Our Santa Fe Trip

Tuesday, August 21st Mel and I drove to Santa Fe, New Mexico for our annual "retired Farm Bureau Couples Retreat". We met 3 other couples there: Joe & Marilyn Vaughn, Reggie & Pat Loffelholtz and Bill & Nellie Dry. We stayed at Garrett's Desert Inn on Old Santa Fe Trail. This was a great location because we could walk to all the historic downtown places.
After arriving we gathered in the Vaughn's suite and visited. For dinner that evening the tradition is that the guys walk to Upper Crust Pizza and bring it back to the room for us to enjoy the delicious pizza. So the tradition was continued.
The next morning La Fonda Hotel was the place for breakfast. Everyone gathered there to enjoy a delicious meal. After eating everyone did their own thing of sightseeing, etc.
Mel and I visited the little neighborhood market, Jackalope's, Trader's Joe, and the Fresh Produce Store. Funny, they all seem to deal with food. Haha!!
I had read in the morning paper that this was the time of the year for roasted peppers. I was curious and asked a couple of people about this. We were told that the Fresh Produce Store would be the best place to purchase the peppers; however, many stands are on the sides of the roads roasting and selling the peppers. Large hoppers filled with peppers have heat blown on them until they are roasted. They are cooled and then put in plastic bags and are frozen. We could have purchased 35 pounds of roasted peppers for $20. That was the best price, but we didn't think we would use that many so we opted for 2 smaller bags - one medium taste and one hot taste. Hatch peppers and serrano peppers were the ones we saw roasted. Very interesting and shows you can always learn something new.
Trader Joe's was quite a place. In fact, it was almost overwhelming. I had read about Trader Joe's and finally experienced one. They have some unusual items and their prices are reasonable.
Wednesday evening we had planned to walk to La Cantina Sena Cantina for dinner. Because of rain, we drove instead. This was a unique place as the waiters and waitresses entertained us with the best of Broadway and Jazz while we enjoyed our meal.
Thursday Mel and I headed home. We drove in rain from Santa Fe to the Oklahoma border, then it was cloudy until we reached OKC where the sun was shining and the wind really blowing. At home we had not received any rain. Hopefully the rain was coming our way.
Mel and I had a wonderful time and it is always good to see everyone, but as always, "there is no place like home!"

Our motel


La Fonda


The neighborhood market


Trader's Joe - what an interesting place!


Fresh Produce Store - great prices on their veggies


Roasting the peppers


One of many stands that roast and sell peppers

We're On the Move Again (with Mama Kitty)

Well, Mama Kitty moved the kittens back to the little trailer where Mel keeps his scrap wood. It's hard to understand why, but I'm sure she knows why.
Evidently the hard wood doesn't bother Mama Kitty. I would think the rags in the blue tote would be much more comfortable. Just goes to show you that cats and humans do not think alike! :)

The Pickett Fence

After tearing down the old house at Grammy's Mel had a lot of good lumber. He patiently cleaned it up and pulled many, many nails to make it usable. He, then, decided to build a pickett fence using this wood to replace a panel fence by the blue barn.
The fence looks great!

Where's the Perfect Hiding Place? (If You're a Cat)

On our front porch we have an old wood stove for decoration. It seems as though our cat, Muffy, thinks this is a good hiding place. It was so funny to see our big cat first peek out, then climb out of the opening. A perfect hiding place, don't you think?

Muffy peeking out of the hole


Now he is climbing out

New Babies on the Farm

We have been blessed with 6 new baby calves. Hopefully, we will have 4 more to add to the herd.
They are so cute and playful running around and throwing their little tails in the air.
I think we may have a set of twins. One of our cows always has 2 calves right with her. We'll wait and see if this is so.

A few of our new babies



This one seemed to be posing (probably just being curious)

"Hide and Seek" with Mama Kitty

Mama Kitty has moved the kittens several times. First, I found them on the shelf under the cabinet. Second, she moved them to the feed sack. Third, they were moved back to the shelf. Fourth, she had them behind the shelf. Fifth, they were moved to the red trailer under some boards. Mel needed to burn the boards so I took them out and put some rags in the bottom of this blue tote; then, I put them in it. So far, Mama Kitty has left them in this. Who knows her reasoning? I'm wondering if she thinks I might by chance move them to the garage like the last 2 litters. With the pretty weather, they are staying at the barn.
The funny thing is the 2 older kittens love to be in this with the babies and Mama Kitty. Possibly they feel as though it is "home for all of them".

The shelf


Have home will travel in this trailer


"Home for all"

Could These Be Our Garden Culprits?

Last Thursday evening, Mel noticed these deer just past the fence at the back of the house. We wondered if these were the culprits guilty of eating our garden. Who knows as we have seen up to 6 around in our pasture.
This was a doe and fawn; then, later a second fawn joined them. The second one seemed to have been delayed as it had a problem deciding how to get from the 30 acres to our pasture with the fence in the way. Finally it just went under the fence.
Deer are so pretty and graceful and we don't want to hurt them, we just want them to eat things other than our garden.

My Creative Husband

In an ealier post I had mentioned how creative my sweet lovable hubby is. Well, here is more proof of that. The packing that came with our grill had this piece of styrofoam. Mel took it to the barn and it became his coffee cup holder and message board for his calendar and notes as well as holding his pens and markers. Pretty creative when you can visualize that from a piece of styrofoam.

Mel's creative use of styrofoam


A closer view

Grammy's Quilt Wins a Blue Ribbon

Last winter Grammy started embrodering state birds and flowers on white fabric squares for a quilt. After completing all 50 birds and flowers we took it to Prairie Notions quilt shop in Allen, OK and they put it together for her, then quilted it. It turned out beautiful! Grammy gave the quilt to Mel and I for our birthdays and anniversary. How fortunate we are to have such an heirloom knowing how much work and love she put into it!
After some encouragement from friends she decided to enter it in the Pontotoc County Fair. The judging was today. We went to see what she had won and it was a blue ribbon! She was proud of that and you couldn't blame her for feeling that way.
We "celebrated" by going to Braum's and having ice cream.



The quilt with the blue ribbon


Grammy with her quilt and blue ribbon