A proud legacy

In my honorable mentions posts I talked about a mare I owned  C7 Sparks Jewel you can follow the link or look  under the page for "unforgettable Spots "
Well if you have read her story , you know it wasn't a  wonderful one, but I did my very best with her. I still own her Daughter Fern Valleys Jazz, and those who have been reading here a while  know  that my "special girl " Jazzy , makes NICE BABIES!

FV Jazz Time(Timer ) 

FV Sparks Image (Maggie ) 

And  of course  BEC's fav 

FV Dandy Line (Dandy )

(I always loved this Power take off shot) 

But this post in particular is about Maggie , a second generation filly  born here, and what she has become . 

Her story is  much happier than her grand dam. Maggie was born here. at last year sold to a young lady who  goes by" Kat". The cool thing about  Kat, other than she is a great little gal with wonderful ever growing horsemanship skills, is that her mom and  I went to school together! What great fun it was  for us to reconnect after all these years, and you know, we look  just the same ! Well maybe a little smarter! 

Anyhow  I digress.

Kat invited me out today to see her and Maggie , and well I jumped at the chance ! I love that I can follow upon horses I have sold. I have had some updates , Kat has emailed me from time to time, but nothing beats being there.

I got there , camera in hand and well ,here is the part you  likely want to see ...

 Kat has done the training herself, with support and supervision, and she has done a brilliant job. Maggie is soft , responsive and respectful. Kat and she have clearly bonded and it is clear how much she loves Maggie, but she is mindful of teaching  boundaries and has been very consistent in her handling of Maggie . and it has paid off big time ! Well done Kat!

Kat's mom Annette has also fallen for Maggie as you can see. What a great visit ! A great young lady who is going to do great things ,and her mom backing her up 100% you  just can't beat that! 

I have to apologize , there were videos too, and a great one of Maggie following Kat at liberty, but something went awry when I downloaded them and Poof! Gone! 

All in all I am so pleased to have been able to visit and thrilled at the success so far. I sure hope I am able to continue following this pair. 

Funny , when Maggie was born  "Sparks Image" popped into my head immediately , yet she doesn't  really look like my old mare , there was just something about her that made me think of Jewel. Whatever it was it fits , and the proud  legacy of my scared, scarred little mare  will live on in the likes of Maggie . And what a legacy it is! 

Thanks for the visit ladies! and everyone remember,

Stay safe !edited to add, I did find the videos after all !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwtW-eWxwCI

Reviews scare me a little

When asked to offer my book for review  during the publishing process, I was very hesitant , but I decided "in for a dime, in for a dollar" and allowed the publisher to send it out . I  received my first review a while back, and while it was overall positive , there were a couple item the stung. But  I am not now nor do I claim to ever be Hemingway so , I knew my review would not be perfect.
I received an email today ,to advise me the I had another completed review. I thought about it , and thought about it , and finally opened it . And WOW!!! Glad I did
Here it is , on the actual site Review 
or as pasted here;

Tails, Trails and Campfire Stories:
Photographs, Poetry and Musings of an Alberta Farm Girl
by Sherry Sikstrom
Trafford Publishing

reviewed by Carissa Harwood

"Roses fade and chocolates spoil, nothing lasts forever/but raising horses and raising cows is what we do together."

What Sherry Sikstrom does well in her volume of poetry is capture succinctly the life a woman growing up in rural Canadian farm country. This is a collection of poetry and photographs that capture the affections of family, animals, and the land that Sikstrom so dearly adores. It is inspirational and personal, with an emphasis on the simplicity of rustic living, the determination of both people and animals to thrive and survive, and the observations of the cycles of the seasons as well as an homage to heritage and tradition. Her poems are lessons that are close to the heart of the author, and she shares with the reader in the spirit of sitting around a campfire and trading stories—a kind of intimacy you'll find throughout.

The author reflects on the dual aspects of nature: the wonderful and the frightening. Many of the poems are filled with sentiment for lost loved ones, while others explore the "good old times," sharing the world with other people and creatures, fading cowboys, personal dedications to family, and how animals can teach you as you are teaching them. Sikstrom is one of the very few "cowgirl poets," as there are a number of poems written about the cowboy, farm, and rural way of life that reflect the male perspective—but not as many for or by women. the author adds in her own photographs, which makes this collection very distinctly and uniquely hers.

RECOMMENDED

I will still always be nervous of reviews , but this was sure nice to see .

Stay safe everyone

Rest well Diesel

Find  a soft sunny space

For my grumpy old kitty

She had grown tired and ill,

But do save your pity

She was loved all her life

And received best of care

Now she is gone over the rainbow

To wait for me there 

13 years ago I found a starving little crazy wild  kitten on a straw bale. She would hiss , spit, then appear to  pass out (I though she had died)  No momma to be found so I brought her in . Honestly I have tired with barn kittens before , and it seems they  either sink or swim regardless of what we do , but I gave it a shot . Well it must have been a good one, or she was tougher than I thought  because she survived, and thrived ! Diesel has never been a  particularly sweet cat, but I loved her and she seemed ,well accepting of me and family .

Anyhow she has been growing old and changing quickly, still seemed to enjoy sunning herself on the deck and  had a good appetite till yesterday , Wed she did not  come out at all ,, and then she stopped eating . I could have waited a little longer I guess, but at the speed she was changing I did not want to wait till it was too late and she was suffering so today she was humanely put to sleep. 

I handled it all just fine until I got home and began packing up her things.( I don't plan to have another house cat .)I  cried like a child, I called my folks and I wrote a poem. 

It was the right and kindest thing to do for her, and I know that . But it still hurts.

Stay safe my friends

I am a show off

And who wouldn't be with this to show off with !

not even my work, but when this girl is famous I can say I knew her when ...

If you remember a couple weeks ago, my young friend Mel was out  for a visit. She is a very talented artist (as evidenced  above )

We were talking about her needing some more pics to display her gallery of work, . She always  has permission and will not use copy written material without the owner's OK so she has had a little  trouble building her gallery , I suggested a couple of my favorite photos to work from.It is a win win, because she gets to showcase her amazing talent , and i get the opportunity to own some  stunning artwork of  none other than my very favorite critters!  

You can see her other work here on the blog or on her website   

Can you imagine with all the pictures I take how many Mel Shwanke originals I could have? Better pick and choose soon she is going to be way to busy and famous to work for me! 

but , a girl can dream right?

Stay safe everyone! 

We get by

Monday night already! wow! ,gonna lose this week too if I am not careful! 

We had a great time with the barbecue. Lots to eat, lots to talk about.

Sunday we had a few things to do ,including  trying to help my niece with a mare who is a bit challenging to catch and handle . I did a bit of round penning with her, but frankly in 30 + heat with horse that is not responding to cues, I took the "discretion is the better part of valor" approach and walked away  before it became another chance for her to win. They have a good plan in place and I am quite sure they will get around this girl.Sometimes a different set of hands/eyes on a situation  can help , and that is what we were hoping for .In this case the mare was not responding any differently to me or my tactics.

Then on to our  next  "bull headed" adventure 

Met our neighbor who came  to help us with out bull. He had hoof rot earlier in the year, and we treated it and though it was resolved ,he was sound again and moving well ,but it seems to have flared up again . We trailed him in part way then got him in the trailer to bring home. It went fairly well with us all dancing around  from the mosquito in the long grass. I am here to tell you that ,the rain may have stopped , but there are still some wet areas ,one step wrong , and up to my calves in goo! 

We have him home now, and that is fine , he should be done his work by now anyway. And this way we  can get that foot cleaned right up 

By the time we finished that , and had a visit , it was into the house skipped supper and fell into bed.

I was off to work today (at my paying  job) and Martin was preparing to start baling . 

Well the best laid plans and all, we are awfully lucky to have  both Marc and Martin with balers and this year the kind help of another neighbor . Martin got a few bales done then had one breakdown after another ,Dad came out to help with repairs while Marc and Billy carried on .

When I got home, I assumed my regular duties of water/girl, parts  holder/finder/deliverer,  twine finder ,cook and bottle washer. I find I do a fair bit of dashing around in circles but I hope I am of some help .

Anyhow they got it done , this field completely with no rain whatsoever. The hay looks great for as long as I hung  around .(I am allergic to the alfalfa and the fresh hay while it smells great tends to make feel me a little like Dorothy in the poppy fields! )

(from far to near, Martin and dad working on repairs, Billy 's John Deer  in the middle and  Marc's rig at he back . All done and ready for refreshments ) 

I had quite a bit of BBQ beef left over  from Sat so we had  beef on a bun, and Caesar salad for supper . And of course cold beer for the crew !

We are so blessed , we don't need help all that often , but when we do we have great neighbors , friends and family , who are there to help out .

So like the song says 

"We get by with a little help from our  friends"

Stay safe everyone 

I appear to have misplaced this week

Not sure if it was because I was  busy ,or 

But somehow I posted on Monday  about Mel's visit , and the next time I looked it was tonight!

Not a  particularly  busy or not busy week, just a regular week. Martin arrived home on Tues ,which is nice, this  2 weeks away  1 home sucks .

 We did go back to see the  girls (Cat and Andee) on Wed  so Martin could see how they are working . And I guess between work, and yard work the time is just flying by.

Big BBQ this weekend with  Martin's  side of the family. We have done it with  both my folks and sisters family as well, but this year we will just have to have 2 , better with smaller groups anyway its easier to visit.

FRIDAYS FOR SALE:I do finally have the boys Comet and Quinn listed for sale ,I have had some interest in the ads , but so far nothing firm. 

I have  fairly healthy prices set on these boys, which are negotiable, but still. It is not cheap, free, or all that easy  to raise  foals properly so I have invested my best effort in them ,and I value that effort as well as the horses. That said if the right buyer comes along I will and have in the past made allowances for a good fit .

Also have been invited to go visit Maggie (Sparks Image) and you know , even though I am busy I think I am going to play hooky for a day next weekend and  go see her in action. Would love to go check on Dandy and have a visit too, but he is 6 hours away so ...

Should be going to get Phoenix  soon, and we will look at what he is doing and where next to go .

And Cat and Andee are going to be home the first week of September, so if I think I am busy now,I better think again!

We do have some quiet moments from time to time, and a very special one is to see Martin standing still

And simply enjoying time with his horse 

Quite honestly I have a better chance of catch this one standing still! 

Stay safe everyone and have a great weekend 

Let me entertain you

Well, not quite, but I was trying to entertain a guest this weekend , which hopefully explains why I haven't been stopping at anyone's blog much.

I had a special guest this weekend! Some bloggers will remember her as Almighty Marshmellow from  the blogs, others will recall the beautiful pieces of artwork she has done for me

Blue

Maggie

But the gang here, just know her as Mel

 the nice 

girl 

 mom 

 brought out 

 to visit 

 all of us !

And to Winston?

A new best friend! 

We had a quiet  weekend , visiting ponies and catching up.Pretty sure other than mowing the lan and  moving a couple horses I can call it a weekend off! Went and visited around the fire on Saturday night with Deb, and family (Greymare) . 

Mel  is a talented little lady , who is currently doing custom artwork,see her work here, Custom Commissions by Mel Shwanke

Took lots of pics too, I think maybe I may find more original Mel Shwanke artwork gracing my walls before too long!

And I wouldn't complain a bit! 

After I took her home I did catch up on a couple things , moved the cows and threw in a load of laundry . Not too much, I sure enjoyed  taking it easy this weekend ! Thanks Mel, come back anytime !

Hope everyone else had a good weekend.

And as always , stay safe! 

Update on the girls

Forgive the quality again, I  just had the cell phone.
I was out an about  today , and as my work day came to a close I found myself  very close to the barn where Cat and Andee are in training .
Roland told me I could stop by anytime to see them , so I took him at his word and did just that.
Apparently great minds think alike, because as I walked into the barn he said"oh good ,you got my message! I am just getting ready to work the girls"
I guess he had called and invited me to  come today to see their  progress. We got a chuckle out of that and he went to work,first with Andee then Cat .

Andee is doing well, very sweet (which we all knew)  but worries a bit , and is a bit reactive, but after only about  9 sessions I  have no complaints .

I really like that Roland works in an arena that can be very busy . After all no one ride in a vacum, and he doesn't wait to have it all quiet before he works, the horses are paying attention to him, and at one point a gall galloped by Andee, then did a sliding stop, Andee remained focused on Roland and though her head came up a bit she did not really seem bothered .

Cat also os doing well, far less reactive ,  Roland commented that she is very settled and nothing seems to rattle her. Unfortunatley(or not) she did have an abcess  just after she arrived  so her under saddle  work has been lessened,but he has spent a consitent amount of time on other detail work, and she is doing well.
I am attempting to load a video, but it is going very slowly.If I ever  get it loaded I will add it.

Stay safe

finally!
here you go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtMPc7kZv6c

Blown away, well almost

I know, more about the weather , sigh
Well it has been weird  but at least it makes for pretty pictures.
We got hit hard again tonight , but all are well so ...
Enjoy the art Mother Nature  created tonight

Stay safe

Don't knock the weather (long winded, picture heavy post )

I  read a quote years ago that said
"don't knock the weather , if it didn't change once in a while 9 out of  10  people couldn't start a conversation"
I don't know I am  pretty willing to knock it right about now
We have had an awful lot of rain this summer it is hot sticky and humid, not what  us folks  from out here in Bugtussle are used to in the least!
Usually by this time of the summer it is dry , and we are  having to really watch to rotate pastures to best manage the grass, and keep ahead of the stock. this year, the grass is keeping well ahead of the stock and me with the mower too!
When usually I am  fighting with dust, this year I am watching for  mold .Luckily (insert eye roll) I am allergic to both so the Benadryl I bought  is not wasted!
And Mushrooms! in huge amounts and variety ! If only I knew which were good I could be harvesting them
here are some pretty ones I  found

I guess I will just leave them for now.

With all the rain and humidity the bugs have come into  full force.We actually don't have quite as many Mosquitoes as last year, but the flies are  horrendous!
I don't have enough fly masks to go around, and they tend to tear them off in the big feild anyway so I usually  either light a smudge for the skeeters and unless the flies are super bad let it go . Well this year they are super bad so.I went out and applied fly spray to all who would let me .

Comet and Quinn took the spray like old pros, and the geldings seem not as bothered where they are so I let them be. But the girls,

My sweet Annie, wasn't sure at first , but she decided the spray was a good thing

" That Richie mare" She knows the ropes and  didn't even need to be haltered for her spray , just stood there loving it .Looking pretty good for an older girl I would say . 18 years young. She will soon be retired from the broodmare band , and live her life out here as a pasture ornament. But not yet, she is confirmed in foal to Windwalker Cactus for a 2013  foal. Hoping for a filly but I will be happy with whatever I get from this gal, I always am!

 Jazzy wasn't having anything to do with me and that "evil spray" but the next day she decided it was a pretty good idea  after all. She is also bred to Cactus, but we need to wait a  few days  longer to see if she caught .

 Ici too refused to be sprayed  but promptly went over and rubber her face all over Richie so ...
Confirmed  as well for a 2013 Cactus  baby

And then there was Peps, don't be a grey horse in fly season is all I can say! Poor  girly was COVERED  , he face was black with them, I got a hold of her and wiped her face first, I thought the  poor girl was going to get in my pocket! Such relief! We checked her with Ultrasound the other day and she is open, but we did try again this weekend so  cross your fingers would ya. Her owner Deb, would really like a foal  from her and Cactus. I too am looking forward to what she will produce.

We do breed our mares a little later in the year than some , but with calving , and my work I prefer to deal with one thing  a time. Our foals arrive after the calving is done and the herd is out ,so that we have  lots of  area and hopefully grassy pens for the babies.

4 mares bred this year ( we hope ) is a greater number than we usually do , but I have had a good market (Comet and Quin  have had  quite a few inquires and I have yet to really advertise them) And if Rich or Jazz , have fillies , those  will not be on the market , especially Richie's  so ...

Back to the weather, stinkin hot again yesterday, then all of a sudden the a system rolled in, and what a system! Black clouds swirling up from the lake , and winds that were later clocked at 100km per hour! I stood in my driveway watching theses sheets of rain and wind rolling across my sisters place , yet where I stood it was eerily calm. then the wind turned, and I hot footed it into the house , I had to run maybe 20 feet and I still caught some of the marble sized hail!
Heather and Marc lived in Edmonton during the tornado 25 years ago , and we  have had several  near misses over the years out here , so it takes a bit to scare us with a thunder storm , but this one did it, everyone went down to the basement to wait it out. 10 minutes or less and it was over. I went out to check the stock and fences , and all I found  was on  down tree in the middle of an empty pasture and this

It doesn't look like much until you see that the foot long stake/chunk  of debris was driving a  full 2 inches into the  packed ground on my front yard ! Takes  some force and trajectory to accomplish that , and seeing as that is a favorite place for Harley to hang out , I was awfully glad he wasn't there!
The fallout form that storm included down tees all over Onoway , the vet clinic lost their sign and the high school gym and cafeteria lost the roof. No injuries reported and the rest is stuff, but scary all the same .
Today was stinkin hot , and whether it is the barometric pressure or allergies, I had the second migraine in as many days ,sigh , so layed low  most of the day . Late this afternoon I went out to check  cows , and take salt .
Even with the new culvert, all of the rain , and the beaver dam, and damn beavers, have the lake so high it ran over the road most of June and July. We did have the road  smoothed out , but it is so saturated it doesn't take much to have it looking like this again

But the upside is it is pretty sand soil, and it will dry in a day or so and we can drag it , as long as the rain stops.
Cows look fine, except for the flies bugging them, too, but other than an oiler not much I can do

 Fly spray for me please! 

why yes, I am a handsome  brute! 

Anyhow, hoping the weather changes and we get some much needed sunshine , the hay is yet to be put up for the year, it looks plentiful ,but until it is baled and off the field...

Silly old song running through my head all day 

"Oh, no, don't let the rain come down 
  Oh, no, don't let the rain come down 
 Oh, no, don't let the rain come down 
My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown "

And just as I came in from checking the horses a few minutes ago, I noticed the poplar leaves were turning over.(Usually a sign of rain coming )  Sigh , I sure hope they are wrong.

Stay safe ! 

Extra Pickles please,(or ask for what you want )

Here we go gang! You haven't been subjected to one of the rambles of my tangled mind for a while . Are you ready???

My dad, when he goes to a drive through burger place always orders extra pickles.
Why?
Well first of all the man likes pickles what can I say?
But secondly it is his little way of making sure his burger is fresh ,when you make a special order, they have to make the burger fresh. Now I know that most places claim to do that anyway, but we have all gotten the tepid burger with the cheese that is all melted and icky on the burger. Dad , never gets them that way. He asks for WHAT HE WANTS, in a way that he will get WHAT HE WANTS.

OK , stick with me here, I have another analogy  then I (hopefully) will make my point.
I work for Mental health, and in doing that work with quite a few  psychologists, and  other professionals.
These folks are well educated and well versed in the workings of the mind and interpersonal skills right?
Mostly, yes, but they are also human and fallible. I remember talking with one of my supervisors over lunch one day. She was lamenting the fact that she and her hubby went out for burgers on the weekend, but she hates to do this as she never gets her burger the way she likes it. She  likes her burger plain with cheese and mustard, simple right?
I asked her how she orders it, she said " I order the burger, no onions, no ketchup,
not relish, no pickles "
I asked her why she was telling them what she DID NOT WANT instead of asking  for what she DID WANT?
She looked at me stunned and said she never thought of it that way. Well this gal was a great lady and nothing if she wasn't determined so she went home that night, told her hubby they were going for burgers, and low and behold, got exactly what she wanted! (She  rushed in the next morning to tell me!)


So what does that have to do with horses? This is after all a horsey kind of blog right?

Well last week I took Cat (Catch a Dream ) And Andee,(AV Docs Baby ) to the trainers . I was on my own loading them and using the new trailer, which I am still getting used to the angle haul style . Caught them up , and started to load Andee, unfortunately, my issues with the unfamiliar trailer popped into my mind and I began to think "what if she won't load , how will I get the partition closed, what if she fusses and spooks Cat what if....?"
And my sweet compliant  gentle Andee took one look at the trailer and said "OH hail no!If you are worried I am NOT getting in that death trap!"

So I said to myself (yes I talk to myself ) Well done genius! You screwed that up nicely!You know better that this.
 I always say " walk on like  you expect the horse to be right there with you, and they usually are "
So I took her back  regrouped myself  and gave me a severe talking to.
I could have pushed Andee and got her in, but since I had another horse to load I did it differently. I grabbed Cat, waltzed up to the trailer like it was nothing, and asked her to be right there with me KNOWING THAT SHE WOULD BE, the only thought in my head was we are getting in the trailer. The trailer is a big step up and the angle I was on made it a little bigger, and Cat is a shorty, but other than to lift her  foot waaay up past her ear as if to say "are you kidding me I am just little " she got right in!
I then secured her inside went and got Andee and having convinced myself she was going to leap right in and be with her friend  took her up to the trailer.
What happened? She got in!
They are safe as kittens in that trailer I just needed to  get my head around how to do things.
So my point/s?
Probably becoming clear , or at least I hope so.
 Ask for what you want!
 Ask ,like you expect the answer to be yes.
 and Keep it simple.


How many times when riding have we done this?
"Oh well that is a scary  bridge/tree/rock/arena whatever " And started thinking about all that can go wrong . Horse have great intuition and they  sense that change in us very quickly , so we are in effect telling them all about what we don't want. We need to instead tell them what we do want .
So with horses  and in life, whether we want extra pickles or a smooth canter transition, I believe the best way to get  what we want is to ask for it .No doubts, no fussing , no over thinking it .


KISS Keep it simple sweetie!
And of course , as always , stay safe!

Do it anyway

I have a post brewing , and lots to talk about and do , but  for today I wanted to share this. Many of us,I believe understand this better than even we  realize. The chorus speaks to that determination that  comes with faith 


"God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway"






As always my friends , stay safe