Garden Pics and Kalis Cut

***Warning, graphic pics at end of post****

I feel like I am never gonna catch up to things this summer, but I still keep trying.  I was out in the garden this morning and Neil had cut all the long grass around the edges of the garden with his trimmer, so now I can actually see what is going on out there. 

While he was cutting, he said he didn't cut the flowers, and I knew there was a peony bush against the one fence but he says its in the middle, so I go out there and there was a tiger lily, or maybe a woodland lily.  They are supposed to grow native out here on coulee banks and stuff, but I haven't seen one in a long time, and certainly not in the garden.

So I got looking around, and it looks like a pretty good year for potatoes, they are flowering and getting big,

And lettuce as well, looks like I had best be eating salads every day!

Some things sure surprise me, I thought I couldn't grow a cucumber, but here is one plant that defied me and grew anyways, maybe I will get some pickles this year.

The crabbapple tree has lots of fruit on it, so lots of jelly coming up,

And the maybe apple tree has fruit of some sort on it, I am still waiting to see what they turn out to be.  I cut one open and it looks like an apple inside, but I have never seen an apple that grows red from the start.

The carrots are coming up even if I never pulled all the radishes out yet to make room for them.

And onions, looks like they are doing well too, This is the first year I planted green onions and I sure am liking having them fresh to eat.

My tomato's this year are way behind, not sure if its cause they were planted late or just wasn't warm enough, but they do have flowers so I guess tomato's will grow.

I am very glad Kali's elbow is looking way better, kinda a deep cut but really tiny, and no more puss coming out of it and no swelling, so I think she will be alright, but she gets hosed and penicillin everyday.  This is it yesterday morning, I took one when she first done it, but of course its on my missing camera.

Frogs and Butterflies

I spent the last two days down helping friends pull bulls.  I took Razz and she was really great, a little tired today, but she was still good help.  We pulled 4 Simmental Wednesday and 10 Angus today.  Sure makes for lots of walking at a really slow pace, and slow in not in Razz's vocabulary.  it was really good for her though to learn sometimes there is a reason to go slow.  She also has a hard time staying behind the cow, she always wants to go to the head and turn it, guess that's a cutting thing, although kinda reminds me of lots of cow dogs too.  And she still has a hard time walking when others are trotting or loping, but she is getting better about that, especially at the end of the day.

She isn't spooky, which I kinda knew before, but we rode over a couple prairie chickens or partridges (not sure which) at a trot and the one flew up under us, and she never even blinked.  But what amazed me more was after we left, the other one flew up behind us!  weird it must have really tried to be brave.

We were out looking for bulls and I seen something weird in the grass and had to stop, and it was a frog.  (although Linda thinks frogs are gross so she thought it musta been a toad)  It was rather large and a long ways from water, sure wasn't what I was expecting to see.  We also seen some pretty cool butterflies out there.  I took the coolest pic of Brown Eyed Susan's on the road, but, I think I lost my camera.  I am pretty sad, I left it on the trailer when I drove away yesterday and no one has seen it since.  So no pics of them.

Oh and Kali cut her elbow on something on Wednesday, not sure what that was about, so she got a cold hosing and some bleuspray for keeping bugs away, and this morning it looks a lot better, still a cut, but not very swollen.  I put more bleuspray on and if it isn't much better tomorrow, I will giver her a couple days of penicillin.  Weird spot to cut, and inconvenient to keep bugs away, cant wrap it and usually the spray works fairly well at keeping bugs off and infection out, so hopefully.  She isn't lame on it anymore so that's always a good sign.  Kinda sad cause I wanted to take her too, I think she needs lots of just riding out before she goes back into training this fall/winter.

I used my cutting saddle theses last two days and I sure like my wade better for long days, but I am glad I used it cause it made me feel more relaxed riding in it.  I sure like it for loping, but trotting is so much more comfy in the wade.  I borrowed my wade to Char cause she sent hers to get the stirrups cut shorter and didn't want to not ride for a week.

Sunday Stills--Farm Animals

This weeks our Sunday Stills is Farm Animals, and this is a relativly easy post for me as we live on a Ranch (close enough, lol)

We only have three different animals on our place, Bovine:

And  perhaps my favorites, Equine:

And lastly litttle but important, Feline:

For more check out Sunday Stills.



Riding in Rosemary (I can't think of anything else)

Yesterday I headed down to my friends house to help them, well I go to ride my horse and visit and try not to get in their way while they work.  I took Razz and Kali and Razz can do anything and Kali well, I think she's just around for the experience.

I met Linda on the road on the way to her house which was unexpected, so I stopped to visit and she thinks she broke her arm while going out to catch horses and was on her way to get an x-ray.  She told me to go help Doug and she would see what was going on after she gets back.

So I had Razz saddled and me and Doug went out to the Charolais field and started pulling bulls.  I had seen one on the way there, so we got him in first and he wanted to be out of their and just walked right through the gate and into the corral.  Then we headed back out and got another one in.  Then we tried a couple more, but they were pretty determined to stay out there.  One started running off and me and Razz we going to cut him off, and he stopped and turned back and so did Razz and I thought I was gonna fall off!  I guess all that cutting really worked for her cause she really was watching (more than me obviously)

After we got them in, Linda was back, so we stopped to see how she was and the lineup in emerg was forever, so she come home and took a pain pill and rested a while, but we figured she should go back, so I drove her and it turns out its not broke, a soft tissue injury, so lots of ice and rest for  a week. 

We came back and I went out on Kali with Doug out to check the Simmental field and Kali was really good, no help, but she wasn't afraid and did as I asked, although she still doesn't like water, and she wanders a lot, doesn't know how to make a straight line, guess I will just have to take her out more :)  A good day, even though it wasn't as I expected.

Wordless Wednesday

Lillies

I love my lillies!  I'm sure every year about this time, or maybe ussually a little earlier, I have to do a post on my lillies.

I got this one in Brooks at a greenhouse just set up on the side of the road, just spur of the moment I went in and saw this lilly and had to have it.  I planted it inthe ground and only expected it to live for that summer, that was 6 years ago!

Over the last few years I have tried planting other lillies near it but they will last one year and die, so I guess this is the one I will just keep unless I happen upon another roadside greenhouse.

Every year I also think I need to split it and every fall I never do, but now I see it is growing seperatly on its own.  I would like something else perrenial like to grow near it to cover that corner so I don't have to mow there. 

Otherwise it looks kinda plain there, just one little lilly all by it self in front of the greenhouse.  I was thinking on grapes, but Im not sure they will grow here, but would be neat to try, oh and probly some other kind of flower too.

Also on the other side of the greenhouse needs something there so I don't need to mow there.  Something that will bloom all summer preferably and require little care other than watering.

Something that can take hot temperatures in the summer and low temperatures in the winter.  This is what the temp was yesterday, first is indoors (26.5) and then outdoors (36.5)  Wow way warm!

I guess I can not complain we are not having a summer this year!

More of the Stampede

On Thursday me and Neil headed to the Stampede and on the off chance my sister was going, I phoned her to see what she was doing, well lo and behold she was on the c-train on the way to the Stampede as well!  How cool, so we met her there and hung around all day.

Her kids and Rob wanted to go on a bunch of rides and they had ride passes so they went on a few.  Its kinda a tough age, at 9 and 11 cause they are too big for the kids rides, but kinda a little afraid of some of the grown up rides.

After a few rides, we went through the agricultural area and the boys were pretty interested in the mini grain elevator, I'm sure they woulda stayed there all day if we let them.  And of course milking Bluebell was fun!

We saw all kinds of stuff, and some pretty cool items in the round up center I could have gone home with, but all I got was food, lots of it, fudge, mini donuts, a chip stick, and fresh lemonade.  Rob had a donut burger and said it was good, but I didn't try it.  It was nice weather, but in case it got really hot all over were these cooling stations.

We entered to win the dream home and there was also tickets on cars and boats and trucks and all kinds of stuff, I kinda wanted the boat, just cause the cool decoration on it.

All in all it was a fun day, and since we left by 7, we stopped at Best Buy and Future Shop and looked at tablets and laptops.  We are not sure about the tablets yet cause I don't understand how to transfer storage cause there is no USB drive or any type of ports, and so we are thinking of getting a toshiba laptop, but we are gonna wait till the one we want is on sale, probly this fall for back to school deals.  But on the way out we did see this guy in front of us at a red light and I had to get his pic :)

Sunday Stills-People

This week our Sunday Stills was people, well there are not a lot of people in my area, but I luckily went to the Calgary Stampede this year and there is always lots of people there.  Like the kids (and parents) watching Thomas the Tank Engine on the Coca Cola Stage.

And just walking around the midway was busy, although since we went on Thursay in the daytime it was les busy than a weekend or any evening.

And of course we saw cows, and we did see a horse but he was chasing my nephews around to get there candy apples.

And there is everything there, even creepy crows.

All in all lots of people, weather dressed up or just dressed for summer or dressed for Stampede.  For more go to Sunday Stills.

Wordless Wednesday

Jamaica

Well after my Saturday post and Fernvalley's comment, I got thinking all weekend about Jamaica.  And she is right about the safe place for him.  But he is comfortable anywhere I am as long as I am not touching him.  I knew this too, he has never really been comfortable with my touch, so I went out and just rubbed him all over and over and over again until he was relaxed with that.  I started with his withers and chest moved to his legs and belly and face, no specific spot seemed to bother him more than the rest so I just kept scratching till he was okay and even enjoyed it.   Always before I would wait till he let me scratch him and I called it good. But he never was relaxed or accepting of my touch, he just put up with it cause it was only gonna be a second or so.

Well it must have worked cause yesterday I walked right up to him and his rope was over his neck and I scratched him the fixed the rope and he just stood there and licked his lips!  I was so happy with him and this all took only like 30 seconds.  I think I messed up before but we maybe have it figured out.  Whew.  I knew something was missing but I didn't clue in.  I should have realized, but he never reacted negativly so I thought he was okay with it.  Skipping steps, should never happen even if the horse is quiet.  I know that too just forgot I guess. That why I like being at Jardi's, cause there is always someone around who will give and idea of something that might work, but now I got blog friends too :)  Now we can really accomplish stuff like getting his feet trimmed and gelding and hopefully he will be able to get out of the corral soon.

Sunday Stills--The Letter F

This week our Sunday Stills was anything that starts with the letter F.  So of course what else could I do but my foal, actually my Filly Foal.  So perfect!

These are the pics I think I am gonna send in for her registration.  I should have done it before but all the pics I had of her were in tall grass where you could hardly see her legs, so I finally got a few in short grass.

Its so much fun taking pics of her cause she wants to be afraid but is waaay to curious to hide for too long, especially when her momma is busy doing something else.

I actually scratched her bum the other day when I was going to catch Razz, she was standing between Razz and Jazz and so i scratched Jazz and moved over to her and she turned around and looked at me and I think she kinda liked it and then eventually she walked away.  I was suprised she was so calm about it, but everyone is itchy, so I shouldn't have been cause they were all crowding around wanting scratches.

For More go to Sunday Stills.