Howe Random

I'm sending you some pics. The usual: Dad out with the cows.... Me driving the tractor to fertilize the fields (yes it's true, I now know how to drive a tractor! A valuable skill, I am sure.)... Dad plowing...Glen and Ruth happy campers during the branding. We branded 72 calves and vaccinated 98 cows. It was great weather for it, warm and breezy. We all got a little sunburned. These are the May activities. I am going today to Karen's nursery in town to buy some tomato plants, and some pepper plants. Maybe we'll get our garden planted by the 1st. We are way behind.

Wednesday we drove the 100 miles to Billings in order to go out for dinner on our anniversary. We stopped in at the Texas Roadhouse and had some fun eating steak and ribs. We also scouted the locations for the wedding photos we are going to be doing Sunday for Steven's wedding (Ruth's son). We are shooting at Pioneer Park. I hope it's cloudy Sunday. That way the pictures won't be so bright. Wish us luck.

We've gotten hooked on Battlestar Gallactica. It's cylon this and cylon that. We are at a cliffhanger... waiting to see if Cmdr. Adama is going to get his men back before the Admiral executes them. Pretty exciting stuff!

I went shopping and bought 5 pairs of pants and 2 shirts! Hooray. That was fun. I also bought several patterns, so I can do some sewing. I'm glad the sun is up early in the morning and sets late. We have so much more time to do our projects! Dad works until almost 8 p.m. plowing and planting and irrigating. It's about 9 pm when the sun sets. I took 4 boxes of stuff to the Goodwill Wed. I am trying to clear out the garage a little so we can walk through it. It is packed! As is the porch. I have boxes to take out from the porch, but the hand truck dolly tires are both flat. So, I'm stuck til I get those fixed. I guess I'll take it down to American Car Care when I go to Karen's for the plants. I'm going to try to get Dad to go to the Hyart tonite with me to see the new X-men movie. It almost sounds like I live in a city, doesn't it?

I hope you are well. Hugs and kisses to you all!

Spring and howe!

Guess what! It's spring here....finally. I have been working hard clearing brush and piling up tree trunks and limbs and leaves so that we can burn them. You can see the stacks of brush in these photos.

We took down the fence so we could move it to the front along the road. We'll have the white picket fence to keep the cows out and the grandkids in when you visit.

We have had a brown and grey landscape for so long that it is very heartening to see some green grass, some shoots, and even buds and flowers. And because it has been so long since we have seen these things, I went out and photographed the beginning signs of spring.

There is just one problem. I took out Dad's camera and did not notice that he had it set on a light setting for indoor shooting....since that's what we did last with the wrestling. So everything I shot was completely overexposed and so bright, that I had to get very creative in trying to adjust the brightness. Hence the unusual oranges and reds. It's kind of surreal. Here you are:

Some trees and some flowers growing. One tree even grew up in the middle of our picnic table!!



We are so happy to see Spring just around the corner and warmer days in store.

Spring and howe!

Guess what! It's spring here....finally. I have been working hard

If

What would you do if....

Lately Dad and I have been playing the what if game. I stumbled across the websites of a couple of lottery winners, or near lottery winners and it was interesting to see what they did and what they learned after their wins. It isn't as if we intend to win the lottery, or are even purchasing tickets.

But what I found interesting is that the exercise of defining what you think you might do is revealing. And if you can define some of your wants, and needs, you can actually consider pursuing them, with or without lottery winnings, to the degree that is actually doable. And, it is fun to dream.

So far we have visited many foreign countries, and beautiful beaches. We have paid off all of our debts, and some of yours, and we have helped you with your financial pinches, i.e. houses, investments, etc. We have extricated ourselves from this full time job of keeping the ranch afloat, and we have relocated to Hawaii and Panama.

We have envisioned family parties, reunions and excursions to Hawaii by our children. That is a destination few people object to. We have racked up lots of skymiles so we can, as Dad said, "visit my children more often."

We have boxed up our prized personal possessions, and we have given to you children whatever else we have that you want for yourselves, and we have sold everything else. How freeing it is to own so little. We have quit our jobs: our sports photography business , our Wyoming corporation business, our writing pursuits, and we have taken up new interests, i.e. surfing, ceramics, travel photography, and cruising.

Doesn't it all sound so nice? I bet you can't wait for our new life to begin. I know I can't.