From 80 to Snow in 6 days

 Yep, the week started out in the low 80's and yesterday we got snow. One thing you can't count on out here is the weather. We are always surprised at what the day brings. Today it is cloudy with a 20% chance of rain.
Pa and I tore out the fence I put  up for the dogs because he felt it wasn't high enough to keep the coyotes out. We bought some 4 ft high hog wire fencing and put that up instead. Being ever so efficient, Pa put in extra posts to give the fence more stability. I'm sure a coyote could jump a 4 ft fence but at least we feel better about it.

 The Dahlia I planted last year is finally showing some life. It's been so long, I can't remember what color it is.

 Here's the Rhubarb I transfered to a pot last fall. I need to find a permanent home for it because once it is established, it's there to stay.

 I found this strange bug wandering around. The orange color is fuzzy. So it's a Fuzzy Bug?

 Remember the hedgehog cactus I found last year and replanted?  It is starting to bloom. We had so much wind that it covered half of the hedgehog with sand. When I watered it a couple of days ago, I washed the sand off so the cactus wouldn't suffocate. Well, maybe it wouldn't suffocate but at least it feels loved and wanted!

 Pa's Cottonwood tree is starting to leaf out. Guess it's about time for the cows to come by for a snack. I want him to put up a higher fence to protect it. Those sneaky cows stop by in the middle of the night when we are all asleep. They are so sneaky they don't even wake up the dogs.

 Here is the snow we got yesterday. It was almost a white out for awhile and the wind was blowing so hard the snow was coming down sideways.

This is from the back window. A couple of hours later, the snow was all gone but the cold weather remained and it is still cold today.
I've been researching grants for drilling wells. Apparently some were available last year but it was only for 11 grand at 1% interest, paid off in 20 years. 11 grand might pay for the first 100 ft but out here ya gotta go deep. We're looking at 40 grand probably. I've written to the state asking if any grants or subsidies were available for senior citizens to put in a well plus I wrote a couple of well drilling outfits to see if they knew of any. I was in the shower the other night when the thought came to me about grants (I get my best ideas in the shower.) Good grief, they have grants for just about anything if you know where to look for them. And most people don't even know that grants are available. I couldn't find anything about grants for 2012 and the ones I found for 2011, there were none available in Arizona
My friend Katie was doing a blog hop for Chalk Ah Lot and if you commented on one of the blogs you looked at, you were entered to win some chalks. I only commented on two blogs and low and behold I won!!!!  Me, who never wins anything!!!! I can't spend a lot of time looking at blogs due to the limited mega bytes. I will be so glad when our contract with Verizon is over. Then I will switch over to Wild Blue where we can get twice as many mega bytes for $10.00 more a month. I'm happy with Verizon, we get great reception out here but to up our mega bytes, it would cost twice as much as we are paying now and it ain't cheap to begin with.
I must share this recipe with you! It came from the Hungry Girl news letter I get. It is for a Pumpkin Smoothie and it is absolutely delicious and very filling. Ready? Here it goes:
1 cup skim milk (you could use almond milk or silken tofu)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin ( not the pie filling, just pumpkin)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
a pinch or half an eight teaspoon of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg
blend in a blender and drink down.
Low calorie, lots of fiber and the ginger and cinnamon are very good for your health. Make sure the pumpkin is cold ,so I keep a can in the fridge at all times for when I run out of the original can. Try it and let me know how you like it. It's like drinking a piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast.

Snowflake bound

Just a quick update. We have to be in Snowflake today at 4:30 to pick up my order of fruit. I ordered blackberries, boysenberries and blueberries. They come in 14 pound boxes. They come by truck from Boring, Oregon and are grown at Bithel farms (www.bithellfarms.com/). I guess anyone can get all their friends and family to order and they will deliver to one place and everyone shows up to claim their berries. Most of the berries are $39.00 a box and the blueberries are $43.00. I don't care if it's a good deal or not, I can't get anything like it around here. I don't know if my blackberry bushes survived the winter or not.
I received my strawberry plants and got them planted. Also planted potatoes. I ordered a Wisteria vine and 3 spruce trees and planted them in pots for now. I noticed some cherry tomatoes coming up in the pot I had one planted in last year. Oh! I had to prune back the squash and pumpkins growing in the guest bedroom. Yes, just like last year, they were trying to put on blossoms! I made some seed tapes using tissue paper, water based glue and seeds. That way, my carrots , lettuce, spinach and radishes will be evenly spaced and I won't have to thin them out. The tissue paper and glue will melt eventually when I water the plants. I figured why pay extra for seed tapes when I can make my own? Last year, all my carrots ended up at one end of the planter box because the water picked them up and deposited them down hill. Pa made cages to protect my lilac bushes yesterday and today discovered something ate them right down! I am so disappointed! I may put the milk crates back on them or put something on top. Last night as we were watching tv, we heard a loud thump against the house. We have no idea what it was but we have heard it before. I told Pa it might be Big Foot. I've heard they throw rocks at people and houses. We haven't seen any foot prints tho....thank goodness!
Haven't been doing anything crafty lately. Pa's been spending the days tinkering in his shop. Well, that's it for now!