June 3, 2011

Today is the first day of my new life. I leave NY State and head to Nevada to finally be with Joe and my kids and I cannot wait. The house I still love, in Keeseville, is under contract and scheduled to close on June 20th. I'm glad to know that the woman buying it also fell in love with it when she saw it.

I finally got my psychology degree and graduated magna cum laude. Now I need to finish the medical transcription course.

I have a couple of hours before I fly out and am hanging at my sister's with Mom and Carter. Carter had his tonsils and adnoids out and is tired and sore. He is napping now and I feel so bad for him.

Time to get everything together and ready for departure. See you in Nevada.

Sheepshttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3381487887103078126&postID=4086390356600476974 Creek Range

This is the view of the Shoshone Mesa of Sheep Creek Ridge from our house.

Today we decided to check out Sheep Creek Range. I see it everyday from the house and it has a flat ridge and is different form the other three ranges I see which have high peaks. A co-worker of Joes said we could drive all the way to the top (where the communication towers are.) So we brought lunch and plenty of drinks, packed the black dog in (Buddy is getting too old for such an event) and set out on another adventure. It ended good but there were some scary moments for me.
We stopped just below the lowest dark line which is a fall of volcanic rock.

On the way I was very excited because I had been admiring the ridge and wondered why it had dark lines running down it and no snow. Well, the road up the Piedmont was bumpy and rocky and there were many hair pin turns. So the road basically zigzagged up. I was having fun until we hit mud and got higher. I tried to hold it together and then the tears came and I had to have Joe stop. We parked in an inlet that led to another 'road' going the other way and very steep.

Joe had his new DROID with him and was trying to take pictures which was frustrating. Once he figured it out he took a picture of the truck and he thinks we should send it to GMC. I'm thinking he is just all DROID puffed up cuz the truck is not shiny even thought the scenery is beautiful. This is obviously looking down from where we came.

I have always been one to look at rocks when walking but out here it can become obsessive. I found a lot of cool lava rocks and multicolored rocks and boulders. I kept picking them up and loading my pockets. I see a rock tumbler in my future. I laughed and made fun of my mother when she moved to AuSable Forks for a year and her second focus after painting was collecting giant rocks. She was a drug addict in search of a fix. She would ride around and load her trunk with them. Once again I am turning into my mother, heaven help me. Here is part of my collection acquired at Sheep Creek and believe it or not in my yard. Half of it is stone and that is what you do out here.

I wanted to keep going up the ridge but we were not properly equipped for a hike so we turned around and went down. On the way we found a recently killed Chucker. We think someone higher up was hunting because there was another truck there. At the bottom we crossed the California Trail which is overrun with tire marks but still cool to see. We headed to the north of the range to find a place to have lunch. Izzenhood Gap sounded like a good place. But it wasn't. We got past the last ranch, took a right onto the gap road and it was downhill from there. We found out why everyone coming towards had mud up to their windows. Basically a single lane dirt road that was a few inches thick with mud because of the time of day. I was scared to death we were going to get stuck but I also worry too much. We had to go a couple of miles before there was a safe place to make a 20 point turn. My hero got us out of there! The picture does not capture just how bad it was.

We finally got to dryer ground, had lunch and headed home. I checked the map and instead of going back the way we came I found a side road that lead to County Route 505. This would give us a chance to see some new things. I am amazed how different a county road is out here compared to the east. This is a picture of a bridge we had to cross and it hat a big gaping hole in the top lay of slats. The only part of the road that was paved was where you got onto Route 80.We passed what looked like an abandoned ranch. The map called it 25 Ranch. Then we had to cross the above bridge which is apparently not maintained on a regular basis. It is basically 2x4's in layers of three I think. The top layer having a huge rut on the left side which was a bit unnerving as I was driving. We stopped on the other side of the bridge for a photo op and found the front leg of a coyote. Either hit by a car of eaten by a mountain lion.

Can't wait until this summer when we can reach the top.

Friday Dinner

It was last Friday night and I decided that I had cooked, cleaned, washed dishes and entertained enough to earn a night out. So we went to downtown Battle Mountain in search of a place for dinner. Joe has passed the Hide Away Steakhouse many times but had not yet ventured in so we went there. Upon arriving we saw about 10 white mining trucks in the parking lot. You can always tell a mining truck or field BLM truck from the rest of the vehicles on the road. They are covered with mud from the bottom of the side windows to the wheels from driving in the desert and mines. Also, the mining trucks have orange flags on a pole attached to the end of the bed.

Joe said if I thought there were too many of these miner types and I was uncomfortable we could leave. He forgets I was a bartender for many many years with Hells Angels for regulars for some of them. I was not worried about being uncomfortable. I did however not care for the cigarette smoke but once we passed the bar and went into the dining area it wasn't bad.

Being a waitress and person that loves to cook I immediately became a snob about the place. I decided that the food would be mediocre and was convinced when they told me they had only Franzia boxed wine!!!!! I choked the first Merlot down quickly so that the second one would taste better. But, to my surprise, the food was much better than the wine menu.

I ordered grilled halibut with a baked potato because there was no sign of rice any where. Joe ordered a steak. We ordered Texas Toothpicks for an appetizer, one because of the name and two because it was deep fried (I know bad) onion and jalapeno strips. It was part bloomin onion and part poppers but very good. The breading was light and they were tasty. Had we known what was coming we would have skipped it and will next time.

Dinner came with tossed salad, soup and rolls. They serve it family style as I know it but it may have a different name out here. That sounds fancier that it was. The soup came in what most restaurants use for salad dressings on a salad bar but it was delicious. It was clam chowder. To us it was New England clam chowder and it was fantastic. The tossed salad was fresh but your standard iceberg lettuce. They gave you two dressings, ranch and Italian, and it was served in what looked like one of those diet things that has the measurements up the side so you know how much diet powder to put in and whatever you mix it with. The dinner rolls were packaged an room temp, I didn't bother.

It is a typical small town restaurant/bar in that the parents were in the bar area and the kids were sitting at a table drinking pop and being silly. Eventually the parents would join them and they would have dinner. Not unlike what my Uncle Larry and Aunt Pat's place was like. Poppy's Place in Menands, NY. We had a lot of good food at a very reasonable price and will go back.

The next day they were having their Wild Game Day. They set up tents and grills and people bring either prepared dishes or meat to grill and share. I guess it's a big thing and a lot of drinking is involved. The next day we drove by and there were about 5 vehicles in the lot and a whole bunch of beer bottles all over the place. I think they had a good time.

The dump

Part of Battle Mountain

This week we went to the dump to get rid of some packing boxes and packing paper. It is behind a lower ridge of Battle Mountain proper and we see it from where we hunt rabbit a few miles from the house. From the house we see the front with a giant BM on it. They do that in all the towns around here. It is on the far left of the lower ridge, or Piedmont, of the above picture. This was taken on one of my walks with Buddy.
I was driving and trying to be cautious because, like so many roads around here, it is dirt. This freakin' dump truck was behind me and gaining so I had to speed up. It was like a monster chasing us. When we got to the gate he passed us. First rude driver I encountered so far so not bad. The sign at the entrance was so funny. It listed various items that they would take and the cost. It listed animal carcasses with small being $5 and large bein $10. Never saw that before.

So a woman works at the gate and explained that it is basically free unless you are dumping construction materials. Now, thats a county at work. Our taxes pay for the service and we don't have to pay extra. The down side is that they recycle nothing here. Glass, aluminum, metal, plastic, paper all go in the garbage. I can't get used to it and still rinse everything and put it in separate bags. Even though I know it is going to the same place it makes me feel better. I guess if you really want to recycle you have to drive to California with your stuff.

Joe was so excited that we could drive right to the dump pile. When we passed the metal pile he saw 3 or 4 things he would have taken to make some redneck thing out of. Thank goodness I was there and the signs said no scavenging. I'm sure he will eventually come home with someone else's shit. He already has 3 5 gallon buckets he found on the side of the road. I caught him in action here. And wouldn't you know it. The damn dump truck finished just after us and chased me out of the dump. The speed limit is 25 and I was go 40 and he was gaining on me, jerk.

The mud and dust

I will never get used to the dust and mud out here. You can literally dust every day and the next day there is dust again. The mud is quite an issue with the dogs. There is a side pen with a doggy door through the garage. Which we both keep calling the barn because we had one for so long and neither of us has ever had a garage. Anyway, the ground is dirt and some grass or maybe it's hay mixed in the dirt. When the ground is frozen there are no problems. Well, we had some snow last week and then warm weather. The worst mix out here!

The day that we were having Renee and Dustin for dinner I had to run to town for some last minute things. So, after lunch Joe said to just put the kids in the garage. Big mistake. I came home to very muddy paws and Buddy's hold a lot more than Gracie's. So I had to let them in the mud room while I brought the stuff in. Then I had to try to get the mud out and they hate when you try to do anything with their paws. Gracie nipped but she would never bite me. I have to say that I used truck driver language the whole time. I am very particular about my cooking and this was putting quite monkey wrench in my plans.

Just to make sure I did not miss any mud I but barriers between the kitchen and living room and the dining room and living with upended chairs. Gracie could have jumped over but she understood in my voice not to. Buddy would not even try. I swept and wet mopped the kitchen and was finally able to get to making dinner. I left the mess in the mud room for the next day.

After I finally got to clean it up it was the next day. Joe came home for lunch and when he went in there to get something he was talking to the dogs about it. He said to them "Come in here and look at this clean floor and thank Mommy for cleaning it and your better remember to never drag mud in again. Now go to your rooms and stay there for 2 hours." I know it's not as funny written but it was so cute at the time.

Nerd Alert! Nerd Alter!

So I'm supposed to be practicing my signing but just couldn't get motivated. Until I got a brilliant idea. I decided to make sentences using all 600+ words we learned and practice that way. I would instill the words and get better at signing sentences which is not easy. You have to raise your eyebrows at a certain point and then at another point you have to do a head shake or a lean and squint. The head shake indicates a positive or negative to the verb or predicate. The lean and squint makes th e sentence a question.

Anyway, thank goodness I'm a nerd and made study cards. I scanned in the pages and printed them. Then I cut the signs out and wrote what it means on the back. Joe helped me do this last semester. I tried to lay them all out when I got my idea and this is what it looked like. It was easy in the beginning even though I couldn't see all cards. I did 100 sentences the first day.

Because of dinner (the lasagna for our friends) I had to pick them all up but tried to do it in an organized manner so it would be easier to get started again. After they left and I cleaned up the kitchen I got back to work and it looked like this.

Now it is set up on the dining room table and I am down to less than 100 signs to put into sentences. I have 158 total. I'm trying to use more than just two signs per sentence which can be challenging. I'm also starting to use people signs more in lieu of just him/her or I/me to help with instilling those. So, instead of 'a watch he gave me' its 'a watch my brother gave me.' To add to the nerdiness I stapled together the signs for each sentence, except for repeat signs of course, and numbered them and put them in a box in order. So, when I am practicing my sentences I can quickly check the box for one I can't remember. Genius, I know.

This is the tail end of the project. Now I have to start practicing. Tomorrow Joe and I are taking a ride to Austin Nevada and stopping by a ghost town on the way. I'll bring my notebook and practice while he drives. That is, if I can take my eyes off the scenery.

Friends for dinner

I made kick-ass sauce Thursday and we invited Dustin and Renee over for dinner. He loves lasagna, I love to make it and he is in town for only another week. We also want to get Gracie familiar with Renee because she will probably be the one taking care of the dogs when Joe has to go out of town. They got engaged over the holidays which is very exciting but also a new dog. Doc is a Texas Blue Lacy and adorable. He had been here twice before but we did not let him and Gracie get too close. Tonight was the night.

They ran around chasing each other and taking a rawhide chewy away from each other. Gracie was not overly aggressive and must understand that he is a puppy. Here is a quick video.

Walks

I've been trying to walk every day to loose weight as well as get stronger so I can ride horses when I come back. There is a bike path that runs parallel to the main road into town and it starts at the end of the street to our development. So one day about two weeks ago I decided to walk to town. I had a few things I needed and would just carry my back pack. So I set out with GPS in hand to know how far and get an idea of my walking speed. The scenery is amazing so the walk was enjoyable. I got to the end of the path and just beyond that is the entrance to Route 80.

Just as I am ready to walk up the little hill toward it my heights anxiety kicked in full gear. My heart started to pound harder and my legs started shaking. I managed to cross the exit but when I got to the path that runs along the bridge I stopped dead in my tracks. It took all the courage I had to even turn around and go back. I walked back to the BLM office to get the truck to go into town.

So now I walk to the end of the path and come back. It is a 4 mile walk and takes me about 1 hour and 10 minutes. I have had my heart jump several times other than the first time. I've mentioned the fact that a lot of people drive around with 2,3 and even 4 dogs in the back of their trucks. Several times I have had them bark at me but none jump out thank God. One truck had 2 dogs in the back but it was a flat bed and they were standing on the edge looking forward. One bump and off they would have gone. CRAZY! The other day a vehicle was turning onto the main road and their black lab was running along and in front of it all the way down the driveway and part of the way on the road. It was funny to watch and scary.

I was taking Gracie to the mailbox and back which is about 1.7 miles round trip but I had to stop. First she pulls so hard that my legs hurt when we get back. Also, she is so aggressive and sometimes there are loose dogs walking around. She tries to charge to them and one little dog about the size of a hotdog kept coming toward us. I kept backing up because I did not know what Gracie would do. The guys was outside working on something and I had to ask him to get the dog. I must have backed up 12 feet or so before he came and got it. The funny thing is the damn dog has a shock collar on which apparently has dead batteries or something. The only time I walk with Gracie is when we go out in the desert and then she just runs around.

I do try to walk Buddy every day as well. He is not doing well so we don't go far, usually on the streets around us. One afternoon we went into the desert behind development. I took this picture there because I thought the ground looked so cool. It was like this in a lot of places except where people ride the ATV's and motorcycles.

Not sure if I mentioned our new cat Midnight. She lived here with the previous owner and has adopted us. She is skittish with us but loves the dogs as you can see. We had an orange one for a day. He ran into the garage when we came home for the last Walmart trip. Joe made a bed for him because it gets so cold at night. We fed him and he came right in the house. But, we decide we did not want another cat hanging around. The funny thing is two days prior the neighbor came over and asked if we had an orange cat. He wasn't very friendly either. Anyway I finally put it outside of the garage and blocked the doggy door and felt bad because Midnight uses it. That night I was sitting in the dining room and the two cats were outside fighting. Midnight won and the orange one left. I saw it in the same neighbors yard the next day.

Walmart

A trip to Walmart here is a big deal. The closest one is 52 miles away in Winnemucca. For anyone that read my cross country blog they know that I could not drive any more just about halfway out here. I froze up in Wyoming with a panic attack and continued to have major anxiety even when Joe was driving. We attributed it to the openness and mountains but I found out if you have any anxiety, which I do, it can escalate in higher altitudes. Since we are 7,000 feet higher than usual it made sense. And, it just so happens that my anxiety is heights related.

Anyway I decided to try driving there. I have to get over the fear if I expect to get a decent job. If I don't get something with the BLM here I will have to commute to Winnemucca. So, I was okay and when I thought about the anxiety coming back I started talking to Joe or just stared at the road right in front of me. The anxiety started to escalate when we climbed up a ridge and at the top you can't see the road or ground, just the mountains in the distance This is what gets me. It helps if I slow down and I noticed that I was not the only one that did. I mean 75 miles per hours was okay in NY but for some reason it does not work for me here. I made it all the way there and even drove home!

So back to Walmart. We went with a list of about 15 things and the bill is huge as you can see.
And this was our 3rd trip! Of course it's a matter of buying things needed here that were left in NY for me and also stocking up because Joe pretty much had nothing in the rental. The local stores have just about everything you need but at crazy prices. They price some of their produce by the pound and some by each. So I am having trouble with some comparing. They do it with meat as well so there will be a package of 27 oz of beef for a set price. Well, you could be all day trying to figure out the per pound price to see if its worth buying because they don't always post that. I am finding some differences to back home. Boneless chicken breast has been $1.69 a pound since I have been here and pork is also cheap. The cheese? Very expensive. 16 oz of mozzarella is over $5.

After Wally World we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant in town. There are a number to choose from in most towns of course. We only have one in Battle Mountain and I think they are good. It's certainly not Taco Bell. I got the seafood enchilada and it was terrific. They served chips and hot salsa but also a cold cabbage dish. A coleslaw of sorts but with a bit of a kick. I need to find out what it is so I can try to duplicate it. I was nervous the whole time we were in there because every last thing we bought, included 500 lbs of pellets was in plain view in the truck bed. I worry too much.

I know this is not the most exciting posting but we went so many days ago the little things I wanted to post are no longer in my head.

The Jersey Valley

Interesting that I travel all the way to Nevada to hang out at a place named Jersey. We loaded the guns and the dogs and headed out for a bit of a drive to hunt wild rabbits. Joe is familiar with the place because there is a geothermal operation out there that he monitors. 90% of the trip was on dirt roads. You definitely need a heavy duty vehicle. The mountains were breathlessly beautiful and I hate that my camera cannot capture what my eyes see. I need a new camera.

Gracie was a pain in the butt all the way out to where we were to stop. Once she has her orange vest on and is in the truck she starts whining because she knows she will soon be out running around in the sage chasing rabbits. The bad part of that is she moves all over the back seat and disturbs Buddy. Sadly I decided this was Buddies last trip out for rabbit hunting (1) because of Gracie (2) because he seems to be getting a bit senile (3) he has trouble jumping up into truck after a long walk. I will walk him around the block daily instead.
Anyway, back to Gracie. She thinks cows are big dogs we think because she acts the same when she sees them. There were plenty to see and we even had to stop to let them get out of the road. She was going crazy back there. The cows are all so beautiful and different. I didn't know that females grew horns and I think we saw two that were pregnant.

Our destination was a very cool hot spring. I have never seen one. The water is milky looking and I would not venture in for anything. But, many do by the number of stray underwear we found around it. More desert art and terrible. There is pipe coming out of the ground and the hot water runs down it into another hole.

Hunting for rabbits for was was no easy task. The ground was very muddy there and if you tried to walk too fast you would just slip and fall. The dogs paws and our boots were coated with mud. Gracie wears an orange vest so we can see her and it was completely coated on the belly part. We saw about 10 rabbits and Joe actually got two shots but no rabbit. I almost had a shot but could not line the sight up in time. Need more practice target shooting. So, we took a ride further down the valley and encountered many more cows and saw some ranches. You couldn't get close because the driveway (dirt road) was so long and private. We were two hours from the closest store or gas station and I could not imagine living like that. Imagine the ride to school every day? A very different life style I am interested in learning about.

The ride back was is just as beautiful because you see the mountain ranges from a different vantage point. We got to see the gold mining on Battle Mountain. It's amazing how much of the mountain has been removed to find gold. It's cool to see but a shame at the same time. I didn't take a picture but you can see it on Google Earth just as good.

Wild Horse Gather

We were blessed enough to be able to attend a wild horse gather. There were a lot of firsts for us there. I saw my first real cowboy and there were actually 6. They went out a few times to try and get a horse that goes astray before it gets to the corral. They are very good at what they do and they bring the horse is at it's pace and very gently.

We saw our first wild horses of course. There were many in varying corrals that depended on whether they were to be put in the adoption program, sent to a long term care facility or released back out in the wild. They were going to treat the females with fertility drugs to reduce the number of offspring. This is a necessity because there just is not enough space and food for them if they reproduce every year. Then their fate would be worse as they would die a slow death from starvation. Damn selfish humans!

I learned so much about the process and program and cannot wait to get back here permanently so I can become a volunteer. We plan to adopt a foal so it would be best for me to volunteer and learn more about these beautiful creatures. We got to see 6 come in; one first then four then one more. The last one took a long time. They are aged and checked for health status. The foals are so cute. We got to see one let into the foal corral and all the other foals circled around him to welcome him. He was the tallest one and quite beautiful.

The process is time consuming and it can take a few hours for any to be gathered toward the corral. While waiting it was my opportunity to learn all about it. Shawna, the person in charge of wild horse gathering, was so informative. She told us just about everything you could need to know to understand it. She is extremely passionate about what she does and cares very much for every single horse. The rest of the team there are the same.

I also learned about how people who disagree with the gathers twist just about everything the BLM does and I find that very sad. If they were to attend one and learn all that we did they would not be ignorantly trashing the process or the BLM.

Dinner guests

Tonight was our first night of having dinner guests. The menu I planned for the week listed spaghetti and meatballs for tonight so I baked the meatballs before lunch. I met Joe at 12:30 for a Chinese lunch which was delish. Then we washed the truck quick before he went back to work. You can tell it was quick because it is covered in smeared dust. So, while I was walking Gracie Joe texted that we were having Renee, Dustin and Doc for dinner. Doc is a Texas Blue Lacy Game Dog and about 3 months old. He is just the cutest damn thing and full of piss and vinegar. We had to keep Gracie outside while he was in because she is too aggressive and we did not want anything to happen to him.

Anyway, once I got home from my walk I went into overdrive instead of taking the nap I was dreaming of. The sauce I took out was not enough for 4 so I took another one out. Homemade of course. Put it all in the crock pot and started running around picking up and getting the table ready for guests. I took out shrimp for a snack while visiting and took out butter to soften so I could make the cookies I had planned to make for our trip tomorrow. They would make a great little sweet after dinner. I also needed to make a salad and get some fresh bread.

I changed the table cloth in the dining room and put place mats and cloth napkins out. Not to be pretentious but because I prefer cloth over paper. I decided to use the good dishes which means I have to clean them by hand cuz the damn dishwasher ruins everything. The water sucks but I've already mentioned that. I picked Joe up and we went to town for another box of pasta, fresh bread and milk. The bread was so fresh that there was moisture on the inside of the wrapper from the heat of the oven.

Back home and I went back into overdrive to get ready. I was working on baking cookies, spicing up the cocktail sauce, thawing and presenting the shrimp, getting pasta water boiling, chopping vegys for salad and setting the table. Joe was goofing off on the computer. I thanked him for all his help and he finally asked what could he do to help. Nothing of course because I have to do everything my way and my self. Just like to make him feel bad for shits and giggles. He did clear the table after we ate.

We had a wonderful visit. Gracie had to be outside while Doc was in the house but she did not fuss much about it. They brought a red wine but we drank the Lucky Duck wine that Joe bought for me. They ate shrimp and we watched Doc run around and be cute. I started the pasta water again and got things going. They seemed to enjoy dinner and conversation was wonderful. I sent them home with enough pasta, sauce, meatballs and bread for another meal. Neither one is in a place to make home cooked meals so I feel blessed to share with them. They will come again for my lasagna and maybe another night for my pink vodka sauce or possibly slow cooked ribs.

Clean up was easy and now Joe and I are watching an antique western DVD getting very tired. Early rise tomorrow for the the wild horse hunt.

Dogs

Just about everyone in Battle Mountain has dogs and usually more than one. So on that account we fit right in with our two muttlies. The thing about dogs here that I find amazing is the fact that they usually ride in the back of a pickup, free. Some people have crates in the bed of the truck but most just let the dogs move about freely. I walked to town yesterday and a truck went by with 4 dogs in the bed and they were barking and jumping up on the cab. I would be afraid they would jump or fall out. I need to do some more research on this.

There are a lot of people with horses as well. They seem to have them just to have them or maybe they don't ride them in winter. Although I can't see why not it reached 42 today and was beautiful.

I took Gracie for a walk around the loop of our development and there was not a single point when there was not the sound of a dog barking. Thank goodness they are all fenced in or I would have a problem. That was one of the biggest draws to this house, the entire acre is fenced in with a separate section just for the dogs. It even has a doggy door into the barn.

Things to get used to

So, learning all sorts of new things about our new home, neighborhood, etc. First and foremost the water sucks. It is very high in minerals and ruins a set of glasses in a year, by using the dishwasher of course. I use Joey's mother's fancy dishes everyday because I don't believe in saving things for special occasions. Anyway, they absolutely will not go in the dishwasher anymore. It leaves a milky looking film on them and every other damn thing in there. I had to scrub everything from the first load, ugh! Kim said to use vinegar in a small bowl so I did. It helped but not enough. I need to try the jet dry thingy's and vinegar. In the mean time everything is washed and dried by hand so as to leave no water residue on anything. We have an ice and water dispenser and we can't really use it. I had a scotch with ice and after a second refill I noticed a pile, and I mean pile, of I don't know what at the bottom of the glass. Turning ice make off and using the bin for purchased ice. We have to purchase water for drinking, making coffee, tea and cold drinks. We have been stocking up from Walmart but the local stores have a dispenser and you can buy a 2 gallon jug for $14 and fill it up for $0.90. Not a bad deal really so will go get one tomorrow.

Speaking of stores, If you have more than you can carry at one of them they have someone come out with you and unload your cart. I felt terrible because the lady was older than my mother but she was glad to. Said it is not only for ensuring carts are returned by also customer service. One last thing about the stores here. Every damn on has a full isle of wine and booze. Just can't get used to that but it is nice for one stop shopping.

We had a pretty gusty wind for a couple of days and we lost 2 roof tiles. I was not happy about it but Joe was cool so I tried to not make a big deal out of. I mean, we just bought the damn house and there was an inspection, apparently the roof was not included. Joe found out from Jackie at work that this is not an uncommon occurrence. We don't have a ladder and really don't want to spend money on one so Joe found some kind of home made pallet in the back yard and used that to fix tiles.

The seller, Fred, came over to show us how the pellet stove worked. He even brought a bucket of treated pellets that start the thing going. Basically regular pellets with lighter fluid sprayed on them. It was nice to meet him and his wife and we hope to see them again.

I found it very cool and interesting that many of our neighbors have horses in their back yards. Apparently if you have an acre, secured, with a shelter you can have two horses. We would love one and once I get here permanently I will be volunteering with the wild horse gathering and adoption processes. Once I learn how to handle a wild horse and calm it down we will be eligible to adopt one. Only $150 but you have to have the financial means to maintain it's proper care.


Okay, only a few last things. First is the damn dust and it's winter. I literally should vacuum every day but I know that is not going to happen. When you come in from outside you have to take your shoes off right away or the caked dry mud comes off your shoes or boots and gets all over the floor. We even have to wipe the dogs feet when they come in sometimes. Many people have stones on their property to deal with this. There are two homes with an acre or more that have the entire place covered with stones. A strange thing to get used to. Almost half of our place is the same way.

A wonderful surprise as been our new cat, Midnight. She is a feral cat to some degree and her and a brother showed up here when Fred owned the place. He got them fixed and fed them. When he moved he took them but Midnight came back here and has been living semi-wild around the house. I would guess that some neighbors are feeding her because she is not starving skinny. She is petite and all black. We have been feeding her along with the dogs but she eats outside the sliding glass doors, right across from the dogs in the kitchen. She came in once and Gracie made her nervous. We put a sheet in a box for a bed. Joe is all worried about her but he said not to tell anyone.

Last tale, I swear. Buddy flew out from NY in a crate, which he is not used to, and had an accident. Now that he made it, because I was afraid his heart murmur would have a detrimental affect, I can joke. Anyway, he experienced the 'scared the shit out of me' on the flight. We got to Albany Airport at 3:45am and checked in around 4:15am. We arrived in Elko at 2:15pm the same day. He was in the crate for 13 hours and I was a nervous wreck. He made it and we found one fairly small pile of poop attached to a back corner of the crate. Since we have white rugs and behavioral challenged dogs we decried to use that crate and the collapsible one for bedtime. So Joe needed to clean the poop out of the crate and boy did I get a great pic of that.

Miscellaneous

So, there's a few things I wanted to write about that have happened since I got here and are somewhat miscellaneous.

Our first night in the new house was Wednesday. I spent the day cleaning up over at the rental and bringing things here. We had not yet had the closing but it was coming and Fred, the previous owner, told Kim to give us the key so we could be here. That was very nice of him.

The closing ended up being Thursday (12.23.10)at 9am in Elko. We took the kids and went to Elko. While there we hit up the Walmart for $300 and checked out furniture stores for a bed. Joe had enough of sleeping on the floor and he was thinking of me as usual. We found the bed we wanted and said we would be back the next day to buy it, Christmas Eve. So, the Walmart purchases elude me now, only a week and a half later which is amazing since we spent so much.

Friday (12.24.10) we went back to Elko, dogs in tow and hit up Walmart again. Once we were getting settled we kept discovering things we needed. One very important item was a rug shampooer. Gracie and Buddy both decided to christen the new creamy white rug with pee. $200 there and $900 for the bed and the closing costs the day before and we were quickly depleting our bank account. The bed was absolutely worth it. Queen size and firm, which we both need for out back. It's the king size we were used to from NY but at least we could now feel each others presence in bed but no room for dogs! And the shampooer could not have come at a more perfect time. The very next morning Gracie threw up in three places. Good morning to us.

Christmas Eve a neighbor from across the street, Rixie, brought over fudge to welcome us. She was very nice and we had never had that happen before. One of the neighbors in NY gives us white puffs of couch stuffing via the wind blowing it from the pile of shit in their yard. I felt like she wanted to visit longer but I had started putting the lasagna together and the kitchen was in no shape for visitors. I will invite her for coffee and a fresh popovers before I leave.

A black tailed rabbit hunt in the desert

So we had a great time Sunday on our first successful rabbit hunt. Joe shot one and Gracie loved it. She played with the carcass like it was a toy. I'm not sure how far we walked but we went up and down the dessert hills for 2 1/2 hours. I saw three rabbits and the first time I was so excited I forgot to even get my gun ready. The second one ran across the road, in front of the truck and down a raven. I was able to cock my gun but not shoot because Gracie was hot on its trail and I was afraid I would shoot her. The third one jumped out from under a bush and I was again got my gun ready but did not have a good shot before it took off in a direction we were not able to ascertain. I shot my gun at a beer can to get rid of the bullet only to find that the bullet I loaded at the beginning of our walk had fallen out. Even if I got a shot at the rabbit there was no bullet. We had fun laughing about that one. We left the dead rabbit for food in the dessert. They are apparently not good eating. We typically shoot only what we plan to eat but I'm not interested in a parasitic disease ridden animal. Gracie was having so much fun she completely ignored an injured paw that was leaving blood in the snow at every step. Buddy was a real trooper and kept up with me which was not hard. It's certainly not power walking, especially with a gun.

Once I got nervous when Joe went over a rise and I couldn't see him. I kept thinking about the mountain lion and figured I wasn't a good enough shot if the damn thing came charging at me. I felt anxiety only once when I was at the highest part of our walk and looked out across the valley to the snow covered mountain range. It was so breathtaking, literally. I got a bit weak in the knees especially when I tried to take a picture because it threw my balance off. Anyway, Joe reminded me that I can't fall any further then the ground beneath me. I have to say the ranges here are much easier to walk and feel safer. Well, since the days are short we will have to wait until next weekend to go out again cuz I will not go out alone. Not yet anyway.

Finally out west

Well I have not posted since the day Joe left for Nevada and now here I sit in our new home with 23 days left to spend with Joe before returning to NY. It's really amazing how you think our life will be one way and it does a 180 on you. I feel like this is our new home and new town but also that it is not real. Maybe because I am only here for winter break so it has not become permanent for me. I do love the house and the beautiful surroundings. Just as beautiful as the NY Adirondacks but in a very different way.

This picture was taken on Christmas day while we were out hunting wild rabbit with the dogs. I can see this same ridge from my kitchen window. Now thats blessed. So, I flew out on 12/21/10 with much stress. I flew out Buddy as checked baggage and that was traumatizing to him and me. We both made it and I have been busy since. First night was spent in the BLM rental on Watt Street in town. Not a bad place but sleeping pads on the floor is not conducive to a good nights rest. Poor Joe has been sleeping that way for just over two months. The next day we got a call from the realtor that the seller would let us move in. The closing had not yet taken place because Wells Fargo's mortgage underwriters are complete idiots.

We are all settling in to the new home and temporary routine. The dogs are spoiled by me being home all day while Joe is at work. Everything is pretty much unpacked and in it's place except by 500+ books and Joe's garage stuff. Still need to clean windows, sills and things like that. I actually stopped cleaning because I think I got a chemical burn on my eyes and face. They were red, itchy and swollen and now 7 days later they are still red. The skin just peeled and flaked off. I have been putting lotion on with aloe several times a day. I'm just glad it;s not permanent.

We went to the local casino on Thursday night after returning from Winnemucca. The cigarette smoke was disgusting and I just can't believe that I smelled like that for 30 years. Had a great dinner after at the casino restaurant. Not much to write home about but the food was good.

Today Joe took me out to practice shooting guns. I shot a 22 rifle which I liked very much and am not bad at considering I have zero muscles and my left arm kept getting tired from holding the gun to aim. I did pretty good with the other rifle and pistol but they are both loud and kick back when you shoot. I haven't checked but there is probably a bruise on my right shoulder. The reason for this is a mountain lion that is lurking around within a half mile from the house. There will be no walks in the dark and any walks beyond the immediate neighborhood will require a gun. There are snakes as well so better safe than sorry.

Well, there is so much more to tell but will put it in future posts. Maybe tomorrow I will post about shooting a wild rabbit. Lets hope so.