Wynonna, the newest A-list celebrity in the European Union

Somewhere in this blogging journey, I was advised to sign up for Google Alerts so that I would know which sites were linking to the7msnranch.com. Now I get an e-mail every day that tells me. Most of the sites have been harmless, and I haven't had to write any "cease and desist" letters.

Every once in awhile, though, a link shows up that leaves me completely flummoxed, like this one that appeared on Saturday.



What in the world is the EFSA and why would they be linking to my website?

I clicked on the link and found a 19-slide Powerpoint presentation from the European Food Safety Authority.



This has got to be a mistake, I thought, as I read through the presentation, with its scientific opinions and conclusions and uncertain meta-analysis due to heterogeneity among estimates. Oh yeah, this has alot to do with the 7MSN ranch.

Then I got to slide 16.


And there she was.



Of all the pigs in all the world, Mr. Greiner picked none other than the porcine princess herself to include in his presentation.

When I went outside to tell Wynonna about this development, she was not the least bit surprised that word of her stunning beauty had spread across the pond. She yawned and requested I not wake her again unless the news was really important, like her invitation from the Queen had finally arrived.

Saturday encore ~ Rub-a-dub-dub, Wynonna in the tub

Here's a classic from August 2008, to remind us of warmer days to come.

It was a hot and steamy August afternoon. Wynonna awoke from her afternoon nap to take a quick dip in her tub and cool off. I know...I know...she could probably use a bigger tub, but I don't think she knows how to swim and I wouldn't want her to drown.

Could I have a little privacy here, please?

She lays down in the dirt and rocks back and forth to coat herself. (Sort of like breading a pork chop before you fry it.) Lyle has watched this spectacle many times before but still can't figure it out.


Neither can Willie.

Don't you just love the bathtub ring?

My towel, please?

Beam Us to the Beach

Creature comforts

Things to love about January*

1.

2.

3.


*This list comes straight from the shoeblox blog, as the snow and cold have sapped every ounce of creativity and humor from my bloodstream.


The temperature did warm up to a balmy 40 degrees on Tuesday, replacing many inches of snow with many inches of mud. Another storm is expected to roll in this afternoon.

Even Deets is entertaining thoughts of moving to a warmer climate.

Do you see what I see?

The boys aren't used to having snow on the ground day ... after day ... after stinkin' day ... any more than I am. Normally in my neck of nowhere, the snow falls, the sun comes out, the temperature climbs, the snow melts. This winter, we seem to keep missing that temperature climbing part. And we're all going a little crazy because of it.

Everything looks different when snow covers the ground. The boys start seeing things.

Do you think that's a shadow or a mountain lion?

I'm not sticking around to find out.

Run for your lives!

Deets is messin' with us again, mom.

You know you live in the middle of nowhere when...

...when you leave for the grocery store before the sun comes up so that you can get back home before the road thaws out and turns to mud.



But it's worth it because you get to see the day break,



and how many people get to see this on their way to Walmart anyway?



The downside of living in the middle of nowhere is that you don't get to see your friends as often as you'd like, so imagine my delight when I got home today and found an e-mail from Bernard and Ellsworth's mom that they have their own blog! Now I'll be able to visit them all the time, and so can you. Click here and tell them George and Alan sent you.

Baking Wally's Cookies

To say that the weather has been inclement this week would be a gross understatement. All the rain that's been dumping on California and Arizona turned to snow when it got to the 7MSN.

All of us are quite out of sorts over the whole situation. I caught Smooch on the window seat, staring woefully out at the wild white yonder, and couldn't help but feel sorry for her.



I decided to bake her a batch of Wally's Cookies to cheer her up.

Wally belongs to Pat. If you've ever left a comment on this blog, then you know Pat, from east Tennessee. She drinks her coffee over here every morning and is usually the first commenter of the day. Last week, Wally e-mailed Smooch his favorite cookie recipe.


The cookies were very easy to make...


...and they were the highlight of Smooch's day.






Smooch gives Wally's Cookies two paws up. Here's the recipe. Oh, and look, here's Wally, too!

Wally's Cookies

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup powdered milk
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup water or chicken stock
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients into a thick dough. Knead until there are no lumps. Roll to about 1/2" thickness and cut into shapes. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes.

This recipe makes about three dozen cookies. When they were finished baking, I turned off the oven and left them in there about an hour to harden. The cookies freeze well, so don't let your dog convince you she has to eat all of them right away before they go bad.

Saturday encore ~ The Instigator

Here's an oldie but a goodie, from July 2008.

I was minding my own business, checking fence the lazy way – on the Ranger. Silly me drove home through the middle of the pasture, only to encounter the boys.

Hmm...tastes pretty good. Could use more salt.

Lyle, not the camera bag!

Lyle, leave the pail alone.

Lyle, don't even think about it.

Lyle, if you had a hammer, you wouldn't know what to do with it.

See what you've done? Now George has to get in on the act.

George, don't go there...

George, just because Lyle does something doesn't mean you have to...

But, Mom, you let him do it.

Yeah, you let Lyle do it. He gets away with everything.

Mom, can I have a ride back to the barn?

Lyle, just...go...away.

Deets, the movie

Since recovering from his little mishap at the hooves of Lyle, Deets has become one cautious cat, and that's a good thing. But that doesn't mean he's lost his coolness.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The winner of The 7MSN Ranch Mercantile giveaway is commenter number 79 - June, who swilled coffee for breakfast. June, please email your mailing address to me at: the7msn at gmail dot com. Thanks for participating, everyone! I was thoroughly enlightened and entertained by what y'all ate for breakfast. (Seriously, Rhonda, popcorn chicken, banana, donut stick, and hot cocoa?)

Working without a net

Alan, official spokesmodel for the 7MSN

Hey, Alan. Come on over here. I need to tell you something.


Do you have any idea how many friends you've made by being your cute little self? You are loved, little buddy. And now we're going to show them your amazing convex eyelashes. I hope they can handle it.

Do you think People magazine will put me on
the cover of their "sexiest burro alive" issue?

One step at a time. How about we start out small and make you official spokesmodel for the 7MSN? Are you ready? Go ahead...make your big announcement.

A-hem. I'm pleased to announce the grand opening of The 7MSN Ranch Mercantile over at Café Press. That's where mom got my hat made, and now you can get one just like it if you're so inclined. No pressure. We're tickled that some of you have expressed interest in "wearing the brand." If you're not a hat kind of person, there are a couple of other souvenirs over there that you might like - a mouse pad, a journal, and a big mug. We're not in this to profit off our friends, so there is no mark-up on any of this stuff.

Good job, Alan. Now tell them about the contest.

Oh, yeah, the contest. To celebrate the grand opening of our store, we're having a giveaway! Here's the scoop:

The prize: one 7MSN Ranch hat and mug
To enter: leave a comment on this post telling me what you ate for breakfast
Contest closes: Thursday, 7:00pm Mountain time
Number of winners: one
One entry per person, please. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced Friday.

Good luck!