Bob's News

Well, its hard not to be really ticked off. They should have done the MRI a long time ago. It was not good news at all. All his L vertebrae are damaged. Some are bulged, some are degenerating, pinched nerves and raw nerves. They will put a steroid shot in his back on the 24th. He is going to try to open his L & I when the bull ran over him and broke his leg. It all started then. No wonder he has been in pain. That is what has been causing most of the pain in his leg. We don't know what the future will bring.

Just did laundry and cleaned house today. I would rather have stayed in bed and read. It snowed off and on today but most of the new snow melted. More is predicted for tonight. This is the last day of a miserable month.

Blessings

We're Haveing a Heat Wave - 37 Degrees

Old pictures again. Hope you don't mind. The wind is whistling up a gale outside. Mostly I just stayed in after we got home from church and before we went to our small group meeting.

This is a picture of my mother and her best friend Helen. Mother is on the left and she is holding me. Helen is holding Marilyn. They were good friends until Helen died in about 1965. Bob and I out on the ocean at a nice park and walkway down to the water. We had so much fun on that trip.

Boys 1 and 2. Steve on the left and Scott on the right. It must have been Easter Sunday as I recall.

Bobs family. His brother Lynn in the front, Bob and Bob's sister Julia. His mom and dad in the back. Bob and Lynn are the only ones left. Julie died at 50 of an aneurysm.

My mother in l937. The year before I was born. I wish I had those shoes. They look so cool. I don't have a clue where the picture was taken. Love that picture of her.

Today we had a little bit of a fright. Bob more than me. He looked out the window because the horses were running. At first he thought it was the wind. When he looked over to see what Sage was doing, guess what? She wasn't there. Miss Lip had undone her gate and gone exploring. She was out cantering around one of the pastures just having a good time. She did not go through the hot wire fence just had fun. Bob did not think she would let me walk up to her, but we showed him. I got her lead rope and walked right up to her. I asked her what she was doing out there, rubbed her on the neck and took a hold of her halter. Then we walked back to the barn. She thought I was going to put her back in her pen but it was feeding time so I just took her back there. She had pawed the snow down to the grass and was eating that old dried up grass under the snow. That part of being wild is still there. Bob did not think she would ever just let me walk up to her like that out in the middle of a field. Yay Sage.

Blessings

Sad Face

We went to the horse sale today. Mostly I wanted to go for the tack because I wanted a set of reins and a crop. Got them and then we sat there for the horses. Bad idea. We both are feeling really crappy this evening. The high selling horse was the first one - a very black gelding that sold for 350.00 I think, and it went downhill from there. I think there were only 5 horses ridden in and half of them no saled. They sold a really cute young mule for 50.00. Bob wishes he had bought him. They ran in loose about 15 horses and they sold from 5.00 to 100.00 but mostly 15 to 50.00. Some of them were not nice looking but were all fuzzy and dirty. It was so pathetic. Most of them were thoroughbred 2 year olds. It started at 2 and was over at 3. Came home and took a nap so I would not think about it. The auctions used to be fun to go to for a Saturday afternoon but nothing fun about this one.

-10 last night officially - -15 at our house. It is supposed to snow again tomorrow. I would love to get the sleigh out but its just too too cold. Both for me and Rosie.

So that's my day

Blessings

Getting Closer To 1000

Here we go:

731. Finding New blogs that inspire me
732. Sages trailer loading lessons
733. My favorite Valentine
734. A Grandson turning 14
735. Home made spaghetti sauce
736. Being unique
737. MRI's
738. New tires on my car
739. Paraffin bath for my hands
740. My horse trailer
741. Cowboys
742, Fresh cherries
743. Restaurant gift cards
744, Recipe cards in my mothers handwriting
745. Children singing in church
746. Praying for someone who you don't know and saying just the right thing
747. New measuring cups
748. German Chocolate cake
749. Cinnamon toast
750. Graders grading our unpaved roads
751. Snowplows
752. An old picture of my grandma on a horse taken when she was young
753. Rose red
754. Katie's willingness to help with outside chores
755. Sages feet squeaking in the snow
756. Finally getting my Christmas jacket embroidered

The Masked Marvel

Bob got home before I got everything off and he took my picture. This is my masked marvel picture. It was 10 degrees and getting colder. I had to laugh at myself. I kept warm though.

When Bob got home he brought my Christmas coat back from the monogram shop. It is very warm too but not a chore coat

It is still cold and colder. Going to -10 tonight. Only 3 more days in February which means we are that much closer to spring.

Blessings.

Cold, cold and colder

This was yesterday when all this mess started. By noon today we have about 20" on the ground and the wind, it does blow. Don't mind the snow near as much as the wind that blows it around. Our high temp today was 12 andit is going to -10 at least tonight and thats not with the windchill. I was supposed to drive to the coast tomorrow for a meeting Saturday but I got excused from being there. I called today and told her it was too hazerdous driving. So not only will I not get to the meeting but I will miss a couple of days visiting with grandchildren (daughter and SIL too of course). Not worth it. Its not the snow that worries me its the ice and the wind blowing the snow around until you can not see.

My front porch door. Bob opened the storm door and the front of the house was one big drift. That is how deep it was against the door. Bob shoveled it once and in an hour or so it was just like it was.

This afternoon the sun shone but it did not warm up at all. It is supposed to continue tomorrow but not much more snow. I am thankful for a nice warm house.

Katie came out last night because we are much closer to her work than her house. It was hard for her to get here. She was a nervous wreck. She could not get her car out at 4:30 this AM so she missed a day of work. I am sure she wasn't the only one.

Blessings,

Snow, snow and snow

This was when our younger two were liked 3 and 2 here. Nikki and Scott are digging in the sand at an ocean beach. Notice the rope on Tom. I kept one tied on his waist, he had no fear and would have headed for China in the water. He just played and I held the end of the rope.
me holding Tom's leash, Scott Nikki and Chrissy.

My mother and her brother, my 95 (now) year old Uncle Lyle.

My great Uncle David McConnell in his WW1 uniform. This picture was taken in 1918.

Guess who? (Me)

Me. My Aunt Eleanor. She was only 12 years older than me. My Grandma Kephart in the middle and her sister Hannah on the right.

This is my dad's cousin June. I think my sister may have been named after her. Her middle name is June.

Snow and cold, that is all else I can report. It is miserable out. When I got up it was quite sunny and no snow. I thought we had escaped it. About 11 it started and we have about 4 inches. At 8:00PM its 19 degrees and falling. I cancelled our Mustang Club meeting. It will not be safe and a couple of the gals drive quite a distance. Well us too and I don't think the roads will be safe. Its not that important in the whole scheme of things.

Sage had a hissy when Bob put her out this morning. Don't know what got in to her. The weather maybe. I am so thankful for stalls.

Blessings.

Great Grandma and Aunt Julia

Bless Nikki's little heart. Here is the picture I have been trying to get here for three days. I believe it was taken around 1900. My grandmother had not married yet. Her sister Julia was, I thought the youngest of many children but I may be wrong. She was younger than Grandma. Grandma is the one on the left with the foal standing by the horses side.

To me this is an absolutely heart grabbing picture. My grandma is the one who passed on to me my horse love. It is such a treasure and I am so glad to have at least a copy of it. My sister posted it on Facebook. I had never seen it before.

Special blessings to you Nikki for helping me and special blessings to Sharon for posting it. I love you both (with or without the picture of course).

Blessings to you all

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have the most wonderful picture of my grandmother when she was young and her younger sister riding horses in Montana. I have been trying two days to get it loaded but it will not no matter how I do it. This is ridiculous and and I really frustrated. I had some other old pictures to load but when that one would not I just gave up. My sister and daughter have both tried and we can't get it. It makes me so sad.

So that's whats happening inside the house. I have been tieing Sage to the hitch rail when I am mucking the barn. She stands there pretty well. Yesterday I took a small white bucket down with her grain in it and she wigged out the the tie ring held strong and she could not get away. I just proceeded with what I was doing and tied it to the hitch rail and walked away. Pretty soon she was eating it. Today she just wigged out the same because it was still tied there and swinging in the wind. I just tied her and left her and I did not put grain in it.

It has turned very cold here. I am so ready for spring. We had a little snow this morning but it did not stay and the wind is blowing. Not weather to work a horse in. I was going to put the saddle on her yesterday but I could not lift it up. She was not too nervous about it. The bucket was a bigger challenge.

I will try later to see if I can figure this out. So until later (maybe).

Blessings

Sunshine and a MRI

The sunset last night. We have such beautiful ones here.

It was a beautiful but cold day. After church we went to brunch and then to Inland Imaging at Holy Family hospital for Bob's MRI. He was in there a little over and hour and a half.
Our mountain taken with my long lens. Its small compared to what I grew up looking at growing up but it is beautiful to look at in the winter. I have ridden to the top but its a long ride down.

This is tonight's sunset. Not as colorful but pretty anyway.

When we went down to put the horses out so I could clean stalls and they could have a little fresh air AND we found them both standing in water. They had got to playing with the tank that automatically gives them both water and whatever they did they kept it open and it was running all over. So, they are spending time outside tonight. They have water but we don't have enough heaters for them so they will be frozen in the morning. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny so I can get some work done with Sage as well as a start on the sloggy stalls.

We won't find out until later in the week about Bob's MRI. He slept most of the time through it. I don't know how, it is so noisy.

In the mail I received Linda Laels Miller's newsletter. She is one of my favorite authors and lives around Spokane and has horses. Her books are mostly western romance stories. She has a fixation with cowboys and I love it. She included a list that I want to include. I hope she does not mind.. It is 10 qualities of a True Cowboy (how to tell the true blue from the wannabes)

1. Integrity is the fundamental virtue of the cowboy-the rock-solid determination to the right thing, no matter what.

2. Cowboys are honest, telling the truth even when it hurts them.

3. Cowboys are fearless when it comes to protecting their women, providing an irresistible combination of comforting safety - and delicious excitement.

4. Cowboys are productive; they are masculine, uncompromisingly male. No Beta males need apply.

5. Cowboys are productive, they are hard workers, digging in and getting the job done.

6. Cowboys can be trusted, with your secrets and with your heart.

7. In the face of adversity, cowboys just keep going, doing what needs to be done.

8/ Cowboys are helpful. They wouldn't thing of letting a lady to the heavy lifting.

9. Cowboys respect all critters, be they two-legged or four-legged.

10. Cowboys are quintessentially American.

My addition - I am married to one.

Blessings.

Ryans birthday party

Nothing with the horses today. Except, I got the application for title on Sage. Yahooooooo. I need someone to sign the application. Laura, I remember you said you had taken the class to inspect. Would you, could you do that for me?

This is Mount Spokane in the distance on our way to Ryan's birthday party. It was very pretty.
Ryan was 14 on Wednesday but we had his little party today. He is getting to be such a big boy. He got a really nice drum set for his birthday.

His cake. He loved it. I don't like chocolate cake but I ate a little piece.

I didn't tale a picture of Ryan's brother Seth but I must brag a bit. He is in 6th. grade. There are 60 kids that play drums. He was one of 12 that were chosen to go to Seattle and play in some kind of a contest. Great job Seth.

We will be leaving shortly for our Back Country Meeting in Couer d'Alene. Hope your day was great and you Sunday special. Please keep Bob in your prayers as he has a MRI scheduled tomorrow. Didn't know they make Sunday schedules but they do.

Blessings.

A NICE DRIVE

I took this yesterday coming home from the doctor. It was snowing hard.
Today we took a drive down to take a peak at Heyburn State Park, how it would be to ride there. It won't work this year. They are putting in a sewer system and I don't know what else but Bob and I went to the Headquarters office and talked with them. It won't be a place we can ride this year.
This is the end of Chatcolet Lake. A gazillion geese. They were very noisy but we could only see a few that we could photograph. Several hundred there. Maybe even a thousand.

A deer hiding. She had a this years baby with her but it kept hiding when I tried to take a picture.

She looked at us momentarily.

a view of the lake from the north end of the lake.

A pretty barn near Rockford we thought. When we got up beside the building, it had been turned into a home. It is so pretty.

Some really pretty turkeys along side the road.

We had a really good day just ambling around. It was a fun day. First we went to Couer d'Alene and took my Christmas coat to the Monogram Shop to get the Back Country Horsemen emblem embroidered on the back of it. It will be ready this next week. We got some other bids for some T shirts and patches for the BCH group while we were there.
Have a good Saturday - we have plans.

Blessings

Snow/gropple/rain

Just a nasty grey day. I did not take a picture. Bob and I spent the day at the doctors office. His leg is still bad and it has gravitated to his low back. He has an MRI scheduled for Sunday afternoon. I was surprised that they would schedule an appointment on a Sunday. Back to some more powerful pain killers.

We took ourselves to lunch afterwards and then went to Big R to get some horse grain. Their baby chicks are in. They are so cute but I just don't buy baby chicks like that. They die so easily and that makes me so sad.

We also went by to look at a mustang a lady wants to give away. She is broke to ride but has not been ridden in a while. A pretty little bay mare. HOWEVER, she has no paperwork on her. She claims the lady who had her deserted her however she knows how to contact her. We could do nothing to find her a home with no paperwork on her. The lady who has her is in a very sad place, she has terminal cancer and a 9 year old daughter and no family. I told Bob we could not get involved with the drama that is going on. I feel awful for her but nothing we can do. We told her what we could do after she got in touch with whoever owns her.

Friday is almost here - Blessings.

A Day At the Dentist and She Did It

Amelia got her shot to help her settle down and let Dr. McKinley take care of her teeth. It almost put her clear down. Her teeth were a mess.
Jed and his helper looking at her front teeth. Do you know where the expression "Long in the tooth" comes from. I do.

Her incisors were so long her molars could not come together to chew. What looks like a strip of something between her top and bottom teeth actually is what he had cut off but had not removed yet. I saved her cut off teeth.

Down her throat. It doesn't show her teeth too much. She has lost some because of age. They were really pointed and had old hay impacted in her back teeth.

He is filing off the the molars. She kept talking to us when he was doing that. Softly but the whinny was there. She was saying "I don't like this much". Can't say I blame her.

Sage standing tied the first time this spring (I use the term loosely-spring I mean). She stood for a while and then pulled back and pulled the tie thing off the trailer. So, I took her down to the hitch rail which would hold an elephant and put her on the blocker tie ring which is what I should have done in the first place. I think Bob is not happy with me. I did groom her as much as I could. She won't let me brush her legs yet but we are working on it. She did let me brush out her tail. She is stepping on it. Its so full and pretty. I may braid it so she does not pull it out.

She did it. Just walked right in behind Bob. She was nervous but stood there.

She stood there several minutes. Bob went to turn her around and she bolted out. She jumped straight out about 15'. Quite a broad jumper. I caught her and we walked her back up and she put her front feet in and then we just called it a day. She will have to get over that for sure. So many things to teach her. It would not be so intimidating if she wasn't so large.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. Hope its a good one for you. Blessings.

Snow - Ick

This was a grey dismal day. I mucked stalls and put Sage and Amelia right back. I cleaned Amelia's and then put Sage in hers and cleaned Sages. Then put Sage back and went and got Amelia from her pen and put her back. Sage did not particularly like Amelias stall. She was glad to get back "home".
Amelia was glad to get back in where her friend was. She got her feet trimmed today. The only way we can do her feet without her laying down is to feed her treats of as in today, I filled a small bucket with oats and she ate them while Bob was doing her feet. Tomorrow she goes to have her teeth done and checked over. I measured her today - 13h3, and measured her weight also - 780 pounds. A little old lady for sure.

This was what it was like when I got up this morning. The ground was white for a while and then it turned to drizzle which is what it did alternately with snow all day.

Papa and his puppy. She was sleeping on his chest until I walked in with the camera. She is just plain nuts over the man. He will go be with his brother when he has a heart cath on March 8th. She and her crate. She grieves when he leaves even for the day.

Didn't do much else today. It was the kind of day I like to stay in bed and read.

Blessings.

Pogress

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

My special valentine since we were both 16.
This is a series of pictures in our loading process today. When we got to the point she would put her front feet in we called it a day. We did the same thing this evening and only asked her to put her front feet in. I think she thinks its a stall and she will go in and out of stalls and does not mind being in one.

She wondered why I was back there instead of leading her. She goes well for Bob though. Tomorrow I will have an apple for her when she does so well.

Mostly just did laundry, folded it all and got it put away, mucked stalls and took a little nap. We did such a romantic thing this evening - we went and bought groceries.

Blessings to you all.