Monday October 18th, 2010

Well...I said I would be back today...and here I am.
I had a wonderful vacation/staycation...slept in, rode 14 out of 17 days...no oops...13 and drove with Jenni one day...rode with Cmor one day...thanks ladies and their horses.
Farmer Boy and I went to see Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Ranger Band and Los Lobos at the Mondavi center...both concerts where great! Los Lobos rocked the joint! Dinner at Chipotle one night and Burgers and Brew one night with a walk through the Davis Farmer's Market.
We also went to see Secretariat , what a good movie! I do recommend it for everyone....Fun, excitement and horses.
We also went to the town of Napa and had lunch at the Oxbow market and booked at room for November when we see Rosanne Cash! OH let's not forget...two trips to Tractor Supply! Woohoo! Enough talk! How about some pictures?

well...I was going to load more pictures , but I will have to try again later... the computer gods are not with me right now...

vacation time ...

oK...well..you see...you won't be hearing from me  again until....October 18th , 2010. I will be ....Down on the Farm...riding and cleaning and grooming and walking and holding and petting and scratching and breathing....

vacation brain

woohooo...vacation coming up...can't wait...17 days in a row of not working in town...woohooo

Tuesday

the contractor is down on the farm....working on the shop and the plumbing....ooooo I may have a shower soon....be still my heart  ha-ha.
after work I have dental appointment then a meeting for work...I wonder what I will find when I get home...

well hello there....

well...it's nice to be me again...or maybe for the first time ever...who knows... oh well, as long as I am here now that is a good thing.

So.... this past weekend, I made some good stuff....
I took the pork that I had previously slowed cooked ( with fire roasted tomatoes and chile's...thanks for the idea  and the produce from your garden Jenni)and shredded it (took all the fat off) and mixed it with some of Rick Bayless' tomitillo salsa. I let that sit for a bit while I took a whole grain corn/white flour tortilla, put one slice of pepper jack cheese on it and then some of the pork filling. Put that on  cookie tray sprayed with Olive oil and put it in the oven at 385 until it bubbled and crisped up a bit...took it out , put some fresh cilantro on top and yum! Served with fresh tomatoes from the garden with a dribble of olive oil and a splash of pomegranete vinegar.
It's going to be hot this week...100 today...oh well, a last blast from Summer to take us into Fall. I have a two week vacation coming soon...

Best Ride Ever!!!!!

Yesterday after work Jenni and Maple came over...Cheyenne and I , saddled up and off we went. We walked a bit then trotted and rested at a walk then trotted some more...then...we cantered, slowed to a trot, cantered slowed to a walk, cantered slowed to a trot....how many times I do not know...but what a good horse I have! He is Golden...I am so glad he is in my life...we have so much fun together! Oh...and Jenni and Maple did smashingly well too! WooHoo what a fun afternoon!

What I have learned...

Cheese is not a medicine...

A horse is not a Therapist...he is a horse and deserves to have only the expectations of a horse put on him...enjoy the horsiness of your horse...

Good friends are hard to come by...thank you to my girl friends who have lived many life lessons with me....and for helping me reconnect to my true self...

Cats need scratches and hugs

I need hugs...sometimes a back scratching too

Dogs need scratching and fun...hugs nots so much

Horses need my time...scratches, hugs, fun , boundaries and the freedom to be a horse...to be their true self

good morning world

So...who did you eat for breakfast this morning....?

Misty morning/Monday morning

Yesterday Cmor and Pogo came over and off  we went for a two hour or so walk. What  good boys Cheyenne and Pogo are, brave souls both. We walked to the river past the alfafa fields and through the grape vineyards. Good for for our bodies, minds and friendship.

Thanks Cmor and Pogo and Cheyenne.

in the early morning

Finally...I was able to get outside early this morning...greeted and fed my doggie, kitties and the horses. Frisco and I walked out to feed the thoroughbreds and met Emmylou coming back from her night time safari hunt. I carried her as she pressed into my arms and cuddled my neck. Frisco doesn't quite know what to do about these kitties that he has to share my attention/affections with.

Gotta walk, gotta move...gotta shake the cobwebs from my soul.

weekend odds and ends

Friday afternoon/early evening took a nice walk with Jenni and Ricky. Ricky is looking sharp and feeling mellow. Cheyenne and I had fun...had to jog to keep up sometimes with Mr. Ricky Long Legs .
Saturday cleaned and did laundry...groomed horses. Played ground games with Eagles Wings and went ahead and saddled her up. I stepped into the stirrup and laid my stomach across her back 4 times. What a good girl she is! After we were done playing she cantered around the field telling all her friends that she is a special girl...and yes she is a special girl.In the evening we went to the Rails to Trails Benefit...came home early after visiting with Wilton friends...Farmer Boy was really tired after helping another Wiltonite roof his abode.Sunday  did some cleaning and made fresh tomato sauce and grilled some Italian sausages from a friend of Farmer Boys who raises his own hogs. Jenni and Maple came over and off we went....GREAT RIDE! We walked , we jogged, we long trotted and we cantered...Cheyenne got a bit excited for a short period and tried to buck a little...rythm...it's all about catching the rythm...so...no more watermelon before a ride ha-ha-ha. So...I corrected him and then with Jenni said take him away from the group...if he wants to go then go..we went...he did great..we jogged and cantered some more and then walked home.... We all had fun on our ride woohoo. Now, that is what I call a good weekend.

Before the Harvest...not Napa...Elk Grove

Labor Day Weekend

Well Hello Last Official Weekend of Summer...nice to share the time with you. Saturday...cleaned, Sunday , Cheyenne and I went for a good ride on our mile track/circle. We had fun...the farm animals and humans all thought... well...there they go and here they come and there they go again . What fun.
Sunday ...Paula and her pony Copper came over, what a nice boy he is. A performance cutting horse and a great trail horse as well. And....can that boy trot out! Whew, we had to trot really fast and we never did keep up with him. Ha-ha gave the old thighs a good work out. Paula and I and our ponies went to the river and to the woods...we saw a horrible sight at the edge of the woods...a fence! It has a gate  that maybe we can go through...Jenni will check with the landowner...dang, I would hate to have part of my riding area cut down....

Friday

Well...the horses are now segregated by breed...quarter horses/paints with quarter horses/paints and Thoroughbred's with Thoroughbred's. Why? Because the quarter/paints don't need as much rich food as the Thoroughbred's do. Minnie has accepted her fate...life with sweet Billy...not manly Cheyenne. Billy is finally starting to put some weight back on.

This weekend the herd of men-folk will come over on Sunday for the disc golf tournament....Cheyenne and I  will ride by ourselves Saturday and Sunday. Monday Paula and a friend will come over to ride in the morning.
Laundry, change the sheets, floors and general cleaning to do ...yippeee.

Tonight I will BBQ-grill hamburgers and make this salad:

6 cups spinach
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blueberries
3 Tablespoons sliced almonds
1/2 cup feta cheese
( optional if not serving other meat---6 oz. chicken breast)
2 Tbl. spoons Renee's poppy seed dresssing or other low sugar poppy seed dressing

And let's not forget to love up the kitties.

August 2010

Best jog ever yesterday afternoon! Thank you Cheyenne, Maple and Jenni! Four mile ride, jogged two of the miles...nice and relaxed....good horse Cheyenne. Now, I have to work on loping and keeping my seat in the saddle.

Here are some pictures I took this morning, you can see the new fence line and the misty fog that present this morning...is it really August?

Ok...here's what happened....

Saturday I went with a friend from work to see "Eat, Pray,Love". I read the book last year and really liked it. I love all that look inside yourself and dig up a better you stuff.The movie reminded me of what the book made me think about.Thanks Elizabeth Gilbert.

OH! Saturday morning Pea and Eagles Wings made a great escape from their front pasture and made their way back to the house and back pasture area...very exciting stuff. We figure Pea must have opened the gate by pushing on the post of the "cowboy gate" because she is in heat and she has to push on something to relieve the ?????? pressure??? No cuts...lucky. We put all the horses together and watched the little National Geographic Barnyard 101 series on herd socializing. Minnie's world got turned upside down. Cheyenne of course is in charge of all the girls...poor Billy the cast out young gelding.
We worked on the fence...yeah...I will post a picture soon.

Jenni and Maple came over Sunday...greatest , most relaxed jog/trot yet. Thanks Jenni and Maple...had a beer and watched the mares herd Minnie around and tell her "yeah ...you may be Hannah Montana but we are Sophia Loren and Raquel Welch so just mind your manners Missie".... Barnyard 101.
Roasted a chicken for dinner, left over pesto pasta and fresh broccoli for dinner.
That's it for now...Jenni and Mapes coming over ...riding after work...yeah. Farmer Boy is working on the fence...yeah. See you soon Cheyenne.

Friday...

Well, last night...evening rather...Cheyenne and I headed out for walk together.We left at five fourty  and I walked back into the house at eight fifteen.We had a great walk...it was so wonderful to spend time with Cheyenne just walking and thinking and sometimes talking. We did a bit of walking and then jogging together ...until I felt I had a good workout. The weather was warm with a nice breeze and oh! we were walking and  a flock of geese took off in two sets and flew over our heads...it was pretty amazing...and no, no goose poop landed on us :) One of my favorite times was when we were walking and I could feel his breathe on my arm...I told him I am so happy to have met him and to have him in my life.

This is from the New Years ride after I brought him home in  December....December 22nd  I believe.

I am so glad I found him...

Life Enhancing Bit of Wisdom I JUST Learned

.....You don't have to show up to every argument you are invited to....


Now...to just live by those words ...

Riding on a hot August day

Thank you Cheyenne for helping me not lose my mind...I know what that means...

Friday

Well, yesterday I loved up Vicarious Bill ( he is low man in the herd and  needs  attention and hugs and scratches) and put the halter on Minnie in the big field...good girl Minnie...maybe she is figuring out I am not going to eat her ( I know how much this little sentence means).
Cheyenne and I went for a ride while the Thoroughbred's ate their alfalfa...none for Cheyenne...he is such an easy keeper....
We jogged  down to the bottom and walked through Deer Creek and towards the alfalfa fields..gosh I am so mean to my tubby pony! We watched the goings on for  awhile and walked back and forth in the irrigation water overflow. Instead of following the same path to go home we went down towards the corn and did a little listening and responding  practice there. Back home Cheyenne got the spa treatment  grooming/ massage and mane and tail brushing. Then, since all the alfalfa was eaten up, he got to eat  a healthy dinner of home grown oat hay.
The humans are still having a wonderful time eating the fresh peaches that Farmer Boy picked from our tree.

Thursday...

aaah..got up, fed my brain some coffee...fed the kitties, horses and doggie and then took Frisco for a walk. Went to work in town and then ....time for Cheyenne and me to have some fun.

Life is what you make it....Let's make it fun.