Owner: One Room Note House URL:http://notehouse.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:43:49 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Adventures in Arizona, Alaska, New York, and Virginia Site statistics:Click here
Settling In 2007-04-15 20:13:00 Tuesday, Nina and Wayne picked out a horse for me to ride (from down near where I was staying...*reminder to describe*) and she rode him back with me - about a mile. His name was Preacher and I wasn't very fond of him, but as people didn't know how well I rode (I didn't ride well at all) and generally wanted things to be safe, they put me on a horse that was not going to do anything exciting. Work from then on usually included riding with Nina when she took out a horse to work. Tuesday we went down to the arena and she and her horse worked a cow while Preacher and I got to know each other a little better. There were tweaks to my saddling and riding over the next two months. I needed them. Work primarily consisted of mucking, working with the four fillies I got to know a little on Monday, feeding, and riding with Nina. I took a nap at lunch, but soon after I woke up, I realized my mistake - I was fuzzy-headed for at least an hour afterwards. At feed time, Nina found two mice
First Day 2007-04-15 02:16:00 Monday was my first day of work. I know, it seems kind of weird to get in and be exhausted (wanting to go to bed at like 6 in the evening) and getting up the next day and starting two months of work. It was good though. Wayne picked me up and drove me down to headquarters (I suppose I should do one about the layout of the ranch....), where I met Kyle, Dave, and Nina for the first time. We stopped down at the bunkhouse where Kyle was shoeing a horse. I remember seeing him standing next to a horse with hobbles while he was shoeing her hind hoof and thinking he was huge. And he was. Well over six feet tall and not at lanky. He wasn't fat, but all of his bulk wasn't muscle either. Not sure what to do with myself, I got out of the truck while Wayne talked to Kyle, then realized that wasn't my final destination (with some amount of relief...I'm terrified of strange boys). When Wayne returned to the truck, I scrambled back in for the continuation of the journey. At headquarters Read more:First
, First Day
Things on Silver Platters 2007-04-12 22:01:00 Life isn't going to be handed to you on a silver platter.I know that.You have to work for things every once in a while, you know.I know, but it would be nice if something came out of my work, you know...?Yeah, well, they say you learn the most by failing.It hurts.Well no duh!The things that go through your mind when you find out that the job you applied for isn't actually the one you're going to get after all. You let yourself get your hopes up. You wait a few more days. You write (or call) and ask about the job only to find out that they have rewritten the job description to give the job to someone else. It doesn't help that somebody that matters an awful lot really wants you to take this job if it comes through. Makes you wonder a little about the other jobs you have "in the works." Even the one that's been worked up for you and you haven't called about it and it's been a couple months.Or maybe it's all just me.Sorry everybody, I kind of feel down today. Read more:Silver
The Horrors of DMV 2007-04-12 16:11:00 I don't know how many people have heard it or said this: "DMV is the worst place to have to go. Schedule a couple of hours when you have to go in there." Of course, these people all have "normal" jobs which means they probably have to go when everyone else does. At any rate, I went between three and four o'clock yesterday to get my license plates transferred and based on all the stories I'd heard, I was expecting to be in there a while. What really happened was a totally different story.I got there, stood in line for my number for about 5 minutes, maybe not even that. I got my paperwork, sat down, and filled it out. I wrote about four sentences in a letter to one of my friends, and my number was called. I went up to the counter, took care of my business, and I was done within 45 minutes. Of course, shortly after I sat down, the line to get a number grew tremendously and those people were waiting for quite a while, so I suppose I should mention that.The worst thing about the Read more:Horrors
Jean's Eerie Spring Break 2007-04-11 16:05:00 My mom and sister (Jean) are in Missouri this week. Actually, they are leaving today to go to Tennessee. My sister wanted to see if she could catch up with some friends on her spring break, so they left here on Saturday afternoon, arriving around midnight to find the house had been broken into sometime in the last year. The list Mom gave me on the phone last night included the refrigerator, cabinets, wood stove, and a fluorescent light fixture. I don't know if Mom and Jean went down to the barn, but it seems like the thieves might have gotten more money down there. *shrug* I don't really know. I just don't think of those as things that people usually steal. Mom said Jean was creeped out to stay down there, but I can't blame her. I was creeped out just hearing it last night and I was a half a country away! Read more:Spring
, Break
Registration Complications 2007-04-11 04:16:00 I have to remember to go by DMV tomorrow. I need to change the registration on my car to the plates that were on my truck and get money back for the plates I got for my car. No, I didn't have personalized plates on my truck. I just happen to like the design the state put on at that time better than the one they have now. In addition, I have the number for the truck plates memorized. As they aren't truck specific, that change is allowed. Read more:Registration
Delays in Arizona 2007-04-10 18:26:00 Ok, so I should have been thinking before I started it. I really want to go get my journals that I took to Arizona
before I try to write anymore about it. I think mostly I remember the first day because I talk about it a lot: I wrote a paper about it, talked to Tony about it, think about it.Sorry about that. Read more:Delays
Easter Events 2007-04-10 16:00:00 Saturday: Okay, I know it wasn't really Easter
, but it was an Easter party. My dad's mom (Nana) had a party at her house and a lot of my dad's family was there. It started at five and didn't end until about nine. Defintely a long party, but it was fun. A few of us played hide-and-seek in the cold until one of my aunts decided it was time to stop. Lots of food, company, and fun. I got to show off my car, which, of course, made me happy. I left at the same time as the aunt that lives in town, so she asked if I could take someone in my car with me. Not thinking about the fact that I might have to wait at their house for them to get there, I agreed. I had told Tony that I'd stop by his house before I went home too, but it ended up being way later than I expected. He said it was okay, but I felt bad for messing up his sleep like that.Sunday: After church (which started at 7:45), Tony, David, and I took my car up to Tony's parents' house. They had invited me for Easter dinn
Dismay at Arrival 2007-04-07 18:39:00 Upon landing in Phoenix with Aunt Jane, Jack, Daniel, and Katherine, I thought I'd made the biggest mistake of the summer. It was ugly. "There's no way I can stay here for two months," I thought. My mind was wavering between Dad's promise that if I needed him, he'd come and get me and the need to be independent. I came to the conclusion that I'd try to make it nice. Calling Dad would be a last resort. But it was so ugly. So much smoke from the wildfires. The only green was the huge cacti. It was so different from being at home. But wasn't that why I was there? For sure. Then we got off the plane and I almost gagged from the heat. They say that because the heat in Arizona is dry that it's more bearable. Not in Phoenix it's not! We finally made it to the cooler air of the airport, but I was dreading going back outside again. Not only that, but Aunt Jane's ranch manager Wayne was supposed to be picking us up. I'm afraid of meeting people and a little intimidated
Arizona Summers 2007-04-07 18:36:00 The last two summers I've gone to Arizona
. I'm going to miss going this summer, so I thought I'd reminisce a little. This is going to take more than one entry, which gives me more time to enjoy my memories. Maybe I can rope Tony in to write a couple of times; but I'm going to start two summers ago and work chronologically so maybe I won't forget or repeat anything. That'll be a first. Either way, though, I can fix it since this is a computer rather than a piece of paper. Forgive me for the lousy introduction, but I'm not very good at this. Read more:Summers
Going Way Back in History 2007-04-06 19:46:00 Ok, not really. It's just hard to come up with a title for this one 'cause it's kind of a short blog, I think. I complained to Tony that he beat me at posting about the name of his blog and he wrote me this afternoon asking where this post was. I guess I should get to it.It's actually kind of a tribute (definition: an act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration) to my mom. She's always been interested in one room school houses. This isn't a school, it's a place for me to write my thoughts. So, since I couldn't come up with anything more interesting, this is my One Room Note House.There, are you happy now? :) Read more:Going
, History
Life Changes 2007-04-06 19:35:00 What makes you change what you are going to do? Lots of things, I suppose. What was it for me? Sometimes, I wonder if anything did or if I was just coming under what my psychology teacher said was a time that is worst for most freshmen. Then, there are other times I realize that I didn't (and don't) have the drive to succeed in the horse world. I forget what it is that my economics teacher called it, but it's one of those things that people do after they take care of getting the things they need. In addition to the fact that horses are a second (or third, or fourth, etc) concern, there are plenty of other things that people can spend their money on. My family is just one example. I never had much contact with horses until we moved here and I got the job at the Knutsens. People could choose a new computer, or going to all of UVa's games, or going to the UVa vs. Tech game, or any number of things instead of having anything to do with horses.Thirdly, I don't have the experie
Leaving Messages 2007-04-06 19:21:00 I think from now on, I'm going to write down what I want to say in case I get someone's message system. I'm tired of always saying "Um" when I don't get a real person. I guess writing down what I want to say would help if I talk to a real person too. Whatever the case may be, I suppose I should at the very least try it. Read more:Leaving
Job Updates 2007-04-06 19:11:00 I got a phone call this morning from a lady at the SPCA about the application that I turned in yesterday. As I didn't recognize the number, I didn't answer the phone, but Sue Mantz (sp?) left me a message asking that I call and tell her when we could catch up with each other. We'll see what happens with that.This afternoon, I sent Ms. Sickon an e-mail apologizing for my unprofessional appearance and demeanor yesterday afternoon and she wrote back forgivingly. I don't really know if what I did yesterday will affect things, but I guess we'll find out.
The Circularity of Money 2007-04-06 16:45:00 You have to have money to get money. You have to get money to have money. Example: You go to an interview. You have to wear a suit. Imagine you don't have a suit. Where are you going to get the suit? Buy one. But you don't have any money. That's why you're looking for a job! Then what do you do? I'm not quite as bad off as that. I have some money saved up so I can buy a suit, but what if I didn't? That whole stuck between a rock and a hard place, I suppose. Tony's talking about us getting one this weekend when we go to his parents' house (that's a whole other post) this weekend. I'm not really looking foward to it, but I've never been good at being a girl and wanting to go shopping. Tony wants his mom to come which doesn't seem like a bad idea, but he also said, "But you can't be a mouse 'cause that'll make her crazy."I don't really see any way around it either. Someone would decide that they wanted to impress a prospective employer, they'd wear a suit Read more:Money
The Daily Progress Update 2007-04-05 20:56:00 I went to The Daily
Progress today to make sure that Ms. Jane Sickon, the lady I was supposed to get in touch with about the job I applied for there, got my cover letter and resume. It made me realize just how little I know about all this job stuff. I got there and couldn't manage to coherently ask the lady at the front desk how to say Ms. Sickon's name. Then she asked if I wanted to speak with her, so I stuttered, "Sure." I figured it would save me from having to call her. So Ms. Sickon came out, I introduced myself, said that I was there to make sure she'd gotten my resume and cover letter. She said yes, but they are changing the job description and she'd get back to me when they got it all organized. I said thank you and she said thank you and I left, but it didn't feel right. Like she wasn't expecting me to leave yet, but I didn't know what to say and I feel like I really messed up that part. Actually the whole thing. I suppose I'll live and I hope I'll learn, bu Read more:Update
Another Blog 2007-04-05 18:13:00 Well, since we're all making blogs now, Tony has a blog too. It's here.I've added a link on the main page, for those of you who are interested.
A Matter of Opinion 2007-04-05 16:23:00 Chevrolet Blazer. Toyota Celica. I know, I know. It's like comparing apples and oranges. They compete in different circles. One is made to be strong and the other is made to be fast. But that's okay. I've had both. And I love them both. They are different and they are wonderful in their differences.Gas. This is where the Celica beats the Blazer easily. Even though I have a GT-S and have to put premium fuel in my car now, I can get a tankful of gas cheaper and it lasts about as long as if I were driving my truck.Transmission. I have really enjoyed having the manual transmission in my car. Though my truck was fun to drive, the challenge and thrill that I get from having to change my own gears is something that you can't find anywhere else.Noise. Though my car isn't exactly quiet, the deep rumble of my truck is something I've not found anywhere except in a truck. My car is more of a deep whine than a rumble. It's a nice sound, but not comparable.Height. This is whe
My One Room Note House 2007-04-04 18:40:00 My first apartment. It takes some getting used to. Looking for a place, actually finding it and getting all the paperwork figured out, moving in, actually living here. Thinking about the place as being mine hasn't been too hard. Thinking of it as home isn't easy. I suppose it'll just take living in to make it feel like home.House
searching is harder than I expected. It's not just window shopping. That part's easy. It's the going to look, remembering all the right questions to ask, and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the various places that gets to be tedious. But I've never been much of a shopper, so I guess I'm not a good one to ask if you want that perspective.Then comes the paperwork. My apartment, the people were using things they'd found online, so not everything applied to me. The application wasn't too bad - there aren't many questions that big companies ask that private owners aren't going to want to know the answer to as well. The contract
Lessons from Prospect Avenue 2007-04-04 17:24:00 There is a place in town called ProspectAvenue
. For those of you reading this that aren't from around here, that's the "wrong side of the tracks." There's a group that works there called Abundant Life and some of the people that work for that group go to my church. One of the guys today prayed for the shootings that had been occurring there and his emotion really got me thinking. Actually, all of this morning, sitting in church, I'd been thinking. I'm really passive when I'm there. I say the words, but very rarely do I think about what I'm saying, much less put much emotion into it. But this guy...he was nearly crying as he prayed for the people in his community. What would it be like if we all loved like that? Read more:Lessons
Thoughts about Jobs 2007-04-04 05:39:00 So I said I have thoughts. What are these thoughts about? Lots of things. Jobs for instance. I've applied to two jobs now, and I'm working on two more applications. There is also a job that Dad rustled up for me that I need to do something about. Probably I should tell the guy that Dad was telling me about that I had something come up and I can't help him. I don't know how long the job is supposed to last and if I'm supposed to find other work and some of the jobs I've applied to are pretty appealing, I don't know that that's really the best thing to do. On the other hand, Dad did try to work something out for me and it almost seems wrong not to take advantage of the connections he made for me.The first job I applied to was a volunteer job at Blue Ridge Outdoors. They were looking for an intern to do some editing and web publishing. I talked to the guy, Andy, and he said that they found someone with more of the experience that they were looking for. He was very nice
Why Did I Choose a Blog? 2007-04-04 05:34:00 I'm not sure I'm going to keep a blog, but it seems better than some other options. Maybe this will work better than the newsletter I was trying to keep at school to keep my family informed. Whatever the case may be, this seems like an interesting idea, and thanks to Deborah, who suggested this idea in the first place, I'm here now.After a while, I suppose I'll figure out if this is something I want to keep or not. I've got lots of things rolling around in my head, so...maybe I will, even if I don't keep it for everyone. :)*hugs* to all
The World's Oldest Rodeo 2007-04-17 16:21:00 Monday, July 4, 2005. Uncle Larry, Aunt Jane, their kids, Wayne, the guests (the McDonoughs), and I went to the rodeo in Prescott. They claim to be the world's oldest (since the 1800s). There is supposedly a check or something to a cowboy as proof of that assertion. At any rate, I figure they make some good money as a result of that claim.I took my camera and Sarah (the daughter in the McDonough family) and I went down out of our seats to take a couple of pictures. None of mine really came out. If I remember right, she took a disposable camera, so I doubt she got many, if any, good pictures either - we were too far away.The events started with a team bronc busting. I think that was my favorite part of it all, except that it didn't end superbly. Anyway, telling about it. I didn't really understand it...it just started and no one was telling me about it, so I might not get it exactly. At any rate, there were four teams with different colored shirts on. Each team had a horse Read more:World
, Rodeo
The Power of Guns 2007-04-16 22:27:00 I suppose they only have as much as you let them have, but with this thing at Virginia Tech, it got me thinking. If someone stood in front of you with a loaded gun pointed at you, threatening to shoot you, how far would you go to protect your life? What would you do to prevent the squeezing of that trigger? Guess it's just another of those "Too Deep" things.
The O RO Ranch 2007-04-16 19:01:00 The ranch is about four hours from Phoenix and about an hour and a half from Prescott. As soon as you get the ranch, there is a gate, which is usually locked. Once you get through the gate, you drive five or ten minutes before you get to the first little group of buildings. On the left is the tack house, where the tack is kept for the guests and Aunt Jane's family (the Family). On the right, first is Wayne's house. Next is the guest house (obviously, where the guests stay), and the main house (where Aunt Jane's family stays in the summer). Near the main house is a building that holds the maids' and nanny's quarters.About a mile down the road is Headquarters. This is where the bunkhouse, Twister barn, and some cowboy houses are. The married cowboys live in the houses, while the single cowboys are in the bunkhouse. The first year I was there, Jimmy and Kyle lived in the bunkhouse, while Ryan, who wasn't married, lived in one of the houses (I think because he was the only Read more:Ranch
Cliff Dives 2007-04-19 18:37:00 Tuesday I took some of the day off and went with the Family(except Aunt Jane, who stayed at home), the guests (except , and James (the cook) to the CliffDives
. I forget where they are exactly, but I think they are on the southern border of the ranch, down in a canyon. At any rate, we drove for I don't remember how long. We took several containers of water and our lunches. We tried to pack lightly, but we needed all the water we could carry.I don't remember what time we started (or even if it was morning or afternoon). I'm tempted to say we started in the morning, but my journal suggests I worked part of the day. At any rate, it took us a couple of hours to get to the bottom of the canyon. At the rim and for most of the way down, we scrambled over huge rocks. At the bottom, we met with a challenge larger than we were expecting: brush. Sure, it sounds like nothing, right? It was so thick and stiff, we couldn't force our bodies through it, but had to hack our way through wi
News from Last Few Days 2007-04-18 17:25:00 There are a couple of things I failed to mention. Last Friday, Tony, David, and I went kayaking. David had quiet an adventure and wrote about it.Monday, I had went to talk to one of my uncle's friends, who works for Capital Interiors about a job (finishing work). While I was looking for the right building, I backed my car into a parked van. So I was late because I had to find the company the van belonged to (not as easy as I was expecting). That was all a mess. Now I'm just waiting for some word from Capital Interiors. It made me really mad because I thought I had a hole in my bumper, but it turns out I only scratched the paint off (thanks for pointing it out, Tony).
Walking in the Dark 2007-04-20 20:31:00 Wednesday, I got two pieces of mail, which is really exciting on the ranch, as there is a five minute limit on phone conversations, no e-mail, and mail every other day. At any rate, one was a postcard from my mom from New York City where she and my sister were on a missions trip with our church. She wrote that she'd gotten to be on one of the morning news shows with some other people in the group. The other was a postcard from Tony telling a little about being in Japan.After dinner, Johanna, Eleena, and I went for a walk. James typically made dinner a little late and there was usually a big mess to clean up. I think this night, the mess might have been a little larger than normal or else dinner was later than normal. At any rate, we left later than usual, as walking had become somewhat of a habit for the three of us. By the time we walked the mile down to headquarters, it was getting really dark, so we walked over to the bunkhouse, hoping that Jimmy, Kyle, or Spider (who was up Read more:Walking
Lack of Power, Changing Horses 2007-04-22 00:49:00 July 7-8, 2005Thursday night, as I was in bed, writing letters to keep people semi-up-to-date on my adventures on the ranch. Around 9:15, the power went out. The ranch isn't on the national power grid; the electricity is all produced by generators the size of rather large tractors (two up by the main house and a couple near the bunkhouse). As I was writing, I noticed the lights growing dimmer. I took a few seconds to wonder what was going on, but when I realized the lights weren't just dimming a little, I hurried for my flashlight. But I wasn't in time. The lights were out and I found that my flashlight didn't have any batteries in it. Luckily, I knew generally where they were, so my hand fumbled in the general direction until I found them. Once that problem was fixed, I went back to my bed, and tried to finish writing my letters. Aunt Jane came over and knocked on my door to make sure I was okay and she was going to offer me a flashlight, but when she realized I had one a Read more:Changing
, Horses
Lost and Branding (July 11-12, 2005) 2007-04-24 20:24:00 Sunday, I went to Prescott for church. I had gone the previous week with Johanna and Eleena and decided their church wasn't for me. I had already figured out what church I wanted to go to and I thought I knew where it was, but I couldn't manage to find my way from their church (I went for Sunday School all summer) to the one I wanted to go to for church. I had plenty of time if I had known where I was going, but it turned out I didn't. I was all dressed up and wandering around town. I ended up stopping at a gas station, where there was a whole bunch of Corvettes that had stopped. I managed to snap a picture before they left, but they didn't stick around long. (I'm not as cool as Tony, who has a digital camera and can put his pictures on his blog. Sorry.) That church had two "campuses," so when I couldn't find the one I was looking for, I drove for the other one in the nearby town of Prescott Valley to find that campus. By the time I got there, the service was 15 minutes Read more:Branding
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