Thursday

This is my sweet sister Sharon and her husband "Dr. Doolittle" aka Brownie. They flew out of Nashville this morning early to fly to Honolulu and to get on a cruise ship for a week long cruise of the Hawaiian Islands for their 50th. wedding anniversary. I don't regret having the big party we had but that sure sounds fun.

Today I am kind of just looking back thru some of our pictures. I was too tired last night and have someplace to be this evening so decided I would just do my pictures now. I had no new pictures to post and thought what the heck, I have hundreds to pick from so that is what I did. I may have posted some before, I can't remember and I don't want to look thru 2 years of blogs to check. So here goes.
This is my grand niece Caroline and her horse Cricket. Cricket is a Kiger mustang. We adopted her about 6 years ago I think. Caroline fell in love with her. Carrie lived in Massachusetts at that time. She came two summers to stay with us. The second summer we gave Cricket to her. She did her first ride here before Cricket left. She went to Massachusetts first and Caroline took lessons and had training for Cricket. Now they have moved to Mississippi and Cricket moved with them. Caroline is now 17 and has a year before she starts to college at Ole Miss. In this picture she is showing her in 4H at the state fair. She took a third. They were very proud of her. I am going to MS in May to visit. I hope to be able to ride Cricket at least once while I am there.

This is a group of our critters eating. Yuma now has a friend he rooms with and Sequoia, the third from the top has moved on too. He is a little girls pony.

Bob working with Rusty off Pepper.

Me riding Ditto. I think this is the last time she was ridden. She is my dear old friend and at 29 years old is still going strong. I could ride her but she is retired except for a lead around horse with small kids on her. I promised her she would not have to work any more. She took me to the top in both English and Western when I rode her and she did pull a cart but hated it. So we quit that.

This was a couple of years ago. Not enough snow this year to do anything like this. Rosie loves to pull anything. Bob is rebuilding my cart for her to pull something really pretty. The sleigh is pretty too and looks quite handsome behind her.

Ditto and Liberty last summer or the year before. Liberty was abandoned a few years ago next door. I think Katie will be riding her in the next few weeks. Tyler could have but he was chicken. She is a sweet natured horse.

This is Raven. Bob's favorite horse. She would let anyone ride her but she gets a little spooky sometimes. She was given to us because they said she bucked. Never has, goes sideways on occasion but nothing resembling a buck. She is loving and affectionate too.

This was up in the Clearwater Mt.s last summer. Pepper is always about this far behind. It was absolutely beautiful up there. Bob and Katie are up ahead.

Rosie's eye. Love eye pictures

And Amelia. A fat and fuzzy old mare.

So that is my thinking Thursday.

Thankful Tuesday

Two things before I go any further. #1 When Rusty lays her ears back and looks like she is about to bolt, its not about me but Bob standing by the shed and putting the camera up to take the picture. For some reason that wigged her out. #2 Please don't bug me about my shoes. I know they were the wrong thing to have on my feet working with the horse. But they were comfortable and I didn't want to go back to the house to change. Lazy, probably but I did it anyway.

Rusty in the trailer. She did not go in as easy as yesterday and I did not fasten her in. Tomorrow I will do that again.

I layed further over her yesterday but just before this picture she had wigged out and I had to jump off the stool. Jump I said jump. I had not jumped that far in 10 years. I thought my legs were going to break but they didn't. She did not like Bob and the camera for some reason. I have been taking pictures of her for a long time. Something bugged her today though.

Starting my layover. Just before she made me jump out of her way. Don't guess I will do this without someone home again. She wasn't acting that way until Bob came with the camera. I don't know what was up with that.

This afternoon Bob did not have to work after all and we went for a ride. Katie came along. We went and looked over an arena and then back into the state land that we used to ride on all the time. I wanted to find the way to the bottom of the canyon but Bob and Katie wanted to go back so I did too. When I got back Bob caught Rusty and I ponied her around off Pepper. He is good at that. Just try and lock your feet girl, I will pull you along and he did. Need a shorter rope for Rusty though, if she had bolted I would have had trouble I think.

So through it all, today I am so thankful for the nice weather for the last couple of days. It was so good to get outside and do things without having to struggle with the coat and boots ect. I am thankful for the physical ability to do what we did today. I am thankful for good horses that pack us around. My word (s) today is Thank You.

A Buuuuuuuutiful Monday

No picture today. I had an awesome day today with Rusty but could not figure out how to take a picture when I was doing the hands on. Bob will be home tomorrow Until noon so maybe then either he or I will take pictures.

Rusty today was awesome. I almost could walk up to her in the pasture instead of her running to her little pen and then letting me walk right up to her. I know that sounds silly but that is what she does. I could rub her neck in the pasture and then she just could not let me touch the halter so into her pen we went. She can go in and out so its not like she is penned up. I already had Pepper tied to the hitch rail because I was going to ride, but didn't get to. So I put Rusty at the hitch rail. She didn't want to walk up to it but she did. I curried and brushed her and brushed through her mane. I needed to put more stuff on her leg and had been pondering how I was going to do that. Well, she just stood there and let me put the salve on it. I was so proud of her.

She was so calm I decided to cut her bridle path with scissors. She let me stand up on the step stool beside her and nip nip nip away. So then I decided she was so calm I moved the step stool closer to the center of her and layed across her. Probably not the best here by myself but she just stood there and let me. On her off side she was not as relaxed but let me. I was so excited about it. Then we went for a walk, down the road about 3/4 of a mile. She just walked along as good as good could be. Then home again. I walked over to the trailer opened the door and she stepped right in with me. Yeah Rusty. I petted her, hugged her told her what a good girl she was and I turned her back into the pasture.

That was my day. My back tweaked a little doing nothing late this morning so I did not ride. I could not have lifted up my saddle. Maybe tomorrow. Pepper needs some fat worn off.

Had a call from the BLM today and I got so excited but Lo it was asking me to go do a compliance check on a horse. Oh well. Soon, that is my word of the day today. SOON

A sunny Sunday

It was a foggy morning on the West Plains.
We stopped at a car lot that Katie and Cameron wanted us to stop by. He was buying a truck and we know the salesman. Hope it helped them get a better price. This sculpture is at the edge of the parking lot. I thought it was really cute. Reminds me of me as a kid. Would read anything I could get my hands on. Ketchup labels, cereal boxes whatever I could find. I had an aunt who bought me books.

Yesterday Bob got me a new rug for the living room. Just an area rug. We have hardwood floors and since we put them in I had not had a real rug. I love it. It is more green than it shows in the picture. I think its 6 x 8.

I don't know what Amelia was doing with her head. Turning to look at me I guess. She needed some private attention. We groomed, brushed, curries and got tons of hair. Shedding is a messy time of the year.

This is just some of the hair we curried out. And still could get that much more if our arms had not worn out.

And who says Rusty has the only pretty mane. When the brush and Cowboy Magic got done it was stunning. She seems to be quite proud of it.

Bob and I getting Sages pen all ready for her. Now if it will just dry out I will be happy. Rusty and Cody think we are mad at them because we moved their feeder and I moved the donkeys next door to a small pasture. They were so funny but I have no pictures. Chemmy leads the best so I put the halter on him and led him and let Yuma follow. He did just a few steps behind. It was pretty cute. Across our place, through the gate across the place next year and into that pasture. It sure made it easier. Bob got it all done and now just to wait for Sage to come. May be this is the week. Hope is the word of the day.

Saturday

I think this will mostly be the end of my pictures. So many are alike. Nikki wanted to get a good picture she took several of each. Some of them are all good. I may find a few more that are not duplicates but I don't want to keep posting the same pictures over and over.

This is not Sage either, just the horses standing around looking at the people looking at them.
This stud horse was in a pen of unavailable horses that had not been processed completely. They needed to be gelded and whatever else they have to do. This guy was telling us to go away, it was his little hill.

Isn't that a pretty face. Looks like Beautiful doesn't it Linda? A very nice yearling.

This was a giggle for us. Someone got ticked off skiing. This was at Government Camp on Mt. Hood. We sure got a kick out of it when we looked up and saw the boots hanging.

Bob and I went to Davenport to the tack and horse auction. Prices were up some on horses. The lowest prices were a group of unbroken Thoroughbred horses that were thin. One 20 year old Paint stallion went for 75.00. That was the cheapest. I think 4 or 5 went over 1500.00 Including a saddle mule.

We got got some tack stuff that was inexpensive like a couple of 30' rope lunge lines that we will use as ground driving. They were 6.00 a piece. Even if the snaps break and they will we will put those thingys Andrea makes on them.

When we got home we doctored Rusty's leg. She cut it having a tantrum yesterday. Bob put a cotton rope around it and lifted it and she let him work on it. I was proud of her. We put her in the trailer and Bob put her in the front stall of the trailer facing the way she will be when we haul her anywhere and shut the divider. She didn't like it when he did it but she stood good. She still does not lead well for me but will for Bob. Bob fixed the rattle jugs so we can work on them with her tomorrow.

Maybe this is the week Sage will come. I am hoping.

Friday

I was just too tired to write last night. Worked horses all afternoon and then went to our Mustang Club meeting. We are planning Mustang Days in June. I will have a lot more details in the weeks to come. When we left there we went and got me a new printer for my computer. My only problem is that I can not get it hooked up. I am not electronically minded and stuff does not make sense to me. Maybe tomorrow.

The above picture is a 27 year old mare that coliced in the pens. The wranglers gathered her up and they gave her a shot of banamine. I think I talked about her in an earlier post. I had no idea she was that old.

Another picture of Sage eating. She kind of stayed in the middle of the group. She seemed to get along with all of them. I sure do hope that is a good sign.

All the pretty rears walking away. That is not Sage. Her tail is black. Looks like a group of mommy's to be in my eye anyway.

Unusual markings. I thought it kind of looked like and English saddle.

This is the same two from Wednesdays post. Still talking. "See that lady over there? She is still taking out picture." I think the brown/white was adopted.

On the grade down into Madras, Oregon. We had just come across the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.

Just outside of Bend is a farm that says Buffalo but what we saw was this pen of Yaks. Aren't they interesting looking. There also was a sign that said free rocks. Make us giggle.

I worked Rusty today. She was stubborn, threw a tantrum and cut her own leg, but ultimately did get into the trailer for me. I tied her in, shut the back door and left her for a while. The rain pinging on the top made her a little nervous but she just stood there. I had worked her in the round pen and when she heard the rocks in the plastic jug she threw an absolute bucking tantrum. She would not do that for Bob. I just wish he had more time to work with her. He only worked two days this week so maybe he will this next week. She is a good girl most of the time but is the spookiest thing. Time and patience I guess.

Wednesday

I told you I had over 600 pictures but I promise not to post them all. LOL. I believe this is Charm looking down at us. She is such a beauty.
This baby was born just about a week ago now. I think its a colt but don't know for sure. He kept wanting to eat and mom just kept walking off. She finally stopped and let him have his afternoon snack. There will be a lot of babies if the mares remain there very long.

A very stormy sky over the South Steens. It was very beautiful however.

One of the wranglers at the corrals. I think his name is Cody and I think the horse is
Rattler. They were bringing in a mare that was colicing out in the corral. The guys brought her in and gave her a Banamine shot. She seemed better the next day. They left her up by the barns in her own pen. She should foal pretty soon too.

This is a very pretty mare. She obviously is a lead mare and she stomped and snorted us. She really turned and faced everyone who slowed down by her domain. I don't like the look of that one front leg. Maybe it was just the way she was standing. She is a very striking mare. She will be a challenge to someone.

Can I be your friend, huh? Aren't the color patterns different. Some very unusual face markings on some of them.

This is a yearling gelding having a romp. He is a very nice boy.

'We had an inch or so of snow this AM and then it turned to rain so again there is mud when it was beginning to dry up some. Oh well, I guess it is still February. I am so ready to find buttercups blooming. It probably won't happen too soon though.

Last night I had to go to the ER because I was seeing double and kind of odd feeling. It passed though and they did two CT scans and xrays. They found nothing and sent me home about 2 AM. I am tired today but OK. I just think I got too tired. I hate not knowing why something happens though and Bob gets so scared.

So its early to bed tonight and a new day tomorrow. I will post more pictures tomorrow.