March 2016

Back home again, in Indiana.... (music note here) I got in late last evening. I had planned to stop a few hours out, but got there and it was still early and I wasn't tired. So, I just kept going and got here a little before midnight. The car will be unloaded today.
I miss the bright blue southwest skies. It's cloudy here and I haven't seen clouds since I left.
My yard is still a mess. The ice didn't hold up long enough to get the logs cleared off. It's going to be a long process now. They'll load some into an old rowboat, go to the public access, load from boat to trailer, then up the hill to the barn. It's gonna take a while. I'll help pick up the little stuff.
My tulips are up about 6 inches now. They might be blooming in another week or so. We planted a bunch of new ones last fall and they seem to be doing very well.

Ellen, glad u got home ok. kept hoping u might have time for a cuppa as you came by so close.....would have loved that.

Quiet day here today just getting tax stuff together for our appt.

Quite windy here, my wind chimes r ding dongin....

Hope everyone is having a more interesting day...

CB, I looked at the Case and other outlet stores as I went by, but it was early and I knew if I kept going I could make it home in two days and save nearly $100 on a motel room. I seem to be one of those people who sees the goal at the end of the drive and just don't stop much along the way.
I was glad to be home last night.

I do have a spare bedroom and door is always open...course won't guarantee if the house is dusted if there is short notice, but if u can handle it, I sure could. miss our truckstop visits.

I am changing phones, turning this piece of u know what off, finally. soooo if u don't hear from me, you know I'm having a glitch.....but ill be back...sometime.

Just may be awhile....so if I'm gone, ya know I took the leap....

Can we spell boring...? that's today, 70 degrees but wind is gusting hard....we will be in tornado area tonight, so far no warnings .....hope it stays that way.

The strong winds from the west and southwest, along with going mostly downhill for more than half the distance, really improved my gas mileage on the way home. REALLY windy for two days. Not windy here at all today.

ELLEN
Welcome home! I know that song, I hummed along with you . I am glad you had a good trip. Your neighbors' cat will be happy to have you home!

Busy day here. We caught Dory, the calico cat living in our garage. So I had to dash her over to Christiansburg where there is a spay clinic. Then I had to get back home, clean the barn, and be ready for Lori after lunch. I didn't do as well as last week in the lesson, my left hip joint wasn't cooperating too well. I couldn't seem to get the body language quite right. I suspect two days in a row of riding was a little too stressful on the joint last week. Ivan did well. I didn't ride Areion today, but she did well for Lori. Then when she left, the hay guy FINALLY delivered the hay I was about to get desperate about. He unloaded 112 bales into the barn loft. Nice hay. We took care of the horses for the night and Donnie kindly took me out for a sandwich. I am soooo tired!

Tomorrow is Cat Vet Day. I have to pick up Dory in the morning, then take Kumquat to her vet tomorrow afternoon. She has a sinus or respiratory issue going on.

Pretty day in the 70s here, but very windy. They are talking about fire hazards again.

Ark, Cricket did come by this evening and seemed to have a lot to say. He wanted to be petted for a few minutes, walked around the house a bit, and then wanted back outside. Now that the weather is nicer, he won't want in as much.
You had a very busy day today, but a good one.

Missy, the ever preggo Gypsy, gave birth to a gorgeous filly at 6 A.M. today!!! FINALLY! Soon as I can figure out how I'll post her pic, and her formal name!!!

Awwww. Can't wait to see the picture, Rose. If you haven't done it already, go to picturetrail.com. That's a free site where you can upload pictures, then copy/paste them here.

ELLEN, I tagged ARK on the FB pics so she can post on here, hopefully, I know she has before. Dark Before the Dawn, barn name Gypsy, is just gorgeous!

I have a true animal story with a happy ending for you.
While I was gone Travis had gone to Michigan to go snowmobiling. Neighbor Pat was feeding his three cats everyday. When Travis came back, the young 9 month old cat was nowhere to be found. Travis' wife put notices on social media, and neighborhood watch, hoping somebody might have seen him. Wife's parents have a house across the lake from here.
At the time, there was ice still on the lake, but rapidly thinning. There was also a big snowstorm. A day or so later, Wife's mom said that a neighbor of theirs had caught a cat in a live trap. Travis went to check it out, thinking it couldn't possibly be their cat. It was!
Somehow, the cat had crossed more than a quarter mile of ice and wound up next door to Travis' in=laws, safe but scared. The guess is that he was out and about when the snowstorm hit and got disoriented and couldn't find his way home. He is back home and happily touring the neighborhood as usual.

Rose's Foal


 

 

So happy kitty is safely home and back to his normal behaviour!

Oh Diane, I sure wish Gypsy's momma was mine, she is absolutely the sweetest mare, not a mean or stubborn none in that whole body! Missy will seek me out in pitch dark because she wants treats or petting or both. I have developed a love for the
Gypsy Vanner horses. Even the darn breeding stallions are sweet and kind.............and beautiful! You are awesome Diane!!! Many thanks!

ROSE:
 What a beautiful foal!  They must be very happy with her!  Congrats all around!! Yes, I knew it wasn't officially yours, but didn't know who it did belong to. We can pretend it is yours!


ELLEN:
 That is a happy story!  It is so terrible when someone loses an animal and never knows where it went.  I suspect some of the strays we have had over the years were lost pets.. Donnie's cat, Mira, in particular was probably someone's very loved pet.  We found her at Hardees where she had been for several months in the winter time.  We always had the feeling she had gotten out of her owner's car or truck and waited there for him or her.  She was very good at travelling in a car.    I wish we could tell her former owner that she was taken care of for 12 more years...

Speaking of cats, I got Dory from the spay clinic this morning.  She is now in a much roomier cage in our new horse trailer.  It has a fiberglass top and is cool inside.  She has to stay caged for about 10 days to give her antibiotics and because she was in heat when she was spayed and tomcats will still be attracted to her for awhile.   Then I took Kumquat to her vet this afternoon for a sniffle that I was worried about.  Turns out she is okay, might have a bit of an allergy.   Cat Day at the Farm.....

Donnie is off work tomorrow!  Neither of us realized he would be off for Good Friday, so it is a nice gift.  If the rain passes thru tonight, he wants to work on the pastures and hayfields tomorrow.  He got a lawn roller to drag behind the tractor to flatten out the ground where certain frisky horses made divets all over the place.

Rose, no matter whose baby it is, that is one flashy foal.

Beautiful foal, ROSE. I didn't know you could do that, ark, been wanting to share pics here, but all I can do is post on face book and text messages and emails,,,that's all the farther I have gotten, and that's farther than last year...and now I'm getting ready to switch phones....don't know how long it will take me.....sigh

We went to get grain and a form at the courthouse for our taxes....wheeeeeee a hot time in the tiny town....Not!

Yep ARK, CB and ELLEN, those Gypsys are fantastic horses, very sturdy built and sweet, sweet, sweet and just my size, 14 hh or so. The mare that Nikki sold, 1/2 Gypsy and 1/2 Haflinger, Mo, was perfect, but it was too soon after my accident and I didn't realize she was serious about selling until it was too late.............But I'll find another...................

Gypsies r beautiful, and stocky, I have loved their build and feathered legs since I first saw them.

Pollen is rampant boy gives one a headache....

Dirty dishes r calling my name and then I am making chicken pot pie for dinner, rolling my own dough.....yum....

Beautiful day today....ahhhhhhhh.......

Hope everyone is out enjoyin....

ROSE......I bet you can't stay away from that baby.......she is gorgeous. Have fun!

CB, may I come for dinner?

I had a busy morning..........I took many old half or less paint cans to the hazardous waste facility which is a jaunt from here. We had several. On the way home I bought hay.............hey, set for awhile now.

I make pie crust so very seldom, I'm not good at it at all. So "Marie" does mine. Marie Callender, that is. Those are the best crusts ever. I like their chicken pot pies too.

After two days of clouds, this evening cleared off to be a really pretty evening. Nice sunset, and the lake like glass.

gM, SURE, BUT IF U CAN GIVE EVEN A few hours notice, it would be a lil better than leftovers...which tonight was leftover chicken....I make chicken pot pie the dutch way....I roll the dough thin and cut crisscross squares and drop them into the broth, veggies and chicken that is at a low boil. hubby likes rubs, tiny dough balls too....I grew up on this chicken pot pie stuff. good thing, cuz only crusts I make r graham cracker ones!

Had the door open til 9 pm...nice night. saw a coyote in the pasture, do not like that, fired a few shots his way....our neighbor traps them and sells the pelts....he doesn't trap on our land tho. I'm very cautious about keeping my dogs where they belong. one of the other neighbors hunts with his dogs and wipes some of them out.....on the property next to us and that usually keeps them in the deeper woods by the lake more...so I don't mind his dogs coming thru cept my doxies raise such a loud ferocious ruckus....my doxies would hunt right with them I'm sure, but could also be a coyote snack!

May go to the livestock auction tomorrow for something to do....spose to be 66 and sunny....then rain sunday...blah....I know we need the rain tho to get the pasture growing good....so won't complain much!

Okay, CB. What did you buy at the auction?

Ivan and I getting ready to ride in the rain  


 Ivan bites the wicked umbrella.

Ellen, I'm pretty good at this auction. hubby wants more chickens but not until we get back from texas.....I just love to go to see the different breeds, and there r usually goats, a few horses, pigs and cows...and they sale junk on consignment for 2 hours....I am a people watcher, and just like getting out of the house. sides that bulldog pup that was so cute, I paid half and my kids paid the other half for me.....and then jessi and joey bought one oof the litter, too; so we will pick hers and ours up on thursday and head for tx. its baby harpers first birthday and my oldest kiddo, randi and her hubby, julian and gson therin and gs kyle r going to be there.

Ark, that's a good idea.....I'm hoping the trainer will try lots of things with daisie, except he is stuck on the name ginger says daisie is too hard! men! lol. he has been lunging and driving her and put the saddle on first time, she's doing fine. she was to have had 30 days as a 3 yr. old, but I wasn't sure, and these 30 days will be good for her and me...she hasn't bucked or hopped once so far.

Well, nice day, certainly will lower my power bill...had the door open all afternoon...tomorrow rain and cooler....pffft.

Happy Easter Everyone.

We had our Easter brunch yesterday with Kevin, Amy, Nate & Rodney. Kevin's wife was sick so she didn't come, Stacy's girlfriend is having kid troubles so they didn't come. It was a nice brunch, so different & quiet than the huge weekends we used to have on the holidays. I miss that...I made potato salad (I HATE to make potato salad), sweet potato casserole, baked beans, a ham and a angel food cake with strawberries & ready whip. We have left overs for today after church & I sent stuff home with Amy.

Tomorrow George has a appointment at the VA Hospital in Wilkes Barre...I hate that drive, last time we hit a deer..then the Purple Heart meeting and Stacy has a sleep Apnea test. We are sure he has sleep apnea and Trina (who is a nurse) is making him have the test done.

GRAYMARE: That Little Big Shots show is on NBC at 8 or 9 PM. Those kids are something else. Such talent in those little bodies.

CB: Congrats on the new puppy.

ARK: What a brave boy Ivan has become, attacking the killer umbrella. LOL

Have a wonderful Easter everyone...