Shots from the Wayback Machine

A few weeks ago Gordon attended the annual Winter Encampment of the Renaissance Military Society. One of the other people who attended just posted some cool pics, two of which I have swiped to display here. The above shot is just so cool and "National Geographic" that I thought it should get some more exposure (har). Let's hear it for those daring young men in their jaunty rigs! Below is a nice pic of Gordon and one Mr. Thorne. Where have all the snappy dressers gone? They're out in the wet grass with lit fuses!

Box of Horses & Cock of the Walk

Yesterday (Saturday) we boxed up the horses and trailered over to Vacaville to the "Ranch Hotel & Stables" to do a little trail ride with some friends. For the first time Woody looked dainty, because our friend "Large William" (6'8") rides a dappled grey Shire named Ian. For you non horse fans, the Shire is one of the largest breeds in the world. Think a LARGE Clydesdale (Budweiser mascot). Taxi, my old mount, decided he was "in charge" and was downright frisky! At age 30 he still has what it takes to be a good cavalry horse, although his days of 6-day weeks on a film location are pretty much over.

There was a little banty rooster wandering around the stables who was very cute and friendly and let me pat him on the back. One of the gals there asked me if I wanted to take him home. I asked why and was told he had "spurred" some little kid the previous day. I can't imagine this sweet little guy doing anything unprovoked (neither could she: she suspects foul play on the part of the brat)...but I took him home anyway. Iris and Henrietta now have a pint-sized boyfriend, and the little man has an instant harem! Iris, naturally, tried to pick a fight. She lost. This is going to be very good for miss crabby chicken. He's not too noisy in the morning, but I'll still check with our immediate neighbors to make sure he isn't driving them nuts.

Because he is so dapper and plucky and sweet, his name is now "Bertie Rooster". If I come in to a big grey rooster he'll have to be "Jeeves", I suppose...

Putzfut (sp) moment

My friend Julie has a German word for "house cleaning frenzy", it's something like "putzfut". The "putz" part is probably right, but the last probably isn't. Anyway, I get these attacks every once in awhile and tackle some "hot spot" in the house or yard that's driving me nuts. With this place it's kind of an excercise in futility, because it was let go for so many years before we inherited it and it would take a full-time crew of contractors a month to get us to where we could keep ahead of the entropy. However...since we really are going to move someday (sooner than later, God willing), and even though it's like lowering lifeboats off of the Lusitania*, I persist in fighting the beast.

So...today I was attacking the "butler's pantry" or "vestibule of vileness", and I came across yet another of the mystical, perhaps ritual(?) objects that litter the annals of archaeology. What kind of person saves burnt out and obviously broken light bulbs?! Aaaaagh! It's utterly inexplicable and goes on the list with the carefully ziplocked loose change (each carefully labeled from a trip to, say, exotic Alaska), assorted broken teacups with no saucers, broken hand saws, frozen electrical motors, and miscellaneous teeth (yes) that I've mucked out of here in the last couple of years. It's like living in the twilight zone some days...

*nods to Douglas Adams and Arthur Dent.

Warning: this is not a Cat Free Blog!

I just thought this was a cute picture of my Alpha Female Kat, Beany. This is how she travels with us: on her window shelf hung on the back seat of our crew-cab truck. She thinks she's in charge, and this way she can and does bark out suggestions at inopportune moments. My sister is endlessly amused at the fact that I take at least three of my cats along whenever G and I travel up to WA to visit the folks. Beany is an easy traveler and loves Grandma's house (when we're there she even prefers to sleep with my mom). Ted needs looking after because of his split diaphragm, so he goes along, spending most of the trip sitting between us in the front seat (or sleeping on top of me when I pass out). At Mom's he sits in the tall grass waiting for garter snakes to taunt him into pouncing. Gimli, the youngest, jumps straight into his doorless cat carrier in the back seat and stays parked for the entire 14 hour drive. No crying, no fussing...just happy to be safe in his little box. At Mom's he is happy to run up and down the halls and stairwell chasing wads of paper or socks with human feet in them. Other people's houses are always more interesting than your own. If we get the Indianola house, I'm sure they will all like it. As in Grandma's house, there is a nice stairway to run up and down, and lots of windows to "bird watch" out of on inclement days. Can't see any down side, really...

Our New House?

We're about to make an offer on this place up in Washington State. Five acres and a little house...plus two sheds, a two car garage & shop, stream, pond, etc. Is it time to start packing? This view is looking down at the back of the house (garage on right). This is the middle pasture, below the house is a bigger pasture on another lot that will come up for sale in two years, which would increase the whole property to 7.4 acres. The owners have no problem allowing an easement for us to use the lower pasture in the mean time. We can't really move until after Gordon's Cavalry class in April, but after that it may be time for greener pastures...literally!

Happy New Year!

Here's to another interesting year! We started something very new today by initiating our hunt for a new home. The first place we looked at was/is very nice and adjoined about 1,800 acres of trails, but is about twice what we can afford. Tomorrow we'll check out some smaller places. I think the man is pretty blown away by how cool some of these properties are up here! I'm very excited about the search for the perfect "rancho"...!