Spring Storm

Part of the deal when I took Easy home was that I was gonna ride him every day.  Well almost he gets one day off a week, maybe 2 after a show.  Not all hard rides but he needs to be kept in shape.  Well since he came home and he was a bit of a nutcase I left him to settle in.  Then I rode him a few times and I will be honest I was a bit worried about riding him here but as soon as I sat my butt in the saddle he was like OK I know how to do this and just was like normal, whew!  Then I got busy and then it snowed and so I haven't rode him a whole lot.  I really got to get back to it.  Arena is way too wet to ride in now, hoping tomorrow or Friday I can work it and then ride.  I guess that's the downfall of dirt, if it was sand I could work it and ride anyways even if it was wet.  I really would like to show on the 8th and the 14th, will depend on if the barn is going to them shows cause I'm not confident enough to go on my own.  If I had been riding him more I probly could go ride out but not sure he's ready (or me) to walk on the soggy wet uneven ground.

(Sunday)

(Sunday)

(Monday, the poplar that looks like a weeping willow)

(Monday, looks way better)

Oh snow, we really needed moisture but if you know me I don't like snow, so was super happy when I got up on Sunday and there was no snow on the ground thought that was the worst of it, then headed up to the Mane Event with a neighbor and it was quite nice up there and come home and its white all over here :(  But while I was up there I went to see Brigitte Meyer of Vitality Equine and won a hat and a gift certificate!  Yay.  Will definitely have to use that, someday I think Easy would like that (maybe)  And visited with Louisa there as well, that was fun to have someone to talk to that understands this cutting thing and as well just getting into it.

So yesterday it was fairly nice out and I was bored cause too soggy to do much and so figured Id got for a walk (road is good) and get some pics of the ponies in the snow.  Well saw gooses and the ponies had no snow it had already melted!

(silly gooses in the snow)

(Razz, Jess, George)

(I love our 2 mile long driveway :) )

(An antelope track, never saw him though expect its bent horn)

(Razz watchin and Jess can't stop eating)

(the geese were back as I got home)

(hard to see but they are flying over the fence)

(the arena is pretty wet yet)

(lawn looking good, even see some new dandelions in there)

(A bit of water in the perennial bed, 

guess I won't have to water your rose for a few days Shirley)

(and melting out behind the house, new lake)

(and the bottom of our stairs needs to be landscaped 

feels like we are gonna get sucked in one day)

So toady will do another walk and maybe can work the garden tomorrow.

The Great Outdoors

Been so much going on around here, been picking rocks in the arena I think they grow overnight

And then the young geese who I think are looking for a nest been waking my up at 6 with all their honking

And the goose nest we saw in the creek hill which now has been found by coyotes, she needs a better spot

Oh and I been working on the deck and one morning the crows were having a fit and I looked out and a horned owl was out there chasing them off, yay!  And he stuck around all morning while I was out there.  No nest in the yard but I think there is one in the creek.

And the house guy came and fixed our crooked window so now can work on the window seat as soon as I find baskets what a hassle finding big enough ones.

And I headed on a long tour to help a friend haul horses home and saw pheasants on the way (also saw other cool stuff but with a trailer hard to stop and take pics, like a bull snake)

And our cows laying on the hay field, we are half done calving now that's nice there's a pile of calves out there and I haven't even been out riding out there :(

(have to look hard at this one she was a long ways down in the brush by the creek.)

And then last night we had a few neighbors over for turkey supper and the one brought me a cool colored rose and another a houseplant (I'm so bad I don't even know what it is) I said they dont have to bring anything but they did.

And I got a package int the mail, totally forgot about it, its from the Alberta Equestrian Federation rewards for riding or driving my horses.  I didn't realize I was supposed to send them in when I got them so sent in 4 at once and got all the prizes too, not very many hours last year, stupid sore back but this year is better already.

Now it looks like rain today but I'm hoping to ride first and then on to the Mane Event in Red Deer tomorrow should be fun!

Fridays Hunt 4

Well I'm a day late again.  For Eden Hills Fridays Hunt, might as well be Saturdays hunt for me.  been a long week after going to the Dentist (hey I coulda used that for D) she did a lot of work and I had a 2 day headache afterwards, that was kinda miserable and lost a riding day out of it too :(  But I'm back together for now.

  Of course took me a long time to think of something that started with a D to get picures of, then on Monday I thought of deer, of course, well you know how that goes, no deer to be seen anywhere around when I want to see them.  Probly see them tonight haha.  But anyways I finally realized I go through Drumheller 3 times a week and they like Dinosaurs.  There is the Tyrell Museum of Paleontology there and if I had time I so woulda gone there to get some pictures but of course not.  So I got a few that were wandering around town ;)

(this guy looks better in the summer when vines are covering him)

(And the FasGas Protectors)

(My favorite one in town breaking out of the IGA)

And then the Weeks Favorite, I got while shooing Beautiful, I got our house, I sure like it with the frosty trees and the newness :)  And we got eaves troughs last week so when it all melted yesterday it went in them instead of straight down.

(You can still see the old house for a while yet)

And Beautiful, well had to go with Hoar frost for this one, I got a couple close ups, not my best ones ever but seeing as they were taken this week gotta go with what the week gives you.

(Tried to get some blue sky but pic when kinda fuzzy in the background)

(and this one looks like ice crystals)

All n all a good week and can't wait for next week :)

This and That

Well after that, haven't done much with horses, been busy doing lots of other fun stuff.  And not fun stuff, like I washed by cell phone...in the washing machine.  Put it in rice for 3 days and nothing, no lights no noise no nothing :(  so since the contract isn't up till next November I am back to using my old phone.  It's like going back in time.  But I'm too cheap to pay out the 249 owing and then the new phone price which is probly another 200 so guess I'm old style for the next year.

I got the tree up on one kinda chilly and snowy day.

( I love my fake tree with lights, it makes my life so much easier )

Then that weekend we had a grey cup party for our neighbors and so they could come see the new house.  It was kinda awkward as we had ordered furniture on the Friday before cause we went Tuesday and it was buy a love seat and the couch was 50% off, so we thought that was a good deal and the sales guy come buy and said on Friday (black Friday) they were gonna be 70% off so we waited but they didn't come for a week so we had a hodge podge of chairs and pillows and stuff for people.  It worked out well but was a bit odd.  The Brick delivered them and set them up, that was super nice :)

(New love seat and recliner.  They all rock and recline, even the love seat)

(the sofa, it doesn't rock just reclines)

I been making ornaments for Christmas too and I found a real cute pic on Facebook and thought I would try it and they turned out adorable :)

(aww I love them )

Then we went up to the legislature with our community on the bus to protest the bill 6 our Premier is pushing through.  She wants all non family employees to have WCB and OHS, oh and shes trying to unionize us.  Well she said she was having meeting to figure it out, but the whole bill wasn't even written out said it would happen and all the other leaders were opposed but she pushed it through anyways.  That's kinda how she does stuff being NDP.  Doesn't care what anyone else wants she just does it anyways.  Most farmers have insurance that is better than WCB anyways, I'm not sure it was about farmers, shes pushing through all kinda of bills, our province is failing badly and she has only been in power for 6 months, gonna be a long 3 1/2 more years if we have province by then.

(after the protest we took a side trip to see the Magna Carta in another building,

 didn't have never enough time but its super cool,

 its there till end of January

 I think we may have to make another trip up there,

 they wouldn't let me take pics in there so we got the 

Lego Parliament building instead))

Made a table runner, well at least the top of one, I need to find stuffing and quilt it yet, but it turned out really good, whew good thing it was easy.  I got it for Christmas last year and figured I should make it for this year.

(pattern and picture, both laminated witch is cool)

(and finished top)

And I made a gingerbread Barn, I actually bought it last year and never got it made so the icing was a bit hard so I used my own but it turned out pink.  After I was done I had better ideas, oh well next year I guess.

(front of barn, notice the horse head)

(and the back, there is a pig and sheep but they aren't built quite right)

And then life just going on as normal, going through stuff in the old house and throwing away a lot and making sure cows have water, we aren't feeding them yet they got lots of grass.  I got a few ponies in the corral, had Bailey Trio Dee and Pally in the corral cause I was gonna ride lots and get Trio worked with more but the bull waterer was out so I don't have a small pen yet and the other one is way to big to start in.  Then a couple days ago Neil comes in and says your horses are out.  I thought it was the corral horses but nope we have a bad wire gate and Razz and Jessie got out and nice horses that they are made their way into the yard haha, coulda gone anywhere but in the yard the come.  So we caught them, Neil put a panel up in front of that gate and I turned out Bailey and Trio and then Razz with George (he never got out) and put Jess in with Dee and Pally to ride for a while.  I got Baileys teeth done last week too but she can wait till Feb or even March before I start riding her cause shes so much nicer outside.  I got her done cause she has a small wave which is hardly noticeable by now after 8 years of getting them done regularly.  But really took her cause my friend has a colt who has never been done and thought it would be good for him to have a calm companion.  And Bailey is that horse, who knew I never thought she would be there haha.  Jess was a little upset when I put her in the corral but then she saw the bale and all was forgotten haha she's so motivated by food.  Dee was a little upset because she thinks her world has ended cause Razz and her are still separated.  Oh well its good for them, I like to mix them up so they don't get too attached.

Jess eating and Pally wondering what I'm doing, 

shes not used to my weirdness yet haha)

(and Dee looking over the fence for Razz)

Whew there was a bit more there than I though there was.  But I think I might be caught up now :)

We Are In!!!

So after the race weekend we got a few more days of drywall fixes in the house, the plumber come and finished hooking everything up and we had the cleaning ladies out and we were ready to move in, just had to wait on the walk through.  Well she was coming Thursday and so on Wednesday we went up to Red Deer to look at Farm Fair.  Was a pretty good day, even got to see a few people we knew and a pink tractor....couldn't talk Neil into buying it though :(

(Just one of 5 rooms of stuff they had there)

Then Thursday she come and we talked about all the stuff we liked, we tried out everything (found out a tap on the bathtub leaks) And stuff that needs more work (a window is crooked, the patio door opened the wrong way, the furnace made weird noises, and we had no light in the dining room).   Well she was gonna check on all those and said the furnace was a recall and she hired out plumber to fix that and the furnace.  The window would get fixed in spring cause sometimes cracks siding if its too cold out.

(checking on the mouldings)

(filling out the paperwork)

She said the door was wrong but we like it like that and so we are leaving it, and the chandelier was just missed, she ordered one and they are coming this week to put it in.  But after that she gave us the OK to move in!!!  Yay, too bad I was in a 3 day clinic starting the next day.  But still yay!  That evening we moved a couple chairs over and a basket of stuff and we had cocktail hour in front of the fireplace :)  Didn't do much else till the next Monday when I was done the clinic.

(Pantry goodies)

(filling the fridge)

(living room furniture)

And Jessie.  Ya I have decided to sell her, shes a super nice horse but shes just not got enough show experience and neither do I so we fluster and don't get much done.  I love riding her and practicing on her but shes too nice a horse to just sit around her when i have other horses I like to ride too.  I also plan on selling Dee and Bailey and we will see how Trio turns out, I think she is gonna be a giant but Ill wait till shes started and got a decent amount of riding on her before I even think of selling her. I'm not in a real hurry to sell, was thinking spring when people are looking although have had a little interest in Dee, we will see how it goes after I keep riding her more and more, shes kinda fun.