New Year's Eve and New Year's Day on the Ranch

Terry and I had nothing planned for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. When my daughter called and asked if we wanted to pet sit at Wolf Tree ranch, we jumped at the chance to spend a quiet evening on the hill with beautiful scenery all around us. We packed our bags and headed out for the ranch once again. As always, the trip did not disappoint. 

Arriving early in the day, Terry and I had a chance to hang out with the family and the fur babies before my daughter and her husband left for the evening for a night of dancing and fun with their friends. As usual, they both looked very nice! 

Terry and I chose to watch the TCU versus Michigan game, followed by the Ohio versus Georgia playoff game. They were definitely exciting, as each game involved a comeback and a close call win. All in all, it was a great day of football! 

Late afternoon rolled around, and we were getting hungry. We chose to put the fur babies in the truck and roll on down the hill to the Texas Roadhouse restaurant again. Terry and I both love the food there and the wait staff has always been top notch. This time ended up being one of the best of the visits. We had a team of servers that topped it all. They were polite, always smiling, checking on us to see if it was all okay, and were quick. 

Texas Roadhouse is out by Valley River Center and is always busy. But with it being New Year's Eve, it made the wait time a bit longer. We were willing to wait for a while, knowing that pretty much anywhere we chose to go would be busy. The wait time was suggested at 45 minutes or so. I'm not sure if the time was correct or not because Terry and I amused ourselves outside on our phones while we waited. We were seated not long after we checked in. 

The place was hopping. People were standing, sitting, and chatting throughout the entire restaurant. Our courteous waitress showed us a booth toward the back of the restaurant, perfect for having a more subdued dinner. Terry ordered the usual plate of steak, baked potato, and the amazing green beans with onions and bacon. I had my typical meal as well, including country fried steak, mashed potatoes and the green beans with onions and bacon. Of course, they brought plenty of the fresh, hot, homemade rolls that the restaurant is known for. The rolls are freshly made during open hours, and they come with an amazing cinnamon butter. 

This time, my steak was far too large for the side dishes to be placed beside it sufficiently, so they had to bring my meal on two plates! I sat and stared at the dinner placed in front of me, knowing there was no way it was all going to be consumed that evening. I was right. The rest had to go into a box upon leaving. I had to finish it off the following day. 

Terry was able to eat his meal, but we both left the place very full as is always the case when leaving this eatery. The portions are huge, and prices are reasonable for the quality of food and the portion size. Great stuff! Once again, if you're ever in Eugene or other places the Texas Roadhouse resides, eat there! Try it at least once. Something for everyone including those alcoholic beverages everyone loves. 

After eating, we got into the truck and headed back to the ranch. Our night had just begun! At the ranch, we snuggled up and played with these two pups and enjoyed every minute. I can't get enough of the dogs! 

This is Franklin. He is a Saint Berdoodle, which is a mix between the Saint Bernard and the standard poodle. Very intelligent, curious, loving and sweet pups. Franklin is now about 62 pounds and is only about four and a half months old.

The nose sticking out beyond the pillow belongs to Charley Girl. She is about five years old. She is a labradoodle, Labrador and poodle mix. She too is very intelligent, and her favorite thing to do besides chasing things in the yard is to cuddle and get love from the humans around her. 

Terry and I spent quite a while with the babies, hugging them and petting them as one does when they have snuggly fur babies by their side. We watched a bit of TV, and then I joined Terry outside while he smoked a cigar. A couple of moments before midnight, I came inside to pour egg nog in a couple of cups. I heated mine and left his cold. Terry and I watched the ball drop on TV inside the house while we sat outside. We enjoyed a toast to "our year" and had the traditional kiss. Very nice, quiet New Year's Eve and it was perfect. We both had a chance to enjoy the scenery, the closeness, and the fact that we are lucky enough to be together. 

Terry and I spent some time talking over the wedding plans in June as well. We are getting married at the ranch, so it was a great time to bring up the plans of what we want in our ceremony to begin the part of what we both feel are the best part of our lives. The ranch will make a beautiful venue for the wedding! We will be posting videos and photos of the wedding too, so we hope you join us for that in June! You're all virtually invited. 

The time at the ranch was awesome, once again. When my daughter and her husband arrived home in the morning, we chatted and hung out together for the day. It's always fun hanging out with them both. We spent the day laughing and teasing, having discussions about wedding plans and dogs. Marina and I chose to go to a neighboring farm where they sell produce, meats, candles, soap, and various sundries. But the best part of the little farm market is their sourdough bread. 

Bread and doughnuts, muffins and cookies are all made by the woman who owns the farm. She and her husband make it all from scratch, pick it on the farmland they own, or will sometimes take in items that are crafted by nearby farmers. For Thanksgiving, they put together a stuffing mixture of the sourdough bread and seasonings. Marina purchased some last year and this year and made up some excellent sourdough stuffing. I crave it each year now! It's amazing. 

Awesome sourdough sandwich loaf. All organic, handmade on the farm.

Handmade sandwich loaf

Handmade roasted garlic sourdough bread. 

Beautiful, great tasting roasted garlic sourdough bread, handmade on the farm in Little Fall Creek. 

I snagged a sandwich loaf of bread, plus a large loaf of roasted garlic sourdough bread for us to take home. There were pieces of cream cheese apple coffee cake, sprinkled with a cinnamon sprinkle that was so good! I purchased one piece for Terry. I grabbed a cookie that had one half dipped into chocolate, with slivers of almonds set into that chocolate. I can't get enough of the local farm goodness!

John built a fire for us to enjoy until it was time to make dinner. Marina made a scrumptious meatloaf of hamburger and pork, plus a smoked gouda macaroni and cheese. That was all topped off with salad and of course, the bread that was purchased at the farm. Marina lit candles and we enjoyed a beautiful candlelight dinner with just the four of us. 

John built a nice fire to enjoy before we went in to start dinner. It was a bit chilly up on the hill today and the fire was welcomed! Marina and I took a few minutes to walk down to their pond and enjoy the view. 

Without missing a beat, the dogs followed us down to the pond too. They both love the water. Franklin dipped his toes in, stomped around for a bit, then came out. Charley was running around the edge of the pond being, well, Charley. She loves to run! While Charley picked a spot on the grass to sniff, Franklin laid down in the taller grass by the pond. He remained there for a whole 10 seconds and then ran off again. 

Franklin kept an eye on Charley. She moved along the path with nose sniffing anything along the way. Franklin jumped up immediately and chased her once again. The two didn't settle down until returning to the house. It was nice to see them able to run and enjoy the day. 

I had to visit "the girls" for a moment or two. The chickens are one of the best parts of the ranch to me. When I'm up there taking care of the place, I enjoy chatting with the hens. They always chat back and are actually quite polite. I pet them, speak to them, give them treats and move on. But I have to at least speak to them for a moment or two. 

We sat by the fire talking with each other, listening to the chickens talk back to us, and watching the dogs have a great time. Franklin loves to dig into the "sandbox" that John has on the side of the fire pit. He put it there because he's building a nice, large fire pit in the area, but the dog loves to play in the pea gravel. He digs deep into the moist, cool sandy rocks and then lays in them. 

Terry and I drove home after the wonderful meal we shared with family. My daughter can cook! The food was great, the company was awesome, and of course the visit to the ranch was beautiful! We were able to spend a nice, intimate, quiet night together and we both felt it was perfect. We had toasted to love, an amazing relationship, and what we feel is "our year". Both of us wish you and your family the best of everything this year. We hope it's a year filled with miracles, love, magic, hope, and peace. Happy New Year everyone!

Terry and I enjoying the meal my daughter, Marina made. It was a delicious meal, like always! Terry and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!