The Christmas tree is decorated and snow-dusted...
Cloudy is getting impatient...
The mountain lion is looking forward to turkey or ham...
Shady has decided that lying in bed and looking out the window might hurry things up a bit...
Friday, December 21, 2012
The Winter Solstice
Well, the "predicted" Mayan Apocalypse didn't occur - either at midnight, or at dawn. A local Mayan authority, who teaches at the University of Colorado, says that whoever made the prediction didn't realize that yesterday marked the end of a "Mayan Millennium" - not the end of the world.
About half the grass in the back yard is still covered with snow from Wednesday's snow. We're expecting "warm" temperatures (in the upper 40s) through Monday, so most of the snow should melt; and the weather folks say we'll get snow Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In the 140 year history of weather records here, we have an actual snow fall happen 13% of the time on Christmas Day... And the Winter Solstice happened between 4 and 5 this morning! It's now officially Winter.
I placed pecans, peanuts, and shredded wheat out for the critters this morning... The squirrels are pigging out, as are the ravens. Nedi sits just behind the door curtain, and acts like he's going to charge the eating creatures, but he doesn't, and the critters finally relax and stuff their faces. Lovey has been out several times, and is currently sitting on the top of the cat tree, surveying her domain. She is still licking her lips in the odd way that she started when her teeth were removed in October. It takes two people to open her mouth, so I guess we'll have to make a quick trip to the vet's and make certain that she's not got any more problems. I'm hoping that this odd lick has just become a habit, and doesn't mean she's still got a dangling stitch left behind....
Original plans were that Kathy and Jim would take me to the 2 p.m. show of the Rocky Mountain Revels (An Appalachian Christmas) tomorrow. Jim informed me yesterday that his Climbing Club has designated tomorrow afternoon as their annual "ski and climb to the meeting cabin" day, so he wanted to know if I minded going to the 7 p.m. show. I told him that it was fine with me - but then he said Kathy had asked Erin, and the time we went would depend upon Erin's response. So I have no idea, as yet, about when I need to show up at the theater: 1:30 or 6:30 - and that's a pretty big gap. Kathy and Jim are also supposed to designate the day and time we go to see The Hobbit - I've been ready since the 14th, when the movie opened, but no one has said a word yet.... As far as I know, Sarah and her Michael will be in Santa Fe with Dr. Fleetwood for Christmas; Mike is camping out in Hawaii; I might just spend Christmas Day at home with the kits - other than feeding and visiting Sasquatch and Tugger. At the moment, the only plan is that there is no plan.
I hope your weekend before Christmas is a smoothly flowing river for you: that you get everything you need to do done, and that it happens without undue stress for you and yours.
About half the grass in the back yard is still covered with snow from Wednesday's snow. We're expecting "warm" temperatures (in the upper 40s) through Monday, so most of the snow should melt; and the weather folks say we'll get snow Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In the 140 year history of weather records here, we have an actual snow fall happen 13% of the time on Christmas Day... And the Winter Solstice happened between 4 and 5 this morning! It's now officially Winter.
I placed pecans, peanuts, and shredded wheat out for the critters this morning... The squirrels are pigging out, as are the ravens. Nedi sits just behind the door curtain, and acts like he's going to charge the eating creatures, but he doesn't, and the critters finally relax and stuff their faces. Lovey has been out several times, and is currently sitting on the top of the cat tree, surveying her domain. She is still licking her lips in the odd way that she started when her teeth were removed in October. It takes two people to open her mouth, so I guess we'll have to make a quick trip to the vet's and make certain that she's not got any more problems. I'm hoping that this odd lick has just become a habit, and doesn't mean she's still got a dangling stitch left behind....
Original plans were that Kathy and Jim would take me to the 2 p.m. show of the Rocky Mountain Revels (An Appalachian Christmas) tomorrow. Jim informed me yesterday that his Climbing Club has designated tomorrow afternoon as their annual "ski and climb to the meeting cabin" day, so he wanted to know if I minded going to the 7 p.m. show. I told him that it was fine with me - but then he said Kathy had asked Erin, and the time we went would depend upon Erin's response. So I have no idea, as yet, about when I need to show up at the theater: 1:30 or 6:30 - and that's a pretty big gap. Kathy and Jim are also supposed to designate the day and time we go to see The Hobbit - I've been ready since the 14th, when the movie opened, but no one has said a word yet.... As far as I know, Sarah and her Michael will be in Santa Fe with Dr. Fleetwood for Christmas; Mike is camping out in Hawaii; I might just spend Christmas Day at home with the kits - other than feeding and visiting Sasquatch and Tugger. At the moment, the only plan is that there is no plan.
I hope your weekend before Christmas is a smoothly flowing river for you: that you get everything you need to do done, and that it happens without undue stress for you and yours.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Seen in Austria
Doonau, Austria
Sunflowers near Hainburg, Austria
Austrian Steinbocken (Alpine Ibex)
Vineyard near St. Michelle, Austria
Lippizaners training in haute ecole at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
Coyotes, Cougars, and Skunks
Gee, it's been a busy day on the wildlife front - carousing coyotes, a curious cougar, and rabid skunks - what a crazy mixture! There have been multiple reports of rabid skunks in the northern areas of Colorado lately. Skunks have been reported chasing horses in pastures, and acting aggressively towards pets and humans they have encountered. Several skunks have been trapped after reports of aggressive behavior, and, unfortunately, each one has been confirmed to be rabid. Please be certain that your pets and livestock are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. (Yes, there are rabies vaccinations available for horses, cattle, goats, pigs, llamas, alpacas, rabbits, etc.)
Yesterday, while we were having such a chilly and snowy day, a fat, good-looking pair of coyotes spent several hours along my sister and brother-in-law's back fence line. They spent the first couple of hours hunting, playing and patrolling on the north side of Kathy and Jim's back fence, which is an open area. Then they hopped the fence and stayed in back yard for another couple of hours. Jim had to put covers and curtains in place over the back patio doors, as Mona and Boo really wanted to go out and remove the interlopers from the property. They left the area just before dusk. Jim said they were a "very handsome" pair.
This morning, a young lady was walking her dog (leashed) on Flagstaff Mountain near the Sunrise Amphitheatre. She and dog suddenly became aware there was a crouching mountain lion less than a yard away in snowy brush. The woman raised her arms above her head, with the dogs leash around her wrist, and started talking very loud. She glanced around and saw an outhouse/bathroom not too far away, so she started backing towards it. While the mountain lion did not attack, it seemed curious, and advanced as slowly as the woman and dog retreated. The pair got inside the bathroom and bolted the door. The young cougar stayed in the area for about five minutes and then disappeared back into woods. The woman had called 911, and wildlife officers arrived, but the mountain lion was long gone. As the cat had not actually acted in a menacing way, and paw prints confirmed a younger, smaller individual, officials decided that the cat was simply curious.
Officials want to remind you that with the dry, and now cold, winter, mountain lion sightings will probably multiply. Make yourself appear as large as possible, and make loud noises. Do not run away - you then become prey. Unless an animal is rabid, or defending it's young (not at this time of year!), it will not attack you, a larger and extremely vocal creature.
Yesterday, while we were having such a chilly and snowy day, a fat, good-looking pair of coyotes spent several hours along my sister and brother-in-law's back fence line. They spent the first couple of hours hunting, playing and patrolling on the north side of Kathy and Jim's back fence, which is an open area. Then they hopped the fence and stayed in back yard for another couple of hours. Jim had to put covers and curtains in place over the back patio doors, as Mona and Boo really wanted to go out and remove the interlopers from the property. They left the area just before dusk. Jim said they were a "very handsome" pair.
This morning, a young lady was walking her dog (leashed) on Flagstaff Mountain near the Sunrise Amphitheatre. She and dog suddenly became aware there was a crouching mountain lion less than a yard away in snowy brush. The woman raised her arms above her head, with the dogs leash around her wrist, and started talking very loud. She glanced around and saw an outhouse/bathroom not too far away, so she started backing towards it. While the mountain lion did not attack, it seemed curious, and advanced as slowly as the woman and dog retreated. The pair got inside the bathroom and bolted the door. The young cougar stayed in the area for about five minutes and then disappeared back into woods. The woman had called 911, and wildlife officers arrived, but the mountain lion was long gone. As the cat had not actually acted in a menacing way, and paw prints confirmed a younger, smaller individual, officials decided that the cat was simply curious.
Officials want to remind you that with the dry, and now cold, winter, mountain lion sightings will probably multiply. Make yourself appear as large as possible, and make loud noises. Do not run away - you then become prey. Unless an animal is rabid, or defending it's young (not at this time of year!), it will not attack you, a larger and extremely vocal creature.
A Little Snow
The snow total from yesterday was less than four inches. I'm disappointed. The sun is shining this morning and it's all of 17 degrees outside, with a windchill of 2. Lovey and Nedi ran out this morning, ran across the snow to their favorite tree, ran up it, jumped out of it, and ran back inside. I closed the door behind them. It seems our snow storm is causing a lot of grief over the middle of the country - blizzard conditions around the Great Lakes and tornadoes in the south, particularly in Alabama... That's not good. Right now the weather folks are saying we might get snow again on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning - that would be nice, but I'm not counting on it.
I will head off around 9:30 this morning - I need to return two library books before walking Rosie. Remy will be getting another acupuncture treatment this morning, so Rosie and I will stretch our legs in a 5 mile walk. I'll have my Yak Trax on over my snow boots, and will hope for some sidewalk clearings. It wasn't until I had placed all the cubed ham into my soup yesterday that I realized I'd cut a piece of my thumb out, as well. Are you considered a cannibal if you eat a small part of yourself? All I can say is that the soup was wonderful, as usual - I found a half-cup of dried black beans in the cabinet, so it's Four Bean and Ham soup.
I'm beginning to wonder if my MD was right to shut off my sugar intake... I don't have a glucose meter, but two hours after I had supper last night, I got so dizzy that I had to go to bed for the night. My supper was a cup of salad - baby spinach leaves, carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, grated cheese and slivered almonds, no dressing - and a cup of the bean and ham soup (no salt added to what was in the ham already; just water, beans, sauteed garlic, and coarsely cracked pepper) and the ham and beans are in 50% portions... Did I over-do the starch intake because of the beans? I don't know - if I'd had a glucometer, I'd have tested to see if my sugar was high or low... I guess that will go on my to buy list for the new year....
If you're a close friend or relative of mine, you will probably receive a notification from Blue Mountain cards that you have received an e-card greeting. It's from me, it's real, and not a prank, and the card does not contain any virus or mal-ware. Since I'm running behind on so many things, e-cards were my easy way out of sending a real paper Christmas card through the US mail. My apologies. - But I hope you will enjoy the card I send you!
I will head off around 9:30 this morning - I need to return two library books before walking Rosie. Remy will be getting another acupuncture treatment this morning, so Rosie and I will stretch our legs in a 5 mile walk. I'll have my Yak Trax on over my snow boots, and will hope for some sidewalk clearings. It wasn't until I had placed all the cubed ham into my soup yesterday that I realized I'd cut a piece of my thumb out, as well. Are you considered a cannibal if you eat a small part of yourself? All I can say is that the soup was wonderful, as usual - I found a half-cup of dried black beans in the cabinet, so it's Four Bean and Ham soup.
I'm beginning to wonder if my MD was right to shut off my sugar intake... I don't have a glucose meter, but two hours after I had supper last night, I got so dizzy that I had to go to bed for the night. My supper was a cup of salad - baby spinach leaves, carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, grated cheese and slivered almonds, no dressing - and a cup of the bean and ham soup (no salt added to what was in the ham already; just water, beans, sauteed garlic, and coarsely cracked pepper) and the ham and beans are in 50% portions... Did I over-do the starch intake because of the beans? I don't know - if I'd had a glucometer, I'd have tested to see if my sugar was high or low... I guess that will go on my to buy list for the new year....
If you're a close friend or relative of mine, you will probably receive a notification from Blue Mountain cards that you have received an e-card greeting. It's from me, it's real, and not a prank, and the card does not contain any virus or mal-ware. Since I'm running behind on so many things, e-cards were my easy way out of sending a real paper Christmas card through the US mail. My apologies. - But I hope you will enjoy the card I send you!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Jutland Draft Horses & Yearling Fillies
A line-up of Jutland Draft horses
A bay roan Jutland Draft
A pair of sorrel Jutlands
Ally and Emma Louise - Ardennes and Gypsy Vanner yearling fillies
Even when I was very young, I was always drawn to short, stocky horses and ponies - especially draft horses. Maybe it's because I'm short and stocky, too?
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