Life on the High Plains

Earlier this week my sweet black lab, Keira, killled a baby bunny right in front of my eyes when we went out to feed the horses at 6 a.m.  She must have punctured the bunny's heart because it died quickly, but of course it ruined my day.  Keira got a spanking and had to spend time in time out, but I'm sure she thought it was worth it. "The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies is lunch." - Michael Friedman   Between Irv and the dogs, the bunnies have a very low chance of survival at our place.  A couple weeks ago Mr. Beans found a baby bunny in one of Irv's traps.  Irv traps them and then transplants them a couple miles away.  Anyway, Irv told Mr. Beans that the only way the bunny could stay was if he could figure out how to open the trap.  It took him quite a while to get it open, but he did it!  The bunny got to stay.  (Unfortunately, I think that may have been the bunny that Keira killed.)...

I came across a show on Animal Planet that I had not seen before--Confessions:  Animal Hoarding.  It boggles my mind how people can become so overwhelmed by animals that they allow their homes to be taken over by the animals.  It must be a sickness.  I really don't understand how these people think they are taking care of their animals.  It's sad. I know Irv thinks I could easily be an animal hoarder, but the difference is that my animals are clean and well taken care of and my house is too.  Also, I only have two of each species--2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 geese, and 2 horses.  Maybe I need to build an ark. If you check out this program I suggest you have a strong stomach.  http://animal.discovery.com/tv/confessions-animal-hoarding/

I turned 50 this year and when I went for my annual physical my doctor ordered all kinds of tests.  I was sure she thought I was dying of something. I had the last test today--an echo plus cardio stress test.  I had my first consultation with a cardiologist about two months ago.  There's a long wait to get into see the cardiologist I chose, but I was told that the wait would be worth it.  At that appointment I had an EKG and the doctor told me that it indicated I had had at least one previous heart attack.  I was a little taken back because I have never had symptoms of a heart attack (symptoms for women can be different than those that men experience).  She wanted me to come back for the echo plus stress test so I waited another two months until an appointment was available. So today a sonographer studied my heart for about an hour.  When that was done I got on the treadmill and got my heart rate up to about 160 bpm then I jumped on the t...

Last week it was time to go and get a fresh load of hay for the horses.  I have a customer who bales the grass in one of his meadows for us, but we have to pick it up out of the field.  We tried to get DP to come along and drive the truck since she was here for a visit, but she made some excuse about having to take an important business phone call.   So, I drove the truck while Irv picked up the bales and stacked them in the trailer. Every once and a while I felt sorry for him and got out of the truck to load a couple bales.  I try my best, but I'm really not much of a hay thrower. Irv moved a couple tons of hay almost completely by himself that day.  Once again, Irv is my hero.  Thanks darlin for taking such good care of my ponies!

On Sunday Irv and I went to the El Paso County Fair to watch a couple friends compete at the ranch rodeo.  This was our first time at a ranch rodeo and it was quite interesting.  The first event was cattle sorting.  A team of four riders has to sort three cattle out of the herd.  It's a timed event so the faster the better.  Brad, Justin, and team weren't able to get the sorted, but they made a good attempt. The second event was branding.  The team has to sort out a particular steer, rope him, tie three legs, and brand him (or pretend to brand him).  Again, the fastest team wins.  Brad and Justin's team were really fast, I think their time as 1:41.  There were a lot of teams entered and it was getting late so we had to leave before the end of the branding. The events we missed were cattle doctoring and trailer loading.  Irv and I thought the sorting looked like a lot of fun, but the other events required roping.  Do you think...

After reading my blog this week you may realize how important my 4-H kids were to me.  Earlier this week I shared my heartache about Jason and Heather, but the week ended much happier with Ashley's wedding.  Ashley was on my first national champion hippology team back in 2004.  She was on a team with JP, Tiffany, and Rob.  Yesterday we got to celebrate as Ashley married Caleb.  They are both students at Baylor and they are perfect for each other.  Don't they make a cute couple? Tiffany and JP were there also.  Tiffany (or Tiffy as I call her) is one of my favorite people.  She recently graduated from Colorado State and is currently looking for a job. It was a beautiful day for a wedding!  Congratulatios Ashley and Caleb!!

Yesterday was Irv's birthday.  Here he is with his new toy--a Kindle.  I guess it's time to move into the electronic age of book reading. Happy Birthday, sweetie.  I love you!

I would like to ask anyone who reads my blog to pray for a young friend of mine.  Her name is Heather and I was her 4-H hippology and horse bowl coach several years ago.  Last Friday she was in a horrible accident with her horse.  She was chasing a cow when the horse tripped and Heather landed head first on the ground.  She was unconscious and rushed to the hospital.  She has been in a medically induced coma since then.  There have been a lot of positve signs such as her squeezing her mom's hand and her reacting to light, but nobody really knows what the outcome will be.  Her mom sends out updates every morning and asks for everyone to pray for continued healing.  Also, Heather has developed pneumonia due to the breathing tube and her mom would like us to pray for Heather's lungs to be cleared so she can breathe on her own.  It was only a few weeks ago that Heather won a world championship at the Paint Horse Youth World Show with her b...

Earlier this week I was asked to be a character witness at a sentencing hearing for one of my former 4-Hers.  I've known Jason for about 10 years.  In March 2009 Jason made a decision to drive after he had been drinking and it resulted in a horrific accident that took the life of the man he hit.  He plead guilty and received an 11 year sentence in the Department of Corrections.  He recently completed "boot camp" and because of that he was able to ask the courts to reconsider his sentence.  When I walked into the courtroom it was shocking to see Jason in prison clothing and handcuffs.  First his grandmothers, aunt, and mother spoke to the judge which was very emotional.  As it turned out the judge did not need to hear from Jason's character witnesses since we had all written letters to him.  After Jason's attorney spoke, it was time for the victim's family to give their opinion.  Understandably, they did not want Jason' sentence to be reduce...

Unfortunately, MP lost her job a couple weeks.  A victim of the economy as the nursing home she worked at didn't have enough clients to maintain all the employees in the physical therapy department she worked in. MP got right into the job hunt.  She and I worked to update her resume and she's already applied for several jobs.  She's had a couple interviews where the job, the working conditions, and the pay didn't sound as good she could do so she turned down the job offers. Then a job came open at a physical therapy office in downtown Colorado Springs.  The job sounded perfect and she landed a first interview.  That must have gone pretty well because yesterday they had her back for a second interview.  She gets really nervous before an interview, but doesn't she look great? Now she's been invited back for a third interview and some testing.  MP really wants this job--it's a great place with the chance for growth.  Please say a pray...

Irv finally has a buckle And they won without the pink shirts.

Today is DP's 33rd birthday.  Unbelievable, where did the time go?  It seems like such as short time ago that you were born on a Sunday afternoon at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque.  I loved you from the moment I saw you, even those nights when you refused to sleep.  You've always been a night owl.  (I bet you never thought a nude photo of you would be posted on the internet, did you?) You've always been so much fun.  This is one of my favorite pictures of you "kissing the baby" at Granny and Gramps' house. Here's a picture from your Strawberry Shortcake phase.  Birthday #4.  It's been an honor to watch you grow into the independent, strong young woman that you've become.  I'm so proud of the things you've accomplished--great career and willingness to adventure to new places and discover the world.  Have fun with your friends in Vegas and I look forward to seeing you here tomorrow. Happy Birthday, precious!...

The team placed second which means they qualifed to come back to the finals on Saturday night. Team members (from left to right): Stacy, Ricky, Brad, and Irv Here's footage of their performance

In honor of Irv's third annual appearance at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo tomorrow night, the city decided to have a parade in his honor.  These finely matched horses carried some of the cavalry soldiers from Ft. Carson.  Last year at the rodeo the soldier carrying the American flag got bucked off his horse and both he and our precious flag ended up on the ground although he made a valiant effort to keep the flag from touching the ground. These horses are carrying our local sheriff's mounted patrol.  These horses are almost our neighbors, they live not too far from our house. The Shelties were pulling a little wagon and they were so cute.  I understand my new nephew, "the Pom" might be a Sheltie.  I hope he's as cute as these guys. I guess this guy couldn't decide which horse to ride so he rode both.  I wonder if Doc and Jasper would be willing to give this a try. The old steer was in bad shape as he hobbled down the street.  He was obvious...

Mark your calendar...JP's and Brian's wedding will be on May 21, 2011.  The ceremony will be at Hilside Gardens at 3:00 followed by a fantastic reception at Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. in downtown Colorado Springs. Start praying now for nice weather.  The ceremony will be outside in a very beautiful location with the mountains in the background. Hillside Garden and Nursery website Phanton Canyon Brewing Company website

DP is coming for a visit.  She's been living in Australia for the last two years and we don't get to see her very often.  She's going to be in Australia through the end of the year and then maybe she'll be back.  We're looking forward to seeing her!  Best of all, I get two days off of work to spend with her.  DP, what do you want to do while you're here?  Shopping?  Dining? Hanging out with Zima? Love you!

Jillian and I got the horses out last weekend.  I'm riding Jasper and Jillian is on Doc.  Doc is a well-trained, well-mannered show horse.  Jasper is a pain in the butt!  He's spoiled and knows what to do to scare me if he's ready to be done.  I have to be braver and show him who's boss.  Afterall, it's really not that far from his back to the ground, is it?

Keira and Cody enjoying their extra large biscuits.  Keira is a 7-year old Lab and Cody is a 7-year old Border Collie.  They live for bones, trips to the barn, walks, and bunny killing.  I love everything about them except for the bunny killing.  We've been having some serious conversations about the value of a bunny's life, but they're non-believers. 

The Farm Credit Merry Milk Maids will be making their 2010 appearance at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo on Thursday, July 15th.  The team consists of Irv, Ricky, Stacy, and Brad, who's new to the team this year. In Wild Cow Milking the team gets two minutes to wrangle a wild cow and get a few drops of milk into a bottle.  The two fastest teams from each performance move onto the finals on Saturday night.  The winning team gets belt buckles and $1,000 to the charity of their choice.  Our team has yet to make it into the finals, but who knows whats will happen this year.  I don't have video of Irv's team, but here's a video from YouTube that will give  you an idea of how it goes.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQgx1xDDJ7E It's a lot of fun (unless someone gets hurt).  Good luck guys!  Watch for team results next week.

On Saturday night we ventured to Denver to watch the Rockies and Giants.  It was really hot, but luckily we had umbrellas to provide some shade until the sun went down. We had a few beverages and tried some nutritious foods such as hot dogs, nachos, philly cheese steak sandwiches, funnel cake, and of course... cotton candy! Fun was had by all. Final score Rockies 6 Giants 3 After the game, the fans in the outfield and rock pile seats were moved onto the field in preparation for a fantastic fireworks show.  There were thousands of people on the field.  I'm sure the groundskeeper was a nervous wreck. It was one of the best fireworks displays I have ever seen.  Mr. Beans loved it. Happy Birthday America!  

Last night we went to watch Mr. Beans' baseball team the Cardinals play the Diamondbacks.  Mr. Beans had an exceptional game and got to play pitcher (the coach does the actual pitching), right field and left field.  Mr. Beans had three hits, scored twice, and hit in one RBI. Click here to see a short clip of the game when Mr. Beans was up to bat. We are Mr. Beans' biggest fans. Mr. Beans as pitcher. Mr. Beans and some of his teammates. There is no official score kept during coach pitch baseball, but if there were I'm sure the Cardinals won by at least a trillion runs.  Good job Mr. Beans!!! We celebrated at Dairy Queen after the game. Tonight we're going to Denver to watch the big boys play--Rockies vs. Giants--plus a big fireworks display.  More on that game will be coming soon.