Appy Acres Farm and Quilts

They are all home now

2011-05-11T20:31:00.000-04:00

There isn't much I can do to keep the neighbors out except maybe keep the door shut! Haha! I had just finished dinner and was getting ready to do some hand sewing and watch Idol. Had my glass of water in one hand when I heard what sounded like a giant moth trying to get out the front door. This time it was a male Ruby-throat and DAMN is he small but quick! I know the pick are fuzzy but I was so excited to have them back. As for keeping that door closed.........naw, I like the unexpected arrivals and it's just been too nice not to have every door and window open.

All too soon it will be too hot and the A/C will be running.

Spring Birds Coming Home

2011-05-07T20:44:00.003-04:00

It's been a great week to see the Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and Orioles arrive back at our feeders within days of each other! And so many too. The hummingbirds should be making their return soon too! I put out all the delicacies for my feathered beauties, grape jelly, orange slices and getting the nectar feeders ready tomorrow. The tree at one point was so full of color it seemed there was a festival going on and no body told us about it! Blue Jays, Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Goldfinches, Chickadees, you name it. If it was colorful, it was out there!

And the chattering and singing and squawking going on just adds to the "party" atmosphere!

Not sure how I feel

2011-05-03T19:43:00.003-04:00

I know everyone is celebrating OBL's death and that this evil-no-good-doer is gone, but what are we to be happy about? I am not opposed to capital punishment and believe in an eye for an eye, but is some one's death really a celebration?
We celebrate Christ's resurrection at Easter, but remember his torture and death. The very idea that OBL's capture, on video, has been splashed all over the news media, just goes to show how immune and impersonal, we are becoming to violence, no matter how horrific. It's scary to think our future generations may never know right from wrong, just have no emotional ties to any experiences, pleasant or hurtful. We desensitize and train our animals to ignore danger and distractions, these creatures do not reason like humans do, they just react. We take that away from them to keep them, and us, safe. But humans have the ability to reason, think it through, know the outcome or consequences, and react accordingly. At least I think we do........

God bless Americans and their freedoms.......it comes with a price.

OOOHHHH BLIZZARD and idiots who kill animals

2011-02-02T09:28:00.005-05:00

Well ok we have lots of wind that it making the drifts around the house look huge but we barely got 6" of snow! what happened to the 12" to 18" they were predicting? I really hate when they say one thing and we get another. Someday the weather people will cry wolf one time too many and people are going to get hurt because they ignore it. I forgive you though because this is just the info the computers give you.
Took pictures of the horses playing this morning, even caught Paha playing with his Jolly ball but Easy Share seems to be taking a break and cannot download my pics. So, I will update those later.
I would really like to get my hands on that bastard in Canada that killed all those dogs. What kind of a person does something like this? So, if he does not want certain people around, shoot them? The dogs actually tried to defend themselves and were just pretty much butchered where they were. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that there are people out there capable of doing something like this on such a large scale. I am going to keep up on this because I want to see what kind of action Canadian officials will take. Sheesh! I kind of put him up there along with Micheal Vick whom I believe should still be shunned from football and Obama forgave. Or, I believe he congratulated the team for letting him back. Some actions are just unforgiveable. Am I wrong? What do you think? Let me know..........

The fence lost this round

2011-01-29T10:46:00.003-05:00

Never in a million years would I ever have thought I would have to take a toy away from a horse! Paha and his Jolly ball got into trouble sometime early this morning and judgeing from the marks in the snow, well, he wanted his toy back. Every now and then he would toss his ball over the fence and stare at it, so, since I have been dutifully trained by my animals to come at every beck and call, I would go out and throw it back in. When I woke up this morning it was just getting light out and when I looked out the bedroom window across the driveway, there they both stood, as usual, at the gate and facing the house. Both Jolly balls were at their feet. This was around 6:30AM or so. When I finally rolled out of bed to go out and feed, they were both in the back and the toys were up in the far front corner. Then I saw the bottom wire all curled up along the top of the snow and one top cap had popped off the t-post and was just swayin' in the breeze. AND the 1 1/2 to 2" of snow turned into 5 or 6"!!! SOOO.... finished feeding, cut the power to the fence, went to the store to get feed, birdseed and dogfood as I intended, came home, unloaded feed, ran the hose to water tank to fill, grabbed some tools fixed the fence and all is good. Whew! No more toys unless I'm out there too!

Missing my Anna very much and what is making it worse is my husband will not talk to me now. I really had no other options. The pain meds stopped working, she wasn't eating, she was crawling on the floor and wimpering all the time. Her life quality took a 180 degree turn in 2 days and I have to much respect for animals to have made her continue tthat way for a few more days. Had someone said, "She'll be good as new as soon as you fork over $2000" in a heartbeat she would be fixed! But the surgery was no guarantee and not recommended because of her other health issues. I know I did the right thing by her and if others do not understand I cannot help them. We all grieve in our own ways, (have to move back so tears do not hit the keyboard) if he chooses not to talk about it there isn't much I can do. I have other critters to take care of and can grieve for her in the quiet moments and know I have some truly great memories of her.

Love you Peeps, mom's drinking a Shiner Bock beer on your behalf!

Goodbye to a sweet Treasure

2011-01-27T12:56:00.002-05:00

Never again will we utter the nicknames, Anna Banana, Peepee pop n squat or peeps. Our beautiful red Doberman Anna is off to run and chase deer and squirrels with her brother Toby, and meet up with the rest of the gang, Bravo, Aries and those before them. It was not an easy decision to make and kind of knew a few days ago she must have been in a great deal of discomfort. She was barely eating and stayed in my bed, on my pillow, but would insist on being with me when I went out to feed the horses. No more of her silly excited cries when ever one of us came home from somewhere, especially for my husband when he was gone on business all week. I miss her terribly but I have nearly 9 yrs of wonderful memories from a dog who gave her all.

Goodbye to our sweet treasure................

A funny thing happened on the way to the round pen

2011-01-25T09:15:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday I was taking Paha out of the pasture to the round pen for some work. First off, he nearly pushed me into the water tank, he got smacked on shoulder for that, tried to take off when I closed the gate, back-up, back-up, back-up, pushed me all over the driveway, circles, back -up, 6 more steps I can let him go in the R/P and let it out. Mind, you he is nearly resting on my right shoulder and I cannot seem to get him off of me. As I went to open the gate to the round pen, I raised the lead rope to turn his head, the lead rope was NOT attached to him! The snap was hanging from his halter and the badly rotted and frayed cotton rope was hanging in my hand. Did he know the rope was broke and was trying to stay in contact with me? Until I took off the snap in the R/P he stayed with me then walked off to roll run and be his goofy self. He has been pushy lately, but only to Meins, so I believed he was testing me, now I'm not sure. He was even super good for our hoof trimmer, Darrin. Both of them were. They are usually snots because it's close to feeding time. Horses, they just always keep you on your toes. My lesson learned though; ALWAYS check your equipment! This could have been a disaster had he wanted to take off. I am grateful that, for whatever reason, he followed me.

Having fun

2011-01-18T20:56:00.003-05:00

Sent some things to Frog Pond Farm Draft Rescue for their auction and am delighted to see that my quilts are going to help bring in some $$$ for them. They are a great bunch of folks who do what they can for these horses.From what I've seen so far many of them come in with badley negleted feet. Right now there is a big one named Lotto who is fighting for his life. Numerous abcesses going on right now and a really hard decision has to be made Friday. Do they continue to help him fight or is it time to set him free from pain. Not a decision I would want to make but when you have animals, there is always that possibility that letting go is the best option. So if you get a chance please go to Frog Pond Farms auction page and bid on any number of great items donated by folks like us.

Long winter

2011-01-13T13:01:00.002-05:00

Hi all! Sorry I have not been keeping up here lately, been busy sewing up a storm, slogging through snow and trying to keep my health in check.

Have new glasses now with the right perscription and cannot believe the things I have been missing. And I'm wearing braces now too. Geez who gets this old and starts wearing braces? We're lucky if we have any teeth left! lol just kidding. Still dealing with Vertigo which has kept me off Meins for some time.

Paha, on the other hand, has grown and filled out and has been pushing Meins around. Meins seems to "allow" him to be boss for a bit and then turns around and will start chasing Pa. Hopefully Paha will be going to the trainer late Spring to finish his "education" and hopefully by then we can control my imbalance and start riding him and Meins. If not, I may have my trainer send him off to be put to a cart and go from there. I think Paha would be an awesome buggy horse!

Greetings

2010-11-25T09:32:00.002-05:00

WISHING FAMILY AND FRIENDS A GREAT THANKSGIVING DAY!

Don't eat too much! Love you all, especially you MM!

Please no snow yet

2010-10-19T17:19:00.003-04:00

I think this pic of our outdoor thermometer says it all! BBBBBRRRRRRRRRRR! These are just a few pics from a pretty nice weekend.

I try to take the dogs for a walk down by the creek after feeding the horses in the mornings. I can check the fence and get a bit of exercise. I had decided to grab the camera for once and took a few nice shots.

Happy Horse Ranch

2010-10-14T17:09:00.003-04:00

Thank you to Sue and Fred Marengo for letting me visit your horses at Happy Horse Ranch. Although the morning started out "iffy" it turned into a beautiful afternoon for my visit. I made sure I brought some carrots and apples for their herd and they loved them. Cody wanted all the attention but, Zip wanted all the carrots! Copper was a bit shy but she is such a pretty Arabian I think she was just being coy. All of them were such a delight as is their caretakers. They suprised me with a trip into town for lunch at Joy's. Totally unexpected and worth it! If you like pumpkin pie you will love her Pumpkin Crunch.....Ohh I want more! Thanks again to you both for a delightful afternoon.

Not quite the morning

2010-10-14T08:19:00.003-04:00

This was not quite the mid October morning I was expecting to wake up to but still a bit excited all the same!

Later this morning I will be heading to Lexington, MI to visit Fred Marengo's Happy Horse Ranch. I can't wait to see his equine rescues that have become a big part of his life and prompted him to write the book, Second Chances, which all proceeds from the purchse of this book goes to the rescue. Way to go Fred!

Celebration of the horse

2010-09-23T08:04:00.003-04:00

Saturday is the Celebration of the Horse over in Metamora. I'm going to go visit some FRIENDS that will have booths set up, wonder the breed displays, peruse the local tack shops and stores and try to enjoy myself. I really did want to do it again this year, breed display and parade, but I do not like to be humiliated into doing it. There are other factors that helped make my decision but lack of support was the biggest. I'm sorry if what's important to me, promoting the Appaloosa breed and heritage, was not what everyone else wanted to do. I have started on Paha's Native American costume for next year and by then I should have a trailer I can borrow. This is very important to me and I wish others could see that.

Kathleen Dodds! You have to check out this young woman. youmightthinkthisiscrazy.blogspot.com, she has taken to riding her Appaloosas across America. She started out in Oregon and her destination is New Jersey. Pretty brave to go it alone. She has met up with some not so nice folks, (Sidney, NE) but for the most part everyone has been helpful. Check her out!

It will be a nice cool day so I hope all can get out and enjoy the weekend.

Not much going on

2010-09-22T12:45:00.002-04:00

Hey gang, not much has really been going on here. I think I have finally resigned myself to the fact that I will never be right. I am met with opposition no matter what I say or do and have just conceded to the war. The battles have been too numerous and now having to deal with "noise induced stress" (never heard that one one before) try as I might I am not winning. I am really trying to "be happy" but the depression has become so bad I just want to give up. I cannot concentrate, forget things-instantly, not paying attention, cannot focus and want to cry and sleep all the time. I'm slowly pushing my friends away and the big blow came last week when I was asked to do a job then the next day was told someone else was doing it. The way it was done just kind of hurts. So I am back to not trusting people their is no friendship or loyalty to someone who would do that to you. Maybe my husband is right, "if you don't have any friends they can't ask for favors", and then screw you in the process.

The horses are doing fine, getting their winter coats grown in and just being horses. So I will not be posting for awhile until I can screw my head back together. Love you all!

Hot Air Balloon

2010-08-28T10:10:00.002-04:00

Meins and Paha saw their first hot air balloon up close and personal yesterday! It was just too funny. The one fellew seemed to be having some trouble (4 balloons in all) and looked like he was going to land in the trees next to the pasture. When I saw the first balloon we grabbed the camera and ran outside and in doing so I heard this really loud snorting and blowing. That was when I saw the guy trying to get more heat up into his balloon. It was the propane tank, not the horses, "snorting and blowing"! They were very alert and running around a bit but when I stepped over to the fence they calmed down and stood and watched this balloon make his way across the highway to the cow fields on the other side, We had the outriggers in their vans going up and down the road following them. It was a pretty exciting few moments to these so close.

Nearby Metamora holds the balloon fest the end of August and this weekend the weather will be perfect. I'll be keeping an eye to the sky today as they will be launching off again.

Taking a ride in a hot air balloon is on my bucket list. This particular group does not offer rides. They had helicopter rides but that isn't the same thing. I want to float through the air and enjoy the scenery in peace (I'll accept the hissing and blowing! lol Enjoy the pics!

Just Sigh

2010-08-01T12:40:00.004-04:00

I will be so glad when they finally get a working dosage for my meds. My emotions have been going from one extreme to the other.

I was very tempted to hop on Meins and tear off down the road. Mind you, I have not really ridden him since September when I broke my tailbone trying to get ready for a parade I wanted to be in but someone else dictated what was going to be done. I believe my annoyance with the whole situation is what really caused the fall in the first place. Meins has been pretty good about reading my moods and when I wanted to "get away" from the people in the arena he decided to do just that. All he did was spin around in the opposite direction and stop and I went over the side. I did not land on the ground right away, I hung on to his side for a few seconds and dropped to the ground. It was the way I hit the ground that broke my TB and I have to tell you, even now, if I hit it just right or sit too long in a funny position, it lets me know it still can hurt.

I have been "on" Meins from time to time but we just meandered in the round-pen and that was it. I can't ride on our road anymore, these drivers are just too stupid. I don't really have anywhere to ride right now anymore, even the Polly Anne trail has been closed due the damage from last year's damaging floods and the county does not seem to have the funds to fix them. I walked the trail in a few places and it is still pretty bad.

So, since it is very humid outside and I do not feel like sweating today, I will stay in the house and work on my "Mermaid" quilt for a friend's upcoming birthday, catch up on phone calls, no texting today, and maybe even watch a movie, my favorite, The Man From Snowy River.

4th of July

2010-07-04T11:34:00.003-04:00

Freedom or independence? Two different words with two different meanings, yet all the world tries to signify independence with freedom.

Being independent means you can do it on your own. It is our arrogance in that belief that "we don't need you" is what seems to be bringing our country down. To those of you who hate us so much yet come to our country to get educated, seek asylum or medical treatment, freely, then do not bother coming here at all. No one person or government should decide what the world should do. With so many cultures and beliefs, how can one person or government decide what is best for a whole nation. I do not believe that's freedom.

A government wants to take the word God out of nearly EVERYTHING; then in whom do we trust? Who are we to pray to? Are we allowed to pray?

The fate of the people all over the world is grim at best. The sense of society has been shattered.

There are simple rules and guidelines to follow to be a good person. But I don't think anyone cares anymore. That's what makes me sad.

The rights of Native Americans were violated. True keepers of the land. Sending Japanese Americans to camps for fear these people would kill us while we slept. And the Holocaust, millions of Jews murdered and tortured because one man, ONE MAN, felt so superior that he could wipe out an entire race. What arrogance! And back to the Americans trying to displace and slaughter our nation's wild horses. So someone else can eat horse meat? Let that country harvest it own horses.

Freedom

Will someone tell me where it is?

Whew was I really feeling bad

2010-06-30T19:48:00.003-04:00

I am feeling better now. I just had to vent a bit the other day.

Since we are not going to ever move I have some ideas for inside and outside of the house and I want to get on the ball ASAP!

First- get the trenchwork and culvert replacement scheduled. Then 2 things I would like to have done is a pull-out pantry to replace the mess that I have right now, and then have the office paneled in rough beadboard.

Home Depot has Posts and cement on sale so we can start replacing the t-post corners in the pasture and make them more secure.

We need to do something in the basement to make it more ulitarian and I'd like to get estimates on what it would cost to have the furnace moved to the basement and on-demand hot water. Just a few things to start off with.

Been working with Paha on the road. He does fine when a vehicle approaches slowly towards us but then there is always some a**hole who goes by so fast he throws up dust and gravel. At least when someone honks he doesn't jump anymore. If a vehicle approaches from behind he has not shown any fear (probably because Meins is always chasing him. lol) or hesitation. Meins and I have been working well also. With the cooler weather we have been able to go out longer. I may have to breakdown and get a new pair of walking shoes! Since I twisted my knee the other day I have been saddling him for our walks and putting my helmet on my saddle just in case I need to ride home.

So everyday I try to walk 5' farther than the day before. Have also doing some core exercises and am eating better too. I want to be a lean (thinner) mean riding machine someday again.........

Why do I feel so bad about this

2010-06-27T12:58:00.005-04:00

Right now I am not feeling so good. Don't know if it's the meds or this damn thyroid thing or who knows. I hate when I feel like this because all I can think about is how much I am probably hurting my horses by not having anywhere for them to graze. This property is a true money pit. Seems like we try to fix something and something else goes wrong and bringing in load after load of fill just isn't working and creating other problems. The house is fine, we like the house, but this land cannot sustain large animals, it's virtually wet all the time and we are breeding some of the biggest mosquitoes around here! The ground is so soft they often sink to their knees and when it's wet to nearly their bellies. Eventually one of them is going to catch a tree root in the muck and break a leg and I'll be burying him where he lays.

This morning I tripped going into the shed I have to duck down to go into and really twisted my right knee. Now it's swollen and hurts like hell. Right now it's hell going up and down the back stairs. I am so hoping the thyroid dosage gets determined soon because I ache so badly I could scream. I know I am asking for too much by wanting to move. The brain and body just are not working together right now and that makes me pissed which gets me upset which makes me even more angry...........AAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts.............................sigh!

Actually considered selling them and just forgetting this whole thing but I cannot bring myself to do it. Besides, with so many good horses ending up going to slaughter, I can't do it. Trying very hard to work with what we have and we are losing.

Ouch! Ok I am done venting.

Follow the leader

2010-06-26T21:29:00.003-04:00

It never seems to fail. Meins and Paha can be waaay over yonder and I'll step into the pasture to do some work and the next thing I know is there are two noses snuffling my neck and shoulders. This is what I love best about spending time with them. Today I was raking manure (dry) into small piles so I can pick it up in the wheelbarrow tomorrow. So for the heck of it I raised the garden rake up over our heads, no one moved, soooo just for the heck of it I wanted to see what they would do if the rake was lowered onto their backs. You know what? They loved it!!! I scratched their tummies, which I thought was going to put Paha to heaven, and their rumps. Dropped heads, sleepy eyes, just plain relaxed. What's wrong with these horses? Why on earth do they trust a two legged so much? They keep me in such awe at times. These two, 1000 lbs animals trust me enough to allow me to come into their space and do all these crazy things with them. And then to just drop and lay down next to me is even more amazing! I know I've said it before and I will repeat myself; I am humbled, and ever so grateful, to have these two amazing animals entrusted in my care. I (we) will do whatever it takes to make sure they have a long happy, comfortable life with us.

Pic #1, Dom sitting in our hotel window overlooking the back of the Appaloosa Museum. #2, Dom riding Paha and #3, Mom saying goodbye to the boys before heading to Idaho the next morning. Enjoy!

Taking our time

2010-06-25T13:10:00.003-04:00

Paha and I slowly getting back into walking shape. Well, I am, he's just along for company. I have to keep after him because he walks so dang slow! I always forget to grab the med length (dressage) whip and walk past it every time. We walked down the road til we (I) could no longer hear Meins and stood for a few minutes then came back and went down to the creek but those REALLY BIG FLIES were on us immediately. So we came back, I groomed him head to foot, took off his face mask and shook out the dirt and put that back on, checked feets, mane, tail and sprayed the bugger down really well. The flies love his white belly. Actually they have not been too bad, I try to stay on top of the manure and my next batch of fly preds should be coming soon. The mosquitoes are going to be the challenge this year with all the water around here.

Tomorrow Meins and I will take our walk and hopefully by the end of July I'll be riding him down the road. Still working on the dizzy spells. That's why I quite doing so many things and well, I'm getting better. If I fall asleep now it may just be for an hour or so, as to before I was actually going back to bed for 3 or 4 hours.

Working on a new quilt for one of my breakfast girls. Her house is decorated in Nautical style but I wanted to do something a bit different and more personal. MERMAIDS! So far I have most of the fabric picked out, seashore themed, and traced my applique pcs out. This is going to be a fast, fun one!

I'm going to go read my Trail Rider magazine, finish laundry and mop the floor.

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

The pic is of the Snake River in Lewiston, Idaho.

The Birds

2010-06-12T15:12:00.003-04:00

WHOO HOO! There is a crazy, wild explosion of baby birds this year (could be because Sammy killed a raccoon and I got rid of an adult)! Grosbeaks, 3 varieties of woodpeckers, Cardinals and even baby Orioles! And the baby woodpeckers love oranges and grape jelly too! As do the Catbirds and some sparrows. We have even caught the hummingbird with jelly on his beak. For years we would only hear the Orioles and Catbirds in the woods but now they will sit in the tree above the deck and if you do not move they will come down for their feast. And THAT is a great honor to sit in the front row to watch such amazing entertainment!

Planes, trains and Equine things

2010-06-11T09:36:00.004-04:00

We arrived home safely Monday evening and not feeling much better. Robyne went to the Doc on Wed and she has (possibly) strep and an ear infection. My Doc added cough syrup to my growing list of meds.

So I have Hashimoto's desease. My immune system is attacking my thyroid throwing everything hormonal out of whack. GRREEAAAAAT! I'll be leaving in a bit to have an ultrasound done on my neck to make sure there are no tumors looming there.

The boys and I are slowly getting back on track. While Klaus worked on the fence Tues. I moved some of the round pen panels around so they could graze on grass then before putting them back into the pasture we did a short session. Yes with both of them at the same time. Paha is such a follower. When I had them stop and turn Pa would let Meins pass and lead so I would stop them again and ask for the turn until they got it. Paha stepped out reluctantly in the lead and Meins wanted to nip to hurry him along but a snap from the whip made him back off. Just a slow casual walk around the R/P with Paha in the lead is all I wanted and got. We have been working on this for awhile. I have also "ponied" Meins off of Paha. No I was not riding Pa, he was tacked up and I led them around the pasture, trees, cones, barrel and then switched. Meins just does not want a horse that close to him in the rear. He got a couple of god slaps with my "hand" (the bat actually has the shape of a leather hand on the end) and he will behave, albeit with an attitude.

So that's it for today, happy Friday everyone and have a great horsey weekend!

On my way back home

2010-06-07T14:10:00.002-04:00

Well the three of us are at Spokane airport and should star boarding around 12:30p. Jeanne is torn about leaving
.There are so many things to see yet and not feeling all that well did not make it much fun the last couple of days. We did try to take a drive yesterday but it started to rain so hard at one point we had to turn around and go back to the hotel. I'll truly miss the folks we met. Everyone here is so nice and were very helpful when Jeanne got sick.
We'll be back again someday. Idaho isn't going anywhere and Jeanne hopes to ride a section of the Chief Joseph Trail on Meins and Paha.
So until tomorrow my friends we will wave as we fly by!
Dom

The Appaloosa Museum

2010-06-06T11:50:00.003-04:00

I love the inteactive kids area. Check out the "seats" around the table, very clever!

This head dress is nearly a century old and still quite impressive!

These are the carved wooden doors to the entrance of The Appaloosa Horse Club, which is next to the museum.

If If only you could really see and feel the detail on some of these items. This saddle in particular just fascinated me! It's so beautiful and functional as well. I guess when you have to ride through cactus country the horse and rider need all the protection they can get.

Lewiston Idaho

2010-06-06T11:43:00.001-04:00

I just love these sculptures! They pop out at you all through town.

OH Goodness

2010-06-05T14:14:00.001-04:00

The Quickcare clinic was quick this morning. I had lost my voice and my chest hurt, and some nasty stuff was..........well, anyway. I have a bacterial infection and was put on antibiotics.

I just wanted to cry this morning but being the troopers that we are we took care of it.

Went to walmart to pick up the perscription, then had a light breakfast and swung around to the museum to take a bunch of picks.

Not even noon and we both taking naps! Oh well, we are still planning to go down to the Nez Perce Indian reservation tomorrow and it's only 35+ miles so that's not bad. Enjoy today's pics.

2010-06-04T20:03:00.003-04:00

Robyne and I ventured out this morning after breakfast and found the post office, a well stocked fabric shop and gift shop.

Then we came back to the hotel (we are both just dragging with these colds) and while she took some cold med I went over to the museum. I watched a 10 minute video about Appaloosas then went around looking through all the books of Appaloosa people and their role in the club and people who had a major impact in the Appaloosa history and the horses they represented. After nearly 3 hours, and a few purchases, I went off to the hotel and started to wind down only to get a call from Jennifer that Wendi Gunter had arrived and did I want to come back to the museum to meet her. HECK YEA! So I put my shoes and socks back on, grabbed the laptop and went down to meet her.

She is such a delightful, beautiful, talented artist. We spent a few minutes chatting, showed her some recent pics of the boys, she showed me the original she did of Paha, and chatted a bit more then we all said goodbye.

So although we feel like crap, we at least met up with the very people I had intended to meet from the get go.

Our room has a microwave and a fridge so we have stocked up with OJ and chicken noodle soups and lots of water.

WE ARE HAVING FUN AND NO STINKING COLD IS GOING TO MAKE MY TRIP SUCK!

HAHAHAHAHA!

ok all, talk to you tomorrow.

Lewiston, Idaho

2010-06-03T18:27:00.004-04:00

What a beautiful part of the country! Miles and miles of farmed land, Spring wheat, granola (oats), camas and corn. Just as far as the eye can see. And then a cow will pop up, seemingly standing on the tip of a hill, but as you get higher and can actually see where he is standing it just gently rolls down into another hill.

My sinus infection got worse so we really weren't going to go down to Lewiston but DAMMIT how many opportunities will I get like this! The sun was out, we had a full tank of gas and said what the hell let's go!

We stopped at the Nez Perce museum and spent a while there and read about some fascinating history. They do not allow camera use in the museum so we have no pics but did get some brochures with some info on them and Robyne took some nice pictures outside the museum. As we got closer to Hell's gate Canyon my head got worse. We did drive along the Snake River for awhile and cross over it, stopped at numerous historical markers to take pics and if there wasn't any traffic behind us we just stopped in the middle of the road to take pics. lol Damn tourists!

So we had a nice day today and I took some aspirin and lay down for a bit while Robyne went down to the pool.

Tomorrow we may go up to Kibbie Dome and then in the afternoon we are going back to the museum to meet Wendi Gunter, Paha's artist.

So enjoy today's pics and we'll see what tomorrow brings!

Another dream come true

2010-06-03T06:55:00.004-04:00

Today (Weds) was a very long day for Robyne,Jeanne and myself. Leaving home at 5am to get to the airport and journey off to Idaho. But, we made it! Poor Robyne got sick just before landing in Minneapolis, and I can honestly say I was not far behind. The lady across the aisle from us ran in the bathroom to get some wet towels and the water was shut off already! The flight attendant didn't have enough barf bags so he gave a trash bag. Ouch! Once on the ground and freshening up a bit we felt better.

The second plane taking us into Spokane was much bigger and we were in first class! That was nice (thank you Klaus). Plus Robyne was able to get some Dramamine and that helped a lot too.

It rained off and on on the way down to Moscow but we had a nice drive down (of course I was in my "navigation seat" and made our way to the hotel.

After resting up a few minutes we headed over to the Museum, of which we can see from our hotel room, and met Juli Thorson, editor of Horse and Rider magazine, Jennifer Hamilton, museum director and Katharine Bierlien. What a treat to get a personal tour from Juli and chat with Katherine and Jennifer, all who have helped me with my Appaloosa journey. Friday afternoon we'll venture back to the museum to meet up with Wendi Gunter, the artist who did Paha's image on a set of the museum's note cards. Pretty awesome!

Juli was willing to take us out and about and show us some highlights in the area and get some dinner, but Jeanne and Robyne could barely stand anymore and Jeanne was starting to feel a bit worse with a cold so we called it quits for the evening. So Juli drove us up the rise back to our hotel, raining pretty steady again by then, and said goodbye. I do hope we can meet her again someday, she was pretty awesome.

So Thurs we need to stop and get lots of vitamin c, a good breakfast and we are going to take a drive around the loop of the Indian encampments, and see a lot of where the Palouse peoples came from, the start of the Lewis and Clark expedition and more.

Enjoy the pics and we'll be back later!

One more day to go on our way to Idaho

2010-05-31T10:28:00.003-04:00

Been busy last few days making sure me and the girls are ready to go. Checking to make sure we have enough clothes, keeping tabs on Idaho's weather, making sure the boys are all set with Klaus, hay, feed and such. And tomorrow when Robyne gets here we are hoping to take one really good shot of the 3 of us with Meins and Paha. We want the folks out West to see how the boys are doing. Well, that's all for now, Klaus and I are trying to get Jeanne to relax. She's excited, nervous, worried, not to mention she has not been feeling all that well. We'll save that for later.

So have a great Memorial Day everyone, and remember why this day is celebrated!

Dom!

And the dirt cometh................

2010-05-25T16:11:00.003-04:00

I think the Turkey Vulture flying overhead was looking for my stinky Jack Russell. He cannot stay out of the muck!

The 1st load of fill backing into the pasture.

I love that JD Bulldozer! What we can do with that bad boy, {{{ooh ooh shudder}}}!

Nice solid pathway to the run-in shed.

This was the 3rd and last load. When the tires started to sink I just put my head in my hands, but once load was dumped he drove right out. The first load we nearly lost the entire truck! It sunk into a hole on the right side and as he raised the bed to try to get rid of the dirt the whole truck started to tip, yikes! So he stopped and when Paul (Dryden Excavating) arrived, they hooked up to the dozer and pulled that big dump out like it was nothing. Even with all that fill (20 yrds) still inside! OH YEA I want one of those!

As soon as I harrowed it out a bit, put the fence back up and opened up the gate Paha had a ball. He was sniffing, pawing, running a few feet, spinning. And once I brought Meins back in from the round pen it was like the two of them discovered something amazing. Running, jumping, rolling, snorting and being just plain silly. Got to love them!

I rode a horse today!

2010-05-17T19:16:00.003-04:00

HOOHOO! I got to ride Meins today! It was a bit scary at first but then I relaxed and just had fun! Paha watched intently as I rode Meins for the first time. Tomorrow I get to ride Paha and Jeanne might get on to ride too.

I must have ridden Meins pprretttty hard because he was plum tuckered out when we were done. Yawn, me too! Meins says he had fun too!

15 days to go for our trip to IDAHO!

Hope you had a great day today!

Dom

SUNSHINE!

2010-05-14T10:11:00.003-04:00

Good Sunny Friday morning all!

I don't have to do any reading today! Got to hang out with Meins and Paha this morning, eating some feed and then some grass. The grass tickled the bottoms of my fuzzy feets, something I never felt before. Meins even came over to make sure I was doing ok. I might got to ride later if the round pen dries up enough. Then I get to feel how we move. It will be different from riding in "Red"!

Jeanne takes whatever opportunity she can to make sure people know she is an Appaloosa person. She definitely made her point with this big sticker.

Well, our hay is here so I get to go watch then I get to put hay in the baskets!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

What a headache!

2010-05-13T07:18:00.004-04:00

I was beginning to think my head would explode with all this new information! It has been raining, A LOT, so I have not been able to go out with Meins and Paha. Well I can, but not in that raincoat! So in the meantime I have been reading just about anything and everything I possibly can and that is a lot.

We are expecting severe weather in a bit so I will catch you again later today.

Keepin' it dry today! Dom

P.S. The pic of my distant cousin, Meta, was taken at 8:24am and look how dark it is!

The learning begins!

2010-05-11T09:01:00.003-04:00

YAWN! Oh hay, good morning all! I could get used to sleeping in the big bed. After "horsing" the dash board for nearly 4 yrs this is kinda nice.

Well it's raining already so I need to put on my makeshift raincoat so I can help feed the big boys. Not exactly the look I was going for, but hay, I'm delicate!

Since we cannot do much in the rain, Jeanne plopped me down with some books to get started with. I hate taking notes!

Hope your day is dryer and fun!

We are getting ready to go! To Idaho!

2010-05-10T18:33:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!

My name is Dom and I will be accompanying Jeanne and Robyne on their trip to Moscow, Idaho. It was a pretty easy choice for them to pick me as the chaperon as I navigate "Red", whenever we go somewhere. I sit right on the dashboard of the big red truck and make sure all is clear. My spotted buddies are a little jealous because they wanted to go too, but I'm already the well seasoned traveler (and the smallest!).

So for the next couple of weeks before we leave, I'll be learning all about being a horse again! Running, riding, trotting......getting my pony legs back. No fries for me for awhile! It's hay, grass and feed AND I get to eat alongside Meins and Paha too.

It's going to rain tomorrow, you don't suppose I get a raincoat do you? Oh well, take care and come back often and see what it will be like for me to become a real APPALOOSA!!!

26 days to Idaho!

2010-05-06T19:11:00.002-04:00

WHoo hoo my daughter and I are really getting excited about our trip to Idaho! We got together Monday for lunch and went over our lists of what to take and where we want to go. Besides the obvious horse stuff, we are thinking of visiting some of the areas wineries, parks, I would like to see Soda Springs Geyser and Hell's Gate Canyon. Aw heck, we are going to see and do as much as we possibly can cram into 5 days! Oh if only I had a lifetime to explore this area!

Happy Birthday!

2010-04-30T09:28:00.004-04:00

Happy 6th Birthday Meins!

It's still hard for me to believe you are here and still have to pinch myself from time to time to make sure you are real even after 4 and a half years!

Love ya Bubba!

Vet visit

2010-04-29T09:35:00.003-04:00

The boys got their Spring vacs and Coggins pulled yesterday. Also had Meins' sheath cleaned, he's such a dirty boy! Paha, he said lookes to be about 25 lbs underweight but overall they both look great, healthy and happy. He said it could very well just be Spring and he is running around more. I was worried he was maybe 75 to 100 lbs underweight. Took fecal samples just to be sure. They will get the WNV in 3 weeks and then we are good till Fall, well, Paha will get his sheath cleaned then, if needed, and float his teeth. THEN, we are good til Spring.

The farrier will be here next week and then everyone is taken care of til I get back from Idaho.

So have a wonderfull day today, the boys are already on their "siesta" enjoying the sunshine!

No words today, just pretty pictures......

2010-04-20T13:34:00.001-04:00

And the winner is................

2010-04-15T23:46:00.003-04:00

ALDO!

I know, I know, thought it would have been one of the horses but surprisingly neither of them rolled after I cleaned them up. But Aldo, my clumsy, goofy Doberman decided to bark at the neighbor's dogs and just HAD to run through the wet ,black muck. The look of innocence. Oh well, I guess that's what mops, buckets and rags are for..................

Cleaning up, straightning up, smoothing out..........

2010-04-14T21:25:00.003-04:00

Moved the round pen panels out so the boys can get some grazing in. There is just no grass and the back is still really wet. I closed off one pasture in the hopes the grass will grow. I was so hoping to use less hay for the Summer but I'll be using more instead. Sigh!

They are looking so skinney now that they are "defuzzing" and tomorrow if it gets as warm as they say they are getting the full spa treatment! Get those clippers ready! Shampoo-check! Combs-check! Towels, sponges-check, check! And the first one to roll afterward is.................you'll have to check back tomorrow evening!

Happy Easter friends and family!

2010-04-04T18:53:00.003-04:00

Spent most of the morning hanging with my horses then the kids came early afternoon. It was really nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy being with the things I love the most, my family and my critters!

My daughter and I talked a lot about our trip to Moscow, Idaho! We are so excited and our countdown is now 60 days! Whoo hoo!

Warm weather week!

2010-03-29T20:35:00.004-04:00

Looks like we are in for a real Easter treat this week! Temps above 65* yeeha!

The horses, dogs and cat have been shedding like crazy, hair everywhere, yeesh. The Daffs are coming up, I think the moles got the last of my crocus, hopefully my tulips will still pop up later. Things are getting greener and we are cleaning up winter as much as we can. I can smell the leaves burning now!

Been working the boys longer and a bit harder and took a short ride on Meins. Momma definitely needs some saddle time! We are working on it though little by little.......

The deer we caught in the front yard were so funny jumping and playing and driving our dogs insane! There were at least seven of them!

Another beautiful day!

2010-03-18T09:16:00.002-04:00

Ah yes, another beautiful morning and day to follow. Cold and frosty in the early morning hours and by noon we will be well over 55* again! I love it! The maple sap will be running for sure!

When talking to my hubbs last night we talked about the small town I lived in before moving to Michigan 12 years ago.

Chardon, Ohio! Just saying that instantly brings the gazebo in the square to mind with the maple house chimney smoking. The end of February was when we would notice the buckets hanging from dozens of Sugar Maples that lined the streets. Nearly every evening on my way home (Hambden Twp.) from work, I would see a fellow on a tractor pulling a cart loaded with a huge plastic container, pouring sap into the container. Once full, he would make his way back to the Square and add that batch to what was already cooking in the Maple House. The area smelled so good up until the Sunday after Easter when the Maple Festival would be held. Kinda miss that time. My daughter and I really enjoyed those times.

But I really love the life I have chosen with Klaus, no boredom here! But there are times now, maybe a little too frequently, where I would like us to be somewhere quiet. The truck traffic on the highway coming and going to Canada and such has increased and grates on my nerves.

Don't get me wrong, I truly do love this house but the noise, water issues, constant mud and black muck are increasing my anxiety levels. So much so my antidepressants have been increased. I cannot relax. I keep the TV on most of the day during the winter months to lessen the sound but that gets annoying too.

Sorry if I seem whiny , my Fibromyalgia has kicked in, my fault, I pushed myself a little too hard outside in this fantastic weather.

Last night I caught the tail end of yet another car that went off the road. They took off when I opened the door. Sigh!

On the lighter side, last night as I let the dogs out after dinner a herd of 7 deer were at the bird feeder. Sammy and Anna were nearly on them before they threw their tails up and trotted off. Seemingly annoyed the dogs disturbed them instead of the scared full out run you would normally see.

Today I'll just be grooming the boys and do some light roadwork and maybe do some more cleanup in the gardens cutting back dead stuff making ready for Spring.

Hope you all get out in the warm sunshine today!

Meins update

2010-03-09T18:25:00.002-05:00

Meins is feeling much better! His temp has been 100 two days in a row and he is all over the pasture. I tried to get into the back pasture to finish pulling out branches but the ground was too soft for me to be walking around. Now with 4 days of rain coming more snow is going to melt and make a mess but The dry-out will be worth it.

My horses are making sure I get lots of experience!

2010-03-08T13:03:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning loomed bright and sunny but Meins did not seem so. He just stood in one corner of the small pasture with his head down and would not even look in my direction. Normally when he sees me first thing in the morning he will nip and chase Paha and the two of them get to squealing, snorting, bucking, farting raucous fun then immediately (about 10 min) come to the gate. I jiggled the gate latch and he then turned and started toward me. Because the sun was just coming up it caught the bottom of his lip which was oozing bubbly drool and his facial expression was drawn. I keep a halter and lead right by the gate so I grabbed him and brought him up to the garage to take his temp and as soon as it beeped ready I pulled it out, hit his tail and dropped it on the cement floor. So not only did I not catch the reading, I broke the therm! Sigh!. Called a friend to see if she was home to give assistance if necessary but she was out of town. So I put a call into the vet who called back within 5 min. and was an hour away but headed my way.

So in the meantime we went over to the round pen and when I released him he just stood there which was starting to scare me. Got a bucket of water because I had not seen him drink yet and put it next to him and I went and sat on the mounting block to keep an eye on him. He came near me and just plopped down stretched out flat and went to sleep. His breathing was deep and normal and he wasn't in any kind of stress so I let him be.

Have you ever seen a horse go into REM sleep and then dream? It's so awesome! He was doing little horsey nickers, running, twitching his ears and mouthing. I then started to tear up because I had waited so long for this wonderful creature I could not stand to see him hurting.

Shortly after noon the vet called to let me know he was 5 min out so I brought Meins back up to the garage and Dr. Moore pulled in. He retook his vitals, and his temp was up (102.3) so we went to work looking, feeling, flushing, floating and then scoping his nasal cavity to see what's up. No pun intended. Boy their heads are heavy after sedation! The back of his tongue was swollen but could find nothing else.

Since he was sweating really bad I pulled out his fleece cooler so he would not get a chill then led him back out to the round pen to finish waking up. After ten minutes he was walking the circle and looking over the fence at Paha eating hay and getting very agitated that he had none. With in a few more min he was like his old devilish self, so around 4 pm he was ready to go back to pestering his brother.

So we have a slightly altered routine in the morning with the meds but he has been his ornery self which is why I love him so much.

I am so very grateful and appreciative to my husband for putting up with me and my critters and to my vet for not blowing me off as a silly, neurotic horse person and for my trainer who taught me more than just learning to ride again. And also for those few FB friends who understand what it's like to get back into horses at this stage of our lives. We may not be those carefree, cautionless, don't give a damn, kids anymore, but do not interfere with our passion, however seemingly silly , cause we know what we want and need to do and we'll run right over you to make it right! Right? Right!

2010-02-25T20:38:00.005-05:00

Been working with Paha to remind him to stay out of my space. He just so wants to be in your face. He's a loverboy. But he gets it after pushing his face out of my way a couple of times. My round pen is snowed in again so we have just been going up and down the driveway. I was so looking forward to sending him off to be buggy trained but that's isn't going to happen right now. So I'll just keep doing my thing with him, driving him from the ground and then have him pull small things around and, who knows, maybe come fall we'll see what we can do.

I have had BIG TIME cabin fever and been taking pictures of whatever so enjoy!

Surprise, surprise!

2010-02-21T10:51:00.004-05:00

What a beautiful morning! Bright sunshine, not too cold, deer having a morning snack.....WHAT? Wait a minute! As I get dressed in the morning I like to glance out the bathroom window to see where the horses are and to watch the birds and listen to them sing. I did not expect to catch my birdseed marauders in the act first thing in the morning! I had to nonchalantly go to the kitchen to get my camera, without drawing the dogs attention, and get to the back door and open it without my quarry getting away. Now, mind you, I said I was in the bathroom getting dressed. All I will willingly say is that no one lives close enough to see what I wasn't wearing. But the deer got an eye full and just froze until one of the dogs decided to come see what I was looking at then it was over. Chaos ensued. But I love it anyway.

Ah yes, the Idaho template...............I will let you peek as I go!

Have a great day!

Katie, glad you are almost to your destination and hope this is all you hoped for. Took a look at Al-Mahra's website and looks like a wonderful place for you to be. I know you will do very well!

For this I have no words.................

2010-02-14T00:04:00.002-05:00

I just giggle myself silly the half dozen times I have watched this already! My horses are just something else!

2010-02-12T07:43:00.003-05:00

Wow! I tried to capture an exceptional, but brief, sunrise this morning. My camera just could not pick up what my eye was seeing. A red pyramid of flame coming up from the East surrounded by a still dark sky then it was gone, swallowed back up into the early morning greys. Had the photo actually come out it would have been spectacular!

The boys are waiting patiently for me to come out to feed. Paha always finds those last few tidbits he might have missed the night before. Sorry guys, momma needed to write this while her brain was on semi-functional!

Snowshoed last night and had a blast! The conditions were perfect (for me) Sunny skies, no wind, not too cold and lots of snow! The horses watched me closely as I went around the fenceline. Paha had not seen this get up before. I think he was fascinated by my too big feet when I fed them. As I came closer to the fence to drop feed he stuck his nose through the bottom of the fence to get a sniff and taste. I guess since they were attached to my feet.........all is good.

When I feed this morning I'll strap on my snowshoes and take the dogs around. Anna is the clever one. She'll track right behind me so she doesn't have to plow her way through the snow. Unfortunately she'll step on the back of a shoe and nearly send me to the ground. So glad I use the poles, otherwise I would be headfirst in the drifts.

This Amaryllis is soooo big (8" across) and a delight to see in the morning amidst a backdrop of snow. Smiling!

Have a great day and enjoy what's before you no matter how brief.

Spring is getting closer?

2010-02-08T19:26:00.003-05:00

This flower is so pretty and yet it scared the bejeebers out of us. It just kept growing taller and taller to the point I was afraid it would just fall over! Then finally a couple days ago it popped open and it is so beautiful. I love flowers and plants.

Klaus continued his quest to cut down dead trees and was finally able to cut down this one dead tree that had been hanging ominously over the footpath to the creek and pasture fence. So he closed off the back pasture so my ever helpful horses were out of the way, took down the fence wire and chop-chop it went down. But where did it fall? Right smack on top of a fence post driving it down into the ground. Sigh! But it needed to come down. With all the wind we have had lately and a big snow on the way it was best to just get it done. He chopped up what fell, which was mostly sawdust anyway and put a match to it and WHOOSH! that bad boy is gone.

The boys were kind enough to pose with another quilt I had just finished for my niece in Ohio. I hope she'll like it. Meins pulled it off the gate but I was able to rescue it before it landed in a fresh pile of manure. Silly horse!

We so enjoyed the sunshine today and while they stood snoozing and sunbathing I gave them a good brushing. I had lots and lots of white hairs all over me. Does that mean we are shedding??? Hope, hope! Spring will come early? Or was I just removing already scruffy whites? Sigh! I really hope it's a sign that that mangy rodent was wrong and Spring really is just around the corner!!!!!!

Fix the fence.............again

2010-01-30T16:19:00.002-05:00

Spent some time outside with the boys for awhile and while walking the fence line discovered a bottom corner clip had broken leaving the bottom wire hanging. I don't think the boys did it this time. More than likely it may have been cracked from the car crash incident and this constant cold just weakened it even more. Of course I had my entourage. hehe! Maybe I should teach them to fix the fence too!

Paha tried to help me fill the water tank by pulling the hose out of the tank and creating a bit of an ice rink around the tank. The salt just won't work when the temps are this cold so I pulled some straw from the shed and lay that down for now.

(with a shaking head) Paha, Paha, Paha.........you are so silly!

Public Enemy #1--Cancer

2010-01-30T15:46:00.003-05:00

Seems to me that cancer picks the kindest, sweetest people we know to do it's dirty work. I know that isn't true but when someone you love is diagnosed with cancer the grim images are the first thing to pop into your head. My sister-in-law was just diagnosed with stage 3 Ovarian cancer. My first reaction was "are you kidding me?" She is the sweetest person I have ever known. Never a harsh word to anyone, always working, helpful, sincere and a beautiful singing voice, animal lover, mom and the patience of a saint to love my brother. (Sorry Don!)

I guess what I am trying to say that right now I am mad at God for allowing this to happen to her. She already has diabetes for all her life which has caused eye problems. Many, many laser surgeries, couple years ago a kidney stone that required surgery. She was recently diagnosed with Pleurisy and now this. Yet, with surgery coming in the next week she is very optimistic and in great spirits despite the pain.

I have always hated when, not feeling well, only to have someone say that someone has it worse than me so buck up. There is no reason why a normal person cannot feel bad, angry, depressed cry.........it's just part of the process. Getting over it is when you win.

I believe your attitude and how you handle the situation makes a big difference in the outcome. Most of the time. Sometimes it's just out of your hands.

So to my readers, please keep Shari Pachinger and her family in your hearts and prayers and lend a hand when you can. She deserves it.

#1 Goal this year!

2010-01-19T16:35:00.003-05:00

I would really like to have Paha trained to drive. I believe my husband and I would enjoy doing this together.
He already line drives so I am going to look into some clinics and maybe take lessons at Odyssy Training stables. I have the time. The money will be the issue. But I want to go for it just the same.
Goal #2 I believe Paha would look awesome pulling a cart in the "Celebration of the Horse" parade in Sept.
Will keep you posted!

Trying not to prove my BOGs work but, well, I broke through some muck ice halfway to my knee. Only the top of my sock got muddy. My foot and ankle stayed dry and warm AND the boot stayed on my foot when pulling it out of the muck!

Trying my best

2010-01-19T10:25:00.004-05:00

Just when I can get the boys back into work the weather changes it's mind. There is ice everywhere. I tried throwing down salt here and there but it is just ridiculous. The driveway is a solid sheet of ice and that is where I need to walk to get to the round pen.

Klaus cleaned out the run-in shed for me and had an audience of 2. As soon as he was done, Paha backed in and left a deposit. He has also been cutting down dead Ash trees and Poplars and Cottonwoods. He was stacking the branches to burn later on but, of course, Meins and Paha believe the stack is for them and quickly spread all the branches out looking for the perfect one to chew up.

So today I will try to get the log pile out of the pasture because they are spreading that around too. The hubbs has been working all through the winter when time, and weather allows, to clean up the yard and give us plenty of firewood.

I did get my Bogs and am loving them. With my left ankle being fused it's very hard for me to wear tall boots. I am so glad for shorty boots and with the stretchy uppers of the Bogs I have no problem getting them on and off and they really keep my feet warm and dry. So I give Bogs 2 thumbs up!

So what have I been doing while the weather has not been nice? Quilts of course! Working on something special for an 80+ young friend and made a mini quilt for another with the scraps. I would love to do a quilt for the Appaloosa Museum. Mmmmmmmmmm, I need to think of something clever for that! The creative juices are already working!

2010 Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:53:00.003-05:00

OK 2009 is done and over with. It's time to look ahead to what this year will bring us. Hopefully it will be all good. Hubby is dealing with some health issues right now and I am proud of him for finally getting checked out and finding the problem and fixing it.

I'm not angry with him any more because it's a tough thing to admit when things don't feel quite right. So, we are on the right track and hope these issues will become nothing but a bad memory.

The ground is a bit icy right now but as soon as I can see where it will be safe to go I am going to start long lining Paha and get up on Meins and venture outside the round pen. Meins will take me anywhere I want to go, I have to learn to trust him and show him I can be the leader on his back as well as the ground. Paha is going back and forth between being a youngster with a 2 second attention span to really trying to listen to me. I give these two horses, my husband,my trainer, her assistant, and the breeder a huge debt of gratitude for putting up with my fumbling around. Whoever would have thought these animals could be so forgiving.

I don't do resolutions anymore. Have not done so for years. I usually have a list of "GOALS" I want to accomplish the coming year. Realistic goals, things I can actually go after and accomplish and not always on my own. My friends and family were a big part of getting 18 of my 22 goals complete.

2010 may start out a bit shaky for some of us, but knowing there is always a hand willing to help..........I believe it will be a good year after all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

These are a few of my favorite things..............

2009-12-22T18:04:00.007-05:00

Christmas comes but once a year and people race around looking for the "perfect" gift and in all honesty, become disillusioned with what Christmas is all about. These last few days, weeks actually, I kind of have looked back on the year and truly am surprised at myself, at what really gives me joy and happiness. My husband, my home, my horses, dogs and cat. The myriad of people who were acquaintances that are now friends, true friends I can count on should we need help or to have stop by to chat. The kind of people you would do anything for. My family, although far away, I try to keep in contact with and was able to get together with a few times this year.

Christmas isn't about presents, it's about presence. A joyful horse nickering in the morning, an acknowledgement that they will soon be fed. Having them home, to watch them grow, mature, play, fight, snooze, ride and train. Watching my husband hard at work keeping the woods clear of dead trees and keeping our firewood at the ready, and constantly throwing Sammy's red ball. The sight and sound of the Chickadees impatiently waiting for the seeds to fill the feeders, often sitting on the feeder as it's filled! The first flowers in Spring, the green of Summer, the wild array of color in the Fall, to the fluffy white blanket of Winter tucked around us. These are the gifts I hold near and dear to me. I may not say it often enough or even seem not to notice, but I am truly, truly blessed in this life and am humbled at the magnitude of all those around me who call me their friend, mom, wife, aunt, daughter and sister.

Christmas is about giving of yourself and of others accepting what you offer. What can be more precious and loving than that?

Blessings to all my family, friends and animals, you are MY true presence.

Farrier Day

2009-12-16T21:31:00.003-05:00

They boys had their feet trimmed today and did quite well. Paha needed a little reminder that we do not kick when the farrier comes but my farrier does not get angry with him. Just pulled out his rope and lifted his back foot a couple of times and Paha was ok. He said his leg could have been a bit sore from holding his weight there after the accident. It happens. He took a good look at the injured leg and said It really looks good. Whew! I am ever so grateful for the knowledge I gleaned from so many horse folk so it didn't take much for me to figure out what to do and do it right. And because the boys were kind enough NOT to poop in the garage they got extra carrots with their feed and hay.

Anna is laying behind me patiently waiting for Sammy to get tired of the rawhide so she can snatch it up. Working on this blog and trying to keep my eyes open and talking to hubby also.

Christmas Open House!

2009-12-13T20:02:00.004-05:00

Well I think the dogs are absolutely exhausted from barking and greeting all the folks that were here yesterday for our Christmas party. At one point during, what I call, transition, there were 30 folks here! The house was so filled with happy people, good conversation, food and just all over warmth, the furnace NEVER came on! I did not even think of it until I started to get warm and thought it had been running all this time only to find the temp in the house was much HIGHER than the set temp!

My "Breakfast Bunch" friends, Robyne and her boyfriend, Rob were here early and stayed til near dark, then the neighbors came and lastly, the horse folk arrived. Gotta do those horse chores before fun time:) By then we had all migrated to the kitchen and talking and nibbling and just having a really good time.

What surprised me was our neighbors coming. Just a small group of people that we give greetings to day after day, small roadside chats, help when we need it, and even when we don't. From the day we moved in some one would let us know who could help us with yard work, roofing, plowing, etc., etc., and we were never disappointed and thought it only fitting to include these folks and am so glad I did. My mom and her boyfriend, David stayed the entire time! First to arrive, last to leave. Was was teary eyed in telling me she is so happy that we are in a great community with people who would do anything to help us. My mom said they had good things to say about us and I was really overwhelmed in the fact that these folks knew it was me, but mostly Klaus, doing whatever we could to clean up our street, keep our property non-horse neighborly friendly and so on.

ALL asked where Klaus was as he could not be here with us. He is in Kentucky on business and it could not be helped. A few others had to work or attend meetings and were disappointed they could not come. But I believe we have other gatherings since this was such a success.

Something I never would have expected were the gifts folks were bringing us! I was speechless. The foods were nearly gone! I did not have to figure out where to put leftovers because there really wasn't any. Out of 5# of Sweet and sour meatballs, about a dozen left. The Hungarian golaush, enough for dinner tonight. The chicken and stuffing bake, half a pan. Cookies! Oh my gosh the cookies! I "allowed" Robyne's boyfriend to make up a box to take home and we were fighting over cheesecake/cherry bars, those were scrumptous!

So all in all, this morning I woke up very happy, just for the simple fact that these people all mean a great deal to us and us to them and my mom will no longer worry that I am alone when Klaus has to travel out of town. I may be here by myself, but I am far from being alone.

To all my friends, whether you are a Facebook friend, and email friend and a friend across the pond, or around the corner, my life has been made so much richer and more meaningful because you are a part of my life. Thank you all for being so and spread some cheer to others who my not know they matter to you .

We tend to speed through life to "get there" but when you turn around there are a hell of a lot of faces that have been touched by you. Slow down and get to know those folks and realize that they are a big part of who you are.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Inconsiderate !@#$%^&*('s!

2009-12-06T14:39:00.004-05:00

If people would learn to drive maybe my horse would be ok. I honestly thought this was something he did by accident but was still baffled as to why the TOP two wire strands were ripped out. Seems some jackass took the curve a bit too fast, lost control, barely missing an electric pole, went down the embankment sideways, lucky they did not roll and crashed into a tree on our property not less than 30' from where my horses were. So they went through the fence because they had to not because of some dumb horse thing. Paha must have tried to jump, catching the top two wires and then all the caps were popping. I heard..........nothing, and feel bad I could not help my boys. There is no cut above the heal but it's burned. Like a severe rope burn. I'll keep Pa in the round pen for another day or two and help him "lick" his wounds. It just makes me angry that idiots do things like this and we have to clean up the mess.

In the one photo you can see a thick stand of trees to the right and that is most likely where the boys were snoozing. Meins will not set foot in that pasture. I tried to coax him over but he planted his feet and gave me that "Hell no, we won't go!" face. I'll take him over to the sight tomorrow and just walk around the outside of the pasture. We won't walk through there because I'm not sure if there is any broken glass along with the car parts.

&*()_&#$%^ idiots....................

NOT A GOOD DAY

2009-12-05T15:06:00.004-05:00

Well my Saturday did not go as planned. I missed the Friesian Christmas Fantasy and I was really looking forward to that. Instead we spent the morning fixing an entire pasture fence line. Paha, again, got himself caught up in the fence wire but he must have panicked this time. We had to replace about 30 t-post caps that were broken when the top wires were pulled and about as many clips but not before pounding 8 posts back into the ground. The hay tire was moved over about 2', the salt block was smashed and the ground wire for the fencer had been ripped off the post. And 1 hoof print outside the fence line. My initial check on them was no cuts as I removed them and put them in the round pen. Once the fence was put back and the fencer turned on I brought Meins out and cleaned him up and braided up his tail, and thoroughly checked his legs but he had no marks on him. So I turned him out in the pasture and brought Paha over for his grooming session and once over. By then I noticed his right hind was a bit swollen and he was favoring it a bit. Picked up his foot and the pastern looked badly lacerated, so I went to get the hose to clean up his legs and it was frozen! Went to the back faucet, same thing. Put Paha back in the round pen and went in a got a warm bucket of water, some rags and the betadine wash. Went into the pen and started to clean up his leg and he drank the ENTIRE bucket of water! Good thing I had not put the wash in it yet. sigh!

Back in the house to get another bucket of water. Hubbs came out to fiddle with the hose and finally just had him put the whole thing in the water tank since it's heated and see if that helps.

In the meantime I was cleaning up Pa's leg and there was nothing but mud, no blood. whew. He does have some minor scrapes on both back legs and a spot on his nose where the hair is missing.

He is favoring both his right legs so once the hose had a nice steady flow I was able to let the water run on his legs. The swelling on the back went down considerably by the time I was done. So for now my accident prone baby as in the round pen and maybe will keep him in there overnight and see how he is in the morning. He will have to deal with cold water in his drinking bucket and no shelter but it should only be for the night. Tomorrow morning I'll give him another once over and go from there.

Damn animals! I'm wondering if he cannot see well at night. Something to think about.

Just to be fair

2009-12-04T07:13:00.003-05:00

I read several articles on "pin firing". It is mostly done to race horses for an injury in the legs. I saw no mention of the reason this other fellow told me of why they do this to his horses. To promote blood flow to the legs. Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't this occur while this horse moves around, freely. I know horse racing is a whole other world and I love watching it, but with the recent tragedies that have occurred on the track it just makes me wonder...........

Another rainy day yesterday. I was hoping to get into the pasture over the weekend to do clean-up but isn't going to happen. I'll probably put my big boots on and take my garden rake to pull muck from the fence line. If not too heavy, I'll set the wheel barrow just outside the fence to scoop up what I can. Such a mess.

It did snow a bit last night but the ground is still too warm for any real accumulation to occur. The temps are supposed to start dropping this week so we will see what comes about.

Happy awesome Birthday!

2009-12-02T09:16:00.005-05:00

There is nothing better than waking up on your birthday to licks, squeals, grunts, paws and a meow! Anna, Aldo and Sammy must watch me closely in the morning waiting for that first eyeball to open then, ATTACK! It's one of the few times during the day I wish they were not Dobermans. 100 and 80 lbs and 25 for Sammy. And then there are my horses waiting at the gate giving me those soft grunts and nickers when I throw out their hay.

Normally on my birthday I wake up to snow, ice or all out blizzards. Today it's sunny and not freezing! A welcome sight with all the cloudy days we have had recently. Since I suffer from SADD (seasonal affected deficit disorder) I make sure I get out on sunny days. I have an Ott light that I use but it's just not the same. I have a few errands to run today then I will treat myself to lunch or dinner then watch a movie and try to stay up to see hubby. He won't be home til late tonight. I am going to spend some extra time with the boys today and maybe ride/sit on Meins for a bit and give Paha a thorough once over and go for a walk before the rains come this afternoon.

Then once I get settled in the house I want to tweak my party menu so I know what I need to get from the store hopefully in one trip so I won't have to run back to the store. I'm excited and sad at the same time because hubby will be in Kentucky the day of the party and a few family and friends will not be able to come. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures this time around.

Finished decorating the tree yesterday and like the way it came out.

So I'm off to get dressed and actally put on some makeup and get done.

Before I go, my friends are the best! They took the picture of Paha laughing and turned it into a t-shirt, mouse pad and pen! I absolutely love it and them for coming up with this.

Ladies.............YOU ROCK!-)

Day after Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving.

2009-11-29T09:10:00.005-05:00

The drive down to Ohio was not too bad but there had been black ice on the roadways along with snow in spots and there were quite a few cars that had spun out and were facing the wrong direction. The route my hubby had intended to take, then decided not to, was a very good decision as the highway ended up being shut down for awhile because of the black ice that caused a fatal rollover. My heart goes out to that family. The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful.

My mom did cry. Not because we were there but because she wasn't. She had come down with the flu and not only did she not want to get anyone else sick but because of my Auntie's compromised immune system from the chemo. She said no matter what they are coming up on the 12th for our Christmas party. Their van is already packed and she has no intention of unloading and reloading especially since one of the items they were bringing me was a saddle. I know that they will make it.

We really had a good time with my brother and sister-in-law. The food was great!!!!!!

I got into a "warm" discussion about hoof and leg care with a harness racer. He claims to have never heard of hoof boots and does not understand why I do not intend to EVER shoe my horses. He went on about needles into the coronary band to promote blood flow. For some reason the term "pin-firing" stuck in my head and I started to get a bit upset but stuck to my guns about hoof and total horse care. When I told him my guys are outside 24/7 with a run-in shelter he seemed absolutely incredulous! I just reminded myself we are from two different worlds concerning horses and tried to change the subject. He went on and on about being a Monty Roberts follower as am I but I think Monty would definately discount some of his practices. Oh well, getting mad all over again.

Katie did a great job with our fourlegged kids. The horses were happily munching away when we arrived home. They both raised their heads for a moment when I called out to them which was more than I expected. The dogs could not get enough of us. Anna's nickname has always been "Squeeky" because she just totally looses herself, circling, squeeking, crying and that little tail going a thousand miles an hour. Coming home to greetings like that makes me all the more thankful for what and whom I have it with.

Time to give thanks.

2009-11-24T20:19:00.002-05:00

From Thanksgiving to Christmas this year there is so much going on.

Thanksgiving day my daughter and her boyfriend/fiance' will be here for dinner then Friday morning we are driving down to Ohio to spend the day with my brother and sister-in-law and other family members for Turkey dinner. It's also a surprise because no one but my brother and his wife know we are coming. I just know my mom is going to cry.

Next week is my birthday and in the neighboring town, a Freisian Fantasy Exhibition. Kind of a Christmasy thing but I AM going this year.

The week after is the biopsy of the mole on my face and then my breakfast friends and I will be getting together for our second annual Christmas luncheon. And our Open House is that weekend.

Week after, my daughter's birthday, a friend's birthday and the farrier.

What's left? CHRISTMAS!

Oh boy, I also have to finish my cookies, finish shoveling dirt (the man's job!), finish up some homemade gifts, get pictures for our Christmas cards....................................RIDE MY HORSE!!!

Hey, enjoy the time you were meant to. It goes by way too fast.

Mamma's boys

2009-11-22T21:23:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not I got one hell of a cold late Monday night and on Tuesday morning, well let's just say things were not pretty. It was all I could do just to go out and feed the boys, give them a once over and keep the tank full of fresh water. Today I had a brief (about an hour) moment and spent time with them individually. Brought Meins out and brushed him out did his feets and turned him out in the round pen so he could roll in the sand, so mommy can flick the sand off before going back in the pasture. Then brought Paha out and did the same routine with him. He is such a mamma's boy. He loves to get his butt scratched. Yes A-M I know I should not let him put his butt to me, but, I only allow this when there is something between us and if the ears go back and the tail starts moving he will get no scratches. Just for the heck of it I moved over about 5' and he watched me then slowly backed up to where I was standing. This is NOT allowed when I am in the Round pen or pasture and so far he has been good about it. There is also no crowding at the gate anymore either. As long as I give equal time they seem very content.

One day I was walking around, checking fence as usual, and when I came to the point where the sun(SUN???) was at my back, there were two horse shadows behind me. I did not turn to look at them but while facing forward I took a few steps back and Meins' shadow showed he backed up also. Three more steps back and he did the same thing, both sides. We had never tried that before and so was quite surprised and humbled that he chose to hang out with me for about 45 min. Paha lost interest and lay down to watch. But when I have him to myself he tends to mimic me also. Does this mean I spend too much time with them or not enough?

Too bad they can't seem to mimic me picking up manure or cleaning their water tank!

The doctor said..................

2009-11-16T15:07:00.003-05:00

I'm doing better. The meds are starting to keep me consistent as far as organ functions goes. My knees are totally messed up as is my back. I am glad to know that he agrees that my falls from my horse are not the cause, just an aggravation, my back problems started long before my daughter was born (27 yrs ago!) So I am still learning to listen to my body and take it easy when I feel the need. Have a small spot on my face that is going to be removed and tested. It appeared as a tiny dot the beginning of the summer and is now bigger than a pencil eraser so I thought it best to be tested. Of course that will be done the week of our Christmas open house so I can sport a band aid on my cheek. Oh well.

Also got my H1N1 shot. So I think we have all the bases covered health wise for now.

This week the weather is supposed to be mild so I may get the Christmas lights up and shovel some dirt and if I have the energy, put up a temporary fence so the boys can go in the other pasture for awhile. I was able to get in there and clean it up. Scrubbed the water tank out first thing this morning and refilled it. Yes while still in my jammies. Since I was poked 3 different times today with needles I was told to rest and take it easy. So, here I am.

In a bit my "critter sitter" Katie Tietz will be here so I can update her as to where I moved things for when she comes to take care of my crew.

If you can today, get out there and enjoy!-)

Don't throw in the towel!

2009-11-15T10:48:00.004-05:00

I had a bit of a chuckle this morning when I skimmed over my horrorscope (NOT a missprint), and according to my Sagittarian sign for this week, I'm not to throw in the towel. That after all my hard work these past months I am just tired. Whew! Gee that's a relief. hehe!

I finished 2 more winter riding helmet covers for my trainer. It's really nice to see all those colors when riding in the winter instead of dreary black. I enjoy making them too.

Well as today is the first day of firearm deer hunting and first thing this morning there were 4 or 5 of the huge little darlings hiding by our firewood. Anna saw them and ran toward them barking with Aldo in hot pursuit. I saw a bunch of white "flags" go up and move off at a very quick clip and heard gunfire shortly after. Somebody must have gotten one of them. Two families to the North of us hunt so I wish them much success today and throughout the hunting season. I'm sure one of my friends will be out there also. She makes me laugh because she can field dress a kill yet gets queasy when one of the horses gets a nasty cut. But I guess all of us have different tolerances to different things.

It, of course, is really dreary and a bit rainy today. A really great day to make cookies, read another book and/or finish my Christmas table cover. Mmmm, I wonder what I'll do today???

Group hug with the boys this morning. It kind of has become part of the morning routine. I go in and do a quick check to make sure all is well with them and then go get their hay. The gunfire thankfully does not rattle them and for the time being with them being confined to the front pasture I am not totally fearful of an errant bullet. But that thought is always in back of my mind this time of year.

So on to the kitchen and put some pleasant, comforting smells in the house.....................

Getting closer!

2009-11-14T09:47:00.003-05:00

Toss that dirt out there honey! Your getting closer to the run in. The boys will be so happy to be out of "confinement" soon! I really do appreciate all your help even if I don't say it often enough. LOVE YOU!

And the dirt goes on......................

2009-11-11T11:29:00.005-05:00

(sing to the tune of These Boots were made for Walkin') .. the dirt goes on. Dirt is flyin' from shovels over there...........it does not seem to end. It took nearly a month and a half to wait for the ground to dry up just enough to get a 20 yd load of fill dirt and still he sank in the ground. The fellow was able to dump it and pull out but the ruts he left were huge.

I hooked the dump cart up to the tractor and took loads of dirt to various spots in the yard and dumped it then when hubby had the chance he started shoveling big time. I'm doing as much as I physically can and cursing myself for not really pushing for the tractor with the front end loader. All that dirt could have been moved in a matter of hours saving our backs arms and legs. No wonder I'm too damned tired to ride. The boys are currently confined to one small area and it really needs to be scraped. I have been raking up what I can and moving it out but my body is good for 1 load and I am done.

Several times over the past year I have considered just giving up. I love my horses very much but in all honesty, I believe they would be better off, and safer, somewhere else. The bugs are horrendous in the Summer and the ground just is not sustainable for horses. Too soft and way too wet most of the time. Moving somewhere else just isn't going to happen and boarding them elswhere is not affordable. Gee, do I sound depressed? Yes I guess I am for the moment. I just did not envision me in my fifties doing physical labor. Never in my life have I worked as hard as I have since we moved here. When I have a moment to enjoy them, I'm tired. Lately I'm lucky if I can make it through dinner with both eyes open. I just hope my potassium levels have not gone down again.The possibility of needing an IV does not thrill me.

Ok, I guess I'm done with the self pity party.

Sorry about my ranting yesterday, just one of those days................................

Down again!

2009-11-02T16:25:00.003-05:00

I think I need to put some sort of radar device in front of me so I know where my feet are going. Paha and I were taking one of our walks through the woods, stepping over various logs, getting used to sticks breaking under his feet, feeling and seeing strange thing on his belly, sides, legs and butt and WHAM! We stepped over a log and the ground just disappeared under our feet. It was a sink hole that must have been there after all the flooding in August and with the recent rains it just finally gave out. Paha was halfway over the log and went down on his knees, chest and nose. His belly landed on top the log and he seemed to be trying to figure out what to do with his back legs as they were still on the ground on the other side of the log. I fell forward and to the left, landing on my knees, AGAIN! (I tripped over my boots when doing hay yesterday and went down) Of course that jarred my back, more, and both knees are black and blue and swollen. I so wanted to get on Meins today but shortly after falling, it started raining, big surprise. Sigh! Paha was a good sport about the whole thing. It took him a minute to get up but he shook himself off and I didn't make a big deal of it and walked on. He had a little scrape on his nose, his chest was muddy as were his knees and belly. I hosed the mud off his legs and ran my hands down over all four and he seems ok. I'm getting ready to do evening feed and see how he is doing. But throughout the day he was his normal self so maybe the whole thing was just a non-issue for him. Wish I can say the same.

Finally some sun!

2009-10-25T17:07:00.003-04:00

Once I was able to tear my sleepy self from under a warm, cozy blankie and chair, I got up, got dressed and went outside. I knew the sun was out but earlier when I did hay for the boys it was chilly and I didn't want to go back out there. Hubby finally convinced me it was nice out, so, out, I went. Did some stuff in the yard then filled the water tank and then just went out into the pasture to hang with my boys. Those two follow me all over the pasture all the time just to get rubs, tickles and hugs. I stood up on a stump and there was a horse on either side of me. Klaus went to get the camera but by then Meins decided that sleepy time was over and annoying time begins so that was my que to head back to the gate and go sit in my chair and just watch. Watching then graze is so relaxing for me. And with a warm sun it was nice after all the rainy days we have had lately.

Kids, don't try this anywhere!

2009-10-24T12:38:00.002-04:00

Not a good look for me, but hey, it's early, everything is frost covered (Oct 9th) and I was being goofy. I know many of us crawl out of bed and just slip into whatever to go feed the horses THEN come in to get coffee and a bite to eat before getting to the chores. Yes, I do wear a flannel nighty!

Caution, if you don't want to scare the hell out of your neighbors, or embarrass your spouse or partner, better get dressed first.

And don't forget about "wardrobe malfunctions"! Hoohoo baby, not going there!!!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Getting started

2009-10-24T12:09:00.003-04:00

With the holidays nearly upon us I decided to use this dreary rainy day to make cookies for Christmas. Out of 8 and a half dozen cookies I only ate 2 broken ones! That's a first for me. Half the dough would have been gone on earlier occasions.

I am really working on losing weight and firming up. I noticed my pants are getting too big and I attribute that to the fact I walk a lot more now when I throw hay in the morning and evening along the fence line instead of one spot. This winter may be a bit tricky but as long as it isn't bitterly cold, I'll continue to spread it out. In the meantime, my plastic sled and snowshoes are ready.

The other reason I am getting some baking and cooking out of the way now is because I want to put in as much saddle time as I can. Been really itching to get back on Meins and I believe he is ready for me too. When I have saddled him lately he is not a goofy colt but has been all business. Now Paha, on the other hand, has been a little snot as of late. Terrible Two's? Where did my little boy go? haha! He has been trying to see who is boss and has mostly been doing it to Meins. But tries with anyone who handles him. He made the mistake of doing that to my trainer when he went to get his teeth done. TSK, TSK, TSK! Bad idea Pa. I cut back on the Equine Junior, just a half pound, since I can see his belly when he is walking away and his ribs are barely noticable. He settled down a bit too. I'll keep my eyes and hands on him all winter and adjust his feed as needed. I would rather there was a bit of "chunky" over the winter anyway.

Well, now that the cookies have cooled I need to clean up the kitchen and either sew, take a shower and get dressed (still in my jammies) or read my book.........................aahhhh the house smells soooo goood, mmmmm.................................

Paha goes to the Dentist

2009-10-16T15:22:00.005-04:00

Paha and Doc Johnson get to meet today for the first time. My trainer picked him up this morning then will drop him off tomorrow. Poor baby, he is getting his first float and his wolf teeth pulled. I went up to let the Doc know that he needs to watch when he sedates Paha because he will go completely out. If you recall, earlier this Spring he was sedated to get his tear ducts cleaned and it took 5 of us to walk him 10' to his stall. So he'll be one of the last to be done.

He got to model another quilt for me. These guys are so cool! I threw the blankie up on him and he just does not care. what a sweetheart!

Good ideas get better!

2009-10-11T09:05:00.005-04:00

Quite frosty this morning and enjoyed seeing the "hair raising" effects it has on the horses. Standing in early morning sunshine with white puffs being exhaled from the nostrils of my dragon like equines. Yikes! Did I write that? That's bad!

I went to a presentation at Equine Gatherings this past Thursday given by my farrier, Darrin, and his wife, Kerry Koob. Natural Hoof Care was the topic. In the year and a half since he has been doing my boys I cannot tell you how much I have really learned. It's not just about feet, it's the total horse. 2 hours was just not enough to listen, question and absorb all the info given. But I did come away with some new ideas to keep my boys happy and healthy.

Paddock Paradise. You can Google it, Jaime Jackson, wrote a book about keeping with the natural roaming instinct of horses. In other words, getting them moving in as natural an environment as possible. I always had the right idea, feeding them in different areas, but they were designated areas and becoming a mess and a waste of hay. So first thing yesterday morning, in my jammies, I loaded up a bale of hay and walked the perimeter fence throwing out a few flakes at intervals along the way.

You would have thought those two horses had been shot up with some happy juice! Running, bucking, snorting and squealing. In a few minutes they settled down and were happily munching away and moving from pile to pile. Now in the past they would eat out of a designated hay spot, recent rains made the areas a mess and there was lots of wasted hay. At 2:30p yesterday afternoon, there was still hay on the ground. I did not need to pull another full bale to get them through the night and this morning ALL, every scrap of hay was gone!!!! Nothing was wasted.

THAT made me very happy and I am sure they are glad not to be standing pastern deep in muck. So now I know I can feed them their hay and that it's not wasted, they are moving, and seem quite content with the change. Winter will be a bit tricky for me so I am now planning how to deal with it. Now that I have a guideline on how to go about this I can implement more of the natural environment my boys deserve.

Nice sunny day

2009-10-03T14:47:00.003-04:00

Well we won't have too many of these beautiful days much longer. Took the boys on a walk up and down our road, mostly for Paha since some scarey things popped up neither of us has seen before but he done did good!

Went out and picked up some corn stalks, pumpkins, corn-on-cob (to eat), apples and cabbage andas my daughter and I went to get in the truck to leave, DUH!, locked my keys in the truck. I had left the windows down a bit so my daughter, Robyne, was able to snake her arm in through the window and unlock the door. Good thing too because, why?, I had both sets of keys in my purse. But all was good and we had a really nice afternoon pumpkin hunting, stopping at the tack store and going to lunch.

Friday we awoke to cold, bone chillin' rain. My poor boys were soaking wet, yes, they do have a run-in, but we only see them in there when the weather is really severe. It is so hard for us humans to not get all weepy when they are all wet and looking cold, and doggone it, there must be some way for me to get them in the basement!

How do I become a balanced rider...................

2009-09-29T12:41:00.003-04:00

When I can't make people understand my skeletal makeup? When I feel balanced, I feel confident and I believe my horse does too because then we have no issues with each other. But when with others they point out that I "look" unbalanced, cockeyed and try to fix me and then my horse and I are uncomfortable and we both end up sore or else, we wreck.

My left leg is 2" shorter than the right due to my long ago riding accident. So when I am comfortable riding is when my left sturrup is shorter than the right. Naturally. But it does not "look" right. Everyone tries to shorten the right stirrup,which pushes my knee into a deeper bend which in turn pushes my hip over to the left then I 'feel' lopsided but I "look" balanced.

We seem to be ok when out by ourselves or with other people who just want to meander down the road. Relax.

I do not want to show for that very reason. After awhile you just get tired of trying to explain and most people just don't get it.

I am anxious to get back on and as soon as the Dr. feels my tailbone has healed enough I hope to get back on Meins in a few weeks.

Your turn next year Paha!

2009-09-27T10:46:00.002-04:00

Ok Paha, brother made it through the streets unscathed so next year you get to join us.

more parade pics

2009-09-27T10:41:00.002-04:00

Celebration of the Horse

2009-09-27T10:11:00.003-04:00

We made it! Meins and I survived being on display and in the parade. He was such a gentleman yesterday and was commented on that fact throughout the day. He truly is an ambassador for the Appaloosa breed. Since I busted my butt (tailbone) I could not ride in the parade but walked with him instead. Our biggest challenge was walking downhill on a broken up paved road. But once we got to the bottom we were OK. There were other Appy horses there but none as distinctly marked as he is. I talked so much about him and Appaloosas and the raffle that my throat is sore. From a two year old little girl to an elderly ex-jockey, all were enamored with my calm, well mannered horse. A little Arabian mare kept her eye on him most of the day too. More than half the brochures the ApHC sent me were taken, along with nearly all the coloring pages and puzzles.

I will definately do this again next year and will ride Meins in the parade and Paha will be our display horse. It was worth it!

The C.A.N.T.E.R. group repainted the large statue outside the store and was made up as an Appaloosa! So, of course, I made a donation so my hand could be painted and left my "mark" on his butt.

McKayla and McKenna were our sign carriers and did an excellant job.

Meins and I were in the middle and Ann-Marie, on Indigo, and Denise, on Hunter, brought up the rear of our group.

Although it was a drippy, dreary day there were lots of people and quite a few horses in the parade. So all in all it was truly a great day!

Mom! Your hair!

2009-09-18T22:21:00.002-04:00

Paha thought I looked quite funny this morning with my short hair poked out all over the place. This time I had the camera ready so I could show all HIS friends what a clown he is. I was going to send it to Smitty, Juli Thorson's new boy, but did not want to give him any ideas. chuckle;)

2009-09-17T17:32:00.003-04:00

Well...... that did not last very long.

Tuesday (Sept. 8) I went to ride Meins and while in the arena my trainer rode up next to me and before I knew it, I was on the ground. :( I was expecting him to back up, so sat back, but instead he spun left right into them. I did try to stay on and have the black and blue calves to prove it along with a hunk of mane. Did try to walk it off and went back over to the mounting block to get back on but when I lifted my left leg to step up, it hurt, and it hurt bad. So we left the arena and at first headed toward the round pen then went into the barn then came back out and by then my back hurt so bad I was not rational and took off my helmet and fired it into the back of the truck then as I took Meins tack off, I threw them into the back of the truck also. Literally dragged him back to his paddock, took off his bridle, threw that in the back of the truck and came home.

I was/am just so frustrated with my riding and lack of balance and the fact that the only time I get hurt is when I am at her farm and get pushed into something I'm not quite ready for. I'm sorry to say I'll be glad when this is over, Meins will be back home and we can resume our quiet rides down the road.

When I first talked about being in the parade my trainer said she would walk beside me. Then all of a sudden we are doing drill team exercises, and everybody is wearing matching t-shirts, her 4-H club is walking ahead with a sign, etc., etc.. So now the whole thing is out of my hands and when I went to get x-rays because my backside hurt so bad.....my tailbone is broken from the fall. So I am disappointed in myself and the ones who had promised to help me. But I'm glad the kids will get to be in the parade and her friend will get to be a participant instead of being the "show mom". Her wonderful client does not feel so right now.

I had wanted to either dress up in an 1800's era riding outfit or my green jeans, Meins' color is green, and a new shirt I had bought with Appaloosas on it. I was doing this to have fun and to promote the Appaloosa. What am I going to do with all the brochures The Appaloosa Horse Club gave me? We are still going to be in the breed display, my friend gave me a pillow made especially for tailbone injuries and, depending how my back feels, I'll walk Meins in the parade. And I will smile and have fun.

Parade ettiquette

2009-09-07T18:56:00.003-04:00

My trainer came by and picked up Meins and myself to go to a Harvest Festival at Wolcott Farm near Romeo, MI. She was invited to do a two hour demo and invited us along to get exposure to different sights, sounds and animals. What she did not tell me til we were on the road was that she wanted me to RIDE Meins also. I was game until I saw the crates she pulled out for me to use as a mounting block. I am not a small person and those crates would have been no match for me. I know she meant well but I don't like being tricked like that. I did saddle up Meins, put on my helmet and went into the arena to lunge him. We are doing well with voice commands and did impress a few people. He was a perfect gentleman to those who came to the fence to ask questions about him. When I mentioned how he came to be mine (Appaloosa Museum raffle) , a few folks took down the web address and said they were definitely going to look that up. To them I say "Good luck!", I am definitely lucky to have won two wonderful horses from them.
OOOHHHH, yesterday my trainer had me practice with my parade pard, Denise. Meins wanted no part of being in the middle and kept running backward. Ann-Marie told me to stop leaning forward when he sucks back, set my butt into the saddle, kiss and get my leg into him. We went through that a few times before she put us on the inside and we marched around and around, changing directions, halting and just standing. But we were getting it. I have to pat myself on the back for not panicking and listening to her. Last year I would have been on the ground with the first two steps backward. Because I had not ridden Meins like that in some time so I was exhausted. I wanted to ride today but my body said NO WAY LADY! I did go up to the farm and give Meins his rubs and a treat and tomorrow we will get back to work. We have untill the 26th to really work at this. I'm really excited and scared shitless!!!!!!!!!
Will post pics as soon as I remember to bring my camera in from the garage!

On the mend

2009-09-03T19:20:00.003-04:00

Well now that I know I am not going crazy and I really was having medical issues (Thyroiditis, low Potassium and Diverticulosis) I can get back to concentrating on my riding and "playing" with Paha.

With the parade coming up on the 26th, NOW, I am starting to get nervous. The past two months I felt too "off" to stay in the saddle for long so Meins and I really did not get to do a great deal of saddle time. I worked with him on the ground yesterday and he did not want to cooperate. It took nearly half and hour to get him to lick and chew. He took off at a full gallop when a kid rode by on his bike (love my round pen!) and when hubby stepped up to the fence to watch he did not want to go past him. And Paha stood under the tree the entire time watching Big brother make a fool of himself. Then WHAM! all of a sudden he was my ever so cooperative partner! Followed me all around the R/P, backed up on verbal cue, moved his hips from both sides, flex. I'm certain it was something I did that set him off in the first place. Once the meds really start working and the inflamations go away along with the pain and disorientation, we'll get our rhythm back.

I had hoped to be able to take both horses to the celebration but stalls are limited and without having my own transportation I can only travel when someone else is going that way and has the room. Maybe in a few years.........................

2009-08-23T12:25:00.004-04:00

Top photo is of the Michigan Appaloosa Horse clubs raffle horse. Yes, I bought tickets, no, I did not win. (Would have been closer than WA!) I won Paha instead in October and couldn't be happier.

What a great pose! I made this quilt for an ailing Aunt (only a few years older than myself) and thought since she like animals too, I took this shot of Meins wearing it. They are such good sports with just about anything I do.

Guess what! I'S RAINING AGAIN! sob. I threw down some more grass seed so hopefully it will not get washed away this time.

Nothing much else going on today so enjoy the pics.

More of the same

2009-08-21T08:01:00.004-04:00

Been doing marathon sewing lately so I got behind a bit.

Here are some more pics from the flooding. The bucket I was using to pick up my scattered firewood which was dotted throughout the pasture to the farthest corner where I also found the cover for the fire pit and a makeshift bird feeder. The tire went out with yesterday's trash and in working in that far corner again to clean up more debris I found more firewood and even some 2x6 boards. When Klaus and I were finally able to walk the back half of our property we discovered a broken culvert drain. Of course it isn't on the county maps so it's something we have to fix.

Got our new John Deere tractor and am very happy with it. I took advantage of the Appaloosa Horse club's Members advantage program and rec $300 off + the $300 from JD. I harrowed the pasture and was able to get done quicker. Being able to remove the mowing deck makes a big difference! It isn't banging around when I dip into a hole or bottom out going through gates.with more power I am not afraid I am overloading the motor. Very happy with it.

Next month Meins and I will be getting for the parade in Matamora. I am really excited as this entire celebration is all about horses and the people who make sure we enjoy every moment with them!

OOPS, the sky opened up again!

2009-08-10T05:31:00.004-04:00

Our area got hit hard again and the damage from flooding has been worse. Although I moved my hay shed to a higher area and built it up, it was no match for the 2' high flood that flowed through the yard, so I lost 10 bales of hay total. Trying to move them out into the sunshine was impossible. I did not realize they would weigh nearly 100# when soaked.

I spent the better part of yesterday slogging through flooded pastures picking up logs from our no longer stacked firewood. Lawn chairs were jammed into one gate, a small tire from the back is up front along with the round, wooden cover for the fire pit and a home made bird feeder. A post I wanted to replace another post with made it's way up front too. And the driveway washed out again to the point even I could not drive over it with the truck. A great deal of recently put down gravel made it's way to the round pen. Oh yeah, some water in the basement. When I got up Sunday morning I was shocked and upset to see all the water around the house and, freaking out, started making phone calls, the first to my hubby in Kentucky on a business trip.

All the photos are of our yard and some of the surrounding roads in the area I was able to get through. I met a lot of good hearted people, whom, turns out, we all know each other. Not so much by name but, "oh you have the show tractor", "your the lady with the horses" , "you drive the purple semi" and so on. One couple, making a desperate effort to divert water that was flowing across the roadway and taking away their parents driveway, stopped and mugged for my camera. And sadly, a young, divorcing couple were forced out of their home because the foundation collapsed. This was only on our road which is approximately 2 miles long.

My horses are ok, my dogs are ok, the house is ok and Jeanne is OK!

Right at this moment it is thundering and lightning, yet again, so it's either the swimsuit or the diving gear today.............big sigh:-(

Rainy days and Saturdays!

2009-08-08T12:00:00.003-04:00

Well I will definately get lots of sewing done today. It's really raining cats and, well, you know the rest. Check out my umbrella.....cats and dogs! HAHA It has been a hard steady rain for the better part of the morning (1pm now) and finally went out to get the mail and check on Meins and Paha. I put the mail in a plastic bag and while holding the umbrella, wearing my pink hat and long black raincoat, I went over to where they were munching hay and did a bit "mind work". Meins started to walk away at first, more from sound than sight I believe, but he did not go any farther than the back of Paha and turned around to face me. We have done stuff with the umbrella before but it was not raining and making all kinds of noise. I give my trainer a lot of credit for what all three of us have been able to accomplish.

So even though today was a washout, as far as riding/ training goes, I believe we did accomplish an element of training that might otherwise may have been missed. I'm glad to have taken advantage of this oppurtunity to add to our training.

Thanks again Ann-Marie, I'm always thinking!

Go Meins!

2009-08-07T10:08:00.004-04:00

Since the riding mower broke down I had been thinking of how to harrow the paddock. So, since Meins had successfully helping me move hay over the winter, (hay bales on a blue tarp hooked up to his harness) I thought, well.........why not the harrow. We made 2 complete circuits around the paddock when the harrow got caught on a small ? poking out of the ground and we lost momentum and Meins decided he had had enough. By then the rope had stretched out and Paha was bringing up the rear sniffing the harrow the entire time. Sheesh! What a parade! So I have spent the better part of the last two cool mornings with my pitchfork, rake and wheelbarrel, trying to do cleanup but I swear for every scoop into the wheelbarrow those two will let loose with a fresh pile. Sigh! So I gave up around 9:30A and went for a ride instead. The muggies will be here later this afternoon and thunderstorms over the weekend. I don't mind riding in the rain and Meins seems to enjoy it also, but when I know a storm is coming, on the back of a horse is not where I want to be!

This is so cute! I came across this saddle birdfeeder from Collections Etc. and just had to get it. I put our farm name on the backside and put it in the garden I had redone earlier this Summer and filled with birdseed. It's just really adorable!

Took my camera with me, but I always forget to take pictures!

L & L Equestrian Complex

2009-08-05T10:20:00.005-04:00

Did you ever have a dream or idea that was so freaking big it scared the bejesus out of you?

On the southern corner of our road is a HUGE empty lot (approx 150 acres) that a developer bought 7 yrs ago with the intent of putting up new homes. Well there was a lot of activity there the first year, then, nothing! Now it has become a dumping ground for old refrigerators, tires and animal carcasses. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, if I won the lottery, haha, that property would become the L&L Equestrian Complex of Lapeer. 20 acres for hay, a barn for hay storage, a trail along the perimeter with training/obstacle loops, nice sized outdoor arena, a nice sized barn with attached indoor arena, round pens, pond, ample parking and two homes, us and my trainer, and an apartment above the barn. She would design the barn layout, where to put pastures, r/p's, etc. We can hold 4-H shows, she can do clinics, lessons, her training. And weekend trail rides. Me? Well there are lots of things for me to do. I can feed, water turn out, answer questions, help organize, keep the property up answer phones and run our tack/gift shop.

There would be a nice sized shop with heat, a bathroom and hot/cold running water for hubby. He can do his woodworking and stuff. He could get his Harley, and be comfy away from the crazy horse people.

I have always thought of opening up my own tack shop and that would be my main focus. It would probably take a year to get it up and running with all the actual cleaning up, septic, water, drainage, power and building. Our hayman would see to the hay fields (straw also) we would have our own nice sized gardens and, WHEW! Like I said it's one of those things that just pops into your head and festers for awhile til you take care of it.

Just a crazy fantasy, but then..........never thought I would be back with horses again either!

Not able to post any new pics at this time but will add them soon.

My first colic scare!

2009-08-02T11:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I was not feeling too well so I spent the better part of the day, (after weeding in the sun) sitting in the shade and reading a few pages from a Luanne Rice book. Paha and Meins, as usual when I sit in my chair, came over by the fence to "hang out". Meins pawed the ground which I know means he is going to roll. Once he was up Paha went down, did a half roll, then lay there completely stretched out, legs held out stiff in front of him, breathing really hard and groaning. It wasn't that "Oh that feels good" groan this groan sounded painful and when he lay like that, legs held straight out and groaning, I got up and went into the pasture. Normally when you come up on a horse laying down they get up. But since the boys trust me enough (I hope) they will usually roll up onto their bellies and let me rub their bodies from nose to tail. Paha did not move. He just watched me as I came around and even on the ground he looked hunched up. Within a few seconds I had his lead around his neck and practically pulled him up, put his halter on and started walking and called my trainer and another friend just to make sure I was doing the right thing. Paha walked very slowly at first, as if each step was painful. I ran my hands up and down his legs and picked up his feets, nothing. His tummy was gurgling but no more than usual and then after walking for nearly 20 minutes he let out a fart that was so long, LOUD and noxious smelling my brother would have loved it. (Fart Connoisseur!) His step was livelier and he was relaxed afterward. Just as I was walking him out of the pasture on the way to the roundpen, Ann-Marie called and asked what was up and I told her what was going on and she said he might have gas colic. I put him in the roundpen and had him walking for an additional 20-25 minutes then he took a nice, healthy looking but, stinky, poop. 15 minutes later he went again and it smelled like normal manure.

I don't know if he ate a naughty weed, bug, stone, etc., etc.. He never thrashed about on the ground and the signs were so subtle I briefly wondered what might have happened had I not been sitting right there. It was scary enough regardless and when I fed later in the evening, giving him half his normal ration, I started to tear up. Many people do not realize what a special gift these creatures and all animals are to us. I would love to take in every horse, dog or cat that needed help. But I cannot. It's a little about the money, ok a lot, but I know my limits, physically and emotionally. And although we can have up to 6 horses on our property, realistically 2-3 is enough.

Three! My lucky number! Let's see, Oakly, a leopard Appaloosa, trained by Ann-Marie, 5yrs old would round out my Appaloosa patterns, hhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........................................!

Sigh..........no!

The body is not happy

2009-07-28T19:41:00.002-04:00

Never realized how much I have been depending on the mower lately to get chores done. I could work all morning, come in for lunch and be out for a few more hours and not be a bit tired. Well, alittle.
Today 2 trips of gravel in the wheelbarrel and I was done!!!!!!!!!!!!! My arms hurt, my legs hurt and my back hurts. That is not good. Tried to clean up and rake the pasture too with the garden rake and got absolutely ridiculous. Sigh Mow the grass with the pushmower? I would not last half an hour. Oh well, we'll see what we can find when Hubby gets back from his business trip. Considering the repair would have cost $1100 on a mower we bought new for $1500 it did not make sense to fix it. We can probably sell the parts off of it. Oh well, don't know what else to do right now.

It's dead now!

2009-07-24T23:12:00.006-04:00

Well, I think the poor lawn tractor finally gave up the ghost. Sigh! I really hope it can be fixed for a reasonable price but I'm not going to hold my breath. I was mowing and it seized up so hubby and I pushed it up to the garage and he worked on it a bit. Then I went to finish mowing and after starting it up an awful crunching, grinding noise came from the motor and that was it. So hubby had to get out the old push mower and started cuuting away!

Sears will be here on Monday and I am keeping my fingers crossed. Poor thing/

A few days ago while it still ran I harrowed a bit of the area in front of the run-in and made it nice and smooth and soft. Those two silly clowns were over there before I even left the pasture and had themselves a good long roll. The black dirt is not so noticable on Meins being a dark bay, but Paha looked like a tri colored Paint when he got up. Then they did it again and again, nearly rolling on top one another. They are so funny!

They also tried to help me in my ongoing efforts to rid their pasture of rocks and stones. Actually I think they were trying to figure out a way to drive the tractor as Paha grabbed the steering wheel and Meins pulled on the seat. THIS is when I need to have the camera on me!

Today as I was bent over scrubbing the ickies from the water tank, Paha was right next to me trying to grab the scrub brush I was using. Talk about a huge hinderence. Thankfully he pretty much left the hose alone as the tank was being refilled. A few weeks ago, when the tank was nearly full, I stood waiting a few more minutes as Paha walked over, usually to get a quick scratch or rub from me, but NOOOOO, he had to grab that darn hose and of course, guess who got wet! I think he knew what he was doing standing there nodding his head up and down with the hose still in his mouth.

Oh I love these guys so much! What a pair.

Kickin' back

2009-07-17T16:06:00.002-04:00

I am still wondering where the heat of Summer went? I can't seem to get myself in a rhythm this season. Cold, hot, rain, humid, dry...........I don't get it. Don't get me wrong, the cooler weather is more to my liking because more can be done outside without exhausting myself, too much. One afternoon we just kind of sat back and just enjoyed our critters and yard and sometimes that's what it's all about.

Happy boys!

2009-07-10T22:50:00.003-04:00

Had the vet out to clean Meins' sheath and do a recheck on Paha's eyes.

I felt so bad that the vet found two nice-sized beans and he was quite dirty. Since I had never had a horse this long ,it took him nearly ruining his tail for me to realize he needed help. Now I know better and I hope Meins forgives me for that one.

The vet believes it is quite possible that Paha is missing some receptors in his eyes that would normally assist in going from dark to light, light to dark much more quickly. His pupils respond as they should and he sees no cloudiness or dullness to his eyes. Given his age (2) and the growth spurt he is experienceing he may well be just this side of clumsy and a sudden shift in light his eyes cannot adjust to quickly enough, could cause the tripping. I watch Pa and Meins nearly every day for an hour or so and they both seem so content and happy to be with one another. Lately Paha has been being a bit bossy and Meins has backed down. But I have not seen the all out and out pushing and bullying that Meins had done to him last year. Maybe Paha got a smidge of confidence this past Spring being out with other horses that were just as bossy and he learned to fight back, just a little.

Fun, family and FOOD!

2009-07-05T11:27:00.003-04:00

Most of the July 4th holidays I remember were either sweltering hot or severe storms days. Yesterday proved that God decided we needed a bit of "Nice Day" and provided us with gentle breezes, sunshine and decent temperatures.

Hubby came home from Germany Friday afternoon, Paha came home yesterday afternoon. The kids came over for a cookout,which almost wasn't, I was dropping burgers on the ground and lost a couple hot dogs to the grill. Sammy entertained us by trying to climb a tree to get his ball. He is relentless about you throwing the ball, so being the mean, cruel person that I am, put it on top a nesting box on the tree. That was fun!!! My daughter's boyfriend enjoyed manning the fire pit and by evening had a beautiful fire going. My daughter ran back and forth to the house and us doing laundry. The dogs had just run through the muck and jumped all over her as she got out of the car. Hubby kept busy trying to catch up with 4weeks of trimming. I trimmed twice while he was gone and that is more than enough for me. Me, I mowed grass, harrowed pastures and went in the one pasture to rake and fill the dump cart with rocks.

By the time the kids arrived I had just plopped down on a lawn chair ready to take a snooze. I thought it was only 11:30. When the weather is nice I just keep going. When I found out it was actually 2:00 I ran in the house,washed up, put on my patriotic earrings and shirt, no time for a shower now, and went back outside. It was a looong good day and I enjoyed every minute of it.

We don't do fireworks. The critters get too scared. I no longer get any "spark" out of a quick flash and "BOOM".

I get a jolt just looking out the window and seeing those two Appy rumps and realizing they are mine.

Hope you had a great weekend too!