Continuing on....Outdoor Wednesday

Continuing on.... #2 in the Outdoor Wednesday meme. ( I wonder if I'll get in trouble for posting two times in the same meme?)

Cattle.   I think if you are in the cattle/beef business, you say cattle.  If you are just an average joe, you say cows. (of course a cow is female and a bull is male)
Maybe cattle is plural for all and cow'S' is plural for the females?
Maybe someone can help me settle this?

We do have "Open Range laws" in the state of Nevada.  Open Range is so very complicated---and the subject of much debate.  Especially since Nevada is 85% public land (Federal land)

Nevada is one of many western states that are primarily comprised of "open range" land. The open range designation means that cattle, horses, sheep and other livestock are free to roam and feed over any property that is not fenced. Nevada, and other open range states, legislate "fence-out" laws that essentially say: if you don't want other people's livestock coming on your property, then it is your responsibility to fence your land adequately to prevent ingress. Your fencing also prevents egress for your livestock.

You have to be very careful driving in the state---the rural parts, anyway, which consists of everywhere but Reno and Las Vegas ---- because cattle can just be there crossing the roadway at any time.

As the official definition indicates, open range has no fences bordering the roadway.  Cattle and other animals are free to wander where they will.  If this sounds dangerous, it is!  The Nevada Department of Transportation indicates that between 1998 and 2002, there were more than 200 accidents each year on Nevada roads because of cattle in the roadway.  Sometime there is a sign indicating you are in an open range area, but not always.Night driving in the open range areas of Nevada can be an extra challenge, since, besides the reduced visibility, cattle often head to the roads at night to soak up the heat retained by the asphalt. It may come as a surprise to drivers in Nevada that if you do happen to hit a cow or other domestic animal on open range, it may be your fault and you may be held financially responsible for the injury or death of the animal. 

In fact, here are a few pictures we took in April when we were up around Denio, Nevada, taken from the car as we drove by...

not a cow, but a stream  You can never pass up water in the desert, so.... a photo op!

Notice the  window?  The car window is halfway down.  It really filters it and makes the desert look a lot greener than it is.

Cows--Outdoor Wednesday

A couple of weeks ago,  while driving up north, we came across a cattle drive.

Yes, there are still Cattle Drives or Round Up's going on in Ranch's across the United States today!

In Nevada,(and other Western States) there is open range, where cattle roam freely regardless of land ownership (that's why you have to have a 'brand').

I know I could be opening up a fierce controversy here  (branding, free range, etc)  and that's not what I meant to do---only to show some photos of a cattle drive we came upon!

maybe I should watch this movie?

Woo Hoo!

I mean  YAHOO! 

YEE HAW!

It looks like these guys are on their way to Upper Cow Creek!

I am linking up to Outdoor Wednesday.

Stop by and check out  other great outdoor photos.

***later, I am going to write more about cattle in the west.

Why?

I'm just weird, I guess.

Even tho I am a city girl  --- granted, it's a small rural city/town -- it's not the country--  but country/cowboy life intrigues me.

Bananas and Cream Pound Cake

Yesterday was a great day!  I spent most of it cooking,  a little bit reading, went to church and had supper with part of my family.  What could be better?  (only more of my family!)

I wanted to try out this banana desert---Bananas and Cream Pound Cake--that I found on the Taste of Home site.  (click on that link to see how good it can really look!)

The dessert was great, my pictures? Well, they don't look anything like the ones on the Taste of Home site.   Go figure?  I never said I was a photographer!
My pudding layer was creamier than it should have been---like falling down over the pound cake and bananas.  
Granted, it doesn't make for a great photograph, BUT it does make for a mouthful of wonderful.
And that's the whole point, isn't it?

The pound cake layer was so good---one can never go wrong with pound cake.  I love pound cake.  Layer that with some bananas and put pudding on top!
Everyone loved it.
Can't wait to share it with my friend April, who brings Southern 'banana pudding' to all kinds of gatherings.
Some of us Westerners do not appreciate banana pudding type of desserts as much as we should---but I know she will.

Oh....and the pillow cases, which say Mr. and Mrs.?   I found them in an old cedar chest while cleaning out at my parents house a few weeks ago.   I am pretty sure they were embroidered by my great-grandmother for my mother's wedding gift.  I am going to put them on the pillows in my guest room.

And let no one lay their heads upon them EVER. (laughing)  Embroidered things start to come apart once they are  used often.  Have you ever noticed that?  Washing, etc.  Just causes them to un-embroider.
Does anyone hand embroider anymore?  Is it an old-fashioned thing? 
When I was little we would spend our money on embroider hoops that you could get at the local drugstore.   It was the 'thing' to do, when I was 9 years old. 
I have never done it since.  You?


Back to the dessert---the only  thing I might ever do different is use a banana pudding in lieu of the French Vanilla---just to make it more banana tasting.  Maybe....cuz it's good just as it is.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined.
2. Transfer to a greased and floured 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and condensed milk until smooth; fold in pudding. Fold in 3-1/2 cups whipped topping.
4. Cut cake into eight slices; arrange on bottom of an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish, trimming to fit as necessary. Slice bananas; arrange over cake. Spread pudding mixture over top. Refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours. Serve with remaining whipped topping. Yield: 15 servings.

Picture courtesy of Taste of Home

(but it should really look like this)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1-1/2 cups sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• LAYERS:

• 2 cups 2% milk

• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant French vanilla pudding mix

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

• 1 package (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

• 5 medium ripe bananas

• 
  
• 
  

It had to happen

The first car I ever owned was a Chevy Vega.

I was very cool.

It had a 'hatch back'  (whatever that was)

oh...  A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area

so, i guess they still have 'hatchback's'.  No one ever uses that word anymore tho.

Very cool in the  '70's!

Then I met and married the Handyman.  I had to become a FORD person.

  Right before we got married he bought a baby blue Ford Pinto.

Believe it or not, we had a family of five before we got a new car.  Yes, 3 little kids in this.  2 in the back and one in my lap....in a car seat, but in my lap. 

This was long before car seats were a law--they were just a nice place to put a baby.

Then we've owned a Ford Cougar

and as our family grew we had our Areostar

and lately as we have gotten wiser  (not older)

a Ford Fusion

and a F-150 Truck

As you can see, we keep our vehicles.  For a long, long time.

We've been married for 36 years next week and in all that time, these are the cars we've had.

Notice that since I've been married, they are all Fords  (okay, I cannot tell a lie, we did have a  Plymouth Voyager for a long time)

but anyway,  my story is---

I am going to buy my parents  CHEVY Trailblazer.

My sister-in-law said to me...

do you think your garage will reject it?

I don't know---we'll see.

Outdoor Wednesday

While everyone else seems to be posting spring pictures, flowers, green, heading into summer pics--I am posting some of a hike we took about  6 weeks ago.

You know, we live in the high desert---not so much green here.  And while it was hot over this past Memorial Day Weekend,  we did have snow six weeks ago, up in the hills.

I am linking  up to Outdoor Wednesday.

Our hike up Water Canyon

I always think no one in the East knows what a cattle guard is---so I always take photos of them.

Cattle won't cross them, so it's a way to keep cattle out or in a certain place. 

So begins our hike...

It's a bit cloudy and the Handyman wanted to know if I wanted to carry on.

I did.

The sun kept trying to peek out here and there.

It IS Water Canyon, after all...so we had some little streams to cross here and there.

Rock formations on the way.

A cave!

For some reason I love to take pictures of old trees against the sky.

No one knows why...not even I.

I gave you some poetry there.

I've always been intrigued by tree carvings.

Strange to be out in the wilderness and see tree carvings and then realize you know this family!!

(small town)

Took time for a snowball fight!

More tree carvings!

Headed back to home!

And so ended our hike up Water Canyon.