Dear Friend…

My daughter sent me a picture today of our precious little boy.  It looks like he is talking with his little, stuffed monkey so I thought I would write a poem to go with the picture.  Sure love this little guy!

Mallard Ducks and Baby Calves w/Daughter

Went to town today to get an oil change for my Explorer.  After leaving there, I went to one of my favorite spots for pictures…..the bridge at the base of the mine hill.  Besides the beautiful scenery, there were some mallards swimming on the river.  Mallard ducks have the prettiest heads, such a vibrant green.

Mallards on River

I also decided to drive up to the reservoir.  Not much happening there but it was a beautiful day and it looks like fishermen/women were enjoying the warmth by fishing outside their huts.

I stopped at the gas station to get gas and BOOM, gas had gone up from $3.19 to $3.55 in one day……………..  It’s sad that somebody needs to fill their pockets to overflowing and I know it isn’t the gas stations making the big profits.

Almost home when I noticed the baby calves in the field with their mammas.  I do miss having all the baby calves on our place.  Not so much the mammas, but the babies are so cute with their big black eyes and super long lashes…………cute, really cute!

Way back when………….like around 25 years ago, we had a couple of calves that for some reason were not able to stay with their mammas so we brought them on our yard.  They were great playmates for our daughter, even sleeping and playing in the sandbox with her. 

She named them too.  The one standing was starlight and the one with the white face was moonshine.  And I’m positively sure that the piece of straw or the stick she had in her mouth was absolutely sanitary! 

If she wasn’t sleeping or playing with them, she was trying to ride them.  They actually made pretty good buddies for her.  Although, right after taking the picture on the bottom, Starlight bucked her off – OUCH!

Chickadee – dee – dee

When I went outside this morning, I heard and saw three chickadee’s flying from tree to tree and then to our bridal wreath spirea bushes.  I followed them from tree to tree to bush, trying to get a picture.  Just when I was about to give up and was just standing there, one came and landed on the spirea bush right next to me.  Snap – got a good picture.

Chickadees are one of my favorite, little birds.  They take me back to my childhood and the fun I had trying to imitate their call.  While searching YouTube, I came across this song about the Chickadee.  If you don’t want to be singing this song all day long, I’d advise you not to watch the video.  If you want your spirits lifted and something that will put you in a happy place, then by all means………………. WATCH THE VIDEO!

Chickadee Music Video

Finding The Green In Spring

I stepped outside this morning in 24 degree weather to put a letter in the mailbox.  You would have thought it was spring the way all the birds were singing.  I couldn’t see the birds but one of the sounds I heard sounded like a meadowlark.

Meadow Lark Singing

Awe, spring!  I thought….it sounds like spring so maybe I could find something green, other than our pine trees, that would make it feel like spring.

 

Out in our garden spot, I brushed away some dirt and dead leaves and actually found some green, frozen-in-time green, but hey, it was still a smidgen of green.

 

Defeated from my quest to find something really green, I headed back to the house and it was there, right on the ground, that I spotted green.  It wasn’t the green I was hoping to find but still, it actually made my day…………….it was a bright green in the mist of brown, greys and dullness……….a part that my husband uses in his work.  I know, weird, but this little bit of green lying on the ground actually made my day!

Flying Garbage Disposals

Who needs a garbage disposal when you’ve got these?!  Yep, magpies make wonderful garbage disposals.  All you do is open the door, toss out everything and anything and within minutes, it’s gone.  Before losing our dog, believe it or not, we never, ever, had to scoop up after him.  The only thing we can think of is………you guessed it, our very own flying garbage disposals.  It was however, quite the trick keeping the dog food away from the culprits.  No place was safe to feed your pet outdoors.  And when they come, they come in flocks.  Today I had 10 or more magpies come in for an early brunch.  It’s one of those love/hate relationships.  They are one of the most pesky birds alive but who am I to complain when I’ve got it and didn’t even have to pay for it…..my very own garbage disposal.

 

 

Valentine Movie Night

Last night (a day late), the American Legion Post in our area had a Valentine Movie Night.  The movie shown was “How to Steal a Million,” a 1966 romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole.  It was a really good movie that I would recommend for anyone to see.  Below is a 2 1/2 minute clip about the show.

How to Steal a Million–Trailer

The movie was a benefit for the Mackay Post scholarship for high school seniors.  It wasn’t very well attended but for those who did go, it was a great evening.  They also had popcorn, strawberry tartlets and other items you could purchase and eat during the movie.  I’ve never seen or heard of this movie so I’m glad we went…….fun and suspenseful.

When we got home, the moon was big, bright and beautiful.  The only problem was, the clouds were moving at such a high speed that all my pictures turned out blurry.  But, to view the moon with the clouds floating swiftly by was pretty awesome.

I Am a Child of God - 8x10

I came across this idea on the internet but it just had the information on it and put in a frame.  I loved the idea so of course, I had to make one for my little grandbaby, adding graphics.  I liked it so well I decided to make one for a baby girl, too……you know….just in case I need it some day.  And where I already had the form in place, all I needed to do was change the color and a few graphics.  I also made them in a 5x7 size but it’s much easier to read in the 8x10 format.  Since I’m not too great at making up my own things I love feeding off of others ideas.  Thanks to all you people out there for helping people like me with your clever ideas.  I really do appreciate it, really!

 

Week of Grandma Time

I just spent the week at my daughters house playing GRANDMA!  Oh, ……………………………………… what JOY!  I just love this little guy, so much.  How fortunate I am to only live a few hours away.

 

 

 

 

Grandma, not having any boys of her owned, learned a valuable lesson when it comes to changing little boy diapers.  The biggest challenge is not getting squirted.  I don’t think there is a fool-proof method to NOT GETTING WET.  To me, this commercial is hilarious and has a lot more meaning than it ever did before – Too Funny!  Let’s just say that grandma did not always walk away as dry as when the diaper process started.

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SNOW – February 8th

We woke up this morning to snow………….snow, it was actually snowing.  And, it kept snowing, enough to actually get a measurable amount.  We ended up with at least 3 1/2” but I don’t know how much we actually had.  By the time I got the opportunity to measure and take pictures, it had stopped snowing approximately 4 hours.  The weathermen on the news stations reported that our area probably wouldn’t really get any snow that would amount to much but they didn’t know the power behind it.  Being a Mormon, last Sunday was fast Sunday and our entire valley was fasting and praying for snow/moisture.  Some would say…….it probably would have snowed anyways but for me, I 100% believe in the miracles that come through fasting and praying to our loving Heavenly Father.  Whatever your belief, IT SNOWED……covering our area of drought with some much needed moisture!

You can see by the wood pile how much snow was left after the four hours.  Not much on the wood or vehicles but our driveway is where the measurable amount was.

 

These next two pictures were taken from inside our home.  It was warm enough for the snow to slide off the roof.

I know that 3 1/2 plus inches isn’t a lot of snow by hey, were thankful for any amount we receive.