With Thanksgiving occurring this week, we started celebrating on the weekend and then continued during the actual holiday. We have so much to be thankful for, and so many blessings we want to share with family and friends.
Because we all are blessed with the bounties of this world, the nature all around, and the fruits of the earth, we can share in it as we love one another and look after our Mother Earth.
Saturday 11/20 - It was a cold morning so Babe was snuggling up with Maggie as they both were watching birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and even a deer who passed through in the back.
I contemplated jumping into this snuggle pile.
I had gotten so much cleaning done the day before, I felt I would be able to finish it off, no problem, before company arrived.
Monita, Babe, and Stevie intent on...
...this cute little chipmunk.
I got word from both children that they wouldn't be arriving until noonish, so I went to the gym after getting most of the rest of my cleaning done.
When I got into my car from the gym, I noticed on my phone (which I leave in the car) messages from Joe and Courtney. She'd had a little accident. She ran a stop sign in a parking lot that she didn't even see because it was blocked by a tree and shrubs. Thank God she and the driver of the SUV she hit were not injured. His air bags deployed but her's didn't. Her friend Sara was taking her to the airport to rent a car so she could still drive here. Even though this accident was very unfortunate, it is amazing that neither driver was injured and for that we are so thankful.
Dan, Val, Ava, and Tango arrived around 11:30 (30 minutes before I expected) and I was actually mopping the kitchen and dining area when they walked in. Oops, that really was the last of the cleaning I needed to do.
Ava was a little tired and a bit nervous in these new surroundings. After a nap she was much more brave.
Tango had had an accident Thursday night, falling down the stairs when he got overly excited. He was bandaged from emergency surgery which was to be removed this morning.
He had one dew claw removed and the other fixed somehow, and had several cuts. Mostly it was healing well, but it still needed some bandaging.
After lunch we just hung out, and kind of waited for Courtney to arrive. Joe and then Patty ran to the ranch to do chores and Val helped me get the spiral ham started.
Courtney safely made it here about 4pm. Better late than never. This photo was taken the next morning. Her neck and back were pretty sore. She started taking a high dose of Ibuprofen and in the morning, per Carol's suggestion, she started using a heat wrap to relieve pain. 
What a pretty black cat she is. And hopefully she is catching mice which is why she wasn't interested in the cat food, although she did eat it eventually.
Joe had brought the drill home so we could get this quilt hung that his cousin Jeannette made. The walls of his Mancave are quite full (cluttered) with hangings and this was the best place we could find for this large quilt.
Jeannette made this quilt in honor and memory of Joe's dad Herman, including this cloth memorandum the size of copy paper, sewed to the back of the quilt. She and her 15 siblings had lost their dad (Robert Hein, also a firefighter and Herman's brother-in-law) to injuries sustained while fighting a fire (which resulted in an explosion) at Mercy Hospital.
Here is the description at the bottom of Herman's photo (from a 1956 newspaper article) about his heroic rescue of an eight year old girl from a burning house.
Maggie and Tango get along so well together, they share or swap beds. Tango has not been able to go on long walks, so that is one activity we usually do that couldn't be done.
Dan and Val are doing such a great job of parenting Ava. They stick to a routine, which includes a nightly bath before bed. Ava enjoys this and it relaxes her and gets her ready to go to sleep. Maybe if I did that, it would help me sleep better.
Mama Styx, on the other hand, was not adjusting to the additional people, a baby, and a big dog.
So she stayed hidden most of the time. She felt this cubbie, high up on the wall, was a safe place.
Monita was quite the opposite, relaxed around everybody and actually quite annoying as usual. She won't leave you alone when she wants attention, which is most of the time when she is awake.
Patty arrived just as we were having an early lunch of leftovers.
Ava was having fun cruising around in her rolling seat that she has gotten good at propelling and steering. It would not go on the carpet though, which presented a bit of a problem and caused frustration on her part.
Next on our agenda, was to go to the ranch. Courtney had never seen the inside of the house, so I was excited about showing her that. With lunch put away, all of us bundled up, we put the dogs in the Mancave, and then piled into two cars and were off.
We showed Courtney around the house and made a few more additions to the furnishings.
The new shades I got for the lamps in the bedroom were not the right size, but the queen comforter Patty had was perfect for the room.
Ava was having a good time cruising around, especially since there was no carpet to stop her in her tracks.
We headed to the side pasture to see Amiga and Zorro. After petting them and giving them some hay, we went down to the barn to see and feed Wanda.
This is Ava's little pompom on the top of her hat sticking up above the carrier. How cute!
Val got a nice shot of these two.
Courtney's selfies with Ava.
I
made a batch of spaghetti for dinner, Courtney's favorite of mine, (although
I don't make many dishes to pick from). We also had a toss salad,
rolls and several leftovers.
Daniel and Val reading to Ava. What a cute family. This is a photo book Val had made of Ava during her sixth month of life. (Val has a book for each month) They were pointing out the special people in Ava's life, and she was reacting to them. How sweet.
We started watching a series about (and with) Paul McCartney. I found it amazing how he could hear and pick out the specific music of individual instruments from the songs he wrote and sang.
I wound up going to bed at 8:15, before Courtney or Patty left. And Courtney ended up staying the night, not feeling well from an over stuffed stomach and residual trauma from her accident.
I misread my watch when waking up at 11:15, thinking it said 1:15. So I got up, calculating I had had five hours of sleep, when it had actually only been three. I computerized until 3:30 and was finally sleepy enough to go back to bed.
Monday 11/22 - Tango woke me up, coming into our bedroom upstairs, at
5:15. He needed to go to the bathroom. So my day began, with too
little sleep, knowing I would need to catch a nap at some point. Maggie was also up because Tango had opened the door (that doesn't latch) and gone into the Mancave. 
So of course, all of the cats were up too. And Monita as usual, up to her no good, bothering one or more of us.
All of the remaining humans were up fairly early because they had things to do and places to go. Ava helped me at the jigsaw puzzle. Her little hands are as fast as Monita's paws, so I had to watch constantly to be sure she didn't grab a puzzle piece.
Before Dan, Val, and Ava left, Dan and I looked over Tango's injuries and I got instructions on his care.
Soon Tango and Maggie watched as Dan navigated his car (past Joe's and Courtney's rental) out of our driveway and Tango's humans disappeared down the street.
Courtney was soon to follow suit, and shortly after 9am our house was empty of guests. The silence was deafening with just Joe and I here, after having a house full of family, especially a busy 7 month old. I always hate it right after everybody leaves.
Joe and I busied ourselves out at the ranch. We moved a partial round bale of hay to the paddock loafing shed.
We placed it here, so if horses are in the stalls they can eat on it. Or, when all the gates are open (as seen in photo), they can get around it and eat from any side.
Then Joe brought a full round bale up to the side pasture. We placed it in a round bale feeder in the gate opening between the upper and side pastures.
We chained the round bale feeder to the wood gate post and to the partially open gate. Our two horses can get to the feeder on one side, and the three boarded boys can get to it from the other side. Later this winter, if we want to put Amiga and Zorro out on the front pasture, while the three boys are in the paddock or out on the back pasture, we can by opening the gate all the way.
I was concerned about the drain hose from the 100 gal tank freezing, so had been draining the tank while we were working on hay. I removed the hose, put the plug back in, cleaned, and then filled it. When I went out to roll the three hoses back up, Amiga and Zorro were eating at the new hay feeder. Snoopy Zorro came to see what I was up to.
The three boys on their side of the bale were more interested in the grass than in the hay. Amiga and Zorro's pasture is so much more eaten down.
It was breezy out at the ranch and the temperature had been slowly dropping all day, so I took a much enjoyed, long, hot shower when I got home at 4pm. Poker Joe was gone so I had dog duty, and I also finished laundry and unloaded the dishwasher.
Not only was it a very quiet evening at home, it was a very short one. I went to bed at 7:30, unable to stay awake since I'd never gotten a nap and was sleep deprived.
Tuesday 11/23 - It was in the low twenties when I walked the dogs shortly before 5am. Once the sun was up and I could see down back, I put corn out. It wasn't long before a herd of six deer came through. They are very difficult to see unless their tail is up when they are running. After the corn was gone, they started playing and romping in the creek and running up and down it. The next two blurry photos are blown up from two of the several shots I took.
Tango's front paw injury was much better, but the back one's were kind of red because he had been licking at them. So back on with the 'cone of shame' for him. The poor boy, but I had warned him several times.
Joe went out to the ranch to meet the fireplace guys, but I had planned to take the day off and get some other things accomplished. One of which was to go to the gym, which I ended up not doing. But I did spend the afternoon in town shopping and finally settled on shoes for Dan's wedding and new dress boots.
Courtney sent this photo of her taking Dan, Val, and Ava to the airport. She will have use of their vehicle until she picks them back up on Sunday.
Joe sent these two photos. This is the roof of the shed that was attached to our front cinder block wall. It was too big to fit into the machine shed.
Billy had been great help to Joe in dismantling the walls and getting the roof down.
We plan to rebuild the shed for a run-in in the corral. It will make a nice escape from the sun, rain, or wind, when we have a horse in there.
Patty did ranch chores and sent these photos of Amiga and Zorro enjoying hay from the round bale. These two make such a happy, yet goofy pair.
You can see that Zorro's winter coat is so much darker than Amiga's, and that he is also several inches taller than her.
Once home from my shopping trip, I got everything unloaded, sorted, and then re-loaded what needed to go to the ranch. I was too tired to watch any TV with Joe after dinner, and went to bed at 7:30. Scheesh.
Wednesday 11/24 - Stevie sliding off the bean bag while still trying to sleep. This sits at the corner under my desk and I use it as a foot rest sometimes, or put my feet under it to keep them warm.
I sent Dan a photo up-date of Tango's back leg, now that the bandage was no longer necessary. He still wants to lick his wounds, so was in the cone most of the day.
This is a photo of the shed roof, temporarily stored here until we have time to re-build the shed.
I got a package ready to mail and also a card to send to Costa Rica and hit the post office on my way to the gym. I wish I had more desire to go work out. Recently it is such drudgery, I have to make myself get there.
Rio did great and I know the little girl had a fun time. I didn't stick around to watch her brother have a go at it. It makes me so happy that our ranch can be shared and enjoyed by others.
Since the boarded geldings (boys) were out on the back pasture, I opened the gate by the round bale feeder and let Amiga and Zorro out on the front pasture. They were delighted to get some green grass.
After clearing this space, I then started rolling logs from the front side of the shed to this side. Since they are going to be stored for quite some time before they are dry enough to burn, I want them out of sight and this seemed like a good spot, except it gets rather wet from water run-off from the roof.
As usual, dark and fatigue had me stopping before I got as many logs moved as I had hoped to move.
I had moved Amiga and Zorro back into their field to feed them, and once they finished eating, they stood at the fence wishing they could get back out on all the grass. They are still too fat though.
Home at 5:40, the dogs and cats were very happy to see me because it was past their dinnertime.
I got out of bed at 2:15 and worked on blogging. So of course, Tango got up too and joined me in the office. But thankfully he didn't need to go out for a walk at this early hour, he waited till 5am and woke me from my little nap I was having on the couch.
This is a look at the front of the wall as you approach our property from the drive. The run-in shed (I couldn't find a before photo) that was attached to the wall is now gone, making it look much neater. And below shows the other side of the wall, seen from the kitchen window. It is a before and after photo with the shed circled in yellow.
Joe arrived by 10am and Patty soon after. While she set to work in the kitchen getting the turkey started, Joe and I went out to move the round bale out of the gateway because some of the boarders felt it was unsafe there. I had opened the gate and let Amiga and Zorro out on the front pasture, but when Patty came to check on the new round bale placement, so did Zorro.
Joe and I did some other little jobs while Patty cleaned house and set the table. Shirley had warned us that the zip ties get brittle when it gets cold and if the horses lean on the gates that the ties held to the T-post, the ties would break. And sure enough, they had. So I refastened them with chain.
Meanwhile, Joe was replacing burnt out light bulbs in the front gate posts.
He was using the bucket of the tractor to hold the air compressor which he used to blow out all the debris from inside the light fixtures.
Notice, the pool cover is staying on the pool now. Once the ball was out, the cover lays on the water, and even though it has some water on top of it, it doesn't sink because it is tied down in several places around the outside of the pool. The water on top prevents the cover from blowing up and off.
Courtney and Will arrived, and shortly after, so did the girls (Karen, Shirley, and Sharon).
And now the party began. Lively conversation, laughter, discussions on food prep, and work in the kitchen occurred.
I love the ranch house kitchen! It is large enough
for several chefs to work simultaneously. And this food bar (island)
adds to the work space, is a great place to gather and a perfect location for the 'buffet' of food.
Nobody would volunteer to carve the turkey, so out of necessity (to eat) Karen was brave enough to tackle the job. And she did it like a pro. Sharon coached and I cheered.
Soon the spread was on the food bar and we all filled our plates and sat down to enjoy a meal together and give thanks for life's bounties and all our blessings.
I wish I had gotten a photo of all the food on the buffet bar. I am glad Courtney got this selfie. Patty got cut off though and Karen is never cooperative about looking at the camera. Joe however, is always willing to ham it up some. Got to love my family and friends.
After the meal, like the dogs, many of us found a spot to settle and take a nap. The dogs were enjoying the warmth from the natural gas wall heater. The large sectional in the front sun room was a great place for most to take a siesta.
It had started raining just before we sat down to eat. It wasn't coming down hard, but when Patty and I went out to feed our horses, we got pretty wet and cold.
My little (fat) Amiga has been such a blessing to me.
Karen, Sharon, and Shirley had cleaned up the leftovers and kitchen while we were out. What a blessing they are. And then we got more dishes dirty having dessert.
We all eventually returned to our own homes, with Courtney, Will, and I being the last to leave the ranch house. We loaded up all the leftover food and beverages into our two cars and took it with us. Joe had left earlier with the two dogs to get them home for their dinner time.
We partook in TV watching, snacking for dinner, and playing with dogs and cats as we hung out in the living room. I did not last past 9pm. Courtney took this photo of Tango at nearly midnight when she 'tucked' him in before going to bed.
Friday 11/26 - It was a cold and frosty morning. Gypsy Rose, who from now on I will refer to as Rose, showed up for the first time in about ten days. She wanted lovin' and food.
Later, once Courtney was up, Rose came up onto the deck and Courtney went out to meet her (and take this photo). Rose even let Courtney pet her.
And then when Will was out on the front porch having a cigarette, Rose be-friended him and let him pet her.
I had planned a lazy day at home. Patty was going to do ranch chores so I didn't have to go anywhere all day.
It was a pretty, sunshiny day, although still rather cold out. Maggie and the cats love finding and laying in the spots of sun that come in through the living room window. Babe continues to pester Maggie for some lovin'.
Patty came over and joined us for leftovers for lunch. Courtney and I tried on our maid of honor and mother of the groom dresses for Patty. Then it was back to jigsaw puzzle working. Will and Courtney were great help, and they were bound and determined to finish it before they left.
The cardboard in the window (which I cover the puzzle with when not working it so the cats don't take pieces) was there to block the sunlight that was blinding us.
Ta-da!
Once done with the puzzle, Courtney and Will headed back to Nashville and I went to the gym to row and do elliptical for a total of 75 minutes. I have got to do more aerobic exercise and burn more calories. The 'kids' got to Courtney's condo about the same time (6pm) that I got home.
Joe and I had a quiet evening, watching Survivor and hangin' out with the cats and dogs. I hit the hay much earlier than Joe, as usual, counting my bounty of blessings as I fell asleep.
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