RiverMusic Ranch: April is green, the Blues are white & Duke WINS it all!

A view of the Walla Walla River Valley after snowfall

across the Blues - 5 April.

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Once again this blog posting is mostly For The Records...

What a game... What-a-game, we had last night. That had to be one of the best collegiate championship B-ball games of all times.

Duke WON!!!

Did you see that?

Last Thursday Carolina lost the NIT championship game. I must make mention of that, sad but true. My Ole Home Team, the 2009 NCAA National Champs... loss.

Duke was not to play until Saturday.

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This past week around the ranch life has been pretty relaxed. Since April 2 all of our nice spring like weather of February and March has turned into high winds, some heavy rains, splattering snowfall, a hail storm with pellets larger than green peas that turned the ground white. For the most part the weather around here has turned to yuck in the past week. April 1 we had a beautiful sunshiny day with the forecast of winter heading our way for the weekend. Friday morning started out rather iffy, sunshine with the sunrise. I had a MacHi softball trip scheduled to Union, OR for the afternoon and evening. By the time I was halfway through my a.m. bus route, we were getting some high winds blowing, and splattering snowfall across the area, and moving easterly towards Union. Weather forecast was for 3”-6” of snowfall across the Blue by nightfall. Well by the time I finished my a.m. route, the trip to Union was cancelled. The baseball trip going to Stanfield, was cancelled. The trip going to Ontario was cancelled. The BIG 24-schools annual track meet held right here in small-t0wn USA, Milton-Freewater for the past 72 years, was cancelled at noon. That was the first time in 72 years that this had happened. So that defines what our last Friday's local weather was like.

Saturday a.m. feeding before the wind blows.

Saturday started with sunbreaks throughout the area. After breakfast, Kittee called downriver Robert and made plans to horseback ride in the arena for the morning. I was off chores and riding duties due to a knee injury, which had occurred earlier in the week, without my knowledge of how, why, or where (?). Kittee and Robert made a leisurely 2-hour horseback ride out by the riverside, and they claimed that most of the time in the arena the wind did not hit them.

I continued to put in some time on our Walla² Fly Fishers’ Facebook site. Our Walla Walla fishing club is not doing a website, but I am putting together a monthly Blogspot site of club happenings and a Facebook site of area/regional fly fishing interest. It is enjoyable to be working up a new fly fishing club for our home waters in Walla Walla River Valley. I joined Kittee and Robert outside after their riding time and we noticed a small herd of mule deer in the stubble field across the road sunbathing and relaxing.

Saturday afternoon it was a NCAA Final Four Duke basketball game to enjoy and I really enjoy being on PDT- not staying up half the night to watch sports being played on the east coast / ACC. Duke Won!!

Sunday Kittee handled the ranch animal chores to give my knee a chance to continue healing. Throughout the day she was in and out of the house about every 20-30 minutes or so dickering around with horses, cats and goats. After breakfast I read the morning newspaper, listened to A Prairie Home Companion and then spent most of the rest of the day tying flies for the upcoming trout season. The past couple of years Kittee and I have almost depleted our supply of stillwaters flies, so the time has come to re-supply our fly boxes with Elkhorn Lake Specials and starting a supply of Chironomids. This got me thinking about going steelhead fishing in Washington on the lower Walla Walla before the season closes April 15th. Steelhead are not worthy table fare this time of year, but the hookup can be fun to play.

Monday it was a back to school day, and for Kittee a day in court. After my p.m. bus run I fed the ranch critters and waited for the BIG --- NCAA National Championship game with Duke in the running. What a game. Did you see that?

Duke Won!!!!

Yep, I will have to say that I have really enjoyed having high speed Internet connection over the past month, particularly with two ACC basketball teams playing for the Men's NCAA and the NIT national championship games. What a thrill.

Today I took my palomino mare Goldie (Summer's dam) off to the trainer for 30-days of under-the-saddle workout. I am looking forward to riding in her saddle upon her return in May. Goldie will give us five riding horses on the ranch when she returns, which is kind of necessary when breeding three/four mares on an every other year basis.
She is such a dappled beauty when she's washed up... Don't you think?