Thankful Tuesday

An interesting day. My ugly porch is all framed in. Found a way it won't actually bug me forever and that is big windows and window boxes. Don't think that is too much to ask do you?

We have added to our critter family this evening about 6:30 in the middle of a hair storm. Spot had her calf out in the middle of the field with the hair falling. I felt so awful for her but she could have gone into the little barn. No way, right out in the middle of everything. Bob and I had been in a shed waiting and watching but she knew we were there and was very nervous so we just came to the house. She has had several calves so it wasn't like it was her first. She did good. We did not get close enough to tell bull or heifer but it is a good sized black calf. Pictures tomorrow.

The horses got fed today but not much else. It is so ugly out. They would have thought they were pegasus today with the wind blowing the way it is.

Today I am thankful for out first born, Steven. Steven is a very talented man. He got hurt last year on Fathers Day. He was after wood and somehow got his foot caught while a friend was pulling the log and it twisted the bone in half. He has not worked since. At least not at a regular job. He is kind of like his dad. He will do anything to make some money except things up high. He and heights don't mix. He is the one who is framing in our front porch, and then went on to frame in the bathroom in the barn. Thursday he will be back go do some other things his dad asked him to do. He was a good baby. He weighed 8 pounds when he was born and we had a hard time getting him here. He was active and curious as a little boy. He grew up and married Debbie who had 2 little ones when they married and they did not have others. He is a grandpa to 2 boys who live in Maryland. I don't always love his lifestyle but I do love my boy.

Have a great Wednesday.

Tuesday

Steptoe Butte

Along side the road outside of either Colton or Uniontown on Hiway 195. Am so glad the hiway had been graded before we went through.
Our Back Country Horsemen's exhibit. We took second place with it. Bernie Lionberger took most of the pictures.

A local Lewiston vet during the cold starting clinic. It was Saturday morning. It rained hard in the afternoon and night and the arena was like a giant lake so they had to cancel the finals on Sunday morning. This young horse was an appaloosa. She was not to excited about being there or being started. By the end of the hour and a half he had sat on her but she was getting ready to buck.

I thought I had uploaded a couple of other pictures but apparently didn't. There was a small bay AQHA that the lady worked with. I think she would have done anything Nichole wanted her to. Then there was the roan QH/Thoroughbred. She bucked and ran when he first went in the arena but gentled right down. He put a halter on her and got the saddle on her then did all the gentling stuff and by the end of an hour and a half, he had walked in the 60' round pen, trotted and loped both ways. He did beautiful. I don't know the trainers name - Dan or Don someone.

Today was a catch up day. Our son came out and started our front porch. I don't like it but Bob does. I could be really aggrevated about it but it wouldn't do any good.

It was so cold today but the sun was shining. That made it better. It is supposed to snow again tonight. Isn't it just hunky dory that we now have the snowiest winter EVER. EVER I say. See I had a reason to grump about it.

Hope you have a great Tuesday.

Sunday

We are home safe and sound. My pictures are still in both cameras. That is a job for tomorrow. I am tired, have a headache and want to crawl in bed.

Had a wonderful blessing today when Barbara from Serenity Gate came to the fairgrounds and we got to physically meet each other, not just via our blogs. She and her husband came and met Bob and I and we had a wonderful chat. Our husbands have alot in common.

The road home was clear but we were extremely thankful we did not have to come home until later in the day. There for 3 or 4' drifts along l95 at the top of the Lewiston Hill and toward Uniontown and Colton. They had graded the roads and they were dry but it would not have been fun earlier in the day.

Thought we might have a new baby calf by the time we got home but Katie got a little ahead of herself telling us. Spot is about ready but don't think its eminant. Don't know about Candy, will have to wait and see. The horses are all just hunky dorey. Katie and her dad took good care of them. Dixie gets mad at me though when her routine gets changed - like I am not there. She would not let me pet her face in the stall this evening. Pepper and Ditto were glad to see me though.

More tomorrow. Have a good Monday.

Thursday

Not much to write about today. Just an ordinary day in life of an older, tired Lea. Just have not been able to get back up to par since the weekend. Am weary.

We had our Mustang Club meeting tonight and it was OK. We keep working on Mustang Days. Andrea showed us the belt buckles that will be the high point awards for both Mustangs and the Open classes. They are very pretty.

Our horses are all shedding like mad. Ditto the old goof ball rolls every day when I put her out. In the deepest ugliest mud she can find. And of course you all know she is mostly white. The others go out to where it is sandy and there is no mud. Not the white horse of course.

I will be turning my computer off tonight until Sunday night or Monday AM depending on when we get home Sunday. We are headed to Lewiston to the Outdoor Show. Our Backcountry club is helping out. Sunday Bob is judging (one of the judges) a Dutch Oven Cooking contest. I am entering some photos in the photo contest. I have to frame them in the morning. Was too tired and got frustrated this evening. I hope to see Barbara from Serenity Gate there. In Lewiston.

I am seeing crosseyed so best say : Have a good weekend.

Wednesday

Sorry about yesterday. We went to a friend's home for dinner. She is Grandma Jean to about everyone that knows her. She is especially dear to us. We stayed longer than we had planned and I was really tired when we got home so just fell into bed.

Yesterday should have been my Thankful Tuesday so I am going to do it today. Today I am going to highlight our youngest son Tom. I am very thankful for him and his family. We adopted Tom and carried him out of the Maricopa Country Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. He was 5 days old. He was a sweet little bundle from day one and still is sweet. He was a wild boy from the day he could get around. I think he was 11 months old when he climbed to the top of our upright piano and jumped off. He did not hurt himself. He climbed, jumped, ran anything else he tried he did. When he was five he broke his leg and after 4 weeks they put a walking cast on it. The first week I think he had 3 new casts. One he waded in a mudpuddle and it melted, and the second two he brok the knee so he would ride his big wheel. He is a very caring man. He plays with his kids like he played when he was little. They ride 4 wheelers, they ride bikes, they climb trees - you name it, they do it. His 2 boys are Ryan and Seth and his daughter is Sheya. She is so like him it cracks me up. Tom has been worrying about his job but he is in management so he hopes it will hold out. Christy works for Quest in customer service. He has been a joy to us since we first had him placed in our arms. He has a problem with being adopted but there is nothing I can do about that. We don't have a problem nor do his brothers and sisters. Tom is my treasure of the week.

Katie came and worked with Abby quite a bit today. I was so glad to see her doing it. I think she is just overwhelmed with life at the moment. She loaded and unloaded Abby in the trailer and gave her a vigorous grooming. Abby loves her and would do just about anything Katie asked of her. Love to see that.

I have been reading lots of entrys on the Wild Horse and Burro Yahoo site this evening. Several of the horses that went home from Albany are sick with Rhino and colds. That is way too bad.

I don't think I have mentioned that I saw my friend Jaci in Albany. She had her yearlings stalled next to me in Reno last summer and we got to be good friends with her and also her mother Peggy. She is from Lagrand, Oregon. Her cousin is Matt Zimmerman who had a mustang and competed. He was in the top 10 but don't remember just where he finished. Jaci is finishing up her degree in Ag Business at Corvallis. It was good to see her.

Our horses enjoyed the sunshine today. At one point I looked out and they were all laying down in the sunshine and relaxing. They looked so cute all out there in a row.

Have a wonderful Thursday and if you are in the area, come to our Mustang Meeting tomorrow evening at 6.

Monday

A very laid back day. Just wanted to sleep. The entire weekend caught up with me. I didn't even get my laundry all done today. In the middle of the afternoon I had to take the white truck to Bob at work and bring the car home. I mistakenly thought he was going to start driving it to work and I would have my car back - wrong. The first week of April he will start driving it. He has to make some deliveries all over eastern WA.

Went down to put the horses out this morning and Pepper and Ditto seemed glad to see me but Dixie was mad at me. She did not want me to touch her. She really gave me a dirty look. It was funny actually. We are going to get straw for bedding. Bob is looking for some. He did not like the wood chips from the guy over on Hayford Rd. They are wood chips not shavings and he thought they were not good for bedding in stalls. So, straw it is. We can't seem to find shavings except in bales and that is too expensive.

Thursday is our monthly Mustang Club meeting at Perkins in the Spokane Valley. Hope we have a good turn out at 6. Its always fun and we are planning Mustang Days. Does anyone have any ideas? We want to plan a campout and ride. We have a date of the first weekend in May but I don't know if that is going to work or not.

Hope you have a good Tuesday.

I am home

This is my best picture. It is taken out the windshield of my car in a downpour of rain. I was going to stop and stretch my legs, however, I did not need a shower so I just took some pictures. I found a hard lesson. I need to take my big camera. None of my arena pictures are worth putting here. I was so disappointed. Do go to Andrea's blog Mustang Saga though and look at hers.

Had a good time. It did not start out well and I ended up having to get a room by myself. Debby's friend did not enjoy being there nor enjoyed me as a roomate. Without going into it, it was just better for me to get a room. Then Debby and I both got some sleep. I felt bad because I wanted to take Nikki and didn't and now I am having guilty feelings. For both of us.

Oh well, thats gone and I did have an OK time. Saw lots of fun things and gorgeous horses. At the stallion parade Saturday evening before Craig Cameron's Extreme Cowboy Race, there were three horses that really impressed me. In fact I was opened mouthed watching them at liberty. Made my heart beat double time. One was a large Friesen stallion that they showed at liberty and her was a high level dressage horse. Oh my oh my, the next was Apollo - a Shire with long white feathers on his legs. He stood 18 hands and was mammoth. When he cantered down the arena the earth shook. He was awesome and my favorite of all was a Sport Horse which was a 1/2 Friesan and half one of the German horses. He had a mane probably 3 feet long. He had a floating trot that made him look like he was flying. Watching him move made me catch my breath.

I was not too impressed with the Mustang Challenge judges but it was the same thing in Reno with AQHA judges. They don't know mustangs. The in hand course was good. Some did really well and some did not. Tracey did not do the best but objectively speaking I do not think she needed to be 23rd. They liked Steve Holt under saddle better. I think she did better than 12th. but I may be just a hair prejedice.

The winning horse - Andrea has his name and his horses name was Mustang Sally. His time in the arena in the finals was absolutely breathtaking. He got 9's and 10's from the judges. If Tracey didn't win I was hoping Corrine Eisner from Burns would but she got 3rd. or 4th. She is such a remarkable young woman.

After the finals and the mustangs were all adopted. Only 2 went for minimum bids. That was really awesome. The high priced horse went for $5,000. I cried when a young lady with a horse named Candace who wanted to adopt her horse but the bid got too high and 2 or 3 people in the audience stepped up and donated 500.00 to help her adopt her horse. She was sobbing and so were alot of people in the audience. Several people took their horses home including Tracey and Steve Holt. She also took home Flicka - a little black mare that she did not ride. She didn't do much with her - she found out she was pregnant right after she got the horse and that really hindered her. So Tracey adopted her and when she is ready will be selling her.

THEN there was the RACE. I never saw people ride that hard and fast before. They had to make a lap around the arena as fast as they could go. Craig Cameron said speed with control but there were times that control seemed a little far away. One big black Tennessee Walker stud got out of control and nearly ran over one of the judges who is wheel chair bound. I think every one about swallowed their tongues on that one. Once they made the lap they had 4 jumps to go over, then do roll backs along the fence. They they had to pull a heavy log the width of the arena. So far it wasn't too complicated but then they had to back thru a U about 2 panels long and 2 panels wide. There were 2 sets of panels, so the aisle way to back in was barely wide enough for the horse to get thru. Then to the square and do a turn around or spin and then canter around poles in a clover leaf switching leads of course. the next was fun to watch, they had to dismount ground tie the horse and crawl thru a blue plastic barrell. then over a tarp and a bridge and another lap - fast - to a trailer - load their horse and then run on foot back to the square. The fastest time was 4:06.

I am blathering on but it was good. Debby and I got to know each other better, spent some time with Tracey and Katie and Mike, and some time with Andrea and John and met Kristi. That was all good. I am glad to be home and will be glad to sleep in my own bed tonight. I bought a couple of books. After I read the one I may be giving it away here. Keep your eye out.

Have a good Monday, I intend to be lazy.

Hurray I leave tomorrow AM

Have been fluttering around all day getting organized and the house organized for me to be gone four days. Did the chores this AM and again this evening. Bob was in Yakima delivering some stuff for the census bureau and giveing some instruction to that office. So when he got home I cleaned the car out and loaded it. All I have to put in is me and the bag with my cosmetics ect in and I am out of here.

I don't have a lap top so you all will have to wait until I get back to hear anything. We will be an Econolodge in Albany.

Would someone explain to me what Twitter is? Andrea of Mustang Saga is going to use it to keep her blog up to date and I have been hearing about it but I don't have a clue.

Gave my ponies all a kiss goodby and got hair in my mouth. Oh well, I really love them and Bob will take as good care of them as I would have. He won't kiss them though - hug maybe but not kiss.

Have a great rest of the week.

Tuesday

I went and did some shopping today for things I will need in Albany like shampoo ect. I was just about out. Picked up some groceries I forgot the other day and found a pretty red sweater for $3.00. Was pretty proud of myself. I also got some goodies to snack on in the car.

I called in our ad for the Mustang Club meeting on March 26th. The exchange is good coverage for us. We are planning a campout and ride the first weekend in May near Odessa at Lakeview Ranch which is where the BLM adoption was last spring. It is a fun place to ride. You don't have to ride a mustang to come join us.

Not much of horse activity again today. I was going to go out and do some things and when I looked out it was snowing again. I think it was grauple. I spelled it wrong yesterday. Whatever the spelling, the ground was white and then the wind was blowing so I stayed inside.

I think I am ready to leave Thursday bright and early. Bob has to go out of town tomorrow so my idea of keeping the car and he driving the small truck is not going to work. So I will have to clean it up and load it after he gets home tomorrow. I am excited.

I am going to make my Thankful day on Tuesday. So today I am thankful for our daughter Nicolette Or better known as Nikki. She has been a special daughter since she was itty bitty. When she was a year old she weighed about 14 pounds and and talked like an adult. She was about 14 months old and in the grocery cart while I was shopping and this very large man walked by. I mean a 50" waist large man. Before I could stop her she reached out and socked him in the belly and said "Hi there fat man." I was humiliated and told him, I don't know whose kid she is. He and I both laughed. She went to a private kindergarten and walked with her friend Jack. They loved inseperable and when he did not go to first grade with her she was devestated. She was a very obedient complient little girl. She started out at Rogers High School but began begging us to go to Northwest Christian. She was old enough to drive and got a job to help pay the tuitition. She and I went to Honolulu for her high school graduation. It was a delightful good time. A couple of years later she married Carmen and he had a son and they had 6 more. She is a great mother and keeps a nice home. She works part time and is facing some medical challenges. She is a great blessing to us and we are very thankful the Lord saw fit to loan her to us.

Have a great Wednesday.

Gropple?

The picture is the rainbow yesterday. As much as I am tired of snow, it covered up a multitude of junk. We will get it all cleaned up sometime or the other. Today we had what they call gropple. It looked like hail to me but it was soft.

Not much horsey stuff today. I went and got my hair trimmed and tried to get my stuff together to leave on Thursday. I thought my perm was giving up but with it trimmed up, presto, its back. My young Kim does such a nice job keeping me looking nice.

Hip hip hooray - our Kiyanna went home from the hospital today. Finally. she did just fine off of oxygen for 24 hrs. They are not to take her out in public places for a month. She will be a month old on Friday. Bless her little bitty heart and her mama and daddy.

Bob feels awful today. He did go to work though and had to drive to Naches and back. He is already in bed. Like most men he would not take off work and go to the doctor. Grrrrrrr. He is sleeping in the guest room so as not to expose me any more than necessary.

Have a good Tuesday.

A very windy day

Boy howdy did the wind blow. Thought the roof was going but of course it didn't. Not even close, just scared me. Bob worked in the barn with Tom and Joel all afternoon and it sounded like a wind tunnel. They got most of the loft up. Thought the bathroom was a this winter project but no such luck.

We had a little excitement this morning. I was cuddled down in bed. I knew we were not going to go to church because of Bob's cold and I had visions of sleeping in until I felt like getting up. Well when I heard Bob walking into the kitchen and into our room I knew something was wrong. You know that certain walk. Well Rusty was out in the pasture with the other horses and they were running and had run thru 2 electric fences. He thought they might be headed back to Oregon or something. Linda and I had this discussion when we met last week about not letting the horses out together too soon. Today was too soon for Rusty. Bob tends to panic and I usually am the calm one. He fed the horses that were supposed to be out there and of course they came right up and would not let Rusty close. Good kids. I took Rusty's hay and walked out towards her. She left but not too far. When she started my way I backed up a little and then she went back out. You could just see her thinking Free or Food, Free or Food. when she got a little closer I went thru her gate and put her hay in her feeder and we just backed off. Food won of course and she went in. Bob bolted over the fence and closed her gate and all was well.

The other horses knew better than to go thru the fences. We got them all back up and everyone was calm the rest of the day. I wondered what she would do if she got out. Now I know. Somehow she got a panel loose and pushed it open. They are all safely back together now. We learned a long time ago that calm works best. Bob just has to be reminded sometimes. You can't herd them very well like you can cows.

Bob just got an order for a hitching rail. He makes really good ones. They are metal. I saw some folks at the tack swap that we had not seen for a while and they ordered one. They said they are going to get their mustangs ready for Mustang Days. They don't want to be a part of our club and had not heard from them in a long time. Was glad I ran into them.

Other than that, it was a lazy day. I got a wonderful picture of a full rainbow. I have not put it on the computer yet. Will try to get it uploaded here tomorrow. Rainbows remind me of all the promises of God. Have a good Monday.

Saturday

I think I should have named this Lea and her meanderings. Seem to get off the horse track. My only excuse is this time of the year I don't get out and do much with them EXCEPT look at them out my kitchen and Dining room windows. That makes me happy.

I did well at the tack swap. I made 154.00 with stuff. I did sell 2 pair of my boots which helped immensly. I went from 3 plastic crates to one. I was very pleased with myself. I think Bob was shocked. He didn't think I would sell much. Neener neener. Katie got some nice show clothes for a very reasonable price and she also got a nice show pad that will be very pretty on Abby. Shannon picked me up and drove then she got a driving harness. I really hope it will fit her mule. I did not find a fly mask for Pepper so will order one from a catalog. I found one that was for a 6/900 pound Arabian and that definately would not work for a Mustang head.

Bob has a terrible cold. I feel like I am coming down with it. I will not be sick, I won't, I won't. I am leaving thursday cold or not. I have been so vigilant to avoid it all winter and then it comes home to get me. LOL. I may not get up tomorrow, well I probably will Chrissy and Wendy are coming out for me to teach them to knit. I have not done it for years so this might be interesting. Tom is coming out to help his dad and I don't think he dad wants help tomorrow. He feels awful.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Funky Friday

Got up feeling draggy this morning. Hate it when that happens. I had to get out to the fairgrounds by a lttle after 11 to get in line with my stuff. It is all consigned and I hope to make some money off the stuff. There was a lady consigning her items beside me and I saw bags of ribbons and bags of trophies. I nearly asked her why she did not just donate them to the 4H but that wasns't my place. I think some club will probably buy them That is what I have done with mine when I downsized. I still have some - the state ribbons and special show ribbons, and a sheet printed with Wild Rose Sr. Driving Chapinion 1999. Had another on just like it but I did use that on her.

It finally wore out. One lady ahead of me brought 9 saddles and a plastic crate of other stuff. I would love to just be able to walk around and look at things.

I am going with Shannon in the morning. We will leave here about 7. It is the first horse event of the season.

I read Nikki's blog a while ago titled Thankful Thursday - she must have done it last evening after I went to bed. I am going to start with my immediate family and tell you I am thankful for Scott. As a baby is always smiled and he was very compliant. He got to school and the trouble started. The tested him here and there and it just seem to get a good fit. His second grade yeacher Mr. Hanson was just wonderful with him, helped he learn to skip and instilled a love of math in him. School and he never could wor together and it was not at all Scotts fault. He did get his GED while working in oregon as a teenager. He wandered from here and there, sometimes in jail sometime suspension> He know we would not visit him in jail often and we did not. Thru all that, he did love us and told me often. He was married and divorced 2 times and produced 2 lovely childrun. He would be a grandpa now. I am thankful that day when we driving along on the outskirts of LasVegas on our way to visit friends in Arizona Bob and I were together when the call came and he had died. Scott died with a smile on his face, alone in his house but I know an angel sat by him until his friend found him. If you were Scotts friend you were his friend or life. We loved you Scotty boy and thankful for the time we had you. Scott Wesley Williams February 7, 1960 to Febrary 16, 2003

Have a good day tomorow - I will be telling you about my treasures..

Thursday and its still cold.

Not complaining mind you, it just is. The snow is still crunchy and I like that. It started melting a little today for a short while but now its in the low 20's so ice is on our agenda.

Andrea of Mustang Saga said she was not going to keep her away from her horses. I told her she was a braver soul than me. It just does. Maybe by June my bones will warm up. I know all the horses are shedding and need groomed and worked with but unless its a necessity, cold wins out. It will get done. Katie did come and work on some showmanship stuff today. She only had an hour so that is all she did.

Ditto was so sweet tonight. She isn't always affectionate but she was tonight. I kissed her nose and got a mouth full of hair. I finished reading Chosen By A Horse last night and then cried myself to sleep. Its a good story, but I got to thinking about Ditto. I have had her 25 years and she is 28. I can not even think about losing her. She is healthy and active so I guess its kind of silly but that is me. Her muzzle is grey.

Tomorrow I will take my stuff out to the 4H Tack Swap and see what I can sell. I want cash to take to Albany or to the Lewiston Outdoor Show the next weekend. I have some set aside. I will go to the tack swap on Saturday and hopefully won't spend all I make. That has happened in the past. the only thing I am looking for is a fly mask with UV ray inhibitors for Pepper. The bright sun is hurting his eyes.

Went to Medical Lake to the used book store. Just bought a few and did not take any in to trade because I have a sack that are stamped by Rae's and they always take them back to trade. I didn't know the process for this store. I do now though. It is much closer. Rae's is by K Mart on N. Division.

Hope you have a great tomorrow.

Wednesday, BRRRRRRRRR

To explain in detail to Nikki, I am NOT whining. I like the crunch of the snow but its 10 days until spring and there are 4, I say 4 seasons. And this one can leave on the 20th. and bring forth some more spring like weather.

In the crunch of the snow and cold I gave Katie a lesson today. For all her bravado and experience, she is a timid rider. We left Abby on the lunge line. Katie needs to learn how to keep her in whatever gait it is she asks her. If she can learn to remember her feet and legs Abby will do better. Her first show is April 25th. I think but she is only going to do in hand classes because I am not going to be there. She needs to ride alot between now and her first riding show. She will do. She has to work to pay for her horse habit and has the last of her senior year to get thru. I just hope she has not bitten off too much.

We were supposed to go to our Marriage Encounter group tonight but half the people are sick so they cancelled it. I don't care, its cold and I did not want to go out.

I am worried about 2 of our horses. Ravens nose does not seem to be improving any more. We just will have to wait and see. And Peppers eyes are failing. There is way more white there than there was even a couple of months ago. Poor guy. It makes me heart sick because there is nothing they can do about it. I know we have held it off with the supplements but not stopped it.

Unless Shannon finds a way to get out of work the 19th. and 20th. I will be staying with my friend Debby in Albany. She is from Ellensburg and I met her at the adoption last year in Odessa. I think I will drive myself though because going clear over there to head south would be further. I don't mind driving alone. Me and the CD player will have a good time. I am excited about going.

Have a good tomorrow.

Crunchy snow and sunshine

If we HAVE to have snow, what we have now is what I want. It crunches when you walk on it. I love that sound. I know its because it is so cold but I don't care. In fact I don't mind the snow on the ground when the sun shines. It was so beautiful out today. When its like this I wonder why I gripe so much about it.

I cleaned house like a maniac today. I thought we were have our Marriage Encounter group her tomorrow but they redid the schedule and its in town. It ticked me off, but I have a very clean house. Guess it needed it. I just have to do the living room floor tomorrow and then I am all set with a shiney house. I am not a perfectionist house keeper and it does not bother me but always wonder about other people. My house isn't dirty but gets cluttered.

I started the book I got from Linda. Chosen By A Horse. Its a easy read. I will need to make myself put it down tonight when I settle down to read. I have been know to read all night if it is something I enjoy.

The horses seem to not mind the cold too much. They were frisky and happy today. The barn horses were glad to come in though. They are shdding like mad so spring must be right around the corner.

Have a great tomorrow.

Monday

Well, it snowed and snowed and snowed today. 12 days until spring gets here.

Bob started the cows water this morning and turned it off but forgot the hose in the tank. So, it drained the water back out. When I went to check on it, and the fish were in the bottom of the tank in some ice. I thought he had killed them. Well when I filled the tank, the fish thawed out and were swimming around. We called them Survivors. I thought they were all dead. Obviously not.

I left the barn horses in today. I would not have wanted to be out in it and this evening I closed the barn up tight instead of leaving the big doors open. Pepper wanted out but I told him he could just stay where he was. Ditto liked it. She would stay in most days until spring gets here.

Our newest great grandbaby is in the hospital. She is 3 weeks old and has RSV. She is at Holy Family and if she gets any worse at all they will transfer her to Sacred Heart. It makes my heart sad and I am so worried about her. Her mama and daddy are frantic.

This morning I met Linda from Beautiful Mustang for coffee. At least she drank coffee and I drank orange juice. I have never been able to learn to like coffee or tea. We had a good talk about horses and lots of things. It was nice and we traded books. Thanks Linda. Hope we can do it again.

Have a good day tomorrow. Please pray for Kiyanna.

Snowey Sunday

Is this never going to be over. Spring will be here in 13 days. Do you think it will bring the weather?

Not much news. Bob is home. It snowed, then the sun shone then it got icky again. Chrissy came out for a while. She looks good and am glad she felt up to coming out. Its been about 2 weeks since her surgery. A little on the depressed side maybe but her hormones are all shook up.

Some how, some way Pepper got his stall open last night and had fun in the barn. He did get into the grain. I don't think he ate too much though. Scared me though. He did get into the hay and into the can with the bread in it and scattered it all over. Naughty boy. I was afraid he would colic so I kept him in arena where I could watch him. He is OK. He is mad at me though. Oh Well, so sad Mr. Pepper.

Have a good tomorrow.

Grey, wind, snow, sun all in a day.

If the weather ever cooperates. Would have turned into a popsicle had I tried to ride today and, or we would have wound up in Kansas. Nasty wind.

Nothing really horsey today. Too cold to go out much. My friend Shanon can not go to Oregon like she had hoped so I am looking again. Am beginning to feel like I have something catchey. No one can go. Boo Hoo.

My Internet friend Barbara put something on her blog. I am going to put it here. Cut and Paste to the comments, or however you want to do it. Just put down the first thing that pops into your mind.

1. Author
2. Movie
3. Reality Show
4. Book
5. Game
6. Actor
7. Actress
8. Holiday
9. Dessert
10. Animal
11. Weather
12. Childhood

Daylight Savings Time starts tonight. I don't mind once my body adjusts but the next few days will be difficult. This old body has its own timetable.

Will be glad to see Bob tomorrow evening. It makes a long weekend with him gone and the weather so nasty I don't feel like going out. Have a good tomorrow.

SUNSHINE

What a beautiful day. Not warm but beautiful. I had to go to Reardan to the bank and on the way there is a large pond - actually runoff - full of snow geese. They were so pretty. I almost always take my camera with me but you guessed it, today I did not. I may run back down there in the AM and see if they are still there. Probably not but its in my memory photo album.

I groomed on Dixie today. My word but she is shedding. I see that all of them are but I curried and curried and curried her. We got alot of mud off and a ton of hair. She seemed to enjoy it but kept looking in my pockets for her treat. She is much lighter bay when she is all shed out. I was really tempted to saddle her up and ride but she would be like riding a rocket and I was here all by myself. So I just loved on her and curried her some more.

THEN I decided to work with Rusty. She was a real brat. I know she does not like me but she needs to learn to accept me anyway. It took me 2 hrs. to touch her. She was hot and sweaty and I was cold and tired. I thought I had walked 10 miles keeping her moving. I tried standing with my back to her and she stopped and looked at me but would not even let me take a step toward her. She knows better. I finally, my feet were about to fall off from cold, I put her back in her pen. She will let me walk up to her in there. She needs to know I can touch her even if she is in the round pen. Tomorrow, if it is not raining or the s word, we will try it again. Bob has always caught her in the same place. All in a nice voice I told her I was going to shoot her, beat her up, tell Bob on her and anything else I could think of. We are both going to be sore tomorrow.

Bob left this evening to go to his nieces. So me and the dogs and Trouble the cat are holding down things. Have a nice Saturday.

Thursday

I was so thankful that the predicted snow did not happen today. Well, it came and it went. I was very happy about that. But yesterday I had my rant about the weather.

I left the barn horses in the barn today. The others were happy in their shelter and Pepper would have stirred them all up and chased them out so he got left in today. He was unhappy but the pasture horses were happy. Dixie doesn't care and Ditto wants in when its nasty like it was. I could have put them out this afternoon but didn't.

Bob is leaving when he gets off work tomorrow for Puyallup to go help his niece. He will be home on Sunday. So horses, cows, goat, chickens dogs and cats will all be my responsibility.That is OK however, I get very lonesome when he is gone overnight. I suppose its the 51 1/2 years we have been married.

Our Northeast Zone meeting was this evening. I keep plugging mustangs and our mustang events. Sometimes some of the people looked bored but others listen politely any way. I am going to keep plugging away though.

Bless you all.

Wednesday Half/half

Barbara at The Serenity Gate tagged me to take the 6th. folder on my computer and then the 6th. picture. Then blog about it. This was the winter of 2007/2008. We fed the quail all that winter and that is what the picture is of. We fed them this winter too. I am supposed to tag 6 more BUT I don't have 6 people that have not been tagged already that I know. This is what I have:

Nikki at Life With Boys
Joy at Backroad Chronicles
and anyone else that wants to do it. It was kind of fun.

I about had a hissy when I woke up to snow. When I was up about midninght it was pouring and the roof in the kitchen was leaking AGAIN. Also in the laundry room. GRRRRRRRRRR. I was glad I was awake and decided to get up and wander around. It filled a frying pan in the kitchen and a good deal in the coffee can in the laundry. Now we are supposed to get 5" tonight. I am sick of it, I am tired of it, I don't like it - I know I said I wouldn't whine any more, I am not whining, I am grumping.

Enough of that.

My funny story today is not about the horses but of Spot the cow. Their feeder was empty so Bob had to put more hay out. He decided to move the feeder out into the field where it was not so muddy. We had opened the gate out there but cows being cows had not gone thru a new gate. Especially when you want them too. If you don't want them out then of course they would be out the gate quickly. Spot and Candy our cows were standing by the feeder when he brought the big bale in on the tractor. When he went on by the feeder to take the bale out before he came back and hooked onto the feeder, Spot looked at him and you could almost see her wrinkle her forehead up and say where you taking out dinner. She went Moo then louder MOO. It was funny.

Rosie got her bread tonight. Also Yuma. Abby will eat it too but she isn't as excited about it as Rosie and Yuma, especially Rosie. Candy the cow will about come thru the fence to get hers. She eats it out of my hand. I wonder if she would bite. I have never hear of being bitten by a cow.

Have a blessed tomorrow.

Tuesday and Sunshine

Isn't she a long haired dirty mess. She is full of it though the warmer it gets. She is so muddy but Rusty is a happy girl. With it staying light longer and the switch to daylight savings time, Bob will have more time to work with her. If its nice Saturday I will probably give her a workout. Dixie too.

I was cleaning out the livingquarters part of our horse trailer this afternoon and found all kinds of stuff left over from last year. Amongst them some summer clothes that smell very musty. Not mildewy, just musty smell. I brought them in to launder. Bob is going down to Escure Ranch on the 14th. and 15th. I am not going this time because I want to go to the tack swap. I don't need anything but have some things to sell and its fun to look around. I might find something I really need (LOL).

Had lunch today with my friend Helen at Chaps today. I wish you could only buy half a sandwhich. I never could have eaten the entire thing. We had a good visit. We try to do it every 2/3 months. She is a show steward too.

We got a bunch of bread from the day old store for the chickens and cows. I gave some to Rosie one day to see if she still like it and now she whinnies at me when I am doling it out for some too. She stole a hamburger out of a friends hand one day at a horse show. The donkey and goat like it too. The other horses will eat a slice or two but Rosie would eat the entire loaf. We get an entire shopping cart full heaping up for 3.00. Some of it is not appropriate for the animals - like chocolate covered donuts but most of it is great.

Have a great tomorrow.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Wasn't that a song? Even if it wasn't thats what we had today. Rain and then light rain and then heavy rain and then regular rain. Rain, rain. That means mud city.

I hated to put the inside horses out this morning. The five in the pasture were content under the shed all standing peacfully together. I knew that as soon as I put Pepper out, things would get all stirred up. And, they did. He ran all of the peaceful looking group out and stood in there himself. I threw a rock at him. Did it help - of course not but I felt better. Dixie was anxious to get out and run and buck and Ditto just ambled out and gave me a dirty look as only Ditto can.

I maybe found someone to go to Albany with me. I will know this weekend. Our neighbor Shanon. She will go if she can get Thursday and Friday off. If not, I have found a couple of people willing to let this old granny stay with them. I am willing to spend a few dollars more and have a microwave, frig, and a good breakfast.

A long dreary Monday. Bed and a good book are calling.

Rainy Sunday

We did some things right after church and then came home. I curled up and went to sleep for about half an hour. Bob went to Deer Park to pick up some stuff he will need next weekend when he goes to Puyallup to help our niece with some septic tank trouble. I am not going. No one to feed ect for us. We will need someone later in the month and I don't care too much if I go or not. I still feel sleepy but maybe that will help me sleep all night tonight.

I sat here at the computer and watched Rusty have a race with herself. She knew Bob was feeding and he did not get to her fast enough. She is a real character. Katie came out and was going to ride Abby but she chickened out. Her dad rode Pepper. She wanted me to come ride with them but it was raining. I did not want to go out and get wet.

I went to Wagonteamster's blog and he is out of the hospital at his sisters in North Carolina. He is healing and then will rebuild his wagon and get some more horses and go up the east coast. I guess he has at least at this point given up venturing any further west. That makes me sad. My sister says that hiway is terrible and the drivers in Mississippi are nuts. I won't ever drive on that hiway, not that I may ever drive in MS anyway.

My sister sent me some pictures of it snowing at her place in Normandy, Tennessee. On March first. I am glad I am not there. Have seen enough snow for this winter. Our grand nephew (Sharons grandson) Riley got a sled for Christmas and this is the first time he got to use it. It went down the hill and into the river but he got it back. That sounds like Riley. He and our grandson Lane are best buddies and are so alike. They met last summer.

Nothing else exciting around here. Just a lazy Sunday afternoon for me.