*Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow... Then Melt... Then Snow... Then Melt*

This winter has been so crazy. I'm not complaining though! It's actually pretty nice. One day it will snow and either by that night or the next day it's completely gone. And that's BIG for around here! Now, a lot of people are worried about there not being enough water come summer. But, Joey thinks we'll be fine. With how stinkin' wet it was last summer, we'll be dandy. We got too much water last year actually, we had two whole fields that we couldn't even hay because they were flooded all summer long. So, for this year, I'm okay with this 50-65 degree winter weather!

We have enjoyed a couple snow days though. A couple weeks ago it was actually cold enough to freeze the river so we decided to go for a walk in hopes of finding a fox den (don't ask, we want a fox as a pet...). It was fun, the ground was frozen so it was easy to walk through the swampy area. The dogs were having a blast running across the frozen river and after Joey decided he'd show me that he wouldn't fall through (despite my very loud disagreement) and he succeeded. I ended up (quickly) scurrying across. It was pretty scary because not far away there were holes in the ice... We're idiots.

The canals were completely froze through and we went "ice skating" across it. The dogs (just Doc & Dolly, Coatsy would NOT have had fun haha) had a blast and they needed the exercise.

I am loving this winter. If every winter were like this around here I wouldn't complain... well, until we had to start buying hay because we wouldn't have enough water to grow our own haha.

I got a few pictures. Sorry, they're all with the camera on my phone...

 {Joey being all mushy in the snow)

 {All bundled up}

 {The big dogs having fun on the frozen river}

{My sweet Doc after rubbing his face in the snow. His favorite thing}

*1st Snow Of Our 2011-2012 Winter*

These are for my parents who are missing out on our Fall snow storm. The 1st picture I took earlier today. Look at how blue, all I did was enhance the whole photo slightly, it's crazy how our world went from a brilliant green to a chilly blue in just a few weeks! 

This 2nd picture was taken just a few minutes ago. It's getting dark and cold out. And I think it's getting ready to snow again. Well, it was a beautiful 1 week of Fall we got to enjoy. I guess there is some good to this weather, the cows will most likely head down from the mountains sooner than later so we can get them home. It's definitely not my house where it's outrageously cold because I haven't had anyone come get our chimney cleaned so we can have a fire in the wood burning stove because we can't afford to heat our 150 year old house that has absolutely no insulation whatsoever. I worked at the boat shop today and it was funny to watch Scott & Kendall work... Kendall had to hold up a heater while Scott glued the small wooden pieces in the screw holes, they had about a thousand or more to do hahaha. The shop has the same problem as my house, it has no insulation just yet. So I wake up and freeze, go to work and freeze, come home and freeze again. I'm SO excited for winter :) Anyway, here's the pretty awesome picture I got...

*Coldmorning*

Brrrrr, it was cold this morning but, also, gorgeous with the sun shining. I wish I would have had a better camera to capture it but I did my best:

We are getting ready to go round up our first calf heifers to Scour guard, "Big Girl Tag"(as Joey calls it), and Preg check. At least the sun is shining :) I'm gonna try and take some pictures. Have a great day! 

*Fun In The Sun... But, Still Frozenness*

Joey & Maroan(Or, Strawberry... which ever) out enjoying the sun. Not necessarily the warm weather, just the sun :)

Ain't he just SEXY?!? Mmmm hmmm ;)

*Blizzard- Right Here, Right Now*

There is a blizzard going on outside

I am "stuck" at the ranch while Joey is "stuck" at his brother's place

We both just want to be at home

I might chance the weather

{Just looked out the window} Or maybe not, it's scary out there

I need to get home so I can cook my Spanish Chicken Skillet

We're having Sage (Joe's nephew) over for dinner

His parents are lucky and in the BAHAMAS on a cruise

I'm kinda jealous :)

Well, I think I have to chance the weather to get home and get Dolly her meds

She got a new wrap today on her leg where she got caught in a barbed-wire fence

We have the worst luck with dogs

Joey decided the more you care for them the more things that go wrong!

Wish me luck

*January Thaw*

We are now in the middle of our "January Thaw" as people around here call it.  It's glorious!  I can see the roads(most of them) through the snow.  I have been walking around outside in just a sweater on {gasp}.  And I have been burning up indoors.  Last night we slept with the heater off and the fan on high.  Wow.  I think I might cry... a happy cry :)  But, I'm told it doesn't last too long so I'm enjoying it!  Hopefully I'll be prepared this time for the sudden... frozenness... And I'll be able to say "Bring it on".

*Trials*

(Beware: This is a long venting post)

I know I put "Learning to love ranch life" as one of my new year resolutions but seriously, WHO'S idea was it to have a ranch in a place where there is snow for 10 months out of the year and -40 degrees is a norm??  I want to kick that guy in his unmentionables.  And yes, I have no doubt it was a guy.  I am just having the hardest time with the weather here.  I'm from Northern Idaho, I'm used to cold and wet but not face numbing, frigid, pipe freezing, slip-on-ice-you-just-barely-melted-with-salt-and-break-your-back, horrible, nasty weather! 

Okay, with that little vent over and done with, I am sorry but this is another "bad mood" post.  There's only so much I can take before I break down... for a little while at least.  It all started the day after we moved back home to the ranch on Saturday...

Get this... -14 degrees at 4:00 PM while the sun was shining.  Thank heavens for our friends Gabe & Carlie for their help unloading all our stuff, you guys probably saved me from my could have been first break down.

My house was a disaster that day, it's not as bad of a disaster right now but it still is a disaster.

Sunday night we realized our puppy Bo wasn't looking too hot, he wasn't eating, looked way too skinny, wasn't even walking around.  I gave him some dewormer, a blanket and extra food and got ready for bed. He then started throwing up all over the place.  Finally Joe & I got him calmed down and put him to bed in his kennel.  We said a prayer and hoped he'd be better in the morning.

Monday was the big one though, it was the day I decided "It's okay, you can cry".  I woke up to a messy, nasty house, frozen and very dead house plants and an even sicker pup.  Joe made a vet appointment and I jumped in the shower.  As I headed on my 45min drive to the vet in Evanston on our snowy/dirt road I almost hit head on with someone because I couldn't see anything but snow, so I decide to drive on my side of the road, bad idea, I got sucked into the ditch on the side of the road and got stuck.  It took Joe 1/2 an hour to come get me unstuck.  By then I was late for the vet appt and Bo wasn't moving and had started wheezing.  Joey decided to drive me because I was shaking and upset.  30 min later we got to the vet and Bo was slipping away in my arms, I had to hand him to Joey and go stare out the window.  We finally got a vet to look at him, run a test for Parvo, negative, Bo's eyes started glazing over so I had to leave the room, stopped my crying long enough to walk back in the room right as Joey says "...let's put the poor guy out of his misery", I had to leave the room again.  Finally Joey gets back to the truck where I was and told me what the vet said.  Apparently Bo had a kind of digestive infection that basically had starved him, he had no muscle left, they could do an IV drop but he gave him less than a 50/50 chance to live and all in all it would cost us over $500.  Joey signed the papers to have him put down.  Our poor baby, we didn't even know anything was wrong until Sunday night, the vet said we caught it sooner than most people but it still was basically too late.  Joey was so upset, it was heartbreaking.

Since then our house is still a disaster, it's still a freezing death hole outside, today our water quit working and we still don't know why, I found mouse poop ALL over the in the kitchen cabnets and drawers, Joe & I are both still sick, we both have had bad tempers, and I can't seem to stop crying.  I think I might have had it... I don't exactly know what that means but it sounds right.

I promise next time I write it will be about something happy.  Hope y'alls first week of this new year has been a little better than ours