Cowboy Wyatt

We've been busy riding! Wyatt comes and hangs out at the arena with me. He loves to sit in his stroller or playpen and pet the "kitties" (everything is a kitty right now) through the fence. Afterwards he gets to play in the giant sandbox. He loves dirt. All boy I tell ya.
He'd love to ride on his own - but is a bit small for it still.

Vernors - A Michigan Original

And we have it at our local Walmart. Yeah! Finally! The SLV is finally being influenced by the real world!

A little taste of home...

The Mother of All Bugs

This is what the dryness has brought into our house this year. There must have been a nest nearby and they are coming in for water. I've literally only seen about 2 of these since I've moved out here, and now not a day doesn't go by when we don't kill at least one in the house. They move super fast and creep me out.

If you didn't like bugs before, this puts them all to shame. I don't even care if I see a spider anymore as long as it isn't one of these things.

As big as my thumb. It 'scurries' - climbs walls - terrorizes everything. They bite! But aren't poisonous. I'm scared to walk across the floor at night. Both Nate and I jump if anything brushes against us in bed (though we've only killed them in the bathtub and family room so far).

How would you like to deal with this thing?

We call them scorpion spiders, but aren't actually a true spider - though they are an arachnid they are more closely related to scorpions. They are also known as sun spiders or camal spiders. Those are big mandibles to chew on you with coming out of their head. They eat small rodents.

I think I'm going to set off a bug bomb under the house.

Sucker!

Wyatt got a taste and then wouldn't leave me alone until it became his own.

Been busy! Riding everyday and getting ready for rodeo. Super crazy hot here and no relief in sight! It's rained twice in 6 months. Hay is so expensive I have two horses up for sale. It makes me sick. However, because there has been no rain my landlords didn't have their pasture leased for cattle and let me have it cheap for the horses, so maybe I don't have to sell afterall. It's still up in the air.

HOT!!!

The weather here continues to be bizarre. It went from sand storms and miserable wind almost every day to unbearable heat and wind part time. And it's humid to top it off, which is weird for here - especially since it's rained once in 6 months. We're looking at another drought and the hay prices are going sky high because of it. They've almost doubled from lat year. I know come fall they'll drop again but it's not looking good right now. I'm looking at selling a few horses. I'm sick about it.

So I'm hot, miserable, sick of the wind that keeps me in the house, and I've had cabin fever for over a year. To ride I get up at 6 am to beat the wind and heat and BUGS. Even working at the pool isn't a relief because it's a hot water spring that feeds the pools so you actually have to get out of the water to cool off.

Even the animals are suffering. Dixie and Wrigley have dug crazy holes to lay in, and the cats are getting up under the horse trailers in the weeds where it must be cooler. The horses stand in the ditch with their backs to the wind and Mac does this:

Those are the water tubs for the round pens; His own private swimming pools. He hops from the short one to the the tall one and back all day long.

Buni lays in anything plastic, and since Wyatt can't stand anything actually being in his little toy bin she thinks this is perfect. The two are conspiring against me I think.

Zapata Falls

We hiked up to Zapata falls a few weekends ago. I forgot my camera - sorry for the low quality pics from the phone, but I couldn't get away without taking any at all! When I got back to the truck I realized I had the school camera with me all along - oh well!
This baby backpack keeps rockin'. We use it all the time. Wyatt fell asleep in it on the way down. He wasn't real impressed with the sun shade though and kept leaning out the side to get a better look at everything.
He totally crashed out afterwards. Didn't even 'burrow' to sleep and had to make due with his hand over his face instead.

Swim!

We swim everyday since I teach lessons. It's so much fun for both Wyatt and I. Wyatt likes to copy me blowing bubbles and jump off the side of the pool. He goes under water and everything.

We foster the behavior at home in the yard. The goats and Mac like to try and join him so we run interference.

Sometimes It Happens...

One of my chickens thinks it's a sparrow or something. Oh well...

Pasture

Our pasture sucks this year. Crazy weather, wind, no water...bad grass. At least where the ditch runs through the grass is growing. You can see Charlie get right down in there.

I've been getting up at 5 am to beat the wind and work them. I've got the sand colic under control, and am looking into buying those hay bags to keep the hay up more and keep them from pulling it into the sand.

Rockies!

We've been busy! Went to the Rockies/Tigers game tonight. Wyatts first game! We had so much fun!

Wyatt especially loved the cotton candy. He was everybodies favorite kid on the pavilion where we were sitting. He would catch the eye of the closest person with food and stare them down smacking his lips. It was so funny. By the end of the night he was on a first name basis with everybody.

Drive!

We're learnin' him young!

Animal Kingdom - SLV Style

Well - the weather continues to blow here. It's such a violent wind there is no going outside. Cabin fever was bad this winter, but now it's unbearable because it's warm out, and the sun is shining (when you can see it through the dust clouds) but the wind sounds like a freight train roaring by the house.

Every forth day or so we may have a calm morning, or late afternoon and I cannot get outside fast enough.

Mac and Al have built a relationship. I see them roaming the yard together daily. Often they lay in the tall grass next to each other. Here they are catching a little shade:

Ringo would be dead broke by now if I had 3 days in a row to work him. This was the first time he was saddled up. No problem.

I did push the ticket this day however, and was attempting to lay across the saddle. He wasn't really impressed with my foot in the stirrup when I was getting him used to the weight. He bolted with a little leaping mini-buck. The third time he did it I got nailed in the inside of my thigh and was BLACK for a week. Then it turned purple. it was great. I don't think he was aiming for me or it probably would have been a LOT higher, but I think I'm going to have one of my little (younger) rodeo student's hop on him for that first ride. I don't feel like hitting dirt much anymore.

OMG SUMMER BEGINS!!!

Today marks the end of the school year. We have a new administration again for next year (5 for 5 at this school). I helped hire him so I hope that means this one stays. Right...

The last month has seen Wyatt baptised, administration reviews and interviews, an overnight senior trip, talent show, a trip to Creede with students for a theatre review, multiple chiropractic appointments to help correct my hip (have I mentioned I have arthritis in my one hip?), a hit with the flu bug that I'm still feeling 2 weeks later, snow storms, sand storms and semester finals with consequential grade posting. I just have to survive graduation of the class I sponsor and the finishing of the yearbook. I'm so glad school is done for the year.

Now I can go unpack my child again...

Naked

My child really enjoys just about everything...except...clothing and diaper changes. When changing a diaper he rolls over and starts crawling away, laughing like crazy until he is caught - then he screams. When changing clothing he does the same thing. I can't wait until summer when he can just be naked...
As usual he spends as much time as possible with the cat. She just loves him as you can see:

All Grown Up

Or at least he'd like to think so!

What a little man eh?

May 1st

This is what we woke up to. Nice. Doesn't snow all winter and now we get this. It also happened to be Wyatt's baptism (finally!) - but I can't find where I moved the pictures to so I'll get to looking for those soon.

We wanted to go swimming later but it didn't pan out. Wyatt was disappointed since he got ready to go (lol).

Easter

Easter dawned bright and beautiful! Wyatt tackled his Easter basket so we put it up and Kahlua decided she was the Easter cat and now practically lives in the thing. I read somewhere that all cats over hte age of 9 have a bit of senality going on. Since she's 14 I think we may have passed that stage. This cat runs the whole household. And she's allowed!

After church we decided to go for a hike. We bought a Kelty baby carrier about a month ago and love it! Wyatt has a blast, its comfortable and has a ton of storage space. It has been well worth the money it cost (use eBay to get it MUCH cheaper than most retail stores have it discounted).

So Much!

There is so much to catch up on! I started Ringo out when the weather was nice and he's doing awesome! He takes everything in stride and has taken a saddle no problem. Promise to get pictures of this awesomeness. Maybe even on me riding him already.

Wyatt has taken after Wrigley, the burrowing dog. He has to bury himself to sleep each night:

He's growing a ton! Weighs 22.3 lbs at 8.5 months! He's in 6 to 9 month clothing, and 12 month clothing is a little large still so as far as I'm concerned he's right where he belongs.

He started crawling one week shy of 8 months and thinks he can walk now. I caught him standing in front of the fridge last week by himself while he played on a Leapfrog game we have on there. He lowered himself into a sitting position without using anything to steady himself. I think I'm in for trouble!

He also cut his first tooth this last Sunday. Finally!

And is learning all kinds of new tricks:

WOW! I was so confused...

My posts and planned post just "went away!" for awhile and I was worried I was crazy there for a bit, but everything (minus the comments that were made) are back. Maybe the comments will come back? If you commented, comment again because I didn't get to read them!!!

Not having internet sucks! I have so much to blog about! Things will be better this summer when I am working at the pool and have access to WiFi there.

I'm in Denver right now with my Seniors on their Senior Trip. We were supposed to see a Rockies game today but it was rained out and postponed until tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will go to Elitch Gardens in the morning and catch the game in the afternoon before heading home. Otherwise we drove a long way for the kids to hang out at the mall today like they did since we didn't have any other plans. You know what they say...the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. Name THAT author. And no, it's not Steinbeck. He borrowed it.

So I'll get a bunch of posts up to run for the next little bit and catch everyone up!

I had feathers put in my hair with my students today at the mall. I don't know if it's 'cool' everywhere else, but it's really popular out here! It's fun!

Stupid Internet

Well, I'd love to post all the stuff I have lined up to blog about...but the internet is on and off, I can't even access my dashboard, I can't upload pictures, and I'm typing this on a Blogger Widget. I have been trying all week and this is my last resort. The space to type is about 1.5 inches by an inch - kinda hard to proofread! So I can't keep anything updated, including my stuff for student's. I'll try and get to another internet source this weekend and post!

Do You See What I See?

Right there.......on the right of the wheelbarrow....near the middle........it's gray and black and white.......(excuse the mess, we're spring cleaning the yard).

Meet Mac. He came home to be Nate's new dog a few weeks ago. He's purebred Border Collie that was gifted to us, and it a great little pup - calm, quiet and gets along really well with the other dogs. He already has laid claim to Wyatt. I just wish he had Maverick around to show him the ropes, but he has helped in easing that loss a little - though he's definitely no substitute - that and he's not even my dog.

I also brought home this bugger a few months ago. He's from my vet after I lost Rebel last spring. I also lost Smack to West Nile last fall, not something I've wanted to talk about at all, but that did it for my Barrel prospects and I needed a new project. As I had pick of the herd and didn't have to spend a dime for him, I figured what the hell. He's Poco Bueno bred, so if nothing else I could probably sell him if he didn't work out for me.

I've been trying and trying to get a good picture of him, but the light always sucks, and he always has to be facing me almost up in my face no matter where I move - so it makes it difficult to shoot a picture.

Meet Ringo

So I've given up and this is what you get. He's still really shaggy from his winter coat, and his muscle tone isn't what it should be since I've had him penned up to make him learn who 'loves' him - but it's been paying off. When he was born he was messed with some and halter broke, but then he was tossed into the field for 3 years. I picked out 4 geldings from a herd of 42, round penned them and tossed a rope over their heads. All responded in some manner to being handled again, but this bugger seemed to take it the most in stride, and had the nicest build. He's quite large though this picture doesn't do it justice.

He likes to pretend he's worried about being caught, but he always faces me, and I can always coax him to me to be caught. Once caught he's a dream to work with. I sacked him out and cinched him up in about a 10 minute period one day. If this darn wind ever quites blowing for an extended amount of time I'll have him saddled and probably ridden around the round pen.

So that's what's been going on around here in my spare time. Hopefully I can keep you all updated with his progress.

Maverick

I'm not sure I wanted to post about this. I have had so many things I needed to catch up on - horses, dogs, life - everything good - until now.

Maybe blogging will make me feel a little better, maybe not, but I have to do something because all I'm doing is feeling bad.

The wind just blew like crazy yesterday. It's been bad for the last week - blew chickens out of the coop, rolled straw bales across the yard, kicked up so much dust it turned a clear, sunny day dark as night.

Maverick is my escape artist. He is always getting out of the pen, but I never mind so much because he never goes anywhere. I finally managed to block up the kennel (top and bottom) so he couldn't escape on these lousy days so he could stay warm and not get caught in a storm. We brought home a Border Collie pup last week - and he hangs out in the yard and since the weather was a little nicer out I turned out Maverick with him. This little pup is Nate's first dog, and though Nate takes him with him during the day to train, I had let Maverick take him 'under his wing' so to say, each evening.

At about 2:00 a knock came on the door. It was a little old lady. There was a dog up on the road, right in the drive, dead. Her husband was watching over him. He'd just been hit but they didn't pay attention to the vehicles that were in front or behind so didn't see who did it. It was Maverick.

We live on about a 6 mile stretch of unimproved road. A mile down it turns to dirt. There are about 8 houses total from the country highway to the dead end. So needless to say there is little traffic, and we all know each other's vehicles. My neighbor's dogs and my dogs walk down the side of the road to visit with each other all the time. It's also open range, and even though people do keep there cattle behind a fence, they are always out wandering around anyway. The road is completely straight and flat, and you can see a cat cross the road from a mile away.

I walk down the road with the baby and dogs all the time, but have been getting nervous as there is a truck and an SUV that has continually passed me, without slowing down, definitely going faster than what is posted. Since the road is unimproved, it's very easy to lose control at high speeds, and I have this horrible image of these jerks losing control while out walking. Seriously, who doesn't slow down when they see something, or somebody on the road? I've stopped walking on the road and walk in the fields instead. And what really pisses me off is the driver of the truck totalled another truck about two years ago when he flipped the vehicle hitting the dirt from the pavement. Has that slowed him down? Not at all.

And Maverick paid the price yesterday. It was obvious he wasn't in the way, and it was obvious he was hit at a very high rate of speed. And all that aside, because yes, my dog was where he shouldn't have been, the jerk didn't even stop to see if he was dead, or let us know what had happened. Instead, a little old couple stopped and knocked at our door with tears in their eyes because they are animal lovers, ranting that NO animal, especially one of this size should be hit on a road in broad daylight such as this because you can see forever, and what kind of person doesn't stop anyway? Though I didn't see it happen, I believe it was the red truck, as so does every other neighbor near me.

I'm understandably upset. Maybe more because the driver didn't have the decency to at least stop.

Maverick was the best. He was gentle and smart. He was my 'take-everywhere' buddy. He was my escape artist who always met me at drive each day. He took care of any puppy we brought home and kept the coyotes out of the yard. He listened better than any dog I've ever had. Though I almost lost him as a pup to a twisted intestine, he became closer to me because of it. He was my protector and stayed between me and anything he wasn't familiar with. He would move cattle with me, and would 'tree' anything in the yard for fun, but not to kill. With Dixie getting on in years, he was the dog that was going to make eventually losing her to old age easier. As a Coonhound/Boxer cross he turned me on to hound dogs, and I now love the breed, and was looking to one day get a Redbone Coonhound puppy for him to train.

I just really can't believe he's not going to be there when I get home today. That he's not going to load up to go get the mail and stick his head out the window and let his ears flap in the wind, or hop into the back of the truck because he 'want's to go too!'. It just wasn't supposed to happen this way. He already was Wyatt's 'big dog' - and now my son isn't going to have his hound around anymore either.

I'm sick about it. I called the police and asked if they could please be a presence in the area more, because one day somebody, either someone out walking or a driver, is going to get killed when passed by these jerks going 70 or 80 on an unimproved road. I shouldn't feel terrorized everytime I take a walk down the road because it's evening and people are coming home from work. That's all I could do. They asked if I knew who hit the dog, but since I'm not 100% sure I couldn't tell them anything more than my past observations. It didn't make me feel better to call, but maybe I've kept people and animals safer. Even the driver's themselves - If they hit a cow going that fast at night, it would probably kill them as well.

See ya buddy. You really were the best (and we won't tell Dixie so we don't hurt her feelings). Keep being good.

Home Again!

Italy was beautiful, but is was good to return home a week ago. I've been busy with school and standardized testing, so haven't had much time to post! Check the last post for a link to pictures (coming soon!) and our doings while in Italy! Here's some random pics of the little guy while I worked at school before leaving for Italy, at the gas station in Denver before I left, swimming last weekend and falling asleep at Walmart!

Buon Viaggio!

I have been trying to post for the better part of the last week. Poor service, and it hasn't been working. So I'm just popping in to let you all know today (finally!) that for the next week and a half, please follow me in Italy! Click on the link!

Weekend Quip

Quality time with Daddy

Stopping By to Say 'Hi'!

This guy's been hanging around all winter. Every morning I mean to stop and take a picture but I never seem to find the time. I did today.

Hurts

I started weaning this weekend. I'm leaving for Europe in two weeks, and besides, it's just time for this kiddo. He's not as interested and I end up feeding and pumping each time since he seems to have better things to do. As he is on solids and bottles, he's made the transition well.

But nobody told me it would suck this much. It sucks emotionally, but it sucks physically even more. I can't lift my arms :(

Anyone have any pain remedies? I'm only in 36 hours so I guess I have a few days left?

Look What I Can Do!

This happened overnight. He has had a tendency to put his hand on his evening bottle, but the other day when we were out to dinner he started manipulating it, and when I picked him up from the sitter after work the next day - he had it all figured out. Perfect timing since I'm going to stop nursing within the next 10 days.

These two are inseparable. Seriously. Bunni HAS to be near him at all times. He just laughs and laughs whenever she 'rearranges' his hair and holds his hands out for her to rub against. She totally takes his abuse also, namely fur and whisker pulling. And she keeps the motor going the whole time too!

Typical

The Good News: The weather is back into the 50's during the day. I have been out working with my horses. I don't have to wear my honkin' winter boots. Yeah for warm weather!

The Bad News: The sheet of ice under the water spigot outside is still there. It's slippery. I didn't want to change boots with rubber soles to haul water.

My Shoulder:

The Good News: It's not broken, dislocated or fractured like the Dr. thought.

The Bad News: The rotator cuff is bruised, the tendons are pulled and so is the bicep. I have to wear it in a sling for the week. I can't lift it above my rib cage. Boo.

The Cool News: I got a CD of my X-Rays. Technology is great.

The Many Faces of Wy Wy James

I'll get some pics of the new horses up next week sometime. In the meantime...enjoy!