Deceiving Photos

A very peaceful view...but it could make you think different...

 Barbed Wire Halo 

...by reading the road sign next to the fence...

 Yes, there are rattlesnakes up that road!
My girlfriend used to live up there in the tree line...
LOTS of rattlesnakes!

...and as I try to take some shots of the tumble weeds blowing down the road, the wind is blowing so hard I can't keep the camera straight...and it rips my ball cap off my head...I had to run 30 yards down the road to catch it...twice!! I gave up! Ah, it was still fun!

Wind-Blown Weeds

But, photos can sometimes be deceiving   ;~)


Linking up today with Life According to Jan and Jer's Friday Fences and SkyWatch Friday~

Happy Easter weekend everyone!

Winds of Change

Back in January I took A Drive Down Sodhouse Lane which is just west of our place and posted some photos of the scenery along the way. It's always a nice drive through rolling hills of sagebrush and grazing cows.

I especially enjoy seeing a particular windmill...always working hard whether it's summer or winter bringing fresh, clean, cool water for the cows to drink.

I had a few ag surveys to complete out that direction, and I always take my camera with me. The truck came to a sudden stop...it seems that the "downblast" (tornado) that we had a month or so ago was not kind to the old windmill...because it's had a makeover...

It seems that the blades and tail survived the storm, but not the base.

The windmill is still doing it's job, as you can see from

 the motion of the blades, but it just doesn't have the

character that it used to have.

I'm sure glad I stopped that day back in January to take the photos

of how it used to be before the 'Winds of Change' came.

I'm Not Lost~~Just Super Busy!

It's been a crazy week around here!

We had company over the weekend until Wednesday. My cousin, who I hadn't seen in at least 30 years, came out with a hunting buddy to shoot sage rats. We had a great time catching up on years of stuff!

Tuesday was pretty wild (weather wise).

This photo was taken the day before the wind storm but the clouds were similar
to the clouds that brought the huge wind storm.

It was suspected that we had a tornado touch down about 8 miles or so from us. But after the National Weather Service researched the incident, they think it was a "downburst" and not a twister. But the damage was amazing.

Here are a couple of news links of the story with photos of the on coming storm and the damage aftermath.

KTVZ News from Bend Oregon

KPTV out of Portland  click on the "photo" link after the short story...snapped off electric poles and irrigation pipe everywhere!

My cousin was staying at the Crystal Crane Hot Springs and was just 1/2 mile from where the major downburst came through. He said that he'd never experienced anything like that before and thought the cabin they were staying in was going to take off...to Oz!

We got lots of wind at our place here and it was funny to watch papa owl hanging on for dear life in the elm tree as it rocked and rolled in the wind! I'm sure he didn't think it was very funny at the time! We just lost a few shingles off the house, but the winds were the strongest we'd ever had.

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The day of the storm was gorgeous though. I rode up on the hill...a nice relaxing ride...we took time to "smell the flowers" so to speak...

Farming is in full swing in Harney County as our neighbor is ripping his field
in preparation to plant alfalfa. I enjoy seeing the
circles of the pivot fields.

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My Man went to the Thompson's Ranch yesterday and branded calves for the day...and I...

...well...

...I went shopping...and finally made a decision...here is our latest addition...

Colonel Leo Command
aka "Command"
2008 Dun gelding

This is my new futurity horse. I'll be starting him under saddle this spring and showing him in the 2 year old halter class at the Harney County Reined Stock Horse Futurity this September...just like I did with Colt. And Colt is 5 this year, and I'm going to try to show him in the two rein...we'll see how it goes...first time for that for me!

I think Command going to clean up real nice though ...obviously they've been running the pasture for the winter and still have a lot of woolly on 'em...and they had just run through the irrigation ditch and got soaked! His color will be very unique when he sheds out, but he's a really kind colt, and he should be pretty darn cowy too! I'll be picking him up in a week after I get back from my Mike Bridges Project 5 clinic...which I'm leaving for tomorrow.

Yep...Colt's looking forward to the clinic too!!! So, off I go to pack...and clean house as my brother and more family are coming while I'm gone...don't I have the best Man?!? He even looks after my family when I'm not here!

I'll have video and photos from the clinic...so long until May and Happy trails~

Wordless Wednesday

Punxsutawney Phil was Right!!

Dang it anyhow...I sure was hoping Punxsutawney Phil was going to be wrong this year...but, the forecast last night was for snow until 10 a.m. this morning. The wind woke me up early and I could see the white outside...dang!

I step outside the back door to go feed...lovely...dang!
Just before I went out, My Man opened the door
and 12 inches of snow that had piled up against
the door fell into the back room...dang!

I'm guessing we got 3 inches or so...but with the wind blowing it everywhere...who knows? But, I knew exactly what the inside of the barn was going to look like...

Yep, lovely...dang!

I load up the wheelbarrow with hay for the spoiled boys and opened the back door...

OMG...who's horse is this?????
I think it's Colt...I think...

Oh yea...that's Colt...I'd recognize that a$$ anywhere!

Anybody recognize these Yahoos?

Oh...look...it's Catnip 'n Stetson!!!
There's so much snow on them and inside the lil'
Mustang Barn, I can't tell if they stayed
in it last night or not!!!
Dang!

The pups had a great time romping in the snow...

Cindy Sue looks like she rolled in it.
Well, kinda like me...I hit a badger hole...
landed face first in the snow...dang!!

I think there's a walkway under there...somewhere.

Would you believe My Man and I rode in our
arena yesterday?


Dang...when's spring coming?!?!?!?

PS~~I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Portland...yuck...double dang! 2 & 1/2 days of training for my Agricultural Survey job...see y'all next weekend!!!

Wind, Banana Bread, Owls and Jack-O-Lanterns

What can these things have in common??? Really, not much! It's just the kind of day I got to have!! To survive, flexibility is the key~~

The wind was blowing like a son-of-a-gun and I decided not to ride. I went out with the intentions of riding a couple at least, and the dirt was caking up in my eyes so bad after cleaning the stalls and runs that I decided it was foolish to try to get anything productive done riding wise.

I took some pictures, but they just don't do justice to the wind we get here sometimes in Harney County.


This is the wind blowing my arena soil off to the neighbors or BLM land...





My apple tree was loosing apples from the wind and I picked them up for the horses...some of them had been munched on by the birds already...but, my horses aren't picky...they won't mind!





I tried to capture the wind in my wind chimes. The only thing I seemed to capture today was the beautiful sound that I heard, not the movement I wanted in the photo.





One of my scare crows seems to be waving his arm as the wind blows him around. Abby just wants to have her picture taken ;~)





Toby has taken shelter in the rock out-cropping in his pasture...can I blame him??? I think he's one smart pony!!





Since I opted not to ride, I had some bananas that needed taken care of. My man loves anything home-baked...banana bread was in order.


It's Halloween isn't it...how about some haunting Great Horned Owls? I've tried to photograph my owls many times without a lot of success. This time they just happened to be setting on some of the lower limbs of the elm tree and I used my zoom...and a flash...can you see their red eyes? There are two owls in the tree...this time I don't mind the red eye. They look kinda spooky!



Trick or treaters tonight???...will we see any at our place????...not a chance!!! LOL
One of our neighbors did have a get together with a hay ride and things for the kids. But we are VERY rural...I'll need to make a post in the near future on Harney County's demographics. It's very different that's for sure!

I realized too today that I'd never lit my Jack-O-Lantern that I carved last weekend. Well, by now he's been frozen a few times and thawed out just as many times...you can hardly see his teeth anymore!!! But, I'm really enjoying looking at him out the dining room window as I type this.

I wish you all a very Happy Halloween!!!