She's baaack...

Well this past week we watched the snow levels rise and fall on the Blues three times, getting a bit closer to the ranch each time. Yesterday, we could tell by the slow warm up of the morning, that we were going to be socked in with clouds, high winds, cool but not cold temperatures for the day. So while I was checking emails, etc. Kittee was on the phone with a couple of folks and petting her cats.

How many Kittees can you count in this pic?

It had been awhile since we had sit around with the Cospers, so we gave them a call and headed upriver towards the South Fork Horse Ranch. We left the house expecting to be gone for a couple of hours visit, and ended up staying upriver for about five hours. It was nice to see those guys again, and have some most thoughtful conversation and a few jokes. I told Dale a new joke about a cross-dresser and a rancher woman… thought he might fall out of his chair laughing over that one.

Saturday was a pretty busy day around here. After breakfast Kittee went straight out and rode Derby in the cool of a bright sunny day. I worked on the ‘puter doctoring our Walla² Fly Fishers blog site, then I went out and prepped Misty for a round pen workout. During this time Kittee put Derby out to pasture, saddled up Nugget, and took him to the arena for some fast action canter riding.
I also brought Misty up into a canter for awhile as we worked out in the round pen. After riding, Kittee milled around with the mare herd. There was about six mares sunbathing and dear Sunny was laid out flat and snoring up a storm (I could hear her from about 30-40 feet away). As I was pulling the tack off Misty, I found Kittee kneeled down petting Rosey which was laid out resting. I went to get the camera to get a picture of that, and when I got back everyone was on their feet except Kootenai and Kittee.

Kittee was then kneeled down and petting her.

After our riding sessions/ hanging out with horses it turned into about 2 p.m. and we packed up the horses trailer and Blue and headed up towards Walla Walla to pickup our little girl Ginger, who we sold to Jennifer a bit over a year ago, I think. Jennifer is now in nurses training and needed to move her horses, and ask if we would keep Ginger for her until next spring, so we said yes to Jennifer and our baby pony.










On our way up towards Walla Walla we pulled in to our favorite Hwy 11 bar and grill and got our favorite bacon/cheese burger with French fries and a beer… that was a good mid-afternoon roadside lunch. We then picked up Ginger, headed home expecting a big homecoming splash from Jasmine.
When we got home, we put them out to pasture together, and it was like they had been separated just long enough to go get a drink of water.

Earlier during the week I finished throwing out the rest of our red delicious apples for a apple bobbing/ lip licking good time that everyone in the paddock enjoyed.

Lick those lips, Baby. Mmmmmm, good

I have found it to be quite interesting that Rusty will not eat a red apple, a ripe plum, or pears, but really enjoy golden delicious apples. To each his own.

This past week, I also "finished" cleaning up the garden area and burned off the mowed weeds and stubble. I am thinking that this year, I shall not till the garden rows as they are so loamy with horse manure/mulch and just work on keeping the weeds burned off between now and next spring. I'm thinking I will not get/put so many weed seeds into the soil by not tilling until spring.

I am hoping that by the time I am 60 I will have figured out how to shape up this garden, keep it watered adequately at 105º, and make it grow while having time to regularly ride our horses.

That is about what we have been up to this past week, beside going to work each day, and I think I remember having an afternoon ride with Misty and Travis our trainer. I know Travis wasalso here working on a couple of boarder’s horses this past week and “broke” one to ride. He did a pretty nice job, the horse co-operated nicely while under saddle.

Life around the ranch in November --- Dale

Under the full moon

Waiting for sunrise

Well again this past week Kittee and I have been very busy, myself around the ranch, Kittee at her office, both of us working on protecting our Walla Walla River Valley from the onslaught of the wind turbine construction steamroller trying to cover our end of the county, with wind generators, now almost everywhere you look.

Last Saturday was the last day of trout fishing in our Walla Walla River, and I was too busy to go fishing. But I guess that was OK, as most of this past week we have lived under the full moon (like the pic above), and I have found that fishing under a full moon is almost useless. Saturday morning Kittee and I went to the funeral of our dear departed friend Cliff, in Walla Walla. After the funeral we had time for a lunch break and then our farrier, Kevin Walker came for his fall visit. The rest of Saturday afternoon we worked on horses’ hooves. This was Summer first actually farrier handling, and she did well. Again I have been imprinting her since the day she was born to have her feet handled and become accustomed to having her feet tapped, tapped on so when the day come for her to be shod she will be prepared for that new venture.


Last Sunday I tried to put Nugget and Derby with the rest of the herd for the winter. November 1st seemed to be a good time to do that, as I remember from the past. So Sunday morning I laid out nearly two bales of hay, more than enough for everyone to be happy, and turned the entire herd (less Rusty) out to feed.

All went well, until everyone had a full gutload of hay. Then Nugget’s attention turned to Misty and Kootenai as Kootenai was showing some signs of being in heat. Nuggets being his OLE stud self decided to chase these girls around for awhile, so Kittee and I had to go out a separated the boys from the girls. Since the cold snaps of a few weeks ago we have now become another banana belt in this area, with temperatures most days near or above 60. So I guess some of the horses around here are now confusing this warm fall weather/ season with spring.

Also Sunday, Travis our horse trainer came by and got me started with some riding lesson to prep me for moving cattle. The day will come we will need to use our back 55 acres, and I feel that cattle will be the best way to do that. So I have started working with Misty on making cattle moving moves including 180º turns while in a trot or canter.


Misty was such a willing girl to do all I asked of her, except going into a canter. With my past experience of broken bones, I have held her back allot, and I think she is now confused when I ask her to run, run, run… but we will get over that as I get my running confidence back. I am also hoping this training will help me be better prepared to saddle up and ride off with Rusty in the near future. So anyway, I was able to find/make the time to ride Misty 4 or 5 times this past week, and that felt good. We have both been out of shape with our summer layoff and with a few day of workout we have shed a few pounds and toughen up just a bit. Something I am learning is that the more horseback riding I get to do the less backache I have to deal with.

During the mid-week, I was able to fire up the lawn mower and mow down the garden and orchard area of the old dead weeds that had taken over. This was the first time I had really worked in the garden since August 1st. Hopefully in the next week or so I will be able to burn off the old crop rows and maybe get the garden tilled before cold, wet weather sets in for the winter.

Yesterday, Kittee and I had a bit of a break, so she brushed out Nugget and I tacked up Misty and we spent awhile riding in the arena. Again I was trying to get back up into the canter mode with Misty, but we didn’t run for long as my bones don’t seem to be ready for that yet. I still feel my broken ribs on a daily basis and the busted sternum is still sore. Anyway, we did get some nice riding done while under a warm November sun. Later in the afternoon, we had Doc. Sarah Metcalf show up at the ranch, after her day’s drive from Boise. After she got settled in we set back and listened for a little while to NPR, then chatted – horse talk. After dinner Doc Sarah headed back to her dental clinic/ travel lodge, Kittee and I prepped for bed and started watching On Golden Pond, since our world in northeast Oregon has turned quite golden this time of year.

Today we started with coffee in bed, followed by having breakfast with Doc. Sarah. Thereafter we all went to work with horses. Our friend Shana came out to help Sarah with handling horses, and Kittee and I groomed horses prior to their visit to the dentist office. Since Nugget was our major dental works guy from years past, I did get a few photos to help remember how the story goes, and all went well…
With all the horses we worked with today, we found that Nugget's teeth are looking great, so we hope we have saved him from an early demised of losing all his front incisors which he was on his way of doing a few years ago. Thank you Doc Sarah for helping to save our Nugget. The other good news from today's dental clinic was that Goldie and Rusty have great looking/ perfect teeth, so hopefully this will pass along to their offspring as we continue to breed these two.

Tomorrow after my a.m. bus route, we will be working on 7-10 more horses before the end of the day. Tuesday and Wednesday of this coming week, I will be making full day school bus trips to Pendleton, and Kittee is planning to present a case to the Oregon Court of Appeals in Salem on Thursday. So again it looks like a busy, busy week in front of us.

And that is the way it has been around the ranch this past week as we have been living under the full moon, mostly clear autumn skies with warm sunshine days --- Dale

Fresh snow fell on them thar hills this week.

This week has been rather busy, as we are hay feeding twice a day, graining once a day, and still medicating Shaiela and Rusty twice a day for the effects Pigeon Fever (they are getting much better). This past week has definitely turned into the annual wet/mud season, and the 14" high muck boots have come out of the closet. Weather has been Oregon mild, but we have had rain and drizzle most nights and early mornings this week. Right now we are having an evening thunderstorm with a helluva light show to go with it.

Now driving the Double Deuce into town Monday-Friday, I am seeing what people have been telling me for years... "It is cold, gray, wet in College Place and Walla Walla; and you guys have sunshine and springlike weather out here at the ranch, what gives." Yep, I have told quite a few folks that are amazed at our micro-climate, this is normal for us.
It is pretty amazing, that so many days it is gray and freezing to the trees two miles to our west, through town and north into Walla Walla, while here at the ranch we have sunshine and a beautiful view of the snowcapped mountain to our east so many days during fall and winter. Again another blessing, we so much appreciate, living in our stretch of the Walla Walla River Canyon.

One afternoon this week, when we had wet and gray most of the morning, I went out to work with Rusty, just after noon, and found the geldings having a big time, just hucking and bucking round their pastures. I watched them for a minute or two and realized they were really wound-up and went back to the house and got my camera. Took a few pictures...


This is one reason Kittee and I know that a horse is not meant to live in a box. These guys are 1000+ pound creatures made to run free and graze pasture on a 24/7 basis. They are herd animals... having one is no fun, for the horse. Horses: most interesting pets to have around, and then they will take you for a ride if you wish.


It was pretty funny to watch as the geldings were running a bucking around and around in their pastures, throwing mud clods into the air, as they frolicked. The mare herd was doing a little running around but mostly watching the gelding as though they must be going crazy.

Later in the afternoon when I returned from my bus route, I went out to feed and pet the herd I found the mares hucking a bucking. Goldie and Misty were rearing, running, and sliding on the wet ground and I probably watch Misty leave the ground bucking/jumping straight up off the ground at least six times. They were feeling good!!! What a joy to watch.

With the electricity flying around outside this evening, flashing our backyard bluff, I am signing off; Good night

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Stardate 110908

Sunday
Last evening we had quite a T-storm pass over the ranch. Lightening was sending fire across the sky, and once we had a double barrel blast of thunder that sounded like two cannons going off just outside the house. The house shook, most of the windows in our house rattled. What a storm, not allot of rain out of it though.

Just before the storm hit last evening I checked the ranch email and found that the NWQHA club "mud season's" indoor arena riding has started and that arena would be available today. Hip Hip Hooray!!


Kittee and I started the day rather early, she went out to feed horses, I prepared a hardy ranch breakfast. After breakfast we both went out and tended to horses.

Today turned out to be a very pleasant day, starting with rain and then a few on and off showers, but the temperature was in the mid to upper 50's and Kittee and I cleaned the mud off Misty, Nugget, and Derby, loaded them in their trailer, and headed for the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds indoor arena. We had a pleasurable almost 2 hour ride until one of our NWQHA member got thrown from her bolting "green broke" horse. After that our riding time was just about over so most folks dismounted and starting loading their horse to head home.

It is good that arena riding time has come just in time this year to keep us in the saddle, while it is getting cooler and much wetter around the area. While Kittee still has a hurt shoulder, I think she is more comfortable riding in the controlled environment of the arena than out on the open trails. We both ride this arena without riding vest as hitting the sandy dirt, would be nothing like landing on hard turf... would not be fun, but would not be hard.

Happy Trail,

life around the ranch this week--- Dale