Join the gang

After the rains stopped and the arena dried out a little, I decided to turn everybody out for a while to get them away from their soupy pens. The first thing Scout did was roll! I missed getting his picture but you can see how dirty he is. It was fun watching their interaction as a herd. If you look under Nadia's belly you can see Annie and Yalla!Mom and baby share a mineral block.Scout and Nadia are best buddies.Here, notice that Annie is pinning her ears at Nadia. I wonder why she's telling her off? Probably, just because she can.Nadia decides to take it out on Yalla! Not really, but she is asserting herself while she can. I think Yalla! will grow up to be an alpha mare just like her mother.

Annie rolled and rolled. Yalla! must be wondering what she's doing. While Mom rolled, Yalla! and Scout exchange small talk.Annie must have gotten up and told Yalla! "Yalla!" (let's go!) I love how she is following Annie and Scout is just watching like, "what's the big deal? We were only talking."
Then Nadia had to roll too! So much for all my clean horses!
Yalla! ran around as if to say, "doesn't anyone want to play?""I wonder what's over here?"I've only ever seen Yalla! roll once so she was the only clean one left. However, she's so dark, she doesn't show dirt anyway. Notice how her legs are getting blacker and blacker. And she's getting so fuzzy from our cold nights. It looks like her winter coat is going to be brown. She still has that "F" on her forehead. I hope she keeps it.

Join the Gang - song: Join the gang, artist: David Bowie, album: Deram Songs

Sit in the garden- part 2

This summer my neighbor and I planted a garden. See here for previous story. In the beginning, I was picking romaine lettuce daily. Then the jalapenos started ripening. Boy, are they hot! I have a recipe for jalapeno poppers that I love. Wearing plastic gloves, I cut the jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Take ALL the seeds out and fill the little "boats" with a mixture of half cream cheese and half grated mozzarella cheese. Bake in 350 oven until the tops are very lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes, I think. I always forget to actually time it. sorry! The cheese eases the burn and boy are they good! These guys are really hot! One time I touched the insides of them with my bare hands when I was cleaning them. Then I washed my hands really good. About an hour later, I touched my nose and my nose went numb!I have been getting baseball bat sized zucchini. I like to deep fry it. Easy recipe- make pancake batter, add a little garlic and onion powder, dip slices of zucchini, and deep fry until lightly browned. Serve with marinara sauce (spaghetti sauce) or ranch dressing.

I have been picking onions, peas, yellow squash, chilies, jalapenos, garlic, and LOTS of tomatoes! I've also had green peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, and corn.

I declare that our garden is a success!

Sit in the garden - song: If there is something, artist: Tin Machine coveringRoxy Music, album: Tin Machine

Oh you Pretty Thing

My baby is growing up! Yalla! is now three months old! Annie now allows Scout and Nadia to mingle with Yalla! freely. No more standing in the middle of the arena while Annie and Yalla! run and wander around them. Notice Yalla! behind Nadia? That must be what it looked like when Nadia had a foal, many years ago.Here's Annie and Yalla! This is one of my favorite pictures of them together.

Of course, Yalla! is still full of energy. The first photo below was taken about two weeks ago. Notice the coloring changes in the next photo which was taken a few days ago.

I also gave her a lesson in leading. She readily took the halter when I brought it up to her nose and pulled it up and over her poll and then buckled the poll strap. She doesn't like things coming up over her eyes, I've noticed.

She is leading very well. She still stops quite often but she willingly walks forward again. I am working on leading her from either side. The halter that I thought would never fit her is now on it's last hole. I need to buy a yearling halter that I'm sure is going to be too big. lol.

I love giving her big body hugs and she loves getting them. She is so fuzzy now that I can leave a handprint in her fur. When I rub her neck and body, I see little white hairs fall out. Interesting! Is that the baby coat coming out, I hope?

Oh you Pretty Thing - song: Pretty Thing, artist: Tin Machine, album Tin Machine

Sunday (9/13/09 Mechanical Things)

This week's Sunday Stills is about motorized vehicles that run on fuel and can take two or more passengers. I decided to revisit one of my road trips and include some specific photos.

Two years ago, my family drove to San Francisco. We had a lot of fun and saw so many things! Anyway, I want to share some of the mechanical, traveling 'things' I saw along the way.

I loved seeing the trolley cars go up and down the San Francisco streets with their ding, ding, ding.

Aren't the crates colorful on this freighter? That's a pretty, full load! Isn't this a cute little pickup?I found this boat interesting because it was named after a Chuck Berry song. It's on display at Monterey Bay. I wondered why it was there. After a little research, I found this history. Scroll down the page for a photo of the Anthony Boy being built. She was built in 1966 at the Monterey Boat Works. There's more to this little boat too, see this little story. We drove into northern California and right through a tree! We had to fold in the side mirrors to make sure that we'd fit.

Look for my little smiling Buddha dog in the middle of the car in this next photo. Can you see him?Along the way, we saw old, old cars and trucks for saleand some just going places. I wonder if it still runs...We saw lots of semi trucks along the road.Some people chose to see America on motorcycles.We saw a classic car in front of this Farmer's Insurance agent's office.This is a statue in the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada. It's not motorized but it is rather interesting. There is also a bottle house and lots of outdoor art. Notice the colorful couch in the background. It's made of tiles. If you're ever in the area, I'd recommend having a look-see around town, or what's left of it. Near Las Vegas, Nevada, we passed this little place with lots of fun 'toys' for sale.We saw this ship of the desert but it doesn't run. It takes...your money.We tried to photograph a Hummer Limosine but they are very camera shy. This regular limo was the best I could get. It was 96 degrees driving down the Strip on that August night, but oh, so pretty!Here's a double decker tour bus in front of the Mirage hotel.Oh yeah, we saw lots of trains too. We even saw airplanes because my daughter flew home mid trip for work obligations.

I could go on and on but I think that's enough for now. If you want to see more sunday stills, please visit here.

Sunday - song: sunday, artist: David Bowie, album: Heathen

I went for a little hike the other day along the bosque (woods) bike path. I came to this tunnel. The bike rider rode by too fast before I could ask him how to proceed and I didn't see any horses to stop for. I did slow my walking pace, as the sign requested. I also watched for ice but I think it all melted before I got there. It was 88 degrees out.

I zoomed in on this wagon wheel and archway which was at one of the very expensive estates across the irrigation ditch.

They have some pretty cool lawn art, don't they? I tried one of these prickly pear fruits. Yummy, mmmmm! They would make a really good jam. These strange things are called jetty jacks. They look like jacks, don't they? They were put up all along the river to protect the town from flooding.
H.F. Kellner designed these obstructions, first called Kellner jacks, to hold up riverbanks and keep debris from flooding into town. They were installed in the fifties and sixties along the Rio Grande and Arkansas rivers and they worked pretty well, allowing water to flow through while retaining the debris. However, nowadays, they are considered an eyesore. I think they are pretty neat. Some still have wires running through them. I always imagine them as remnants from a war, although none were fought here, or that they were placed as hostile barriers to protect the natural environment and the river from people.

I also came across my first geocache. It's a tin can hanging from a tree! I thought it was pretty neat. These pretty little purple asters always remind me that summer is almost over.

I was walking down the High Street - song: The Laughing Gnome, artist: David Bowie, album: Early On

America- concert for New York

Never forget 9/11/01!

One inch thoughts

There are times when I feel completely overwhelmed with my life. I take a deep breath and tell myself that there is a solution to everything and that things will work out okay. And they do. Usually.

For instance, I am enrolled in four classes: tax accounting, principles of management, interpersonal skills, and world religion. I set up my schedule so that two of the classes meet once a week in the evenings. Religion is an internet class and the tax accounting class meets twice a week from 8 - 9:15AM. I have a part time job for a few hours, two afternoons a week. I give riding lessons once a week. I volunteer at my church and am currently helping the bookkeeper review the books. I have four horses to take care of, besides my dogs and cats. I have grown children at home.

In my spare time, I am seeking full time employment. I am worried that I won't be able to do it all. Over the holiday weekend, for instance, I had tons of homework assigned. How will I be able to commit 40- 50 hours to a job? When you include commuting time and daily lunch hours, it actually comes out to over 50 hours!

Yesterday, I applied for a full time position. It would be great! It offers super benefits: medical insurance, 401K, and tuition assistance, all effective immediately, 4 weeks vacation, and very good pay. It's not too far away either, very close to the University and my part time job. I felt comfortable in the interview and am hopeful that I get accepted because this would be a doable solution- they are flexible around working hours too. But what if I don't get the job?? I am maxing out! I can't afford to live financially and I don't know how I will time manage if I accept a job farther away for less money. I was offered a job last week for less money than I was making ten years ago and I have an associate's degree now! It was also around 35 miles from home whereas this position is about 25 miles away. Not a lot of difference, but it does add up.

I hate to be in this position. I really have no control over the matter at this point. I am believing that I will get this job because I want it so badly. All I know is that whatever happens is meant to be. Anyone who reads this, send a little prayer my way, please!

One inch thoughts - song: Sons of the silent age artist: David Bowie, album: Heroes