Good Saturday Morning

Good morning, what a wonderful day! Need to play catch up, need hay, grain, shavings, and groceries today. Laundry to do and hang out doors, just all the general housekeeping chores that didn't get done through the week. The girls and Max seem very happy for me to be home.

Took some great pictures the other evening and the next morning, will try to get them posted later in the day along with the quote.

TTFN L.

Ahhh Friday at last.

I can't believe that I'll be saying that and really mean it next week. Wow, my first week of work in a year. Dennis took me shopping last evening to get a couple of new outfits. This job is business attire only, not even a dress down day, haven't had that in years, so have to spiff up a little.

Just put the girls to bed, and while I was walking up from the barn the great horned owl was out hooting away. Love to hear him/her, such a beautiful sound.

Tomorrow I'm off to Rome to find out where I'll be working, then hitting an orchard on the way home, Dennis has decided that he has been deprived long enough of an apple pie. Not sure who's gonna bake that for him?? (hehehe)

He has a dinner/meeting to attend tomorrow night, so it's "fish" night for me, going to the store to see what's on special, I'd love lobster, but that probably won't happen. Maybe some haddock, or salmon, shrimp, crab..... just about anything would be great.

Been getting up at 5 am again, have to get the girls in a routine for work, waking Lakota up at around 5:30 is NOT a good thing, she's a little crabby when she has to get up that early and the sun isn't even thinking about coming out yet.

Everyone enjoy their night and weekend.

Qoute of the day:

"It takes a good deal of physical courage to ride
a horse. This, however, I have. I get it about
forty cents a flask, and take it as required."

Stephen Leacock (1869-1944)
from "Literary Lapses Reflections on Riding"


 

Back to the list of employed

It's been a full year that I have been unemployed, left my last job on 9/30/10 and starting the new one on 10/3/11. Did have a nice year off, did not accomplish as much as I had hoped, but I learned a lot about myself and I'm working on my "fixes".

My girls are doing well, although we will have to say "Goodbye" to Flame soon, she won't make it though the winter and I can't make her suffer. Lakota is taking good care of her and watching over her during the day while she's outside.

I'm going to start posting here regularly as I am fed up with Face Book, pictures will be here as well. Dennis and I celebrated out 11th wedding anniversary this past weekend, and headed to Raquette Lake for brunch on the WW Durant. You could not have had a more picture perfect day if you had asked for it. I wish our wedding day had been half as nice.

 The cruise on the Durant was wonderful as always. We decided to take the Champagne Brunch  cruise so we could see the lake, as we haven't been out on it in 5 or 6 years. The food was delicious; there was a cold buffet table filled with smoked meats and cheeses, smoked salmon (which was to die for!!!), fresh fruit platter and a bread basket, the cinnamon sugar donuts were my favorite. Then later on the hot buffet table was quiche, bacon, sausage, potatoes, Belgian waffles and Seafood Newburg with rice. It was just yummy.

Lots more, but I'm running out of time this morning.

Quote of the Day:
"The hooves of the horses!
- Oh! witching and sweet
Is the music earth steals from the iron-shod feet;
No whisper of lover, no trilling of bird,
Can stir me as hooves of the horses
have stirred."

Will H. Ogilvie

What a beautiful day!

10:00 in the morning and it is still in the 60's, dew point is only 54 - such a great start. Laundry is out on line, Flame decided she wanted in around 9:30 - which is OK, I think she needed a nap. Dennis mowed all the lawns yesterday so later I'm going to go out and get some up to date outdoor photos. All of the flowers are done, not that I do that much, but they look nice. Thanks K Mart, the price was better, and the quality wasn't bad either. My impatients, I did get at Anutto's, they always have the right color, I'm a little picky about colors.

Earlier this morning I discovered a box with old pictures in it. My parents wedding slides, along with a bunch of old family photos, and a couple from when my dad was on his ship in the Navy, quite a blast from the past.

For Father's Day, we took my father-in-law to Wendy's Diner in Cassville for b-fast. Very good food, I highly recommend it, prices weren't bad either. It was such a nice day for a drive, on the way home we drove thru Sauquoit and then down Higby, the view is great.

Tonight for dinner is Chicken-Eggplant Parmesan with a side of pasta and tossed salad.

Now to go hit the tread mill.



Quote of the day:

"He flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions."

Stephen Leacock (1869-1944)

Summer

Wow, it's really hard to believe that summer is here already. Still light out at 9:00 pm. I've been having issues with Flame, her arthritis is really acting up, so much that she couldn't hardly walk. I've got her on 20,000 mg of MSM per day and what a difference it is making. She's walking so much better, she spends the middle of the day inside, a) to get her out of the sun and bugs, & b) so she can lie down and nap  - gets her off her legs for awhile. Thank you so much Colleen from Animal Wellness Consultants for the communication with my girls.

Before the arthritis issue the veterinarian was here to do shots and check ups and Lakota's coggins (so she can travel ) and Flame was not breathing very well. She has had breathing issues in the past and is on meds daily for this, but in checking a little farther we found that her heart is now the problem, she has a large edema and I will probably loose her sometime this summer. A valve is not working correctly and she'll probably have a heart attack. So I'm trying my best to make her as comfortable as possible. And if she is in pain or uncomfortable I guess I'll have to make the call.

Lakota is going to a trainers sometime late summer or early fall and then off to the boarding stable for the winter. I won't keep her here for the winter alone and I'm not ready for another horse. I've given her until next spring; she will either be trained enough for me to ride or she will have to go to another home. I can't pay board for a "pet" that I don't or can't ride. I'm praying everything will work out with her - I love her to pieces and it would really break my heart to give her up.

Max  -  he's doing well and driving me crazy as usual. He is a good boy but crazy so he fits right in with the rest of us. I guess he's decided to take over the bed.

I am very excited, next year I'm traveling to Memphis to go to the Memphis Film Festival - Gathering of the Guns 4. I have put away enough for my hotel room, now to save for the trip itself. It's 1200 miles away so I'm not sure if I'll drive or fly. I hate to loose a day each way for driving. Need to think on this.


Quote of the day:

"Look back at our struggle for freedom,
Trace our present day's strength to its source;
And you'll find that man's pathway to glory
Is strewn with the bones of a horse."

Anonymous

Update on Sami

My little Sami is doing very well, the kids LOVE her, she's getting ridden every day and seems to enjoy that. She does not like sheep, they say the sheep "freak her out". I am so happy that she is doing well, I must have been a stopping place until her dream home came about. Best wishes to you, I'm very proud of you.

Quote of the day:

"To be loved by a horse, or by any animal,
should fill us with awe - for we have not
deserved it."

Marion C. Garretty, b 1917

April Fool's Day

Woke up this morning to some snow, wasn't as much as they had predicted (thank goodness).

And by noon is was back to the way things were yesterday.

The girls went outside and both hit the mud as soon as they cleared the barn. with in the next couple of weeks I will have 2 brown horses instead of one red and a bay. They've started shedding out, which is going to make them itchy, so they roll, and roll, and roll, the mud dries on them, and they do it all over again.

Lakota moved into the other stall on Wednesday and seems to like it better. It's brighter, and will get the cross breeze when the windows come out. She has 2 views now instead of just 1.

She's quite a camera nut - as soon as I take it out she starts posing. 

Flame just hangs out by the hay, when she comes up for air, I snap a couple....she says she's camera shy; I tell her she's just a chow hound and can't be bothered with the attention.  

Max likes the camera also:

He is quite a handsome little boy!


Today's Quote:

"A horse can lend it's rider the speed and
strength he or she lacks - but the rider who is
wise remembers it is no more than a loan."

Pam Brown, b. 1928

Today's Quote:

"The rhythm of the ride carried them on and on,
and she knew that the horse was as eager as she,
as much in love with the speed and
air and freedom."

Georgess McHargue

Last Sunday in March

What a beautiful morning, 12 degrees at 7 am, but the sun was shining, birds singing, and the horses wanted out!!

They really don't care what the temps are as long as there is hay and the wind isn't gusting. They are usually fairly content, especially since Sami has left, she could be quite an instigator. Had one cup of coffee, and the barn was all cleaned and ready for them to come in this evening, we got cleaned up and headed to Cooperstown to enjoy the morning at the Farmers Museum.

It was very nice, blue skies, everything crisp and bright, the first parking lot was filled up so we parked across the road. The breakfast was a buffet, consisting of pancakes, home fries with or without onions, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee, and juice. The maple syrup was fresh and very good. The place was busy; not many seats, so we got the food first, then a place opened up by the time we were ready to eat.

After, we headed off to the carousel green to watch the syrup boiling down, and had "jack wax" which my family called "sugar on snow" it was very good and fun to see my husband try something that I had told him about but never had the opportunity to try. Next we headed off to the "Smithy" or Black Smith Shop, there they were making hooks for the hearth fire cooking, and were telling about making pistols, all which was very interesting. Stopped into Todd's General Store, where they sell the items made at the black smiths and many other "period" items. We wandered back to the barns were the oxen were hitched to a cart, to go and collect the sap from the many maple trees around the property, the turkeys were out (pestering the hen) and the sheep were in their pasture, some eating and some were taking their nap. We were looking for the building that had the open hearth cooking and could not find it, by then we were both chilled through and needed to use the facilities, so we headed out.  It really was a great morning and very enjoyable. I do recommend going next year, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

For Sunday

Tomorrow morning we're heading to Cooperstown to the Farmers Museum for the last Sugar Off Sunday. I'll let you know how things went later in the day.

Chilly Saturday

Today has been a mixture of sun, a little snow here and there, and very cool temperatures. The girls have been out enjoying their day, munching on hay in the sun, Max and I went for a walk this morning, tired him out, and was napping in the sun until the deer wandered by. The temperature got as high as 30° and with the sun out it felt warmer, however when the breeze blew it went right through you. With the cold temperatures the mud has been frozen in the morning, so it's much easier to get around behind the pastures and the backyard. All of the snow has not melted yet, so the yard is still quite damp, the temperatures are predicted to go back to the 40s sometime next week, so I'm in hopes that the rest of the snow will melt and things will start drying up. Lakota would really like to run and stretch her legs however I don't want them to dig the pasture up before the grass starts to grow, so she will have to wait a couple more weeks.

Last evening, as soon as the girls came inside, the deer ventured out. There are usually 4 to 6 deer at any time that are wandering around the backyard. They don't look bad, each seems to have a nice coat and a little bit of weight on them. They are fun to watch, Max barks at them from the door, but they don't seem to bother with him, I can even walk out the back door, talk to them, and head down to the barn, all they do is watch me walk away. When I come out of the barn and head in their direction, then they start wandering away back towards the woods. This happens every evening around dusk and sometimes they're out and about in the morning. We also have a fox that you see every once in a while, a great horned owl that you can hear early in the morning or later in the evenings and rabbits aplenty. The birds are coming and sound beautiful, it's nice to see the robins and the bluebirds have returned. At the bird feeders there are chickadees, nuthatches, once in a while I do see a blue jay and a cardinal, but not very often. I've seen a couple different woodpeckers and can hear them quite frequently. Really beats living in the village.


The quote of the day:

Here's to you, Stocking and Star and Blaze!
You brought me all that the best could bring-
Health and Mirth and the Merriest days
In the Open Fields and the Woodland Ways-
And what I can do in return but sing
A song or two in your praise!
WILL H. OGILIE

Spring Has Sprung

It's March 25, spring is finally here, although the temperatures aren't hitting the averages, the sun is high in the sky and the horses are shedding out their winter coats. I found a home for Sami, she left this past Saturday. Flame was not happy, she called out for her all day, but she's gotten better each day since. Lakota, I think is just happy that she's not getting bitten anymore. This weekend I will sanitize her stall and move Lakota, it's the one that Jazz was in originally. I hope that Sami will do well at her new home, she's a good horse, nice personality, & loves attention; she deserves to be happy and have a job.

As the snow melts it really creates havoc in the pastures and on the road back to the manure pile. It's very hard to drive the tractor back there, so when the temps drop below freezing, the barn gets cleaned as early as possible, so the road is still frozen enough to drive on.

Once the weather is warmer, both the girls will get baths, and and the barn will get a good spring cleaning and organized. Looking forward to get things back in their proper places. I get very lazy in the winter and don't get thing put where they need to be, one pile is the Christmas decorations.

I'm off to get some new spring pictures to post, have a great day.

Today's Quote:

"A canter is a cure for every evil."
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)

57 Days till Spring

It's a little chilly out there this morning 8 outside and 20 in the barn. Girls are doing well, they had a warm grain mash this morning, heated buckets are going, and they have good hay. They seem happy which is all I ask.

Today's Quote:
"In riding a horse, we borrow freedom."
Helen Thomson, b. 1943

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

It's a very snowy, windy, chilly day. We've been very lazy today, husband woke up with a slight hangover, me; cramps, and a headache. Nothing getting accomplished today except the barn getting cleaned, the older 2 horses did not want to go out to brave the snow and wind, but the young one did, she likes to get outdoors for a little while no matter what the weather is, as long as I'll let her.

Max went out and raced with the wind and caught a few soft snow balls, then did his thing and headed back indoors to get warm and take a nap. He has a great life.

There were quite a few turkeys out roosting in the trees today, they look strange; these great big dark things in the trees, they really look uncomfortable.

Today's Quote:
"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Friday, January 7th, 2011

The farrier was here yesterday, trimmed all the girls, each got a clean bill of hoof health. It started snowing late last evening and now we have between 4 - 6 inches of fresh snow on the ground. Lakota went out this afternoon while the barn was cleaned, but the other 2 didn't want any part of the snow and elected to just wander around inside while their stalls were mucked.

30 years ago today my mother took me to Utica to pick up my first German Shepherd puppy in a snow storm. Just goes to show you; mom's will do anything for their kids. He was 8 weeks old, a black and silver, sweet puppy. Apache CD, miss you bud, you were awesome!!

Today's Quote:

“The way horses live their lives is a metaphor for life’s priorities. It’s not always about winning or losing, it’s also about the quality of the experience, the journey itself, and putting your heart into what you do.” -Diane Lane