Ramblings...

Well I finished Painting the room in the basement and have started unpacking boxes, but before I get too far, I have to finish up the wood floor in there and put something on it (maybe tiles?) I also want to change the plug ins and light switch, they are all dark brown tight now and I don't really like them.


I have been working on getting these pics on CD and printed and organized cause I am going scrap booking retreat this weekend. The best part about it is it is at the barn where my horses are, (she used to have a guest ranch) and my mom is hosting it! All the important things in one weekend all together, I am very excited!

I have finished a very hard puzzle this week as well, It was only 750 pieces, but no edge pieces, five pieces that don't go to the puzzle, and the box doesn't show the whole picture.



We had a weird cloud the other night, not sure what it was, but very different than I have seen before

English Riding and Pain Free (almost)

Well I got inspired by Adventures of A Horse Crazed Mind to try English riding. So since I have been thinking about it for a while, I have the saddle and pads and so I thought what the heck, I can do this. Wow, I forgot I don't have any balance! I did enjoy it for the small ride on Princess, about 25 minutes. Mostly trot and walk, was feeling out of control for the corners, so didn't want to attempt a canter yet. She was sure a lot more sensitive to leg pressure without anything between my leg and her though. The best part is, I got off center and she just stops and waits for me, lol.

I rode Razz as well and discovered she doesn't like to bend her neck for some reason, thinking its still part of the stiffness, so I made it a big deal to turn and get a bend, we did many circles going left, before we could go straight again, to the right it wasn't so bad. I never noticed this before except in a tight circle, cause she turns when you pick up the rein, but its a stiff turn.

The restorers came and delivered all our stuff back and it sure doesn't look like much.



I also got an email from the guy I traded my Belgians to, and he has them driving and is gonna send me some pics of them, I'm so excited. So I sent him one of me riding Princess and gypsy getting all fat and furry. The want to see her foal, because she used to be his wife's riding horse, so I wanna get some good ones of that.

Oh ya, I am still almost pain free in my shoulder, I should never underestimate my chiropractor, he knew what he was talking about, wow, I still cant believe it doesn't hurt, except a little tender, but wow!

3rd Massage

I went back for another massage today, and I think its working. My hip is feeling almost better and the swelling has finally gone down. My shoulder is still sore, but I hope it is getting better. Afterwards I had a chiropractor appointment, and he asked about my shoulder and said my shoulder blade could be out, so he rotated it and it feels fantastic. A little tender, but I can actually move a little without hurting!!

And our dogs didn't have any porcupines today, whew.

Our stuff from the basement is coming back tomorrow and we are only getting 4 out of 32 pages of stuff back. The rest our insurance company is gonna pay for us to replace it. I think most of it we really don't need and wont replace with identical stuff, but that's alright:)

Not a recent pic, but from 08 on a trail ride, just to remind us summer is coming. Thats me in the puddle, with Bailey drinkin.

Gonna Go A Huntin'

So after all the quills yesterday, I thought we would be done for a while, usually they get kinda cautious around them for a while cause it hurts. Well I think the saying no sense no feeling pretty much sums up the puppy. She came up this morning with more quills in her than yesterday and so we pulled them out again, hopefully she learns this time. Betty-Sue must be getting smarter cause she never had any this morning. (whew) I missed getting a picture cause by the time I got my camera, Neil was already pulling the quills, so I went to help him.

So when Neil went out to feed his cows this morning he took the gun to go find this mysterious porcupine (we haven't seen him) but still never found him. Neil thought he was in the oat bales, but I will have to go look and make sure hes not eating my trees like the one this summer in the crab apple tree in the garden. (he's not bothering us anymore, lol)

Apparently it used to be illegal to kill a porcupine in our area because they were considered a survival food. When you were living out here and starving, you could catch up to a porcupine and kill it with a stick cause they are slow. There are no people out here starving anymore or even just passing through, so that's not the case anymore and its a good thing too, cause I don't like them getting the dogs.

On other notes, I have been working on my cross-stitch:


And the basement is coming together, its primed and molding put up and today they are working on the floor.

Favorites??

Well Lu asked me a question the other day that really got me thinking. She said which horse is your favorite? Innocent enough question and if asked last year, I woulda had an answer instantly: Bailey. However I really couldn't decide. I still like Bailey and always will, shes energetic and athletic and makes me think. But I also like Razz and am liking her more after every ride. And Dinero, I love his personality and he just wants to do whatever is asked of him, but that might change once I start riding him, I'm not sure how that will be. And Belle, I don't like riding her, and neither does she, but shes such a sweet horse and I love her confirmation. Princess is so easy to ride and so relaxing I don't have to worry about her at all. Gypsy is the only one I'm not sure of, she is pregnant so I am not riding her now, but she was pretty nice this fall and is super broke and am kinda looking forward to the fall and her baby is weaned.

So which is my favorite, I love them all, that is so weird for me cause I have always had one which I like, but not the same as now, when i really like them all.

So I thought of it the other way, which one would I sell if I had too? I couldn't really come up with an answer to that. I think it would be Belle, just cause we don't ride her, but no one else prolly would either and I would rather have her here than useless or unhappy with someone else.

But I think Bailey is still the favorite, she has taught me so much and the trust she has in me just blows me away. Not saying she doesn't have "those" days, but even then, we still get along great and can get anything done.

In other news, Our carpenters came back yesterday and started working on the basement. It looks smaller now that there is drywall up:



They are coming back next week to finish taping the joints and install the roof tiles.

I Need a tropical island!

This is what our windows look like from cold and humidity

Wow I sure miss summer. Its now -28 and it warmed up all the way to -24 this afternoon. Fortunately they are saying on Wednesday we get above freezing (I'm not sure i believe it yet)




We got our new freezer and its already full, we figured it wouldn't hold as much as the chest freezer and we still have 2 boxes of fruit and some hamburger left over. I guess we have to get the small chest freezer as well. We also ordered a fridge but it wont be in till the 22nd. It is kinda cool cause it has no freezer in it, only fridge all the way to the top, which will be perfect cause all we use it for is pop and drugs for cattle and horses.

I have figured out the problems with having a palomino paint horse, I lost him today because he blends in with the snow and dead grass in the field.

Decisions Decisions

Well today it was -15 and I braved the cold weather and went riding. I rode Princess and have tried again to get her to lope, and all we can get is maybe one lap around the arena. She doesn't even work hard enough to sweat after 45 minutes of work! I am thinking I need to sell her to a child or an adult as a walk trot horse for trail or pleasure riding only cause she sure excels at that!

I was too cold and so I wimped out and never rode Razz. I also don't know if i should be riding her now. She has bad teeth that have been bothering her for a while, and she is chewing on the bit pretty bad every time I ride. We had her to the vet and he doesn't want to sedate her to do her teeth because shes bred so either I don't ride her anymore till she foals, which will probably mean till next fall after her baby is weaned or just ignore it and ride her anyways till march. I really wanted to get a few more months on her before giving her 8 months off. I am not sure if i should try her in a hackamore or side pull and that may make a difference.

We finally got a hot water heater installed yesterday and went a picked up a freezer today, unfortunately our furnace cant keep up so its ccccold in here tonight, but tomorrow we are getting a new furnace (I hope he comes early). The only good thing about that is we are getting an air conditioner as well, although its not included in the replacement cost, but for an extra $400, its worth it in the summers.

Dec 9

Well we are finally warming up, its only -17 now. (I cant believe i just said only)

Well our crew came back today and cleaned out all the garbage and took away the fridge and deepfreeze. Its so hugely roomy in there now!



They left the fans and will come back on Monday to pick them out, but have no idea when they are gonna rebuild.

Tommorow we get a new hot water heater and going shopping for a new fridge and freezer, or maybe two freezers, and upright and a small chest.

Flooded Basement

Well it got all the way to -22 today so no riding, which was OK because on Sunday our basement had a foot of water in it when we came home.

So today the restorers come and took away all the wet stuff that we might want to save or has a value. They are coming back tomorrow to take the 47 bags of garbage that we are throwing out. I had been thinking we should clean out the basement, but this sure isn't how i wanted to do it!

The horses here are fine, I don't even think they mind the cold as long as the wind doesn't blow too hard. I wish I could handle it as easy as they can.