Sun, Camera....Action!

Yay, it warmed up today and was a gorgeous sunny day. I went out to get some action stills for the Sunday Stills Challenge and couldn't help but to take some videos to share with you! So here you are, my handsome B-Boy in full flight:

Then I went up to play with the youngsters and they put on a special performance just for you:

I put the dogs in the feeder to keep them out of the way. Guess you could say, dog in the manger!It was a fun day. Tomorrow should be warm enough to ride, I'm hoping to ride Sassy. She sure is looking pretty!

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.

Staying warm....

There isn't much we could do today, so it was a day to snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie. Well, apparently there was no room for me on the couch! Tess loves to cuddle upside down, and Bubby always lays claim to Ted's belly.
They weren't about to give up their comfy spots for me! So I was on the love seat, and I thought this view was hilarious:

They stayed all cuddled up for the whole movie. Time now to go back outside for the evening chores; the birds cleaned up all the seeds in the birdfeeder, so I have to fill it again. The horses seem to not be bothered by the cold, and they do have a deep-bedded shelter to lie in. They are sure going through the hay in this weather though!

-30 Again!

So today it's -30C (-22F) again. I'm about to head out to the horses to do chores, and made sure to top up the bird feeders first thing this morning. They were in the trees waiting for me and as soon as I went in the house they descended in flocks, happily feeding on the black-oil Sunflower seeds. I'm thinking of Sherry from Fern Valley Appaloosas sitting on the beach in Mexico, soaking up the sun, and all my blogger friends who live in sunny climes (Mikey, Kris, etc) and wishing I was there too! Oh well, winter won't last forever- it just seems like it. This has been a colder than normal winter and that's what drags it out. We are seriously considering moving to a more temperate climate, as my husband suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder Syndrome (SADS)- which is basically winter depression. You folks down south wouldn't know about that, but it is common in Canada. So to cheer me up, here is a picture from last summer to brighten up my day!

Lobelia, dianthus, alyssum, carnations....come on spring!

Wordless Wednesday- bird video

The old barn

For W.O.W. Here is the rest of the barn featured in my Sunday Silence post. In behind it is their new indoor arena- the old and the new, side by side. The tie stalls in the old barn are used for the draft teams.

This is the old homestead cabin at Anchor D (with my neice, Bridget). It's over 100 years old and is still used as a bunkhouse for the wranglers.

And this is the lovely log house they built a few years ago. If you ever want to go on a trail ride in the Canadian Rockies, they are the ones to book with. My husband and I went on their 7 day Great Divide ride for our honeymoon. It was awesome- breathtaking scenery, some challenging rides, fishing in the high mountain lakes, even boot skiing down ice flows! They have rides for every level of rider from beginner to expert. Great food, and music around the campfire to finish the days!

Posting comments

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Sunday Silence

Fun in the Sun

Well, family and friends are heading to Mexico for their version of fun in the sun, so I thought I'd share with you my version fun in the sun, Canadian winter style!

He was showing off for his girls! After I finished chores, I saddled him up and went riding for about an hour. We went up our favourite trail, explored a little, soaking up the sunshine. Reba and Tess came along, although Reba has trouble keeping up these days, Tess keeps pace, trotting along in the shadow cast by Beamer and me. Ahhhh, a good horse to ride, a sunny day, peaceful trails, and good dogs for company.....what more could I ask! What's that you say? A daiquiri on the sand by the ocean? Tropical sun and ocean breezes? But then I'd have to fly to get there, and I hates flyin'!

Trailer lesson #2

Peppy got his second lesson in trailer loading today, and from the looks of this video, I don't have to do any more on this. Such a good boy!

Little darlin's

It warmed up enough today to muck out the horse shelters and put fresh straw in. Peppy and Chickory were very cute, sharing the salt block. Coyote Belle's baby was kicking up a storm in her belly, so I checked her udder and guess what!

Yup, she is starting to build a bag!

Now the watching and waiting begins! Her due date is April 8, but this is her first baby, so who knows? 320 days will be March 26, so any time after that is baby time! I think I'll start a pool for date and time sometime in early March-watch for a future post on that!

Now that I know Peppy is leaving I am trying to get more photos of his fuzzy little self to share with you. And of course, we have a certain little blonde camera hog!

A sucessful weekend

Sunday the farrier came out and trimmed up all the horses. I am really proud of little Chickory, she let a stranger handle her, and she was very good for him, didn't struggle at all- just stood there quietly for him. All my horses stand quietly for their pedicures; my farrier said he wishes I'd do the groundwork on all the colts he trims. It was nice to get a compliment. It's also nice to have a farrier who is on time and reliable as well as doing a great job!

We will be saying farewell to Peppy next month. He will be going to Saskatchewan in March. A lady who was interested in him last summer will be his new owner, and she hopes to do some reining on him. Nice Valentines gift for her! Fitting because he has that heart shaped star.

He sure was a cute baby! I will have his full sibling later on this year; even though I sold his dam, I am buying back the foal she is carrying. Can't wait to see what she throws this year; I'm betting on a red roan filly. Coyote Belle is due in 7 weeks, and I'm hoping for a black colt from her. Now we just need the weather to cooperate- it is stupid cold again here!

Sunday Silence

For my Sweetheart

Happy St. Valentines day to you all and especially for my husband,the light of my life.

We were married in 1996, and we are truly happily married. The measure of a happy marriage is not so much the good times you have together but how you weather the hard times, and how you grow in character together. So many people cannot reconcile differences and give up instead of working together. As my friend John Boe would say, it's all about compromise, and good management. And it is important every day to tell each other, I love you- and say it from the bottom of your heart. So Ted, in front of the whole world, thank you for being my sweetheart, and I love you.

Trailer loading

Woke up to -21C (-6F) this morning, and it only warmed up to -9C (16F) so since it was too darn cold to ride, I decided to give the youngsters a trailer loading lesson. I have a wide open stock type trailer which is great for teaching the youngsters to load; they don't feel claustrophobic in it. So here, in pictures, is how it went:

Hmmmm, you say you want me to go in there? I dunno.....

(thinks about it for about 5 minutes while I tap his butt whenever he moves away from the trailer.)

Yeah, OK, I can do this!

(I loaded him two more times and he just hopped in both times. )

Then it was Chickory's turn. Apparently she has complete trust in me; because she hopped in with no hesitation.

Anything boys can do, girls can do better!

Is this where you wanted me?

Note to self, get Chickory a new halter! I loaded her 3 times too. And then, because Sassy is up for sale, I videoed her loading.

No problem! So a cold day turned out to be a productive day, even if I didn't get to ride.

Riding Sassy-Videos

Today I had my third ride on Sassy. Remember that my rides on her are very short, so that the total riding time I have on her is less than 15 minutes. I think she is doing very well, and she feels good when I am on her- soft and willing, even when she is mouthing the bit she still comes back to me when I ask. Gotta love video for critiquing my own riding! If you look, in the first video, when I go to get on my toe pokes her leg, so she steps out; when I move my foot forward she stands quietly like she should. Note to self- slow my hands down!

Shootin' the moon

How's everyone doing with next week's Sunday Stills Challenge photos of the moon? I was working at the Auction Market tonight and the moon came up all orange, so I had the chance to take some photos of it. I don't have a good telephoto, so I used my flash and framed the moon with tree branches to give it some depth. Some of them aren't too bad. I also got some last night that are totally different than the ones I got tonight. I am really enjoying this, maybe tomorrow I'll get some more. If you haven't participated in the Sunday Stills Challenge and want to try, go to Sunday Stills where each Sunday, Ed tells us what the next challenge is. Then you have a week to take your photos, and on Sunday, post them on your blog - then go over to the Sunday Stills Challenge post and leave a comment with a link to your blog saying that you have posted yours. It's a lot of fun, and it is a good way to see some new blogs.
And no, you don't get to see what I took until Sunday!

I ear I have an award!

I received this odd looking award from Back at the Ranch. She makes some very lovely jewelry, if you haven't visited her, go check it out.

I pass it forward to some of the artistic bloggers I love to follow:

Aussie Oklahoma over at Trapper Creek Daughter who is very talented with the camera;

Barb at A Cowboy's Wife for her writing, which can make us rejoice or move us to tears;

and to Sarah at Scary's West for the terrific photography of Montana .

'Ears to all of you talented people out there!

Sunday Silence -Reflections

Picture meme

I've been tagged with a picture meme by my friend Tom in Vegas. Here are the directions sweet and simple: go to your photo files and find the fourth photo from the fourth folder and then post it.

Suprise, suprise, it was a picture of Beamer! This one was taken a year and a half ago when we lived south of Whitecourt, Alberta.

I tag Sherry at Fern Valley Appaloosas who has lots of pictures, past and present of the horses in her life;

Janice at Own a Morgan lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of British Columbia,

Jenn at Green Slobber on my Shirt,

and new blogger, my friend Carol at All the Pretty Horses.