A Tuesday in the life of.........

Nothing to do with horses but we got a new back door today. I took the picture before the trim got put up. Our oldest son Steve came and did it for us. Bob is not a carpenter and does not have the patience. He always gets mad in the middle. So, Steven came and did it for us. I look at him and its hard to remember as my round little brown eyed baby boy. He is now 49. He broke his leg really bad on Fathers Day cutting wood. He still is having a hard time walking.

I worked with Rusty today for a while and groomed her. I brushed her all over, clear down her legs to her hooves and I used a mane/tail brush and brushed her mane free of snarls and then I brushed her tail. She stood there and let me. I was so proud of her. Her tail touches the ground. I got all the tangles out of it. The only part of her she objected to all all was brushing out that long forelock. Did not get it done as thoroughly as her mane and tail but did get it brushed some. She did not like that purple brush coming at her back. I kind of brushed it all to one side. When she let me do it once without trying to leave, I quit. I was pleased with our progress. She still does not like me but is tolerating me better.

Later Bob went down and she gave him both front feet and he used a hoof pick on them. Cleaned them out good. He will work on getting the back feet now. I did the hard work first. LOL. She was so glad it wasn't me she would have let him do most anything.

Monday, Monday

I got a big laugh today when Katie brought Abby up to the front door show me something and Skeeter darted out and was going to protect me. He is a small poodle who is a clown and loves me a lot. Abby was really quite bored with the entire episode while Katie and I had a good laugh.

I had the scare of the year today. I did it to myself but it was still hard and made my legs shake. Praise God for honest people. I went to the Walmart in Airway Heights to pick up a few groceries this afternoon. I was worrying about some things and not really thinking. I got the groceries, paid for them and went to the car. Put the groceries in the car came home listening to an old CD of Emmy Lou Harris. When I went to get out of the car my wallet was not there. I had not taken my purse, just my wallet. My insides went into a rumble and I headed back to Walmart. I was sick at heart. All my credit cards, medical cards, all the stuff one carries. I went straight to where the cart had been left and they had taken them inside. With lead filled feet I went to customer service and asked. The manager came to the place I was and asked me to write my name out and anything else that may be of use. She smiled at me and took me over and got it out of a locked drawer. All my change, the 10.00 bill and everything else was just as I had left it. She was not sure who had turned it in but I am so grateful they did and my guardian angel was watching over me and mine even though I was careless and did not pay attention when I put the groceries inside the car.

So that is my story of the day. This was house day. I did my walk this morning. Am up to 2 miles in a little less than 2 hrs. It wasn't so cold and it was a fun morning to walk.

Our 51st. Anniversary

When I think how young I was and now naive I was really about like 51 years ago when Bob and I were married in a large wedding. Many of those folks who are still with us were at our large 50Th. anniversary party a year ago. Now we are still going strong.

Today after church we went up to Greenbluff which is the apple center of this part of the state. It is Harvest Festival month. We went and looked at some very large pumpkin patches, laughed at the kids, saw some of the most beautiful produce. Picked up some large wooden crates under a free sign. Don't know what we will do with them but I will think of something. Then we went and looked at the new church building that our church is building. And went to dinner at the casino that is close to us. It was disconcerting that they are raising their prices tomorrow 2.00 a person. It was good.

Came home and lay down for a while and went out and cleaned a couple of stalls. They have not been used much of the summer but wanted them fresh cleaned and bedded. Next week Dixie and Ditto will come in for the night and get special feed. Dixie needs some additional weight and Ditto is old. When it starts to get really cold day and night, she has a winter blanket she wears.

Bob worked with Rusty for a while. Mostly on her off side. She thinks that is untouchable. He can touch her pretty well and she will lift her foot at the command "foot" but wont let him touch it. She will stand with it lifted for several seconds. Its kind of funny. Just time and patience.

This evening earlier we went to visit our friends Terri and Kurt Carstens who live in Reardan. We had a nice visit and we will be getting Target back in the spring to tune her up and maybe Blondie to start. Bob is a little leery but maybe by spring he will be over it. It was good to see them. Their children were have a wiener roast outside. Brrrrrrrrr. We declined and came home.

A good day, very pretty but cold.

A busy Saturday

This morning I drove to Ellensburg to the WSH Board meeting. I had been talking about mustangs for a long time but it took someone with a larger mouth and who everyone knows to get it going. As of January 1, 2009, there is a Mustang division in Washington State Horsemen.
All the details need to be worked out but the initial OK has been given. Now we need to find sponsors for year end awards. It will be a good thing for those who have mustangs and want to show their horses. The opportunities to show are pretty endless - Dressage, Western/English which includes reining, western riding, ranch horse classes - Gaming = Competitive Trail and Trails and Pleasure. All with year end awards that range from trophies to saddles. How fun is that. If you want more information, please get in touch with me. I would love to tell you all about the organization. As far as I am concerned, its vital, not just for the awards but we do have a legislative person who represents the horse industry with all the ups and downs that seem to plague us.

So now I have preached my little "sermon" today. I just feel passionately about the organization.

Windy Friday

No snow. NO SNOW. Am so glad the weathermen/ladies were all wrong.

I did not have to beg, we loaded up about 10 and went to Riverside State Park to ride. We went to the Trail Town trail head. Had not ridden out of there for a long time. We started out and followed Trail #E25. At the 4 mile marker I asked Bob if perhaps that was the 25 mile ride. AND he said nah, this is just trail #25. Well when we came to Trail #10 we decided to head back over toward the river. We jumped a group of mule deer. They were not terrible afraid of us, just wary.

We ambled over the flat part and came to one of the restrooms. Had a break and started off again. The sign said Bowl and Pitcher 1/2 mile so we started down that trail. Then we came across a trial sign that said Trail #25 and mile marker 20. It was the 25 mile trail. My body would not have made a 25 mile ride. Bob's either I don't think. So we followed it down, encountered some bicycles. They come so quietly that it is hard for the horses especially when they come up behind you on a one track trail. We got over to the side and turned them to face him and he shot on by. Pepper of all horses shied and jumped around, Dixie just watched him go by.

The closer we got to the Bowl and Pitcher, the more people we encountered on foot and on bikes. It was OK though. We went down a trail that might have been scary for someone not used to skinny shale filled trails but we made it OK. Dixie takes good care of me. We figured we rode about 10 miles all together. It was a good day. Not much wind down in the canyon under the trees. Riding along the river there were a lot of geese floating along. They looked so pretty. I did not take my camera on the trail though.

Bob rode Pepper because when he caught Raven and tied her to the hitch rail and was brushing her, she has a huge hemotoma on her shoulder. Probably the result of a bite or kick. Will look at it again in the morning. He loves to ride Pepper though. We put splint boots on him nice and snug to give that tendon a little extra support.

The rest of the day was kind of lazy. The wind was soooo cold. Dixie got to spend the rest of the day in her stall with a can of grain and alfalfa hay for supper. She loves the special attention. We came upon an apple tree. Nice big tart apples on it. We all took one to eat and when I was done I stopped her and bent her head around gave her the apple core. The rest of the day she kept stopping and bending her head around looking for another. She was sweet about it but I couldn't let her keep doing it. She knew I had treats in my pocket too. She takes such good care of me.

A really cool day

The top picture is a real wahoo. Bob picked up, rather he said "foot" and she gave it to him. He has been working on picking up her feet with a rope. In another few days he will be able to trim those front feet. They are pretty bad. Her hinds are just fine but not the front. She is coming along so well for him. I did walk up to her after she went to her safe corner. I rubbed her all over on both sides just holding the halter. Kind of a feat really because I had the camera too. the second picture is just her head. Isn't that forelock something. She hides behind it. I have pushed it out of her eyes and she does not like it. I love it.

The bottom picture is of Dixie. She is gaining weight and looking good since having her teeth done. Still am feeding her special though. We are supposed to get a skiff of snow tonight - that is right - SNOW. If we do Ditto will get her blanket on and she will go in at night too. She is old and gets pampered a lot.

If there is no snow in the morning we are going to Riverside SP to ride with Katie for a while. I wish I could drive the truck. I just never have. I know how to drive a stick but just hate it. If Bob doesn't want to go, Maybe I will give it a try if Katie promises not to laugh. I have wanted to ride all week but its been one thing or the other and haven't. Maybe if I tell Bob I am going to do it on my own he will be so scared he will go. Suppose?

Wind wind go away

This was an awful day. Forty mile an hour sustained winds. Bob and Tyler tried to work on the new shed but the roofing was like a giant kite and one of them was going to get hurt so they left that job for another day.

Bob worked with Rusty for a long time this morning just loving on her and petting and rubbing her all over. She let him without a fuss and even after he took the lead rope off her. She is really going to be his horse.

I hardly went out today, I did my one and half mile walk first thing this morning. I should get extra points for one way because the wind was in my face. I got a big blister on my toe though and that hurts.