This worked out OK with me, since the week prior I had been on four road trips with different school's all day field trips. This last week of school work was typical of rainy Thursday's trip, when I pulled out of Ferndale School at 6:30 a.m. heading for Baker City and the gold fields of Sumpter, to return at 8:30 p.m. to Ferndale School, so for the weekend I was ready for a break. Kittee and I had recovered from our illness of the week before, which turned out to be much like a flu, and left us very much looking forward to this long weekend break of just resting and horseplay.
Friday, we started the day very casually since it was a rainy day. After breakfast we headed for Walla Walla to do a bit of shopping and worked our way back home with the weekend's supply of videos, groceries and beverage. I did buy a new Canon digital camera while out, since my old HP camera was more and more in the mode to give up the ghost. The new little camera is nice, it fits well in a shirt pocket, which I need for trail rides, fishing trips, and general outdoor photography. Friday afternoon after we got settled in I pulled out the owner's manual for the camera and started to figure out it works. Does a nice job but has quite a few whistles and bells that I have not been used to.
Since we were basically shut-in for the balance of the day, Kittee was my main photo subject for testing the camera. After dinner that day we watched a movie and a half.
Saturday started out the same as Friday, raining. This made about a week in a row of days with mostly rain for our daily weather conditions... not complaining, but it seems we are getting enough rain for the time being. Wish it would spread itself out into July and August, but that won't happen. Saturday morning was a bit cool with temperatures in the upper 40's so Kittee built a fire to sit beside most of the morning.
After breakfast relaxing, watching and waiting for sunbreaks
Kittee reading some SS worksheets, working on a client's claim.
Anyone out there needs help with Social Security claims? Kittee is phasing out her dom-rel law practice and is now working with (for or against) the Feds in Social Security claims.Thereafter we spent most of Saturday running in and out of the house, to the pastures to visit horses between the warm 60° spring showers.
We have been asked from time to time if our horses are always clean and shiny. After a week of rains most days our palomino amigos look like this...
Now the above condition of horses can be quite typical on rainy days, but this weekend with off and on showers/sunshine, Kittee and I were quite entertained when after a shower all the horses, one after the other laid down on the wet ground and rolled with their feet waving high in the air. Made quite a site to watch ;>) horses with their feet waving through the air - cheap entertainment... except for the price of horses and hay. Anyway Saturday was just a catch can day, with high hopes that TWC's Sunday's weather forecast would be correct, sunshine for most of the day.Sunday at 6:00 a.m. we went out to walk around the yard in the sunshine, there was not a cloud in the skies and all was springtime beautiful. A great day for cleaning up horses and going for a ride, out of our ranch's gate. I went out before breakfast and took some pictures around the yard with the bright morning sun on the driveway's flowerbed blossoms and Hawthorne tree.
After breakfast we headed out to catchup horses and prepare for our ride. After Derby and 
Misty were tacked up we warmed them up in the front pasture, just walking, trotting, cantering across level ground, green grass. Then we headed up Cache Hollow Rd. to see what we could find. It was a most pleasant ride and we began running into Western Tanagers. Until this year I think I have only seen two of these beautiful little birds around the ranch. Sunday we spotted at least 3-4 of the guys flying around while on our ride.
Pretty, pretty little birds. These pictures I took while riding Misty and trying to catch a bird with our new camera. Monday I was back on the river (which is too high/ fast to fish this weekend) and saw two more Tanagers.
This day's ride was most enjoyable, and we did find that the locust trees were beginning to bloom, but their blossoms were not open and diffusing their sweet perfume which smells like Niagara grapes (vino).
All week I was hoping to get to ride Goldie in the round pen, but with the weather and the pool of water sitting in the round pen that was not possible. So Sunday with the weather forecast calling for sunshine, I thought I might get the opportunity to ride my golden girl. But wouldn't you know it... with the bright warm sunshine on everyone's back, Goldie and Kootenai were showing signs of going into heat and were screaming at the boys. Silly girls.
Later in the day I did get a shot across pastures of Goldie and Summer stratching each others back.
Since Goldie's return from Chad's training, she and Summer have been the best of mother and daughter pair of horses. It did both of them a lot of good to be apart for 40-days. It is now hard for us to believe that Summer is now 11-months old and how tall she is getting. Though she is ¾ Arabian, she is showing her Quarter Horse ¼ in height and rump size. She is making a nice horse.Monday was another on and off rainy day. Mid-morning we gave everyone their 3-months worming treatment. This went very well as I was able to worm Summer without having to halter her at all. She is such an easy handling horse, a pet, but not one to get in our pocket. She is making a really nice horse. Late afternoon did turn out to be pretty nice, so Kittee and I just sit out in the barn, watching rain showers passing through, drinking glasses of beer and wine while watching the horse herds play and graze.
Now with tomorrow morning's alarm to get up and go to work... I will have three days of school bus driving to run before summer's vacation.
Hip-Hip-Hooray!!! I do enjoy working in the school system.
So this is the way things have been around the ranch for this another holiday weekend.
Dale
No comments:
Post a Comment