Stepped outside to breath in the moist cool air... it's 22 degrees F here this morning and a bit of snow is falling. I paused a moment and soaked in the concert of bird song for a moment. Of course the Pominators were trying to compete as I had left them in the house. Yes they put up a howl every time I go out the door without them. Gave all the house hairballs a bit of baked acorn squash... all but one loves it. Baked with a bit of olive oil.

Thinking about what to plant in garden... pumpkins, mini pumpkins, varieties of winter squash, some summer yellow straight neck, and some zucchini... the winter squash is more for the dogs and chickens than for me.

Thinking I'll go ahead and order 4 mulberry trees. Going to plant them in the chicken yards I think... with protection around them of course... that way when they bear fruit the chickens can eat whatever falls from the trees... Hopefully I'll be able to get a bit for myself as well... we have an abundance of birds... if not then at least the birds will have some fruit to eat.... hopefully the chickens will keep the grasshoppers off the trees this way as well.

haven't started coffee yet...
going to grind up the squash that's left ... seeds rind and all... some the rinds had gotten too hard... I baked them anyway... then cracked them open and gave them to the chickens... they were happy hens...

may you walk in peace

appreciate the moments
Mary E. Robbins
307.788.0202
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later in the day... 10:47 a.m.


Decided to go ahead and get wood in and get the ranch rounds done... it was snowing... and as I was not sure how much we were going to get... thought it was a good plan to get with it before much piled up. 

Thankfully we were not windy... listened to a dove call all the way through ranch rounds... only one egg today... Puss Cat was asking for some so I gave it to her. She is a long haired calico kitty that lives here.

Refilled the chicken feed... listened to the girls (hen) visit with me... love that sound. Checked the cat feeding stations... fed the big dogs, checked the pominators feed stations... fresh water to everyone... gave all the dogs treats... brought a muck bucket tub of feed down here and put it in the feed can. emptied the ashes... and finally got that cup of coffee... 

Then called one of mom's friends at golden living and visited with her a bit. She had been on my mind for several days... she is a good lady and she and mom were really close... they called each other sisters. Mom crossed over in September 2012

 Glad to be back inside... the view to the south east across to the wild cat hills was sure beautiful though... David would stop and just gaze out across the rangeland... or look up to the skies... the skies especially at night with the spray of stars ... planets... and the moon... and just marvel at the beauty of this planet... he loved it out here... in truth I do as well although it kicks my behind on a regular basis...

David crossed over December 25th 2012 ... I wonder what vistas he can see now... 

Celebrate the Night

I’ve been sorting through paperwork most of the day. After dinner I stepped outside with a bit of cinnamon whiskey and watched and listened to the night come in.

 Wonderful time of day. Not a breath of wind this evening just a wonderful dusk darkening into night.

 The mastiffs came out with me and romped around the yard going on guard as they heard one neighbor’s dog then another go on barking guard. The first dog sounded about a mile from me… the second about a half mile. Whatever night predator set them on alert was moving through not sticking around those places.

A cow was lowing, calling out, not in terror, more like calling a calf. I leaned on my fence listening to two owls call back and forth.

The night is coming alive.

Life  is a journey, savor the moments

Mary E. Robbins
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Beautiful Calm Morning

Good Morning Peeps… Beautiful Calm Morning. No wind at all.

The sun is shining melting the ice from the freeze last night. Ran the house Pominators out before the sun was up… they are back inside sleeping again now. The mastiffs are out in the house yard.

I hear Captain (Yellow Lab) doing his morning bark routine. Must be a ranch cat in the midyard bugging him. Or he is barking just to be barking as he seems to like to do. He is in a solo run next to Bully (lab cross)and Jazzy (pit lab cross). All three came in at the same time the summer of 2003. They were dog/human aggressive and were to be put down, so here they are 9 years later. Jazzy is getting a bit gray around the muzzle, she is a shiny black spayed female.

My right knee is screaming this morning. I put some Blue Emu on it… let that absorb then some Unkers. Still hurts but it’s holding . Have my kelso earth shoes on they seem to make a significant positive difference with my knees so I’ll just see how the day goes. The bugger is grinding pretty good this morning. The worst thing I could do is not use it… so tough on the grinding I’m taking the trash out to the burn bin.

I made a pen out of sheet metal steel posts and grates across the top to cut down on fire hazard. After this bin fills up with ashes, I’ll break it down and move it to another spot in the chicken yard. The chickens and other birds us the ashes to dust in. No mites on my feathered friends… lol…

Heard pheasant call again this morning. That sound always makes me smile.

Life is a journey... appreciate the moments.
Mary E. Robbins
307.788.0202
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Cloudy morning concert...

6:05 a.m. we have cloud cover from horizon to horizon. A beautiful study in grays across the morning sky. The wind is sweeping in from the west carrying the smell of wet snow and rain.

We had a bit of rain yesterday so the air is fresh and clean not filled with powdered dust swirling about. It is a bracing 39 degrees F. this fine spring day.

I stood in my front door closed my eyes and listened to the morning concert… the wind singing through the trees… the multitude of birds singing in the juniper tree just outside the door.

As I quieted my mind keeping my eyes closed … to lessen distractions… I started to hear the individual voices of the birds… each one unique…

I have been blessed this morning with a morning concert, fresh clean air, and the promise of more moisture for the thirsty rangeland…

May you see the beauty that surrounds you… may peace fill your mind and soul… may you celebrate the day…

Mary E. Robbins
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Robbins Run Ranch

Windy Day Filled with Beauty...

Today was quite the windstorm here. Not as much as a few days ago but enough to make me very glad that we only received a skiff of snow. Just enough to cover the ground. Had it continued to snow with that wind it would have been a Wyoming blizzard in the truest sense.

Such was not to be today. The bit of snow we had this morning melted and the moisture held the blowing dirt and sand to a minimum. It was actually quite nice when you could get out of the wind. It was 40 degrees F this afternoon while I was outside. 

I am getting stronger day by day, making it possible for me to spend more time outside working with our critters.  Today our girls (Hens) gave us 9 eggs. Love fresh eggs for breakfast with some home fries cooked in a bit of olive oil with a dusting of cayenne and garlic salt. A bit of grilled bacon is lovely too, and lets not forget the grapefruit and fresh black coffee. :)

Anyway this white cochin hen was sitting in a nest, so of course I had to look under her. She had a treasure trove of 6 eggs hidden under her; there were 3 eggs in another nest.  I stole her eggs and stashed them in my little red egg bucket. Then I picked her up and petted her back for a bit. She is such a gentle soul, she just sat in my arms.

 I love the feel of their feathers, so soft. When I placed her on the floor she started talking to me. Making happy chicken sounds.

As I stepped outside I was given a beautiful gift. Just south of our chicken yard, and north of the Quonset a beautiful male ring-neck pheasant flew up out of the tall grass. Such a beautiful bird.

After I latched the chicken yard gate I headed on up the hill, red egg bucket in hand, to the dog runs. Today was the day I'd planned on moving Poncho (orange chow cross) into his own run. He was a happy camper. Tail up over his back, wagging back and forth exploring his new house, yard, and fresh water pans.

He had been sharing a run with Charlie ( Orange Saint Bernard Golden cross) and Cisco (Cream Sable Chow mix).  The three of them have been together for over 5 years but something in the dynamic has changed and Poncho was being pushed out of the pack for some reason. Or rather being picked on as the low man in the pack rankings.  His whole demeanor was sad, depressed. I didn't want to separate him and Charlie, as they have been together their entire lives. But Poncho just was not thriving. So, I compromised, Poncho is in a run next to Charlie and Cisco, so he can still visit with his friends, and yet have food and water to himself, as well as have a break from the pack politics.

It was a pleasure to see him come trotting up to the fence wagging his tail and smiling with his whole face. He had been staying back because Cisco would chastise him for coming near me. Today I looked at him and started opening the gate and he was there. People say dogs don't talk or understand. Such people just don't understand and/or do not listen. Dogs communicate all the time, just not in English.

There is a similar situation with a lab and 2 lab crosses. It materialized much quicker though. And I had to separate them.  I kept them close to each other, right next door but in separate pens.   Once again 2 dogs in one run and 1 next door. They are doing well next door to each other and can be let out in the surround to run together. It's just not a good idea to leave them unsupervised when they are together. Sooner or later they will turn on each other. Some monster had fought these three dogs before they came here to live.

Btw, no these dogs are not up for adoption. They have been here for 9 years and are welcome to spend the rest of their days here. This ranch is their forever home, just as it is mine. I hadn't planned on taking the labs in but we were asked if we could take them after a shelter worker had been badly bitten trying to handle them. It was us or a bullet, so to speak. So here they came.

I stopped for a bit this afternoon and just watched the sparrows. There is a whole flock of them living in the trees and shrubs by the lab cross pens. I have water and feed out for them under a fir tree. Well it's either a fir or juniper I'm not really sure which. I love listening to them in the mornings, wonderful sound. I've been filling a 3 gallon pan with chicken scratch grains for them. They eat in the chicken house as well.

The little feathered thieves love dog food too. They will empty out a 3  gallon pan of dog feed in a couple of days. I couldn't believe it, I thought something else must have been eating it. So I put out the scratch grains to see if they would disappear as well. Oh yeah, it's birds... lol... lots of little feathered food munchers. I do enjoy them though.

Enough rambling for now.

Life is a journey, each moment a treasure.
Mary E. Robbins

Old Fashioned Yellow Roses

I snapped these two photos on June 7th, 2008. I love these old fashioned yellow roses. They are so beautiful and hardy. These tough babies survived having a skid loader run over them. I am so glad they made it. I was not happy with the fellow that ran over them however.

Frankly I don't think he gave much of a care what I thought. Oh well, these wonderful roses survived anyway.

They are actually in one of my Kennel exercise yards, in one of the outer surround exercise yards. Just at the corner of a small yard that is inside the outer yard. There is that confusing enough...lol.

Note: You can click on the photos to open them to full size for a better view if you would like. I would suggest right clicking on them and opening them in another tab or window. enjoy

Life is a journey...enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
307.788.0202

Asparagus and Flash Flood Waterfall

Note: to access the full sized photos simply click on the photos to open them. I would suggest right clicking and then opening them in another tab or another window. enjoy

I managed to get a few photos of the asparagus coming up in our field, on May 21st 2008. This was the first year since we made this ranch our home in 2003 that I was able to pick asparagus. We had a lovely dinner of steak and aspargus, and I froze several packages for later.

It was wonderful to actually be able to pick some. The past 4 years illness made it too much for my body to handle. It was wonderful to actually be able to do it.

On May 23rd, 2008 we had thunderstorms and rain. This was in the evening, the rain had lightened up and I heard this roar. It didn't sound quite like a tornado, but I looked anyway. Then I thought what on earth is this; it didn't sound quite like a train. Then I noticed the water running off the embankment across the road from our house. I grabbed my camera and used the zoom lense to snap the following pictures.

There are 2 places where the water was coming over. I am soooooo glad they had redug the bar pits on that side of the dirt road or that water would have run right into our driveway. I was standing on my front step taking these photos.




Life is a journey... enjoy the trip.

Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
307.788.0202

Pomeranian Puppies at Play on a Beautiful April Day

Beautiful Day, beautiful young Pomeranians. This series of photos was taken on April 8th, 2008. Enjoy.
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One Orange Chocolate girl and 2 Orange Chocolate boy's at play. Orange/Chocolate means that they have an orange under coat(base coat) with Chocolate shading. Like an orange sable. except chocolate. These three wonderful pups have chocolate masks at this age and dilute points. In other words their noses, lip liner, and eyeliner is a beautiful chocolate. Their eyes are a light brown or hazel, sometimes shading into amber. Absolutely beautiful.

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There are 2 black parti boys playing too. The black and white ones are the black parti boys. Such Characters.

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Also a cream sable boy, one orange sable boy and an orange sable girl with white mittens.
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Tuffy (light cream male), Molly (cream female) and Bitsy (black female) are playing together as well. These three are tiny ones. Tiny with huge attitudes. They think they own the world. Truthfully I think they do. Lol.

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Orange Chocolate Brother and Sister. Brother to the left/sister to the right.

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Happy young Pomeranians at play, on a beautiful April Day.

For more information call 307.788.0202 or check out Robbins Run Ranch (my main site) or The Arfing News
Life is a journey... enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
307.788.0202

Quack Quack Quack

The photos in this post start Top to bottom. March 24th 2008 to March 31st 2008. Baby Rhoen ducklings. Happily living in my 55 gallon fish aquarium. I guess you could say it is a multipurpose aquarium...lol... enjoy.

The are such cute little peepers. They weren't quacking at this age. Just peeping and playing in the water.

Life is a journey...enjoy the trip.
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians

Snowy Morning On the High Plains

Merry Christmas… It’s 5:38 am Christmas day on the High Plains of Wyoming. The wind is blowing and it is snowing a wet sticky snow. I’m going to see if I can capture some of the beauty with my camera after the sun peeks over the horizon.

I woke up about 45 minutes ago. Ran the house dogs outside to do their business and stood in the door and soaked up the beauty of a small elm tree flocked with fresh snow.

When I first looked out I didn’t see any drifts, selective vision don’t you know…lol. Then I looked more than 2ft in front of my face…lol and of course there are drifts. Like waves on the ocean. It’s not very cold, 28 degrees Fahrenheit by the weather channel on my computer. 38 degrees in this valley by the thermometers on the fence. That explains why the snow is sticking to the walls, trees, fence, everything it comes in contact with. It’s freezing and melting, then freezing again.

God be with the folks on the roads today, they are going to need all the help they can get.

The kennel is quiet, no howling or barking this morning. All the work preparing for winter is benefiting the little hairballs this morning. Hauling straw in and filling their houses, covering the fronts of their pens with tin, as well as half the tops. Gives them added protection from the bone freezing wind chill that comes with storms like this.

This morning my dogs, large and small alike are taking advantage of their houses and the windbreaks around them. It was a gut wrenching, muscle pulling, job getting that tin up and anchored so the wind can’t sail it away. My body still feels like it’s been attacked by an oversized meat tenderizer hammer. Ouch! Painful muscles aside, it’s worth it to have the protection up around the dogs.

Before the influx of rescues this fall my kennel was pretty well prepared with calf hutches for houses and dairy stripping for doors (vinyl strips overlapped hanging from the top of the doorways) It took a gargantuan effort to get the rest of it constructed and prepared for winter. It’s still not the way I’d like it but it’s working. The dogs are doing pretty good over all. Taking care of them is kicking my behind. But they have a place to sleep, water to drink, food to eat, and a visit and pat on the head. Each group has at least 2 dogs in it. So they have company and someone to curl up with.

Truthfully taking care of the dogs is about all that has been getting done. Go out take care of the dogs, come in and collapse. Start functioning again and shred paper for the whelping house.
I’ve got to get to work on the paperwork end of things. Ugh! Besides shredding mountains of paper for bedding that is…lol…newspapers, magazines, catalogs, envelopes, whoo hoo it’s a shred fest. Yes friends and neighbors bring me their newspapers, magazines, catalogs, etc for recycling into dog bedding. Their paper contributions are much appreciated.

I do wish I had my dog barn up. That would be wonderful, early morning lights, good venting, solar heat/and cooling for the summer, fresh water all the time, a grooming area with hot water on demand, and cage dryers as well as handheld, more protection from the winter storms, coyotes, cougar, as well as the scorching heat of summer. Indoor outdoor runs for the Pomeranians. So they can still go out and play but with a bit more protection.

Would be nice, change that, will be nice. Although sometimes I wonder if it’s more for me than for the dogs. They seem pretty happy the way they are. Getting to be dogs on a ranch…lol.

Life is a journey…enjoy the trip…
Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
307.788.0202 USA Mountain Time

If you click on the photos they will blow up to full size... just remember to use the back button or open them in a different window or tab.

P.S. The photos above are the view this morning, from my front door.

P.P.S. The photos below are more December ranch photos... enjoy...





December 16th, 2007 early morning...
The light shining out of my kitchen window before the sun was fully up.. icicles anyone?

Absolutely beautiful morning...


December 24th, 2007 ...Diesel playing with a piece of firewood.



Ranch cats sunning themselves on poles, in front of the feed storage...


Chickens out and about...



Diesel and LuLu (Lu Lu is the lab)

Breathtaking views from my yards... cattle on the range... view to a ridge 30 plus miles away...

Guinneas and Chickens...

The Gray Goose... 2 of our geese survied the cougar hunting...we are shutting our birds up and night now...

Diesel and Sara... Sara has the fire wood this time...
My beautiful Sara weighs about 120 lbs...