Bored, bored, bored

I could have titled my post: busy, busy, busy but chose bored instead.  I think sometimes we get doing things we don't want to do and it ends up busy but also boring.  For instance, this weekend was spent fixing things.  I spent a majority of Sunday under my kitchen sink, and believe me that is not a comfortable position to be in.  Hubby and I hooked up the RO (reverse osmosis) because I'm tired of having no ice... it's hooked into the fridge and for way too long it's been disconnected.  While we were down there I noticed a leak, isn't that the way it goes?  You fix one problem and discover another?  Along with the RO this past weekend we dealt with a leaky roof... in three different spots!  I have never seen it rain so much in Lillooet before!  This is absolutely crazy!  The rain has started to calm down but for awhile there I really thought we should've started building an ark.

So no pics of anything, I didn't even have time to go for a quick walk... grrrrh.

Today I said to heck with it and headed out the door.  I've been noticing a lot of magpies hanging around my truck and I wanted to know why.  I discovered Hubby had left the box of scraps from the pigs in the back... hence a ton of magpies flying about.




These guys can clean up scraps faster than the dogs!  You don't dare leave food out from a picnic or campfire because it's gone in short order.



After awhile not much scares them off and they just go about devouring everything.



As I was taking pics of the birds I heard something a ways behind me and saw one of the bulls.  He was looking at me like I was looking at the birds.



The bulls are pretty calm around here but at one time I didn't know that and I remember the first time I had to feed them alone.  Everyone on the ranch was gone for the weekend except my BIL and myself.  He called from town and said he wouldn't be home until later and could I feed the bulls?  After telling me what to do I reluctantly, and nervously, agreed.  Visions of men in red capes with bulls charging them swam in my head, but I bravely headed down to the barn and went up to the loft.

I struggled to get one rather heavy bale of hay out the large window and drop it down near the feeder below.  I now know how to pick up a bale without much effort but I was pretty green back then.  Once I got the hay bale out, sweat dripping from my brow and sharp bits of hay stuck to my chest, I headed back down to take it over to the feeder.

I figured everything was going good because the bulls weren't paying much attention to me... that is until I picked up the bale and tried to get it over to the feeder!  They swarmed me!  I quickly checked to see if I had anything red on, nope, so why were they after me??  I have since been told that bulls do not see colour but when one is in a panic with massive bulls charging her she does not think logically.  I stood my ground, hollering at the bulls to "STAY where you ARE" and "LEAVE ME ALONE!!"  But did you know that bulls don't understand english?  And I don't speak bovine?  In the end I got most of the hay over to the feeder, but picture a mad woman hollering and clapping her hands in the air to keep the killer bulls at bay.  That night, while talking to Hubby on the phone, he told me the bulls from the ranch are nothing like I've seen on TV and they were just hungry for the hay... why didn't he call BEFORE I went down?!

For more pictures visit my flickr site.
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Snow, snow, and way more snow.

I missed last weeks assignment over at DPS because of my broken internet... although I was on dial-up, there was no way I could upload a picture.  Hubby fixed the dish on Friday so now all is right in my world :)  This week's assignment is "sound or noise" and with Hubby coaxing Goofy I was able to get a shot that, I think, portrays "noise" quite nicely.



Yesterday we had our first touch of snow... actually it was a bit more than a touch but thankfully it didn't last.



Early this morning, just as daylight was breaking, Hubby and I took a drive down to the river, and then up to Kirby Flats along the powerline road.  This is a shot of a neighbouring ranch; Foster Bar, on Highway 12.  This time of year the fog lays quite heavy above the river and every morning slowly rises to cover our whole area.



Looking north heading down towards the river.  A teeny bit of the sun is visible on the mountain and that's about all the sun I've seen today.



Coming back up from the river we head for Kirby Flats. 
The snow is pretty heavy up there.  I sort of knew what we were in for and put on two shirts, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, a scarf, one glove and one fingerless glove so I could still run my camera... but next time instead of my rubbers (gumboots) I should wear something with a bit of grip because, yikes alive, it was slippery walking on the road!



Half way up the powerline we ran into a tree blocking the road.  Visions of backing down this steep, slippery, snow covered, one lane road almost made me start hyperventilating!



I thank the Lord that I live with a logger, especially when he's packing his chainsaw.  (Wiping sweat from brow).



In short order he's got the tree all cut up and if anyone is looking for firewood it's piled alongside the road :)



Brrrrr I can feel that cold snow down his back!



It's pretty clear up where we are but the fog hasn't made it up yet.



Coming back down, and dipping into a bit of a valley, the snow gets really thick.



Stopping at one of the fences alongside the road, all I can think is how heavy the snow is and it would be perfect for building a snowman... but the kids are back home snug in their beds.  Next time we are leaving later so the lazy's can come with us :)




For more pictures visit my flickr site.
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My internet is broken!

A quick note to everyone who reads my blog: My internet is broken!!  Well technically it's my satellite dish but until Friday (possibly Saturday) I am on a slooooow dial-up connection (half the speed of normal dial-up) so this means limited blogging, facebook, flickr (pictures), email, windows live, etc., etc.  I did upload some new pictures yesterday, just before it went down, and if you'd like to see them you can do so at flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/kansasa/

It would take me forever to post pictures into this post (but I'm going to try one) so I'll let you know there's a few pictures of Canada geese, Jevan in the "fantasy tree," and others.  This time I did manage to get some close-ups of the geese by laying on my belly and crawling along until I realized I was not going to get any closer.  Why you ask?  Because I discovered Blue and Jumbo standing behind me... what is it with my dogs??  At least I never have to worry about being attacked by anyone, or anything, because they stick to me like glue!  Things went from bad to worse when I stood up and saw that I had slithered through cow poop... yes yesterday was not a good day... not at all.

This message also gets posted from my blog to my facebook account under "notes" and most of you already know what is going on, hi all my facebook friends and family (hand waving)!! :)

Well until Friday :)

Here's one of the pics of the Canada geese:



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Last Week

Did you turn your clocks back last night?  Why is it that whenever the clocks are turned back or ahead, for weeks afterward, I always calculate what the time would have been?  I wish I lived where my brother does; Ft. St. John, they never change their clocks and are forever stuck in daylight saving time :)  The only complaint, he says, is it really screws up his PVR on his satellite system :)

I was out and about taking pics last week and I'll post a few.

First one is "Autumn Leaves" on a trip down to the river.  Fishing is officially over and we hustled our biscuits down there to grab our rope strung across the back eddy where we fish.  We have to hide the rope when we get home because if Pops finds it he'll use it everywhere on the ranch, bits and pieces all over, and we'll have to buy new next year ;)



There were two assignments for DPS.  The first one was "Spooky or Scary" and I had a hard time choosing between two pictures of Sydney.  I went with the scary one.  Jevan was going to be the wizard in school until I got a notice on Wednesday that the kids weren't allowed to wear masks in school.  I didn't know this and the odd thing is Sydney has been going to the school for seven years and I just find that out??  We scrambled for a different Halloween costume for him, using Sydney's from last year, although the hat comes down right over his head but it worked out anyway.  Sydney wore her scary mask and won "Best Halloween Costume" for intermediate grade so maybe it's okay for the older kids to wear masks.





The second assignment was "Architectural Detail" and Sydney and I headed for the barn.  This picture may not fit the bill because it's not much for detail and that's what they are looking for.  The barn was probably built about 150 years ago, no one seems to know the exact date, and it's too bad someone from back then didn't etch a date into one of the planks.  The beams are all put together with wooden dowels and you'd be hard pressed to find a nail anywhere.  The length of time the barn has been standing shows how the placement of the beams have held their strength over the years.  I often wonder how long it took to build because it was all hand tools and hard work back then.



Last night we had a Halloween party at the house.  Hubby lit a bonfire and hotdogs, marshmallows, and hot chocolate filled our tummies to the brim!  Sydney did the pumpkin carving while I shuddered everytime she jabbed one of my long kitchen knives into the face of the pumpkin.  I bought a pumpkin carving kit a few years ago but, as usual, we can't find it.  My kitchen is so unorganized that it's a wonder I can find anything in there... but it's getting better.





This morning, while having coffee at the kitchen table, Hubby spotted a few Canada Geese in the field.  Grabbing my camera I head out the door but those geese were so skittish they flew off when I got too close.  Sydney and I followed them down to the pond where we lost sight of them pretty quickly.  I'm sure they'll turn up again soon, and next time I think I'll sink down to my tummy and crawl up to them... yeesh the things photographers have to do to get "wild" pictures :)





For more pictures visit my flickr site.

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