Busy, Busy, Busy Summer

Hello friends!

Summer is busy.  I feel like I’ve been running around like mad!  All good but, as you may have noticed…I’m behind.  I’m a slacker!  I’ve let you down!

Jade…I promise I will get that post done about all the places to eat in Vancouver.

GavinleatherNwood…Thanks for noticing that I missed a week and for calling me out gently on IG!

Alessa, Amanda, Cameron, Anne…I’m sorry I haven’t answered your blog comments yet. I will…promise!

And to all my other IG friends who are asking if I’ll be posting soon…I’m SORRY!!! Yes…soon!

Here’s the scoop, aka excuses:

I’ve been traveling a bit. I’ve been to Vancouver, BC twice, Northern California, Bend Oregon, and Wine tasting in the Willamette Valley a few times.  My sister-in-law got married and I got to make a bouquet for her. Then there was 4^th of July weekend with the whole family home, and some visitors from out of town

And as I write this, I’m heading to my Annual Girl’s Trip with my high school girlfriends to see Adam Lambert sing QUEEN at the Forum in Los Angeles, to which I plan to wear Leopard Bell Bottoms like a teenage groupie!  Pictures to come!

I’ve been a busy girl.

I also have real life to tend to, like my house, animals, husband, garden, raising baby chipmunks, oh and work…there’s that, too.

There was also that day when I got a loud knock at my door from a stranger

As it turns out, she was a neighbor…when you live on 20 acres you rarely see neighbors or get knocks on your door.

Anyway, she was in a panic.  There was a herd of cattle on the highway and she was driving around trying to figure out who the cows belonged to.  She said they were beige cows and that they had a calf with them.

I knew instantly “who” these cows were.  They were the naughty cows who graze on our property.  They belong to our neighbor 20 acres up the hill from our house.  Our property is fenced, and we allow them to graze on some of our acreage.

Oh…I know these sassy gals, very well!

Said sassy cows had busted down our fence, headed down the hill in to our other neighbor’s property and then skipped up his road and onto the street!

“Why,” I wondered?  There is so much food to graze on…why did these gals take the road to the highway? 

These heifers are funny, curious, beautiful and really, really naughty.  They have big personalities. They are always getting into mischief.

I believe they were seeking adventure!

I told the neighbor that I would handle it.  She said that she and her husband would shoo them on to the property below us and try to keep them off the street until we got down there.

We called the cell phone of the neighbor who owned the cows.  No answer.  We called the neighbor whose property was being nibbled on…no answer.

So…It was up to Cowboy Dave and Cowgirl Jill to round-up this small herd of giant trouble makers!

Mind you…Dave and I are city slickers pretending to be farmers/ranchers

We know nothing about what we are about to embark upon. 

We jumped in our Gator and bravely headed toward the herd by trespassing through our downhill neighbor’s acreage.  We were excited! This was kinda fun! And we had never seen this property we were trampling all over with our off-road vehicle, all in the name of saving the day!

In no time we spotted the crazy collection of cocky cattle.  They were hanging out on the neighbor’s lawn, casually snacking. 

Ok…now what.

It came to us instinctually.  We’ll sneak behind them and get between the street and the cows, I’ll wave my arms angrily and they will go running back to where they came from.  Logical!

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So, Dave floored it. We cut around the back side.  He jumped out and blocked a path toward the neighbor’s house so they wouldn’t head for their flowers and trample the landscaping.  I drove the Gator to the designated spot.  Then, I pulled right up to old Bessy and the gang We were nose to nose.  Gator nose to cow nose.

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Old Bessy just stared at me

I waved my arms madly.  The rest of the herd gathered around and stared at me.

I stood up in my gator and yelled “hah”, “giddy up”, “shooooo”.

Nothing.

They looked at me sweetly as if to say, “Aren’t you that lady who is always feeding us hay at the fence?  Am I supposed to be afraid of you?  Where’s my hay?”

About that time, Dave came running over on foot.  That did it, they turned tail and hussled in the right direction.

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Yay…So, they trotted along, and Dave stayed to block one section, but they ran right by the road leading to our house to seek more fun, frivolity, and adventure, elsewhere.  

So, I zoomed around to head them off with the Gator and rounded ‘em up with confidence.  I was large and in charge like a real cowgirl!  Woo Hoo.  I successfully herded them in the right direction. 

I felt like a true wrangler on horseback

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Dave hopped back in when the cows could no longer take a wrong turn and we followed along behind them as they reluctantly sauntered toward home.  They didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry as they snacked a bit along the way.  I guess Dave and I don’t really look like we mean business. 

We kindly asked them to trot along, like Babe treated the sheep in Babe the movie.  “Pardon me kind cattle, could you possibly hurry your fannys along…we have other stuff to do… this isn’t our real job!  

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They said, “Oh thank you nice humans for treating us respectfully!”

They made it.  Safe and sound.

Dave and I discussed that perhaps we should consider having cattle.  We were good at this wrangling stuff.  Then I reminded him that these adorable gals are going to be hamburgers someday, which breaks my heart. 

“Maybe we can just keep them all as pets and they can just mow our acreage, so you don’t have to mow”, I said to Dave in a child-like manner. 

Anyway….

See….busy, busy, busy!

I’ve had some adventures this Summer and I’m excited to share. I also can’t wait to tell you all about being on the Sabrina set with Gavin.  Wow, what an experience and the cast and crew are all wonderful people who treated me like a Queen!  Post coming soon…

Speaking of Queen…I also can’t wait to share my upcoming adventure with my girlfriends and the Queen concert! 

When my gals and I get together, we forget that we are 57 and we think and act like we are still in high school.  It’s a crazy fun time and we all are exactly the same as we were in Jr High and High school…maybe add a few wrinkles and a lot of wisdom.

Stand by for a more substantial post, my friends…coming soon.

Love you all…xoxo Jill