Queen of Dirt

Here birdie, birdie

2010-01-14T12:04:00.001-08:00

Mike made these bird houses from wood I collected at Four Cross Ranch, there are a few old homesteads with lots of interesting stuff. The roofs are from a rusted metal piece I pulled out of the wreakage. Spell check on that please. There is an Eprhata Chamber Auction friday night and Windermere has a table that Staci will decorate. Maybe she will show you pictures of the whole shebang.

Big Brown Rock

2009-12-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

Lori, since you liked my granite thought I would show you the cooktop piece. It's called Antique leather and I just love it, the edge is a chisled rough look. I got the idea when we were out looking at homes in Denver a couple years ago, remember when we saw the two stones in one kitchen?

Fish Net Stockings

2009-12-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hello leg lamp. This is the most cornball thing I have for Christmas decorations and is just makes me smile. Yeah for Christmas cheer.

I am not a boob now (Jolene)

2009-12-21T16:10:00.001-08:00

This is girls nite in we do every year at Cathy's home on the Wenatchee River. These are the usual horse show girls Mary Jo, Cindy (she bought Peppy Doc from me) and Nancy. Her house is like a lodge, so we just roast a prime rib, drink wine and play games for the night.

Merry Christmas Everyone

2009-12-18T11:55:00.001-08:00

OK, What does Christmas have to do with this picture? NOTHING! Again I am having camera/computer issues, they don't communicate very well and I have erased all my recent pictures of Christmas decorations, girls night in at the river house and who knows what else. That's my iron pig on the pasture fence post and Mike is out spraying weeds to keep the pasture nice and healthy for our steers. Everything is covered in snow now but should melt by the weekend and then Christmas will be here and gone and we'll be on our way to Denver (poor Emily, the Washington folk might be kind of embarrassing) you'll get used to us.

Farewell to my Favorite Horse

2009-11-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

So sad to have let him go but Stanley is going to a new home. Just the way it is with this very expensive horse sport I love to do. I wish he could just stay in my pasture and grow old with me but Stanley has to pay for Ernie or Terri will be finding herself homeless. My friend Mary Jo filmed us on Sunday so I sent off the video today and we leave for Medford, Oregon at the end of the week for the last horse haul until next spring (is anyone crying yet?) more later.........

Stan the Man

2009-10-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well, really he is Stan the horse and I have nothing to post so, I think I need to go somewhere and do something. Sometimes I really enjoy just staying home, rearranging furniture, plopping on the couch and reading or thinking about cooking but not acting on that activity.

It's hunting season and I am hoping Mike will bring home a doe eyed deer. No luck so far, they are very skiddish from all the hunters roaming about.

Yesterday I caught Ruby Sue stealing a melon from the garden. She could hardly get her jaws open wide enough to carry it, that dog has a food obsession. If she were a human she would be in a fat camp.

Happy Halloweenie Everyone.

Really, I just wanted to post before Emily did because we're both way old with our news. :)

My Birthday Present

2009-09-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

See my new knife? Want to go on a camping trip with me? Would you want to meet me in a dark alley? It's only legal for law enforcement but there is also Terri's law and the blade is a super fast auto switchblade. Thanks for the present Mike.

Reiners without Trainers

2009-09-21T09:53:00.001-07:00

This is the gang of four, really there is several more but they were not here for the last show of the year in this series. We call ourselves reiners without trainers because most riders work with a horse trainer, not this group we're just too independent. So here is the line up starting from the left. Nancy and JD, Cathy and Andy, Terri and Stanley, Mary Ho and Dillion. No, I did not mispell her name. Nancy was the high pointer for the show, Cathy was in a run off and won her class, Mary Jo won the prime time and I was second, or as the group likes to call it, first loser. What a good looking bunch of ponies aren't they?

Million Dollar Mile

2009-09-03T11:44:00.001-07:00

I had to drive up to Grand Coulee yesterday to list for sale Stucks Tavern. I decided to take pictures (oh yea a few are from behind the steering wheel) of what is called the Million Dollar Mile.....back when this road was built and all the blasting through the granite and basalt made very expensive roads, but not by todays standards of Multimillion dollar miles. It's really remote as you can see and there is no cell service so handguns are well,,,,,,very handy.

This is the windmill garden in Electric City, wind generated power with an artisic touch. Check out the coffee pot and cups and of course a horse, that is a teddy bear hanging off his side.

Ruby Sue got a new car

2009-08-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

By request of Emily I am updating my blog, I have been on blog vacation or in blog blahville. I headed down to Medford, Oregon for a horse show with Stanley last weekend and we had a great time. I am afraid all the horse shows will look the same to my viewers so I left the camera at home, ugh somewhere. Mike bought this ranger MADE IN AMERICA by Polaris and it is such a blast to ride in. We took a long ride on Saturday over the hills and through the woods and this thing crawls over anything. The bed dumps too so it's really great for chores.

2009-07-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

There we are, after a day of hot horse competition we all dressed up for some fun and hula hoop games.

2009-07-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Mike in the hula contest. Can you believe the spider legs on this guy? He can do the worm like nobody else.

Hula Horse

2009-07-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Even the dogs and horses got in on the festivities. Come on Dillion, swing those hips! Whoops, I just posted this whole thing backwards. No fixing it now......

2009-07-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Riley thought the pig roast was a very good idea.

2009-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Camp Luau

2009-07-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

People come and go from our camp so we always have to provide lots of food and beverages.

Mary Jo got started early with her hula, she was nicknamed the big Kahuna because she found the longest skirt.

Here I am heading out to another horse show. The temperature hit 100 on Friday so we were looking to make some shade, camp luau was created and the party was on!

2009-07-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

HAAAAA! This is Lori (blue) me (black) and the naked sand lady at the beach in Playa del Carmen. That was the Christmas vacation that brother Mike bought for everyone and it was such a blast. Twenty one of us all headed south for a really great time. That is Jeff and Brian in the backround, they were checking out the topless beach cruisers, he would not look now Emily. Some guy made the lady and me and Lori wanted to pose with her.

Frog Speaks

2009-07-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Ribit........Terri the scatter brain cannot find her camera so there are no new posts until it decides to show up. Meanwhile back at the pond I will continue to keep guard. She misses her mind the most of all the things she loses. Ribt over and out.

The Cane Factory

2009-06-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Mike has been making canes, backscratchers and walking sticks. He takes the 4 wheeler up to Douglas creek and cuts the wood then he has to peel and carve and sand and whiddle and glue and sand and whiddle and sand.

Check out the cool deer and elk horn handles. Anyone want a cane for a family or friend? I love the steer, he just needs some red eyes so he'll look like a TORO TORO!

Ruby Sue's Car

2009-06-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hi.....these are my wheels, I just sit here in my special made camo box and hope the operator feels the need for speed because I love to go fast!

Weekend activities

2009-06-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is the main irrigation canal in front of my house. The water comes down from Grand Coulee Dam and we would look like a barren desert without the Columbia River water. Ruby Sue goes to swim in the canal so we gave her a pool of her own to keep her from swimming in the canal.

Ruby Sue relaxing in her swimming pool. She tries to paddle and roll over but there just isn't enough room.

New Shoes for Stanley and Ernie

2009-06-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

This is Cody making new shoes for the boys. Every six weeks or so they have to be reset and this cute guy and his partner bring the horses in the barn, fire up the furnace and bang away on the anvil. See that shingle on the stall in the first picture? Mike made it and it says get your fresh road apples here.

Artsy Fartsy

2009-06-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

OK, since Staci thinks I am such a clutz at photography I thought I would try something interesting.......mmmmmm is that a horse or an elephant I am riding. Maybe just maybe she is right. AHHHH just look at the nice dirt!

2009-06-18T19:22:00.001-07:00

Mike with his grand champion cabbages. He made Grandpa cabbage rolls for dinner today!

A bumber crop.

2009-06-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, I really went over the top with this little project but, I was having so much fun! I would wack out a head of cabbage and then stick a baby in what was left of the plant. Bitty was in the cabbage last weekend too, she has a new trick and when you ask" how big is Bitty?" she makes a move just like this doll.

What a lovely crop of cabbage babies to harvest

2009-06-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but I saved ( I throw everything out) the cabbage patch dolls, they were the rage of the 1980's. All their clothes are missing, that rotton Jolene and Staci!

2009-06-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Thought I would show Mike's face instead of his butt, I left out Ryans head and that is Carlie. I guess I need to work on my photo skills. Edit....... Ok how does this work??? If you make a mistake on a previous comment, then the viewers are looking at the corrected comment and think you are a dummy blogger. Guess you all will have to put up with my backward blogging

My horse show weekend

2009-06-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is Ryan, her sister Carlie bought my horse Peppy Doc from me back in 2000 and we have been good friends since. My back went all spastic on me so I did not get to show.

This is Mary Jo on her horse Dillon right after she finished up in the show pen. She was second in the Prime Time (old people) class and won another division. That is our long time friend Patrick....get a load of this......he is the world champion mogul freestyle skier. You will see him in the olympics soon!

Mary Jo and I are at "the bar" at my house getting our ponies primed for the show. We ride around a bit then pull up to the bar for a refreshment. Stanley looks very bored.

The pit crew getting Ryan ready for her class. Everybody runs around helping you with your chaps, brushing the horse and last minute good luck wishes.

When pigs fly out Jolenes ear

2009-06-09T13:01:00.000-07:00

How about a pig instead of a monkey? I just love rusty old iron stuff. You would have to read Jolene's comment to get this one, every once in a while I shell shock the family. Guess I should explain the title to my blog also. This may be a mutated gene I have.........but really my life revolves around dirt, there are several types some good, some bad depending on the location. My arena dirt, now I have been grooming it for years to get it just right for my horses to slide stop and have sure footing so I don't hit the dirt and have a 1200 pound horse on top of me. It needs dragged (with the tractor and harrow) every day or two to keep it fluffy, it is really good looking dirt fresh after a drag. I will talk about other dirt later, my coffee is kicking in and I feel the need to get out of this chair and get something constructive done. That's my Dad gene taking control.........What's on the agenda?

Morning Coffee

2009-06-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Every morning Stanley and Ruby Sue have a little visit, before he comes out of his stall they talk about the day.

Stan

2009-06-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Stanley and I are heading to a show this weekend for a good time with the Wild Women on Wine from Washington, that's what my friends call ourselves. The dress he is wearing keeps mosquitos and flys from annoying him.

Ruby Sue

2009-06-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'll get you my little tweeties.

Ruby Sue

2009-06-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Ruby Sue keeps watch from her post. She watches for birds, gophers, cows with snotty noses and earthworms.

Garden Dirt

2009-06-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite past times, growing my food. Those cabbage leaves are the size of elephant ears.

Monday morning

2009-06-08T10:46:00.001-07:00

This is one of my most favorite things....

my guard frog, most people have a guard dog. I picked him up from a junk yard on one of my Arizona hell hauls to a horse show. Look out, he is one mean frog.

Testing 1 2 3

2009-06-08T10:10:00.001-07:00

is this thing on?