APRIL 2017

Went and got more paint for horse trailer....things are coming along...i need to start packing the camper...

Not much else is happenin here...94 degrees today. Fall, most of winter and early spring are enjoyable here, but from now, its going to get hot and humid...time to go.

In my never ending fight with the birds, they managed to break one of our storm windows and knock another one off the track. That finally woke George up and he helped me put up the bird netting to keep them off the window ledge tops. Last year one managed to get between the storm window and french door by knocking the storm window off the track and we had to suck it up with the vacuum sweeper. Thank you Kirby Sweeper. What a nightmare that was, trying to suck up a moving bird. EGADS...They are mad birds now...they are sitting on the electric lines chirping like crazy. HAH...that's been my fun filled day..

Ewwww. Another use for a Kirby.
I have three big double sliding doors along the lake side of my house. Every once in a while a bird will get mad at what they think is another bird and slam into the glass. A hummingbird smacked into one of the door a couple of years ago and stunned himself. I thought it was going to die, but it finally managed to fly away. Last year, there was a cardinal that slammed into the door hard enough to make the whole side of its head swell up. It too managed to fly away. But, another week later either that same cardinal or another one finally managed to commit suicide.
I filled the humming bird feeder yesterday, but I'm not sure when they will migrate back here. Should be soon.
Hummingbirds can be aggressive little critters. They'll take on other birds that are 4 or 5 times their size.

Today, it seems that we have gone right into summer. It's 87° on my deck.
The exciting end to my day will be a trip to the grocery store. yippeeskippee

I cant wait to hit the trail next month....get some excitement however small....im stagnating....hubby is busily painti g the horse trailer and has dtarted on a ramp for odie to be able to get in the truck camoer. Hes too busy!
I sorted thru clothes to pack and did dishes...whoopie....and now im working on dinner, tater salad, baked beans, fish.....

Ellen, i love watching the hummingbirds and seeing their different colors.

At our old house, we had three windows in front made from sliding glass door replacements.  One year we had a cardinal that kept fluttering against the windows for days.  So I painted a life-sized ginger cat on the window looking out.  The bird left.  The painted cat stayed there until we replaced the glass years later and we never had a problem with the bird again.

Speaking of painting, the Paint Nite event I went to on Monday was a lot of fun.  With only 2 hours to work on the painting, the results weren't all the great, but the event was fun to do.  I would do it again.




Areion had a lesson today with Lori in the arena.  It was almost 80 degrees and SUNNY!  First sunny day in 5 days.  We had about 6 inches of rain.  Anyway,  Areion did pretty well after she discovered she was not going to get to go as fast as she wanted.  She had gotten used to the fast and furious trail rides over the past few months.  This was her first arena lesson in a couple of months.  She was a bit too rambunctious for me, so I didn't ride her much.   Ivan has a slight limp on his right front foot that we haven't discovered why he has it.  He may have bruised himself, despite his hoofboots,  at the Dismal Falls ride.  It was very rocky there.   Anyway,  I didn't ride him.  I hope he heals up soon.   Donnie trimmed his feet this afternoon and couldn't find any problems, his legs are not swelled, there is no heat.  If Ivan isn't better by Monday,  I will take him to see the farrier, and possibly vet, with Daisy when she gets her feet done at Va Tech.

Today's photo of Lori and Areion:

Ark, hope Ivan gets his tootsie feeling better soon.
The painting is good. Wish i had talent. Alas, i do not.

Hubby is working diligently on the ramp for odie to get into the truck camper, taking a break from painting trailer....
Im suffering from eating some pringle chips last night....ugh....the bathroom is my friend.

Nuttin else even vaguely exciting....even the dogs are sacked out under the a/c....not moving a muscle.

I have clothes to start packing...sorting....what do i take, what do i leave....what can i do without.
Got insurance on the scooters today...now need helmets....and we will go for a short test drive....have to get to idaho to license. That will be our home state.

CB, what kind of scooters did you get?

150 cc spiral boom scooters, not real big, go about 60 max speed.
I wanted a three wheeled scooter, but they cost lot more, so until i dump this one....ill put up with it....  then can convince him i need the 3 wheeler...

For what you want to do, 60 mph is fast enough. That will allow you to move well enough to stay out of the way of traffic. Most of my riding was done at 60 or less. Once in a while, I would ride the interstates and have to boost the speed a little, and was glad I could.
After I hurt my knee last summer and coming to grips with the fact that knee will probably never be as strong, I have decided to sell my scooter. I hate to do it, but I think it's the best thing. It's a 500 pound bike and if it started to go over, I wouldn't be able to hold it up. I had a great time with it and will have good memories of it.

I get it.........CB, you're taking scooters in the trailer, not horses.
I have a little scooter and buzz all over on it...........49 cc so 30 mph is about it..........fast trip to the store or Walmart......no highways.  Ha, gets about a kazillion miles per gallon.  It's fun and easy and doesn't need a license plate which is why I got it........in AZ 50cc & over have to have one.  LOL, 99 loaves of bread on the bike, 99 loaves of bread, drop one off, get another, 99 loves of bread.................that's my store song.

ELBOWS is now very tired of her arms in a sling..........I wish I had a solution.  She feels great and has minimal pain........that's good news.
BUT, it's been long enough now she has about had it.  I think it's 3 more weeks...........let's hope Common Sense holds up.  We all call him Superman.  Ha, they have seen more theatre movies in two weeks than in the last year, I think.

Nothing new here............got a big load of hay in today.........

ARK, hey, keep at it..............you will have your own studio, LOL.
That's a nice scene.  Your pic of Aerion is nice...............she's a pretty mare for sure.

Not quite yet, GM...this trip to idaho will be horses and scooters in the trailer....jaemi will helo show the horses to hopefully prospective buyers to help ensure good homes. If we dont sell them i guess we will travel with them until we do.
Then the scooters and bikes will travel in the trailer.

There's a bit of hope with Ivan! We soaked his foot this evening and Donnie did some digging around in the clean frog. He has a cut or puncture on his frog. Donnie isn't sure how deep it is, but it could be deep enough to cause the beginnings of an abscess. Hopefully it isn't too deep and will rupture soon if it does have an abscess. Once it ruptures, the limp will stop immediately. It is the best scenario. We will keep soaking him. The Davis boot is great for this. Ivan didn't like it, but didn't protest too much. He will get better with practice and snacks. Not doing it in a bucket is wonderful. We should have gotten one of these things years ago.

Keep fingers and toes crossed for Ivan's tootsies!

I won't be going to a ride tomorrow since Ivan is gimpy. It was just a casual walking ride with friends, but it would have been pleasant. Oh, well. I will just pet Ivan and hope he heals soon.

ELLEN:
Sorry you have to sell your motorcycle. One of those 3 wheeled motorcycles look pretty fun.

GRAYMARE:
That painting is pretty dreadful . Everyone painted the same one in less than 2 hours. It was fun to do in the group event, but I won't be selling it on eBay.
Thanks for the Areion comment! I am fairly prejudiced about her, but I do think she is a beauty.

Hello, folks.

Well, my social life here is either feast or famine. Days, even weeks, sometimes, without seeing a soul, or having much but idle thoughts to report, then --Bingo!

I'm almost embarrassed to report the biggest event -- a surprise birthday party friends staged for me two days after the real date. They tricked me by telling me that the party was being planned for somebody else, and they even began the affair that way--- until the supposed guest of honor announced that I was really the guest of honor. Wow. There were over 40 people there, including my brother and his wife and one of their four offspring -- who had to be squeezed into hiding in a bathroom for a while until they could surprise me, which they certainly did! Held at our little historical society's new building, a sit-down dinner served buffet-style with all kinds of scrumptious food brought, pot-luck, by all the guests, and the tables arrange in a U-shape so that nobody's view (almost) was blocked .

And it will tell you which birthday it was if I report that the gifts included: 80 toothpicks (labeled, in tiny print, "kindling"); 80 sticks of real kindling; 80 dog biscuits (in triplicate); 80 Hershey kisses(in duplicate); 80 colorful buttons in a pretty jar; 80 oyster crackers; 80 envelopes; 80 colorful U.S. stamps; a beautifully-made apron with 20 tiny pockets, each containing 4 quarters, 80 in total; a photo of a nearby riverside scene now under conservation easement, the photo turned into an 80-piece jig-saw puzzle; and more! We began by going around the room with each person revealing how she or he knew me, I responding with some anecdote or joke or compliment, and we ended with me opening and displaying, one by one, all those gifts. Among them --and they included some clever verses written by a neighbor -- the one that got the most riotous applause was a bottle of Gordon gin prominently marked "80 proof." Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter -- and I was tickled that at least two people remarked afterward that that was one of the best parties they'd ever attended.

Can you tell that I'm still riding high on that?????

And I probably need to be, because I've been battling what's either pneumonia or bronchitis for a week or so, complicated by my asthma. Cough. Cough. Cough. Wheeze. And then cough some more. Can't sleep and not eating much. Still upright and mobile, but not by much. On the last day of antibiotic phoned in by doc and still awaiting dramatic upswing.

ELLEN - It saddens me to hear you giving up on your scooter, but this sickness reminds me that it is probably past time for me to do so, too. I'm still hoping, however, that I can get in another year or two. Mine's (the big one) in the shop just now, and the bill when it's done will probably impel me to get some more rides out if it. Besides, because I always feel that I can breathe better when I'm aboard, I like to think of it as therapy. And it is, really, in multiple ways.

The very last pile of snow in my yard here disappeared only two days ago, in a rain, and green grass appeared just last week. The first leaves now just coming.

ARK: Areion IS a beauty!

Beech, I'm so glad you had such a wonderful birthday party! My cousins did something like that for me on my 70th, so I know how much it means to you.
My scooter needs considerable work done on it, and I don't want to spend the money it will take to get it fixed. I will consider getting a somewhat smaller one since I don't need to ride on the big roads with it anymore. If my scooter wasn't so heavy, I would feel better about fixing it and riding it. My male cousin who is in really good shape, sold his Harley for the same reason. It was HEAVY. He loved it but knew things could go wrong in a hurry.
I know what you mean by therapy. That's the way I felt when I rode mine. It just FELT GOOD.
Sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well, and hope you can get that cleared up really soon and you can get back on the bike.


Ark, Areion really is a pretty horse. She is busy making you proud of her, to go with her good looks.

Some of my cousins went to one of those painting parties. They had a really fun evening and want to do it again. I'm quite sure you could do a better painting than what was done at the party. Maybe you can sort of rework it into something you like better.
I may steal your idea of a cat on the glass. I'll have to just find a picture of one; I won't be painting one. My dad was an artist, but apparently I didn't inherit that gene.

Beech, your birthday party sounded fabulous, you have great family and friends. Happy belated. Its nice to have folks surprise you in such a nice way.
Ellen and Beech, our scooters are small and lightweight, 150 lbs.....but if you both enjoy riding, look at the 3 sheel scooters, they wont go over, you dont have to put feet down to balance. I really want one of them. 50 cc to 300cc. One day. 
Windy and in the 40s here last night, heard rain on the camper roof around midnight...but im glad im not in missouri this year, all this rain will make chiggers, ticks, bugs and snakes prevail as after the rain the weeds, grass, thickets will grow and harbor them all. Good for pasture animals, lots to eat....but i dont like the creepy crawly biting things. I did see more eagles in mo than i have ever. Beautiful to see...but they kept away from the house/yard.
Well back to packing and hubby painting....visited with Harper yesterday, she is jabbering in complete sentences....understandable too. Gosh, shes growing.

There are 'training wheels' available for my scooter, but they are rather expensive and would take up a LOT of room in the garage. They would probably ruin the gas mileage too.
Those little ones do grow up and develop so quickly! It's fun.

BEECH:
What a great birthday party! I love the presents. You have a bunch of thoughtful friends! Happy Belated Birthday! Wow, 80. And riding a motorcycle. I am impressed!


Some good news, I think. We have a definite stone bruise on Ivan's foot, right beside the cut on his frog. I don't know when or where he got it, but it seems to be feeling better today. We are still soaking it. He still has a limp, but not as bad and he has been running freely around the grassy field. I think he will be okay soon.

We bought the horses a toy this weekend. It is a treat ball, of sorts. It is roundish, but has many flat sides so it doesn't really roll away. You put treats in it and the horse tries to get them out thru the tiny hole in one side. It has been fun to watch them all doing their best to get those treats out of it. Daisy is an expert. Areion is pretty good at it ,too. I had to show Ivan how to work it, but he has it figured out now, too. The poor ball has been pushed all over the arena until every little nugget was devoured. It's a good toy. It kept Daisy busy for a very long time, she doesn't give up on a snack.

Donnie trimmed Zippy's feet this evening. Poor shaggy guy is blowing his winter coat finally. I got enough off of him to stuff a sofa.

New month, new thread....

go to:

https://horsefriends.forumotion.com/t68-may-2017#9098

or go to BASKET and click on MAY 2017

See you there! April is locked.....