Coffee & Gossip
   By Marsha & Molly
    
    01/18/2021

01/18/2021 - Know when you're being stared at! You feel like you have ants crawling on the back of your neck! So I looked around for the Bobcat or the Coyote. I fed the horses after sunset - OOPS, not my space after sunset! I can sense when someone or something is staring at me - I finally looked up. There was my owl staring at me like, "Gramma, go inside. This is now our time." I am continually lecturing the ferals about my space, your space. After sunset, it is not my space. During the day, it isn't theirs, but they ignore that part.

01/11/2021 - My minis were watching the NYorker jackass in Washington on Jan 6th. He said, "Trial by Combat" - My mini's suddenly wanted to settle things by "trial by combat" - Here they are squaring off. They then decided they didn't know how to duel, and we are in the 21st century. I was proud they weren't as stupid as the person on TV. Next week they will have a dance-off like in the old movie West Side Story since that was in NY like the idiot was from - they call it "trial by dancing"

01/04/2021 - So we will stretch into the new year - YES, I know that was so bad but I really enjoyed Romo taking a stretch right on the coffee cup floor mat!

12/28/2020 - Well I thought Shane would want a new friend.  I know it has only been a week since he lost his pal so I am letting the mini's visit him.  Have I  mentioned yet that was not a great idea?   I'm trying to explain to them that we are family and although sad we all stick together.   Shane tried to bite Quincy who then bit Shane on the nose.  Dusty just wanted to find food and ignored it all!   I will try again next week for a happy horse family picture.

12/21/2020 Well Happy Holiday from us and I guess our Raven who likes to sit on the top of the barn waiting for his cat food.   Also, he is a tad picky about cat food!   Loves his friskies sea food - I did put out dry cat food beef flavor and he didn't eat it!  Now, that was weird - he picked them up and then just dropped them and hopped away.   SO, I went out and dumped it and put in the friskies sea food flavor dry food and he ate that!   I did give him my lecture on if someone is offering you free food do not spit it out! 

12/14/2020 - No posting this week.   We had to euthanize our 24 year old horse Hero - the black horse on the right playing tug of war with our palomino Shane (28).  Yes, we did all we could but could not get him to surgery and the severity of his pain was to much.  Will post next week since life goes on as evidenced by my friend, Cathy Cerro, who brought over her 3 new puppies to give me puppy kisses!  Sad day but puppy kisses from wiggling little pups have to make you smile.

12/07/2020 - Yes, I am late feeding and they are all sitting on the roundpen waiting.   I think they brought their relatvies again since it gets more and more each week.

11/30/2020 - For Thanksgiving, we gave the birds extra for lunch. They then invited all their relatives! I should have put out more bowls of feed for the family they invited! There started to be so many friends and guests they asked that I had to go out and put out more bowls since they all didn't  fit around the bowls I had out to feed them.

11/23/2020 -  Hi, to all the FEA Information Information Magazine readers that didn't know I was out here chatting away and that we have a new publication. 

SO first - this is my ranch area. I will start this week off with a new cloud picture - Who yelled, "OH NO, she's posting another darn sky picture!" NOW, as I was saying #1 sky picture since it was beautiful, and then an old photo  #2 me vs. Don.

#1  Last sky picture that I will post - I kind of  promise, but not fully promise.

#2 Below we have wife photo vs. husband photo of what makes a sunset picture.  WHY does my husband want his tractor in his photo? NO, we will not take a vote. He'd probably win, and this is MY blog! He can have his own blog called TractorRMe!

11/16/2020  - SO who out there is a Ham Radio person?  This old picture was my Uncle who loved his radio.  Does anyone recognize the radio?  If so can you let me know what it was?  Someone said it is possibly the old Heathkit Apache.  ANYWAY, welcome to walk down memory lane.  I was SOOO shocked when my Uncle could speak to someone in Australia if the cloud cover, etc. was conducive.   I thought it was magic!  I wanted call letters! 

 

11/09/2020 -I created a pdf explaining how I got rid of tumbleweeds. It was too many pictures to post. I have to find a better way - Bagging them will take hours. I don't see tumbleweed bagging as a hobby. Next week I'm going to dry them out and crush them into tiny twigs!    PDF - KILL TUMBLEWEEDS!

11/02/2020 - Below is Dad Bobcat -Mom is orange and the two kid bobcats still act silly (in earlier posts)    Now, keeping in mind I try to teach them "my space, your space" he is walking past my back porch.  He has never jumped up on it.   It is difficult to relax with my Molly on the porch with Dad Bobcat walking past the porch!  Don clapped his hands and yelled at Bobcat, "Go away!"   Bobcat just looked like he said, "Sorry, didn't see you."  And, he slowly turned and walked back up into the pasture and then past the porch.  NOW, if I yelled that to the bobcat?  Bobcat would give me a look like "OH, go drink coffee!"  I'd stand and put Molly in the house.  I would then glare at him MY SPACE! He would just keep walking like "yeah yeah, your space, I understand.  See you later."

10/26/2020 - Now, keep in mind Tiki on the blue blanket is sleeping on the floor. He has to be safe. Tiki is missing one eye, the other is 90% blind, and he doesn't hear.  Yes, it makes it difficult, BUT he has learned to follow carpet runners, so he finds his way.  I was hoping Molly would be friendlier to him since he is blind. He does try to follow her. Molly then jumps up on something and watches him! YES, I lectured her on being nice to him - She looked at me with an expression as if saying, "WHATEVER! NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!"

10/19/2020 - The below picture is my favorite time - right before sunset. An hour before sunset, I always take my last cup of coffee (yes, it is decaf) and ride my tractor around the ranch. I also feed the horses their dinner. Muck out three paddocks just to do it - it's nice tonight and not hot. Then I watch as the sun goes down, AND then I hear my ferals, "Mom, go inside the house, it's our time." Oh, WAIT - I also hear my neighbors rooster crowing! WHAT! He crows in the mornings, in the afternoon, and now at sunset? I have to google and ask why a rooster does more than only announce the sun is coming up!

10/12/2020 - My space is NO space!   Now, let's see - my tractor is the small green tractor.  Don's is the large orange tractor.   I love my tractor because it is small enough for me to handle.   Now, I go outside and my tractor is not in its place.   I walk down to the barn (since obviously I can't ride my tractor) AND for once it is not my ferals lousing up my space, their space.  NOPE it is DON!!!  Using my tractor!

10/05/2020 - Gotta love my boys!  I am out here in the heat, smoke in the air, mucking out their horse shit!  Are they helping?  Are they standing here saying, "Mom, we love you, thanks for shoveling horse shit in this horrible weather" Nope - they took off to graze as I opened the gate!

09/28/2020 - I am not fond of this owl. It doesn't hoot; it screeches. Plus, it is on my roof, or my porch - What does it think "MY SPACE - YOUR SPACE" means! The owl is too silent - OH WAIT - until it screeches and scares the heck out of me!  In previous posts 07/20/2020 you can see him as a baby. 

09/21/2020 - I explained to Baby Vulture my space is here, and over there is vulture space.  He didn't move, so I did - then he just hopped over to the horse water trough and had a drink, and then let me have my space back. It just proves my area is their area. I have to figure a better explanation method!

09/14/2020 -   I can tell you below is NOT what a horse leg is supposed to look like. I have NO clue what the horse did, but the entire lower portion of the leg was 2x as big as the other one. The good news is that it's finally getting smaller. I'm wrapping it in Epsom salt gel poultices, and, of course, he's getting anti-inflammatory medicine.

09/07/2020 - Breath in that fresh country air!  NOT!  Told you about the fire and this is the smoke rolling in over the next pastures!  We were on "Warning" Evacuation but luckily we didn't get "Mandatory" Evacuation.  Really stressful week - I was drinking coffee by the gallon jug not even a cup!

08/31/2020 - Below is our minature horse Dusty.  He had such a long mane that we decided to give him a close cut mane cut.  Now he wants it a rainbow color, BUT I said no!

08/17/2020 - Below we have Shane in his new see-through fly mask. Shane is now 28, and he seems to be having some vision difficulty with the older mesh fly masks. Anyway, here is a picture of Mr. Old and Grumpy (NO, not my husband) I meant the horse, Shane in his fly mask.

08/10/2020 -  Okay, I have to admit I love my Raven family that lives here. They are such great parents - They groom the baby who is almost as big as them and still feed it, but it also eats on its own (I think). They love cat food, so I always put out some dry cat food and one can of food a night. Yes, only on small can since they can go find food! BUT, in case they don't, they have a backup with the rest of the birds.

 

08/03/2020 -   WHY can't the bobcat take her kids to another location! Now the baby sits where Mom used to sit and watches me having coffee! Mom is more orange, so I guess the baby takes after his wandering Dad.

07/27/2020 - Do you know what it's like having coffee and the owl lands on the porch post, next to you?  Then the owl looks at you like, "HEY, stopping to catch a lizard.  You can just drink your coffee and ignore me."  So, I ignored owl and drank my coffee and took a picture.  Sure enough he started staring at something on the ground and jumped down off the porch onto the ground, then flew back to their nest.   The scary thing I find with the owl is that I can't hear him at all.   Like silent flying!  Also I can't seem to get my ferals to respect my territory, their territory.  It's like they all say, "Hey, Gramma, we need to borrow your space!  Go drink coffee."

 07/20/2020 - Owl Baby time!   Or course Owl Baby has to sit above the bobcat play cavaletti's  SO, we moved the play  rails down a couple of yards.   Then I was worried Mom Bobcat would catch it while it was asleep so I took my coffee and sat out there an hour until it flew up to the nest. AND look at those feet - it is going to be a big owl!

07/13/2020 - I am to mad to gossip.  The bobcat AFTER I do all that babysitting ate my two favorite squirrels - well at least they are missing and actually so are all the bunnies and other squirrels.  THEN she takes her bobcat ass and moves to the neighbors pasture - UH he will shoot her.    I so hate living in a food chain!   Really upsetting 

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07/06/2020 - Great, now I get to worry about baby bocats.   They are next to our house in a large garden area - They play, Mom stalks, they all catch things.  I am beginning to feel like one big dysfunctional feral family.  Not the best focused pictures but I stay on my side - they stay on theirs. 

    

06/29/2020  Okay, just couldn't resist the pictures below -  he was on guard for the Bobcat, who was out in the pasture.

06/22/2020 Well in the picture on the left the ranch coyote was so proud of himself stalking.   UH OH!  it ran under the fence - he was so upset he just stood there staring at it running away.  SO, I put out two cans of cat food and he ate the cat food.  I felt so badly for him - he tries so hard to catch things but his timing is horrible.  Then he looks so confused, and he has no clue what he did wrong.  He needs to take lessons from the ranch bobcat!

  

06/15/2020 - What a happy sight as I walked out of my front door - NOT! The cleanup crew is here, and that is happy for them, and I do appreciate their role in living on a food chain ranch, BUT it doesn't quite make my morning.

06/01/2020 - HOW the heck did we get to half a year is gone.   Well, I guess welcome to June!  This will be the last squirrel picture (yes, I heard someone yell "About Time!")   BUT they were two cute not to take a picture of.    And what will we do for the second half of this year?   DIET!!!   AHAHAHA The same weight I made a new years resolution about and OOPS didn't lose it.

05/25/2020 - My squirrels have to shelter in place and social distance - I call this swim day.   Sitting on the edge of the water bowl, leaning down to take a sip and just relaxing on the edge.   Hawk can't swoop down since Ranch Mom is cleaning horses.   No Hawk - No Squrriel Covid - no little covid squirrel mask needed today.  Yep, good day!

05/18/2020 - Now since you are all engineers I have a pop quiz.   First clue - below is the old blue 10 cu ft. wheelbarrow.  Second is my happy, new greeen one  that is only 4.5 cu ft.  Third  - Picture them filled with horse manure (I didn't want to gross anyone out with horsehit filled bins)  See under the picture to continue this quiz!

Okay now, 1) steep hil   2) Me at 70   3) Which one can I push further up the hill?    4)  How dumb was this quiz!  grin!  BUT the moral of the story is that it may take me more trips up that hill, but it sure is easier pushing up hill with that smaller green one!

05/11/2020  Okay, I am into the baby squirrels BUT I now noticed 3 bobcats on the property.  SO, guess what they like for dinner!  UGH

05/04/2020 - It is BABY bunny time of year and baby squirrel.   Okay baby rattle snakes BUT they meet a bad ending if they come on the property, sad but true.  SO back to bunnies, and squirrels!

 

04/27/2020 - SEE, even the cattle can do social distancing!   They moo to each other and have grazing togethether BUT at a safe MOOOO distance.
NOW on a scale of 1-10 how dumb was this post?  NO, I don't want to know your answer to the question!

04/20/2020 - Just wanted to post one of my favorite older pictures and YES he is still on the ranch - they are now nesting!  Will have little owlies!

 

04/13/2020 -  Okay,  due to the information about clouds and the question of why all the cloud pictures you will be pleased that I have a picture of Romo trying his Virus Mask or his look of What Is She Trying To Put On My NOSE?

04/06/2020   What was that collective groan of oh NOT another cloud picture???  Well, shelter in place and it's raining - the horses are in their stalls - birds are somewhere until feed.   SO, that leaves the only changing thing right now between rain and shelter in place is clouds!   C&C   Clouds and Coffee.   BUT my husband said he will move the Kubota so I can get it in a good picture - WOW that's exciting - NOT!  So be prepared for Shelter In Place Tractor Pictures!

03/30/2020 - Has anyone noticed the more bird seed you leave out the more show up.   This is like some weird algorithm - the more I add - the more they add.   Maybe I can make them take a number and call it out for them to have a seat at the bird food area.    Anyway, it is raining - there is no pictures to take SO here is the latest cloud picture - I know you are all sick of cloud pictures plus the same view!  BUT, when you are retired you tend to do weird hobbies - this month it apparently is clouds.

03/23/2020 - We are on Covid-19 stay at home.   I tell Don, "Governer just declared we have to shelter in place."    Don thought he should have also said "If you shelter in place with your wife, you are prohibited from wearing your hearing aid."   NO, I didn't yell at him!  Why yell when he won't really hear the full volume!    AND below is my picture of clouds on the ranch

And here we are Monday, while I sit out here in the internet universe having my cup of coffee. Below is my favorite picture of this week. My favorite saying on a T-Shirt. NOW, I didn't say it was politically correct, but it is what I thought at one meeting.   

How did it get to be March and why haven't I lost weight?  Hmmm, that is a thought to ponder!

Now this is my precious, spoiled, Molly giving me the look that she hates my camera!  

 

Sincerely, Marsha J. Victory