Weird weird '09... #5

Definitely fitting, Susan. :)

Glad you are melting some, Steve.

Here's another uncle who lives in woods out of Springfield OR
who taught his fav cow to kiss,
every cow has a name and its a country star. LOL
(I forgot his fav, I didn't write it down)

LOVE that pic!

I needed to be in a sizable city for 2 reasons - a major medical center for healthcare (OHSU) and near a major large architecture firm (ZGF) in case I have to go back to work because of the economy. Also, my daughter is in Portland. Otherwise, I would love to live in a snowy place! I always thought I would become a ski instructor again (college days) when I retired but now I would hurt all the time from arthritis. I can still ski but on a daily basis hauling a bunch of folks around - no thanks! I just want to cruise around.

Lucky and NotSoLucky.....pretty funny! It's strange how those of us who have had little contact with farming, ranching, etc are not entirely conscious of where our food comes from. I am trying to change that regarding produce, shopping at farmers' markets and buying only local stuff but I still walk up to the meat counter and get my already-dead-cleaned-neatly-cut-and-wrapped meat, chicken & fish. I did read 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' and that opened my eyes a bit. So - hats off to those of you who humanely raise our food animals - thank you!

Oh what a cute photo!

that pic made the local ag publication.
this one my sister wanted to try, it but she backed out the last minute--
geez
that aint right, its just a girly peck, no tongue.

So cute! But I've always said I'd never kiss a man who chews!! :-)

I had a bull that ran over to me everytime I came home with my truck. Being a veterinarian that wasn't too common. I suspect I smelled like his girlfriends due to my intimacy with cows in heat all day. He was special though I never turned my back on him. The Limosine breed is pretty friendly. I too never named him.

Those pictures were great. I really like cows but horses smell better.

Good conversation this morning. Looks like spring is coming, slowly, but coming. And like mortswife said, we'll have nice weather, the fruit trees will blossom and then we'll get a freeze. Every year I worry about whether or not the apple tree managed to set well enough.

Love the kissing cow. I hope that one was a pet.

Steve glad to see your yard waking up. Will be looking forward to more pictures.

Here's a sign that spring really is coming.

Took that day before yesterday, we had a sunny afternoon. Today it was raining off and on and on the cool side.

Jan, I sure hope that stuff melts away for you soon! I did remember that you were a VBall person. hopefully you still get to watch from time to time.

Sofer, glad that you're sun is out and melting things away! great news that is.

Portland, I'm sure glad that someone likes to live in the snowy stuff then!! It helps keep the economy of some of those small towns going. But, I much prefer to play, skii, mostly snowshoe in it, and then go home!!! None of this chaining up bit to get to work or to get around while at work!! I actually think that it's prettiest when it snows at night and all melts in the morning.

DIO, is there a particular little town where your uncle lives?

Great pictures everyone!!

G Morning redchic,
My uncle lives just out of Cottage Grove along the river.
Quite a character.

Good Morning Dio!! I bet that he is a character! Those pictures would indicate that! But, a great guy i'm sure. He wouldn't happen to live in Saginaw would he? I house sit there often. Mortswife lived in Walker for a year as well. Both are tiny towns between cottage grove and Creswell. Definitely a small world around here!

g'mornin' all. It has snowed during the night--------woops---------it's snowing now and 28d. Can I go back to bed?

You have my permission! I tried to do the same, but my Chihuahua's had other plans for me after their morning walk. (530 am!). Yuck.
29 deg now..but no snow so far. I think we can expect some this weekend . Time for more coffee... The sun is shining however..

Hi, Bea. Hubby hasd relatives in Silverton. I love those Victorian houses.

Yes there are some pretty ones here. Wish I had one of those house... they would go nicely with my gardening style. Maybe one day when the girls are out of college ...

Bea-do you know a woman named Charlemaigne? Her dad and my husband are cousins. We lived in Molalla in 1995.

The melt went away last night and the temps are now 12 F. We got over 3 " of snow and it is a beautiful day but winter is back. Oh well sit on the couch and read about sailing in the Sechelles.

DIO, l love the pics of DU, DS and the cows. We used to raise Reg Polled Herefords, but the market didn't bring in the money with the red hides so that's why we switched to Black Angus cows and kept Lucky the bull. Black sells! Here's a pic of Not-So-Lucky and Ladybug with her last heifer calf, that was taken a yr ago, that's why they're all shaggy. Ladybug came by her name honestly. When she was about 2 months old, SHE started walking up to the guy next door where we had them pastured. He would pet her and she would follow him all over. When I would go over there to water his place, she would do the same thing with me. Well, when we brought them home, I figured she would stop, she didn't. As a matter of fact she would get to be a real pest and bug me to be petted. Since she was a heifer and actually a real sweetheart, hence the name Ladybug.
Steve, you're funny. We're in the process of puchasing a 25' O'Day sailboat. It's in Idaho about 600 miles± from here. We haven't had a sailboat for 20 yrs and want to get back into it so when DH retires we can take it to the San Juan Islands in Washington and go siling through the Islands. We chartered a 27' O'Day up there 25 yrs ago and had a ball. We did quite a bit of motor sailing because of the tides, but that was okay, we still enjoyed it very much!
Love the pics of the furbabies.
Susan105

This message was edited Mar 6, 2009 9:54 AM

This message was edited Mar 8, 2009 3:30 PM

Wow Susan. You have quite a herd. This is calving time huh? When I was young [back in the last century] we calved in November-December just when we were having the biggest snowstorms. Dads favorite were Herefords. Mom had a jersey cow who gave 4-5 gallons of milk a day. She had such a big bag mom milked her by hand [she was a pet]. My favorite memory is still feeding bummer lambs with a pop bottle. Ah, the smells of the farm!!

this morning's frost-- bit chilly

gardener:I don't have too much time now but to say I don't know too much
about cows and all-- have lot of kin who do-- had a taste of it and loved the
emptiness of the land and community in the middle of it. I probably be a better farmer
than a baby sitter-- there are so many living creatures including family that
is entirely depended on your shoulders. Hats off to all of you.

This pic my time helping split the calves away from their momma's and
during branding being the needle man 7 way (I think) after being told
stories of busted hands from hard heads and my cuz shooting himself
with the stuff and puffing up and being scared driven 50 miles to the
nearest hospital-- everybody helps.

As a kid I worked summers at yet another uncles ranch so I knew
alittle but that man smacked me good for alot stupid things I did--
like driving a tractor straight up a hill and shoo-ing a calf from behind
only to have it kick and brush my ear. I deserved it all.
Have a nice weekend you guys, going out of town.

Cheryl, yeh we always calve in the spring so the calves can benefit from the good pasture grass and mom's milk.
DIO, Awe weaning time. All of the bawling at night when it's all quiet everywhere else! LOL! We do that around Thanksgiving, I'm sure our neighbors just LOVE US! LOL! Drive safe and have a good week-end!
Gotta take the boys for a walk.
Susan105

All the snow pretty much disappeared today. Currently it's 57. YIPPEE!!
Have a good trip DIO.

Love all the pictures. Just a quick scan, I have been up in North Bend with MIL for Lunch with my sis in law and niece. MIL's 82nd birthday....you can tell from the pic it was a really ugly place!

About one more day and we will be through with Laura's move.....going to take MIL, Laura and Sage to our favorite Chinese Food place then send Sage home with my husband to watch movies while we work at finishing up the move....it has been a long process with her husbands work schedule.....are hoping to rope my son into helping us for awhile tonight...he is the only one who doesn't have a bad back.

Cold last night, but beautiful sunshine today!

Shelly, this is one for you.....

Thanks Tricia!!!! that picture's Very cool!! I love the patterns in the ice. What has the ice formed on though? I love the mountains too.

I was out in the yard most of the day - enjoying the sunshine. Alas, cold rain & snow on the way. I don't know what reminded me of this but during a visioning session before a project at Johns Hopkins one of the neurosurgeons instructed all of us (nurses, physicians, architects) to spend a day being conscious of everything we touch, and really think about how it feels. It is an amazing thing and I started doing it while working in the garden. You have to keep reminding yourself to stick with it but it is a good way to be "in the moment" and feel connected to what you are doing. It's astounding how we take our sense of touch for granted.

Beautiful mountain Trish!

sofer…sorry you got your snow back. Time for more day dreaming. Where we going this time?

DIO…my address is Eugene, but I actually live near Goshen, just down the road from your uncle. Have a good weekend, safe driving, it's supposed to get nasty by Sunday.


Bea…my cat decided I needed to be up early this morning too, kept patting me on the face til I tossed her off the bed. You’re still on the chilly side. brrrrr.


Jan….hurray! A nice day.

Trisha….glad to hear the move is almost over, course there still be putting stuff away after getting it all there. Love the frost pic…..how does ice do that?

Judi…isn’t it amazing how good really good soil feels. You can run your fingers through and just know it’s rich. Lately I’ve been trying to take bug pictures and you have to get up close and personal with flowers. Amazing things go on in the center of a flower. I get to watching the bugs and forget to snap the picture. LOL

We got up to 50 today, but it's down to 37 now and supposed to be 32. I'm really starting to get tired of this. Need some good days but doesn't look like any too soon. In fact they say snow for us Sunday and Monday. Oh well, back to my seeds.

I heard that there's the potential for a pretty good amount of snow actually.

For my area they were saying 8 -18" and for the areas of Eugene that are 700' and higher they said potentially 6-10". In years past I would've said....yeah right, I'll believe it when I see it. But, after last April and this winter. Nooooo.... I'm saying, I sure as heck hope it doesn't happen. A couple of inches is ok. I don't want any 18"!!!! no, no, no.

Great idea, Judi. I think those are the most wonderful days in the garden - when you're not in a hurry to complete anything and can really putter around touching, seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting what you have out there.

rc...6 o'clock news had the level down to 500' again. If it stays dry it won't matter, but it rains we might get it again. Potential.....that word the forecasters use to cover their butts. LOL

I just wish we had some nice warm days to go out and enjoy our gardens. Right now if I go out for very long, my fingers go numb and can't feel anything. Darn it!!

Yeah, i caught on to that word 'potential' real quick!!! However, if I had their job and were trying to predict weather in the unpredictable PNW.... I would use it too:-p I thought I had heard 500' somewhere too. I listened to different stations at 6:00 and 11:00. I agree with you completely on wishing for a warm day!

Judi, I really like your idea about taking in every sensation around you, especially outside in the garden.

Went to a class with Tim Chuey....the meteroligist that used to be on KVAL. It was really interesting. Even he said they take in all the information they can get and make an educated guess. Which is all they can do. But it's interesting that they all come up with different guesses. So we just prepare for the worst and hope for the best. LOL

I'm thinking that I'm going to go out and cover anything that I have blooming (hellebores and cyclamen) tomorrow night, just in case we do get the snow. I know they can deal with the temperatures, but just the inch or two of snow that I got one night last week weighed the stems with bloom buds down enough that a couple of them broke :-( quite a few others bent over and we still trying to straighten themselves today. Yep, I think that I'll go out and probably just cover them with upside down pots. I think that will be ok.

Yep, I love that philosophy.

LOL I was just thinking the same thing. You'd get it worse than me, but just in case. I did cover up my favorite rose bush today, it's just starting to bud out and I don't want it zapped again. It's in a pot so a little more vunerable than others. They have that touch, touch, touch commercial on right now......every time I see it now I'll think of Judi. LOL

lol, now I'm going to be thinking of Judi whenever I see that commercial too. But, it's because you made the connection between them. I can't believe your rosebush is already budding. that's good, other than for the weather. If it's in a pot, can you move it up next to the house?

I was surprised at how little snow it took to weigh all the buds over. Surely it's because it was very wet snow. But, still. Then the fact that they still hadn't straightened up was bothering me, so I helped them a little. Nope, not looking forward to this now. Dec. would have been better. I bet that class with Tim Chuey was quite interesting. I would like to attend something like that some time.