Welcome 2019

Happy New Year!

We had a simple family dinner and then all retired to our own lives and ended the year on a high note all together!  Here's to a great year for all. 

Cheers! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

2018 is almost History...

Well another year has come and basically gone...I have mixed emos of this year...I do have some fond memories from it, tons of small moments of awesome-ness...and then there is the big picture...it was rather bleak...sorry to be a realist but that is who I am. It's rare that I'm down and out but I have been down this year for sure.  So many things just went the opposite of plans.  Some good comes from that as now my Mom will be returning home since Rocky Mountain High living does not agree with her respiratory issues!  Isn't she gorgeous? My Sis took this photo and I embellished it My mom has always been a beautiful woman...inside and out. If only I could be more like her.....still having Mom in my life is the best part of this year. 

Highlights of the year was the travel I did early in spring to TX I almost feel as if I had to pick another state to live in....it would be TX...just for the landscape and the birds alone, it is such a diverse environment...but then there is the politics of TX...*sigh*

                                                        Davis Mtn SP TX Hill Country

                                                           Sea Rim SP Gulf Coast

and New Mexico

                                                    Organ Mtn rec Area Southern High Desert

and AZ, meeting friend Jo, 

                                                      Salt River Canyon north of Globe, AZ

                                                   Madera Canyon Sunrise Green Valley AZ

and then on to spend time with the family in CO. 

                                                             McInnis Canyon Western CO

 We made the decision to bring Mom home, then somehow plans got twisted and we forgot what the whole point of the exercise was,,,,but now we'll soon be back on track.   I had every intention of making it to 500 birds this year and I know I could have done it, if not for the rug being yanked.  

I sure had a great spring, and then the slow trip back home, along Poudre de Lac River 

and the awesome views and birds of the Colorado Rockies...

GOOD stuff!

Sandhill Cranes With Chicks 

Wild Horses Sand Wash Basin

Strom on the Mesa

Canada Jay Grand Mesa 

Burrowing Owl  

Rifle  Mountain Park Fish Hatchery

Rifle Falls

There is no end to the beauty out there..

I did have a few highlights back here at home I nabbed up the Swallow Tailed Kite...

And the White Cheeked Pintail 

.then the summer and fall brought hard times to me and the family we lost one...And Grief was the way I ended the year...

John we miss you so....

So in closing

I added 32 new birds to my life list, and it was so much fun just looking for them!! I hope 2019 will bring more peace into my life, and my family's life...it's not there yet but I think progress is slow but coming.  The political trend in this country has left a sour feeling inside me and that has affected my view of the people who live in this country.  I think the majority of them are good people who care about each other and our World...then there is those others....

I honestly hope for a better year in 2019!  

It is my wish that all of you have a wonderful New Year full of
Peace, Goodwill,  and Hope!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

All Natural...

I'm now a reluctant Flickr pro account owner, but it didn't go smoothly, I will say their customer service was immediately there to help me when I accidentally purchased pro on the Brand "NEW" account I had made just to host my blog photos, and not the one that holds the 20,000+ collection of photos! They refunded me right away, and I got it straight. 

Been having some naturally occurring issues  lately here on the homestead...and I'll share it.   These are some Leyland Cypress trees my mom and I planted about 8 yrs ago.  They grew really well...

We planted them between our homes to give privacy even when it's your mom you want some privacy and vice versa...they are filling in very well, the good thing about these trees is they don't lose needles, they stay green year round, and the provide cover for birds.  They grow really fast too!

Leyland Cypress 

But the ones we put up by her driveway have not fared too well at all check this out...These have been mutilated again and again... 

                                             video clip

We planted the driveway trees at the same time.  Here is a new Holly I planted about one year ago it has tripled in size and is doing well...the deer never bother the Holly, and they don't seem to bother the little Eastern Red  Cedars much either..

Holly

eastern red cedars

As you can see from these photos its foggy, rainy, and gloomy this weekend...can't get outside much so I'm inside editing video I shot over the past couple weeks...I put this clip together...hope you will enjoy watching it.  These clips were shot through my windows of the pasture it's a playground!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Did it!

I think I need to update.  I'm not traveling right now so I'm busy doing all sorts of chores and going about every day life here on my homestead.  It's time to do a little decorating so I jumped right in..

Hung a wreath on the porch door...this is the one I've been using the past 4 or so years I still like it...

My Thanksgiving was quiet for the most part, just myself and my son...And the dogs of course...their stockings are up ready for The Dog Whisperer to visit...

Of course I hung them with great care! We had a nice fire that day...

it was pretty chilly so...they snuggled into their beds 

Awww the good life...

Then a day or two after I tackled the tough job of decorating the tree! This year Im keeping it so simple...it took less then 20 minutes to do...lol  but I think it makes a statement.

...even artificial ones!

Then rain and rain and rain...
Seemed it would never stop
finally it did.
I'm still cutting up lots of wood to burn

Then as part of my volunteering I put this small church cemetery on Find A Grave, there is 136 souls here and maybe more in unmarked graves.  I don't like unmarked graves...a forgotten soul and forgotten history.  

not the original church since the oldest grave was from 1908, so I imagine many remodels over the years

And I'm still working on getting a photo posted for each memorial.  It is a lot of work, but I think it is an important thing to preserve.  There are literally thousands of small churches spread all around our county and the surrounding counties...I could do a new one every single day if I so desired! Check out this homemade stone, it does not contain all the info I'd like such as dates of birth and death, or the entire name but it is better than nothing!

Rev D Brown

This is a small but old congregation. 110 yrs! There is so much to be learned from the past. Here and maybe elsewhere most churches are still segregated.  This is an African American Baptist Church.  My sis and I have worked hard on making sure the AA churches are placed on Find a Grave, as it is a great resource to research family history.  Certain sectors of the population have been over looked in recorded history so we are doing our part to get that info out there.  Since Find a Grave is now part of Ancestry.com it reaches more people...I do however like the old site better than the new one they released this year.

I have no bird photos? HOW did that happen?  How about some crows making lots of noise...check this out..

               

                                                                                  

 I always take my decorations down the day after Christmas, so I will enjoy these for a couple weeks then back into the boxes they go!

            

                       

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.