Life on the High Plains

Almost six months ago I was put on a medication that makes it dangerous for me to do anything dangerous like riding my horse.  The doctors made it perfectly clear that riding horses is an unacceptable activity. Well, starting next month I have to go through a lot of blood work as I start being weaned off this medication.  One of the first things I'm going to do is saddle up Doc and go for a ride--assuming that he isn't completely feral by now.  I think he has enjoyed his six month hiatus from any human telling him what to do. "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a human." Happy Skywatch Friday!

I haven't posted anything in a while.  My life is crazy busy and quite frankly, I've lost interest in social media including my blog.  Don't get me wrong, about 98% of the time I love Facebook because it keeps me up-to-date with friends who actually want to share good things about their life.  I also like documenting my life through my blog.  Sometimes people just creep me out with their comments on Facebook or my blog, or saving pictures that I post.  I guess when you put yourself out there you can't expect privacy. I've been thinking of creating an "alternate" Facebook profile.  Alternate facts are all in vogue right now so I think I'll revert to being Barbara Ann Bates.  That's an alternate name I created for myself when I was five years old in Price, Utah.  It has been a family joke ever since. So, what have I been up to? Last week I got a promotion--from Assistant Vice President to Vice President and now I work directly for the CEO....

A beautiful sunrise from my back deck this morning.  This is the kind of view you get when you live out in the middle of nowhere. My raised vegetable beds in the foreground can't wait for winter to be over.  Although the Colorado mountains have received snowfall way above average, out here on the high plains it remains fairly dry.  I know we need more snow for our pastures to be green and healthy, but I sure like it when there isn't any snow. Happy Skywatch Friday!

Do you know what happens when you buy a camper?  You start going to RV shows.  It's fun to look and see what's new for 2017.  Fireplaces seems to be in for the big rigs.  Look at that handsome guy all dressed up and ready to go to work after our excursion. The big rigs also have beautiful granite counter tops.  This particular Class A motorhome was "on sale" for $199,000.  Irv said "NO". Most of the dining tables are about the same, although I went in one big rig that had table and chairs just like your dining room at home. The fifth wheels have bedrooms upstairs and some of those bedrooms have actual doors. Here's another fire place in a rig about the size of ours. There were only a couple glampers.  I can't believe that my family of five used to camp in a trailer about this size.  Actually, my brothers usually had to sleep outside in a tent.  I'm not complaining though because those camping trips ...

This weekend I put up the money and attended an Encaustic Painting workshop with a professional artist at our local Fine Arts Center. So what is encaustic painting? It involves applying layers and layers of colored wax to a wood surface. Each layer is fused with a hot gun or a propane torch--not a blow dryer because that doesn't get hot enough. For one of my pieces I started with a simple sketch of a sunflower--my favorite flower in case you're wondering. Beeswax is mixed with various pigments and heated in individual containers on an electric grill.  The temperature of the medium needs to be between 180 and 220 degrees.  If it gets over 220 degrees then it become a danger to the artist's health as the wax beads can be inhaled into the lungs. There has to be all kinds of ventilation in an encaustic studio.  There are all kinds of fumes that you don't want to be around.  Above you can see my second piece which is a stand of Colorado ...

A picture is worth a thousand words. January 21, 2017 - Denver, Colorado - 40,000 were expected, over 200,000 women, men and children showed up for a day of peaceful protesting. "Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it. They have decided that it is entirely right and proper for men to fight for their liberties and their rights, but that it is not right and proper for women to fight for theirs."    **Emmeline Pankhurst “It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”   **Leonardo da Vinci   Happy Skywatch Friday!

Last night Irv and I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  While we were waiting for our table this guy sat down next to us and pulled out a bag filled with markers, paper, pencils, etc.  He was a caricature artist. Do you ever get that sinking feeling in your stomach when you know what's about to happen?  I made eye contact with him and the next thing I know he's sketching Irv and I. A couple minutes later our table was ready so Irv went off to claim it while I stayed and waited for him to finish it.  I'm not sure who this blonde-haired guy is, but at least the blue eyes are right.  It was kind of fun.  Anyway, it was another gift card dinner courtesy of my brother and his wife.  Thanks guys! Speaking of my brother, on Saturday he posted something really nice on Facebook.  He posted that he supported my decision to participate in the Women's March in Denver.  To have his support knowing that he comes from a very red, Oklahoma me...