Time Marches On

I lead a pretty boring existence and I have to say for the most part I like it that way. I have my routine and I like things to stay the same ....however every now and again I get a little flutter of......? after all time is running away from me. It seems like just a short time ago these were new things happening ( They may  not  be new anymore....but they are still ongoing)

So this is where we are now ( Closing out 2011)

Kali was a gift from Shirley ( Ride A Good Horse) for my Birthday...will be two yrs ago....already... in the Spring. She has been a gift that just keeps on giving.

Shirley and Sparkle ( Weanling) This is where Shirley breaks my arm and talks me into thinking it would be a good idea for me to take her home.....the horse!!!

Shirley kisses her baby good-bye ....just kidding about the arm breaking...she didn't have to work to hard at convincing me that it was a good idea.

No more baby face

Just about grown

Here we are at the end of 2011 Kali and Jazz are almost grown and going to need to do stuff in the coming year.A few fun things happened this year. I got to do things with Shirley ( Ride A Good Horse) We didn't get to ride but we did other things. We went to the Supreme in Red Deer where I got to meet Sherry ( Fern Valley Appaloosas) and see Crystal again from (Ranch Riding) we also went to the Dog Trials and I went to the Auction that they did. That's the most stuff I've done in a long time. I guess I will have to make a New Years resolution (s) More riding, more fun, more friend things. One thing I can do now though is wish everyone that reads this blog.

 A Very Happy- Safe - Prosperous  New Year

Experimenting

Well I'm fooling around with my Christmas present. Yes I got a new camera....now the problem is I don't know how to use it. This morning I thought I would go out and try the action shot mode ( Sports) I like the camera and if I ever get it figured out I may even get some good pics. Something to get used to is the size of the thing...I'm used to slipping my other camera in my pocket, this one bounces around and gets in the way....probably not the one to take to do chores with but that's when the critters run around and make for some interesting shots. So a few things I have found is this camera has very little zoom capabilities,  if the subject is right there that doesn't matter much though. I did find that it will take that action shot and doesn't get fuzzy if you move along with the subject. So here's Jazz coming.

I followed along with her as she went up in the air...you can't really tell but she does have all four feet off the ground....( not quite Beamerish)but almost.

Then she spun around and did a few circles

And then she wound down to a standstill....I'm sure she was thinking she deserved a breather.

So a few things I found out, my old camera would not have taken these pics without either being fuzzy or having missed it altogether, the new camera not as distinct and crisp as I would like....guessing that's the operator and not the camera. I'm thinking that it would be a good idea to go find some courses that teach photography ....or the basics of cameras...if there is such a course.

I didn't get a chance to bring this any closer because I needed to take the shot fast and I had to give the dogs heck for harassing the horse. All in all I think I will eventually get to liking and hopefully taking some decent shots with it.

                                                                       

Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays

This is one of my favorite Holiday greetings.My Mom sent me this a couple of years ago ...I think, I love it and  watching it a few times has given me a little bit of Christmas cheer back....must be the song. I will be leaving this up until Christmas ( day) is over. Turn it up and enjoy. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Not Today

I just don't have it in me today for storytelling but Texas will be back next Tuesday. I will leave you with a few pics of him though, taken just the other day ( Sun) Tex will be 35 in the Spring.

That face, what will I do when I don't have that to see every morning. That is a day I just can't think about.It's coming and I know it has to but man...just thinking about it makes me cry. Later...See ya next Tues.

Tuesdays with Texas Chapter Seven ( It Became A Tradition)

So Chapter 6 was a little bit about Tex and a whole lot about me. Not a lot happened for awhile because I was still a walking mess I was unable to get a whole lot done. Everyday I got a little stronger and was able to spend more and more time with Tex. I managed to get in a lot of short rides as that was all I could handle. When I first started trying to ride again I got blisters I'm sure you can imagine where and anything with seams on the pant legs would rub my legs raw....I started riding and well just wearing sweats.....much better, it took about two years for me to get back to normal....well almost normal, I still have issues that have hung in there but you get used to that kind of stuff and just carry on. Along the way Rick And I purchased a really nice 10 acre property, by then I had another horse so we moved everything over to the new place, it was so nice... peaceful and somewhat private ...my kinda place.I was now at a point where I could ride longer and..... better ....no more hanging off the side....trying to figure out why my horse kept trying to put me in the ditch. I have to tell you this. When Tex was still at my Moms and it was some of my first rides we would be going along the side of the road and he would keep going in the ditch....I would keep correcting him and then back in the ditch we would go, it used to make my arm sore just correcting him. I would get so frustrated with that horse and then I clued in....the horse was doing exactly what my body was asking him to, all my weight would fall off to the right side and my left leg would be up against his side( I couldn't feel it) but he sure could so I guess he's thinking stupid woman ....you want to go in the ditch.....the ditch it is. When I finally figured that out and quit being mad at my horse...I was kinda proud ...just a bit... I had trained that horse better than I thought. The good thing that came out of that was I had to make a conscious effort to ride better balanced and along the way managed to learn not to rely so much on my legs. Thanks to Tex being such a good fellow I was able to learn how to ride a different way...he also learnt how to take my cues differently we became a team of sorts and managed to get by quite nicely.
This was our first winter in the new place and I was so excited about going out and getting a Christmas tree. I had to go find old photos so please forgive the not so good pics. To change the subject here a bit,while looking at these pictures I was surprised that I remember all the stuff about Tex but I can't remember whose child is on the horse with me and for the life of me I can't remember what flippin dog that is in the background.

Anyhow back to the tree

My friend Shirley and I went out and cut down  the tree, I have to say it was pretty gruelling...still not super strong, by the time we were done I felt a lot like Gumby but boy was it worth it. Shirley and I got really a beautiful tree. It was quite entertaining on the way back. Shirley was riding my other horse which had belonged to her for a fairly long time..big beautiful Buckskin ( Dandy) Now I never even thought about it when I tied the tree on behind Tex...none of us had done this before....it never occurred to me that it might rile anybody up. Tex was good.... his usual laid back self took right off through all that deep snow and never batted an eye....you'd think it was old school to him.  We hadn't gone far when I could hear a big rukus behind me....there's Shirley doing everything she knows how to keep that horse on the ground. I had no idea what his problem was. She finally gets him calmed down and away we go again....no sooner do we get moving and Dandy's thrashing around and being a total jerk. We finally clue in .....he was terrified of that tree moving through the snow....he 'd damn near stand on it as long as it wasn't moving....but as soon as Tex would start pulling he was air born.....must have thought it was some giant green fire breathing horse eating monster. Now I gotta tell ya I thought it was amusing....however Shirley not so much. Here I was sitting on this perfect little gentleman laughing my face off and Shirley was doing everything she could just to stay on......(I get why she got a little crabby )( Not Shirley from Ride A Good Horse the other one) Anyhow as long as she stayed well back, the rest of the ride home was uneventful. For me the experience was great Tex was such a good boy, he stood while we chopped down the tree...he stayed patient while I tied it and then tried to get on with the rope going every which way. He dragged that tree home like it was a toothpick...it was a fair sized tree. He proved to me once again that he would do whatever task was asked of him. So Christmas tree fetching became a bit of a tradition after that. Tex dragged home many more trees over the years ...it is something I really miss being able to do with him....but I'll betcha if I asked he'd still try.                                                               

No Challenge Today

I decided to opt out on this weeks challenge (Pets) The post I am doing has been rolling around in my head for awhile... the pet challenge kind of pushed it to the forefront.
The Webster's Dictionary definition of Pet. " Any  domesticated animal kept as a companion" So first ,when I think of pets I think of things like Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, maybe Birds, Snakes etc....you know what I'm getting at. I don't think of my animals as pets and frankly I kinda find that (term) denigrating to animals in general. I guess there are a bunch of people out there that may find me weird....so be it. I am a firm  believer in everyone having the right to their own opinion whether I like it or not. Anyhow to get back to the point of this post.

I have been blogging now since 2008 ...I think. I started blogging because my friend Shirley( Ride A Good Horse) turned me on to it. At first I thought cool, good way to advertise horses and what not. I had no idea how it would grow and become a part of what I do on such a regular basis. I have been amazed at the people I have met through cyber space. There are truly mind boggling people out there, people that have opened up their lives for the rest of us to observe and follow along. We get to see  their children and grandchildren growing and going off to do things with their lives. We get to see how other people Farm (Ranch) and live life daily. We get to share in their joy and (sadly) sometimes sorrow. For those of you that may be like me and don't travel far from home, we get to travel the world, we get to see all the color and experience other cultures without ever leaving the comfort of our homes.....I love it ..if someone had told me how much time I would one day spend on the computer compiling my own posts and avidly poring over the many blogs I follow along with....I would have said not. I would have thought to myself....ya right when hell freezes over. Whew that got to  be a bit of a rambler....anyhow my point is this.
 When I first started blogging I didn't really show that much of myself because after all it was only a tool to be used for my own use. I never said much that wasn't pretty generic. I also never left too many comments that weren't all that generic.....however along the way I guess I have managed to piss some people off...I will not apologize for doing so because it would not have been intentional, I am not the mean girl....don't misunderstand me......I can be mean....but normally am not so without provocation. What I am trying to say here is that I have been feeling like I have no voice , I must be careful what I say or how I say it. I feel like I am just a shadow skulking around the edges of the page...hiding my personality-.. humor or lack thereof... I may not be a person you want to follow along with ....I may be that person you just can't stand or......maybe I am the kind of person you get a kick out of.....maybe I might have stuff to say that you like.....whatever the case may be there is going to be some changes to this blog....don't worry I'm not going to do anything drastic, I just want to get back to feeling like I do this blog for me, if I lose more followers along the way I guess I can live with it.  When I started noticing that I was losing some followers it hurt my feelings ....because I do like that people visit my blog and leave comments I would be lying to say otherwise....but if I have to spend all my time being careful and picky about what I say is it worth it to have them. This is my space and I am going to put on here whatever may come to me......think of my blog as Television.....don't like it .....turn it off. I will also be limiting my comments to others blogs because sometimes I have an actual opinion and as I found out a sense of humor that may not be appreciated as much as I think it should be...(ha ha got ya) Seriously though sometimes I think I am being funny and to others I guess I'm not. So folks that's my rant for the day....it has been coming for awhile....I really do hope some of you stick with me.
                                                          Have A Great Week

Tuesdays With Texas Chapter 6 ( Life Throws A Curve Ball)

Texas 2008 (31yrs)

                              Chapter 6   ( Life Throws A Curve Ball) or 2 or 3

 Tex settled into his home really well, at first I thought he would be lonely coming out of a herd and being alone......come to think of it he didn't have that many friends over there anyhow. We spent a lot of time together and then crap happened. I vowed I wasn't going to get into personal stuff in this story ....but unhappily it is all part of our story...so I will not dwell on the stuff but just rattle it off ....that way you will understand just why this horse became such an important factor in my life.

I already had issues with an Ex husband so having more chucked my way was a bit heavy...anyhow one carries on. I ended up with some weird sickness and honestly I wasn't all that sure I was going to be around much longer. I ended up in the hospital becoming an unwilling guinea pig...poked and prodded and .......well lets just say I make a terrible patient. Stuff gets a bit mixed up in my head here so I could be off on some of my recollections...but I'll do the best I can. Arrangements were made for Tex to go live at my parents place...still not sure how all that came about ,anyhow one less thing for me to worry about. I don't really know how long I was in the hospital but I was getting worse and not better so I decided if I was dying I was going home...at least then I could see my horse and well you know...Well I was quite a mess, I was so skinny clothes hurt my bones, OK to personal....I will shorten this up ....it took me a long time to be able to get around so Tex was still at my parents place.....(by the way thanks Mom because I'm pretty sure she was responsible for Tex being looked after)

I don't know how much time went by, I would go visit my horse but I couldn't do much....   then the big day came and I decided I was going to go for a ride....and I discovered I couldn't ride.  First I couldn't get on...so I cheated then I had no balance and I kept falling off the side....poor horse didn't know what to make of this development so what does a good horse do....stands as still as a statue....that was my first ride. Somewhere along the way I got better enough to take Tex home again....couldn't ride but at least I could spend time with him..... grooming and well just hanging around.

During this time, many trips to my doctor were made ....nothing good ever came from that.(I have to add here that one of the things I had going on was to do with my legs.I had no feeling in them below the knee so  walking was a bit strange. I used to have to look at my feet to make sure they were actually on the floor )I was more or less told to get used to my condition and my biggest concern...riding.... I was told to forget about that. So for those of you that know and don't know me....those are fight'n words...not ride....not in this lifetime. I believe having Tex at home helped in my recovery...I had to move to take care of him ...and instead of sitting or laying around all day I would go out and spend time with him....he seemed to get that I had problems, he was always very careful where he put his feet, I used him as my support to hold me up and he would never move away and take my support  until I was already moving away from him. He always made himself accessible to me....you have to understand Tex is not a big horse but because I could only use one arm even putting a halter on was tough....he would lower his head so I could just slip it over his ears......Now some of you may snicker here but I truly believe that horse saved my life.....and that wouldn't be the only time.

Sunday Challenge "Backlit"

This weeks challenge is to back light your subjects, the examples shown were leaves... so pretty hard to find that around here right now so I thought I would try some other stuff. I'm not sure I have met the challenge but ...I tried. I think it also would help to have light that didn't come in the color of gray.

Then

                Now... you can just see some veins in those ears....well you can if you look hard enough.

 That's it for me....I know weak effort...but really I couldn't find anything like the examples  shown. Well.... and also it probably doesn't help that I have a tendency to march to a different drum. ....hey it's all part of my charm.....and if you believe that.........LOL :)   So I will be expecting to see some cool stuff from you all.                                        

                                                    HAVE A GREAT WEEK 

Wordless Wednesday

                                                                             

Tuesdays With Texas Chapter 5 ( The Homecoming)

Texas  2009 (32yrs)

                                                  The Homecoming

I start this chapter with rather un - fond(that's a new word) memories. During the remainder of the summer I was separated from my friend...rather all my friends. I will explain briefly. S and I had some disagreement....over who knows what....well I do remember........ but best to let sleeping dogs lie.( And maybe things might be kind of jumbled in my mind) anyhow because of our differences I quit going to the stable everyday .....not at all....so I never got to see Tex who I already felt belonged to me. At some point we had agreed on a price of 400.00 but because of our problems that had never come about.So while I was away ...(I'm not really sure what they did with Tex) but there was a young girl that used to hang around the stable, she also had taken a shine to Tex but I was the only one who had been riding him.  Her parents were looking to buy her a horse and she really wanted Tex...so they went to look at him. Apparently her mother was horrified by the horse she thought he was ugly and looked mean ( not a mean bone in his body) because of his odd blue eyes.....good thing for me .....No Sale. As the summer wore on I became more and more bothered by not being able to see " My Horse" so I went down to the stable and paid 16.00 for a two hour ride and they wouldn't give me my horse. I was told he was being worked because he was for sale. So I rode something else, when I left there to go home I was heartbroken ....they were going to sell my horse. I had not a cent and no where to keep a horse....I really had no business even thinking about owning a horse...I could barely afford to keep myself alive......but. When I got home my boyfriend asked what was wrong, after I told him what was going on he disappeared for awhile. When he came back he handed me the money for the horse....I couldn't believe it...I could get my horse. I was so excited, I didn't know what to do first....then reality struck home.... I still had no place to keep Tex and no money to feed him. I went from a huge rush of happiness to a big crash of disappointment. Rick told me to go pay for the horse so nobody else could buy him and he would figure out the rest. I went to pay for the horse and was told he was now 500.00, so I gave them what I had and asked them to keep him for a bit ...thankfully they agreed to that. In the days that followed Rick pulled in some favors from his friends. One guy offered up rough cut planks for fencing,( we lived on a lot that was about 3/4 to 1 acre)  another of his friends came and built a lean to for housing and storing hay.....and somebody else delivered a ton of hay....everything was ready for Tex. I have to add here if I didn't thank Rick enough( and his friends) at the time for all he did to get me that horse I do so now.....I don't think he knew how much it meant to me to be able to bring that horse home. 

Sorry these pics are terrible but they are pictures of pictures that are about 31 yrs old. These were taken the day Texas made it home. I think even though they are bad pictures you can still see I was quite happy. I think up to that point I can say that was the happiest day in my life. Our time together really began from that day....We would have many adventures together over the next.... few......many years.

Barn Bird

This bird flew in here sometime early summer and never left. At first it would fly away as soon as it saw me, now it lets me get within a few feet of it. He (She) how do you tell... is still always on the alert though and the minute I move or try to get closer it flies away. He needs to stay on the alert because there are three dogs and three cats watching it's every move.

A Challenge Of A Different Sort

I had to pass on the Sunday Challenge because it was beyond my feeble camera skills....I really did try though. So instead while doing chores this morning I thought I would see if I could get my video on the camera to work...it kind of did.....but I am still having problems with it, it almost looks like the proper challenge ( Bokeh) this week only in video. At least it is doing it's thing in color again....although you would have a tough time seeing that ....it really is that grim looking out there today. I have no idea what is going on with this camera, I used to take a fairly decent video now everything is out of whack. The good news is now that we have a new Internet provider( Flexinet) the videos upload in record speed....problem with that is are they really worth looking at with such poor quality. Oh well I'm going with them anyhow.

This cat is priceless, she loves to ride the Quad and help do chores....really hard to get a pic of this when I need my camera hand to give the machine gas.

Well if you want to see some rather unusual pics you can go check out everybody else's Sunday Challenge shots.

                                                                  Have A Great Week

Talent Abounds

Shirley over at Ride A good Horse has a really good idea for Christmas shopping. I swear she reads my mind or something. I was going to do a bit of a plug for Fern Valley Appaloosas anyhow but now I will also add anyone else I can think of. These are the only two I have  pics of and that's because I actually have these things sitting and or hanging around.

Sherry does very professional  well done calenders.... with excellent photos.....as you can see by the date I am in need of a new one. Sherry also has a book out called Telling Tails, both of these items will make great Christmas gifts.

Sydney over at Bitless Horse Science VS Tradition makes some really nice stuff from Braided Horsehair.

This one was sent to Lisa at Laughing Orca as a prize from my blog.

This one I had specially made for me I sent Sydney the bead in the middle, it has a story but I won't bore you with the details...lets just say it has a special meaning for me. These items were made from my horses tails. The old guy Tex and Mattie my little black Mare. Sydney makes all kinds of things... all of which would make excellent Christmas gifts.

Here are a few names of some other talented people as well.

Gizzards And Calf Fries

Tellico Turnings  tellicoturnings@tds.net - He makes lovely hand turned wood stuff -to many things to actually name thus the (Stuff) Can be found at (Retired And Lovn' It)

 Just Another Day On The Prairie ( Gorgeous Photography)

 Thoughts From The Road ed@tellicoimages.com ( Extremely nice Photography)Can be found at (Thoughts from The Road )blogspot

And those are the only ones I can think of right now, I'm sure there are many more super talented people out there so go check out some blogs it will boggle your mind the stuff these people can do. Ican think of one more ....although I don't know how happy she will be with me for saying so.....but I'm going to anyhow. Shirley over at Ride A good Horse is a talented artist.....I'm going to see if I can talk her into doing a portrait of my old horse ....and also Shirley is a good Seamstress ....one of the things she makes that I really like is Small Saddle Bags (Horn Bags) They are great for packing your lunch, camera etc. They are light as they are made from fabric rather than leather....anyhow they are marvelous. Husbands - Boyfriends you can't go wrong with this kind of gift.

                                                                     

This Is Interesting

I found this over at The Skoog Farm Journal, it's pretty neat, a bit long. I was so impressed with how well behaved the horses are with those lights bobbing around their ears etc. Gail I thought you might enjoy this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Zh2YBB8nE&feature=player_embedded






                            Happy Thanksgiving To The American Visitors

Tuesdays With Texas Chapter 4 ( A Lesson For Me)

Tex Summer 2010 (34 yrs Old)

                                                                  And the story goes on
I left off with Texas as a 3yr old part way into training. I started using Tex a lot to take out the trail rides, at that time he was a good lead horse before I kinda ruined him.....oh I'm getting ahead of myself - he could lead or take up the rear. I used to like being in the back because then you always got a first hand view of the entertainment.....and trust me no matter how well you checked the gear and matched horses to people .....something always happened. On one particular day while in the rear I thought I would incorporate a little training as well. I never expected our so far uneventful ride would turn into a bit of a gong show, with Tex and I as the main attraction. We were pretty close to home maybe only 20 to 30 minutes out, we were just kind of ambling along, the trail got narrow with pretty steep hills on either side. I decided that was a good place to get Tex going up and down hills properly.....well I guess it was one of Texas's no way days( again)we started up the hill and he decided he didn't want to go, it got a wee bit scary hung up in the middle of a really ....really steep hill. So I applied a little spur pressure....well probably more than a little....lets just say he took exception to it....however we made it to the top of the hill. So we sat there for a bit thinking on the experience...when my friend S heading the ride asks if everything is OK, my reply was yeah go ahead we'll be along. She later informed me we had made quite a racket and had the whole attention of the ride. So anyhow I'm ready to go and I'm looking down that hill and  I'm thinking to myself......you idiot ....it was pretty daunting.....what do you do  - what goes up must come down......and believe me we came down. We were only about 1/4 of the way down...now you have to remember Tex was just a youngster with no experience on how to go about managing such a monumental task. I did all the things I thought I was supposed to aid him in this lesson and then the #*#% hit the fan. I don't know if he bucked or what happened but the next thing I know he and I are rolling  down the hill...we landed in a heap at the bottom with me stuck underneath him. He scrambled to his feet and all the while I'm still underneath him.....do you think he would move out of the way ...not a chance, when I figured out I was not dead or injured and capable of movement the adrenaline took over and I got mad. Here's this horse standing over me ( insert sarcasm - aimed at myself) not helping the situation in the least....had I taken the time and kept my cool I would have noticed the poor horse was shaking like a leaf.........instead from underneath him ( I admit shame at this point) I kinda put the boots to him to get him away from me....that could have gone so wrong.....thankfully he was smarter than me and just moved off and away from me. Meanwhile just on the other side of a little creek S and the other riders are watching us with their eyes big as saucers......big oops didn't know we had an audience....not my proudest moment...... for sure! Anyhow I gathered up my poor scared horse and we carried on home. When I put Tex in the tie stall to take his gear off I could see he was trembling uncontrollably, he was also pretty mad at me (rightly so) I could tell he didn't really want me touching him, I carefully and quietly took his gear off and then I started checking him out, I talked to him and ran my hands over him until he finally quit shaking. He had a few cuts and scrapes ....all minor thank goodness. I groomed him and fed him a few treats and got ready to turn him loose......I was feeling pretty crappy about myself and how I handled the situation.....I think Tex could feel my angst and about then he decided to forgive me.....he stuck his nose in the crook of my arm and just rested his head there for a bit....my feelings for this horse bubbled to the surface and I started to cry.....I'm going to say it was a delayed reaction to the near miss rather than the fact that I'm a big baby. That day was a huge learning experience for both of us.

Too Cool

Here's one for ya, this is pretty cool. My Mom sent this to me, thanks Mom it was well worth the watch

Sunday Challenge " Portraits"

This was a tough challenge for me.....well who am I kidding they all are. I had to go to the archives and a few recent shots because when I went out to get some new pics my camera wouldn't function....try toooo cold!!!! So this is what you will get. I don't know about portrait quality but these were some shots I like.

                                                                 Kali( Pathetic- Done Well)

Two brothers, almost always together......sadly no longer part of the clan.

Mattie, last year....would not give me a frontal shot if her life depended on it. She was kinda crabby.....gee I wonder why.

My beautiful Sage, it's pretty hard not to get a decent shot of her.

And again

The next two are of Moxie and they were plain #*#* house luck.

Well that's what I have...I have no tips because I am not a very good photographer....however I will say that these Sunday challenges have improved my abilities a lot. There are things I know to look for now that I didn't before,Oh I can think of one tip....if you want more color in your photos don't take shots in the snow.    

                                                          Have A Great Week

After The Ugly

Cheyenne ( Cheyenne Chronicles) this post is for you. Cheyenne has said he loves the snow...... so enjoy. This is nothing, we are just getting started. This kind of day is what makes winter around here a bit more bearable. The East Kootenays are known for the amount of sunshine and blue sky we see in the winter.....for the last few years though this area would be hard pressed to prove it. Anyhow hope you enjoy the snow......it's a wee bit blinding out there right now........out come the shades.