We're on Country Time Now!!

Sunday was a truly COLD winter day!

We watched church online and stayed inside with the fireplace burning most of the day and I didn't take a single picture or even post on Facebook.

Since it was so cold, I made a big pot of oatmeal and cooked up some bacon.

This pic is from Monday but it's the same as we had for Sunday lunch.

We watched part of the Dallas Cowboy game and then switched to a movie I had recorded.

This was SO good!!

We tuned back in to the football game in time to see them ALMOST win - they lost by 3 points!

Monday morning we started the packing and loading for going to the ranch.

That's when I fixed another 'breakfast for lunch' of the oatmeal, bacon and rolls.

I packed up three Trader Joe's insulated bags full of food to take with us so we need not stop at the grocery store.

Our system is - I pack up the bags, tubs, whatever and put them on the front porch.

Louis Dean carries them to the truck and packs it all in.

This time we had a TON of laundry which included bedding, towels and more to take back!

After the mice invasion last month, I'd stripped just about everything I could take home and wash.

It was a lot!

I usually take the two 'Leah' quilts down with me in the fall but this year I forgot about them - until I remembered on Sunday night and got them out of the den closet so I wouldn't forget them again!

Rayne gave me this mini poinsettia so I am taking it as well.

I'm wondering how long I can keep it alive!

We must NOT forget the CATS!!

We left the house at 2:00 but we still had to go by the bank - we are old school and still deposit checks the old fashioned way! Then we had to drop off our Direct TV equipment at the UPS store since we recently changed to Spectrum.

By the time we picked up pizzas and made it over to see Lillian - it was pushing 4:00!

I stopped to pick up a couple of tubes of Fixodent for her as she had been in the hospital for 5 days right after Christmas and someone stole her new tube as well as her Cream sodas.

She is still sporting a pretty good black eye.

She fell getting out of the bed and they took her by ambulance to the hospital where they ran every test they could think of before releasing her 5 days later. She had not broken any bones nor did she have a concussion! She said her eye had been totally BLACK!

But look past the black eye and see how cute she looks in her new haircut!!

The home hired a beautician to come in 2 days a week and I'm certain Lillian was one of the first in line!!

I'm loving this hairstyle!!

In other news of Lillian.....

she has a new roommate and I happened to be there when she was moving in.

Her name is Joan but she goes by Jo and is a spunky 90 year old.

She was living with her son and daughter in law and all three had moved to Fort Worth from Utah just 6 months ago. I remembered when my siblings and I moved our mother in so we talked a bit together - her son is Ray and his wife is Heidi. Jo knows her own mind and speaks English so this is good.

I'm hoping she and Lillian will become friends. They could be very good for one another.

I took the Christmas decorations down - and completely forgot the Christmas gift I had brought her!

It was wrapped and tucked under the truck seat and I didn't remember it until we were nearly at the ranch. Lillian showed me all the cards she's received and asked me to thank everyone for being so kind and remembering her.

It was 5:00 by the time we left the nursing home and I knew we wouldn't get here before dark even though we only stopped once for a potty break.

The cats had been good travelers but they were hungry and thirsty!

After they prowled around a little - they crawled right back into their kennels for the night!

Louis Dean and I sat in the bathroom around the Dearborn heater with a glass of wine before bed.

NO signs of MICE!!!

Although Dean and Sherry have been coming down and checking the mouse traps and disposing of the bodies! Dean said he found a huge RAT in one of them and was so impressed that small trap had killed such a large rat!

Just think what we would have come back to if they had not checked on things for us!!

As it was, we smelled strong skunk scent when we arrived and as we sat in the bathroom, I could still smell that dead rat a little.

The water lines were also frozen so the only water we had was what we had in the camper reservoir.

Dean and Sherry have been putting new water lines in and the ditches weren't covered up yet....

Still, we slept soundly all covered up in warm flannel sheets and heavy quilts.

It's been a quiet day here at the ranch.

I fixed BLTs for lunch and then we ate leftovers I brought from home for supper.

Water is still frozen although there is one outside faucet that has been dripping and we have collected water from that all day. I've heated it for washing dishes and such.

Sherry came down to visit for a few minutes and then she took me up to see the wild ducks at Lake Tuguchi. They all flew off when I opened the car door.

The mops are such good dogs! 

They are so big they nearly knock me down but they are sweethearts.

The horses were roaming up around the goat pens......

We have babies!!!

And they are precious!

One girl....

and one boy!

Dean and Sherry bought a male goat named Bruce awhile back so they have been anticipating getting some baby goats! There'a another goat pregnant and is expected to deliver any day now.

There's always something cool to see down here at the ranch!

The sun set on our first full day here.

Tabitha is having a good time prowling around.

I asked Louis Dean to gather up the mouse traps because I don't want my kitties to get hurt!

Louis Dean is already asleep in bed and I am barely able to hold my eyes open!

Tabitha decided to sleep out in the front room...

so did her sister,  Samantha!

I leave you with this quote from The Guardian.......we so enjoyed that movie!!

“We are the Coast Guard's elite. We are the best of the best. When storms shut down entire ports, we go out. When hurricanes ground the United States Navy, we go out. And when the Holy Lord himself reaches down from heaven and destroys His good work with winds that rip houses off the ground, we go out.”
JOHN HEARD - Capt. Frank Larson