Winston Wednesday

When your  pizza delivery guy is this good looking...

 It's hard

 to get mad

 if he forgets 

to bring the pizza

 into the house!

Actually an empty box, but he was so proud carrying it around I kinda had to  take his picture 

Stay safe everyone! 

Heating up

 Monday already! Wow , the weekends are flying by!

And it was a hot one ! Friday was hubbies birthday as I said, we did not go out that night though as he was in the midst of a , well we will call it a power struggle , with the local  beaver population. The have dammed  and blocked the culvert on the road out to  the cows so badly  that  with  the added rain last week the road became impassable . Not good, Yes you could get out there on a horse , or maybe a quad, but  salt blocks don't fit so well on a horse and the quad? well I am not sure it would not have gotten stuck eventually too. 

Martin was struggling away trying to unblock the culvert , and I talked with dad who reminded me that it is on a County road allowance . I called  the county office , with not much success,  then our  councilman (who is also a farmer)  and  uttered the  magic words "we cannot get to  our stock" Next thing we know we had a back hoe out to dig a trench to  get the water moving and  a whole lot of help ! Its not all fixed up yet , but certainly on the way . 

Saturday was spent,among other things , trying to stay cool. the temps soared to 30C and above  for the last 3 days peaking today at 34-feels like  37C ,which before you southern folks laugh at us  is 98 Fahrenheit and keep in mind we get to -40  here in the winter (-40C is -40 F) so fir us that IS STINKING HOT!

So we did  the only logical thing ...

We hauled out old faithful , our 300 gallon stock tank , scrubbed it out and filled it to make our  "Redneck  Dipping pool "

It was  snappy cold that first day in the water m,but dang! did it feel good !
I did move  Comet and Quinn out to some grass, the plan had been to geld them this weekend , but with the heat and a shortage of some supplies ,it has been postponed  to later this week .
Out for  supper with Martin Saturday night , then Sunday was a check cows,treat bull,make deviled eggs and punch,attend bridal shower and return to pool day ! A chilly 32 C yesterday !
Again today it was  in the 30's and because of all the  rain last week, not really a "dry heat" .I got home from work and went straight to the pool again !
Where I was met  by my "pool boy! lol
Serving the latest  of local wine maker Marc's  White Zinfandel

Why yes,I am a pampered princess! I thought about not posting this pic, but then I thought ,Oh what the heck,its not like you all haven't seen pics of me in Mexico in a swimsuit, and I hardly think anyone was  deluded into believing I  had the body of a supermodel under my chubby farm girl suit! Besides, look at the view from my pool! 

In case you were wondering , the ponies all have shade to get into , and the dogs? Well Winston has his own dipping pool that he uses , I just can't catch a picture of him in it ,and Skeeter, refuses to go into water , we tried and he  was totally offended!! "There is water in there and it GOT ON ME!!! " I swear he is more like a cat!

anyhow, that's where things are at here . Hope everyone  had a great weekend , stay safe ! 

Happy Birthday !

So today is my husband Martins birthday , also my honorary niece Cara. Now Cara  is 21  today , Martin?? is not  LOL . Add to that , Yesterday , my wonderful  nephew Brendan turned 19!
SO join me  would you in a rousing internet  chorus of HAPPY BIRTHDAY  TO YOU !!! I am always so happy to celebrate the birth of those folks I love so dearly!

You don't very often see Martin this relaxed , but when he does , he really does it right! 

 Cara, with Moms dog Autumn, Cara is a province away so we have to sing very loud , and let her know we miss her 

 Brendan last year at his graduation

 A shot of Brendan putting together one of those wonderful  dressers you buy,you know the ones ,where every single piece is separate and they say"some assembly required"  

So glad this guy has such skills ,puts them together in no time at all  

So without further ado....

So ,about that happy post ...

Well,of course this little  darlin never fails to make me smile

The last few days I have been working  with Comet and Quinn each day, haltering , leading , today we worked on grooming and , standing tied . They were a bit rusty after a long time of just growing up, and the winter, but overall not too much drama. Both took the grooming very well, Quinn looking quite elegant afterwards and Comet? well he has a little bit of a roguish look with his ,soft, fluffy white mane.

 Standing patiently,well sort of but standing and not pulling or fussing when he met the tension on the rope. Though Comet did  make an effort to untie himself 

 Mostly Comet seems to be wanting to please ,very good with pressure and release 

and he really doesn't seem to get rattled at all 

 Relaxing and deciding it isn't so bad 

 Elegant? I see I missed a spot , but gosh he is a pretty boy all cleaned up 

 Quinn is a big boy , but very peaceful, overall doesn't try me much,  seems very willing to please as well 

 Both boys were very good today , and last evening with all the noise and drama. I am extremely pleased with them so far 

We had a couple of big storms blow through , thunder ,lightening,pelting rain and hail, and then , a day late we got , my kind of Canada day light show !

I guess the song is true, "if you ever want to see a rainbow, you've got to stand a little rain 

Stay safe 

If stupid was illegal...

Warning, this is a bit of a rant, because, well I AM SEVERELY P*SSED!

As I said in me earlier post this is a holiday weekend , and along with the great folks that come out and holiday, there are, well the others, the thoughtless careless, jerks who  feel among other things that their ownership of a  tiny piece of lakefront ,or familial tries to a local, entitles them to free reign over the county . racing up and down on quads on the gravel road, not only at high speed , but  zig zagging as well which makes the road rough and dusty , grabbing their buddies, some guns and (I hope target shooting ) right alongside other folks livestock!

This (according to the RCMP) is legal in this county if done on their own property and X# of meters from roads and houses, but there seems to be no provision for proximity to livestock.

So these fools were tearing all over on their quad or ATV of some breed last evening shooting right alongside the mares. Real freakin heroes!!! Tough guys on their Manly man kick. Hey boys, wanna feel like a hero??? How about stand your ground and face down 7 panicked 100lb + mares that are running straight at you in a fear? Now that will start your heart! 

My girls normally don't react to this type of thing ,so I have to assume that something  came too close for comfort , and I thank my lucky stars that every horse I own knows what a hand up and a firm WHOA means ,else I might not have come through it as  well as I did . Got the girls settled into a  different pen then went back to what I was doing , which by the way was , working with Comet and Quinn,(who are a testament to the kind of  quiet horses I raise, they were totally unfazed by the excitement , both responsive and attentive to me )

Then came into the house to settle myself down and read on another blog that Lisa of Laughing Orca Ranch was dealing with a similar group of genius!

Seriously? I know I was raised to have respect for others and be mindful of my actions the consequences, as were most folks I know. Where do these selfish, careless rotters come from? And in light of the terrible events south of here where my friends horse was shot, and several cows, can you imagine how much sleep I got last night?

I commented yesterday that "you can't fix stupid" , and it made me smile as I remembered my old trainer Ernie, leaned up against the barn wall chewing a straw and looking every bit the cowboy saying one day "nope , you can't  fix stupid, You can fix ugly, but not stupid"

Not really related to this, but the memory gave me a smile, which I really needed about then!

So I guess, not only can we not fix it, we also can't make it illegal. The advice I got from the RCMP was this, "if they are on their own property and not in proximity to  houses or roads , we cannot do anything , however if I  find any spent shells or projectiles of any kind on my property I am to report it immediately and they will be charges with careless discharge of a firearm ."

Think I am going to go for a little walk

Stay safe my friends and I promise a happier post soon

Plans for the weekend ?

 Several people asked me last week ,if I had any plans for the long weekend?
my response, was nope , laying low .We live in an area quite close to Lac Ste Anne , and though we don't think about it much most of the year ,it is in fact a resort area. My place is about 1 1/2  miles from the lake , near a summer village and across the lake form the main beach. There are several "summer villages around the lake , some  permanent residents and  the weekend visitors. I have no problem with most  but there are always the bad eggs . My  thoughts are best reflected by my statement on Facebook this morning


"Its a holiday weekend here, note to all the folk who rush out from the big city to enjoy the serenity of the country in the campgrounds and lake lots, welcome. Couple of things though; no, my horse pasture, driveway, hay field etc ARE NOT A PARK AND NOT A QUAD TRACK, no, you cannot pet the horsies ,and if you could kindly SLOW DOWN on the gravel roads they, are not a speed way that would be cool.Finally , please be careful with the fireworks ,this is where you relax, but it is where I live and if it burns up... and for heavens sake wear a helmet on the quad , the only thing that would upset me more than you driving on my fields is finding you dead or dying in them !"


With all of the extra  traffic and people around ,I don't tend to head out much on long weekends . The highways are crazy, and I am not a big fan of crowds . So I stay home, lay low and spend time with the ponies . Today I brought "the golden boys" in for some handling which is something I have needed to do for some time. They were pretty good, a little hesitant to let me halter them, Comet  more than Quinn, which shows  what time  does, when I halter broke them Comet  was easy peasy and Quinn seemed convinced I was killing him! LOL  Nothing that exiting today , just a little avoidance and walking away . A little of this every day , and they will be just fine . Tried to get a few pics for ads and such , going to have to  get some  more bu these are a start

Why blogger has suddenly decided to  refuse to rotate pictures I have no idea, but I left this one  up anyhow, he looks like such a cute little rogue

Other than that ,checked pastures , mowed the lawn , went to the lake for a little swim at Deb's cabin. The relaxed at a little fire in my  yard . Pretty good day  all in all , hoping the weekend continues along the same lines .

Wishing everyone a wonderful SAFE weekend . And to my Canadian friends , HAPPY CANADA  DAY

Helping hands

Many of you  already know Mikael from Rising Rainbow Arabians Mikaels Mania-Arabians
Those who don't may remember a blog post I did last year when I went to Washington to visit some family ,took a side trip  nearly to the foot of Mt Rainier, and there I met the beautiful horses she raises  and loves . I fell in love over and over with her gentle  kind horses, Suede, was a particular favorite, and Tango, and of course who could forget the Wonderful Legs!!!

 Suede

 Reflection and ??? very sweet boys who both wanted my attention at onece

 Just a teaser shot of the Wonderful Legs

Young Tango, what a story he has and has yet to tell

I have enjoyed her blog and her stories of how she has progressed in the industry, laughed with er about some things, and cried for her and with her on others. Mikael  fell ill last year shortly after I left her place , and I have to say this is one amazing lady , she has been to the edge and back ! And yet done this with her dreams and integrity intact!
As she moves forward in health and in her business the has an opportunity to receive  a grant to further her efforts . Please take the time to go and vote for her  HERE  simply go to the site , either log in with , Facebook or register then search Rising  Rainbow Arabians .
Best  of luck to you Mikael

Take a moment please friends, and go vote if you have not already. and as always stay safe

Somewhere, over the rainbow

Forgive me friends this will be a melancholy post .
I have been in a state of the blues today , couldn't really think why, but on the edge of tears and just ,well plain old sad. I thought , well the is stuff going on at work that is irritating and frankly stupid, but that ,while it  doesn't help isn't usually enough to get me down. After all I work to live , not live to work so...


Then I thought maybe it is the fact hat hubby is away, and it sure is part of it I miss him and the longer this job goes the longer his 2 weeks out feels ,and the shorter the 1 week home.But again , that is life and I am pretty used to it .
 Then I saw a post from a friend of mine , Janice at Own a Morgan and well frankly I panicked! I had a feeling what the post was about and for the whole day I avoided reading it Her beloved Gelding Texas has passed away at 34yrs old. I shouldn't be sad he lived a long and wonderful life in her care, but I so know the empty feeling they leave  whether they have been with 3 yrs or 30 ,horse lovers know it doesn't take long for them to become part of you .
That coupled with the senseless loss Of Toffee ,my friend Sarah's horse (Heartsick) and hearing from my Sister in law about a foaling  gone horribly wrong for them which resulted in them euthanizing  both the mare and foal , I am just hurting for  those I care about .  The foaling , was one of those things, they were there they tried , and did their very best as did their vet , but sometimes the outcome is just not good in spite of everyone's best efforts.
Any of us who love animals , cats, dogs ,birds , horses,etc know going it that they will not be with us forever, but it still never prepares you for the wrenching  pain their leaving brings . Call me a bleeding heart if you want  I somehow feel at least some of  the feeling of loss each of those folk are suffering.

Reminders of loves of my own who have left their mark in my heart. 
So while you may have read this before , please bear with me as I share it again , in love and support to those who are hurting , and to remind them they were as much a blessing to their horses as the horses were to them. And  may we all meet again someday , somewhere ,just over the Rainbow Bridge

Made of Horses

For my entire life it seems

Horse have been in my dreams

In my life and in my space

A feeling that you can’t replace

The Grace and beauty that they share

Cannot be found, just anywhere

They are a thing second to none

To let them go leaves me undone

And heartbroken tears I will cry

When all to soon they say goodbye

Each takes a piece of my own heart

When the sad time comes to part

But leaves behind no empty space

Just glowing memories in their place

I watch them grow and watch them dance

And know that it was worth the chance

No rage against natures forces

It has left my heart

Made of Horses 

Stay safe my friends

A little different

 So I have been bumbling along this spring with my flower beds. I knew what I wanted , but could not for the life of me seem to get it done. I am not a great gardener, (understatement of the year ) but I do like to have pretty things and flowers are pretty . So I usually try to get a few annuals, but most of my flower beds are either roses or  perennials.Then I spent the summer cursing the weeds, because  weeds,I can grow! 

Over the years I have collected some nice perennials, Veronica, Dahlias, and a perennial geranium to name the ones I can remember . but the  empty patches always I would try to fill with annuals.

Mostly the annuals would die or get choked by the weeds, so instead of completely admitting defeat I am trying this .

I  weeded it all thoroughly  then laid down a  weed barrier mat , and  have topped it with cedar chips .

It leaves more open spaces , but I do  kind of like the look 

Also found some really cute garden fence pieces  to brace up the taller plants,  you cant really see them  but they have butterflies on them 

 I have to complement the  lady at Home Depot who helped me today . When I got there it was pouring rain, she came out  helped find the  chips I wanted ,then insisted on loading them in the truck. ALL TEN BAGS!  because I did not have a jacket!I asked her how she liked her coffee and she laughed and said  "just with cream" boy was she surprised when I came  running in with a coffee 10 min later !But really service like that ? I kinda felt like I ought to do something . Will also take a friends advice and email the company 

I am pretty pleased with the way it all turned out , and I think simple is better in the long run , after all just across the driveway I have , Mother Natures landscaping and garden

 Really , anything I do would just be gilding the lily don't you think?

Stay safe everyone 

Absent minded, or just absent

Lately I have been thinking of lots of stuff to blog about ,but by the time I start to write it ,it has faded again. I wanted to do a post for today  a Fridays for sale post  or something , and it just  never came together .Busy tired , not sure what , commenting on other blogs seems to be beyond me .
I do read, just ,never seem to have enough  time to formulate a comment .Its not  like I am actually getting  anything much done here either, or it just doesn't feel like it .
 Gonna have to find ,my stride  pretty quick here, I have quite a lot I do want to do.
 Meanwhile I will leave you  with the wish for a wonderful first weekend of summer (here at least , and for Sally , hopes for a warm winter weekend where you are)
And wishes that everyone , stay safe and well, and wear your sunscreen!
Oh, and a few pics of the golden boys , who are both for sale , so maybe I sorta did a FFS post?

 

Heartsick

That is the only way I can describe what I am feeling today . A senseless act of malice and violence has left 1 beautiful horse and  3 cows dead, a  heartbroken child. And a lady who is  a friend also suffering this loss. To view the news article follow the link below , but be aware there are some graphic and disturbing images .
News Article and video here  .
Watching the video of Sarah and her beautiful Toffee had me in tears, and later to hear that they were unable to remove the bullet from Toffee's head and he had to be euthanised  truly breaks my heart .
Sarah asks "what  kind of person would hurt a horse?" And so do I, they shot Toffee, not once , not twice  but three times !!!!

What  kind of sick individual  does that?

 RIP Sweet Toffee, and the  cow calf pair  as well.
I am sharing this with all tonight  for  2 reasons, first ,to acknowledge the loss, that these folks have suffered and second, as heartsick as I am I am also mad as hell, and the more folks know about this  needless senseless sick act , the more will be aware and listening , as I have no doubt the coward who perpetrated this will also be fool enough to brag , if anyone in the area hears any information please immediately report it to the Stony Plain RCMP 780-968-7267 !  If they  will do this to  innocent animals ,what more are they capable of ??

Colts are ...

 cute 

 curious

 Careless

carefree

 content 

 just kinda cool to have around 

and definitely 

If 

I 

get 

just

 the 

right

 shot 

in the

 right 

moment

Calender materials too 

These are from Saturday , Harley's first  big day out on grass. Yes is is my front yard, and yes it was a supervised outing , luckily as he was  pretty determined to try the steps . 

It went very well, until momma Jewel caught sight of her reflection in the big picture window. Initially she looked as if to say , "Dang that is one gorgeous horse in the mirror, then it turned to "are you looking at MY BABY!!!" at which point we  exited the area! . 

She will be on a couple hours turnout a day with Harley  for now  since as you see she is not in any way hurting for groceries. This is a good opportunity to work with him and get her back into  condition as well.

Hope everyone had a great weekend 

Stay safe 

Happy fathers day

To the guy who helped me learn to ride a bike, and a horse, fixed my toys and my truck , talked me through the first time I pulled a trailer, taught me to drive, check my oil, change a tire (then made sure I had roadside assistance so I would not have to) How to pull a calf,doctor cows , and make a rope halter. To the man who taught me to dance ,and the words to all the really good oldies songs.Who walked me down the aisle and gave me away, but never really let go entirely . To the man who has always been there when I needed him.And in my eyes will always be the brightest , and the best, and a hero . To my dad , Happy Fathers Day

When Naps Attack

Nuff said there

Stay safe everyone