This last Sunday, the 22nd, our homeschooling parents got together and sent all of us children away so to speak. Two moms took 8 homeschooled kids (ages ranging from 9 to 16) out to a ranch in NM that afternoon, including Big J. and myself.
Our church lent us the van which was VERY nice and comfortable for everyone involved, and we headed out. We got to the ranch at 5:23 pm and quickly after, all 8 of us kids, plus two that got there after we did, climbed into one ranger and headed out to some rocks to climb on. All the moms stayed at the house and talked.
At the rocks, also known as The Little Red Hill, everyone climbed and then played sardines. Much laughter and joy was shared. By the time we were through playing, we headed back to the house. Now, there were rain clouds forming and coming in, so we didn't dilly dally too long to reach the house.
When we got there we had just enough time to tell the moms what had happened and were then pushed inside as huge winds began picking up dirt and cold air. So much for our plan to make s'mores outside! The rain came hard and fierce, as did the wind. The house by then was full of people. At that time, there were three moms, one college aged girl, and 11 kids. To say the least, the house was full and loud!
Some kids sang loud and out of tune. Some laughed, some ran about the house. It was a wild place, but also very fun. We had a supper of snack food because there had been food out since we got there, and later we did have s'mores...over the gas stove. Hey, it worked, alright.
When the rain had let up some, the boys took all the girls up to a cabin a couple of miles from the house. That was crazy. One boy yelled to drive fast over the bumps and puddles, but the other's yelled not too. We reached the cabin dry and safe, though two girls who had ridden a four-wheeler weren't as dry.
The boys let us unpack the ranger and put things in the cabin before we all loaded back up to drive farther into the canyon. It was getting dark now, so we used head lights and drove on the two track road going into the rocky hills of NM.
After that adventure was finished, the boys dropped us off at the cabin and drove back to the house, which was where they slept since they couldn't camp out.
Morning came and I got up first. We got ready for the day and the boys, once again, drove to the cabin and got us for breakfast. The drive back was exciting and this time we could really see the land since it was daylight. Soon after breakfast was devoured, we loaded all of our belongings and ourselves in the van. This time there were nine kids and two moms. We drove nonstop to Mt. Capulin. The time passed fairly quickly. Everyone in the back seats sang "100 Bottles of Pop"--yes, the whole thing--then other songs, any other song that hit their brain really.
We reached Mt. Capulin and looked at the visitor's center before proceeding up the volcano. On the way up we listened to jazz music and talked, while looking out the right windows. On top we scanned it, then walked, trotted, and ran down to the middle of the huge hill. (Why some people ran, I don't know.) We quickly read the sign at the bottom, looked at some sac worms and then (slower this time) walked up the path.
We pressed up the path going around the top of the volcano and ran into tiny bugs that went everywhere on a person. They were nasty little guys and made waiting for the slower walkers a pain. We descended and loaded in the van, ate dinner, and began the trip home.
This trip, homeschoolers' trip or kids' trip, whatever you want to call it, was a great success and a lot of fun. For me, at least, I have many great memories of a trip with friends to cherish in the years to come. : )
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Tonzo
I got my first dog back in August of 2009, the same day I sold my bottle calf. He was a little black and brown boy, supposedly part Wired Haired Fox Terrier and part Australian Shepherd, but never looked like either one. He only grew up to the size of a small dog, but always acted bigger. Ever since Dad brought him home, my dog acted abused. He hardly wagged his tail, never played with toys, and disliked getting his picture taken--but I managed to get quite a few of him. It was odd, too, for he was a puppy when we got him. But, I liked him the best I could and named him Tonzo.
He loved anything with four tires and was instantly addicted to riding in the back of the pickup to check the cattle and such. Sadly, he didn't get to go as often because he couldn't jump into the back of the pickup by himself. The tailgate had to be put down, and that added time to everything, so he stayed home most of the time. One time we borrowed a Ranger and Tonzo fell in love with it. He could jump into it by himself and went on many rides on that thing. When it came time to return it, he jumped on to the trailer and wouldn't come down. He would have loved it if we had bought a Ranger.
A few times he was allowed on cattle moves. That's when he really acted like a puppy! He would prance along behind the cows acting just like a cow dog. (We guess the herding instinct came from his Australian Shepherd side.) He always backed off when the cows turned on him, but quickly moved back to his spot after they turned around. Sometimes he barked, but never did any harm.
When one year of owning Tonzo passed, I made homemade dog treats for him. That was another time when he acted happy--when he was fed. He was the kind of dog that ate everything and hardly tasted it. He just swallowed anything he ate. It's amazing he didn't choke more than he did. I remember when we had brought in some tomato plants and Tonzo found them. I never thought a dog would eat tomatoes straight from the plant...or any way really. He also like hard corn, the stuff you feed chickens.
Whenever it snowed, he would run around crazy with our old dog, Belvedere. Tonzo had this way of rolling where, if the snow was hard enough, he could slide down the hill on his back. Much laughter came from us as we watched. Also, whenever I went sledding, he would run up and bite my gloves as if to keep me from sliding down the hill. He grabbed my shoestrings when I rode my bike as well.
Tonzo enjoyed the company of cats and almost always had a cat follower behind or beside him. Really, he wasn't much bigger than them.
Last year, when I was tossed from my horse, Tonzo was the first to my side. He was such a cuddly dog. It wasn't until last year (or some time around then) that I really figured out my dog. He was so different from all other dogs I've been around. Everyone who knew of Tonzo knew that he wasn't normal. He just didn't get excited until he could go on a walk with Dad or travel in the pickup. But it was frustrating at times. For example, I would want to pet him, so I called him in a chipper voice. He would lay down, you know, where the head's on the ground and the only movement are the eyes. I felt bad for him. He thought he was in trouble every time I called. So back to figuring him out last year...I found out he was a lap dog. Some evenings I'd sit outside, just to comfort the little dog. And he seemed to like it.
Though good habits out numbered the bad, he wasn't a perfect dog. Upon getting our third dog, Lightning, he began running off with her. Waking up on mornings and going outside to find only Belvedere and no "younger dogs" was very irritating! We could hardly catch them in the process of running away, so they kept sneaking out. Who knows what they did while exploring. We tried tying them up which seemed to help, at least they showed up for breakfast most mornings. But they never fully learned to stay home day and night.
On the 9th, we left around 6:30 p.m. to visit our grandma. All three dogs were at home and barked at us as we drove away. When we returned that night, only Belvedere and Lightning met us. We thought nothing of it; sometimes Tonzo didn't greet us because he was either cold or sleeping. But when the next morning rolled around and he still didn't show up we began to worry. Lightning is faster than Tonzo and has been known to reach home after running off before Tonzo. But the day proceeded on and still, Tonzo didn't show up. He's not known to miss his breakfast. By evening, I couldn't stand it anymore and took Lightning out for a walk in the pasture, thinking that perhaps she would lead me to Tonzo. Maybe he was stuck in a hole somewhere or was injured. Mom had went for a walk a few minutes before, but had found nothing.
Right after crossing the cattle guard into the pasture, Lightning ran off in the southern direction. I could tell she was sensing something, so I followed the best I could in flip-flops while eating a popsicle.
We reached the top of one hill and then the bottom of it, until we had topped one last hill. There I saw a brown spot. Lightning was approaching it with care and didn't rush to it. My heart fell. Tears hit my eyes and I ran to the brown spot. There laid my dog. Lightning jumped back when I came close, but I called her back to tell her how good she was. Without her leading me, I wouldn't have found him that easily. Sobbing hard, I unlatched the blue collar on Tonzo's neck. All I had done with my first dog flashed before my mind and the memories didn't help me control my crying.
While telling Lightning "good girl" and petting her, I looked the deceased dog over. It appeared he had keeled over. He was lying on a cow trail and looked as if to be running. No ground was disturbed like he had suffered. He wasn't bleeding except for his nose. He just died.
It was a surprise to the family and within a few minutes, we all five headed up to the hill where Tonzo died. There we buried him and told little memories to each other. We had thought Tonzo was going to live like Belvedere, who is now 14 years old, but we thought wrong. Tonzo would have been five this year.
Red ferns don't grow in this part of Oklahoma, but elm trees do, so we are considering planting one near Tonzo. There are many more memories Tonzo gave us, but I just wanted to give you a few. Thanks for taking the time to read about this. : )
He loved anything with four tires and was instantly addicted to riding in the back of the pickup to check the cattle and such. Sadly, he didn't get to go as often because he couldn't jump into the back of the pickup by himself. The tailgate had to be put down, and that added time to everything, so he stayed home most of the time. One time we borrowed a Ranger and Tonzo fell in love with it. He could jump into it by himself and went on many rides on that thing. When it came time to return it, he jumped on to the trailer and wouldn't come down. He would have loved it if we had bought a Ranger.
A few times he was allowed on cattle moves. That's when he really acted like a puppy! He would prance along behind the cows acting just like a cow dog. (We guess the herding instinct came from his Australian Shepherd side.) He always backed off when the cows turned on him, but quickly moved back to his spot after they turned around. Sometimes he barked, but never did any harm.
When one year of owning Tonzo passed, I made homemade dog treats for him. That was another time when he acted happy--when he was fed. He was the kind of dog that ate everything and hardly tasted it. He just swallowed anything he ate. It's amazing he didn't choke more than he did. I remember when we had brought in some tomato plants and Tonzo found them. I never thought a dog would eat tomatoes straight from the plant...or any way really. He also like hard corn, the stuff you feed chickens.
Whenever it snowed, he would run around crazy with our old dog, Belvedere. Tonzo had this way of rolling where, if the snow was hard enough, he could slide down the hill on his back. Much laughter came from us as we watched. Also, whenever I went sledding, he would run up and bite my gloves as if to keep me from sliding down the hill. He grabbed my shoestrings when I rode my bike as well.
Tonzo enjoyed the company of cats and almost always had a cat follower behind or beside him. Really, he wasn't much bigger than them.
Last year, when I was tossed from my horse, Tonzo was the first to my side. He was such a cuddly dog. It wasn't until last year (or some time around then) that I really figured out my dog. He was so different from all other dogs I've been around. Everyone who knew of Tonzo knew that he wasn't normal. He just didn't get excited until he could go on a walk with Dad or travel in the pickup. But it was frustrating at times. For example, I would want to pet him, so I called him in a chipper voice. He would lay down, you know, where the head's on the ground and the only movement are the eyes. I felt bad for him. He thought he was in trouble every time I called. So back to figuring him out last year...I found out he was a lap dog. Some evenings I'd sit outside, just to comfort the little dog. And he seemed to like it.
Though good habits out numbered the bad, he wasn't a perfect dog. Upon getting our third dog, Lightning, he began running off with her. Waking up on mornings and going outside to find only Belvedere and no "younger dogs" was very irritating! We could hardly catch them in the process of running away, so they kept sneaking out. Who knows what they did while exploring. We tried tying them up which seemed to help, at least they showed up for breakfast most mornings. But they never fully learned to stay home day and night.
On the 9th, we left around 6:30 p.m. to visit our grandma. All three dogs were at home and barked at us as we drove away. When we returned that night, only Belvedere and Lightning met us. We thought nothing of it; sometimes Tonzo didn't greet us because he was either cold or sleeping. But when the next morning rolled around and he still didn't show up we began to worry. Lightning is faster than Tonzo and has been known to reach home after running off before Tonzo. But the day proceeded on and still, Tonzo didn't show up. He's not known to miss his breakfast. By evening, I couldn't stand it anymore and took Lightning out for a walk in the pasture, thinking that perhaps she would lead me to Tonzo. Maybe he was stuck in a hole somewhere or was injured. Mom had went for a walk a few minutes before, but had found nothing.
Right after crossing the cattle guard into the pasture, Lightning ran off in the southern direction. I could tell she was sensing something, so I followed the best I could in flip-flops while eating a popsicle.
We reached the top of one hill and then the bottom of it, until we had topped one last hill. There I saw a brown spot. Lightning was approaching it with care and didn't rush to it. My heart fell. Tears hit my eyes and I ran to the brown spot. There laid my dog. Lightning jumped back when I came close, but I called her back to tell her how good she was. Without her leading me, I wouldn't have found him that easily. Sobbing hard, I unlatched the blue collar on Tonzo's neck. All I had done with my first dog flashed before my mind and the memories didn't help me control my crying.
While telling Lightning "good girl" and petting her, I looked the deceased dog over. It appeared he had keeled over. He was lying on a cow trail and looked as if to be running. No ground was disturbed like he had suffered. He wasn't bleeding except for his nose. He just died.
It was a surprise to the family and within a few minutes, we all five headed up to the hill where Tonzo died. There we buried him and told little memories to each other. We had thought Tonzo was going to live like Belvedere, who is now 14 years old, but we thought wrong. Tonzo would have been five this year.
Red ferns don't grow in this part of Oklahoma, but elm trees do, so we are considering planting one near Tonzo. There are many more memories Tonzo gave us, but I just wanted to give you a few. Thanks for taking the time to read about this. : )
Monday, June 9, 2014
Rain
We have been blessed with over three inches of rain this past week! We are so thankful to get it.
Some rain came hard, others came softly, but either way, it's wonderful to be able to say, "We got rain."
Right now the wind is blowing and gusting outdoors. I went out to do a few things and had a tough time staying on my feet. In parts of the Oklahoma Panhandle the wind is as strong as 40 mph. Nasty! It feels so stormy! The clouds--when I was outside--were scooting across the sky in a hurry.
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| Here is the wind radar on the internet. |
It might be odd, but almost getting a pickup stuck is an exciting moment. We went riding on Saturday and like I said, we about got stuck in the mud. With grins on our faces, we got out and started the ride. Saturday was also very cloudy, but not a breath of wind was in the air. The temperature was perfect and made a body feel like they were in a building, not outside in the pasture. We just needed to move two bulls and thankfully, they went nicely and the ride went smoothly.
By the time we were riding back to the pickup, we could hear thunder in the south. White clouds with a dark blue background began rolling in and it wasn't until that evening when rain began falling.
Now, once again, little raindrops are hitting my window. There truly isn't a greater setting than rain hitting the window, the 60's playing in the background, and a comfy room to write in. I hope you enjoyed this post. And always to feel free to comment! : )
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Family Reunion
This last weekend our family went to Dad's side family reunion. How fun was that!
It all took place at Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma. We arrived there on Friday and were by far not the first ones to get there. We unloaded and got busy with visiting. I found a few friends to hang out with and began playing card games or just talked.
The weekend was full of great fellowship, food, fishing, more food, and family time. We got to hear stories, talk with family we don't normally get to have a word with, and even meet relatives we didn't know we had! We didn't leave until late morning on Sunday.
We had the largest turn out this year and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
I didn't always have a camera with me, but here a few pictures I did get. Enjoy. : )
It all took place at Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma. We arrived there on Friday and were by far not the first ones to get there. We unloaded and got busy with visiting. I found a few friends to hang out with and began playing card games or just talked.
The weekend was full of great fellowship, food, fishing, more food, and family time. We got to hear stories, talk with family we don't normally get to have a word with, and even meet relatives we didn't know we had! We didn't leave until late morning on Sunday.
We had the largest turn out this year and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
I didn't always have a camera with me, but here a few pictures I did get. Enjoy. : )
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