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.

Worth Repeating

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions

Good Thoughts to Remember

After hearing about all the bad things that have been going on lately around the world a friend sent me this in an email. We all need to try to remember to do more of it.
Except I do have a problem with number two, as when you get older your hearing gets worse. And for number six - it would be smart to be engaged for at least six months but Lee and I had only known each other for four months and had been engaged for only two months when we got married - and that was 38 years ago. And I do believe in number Seven

Mental Feng Shui
ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much. NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN! .. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. W hen you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.
-- Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. Dr.Seuss ____________________________________________________________

Sane People-Or Insane

Cactus Jack Splash says that the only sane place is on their ranch. I think that the only sane And maybe cats and dogs. All I can say is the rest of the world doesn't know what they are missing. I am staying as far away from stores as I can probably for the rest of my life. I detest it when I have to go to the store to buy food or new clothes when the old ones wear out completely. I go hide in the horse pens as much as I can when the rest of the world becomes to much for me to handle. And this time of the year seems to bring out the worst in the human race.
It is hard to believe that a gang of people trying to be the first into a Walmart would trample and kill the person unlocking the door for them, and injury others.
And that other people would fight and kill over who gets to buy an item in a store.
No, I am not one of those that is a goody two shoes, got to go to church everyday, and say 'God Bless', to everyone I see. I just believe that the human race should take a good look at what they have become, and maybe opt for a little change for the better instead of believing that the only good life is to spend money as fast as possible on junk. How, or how, did people get so materialistic.
All I want for Christmas is more peace for the world, a load of hay for the horses and a load of dog and cat food as well as some for me, and all the homeless, starving animals and people in the world.

Thanksgiving Rain Storm

We had a drizzle of rain when we got up to feed the ponies yesterday morning which was Thanksgiving day. We hadn't planned anything special as we couldn't afford to go visit any of our family for the day. Nor could any of our family afford to come here. So we called and talked and wished everyone a good day.
I kept watching the sky. I had a feeling that there was more rain to come. And there was. About noon it started raining harder than it had earlier that day. Then the wind came. And with it a huge whirlwind or maybe it was another of those little tornados. I watched from the front door as the horses ran around their pens in fear and I couldn't do anything for them. It looked as if the roof of one of the shelters came up off the walls a few inches and then came back down. The wind hit the tree near the door and I saw the leaves picked off the tree, whirled into the air, and dropped back down onto the ground right around the tree.
In minutes the wind was gone, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Thankfully there was no damage.

Really Black Friday

I can not believe that people will stand in line that long and get up that early to go to stores and trample the people in front of them on the off chance that they will get to buy something that they don't just have to have. There is no way I would get up that early to go to a store to buy gifts or even stuff I can use even if it is on sale.
And why do stores do this? Why do they have to open so early? And why do they put things on sale for only a few hours? Is it really worth it to make people fight and kill to get into the store so that the business can make a couple of extra dollars?
Is this what the people of the United States have come down to?

Wild Horses Situation

Here is a link to an article about the wild horses that the goverment wants to destroy. A fair article but it doesn't mention any way to adopt a wild horse or to write or contact a congressman about them. Nor is there a way to contact the woman that wants to take care of them until they can be adopted out.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/17/AR2008111703680.html

Wild Birds

As I mentioned in my last posting the roadrunner is the state bird of New Mexico. Did you know that each of the 50 states has named a bird to be their state bird? And each state also has a state flower, state mammal, state fish, state reptile, and maybe other state things similar that I know nothing about. It is interesting to find out about these things.
Here at the Tumbleweed Crossing we get a lot of wild birds coming in to either find water, food, or nesting places. Most of the time they are welcome to come and stay as long as they want. I have always been some what of an amiture bird watcher. Roadrunners are one of the rarer birds that come through. Most of the time they are as welcome as the other birds. Roadrunners are members of the cuckoo family and can only be found in the lower elevations of the southwestern United States and Mexico. They are a fairly large bird that looks to be about 18 to 24 inches tall depending on if you count just the head or include that long tail that is usually sticking straight up behind him except when he is running and it is stuck out behind him. I like roadrunners as they eat snakes. Yes, you read that right they eat snakes and that includes rattlesnakes. It can be quite a sight to see a roadrunner killing a highly poisonous snake so it can eat it.
Roadrunners also dine on lots of mice and small rats which is a plus any way you look at it. But on the down side they will eat the baby quail that I dearly love to see, as well as young doves, sparrows, wrens, finches and other birds. Roadrunners are in the carnivore category. Last winter we had one that found that we had water in the heated water buckets for the horses. Each day it would come in and get a drink out of one of the heated buckets and then leave.
I have mentioned the quail. We have what is called 'Scaled Quail' which are similar to the top knot quail of Arizona, only they don't have as large a top knot. In the spring you can see the large winter flocks breaking up into pairs and a few weeks later the pairs will have tiny puff balls following them. By fall the puff balls are almost as big as their parents and the winter flocks form again. I have seen as many as 20 at a time coming in to water in our yard. We keep solid hubcaps for the quail to drink out of. They want water on the ground as they don't fly unless forced into it. They seem to prefer the shallow hubcaps to deeper containers. Hubcaps work well as they can be scrubbed out when they get lots of algae in them, and don't cost anything at the junk yards. I have used the deeper black hamburger trays that are about 4 inches deep but in the spring the baby quail drown in something this deep. I found it out the hard way and don't use them any more in the spring but do in the fall and winter.
I can't afford to feed all the birds that come in so all I put out is the water. We have other birds that come in every morning and evening to drink. Lots of sparrows, red headed house finches, starlings, and doves that are the year round residents, but during migrations we get hummingbirds, gold finches, fly catchers, swallows, and ravens. We are lucky that we get a few redtailed hawks, sparrow hawks or kestrels, coopers hawks, and on rare occasions a golden or bald eagle. We used to see several vultures around but not in a long time. Although not pretty they are good birds as they eat a lot of the road killed rabbits. And we have lots of rabbits. Mostly the desert cottontails but also jackrabbits. They seem to know that they are safe inside of our wire fenced yard where the coyotes can't get to them.
And yes we have coyotes. We see them at times and hear them yipping and howling almost every evening. I am not overly fond of them but know we need them to keep down the rodents and rabbits. And they did live here before people did.

Roadrunner

The Roadrunner is New Mexico's state bird and we have a few that pass through here occasionally. Usually if I see one before I can think about getting the camera it is gone or so far off I can't get a decent photo. A roadrunner was the fartherest thing from my mind the other night when I went to feed the horses. It was the last feeding of the day at 9 pm which meant it was dark and all good little roadrunners should have been in bed. And this one was but in an unusual place.

Lee was trying to get a bale of hay down off the top of the stack, about 7 feet up and was having trouble getting ahold of the string that keeps the bale together. So I turned around to get the hay hook that we have hanging near the hay shed door. Surprise! I found myself being stared at by two shiny, glaring, black roadrunner eyes. Roasting on a 2 x 4 above the door was one of the birds. I stepped back in surprise. And especially at the size of the sharp beak that was pointed at me. You can see him in the photo with his tail up unsure of weather he should stay or leave and knowing that he can't see in the dark he decides to stay put even though there are two humans getting hay for the horses in the shed, as well as a dog with them. You can see the handle of the antique hay hook that I was reaching for next to the hammer and the top of the door in the lower right hand corner.

As quickly and quietly as we could, we got the hay, which did include getting the hay hook and dropping a 50 pound bale of hay onto the floor, and then I decided to get the camera and take his photo hoping that the flash wouldn't destrub him even worse that we had. It didn't seem to bother him at all.

The roadrunner had got into the hay shed because we leave the door open a lot, so we left it open for the night as we figured he would be gone at first light the next morning which would be earlier than when we feed the horses. But surprise again. He was still there at 7 am the next morning. We decided enough was enough. We didn't want such a big bird living in the shed. lee got the broom and shoo-ed him out the door. He ran like a flash down the driveway, under the gate, and disappeared down the road.

I think it might have been a young bird that was confussed. He certainly wasn't as big as some I have seen so it could have been one that had recently left it's parents.

Offended

And if I have offended you by giving my opion about junky emails - you don't have to read my blog.

Loading Loading

Neither am I going to take the time to stare at a screen that continues to say "Loading-Loading" while I wait for some dumb video to download that some one else thought was cute, cool, outstanding, funny, ect. And I don't have high speed, only dial-up, which means that it can take as much as an hour or more for a 1 minute video to load to where I can see it. If I can. And normally I can't. So don't send them.

Junky Emails

Ok, I've had it with the junky emails. Emails that are from my friends that I correspond with frequently. They get them from other friends and think they should be sent on to me, and everyone they know. Emails about "friends/love/god/support/cute/care-for/political/awaaa-for-the-day/bad-luck/good-luck/send-to-so-many-in-such-and-such-a-length-of-time/". Even though the election is over I am still getting political emails. What gives????? Don't you think I have anything better to do that go through your crumby "Be-my-friend/support-my-cause/I-care-for-you/vote-for-so-and-so/you-HAVE-TO-pass-this-on/Do-Not-Delete-This/" emails.
I'll let you in on a little secret. Every time I see a subject line that has one of the above words in it-I delete it-unopened. If it was really important-oh well-it's gone. And I haven't read your important email.
I can handle a few of these but it seems to be going to extremes any more. I can handle the cute pet photos a few times but aren't there any new ones out there in cyberland? The same ones over and over get old.
And as for as the ones that say "you'll have bad luck or good luck if you don't send it on to 3/5/10/ or however many email friends in a certain amount of time. Well, I just can't believe that you, my friends, believe that sh---.
So from now on think before you pass it on. Is it really important? is it the first time you have seen that cute photo? (or the tenth), is it a joke that's been around for 20 years and everyone has heard? (or is it a new one, that made you laugh).
THINK! Don't just forward everything to everyone.

Gourds

I raised some gourds this year. They did better than I expected as I have never got that many gourds off the vines. In fact I got 35 of them. Four are still hanging in the redbud tree where the vine grew up in it and I didn't notice the gourds until they were almost full size. 2 of them managed to wedge theirselves in a wire fence the vine was growing on and we had to pull the fence apart to get them out. They were fun and easy to grew and very interesting watching the gourds grow. Some are fairly good sized and others are just average and a couple are even on the small size. I cut them off the vines when the vines died after the first freeze and put them on the back patio to dry only to find that they were developing spots of black mold which I had never had happen before. After reading about gourds on the web I found that this is common. I wiped them down with the 10 percent of bleach water as recommended and put them in the shed to finish drying as they are still very green.

I also found out that they can be used for a number of crafts. Bowls, vases, cute animals, lights, jack-o-lanterns, bird houses, trinket boxes, Halloween and Christmas decorations, and lots of other things, including just using them to paint designs on. When mine dry I might try some. But I found out that the mold on them and the stuff inside, and dust from cutting them open can cause flu like symptoms and allergies, itching and other problems so you have to be very careful when doing the crafts. but it does sound like an interesting project for when they dry. I differently plan to grow more of them next spring and hope to find some different kinds of seeds as there are 1000's of kinds of gourds.

Over

Well it's finally over. the Election that is. I just hope that our new president will be able to pull this country back together and make it the wonderful place it used to be. And if he could do something about all the political phone calls it would be a big help. At least for the time being they seem to have stopped. No political calls, no survey calls, no bashing of each other on dumb political advertizements on TV. What a relief.

PBR Fans

I guess I am not the only PBR fan. Callie let a message that she is one too. I hope there are lots more out there in cyberspace.

PBR Finals.

I am in bull riding heaven this week. The PBR (Profisional Bull Riding) is having their finals this week. We normally get bull riding on Versis TV channel on Saturday and Sunday. This week we had it on Friday Saturday and Sunday will have a couple during the week and again next weekend. A full 8 days of bucking bulls and flying riders during 11 days. Maybe I will get my fill for a minute or so. Would dearly love to go to Las Veges, Nevada for the finals some time. But it takes more money than I can afford. So I will be content with watching it on TV. As some people say you can actually see more on tv than at the event. But you have a chance to actually meet some of the bull riders, anouncers, ect and to see the bulls.
Of course I like anything that has to do with rodeos and horses.
But many years ago I said I would never get involved in watching a sport on TV the way so many watch the football, basketball, and baseball games. But I did. And it was bull riding that won out.

Time Change

Well the politicians are at it again. No one that I know of wants to do this time change bull every six months like the politicians want us to do. Maybe for them and big business it isn't that much of a problem. But for those of us who have to take medications at a certain time every day it can be a pain in the but. I even forgot this time. Got up at regular time turned on TV and was wondering what the h---- when the TV seemed to be off until I remembered. Then I realized that my meds would be off and I would either have to feed horses at a different time or start training them for a different time. All because some idiot politicain says I have to change the time. Funny the sun doesn't know about this time change.

Unhappy Cat

I was trying to take some photos of the cats and dogs with a Christmas hat on so I could add to Christmas cards this year. Murphy did not like the idea and kept insisting he was a Halloween Cat rather than a Christmas cat.

Kasie

One of our cats, K.C. as my son named her, but I prefer to think of her as Kasie. I don't know why some people have a thing of naming people and pets with initials. I never made much since to me. My son has has K.C.(Kitty Cat) the cat, and D.D.(Dustins Dog) the dog, and now has another cat named O.C. (orange cat) and had a horse C.W (her registered name was Charging Walk). I watch bull riding and it seems half the riders go by their initials. J.W. Hart. J.B. Mooney, L.J. Jenkins. I have known lots of people that went by their initials or JR if they were a junior. And all the business that go my their initials. I think I'll try to stay away from that trend.

Arte

A better photo of Arte.

Murphy

Murphy admiring a couple of the last morning glories we had just before all my annuals froze. I already miss the new flowers that were waiting for me to see them each morning when I got up.

Tuffee

My border collie Tuffee at the back door.

Mystic Art

This my son's stallion Darkan's Mystic Art. He is half Arabian, and half Saddlebred, and all beautiful.

Tony Hillerman

It is a sad day. I just heard that Tony Hillerman died today. Tony Hillerman was another of my favorite authors. He was from Oklahoma originally but had lived in Albuquerque New Mexico for a very long time. He wrote mystery novels who's main characters were Navajo policeman on the Navajo Reservation. I believe that I have read all of his books and enjoyed every one.
We will miss Tony Hillerman and his books, and writings.

Tomatoes

It finally really froze and we had to pick all the tomatoes to keep them from freezing. Of course it got worm again afterward. But what to do with all those tomatoes, many of them are still green. You can only eat so many green fried tomatoes and tomato salads, and the neighbors will only take some many, too.
After spending several hours on the Internet looking at recipes I settled on a recipe for enchilada sauce. So I spent this morning finding and cleaning all my canning equipment that hasn't been used in about 5 years, and then I boiled the tomatoes just until they split for peeling. Next hubby, Lee, and I took turns using the old antique, cone-shaped juicer and wooden cone-shaped crusher for smashing the warm fruit until the juice and pulp were separated from the seeds, and pulp.
Now to add the chili power and other seasoning and let it slow cook in my slow cooker. If the sauce comes out I will add the recipe later.

Nevada Barr

Nevada Barr is one of my favorite authors. She writes the Anna Pigion mystries. All of the stories are set in a National Park, and she does the best of anyone I have ever read in describing the wonder of nature. This year she has a new mystry out entitled Winter Study. I haven't read it yet as I can't afford the hard back books and will have to wait for the paperback to come out. I read on her website that there will be a new one next spring called Borderline. I look forward to both of them. But for now I am enjoying the blog that she and her sister do. Give it a try at http://thorpunious.wordpress.com
the web site is www.nevadabarr.com

Non-Believers

I am so glad to get the comments from people who have had migraines. Sometimes it feels as if I am all alone in fighting with mine. And that no one else ever has one. I still know lots of people who had never had one, including lots of doctors, and they usually of the opinion that a migraine is just a headache. I don't think anyone can imagine what a migraine is like until they have had one.
My dad was that way. He thought that my mom and my sisters and I were faking it for sympathy and to get out of work until he had his first one in his late 60's and I had to take him to the hospital because of the migraine.
So to those of you who have had them. Yes, that one will pass but there will always be another one at another time.
To those who haven't ever had one. Count your blessing and prey you never do.

Journeys of Cactus Jack Splash

Found another blog that I like. Its the Journeys of Cactus Jack Splash. A nice appaloosa horse. Give his blog a try. The link is on my list.

My Problems

When I re-read the last post I started to remove it from my blog. But I decided not to. I have never mentioned these problems before on my blog. I have kept most of my medical problems hid from strangers all my life. But it is time to let everyone know I have these problems. A lot of people don't beleive me and that includes most doctors. If you don't want to beleive me thats fine. I'm used to it. Those of you that have these problems will. And I want others to know that they aren't alone as I used to think that I was.

Migraines

Migraines and pain have taken over my life. Again. I have had migraines all my life and they come and go. This past week they have come again and invaded everything I do. Which isn't much when I have one. The pain makes me wish I something could be done at any cost but there seems to be little that the doctors can recommend for them. The normal meds for migraines don't seem to do me any good. Best I can do is find a very dark, very quiet place where I can coddle up in a soft, warm blanket with an icepack. When the bed doesn't work I resort to hiding in my small walk-in closet where I have a corner where I have placed several large pillows and blankets. Usually a couple of hours in there will take care of it. Sometimes. But this past week the headaches have continued off and on for days. Cluster headaches they are called. Any light and any sound makes it worst. I feel like a bomb is trying to go off in my head. The sides of my head, my checks will feel numb. My hands won't be able to grip things as well, and I won't be able to walk straight.Like I was drunk when I don't drink. I have threatened to take up drinking as then I will have an excuse for feeling this way. There is no way I can do housework, help with horses, or work on computer. Driving would be a deathwish.
I am hoping that maybe this time it is being brought on my the weather. We had terrible rain storms, and then it got first cool and then we went back to summer. Last night we had horrible wind all evening and night. And the temperatures have gone way down. And we had a full moon recently. I really think that the weather and the moon can effect the way a person feels especially if a person is prone to headaches to start with. The weather also seems to make the constant pain in my back, legs, and feet to get worse. According to the doctors the only thing I have is the start of some normal arthritis for a person my age. Although I have been told that I have scoliosis, which is a curved spine causing me not to be able to stand up straight, and deformed feet, mostly very large bunions. yEAH yeah bunions can be removed. And the left one has been about ten years ago, which just made my foot hurt worse. Now I get terrible cramps in my toes and it feels like someone is jamming an icepick through the top of my foot right behind my middle toe. Or how if feel that an ice pick jammed into my foot would feel. I can't wear womens shoes because of how wide my feet are and have to buy large boys or small mens shoes. Mostly slippers. Which means a lot of times I don't do much that requires walking.
Anyone that has bad headaches or migraines or any of these other problems I have has my full sympathy. And I do know several people who do have these problems so I know it isn't all in my head.

The Rain Came

The rain came sideways last Saturday. I don't think any of it came straight down as it should considering it comes from the sky. The winds were terrable and the rain was hard with a bit of hail mixed in. And again I say it came sideways or horizonal. The barn leaked, the yard was flooded. You would have thought we had a pond in the big horse pen, and in our back yard in the garden area. And the horses were drenched. They wouldn't stay in their shelters but I don't think the shelters were doing that much good considering that slanted rain. Then a block down the road from us someones big camptrailer must have been leaking as they were standing on it trying to put a tarpe on it. And that caused my bay quarter horse mare Nita to panic, even though it was almost a block away from us. Thankfully none of the other horses seemed to care about that, only the rain. Poor Nita, she just stood staring off toward the trailer, trimbling with fright and cold. I gave them an extra flake of hay to try to calm them and to help keep them warm. By the end of the day rain seemed to be gone.
But it froze my tomatoe vines that night. Not bad but enought that I knew it was only a matter of time until we have a hard freeze so we pulled all the green tomatoes and have them sitting around the house so they can rippen. hubby loves them but I have to force them down even though I know they are good for you. Any one know of anything to do with green tomatoes other than frying them?
Monday we dryed out a bit then today, Tuesday we had more rain, off of Hurricane Norbert. At least this came straight down instead of slanted. Have clear skies tonight which means it will be cold.
Moon is full and bright.

The Deer Hunt

This is something that my dad always had a copy of. I'm not sure where he got it or who actually wrote it. But it is cute and I have heard of so many hunting trips that ended up some what like this. It is hunting season so decided to post it. Those that hunt will laugh and those that oppose hunting will laugh.


The Deer Hunt

2:30 am Alarm clock rings
3:00 am Hunting partner arrives, drags you out of bed
3:15 am Throw everything except the kitchen sink in the truck
3:30 am Leave for deer woods
3:45 am Drive back home and pick up the gun
4:00 am Drive like hell to get to woods before daylight
5:15 am Set up camp, forgot the damn tent
5:45 am Head into the woods
6:05 am See 8 deer
6:06 am Take aim and squeeze trigger
6:07 am “Click”
6:08 am Load gun while watching deer go over hill
8:00 am Head back to camp
9:00 am Still looking for camp
10:00 am Realize you don’t know where camp is
Noon Fire gun for help --- eat wild berries
12:15 pm Run out of bullets – 8 deer go by
12:20 pm Strange feeling in stomach
12:30 pm Realize you ate poison berries
12: 45 pm Rescued !!!
12:55 pm Rushed to hospital to have stomach pumped
3:00 pm Arrive back at camp
3:30 pm Leave camp to kill deer
4:00 pm Return to camp for bullets
4:01 pm Load gun. Leave camp again
5:00 pm Empty gun on squirrel that’s bugging you
6:00 pm Arrive at camp. See deer grazing in camp
6:01 pm Load gun’6:02 pm Fire gun
6: 03 pm One dead pickup truck
6:05 pm Hunting partner returns to camp dragging deer
6:06 pm Repress the strong desire to shoot partner
6:07 pm Fall into fire
6:10 pm Change cloths – throw burned ones into fire
6:15 pm Take pickup – leave partner and his deer in woods
6:25 pm Pickup boils over – hole shot in block
6:26 pm Start walking
6:30 pm Stumble and fall – drop gun in mud
6:35 pm Meet bear
6:36 pm Take aim
6:37 pm Fire gun – blow up barrel – plugged with mud
6:38 pm Shit pants !!!
6:39 pm Climb tree
(:00 pm Bear departs – Wrap #### gun around tree
Midnight Home at last !!!

Sunday – Watch football game on TV, slowly tearing deer license into little pieces, place them into envelop and mail to Game Warden with very clear instructions on where to place them. !!!!

Freedom & Privacy

I have decided that I will vote for any politician that doesn't call me on my phone or knock on my door. I have solved the door knocking problem by having fenced my property, then having a 300 yard driveway with a locked gate and a "Beware of Dog" sign. The phone call are beginning to get to me. The best way to stop them seems to be by still having dial-up Internet connections. As long as I am on the Internet - no calls. But I can't be on 24 hours a day, and it seems that politicians and their helpers are calling day and night. If not in person then with the aide of recordings.
So - I repeat - I am voting for anyone that does not call and that will try to stop political surveys. The surveys are as bad as the politicians. And I know they won't stop even after the election.
Besides - it's none of anyone else's business who I plan to vote for and how I feel about any person running for office.
It was my understanding that the United States was a country all about "freedom". I don't feel that we have any freedom any more or any privacy.

Balloons

Winking Kitty

Wally

We chose a balloon at random to watch as it went up from the beginning as they unrolled out the balloon from it's bag onto a tarp, filled it with cold air, heated it with the propane burner, rose up into the air and then lifted off to fly away, or in this case maybe swim would be the better word. This is the first year that Wally has come to the Balloon Fiesta, so it was his first flight here. Maybe even his first flight in New Mexico. We learned from the card that was handed out by one of the crew members that he was from Wisconsin and had just been "born" this year.
Most balloons have a web site and many give out cards simular to baseball cards that have information about the balloon.

Bee Balloons

This is Lilly and Joey Bee. They hold hands when going up. Maybe with velcro.

Blue Dragon Balloon

One of my favorites of the special shapes.

Up Close

You can see the white truck and trailer which gives a good idea just how big hot air balloons are. Balloon crews use a pickup or SUV with a trailer to haul their balloon and gandola around. Once the balloon is up and away the truck tries to follow the balloon from the ground. Of couse they use cell phones and 2 way radios to help keep track of the balloon. Some balloon owners bring their own chase crew, as the people who follow the balloon are called but some don't and the Balloon Fiesta is always in need of people to work on the chase crews.

More Balloons

Balloons from many Countries

The International Balloon Fiesta is called that because they have many balloons come over from other countries to participate in the fiesta. This one was the only one I saw that I could really tell was from another country because I couldn't read the writing on it. I suppect Germany but I could be wrong.

Pink Elephant Balloon

Jug Balloon

Darth Vader Balloon

Church Balloon

Beer Mug Balloon

Crowded

I heard there were some 600 balloons registered for the fiesta. I have not heard exactly how many went up yesterday, nor how many people attended. I did hear that there were some 25,000 cars in the parking lot at some time during the morning.
The morning was perfect, but the afternoon turned into a sand storm with lots of wind, followed by a rain that kept the balloons from doing the evening balloon glow, and then a harder rain during the night, (we had 1 and a half inches in our rain gage) caused a cancellation in this mornings mass ascension. But I heard the this evening the balloon glow was supposed to go. So if you don't like crowds don't go.

Raise and Fly

First the balloon which is about 3 stories high when inflated is unrolled from the large bag it is kept in. Then several people hold the bottom open while cold air from a large fan is forced in. At the proper time a propane burner which is attached to the top of the basket that holds the balloonist under the balloon is used to heat the air in the balloon. As the balloon heats it raises until it standing straight up. The balloon crew holds it on the ground with ropes until it is told it can go by the balloon referees. In this photo you can see the baskets, called gondolas with people in them. Each balloon is piloted by a licensed balloon pilot. Most balloons are from the United States, but there are pilots and their balloons as crews that come from lots of other counties.

Early To Raise

Balloon people seem to take the idea of getting up before dawn to extremes. Early morning in the fall seems to be the best time to fly hot air balloons. So going to the balloon fiesta meant that my aunts and I got up at 4 am, drove to a designated parking lot in Rio Rancho where we caught a special bus that took us to the Balloon Park in Albuquerque. That was at 5 am. We arrived there while it was still dark and waited impatiently for the Dawn Patrol to take off, which they did about 6 am. The Dawn Patrol are the first few balloons that take off right before dawn to make sure it safe for the other balloons to fly. Sometimes it may seem safe on the ground but higher air currents can be a lot different. Balloons don't fly if it is raining, too windy, or snowing. But this day was perfect. No wind, rain, snow, and it wasn't even that cold. Balloonist don't understand the word cold. It seems the colder the better. By 7 all of the other approximately 600 balloons were preparing to fly.

Balloon Fiesta

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is in full swing, or should I say flying high. It is held every year in October. This year my two aunts, ages 80 and 78 came to visit us and other friends and relatives in New Mexico and wanted to go to the fiesta. I had not been for a number of years and decided it would be fun so off we went to see the balloons. On the weekends the balloons do what is called a mass ascension, and during the week they have different kinds of competitions. There is also, balloon glows on some evenings, and a special shape rodeo when the odd shaped balloons are featured. In this photos are mostly the normal or regular shaped balloons. Some are up and flying while others are just rising.

Dirt Roads

I found this old story of Paul Harvey's at the following website. I really like it but wish it was still true. On our dirt roads we do have drugs and drugs dealers, now. We do have tailgating and inconsiderate drivers. We have people running stop signs including the police and sherrif, and animal control. When we have rain people complain about the mud and expect county road crews to clean it up. But hopefully we don't have as many problems on our dirt road as people have in the cities on their paved roads. http://famguardian.org/Subjects/FamilyIssues/Articles/DirtRoads/DirtRoads.htm

Phewwwww

We grow watermelons this year. More than we have ever grown before. Last year we tried but they were still green when we had an early freeze and never finished ripening. This year we have had all the watermelon we could eat - and the neighbors, too. And it sure has been good. They have tasted a lot better than the ones we buy from the store. A lot more taste or flavor and oh, so, sweet. Of course that goes for the tomatoes and cucumbers, and squash we have grown, too. I joke with the neighbors saying it is because I fertilize them with horse poop.
And that brings up the thought of if horses like watermelon. I had always heard that they did. So I took some out to the horses. I was pretty sure none of them had ever had any before, and I must have been right. Each horse would smell it like it might taste good. Then he/she would reach out gingerly with their long lips and do a little nibble-nibble on the edge of the melon. You could see the wheels turning in their mind. It looked like they were thinking "Not to bad". So he/she would nibble a bit more - and it was at about this point that they would get a real taste of the melon. Then each and every one of my 5 horse would give me a disgusting look and spit at the melon with a "ppphhhewwww" sound. Which would make me laugh. The horse would look even more disgusted and turn and walk off. I got them impression that they thought I was making fun of them for not liking the watermelon. No I haven't offered them any more.
But they do beg for their other treats like horse cookies, carrots, apples, what few grass clippings we get from the scattered clumps of grass in the yard, and their favorites gingersnaps, animal crackers, and their very best favorite peppermint candies.

Political Comercials Harassment

I think I'll quite watching TV on our local channels until after the election. I get so tired of seeing the same commercials over and over and over. And all those commercials do is tell what the other politication has done that is worng. They never seem to say what they will do to correct the problems. At least they aren't on the Direct TV channels. I don't watch a lot of TV but I do like to watch a few things when I sit down to rest. But having to see and listen to those political commercials is really getting to me.
And it isn't only the TV. Their bad in the newspapers, and then there is the mailings. But worst of all are the phone calls from people with India accents wanting to do a survey on my political thoughts. No one needs to know how I feel about the candidates or how I plan to vote. If my ballet is to be secret why should people from another country call to ask how I will vote? It is none of their business or anyone elses. And those calls can't be stopped as they do not fall under the "do not call" listing rules as they arn't asking you to buy anything. And when you ask to be put on a 'do not call' list they hang up on you. If a politicial really wants my vote he or she might find a way to stop this politial telephone harassment.

Deer

Here is the photo of both deer watching me as I was watching them.

The other day we went and started our fall woodcutting trips to the Jemez Mountains. The last few times we have been there we haven't seen any deer or elk. This time we saw 3 deer. The first one ran across the road in front of us on the way to where we wanted to check for wood. We got to where we wanted to go and spent several hours going from one fallen log to another using the chainsaw to cut it up and then stacking it on the pickup. We moved the truck again, not taking any precautions to not scare any animals that might be in the area as by now we assumed they would all be in hiding or long gone somewere else. Just as lee got out the chainsaw again I turned and there was a deer not more than 200 yards from us. We spent several minutes watching her. I assumed it was a her as it didn't have any antlers. But instead of watching us she seemed more interested in looking off to our left. She walked off in that direction when I got this photo of her. As I followered her she let me get even closer. Then I saw another one. It, too, seemed to be a doe as there were no antlers. I was able to get with in about 50 yards of them, then they would walk off a few feet. Finally they and I got tired of the game and they took off. I have never had deer do this with me before. It was very unusuall. I do hope they learn that humans can be dangerous as hunting season is near, and there are many hunters that will shot a doe even though it is against the law.

Gourd in Tree

the morning glories weren't the only vine that grew up into a tree. I had a gourd vine grow up into one of my redbud trees. I knew the vine was growing up the tree but hadn't seen any gourd on it. The tree leaves hid the little gourds so well I didn't see them until they were quite large. About a foot tall. I hope the tree can handle the weight. They look like odd decorations hanging in the tree - about 5 in all. And I have about 20 more growing on the ground where they belong.

Beauty in the Morning

Each morning the beauty of the morning glories help me get started on another day. I have about 4 different areas where there is hundreds of blossoms each day. Sadly they are all gone by evening but I know another group of them will be there to greet me the next morning. I love this blue color but also have other shades of blue and some purple. Morning glories have always been one of my favorite flowers not only because of their beauty but because they are so easy to grow. They are an anual and do have to be replanted each spring but grow fast, with little fertilizer and not as much water as a lot of other flowers. One group decided to grow up into my Bradford Pear tree. A Bradford pear is an ornimental pear meaning it has beautiful white flowers in the spring but no fruit.

Goathead Weeds

these weeds are going to just cover me up and every thing else on the place. All kinds of weeds - tumbleweeds, goatheads, ragweed, and a dozen others that I don't even know the names of. I sort of half way tolerate anything that doesn't have stickers on it. Except the ragweed - well it sort of has a sticker - or at least it has some kind of very fine, hairlike thing that likes to stick in my skin if I'm not using gloves. And it sure does make the me sneese and caugh, and sniffle. Yucky allergies.
but worst of all are the goatheads. In the southwest we have these horid, visious, monsters that are better know as a weed. If you've never seen one, it grows in a sort of circle, flat on the ground, with tiny yellow flowers that make the moster goathead sticker seed pod. It is a roundish seed pod with horns on it, hence the name goathead. The so called horns can penatrate the toughest skin and even tires on a car. Traveling on tires seems to be the favorite way of goatheads for getting from one place to another. I could have swore several times that I had them gone from my yard and then there they would be again. I see them on my car tires. I have learned to reconize them as soon as they pop out of the ground. But with all the weeds we have growing right now the goatheads are very good at hiding in amoung the other weeds so that they can get very huge with lots of stickers before I find them. You would think they actually have a mind and can think what they are doing when they hide among the other weeds that don't seem to care if they are providing shelter for a monster. Some have been at least 2 feet across when I found them. Their little yellow flowers can be a dead give away. Yes, dead, because when I find them I stop what ever else I am doing and pull them, making sure to put them in the trash rather than to leave them lay as I do lots of the other weeds. And the poor puppies and kitties when they get one in their feet. I have known 2 people who have had to have the stickers removed by doctors. One person let his get infected before going to the doctor and almost lost his foot. I try and keep them gone but most of my neighbors don't fight them at all.
I can't figure out how they can live with a lawn of goathead stickers. If anyone knows of a good organic way to get rid of the goathead mosters please let me know.

House for Sale

For those looking to buy a home, there is a house for sale in Rio Rancho, NM. It is a nice 2 bedroom, 1 bath, with a big addition that could be used as a family room, master bedroom, den, or office. If interested leave a comment with an email and I will get back to you.

Lazy, Dirty People

I have been helping a friend clean one of her rental houses. I have helped before and know the situation. The renters don't want to pay as much as the owner wants, which isn't enough to make a profit after the mortgage on the house is paid each month, plus, the insurance, and taxes. The renters are all so nice and friendly and act like they will be more than glad to keep the place clean, both inside and out. But when they have been there for a few months the owner starts seeing signs of not cleaning and little bits of destruction to the property. This gets worse and worse as well as non-payment of rent until the renters have to be asked to leave. Sometimes they do, sometimes a simple eviction notice is enough, other times it takes a court order and the police to get them out.
My friend though buying a few properites and renting them would be an easy way to make some money. Not so. Every renter is required to pay a large damage deposit and asked to give 30 days notice before they move out. She has never had a renter give notice they were moving. They might call and say their gone, or come give her the keys and say they are out, or as in this case just be gone when she went to collect the rent. The renters cell phone isn't working any more, and she has left her job. None of the renters have ever made an effert to clean when they move out and most make sure to leave lots of holes in the walls, dirt on the floors, carpets, cabinets, and filty bathrooms. They never make any effert to clean the yards at all. I have heard of the city complaining about the weeds in the yards, and the owner having to request renters leave because they won't keep the weeds down, let alone think about keeping a lawn mowed, although it was stated that they would in their contract, and they agreed to it.
It makes me realize just how lazy and dirty the average person is.
Let me say right now that I know there are lots of people who rent and live up to the requirements of their contract. I know I usually left a rental house in better shape that it was when I moved in when I was having to rent. And I agree that a lot of people do the same. But around here it seems to be the normal thing to try to destroy as much of the house as you can or at the very least make it dirty and lots of work for the owner to clean up.
With this house the owner is going to have to have the house repainted again, new carpet put in, new tile in the kitchen and bathroom, one new door that was broken, a new door frame for the front door and around the area where the washer and dryer went. There is a large drawing/picture on the door going into the garage that looks like gang sign. If it can't be painted over the door will have to be replaced and it is one of the heavy metal safety doors. For safety the locks on the door will have to be changed. At least this time there is no sign of drugs yet, just lots of beer cans, and cigerate butts in the back yard. These renters couldn't even put their trash in the trashcan and put it at the curb on trashday even though the home owner paid the garabe bill. We figure there is about $5000 to have the house made livable for someone else again. We will do as much as we can so that other workers don't have to be called in. And this time the house is to be sold. My friend is getting out of the rental business. Everyone that we know that owns rental houses or apartments is doing the same. Where do these kinds of irresponsable people think they are going to live when their credit is shot because they were to lazy and liked living in filt, and all the rental owners get out of the business?

Falling Stars

I love to sit out side after dark and watch for falling stars or meteor. There is supposed to be more than usual this week. The most were to be seen early on the morning of the 12th but I didn't hear about it until today. Should still be more than normal again tonight if you want to watch for them. more information at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/22jul_perseiddawn.htm

Sunflowers

Adopt PMU Foals

For those that want to help the PMU foals there are several sites that offer information on adopting PMU foals. I can't recommend one over another as I have had no direct connection with any as I can't afford another horse. But it is a good way to get a horse that is in desperate need of a home. You can google adopt PMU foal where there is a lot of sites.

Warning about PMU Websites

A warning to those of you that deside to research the PMU mares and horse slaughterhouse websites. They can be very graphic and very destressful. I can't go back to them anymore.

PMU Mares

Do YOU want to take a medicine made from Mare's Urine?
I went to the doctor the other day for a checkup and to get my prescriptions renewed. The doctor seemed very distracted and didn’t seem to be listening to me, and the same with the rest of his staff. For starters I was trying to make them understand that I don’t have medical insurance anymore. When my husband retired, my medical insurance that had been almost free became $400 dollars a month, plus co-pays. There was no way we could afford that. Neither can we afford any other good insurance on the market right now. (He still has full coverage for free.) As I don’t have anything that doctors seem to be able to take care of I just haven’t bothered to get any. The doctor agreed to renew my prescription for my high blood pressure medicine and the pain meds I need to keep my legs, back, and feet from hurting so much. Then I talked to him about my night sweats and hot flashes and mood swings. Yes I am in menopause. It seems that menopause is still a taboo subject even with doctors. Most women and men don’t want to talk about it, or even think about it. My doctor agreed to put me on an estrogen. Now let me say that I have been on estrogen before for several years, and when the scare came out that they might not be good for you I went off and haven’t taken any for about 2 years now. But my hot flashes and night sweats are getting worse and worse. I may be smiling and happy one minute and crying for no reason the next. It becomes a quality of life situation. And I knew that the kind of estrogen I had taken before was one of the $4 dollar meds at Wal-Mart as is my high blood pressure med. So I told the doctor what I had taken before. He mumbled something about giving me something else. I was dumb for not pushing the situation. At the pharmacy I was told the prescription was for Premarin, (or they thought it was, as it took 3 of them to figure out his handwriting), and would cost me about $130 a month. I nearly came unglued at that. Then I thought to ask if it was the stuff that had mare’s urine in it. The answer was yes. I thanked them nicely, said I couldn’t afford it. They gave me a list of what was on the $4 list of estrogen meds. I called the doctors office the next day and asked for something different. Again I explained to the doctor’s nurse why I didn’t want the Premarin. She said she would talk to the doctor. Finally 2 days later she called back and said he didn’t want me to have the other stuff and since I had insurance I wouldn’t be paying anything but the copay. I almost screamed at her, and explained again (for about the tenth time) why I didn’t have insurance and that I wouldn’t take Premarin even if I did have insurance. She will talk to the doctor again.

For those of you that don’t know let me explain. For Premarin mare’s (a female horse) urine is collected and made into the medicine. To collect it a pregnant mare is made to stand in a tiny 8 foot long by 3-foot wide stall for 6 months and never allowed to lay down or move more than a few steps. They have a machine attached to them to collect the urine in that is never completely removed. Mind you they are pregnant and kept overweight, never allowed to exercise for those 6 months and not allowed enough water so that their urine is higher in the estrogen. They are feed well and kept overweight so that when their usefulness is over they can be sent to a slaughterhouse to be killed and eaten as a meat delicacy in other countries. (Japan, France, Belgium) As soon as she gives birth the mare is allowed out in the pasture for a few months to raise her foal that is usually sent to slaughter, also. (about 40,000 PMU foals are born each year) The mare is breed again on her first heat cycle after foaling so the whole cruel process can start again.

Do you want to be taking a medicine that has mare’s urine in it from a mare that is enduring such a cruel, painful life when there are other medicines on the market that don’t have mare’s urine that are just as good and a lot cheaper.

If you think I am making this up as I was once told by a co-worker, please go to a couple of the websites that are trying to get this stopped. I had heard about it a long time ago and though it was on the decrease, but find that the PMU farms are still going and creeping into the United States. Most are in Canada. Canada, on the whole is a good country to visit and see but they don’t advertise about their PMU mares and horse slaughterhouse. Neither does Mexico. Nether does the United States. At least the US did shut down the slaughterhouses but have not stopped the auction buyers from buying horses from auction and sending them across the borders to Canada and Mexico.
Here are some of the websites. You can access others by googlleing PNM mares.
http://www.premarin.com/ http://www.prempro.com/ and this is one of the companies that makes medicines from mare’s urine. www.StopWyeth.org
I found this one very informative.
http://friendsofanimals.org/programs/domestic-feral/horses/pmu.html
And this one is on You Tube and dated for Jan. 2008 I couldn't watch all of it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I-IWYOIx7Ug

Zucchini

My zucchini crop looks to be good this year. I have had a few squarsh bugs but not to many and the couple of heavy rains we have had seem to have washed the few we had away out behind the garden into the open space of desert behind us. I have already pigged out on several plate fulls of fried zucchini which I really love. Now I am looking at making zucchini bread and a cassarole or two.
The tomatos are just starting to turn pink, so should be ripe in a week or so. Now I won't have to worry about buying or not buying tomatoes from the store.
I have 2 pumpkins coming on and 1 watermelon.
do hope the garden does a bit better than that but it is a small garden. I have found that usually I have one type of veggie or fruit that does better than all the others each year. One year was cherries, one year it was plums, one year or maybe a few more than one, we had tons of tomatoes. so it looks as if it will be zucchini this year.

More Fly Control

As I was reminded ants and birds will eat your fly predators if your not careful. Fly predators are noturnal (come our at night) so should be turned loose at dusk. That can help protect them from ants and birds, too.
Now don't get me wrong, ants and birds are good fly control, too. Ants that find fly in the pupa stage will move them to their nest to be eaten by the young ants. Birds will dig through the horse manure and eat the fly pupa. So will different kinds of beatles.
but the flies can usually out breed and out populate all the insects and birds that want to eat them. We have to continue to protect the good insects so they can help destroy the bad.

comments on electronics

thanks for the comments on electronics - yes I know and will pass on the info that it is best to destroy the hard drive in computers you are recycling as some people will pull your personal info out and you have identity thieft . It is best to break up the hard drive. And on a cell phone get rid of all info and phone numbers.

Adoption

I got this poem in an email and thought I would share it with everyone. It is so true, and sad, and wonderful at the same time. You can change the word dog to horse, cat, or other animal that is adopted by those that love and care for them.

> From Susan Renick at Second Chance Animal Rescue What a great poem, dedicated to those who rescue and adopt the little forgotten souls from the pounds. >

> I adopted your dog today
The one you left at the pound
The one you had for seven years
and no longer wanted around.
> I adopted your dog today
Do you know he's lost weight?
Do you know he's scared and depressed
and has lost all faith?
> I adopted your dog today.
he had fleas and a cold,
but don't worry none.
You've unburdened your load.
> I adopted your dog today.
Were you having a baby or moving away?
Did you suddenly develop allergies or was
there no reason he couldn't stay?
> I adopted your dog today.
he doesn't play or eat much
He's very depressed, but
he will learn again to trust.
> I adopted your dog today.
And here he will stay.
He's found his forever home
and a warm bed on which to lay.
> I adopted your dog today.
And I will give him all that he could need.
Patience, love, security, and understanding.
Hopefully he will forget your selfish deed.
> -Author Unknown>

Fly Control

For more information on fly control and fly predators please go to
www.spalding-labs.com
This is another step for me in not using pesticides. I prefer to go organic as much as possible.

Fly Predators

Fly predators are very, very small flying insects that lay their eggs in the pupa of a fly. the pupa of the fly is like a caccoon that the fly, as we know it, will hatch from. The only job of the fly predator is to kill flies. What a wonderful little bug! I had heard of them a long time ago, but like most people was reluctant to order any. But this year with all the rain causing a huge increase in flies I am trying them. I have released my first batch of predators. Of course it will take a couple of weeks before they really get with it and start attaching the hords of flies we have that are torchering me and my horses. I will get another batch soon, and about once a month for a couple of months. I will let you know if they really start doing the job of keeping the fly population down. In the mean time I am using those stinky, smelly fly traps that you can buy at feedstores and walmart. Fly traps work but boy do they smell bad.
I wish I had ordered the fly predators in the spring when I first considered it. Then maybe I wouldn't have the problem I have now. Spalding has been selling fly predators for about 30 years and a lot of people swear by them. I know that ladybugs work on aphads that eat roses and other plants and that most plant nurseries now sell different types of parasite-type insects that eat bad insects. Sometimes they are called hymenotodes or hmenoteran insects. They are the most beneficial insects in the world. Sometimes they are called parasitic wasps but they are not at all like what we consider to be a wasp. They are so tiny you usually won't even see they and they do not sting or bite. When I first saw them in the special bag they come in I was really amazed at how realy tiny they are.
Also if you continue to import in these great little bugs you will increase the number that are breeding in your area and hopefully they will start doing a better and better job.
Fly predators don't just help keep down the flies where people have horses. They can help with other livestock like cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and even with dogs and cats. But of course you need to help, too. It is still necessary for you do clean up after your pets as much as possible and incourage your neighbors to do the same thing. If you clean and use the predators and your neighbor doesn't they might not be able to keep the flies down.
Yes I am pushing the use of these insects even before I have really tried them. I feel that it is really important for everyone to stop useing so many pesticides and insecticides so we can do more to clean up our enviroment.