Sigh! Must we get older?
Update: yesterday, I began my day with steak and eggs, smothered in green chili. 
Then my two sons, Trevor and Ross, and Ross's girlfriend took me to the movies. We saw Bandslam. I've been wanting to see it for a while now. I had to laugh when the first words in the movie were, "Dear David Bowie!" My kids know how obsessed I am about db. It was pretty good. It was about high school kids forming a band for a battle of the bands. I think everyone enjoyed it. Especially Trevor since he's in a band, more about that later. ;)
Then my two sons, Trevor and Ross, and Ross's girlfriend took me to the movies. We saw Bandslam. I've been wanting to see it for a while now. I had to laugh when the first words in the movie were, "Dear David Bowie!" My kids know how obsessed I am about db. It was pretty good. It was about high school kids forming a band for a battle of the bands. I think everyone enjoyed it. Especially Trevor since he's in a band, more about that later. ;)My daughter, Sheila, joined us after the movie and we went to the Route 66 Diner for some ice cream. 
Ross and Elisabeth
Ross and Elisabeth
We ordered 3 banana splits between the 5 of us and couldn't finish them! WOW!
Plus, Sheila brought me flowers . Aren't they gorgeous?
Later, I took Trevor for a haircut and the young girl cutting his hair asked me if I was his grandmother!!!!! As if!! She also asked for help from the other haircutter in shaving him for a mohawk so I can only chalk it up to being young, inexperienced, and ignorant.
Later we had a spaghetti dinner (but nobody was even hungry!) and I opened a few gifts. I got a lovely turquoise and bead necklace and bracelet set from my mom and a car cover for my Infiniti FX45 from Ross.
Besides feeling older, it was a pretty good day.
Today, we are supposed to go hiking but it rained/poured last night and I think the trails will be all muddy.
Of course, we sang Happy Birthday and watched her blow out the candles on her birthday cake.
We had egg burritos with sausage, green peppers, cheese and salsa and freshly brewed coffee for breakfast. 
This is a view of THE TREE from inside my cabin. This is the upper part. You can see how close it is to the cabin. If it had fallen wrong it would have taken down the cabin.
It still needs to be cut up for firewood. Ross is quite handy with a chainsaw so he went to work at it. However, our big chainsaw wasn't acting properly and the small one wasn't big enough to do the job so we only got the upper branches cut up on this trip. It was still a pretty good load to bring home. Here he is trying to figure out what to do with the blasted chainsaw!
After the woodcutting, Ross wanted to have some fun, so he went fishing at one of the little ponds down at the bottom of the mountain. I joined him for a while but he wasn't having any luck at all.
I decided to go for a walk near my cabin. I only made it to the field next door but I took lots and lots of photos.
This vine was growing up through a pine tree. Does anyone know what kind of plant it is?
I love how the rocks are mossy and the trees grow all around them. 
It rained a few days earlier and this rock still had a puddle of water in it. This is a four foot high boulder that I climbed on. 
Look at all these young pine trees! They're all about 2-4 feet tall.
This pretty pine tree is growing up through the branches of the other trees.
The ranchers were very creative in the old days, using anything they could for fencing.
There is a whole art on barbed wire. Every rancher twisted his a little bit differently.
I came across some scat, a lot of scat actually! This pile was huge!!! This is only a few hundred yards from my cabin. Seeing that, and then another pile near it, I decided it was time to return to my cabin.
Later in the day, my boys were driving away from my mom's house at the bottom of the hill and they saw a black bear run across the road in front of the truck. It was huge, they said, 300-400 pounds! Judging from the pile of scat I saw, I would agree.
My boys and I are going north to visit her as soon as Trevor gets out of school (his first day back). We will be staying at my cabin. 
I haven't been there since the 4th of July when 
over the river,
and through the woods,
And if we're lucky, we'll get to see our summer lodger.
Then I added cracked corn and sweet feed and divided it up. Everyone got some. Yummy!!! See the big smile on Annie?
Scout finished his and started scrouging for leftovers. As if!!?!
Val: Whoa, Nadia, I'm still setting up!
Annie: Hey, I'm all dressed up! It was so cold this morning that I got to wear a blanket. (This wasn't planned even though yesterday's post mentioned dressing up Annie! I couldn't stand seeing Annie shivering in the cold so I put a blanket on her, for the first time ever!)
Annie: Nadia, I don't know if Baby Doll is coming. It looks really bad out there.
Nadia: She'll come. It's her birthday tomorrow so this party is for her too.
Nadia: Okay, let's get the photo shoot over and start the party!
Everyone has to wear silly party hats! Even you, Annie!
Scout: Bobbing for apples! All right! Let me at 'em.
But, I better save some for the rest.
Baby Doll: Let me try! Let me try!!
Baby Doll: Blehh, Scout slobbered in the water.
Nadia: This is harder than it looked. Oh, yep, I got one!
Nadia: My, that cake looks good! 
(Considering the weather, isn't it fitting that the cakes are on a 'snowman' tray?)
Annie: Go away, Scout! You had yours!
Annie: Just kidding! I still like you.
Three cheers for the party girls!