The Local Zoo Goes To The Circus

Last Saturday, The SM loaded us all up and took us to, 'the big city'.  He had a surprise for The Natives.  

When each of The Natives were born, we were given a pile of fun stuff to bring home with our newborn.  A new diaper bag...... some samples of formula........  other fun little surprises....... one of which was a ticket that didn't expire for the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

When The SM saw an ad that the circus was coming to down, he decided to surprise The Natives and cashed in their tickets.  So, the local zoo went to the circus.

Sorry.  Blurry lousy indoor shot...........  But proof we were there never the less.

 Before the circus began, there were ringside shows on the ground floor.  This little elephant was showing us that she could paint.

Levi loves elephants so we spent our whole time here watching.  He is still talking about the elephants.

If you go to a rodeo, before it begins, a gal (normally) will come speeding around the arena on horseback carrying our beautiful flag.  Apparently if you are at the circus....... you have a gal go slowishly around carrying our beautiful flag.

Let the show begin!!!

Close Up and Personal

When doing photography........and I say photography loosely because I do not consider myself to be a photographer by any means......... but, when I take photos I have come to realize something.

I like detail.  I like to get close.  Really really close.  I love the panoramic views like I took in the mountains but I find myself finding little things among  the grandeur that I like to focus on.

And then I get in its face.  Or would that be 'it's' face........  Kristen teases me that I like to throw apostrophes around like grain to my chickens.

These are some door knobs that are on the LDS temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.  "Holiness To The Lord".  I love that.  I love the detail.  Such a beautiful old building.

The flowers on the temple grounds are always amazingly gorgeous.  I want the gardeners on the temple grounds to come and work in my yard!

Close up and personal.  God's creations.  I love them.  I can tell that He loves us so much because His attention to detail in nature and all the things around us means that we, His children.......  He pays attention to every little detail in our lives as well.  If He knows where each little sparrow falls.......  then He knows so much more and cares so much more about us than we give Him credit for perhaps...........

A Visitor

Donna came to visit.  All the way from West Virginia.  She came to meet Kristen and I and stayed at Kristen's house for several days.  There is always a little bit of anxiety when meeting someone for the first time.

Will they like me, will we have anything to talk about?  Will they have wished they'd stayed in a hotel so they could get away in the night and sneak back to West Virginia without us knowing?  That sort of thing.

The long awaited day arrived and Kristen and I drove up to the airport to meet Donna.  We waited and waited and watched every single person who came to baggage wondering, anticipating, laughing/giggling, and then....... we saw her!

I don't know about Donna but I know our anxiety melted at that moment as we embraced and our eyes got a bit watery because of allergies and we were laughing and standing back and looking at each other.  Looking at each other in person.

We'd 'conversed' for several years through our blogs and Facebook and emails.  You think you know a person, and there is a certain level of intimacy....... and then you meet for the first time face to face and you breathe a sigh of relief that you did know this person like you thought you did and they are just as ever wonderful as you'd hoped!

We spent several days crafting and laughing and talking about our love of God.  It felt as if a long lost sister had come home and we started where we left off.

On the day we had to take Donna back to the airport, we drover her up into the mountains so she could see our fall colors.  The mountains did not disappoint.  They put on a spectacular show.

The colors were vivid and bright.  We'd just had a rain so the air was clear and clean.  The mountains, majestic and adorned with a costume full of spectacular color.

We needed to get Donna to the airport but we kept driving further up the canyon just to see a little bit more. Just around that next bend and then we'd turn around..........

And then we'd drive a bit further...........

And why pray tell do I not have any photos of Donna that can prove she was really on this adventure?

Because when I took photos of Donna, I used Kristen's camera so we'll have to wait for Kristen to do a write up about this past weekend.  She'll do a far better job than I anyway......

Donna did a write up and has some photos posted on her blog.  You can read about her view of the adventure here.  (Click on the word here.)

I did how ever catch this.......  which speaks of how we all felt.  The beauty around us, spent with each other, trying to take it all in...................  an exultant YES!!  How could we stand it!?

We were like children in a candy store.  Gasping and pointing our cameras.  Look here at this display!

Look over here!  Hurry!  Come look!

And nestled down next to a little stream, I found these dainty little pretties.  Quiet and content in the splendor around them.

Spilling forth.  Happy.  Bubbly.  That was us.

Rainbows

This evening we had the most amazing rainbow show.   The Heavens opened and rain poured down clearing the air making all of the colors vivid and bright as the sun shone through the showers.  A double rainbow that lasted but a few moments and then it was gone.  I love these gentle kind of reminders.........

A Monday Sort of Day

Woke up this morning feeling chipper and happy.  It's Friday!!!  Got The Native's up for family prayer and headed out to let The Girls out and feed them.

Last night when I'd closed up The Gypsy Wagon it was late and dark.  I didn't do my usual counting of heads.  Just closed the door and ran back into the house.  This morning, when I went out to The Gypsy Wagon I found this little girl sitting outside of the nice warm box where The Girls are kept at night.  She was on the ground with her head tucked in the corner and not moving.  Bad sign.

I picked her up and started to really worry.  Her comb was all shriveled and black, her eyes closed, and the rest of her red little face had lost it's vibrant red.  It too was almost black.

I ran Alice into the house and told The Native's we had a problem.  Levi:  We should say a pwayer.

We did.  And then I ran to the Internet.  Sick chicken.  What do I do?  What in the world would we do without the Internet and it's wealth of information??

Isolate the chicken, put her under a heating lamp, keep her warm, and in a quiet place.  Done!  Shove Pedialite down her throat........ okay.  They didn't say 'shove' but that is what I did.  I got a syringe and started to drop Pedialite down her throat and then........... she crapped all down the front of me!  Not a nice firm chicken doo doo!  Pure water stinky icky DISGUSTING nastiness that went all down the front of me and on my bare toes.............. !!!  Nice!

Henny Penny's chicken is sick.  Henny Penny doesn't want to go to school.  She's upset.  I tell her I'll take good care of her Alice while she's gone and not to worry.  Keep saying little prayers.  

I get myself cleaned up from the chicken doo doo mess and bring in the dogs from going potty outside.  I notice that Daphney's backside is covered in...............  YUP!  She's sick too!!!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

We have pets why?????

So, sick dog on towel in kitchen tied up.  Sick chicken in kitchen under heat lamp in box.  I swear today is Monday and the calender is lying to me...............

P.S.  You can see from the second photo that Alice is perking up!  The color is coming back into her comb, she's looking around, and guess what???  I just gave her some pellets and she ate a few!   This day might just turn into a Friday after all............ One can hope!

Addendum:  We lost Henny Penny's chicken yesterday morning.  It was a sad sad day for Henny Penny.  And the dog, she goes to the vet tomorrow......  Hopefully what she has can be fixed with a daily pill to help her with bladder control.  If not............  I don't even want to think about or go there.........

For Reals

The 'real' back to school photos for 2012!

Levi would NOT go out into the street.  "Thaz dangruss"!

Back To School

I told you a month ago I would post photos of The Native's.  Their 'back to school' photos.  You all thought I'd forgotten didn't ya!?  Well.  I didn't.

Yesterday we went to a place called, Strawberry Reservoir to see the Salmon spawn.

The fish swim upstream as they fight to get to where they want to spawn.  Did you know when Salmon get ready to spawn they turn a red/orange?  It is the craziest thing!  

I have no idea why Mr. J is on the other side of the fence standing on the information sign.  He's the littlest.  He gets away with stuff.  You can bet if I were on the other side of the fence standing on the information sign I'd get in trouble in two seconds!  Young + Little+ Cute = You Can Get Away With Anything

A little school of Salmon making their way upstream.

More fighting and thrashing to get up over some rocks and shallows.

Really quite ugly.  Their faces don't change.  Just their bodies.  We were told that at this point they are pretty much zombies.  They've used all of their fats and energy to get upstream so they aren't even good for eating. They spawn and then die.  They taste like mush we were told.

These fish are going to anatomy school.  These are males.  They are studying female anatomy.

Hi.  My name is Bruce.  Fish are friends..............  

Yanked out of the water by one's tail.  I'd be screaming too.

Dental school anyone?  He needs a floss and brushing before he goes to meet the ladies.

A day spent on the banks of a stream.  Contemplating.  Watching fish fight their way up stream to........  well........  procreate...... and then die.

Makes a body want to jump up, stick their tongue out, and run off.  "Don't do it!!!!  Swim the other way!!!"  But they are doomed.  Once they've turned to the dark side........  once they've turned red.......

We know what happens...................

Anyway.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch.........

A very nice afternoon was spent sitting on the edge of the stream.

Easy to be at peace when you haven't turned to the dark side.

Especially when you're a cool older brother who helps little ones walk on the rocks without falling in.  A good steady arm to hold onto.

See!  Told you.  I always keep my word.  You asked for back to school photos and I took you back to 'school'.  And!!!  Because I am extra nice.......  I am REALLY going to take you back to school.  I present you with this informative, extremely fascinating video I took today.

You can thank me later.