Home Again

The early morning sky last Friday. I am not usually awake at sunrise but when I woke up and saw this I was in awe.
It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive to Grangeville, Idaho. Bob lay down on the bed and promptly fell asleep after we got checked in. The flash woke him and we had a good laugh.

The only horse that we had anything to do with all weekend. He is modeling a week spraying device.

Our table centerpiece. A man made them a few years ago and he passed away this past summer. We used them again in memory.

This is a view outside of Craigmont, Idaho. There are a series of wooden trestles along this area but this is the highest. It was built in 1908. It looks just a might blurry and that is because it was pouring down rain. It is Lawyer Creek Canyon. Lawyer was a Nez Pierce Indian.

We had a good weekend and some very good things were accomplished. The banquet dinner was just awesome and I think we all ate too much. After dinner a band came in and played for us to listen or dance too. It was fun. Friday evening when we got down there and settled in we went with a group of friends to a Methodist Church where they were having a salmon dinner. It was so very good.

A report on the horses. I will find out more about them tomorrow but I believe the black one is going to Wenatchee and the brown one has two people that want him. The remaining two appy's the man had were rehomed yesterday. The outpouring from the people who I have told has been heart warming. You are all wonderful. Tony and his wife are being blessed.

Tomorrow is the only day this week without rain (or snow) and I must go spend some time with Sage. I kick myself all over for not being riding her by now. She stands down there and looks at the house and I feel guilty.

Blessings.

A sad story

The black horse is Haugen and the sorrell is Johnny Cash AKA Cash

This morning right after we had breakfast and were talking about what we were going to do today and the telephone rang. It was Angie Link of the BLM. She told me a tale about two mustangs that were in the need of picking up from where they were. We called the lady who had called her and this is the story she told us.

These horses were adopted 4 years ago as weanlings or not quite year olds. In fact, Bob delivered them. The people who adopted them did everything right except, they did not title them. I don't know why. They sent them to a trainer and they had about $10,000 worth of training over 8 months as 2 year olds. The man worked with them alot up to a year ago when disaster fell on them.

The man had an anyrism rupture in his brain and then they discovered a brain tumor. He can not walk without a crutch and still falls regularly. His wife has some kind of terminal cancer. She was having radiation today. Their water has been turned off for a month but over the weekend sold their horse trailer so it was turned back on earlier this week. They lost their business because he could not take care of it, their house is in forclosure and they had no hay. There were four horses, the two mustangs and two big appys. The appy's are well broke big horses and will be easier to place than mustangs. A neighbor has been buying hay a bale at a time for them. They can't continue to do that.

The black is in good condition and the sorrell needs some weight. They are in our round pen. We did purchase the mans panels and bow gates. Won't be able to get them until Monday. We needed more so its a good thing for us. Bob went to the guy we get hay from to get the appy's a ton of hay until they can find homes and Bob the hay man gave it to Bob to give to them. Bless you Bob. So that is kind of where we are right now. Angie may have found a home for the black one and we will look for one for the other if that is the case.

Bob and I have been whining around- the clutch went out of the truck and cost $1000.00 to fix and something on our well broke and that cost 500.00 to fix, I was sick for about 24 hours, and on and on but we are just thanking the Lord today that we have decent health and many things. We are so blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are leaving tomorrow for the Back Country Horsemen convention in Grangeville, Idaho. We will be back Sunday. Hope your weekend is terrific.

Blessings

How We Got Started

About 15 years ago Bob and I took a vacation and went down the Oregon Coast. We love the Oregon Coast. But that is not what this story is about. We decided that on our way home we would to to the Hermiston, Oregon Horse auction. We were just putzing down the highway. We thought, we would have lunch in Burns. Off to the north side of Highway 395 there was a sign - "Wild Horse Corrals". The tires went uuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrch and the car made a U turn.

Al little back ground here - when Wild Horse Annie first began her campaign to stop the random murder of the wild horses, I was one of the many school children to write letters. In the 50's thousands of children wrote letters which helped stop the eradication of the mustangs. Bob and I were, are and will be horse nutty and we had been reading about the mustangs. We had talked about going to see them for some time.

So the car spun around and we pulled in to the corral parking lot which was the first of many times though the years. And we were in love. We met Lloyd and became friends with home. We walked and walked around the corrals and looked at all the beautiful horses. One big buttermilk buckskin caught Bob's eye. She was obviously pregnant. Lloyd said she would be going to an adoption in the next couple of weeks to western Oregon but if Bob wanted to fill out the paperwork, he would submit it to the BLM.

We went on to the Hermiston Auction, it was fun but our minds were on the buckskin mare in Burns. We got home, Bob prepared to have carpet tunnel surgery and the telephone rang. It was Lloyd calling to tell Bob he could adopt the mare but would have to be there on Tuesday, the day after his surgery. So, the day after his surgery he and our son in law headed for Burns and picked up Christmas Valley Sand AKA Sandy. She was from the Paisley HMA. She was beautiful but never really learned to trust us. Six weeks after she came to us she surprised us with a beautiful buckskin colt. We were surprised because she had not bagged up or any other of the signs we were accustomed to. The colt was sweet and grew up to be about 15h3 and weighs about 1200 pounds.

About 10 months later came Pepper. I will share his story another time. He is my fat boy plodder from Riddle Mountain HMA.

Anther time we went to a Kiger adoption. It was our anniversary weekend and I wanted a Kiger filly. I had picked out 5 or 6 but they all went for more than I wanted to pay. Bob bought the last filly to go through the auction. She was a five month old dun filly that I named Cricket. After the adoption auction we went out to the corrals and looked around. They had a buddy horse program - buy one and get another for 25.00. Bob looked and looked. He picked our a pure black filly we named Abby. So home came the two fillys. Abby was 2. She is from the Sheepshead HMA.

Cricket grew into a beautiful mare. I eventually gave her to my grandniece Caroline. She went to live in Massachusetts and when the family moved to Mississippi so did Cricket. We gave Abby to our wanna be granddaughter Katie. Abby still lives here.

We now also have Raven who came from Ravendale, CA HMA, Rusty from Beattys Butte, Liberty who belongs to a neighbor who moved to Wyoming and lift her. Also boarded here is Coyote Ice Cream AKA Cody from Coyote Lakes HMA, and Amelia that was abandoned up by USK, WA. my sisters husband has adopted her but she is living here. She is from the Ely, Nevada area.

We sold Sandy and still have Wrangler. Also since I wrote this I adopted a 15h1 black and white pinto mare from the Paisley HMA. She is Sage that I have written so much about.

We have been BLM volunteers since our first visit to the corrals. Mustangs are like potato chips, you can't just have one.

Blessings

A lazy Monday

Velcro - Chrissy's kitty. She was having so much fun in the sack and when I lay down on the floor she thought I was a little nutsy. She loves bags as does out house kitty Trouble.

We went in to visit with Chrissy and Wendy today. We had some things that her Uncle Lynn and Aunt Jackie had sent to her.
See you!
They just stood around eating until I got out of the car. Then they were off to other places.

My mother and dad and little sister Sharon. Love this picture. I wish I knew what color our dresses were.

Just a grey drizzly day. Bob finished up cutting up his deer and getting it into the freezer. Then we decided to go visit Chrissy to go to the used book store. I was getting close to running out of books, well sort of. I have a large bookshelf full in our bedroom and a cupboard full in the living room. I am trying to read and reread them too.

I really wanted to take Sage to work with the ball today but not in this constant drizzle. It is supposed to do it all night and dry out tomorrow so maybe.

Tomorrow I think I am going to write the story of how we met the mustangs. I don't think I have done it before. If I have Oh well, a few new people are reading.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow unless you already have. We did about two weeks ago and its driving me nuts with all the signs and commercials. Don't think I have ever heard such nasty attack ads. I want it over. Just vote -

Blessings

Halfway to 1000

Here we are with the halfway point of 1000 blessings. I dare anyone besides Marlene who is already doing it to write them down and post them.


473. Gravenstein Apples
474. Applesauce cake with brown sugar frosting
475. Sister In Law that trusts us to help her
476. Son in law's birthday party
477. Tracey's horse pictures
478. Rain on the roof
479. Neglected plants that survive despite you
480. Old Cemeteries
481. Squirrels
482. Pumpkin scented candles
483. Beauty in any form
484. Dogs wagging tails
485. We never go hungry
486. The view outside from my computer chair
487. Memories of my daddy
488. Memories of my mother
489. Bob's parents wedding picture
490. The hunter and his daughter found safe
491. Sound of Music
492. Sentimental Days
493. Grand kids birthday parties
494. Riverfront Park
495. Hot bath when muscles ache.
496. Finding the children of a dear deceased friend on Face Book
497. Candlestick holders that were Bob's dads
498. Used book stores
499. Carolines barrel racing
500. Warm winter coats

No Trick or Treaters, Can I Eat The Candy

This is the last of the Photo Challenge. The word was COSTUME. Our church had a costume party this morning and this little boy caught my eye. I don't know his name and I did not recognize his parents but we go to a large church so that would not be too unusual. I thought he was so cute and fit what I was looking for. We don't get trick or treaters out here in the country but I am always prepared so now Bob and I are eating the candy.
A while back I bought this exercise ball at a yard sale for a dollar. I never intended to use it to exercise but for this purpose. Sage thought it was going to eat her for a while but then she got used to it. I will do more the next day it does not rain. Maybe tomorrow.

She smelled it several times. She certainly is a snorter. That mustang snort that I know so well. I went over her with the white sack and she just let me touch her all over. It was so nasty and muddy out I didn't want to do much more.

More old pictures. My mother and my grandmother. I don't know the occasion but they are so pretty standing there.

We went to church and then just kind of laid around most of the day. We saw a herd of seven mule deer both on the way and home too. I did not have my longer lens on so the pictures are not terrific and I did not post them but them were magnificent to watch. One big buck.

Blessings

Happy Birthday Sheya

Happy 9th. birthday sweet Granddaughter. We were late getting to her party because the neighbors cows got out but we still enjoyed our time with Sheya and the others who were there.
Our photo challenge today was STATUE. We have lots of them around Spokane and bless Bob's little ole heart, he drove around until I found just the right one to take a picture of. This one is on the north edge of Riverfront Park by the Monroe St. bridge. It is so pretty down there this time of the year.

I turned around toward the bridge and took this. It is so pretty.

Over toward the river. I wish we would have had some time to walk around the park but it was after 4 and it was going to get dark before too long.

I don't know how I was. Eight or nine maybe. I was known as the girl with the long blond braids.

Poor Sage. It was a nice enough day to go mess with her but we went into town to Sheya's party. She looked at me and whinnied when we got home and I got out of the car. Maybe she just wanted dinner but I want to think she was saying hello.

I still am struggling with my books read in 2010. Nikki told me something but I don't know how to do it. I tried adding it back and putting the list back on but that didn't work too good either. I think I had 73 on the list but it is floating around in cyber space.

Blessings