Monday

A busy day and no pictures. I worked in the house alot of the day. The maid didn't show up. Oh, I don't have one? Darn, I keep waiting.

Bob and my project this week is cleaning the barn. He has filled it with so much stuff that there is not room to get thru there hardly. Its dodge and dart around sprayers and such. We made a good start today. I found some horse blankets that I knew I had but could not locate. Now they need to be washed and Amelia will have a warm blanket when the weather makes it prudent to put one on her. I still need to buy Ditto one. Bob got several things put up on the loft.

I picked the stalls and it was so much easier on my back. Now to be disciplined enough to do it every day. I know that the horses appreciate it too.

Our daughter in law lost her father yesterday. I wish I could say something to help her. She is strong but not as strong as she is making out to be. She has been his primary caregiver for years. Rest in peace Ray and Debbie our prayers are with you.

Sunday

This is my Saturday Smile picture on Sunday. We stopped on our way to church this morning so I could take this picture. The sun was shining thru the fog. It was so peaceful and beautiful.

Today Fast Eddie went to a new home. A lady showed up right after we got home from church with her trailer. Her 10 year old daughter officially bought him. I put him on Craigslist for $200.00 and got $160.00 for him. (I paid $40.00) A good profit huh? Bob said I could go look for another buy like that anytime. Most importantly though, I am sure he went to a loving home.

THEN, I went back to the job I knew I needed to do today and that was to clean stalls. Oh my aching back but they have nice fresh clean stalls all newly beded. Its a big job but if I did it every day it wouldn't be such a chore.

Amelia was much better about being caught this evening but Pepper was a brat. He thought he was a mighty black stallion. When Bob caught him he told him off and Pepper just looked at him like Oh well, it felt good to run;.

Saturday

I went to Ellensburg yesterday afternoon and spent the night in the motel. I had a WSH Board Meeting this AM till noon. It was a good productive meeting I think. Like a lot of organizations, not just horsey ones, we need to figure out how to do things that work differently than it has always been done. The drive over was totally inauspicious. Just putzed along.

The drive home was the same. For that I am greatfull. The only thing wrong with the day was Katie was supposed to do the chores and because I got home she left. I don't mind doing them but was very tired. Bob was irritated when he called and I was doing them.

After getting so tired driving yesterday and today I am maybe giving driving to Mississippi by myself next spring another thought. I don't know. Will have to price airlines and give it some more thought. I really wanted to drive though. Or, maybe I will invite a grandchild to go with me. I don't know. I have time to think about it.

Amelia did not want to come in this evening. I was just going to put her halter on when Bob called me on my cell phone. When the others came in first she said neener neener, can't catch me ......... but I did. She took a pop at me with her hind legs, missed me completely but got spanked for it.

Bob went hunting today for a while. He sat on a hill and watched deer in the valley then left. He is at a BackCountry Horse Meeting this evening. I would have liked to have gone but am just too tired. He went straight from our friends house who he went hunting with.

It is supposed to start raining tonight. We need it but am not looking foreward to the dark dismal days. Those are always hard for me.

Thoughtful Thursday.

I was thinking today about how beautiful Rusty is. Isn't that mane something and I have not even brushed it for a long time. She is proud of it.

I accidently loaded two of the same pictures and I can't remember how to delete one of them. Anyway I thought this reminded me of the Micheal W. Smith song of the 80's Friends are friends forever. They really are friends. Yuma too but he did not want his picture taken today.

And this is my thoughtful picture of Fast Eddie. I put him on Craigslist today for $200 obo. He must go to a good home though.

I have been thinking of alot of things today. Why do grown up kids worry you more than when they lived at home?

Thinking of how much I love our animal friends.

Wednesday - An adventure

No pictures, it was too dark. This afternoon about 3:30 we received a telephone call that our cows were out. All 9 cow calf pairs and and extra cow besides our neighbors 2 cow calf pairs. The cattle were on 100 acres up near Old Town just outside of Newport in Idaho. Now would you not think 100 acres and they would be satisfied? Well guess not because the knocked a gate over and went meadering up the hiway to Priest Lake. Someone chased them off the road. We hitched up the trailer and at the last minute I ran and got Pepper, tacked him up except his bridle and loaded him

We got up there in daylight, Pepper and I went in search of the wandering cows . We found them eating comfortable in someones front well manicured front yard. I got them headed toward where they were supposed to be. Pepper thinks chasing cows is just too much fun but he didn't much like the deer bounding out in front of us. We got the cows back in their pasture. Bob and John started putting up the panels to make a holding area.

Mind you all this time it is raining pretty hard and I am sure I looked like a drown rat. I was headed down this long driveway to another gate so I could go in and close gates so they could not head out for who knows where again. The lady who shares their long - probably a mile long driveway came down the driveway and I was getting off as far as I could go. She stopped rolled down her window and told me I should not be riding a black horse at night, she could hardly see me. I thanked her, got thru the gate and had a laughing fit. Its nearly dark, pouring down rain, the rain in dripping off my helmet and she thinks I am out riding for fun. Come on now. Doesn't every one do things like that.

I got the gates all closed and went back to where the panels were set up and we went in search of the little herd. They were in a copse of trees. Now they all know Pepper and did not think they had to move. Much yelling and whooping and they went out. Have you ever tried to ride thru trees when you could not see the limbs. They don't feel well when they smack you. I was glad I had a helmet on. It took the brunt.s

The rest of the story is just mediocre. They went in the little pen, we got half into our trailer and half into Johns and they are all in their little winter pasture here. John thinks I am wonder woman and the guy whose place they were supposed to be at told me I was one tough broad. I guess that was a compliment. Pepper was wonderful. I know he had never been ridden like that in the dark and he did everything I asked. He got an extra scoop of grain tonight.

Happy Birthday Daddy

My father Vern E. Myers. He would have been 99 today. I think I have the age correct. There has not been a day in the past 54 years that I have not missed him. I was his shadow. He taught me to milk cows, clean calves pens, swim, dance and many more things. I only heard him swear one time in my life. And that was at a cow. They have driven me to utter a cuss word too.

He had fair skin but very dark hair. I look much like his mother. He injured his leg/hip in an accident but I don't remember how. He drove truck for Goodwill when I was very young. He worked in a truck garden near Auburn at one time with his best friend Gabrielle who was a large Phillapino man. He worked for the Milwaukee Railroad until he became ill. He died at age 45 of lung cancer.

We named our oldest son (middle name) after him.

One of the last things he knew that I did and I remember his pride was I won a college scholarship with my beef cow. He got he a cow show halter. I have it to this day. I treasure it.

My daddy was a dreamer. I don't think it was always profitable but he had big dreams. So do I.

Happy birthday in heaven my dear daddy.

A Happy Anniversary

Today was our 52nd. wedding anniversary. Bob had these for me when he got home from work. They smell so heavenly. He doesn't bring me flowers often so it was a special treat.

Then we went to the cattle auction. Not so romantic but we enjoy it. We have more orders for meat than we have steers and went looking for a bargain that was not going to require feeding to make it meat ready. We did. He will go get it tomorrow. They had a big pen of longhorn cattle but we did not stay that long. I wanted to see what they went for. I wanted a set of the horns. Big suckers with LONG horns.

Nikki fixed my name on Face Book and now I can't sign on and she left so I can't call her. Maybe it will work later. I wanted to put my maiden name with my present name so maybe someone in my past will find me.

Night all. Maybe it won't be so cold tomorrow. Boy were Amelia and Ditto glad to get it. Katie is coming out tomorrow and work Abby hard so maybe she will be acting better.