Random 5 Friday - 2/14/2014

1.  I finished the chicken applique quilt top this week. Now, I'm all caught up with the Quilt-A-Long and looking forward to the next step! :)

2.  Jerry has been a member of the Tombstone Art Association for about a year now. His watercolor paintings and colored pencil drawings have been doing very well at the Art Gallery, he sells two to four pieces each month! The Tombstone Art Association is having their annual juried art show next month. I decided to enter some of my photography. I also joined the Art Association so that I can offer my photos for sale at the Gallery.

3. My goat, Daphne, is definitely bred so we will be having baby goats on the ground in June. They are always so cute!

4.  The mare, Missy, got out of the pasture yesterday while Jerry was gone riding his gelding, Paco. He had looped the chain over the gate but hadn't latched it. We think the dog got the gate open trying to squeeze through. Anyway, when Jerry got back, Missy was out in the front yard! He thought (ha-ha) that she would just follow him and Paco back into the pasture but noooo. She ended up across the road at the neighbors' place so Jerry latched their gate and then we proceeded to try and catch her. Every time Jerry would get within 10 feet of her she would take off. By the way, the neighbors have eight acres. They also have a very nice roping arena and they have a couple of their horses 'stabled' in it. After about an hour, Missy went down the alley that is used to bring the steers up to the chute. When she finally realized there was nowhere to go, she stood quietly and let Jerry put the halter on her.

5. Today, when I got back from town, I went out to hang the sheets and there was a smell kind of like a skunk but not really. I checked Red Dog and he was okay, so I brought him in the house with me. Within half an hour, he wanted to go back out (just like having a 4-year-old!). When I went to let him back in, he had gotten into whatever that awful smell was! Blech! There were several javelina in the back yard a week or so ago drinking out of the dog dish so I looked up javelina smell on the internet and lo and behold, another name for them is "skunk pig!" A couple of months ago he got into what we thought was skunk but now I think it was javelina. Here is some info I found: And that smell! Strolling through the Arizona high desert, you'll often smell a Javelina before you see one. They have a gland at the base of their tails that they use to mark trees, rocks and even each other with a sharp, musky scent something like that of a skunk, though just a touch less eye-watering. I tell ya' there's never a dull moment around here! ;)

I hope you all have a very happy Valentine's Day!! :)

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday. 

Random 5 Friday - 01/31/2014

1.  YAY!! I did it! I made bagels and they turned out great! :) I used this recipe with the brown sugar option.

2.  The weather has been unseasonably warm here for the past few weeks while most of you have been dealing with Polar Vortexes.

3.  As a result, my fruit trees are trying to bud out. This does not bode well for the fruit harvest this summer.

4.  On the other hand though, my winter garden is doing great! Spinach, radishes, carrots, kale, beets, turnips, rutabagas and snow peas are all coming along nicely.

5.  It's time to get the outdoor cats, Bert and Ernie, "fixed." Somekitty sprayed in Jerry's shop yesterday.

Hmmm...pretty random ramblings today. Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Sunday

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday Saturday Sunday. Okay, okay, I know I'm two days behind but I got busy! ;)

1.  I wanted to share with ya'll how cute the neighbor boys were for Halloween! They are the only Trick or Treaters we ever get and I always enjoy seeing the creative costumes their mom comes up with. Landon was a rodeo clown/bull fighter and Caden was a tourist. The detail of their costumes was amazing!

2.  We had a GREAT time in New Mexico a couple of weeks ago! We really enjoyed visiting with our friends and the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium was a lot of fun! We got to see a Craig Cameron horse training seminar and performances by Red Steagall and The Texas Playboys.

3.  Unfortunately, Jerry ended up catching the flu while we were there and passed it along to me! He started feeling bad on the drive home and I was two days behind him. It took us a little over two weeks to get completely over it but we are both feeling better now.

4. We had a skunk hanging around last week eating all of the barn kitties food every night. It sprayed Red Dog twice. Thankfully, not too badly and we were able to get rid of most of the smell with a couple of home remedies. We put out a trap and "got" it on the second night.

5.  Last Saturday was my last day at the Farmer's Market. I can start receiving early retirement payments from my old aerospace industry job so I retired! I almost feel guilty about it...I only worked for the company for 11 years and I left in 1991. You will notice I said I almost feel guilty, mostly because I will be getting about the same amount of money each month as I was earning baking full-time for the Farmer's Market. :)

Random 5 Friday - 09/20/2013

1.  I never tire of the view from our front porch. The mountains always look different depending on the time of day, clouds, etc.

2.  Two weeks ago, Nancy posted a 'recipe' for a DIY shower cleaner. I tried it and must say...it is by far THE BEST shower cleaner I have used in years, homemade or commercial! It is easily made and, because of the lemon juice, it isn't stinky like some I've tried. Thanks Nancy!! Here is the recipe from Nancy:

Simple: Fill a spray bottle half-full with white vinegar; add 1/4 cup lemon juice, then fill the bottle the rest of the way with dish detergent. Shake well then spray on and leave for about 30 minutes, then wipe off.

3.  I found a cute pattern online for a knit Baby Kimono that I'm going to make for grand-daughter Jaycee for Christmas. I probably should get started, huh?!

4.  Here in the next few weeks, we are going to get electricity installed down at the barn. It will be nice to have real lights and an outlet in my milking shed for a heater and/or a fan.

5.  Jerry took Red Dog with him to the horse auction last Saturday and met Red's former owner. I kind of figured that might happen living in a small town and all. Come to find out, the fella raises pretty high-dollar stock dogs and Red was one of his 'breeders.' Initially, he offered to buy him back but when he found out that we had to get him neutered to adopt him from the animal shelter, he changed his mind. He was glad the dog is okay and has a good home and had Jerry out to his ranch this past week. He also gave Jerry some literature on the commands to use. So, you really, really never know just who you are getting when you adopt a dog from the pound! ;)

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday and Jan and Jer for Friday's Fences.

Random 5 Friday - Red Edition

1.  When you adopt a pet from the Animal Shelter, you never really know just who you are getting, especially when they were brought in as a stray.

2.  Red is a 4-year-old Kelpie, a hardworking Australian stock dog breed with lots of energy. You would think, then, that he would have spent his prior life on a farm or ranch outside. Imagine our surprise when he wanted to follow us into the house Wednesday! We let him in to see what would happen...

3.  Outside, he is always on the move. He loves to go with Jerry when he takes the horse out. He loves to go for walks. He loves to accompany us down to the pasture to feed and take care of chores. He loves to go with Jerry in the truck. If we try to leave him in the pasture with Buddy, he paces back and forth at the gate and, eventually, escapes.

4.  He is an entirely different dog in the house. Inside, he is calm and quiet. He is housebroken. He lies on the floor with us while watching TV. The first night inside, he was a little restless and did a fair amount of pacing. None of us got much sleep that night. Last night, he settled right down.

5.  So, you adopt a dog thinking he is an outside ranch dog and will be a pasture mate for Buddy and end up with a good, good house dog that loves being outside with us too! ;)

P.S. Buddy is really okay out in the pasture by himself so don't feel bad for him.

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 07/26/2013

1.  I won this lovely apron from my blogging buddy Michelle recently. I wore it for our Fourth of July cookout and have been wearing it quite a bit since. Isn't it cute?!? I like the little bees. Thanks Michelle!! :)

2.  I have decided I need a personalized ball cap that says "Candace Jean - The Cookie Queen." Whadda ya' think?

3.  We made a 3-hour round trip to Naco, Mexico yesterday so that I could get a couple of broken teeth pulled. One of them suddenly started hurting Wednesday morning (abscess) so I finally overcame my 'chicken-ness' about dentists and agreed to go. They did a great job and only charged a fraction of the price that our local dentist charges!

4.  One of my pet peeves about dentists around here is that they want to sell you lots of other stuff before they will take care of the problem. Stuff like X-rays, cleaning, etc., and then they don't want to just pull the silly thing, they want to 'save' it with root canals and/or fillings. Yep, I have been to see them. We don't have dental insurance and, honestly, we just can't afford all that stuff.

5.  So, now, I look like a typical resident of Cochise County, Arizona in that I have missing teeth. (sigh) Seeing as how I didn't have my first cavity until I was 18, this is kind of a bummer for me but, luckily, they were both far enough back in my mouth that you can't see the gaps when I smile! ;)

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 07/12/2013

1.  Only one of my gladioluses (gladioli?) bloomed this year. It may have been because we dug them up and transplanted them too late. This one was missed when we were digging the others up.

2.  We have finally started getting some of our summer monsoon rains and it has sure helped with the record-breaking heat.

3.  All the rain has brought humidity though. I just don't know how ya'll back east deal with it! I'll take our typical Arizona 'dry heat' any time!

4.  We lost Barn Kitty this past week. We found him half under the rosemary bushes that run along the front porch. We suspect he ate a Sonoran Desert toad as there weren't any obvious signs of trauma. The toads are out in force with the rain and we hear their songs all night long. Barn Kitty was such a feral cat that we didn't realize just how big he was until we pulled him out of there.

5.  I have been really, really busy with my baking for the Farmer's Market these past few weeks and haven't had much time for blogging. I sure appreciate the emails and comments checking in on me, thanks! :)
I need to make more of an effort to keep up with my blogging as it is my only social outlet Monday through Friday and I have missed you all!

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 06/14/2013

1.  This sweet little cottontail was hanging out in the back yard this morning when I went out to milk the goat. He stayed put, munching on the grass, while I went back in for the camera.

2.  It is HOT here. It has been over 100 degrees every day for the past week and they are predicting over 100 for the next five to seven days too. Blech.

3.  When it is hot like this, I don't feel like cooking or eating very much. There have been lots of sandwich nights recently and we will be having a big salad for supper tonight.

4.  I finally joined Sam's Club last month to save money on my baking supplies for the Farmer's Market. I can't believe what a difference it has made! Now I feel silly that I waited so long! LOL!!

5.  Smirnoff has a new (to me anyway) Blueberry & Lemonade malt beverage out that has become my new favorite summer 'beer!' :)

Random 5 Friday - 06/07/2013

1.  I love my purple irises and have been wanting some yellow ones for awhile. My "neighbor" at the Farmer's Market had some lovely, fragrant yellow iris plants for Mother's Day so I bought myself some.

2.  We are off to The City today for a major, scheduled car maintenance. We have to be there at 8 AM so I had Bob cat get me up at 4:15.

3.  Actually, Bob cat gets us up around 4:15 EVERY morning. (sigh)

4.   It's been over a week since I have had time to do a blog post and I'm behind in my blog reading too. I hope to get caught up with everyone in the next few days.

5.  Oh yeah, we became grandparents last week!! Jerry's son and his girlfriend had a lovely little girl, JayCee Bella, on May 29th. Jerry made a quick trip up to Flagstaff to meet her and we will both be going in a couple of weeks. The only pictures I have so far are blurry cell phone shots but will be taking lots and lots when we go up. You have been warned!! :)

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 04/26/2013

1.  The sky looked like it was on fire Wednesday evening as the sun was setting.

2.  Tomorrow is the Earth Day celebration at the Bisbee Farmer's Market where I set up and sell my baked goods.

3.  There will be a petting zoo, solar cooking demo, live music and lots of vendors. There will also be a May Pole, procession of the animals, drumming and belly dancing.

4.  Cochise County is a pretty conservative ranching and farming area with the largest employer being Fort Huachuca, home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center...and then there is Bisbee, an old copper mining town down near the border with Mexico that was reborn as an artist colony in the early 1970s.

5.  The residents of Bisbee are a little more colorful and liberal than most of the other folks in Cochise County but they are genuine, friendly and welcoming. I could live there very easily (must be the old hippie coming out in me)...Jerry, not so much. ;)

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 04/19/2013

1.  My roses are blooming like crazy! I didn't get around to pruning them over the winter and they seem pretty happy about that fact.

2.  The big storm that brought or is bringing big rain to a lot of you just brought us big winds earlier this week.

3.  I made a new rule, Candy doesn't have to cook supper on Thursday. I do a good job of making meals from scratch the rest of the week but Thursday is kind of like my Friday and I'm tired of being in the kitchen every day by then. I don't care if we go out, eat sandwiches or have leftovers...I'm just not cooking! ;)

4.  The new season of Longmire starts May 27th on A&E! Woo-hoo!

5.  I have started taking my shower at night, there were days when I would still be in my jammies at noon because I would get busy with my baking. Now, I can just get dressed when I get up. When I was young, we always took a bath at night. How about you, do you prefer a bath or a shower, at night or in the morning?

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 04/12/2013

This week's post is pretty durn random! Let's see...

1.  One of the hens went broody so I put four eggs under her on Monday. Tuesday morning, I marked them and checked on her. Tuesday evening, there was another egg so I marked it differently. She was fine with no extra eggs Wednesday morning and evening and Thursday morning. Thursday evening, one of the eggs was half eaten so I evicted her. The dog was happy!

2.  We put bird netting over the three dwarf fruit trees yesterday. They all have a lot of fruit starting and we are hoping to actually get a harvest this year.

3.  I'm looking forward to the Farmer's Market tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be GREAT! My baked goods have been selling really well lately and my goal is to completely sell out one of these weeks.

4.  The neighbor lady cancelled her trash service and has been just piling it up on her front porch. With our big winds earlier this week, most of it ended up in our yard and pasture. Grrrr...

5.  Today is Jerry's birthday!! :) He got a pretty sedate cake this year, German Chocolate. If you would like to see the horse cake I made him last year go here.

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 03/22/2013

1.  I love perennials and enjoy seeing them return every year. I picked up a six-pack of calendula plants last weekend and put them in my new flower bed interspersed with some gladiolus bulbs.

 

 

2.  The hollyhocks I planted last year are making a return.

 

 

3.  I planted one echinacea in this barrel almost seven years ago, it has multiplied and comes back every spring.

 

 

4.  I have two barrels of irises, these have been here for about five years now. I really, really need to thin them out, huh? ;)

 

 

5.  I gave my big wormwood plant to one of my friends a couple of weeks ago but found this little volunteer and decided to plant it in my new herb bed. They can get pretty big but are very pretty with their silvery foilage.

 

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 03/15/2013

1.  I used to live in a gated townhouse community in a suburb of Los Angeles.

2.   I had a real good job as a first-line Manufacturing Engineering manager for a defense industry contractor.

3.  I had my nails done every two weeks.

4. I drove a little, red, two-seater MR2 sports car which I LOVED!

5.  I could never give up my life here on our little four-acre farm with it's views of the mountains, or the horses, goats, chickens, dog, cats and garden to go back to city living. :)

Linking up with Nancy for Random 5 Friday.

Random 5 Friday - 03/08/2013

1.  I like when Jerry buys me flowers to photograph. They had a bunch of 10 daffodils on sale for $1.99 at Safeway the other day. :)

2.  We are expecting a winter storm this afternoon and tomorrow. Well...it's a winter storm for this area but nothing like what ya'll get back east!!

3.  Because of the forecast for cold, wind, rain and snow, I've decided not to go to the Farmer's Market tomorrow.

4.  I feel guilty when I don't go to the Farmer's Market, it's like calling in sick to work since this is my "job" and I feel like I'm letting my customers down.

5.  But, since I'm not going to the Farmer's Market tomorrow, I'll be meeting Marie in Tucson for lunch and some girl time. There, now I feel better! ;)

Joining Nancy for Random 5 Friday.