Morgan River Ranch

Goodbye to the Cave

2012-02-16T15:22:00.001-08:00

It was time to say goodbye to the cave in the master bathroom. We'd redone the upstairs guest bathroom 4 years ago, now it was our turn. Being old and fat made it doubly difficult to get in and out of that tiny bath/shower combo, and with no light to speak of able to get into the cave, any shower after dark was an exercise in showering by Braille. Plus, the huge, pink cave literally appeared to eat all the space in the already tight quarters. So at the home show a few weeks ago, I saw and fell in love with a shower system by Bath Planet, and signed up for a free estimate. Sherry came out a week later, we talked over options, picked it all out, and a few weeks later, Adam and his crew arrived and started the project. Three days later, and just as Sherry had predicted, we were wondering why the heck we waited so long! Next, the ugly vanity/pink sink and the gawd-awful pink toliet are headed for the chopping block, along with the fronts of the two storage cabinets, about to get a make-over by local cabinet-making legend Jesse. The flooring will come first after the toliet and vanity are gone and the walls painted, and we've already found the perfect vanity/granite top/undermount sink combo along with matching mirror from Jerry's of course. And finally, the master bath will be done, almost 6 years after we first saw it and said, 'THAT'S gotta go'.

Can't say enough good about the whole Bath Planet team. From Sherry the salesgal to Adam the installer and including the plumber and electrician, everyone was friendly, professional and absolutely determined to make sure we were happy with the entire job from start to finish. Adam and his team were working with a 133 year old house with multiple updates, shoddy wiring and worse plumbing, walls, ceiling and floors out of plumb, and yet they never complained once, just made it all work. If you're in the market for a bathroom make-over, these are your guys. It may cost more than the one-day guys, but you'll get a bath that will last a lifetime and look as good the day you sell your home as the day it went in.

The cave, when we moved in

The cave, cut out and ready for the recycle heap

More cave pieces on the way out the door

With it all removed, it's already feeling like a breath of fresh air

New Pex piping, courtesy of Andrew, master plumber for Bath Planet

Old, crappy plumbing

And we said, 'let there be light', and there was - finally

New tub portion in place, with new walls properly installed and plumb

First acrylic panel goes up

Second panel up and Adam done for the day

On the home stretch. All panels up and hardware in

So much brighter, lighter and roomier!

Finished! Well, that part of it, anyway. Obviously, the flooring and trim and such is still to be done along with everything else

Spiffy trim and new Delta fixtures

Caddy and trim

Just wonderful!

Cody the Chick Magnet

2012-02-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

The only way I was going to get any shots of Cody (Hoke X Cricket 2010) was to fly all the way to Wisconsin and take 'em myself - so I did. Really, I went to visit my little bro Jim and my mom, but since Cody lives with Jim, it just worked out. I was quite taken with how nicely he's matured (Cody, not my brother); around 19"-20" and 50 pounds of muscle and goofiness, just about perfect. With his striking good looks, he stops traffic and attracts chicks like mad. Loves everyone, rarely barks (except at the neighbour dog, and then only when his running mate Ozzie the black Lab starts it) and is fantastic with the kids. Posing for the camera (with bro Stan running the camera) was a bit of a challenge, as to be expected from a dog who has never been taught to stand, but it only took a few minutes for him to get the idea. Took longer for Stan to figure out how to work the camera correctly! Enjoy the show!

With his running mate, Ozzie the black Lab

On the run

Jim is obviously the one who feeds them, while Stan watches the show

Ozzie is just a step-stool for Cody it appears. Gotta love the expression on her face

Such a great, masculine head - like a red merle Ho Dog, his great-uncle. Classic, old, original style Aussie

Remember, he's never had to stand for pictures before, so it's a bit new to him, and I'm totally NOT someone who can stack like a pro either (and then there was the whole Stan running the camera thing, but we've already made fun of him for that)

His topline is gorgeous, unlike what it looks like in this shot

Love that head!

With Christopher, doing the 'Aussie Lean'

And giving Jim a little love (and a lotta tongue)

Wisconsin Ho!

2012-02-16T13:19:00.001-08:00

So, Wisconsin in February. What the HECK were little bro Stan and I THINKING?!? Actually, the first two days, it was pretty nice, sunny and not below zero. But then things took a turn towards the dark side of a midwestern winter, with a day of blinding snow followed by nearly below (without the wind chill) zero temperatures. But, we had a nice time with Jim and his family, and got to see mom enjoy a good plate of seafood at Salty's, a Fond du Lac institution and one of her fave eateries, and ride along with Jim as he plowed parking lots. Sure was good to get back home to the rain tho!

A snow ridge piles up on mom's front porch. Stan, my weenie little brother from balmy California, bundled to the hilt and STILL freezing his butt of, didn't want to do more than take a few pix and run for the heater. Me, in just a hoodie, wanted to have a snowball fight. However, the snow was very dry and powdery, definitely NOT snowball material, lucky for Stan

Me and my hoodie, mom's front yard

Stan. He's actually frozen in place. Had to go get Jim's skidsteer to haul him back to the house to thaw

Stan, wondering were the heck the driveway plower was. You can see how hard the wind was whipping by the snow tornado behind him by mom's garage

Here come da plow!

Tell me THAT'S something you want to see in your rearview mirror! A coupla tons of F-450 and a monster plow get the job done effortlessly, especially seeing as how in spite of the thousands of dollars both my mom and Jim pay in property taxes, her street only gets plowed when Jim comes over to see her

And this is how they barbeque in Fond du Lac in February. First, remove a foot or so of snow from the barbeque, then toss on the meat. Jim's got it down to a science - he lights the 'que and Vonnie cooks the steaks while he sits in the warm, cozy house with a glass of wine

Jim clears mom's driveway with the cute little skidsteer

Stan, the day before it snowed, enjoying much warmer temps and little bit of leftover snow

Stan messes with Jim, trying to hook up the trailer to the F-450 with his camera. Notice how much snow there ISN'T out there, the day before the big snowstorm hit

Bro in law's place, loading up the mini to bring home

Mini, loaded and ready to roll

Stan supervises the loading of the mini

Just Plane Pictures

2012-02-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

Nope, not a typo. Pictures from the plane, taken on my way back to Wisconsin last week to see mom and little bro Jim. Mostly I was just taken with the textures and colours seen from 35,000 feet. These were all taken with my little 10 year old Canon ELPH. Enjoy!

Rivers from the air are so cool

This was totally awesome - a shadow of our plane, on the clouds below, inside a rainbow circle

Mt. Saint Helens, closest to wing, and I think Rainier in the distance

Mt. Saint Helens

Two mountains, might be Rainier closest, but maybe not. Couldn't hear a word the pilot was saying

To the left of the black thread of a river is a bunch of very cool looking circle sort of things, kind of like crop circles in wheat fields, only on snow. I think this was either eastern Washington/Oregon, western Idaho or maybe the Dakotas. Could have been Wyoming too. Still couldn't hear a thing the pilot was saying

It's all about textures and colours with me and cameras

Now that's what I call a dividing line between the haves (snow haves) and have nots

When you click on this one, you'll see the black thread of a river that tapers off to the right into white

Rebuilding the Loading Area - Again

2012-02-05T20:51:00.001-08:00

Some day, we'll get it exactly right, exactly the way we want it. We took down the big Lifetime gate on the north end of the feederbunks, re-routed the electric wire on the centre fenceline, added two more 2"X12"'s, took the bow gate from Pony's area and installed it where the old gate was and then where the rest of the old gate was, added a movable Preifert panel. Makes it easier for people to go in and out of the bunks without getting zapped by the electric wire, removes a rather flimsy gate that had already been bent by a cow and replaced and the new one also got bent by a cow, and gave us another way to crowd cows into the loading chute that is way stronger than a puny human jumping up and down and waving arms in front of them, trying to prevent an end-run around them. There is still somewhat of an issue with the panel used to block the entrance to the actual loading chute when it's not in use, but Dale the engineer will figure it out to his satisfaction eventually. In the meantime, it is usable and better than it was. For now, anyway.

Old gate removed, new wood up on centre fenceline (to the left side of the pix) and new bow gate from Pony's pasture enroute to its new location

Completed project on a fine day for doing outside projects. From here, Dale jumped on Big Orange and harrowed the maternity pasture, a vast improvement and something that usually has to wait for mid-summer to be done due to the soggy ground. But a few sunny, dry days and things firmed right up. We'll do more tomorrow in the north pasture and maybe even spin some pasture mix on it

Spa Day for the Girls

2012-02-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it wasn't a really swanky spa like the Golden Door down in San Diego County. But it was time for their mani-pedi's and special elixir - Ivermectin, a dewormer - so Ho Dog and I put 'em in the lambing pen in the big silver barn and locked the door to stop any non-paying customers from escaping. The 6 mother ewes are due to lamb starting around the end of the month, and the four yearling ewes (and Big Mike, the wether) needed to learn the routine. When the mud settled, everyone had freshly trimmed hooves, a dose of the good stuff, and an orange butt (so we could tell who'd been done and who hadn't). Dale was my catcher, and a good one he is. Behind the sheep in the first shot you'll see a blue thing that appears to be leaning up against the front of the pen. The second shot is of the set up. This device is known as a deck chair or sheep cradle, and if you are poor like us and can't afford a tilt-table, this is the next best thing. Dale catches a sheep, walks her over to the chair, faces her butt towards the bottom of it and simply pushes her backwards so she is lying on her back in the cradle. Then I go in and start trimming hooves and getting kicked, bruised and bloodied. Dale gets kicked too, but not usually as hard or as much as I do. I really need to learn to pay closer attention. Then a dose of Ivermectin via big syringe down the throat, quick check of teats, udders and other girl parts involved in the lambing process, and Dale pulls her up and back on her feet and she's off. Then we start the whole process again for the next one. Twyla, my best ewe, knows the routine well and was of course good as gold, lying quietly and then simply walking away afterwards. The four little girls fought vainly but valiantly, and Big Mike was simply a huge, uncooperative mass of hair and hooves until he got flipped into the chair, but trying to GET probably 150 pounds of rowdy two year old wether into something he doesn't want to get into really tuckered us out. But finally the job was done and I opened the Judas door to let everyone out, where they promptly went back to grazing in the somewhat warm sunshine on a fine, rare Western Oregon winter's day.

Wondering why the door is shut and not liking it

The sheep chair, with wormer, syringe, blood stop powder (more for me than them), trimmers and orange spray paint for the butts

Blue Sky Rainbow

2012-02-05T20:29:00.000-08:00

You will definitely have to click on this one. A rare, blue sky rainbow to the west of the ranch on the first of February. I watched it for a bit too long; by the time I ran and got the camera, it was fading fast. But if you look closely, you can just see it starting from the left side of the pix and going up. It was much brighter just seconds earlier, but it was just so cool I couldn't stop looking at it to go get the camera. And yes - blue skies in Western Oregon on the first of February? Strange days indeed.

Jump Riley Jump!

2012-02-03T18:13:00.001-08:00

A fine shot of youngster Riley practicing his agility jumps, taken by co-owner Anna H. Isn't that boy a seriously dark shade of red!

Bullish Babysitter

2012-02-03T18:10:00.001-08:00

Tali (JB Prized X JB Ruffian) babysits his two daughters, one purebred Murray Grey, one black baldy out of Rosie (red baldy). The black MG baby girl is Vicky Cristina's full sister, and the first black calf Tali has produced out of Nellie, who is a silver MG. Contrary to what it would seem, mature bulls love hangin' out with the calves, theirs or not, and the calves seem to really enjoy the company of the big guys. Roar used to play with his kids, before he got too old for such childish pursuits.

Bellfountain Game Feed 2012

2012-01-30T14:24:00.001-08:00

The annual (no one seems to remember how many have been held, possibly between 4-7) Bellfountain Game Feed, as usual expertly coordinated and put on by Romella and her crew of merry kids, was held last night at the historic Bellfountain School. Pastor Greg was the emcee for the evening and the offical duck caller (you'll have to attend once to find out what that is all about). Our featured speaker last year was Bob Welch, a local newspaper columnist for the Register-Guard (Eugene); this year, it was hunting legend Scotty B, friend and neighbour. Scotty shot the world's record Rooseveldt elk (http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRecords/WorldRecordsDetail.asp?area=bgRecords&type=ELK) just a few miles away in 2002. 'Brutus', as he's known around these parts, stands proud and tall at the new Cabela's in Springfield, and this was the first year that he hasn't been the star attraction at the Feed. He's engaged there for a 10 year appearance, so if you're going by the Gateway Mall right off the I-5, do take the time to stop in and see Brutus in the Cabela's.

The food tables were groaning with this past year's hunting harvest, and as usual, it was all outstanding. The idea is to showcase local hunters young and old and how to sustainably harvest meat from the wild while remaining staunch stewards of the same. After Scotty's talk, the microphone was passed along to everyone who took their first game last season. Several daughters of local hunters got to tell their stories with their proud parents lending encouragement and support. One young lady, the little sister of another young lady with her first kill also, was about 8 years old and was too shy to tell her story so her dad told it for her. It's a wonderful tradition being passed along out here, father to daughter and son, and it's not just about making the kill. It's about woodcraft, caring for the environment and all the inhabitants of the wilderness hereabouts, knowing when to take the shot safely and when to pass, how to walk the trails of game in safety and watching out for your hunting partners. How to use as much of the kill as possible with as little waste as possible. Very valuable lessons for youngsters to learn early in life from teachers who also learned those same lessons at the same age.

There was also a gun/bow room set up with hunting guns and bows and other hunting equipment as well as mounts from local hunters. Dale had two tables, one with his prized Cooper and his first handmade, custom .243 as well as a table displaying his collection of 62A's from all different years. His buddy Steve had his tables full of his Ruger #1's in different calibres. There were tables of Indian artifacts from local Northwest tribes and a fully functional (including a live hornet!) tree stand.

It was a great evening full of friends and great food, and this year we had over 100 people - a new record! We always look forward to this once a year event, and maybe next year, instead of just bringing my locally famous beer bread, we'll have some game of our own to share.

Enjoy the slideshow!

Enjoying fine food and conversation, country-style

Trent and I converse with Marissa and Shane (out of sight to Marissa's right)

This is one of Scotty's more recent kills. This momma cougar had killed his daughter's prized 4-H goat and was trying to drag it over the fence, but when she saw Scotty, she decided that a big guy might be a better meal than a little goat. Her mistake, and her last one. She starred in last year's Feed, in a delectable lemon-pepper sauce

The food table, with Greg's wife Corinne making sure it's all perfect and ready for the hungry horde

Scotty (orange hat at podium) tells the rapt audience of the hunt that took down Brutus, the world record Rooseveldt elk. As you see, this wasn't a fancy dress ball out here

Dale and his buddy (another Rooseveldt elk) with his gun display. I think that's Denny with his back to the camera

The gun/bow room

Denny's bow display

Dale's 62A display

Steve stands with his display of Ruger #1's

Dale and his pal

The custom Cooper (rear) and Dale's handmade custom .243

Frosty Foggy Morning

2012-01-29T14:55:00.001-08:00

Some just gorgeous shots of yesterday morn, right after getting back from the 24 degree packwalk, and one shot of the previous day's set up for that right chilly start

The set up, Friday afternoon. Note the time and temp, and no, this isn't the midwest or northeast or even eastern Oregon - it's WESTERN Oregon! This was as warm as it got

Saturday morning, looking south at the centre fenceline of the north pasture

The dancing mist

Website Updated

2012-01-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

I finally did a little updating, especially on the Litters page, on the ol' website (www.morganriver.com). Of course, IF I had some better, more recent pix of the Hoke X Cricket kids, there'd be a better update going up, but hey, got a few good shots of the kids up for you to take a gander at.

So, how many of you remember who THIS is, eh? Can you believe this Aussie would have been 22 years old this February?

A River (Shouldn't) Run Thru It

2012-01-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Winter made a comeback this week, and I don't just mean the snow part. As of this evening, we've had nearly 6" of rain since Tuesday afternoon when it all started. The temps rose, the snow melted, the rain came down in buckets, and by this afternoon, all the local rivers were almost at, at or above flood stage. Florence (on the coast) had evacuation orders as did parts of east Springfield (Eugene area) along the Mohawk River and Philomath (west of Corvallis, north of us) where the Mary's River reached an all time historic high. For us, it was minor stuff; a lot of runoff shooting thru the pastures, a few ponds, a bit of the big silver barn roof trying to depart and some muddy cows, sheep, goat and horse. The ducks were happy; the hens and cats, well, not happy, I'm sorry to report. The dogs have been in the house except for the morning packwalk, potty breaks and feeding time. One of our neighbour's house flooded (picture below), and all of the Nusbaum's pastures are lakes. Dawson Road was flooded east of us down the hill for a time this afternoon from the Nusbaum's pastures draining over it because the ditches were full to overflowing. Oliver Creek to our south was at the bottom of the bridge and Don's pasture was a lake that flowed over Foster Road. Reese Creek was near the bottom of it's bridge on Dawson as well, and the Long Tom River in Monroe was over the top. Now, there is a reason we chose NOT to live on a creek or river. This is the worst flooding in decades; the last big floods were the '95 floods that did devastating damage all up and down the Willamette Valley, from Portland to Roseburg. Don and I took a drive out Old River Road east of us, in the valley, a while back, and he pointed out where the river had gone wild, and where on the various homes along that road the water had reached up to - some were submerged up to the windows.

We are getting a little break in the action, but more heavy rain is expected the next several days, possibly out to next weekend. Right now some of those flooding rivers will get the chance to go down a bit, but any more rain like the past few days, and they'll be right back up again.

There is something to be said for being up high on a hill, believe me!

Temperature going up (love that temperature graph!) and the rain comin' down. That rainfall amount is from about 2 pm when it really started

Tuesday mid afternoon. Snow starting to really melt now, as it's lightly raining

Dale's insulation job on the one side of the garage/shop held its snow load very nicely compared to the uninsulated roof of the other side

This morning, looking SE at the Nusbaum's pastures/hay fields. That's all water, as far as you can see, where there shouldn't be any

Looking east down Dawson Road. The water had receeded quite a bit by this time. The Nusbaum's pastures are to the left, and the furtherest one you can barely see is almost completely under water

The corner of the barn trying to escape. Dale came out with portable drill and screws and put it back together again. Turned out that it had no screws in it at all, which makes it a wonder it lasted as long as it did

A perfect shot of a perfect rainbow (and some of our ponds in the pasture)

Don's new lake in his north pasture

Looking south on Foster Road towards Don's place. This water was quite deep and really moving across the road

Sybil poses at the corner of Don's flooded pasture. Given the opportunity, she would have gone swimming, however I didn't want to have to give her a bath, so she had to stay on (semi) dry land

This is Don's pasture north of Oliver Creek. That's part of Oliver Creek left of the fenceline. Normally, it would be well to the left and not visible from here

This was a cool shot of the muddy, swirling waters of Oliver Creek where it met the stagnant water from the pasture and ditch. It flowed like this while we stood and watched - muddy on one side, relatively clear on the other

Headed east on Dawson. Nusbaum's pasture to the left

Nusbaum's new lake to the left

Neighbour's flooded home

Mark, this is the house that was a foreclosure, next door to the flooded house. The water only reached the garage portion. Now, aren't you glad you didn't buy it after all?

Nusbaum's new lake. Not sure that fence will do much to keep the fish in/out

Back to Oliver Creek again (I switched cameras). It's normal course is to the left of the trees that are to the left of the fence

Looking east up Oliver Creek from the bridge. Normally, you wouldn't be able to see the water at all from this point unless you looked way up the creek. I'm estimating it's a good 15' or more above where it normally runs

Don's pasture, house and barns

Snow Doggy Sybil

2012-01-16T14:30:00.001-08:00

A truly beautiful shot of Sybil in the snow in the south pasture

Yes, More Snow Pix

2012-01-16T13:57:00.001-08:00

A good overnight snowfall, plus some sunny breaks, plus a bunch of dogs having the time of their lives, plus the son of a good friend doing some snowboarding in the south pasture equals a LOT more pictures. Enjoy the slideshow!

Sunrise. Romella stopped by on her way out with little dog Tango for a five miler and remarked that it just 'looked like a postcard' out here. We get that a lot

Looking west towards Green Peak (just visible over the trees in left centre) just before sunrise, when everything was so hushed and still and quiet and the dog pack had not yet left their marks all over the pristine blanket of while powder on the ground

Nearly the same shot a little bit later when the sun broke thru the clouds. I thought it was a neat comparison shot

Don't ask me. I just thought it was a cool shot

The same Christmas tree field that the helicopter shots were taken just a few months ago. Now that's what I call natural flocking on the remaining trees

On Park Road, headed back to the ranch. Cricket, foreground; Sybil and Gem the BC up ahead; Hoke, well, somewhere out of sight as usual

This ancient Oregon white oak just screams 'take my picture' every time it snows. There just simply isn't a bad shot on the ranch. Just bad photographers and cameras

Ah yes. The unopened bottle of Vino Noceto Frivolo on the wine cooler. Just love that label, don't you?

Looking SW from the dog run - a gorgeous series of shots with the sky and snow and trees

Panning to the south

And the oaks and lone Doug fir (and a coupla madrones) to the SE

Yup, tryin' to be all artsy again. The black walnut in the dog run against the sky

The power departed around 0745, with an estimated return time of around 11ish. At 28 degrees, Dale needed his pellet stove AND coffee maker, not at 11, but right now. Plus, without power, the well doesn't do a whole lot for the water situation in the house or for the livestock. When Jason of 360 Electric in Harrisburg rewired the garage/shop last summer Dale had him install a switched outlet so that in the event of a prolonged power failure (very rare out here), we could plus the genset into the outlet and power at least the well and freezer (actually, the entire garage/shop, but those most importantly). This is the first real actual useage of the switch and genset, and it worked perfectly. Dale ran an extension cord to the house, plugged in the pellet stove and coffee maker, and we were back in business. The power returned around 10ish

Looking east towards Bellfountain, and three snow doggies - Gem the BC, Sybil and Hoke's butt

LeeLu (dun) and Vicky Cristina head for the barn. They tend to think that food will magically appear in the bunks if they just visit often enough

Looking NW from the snowboard run in the south pasture. Another postcard shot

The Legacy Oregon white oak in the south pasture. Another totally photogenic tree, very dramatic

Northwest Standoff. Sybil eyes Pony and his gang in the south pasture. She appears to have forgotten that she's on ski patrol while Charley is out snowboarding

Pony and his gang of sheep and goat

Saddlebred in the Snow. Goat way off to the left side of the pix, neatly blending in with the scenary

The Legacy Oregon white oak

Another postcard shot, complete with snow doggy Sybil

A neat shot of the homestead from the north pasture

Morgan River Ranch & Snowboard Resort

2012-01-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

Romella's son Charley came over to get a little practice on our bunny hill before heading over to Willamette Pass later in the week. Dale was happy to provide free lift service via the putt-putt, and Sybil played a role as ski patrol for him. More or less, anyway.

Ready for a second run

Too bad the scenery's so blah on the run

Ski patrol, makin' sure everyone including the lift operator is stayin' safe. I actually think she's just eating some snow right there

Ski patrol and ski lift. And it's all free, plus no lines, no waiting

Ski patrol Sybil checks out Charlie, making sure he's okay for his 5th run. She was very good; she's never met Charley before, and there he was, wearing this big ol' board strapped to his feet and going down the hill in a weird manner, and she never batted an eye

More Snow Shots

2012-01-15T21:45:00.001-08:00

You knew there'd be more, didn't you. Admit it. And yes, it is still snowing; since the sun went down, it's snowed quite a bit more, and we still have heavy snowshowers passing by from time to time. Could be quite a picture tomorrow morn. Glad it's not a school day and the bus has to try and make it up our hill on Dawson; can't wait for the first log trucks to attempt it in the morning.

The Jellybean in Winter. By the time Dale was ready to put it back in the garage, it had so much snow on it I had to back it out while he brushed mounds of snow off. And as fast as he brushed it off, it was falling back on it

Sybil gains a whole lot more white spots. I think she may be a harlequin merle, actually

Snow cows like hungry cows. The gang awaits dinner outside the feederbunk in a heavy snowshower

My gate shot of Ho Dog. I think it's time for a new camera. Dale saw the previous shots and agreed. One that can at least try to focus from time to time

From the front deck, looking NE. It just looked really neat in real life

First Snow of 2012

2012-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

The weather guessers were right! Okay, so it was more of a very heavy frost than several inches of snow, but right now, at 1315 in the afternoon, another heavy snowburst has been falling for about 15 minutes, and everything that wasn't white is now. The packwalk was fun - lots of good photo ops, and then a heavy snowshower at the end, and not so cold that you froze half to death. But one thing about walking in a heavy snowshower - glasses are zero help. Goggles would have been the eyewear of choice. I not only kept having to clear the snow from the glass but snowflakes kept hitting me in the eye. Still, it was fun and funny to watch Sybil trying to snatch snowflakes out of the air.

More snow predicted for the next few days - should be interesting, as well as quite pretty.

Morning, looking west towards Green Peak

On Park Road, headed west. The girls cavorting in the fresh powder in the remains of the Christmas tree field

Sybil, full blast, with momma Cricket right there, and Gem the BC observing from a safe distance

No other speed other than full blast for the puppy Sybil. Gem and Cricket follow at a much more sedate pace

Sybil (back to camera) and momma Cricket get it on while the ref, Gem, watches (and waits for an opening, actually)

Sure wish this shot of Sybil had been in focus - very cool

It had just started a heavy snowshower as we were headed east on Dawson back to the ranch. I didn't know I'd caught Cricket's nose with a blob of snow on it until I downloaded the pix. That's Hoke on the left, Gem the BC next to him, and Cricket's snowy nose. The dogs were totally lovin' it

Approaching the ranch going east on Dawson during the heavy snowshower

Really comin' down now. The old red barn and the garage/shop

The ol' homestead sure looks all happy and sparkly in the snow!

Frosty Frivolo

2012-01-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, my pal Bonnie and I were yakking on the phone, and our second fave subject, after cows of course, came up. That subject was wine, and how she was too pooped to pop a cork that night. I smugly replied that since it was 34 degrees out, I had the remains of the bottle of Vino Noceto Frivolo chillin' on the wine cooler (the little bistro table on the deck). She joked that I better not forget about it, as it would be frozen solid by morn since temps were due to hit the low 20's. I said there wasn't any way **I** would ever forget to drink a fine, chilled Frivolo, that's for sure. And of course, I did, and the next morning, you see the resulting frosty bottle. Good alcohol content tho - didn't even get a skim of ice on the contents, and I just left it where it was until that evening. It sure was good and chilled by then.

We're being told to expect several inches of snow the next few days. Doubt it'll happen, but everyone's pretty excited, because it's forecast even for the valley floor below us. We don't get a lot of snow, not normally, but a few days of it over the course of a winter is not unheard of. Last time it snowed was February 24, when Misty calved her twins, and that was the only day it snowed last winter. The previous winter - not a single day. And as dry as it's been (for us) this winter, no telling what can happen. It's been quite cold - low 20's most mornings, and barely into the 30's during the day mostly - well below average for us this time of year. That didn't stop me from going out the one good day last week when temps hit the low 40's and doing some gardening - cleaning up a bit, getting the lettuce, radish and peas in the ground, and seeding flats of broccoli, cauliflower and some flowers. Some of the broccoli is already up on the heat mat in the dairy barn garage, and my gardening buddy Jan brought over a delightful, small, all in one indoor table greenhouse (clear cover and heated base) so I can get some of the more delicate flowers started much earlier than usual.

You can bet that if it does snow, we're not only prepared, but there will be pictures. Stay tuned!

Can't Get Enough Henry

2012-01-09T21:41:00.001-08:00

Never too much Henry. At least SOME of my puppy people send me pictures! There's also a great video, but for some reason, can't seem to get it to load here. May post it on the website, think I can get it to work there.

Yes, it's owner Guy conducting a bovine quartet apparently. Henry sets one of the players straight in the right direction, paying no mind to Conductor Guy

I SO recognize that look, momma Cricket!

Wine Cooler

2012-01-07T12:03:00.001-08:00

How to chill the bottle of dinner wine (a fine Bethel Heights Estate Grown Pinot Noir 2007) the 'green' way. No electricty-gobblin', CFC-spewing, overpriced, foreign-made wine cooler here. Just temps in the 30's, a small bistro table and the fresh, rainwashed air. Works quite well, actually, especially as the level in the bottle goes down.

Move 'Em Out Henry

2012-01-01T15:32:00.001-08:00

Henry, with owner Guy and his daughter Katie, movin' some beef at Tom's place in Ramona

Genetics Lesson

2012-01-01T15:22:00.001-08:00

Testing is still going on to isolate the actual CCH-1 gene in Aussies, but here is an example of three generations of the same bloodline expressing the CCH-1 (Comfy Couch Hound) gene. The ol' man, Ho Dog; niece Cricket; Cricket's daughter Sybil on a freezing cold night.

Sunny New Year

2012-01-01T15:20:00.001-08:00

Cows, sheep, goat and horse enjoy a rare sunny New Year's afternoon in Western Oregon, at a whopping 42 degrees at 3 pm

Cricket the Shameless

2011-12-26T14:59:00.001-08:00

Cricket, shamelessly reminding us that yes, tragedy occurs but yes, life for the living just keeps on keeping on. And, catch a nap whenever or wherever you can; that's what's important, at least to her

Meet The Paws'

2011-12-26T14:56:00.001-08:00

Don, his son Darryl and Darryl's daughter Dawn-Marie stopped by late Xmas eve afternoon with Jan to show off her awful cute Mrs. Santa outfit. So uncle Ho got into his traditional Santa Paws outfit, which he'd been wearing quite a bit the past week, and joined her for a quick coupla snaps

Dramatic Dawn

2011-12-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

While we were waiting for it to become light enough to continue our search for Gizmo, the dramatic dawn sky on Christmas eve was worth trying to capture.

In Memorium

2011-12-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

Boni Cal's Sunrunner Deluxe CGC

Gizmo

22 May 1997 - 23 December 2011

It was over in seconds. A moment in time, a small white dog in the dark, a silent rush of giant dark wings and then he was gone forever. Our usual routine, the late evening potty break, turned tragic Friday night when a Great Horned owl swept Gizmo away. Not a trace remained. Dale and I searched that freezing night for hours, both on foot and in the car, and then searched again in the morning light but found nothing at all to show that the feisty old Papillon ever was. The pain of losing him in such a way is immeasurable. From normal, mundane routine to horrifying reality in just a few moments is beyond heartbreaking. He had his moments; surviving two vicious dog attacks including one just a few months ago; a horrifying coyote attack in 2002; the rattlesnake bite that nearly killed him in 2004; breaking his back in 2007; and the arrival of Sybil in 2010, the world's most annoying puppy. He simply ran out of lives, like a cat, on Friday night. He was a pain the butt; he was cuddly when HE wanted to be; he hated to be combed with a passion but endured it grumpily; for nearly 15 years we begged him to eat SOMETHING other than people food and treats (he weighed barely 7 pounds); he ruled the dog household with an iron paw in spite of being outweighed about 8 to 1. He was a fave at San Diego's Children's Hospital, where he and Jazzee would make visits weekly. He would stand in front of 2200 pounds of beef and bark his head off until Roar moved away (either because he was annoyed by the barking or because he found something better to do, like eat), then give him a "take THAT!" bark to show that Roar better take note of who the boss was around this ranch. In his later years, his hearing was pretty well gone and lately he was having trouble seeing at night, but he'd still do laps around the house almost daily like he was a 3 year old. He was starting to have a little trouble jumping up on the couch; either because it was 3 times his height or he just started having trouble spotting his landing zone. But he was always there, on his day couch or his bedtime couch, snoozing comfortably until one of the dogs would breathe his oxygen, then he'd get mad and let them know it. His whole life was lived like he was the one in charge and he made darn sure everyone and everything knew it.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. I keep looking out the window or from the deck at the spot where I last saw him, thinking that he'll be there waiting for me to walk over and remind him which way the house was. Late Friday night into Saturday early morning, I kept standing outside, listening with all my might to the roaring silence, hoping to hear even a faint cry, the rustle of leaves, his indignent "you forgot to let me in!" bark. But there were just the cold, cold stars and silence. The couches are empty; no little white bundle snuggled deep into the fleecy covers. I try not to think about what his last moments were like; they are too horrifying to contemplate. I pray God that it was mercifully quick. He didn't deserve this.

Rest easy, little man. Say hi to the whole gang for us. Your stocking is still hanging with everyone else'. Just in case you find your way home. We'll be waiting.

One of my fave pix, 13 years old and full of himself

His fave spot on the bedtime couch. I know it's a summer shot because his fleecy cover isn't on it

I always took his birthday pix in front of my fave rhodie. This is his 12th birthday

Posing with some tulips and Flat Stanley from Idaho last spring

The 2004 snakebite incident. That bruised looking area on his throat and chest and the reddish colour of the whites of his eyes is all pooled blood that was leaking from his veins and arteries. It took 4 units of blood and 2 units of antivenin to save his life

Annoyed at the snow, probably 2010

'Waterskiing' behind Morgan and Jazzee, Encinitas California, 1998. This little dynamo wasn't afraid of ANYTHING

December, 1997, showing Sherman the puppy who the boss was, just because he could and he was 7 months old while Sherman was about 7 weeks old

His first cuddle bed. 5 months old, October 1997, Poway California

Shasta Hits the Trail

2011-12-18T21:48:00.000-08:00

A lovely shot of Ho's daughter, Shasta, at Chamise Trail in northern California. I do believe that is her namesake mountain in the background. Many thanks to owner Diane for this pix!

Jag Remembered

2011-12-13T21:51:00.001-08:00

Trish, who lost her beloved Jagster in July, sent along this shot. She had an ornament made by Costco to remember her boy on her first Christmas in 11 years without him. He loved Christmas, Jag did.

Mug Shot

2011-12-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

This looked like it would be a good shot - until I downloaded it. The boys, after the morning feed, were sitting against the wall in the dog run enjoying a little sunshine. But what ended up on the camera appeared to be two grumpy old men, complaining about their gout and wondering where the guy with the coffee was. Ho Dog and Hoke, 11.5 and 8.5 years old, on a fine but cold late fall morning.

One Fine Day

2011-12-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, magically and without any warning, we awoke after weeks of foggy grey frozen skies to this wonderful sight - blue skies and not a cloud in sight. Still frozen, yes. Packwalk went off at 29 degrees yesterday, 24 degrees today. But we did make it to 40 yesterday, first time into the 40's in weeks. Today, no, not quite, 37 was as far as it made it, but up here, we cherish days like yesterday and today like no one else on earth, due to their rarity this time of year. Yes, we're way behind (for us) on rain, with zero measurable precip in the past 19 days, not quite a record but close. But you won't hear anyone complaining. Not with skies that colour to look at all day long. Nope, no complaints here.

Looking north, towards Bellfountain Park, from the driveway. The trees, green grass and blue skies just stunning

The old red barn postively glows

Seemed like a good shot at the time. One of the ancient oaks by the dog run. It looked really a lot cooler than it turned out

Izzy at 3 Months

2011-12-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

Little chunkwagon Izzy pauses a moment to show off her lovely fringe below and her daddy's tiny ears. This is the first Roar X Ruffie baby to have daddy's ears, not momma's big ol' fuzzy ones.

Ducks on Ice

2011-12-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

Not the Ducks, as in the UO footballers headed to the Rose Bowl again, but the ducks, as in quacking, feather-covered poop machines. They can't wait for me to break up the ice on their 'pond' in the mornings so they can go have some fun. You gotta figure that's mighty cold; you can see the chunks of ice behind the pool that I've just knocked out of that water. Doesn't seem to bother them at all, does it?

Red Dog, Green Grass

2011-12-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

The ol' man, Ho Dog, enjoying a frosty but sunny morning for the first time in weeks. The contrast in colour between him and the grass was quite striking

A Vivid Lesson on Heat Loss

2011-12-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

Dale started the final leg of the garage/shop insulation project by getting the first section of the well/Viper/bike side roof done. Very clear in this picture exactly how far he's gotten. Heat loss is very evident by the section of roof nearly clear of frost. That side of the garage/shop actually has a small heater to keep the car, bikes and most importantly the well and water conditioner above freezing. There is a wall and door between that side and the totally unheated side as you can quite clearly see in the picture. Oh, and just ignore the hounds pretending to be frozen there - baby Sybil and momma Cricket were quite warm, having just come out of the house where they'd been lying in front of the pellet stove. It was 21 degrees in this shot.

Thawing Beef Safely

2011-12-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

Safest way I know to thaw beef. Temperatures finally nudged above freezing a few days ago for a brief moment, and the cows reacted accordingly, especially Izzy the baby, nuzzled up alongside her best pal and half sister Dawn, flat out and soaking up as much hazy sunlight as she could.

Flocked by Nature

2011-12-07T22:06:00.001-08:00

A sultry 29 degrees this morning, but oddly, the only frost was on the trees. None on the roof or the ground at all, altho the deck was a mite slick. The pictures just don't do it justice - it was like a fairyland of icy trees. We did finally get above freezing for the first time in several days - a whopping 38 was the top of the thermometer this afternoon, but it sure felt a lot colder. But, at least no fog this morning - the packwalk was brisk but visible, just the way we like it.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T22:03:00.001-08:00

We normally have the tree up and the house decorated the day after Thanksgiving, but this year, between the weather turning on us and the extremely large, obsolete television set that occupied a full 1/3 of the library until we hauled it to the recycler, we didn't finish until this evening. Now to get them boxes back out to the garage, a chore for another, hopefully a bit warmer, day.

What Chicken?

2011-12-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with the Nikon point and shoot (the one that takes really bad pictures) in the barn this morning at feeding time, and took a coupla shots of Cricket. She'd found two of her hens, and was determined to find the missing Silver Laced Wyandotte. Anyone out there that could maybe help her out a bit? I know the pix are way out of focus - normal for this camera - but when I put 'em up on the screen, I just had to laugh and post 'em anyway.

Gone to the Dogs

2011-12-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

It's a dog sleep on dog world up here. Just ask Gem the BC, with Sybil the pup making herself comfortable on Gem's butt, while the ol' man and Cricket snooze on the other end. Hoke decided there just wasn't enough room for his manly self up there and went and sulked behind Dale's chair.

The Old Ones

2011-12-07T19:20:00.001-08:00

The last two HOF Jack X Jazzee kids, Sherman and Catera, got together the other day for a reunion. Shermie's pretty deaf now at 14, but Catera hears just fine, especially when there's a food wrapper involved. Kris (who owns both Catera and Catera's great grandson Henry) said that the two of them were like two cranky 90 year olds looking for the buffet line. I'll bet it was every bit that hysterical.

Laura, owner of Sherman, with Sherman and Catera

Catera leads Sherman on a little tour of the yard

Guy, Kris' hubby, with Sherman and Catera

For My SoCal Pals

2011-12-06T11:22:00.001-08:00

See what you're missing?

The start of the morning packwalk. A bit brisk

His poor little frozen froggy heart is broken it appears

On Park Road, looking west towards Green Peak (out of sight to the right, behind the big stand of reprod Dougs), with the sun just starting to paint some of the trees

You think this shot is pretty cool, you should have seen it in real life! Looking south, that's Don's property with son Shorty's house there and Don's out-pasture feeding barn back in the pasture a bit

And it just got better and better, with the light streaming thru the trees

One of the calendulas, a tad frost-bitten

Looks more like a cactus here

When we got back from the packwalk, it was really starting to heat up out there

Sybil's inner puppy comes out. Playing with a hunk of ice from the water tank. Always a fun time, chunkin' ice out of 4 stock tanks, the dog tank and the barn critter's tank

The big silver barn with its ghostly entourage of trees

Furry rocks at the pasture gate

And the obligatory spider web shot

Frozen Beef

2011-12-06T11:18:00.001-08:00

At 24 degrees, it's not necessary to have an actual freezer

Baby Boy (Roar) waits patiently for the gate to open to the feeder bunks, while Vicky Cristina gets in a good scratching

I love the ghostly trees in the background of this shot

Yep, chawin' on a straw, waitin' fer breakfast

Baby Izzy, with her cute tu-tu around her belly and a little frost on her back

Morning Chill

2011-12-03T19:54:00.001-08:00

A 25 degree sunrise at the ranch. The dogs were more than ready for the morning packwalk at that temperature; Dale, well, not as much but once we got moving, he was okay with freezing his butt off. A rousing high of 34 and so foggy you couldn't see the garage/shop from the deck is how the afternoon went. By early evening, only the Christmas lights outside were bright enough to be seen as a blob of light out by the poo flinger and the flagpole. Yep, must be December, but without the rain, oddly enough.

Pick a Peck

2011-11-30T20:14:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, I finally got back out into the garden and took down the pepper 'house' of Reemay. I read a gardening article about digging up the peppers and potting them up in the greenhouse for the winter, so I decided to give it a go and see what happened. To my utter surprise, I found two full baskets of peppers, waiting to be picked. So, I picked 'em. Ate a few of the 'Northstar' while I was at it. Cleaned, cut and frozen, they'll go well into whatever I come up with for future dinners. And I'll see if the whole greenhousing of the plants has any merits with my little greenhouse, stuffed now to bursting with the advent of night time temps in the mid-20's for the next several days.

The Light of a Fall Morning

2011-11-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

It's been said many times. There's no more beautiful light than that of a fine, freshly washed fall morning in the Pacific Northwest, and here's the proof. And, these pix just don't do the real thing any justice

Cloud Cover

2011-11-30T19:47:00.001-08:00

Fall and winter bring the most amazing cloud formations you'll ever see to western Oregon. Near sunset, things went really wild. You'd think that a massive storm was bearing down on us, but nope, just a massively awe-inspiring show of cloud sculpture

Looking east, from the north pasture gate, towards Bellfountain and the Willamette Valley

Hard to believe it could get any more awesome, but somehow, it did

If you look closely, you can barely see the tiny crescent moon to the left of the brilliant salmon finger of clouds. Looking south from the dog run

Looking south from the dog run

Weird, but captivating

Looking west towards Green Peak, thru the gnarly ancient Oregon white oak just outside the dog run. This was an amazing shot in real life

Way cool clouds. Looking NE from the big silver barn

In Memorium

2011-11-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

Morgan Rivers Jarrah Rosy Dawn

'Jarrah'

13 July 1999 - 29 November 2011

After a short illness, Jarrah crossed The Bridge last night, surrounded by her loving family of 12 years. Jarrah led a very full and wonderful life, and when the young couple who chose her started their family, Jarrah found her true purpose in life - watching over the two youngsters until the day she crossed The Bridge.

I know that Jarrah found the right family when Jazzee, Jarrah's mom, 'approved' of them from the very start, when they ran into Jazzee and I in a Home Depot parking lot.

She is greatly missed by everyone who ever knew her, and we grieve with her family.

Enjoy the photo album/slideshow - click on the first picture to begin.

A young Jarrah playing with Chan's nose

With grandma Morgan, Pony (aka Dingbat the Wonder Horse - still with us at 28) and Katrina

Really cute pix of Jarrah emulating Pony's gait, except for the tail of course

Taking a nap with Katrina

With Chan, pretending she's a jungle kitten

First time on cattle

That Jazzee 'stare 'em down' gene, strong as can be in daughter Jarrah. Did I mention this was her first time on cattle?

This will end badly - for the steer. And yes, he did turn around and didn't challenge her again

Skiing with the family

Showing the toy who's boss

Jarrah picked up on the agility tunnel from the day she went home with Katrina and Chan. Katrina said that almost from the first day, she could send Jarrah out the back door, thru the tunnel, and back to the door at top speed

Learning to pull the cart

Young Ellen in the driver's seat

Henry the Lizard King

2011-11-27T11:43:00.000-08:00

Great-great grandma Jazzee's 'kill anything smaller than a large cat' genes, shinin' thru. Henry proudly poses with his latest conquest

Henry and Catera

2011-11-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

Dale just got home from his 'vacation' down in San Diego for the past week. He had a chance to catch up with old pals, see both of the old homesteads, and most importantly (oh yeah, there was a work thingy too), see 14 year old Catera and Sybil's bro Henry out in Poway. The first thing he said about Henry was 'gorgeous'. The second thing, 'nice low heel - too bad it was on ME'. Yeah, daddy Hoke, wonder where THAT trait came from, eh? Henry's stockdog trainer and daddy Hoke's breeder called Henry an 'Aussie's Aussie', and if anyone would know that, it would be him. So I'll take that.

Catera is happy as she can be, sharing her personal space with such a high energy hooligan. She turns 14 on Wednesday, and is a little tubby these days, but still wants to go for a walk when Henry goes with Guy. Funny, but I see some of her in Sybil now that I've got a few pix of her here. Catera is our first Hall of Fame dam, put there by her kids by Hall of Fame sire Chaps, of which Ho Dog (aka the ol' man) is one of. Her last remaining sibling is also living in Poway, just around the corner from Catera, and that is Sherman the red tri dog from the wonderful Hall of Fame sire Jack and Jazzee litter.

It's great to see the two redheads (oh yeah, and Kris and Guy too!), and it's also great that Dale made it back from the wilds of Southern California safe and sound and just in time to see our Ducks go down at the hands of USC (oh the SHAME of it!). He's happy to be home as well, and the dogs were all ecstatic to see him.

Enjoy the slideshow!

14 year old Hall of Fame Catera, Kris (age not disclosed) and 15 month old Henry

I recognize this sit. Great-great-great grandma Morgan used to do this lovely sit in obedience trials to show her contempt for what she was being asked to do. Seems to run in the family bloodlines, eh?

Wise old Catera and goofy great grandson Henry

I absolutely LOVE the look on Catera's face! 'I'm a good girl. I get it. I know how to pose. Just shove him out of the way and take pictures of me instead.'

The regal, if somewhat (okay, more than somewhat) tubby great-grandma. Hey, great-grandmas, especially ones this old, are allowed a little extra padding! Dale did say that a lot of that is just hair. Wish I could use that excuse

Morning Cows

2011-11-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ruffie and baby Izzy amble to the barn against a backdrop of dark evergreens and a brilliant big leaf maple, burning in the fall sunrise

That's My Mom!

2011-11-19T09:58:00.001-08:00

Ruffie and baby Izzy share some tender moments in the mist of a fine fall morning

Cows in Synch

2011-11-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Momma Ruffie and baby Izzy training for the 2012 Summer Cowlympics. Their event is Synchronized Standing. They are really getting quite good at it as you can see.

Around the Ranch in the Fall

2011-11-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

I guess this is really more of a 'phlog', a photo blog, but hey - gotta love the new slideshow feature! Taken from the north pasture looking west towards Green Peak this morning after a fresh snowfall up there.

The 'Gravenstein' ancient apple trees are dressed to thrill in their fiery fall finery, a nice frame for the majestic, snow capped Green Peak in the background

This is looking east towards Bellfountain. In real life, it was simply breathtaking. Pictures just don't do it for scenes like this - you have to be there, with a hot cuppa in hand, breathing in the crystalline air, watching the sun rise and the mist swirl to appreciate the absolutely stunning beauty that surrounds us up here at the ranch

Ho Dog of the Fall

2011-11-19T09:46:00.001-08:00

At some point, I'm going to take this shot with Dale's fancy camera instead of my 11 year old Canon Elph (which even at that age is a far better point and shoot camera than the 2 year old Nikon). Ho Dog at the north pasture gate with Bellfountain in the background on a very brisk, damp fall morning.

I know he's really fuzzy in this one, but he IS really fuzzy

Last of the 'Maters

2011-11-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

What else do ya do when it's kinda cold, rainy and snowy out in the middle of November? Well heck, ya can tomatoes, that's what ya do! The tomatoes I harvested just before the first freeze last month had almost all ripened, so it was time to can 'em up. Another 9 pints of organic heirloom tomatoes in the pantry, waiting for their turn to make a fine stew or soup even finer.

Washed and ready to rock

The few remaining not quite ripe and green 'maters. I put all those tomatoes from the post last month in boxes and baskets, single layers, separated by newspaper, and put them in the nice, cool, dark panty to ripen naturally off the vine. They do lose some of their vine-ripened sweetness, but are excellent for either roasting and freezing or canning for sauce, which is the route I went

First Snow of the Season

2011-11-18T18:14:00.001-08:00

Not a dramatic event, but it's a tad early for us to really have some serious snow. However, the Coburg Hills and Green Peak got white early this morning, and the snow/rain mix was coming down at the ranch off and on during the day. Still could get some over the next few days; however, don't expect we will as the temperatures didn't get down nearly as low as predicted. But the clouds sure were cool this morning!

Looking east at the Coburg Hills. Those of you in serious snow country know exactly what those clouds are

East, towards the Coburg Hills and the foothills of the Cascades

Green Peak, close to home, with a white cap on

Treebird

2011-11-17T09:41:00.001-08:00

Finally. The crown jewel in my Christmas tree harvest photo portfolio. The shots that have eluded me for 5 years in a row for various reasons. Today, I got an early gift, courtesy of Orin's chopper guy. They were finishing up the field from yesterday's post where Arrellano was cutting, and there it was. The chopper. Right there, I mean RIGHT there. Right on our walk route. Which, this morning for some reason, I decided to change and go down Foster to Dykstra instead. Which meant when I heard the chopper and figured out where they were, we hauled butt back up Foster to Dawson and down Dawson to Park, hoping to make it in time to get some shots. And I did! Gem the BC was totally freaked out by it - it was awful noisy, after all, and she's a dog of delicate constitution. Sybil was fascinated by it, watching it nearly land right in front of her nose, grab a load from the ground crew, and fly off across the field to the waiting pile in the drop zone. Hoke and Cricket were just bored I think by all the standing around.

Orin said they were harvesting 40,000 trees this year, their biggest harvest ever. Many of the trees flying thru the air this morning are headed to California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. They are gearing up for the big push next week, where they will probably be working nearly around the clock to finish up by Thanksgiving.

And yes, you're not seeing a trick persepctive by the camera - those highline wires ARE right there! You can't see it in the still pix, but they were swayin' in the breeze from the rotors. Remember to click on the first picture to start the slide show - you'll want to do that for sure!

Headed west on Dawson, just about a 1/4 mile from the Park Road turnoff where the chopper was working

Nice colour shot. If you look close, you can see the bundle of trees under the chopper

Going in for another load

Headed for the drop zone, where all the equipment is park on Park Road, our normal walk route

Nice shot!

And he's off again - less than 30 seconds from pick up to drop off to back to pick up zone

Tree Harvest Ramps Up

2011-11-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Christmas tree harvest is ramping up. The chopper was flying until well after dark last night, and that after another harvest chopper crashed just outside of Woodburn (south of Portland) the day prior. Orin and Jose are harvesting almost non-stop, with several different plots of trees going at the same time. Now, lest you think this wholesale slaughter of trees is a horrible thing, let me reassure you. By January, all the trees that went down will have been replaced by newly planted youngsters. At any time, you can drive past fields of trees and see everything from tiny young seedlings to ready to harvest mature oldsters and everything in between. So rest easy. What are removed are replaced and sometimes with more than were removed. Send your tree to the mulcher and it contributes yet more back to the earth. It's a good thing, that.

Trees from the field along Dawson Road lay waiting for their turn in the wrapper machine

The tree wrapper machine. They go in one end, are pulled thru and wrapped and come out the other, then stacked in piles. I didn't get a shot of the shaker plate at the rear of the wrapper (where the tree is going in). It's a small plate on the ground that shakes violently. The tree is stood on the plate while a worker rotates it, and the shaker plate knocks the loose needles and small creatures out of the tree before it's run thru the wrapper

The finished tree coming out of the other end of the wrapper, ready to be stacked in the pile

Arrellano cuts trees on the downwind leg of Park Road, headed towards Dawson, around Herb's Corner from where the tree wrapper guys are working

He fuels up his tree cutter. This is what your puny B&D weed whacker dreams of being some day. A monster designed by the Terminator's weird uncle, born of a combination of steroids, PCP and meth, utterly fearsome and capable of cutting down a large Christmas tree in seconds. I'm not messin' with it, that's for sure!

Sister Act, Part II

2011-11-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

And then it was little Jan's turn. The difference between the sisters was quite interesting. With Sybil, being her first time on cattle, you could tell that she wasn't quite selling herself to the heifers. With Jan, the moment she got near them, they knew this wasn't any novice cow dog; this one had worked with much bigger, nastier bovines than they and knew how to make them mind. Jan's been working Don's momma cows, calves and the bull since she was a young pup, took a few months off to recover from the tractor accident, then went right back to work. On Monday afternoon, she and Don were moving the pairs back up to the barn from the far west pasture. Jan was moving things along nicely, when she suddenly left to go up a small hill. Don had no idea what the heck, thought she might be after a deer or something, when she reappeared - with a lone momma cow running ahead of her. How she knew that momma cow was up there by herself, well, she just knew and Don was really surprised but obviously quite pleased. The cow joined her pals, and they finished up the drive to the barn without incident. We joke that Jan is contributing to the unemployment rate around here, as Don no longer needs his two helpers to move the cows. Jan put them both out of a job. Sorry 'bout that, guys.

But, now Don wants to learn how to better manage her when she's working for him, so he and Dave spent their time with Jan and the baby bovines well. Again, all on lead excepting the one incident where Jan's collar broke. Dave wasn't having a lot of luck with collars and leads on Tuesday, not out here anyway. But, after making sure the three heifers understood she meant business, she too called off, got a lead fix, and went back to work. The heifers stuck together much better for Jan, as she absolutely sold them on the fact that she knew what she was doing and had no qualms about proving it. It was great to watch her learn, just as Sybil had, what Dave was asking of her and how well she complied with his wishes. It was getting dark by then so I didn't get many shots that turned out, but enjoy the slideshow with the ones I did.

Jan, ready to go home and practice on her own cows

Don and Dave confer while Jan shows Hilda who really is the boss here (hint - it wouldn't be a big, black heifer calf)

The heifers are all ears and eyes as Jan starts her first walkup on them

Run! Run! Run for your lives!! Interesting note - you can tell exactly where a cow's attention is focused by where their ears are pointed. Liza's ears - straight back towards the little red dog

Grouped nicely and headed for the gate

Still at a nice, easy walk. Dave is working the heifers back and forth on the short side of the fence, letting Jan work from behind, then go to the heads and turn them nicely, something that both Jan and Sybil need work with, as neither is all that comfortable with going to head. Unlike mom and dad, both of whom are strong headers on cattle. Interesting, that

Aren't those clouds awesome? And oh yah, Jan and Dave do a nice job turning the heifers as a group at the gate while Don watches. He's not aware that he's making Jan's job a bit difficult standing where he is. You can see Joy (the silver heifer closest to Don) kinda giving him the eye

There's those clouds again. Got Don to move back a bit and let Jan do some work without his help

Nicely done, and still walking quietly

At the end of the day, it's all about who is the cutest - Jan or the bovine babies. Hmmmm, that's a hard one; Liza's awful cute herself. Nah, gotta be Jan - just look at those eyes!

Sister Act, Part I

2011-11-15T18:23:00.001-08:00

It was time. The weanling girls had wandered into the working arena in the morning, so I figured what the heck, about time those spoiled baby bovines got some exercise other than eating and pooping. I shut the gate, and left them grazing peacefully all day, with no idea what was going to happen that afternoon. Dave arrived, and he and Sybil got started before Don arrived with Jan a bit later. The only time she was off lead for her first lesson on cows (totally, completely non-dog broke weanlings, 5-7 months old, and spoiled brats to boot, not the ideal to start with by any means) was when the D-ring on her collar parted ways with the leash. And yes, she got a little rowdy, chased a few heels, but when Dave called her off, she called off and that was a good thing. The rest of the lesson was on lead, and towards the end, the lead was loose in Dave's hands from time to time. She showed a lot of good stuff, like her mother she's more of a thinker and Dave guided her thinking to the right side. No doubt that yes, occasionally she'd fool Dave into thinking she was all nice and soft and happy to be where she was with the cows, then WHAM she'd give the lead a mighty yank as she went into full on puppy mode. Mostly he caught her before she did that, but a few times she got the best of him. It was a really good lesson for her first time on cows, and both Sybil and the three baby girls did a great job for none of them having done it before. She's going to be a lot of fun to work with cattle, just ask her sister Jan! Don't forget to click on the first pix for the slideshow, a neat feature that I'm finding I like a lot.

Sybil eyes up Liza the baby heifer

Whoops! A bit of puppy coming out, and the heifers react accordingly to their level of experience (none)

Oh yeah, there are cows and such in the pix. The dramatic sky kinda caught my attention there for a minute

Three bewildered heifers. Up to now, their entires lives consisted of eating, pooping, sleeping, walking to the water tanks, and then starting all over again

I want them I want them I want them I want them

PLEASE let me have them!

Dave might be pointing and telling her to get Joy (lead silver heifer), but Sybil's full attention is on Liza, the silver heifer with her ears pinned back going where she shouldn't be

Sybil eyes 'em up, keeping Hilda (black heifer) from choosing her own direction

Sybil eyes them into the fence (not literally, but you can see what I mean - no fences or gates were harmed in today's lessons)

Hilda again wants to be elsewhere but keeps finding a little red merle furball making her change her mind

And, Hilda gives in to Sybil and heads back to her BFF's

Nice, easy walk about, loose lead, Sybil doing her own rating but still keeping the flow going. She's picking up quickly on what Dave's teaching her about how to use what she already knows how to do at the right time and place

Liza just doesn't want to play, but it's Sybil's playground and Sybil's party, so when Sybils says 'Go back Liza', Liza learns to do as she's told

Tough for any dog, digging green young cows out of a corner. With Dave's help, Sybil brings them out quietly and calmly

Just like that

Just for the clouds. Nothing exciting going on otherwise

Quite a cool cloud formation, eh? Oh yeah, there's a young pup bringing some young heifers thru a gate too

Not allowing Hilda to turn back on her. Note the intense eye and loose lead

Liza better learn how to play with Sybil or bad things will eventually happen

Aren't those clouds something! Oh yeah, that Liza!

Again, nicely done, quiet and calm, not running weight off the stock, which is exactly the goal

Liza, Liza, Liza. When will you EVER learn! Love how Sybil is really eyeing her up here

Nicely done!

Watching sister Jan play with her cows

Tucson Got An 'A'!

2011-11-09T10:16:00.001-08:00

Cricket's bro Tuscon in San Diego just got his first stockdog title, AKC HSAs (Herding Started course A sheep)! He's working on his MACH as well and has some points towards that (agility).

We're proud of the little black whirlwind, and owners/handlers Monica and Chris!

Tree Time

2011-11-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

What a hard workin' crew those guys are, eh? Cut, wrapped, stacked and waiting for transport are a mountain or three of Christmas trees. These are mostly likely headed for cold storage and transport overseas or to Mexico, which began receiving trees a few weeks ago.

The sweet smell of woodsmoke and fresh cut trees surrounds us on our daily packwalk, and will for the next several weeks. It's something I never tire of. The dogs just spend a lot of time sneezing.

Hoke, Cricket, Sybil and Gem pose in front of all their hard work
Yesterday, before the piles became mountains

The First Snow?

2011-11-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

The weather station says so, but no, not yet, not really even that close. But that was the first time since February the little snowflake icon appeared between the cloud and the moonphase at the top of the station display.

Crater Lake

2011-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

Finally back to getting caught up a bit with the blog. The pix from the Crater Lake trip, presented in all their misty glory. Hey, you can see pix of Crater Lake on a clear day anytime on the 'Net - how about some foggy shots for a bit of drama? A bit disappointing, as I was really looking forward to seeing the legendary blue of the lake in person, but it's only a four hour drive from the ranch, so it's not like that'll never happen. These shots were taken with Dale's fancy camera and I didn't think to save them as smaller files, so if you have dial up, I don't recommend you even try to click on 'em.

The North Entrance, which closed for the season two days after this shot

You can see some hints of that blue here and there

How it all happened

A very cool rock formation on the west shore

More hints of blue

And a shot along Highway 138 on the North Umpqua River I just thought was pretty cool, taken with Dale's fancy camera so it's actually in focus

Hank at a Year

2011-11-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

Dale's finally getting the pix off his fancy camera. Unfortunately, I only have these of Hank from the reunion weekend in August at the moment, will have to get the rest from Dale at some point. But, at least I finally got the Hank pix up! Mark and the kids and pal Donn arrived late in the evening of the reunion, after everyone had gone already. It was quite a trip; from Alabama thru Oklahoma and up thru California, and it took a bit longer than expected, but they did arrive safe and more or less sound. And it was great to see Mark, meet Donn and see what Hank had turned into. A professional ear washer, according to Mark, that's his main job. Oh, that and harrassing gal pal Fussbudget to no end, and not believing her when she tells him she's had enough. I don't know if he'll ever learn, but maybe.

With no coat to speak of, he looks more like a shaved Springer Spaniel with that deepdeepdeep, dark, rich red and freckled front legs, but no Springer ever moved like him. We didn't have time to put him on sheep as the gang was leaving the next day for the air museum in McMinnville to see the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Museum, but I'm guessin' he would have been just as talented at a year as he was at 5 weeks if not better.

Enjoy the pix and don't forget to click on them. They were taken with Dale's fancy Nikon, which is either a D70, D700 or D7000, whichever is the best of that group of 7's, so these are really good pix, unlike the ones normally appearing on this blog.

Hank and Mark start the posing party

Daddy Hoke, sister Sybil, momma Cricket, great uncle Ho Dog and Hank

Momma Cricket, great uncle Ho Dog and Hank

Why Not?

2011-10-31T12:35:00.001-07:00

It just struck me funny. The 'famous' Ken's Sporting Goods in Crescent, Oregon. Everything you need to have a good time in stock

Fall is Fine Up Here

2011-10-31T12:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we decided that a trip to Crater Lake National Park was necessary, as the road closes for the season tomorrow and it was supposed to snow up there today. So we loaded Gem the BC, the ol' man (Ho Dog) and baby Sybil in the Jellybean and made the (mostly) scenic, 4 hour drive down. A good portion of our route took us along the breathtaking North Umpqua River, where there was a photo op about every 25 feet. We had to really pick our spots so that we would have enough 'film' left for the actual destination. Dale still has to download the pix off his fancy camera, so these are from my crappy little point and shoot Nikon, which actually worked well for a change. Don't forget to click the pix - you'll want to with these shots! More to come, too.

Just one of so many stunning photo possibilities on the North Umpqua River

Dale shoots with the fancy camera

And just for fun, a shot of the Reese Creek treeline, the cows and the sweetgums and 'October Glory' maples along the fenceline on a super fine, fall day

Flat Dogs

2011-10-29T21:31:00.001-07:00

Livin' the life on a cold, rainy evening. It's just awful how badly we mistreat these dogs, isn't it? Completely shameless in our abuse of them, we are

The ol' man drips off the couch, feet crossed and yes, until he heard the camera beep, he was dead asleep, just like that

The ol' man swaps ends but maintains the drip position. I suspect it's to keep a weather eye on that hyper puppy there, and the crazy Border collie, just in case

Maple on Fire

2011-10-29T21:28:00.001-07:00

As usual, pictures simply don't do justice to the subject. One of the Japanese maples from the Washington nursery auction looks like it's on fire at sunrise. Off to the left is another one of the auction maples, and you can just see the sweetgums on the fenceline marching down the hill, just starting their colour change show. Do click on the pix for the full effect!

In Memorium

2011-10-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Kallie Girl

13 July 1999 - 28 October 2011

Beloved companion of Kathy, Dave and family

Kallie, a lovely black tri daughter of Kane and Jazzee, crossed The Bridge yesterday to join her mom, dad, sisters and brothers who crossed before her, after a short illness. Her family misses her greatly. Her last day saw her at the beach at Fiesta Island (San Diego), enjoying the wind and waves, her fave thing in the world next to her people. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Kallie a few weeks before crossing The Bridge. Picture courtesy of Kris P

Kallie at a year

A Season Ends

2011-10-26T15:23:00.001-07:00

It wasn't a gradual thing. One day, it was a perfect, sunny and warm 65 degrees, then next, barely 50 and that's where it's been for the past few days. Tuesday morning saw lows that just hit freezing; this morning, the thermometer dipped below for a bit early on. It was interesting watching the frost form this morning; the roof of the gazebo went from a little rim of frost to a sheet of white within 15 minutes.

Monday was a day of activity. Moving the potted plants into the greenhouse for the winter. Harvesting the last of the green tomatoes and baby cukes. Getting the peppers wrapped in Reemay (a type of crop blanket). Getting a shrub shield (a fabric 'tent') for the lemon tree which is now too large to haul off the deck or into the house. Bringing in the hoses from the beeyard and the round pen. And most importantly, getting Gizmo into his winter jammies, along with making sure his pellet stove room had the cozy fleece throw on his couch.

The morning packwalk finally has me in socks (!), sweats, Sherpa hat and gloves. The dogs really enjoy it; lots of little critters scampering about, finding the last of their winter food to store and cozy dens to finish up. The scenary is of course amazing, with the hardwoods on the mountains turning brilliant, neon yellow among the deep, dark green of the Dougs and cedars. Deer are on the move - mostly because it is hunting season, but also following the food. Hoke just knows that given a chance, he could put 'em all together and bring 'em to me if I wanted him to. I don't have the heart to tell him that's probably not gonna happen. A guy's gotta dream, y'know?

The leaves down along Reese Creek on the east side of the ranch are changing almost minute to minute now. Yesterday late afternoon, the entire stand looked like it was on fire. I think in a few days it'll be at its peak. Begs that you grab a warm cuppa and sit a spell in the swing, drinking it all in. You should try it. It's amazing how peaceful it is and how fast you'll forget your frazzled day, doing that.

The greenhouse, fully populated for the winter. It's amazing how much warmer it is in there even when it's below freezing out

And that 19 pound box of (mostly) green tomatoes brings the season's harvest, from the two grafted vines, to about 105 pounds. It's destined for in-house ripening as needed, as well as green tomato relish and whatever else I can figure to do with them

The last of the tomatoes and cukes. I had to leave almost as much on the vines as I picked

The grafted 'Costoluto Genovese' and 'Brandywine' vines, picked of what I could store, with a lot more left

One of the last three producing cukes, 'Pearl', gives up its final bounty. Enough to make a small batch of pickles, or maybe just eat

Gizmo stays warm and cozy in his winter jammies, on his fleece-covered couch, in front of the pellet stove. He will only leave his 'den' for potty and food breaks for the next several months

Almost 9 am and still not yet above freezing today. It was around 29 when we headed out on our packwalk

Softly Comes the Fall

2011-10-23T17:06:00.001-07:00

You're definitely gonna wanna click these pix! Falls comes to the Coast Range foothills of the Willamette Valley ever so softly - that is, until tomorrow night, when we're expecting our first seriously cold night, the first in a string forecasted to last the week. Then we'll see some serious colour change for sure! A quick run to Corvallis this afternoon saw some really brilliant foliage colours already.

Looking east in the afternoon towards Bellfountain Church

The 'October Glory' maples along the north fenceline of the north pasture

Oso

2011-10-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

One of Carol's fave shots of her beloved Oso, at nearly 14. He has a brother, Sherman, and a sister, our Hall of Fame dam Catera, still with us from the wonderful Jack X Jazzee litter of 1997. They turn 14 on the 23rd of November.

Ghostly Gizmo

2011-10-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

Fresh from his yearly bath/brushing (he truly hates it), Gizmo warms up in a patch of sun on a warm fall day - for us, anyway, at 66 degrees - on his fave couch. He is finally starting to show his age; he'll be 15 next May, altho watching him do laps around the outside of the house, you'd never know it. And yes, he still pops up on the couch unassisted.

Love the 'earie' shadow

In Memorium

2011-10-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Oso

November 23rd, 1997 - October 15th, 2011

The goofy red bear, one of the last of the Jack X Jazzee pups, crossed The Bridge this day to join his mom and dad, brothers and sisters, and the rest of his relatives who crossed before him. Much loved and missed by Carol, Kurt and Jack. Rest in peace, big red dog. Say hi to grandma Morgan and momma Jazzee for us, okay?

The Boys of the Fall

2011-10-13T13:29:00.001-07:00

The boys of fall pose with the poo flinger, suitably decorated for the season. Don't forget to click the pix!

The Old Man of the Fall

A Little Puppy Posing

2011-10-13T13:24:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to click the pix. Sybil at 14 months old in all her puppy goofiness

With 8 year old dad, Hoke, who just took a swim in the stock tank

Ever try to take a shot of a puppy with one hand while holding the leash with the other? Posed naturally, no help at all from me

Doesn't get much goofier than this

See?

Sybil Gets a Job

2011-10-13T13:02:00.001-07:00

Remembering that she is still quite a puppy at all of 14 months old, and has had about 4 short training sessions with Dave, she is showing her talent off pretty well. But yes, she does still have those puppy moments, and times when she channels the bad habits of mom and/or dad. All in all, she's got a whole lot of potential on tap. Can't wait to get her on cows now that we have three weanlings about ready to start working.

With Dale working her. I'm still on the DL until next April. She shows her great rate and her momma's eye here. And no, the camerawoman is NOT drunk, just never really sure if the camera is level or not, trying to watch Sybil and the viewfinder at the same time

Making a nice turn, keeping the outside sheep in contact

Controlling the heads to slow the group down heading to the gate

Going to the outside to keep the sheep on the fenceline. Nice!

A little puppy coming out here but she'll fix it herself and put the sheep back on the fence

Rating beautifully. Dale doesn't have to nag her to stay back; that is what natural rate is, when the dog controls the flow herself

Again, coming out to slow the sheep a bit. Did I mention she's doing this on her own?

She likes the pace, so she's taking the pressure off the sheep to allow them to walk quietly. You've probably noticed the two big white wethers panting - that would be the two fat, out of shape wethers Michaud and Michael. No one else is even breathing hard

Another nice turn, on her own. You can see that even from where she's at, she's putting pressure on that little white lamb on the outside to pull himself back into the group

Oooooo, a little puppy coming out here! Gettin' kinda pushy, like her daddy Hoke!

Again, keeping the lead sheep's eye to keep the pace where she wants it

Just like the pix a few up from this one, stopping herself to allow the sheep to settle after going thru the gate behind them. In most green dogs, this situation would incite a chase

A nice, controlled pace using body position and eye to keep the group moving smoothly and together at a reasonable pace

Gotta love that natural rate in a young, green puppy

I love how she keeps tabs on her stock in a very non-threatening manner

And then again, sometimes you need to use a little muscle to back up that look, especially around the centre pen, which the sheep tend to try to use as a shield. Doesn't work with Sybil

Three Dog Couch

2011-10-11T21:08:00.001-07:00

Another cool, rainy night, and where do you think the dogs want to be? Outside, or on a nice, warm couch with fuzzy blankets to lay on? The ol' man, Sybil and Gem the BC show which way they voted

It's That Time Again

2011-10-01T21:45:00.001-07:00

Friday night high school football under the lights. Hot apple cider fresh off the press. Deep dish beef pot pie. Leaves crunching under dog paws. Cows getting shaggy, and sheep putting on hair. Pony the Wonderhorse bucking and kicking in the morning air at absolutely nothing. Asters and mums. Warm, yeasty fragrance of freshly baked bread. Baked apples. The summer dust getting washed off the firs and cedars and blackberry vines. The smell of woodsmoke on the air. Getting the pellet stove cleaned up and ready to go. And of course, the first rains of fall FINALLY getting here. Last week was a false alarum, with nothing more than a few spotty showers here and there, mostly there. Today, the rain was supposed to start early and be done by early afternoon. Instead, they waited until early afternoon to get started and are still going well here at the ranch. Not very hard rain, just a steady rain, the good kind of rain, the kind that soaks into the ground instead of bouncing off and running away. And I made it easier for that to happen by doggedly watering all the pots this afternoon, convinced that the rain wasn't actually going to make an appearance.

Fall. My fave time of year. Putting the garden to bed. Planting perennials, shrubs and trees. Taking rose cuttings to start for friends to plant next fall. Ordering a bushel of bulbs to plant now that the ground will soften. All in preparation for a good winter's sleep that will burst into new life next spring. It's a cycle I never grow tired of.

As usual, the pix simply can't do the scene justice. But, I try to share a little taste of the beauty that surrounds us here at the ranch

Don't forget to click on the pix

Green Peak, thru Don's oak trees to the west, on a rainy, cool early fall evening

In real life, this was simply gorgeous

Hay Kitty Kitty Kitty

2011-09-30T16:57:00.001-07:00

The boys, Kitty Boy and Kitty Boy, also known as Bad Cat and Good Cat. That's Bad Cat with the half closed eyes. You know he's evil just looking at him. And so do all the rodents - for the last few moments of their lives, anyway.

Her Cuteness

2011-09-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Her Cuteness, aka Dizzy Izzy, at 2 weeks. She's a traffic stopper, this one!

Gettin' a little love from momma Ruffie

I'm trying to look regal, really I am!

Izzy loves to play tag with the wethers. The wethers, they don't really enjoy the game much at all

Some day my butt will look like mom's

But for now, I'm just too cute for words and I know it

Ho Dog the Majestic

2011-09-26T21:44:00.001-07:00

Only took him 11 1/2 years to mature. Ho Dog on a fall evening, looking regal against the backdrop of hills, trees and church. Definitely click the pix on this one.

Titanic Tomato

2011-09-26T21:40:00.001-07:00

Remember that 'Brandywine' pictured a few posts ago in my hand, still on the vine? Well, as of this moment, it's in jars, sitting on the counter, waiting to go into the pantry to debut later this year or maybe even next as part of a pot of chili or stew. In the meantime, Dale and I played 'Guess the Weight'. Neither of us was right, but Dale was closest with a guess of 3/4 of a pound. The monster weighed in at just under 1.5 pounds! Don't forget to click the pix!

Izzy on the Go

2011-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Busy little Izzy, going on two weeks old, following momma Ruffie to the feeder bunks on a fine, warm, fall day

Pretty in Pastel

2011-09-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Who says fall has no good flower power anyway?

Pretty, perky aster 'Liliput Blue Moon'

A plethora of pastels. Dwarf snap 'Twinny Yellow Shades', pansy 'Bolero' and my fave and fragrant flower powerhouse nemesia, whos name has something to do with chocolate and mint I think, because that is exactly what it smells like

Big Rock Project - Finished!

2011-09-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Once we got the pump situation straighted out, the rest was easy. My old wire and bead lizard serves well to 'hide' the water tube. As you can see, Gizmo approves. The last bit to be finished up is the installation of the outlet and switch out of sight. Which means the current, classy extension cord look will go away. Don't forget to click on the pix!

Big Rock Project - Part III

2011-09-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been up and running for a few weeks now, but I'm just now getting caught up on the blog. The big rock fountain project nearing completion. For the second time. Don't ask, just figure that just like every other 'handyman', neither of us can be bothered to read instructions for something we deem as simple as installing the water basin/foundation for the fountain rock. I mean, how hard could it be? We just figured that the one 'extra' piece that came with the basin was a mistake, even tho it was different from the other four. But, there was only seating for the four. At least, that's what we thought. But once installed in the ground, it flexed. A LOT. With less than 250 pounds on it. We figured there was no way that it would ever support the 1284 pound rock fountain safely. So, Dale dug it all back up, we went and found a cement slab to install under the basin, Dale re-installed it and re-firmed up the dirt around it - and it still flexed. Not as much, but enough to cause concern. So, we took a few days to mull over our options. While we were doing that, I went online in search of the right pump for the fountain. And lo and behold, on that website there was a section for the basins. I decided to see if we got a good deal on ours (we did) and there it was - the exploded view of our basin, complete with the 'extra' piece in it's correct place - the centre of the basin, where the rock was supposed to sit! I ran out, took out the four pieces, installed the centre piece, put the other four back in place and my goodness - NO FLEXING! Amazing what reading instructions can do. In our defense, the basin didn't come with any written instructions and verbals from the guy at the rock place were pretty vague. So Dale got the tractor, we roped the rock and set it in place and surprise surprise - no flexing, a solid base! We were both quite relieved, you betcha! We added water, went to Jerry's and got a pump - and then went back to Jerry's and got a valve to turn DOWN the pump - fired it up and the yellowjackets and wasps gathered to thank us for providing them with a great water source. It was up and running and looking great, so we finished up with the rock ledge and then poured in about a hundred pounds of tumbled, round, flat black stones to hide the basin grid, got a load of hemlock bark mulch to go around the whole thing and then sat back and enjoyed the sound and sight of gently splashing water coursing down this very cool basalt column of rock. Well worth the effort, definitely.

The basin, finally, correctly installed and ready to receive the rock

Setting the rock, gingerly

Rock installed! The pipe is to align with the centre hole of the basin

The first test

Figuring out we have WAY too much pump!

Fall Bounty

2011-09-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

A crisp, fall morning. The morning mist and fog have departed, and the day promises to reach the heat of the previous day (87!!). But for now, the harvest continues. Tomorrow, with the promise of barely 60 and the first rains of the fall, the canning will commence. To plant, harvest and preserve from your own garden is something that just defies true definition. You know exactly where that tomato or those pickles came from, to the plant and possibly even where on the plant. You know how it was preserved - frozen, roasted and frozen, canned, and by whom - yourself. And in midwinter, with the snow falling and the fireplace crackling, spooning up a bowl of chili made from those summer tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and your own grass fed and finished beef is just plain gratifying. We are localvores here on the ranch, in the truest sense of the word.

One whopper of a grafted 'Brandywine', one of many just now starting to ripen, two months after 'Costoluto Genovese'. Ya gotta love heirlooms, even more so when they're grafted

A very small part of the grafted 'Brandywine' plant

Tomatoes on the left, 'Pearl' cukes on the right. One basket will become tomato sauce, the other bread and butter pickles by tomorrow afternoon

And this 10.5 pound load of tomatoes brings the 2011 tomato harvest, from two grafted plants, up to 52 pounds! Amazing, especially considering the late, late start to the summer season and the shortness of the same

One Day in the Life

2011-09-14T14:43:00.001-07:00

Dainty Miss Yzzy (Izzy) at a whole 24 hours old. Already had a halter on and met the ol' man, Ho Dog. Just too cute, our little pixie!

Don't forget to click on the pix!

Say Hi To Ysabel

2011-09-13T21:28:00.001-07:00

Our long awaited first ever fall calf (well, okay, late summer calf) arrived in fine form early this afternoon. Ruffie (JB Ruffian, aka Ruffie Baby Boo Boo Girl), our senior cow, started showing me this morning that today was the day, and by noon, it was on. Ruffie is a good calver and a great momma, and this calf was no exception. Ysabel graced us with her lovely, tiny self at 1335, tipping the scales at a petite 58 pounds. She was early, so that wasn't a huge surprise, altho at the first sight of her, I just knew there was another baby in there. I had even told Bonnie on Wednesday I thought Ruffie might be carrying twins. But no, the next item to exit was the end of the birthing process, so it was just one tiny, impossibly cute and lively little girl. She was up on her feet within minutes and nursing shortly thereafter. We had to go run some errands so I didn't get any 'dry' pictures yet, as it was a tad too dark when we got home to take any, but rest assured, there will be more pix tomorrow afternoon. Both mom and daughter are doing great; when I checked on them just before dark, Ysabel was bouncing around, trying out those little legs, and taking every opportunity to jump at something. She kept running up to me, sliding to a stop, then sticking her cute little wet nose right in my face (I was sitting on the ground) and giving me a tiny lick before bouncing off to see if she could annoy one of the weanling girls.

In honour of the great cellist Yo Yo Ma, her registered name will be Yo Yo Moo. Okay, maybe that's not really an honour for a cellist of Ma's calibre, but it is for Yzzy.

Ruffie looks for just the right spot. I wish it was anywhere but here in the feeder bunks, but YOU try moving 1200# of momma cow about to calve out to the pasture

The peanut gallery, including daddy Roar, watches

And here she is!

Picking her head up for the first time, covered in hay

What a little hay magnet!

And she's up!

With mom having cleaned off all the hay, her total cuteness just shines thru

Standing confidently at all of 55 minutes old

Day of Remembrance

2011-09-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

NO ONE SHALL EVER FORGET

Dedicated to the millions of innocent lives lost to the cowardice of terrorism in all forms, against all people, over the centuries

In hope that in our lifetime, such cowardice becomes merely a footnote in history and the cowards dust beneath our heels forever

Toasty and Roasty

2011-09-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, thanks for asking, it HAS been hot (for us) up here. We did touch 90 briefly this afternoon, but the Willamette Valley and even up into Portland has been in the mid 90's all week. I knew that at some point, we'd have to make up for all those months below average and it looks like this is the make up time. The good news - the tomatoes, corn and peppers are absolutely loving life right now. So much so that I can barely keep up with the tomatoes. First salsa, and today, smoked and roasted on the MAK grill and popped in the freezer for future use. I envision a bright, cold, winter's late afternoon, some homemade sourdough rounds hot out of the oven filled with a roasted tomato soup or maybe a fine chili made with ranch-raised beef and roasted tomatoes. Maybe a nice beef stew with some hearty Pinot Noir and roasted tomatoes added for maximum flavour. Any way they end up being used, it's a bit of summer to remind us of why we tolerate the winters up here - for the generous bounty of summer veggies that we squirrel away for later.

I think I'll can the next batch. I see some fine pasta sauce coming out of the jars that I will put up this summer. Especially once the 'Brandywine' start ripening. Thus far, I've harvested 23 pounds of tomatoes, all 'Costoluto Genovese' heirlooms except the one lone 'Brandywine' that surprised me yesterday. But there is still a lot of 'Genovese' on the vine and the 'Brandywine' is simply loaded. And I haven't started taking off the newest blooms yet, as I have hope that we might have a long enough season to ripen a lot more.

10 pounds of garden fresh, organically grown heirloom tomatoes ready for their boiling water bath (to make it easier to peel them for roasting)

Peeled, cored, sliced and ready to go on the MAK grill to be smoked and roasted. The lighter bits are a few 'Sweet Pickle' peppers I threw in for flavour

The end product, cooling before going into the freezer bag. Eaten right off the pan, they are unbelievably sweet with flavour that would make a tomato lover out of even someone like me who hasn't ever been a big fan

Fountain Rock Project, Part II

2011-09-03T16:29:00.001-07:00

After doing some chores in the early morn before the heat arrived, we pottered off to pick up the pieces of the fountain rock project and a load of mulch from Lane Forest. We'd already picked out a bunch of nice stone to put around it the day before, so Dale unloaded them so we could use the trailer to haul the mulch. And yes, that is Roar in the background enjoying a nice stretch after his mid-afternoon nap. The box is 40" square, and will have some sort of river rock, probably Mexican black 1" ones, on top and the rest of the rock around the tree is to cover the base once it's in the ground.

Next, we have to move one bush, maybe two, and take out some more lawn, as the final location of the fountain has been established as next to the steps going up to the deck. Removing more lawn makes Dale a happy mower. The lawn and bush removal will probably have to wait for morning, as it's just hit 89 degrees here, and we hear the MAK grill calling for some burgers.

Poor, Overworked Big Red

2011-09-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

Little bro Jim, whom I traded Big Red to for his Really Big Red, the F-350 FX4 dually, wanted to caption this 'things you should not do to an F-150'. I'd say, 'things you should not do to your big sister's ex-F-150 that she loved and pampered its entire life while it lived with her - and then send her pictures of it'. You can take it to the bank - 'Built Ford Tough' isn't just a cute marketing slogan. Of course, Really Big Red doesn't exactly live the retired life here on the ranch, but at least when we put a load behind/in him, we aren't loading him 5000# over his rated capacity, not that I'm sayin' anything here.

Tomatosaurus Rex

2011-09-02T16:46:00.001-07:00

They just keep coming. I pass over the cukes one day because they're the size of my little finger, and two days later they're the size of my forearm. I pick all the ripe/near ripe tomatoes one day, and two days later all I see is red out there. Three gallon freezer bags of blackberries in the freezer already and 4 times that waiting to be picked on the vines. The peppers are rocking along, the yellow wax beans are about a day away, the Brussels sprouts are begging to be roasted, the 'Fall Gold' yellow raspberry fall crop is going to be awesome, and the corn - I have no words for the corn. Slow smoked baby back ribs and fresh picked 'Mirai' corn on the cob the other night had us both bursting at the seams, and hoping for a repeat the next day. Labour Day will have us flipping ranch raised, grass fed, all natural burgers with ranch fresh onions, tomatoes, pickles and corn on the cob. Truly a bounty worth the labour that went into them.

More 'Doyles Thornless' blackberries waiting for the freezer

Tomatosaurus Rex, aka 'Costoluto Genovese' heirloom grafted tomato. I will never grow another tomato from seed again. The output and the fact that I have only watered the two grafted 'maters two times since planting have convinced me the upfront cost is more than worth it

Bigger, front tomato is a grafted 'Brandywine' heirloom tomato, still a few weeks away but loaded with green fruit. If nothing else, I'll can green tomato relish from those bad boys

Fountain Rock Project, Part I

2011-09-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

It was a bit of a job, getting that 1284# monster off the pallet, upright and in place. And then realizing we had it facing backwards, thus having to spin it 180 degrees. On top of that, we're not quite sure yet that's where it's gonna be. We did get a load of facing rock to hide the water basin/base/pumphousing today, as well as got the base on order. There is still the pump and filter to get and electrical to plumb, but that's a project for another day. With a major heat wave bearing down on us the next few days, unloading the facing rock will probably be as far as we get for a while. But, at least it's upright.

East Coast Seal Spotted

2011-09-01T09:23:00.001-07:00

An extremely rare (and impossibly cute) black tri seal was spotted off the Mass. coast this week. Sybil's cuz GG enjoying some swim time. Don't forget to click on the pix!