Sometimes if I sit quietly..........

Sometimes if I sit quietly and still my racing mind ...the Holy Spirit can share eternal truths with my heart.....  Today as I read....

"The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid' for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be for all the people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."  (Luke 2:10-11)

They weren't just words I was reading...I was filled with the Spirit and tears came to my eyes.  My heart was so full it felt like it would burst.  And for a sweet moment I was blessed with the undeniable eternal truth.....Jesus Christ is our Savior!   I'm so thankful for Him and for sweet reminders like these :)

At the Gallery today...

Wow.......busy week.  Good week and tiring week.Very late night and into the morning kind of week playing/working on photography.
I've had 3 jewelry shows in 3 weeks and earned over $800 dollars.  I'm liking being a Premier Designs Jeweler.  My need......we all have one or two...is getting my Jeep paid off so I don't have to worry about that monthly payment.  My jewelry business is not only fun it's making that payment and buying me some fun new clothes, more jewelry, and paying a few other small bills. 
Sitting at the gallery today and really enjoying being here.  I've met two very interesting, colorful personalities today  Made coming to work all the more fun!
Tomorrow is our little WiltonWinter Festival and I'm hoping to have a vendor table set up.  It's late notice since we were supposed to be working cattle all day tomorrow.....but that got put off and I'm going to try and be at the Festival.....waiting for the go ahead or no ahead.
Well, just wanted to say hi and I have lots to do in the next 2 hours so gotta go.

Bye for now!

Dripping Fog and Mr. Roo

It's almost 11 pm and I just came in from checking on the animals.  The fog is so heavy it feels like a light rain and my hooded sweatshirt is damp.
Our oldest horse is agitated out there in the dark.  He's been calling for over an hour now so I figured I'd best go talk with him and see what's up.  He hates being alone and his 'mare' must be down at the end of the pasture with the cows and calves.
I checked on Mr. Roo again :( He's still breathing and I just wish he'd peacefully let go.  I've shed tears over losing him a couple of times in the last few days.  His sweetheart (yes animals have sweethearts) died last week.  They're 8 years old and both began struggling with walking the last few months.  I think he misses her company.  The last week he's lain right outside Rowdy's kennel for company and just seemed to give up.  Yesterday he let me pick him up right in the middle of the day and carry him to a horse stall to get him out of the wind.
Mr. Roo was such a magnificent rooster, and such a polite and wonderful guy to have around.  I'm going to miss him a lot.  He hasn't crowed for a couple of days and I really miss that. 
He used to peck at my doorstep to get me outside to let the hens loose.  He has quite the personality.
I'm not sure I'll get another rooster.  Might just have a big flock of hens.  But I will sure miss his magnificent feather tapestry.  He has been my walking, crowing art.
I'm just sad :(

Beautiful Morning and I have lots to be Thankful for....

I occasionally need to stop and THINK and realize how greatly I am blessed and how thankful I need to be.  My life might have it's ups and downs.....which is life.....but I am definitely blessed and I am truly thankful for this.
My kids have grown into absolutely awesome people and my grandkids are pure joy for me. How blessed can that be ?!?!?!!!!!
My husband and I enjoy ranch life and it keeps us from feeling our creaks and pains most of the time :) We will always stay young and work and play through our aging because we WANT to have fun doing what we love......riding and roping and helping others......we don't want to sit down and take it easy and retire.  We want to PLAY at what we love to do. 
I think that's probably the secret to better health.....don't slow down.    '
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!!!!

Granny Nails a Heel Shot :)

SITTING AT THE GALLERY ENJOYING THE PEACE AND QUIET

What a beautiful Fall day here in Elk Grove and Wilton.  Leaves have turned yellow and gold, and pink and crimson.  The air is chill and the breeze swirls the falling leaves down the street in front of our little art center in Old Town Elk Grove.
I have the doors open and a sweatshirt on so I can enjoy the ecstacy of Fall.
I've warmed up a spiced apple candle to fill the gallery with the fragrance of Fall and the holidays.  In December I will fill the gallery with the fragrance of Christmas trees and Pomegranate :)
I enjoy my days at our little gallery.

I AM LEARNING TO TRUST MY MEMORY :)

I've spent a lifetime second guessing the answer to everything and think it to death.  One of my daughters recently told me to listen to my 'memory' and allow it to TELL me :)
Now when I log onto a website, for example, and it asks for a password and since I didn't think years ago to use the same password all the time and now have over 30 passwords I'm supposed to remember....NOT LIKELY.....but I've begun to hear it  lately.   It's a tiny, fleeting thought and I go with it.......and it's always right.  Who woulda thunk!

So here's the REAL DEAL with photography

10 hours of driving, hauling horses and living quarters and food for horses and self and also hauling water.  Having a flat tire on a stretch of dark, one lane potholed rocky road,  jackknife the trailer to get the spare out, unload all the horses in the windy, strange, black of night... change it....reload anxious, exhausted horses, arrive just before midnight.  Riding horse 9 hours a day, covering many, many miles across the desert, eating dirt sandwiches with a little meat and cheese, running out of water before the day is over, working cattle horseback as I do my photography....my camera hanging around my neck or tucked under my left arm....leaving bruises on my chin and my ribs after 4 days of  gathering and sorting errant cattle out of creek bottoms, bogs, and gullies, getting sparse meals and sparser sleep, loading back up and driving 10 hours home.  Cleaning the desert out of my camera equipment, uploading a few thousand photos to my computer.  Backing up a few thousand photos.  Editing a few thousand photos.  Uploading MANY beautiful images to my photography website.  Cost = $ THOUSANDS for me.  Cost= $245.00 for a 16x20 metal print to hang on your wall.  An image that is the REAL DEAL ...not some made up, fantacized painting :)  .... Don't get made you artists out there!  JUST SAYIN' .............   AND all of my art is created from my original photography.

it's STILL October and I'm Back :)

So, I just read a blog post on depression of a non medicated person with ADHD.   Laughed hard!!!!

I'm Back and I'm Gonna Try and Do Better

The Weird Thing is I really want to blog and I love to write.  The trouble is I also have ADHD and I'm not in control of what my mind wants to do.  I'll think about how fun it will be to sit down and blog for a spell and before I know it I'm outside doing ranch work, riding a horse, cleaning chicken houses, or some other such thing.  And it can be three days before I remember I was going to blog.

So I'm not really responsible and... I'm stickin' to that.

Now with that out of the way, I'm going to bed.  I only got 4 hours sleep last night due to lots of fun hours editing and uploading photography from Hot Creek Ranch in Nevada, and tomorrow I'm going to a roping clinic up in Rescue so I REALLY need some sleep.....otherwise I might fall asleep on ol' Coop and fall off my 'chair' right there in the clinic.

Good Night and it's Great to be back!!!

I'm going to live...

I'd post pictures to prove it but you may never come back to read my blog again.
I tripped and fell onto a log 9 days ago and I've just begun to believe my leg won't fall off.  Nasty gouges and bruises all over my shin and calf muscle and some infection that has  given up the fight with my antibiotics and Vetricyn spray :)  Yes, if it works for horses it will work for me.
So altho my leg looks like a beautiful lake trout, the pain subsides daily, the throbbing has gone by the way side leaving only the occasional shooting pain in areas where healing is taking place.
Next time I get hurt I hope I can remember how much I always suffer the week following an injury, and ask for help!  X-rays, painkillers, bandages, antibiotics, splints, neck braces.....they make them for a reason!

How could I be so dumb.......

Well, I have a latex allergy.  I know this.  I avoid latex bandages, gloves, don't chew gum because I have a reaction to it just like latex (rubber in gum???), don't wear my wonderful favorite summer thongs (shoe kind :), and won't wear watches with rubber straps.
I've been having a reaction for over a month now......just about the time I quit wearing my boots and began wearing my beloved, expensive, and fantastically comfortable Earth sandals.  With the RUBBER footbeds....Duh!!!!!

Everyone reacts differently to things.  Lucky me, my face breaks out like a teeny bopper.........and I'm 63 yrs old!!!!!  And NOW I have to give away 8 pair of the most wonderful Keen, Earth, and Chaco sandals.  I pride myself in my collection :(

But I'm willing to give it up and resort to leather sandals if my reaction will go away.  Still.....I'm bummed!

Good thing I have daughters and granddaughters that have been just wishing they could get their cute little feet into those sandals. 

I shant give up on blogging.....

Wow, a month has gone by.  And I love to write!
I spent a week in Texas as a jeweler for Premier Designs Jewelry.  I love it!
I spent a week with daughter and grandkids having soooo much fun.  They came to the ranch and we boated and rode horses and bbqed and laughed and talked and hugged and loved being together.  It was wonderful.  They went home two days ago and I'm missing them a lot.
I fell and smashed my leg pretty good on a tree trunk/limb but looking at the bright side I'm sooo glad I didn't break my leg.  It will be good as  new in a couple of weeks.
I'm loving my photography as much as ever and excited about my future with it.
We're looking forward to the upcoming rodeo and my photgraphy there and seeing old friends.
Cooper's eye is a little better but he's likely blind for good in it now.  Might have it removed one day before too long.  I want him comfortable.
I'm thankful for my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ.  And the Holy Ghost.....what a wonderful gift.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation.  I love my family!
I'm very blessed in this life and I only hope I don't dissapoint them too much with my imperfections.
Good night and I'll try to write more often....and post some of those fun vacation photos.

Hello Summer!

It's 95 and climbing here in Wilton today.  Call me wimpy but I want a covered arena so I can ride year around WHENEVER I WANT TO!
We get soaked in the winter and scorched in the summer.  It's just inhumane to ranch in our climate.  Just think.....a ROOF to protect me from all of that. 
Yesterday I hung out under a big cottonwood tree out in one of the pastures.  It had to be 20 degrees cooler under it.  We always get the Delta breeze flowing across the ranch so that's a big plus.  And with cover and the breeze......well, I'd be lovin' life a lot more.
Oh well.........
On a positive note, I won a FIRST blue ribbon and a SECOND red ribbon at Horse Expo this year with my photography.  It was in the black and white division.  I'm so appreciative they like my images.
And I was blown away by the other artist's work.  AMAZING!
I'm already thinking about what I would like to enter next year.......altho I'm sure many images will come along before then and I'll have to change my mind many times.
It seems the EHV-1 is calming down and not spreading.  I HOPE!  Altho Bob and I got a human virus that knocked us on our butts!  Haven't been that sick in a looooong time.
I'll be learning Quick Books the rest of the week :(  But once I have it set up and I know what I'm doing I will heave a sigh of relief.  I've been avoiding it for months now. 
I'm procrastinating right now and need to make myself go to the Post Office.  Don't want to.  I might melt :)

Crazy spring around here.......

Worked hard this afternoon draining and moving troughs and refilling.  Hauling loads of trash gathered from here and there on the Ranger and down to the dumpster. 
Moved horse trailers around. 
Spring cleaning on the ranch!

Yay May!!!!!

Well, it's in the high 80's already, roses and other flowers have bloomed, trees leafed out, weeds dying off in the wilderness areas of the ranch.  Grass is drying out.......need to get the sprinklers running again. Dust kicks up every time a horse moves.  Guess, winter has truly left us here in the southernmost northern part of California!

What a long, busy, crazy month this has been.........

I've been getting photography and fine art images hung in the gallery, ordered and shipped to "In The Company of Cowgirls" art show in Pendleton, Oregon, ordered for 2011 Equine Dream Art Show at Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento, CA, and organizing and backing up over 600 GB of photos.  My horses don't remember who I am!  But I did ride Cooper today.  We helped our friend Marc with his corriente cattle.  I got some good photos, the above is a favorite from today.

Now it's very late, I'm whupped, and church comes early Sunday morning so I'm off to bed.

My goal is to write every day so I just need to make it happen.

I love my blog so why don't I write more.....

I just will!!I'm writing on my iPhone so it's big quick but I wanted to blog anyway. I wrote my resume and artists statement yesterday and I love having it all tied up so neatly on paper. I'll write more later. Right now I'm off to bed while my computer backs up my photography again. Nite!

Where have I been......

Wow, time crashes and tumbles and breezes by me weeks at a time......
I've been working on photography day and night the last few weeks........I need to give myself a break.  I've been riding and roping lots and enjoying it lots and want to keep on doing it lots.
I've had Max the mighty grandson with us for 2 weeks.  Just about the time a grandparent gets used to having a grandchild living with them full time the time is over.  He was fun and ever so helpful.
I've entered a western art show..........will talk about that later.
I feel overwhelmed the older I get.  I've developed more interests and talents and don't have the resources for it all :)  The concept of money is so annoying..........
I'm reading Temple Grandin......what an insightful and informative and intelligent woman......far more than most, and she's autistic.  And what do the rest of us do with our intellect?!?!?!?!?
Well, I'm all itchy and crawly and heading to a hot bath.  I waded around my chicken yard in knee deep grass earlier and it made me wonder what little critters were jumping onto my body :)  and the thought keeps emerging.......weird but true......so a hot soak in the tub for me!

Oh Sunny Day...........

Wow....woke up to SUNSHINE and no rain.  Joy!
With dark rumbling clouds, whipping wind, and slashing rain for .....forever......it's so nice to think about a normal day of getting things done around here. I think we still have horses and chickens.  I KNOW we have weeds and lakes in pastures and stalls to clean. 
When it's the same day and night....dark and stormy....its fun in its own way....sitting in front of the fire watching movies together, reading, taking naps because you stay up way too late working on photography editing and printing, etc, etc, etc.............
BUT.......I'm ready for normal again....... for a while at least, and 'they' say we have a week of sunshine here.  So let 'er dry up and we'll be getting something done outside before the next rains blow in.

I think we're going to have sunshine next week.....

We saddled and loaded horses this morning and headed to the ranche's covered arena to rope.  My fingers felt the damp and cold and even with under armor, insulated socks, knee high boots, chinks, vests, hooded coat, etc......I was a little chilly.  The wind was howling.  All the horses were fresh and jumpy and squirrely.  It was fun tho and we only had two blowups.  One colt freaked as the rope hit the fence and the tarp across it........big loop ya know......and there was some dirt flying and cowboy up going on for a minute or so.  Then one horse being led past a tarp over a table (inside) got spooked when the wind hooked it and literally ran over the human and drug her a bit.  No broken bones but scrapes and bruises immediately and LOTS of sore later.  She rode her goofy boy anyway.  Cowgirl up!
Then off to Bert's for late lunch......always :)
And now a quiet, warm couple of hours AND then a movie with the guys while snuggled around the fire.  Rain is good for something!

It's taking a looooong time......

to become the person I want to be!

SPRING..............wishful thinking, I guess!

New art image of Mr. Roo....he's my favorite living, breathing, walking, strutting, arrogant art form......my husband runs a close second...

Shadow Man is always causing trouble around our ranch.....teasing cats and dogs, scaring horses, spooking chooks, trying to scare me at dusk.....what a trouble maker he is!

My ferocious looking sweetheart Rowdy.......

Ya can't ride n' rope on a chicken but I love 'em anyway.......

Nevada Mustangs...........outside Tonopah

FINALLY............my big laptop is done backing up........I've been going thru withdrawl trying to work on my iPhone and 10" laptop.....

I'm typing on my little 10 inch laptop and now I remember why I don't use it much...first....it's very cute.....tiny and white and glossy and light.....buy when I'm typing it often skips back to another line and just takes off from there. makes me crazy! Still it's better than typing on my iPhone with one finger. Geez....I type like I talk as it is.....but on the iPhone ......just difficult......

Gotta love a cowgirl..........

So if anyone just HAS to have some fun portraits taken just let me know and I'll be happy to oblige.

I love taking candid photography in natural light.  Looooove capturing the personality of my subjects. 

Gotta love the face of a mustang :)

Now before anyone gets their panties all in a wad......let me just say...I know we have to do something to help manage the mustang herds...I've written the BLM and given them my two cents worth.  Told 'em to castrate the older stallions and turn them back out, put marbles in mares they don't want bred, and let the rest breed naturally.  Maybe adopt some of the yearlings to folks.  I don't want to see herds dying like flies around a dry water hole or starving to death.  But, I ALSO don't want to see them penned up for months.....let alone years....living a worthless and horrid life.

I've adopted 3 terrific mustangs myself.  All horse owners oughta adopt ONE and help out with those stuck in BLM pens.  You'd love 'em.  They're strong, loyal, have awesome wild horse instincts, terrific feet, and they are very intelligent.  They are, after all, horses!

So with that said.........here's a poem I wrote today after working on some mustang photography taken a couple of years ago......and knowing my own dear mustang friends...........

THE MUSTANG

With my blaze all askew across my nose,

N' my long sorrel dreadlocks near down to my toes...

I‘m standing here panicked!  Don't know where I am...

Don't know where my sire is... or my dam......

Most of my family and friends aren't here

And sometimes I’m overwhelmed by my fear

I’m still kind of sick from the ride in that box

As it roared and rolled over dirt roads and rocks

N' those two legged creatures are mean... they scare me …

they poke me and prod me ...and terrify me!

I have no idea what they want me to do!!!

But, they’re loud and rough and they force me through.

I want to run far!! And as fast as I can!!!

But I can’t... so I have to fight where I stand.

I’m tired and frightened and weary and sore

N' I’m not sure my heart and mind can take more.

Copyright © 2011 Victoria Boyd

Jodie n Kaci showing how it's done..........you go, Cowgirls!!!

Anna and Annie

Sharing some 'friend time' in the Big Empty after moving the herd to the trap.

This is one of my favorite 'captures' and I've been playing with it in my new photoshop program..........too fun!

I'm back...I was sick and then three of my horses needed a vet.......when it rains it floods....but I'm starting up the old Jeep and get some 'shootin' done again.......

Getting caught up...........

I finished up editing 3 photo projects in the last few days and rewarded myself with a movie night last night.........three movies in a row.  It was so fun to just kick back and laugh.  We love romantic comedies.
The big storm blew through yesterday/last night and today is calm and serene...... nice and green....my work is done outside .....and I'm on my way to the dentist to see if in fact I have TMJ and can find some relief or if I have a bad tooth, earache, whatever.  I'm not very patient day 3 of pain.....constant, unrelenting pain. 
Motrin is my best friend as of now!

Sweet, Funny, Wild, and Wonderful Moments in Time..........

Today I finished editing (and copying to DVDs) family portraits for one of our kids, and a child's portrait session for our good friends.  Gifts!  They were fun to take and I enjoyed cruising through and editing them.  Now they get to enjoy them!
Last week I sent off some of my favorite Western themed photography to Western Horseman magazine, and next week will do a Stallion promotion shoot.......if the rains stops for a few days.
And most fun of all.........I have grandkids with cameras who are as crazy about photography as I am!  Oh Yeah!!!!!

Rain equals green grass here in California.........

Well, we've apparently just ended a 7 year drought cuz it's been raining like crazy the last few months.  Other winters I remember wondering how we're going to make it with only a handfull of rains all winter.  It's raining as I write this.....been raining all day and all night so far.  Love the sound of rain on the roof.  Love the green grass growing everywhere you look.  It's gonna be a good year!

Bob's old boys........late 20's....served him well!

Might as well enjoy your work .........this is one good-natured cowboy!

Here's a little Springtime for you......it looks like it's going to be a looong winter.....

Kritters n' Kids...........they need each other......

I'm getting so excited for springtime.......planting my garden.....getting baby chicks.....

A couple of my favorite guys.....

Back at the Ranch.....

Well, after a week away from the ranch.....having a great time visiting with family in Utah......I had a big workday today trying to catch up.  Found a lost horse shoe, took care of the chickens, doctored Coop's eye, turned all the horses out that were in all week.....that was exciting.....lots of bucking and running, and slipping and sliding in the soggy pasture.  Mucked out the stalls, 'shed' out two of the horses, worked with the mustang ponies, played with my dog, loved on my cats, took lots of pics with my iPhone, cleaned up around the barn, made homemade soup, etc etc etc.  Showered much too late and now I'm wide awake after midnight :(
Oh, and as I'm not the 'best' with time management/scheduling......I also set up daily work schedules for horse training, roping, church work, and when I'm allowing myself to check my email :)  And that means I have to start going to bed much earlier!!!!!  Maybe I'll actually get to where I can wake up earlier and get to sleep earlier.  Wouldn't that be nice..............YES!!!!!!

Wanna hear the fun news!?!?!?!  Western Horseman has asked me to send them some of my ranch photography for consideration of being in the 2012 WH Calendar :)  Wahoooooooo!  Thanks WH for liking my work!!!!!

I've begun selecting the photography I'll send them.  Got lots of fun stuff :)

On the last leg of a week long trip

Had a lot of fun. Made great memories. Hugged and played with grandkids. Wish it wasn't over already but we'll go back soon. Tired of being in the car and will be so glad to get home.

Bloggin' from the road.....

I'm having a fun time traveling with my grandson Max. We're on our way to spend 2 days with 5 more grandkids here in Utah. Fun times!!!!!

A Boy and His Horse.......they needed each other.

Purely Delightful to See

Our grandson Max has always liked hanging out with me and Grandpa.  Sleepovers, breakfast at Bert's diner, stringing hot wire, sorting cattle, running errands, movies and pizza in front of the fire, etc.  But he's 13 now and he just got his very own horse.....keeps it at our ranch....and now he's learning to rope... and help his Grandpa do groundwork.  He's mighty handy, too.  He's picked everything up easily, listens to his grandpa well,, and gives it his all.
He's got himself a wicked sidearm too.....rarely misses the roping dummy.....astride his horse or on the ground.
Won't be long at all that he'll be roping live cattle.  Watch out!!! 

Two of My Favorite Guys

Roping practice today.  Max helped Grandpa do ground work....and he got it down pretty good, too.

He roped on Rex for a while.....on the dummy.  Got a wicked sidearm on him already!

Mackay

Mackay was one of five Ensign Ranch managers in Skull Valley, Utah.  The combined ranch holdings were several million acres.  A pasture consisted of several hundred thousand acres.  A days work consisted of gathering a 'pasture' before 11 am, having a tailgate lunch brought to us by the wives, and roping, branding, and doctoring the herd that was gathered.  Turn 'em back out.  Load horses, drive to the sorting pens and sort bulls till dark.  HUNDREDS of bulls.  Red Angus, Black Angus, Charlotte, and more.  HUNDREDS of bulls to cover THOUSANDS of cows.
The day started at dawn, the day ended at dusk.  Day after day.
We spent a week at the ranch helping.  Fun in the sun!  Fun in the saddle!  Fun in the dirt!  Fun photographing everything that went on........from the saddle, from the dirt, from the fence, or from a truck window.

The love of a child........

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
“Daddy, may I ask you a question?”
“Yeah, sure, what is it?” replied the man.
“Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?
“That’s none of your business! What makes you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.

“I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?” pleaded the little boy.
“If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy replied, head bowed. Looking up, he said, “Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?”

The father was furious. “If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. I work long, hard hours everyday and don’t have time for such childish games.”
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy’s questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00, and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.
“Are you asleep son?” he asked.
“No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.

“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here’s that $10.00 you asked for.”
The little boy sat straight up, beaming. “Oh, thank you daddy!” he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills.
The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man.

“Why did you want more money if you already had some?” the father grumbled.
“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied.

“Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?”

I'm excited to see the Californios Competition again in May......so love that event!

New baby chicks are on this ranch woman's mind today.........Sheldon Feed I'm a comin' soon!

What a fun way to spend an afternoon.....following a happy kid and her dog and photographing them :)

Little cowgirl!  She'll tell you that's what she is if you call her anything different.  She rides, trains cowpuppies, and swings a rope.  She's coming 5 years old soon!. 

This little lady reminds me of a poem I wrote a few years ago......

Pigtails, pony tails, or hair short and sweet

They're cowgirls in denim, with boots on their feet

A cowboy hat...baseball cap...ribbon or clip...

they dally up tight, and don't let their rope slip.....

(and so on and so forth)

              

Shannon burnin' some hair......

Okay, I was supposed to be reading.....and I'm going now.....but I came across this and I do love this image.....cuz I also love branding time.

Shannon Page doin' her daddy proud! 

Everyone should visit the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center (gallery) in Old Town Elk Grove

Spent part of the evening at the EGFAC gallery.  Love being a part of that place :)
Everyone is fun to work with and tonight was our 1st Friday event of the month.  So many people stopped in, it was great.
I chatted with a group of people who were enjoying my photography display.  They wanted to know where each of the ranches where, what went on there, etc.  It was fun to share the info with them.
Been a long day and I'm about to go read a good book now.
Good Night All!

EGGS.....the perfect food! Did you know that?

Tips about eggs:

• Eggs are best hard boiled when they're a week or older.....too fresh eggs don't separate from the shell well after boiling.
• Beat eggs ...add a tich of salt....and freeze portions in ice cube trays for scrambling and baking later.
• Store eggs small point down.
• To test eggs for freshness.......fill a pan with water and immerse eggs......fresh eggs will lie horizontal on the bottom, older eggs will 'list' upwards....large end poking towards the top.  Eggs that float need to be discarded.

A new year has begun and WSRRA rodeos will be held in states all over the West!!!!!

Here is an image I made from the WSRRA Finals in Winnemucca, NV in 2010.  What a fun time that was!  Looking forward to this year's rodeos and Finals.

Roo's feathers

I love to sit and watch Mr. Roo meandering around  the place......he's ART at it's finest.

Roo and The Girls

Every ranch needs a rooster and some hens.  They're delightful to have strutting around the place... scratching and nibbling, crowing and clucking, laying fresh eggs, providing a soothing and pleasing-to-the-eye living artscape!  If you've never owned chickens you just don't know what your missing!

What wonderful times.....fun times....rough times....unforgettable times...

‎60,000 acres and 180 head of cattle. For 15 years we helped our friends the Mahon's gather cattle here each fall before calving and big snows. Occasionaly, a calf would come before the herd was gathered, making it slow going and hard on the little fellas. We trailed some BIG mamas out of those mountains. Good times! Reminds me of the time Buck and Bob were in the middle the river 'fighting' with a mad mama who didn't want to go down the trail....Bob forgot his gun was on him :) Bad for the gun, good for the cow!

Happy Birthday Hubby

64 today......is he a good lookin' old cowboy.........er what !?!?!?! 

Look into a horse's eye......see his heart........

I have loved my journey in natural horsemanship and big loop roping.  I have always loved  horses and taken every opportunity throughout my lifetime to be astride a horse.  I love working cattle horseback, and roping calves for doctoring and branding. 
I apologize to all the horses in my past whom I jerked to a stop and kicked to go.  And I'm thankful to the great horsemen and women I've learned from in the last decade.  I'm also thankful to my little bay mare, Easy, who showed me natural horsemanship does work.....it can change a troubled and dangerous horse into a willing partner, a friend.  And I'm thankful to the other troubled horses I've brought home to become a part of our family... each one proving to me that caring hands, fair leadership, smiling while teaching, walking away when frustrated, asking and giving time to figure it out, and releasing to teach....are appreciated by the horse... once he understands. I'm thankful for the relationships that develop with that.
I'm so thankful for those who discovered these things and shared them with the world. 
You've all...human and horse....made my dream come true!

Our team did well at the AES Ranch Roping fund raiser last Saturday.....

Bob, TJ, Jonathan, and Dale

...riding Ace and Checkers...

GIRL TALK

2011 is Willow's year!  She's been a kept 'woman' long enough and I'm gonna turn her into a cow horse and have some fun with her. 

Willow works cattle from the other side of the fence .... she can't wait to get into the fray.

 She's push button with groundwork and natural horsemanship, in my back pocket, and ready for big girl play.

Starting my new blog off with sunshine and color .......come Follow me :)