A monkey in the tree

There is a monkey in my tree and he turns 7 tomorrow.
Look at that wrinkled up nose. He made faces at me for several minutes after he got wormed today. Funny Chemmy. Yuma didn't want it and it took both Katie and I to catch him and get it done. That wrinkled nose cracked me up.

Our Mustang and Burro Club met this evening. We had a nice turnout minus a couple of people. We are contemplating next years Mustang Days and trying something different. MAYBE. We are going for a ride down at Heyburn State Park in Idaho on July 17. Anyone want to join us? It will be fun. And our next meeting will be a BBQ, potluck at our house. The more the merrier.

We are planning a party for our monkey that turns 7 tomorrow. He does not know cousins are coming and I won't tell him until later in the day. He wants pizza and I remember calling his mother when we were in Oregon last September and he was having a real hissy because he didn't want pizza, he didn't like pizza and was not going to eat it. Now its what he wants for his birthday dinner. What do I know, I am just the Grandma.

Busy time with boys and getting ready for Katie's shower in 2 short weeks. And we have another wedding on August 5th. to go to. Its a busy summer.

Blessings

Good Times With Boys

Rocky did not think so much of Manny. He wigged out bad and stepped on my ankle. I am glad he is as small as he is. He stood there with Manny flopped over his back for about an hour.

Isaac hanging out with Rocky. He is my cowboy

Lane enjoyed the riding lawn mower more. He did a good job though.

Sage thought blue barrels were going to get her.

She ran around being silly. When I came out of the pen she went up and smelled it.

I mowed part of the lawn and got my first sunburn of the summer. Not bad, just a little pink and it will be brown tomorrow. I don't burn much.

Blessings

A great weekend

Lane caught this beautiful butterfly so I could take a picture of it. It was a pretty thing.
Isaac was determined to ride Chemmy and he did. Chemmy did not mind at all but I did tell Isaac we had to get his helmet out because I did not want him to ride without one. He and Chemmy went around and around.

Isaac riding with one hand behind his back. He is a real cowboy and has taken a love for the donkeys.

Great granddaughter Lilianna. She is a real character and does NOT like her picture taken.

Her little brother Nathaniel who LOVES having his picture taken. He sees a camera in your hand and he poses.

On Saturday Nikki and I went down to Seattle to find the Fremont Troll under the Aurora St. bridge. We found him. Saturday was a busy day for the troll and it was hard to get a picture without a lot of other people around. I am standing between his fingers.

One of the tall buildings in downtown Seattle.

Our friend Joanne at her 70th birthday party hosted by her children. She was surprised and seemed not to be upset by the surprise. She grew up as a foster sister to Bob.

Up in the mountains kind of west of Leavenworth. We went on Highway 2. Its closer to Nikki's home and we were not in a hurry.

Nikki and the Troll's hand.

Nathaniel and his Mama's sunglasses.

It was good to get home and was wonderful to see Nikki . We did bring Isaac and Lane home with us for a couple of weeks.

I put Sage out on grass next door for a while. She is sure spooky sometimes. Maybe tomorrow it will be easier for her.

Blessings

Looking Back

These pictures were all taken a year and a half ago when Nikki and I went to Burns and I picked our Sage. This is the last picture of her before we left for home. She doesn't look so big does she? I don't think so. Not to me anyway at the moment.
I loved this picture. This bachelor hung around us.

I know he has a name but I can't remember it. Tracey does I am sure but don't know if she reads this all the time or not. He was not very afraid of us at all. In fact he came trotting not far from us at all and gave us the once over and went to his tree and stood under it. It was snowing.

Another group just eating. Totally aware of us but not to worried about it.

My first sighting of Sage. That is when I knew she would be mine.

I did not do a lot with her today because it was cooler and the wind was whistling up to 30 mph and she was a spooky looky. I did play with her and the big ball. I would toss it or bounce it big and she would jump and then stop and watch it roll. About the third or fourth big bounce she did not jump but stalked over to me and looked me square in the eye and I am sure she was asking me why I was doing that. I just loved on her and left her to stand by Pepper each on their own side of the fence.

Steve came out this AM and laid the edging for the patio area. He does such a good job. Mitered edges and all. That is why he does things like that.

We will be going to see Nikki and her family tomorrow and Sunday we will be going to a 70th. birthday party for Bob's foster sister that his parents raised for the most part. Nikki's little boys, well Lane isn't so little any more, are coming back with us for a while. Cousins are very important to Lane so I am sure we will have to share them. That's OK, Grandpa needs a break now and then.

Blessings

The Warmest Day yet

The iris in my yard are so pretty. Love them. Don't have many flowers but love the iris that I do have.
Does anyone have an idea why m,y peony quit blooming. Have not moved it, it has a good healthy looking plant, but no blooms for 2 years now.

A silly picture taken at the front door. My reflection outside and Pistol on the inside looking out.

Did not do too much with horses today. Should have gone out first thing this morning but I did house things. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I will do better tomorrow.

Blessings.

Plodding Along to 1000 Blessing

852 Carries thank you letter
853 Getting Sage in the trailer
854 Another baby calf born safe and sound
855 Heroes
856 Seeing my 95 year old Uncle Lyle
857 Multanomah Falls, Oregon
858 Seeing Mt. St. Helens again
859 Fresh washed windows
860 Attending a beautiful wedding
861 Text Messaging
862 Meeting and old friend for dinner
863 The gas mileage we got on our trip
864 Fathers day message at church
865 The necklace Janet made me
866 Sheya helping with Rocky
867 Hardwood floor shiny and clean

Sage and the Snowman

I brought Manny the Snowman out of the tack room and lay him over the hitch rail. I thought Sage would wig out but she didn't. Just smelled and wondered what that was. It looked like a strange person and he just hung there.
When she got all done smelling him and still wondering what he was, we went in to the round pen and I long lined her. She did really really well. One of these days I will have to put a bridle on her but so far, the rope halter has done just fine.

She just walked around and around did figure eights and when Bob hung Manny on the gate, she walked by him giving him a glance and a whiff.

I got a hold of Manny and he walked over to her. I used his hand to pet her neck and all over her face and the he got on. I thought she might jump but no, she just stood there. I have got to figure out how to make his back straight but for today he just lay in the saddle. I did not move her around because I was afraid he would fall off. She had been so calm I did not want to mess up the day and then have to work longer.

We had a wonderful day and I gave her treats and turned her back out. I went back out this afternoon and she came up to me and nuzzled me. I know, I know, its looking for treats but I just hugged her and told her what a good girl she was a came back out.

Life today was good.

Blessings

A Nice Day

Sheya in the T shirt she won for the best attendance in third grade She also won two tickets to Silverwood. So did her brothers. Something to do with academics.
Our good friend Janet. She was in town with her friend. They had been to Utah to a family reunion for Janet's family. It was good to see her.

The beautiful necklace that Janet made me. I love it.

So that was our day. Church first this morning. It did not rain today and it was much warmer. Hurrah. It wasn't much sunny but at least no rain.

Blessings

A Lovely Wedding and Rain

We attended the wedding today of Colleen and Brennan. Colleen is the daughter of good friends. Both are large Catholic families and the wedding/mass was beautiful. Then we went to the reception. A prime dinner - and it was good. We left after the toasts and came home. It was after 5 and we needed to feed our critters. It was a good day to be inside - I don't think it has stopped raining all day long.

We were supposed to go on a trail ride today at Marie Creek outside of Couer D'Alene and the wedding kept us from going and I am glad. We would have drown I imagine and that trail can be a little slippery with mud when its wet.

Nothing much else happening. Shannon is at a goat show and it went longer than she expected and Bob went down and milked her goats for her. I would have helped him but my right hand is getting more difficult by the day. So that was our day...exciting for the bride and groom and families, good to be there and witness it, grey and dreary otherwise

Blessings.

The TarpTest

Today was grocery shopping day. That always takes me quite a long time. I try to get an entire months worth so I don't have to get anything but milk, bread and some produce during the month.

This afternoon I was out talking to Sage over the fence. Bob walked by her pen with a wheelbarrow with a waterer and stuff in the wheel barrow. She wigged out over it so I went in and was talking to her. He parked the wheelbarrow near her feeder. She wouldn't go near him. I roller the ball and she jumped but went and smelled it. That was progress. She still would not go over where Bob was so I picked up the tarp and started walking around not looking at her dragging the tarp. Before I quit she was following it a bit and went to her feeder where Bob had put hay. She is such a spooky one at first over things. We keep working on it though.

I got the invitations to Katie's shower ready to mail and half of them stamped. I will need to buy another book of stamps to finish. Now if people with just RSVP.

It was cloudy all morning but OK this afternoon. I really want warm. I mean REALLY.

Blessings

Another "Graduation" Yeah Seth

Grandson Seth had his sixth grade promotion on Tuesday Evening. Such a good kid. He had snow white very curly hair when he was a toddler. It would still be curly if he let it. We are very proud of him.

His class.

The picture God painted for me the other evening.

The two scalawags sleeping after they had tore through the house for quite a while. We love those puppies so much.

I tried to load this last night but blogger and I had words and blogger won. So this better go this morning.

Blessing.

Day 3 and Home

This fellow was greeting us as we were on our way to view Mt. St. Helens up close. I don't think we had been up to the mountain in 25 years. So many changes and the growth of timber is incredible. When we were there last it was still barren.
Our first real view.

The start of a new mountain peak growing in the crater. It is about 1000 feet high from the crater floor.

At the Johnston Observatory. Wonderful views and a good demo of things inside. I believe it is on the place where Dave Johnston had his seismic things set up when he uttered his last words - Vancouver, Vancouver this is it. There were elks on the plain below the observatory.

On our way out near the town of Toledo. There were more but that is what fit into my lens.

Saw this along side the road near Packwood. Didn't have time to go exploring.

And then we were over White Pass and towards home. Not my favorite pass to drive over and the road was atrocious. Hope they work on it soon. I was driving and Bob was sleeping. It woke him up bouncing around. Checked my garden and hugged on Sage when we got here and then collapsed into bed.

Blessings

Day 2, Why we went to Portland

The reason we went to Portland. My precious Uncle Lyle is turning 95 in a month. He still has all his faculties and is as funny as ever. A very sweet man. He gets around very well, stairs down are a problem sometimes but it gave me an excuse to hang on to him.
He told me he would break my camera but of course not true. I cherish this picture.

We spent the day and then headed north to Kelso where we spent the night.

I love Scotch Broom. Wish it grew over here. It is so brilliant yellow. When we would drive by fields of it I would think about the title of the John Lennon song Fields of Gold. That is what it reminded me of.

Today at home it was catch up day. Laundry, and such. Not fun but it was not very warm and I wore a sweatshirt most of the day. This early evening, we looked out and something (I suspect a motorcycle) set her off and she jumped over the fence. Cleared it in one jump. She went into the neighbors yard and its fenced and just went to eating. We went to get her and led her through gates she had never been before and was a little spooky looky. The small walk through gate she barged through and tried to get into my lap and landed square on my right foot. A good thing I had on my crocs and could slide my foot out because she wasn't moving. Bob got her to move and I took her to her pen and told her to stay put. I am worried that now she knows she can jump out what I will have to do.

A thought for the day that I liked - There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. Bertrand Russell

Blessings