I went on my first trail ride, ALONE, yesterday. I have been scared to go alone but I have not found anyone who will ride with me and I can’t wait forever! I used to be invincible – I am too old to really believe that anymore! But my confidence took a great jump yesterday! Biggin and I went down a road with cars and all around a treed field. He was excellent! One small step today….
Nirvana will be when I can take my camera out of my pocket and take the same pic of being on Ruskie – without being scared of him taking off out from under me!
Our trip to the fair was fun. Leavi felt better after a 3 hr nap and the storms made a parting in the sky for the fairgrounds. It rained all around us! We opted out on the Demolition Derby because we got such a late start. I got a few pics with my camera when the full battery died… time to go buy another. The boys took off with their friends and, for the first time, I went wandering by myself. I have always enjoyed watching people and found lots of entertainment!
The Tall Man was very colorful~
I followed this little number around for a while
Then I stopped to watch the Magic Show~
I went to check on the Little Man while he was waiting in line for a ride..
Went off of my diet for a Philly Cheese (oooH it was sooo GOOD!) and an ice cream. While I ate my ice cream, I was entertained by this guy~
But I think my favorite part was the 4-H Livestock Auction. I had many friends from “home” who were there to sell their projects -- chickens, rabbits, a turkey, cattle and pigs. This was the Grand Champion steer. His size put my Arabian to shame!! Sorry for the lousy shot -- I only had one chance to get this.
The auctioneer man was VERY entertaining -- you will need sound ~on~ for this.. again, sorry for the video quality -- it was my phone… but I really wanted to share the audio part.
I could have stayed until closing but I had to get home and feed the critters that I own!
This is where I spend as much of my time as I can – with the horses. They calm me, center me and make me laugh. The ducks have been going out to Shadow’s pen to help him eat his oats for the past week. Please, excuse his bony butt and winter hair…. he is about 26 now and this is the best that he has looked since I have had him.
See the brown one in the hay, waiting to dive into the oats?
This duck decided to stop and groom a bit….
And this is of my two big guys, Biggin on the left and Ruskie, on the right… both on a diet (and always hungry!) and needing exercise… my bad!
I am reallllly happy that WP did this last upgrade. I have been wanting to share so much but when this doesn’t work properly, I just get to frustrated to deal with it. And this is suppose to be fun for me!
This is for Tonka – a little guy who was rescued with his mom and another filly by Beauty’s Haven last Friday. He was only 4 mos old. He, his mother and several other horses were starved to skeletons. Beauty’s Haven did all they could and more… gave him love and never left him alone. But he lost his fight last night and crossed Rainbow Bridge. I am sending prayers and love to all who tried to help him not to suffer any longer.
I guess I will always remain so naive about how mean people are to each other and to all of the creatures that this Earth has been blessed with to love and enjoy. Please, click the link to see news footage of this tragedy and leave a comment. Also, give your fellow man/woman a kiss and don’t forget your four-legged (or other friend) companion a big hug. Enjoy all that you have… now.
Beauty’s Haven is a Friend of mine… link on the right. I admire and love all that they do.
update….
This is such a sad day… I just got word that a good friend lost her fight of 2 yrs with ovarian cancer last night. She was the first friend I had when I moved here 8 yrs ago. Bobbette, you will be missed by so many!
This morning I was greeted with these blue birds… GH has quit smoking so I was out on the porch at 6:30am to have a smoke alone. These guys have made a nest in the porch support beam.
Last Tuesday I woke up at 5:30am and was so sick that I could not hold anything down. So after a long nap I went outside to sit in the 60 degree weather to watch all of my animals playing in the sun with each other. The horse pasture had dried out enough so that the horses could walk all over and head box with each other. The ducks were enjoying a warm weather swim while Belle annoyed them and chased the cats. She was having a great time!
Then today the snow started again! And it was almost all melted.
And tonight we have this! Thankfully, it has been a light snow and most of it is not sticking.
Sorry for the “wardrobe malfunction” of the blog this week…. was time to renew my domain name. I guess I did not get notification of the year anniversary because I changed my email addy but failed to notify the domain registry site.
Next week is Spring Break here in Northern AZ. My oldest daughter will be here from Santa Cruz, CA for the whole week and my younger daughter will be here for the weekend, too So, I will have all of my kids here at the same time!! I will miss my GH, as he is still on the road. His birthday is Monday and we will make a call to sing him Happy Birthday!
I hope you had a great Valentine’s Day…. I did Even though GH is on the road, he did not forget me!
This is what they look like after they opened and the note that I got from the boys
My friend, N @ A Writer and A Rider went to the Arabian Show in Scottsdale, AZ on Saturday. Click the link to her post about our trip – more pics of the show and Belle AND she is a great writer, too! She will entertain you with the details of the celebrity that was with us
I took Belle with us to Scottsdale. She did so good with her new collar and leash. And she figured out how to get out to go potty while we were at the motel, too. Pretty good for a 10 week old puppy! She was a hit and loved by any and all who saw her.
When we got home, she was very tired from all of the walking, new surroundings and all of the attention that she got.
(you may want to cover your eyes for this next shot… toooo cute!)
Today, she is alert and ready to play!
Thank you, GH, for the beautiful flowers!
Thank you, N, for being such a wonderful friend!
I had a great time this weekend and have many memories.
My daughter, Jessica, had to put her best friend, Meiko, to sleep forever. Her broad chest housed a HUGE heart full of so much love. Meiko became part of our family about 15 yrs ago at the age of 4 months. She went everywhere with Jess. If Jess couldn’t take her with her, she couldn’t go – that was the rule of thumb. She and Star were house buddies for years. They are both gone now but they have left us so many memories and a much love.
Goodbye, Meiko. And, Jess, Remember that I love you forever, no matter what!
update 2/7/09 from Jessica’s myspace page:
Well after 14.5 loving years, it was time for my best friend to be put to sleep- she was starting to suffer. She smiled as she went, and she is not in pain. I miss her very much.
Rest in Peace, My Protector, My Companion, My Shadow, My Love.
Belle is getting bigger by the day. She is getting longer legs and is way more active than the last post. She went to the vet last Thurs. She weighed in at 6 and a half pounds and got her first shot. I take her everywhere with me so that she gets all the socialization I can give her. She is being taught not to chew on humans, too. She got me the other day on the finger and I swatted her good… now when she tries to chew on skin, she stops and licks instead. She is playing with the cats more… one of them beat her up last week and now she stays away from him – the other cat who is very bitchy, er, prim and proper? will tolerate Belle for a moment or two then the growling starts from the cat. The youngest cat we have, Archie, will play with her pretty good. When he has had enough, he scratchs Belle and Belle will run off.
This was taken when I was taking some pics of guns. I was on my knees and elbows when Belle came up my shirt to stick her head out of the neckline. Here I am nearly upside down, with a dog hanging out of my shirt.
Two pics of Archie and Belle playing.
Remember in the last post, she was barely 10 inches long?
I really do love those eyes!
And, aren’t ALL babies cute when they are asleep?
I have had a lot of people comment that she does not look full American Staffordshire Terrier, so I did a search the other night looking for some examples. I, also, went to AKC for some guidelines. Her ears may be a bit too wide and her tail a hair too long, but, otherwise she falls in the guidelines. It was hard to find a dog with her markings, though – but here he(?) is…(I say he because this dog is so wide in the chest… more like a male)
Nicole
Talina
Talina
yarmi74
