2013 CHRISTMAS LETTER

     This past year has been one of challenges and blessings for us. As we look back on it we can't say that we accomplished all that we wanted to, but we got our work done.
     As the year ends and we have a fruit room full of food, a corral full of cows and calves, and a warm home, we also have a heart full of gratitude for all of this things plus many more blessings that we enjoy.
     Our trips took us to the ranch and back many times; a few trips to Boise to visit family, a week at Big Sky, Montana; a weekend in Salt Lake; and some trips to the hospital.
     Our health is good, our spirits are strong, and we are enjoying life.
     We look around at the suffering and struggles going on in the world and are so grateful for what we have! We have not suffered from fire, flood, hurricanes, or tornadoes. We have faced some drought conditions; worried about water and pasture for our cattle; and had some broken down equipment that took time and money to fix.
     But we have had beautiful sun rises and sunsets; blue skies and clear nights when you could almost count the stars; full moons; clean air to breathe; fresh water to drink; time with family and friends; and evenings when we are tired because we have worked hard!
     We hope your past year has been as fulfilling as ours, and wish you a MERRY Christmas and an exciting, fun filled, challenging NEW YEAR!

 Sunset viewed coming from the ranch

 

Sunset viewed from our valley home.

FRANKIE

Frankie, looking out of the dumpster



         We've had a stray dog around our place for the past nine months to a year. At first when he showed up we thought he belonged to our neighbor across the road, Scott Steele. when we asked Scott about this dog, he said he didn't know who he belonged to, that he just showed up one day. We live out in the country where unwanted dogs and cats are frequently dropped off. Sometimes the people out this way will adopt one of those discarded animals, other times the animal control office is called to pick them up and take them to the pound. However, quite often they are hit by cars as they wander around looking for food or for their owners. Frankie is one of the few that has made it on his own.

     The grandkids decided to call our new visitor "Frankie" as we didn't know his name. He didn't have a collar or a tag. he's not very big and looks like a red border collie. He isn't dumb! he figured out our schedule and works his visits accordingly. When Jon arrives for the day, Frankie follows his car up the lane. Jon always gets some dog food out to feed Frankie. Some days Frankie will stay around most of the time, other days he is only here periodically. When the kids were moving pipe during the summer, he liked to be out in the field with them, chasing mice or whatever animal they would stir up in their pipe moving. When Sydney gets off the bus, if he isn't already here he will come then. He climbs the haystacks and runs along the top. He sits in the back of the Gater waiting for a ride.

     Talking with others we find that Frankie roams the neighborhood. I'm not sure how many feed him, but we do. He doesn't seem to be gaining any weight, but he seems to have endless energy. And he supplements his diet by dumpster diving!

     We have a large blue dumpster for the garbage man to empty twice a month. One day as I was walking past that dumpster I could hear a noise in it. I was leery of looking in, so just quietly waited. Pretty soon one of the lids started to raise, two paws and a nose appeared, then two eyes. Frankie had been looking for food. I wondered if he would be able to get out as the dumpster is quite deep, but it didn't take him long to work his way up the side and out onto the edge, then onto the top.

     When the guys were bringing the cows down for the winter they would put their cooler with lunch in it in the back of the pickup. One later afternoon, after they had arrived home from trailing cows, I saw Frankie jump into the back of the pickup and was working on the lid of the cooler. It took him awhile, but he got the lid up and took out a sandwich that was in a Ziploc sandwich bag. It didn't take him long to get the sandwich out of the bag and eaten. Then back to the cooler where the lid had shut. That didn't thwart his efforts of getting another sandwich.

     Frankie isn't real good around the cattle, he seems afraid of them. However, the guys say he's starting to learn from Spot, our blue healer, and is losing some of his reservations about being around the cows.

      He is becoming friendly with some of the family members, others of us he stays away from. Just this past week he has let me pet him without shying away when I put my hand out to him. Makes me wonder if someone has been mean to him, abused him at some time.  He isn't mean and he seldom barks.

     He does have one bad habit which might be the reason he was abandoned: Frankie pees on everything and anything. In fact if the guys are standing around visiting, it is very likely one of them will get peed on while there. Boyd has kicked him when he did that on a friend's pant leg one day, but it hasn't stopped the practice.

     We all enjoy Frankie and look forward to his visits, wondering what he will be doing this time. He has brought us many fun memories. Someone lost out when they abandoned Frankie.

     And now the rest of the story: The day after this appeared in the newspaper, there was a knock at the front door. A gentleman said he had read my article about Frankie and that he as Frankie's owner. He tried to get Frankie to go home with him, but hasn't succeeded as yet. I hate to see Frankie leave, but he isn't ours to keep. Oh, and his real name is "Rodeo," fitting for our friend Frankie.

WINTER PLEASURES

     Foggy morning here at home. Fog seems to create some beautiful images that makes everything sparkle and alive! I don't often get out early enough to take pictures of the beauty of a foggy morning, but did today. What a way to start the day!
     Winter can be depressing with the cloudy, dark days, the cold, the ice, and the isolation that seems to come with those things. This year I've decided to look for the beauty in winter.
     I remember as a child and even into my young adult life, how I loved to get out in the snow. Dad used to pull us behind the car on a sled or a toboggan. The roads we lived on out in the country were dirt roads and there was very little traffic.Can you believe that of Sunnyside road now, that is where we lived! Anyway, we would dress warm and out we would go on wintry days. We would build snowmen, we would sled down the drifts, we would have snowball fights, we would make snow angels. And yes, we would get cold. On Sundays after church a friend and I would put go to Sand Creek, put on our ice skates, and skate a mile south to another friends house. There we would play board games until almost dark, put our skates back on and head home.
     When we lived in Ammon with our young family, there was a time when we had snowmobiles. Sometimes, on clear full-moon winter evenings, we would dress warm in our snowmobile suits and get on those machines and head for the foothills. We had to be careful for about 3 miles, and then there would be no traffic. We would go up Sunnyside to the Bone Road, and turn North coming back down the Lincoln hill to Foothill Road, and back to our Ammon home. What an invigorating evening ride that would be. Often we would take the kids with us, pile them on in front and behind us. Sometimes it would just be Boyd and I.
     We no longer have snowmobiles, and the cold seems to penetrate through to the bone in our old bones. But there are still things I can enjoy about the winter season. It is a time of less daylight and more nighttime. This gives me more time to relax. Even though the calving is a time consuming job, Boyd can spend more time in the house, if for no other reason than a cup of hot chocolate and getting warm.
     When we had the blizzard a week ago, I thoroughly enjoyed that. I love the sound of the wind at anytime, and especially when I'm trying to sleep. Boyd had the cattle close to the sheds, we still had electricity, and we we were warm in the house. What else could we want.
     The fresh snow on Monday morning with the drifts were beautiful, no tracks in the snow at all. No dirt blown into it, no marring of the beauty. I didn't take a picture then but should have.
     I have enjoyed walking over to Derrald and Debbie's home this past week and vi sting with them. I don't usually take the time to do that. I need now to take time to get in touch with people that I haven't heard from in quite some time. I did get a phone call from Lacey, a granddaughter this week that I enjoyed!
     Looking out my kitchen window the other morning, I saw a huge bald eagle in a tree over by Derrald's home. I watched it for a few minutes and then went to get my camera. When I got back to the window, the eagle was gone. I'm glad I took the few minutes to enjoy the sight even if I didn't get to preserve it.
     Yes, Spring will be coming soon, and then summer, busy busy times. But there is no need for me not to enjoy winter: the crisp cold air; the falling snow; the fog; the quiet that seems to permeate the air this time of the year more than any other.

THE SIMPLE THINGS

     This morning our son, Doug, and I were having our usual early morning phone conversation and the subject got around to the simple things in life. He mentioned the sunrise this morning, how beautiful it was even though it only lasted a couple of minutes before the clouds moved in.
     This made me question how many beautiful but simple things I probably miss each day because I'm not looking for them. I don't always look toward the east early in the morning to view the sunrise. But on the mornings I take Sydney down the lane to catch the school bus I often wish I had grabbed my camera because of the sunrise. I have found myself running errands or coming home from grocery shopping in the early morning and again see the beauty of the sunrise. A picture like that should be enough be make any day wonderful.
     Our sunsets around here are fantastic also. Again, they don't last long. The other day I just stood at one of my west-facing windows enjoying the sunset and felt such a peace come over me. Many times I rush to get my camera to record such moments, but that evening I just watched.
     Another time I was looking toward the south during the early morning and the colors in the sky were pastel blues and pinks. Framed by a couple of the big cottonwood trees at the end of the lane, that would have made a beautiful picture. Again, no camera, but that's no reason to not enjoy the beauty and bask in it's message.

(Sunset in winter)

      Simple things in life are important. We take so much for granted until we happen to have someone we know and love who is struggling just to get their bodies to perform the simple tasks that are necessary for life. Then we stop and hopefully voice gratitude for those simple things.
      This early morning phone conversation with Doug every day is another simple thing that I take for granted until he leaves for six and eight months at a time. Derrald stopping by every morning on his way to or from checking the cows is a simple gesture which I love because we get to visit one on one. Jon sitting at the kitchen counter visiting with me while I'm doing dishes or cooking; Skyler coming into the bedroom and getting on the bed beside me when I'm taking a break and reading; all of these things are simple things but they are the things that make life worth living.
     I need to recognize and acknowledge these simple things more. I shall!

CALVING IN FREEZING WEATHER

       It's -14 degrees at 11:30 a.m., and the cows are starting to calve. We lost one calf last night. The cow had separated herself from the herd during feeding time, gone through a gate that the guys later closed and she was unable to get back with her other pregnant friends. She and the dead calf were found about six this morning, not far from the gate. The calf was still warm but couldn't be revived. The cow was okey. So sad when those things happen. We are a bit short handed right now as Derrald is laid up and that puts extra pressure on the rest. But we will make it through.
          We had a float in one of the waterers break during the night, so Boyd had to fix that one, and he just came in the house to get a bucket of hot water as one of the other waterers is freezing. There are definite advantage to calving this time of the year, but also some disadvantages. When the weather gets this cold it is a great disadvantage. We are always thankful for a warm home, and for a shed to put the birthing cows in. The sheds don't have heaters but they do have canvas covers to protect the cows from the cold. And we do have the homemade incubator to put the newborns in until they get warm.
      It's a special time on our ranch, a busy time but a time of rejoicing birth. A time for lots of hot chocolate, soup and hot rolls out of the oven. A time to appreciate what we have and recognize what our resposibilities are. And where we are a family-run ranch, it is a time to appreciate and to voice appreciation to our family for all they do.

COOKING FROM SCRATCH

            We had company a couple of weeks ago, our daughter Chris and her family. While they were here I fixed sloppy joes. She put a note on Facebook about that and another daughter stated that I  “made awesome” sloppy joes. It reminded me of a comment a friend of ours made at one time. (This friend has since moved, so don’t any of you wives wonder if it was your husband!) He said, “My wife is not a good cook. But I know that when our children are raised they will all say what a wonderful cook their mother was. That is the great thing about children.”

            So I don’t get a big head when my children praise me for my cooking, because I know I’m not a good cook, but they don’t know that! I cook plain but filling meals. With seven children my thought as a mother was quantity. When we had four teenagers I had to cook big harvest-size meals, and during the summer that was three times a day.

            My mother was an excellent cook, at least her children always thought so. I have some of her recipes and use them at times. She, too, was a basic cook. This reminds me of another story I heard years ago:

            A young girl  was visiting with her grandmother. Grandma fixed dinner and served cake for dessert. “What cake mix did you use for this cake?” the granddaughter asked. “It is the best cake I’ve ever eaten.”

“I didn’t use a cake mix,” Grandma answered. “I made it from scratch.”

Scratch? The granddaughter didn’t ask what that was, but decided to find out. When Grandma went to bed that night, granddaughter went through the kitchen cupboards to find a box of “scratch.” She found a container with flour, one with sugar, some boxes with things that were labeled baking powder and baking soda, but no scratch. She checked the fridge and even the freezer. No scratch.

The next day grandma sent granddaughter to the grocery store for some milk. While there the granddaughter looked for scratch on all the shelves up and down the aisles. Finally she asked one of the workers at the store if they had any scratch.

“I’ve never seen scratch, what’s it used for?” asked the helper.

“Grandma used it to make a cake,” granddaughter replied.” So they went to the aisle where the baking supplies were, but no scratch.

“Why don’t you try the pharmacy next door?” the helper said.

So granddaughter went to the pharmacy.

“Scratch?” the pharmacist asked. “I don’t have anything here by that name. Maybe it goes by another name. Why don’t you try the health food store down the street?”

“Scratch? Never heard of it,” was her answer at the health food store.

“Maybe it’s something special she used to bake it in. There’s a store over on the next block that has baking pans. Maybe they would know.”

No help there either. When the granddaughter got back to grandma’s with the milk, grandma quizzed her on what had taken her so long. Granddaughter told grandma about her search for scratch. Grandma laughed so hard she had to sit down.

“Oh dear, I guess our generation is really different from yours,” she said. “Scratch is a term we use when we cook everything from basic ingredients, not from a mix. That’s the way I learned to cook and that’s the way I prefer to cook now.”

            In this day and age  I  have the best of both worlds available to me when it comes to cooking: when in a rush, I can cook from mixes and boxes, when I have the time I can cook from scratch – and know that my children will always think that I’m a good cook no matter what or how I cook. Life can’t get much better than that, can it?

OF MICE AND MEN

            I don’t like mice. Why anyone would even want to have one as a pet is beyond my understanding. Our son, Jon, had some white mice once. I’m sure I didn’t give him permission, but there they were in a cage in his bedroom. That was all fine and good until the day they got out. Fine and good no longer mattered, they were now rodents in my house and I had the right to kill them. I can’t remember if we set traps or if he finally found them and transported them somewhere else but they disappeared.

            I remember when my Dad had a mouse run up his pant leg while he was out working in the shop repairing some farm equipment. It didn’t take long for Dad to discard his pants, all the while dancing and hollering.

            One summer day when we were living at the ranch in Dehlin, my two oldest sons, then about the ages of four and five, were in the shed helping their Grandpa Schwieder. You can imagine how much help two that age would be. Well they came to the house and into the kitchen with their hands held cup like. “Look what we found Mom. Grandpa said to bring them in to show you.” In their hands were tiny, pink baby mice. They didn’t even have their eyes open. Now I really believe the boy’s grandfather was grinning out in the shed, just waiting to hear a scream from me and maybe even see me run from the house. Instead, I calmly looked at those two innocent boy’s cupped hands, being careful not to get too close, told them what cute baby mice they had, and said, “Now take them back out to Grandpa.” Grandpa never said a thing to me about that incident, but I think I disappointed him.

            We have had problems with mice in our house at the ranch all of the time, but traps would usually control them. I used to be really naïve, believing anything Boyd told me. “Don’t worry,” he said one night as we were in bed and could here mice running around, “they can’t climb up on the bed.” When one ran across my pillow, over my face and onto the window sill, I knew I had been deceived! Boyd calmly moved over to the window, which was on my side of the bed, closed the window, trapping the mouse between the window and screen, and figured he had the problem solved. He slept well that night, I didn’t. Next morning he opened the window, caught the mouse and escorted it outside. And I no longer believe everything he says.

            Another time, again at the ranch, we had been to the valley and when we got back we found the screen door hadn’t been shut tight. We had a lot of mice running through the house that evening. We handled this one differently: I laid on the couch on my stomach, while Boyd was on the floor with a BB gun and a flash light. When I saw a mouse run I pointed it out to Boyd and he would shine the flashlight in it’s eyes and shoot. He shot quite a few mice that night.

            We still get mice in the house at the ranch but with traps and DeCon, we seem to be able to control them. They like to move into the house in the late fall and stay all winter, besides running through during the summer.  We have had mice in our valley home, but not as often. And we have a cat that is a good mouser. Our dogs like to chase and catch mice also, so the mice have to be extra brave before they venture into the house. And then they have to face me, that person who hates mice.