Colorado x4 #3

My grandchildren melt my heart with just a gaze!

Trip number 3 we took Peyton and Evan. This time we stayed in a hotel in Canyon City,Colorado. 

I'm an early riser. Good thing because these guys would have slept till noon and missed all the adventures!!

Our first morning we went to a prison museum.  The real  prison with inmates was right next door.  The area we toured was the old women's prison.  But there was information about the gas chamber and, the youngest inmate incarcerated (eleven years old).

The gas chamber

We drove to the area that we would be white water rafting the next day.  These two guys are really good friends even though their brothers.  They watch out for each other. 

Later in the day we rode the Royal Gorge train.  My second time, their first time.  Everyone is laid back and enjoying the scenery. Until we got into the Gorge:

Do you see the same look of concentration on Grandfather and Grandson?

The open air car of the Royal Gorge train.

Scenes from the Royal Gorge Train.

  These little buildings were used for the men that monitored the pipeline, and dams along the gorge.  Canyon City built a pipeline along the gorge to provide water to the town.  Water levels  in the gorge go up and down. We could see in areas where the pipeline was ripped out by high water. We pondered how they got down to these buildings?  Flyers we received told us there was not enough room in the gorge for two sets of railroad tracks. Two railroad companies fought each other for the area to build the tracks. In some areas the gorge is only 30 feet wide!

Royal Gorge Bridge from below!

  Can you see the profile of John Fitzgerald Kennedy?  This is called JFK mountain!  View from Royal Gorge Bridge! 

Grandpa said the whole trip was worth it to see the the white buffalo!

Whitewater rafting

I didn't do rafting on trip #2. This time I was definitely going. Peyton and Evan also had not been rafting and we were pumped!!! Though nervous!!! The first instructions were a little nerve racking about what to do if our raft tipped over! I think Peyton, Evan, Grandma were a little anxious. When we got in the boat and got instructions from our guide we all relaxed. There were areas that were so calm the guide encouraged us to get out of the boat and float! Peyton and Evan were so brave! They jumped right out! Soon it was time for them to come back. I reached over to pull Evan up into the boat. I couldn't get him in, even though I pulled with all my might!!!! PLEASE GUIDE HELP ME PULL MY BABY BACK IN THE BOAT!!! Guide reached over and pulled Evan up by one hand by his life jacket. I was impressed! And enamored!!!

Every night of our trip the boys swam in the hotel pool.  They are such fish.  Canon balls that splashed to the ceiling,   Evan would latch on to Peyton's shoulders and they would do a double somersault under the water. they were such fun to watchy.

Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak in the background!

Kissing camels at Garden of the Gods.

Manitou cliff dwellings.  Pressing pennies in the machines became a big souvenier with everybody!

So our third trip to Colorado was so much fun.  Especially for Grandma!

...farm living is the life for me.  Sanetha.

Colorado x 4 #2

I love my grandchildren so much that their simple looks melt my heart. 

Introducing my grandchildren to camping is important to me. This summer my daughter and I took her children camping trip in Colorado.

 

Our first night camping. 

This camp was called Lone Duck. Located west of Manitou Springs, Colorado. There was many fun things available. Levi fished in a little pond at the campground.  There was a swimming pool, arcade and play ground.   We were concerned about the tent.  It kept collapsing in one corner.  We managed.  Cade is wondering what we have gotten him into.  Cora is asleep in front of the tent.  It was a long day setting up camp and she needed a break.

Cora taking a break.

One morning we decorated camp flags.

We swam.

We toured the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.

We rode the Cograil train to the top of Pikes Peak.

Are they anticipating or worried?

 

Then we moved to a KOA near Royal Gorge. The tent stood up much better.  We were concerned that we were quite a ways from the bathroom.  Several middle of the night hikes to the B.R.  But this was probably our favorite place.  Across our road was a small hut, with a sweet woman that made breakfast.  This was so convenient.  We could eat there early then head off to our adventures.  Can you see the little pink pottychair?  

Toured Garden of the Gods.

We rode the train through Royal Gorge.

A very comfortable ride. We recomend this highly.

 

Levi and Cade on the open air car of the Royal Gorge Train.

Me with the grands. I wanted to hold onto something because the slats of the bridge were an inch apart so you could see all the way down under your feet.  Made me a little freaked out!  See the Kansas flag?

Just inside the front gate of Royal Gorge.

One evening we made a camp picture. Later we looked at the stars and had such a fun talk.

Unfortunately there was a burn ban on and we couldn't build a fire in our fire pit.  So we set up the Coleman stove and made s'mores over at propane stove!  Our family is definately resourceful!

I wish I had a picture here for the my grandchildrens whitewater rafting trip.  I stayed in the car with our Cora and couldn't take pictures. They had a great time and I'm so glad they experienced something out of their box.

I'm sure if they tested my blood it would have "OFF" insect repellant, wood smoke, s'mores and plenty of dirt. Sleeping in a tent and cooking outside is in my blood. I have loved camping since I was a girl.

As a young mother, my daughter and I camped at a lake in Kansas. It was cheap entertainment when I was a poor nursing student. A few nights before my daughter's wedding she requested we go camping again at that same lake. We had a wonderful evening watching the sun go down with wine coolers.
When I married my husband he introduced me to pre 1840's camping. We camped in a teepee and wore primitive clothing and cooked over a wood fire pit! My daughter met her husband at a pre 1840's rendevous.
I have camped in Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, California, Utah, and Wyoming.
.farm living is the life for me. Sanetha

Strange summer.  Treats mixed with heartache.
We've had fifty-two days over one hundred  degrees. The old record set in 1936  was fifty.
I made four trips to Colorado.
My family lost three beloved people.

All the animals weathered the heat well. We went out each afternoon and sprayed all the animals with water.  Three of our animals spent the summer in Colorado for breeding. They brought cooler weather home with them.

-First trip to Colorado, was taking three animals to be bred.  Thought we wouldn't be back until August!? Sophia and Isis went to Sedalia,  and Ebony went to Colorado Springs.   Sophia and Isis are breeding for new blood in the U.S.  The sires are from Canada.  Ebony is bred for a rose-grey cria. 

-Second trip to Colorado, was taking 2/3 of my grandchildren on a camping trip.  We rode the Cograil train to the top of Pikes Peak, made camp flags, swam,  roasted marshmallows over a campfire, road the train through Royal Gorge, walked over Royal Gorge Bridge, broke three fishing rods, they went white water rafting, go-karts, looked at stars, painted  a picnic table and a souvenier hand print picture, told ghost stories, collected pressed pennies, toured Cave of the Winds and  Manitou Cliff Dwellings.  Due to burn ban - smores over a Coleman stove.  As years go by - I will remember this trip and sleep well.

-Third trip trip to Colorado was with 1/3 of my grandchildren. This trip was a luxury. We stayed in a hotel.
We swam in the pool every night. Toured a prison museum, ate at an Italian restaraunt, rode the Royal Gorge train, drove over Royal Gorge Bridge, saw white buffalo at Royal Gorge park, I went whitewater rafting, greasy burger restaurant, mexican restaurant. As years go by - I will remember this trip and sleep well.     

-Fourth trip to Colorado was a whirling zip of traffic and watching the gas gage.  Hubster and I were toodling across I-70 listening to Blue Collar comedy network on satellite radio and didn't hear the ping of low gas warnings coming from the Tahoe!  Hubster says "We're out of gas!"  Minutes later we were on the side of the interstate with 16 wheelers buzzing by at 75 miles an hour.  Checked the Magellan and called on the cell phone for help.  After a tense/quiet one hour,  we got gas at a cost of $187 for five dollars worth of gas  (we paid it gladly) !  Later we watched a car in the lane next to us  run a red light, swerve in the middle of the intersection in Colorado Springs  and barely miss a car turning left in front of us. God was watching this!

Hubster and I have been involved in pre 1840's re-enactments.  Our daughter married the son of our favorite
camping partners.  Her father-in-law passed away this summer, unexpectedly.  The grands and I were in a mountain man shop in Manitou Springs this summer.  I told Lucas that his grandfathers G.& S. would really like this shop.  Lucas says "Grandma,  you know that G. died!"   I said " Yeah, but he would still like this place".  I have a mission to tell my grandchildren about their Grandpa G. as often as I can.  He was a hardworking, honest, humorous, gentle man.  

Hubster's mother passed away this summer.  She missed her 91st birthday by 3 days. (See the post in December 2010). She and Hubsters father had been married 69 years!  Her loyalty and faith were an inspiration to all of us.

Aunt Reida passed away recently.  She was our red headed aunt.  She always said what was on her mind, within reason. Her daughter Kim is my favorite cousin.  I am so sorry for her loss.

Strange summer!

Colorado x4

Our first trip to Colorado this summer was actually in May.  Before the official beginning of summer.  We took Ebony, Isis and Sophia to be bred. This pic is the view Ebony got to look at all summer.  The tallest peak is Pikes Peak.  Ebony would walk along the fence between her and the breeding boys, with a "See look at me" attitude!  But when her boyfriend came into her paddock she screamed and ran in the other direction!  Eventually she settled and she is now pregnant!!

Then we took Isis and Sophia to meet their boyfriends.  I don't have pics of their summer digs but it was beautiful also.  Sophia got pregnant immediately (she knows the ropes),  Isis was a little more iffy, the sonogram (yes, we do sonos on alpacas) showed twins, which is not a good thing.  Alpacas only have one  at a time. They will abort twins 8 or 9  months into the pregnancy.  So if you have spent a nominal amount of money on the breeding you don't want a miscarriage half way through.   So Isis is still at the breeders to get a viable pregnancy.

During this trip I thought about showing my grandchildren beautiful Colorado.  None of them had seen Colorado and I felt I needed to fix that.

Trip #2 is camping with my daughter

Trip #3 is luxury in a hotel

Trip #4 is picking up pregnant alpacas.

Stay tuned for these retrospective trips!!! 

ODDS & ENDS

I was invited out to watch storms the other night when the area around the lane was under the gun.  Decided I didn't know them well enough to put my life in their hands.  But someday if a real "storm spotter" asks me, I may just go.  I see them on TV with computers and radar right in the car.  I would feel a little more confident in the middle of a storm with all that technology.  Our area dodged the bullet.  So many other areas didn't.  I don't remember as a child a community being wiped out every year.  The last few years it has seemed a different town gets destroyed with each spring season.  Greensburg, Chapman, Haysville, Andover, Hesston, Moore Ok. , Pierce City, Joplin.  What's the deal Mother Nature? 

We had a storm celler installed a few years ago.  It's in the field about 100 feet across from the house.  I wonder how we would get to it during baseball size hail ?!  I have packed the celler with canned food, water, sleeping bags, a wind up radio, a propane stove with extra propane, flashlights with extra batteries, a first aid kit, and ropes in case we have to round-up alpacas. I feel prepared!!  Hmmmmm...

Last weekend was a birthday party for our oldest grandson that turned 15years. The grand parents bought a trampoline for him.  He told me several weeks ago he wanted a Wii game for his birthday.  So I got that too.  He was so happy!  He could play one game after another in a marathon 24 hours a day.  He told me Thank You so many times I started to feel a little cheap.  (I knew he would like the Wii game :).

My daughter is an only child.  She calls her best friend her "sister" and her half-brother her "little brother".   My step-son was over this morning. He had seen some posts on facebook from my daughter  about her brother and sister and ask my husband "HOW MANY KIDS HAS SAM HAD?   Rolling On The Floor Laughing! 

Got an e-mail from the breeder in Colorado that has one of our female alpacas.  She is so funny when she describes Ebony and her lack of maternal pursuit.  She said Ebony would walk close to the fence she shares with the males.  The males would jump all over each other trying to get her attention. (Sounds like a singles bar I was in many, many years ago). Then when one was brought in to her area  for the deed, she screamed and ran in the other direction.  Come on girl, were wanting a rose gray cria!!! 

I have to mention this little tidbit. I have had the opportunity/misfortune to know many DOCTORS.  Pick your physician carefully.  Don't pick one just because they are convenient (many people do).  Find a physician you can smile at/with. A compassionate physican's job is to make you feel comfortable and confident of their skills. If you don't feel this, get a second opinion.  You are trusting this person with your life. Nuff said...  

...farm living is the life for me.

My 100th blog!!!

Wow!  What do I enter on my 100th blog!? How about a truly self centered, selfish, all about me entry.  What I like, what I want, what I see.  I'm gonna type about ME-ME-ME!  (Sorry Toby Keith!)  Only the people that know me would know I was so full of it.  I just wanted to put out there some things I really like. Here it goes.

A hug.
A cool morning during the summer.
A warm morning during the winter.
First cup of coffee each morning.
Dolls
Purple.
Tall sunflowers.
Crias.
"The Wizard of Oz".
A campfire.
My grandson saying "I love you grandma".
80's music.
Spending time with my daughter when her children are elsewhere.  (Doesn't happen often).
Fresh from the vine cherry tomatoes.
Fiesta ware.
The instant gratification of mowing. (Yeah, I know I complain about it alot).
A clean house.
Concentrating on a craft project so much, I don't know time is passing.
Fleece.
Hot flavored coffee on a cold day.
Cold beer on a hot day. (Or any other day).
"The Owl and the Pussycat".
Monday evenings with my mom.
My sister's wicked sense of humor.
Laughing so hard I cry.
Getting an IV started on the first try.

...farm living is the life for me-me-me!

I watched the Royal Wedding! The whole bloody/buggering thing.

I woke up this morning at 3:50 am. I had forgotten there was such a time. By the time I turned on the TV and bundled up in a quilt I was wide awake. 

My critique and thoughts.

The prime minister of England with his slightly over-the-top wife blew in.

The Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice walked in the Abby.  They reeked of their mother.

William and Harry were so handsome in their uniforms.  William was so cute as a teenager.  Now he is starting to look more like his father than his mother.  Harry just seemed to be having fun!

Charles and Camilla (the frump) arrived. yawn.

Oh beautiful Catherine...with a smile.  She seemed like any other bride whether this side of the Atlantic or their side. She seemed glowing and giddy.  She might have been marrying the 7-11 night manager or the Prince of Wales.  She seemed excited to be marrying a man she loved. 

I bundled in my quilt and drank more coffee during the ceremony.  Still drinking coffee while they retired to the back room to sign papers (like they could get out of it now?)  When William and Catherine presented outside the Abby in their full regalia, tradition, ceremony, royalty, I got tearful. Yes my blogsphere friends I cried. But not for the spectacle of the event, the boy marries girl, or the blueness of it all.  I cried for the woman who met her end so commonly and didn't get to see her "Wills" marry.  A woman that just wanted the world to be a more gentle place.

I still miss Diana.

...farm living is the life for me.  Duchess of Nothing.

So what did you do today?

What did you do today?  Hope you had a fun Saturday. We sheared 14 alpacas!

We  (the perpetrators) lure the Alpacas into the shed with a few scoops of food at 7:00am.  The shearers arrived at 8:00 am and set up their table. They are a husband and wife that have their own herd of 'pacas.  They are fun, hard working people.  I had to coerce them to break for lunch after 7 animals! 

We started with the whites so if there's contamination of colors at least its still the same color. We weigh each animal before and after shearing.  Check them out for sores, fungus, cockleburrs etc. The first strap goes under the belly. This secures the animal to the table.  Each leg goes into a looped strap and pulled tight so  front legs go forward and back legs are pulled backwards. Literally suspended in mid air, we tilt the table and the animal lies comfortably in a horizontal position.

I can tell by the big mud spot on the neck, that this picture is   "Zerlina".  In photos alpacas can look the same, especially whites.  She is the only alpaca that thinks the water trough is her swimming pool.  Whenever a halter is strapped to her head, she lies down on her chest. She won't get up! No coercing or pulling will budge her. So we put the halter on 24 hours earlier and let her get accustom to the feel.  She associates the halter with mating and is just assuming the position. (smile)  We walked her around the front of the house to the shearing room so she wouldn't get close to the boys paddock. She walked right to the shearing room.

Shearer starts with the belly area on the right side.  Everything on this side is sheared from nose to toes. Then holding the head down on the table the shearer pulls the lower legs from the back side and the animal is flipped to the other side. (EASY PEASY!!?)   The perpetraters bag the fleece that is sheared into sacks. The shearing continues and the animal cools off,   I think one of our animals actually fell asleep!  
Us perpetrators clip nails, treat anything we find like skin fungus or abrasions. Our shearers are particular about pretty shaped tails - can't you tell from the after picture?

 Aint she purty??

We sheared:

Ceasear

Amanda

Zerlina

Sophia

Missy

Freckles

Isis

Zach

Zip

Creme

Joy

Leon

Ebony

Alex

Some friends and family members helped with the shearing. 

Thanks to our friends Jake and Vicki

 My daughter and her husband

And of course the shearers Mike and Loretta.

...farm living is the life for me. Sanetha  whooow!



AAAH! The life of Trapper. 

I love thunderstorms!

Yeah I know, it must be a pathetic life when the most exciting, heart stopping, adrenalin pumping, sweaty hands thing in my life is a thunderstorm. But I am a thunderstorm lover from way back. 

My mother sat me by the front door of our 1960's home to watch a storm. I told the lightning  "Fundew, you quit taking pictures of me!"  So my mother was  the early encourager of my fascination with thunderstorms.  I have enjoyed some really fun moments associated with thunderstorms!

When I was a young girl my mother was single and worked hard to provide for us.  My younger sister and I were at home by ourselves and I saw a tornado "watch"  come across the television. I took my sister, our dog and cat, our dolls, and anything else we could carry across the street to  the shelter.  The people that owned the shelter told us it was just a watch and we should go home.  Felt kind of stupid afterwards.  As a young girl I didn't know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning!?  (Some adults in 2011 don't know the difference).

I was a young mother when a thunderstorm came through the trailer park we lived in.  I was watching the storm coming from the middle of our little street, when the young mother across the street also came out to watch the storm.  We struck up a conversation and have remained life long friends.  We had so much in common as young mothers.  We were inseparable for years.  We could still call each other up and have a conversation and feel like we hadn't been apart.

My daughter and I lived with my parents while I was in nursing school.  Our cousin Claudia was visiting while her husband was in the hospital.  She had been in a tornado in southeast Kansas and was already a little flinchy about storms.  A tornado warning sent us to the basement where we slid my daughter under a desk in the basement.  

Hubster and I belonged to a historical reenactment group. We were camping at a rendevous  in Larned, Ks. for a week long event. A storm came through and sent the entire encampment running. My daughter and I  scampered to whatever shelter we could find to escape hail, or whatever spinning wind we couldn't see. Teepees were flying, dust was clouding our eyes, skirts flew in the wind. We still talk about that storm.
Hubster and I were in our bass boat on Kaw Lake in Oklahoma when a storm sent us speeding across the lake. I had a ball cap on and it was raining so hard  I could taste my hat!  The next morning was cool and clear.  We quietly trolled the banks and another boat came by and ask if we were from Wellington and did we know there was a bad hail storm there last night?  We sped back to the marina, put the boat on the trailer and beat it home.  Found the windows bashed in on our house and our car.  I can still taste that ball cap.

During the summer we had a ladies only pre 1840's rendevous. We reenacted what we imagined was a ladies encampment.  During one such weekend a storm came through with softball size hail and all the ladies hid in one outhouse.  Have YOU ever seen ten ladies in an outhouse?  We came back out and finished our wonderful gathering without a hitch, except for lots of laughing about all of us in an outhouse.

Last night I came home from work and saw the thunderstorm building to the east of the lane, and I was DISAPPOINTED! Thought maybe we would see "lightening and thunder and hail, OH MY! But all we got was wind. sigh. Yes, the lane has had hail damage, wind damage, water damage, lightning damage. But I still get a thrill when I see the black clouds building to the west!



And for the best--- Hubster says the morning after he dies the newspaper will read "HUSBAND DIES WHILE DRAGGING WIFE OFF FRONT PORCH WHERE SHE WAS WATCHING STORMS--WIFE LIVES!

...farm living is the life for me!  Sanetha

Talking to the animals?

Ceasar, our gelding alpaca, needed his nails trimmed.  He stood compliantly and allowed us to manhandle him to get the job done.  He also needed to be walked a bit on the halter. He walked calmly around the paddock on the lead  until he saw the boys in the next paddock looking at him. The boys were trying to stand at the fence (thinking they were going to breed).  Ceasar says, " AAAH NOOO!  They think I'm a girl!"    After that Ceasar just kept looking at the shed he wanted to hide in and wasn't concentrating on the task of walking.

Next was Amanda.  She also hadn't been haltered since shearing. Calmly she walked around with her head erect and proud.  Occasionally looking at her offspring, "See my dahlings, this is how it is done!"   I said, " Amanda, you are beautiful." She said, "I know".

Last week my grands were here after we went on a spring break vacation.  The last morning they were here they went outside to play.  A few minutes later they came runnng back in.  "That rooster is chasing us!"  I said, "You just have to make him understand that you're bigger than he is!"  Put your arms up and make yourself seem really big and he'll leave you alone!  (Dumb advise grandma).  So I walked out to where the rooster was and walked right up to him with my arms up and looking him right in the eye screaming at him while I approached and he ran toward me and attacked my foot!  Fortunately I had shoes on and he didn't do any damage, but if I'd had flip-flops on...?  We'll soon be getting chicks.  Think I'll find a big stewpot for that rooster!

...farm living is the life for me!

What will you be remembered for?

When I look at my Currier & Ives dishes I think of my grandmother that passed away nearly 40 years ago.  She had these same dishes

When I think about my grandchildren being tall, I see my 6'2" father, who passed away 10 years ago.

When I tell a cancer patient that we don't want them to be nauseated, I think of a friend that died of cancer 35 years ago. Back then, chemotherapy meant nausea and vomiting period.

When I hear of a young person killed in a car accident, I think of my uncle that suffered this fate at only 16 years of age.  This one event may have changed the direction of my entire family.

I have a Princess Diana doll that still makes me sad.

Will you be remembered for your money, dishes, hobby, job, a building named after you, the manner that you died?

I watched a DVD this evening at a funeral home. The great lady always had a baby in her arms, children at her elbow,   her husband in her eyes, and a sweet smile on her face.  Wouldn't we all like to be remembered this way?

 just thoughts.

I may be a little prejudious/bias/romantic/dramatic, but aren't

sunrises...

.

...and sunsets spectacular over the lane?

Come on seasonal transition!!!

I've got spring fever.

  Everything winter depresses me.

My coat, the snow shovel, brown grass, bare trees,

 an empty garden.

I'm ready!!!. 

Let the trees BURST with leaves! 

Pour the green out on the grass! 

Put my coats in the back of the closet.

Shear the alpacas! 

Buy chicks! 

Watch them erect the little cinder block & fence post garden shop at Wal Mart! 

Find my flip-flops! 

New life.

New thoughts.

Thunder storms!

Spring is my favorite season!

I am the type of person that must make every mistake in the book.  Every possible mistake that can be made.  If there is a mistake to be made, I will do it.  But only once!!  

I once wore all my birthstone opal jewelry at one time, I fell and tore a ligament in my knee. Nobody told me it was bad luck to wear all my opals at the same time!!

I painted kitchen cabinets without any preparation to the wood underneath. Just slapped that paint right on to the grease, grime, varnish, whatever.

I got pregnant. (way too young)

I got an injection into my heel.

I bought a cockatiel. (No not a cocktail).

I've a few lapses in my memory due to Mr. Adolph Coors. (was it 4th or 5th grade?)
I stole 89 cents worth of fingernail polish when I was about 14 years old.

Some things you just know are such mistakes you will never do them again.

Subjecting myself to humble humiliation. I have presented my alpacas to a judge, umpteen times now.  Every time, I get diarrhea, my hands sweat, and whichever animal I have on the lead,  knows this!  I still have judges thinking, oh yeah, here's another newby.  But I've been doing it four years and I can't get comfortable with it.  So I have decided that showing animals is just a mistake, and I need to learn from my mistake.  

The last time I will ever show an animal was this past weekend. I showed our rather BIG BONED  bay black female "Ebony".  I delicately brought her out to the center of the ring. I'm saying to myself, "Look at the gorgous animal I have raised from a cria.  I have nourished her in rain, snow, hangover". The judge came toward us.   Ebony stood on her back legs and jumped and spun like a bull at a rodeo.  I swear! Surely this is not the same animal that munches hay quietly in the shed, that we sometimes forget is even there!   Did I bring the wrong animal? I remember mumbling to the judge that she doesn't usually act like this. When I was finally able to get a little control of my animal, the judge told me she was OVER CONDITIONED!  A nice way of saying Ebony was F...A...T...!   And then I had to smile and say THANK YOU, because of course I am appreciative of all this humiliation.  Then she gave her a SECOND!  OHHNOO!!  A judge doesn't have to give a blue ribbon when there is no competition.  WHO KNEW THAT!!!  Hubster graciously showed the rest of the animals. My diarrhea wouldn't let me show again. I know when I've made a mistake and I'll never do it again!

Today we are going to the alpaca show in Shawnee, Oklahoma.  We  only go to two shows a year.  A show in Topeka in the fall and this one in January.  We're taking four animals.  Missy, Freckles, Isis, Ebony.   When we get to the show a vet will look at our health certificates.  Another person will  scan their microchips with a little hand held thingy like they use at WalMart. (We might be mistaken as to which of our animals is which)  Then we stand in a line with all four animals and get our stall assignments.  Then another line to get all the animals color checked.  Then we find our stalls .The folks that run an alpaca show provide stalls. In the barn there is row after row after row of stalls. Finding your stall is not an easy matter.  We were pretty late signing up so we will probably be at the far end of the rows. Then we unoad the animals and get them comfortable and fed, then we can sit down.

Saturday we'll be up early and to the judging ring for the handlers meeting. This is a little lecture from the judges as to how our animals should behave. They remind us to clean the animals back side of "dingleberries"  so the judge doesn't soil her/his hand when checking male attributes. They remind us that the ring steward is the judges helper not ours. Alright already. Nuff said!

Ebony will be the only one that shows Saturday,  because browns are one of the first classes.  Then we'll watch other classes. On the look out for an appealing sires for all our girls. Including our newest cria we have nine girls.  Yes we have been blessed with girls but now we have to pay for all these weddings!  The performance class is fun to watch.  Youngsters take the alpacas through an obstacle course.   I am amazed how some of the young people have such a trusting relationship with their 'pacas that the animals would follow them anywhere!  Tomorrow night we'll go to the banquet.  They sent us an e-mail telling us they had revived their Saturday night banquet with some kind of a comedien/magician.  Gotta be better than the past speakers.  A K-state vet talking about alpaca diseases or a person back east speaking about her own prize winning alpaca fleece, yawn. For thirty dollars a person it needed a lift. 

Sunday will be our big showing day.  Freckles and Missy may be in the same white juvenile class.  It depends on what color they put Freckles into. She has light beige spots on her face and legs. Then Isis will be soon after in the older white females. We have made several inquiries into some breeding possibilities for our girls and some of these animals will be at the show so we'll get to see them in person.  We have made friends with several farms in the area and some of them will be there.  An alpaca show is nail biting while you are in the ring.  The rest of the time is spent looking at wares of the vendors, and making our own animals comfortable  and having fun. 

we'll return home Sunday evening hopefully with a couple ribbons!?  I'll let you know how that works for us.
...farm living is the life for me.Sanetha

                                        
December 22, 2010 my husband's parents 69th wedding anniversary.  Pictured here are their son (and his wife me),  grandson and great-grandsons.  Quite a legacy when you know the way they started out.

In 1938 Jack  was medically rejected by the Navy because he didn't have good chest expansion.  He went home and stretched intertubes.  He was a skinny guy and in 1939  he was accepted into the service.
Jack came home a few times on leave. Once Dorothy met him in Boston and stayed at a YWCA and thought they were going to get married so she brought her best dress and her bible.  But he didn't ask and they didn't get married.  She went home angry.  She admits she dated a little.  But Jack never admitted to dating anyone but Dorothy.

December 22, 1941, a meer few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jack was again home on leave and ask Dorothy to marry and she agreed.  In Wichita, Ks. they tried to marry at a justice of the peace or a judge. This establishment wouldn't or couldn't marry them. Dorothy realized she didn't want to marry this way and told Jack that if he would find a proper church and minister she would marry.  Jack made arrangements and they married in the chapel of the Methodist Church of Wellington, Ks.  Another couple were their only guests. Dorothy wore her best dress. It was black.  A snow storm struck that night. Jack had to return to Boston and  his ship the USS Leary.  He tried to make arrangements.Was almost arrested for being AWOL. But the ship set sail without him.  He traveled aboard another ship that eventually returned him to the USS Leary.  

Dorothy settled into the life of a sailor's wife.  She lived at home with her parents and worked at a photography studio.   One year at Christmas time Jack came into port in Boston Massachusetes. He wouldn't be in port long enough to travel to Ks. Dorothy's boss couldn't be without help during the holidays, the busiest photography season of the year. She cried to her father.  He ask her which was more important: her job or her husband?  "Well, of course my husband is most important"!   She told her boss that she had to see he husband!  He said, okay but when you return we will work night and day until we are finished.  Dorothy proudly reports  "that's just what we did"!

The USS Leary, a destroyer, was launched March 6, 1918.  She was patrolling waters North of the Azores  December 24, 1943.  Jack was a Gunners Mate.  The USS Leary took three torpedoes from a German submarine. Ninety-seven men were lost. Seventy-nine survived. Jack floated many hours in  buoyed netting. In the middle of the night, nearly losing  hope, they were rescued, on Christmas Day.

In Kansas, Dorothy did not hear the news for nearly a week.  She spent a  harrowing two days worrying about her husband.  Then he called.

Jack moaned about the tailor fitted uniform that went to the bottom of the sea.  Dorothy tells of the sweater she knitted that also was lost.  Many years later, Jack attended a survivors reunion of the USS Leary and met the man that pulled him out of the water.  "I was going down for the third time and he lifted me up onto the rigging."

Jack was eventually discharged.  Dorothy and Jack bought Dorothy's family's funeral home and together they ran the Frank Funeral Home in Wellington, Ks. for many years. In 1982 Jack and Dorothy retired to Florida and lived a long full life of retirement.  Now in their 90's they have recently moved to Oklahoma City to a retirement community. 

Oh the stories they can tell!

An alpaca's(?) lesson

They call me Missy. My mom is Sophia. I was born in May (whatever that is).  I am an alpaca. My dad's  name  is Steiner.

I spend my days munching grass .My friend Freckles and I play and pretend we are mama's taking care of our babies. But today was different.

These other things that don't look like me or my mom came into our home. They gave me a bowl of stuff to eat that I really liked. These other things walked on their back legs and made noises that sound funny.  They reach out to touch my back which made me uncomfortable and I jumped away from them.  But they are nice and kind.


These other things that don't look like us shut my family into our little room we stay in at night. They separated Freckles and I from our moms which was distressing.  We kept humming for our mom's to come, but these other things that don't look like us wouldn't let us out. They put something in my mouth that tasted sweet. I pretended I didn't like it, but it was kind of good. Then I felt something sting in my neck. They held me really close and I could smell everything about them. They told me this was medicine and would keep me from getting sick. When the sting was over they let me go.

These things that don't look like us fastened a cage on my face. It had a long rope they held in their upper foot. When they pulled on the rope my head moved.  At first I was scared but I looked at  that thing holding the other end of the rope and it was smiling. So I followed her. She seemed glad. Soon she said something soft and looked me in the eye and took the cage off.  It wasn't so bad.  My mom was very proud of me.   

 Now it is time to play.  I'm glad I have my nice fleecey coat to keep me warm. Love to all the things out there that don't look like me. I should remember that.  To love things even though they don't look like me!

...farm living is the life for me, 

Christmas and New Year's are over.

When I was growing up my grandparents were old.  They didn't keep toys at their house. One set of grandparents had 26 grandchildlren!  The other set couldn't mess up their house with a bunch of toys!  So I have always tried to make my house a fun place for my grands! We've done craft projects, scavenger hunts, fireworks, birthday parties, made cookies and I have a slot machine that everyone puts tokens in when they come. And oh the HOLIDAYS!!!

I love having everyone here on Christmas Eve.  Usually it is just an unwrapping frenzy and then everyone goes home with their treasures.  This year I wanted to draw it out a little longer so we played a little game.  Left, Right,Center.  We provided everyone with $3. We went around the room and everyone rolled the dice. If they rolled a 1 or 6 they put a dollar in the center.  If they rolled a 2 or 4 they gave a dollar to the person on their right.  If they rolled a 3 or 5 they gave a dollar to the person on their left.  Whoever had money left at the end got the center. Oh those naysayers who didn't think this would work out, get the wet noodle!!!  The winner was G.G.!  It was fun.  Then the paper frenzy started!  May make this a tradition!!!

Then on New Year's Eve almost all the grands came to our house. We watched wrestling for awhile which I can really do without, but the kids enjoyed it. Littlest princess was doing her commentary  " ...ouch! ...eeeeeew! ...poor man!"  We played Guesstures and Black Jack (some of them learned it now from us).  We blew horns and toasted the New Year with sparkling white grape juice  Outside on the patio we threw those little popits that snap when they land on the concrete. The prizes for the games were big  chocolate bars.  So  everyone was on a big sugar high at 1:00 in the morning!  But I loved having my grands have a grand time at their grand-ma's house!