It is that time of year again where SHE gets all goofy in the head and makes a complete idiot out of me and herself.
She thinks I 'like' putting on the red scarf and sitting all pretty while she runs around dragging 'who knows what' out of the closet.
Oh yeah dear... that tree that you have to put together?
Sure ~~ it looks so real I'd pee on it by mistake. Give me a break.
Then SHE gets all of my Toys and dumps them out of my Basket! She lines up some of my toys and takes a photo of them for what? Oh like they are going to help?
I run over and bash the whole pile in.
It makes her face turn red and then she laughs. This is not going to be a hiking day. Not a day for me to run in the woods and eat deer pellets,...smart pills. SHE simply seems to be just plain ol' happy. I cannot even make her grumpy.
So I decided to wear the stupid red scarf and take advantage of the situation. I know if I sit and pose, I will earn a treat.
Just a bit of messing around today. I took a photo of my husband's Allis Chalmers sitting in the side yard looking rather pathetic. I thought I'd try a technique called Photoshop to Drawing or DTG.
Of course I didn't do the proper version of it, I had to mix it up with an layer of texture from Shadowhouse Creations. I didn't actually do a real line drawing as I let some color seep back into it. I'm not sure I'm done with this or will just scrap it all together.
Tonight Morris got to meet the new member of his toy box crew, Hoppy.
His first reaction was to grab Hoppy by the nose. Typical Morris!
Tomorrow looks like a good day for getting some decorating done and some fresh air with perhaps a hike? My snowshoes and over the lens goggles arrived Monday! Now, let it snow, let it snow...let IT snow,...but not until after my trip to visit my family!
Yesterday I went to town to pick up a bag of dog food for hubby's hound dogs. While at the store, I ran into Santa!
I saw the Nikon D3100 on sale and the Canon EOS T3 on sale. Oh my heart be still. But today the prices were back UP on them. Guess I didn't need either too badly. My Nikon D40 has 8,012 shots on it. A record I think? The Canon Camera would accept my film Canon lenses. That is nice. The Nikon would fit my Nikon lenses...sigh... Then I spotted something I couldn't resist. I took them hiking with me while trying to bounce deer out of their hiding spots for hubby.
He did get a doe though, so this season wasn't a waste. He also saw a lot of deer but couldn't get any good shots.
I was happy to have a camera along to take photos. Two favorites:
and
...so Deer Hunting Season is over. And I can walk around the woods more freely without the blaze orange or hearing bullets flying. Today I hike 1.83 miles with an elevation change of over 350 feet. That is a lot of ups and downs!
So I went to pick up my Jeep after having it towed to a one man garage. Heck the brother owns the towing company the other brother fixes vehicles. He has always done a great job taking care of anything we bring him and he is thorough and reasonable in his pricing.
I sure can't complain and was extremely happy to have the Jeep Liberty back in my possession. The next stop was the tire shop where I'd purchased struts and tires from in June. At 7,000 miles I was showing tire wear and I didn't think I should be.
The shop owner insisted on the phone earlier in the day that there should have been no issues with putting struts and tires on... and that I hadn't asked for an alignment. I did. But that was a mute point.
So I brought the Jeep in and the fellow that did my struts put the Jeep up on the rack and put the computer thingies [I know technical term] on the Jeep's wheels and checked for alignment. This after I insisted once more with him and the shop owner.
Well lo and behold. The front end was seriously out of line! Now I stood with the shop owner and said something like...'So, I asked for it to be checked on June 26th and that wasn't done. I had to come back because the right front strut wasn't right...' Long pause. 'And both times I asked about alignment and was told it was all right. How is it supposed to be ALL right if no one checked it?'
Shop owner watches the mechanic light up a cutting torch under my vehicle to get at the bolts to adjust the alignment.
Shop owner suddenly agrees with me and suggests that the tires be rotated too...
Meanwhile the mechanic is underneath my Jeep crabbing about Chrysler products and generally 'dissing' my vehicle. He says something about why don't we take it to a Chrysler dealer ... he knows one outside of town. Hubby says 'WHAT?' and offers to take the Jeep right off the rack. The owner doesn't hear this exchange, but the shop owner and my husband have done business with each other for over 25 years.
The mechanic then tells me that I should just toss my Jeep and get something good like a Ford. Okay that does it. I tell him if he wants to continue to trash talk my vehicle [hubby just told him that this was my baby]...that I'd gleefully take my business elsewhere and recommend that everyone I know do the same thing. I'm paying him and the shop to do the work and I didn't have to hear his crap. I told him one more comment and I was going to kick his ever-loving a$$. My husband quips at this point that yeah, she will do it. I stand all 5'3.5" to the mechanic's 6'4". He grabbed his tools and got busy. Jeep Liberty aligned and rotated. No hourly shop fee. I like my Jeep that I bought from my son. I don't mind the repairs, because once done, they are good for a long while.
Next up, the rocker panels are waiting for me at the body shop and the windshield needs to be replace. All in time for Christmas!
I went with her and HIM the other day and he acted like a grumpy Gus. Or he was hamming it up for HER. Of course this is a face that only a mom could love. I think puppies are cuter, but hey, who is to judge what SHE likes?
He was checking his tree stand thingy. I wasn't too impressed, I think I'd fall out of it!
Then it was the deer hunting morning. OH MY! Blam, blam, blam, bang, bang, bang. It sounded like a war zone!
It was awful! Terrible! Scarey!
I was with HER while she was doing chores. Suddenly it
sounded absolutely monsterous, like things exploding all over the place. So I started shaking and quaking. SHE put me in the house. Then SHE was eating her breakfast when I came in the kitchen and acted kind of scared. I did a no-no, I jumped in her lap and laid down, just a quiverin'. SHE put me in my crate when she went to town. When SHE came back I helped her unload the groceries from her car. I pretty much got under foot as much as possible. Then she stopped and pulled something out of a package. SHE handed me a luscious, beautiful chew bone. And suddenly all my fears of the bangs and the booms were gone. I'm pretty sure I mostly croaked and went to doggie heaven.
So now I get it. Act skeered and goofy, get a treat!
So
here it is the opening day of the big gun hunt. Well, I don't mind the
season so much ... but I do dislike opening morning quite a bit. The
woods surrounding us are crowded with hunters all eager beavers.
And
it is THE morning for sure that I get the honors of doing chores. [Oh
yeah, I'm honored to say the least.] How come is it that this is the 9
days out of the year that my husband can actually roust himself out of
bed before dawn and actually make coffee? Not only that, he can be out
in the woods by pre-dawn also! Wow! So
I head out to do chores, I feed the hounds first to make them quiet,
but each time a shot goes off, they bark... Sigh. One shot to the
north of our place...then bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. I count 5 shots?
Come on Mr or Mz Hunter, if you miss the deer knocking out 4 more rounds
isn't usually going to help.
Then I start chuckling. An image of a
Deer in SWAT clothes laying in wait for the Hunter comes to mind. I
finish up feeding the critters who have all been moved much closer to
the buildings so they shouldn't be mistaken for anything else. The
hoar frost this morning is gorgeous, there is no wind so the air is
filled with a cool misty frosty...well like a fog but not a fog. Well,
after I hang out my laundry, I'm headed to town. Need to pick up books
I ordered for Christmas gifts, need to pick up my order of calendars
and cards along with some groceries. Maybe I'll attack some cobwebs and vaccum when I get back. Or...not.
...and all through the house it was quiet... ...you could even hear the ol' fella snoring... ...dreaming of BIG Bucks ...he dreamt of big Antlers ...a prize winning trophy ...such as never seen before...
...bold and beautiful ...handsome and strutting. Yeah, then I woke up the great hunter and asked if he wanted some coffee. He said I ruined his beautiful dream. But we had animals to move closer to the buildings and chores to do, tree stands to check on, and last minute preparations for the annual WI 9 Day Gun Season. The first few days I don't like to go outside much. Too many anxious hunters in the surrounding woods looking to shoot anything that 'sounds' like a deer. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against deer harvest. I like venison. I have issues with those hunters who just shoot and wound and don't bother finding their deer. Tomorrow is opening day. Blaze Orange will be the outfit of choice.
Getting a mule to pose with a stuffed animal. Not easy. Mules don't pose on purpose. Mules sometimes don't even care what you have. However most mules are very curious and will check out something different in their pasture. I got lucky with Sunshine today, but had to have a very fast camera to capture ONE good shot! I placed the toy tiger on the log. Nikki, the donkey walked right over it, giving it a mere glance. At first Sunshine ate leaves around the toy. Then I shook the toy and squeaked its little squeaker.
She then came up and looked at it. She smelled it. Then checked it all over...
Then decided that she should taste it.
No stuffed animals or mules were injured in the photographing of this project.... :) But I'm glad no one saw me trying to convince a mule to play with a stuffed toy!
The hike. She carried me under her arm to get me past the molly mules who don't like dogs in their pastures. I tuck up under her arm very well. I place my feet on her pistol's butt and the belt itself. We headed down the ridge road to the creek and to my surprise she kept going.
She had to climb a fence and work her way through berry briers and multiflora rose bushes that whipped at her. I just scooted underneath them on the deer trail.
Finally we came to the wide open space that she calls 'the knob'.
I could see forever...well as forever as a dog that is only 12" tall can see! She got busy taking photos of weeds and stuff. I kept an eye out for other critters and found a mouse nest to dig up.
Then we decided to take the long way back down through the valley and not try and cut through all the brush. I must say, she made a pretty smart move. It is easier to follow the creek than to try and bust through thick brush.
When I got back to the farm, I was tired! I think I ran twice the distance that SHE walked. A nice simple nap was in store when I got home. I snuggled up on the couch. Sigh. She still had one more shot to take. Of me...
I woke up and looked out the window, it was still a bit dark and as I made coffee I glanced at the car parked in the driveway. It was getting a layer of white on it!
SNOW! Snow! Snow!
As it lightened I was entertained by the mares, Strider and Jewel who chased around and kicked up their heels.
Nikki and friends stood quietly in the snow on top of our 'bowl' above the house and above the Dexter Cows paddock.
The Dexters didn't mind the snow at all. Seemed quite at home in it as long as they got their feed!
As I was doing the chores I could hear the wonderful sound of laughter from the neighbor's house near the top of the hill. The kids must have gone out to enjoy the first snowfall. I heard squeals of laughter that made me stop and just listen. Yes, it was a 'Gloomy Gus' day, but I did enjoy it however. As I will probably enjoy it when we get a real heavy snow fall that I can use snow shoes with!
She thinks I work for cookies. She thinks I should be a model. She is a dork. I'm the con artist you see. I know she has cookies in her pocket and she wants me to sit nice and pretty on a rock so she can take my portrait.
She says 'sit' and waves a cookie around. I stand and stare at her, then lick my lips. If I frustrate her enough, she'll give me the cookie.
Then I act like I'm in trouble, I drop my ears and pretend I have no IDEA what 'sit' is.
Lick my lips once more to let her know, I KNOW those cookies are mine! She is still saying 'Sit Morris, SIT!'
So I go ahead and sit and stare at her feet. Not what she wanted. But I'm watching to see if she moves at all. I want the cookie at all costs! I get the cookie. I eat the cookie. Then I run and jump and go sniffing, doing what dogs do best. Yes I 'watered' some rocks and then of course did what SHE had wanted me to do all along... I did a most Noble Pose....
I got a second cookie for that. It was a 2 cookie outing. Pretty good don't you say? One of these days, I'll actually have her trained. But some humans are just so hard to work with!
