Life on the High Plains

It's the last day of the man trip.  I'm headed down to Albuquerque to pick them up tomorrow so there's going to be a "girl" on the trip now.  They've been hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and Misty the dog. They've also been visiting some of the tourist spots.  Here's Mr. Beans are with cousin Matt at the natural history museum. And here Mr. Beans is at the Nuclear Museum (or Nuculear as George W. would say). They rode the tram to the top of Sandia Peak and did a little hiking with Uncle J and cousin Eric. And finally, here's Mr. Beans with a new friend.  (I'm never holding his hands again.) I've got my bags packed and my books on CD so I'm ready to make that long, boring drive to New Mexico tomorrow. I hope everyone has a nice Memorial Day weekend!

Our daughter, JP, is in Wisconsin visiting her boyfriend, I mean fiancee's family.  Yes, it's true!  Brian asked JP to marry him today!  Look at this gorgeous ring.  He did good.  I'm so happy for them.  They are working on picking a date so Jillian can start her wedding plans while Brian finishes his tour in Iraq. More to come...

Can you believe it hailed this much in Denver today?  They had to get the snowplows out to clear the roads. They also had funnel clouds.  What the "hail" is going on with the weather??   Read more here . Pueblo was also hit hard by hail, but Colorado Springs was untouched.  Very strange.

The men, Irv and Mr. Beans, have been sending me updates on their road trip.  On Tuesday morning they headed to the Grand Canyon.  Luckily, neither of them fell over the edge. For lunch they stopped at Dairy Queen, a favorite hang out of the men.  I heard Mr. Beans had a Fudge Brownie Earthquake for dessert.  Yum!!! After leaving the Grand Canyon it looks like they stopped to check out a really big cactus.  Mr. Beans looks quite short in this picture. After a long day of sight-seeing they checked into the hotel, dropped off DP's car, and had a dip in the pool.  That pool looks so refreshing.  Wish I were there. Tomorrow they will catch a shuttle to the airport and fly to Albuquerque to visit Irv's family.  I'm going to there this weekend to pick them up. So what am I doing while the men are away?  I'm doing homework, quilting, watching the Biggest Loser finale, and watching all the HGTV I want.   Fun stuff!!

This morning Irv and Mr. Beans left on a road trip to Arizona.  Mr. Beans has an aunt, DP, who lives in Phoenix and last December she and a couple friends drove her car here for Christmas.  DP is currently living in Australia, but she may be coming back to the states this summer.  Mr. Beans' last day of school was Friday so he and Pappy decided to return DP's car to Phoenix so it would be waiting for her when she gets back.  Today they drove to Flagstaff.  Tomorrow they're going to get up early and go to the Grand Canyon before driving to Phoenix.  They had a lot of fun planning which hotels they were going to stay in and where they were going to eat.  Mr. Beans likes Chick-Fil-A and McDonalds so they'll probably be stopping at those places whenever possible.  A requirement for the hotel was that it had to have a swimming pool and complimentary breakfast.  This is Mr. Beans at the hotel they chose for tonight. I think it's going to b...

Irv went to get hay today.  He had to load the trailer by himself, but when he got home the dogs and I were ready to help. The dogs are always happy when they get to hang out at the barn. Here's Irv carrying in a bale.  They weigh about 65 lbs. each and it seemed like there was a never ending supply of them (actually there were only 35 bales). Here's me trying to get a bale up to the 4th row of the stack.  I couldn't do it. Irv could heave the bales up high.  I don't know how he does it.  Who's going to do this for us when we're old? Mr. Beans, I hope you're building those muscles.  Grammy and Pappy are going to need your help in a few years. We should be set for hay for a couple months until this summer's first cutting is ready in July.  July might be a good time for visitors, especially strong male-type visitors.  Let us know when you're coming.

It's time to introduce you to two more of my family members, Lucky and Chicky Baby. Lucy is about a year older than Chicky Baby and I think she's about 5 years old.  We used to have Lucy and her sister Penny, but a neighbor's dog killed Penny a few years ago.  Since Lucy survived we didn't want her to be alone and that's why we have Chicky Baby.  They're very mean, they only love Irv because they imprinted on him as goslings.  They chase the rest of us around and peck the back of our legs.  I carry a big stick with me whenever I have to herd them.  They are especially mean to Mr. Beans. You may be wondering why we have two pet geese.  Well, our county extension agent told us that they would help keep snakes away from the house.  Wrong!  They merely watch the snakes.  They are really good guard dogs though, better than the dogs by far.  Nobody can even come close to our house without the geese sounding their alarm. If yo...

Anticipation was high before the 135th running of the Preakness Stakes last Saturday.  Would this be the year for a triple crown winner?  Would Super Saver and jockey Calvin Borel win the second leg of the triple crown?  Mr. Beans and I were cheering for Super Saver, afterall it has been 32 years since our last triple crown winner.  The race started off well with Super Saver running in second place for a good portion of the race.  Then he started to fall back and was soon out of the picture.  Disappointment...2010 would not be the year.  Congratulations to Lookin at Lucky and trainer Bob Baffert.  Lookin at Lucky won't be running in the Belmont Stakes on June 5th though.  According to Baffert, “I like the Belmont. It’s a tough, long race,” he said. “When I ran my other horses for the Triple Crown, I had to give them a break. It’s tough on them. I want to keep this horse around.”  The Belmont is the longest of the Triple Crown races at ...

I lost a former co-worker and friend, Mark, to cancer yesterday.  Mark was an oil man from Texas who left that industry to work for a ministry.  We both started at YL about the same time in 1999.  Mark was one of the most Godly and faithful men I have known.  He endured a lot during his lifetime--a fight with cancer 20+ years ago, a heart attack that nearly killed him when he was coming through the Atlanta airport a few years ago, and the reoccurence of his cancer two years ago.  Through all of this is taught me the a lot about faith.  He always had a kind word and a positive attitude.  I was lucky enough to visit him a few months ago and say goodbye to him, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I wanted him to know the effect he had on my life.  I attended his retirement from YL a couple months ago and it was so wonderful to see people stand up and tell Mark face-to-face what an inspiration he was.  It was so nice for Mar...

This week the Wichita River Festival is taking place right down the street from the bank I'm working at.  Yesterday at lunch a group of us ventured down there for lunch.  What could be better than fair food for lunch?  I had chicken on a stick and fried rice.  A couple of the ladies bought an afternoon snack for us--bacon dipped in chocolate.  They saw it on the morning news and everyone said it was really good.  Mid-afternoon I tried a small piece and guess what...it tasted like bacon and chocolate.  Yuck!  (Sorry I don't have pictures.)  We're going back to the festival tonight to see Joe Nichols, a country artist.  Of course it's supposed to rain so our plans might be changed by the weather.  Hopefully there won't be another tornado.

My pergola is almost finished!!  Look what a great job my sweet Irv did.  Now ya'll need to come over for a barbecue.  Below is a picture of the tree in our backyard.  You'll notice the tiny buds on the branches.  That is the general state of greenery in Colorado as of May 10th.  It's been cold.

Welcome to Wichita! My greeting as I was in the taxi on the way from the airport to my hotel was a tornado siren. I should have known something was up when the taxi driver all the sudden stepped on the gas made a beeline to my hotel. Thank goodness he decided to get me to my destination before taking cover himself. At the check in desk I asked the clerk where the shelter was. Her reply was that they didn’t have one, but it would probably be safest to stay on the first floor. What? We’re in Kansas and there’s no shelter? OMG, time to panic. Well, I chose to hang out in the lobby with all the AFLAC conference attendees. They didn’t seem to think there was anything to worry about; at least not from what I could see through all the beer bottles and wine glasses. Why do people act so differently when they’re away from home at a conference? (Subject for another blog I think.) Anyway it got really dark, the hail came, and then a down pour of rain. No tornado though, thank God.

On Saturday night Irv, JP, and I went to see Sugarland at the Colorado Springs World Arena.  Sugarland is my favorite country group and I've been waiting for this concert for several months.  First on stage was Danny Gokey.  You may remember him from the last season of American Idol, he finished in 3rd place.  He only sang a few songs, but I thought he did a really good job.  Julianne Hough followed Danny Gokey.  You may remember her from Dancing with the Stars.  She is trying to start a country music career.  I only have one thing to say....Julianne, go back to Dancing with the Stars and stick to your dancing.  Her act consisted of a swing, a stripper bar, and hardly any clothes.  How can she expect to be taken seriously if she doesn't act like a serious artist?  At the conclusion of her act, even JP said she was "offended" by what we had just subjected to.  Definitely not meant for a family show, but Julianne will...

I arrived in Wichita on Monday and I couldn't believe how green it was.  The trees are fully leafed out and the grass and crops are green.  In Colorado it's still winter...our trees barely have buds and although the grass is starting to turn green, it's mostly still brown. Here's a picture of the Farm Credit Bank of Wichita building that I'm working in.  I've been coming here for 17 years.  Back in 1993 it was called the Farm Credit Bank of Wichita and all five floors were occupied by Farm Credit.  Now it's called the U.S. AgBank and only two floors are occupied by Farm Credit.  The rest are leased out.  I spend my days in the basement in a dark room filled with computers.  I don't know if it's day or night, but at least I'll be safe from the tornadoes. I'm going home tomorrow, but will be back next week.  I've made a lot of good friends while participating on this project team.  That's what I'll miss most, but don't worry...

JP and I worked at a 4-H horse judging and hippology contest on Sunday.  It was freezing!  This is what it looked like in the afternoon when the temperature was a balmy 35 degrees.  Will spring arrive in Colorado this year? I'm headed to Wichita, Kansas today.  Maybe I'll find spring there.

This is my favorite grandson, Mr. Beans . He has been playing spring soccer which really should be called winter soccer in Colorado. I am a whimpy grammy and have only made it to his last two games. I don't consider it a lot of fun to wear a winter coat and wrap myself in a blanket to watch a soccer game. The weather was a little better this week and I made it to his games. This is the first year that Mr. Beans played on an all boys team plus they had to learn to play positions. I don't know anything about soccer (and neither does Mr. Beans) so I can't tell you what position he was playing other than goalie. He likes to be the goalie because he doesn't have to run so much and he can stop and count the blades of grass every now and then when the action is happening at the other end of the field. Actually, Mr. Beans did a great job as goalie. Only one goal got past him and he saved 8 or 9 shots. Way to go Mr. Beans! Mr. Beans has a lot of people who show up to his g...

Congratulations Calvin Borel for winning the Derby aboard Super Saver! Congrats also to trainer Todd Pletcher for finally having a winning horse after 25 tries. If you missed the race, click on this link to watch the replay - Derby 136 Race Replay . Calvin has ridden the winning in the 3 of the last 4 Derbys plus he won the Oaks yesterday. My money will be on him for the Preakness in 2 weeks. Maybe in 2010 we will have a triple crown winner (finger crossed). My pick, Sydney's Candy, was a big loser coming in 17th out of 20. JP's pick, Mission Impazible, came in 9th and Irv's pick, Devil May Care, was 11th. JP and I were pulling for Noble's Promise, a colt purchased for $10,000 by a group of 25 average people. He started good, but fell short at the end. Stay tuned for a Preakness update in two weeks.

Today is the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. This is the first of the 2010 Triple Crown races. The last three Triple Crown winners were Affirmed in 1978, Seattle Slew in 1977, and the infamous Secretariat in 1973. Before Secretariat the last winner was Citation in 1948. Will we have a Triple Crown winner in 2010? Daughter, JP, and I think it's about time. An entire generation of youth have yet to witness a "super" horse such as Secretariat. Visit the Derby website and watch the video of Secretariat's Derby win . Even more impressive was his win at that year's Belmont Stakes by an unbelievable 31 lengths in a record 2 minutes and 24 seconds. Even if you're not a racing face, you will appreciate the athleticism of Secretariat as he wins the Belmont-- 1973 Belmont Stakes . This year's top contender, Eskendereya, was scratched from the race a couple days ago due to a leg injury. Will it be Sydney's Crown with young joc...