it's been ages so apahlowgees
It's been rather manic and full on since I took the Grandkids home to VT and awaiting new laptop - which was finally sorted out (1st Oct) and now back in the etherworld and not squinting at the stupidizer (phone) trying to get things done - now to dust the memory bank and blow hard and a tad of oil to see if the hamsters are still awake!
As you saw by the last blog, Dan'Ana arrived here a day before I the above mentioned, and I spent a night in VT and back the next evening. oooh, I was exhausted
Had a great time with Dan'Ana for the remaining week they were and loads of cooking and even managed to get Dan in the saddle for his first time ever too!
They borrowed Big Red and did some day trips out and about the area and it was also Ana's birthday - so I made a cheesecake - half brandy peach / mixed fresh berry and Alan and Dan went to a big baseball game in Denver to watch the Colorado Rockies. We also did our annual haybale pickup from our friend Rich - he had the neighboring ranch to Jean and Bill (where I used to work before we bought our own) and we have been buying hay from Rich ever since - we got 30 bales and the barn is now crammed - a big tetris game with 8'x3'x4'bales and my jcb - and Dan did the 2nd load and had alot of fun and did really well for his first time in a skidsteer
After Dan'Ana went home it was a week of calm, cleanup, deck, and quick turn around of the guest room as my Dad landed to stay for a fortnight ...
{A few days after they left , I finished off doing the deck and sealed it, so causing two huge knee blisters - oh joy THEN the next day - just to make my life more interesting , I was out playing 'chuckit' with the puppies and walkabout and I found a rabbit hole - 11 yrs of owning this ranch - ugh - first a sprain but after 2 weeks not healing I organized an X-ray and it's broken at the bottom of the Fibula - half an inch higer it would have been a complete break across and surgery with pins and plaster cast - so now a C3P0 boot for a month and leg up resting - ugh - hated that - then Xray on the 13th October - half way fused , so more boot time but just outside but I can now walk about and exercise it - next X-ray on Nov 19th but least I can get on the exercise bike and erase the atrophy}
I haven't seen him for 3yrs - actually the last time was Sept 2019 - the date I remember I took him back to the airport well as it was the day the ABTN started and my mandibles froze
... It was awesome seeing Dad as this would be his last trip over so having that 1-1 was brilliant - Alan was away working with his new job, he came home for 2 nights in-between and Jay was home alot as he was waiting for a new project to start for Alan . Ans he came over often to spend time with Pops and also had a day out together too On the last weekend DoriJon drove to the ranch from Fort Riley (Kansas) to see Pops - it was also a celebratory weekend as Dori had just been promoted to Sergeant (Alan was away for this weekend as he was away but would be going up to Kansas for the ceremony and he would be doing the pinning - that was )
The kids had a great time with Pops and on the Sunday they all took him to the airport for me as I was in a C3P0 boot and hard to drive properly for such a long time
So now it's back to ranch life and prepping for winter - now that the corrals are done I'll be sorting out the corrals and barn this week {18th Oct} and getting out the water heaters and cables and the first snow forecast is this weekend coming starting with rain, a freeze then the snow. So I'll start bringing the horses in Friday night onwards . The snow is later than normal as we're still 60f daytime, blue cloudless skies and 35f at night
Today the vet will be here with his X-ray machine and will be looking at Dakota's bad leg - as the farrier when he was here has noticed the forming of ringbone in her foot , so getting that checked out. The equine version of Osteoarthritis . Also when the farrier was here he also identified Dozer's breed. He asked what breed he is, I said Alsation mix - he said no way, he is definitely an Australian Kelpie, and the prettiest one he has ever seen - I've never seen one so wasn't sure what he was talking about. So texted Alan and told him - we both did some research and yep 100% - Dozer is a Kelpie - every look, characteristic and mannerism is for certain. Plus energy levels 100% always unless asleep and his eating habits too
Before Alan went away at end of September for a week, he bought in all of the deck plants for me - so some reorganization needed in the dining/living room area plus I'm going to try and keep the geraniums and both roses going all thru the summer inside (altho the double delight will just be all white now as it needs the sun and fresh air to turn half of it pink) and the buddhliea are now in the garage and will prune those back for winter dormancy and then we'll have a shuffle about again as no more guests are due - not even TG or Xmas :( so we can use the guest room as a mini greenhouse again
I have been busy baking - 2 days ago (16th) I made the Xmas cake plus extra fruit cake for Alan - as last year after i made the Xmas Cake, Alan said it was totally unfair to make such a cake, the smells and drooling was unfair as he's have to wait 2 months before he could eat it - So this year I made one for him! This years Xmas cake is a trial as its made with Gluten Free flour - so fingers crossed!
Last week, day after pinning ceremony in Kansas - Alan's friend Danny came up for a mighty job - Alan had boutght 150 tonnes of roadbase and sand to do the corrals and some of the track . First arrival was the loader - the 3 semi's 2 trips each - this took 2 days with Alan in the loader and Danny in my jcb
Alan's new job is going so so - the project is in Tonapah NV. Jay is there at the moment incharge of core and the coreshed. Some pix from Alan & Jay (he got the cemetery ones for me - just a couple to show as he took loads
2 days ago - Xmas cake time - plus extra fruit cake to stop Alan drooling for 2 months!
Xmas Cake is Gluten Free - so shall see the results Xmas Eve!
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