September 2012

CB, here's a link to Cabelas.
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/search.cmd?form_state=searchForm&N=0&fsch=true&Ntk=AllProducts&Ntt=wildlife+camera&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Dipsy-Doosy ?? I'll have to work on that a bit. Give us / me a little more info. It's been way too many years since I was last up on a horse.

Rick

ARK and Ellen, thanks for the camera info...I may have to check it out.

ARK, I was wondering if that bad weather was hitting you or Trudy....Trudy, come in!

I recognize that dipping of the back from under the saddle....my horse split his off billet when he did that and then he spun out from under both the saddle and me, and I hit the road still in the saddle with my legs doing a BIG split...oh man, I could barely walk! (for days and days... ouch! Amazing what we live thru and still get back on those critters!

Eileen, have fun on your TN ride and safe drive to FL. I'll be enjoying more sunshine this winter, I just dread the drive back and forth for the next month...sigh...but we'll getr done! Just be happy to get everyone in the same place and warmer winters!

am hoping to get some good riding time in this winter...

CB
We had about two full days of rain, got 3 or so inches, but it has cleared up today. It was cooler than normal today, but very pretty.

I rode Ivan this evening. He was in a very cooperative mood. He slow trotted great, then would trot very fast when I asked,then went right back to very slow trotting on cue. We had a fun ride! We are going on a slow ride on Saturday at Pandapas Pond Park with a friend. I hope he stays in that same mood!

have fun ARK...enjoy! I for one am very glad you are up to doing it....you gave us all a scare!

sweet dreams y'all.

Hi guys. Life has been busy here in PA. Between working, walking Ace, trying to squeeze in some house chores, going to yoga class, we have been having a fight with yellow jackets who decided they wanted to live in the house. Finally gave in and called the exterminator. There were about 1,000 of the little buggers in the nest under the bay window in the foundation. YIKES...they were falling out of the nest by handfuls. I'm petrified of them, so I hid while the guys killed the little buggers.

CB: We did have one day of horrible rain, we needed the rain but not quite that much in such a short period of time.

Loved the gaits, I've ridden most of those gaits at the most inappropriate times.

George had to go to the VA Hospital in Wilkes Barre for a over night sleep apnea test, so he can get a new CPAP machine. It was weird not having him here at night. Ace was bewildered in the morning when he didn't appear before I left for work.

Ace pulled a dumb dog trick the other day. He leapt out of the back window of the truck while we were at the neighbors. OUCH...he landed on his chest and head when his legs buckled as he hit the ground. I bet he NEVER tries that again. My accident prone head hitting dog. LOL

I have 2 days off and am going to enjoy being home. Things are settling down at the PO and I'm sort of on a schedule now. One full day a week and Saturday. The date has been set for our town meeting about the reduction of hours for the PO. Nov 5th. At first they set it up on Nov 6th. Are you kidding me? Election day...we sent our big boss a short email that said "REALLY election day?" So she changed the date. After that we should go down to 4 hours a day.

Have a great day everyone. I'm off to yoga this morning.

Love & prayer to all...

Hey there all...still cooler and a bit breezy here..supposed to get rain later on today..figures there is a BBQ in a nearby town that I plan on attending...never fails.
we are in for rain till after the weekend it seems.
Talking about dumb dog tricks...I have a stupid cat trick. I have this one house cat that absolutely hates my dog...will go out of his way to make life miserable for pup. I try to intercept all jumps and ploys to "git the dawg" well last night kitty was royally pi$$ed off at me for not giving him his night time treat at 8:20 when he knows full well that 10:00 at the earliest is time for that. well first off he was making life miserable for the other house cat that behaves herself most of the time. Then he does the "stare them down" kind of thing, but I got him there...I can outstare him...he hates that. I guess I was caught up in a TV program, pups was curled up at my feet resting, and minding his own business, I was kind of propped up on the couch...did not notice the CAT sneaking up sort of behind me...and wham...I think he was after the dog (I will assume that) but he got me good...upper lip, end of nose, just under nose...bled like a stuck pig, did not know how bad it was till I ran down the hall to take a look see....OUCH! blood dripping into sink, Kleenex soaked, hands and floor bloody...it was not pretty. If it was not my sisters cat I would have done something a long time ago...but she looks after things when I am in Florida and other parts of the universe...so her I am with fat lip this morning and a snip and strip on my nose and lips///have a good day all

I found this video today and just had to share it. Notice he title and you will see why. I will say that I do NOT understand a word, but the song is very pleasant and I can just imagine "our" SVET doing something like this.

Relax and enjoy this:

https://www.youtube.com/user/svetlana1004?feature=plcp

Sorry about that....ENJOY!!

Gads, EILEEN, glad the cat isn't a mountain lion..........cats are just cats. Sure hope you heal up just fine and that the cat survives the fall season before you leave for FL.

I have an interesting cat story......Addy, our dog keeps our property cat free. The neighbor used to have 40 or so, of them. Anyhow, our other neighbor has old Cloe or Snowy (they used to have 2 white cats and now have one. Cloe or Snowy was over yesterday ,and she and Addy were just watching the world go by under the shade tree. It's kind of cute how they just "know".

TRUDY, poor Ace.....he has to be the funniest dog on 4 legs. Our mountain post office already went to 4 hrs in August. I can only guess they are doing that with all small post offices.............Enjoy your two days off.

ARK, glad to read your riding is going along fine.

Oh, of course, THE GAITS. I've never ridden those in 60 yrs..........

God bless. Prayers for ALL.

Graymare...all I can say you be one cool fibber! I just love it when someone tells me "i've never got bucked off or fell off" I just roll my eyes....they must be such good riders! and their horses so sluggish they never move! I think a lot of my back probs are from hittin' the dirt one tooooo many times in my riding days! I only hope now I have a good ol' gal under me and she won't do that to me! I can dream....

TWH/Eileen..use a bit of bleach in water and dab on those cat sores...it takes the soreness out of them....sounds like she got cha good! Get a squirt gun and plaster her with it when she misbehaves...it seems to work.

TRUDY, I didn't know they were cutting your hours...guess you'll be part time now for sure! I havn't heard about our small rural pO's here...soninlaw gave up his job as mailman, he is working at the cheese making factory now....that over 200 mile mail route tore up their cars many many times...over half is on rutted bumpy dirt roads...so after about 6 years he gave up!

Hubby has 8 more working days....he has already said he is going to look for a part time job in Texas...he likes that extra money and something to keep him going besides working on the place all the time. and gives us some time apart! I'm use to being on my own,,,so it may be good thing! and it will give us extra moolah to do the things we need to get done to make the world an easier place to live! I am looking forward to getting there, but we will have to make several trips back and forth and get out of the place here as soon as we can...its going to be a riotous mess!

CB....................LMAO.............CB I know those kind are liars or they've never really ridden....or they're sitting on a statue.....................and, as we all know, if you're afraid of falling off, don't ever get on, because it's going to happen. I clearly know if my feet are at my shoulders I'm bucked off. It's all just part of it....call it whatever, it's horses..................and there's nothing like good horse fun.............nothing.

yeah, but I'd rather NOT hit the dirt anymore...I tend to splat more now when I hit the hard ground! Don't bounce as well anymore....sigh....but like I told the doc yesterday who told me my arthritis is a lot worse...I'm not ready for the rocker on the front porch quite yet...no more working with youngsters tho for me! I am working with Missy Muleytude but she is starting to get lots better now that she is weaned off that mom of hers! who would never fully trust me...altho she did better with me than hubby. Missy leads now pretty good and I can scratch her all over without catching her up now...she'll let me walk right up to her...her back is up to my shoulders already...she will have some size on her I'm thinking....nice heavy legs too...a horsey type head, but definately MULE ears! they are huge! I'm thinking Lady, the Appy pony, may be due way before April or May...she is getting huge...I have her on mostly grass hay...and half of a slim pad of alfalfa...she gets a cup of grain with vitamins for the babys' growth also. I'll bet she starts bagging here soon...don't know why folks can't be honest about the breeding date...what difference did it make...she was bred to a 28 inch appy mini stud...so the baby should be small anyway...at least that's what we were told! They had the stud there too...so am hoping they were telling me the truth about that. Who knows....

well, gotta start packing the smaller stuff up...the last of it...hubby won't be home until Monday, and the vet is coming to do coggins, and we will repack stuff in the "Beast" and the living quarters in the horse trailer, so we can pack more into them...isn't this gonna be FUN! NOT!!!!

CB, it wears me out to even think of moving............

Seriously, I've never been bucked off....I've sure fallen off many times doing stupid things.......many many times. Before I get up on a colt it's solid....................so my first rides are uneventful. It's having all the fun that gets me in trouble.

Good luck doing your work........gosh, I'll bet it's hard for Harry to believe it's only 8 more days...........

Hmmmm...what makes it an official 'bucked off'? I have hit the dirt about a dozen times, but I don't think any of them was from a bucking horse. The closest would be that lateral move that rental horse did when he left me hanging in the air. None of my horses have ever bucked with me on them. The spin and bolt move has gotten me dumped a few times. I hate that move. Going over the horse's head when it came to an abrupt stop is another way I have landed in the dirt more than once. I have just plain fallen off when the horse zigged and I was anticipating a zag. That one makes me feel the dumbest, LOL....well, that and the saddle slipping...

Since Areion is the last horse I plan on starting, I hope she continues her herd's tradition of not bucking off the one who feeds her. She is high energy and rambunctious. It could go either way.

Beautiful fall-like day here today. I hope to get a little ride in this afternoon. Ivan was so good yesterday.

Mine have mostly been me really leaning to the side way out there to get the good picture, of course, horse on auto pilot walking along. I can't see the trail with a view finder over my eyes. The horse steps way down as the trail goes down, I dive off, horse stands there looking at me like I'm the dumbest on the planet. I'm swearing as, most important, is saving the camera. We wouldn't want to stop and waste time taking a picture. The rest just continue on laughing and laughing, I jump back on and catch up and eat crow. Mountain trails have a lot of up & downs with a deep step of the front leg going down. It's all part of the "gotcha" game. The others will actually lead you to the drop once you have the camera up as they know your reins are plumb down and you're on auto pilot..............I fell off Jane that way one time and had the video camera on......my words were/are disastrous..................

While I didn't ride as many years as some of you, and didn't ride that many youngsters, I can honestly say I was bucked off one time, and the rest of the many times I met the dirt up close and personal was from my own stupidity, lack of ability, or slow reaction times. The one time I was bucked off, I'd been riding a mare that belonged to somebody else. She was known to buck after not being ridden for a while. He's ridden her and thought she was done with the bucking. I'd been on her for probably 20 minutes, and we were just standing there watching somebody else. I was turned around looking at something behind me. With not even the slightest move to give any warning, she suddenly let go with two big bucks. Hello, dirt. Got back on and rode her some more.
However, there were a few of those fall-offs that the horse didn't do anything to prevent.

I've been bucked off, dipped off, dead stop off....you name it....I think I've experienced the "off mode". Some were funny, some were ouchy....but never prevented me from getting back on same horse...except once, when I had nerve damage and was in a sheelchair...hubby sold the big horse that put me there before I was able to ride again....cattle rancher bought him, said his cowboys would have him doing right in no time...that's what he paid them for...he was aware...I don't know if I could have gotten back on him...I think I had a fear of him. But I am riding a couple of older horses now...give me a horse who has lots of trail experience that may not jewk, or dive toooooo hard when something jumps out at them...and I'll be able to hold on, cuz I don't much care how broke or gentle they are, if something scares them they react!

My girls would buck a horse out...they loved doing that when they were younger .....not so much anymore tho! Funny girls, I don't know why? LOL Folks often called them "the Smith girls with velcro on their butts! They rode in the hills over bridges, thru creeks/rivers, tied, trailered, groomed, picked up feet, showed them, and trained a few barrel racers too..whatever the folks wanted them to do, those horses got loads of many different experiences. I rode one on a midnight ride one night thru town to Taco Johns for coffee at the drive thru and thought the guy whose horse I was on was going to fall out of his saddle..."you're riding my horse" when we got in the light...and I laughed, and said "yep, but the girls put miles on him first"...but he was in awe we were riding him thru traffic, bikes, over the railroad tracks where we waited for the train to go by....they could have done more horses, but we wanted to be able to turn out a well rounded horse, and took a couple of months....but never heard of any complaints, just good things. Kyle worked some horses the last few years...but he didn't have the same finesse the girls did. But when locals found out whose kid he was they were standing in line with youngsters. Jaemi still does some young ones...she would have her hands full if she took all that folks want her to. Jessi is riding young horses in Texas part time...she only takes one at a time to work tho cuz of her schedules and the kids. People chose her just becuz of the way she rides and handles a horse...she has a knack for sure, all 3 of them did. Proud of those girls of mine...and they all own horses today...they said it was in their blood, they didn't know any better! LOL I don't know WHY they would think that!

Hi guys. I'm enjoying another day at home with Ace and George. We have been busy this morning, having a great morning here in PA in the fall. Love the fall weather..

I've been bucked off, fell off, leapt off, slid off, flipped over my horses head when I was mounting. You name it I've done it, except maybe the saddle thing that CB did. I had a rodeo bucking horse...Red...OMG if I didn't work him every single day he would turn into a bucking machine. I rode him out a few times but he caught me off guard one time with his quiet demeanor, then he exploded, I reached for his head but he caught me off balance, I just did the tuck and rolled off, bounced and hit the fence post with my back, rolled out under the fence just as he came back down the rail just as hard as he could go. I made a trip to the ER in a ambulance, and Red left here in a hurry, I had enough of his antics. He was a Top Deck bred horse and man they can be handfuls. I broke him as a youngster, rode him every day and had him for a few years. I just received a email from the girl who has him, she is still barrel racing him and told me he finally settled down at age 18. She loves him, I'm glad, he was a sweetheart on the ground, just needed a full time daily job to keep his mind busy, she has 3 girls and they work him every day of his life. Just what he needed.

Time to fire up the burn barrel and play with Ace. He is such a nutty dog...he loves to play with cardboard boxes. Any old box will do...when we burn stuff, he grabs the boxes and runs around the yard with them. They are the best toys he has for some reason. He is like a kid, buy them toys and they play with the boxes. LOL

Have a great day everyone.

Love & prayers to all....

If you think you had a bad day, let me tell you about my golf day:


https://www.youtube.com/embed/XRIzE_xMqMI

Graymare, that would definitely cause a hole to be above par.

Trudy, you would love seeing a five year old yellow lab that lives across the lake from me. Her name is Casey. Her owner takes her out in the middle of the lake, tosses a bumper or a floating cushion about 75 feet out. Then he tells her to go get it. She jumps off the pontoon, swims out to get it, brings it back, and then climbs right up the ladder back onto the deck. Climbing the ladder is the most fun part to watch. When the water was warmer, the guy would swim and then sit on a life-preserver. She would swim for a bit and then "sit" on his lap for a while. Super nice dog.

Ellen .. I would have loved to see that too ..... sounds pretty neat ..... gotta love all our 4 legged friends.

I got a very handsome gelding who is 7 years old given to me yesterday. He will be going to Texas with us...and yes I have room! He seems very quiet and friendly and he is broke, but needs to be topped off...or finished...fine tuning if ya will....He gets along with Lady and Missy Muleytude...I'm going to have to change her name cuz her attitude is sooooooo much better....I can catch her by just walking up to her now...she knows she will get scratched and petted on and she just stands there and tolerates me well now...yeah, I know, I wasn't going to work with her, but had to get her going in the right direction before we head down the hiway.

Sooooo smoky here, unhealthful category to breathe, and add that to the dust of the potato trucks going behind me on the ditch bank road and its awful! I am so dang congested...uGH!

Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Back in Roanoke hospital, mild cardiac problem. I will be okay. I am not sure how long I will be here, might be a couple of days.

ARK, what will we do with you! I hope whatever is going on has a quick fix for ya....but anything cardiac sounds serious to me! so pleeeeeeeze tke care of yourself cuz we all need you here with us! Let us know how you are doing as we'll all be waiting to hear the GOOD news.

Grey smoky skies again today....air quality is still unhealthy, gmes and events outside have been cancelled in our area. The fall temps feel great tho! I'm hoing we get an early freeze to get rid of those pesky flies! and then it can be nice again for a nice long fall.

Thanks for letting us know, Ark. Sure am sorry you are having a problem though. Keep in touch the best you can.
Prayers going for you.