This is this weeks Thinking Thursday.

This my friend Joan Hamant Zoller.  She lives in Moores Hill, Indiana.  When we were in elementary school, 5th. or 6th. grade we became pen pals.  I don't remember how she got my name but it was because her brother was stationed at Ft. Lewis and that is close to where we lived.  We wrote pretty often. 

While we were waiting for a baby to adopt in l971, they came out to Spokane to see us.  The were on there way to Nevada for her to drive a vehicle home which was Cincinnati, Ohio at that time.  She and her husband Ron have three boys.  While we were there the case worker had to make another walk through the house.  It was a mess but I had told her that before she came.  They left and I went back to work on Monday and we got the call they had a baby girl for us.  Now that is another thinking Thursday.

When Tom and Chrissy were 3 and 4 and Steve was going to be a Senior in high school we decided to make a trip to Tennessee and got by way of Moores Hill.  They have moved there after our last visit.

We stayed several days and had such a wonderful time.  Then we went on to Sharon and Brownies. 

Several times when I was there visiting she came down to see me.  Her husband is in very poor health so I don't think they are traveling anywhere any more.  Her boys and grown and have children.  I would like to see her again.  Face Book doesn't cut it for a face to face visit and a hug from someone who has been a friend for all those years.

Miss you Joan,

Blessings,

Lea

 This was the group who went riding.  I did not ride, Raven fell over on me avoiding the saddle.  Bob took Sages and its too big.  I am OK just sore.  She is OK too.  From the left Cindi kneeling, Bob, Cameron Katie, my Bob, Matt, Vicki, me Kim and Ray.  Nikki too the picture.

Bob did not intend to ride so he is without his helmet.   He looks funny.  He borrowed a saddle.  They had a good ride though and I sat in the shade.

It was a fun day and my ribs on my right side are not forgetting it right away.  The hamburgers were good, the salads were good, the brownies and cupcakes were awesome too.  Lots of chips also.  We ate ourselves silly and visited.  Bea, Marilyn and Dave, Andrea and her family came to visit and eat.  That was nice too.

Never in my 75 years have I had such a blessed and fun weekend.  I felt so loved and so cared for.  My friend Kim came over from Eureka, MT for Sunday.  I love her and it was so good to see her.  She used to live down the road.  Nikki was here too with her family on Saturday and then rode with everyone on Sunday.  I know awesome is a much over used word but I can't figure out a better one.

THANK YOU , THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR AN AWESOME WEEKEND. 

Blessings,

Lea

 This Thinking Thursday is all about Wild Rose aka Rosie.

One day while Bob was still working, he did a job for some people in Mead.  They had a 3 year old pinto pony in a small pen in their back yard.  They said they thought she was half paint and half Welsh Pony.  I think they were correct.   They said you could not ride her because she was a bucker.  She had been to a trainer and she bucked everyone off.    Bob being Bob hopped on her and rode her around the yard with just a halter and lead rope.  We paid $500. for her, went and got our trailer and took her home. She has never bucked except when 3 grand kids tried to get on her at once and she made one little buck and sent them all three off.  She will ride two, but a third one, not so much.

 Just one of the many children that have taken lessons on her.  She just babysits them as they learn how to sit and how to use the reins. 

One of the things she was trained to do was pull a cart.She would rather to that than be ridden.  She has won a lot of ribbons and trophies at horse shows.  The was the high point driving pony in Washington State Horsemen for two years I believe.  She loves to pull the sleigh.  We have a good time every winter when the snow gets deep enough.  Bob makes me a trail out through the pastures so I don't have to depend on their being snow on the road.  My sleigh has runners like a sled so it needs ice or snow.

I love this picture of Rosie and Stormy, her first baby.  This was the first day we turned them out of their little pen he had been born in.  His sire was a beautiful Shetland Pony.

This little girl won everything in Lead Line classes on her.  She was a good little rider. 

At this point in Rosie's life she is past due to have a mule baby.  She can't go much longer.  When you pasture breed it difficult to pin it down.  However, I do know she is past when she should have been due.  Mule babies are often late.  Guess it takes more time to get those ears.

I thought she might go last night because yesterday she got out and when we tried to catch her she went on a RUN about.  At first she went down to road (the middle) towards Katie's ( S ) and the she turned around and came back to our front yard.  I have always been able to catch her until then.  Then she took off down the road the other way, cars were coming.  Thank goodness they saw her and stopped.  She ran into the freshly planted wheat field across the road, flopped her fat self down and rolled in the mud and fresh sprouts, then ran some more just as hard as she could back across the road, by now with an audience, into the driveway on the other side of us where no one lives.  About half way down the drive is a gate and some people pulled their truck so she could not get back out and Bob walked right up to her.  She looked at him and said a naughty word because she was caught.  BACK into her pen she went.

So still no baby today.

That is my Rosie pony story.  She is an awesome little horse.  She is 13 hands tall, will ride, drive and is Bob's best pack horse.  And when they get into the back country she will pull trees out of the way.  It is the best $500 we have ever spent on a horse.

Blessings,

Lea



 I don't know what they are discussing but Nikki, her husband  Carmen, Isaac behind him and Lilianna between them. 

 Tyler our grandson and Britnee.  They make such a darling couple.  She seems right with him and he is madly in love with her daughter Armani who is 2.

One side of the room with some of the people sitting there.  I think if Bob and I counted correctly there were 28 young and old there.  2 girlfriends one 2 yrs old and the rest directly related or spouses/partners with one who is. 

It was such a special day.  Friday I will move on to Sunday.  Who could have a better birthday weekend.  It was a dream of a time and I never felt so loved and cherished as I did then. 

Tomorrow is my Thinking Day and I think I will tell Rosie's story.  Still no baby but she had herself quite a day today.

Blessings,

Lea

What a wonderful weekend I had.  For the most part the best in my life.  A blip on Sunday with my horse but the BIG HIT  of the entire weekend was my big surprise party on Saturday night.  I could not have been more surprised.

All four of our living children with the two in heaven rejoicing too I am sure.  Not only all 4 children but l4 of l7 grandchildren and a group of greats too.  Two girlfriends too in the group.  They had reserved the pink room at the casino.

I knew Bob was taking me there for dinner but I was shocked at the group that surprised me.  I could not get another picture to load.  Then I will have Sundays to show you.  You will probably all get tired of hearing about it.  My sister paid for it all, and my eternal thanks to her.  The only thing that would have made it better was to have her there. 

Thank you to my kids, my sister and everyone there.  Some of the grandchildren just came for the evening and had to be back to go to work Sunday morning.  Wow.  I feel so loved and cherished by my entire family.

The picture left to right is Christy, our son Tom,  Wendy, our daughter Christyn.  Bob and I, our son Steve behind us, Debbie, our daughter Nikki and her husband Carmen.  I love them each so much.

Blessings, you haven't heard the last from this weekend,

Lea

Thinking Thursday

Thinking Thursday

A few years ago I wrote about this wagon and decided to do it again.  I am going to be thinking about different things on Thursdays.

This little wagon has been around our place for a long time.  It is a little worse for wear but still has loveing memories.  I can imagine the things that happened before we got the wagon at a yard sale I think.  I can see a little blonde boy with his hands over his mouth jumping up and down in excitement over what Santa had brought him.  He pulled it around and around and his mama and daddy pulled him and his baby sister in it too.  He grew up and the wagon was just in a corner of his parents garage.  They decided to clean out their garage.  Thus the yard sale and we bought it.

We were just starting to have grandchildren.  They played with it,

pulling each other, toys, hay and what have you all around.  As they got older, they attatched it to the four wheeler and pulled the younger kids around.  They pulled it with their bikes, they have pulled it behind the tractor with Grandpa. 

Now our grandchildren are growing up and have outgrown the little red wagon.  But we have the great grandchildren now.  They don't come out so much but when they do, the little Red Radio Flyer will be here, tucked away in the corner of the barn waiting for the.

Blessings,

Lea

Justin and I taking a nap this afternoon.  .  He pulled up on a chair and was so proud of himself.  I knew he was going to fall and hit the wooden dog bed.  He did, he turned around thinking he could walk to me.  He couldn't.  He isn't even 7 months old yet.  He cried pretty hard and will have a bruise but did not split his head open like I thought.  We snuggled a while and then I lay back and was talking to him and then he was asleep and I was dozing.  Katie came in and caught us.  He is a brave little bugger,  he thinks he can do anything.

Didn't do too much after noon.  This morning I helped Bob gather our steers up so he could brand the five of them.  Not my favorite job but as a farmers wife you don't always get to pick and choose.  They are now up on their summer pasture with the ones he branded last week.  He is working on fence up by Deer Park so we can take our cow calf pairs, the bull and bred heifers up there.

I wanted to work with Sage but when Justin went home we went to buy groceries for the month.  I try to get everything but milk etc. once a month.  Doesn't always work but close to it. 

So that was my day.  Tomorrow, I am going to ride Sage whether Bob is here or not.  Just can't wait any longer.  I can't.

Blessings

Lea

I could not get the other picture to load.   This is Ft. Spokane, established in 1840.  It is maintained beautifully.  We didn't stop to walk around, just to take this picture.  It sits on the east side of the Spokane River overlooking the river.

I worked with Sage today and too bad no one was here.  She was so laid back I think I could have ridden her anywhere.  Keep doing things to take the spooks out of her and so far that is working.  I sat the bucket of nails on her back and rattled it.  Did that from both sides.  I put a couple of poles on the ground and put the end of one on the bottom rail of the panel.  She just hopped over it fine.  She never stumbled over the other one either.  I get so proud of her every time she does something different happily.

Blessings,

Lea

 These are at the entrance to the Two Rivers Casino on the Columbia River on the Spokane Indian Reservation.  We stopped at their big gas station to use their facilities.  They are very large way up in the air on big metal poles.

I got Justin come cowboy boots at a yard sale.  He already had his jammies on but I had to see them on him.  A little big for him yet..  I loved them and hope he gets to wear them when he grows into them.

Our warm sunny weather moved on somewhere else.  Darn but we really needed the rain.  You could almost hear things growing out there.  We have wheat and barley  fields all around us and needed the drink today.  I hope it doesn't last for more than a couple of days though.  Back to sweat pants for now.  I was cold today.  So Sage gets a day or two off too then.  I just can't go out in the wind and rain to work her. 

Bed calling to me.  Blessings to you all,

Lea

 Today Bob and I did our usual Mothers Day drive.  I told him I wanted to go back roads where we didn't usually go and for the most part that is what we did.  This horse was at the gate of a very expensive neighborhood that I had no idea was up there in the hills.  It is SW of Deer Park.

This is the confluence of the Spokane River and the Columbia River.  Have been there lots of times but it is always beautiful.  The water is so low we could not imagine.  It was a beautiful day and not hot, just lovely.  We had dinner in Davenport and came home.  Will have more pictures tomorrow.  I give up trying to post more than two at a time.

When we got home I changed my clothes and went to check on Rosie. No, no baby darn it.  And I put Ditto back into a pen where we can give her extra feed and keep hay in front of her all the time.  She looks awful.  I don't think she can eat very well but she can wolf down the combination of stuff we give her.  At 33, its hard to keep her going.  Love that old girl.  We have done lots of things together.

Blessings to you all, hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day.

Lea

 Candy and her babies.  That is Ed on her left.  He is growing like a weed.  The other calf is her own - Dandy.  She is the larger of the two.

Her forelock resembles Rod Stewart.  Nothing I do helps it grow or be pretty.  I wanted her to have a mane and forelock like Rusty but to no avail.  This is what she has.  A friend recommended coconut oil on it to calm it and to encourage it to grow.  Didn't have time today though.  Did some ground work in the round pen earlier and some bending and backing  and so on.  I didn't feel too  much like riding and I was here by myself.  But wanted to keep her reminded of doing the ground work.

Hope you had a good Saturday.

Blessings,

Lea

 My Justin going after Tazzy.  She bites everyone else but lets him maul her.  He is beginning to pull himself up on things.  Now the fun really begins.

A lady that lives down the road has about 3/4 of an acre yard.  Just a little is fenced off and she asked if we wanted to bring horses down to eat.  She really did not want them overnight so Bob rides Wrangler and ponies Raven and then goes back and rides them home.  She is a very nice lady who has undergone some tragic things.  She has the cutest English Bulldogs. 

Again I had several pictures and two is what I could load.  They will get posted here and there.  I did not work with Sage today.  We had to be at a funeral at 11.  That meant leaving here by 10.  Then I had a doctor appointment with my regular doctor.  He can't figure out what was the matter either.  Next Friday, the l7th. I have a cardiologist appointment later in the afternoon.  So anyway when we got home there were chores and we moved five steers and Charlie the bull. (I know Katie you named him something else but I can't remember and I remember Charlie).  Bob put up some temporary panels and they followed him.  They are all in with the cows now.  Bob will brand the steers and then next week take them to their summer pasture.

So all that to say, I didn't have time.  I must tomorrow though.  I am not going to ride her next Sunday though.  She just is not ready for a ride with a bunch of other horses I don't think.  I will ride Raven.

It was 88 degrees here today.  It was pretty warm at the cemetery.  Betty was a dear lady but had been gone from here quite a while so not many people there.  We did get to meet up with her younger sister that we spent time with 30 years ago.  She lives close to our girls.  Maybe we will get to see them once in a while.  We had a lot of fun with them when we were all younger.  It was very good to see Betty's son and daughter too.  They have aged so much, (and we haven't).  Wish the circumstance had been different.  Betty would have laughed her head off at the stories told about her.

I received some beautiful cards from my kids.  I would like for every one to be here for Mothers Day but they are mothers too with younger children so they need to be with their families.  It always makes me sad though.

Blessings,

Lea

 Rusty.  I wish Sage could grow the mane and forlock like hers.  We have had a terrible time with the abcesses in her feet.  I think they are OK now but Bob is still a little cautious about moving her back out with the other horses.

I had such a wonderful ride on Sage yesterday.  She was a little goosey to start with but with lots of ground work she did well when I got on.  I got so excited about riding her that Marilyn had to keep telling me - heels down, sit up straight, use your legs -.  My legs are the weakest part of me when I am riding.  It sounded like me when I was giving lessons.  I know to keep my heels down and to sit up straight.  Lean forward and you a really suseptible to getting dumped right off.  Same with letting your heels come up.  From brain to body is another thing.

I have tried all day to get those two pictures loaded.  It will load two but three freezes up.  GRRRRRRRRRRR.

It is hot today again.  I am going out and work Sage a 2nd time today and ride her when it starts to cool down some.  I got a little sunburn yesterday and am trying to keep out of it during this most hot part of the day.  I worked her this morning and she did great but Bob was not home and I did not want to ride her with no one else here. 

Blessings,

Lea

These beauties always tell you when spring has arrived.  I don't know what they are, but they are plentiful where there is shade.  I tried to dig one up once and the roots go VERY deep, I could not get it and if you pick them for a bouquet they wilt immediately.  In a few weeks they will be gone.  Love them.

Nothing much but same old, same old going on around here.  It is hot but Bob got the cooler in so the house stays cool.  Rosie just gets rounder and rounder.  I keep thinking maybe tomorrow - maybe. 

I am so excited for my birthday ride on May l9th.  If you read this you are invited.  Hamburgers and potluck after the ride.  What a wonderful way to celebrate turning 75. 

We took out recycling to the center in Medical Lake.  We saw some turkeys, BIG tom and hens I guess.  And bunches of deer.  We go through Eastern State Hospital grounds and they have an abundance of deer.  I love looking at them.  Then one casually walked out in front of us about half a mile from home.  Bigger and healthier looking than the ones at the hospital.

Sage is going to get a real workout tomorrow and I hope to ride her.  I am getting down in the dumps about her.  I love her so much and want her to be quiet and ride nicely.  She is so big.

My regular doctor called me, rather his nurse, and told me I needed to come in so he could check me over after the episode last week.  She told me my appointment was Friday at 3.  I guess that tells me what I am doing Friday afternoon. 

I am just mumbling along this evening -

Blessings,

Lea

Today was Spokane's famous Bloomsday Road Race.  7.6 miles long.  I have run it and walked it but enjoy taking pictures the most.  The top picture is the elite men and the man that won was from Ethiopia finished in 34 minutes.  The next picture Is the elite women and the lady in front won in 39 minutes.  The bottom is the wheel chair elite racers.  They fly.  It was very warm today so I know it was tough running.  About 60 is a good temp.  Today was in the mid 70's at race time.

Bob is so kind, he shared his cold with me.  Wasn't that nice. 

My mosaic horse is coming along.  I don't want to take a picture until its done.  I need some more grey glass ware. I will go to 2nd. hand/thrift stores when I am in town tomorrow.  I am very pleased with it.  From a paper mache' horse that is very, very light weight to a quite heavy horse. 

Rosie is still hanging on to that baby.  I did her tail up today.  She is flipping it around, don't know if its the start of labor or her irritated about her tail.  Every thing except not waxing makes her appear to be ready.  She did not do that last time either. 

I was going to work with Sage today but we were surprised yesterday with our daughter Chrissy, her partner and her girls.  So I wanted to spend time with them so Sage goes another day.  I hope tomorrow.  When I worked her Friday she bucked, I mean bucked after I saddled her and went to work her.  Silly girl.  I popped her on the rear with the lunge whip and she looked at me like WHAT?

Love this warm weather but I know it won't last.  Bob is out spraying this evening.  Perfect day for it.  For once no wind.  So he is getting it done.  I wish my hair was just a little longer so I could get it up in a pony.  It would help when it gets warmer yet.

Blessings to you all,

Lea

Sometimes I just wonder WHAT THE HECK.  Bob came down with a terrible head cold so his surgery is postponed.  Now he says he won't have it until fall.  Its hernia surgery and not life threatening but it bothers him.  So I guess it will just have to bother him.

THEN yesterday I was putting around here fussing with Rosie and putting Pepper in off grass.  He's too fat if you hadn't noticed.  I was in the midst of breaking some glass for a mosaic I am working on and my stomach began to not feel very good.  I picked up my stuff and came in.  I realized I had not eaten breakfast so put toast in the toaster.  By the time it came out I was in so much pain in my chest and upper stomach area that I could hardly catch my breath.  I was sweating profusely and shaking like a leaf.  I laid down on the couch and it got worse.  I thought I was having a heart attack so I called 911 and without going into it all I ended up in the ER and the pain went away = gone= zip=gone.  After spending 6 hrs. there and lots of blood draws, xrays etc. They said I could come home.  My blood pressure was never elevated, my pulse was never elevated and every test was negative.  The nurse had the nerve to tell me as I was leaving, actually you are in very good health.  So why was I in so much pain and why was I transported if I was in such good health. And, why do my arms have all these purple bruises from their attempts to get an IV in.  Anyway, that is my rant.  I have to see my cardiologist and my regular Dr. and I am sure they will poke and prod some more.  So much for very good health.

And that was my day yesterday, now today I went to Deer Park with Bob and forgot my phone so now I am in trouble because half the world wanted to know if I was still OK.  Well I am so the other half now knows I am also.  OK that is.
I took some pictures today of a large bald eagle we saw on the way home and some geese in our friends yard.  But they are still in the camera and am too lazy to go get them.  Another day.

So that was my rant and my excuse for not a picture. 

Blessings,

Lea