Summer Vacation

Time flies when one is having fun or working hard.  With only 8 1/2 days left, summer vacation is beginning to look like a reality.  I am impatiently waiting for the time that I can be home on the ranch with my husband for a whole three months.  I am sure that my posts will be more interesting when I can take pictures of our livestock and wild animals.  Until then, have a good two weeks.

Spring

We did receive about four inches of snow this week.  Chip and I were in Belle Fourche on Sunday; when we stepped outside after church, the biggest snowflakes that I have ever seen were falling.  Thankfully they melted as soon as they hit the ground.  (Will post a picture later.)

Another reason that I know that spring has arrived is that I picked a tick off of my clothes last night.  Ticks usually don't like me and so I am hoping that he was trying to get away from me, but I did throw him down the garbage disposal so that I won't see it again.  I hope!

Vacation is six hours away!

Spring Has Arrived

Spring has finally arrived in Montana which can be proven in several ways. It has been a long time in coming, but I believe that the birds are a sure sign of it. I arrived home Friday evening to the sounds of birds singing. There were at least a dozen Robins in our yard. Sunday, Chip and I went to Ekalaka and saw several flocks of cranes trying to fly north. The wind was sure messing with their flight. They were doing the wrap around thing. I told Chip that there are days that it might be faster to walk. This morning as I walked to school, I once again heard birds singing. A beautiful sound of spring!


Another sign of spring are the many calves that are showing up in pastures along the way. We have a couple dozen on the ground running around or napping in the beautiful sunshine. One mother cow was seen baby (calf) sitting at least a dozen calves. A cute sign of spring!

The last sign of spring that we have seen is all the work to do. Chip will soon be in the fields planting oats, and then there will be all the yard work to do such as mowing the lawn and watering the trees, and this year it will include putting log siding on the house. The tough sign of spring!

A sign of spring that we haven’t seen and very thankful that we haven’t is a spring blizzard. The past few years we have been hit hard with spring snowstorms. These are deadly on livestock, wildlife and people. We have had deer die in our hay yards. So far, the storms have gone north of us. We have received wind and rain. At this point it looks like I will make it home for Easter vacation. April 20th has been known to bring in a storm, but so far only rain is in the forecast.

Jake, Our Welsh Corgi

  I am once again sitting quietly and inactively at home with our Welsh Corgi.  Jake is such an amazing dog, that I am led to believe that every nursing home needs to own several.

A couple of years ago when we were visiting Chip's mom in the nursing home, Jake would go with us.  He would quietly and slowly walk around chairs and wheel chairs.  If the person would reach down to pet him, he would make himself available to be petted.  If the person wanted nothing to do with a pet, he would move on to the next person.  The staff loved him and many people truly enjoyed him.

I find that Jake is very understanding.    He comes to greet me in the morning and gives me his attention.  The other day, I was frustrated with being sick and not able to do anything.  I started to cry.  He jumped up from one of his many soft beds and came over to me.  He had to let me know in his own way that he understood.  (I guess he should as he was laid up for several weeks with a broken back a few years ago.)

This morning Jake was a little hurt because Chip once again left him home to "take care of me."  He jumped up beside me on the couch, had me talk to him and then he tried to talk back. I finally asked him if he wanted to go outside and he immediately jumped down and ran to the door.  He sat on the doorstep for a few hours before he came back in. (He really misses Chip.)

So here is hoping that the pneumonia will soon be gone with the help of the anitbiotics and Jake.

We truly have a very special dog!

                                   Nurse Chip and Nurse Jake

The Joys of Winter

Although most of us in Montana are ready for some warm weather, sunshine and no snow anywhere, this picture shows that one can enjoy a beautiful sunset even in winter.

Pneumonia

A very unpleasant but new experience in my life this past month was pneumonia. I developed the chills on January 30th and things went downhill from there. I was coughing hard and at times uncontrollably, but the hardest symptom of all was the lack of appetite. I didn’t even have a desire for my favorite meal of steak, potatoes and corn. There wasn’t anything that looked or tasted good. My uncle once said, “The hardest part about getting old was the lack of appetite.” I began to wonder if I was getting old at an early age.

I finally was convinced that I needed to see a doctor and was told that I was really sick. I was given two options: 1) I could go to a hospital where I didn’t know anyone. 2) Chip could come get me and take care of me. I opted for #2.

It is now February 16th and my appetite is almost normal and I am feeling pretty much alive again.

The lesson I learned this month is don’t mess with Pneumonia. It is a doctor thing and needs to be treated with antibiotics. Being under the care of a doctor during this time relieved a lot of anxiety. They also gave me a medical excuse for work.

During this time the temps have been in the 40-60 range. Although we still have snow on the ground, we truly enjoyed seeing the sun shining brightly.

Winter Weather Advisory

This is one of the strangest winter weather advisories that I have ever seen.  We have a temperature of close to 40 degrees and the day has changed from cloudy skies to sunny skies.  We have had a few flurries but they all melt when they hit the puddles on the road.

Maybe spring is really just around the corner.