crossword puzzles

Crossword puzzles.

It all started with the recent watching of a documentary about a national crossword puzzle contest with Robin, Duane, Rachel, Amanda, Bob and Helen... or maybe it was the dedication with which Helen and Betty tackle their crossword puzzles on a Monday afternoon, each with her own copy of the same puzzle... or maybe it was the snacks. Whatever the catalyst, Bob/Poppi and I now have our own puzzle book and on several evenings during the week, we can be found hunched over our shared puzzle, working hard... and waiting for snacks.

Pictures from Aspermont

and the winners of the annual Sunflower Open All Age Championship are... (drumroll)... well, there weren't any winners for the championship because of lack of bird work (the whole and entire reason we went to Texas was the rumor of a multitude of quail) the winners were announced 1st, 2nd and third and received points as championship qualifiers.
Bud and Terry (far right) were the judges. That's Pretty Boy in the middle.
The rough, cactus filled terrain required foot protection, here a headless man tapes on dog boots, leather and duct tape were the preferred wraps.
Oh and here's the prickly stuff I'm talking about! Hard to believe that you can also make jelly out of some of them. So that's it for the SMS, simply a "oto" deal. (tv talk for "one time only", that's a flash from the past...)

my new pup

So meet Allee. English Pointer pup, daddy is a champion, Connor's Easy Button and isn't she just as cute as one? Her color is orange and white and in these pictures she is about 6 weeks old. (week of October 18, 2010.) Look closely and you'll see my self-portrait in shadow and poorly shod.

So why the "ears" shot? My new camera takes pictures at a rate of 3 per second. As you can see, that's pretty quick, quick enough to get a shot of "ears up"... but will she listen? now that's the question.

I love puppies. I love the smell of their puppy breath. I like the feel of their little squirmy bodies when their entire being is aimed at escape, I like the way they learn about things, and I like being the one they run to. I love everything about puppies... it's always seemed to me that you can tell the people who love something, someone, some place... you can tell because they don't mind doing what it takes to keep them safe, warm and clean... oh, and that is the true test. Pet a pup today!




Allee and me. Have a lovely day.

Aspermont flora and fauna

Aspermont, Texas, the home of the S.M.S. Ranch, see this url for details http://mykindred.com/cloud/TX/getperson.php?personID=I56855&tree=mykindred01

We arrived in Aspermont on Saturday, October 16 and made our way to the S.M.S. Ranch, working cattle ranch complete with an array of flora and fauna. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures later, but for now, here's my list.

Flora: mesquite, cats claw, prickly pear cactus (tall and short), cockleburrs, barrel cactus, jumping cactus, ragweed, broomweed, some kind of greenleafed, stickery bush/tree with berries, and yes, in honor of the Sunflower Open All Age Championship field trial, even some sunflowers.

Fauna: rattlesnakes, scorpions, wild boars, coyotes, deer, raccoons, hawks and cows, many, many cows, also saw a few quail... very few.

Dogs had to wear leather boots on all fours as did people, but of course just the two, horses walked on prickly pear cactus and got pretty good at dodging all sorts of stickery things. Harsh country but no one got hurt, everyone made it home, few will go back...

the Parsons garden

For those of you who trekked out to the empty lots in Parsons and envisioned with me how a garden might look if there was one... these pictures are for you! Taken in mid August, this was how things looked at what turned out to be pretty much the end of the summer growing season, stopped in it's tracks due to very hot, dry weather, even though committed gardeners continued to water... :)

how my garden grows

These are two pictures of my fall garden, mustard greens, onions, lettuce, radishes and I have a third bed that also has carrots planted... O'donna is taking the K-state master gardening course starting on Friday... I'm no expert, but I have completely enjoyed gardening in Parsons and at the farm. Tonight I'm freezing apples with the intention of making apple butter later.

Lucky dog

So she's a lucky dog and I think she knows it. Ginger thinks she's an invader from a distant galaxy and Julie just loves her 'cause she'll go out with her at night... Seems low expectations may offer unexpected rewards. Here's Dolly!