January 7, 2011

January 1, 2011

  • Happy 2011!!!

     

    Dear Xanga Friends,

    A new year brings all kinds of resolutions and changes,
    and 2011 is bringing a slight change to my approach to blogging. 

    I have outgrown the capacity of Xanga,
    and if I am going to continue to blog, I need my own site and server. 
    Happily, I’ve got a software engineer for a husband,
    and he’s set me up with just what I need.

    I love all my Xanga friends,
    and hope you will join me at Nettie’s World
    where I will keep doing just what I’ve been doing here,
    journaling our day to day life,
    photo-blogging,
    and discussing topics that interest me. 

    May your 2011 be blessed!!

    Love,

    ~Nettie~

December 31, 2010

  • December Ranch Trip 2010 – IX

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Well.
    Here we were,
    stuck.
    In the ditch.
    On a mountain.
    With no cell phone reception.


    At least I had something to occupy my time!


    Visibility at this point was not bad at all…

    Paul got out,
    with some difficulty, as his door was wedged shut.
    When he jumped out he was knee deep
    in snow.
    He climbed up the mountain beside us,

    and was able to get a signal up top,


    and call for a tow truck.


    Then he slid back down.


    Here we all are!


    Stuck.
    Now winter coats,
    no gloves or boots,
    no shovel.
    Decidedly unprepared for winter driving.


    A highway patrol officer stopped by to check on us,
    then since we were already awaiting a tow truck,
    left to go check on a collision elsewhere.


    Then commenced the waiting.


    Paul was in and out,
    making sure the tail pipe was clear.
    He got rather cold.
    I was the mean mom and wouldn’t let the kids out to play on the mountain side.
    Who knew how long the wait would be for the tow truck, right?


    Well, we were surprised when he pulled up
    about one hour after our call!
    Not bad at all, considering we were 40 miles from Globe!


    The first thing he tried was pulling us backward,
    downhill and out the way we came into the snowbank.


    That got us further downhill,
    but he couldn’t get us out of the ditch.
    So he drove around front
    and hooked us up
    to try to pull us out frontways.


    Unfortunately,
    he only had 2wd, and couldn’t get enough traction.


    We were woeful as he departed,
    promising to send the 4wd truck our way as soon as possible.

    Then commenced the second wait.


    About 3 hours after we slid ditchward,
    tow truck #2 arrived.


    It was big and beefy,
    and had a two man team.


    Things were looking up.


    Tightening up the winch…


    Slowwwwwwly….


    And….


    We’re out!


    Now we just needed to follow them to the nearest pull off


    Where we parked,


    Let the kids and dogs stretch their legs,


    and Paul climbed in the truck to take care of payment.
    It was more than double the price the first tow guy quoted,
    but then,
    it was more than double the truck.
    And they got us out.
    Totally worth $225.

    Though we were out of the ditch,
    we were not out of the storm,
    and drove very circumspectly the rest of the way to Globe.
    On the way into town
    we finally saw some light…

    And thanked the Lord repeatedly for caring for us
    along the treacherous journey.

    ~*~*~*~*~

     

  • December Ranch Trip 2010 – VIII

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Our stop in Show Low was as fast as humanly possible.
    Blizzard conditions were imminent,
    and Paul was determined not to be stuck in a hotel overnight.


    Besides, he said,
    these conditions would never stop Minnesota drivers.


    So onward we went.


    Taking the downhills very, very slowly.


    In between taking pictures,


    I mostly kept my eyes on my crochet project,


    especially on the curves.


    Entering the Salt River Canyon,


    the view was a little less idyllic than on the previous trip.

    We made it down, and up the other side with no mishaps,
    and saw no accidents along the way.

    We were thankful.

    However, as we were coming up out of the canyon,
    climbing a long slow incline,
    we had nearly reached the mountain’s summit,
    when we hit
    that magical patch of ice
    with just the right touch of gas,
    and began to slide.


    Almost gently,
    we slid off the right side of the road,


    into the ditch, up against the mountain side.

    We were good

    and

    stuck!

    ~*~*~*~*~

     

  • December Ranch Trip 2010 – VII

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Although we had originally planned to stay at the ranch
    until Friday,
    plans evolved during the week and we decided to head back Thursday evening
    (which would give us a full day of fun, plus the added
    bonus of a night drive).

    However.

    Thursday morning the winds were high.


    Snowfall increased steadily.


    The dogs gamboled happily,


    and so did the kids,


    as the novelty of snow is a rare joy
    for desert dwellers.


    Paul got to wear his Minnesota hat,


    And after The Boy (here sleeping upside down in his sleeping bag)
    woke up,


    he had to try the hat too.


    There was an early morning snow fight…


    But as the snow increased,
    Paul went up to our neighbor’s place
    and checked the weather forecast.


    This
    brought the enlightening news
    that the whole area was covered by a winter storm warning
    until 5pm,
    with 5-6 inches of snow predicted on the ranch,
    and 10-20″ in both Show Low and Payson,
    our two options for driving home.
    By 8am Hwy 40 was closed,
    and we
    decided to pack and bug out,
    and were on the road by 8:30a.m.


    The ranch road, here partially clear…


    there, not so clear…


    Heading down the winding 60/40 at a very slow speed…


    Out on the highway, a snow-plough on the opposite side…


    Heading into Show Low…


    The drive should take about 40 minutes,
    and took more like a couple of hours.


    We left so fast,
    Paul did not have a chance to grab his sunglasses,
    so he had to wear mine.


    Happy carefree kids!


    At the gas station in Show Low,
    we pulled in behind a local
    who had not yet brushed off his truck.

    ~*~*~*~*~

  • December Ranch Trip 2010 – VI

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Our sojourn on the north end of Carrizo
    was an occasion for a little further
    exploration,


    though I was mostly interested in the sky…


    and the cows…

    Back at the cabin,


    Jacob spent some quality time with
    his Mandalorians,
    bounty hunters,
    and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.


    The fire roared.


    Nettie worked on her
    new Orchid
    afghan.

    And after a wee bit,


    took Megan for driving practice
    (with Geneva riding along).


    We saw cows.


    We saw dramatic rays of sun peeking through dark clouds.


    We saw more cows.


    Home sweet home.


    And the evening included a rousing game of
    Blitz.


    And these two finished off the day
    playing “Go Fish”
    with Uno cards.

    ~*~*~*~*~

     

  • December Ranch Trip 2010 – V

    ~*~*~*~*~

    By Wednesday morning,
    the storm clouds that we knew had been predicted
    had rolled in,

    and all the children were
    in their ecstasies
    over white stuff falling from the sky!

    Our first order of business was to head into town
    and do our grocery shopping
    at Wilbur’s IGA.
    That was a very brief affair,
    as I was in a save-money mode,
    and we were soon back on the road.

    We decided to do an explore
    (don’t we always?)
    and visit the Lower Carrizo Well
    (which curiously enough is actually north of
    another of our favorite
    locales,
    Upper Carrizo Well).


    By the time we arrived,
    the wind had picked up and we were fighting some
    bitter cold.


    Frozen drinking water…

    What we did not expect to find here at this
    supposedly abandoned site
    was that someone had fixed up the fences
    and was keeping horses!


    Lovely creatures.
    I did not envy them having to stay out in the weather though.


    Dramatic stormy skies across the range.

    And then we raced back to the van
    and bundled inside to
    thaw out our aching fingers, noses, and toes.

    Look at those rosy cheeks.
    Don’t you just want to pinch them?

    Oh wait,
    that’s just me.

    ~*~*~*~*~

     

  • December Ranch Trip 2010 – IV

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Tucked away inside for the night,
    protected from the below-freezing temps
    by our wonderful insulation and


    blazing wood stove,

    Laurent and Jacob prepared a
    strange, yet tasty
    concoction for supper


    that included
    chopped hot dogs,
    boxed mashed potatoes,
    and
    sauerkraut.
    Don’t knock it till you try it!


    Later, Megan wrote in her journal by lamp light, and
    drew illustrations for her short story,
    “The Yodeling Yodeler of Yoelli”
    (which is, so far, hilariously inventive).

    Meanwhile,
    Geneva and Jacob
    were roughhousing on the cots,

    and raising such a spectacular ruckus that I could not believe
    THIS:

    Apparently,
    a parent
    can sleep through
    almost anything
    if
    tired enough.

    ~*~*~*~*~

     

  • December Ranch Trip 2010 – III

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Remember back in the summer months when I was
    raving about all the green?
    Well,
    we are in the brown months now.
    Here are my nature pics
    from day one,
    wherein I extol the glories of the many
    and varying shades of
    gold and tan.

     

    And a little color to finish off the day:

    ~*~*~*~*~