Deer Eating My Flowers

We don't have many deer here on the ranch, but there are occasionally a few that hang around for the summer. I woke up this morning to find these two eating my "deer resistant" wildflowers. Go figure.

Escape to Mexico

Spring weather in Colorado is very unpredictable. This year has been no exception. It has rained and snowed constantly for the past few weeks. We always plan a vacation in May to escape the dreary weather. This year we spent 9 days in Playa del Carmen, Mexico at a beautiful resort, Secrets Capri.

Playa del Carmen

It is common to find a fish pond in hotel lobby's, but this resort had a turtle pond with 49 turtles. They would occasionally get out of the pond and wander around the lobby until someone found them and put them back in the water. LOL. We often stopped by at feeding time to feed them.

Turtles in the turtle pond in the hotel lobby

Cabanas at the pool

I spent hours around the pool reading, sunning and relaxing. Too Perfect

One of our awful  selfies. This is my first and last!!

I was fascinated by the Coatis. I had never seen or heard of them prior to this trip. They are known as a Mexican racoon with a very long tail. They run around so fast that I couldn't get a picture.
This is one picture that I snapped of its face as he was hiding in a bush. Look at the bottom in the middle of the photo to see his cute face.

Elk in the Yard

I haven't been very active with my blog in recent months. It was cold and wintery and I just wanted to stay inside and stay warm. But now it is early Spring and I am motivated to get outside and get active. 

We are having a very early Spring....about one month ahead of normal. My daffodils are up a few inches and all the snow is melted in the yard. Of course, that could all change and it could start snowing again and not stop until the end of May! Mountain weather is so unpredictable.

I woke up yesterday morning to a nice herd of elk in the front yard and behind the house. I took the photos through the window hoping not to scare them away. I get so excited when I see elk this up close and personal. You would think I had never seen one before! 

The are starting to shed their winter coats, so they look a little natty, but such a huge wild animal that I stay fascinated with them. The only problem is they tear up my year with their hooves and poop everywhere.

 

Snow Scenes and Snowy Days

Winter is a beautiful time here in the mountains of Colorado.We have received 2.5 feet of snow in the last two storms. #tellurideskiresort as well as all the #coloradoskiresorts are jumping for joy. It is expected to be a great snow year which equals great skiing. I love staying home and watching the snow through my big windows when I can stay warm and cozy inside. I have conveniently never learned to plow snow with the ATV.....I am great at taking pictures of others plowing. LOL.

                       

Here are a few winter scenes.

Our picnic table with a snow load.

Steve plowing

Frozen mini water fall on Deep Creek Road

C

Deep Creek is normally at least 15' wide, but is now frozen to only 2' wide.

Meet Andy

We have a new addition to our family. He is an eight month old male kitty. We went to #SecondChanceAnimalShelter (Humane Society) in Ridgway yesterday and let the kitty chose us. He looks just like our six year old, Acey.

I was initially hesitant to chose a kitty that looks identical to the one we already have, but he was so sweet and purred instantly. When they told us his name was Andy it was ALL OVER. Andy/Andrew is a sacred name in our family. Our little cat Andy is the 5th generation with the same name. LOL.

He has fit in perfectly -Andy and Acey are already the best of friends. He is already pretty big for an 8 month old, I expect he will be a moose!

Hartman Gardens of Colorado

A few weeks ago before the first snowfall, I visited Hartman Gardens in Montrose, Colorado. I had just missed the final apple picking, but still managed to find a few apples on the trees and raspberries still on the vine. I was treated to a lovely tour of the gardens and orchards by the owner, Janet Hartman. Fresh preserves are made in their canning kitchen the old fashioned way - one small batch at a time. She uses reduced sugar recipes to maintain the flavors of the natural fruits. No artificial colorings or preservatives are added. She also makes syrups, flapjack and scone mixes, hot drink mixes and very nice gift boxes which are all perfect for Christmas gifts. Check out her website at www.hartmangardens.com. If you decide to order, please tell Janet you saw her on my blog.

I have had several different varieties of Janet's preserves, but my all time favorite is her apple butter. The best I have ever tasted. I like to serve it with grilled pork......delicious! I have my mother-in-law hooked on Hartman's apple butter and take her several jars when we go to visit her in Texas.

I plan to return to Hartman Garden's next summer when the season is in full swing. Stay tuned....

Janet showing me her beautiful raspberries.

The apple orchard.

Hartman Gardens Store

Fresh fruit juices waiting to be made into jams and syrups.

Apples cooking in the kitchen to make my favorite apple butter.

Sheep Herding Dogs

The sheep herders all work with dogs. I was never exposed to sheep ranching or herding dogs until moving to Colorado. I love to watch the sheep herders direct their dogs with only a short whistle. The dogs just seem to know what to do. They move the sheep from one grazing site to another, from pen to pen or just sit nearby while the sheep graze and watch for predators.

Remember the Warner Brother cartoon about the sheep dog who was always watching his flock? It is real life here......and just like the cartoon!

I am impressed with the sheep herders and their highly intelligent dogs. A herder can easily tend to a flock of 1500 sheep with the help of his dogs. The dogs have a natural herding instinct, but need a little bit of training when they are puppies. I drove into my driveway coming home from work one day to find two darling Border Collie puppies playing in my yard. They were too young to herd, but later I found them hanging out with the big dogs and learning their trade. The next summer season those same dogs were full grown and took their profession very seriously. I was proud of them.

Last week as I was leaving for work, I found another Border Collie in my front yard. It had been raining and he was wet and muddy. I walked outside dressed for work and the dog decided that he didn't want me to leave.....so he herded me away from my car! I have never been herded before! I kept trying to walk around him but he was fast and kept me from moving forward. Of course, I was letting him get away with it because I was afraid he was going to jump on me and he was so muddy. I tried to out run him and he got me......I had to go back inside and clean up before I could go to work. The second time, I ran to the car and got away before he tried to stop me. It really was fun.

One of the dogs laying  in my yard keeping a watchful eye on the sheep.

My cat Acey, keeping a watchful eye on the dog in the yard!!

Sheep kicking up dust as they are moved into a coral.

The sheep tucked in for the evening.