Gettin' Back on Track...Hopefully

~Some days, I just don't want to talk to anyone.~

~Anne Brooks 1886~

I think that quote just kinda sums up how I've been feeling lately. Thank you to all who inquired if all was well with me. Feeling blah could be blamed on a number of things and I really don't know for sure...but it's probably the dreaded menopause thing.

But, I'm sitting here staring at a copy of the entry form that I mailed today for the Lake County Spring Cow Horse Classic. So, that in itself should get a fire burnin' under me.

The Mike Bridges clinic was very good. Nothing really exciting happened. We performed our "homework" before going on to the new stuff. Considering that most riders are like myself and don't have an indoor facility for winter riding, Mike said we did really well. Like I mentioned before, it's not a pass for fail thing, but you know where you stand with your horse at the end of the day in the whole scope of the Project. A couple of the riders are contemplating getting different horses; the horses have some past issues that are making them difficult as Project horses.

It's always educational to watch and listen to what everyone else is doing too. I took advantage of the opportunity to stay a couple extra days and audit the Advanced Project 5 group. They're doing the same homework as my Beginning group, but their horses have already completed a 5 year Project and are either in the two-rein or in the bridle. What I found most interesting is that all of the problems we (the beginners) were having with the exercises (keeping circles round, getting the right amount of bend or flexion for the movement) the advanced group had the exact same problems! That just tells me that it's an on going thing, and the sooner you get it right the better it will be for you and your horse as you move forward toward the bridle phase.

It's been a really busy time since the clinic. Colt and I got to go to a couple more brandings, and we've sorted and moved pairs numerous times. I've also got a pile of ag surveys on the dining room table that I'm wading through. The Horsefly publication went to press today, so that's done for another month!

Things are starting to look more like spring here, but it's slow comin'...

Apple Blossoms

If we're lucky and it doesn't freeze, we might get some apples this year. The rhubarb is HUGE!! I'm going to try and make some strawberry/rhubarb freezer jam today. I've got peas coming up and have them fenced off so the dang sage rats don't eat them. The Walla Walla sweet onions I planted don't look so good...I think they've got too much water and not enough sun...kinda like everything else around here.

The alfalfa is doin' its best to grow.

My Man and I started the irrigation back on May 11...and that only lasted for three days. We've had so much rain and snow that we haven't irrigated since. The alfalfa is growing, and it looks a lot better than most everyone else's, but we're at least two weeks behind (maybe even three) in the growing year. We're crossing our fingers that we get three cuttings this year.

Number Three and her mother Annabelle are doing good on the spring grasses.

The calves are growing though!! Number Three is quite the chunk!

A fledgling Robin.

From my last two posts, remember the pretty blue Robin's eggs and the ugly babies? Well, guess who (as of today) is out of the nest?!? That was only 12 days ago!!! I can't believe they grow that fast! That momma Robin is one feisty momma though. My Man gets dive bombed every time he goes in for wood (yes, we're still running the wood stove).

Great Horned owlet

The Great Horned owlettes are out of the nest too! I've spotted two of them so far, but there could be more. I don't think they're flying yet. But, they look so cute in their fuzzy, fluffy down.

We got our calves and cows branded. Since we still don't have the wood corrals built yet, we took the panels from the round pen and set up a catch pen and a small holding pen. There's an electrical outlet right there so we could plug in our electric branding iron. Everyone got their vaccinations too.

Number Three sports her new brand.

Nope, we didn't drag 'em to the fire with a horse...just muscled it and got 'er done!

May 20 was a very sad, tragic day for our lil' community. I've posted many times about the TI Ranch. They're just a mile and quarter north of us, and we've become very good friends over the years. Well, Sam had a really bad wreck on her new horse as they were getting ready to move their cows across the road to spring grazing. She was taken off life support the next day.

My friend Sam; may she rest in peace and ride good horses in heaven with the angels.
Patches, her trusty barrel horse, will miss her as much as the rest of us.

It sure hits hard when you know that any time you step up onto a horse the same thing could happen to you. In fact, Colt unseated me (for the very first time) just a week prior to Sam's accident. My friend Mary and I were moving a few pairs of her cows that got separated from the rest of the herd by the rising flood waters, and we got them back together. As we rode along headed back to the trailer, we kept finding deer antler sheds. We were passing them back and forth as Mary got off her horse, handed them to me and I passed them back to her after she got back on. Then we found a carcase from last winter that had the head and both antlers attached. It didn't have any skin on it, but it did smell a bit. Mary hands it up to me, I'm sitting on Colt watching this bug crawl across it and the next thing I know, I'm on my a$$ on the ground! Colt got a whiff of the stinkin' head and blew. No damage was done, but now he has a paranoia of antlers! So, we'll be doing some antler desensitizing in the round pen.

A spot of spring on the deck.

Well, I think I feel better getting all of this written.

Hug everyone you care about and tell them you love them every day~