December....A Catch up

Well lets see so much has happened since March.  I did get Rayne to a trainer she stayed till May and was really nice but so big so I was thinking of selling but unsure if I wanted to deal with people and then I see a post of some guy looking for a tobiano paint horse taller than 15 hands.  Well how could i not resist putting her on there and so he asked a few things about her which I didn't know much since I hadn't done anything with her and she wasn't home yet.  I really tried to get him to call the trainer but he didn't want to.  I told Alex I had a guy interested and he even suggested they call him.  But anyways I brought her home on a Thursday and he come Friday and really liked her.  He was at the rodeo all weekend but wanted to come back Monday.  So sure whatever.  I just kept up life as if they didn't want her but they come Monday and I rode, his wife rode then he rode her.  It was a lot for Rayne but she just took it all in stride.  They didn't bring a trailer but they really wanted her and came back Wednesday and took her home.  No dickering on price or anything.  He did ask if we could measure her and I had no problem with that and she was 15.2 already lol guess she was tall.  She just didn't look it since she was fit.

Otherwise not a lot of riding happened early in the year.  April 19 was my first ride on Jess in a year and a half and she was so awesome.  Then after a few rides I noticed she was short striding, kinda like a pulled hamstring.  We got her massaged and that all organized and through it all they told me to keep riding her, slow easy rides so I did.  Me and Char headed to Sandy McNabb that was a super cool day, woulda liked to go more it just didn't work out.  But I did get to Janice's and get to ride with her and Colleen for 5 days that was awesome.  Then the weekend after I had planned to go to the Donalda poker ride and it was 2 days of fun as well.  Then in October she decided to colic.  yuck.  my first bout with it, luckily after a vet trip and a lot of painkillers and oil she seems ok.  That was scary, never wanna do that again.

The colts are growing like weeds, still need lots of work but got plans for them to be started next Spring, Dixon is going to Doug's in March or April after hes started.  And Huck will get maybe 3 months on him and then Ill be brave and ride him.

Won a breeding in a Facebook auction to a super cool paint horse so I bred Razz to him, I think it will be a good cross, hes proven, does everything, And his babies are doing western pleasure, jumping, English, roping, trails.  Sounds like a good cross.  Im excited for this, hes also homozygous for tobiano so the foal with be a paint.  Hes bay so lots of colors available, I am not picky lol 

Of course my nephews came out and helped us for a couple months each this summer, it was great and we got so much done.

And the cats are still around and still goofy as ever.  Copper discovered climbing trees this year.  Hes not good at it and didn't wanna come down.  Neil rescued him the first time and then we made him do it himself the second time.

Been crocheting some, went to 3 craft sales this year, sold quite a bit and so that was nice now I can buy more yarn :) 

We lost the door to the Quonset in a nasty wind storm and so this fall got an overhead door put in man is that ever nice, we sure are spoiled now.

I also been working on the greenhouse, almost tore it down but decided to pull out the built in beds and re did the roof, painted, laid a brick floor and I love it now!  still needs eaves troughs and doors but its so big inside there now.

Ill try to blog more but I am so rarely on the computer it just is a challenge.  What I really need is a new computer but I don't even know what I want.

Life and Christmas

Well I guess I'm here to post again, have been around reading blogs but not a lot to post about here.  I haven't rode in 6 weeks, probly the longest ever since I got a horse back in 2004.  Not sure I like it even though everyone says its good to take a break and its so icy out its pretty well impossible to ride unless I jump on bareback in the field they live in but I don't wanna do that and have 7 loose horses around.  I did get the farrier out to do their feet, hes pretty sure hes not gonna do Jess and Nita's feet next summer when they have foals on them so he plans on coming in late may for their last trim.  I think I can convince him to do them after that in July or August anyways.   Both are pretty good, we will see how they are then, I guess no use worrying about it now.  He also thinks I should breed Nita to his cowhorse/ranch stud.  I'm not sure, I either breed her back or I ride her and maybe sell her not sure which I should do yet.

(Nita is looking good still, I was a little worried about her)

(Jax is just so cute!)

(Rayne looks so big next to Jax lol)

(Happy herd, and glad way more snow has gone than this)

We had the craft sale, it was really bad, I sold $125 worth of stuff, less than half of what I usually sell (which is closer to about 300)  Because the lady in charge of advertising just didn't.  She was supposed to get posters up to all the mailboxes and call in for free advertising on the radio and she did nothing so no-one came besides the people selling and a few others.  So I don't think I will go next year and have started a Facebook group for selling my stuff, been looking around at a few other craft sales that only sell homemade stuff and there is a couple not too far I may try for next year.

(sunrise morning of the craft fair)

I went to a craft night where they were making Grinch trees.  What a fun thing to do :)  I love mine and when I got home I put on the battery lights and its even better :)

Otherwise just getting ready for Christmas, we are going to Olds for Christmas Eve and spending the day with my Mom.  I dunno what else but at least we got that much planned.  I have almost all the gifts done, tried to finish tonight on our way when we went to see the Holiday Train, which was super cool!

Neil is going next week I'm gonna send him with my last 3 items to get, hes trying to get me to go but I'm not sure I wanna.

Riding and Riding

Well its fall. I should remember every year that October is always a busy month but somehow I seem to forget.  We are well into weaning  although I think we are the last this year.  We hauled cows home from the community pasture, I took Razz and she stumbled and fell into some brush part way into the ride and something must have got caught in the cinch/breastcollar area and it rubbed her.  I didn't notice and she come home with a pretty big sore spot. I felt pretty bad for her afterwards.  I kinda was unsure of taking her cause we been working on so much stuff and she really wasn't ready and now I worry I set back with her again.  Well I have all winter I guess.

(up early to be there by 8)

(we found cows)

(got them in mostly)

(Her favorite treat, yard grass)

(my breast collar fix after our stumble it broke. 

 I was surprised it held, guess those saddle strings had a use after all)

Then I helped the neighbors preg check her cows that was a good day, weather was so perfect and cows worked really well.  And we hauled home from the Stettler place and that worked pretty well too, except we hired a guy with a stock trailer to haul some calves and he charged just as much as a liner.  We sure won't be getting him again.  Might as well hire a liner and we won't haul any.

(someone was here and started a fire in one of the good buildings)

(the house up there, not too liveable anymore)

(so I stole a piece of the chimney flue think I may have a spot for it in the garden)

(the coal mine digger is pretty close to the road)

(they built this special giant culvert/tunnel 

so the coal trucks go over top and don't interrupt traffic)

I also had another paint night and we did greyscale paintings,  not sure I love mine but I did get the shapes and colors in, just the details are not right.  She wants me to do another one this week, so hopefully I will feel up to it tomorrow or Friday.

(she musta liked our day as she wanted to hang with me 

instead of the herd that run out to the pasture. 

 This pic reminds me that yes she is orange lol)

And Neil went to one neighbor yesterday and I went to another and both those worked well too, this warm weather is pretty nice.  Was 23*C yesterday.  I took Jess and we gathered and sorted off horseback it worked well.  Then after lunch I wasn't feeling very good and I think I have the flu.  Good thing we don't have to help anyone till Sunday, hope I feel better by then.

Ranching

We didn't just travel this summer we actually did a lot of work around here.  Since the nephews were here I made a list of things to get done.  We got quite a few things knocked off the list and a few still need to be finished but they had to go back to school but luckily its not winter yet.

One thing I really wanted to get done was work on my tack shed, we killed the grass in front and laid cement blocks down and I wanted it tinned and the roof done and fixed the door.  Well the door was easy then we started tinning, it was the tin we pulled off the old house so that was kinda cool, we didn't have to buy any, I will have to buy stuff for the roof cause its a weird shape but it will be so nice when its done.

Neil also had an old pump house he wanted the roof redone so we got that done.

He also had a lot of fence that needed to be rebuilt and so that got done.

And I was building a garden shed, we kinda got stuck on the rafters, but I think I got them figured out now.

And the deck. its pretty well done, just waiting on John to come build the roof part then I can do the railing.And we made a bunch of jam and pickles.

And we did some other fun stuff like target shooting, we built a target and that was kinda cool.

My Mom got to drive the Quad for her first time ever.

We put up our |Canada Flag up on the garage.

We got 2 new cats, they are so fun they fit right in.

I still need at least a month more decent weather and then I may have everything done.