One of those DAYS...

I had hoped for a much different day than it turned out. I wanted to bake, craft and garden. 

I got out the Christmas mugs for later on in the evening. 

Then took the dog and went out to the greenhouse. 

Found some pots and rocks to be homes for new plants. 

A month or so ago I cut willow branches to begin new trees.  They are rooting fabulously. 

I looked over and saw that the spinach and lettuce needed water. 

Back to the trees... They each were packed in tightly to their new homes.  The apple and Rose of Sharon were left in the water to try and begin their roots. 

They already are greening up!

I popped over to say hello to the sheep. They love hugs and scratches. 

I spent a while picking hay out of Prudence's wool.  She was very grateful. 

Then off for a walk with the dog. 

He marked his territory on every rabbit hole we found. 

The chickens were happy and ever so grateful. 

These two love to come running when I go out to the field. 

Silly girls.

I found this gem in the container and can't wait to clean it up. 

I had to help mom with some of her business. It took us to Boulder, Co.

It was a gorgeous day despite the very long drives.  

There was a detour …. I had to find boots for my grandson. Thank goodness they aren't the price of the adult boots.

Boots and cowboy stuff everywhere.

It took my whole day and I didn't get anything on my list finished except planting the trees. That's the way it goes some days.  I was exhausted by the time we got home. Traffic was heavy and the roads were dark. I was glad to be home. 

It was time to put those mugs to use. 

Tomorrow … updating that Jesse Tree!  ...and many more hopes. 

peace 

Day in the mountains, homestead style.

We decided to take a daytrip today.  We packed the car, took the dog and went up north to the mountains, lakes and rivers...okay and cool air.  It was almost ninety degrees today. 

So , we dug out our vintage water jug from my mom.  It was on many trips to the mountains when I was a kid.  Extra water, apples, pretzels, sunflower seeds and cheese were added. 

We made a brain power salad from the garden.

Spinach

Blueberries

Walnuts

Brown rice

Lemon juice

We packed everything in one of the bags I made from our feed bags. These are strong and sturdy.

Then put in lamb (that we had raised) into the crockpot .  Ranch dressing mix, a can of chicken soup, and a cup of chicken broth (yep, we made and froze in the past). Add all to the crockpot over the lamb shanks. 

Then headed to the mountains.  Dude has been working with Norman, the dog. I was worried he (the dog, not Dude - wink)would pitch a fit the whole way.  He is really doing much better. He used to bark and howl riding in the car.  Today, he road in the back part of the car. He was quiet the whole two and half hours up to the mountains. (thank goodness)

He stayed calm on our walks too. 

We stopped to see Dude's brother. He has a fun A-frame cabin near a lake...wow!  We went from 89* on the eastern plains to 67* up in the mountains.

You can see there is still some snow visible in the higher ranges. 

Dinner was ready and waiting for us when we got home. (sorry so blurry) It was great over mashed cauliflower. 

I did get some crocheting done and Dude walked and trained Norman when we got home.  All our skills paid off today.

Happy Sunday.

peace 

Trip to the mountains and homestead update

Today was my mom's birthday. She is 86 years young and her request was to go up and walk in the mountains. My mom loves the mountains.  She was born and raised here and when we were in high school she would take us up to different trails and towns to share her love of the mountains. So we paid her back in kind and took her up to Elk Meadows in Evergreen. 

We stopped for a moment for a pictures.  Her goal is to be 100 and I think she just might make it!

Of course, Dude watched the horses getting ready for the trails. 

We saw some beautiful birds along the way. I believe this is a Blue Swallowtail. 

The weather at home was a hot 92* but here it was in the 70's. 

It was time to head back to the homestead but it was a great way to spend the morning.  The state has a bunch of open space trails to use for free. This one usually has elk wandering in the morning and early evenings if you get up there. 

On the homestead.

Here it is hot and dry. We are expecting rain beginning tomorrow night and through Wednesday. We are praying for the rain, not destructive rain but refreshing rains to help the crops and the fires that are burning. 

Our plants are giving it a good try. We water as much as we can but we really need rain. 

A friend of ours took our geese to her home - thank you. She has a small flock and they fit right at home there.  Here their noisy honks are not missed.  They were just too loud. 

Some of our plants love the heat. 

The greenhouse is doing well too. 

The teenage chickens got their first taste of roaming the yard. They didn't venture far. Their rooster made sure they were protected along the way. 

Kerouac, the turkey, roams the whole property but always come back by the end of the day. 

Baby turkey chicks say hello and will soon transition to their new area. 

Summer came by to say hello.

As did Molly and Prudence .  Dude calls them Molly and Dolly. 

This one Lavender Orpington hangs out with the lambs.

We are praying these clouds give us some water tonight.

Porch time with some sewing. 

peace