Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Day on the Ranch

The Bag Lady spent most of yesterday outside, working in her yard. It was one of those gorgeous days - warm, sunny, reasonably calm winds. She mowed the lawn, then tackled a messy spot around one of the big spruce trees in her back yard.

The tree is close to her firepit, right behind her outdoor oven and the area around it had, over the past few years, become the respository for all kinds of things - firewood, rocks that were discarded when she built the oven, pieces of old fence boards, chicken wire and all manner of detritus. All of it grown over and around with wild rosebushes and a few poplar trees! She forgot to take a picture of the mess before she started, so you'll just have to use your imaginations. She isn't done yet, but it is looking a whole lot better. The Rancher even got in on the act and lent a hand by cutting down some of the larger trees for her with his chain saw.

When they finally played out, they lit a fire in the firepit to burn up all the dry bits of wood and such, and settled in with a beer. The sky was that perfect shade of blue that makes it look like it goes on forever. There were gulls flying far overhead, nearly invisible, they were so high. A squirrel spent a good portion of his day chattering and chiding them from the top of a pole nearby. There were birds singing in the trees and flitting around the feeder, and occasionally they could hear the American Kestrel babies in a nearby tree, cheeping as their parents brought them something to eat.

All in all, one of those perfect summer days.

27 comments:

Miz said...

*sigh happily*

it sounds like a perfect day indeed, BL.

Crabby McSlacker said...

Hooray for perfect summer days! You certainly deserve one after the endless winter you went through.

Leah J. Utas said...

Sounds like one of the best.

Anonymous said...

Sounds wonderful!

What do you cook in your outdoor oven?

solarity said...

I don't need an imagination--I have a memory.
It sounds like the aftermath was a worthy reward.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

the Bag Lady said...

Miz - it was great. And today is looking really nice, too.

Crabby - Thanks - it certainly felt like summer would never arrive!

dfLeah - it was lovely!

kcinnova - Pizza!! Homemade pizza with homemade sauce. Unbelievable! Oh, and bread, and other stuff, too but PIZZA is the best.

Mary Anne in Kentucky - it truly was. All we needed afterward was a hammock.:)

Missicat said...

Sounds like a great day! Wonderful description

Geosomin said...

That sounds like a really great day. And a perfect end to a great day.
Can we all come over for an outdoor pizza party?
(I'll bring beer...:) )

the Bag Lady said...

Missicat - thanks - it was great!

Geo - Anytime! Especially if you bring some of your strawberry beer.... oh, none left? Dang. Come anyway! :)

Emily said...

How relaxing! I think my blood pressure lowered just reading your description. Why don't you take some of this HOT weather that keeps us in doors?!?

the Bag Lady said...

Emily - sorry to hear it's so hot there you have to stay inside! It rarely gets that hot here. Sometimes gets that cold in the winter, though, so I guess it evens out! :)

JavaChick said...

Sounds like a lovely day! This time of year I really wish that I was not stuck in an office all day during the week.

Levi said...

Bragger.

Sagan said...

Fun! That's relaxation in a blog post.

the Bag Lady said...

JavaChick - It really was lovely. And today is lovely. This is definitely the time of year for not working.

POD - oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to brag. Just remember your perpetual sunshine makes me jealous most of the time (especially when it's -40 here!)

Sagan - glad you enjoyed it! :)

Melissa said...

Accomplishing something big=Happiness.

OK now I want to go home and clean house...

Reb said...

Sounds like a wonderful day Sis.

Redbush said...

Awwww! The hot sun, a lovely blue sky that goes on forever, baby birds cheeping, and a rancher's undivided help and attention, oh, and how could I forget, a beer at the end of a long clean-up! Life just doesn't get any better! It's too bad that we didn't know at the time, but, we'd have been over to help celebrate your accomplishments and click beers with you! Here's to a more beautiful yard! (It was beautiful before!)

the Bag Lady said...

Melissa - it did feel good to finally get that area cleaned up!

Reb - It was great! And today is really nice, too!

Redbush - come on over any time to clink beer glasses! :)

Anonymous said...

Hello, from one baglady to another! I use the name 'baglady' in my poetry pseudo....You have a very informative blog...Enjoyed the visit

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks for stopping by, Margaret! Nice to meet another bag lady! :)

Aleta said...

Sounds like a lot of work and a lot of satisfaction with what got done!

the Bag Lady said...

Aleta - it was a satisfying day!

Amy Mullis said...

It made me relax just to read this. Wish I had a hammock and a cold glass of lemonade. And a servant to refill my glass when it gets too close to empty.

the Bag Lady said...

Amy - I'm so glad I helped you relax! And how I wish I had one of those attentive servants (and a hammock, now that I think about it...!)

Hilary said...

Sound like a great way to enjoy the downtime after all that hard work.

the Bag Lady said...

Hilary - it was, it definitely was! :)