bags, and gear. And the "Cabela's Men"!
I’m sure the roof will be raised with even taller tales being told, as they remember yet another that someone overlooked around the evening campfire! When you get that many guys in one space, the tales just seem to grow bigger than the pine trees outside!

*
I absolutely LOVE to cook for big hungry guys with healthy hearty appetites!
Lucky for me (and our budget) these “Cabela's Men” bring all the food for me to prepare.
They have strict orders to bring only beef if they want to eat my cooking.
(pork or chicken is fine too!)

I don't need this!

I've cooked for 70+ people before in Dutch Ovens over an open campfire,
high in the mountains...this is a piece of cake!
All one needs is a group with a ferocious appetite!

What makes this such a pleasant task, is these groups of "Cabela's Men" are gracious and appreciative of my cooking for them.
They all jump in to help with clean up and the dishes before heading outside to their campfire.
It does get a little "deep" in my kitchen with their good humor, their teasing, and their boisterous ways, so I scurry them along quickly, thank them and adjourn them to their fire.
*
Ahhh....Quiet! That always feels good, yet I will welcome their banter all over again, tomorrow!

*
Cowboy doesn’t know about the invasion yet. I wonder what he will think when he arrives home late tomorrow night to find me sharing his home with all these “Cabela's Men"!

*
Either he will be looking for this to run to and hide in, after spending "the past week bombarded" with noise and confusion....at which I will be a holler'n..
"...wait...you aren't moving to my dream house without me!

Or he may suggest we start a Hunting Retreat! At which time I will be telling him...
"..yea right, I can see you now... charging all our friends and family to bed down here while hunting!"

*


Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, and we will have another houseful!
A different group of "Cabela's Men"! The bird hunters will be returning!
No, the wild turkeys running around here will NOT be what is served!
*
Off to bed...mornings' hunger will soon be upon me!
(I may be needing a Chef of my own after 6 days of the "Cabela's Men"! )

Have a great weekend and stop in if you're in the neighborhood.

Directons?? Just follow the essences of food, laughter & good company!




This is Extremely Important......

... please read carefully!


I have some valuable information
that I need to share with everyone
out in the invisible world
of Blogland!
*
We ALL age,
and this is
about growing old!
*

*

*
*
Well, CRAP!
Now I forgot what I was gonna tell ya!

*


*

Hope ya'll have a 'memorable' day!
*
...Smile now, you know you want to!...

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Time and Circumstances…

…can changes dreams and perspectives.

After "that incident in July", I quickly sent out an “APB” email across our vast array of family and friends without Cowboy’s knowledge. Soon afterwards, a suggestion came in. I did some careful research before approaching him about the possibility of him pursuing this suggestion. We spent many hours discussing this. We did a thorough assessment of our finances and the decision was made to give it a try.
For 3 ½ months now, my Cowboy has been studying faithfully, taking his exams on line.
To his amazement, as he does not touch the computer if he can help it,
he passed the “book learning” phase with a 96%.
The toughest part was yet to come.
*
The first week of November would consist of an arduous test of his will.
The immense challenge to leave the comforts and sanctuary of his home boundaries
for the west side of the state would have to be achieved.
Another, would be the application of his book learning,
to the hands-on experiences that will be taught.
The most difficult part of this phase, will require Cowboy to interweave with others that do not come from the same walks of life, the simple isolation that he’s accustomed to.
Don't misunderstand me, he is very much a people person and everybody loves him.
He can meld with all types of people easily, when he chooses the circumstances and environment.
At the control of others, his shy side takes over.
If he isn’t made to feel inferior, his personality will blossom profusely.
This, is my concern.
Knowing where he is and who will share in this learning environment
may not allow that process to happen easily. My fingers are crossed for him.
*
This being the first week of November, my sweet Cowboy left several days ago for a weeks worth of hands on application in a “step” towards our future….. we hope!
He had to enter a world in which he feels completely out of his element, his comfort zone.
The metropolis of Seattle and it's suberbs!!
*
Cowboy is comfortable driving dusty country roads while encountering only a
minute number of cars, each containing waving hands and smiling faces.
The bumper to bumper cluster of vehicles without the same slow courtesy,
will add stress to his days. Luckily, Our Son has a friend that lives about 5 miles from Cowboy’s daily destination and he is staying there (which to Cowboy will feel like 500 miles!).
Thankfully, he has a friendly place amongst the "wilds" of the populous surroundings,
enabling him to seek quiet solitude each evening.
I cannot forget to mention there will also be a delicious meal
prepared for him by this friends' lovely lady each evening!
Of course, Cowboy was concerned about that too!
As much as he loves to eat, he is not comfortable eating what he calls “Foo Foo” food.
Meat, vegetables, potatoes, milk is what sits the best on his palette.
It will be interesting when he returns late Saturday,
to hear about the menu set before him for the week.
(Hopefully, there was NO seafood!
Cowboy claims that if it does not come from the solid surface of the earth, it is not edible!)
*
We have no cell phones, not only because they aren’t in our budget, but more importantly, because they don’t work where we live. We don’t have Caller ID available so our outgoing calls on the receiving end show as “Unknown Caller”. I am sure that is why this “friend” has not picked up my calls. (Our families know this fact, they are the only ones who will answer!)
Cowboy would not ask to make long distance calls, out of respect.
For several days now, and several more to come, I must sit here in my own little world wondering how Cowboy is surviving the “Jungles”.
Wondering how he is surviving his daily undertakings.
My time passes quietly as I keep the home fires burning.
Thankfully, there is a woodpile alongside the garage.
Regrettably, despite my rants in the previous months,
there are literally "no chores for me to do"!
More than this allowing for boredom fester…it is Sad.
*
With the economy the way it is, this chance for a change in our life and finances,
may not come to fruition for some time.
It was already paid for, so there was no turning back.
*
When My Cowboy returns, he can add another accomplishment to his repertoire of abilities. Cowboy has spent his life in the quest of acquiring a continuous stream of knowledge and improving his skills in every phase of his “Cowboy Way”.
He has maintained a bottomless pit for his unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Whether it be within his applications as a certified Farrier,
his passion for starting colts and training working stock dogs;
or the in-depth understanding of cattle, the ranchers and the markets.
Cowboy has always professed “The more I learn, the less I know”.
The same will apply in his becoming a certified Equine Massage Therapist.
*
I pray the economy makes some positive changes in the Ag world..soon!
(We must not tell him I told all of this you, as he is too reticent to admit his knowledge and skills.
His sentiment here is: "Don't tell me, show me.")
When he asks about my newest posts?
I will skip over this one.


Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Wordless Wednesday...

...2008 Elections...

All Zipped Up

..Done..


Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I've Never Been Good with Rules...

...so I'm warning you, I'm not about to start!


Let me tell you ahead of time that I am so sorry!
Regrettably, I am so despicably delinquent on posting some things here,
so please don't judge me to be thoughtless or unappreciative.
I'm really not either of those!
I have met so many wonderful people through this medium, and truthfully?
You all know more about me than my own family does, except maybe Hydro,
as I know she and her hubby sometimes catch up on things here.
I'm not really sure why or how it came to be that I've,
so willingly, opened my heart to expose it to the world,
because I am usually an extremely discreet person,
keeping so much of my life buried in the privacy of my own mind.
Quite possibly.......could it be your fault?? hmmm???
So many of you have made me feel at ease, enabling me to speak from my heart.
Regardless, I am so glad that I started this blog back in May!
Being trapped isolated out here, due totally to our chosen lifestyle,
I have very little contact with other humans.
Blogging has been an amazing adventure for me!
Each day I am amazed at the number of talented, loving,
witty people I've come to know!
*
However, I must divulge, I DO NOT like rules!
(That...my folks will attest to for sure!)
I have a tendenacy to do just the opposite of what is expected of me.
Yes, it has put me in deep water at times. Hey! That is why I learned to swim!
I cannot change my ways now…....not here.

This is my excuse..

and I'm sticking to it!


The reason for this post:
THREE Reasons, actually---

REASON #1:AWARDS


I have received some awards that I need to acknowledge and I want to thank everyone who thought of me. I am very beholden to you!
They all come with rules for presenting and passing them though, see?

There is that "Rules" word again!
I cannot, in my heart & in good conscience, pick only a few Blogging Friends to pass these along to! Each and everyone of you are deserving!
(Actually, I think everyone should just go to the site where ever you can find all sorts of awards, pick the ones you want, and give them to yourselves!)
So please, please…believe me when I say I’m giving them to each and everyone of you!!
Whether you have them or not, take them! With my blessings!!
Please!

I got this from Tracy at "Is it a Full Moon, or What?"
I just recently met this Lady who just happens to be a fellow Washingtonian, so that makes her a fantastic person in MY Washington eyes! Go vistit her! She's talented (could have/would have had a career in ballet if some scout wouldn't have burst her bubble! Jerk!), loves,loves, loves- to have fun!... maybe that's why she has the number of kids she does, you gotta go count them yourself!...*wink*
~



This Award was given to me by three great gals. (Third times the charm.. right?)
First
...by one of my longest blogging friends! The Professor
at "Babble From a Babbler". (do you like the orange Prof? You know why I used it! ) This Lady, I've admired since I met her! Her job, in my eyes, is the most valued in the world! A teacher! (Without them? Scarry!)

She too, is isolated. Only for a short time now though, as she has "Gypsy" running through her veins as I do! At Christmas, she's moving on to hopefully bigger & brighter things! She even needs to change the Image of her blog when she does!
I love this gal & I wish her good times, good fortune & all that's good in the world! She deserves it! And Prof...I will continue to follow your life! Through your words and your photos...even though they won't be of Montana any longer.
Second & Third...to give this to me, also gave me this one!


Now I'm not too sure that this was legal in Blogland!
These two Ladies have been lifelong friends and they double whammyied me!
Within a day of each other!(I think they had a vendetta for me, ya think?)
See why I don't like "Rules" ?

Let me present to you Ms Desert Hen of "gravelroadsanddaiquirisinthedirt" and Ms Oregontribal1! of "allthingsoldandnew" (You can find their real names when you visit them!) Desert Hen's life has been a lot like mine. Living with and moving with a Cowboy. I wish she lived closer! Oh the stories we could tell! She does have some catching up to do though...maybe when they've been married this long, they will have moved enough to equal ours. Don't even think about unpacking Lady! This gal even gives chickens baths! Did you realize that was even possible? And then "Styles" their feathers with a blow dryer! (She's really not any weirder than I, so give her a chance!). Oregontribal1 is a gal who gets to live in a part of Oregon that is gorgeous! Her photos and her words express the beauty~ well, beautifully! And she gets to share her life with her folks at the their farm as much as she wants...and she shares the dusty road all the way! For that, she is lucky! She's funny and gorgeous! Both these gals...even though they blog with each other (I haven't a clue if they ever use their phones these days, do you Ladies?) they welcome you like they've known you a lifetime too!
~

This award came from the beautiful and extremely talented young lady at "A Duck in Her Pond". Her favorite color is pink! Why? Because she is a Girly Girl!!...but don't worry, she loves her beef, does that Paint ball stuff, ouch! Not only that, she is witty, loves her dogs, family and Ohhh she loves to share her recipes! This young lady is the most creative, ambitious thing! (it has to be her youth!) I'm not sure how she fits everything into her days! She writes stories like you wouldn't believe! Numerous ones "in progress" at the same time! (Shhh-h-h ...She doesn't know it yet, but my favorite one she's writing, I have first dibs on when it's done...signed by her very own little pink fingers!)

Ok...that is off my shoulders now! Phewwww!
Thank you Ladies, I am glad to have you in my life!
Oh....and "The Rules"that go with these awards?
They were eaten by my delete key! I told you I don't like "Rules".

REASON #2:ANSWERS

I have received many, many emails from my invisible blogging friend and the 'doubly invisible' ones (those who don't like to leave their words in my "Give Me Some Guff" section).
All related to my posts "
Surviving Life", and "I Feel I Should Clarify" last month.

I haven't forgotten you, nor am I ignoring you. Life does take precedence and I am working on getting them answered. I am a procrastinator, and if answering them means there are rules about a timely manner, then that is my excuse...

REASON#3:ANGELS

An Angel

From an Angel

Thank you for being here! You don't realize how much your friendship & words mean to me!