One Year Anniversary & A Giveaway!
Last year, today, we had a couple of feet of snow on the ground and things just weren’t letting up (sound familiar, all you up in the PNW?), we had feet of snow. All I did, it seemed, was take care of a small fussy baby and feed animals, I was starting to get a little nutty. So, after reading the Pioneer Woman’s blog for many months by then, I decided to start my own just to get some of my locked-in-the-house crazies out and thus the beginning of this blog. I’ve since discovered that blogging and bloggers are actually quite interesting with a lot of neat, goofy, and thoughtful posts. I am glad to have entered the blogosphere and meet and converse wtih so many more people who hold the same interests as me… So! I have decided to hold a giveaway in honor of my first year blogging. Yes, a lot of people hold giveaways so that’s where I got the idea but I can’t afford the hundreds worth of dollars in prizes like some people do so I will give a prize that’s worth about $4.00 in material and a few hours of time:
It is hand crocheted by yours truly and made out of Homespun yarn in the color “Prairie,” (maybe someday I’ll be making them out of Jacob wool!) All I ask is that you leave me a comment and an answer to the following randomly generated curiosity questions:
- Are you a regular reader of Mud Ranch’s Real Dirt?
- What is your favorite season?
- What is your favorite color?
- What is your favorite animal type?
- What area of the world do you live in (doesn’t have to be specific)?
- Why do you visit my blog?
- Why did you start blogging (if you have a blog)?
That’s it! I’ll choose a comment with the Random Generator, one entry per person please and the winner will be announced on January 1st! Thanks for stopping in!
I’m starting to see spots
Yep, yet another bouncing baby lamb has entered the world, and it is nevertheless a bouncing baby boy and lilac in color. “Nova” was born last night to our almost all black appendix registered five horned ewe (yep she’s got one growing along side her left lateral), “Cordelia.”
Cordelia is very proud of her young son and is so proud, (always is by the way) that I have to make Hubby come home and assist me in taking care of her lambs. This girl is no one to be reckoned with and will show you the door just as soon as you act like you’re going to do something to her babies.
Nova has four very pronounced horns and a lot of fun spots and markings. We’re looking forward to watching him develop (go see his brother “Packard” at Shadow Mountain Jacobs).
“That’s right buddy, and don’t let the door hit you in the butt!”
Ever gone on a Saddle Search?
Christmas morning started out quite normal, we woke up kinda late and enjoyed our time to sleep in then we slowly wandered over to my parent’s house for opening presents and breakfast with my family and his. We had a wonderful time, Annie was of course loaded with awesome presents from both sides and Simon and I were equally blessed.
Over the years since Hubby and I have been married, I have basically had to buy my own Christmas presents. Hubby always figures that I would pick out something I would want but little does he know that I really love being surprised. I do appreciate picking out my own gifts but there is always that excitement that I miss by not knowing what is in the box… And no, I have not succumbed to wrapping them myself either. 
So, I opened a present that I knew was under the tree, a new 3 in 1 Eddie Bauer waterproof parka with a zip-in fleece. It is teal, (is there really any other color… except almost every other shade of green?) and as I was inspecting the interior pockets of which I didn’t check out in the store, I noticed a bunch of crumpled up paper. Hmmm? What could this be? They don’t stuff the pockets of jackets now do they?- were my thoughts. I pulled the paper out and there were three separate pieces, all plain white, not that brown tinted kind that they use to stuff shoes. I happened to notice that there was black writing on one of the pieces. That’s odd. So I opened it up and there was a note in Hubby’s writing – it looks as if I am now in a scavenger hunt for hand written pieces of paper.
“This is your first clue to find your mooooo, you need to migrate home. Just because I was third place in class ‘A’ I still stayed up all night.” What on earth could that mean!? I thought and thought and did so out loud too. There were a few things that went through my head such as, Who stays up all night? The horses? Well, yes… But what is a class ‘A?’ A car? No… We have old Land Rovers but they were never classified as Class A, they are Series I, II, and III… Sunnie stays up all night and I once entered him in a show or two. The ribbons are still in the horse trailer but what would Class A be? In all my wondering, my Dad mentioned a sail boat race which Hubby was quite heavily involved in at a point in his life. I of course, in all my thinking, didn’t notice what Dad had said so we left for home which the note said to do and I wanted to march right to the horse trailer and take a look at those ribbons. Hubby quickly stopped me and told me to call Dad if I couldn’t remember what he had mentioned… Which I couldn’t. Dad picked up the phone, “Dad, what did you say about ‘Class A?’” He mentioned sailing again and I knew right then it must be Hubby’s trophy box that he’s had in our bedroom since we got married. I looked at the brass plate on top, and sure enough, “Third Place, Class A.” So I opened it up and inside was a note and a necklace. It said Merry Christmas and unscramble some words which spelt out “Horse Trailer Tack Room.” HA! Right where I was headed in the first place! I put on the necklace and thanked him, then headed out the door and asked if he was coming. Nope, he was building a fire in our stove so off I went.
Out in the horse trailer I opened the door and didn’t see anything out of place, it was still a fairly organized mess, if you can have that. I didn’t see anything… Then I looked down and on top of a bag of oats I just bought the other day, was a little white piece of paper. It said, “You are now 1 mile away from your next clue. You need to get to work and make me a mocha.” So off we went… Once at his shop, he opened the door for me and I glanced over at the mocha machine, it had a note taped to the on/off button. The note then said, “Oops! You’re out of water, go get the key that unlocks Mt. Shasta Spring Water’s to get a new jug.” Well, I knew that Mt. Shasta was no longer next door (our water supplier/delivery guy) but I did know where the key was that used to unlock that door so I went to the drawer and pulled out the key which had a paperclip and not attatched. It then said, “One last stop, if you know where this key fits.” It was the key to our storage unit out back! I went out the side door and tip-toed across a frozen gravel parking area between our shop and the storage units behind it. It was literally like a frozen pond… Very dangerous to walk across in my new clogs! But I made it, and opened the door and inside was a very large box. I do carry a pocket knife so the tape was no obstacle and the note said that I had hit the end of my trail! I tore in to it and made a mess with peanuts (we call them farkles in my family) spilling everywhere. Then I pulled out my very own…
Yep, I got a J.J.Maxwell Hope saddle! I have wanted this saddle since I was a little girl and would go into the saddle maker’s shop and drool over all the tack and saddles in there. His stuff is gorgeous and so well thought out. Not only was the gift such a huge surprise, but it was given so creatively (I tend to know what a gift is before I open it if it’s under the tree), it was such a surprise, and showed my Hubby was thinking of me all the while.
But there’s more of a story behind this, there was a very generous lady involved, Dianne of Canyon Creek Kigers. I have bought two horses from her and we have developed a friendship through our Kigers and our love of them. Dianne had this saddle built for her gelding Chinook, and recently had an accident which made her decide to sell the saddle. Dianne had offered this to me for an absolutely amazing price to where it opened up the door to let us buy it from her. It had only been ridden in once and that in an arena so it is practically brand new. It has two styles of stirrups, my favorite (shown above), and the more western style that are on the saddle. It also has a breast collar and bucking rolls too. The saddle is built exactly as I would have ordered it and with Hubby’s love and generosity combined with Dianne’s generosity, I finally have my dream saddle.
Thank you both, with all my heart.
PS: And in case you’re wondering about that first note, “To get your moooo!” The saddle is, of course, made out of cow leather… 
Have a Merry Christmas!
Wishing you all a very joyous and blessed Christmas!
~ From all of us at Mud Ranch; Joan, Hubby & Annie; Sunnie, Cali, & Annie Oakley; Abby, Oliver, & Levi; Jack, Boo, 2B & Bigun; Violet, Sophia, Celeste, Maud, Stephanie, Tiffany, Cordelia, Bea, Liz, Ella, Lily, Lilly, Lura, Cyan, Ruby, Little Madge, Joy, Winifred, Lois, Dolly, Trudy, Agatha Christie, Stella, Lou Ellen, Raider, Dub, Frances, Duke, Duchess, Boudicca, Emma, Princess, Sprinkles, Kiara, Aphrodite, April, Wether, Nell & Holly too! …Whew, I hope I didn’t miss anybody!
Handmade Christmas Present Tags
I had a blast yesterday afternoon making this card and Christmas present tags. I really love doing the Stampin’ Up! crafts because their stamp sets are so beautiful and all of their items are really high quality. The colors that they offer are beautiful and beautifully paired too which really allows for some creative juices to flow. The above card I made for some new friends of ours. Glenna, my friend, is someone who really likes vintage-y type things and I’ve tried to accomplish the look with this card.
Here’s the envelope I made too, though it’s a bit busy, I like how it turned out using the two stamp sets. The stamp canceller up in the corner says on the top “Santa Post” and the date is Dec. 25th, below that it says ”North Pole.” Pretty cute eh?
Here’s a gift tag I made for my mother-in-law for her highly secret present (she might read the blog so I’ll just leave it at that).
And here’s the stamp sets I used for the above cards. The one to the far left (which is hard to see), has the reindeer, ice skaters, stamp canceller, the beautiful scrolled snowflake and a couple of other stamps which I don’t use as much, though they are just as neat. But, the stamp sets are “Winter Post,” “Peaceful Wishes,” and “Lovely as a Tree” in that order. They are by far my favorites to work with at this time of year. One of my favorite things to do is put the ice skaters in front of that line-up of trees and then put glitter on the trees. An absolutely gorgeous card!
And this tag is the one I wanted to share with you the most. I made it for Hubby, since he likes to pick on my horses A LOT, so I got him a really cool present and then put the horse’s names on it. I personalized it with their coloring too… Doesn’t it look like them?! I’m pretty excited about it… Almost more so than what’s behind it!
Merry Eve of Chrismas Eve everybody! Have fun finishing up your wrapping and tidying up the house! I will. 
Saturday Night’s Surprise
The day had been pretty normal, snow started to fall in small dry flakes, it was accumulating and I was hoping for a bit more than we’d received. Dusk turned to dark and normally I like to feed at dusk but as things were going, it just wasn’t happening for me. I then realized that the sheep were baaa’ing outside my french doors, that was fairly unusual as they usually wait patiently for me to let them into the barn to them their evening grain. It finally dawned on me that they weren’t being patient. So with one holler out the door, “I’ll be there in a minute!” I set out to get on my coat and gloves and get Annie suited up as well. Off we went to let the girls in.
They all came running up and most had quit their baaa’ing except Nell. She just wouldn’t shut her trap and I was wondering what on earth had caused her to become so upset. So as I let them in, they ran to their stalls for their grain and Nell kept on yammering on and on. When she ran past me I could see a gooey liquid hanging out from her nether regions so knew immediately that she was either aborting or about to give birth. I went back to the house to get our truck so that Annie could atleast wait for me in her car seat listening to her favorite Veggie Tales CD, and to call my Hubby who was stressfully working still at his shop.
By the time I got back up to the barn, there was Nell…
…And her sweet, mostly dried, thoroughly cleaned (to a sheep’s standard), up and moving about, large, black and white spotted, ewe lamb.
Both Nell and baby are doing wonderfully, and are now bedded in deep straw in a stall of their own.
And being that Dub wasn’t put in with the ewes to breed until the 18th of September, and being that this girl is very large and strong,… well, no, we don’t know who the proud papa is, we do know that he wasn’t related to Nell (thank heaven) because she had a ewe lamb last year and so did her sister, and all ram lambs were by Dub who isn’t related to Nell… So, the only thing we know now is that her name is…
Ironically, Holly’s aunt (Nell’s full sister but born different years) is named Lily for “Easter Lily” as she was born on Easter Sunday in 2006. We’ve got a family of Holiday sheep!
Don’t Panic…
My regular theme will be back up before you know it. I like that one way too much to keep anything else… But this one was fun for right now.
Sixth Photo Tag
I’ve been roundabout tagged by The Crazy Sheep Lady over at Punkin’s Patch for the sixth photo tag. The object of the game is to go into your photo archives and pick your sixth file, and the sixth photo in that file and tell us about it.
Mine happened to be a photo of my sss-very sss-special sss-cat named sss-Boo, (She talks with a lisp). Boo is an indoor cat, she is a princess, she is solid black and loves the afternoon light filtering in through the windows. This photo of her basking in the sunlight was taken back in 2006, according to my file folder.
Boo came to live with Hubby and I in 2002. I had a little male cat, one of two named Diesel (his brother was Petrol). Diesel was very attached to me and I to him, he loved for me to carry him around the house and actually smiled at me lovingly. He was a doll. Diesel and Petrol moved to mine and Hubby’s house after we got married. I had just started letting them outside on and off during the day but never at night time. Hubby was leaving very early in the morning to go on a business trip and as he ran his luggage to the truck, he left the front door open and Diesel escaped. I realized later that morning that he was no where to be found in the house and called Hubby on his cell to see if he had seen him that morning. He said no and we left it at that. Sometimes he and his brother would hide in the house in the strangest spots but being that we live in about 950 square feet, it shouldn’t be hard to find him. Well, he was gone. I then realized that Hubby probably left the door open and Diesel ran out… We have a lot of coyotes around here…
So I got another kitten from the pound a little later, his name was Sparky and he was black and white mix. I brought him home and quickly fell in love with him but, Sparky never grew. He always stayed small and was obviously very un-healthy. Sparky died not too much later and I was heart broken again. I had just about given up on having a cat again, yeah, I had Petrol still but he was a Weirdo with a capital “W.” Petrol actually moved back to my parent’s house and was much happier. I longed for a feline friend though… One evening I got a call from a lady I had house sat for before I had gotten married. She said that she was out picking up litter along the highway with our local “De-Litter Bugs” group and they had found a mama cat, a brother and sister along the highway with a bag of cat food. She had known that I loved black cats and as it turned out, these were all black. She said that the mama and brother had found a home but she had brought home the sister and as it turns out, was allergic. She wondered if I was interested. I asked if the kitten was healthy, (I can’t live through another feline death). She said, “Oh yes! If she isn’t sleeping, she’s beating up our dogs!” I knew that she sounded like the one for me.
Hubby and I drove down to her house and found the little black kitten fast asleep on the back of a chair. She was beautiful and just a tiny little ink spot. We brought her home and I vowed that she’d stay indoors with us and away from the coyotes. We wound up naming her “Boo” after the character on Monsters Inc. and she quickly became the head chick in the household. We would actually rough house with her much like a dog. She was a blast!
Finally when Boo was about two, and we thought she’d never accept another cat into her life, we got Jack. He was perfect for Boo, wouldn’t take no for an answer. Though she’d hiss and hide, he’d persue her until she finally gave in, now they’re the best of buddies… Two house bound cats in 950 square feet.
Who could resist that face!?
My tagging victims:
- Tracey at On the Shores of Carpenter Creek (yeah, I know you don’t like tags but this one fits your photo-self)
- Tammy at Wrensong Farm
- Shannon at Kenleigh Acres’ Life on the Farm
- Linda at Patchwork Fibers
Morey’s Shadypines Homestead
Hubby went on a business trip back to South Carolina in the beginning of last month and brought me back some gifts. These aren’t your average gifts though, and I tend to be a non-average type of girl so it suits me well.
Hubby had the pleasure of having dinner at a lady’s home who is actually a homesteader. He really enjoyed the food that was prepared and her way of living. She was down to earth and had a lot of knowledge which she shared with him. She gave him the above recipe book to pass on to me and in it is defined, “Homestead” – The home place; a home and the enclosure or ground immediately connected with it. The home or seat of a family; place of origin. The home and appurtenant land and buildings owned by the head of a family and occupied by him and his family.
She also goes on to say that, “Today’s homestead is not tied to a definition… This Back-to-the-Land movement isa new sort of homesteader. A sort of person who appreciates a rich, thrifty country life, full of self satisfaction and dedication to self-sufficiency…”
If you take a gander at the index, it lists such recipes as, Self Crusting Apple Pie, Coffee Gravy, Cottage Cheese, Apple Cider, Hot Pepper Jelly, Potato Soup, Bread & Butter Pickles, Black Bean Casserole, Salsa, Water Melon Rind Preserve, Cream Puffs, Mayonnaise and on and on.
One recipe that caught my eye was her Applesauce Bread. It was simple, I had all the ingredients and fast! For a person like me who really doesn’t enjoy cooking and doesn’t really have a talent in the kitchen, this recipe book was very attractive to me. It explains things very well and they are simple. Just what I need!
The bread was a success and had a neat spiced flavor with the definite taste of apples. The recipe is as follows:
- 2 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 8 0z. applesauce
- 1 cup milk
Mix the dry ingredients together and add the applesauce, then egg adn milk. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until bread passes “cake test.”
Hint: Add raisins or nuts as desired.
The other thing Hubby brought home were soaps! Diane the homesteader, gave me a green tea soap, a gardenia flower soap, and a coffee and honey! They are marvelous! And their fabric wrapping was actually a nice touch of country and beautiful at the same time.
So if you’re interested in Diane’s homestead products, please let me know and I’ll pass on her information. I highly recommend her recipe book and her soaps…
Now I’m off to make her Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge!
A Christmas Questionnaire
I snagged this questionnaire from Lisa over at Laughing Orca Ranch as I thought it looked fun. So, will you all participate? Post it on your blog and then let me know so I can visit you, or answer in my comments!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Both! Egg Nog – not spiked; Hot Cocoa – w/ lots of spices and real cocoa.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrapped.
3. Colored lights on house/tree or white?
At my parent’s house we always did colored but I have white on my tree. On the house, colored.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. The cats would eat it.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
About two weeks before Christmas day.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Probably the garlic mashed potatoes and the prime rib from our home grown steer.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Probably making my parent’s get out of bed early. And I didn’t laugh then but do now, that my mom always had to have hot tea while opening presents so we had to wait for the water to boil… That took FOREVER. A watched pot never boils right?
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don’t remember ever really “believing” in him. My dad would always put something under the tree from Santa, but I always knew who it was. I’m not too big into believing in Santa still, so I’m sure Annie will know the truth right away. To me, Christmas is much more spiritual than Santa, though he is fun to think about.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
I have been given a lot of horsey ornaments over the years and some have come from around the world. I would say that is my main theme but being that we celebrate at my parent’s house more than here, they have a lot of heirloom ornaments that are very important to me. We’ll be decorating their tree tomorrow night so I plan on getting some pics.
11. Snow. Love it or dread it?
Last year it got pretty old as we had feet instead of inches. But I do have to say I think it’s one of the most beautiful things about this earth as it makes everything almost “sinless” if you know what I mean. A winter wonderland is one of my favorite things to see and we surely have that here right now… But! I do have to say that the wet, sloppy snow is definitely a dread for me… I much rather prefer the fluffy dry stuff we are having now and had last year.
12. Can you ice skate?
That’d be a sight… No, I avoid having to try and kill myself.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Probably my gray cowboy boots that I wanted so badly when I was about 10!
14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Making sure that Christ is in Christmas.
15. What are your favorite holiday desserts?
Homemade fudge, peppermint, and cookies!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Driving through town to see the lights.
17. What tops your Christmas tree?
Usually nothing at my parent’s house, they normally have about a 12′ tree. At my house, our little four footer is topped by a bow I made.
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?
I love receiving, but I get the most joy out of finding the right present for someone. I am a really good elf and always do the shopping for my father-in-law.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
“Oh Holy Night.”
20. Candy Canes. Yum or Yuck?
Yum yum yum yum yum! Now you know I’m a peppermint addict.
22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party?
No, though I used to when I was on the fire department.
23. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear jammies?
Have you read my profile? I don’t dress up.
24. Do you own a Santa hat?
Only one that fits my equine friends.
25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with?
My parent’s, his parent’s, and this year, both his sisters and their kids. Sometimes the neighbors will pop in too.
26. What are your least favorite things about Christmas?
Being reminded about Christmas in the stores, as early as Halloween and skipping over Thanksgiving.
Who Likes Snow?
“Who are you lookin’ at?”
The Trinity River
The other day when we went out Christmas tree hunting we were driving back into town and crossed “the new bridge,” (as opposed to the old bridge which was built in 1901) and I noticed a golden eagle perched on a rock in the middle hunting for his lunch. It was odd to see this large brown bird pretending to be a heron so I swung around to take a picture of him. By the time I got myself back on to “the new bridge” he was up in an alder tree a ways down the river and was pretty much out of camera shot and definitely not as picturesque. So as I wandered back to the opposite side of the bridge, I looked down to the river flowing down beneath me and thought it was a pretty picture, and thus you have the above photo.
The Trinity River which winds it’s way through town is home to a lot of gung-ho “fisher-dudes,” that I like to call them. You know the kind, they all look the same in their khaki, sage, and pale blue clothes, the bills on their hats are a bit longer than normal and they’ve got fishing vests plastered in just the right flies to use for the end of their lines. Most of them come up here from the Bay Area and are quite noticeable in their bright shiny cars and their “Catch and Release Wild…” fill in the blank. It’s a funny group of people, especially compared to the little town they’re visiting. But, we do appreciate their money being spent locally.
Snowy Days + Photoshop =
I’ve just stepped into a new territory, borders on Photoshop. I’m not talented enough to really figure out how to do it myself, but I do think I’ve got an eye for application. That counts right? Anyway, I went to this place today and downloaded their ”Simplicity Borders.” Let me tell you, this has opened up a whole new can of worms for me. I can tell right away that I’m going to take this border thing to an extreme degree… If you get tired of seeing them on my pictures, then I don’t know what to suggest. Just learn to enjoy them I guess! I will!
A Little Christmas Found…
…Way out there in the woods. A little Christmas found, while we brought home the goods.
We’d set out to bring home a big cedar tree and as we passed by there was this little guy who whispered, “Hey look at me!”
With several little ornaments, he was adorned. A white snowflake shone, for the next day, we’ve been forwarned.
A brightly wrapped package, housing a little spider, hiding out from the cold, he must have been enjoying his family and sipping apple cider.
And upon this little tree’s top shone a bright little star, to remind us of the greatest gift given.
By far.
Highlights of a Horse
Some of my most favorite photos to take, especially of horses, are little details. Sometimes they’re details we miss in our day to day activity. Flowers are another fun subject. But today I had some alone time, without the baby so that means if I’m short on over all time, they kids get groomed. And of course that means that the camera is present.
The crisp afternoon light is especially becoming on detail shots and you’ll soon see why. It is marvelous for those details that need brightening such as the glistening hair.
Or the ever popular eye shots. This one was taken in the sun which isn’t all that super-duper but it is fun nonetheless.
Eye shots are very over-used, every one thinks they’ve captured the awesome eye shot until you see someone who’s really captured it with just the right color and lighting. I saw that photo once, the horse was black, the sky shone a dark blue and the eye glowed a bright amber. It was a pheonominal shot taken by a member of the Equine Photographers Network and I can’t remember who anymore.
Today I captured MY best, it doesn’t measure up to the image in my head but I think there’s some interest here. I like the shadows, the highlights and the little bit of mystery.
Cali’s legs… Weird mountain women don’t shave their legs in the winter.
Sunnie’s hair- it’s thick, everywhere, unruly, and his little wannabe star is pretty cute too.
“Who me!” – The results of my lying on the ground waving my leg around in the air.
A new found talent, Sunnie can do fish lips… with help.
Cali’s glowing coat – a result of all natural living.
…And a self portrait.
7 months old
…It feels like such a long time ago.
My Kigers
I noticed my horses enjoying the coolness as the sun went down. Don’t get me wrong, they love the sun, the warmth makes them sleepy but when it starts to go down they feel their energy pick up and they start to run around. So, though I got more portraits than anything, I did get a pretty neat airborn picture of little Annie Oakley.
I’ve been able to capture this type of trot on a few of my horses over the years and am always amazed at the long reach of their trot and the toes off the ground or just barely touching.
And my little girl just after her trot, catching her wind. Annie Oakley takes after her namesake and is short being only 14.1 hands. But what she makes up in height she certainly makes up for in punch. She’s got a lot of spirit and smarts, much like the real Annie Oakley. She’s my little sharp shooter.
Then there’s my mellow yellow, Caliente. She is super mellow, mellow enough for all my horses put together. Nothing gets Cali upset, she isn’t afraid of anything and takes pleasure in making everyone else jump. She will even take a blue tarp and shake it just to watch the others run.
Cali was also by far the easiest horse to train to ride. She especially appreciated our lessons that included standing under the apple tree and picking apples. I think that’s when she decided carrying a person wasn’t so bad!
Then there’s the man, the myth, the legend: Sunnie. He is a wonderful, bright, loving, caring soul. He was my stallion and produced some beautiful babies who all mostly took after him. When my decision to quit breeding came about, I couldn’t stand the thought of selling him so he was gelded. What makes a nice stallion makes an even better gelding. Sunnie was then sent away for 90 days training and he is now a wonderful riding horse with a beautiful stop, lope, trot and walk. He spins on the haunches and forehand and is a joy to ride. Oh yes, he definitely will give a goosey bounce every now and then but for the most part, he’s a angel. I love this horse to pieces.
Frosty, Cold, Morning
Abby was just grateful that the water wasn’t frozen, so was I. It had to be down in the 20′s this morning, everthing was well frosted though it started to thaw a bit about the time I was able to take pictures in the early early light. I had woken up at 6:00 (that’s a fairly big deal for me, I’m normally a 7:00′er). I never was a morning person until I married Hubby who taught me I was wasting the day. And of course, I had to give birth to an early riser. But after I drag myself out of bed I actually enjoy the early morning especially when I get all my chores done early and don’t feel rushed the rest of the day.
I love the look of oak leaves with the fringe of frost on them. It defines the edges so beautifully and just sets me in the mood for the season.
One of my favorite things to do in the morning is listen to the animals enjoy their hay. They are just so satisfied and happy when I feed, if they were cats they’d purr. The munch munch sound is soothing too, it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing they’re all warm and fuzzy.
Big bad funny Sunnie shares with this silly ewe named Lilly. Sunnie is our ex-stallion who was a stallion until he was five. He likes to pretend he is tough but his eyes and actions give him away. He’s the biggest teddy bear around and has a heart for crazy lilac ewes who aren’t afraid of horses. Or else she knows a sucker when she sees one, but you’ll always find these two eating together sometimes with a couple more ewes such as Celeste and Nell.
Here is Nell enjoying the hay inbetween Sunnie’s hooves. Nell and Lilly have the same parent’s but were born a year apart. Their mama was a crazy ewe named Madge. She had a bostonian accent and was a pig for hay. Whenever we’d offer grain, she’d run to the hay piles like a maniac and never did care for grain. She was also very fat. We miss Madge Pie as she went to the green pasture in the sky one year ago.
Abby likes to make her rounds in the early fog, barking to make sure that no wiley Coyotes are lurking about, taking advantage of their temporary cover. I appreciate her checking the pastures just before I let the sheep out and she takes it pretty seriously. On a frosty, foggy morning, she may have the best camo out there.
She also likes to take extra care of slow moving arthritic old ladies such as Agatha.
While the animals munch, Abby watches over the flock, and Annie sleeps in her crib, I like to take frosty photos.
And last but not least, my first bough of the season, attempting to get my spirits in to the Christmas holiday.
Quotes, Pictured.
“When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.” ~Charles Evans Hughes
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