Wunerful wunerful

I had been leading her around when Bob finally got there to take some pictures. She was a little nervous with him standing there so was pulling back just a little.

I don't think she would do this outside the round pen yet but it is good to have her. I was asking her to walk faster of the rope would have been slack.

Now this is progress. This is her bad side and I can walk up to it now without her doing anything. I can rub back to her hip on both sides.

I was trying to fix her mane all on one side. She didn't seem to mind. I will start brushing her mane in the next day or so. She is so beautiful.

Rubbing her neck and messing with the halter. I want to be able to take it off soon. Or at the very least to change halters and put a rope one on her.

She was smelling my hand again. I have to watch her though. She tastes. Earlier I had an orange tee shirt on and she took a hold of it twice. Not in a biting manner, just tasting. No teeth on me but I can't have her doing that. It was pretty funny but would not have been if she had gotten a hold of me.

Bob even went in and led her a bit. I am so proud of her progress. So it was a good day. Went and got my hair trimmed and she didn't do it like I asked. I guess if I want a good haircut I need to go to a better salon. Ya think.

Blessings.

Whew

These are all pictures from the Mustang Days weekend just past. This picture is the infamous Pat McGowan on his horse that had about 20 rides on him - Billy. He was such a big help this challenge (Pat not Billy). He liked us and we liked him.

George and Blade. I love this horse. I would like to see him start a really green horse from nothing. He was interesting though and he is a really nice guy.

Mary's horse Black. She truly is black. She took second place in the Mustang division.

Our horse Raven and our kind of granddaughter Katie's fiance Cameron. The barefoot trimmer Mike Cameron was working on our horse Wrangler and he was having a hissy by himself so Cameron brought Raven in and then he stood still.

Tonka, Andrea's mustang. He is a good sized boy. I was at the adoption when she got him. Never would have guessed he would grow into this beautiful horse.

Andrea and Tonka waiting in the arena. Mickey was talking about acupressure and was looking at different horses.

Bea and Cody. He is a good boy. They competed in the trail challenge and did great too. He is from Owyhee, Idaho herd management area.

So that is our Mustang Challenge for this year. I was very happy with all of it.

Linda's daughter Shiloh came over and took four of our kittens home today. Only four to go. Thank you Linda and hopefully the others will find homes so we don't have to take them to the pound.

Today Mike Cameron came and trimmed two or three of our horses. Then he helped me get going a little better with Sage. I was able to pet her on both sides and for the first time she came up to me and smelled me all over my back. I just stood there and let her then she let me pet her all over her face. I was in awe. No pictures either. Somebody better come and take some. I am sooooo proud of her. Mike gave me some really good hints and told me what he saw me doing wrong. I really appreciate it. I can't wait until tomorrow to practice some more and really get her to trust me.

Bob got our cooler going good this evening. The house is a gazillion times more comfortable.

Blessings

Mustang Days 2010 Over -Great Fun

What a wonderful weekend. Not quite as many people yesterday at the demo's or today at the trail competition but enough for us to have a good start for this next year.

This is Marilyn the winner of the Mustang Division. She rode her old mustang Gelding and scored the highest points of anyone. She was excited and so were me for her. Now the old boy may go into retirement. Congratulations Marilyn.

Katia won the inhand with Bella, Shannon on Skeeter (a mule) won the Open Division, Mike won the novice division and Rachel(also on Skeeter) won the Jr division. Congratulations all of you it would not have been a success without the competitors.

There are so many people to thank. Each of the club members who competed and worked, it would not have happened without your help. To the judges who sat out there waiting for competitors for 3 hrs. To Alexa who sat at the top of the hill and diligently sent the competitors out every 10 minutes. To Pat McGowan for so many things. Not only did he stamp Mustang Days 2010 on the headstalls that I got at the last minute, he rode the course and then rode with a couple of others who needed a helping hand. He is fun besides. Most of all my dearly beloved Husband who tolerated me panicking at the last minute, who supported me, who did whatever I asked him. THANK YOU ALL.

I did work with Sage a little bit when I got home. George gave me some hints yesterday at the demo. I must work with her and try and see if that works for me. She stood and looked at me with both eyes when I went in to her pen. A first time. Progress - one step at a time - some small - some larger.

I will post more pictures of the weekend tomorrow. Right now my bed is calling me. I hear it.

Blessings

Busy busy

I have pictures but am too tired to post them or much of anything. It is Mustang Days weekend and that is what I have been doing. The trail is marked, and that is ready to start registering people. Now if it runs as smoothly I will be rejoicing. The demos tomorrow hopefully will be good too.

Am doing well with Sage. Have been spending a lot of time with her and the lead rope. I would not say she is leading but she follows me on a loose rope around the round pen. I will be back on track with pictures next week. Probably no blog till Sunday or Monday either.

Blessings

Tired body and tired feet.

I am so proud of Sage. She is getting it. I mean GETTING IT. She doesn't lead but follows me on a loose lead back and forth and a little foreword. No one to take pictures. I am petting her pretty easily on the side she did not want me on and that is really big progress. I can walk right up to her rub on her shoulder and neck and snap on the lead rope. All in the round pen. Like I said I am SO proud of her progress this week.

After Bob got home we went over to Busy Bee and walked a trail course for the challenge. Its long up and down hills but we did it. My body is rebelling though and I will go to bed soon. We will ride it on Friday morning. We may have to revamp some of it. It may be a little bit of a challenge for some. We will see. Wanted a water crossing but none could be found.

Tomorrow is Angela's day to do a compliance check on Amelia. That irritates me because they told her from Burns it wasn't necessary but she is going to. That will be OK though. I don't mind. Just not a good week.

Blessings.

A day at Calico Acres in Pictures

This is an abundance of photos from around the farm. Maybe more than you want to see at once so I won't be insulted if you don't look at them all. This is the gate so Sage can go to the round pen. She will go if no one is around. I have only caught her in their once. Her little pen is her hidey hole.

These were teeny little feeder fish when we originally bought them and put them in the water tank. There is one more. They have really grown. I have not fed them in 2 years. They keep the tank pretty clean. We have fish in two of the tanks.

Cody going out to eat this morning. He did not want to go out originally. I don't think he had ever been out in a pasture. He loves it though.

Chemmy. He loves the green grass. We put them out 2x a day for 2 hrs.

Yuma. He wonders what took me so long to let them out.

Lindy is doing 100% better but is not at 100% yet. We have found her a new home though and she will be leaving on July 5th. when they get home from vacation.

Rusty thinks she is pretty awesome to be able to get out to eat. She doesn't always go in so easy.

Raven in the alleyway going out of the pasture. She was a good girl this morning.

This is the cow that hit the panel that hit me in the head.

The rest of the cows having a break after eating breakfast.

Wrangler. He is such a nice horse.

Abby is the one headed for the gate. She belongs to Katie.

Ditto and Liberty relaxing in the sunshine.

She looks a little pathetic doesn't she. Amelia is on a dry lot diet and we are not among her favorite people. Her mane needs brushing out. That may be on my agenda tomorrow.

Pepper. I have written a lot about this boy.

Wild Rose AKA Rosie. She is a wonderful pony. She did not even get excited when a moose came by today right close to her. Just looked at it like what the heck are you.

The three musketeers.

Sage

She let me walk right up to her today and snap a rope onto her halter. She drug me around pretty strenuously for quite a while but we finally got it down more or less. When Bob got home from work he came and manned the rope and she had some real temper tantrums. I mean REAL TANTRUMS. She through herself down on the ground several times. It scared me but finally it was like she said, OK I guess I need to give to the rope. Bob could pen her face. She is a stubborn one but later I could walk in and walk right up to her and rub her shoulder and neck. I did that a couple of times. Tomorrow will be back to the rope. I did rub her shoulder on the side that has been a no no once. I undid the rope from that side too. So today, I would say we made progress.

Oliver. The one horned goat.

Part of our hens. I made that waterer. Saw it in a book. We have 30 hens. Right now we sell all of the eggs that we want to.

Lemon Balm. It smells good when you rub the leaves. I don't know what you use it for but I love that lemony smell.

The south side of our garage. He will finish the front tomorrow. The new door will go on when he is done. Then maybe, just maybe it will get cleared out so I can actually put my car in there. Isn't that a unique idea.

So that is a little trip around Calico Acres Farm on a sunny June day.

Blessings,

More Rain

Tomorrow is my sweet daughter Nikki's birthday. Actually her name is Nicolette but she has been Nikki since she was born unless she was in trouble. She is 4 in this picture. She was really small.
She is in the 6th grade here. She thinks I dressed her funny but she looked like the other kids. She was a good natured kid most of the time.

This was taken when we camping a couple of years ago. We had such a wonderful time, just Bob and I and Nikki for the better part of a week. Of course our horses too.

If they lived closer she would have a horse but they live right in town. She rides every time they come over. Her hair is long again.

Happy Birthday to a great daughter.

It rained so hard today it was another day of not working with Sage. Darn it anyway. It cleared up after the chores were done, eggs washed and put away and in my jammies. I looked out and the sun was shining. Maybe that is what it will do tomorrow. Can always hope huh?

Don't forget Mustang Days this next weekend.

A Day of Pouring Rain

No pictures today. It just poured rain from sometime in the night to this evening. It was not a wet day. After Bob went home we went out and worked some in the rain in the yard. He had to unload some panels out of the little horse trailer and we had a brief respite and I went in to work with Sage for a while.

I am so excited and wish I had taken my camera so Bob could have taken pictures. Sage would not go out to the round pen so I told her we still would work on some things. I used the rope instead of a stick and I tossed it around and over her for a while. That is not my best thing - tossing the rope. I had it laying across her back at her withers. I just stepped up to her and rubbed all over her shoulder and neck. It was the very first time I have touched her that I have not had to work my way up with the stick. I did it several times and she kept swinging her head at me and snapping and I kept popping her nose and yelling and starting over with her. She finally let me mess with her halter and rub her cheek and then it started pouring again so I went into the barn to work out of the deluge. I am glad she likes her shelter.

Bob and I went for a little drive this evening and had ice cream cones. A fun evening. I had gotten him a DVD player for our new wide screen TV and watching him trying to connect it was a riot. He gave up. He is more technically challenged than I am and so we will wait until help arrives.

Blessings

A Beatuful Day in My Neighborhood

Tomorrow is Fathers Day. I always feel a tinge of regret on that day the same as on Mothers Day. I miss my Daddy. He was always Daddy, not Dad to me. He died of lung cancer when I was 17 and a senior in high school. I have so many wonderful memories of him. I wish I was where I could go put flowers on his grave tomorrow but I am not.

And then there is the father of our six children. Two are in heaven as I have said before. He has been a good dad and has worked hard to see that the kids had what they needed growing up. Now they are grown up with kids of their own and good dads too. Two of them, the others are moms.
I love this picture of Bob as a little boy. Notice the cowboy boots even then. He rarely wears anything else on his feet.

I went yard saleing for a while today. Found two dresses, brand new in my size for 2.00 a piece. Beautiful sundresses. Found some books which I always look for. It was fun anyway.

Then I came home and worked with Sage for quite a while. She seems to like the round pen and I could still get up to her by rubbing her with the whip. She had a problem getting from the little pen to the round pen. She does not seem to like going thru the gates, She will get used to it. I was really proud of her. She did not seem so jumpy in there as in the pen either. We will get back at it tomorrow after church. It is not supposed to be so hot. I think my arms are a little pink. I don't burn much but I do need to use sun screen.

So to all the fathers - God bless your day in a big way.

Didn;t go anywhere

Today I was supposed to go up to Okanagan and work a horse show. I received a call about 7:30 this AM and they had so few entries they cancelled the horse show. I am so angry because I had to turn down 2 other shows because I was contracted by them. And to make it all worse, Bob had just left for his weekend camping with a couple of our horses. So here I am feeling sorry for myself. No work, no camping and no company except the critters. Makes me want to cuss.

We did get the panels up - our oldest son Steve and I - so I could get Sage to the round pen. We opened her gate and she would NOT go out it. She just got more scared and more upset. So, I just left her alone for a while with her gate open but she still would not go out the gate on her own. There was lush grass inside the panels and I thought she would not be able to stand it and would go out when no one was bothering her. Nope. So I went down and took some hay in my hand and talked to her quietly. She took it when I was standing in close to her. Then I took some more and stood by the gate. It was a few minutes before she just had to come get it. Then I put some into the area toward the round pen and then I left. The next time I looked she was munching on the grass. When I fed her tonight I fed her in the round pen and she is in there eating. So, tomorrow we get to work.

To that was mostly my day. I spent some time just relaxing and reading and tried to do something with this house. Bob must must must get to the bedroom floor this week so we can move stuff back in there. Doesn't everyone have a bed frame and mattress in their dining room. I am tired of it.

Don't forget Mustang Days on June 26 and 27th. Its our main money maker for the year.

Blessings

Its still raining

The round pen is complete, now to get the panels up so I can get Sage into it. I have some ideas about how to work with her there. I had a long chat today with George Gouvas who is doing one of the Demos at Mustang Days at Busy Bee the 26th and 27th. He is doing a couple of hours on Saturday. He has a South Steens mustang named Blade. He wanted to see the facility and what he needed. He is bringing 2 horses besides Blade.
Back to some old photos. I love them. Me at about 7 I think. I had long, very long blonde braids.

A fourth of July picnic in our yard in 1951. That is the year I thought I would be smart and hold a firecracker to light it. Well, I did not throw it fast enough and it blew up in my hand. Gollllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy gee that hurt. No scars though amazingly enough. I learned never ever to do that again.

I think my sister posted this picture on Face Book a while ago. Sharon and I and our cousins Jerry, Cynthia and Donna and the dog Flicka.

The rain has seldom let up today. So, I did not get to work Sage at all. Dang nab it anyway.

I leave tomorrow to work at a horse show in Okanagan. If you are not from here it is in the central part of the state up north a ways. I sure don't want it to rain but I don't want it to be scalding hot either. Used to go to that show when I was showing and it can be really hot. Passed out at the show once just as I was getting off my horse. I must remember to drink lots of water and not Diet Coke which is my drink of choice.

Blessings

Sunshine and Petunias

A few more pictures of the adoption and then some really old pictures.

The little roan is a sweet young horse who had been handled. Tracey took him home but hopes to find the boy that wanted him and came back for him after she left. It will work out. That horse is going to make someone a wonderful horse.
A pen of horses. I don't remember where the others are from but the palomino was from Paisley. She was the only one in that pen not adopted. She had a little attitude that she displayed but she is a well put together horse.

Jamie working the sorrel. She was not adopted either. Jamie would have taken her but she left and they could not do it over the phone. So she went back to Burns. She is 2.

My sister Sharon and our cousin Jerry. They were very close growing up. Sharon is 6 days older than him. He walked Sharon down the aisle when she got married because our father had died a few years before.

Sharon and I in Algona, WA which is close to Auburn. We were 4 and 2 about I think.

Sharon and our cousins Cynthia and Donna. I think they were singing.

Loved looking at the old pictures. I was looking through them today. A gazillion of Sharon and I at all stages of our growing up years.

My round pen is ready but I need some panels moved over there to get her moved. I am excited to be able to really work her. Today Sage was more like herself before I left on my trip. I rubbed her shoulder and her neck and she even let me rub her cheek and under her chin. I was so happy. She was more relaxed and softer this time. Maybe tomorrow I will get some pictures. It is good to be able to report some good news. I was getting a might discouraged.

Today I bought a bunch of flowers to plant - mostly petunias. I wanted some pretty flower beds. It is supposed to rain tomorrow so I wanted them in the ground before then. I am disappointed that I don't have a garden this year besides the tomato's and peppers. Another year.................................

Blessings