Where's the Snow?!?

Ha!!! Well, now that I've said those three words, maybe we'll get some snow!

Layered Clouds

But really, it will be February 1st tomorrow, and we've had less than 6 inches total so far this winter...and we've had very little rain. I worry about the snow pack on the Steens of course; we need lots of water for the alfalfa!

Snow Play!

I shouldn't be complaining...I should be out riding...but we've been consumed by this...

No more carpet in the house!!! YEAH!!!

My Man worked his a$$ off to get two bedrooms and the great room done. I'm very proud of him; it turned out gorgeous!! All that's left to do are the moldings around the edges...I get to prep and stain them.

All I can say is that Do It Yourself Home Improvement is not all that it's made out to be!!

Sunday Stills~Nature's Frames

Sunday Stills on Monday...always a day late and a dollar short. OH well.

I climbed up to the top of the rim rock and had some fun playing around yesterday. I just didn't get  time to post. BTW, I would never climb around up there at any other time but winter...you just might find something that rattles hidin' in one of those crevices!!

A Rock Window looking out to Anderson Valley.

Hat Butte in the distance.

The spot below is really what I wanted to get to...but the gap in the boulders was way beyond where I could reach...off that edge was a straight drop for about 20 feet...I played it on the safe side...

Where's the gap?

...the zoom lens will have to do~

Lookin' through the gap (with the zoom lens!)

It's not too late to check out the other participants in yesterday's Sunday Stills!

Friday Fences~Mornin' Fence Sittin'

Yes, I've surfaced out of the deep, dark hole...it's been a few weeks since I've posted. I think it's the annual frump I seem to get into about this time of year when riding time is at it's lowest.

The camera hasn't even called my name...but this mornin' came cool and crisp with hardly a cloud in the sky...the sun shining brightly...and it's Friday Fences day!

So, out to feed the herd with camera in hand to see what I might find...

Mornin' Fence Sittin'

We've got hundreds of these lil' guys, and they love the chicken coop...well, they actually love the chicken lay pellets! Fat lil' buggers aren't they?

OK...I'm back up on my bloggin' horse so to speak!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend~

I Have It All~

And I have the BEST!! What more does a girl need?!?

Thanks to my friend Nancy for the perfect Christmas gift!

Friday Fences ~ It's a Job

Participating in this week's Friday Fences...check it out!!

My fence this week isn't pretty or photogenic...but it's where all fences begin~

A fence can be many things...from decorative to useful...wood, plastic, rock or metal (and anything and everything in between)...they all have one thing in common...it had to be built.

Putting in a good H brace is key for a strong fence.
Having friends (in this case the brother-in-law) help is BONUS!!

This particular fence boarders our side yard toward the hill and needed to be rebuilt. The posts had rotted off at the base, but the wire was still good to reuse. We've been propping up the fence with boards to keep it from falling over for the past two years. It's a 6 foot fence that keeps the deer out and the dogs in.

Fence building takes lots of contemplation...and
tools...and equipment...and a maybe a good dog too.
Starring at it doesn't get it done, but you hope it prevents
you from making a mistake and having to do it over!

Tenacity, perseverance, grit, muscle...and maybe a few bad words muttered
under your breath helps get the job done.
My Man loves to build fence (Lord knows why), but when he
builds one, it stays up for a LONG time. He learned that from his dad.

Straight.
The fence, according to My Man, must be straight or it's not a good fence!

And, it's still a work in progress...

The first four photos were from Thanksgiving weekend and the above photo is from this morning. The fence still needs the rail across the top (like the two posts in the foreground) and the bottom, between each post, will have a 4 x 6 retaining wall to keep the erosion dirt out of the yard...which also keeps the dogs from digging under the fence.

For now it's keeping the dogs in...just another project that isn't finished. Hmmmmm...what was that New Year's resolution on yesterday's post?...finish projects!!! Ha! Just one of many projects that need finishing.

Have a great weekend everyone!

January 5, 2012 ???!!!???

What happened to days 1-4?!?

I guess there's just too much happening, and I can't keep up with it all.

Let's see...laying more laminate flooring, working at the Post Office, working on ag surveys, Colt was lame for a couple of days (don't know what the problem was), My Man and I are searching for a new vehicle on the internet (really mind boggling),  thinking of blogging my top ten something (never did get that done obviously)...blah, blah, blah...

So, I'll just take off from here!

My last photo of 2011 on Dec 30...a gorgeous sunrise.
So many pretty shades of blue and orange.

The past few days here in Harney County, we've had record high temperatures. The normal high is in the low to mid 30's. Yesterday was 54 degrees! Over in Central Oregon, it reached 66 degrees...pretty soon the trees are going to start turning green if it doesn't turn cold again.

We sure need moisture...snow pack on Steens Mountain was too high last year, but now there's none. Well, winter just got here, so we'll be praying for winter and moisture to come eventually.

Bella Jo and Red are getting along really well...as you can see by the photo below! These are from  my first photos of 2012. It was still early in the mornin' and the sun wasn't up yet, so the photos are grainy.

One of my goals for 2012 is to keep on improving my photography. Here I probably needed to change my ISO, but I never seem to think about that stuff when I whip out the camera for some action shots.

Bella Jo and Red are becoming BFF's.
They're good for each other, but it's hard keeping track of five dogs!

Bella Jo is really athletic. We knew that she was getting out of the yard by jumping on top of the dog houses and jumping onto and over the rail fence. So, we moved the dog houses away from the fence, and she was still getting out. She was leaping a 6 foot span from the dog house to the rail and on over...we moved the dog houses again...problem solved...finally!

I CAN'T have her teaching Red bad habits!!!

Eye in the Blur.

Resolutions or goals...whatever you want to call them...for me in 2012...

• Improve my photography
• Organize my photos
• Sell or give away stuff we don't need
• BE EFFECTIVE...get stuff done!!! (less or no Facebook...it's becoming really irritating to me anyhow)
• Finish projects that I've started (once I've done that, I can start new projects!!)
• Get organized, keep it simple...and get stuff done (did I say that already?)
• Oh yes...the all elusive buckle...I want to win a buckle on Colt!! (sixth year's a charm, right?)

OK, that's enough stuff for one year!!

I want to thank all my readers for coming along for the ride in 2011...and hope you'll keep on ridin' in 2012.

~Wishing everyone a very healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year~