Ultimate Cuteness.

As you know, we got two new Great Pyrenees pups this past weekend.

When we drove up to see them, my heart melted. They are the cutest little things ever. Well aside from these two cute pups and this courageous guard dog and this little guy. Okay...I can go on and on.

Meet Mac. 

He's a courageous fellow and he's ready to explore. He wants to play every chance he gets! I have a feeling he is going to be a great protector.

 

This is Dottie. 

Dottie is a little more reserved than her brother, but she is opening up more and more each day! She's alert and that can never be a bad thing for ranch dogs!

....and so two more dogs make 14! 

I am so in love with these two. 

Mutton Mondays - The U.S. is thirsty.

If you are a reader of my blog then chances are you read other farming and ranching blogs and you know the land is thirsty.

Image from www.ourcoloradonews.com

We have been so lucky to have our creeks running with water all summer, but our neighbors have not been so lucky. There are twenty seven counties in Colorado that are on the Colorado Disaster Designation list.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has deemed these Colorado counties along with hundreds across the country worthy of assistance and will help offset some of these ranchers and farmers’ losses due to the dry conditions.

The following is from a recent Farm Bureau article:
40 percent of the states faced abnormal dryness or drought. Hardest hit is Texas, which is battling its third-worst drought in state history.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said more than 2 million acres of Texas farmland has been abandoned due to the drought.

People are abandoning their land, selling their livestock and are calling their 2011 farm crop a total loss. That just break my heart. I can’t imagine. 

I’ve learned that people do not ranch or farm for the money, they ranch or farm because they truly love the lifestyle and selling their livestock or losing their entire crop is heartbreaking.

This is one of the many stresses I have learned comes with this lifestyle. 

There will either always be too much rain or not enough rain. There is either a good year or a bad year. There is no gray area in ranching and farming and this is a tough thing to swallow.

I thank God every day that we are on our way to having a good year. I know this isn’t going to be a yearly guarantee and I know our situation could change tomorrow. I know there will be years that we lose our shirts and I know how those in the disaster area could have so easily been us.

Today and every day I am counting our blessings. We have been so lucky.

Sources: here,  here and here

More Dogs?

Yes, please!!

 My friends, our dog count at the ranch is growing from 12 to 14.

J just called and told me we are picking two Great Pyrenees pups up in the morning.

I am so excited!

 

I'll be sure to post pictures, but for now I just had to share my fabulous news!

Don't care so much.

I remember my first visit to the ranch - it was September of 2005 and I came here to attend the fall festival and to meet J's parents. I had a cute outfit picked out, it was going to be great.

Then, the airline decided to lose my luggage. It was as if God was trying to teach me a lesson...don't care so much.

I ended up wearing the same pair of gauchos for a few days, flip flops and a t-shirt my mother-in-law gave me. I felt so out of place and uncomfortable. I bought underwear and a bra at the local Wal-mart and a really expensive skirt at a boutique since there was no mall nearby. Looking back I know now that I shouldn't have cared so much. 

Anyway, despite the awful beginning and after this city girl loosened up a bit I was able to enjoy the festival, the animals and J's family. I fell in love. With J and the area.

One funny thing I remember is seeing (what has become) my favorite tree for the first time.

This is the picture I took of said tree during my first visit to the ranch.

At the time it was a quick glance, hence the blurry picture. I didn't know how to appreciate scenery then, but every time I see that tree standing there on that hill I think of my first visit to the ranch. I think of that visit and when I first experienced the love I was embraced with (dirty gauchos and all). It reminds me to let go. It reminds me to loosen up, enjoy the surroundings and to notice the fresh air, blue skies and green all around.

This tree reminds me that no one cares about what you are wearing or how well you are accessorized and if they do, you shouldn't care anyway.

It makes me happy and takes me back to the beginning of our relationship.  The beginning of so much for me.

Seems like a lot for one lone tree to do, but it does it. Every single time. 

I'm going to shamelessly say that there is no editing done to this photo. This is all me and the settings, baby! ;)

Happy Friday my friends! 

Have a beautiful weekend.

Sleeping Single in a Double Bed.

It's haying season and our tractor only plays cassette tapes.

Unfortunately, J and I both the world stopped buying cassette tapes and made the switch to cds about, I dunno ten years ago?

Needless to say our cassette tape collection is non-existent. There is one cassette tape around these parts and it lives in the baler's tape deck. It's been in the baler's tape deck for a very long time. A very long time.

You might be wondering how I know this and what the name is of the lone cassette tape?

Well, I know this because J comes in every night singing and whistling the same tune from said cassette tape. It is pretty catchy, I'll give him that, but still quite annoying.

Take it away Barbara....

He's going to soon find himself sleeping single in the guest room.

I'm looking forward to whenever it is that haying season ends!

Wordless Wednesdays - Tiny and Shiny.

Update on Jigs

Jigs got her left Carnassial tooth pulled and it turns out she will eventually need a root canal on her left canine tooth. We also learned that Jigs might have a food allergy which would explain why her mood changes drastically every night after she eats dinner. We'll learn the results early next week. 

Thank you for your kind words and thoughts! I truly appreciate it.