May 2012 !!!

INDYAPP:
Congrats on the new Great Niece!! Yep, gotta buy a pony. I bought my only great niece, Rachel, a pink stick pony when she was a month old. I suspect she didn't use it much then. She is a year and a half now and may be figuring it out. You've got to indoctrinate them young!

BEECH:
You are right! I forgot to mention the most important animal in my life when I did my roll-call: Donnie , da hubby of 38 years! He isn't quite as hairy as the rest of our crew, but he's quite a cutey! He may be as hairy when he gets through clipping Zippy this weekend.

SUNNY:
Welcome back! I'm glad the new password worked out. How's the weather down there? It has been in the eighties here this week, sort of hot for us this time of year.

SILVERDANCER:
Glad you liked your picture . You can put any avatar you'd like up, I just can't resist filling a blank space. I'd love to go to Ireland, I have seen it from the air a few times. Yep, it is green! I'll look up that castle. We need pix of you and your steed! I could have sworn you were from Wales. Your name is Fiona, right? (I may be having a major case of CRS..... ) Which sci-fi movies have you seen lately? My favorite type of show, too. I am really looking forward to a few shows coming out soon....Dark Shadows next week! (Not exactly Sci-fi, but anything with Johnny Depp and Barnabas Collins has got to be good. ) I used to watch that show after school back when it was first on the air. I loved Barnabas Collins! BTW: I live outside Dublin, too......Dublin, Virginia.

KATHI:
Well I am impressed with the age of your cats! I'd be very happy to achieve that with Kumquat and Creampuff. They are indoor cats.

CB:
That motor home sounds like a steal! What a deal you found. I have never 'done' Craigs List. I think I may have to start looking at it. Congrats on your new horsie! Hope she works out well.

JODI:
You have to forgive SNOOP. He is a great teaser. We'd all like to catch him and work him over a little now and then . Your best bet is to aim barbs back at him.


I have to be up before my chickens in the morning. We are hauling Ivan to Ivanhoe, VA to a poker ride benefiting two volunteer rescue squads in the county we used to live in before we moved here. I hope, hope, hope that Ivan is as good as he was last Sunday! I'll be riding with the Morab mare, Amanda, again, so Ivan will have one horse along that he has met. I'll let you know how it goes.......

My two cats are outdoor cats. The vet said that the average age of outdoor cats is 13. So mine at 16 and 18 are beating the odds. Nala Broken Leg is beginning to go back outside again now and then. I suspect she will always have a significant limp and won't be able to jump, but I do hope she can stay outside most of the time. Some of my relatives are allergic to cats and like to stay here. So "cat" has to be cleaned out as much as possible.

Jodi, it's going to be up to you to take potshots at Snoop. He's gotten discouraged trying to tease the rest of us. We're so used to him that we mostly ignore him and the poor guy doesn't get the attention he wants.

BarT...that is some grand news on the portable O thingys...will make life much easier!

INDY..I'll get her papers shortly...Kari is moving and had packed them already, but she said she would get them to me. She is a nice woman, hate to see her losing her house and her last horse...but she sure was glad it was me!

That is kind of the plans on the ol' motor home to make it into a storage/tack shop...I can also take my full size W/D now too ad set them up in there which will give me more room i my fifth wheel camper. I can use the space for a coat closert etc..instead

We have a truck with 11 foot truck camper (with bathroom) that we go camping and traveling around in...I love it! I had gone camper shopping with a friend, who ended up buyig a new oe, and I bought the truck and camper she turned down...love the one ton dually chevy, also We have the weekender horsetrailer that has a stove, fridge, cupboards and two beds in it also...not the ritz, but it is better than sleeping on the ground.

I got most of my hay in now...down in San Angelo...so that is a big worry off my chest...will have some coastal coming in later in June.

It's coming together...slowly..but it is coming...LOL

Good morning everyone. Welcome Jodie...Welcome back Silverdancer.

First things first.roll call...Manygates the name of the farm we live on, named that because of the many many gates my husband has put up around the pastures and anywhere he could find to put a gate. Hubby George & I live on a 43 acre farm in a old farm house that was built in 1877, in Danville PA. We have 5 kids (3 girls 2 boys), 5 kids-in-law, 8 grandkids, 2 step grandkids, 8 boys and 2 girls.

I'm a retired barrel racer, buried my last horse Jazz, 2 years ago this month (wow where did 2 years go?) Now we share the farm with a 3 year old Black Lab (Ace), 2 Beagles (Prissy & Foxy) and a 14 old house cat (Sassy). We do have a few feral barn cats, Dexter, Tippy, Belle, LT, Mugsy, Scaredy Cat and a couple I only see as they dash by. And I heard kittens the other morning. oh oh...

Hubby George is retired and I work part time at the local Post Office as the part time Post Master.

It's raining here in PA this morning. We need the rain so no one is complaining except George who wanted to plant a couple things in the garden. It's been raining for days.

Another exiting couple of weeks. Daughter Missy was rushed to the ER. They found blood clots in her lung, she is home and doing well. Daughter Heather's father-in-law was rushed to the ER with a suspected heart attack (thank God it wasn't)..

Love & prayers to all.......

It's game day................everyone get your hats on..........mine is a Barbaro baseball cap...................Union Rags is the horse of the day for me.

Everyone have a great day. God bless. Prayers for ALL.

boy has it been hot here, for the last couple of days it has been 90 plus way to hot way to early, hope this is not a pattern, and worried about the hurricane season comming up real soon ( June 1 ) I don't listen to the weathermens prediction, I watch the african coast and watch the path they take from there, HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO they celebrate it here with lots of bar b ques and lots of music.

Haven't a clue who is running- there is NO Derby coverage up here in ski country. Now searching for live online coverage, since my one Grand Junction channel is the wrong channel for Derby. They would replace it with junior college softball anyway.

Apster

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/

supposedly can watch live on line no coverage until just before race time, 4 pm EDT. which would be 2 pm here. we shall see

I love that grey dapple...for the Derby!

I wrote this big long post and it didn't show up!

Ark, have fun, hope you have a great ride.

Indy, congrats on your neice! they have lil cowgirl booties I've seen...LOL

Bart..did you get your portable thig yet? Like it?

Trudy, your family sure keep ya on your toes! How is the daughter with the blood clots? that can be scary!

Ellen,, at least Kitty has a quality of life, seems she is enjoying it too...we do what we can for our friends. I am glad I got to tell hubby over the phone that Pinky had to have a c section...LOL...but he said if she has to....don't have any choice. We try to do the best we can within our financial limits. Luckily I do have good vets, I always try to keep my bill paid in case it comes a time I don't have the extra money I can make payments. Thank goodness...for that sometimes.

Silver, I won't be in Texas until fall...but maybe we can meet next year. There is a foopette in Amarillo..she has a nice horse hotel. TexasNanna I think she went by.

Rick, in case time gets away from me, you and Carol have a wonderful fun trip and we'll look forward to hearig all about it! A word of advice since ya don't want to get locked up overseas anywhere, leave Snoop at home locked in the basement!

Well, back to watching the derby show...wish I were there...there is so much history and you can just feel the buzz of energy there...I loved my visit there...and then I got to meet Ol Man right after that and spent a lovely night at his place. Virginia is a swell cook!

Wind is blowing hard today...can't do much outside...so that actually means I have to clean inside...ugh...the older I get the more I just don't care!

Have a great weekend y'all...glad you are back on Sunny!

I'LL HAVE ANOTHER. Wow. I'm still befuddled..............I still am glad there were no accidents and it sure makes me realize all the psycho babble in the world could not have predicted that race............................

I'm sure we will all hear/read more later................it's clear Rags can't or jockey can't get out of a fix............whether or not he could have won is not even the question. Bodemeister ran well..............simply ran out of gas.

Me? I'll go give Faith a good happy curry...........She's #1 in my book.

And, as the expression goes, "that's horseracing".............

I'll Have Another didn't seem to have the goods to win the Kentucky Derby.

Sold as a yearling for a paltry $11,000, ridden by a rookie jockey hardly anyone knew and stuck in an outside post no horse had ever won from — not exactly a blueprint for success at Churchill Downs.

But with the finish line in sight, the chestnut colt overtook highly regarded Bodemeister in the final furlong Saturday to make a name for himself and rider Mario Gutierrez.

I'll Have Another stormed out of post No. 19 — the first winner from there in 138 runnings of the Derby — and bided his time back in mid-pack while Bodemeister set a blistering pace on a hot, muggy afternoon.

''He's an amazing horse. blah blah blah......................"

THat was C & P'd from some race report I read................

I LOVE these stories..............

I never really looked twice at I'll have another, Graymare...but he sure ran good! and FAST!

I want to go to our local races and see how I do now...they are open this year for the whole season after being closed down for several years and ladies night is o Wednesdays....and hubby is off this wednesday...we'll see....we have to bring the "boat" home on Weds too after my doc appt....so may not be able to go this time....but next we'll go at least once while they have them and help support the cause, cuz we hardly ever win, so they make some 2 dollar bet money off of us!

Had to fight the dang wind to get my chores done tonight...geesh..it was blowing...but it wasn't too cold, so that was good. Everyone is fat healthy and sassy...baby muleitude is doing fine and puppies are doing good...lil chubs now..I swear the two bigger ones look like baby rottweillers...but the colorig is red with blue and tan paws..I'll send some pics in a bit if Flessa doesn't mind.

Well, I'm going to do some laundry and pack a couple more boxes...ho hum...what fun...

TRUDY:
Big hums and hugs for your sick family members!!!!

GRAYMARE:
I got home in time to watch the KY Derby pre-show and the race. I am usually off somewhere and don't get to watch it often. I voted on the grey one, of course, but because I liked how flamboyant his owner, Dr. Hansen, was . He lives somewhere near my sister in KY, so I voted for him and watched him lose.....sigh...but it was a fun race to watch! My second choice was the favorite, Union something or other, and he got stuck in the back. My third choice was Bodemeister, who ran strong the entire race and came in second. Oh, well. Don't ask me for Ky Derby picks .

CB:
I had a really great ride today! It was not quite as calm as last week, but not bad after we got out of the campground area where there were lots of horses making Ivan somewhat of a nutcase. After we got out on the trail with the Morab, Amanda, Ivan did really well.
And then we got lost.

It was actually pretty fun, I knew how to get back, just didn't know where the trail we were supposed to be on was. We ended up way on top of a steep mountain trail with a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains and New River. We crossed a wide creek about a dozen times and had to travel down it for awhile. We were following a trail, just the wrong one. We saw one group of four riders and they were even more lost than we were, so we turned back as they went on hoping to find the trail. Never did see them again. We rode along the Virginia Highlands trail (then lost it), found it again later and then got on the New River Trail that took us back to camp. It was a fun adventure! Ivan did well with just one other horse, but didn't like it when he got separated from her back at the camp. He now loves her. They are a good match as far as gaits go and I got along well with her rider, Jan. We didn't get rained on as they predicted, but as soon as we got home, it poured. Good timing.

hard to do a poker ride if you get lost and off the trail! LOL....did you try the vicks? If he can't smell the other horses, he can only see them, and I think smell is what starts him off! Kind of like us at the fair...we have to get something to eat cuz of the good smells! Glad we didn't have to send out a search part! When we were orienteering one time, our whole family got off the trail ad we were out for 13 hours...the other riders sent out searchers on horseback looking for us! We did that several times, go out looking for lost riders...so it was our turn to be searched for that night...but we were finally coming back into camp and ran into the searchers...I don't know how we got so off the trail we were spose to be on..but oh well, we did fine, but we had gotte off to walk the horses to give them a break, decided to back track and saw we had bears crossing our tracks...so we all got back on and I put a lead line on Jessi's pony...so all she would have to do would be hold on...just in case...we had to make a run for the border!

Well, here I sit, not sure where to start. As you all know I've been thinking and praying exactly what to do with Atticus............he just pulled out of my driveway with his new owner. Many locals knew about Atticus and many had seen him. Last week I received a call wondering if I was ready to sell him. It was a man I know of, not really know. They have a small family hobby ranch up north, a few steers, a few horses but no young stock. The g son is back from Afganistan without a job (he is finishing teaching certification as he already has his bachelor’s) and will prob work at like Burger King or something until a teaching position opens up. There are two other young g children 7 and 10 that Atticus is being prepared for in 3- 4 yrs for 4 H, I think. Who knows. The horses they ride now are in their 20’s and by the time those two are retired, Atticus will be just right for a 14 yr old roper. Anyhow, no one truly knows the future, I just know I did the best I could for my colt as he will live around 30 yrs, and I won’t. So, for now, Atticus’ job is, he is a ranch project for the g son…………mentally concentrating on a horse is the best medicine……………

So, last week the call came and I told them they were welcome to come see him. They came Fri and I sold him. The reason I didn’t post that was, until I had the cash in hand and the horse on it’s way, it wasn’t a done deal………….we all know too many “changed my mind” stories. The people live 3 hrs from here.

The real teary part for me was handing the rope to the confident young soldier and he led right into the trailer, never missing a beat. I was so proud of Atticus.

I did not take pictures…………….I will receive pictures, I’m sure.

It’s the end of an era. And now, on to some good rides on Faith in the mtns.

Everyone have a good day. God bless. Prayers for ALL.

GARYMARE: OMG what a shock that was to read about your colt. I know how much work you have put into him, and how difficult it was for you to let him go. You know he will be loved and well taken care of and that is the important thing. Atticus will be such good medicine for a Veteran just back from the war, the young man will need to keep his mind busy and far away from the war, and a nice young horse is just the ticket.

The sadness must be wearing on you, but think of the joy the kids are feeling with their new best buddy. Prayers were answered... Atticus will be fine in his new home with kids to fuss over him all the time..

((((((((GARYMARE)))))))))

Love & prayers to all......

TRUDY...You know...G-Mare's story can be kinda/sorta depressing in its own way. It is the "passing" of a loved one.

What I SO ADMIRE is that G-Mare was able to prepare for this moment for a long time. She obviously did a fantastic job of training/preparing the colt for a new set of circumstances...AND she prepared herself. IMHO, G-Mare is CELEBRATING the next phase of this colt's life...somewhat as we celebrate the life of a loved one that has gone on.

GRAYMARE.....You DONE GOOD and as a GOODBYE from Atticus as he through life.

SNOOP...not wanting to be too sappy this time

I understand...totally....so here is a (((HUG))) just for yo! Enjoy your summer rides with Faith....find solace in that beautiful country and be at peace. We try to find the best homes possible for our colts or puppies...that's all we can do for them when the time comes for them to move on. These will be my last litters of pups, as I'm getting toooo dang attached and can't keep myself apart from them anymore...I would socialize them, love them, potty train them...getting them ready for their new homes, but it was still hard to see them go. I am done with the doxies after Red has her pups...unless someone wants to breed to my big Bubba Dane....before he gets too old. He is 6 this year.

ahhhhh..HUGS to us all! we all feel like we were part of Atticus' life and watched him grow mentally and physically...thanks for allowing us to do that with you.

GM I so understand this. My greatest fear was that Stryker would out live me and what would happen to him if that was the case. Glad you got to find him a good home.

Ark reading your post about being lost made me think of Elle. She was never lost. I was from time to time but all I had to do was give her her head and she would take me right back to the trailer no matter where we were or how far from home we were. She was like a blood hound that way.

CB don't have my portable air yet, a couple more weeks. I need to go do some testing to make sure what kind I can use. Personally I think it is just so they can wring more money out of Medicare on my behalf. I really want to get more mobile and get on with getting on.

GRAYMARE:
awwww.....I am sorry he is no longer going to be a member of our little herd here. I really enjoyed hearing about his birth, growing up, getting gorgeous, and his training. I was sort of hoping you would end up riding him for at least awhile so we could watch from afar. For an unexpected foal, he landed in a good home. Lucky Atticus. And now it sounds like he will be appreciated for probably the rest of his life. That is certainly lucky, too. (((((((Graymare))))))

I thought Atticus was going to a young lady. Did she back out?

KATHI:
I worry about my horses should I not outlive them, also. When Areion is 30, I'll be 85. I plan to be a spry 85. Kazi just turned 20 and Zippy will be 22 in September. They are our oldest. Zippy had just turned 3 when we got him. Where did his life go?

Speaking of Zippy, Donnie spent the afternoon clipping 5 pounds of hair off his little body. He looks a bit ragged, but I am sure Zippy feels much better now. He wasn't shedding as much as he should have, he nearly had all his winter coat on. His Pergolide dosage may not be correct yet. We gave him a bath after his clip and he looks much better, sort of like half a pony disappeared. His hair was one cowlick after another, Donnie had to cut in every direction to get it off.

I don't think Ivan views our horse trailer as his home away from home yet. I suspect he would take me to parts unknown if I didn't find my way back. There are thousands of acres of national forests and mountains in the area we were in yesterday. Donnie had a GPS tracker on Ivan, so we might have been found if we didn't get out of antenna range of his homemade device. He needs to increase his range. After our getting lost yesterday, Donnie has decided I need one on me, too. He'd rather find me than Ivan.

CB:
While we were 'lost', I never got too worried because I knew where the river was and as long as I could find it, I could follow it back to the camp. It was actually fun, and where we went was so beautiful, it was worth it. The rhododendron are just starting to bloom and I saw fire pink flowers blooming that I hadn't seen since we moved here. We used to live about 20 miles from where we were riding, I have missed it more than I thought. It is so pretty over there. It is only about 75 miles between our house and our former house, but it is world of difference.

Most poker rides you have to follow a set trail to find your cards...the way I've set them up and done them ayway....I was just wondering how ya found the cards! LOL

Graymare, I think you left us all a bit shell shocked...but I know you said earlier that he would be most likely sold...it just came out of the blue....but tis ok...you did good finding him a home he is needed for and will have a job. My horses are so lazy anymore...I get on Cinnamon and go for rides (unbeknownst to my hubby so mum is the word) I just can't stand it when the weather is really good, I wanna ride, so I get her out and saddle her up, climb on the trailer fender and pray I don't fall off, cuz I"ll never be able to get back on unless I find a deep hole and get her in...so I don't go to far...so I can at least walk her back if I have to....but it sure as heck feels good out there walking along on my horse I can 99% trust. Really good....really really good... Now nobody spill the beans, K?


Hey has anyone heard of the "HEMP ENERGY DRINK"....I saw a truck in Boise, one of those painted up vans that deliver it...and it had a picture of a marijuana plant on the back doors, and said "hemp energy drink". I've never heard of it...just wondering....

SNOOP here with a good one....

Kid Cameron and GiGi started doing what they call a "jump & wrap" whereby he is kinda/sorta boosted upward and then wraps his legs around your waist for a b-i-g hug.

Tonite he did a "jump & wrap" with his mother and she was talking with him for a minute or so when he leaned back...held out his hands and said "If these weren't so big I bet I could jump to your shoulders". He was NOT talking about the size of his hands either.

We are leaving out about 11:00 AM tomorrow...Carol is busy doing whatever it is that takes her so long to get suitcase packed. The carry-ons are ready except for sticking in computers.

Our love to all....SNOOP & Rick

Have a great trip Rick...and don't forget to take Snoop along with you, none of us want him visitin, ya heah?

Wow, it is warm out there today...I was sweating doing my chores...whew....not complaining tho...oh no! i need to get a good workout everyday and sweat!

Hope everyone had a great Monday!

RICK:
Have fun, fun, fun! My favorite castle: Carnarvon. A jewel of a small castle: Castell Coch. http://www.castlewales.com/coch.html.. Lots of others to look at in between. I love castles! Fly safe!

CB:
The poker ride wasn't exactly well organized. We drew 3 cards before we left, then they said to draw two more when we got back, so none of the cards were on the trail. Good thing since we lost the trail pretty fast. The food was good, but the trails weren't marked for the ride very well. I drew a terrible hand, no prize for me!

SILVERDANCER:
You live next to that mansion? Wow! That is some place! I figured out I had you and Fiona from Wales mixed up together. Sorry about that. She sold her house, too. Are you taking dressage lessons? Doing any shows?

GRAYMARE:
It must seem strange not to have Atticus at home. I hope he loves his new place. When are you going to the mtns this year?

Not much going on today except I finally got the tombstone for my father arranged and a deposit made. We had to switch companies when the first did a really poor job of it. This new one looks to be pretty good. It should be done by July and my sisters and I will go see it installed in the family cemetery in southern KY in late July. I am glad to get the thing settled. Shopping for tombstones isn't much fun.

ARK....Is this a family cemetery on private land or a larger plot reserved for a family in a church owned...or other public....cemetery?

Check out: findagrave.com

As a "test", check out Joppa Cemetery in Mocksville, NC and the name ANGELL...even has photos of marked graves. JOPPA Cemetery is where Daniel Boone's parents...Squire and Sarah Boone...are buried. My parents are about 250 / 300 feet away in the "new" section. I have occasionally seen some private cemeteries in the findagrave when looking for someone.

Neglected, forgotten cemeteries are rather sad.

We'll be leaving before lunch time. In the meantime, I've gotta get the stall cleaned, etc. Don't know what's going on, but Miranda all of a sudden doesn't want her hay. She devours her sweet feed and seems to have no trouble with grazing. I have on occasion had a bale of hay she refused, but I'm down to last 3 - 4 bales and there are still 2 bales uncut. Stuff smells OK to me...guess she'll just have to do with sweet feed and pasture.

Later...hopefully from the UK

Rick & Carol

God's speed RICK & CAROL. Have a WONDERFUL time. We can't wait for the travel reports..................

Prayers for ALL.