Happy Thanksgiving!

Just finishing a long day of family and food with a little slice of pie and some cards for fun!

(Pumpkin pie with whipped cream and crumbled gingersnaps on top!)

Thanksgiving Day Countdown!

I have no business sitting down at my computer right now, but I love you guys and I wanted to share something real quick. Yesterday I told you that I tend to go through rooms without an ounce of sentiment.  Getting rid of things that are not being used or worn, and therefore I deem them as clutter.

Well...I'm struggling with something.

I have spent time cleaning and organizing rooms for the girls this weekend.  One room in particular is about the only girly room in this house.  It is the original guest room.   A little history for you.  When we bought this house, we were having guests relatively early, and this room was bare.  No furniture.  Nothing pretty or welcoming.

Just blah!

Having just bought this place, we were a little tight in the finance department.  Still, I wanted my guests to feel welcome.  So I really had to put on my creative hat.  We bought a bed, and I mean we bought a mattress set and frame.  I may have had some old nightstands back in the beginning of this room, but I don't really remember now.  I threw some paint on the walls, but it was still sad.

So I did this...

Maybe one of the girls will leave a comment about the process we went through to get this painted on the wall.  I don't have time to go into all the crazy details now.  I have added furniture to this room over the years, and it really is a nice place to be.

Just one problem though.

I've just recently come into some new furniture.  New, really old furniture.  It is the Man in Charge's Great-Grandmother's bedroom suit.  With the girls gone, I've been kicking around the idea of shuffling some furniture around.  That old bedroom suit would fit perfect in this room, but it already has a headboard.  A very pretty headboard.  I have been pretty resolute in the idea of painting over my creation.  I've heard whining and complaining from others, but my mind has been made on this topic.

Until I was in there today.

I'm still gonna do it, but I'm gonna miss this room.

Solving the Problems of the World.

Solving the problems of the world is a daunting task.  So daunting, I would never consider it.  I would be happy just to solve my own problems, and possibly the problems of those near and dear to me.  I am no where near accomplishing such a feat, but I think I may have made a small break through.  I have struggled all year.  I have felt over-whelmed, under prepared, and like I've just been hanging on to the shirt-tails of life, flapping in the wind behind it as it blows by.

I will flap no more!

It dawned on me, as I was preparing my house for the upcoming holiday, how behind I've gotten on some necessary chores.  Chores that no one likes doing, but have a positive impact on one's life and happiness.  I've never been awarded a prize for being Suzy Homemaker.  My home is lived in.  For the most part, I manage to do what is necessary and just live with the rest.  It's easy to live with the rest when you just go outside.  I follow the out-of-sight out-of-mind mantra.

I've learned over the years that if you hit spring with a good spring cleaning, then manage to throw a couple of party's over the summer, things stay relatively organized.  I mention the parties because I have found them to be the best motivation for a good cleaning.  Couple that with a good holiday cleaning and you're golden.  I don't fret if the baseboards and the ceiling fans aren't cleaned once a week.

Not my style.

If I can manage the spring event, plus a few parties, plus the holiday schedule, things stay relatively orderly around here. The benefit of the major cleanings is to reduce clutter.  These are the times of the year that I go through closets and rooms without much sentiment.  If it doesn't get used or worn, it's out of here.  I also manage a spring and fall overhaul in the barn.  These have been very thorough in the past years.  Cleaning out the loft, scrubbing down stall walls, removing stall mats and hitting everything with a pressure washer.

Yesterday I realized I have been slacking in these areas.  I'm going to make a bold statement here, but I am going to blame it on being a bee keeper.  Becoming a keeper of bees has messed up my entire schedule of events.  My spring was crazy.  My summer was equally crazy.  My fall did not slow down a bit.

At present, I'm still trying to adjust to the time change.  I'm not sure who invented Day Light Savings time, and I'm not going to Google it and find out, but I'd like to punch 'em.  It always messes me up.  I hate dark at 5:00 pm.  I need sun.  I have always wished they would just leave the time alone.  I get that winter brings shorter days, but let me adjust to that on my own!

Stay with me.

There's a point here.

Beekeeping has become my Day Light Savings Time of spring cleaning.  It's not possible to do it in the spring.  This would be fine if I was a man and had a wife to do the chores.  I am not a man.  I do not have a wife.  At times I think I'd like one, but then I realize we would probably argue for hours on end.

Who needs that?

(Man in Charge, if you're reading this, YOU DO!)

I'm not sure how to compensate for these changes.  I've been in spring cleaning mode this week.  It's necessary to my survival.  I am buried under things that need to be culled from my life.  Useful things that someone else should have. Things I would happily donate if I just had the time to gather them.  I know this job is not relative to Thanksgiving Dinner or the plans I have for the coming weekend, but they must be done!

Side note:  Why, as women, do we measure our success in life by such things?

I feel like a failure if things are cluttered and unorganized.  I have never heard the Man in Charge measure his worth by the state of our closet!

Ugh!

I'm going to take a serious look at the calendar and try to come up with an alternate schedule to get these tasks taken care of.

I am essentially going to create Bee Light Savings Time!

God's Promise

The Upside.

We have more than one toilet.

Hauling water to the barn is a workout.

Probably getting a new phone this week.

Just another day.

I don't think committing to blogging everyday is producing valuable content.

The toilet broke.

The water in the barn froze and busted.

I dropped my phone and cracked the screen.

Could it be?

A New Day.

As crappy as I felt yesterday went, I felt a little guilty after watching the national weather this morning.  I realize there are parts of the country really suffering with the early winter storms, and I had 60 degree temperatures yesterday.

Who am I to complain?

I'm trying to take a new approach today.

I know we all have troubles.  I am going to do my best to put on a happy face and get some work done.  I also plan on sticking my headphones in and listening to some tunes all day.  It helps to get me out of my own head.

Try it.  

You might like it.

I may even bust out some moves later.

Beautiful Day!

We've been cold and miserable, but in true fashion, Texas delivered a 60 degree day!  The sun was shining.  We had a light wind.  It was awesome.

Except for two things...

1. I'm supposed to be getting things caught up and in order for Thanksgiving next week.  All of those chores are indoors and boring.
2. I had bee chores begging for my attention.

One would think this is a win/win.  

Ditch the housework and get outside!

I did ditch the indoor chores, but I didn't really enjoy myself outside.  I managed to run around and feed all of my bees, checking for evidence of survival.  Most of this went well, except the girls were a little unpleasant today.  I mean, seriously, how much fun is it to hang around a bunch of cranky women?  This meant my feeding stops all went very quickly.  I had bees trying to hitch a ride in the truck.  I had bees stuck on my suit.  I had bees constantly buzzing in my ear.  I started getting hot.  My new haircut was getting in my face.  I was fogging up my sunglasses.  It was crazy.

It didn't take long for me to get cranky.

I made my rounds at the house last.  I just wanted to be done.  Please, force me inside to clean house!  That's when I noticed something off.  I had a hive that was relatively small, but there seemed to be a lot of activity around it.  I was pretty certain a population boom wasn't the explanation.  I grabbed the smoker and lit it up.  It took all of two seconds to see the hive in question had not made it through the cold snap.  Without bees to defend the hive, all the neighboring bees were having a field day.

Thieves!

It's sort of sad, but that hive has struggled since the beginning.  I hate to lose one, but this one didn't really surprise me.  I had sort of expected it.  Since I had the smoker going, I went ahead and popped the lid on a few more hives I had been concerned about.  I'm happy to report they are doing great.  I did manage to move some hives around and grab some panels to put up in the pasture.  Trying to prepare for the next cold snap ahead of time.  I have two hives by the driveway that I am moving to the pasture tonight.

Joy!

Moving bees in the dark.

My favorite thing to do.

All in all, I have accomplished some big tasks today, but my mood is foul and has paid the price.  My hair's still in my face, and now I smell like a bee smoker.  I see a hot bath, a hot cup of tea, and an early night in my near future.

Monsanto Survey/BlogHer

Joining BlogHer for the month of November's NabloPoMo event.  

I have enjoyed it.  

I have kept my committment to blog everyday.  

I have met new readers and have found new things to read.  

Overall - completely satisfied!

I also have received daily emails from BlogHer on various different topics.  I received one email requesting I participate in a survey regarding food.  The tagline was something like,

"How well do you know where your food comes from?"

It was sponsored by Monsanto.  

I am not a fan of Monsanto.  

I am wondering if any of you have any opinions on the survey or if you participated?

I really wish I had a copy of it.  

So, anyone out there with their hands on a copy, I'd love for you to send it to me.

Is it possible to actually catch up?

I always think, "If I can just get caught up, then life will be so much easier."

I am starting to think this is delusional thinking.

A game I play with the voice in my head?

Obviously it hasn't happened yet.

Am I just fooling myself?

Is it even a realistic possibility?  

I spend most of my life flying by the seat of my pants.  It's frustrating and totally self-inflicted, but it is my reality.  I spent all last week trying to recover from my camping trip.  Running around in the cold, stacking up bales of straw to protect my bees from the cold that has infiltrated my world much earlier than usual this season.

Side note:  Going to blame the early cold on my new Canadian Friend.  You see, I enjoy my relationship with her, but I've come to realize the problem with making friends with Canadians...they're really nice people.  Nice people want to share. It's the number one rule of being a nice person.  Sharing!  Please stop!  Our averages for this time of the year, highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's.  It snowed here last night.  Love ya, but really, I'm good!

In my hectic world, I find it best to get geared up for big events.  The best way to gear up?  Take a day off!  Rest.  Relax. Mentally prepare.  My problem, it never fails when I get in the mood to shut-down my world, like I did yesterday, something happens.

I started my day with a large box of donuts.  Don't judge me.  Well, go ahead.  It's fine.

A photo posted by bee wrangler (@bee_wrangler) on Nov 11, 2014 at 9:07am PST

My intentions, to eat as many as I could, then take a sugar-coma induced nap!  Followed in the evening by a nice cup of hot tea and to sleep like a baby all night!

The donuts thing completely happened.

Then, I countered the sugar-coma with a lot of coffee because I found a horse in the barn with a mild belly ache.  Horses with belly aches are a big concern when we suffer drastic weather changes.  I don't know if it's the change in barometric pressure, or temperatures, or what, but it's a huge concern for every horse owner.  Their environment changes and their habits change.  Either they spend more time in the barns, or they drink less water due to the cold, or they are just finicky creatures.  I don't know.  My neighbor just experienced the same thing the other night.  Unfortunately it was devastating for them.  After having a veterinarian out and spending all night with a sick horse, they ended up at the vet clinic the next day with out any success.  The animal had to be put down, and now there's a man grieving the loss of a good horse.  A tragedy that left us all sad, while reminding us about the realities of these fragile animals.

I have been hauling warm water to the barn for the horses to drink since the cold snap hit last Tuesday.  A chore I don't mind, but I do feel my arms get longer every winter.  My mare tends to be the more fragile of the two standing out there, so I have been pleased with the amount of water she has been drinking.  Saturday night had been damp, drizzly, and cold.  The winds had switched around to the south, but the dampness just made it feel colder.  I had been able to let her out earlier in the day.  Then another cold front moved through and the winds were back out of the north.  I had decided with the pastures wet from the night before, I'd leave the horses in for the day.  I ran to the barn to throw hay and dump water before I headed out to fulfill my need of sugar and bread.

All was good.

After consuming large amounts of junk food, I proceeded to goof around on the Internet for a bit.  Longing for a nap, I decided to head to the barn with water and to drop more hay before crashing out for the afternoon.  My grand ideas of sweats, a cozy blanket, curling up with my dog, and drifting off into a Utopian dreamland vanished!

My mare had been laying down and she had not finished her breakfast.

I gave her the once over.  Checking her gums for color - still pink.  Checking her sides for signs of pain and discomfort.  She has done this to me plenty of times before, and if her sides are drawn up tight, I know I'm in real trouble.  She seemed to be okay in this area.  I listened for gut sounds, still hearing light sounds, but not the usual amount of action one would hope for.  I cleaned her stall, looking for fresh poop.  Gross, but always a necessary inspection process.  I moved to her brother's stall, but kept an eye on her.  She was pacing a bit with her discomfort.  Trying to decide what to do, I made the decision to gamble and go with my gut feeling.  I was hoping I caught this at the beginning, and could possibly head it off before having to call the veterinarian out for an emergency call.

I ran to the house, informed the Man in Charge of my discovery, grabbed a shot of pain medication, and ran back to the barn.  I gave her the shot and waited for it to hit her.  Within about 15 minutes she was starting to relax a bit.

At the same time it started sleeting outside.

I know from past experience with this horse, the key is to keep her calm and comfortable.  The shot seemed to be accomplishing my goal.  I had removed all of her hay, and within minutes of the medication relieving her discomfort, she started looking around her stall for scraps.

My next decision was the big gamble.

1. Go gear up with every winter item I own and get her out of the barn and start walking her?  
2. Or, just see if I could get her to drink water and stay calm? 

I was leaning more towards #2!

This started the long, miserable process of running to the barn every thirty minutes to check on her.  If I found her laying down at any point, I would immediately call the veterinarian.  The first check, no evidence of laying down and she had drank a bit of water.  The second visit, a fresh poop.  The third visit, she drank more water and tried to bite the crap out of me!

Her brother was eating hay.

She was not.

This did not sit well with her.

I did this until midnight last night.  She managed to drink a five gallon bucket of water and take a few poops.  Each trip a little scarier for me.  The downside to this plan of action:

• Pain medication wearing off.
• Finding I had just delayed the inevitable.
• Calling the veterinarian for an emergency call.
• Walking my horse in the sleet/snow.
• Spending the night in the barn with freezing cold temperatures.

I am happy to report, this gamble paid off!  

I love it when that happens!

I caught it early enough to head off a big problem.  She seems to be doing fine this morning, and she's much happier now that she's getting a little hay.  I, on the other hand, not doing so well.  I've been gulping coffee at an absurd rate.  Yes, gulping!  No pinkies raised here.  Two hands, grasping a mug of coffee like it's my only chance of survival!  

I've managed the daunting task of making a list for the week.  Having to come to terms with the reality of my situation. Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  All the projects I hoped to accomplish before opening my home for this holiday have been firmly placed on the chopping block.  Ten years ago, I would have started remodeling the kitchen without hesitating.  The present day version of myself is much more pragmatic about what can actually be accomplished.

As if an upcoming holiday isn't enough to add to the burdens of being one step behind on my to-do list, add another weather change.  The forecast is calling for a warm up.  Another change for the animals in my world to endure.  Plus, a golden opportunity to knock out some bee chores before the next blast of cold hits us from the north.

So stay tuned.

It's going to be another jam packed week!

Hiking Adventures Continued and I have a confession.

First, my confession.  It dawned on me late last night, I may have made a mistake in the time stamp I put on the last photo in the previous post.  I stated the photo had been taken shortly after four.  Only later, it dawned on me I had not changed the time on my camera to reflect daylight savings time.

Another reason to be annoyed by the time change.

I just looked at my camera.  As much as I would like to blame the time change for the discrepancy, I can't.  My camera was off by two hours and fifteen minutes.  Not really sure about how that happened, but it made me feel better about the hike we had made.  I was pretty certain we had left right at noon.  To think it had taken us four hours was a little embarrassing. I'm not really sure why my Part-Timer did not correct me in the comment section.  I know she's reading this.  She keeps bugging me about my blogging schedule.  You'd think she could leave a comment here and there to participate, but I guess not.

Any-who.

Making it to the top of the cliff side on our trail was a huge relief.  For one, we had worked up a little sweat and there was a really nice breeze up there.  Not to mention, traveling on a level trail for a bit was a relief to my legs.  My muscles were on fire.  We also were anticipating Fern Cave.  Actually, I was expressing the fact that there better be some ferns growing there or else.  Then, the whole hike took a different turn.

We bumped into two hikers headed in the opposite direction.  A husband and wife hiking team, Damon and Irene.  They stopped and started asking questions about the trail we had just covered.  They were wondering if they could make the trip down that side.  Did I mention they were a little older?  We immediately advised against it and told them what we had just experienced.  This is when Irene may have started having a melt-down.

What are we going to do?

We've been hiking since 10:00 am.

We got lost and lost the trail.

We are out of water and food.

We got them to a position that Irene could sit down, and dropped our packs to share water and snack bars.  They were both grateful.  Irene was concerned her blood sugar was getting low, and she was relieved for the snack bar.  We told them not to worry, they were more than welcome to turn and we'd walk them out the other way.  Irene was grateful and worried all at the same time.  She had already been hiking for more than four hours and she did not want to go back the way she'd come. She started explaining the terrain they had covered, and my Part-Timer realized they had gotten off the trail after leaving Fern Cave.  After further explanation, they had followed some college kids out of Fern Cave, and had ended up on a wild life trail coming out the back of that cave instead of the path on the map.

It was at this moment Irene shared something really special with us.  They had been so worried and concerned about their predicament, they had stopped and prayed together.  Just minutes later, they bumped into us.  All of a sudden, there we were.  We had food , water, and a plan to get them out.

Just let that sink in a moment.

God is Good.

Realizing there was no other way, we headed out.  We took care helping Irene in difficult areas, and she was really sweet and grateful.  We took a much slower pace at this point, and in the end it really helped us out as well.  We made our way to the turn off for Fern Cave, and Irene and Damon decided to keep going on the trail ahead.  We assured them we would just go down to the cave to take a few photos and we'd be right behind them.  The trail they were on at this pint was wide and easy to follow, so they felt confident in going on ahead.

We made our turn, hiked down on a few boulders, and this is what we found.

 A nice surprise tucked away down in this cave.

Life can be full of surprises if you only take a little time to find them.

We spent a little time in this area, then turned to head back out.  We needed to find Irene and Damon, and make sure they were okay.

I will give them credit, once they were on the correct trail back to their car, they made tracks.  It took a bit of time to catch up with them, but once we did, we traveled on getting to know each other a bit.  They're from the Houston area and had just stopped at the park for a day hike.  They were actually in route to another park to hike the next day.  Damon walked with my girl, and I could hear bits and pieces of their conversation.  He was sharing all the places they had traveled and the hikes and camping adventures they'd been on.  This was funny because I was walking with Irene, and she was telling quite different stories about the same trips.  Most of them she felt were harrowing experiences, but nothing compared to this one.

Irene had been sure they were going to be stuck out in the canyon over night.  She was certain no one knew where they were or would be able to find them.  They were out of food and water, and they would be freezing all night long.  Her knee was killing her and she was certain they were going to end up on the news.  I did my best to reassure her, and to keep her mind on other things.   She shared things about her life, like the fact her and her husband were training for a half-marathon in January.

Did I mention they were 60 & 64 years old?

She was concerned because she was supposed to run three miles on the treadmill the following Tuesday.  After this adventure she didn't know if she'd be able to get it done.  I couldn't believe it.  Then I pointed out she might be able to use this hike towards her training schedule.  She stopped and thought about it for a moment, then decided she would do just that.

Here are some photos from our hike back around.

It was a long hike for Irene, but she did well.  We stopped a few times to get a drink of water and take a break.  She refused to sit down though.  She was certain if she did, she'd never be able to get back up.  Along the way, they had shared how they had talked to two separate rangers on their hike earlier that day.  I pointed out this meant they knew they were there, and no one would have left them out there alone.  This did little to comfort Irene.  She was certain they never would have been found because they had lost the trail.  One ranger had met them that morning when they had parked, and the other had been on horse back and met them on the trail.

Well, we knew who the horseman was.

Calculating the distance, we knew we were getting close to getting them out.  We had one ridge to hike over, and their parking area should be below.  Imagine our surprise as we approached that ridge and Ranger Dawson popped over the top of it.  I could tell he was in full-on Ranger Mode.  His adrenaline was pumping, and he was excited to see Irene and Damon. He knew when and where he'd seen them, and he had made a point to ask how much water they had on them at the time. He had conversed with the other ranger, Ranger Jack, about what time he had seen them, and when they had started out on their hike.  The fact that their car was still in the parking lot had sounded all the alarms.

Apparently...the Calvary had arrived.

Damon started explaining what they'd been through, and how they had found us.  Then he went on about how nice we had been to share our provisions and see them back out.  Ranger Dawson explained that he knew who we were, and he had bumped into us several times on his own.  As we came over the ridge, we could see Ranger Jack below.  He had a truck and trailer loaded down with ATV's.  Then, around the corner, another ranger came hauling in at top speed, screeching to a halt in the parking lot.  He had been off duty and got the call for the Search and Rescue mission they were launching.

It really was a happy ending to a long day.  There were high-fives, shaking of hands, and relief.  Irene did turn to me, and in a hushed tone said, "How embarrassing!"  I laughed with her.  Then told her she had nothing to be embarrassed about.  She had made it.  She did not have to be rescued.  She did not have to sleep in the canyon, cold and hungry.  She was not going to be all over the news, and she was leaving with quite a story to tell her friends.

Irene and Damon made it to their car.  The rangers, relieved that all had ended well, started packing their gear back up.  We had hiked over six miles, and we had another mile and a half to our camp.   Ranger Dawson was able to save the day after all.  He was more than happy to give us a ride to camp, which we eagerly agreed to.

My hat's off to the rangers.  They really do know what's going on in the park.  Who's there.  Where they are?  How long they've been there.  When to start worrying about them.  If you're in the area, please feel confident in going there and having your own adventure.  They'll have your back!

What happened next may be a little embarrassing, but I'm going to share it anyway.  We had been through a long day.  It was close to 5:00 in the evening when we made it back to camp.  We chit chatted with the ranger a bit, then loaded up in the car.  I was hungry and I wanted some food.  There is a little town about 15 minutes outside the canyon.

Quitaqua, Texas

pronounced kitty-kway

Two places available in Quitaqua to get food.  An old diner that we were sure was closed, and an Allsup's convenience store.  Some of you may be unfamiliar with Allsup's, but there are a ton of them out west.  The rule in our house, if you travel west you have to stop at Allsup's for a fried beef and bean burrito.  They're really good and really bad for you.  Best served with taco sauce, and I used to enjoy them more before I learned they are over 600 calories each.  Always one to follow the rules, I had already consumed two Allsup's burritos on my trip west Friday, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.  We drove directly there.  We parked right up front.  We went in, and this is what I ate.

• Two beef and bean burritos - 1236 calories
• One order of wings - 330 calories
• Almond Snickers Bar - 230 calories
• 32 oz. Dr. Pepper - 450 calories
• Cheetos - big grab bag - 680 calories
• 2926 Calories total
• Not one bit of Guilt!

Camping trip continued...

If you're up to speed, you know we're hiking at this point.  If you're not, go back and catch up.

I'll wait.

Go ahead.

For the most part, we had the trail to ourselves.  After our stop to chat with Ranger Dawson, we moved on.  We are not quiet hikers.  We were talking, laughing, and so forth.  We stopped here and there to replenish our bodies with water - always out of my pack - and to give the dog a drink and a break.

Along with being a decent tracker, the dog also has enough herding in her bloodlines to make it necessary for her to constantly be checking on us.  She would run ahead to a point, turn, come back and make sure everyone was still in line, then head back up to the front.  She possesses a very strong need to make sure her ducks are in a row.  This was comical to watch, and a little sad if you measure the ground she covered in her random round-ups.

I have a series of photos to show our terrain.  It should also show you the elevation change we were making.

The trail in the beginning was easy to maneuver and follow.  Wide paths, with only a slight elevation change.

We were hiking mid-day.  Not optimum for taking photos outdoors.  Well, not for me.  I've got a decent camera, but I don't really know how to use it.  I had to do some editing before posting these, so please bare with me.  The beauty here is the amount of greenery.  Luckily, this part of Texas has received some rains in 2014.  My Part-Timer informed me that her other visits to this park had been quite barren.

 

Please remember the rock slide you see in the photo above.  I tried to use it as a focal point to show what we'd been through.

Our hike proceeded to take us upwards at a slow elevation change.  (Note the rock slide on the right of the photo.)  Of course, this only lasted so long.  We made it up the path below relatively easy.

I say this now.

My opinion is only based on what we faced ahead of this point.  I will add, my beekeeping has gotten me in better shape than I have given it credit for.  I've done a lot of work over the summer.  Glad to know it has benefited me in more than one way.

I have a series of action shots showing these two traversing this point on the trail.  The part I neglected to capture...the drop off below them.  Would have made a much stronger impact on you if you could truly see how dangerous this point was.

Duh!

We did take breaks here and there.  Stopping for water, snacks, to catch our breath, and enjoy the view.

As you can see, we'd come quite far at this point.  I'd like to tell you we were at the top in the above photo, but we weren't. I would say we were a little less than halfway up at this point.

Did I mention this trail has an elevation change of 2500 ft.?

The trail became a lot more difficult.  It also was a lot harder follow.  I say this because we got off the trail shortly after this photo.  We were basically climbing a cliff face.  Having to lean forward to counter the weight of our packs is not conducive to looking around for markers.  We reached a point that seemed quite ridiculous.

Are you sure we're still on the trail?

I kept hearing things like:

I think so.

This looks right.

I can't remember.

This is when I started focusing on the dog.  She was still at point, being urged on by her owner.  Wanting to obey, she moved onward.  I could tell she was getting a little nervous.  She seemed unsettled.  This is when I called stop.  We reached a point where we could get a better look around and realized we could not see any trail markers.  While we were looking around, the dog bailed.  She started back down the trail, passing both of us.  The cliff face was so steep, I just turned and started sliding down on my rear.  My Part-Timer, thinking she was above this tactic, started trying to traverse down on her feet above me.

Not possible.

All I heard was a scream or laugh, and then there were rocks coming down all around me.  I could hear her behind me, coming down quick.  Somehow she managed to put the breaks on before she hit me.  She was laughing.  I was seeing my life flash before my eyes.  Had she hit me, I would have shot off the cliff face like a rocket.

It would not have been pretty.

As she slowed herself, we made our way down.  Both of us on our rears at this point.  We had to go down about twenty feet before the dog immediately picked up on the correct trail.

She was off, tail wagging and a lot more certain of our direction.  After getting our feet back under us, I took this moment to inform my Part-Timer that I would be following the dog from now on.

We were in a pretty steep part of our hike.  I do not mind sharing the fact that I was quite winded at this point.  Once we reached a level spot, I stopped to check my heart rate on my phone.

I have an app for that.

It was 133.

That can't be right.

I checked it again.  It was 129.

Must be right.

My girl checked her's - 97.

Really?

This is when I may have cussed every cigar I have ever smoked with the Man in Charge.  Yes, I know.  Shocking to some of you, but it's true.

(Note the rock slide in the upper left of this photo)

(Note the rock slide in the upper middle of this photo.)

That rock slide was a thing of the past.  We had a bit further before we actually reached the top.  I got off the trail a little to get this shot for you.  To give a little perspective, it was 4:13 pm when I took the photo below.  We had started this hike around lunch time.

We made it!

As exciting as this had been...nothing compared to what happened next!

Caprock Canyon State Park

As I mentioned previously, I had never visited this state park.  It really should be on your list if you ever find yourself in the area.  As unexpected as this trip was, this was perfect weather for a trip like this.  I believe I am much more interested in camping in the fall than in the spring/summer months.  For one thing, I don't really like being hot and not being able to find any relief from the heat.  For another thing, I don't like flies, mosquitoes, other random bugs, snakes, etc.  These problems were not a problem on this trip.  While we were a little chilly the first night, we were able to light a campfire and warm ourselves nicely.  Sleeping in the tent was pretty warm as well.  We both were dressed in warm clothes and our sleeping bags were rated for the low temperatures we experienced.

Sleeping on the ground was not so great.  I had brought two yoga mats for a little cushion under my bag, but had I known we would have slept in a location so near the car, I would have brought the air mattress I had stored away in an extra closet.  I even had the capability of inflating this air mattress from the car.

Again, hindsight is 20/20.

I probably woke up every hour on the hour.  Each time I awoke, I took a peak around to see what the dog was doing.  She was wide awake each time.  The dog has radar ears, and she had them tuned in on every single sound.  At about 4:30, I awoke to coyotes howling on the opposite side of the canyon.  I looked down at the dog and she was tuned in as well. Then, about 100 yards behind our campsite, another pack of coyotes started moving through and howling as well.  That dog whipped her head around, and in the moonlight I could clearly see her confused expression.  If she could have spoke, her words would have been,

"How did they do that?"

This cracked me up.  I watched her whip her head from one direction to another until the coyotes passed.

I must have fallen back asleep, only to wake up at 6:30 in the morning.  Some other campers in the area were moving around and I heard a car door slam.  Kenzie let out a low growl.  I felt confident no one would be able to sneak up on us. The dog was on alert.  She really was solid in the campsite.  Each time we were outside the tent, she positioned herself in a manner to clearly see up the trail leading into our location.  Again, she is a complete goofball when she vacations at my home, but clearly in this environment she was focused and on the job.

After the 6:30 wake up call, I was done.  I unzipped my sleeping bag and started looking for my hiking boots.  My Part-Timer woke and asked the time.  She sort of groaned when she realized I was getting up.  She wasn't really ready yet.

I did not come all this way to sleep with you in a tent!

I unzipped the tent and crawled out.  My lower back wasn't too happy with me, but once I walked around a bit and stretched out, it started loosening up.  I lit a new campfire and my girl got the coffee ready to go on the fire.  We knew it would be a bit before our morning infusion of caffeine, so we walked around a bit behind our campsite and took some photos of the sunlight peaking into the canyon.

Remnants of the moon that had aided us the night before...

We goofed around a bit, then went back for our coffee.  My girl headed to the car for something and bumped into the ranger we had met the night before.  His name is Dawson.  I could hear their conversation from my position at the fire.  They were both chatting it up.  He wanted to make sure we were okay and enjoying ourselves to this point.  She made it back to the campsite where we devised a plan.  First order of business, hit the showers!  Frankly, I wasn't doing a thing until I got a hot shower.  My muscles needed it.

We took care of our business at the campsite and piled in the car.  We drove around to the showers, grabbed our necessities, then made the best of concrete showers on a cold morning.  I will say, the water was hot.  Not a lot of water pressure, but enough.  Once we were dressed and presentable, we drove to the ranger's station and made the changes for our camping plans.  We looked around the gift shop, stocked up on water, and paid our camping fees.  Then headed back around to our camp.  We had been discussing our plans for the day.  My girl usually hikes a specific trail.  She had a lot of questions, seeming unsure if I was up to the day's events.  I simply explained this was her trip and I was along for the ride. Whatever she wanted to do was okay with me.

She wanted to take a nap.

What?

I did not come all this way to sleep with her in a tent!

She whined and I relented.  I told her I would give her thirty minutes.  We climbed back into the tent.  The temperatures were pleasant at this time, and she fell right to sleep.  About 15 minutes later, I hear a truck with a horse trailer pulling around and parking very near us.  Then, I heard a horse being unloaded.  A person mounting up and they trotted away.  I elbowed her at this point.

Your boyfriend is looking for you.

She woke, confused by what I had said.  I explained what I just heard and she laughed, oblivious to the fact that Ranger Dawson might even remotely be interested.  She was awake at this point.  Ready to get up.

Oh no.

I still have 15 minutes.

I tried to go to sleep, but she kept talking to me.  I wouldn't budge until the alarm on my phone went off.
Getting up, we packed two small backpacks with water and provisions.  Provisions being beef-jerky and snack bars.  It was just about noon at this time.  We headed out on our hike.

It didn't take long to see fresh hoof prints on the trail.

He's looking for you.

She refused to believe it.

No he's not.

We hiked along for about an hour, stopped to grab a drink of water and a snack.  Water out of my pack by the way!  It was heavy, and I wanted to lighten my load.  It didn't take long and who should pop up on the trail?  Ranger Dawson stopped to talk to us.  He asked about our route.  Told us to make sure to see Fern Cave.  Then proceeded to find every reason to keep talking to us.  Us being her, not me.  He told us about his horse.  His life before coming to work at this park.  His training since arriving, and the fact that they did search and rescue weekly for visitors.  Mostly in the summer months when people would head out in the heat, unprepared.  We eventually parted ways.  Us heading out.  Him heading back the way we'd come.

The trail was pretty easy to follow in the beginning.  There are markers with arrows along the way.  Then, we came across this one...

Then we came across this one...

Good to know the rangers have a sense of humor.

We continued on.

We had a ton of water and we were enjoying 70 degree weather with a nice breeze.                   

Coloring My Hair Makes Me Love My Kids More!

Obviously posting to this blog early in the day works best for me.  If I can get it done by lunch time, I'm good.  If not, it'll be a struggle or won't happen at all.  The last two days I've put it off until evening.  Last two days, evening rolls around and I'm brain dead.

Today I took a personal day.

A much needed personal day!

I headed to the big city to visit with some friends and get my hair done.  I was in much need of a haircut and a color. Someone once asked me why I color my hair?

Because I don't like gray hair.

Then they were shocked to realize I had gray hair.

Point made!

My hair isn't completely gray, but my gray is in the front and on top.  Not a single gray hair on the back of my head.  It started pretty early for me, but because I used to highlight my hair, it wasn't visible.

Then it increased.

I quit highlighting my hair because it was ruining it.  My natural color has gotten darker as I've aged, and I decided to quit fighting it.  I've been lucky enough to do low lights in varying shades, and it prevents me from having an obvious line of gray hair as it grows out.

Another reason I color my hair...

I find it makes it easier to love my children.

At 22 and 27, I blame them for each and every gray hair on my head.

Today, as I was getting my hair done, my stylist pointed out I have a lot more gray.

Hey!

Then she pointed out I have way more gray on the right side of my head than the left side.

Weird?

I thought about this on the way home.  I've come to the conclusion this is directly related to my girls.  They each individually, and jointly, have spent countless hours talking my ear off while driving down the road.

They get me pinned behind the wheel and talk extensively.

While this was an awesome experience as a parent because it kept me informed on their lives.

Not so good for my hair! 

I love that they have always felt able to talk to me about anything.

I love both of them immensely!

I am, however, blaming this on of both them.

It's the only logical explanation.

(Camping adventures and photos will be up tomorrow.)

A photo posted by Chelsea (@cheleseaaaa) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:08pm PST

Blogging Every Day!

Sounds easy.  

Most days, it is easy.  

Today, not easy.

As you may know, I went camping this past weekend.  What you may not know, I had planned on winterizing all my bees this past weekend.  Last Friday and Saturday were perfect for such a chore.  Nice weather.  Lots of sunshine.

I was not here.

I'm not complaining.  My trip was of the utmost importance and I gladly cleared my schedule to go.  The only problem came upon arriving back home.  Monday was 80 degrees, but 30 mph winds gusting up to 40 mph.  Not exactly ideal when it comes to beekeeping.  Plus, I had totally neglected some of my other duties.  This meant Monday was all about catching up.

Tuesday the cold front arrived.

Yesterday I ran around stacking bales of straw to use as wind breaks and installing entrance reducers.  Two things required for bees to make it through the winter.  I did not get everything finished.  Today has been much colder.  I picked back up where I left off.

The wind has been ridiculous.

I still have things to do.

I still have to go back outside.

I've lived in my coveralls today.

Heading out to finish, then off to bed.  

You'll get more of the camping adventure tomorrow.

Adventures of a Mother/Daughter camping trip.

These adventures took place at Caprock Canyon State Park.  It is a beautiful park, and while I was born and raised in Texas, spent most of my life here, I've never been to this park before.  Truthfully?  There are a lot of places I've never seen in this great state.  It is part of the beauty of Texas.  There is a little something for everyone here, and it could take a lifetime to discover it.

My Part-Timer lives in the Lubbock area, and she has visited this park on more than one occasion.  As I mentioned in my previous post, she neglected to mention she had never camped in the remote site she had reserved for this trip.  While this was a little surprising, and added to some of my uncertainty, it is totally typical for this child.

So..

No real surprise at all.

We pulled into the park, realized the ranger station was closed, then made our way around to the parking area we would use as our staging area.  We were headed to the North Prong Primitive Camping Area.  My little girl had managed to pack two packs with gear.  One for each of us.  We spent a short amount of time transferring some of my gear into one of the packs.  You know, important things like:

• Something to sleep in.
• Sleeping bag.
• Dental hygiene supplies.
• Contact supplies.
• Additional food items.

We then proceeded to layer on clothing, coats included.  We helped one another get our packs on and adjusted.  There was a lot of laughing and giggling during this process.  They were heavy.  A minimum of 50 lbs. each.  Plus, we had an additional back-pack and the dog.  Steadying ourselves, we started out.  It was starting to get dark, but we were blessed with a bright moon to light our path.

It took all of five minutes and we were starting to sweat.  We realized our mistake in putting our coats on, but time was of the essence.  We pushed on.  The trail was solid.  Only a few obstacles here and there, but we were hiking up into the park. Not sure of the elevation difference, just know there was enough of one to make it a work out.  At one point, we were struggling with the additional back-pack we were passing back-and-forth between us.  I stopped and we let the straps out.  I then had her assist me with placing it on my back, over my pack.  This made things a little easier for a while, until both my arms started falling asleep.  I was inadvertently cutting off my circulation.  When I couldn't take anymore, we stopped to remove the pack.  I also took this opportunity to remove all my equipment so I could get my coat off.  After strapping my coat onto my pack, I had to load it all back on my back.  Then make adjustments to my gear so I could get a snug fit.

I cannot convey the importance of a pack that fits you properly!

My Part-timer's pack fit her perfectly.  I was using a pack belonging to a young man she works with.  The fit was close, but no cigar.  I had it tightened as much as possible, but it was still slightly big.  This allows the pack to pull back.  Which makes gravity - not your friend!  After our short stop, we started back on the trail.  Only to realize we were closer to our turn off than we had thought.

Ugh!

Had I known, I would have suffered with the discomfort and kept going.

Hindsight is 20/20.

We made the turn to the campsite, only to see lights ahead at the campsite.  

Someone else was up there.

This prompted a stop and a lot of discussion.  We wanted to be alone.  My Part-Timer was under the impression this was a single campsite.  In her mind, someone had taken our spot.  This did not make her happy.  On top of the frustration of a bad week, I was trying to talk her down off the ledge so to speak.  While we were having our conversation, the campers up ahead had caught the dog's eyes facing them in the dark.  Only thing, they had no idea it was a dog.  The next thing we noticed, two flashlights coming down the trail toward us.  While we were uncertain of our plans, this left us to make a decision.

Proceed and confront these Yay-Whos?

Turn and leave?

We decided to proceed and confront.  Once we made it up to the camping area, we realized we were facing two guys.  A little unsettling for us.  The two guys, relieved when they saw the dog.  Apparently they thought they were being visited by a coyote.  I will give the dog credit.  She is more than a little goofy when she visits my home, but in this environment, she became extra protective and was letting loose with a low growl.  

Certainly enough to be intimidating.  

Our conversation was awkward at best.  We mentioned our reservation for the sight.  They mentioned their reservation for the site.  They did point out that while it was crowded, there was plenty of room for everyone, and tried to be welcoming. Somehow, the conversation included mentioning of a campfire?  We were then informed that campfires were not permitted at primitive sites in the park.

A fact my Part-timer was not aware of.

We knew we wanted a campfire.  We knew we did not want to camp at a primitive location with two strange men.

Change of plans.

We decided to turn back and hike back to the car.  Drive to another location.  Another location my girl had camped at previously.  Then we would hash out all the details at the ranger station in the morning.

Did I mention it was dark?

Back down we went.  Back down with loaded packs.  Back down in the dark.  

We were pooped.

We loaded all our gear back in the car.  Jumped in and drove around to the South Prong Tent Camping area.  A location my little one had always camped at before, but had skipped this go round because it was usually crowded.  Well, guess what?  Not a lot of people out camping in the cold!  Can you imagine that?  We drove around the area to find two other groups of campers.  Then, we located a secluded spot and decided to claim it as our own.  

Having been on the road a couple of hours, hiking a couple of miles with gear, a bathroom pit-stop was needed.  We drove back around to the restroom.  We were relieved to find the facilities clean, and we took care of our business.  Walking back to the car, we made another encounter.  A ranger had noticed our car and decided to investigate.  Once he said hello, my Part-Timer launched into action.

"Do you work here?"

He had no idea what hit him.  She ran through the details of our adventure and expressed her discontent with finding campers in a site she thought would be our's alone.  He explained there were actually three campsites to reserve in that location.  No, we weren't allowed to have a campfire up there.  Then, a little confused about the details she had relayed, told us we wouldn't want to make that hike in the dark.  He was shocked to find we already had.  When I say shocked, I mean a little impressed.  During the conversation, he was also a little impressed to find she had regularly frequented the park alone.  Once we had all the facts, we explained we were pitching camp at another location and we would be in the ranger station the following morning to make the necessary changes.  He agreed, and we parted ways.

With that done, we drove back around to our new home.  Her job - set up the tent.  My job - unload the car and get a campfire going.  As exhausted as we were, these tasks were accomplished quickly and without incident.  The only thing left to do...

• Cook dinner.
• Make hot tea.
• Laugh at our trip so far.
• Crash out.

That last task...a little harder than it should have been.  I can not tell you the last time I slept in a tent on the ground. Seriously.  I have thought long and hard about it.  It has been so long ago, I can't put a date on it. 

Just drawing a blank.  

I got nothing.

Park Map

I've got some explaining to do.

I know my blog took a turn and a road-trip.  Just a quick catch up post here, then I have some chores to catch up on.

My Part-Timer (oldest child) received some difficult news last Wednesday.  I was with her via text messaging when she received this news.  It was devastating for both of us.  We all want the best for our kids, and when they have negative experiences, we feel it right along with them.  My first response was to tell her how sorry I was and to invite her home for the weekend.  I told her I would cook all her favorite foods and let her throw things and cry.

Her:  No.  I want to go hide under a rock. 

My next offer, "You want me to come hide with you?"

Her:  Sure!  You want to go camping with me?  LOL

It took about two seconds to realize she was speaking in literal terms when she mentioned that rock.  Apparently she had made reservations at a camp site weeks before.  Her intentions were to go whether she received good news or bad news.  In my mind, when she mentioned hiding, I imagined locking yourself in the dark and not coming out until you felt better.

So not what she meant.

This realization did not change my maternal instinct.  The instinct that was telling me my kid should not be alone and she needed me.

So,  "Sure.  If you want to go camping, we'll go camping."

The things that happened after this comment are sort of a blur right now.  She was excited.  She started telling me about the supplies she had.  Asking me about the supplies I had.  Listing things we would need to acquire.  If I had any doubts at all, they vanished that evening when we touched base and she revealed she had cried more once she got home from her day because I was coming, then because of her bad news.

This really means a lot to me, Mom!

I cleared my schedule.  I went and bought a pair of hiking boots and a compass.  I dug out the sleeping bag and packed warm clothes.  I grabbed my camera bag, rented a car, and jumped on the road at 7:30 Friday morning.

There is a ton of blurry in there.  There were also little comments here and there from my Part-Timer.  Little tidbits of information that caused me to raise an eyebrow on more than one occasion.  Things such as...

• It's going to be really cold so pack a lot of layers.
• We'll have limited provisions:  beans, beef jerky, and snack bars.
• There is a one mile hike into the campsite.
• There is an 'organic' toilet.
• Showers are available in the park, bring flip-flops.

While these things made me raise an eyebrow and ask questions, they didn't stop here.  Once I had driven five hours and finally laid my hands on her, she let loose with more information.

• We'll be using a lot of new gear I haven't tried out before.
• I've never camped at this remote site before.
• The one mile hike to camp will be with packs carrying our gear.
• We'll have to make two trips to include firewood and water.
• It's another two hour drive to the park.
• It will be getting dark when we arrive.

We had a few stops to make in town before we could leave.  I was on her like crazy.  Watching the clock.  Estimating sunset.  Trying to calculate the time to get there and to make the necessary trips to get set up.

It was crazy!

We drove like crazy.  We arrived at 5:15 pm.  The ranger station was already closed.  The shot I posted the other night was just as we pulled into the park.

I committed to posting every day this month and it was challenging at this location.  I spent a lot of time walking around with my phone to get a signal.  I then spent a lot of time baby-talking to my phone.  You know, encouraging it to work.  So, to this point, I've kept my word.  I wasn't able to cross-post to BlogHer, but I did try.  Just not enough coverage to make that happen.  Phone calls were almost impossible.  I was able to talk to the Man in Charge once when we got settled, and then I was able to leave him one voice mail.  Sending a text message was just as challenging.  One night sitting by the fire, I was able to text with my Full-Timer, but when I moved to the other side of the fire, no luck.

This was an action packed trip.

It will take a few posts to cover all that happened.

As much as I would love to sit here and write an epic tale, I have to give my dogs a bath.  They stink.  It's warm today, but the wind is blowing about 30 mph.  I really should be doing some bee chores, but this wind is making it impossible.  The bad news, it will be really cold starting tomorrow.  We are getting our first freeze tomorrow night.  This is why the dogs have to get there baths today!

They are snoring right now.

Sleeping right behind me.

Oblivious to the fact that I am about to ruin their day.