March 2016

Gm, I do take bp and diabetes meds, but no pain control meds....wish I didn't need the others either.....but oh well.....

Hubby has one more bracket to hang shower curtain rod and that bathroom will be done for now. later we will change the tub to a walk in shower and new sink. later....

We are going to branson on wednesday to listen to one of those vacation deals, not buying, but if they want to give me free tickets for us for a show, we will go and listen. we picked the amazing pet show, thought the girls would like to see it, and we will see dixie stampede show in branson, and I got free tickets for 4 adults I won eating dinner out I signed an entry to win....no catch on this one....so we just have to pay for girls to get into silver dollar city amusement park. busy week, hope my legs hold up! gads its he!! to get old.

Friday we will go to the fort and get our eye exams, fill prescription, and get groceries....
Also have rain headed our way, up to 4 inches in a couple of days....

Sweet dreams y'all

Good morning everyone.

CB: You got that right too, with no one close to help we pretty much do it all on our own. Our one son in law Nate does come down and help with the heavy lifting, when he has time, he has a full time job that keeps him busy and his own stuff to do. We don't want to move off the farm, so we muddle thru slowly what ever needs done. It keeps us up and moving. Have fun in Branson on Weds.

I feel blessed to be in the "good" health that I am in. I only take a cholesterol pill and a 5 mg of Meloxicam (for my arthritis), compared to some people who take a handful of pills every day. Our doctor is not a pill pusher, he doesn't believe in doping us up. So unlike the VA that is always pushing pills at George, he refuses to take them. He does take diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure pills and that is enough. He refuses to take any pain meds except Advil. He is a tough old solider.

I got one cabinet painted yesterday and we managed to get it into place. It's going to be a nice laundry room when we are finished. Back to painting this morning once the patio warms up.

Have a great day everyone.

CB and TRUDY and GRAYMARE
You all are doing great! As long as we keep moving we should keep moving longer. (I think I just made that up! ) Donnie and I don't have any close family, so either we do it or it doesn't get done. Sometimes it gets done VERY slowly.

I agree about not taking medications casually. I know too many folks who have a hard time keeping up with all they take. I take niacin for lowering cholesterol, I refused to take statins. Other than that, I only take vitamins and supplements.

Last night we made pickled eggs for the first time. Our 6 chicks grew up to be prolific egg layers!!! After giving away eggs like zucchini, our fridge is still overflowing. We pickled about 30 eggs in pretty purple canning jars. We'll know in 3 weeks if our efforts are worthwhile. In the meantime, the laying goes on.....

Lori is coming for lessons today.....It's going to be in the 60s!!

ARK, Shiela Varian died yesterday morning. This is her last stud carrying on the legacy........this is his first ride out. He is not an arena horse..........he is the result of 60 yrs of breeding................

Trudy, I've learned this the hard way...when taking arthritis meds, always take nexium or carafate. mobic and celebrex r 2 of the worst meds for stomach ulcers. I had a huge one few years back, been taking liquid carafate and nexium. last endoscopy showed it was healed but is scarring so still have probs.....but now my idiot doctor took me off my arthritis meds and I can't get into a rheumotologist until august. he said he thought it was interfering with kidney function which my tests have all been fine in that until first time his clinic did bloodwork.???? I think I will be changing doctors .....jessi is going to help me while she is here. but I am hurting....tylenol helps a bit, but not enuf.

Want to go get a cheap used fridge to use for sodas and will give us extra room in freezer also. I'm beginning to like craigslist.

Gotz to go get grain.....we go once a week as its ground and mixed fresh...doesn't sit around as long. horses love it as there is never even one piece left. we grain year round for the minerals and vitamins they get in the grain and also molasses...I really think it helps keep their systems working better.

Well, off to get things done....

We plan on having fun at branson....I will enjoy the kids and seeing things thru their eyes.....the world kids see and the smiles is good for old ones. jessi said don't spend a lot on them, but we can't take it with us and enjoying things with them while we can is so worth it. we have enuf life insurance to cremate us, and pay off credit cards. truck and house has insurance to pay off....so why not us enjoy doing with kids. she just said, ok, mom. she is doing very well financially, my other 2 get by...and we have always helped them, more when we were there, buying groceries and tires...when they needed help...dad fixed things for them a lot too....so we r just going to enjoy life. we got our loan, we can fix things on the house slowly now and there r lots of projects....but ones we can do, if we had to have a new roof, we would hire out...there r things we can't do! I think I have convinced HArry of that now. lol

Have a super time CB.............Branson is a fun place and the kids will love the Stampede.

Ark is there a farmers market or food bank somewhere a bar may buy them from you...yep seems people drinking love the things! I never did like them and harrys mom use to give him the purple eggs and when I was pg with randi, just watching him eat them made me ....yep u know. lol

I love deviled eggs.....yum.....

Cleaned the fridge, packed my winter clothes away, but did keep my chore coat and some flannels out just in case.

Hope y'all had a great day!

GRAYMARE
I heard about Sheila Varian yesterday. Very sad. I can remember reading about her when I was a kid. I was so impressed with her Arabians, she did a lot for the breed. Will they keep raising them on her ranch? I heard her ranch was put into some kind of land trust so it couldn't be broken up and developed. Good for her!


CB
I have never eaten a pickled egg, so don't know if I will like them. We aren't making them for others, I would be afraid of poisoning someone... I suspect I will like the sweet ones better than the dill ones. I am not big on dill pickles. This glut of eggs won't last forever, the hens will wear themselves out eventually. Yesterday some man stopped by and asked if I wanted to sell any chickens or one of my roosters. No. But as a consolation prize, I gave him two dozen eggs...a chicken kit. He can build his own hens...

I rode both Ivan and Areion today! Both were very mellow in the 65° weather. Areion did spook once, but didn't manage to unseat me. We worked on softening at the trot again. I can get it right occasionally with Ivan, but Areion is so light and sensitive, I had more trouble doing it with her. The rein pressure is different for each horse, Ivan can be very stiff and more difficult to soften up, then I use too much pressure on Areion. It was fun, despite my lack of ability....

Lori is coming back on Thursday to make up some lessons we didn't do when the weather was so bad for so long. It will be in the 70s!!!

Graymare, my friend would like to know if Sheila was the person who had Bask and if the horse is from that line.

Gonna rain again for dayss...accumalation around 5 inches! most places get it in snow, we just get really wet and grow webbed feet! I hope it dries out in time for spring break.

Talked to moonlight kathy tonight, she is in utah, doing good and spending time with her sister and visiting her kids.

Well g'nite all.

No Ellen. Their lines crossed sev times tho. Bask was owned by the LaCroix'...........Gene showed him. Bask was imported in the 60's by the LaCroix'..............Sheila's 3 Polish mares came from Poland in the 60's.......she & her mother went over in the early 60's and then imported them despite the iron curtain.............Shiela won Cow Palace on an Arab in the 60's and infuriated the 1/4 horse boys. However, yes, Bask was Polish and her lines were/are Polish, also. Huckleberry Bey was bred here in the US & competed the same years as Bask. Bask lived here in AZ so I saw him a lot. I've been to Shiela's sev times, not since 2013 which h is the last time I saw her. Just sad. Another chapter has closed in horse history.

As I understand so far, ARK, the trust is still in progress but, yes, the ranch is to go on and be managed by Shiela's long time manager, Angela Alvarez. I
don't know those details. How it becomes CA trust land is Shiela's wish and I think that will all work out.

Hey, CB, say hi to Kathy. Glad she is well & happy.

I stated that wrong Ellen...........Huck was bred by Shiela and after Bask............

Thanks for the information. I'll pass that along.

That is interesting about Sheila and her horses. I remember seeing a photo of her winning the Cow Palace. I wonder what irked the 1/4 horse boys more, her not being male or her Arab beating them?

Ivan's great grandfather on his sire side is Bask. Tough little horse!


It is in the 70s here today!

Had a NICE chat with WVWITCH / Rose this afternoon. She sure sounds fiesty and perky!!

Been s-l-o-w-l-y trying to take down fencing. High tensile wire that has been in use for 20 years STILL wants to recoil with a vengance My biggest difficulty as been ME!! Believe I need to see dr. ... have very little energy Hope to get the wire part done in another day or so and then will get to pull up posts and fill holes, etc.

Take care all....

Rick

We will be doing the opposite here, putting more fence posts and box wire up, for dogs to run more safely, and some fencing up for our goats too, they go thru anywhere they can find a spot and try to eat every flower on the place, so they have about 2 acres to roam in now that has tight fencing. little by little....

Raining kitties and puppies here....ugh....altho we need the rain, it would be nice to have it spread out instead of a lot in short time. I hope there isn't flooding in branson like last time that would kill our spring break activity.

Our loan is all approved and we do final closing the 16th....yay!

Sweet dreams y'all

ARK, my guess is in those years the guys were more upset over a woman winning Cow Palace than an Arab......they know Arabs are good cutting horses.
Who knows but I remember it.........

RICK........hope you feel better but learning to work at a different pace is forced upon us with age...........

Nothing new here............nice cool morning so I got a lot done........I work very early as I have lots of energy in the mornings.............at 4P, not so much.
Blah blah meeting at 9A at McD's.....................for me, pancakes & sausage.

Later gators.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood! Mid70s. My favorite weather! Barn is clean, horses settled in for major munching, and we have finally caught the stray tomcat, Dorian Grey, in the live trap!! He goes in tomorrow morning for the big snip. We'll keep him, but his lifestyle will change. We have a calico trapped in our garage that we have to get into the livetrap next. Her name is Dory. Donnie named her after the cute fish. We hope both cats will live in the barn where the mice keep Wizard, the old somewhat useless for rodent control cat, company.

RICK
Taking any vitamins? B12 might help....hope you get to feeling more energetic!!

CB
Have fun in Branson. I have never been there, but have heard the shows are nice.

ELLEN
Is it raining? Did you take you embroidery machine?

TRUDY
Got your garden planned yet? We have decided to once again try making a small garden. We are the worst for neglecting it, but have sworn to be better this year.


Okay, here is my official announcement: I am going to do the 25 mile endurance ride at the Biltmore House Estate on May 6th with Ivan. I have two months to get us in shape.....

GOOOOOOO ARK!!! WooHoo!

RICK, a good multi-vitamin would surely help, high in B-12!  I started taking one after my accident and I honestly feel it helps.  And GM is right also, our pace must slow down.  The chores may take us longer, but they get done correctly and completely.  Got a quote to fence the front of my property with 5 ft chainlink and a drive through gate, ya'll can visit me in the poor house!!!!! My collarbone is healing, top ribs too, a little less painful every day!   Alleve is my friend, Tylenol does/did nothing for me!  Other then my few strawberry plants, don't think I'm gardening this Spring.  Farmers market is close to me.  TTYL

Yeah ARK, you go my friend!

Ark you will love the trail I remember a long climb hill with p%r at. the topand a bridge that freaked some horses out, but otherwise great trails a biltmore...watch for those green briar vines, that is where my horse pulled his shoe and we still finished the ride for 2nd place! Loved riding there.

Rose, glad u r healing. I never could get info on the rescued dog, it just says I've reached my window usage???? I did call the shelter, they didn't know who had her. sad, cause she popped for me! but on other hand mz bluey was spose to be spayed and I was walking by their indoor area and she and beans were very much together!

I finally got the clinic to return my call it was too late for the abortion shot, and I was told they had her on the table, dr. opened partway and said 'I think she has been spayed' looking at c section.scar......so stitched her up, sent her home and charged me! oh yes he did! I was not happy camper. I don't like spaying when in season...so it will be one more litter...... beans was very happy! so r 2 of my neighbors that have put deposits on pups....everyone loves my doxies.....I certainly wasn't prepared for this.

Branson was fun today, got tickets for amazing pet show and the dixie stampede and silver dollar city amusement park.....its gonna be fun!

Talk about moolah, we just spent too much on flooring, did 2 bathrooms 2 hallways, long dining room 30 by 15....over a 1000 with lil extra doodads....and we have more fencing to do this year....bit by bit as we get money to do it. slow and steady....

Great morning here, so far..................Dentist today.

Not worried, I still have all my teeth.........I just don't ever want to have to put my teeth in bubbles to get them clean.

Teeth are fine.....................YEEEEEEEEHAH!!!


No bubbles for my teeth in the near future, maybe in 20 yrs. LOL.

Hey, a good princess bath with bubbles will be fine.

ROSE
I am so glad you are healing up!! You sure have had a tough winter. I need a fence like you are getting. No dogs for us until we can fence them away from the road.

GRAYMARE
Congrats on the teeth! A bubbly bath does sound good to me right now. My poor body is tired and sore after riding Ivan at mostly a trot for over an hour, then riding Areion. I only walked her because the hip joint started yelling at me to stop. We are still working on softening with Ivan. He gets it, I am the problem. Again.

CB
Is it still raining? We have had such great weather all week, but it will start raining tomorrow, hopefully, not as much as you guys have been getting!!

Dorian the Grey cat had his operation today. I have to pick him up in the morning. He will not be a happy guy, we have to keep him in a cage for a few days.