Weekend Roundup - D

 Today's assignment: Starts with D, Favorite, and Dog.

Starts with D: During a recent trip to Tennessee to visit family, we saw lots of DEER. They have a beautiful piece of property that backs up to a wooded area. The twins are my favorite.

Favorite: Of course, Gus is my favorite DOG. But today, meet Buford, the neighbor's DOG. Gus is not a fan of other pups, so when I took him out one dark morning, I failed to seen a stranger sleeping in the rocker on the porch. When he hopped down and came over to me, I felt certain I would soon be in the middle of a dog fight. Instead of barking and attacking, Gus simply walked over to Buford with his tail wagging, and the two became fast friends.

Dog: Gus was born on November 3, 2015. He is an Australian Cattle Dog a.k.a. a red heeler. I'm not sure of the date he came to live with us, but it was early in 2016. He was a frisky fella. He enjoyed chewing on house slippers, furniture legs, and basically anything he could fit into his mouth around. Lucky for him, he was too cute to get into too much trouble.

He sure loves to play and he knows the names and colors of all of his toys. If I ask for his green ball or monkey, he comes back with the correct one. 

He also likes to nap.

In Oklahoma, we lived near Tishomingo where Blake Shelton's Ole Red is located. Gus is a proud member of the Dog Wall.

Linking to The Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup - C

 This week's assignment: Starts with C, Favorite, and Colorful.

Starts with C: In researching red CLOVER, I discovered it has many uses. First of all it is a valuable forage crop for livestock, but it also fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it a good cover crop for improving soil fertility. Plus, it has medicinal qualities. Impressive plant.

Favorite: Since I don't have a horse to post, will make do with a CHAROLAIS COW. This one lives in the Westmoreland, Tennessee area. Charolais are the second-most numerous cattle breed in France. The bulls weight ranges between 2200 to 2600 pounds, and the cows 1500 to 2600 pounds. They were introduced to the southern United States from Mexico in 1934. Isn't she lovely?

Colorful: This is also a favorite of mine. Meet Gus. Our CATTLE dog, a.k.a red heeler. He is quite a handsome fellow, especially surrounded by COLORFUL pillows and an afghan CROCHETED by yours truly as a gift for my mother many years ago. 

Linking to The Weekend Roundup 

Saturday Critters

All photos taken in Coal County, OK.

This fine looking Paint Horse found some tasty weeds on the other side of the fence. Hope he didn't scratch his neck on the barbs.

It came a gully washer last Wednesday. On the way to town we saw this turtle on the far side of the road.  

The first katydid I've seen this summer.

Love this critter. This is Gus. He loves riding in the truck, but hates storms. We are having another gully washer this morning. He's hiding under the table.

Linking to Saturday Critters

The Week in Review

Saturday 12/20/17

Friends invited us to go to The Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The weather was supposed to turn cold, but it was 40 degrees when we left home. The museum was about 1 1/2 hours away. Not long into the drive, it started misting rain as the temperature quickly dropped to 20 degrees. The mist started freezing on the windshield. 

The roads were still okay, but when we got into OK City, the bridges were starting to ice. We did see one car lose control on one of the bridges. Merely a fender bender, but I don't think the driver was very happy. 

Love this statute. It's the first thing you see when you walk in the building. You might recognize a more summer-like version of this as my header. If you are ever in the Oklahoma City area, try to stop in.

Sunday 12/31/17

Nothing exciting this day. It was too darn cold to get out. I did try a new recipe - Taco Soup. Easy. It's a crock pot recipe. Tasty, too!


Monday 1/1/18

No pictures for two days in a row. It's too cold to get out. This morning our water was frozen, so we spent the morning thawing out the well and hot water pipes under the RV. Low was 9°. 

Friends invited us for dinner, so we ventured out. Gotta have those black-eyed peas for a prosperous new year. 

Tuesday 1/2/18

Still cold, so stayed in most of the day. Did venture out to take a pic of the Super Moon.

Wednesday 1/3/18

Sunshine and perfect walking temp. It got up to 48° so gave Gus a treat and took him for a walk down to the pond. It turned out to be more of a run. He was happy to be outside for a change.

The pond was still frozen.

Finally tired him out. He found a shady spot to rest.

Thursday 1/4/18

Drove into Ada today. Took the long way home to look for critters. Today was Mockingbird Day, although I did see several Savannah Sparrows and a Red-tailed Hawk having a snack on top of an old electric pole. This guy was trying to hide in a tree beside the road.  He didn't appear to like me much.

DC took me out to dinner. On the way we saw several deer standing alongside the road. These two posed for me.

1/5/18 Friday

Took an early drive this morning. The sun cast a bright yellow over the countryside. To my left I saw a tree full of what I thought was Meadowlarks, since there are so many around here. I snapped a pic.

After reviewing the shot, I rethought my identification. I zoomed closer and snapped another pic. They were far off the road, so it isn't very clear, but clear enough to identify the Cedar Waxwings with the sun making their usually soft yellow appear much darker.

A little farther down the road, I saw a flock of geese looking for a drink on a frozen pond.

Linking to The Bird D-Pot