Thursday, October 27, 2016

Tripping down Memory Lane




dueling selfies

They say we're #3 in the running for wettest on record Octobers...with a good chance of becoming #1. Oh boy.

October remains one of my three favorite months of the year.  In many cases when summer ends and the temperatures drop to a crisp, dry and cool phase - oh my!  Just glorious!  And if we're really fortunate, we get a good frost and enjoy what we call Indian Summer.  But that doesn't happen very often in Oregon and I really don't recall in recent years when it has.  So, what we have going on now is the opposite.  We're warm and wet.  Very wet.  Not much to do about it, so we just roll with what is.
We haven't really been doing much lately it seems.  Nothing exciting anyway.  But we did have a load of wood delivered last week and spent some time Sunday morning stacking it in the wood shed.  It looks great!  Satisfies that primeval need of mine to store this time of year.  It's mostly fir with a little bit of maple for good, hot fires.  In a week or two, we'll get another cord delivered, but this time it will be a mix of Maple and Alder, harder woods for slow burning and banking fires overnight. Hmmm, I love heating with wood, there's really nothing quite like it.  Our pellet stove is still on the fritz and is in need of one of two fans, which costs roughly $250 to replace.  This will be fan #3 if we decide to go that route.  However, we've been eyeballing those electric fireplace/media centers for a while now.  For an average 500-600 for a good one, that heats about 400 sq. ft. we could just replace the pellet stove and not have to buy wood pellets anymore.  One less thing.  Besides, if the power goes out (which is rarely does), the pellet stove doesn't work either.  Both require electricity, which is why we initially installed the wood stove.  We always have a source of heat, light and a cooking surface if we're without power.  And like I said, nothing feels better than wood heat.  It's the best.  But for the living room area, it feels a bit on the chilly side without the addition of something more in that room.  I would love to have one with a mantle look that could be decorated for Christmas.  I'm not really much of a seasonal decorator, but I do enjoy Christmas.  Anyway, we'll see.  There's never an end of ways to spend our money.  :)



Took Eags to the inside arena Tuesday evening for a ride and once again, he really didn't want to get in the trailer.  This has been going on for a while now, and started when we tried to load him behind Ladde the first time.  Ladde was making a racket, spooked Eagle who made a hasty exit, and since then he's decided the trailer is not his happy place.  Hoping this is just a phase...another phase.  He doesn't do anything silly or dangerous, just decides he'd really rather not load, and makes you ask over and over, and really convince him that it's in his best interest to load up.  You can tell from his actions - he only does it because I keep asking.  He does it for me.  So I can hardly get mad, we just keep asking and then all of a sudden he just steps in.  Certainly slows things down though.

So anyway, we arrive and Eags is a bit jumpy.  We saddle up and do a little warm-up on the ground and then I mount up.  We did a lot of walking around, bending and flexing, backing and direction changes.  We also did a fair amount of just sitting there watching this mean girl ride her poor horse.  Around and around and around the arena galloping full speed while asking for a lot of collection.  It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut, and not yell out, was she preparing for a marathon or something with all that galloping when her horse was obviously tired, very winded and kept asking for a break?  Yes, asking and quite respectfully in my opinion.  But the dumb, ruthless, young and clueless gal just extends her arms out to the side like airplane wings and repeatedly and with a fair amount of force, jerks her horse into submission by way of the mouth.  Too much collection and too much speed.  Not a good combination for the mare.  God, I seriously could have whacked her across the head for the way she was treating her horse!  Just chaps my butt to see harsh and very poor horsemanship in practice, with absolutely no consideration for the animal who's carrying your big butt all around the arena.  Pretty much distracted me for the better part of our time there.  I just couldn't focus on doing anything with that person galloping around and around and around the arena like that.  I did watch her intently though, hoping that through mental telepathy, she'd get a clue and have some compassion on her mare.  Stupid, mean girl!

That was the first time I've been on Eagle in over a month, and I was feeling rather timid.  He didn't do anything that should have worried me, other than rooting with his nose at the probable boredom of our walking around without much intent.  I've pretty much figured out that when this happens, it helps a lot just to encourage more forward with my legs, and when he quits, we relax and go back to walk.  It's his choice, root and move.  Not root, relax.  But like I said, I was completely distracted and just could not focus on my horse.  So after maybe 45 minutes or so, I'd had enough.  We left the arena with mean girl still galloping mindlessly around in circles.  Ack!

I have a confession.  I haven't been doing my yoga either.  I want to, but I just don't seem to have the motivation to get my lazy butt out of the warm bed and do it.  I know.  It's a pitiful excuse.  I haven't given up the idea of it just yet, and hope to get back into it.  I kinda suck at it.  *sigh*  And it's been warm enough to sleep with my bedroom window open at night, and listening to those raindrops falling gently outside just lulls me back to dreamy land...

How's that for an excuse!?

I know.  Pretty bad huh?

My hubby spent a little time tripping down Memory Lane the other day, so I thought I might share just a few of the pics he sent to me on my phone...why not?  It's still raining outside.  I got nothing better to do and it's always good to remember those we've loved who are no longer with us, and all the good times we've shared.

Kadie and me at Joe Graham, near Timothy Lake




Harley and me at a Ray Hunt clinic in Newberg, Oregon
Ray was answering my question below.


Harley, me, Ray and my sister Lilly


Aahh, the beautiful Harley as a weanling, Ladde's butt and our little dog, Toby.
This is where our barn now stands. 

Ladde and me in Central Oregon near Sisters & Sheep Springs.  Same area we just visited recently.


Ladde & me.  Ladde was a yearling here.


Kadie & Ladde...few days old here.  My how he's changed!


Ladde's good life


Britt on Bo...and my precious daddy in the background


My dear friend Kelly and her kiddos with Bo at Flying M.
Both kids are married now, Brittney has 2 little girls of her own.  Time flys!

Ladde as a big weanling.  Maybe 7 months and already 15 hands


A long time ago, at least 35 years ago.  Flex on the right, my childhood horse who I lived on, and her beautiful daughter, Bo.

After a bad forest fire near Sisters, Oregon

Beloved Scooter, Harley's pretty momma, and Ladde's paternal grandma


Whoa dude!  Some cowgirl huh?  Kadie at 7-8 years old.

Lots of good horses, good times and good people.

Wonderful memories!  


10 comments:

Grey Horse Matters said...

I give you a lot of credit for not saying anything to that idiot girl who was obviously abusing her horse. I might have said something to her...in a nice way of course and not let her know what was really in my mind.

Love all the memory pictures. You look great in the hat in the last picture, quite the fancy cowgirl! Time does fly but at least we're having fun.

DJan said...

I too love to take trips into Yesterday-Land occasionally. Sometimes it's hard to see those again who have gone, but it also gives me a sense of peace now and then. :-)

T.L. Merrybard said...

Brilliant! Loved seeing those! You guys have had some truly wonderful horses. So lucky, but also you deserved them by being wonderful owners! :)

T.L. Merrybard said...

I did the gallopy aroundy thing once with a horse. She was ex polocrosse, and brain-fried. We got such a long way in other aspects of riding and handling, but try as I might, with lots of gentle exercises and ideas, I couldn't get her to settle in canter. Someone suggested that if I put her on a circle and let her run it out she might learn that she didn't have to be so stressy, but it didn't work and even though all I did was sit passively and hope she would tire and relax in her own time, I felt too awful to try it again. Not saying that is what the girl was doing but if it was, I can tell her it doesn't work. :P

Linda said...

OMG, my first horse was a leopard appy named Scooter! He was a gelding though. I loved your memory lane photos. I was digging through my DVDS the other day and found one by Ray Hunt called Colt Starting! I've been watching it. It goes along with my new found philosophy of letting my horse go a little bit--really encouraging independent thinking and partnership. You were so lucky to train with him in person. Seeing all those photos confirmed that you have a lot of skill and training as a horsewoman. You can handle whatever Eagle does. I've had to remind myself of the same thing working with Leah. I was worried to give her head, but the worst thing she does is get into a trot and circle back. I've just ride it and eventually we're moving the direction I'd asked in the first place. I just have to have faith that she is a smart enough horse that she will learn it only makes more work to be disagreeable and we may as well partner up. I kind of think you and I are at the same juncture with our horses.

Lori Skoog said...

Loved seeing all those old photos!
I would have trouble keeping my mouth shut of someone was treating their horse that way.
It sounds like the Sacramento area has had a lot of rain too...we are ok here for the moment and have had many fires going in the wood stove.
Thanks for checking in.


Gail said...

Thanks for my horse fix. I needed one!

Great pictures throughout time.

aurora said...

Loved going down memory lane, such great photos full of treasured memories!! It's so hard to watch how some people handle their animals, or humans for that matter. Such sad disrespect for living things, breaks a persons heart.

weekend-windup said...

Cute selfies! Nice to see your photos!

Unknown said...

So lucky, but also you deserved them by being wonderful owners! :)


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