We have been having pipe freezing weather.  In Benson, my daughter did not have water at her apartment yesterday morning because it got down to 20 degrees Saturday night.  The high for the day was only about 47 degrees but it was sunny and bright.  We left our water running all night for the last couple of nights.  It is about the only way to make sure we have running water when it gets this cold.  We cover all the exposed pipes that we can and then leave the water running.  We learned the hard way a couple of years ago when it got down to 18 degrees and our pipes did freeze and break!  Expensive to fix, not to mention the inconvenience of not having running water.  We are so spoiled and hope to keep it that way as much as possible.

Steve and I took a little road trip with some good friends to Slaughter Ranch near Douglas, AZ. yesterday.  John Slaughter was a rancher and Sheriff who established his ranch in the late 1800's.
The ranch house was a beautifully restored building that had been brought back to it's original design as much as possible.  The ranch is right on the Arizona side of the Mexican-American border.  I took pictures looking across to Mexico and we could see the border fence quite easily.  The grounds were also beautiful and quite remote.  There were several ponds, large trees and an assortment of wildlife and livestock.   

Upon first entering the property, we came across several large longhorn cattle, a couple of donkeys and a horse.  The cattle were amazing!  I have never seen such spectacular horns on such huge beasts before.  We could walk up right next to them and were separated only by a barbed-wire fence.  Frankly I was a little nervous because, if that cow wanted to charge at us, that fence probably would not have even slowed him down.  The men stayed in the car while us silly women walked up to the beasts and took lots of pictures. 

We toured the ranch house and read all about the history of the property, it's founder, John Slaughter, and how it got started.  There was also lots of info on the Army outpost that used a part of the ranch right on the border.  There were written accounts of the soldiers watching Poncho Villa raid the settlements nearby.  I loved the ranch house and the furnishings, the hardwood floors and the floor to ceiling windows.  It was very large and open.  There were several outbuildings, such as an ice house, a garage that housed a 1915 Model T, a granary and a cook's house.  I especially enjoyed a newspaper article written about John Slaughter.  It claimed that whether or not you liked Mr. Slaughter, he was a real man.  He reportedly killed 12 bad guys in his 10 years as a sheriff.  

There were also several large saddle horses on the property along with a herd of sheep and a pen full of chickens.  We fed the saddle horses a few pieces of apple that we had with us.  It was nice to have the property virtually to ourselves most of our visit.  The caretakers greeted us and gave us some literature about the property when we arrived but other than that we were there by ourselves.   We could see for miles and miles in all directions.  We tried to find "our" mountain far off in the distance, about 75 miles to the northwest to be precise.  Overall, a most enjoyable day.

Happy New Year!  Wow!  It is really 2013!  

I did finish the muumuus I told you about.  I made one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas.  I even wore them on the right days.  

We had our first real snowfall on the last day of 2012.  It was only about an inch and did not stay around very long.  It has been very cool for us sun and heat lovers since the snow.  I had to break ice in the water buckets for the alpacas and Buddy several times.  Buddy's leg continues to heal.  The hole is getting smaller and smaller but he has to keep on wearing his cone until the hole is completely healed.  I hope it is not much longer.  Buddy seems healthier and in better spirits lately.  I continue to cook for him and have upped his portions by adding a couple of cooked eggs to his food.  He doesn't waste any time gobbling it down.

We celebrated the fifth birthday of our youngest grandson on Sunday Dec. 30th.  He had a custom made zombie cake made by his Aunt Shawna. Everyone made sure he got lots of gifts even though Christmas was just a few days before.

I decided I was tired of the old house so gave a part of the living room a little face lift.  I painted the wall over the fire place.  The paint color is "Arizona Sequoia".  Then I rearranged all the pictures and added a few more.  I think the new paint highlights the pictures nicely.

I have also been cleaning out kitchen cupboards, getting rid of old foodstuffs, disinfecting areas where there were mice and putting in new shelf paper.  I still have to do that to the big pantry and I am planning on painting the kitchen too.

Tomorrow all the holidays will be behind us and the New Year's regular schedule will start.  Everyone back to school and work.  I will be catching up on things I could not do or would not do while everyone was at home.  I did write down some New Year's resolutions, although, they seem to be about the same every year: lose weight, save money, write a book etc., etc., etc.  I looked back on my weight loss chart that I have been keeping since 2009.  I have lost the same 20 pounds and gained it back over and over again! Ha!  This year I will be 60 years old!  I don't know that it really matters whether or not I lose those 20 pounds for good. People tell me those extra 20 pounds makes me look 20 years younger, well, maybe not 20 years.....LOL!

Gifts were bought, wrapped, gifted, unwrapped and taken away!  Everyone received many fun things, necessary things and surprises!  The house looked great with a new tree and some new decorations. Our little Christmas churches were set up.  They are special editions of the California Missions that I bought while we lived in California so I think they are unique and special.  And the food!!!  Oh My Gosh!  Our daughter had our traditional Christmas Eve feast at her house.  The table was piled high with all kinds of fun "puu-puus" (that's the Hawaiian word for hors d'oeuvres); pigs-in-a-blanket, meatballs, jalepeno-cream cheese roll-ups, bacon-wrapped jalepeno poppers, tortilla chips with hot cheddar cheese dip, loompia (Philippine eggrolls), veggies with dip, and for dessert, brownies, Russian tea cakes, oatmeal scotchies, gumdrops and petit fours. It was a terrific feast!  We also had a "white elephant" gift exchange and steal.  It was a good time by all!

Christmas Day we had an early gift unwrapping and brunch at our house.  I made a ham, a Quiche Lorraine and potato lattkeys.  We also had a variety of breakfast breads and cakes.  Then after everyone went to other engagements, Steve and I sat down for a long winter's nap!  Ha!  I swear Steve slept most of the day and I managed to finish off a whole romance novel!  Good time!

We had our first winter storm on Dec. 14th.  We actually got a little snow and had to scrape ice off of car windshields.  It warmed up and we had a few really nice days.  It has gotten really cold for us, in the 30's, and today we are having another storm.  There was snow falling again when I looked out a little while ago.  It is supposed to get into the 20's tonight.

I bought more medicine for Buddy today.  The vet gave me a break on the price, only $100 for 100ml.  It is going to cost $140 next time. Buddy's leg still has an open sore on it.  I continue to change the bandage about every other day and he continues to wear his cone.  I hope it isn't for much longer.

Steve and I are also preparing for our 40th anniversary cruise next month.  We got our immunizations, hepatitis, typhoid and regular flu.  We did not have to get yellow fever or dengue fever as they are not prevalent in the countries we are going to visit.  We are trying to get a prescription for malaria pills from our doctor.  Steve has not been able to get a response from his office yet.  I assume that is because we are still in holiday mode.  We are going to visit Mexico, Belize and Honduras.  People keep reminding us that Honduras is the murder capitol of the world.  At the briefing Steve had to attend because of his job, he was told that the police in Honduras guard the tourist cruise ship areas pretty well.  They want those dollars!  So it should be fairly safe if we stay with our group and don't wander off by ourselves.  

Steve found some carpenter's pants at Walmart to wear on the trip.  I have been looking but have not found any I like yet.  I need some of those old fashioned Oxford shirts with long sleeves to protect against mosquitoes too.  I plan to take lots of pictures and, I found out, that I have my very own cruise email account so I should be able to post stuff while I'm on the cruise.  I have not been thinking of the cruise because I have been preoccupied with Christmas, but now that it is behind us, I find I am starting to get excited about seeing a part of the world that I have not been to before.  I'm especially looking forward to seeing some of the Mayan ruins!  

I feel like we got an extra week in November this year!  I am grateful as it gave me time to recover from Thanksgiving! How does that Alka-Seltzer commercial go, "Drop, drop!  Fizz, fizz! Oh what a relief it is"?  I felt more like"Eat, Eat! Stuff, Stuff!  Oh what a pig I am!" LOL!  I swear it took 4 days to get over it!  But it was yummy and worth it once a year! And, of course, I am thankful that we have no shortage of food and many blessings for which to be thankful!

Buddy's condition is an ongoing concern since November 7, when he had surgery.  Twelve days after surgery some of his stitches were removed and the vet injected medication into another tumor in his front leg.  That medicine caused the incision in his belly to open up again.  This caused near panic for yours truly!  A big hole just where his belly button would be opened up as if there had never been any stitches there at all!  Of course this was on the Friday after Thanksgiving so no vet to call.  I had to deal!  I washed and covered the hole with the balm the vet had given me, then put a bandage on that.  Buddy scratched it off with his hind foot almost immediately!  Damn!  What to do!  Steve is brilliant!  My wonderful Spouse!  He suggested we put socks on Buddy's hind feet! Ha!  So we did.  Then I found an old belly band, one of those things that is supposed to reduce the size of your midsection just by wearing it around the house, yeah right!  But it turned out to be useful for Buddy.  I re-bandaged his belly then wrapped the belly band around him.  Waala!  With socks and belly band in place his scratching no longer worked.  

We returned to the vet on Monday, Nov. 26.  She thought the belly was healing well and removed a few more stiches from his hip.  I was afraid for her to remove all of the stitches because of what happened with the belly so leaving them in awhile longer was ok.  We also decided to go ahead and put Buddy on cancer medication.  This will stop more tumors from growing hopefully.  Frankly, I do not want to deal with any more open wounds or cause Buddy any more pain by giving him injections every time a tumor pops up on his skin.  The tumor on his front leg did finally come off but it has left another gaping hole that I am currently still delaing with.  I am replacing the bandage often and have put a long-sleeved t-shirt on Buddy to keep him from tearing the bandage off.  I had to keep the cone on his head because the bandage comes off immediately if it is not in place, even with the t-shirt on.  Today, I removed the belly band and will see how that wound is doing.  So far so good.  His leg however, is down right scary!  I have faith that it will eventually heal but right now it is pretty horrible and I'm sure it is painful.  

Buddy has to be on a new diet now that he is on the oral cancer medication.  I am cooking for a dog! HA!  He has to have cooked meat, rice and vegetables with the medication added.  After he eats 2/3rds of his food, he has to have a scoop of ice cream to calm his belly from the meds and then he gets the rest of his food.  This goes on til the medication is gone and the vet does a re-evaluation, about 4 months!  He may be on a lower dose of the medication for the rest of his life.

Life does go on! Thank God!  I have finished the Christmas shopping and we have put up our new tree.  We replaced an artificial tree that we've had for the last 25 years with a new "Martha Stewart" pre-lit and snow flocked tree.  I decided to decorate with silver and blue this year.  The tree needed a little something more.  So yesterday, I went to Tucson to get a few more decorations and bobbles.  I was glad I did not go on Black Friday because people were still rushing around in panic, rudeness mode even if there were fewer of them than on that infamous day!

Our family picture was taken on Thanksgiving Day and has been ordered in mass quantities for delivery with the traditional Christmas card and letter.  I am working on addressing cards today with a goal of having them all posted to all of you by next week.  Next week is DECEMBER!  Holy Cow!  Only 27 days til Santa comes, unless, of course, the Mayan are correct and the whole world comes to an end on December 21, 2012.  The thing is, my Lord and Savior said that "No one will know the time and day..." when He is to return.  So while I am looking forward to His return, I intend to enjoy His birthday and every day until then.

Buddy had his surgery 8 days ago.  He is recovering nicely.  With his big long surgical stitches and his big cone around his head, he became known as "Frankendog" by the grands!  Poor Buddy!  He still has all that to deal with but I know that he is doing better because he has refused to stay indoors since Monday.  The sock the vet put on his foot is not covering his pad any longer but has become a leg warmer instead.  I need to replace that sock.  I am also still giving him anti-biotics 3 times a days for 10 days.  He has finished with his pain meds.  On Monday the 19th, we will return to the vet to have the stitches removed and find out what to do next.

The vet called yesterday to say that she had the results of the tests on the tumor that was removed from Buddy's belly.  It is not good.  She said it is malignant and she was not able to remove all of it.  The other tumors that were on his hip and leg are under the skin.  The vet said they will continue to multiply,on top of his skin and just under the skin.  She said there are several options that we will discuss on Monday.  She said she does not know and cannot imagine how much it will cost to give Buddy oncology treatments because he is such a big dog.  Also, Buddy will be 9 years old in May.  He is old by Great Pyrenees standards.  The vet said they usually only live for 8 to 10 years, although I read that it was 10 to 12 years.  I have been blessed to have enjoyed this monster dog as long as we have been together.  I certainly will not make him suffer in his old age, I love him too much.

Our weather has gone from summer to winter without benefit of fall.  We plunged down to freezing this week.  I moved plants indoors and covered others.  We have switched from AC to Heat.  There is almost no humidity again and the wind is freezing.  By noon it is almost up to 70 degrees again so wardrobes consist of layers, undershirt, long-sleeved overshirt, sweater, and then a jacket.  They get peeled off one by one as the day goes on.  Steve about fell out of his seat the other day when I removed my long-sleeved shirt.  I guess he didn't realize that I had a tank top underneath.  LOL!

I finished my muu-muu for Thanksgiving.  It is brown with autumn accents.  I am working on one for Christmas now.  I will post pictures when I finish it too.  I have also been taking notes from historical books for my historical novel.  Tons of books!  I don't know how I will get through them all but I will try to get the good parts and get the history straight in my mind.  If the facts are accurate, it makes the fiction more believable. 

Only 6 days til Turkey Day!  Are you ready?  Got pies made and cranberries smashed?  Got the napkins ready and the good china out?  Me neither but we'll get there!  I wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving with your families and friends!  Laugh and love and count your blessings!  Even that overstuffed, bloated feeling you have after the big dinner is a blessing because it means you have plenty to eat!  LOL!  Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Halloween is only a few days away.  People have been dressing up, attending parties and carving pumpkins.  We have some pretty awesome pumpkin carving artists in this family.

Buddy and I took a trip to the vet on Friday.  He has several lumps that I wanted the vet to look at.  We are scheduled for surgery on Nov. 7th.  The vet will take him at 8 am that day, do the surgery and then I will pick him up again at 4:30pm.  The vet said maybe we will be lucky and they will just be fat deposits.  One can only hope.  Buddy will have to stay indoors for a few days after and probably wear one of those cone-shaped collars to keep him from licking or otherwise tearing the stitches.  The vet also said that since Buddy is 8 years old now, he is considered a geriatric patient.  She will do additional pre-surgery tests because of that.
 
Our weather continues to be just about perfect.  The mornings are getting cooler, days are sunny and warm.  Evenings are balmy and breezy, perfect for sitting outside, watching the sun go down, having a glass of wine and just relaxing.

I am almost done with the Christmas shopping.  Yes, Christmas isn't far away.  Tucson is a winter haven for "snowbirds" so I like to try to get shopping done before Thanksgiving.  After that the roads are jam- packed and so are the stores.  No Fun!

I have a new muu-muu cut out for Thanksgiving and the fabric for a new Christmas one.  I have curtains to make for my daughter and I have started a new writing project.  One of the books I just finished reading about writers says that some writers publish a book a year and others only one every five years.  It says to give yourself 3 years to really get into writing and publishing.  One must establish a regular work schedule just as if you had a regular 9 to 5 job to go to each day.  I don't think I will be able to work that many hours at first.  I am shooting for 4 hours a day from about 9 to 1.  Writing this blog today was my assignment for today.  I am also going to the library for additional research material.  Going to the library will also become part of my working routine.

The vet asked me if I still had my alpacas.  When I told her "Yes, I do," she laughed and said "So does everyone else!"  We both laughed.  I really haven't been trying to sell the boys.  I really do like having them.  Now that the shock and pain of losing Tinker and Kardigan has eased, I am even thinking of getting more.  Steve is adamantly opposed to that of course.  So I figure, once I make some money as an author and writer then I will do as I please! Right?  LOL!

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!  Well, not bears.  We didn't see any bears on our end of the fall vacation trip to the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson yesterday.  We did see the new elephant exhibit, which was fabulous.  There were 5 elephants, one huge bull, 3 cows and one baby.  He was really cute.  We also saw gorgeous, majestic giraffes, a rhino with one big bad horn, gazelles, gibbons, roaming tigers and sleeping lions.  The kids had a blast and the place was packed.  I don't think I've seen so many little kids and strollers in my life.  Is there a new population explosion?

Our weather has been to die for, just wonderful, with clear cool mornings and sunny warm afternoons, temps in the 70s.  We love it!  I took tons of pictures at the zoo and tons of pictures of the ubiquitous sunflowers along our roadsides.  I love the wild sunflowers too.  They are so wild, strong and sunny.  They cheer me up just looking at them.  

I have been keeping my grandson while school has been out the last two weeks.  We have done fun things, like visit the zoo and his cousins.  However, I have not managed to do much writing because of keeping busy with him.  Not that I mind.  He will not be little forever, something us grandmas are well aware of.  Children grow up fast and suddenly you find yourself wondering where the time went. 

Buddy and I have started a new class.  We are learning to be "Pet Partners" in an "Animal Assisted Activities" Program.  We have to go through 7 classes and then an evaluation process.  We then become a "registered" team.  Once we are evaluated and registered, we will be able to visit nursing homes, libraries, hospitals and other places where people may be encouraged by the presence of a friendly animal companion.  Buddy has done an excellent job so far.  He really surprised me the very first night.  He remembered all of his training from his puppy socialization course at PetSmart.  That was about eight years ago. He even responded correctly when given the "stay" command.  He doesn't do that so well at home.  So I was very happy with his performance.  We attended the first class conditionally, that is, the trainers wanted to see how well we worked together before admitting us to the class.  We passed and are in for the entire course.  I may have to attend without him this week however.  He reeks!

Yes, my wonderful Livestock Guardian Dog, in the performance of his true duties, killed a skunk this morning. The stench woke my husband and me up at about 5 am this morning.  Yuk! Yuk! Yuk!  However, I am impressed, never the less. Why?  Because I think Buddy has learned a great deal in his many encounters with skunks.  I think he killed this skunk with one single bite and escaped with minimal damage to himself.  He does stink but he did not get black sticky skunk spray all over himself this time.  And the skunk did not escape.  I found his carcass in the old goat pen. The vultures were already circling. Steve removed the skunk from the pen to a place where the vultures will have better access and Buddy will not.  I'm afraid the stink will linger for some time unfortunately.

There has been some news around here recently of jaguar sitings and pictures taken in the area.  While I think it is great that jaguars are making a comeback in our area,  I am thankful for my big Livestock Guardian Dog who is fearless and protects us all from the wild critters.