Pinecrest

This last Saturday, Texas and I decided to take a little roadtrip up the hill. We drove for about and hour and half, traveled 60 or 70 miles, and ended up here:

Pinecrest lake! We decided we were sick of the fog and wanted to see some sunshine for a couple of hours. It took us 20 minutes to get out of the fog in Oakdale and into the sunshine to get our weekly dose of Vitamin D.

Here is the aftermath of a few cheesy self portraits. We were there long enough to snap a few pictures and escape before some crazy child came screaming wildly down the hill on a sled.

We decided to stop in Mi Wuk Village, population 150, for some pizza and a bathroom break. We were both very excited to see if this sign held true:

Well, they really should change the sign to say "Prepare to eat the most expensive pizza in the world!" $20 for a small pizza that would have sufficed as an appetizer for Texas. We decided to opt for their $3.50 draft coors light instead. I guess when you're the only pizza joint in town, heck the only joint in town, you can charge outrageous prices

So, we drank our beer. Texas put on his sad face, and we left for greener pastures.

We found Gabriela's in Sonora, just about 40 minutes from our house. I found great pleasure in taking pictures of Texas and his pink margarita. I blame it on California.

Needless to say, he didn't find it as amusing as me.

Workin'

I am just wrapping up my first week at work.

L-O-V-E it.

Love that I don't have to worry about my hair or makeup, although I still brush my hair before putting it into a ponytail. Ok, and I put on some makeup. But only because Texas is out there working too. You know, because he can definitely tell if I'm wearing makeup or not from up on his tractor. What can I say, I'm a California girl, through and through. At least I leave the rhinestone belt at home while I'm out in the sloppy corrals.

Here's what a typical day looks like:



Going through pregnant cows to check due dates for upcoming sales



Being photographed by my Mom and trying not to look cheesy :)

My favorite - branding the new heifers!

Unfortunately, the branding iron broke yesterday, so it'll be 10-14 days until we get a new one. Until then, I'll come up with a list of all my things I need to decorate with the /s brand...

My boots.

My belt.

My leather travel bag.

My cat.

Just your typical stuff to brand.

Fog

Texas has tornados.

Colorado has snow.

California has... FOG.

Ok, the Central Valley of California has fog. We actually don't have it to bad up in the northern part of the valley. At least here, the fog burns off by mid-afternoon most days. A dairy farmer from Hanford, about 3 hours south of us, hasn't seen the sun at their place in 3 weeks.

That same dairy farmer was here bright and early yesterday morning at 7 a.m. to collect 67 cows he bought from us. Ok, maybe not bright, just early.

Two cattle trucks.

Sixty seven springers (pregnant cows).

I am loving this change of scenery. This is my new office!!

First Day

Yesterday was the big day. First day of work on el rancho.

Texas started his morning by waking up at 4 a.m., and I, being the hard working one in our relationship, woke up with the birds at 7 a.m.

Woke up to "pea soup" fog as my mom likes to call it, but luckily it burned off by lunch time. Got to ride the ponies for awhile, and I think I'm going to have to put some hours in on Texas's steed before she's ready to go. I think she'll teach him a good lesson about women... ha!

Here's the outcome of my mother's photography yesterday:



We're trying to figure out the daily routine around here! Texas has a lot of numbers to remember regarding the heifer feeding.. and I have a lot to learn about Portugese accents!!

Back on the Ranch

Quick update.

Since the last post and now...

I have traveled over 1,300 miles.

With a horse, puppy, and whiny cat.

I have hit about 1,300 potholes.

After 24 hours of driving in two days, we made it to Oakdale!

This is what our day off looks like:

I think Texas is rethinking this whole cow thing??

 

OK, maybe not. :)

My pup seems to be adjusting well to ranch life... it's just keeping him on the edge of his seat. Obviously.

I love him. :)

I think Goose is liking the change of scenery too, but then again, she's pretty hard to read.

Goose

Have I mentioned I have a beautiful cat named Goose?

She has a hardy little kitty that likes to chase and eat squirrels, mice, and bunnies in her free time. She loves hanging upside down and chasing dogs. She knows her name. She can sit on command, usually. She can ride a horse.

She's really more like a person stuck in a cat's body. 

Yester Years

In light of moving back to California next week, I thought'd post some pictures of life on the ranch. I went through my Dad's Facebook "Yester Year" albums for these. I could look at those pictures for hours. My dad had a unique sense of humor. His captions on every single picture in his albums just makes me crack up. It makes me very thankful for the creation of Facebook and his many hours put into uploading old pictures onto the computer. Whenever I need a pick me up, I can still hear my dad - through his pictures online.

Speaking of my dad, here he is below back in 1993. We had just moved to California, and I had started the first grade. For Halloween and also for the sake of their daughter making friends, my parents threw a party for everyone in my class.

We had tractor rides...

... and scary dummies...

... along with a plethora of "carnival" games. That was a really fun day. My friends always loved coming over because I lived in the country. A lot of my friends lived in town, so coming out for a day or night at my house was exciting. Sleepovers would consist of walking down the hay alley in the dark and freaking out when he heard owls and pigeons fly out of the rafters above us. In the summers, we'd pitch a tent in the front yard and sleep out there. We were almost always "supervised" by our gray tabby cat, Gizzy, who was always excited for some extra attention and loving in the tent. That was all fine and dandy until she started to drool, then my friends would get grossed out that my cat was drooling. And how could I forget, my friends usually had the opportunity to ride my trusty steed, Rosie, whose sway back you can almost make out in the background of the above picture.

Of course, it wasn't always fun and games living at the ranch. My dad always had a lot to work to do. Feeding, irrigation, maintenance, mowing - to name a few. Always something to be done around the ranch, no matter what the weather was like. This was his typical work attire in the summers: shorts and a t-shirt. Not your typical dairy man get up, but he rocked it!!

While Dad worked away in the heat, I was busy "babysitting" my little sister.

Oh, it was terrible. Keeping my little sister entertained on the ranch was soooo demanding. Ha. Many of our summer days were spent in the kiddie pool we had. As you can tell, it was a stressful time for me.

The great part about living on a ranch was that it was always entertaining for visiting family. Here I am with my twerp cousin when she came to visit several years back. I don't think we've changed much.

Many of my childhood days were spent horseback. My butt was practically glued to a horse. I wish I could say my horses enjoyed all that time we spent together as much as I did. I might be wrong here, but I don't think my horse looks so pleased.

I am getting really excited to be back at the ranch with my family and this little guy.

Haha, ok that was cruel and unjust. Poor Chester. I am really excited to be reunited with all of my pets, oh and friends (!!!), back home. Soon, this will be my new office:

I'm thinking I might wear this as my daily uniform. It kind of camoflauges me in with the cows with the black and white scheme going on.

 I can be a cow whisperer.

Palo Duro Canyon

In light of today's weather, I think I will reminisce on warmer times. Today in Amarillo, the temperature is 5 degrees with about a -8 degree wind chill. Actually, I don't mind this weather. As long as there's minimal wind, I enjoy the cold. Minus the fact that I had to almost use an auger to get through the ice in my horse's water bucket this morning.

Two weekends ago, the Texan and I went on a little hike with our pups at the Palo Duro Canyon, a short 15 minute drive from my house. It's right behind the Grand Canyon as one of the largest canyons in the world. I was very surprised to find out the canyon is home to a variety of animals like deer, wild hogs, mountain lions, and coyotes. I also couldn't believe it is literally right down the road from my house in Amarillo.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

My pup loves giving me kisses!

I feel like my dog is trying to tell me something...






It was a great time had by all, except for maybe my puppy towards the end. Apparently, six miles is a really long trip for a four month old pup. I ended up carrying him a little ways on the way back.

It was a great way to spend one of my last weekends in Amarillo. I'm bummed that there are so many things I have yet to experience here like go to a big country concert, go downtown, chase a tornado, dance at the Midnight Rodeo, or go to one of the big rodeos here. At the same time, I am really excited to be moving back home to experience a way of life I miss and to start making a name for myself!

Cold

Ahh, Panhandle weather. How I despise you.

Seriously, where else in the world can you experience 70 degree weather and snow in the same week?? This place is insane.

Right now, my horse and dog are currently freezing their buns off. Amarillo had already hit its high of the day at 8 a.m. at a smouldering 25 degrees. The temperature has been steadily dropping since, and it's currently 19 degrees outside at 11:25 a.m.

Let me just say, that I was totally ready for cold and snow when I moved here in October. I mean, I survived a whole winter in CREEDE. I woke up to -20 degrees all the time. It was a nice t-shirt day if it even reached 19 degrees, and now I am shivering while sitting in my heated 70 degree office looking out the window.

What has happened to me?! I'm a wuss!

Something I didn't factor into the weather here - the wind.

It is the devil.

Currently, the wind chill factor makes it about 5 degrees outside.

Take me back to Colorado!! I want -20 degrees!! I want three feet of snow! I want to go where there's no wind!!

You know what has really made the cold absolutely unbearable here?? The change in scenery.

If you don't believe me, decide for yourself...

Exhibit A - cold weather in Colorado





Exhibit B - cold weather in Texas

Hmm. I feel like we could play that game where you find all the differences in two photos: Photo Hunt!! That's how my friends and I spent several nights at the bar in Creede. Drinking PBR drafts, eating tater tots, and playing Photo Hunt.

I think if we had to pick out all the differences in these two photos, we'd probably lose our spot in the top ten scores at the Old Miners Inn bar.

As much as I have been complaining about it in this post, Amarillo really isn't all that bad. We actually had some nice days here this weekend and last weekend. 50-60 degrees, nice enough to head out for a hike with the dogs.

But today, I am cold. Very cold. My puppy and my horse are crossing off the days on the California countdown calendar. So am I.

Puppy Photoshoot

I bought some hay the other day to bring home to my horse, Romeo. I put my pup on top of the hay bales while I unloaded them, so he could hang out. What a perfect picture opportunity!

This is my pup at 4 months old as of January 2nd.

I'm just gonna go ahead and put it out there - I have a problem. I have an addiction. I am obsessed with my dog.

Puppy

This is my puppy.

You can call him Stoney. That's what I call him. I've been getting a lot of weird faces from people when I tell them his name. I didn't name him Stoney because I am a stoner, people. In fact, I am very far from it. Haven't even tried the stuff. He's named after Stoney LaRue, a country singer. Geezy petes people, git your mind outta the gutter.

Anyways, I got my pup from my adopted family I mentioned before. He was a special delivery from Colorado to Amarillo. I never even met my pup until he was put in my arms when he got to Texas, and the pizza delivery girl said "here's your dog". I tipped her two bucks and she was on her way. Seriously though, some really nice lady was moving from the town my pup was in to Amarillo the week he was ready to weaned. Coincidence? It was meant to be.

These pictures are from when I first got him. Err, when he was first delivered to me at 8 weeks old. That was only two months ago, but I feel like he's grown like 10 feet since October 30th.

Raising my first puppy has made me realize that I'm going to be a terrible mother. I'm going to latch on and never let go of my kids. I want four kids. Well, at least three. I can't even imagine going through the trauma of sending my kids off to college. Four times.

Ok, probably just three times.

I love my puppy. He turned four months old on the 2nd of January, and he'll be turning ten years old next month.

The Office Plant

The office plant.

The plant that my ever so sweet Texan had delivered to my work one day a couple months ago because I was having a bad day.

I loved this plant so much that I watered it religiously. I watered it everyday. I watered it a lot everyday. In fact, I darn near drowned the poor plant to death I loved it that much.

I've always imagined myself having a plant when I had my own office.

This was my dream come true: my office plant.

I put in my two weeks at work last Friday. And guess what...

My plant died.

I watered the plant so much that I drowned it. I guess the moral of this story is maybe just because you love something or someone soooo much... doesn't mean the relationship requires a smoothering of affection. Sometimes you should just let it be. Let it grow.

Whatever you do, JUST DON'T OVERWATER THE DANG PLANT. It'll mold. Then turn brown. The flower will die. You'll have to throw it out in the trash can outside which, by the way, isn't big enough to put the plant pot in.

Anyways, I thought it was ironic. As my work here at my current job is coming to an end, so is my office plant. Ha.

Colorado

Feedin' time for the ranch horses.

Oh, Colorado. How I love and miss you. Last year after another summer at the ranch in Creede, I had the opportunity to live at the ranch during the winter. My very first real winter experience!

8500 feet. Southwest Colorado. Town of 500 people. Daily high temps of 10-15 degrees. Lows starting from -34 degrees. That was a fun morning.

Despite the cold and the isolation from convenience and people, I loved every second of the winter. Yes, sometimes I did get lonely, especially being so far away from my family and friends. I got to learn so much about myself and my limitations. This was my first post-college living experience (I don't count the summer of 09' at the ranch as post-college life because that's more college than college, if that makes sense). It's not easy being a single girl fresh out of college in a town of 500!

Throughout my stay, I tried as many new things as possible, trying to focus especially on winter activities. I am now accomplished in ice fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, ICE HOCKEY, snowshoeing, babysitting, and bobcat stalking. Actually, I am not very accomplished in any of these things except for ice hockey, but at least I can now say that I have done these things at least once.

Ice fishin' at the ranch with one of the ranch toddlers.

Did I mention I LOOOOVEEEE ice hockey? I believe next weekend is the annual Ice Hockey tourney in Creede, and I am dying inside knowing that the all girls team, the Creede Hotel Hotties, will be playing without me. Hopefully, I can make a guest celebrity appearance in the next few years.

2010 Ice Hockey Tournament in Creede

I think about Colorado everyday. It doesn't help that my dearest friends, Carly and Kat, are out living the dream in Colorado as I type. Yet, as much as I miss it, I am glad that I am experiencing life outside of Colorado right now. It'll make me appreciate it that much more when I get back there someday. I think what I miss the most about Colorado are the people - friends and folks, some who I now consider my family.

I miss my adopted family who took me in under their wing last year after I had just broken up with my California boyfriend during my last month of work at the ranch. I swore to myself that I would stay in Colorado because that's where I'd rather be than anywhere else at the time. I was determined to stay in Colorado... even though I only had four days of work left at the ranch and had no job offers or housing figured out for myself. Oh, and my horse. Minor problem. Anyways, this family offered me and my pony housing until I found a job in Colorado, and I thank my lucky stars for them every day. Without them, I would never have gotten the chance to live in Colorado during the winter. I wouldn't have worked another summer at the ranch. I wouldn't have met my Texan. I'm sooo very grateful for the opportunities that came about, all because this family "adopted" me for a little while. Love and miss you guys!!



Lost Lakes trip outside of Creede with the adopted family and friends in 2010