It's JUNE! Summertime is here....

Or is it?  I woke up this morning and it just never occurred to me that when you live in the mountains you might wake up to this:

Yes, that is an apple tree with flowers finally starting to bloom, covered in slushy snow.

I sometimes forget about living in the mountains, but occasionally it is made clear to me that living at 3800 feet above sea level is different than where I grew up.

That is slushy snow falling in the background of the picture, the type that chills you right down to the bone.  There was so much of it that it made the picture look out of focus.

I think you can just ask the kitties what they think about this snow.  They have spent the morning trying to keep warm!

Or the Australian Shepherd who takes his job very seriously and has to monitor the outside kitties when they leave the yard...

That is one sad wet looking puppy dog!  He won't leave his post to come dry out on the porch, till all his kitties are back home on the front porch.

Note:  This is a blog post, if you want to see the rest of my posts click on this link:  http://journeywithbaking.blogspot.com/

Death from above...

I think I need to find a new place for my bird feeder! I am thinking that the bird is going to lose in this situation.

What do indoor kitty's do all day?

 Well, first they eat and sleep a lot, but occasionally they find a pastime that is a lot more amusing for them.

Sylvester says something is happening outside!

Yes, there is definitely something going on.

See that faint shadow in the tree?

He's not sure exactly what that things is, but he knows he would like to play with it.

Black Headed Grosbeak Grosbeak info

This is going to be a long day for Sylvester, camping out just hoping it comes inside.

As I was taking these pictures, my daughter sent me this link to a cartoon.  I thought it really fit what Sylvester was going through, so I included it for you all to see!

Predatory Friend

Now wasn't that funny?

My honey's birthday...

Note: If you want to see the pictures in their online album click the center of the slideshow or picture. If you want to control the slideshow, click towards the bottom of it and controls will appear.

It was a really low key day, due to the fact that he ended up working for 10 1/2 hours and had planned on taking the day off. Otherwise, it was a beautiful days, filled with flowers...

Spring growth on our trees, new sprouts in our container gardens, and dandelions in our fields....

And a sexy man at the BBQ,  showing me exactly how to make the meat juicy and tender.  BBQ Pork Ribs, marinated in BBQ sauce w/wine & BBQ Mushrooms marinated in olive oil & balsamic vinegar,  He might be a year older, but definitely getting better....

PS: He really does cook meat a lot better than I do, but even if he didn't I would never tell him and risk having to cook my own meal!

May Flowers, showers, floods, and snow!

Ok, so how was THAT for a title? While my house is high and dry, and for the first time since moving here I am thankful the creek is on the opposite side of the road from me. Right now there are others that are wishing it was. Here are just a few photos of the last few days living in the middle of no where! I started this folder of pictures on May 14th, when my tulips first started to open up. That was 2 days ago.



The one picture is of the neighbors driveway and house in the background, and the creek flowing through her property rather than around. We talked to them, and they are fine, just have to wait for the water to go back down before damages can be assessed. It's a similar story all over this area right now, and was followed last night by a thick blanket of very wet snow. Now where are my snow boots? I just put them away somewhere....

May....

It really is May, which means there are supposed to be flowers!  I have spent the last 14 days in search of flowers, all over the property.  Here are pictures of everything I have found....



See I found chickens and kittens, puppy's and goats, and even the snow covered mountain! We shall see what the rest of May brings....

April showers... wait SNOW?? Again?

OK, it really isn't a lot of snow, just what the old timers call a skiff, but geez it is almost May!  That grass should be green, not white!  Ritter agrees and was real excited about going into the barn to get out of the muddy cold.  Well, technically Ritter is excited whenever we talk to him, but especially when he gets to go see the goats, chickens, and barn kitties (ok, there IS a barn kitty behind that door).  Nothing makes him happier then seeing a barn kitty in the middle of the field that he can chase, even if he does get into trouble for it.  Most times the kitties simply rub up against him and give him lots of love though. 

Managed to take a picture of one of the wildflowers growing on the hillside...  Click link to read more!

Living in the mountains

From Fish

A few days ago I woke up to about 6 inches of snow everywhere I could see. You just never know what to expect living in the mountains. The first year we lived here we went to watch fireworks on the 4th of July, and it snowed on us! We hadn't been here even 2 weeks, so it was an interesting introduction to Eastern Oregon.

Snow.... so beautiful!

This is the view from my backyard, as of Friday night. It's was incredibly beautiful, as the sun was setting behind us. When I see a scene like this, it makes me so thankful for what God has given us. Makes me feel a little bit guilty about how badly I would like it to be warmer, because it's so crisp, clear, and absolutely breathtaking at times. It wasn't to long after this that the extreme cold started forcing it's way through my boots, and my hands started to protest saying they wanted back into the warm house. Luckily I had brought the camera out and Andy took a couple pictures for me, so I can enjoy it some more today when there isn't a blue sky in sight!

Been snowing all day...

It's been snowing almost every day since the day Andy came home from New Mexico. That was on the 11th of February, and I can safely say that snow is beautiful and at least it's not muddy rainy days, but I am really looking forward to more warm sunny days. Since I got up this morning it has snowed several inches, so it's all coated in this white fluffy mass. These pictures were taken yesterday from out by the barn.  It's really to snowy to take the camera out today.  Maybe it will stop later on....