A quiet Christmas....

I didnt take a lot of pictures this Christmas for some reason. Here is our Christmas tree all loaded up a couple days before Christmas. We went to my folks on Christmas Eve and I forgot the camera, and then on Christmas day we drove up to Meghans boyfriend, David's Moms house in Trout Lake, Wa.

In the couple of days before Christmas we made some hand poured chocolates,

It was fun and we had a friend join us for the day, Carissa.

We also made sugar cookies and later frosted them.

Carissa brought one of their favorite recipes for us to try, and it is good!

This is what Dublin did while we did candy and cookies! LOL

The view off of Cape Horn, on the way up to Trout Lake on Christmas day, boy was it windy! You can see all the white caps on the river! And COLD! The farther East we got the cloudyer it got, by the time we got to the house it was grey overcast.

Boneville Dam on the Columbia River.

The snow at the top of the Columbia Gorge, just above Boneville Dam. I tried to catch the light but was to slow, the sun beams were coming over the mtn and looking beautiful!

Following David and Meghan, David in his new little Subaru! There is a lot of snow in Trout Lake, but the roads were clear.

This building is HUGE, and we had to ask Davids Mom, Nancy what it was, it is the largest echenacia farm in the United States! Nancy said in the summer that the fields are full of beautiful pink flowers. This farm is across the street basically from Nancy's house.

And that is all the pictures I took this Christmas, it was very quiet and we got to have Prime Rib roast two days in a row! Yum Yum LOL All the food was wonderful and I think I have gained weight LOL

We had plans to go up to my cousins for New Years Eve, but mother nature isnt co operating and left us this last night....

We ended up with about an inch or two of snow, (we are only 98 feet above sea level) (((sigh))), looks like it will be a quiet New Years, at home too. My cousin said they are expecting 4-5 inches of snow and then freezing rain over in Kittitas, Wa. so we decided to stay home, the 4 wheel drive is not working in the truck for some reason so we cant risk getting stuck in the bad weather. It would have been nice to go see my cousin over in central Wa. but mother nature just isnt co operating, the Gorge is snowy too and is pretty nasty after this last bout of snow and thats where we have to go through, last night the highway was closed for 4 hours do to a Semi jack knife. We have decided to go up in March after the bad weather is mostly over. I really cant wait for spring!

The five horses we meet in life....

FHOTD posted today about "The five horses we meet in life"  from the book "Horses in the Yard" by Joanne Friedman, this made me think a lot about the horses in my life. They are the reason I started blogging and have continued to blog, (although all of you have a lot to do with that too : 0) I really have to find this book now. Well I looked for this book at Borders and could only find it online at Amazon, if anyone else is interested.



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The Five Horses We Meet in Life




1. The Intro Horse.


We each came into horses in our own way, but it was always with a horse leading us. This might have been a friend’s first pony, or perhaps it was a draft horse on a farm you once visited It might have been a real-life meeting, or an imaginary one. I was escorted to the party by The Black, Walter Farley’s star horse in The Black Stallion series…

 
My Intro Horse....was my Moms first horse Silkey, we used to ride with three of us on her, my sister in the front, Mom, with me on the back, and go for trail rides and wherever before I got my first pony. Silkey taught me a lot, she was a good horse. I started 4-H on her, Mom and I gamed her together, and she did pretty good.

2. The Experimental Horse



Once you had crossed the line between “Darn, they’re big!” and “Wow! Can I try that?” you found yourself face-to-face with the horse that would suffer through your early attempts at figuring out the whole horse experience … wherever this horse came from, he probably didn’t benefit from the encounter as much as you did…
 
This horse was probably my pony Pepsi LOL, experimenting with what to do with him, all day out on our ponies, and sharing a peanutbutter sandwich with him, getting bucked off because I got hair caught in his cinch, he was the first horse that kicked me, in the ribs and knocked the wind out of me, and the only one to ever connect LOL you learn that lesson fast. He also taught me a lot. Mom and Dad got him for me when I was 6 years old, this picture is from 1973.
 

3. The Connected Horse

The first horses we meet don’t really connect with us, nor do we with them. Those are experiences in survival and tests of endurance. The Connected Horse is the first horse you truly bond with. This is the horse that sounds a chord that lives so deep in you that you might never have heard it otherwise…
 
My first horse that I really felt connected to, Joe, or Mescaline was his registered AQHA name. Joe, we had a 4-H career, we spent summers riding from sun up to sun down, he would do just about anything I asked him to, I rode this horse through my teenage years, and loved him very much. He died of cancer when I was in my 20's.

4. The Challenger

Into each horseperson’s life, a little challenge must fall. You’ll have read that one final training book, bought yourself a clicker and heading rope, and there you’ll stand, arms crossed, assessing the situation as if you actually knew what the situation was. It might be difficult to believe, as you are flying down the aisleway on the losing end of a braided cotton line, but you actually need this horse in your life…
 
I know exactly who this horse is LOL, Mickey. She is my $300 horse, our first horse as adults, as she was originally bought to train for Hubby, but she bucked him off twice and I think he decided he really didnt want to do this horse thing LOL. Mickey Mickey Mickey, she has really taught me so much, also the only horse to ever send me to the hospital, my fault of course. We still have her, she will be 21 this coming year, we bought her when she was two. Mickey was a bucker for the first 7-8 years I had her under saddle, not when being ridden usually, but when you would cinch her up, didnt matter slow, soft, or how ever I could try to make it more comfortable for her, every time she would blow up, then she was fine, and she very rarely bucked with me on her. She finally got over it, or I figured out what was causing it, or both. Mickey carried Meghan through 3 years of 4-H, she never did really well on her but they got out there and got blues and reds in most everything. Mickey, definately my challenger. She still is too at 21, she doesnt really like to be ridden bareback, she is flinchy and sensitive to your legs, sometimes feeling on the verge of bucking lol she is so good from the ground, and easy to handle, she would make a good babysitter for baby horses, as she is boss but not mean about it.
 

I love this picture, because I was trying to call Meghan and get her picture, but the one who looked at me was Mickey LOL.

5. Your Deepest Heart

There will come a time when you will look at yourself with a cold, appraising eye, and you’ll have to be honest about your continued ability to deal with The Challenger and other difficult horses. At that point, you’ll seek out the horse that will be your soul mate forever… You’ll have bought him the most comfortable, best fitting equipment… Maybe you’ll still go to shows and ride – brilliantly or barely – in the Alzheimer’s class. Maybe you’ll just stay home. Whatever you do, one day you’ll realize that after all the money you spent on animal communicators and trainers, you only had to stop and listen and you would have clearly heard your horse’s thoughts and desires…
 
 
So far this horse has to be Emma. Emma can be a challage at times, there are times that I really connect to her, especially on trail rides, and at this point I am really done experimenting! She is good for me, when I have her caught up and saddled she is solid as a rock, I can stumble around her and into her and she doesnt care, I can climb up her side and get in the saddle and she just stands there, no matter how wobbly I am, and I can be sometimes. At times she is like my Intro horse, steady and quiet, and waiting for me to figure it out, if I ever have to give her up I will miss her tremendously. She is uncomplicated, marish and a love, unflappable on the trails, easy to catch, easy to clean her stall, she isnt messy lol. Emma will be 10 on January 10th, she has been a good experience in my life, easy to train under saddle and stubborn and.... LOL she really is a good horse, predictable in so many ways, but fun for me, she has a fun personality, and is a goofball. That is Emma. She will probably be the last horse I will have. I first seen Emma in photos a friend would bring in to show me at the feed store I worked at, I fell in love with her when I seen her in those pictures as a foal, and bought her when she was two.
 
This is fun to do a remenice around New Years, reminding me why I go out and brave the weather morning and night, haul hay and grain and water, feed and groom and clean barn....dispite all the work, getting out on the trails and riding and having that bond with your horse, that, makes it all worth it. I have had a lot of horses in my life, and these 5 are the ones that have taught me the most.
 
Who was your Intro horse, your experimental, challange, or who is your Deepest heart?
 
My Emma

Dublin pictures....and progress update.

I havnt posted many new pictures of the puppy lately, he is such a goof! LOL and a good boy!

Dublin likes his Kitty, and she tolerates him well.

Dublin sleeps upside down a lot.

The old dogs napping, and Dublin squishing himself into Teddy's bed.

Silly old furballs.

Dublin is growing so fast, he fit into his big boy collar the other day, no more little puppy collar. He is 5 and a half months old now! He is doing good on his outings, we went to the bank and for a walk in downtown Camas the other day. We only had one little incident, with a small Chihuahua in the store front of an automotive shop, windows floor to ceiling. The darn dog scared both of us by hitting the window and barking like he was going to tear us up LOL, he was all of maybe 5 pounds. After we walked by Dub had a little pee incident on the sidewalk at the corner, I think the little dog excited him, I corrected him and we went on around the block and back to the truck.

 Then we went to the Washougal Post Office and got the mail and walked around downtown Washougal too, we went into a little cafe called Papa's, it is a really cute icecream and candy shop, and now they serve hot food too, and coffee and tea, a nice place.(I had a Chai and had Dublin sit with me and he did great again, just watching people.)  Out in back of the cafe is a big courtyard and a large set of stairs, we worked up and down the stairs some, he did wonderful, and then we walked back to the truck again and went for a quick run into Bi-Mart.

Dublin is jumping in and out of our truck now, and doing good, he is getting so big!

He did real good, except for the little dog incident LOL, I was really happy with how he dealt with that though, he jumped and then just looked and didnt get too excited, he didnt run or anything.(except for peeing, we need to get out more, it wasnt much, but he did it, and if he continues to have relieving accidents it can cause him to be "career changed" and not be able to be a guide. He is only 5 and a half months, and we still have a lot of time and work to do so we will see.)

We missed the Guide Dogs club field trip to Porland, because I dont think that I was up to riding Max and going into Portland in the rain and dark and cold, they didnt meet untill 6:20pm to catch the Max into downtown Potland, with my problems just driving in the dark and rain and walking in the dark, cold, and rain, I dont think I would have done so well. With my disabilities now, I didnt really like the idea of riding the Max train in the dark, and late at night. I really would like to go maybe in the spring or summer though, I do agree it is a great experience for the puppies.

At home Dublin has graduated to sleeping on the tie down in the living room with me, he is doing great and very quiet at night. So he isnt sleeping in the crate at night anymore.

We puchased one of those Pedi-paws nail "grinders" LOL and Dublin doesnt care about it he is so funny and just sniffs and sniffs and tries to lick it LOL he is so good about new things, he has been an easy puppy to raise so far, and is getting better and better!

Sunday stills, Holiday lighs and Decorations....

Two of three new ornaments that I purchased this year. One for Dublin and one for Luxor, I am going to put their names on them. I thought they were just perfect a black and a yellow Lab!

The third new ornament, I thought he was adorable! He glows when the lights are on.

Our tree topper is a rainbow trout! LOL Hubby and I were excited when we found this a few years ago, so perfect for us. Yes I have fishing signs, and more on my walls LOL

This is one of my favorites, OK I have a lot of favorites, you put one of the Christmas lights inside this to light it up, reminds me of camping.

This is a big ornament, probably 7 inches high. I copied this from a photo in an advertisement in a magazine, I even cut the wood out, then painted it. There is a bobber Santa next to it, I like to collect a lot of ornaments, I tend to stick with a fishing, hunting theme, but a lot of Santas and bears sneak in there LOL

My bear collection, I love the ones with the different shaped hangers, and the little one is riding a stick reindeer.

Another ornament I cut out of wood and painted. I tend to hang some differnt things on the tree, next to this one is a pencil made out of a tree brach, with the bark on it, we recieved some for Christmas one year and I tied a ribbon on it and hung it in the tree.

Lots of ornament that the kids made in school, this is my oldest two when they were each 5 years old, would have been Kindergarten. Where does the time go!

Well thats my post for Sunday Stills today, if you want to see more go here

Sunday Stills

Carosel....

I was surprised when we seen a Carosel at the Christmas Bazaar, I love Carosels, so I went into "tourest mode" as my Hubby calls it and took a bunch of pictures of the horses I liked.

Loved the Zebra, colorful and they actually had quite a bit of detail for a more modern Carosel, there is a really old one at a local Mall, we will have to go over there just to take pictues of it.

The artistry that goes into a Carosel, I just love it.

This is a very small carosel, but a pretty one.

The romance of a Carosel, the old one I am talking about even has the brass ring to grab I think! Just have to go over there. I even have a favorite horse on the Carosel that I remember from when I was a child and rode the Carosel, it is light blue with a big full curly carved mane in black, and jewels on it. I understand they rotate the old horses every once and awhile, and I dont remember seeing it when we were there last January.

http://www.jantzenbeachsupercenter.com/

http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/jantzen_beach.html

Jantzen Beach, where the old Carosel is has some really unique history if you are a history buff, the first link has one picture of the carosel, and the second link is history of Jantzen Beach including that Carosel, with some old pictures of it.

Do any of you have an old Carosel from fairs or Malls that you remember?

OH! I found a site finally that has pictures of the Jantzen Beach "Parker Carosel"

Check them out they are gorgeous! Didnt see my favorite, but it is a lot like the black one with the yellow mane.

http://nca-usa.org/psp/JantzenBeach/

Mt. Hood climbers missing

Mt Hood in the clouds.

Very very beautiful, very deadly.

Mt Hood, Oregon.

Again she is claiming more lives.

They found one hiker, dead, two of his

fellows a man and a woman are

still missing.

She has claimed many lately it seems.

Why o why cant these people rent

the emergency beacons that could

save their lives????

There are still two people, that they

never found, from last year, in a

snowy grave, they didnt take

beacons either.

I hope the many many rescue people and National Gaurd helicopters stay safe and have a successful search, its been two days....Hope is still alive.

For more info see this news story

http://www.katu.com/news/local/79135417.html

If they had a beacon, rescue would know where to look for them

and they would already be home.

For the sake of your familys and loved ones,

please rent a beacon if

you plan on climbing the mtn.

Sunday stills, Technology....

Ahhhh, my computer, how I can keep in touch with all of you out there in Blogger land.

It keeps me entertained I guess, between Blogger and Facebook. What in the world did I do before the commputer? LOL LOL

And our 46 inch LCD TV, that we just had fixed for the second time, the picture panel has gone out twice, starting with lines in the screen ((sigh))) It pays to get the insurance policy they sell when you purchase large electronics, this one is still under manufacturer warrenty, but that will be up in Jan., and we have a 3 year insurance policy to cover it after that.  Before we had this TV we had a 42 inch plasma that also went out, unfortunatly we had to eat that, we didnt buy an insurance policy when we purchased it, you live and learn!

So this in my contribution to the Technology post, what cant you live without now days? Cell phone, PDA,I Pod, Laptop, large screen TV.....Oh! and I cant forget my Digital Camera!!

For more Sunday stills check out the other posts at http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

To my soldiers....a Christmas poem

This is posted for our daughter Sara Johnson SrA, who is in Iraq for the Christmas season, and does not get to spend the holidays with family.
And our son John Fishback SrA, who is also serving in the Air Force, still stateside, but waiting to do his tour of duty also.
We love you both,

Mom
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A Different kind of Christmas


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,

I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.

My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,

My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,

Transforming the yard to a winter delight.



The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,

Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,

Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.

In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,

So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.



The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,

But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear..

Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the

sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,

And I crept to the door just to see who was near.



Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,

A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,

Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.

Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,

Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.



"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,

"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!

Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,

You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,

Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..



To the window that danced with a warm fire's light

Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,

That separates you from the darkest of times.



No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"

Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.



I've not seen my own son in more than a while,

But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

I can live through the cold and the being alone,

Away from my family, my house and my home.



I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,

I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,

Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,

To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.."



" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,

Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,

"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,

For being away from your wife and your son."



Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,

"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,

To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,

To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,

That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

by Micheal Marks 2000

==================

Thank you all who serve, so we can sleep at night.
My Grandfather served in the Navy, my Dad served in the Army, my Father in-law served in the Navy, my Son an Airforce Airman, my Daughter an Air Force Airman, thanks to them all for doing their part to keep us all safe. (((HUGS)))

More hunting pictures....

Our Home away from Home for 4 days. The camper has a great heater! But alas she is on her last legs, she needs a lot of rebuilding and jack remounting, she is a 1976 model, so she has done her time, sigh.

This is a big 4 pt or better buck! I could not get a good picture of him! To bad he was in town on private property LOL

We seen a Bald Eagle, that was with a bunch of Crows eating on some Elk carcass's that someone dumped. Didnt know that our national bird was a carrion eater did ya LOL

This is a little Doe we seen right by camp.

Elk in the woods! They are there! LOL

This is actually the rag horn bull that was with the herd of 8-10, and the only picture I could get of him!

The illusive mushroom hunting monster! LOL

There he is....

He was moving so he is blurry, but he found mushrooms! Which went in our Thanksgiving stuffing!

We spent a lot of time relaxing around the campfire.

Campfire at night.

My Hubby

Can you see it? This stump looked like a black bear all weekend LOL and kept catching my eye.

Cold mountains!

There were a lot of roads we couldnt get up, the snow was to deep, and sloppy wet! Easy stuff to get stuck in. Slicker than snot! One of the first snow falls of the year.

The Wind River, a still wild river that comes right out of the Mtns, clear and cold! Salmon and Steelhead still run wild in this river, I remember trout fishing it as a kid, but I believe it is closed up this far now.

It was to long since we got to go out and spend time in hunting camp and fill our souls with the wilderness. We didnt feel skunked at all, seen some deer, nothing harvestable, seen two different herds of Elk and a Bald Eagle, and we had a good time, whats better than that!!!