Making summer memories

One of our favorite summer pastimes is spending a leisurely day on the beach.  It not only quiets the soul and soothes the mind, but refreshes both body and spirit.  There's just nothing like it...

And of course the dogs enjoy it immensely.

Seems like anywhere we go, Ruby meets old, dear friends.  She has such an open and amicable attitude, that people and animals find her inviting.  This day was no exception.

Strangers but only a moment ago; playmates and pals forevermore.  If only people were so open and welcoming in spirit, our world would be a much more pleasant place.

What fun!

With the mild climate and ample moisture, flowers grow with wild abandon.  Aren't they beautiful?

My precious little family.  :)

My desire is to as closely as possible, duplicate some of these soft, tranquil beachy colors for our bedroom and use the same creamy white for the trim as I've used in other rooms of our house.

Yes, one more of those many projects that are continually swimming around in my head.

My beautiful girl.  How I love this dog!

Isn't this a great shot?  Oh, how I would love a little beach cottage with a trail leading down to the beach, just like this one!

We love to take walks through little beach town neighborhoods admiring the cottages, the gardens and the ingenious and whimsical decorative ideas people come up with.

These two friendly fellows were just quietly watching us on our stroll...aren't they just adorable?  :)

Beautiful hydrangeas!  I do believe they grow better at the beach than just about anywhere.  Just incredible!!

And then of course, we always find beauty right in our own backyards.  This familiar site always gives my heart a flutter, and a reason to whisper a little prayer of thankfulness.  Our wonderful ponies, safe and sound.

With our summer drawing to a close, and the touch of cool autumn breezes beckoning, I always feel a sense of urgency.  The deep inward need to hurry and enjoy, before our days shorten and the fall rains arrive.  I want to take in all that our summer has left to offer and not waste one precious moment of it.

Already my thoughts are turning to cozy fires by the wood stove, making sure our stockpile of firewood is aplenty, storing the flavors of summer for our enjoyment later, securing bedding for the horses and of battening down the hatches in preparation for the shorter days and colder temperatures.  My tendency to "squirrel" for the winter is beginning...

Last night a friend and I canned peaches.  24 beautiful quarts of summer sunshine.  Applesauce and zuchini won't be far behind.  We're thinking about buying either a quarter or possibly a half of a beef from another friend.  With more concerns about our nation's food supply and the safety of it, purchasing from small, organic farms and people we know personally, is just a little more insurance that what food we put into our bodies is a healthy and safe choice.

What end of summer traditions do you have, or do you?  Do tell...

Blessings all,
Lorie @ Cingspots

Enjoying the bounty of harvest

Officially we're 2/3 of the way through summer.  This is what's commonly referred to as, "the dog days of summer".  I'm not sure why exactly, but I've always thought that by this time a lot of people are a little tired of the heat and the dryness that accompanies this time of year.  I absolutely love fall, it's my favorite time of year, but...I'm not quite ready to let go of summer just yet!  So despite the school calendar, I'm officially and unapologetically going to relish these long, hot days and warm nights while they last.  And besides, I've only begun to harvest my garden tomatoes!  Such a short growing season for my favorite garden crop...

The other day I caught Ladde doing a little harvesting of his own...

Diving in for a thorough assessment of exactly where those apples are to be found.

Then the look of non-nonchalance.  More than likely, for my benefit.  :)

Then when the coast is clear - go for it!

Pay-off!!

And maybe just one more...a little bit higher this time!

Score!!!  

I missed the really good shot of when he was actually standing on his hind legs alone going for the choicest apples; way up high!  He's quite the horse.  The other day I saw him actually schooling Lil Missy on the finer points in how to pick plums.  Then he stood guard and watched her, while she put her lessons into practice.  Quite the team!  They are a match made in heaven.  :)

As for me, I'm not doing any jams this year.  We still have plenty of strawberry, peach, marionberry and wild blackberry to last us a while.  I did put sliced strawberries and some blueberries in the freezer, along with some peaches.  This weekend we're canning our favorites.  Peaches!!!  I absolutely cannot face a long, wet, cold and dreary winter without freshly canned peaches.  Yum!  Frozen peaches are alright for cooking with, and for smoothies, but nothing beats my home-canned beauties.  Nosiree!

Blessings and prayers for some dear friends who continue to face troubling times...love you Miss B!

A little of this and a little of that

Whew!  Summer is just buzzing along isn't it?  We've been busy, busy, busy and I've been MIA from my blog for about 2 months now!  How time flies just continues to amaze me!  I've no good excuse really, just haven't been around much lately on the old computer.  As my grandma used to say, I've been busier than a one-legged man in an ass kickin' contest!  :)  I'll bet so many of you can relate to that sentiment.

I've been horse camping, working with my horses around home, working at the clinic, spending time with my grand kids, taking the dogs swimming, hiking, gardening, got all our winter's supply of hay in the barns, going to summer fairs and spending glorious time at the beach.  We're taking Eagle to a horsemanship clinic tomorrow and then we'll be heading to the beach for another one-nighter and heading home Sunday afternoon.  The last couple of summers we've done very little besides work, so we're determined to make up for it this summer and enjoy the warm days while we can.  The work will always be waiting for us when we return.  Thankfully, we probably won't have to do any wood cutting this year because we have pretty much enough wood in our storage to last this coming winter.  That's a blessing!

Rather than prattle endlessly on about our recent activities, I'd rather show you a sampling of what we've been doing.  Pictures say it so much better than my words ever could.

 My new front door.  We're hoping to build a cute little porch right here before winter comes...so many projects, so little time.  That reminds me, I don't think I've ever posted the before and after pictures of our kitchen/laundry room remodel.  Another time...

 A beautiful team of horses pulling an antique fire truck.  This was at the Newberg Old Fashioned Day Festival parade.

My sweet great-great niece, Lilly.  She is a lovely child, just 3 years old, but much more mature and wise than her age...she carries on full, adult-like conversations with just about anybody.  I'm anxious to introduce her to the wonderful world of horses.  She's quite the animal lover...

The fireworks display in Newberg was once again, nothing short of incredible!  We had front row seating on the grass.

One of the trail heads where we were horse camping last weekend at Santiam Horse Camp.  Quite the Cadillac of horse camps.  I rode Lil Miss (Sugar), and she is one fun little mare to ride

 I'm pretty sure Ruby and Annie were saying, "we're quite comfortable, thanks!"  "where are you guys gonna sleep?"  :)  These are our current sleeping accommodations since we sold our big, cushy horse trailer last April.  I have to admit that I miss that wonderfully luxurious bed we used to enjoy, but these fit the bill quite nicely.

My precious and beautiful Ladde.  My hubby rode him and he was as usual, nothing short of perfect.  As usual.  I love this horse!!

 A tree growing out of a stump!  This was in our camp.  Pretty cool huh?

Just hangin' out in our camp...Ruby and my guy.

Ladde and the love of his life schmoozing - again.  Sugar, or as we now call her, Lil Miss are in love.  Truly.  I'm so happy that Ladde finally has exactly what he's always wanted.  A little woman of his very own.  Sweet!

The whole gang at our camp-out last weekend.  Members of our AHA riding club L-R, Michelle, Biff, me, Stevi, Ron, Rick and Brian.  Jeannine was taking our picture.  This was our Sabbath potluck meal, and it sure was delicious!  We had a wonderful time and missed all the other people who couldn't attend.

Getting very snoozy with my Ruby
after a long day in the sun with the grand kids.  Boy, they can sure tire a body out!

 Out little hometown festival - Yamhill Derby Days parade...how adorable is this little guy?

I wouldn't mind having this little Bug to run about town with - cute!!

But then again...maybe I'd prefer this one.  Camaros always were an old favorite of mine.  Nice!

This little girl was so cute.  She had the poor chicken on a leash, and she (the hen) was obviously tired and started refusing to walk.  After a short dispute, the chicken won out and the little girl just scooped her up and carried the hen in her arms for the duration of the parade.  One smart chicken!

Hot dog!!!

And this is our horse shoer's barbecue.  He calls it his "Q".  Whatever you call it, I'm telling you that this may quite possibly be the best BBQ I've ever had!  Soooooo good!!  Beef tri-tips sliced paper thin and piled high on small, slider buns served with your choice of sauce or not.  YUM!!!  For $5 you got 3 sliders, a wedge of watermelon and a can of pop - you can't beat that with a stick!

Not sure how this picture got in here, but oh well...my reading spot in the wood stove room with my new flooring.

Wading in the creek...looks like I may have been spacing out.

The dogs always have fun.  Wherever they go.

First toe-maters from our garden.  I picked these a few weeks ago.

My hunny...

I look a bit like a peeled onion.  We got a pool and put it in our backyard.  We spend a fair amount of time in there.  It's not very big, but it sure cools a person off in a hurry.  Good investment!!

I've got lots more pictures to share with you all, but maybe that's enough for one posting.  We've been enjoying this summer a lot.  Our weather has been fairly hot and dry.  We haven't had any rain that I can remember since sometime in June.  That's fairly unusual for us, but then again, where weather is concerned, exactly what is normal?  It is, what it is!  And I'm loving my summer and hope you are too.  My house is a disaster, a fine layer of dust pretty much on everything, dandelions about a foot tall in the yard and morning glories threatening to take over my garden.  But you know what?  I don't care!  We're going to enjoy and visit and do this summer, rather than work every weekend we have off.  Life is just too short to work all the time!  Am I right?  I can clean my house when it starts raining...maybe by then I'll have new carpet, or freshly painted walls or that new porch I mentioned, or that brick patio just waiting to be laid...or not!!!!  :)

Blessings all,
Lorie @ Cingspots

Strength from within

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."
                                                                                                        ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The little rabbit stood alone, watching her family and friends hop and skip about her in the forest, playing her favorite rabbit game.  Try as she might, each time she attempted to join in, she tripped about awkwardly.  When this happened, the other rabbits laughed uproariously at her and called her "Grace".  Soon even she forgot her real name.  But in the moments when Grace was alone, she danced around the trees with ease.  She was as smooth and graceful as any ballerina.  An old owl sat high above her one night, watching her intently.  The moonlight streamed through the treetops like a soft spotlight and he sat and watched as little Grace moved in and out of the moonbeams.  Finally he said, "Grace, you are more graceful than any creature I've ever seen."  Grace was startled that someone had been watching her, but listened carefully to the wise owl's words as he continued.  "You have carried this beauty within you all the time, but locked it inside when you tried too hard."

If we remember to relax and trust in ourselves, we too, will discover that we are able.

For me, it's so easy to forget my inner strengths and abilities.  It's when I need to take a deep breath, relax and draw on that which lies below the surface; forget that anyone is watching and step out in faith.  Like that old John Wayne saying goes, "Courage is being afraid and mounting up anyway".  Can you relate?

I'm working very hard on stepping up and drawing upon the courage to do what I'm afraid to do.  I know I have the ability, the knowledge and the strength...I just need that little nudge to step up in faith and do it anyway.

This past Memorial Day weekend was much more pleasant weather-wise than our weathermen have been predicting.  We had originally made plans to go horse camping with our riding club. We always enjoy the beautiful Mt. Adams Wilderness area, the wonderful riding trails, the time spent with good friends, and sitting around the camp fire.  But, since we sold our horse trailer, we are once again, tent campers; and we didn't relish the idea of camping in the rain, with horses, dogs and mud.  A couple of nights last week Mt. Adams horse camp got snow.  Uh-huh, I don't think so...

So, we opted to stay home and let the chips fall where they may.  Footloose and fancy-free, and all that.  We worked on some projects around home, planted a few flowers in the beds, did some laundry, changed linens and general housecleaning duties.  We also took a day trip to the beach.  It was beautiful.  We took two long, leisurely walks, collected some sea treasures and had lunch overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean.  We ate saltwater taffy and took pictures.  My hubby had the horse chores all finished so when we got back home, we just brought the horses in for the night and watched a little tv until bedtime.  It was a wonderful day.  On Memorial Day, we were just plain lazy.  We watched old war movies on television, ate popcorn, built a fire in the wood stove and lounged around in sweats.  I fixed spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner.  I don't even remember brushing my hair...it was heavenly!

Today, I'm back at work and my hubby is home with the horseshoer.  Sugar gets her special wedged shoes on the front, but otherwise it's just trims for everybody else.  On June 9th, we have an appointment with a gal who will be coming out to fit Ladde and Eagle for Easy Boot Back Country shoes.  They run $80 per shoe, and we're hoping that after our initial investment, we'll save by not having to pay over $100 every 8 weeks for shoeing refits.  We're just going to use them on the fronts and leave the backs barefoot.  These shoes will hopefully last 2-3 years depending on how often and how many miles we put on them.  I can't wait to try them out.  I am so ready for a trail ride!!

We've taken Eagle to a couple of clinics lately.  He has made me so proud!!  He's a nervous hauler, he internalizes his stress and sweats something fierce, but after some initial jitters, he relaxes and calms right down and focuses on me, and pretty much does every single thing asked of him.  What heart this horse has!!  He has more try and absolutely wants to please more than any horse I've ever known!!  He just amazes me with what he's overcome and how very brave he is despite having had such a rough past.  He does have a pretty wide lazy streak.  The boy likes to saunter, relax and snuggle.  We're going to make a perfect pair!  :)  He's got an amazing trot too.  If I were interested in showing in Western classes, this boy would be a natural.  But, I'm thinking he'll enjoy some beautiful, relaxing and scenic trail rides just as much as I do.  I have no desire to be in the show ring.  Ever again.  I hate politics, and I hate how they want and expect a Western horse to move.  It's ugly, it's unnatural and it makes the horse look lame.  I like my horses to have beautiful, forward and fluid movement, on a loose rein.  I can't wait to get him out on some trails and see how he reacts.  We're making progress Eags and I.  Not as quickly as I'd hoped, and probably not as fast as many people think we should, but we're not here to impress or satisfy anyone, but ourselves.  We're developing a beautiful, trusting relationship; and that's what matters to me.  And it's very, very important to Eagle.  Whenever my hubby would hold Eagle for me when I went for a poddy break, or to get a drink of water or something, he'd watch for me to come back.  And if he heard my voice, he'd whip his head in the direction of my voice and watch me approach...*sigh*  That just makes my heart go pitter-patter.  :)  I LOVE this horse!!!  I don't ever, ever, ever want to do anything to jeopardize the trust we're building.

Anyway, hope you all had a wonderful and long Memorial Day weekend.  Don't you wish all weekends lasted 3 days?  Seems so much more balanced and right.

Blessings everyone,
Lorie @ Cingspots

Today's gift

Each morning when I awaken, I begin my day by feeling rushed.  I'd like to change that.  I have a quick word or two with my Maker, always trying to remain thankful for having been awakened and having a bright new day filled with prospects of something new.  I'm trying really, really hard to live my life more fully by being more aware and in the present.  I've never been much of a big planner, rather spending my days dreaming or conjuring up possibilities of things I'd like to do, places I'd like to visit and tasks I want to accomplish.  The problem is, I'm always at work and everything that I'd like to be doing is usually at home.  That presents a rather oppressive outlook on the likelihood of accomplishing much.  You see, most days when I arrive at home after a long day at work, I'm either brain dead or physically tired, sometimes both.  I don't have a lot of energy or time left for my interests.  In many cases, I do a few quick tasks, throw something together for dinner, head out to take care of the horses and have an hour or so of quiet time before heading off to bed for another round the next day.  Day in and day out, this is how it goes.  I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and making very little progress.  I really get tired of hearing of so many people's lack of time when they don't work an outside job and have so many more available hours in the day to accomplish what I have to try and complete in a couple of evening hours and then on the weekend.  Grrrr...
chaps my hide.  Walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

One thing that I do (or try to do) most mornings is have a bit of devotional time.  This is accomplished in a variety of ways, but usually involves reading from Scripture or one of my various devotional books that are Scripture-based.  I find this is the very best way to mindfully be aware that each new day is truly a gift.  I can choose to accept my life with gratitude and make the best of what is, or I can wish for things to be different.  Just by realizing that this is my choice is very helpful for me to feel less resentful of my many hours spent away from where I'd rather be.  I'm very thankful that I have a job, and for the most part I enjoy my job.  I am blessed that I'm able to participate in supporting our home and the lifestyle that we've chosen.  I'm also very aware that my husband's role of maintaining our home has become more of his responsibility, than it is mine.  It just works out that way, he's working 2-3 days a week now instead of 5, and he's got the time to devote to what I'd like to be doing.  He's very near completing the painting in our laundry room, mudroom/entry way and all the new trim and doorways in our kitchen and the nook off the kitchen.  Tonight when I get home, I'll hopefully be able to get the windows washed, the freshly laundered curtains ironed and re-hung, a quick dinner prepared and (hopefully) have a bit of daylight left to spend some time working with Eagle.  Our weather has been absolutely perfect for horseback riding, or really for just about anything outside.  I'm determined to get the house put back together and get outside and enjoy.

The trouble I find is that almost always, everything takes me longer than I visualize it taking.  Here's that spinning wheels feeling again that I just hate.  My solution is to offer up a quick prayer, a request for peace of mind, and of acceptance, that tomorrow is another day.  If I'm unable to finish everything that I'd hoped for, I'll always have tomorrow to work on that never-ending "to do" list that I've always got in front of me.  *sigh*  I'm trying to just be happy and satisfied that I'm able to finish some things, even if not everything, and be thankful for what we are able to do.   And as always, I'm so very thankful that my hard-working husband is busy on my "to do" list as well.  If it weren't for my never ending lists, he'd probably be content to go riding himself, or maybe go fishing on a sunny day, or enjoy a nap on the deck.  I have to remember that he's not doing exactly what he'd really like to be doing either.  He does all the things he does, because he loves me.  He does them because he wants me to be happy.  :)  I guess there's truth to that old saying, "if mama's happy, then everybody's happy".  Seems like the woman's attitude in a home really does set the precedence for others as well.  If you think of it that way, then we as women really have a lot of responsibility for the happiness of others in our homes.  Anyway...

He truly is my gift.  And a lot of the time, I repay his efforts and hard work and kindness...by being irritable and crabby with him.  I see tiny imperfections in what he's done.  I forget to say thank you.  I complain that he washed my black sweater with the towels, again.  Sometimes I wonder why he puts up with me.

If I were able to be a fly on the wall, what would I think?  What would I say to myself?  Maybe I don't want to know.  If I know me, I'd jump down and slap that gal silly!  Tell her to take a look around at all she has to be happy about.  Explain to her that nothing ever stays the same.  Remind her that our loved ones aren't here to do our bidding, and that they won't be around forever.  I think I'd tell her to overlook the small things that in the end, really don't matter.  I'd tell her to enjoy more, worry less, laugh at circumstances more often, be thankful for everything, and everyone.  I'd tell her to tell them that they are so very important, and that she loves them more than she knows how to express.

But flies don't talk much.  And if I were that fly, I'd probably have better things to do, sooo I persevere and do the best that I can.  And I remind myself as often as I can, to give thanks for my life, and always be mindful that I have so much to be grateful for.  I truly am blessed.

Every tomorrow has two handles.  We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith...      Henry Ward Beecher

I choose faith.

The life of Riley

Just who exactly is this Riley fellow anyway?  Hmmm?  If somebody knows, I'd really appreciate an introduction, and a little time for a heartfelt conversation with him/her...whomever, because I surely would enjoy an opportunity at that kind of life.

Boy howdy wouldn't I!?  :)

Good grief...Eagle must have taken some lessons from Riley.  This horse shore nuff knows how to relax and take life easy!!  Ya think?

Either that, or rigor mortis has set in and I just don't know it yet.  No!!

Eagle...what, who said that?  Did I miss something?  I was having the most amazing dream...yawn.

Come to think of it, Ladde looks pretty darned relaxed too, doesn't he?  He's even got his little woman to watch over him whilst he sleeps.  Sleeping beauties, sheesh!

It certainly does make me smile to see my horses so obviously relaxed and enjoying life.  But also just a tad jealous too.  I'm just sayin'!

If I believed in reincarnation and all that, I'd be asking God if I could come back as one of my horses, or even better - one of my dogs!  Now that's the life!!  :)

My wish for today is that all animals have that kind of life.  The life of Riley!

Apparently, some dumbass cowboys are once again, trying to make arrangements for a donkey roping somewhere down south, Texas or Oklahoma I think.  We stopped them last year, and I'm sure hoping we can put an end to their barbaric shenanigans once and for all.  If you're interested in coming to the assistance of so many kind, intelligent, innocent donkeys who deserve better than to be roped and jerked off their feet by some jerk on a horse, please visit "The Dancing Donkey" blog.  The author of that blog has kindly listed contact information and several links so we can put an end to this "sport".  Some things in life are just "no brainers".  This certainly is one of those things.  Please do whatever you can to help.  They cannot ask for themselves.

Blessings all,
Lorie @ Cingspots

So ready for the weekend...

My brain has pretty much been sucked out of my head this week.  I'm bone tired and in need of a little downtime.  Detailing with Wells Fargo and the house refi details and paperwork has left me feeling so drained.  I think I've satisfied the powers that be though.  Finally.  The first banker was pretty much a brainless buzzard who didn't do his job.  After many phone messages, emails and stressed-out days, I finally made the phone call to his supervisor and had him removed from our case.  No more Carlos.  See ya!  This guy was the very definition of inept.  He didn't return phone calls, he claimed to have not gotten ANY of my many, many messages, claimed he didn't receive my emails either.  He lost all 12 pages of my first faxed documents 2 weeks ago.  And because he didn't respond to my follow-up phone call to confirm that he'd received everything he needed from us, I made the mistake of assuming all was ok.  My mistake.  After 10 days had passed with no contact whatsoever, he sent me an email message requesting the same documents I'd sent him 10 days before.  Excuse me?  Really?

Well, let's just suffice it to say that I'm so thankful he's been pulled as our representative.  He actually said that we should just pull our paperwork and try again in a couple of months...my reply was "hell no".  So, the new gal tells me she has everything in hand and we're just waiting on my final house payment to clear so we have a final pay-off amount.  That was mailed on April 30th, so they should be getting it any day now.  I am so ready for this to be done.  Streamline my eye.  Big corporations are the definition of inefficiency...kind of reminds me of big government.  I'm just thankful that we're going to prevail and hopefully be finished up very soon.

The painting in our house is coming along nicely.  We're likely to wind up most everything probably this next week.  The final step is sorting through all our excess stuff and loading it in boxes for a trip to Goodwill.  I'm tired of having so much "stuff".  Downsize is going to be my new favorite term.  If I don't love it, or it doesn't get used on a regular basis...it's gone.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  It's outa there!  I've been wanting to clear out my cabinets and cleaning supplies and closets downstairs for a really long time.  It's called deep spring cleaning.  :)

So, the only activity we have on tap for this weekend is to attend a BBQ at my sister's house.  She and her husband are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this Saturday.  Wow!  It's hard for me to imagine that my sis has been married for 50 years.  I remember when my sisters and I threw a surprise 50th wedding anniversary for my mom and dad.  That really doesn't seem like all that long ago.  Shocking just how very, very fast time goes by.  If you want to do it, or it's on your bucket list; better do it post haste.  Time's slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future...

So many things I want to do, experience and see...cleaning out and getting rid of excess "stuff" seems like the perfect way to start.  Simplifying our lifestyle and eliminating so much clutter will have a freeing impact on my mind, I think.  Clearing the path for the future and making it easier to see ahead to what's really important in life.  And nothing that's important to me requires dusting.  Nope.

Hope everyone has an honest to goodness kick-ass weekend.  The weather in our neck of the woods is going to be simply spectacular.  Sunshine and temps in the low 80's.  Can I get an Amen to that!?  I am so ready.  Spring in NW Oregon is absolutely breathtaking.  Bright green growth everywhere the eye can see, flowers springing forth with colorful abandon, birds singing and excitement in the air.  Get out there and enjoy it my friends!  Or just kick back, and bask in the goodness.  Whatever floats your boat!

Blessings all,
Lorie @ Cingsspots