Explorations

Here at MountainMoxie I like to take the mundane tasks of everyday life and transform them into something fun. This doesn't always work out to be anything at all but yesterday was. I had read at AroundCarson that a previously unpaved section of East Valley road had been paved. East Valley Road is tucked up about a mile east of the highway one would normally take to go south to Minden and Gardnerville. Taking the highway isn't a bad ride by any means but there is so much of this area I am unfamiliar with that I try to take a different route here and there in my wanderings, sometimes getting lost, most often discovering a whole new area I didn't know existed. The first time I tried to find East Valley Road met with disappointing results but I did cruise around on the back roads of the Carson Valley anyway. These little forays into the unknown are usually carried out during my once a month trek to the recycling station located conveniently just outside the dump or "transfer station" as it is called. The station is on the southern most end of Gardnerville, about a 20 minute ride from my house. Yesterday I was successful in finding the East Valley Road turn off from Stephanie Lane. It was surprising to me how many houses are out there in the eastern Carson Valley. You would not realize this from the highway. Old, new, large lots, small lots...a whole entire population I was unaware of. Saw lots of horses. And then I came upon these:

Llamas on East Valley Road, Carson Valley

You can't see very well...but these are Llamas. Fluffy, sweet Llamas...a bunch of them on a farm.

I didn't get much closer due to the whole "private property" sign so you will just have to take my word for it. As I was snapping my pic's I looked down and saw this. It appears to be a little fluff of Llama. It is amazingly soft!

I meandered along East Valley Road until it ended. After a few moments of thought I opted to turn right on Fish Springs Road. Lucky for me this was the right guess as it eventually lead me to a major intersection with the highway. I am sure I could find another way to the station from back in the valley but I think I may have to purchase a map for that. Until then all roads I take hopefully lead to the highway where I can get my bearings again. While riding along checking out the scenery I drove by some land and my head whipped to the side and I thought "are those?"Hmm, what else could they be? So fascinated by the possibility of something so exotic, I drove back that way after my recycling duties were complete. I pulled my car over and got out for a closer look.



Yup, that's a buffalo. What he is doing in the Carson Valley I do not know.

In fact, he has many buffalo friends hanging out with him. Now I am wondering when would buffalo mating season be and how long do buffalos gestate? Maybe I can go back and get pictures of baby buffalos.

So that my friends was my interesting journey through the Carson Valley yesterday. We shall see what new sites my February recycling run brings forth.

State of the Union

So far the best part of Bush's SOTU address was the introduction:

"Madame Speaker"

enough said.

Cold and Clear

Eastern Sierra Nevada Range: Jan. 17, 20007

This is what cold and clear looks like up here in the mountains. Brrrr.....

There seems to be some very cold weather sweeping across the states including a reported 30 degrees in LA during the Golden Globes Awards (yea, America Ferrera). Never saw weather that cold when I was living there. In fact, I did not wear socks, EVER, the entire time I lived there...well, okay, except to hike in my sneakers...but that was it...I lived in flip flops and sandals and such. It must have been rather shocking to have to turn the heater on in the car while stuck on the 405 in rush hour traffic.

Meanwhile, here in the mountains in winter, it is cold like you would expect. I am one who delights in chilly weather so that I can break out the gloves, and scarfs, and hats...I find the fashion part of it fun regardless of the fact that there are really no fashionable coats that will keep you really warm so hats and gloves and scarfs go along way as accessories.

I am spending time tweaking my blog or shall I say re-organizing my blog in accordance with the new Blogger that claims to be easier to maneuver, etc...HA! Still takes time and reading and re-reading what ever it is they are asking you before you get the idea. Though they do offer new help with lists so prepare yourself for ridiculous lists populating the side bar. Hopefully, I can re-educate myself to the use of links in the body of my entries, I seem to have lost that bit of info in the whole brain reorganization that went along with the brutal head cold/sinus thing that plagued me late december/early january. Feeling much better , thanks, but I do seem to have lost a few braincells in the process. Hoping to master the new blogger by the weekend.

Wish me luck or leave helpful comments.

Almost Normal

I think I'm ready to start back to a normal work week. The ridiculous coughing has subsided and I no longer need a box of kleenex within reach every minute. This, of course, all made possible by an outrageously expensive antibiotic for which I paid full price because, ya know, you gotta pay your deductible out of the gate in January again. I'm not as sure that I am ready to start my new year though I did do a bit of cleaning and such this weekend which made me feel accomplished. It is an odd sensation to have a head cold. You can't think. You just can't. I consoled myself with the fact that this was merely a device to clear out all the junk and trivia and unnecessary bits of information that I've stored in my head over the last year so I'd have more memory. Wouldn't it be nice if it did work that way. Still, for days there I didn't have much brain activity whatsoever besides where's the kleenex, where's the juice, chicken soup or beef barley. The day I had an actual clear headed thought I was elated to notice a sign of a return to normal.

Meanwhile, those resolutions. Ha! I don't make resolutions. What I was referring to in my previous post was simply reassessing my goals for the year. Most of those goals this year concern paying the mortgage on time and a very long wish list for my house. That and clearing out stuff I still am coming across which I most certainly can live without. There's another trip to the donation center and once that is done I think I will start my new year.

In other news, my little blog got herself a mention in the Carson Times this past week. Little bit of a thrill there.

There's also an article in the current Sports Illustrated about a college basketball player, Nick Fazekas, who plays for the UNR Wolfpack.

While I go back to my dashboard and figure out how to add links for the two items above...I'll leave you with a photo I wanted to put up for you in 2006 and ran out of time....

1st Snow of the Season, Dec. 17, 2006 from my front porch

New Year

Welcome to 2007 (yes I am a bit behind date wise)

Happy New Year (okay, mine....not starting so great)

Thank you for checking in on me ( I have just finished off yet another box of kleenex and I am not happy about it.)

In light of the current head cold, feel like crap, predicament I am in I have decided to restart my new year sometime next month. Resolutions forthcoming.

More later