Chillin' with my B Boy

Day 11 of the 100 day challenge

Gorgeous day for a trail ride today. While hubby went off to an auction, I saddled up Beamer and headed to what I call the back 40, the neighbour's cattle lease area. He doesn't have cows there yet.

I was sure hoping to see some wildlife and wasn't disappointed. We saw a couple of grouse, and a Ring necked pheasant that flew out of a bush right beside us (good Beamer, didn't even flinch!).

 Near the end of the ride we flushed a couple of white tailed deer out of their afternoon napping place.

Checking out the deer

Thea is getting to be a much better trail riding companion. I've got a good recall on her now but still need to work on "down".

I treasure every ride I get on Beamer, I trust him and he trusts me- I even got him to step over a trickle creek today- he usually hates them!

I'll probably end up riding him again tomorrow after church, as the guys are hauling out the manure pile in his pen.

Ted found something pretty cool at the auction:

Must be from Calgary, home of the Calgary Stampede. Looks great in our rustic bathroom!

Where did this week go?

I had big plans this week.... but all for naught! I was going to haul Kai to the bigger round pen, but the road between here and there was being paved which was a PITA for waiting and driving on oil so that didn't happen. I did get on him, bareback in the round pen and he pretty much refused to do anything. Quite happy to just stand there, walk a left circle but nada to the right, didn't even want to flex his neck to the right- I had to grab right onto the halter to get him to bring his nose around. He was all "uh-uh, I don't wanna and you can't make me". If I asked him to walk forward, he backed, or stopped and put his nose on the ground. So I've pretty much decided I am not going to work him again until he has his body work done- then there will be no excuses and he'll just have to get over his attitude. He seems to be really adept at finding ways of getting out of work, so once I have him at his best physically, he is going to have to work his brown butt off. Cowboy up, Kai!
Today I have a really painful lower back, my Back on Track back brace didn't do much so I did what always helps to loosen up my back- I rode Beamer. Me and Tess and Amber did the circuit of the hay fields- and it didn't take long to rule out trotting. Which sucks, because that's my favourite. And at one point, Beamer got a little bratty and wanted to turn back for home but I got that sorted and we had a nice late afternoon amble.

The last time I had him out was September the 8th, when I took my border collie Reba for her last trail ride. It was her 13th birthday, and she is really slowing down. She has a tumour on one of her nipples, which I have been treating with Young Living's Frankincense and Clove oils, and it is about half the size now. Also, Beamer had been shedding his frog, if you recall from my posts on that, where I had to cut it away to keep dirt from getting trapped under it. It is completely gone now, and the new growth is starting.

  That foot still has a long way to go to be truly healthy but it has made major improvements over the last 2 years.
Anyway, I figured it was time to bring him out for some exercise. It was a bit cool, we had our first heavy frost last night but this morning the sunrise was fabulous.

Tomorrow, I am clerking an auction of antiques, want to bet that I come home with something?
And- Shayla will be travelling back from California tomorrow, so I hope to get a visit in with her on Monday - it'll probably take a week to hear all the stories!  Happy that I'll have my riding buddy back and hope she can help me with Kai. Another thing- the Bruce Koch clinic that I was going to had to be cancelled- Bruce got in a wreck with a horse he is training, got a rope wrapped around his leg and got dragged, so no clinics for a bit. He'll be allright, a separated shoulder and probably cracked ribs.
Goes to show that even the pros can get careless and make mistakes. Glad it wasn't any worse! That must have been a nightmare for him.
Well, you all have a wonderful weekend! Here's a parting shot from the Beamer ear cam!

Family, and Beamer

Since coming back from Calgary it has been busy here. My sister came for a visit with her 3 daughters, so of course, they all got riding lessons on Beamer every day, then the raspberries are in full flush and need picking every day, we've been making jam from them and also had to pick the cherries and made jam with them too. 17 jars of jam put up so far! I want to get some apricots and make jam with them too- and maybe blueberry.
The kids went home - they live with their dad- and my sister is living with us now, and it sure is nice to have her here! She is my youngest sister.
Beamer had another girlfriend here, this time a Paint mare- this is Pepsi:

She has some good Quarter Horse bloodlines including Peppy San and Major Bonanza. A nice mare, who is being retired from riding because of allergies causing breathing problems when she gets to working.

Really looking forward to seeing that baby! I had to list Beamer with the Paint Horse association as a breeding stallion so that the  foal can be registered.
Meanwhile, Beamer sprained his ankle- I think he either laid down too close to the fence, or caught it when rolling, I could see a diagonal mark on the outside of his cannon bone. Cold hosing, essential oils and standing wraps and he is much improved today; he could barely put weight on it 5 days ago. He's on stall rest too, but he can move around as his "stall" is 20 x 40. The kids will be back this week so they will be disappointed that they can't ride, but I will teach other horsemanship stuff with them. They were doing great with haltering and leading Kai and Josie, so more of that, and I am teaching the oldest one how to longe- using Kai, who is such a sweetheart.
We worked an auction on Saturday and I came home with a brand new still-in-the-box ice cream maker for $20, we are making ice cream today! and we also bought a car, a 1978 Oldsmobile 98 in excellent condition: one owner and never winter driven. I love those big cars! Here she is:

She drives like silk! :)

Not too bad

I only bought a couple of things at the auction, and have rehomed them already. I did good! Ted did even better, he only bought one tool. And Buttons- yes, there was a ladder in the auction, I thought of you as it was selling! Since I was clerking, I didn't take any photos, but here is one of the Roy Gene Franks print I bought, which I have already found a home for.

The big storm that hit Alberta and caused many road closures and power outages didn't affect us much here. We're down on the valley bottom, and the town of Creston is just above us. You can see the snow line in this photo I took when I turned Beamer out this afternoon.

Yes those are mud knots in his tail; it drags on the ground and I want to try and keep it clean.
By mid afternoon the wind had come howling in from the northeast (Alberta!) and Beamer was talking to me; he wanted back in his nice snug shelter!

Even the cats didn't want to be outside; when I had Foose out, he stretched up my leg, pleadingly....

and almost tripped me trying to get picked up to go back in the house.

I was supposed to go pick up Tess today, she is about done romancing her boyfriend Moss, but it's a 2 hour drive and they really got nailed with snow. Janice figured up to 2 feet with the wind drifts, so I'll likely have to wait another day or two to bring Tess home.

I bet the wind emptied the feeders, hopefully tomorrow it won't be windy, these little guys need all the help they can get!

Auction and action

Today is Auction Day, we are hosting a consignment auction, which means that our place is going to be overrun with people (shudder) but since I will be so busy clerking the auction it should go fast. The cats aren't impressed because I am keeping them locked up, due to their penchant for climbing into strange vehicles, and the dogs will be locked up too.

I have been having a lot of fun taking action photos with my telephoto lens, but I am going to try to get in a night shot for this week's Sunday Stills challenge, which means I have to read some more of the manual and figure out more of the settings. I have a really nice tripod that Ted got me for Christmas last year.

But I just can't help myself taking photos of my favorite subjects!

Struttin' their stuff

Rio and the 12 o'clock dog, Reba

and of course, Mr. Handsome hamming it up!

Oh yeah, and a glam shot of the little redhead, Josie!

Auction goodies

Ted and I worked at an auction on Saturday, and I found a few items to follow me home. I bid on a box of stuff because of a nearly new set of Wahl animal clippers in it, got the boxful for $5 and it had a few good things in it. Also got this lovely Austrian dish:

This is the makers mark on the bottom:

I googled it and apparently it's from the 1890's to 1900's. Cool!
Also got some of these:

The left one used to be a butter churn, the middle one has no bottom and the other one Ted is claiming, so I get the other two for planters.
Also got a galvanized tub with some old harness bits that came out of a mine. A good day!
And yes, we do have green and growing grass here in Canada- not all of us are getting the nasty spring storms that are hitting Alberta and the mountainous areas.
The mares are still hanging in there. I heard from Chickory's owner- she is waxing so stand by- baby pics coming soon!

A good weekend

The auction was a success, came home with a rubber water trough, a meat cutting band saw/grinder combo (just have to get my elk now!) a swivel stool for Ted's shop, a couple sheets of 3/4 inch plywood, a bale fork to fit on the tractor bucket, and a few more odds 'n' ends.
My sister went home today, here is a photo I took on the Kootenay Lake Ferry on the way home.

It was kind of a dreary day, and big white capped waves but you couldn't notice them much on that big ferry. We are supposed to get snow tonight- bah!
I bought the little Nikon Coolpix camera that I had my eye on, just a nice little pocket camera that should work fine for me for now- I'll try it out tomorrow, hopefully NOT on fresh snow!
The calves were sorted off and hauled out on Saturday; I couldn't help because I had to work the auction, but apparently Beamer thought he should be in there working; they were sorted in to the pen next to him. He loves working cows! The mama cows did a little bawling, but not too bad. It's funny, they are quiet uintil they see me walking out to do chores  and then they serenade me.

The bull is a handsome fellow, quite photogenic.

I won't get much time to work Rio until my hunting season is over, I only have until the end of the month so I need to get out every afternoon. He's looking pretty good though, his winter coat is nice and dark, and I have to show you what his heart marking is doing- it now looks like a shield inside a heart- how unique is that!

Bizzy, and a Nitro fix

We have been busy here this last week getting ready for the consignment auction that we are hosting. It starts in the morning, and Ted and I are both working  it- he's ring man and relief auctioneer, and I'm clerking. It'll be a long hot day. We have some pretty cool stuff consigned; if we buy anything I'll post photos.
Never too busy to nab a couple of Nitro photos at turn out time though!

He's 4 months old now, and after the auction I'll have more time to spend on working with him. I need to work on foot handling and standing tied- or at least he'll think he's tied, I like to have a little slip in the rope. I might get a Blocker tie for colt training. I still haven't got a good measure on his legs, have to do that soon.

He sure has lightened up, his colour is a lot like mama- but mama wasn't that colour at his age. Here is Belle now:

Sooty buckskin or smokey brown? Only a DNA test will tell. 

This photo is Coyote Belle at a few days old; she stayed this silvery black colour until she was about 5 months old then shed out nearly black. And here she is with her mama, Sundee:

None of Belle's babies have been born the same colour as she was. I wonder if she will ever throw a true black like Beamer? Ah the joys of the colour guessing game.
Off to bed now- tomorrow will be a long one!

Catch up post

Since I had such a busy weekend, I didn't have time to blog, although I did manage to read a few of yours.
Reggie went home today, and we may have to set up some playdays for him and Merle, they had a blast together. I had some requests to get a photo of both their faces- let me tell you, it wasn't easy. One would sit still, and the other would move- or they would just start rolling around like whirling dervishes. They are so cute when they play!

As you can see, Reggie is quite a bit bigger. They both played so hard that they slept well too.

A while ago, I mentioned that Ted was restoring an Armoire for Janice, so here are some start to finish photos; she picked it up on Saturday.

Here is a closeup of how it looked before Ted started- this is some of the inlay detail.

It's laying on its side in this photo, that's the base for the drawer below it.

Here it is with the sanding partially completed.

After sanding, you can see that the inlay has mother of pearl, the green and the white parts.

Ted started the oiling, using Tung oil....

which really made the detail and the wood grain pop....

et voila! The finished product. Compare this to the first two photos.

On to the auction; there were some interesting antiques there along with all the usual household and shop miscellaneous stuff. Like these two John Deere ladies bicycles, which sold for $75 each (they are worth a few hundred on Ebay):

There were plenty of old implements and steel wheels, like this potato planter-

I thought it would look good as a planter. And these rake wheels caught my eye- and a lot of other people's as well- I was thinking of a garden bench like Lisa and Linda have.

There were these old cast iron bedframes, which are apparently popular as garden planters too.

None of these items came home with us. We did get a nice coal oil lamp for $25, and some old wooden boxes and a wicker washtub stand, as well as an old whetstone on a stand, and Ted got some tools and an oxy-acetylene cart and hydraulic tank with a pump (for future use on a log splitter; we're getting too old to chop firewood!).

Yesterday it was cool enough for me to light the wood stove, I guess that sure is a sign of the beginning of fall.

Fair Photos

I submitted 6 photos for the fall fair, and I'm happy to say that two of them took first place, and two took second place. In first for domestic animals we have:

In the category of farm equipment, this one took first place:

The second place ones were this double rainbow, in local scenery:

And also, this photo of the owl we rescued, taken the day it came back and hung out in the tree for the afternoon.

The ones that didn't place were the columbine, and a photo of my nieces, which I don't have permission to put on the internet.
They had an auction this evening of local agricultural products with all the proceeds going to an Agriculture Bursary, and I bought a half ton of small square bales of horse hay for $50. So I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow!

Rio's registered, and a call to rally

When I checked the AQHA databank today, I found that Rio is now registered:

There he is, in black and white- Diamond Rio Peppy!; now I'll be checking the mail impatiently waiting for his papers.
I'm sure that many of you read MiKael's blog, MiKael's Mania and know about the hardship she is facing with her health crisis. They aren't asking for help, but I would like to do what I can for them. What I am doing, is offering one of my original drawings for sale by blog auction. This drawing is one I did for my dad, years ago, and it has come back to me because he is now in extended care. The way this will work is, if you want to put a bid in on it, leave a comment with what you would be willing to pay; all of the money will go to MiKael, and I will pay the shipping charges to whoever purchases it. I'll put this on my sidebar to make it easy to find for those who wish to top someone else's bid.

Here is the drawing:

It is matted and framed, but I would have to remove the glass to ship it. It is pen and ink. This is an original; no prints have ever been made from it, it's one of a kind.
Please pass this on, the more money we raise the better. The basic principle is the same as a silent auction. Bidding will close on Friday, July 22, at 3 PM Pacific time.

Pups, Peppy, and Auction updates

Now that the auction is over, I have a little time for my blog, and catching up on yours. The auction went well, no major problems and the rain held off until the last hour- of course, that was when we were selling the stuff outside of the building- go figure! I bought a couple of things- a handmade barnboard cupboard that is going in my tack room, and a hall table - pictures in a day or so! Ted bought an antique dresser, some birch firewood, and an old oak tabletop that needs a pedestal built for it.

I have had some email updates on two of Tess's pups from their owners.

This is Corb,

and what they say about him:

we’ve starting obedience training with Mary Lane here in Cranbrook. He’s so clever! After the first meet and greet he had it all figured out! Look at those eyes, he’s so sweet and those freckles...we all just love him to bits!

He was a very sweet boy, and I'm glad his people love him as much as I did!

The lady who has the one I called Chad, renamed him Henry, and this is what she had to say about him:

I have been meaning to write for a while and update you on Henry. He's doing great! He has so much energy but is calm and obedient in the house. He is getting quite tall. He is over 30 lbs now and still growing.

So far all the folks who have Tess's pups are loving them; just check out Janice's blog and Jenn's blog- Kali and Abby are both doing great and are waaaay too cute!

The fellow I get my hay from has 2 of the boy pups, and says that they are already trying to help him with moving cattle. I think I'm pretty happy with the cross of Tess and Moss, and I have three orders for pups so far, if I get 3 more I'll probably breed Tess again next year.

I got an email from the lady I sold Peppy to- for those of you new to my blog, Peppy is the colt called Choctaw Peppy on my sidebar, that I sold last year; he's Velvet's full brother.

Here is the story on him:

Pepper is doing real well; spent 3 months at the trainer - Daryl Cartier. I think he did a great job.  One of my boarders (actually two - mother and daughter) fell in love with Pepper the first time they saw him and got to know him. It wasn't an easy decision to sell him but Kymber, the daughter, will use him more than I and she wants to show him English and Western. The horse and rider are both so young and it is a bit of a concern.

 She's a good little rider, 14, and seems to be able to handle him real well. He will stay here with me and I can help her with colt issues. He's a good mover, with a nice easy lope. He's quiet and a little stubborn at times - a colt.  They follow your blog also and would be tickled to see you post her picture and the news that they now own him. My heart is a little heavy though. 

So all in all, I think I have a small but successful breeding program for both my dogs and horses- and by the way Kai is doing well, I'll be sure to get some photos of him soon with his new buddy, a Fjord weanling.

And just a quick note from Beamer:

There's snow on them thar mountaintops! 

Which means I have to make sure he has his blanket on at night, and lots of hay for him to share with his buddy Url; they now share the shelter, which is kinda cute.