Bucket List Update

  

Time to Update!!

To learn Portuguese (no progress)
Pass on my love of the land to my grandchildren (in progress) Vacation in  Charleston, S.C. (Still hopeful)
Visit the redwood forest (Still hopeful)
Make a good friend that I can talk to about anything (Still hopeful - last attempt failed)
Sew a hand pieced quilt for my granddaughter (soon to be begun) (Maybe this year)
Learn to do pen and ink drawings(No progress)
Learn all about cows (any ideas how I can do this???)(No progress)
Finally learn to meditate (know of any classes, anyone?) (Have begun)
Organize my house!  (It is organized - now that it is for sale) :(  )
Visit Lost Maples State Park in the autumn (maybe next year)
Learn to do watercolor(No progress)
Learn about dragonflies(Maybe next  summer)
Find my talent (Wish me luck)(Maybe my talent is appreciating others' talent)

NEW ONES

To see a bald eagle (have been looking, but no success so far)
Make jewelry (am in the process of learning--post to follow)

Learn to "live in the moment" (That would be a major accomplishment for me!)

And still that mystery one!

Stay tuned!!

A New Look For My Lawn

It seems I still have a lot to learn when it comes to "outside" stuff. :)  I learned an important lesson about lawn mowers. Always check your tires!!! For some reason, I seem unable to tell if a tire is low just by looking at it. I mowed my lawn and uh,oh, look what happened!!

A new look!

You will remember that I have my house for sale--this is the worst time for the lawn to look strange!! Seems if a tire is low, the lawn ends up striped! I guess I could tell prospective buyers that I did it on purpose--and call it "lawn sculpture". Now I'm hoping for warm nights so the grass will grow enough for me to mow one more time before winter!! And believe me, next time I will check all my tires!!!!

Stay tuned!

Grandchildren, horses and golf cart

There is just something special about girls and their relationship with horses. I received my first horse on my 8th birthday. Her name was Dixie, a flea bitten grey, and I loved that horse. I talked to her for hours on end, told her all my problems and secrets. She was a good listener.

My 9 year old granddaughter, Sara, and her brother, Owen, visited last week. Obviously Sarah has inherited my love for horses. She is so calm and good with them! 

Ready for a training lesson

When blogspot gets their video problem resolved, I will post a video of her putting Bochica through his paces.

Her brother, Owen, liked the horses okay. Moe was his horse for the week. But I think he liked scooping manure the best!

Have any treats?

Another favorite thing to do was to drive the golf cart. They both were able to drive by themselves this year. That special man's grandchildren gave them extra lessons!

Driving lesson

Sarah and Owen had a great time washing the golf cart for me. Funny, they didn't realize it was a color--it was very dirty! I'll be able to see through the windshield again!!

Wow-didn't know it was purple!

A wonderful week--grandchildren are just so much fun! I laughed a lot--guess I should laugh more. Owen told me I looked like a teenager when I laughed. Is laughter the secret to staying young???

The Next Door to a New Adventure

It seems that I'm to open a new door to find my next "adventure" in life. Circumstances require me to sell my beloved Salsipuedes.

Come take a look!

I've always thought that we really do not "own" our land, that we are just able to use it for a while. I believe we have a duty to leave it as good or better than we found it. I hope that I have done that here. Check out my listing. I would appreciate any suggestions to improve my chances for a quick sale .

I can't believe that I'm starting over AGAIN at this stage of my life. It is pretty scary--yikes!!  I don't have a clue as to where I will land  next.  My main concern is, of course, the horses and cats. Both Bochica and Moe are retired, Bochica due to cancer and Moe due to arthritis and old age.  My animals have been my motivation the last 10 years for battling a major health issue and beating the odds. They are my family--so I'm determined to ensure that they are taken care of. I'm hoping I can continue to do so in another setting, but we will see what fate has in store for me.

I wonder what new adventure awaits me!! Stay tuned--I'll keep you updated.

More Signs of Spring at Salsipuedes

Even though we're expecting cold weather again tonight, Spring is here!!  The bluebird house down by the pond has new eggs. (I think the last ones froze when we had a low of 28). Hopefully these five beauties will hatch. I'm not a nest watcher for Cornell this year, so will just watch from afar. Maybe--I may not be able to resist peeking after they hatch. Bluebirds are just the neatest birds--the entire family helps feed the young.

Nature at its finest!

My blackberry patch is much larger this year--hmm, I can just taste blackberries and cream.

Lots of blooms - hopefully no snakes!

And the grafted pear is putting on leaves like crazy!

New leaves every day!

Who knows, maybe I'll be making pear preserves from the fruits of this new tree.

If my little garden ever begins to grow (it has been way too cold), I'll post pictures of my vegetables. I think I'll take my strawberry plant in tonight.

Stay tuned!!

Springtime in Texas

Dogwood Blossoms

Spring is my favorite time of the year--I begin wishing for it in January. This year it has been late in coming. But I treasure it all the more. The "special man" toured me around his property and showed me his dogwoods in bloom. Breathtaking!

Dogwood in the Woods

The bees are humming, butterflies are flitting about, hummingbirds have returned, and birds are busy building nests. Lest you think Henbit is just a weed, check this out--the butterflies depend upon it for a food source in early Spring.

Down the road from me is a field of canola--I never knew the source of canola oil before--breathtaking!

Wow!

This photo does not do it justice. It is a sea of yellow as far as the eye can see. Reminds me or Italy for some reason.

Stay tuned for more Springtime shots!

The New Tree-Part Two

Remember the grafting of the wild pear tree here at Salsipuedes? Well, two out of three grafts were successful (so far).

Success!!

See the tiny leaves emerging from the new grafts? How exciting--now we wait--my tree expert (the special man in my life) tells me we leave it alone until fall.  Then I assume we will unwrap it and see the final results.

Stay tuned!!

Overcoming Fear--a Helicopter Ride

There is one item that was not on my bucket list, but maybe should have been. I have always wondered what it would be like to ride in a helicopter and wished for one to see the land surrounding Salsipuedes. However, there was a major obstacle--I do not like heights. I don't even like flying in large airplanes!

Recently, I was afforded the opportunity to ride in a helicopter-the granddaughter of the special man in my life drew the winning ticket for a ride and gave it to me. I couldn't believe it myself when I grabbed it!! While walking out to the helicopter my heart was beating about a million miles an hour. I think the pilot could tell how nervous I was and was very reassuring.  I was determined to overcome this one fear at least. And surprise--as soon as we lifted off, I felt perfectly comfortable. What great fun!! The pilot gave us a very smooth ride--it was way cool to see everything from the air.

Can't believe I'm doing this!

The only drawback is that now I'm dying to take a ride around my place--but unfortunately no helicopter is waiting here to pick me up!

This experience has led me to think of other things that I have been afraid to try--who knows what I may do next??

You never know what the future holds--stay tuned!

A New Tree at Salsipuedes

I am excited--soon I will have a new tree here. That "special man" discovered wild pear trees growing near my pond and offered to graft cultivated pears to them. Last summer we picked pears from a grafted tree at his house--delicious--so of course I jumped at the chance to have producing pear trees here. The process is absolutely fascinating to me!!

Step One - Choose a tree. I might add that it certainly helps to have someone who can identify a wild pear. :)

He brought cuttings  from "good trees".

New "new" tree

He made his cut on the original tree..

Then carefully sharpened the donor twig.

He split the bark on the original tree, peeled it back,  and inserted the twig.

He then wrapped it with tape to hold it in place.

Next, he wrapped it with plastic and then foil.

Now we wait! I can't wait to see the new trees growing,  He grafted several, so it will be interesting to see how they develop. I'm still having difficulty understanding how this works. Luckily, I get to see it in progress. 

Stay tuned--let's discover together!!

Signs of Spring!

Spring is trying to arrive--I was sure we were through with cold weather, but today proved me wrong. However, there are signs --blooming redbuds, pears, plums, flowers, etc. 

 I spied this flicker in my back yard the other morning and raced to get the camera. I managed to get a shot from my bedroom window.

Breakfast?

Isn't he a beauty? I have seen others down by the pond every day. Bluebirds are nesting down by the pond also. I'll try tomorrow to get a photo of the eggs. That mother will need to sit tight--a freeze is predicted tomorrow night. I've filled the bird feeders and will give the horses extra hay. And I'll now need to cover my newly planted tomatoes and squash! I'm hoping this is our last cold spell. I'm ready to sit on the bench at the pond and do some serious bird watching.

Stay tuned!!

Puzzle Complete--What Fun!!

I am a little sad to see the puzzle finished--it was so relaxing!!

Can  you find the the three unusual pieces?

I'm saving that last piece for that special man to insert. We both worked on it. The three "unusual" pieces are ones that Rufus managed to get.  (I must have accidentally knocked them off the bar.) Thank goodness he didn't eat them--just chewed them a little. 

This has been such a relaxing experience--I've decided to just keep a puzzle going all the time. It's nice to  take a few minutes and mull over deciding which pieces goes where.  Thanks again, Laurie!!

Stay tuned for the next one!

Puzzle Update

Remember the puzzle I have set up on my bar? Well, it's been a month and I'm progressing slowly. But it has been so much fun and very relaxing. I just work on it a few minutes here and there--almost like meditation! Puzzles are good for the brain, so I've been told!! I can just feel those cells firing up. :)

Here is my progress so far:

Slowly but surely!

Well, I will admit that I have had some help from that special man in my life.

This has been so relaxing that I believe when I finish this one, I'll set up another one!!

Spring is almost here--lots of projects--I can feel my energy returning--stay tuned!!

A Lazy Rainy Day

It's rare that I take a day off-usually I'm rushing around trying to get more done in one day than I can possibly do. However, today I turned over a new leaf! And that isn't even on my bucket list. I will have to confess that I did several loads of laundry and ironing; but the rest of the day I just "piddled".

Another Christmas gift was speaking to me. I received this very neat puzzle:

What a neat gift for a horse lover!

So, today I cleaned off my bar (so that is what it looks like)  and began. Whew--difficult--lots of tiny pieces. I'm still missing one outside piece, but am making progress. What fun--and how nice to just take it easy on a rainy day. Thanks, Laurie. Try it sometime yourself!! I think I will again. Let's see how long it takes me to finish!

Stay tuned!

The Bench

My wonderful bench!

One of the items on my bucket list was to learn to meditate. I've discovered the perfect place! My bench by the pond. The special man I know gave it to me last summer. I went there yesterday to sort through some feelings.Sometimes I just get way too bogged down in thoughts.  Rufus joined me, as well as my cat, George. George seems to sense even more than Rufus when I need a little affection. After finally getting Rufus settled down and relaxed (he first had to do a lot of sniffing), I did try focusing on nothing. Didn't quite make it, but did do some heavy thinking! Ponds are wonderful for just sitting and appreciating nature--watching the little minnows swimming around, seeing the fish jump, checking out the frogs and, listening to the birds. 

As the weather warms, I plan to spend a lot of time down there--hopefully I can quiet my turbulent mind! Wish me luck!!

The Christmas Gift That Keeps On Giving

Look out bucket list! Here I come!!

For Christmas my older son gave me a treadmill. I had been complaining that since I stopped riding my horses, I had gotten way out of shape and was losing my stamina. Now I had no excuse. So I began my exercise plan--at first I walked 30 minutes at 1.5 mph every day. Uh, oh, lost a couple of pounds--not good. I am one of the few people who cannot keep their weight up. So I changed to every other day at 1 mph. That seems to work fine. And it is working!!

My new treadmill

Yesterday, I donned my new rain boots  (it was quite muddy with lots of standing water),  and Rufus, George and I walked the entire perimeter of the pasture--the horses even  joined in for a while.

Another Gift That Keeps on Giving

Quite a menagerie I have--it must have been a funny sight--Rufus and I joined by a cat and two horses. I did walk slowly, but made it just fine!! Success! Now I'm inspired to do better. Now that spring is on the way, I hope to get out and walk that route more often. Rufus certainly liked it also--lots of sniffing. Maybe Mama Cat and Lucky will join us next time!

 As an added bonus, I did  notice more from afoot rather than from the golf cart. The only negative thing is that today Rufus keeps going to the boots and whining to go for another walk--and it is cold today!

Stay tuned!

A Favorite Photograph

I came across this photograph while watching the screen saver on my computer. Thought I would share it--I miss the cactus of Central Texas!

All for now--stay tuned for two very different posts.

Bucket List Revisited-A Plan

Remember the item "visit the redwood forest"?

I have faint memories of visiting the redwoods as a child. I remember going into a store that was inside one of the giant trees-as I child, that must have seemed immense (it would now also, I believe). For years now I have been wanting to experience the wonder of those trees again. I seem to be drawn to them--I can sense the peace felt from just being among them. It may seem silly, but I feel "called" to them.

I

Wow!

Synchronicity at work? The library where I work purchased a book entitled Redwoods.  Reading it was enough to start my engine!! The quest was on--to learn more!!

I have a two year plan--between family health issues, animals,  a driving route, a safe vehicle, etc.it may take two years to get it all arranged. Time is marching on, though, and I'm not getting any younger.  I need to get busy.

One thing I need to check out is the level of mold and humidity in the forest. I also need to locate the shortest walks. There seem to be many trails to choose and sights to see. Since I will be driving from Texas, I want a scenic route with great stops along the way.

If anyone reading this has visited the redwoods, please share your experiences with me!! Any tips will be appreciated.  Meanwhile, I'll have fun just reading, watching videos, and gathering information. Sometimes the planning is half the fun of a vacation. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I have already found a book and video I plan to order.

Stay tuned!!