I can nearly hold my eyes open, just nearly.
Gonna be super short. But tomorrow making pesto from my basil is top of the agenda!
Tonight is cold. Freezing cold. All the warm season plants will be black tomorrow.
But here is a fun photo. Until tomorrow.
A week ago (Feb. 21, 2013) Jdubs and I were out feeding the cattle. As we were looking for our last herd, we came upon a momma cow that had just given birth to her calf. She hadn’t even delivered the placenta yet.
We approached the pair, very carefully, because you never really know how a new momma will react, even if you “know” the animal. Momma cow was looking a little nervous but settled quickly. We sat close to the calf and watched him for a few moments. Then on occasion the Almighty lets us see a little miracle… This newborn calf stood up and took his first steps and we got to witness it.
A few minutes later he stumbled over to his momma and took his first suckle of colostrum. It was a precious moment and one that was worth a thousand hours in a classroom. These are the things that can’t be taught. They have to be experienced, witnessed.
We couldn’t stay long because the rest of the herd began to show up, which made momma cow really anxious. And she was hungry too. Momma cow and the rest of the herd haven’t had much grass to eat– we’re at the tail end of winter, just as the spring grasses begin to grow, not to mention the long-standing drought. Our cattle really look forward to and rely on the high-protein cubes we feed daily.
We led and fed the herd a short distance from the pair. When we circled back around to count heads, momma cow and calf had rejoined the herd.
We departed the pasture double-time, no need to freak out the newborn calf, that can’t see with the loud feed truck and noisy, bawling herd.
At the gate, I asked Jdubs if he had thought of a name for the calf. He very nonchalantly said, “his name should be Sombrero Potato.” I asked where that came from. He said, “the name comes from Mexico, mom. And he has a Mexican name.” And thus, we have Sombrero Potato. (I declined to point out that the Spanish word for potato is “papas.”)
I’m taking a break tonight. I made a tasty meal but burned my finger in the process. So I’m giving it a rest.
I’ll be back tomorrow with the recipe.
I’ve been on my blogging odyssey for almost three months now. I started blogging every day on November 1, 2011. Today is January 18, 2012. That is 79 posts including tonight’s entry.
It has been an remarkable 79 days. Tonight I’m looking back over the last few weeks to do a “round-up” of favorite blog posts.
One month ago I posted about Jdub’s favorite tune: The Spanish Song That night seems so long ago, but it was just a month. Goes to show how time can stand still or fly depending on where your perspective is.
Thanksgiving and Christmas happened. And the wonderful Christmas Eve program at our church” Light of the World
My pets always provide good fodder for writing: If the Dog/Cat Could Sass
And there were several photo blog posts that were just a result of being in the moment with a camera (or iPhone) handy:
Beautiful Sky = Pretty Pictures
Stock Tank on a Still Day (My Favorite of the photo posts)
And the coolest, random photo that captured an optical illusion:
Do You See What I See? (It was a little more than a month ago)
Much has changed in my life in 79 days.
With a blog a day, I’m amazed at how much life actually happens in a relatively short span of time. It also shows that whatever you do, you have to do it a little at a time. When you pause to look back, the chronicle provides the proof that you’ve gone very far, just one day at a time.
Instagram is instant awesomeness! I had no idea what I was going to write about today, but then got the idea from my trusty iPhone to take some of my random, everyday photos and use Instagram to edit them. Instagram described by its founders is the blending of instant photos and telegrams, thus “instagram.”
It combines several things at once when taking photos—it’s social media, documentation, art and photojournalism all rolled into one. You take snapshots, apply filters, post/save to a share archive hosted by Instagram. The photo goes onto your Instagram profile, and can be shared across a multitude of various social media. The social media is simply the telegraph “wire.”
The folks at Instagram have a blog, tips for taking better photos, and featured Instagram users’ photos – it’s amazing what someone can do with an iPhone and a free app that applies simple filters.
So maybe I went a little crazy on the filters and fuzz (aka “bokeh”), but Instagram is instant awesomeness. Love it!
[to find out more about why a big metal chicken is so funny to 40-year old married women click here.]
Today I snapped a few photos of my pets. I look at them and wonder what they would be saying if they could sass-mouth me First off I’m glad Ruby can’t talk. She could tell some good stories on me. [Although the pet with the most stories happens to be in kitty heaven, (God rest your feline soul, Sky).]
Ruby is back from a week in doggie utopia at the ranch.
This morning I caught a glimpse of this and had to do a U-turn to capture it on camera. I tried to get it on my good camera, but the batteries were out, so trusty iPhone it was.
I came around from the other entry on the north end of the room. [ignore lamp shades, I was changing the light bulbs in the chandelier.]
I tried to work with Pussums, getting her to pose.
I embrace the restorative effects of New Year’s resolutions. January 1st can be the great big reboot that many need to get motivated to change their life. Jumping on the bandwagon provides comfort and unity for all the goal-setters out there. But basically I feel that New Year’s resolutions are crap.
I never set New Year’s resolutions. Never. Personally I think if it’s a goal worth pursuing, it’s worth acting on today. And if today happens to be Monday or January 1st then so it is. One of my most successful personal pursuits started on a Monday. But the great catalyst was having to get dressed that morning for work—I did not wait through the weekend to get started. I took the bull by the horns that day.
But the difference maker in setting v. achieving your goals is your relentlessness. I am not always the greatest example, but true grit is what makes us achieve our goals. You have to be willing to do what it takes to make the change.
What I know thus far in my life:
You don’t have to wait until Monday or after the New Year, all you have to do is start, right from where you are, and be willing to do whatever it takes.
The sky was beautiful this afternoon. The clouds started to break up as the sun was setting. I took these photos around 5 p.m. today. The night sky was even more beautiful because it’s a new moon with cold high pressure air. That makes for a clear sky, perfect for seeing the Milky Way. Unfortunately my photography skills do not extend to nighttime panorama. But here are a few of my favorites from today.
Jdubs has been fighting a cold/virus for a few days but now he’s feeling better. He started playing with his Legos today and built a Lego reindeer. And looking very angelic in the process.
Momma loves you, Jdubs.
The Arcadian Experience 