The C Lazy U Ranch is proud to present to you our 12 Days of Christmas!

ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS C LAZY U GAVE TO THEE:

12 Tubers Tubing

12 tubers get excited for their first run down our tubing hill.

11 horseshoe players

11 horseshoe players stand around a giant snowman made of flour in the indoor arena during the first annual Christmas Horseshoe Tournament

10 Elves a’workin’

the traditional display of the 10 ranch elves, preparing for Christmas in the Lodge Lounge.

9 Bowls of Candy

The candy spread in the Outfitter's Cabin of the Ranch

8 happy kids

8 Kids sit on a sleigh being pulled by a snowmobile, heading out to go downhill tubing!

7 Wreaths a’hangin’

7 wreaths adorn the front of the lodge

6 Sledders Racing

Bruce, Bill Hansen and others race sleds down the ranch driveway.

… and because this was such a rare opportunity, here are a few more shots from the sledding photoshoot:

Another shot of our amazxing sledders- thanks gentlemen!

the men pose before taking off on their sleds

… 5 Wranglers Riding

Head Wrangler Bill Fisher, And Wrangler Tyler Klees out for a ride with the first of the winter wranglers.

4 Hockey Players

4 C Lazy U Ranch boys play hockey at night, on the freshly zambonied pond

3 moose a’munchin’

3 bull moose graze the sage brush by Shorty's arena

2 mules a’mushing

Horus and Jasper, pulling the ranch sleigh

And a Sicilian donkey in a Santa hat!

Petey prepares for the holiday season with a Santa hat.

The countdown begins- only 6 days until Thanksgiving, which means only 5 days to book your Thanksgiving Ranch Vacation at the C Lazy U Ranch! With snowshoeing, and cross country skiing, not to mention skating, hockey, snowmobiling and private down hill skiing, I find myself asking, who wouldn’t want to come for a visit?! AND, on top of that- the food! oh man is the food here great (yea, yea, I know that I primarily eat hay, so you must be thinking, “what does he know” but a connoisseur is a connoisseur, and I am one of food. All food. Any food.)

The chefs have been preparing their menu now for days, weeks even (it seems like that’s all they’ve been talking about!). AND, thanks to this donkey, for all those of you that are not fortunate enough to join us for the holiday, I will be stealing a copy of the menu for Thanksgiving, and reproducing parts of it here, with recipes, so that you all can have a little bit of the ranch with you at your home over the holidays… of course it won’t be exactly the same, because you won’t have me there too, but not everyone can be quite that fortunate.

The nights here lately are different than I can ever remember seeing them- every evening at around 9:30pm the whole world lights up with a blue hue that is anything but subtle (it’s as if a giant blue spotlight has been turned onto the world, truly, as it becomes as bright as day when the moon appears… but bright and blue). I’m not sure what causes the phenomenon, but I can say that I’ve never seen anything quite so romantic, so peaceful; and it seems as though every living thing feels it, because it has never been quieter here either-  even the coyotes don’t howl on nights like these. If someone were to take a stroll during once of these evening, they would feel as though they were surrounded by a sea of tiny lights that is the snow catching the radiant shining moon, reflecting it’s beauty in each crystal flake that lays on the ground, shimmering contently.

I wish that pictures could capture the sight, and the feeling of nights like these, but alas, they cannot. I do know that it is nights like this that remind me how we are the best of the best when it comes to Colorado family vacations- everything has it’s place, creating an atmosphere of incandescent happiness and content, but on nights like the ones we’ve been having lately, there is an entirely separate peace that can be had here.

My entry today is short- it’s Dale’s birthday (our Operations Manager) and I have to go give him his birthday present… the opportunity to pet me (I am so giving).

It was a clear, cold evening at the C Lazy U Ranch- my home for the past 30 years. As I made my usual end-of-day rounds, I heard a few of our staff members getting out of a truck, their talking and laughter rising into the evening air, echoing off the side of the hay barn, and reminding me, as I so often am, about how magical this place really is (a lot of credit for that should go to me… but who’s counting). “Odd,” I thought to myself, “this corral isn’t ever used in the winter, and is vacant now.” I changed my course to check things out further (I find humans often behave quite oddly, and usually don’t give much merit to their weird behavior, but this was odd enough to intrigue me).

Hiding behind a shed near the corral they entered, I watch them snap a few pictures of the nothingness within, and then head back to the truck. I withdrew further into the shadows of the shed so as to avoid discovery, and then they were gone, heading up the ranch drive. Listening for a moment to make sure that I was alone, I slowly made my way out of from behind the shed (or safe haven, I should call it- I would never have proceeded further had I known what was in store for me!).

Crawling my way under the empty corral fence, I walked towards the spot that the staff members had stopped.It had grown significantly darker since they had been here, and I blinked a couple of times to let my eyes adjust… I now wish that I hadn’t; hadn’t let my eyes adjust to see the horror; followed the kids into the corral; let my curiosity get the best of me! As my eyes

adjusted and I peered into the distance, I saw it, emerging from a shed that should have been empty:

The C Lazy U Ranch's Newest Member

I gasped! “What is it?! This is how I will meet my end!” and a million other thoughts ran, simultaneously through my little donkey mind. “I’m to valuable to die!” I tried to choked back a loud bray, but I’m only so strong. “HeeeHAAAWWW” echoed loud, and crystal clear in the frozen silence.

And suddenly, my historic, and important life flashed before my eyes as it noticed me staring in fear at it in the twilight hour, it’s large, long ,spear like  horns waiving about, threatening me to stay away. Well, needless to say, I ran out of there as fast as my little donkey legs could carry me (maybe people are right about my weight… I couldn’t get out of there fast enough, and my belly sure didn’t make matters any faster!)

Huckleberry plotting his next move

…

After an uneasy night of sleep I was able to recover my nerve and stroll the ranch today in search of some kind person that might give me some grain to help me recover further (who am I kidding, I could never diet), and all around the  ranch I heard them talking about the wickedness I encountered yesterday evening.

“Huckleberry is  so cute,” one girl giggled.

“That THING has a name?!”

“Yea, and totally loves having his photo taken- he’s a total lover, so sweet,” said a wrangler.

“Cute?! Sweet?!” what was I hearing? How are people supposed to enjoy their ranch vacation with this monster around! And now there is talk of putting it with the cows this summer! And in case people have forgotten, I love having my picture taken! What do we need that beast for?

I have to go sulk now.

8 inches of snow cover the ground, and pond keeps it's icy layer all day

It snowed all day yesterday, and is still chilly as can be today- lucky I’ve got my winter coat to keep me warm. But, for all those who don’t have the luxury of growing an extra couple layers of… insulation, shall we call it, I give you something almost as good- a C Lazy U Ranch comfort food recipe, compliments of our Executive Chef, Dennis (apparently it was good, because it’s all anybody would talk about… give me some good old hay any day, but that’s just me, I’m a simple donkey, with simple tastes)- comfort food, so I’ve been told, is great on days like this (to me all food is comforting, though, so I’m not 100% sure where that name comes from), so I thought it might be nice to add for all my loyal readers to try- this way y’all can have a piece of the ranch at your home!

Beef and Lentil Stew- The Ranch Way! by Dennis

We had some beef ribs hanging out, so I put them in the oven to roast. Then I cut up what we have come to call a mirepoix. Onions, celery and carrots. Cut to a size that will fit on a soup spoon. In the soup pot, I first sweat (simmer on medium heat in a bit of oil) the onions (because they need more cooking time). When the onions are translucent, add the carrots, celery and a good handful of garlic cloves.

We also had a box of mushrooms on hand, so some got chopped up and thrown in too. Cut up some tomatoes and in they go too. Cook this way down, long and slow, stirring occasionally, till all is nice and soft. Once your ingredients are soft, pull the beef bones from the oven and let them cool enough to handle them. Then cut off all of the meat and chop it up. (If you have enough time to simmer the bones till the meat falls off, this step is not necessary.)

So in go the bones and meat. Now the liquid, I like chicken broth. How much? Well, since we didn’t have any barley, which is really nice- mushroom, beef and barley soup- but we did have lentils, I put those in. They’ll soak up twice as much liquid as their own volume. If you put in 2 cups of lentils and 4 cups of liquid, by the time the lentils are cooked, you won’t have any liquid left. So just cover the whole thing by about four inches of liquid. Put in salt and pepper. Bay leaves and fresh thyme are good. You’ll need a good 2 hours of slow simmer, stirring every once in a while to make sure it isn’t sticking on the bottom.

Pull from the refrigerator a block of cheddar cheese. Cut it into one large chunk for each bowl of soup you are going to serve and warm your bowls. Heat up some crusty bread and have some butter on hand. (Add a dash of dry sherry to the soup just before serving.)

Snow dusts the nearby hillsides will golden Aspen trees stand fast in the foreground.

While Fall is still visible in the golden hues of the Aspen leaves clinging stubbornly to their branches, the folks around here are taking our first snow as the signal to start preparing the ranch for all those that will be visiting for their winter family vacation this Thanksgiving, and all holiday season. I always get really excited this time of year, mostly because I can’t pull my cart in the snow, which means 9 months of vacation! But, I’m not as selfish as I sound, much to the surprise of many, I would sadly assume (I’m so misunderstood by some of my peers), because I see the winter as more than a siesta from work- it’s a time when the ranch get’s really quiet- a calm falls over everything with the snow. But it’s such a fascinating thing, because the ranch is anything from calm- kids tube in hay meadows that earlier in the year produced the hay that my

A counselor and child sled down the ranch driveway on an old fashioned, wooden Red Flyer Sled, in what has become known as the famous C Lazy U Luge.

herd and I will eat the duration of the winter, others skate on the pond during the daily hockey game in the afternoon or sled down our 3/4 mile long driveway, and others still go out on trail rides; the ranch is a bustling mecca filled with people having, what I can only assume is the best holiday family vacation of their lives, based on the loud cheers, laughter and play going on all around me.

And, I can appreciate the start of the C Lazy U Ranch’s holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving- it’s the eating holiday! I fully support it as someone that…could stand to lose a few pounds (I don’t see it, but it’s what I’ve been told), because everybody is always happier with a full belly, and what better place to be happy and surrounded by family than at the C Lazy U Ranch, celebrating all that is good in the world on a Thanksgiving family vacation?!

Well, all this talk of eating has gotten me hungry, so this is where I sign off. But before I do, on a completely different note- BIG shout out to Tim Tebow and the Broncos for an impress show of discipline (finally!) in their near comeback this Saturday- we love you guys, keep it up… and if you’re ever thinking about getting rid of that pony mascot of yours and trading up, give me a holler!

I was instructed to love the camera in this shot

One of our members had his corporate retreat at the ranch this week (which was a great idea since we are the best dude ranch vacation I know of) and I’ve got to say, though I’m just a donkey and know very little on this matter: those men sure did know how to do it up right! Yes, they sat through a few meetings, and got a lot of business accomplished, but they also hit up the ropes course, had a pick-up football game, and partied at the lodge bar well into the evenings, laughin’ and hootin’ and hollerin’ all the way through. I can’t help but think what a great place the ranch is, not only as a Colorado family vacation, but also as a corporate retreat location.

And the weather couldn’t be better! The Aspen leaves are in full color change, so the hillsides look like they are covered in liquid gold; the temperatures — in the mid-70’s I’ll have you know (donkeys have a good sense of this) — is complimented by a nice breeze, and there’s just something in the air this time of year. Everybody always talks about love being in the air, and maybe it is for some — in my case, I haven’t experienced it, as it isn’t good for a leader to get involved in such frivolous matters, though my love of food is unrivaled, but that’s neither here nor there.

What my point is, is this: Fall is in the air here at the ranch — there is a serene calm in the air about the ranch, amplified by the gentle rustling of those Aspen leaves in the breeze. A donkey can’t help but be relaxed here and think about the upcoming holiday season that we have in store for our guests- Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday, as it is, after all, the eating holiday) is going to be huge this year, as always, and I’m looking forward to watching the first sledders of the season make their way down our almost-mile-long driveway that weekend!

I tried acting mysterious in this picture

I was so relaxed, this week, in fact, that I allowed myself to be talked into a photo shoot, with one of our wranglers- Rebecca Heaton, who’s responsible the images in this post… I think she really captured my good side (though I don’t think I really have a bad one).

The only thing that I can think of that rivals our summers at the ranch are our winter family vacations, and as you can tell by my photo shoot, this donkey is ready!

Sunbathing, Sicilian-donkey style

I have recently come under scrutiny for pictures taken of me, as seen here, in less than…commendable positions. I know, I know what you’re all thinking: “what a lazy-” but you know what? It’s not easy being the face of the C Lazy U Ranch, where we’ve been providing horseback riding vacations and dude ranch vacations for over 90 years. The pressure is just huge: this summer alone I’ve had 4 public appearances to make in Denver, not to mention the countless cart rides I’ve given to the cowpokes in the past 4 months, all while keeping up my pleasant attitude and fabulous good looks — so don’t judge me!

Besides, the leaves have started to turn their golden yellow autumn hue, and frost covers the ground in the morning;- these are my last few weeks to enjoy laying out in the sun before winter hits. And don’t get me wrong — I love the winter. Where else can you watch people ice skate, snowmobile, sled and tube, and then have them feed you during their sleigh ride into our pasture? NOWHERE ELSE, that’s where! A winter vacation at the C Lazy U Ranch really is the best Colorado family vacation!

And so last week I thought, where better to take my relaxing dude ranch vacation than the C Lazy U Ranch? I mean, I’m already here and it has everything that I need to enjoy my time off and relax! So let them criticize, let them throw sidelong glances in my direction as they walk by on their trail rides. I don’t care! They get jingled out to pasture every evening and get to relax the afternoon away eating the freshly grown hay from our upper mesa, as the sun sets behind them. And they don’t even like laying out in the sun like I do anyway.

Goodness, the politics of being the leader of a herd of 180 — my job never ends!

Have you ever noticed that horses eat...A LOT?

In some cultures, an afternoon siesta is considered essential. I'm sure your camera could benefit from one as well.