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.