Bad Karma

Boy the last few days have been full for sure. First we had a fire in the neighborhood that almost burnt the whole subdivision down. It was moving fast and the wind was blowing and everything so dry but lucky for us many nearby towns responded and also some heli copter hot shots were passing through enroute to the Grants Pass area to fight fire and jumped out and helped put it out. Without that hot shot crew I don't think we would have saved all the houses.

Then today everything I did went wrong. The worst of all of it was my mom asked me to take the compost out that had been sitting for about 5 days in a coffee can and it was ripe due to the fact it was fair week and I have been running all week long.

My mom is 89 and our backyard is gravel to try and save work and we are afraid she will fall walking on it.  (karma) because I was in a hurry to go work my horse I was not paying attention and I tripped over something and I was so busy trying not to spill that crud all over me I went down in the gravel like a ton of bricks and the coffee can hit the gravel and exploded all that stinky stuff like an eruption right into my face.

I had gooey, slimy stinky stuff dripping down my face, pieces of rotten egg shells hanging in my long hair and stuff I don't want to think about stuck on my forehead.............OH MY GOD it was gross and the smell so bad it was worst I think then the skunk.

So needless to say off the shower I went. I have a shampoo that has spearmint in it and I shampooed in that and used it on my body too hoping it would kill that smell and all my clothes had to be washed.

SLOW DOWN Linda, hurrying only makes it worse now I don't have time to do anything but after dinner run my horse up a carrot.....

I knew I should not have laughed at my friend...........

Skunk stories

How can anything this cute smell so bad?  They are also almost impossible to get rid of unless you trap them in a cage or kill them.  Neither of these works well.

If you have them in a cage you still have to get close enough to move the cage...not me!  I had one friend that put a trap cage out with a really long tow rope.  He was lucky as he lived in the country. He put the cage on a sled and when he caught the skunk he towed the cage down the dirt road for miles. He then took the long rope that dragged behind which was attached to the cage door release and pulled on it and then unhooked the sled and came back the next day and the skunk was gone.

Once out on the farm we had a couple of skunks move into our culvert (pipe that goes under the road) at the end of our driveway. The mailbox was next to the driveway and also the kids bus stop and that area really smelled bad.  He decided the way to get rid of them was to take the double barreled shotgun out and stick in the end of the culvert and fire both barrels off.  Well it killed the skunks, it blew pieces of skunk out the other end of that culvert all over the place and I mean all over the place.  That mailbox area stunk so bad you could hardly drive by it. No one would get the mail for a week, we made him get it.  The kids walked down 1/2 mile to the next bus stop where they did not have to wait at the mailbox for the bus.  Not a good choice.

Another friend had some move in under their porch and would eat all their cat food so they decided to take the cat food in and put a trail of cat food out to the woods and then a bowl of food and maybe they would move on.  They followed the trail eating?  Nope some more ate the bowl of cat food and followed the trail back to their house and moved in. He had 6 of them under the porch. They finally gave up and called in a trapper to get them out of there.

This is my favorite skunk story. I also swear this is a true story from when I worked 911.

Our high desert area of Central Oregon gets very hot in the summer but you can almost always count on an evening breeze that comes across the snow covered mountains and cools it down.   A couple and their kids were watching TV with the sliding glass doors open to let the breeze in.  All of a sudden the dog starting barking and here comes the dog chasing a skunk which ran into the house through the sliding glass doors spraying away. The dog yelped and stopped and the dog that was in the house took up the pursuit right through the living room. The family escaping out the front door leaving a yellow cloud in the living room, the dogs escaped out the back door and the skunk had the house to itself.

They had to call in a trapper to get him out and a cleaning crew to come clean the house. They ended up getting a new couch (old one was fabric) a new carpet an expensive cleaning bill and 3 weeks in a motel.

And now for my least favorite skunk story.  It was a summer night and I had one of those double fans in my window blowing in the nice cool Central Oregon breeze sleeping away.  My dogs wanted outside and I let them out. A white German Shepherd and a white poodle mix breed...I staggered into the restroom. I was so lucky I was in the restroom as all of a sudden the grosses most terrible smell in the world permeated the bathroom. It was so bad I automatically threw up instantly.  A yellow haze was filling the room. I ran towards the bedroom dry heaving the whole way to see the bedroom was nothing but a yellow cloud. I unplugged the fan, ripped it out of the window and slammed the window. I ran to the window on the other side of the bedroom and stuck the fan back in the window and switched it to blowing outward and flew back into the bathroom still with the dry heaves. I am so glad I had nothing to come up. I opened the windows and turned on the exhaust fan.

At the back sliding doors at the other end of the house from my bedroom  sat two sad looking white dogs with yellow all down the front of them.  I grabbed the shampoo and went to the outside faucet and washed them. It did not even make them smell any better.

I went in and got all the tomatoes and tomato sauce we had in the house and poured it all over them. Nope they still stunk so bad you could not get near them without dry heaves and this was with me stinking almost as bad as them.

I got on the internet and found these recipe that called for a quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and just a little bit like 3 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap.  Do not wet your dog pour this mixture over them and work it in.  Let it set for 20 minutes and do not get it in your dogs eyes.  Wash the dog out and then pour a mixture of "Scope mouth wash" (they said it had to be Scope) and water over the dog and leave it in there.

Of course I did not have Scope so I showered, changed my clothes from out of closet and I still stunk to high heaven and off to the little overnight store. You should have seen the look on their face when I walked in. I said "don't even say a word". I got my scope and back home I went. I scoped the dogs and went back into the house and got my uniform (911 dispatcher) and washed it three times with soap and scope. Then in Vinegar and thought I was doing pretty good, well until I showed up for work and everyone started laughing and calling me Skunky.

I again searched the good ole internet when I got home.  They said to bury my clothes in the back yard for a month...yeah right. Then I found one on removing animal smells from your home. They said it was used by pet shops. Coffee...right open a can of coffee and put it in bowls in your closet and it will remove the smell from your clothes.

Off to BiMart I go and buy 6 cans of cheap coffee. I put coffee grounds from one end of my little house to the other. I sprinkled it all over the rugs. Back to BiMart for more coffee as at least now my house smelled like coffee instead of skunk.  I put more coffee out. The floor is covered, the plates, the saucers,the bowls are all over the house and I am out of money for more coffee.

I got up the next morning and BINGO. The house smelled good, my clothes in the closet did not seem to smell. I put on another uniform and went to work and nobody called me skunky.  I had also rubbed it into my dogs.  I did not even have to wash all the clothes in the closet. It worked, it actually worked.

I still get coffee when it is on sale and put around my house once in a while as I have birds and 4 dogs and it does work when I remember to do it.

Hay trailer fire

I felt so sorry for this guy as he was hauling the straw for sitting on during his western style wedding. He had a flat tire and pulled over to wait for Les Schwab to get there with a new tire as he did not have a spare for the trailer.

While he was waiting they walked over to the cafe right across the road to get a coffee while they waited. They sat around waiting and watching for the Les Schwab truck.

When they saw it coming they went back out to the truck and he noticed what looked like smoke coming from the hay. He brushed the hay and when he did the stack fell inwards and flames went everywhere.

He did not even have time to unhook his nice pickup from the trailer as the fire burst to life.

It scorched the pickup as seen in this photo but the police and passerby's and the command rig from the fire department were able to keep the pickup from being a total loss until the fire department could arrive.

A terrible thing to this nice pickup. We don't think about the fact that when we have a flat tire it gets really hot and the trailer had a wood bed and then the hay on top of that. The heat of the day also did not help.  Hay fires are almost impossible to put out no matter how much water you spray on them.

You can see the intense heat damage on this pickup and it never did catch on fire just burned from the heat and the plastic parts caught on fire.  Gives you an idea of how much heat the firemen are working in. 90 degrees outside, heavy turnout coats on and then the heat too. Of course they could not get this close without the protection of the heat but trust me they are hot in there.

Pulling the trailer out of the stack of hay.  You can see the little store and cafe where they had waited for Les Schwab. It was not far away at all and yet nothing was seen until it was to late.

What is left of a really nice flat bed trailer. Nothing to even salvage from it.

What we always have to remember is that no one was injured and for that we are thankful. One disappointed couple as they watch part of their wedding decorations go up in flame along with their trailer and their beautiful pickup damaged but it could have been worse.  It could have happened going down the road and caused a wreck and people hurt. We sometimes have to look hard to see something good in a tragic accident that affects our lives.

Chickens in your garden

I have heard so many conflicting stories about turning chickens into your garden so I made a section outside the fence and planted spinach and lettuce and oats in it for my chickens. My mom said it was a waste if time and money as they would eat the seeds. Every day they went up and scratched around and ate for a couple of hours and their little garden still thrived better then my garden.  When the plants got up big enough I thought they would not scratch them out I turned the chickens into the regular garden.

They damaged one small corn plant but scratching around it and it toppled over and I had to replant it. My mom said it is the first time she has been able to have Walla Walla sweet onions without them getting wormy. They have also kept the cabbage bugs down and I have not had to spray them.

The corn and cabbage and broccoli seem to be their favorite places. Especially the corn. They also leave fertilizer and the corn is the best part of the whole garden so far, everyone has been complementing on how much bigger it is then theirs.

I will be letting mine out into the garden again next year when it gets up  far enough that when they scratch they don't cover up the plant. That is the only problem I had when the plants were small. I think they are so worth it.  

Death of a pet

The death of a pet can be so traumatic and something that non-pet owners don't understand how much that pet is a part of your life.

 My Shilo, how I loved this horse for 19 years. He thought my grand-kids how to ride. He was my friend.  I bought him when I was older in life and he was 5 and had never been trained. He had lived his life in a corral. They used to go set on him and ride him around the pasture.

When I got him he did not know how to get in a trailer and I loaded him by picking up each foot and putting it in the trailer.  We had an immediate connection when I went to look at him as a possible purchase.

He loved to be ridden and go on trail rides but he was afraid of everything. My luck was that he had total faith in me and would not run off with me.  The first time his shod foot hit the pavement the sound like of scared him to death. He almost squatted until his belly was on the ground. His shadow on the pavement also scared him.

He was a beautiful horse who thought he belonged with me every second of the day. If you left the door open when he was in the fenced back yard he would try to come in the house.  He was a city horse so traffic did not bother him. Llama's lived next to his pasture so he did not mind them but heavens he was terrified of other horses, he did not know what they were. Dogs could run all over under and through his legs and he was fine. He was so excited to see a horse and then the horse kicked him in the side with both legs and knocked him down. The next horse bit him every chance he got so he was terrified of horses.

He hated it when I left and would not come get him.  If he saw me get in the pickup and trailer he would run to his gate ready to go.  If we were out riding instead of walking faster when we headed to the trailer he would walk slower and when it came into sight he would stop and when we got to the trailer he would try to go past it. If you started the pickup and tried to leave then he would want to go to the trailer cause he thought he was going some where else.

He loved it when I took the dog for a walk but if we did not take him then he would run up and down the fence line and just scream at me. We would come back and put his halter on and then he would arch that beautiful neck of his and walk so proud with me and the dog down the road.  My cat also loved to go for the walk so here I was walking down a main highway in Oregon with a dog, a cat and my horse, people would look at us so weird.

And then we got Rose, who did not bite him, kick him. He was in love completely and never wanted to leave her side.  Our relationship changed somewhat after Rose. He still loved to go riding and loved to go for walks but only if Rose came too.  He still ran from the back 40 to me when he heard my voice. He learned to get along better with other horses but still came when he saw me when they all were in the pasture but he always brought Rose with him.  I think if he could not have drove her to come too he would not have came as he loved that little redhead...

He got a viral infection (airborne) and the vet thinks it also moved into his digestive system and caused colic. Either way he got colic and was down for we don't know how long, he was all skinned up and had been rolling. When my friend said he was down with his legs stuck straight up in the air I knew he had torn the membrane that holds his guts up and had a twisted gut but I still hoped. We tried everything but it was of no use and after 19 years I lost one of my best friends.

When I was stressed I always went and talked to him, brushed him and my stress level went down. One time I was so upset I went up to my friends house who keeps him and she came out to say "hi", I looked at her and said "you don't even want to talk to me right now, I have to spend sometime with my horse". I spent 1/2 hour with him and then was able to tell her what was wrong.

A big part of my heart left with him Tuesday and this is the first time I could even write that he was gone. I can't write his name without crying. My buddy, my friend, the love of my life is no longer here but he is no longer in pain.

He was in so much pain he could hardly stay on his feet and once he went down right when we were leading him and would not get back up for vet and assistant. I went over and got him and he struggled like mad and got to his feet.  He would try to walk and his feet so shaking he could hardly straighten  them out so I am so glad he is no longer in pain.I loved that horse with a passion and maybe some day I can tell you some real funny stories about our years together but today I can't take anymore cause I can hardly see for the tears rolling down my cheeks.

Goodbye old friend, I will always remember and love you and I thank you for the relationship I got to share with a horse.

Turkey Vultures or buzzards

When I was a child in the high desert of Central Oregon we saw lots of Turkey Vultures. They are ugly birds but as all things in nature they have a job to help nature work like it should. A vulture was considered by some to be our national bird but the eagle won out.  Both clean up dead animals.

When we lived in Ketchikan, Alaska we would drive out to the dump and there were Bald Eagles everywhere like sparrows are in the lower 48.  I would find it hard that they were on the endangered species list. I always said if you think they are endangered come to Ketchikan as they were everywhere you went but the dump was their favorite.

In the 1950's and early 1960's they put poison out to kill the mice and rabbits that were eating all the farm crops. Later they found out that they killed all the birds of prey and the meat eaters like the coyote. No longer did you see the buzzards flying around, nor did you see the eagle. The Golden Eagle was the one that was most common in the high desert.  The hawks, the owls, the coyotes, the bobcats, the cougars etc. all disappeared.

I saw a bunch of buzzards on the reservation one afternoon, sitting on some wooden fence posts with their wings spread cooling off. I was so impressed, they were really cool looking.  Other then that one sighting I had not seen any around since I was young.

Driving to the school one morning right there alongside the road was a bunch of buzzards in the tree. It was just at dawn and they were sleeping in the tree at an old homestead place. Only thing left there is some trees and a few corrals even though it is right in town by the school.

These are not the best photos but I still thought they were cool. I just love that the eagles, the hawks and the buzzards are coming back. I have seen a few owls but it is the Osprey Eagle and the Red Tailed Hawk that has really recovered.

40 years married and going strong

It seems like marriage means less and less to our nation every year so when you met at couple like this that are getting re-married for their 40th anniversary it makes my heart feel good.

I added this photo of them just to show the humor and love that shows why they are together after 40 years and many children later.

They are getting ready to cut the cake and she knows him well enough to know what he is thinking about doing with that cake and give him a firm warning but she can't help but laugh.

Being married is not something that does not take worth. It takes commitment, choosing to love that person no matter what happens.  This is true married or living together. This is true in friendships, jobs or anything else we do in our life.

We have became a throw away society. We don't have anything worth fighting for. We don't take the work it takes to fix anything, we throw it away and buy new. The bad thing is it is cheaper these days to buy new then to fix it. It is hard to even find someone that will fix it. If you find someone to fix it you can't get the part to fix it. They don't even make replacement parts for many things.

Overseas they have many houses that are 400 years old but in America people don't want to buy a house that is 10 years old.  

Our garbage has taken over the land, the streams and the ocean..Where now are we going to put it? Ship it to other space?

God does not make new lakes, land, rivers or oceans so we need to take care of them.

Madras, Oregon Football stadium burned to the ground to make room for new one.

A sad day to watch the old stadium burn to the ground even if it was on purpose. Happy day to watch the old stadium burn down to make room for the new.

Our old stadium as been there at least since 1965 and the voters approved a new performing arts center, football field and stadium and a new track. Our track was so old it was cracked and unsafe to use and we had to haul 26 miles over to another town to run our track meets.

I took this photo the morning before the burn day at dawn.

The firefighters torch it off.

The South end was burning a lot better then the North end.

Once it started it kept getting hotter and hotter and burning faster and faster. I had to move clear across the football field because of the heat. It was really intense.

Nothing left but some steel beams and some cement. Goodbye stadium you served us well and many memories occurred here.

A goodbye shot.

Memorial rodeo in Madras, Oregon June 2, 2013

This was a memorial rodeo and was very touching and had lots of local cowboys held every year at the Corwin Arena in Madras, Oregon

The grand entry started with The American flag, Oregon flag and the Confederated Tribes flag.

A riderless horse was lead in for each person remembered and a small story told about them. A very touching and heartwarming tradition.

Into every event a little humor must fall.  When this riderless horse and the horse leading started taking a leak right together like it was a choreographed event everyone tried not to laugh. Then they kept going and going and going like the energizer bunny a few snickers were heard and pretty soon the whole audience started laughing.  They even finished together. I don't think they had gone all day long as they went forever.

 The wild horse race is always a favorite at the rodeo. All the Native American Rodeos I have gone to has wild horse racing and the cowboy loses most of the time. It is an extremely rough sport on horse and contestant but the cowboys take the brunt of it most of the time.

 Another distraction from the rodeo. I saw these boots and just had to take a photo of them.

All rodeo's have to have the calf roping.

No rodeo is complete without the rodeo clown. His job is to entertain the audience in the slow times while they are loading chutes etc. but his main job is to keep the cowboys safe in the bull riding. This guy was a fun clown and I hope to see him again.

Saddle bronc riding. I look at him and think, this is going to hurt.

Even the cowgirls get into it with the cow riding.

Bulldogging or steer wrestling, I have seen it called both. This can be a dangerous game too. Well all of rodeo is dangerous. This time the cowboy went over the street and got tangled up in the other horses legs and it almost went down too. Luckily no one was hurt bad.  I don't remember which team it was.

A cowboy favorite, the cowgirls running barrels.

Team roping.

Bull riding is one of the most dangerous in rodeo. I think wild horse races and bull riding are the two worse events on the cowboys.

For more rodeo action shots see my web page at:

www.lindawarrenlarson.smugmug.com

Madras Dance Studio at Music in the park at Madras, Oregon

We might be a small town but we have some talented instructors that teach dance to the kids and for adults. Here is a sample of their dances.

The little ones doing ballet. Right now they have to have their dance recitals in Prineville until we can get our performing arts center built. It is suppose to be done in 2014.

I thought this group was amazing. As good as any I have seen on TV and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 Another group of kids doing an amazing job. I am so thankful we have a dance studio in our small town.

This group was our grown ups doing a belly dance. Some of these gals are the older generation and it was such a delight to see them out there enjoying themselves. I wish more people had their attitude. They were a favorite with everyone.

This was the young adults ballet dance. What a graceful group of young ladies.

That concludes my music in the park photos for June. I might get caught up yet.  If you ever wanted to dance to down to the dance studio and get started.

If you want to see more of the dances you can visit my website:

www.lindawarrenlarson.smugmug.com