Toys for Kittens

There are lots and lots of ways to entertain a kitten. It is not necessary to go to the store and buy fancy, expensive toys for cats. First -- as seen in the photo-- is the stuffed animal. I have found that boxes are a favorite as seen in the following pictures. Wiley our new kitty loves the boxes that RC Cola come in. At this time he is about 8 weeks and still fits into one. Our grown cats need something a big bigger. Easter eggs, the plastic kind, are a good toy. They roll but not straight like a ball. Wiley will carry a half an egg in his mouth that is open. He likes to carry wadded up copy paper. Plastic water bottles are good as they don't roll straight either. Drop a couple of pebbles in it to rattle. You can try egg cartons, pens, and pen caps. pieces of candy wrapper, crunched up cigarette packages, old socks with a knot in them, plastic cups, and small bowls.
Of course they love string and pieces of rope but this should only be used with supervision as they can choke to death on a string very quickly.
Remember to never let them have plants, or anything sharp to play with. All house plants should be considered poisonous as there is no telling how an individual cat will react if they eat part of one. The same with all medicines. Never give a cat any kind of medicine with out your vets approval . Even aspirin can be deadly to cats. Never give a cat things like needles, straight pens, or any tiny object that it could swallow. A sudden death or big vet bill is not fun for the kitty or you.
Just like children and puppies, cats shouldn't have plastic bags to play with. To the kitten it looks like fun, but they can suffocate quickly if it gets over their head.
Remember your kitten is a baby. He needs frequent rests while playing. If you keep encouraging him to play he will, but could get overly tired and become sick.
Just a few of the things I have remembered since I now have a kitten.

Cat in a Box

It's My Box!! You can't have it.

In a Box

You big bully. You can't get me while I'm in my box.

Attack!

I can't help it. Her tail was just too temping. I had to jump on it.

Wiley Wild Cat

I am trying so hard to good!

Blind Kitty

Callie has left a comment on my blog that she has a blind kitty. She is a special person to take in and care for a special kitty. My son has a blind cat in his household. It takes a special person with a big heart and very caring to take in the special needs pets and we need more people like that. I haven't had a young pet with special needs but have had lots of elderly dogs and cats that were hard of hearing and almost blind, as well as having arthritis making it difficult to get up and down. I have an elderly horse that has arthritis and a damaged hoof but he still enjoys a short ride ever once in a while.

Kitten Help

I had forgotten how much "help" a kitten could be. It's been 8 years since we had a kitten and this one is very much into everything. What ever I am doing he wants to be part of and 'help' me do it. As with my other 2 black cats he is fascinated by dripping water. Wiley will be in the sink as soon as I turn the water on. He helps me wash my hands, and do the dishes. We are having a hard time teaching him that he can not help with the cooking. Not to bad when I just making a salid or peeling potatoes but when it comes to the stove I am hoping he doesn't learn the hard way and get burnt. We frequently have to put him in the bedroom when we are cooking, or eating. Not only does he want to cook he wants to eat it, too.
Wiley Cat also helps with gathering dirty clothes, folding and hanging the clean cloths, making the bed and sweeping. He doesn't care for the vacuum cleaner. Of course using a pen or pencil is a favorite as he thinks he needs to catch the pen as I use it.
When I get dressed or change clothes is a great time to catch the clothes or help me put them on. And a sleeping person always needs to be woke up so they can play with an active kitten.

Kinks in My Life

I could make a very long list of the kinks I have in my life that make life harder. First and foremost is the urge to have a garden in the desert. I have done it for years and years - more than I want to count. Each spring I get this compulsive urge to plant seeds; flower seeds, vegetable seeds, and any other seed I might find. Then all summer I kick myself for having done so as I have to water, and care for first the seedlings, and then the plants. And then you have to figure out what to do with all the veggies that you have grown. That is after you and all your neighbors and friends have been veggied out on fresh squash, tomatoes and watermelon.

for example - take this mornings kinks

I got up and decided to plant the last of my seeds. While doing so I realized it was already very warm outside. So I turned on the water and proceeded to water all the little spots that I had planted the last of the seeds in, and all the little seedlings - in pots and in the ground - that are just poking their heads up as that is the time they need the most frequent watering. This wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been that every time I pulled on the hose it kinked. I would put down the end where the water was supposed to be coming out of - and wasn't - and walk across the yard to the kink, unkink it and stretch out the hose so that hopefully it wouldn't kink again. WRONG Within a few minutes of pulling the hose around it would kink again. Again this wouldn't have been to bad if I hadn't had extra "help" from Tuffee, my Border Collie, who has a major goal in life of 'catching' the water as it comes out of the hose - and in the process running and stomping through the seedlings.
At last I gave up on watering for the time being and retreated to the horse pens to hook up the ATV to the railroad tie drag and drive round and round the pens smashing and dragging sand and manure to hopefully desrup the breeding cycle of the gnats that have been torturing the horses the past few days. At least doing this I was sitting down on the ATV and not bent over at the waist - with my head down - planting seeds and fighting with a contrary water hose.

President Obama

It is a bit late to be writing about it, but President Obama was in my town of Rio Rancho on Thursday of the past week. We arn't actually in Rio Rancho but out in the county near the city. Rio Rancho is the town where we go to shop. Albuquerque is east of Rio Rancho but we don't go there if we can get what we need in Rio Rancho. President Obama gave his speech at the Rio Rancho High School which had the biggest place for people to attend that is in the city. I didn't even try to go as I can't stand to get in those kind of crowds. I did watch it on TV.
I don't understand why President Obama decided to come to Rio Rancho instead of Albuquerque where Obama had done a lot of his campaigning, but I guess it was quite a big deal for our small city.
I do hope that President Obama can do what he said in his speech about getting credit card companies to not come down so hard on people, like me, who haven't been late or missed any of their payment dates. I had all my credit card interest rates raised several years ago for no reason that I know of. I was told it was 'standard policy'. Now that 2 of my cards are paid off the companies still refuse to lower the interest rates. Consequently I don't use those cards and have even closed one.
The training I received at a credit reporting company a few years ago said that if you only closed one that was paid off with out having any problems with being late on payments it shouldn't affect your credit rating. I will find out for sure now. But I was so upset that Bank of America wouldn't lower my interest rate on a card I had never been late on and had paid off twice in the past 2 years that I decided to take a chance on it.
I would also like to voice my opinion on the problem of the people who think that President Obama is wrong to be for abortion. I agree with him. The world is over populated now, and I hear of way to many children being abused and even killed as it is. I would rather know that child was aborted as a fetus than to be born and then tortured and killed.
Just yesterday a little boy about 3 or 4 was found buried in a park in Albuquerque after he had been killed. No one has come forward to even say the child was theirs yet. It seems that no one wanted this child from the time he was conceived. This is something that is too horrible for me to comprehend. It needs to be stopped, and if abortion is where that starts - so be it.
That is not to say I would have an abortion. I haven't ever had one. Nor did I ever have a child out of wedlock or give up one for adoption. In my imedent family - me, my husband, my son, sisters and their families - I do not know of any of this ever happening or being necessary. We were raised and have raised our children to understand how to use birth control and to do it, as it is not necessary to have as many children as possible, as so many people seem to think. You only have children you want and can care for properly. Other wise you use birth control.
And I will add that abortion should not be used as a form of birth control.

Today's Photos

Today I have uploaded a bunch of photos. Here is one of an apple tree blossom. There are some of the desert wildflowers that grown in my yard and on the nearby desert. There are some of the redbud trees in our yard and some of my geraniums. Then there are a couple of our new kitten Wiley. Hope you like them.

White Wild Flower

Unlike the purple wildflowers in the next photo these white ones are nice and don't have stickers. Even the leaves are soft to the touch.

Purple Wild Flower

This purple wildflower is blooming all over the desert. This one is right by my house. They are such a lushish shade of purple but if you look close you can see the hair-like stickers that they will have when they are through blooming. These will go right through cotton gardening gloves and are as bad as cactus stickers to remove for the glove or your skin.

spring on the desert

Spring has come to the desert as well as to my yard. We drove out a few miles the other day and found these tiny clumps of yellow flowers growing everywhere. I don't know what they are called. There are some cactus growing near these that will blooming in a few weeks.

Juniper Tree

The juniper trees out on the desert can be hundreds of years old. It is such a shame each time the contractors cut one down to make way for a new home. The contractor that built our home seemed to take care not to cut down any of the trees or even the cholla cactus growing on the different properies. We are glad he didn't even if we didn't get a juniper tree on our property

Desert Hillside

Redbud and Sandias

Here is one of our redbud trees with a view of the Sandia Mountains behind it.

Blooms on Redbud

Redbud Tree Blossoms

the redbud tree is one of my favorite trees. They have these tiny, pinkish-purple blossoms in late spring. There are clusters of thousands of the pretty little blooms that sort of look like tiny orchids. The bees flock to them so they must be very sweet and loaded with pollen.

Pink Geranium

It is so hard to get any decent photos of the Sandia Mountains and my flowers without getting the power lines in them.

Geranium and Sandia Mountains

This geranium is sitting on a table on our deck and you can see the Sandia Mountains that we can see any time we are in our backyard.

Geraniums

My geraniums are enjoying being outside after a long winter in doors. They are all starting to bloom better. They bloom in the winter but not as well as they do outside.

Baby Wiley

Baby Wiley has taken a moment to rest. Notice I said a moment. Most of the time he is going full blast and it is almost impossible to get a photo of him. By the time I snap the photo he is gone.

Kitten in a Box

the favorite toy of a kitten always seems to be a box and a small ball

Me and Wiley

Wiley Wild Cat

This is Wiley Wild Cat our new kitten.

Kitten

Last week a neighbor found a tiny kitten and no one claimed it so I decided to adopt it. He, yes it is a male, and is all black. Of course we already have 2 black cats, Jade and Murphy. Jade is about 12 and Murphy is 8. When I brought the kitten in Jade looked it, licked it's nose and I swear she asked if we could keep it. Murphy hissed at him as did Kasie our 10 year old gray and white. But after 3 days Murphy was starting to play with the kitten, although a bit rough.
The dogs have beem a bit more of a problem. Codee is 9 and Tuffee is 5. They weren't sure they liked the idea of a new kitten in their home. So at first I put the dogs out when the kitten was in the livingroom and kitchen. When the kitten would get tired I would put him back in the spare bedroom with food, water, and a litterbox. Then I started keeping one dog in on a leash and up close to me while the kitten roamed and played. But today the dogs are doing better with him running around them and I let the dogs stay in with him while off leash. Of course these dogs have grown up with cats and are used to the ones we have. They do bark at and chase the stray cats that come around outside. I will continue to put him in the spare bedroom when I go out and leave the dogs in the house. No since taking a chance on him getting hurt when he decides to play with a dog tail.

Beat the Plants

My neighbor told me that her grandma used to say that a tomato wouldn't produce tomatos until she beat it with a broom or something simular. I hope it is true as my little baby tomato plants are being beaten with in an inch of their little lives by the wind we keep having. But they seem to be strong little plants and are surviving. That can't be said for the watermelons. I have lost half of them already. the squarsh are thriving and growing. I am having heck keeping them watered. I have to water them at least twice a day. That tells me just how dry our air is with no humitity in it at all. At this point I wonder why I ever started this project of having a garden and flowers.

Bathing Beauties

Bath time for the ponies! It's been a long winter for 5 very dirty equines. As the weather has warmed up I decided it was time to give each and every one of my horses and ponies a bath. It's taken several days over the past week but I did the last one this morning. What a chore. They were worse than I thought once I really got to washing them. I had already done a lot of the brushing to get as much loose winter hair off of them as I could. As I soaked each one then started soaping each one I realized how much dirt was ground into their hair. All that sand and dust can't be good for their skin anymore than it is for mine. It makes me wonder why the horses, dogs, and cats want to roll it it so often. I wish they wouldn't roll in the dirt.
I am grateful that Sunny, Nita, and Stormy like their bath. I think they would stand their all day and let me run water over them and massage them with a soapy rag or brush them and comb out their manes and tails. And Star didn't do to bad even though I know she doesn't care for a bath. But it is Trave that is the problem. He's ok about his head, neck, and front quarters being washed but doens't like his hind quarters or belly washed. I intend to try to do more of it with him this summer so that hopefully he will get more used to it.

Miracle of Growing Seeds

So now that we have reached this spring/summer type season I have planted my garden and flower seeds. Each year I get obsessed to plant some seeds. To me it is such a miracle to watch that tiny, little seed be planted, watered, and in about a week there is the first bit of green peaking up out of the soil. It doesn't matter if it is a very tiny little black speck of a seed, or the larger pumpkin, squash or gourd seeds. To me each one that sprouts is a miracle.

This year I saved several of the 2 litter soda bottles, cut them in half, added seed starter soil in the bottom half, plus the seeds, then slit the top on one side so that it would slide easily into the bottom half to make a small greenhouse. I do water the soil until it is very moist before I add the seeds. As seed starter soil is very dry you might need to stir it to help it absort the water. I use my hands to mix it up sort of like a bread dough. If you wait to water until after the seeds are planted the water will move the seeds around to different areas of the pot. It is best to make a few holes in the bottoms of the bottles to allow for excess water dranage and put the pot onto a saucer to catch the water. I use any kind of plastic container I can find for a 'saucer' like the containers that meat come in, or other plastic containers that are normally pitched in the trash. (Another way to re-cycle!) I did remove the soda bottle lids so that some of the moisture could escape from my make-shift greenhouse. You can do the same thing with other plastic bottles like gallon milk jugs, but I like the soda bottles as you can see though them (the green ones a more difficult) and you can use markers to write the names of the seeds on the top and bottom half so you know what kind of seed you have planted. Make sure they are in a fairly sunny location in the house but not to cool or hot.

I think each and every one of them came up. After a week most were up but I kept the greenhouse top on for another week to allow the baby plants to get a good start. You want to make sure they don't get too wet from the greenhouse effect or too dry. After about a week I took the tops off and allowed the plantlets more sun as when they go outside here they will get lots of hot sun and dry weather. This allows them to get used to our desert living gradually. After 2 weeks I start setting them outside on our patio for part of the day. Start with about 4 hours in the morning gradually increasing by several hours each day. I don't put them out if the weather is to drastic as when we have rain or bad wind. Now that they are into the third week I will start letting them spend the night outside. I make sure to watch the weather or some how check and make sure it won't be too cold for them at night. I prefer a temperature of at least 45 at night for them to stay out. If it should dip back lower I will bring them back in. As we don't have a roof on our patio I will bring them in if it should rain or get to windy.

Yesterday I have to replant one of my pumpkins as it got way to big/tall for it's little greenhouse. I put it in a 1 gallon plastic pot that I had saved in the pot pile. This happens faster to the larger plants like pumpkins, squash or gourds. The smaller seeds like tomatoes, cucumbers, or watermelon or flowers take longer to get to the transplant size.

All the seeds are now putting on their second leaves. If you arn't formular with growing seeds youwill notice that the second leaves are totally different in shape and size to the first leaves. All seeds, for what ever reason, the first leaves are different to the leaves that they have as plants. There are all kinds of theories as to why they do this. To me it is just part of the miracle of plants. But it does make it more difficult to recognize what kind of plant you are growing.

I also took several of the 1 gallon pots that I have saved over the years, filled them with potting soil three fourths of the way up and then with seed starter soil the top one forth and planted seeds in them, some being the same type of seeds I had started in the house. I have kept these pots of seeds out on the patio to sprout when they can according to our weather. The first ones are now coming up.

In the next couple of weeks I transplant the seedlings from their small pots to their permanent home in the garden. Some of the seedlings will find homes in some larger pots as here in the desert I have found that many garden plants and flowers do better in containers. Especially tomatoes. All will grow, flower and produce in pots if that is the way you want to do your garden rather than to dig a big patch of ground for a garden in the traditional way. Sometimes it is a lot easier to water and fertilize this way.

What ever way you decide to grow your seeds or if you prefer to buy them already up and ready to transplant to a bigger pot or directly into your garden, growing plants is a wonderfully way to add to your groceries or just to experience one of the miracles of nature.

What Season Is This?

For several weeks, or has it been months, we have been trying to decide if winter was going to leave us, and spring come to visit. And that is the secret word. Visit. That is all that spring really did here. Visit. In the past week we have had a winter storm, a touch of spring, and now summer has decended on us with lots of sunny days and warm nights. The winter storm was nice with it's scattering of snow and rain. We only got rain but we always need moisture. Spring was wonderful; for the few days it lasted. So today it is up to 80 degrees and only supposed to get down to 50 tonight. 50? Last Friday we had a high of only 50.
I do beleive that Mother Nature is very undecided as to what season it is.

Iffy Spring

Spring can't decide if it wants to come or not. Trees are bloomed out, a few anuals are coming up but we have another storm. It is spitting a combination of rain and snow. TV says lots of snow in mountains and points north. Sure wish mother nature would make up her mind what season it is.

Gardening Suggestions

Here is another short article that was in a former gardening newsletter. Hope you find some suggestions you can use.


Early spring or winter makes it difficult for those of us who love to garden or are thinking of taking up this wonderful hobby. It’s hard to get out to do anything in our gardens or yards when it is cold, windy and sometimes snowy. Plus it is the ‘rest’ or ‘sleep’ time for all of our trees and plants. Most plants need to have this dormant period in their lives to be able to put on new growth and flowers during spring, summer, and fall.
But don’t despair. It is the perfect time to plan what you will do and grow in your garden. Winter is the time to sit down, relax, put your feet up, and look through all the seed and plant catalogs to plan your garden for the next growing season. Or if you prefer to use your computer most gardening catalogs have extensive websites with lots of information besides their online catalogs. Gardening catalogs seem to come quickly to your mailbox but the web sites are always faster.
I’m not pushing or even recommending these particular web sites, but these catalogs have been around for a long time. I have used them as did my parents and grandparents. Henry Fields Catalog has been in business since 1892.
www.HenryFields.com
www.Jackson&Perkins.com
www.Burpee.com
www.Parkseed.com
At these websites you can find out which “zone” you live in. The United States is devided into plant hardiness zones by the USDA These zones tell you which plants will live in your area. Each zone is based on the average last frost date in the spring for an area and the average first frost date in the fall. Knowing your frost dates will help you know what plants you can grow, when to put your seeds out in the spring and when to harvest vegetables in the fall before it freezes. The above mentioned websites have a place where you can put in your zip code and it will tell you which zone you live in. Many of us will have problems figuring out which zone we live in when we look at the map. I know I always have. You may find that different sites say you live in different zones. I live in New Mexico. Some sites say I live in Zone 6 and some say I live in Zone 7.
This just goes to prove that gardening is not an exact science or art. A lot of times gardening can be fun and interesting by experimenting to find which plants we can grow and which ones we can’t. I have found that I can grow certain plants that the books or professionals say won’t grow in my high desert garden. Other times I have bought plants that those same professionals and books say will grow in my yard and they don’t, even with the best TLC, and years of trying. Gardening can be different from your yard to your neighbors.
Here is a list of websites that have lots of plant and gardening information with out a catalog.
www.organicgardening.com
www.plantsofthesouthwest.com
www.livingthecountrylife.com

Early spring is also a good time to review your gardening books or buy some new ones, either online, or at your local bookstore or plant nursery. So many of us buy those pretty gardening books, put them in our bookshelves and forget about them. Most gardening, landscape or plant books will have at least a little bit of information that will be valible for your particular yard or garden.
Did you know you can contact your local county extension agent for more information about your area? You can look up the number in your phone book or online. Each county has someone who is good at knowing about what plants, trees, or scrubs grow well in your area and can advise you on how to grow them. Many Extension agents have handouts they can send you for free.
Remember there are several good TV shows, like The Victory Garden, that give great advice for gardeners. Check your local TV guide for The Victory Garden on PBS or Making it Grow on RFD.
Northern states are mostly covered with snow so actually working in the garden is difficult. If you live in an area that doesn’t get much snow, like I do, put on some warm clothes, get out, and plan your garden. You can take a single piece of blank paper and draw a design or you can use a tape measure and graft paper. You might want to consult with others in your family on what they would like to grow. This is a great activity for the kids on a winter day, which can be expanded into a full summer project.
If you still need to, now is the time clean up dead plants, and weeds. It’s a perfect time to put a layer of mulch on your vegetable garden area and around your shrubs and trees. Local nurseries should have different kinds of mulch as well as steer manure. Mixing steer manure in with the mulch for a top dressing of fertilizer that will slowly release into the soil. Manure can be either turned into the soil now or allowed to sit on top of your garden as a mulch until you are ready to plant.
I have an unlimited supply of horse manure. You can use horse, cow, or chicken manure on your garden. But be careful. Fresh manure can be way to ‘hot’ and will burn plants if you get it to close to them. You need to put the manure into a compost and let it set and fry for about six months to a year before using it. Then that manure becomes a great fertilizer. Steer manure you buy at a store or nursery has been heat treated and is ready to use.
So don't be afraid to try some gardening this spring and summer. Turn over a garden plot, get some seeds and plants and go for it. You might even find you like it, especially those fresh veggies that taste some much better than the ones you get at the store.

Violets

According to the date we are into spring and even though the wind continues to be nasty (last night we had sustained winds at about 45 miles per hour and gusts up to 65 miles per hour, according to the TV) my flowers are trying to bloom. One of my favorites are violets and pansies. Following is a short article I did a few years back for a gardening newspaper.

Violets

One of my favorite flowers is the wood violet. It may not be very big but it certainly sends out a lot of very fragrant, heady perfume. Not only do violets have this wonderful odor, they bloom and smell good in winter in the southwestern states, and in early spring in other parts of the United States. In fact I found my first one this winter on New Year’s Day. One doesn’t expect to find flowers, let alone such a wonderful perfume, from such a small, usually unnoticed plant.
There are lots of different kinds of violets, or violas, which are kin to the pansy, and they come in several different colors from white, and yellow to light purple and dark purple. Wood violets seem to have the sweetest odor of any I have smelled. I got my start from my mom and she got hers from her mom, and that’s going back some fifty years so I couldn’t say for sure which verity it actually is. They grow rapidly from seed and are easy to start from division of clumps. Some people think that violets can become a pest if not kept under control. I try to keep mine in beds or containers where they won’t choke out other plants that I want. Wood violets are larger than the wild violets but not near as big as a pansy and are a deep purple in color.
Violets of all kinds do well in containers or pots. Wood violets, by themselves, take very little care except for water in the summer. They do prefer a bit of shade for part of the day as they are not real fond of the hot sun of the southern states. A few annuals added to the container, or bed of violets can add color and height during the summer.
Wood violets make a nice cut flower for a tiny vase or with other flowers. A pot of violets makes a great gift at any time especially for the beginning gardener. I have heard of people picking violets and candying them to make decorations for cakes and cookies, but have never tried it myself.
I have let my wood violets take over a small flower bed right by my front door. I know that this wonderful little flower will greet me and my visitors with a lovely sight and a profusion of smell for about 6 weeks each spring. Following the spring blooming period violets put on lots of heart shaped leaves. These leaves look nice in the flower bed, and can add interest to a bouquet of flowers.
Wood violets might be the right flower for you to consider adding to your flower collection.

Where is Spring?

We thought spring had come to the Tumbleweed Crossing but it was only a figment of our imagination. Winter was back. We were hauling wood in again for the woodstove as the temps were back down to about 30 degrees at night. And the days have been filled with wind and blowing sand. For the past week we have had wind everyday. Wind is not good for working with horses or trying to get the garden ready for planting.
I bought seeds, seed starter for starting tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and watermelons. With the wind I don't dare put the little pots outside as they will blow away and I don't really have room for them in the house.
The peach trees and my Bradford pear trees were all bloomed out when the nasty weather hit. They were so pretty with the pink blossoms on the peach trees and the white blossoms on the pear trees. Now they are curled, shriveled and blackened. I am not sure yet if it was the cold, or the wind that got to them. Or both. Don't know if we will have any peaches or not. Of course Bradford pears are ornamentals and don't have fruit on them.
I do think I got some decent photos of the blossoms but they are still in the camera at this point.

New TV

We hadn't planned on buying one of the new fancy flat screen TV's. We had a good one, it was only 8 years old. But the one in the bedroom decided to give up it being older, I am guessing about 15 years old. So the one in the livingroom went to the bedroom and a new one came to the livingroom. We didn't get the bigest or the smallest of the flat screens on sale. It's a 37 inch vizio. We were a bit leary that the hipe on the new digital TV's were much, much better especially since Lee is color blind and I have poor vision. We couldn't see that much different while watching the ones in the store but decided part of that might be from the poor lighting in the store. So home it came. It did take a good bit of time to rework our entertainment center so it would sit in it, had to take out a couple of shelves to make the TV space bigger. Then it took even more time to set up the TV using the remote. Almost like setting up a new computer. Then we had to add the Direct TV receiver. but finally it was done.
So now it has been about two weeks. And I can diffently say "Yes" it has been well worth buying. The screen is bigger so easier to see, and the color is better, and it is much clearer, with really good sound quality. We have watching things like wildlife and nature shows and the make them looker prettier than ever. We have no complains when watching old black and white shows either. They are still good.
I'm not saying to run out and buy one. But if your old one quites it is worth thinking about.

Door Slave

it seems that I have become a door slave to 2 dogs and 3 cats. Of course I have known for the past 50 years I have been a door slave to large number of dogs and cats but it seems to be worse the past week or so. There is always one or another of them wanting in or out. They come in, they go out. And repeat. And repeat. The dogs have to go to use the facilities. But the cats were supposed to be indoor cats. I insisted on my cats being indoor cats if I lived in town, especially in an apartment. but here on several areas they enjoy going out as much as I do. I don't force them to go out, but I do "train" as much as you can train a cat to come in at dark each evening. I do it by constant, presistently doing a "cat roundup" each evening. They don't like it but it is a necessary evil as we have coyotes in our area. I see a lot of cats in our area now that are out at night and I am surprised more of them don't disappear.

In the mean time I will continue to be a door slave. I just wish they wouldn't always wait until I sit down to ask to come in.

Vacuum Cleaner

I do wish there was a factory that could make a vacuum cleaner that would work for longer than a about a year. Maybe they do in other parts of the world. But here on the desert they don't. I have had several now in the 6 years I have lived here, and each and everyone, (there have been several different brands) have given up after about a year of usage. The last one is my Bissell Powerforce which I have had for a little over a year. The on/off switch has quite. Once off it doesn't come back on until it decides to. I am sure it is due to all the sand and dust in the vacuum. Which is another thing. How many homes have an air compressor to use to blow out the vacuum cleaner when they have finished using it for the day. It is necessary here. My husband, being a mechanic, has an air compressor which I have leaned to use on my vacuum about once a week to keep the dirt cleaned out of it enough to work. I take all the filers and little parts out, shake out what dirt I can and then use the air compressor to blow out the rest. After which I am covered in a cloud of dust and have to take a shower. But if I don't do this the vacuum doesn't last more than a few months.
Do the vaccum companies do this on purpose so that we have to spend more money to buy more of these necessary evil devices? All my neighbors agree with this. Non working vacuum's are one of the most common item I see at garage sales.

Lonely Daffy

I didn't plant any daffodils last fall but did have this one come up from some I had planted before. It was the only one. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers but they don't like to do well here in the desert where the wind has a habit of burying them to deep with sand for them do to well after the first year.

Raindrop

I took this photo after our rain last Friday morning. You can see some of the other tree branchs in the raindrop

Close up of Quail

here is another shot of the quail that I pulled in closer. You can see part of a residental section of Rio Rancho, NM behind him.

Quail

This quail was sitting on the fence post yesterday evening. He was either calling for a mate or telling the other quail this was his territory. We see a big flock of quail like this usually sometime every day as we have water out for them.In the spring the flock breaks up into pairs, and then when the little ones are about half grown they come together as flocks again. They prefer to run rather than fly. They only fly when they are really scared and then not very far. Frequently we see one dash from one tumbleweed or clump of sagebrush to another. They hide in the brush and cactus mostly. I don't feed them as we have too many small crow like black birds that I don't want to encourage. I really like the quail and wish they wouldn't be so shy, but can't figure out how to tame them a bit. Not to much as I still want them to be wild birds.

Sharing the couch

A recent photo of my cat, Kasie, and dog, Codee, sharing the couch one evening.

Cat Reading

This is a photo of me and my black cat, Jade, reading a book

Game Score

As far as the Fantasy Bull Riding Game I scored 2086.25. Not enought to even get close to the winning score but at least I was able to pick some winning riders, Wiley Peterson, and Robson Polermo. And I picked one of the highest scoring bulls, Crosswired, for the event.

Spring Weather

We've had some spring like weather the past few days. Had a scattering of snow yesterday morning with about a half inch of rain off and on all day. Horses are sheding. All are hairy beasts. Will be glad when they are done but hope it warms up some more before they are throught. The ponies have recovered from their surgery and are back to their old selves. I kept hearing all those tales of stallions having problems from being castrated. And I am sure some of them do. Even the vet said they might really swell but neither of mind did. I am sure the two that used live across from us were really swollen as I did see them. But I think a lot of it has to do with getting them out and making sure they get sufficent excersise. I'm not saying take it to extreams but do walk them from the second day on. I didn't even get a chance to wash them down with water hose every day as suggested due to the horrible wind and sand storms we had at that time. The one time I tried Traveler got way to upset and I decided it was best to leave him be. Stormy didn't mind the water hose but only got to do it to him once due to bad winds. Now the seem alright and it is a bit cool for a bath. But I do plan to make it one of my goals this summer to make sure Trave gets used to having a bath.

Fantasy Bull Riding Game

Being a fan of PBR and all bull riding I have decided to play the Fantasy Bull Riding Game. You pick 5 riders and 3 bulls that you think will give you the highest points on their rides or bull scores. The person with the highest score will win for the week. If you win highest scores for the season you get tickets to the finals in Las Vegas in November. I know I won't win because I am getting into this late, it started in January, but it should be fun to play. If you want to try your hand at it go to www.pbrnow.com and go to the link for the Fantasy Games. I will try to let you know how I did after the event.

Fanfiction

As you know I write fanfiction, or stories based on TV shows. A lot of people do. The Internet has been great for being able to get our stories out to the public when otherwise no one but maybe a friend might read them. I have mine on www.womenwritersblock.net but today I found a site where there are some good western TV show stories. It is http://megtipper.tripod.com/fanfiction2.htm You might want to take a look at some of them. Most are based on the TV series called Magnificent Seven. It is similar to the old movie but different characters.

Google

Has any one else had problems using Google as a search engine? I can get on my blog and email but when I try to research something I can't get anything to come up. Maybe it's my computer. I wish I knew. Other search engines I try are working.

Another Story

For those of you that are interested, I have another new story at www.womenwritersblock.net
This story is called Gunfighters, and it is about how Johnny Lancer (from the TV western show Lancer) and Kid Curry (from the TV western show Alias Smith and Jones) met and if there will be a gun ight between the two gunslingers. Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes are in California to let things 'cool down' until their amnesty comes though. They get jobs as cowboys on the Lancer Ranch. Elizabeth is almost like Johnny's sister and he doesn't like it when she becomes interested in Kid Curry. Johnny thinks he is the only one who has recognized the gunfighter. And the Kid has recognized Johnny as another gunfighter that he met once. To find out if the two men actually have a gunfight go to the above website and read my story. It is listed under my pen name of Stardust.

Post Op for Ponies

The ponies, Trave and Stormy, are doing fine after their surgery. Actually they are doing better than I expected them to do. The are eating and almost taking enough excersise, but I am still taking them for walks as the vet suggested I do. It is good for them as a small training lesson anyway. And always enjoyable for me to work with them. But it does sort of make me feel like the nurse in the hospital that makes you get up and walk up and down the halls after you have surgery.

Little Guys

I knew it was inevitable and it finally was done yesterday. I had the vet out and he castrated my two little ponies. I know it was for the best but like everyone I had doubts about doing it. I was scared that something would go wrong and I kept thinking that maybe I really wanted to keep Trave as a stallion. But looking at the economy and the fact that neither pony is registered and I don't have the place or equipment to breed I decided to have it done. I know the ponies will be easier to handle, not to say that they were a problem, they weren't. And it might make it easier to handle my mares it there isn't a stallion on the same property near them.
In today's economy where there is a surplus of horses I really believe that the be they registered or not if they are not top of the line stallion material it is better for everyone to have it done. It seems to me that everyone that has horses seems to think that their colt should be a stallion. Not True. Watching some of the horse auctions on TV I see some of the best prices being paid for well trained geldings. Training and health are the big thing.
It was pretty stressful for Lee and I. We knew it had to be done, and the sooner the better, but still it was surgery. And there can always be problems with surgery. So far they seem to be doing fine. So I better get up and go walk them like the vet said to do.

Hairy Beasties

Of course all of this nice weather has the horses starting to shed and they are hairy beasties. Especially Sunny and Trave. They are the two with the most white on them and it seems that horses with lots of white always start sheding first. Every horseperson says they do it and I know mind do. My son agrees with me saying his horses with white always shed first. I had their hooves trimmed last week and the farrier said the same thing. I have heard lots of other say it, too. And no one seems to know why.
Trying to brush them must be a funny sight to any one passing by when they see me brushing and then spitting do to the hairs on my face and in my mouth. As soon as I am through brushing it is time to jump in the shower.
I did take the time to work with the ponies Stormy and Trave some. Stormy is doing really well at learning to drive using two long (long for a mini) driving lines. He almost acts as if it is fun. As soon as I can I will try him in the harness. I wish I could find a used cart to train him with. If we can we might try making a little pony cart even if it doesn't look like much it would be good for training.
Any one know of a used pony cart for sale in the Albuquerque area?

Mares

After the death of my Morgan last spring my two mares, Nita and Star, seemed to hate each other. I had to seperate them. Now after months of gradually getting them closer and closer I am able to put them in the same pen together. They still can't be put together for feeding or grooming but at least they seem to like each other again. I really think they were as upset by the loss of BlackJack as I was. It just goes to prove that horses and all animals greve over the death of a friend as much as people do.
It is a lot better for the two mares to be together. Now they are begining to act as if they are friends. They don't like it when they are seperated now. Today they decided it was such a nice day they had to run. And run they did. Before when they would run together they would end up in a kicking match and one or both would get hurt. Today they just seemed to be playing and there was no kicking. It was such a relief for me to see them having fun instead of fighting.

Spirits on the Mountain

In the past month I have taken the time to write a couple of stories for www.womenswritersblock.com Or should I say rewrite and update stories that I have had sitting in limbo in my computer. I was amazed at how many misspelled words and grammer mistakes there were.
You will find my story Spirts on the Mountains on the above mentioned site under my penname of Stardust. Go to the site, click on authors, click on Stardust and you will get a list of my stories.

Spirts on the Mountain is a story about a day I spent on Mt. Taylor last fall. I got caught in a thunderstorm and afterward I saw sprits in the mist and fog. They looked to be the spirts of some of my heroes - my grandparents, friends, and several of the actors and actress that played on all of those wonderful Western TV shows, as well as some of the true heroes of the west like Daniel Boone.
Take a peak at it and let me know what you think of it.

Winter Blaaas

It's been a while. I almost forgot how to do this blog thing. Guess I have had a case of the winter blaas or something. It's been cool but not cold. A few of our normal nasty winds but not to much. Yet. I know there will be more of the winds in March. I don't look forward to them. But they are a fact of nature when you live on the high desert of New Mexico. Not much going on at the Tumbleweed Crossing except a few of last years tumbleweeds passing through. For some reason I have never been fond of the month of Feburary, and soon it will be over.

Beach

Here is a photo my sister took when she and her hubby and dog went to the Oregon beach near Astoria, OR for their 30 Anniversary.
Happy Anniversary!!!!

Castle

This is a really nice photo that my sister took when she and my niece went to Disney World over Christmas. My niece was promised the trip when she graduated from from college which in her case is acutully a univeristy. They went in December rather than in the summer when it is so hot in Florida.

Cookie Time

Haven't been doing much with the horses other than feeding and water. But the past couple of days I have been spoiling them to getting cookies and peppermints. Star loves peppermint candy so does Sundance, and Stormy. Nita and Trave refuse to eat them, but will really beg for horse cookies which all the horses and ponies love. Horse candy is called desert cubes at the feedstore where I buy them. They are special treats for horses made out of grain and molasses and come in a 50 pound bag. You can get all kinds of special treats for horses - apple treats, carrot treats, and others usually in small containers that wouldn't last one round of treats for my begging bunch of muchers. But the desert cubes I buy seem to be the least expensive and I know the horses love them. Of course my horses love real carrots and apples too. I make sure to cut them in small chunks so there is no chance they can choke on them. Apples especially are easy for a horse to choke on and even more so for the ponies. I cut them in slices with the core removed as I have heard that the seeds can be poison. Don't know how true it is but no point in taking a chance on it. No since in taking chances with the carrots either. Stormy, the mini has a really small mouth in comparision to the big horses and needs small bits.
Treats are good but now they are getting the idea that they grow in my hands and pockets and they start searching for treats as soon as they see me while making little begging noises. Sometimes you would think that they never get fed the way they act. Yeah my horses and ponies are becoming good actor trying to convince me they didn't already have a handfull of cookies just minutes before. I'm not fooled but I am a sucker and give out more.

Spring? or Winter?

It has been so nice the past couple of days, and has felt more like April than January. So is it spring or winter? Was in the 50's the past couple of days and only down to about 30 at night. Just enough for a skim of ice on the horse water buckets. It's perfect weather except just not quite warm enough to green things up. And, really, I don't want the trees to leaf out even though they are thinking about it, 'cause I am sure it will get cold again.
But this touch of spring has made me feel like spring cleaning so have dug into every corner and crevice trying to eradicate all of the dust, cob webs, surplus dog and cat hair, and those stray pieces of dog food that seem to find their way under all the furniture. I pulled out all the pieces of furniture in the living room and kitchen and cleaned under, over, around and through them. Took of sofa and chair covers and washed them and took down curtains and washed them.
Now I'm off to do the bedrooms.
Unless I decide to take a day off and play with the ponies.

Tooth

My tooth or what is left of it doesn't hurt near as bad today. Almost off the drugs. Only really hurts when air goes across it. worst part is that I can't get an appointment with another dentist to finish removing it for a couple of weeks. Will just have to remember not to chew on that side and not to clinch my jaw or grind my teeth.

Dentist

When to the dentist today. He numbed my mouth, removed the cap on the offending tooth, that had already had the root canel 10 years ago, then removed a broken piece of tooth. He said the tooth was broken and couldn't be saved. But he suggested I have the rest taken out by a oral surgen because it was to broken off to pull. So I am home and still have some pain but not as bad. Will make an appointment with a oral surgen tomorrow.

It is my Tooth

After spending almost a month telling myself that the dentist is right, that I do have a bad case of TMJ, I have come to the realization it really is a tooth problem. On Friday evening the cap came loose on the tooth that had been hurting all this time. It is a tooth that had had a root canel done on it about 10 years ago, and then had a cap put on it. Now I can wiggle the cap with my tounge and fingers and there is a gap between the tooth and cap that the bristles of my toothbrush get in and make it really hurt. And when I say hurt I mean hurt. I have been taking heavy duty pain killers all weekend to keep it under control so I don't start screaming. Thankfully we still had some from when we needed some last time someone was in the hospital.
Needless to say I will be calling the dentist first thing tomorrow morning.
If I can handle it that long. Guess I will have to as there isn't any kind of urgent care for dental problems.

TMJ

I had to go to the dentist right before Christmas as I thought I had an abscessed tooth. Thankfully I didn't. But I did and still do have a bad problem. I have TMJ. TMJ is the abbreviation for a long word that means 'pain in the jaw'. I have had TMJ in my right jaw for about 6 years that I know of. My jaw pops when I open it wide and close it. And even worse it will sometimes lock up. I mean it locks to where I can't even get it open. And it usually does this when I have a bite of something in my mouth. It's not fun. When it locks it is painful and takes several minutes of my messaging my jaw to make it open. There have been times when I was terrified it wouldn't relax so that I could open it and spit out or swallow what ever I was chewing. But usually if I am careful there isn't a problem. That was on the left side. I didn't even realize that I had TMJ in my right jaw, until the denest told me I did. And he says it is from grinding my teeth in my sleep. Also from clenching my jaw. I knew I did a lot of clenching my jaw and it was making my mouth ache a bit, but this is a horrible pain like I have a really bad tooth. He said there is nothing wrong with my teeth, according to the xrays he took, but he said my teeth show lots of sign that I grind them in my sleep. He said most people don't know if they grind there teeth in their sleep. Like snoring you can't tell because your asleep. Unlike snoring he said that someone else in the same room may not hear you grinding your teeth.
I take lots of pain killers for other pains like my scolorous in my back, foot pain, and sciatia in my hips and legs, and for my migranes. This pain in my jaw was like having a migrane in my jaw and, like migranes, the pain killers don't seem to do much good.
I looked this problem up on the internet at www.webmd.com and found it is very common. It seems it is caused by stress more than anything else. There doesn't seem to be any way to stop it except by stopping the stress. Ha Ha. It this life, I don't think so. You have to learn to not clinch your jaw and not grind your teeth when sleeping. There is some sort of devise you can sleep in that can help with that. The dentist said about $300 dollars.
More Stress.
So for now I am taking more pain killers and trying not to clinch my jaw, which I have descovered I do even when I am doing simple, mundane things like washing dishes, taking a shower, or playing with the cats, dogs, and horses.
I have to figure out how to stop some of the stress.
I'm not laughing. It hurts my jaw.

Brandlady.com

I have found a new website that I like. It is called Brandlady. and the link is www.brandlady.com
It is a online woman's magazine. It is still very new and just getting started, but looks like it might have some good articles. I really like the one on orchids under the Home & Garden section. They are looking for new writers, too, for those of you interested in writing for free. That seems to mean most of bloggers.

Midnight Walk

Well it was almost midnight when we went for our walk. We normally go out about 11pm for the dogs last walk before bedtime and to check on the horses one last time. Tonight lee decided to stay in, so it was just me and the dogs, Nikki, Codee, and Tuffee. We had about 2 inches of snow at about noon today. There is still a good cloud cover but not any moisture coming down. And not much wind at the moment. It was really still out there, the kind of weather that makes it so that you can hear every little sound.
I could hear a child fussing in a house a couple of hundred yards away. I heard a car door shut a good block away. A pickup going west on the nearest paved road sounded as if it was right beside us.
Snow crunched and squeaked under my feet. Star pony snorted, a thud in Sonny's stall sounded as if he had pushed his feeder against the wooden wall. Codee startled everyone with a loud bark at the moon. My voice seemed overly loud as well when I told her to hush. I squeaked the snow some more as I looked in all the heated water buckets to see if any needed additional water in them for the night. There was a soft, low whinny from my mini horse, Stormy. I also took a look at the 3 little piles of alfalfa hay I had left out near the corner of the shed where the cottontail rabbits go in and out under it. No it didn't look like they had eaten any. We had seen a rabbit out in the snow earlier that day. There are way to many rabbits around here but I still can't help but put out a bit of hay for them when it is really cold and wet. The thermometer read 25 degrees when I came out.
I looked up at the moon which was hazy with the clouds over it. I had seen a planet shining real bright right under it a few nights ago but couldn't see it tonight. Nor could I see any stars.
As I watched the moon a coyote yipped nearby. The neighbors dog answered it. Then all was quiet, so very, very quiet. As I listened for any sound I faintly heard way, way off the whistle of a train as it followed the railroad tracks that run near to the Rio Grande River as it winds and twists through nearby Albuquerque, and the smaller communities of Corrales, and Alameda. As I listen it whistles again a bit louder.
It seems odd or just weird that I can hear the train that I know is at least 10 miles away from where I live. Normally I can't. Normally there is just to much noise. I breath a big sigh taking in a lung full of the moist, night air that has changed the way the sounds are tonight.
The breeze picks up and cuts right though the 2 pairs of sweat pants I have on, and even through my heavy jacket and gloves.
Time to go in.

Yard Work

I have another goal for this year. To clean up the yard. That doesn't sound to daunting until you realize I have at least a half acre of 'yard' that needs a lot of tender loving care. We started today. Put about 6 wheelbarrow loads of horse manure on the garden area so it can be working down to get ready to fertilize the tomatoes and all the rest of the veggies this summer.
Next we dug about a couple of hundred iris rhizomes from around 2 of the redbud trees. I put a few iris around each of 3 redbuds, an ash, a lilac, a vitex, and a catalpa when we first planted the trees. The iris multiplied, and grew, and grew, and more and more grew around the trees. The trees have not done as well as the cherries, apples, cottonwoods, and pears we put out without iris around them. Now the iris are trying to choke out the trees. So the iris had to go. It was quite a job digging them out. Many of the rhizomes were sliced into by the shovel but it was the only way. I am sure a lot of the iris won't bloom or even survive when I replant them in a bed special only for iris. But the trees will appreciate all the trouble we are going to to rid them of the strangling horde of iris.
there is lots more work to do other than the iris. All the container pots are asking for new homes, or at least I have decided they need new homes in a different part of the yard. The roses need drastic pruning as well as several of the trees when the right time comes for pruning.
And of course there are the a few dried up tumbleweeds that never made it to the burning barrel last fall along with some of the other weed.
I would like to build a few trellis for growing morning glories, and cucumbers.
I wonder if the work will ever get done.

Bull Riding 2009

Tired of football? Try watching bull riding for a change. The 2009 season starts tonight. There isn't all that 'team' stuff when watching bull riding. It is one rider against one bull for 8 seconds. It's the best sport to watch as there is always action. For more information watch an event on Versus or NBC or go to www.pbrnow.com

Goal for the Year

I don't normally do the New Years Resolution thing, but this year I have set myself a goal. I would like to dig out all the stuff that my mom and her mom, my dad and any other relatives have left me that are packed in boxes. I want to make a brief note of each item, and take a photo of it. That way I will know what I have without having to go into each and every box to see if I have what I think I have. That way if there is something valuable maybe I can find an estimate of it's value somewhere on the internet. That way if I want to give something to my son, or my sisters kids I will know where to find it. By organizing things a bit better if I hear of something gaining value I can check a list on my computer to see if I have such a thing. But I am dreaming when it comes to thinking that there might be something of value in all that junk. My family has always been a bunch of packrats - keeping everything that they like and a lot that they didn't like just thought it was something that should be kept. As of this writing I have not found anything that is worth trying to find a way to sell it. Most of it is collectible junk. Would someone please tell me what you do with 100 years of collectible junk other than keep it packed in boxes.

Happy New Year

Wishing Everyone

The Happest

and Best

For the New Year

Christmas Lights

These are our lights for Christmas. Electric ones and luminerias from our front door. Hard to take photos of lights.

Luminaria

luminaria, a paper bag with a candle in it

Good Tidings

What ever you celebrate make it a good one.

Merry Christmas

Good Winter Solstice

Happy Holidays

Where ever you might be.

Luminarias?

So you are asking what a luminaria is - it is simply a paper bag with dirt and a candle in it. Sounds weird to those who have never heard of such a thing, but to us here in New Mexico it is a Christmas tradition. Sometimes now they are called farolitos. When I was growing up I never heard them called that, but both Spanish words mean the same thing - small fires. For hundreds of years the tiny bonfires were lit to guide people to church for a Christmas mass. In time some said it was meant to guide the Christ Child, or St. Nick, to the homes with children where St. Nick or the Christ Child, depending on who is telling the story, would leave a gift for good children. When paper bags were invented it became tradition to put a small amount of sand, or dirt in the bottom of the bag for weight to keep the bag from blowing away, and a votive candle in the center. The sand will hopefully help to put the candle out if it catches the bag on fire.
People all over New Mexico and the southwest put out thousands of these luminarias on Christmas eve to light the way for Santa Claus, as well as for the fact that they look really nice. They even seem to blend in well with all the electric light displays that we are so fond of putting out for the holidays. I remember doing this back in the late 60's when I was in highschool, and I have done it off and on over the different Christmas's since, especially when my son was of an age where it was fun for him to do.
We hadn't done it for a number of years and tonight, Christmas Eve, spur of the moment, we decided to see if we could put a few out. They look best if you can do at a minimum 25 or so, but a 100 or more always looks better. Old Town Albuquerque always does thousands of them as well as a few other places in Albuquerque and other New Mexico towns. There are even bus tours in the Old Town area for those that don't want to fight the crowds of cars that line the streets to see the luminarias. Lots of people park and go walking among the luminarias and shop at the little shops that stay open on Christmas Eve for the festivities.
As I started to say we decided to put some out this year. It was already dark when we decided this but we have plenty of sand everywhere so that wasn't a problem. We located 20 bags and 18 candles. Soon we had a little fires lining the driveway to the house. There are no children here for St. Nick to visit and we don't go to church but made it feel more like Christmas to set them out.

Christmas Cards

When I was a child growing up my mom would let me help her with the Christmas cards. At first all I could do was help pick out which ones to send to who. Later I could address them and put stamps on them. We would send them to just about everyone we knew. With a lot of friends it was the only time of the year we heard from them and there would be interesting letters in with the cards. Sometimes mom would let me write the letters we put in with our cards because it was in the time before computers. It was almost as exciting to get a Christmas card as it was to get a present.
But it seems that Christmas cards are now a thing of the pass. Even though I see stacks and stacks of boxes of cards in the stores, and I buy some and add letters or notes to them I never get as many back as I send out. I wonder if other people don't receive cards form their far away friends when they send them out? Or doesn't any one send out cards anymore? Am I the last of a dying breed of card senders? I would think that if I send out a card to you you could have the descentcy to return one or at least a letter. Or let me know that you don't want to receive them any more and I will not send any more. This year I have decided that if you don't respond I won't send you more.

Bad Weather

We have had a bit of snow and rain here but nothing like what is happening in the northern half of the United States. It is really nasty with tons of snow and broken water-main lines, electrical outages, no mail, and no deliveries of propane, or other heating oils and such, and airports closed down, and stranded travelers, people that can't get to their jobs, causing many cities and towns to basically close down. After watching what is going on every where else we can't complain about what is happening here.
Our wish for Christmas is not only peace on earth but that the weather slacks off so that everyone having problems, and troubles can have at least a halfway decent Christmas.

Love

'Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened

Nita

And Nita said nothing doing, she wasn't going to be caught with a silly Santa hat on her head.

Stormy

Stormy needed a little encourgement but then seemed to think he was having fun as can be seen in the photo to the right.

Traveler

Traveler wasn't sure he wanted to wear a hat.

Star

Star didn't want to stand still for her photo with the Santa hat.

Santa Hat

Sonny agreed to pose in the Santa Hat as did all the other horses and ponies and even our cat Murphy who can be see at the end of this blog'

Hubbys Turn

Sonny was better for Lee than he was for me.

Crowbait

Here we are in the driveway. And ole' crowbait decided to let lose a big fart and scare himself so that he started crowhopping for a few seconds. I wasn't expecting that.

Ultimate Reality

THE LAWS OF ULTIMATE REALITY
Law of Mechanical Repair > After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.

Law of Gravity > Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability > The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of Random Numbers > If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.

Law of the Alibi > If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law > If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

Law of the Bath > When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of the Nap > As soon as you doze off the phone will ring. (reminds me of the bath)

Law of Close Encounters > The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result > When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics > The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Law of the Theater > At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the asle arrive last.

The Starbucks Law > As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Murphy's Law of Lockers > If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Physical Surfaces > The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

Brown's Law of Physical Appearance > If the shoe fits, it's ugly.

Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy > As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

Doctors' Law > If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick.

Sunset

Sonny

Then Lee rode Sonny and I took photos.

Riding

I decided to ride Sonny today and Lee took a couple of photos. Wish I felt like riding more often. In this photo we are at the back of our property. Those are the Sandia Mountains behind be.

Sandia Mountains

Customer Service

Good customer service has become a dying art. No one seems to be able to do it. Especially big business.
I have had to make several calls to big business companies in the past few weeks. Calls to credit card companies, TV companies, and companies where I want to buy something. I have had one really big problem with these companies. No one speaks decent American/English at the call centers. Why don't they speak good American? Its because the call centers arn't in the United States. I'm sure everyone has experienced this problem. It is beyond me why so many companies in the US are 'building' all their call centers in other countries - places like India, and the Philippines. There are a higher number of Americans out of work than ever and yet we have to try -note I say try - to talk to someone in another country. Someone who doesn't speak English or even Spanish as a first language. And, Yes, they do speak a type of Spanish in the Philippines but not the same thing that is spoken in most of the US.
Why arn't business keeping their call centers in the US where someone can have a job and we can understand what they are saying. It would help keep our economy better and keep the customers happier.
No one wants to talk to someone in another country when they are having a problem right in their own home.
On last Friday my husband and I received a card from DirectTV saying that we could get a new, upgraded, control box as a free gift for being with the company for 10 years. So I called to get the new box as ours is several years old and our satellite dish was 10 years old. having this old equipment meant that we couldn't get our local channels from Albuquerque without turning off the DirectTV box.
It took me 2 days, and about 3 hours of first talking to people in another country that couldn't understand what I was talking about and that I couldn't understand half of what they were saying. Finally I was transferred to a tec in Florida. But still she didn't want to believe that we couldn't get the local channels on our equipment. She insisted that we go through an hour of doing this and that on the remote control to see if what I was telling her was true. Finally - finally she agreed to send the new box, and satellite.
It was as if she was going to do everything she could to keep from having to send us new equipment even though we had been sent this card saying we were loyal customers that deserved it.
Why, oh, why does big business think that they have to do their best to make their customers seem as stupid as possible, when it is big business that is stupid.
I have had several other people say that they are having the same problems with Dish TV and the cable companies. Credit card companies are some of the worst.
Why does a company that wants customers in the US give us such hell when we call to resolve a problem. When we want to remain their customers if they would just give a little decent customer service.