November Bronze

In a week it has changed from glorious gold to burnished bronze! Last week it was in the 70s. Today it is in the 40s! That didn't take long! We have already had two snow storms. All my flowers are doing the frosted droop! The pumpkin vines have turned black and collapsed. I found 2 pumpkins hiding there amongst the dead leaves! They had kept their secret all summer! It is definitely fall here now!

The morning of the snowstorm I was going to let my cats, Rudy and Chang come in to sit by my fire. When I looked out onto the deck I saw 'something'. It didn't take long to figure out it wasn't Rudy or Chang but a raccoon. It wasn't very big. It had climbed up the trellis where my honeysuckle grows. Little footprints led right to the cats' dish! It wasn't scared but when we opened the kitchen door, away it scuddled singlefooting off the deck. That is how raccoons go, these two feet on this side, now those two feet on that side. It kind of glides. When I was a kid I had a raccoon for a pet. She was a nice little thing for several years and then one day it was over. We had had her since she was a kit, before her eyes were open. We fed her on a bottle.You would think tame is tame but it is not with a wild animal. In an instant all her wild instincts came back one day when I took her to play in a nearby creek. She charged at my friend and me growling, on the attack and never again was she friendly!

I took the girls for a walk this afternoon, down by the creek. Mitzi ran down the bank exploring into the creek bed. We heard something and she shot pell mell back up the bank. It was probably just deer moving out under the trees but maybe not. Another time, in about the same place, we came upon a freshly killed rabbit. We had disturbed something from its lunch. Mitzi wasn't taking any chances! A little cottontail ran out in front of the dogs and the chase was on. Cheney is sooo fast...but not as fast as that rabbit. It scampered right into the safety of the post pile! Rabbit one, dogs 0... today! When we got to the pond I wondered if they would take their daily swim. Mitzi jumped right in but Cheney only got her feet wet!

Kiely's and Garrett's birthdays have come and gone, Mike's and Erin's too. We didn't do our get-together birthday this year. We haven't for a couple of years now. They were fun but times change! Today is Veterans' Day!I remember when my little G I Joes were home safe and sound. Now they aren't! May God keep them safe and watch over them for me! And please watch over their sweet wives who also make a sacrifice! We are flying our flags; Old Glory, and an Army, Navy, and Marine flag flying beside her... for our kids, our dads and my mom who all served our country. May God bless this USA!

Summer's End

What a wonderful way to end our summer 2012! Lorne and Erin got married! Lorne barely got home in time for his own wedding. He had been stationed in the Pacific since January. Mike and I planned to meet him in San Diego when he flew back to the States. We got our plane tickets, made our plans and away we flew...to LA where we got a phone call when we landed that Lorne wasn't coming home after all. He was stranded in Hawaii!! So...upon 'visiting' with the lady at American Airlines we found it would cost another $1100. to fly home! Yikes! Plan B... We rented a car for $200 and drove! That was a fun trip too! But I digress...

The wedding was beautiful! Paradise Springs is the perfect name for the spot they had chosen to begin their new life. Giant trees surrounded the inn where we all stayed: the Rosingers and the Christopher clans. It was the first time all our boys had been together in forever!  Plenty of things to keep everyone busy. Horseshoes, visiting, hiking... the kids had a ball! Early in the mornings Mikki and I had our tea under the stars glittering over head! Erin's family brought the best ever fish fry known to man. All in all they worked their tails off to make it perfect and it was!

Of course the bride and groom glowed! They started out their married life being the perfect host and hostess! The wedding was early in the day so we could all ''hang out'' and spend time with them afterwards. That was such fun as they had both been away for much of the year, first one then the other. We ate, toasted, danced, especially the little ones. Evan surely cut a mean rug!! He was too shy to be ringbearer but after the wedding that passed!! Kiely caught the bouquet and got to dance with the handsome fella who got the garter! Everyone enjoyed the band and the warm summer evening under the stars!

We mingled in the morning over breakfast, said our good byes and went in our separate directions, wishing Lorne and Erin a long and happy life together! A beautiful ending to our summer and a bright beginning for the new Mr. and Mrs. Christopher!

Midsummer's Day

6:30 a.m. and round, red, Mr. Sun is kissing the tops of the mountains. The 'girls', Cheney and Mitzi, look forward to their Ranger ride to turn off the water on the hayfield! There have already been two cuttings...shall we go for 3?! The deer hope so! All the baby swallows from the 2nd hatch perform aerobatics around the yard to show off their new flying skills!  Only yesterday they were hanging on the side of their mud hut afraid to let go!! The pond is as smooth as a looking glass reflecting this bright, blue Nevada sky. Little grey bees hum in the purple Russian sage...but not a bumblebee can be heard! I wonder where they are this summer. They usually do the summer serenade from May until September. Charles Darwin said the number of 'humble bees' depends on the mouse population as mice find the 'humble bee' nests in holes in the ground and eat the larva!! There are very few dragonflies this summer either...hmmm??? Usually hummingbirds find my trumpet vines right after the 4th of July and stay until September...and they are late!! Sunflowers lift their faces to smile at the sun and bee balm nods her shaggy head! It's time for everything to have their mid-summer haircut in hopes of a late summer blast of color. Smoke drifts over the tops of the mountains' majesty from somewhere else filling our valley with a blue haze. God is house cleaning too, I guess! Rudy and Chang, our faithful cats, find a shady, quiet place to curl up and sleep the day away.  My garden sports a new garden gate from my son and a pretty garden flag from my 'gracious' daughter in law that sums it all up...Welcome...Enjoy Life!

Nevada June

Relentless winds blow. A tiny gray ribbon creeps across the desert and grows until the space between here and there darkens and blurs to a monotone. The mountains at the end of the valley disappear. A dust storm is born and rolls off the Smoke Creek out onto the Black Rock. Cumulus sky clouds gather and block the sun, black and heavy with rain. But nary a drop makes its way to the valley floor. The winter brought only a rare storm, less moisture than could be squeezed from a kitchen sponge. When it came time for the cheatgrass to turn the desert green it headed out and turned golden brown instead leaving it only a couple of inches tall. Now the critters move closer and closer into our sphere. The mice, rats, and desert chipmunks come looking for something green to eat; the bark off the trees, tender branches and shoots, my garden! Snakes crawl in looking to eat them. Their dusty camo brown/black hides them as they lay in the cool of the garden dirt waiting for their mouse dinner. Chukkar birds cackle on the tops of the rim rocks as they march to the well house for a drink of the overflow. Six big bucks magically appear in the clover in the early morning light. Soon does with their new fawns join them to munch their way through a hot summer day, eating and resting in the field's coolness. Pink wild roses line the ditchbank. Their sweet smell wafts on the wind. Nighttime comes. Quail 'pip pip' their "good nights" to the day and coyotes start a lullaby song. A blaze of orange, red, and gold bursts forth to close the day. Our bit of heaven on earth. Praise the Lord!

Lovingly Instilled

She taught me to...

make a patchwork dolly quilt

play cribbage to learn my addition facts

feed a baby lamb on a bottle, a tiny kitten,
a little pig, even a raccoon

catch a chipmunk with a fishing basket and fishpole

find a doodlebug, an angleworm, and a sandbug in the creek

rub clay with a spoon to take a picture from the funny papers
when I had the chicken pox

make a loom from an old thread spool

write a school report about Lincoln and the White House

discover sheeps' noses, red bells and yellow daisy wildflowers
in the spring

plant pansies and primroses to make my garden bloom

'sleep on it' and in the morning I would have the answer
I was looking for

make a cradle from an apple box or a salt box

save my dimes to buy a savings bond

cook a chicken so it would feed my family for a week

make do with what I have and count my blessings

And most of all...To be a mom and love my babies ...no matter what!

N g'lach Springtime

Saw the year's first bluebird early today

Flycatchers are back, they have found their way

Hear killdeer calling down in the field

Wonder what new thing tomorrow will yield?

Snow on the north, sun to the south side

Spring will be here though time we must bide

2 little peepers sleep under a rock

Snow geese parley, flying north in a flock
The sky darkens yellow as dust storms bellow by

Then morning brings snowflakes filling the sky

Ducks quack lullabies in nests by the crick

Pussy willows graying up, fuzzy and thick

Mustangs silhouette the skyline high

Cloud shadows play chase as they go racing by.

Bugs smack the windshield sounding like rain

Wind hurls down trees roaring through like a train

Doodle bugs busy with early spring cleaning

Cottonwood twigs show signs of greening

Mountain cat crouches low on the hay stack

Watching deer meandering here and back

Winter projects; read, write, knit and sew

As up and down Granite creep dustings of snow.

No moisture hits the ground, it heads for spots east

The high desert's left dry with none but the least

Then out pops the sun and bees are humming

Blossoms burst open Spring really is coming!

Meet Mitzi

Puppy Love...that is what we have going at our house! Dogs are addictive! We dogsat Murf, our granddog, this past fall. Much too soon it was time to take him home to his mom. When I got back I decided our house needed another dog of its' own . My girls had both gone off to be angel dogs during the past year and rats and mice were again taking possession of my garden and yard! My little grandson and I visited about dogs. He thought a chihuahua named Larry was the perfect dog! I thought a Golden Retriever. I found a place and called. They had puppies ready, 2 boys and 2 girls! My friend offered to go with me and the next day we were off for our puppy adventure. There were beautiful dogs of every age, size, and color.  The first one to steal our hearts was a gorgeous rolypoly male with lots of red wavy hair but I decided to look at the females before choosing. And...there she was...the perfect little pup for me. She was a pretty golden color, with floppy ears, a mischievous personality, and more aggressive than her brother and sister. It took 2 days for her to choose a name, Mitzi! Not Baylee nor Reagan. Her sharp little piranha teeth make you do a puppy dance mornings when she nips on to your pjs and tugs you to the kitchen all the while jumping puddles! She and Cheney are now best friends though it wasn't always that way. Mitzi still needs to make friends with Rudy and Chang, our cats. She is finding they have paws full of fishhooks and very little patience with a barking puppy! She can go up the stairs but not down them yet. It won't be long until we have no safe place! And... we need to remember to put all shoes and slippers out of reach! So now I spend my time laughing at the antics of my new little bundle of exuberance. "Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching," said Rudyard Kippling. Yep!

Amazing Grace!

Could Paul McCartney really have meant me when he wrote "When I'm 64"?!? I can't believe that song was made for the 66ers! It seems like it was only "Yesterday" when we were the Mighty Seniors of Etna High and "Feelin' Groovy"!! Where ever has the time gone? Guess it is time to access the situation and see. A super supportive HUSBAND! Four great SONS!! Four awesome DAUGHTERS in law...  And...4 wonderful GRANDKIDS ...Guess that is my number one, two, three, and four accomplishments!! It has been a fun ride to this point. Phone calls from across Nevada, Japan and Africa! Touched base with every one. I look at my computer and kitchen table strewn with birthday cards and happy wishes. Such fun! Great FRIENDS! Ah HAH...another feather in my cap! My TEACHING career, from which I retired this year, was never a job but always my life's dream. Aren't I lucky to have been able to touch so many promising little lives! And one of "My Favorite Things" just happens to be making my HOME in this gorgeous Nevada desert! God's country for sure! Antelope on the hillside and wild horses in the valley. Chukkar birds and quail, flycatchers and killdeer. Deer are fun when they aren't perusing my FLOWERS and GARDEN! I have been lucky enough to TRAVEL some. I look forward to more. I love poking around in the UK and Europe. My PIANO has made me happy, even though I haven't really conquered it. I love KNITTING and CROCHETING ... TEXTING, SKYPE and BLOGSPOT, who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Never fear I am "Younger Than Springtime" and although there were some bumps I'm glad I did it "My Way''!

Cheney 'n Murf

OMG! I am having a Hank the Cowdog moment! If you have ever read these delightful books to your kids you will know what I am talking about. We are taking care of Murphy, our children's dog while they are away. Murphy is a beautiful golden retriever setter cross, we think. When he first came to us he was a quiet, shy dog, used to life in the city. He has changed! He loves to ride in the Ranger. He loves to roll in the hay. He loves to run his long lanky stride across the desert and he LOVES to chase coyotes!! Or maybe they love to chase him.

This bright cold, blue sky January morning I let the dogs out to survey their territory . It wasn't long  before I heard them barking, alerting the neighborhood that they were on watch. I went about my morning chores. In a bit their barks changed.  I looked out the window. Down in the field were 2 BIG coyotes and Cheney and Murf (his country name!) I can just hear Cheney telling him. "Come on, Murf. You are big and strong and handsome. Let's take them on. We can do it." And... away they went after the coyotes!! I watched and the tables turned! The coyotes had lured them far enough away then went after their prey! It was an old coyote trick but Cheney and Murf didn't know it. Cheney turned and shot like a bullet up the hill toward home. Murf was right behind her but the coyotes were right after him. Like in the story: How do you get away from a bear... "I only have to run faster than you"! I yelled and the coyotes stopped! Luckily!!  The dogs beat feet to the top of the hill where they turned to bark their good byes to the coyotes. Of maybe they were barking challenges since they were now safe!! As Cheney and Murf sat in the sun and Cheney chewed on Murf's neck I could just hear her telling him. "Good job, Murf! I knew you could do it!! They had better watch out for us tomorrow!"

Littlest Shepherd

"Anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it..."

Often at Christmastime a church or ministry will have a drive to support those less fortunate. This is the case with the middle school class at Erin's church. They were supporting a child who was waiting to be adopted. This story was told at church and in the Sunday school classes. Anyone who would like to help could add their contribution.

On the Sunday before Christmas Garrett had a little paper bag as he left for church. When he got there he took his paper bag to the middle school Sunday School classroom. Mind you, Garrett is only 6. His mom asked him what he had. He told her, "It's my money". He told her he needed to put his money into the jar on the shelf. She asked him why. "Well, you know the kid our church is trying to buy?" he said. "Well, this is for her, so we can buy her." When his mom asked how much he wanted to put in the jar he told her, "All of it".  Garrett may not have gotten the whole story right but he surely got the message right. I thought this was the perfect Christmas story to end the year or to start the new one....

...and Jesus took the little children in his arms and he blessed them. Mark 10:15