There's Always a Silver Lining

I've had a real crappy couple days.  So today I took half a day off of work and went shopping.  Retail therapy always makes me feel better.

At the grocery store, I saw these flowers.  They looked so bright and cheery, just had to bring them home.





Then I started thinking about what else would make me happy.  And it involves you, my blogger peeps.





Y'all are so great to always have a kind word.  And it makes me happy to give y'all stuff.





So you know what that means, it's giveaway time!  What better way to start the new year!  I really don't care what you comment.  You can ask me a question that's been burning on your mind.  You can tell me how wonderful I am.  That may get you two entries! lol not really!  You can tell me what you'd like me to blog about in 2010.  You can tell me what you are looking forward to in the new year.  Whatever floats your boat.  Just leave a comment and I will place you in the drawing.

Now, what shall I give away????  Would you like a picture?  Maybe a photograph?  8x10?  you pick whatever picture you want of mine?  framed in barnwood?  Plus a few extra goodies cause I can never send just one thing.  It's against my religion.  I mean really, if I'm gonna pay for shipping, I may as well load the box, right?  How does that sound?

Comments must be made by 10 am CST on Sunday, January 3, 2010.

Good Luck and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

**Update on Mistletoe.  She seems to be doing okay.  Was in the barn this evening eating hay.  Keeping her penned so we can watch her for a few days.**

Can Someone Throw Us a Bone? Please!

We've been waiting for Mistletoe to calve.  She is a heifer and we knew she was gettin' close.



The husband noticed her hanging out more by herself today.  But she still hadn't calved by the time he left mid morning.  He asked me to check on her this evening when I got home from work.

I found her in the barn.  She had problems.  The calf's head and front feet were hanging out.  I could tell he was dead.  From the looks of the stall she was in, she'd been in there awhile trying to have it.  The dirt was pushed all around her.

I called the husband and told him I was gonna need some help.  He came home from work and we tried pullin' the calf.  So glad I didn't even try by myself.  We eventually had to get the come along and tie it off to the barn.  Were finally able to get the calf out.

It was a little black and white spotted bull calf.  That makes us 0-2 this season for calves.  Still haven't had a live birth.

We tried keeping Mistletoe in the barn.  But she finally managed to get up.  She was having problems with her back end.  Plus she was pissed off!  She proceeded to leave the barn before we could get it closed off.  Then we were worried about her getting bogged down in the mud.  Cause y'all know we have all this STUPID MUD everywhere from the constant rain.  But again, she's pissed and wants nothing to do with us or anything we are trying to get her to do.  So we left her outside the barn in the pens.  I'm hoping she'll go back to the barn after she settles down.  Really don't want to go out there in the morning and find a dead heifer too.

Are You Ready to Rumble?!

When we took some cows and weanlin' calves back to the lease place on Sunday, there was some fightin' goin' on!

(Left: Good Golly Miss Molly.  Right: Silver Velvet)

They act like they've never met before.  Geez girls, it's only been a few weeks!

I Got Mauled!

Y'all thought crawling out among the cows was crazy, well, it ain't near as crazy as this....

Trying to get a picture of Diesel.

He's 7 months old.

I thought it would be nice to get a picture to see how much he's grown.

But he is a TERROR!  Danger, danger, danger!

And sweet Zena wasn't helpin' matters.

I should have quit while I was ahead earlier in the day with the cattle.  I was "smoked" several times by a very large rambunctious puppy.  Puppy?  Really, can he still be a puppy at this size?

Awww, finally a nice moment!  The husband was quick on the trigger to get this shot.  Believe me, it didn't last long!

Cow Whispering 101

**Please do not attempt this at home.  I am a professional or an idiot, take your pick.**

First, call up hungry cows.

Second, pour feed out for said cows.  As cows eat, get on hands and knees and proceed to crawl towards them.

Once among the group, try enticing cow with cube.

Don't give up, try another.

But remember, balance is key.  It takes great skill to crawl across pasture on all fours.

A skill I have yet to master!  I think I hit a rock.

Also a word to the wise....as the husband said as I was out among the cows, "honey, don't get smoked."

I did not get ran over, mission accomplished.

Holiday Cheer

Holiday cheer abounds here at the ranch.

Well, for all but one...

Mad Dog.

He's still a little miffed.  But I think he's one of those that will always have that sour look on his face no matter what.  He better be glad his brothers were good cause Santa brought them a load of feed.  He gets to benefit off their nice behavior.

Crazy M Tradition

Since we usually spend Christmas at home (our families live a good distance away), the husband and I have started a few traditions of our own.  For many years now, we have made Christmas cookies.

And of course, decorating them is the best part.




We are so dressed up for Christmas, aren't we?




Anyhow, we have all the sprinkles and icing you could want.  Decorating talent, on the other hand, is not abundant!




If I try to get all creative, the husband asks, "What, you entering a cookie contest or something?!  Geez!"




But we have lots of fun and enjoy eating them up!



Hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas day.

Twas The Night Before Christmas in Texas

'Twas the night before Christmas, in Texas, you know.
Way out in the prairie, without any snow.
Asleep in their cabin, were Buddy and Sue.
A dreamin' of Christmas, like me and you.

Not stockings, but boots, at the foot of their bed,
For this was Texas, what more need be said,
When all of a sudden, from out of the still night,
There came such a ruckus, it game me a fright.

And I saw 'cross the prairie, like a shot from a gun,
A loaded up buckboard, come on at a run,
The driver was "Geein" and "Hawin", with a will,
The horses (not reindeer) he drove with such skill.

"Come on there Buck, Poncho & Prince, to the right,
There'll be plenty of travelin' for you all tonight."
The driver in Levi's and a shirt that was red,
Had a ten-gallon Stetson on top of his head.





As he stepped from the buckboard, he was really a sight,
With his beard and moustache, so curly and white.
As he burst in the cabin, the children awoke,
And were so astonished, that neither one spoke.

And he filled up their boots with such presents galore,
That neither could think of a single thing more.
When Buddy recovered the use of his jaw,
He asked in a whisper, "Are you really Santa Claus?"

"Am I the real Santa? Well, what do you think?"
And he smiled as he gave a mysterious wink.
The he leaped in his buckboard, and called back in his drawl,
"To all the children in Texas, Merry Christmas, You all!"

Watusi Wednesday

These cattle amaze me.  I get a headache from a pony tail.  

Battle of the Desserts

The husband informed me that Dr. Pepper has a dessert contest every year at the Christmas party.  He advised me that I was making my pecan pie to enter and we were going to win.  Then he proceeded to tell me that he has already told everyone at work, including Betty Crocker (the past winner), that they was goin' down!

I told him to quit talkin' smack at work but he wouldn't listen.  He said you can talk smack when you have something to back it up and he did, my pecan pie.  So this had gone on for about a month until the Christmas party last Friday.

So did the husband have to apologize for all the trash talk?


NO WAY JOSE!  I won!!! Oh yea, oh yea, it's my birthday.

Now I'm the proud owner of a Garmin GPS unit, the prize for first place.  Second place was a key lime pie.  The guy admitted to buying it at a bakery.  The husband really had to gloat then.

Betty Crocker asked for my recipe.  The husband told her it was a longtime family secret (whatever! it's out of a cookbook!) and we don't give it out.  The later is true.  I keep the recipe under wraps.  I want to have one thing I can claim I'm good at so I'm selfish and hardly ever give it out.  Is that bad of me?

Really, it is pretty close to any run of the mill pecan pie recipe.  I think the secret is in the mixing!  Shhh...

Harley's Holiday Misery

I can't believe Mom made me do this.




Doesn't she know I am a COWDOG!



I'm NOT some prissy Hollywood pocket pet.




This is so embarrassing.   I sure hope the others don't see these pictures.  I'll be the laughing stock of the ranch.



I have a reputation to uphold.  I'm the baddest dog around these parts.  I'll show Mom what I think of this!





If I tear this stupid hat up, maybe she'll never try dressin' me up again.




I better get extra goodies in my stocking for this.  She and Santa owe me big time!

Shhhhh....Don't Tell Dad!

I don't know how this happened.




Diesel, what are you doin' in the house??




Daddy already thinks I let you in when he's not here.  He's questioned me about it several times.  I can only come up with so many excuses as to why you try to run in the house.




Don't eat his houseshoe....how will we keep it under wraps?




Diesel, you're leaving evidence on the shoe!  




Hand it over mister!  We have to get the house back in order before Dad comes home.



Look all innocent when he gets here.  He can't know we cuddle and run around the house in the evenings.

It's Fun to Be Me

My life can be quite amusing.  Here are a few snapshots from the last week...

**Split my skirt after court getting into my vehicle.  Had to drive back to my office.  Turned the skirt so the slit would be on my thigh instead of my backside.  Then I looked like a high priced street walker. Luckily a coworker had a pair of sweatpants in her car.  So there I was, at the federal courthouse, in my suit jacket, frilly pink camisole, grey sweats and black high heels.  Stunning!

**Husband has entered me into the great dessert bake off at work.  I could not, for the life of me, find my recipe for buttermilk pie.  I finally broke down and decided to try googling it.  Just maybe the recipe would come up.  It did and can you guess where?  MY BLOG!  I had posted it.  Geez, I'm an idiot.  

**Got two pictures from the husband today.  One pic-Diesel sittin' in the middle of an explosion of fuzz.  Second pic-Diesel with a doggie bed carcass in his mouth.  He is such a goober!  Guess he's figurin' Santa is a very forgiving man.

The Christmas Card

Mad Dog CAPTURED!

What's on the end of Cowboy Buddy's rope?




That would be a very angry Mad Dog!  We finally got him caught!!  I had my doubts it was going to happen this day either but the stars aligned.



Then I got the "Hey Wife, if you're not to busy hiding in the trees, taking pictures, you mind helping he out here?"




Well, I suppose I can remove myself from cover since you sat on the wild beast.  But y'all didn't see him initially try to tie him down and he got up.  Then the rope got around the horse's back legs, he started buckin', Mad Dog was runnin' and I thought the trees were the best place to be!




Alright, now we've got him tied down, just need the trailer to load him up.  Husband, can we get the trailer?  What, you're stuck?!




Good thing we had Rent-a-husband's truck there too!  Got the husband pulled out and over to Mad Dog.  Let's get him loaded!




Woo hoo!  Got him in without Rent-a-husband gettin' kicked untyin' the legs.




Now to get the rope off his neck.  They looked like monkeys hanging off the trailer.




The girls didn't know what to think about all this commotion.  I discussed with them that this is what happens with you are bad and don't get on the bus.  Believe me, you don't want to be bad.




Mad Dog was plenty UPSET with his new confinement.  He was snortin', huffin', puffin' and biting the trailer.



Now he's back at the house in the pen with all the other children.  I hope he doesn't corrupt them with his bad ways.