Speed Fun!

Yep, its been a while since I last posted on here...again.  As, many of you know, we keep busy, and maybe too busy at times but we have also had a lot of trouble with our Internet service this year so I haven't had the patience to try and  post things especially when I have a couple times, the computer freezes halfway through or completely boots me off but I think things are working better-here's hopin!!

Jessie and I have had a very busy and fun year so far with her competing in the Nevada bandits club in Elko and she has competed in one Junior rodeo to which she has now decided that she needs to learn how to tie goats and rope cattle!!!

   She has one more show at the end of October.  After her first 3 shows she was placed in a division so that she can compete against those with similar times and then collect points for year end awards-she far she has been high point at the last 2 shows!! 

  Nina was my first horse and has proven to be a good all around type horse but seems to have a knack for barrels, poles, etc.....She's not a 'spring chicken' anymore but at 18 she is showing that she definitely has some get-up and go and really seems to enjoy it.

   Jessie had had a lot of fun getting herself and Nina all 'dolled' for the shows-can't blame her  :)

  This was just a week ago the morning of her first Junior rodeo-have to have the hat for rodeo's-its the rules. My hat looks good on her though, kinda like my horse looks good under her  ;)

   The best part about the Nevada Bandit Club are the people that you get to hang out with and the very relaxed, fun atmosphere!

 In between events, Nina gets to be the babysitter.

 She's getting faster all the time

Nina's favorite part of the day is at the end-she's spoiled, but its a good kind.

Late Spring Fun

This winter, as most of you know didn't bring a lot of moisture and this spring was even worse.  Definitely going to be another very dry year.  The only 'positive' thing(I say that 'lightly), is that the river is so low that the kids don't have to wait until the end of summer or even fall to be able to go play in it.
So, Sara and I decided to take all of the kiddos down to the river-just a few minutes to walk to and let them go play.  This was Melody's and Nathan's first time getting to really play in some good mud-lots of fun!!

Here is Marisa-the water was still a bit chilly.

Shyla

Jessie

Brooklynn

Nathan was having a blast!!

Melody wasn't to sure she really wanted her toes in the mud and the river but.....

she warmed up to the idea when she realized we could wash it off!!

I remember doing this when I was little-mix'n the mud and sinking deeper with my feet!

I opted not to this time though-I was busy with the camera-LOL and yes, the water was cold-I didn't want to get back in.

Have I mentioned that the river is extremely low for this time of year? Usually its at the top of the bank or over it flooding the surrounding meadows but as you can see, not even knee deep on Jessie granted Jessie's knees are a lot higher then the average 13yr old; I keep telling her to quit growing but she hasn't listened so far. I guess there are somethings you just can't change-high knees and low moisture are 2 of them.

I Haven't Forgotten

    So, this is the 3rd time that I've tried to post and for some reason my computer is not wanting to load pics very well so I just wanted to let you know that I havent' forgotten and I will keep trying.  I have some great pics with some great stories!!  Hopefully hear soon as I have the time and the computer lets me get the pics on, you can enjoy them as I always do putting them on.  Hope your having a great day!

Finally Wyoming!!

 The girl's and I finally made our trip to Casper, Wyoming.  I say finally because I had to change dates twice and was fearing a third time.  We were going to go back in April during spring break but I still had frozen waterlines that made taking care of things here tricky plus I didn't want to have the care-taker have to deal with any broken lines; the second change of date was because of a horse show that weekend and then Jessie came down with strep so we didn't make it to that either and then Marisa started to have a bit of a sore throat soooo.......I was afraid we were going to have to cancel and wait till July, but thankfully, Marisa was clear of strep and the trip was a go!!

So why the trip to Wyoming?  To see our bestest friend ever of course!!  I've known Whitney and Rhen now for 12yrs. We first met here in Battle Mtn and then have kept in touch as they have made their way to Wyoming.  Both their kids and ours look forward to seeing each other every year and of course, the visits are never long enough.

So, I always make sure that the batteries to my camera are charged up and ready to go for lots of pictures right?! but as it happens quite often, I only took a few.  The first couple days there the weather wasn't that great-very cloudy with scattered showers and hail and lots of wind-totally unheard of in Wyoming. We did get out and drive around a bit to see the area and to get out of the house. By Saturday, the sun was out and we were able to go enjoy Connor's baseball game and then spent the afternoon cleaning up the garden area for the future garden.

  Here we are getting started-the kids worked hard(most of the time) and with in a couple hours we were done.

  Ta-da!!  The garden almost ready for some plants and the team that got it there!

  That evening, Rhen took the kids out fishing-I think fishing has become a highlight of the trips out there as "you can catch big fish in Wyoming" and as of recent, that's been about the only time they get to go-yes, I'm very guilty of not taking them fishing in over a year-very bad of me.  Anyhow, they got to go out in a canoe and fish until dark and Jessie caught this fish, She was the only one that caught one that night but she definitely caught one that was sufficient enough to feed us all a nice trout dinner the following day!!  I was informed that we would have to catch lots of our little trout here to be the same as the one she caught-more guilt. I did tell the girl's that there are a few places that I know of the do have 'bigger' trout then what we typically catch and that we would try to get to them. 
  Well, as usual we have to come home at some point and that day came on Monday.  Its always nice to come home but never when it means that you know it will be a while before you get to see each other again and its so far away.

Homegrown

There is nothing better then 'stuff' that is homegrown and homemade.  I think its important, especially now days, to be able to provide food and things that help you live and helps others live-the basics.  This current culture, on the whole it seems like, has gotten away from the basics.  Electronics, entertainment and a society that is teaching that life is all about yourself and what you can do for you does not ultimately put food on the table.  While yes, electronics can and do help, playing imaginary games all day honestly makes you dumb and numbs you to the things that matter-life isn't a game-there are values. Entertainment can be enjoyable and a nice relief from the daily grind, but making a living centered on the opinions of others is crazy-everyone has there own opinion on what looks good, sounds good constantly changes it seems yearly, etc.......Its not possible to live in any consistent, daily life routine this way-look at Hollywood and all the drama of the celebrities.  Could you imagine living everyday constantly worried about the 'reviews' you got from your last show, or songs, etc.....Do they realize, that when it comes down to it, that stuff does not truly provide for the needs to live-food, clothing, housing etc......and our kids are driven to this sort of 'fame'.  Now, understand, I'm not against going and watching a movie and I love my music but I can live without them and I am certainly not caught up with the latest, 'who's divorcing who and who got caught with drugs again, drama, drama, drama...'

So anyhow, back to 'homegrown and homemade' and things that matter.  We were not put on this earth to serve ourselves. We were put here to serve and glorify God in all things and to help each other and I think that its very important to teach our kids this.  Teaching them where things come from and that good, honest work will be blessed and really has a sense of satisfaction and that we are all accountable for our actions is true reality.

  So in light of where things come from-food is important; can't live without it.  The girl's and I have our garden boxes. While yes I know that this will not feed us for a year, it teaches about where our food comes from-it wasn't 'made' in the grocery store.  Gardening, farming, agriculture, etc....is something that requires special attention to details and time.

   Now please understand, I am not saying that if you aren't gardening acres of land and consuming yourself with all that growing food entails your setting a bad example, but I think its important to know and understand that the things that sustain your life take work and some years really hard work to eventually get it available for your use.

 Gardens don't have to be big and elaborate; potted plants can produce quite a bit.

 Chicken!!!  It is not 'made' in a store-pink slime is not chicken just in case you were wondering.  We raise chickens for a few reasons-fresh eggs are the best-they haven't been sitting on the shelves for weeks or even months at the grocery store; I know what my chickens have been eating so eating them causes me no concern; they are great weed eaters and help with bug control-if you hate creepy crawlies get a couple chickens, they love bugs and give you eggs in return plus they are quite fun to watch-good entertainment!  I do still buy chicken from the store as I am not into raising tons of birds(we've done that)-that can get expensive but we try to 'supplement' how much we buy and it again teaches our kids and others that food is ultimately grown and then 'made' into something and it takes good, honest work that is rewarding to yourself and others.

 Speaking of good and honest work-notice that my girl's have smiles on their faces even though we are chopping weeds!  See, it can be as much fun as a nintendo game if you make it plus there are actual benefits to it.  Even little Melody is helping as the 'water girl'. These weeds are a major nuisance-they spread like crazy and nothing eats them because they are poisonous-something else good to learn.

So, I have to laugh because when I loaded these pics I wasn't actually planning on venting but its really sad when people don't realize where things come from-ultimately God who sustains all things by His powerful word. Heb. 1:3.  The reality of true values, things that matter are becoming less and less all the time. Take the time to teach your kids and yourself about the value of life; in order for you to live, something died whether it was an animal or a plant.  Know that there was hard work put in by someone so that you could have that food or garment of clothing or house, etc.....Know ultimately that all that we do have is a blessing from the Lord and should not be taken for granted but treated as a 'gift' that we don't deserve. The sinners that we are deserve only death but thanks to the sacrifice that God made in His Son Christ, we have been given new life and are new creatures-the old has past away- 2 Cor. 5:17 therefore we should live each day thankful for what we have-ultimately a hope in Him and the things to come!

Wild!

Spring is definitely here although we haven't had much for any 'spring/April' showers that we desperately need.  The wildflowers are blooming and the wildlife that has been hibernating is coming out to enjoy the warmth and replenish nutrients lost after a long and cold winter.  Please pray for rain though, as there isn't the growth in vegetation needed to sustain much and the water levels around here are critically low. Earnest prayer and faith in God can bring rain-"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours;  yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for 3 years and 6 months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit."  James 5:17-18

Most of these pictures Marisa and I took the other day as we hiked up Lewis Canyon with some friends.  It was a beautiful day as the weather was perfect and the scenery was bursting with spring life.

   Some wildflowers are making their appearance although scarce in numbers.

 Rose hips left from a long cold winter.

  Little 'horney toad' out catching ants.

  Lupin just starting to bloom.

 Indian Paint brush also in bloom.

 Not sure what this one is but the pink flowers are pretty-the bugs really like them too!

 Tent caterpillars are out busy making new 'tents'.

 Pink flowers on 'unknown' bush. I used to know what it was but I can't remember-gonna have to look it up again.

 If you look closely, there is a very upset 'rock-chuck' that my dogs interrupted. I'm pretty sure she had young ones near by as she was quite aggressive towards my dogs. Thankfully, no one was injured, just a bit stirred-up.

 More beautiful flowers that we enjoyed on our walk.  Get out and enjoy them while you can; I don't think they are going to last long.

Spring Cutting

Most of you know that we heat our house with a wood stove; we have a furnace but only use it when we are going to be gone during the winter which doesn't happen very often.  Anyhow, we love the wood stove heat.  It seems to heat the house better then a furnace as it heats the surface of everything, not just the air and its cheaper.

Of course, having a wood stove means that you must have wood to burn in it.  If you have been to Battle Mtn, you may ask," Are there really trees around here that you can go cut for firewood?" to which I would answer, yes!   You do have to drive a bit-the closest spot being about 70 miles from here and if you love spending time outdoors in the mountains then this isn't a problem.

We always start cutting our wood as early in the spring as possible as weather permits, this way it has plenty of time to dry before we need to use it-we cut green wood and dead wood-depends on whats available when we get to where we are going.

  Our first trip was on a perfect day. The weather forcast said a chance of thunderstorms and not to hot!!

  Once we got to our destination the clouds came and went all morning and afternoon with a few sprinkles here and there-it was wonderful!!

 If you know how to back a truck and trailer, you can get them just about anywhere and my goal was as close to the trees that we were cutting since the girls and I were loading it.

 Jessie showing so much excitement to be out gathering wood-NOT!  I think she would of rather stayed home and did school-thats okay, we doubled up on lessons the next day.

   Bryan going to town 'limbing' the limbs that were left from some previous wood cutters. We have many times filled our truck and trailer with wood that people have left including whole trees-its really a shame that so much would be left behind.  We pretty much take it all-the little stuff is great for those small fires that you need to take the chill off of things and you also need the little stuff to get a nice bed of coals to burn the large stuff all night not to mention the occasional out door 'camp' fires on a summer evening.

   One should never run chainsaws without proper protection-those things are scary!!  I tried the small one and said, Nope, not for me!

  So, when we go cut wood, we do stop and take a lunch break and few snack breaks and well, Marisa was having so much fun that she had to re-charge her batteries!!   What better place to take a nap though!!

  All loaded. Took us about 4-5hrs; I'm not sure what time we started.

Yeah, 1 load down and 4 more to go!!!