Tumbleweed Crossing

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Rawhide

Newspaper photo of Clint Eastwood, who played Rowdy Yates and Eric Fleming, who played the trailboss, Gil Favor.

I have spent the last few days really cleaning the horse pens. They needed it. We had kind of been slacking off on keeping the manure cleaned up and thats not good. The ad on Craig's List had allowed us to get a lot of it out and hopefully will be helping all those gardeners out there have good gardens this year.
And when I get through I spend a bit of time relaxing from all that excersise by watching some of the old Western TV shows and movies which had made me do some thinking.
What about all that manure all those horses and cows genereated on all those shows and movies.
Did you ever realize that althrough the Western was one of the most popular genre of shows and movies you never, but never, ever see even one pile of manure.
And I have never seen any credits for the crews of 'manure removers' that must have been needed for all those Westerns.

Old Photos

For those of you interested in old photos I have been putting some on my other blog http://wonderinwords.blogspot.com . And I have been putting photos of my dogs, Tuffee and Ziva, on the blog at
http://thepuppytale.blogspot.com .

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Antiques and Junk

My mother was a collector as was her mom and so am I to a degree. Mother was even sort of a hoarder but we were able to keep a handle on it (sort of). When mother dies in 2003 my sisters and I had to go through all the stuff she had collected over her life and sort it, throw it, and devide it between us. In that same year I moved to the home we have now at the Tumbleweed Crossing. Most of her stuff and the stuff I had collected have been packed in boxes all those years. Recently I started going through all those boxes and sorting things some more. Since the dirt that we live with here is determined to work it's way into all those cardboard boxes I am repacking things and putting them in the large 10 and 15 gallon plastic containers with the lids that seal well enough to keep most of the dirt out. Here are a few of the things I found in the first couple of boxes I opened. I am trying to take a photo of everything, and make a list and put in the top of the new packed boxes as to what is in the box.

Blue Swan

This blue swan was in mothers things and I think it may have been my grandmothers. There are no marks on it at all. It may be some sort of pottery or china. Maybe a candy dish or soap dish or for jewelry or pins.

Pig Figurine

My dad brought me this pig playing a flute when he came back to Texas after being stationed in England for a year about 1955.

Prairie Dog

This prairie dog figurine came from Prairie Dog Town some where on the road between Pampa, TX and Amarillo, TX. In about 1955 my mom, my grandmother, and I made the trip from Pampa to Amarillo about once a month or more often when I mom was pregnant with my sister. We were living in Pampa and the Air Force base where my mom had to go for her appointments was near Amarillo. My dad was stationed in England at that time. The Prairie Dog Town made a nice stop for all of us. There was a cafe, gift shop, and a fenced area out back that was full of prairie dogs for the guest to watch as they went about their prairie dog lives. They were feed by the people that ran the place and were a great attraction especially to me. For those that don't know a prairie dog is not a dog, they are a rodent (rat) but are cute. They dig long tunnels through an area that becomes the dog town. When one of them is startled it will stand on it's hind legs give a sharp squeak and dive down the hole with all the others then doing the same thing. They are also very dangerous to livestock and people who have stepped in their holes and broken legs. At one time there was a bounty on them over most of the southwest. We have a few out here on the desert near where we live. They are so leery of humans I have never seen one but have found the towns with the many holes leading to the tunnels.

Red Vase

I think that this red vase may be depression glass or carnival glass. Other than that I know nothing about it.

Ruffino Wine Bottle

These cheep wine bottlew were very popular in California when I was there in 1969 and 1970. Couldn't find any of them on line for a price now.

Childs Cup

These cups were very popular in 1950's. The little bird on the handle is a whisle and it says 'Whisle for Milk' on the bottom. This one was mine. I found them on line and they are worth about $5.00 now and sold for 39 cents orginally.

Western Spur

Handmade cowboy spur that was worn by my granddad when he was a cowboy in early 1900's.

Tea Pot

Tea Pot from the 1930's and worth about $50.00.

Flower Vase

I don't know anything about this flower vase that mother had except that it says 'handpainted in Japan' on the bottom

Silver Sugar Bowl

All of the silver dishes belonged to my mom before she married my dad. She said they were given to her my a friend of her dads when she was a teenager.

Silver Cream Pitcher

Silver Salt and Pepper Shakers

Gravy Dish

No information on this

Cup and Saucer

This cup and saucer is marked on the bottom that it belonged to my grandmother, Alma Coe Green Williams. It also has a sticky tag on bottom that says 'Made in Japan'. I have no idea of it's age but I really like it. Notice the saucer has cut outs around the edge.

Lost China Dishes

This is my set of china dishes. We certainly couldn't afford anything like this at any time during the 40 years we have been married. But I was lucky enough to find a set. No, I didn't buy them at a yard sale or anything, I actually found them.
We moved into a house in about 1976 and there was what I thought was a dog house in the backyard. It was only about 4 feet tall, but about 6 feet long. We just thought it was what someone had cobbled up for a dog house considering the height of it. There was even a sort of door on it. My dog didn't seem interested in going in it and I didn't want her to until I had a chance to clean it up some. In a few weeks I did deside to clean it so that it could be used. I moved the piece of board acting as a door and crawled in since I couldn't stand up right in it. To my surprise there was a large cardboard box in the back of the short shed. I had hubby crawl in and do a check for spiders, snakes, and dead bodies of any kind and he came back out pulling the box after him. Inside the box was this set of china dishes. There are a couple of the salid plates missing but other wise it is the complete set. It is made my Imperial China and the pattern is called Whitney, but couldn't find out when it was made. I found it on the internet under several sites for older china and it is running about $10 per piece now. I would guess that is about what it sold for new.

Tin Tray

This was a tin tray that belonged to my mom before she met my dad. It has tulips in the design and the handle had other flowers on it. It says it is made by Rodney Kent. Apparently he made a lot of beaten tin items back in the 1920' and 30's. I also have a round plate by him with no design. I found lots of his work on the internet.

Cowboy Drink Pitcher

Mother got this little kids milk, or drink pitcher for me when I was about 2, I think. Which would have been in 1953. (Now I'm telling my age) The hat comes off to pour the drink into the pitcher and then the spout is the little gun that the cowboy is holding. It was well used my me and my sisters. Mostly for milk and kool-aide. I have no idea where she might have got it but my bad memory says it was something she ordered through a mail advertisement, but I could be wrong. With my love of all things western it has long been a prized possession. I allowed my son to use it on special occasions as by then it was showing signs of wear. The paint is almost gone from one eye.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Manure

Had a huge pile of horse manure that just kept stacking up higher and higher each day. Of course that happens when you have horses. The estimate is 50 pounds per day per normal sized horse.
So about every 6 months or so I put an ad on Craigs List saying that I have aged manure for gardens, compost piles, and worm beds. Usually in a week or so all that aged manure is gone. Just wish so of the people that want the 'aged' stuff would get the 'fresh' stuff and let it age in their yard instead of in my yard.
See www.craigslist.org where you can find just about anything you want. Both free and for sale.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Cliff Above Jemez Creek

This cliff is above the creek where we like to go walking.

Jemez Creek Rest Area

Jemez Creek

Took the dogs and when to Jemez Creek for a walk the other day.

There are several rest areas along the road that have acess to the creek for hiking and fishing. There are nice paths for walking. On this day we noticed the water in the creek was really low allowing us to see a lot of rocks we can't normally see. We also saw a few trees that some beaver had been cutting down for food or for damn building but no sign of a damn any where here like we see higher up in the mountains.

Beaver Tree

This tree had been cut down by a beaver near the creek. You can see the marks where it chewed on it with it's long front teeth.

Beaver Cuttings

We found a couple of trees along Jemez Creek where at least one beaver had been busy cutting down trees. In this photo is where it had worked on a tree with all the woodchips around the tree.

Winter Trees

Cottonwood trees near Jemez Creek.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Frosted Leaf

We got up one morning and there was heavy frost on everything. Of course i had to take photos. It is common other places but not hear to have frost like this.

Frosted Wood

Frosted Oat Seed from Hay

Forsted Rope with Oat Seeds

Frosted Rope

Ribbon Attact

Wiley cat being attacted by a Christmas ribbon

Cat in the Wrap

Wiley cat playing with Christmas wrap paper and ribbons on Christmas morning.

New Moose

this is a new wooden moose that my sister sent me at Christmas.

Christmas Moose

One of my 4 Christmas Mooses that I use to decorate at Christmas.

Cat Playing

Wiley playing in papers in a box.

Camafloged Cats

Our 3 black cats hiding out on the couch taking a nap.

Nap Time

Jade and Ziva napping

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Winter Cleaning

The weather was warmer today. Up to about 50 degrees but still a bit of a wind chill with the brisk breeze we had. But water buckets had to be cleaned as they were getting dark with the alge that grows on the sides of them even in the winter. Of course Hubby always wants to say something to me when I have my head in a 25 gallon water bucket scrubing on it. (empty of water, of course) And all the horses and ponies like to sneak up on me and push on me looking for treats in my pockets making me think they are going to push me over into the bucket. I knew when Stormy and Trave came up to me today. But when I went on to Stars pen and bucket she really sneaked up on me. It makes me think of all those funny little clips in all the movies where someone is butted by a goat or donkey and pushed into some sort of big bucket or mud puddle. I'm sure one of these days one of them will succeed in making me fall in, not that I would really fit it the bucket. I call it a bucket but we buy 50 gallon plastic barrels that have had soap in them, cut them in half and use for water buckets for the horses. Low cost and easy to use and clean.