Wordless Wednesday

Ty

August 2008

From today's headlines:

"If it felt like one of the coldest mornings of the winter today, you are right. The temperature in Saskatoon plummeted to minus 34 overnight, with wind chills of minus 47."

That's just freakin' sick!! Hmm... wonder if my truck will start?
(in Fahrenheit that's about -53)
Think warm thoughts!

Is this thing on?

**taps microphone**
Today's feature is the interview by Laughing Orca Ranch. To keep it relevant I'm going to keep all the answers horse based, when possible. (hope that's okay with you Lisa)

LOR: Talk about your proudest moment.
CC: I have a few different moments. I think one of them would be winning my first (so far only) buckle. It was in a points series and was for winning the 3D. I also felt very proud when I managed to work through the issues that Applejack and I were having last summer on the barrel pattern. Oh, and being able to buy my "new" truck for hauling the horse trailer, cash down paid in full.
LOR: Talk about your most embarrassing moment.
CC: That would probably be when I went to my first ever barrel racing jackpot. We were warming up in a field off to the side of the arena. Loping down the fenceline I went to turn left, Cessa turned right instead and I came off. Cessa took off for the arena, or more likely the trailer parked on the other side of the arena. Kimfer stopped to see if I was okay but I was more concerned with my horse running off to the arena and asked her to go get her. I did NOT want my horse showing up at the arena without me!
LOR: If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
CC: Kimfer & I are planning a horseback riding vacation in Greece! I am looking forward to it very much. I'd also like to go on one of those "City Slickers" type vacations. Or to go horse camping.
LOR: Have you ever swam naked? Where?
CC: I don't really swim. I'm a bit afraid of water so I never go in water that is past about neck deep.
LOR: How many pairs of shoes do you own?
CC: I currently have about 6 or 7 pairs of riding boots. Yeesh, never really thought about it! You just had to make me face that didn't you! lol If it makes things any better 2 of them are winter ones.
LOR: What is the most daring thing you've ever done?
CC: Riding bareback. I know, I know, it doesn't sound that daring. But I have a very poor sense of balance so for me that is pretty daring! lol I also thinking team sorting with the fresh cows this past fall was pretty daring, those things were c-r-a-z-y!
LOR: What is the funniest thing you've ever seen?
CC: One spring the horses were all feeling very frisky and were running 'laps' in the pasture. They'd come running to the barn, pass the barn down the fence line and back. Kimfer's gelding, Baron, was a youngster at the time. One lap he lost his footing and fell down on his butt like a sitting dog. He slid a little ways, jumped back up on all four feet and ran off. But for a split second he darted a look at us and you could almost read his thoughts "That did NOT happen! You will NOT tell the other horses!" I've never seen a horse look soooo embarrassed! (yes we were laughing at him)

Mmm-mmm refreshing!

Doesn't that just look like summer?

Many thanks to both Mrs. Mom and to Lisa (aka Rapunzel) who both gifted me with this award! The lemonade stand award is to recognize blogs (bloggers) that show great attitude/gratitude.

Of course there are some rules to go along with this (but that's okay I love 'paying it forward') so here they are:

1) Post the pic of the award - check (double check as Lisa posted an alternate and I put both up)

2)Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great attitude/gratitude. - this will take some thinking as this award is quickly making the rounds. I'll try to pass it on to those who haven't got it yet.

3)Link to your nominees within your post - will do!

4)Let them know they've received this award by commenting on their blog. - will do!

5)Link this post to the person you received the award from - done :)

Thanks once again ladies, its always nice to be appreciated!

Ok in no particular order I am passing this on to:

1-Leah at Barn Door Tagz because even though Poco's attitude isn't always great Leah is doing an awesome job as his 'mom'. And she makes me laugh.

2- Denise at Less is More D and Les have been through a lot and you can tell she loves and appreciates him. Plus Limo is funny (ahem, I think some would use the term "special" jk D)

3-Laura at Little Keebler she's my girl! We have to stick together. Okay partly because both our horse are Appies and kinda look similar. And I'm jealous that she can see gorgeous horses at work!

4- Richie at Line Cook To tell the truth I don't think I've ever commented on his blog, other than today to tell him about this. And Richie is the only 'non-horse person' listed here. But he deserves it... he keeps it real, keeps it funny, and possibly most importantly he keeps me from killing my cooks (well, probably one in particular)

5-Flying Lily at When Lilies Fly Is it because I love her pics or because she managed to pull off the disappearing water trick? Hmmmm.....

6-Scary at Scary's West I'm sure most of y'all have already met Scary. I only found her blog last Wednesday evening. Since then I've read the entire thing start to current. Yes its THAT good.

7-Callie at MidWest Horse Blog This lady keeps it real, has great tips and a good attitude... unless you read the post about health care. (sorry Callie couldn't resist, am I forgiven?)

8- kdwhorses at Blackjack Land & Cattle Co. a fairly new blogfriend but I have a feeling we're hitting it off!

Ok ok ok... I knoooow that's not 10. Today I'll be a rebel :P

*the above images are not of my own design*

Wordless Wednesday

Rainy

Jan 19/09

aaaahhhh

Today I was feeling a bit better (at least my eyes & nose weren't constantly watering) and it was beautiful out again! I seized the chance to take advantage of this and went out.
This was my view:
Yup, I (finally) managed to get some time riding! Look at those cute l'il ears!

Yes mom I will do my best to behave, even though you haven't ridden me in aaaages!

Truth be told even if I had just spent some time with them it would have made my day, I've been going through serious pony withdrawal during the horrible cold spell we had. And I know I anthropomorphise my critters to much but I do believe they missed me too. As soon as my truck was parked by the barn Cessa came strutting over to see me:
And when I went out to get them Applejack was right by the barn, happy to see me... little did he know he was going to go to 'work'. Both horses got their blankets taken off for awhile. I laid the blankets over the fence with the insides facing up to get some sun exposure (sunlight is said to kill bacteria, good for the ponies and the blankets)
Seeing as he's had so much time off I decided to play it safe, I stuck to riding in the arena. Yes, outdoor arena. No, he didn't have to march through snowdrifts. Kimfer plowed a path around the arena yesterday so we have a safe place to ride without taking the horses out (yay! no snowmobilers to deal with!)

So around and around this track we went. Walk and trot. Practiced stopping off just my seat and/or verbal command. Backed up. I always have such a hard time backing straight. Its gotta be me. Even loped a bit. I'll admit that I did take him into the deeper snow in the middle (at a walk). I wanted to see how willingly he'd step off that nice path into the drifts... good boy went right in with no hesitation.

As you can see all that hard work exhausted the poor darling. (liar!) We went for just over a half hour and took it pretty easy. I didn't want to over-do it after him being off for so long PLUS I didn't want him to get too sweaty.

It was SUPER nice out though, I even took off my jacket and rode in just a t-shirt with a hoodie! (or to be a proper Saskatchewanian - a bunnyhug) :)

After giving both horses their grain the blankets were put back on and they were back out with the rest of the herd. And I was on my way home to get some rest.

A trip down memory lane

This summer when I was visiting family 'down east' it was kinda emotional. After all the reason for the trip was pretty major, dad was having surgery - a kidney transplant. And then there was the fact that I was going to see relatives that I haven't seen in years, in fact some of them I'd never actually met.
For quite a few years I couldn't afford to travel, now that I can afford to its difficult to get the time. But isn't that how the world works?
Anyhow, on to this story... sis & I spent the first few days with Mom visiting her family before we moved on to staying with Dad and Sandra (his wife) and the big op. While we were there we took a day trip into Sussex to visit Grampie.
Grampie is in a nursing home and has Alzheimer's so I wasn't sure what to expect. (Grammie is no longer with us). I was extremely nervous and in a weird way I was shy, after all Grampie seems to remember me as his little girl and thinks I'm still in grade school.
The visit was good, we had stopped at the farmer's market and brought him some home-made strawberry ice cream as well as a couple new boxes of his favourite chocolate candy (I definitely know where I get my sweet tooth from!) He didn't talk very much but he was very much 'there'. When we left sis & her baby and Mom walked out ahead of me, as I walked past his bed he reached for my hand and looked right at me. As I held his hand I knew that he was looking *at me*. I'll admit it made me cry.
Auntie M made me cry again when we got back to her place too. She said that a few days before our visit she had gone to see him and told him we were coming. "Your wee Lisa is going to come see you Dad" she told him. He smiled and his eyes got teary. I always had been "Grampie's girl". (I'm so glad she didn't tell us that before we went.)
On our way to the nursing home we had stopped at Grampie's farm (Uncle D & Auntie S and their family live there now, although its no longer a working farm). We looked around the house, which is really very lovely, but for me the thing I HAD to see was this:

Grampie's barn

August 2008

This barn is always a strong part of my memories. I spent a lot of time with Grammie & Grampie until we moved here (Saskatchewan). I think a few of my most vivid memories are of me and Grampie and the barn...

Of going to the barn after the cattle were dehorned and being horrified at how sad I thought the cows were. I remember demanding that Grampie give them some grain because they were upset. (although I was at the barn a lot I was not allowed to be present during the dehorning).

I remember Grampie's big ol' bull. He had the cutest white curly forehead that he looooved to have scratched. If I remember right he was a big red and white guy and was very friendly. I was always closely supervised around him though because it would take just one swing of that head to knock my down. I can't remember his name but I remember scratching his head and watching him savour his happiness at the attention while Grampie & I talked to him.

** Mom or Auntie M - Do you remember that bull's name?**

But my favourite is this, I remember "helping" feed. I can very vividly remember being in the hayloft and looking down into the barn while bales were being thrown down. I didn't do any actual throwing, the last time I was in that barn I was 5 years old!

My job, and I took great pride in doing it well, was to sweep the stray hay out of the aisles into the feeder. I would push that broom, bigger than me, down the aisle making sure all the hay was in the feeders. It was very important to me that I made sure each cow got an even amount of this hay... except for mean cow. There was one cow that was always kinda skinny and mean. I just didn't like her and would give her less, then I would feel bad because she was skinny and I'd go and grab more from the others and give it to her and then run away because she scared me!

Flowers from Halifax Public Gardens

late August 2008

my apologies for being whiny about my cold

(must be in touch with my masculine side! lol)

**pout**

Here it is, Sunday, my first day off of the 'work week'. And it gorgeous out, +4C.
And here I am, inside, with my face puffed up and leaking fluid with Pie's stoooopid cold.

Thanks soooo much for sharing hon!

So today instead of going riding or getting some pony time I'm going to curl up with a book (if my eyes can stop watering long enough to read an entire page or two) and pop Cold FX and drink tea.

Then tomorrow, which is supposed to be nice **fingers crossed** I'll have the energy and the time to go ride.

ok i'm done whining now :p

Sunday's Jackpot

Last Sunday there was a barrel racing jackpot. It was a really nice day but I hadn't managed to get any rides in on Applejack so I just went as a spectator. There was a really good turnout, especially for a winter jackpot, and I have a feeling that I'm not the only one who hasn't been riding. To me it wasn't worth risking hurting my horse to run him when he's this out of shape. And it made no sense to go and just lope the pattern, especially when this season I want to work on getting him running hard.
Being that I was spectating I thought it would be a great time to get some pics. Unfortunately I didn't get many usable ones, my camera must have gotten cold or damp as there were quite a few pics that were all foggy like this:
even though there was no fog or steam in the arena (unless you were standing right by a sweaty horse, and I wasn't) BTW the pics are posted in reverse order of how they were taken. So that above pic is on of the last taken.
This pic of Connie has little spots all over it, which leads me to believe there was some moisture in the lens.

Then there's this one:

They really weren't running THAT fast. Silly camera, I tried using the "sports" mode for a few pics, thinking that I would get clearer action shots. Instead all I got were blurs like the one above.
And this is the very first pic I took when I walked into the barn. Horses all relaxed and waiting to go in and run:

That solid high wall separates this stall row from the arena. There are more stalls on the other side of the arena. I think its a good idea, especially since this arena is heated. There is only one wall that leads directly outside, and that is on one of the short ends. The other short end has a window wall and the heated lobby is on the other side.

Most of the horses were already in the holding pen in the arena so there were just these few guys chilling out and waiting.

All in all it was a pretty good jackpot, nice turnout so there was decent payout. Only bad moment was that my friend Julie got tossed off Blue again. That is a dirty little filly. She has no tells, she'll just be going along and wham buckbuckbuck. This time she was running home from 3rd. Julie wasn't even pushing her, she was just letting her run. And then buckbuckbuck. Julie got back on and took her 2nd run (it was a double header) but she was one hurtin' girl at the end of the day.

I told her she should change Blue's name from Kewl Blue to Black'n'Blue. lol

Wordless Wednesday

Frisky fall fun

October 10, 2008

Winter Rant

Sorry, I have to get this off my chest. This is to anyone who lives where there is a decent amount of regular snow.
I mean really, when it snows in Vegas I'm not expecting you to know how to deal with it. But when you live somewhere where snow is normal you should know how to deal with it. Especially how to drive in it.
For example, there is a very good possibility that it will take you longer to stop or slow down. Try braking a bit earlier than you do in the summer, better still don't brake as hard if you don't want to skid out of control.
4X4 is great, I have one, I also have an AWD. However I do realize that doesn't mean I am invincible on ice... yes dumbass a 4X4 can and will slide. Although you do have a better chance of getting your stupid ass out of that ditch you just slid into.
Using your windshield wipers to slide the snow off your windshield, while leaving an inch of snow on the rest of your vehicle, is NOT sufficient. Not only do I not appreciate driving in that mini snow storm you create behind you, but YOUR ability to see around you is severely compromised. And yes if you hit me and this was the extent of clearing the snow off your vehicle I will not hesitate to tell you I think you're an idiot.
Ditto for defrosting your windows. A hand sized clear spot directly in front of you on the windshield is not sufficient.
That white stuff on the ground doesn't mean that you will automatically slid off the road. If you live in a place that has snow on a regular basis the roads are generally maintained for driving in it. There are exceptions yes, however you do not usually have to drive 65 k- in the "fast lane" - on a road that normally has a speed limit of 90 k/hr. I am a speeder, yes, however I do slow down when conditions warrant it. It is to be noted though that driving too slowly is also dangerous, and ticketable. (for my American friends, that's like driving around 23-25 mph on a 75 mph road)
For that matter, when the conditions warrant it please slow down. I really do not like to watch as you hit the ditch and roll your vehicle. (I'm glad you weren't hurt and again, no problem for letting you stay warm in our truck while we waited for the police)
And please for the love of pete... if the visibility is not good (ie blizzard, blowing snow, etc) turn on your damn headlights! Daytime running lights are great at helping the people in oncoming traffic see you but they do nothing for the people coming up behind you. Do you not realize you have no tail-lights when you only have your DRLs on?

**no I have not been in an accident, but not for lack of morons like the above trying to cause one! This winter I've had several near misses due to the above type of driving**

Its Called KARMA

Okay before I start this (true) story I will give a head's up. It is kinda gross. And yes I realize that I may be a tad mean spirited here (ahem, I have on occasion been called the "B" word). Now that you've all been warned:

I stopped at our restaurant the other night on my day off. I had picked up a Wii console for one of our waitresses and was dropping it off for her (those are one hot item, very hard to find right now around here). Anyhow, the girl bartending (Shan) in the lounge called up and told Pie the following story -

There had been a younger guy drinking in the lounge and he went out for a smoke (can't smoke inside in Saskatchewan businesses). Apparently while out there he felt the need to relieve himself and peed. Right on the cement pad in front of the lounge entrance. (some people have NO class/dignity!)
Another customer out for a smoke saw it and came in and told Shan so when Mr I-Can't-Wait-Til-I-Get-To-The-Bathroom came back inside Shan took his drink and told him to get lost, that she knew what he'd done outside.
He left but for some reason decided to come back a few minutes later. Apparently he was rushing in when --- now remember this is Saskatchewan in January --- he slipped and fell in his own frozen urine.
I'll admit I laughed pretty good at that part. Not that mean, right?
Well, I laughed even more when I heard that he broke his leg when he fell.
Okay, yeah that's a little mean spirited. But I don't really have a lot of sympathy for people who do such things.

**small disclaimer, although the neighbourhood our restaurant is in has gone downhill over the years this is not a normal occurrence**

Wordless Wednesday

Happy New Year!

*fireworks photo found with Google Images*