Happy Birthday to my DAD

Today is my Dad's birthday.
It's always fun to look back and
remember things we did together.

Like riding Robertsons horses.
Bareback.
And him spending an hour patiently
trying to teach me to hop on
like he could.

I still can't do it.

Poor man.

And teaching me to ski.
I moved to Florida.

Teaching me about nature and
finding edible plants in the woods.
(a skill I'm grateful for today and have
passed on to my boys).

Sharing his love of music.
Although I never learned to REALLY whistle.

Sharing his love of the gospel.
Sharing his love of serving others.
Sharing his love of family.

I am who I am today because
he is who he was (and is) throughout
my life.

I love you Dad.
Happy Birthday.

New Week / New Job

Rod is having a great first week!

He spent the first day at orientation

and learned all about the excellent

things this company does for it's employees.

The next couple of days he was supposed

to go to "training", learning things he already knows.

But for some reason, it has been

postponed until next week.

So yesterday he got to work on a jet.

At the end of the day they

rolled it out and rolled in

a different one for them to work on today.

He is having a wonderful time.

The work is new and interesting.

The people are happy and friendly.

And the air conditioning is 

HEAVEN!

Tailwinds

I found a new podcast to listen to.

(And so of course they decided to take the 

summer off and haven't started up again yet...)

It's a couple of LDS women from Utah.

Their blog is

365 Days of Slow Cooking

they have lots of really good crockpot

recipes, but then they bought pressure cookers

and now they have lots of great 

recipes for the pressure cooker.

But going through their archives, I found

these podcasts.

The first one I listened to was an interview

with Heather, the LDS woman who was

on The Biggest Loser 10 years ago

(season 3).

I've never watched the show,

but thought it might be interesting to get 

a peak "behind the scenes".

It was really good.

So I listened to another one.

And another one.

And that's what I'll be doing today while I'm 

posting money - they had 43 of them

when they stopped for the summer.

Anyhow.

One they did recently was "tailwinds".

They are both pretty active.

One is a school teacher, the other sounds

like she might be a stay at home Mom,

but both have older children, it's not a 

"Mommy" blog.

They both workout, run, ride bikes, etc.

So they were talking about how you go

out for a ride or a run and the wind is

blowing in your face and it makes it SO HARD

to move forward.

And then you turn and now the wind is behind

you and it's like you are FLYING.

And you think Whew!

And then you forget the wind is pushing you

and at the end of the run you think

"Wow, I'm really improving - this was a GREAT run!"

So the theme was watching for those tailwinds.

The little pushes that smooth the road

for you and make things easier.

Anything from a vacuum cleaner and dishwasher

so you don't have to beat your carpets clean

and carry your dirty dishes down to the creek

to wash them (or carry water UP), to 

just the little day-to-day blessings we aren't 

even really aware of.

This morning I was thinking about it on my

horrendous drive to work.

(With our new office, I have to drive the highway

every morning and every evening and

OH MY GOODNESS!  There are some really

aggressive, crazy, impatient, FAST drivers out there!)

I was kind of blending the tailwind idea with

the sweepers in curling.

The tailwind is behind you pushing just a little,

while the sweepers are out in front

clearing the path.

More than just living in modern times and all

the advances and conveniences we have...

The day to day blessings we benefit from.

Getting to and from work safely each day.

The rain we have benefited from this summer

allowing the cows to eat grass and only need a

little grain (half their usual ration) and no hay

while I'm waiting

for these SLOW chickens to start laying.

(And the fact they are FINALLY starting... but still

not up to full production.  COME ON GIRLS!)

(The chickens pay for the horse / cow feed as well...)

There are so many little daily things we don't 

"see" and take for granted.

Even just a rainbow off in the distance

that puts a smile on your face and helps to 

start your day off on a happy note.

Tailwinds.

These are GOOD things to notice!

Manatees

The guys went kayaking and took Jessica

with them on Saturday.

They saw several manatees out in the creek.

They were close enough that she

got to pet one a couple of times.

(Kyle has pictures on his phone,

but forgot to send them to me.)

You kind of have to use your imagination

anyway - it's below the water.

Anyhow.

There was a baby manatee that was 

following Kyle for awhile.

(Dr. Doolittle...)

Kyle said it kept coming up

to breathe and check on him.

Every time it would blow out,

Kyle nearly keeled over.

Turns out...

Manatees have 

BAD BREATH!

Who knew????

New View

There was a rocket launch this morning.

Now that my office is 30 miles north 

(and closer to the Space Center)

I was expecting it to be MUCH closer.

Nope.

It was so far away I couldn't even

get a picture of it.

So you are stuck with a picture

of the contrail instead.

The "bumble" was louder though.

(And it was a nice break from work.)

Beautiful Skies

I haven't taken any beautiful sunset pictures

in a little while.

And there have been some spectacular ones

this week!

Last night was no exception.

The sky was absolutely on fire!

It was even more beautiful the

night before,

but you saw how well my

horseback pictures turned out. 

LOL

The ENTIRE sky was a brilliant orange.

Riding

Yesterday a friend came over

and we went for a horseback ride.

She just returned (last week) from

her mission in the Canada Calgary mission.

It was fun to see her pictures and

recognize the places she served!

We had a nice ride.

It's been a LONG time since any

of us have been riding - a combination

of busy schedules, weather,

and all of us are getting older....

Yes, I am a HORRIBLE picture taker!

(And CJ moved just as I snapped it...)

Kyle rode Buddy.

He (Buddy) has gotten REALLY sway back

so he chose to ride him with just

a bareback pad.

And of course, Andy was my trusty steed.

We had a nice ride for a little less than an hour.

There was a storm brewing to the west

and when the lightening started,

I cut the ride short.

(party pooper)

But we'll ride again!

(And maybe I'll get some decent pictures!)

Happy Birthday To Rod!

Today is my darling husband's birthday.

He has a busy day planned.

First he had to go to work.

And then he had to speak to his boss.

And then he had to turn in

his letter of resignation!

Yup.

Rod is changing jobs!

He has been working behind the scenes

for something like 6 months or more

trying to move across the airport

to another company

that builds executive jets.

One of his co-workers moved over there

a year or so ago.

They have remained friends and Chris

has been lobbying and lobbying

to get Rod moved over as well.

Friday while they were at Cow Camp

Rod FINALLY got the phone call

he has been waiting and praying for.

They offered him the job he wants!

YEA!!!!!!

We are all very excited!

It will be a pay increase.

But more importantly,

they have an 

AIR CONDITIONED HANGAR!

It has been really difficult on Rod

to work in the open hangar.

It's easily 100 degrees in there.

(And it gets pretty brisk in there in our "winter".)

Anyhow.

This was a GREAT birthday gift!

Anything we get him will pale in comparison.

(I can't say what it is, because we haven't given

it to him yet... lol)

Anyhow.

He starts his new job in 2 weeks.

On the 28th.

His hours will be 7 - 3:30,

which means I'm going to need to

get up earlier than I have been

in order to get him his breakfast.

He already gets up WAAAAY

before the crack of dawn.
He's not much of a morning sleeper.

(may be why he falls asleep on the 

couch around 9 each evening...)

Anyhow.

This isn't my traditional birthday post.

But this isn't a traditional birthday.

And I've been patiently waiting to share

this news until today.

But I still want him to know how much

I love him.

And how grateful I am that he asked

me to look over his per diem on that 

fateful day 37 years ago.

I love you my darling.

And I'm so proud of the man

you have become.

The Graduates

Congratulations to 

The Graduates!

They have done everything they needed

to earn a certificate from the 

Beef Cattle Reproduction Management School

with

Artificial Insemination Management School

Two skills they hope they will never need.

LOL

(Kyle insists he will HIRE a vet to do it from now on!)

Once was ENOUGH!

(And he actually did 3 or 4 preg tests...)

The ultrasound machine didn't help.

LOL

Rod actually completed an AI!

He said it was difficult

and super technical

and he also would hire somebody.

(Each vial is $20 and messing up

could endanger the cow's life as well...)

But he DID IT!

And he's proud.

And so am I.

I think we'll have steak for dinner.

(grin)

Cow Camp

This week the guys have been attending

Cow Camp

at Deseret Ranch

They were a little surprised to learn its

a reproductive heavy curriculum.

They were hoping more for the

beef / meat end of the business.

But I guess there's not a lot of

"hands on" 

with that topic.

So they have spent some time

each day out in the barns.

The ranch covers 295,000 acres.

(That's 450 square miles!)

They run 47,000 head of cattle.

A breed they have carefully perfected

to be successful in Florida's unique conditions.

This is the time of year when they

are checking for "open" heifers.

And that's the focus of the mornings.

Kyle is SUPER excited about it.

LOL

Then they come in for lunch.

(Yesterday was pork chops)

And then classroom time.

It's really interesting and informative.

But the room is HOT.

People are having a hard time staying awake.

They have more preg testing today.

And then tomorrow they will learn how to

"A I" the "open" cows.

The fun just never ends!

(This is what happens when you take a job as

a farm manager for a woman who has been

bitten by the cow bug...)

(Kyle is taking this class all expenses paid and

is on the clock.  Rod received it as an early

Christmas present.)

Kyle promised to get a couple of pictures

of Rod the cowboy today.

He forgot yesterday until it was too late

and both his hands / gloves were...

icky.

He also got a hair cut last night.

Said it's annoying to have your hair get in

your eyes and realize your hands / gloves are

icky.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Muscadine / Mosquitoes

Last night Kyle and I went out to

harvest some of the muscadine grapes

that are finally ripe.

We got FIVE POUNDS!!!!

(That includes seeds, etc...)

Tonight we are going to try

our hands at making

muscadine jelly.

The bucket weighs .75 on its own & our
scale isn't super accurate... lol

(he is using sugar, I am 

using xylitol - a sugar alchohol

that measures 1 : 1 to sugar

but is SUPER poison for dogs

so I don't use it in my daily cooking)

Aren't they beautiful?

Each basket is just about 2.5 pounds.

We are excited to give it a try!

Meanwhile, I put a couple of our own

beef short ribs in the pressure cooker

for dinner.

Sauted them up in some bacon fat

(rendered from the bacon I baked on Saturday...)

They were delicious!

I figured the guys would be hungry after a day

outside at cow camp.

More about camp later in the week...

but day 1 went well.

Anyhow.

While we were harvesting grapes,

the mosquitoes were harvesting ME!

I got eaten alive!!!!

Bountiful Balm to the rescue!

This was in the pack of yumminess

Rozann and Nancy sent me for my 

birthday last year.

I haven't used it much, since (knock wood)

I haven't had many boo boos this year.

I keep it in the bathroom for when I feel

a cold sore coming on.

It seems to significantly shorten the time

and it never gets to the big puffy, scabby,

seriously ugly stage.

But last night I liberally applied it to all

the millions of big, puffy, angry, red, ITCHY

mosquito bites all over my calves.

They immediately stopped itching.

And then I forgot about them.

This morning there aren't even any dots

on my legs where I got bitten!

This is my new favorite stuff!!!!!!!

(It has plaintain and St Johns Wort among

other awesome stuff in it...)

From the website...

Ingredients:

Infused Olive Oil, Beeswax, Calendula, Plantain, Goldenseal, St. John’s Wort, Myrrh Gum, Tea Tree Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Safflower Seed Oil, Vitamin E Oil

Suggested uses:

– Insect Bites

– Bee Stings

– Cuts

– Sores

– Burns

– Eczema

– Dry Skin

– Rough Heels

– Cracked Hands

Benefits:

– All-Natural

– Antibacterial

– Cloth Diaper Safe

– Non-Staining

– Non-comedogenic

I wish I'd brought it with me though.

I discovered a bite on my neck

that is now driving me CRAZY!

LOL

(I'm pretty sure there's a mosquito in my car...)

(aaaaaaah, summer.)

Weekend Off

I enjoy teaching.

I really do.

But I also enjoy having the weekend off!

This weekend was one of those.

I did a little grocery shopping.

And I did a little cooking.

I made some "on plan" waffles

to eat for breakfast this week.

They are yummy and a little sweet

and go really well with a fresh

Georgia peach and some

fat free cottage cheese.

YUM!

I also made some bacon.

I prefer to bake it.

It goes on a cooling rack on top

of a cookie sheet.

Into a cold oven set at 400.

Let it bake for 20+ minutes.

Rod likes it quite crisp, so the

tray at the back is for him.

And the tray at the front is for me.

(Kyle doesn't often eat breakfast...)

Rod cleaned and then the guys 

delivered our old fridge to the home

of our Bishop.

They have a bunch of kids and

go through a lot of cold drinks.

They were happy for an extra fridge

to keep in the garage.

I also did up a dozen eggs in the

pressure cooker.

Then made them into egg salad for lunch.

And 3 giant sweet potatoes

in the pressure cooker.

We shared one for dinner and the

others are for lunches this week.

(I don't have to make lunches for 

Rod or Kyle this week - they are

out at the church ranch attending

COW CAMP)

Hopefully Rod will take some pictures.

Sighting

We used to spend a LOT of time at Sea World.

We had annual passes for YEARS!

One of the things we loved there,

were the dolphins.

We learned that the dolphins

will do a jump up above the water,

then deep dive,

and then jump for whatever the trainer

is holding up for them.

They called that original jump

a sighting jump.

I have noticed that my little dog,

Roxie, hops like a rabbit.

She is FAST, but she does a lot of hopping.

I thought it was because our grass was 

desperately in need of cutting.

Last night I was walking back to the

back gate to deliver the week's eggs.

Rox was in the back of the property

and when I called her she started 

running up to meet me.

She came around the corner,

did a giant leap up into the air,

and then headed in at a dead run.

I realized she's so short, she has to do

a sighting jump to see what she is

running towards!

So maybe she's not a rabbit.

Maybe she's a dolphin????