A day in the snow ... December 31, 2009

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One of the hardest things about having a black dog is that they take horrible pictures. So the other day when we were out for a dog-walk my amazing brain told me that black with a white background makes for a great contrast. So here is my photo shoot of Elena in the snow. Hard to believe that we could just have her for four more months ... of course this is about the time that the puppy gets easier and we've REALLY started to like her!

Elena, sweet Elena!

Apparently this is what happens when you leave a 10 month old puppy (who is in heat) alone it the kitchen for too long unsupervised! Elena is such a sweet girl, but I think the demon in her was showing it's ugly head this day! And this picture doesn't even show the rest of the kitchen that looks like snow all over! Elena, sweet Elena ... how we love you! I must admit you do have to laugh at something like this! And I was so sad today ... oh well ... life with puppy happens!

Cottonwood Ranch

My Mom and Dad (alias Grandma and Grandpa) were such good sports to go "4 wheeling". They are 86 and 85 years old but were willing to see what Cottonwood Ranch looks like in October. Needless to say, my Mom kept saying ... "Where's Lynn?" ... but when I got ready to take her picture ... he moved right in to it. Someday we hope this will be a family hang-out, but for now we're just having the gifted "water witcher" find a spot to drill a well. The crossed sticks in the top picture is the X that marks the spot! (Maybe we'll find "black gold" instead! Texas Tea!) OH, and ... it was opening day of deer hunting season ... but where are the neon orange vests? Home in the grandma's bathroom closet of course! That's where everybody keeps them!

Oregon Coast 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

JASPER/COLUMBIA ICE FIELDS, THE STAMPEDE AND TWO MEN AND A CANOE

Canada!!! YEAH!!!

I'm here at last! Scott's special Christmas surprise of tickets to the Calgary Stampede are coming to fruitition (spelling???). We've spent the last five days traveling through the BEAUTIFUL Rocky Mountains on both the Alberta and British Columbia side. And words can not express the amazing sights we've seen. Living in Utah I take mountains for granted. I think they are beautiful ... but here ... words cannot do justice. AMAZING! MAGNIFICENT! These pictures are at Lake Louise (I always thought of this lake as my Grandma's lake, since her name was Louise and she was from Alberta, Canada). And tomorrow is the Stampede! SOOO EXCITED!

Thousand Peaks Ranch in the Uinta Mountains

Valerie wants to know if there is any similarity?

My favorite picture of the "Quakies".

Good friends, beautiful scenery, lots of talking, strenous exercise hiking, laughter, games, oh and did a mention a BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL landscape. That's what I was able to experience this week when I was asked if I wanted to go to Amy and Karl White's cabin at the Thousand Peaks Ranch with Amy, Valerie and Joleene. I just wish these pictures really portrayed the grandeur of the place. With all the spring rains the water was pouring off the steep Uinta Mountains, allowing the beaver population to build ponds to reflect the pine trees and blue sky. With friends like these it was two days of bliss! At eight to ten thousand feet above sea level, it is a sheep ranch where during the summer months they graze around 15,000 sheep. The Quaking Aspen were so gorgeous with their white tree trunks agains green, green everywhere.

I am so blessed with great people in my life whom I've learned so much from!

The beaver have cut down another one!

We tried to catch them (the furry friends) in action, but we were probably too loud ... something that is not unusual for four women "out on excursion!"

That's it ... all done!

This says it all. Content and nestled next to Momma. Five in all. We're all worn out and morning came really soon. I can now say officially ... that mothering instinct does take over and Jaz is a good Mom, a really good little Mom. Scott and I probably didn't even need to be there other than to change out the bedding and clean-up crew.

Oh and did I tell you ... these little guys will be forsale in about 8 weeks ... better get your order in fast!

Tired of waiting ... let's go to the home show.

WE'VE GOT PUPPIES! This picture is of the first three. That's Spike with the dark spots. I'm still waiting for the the names of the little girls to come to me (not like the names will last any longer than Monday when they go home.) They sound a little like the dentist drill .... high pitched humming. The internet says "crying" means hungry, "whimpering" means they're cold. (How do they know?... do they speak puppie lingo?) That's my thumb in the picture ... so you know they're pretty little tykes. At this point I'm starting to think ... maybe this is it ... maybe three is all there is. Jaz is taking a break .... she is starting to get tired ... and I am too.

Supplies are ready ... we are waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting. Jaz is starting to give me signals, like she wants to run upstairs and hide under the bed. Jaz does not want any other dog around her. Jaz is protecting her food. Jaz goes outside and just lays down ... not too much running around here. This girl has been walked all through this pregnancy but she is not interested it any of that now. She loves her tummy to be gently rubbed .... I can feel the puppies moving around in there. How many will there be????? The big question. Will I know when they've all delivered? SO MANY QUESTIONS? Thank goodness for the internet and all the available info. Hope we're ready!

Doggie Midwifery

Since Tuesday, Scott and I have been "puppy sitting" a friend's VERY PREGNANT BICHON, named Jaz. We knew she was expected to probably deliver sometime while the Flint family was at a wedding in Oregon. This was to be our first experience in Doggie Midwifery! I was imagining every thing possible that could go WRONG ... especially after talking with our daughter, Melissa. But I had to breath deep and say to myself ... "dogs have been doing this on their own for eons of time ... mothering instincts should kick in" ... and DID THEY EVER! AMAZING!!! There are five of them and they are Cavachons. A cross between a Bichon and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. (You know ... one of those designer breeds!) If you look them up on the web you can see how darling they are, but right now they look a little like newborn kittens. And we are sooooo bonded! This pictures is of a "big tummied Jaz", day before delievery. How many will there be?????

This Bleeding Heart was a start from Scott's Mom's house two summers ago. It is now about 4 feet high and I think it actually is starting to like us ... was kind of slow at warming up to it's new home! I can't look at it without thinking of Mae.



Who knew you could take an old sweet potato that had started to sprout and put it in a vase of water, keeping it wet and WHA LA! Sweet potato vine!!! I love sweet potato vines ever since living in G'Burg, where they have them all around the square in pots. I did this on a whim and I'm so proud of this little plant. My word of advice is to start it early (like January!). It seemed to take forever to get very big leaves, but now it's outside in a pot and I think it looks like it has a bright future!







Thanks Mom and Dad for letting me rescue this pot last fall. My mom was given these hydrangeas for Mother's Day 2008. We transfered them to my basement when the weather got cold and I carried water down to them ALL WINTER LONG!!!! The leaves fell off and I didn't think there would be much hope, but with a little sunshine and more water and some of that special "blue water" they looks AMAZING!!! (I did try and give it back to Mom, but she insisted I keep it ... of course she hasn't seen it yet!)

OK well I think the Rhubarb leaves are getting along better this year too! That's my foot next to it!

THINGS ARE GROWING!!! YEAH!!!!EVEN the WEEDS......DARN IT!

Annual Hike Crow Mountain

This is where I want to build my next house!

The annual Davis Family

hike Crow Mountain (or other wise known as

Grandpa's Mountain) is always an awesome

time of year for this clan.

Just wanted to share some of the pictures from the "Annual Davis Family Hike Crow Mountain" reunion. Someday, when I grow up, I want to build a log cabin on the back side of Crow Mountain. It is so beautiful ... especially after all the spring rains. Although cattle grazing was thought to be it's main function 35 years ago when my Dad bought it, it has turned into one of his most prime pieces of property, since it is one of the highest points within the valley its location is well sought after for radio/satalite/cell phone towers. Each year it is amazing as the "little kids" scale the front of the mountain. Some of us older folks struggle around the side then up the back road (still a demanding hike, let me tell you), while others make it up in the back of four-wheel drive pickups or on their own ATV.

This is the second year in a row that both Scott and I have hiked both up and down ... all the way! Although sometimes we thought we might have to be rescitated. And to think we did it for a "piece of licorce"! ohhh ... I mean the view and the company and the exercise and the pictures and ......

You can fool mother nature!

I like to feel the dirt between my toes. Known fact ... but living in the northern part of Utah has had it's challenges! The growing season is short ... very short. We have to try and fool mother nature with these little blue/green "Wall of Water". It makes a little micro climate green house around each plant. This was about a month ago ... middle of May ... knowing we were taking the risk of meeting up with old Mr. Jack Frost who likes to come for a visit. It's now the second week in June and the garden is looking "way different". I'll add pictures in my next blog ... that is if the rain stops long enough for me to get pictures. Hopefully we will soon be reaping the rewards of the garden. Yum ... fresh veggies.

Easter 2009

OK ... so I really want to know how to add "all those cute" things to my blog. Where to I get them. How do I do them... someone help me pleeeease.

But this is THE VERY BEST KIND OF EASTER BASKET! Sweet little Hayden (1 year old now). Couldn't ask for anything sweeter. After a rocky start at 2 lbs 13 oz she's ready to take on the world. We feel soooo blessed!

Needless to say Taylor didn't appreciate what we did to her Easter Basket very much. But what can we say ... thanks Jeanne for making Easter so much fun for us.

#11 ... Luckily it Elena, not Edwina!

Aren't these two cute! Tay loves animals of all kinds. The day we got Elena (Guide Dog Puppy #11) we took her to see Taylor. She totally understood that Elena was not potty trained yet. I guess it still really fresh in Taylor's mind. What cute girls!

We've decided that it is really hard to get cute pictures of black dogs. Elena has such a happy and "hoppy" personality, but with her dark brown eyes, you can hardly see her face in photos. I decided that we could have one more puppy because I wasn't working as much, and since I was home more, what was just one more puppy. Well you probably guessed it ... as soon as I said I'd do one more, work started to pick up and I was there more often ... so of course Elena has been going to work with Scott half days. She (other than the house breaking) has pretty much been "the dream puppy". What a great personality this little one has ... now if we can just get the potty training right ...

I was just so glad that her name was Elena ... I was having nightmares about what they might come up with.

DDDDDooorrra

Dora came into our lives April 2008. The most beautiful little white bundle of FUURRRRR. Picture perfect in everyway ... At least for the first 6 months of her life she didn't shed much! But from then on out I found her little doggie hairs on most of my black pants and coats. Dora was "guide dog puppy" #10. Scott was going through puppy withdrawal and felt like we were ready to try it again since moving back to this area. I on the other hand had said 9 guide puppies raised was good enough for me ... but I knew if I got back into the groove that it's just a way of life for us. I must admit that I told Scott if we were going to do it again he had to attend meetings (something he opted out of in Pennsylvania) and the puppy got to go to work with him sometimes.

Needless to say he has been great. Dora was often at work with him and he never complains when the pups need some attention. This endeavor without a doubt has taken both of us and Amy was willing to help with pup-sitting often. Dora often went to her First Grade class. The kiddos loved it when she came to school.

But April 2009 rolled around and it was time for Dora to go to Guide Dog Puppy college. As always it's hard to say good-bye, but you really hope that this little pup that has finally grown into her new career. Be good Dora ... the Explorer!

Slowly up and running!

I started this blog in a class and have never really tried to add to it much, but I'm going to try it once again. I live a pretty normal and ordinary life, but of all the blogs I watch, I've decided the ones that I really appreciate are those who post about real everyday things! I think I really relate to "life happens". I don't have kids at home any more and I don't get to travel the world, but I do have things that I am thankful for and feel that a blog is a great way to journal my thoughts. I don't even know if I'll ever invite anyone else to read what I post, but it will help me focus on what is important in my life. SO HERE GOES ...

Recently I was blessed to spend a weekend in Texas with some of my FAVORITE people ... my beautiful daughters! Thanks Kate and John for allowing us to crash your pad! One of our favorite activities was getting pretty toes (and you should see the make-over pictures from Nordstroms! We look a little like street walkers...oh my such EYE LINER.) My girls are so different from each other, but I really do love them for their own qualities. It wouldn't be half as much fun if they were all alike!