The last days

Or the first days..depends on how you count them.  I am still recovering from this ugly virus..although I think I just about have it whipped.  We had a wonderful Christmas, celebrated with friends and are looking forward to a great new year.  The weather cooperated and we had a white Christmas with lots of sun. 
We live in a development 10 miles between two small towns and are allowed to have a couple of horses, but no other livestock except for 4-H animals.  We discovered today that one of our neighbors down the road had to put down an older horse and had it buried on their property.  Since we are at the beginning of the property on the south entrance, all vehicles coming and going pass by and that is few and far between.  We saw the vet truck and a backhoe come in yesterday and now know why....so sad to lose a pet.  We are never prepared.  Our old border collie mix is twelve this month and we purchased a new ball for her.  Not realizing it had a squeaker in it, we have been needing ear plugs, but we got those for Christmas as a gag gift so we are set.  She is too old to have the energy to catch the ball which she always loved to do, so we "bowl" it to her on the floor.  Cataracts and arthritis plague her and we do have her on meds and keep her weight down, but we know her best days are behind her.

Our kids are not near, but heard from both of them during the holidays and are thankful that they have good health, families and employment with so many not so fortunate.  It is always a good time to reflect on the past, but with the dawn of a new year we wish it to be a happy one for all!

More days of Christmas

 I have been trying to get well, but it has been too long now and I am just having to weather the darned virus!!  Thank goodness I don't have to go anywhere or be anywhere.  We had friends in for snacks and soup on Friday eve and they were all trying also to recover from this ugly viral monster so we felt that we would call it a recovery party....I just haven't recovered yet!!  Coalette decided to claim the red velvet bottle cover in which I had wrapped a present.  Must be the fur has her excited!!
After this attempt to get it out from under the tree, she finally this evening went back for it and drug it upstairs to the room where she eats. (I share my sewing room with her, but she owns the room.)  The bottle isn't exactly light and it isn't booze, but she managed to get it upstairs.  I finally took the bottle out and gave her the bloody sack.  She has such personality!!

The shakers below belonged to a beloved aunt who has been gone for many years.  I was given them by her daughter and the tag says "INARCO".  I love them and they always come out at Christmas.

 I baked cookies and got them iced eventually.  The dipped ginger cookies and the sugar cookies are our favorites.  Since I have been under the weather, I have been watching all of the old Christmas movies.  I have some favorites from the mid part of the century, Christmas in Connecticut and White Christmas are two of my old favorites and the Home Alone 1 & 2 are the later ones.  I haven't seen the first one play yet, but never tire of any of them. 

With 2 days left, we will spend Christmas eve and Christmas with dear friends here as family is so far away and weather is frightful here this time of the year for travel.  The fruitcake recipient called me today to thank me and we sampled ours.  Yummy!

the 8th, 7th and 6th day of Christmas

Santa under the tree in his sleigh and me recovering with symptoms of a cold so this is all one post. Ugh!!!  The tree before icicles and the tree skirt made from Christmas themed hankies.  I am trying to finish the cookies but can't find the white chocolate I bought last week.  Getting old is not for wimps!  I can't remember if I even got home with it and if I did where did it get put!!!  I also searched for a box of tissues that I do remember getting home with and was beginning to think I had a naughty elf lurking around the corner but alas the box turned up in a most unlikely place.  I am certain that the white chocolate will also appear but not in time to finish my project.  We got a sprinkling of snow last evening and it is so very pretty outside...Christmas is definitely in the air.

For the gals in my summer craft retreat....we will be drilling holes in a glass bottle, jar, block etc. in which to put lights, so look for a string of 20-25 lights (50 if it is a larger glass item) now and perhaps a dark wine bottle, will do the winter banner, the moose stepping stone, and the wine glass tea light.  You can do as many of these projects, but we will do only one stepping stone each I think because of the drying time.

 

on the 9th day of Christmas

On the 9th day of Christmas since we had to move furniture to accommodate the tree, the antique sled above got a new place in the house.  I had it standing up with shelves on the rungs, but it now serves as another place to put more Christmas decorations.  This sled was purchased many years ago at an antique shop in Colo and it is in perfect condition.  Cookies got frosted and fudge is made along with peanut brittle.  We also added more lights outside and no we are not the Griswalds! 

On the 10th day of Christmas

Every cat that has been a member of my home has slept under my trees.  These three little woodland trees sport small antique ornaments as well as rustic and western themed ornaments and sits this year in my dining room area. Coalette has been pretty good about not playing with the shiny balls and has not shone and interest in consuming the icicles on the big tree.  In the past we have had to "pull" shiny icicles from the depths of the innards of felines who thought it was fancy "grass".  None were harmed in those efforts by the way. 

On the 10th day of Christmas, I drove into Rawlins to lunch and celebrate and exchange gifts with my dear friend of over 40 years.  We have done this every year, except the few years she was in another state and I was in another town.  What is sad, is that now we have a difficult time trying to buy that special gift for that special friend- The friend, who sat with you with sick kids, who helped push you out of snow drifts, the friend who insisted you could do anything, the friend who shared good times and bad. Now we really don't need anything, don't want anything, have everything, and don't want to dust anything new.  My friend bought me a spoon rest 2 years ago last summer which matched my cookie jar and replaced the one I broke. She insisted I take it home, put it up and wrap it to open Christmas.  I did and promptly broke it. This past summer we were at a market and I was directed to a double spoon rest...one for two spoons.  I will admit that it is gaudy and doesn't go with much else in my kitchen, but it appealed to me and although she didn't care for it at all, she bought it for me and I brought it home yesterday and hopefully I won't break it!  It is "special" now!

We also had a wonderful lunch and reminisced about our "early" days, one of which we attempted to make divinity for Christmas.  I had an aunt who made delicious divinity and when I was in school, she even showed my how to make it.  Years ago we tried that.....what a failure that was and to this day I don't make divinity.  I make yummy sugar cookies, old fashioned fudge, spritz and numerous other sweets, but not divinity.  But I have a great memory with my friend and divinity. 

"Hold a true friend with both your hands" ~ Nigerian Proverb

On the 11th day of Christmas

On this day, we actually drove with friends to the big city of Cheyenne to do some shopping and see their son who is attending college there.  It was a beautiful crisp day and as we drove the two plus hours across the mountain, with the sun streaming through the evergreen trees and glistening on the snow, Christmas seemed ever so close.  The snowmobilers were headed out for a day of fun and although we didn't see much of natures creatures, there was one moose watching the activity.  Leaving at 7:00 a.m., it was nearly 9:00 p.m. when we arrived home.  As always, we have a list and enter the big box store with one or two items and leave with a cartload.  Like kids in a candy store, we grabbed for all kinds of things we hadn't intended to purchase, but couldn't resist.  It was such a good day and so great to be in the company of good friends. 

The sugar cookies are baked, soon to be iced and sprinkled, the peanut brittle will be cooked and cooled and the biscochitos (a Mexican cookie made with lard and anise and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon) is on the list along with a few others...rum balls---a recipe from my sister, and white chocolate dipped ginger cookies. 

So above is my staircase to the loft, strung with garland and stockings and hung with a Christmas quilt.  There are now many more cards on the stairs and when we arrived home last evening, there was a deer on our front porch and a large buck near the driveway and another small herd in the back yard munching on grass.  NO sign of Santa!!

Twelve Days of Christmas

So the first two pictures show the large herd of antelope gathering to paw through the snow in order to scrounge for whatever they can find to eat.  They do eat sagebrush, and there is lots of that, but as we began to notice the antelope file from over a hill, we stopped counting at about 250, but they kept coming and coming.  In all of the years we have lived in Carbon County, we have never witnessed such a large herd.  We estimated over 500 in total.  This is a view we saw from our dining room window and because they were across the highway, the picture may be a little blurry.

On the first day of Christmas.....my Christmas tree all decked out in icicles and antlers.  The antlers just happened to be there where the tree needed to be.  The icicles...well, this is for my daughter.  I grew up with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that dad purchased shortly before Christmas and it had some pretty spare decorations, mostly homemade, and a few lights.  But we NEVER had icicles which were on every tree if you could afford them.  Back then they were actually foil, but now they are a type of plastic I think.  Anyway I always thought trees with these silver shiny icicles were so pretty and I had them on my trees forever until my daughter voiced her opinion.  She did not like them.  So, they have been absent from my tree for a good many years and on an artificial tree, they are not practical.  But we have a real tree which will be recycled and VOILA!--I have icicles.  This is part of my "Old Fashioned Christmas" as the fruitcakes are still getting soaked with brandy and the sugar cookie dough is in the fridge. We put lights on the gutters on the house front and on the tree out front yesterday and actually had to get in the car to drive around to see how it looked after dark.

"Fruitcakes are like in-laws.  They show up at the holidays.  You have no idea who sent them, how old they are, or how long they'll be hanging around your kitchen."  ~ Josh Sens, freelance writer in Oakland, CA

Brrrr.......

 We have been hunkering down because...like most of the nation....we are freezing here at -20 below.
Living in Wy, we have experienced this kind of cold before, but my bones are not as receptive as they used to be to it.  I did not even take a picture of the 5 or 6 inches of fluffy white that covers everything.  The door gets open long enough to let the furkids out and when they hurry to do their business and limp back on 3 legs, I long for those warm summer days when they could sun themselves on the cool lawn.  Luckily, if you are a cat, that is not an issue.  Read the morning paper on line like Coalette and then take a short nap.

We trekked to the forest a few miles from here and with friends trudged through a foot or more of snow to get our tree.  It was a beautiful sunny day before the storm.  Since then, I have been getting lights and ornaments on it.  The tree is the tallest we have had and I had to get the Mr. to bring in a ladder to put the topper on, but it is so great to be able to get a fresh tree again.  The ones at the local store actually have been painted green..the trunks are even green! The snap above was taken at sunset, looking east and was a spectacular site a few days ago, as was the west.  But this glow on the mountain was gorgeous!  We are getting the house decorated (the lights outside will have to wait for warmer weather..or not) and I will begin to bake cookies soon.  It will be an old fashioned Christmas, but it will be a quiet one here on the range. We are blessed to have good friends and neighbors to share with the holiday spirits. 

Fire in the sky

 Yesterday morning there was fire in the sky and this was taken toward the east from my patio.  The other was toward the west and even in that direction, they sky was lovely!!!  I also pulled the living room blind to see deer on the front lawn. The antelope are elsewhere on the prairie, but the deer will spend the winter sleeping in my yard now. We will occasionally see the coyotes, fox, badger, moose and weasels, but the bald eagle perches daily in the tree south of us and the deer are here every evening.

 Snow arrived as predicted, but only a small amount and the temperature is proof that winter has arrived!!  With that in mind, time to turn to indoor activities and below is the first of many projects I have planned for my summer craft retreat with dear friends. Picked up at a thrift shop, I scored 6 wine glasses for $5.00 and this is my version of a painting project for the gals.  My mind is thinking of jack'o lanterns, witches, Santas, lop-eared bunnies.....endless new projects for painting.  With the tea lights on top, what do you think?

"It is said that we do not make our friends, that we simply recognize them." ~ Faith Baldwin

Holiday happenings

 I have been a little lax about posting...working on a quilt and the Mr. and I went to a pool tournament last weekend and I am preparing for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons upcoming.  Almost my favorite time of the year.  Girls, I have a craft project that I think you will love!!!  Just beginning to work on it.  Last weekend I met with several of my friends over in Cheyenne and we went to a couple of Christmas craft shows and that is where I saw this painting project.  My retreat gals like to paint and if the project can be a gift...all the better.  Wait for the finished project soon.  Also, since I am a baby boomer and of the generation that came during the first half of the last century, I still retain that simpler love for life.  Technology will cause that to change for other generations but I have the time and love to bake for the holidays.  Above are real fruitcakes!!  Not the kind you buy at the local market or the specialty stores, but the old fashioned Christmas fruitcakes.  We always had them at home and my dad loved these.  They are expensive to make and were a real sweet treat for those who struggled to make a living for their families..we had them once a year.  Mine is a very old recipe, but there are similar ones on line.  It has 4 cups of sugar, 7 cups of flour 8 lbs of candies fruits, dates, raisins, nuts, molasses, 10 eggs and lots of spices. Then when it is cooled, it is drizzled with brandy, wrapped in cheesecloth, then foil and placed in a tin.  Every few days, I will drizzle brandy over the loaves and rewrap until Christmas.  Yummy!!!  (not everyone loves these, in fact I find that mostly people my age appreciate the traditional sweet, but there are a few that do and I will gift them one)

The leaves are long gone from the cottonwoods and the Canadian cherry tree in our yards, but the pine makes a pretty silhouette against the firey sky sunset.  For us it is way too early for the Christmas decorations, but this pine will get it's lights soon and we are planning our 2nd annual trek to cut our indoor tree. 

When I was growing up, my mom had Thanksgiving dinner with aunts and uncles and cousins.  It was always festive with lots of food, games, a little bottled cheer and lots of love. When my children were growing up, we lived too far away to be with family most of the time and the Mr. and I are too far away from our children to travel at this time of the year.  We still live in snowy, windy country with travel advisories most of the time, but we have been fortunate to have family and friends most of the time.  Even if it is just the two of us and the furkids, I still cook a turkey and have all the trimmin's.  So when it snows and it does regularly, I bake cookies etc. and the holiday happenings have already begun!!

Cold snowy days

 I got a call from my buddy in town (50 miles away) checkin' on me to see if I had been in...and not contacting her, but alas, I assured her that I had not.  I understand why snowbirds travel south in the winters here.  It was a freakin' 9 degrees yesterday and the wind is blowing this morning at a speed that rattles your teeth.  The inch and a half of snow we got yesterday a.m. is blowing like glitter everywhere and NO...I am not venturing out!!  Maybe I will quilt!!!  Above are finally the 1126 or so pieces stitched into arcs for the quilt I am making, but there are many more pieces to add.  The furkids below know how to handle these cold, snowy days which is why I have leather furniture. And I do have alternate seating. 

 Some of my favorite things are the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets and even with snow on the range, we still have those.  Thanksgiving is creeping up on us and looking at the calendar, I realize that we have so many birthdays in November.  2 nieces, a couple of nephews, a son-in-law, several dear friends and my sister,  and daddy and the Mr.'s mother had November birthdays.  Could explain those cold snowy days in February huh? 

The eagles still perch in the tree south of us as they look for prey, and the deer are starting to venture near for foraging, but the antelope are now in large herds on the prairie and a little more scarce.  Watching for tracks in the snow that on chance the moose may have visited this morning, the snow was only disturbed by a small bunny that has taken up residence in my garden.  The Mr. wants to feed him, but he is probably preferring the remnants of the flower bed and garden.  They can be ravenous and destroy so much, but I am not launching a battle yet.  Although we have cold snowy days, we don't have most of the natural disasters that much of the rest of the nation has and we are thankful for that and the fact that spring will eventually be here!!

Halloween?

Is it really almost Halloween? What have I been doing? I know someone has complained that I haven"t posted lately.  Don't have an excuse.  I did have to harvest my tomatoes and spent some time freezing them as they ripened in a box in the closet...below is just a small sampling of the harvest.  I make sauce from them mostly, pizza etc.  We also got a storage shed which was ordered in July..(finally), and I took a trip south of the border (WY) last week with my buddy.  We got stranded for 2 1/2 hours behind a 3 semi-truck accident going down on Friday and snowstorm on Sunday coming home in Laramie.  But we went to a quilt show, a Maggie Magee craft show and The French Nest outdoor market in Ft. Collins.  In addition, 3 of my quilt buddies from Cheyenne met us in Ft. Collins and we also had lunch with them, we stayed with a friend (Thank you Ruth) and had great food!!!

I have been working on a double wedding ring quilt and spend most afternoons paper-piecing small pieces of fabric (I never throw anything away), to the arcs below.  I think I will need about 116 and I am close to having 80 finished. For me it is therapy.  I have already used the fabric in the plastic bin and have resorted to my stash for more now...but as a (use what you have) quilter, it gives me great satisfaction that I didn't throw these small pieces away. 

In my sewing room, I have the buggy above, a relic from much earlier times and have not had the heart to let go of it.  I also have a baby blanket, crocheted by one of my grandmothers I think, that was mine, in the buggy.  For some reason Coalette has taken it upon herself to take her afternoon naps in the buggy, as Roger sleeps at my feet while I sew.  Can it get any better? We don't get trick or treaters out here, so I guess I didn't realize it had been sneaking up on me.

Wyoming weather and such

 Having been absent from this blog for a few weeks, I am back at the keyboard.  Sometimes it seems like you just need a break and with this situation with our government (let that many mothers govern and the situation would never have happened), among another ongoing thing, my blood pressure has been boiling. However, it is under control and life goes on.  A week ago the snow on my little balcony off my sewing room had 12 1/2 inches on it and a couple of days ago, we trekked to the Bennett Peak area to search for chokecherry seeds and check on our Geocasche and the leaves on the trees were just still in glorious colors.  The weather is fickle. It was a solitary drive and the furkids got to go, but it was really pretty.

 A few weeks ago I promised the picture of more rolling pins recycled and it is perfect for hanging my apron.  I use aprons!!!  Another piece of history which is fading is the apron.  Well, maybe not completely fading as I see a new interest with those younger generation crafters who quilt and try to revive some of the lost skills. After all, who tats any more?  That is a craft forgotten for most.  Lots of young people are crocheting and knitting though and that is a good thing.  Good for the soul!!

Last year, on one of my trips to Denver with my buddies, we spent the day at the Brass Armadillo and we were seeking a cookbook for my friend here to convert into a clock and I was looking for Christmas themed old handkerchiefs.  A booth there was literally loaded with handkerchiefs!!  Not only was it loaded, it had so many Christmas hankies that I couldn't decided which ones to purchase.  In a magazine I had seen a Christmas tree skirt completely made of these and quilted.  Recycled and quilted...just up my alley.  I have it nearly completed and will no doubt embellish it. I am also working on a wedding ring quilt with over 100 pieced segments of 11 small pieces each. How many is that? In addition, there will be many background pieces to stitch to these.  I have 25 finished so this will occupy a good share of my winter snow days won't it?  In addition, if the weather permits, my buddies and I are planning another jaunt sometime soon as it has been forever since I have done this it seems.  These are my two old friends (over 40 years) and as Dolly and Kenny sing----"you can't make old friends". 

I do love the seasons and don't mind the snow as long as I don't have to go out in it.  I grew up with long snowy winters and like my mother, do not like cold weather.  It is like chicken gizzards, you can not develop a like for some things, although she loved gizzards and liver, I still cannot handle either of those.  But I do share her dislike for cold weather and the wind.  Oh my gosh we have had wind.
Anyway, my dad who dearly loved my mother, took her to New Mexico for her last few years and I think she was happy there. So we started with cold weather and have ended with warm weather.  In a few weeks we will have Thanksgiving...I am looking forward to that and Christmas.  Thank goodness we have lots of holidays during the winter and our larder is always full, the coffee pot is on and the sewing bobbins are full!!!

Windy Wyoming

 This blog title doesn't really represent these blog photos today, but my heavens to mergatroid, has it been windy!!!  So windy that I haven't really been able to go out and work to get my garden stuff in.  And I just looked at the thermometer and it is 33 degrees outside.  It wasn't supposed to get this cold and I didn't cover anything.  Having the cows back in the pasture though does give me some pleasure in that it reminds me of the stock from which I came.  Good ol' beef and farming country.  Those cold mornings when we went out to feed the calves from a bucket with a nipple attached and getting milk splashed over us wasn't really fun, but it surely taught us how we earned our beef on the table.  I love baby calves and their beautiful eyes. Hard to look into those sweet faces and long lashes and know they would be on the table come winter.  We have taken the hummer feeders down and put up the bird feeders above, so you can see how close these cattle are and it warms my soul to see and hear them.

 Some of the things I collect are mashers and rolling pins, but not just any mashers and rolling pins.  The ones I collect "speak" to me. These kitchen tools have been replaced by more modern appliances, but I know they will go by the wayside and again, it reminds me of my childhood.  I do remember watching my grandmother use a masher similar to the ones above. And a butter paddle? Although used in a simpler era, and becoming more scarce all of the time, these were essential in any pioneer kitchen. I have a food processor and even though it makes a wonderful scratch pie crust, I still like to use a rolling pin and I have many.  I remember using my "little" rolling pin and rolling crust with grandma.  She would give me the leftover pieces and I could sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on my carefully rolled pastry dough and bake it in her oven.  These little pins are really getting difficult to locate and I just received my latest pin treasure this week from my dear friend.  It is the green handled one on the far right and is in pristine condition.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

 These are some of the other pins from days gone by and I have taken a couple of them and used them for apron Hooks....will post later. Snow is on the mountains and our larder is mostly stocked so it is time for pies right?  My mom wasn't the greatest cook although she was good at opening cans and jars, but she made great pie crusts. I have tried dozens of so-called perfect pie crusts, and I have even resorted to buying frozen crusts, but I am still searching for a crust that would marvel my mother's.  And her warm ginger bread with cream on it...does anyone even make gingerbread?  I don't mean cookies.  I mean real dark brown gingerbread in a 9 X 13 cake pan. I don't recall ever making it.  But my mom could bake and maybe that is why unlike Rachel Ray, I would much more prefer to bake than cook. With winter around the corner, we need to store up some fat don't we?  My doctor would not agree I am sure, but that's what we did with the cattle...fatten 'em up for slaughter....so If the wind doesn't blow 100 mph today, I won't bake, I will go out and work off a few calories.  Then I shall bake.

Fall around the corner

 It has been quiet on the home front and above, the first of the garden, picked earlier this week, has now become nearly the last of the garden.  It was our first "real" frost last night and we covered what is left of the tomatoes.  I have put up for the winter much zucchini and will start the tomatoes that were picked last night.  About a dozen had been left to ripen on the vine and they are red and plump!!
More will survive this first frost covered, but with a bit of yellow showing in the far aspen, we are reminded that snowfall is not far behind now. There are still root crops in, parsnips and carrots and they will be fine for a while. Our quest for more camping will be cut short now too.  So like the cat Coalette below snuggled in my needlework bag, we will be seeking out the comfort of the heaters. The antelope are gathering their herds and the rancher put the cattle out next to our fence for winter pasture...all signs.

 I have probably posted this picture below, but I love how my furkids snuggle up to each other.  The cattle drive my little grey guy nuts. His dream in life is to be a "cowdog".  Not happening! The Mr. has suggested that he take him to the Silver Spur ranch and offer him up as such, but he isn't much bigger than the cat.

With the onslaught of cooler days, let the quilting and crafting and painting and reading begin!!  They are therapy for me and make the hours fly.

"Pleasure and action make the hours seem short." ~ William Shakespeare

Got a paddle?

 For all of those poor people in Colorado who are affected by the floods, our thoughts are with them.  It is being called a 500 year flood. Roads washed out, dams overflowing and evacuations in places no one would have imagined.  Up to 15 inches in some places and people are stranded, some without power, sewer, etc.  It appears that this may be clearing in areas, but not everywhere.  I remember in 1976 when over 100 people were killed in the Big Thompson Flood, but at least now communication and technology allow warnings so much earlier. Within the last two minutes, I 25 is closed since the Big Thompson is flooding. Above, an area near Bennett Peak, which as the crow flys is just a few miles from my back porch, but when we drove it last week, it took at least an hour to reach.  Across ranch land, through private and public lands, the journey was really pretty.  We did find lots of chokecherries, which surprised us and NO, I did not pick any.  We "Geocasche" some and did place a new casche and will watch to see if anyone finds it. I always marvel at Mother Nature and the beauty which surrounds us.

 Gypsy Wagon....Which was to be a sheep wagon!!...I love this little birdhouse and next year, when our little water feature is completed, I plan to have a little village near the water source.  Some people have garden railroads, but I will have a garden town and although I am not sure that the birds will actually inhabit my rentals, it will be fun to landscape with small plants and rocks.   The wheels are handles for outside faucets.

The castle is now complete and will be accessed by a bridge over a moat I hope.  With an old funnel and lamp parts and a hose nozzle, the roof is completed on all 4 sections.  

Just heard that the entire town of Lyons is being evacuated...3 deaths reported so far.

Overland Trail

 Yesterday with lunch packed and 4 wheel in gear, along with about 25 other people, we trekked along the original Overland trail.  Because the land is now privately owned, we received permission to do this from the owner and it was a Saratoga Museum sponsored event. The site above and monument above is a gift from Mary Ellen Davis and family in memory of her husband,  a frontier banker.  Three local historians presented programs on the graves, history of the Overland trail,  and the Indian attacks.

 Now fenced in, previously these six graves have been here since the 1860's.  The Mr. floated this North Platte river many years ago and visited these graves then where now one of the stones had been vandalized and eventually has disappeared. It read "Killed by Indians". 

We hiked down a stone stairway.  It really was not a stairway, but a narrow cut between two rock walls, with very slippery loose stone and soil.  As always on the high desert, we were warned to watch for rattlesnakes or "buzzworms".  At the bottom near the river banks, the evidence of the many travelers from the east to the west is still evident.  One of the earliest dates we saw was 1866.  This area was near the Emigrant's Crossing where the Bennett's ferry allowed the pioneers and the military to cross at $5.00 a wagon. We received a map and drawing of the ferry and apparently there was another near what is now Pick Bridge.  I won't attempt to detail the information, but it was a trip and lesson in history I won't forget. 

Afterward, we drove a short distance to Patton (Klein, Cline)'s (?) Property to have lunch on his property.  This was a rustic cabin and we lunched on his front porch in the shade and were graciously allowed to used his "facility".  This was when Chris (Chili) Rollison who is an archaeologist, native of the area and expert on Indian history here, spoke and detailed the different tribes occupying the area then.  I know that my father's family came west and settled in Colorado.  The Overland trail came through Julesburg Colorado and I am thinking that they probably did not venture farther north than that if they came by that route.  I had always been told that my grandmother was the first "white" child born in Erie Co.  After this trek, I am not sure that I would have survived as a pioneer traveler knowing some of the hardships they must have encountered.  Some of the old wagon ruts were still very much visible.  It took nearly and hour from the highway to reach this area of the river by 4-wheel drive and was a mere 8.5 miles.  I live just walking distance from the North Platte and always marvel at nature's beauty.  Thanks to those mighty pioneers who ventured west to persue their dreams!!!

A little of this 'n that

 Several years ago, I taught a painting class here in Saratoga and a man here made several different birdhouses for the class. This was a sheep wagon and I never could decide how to finish it.  We plan to build a stream and small water landscape area in our back yard, as we have almost always had a water feature.  I have been researching a little and intend to build more birdhouses for the backyard. That is where the castle will reside and I want some various examples of birdhouses there also. Soooo...I came upon some Gypsy Wagons which are so very ornate and beautiful!!!  I am an embellisher and these seemed perfect for this little birdhouse.  Above in the beginning stage, I will have it finished in another post and the castle is getting it's top pieces attached.  The hardware store provides a myriad of adornments and the wheels are going to be the round brightly painted handles on outdoor faucets. (technical name will be addressed).

 Looking at my collection of potential blog photos, I found this one of Coalette....she always helps me blog although her typing ability sucks and misspelled words get deleted.

This also is an earlier photo, but this past two weeks, the sunsets have been beyond description and so this is just an example of what we get to see most evenings.  The antelope have begun to herd up and although the trees haven't yet started to turn, small signs of fall are appearing.  We are taking a trek this weekend as museum members over the "Overland Trail".  An important part of History, especially so close to us, this area has long been on our list of "to do's".  Will update after the weekend.

"Choice, not chance determines destiny." ~ Anonymous

Camping

 We were fortunate to find that our old camp site was unoccupied last week when we ventured finally out with friends and our two gypsy wagons.  Actually we have some nice trailers with most of the comforts of home...even a microwave, fireplace and we have one of those noisy generators to assure us of continued power.  So my buddy and I gathered our construction adhesive, pvc pipe and funnels along with assorted other "junk", to work on more birdhouses.  Although hers is actually a birdhouse, I wanted to work on a castle which I had envisioned for my backyard garden.  Our intent is to build a small stream and I want to set some small examples of abodes to grace the landscape. 

 Not yet finished of course, but on a small hill above the stream and along with some of my other visionaries, I can see it now.  I was looking at birdhouses on line and came upon some Gypsy Wagons.  Wow, my brain was in overdrive with ideas for a birdhouse I have had for some time.  It was built as a sheep wagon by a man here in Saratoga several years ago for my painting class.  I could never quite get an idea for it, but now I know it will also be perched on the hillside beside the stream. I have already started painting it and pictures will follow. 

This collection of beads below were found in two locations at our camp.  Because the area is free range for cattle, the existing fire pit was littered with cow patties and we decided to move it.  (My one little dog loves to perfume himeself with these).  As we sat by the fire the first evening, I spotted a little gold bead and then another.  Upon further inspection, I found several beads and each day thereafter found one or two more beads.  The last evening as I was walking toward the trailer I spotted a larger wooden bead and then several more.  These were at the base of a downed tree and I found the other two gold beads as well as several more wooden beads.  Perhaps a camp robber or chipmunk decided to cash them for later, but what an interesting find!

We found a rake and an old tool of some sort, but the weather was beautiful and the evening sunsets spectacular and the entire 4 days totally relaxing.  More to follow.

Christmas in August

 In a Magazine some time ago, I kept a picture of a Christmas Tree skirt made with hankies.  I  have been buying these as I find them and finally have enough.  There are several examples of quilts made with special family keepsake hankies and this seemed like a do-able project.  I fused a lightweight interfacing to each and then machine stitched them to white cotton.  Not sure how I will proceed, but they are waiting for a snowy winter day!!!  Below are the glitter and glue projects we completed at our retreat.  This only is my contribution, as for some reason, I forgot to take a picture of the others.

 This was a downloadable Martha Stewart pattern and we used her glue and glitter products for glass which can be purchased at Michaels.  It was fun and easy and they can hold candles, or candy and would make great gifts at the holidays.  The one below was a plastic container purchased at a big box store. Let your imagination go wild!! Halloween, Valentines, Easter, 4th of July...Birthdays.  Very affordable!

More crafts

 Above, 3 banners completed by one of the gals, and we are anxious to see what the winter project will be.  These were painted with acrylics on a product used for drapery lining.  It was a great surface for this type of craft.  All we did was cut it to size, hem it top and bottom and start painting after transferring a pattern.  I looked at the originals and drew the patterns without an actual pattern to use and I think they came out great!!

 Each of us painted a birdhouse with original designs as can be seen in the previous post.  We put copper on the roofs, but actually the Mr. did that for us.  I had some old pieces from a stairs and using existing scraps, ( a piece from a T-post and an old re-purposed piece of re-bar I found),

 it now graces my flower bed.  The totem along side is from a previous recycling project.  I have one more project to post so stay tuned.