Introductions Are In Order

This black and white beauty is SAGE. She is MINE. I am so excited and anxious to get her home and to get started on her. She was not part of the competitive auction but out in the pens and I got to adopt her after the bidding was over. A walk up they called it. Whatever they call it, I got her. She will be delivered within a week or as much as a month. Hopefully not that long. I left a halter and lead rope for her. She will look pretty in purple.

Nikki and I had an awesome time and I will have a lot of pictures to post. Not only did we have fun at the corrals, we made two trips out to the South Steens and saw groups of horses both times. Ones was a tiny white looking foal, lots of pintos, Tracey's love Honor, a Bachelor that came over the hill trotting and trotted right towards us and then went and stood under a tree, some we could walk up to 100 feet of, lots of deer. I will be talking more about it but I am exhausted tonight. I drove home from Marysville this morning. My very own bed is calling.

Gratefulness fills my heart today.

P and Tuesday

P
PUPPY
This is Maximus Max, Tom and Christy's little dog. He is 8 or 9 weeks old and a little furry ball. Like baby poodles, he is hyper active and very funny. He was given to their children but he has decided that he is Christy's dog. He loves them all though. I should have sized the other picture of I took of him with him in mid air jumping and his ears flying like wings. I didn't though so just imagine it.

I may be able to post tomorrow on Nikki's computer. I am packed, the car is loaded and I am ready to be out of here. Tracey said they are leaving at 3 AM. I can guarantee that Nikki and I will not be leaving that early on Thursday. By 7. The only things I have to put in the car in the morning is my camera bag and my purse which is overflowing with stuff I want in the front seat with me while I am driving along.

It rained all day today. Bob was off work at 10 this morning so he was home and did the outside work. I don't know if he worked with Rusty or not. It is slimy and slippery out there. Days and weeks like this make me yearn for an indoor arena. Probably won't happen though unless we would win the lottery and you have to buy a ticket to do that.

I am going to close with a quote from my very favorite president - Ronald Reagan. "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We did not pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be protected and handed on for them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free"

Blessings to you all,

Monday and two sweet DIL's

O

One and Other
These are my two DIL's. They both are sweet and kind. Very different personalities but both are a great part of out family.

One is Christy. She and Tom live in Spokane and are the parents of Ryan, Seth and Sheya.

The Other is Debbie. She and Steve live in the Spokane Valley. She brought two of our grandchildren into their marriage. Art and Deanna are adults. Deanna has two boys who are Steve and Debbie's pride and joy.

A grey day but it did not rain. I went to the cattle auction with a neighbor. Some Bob says I should have bought but didn't buy anything. The only thing I was tempted to buy was a cute little silver dapple pony. Horses have been going for 10.00 bucks or so and I would have bought her for that. She went for 180.00 and went to a home. That was good. I am sure she was a Welsh Pony. Prices generally were up quite a bit. Good if your selling, bad if you are buying.

This was Rusty's day off. I hope she enjoyed it. Tomorrow she will get a big workout. I think we both needed to be apart today.

I can rise and shine, just not at the same time.

Rainy Days and the letter N

N

is for NICKLES

I had a hard time figuring out an N word today for some reason.

Church was awesome today. We had a special speaker - Wayne Cordeiro- who is pastor of the fastest growing church in the US in Honolulu. They have 5 services. We enjoyed him a lot. He is going to be the chancellor of Eugene Bible College.

It poured down rain all day. Despite the rain, Bob caught Rusty and put her in the horse trailer a couple of times. She did very well. While he did that out in the rain, I was going to watch the last of the Daytona NASCAR race but I went to sleep. I woke up for the winner to cross the finish line. I guess that is all that is really important. I sure needed that nap I think.

So today was a lazy Valentines Day. Bob took me to dinner last night and made me dinner this evening. Am glad he didn't want to go out. I was too sleepy.

Hope your day was all you hoped for.

M Day - Saturday

M

MAGGIE

Maggie is sweet blend of beagle and yellow lab (we think). She is devoted to Bob and loves me too. She loves our barn kitties but they don't know all she wants to do is kiss them. She did not belong on our bed, but she had to be there to see out of the window. She keeps track of everything on our place. We love her. She is about 10 and is beginning to feel her age a little I think. A few months ago she got bumped by a car out on the road and now she gets a little limpy occasionally and this week has been one of those days.

We had a wonderful day with Rusty. When she started out she had her head in the air and was all buggy eyed but we worked a little while. I took her thru the barn and around the yard and then tied her to the side of the horse trailer while Katie worked with Liberty. Later I took her to the round pen and turned her loose. Bob later went and caught her and took her to the trailer. She set her jaw and was not going to get it. He is so patient though. He tied her back to the side of the trailer while he did some things. I went and tried again with the trailer. She wanted to step up but just couldn't at that moment. Bob walked back over there and I told him at this point we need to keep at it until she steps up. She has refused enough time. It was like she understood, took a big sigh and leaped in. She just stood there and looked at me like I did it mom. I petted and praised her. Then I handed the rope to Bob because it takes my knees longer than hers to get out of the trailer. He asked her to turn around and step out and she did. Then he took her for a little walk and went back toward the trailer, she did not hesitate a minute and just stepped right up. We gave her, her favorite treat - an apple and turned her out into the pasture. We will try again tomorrow. I am glad Bob is going to be home.

I got so disgusted at Walmart today. I went after a pair of sweat pants. Just plain old sweat pants. Good grief the did not have any. They are a winter object. Tomorrow when we are in town I will go somewhere else and get a pair of sweat pants. I only have one decent pair. They are comfortable for me to ride a long distance in. Also will need to go to the used book store tomorrow and stock up again.

Have a peaceful Sunday.

I can rise and shine, just not at the same time.

Friday is brought to you by L

L

is for

LIBERTY

I don't know the Herd Management Liberty is from but I believe she was from California somewhere. She is a large mare, about 15h3". She has the kindest sweetest eyes. The man next door came over one day 7 years ago and asked me if I would help him pick out a mustang on an Internet auction. The horses were seen on a screen at the BLM office here in Spokane. I had been looking at the catalog and talked with him and we picked out 6 horses, Liberty was about 3rd on our list. He bought her, went to Palomino Valley in Nevada and picked her up. I told him specifically not to take the halter off and to leave her in the round pen until he could handle her. He did that about 6weeks, said he felt sorry for her got a hand on her, took off the halter and let her out into 10 acres. Never again to touch her. She would come for grain but not allow herself to be touched. Fast forward to 3 years ago. He moved to Wyoming and left her here. I think he knew Bob would not let her starve. We finally got a rope on her and her into a small area where we got a halter on her and "led" her to our place of Pepper. We worked at gentling her. When Tyler lived with us, he had her ready for her first ride but he was afraid to swing the leg over. She will be caught by me of Katie unless Tyler is visiting and she will walk up to him. She is now 10. Katie is going to really work on her this spring and see if we can get her rideable before summer. The only time Bill has acknowledged her is when Bob asked him for some hay money last winter and he sent $100.00. He wants to sell her but when you can not sell well broken horses, no one wants one that is not broken.

I worked Rusty some today but then it started to rain. I tie her to the side of the trailer for an hour or so. Then I opened the rear door and led her around it. She came up to it but I did not ask any more of her today. The rain was so heavy I just turned her out. Bob will work her tomorrow. At least that is what I told him.

A friend of mine has a gorgeous Arabian show horse. She rode him Saddle Seat and had won just about everything with him. Everyone loved Burrsy (nickname). He died day before yesterday. He had been under the weather for a few days but I did not realize it was terminal. My heart goes out to his human family. It was very difficult. Everyone will miss him.

Live-love-laugh and be happy.

Thinking Thursday and K is for Katie

K

is for KATIE on Abby her mustang mare from the Sheepshead Herd Management Area in Oregon. Katie loves her and Abby loves her a lot. They have many many miles ahead of them. She will do very well with horses and has accomplished alot with Abby. She is a very pretty rider and if she had money and time would accomplish alot in the show ring. She is just trail riding her and doing very well. I have been thinking alot and I think I am going to turn Liberty (who will be my L picture tomorrow) over to Katie to train if she wants to. I will tell you Liberty's story tomorrow. I will need to ask Katie is she wants to or not. Guess I am if she reads this.

Today was the day I was supposed to be thinking. I did, and that can be dangerous. LOL. I was thinking about going to Oregon next week and finding a new friend. I think I will know her when I see her. Nikki wants a horse but is not in a position right now but she said something to me to that affect. I will know her when I see her. Guess I said that huh?

I did not work with Rusty alot. She was a poop in the round pen. I put the surcingle on her and she set off bucking. She has done that before. We worked some, I left it on her and tied her to the hitch rail. Bob worked with her for a couple of our despooking. She got better. At first he stepped up on a stool and she wigged out and when she got over that he shrugged his shoulders and she wigged out. He worked on it a while and then went to clean out her and Cody's pen with the tractor. She really did not mind that. When it started to rain hard, I put her away and he parked the tractor came in and took a nap. Oh well, I did too. When he came in I was wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. I got cold outside.

My sweet cousin who along with her longtime partner RV full time and are spending the winter in Florida had bypass surgery this morning. I sent her an e mail message hoping the Phil would read it and give it to her when she was able to hear him. It would be awful to be so far away from family to have something so serious. She has children but they are not a close knit family. I wish I was where I could go see her. She is in Coral something other near Orlando. Keep her in your prayers please. Her name is Joy.

Life is short, eat dessert first. and have a good day.