I'm still here

 I guess I have kind of been AWOL the last couple of weeks. It has been a rather trying time. First, one of my husband's best friends passed away. We were not able to go to his funeral. It was very tough watching his health deteriorate so quickly.

Then you all remember Mel, who bought Eli? Her husband passed away unexpectedly and that has been very hard. We still don't know the cause. Again, we were not able to go to his funeral. 

Then there are all the cases on the Covid Adverse Reaction Testimonies site where people are sharing the devastating effect of the jabs that people are willingly taking and how some people are shamed into agreeing to do something that is an unknown and experimental procedure. So please don't anyone tell me how safe it is to put your faith in an experimental gene therapy and how horrible people are for not wanting to get jabbed.  Millions of people have had their lives radically changed from the jab agenda. I am so fed up with people spreading hate and blame. And don't even get me started on medical apartheid. Did we not learn anything from the last century? How did we go from In God We Trust to in Bill Gates We Trust?

I think it's time for the God Reset, not the Great Reset. 

Ok rant over.

Back to our regularly scheduled program......

Nitro went to a new home yesterday.

He is going to a roping family who host jackpots and roping schools so it looks like he will be helping a new bunch of youth learn the ropes (pun intended!) 

I couldn't ask for a better ambassador for my breeding program. 

A sad and blustery day

Friday the 13th - not such a great day here. First, I attended the funeral of a lady who lived down the road from us at our last place. She was 60 years old. Remember that wind storm I told you about that flattened the mare shelter? I guess she was out in it, doing chores perhaps. Her hay is outside, stored under a tarp and they found her there, it seems one of the poles holding up the hay had hit her, and a large bale had fallen on her. This story makes me so sad, you never know when your hour has come, and it emphasises the need for safety at all times. I hounded my husband when we moved here to build me a hay shed off the barn, not just to preserve the hay from the weather but because it is so much safer; less risk of bales falling. Of course, if you have small square bales, it can still be dangerous if they aren't stacked right and you have to take them from the pile in a way that preserves the integrity and stability of the pile. There are so many things to be safety conscious of with livestock and especially so in bad weather.
Speaking of weather, we are getting a blast of arctic air today with the wind howling and blowing gritty bits of snow. Beamer got his blanket back on and I fed the girls and Drifter in the foaling shelter, which has 3 sides closed in, and is only 15 ft. long. It's a good thing they get along in close quarters; Drifter is always between the two mares and they seem to be fine with that.

Drifter is as tall as Gussie at the hip now but still has to catch up at the shoulder

This nasty weather is supposed to continue until tomorrow afternoon, then we will be back in the sunshine and back to working horses.

Trying to keep normal

There is an eerie stillness in the air tonight, even though there is a breeze. It's like the feeling of waiting for something to happen. Even the birds are silent and in hiding.

The smoke from the fire south of us fills the valley, and you can taste the smell, if you know what I mean.

Looking south towards the fire.

There is no way I would ride in this dense of smoke and compromise the horse's lungs. My lungs are having enough difficulty.
We hired a fellow in need to paint the round pen for us; grey it is, although I will add a touch of red to the uprights and cross bars of the gate.

It's a work in progress.

Beamer has been having difficulty with his arthritis. I have tried several different products to no avail, so I'm going herbal. After some research, I have opted for a blend of burdock root and dandelion root tea poured over a couple of cups of alfalfa pellets, along with some nettles and a bit of black cumin seed oil. Topped off with apple cider vinegar to disguise any bitterness from the burdock and dandelion- Beamer does like ACV. 

He approves- he licked it clean.

 I sure hope this gives him some relief. I hate seeing him hurting. 

I spent sometime today online, keeping up with the news from south central B.C. where wild fires are raging out of control. There are reports of livestock being lost, and several frantic people trying to get their horses and other creatures out of harms way. Some people have lost their homes, and all their winter's hay in a year when hay is hard to find. The Facebook community is rallying , and people from all over are offering sanctuary for displaced families and animals, and hay donations are being rallied. Rescue efforts are under way but it will be some time before the full story of the devastation caused by the Rock Creek fire will be told. Right now the highway is closed.

Photo credit: Chris Knight

Meanwhile, more fires are being reported in the area, in one place a fire truck and crew was trapped and requested air support - no further news there yet. Towns and farm are being evacuated. My husband has family in one of the towns that is being evacuated tonight.  People with horses are opening their gates and letting the horses out- roads are closed so I think they are hoping the horses will find their own safety. There are already groups being organized to help find animals after the fire has passed or is contained enough for search parties.
My heart is hurting for all the people who have or will have lost their homes, their livelihood, and their animals. Fire is so unforgiving and indiscriminate. And it's a long way from being over, we are just getting into the hottest part of summer.
My husband and I are supposed to be driving through that area next weekend on our way to a wedding in Kelowna; if the roads are open. I would rather help with rescue efforts than go to a wedding.
God bless and keep safe all the firefighters and the people in harm's way.

Stella Belle Peppy April 3 2013-September 23 2013

There's a big hole in my heart.
Stella is no longer with us. I had to make "that call" on Monday.
I am not going to go into details because I don't know all the answers yet to the inevitable questions, just suffice to say that it was neurological and it was quick (27 hours from onset to no hope left) and ugly. I am awaiting the results of a neuro panel blood test.
This is my tribute to the horse that I thought would be my heart horse, my companion and dream horse, the one I waited years for.

Birthday, April 3rd

She knew she was mine.

I loved to watch her bust out her dance moves.....

I nicknamed her Stella the Stalker because she would follow close behind me

She brought me joy just watching her.....

My beautiful, perfect Stella Belle.

Forever in my heart.

Bad dog people and good dog people

There was an incident on the road in front of our place today. Carol's daughter came to pick out her puppy, and just after she turned into our driveway, there was a person in a big pickup truck, who was running his pit bulls, one on a leash out the drivers window, and one running free; these dogs were running flat out, and guess what? Smart fella ran over his own dog, the one on the leash. I'm not going to say any more about it, except that the dog is dead.

On a better note, we had a good visit with "J" and she decided on girl#3, whom I call Ruby. This'll be a great home for this pup! Carol's dog Jess is a half sister to Tess, and they just love her, so I hope this pup will be just as lovable for them (Not much doubt!)

How's this for a family portrait:

Ruby has the cutest white-tipped ears.

Sorry about the blurry photo; do you have any idea how hard it is to get photos of squirmy wiggly pups? We're hoping she'll have one blue eye.

Horse killers arrested

The killing of wild horses in the Sundre, Alberta area has been going on for years, and FINALLY there has been an arrest after the most recent shooting. Here is the story from CBC news.

Caution- photo may disturb some folks.

Alberta trio accused of shooting wild horse

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 | 7:54 PM MT

CBC News

A yearling colt was one of three horses found dead near Sundre in April 2009. (Courtesy Wild Horses of Alberta Society)

Two men and a teenager have been charged with shooting a wild horse in southern Alberta.

Jason Nixon, 29, Earl Anderson, 40, and a 13-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, face one criminal charge each of willfully killing a horse and careless use of a firearm.

Mustard Seed, a well known Calgary social agency, has confirmed in a statement that the two men are associated with its Mountain Aire Lodge near Sundre.

RCMP in Sundre announced charges against the trio on Wednesday.

Although police have been investigating the shooting deaths of wild horses in the Sundre area since 2007, the three are only charged in the death of one horse.

"We believe that there is a group of individuals that are doing these shooting of horses," said Sgt. Patrick Webb of the RCMP.

"These particular sets of charges are only dealing with one single incident of that. But we are certainly investigating all the other ones at the same time," he said. "All of these horses are wild horses, which for one reason or another are available or released into the area that's west of Sundre."

The horse was killed sometime between May and October of 2009, Webb said.

The Wild Horses of Alberta Society is relieved to hear about the arrests.

"This has been ongoing for a long, long time," said spokesman Bob Henderson.

"Since our group has been formed, there has been over 30 killings or around 30 killings that we know about, and it's also gone on long before that. So whether they've caught everybody, I don't think so, but at least there's some progress being made," he said.

Arrests welcomed

The RCMP and Fish and Wildlife officials are also pleased to have made some arrests, Webb said.

"The shooting of these horses has been going on since about 2007 and the RCMP members and the Fish and Wildlife member there are very satisfied to get this one particular charge and hopefully additional charges in these crimes."

All three of the people charged are from the Sundre area and will be in court on March 1. Charges are pending against another man from the Calgary area, police said.

Nixon is also charged with assaulting a witness to a wildlife infraction and uttering threats to a fish and wildlife officer, according to police.

$25,000 reward offered for tips

More than 22 wild horses have been killed in Alberta over the last four years — most of them in the Sundre area.

Despite a $25,000 reward from the Wild Horses of Alberta Society, this is the first time police have laid charges in connection with the death of a wild horse.

The Alberta government estimates there are about 300 feral horses in the Sundre area. Provincial biologists don't consider them true wildlife because they originated from domestic horses used in logging and mining operations in the early 1900s.

Horses were often turned loose or escaped, leading to several generations of offspring that still live in the area. In recent decades, some feral horses have been abandoned by their owners.

Anyone convicted of killing cattle or feral horses faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison under Canada's Criminal Code.

Me'n'Beamer

Today was cattle sorting day. Unfortunately we got the bad news that Bill Conrad suffered a severe stroke and is hospitalized in Alberta. We wish him a full and speedy recovery and our heartfelt sympathy to his family.

So, without our mentor, we did the best we could. Since only 4 people showed up, we opted for cutting practice- 2 for turnback, 2 for herd holders, and one to work. It worked out quite well and we had a lot of fun. Ted showed up and took photos, so guess what- you finally get to see me on the B Boy!

The youngster on the sorrel was holding herd. These are the roping cattle we use, hence the horns. Beamer loves this job, and frequently he'd be watching for escapees while I was watching the girls ride. Ted said if one got away that Beamer was watching and I wasn't, he'd swish his tail at it,which is what he was doing in this photo:

That horse is Cowy! We got some nice moves from some of the cattle and Beamer is learning that if he stays with the cow, I don't haul on his face or get after him with my legs. ( I gots strong legs, and he knows it!)

We both had a lot of fun. I sure hope I can take a cutting clinic this year, or some lessons. With Bill out of commission, I might have to travel to do that.

Sunday Stills

I am only posting one photo this week for the challenge of a photo that will bring out an emotion in the viewer. The earthquake in Haiti was so devastating and brought about such tragedy that I think the other photos I had to post are just frivolous in comparison.

I'm supplying a link here to a blog from a woman who has been in Haiti since 1995 and runs a rescue center for sick children; she has many photos and stories of the devastation.

Feature Mr Jess dies

The great sire, Feature Mr Jess was euthanized on Wednesday because of complications due to laminitis. The sire of the great filly Heartswideopen and many other champions was only 11 years old. This is a great loss for the quarter horse racing industry as he was in the prime of his career as a sire.

Lest We Forget

Here's to the heroes who gave their lives

helping others

Who struggled through the horror of that day,

and reached deep within themselves, and learned how to pray.

Here's to the victims who died that day

For someone's political agenda, with their lives they paid.

May God have mercy on their souls.