Livin' the Country Life - 2023

We had a pretty big storm in January. This is our backyard, facing southwest.

After a short trip outside, River's chin beard was frozen.

The problem was quickly remedied. Poor baby.

We added some new chickens in January.

Our egg production had slowed in November and December but thanks to the days getting a little longer and to the new chickens, production is picking up.

No egg shortage around here.

Horse poop production never slows. Luckily, we found a capable helper.

Gracie loves helping her Nana bake. She says sugar cookies are her favorite. 

Looking at the picture, I think the green sprinkles are actually her favorite.

The Constellation Trail is one of many local recreation areas. The trailhead is about 13 miles from our home.

Bekah and Indie stopped half way up for a selfie.

This time-lapse movie shows a nice sky while the horses are eating their dinner.

That's all for now. See you in a month or two.

Sheila and Don were invited to a wedding in Zion National Park.

Here's a panorama of the wedding venue. The movie doesn't do it justice.

It was a beautiful ceremony for a sweet couple. Don performed a song for the ceremony.

These cuties were having a ball at the reception.

This is the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. This is the Temple of Sinawava, near the Riverside Walk. 

We grabbed some footage on the way out of the park

March brought more snow. Sheila took this looking out our bedroom window. Look at the icicles.

Don took this short video while feeding the dogs their breakfast.

We're about 80 miles from Flagstaff so we decided to take a day trip. It's a fun town.

They've redeveloped the old downtown district.

We've added a few more baby chicks. They'll be moving outside with the others in a few weeks.

We're also about 80 miles from Sedona... 

...so we took another day trip.

Bekah and Indie joined us.

Bekah began working part time at the Chino Valley Animal Shelter. Bella needed some extra care so she's staying with us for a little while.

Prescott has a vibrant music scene. Here are some amazing players I got to play with on February 26th. Paul Epoch, Pam Loe, Chad Watson, DeVell Riley, Rick Schmidt, Don, and Paul Heaven.

There's a farmers market in nearby Prescott. It's open every Saturday.

May 13th marked our one-year anniversary in Chino Valley.

Growing up in Southern California, Don has never really experienced Spring.

Seeing shriveled up plants and bare-leafed tees coming back to life was truly uplifting.

These Iris grow on the north side of our horse barn. Simply stunning.

We purchased a Hale Haven peach tree at the Prescott Farmers Market.

It now lives in the small orchard near the southwest corner of the property.

We mentioned Bella in our last update. What we didn't mention was in addition to her health issues, she was pregnant.

We set up a high-tech birthing center.

At 11:58pm on March 20th, Storm was born.

A few weeks later, momma and baby are doing fine.

Bella is a very patient mom.

This is what mischief looks like.

We attended an Easter service at nearby Watson Lake.

The whole family was here for Easter: Cheryl, Don, Sheila, Rebekah, James, Donny, and Gracie.

Bekah made an Easter Basket for Shade.

Indie got in on the Easter fun too.

Gracie and Uncle D took a turn too.

And finally, Storm turned it into an Easter bed.

Sheila and a former Brave Grace partner, Sue, hosted some horse activities as part of a local program.

Sheila and I are able to see lot's of live music. In April, the award-winning bluegrass band, AJ Lee and Blue Summit came through town as part of their 2023 tour. They played at the Prescott Fairgrounds and really tore it up.

Sheila, Bekah, and I headed up to Flagstaff and saw the Brothers Comatose. 

We've got lots of musical talent in Prescott. One Sunday late April, Christian Michael Berry and Chicago Bob (Bob Francine) were doing a mellow tune and some homeless looking guy stumbled up and started playing the drums.

As part of the Whiskey Off-Road mountain bike event, the city of Prescott sponsored a concert. Bluegrass band, Greensky Bluegrass closed the evening with a great performance. 

Sheila and Bekah saw  George Strait, Chris Stapleton, and Little Big Town perform at the State Farm Stadium in Phoenix.

It was a fantastic show, and as a bonus, part way through the event, the stadium roof was rolled back, offering a stunning view of the full moon. 

Bekah is having a great time working at the animal shelter. In Chino Valley, animal control is a function of the Police Department.

Bekah and some of her co-workers joined the CVPD and took on some high schoolers in a dodgeball and volleyball competition.

The Chino Valley Animal Shelter and Chief Wynn with the first-place trophy. 

We honored Sheila and Cheryl for Mothers Day at Granite Creek Vineyards, located in Chino Valley

Don played with the band West of Durango. He was asked to fill in for their regular guitar player who was unavailable.

Gracie and one of her friends got to sit in with the band.

Don & Sheila took a short trip to California in May. It was nice to visit our former neighbors.

Maya, Atticus, Getta, Charmaine, and Sheila.

Atticus, Michael, and Don.

The Chino Valley Police Department moved into a new headquarters.

Bekah took us on a VIP tour.

When I was a kid, my only reference to bunco was via Joe Friday. So I looked it up.

Definition: Bunco is a type of game or scheme that is designed to trick people and win their trust in order to deceive them.

Sheila and Bekah hosted the local Starfish Riders bunco group.

I'm not gonna say it was rigged, but look who's holding the cash.

We mentioned Storm in our May update... 

Storm was adopted. Here she is with her new big brother, August.

Bella got adopted too. She now lives with us at Moon Shadow Acres.

Bekah is raising goats.

She has four Nigerian Dwarf goats, one buck and three does. 

As you can see at the end of the movie, Bella doesn't get too worked up about the goats and their antics.

One doe is producing right now. Bekah gets between 2-3 cups per day. 

Sheila and I became members of the Phippen Museum in Chino Valley.  We recently attended their Hold Your Horses event.

It was great to see the artwork up close and meet some of the artists.

Bekah's friend, Natalie, came from Texas for a visit.

The girls took in a lot of the local sights and brought along their little friend, Elysia.

There's still lots of things to do in nearby Prescott

The city hosts a summer concert series in the town square. 

They also hosted a two-day bluegrass festival downtown.

Cheryl, James, and Gracie enjoying the Prescott Rodeo.

Gracie sharing rodeo fun with Auntie.

The Prescott Rodeo is America's oldest rodeo.

Prescott's Frontier Days parade has a real hometown feel.

There's a palpable sense of hometown pride, patriotism, nostalgia, and fun throughout downtown Prescott.

Sheila and I attended a memorial service downtown honoring the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives fighting a wildfire ten years ago in 2013. Their story was told in the 2017 movie Only the Brave.

It was very touching and included a fly-over by Air Force jet fighters.

Rebekah and her Spanish Barb, Cibeque, looking patriotic. This was filmed across the street from our house.

Don built some raised garden boxes. That was the easy part.

Sheila filled them and is in charge of ongoing gardening.

Our first Watermelon.

We have one Raspberry and two Blackberry bushes. They thrive here and are multiplying. 

Sheila joined the Prescott Area Iris Society. Frilly hats are optional. She prepared this garden spot.

We're not the only California transplants to Arizona.

I photographed what I believe to be a California Kingsnake in our backyard.

Sheila took this picture of a Cicada that had just shed its shell.

It was drying its wings before joining its brood in the trees.

This is the season for their nightly serenade.

Don spotted these Guinea Fowl on a morning walk.

We spotted this Giraffe-like creature in our backyard eating Crab Apples.

We're fortunate to have a Sprouts Market nearby.

Great food but they need to work on their messaging.

Our favorite singin' cowgirl is rockin' it out with attitude.

The raised garden beds we showed you in July produced some produce, including squash and several varieties of tomato. 

Bekah and some friends from the animal shelter at a painting party.

Our Crabapple tree was fruitful this year. A family friend baked these into a yummy apple pie.

Pickin' in the Pines is a three-day long bluegrass & acoustic music festival held each year since 2006 in Flagstaff.

The weather was wonderful and the music was fantastic. We plan to go again next year.

We attended the 2023 Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering at the Yavapai College in  Prescott.

The poets, musicians, and storytellers captivated us as they presented the culture, traditions and history of cowboy poetry and music.

Sheila and Gracie watching a demonstration by the talented artist, Wie Tai, at the Phippen Museum. Click the image above to watch a  serupticious-and-probably-prohibited-shaky-hand-held-walkthrough-video showing the many styles and mediums Mr. Tai has mastered.

Don encountered some antelope on one of his morning walks. This is some state land about a mile south of our house.

We visited the Walnut Canyon National Monument in Flagstaff.

While Don and Sheila kept watch at the top, Bekah hiked down to see the cave dwellings.

The leaves are beginning to fall. and it's time to paint our picket fence.

Sheila and Bekak (Howdy too) traveled to the Nan Ranch in Faywood, New Mexico to attend the annual meeting of the Spanish Barb Horse Association. 

The title says February Update but we're starting in October when the leaves began to fall.

Since we're a rural community, we don't get trick-or-treaters. Instead, the town hosts a Halloween celebration at a local park. Howdy had a fun costume.

In November, Getta, our neighbor and dear friend from Trabuco Canyon, came out for a visit. It's so nice to see old friends.

Gracie turned five in December

Friends and family gathered to celebrate Cheryl and James' wedding on November 11th.

Don is playing bass and singing with a new band. Fuzed plays a mix of jazz, soul, R&B, and pop. 

Since we live about 4,700 feet above sea level, we get some snow in the winter. So far, we've had enough snow to look beautiful, but not enough to be inconvenient.

The city of Prescott makes a big deal of lighting the trees that surround the courthouse square. 

Not much snow at Christmas this year, but it was still Merry. 

Sheila, Bekah, and I rang in the new year with several thousand other neighbors at Prescott's annual boot drop. The town actually has two boot drops, one at 10pm and one at midnight. We opted for the early show. It's nice to celebrate New Years Eve out on the town and still be home by 11.

 Click below to view by year.

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