Five Cowboy Boots.........

And five colorful cowboy boots..................Yes they are all mine. All Ariat Fatbabies. And I will sell them. they are size 8 and hardly worn.

I wish I knew how to get the pictures where I want them. So, until someone can show me and walk me thru it, please just go with me on this. The top picture is our grandson Seth who got a certificate for being a Kid of Character. He just missed the honor roll but this is an important award as far as this Grandma is concerned. Then the next picture is of Ryan who got the only straight A's in the 6Th. grade the first trimester. AND he got a Kid of Character award also. A couple of really great boys. The next picture is a banner in the gym. I think the children in that school have a head start.

Of course the next one is my boots. All five pair of them. I got them to work but will part with them to put into my Mississippi fund. The are not the best for riding. At least I don't think so. I ride in some all terrain boots that I ride in. When we are in the back country and need to walk some times, they work the best for me.

I talked to one of our grandsons today that for whatever reason, I had not talked to in over a year. He lives in Spokane. He is the son of our son that died - Scott. I was heartbroken so this really boosted my spirits today. He is having some struggles growing into a man and having some responsibilities before he should.

We were supposed to have sun today but it rained and sleeted and tonight it is freezing rain. I would rather have snow than that. We got our meat today. This should do us a long time. We sold the other half. We will have one ready in January or Feb. if anyone is interested. Call Bob on his cell 280-7796 to talk to him about it. Good meat with no chemicals or hormones in it.

The fourth day.................

Four stuffed horses sitting.................Couldn't find anything outside to warrant my song. Then, I just thought it was a funny holiday song and after I googled it today, Each of the things refer to something spiritual and it was supposed to go from Christmas Day to Epiphany. I didn't mean anything disrespectful. Just got this funny idea for a funny parody.

Had lunch with a friend today at the Casino. The lunch prices have gone up 2.00 so I imagine the dinner prices have too. The food is good but for lunch I would rather have a bowl of soup and some bread. We had a good visit and decided who was going to get the Sportsmanship Award for the NEZ. That is our designated job. No one nominated anyone so we decided ourselves.

Had discussions of a lot of things but one of them really troubled me. I said I needed to go have my Christmas letter copied and she said she does not send cards, does not put up a tree, does not decorate nor does she buy any presents. She sends her grandchildren money. She said she hates Christmas. (not religious grounds). Just hates it. It brought tears to my eyes. My sister does not like Christmas at all. They much prefer to just go away by themselves with no family or friends around. I don't get it. It is a Holy time of the year. I want family and friends. I get tired of doing all the cooking but the alternative is to not have them and that would absolutely break my heart. She says it is depressing. I think its sad..... Sorry Sharon, I know you read this. Just can't wait, the closer it gets.

I had two calls from Tracey. One she got down there last night and was very tired and one this evening just before they went to dinner to tell me she knew which horse she was going to get. He is a large 15h2 solid bay gelding and she thinks he is beautiful. Last year when she got Sandy she called me and told me he was the ugliest horse in the pen. Made me laugh. She is happy with her Challenge horse this time and was going to dinner with some other people who were there - trainers, Ramona Bishop from the BLM and other contestants I think.

Nothing much going on around here. Its cold. The horses all look like woolly mammoths out there. All but Ditto. She never fuzzes up much. And she is old and I put a blanket on her when it gets below 25.

The NFR starts tonight on one of the ESPN channels. Always with I could go. I would want to go every night though so would have to win the lottery just to attend and to stay in a hotel. Oh well, to win you have to buy a ticket. LOL

The Third Day.......................

Three horses hanging................................in my dining room window. The sun shone through them today and they looked especially pretty.

I went in and got my meds today. Hate taking so many but.......a stroke, even a small one, makes me leery of not taking them. It was sticker shock because our Medicare supplement only pays so much in a year and I hit it last month. I had a slight case of hysteria but finally wrote the check. It makes me sad that I have to take so many expensive ones and Bob takes nothing, just vitamins. He told me he would rather have me than the money but it hurts my heart. Enough of my whining about one thing or the other. Its the season to be jolly and I am going to be no matter what.

Bob and Tyler got the last of the barn that fell down at Bill's next door last winter all cleaned up and hauled off. It seems that they would get sidetracked everywhere else and they told Bill they would do it. They live in Wyoming now and we use their property and did use that part of the barn for the cows but not now obviously. We watch the house and Bob goes in about once a month to make sure all is OK. I wish we could afford to make him an offer on it.

I probably shouldn't have written anything today, but the sun shone and I got a lesson in humility at Walmart today. I was feeling bad, depressed really about the cost of the medicine that I really must have and had gotten a few groceries - still forgot potatoes - and pushed the cart out to the car put my stuff in and was moping my way back to the car. A little older lady who could hardly walk was wrestling her empty shopping cart. I took it and told her I would put it away from her and the Lord poked me in the ribs and said see you can walk. Cheer up. I have tried all the rest of the day. I can walk, I can run if need be, I can do a lot of physical things. Not every one at 70 can go saddle their horse get on and ride. So .......buck up old lady.

Am already thinking four. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I think I like my song better as it materializes before my eyes.

The Second Day of Christmas

2 puppies playing..........................My version of the song. That is Skeeter and Bolt on my bed. Why did I put a white bedspread on? Not too bright huh? Oh well, it washes and they had fun.

I LONG for a sunny day. I get so down in the dumps with it this way. Hate it but can't seem to get on top of it. I love this time of year and its a struggle every year to keep a smile upon my face. I did get back to sewing today and got two more of what I am making done. Have a third one almost done. Would tell you but people read this that I don't want them to know what it is.

My good friend Tracey leaves tomorrow for Burns Oregon to pick up her Extreme Mustang Challenge horse for this newest of challenges. It will be in Albany, Oregon in March. That means she will have to gentle the horse and do all the training she can in 90 days. She did it last year also and then brought Sandy home to stay. You have that option, bring home with the adoption fees waived, or put the horse up for adoption and recoup some of what you have spent. I am planning to go to Albany to see her exhibit her horse. At least at this moment I am and it would give me another chance to see my uncle in Tigard, Oregon. Maybe if I justify it that way Bob will go with me. OR maybe someone from here is going and we can carpool and share expenses. That is a way off though.

Tomorrow I asked Tyler to get the Christmas tree box out. Don't know if I will put it up or not, I know it won't get decorated but want to see if the space I have allocated is large enough. I love our tree, it is just the right size and the lights are attached. That is the part that always made decorating the tree irritating to me.

And Joy, I do not have a green thumb. My Christmas Cactus always bloomed at Easter which I thought was odd and told it so. Last year it bloomed at Christmas and I was shocked. And I was again this year when I saw all the buds on it. It pretty much gets ignored the rest of the year. I water when I think of it. I think I will re-pot it when its done this time. Unless I shouldn't, I don't know. It looks too big for the pot. I usually kill plants quicker than you can snap your fingers. I had an ivy that I really babied and tended to the best of my ability. It was kind of a sentimental plant, someone sent it to me when Scott died and last summer, it died. Dead as a doornail. So no green thumb, just incredible luck.

Found a blog of a friend I met in Odessa in April on Beautiful Mustang's blog. Debby has a mustang named Wendy. We had fun riding that weekend. That was fun.

I will have to think of 3 things tomorrow to add to my silly song.

The First Day of Christmas

My Christmas Cactus is blooming. It is totally covered with buds. It looks like Christmas Day it should be in full bloom.

A long day but accomplished a bit around here. Tomorrow, I must, I MUST get back to sewing. I did a little shopping this morning. Went to Walmart in Airway Heights before it got crowded. I needed some wrapping paper, envelopes and such. Bob had a meeting in Deer Park this afternoon and Tyler was job hunting. Now he is babysitting for Christy till Tom gets home.

I am getting really tired of this fog. When it lifted a little today it was still very grey and dismal. I had to take myself by the neck and make me go do the chores. The barn horses were happy to see me. And Rusty always runs to the other side of the pen when I go in with her. She doesn't do that for Bob. We must get her pen moved to a higher place. That mud is driving me nuts. She can get to the round pen and that isn't muddy so she spends a lot of time out there.

Not much else happening.

Sunless Sunday

This is how Bob spent the afternoon. He helped our neighbor Shannon halter break her 17h mule. It was a sight. The mule got drug, threw tantrums but at the end of the hour he was walking along. He is really young - 2/3 I think. I did not ride. It was just too damp and foggy and I spent the day just piddling around. Cleaned my kitchen stove etc.

I am going to post here something by Baxter Black that I found in the November Horse Previews. It is a little long but worth reading.

Perspective

Robin's uncle gave her 2 dozen tamales. "That's too many" she protest.

"No, I've got plenty," he said "I bought 14 dozen from my neighbor's wife. Her husband's out of work"

Let's put our economic breakdown in perspective. Out of generosity and/or greed on both ends, we created the perfect tsunami of debt that has now come due. The tsunami tide is now going out and taking much of our accumulated wealth with it. It is rapidly becoming clear that the president and Congress cannot solve the problem. Therefore it is up to us to save ourselves. How? By taking responsibility for our own well-being and our own actions

Step one is to avoid spending another self-destructive though trying to point fingers and cast blame. At this point it doesn't matter to anyone except politicians and commentators.

Step two, turn off the television news.

Step three, reach out.

Together we need to find a new level of economic stability. At a personnel level, as a family, as a business, as a community, as a country. Some will be starting at the bottom, others further up the line. Reach out as an individual, as a family member, a neighbor, an employee, an employer or as a friend. Start each conversation with "How's it going? How can I help?"

For your own sanity, if you're in the limbo of loss, home, money, job.....go mow a neighbor's lawn, wash his car, fix her screen door. Keep your hands and heart and mind busy. Make your time beneficial to others. You won't be surprised to find how healing it is to brighten someones day.

Be part of something good. Start going to church again, help coach kid's sports, join the Lion's Club or Rotarian's. Babysit for someone, tutor a hard luck child.

Be thrifty but invest in your local economy as you are able. Buy Girl Scout cookies, don't abandon your contributions to missionaries, helping the downtrodden, don't discontinue funding needed scholarships, buying 4H pigs or helping the Red Cross. Keep tipping the waitress. Pass it along.

And while you are doing all that, fine tune your business big or little, feed store or farm, boss of maintenance man. Put in more hours. Work more efficiently. Get your mind right. Pull your share of the load. Put your fear in God's hands and pick up a shovel. The confidence we have lost in our politicians must be reinvested in ourselves.

Because we, you and I and Robin's uncle ARE America. We are expected to do the right thing, at home and abroad. Which is why, even in spite of our calamity, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and illegal, continue to flood our borders seeking a better life. They have faith in our future. I have no doubt we will live up to it.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1. Or....... in a nutshell, think positive.

This just struck my heart. Baxter Black usually is funny.

I did the chores this evening while Bob was our helping an older lady from church with a problem with a drain line. She is Grandma Jean to everyone. She sent a bag of peanut butter cookies to me. Now I HAVE to go eat them.

I am sad

Today being the foggy grey, drizzly day that it was, Bob said lets go down to the horse sale to see how things are on that front. Like the silly about horses that I am, I said sure. So we -meaning he Tyler and I went to Davenport about one or one thirty. Got there just as it started. There were a few really nice riding horses that went for around the 800.00 mark. Some in the 500.00 and down. There was a Shetland/draft pony I would have loved. He was a pinto and big enough that I could have ridden him. And he seemed to have a sweet disposition. The only other horse I really would have liked was a 2 year old palomino filly who hurt herself in the trailer coming - all superficial and would have healed but was so scared and bloody. I think she went for 150.00. THEN came the loose horses and they went for 10.00 to 150.00. I had to leave because the buyers were buying them and some had papers, most were young. None were thin or abused looking, I just knew who was buying them. I went out to the car and read the Horse Previews that was laying there. Just could not sit there or I would have embarrassed myself sobbing.

We got home and Tyler went to town to his brothers. Probably won't be back tonight because it is so foggy. Bob and I did the chores. Dixie, Ditto, and Pepper get put in. They stand at the gate telling us to hurry up. I had to pet and kiss them and get a good hug on them. Bob has been changing some fences and added on to the shed he and Tyler built this summer. I might ride Pepper tomorrow. Dixie is so full of vim and vigor I think I might just let her be.

Katie didn't come again today. That's OK. She is an inexperienced driver and I worry about her. She would take exception to that but you remember when you were 17 and driving for a year. You knew it all. Well she is no different.

Just listened to the Cougars lose their first basketball game. :(. Gonzaga plays tomorrow. I can curl up and watch it after I ride when we get home from church.