Gifts

In a continuation of the gift thing, (and it is the last one I will write,) If you give me something I really like I will brag, and talk about it, and thank you for it for years, (if not for ever).
Many thanks to Hubby who gave me an wonderfull necklace. It came from Santa Ana pueblo gift shop. It is blue beads interspaced with turquoise, small pieces of sea shells, other semi precious stones, and little birds. I love it.
And my sister gave me a really nice silver picture frame.
Thank you.

Cards

Next year I intend to do even less.
I sent out 20 Christmas cards, and received only 12 in return. I don't do any letters any more,( just email ), except for the holiday cards. It is my way of keeping in touch. Needless to say I won't reach out and touch someone any more.

RETURNS

I understand that today all of the stores are expecting an extream amount of people coming in to return unwanted gifts. What is this
Unwanted Gifts

I never received an unwanted gift. It didn't matter what it was. Or who gave it to me. I always apprecite the thought that someone liked me well enough to give me a gift. (Or at least I hoped that was the reason they gave me the gift.)

If I don't like you -- well you just won't get a gift from me.

Which brings us to the reason I don't give many gifts anymore. I don't know if anyone returned any of the gifts I have sent over the years, but they sure do seem to complain. One person always make a point of making some sort of degrading remark about what they get from me.

I try never to do that. If you make unkind remarks about what you are givin it means you didn't want anything to start with.

So I took all those cutting remarks to heart this year, and only gave gifts to my husband and my son. (Oh, and I did give a small gift to his girlfriend. Thankfully she liked it.) My husband and my son know how I feel and they feel the same way about giving gifts.

Merry Christmas!!!

To the readers of Tumbleweed Crossing.

May you have Joy in your Heart, Pease in your Soul, and Happiness, and Freedom forever.

From the Desert Wind

writer of Tumbleweed Crossing

Cookies

I made cookies for the holidays. It is the first time in years. In the past my failures aren't worth talking about. Put this year I succeeded. I made 2 kinds of cookies, chocolate cake, ginger bread, banana bread, and peanut butter candy. Then I sent half of it to my son, and his friends in Los Cruces, NM. I hope it is eatable.

SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME AT WORK?!?---------------------------------According to Dr. BILL QUAIN, we are spending too much time atwork, and not enough time on the things we really want to do.Americans in the 21st century work more hours than peasants didin the Middle Ages, and spend less time at home with theirfamilies.

DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF TODAY

The United States Postal Service (USPS) will increase thecost of mailing a letter to 39 cents, and the cost of mailing apostcard to 24 cents on January 8, 2006. It is the first postalrate increase since June 2002.

Bah Humburg

I don't want to ever do any more shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRAULATIONS

Congraulations are in order to several of my readers.
First to Josie, who's book was mentioned by the Diva's.

Next to Jan for adopting her puppy, Padfoot. Part Lab and part - well we think he might be Great Dane or mastiff.

Last but not least to Cindy for adopting her new dog, Pixie. A terrier cross.

Stockings

I did make Christmas stocking for my horses, and hung them on the side of the barn. It does look kind of cool even if I do say so myself. I did one for BlackJack, Nita, and Star and then did one for the friends horse that I take care of Sundance.
After I bragged on this to my son, I got talked into making one for each of his six horses and his friends horse. That's Goldust, Blossom, Emme, Arte, CW, Dancer, and Beau.
That makes 11 stocking I have done for horses. They were just simple ones red with a white top with their name on it. I plan to fill mine with apples, carrots, and horse candy. The others had better get some goodies, too.

Holiday Rush

The business end of Christmas gets worse every year. It seems like it is only for the stores to make money. This year I refused to give gifts to any one that I had to mail them to, except my son. I asked all those friends and relatives not to send anything to me. It is just to much of a hassle. It takes all the fun and enjoyment out of giving gifts. Just having to go to a store and find something for hubby and my son was enough of a problem. By the time I got home I was mad and fustrated to the point that I was shaking with disgust at the whole situation and wanted a big drink of whiskey. (by the way I don't drink, but I can see how the holidays can drive you to it) Then there was the wrapping of those few gifts. There is no way I can take my time and make cool, neat, pretty wrapped packages any more. I used to do it, but not any more. Maybe it is just old age. I can't say for sure.
Anyway Dustins gifts are wrapped and I will mail them tomorrow. Yes I know it is a bit late, but he won't care as he isn't any more thrilled with all the holiday hoop la than I am. Besides his best gift is the money his dad put in his bank account. We told him to spent it on something for himself - not bills - but who knows that that will be. Probably a load of hay for the horses.

Christmas Lights

Saturday was warm enough that we did get out the outside Christmas lights and hung them. Some how it is never Christmas any more without putting up outside lights. The colors, sparkle, flash, flicker, blink, and twinkle of outside lights really goes a long way toward getting me in the spirit of the season. It has been really hard to get into the Christmas mood what with Skiggy being so sick. We ran lights around the eaves of the house and along one side of the horse pen. It looks very festive if I do say so myself.
I, also, found some old tinsel garland in with the lights and decided to wrap some around the mailbox and some around one of the light post in the yard. Some time this morning my obnoxious border collie, Tuffee decided it would be fun to pull it off of the post and play with it. I am sure she had a lot of fun doing it. I only wish I had seen her doing it and had a chance to take a photo of her running around with that long string of shiney garland trailing along behind her. Puppies will be puppies.

Cold

It has been an incredably cold week. Much colder than I ever remember having in December. I hope this isn't a sample of what is to come this winter. And yes, I do realize that it has been awfully cold everywhere, not just here in New Mexico. I finally gave up and got out the heated water buckets for the horses. I don't normally do it until January, or Feburary. I do the ice break test. If I can break the ice on their large 20 gallen buckets with my trusty hammer, then it is not bad enough to get out the small 5 gallen heated buckets. Setting them up with the extenion cords, and have to refill them usually twice a day is a pain. But when the ice in the big buckets is about 5 inches thick, and weights more than my hubby can pull out (he figured about 75 pounds) then it is time to get the heated buckets and use them.
So far I haven't resorted to putting blankets on the horses, but if this keeps up I may have to.

Skiggy is home and doing okay. I keep saying it over and over. I was so stressed out on what to do about my kitty. Would it have been best to just have him 'put to sleep' or spend tons of money I didn't have on a weird, strange, unheard of surgery? Thankfully his wonderfull vet offered a great deat on the surgery as he wasn't about to give up on my old cat.

Many, many thanks to Dr. Mike, Dr. Mortonson, Damian, and the rest of the staft at Cottonwood Animal Clinic.

Found a great blog at http://holdyerhorses.blogspot.com
Good article on whats abuse and whats not abuse.

Skiggy is home and doing well. In fact I can not beleive how active he is. Much more than I think he should be. Anyway I can't keep him from doing what he wants to. And I am so glad he wants to. Although he does look so funny. They shaved his belly and legs. Looks like someone tried to give him a poodle cut on his legs and didn't know how. It will grow back in time.

Skiggy

Skiggy is doing very well after his surgery. Better than anyone expected. I hope to bring him home tomorrow.

The cat is having surgery today. He probably won't survive. But we have to try.

To the idiot who compared my cat to a broken DVD player and suggested I throw him in the trash.

STAY OF MY BLOG

Old Cat

My old black and white cat had to go to the vet the other day with a urine infection. Cats seem to be very prone to those here. I have heard it might be a diet problem or it might be to many minerals in the water.
Don't know if he is going to make it.

Presents

I can not understand why people think they have to go out and spend a ton of money buying everything on the market for everyone that they know each and every Christmas. All this is way way to commercialized. It just isn't worth it. I don't want any presents this year. If you want to do something for me ----- make a donation to your favorite charity. If you want to know which ones I prefer ----- anything charity to do with animals and animal rescue ----- and of course all those that help children in need.

9 Crucial Tips

After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

A friend sent me these tips. PLEASE READ and remember them. It was writen with women in mind, but is just as important for men to remember. And let your children read them and help them understand them. Pay special attention to the last one.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The drive won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your> car from the passenger door. Most serial killers> attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars. C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably ! in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

> > ************* Here it is *******> >

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana. I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well. Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry. Shannon LaForge> Courtroom Deputy to Judge Robert Junell>U.S. District Court for the Western District> > >

We should impress this on our children. Especially those that have children that are at home by themselves a lot.

Wonder of it All

I encourage everyone to go to this web site and enjoy the wonder, the beauty, the music. Someone really has a way with words, photos, and music and the ability to put it all together on a computer.
http://wonderofitall.com

Make Sure to Have a Gallupin' Good Gobler Eatin' Time
and a
Very Happy Thanksgiving

Word of Advice

A word of advice to all pet owners. For those of you planning to cook that big turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other day, or even if you are going to buy it and bring it home to eat it. It smells and tastes as good to your dog, cat, ferret, pet bird, mouse, rat, or what ever kind of pet you have that might like a treat of all that turkey, salad, cranberry, ect. So My suggestion is that you make sure that your pet has a very filling breakfast on the day that you are doing all that cooking and eating. Maybe even give your friend a bit of canned food, or extra of some sort that it really relishes. Once in a while it can't hurt and if your pet friend is all ready filled up on food it won't beg, and get under feet as you fix all the party goodies for yourself, family and others.
Remember that we are thankfull for our pet friends as well as our human friends.

Worked BlackJack hard today. He was in the field and wouldn't come to me. Nor would he let me walk up to him. I supposed I could have got a handfull of grain or horse cookies. But that isn't the way I wanted to do it. He is supposed to come to me when I call him. So instead he got to run round and round our small field while I got to walk behind him until he was tired enough to stop and let me put a halter on him. Then I lunged him which is what I had wanted to do to start with. By the time I finished he was sweating hard. So I had to work hard to bush and dry him with a towel until he was dry. At least he let me clean his hooves with fussing like he usually does.

Why is it that men work their eight hours come home and relax, never seeing anything that needs to be done at home. Women do there work away from home, come home, and are unable to relax because all the work they can see that needs to be done at home. Even if it doesn't get done women know it is there, while men seem to be oblivious to it.

Go Away Wind

I never have liked the wind and hate it more every time we have another wind storm. We had a good (bad) one last night. As always when we have wind we have sand, and sand, and more sand. Sand gets into everything. The water buckets for the horses, and their hay. It manages to find its way through each and every tiny crack and crevice in the house, and there is dusty sand on everything. It gets into the pores of my skin and makes it dry and old before its time. I spend way to much on tons of handlotion, and body lotion, that seems to do no good. I makes the allergies worse and worse. I have a tissue box for nose blowing in every room.

I wonder how much of this dusty sand I have eaten over the years.

Murphy playing in the hay.

Birds

It seems that the Tumbleweed crossing is a favorite crossing place for migatory birds this years. Maybe it is the water I put out for them or maybe because we had an abundence of wild sunflowers which the birds love for the seeds but I have seen more unusual birds this week that normal. Yesterday there was a small woodpecker of some sort, and this morning there were chickadees scolding me while I was feeding the horses. At about noon there was a roadrunner sitting on the back fence. We see roadrunners but not very often. I would like to see them more as they are very fascinating birds and are, also, the state bird of New Mexico.

Dogs

I have found Tuffee, our Border Collie, sleeping in the bath tub several times lately. Tuffee really likes water. She is always willing to take a bath, and there is no way to water the trees in the yard or fill the horse buckets with out her help. She is always drenched when we get through.

Fall

Last weekend the time changed and then there was Halloween. Now the leaves on all the trees are changing color and falling off. In some ways I regret this changing off the seasons as it means that winter is almost here - But I am so, so, so glad to see the last of summer. This morning when I went to feed the horses there was a very, thin, skim of ice on the one of the buckets and on the bird water container. At least it is cool enough now that I might just survive for a little bit longer.

Now that the bull riding is over for a while. (The new season starts in two weeks. ) maybe I can get some work done on my latest story.

Obession

Yes, as you can see I have an obession for watching the bull riding.
I used to think it was so dumb for anyone that got so involved in watching any kind of sports - like football, basketball, hockey, golf, tennis, skiing, car racing, even horse racing. But then a few years ago I found myself watching the bull riding. Now I am really hooked on it. To the point of obession. How did it happen? I have no idea. Or maybe I do when I really think about it.

My parents took me to see rodeos when I was a kid. I even remember seeing the late and very famous rodeo rider Larry Mayhan once. Of course I have always been interested in anything that is concerned with horses, and of course their wouldn't be a rodeo without horses. Naturally the only event in a rodeo that doesn't have anything to do with horses is bull riding. But then there is always a rider on a horse in the arena during the bull riding that is there to rope the bull and get it out of the arena if things get to out of hand.

My wish is that there would be more of the other rodeo events televised. Things like bronc riding, saddleback riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, pole bending, and my favorite barrel racing.

Final Bull Riding Event

Congratulations to Justin McBride for winning the PBR World championship. And a congratulations to any and every bull rider who competed this year. And some who didn't due to their injuries.

This year saw the retirement of two well known bull riders. Owen Washburn, of Lordsburg, NM, and won the 1996 PBR World championship. (If you ever find yourself in southwestern New Mexico you might just find yourself going through Lordsburg, but if you blink twice you'll miss it.). Also retiring is Troy Dunn, off Queensland, Australia, who was the PBR World champion of 1998.

But more importantly was the retirement of two of the best and finest of those all-important bulls - Little Yellow Jacket and Blueberry Wine. Both of these wonderful bulls are 9 years old this year and their owners decided 5 years on the circuit was long enough.

For more on professional Bull Riding go to www.pbrnow.com

CATS

CATS why do we have them?
I took the time to bring in all my houseplants so they don't freeze. Watered them well, trimmed and pruned and even transplanted a couple. I found homes for them in windows, and on shelves where they should get enough light to survive the winter. So one of the cats, not sure which one, got up on a shelf where they never go and knocked off one of the replanted ones.

Well you know the rest. Dirt and leaves everywhere on the carpet, in some boxes (this was in the spare bedroom which is full of boxes of stuff I don't know what to do with). The plant, an aloe vera was in bad shape, missing and broken leaves. And the pot had landed in another plant that was to big to sit anywhere but on the floor, so there were leaves from my bogenvia all over.

Hope which ever one of the cats it was that made this mess got stuck on the thorns of the bogenvia.

I spent 24 hours working on my latest story. And I mean I really worked hard on it. It's got lots of words but, after re-reading it, I'm not sure it it has much potential.
I will keep trying. Maybe someone will like it. They don't seem to like the other two and I liked them.

Masters and slaves

We may be masters of our dogs and horses, but we are slaves to the
CATS

Out one door---

Cats have two goals in life. Or at least mine do.
Out one door------and in the other.
It seems that there is always a cat wanting out the back door. It then walks around to the front door and asks to come in.
Or there is a cat at the front door wanting out, and it promply walks around the house and asks to come in the back door.
Out of the twenty some cats I have had they have all done this.
Or maybe it is a goal to annoy their masters (slaves).

The wood shed is completed and the firewood is in it.

Skiggy

This is Skiggy trying to be a scarey Halloween cat. Skiggy is 15 years old and my favorite cat. I raised him and his brothers on a bottle after their mom died when they were a week old. Skiggy is the last one.

Stinky Spelling

You got it my spelling stinks. Guess I really should edit and spell check before I post.

This Week

BlackJack, the horse with the injured leg is doing much better. In fact he is almost well. I started lunging him this week and he seems to be enjoying it. He is diffently glad he is being turned out everyday instead of being cooped up in his small pen.
We got a load of hay on Tuesday. Alphala. It's $6.00 a bale. Guess it will never go down to a decent price again. (like gas). The farmer I buy the grass hay from is trying to get a last cut. But rain has not been cooperating. His first try resulted in the hay getting wet and only good for cows.

I gave BlackJack and Nita a bath. I like to do it at this time of year to get all the gunky, sticky, smelly fly spray off of them before really cold weather comes. I don't bath horses in winter. Don't have the falicities for it. (No indoor bath area, with hot water heater. Some horses are oh-so pampered.) At least Jack and Nita were nice and clean and soft when I finished with them.

Now to do Star.

Wood shed

For the past 2 years we have struggled with the firewood under a couple of old sheets of plywood and a taryp. This year we decided to build a woodshed to keep the rain, and snow off the wood. And to have a place to split the wood. So what should be so hard about building a woodshed? I figured we could do it in a weekend easy. We seemed to have all the materials already --- posts for the corners, 2 X 4's for the supports, and rafters, and plywood for the roof, and even some left over sheets of tin to put on top of the plywood. My perfectionest husband, Lee, has spent all weekend on this project and the shed is only about half done. We had to use the leval and the square to make sure it was leval and square with each and every little bit we did. He was driving me nuts. We did get the posts in and the plywood roof on with the plywood back wall up. Still have to do the two ends and the tin on top. And of course then have to move all the firewood we cut a few weeks ago into that new, and perfect woodshed.

I Want--------

I Want….”“Mikey, don’t touch that.”

The little pre-school age boy pulled his hand slowly back from the bag of chips he had been reaching for.

“Michael, Mommy says don’t touch ANYTHING.”

Again the little boy pulled his hand back, this time from the box of cookies, watching his mom as she moved on down the isle of the grocery store. She added some snack crackers to the shopping cart, while talking baby talk to the fussy, whining baby sitting in the seat of the cart. “Come on, Mikey.”

After a moment Michael followed.They turned down another isle, moving by and around other shoppers. Several things were added to the cart. The baby cried.

“I want cookies,” demanded Michael.

“No,” said his mom, picking up a can of green beans, and then a bag of noodles. They moved on.

“I want cookies – cook-ies – cook – kook-eyes, cook-ies,” sang Michael. “Want cook-ies – kook-eyes.”

“Mikey, please be quiet. If you’re quiet I’ll get you some cookies. Okay, Mikey.”

His mom was getting more flustered as she tried to finish her shopping. Michael knew he had her going now. “Goodie, goodie, goodie,” he sang. “I’m going to get cookies - cook-ies, kook-eyes.”

“Mikey, be quiet,” wailed his mom while the baby echoed her. She checked her list. “Need to get milk, juice, and baby cereal. And some hamburger.” She added a jar of pickles to the cart, and crammed a pacifier into the mouth of the crying baby. She wished she could give one to Mikey, too.

“Cookies, kook-eyes. I want cookies – kook-eyes, more kook-eyes. Kook - .” Michael stopped singing. “Mommy, Mommy. What’s that? Mommy, are those eyeballs.”

Michael pointed at a jar. “Those look like eyeballs, Mommy.” He took a step backward. “Mommy, that jar there. The eyeballs are moving. Their rolling around in the jar, Mommy, how do they do that.”

“Of course not,” said his mom, hardly glancing at where he was pointing. “Those are olives, Mikey. Come on.”

“No, there not ‘lives. Their eyeballs. Kook-eye balls. There looking at me. Make them stop looking at me. I don’t like kook-eye balls.” Michael grabbed his mom around the leg and hid his face, then peaked back at the jar.

“Stop that, Mikey, those are only olives.” She pried him loose from her leg.

Michael looked back at the jar. “Don’t look at me, kook-eyes,” he yelled, and flung a small fist at the jar, barely grazing it. It was just enough to cause the jar to fall to the floor, where the glass shattered and the contents rolled here and there, helter-skelter.

“Mommy! The kook-eyes jumped off onto the floor.”

“Now look what you’ve done, Michael!”

“They jumped, Mommy! Honest they did!”

"You’re going to get it now, Michael. Do you hear me? Your in ….in….trouble….now,……” her voice slid to a halt, as she took in the sight of the broken glass and the still rolling ---- jumping, ----- and rolling ----- eyeballs.

There were hazel eyes, blue eyes, brown eyes, and green eyes; some with the eyelids still attached. And all those many eyes were staring at her. As she watched back, her mouth still open, she gave a little screech. When she did one of the eyeballs winked at her.

Horrified at the sight she and several other customers screamed some more as they began to move away from the wildly, rolling eyeballs, and toward the exit doors.

An excited stock boy yelled for a manager, wanting to know what he was supposed to do with the run-a-way eyeballs.

“Mikey, we’re leaving. NOW!” shouted Mikey’s mom as she grabbed the boy by the arm, and drug him with her, while pushing the cart with the screaming baby, toward the nearest door.

Eyeballs continued to roll after her while Mikey sang about Kook-eyes.

Halloweeen

Halloween is just around the corner. Do you beleive in ghosts, goblins, spooks, witches, vampires, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night? I have always like the supernatural stories. Shows like Twilight Zone, X Files, The Night Stalker, Lost, ect. And I remember sitting around the kitchen table, or the campfire, or fireplace in the late fall listening to 'ghost stories' told by my parents, grandparents, and other relitives and friends.

Notes

Hoping to break my writers block, I have compiled pape after page of notes, outlines, and ideas for new stories. Hopefully I can now put some of them to use.

To All Who Read

My biggest fantasy is that some agent, or publisher will see and read the stories I have posted on my blogs and decide to represent me.

And I utterly tired of these two stories. I have been over and over and over these two stories, or novels, so many times I am throughly disgusted with them. I have sincere hopes I never have to read, or edit them again. Or at least not until someone wants to be my agent or publish them.

For that reason I am taking Josie's suggestion and trying to write a new noval in one month. Again it is a contest. Go to www.nanowrimo.org to sign up. You are expected to write a novel in the month of November. You start on the 1st and end on the 30th. You must reach the goal of 50,000 words. But if you don't, so what. It is all in good fun.

Check it out.

words

If you remember I entered the contest at Contest Junkies, and of course, I didn't win. But I did get a fair amount of comments from the other readers at my email address.

Several people have asked me which were my stories. They were the ones entitled Cowboy Snapshots, and Life Change. I am putting the same thing I entered on my other blog, Wonderin' Words, so you can read it. If you want.

Chores

Does eveyone have as much trouble getting the household chores done as I do? What a drag it is to wash dishes, do laundry, vacum the floors, dust and any of the other 101 jobs that taking care of a home involves.
And its never finished.

Bull Riding Finals

So what do you think? Will Justin McBride win the champian ship this year? Or will it be one of the other 45 riders that will be competing at the finals the last week of October? I haven't decided yet. It looks like it may be a toss up. Remember last year when Adriano Moraes was sure to win after Justin McBride had broken his leg, even though he was still competing. Then Adriano injuried his arm and suddenly it was Mike Lee winning.

For more about the Professional Bull Riders go to www.pbrnow.com

Butterfly

This is one I took last week that I want to share with everyone.

Dalia

Had to let everyone see the photo my sister sent to me. Thanks, Sis.

2005

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2005 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family isthat they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see ifanyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of thescreen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't havethe first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause forpanic and you turn around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward thismessage.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 onthis list. AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.Go on, forward/send this to your friends ...you know you want to!

Great Comment

After all the bad comments it was so great to see a good comment. Many thanks to the person from the midwest with the old horse. You want to live here? I want to live where ever you are. Wish I had more land as you do, and I am sure it has grass on it, instead of sand. Take care of that old horse, all horses deserve good care. They are such wonderful creatures.

Comments

I tried leaving a comment now that I have the 'word verification' on.
And it's really easy. It may not stop all of the nasty comments but should stop the automated ones.

SPAM

AAAAAaahhhha. That was a big sigh.

It is so terrable that in this day and age that regardless what you do, someone is bound and determined to find a way to try to make money off of you. I am referring to all the unwanted spam-type advertizements that are popping up in the comments section of these personal blogs.

I am being forced to fix my blog so that machines cannot leave ads, spam, and/or unrelated site information in the comments, as well as some other individuals who only want to leave messages that I wouldn't want to be seen by anyone, let alone children.

From now on if you want to leave a comment you will need to do a

'word verification'. I am sure you have seen them before. A little box where you have to tye in the letters and number shown. They have been popping up on some of the email sites when the site thinks you might be spamming. (Like when I send several emails to family and friends with the same subject line, like at holiday time, but make each one a little bit different so it is more personal.)

So I apoligize to any one that might be offened that I am doing this, but I wish to remind you that you did not want to see some of these comments.

Bull Riding

Let me know if your intersted in bull riding. I really like to watch it. From highschool rodeos all the way to the professional bull riding. Check out the site www.pbrnow.com

Mountain Top

From way up on top of a moutain mesa looking down into San Diego Canyon where the village of Jemez Spring, New Mexico is.

Tuffee

We took our Border Collie, Tuffee, with us when we went woodcutting. She loves to go, and is really good at staying close. I certainly wouldn't recomend Border Collies to just any one. They are a really high energy dog, but with the right training make a wonderful pet. I had always been interested in Border Collies but knew they needed a lot of room to run, more than we had when we lived in town. But then we moved to a rural area, and then my nephew's girlfriend found a puppy, and the owner couldn't be found, and they were moving, and I got the puppy which became Tuffee. Such a round-a-bout way to get a Border Collie.

Dead Tree

We discovered this dead tree had fallen across a moutain road. We cut it up to use for firewood and did a service by clearing the road for other travelers.

Wood Cutting

We go wood cutting every fall so that we can heat the house with wood in our wood stove and save a little on heating fuel. I really prefer the warmth given out by an old fashioned wood stove in comparison to our natural gas furnace, or any other kind of furnace. It seems like the heat from the wood warms you up faster than any other kind.
So we went up into the Jemez Mountains yesterday and cut a load of wood. What we got was mostly pine. Dead and down, as it states on the permit that is required by the forest service. Anotherwords it must be a tree that had died and fallen down. You are not allowed to cut down a dead tree that is still standing. A dead standing tree is still useful to the forest. It's roots are still holding soil that might otherwise wash away. And the top it home to many birds and small animals.
Lee, my husband, and I always look forward to wood cutting. It give us an excuse to go to the mountains. It is lots of work, and I mean hard work, but always worth it. He does most of the chainsaw work and I lend a hand at loading. We usually get mostly pine, but if we can find a good, dry, hard chunk of oak, or spruce so much the better. And we don't object to throwing in a piece of two of aspen either, although aspen does burn faster.

Black Cloud

We had rain here on the desert today. It started at about 6 am when it woke me with a heck of a thunder and lightning storm with a little bit of rain. When I got up I couldn't see the Sandia Mountains, just a big cloud hanging over the mountian. It cleared off but came back again this afternoon. Or anyway a big black cloud did. It came from the west and moved east over Albuquerque. I watched as it came in. It was a very big, very strange, weird cloud. It hung very low in the sky and moved quickly. I was sure we were in for another storm. And we were. It dropped hail and rain for about ten minutes and then moved on. Not near as bad as I expected.

Bad News

We should never take life for granted. I do it all the time and I am sure that most of you do, too. Yesterday I got the news that a friend of mine has cancer and is not expected to live for more that a few months at most. She is only in her mid sixties, just retired and had expected to have several years to travel. Her only symptons were feeling tired. I feel tired all the time and the doctors tell me to suck up, that everyone feels tired in our fast paced life.
Maybe we should all take a second look at what is going on in our lives. Especially the doctors that only care about the money they are getting everytime we come to the office and complain about feeling tired.

Knee Wraps

I'm still at it. Wrapping BlackJack's knee twice a day. I can not figure out how to put the bandage on it so it will stay. Of course I understand that with each step he takes it loosens up and then falls down around his hoof where it does nothing except irritate him. I have to addmit he has been very good about the whole situation. I expected him to get upset and fight me each time I had to re-do the thing. He has fussed some but not near as bad as I expected.
I ordered a whole case of stick-to-its-self leg wraps that go on top of the the bandage this morning. I had no idea that first aide supplies were so expensive. Especially for horses. I went to the store yesterday thinking I could use people stuff for the horse and it is even more expensive!

When it Rains it Pours

As if to make bad matters worse it decided to rain last night. First time since last spring, or at least first time at my house although I have heard of rain in other parts of state and Albuquerque. We needed it despertately ---but----it could have waited until BlackJack and I were feeling better.
Nothing like feeling yucky, having an injured horse that has to have a new, clean bandage about twice a day, and now a muddy, sloppy, pen for him to be in. So of course the cooler weather made him feel better and when I let him out to walk around the field for a few minutes, he decided he had to run around the field about 10 times. I ended up giving him some hay to get him to stop. With my luck he will have made it worse.

BlackJack's Knee

Well, while I am feeling terrible my black horse decides to ram his knee between the gate to his pen and the big fence post that holds up the gate. He got his knee back out but it wasn't in the greatest shape. And I didn't like having to call the vet at 8:00 am when I decovered what he had done. I heard a noise when I was in the hay shed getting their morning hay, and it looked so fresh that I am sure that is when he did it. He has a ugly gash on the knee and scrapes on all four legs. Not sure how he did the other scrapes. Vet came, cleaned and bandaged the bad one. Wouldn't do stiches because it was in a joint. But did give him injection of antibiotics and several packages of more antibiotics to add to his grain over next week. We can only hope that he gets better with no complications.

Ill Health

Please forgive me for not writing for a while. Have been down with some sort of bug and feel like crap. Not good for creative writing. Very good for writers block. On all kinds of yucky medicine. And have no interest in doing anything.

AUTUMN

Hip, hip, huray. Shout for joy, have a party, and be kind to everyone. It's the first day of autumn, or as some call it FALL. It is the best time of the year. The days will get shorter, which means not so much of that blazing hot sun. Cooler days are such a relief if you live in the desert. We can hope for a few days of rain, as well. We sure need it. The pumkins are turning yellow, and the gourds are putting on their mixed colors of yellow, orange, brown. I noticed this morning that the tree leaves are getting the first bit of color to their leaves. That is the only bad part of fall, the trees loosing all their leaves. The birds are beginning to migrate. There was a pair of gold finches eating seeds off the wild sunflowers. The dogs, cats, and horses, are shedding out their summer coats to put on the long warm coats of winter. Star pony is loosing her spots as she does each fall. She will be just a sorrel pony for the cold months, and next spring her appoloosa spots will come back. We are trying to get in a huge supply of hay for the ponies, and wood for the wood stove we use for heating in the winter.

Okay, everyone. Another one is on it's way. Don't panic, but do take steps to protect yourself, your family, and your pets.

Please Help

Please, please, please don't forget to help all the pets that are now as homeless as the people that survived Katrina. They, also, need our help. You can contact your local humane society, plus many newpapers, TV stations, and radios have listings of places that are excepting donations for the dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, horses, cows, goats, and all other animals that need our help.
Give what you can even if it is only a few pennies. If you can take an extra pet into your home, even if only tempory, it will help. Or adopt a local animal from your humane society or animal controll to make room for one of the Katrina victims.

Remember that pets give a lot more love to us than we ever have the right to expect from them.

The heat is finally dissipating a little bit here on the desert. It is getting cool enough at night that I can turn off the air conditioner and still be able to sleep. But still need the darn thing in the day time. Be glad when it freezes and kills all the flys and bugs. Don't think it will for a while. Remember it freezing once in September but it is usually toward the end of October. I have two pumkins that have turned orange, and one that is still very green. Have lots of zucchini squarsh, and cucumbers this year. Didn't get any last year, but had tons of tomatoes. This year only a very few tomatoes.
Anyone got a really good recipe for zucchini bread or zucchini casserole?

Computer waits

What should be on the tomestone of every dead computer.

"Hurry up and wait."

If I had a penny for every minute of time I have wasted waiting on a computer change to another site ----- well I wouldn't be rich, but it sure would be a good start.

The Sandia Mountains in the evening. But in the mornings the sun always peaks up over them to let me know a new day has arrived.

Night Night

It's 11:00 pm and I know I won't go to sleep even if I did lay down. So here I sit in the old, green metal, two seat glider that I bought used 25 years ago. I swing gently back and forth, back and forth, while I watch lightning play along the top of the Sandia Mountains. It's not the violent, zig zags of lightning but the softer kind that simply lights up the sky. The Sandia Mountains are a major landmark here in New Mexico. They are the southern most tip of the Rocky Mountains sitting just to the east of Albuquerque. If you know much Spanish you may wonder why a range of mountains are called 'the watermelons'. A very long time ago some Spanish conquistador thought that they looked like a watermelon when the evening sun shown on them turning them a pink color. And they still get the pink color in the evening to this day. In fact they were pink tonight as where the clouds over Albuquerque. The lighning flashes again, highlighting the TV, radio, and communication towers that abound on one little peak of the mountains at the tip top of the range. Here in my yard I am at approximately 6500 feet in altitude. The towers are at about 10,500 feet in altitude if I remember right. That is way up there in the clouds. The Sandia's range from desert at the base of them, to alpine flora at the top. Much of their landscape is straight up and straight down. There is a ski resort on one part and the Sandia Peak Tram is another part. The Tram is a small cable car that takes you 2.7 miles up the side of the mountain on a cable that you are sure will brake before you reach the top. For more information and to see photos go to www.sandiapeak.com

The lightning has quite. I hear the soft hoof falls of two of my horses as they come to the fence to see why I am sitting in the swing in the yard. One of them blows it's breath out in a little snort. I get up, pet them for a minute and decide it is finally night night time. I hope.

End of my Rope

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

by Franklin D. Roosevelt

I feel as if I am at the end of my rope lately. Nothing seems to be going right. I have writers block. Big time. As you can see by this blog I haven't been doing much lately. The best thing that I can manage is to put in something written by someone else. Maybe it is the mess that the United States is in. It is depressing to everyone. And maybe I can just blame it on the hot weather here in New Mexico. Or I can blame it on the full moon that was a couple of weeks ago.

Naaaaaa

Maybe it would be best to just blame it on my self, tie a knot in my rope and hang on, while I make my self get with it and do what needs to be done.

Time

Most of us have heard this one before. But it is so true after the fury of Katrina, as well as everything else that is going on in the world.

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

Animal Sayings

I am getting a lot of emails and comments that include some very cute sayings, or jokes, or poems. This is one I like.

We work like a horse.We eat like a pig.We like to play chicken.You can get someone's goat.We can be as slippery as a snake.We get dog tired.We can be as quiet as a mouse.We can be as quick as a cat.Some of us are as strong as an ox.People try to buffalo others.Some are as ugly as a toad.We can be as gentle as a lamb.Sometimes we are as happy as a lark.Some of us drink like a fish.We can be as proud as a peacock.A few of us are as hairy as a gorilla.You can get a frog in your throat.We can be a lone wolf.But I'm having a whale of a time

Going Home

Headed home for the Tumbleweed Crossing. Sandia Mountains in the back. Albuquerque, NM sits at the base of them.

Why we have Children

This was sent to me by a friend. Don't know where it came from to start with but it was to good to pass up.

> To those of us who have children in our lives,> whether they are our own> grandchildren,> nieces,> nephews,> or students...> here is something to make you chuckle.> > Whenever your children are out of control,> you can take comfort from the thought that> even God's omnipotence did not extend> to His own children.> > After creating heaven and earth,> God created Adam and Eve.> > And the first thing he said was> "DON'T!"> > "Don't what?"> Adam replied. > > "Don't eat the forbidden fruit."> God said.> > "Forbidden fruit?> We have forbidden fruit?> Hey Eve..we have forbidden fruit!"> > "No Way!"> > "Why?"> > "Do NOT eat the fruit! "> said God.> > "Why?"> > "Because I am your Father and I said so! "> God replied,> wondering why He hadn't stopped> creation after making the elephants.> > A few minutes later,> God saw His children having an apple break> and He was ticked!> > > "Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit? "> God asked.> > "Uh huh,"> Adam replied.> > "Then why did you? "> said the Father.> > > "I don't know,"> said Eve. > > "She started it! "> Adam said.> > "Did not! " > > "Did too! "> > "DID NOT! "> > Having had it with the two of them,> God's punishment was that Adam and Eve> should have children of their own.> > Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.> > > > BUT THERE IS REASSURANCE IN THE STORY!> >
If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give> children wisdom and> they haven't taken it,> don't be hard on yourself.> > If God had trouble raising children,> what makes you think it would be> a piece of cake for you?> > THINGS TO THINK ABOUT!> >
1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.
5. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.
ADVICE FOR THE DAY:> > Be nice to your kids ...> for one day they will choose your nursing home.> >
AND FINALLY:> > IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF TENSION> AND YOU GET A HEADACHE,> DO WHAT IT SAYS> ON THE ASPIRIN BOTTLE:> >
"TAKE TWO ASPIRIN"> AND "KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN"!!!!!> > Quick,> send this on to ten people> within the next five minutes. > > Nothing will happen if you don't,> but if you do,> ten people will be laughing> >

Again

Again I have been either to busy or to tired to think about writing. My son, Dustin, called last night to tell me he was coming up from Los Cruces, NM this evening to pick up a horse for his boss and take it back tomarrow. One of those big, fancy, paint saddlebred stallions that his boss has. Well I guess seeing Dustin for a few minutes is better than not at all. That is how our life seems to go anymore. Thank goodness for cell phones and email.
Sometimes I wonder how we used to be able to do things without these modern conviences. And to think that by the time my son has children and they are grown cell phones, computers, and such will be outdated.

Katrina

Here at the Tumbleweed Crossing our thoughts, sympathy and good wishes for a safe recovery go out to all those affected by the hurricane Katrina. We will help as much as we can, although I am not sure what we can do at this time.

Wild Sunflower

Sunflowers help brighten up my day.

Rats, Oh, Rats

Matmouse, and Mickey Mouse, Miney Mouse, Jerry Mouse, and even Pixie and Dixie Mouses are all good mice. Especially Mighty Mouse. But then there are the real mice. The little tiny creatures that invade your hay barn, and my junk shed. They are so tame they sit there and stare at you with those beady little eyes, just daring you to invade "Their domain" . And I do. But it doesn't make them leave. They just dive into those tiny little hiding places they have discovered, and wait for me to leave. As they are sure that I will.

Well, here is fair warning to all you mices.

I am declaring WAR.

So for the count is mice - 7. Me -2. And my cats - 4.
Sigh - seems the mice are winning.
I have been setting mouse traps but have only caught 2. I have 5 cats but they haven't bought me but 4 mice. Hopefully they are catching others that I am not aware of. Oh, and Codee, my German Shepherd dog was chasing one out through the tumbleweed this morning. But she let it get away.

More on the WAR of the MICE later.

(I hate those mices to pieces.)

Flowers

It may be hot here at the Tumbleweed Crossing but the summer wild flowers are doing fine. Blooming their little hearts out. The wild sunflowers are huge. Some as tall as 6 foot and as much as 12 foot in diameter, with hundreds of small sunflowers covering the bushes. Blossoms are usually only about 4 inches across which is very small compared to their hy-bred cousins. But I think they are much more cheerful to look at. And the small birds love the seeds.
My wild four-o-clock is even bigger this year than last. It is trying to choke out a lilac bush and some iris that were growing near it. It is covered with small fushia blossoms every evening just as the sun goes down. About a 20 x 20 mass of green leaves and blossoms. Surprisingly there is a clump of comas near by that are the same fushia color. Who says mother nature can't think about how to plant her flowers for color combinations.
I, also, now have morning glories blooming as well as marigolds, and a few struggling roses. I love the big yellow/orange blossoms of the pumpkins and guards, and squarsh. I have more zucchini squarsh than I can eat. Wish I knew some one who liked it as much as I do to give some to.

Writers Block

Heres hoping those little emails complimenting me on my entry to the romance writers contest will help bannish the writers block I have been experencing over the past few months. It seems like either I don't have time to sit down and write or if I try to I can't seem to write. Even my blog has been suffering. I won't promise to write more 'cause it won't happen, but I will think about it.
Shame on me! Write! Write! and Write! Even if it don't make since or no one ever reads it.

Self Esteem

A little bit of praise can go a long way in upping my self esteem. I was so thrilled when I received so many emails from the readers of the contest junkies site. I couldn't beleive it. I appoligize to for not getting back to all the readers yet. Now I can't wait to see who wins the contest. More on it when the winners are announced sometime in Oct.

Contest

Don't forget to go to www.contestjunkies.com and vote for this weeks stories. There are some really good ones.

Long Time No See

Sorry I haven't had a chance to post anything for a while. Hope I haven't been completely diserted by my faithfull readers, but work and life caught up with me. Work is driving me crazy but I'm sure you are all saying yours does to.
My walk in closet is full of little, tiny, very hungry moths, or millers, or some sort of flying bug. They don't do any thing but eat. I am dismantling everything in the closet and cleaning throughly. Then while outside putting a rough, sort of deck/porch/walkway around the hayshed and tackroom this little whirlwind came by and took the roof off of one of the horse shelters/shed. So we're in the process of putting it back on.
If life settles down again I will try to write more.

MattMice

I found out what a matmice or rather who a matmice is. A stuffed mouse named Matt. You can see him at www.emilyboyd.com/whois mat/
He reminds me of a stuffed bear named Cindy that my niece used to take with her everywhere. Oh, do I remember the days of looking for a lost CindyBear. And my son, Dustin, had to stuffed animals. A seal, and a rabbit. Although his infatuation with Sealy and Rabbit didn't last as long as Cindy's did with CindyBear. (Yeah, you got it right. She named her bear after herself. At about the age of one year. And yes she is still that vain.)

Sean's Site

Josie from Josie's Journel has helped her son Sean set up a website. It is really a good site. www.matmice.com/home/king_ghidorah
Even if I don't know what a matmice is. Where we live we have field mice that like to try to get into the barn. My black cat Murphy is proving to be a really good mouser.

other blogs

Don't forget to keep trying other blogs. Here are some I really like.

Josie's Journal at http://menfreya.tblog.com

Hold Yer Horses at http://holdyerhorses.blogspot.com

http://www.instapundit.com

Rain

We had rain yesterday. Blessed rain. Rain gage had about a half inch in it. And it cooled things off here today. Even if it was humid, it was so good to have rain. Parts of New Mexico got even more and there was flash flood warning out. Can't beleive anyone is stupid enought to drive into a creek, or arroyo, or even down some of our city streets when we get this much rain. Here's hoping the firefighters get some to help with all the fires.

writing contest

One of the readers sent in a site that is a romance writers contest site. I think I managed to get in under the dead line and entered one of my stories. If you are interested you can go to the site and read the first chapter and vote on the ones you like. Or don't like. At least it is fun to see what other people are writing. I'm not supposed to let you know which one is mine, and the reader didn't let me know which one is hers - so it would be fair.

http://www.contestjunkies.com/

Fire Danger

Hope no one is to close to all those horrible fires that are going on in so many of our states. I here on the news that they are really bad in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and Colorado. I watched at least a dozen slurry planes take off from the Albuquerque airport, circle to the west, come over my place, and then circle to head north. Not sure where they were going but I hope they help with what ever fire they were headed for. At this time I haven't heard of any here in New Mexico but with the lightning we are having today it is only a matter of time.

Please everyone be as careful with any kind of fire as you can be, burning weeds or trash, firecrackers, matches, or campers. We can't do much about lightning but we can watch what we do. Our forests, homes, and country are to precious to put in danger.

BlackJack

BlackJack is the second horse that I bought. I have had him for almost three years. He is a twelve year old Morgan gelding, and as you may have guessed he is black. Or almost black. Some might call him a very dark bay, as he does have some brown on his muzzle and flanks but he is black everywhere else. Except for the star on his forehead. I seem to have a thing for solid horses with stars. I didn't purposely chose these colors, it just happened. But I do like them.
Jack has had some really good training in the past, I think, but he has also had several owners who were not as smart as he is, and he has learned to think of what he can do to get out of doing what his owner/rider wants him to do. After I bought him, I was told that he had laid down and rolled with his owner and saddle on him. The owner wasn't quick enough to stop him, or didn't know how, and just jumped off in time to keep from getting rolled on. The saddle did get rolled on. So I was prepared for him to try this with me, but it was several weeks before he did. I had riden him for about an hour, and he was getting a bit tired and sweaty. I rode out into the center of the field and felt him start to drop to his knees. I kicked him hard in the flanks. Boy did he seem surprised, and took off at a trot instead of trying to roll. He never has tried it again with me.
But the past few days he has decided he wouldn't come to me, nor let me walk up to him, when he is in the field. Instead he takes off at a trot or a canter. Today I had had enough. I spent a good hour letting him, even incourging him, to walk, trot, canter and even gallap around and around. Ever so often I would let him stop, and try to get him to come to me. Nothing doing. I though he would never give up and let me put the halter on him. It took a long time. He tried to stop and roll as he was getting sweaty. He tried to stop and get a drink, but I wouldn't let him do that either. He never did come to me, but finally he stood still and let me walk up and put the halter on.
I wonder if that will be the end or if I will have to spend more time getting him to come to me as he used to do. I know it is just another of the games he dreams up to play with me. Games that he likes and I don't. Games I have to learn how to not play with him.

Star

My First Horse

I wanted a horse ever since I could remember, but I was well into middle age before I got one. And of course I did exactly what all the horse books, trainers, and long time equine owners tell you not to do. They say don't start with a young, untrained horse, no matter how cute and inexpensive they are. It is much better to get one that is older, gentle, and above all, well trained. The additional expense is worth it. And I totally agree. But who is practical when buying their first horse. I fell in love with a yearling, sorrel filly with a star on her forehead that was being offered by a man who bought and sold horses. She was a lot smaller than the others he had but something about her caught my eye. Part of it might have been that she was a lot cheaper, but I think most of it was that I thought I saw something special in the gentle, brown eyes that gazed at me and pleaded that I take her home. It turned out that he had purchased the filly at an auction near the town of Gallup, NM. It was thought that she had come from one of the Indian reservations near there. The seller was quick to inform me that she had never been handled and didn't know how to even be lead. He emphasized that basically I would be buying a wild horse. Determined to do all the wrong things that so many first time horse buyers do I bought that wild, untamed, baby horse.
Actually everything went better than could have been expected. The seller helped my son and I get her into a trailer and to her new home where we already had Dusty’s yearling Quarter Horse, Goldy. Dusty had bought Goldy just a few months before. We were both doing the brand-new, first-horse ownership thing and were proud of it. Thrilled, delighted and ecstatic would describe it even better. It didn’t take Dusty and I long to teach her that good behavior resulted in food. In just a few days we were able to take her halter off and put it back on, lead her around, and brush her, except for her tail. It took me a long month to get all the burrs, brambles, snags, and snarls combed out of her ratty little tail. Being still a baby it really wasn’t much of a tail yet. She quickly learned her name – Star. I thought and though and tried dozens of names but kept coming back to Star even though it is such a common name for horses and it stuck.
I always want to name my animals something unusual and unique but invariably seem to finally settle on something common and simple.
It soon became apparent that Star wasn’t the gentle, easy-to-train horse that I would have preferred. She was to smart for that. She was quick to try her darn’est to get out of doing anything she didn’t want to do. That is typical horse mindset. But Star seemed better at it than the average horse. Maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that she was a wild horse, and had never been around humans for the first year of her life. She had apparently learned the wild horse way of life well from her mama. We have even suspected that she might have a lot of true mustang blood in her. And of course she was a lot better for Dusty - a big, strong, young man, who could man-handle her if need be, rather than me – a middle-aged, not-so-big and strong woman.
Time passed, and Star and I fell into a semblance of a way of life. She would lead really well most of the time but when she didn’t want to there was no way I could get her to go in the direction I wanted her to. She would plant her feet and not move or run off dragging me behind her. Of course food was usually the main objective. She was sure to stop at the first clump of grass or weeds that was with in her sight. Eventfully she was taught to wear a bridle, sort-of; and to carry a saddle, sort-of, and to let me ride her, sort-of. But I don’t ever expect her to be a really great riding horse.
For one thing Star never got very big. In fact she really isn’t a horse. She is what is considered a large pony. Equine critters are measured in what are called hands. Many, many, many moons ago, somewhere over in Europe, when not everyone carried a tape measure or ruler in their pocket, horses were measured by the width of a man’s hand. A hand is now considered equal to four inches. The different in a horse and a pony is height. A pony is an equine animal up to 14 and a half hands. A horse is an equine animal over 14 and a half hands. Star is only 13 and a half hands, which makes her officially a pony.
But then you have to consider the fact that I am bad, really bad about calling all my horses ponies. It is just a slang way I have of referring to my equines. And remember Equine is the Latin term for all single-hoofed animals – horses, ponies, zebras, donkeys, mules, ect.
Star is now about seven years old, and is no longer a filly but a mare. (I will add this information as I have so many people who ask. A baby horse is a foal, then called a weanling from about six months to a year old. At a year they become a yearling. Males are called colts (sometimes ‘colt’ can refer to either sex) and a female is called a filly. At about three years of age a filly becomes a mare, and a colt becomes either a stallion or a gelding. A gelding is a male horse that has been castrated.
Star is a stubborn, pony mare. But she is still much loved, petted, feed, pampered and spoiled. She is just one of three in my small stable. Join me for more about Star and her friends at this blog.

This is Nita, my Quarter Horse mare. The quality is not that great on these photos but at least I am getting them on the blog.

This is Star. She was my first horse. She is a Mustang/Appy cross. In the winter she is a sorrel. In the summer she gets a lot of little white spots all over her chest and neck. But very few on her butt where most appys have them.

http://ponytracks.myblogsite.com

http://www.horsecity.com

Readers

Gosh! Am I ever surprised and delighted at how many readers I getting to the Tumbleweed Crossing. It is just thrilling. I will try my best to keep finding interesting tidbits to let you know about. As you may have noticed I finally figured out how to get a photo on my site. Eventually I will figure out how to post links to some of the sites/blogs that I read.

Information on Mars

You can find a little more information on the Mars event this month at this website http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/marsopposition.html

I haven't been able to spot it yet but our night skies have been full of clouds lately. (But no rain). Hope you have better luck where you are.

Thank You

My many thanks to all of you who leave your comments. It is so wonderful to know that someone, anyone, is reading what I write.

This is BlackJack, my Morgan gelding. He had just enjoyed a bath. For the next few minutes he will look very handsome, then he will be a mudball, as soon as he can roll in the dirt.

Summer

Summer has fully arrived. It is hot, and I mean hot. I can't seem to keep the horse buckets, dog buckets, or the bird trays full of water. Neither can I keep enough water on the trees and garden. I finally was able to pull a zucchini squarsh, and have another one coming on, but no tomatoes yet. I do have some very tiny green ones but nothing showing any sign of red. By this time last year we had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with. I was giving them away, and eating them at every meal. Still not sure I would want to eat fried green tomatoes yet after all we ate last year.
The flowers have finally started blooming a bit. Have a very nice hot pink zinna that is doing well especially since Tuffee, my border collie, broke it before it ever started blooming. Didn't figure it would survive the break, but guess it repaired itself, and has had three nice blossoms since. Actually the best zinna I have ever grown.

Morning glories are sort of blooming. And so are the roses. Have a couple of goards coming on. But my two small pumkins are already turning yellow. Very strange.

We have had hints of rain, and a lot of the rest of state has had some, but not here. Could really use it.

Corny Thoughts

One news channel gave a brief blurb about the fact that it is estimated that 30 percent of the US corn crop was already lost. Don't know if this is a fact yet or not but I can see the price of anything with corn in it rising as we speak. And have you ever considered how many products have corn in them?
Corn on the cob, corn in the can, and frozen corn in the bag.

Corn Flakes, (and all other cereals that have corn in them), corn tortillas, tamales, cornmeal, cornbread, corn fritters, corndogs-----and speaking of dogs, have you looked at the ingredient's in the dog and cat food lately? Corn is usually the number one item in that sack of food for your pet that you thought was mostly meat products. Then there is corn in the grain for your horse, cow, pig, sheep, and goat. And yes, that means the price of meat will take a jump as well.

Mars

My email pal sent me this information. Don't know how true it might be. I have been trying to find out more. If you know anything about it let me know. I know if it is true I want to see it. And hope it will be more specticular than Haley's Comet was.

Mars The Red Planet is about to be spectacular! This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification. Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.\ By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty convenient to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month. Share this with your children and grandchildren. NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN
this is a once in a lifetime experience.

Good Advice

Old Farmer's Advice

*Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, bull-strong.

* Keep skunks, bankers, and lawyers at a distance.

* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumblebee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

*Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something you know is meaner than you

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

*Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

*Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain’t botherin' you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

*Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence;

try orderin' somebody else's dog around.·

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God...· Mother Nature......

and the Great Spirit.

From Friends

Some times I have an email friend that seens me something that is just to good to keep to my self. Recently that has happened quite a bit. Here is one I got today. I had a good laugh when I read it, hope you do to.

Women & Men

Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse."So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked. "No," she replied, " but my husband refused to come shopping with me,
and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."UNDERSTANDING WOMEN
(A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE) I know I'm not going to understand women. I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root,
and still be afraid of a spider.
MARRIAGE SEMINAR While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication,
Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor,
"It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes." He addressed the man,"Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it? CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up and down the aisles.
The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.
He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.
A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter. She says, confused, "Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife? He answers, " You see, it's like this,
yesterday, I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers; cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper. So, I figure if I have to roll my own .......... so does she. ( I figure this guy is the one on the milk carton! )
WIFE VS. HUSBAND A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and
neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,
the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?" "Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws."

W O R D S
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day...
30,000 to a man's 15,000.The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men... The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"

CREATION A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be
so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time. " The wife responded, "Allow me to explain.
God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!
WHO DOES WHATA man and his wife were having an argument about whoshould brew the coffee each morning.The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible
that the man should do the coffee."Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament
and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.........."HEBREWS"

The Silent TreatmentA man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving eachother the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day,he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." He left it where he knew she would find it.The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AMand he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go andsee why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper bythe bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

God may have created man before woman,
but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece.SEND THIS TO SMART WOMEN WHO NEED A LAUGH AND TO MEN YOU THINK CAN HANDLE IT !

Cats

Cats know exactly how we feel.
They don't give a damn,
But they know.

Ain't that the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Visitors to the Crossing

I was surprised to see a goldfinch eating sunflower seeds this morning while I was watering my tomatos and trees. Can it be migatory season already? We never see these tiny golden finchs except for their breif appearence as they dart through on their migatory route either north or south. They are such a pleasure to watch. You can get within a few feet and as they are feeding on sunflower seeds, cosmas seeds, or wild grass seeds. I don't think I saw any going north this spring and this one seemed to be a bit early for southern trip.

I have seen several large jack rabbits that have taken up residence in the two acreas behind my place. There is nothing there except sage, tumbleweeds, and wild sunflowers. A perfect jack rabbit home.

Kacie, my gray and white cat was watching the rabbits from atop one of the corner fence posts. I told her not to try to take on one of those big rabbits, that they were bigger than she is. When they stand up on their long legs, these jack rabbits look to be as tall as my Border Collie, Tuffee. Tuffee, Cody, my German Shepherd, and Niki, my lab cross, always chase the rabbits that come in the yard, but the rabbits are faster than they are.

DisneyLand Birthday

Happy Birthday To You! DisneyLand!
Yes, Disneyland is having a big birtday party this month. That most wonderfull of all theme parks is 50 years old. I wanted so much to be part of the celabration. But it was not to be. But my sister and my neice that I brag on so much and my nephew were able to be there. They said it was fantastic.
Horrors! With all that the news media has to report on there was almost no mention of this wonderful event. Or not that I say.
Again I want to say Happy Birthday to Disneyland, and Mickey Mouse. They have helped us to keep young at heart.

Supreme Court Judge

Recently Sanda Day O'Conner retired as a Supreme Court Judge. It is our right to have a person who will represent us propertly as her replacement. Make sure you let your senators and others in political offices know who you want to fill this important possition. Remember it is a possition that is appointed and that person may be a Supreme Court Judge for many years. We need a person who will support our country and our ways. Not someone out to support himself or herself.

Additonally remember this possition may have to be filled twice this year. We need the right people as our highest Judges. I make no suggestions. I leave that up to you. But do let your senators and President Bush know how you feel.

Socks

Did you ever notice that if you buy a pair of socks and really like them that sure as shottin' one, and I say again, just one (1) of them is bound to disappear. And believe me you will never find it again. It doesn't matter how hard you look for it. I have come to think that there must be little, bitty, tiny gremlins, or elves, or space aliens that live in my house and they have a great fondness for just one brand, new sock. I have yet to figure out what they find so great about one sock or where they take it to.
And if that isn't bad enough; if you have a pair of sock you don't really care for they will hang around for a life time. Oh, those awfully socks may straight all out of shape, fade into really weird colors, and srink to a smaller size, but you'll always be able to find them when you can't find any other socks in your sock drawer. And you will be forced to wear them.

Lightning Fires

Just so that no one worries I thought I should let you know that the report on Good Morning America was wrong. Don't know if the same report was put out on any other news shows or not. They said that there were fires in Albuquerque and homes had to be evacuated. Not so. We did have a fire on Kirtland Air Force Base and one in the Bosque near Bernallio (town) but no one had to leave homes. Golf course at Kirtland was all that was evacuated. Some people in Bernallio were ready to but never had to. Stupid news reporters never get anything right. We did have a heck of a sandstorm that day here in Albuquerqe and lots of lightning. Lightning causes those two fires plus one in a house in Albuq. and some small fires in National Forests. None of them were major. One at Kirtland was about 500 acrea in the flat land area on part of base that is never seen by non military and from the pictures on the news we saw there was nothing on it but tumbleweeds The one in Bernillio was in a Bosque area (wild native area) near river and about 200 acreas. The smoke from both was bad. We could smell it real heavy in the call center where I work as it came through air conditioning unit.We did get a lot of lighning again yesterday but no fires (unless there were some in forests that weren't mentioned) and we got some rain. Supposed to do it again today. I sure hope so as we really need the rain. Humity is high today but at least there isn't that big puff of dust with every step I take in the yard. Horses look a bit cleaner, too. Just wish the dogs didn't insist on rolling in either the dust or the mud. Everyone take care where ever you are.

Animal Abuse

Go to www.ahdf.org This is the site for the American Horse Defence Fund. It tells of the horrible things done to horses at slaughter and of the Sweeny/Sprat Act to stop it. But it is not enough. We can't stop now. This is the start. No animal- horse, dog, cat, whale, or human deseres to be killed simply to fill the need of people who want to eat a so-called delicasy. Neither do any of these animals ever need to be abused in any way. Slaughtering horses is the worst. What will it be next? Slaughtering dogs and cats for the people in countries that eat them? Keep sending those letters to your senators. And don't forget about the need to stop the abuse of racehorses, showhorses (especially the paso finas, saddlebreds, and any others that are made to do gaits that are unnatural) grayhounds, dog fighting, and abuse of children. If a person will do one they will do the rest. And get the cattle off of our public lands. That will not only save the wild horses, but deer, elk, songbirds, fish, eagles, hawks, buffalo, all wildlife, and our natural grasses, wildflowers, and soil.

I have 4 horses. They looked so terrible when I got them. They came from different places. One is a wild horse, two are QH's, and one is Morgan. Now they are good riding horses. I have three dogs that where thrown out as puppys. Now they are good pets in all ways. I have 5 cats -same thing. They were thrown out as kittens. They are great company for me. We all need to educate the public on the love and uses of pets.

Don't let America become a nation of intentional cruelty to animals and people.

New Job

I have a new job. Can't say much for it. It is a call center. And what can I say about call centers, except that ---- well I guess they don't want me putting that kind of language in my blog. But it is a job. And I will keep plugging along at it. Just that I hate to be treated like a 6-year-old. Or else they treat you like you get treated in the military. And yeah, I know about that too. And I got out as soon as I could, a long time ago. So if you call in to a call center you might just get me. The one I work at services several different products.

Where is Clatskanie?

One reader wants to know 'where is Clatskanie?' It's in Oregon. Yes, I understand that everyone might not know where such a small town with such a strange name might be. It is my understanding that the name comes from an Oregon tribe the Tlatskanai. It is just to the west of the big city of Portland which means it is in the northwest part of the state.

I got to go there once about four years ago. I have to say it is the exact opposite of the desert country here. It is GREEN. All year round it is GREEN. Except when it snows, which isn't that offten. It is a very small town about 1800 population. Most of the homes seem to be on large, country type lots. Everywhere you look are trees. Great big beautiful trees. All kinds of trees. It does rain quite a bit there, and many days you can't see the sun for the clouds. But I think that would be OK. At least they don't have as much wind as we do and not near the blowing sand. Some day I hope to visit there again.

Check out www.clatskanie.com and www.clatskanie.com/chamber/

The Boys

And not to leave out the other three I will brag on them for a bit. You can read about my son, Dustin in my story about my trip to Cloudcroft. Dustin is in college at New Mexico State learning all about horses. (One of my favorite subjects, too). He is an inturn at the ranch where he is working.

And Cyndi's older brother Eric just returned from six months in France as an exchange student. He was able to visit many other countries while he was there. Eric is studying film and acting at a college in Orange, CA.

Cyndi's oldest brother, James, graduated from New Mexcio Tech last year and is now helping to make design vehicile saftey air bags in Moses Lake, WA. He is married to a wonderful woman and they have two adorable little boys.

My sister, her husband, and my husband and I are very proud of our four children.