Thankful Tuesday

I have thought long about what I am thankful for. Today I am thankful for memories. Good ones and bad ones too. I have memories of both my grandmothers. Grandma Foreman lived with us but Grandma Kephart lived in Puyallup. I have memories of making a raft to float on our little lake and having my horse Blaze come out in the water and try to get on with me. You can guess what happened. I remember swinging on a rope in out barn onto the hay (no bales then), lots of memories of my mother. I remember driving cross country with her to my niece Suzannes wedding in a VW and it was HOT. I remember my wedding day, I remember when our children was born, I remember when our little girl died and my broken heart, I remember vividly when our son Scott died 6 years ago and thinking I would not recover, I remember when Bob got hurt just before Christmas a few years ago and I thought he might die, I remember arguing with the doctor about going camping and he said I was having heart surgery instead. I had the surgery, I remember Bob telling me I was having a stroke and taking me to the hospital, I was. I remember my white horse, I remember our cow named Daisy. I remember our 50th anniversary party. I am just thankful for each and every memory.

The stalls are all clean and bedded with clean white pelleted paper. Pepper thought it was going to eat him and didn't want to go in on it but then rolled. Am quite happy with myself. A hard few days work because I took them down to bare bottom, not a straw left. I am very greatful for the nice weather. I think tomorrow I am going to drag the arena which means I will have to empty it first of plastic barrels, poles and such. We will see.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Marvelous Monday

I thought I had a picture but it seems to be gone and I don't want to take the time to look for it this evening. It is of a white petunia. I bought some pink and some white petunias and planted them in some little boxes I have and set them on the side of the ugly porch until we side the house and I get my real window boxes. I know its a little early but I just had to have some color out there. I love pentunias. They are so bright and cheerful and bloom forever it seems.

I worked with Liberty today. She was glad to be caught and lead out of the pasture but she did not know if she wanted me brushing her or not. We got a pretty good brushing in even though she did not think too much of it and I got one front foot. She was so bonded to Tyler its going to be hard to get her to the point where someone else can work with her and she is relaxed. I did not force too much from her today. Tomorrow is another day. Had considered trying to catch Rusty but she is bound and determined that I will not touch her. She lets Bob walk up to her so we will let him do that.

I worked on stalls again today. By tomorrow I will have them all cleaned and them bedded. If I could manage to do all of one at a time I would be all done but my legs and back rebel and remind they are almost 71 and would appreciate it if I would not push too hard. I don't guess anyone but me and the horses care if their stalls are spotless.

The furnace man came back to work on our furnace today. I told them 3 weeks ago that it still did not work. So today when it is 75 out he comes and turns my furnace on full blast. We don't have the cooler in yet so it got suffocating in the house. It better work now, it was 257.00 more than the 168.00 I already paid. He said that was just the part but my inquiring mind isn't so sure.

Bob loves casseroles and I put one together for dinner tonight. I thought it was rather bland and not so good. I picked the chicken out of it mostly but my Knight in Shining Armor loved it. Oh well, our taste in food is much different. Some of the time anyway.

Have a terrific Tuesday.

Sunday

This will brief and to the point this evening. I am bushed as in tuckered out. But at the same time quite pleased with what I accomplished outside today. I fixed the fence - by myself - all by myself. Well almost anyway. Bob had to do a couple of things when he got home but I set three new posts, all by myself - learned how to drive them in the ground with the tractor. That is after I had to call Tom how to start it. When I was done I had to call him back and ask how to shut it off. I had not driven it in a while and had left out a step - like having it all in neutral to make it start. I had a big fire today and got alot of stuff burned that I have been gathering up around here, cleaned Dittos stall - again all by myself. Now I really am tired just thinking about that.

The horses were very upset with me for fixing the fence and getting them off that green grass that is not enough to feed them yet. Now they have set it back a while. We are now back on our routing of the 3 going into the barn at night. When they were naughty and out on the grass, only Ditto got to come in.

Bed is calling. Have a Marvelous Monday.

Sunny Saturday

I drove to Ellensburg and back today to a Washington State Horsemen board meeting. On the way home I stopped at the Mustang Memorial and took this picture. I did not have my long lense with me. Nor did I have appropriate shoes on to hike up there but always love to see it.

The meeting was very good today. It gave me an opportunity to talk about the mustangs and our Mustang Days in June. It was a beautiful day and other than several dead deer along the hiway it was beautiful. There are new baby calves all over the place. They look so cute frolicing in the fields.

Had some sad news while I was talking to folks. Two of my friends lost their horses in the last few days. One to colic and the other to a host of things. He was 32 but the other was only 18. I could sympathize with them and cry with them. So Sherrie and Kathy, out prayers go with you.

No big news today, Katie stayed the night and when I left she was mucking out stalls. Thank you for that Katie.

Have a peaceful Sunday.

Disappointing Friday

ThiThis picture was taken a year or so ago. It is me riding Ditto. She is so smooth I just have to every once in a while.

I had so much planned to do today outside and guess what it is doing. It is raining. And raining. I know it will be good for the fields but its not in my plan. So I was reading and relaxing and then I looked out at the pasture. The horses had broken down the fence and they were all out eating grass. It was not quite where we wanted it to be when we turned them out. I need to go out and see what I can do with it. They won't get hay tonight though.

So, not wanting to whine about things anymore. I will say have a fantabulous Saturday. I have to go to Ellensburg to a meeting. I will be home in the evening though. Bob is tooling along I-90 on his way to Helena, Montana.

Thursday

No pictures today. I worked outside for most of the day. Went and had a massage this afternoon and wanted to come home and go to bed but didn't. She found some sore spots in my shoulders and low back but worked them off. The worst was in my neck and I was shocked that she got that to let up by stretching my arms different ways. My neck is freer than its been for a long time. I just thought it was because I was old.

I don't know how so much junk accumulated over the winter. Snow did cover a multitude of sins. And, I have a husband who just drops things - all kinds of things. I have picked up enough hay string to burn the place down. When I was working out by the barn, the horses stand at the fence talking to me. They are asking for treats - hey mom were right here. So I would clean a while and then go pet noses. Are they spoiled - of course not. And am I sucker, of course not.

Bob is leaving for Montana about noon tomorrow and the house is going to get ignored. There is much I want to do which includes working some more on Ditto's grooming and perhaps I will give in and work with Rusty. The last time she made me so mad I said she was Bob's to do but that might never happen the way his schedule is.

Katie is going to come and stay with me tomorrow night and we are going to have a girls night out and go to dinner somewhere. Her idea of going somewhere nice is Subway - I like Subway but I want someplace a notch above. We will have fun.

I do hope your Friday is great.

Wednesday in the sunshine

This picture is about 9 years old. Michaela was 6 and she is either 15 or 16 now. She was my favorite student that I have ever had. She did so well at leadline on Rosie. I was proud of her. She was so scared at first and then just blossomed. Then adults messed things up and she got caught in a three way custody fight and her father wouldn't let her ride anymore. Said it was too dangerous but he just was getting revenge on her mother and grandmother. It made me so sad.

I spent alot of time grooming Ditto this afternoon. She was a mess. I took tons of hair off of her and pounds of mud balls. She gets tired of me pulling on them though. She really is appearing old. AND she is more opinionated than she was. She forgets sometimes she has any manners at all. I just dropped her lead rope and let her eat grass on the back lawn.

Pepper fought me over the fly mask again., He just does not like it but it does protect his eye site whether he likes it on or not. I take it off at night though.

Katie came and rode Abby. She just does better every time. It is amazing what a little confidence will do. She is dreading the next month and her finals and graduation. School is hard for her and she studies alot. She wants to ride every night too. She had her Senior presentation on Monday. She was very nervous but got thru it OK even if the computer messed up so she did not have her Power Point to go with it.

The grass is sprouting up, and in the next few days the trees will all be leafed out. A new beginning, spring. Have a marvelous Thursday.