Happy New Year!

Reflection seems to be the order of the day. I  could recount all the past blog entries, or the sadnesses ( is that even a real word? doubt it.) that ran rife in 2010. I could recount the sickness and the scares.
I could remind you all about past New Years Eves- but that just seems to be asking for more trouble!

So I will not do any of that!

I will wish each one of you a better 2011.
I will predict good health and harmony and hopefully some prosperity in all that you endevor.
I will not make resolutions,( which I never keep anyway!) and I will just try my best to be behave and be happy this year.

Best Wishes Everyone! Bring on 2011!

More about that '...creepy overpaid football player"

Tucker Carlson, a conservative commentator, was angry that Obama told Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie he believes people who have paid for their crimes should have the opportunity to contribute to society again. He was referring specifically to Michael Vick.
Carlson thinks that the President of the United States of America should NOT be getting behind a convicted Animal Abuser.  I agree.


You all know how I feel about Michael Vick. Hearing the general football media wax poetic about how great he is on the field just chaps my hiney.
Lo and behold on today's Comcast page an article about Fox commentator Tucker Carlson and his opinion about Vick. It matches my own.
Here are just a few quotes from the article.

"``But the idea that the President of the United States would be getting behind someone who murdered dogs (is) kind of beyond the pale,'' he said." (Tucker Carlson)

Carlson called Vick ``some creepy rich overpaid football player''


"He (Vick) made headlines recently when he said he genuinely cares about animals and would like to have a dog for a pet. Vick said his kids ask him every day for a dog and wants to adopt one for his family."




"It won't happen soon. Under the terms of his probation, which ends in May 2012, he cannot own dogs during that time."

Evidently Vick does charity work for the SPCA. As I said before, it is too little and way too late. 
 Kittens? Bunnies? Hamsters? Is it just dogs he can't own or any animal? The thought of this man or any of his family owning animals of ANY sort sends chills up my back. Could such a man teach his children compassion? In my opinion only if he had a Christmas Miracle of the Scrooge sort. I mean, serial killers often kill pets in cruel and inhumane ways before they start in on people- what makes this guy any different- except for the fact that he can throw or catch a football?
So after 2012- Just one year away- this monster will have the ability and the legal right to once again own dogs. Excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth.
I think there are some crimes that are just so hideous that they should never be excused. Abusing children and animals are at the top of my list.
 I applaud Tucker Carlson for his frank comments, but it will not be enough. Too bad our President thinks more about football than he does about right and wrong.

Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. I sure did!
This had to be one of my favorite Christmas's of all time- mostly because of the kids!
Here is a clip or two of Jr. singing Christjmas Carols. That is his Aunti Mimi helping, and you can hear Lil Mama in the back ground. What a hoot!

Now on to the New Year! I sure hope that 2011 holds more joy and more opportunity than the last one!

Fun with Dick and Jane- er... I mean K and D

I don't have any pictures cuz I'm lame-o like that- but today my good friend Denesirita and the Stud Spud came to my house for some fun and games.
We went to the shooting range! D bought her hubby a super fantastic present- a large frame revolver and Crimson Trace grips! And my dear Hubby gave him a shooting lesson. It went very well- mostly because The Stud Spud is versed in firearms and weaponry. He just needed a few sharp pointers to make him really stand out.
Poor D though- everytime a gun went off ( which was about every half second) she would shy and jump right out of her skin! I told her she needed more' tarp' time, but she says there isn't enough time in the world to make her not jump.
Then the Stud Spud and D took Hubby and I out to a scumtious lunch!
It was a wonderful time to spend with my friends- just what I needed to get me away from the hustle and bustle of the Holidays!

Time for Inspiration!

"When I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a


sick sense of failure falls on me, and I know I can never do it.

Then gradually, I write one page and then another. One day's work

is all I can permit myself to contemplate."



-- John Steinbeck



I really like this quote because I feel the same way. I know a lot of you do too. So instead of worrying about what you CAN'T accomplish- lets resolve now- before Jan 1 2011 - to be glad that we CAN accomplish something. Even one page a day. Some days even one good sentence.
 
And for you non writers out there- we can also apply this to our horse lives. We can't always ride for two hours, or sometimes even ONE hour- but we can brush our horses, comb their manes, clean their feet, teach them a trick or a modicum of respect from the ground. We can clean ONE piece of tack, read one helpful article or take one good picture.
 
Thank you John Steinbeck- you've helped us all much more than you could ever have guessed!

Christmas Casualty List

The tree is up! Finally! We usually put it up the day after Thanksgiving, but this year we waited.
I'll have to get a picture of it- we have it in the corner of the room, and it is surrounded with a coffee table and a foot hassock- just so the Big Dog won't try to get underneath it, then stand up. (That actually happened with one of my other Danes! )
And to make sure the two of them don't get into too much mischief with the Noble Fir we have the biggest squirt gun alive on top of the table. The pups are fearful of the dang thing and I don't blame them. It shoots a gallon or so of water in one pull! I could wash my car with he water it puts out! 

So the dogs MOSTLY stay away from the tree- because, as you know, just because an ornament is unbreakable doesn't make it Un- Chewable!
Case in point- one hard resin teddy bear. Now a blob of resin that once looked like a Christmas bear...
Ahhh ...the casualties of Christmas.

There should be a song about that!

In this Episode Vaquerogirl shows remarkable restraint and dicipline.

BUT IT WAS SO DIFFICULT! This a picture of the inside of the warehouse where I worked last week. It is only a fraction of the amount of stuff lined out in this airplane hanger that was for sale. Everything was sold within two days.

The round item in the forground was a mirror, the round object in the back was a huge four foot across Chinese Charger and stand. You can hardly see the end of this room! Over 1700 items were sold in two days.

These are over six feet, made of sheet metal and tin, painted white. They wern't as heavey as they looked, but they weren't light. They went for $800 for the pair.

This Oak Victorian cabinet needed a little love. Nuthin a little polish and some wax in the right places wouldn't fix. I wanted it to replace my 1950's china hutch, but the bid went to $250. My proxy bid was only $100. I'm not allowed to bid in real time, only by proxy. So I'll have to wait for the next one.

The weathervane I really liked went for 350.00. It was old and primitive looking. That picture didn't want to load for some reason!

So this is what I am doing now- digging and looking and thinking how to fit pieces into my already cluttered home! 

Some of this stuff went for killer prices- $15 for two 16 foot ladders!

$1.00 for a modern oil painting, but the frame was to die for!

More next month!

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As a different side of Vaquerogirl I have to give you some good news!

I have sold an article!

Actually this particular article has been very good to me, I have sold the reprint rights several times after the initial publication in 1989. Most recently it was Chicken Soup for the Pre-Teen-aged Soul. The name of the article is " A Run to Remember'.

A Texas Institue bought reprint rights to put in into their STARR testing booklets. It should be there for ten years! How about that - ten years of Texan children reading about a Californina girl on her ugly horse beating the odds to win a big prize and much needed self esteem.

Funny- I have relatives in Texas, and some of them have children. I often thought I should have been born there myself- I am much more like them than my own family.

So pick up Chicken Soup for the Pre- Teen aged Soul and look up my story and tell me what you think. Or just wait about three years and your kids will bring it home in their schoolwork.

In any case I am still happy that I was asked to participate- and I get paid for doing it!

Take heart my girls out there writing! This could happen to you too!

And if you actually do look up the story ,e-mail be back, I still have pictures of that horse and of me. I'll post a few.

Really ugly! But beautiful now!

OOooo Girl! I'm like a kid in a candy store!

I am an HGTV fanatic- I freely admit it. Not that it shows around the old homestead much, but I love ecclectic things and use them in my not so elegant home.

I finally have a wee little job- working at an auction house in Alameda. It happens to be full of ...
ecclectic stuff!

Actually there are two sites and the auctions usually happen once a month. I worked in the Gallery on Wed and Thursday. That is the high end stuff. Today I worked in the Annex- a lot more low end. In fact it was a lot like a flea market only the stuff is up for auction on Tuesday. My O-ficcial title- Preview Staff. It's kinda like being Vanna with out the letters.

I walk around the BIG Metal Building all day with my auction catalog and just circle the stuff that I would like to have. Some of it is not so 'wantable', but some of it is!
EXAMPLE:  two piece Oak Sideboard with carved detail and a huge mirror. Needs a little love- the starting bid will be about $5.00. Of course it won't go for that- but you can see where I am going with this- everything appears to be affordable!
Lots of tools, books, records, coats, dishes,ornaments paintings, photos... well everthing except the one thing I couldn't resist- tack.

Wait a minute! I take that back! In the Gallery they have a Visalia Parade Saddle made in the late 20s with loads of silver. The saddle was left in the shed when it's owner died ( it looks like it was there since 1939), Kinda rough, but still- a VISALIA!  That one should fetch about $3000 even in its rough condition.

So wish me luck in my newest endevor. It will look good on my resume no matter what happens.
And if I can keep my hand from going up to bid, things will be even better.

I'll just have to keep repeating, "Those ponies still have to be fed..."