Proud Sam and other stuff

This picture is kind of gross but Sam was so determined to bring his prize in the house last night. He kept pacing up and down the deck waiting for me to open the door. Of course I did not! I took this picture through the window and had to wait until he finally dropped it before I could dispose of the little body... For the rest of the evening he kept wanting back outside to look for it.

Got a call from A last night and now it looks like they won't be able to make it down for Christmas because two of the guys he works with got called home for family emergencies so he will end up having to stay and work. What a disappointment as we were looking forward to watching the kids open presents. Something we haven't been able to enjoy since our boys were little. Guess stuff happens and he is going to try and come in January so we will do Christmas then.

I guess I will spend the day cleaning and putting furniture back where it was originally. Oh well once again at least things will be clean behind the furniture something I probably wouldn't have done if I didn't have to move it.

I cheated this year and made an online card for friends and family and just sent a personal message to each one. Maybe now that the kids won't be coming I will take the time to find a special on line card for each one. I have been searching for really different places for cards and have found a few that look interesting but haven't checked them out fully yet.

I took about an hour yesterday to groom and worm the horses. It was one of those beautiful days where the sun was shining, very mild and no wind. The horses were both in good moods and Mystery even let me pick up her back feet for a very short time, not enough to do anything but enough to not get too upset. I will keep doing that with her and maybe eventually I will be able to handle them with out a fight. The worming medicine comes in a tube where you are to put the ring at the right spot for the weight of the horse and then squeeze it in their mouth. I did Mystery first and had it about half which would have been right for her, gave it a squeeze and it didn't budge so I pushed a bit harder and it went but the problem was it went all the way to the end. That stupid little ring didn't hold it so she got an overdose of worming meds. I immediately called my friend to see what I should do and she thought that cause Mystery is overweight and not a really small pony that it should be ok. I watched her closely for the rest of the day and she seemed fine. I sure hope that it will be ok I really should complain to the manufacture of the stupid thing cause that could have been very serious if she had been a smaller pony.

Well I will sign off now and get this posted before the phone rings, hubby usually calls to let me know he made it to work ok and I am on good old dial up! Man I miss high speed internet, I finally got it at the old house I lived at and then we moved to a rural location where it will probably be years before we get such things.

So bye for now, Have a great day all

Happy Mixer

Proud of himself or what. Ever since he has started feeling better Mixer is a digging maniac. Today he was outside for about three hours and didn't want to come in, and what a mess when he finally did. His face was covered in dirt and his normally white paws now have little black socks!

I would be annoyed with him if I wasn't so darn happy to see the big guy feeling better. On our walks now he is running ahead again instead of just trailing along behind me, it makes me so happy every time I see him chasing after the girls instead of just giving up half way. The thyroid medicine does seem to be working and will know more in a few weeks when he has to go back for more tests. Even his coat seems to be looking healthier, yeah for meds.

I spent a very frustrating day of moving things around from room to room trying to make all the beds fit for the company. I finally have it where I think it will work out now but am wasted from doing it all. Course moving a fully loaded book shelf was stupid, you would think I would have emptied it first, a smart person would have!

I now have both my computers in one room and under the desk of one of them I have made Sam a nice little hidy hole. He was so funny, at first he wouldn't go in, I guess cause I wanted him to. I ignored him for awhile and the next time I looked he was curled up in there as happy as a kitty could be. I guess as long as he thinks it was his idea. I wanted him to have a special spot to hide when the two year old grandchild comes. Sam really is scared of children and spends the whole time in hiding. It is so funny cause he hears their door shut at the end of the day and he comes out slowly slinking along to make sure the coast is clear.

Well only four more sleeps before my peace and quiet is shattered.... I really am looking forward to it though, we haven't had Christmas all together for years now, hopefully will get some good pics.

My daughter in law emailed today and wants to cook dinner for me one of the nights she is here, I told her have at it, I love it when someone else cooks, it always tastes better.

I am sporting a lovely sore throat tonight and think hubby's cold is trying to get hold of me. I gargled with peroxide water, not a tasty treat but it usually does work and have doubled up on the old vitamins so hopefully I can avoid getting it. Oh well what will be, will be, I guess. I haven't had a cold for over a year so guess I am due, but does it have to be Christmas....Wah, feel sorry for myself or what!

Anyway going to head for bed, get nice and warm and read some more of that book I started awhile ago. I had big plans of printing off some cards for local friends but don't think I am feeling too creative right now so will tackle that one in the a.m.

Merry Ho Ho

Want to know what a waste of time is??? Doing a Christmas tree twice! Last night when I went to plug in the tree another strand had burnt out and of course it was right in the middle and bottom. Do you think I was smart enough to pick up more lights when I did all that shopping the other day? Of course not, it wasn't on the list. So I just spent the last two hours stripping it and redoing it so I could just use the two strands that I had left. Well it is done again and imagine before Christmas is over I will have to redo it again. The almost two year old clone of his father is coming to visit. That is the fun of Christmas though isn't it? Our little house will be full and not sure where I am going to sleep everyone but guess it will all work out. That is what blow up mattresses are for. Watched Christmas Vacation last night, I love that show and it is on my have to watch list every Christmas. I love the way Clark is so darn positive throughout all the dilemmas that go on, I know one thing I wouldn't be if it was us and I know hubby sure wouldn't either.

This week is going to fly by I have tons of rearranging to do and my poor little bedroom will have to temporarily house everything that I need to move to be able to fit everyone in the bedrooms and the kitchen. Boy that addition that we are talking about is starting to look better and better.

My neighbor came over last night and didn't think it was ringworm that Prettygirl has, he seemed to think it was just injuries she had done to herself. I have my suspicions about that but I am definitely no expert. I will just keep an eye on her and make sure it doesn't get worse, it seems that it is healing up so will keep doing what I have been doing.

We had a lovely evening at the pot luck supper although we were only there for an hour and half. We were told that it started at six, we got there shortly after six and everyone was already eating and most of them were done so don't know what time those people got there. Got to meet some new people and everyone was very welcoming. Well that is all the news for now.

Happy Anniversary Sammers

Yesterday was Sam's first anniversary of living at the Doolittle Ranch. Last year we had agreed to bring him home for a trial run as I wasn't too sure how the dogs would react to having a cat live with us. When we got him home we set him up in one of the spare rooms and put a baby's gate up so the dogs couldn't get in but they could see each other. The first few days Sam didn't venture out of his room and then by the end of that he started coming out to test things out. Shiloh was very curious and wouldn't leave him alone so Sam had to swat her a couple of times. He didn't even have his claws out he just was giving her a warning to back off. Mixer was curious but didn't go near the cat as think he was possibly a bit scared of him. Now they just politely ignore one another. Mixer is really good as long as Sam respects his space and so far they have. It always amazes me how animals are so good at giving each other space, people could learn a lot from animals.

It is like Sam has always lived with us now and can't imagine life with out him.
Happy Anniversary big guy!

You know you lead a boring life when,

Well what can I say, you lead a boring life when you have to share what you had for dinner on your blog!. Oh well we had home made pizza tonight and it might not look that great but it was. I even made the dough from scratch and not the box kind.... Yeah me! Took this picture for my Mom cause I was bragging about the pizza and she said, "oh can you send me some?", so I did.



We went shopping to Spruce Grove and Stony Plain today, left here this morning around 11 and never got home until four thirty. It was crazy, the stores were all wall to wall people but we managed to keep up a good sense of humor throughout the day and got most of everything we need. I will just have to run into Mayberry later this week for a few things and hubby is going to do the booze shopping so then we will be ready. I think this is the first time ever since we have been married that we are ready a full week away. Usually we are those annoying people that shop right up and including Christmas eve!. Had to laugh at one guy, he had a wife, three kids and three yes three! shopping carts full. I tell you I would hate to be on the receiving end of that bill. He was laughing about it though so he must have had money or at the very least good credit.
We are going to a pot luck held at a local hall tomorrow night, I guess the neighbor's all get together once a year so we will be able to meet quite a few that we haven't yet.

I have spent the last few days being very vigilant on trying to clear up Prettygirls legs. Last week I noticed something on her leg that looked like she had cut herself so I doused it in Keraplex and then realized that it could be ringworm. She now has about 6 spots on her legs and have been dousing them all with iodine. They do seem to be getting better so maybe I will get lucky and no more spots will appear. My knowledgeable neighbor is going to drop by to check it out and see if he thinks that is what it was. I had Shiloh and Mojo at the vets yesterday for their vaccinations and discussed it with the vet. Of course she couldn't say for sure without looking at it and she is away on holidays all next week but one of the other vets maybe coming out this way and if so he will drop in to have a look. I will see what the neighbor says though cause having vets come out is not cheap.
Anyway there is a movie just coming on that looks good so will go veg for a bit..

Update

I did manage to get a chance to talk to Anne the vet today and she didn't seem to think that Mixer would have Cushing's disease. She said that his white blood cell count hadn't shown an increase so of course I was relieved. I still have my suspicions though but will wait now until his six week blood test to see if the thyroid medicine is doing what it is supposed to do and then discuss it with her again. I am crossing fingers, toes and anything else that can be crossed.

Now it looks like the kids will still come for Christmas, I won't count on anything yet though as obviously plans could change again.

Must confess that I had a very lazy afternoon and just indulged in finishing off a book I have been reading off and on for the past month. Funny how I go in stages, read, read, read and then nothing for a long time and then back at it. I went to the book shelf and picked out three more that look interesting so maybe I will head to bed early. Hubby is sneezing and sniffling so imagine that before long it will hit me too. Guess it is cold season.

New worries

Well I must say it did feel good to vent a bit last night but this morning I am not so sure that I should have vented on something so silly. Especially in light of some of the blogs I read of people dealing with very serious issues such as cancer and stuff.

I was checking into a horse forum this morning and noticed a post about a pony being diagnosed with Cushings Disease so I looked it up wondering if possibly Mystery could have that. Well when I read the symptoms I realized that Mixer had most of them and now I am worried that he could have it. I am going to phone the vet first thing this morning to see if they even considered it or tested for it while doing all the blood work pannels of late. He is still not 100% back to normal although he does seem to have more energy but he is still drinking lots and still is always very hungry. He finishes his food off very fast and is always looking around for something else to eat. I sure hope he doesn't have that though as the medicine they have to take for it can cause some terrible side effects and they have to be watched very closely for these.

I will post more later after I talk to Anne

Belly Ache session

Well this is going to be a full blown complain session!! I could use stronger words but see Sister, I can watch my language...... although it is tough, very very tough right now.

Why do men get in such a rut!. Hubby is really irritating me tonight, he comes home from work and the TV immediately gets turned on. First I have to sit through two re-runs of Mash (it isn't like he hasn't seen each one at least ten times), then at six o'clock promptly I get to suffer Bob Barker and the Price is right for a full hour of people jumping up and down and screaming over nothing. I mean nothing, before they even bid on an item they are jumping up and down and yelling like they have already won the prize !.... Crap I hate the noise. Then my next complaint is when he finally turns it on to something like a movie, god forbid! He watches it until a commercial comes on and then flips the channel to what he calls his back up channel. Then just when you get interested in the back up channel he switches it back and guess what? We have missed the first few minutes again cause his timing was off. No wonder he has to watch things over and over again. Then at nine promptly it gets switched to Jay Leno, not that I mind Jay Leno, I don't, but every night! Even if he is watching a movie or something he switches it over to the opening lines, checks to see who is on and then if it isn't somebody he wants to watch turns it back to the movie he was watching before. Therefore misses quite a bit of the movie.....Grrr

So here I sit with the head phones on and music playing as loud as I can to drown Bob and the noise makers. Man I can't stand watching anything that people are forever yelling. Before he got in the price is right rut he would watch cops every single night. Then you got to watch people being caught in their worst moments of their lives. Oh well I guess that is his escape and mine seems to be the computer, so here I am escaping.... (:
Maybe one day I will climb right in here never to surface again. Wonder how long it would take before he thinks "hmm wonder where she went??"
Anyway guess that rant is over with for another week or so! Do you think????

Maybe I am just grumpy cause it is so windy again here today and I think it is starting to annoy me big time. Even Prettygirl seemed grumpy today, I had to douse her leg with iodine, she has a sore on one of her back legs and not sure if it is ringworm or something else. One of my neighbor's horses has it so it is possible I guess and can't hurt to iodine it up and hope it gets better. Just the thought of it makes me itch big time. I did wear bright yellow rubber gloves (that is a story in itself) and was really careful to wash everything in bleach just in case.
First thing this morning I went out armed with two white plastic bags, cotton balls, iodine, bright yellow rubber gloves and boy did she panic when I pulled out those gloves. Then out came the bags and like I said it is windy today so she really spooked when the bag was blowing around. (The bags were to put the used cotton and gloves in). I took some time to let her sniff everything and then kept rubbing her in her favorite spot with the plastic bag trying to get her used to it. I can imagine being out riding with her when a very scary bag blows!, we probably wouldn't stop for awhile. Eventually it didn't seem to bother her so I got at the chore. I am hoping it isn't ringworm at all and just a scratch that got infected or something. I will keep a close eye on it. I had initially put Keraplex on it thinking that maybe it was just a cut, Keraplex is purple so she is sporting a lovely purple leg again and now with the iodine she looks just lovely.

I took the dogs for two walks today and boy Mojo cracked me up, she is so happy to be running free that sometimes she takes off for long periods of time so I have started to hide in the bush along the trail. Today Mixer and Shiloh were running ahead of me and Mojo had taken a detour at the junction so I just stepped off the trail and hid. It was probably a good five minutes before Mixer and Shiloh came to find me and then we all sat there in hiding waiting for the spinny girl. We waited and waited probably about another five minutes when she flew past us with a panicked look on her face. I didn't call her and obviously she kept on going, I am sure she probably thought we were already home. Finally I had to make a few noises and she came racing back and right on by again, at the last minute she must have caught sight of us in her peripheral vision (I was wearing a bright red jacket!) and rushed up to us with a very relieved look on her face. I couldn't stop laughing and after that she would still fly on way ahead but then every once in awhile I would notice her looking back to make sure everyone was where they should be. I used to do that to Shiloh when she was a puppy and it sure helps her pay more attention to where I am (except when her nose is working her ears definitely don't) like when she is chasing some deer or coyotes.

Well I am vented out now so thanks for listening and think I will head off to go check out the yahoo games. Something I haven't done for months now. Think I am due for some meaningless chatter with strangers...

Changes

Making changes to the template was definitely a time consuming job, although a great learning experience and fun as well.

Yesterday afternoon was spent re-stretching the wire on the girls front pasture and adding a couple of strands. Originally we had two strands which wasn't enough as they stretched it by sticking their necks through. Guess that proves the theory " the grass is greener on the other side". They have a patch all around the pasture eaten down to nothing. Mystery is looking happier each day and is walking so much better.

This is Prettygirl's favorite position, head down munching!

I had put a turkey on to cook before going out so what a nice smell when we came in, now hubby will have turkey sandwiches for the next week. He won't complain as that is one of his favorite meals. I try to cook a turkey every few months as it goes so far and get tons of meals all for less then $20.00

Heard from my oldest and looks like maybe the kids won't be coming for Christmas with him. We were disappointed as were looking forward to watching them open gifts. Christmas is way more fun with excited little faces. It is still early though so things may change. My youngest son and his wife should be coming on the 26th, weather permitting. I haven't seen them since their wedding in August so should be a good visit. They were meant to come for Thansgiving but plans changed. The week before they were to come I rushed to put together a DVD slide show of all thier wedding photos. It is still here waiting for them to come, they don't know about it yet so hope they like it.

Today I have to concentrate on getting this place cleaned up again, weekends (dog and cat hair) are a killer, amazing how much the little monsters shed!
I have a bunch of laundry to do and may even get around to giving the bedroom carpet a shampoo. I can hardly wait to get rid of the stuff, if there wasn't any carpet in this place I would be happier. Guess it is warmer in the winter though.

Well not much of a post but a post all the same.

Starting to look a lot like Christmas

Well finally, wonders never cease, I got the house all decorated and now am starting to look forward to Christmas. I got a picture slide show of my grandchildren tonight and that made my day. The youngest one looks like he has grown up a lot since I saw him in the summer and imagine now that he is heading into the terrible two's the tree might get rearranged a few times while he is here. Go figure part of a strand of lights has burnt out on the tree but I decided not to worry about it, I just turned it so that part is at the back. Simple solution right. I am really not having much luck with lights this year.

It has been terribly windy here again today and the older I get the less I can handle being out in it. We did our usual walk, came back had a huge lunch, homemade fries and burgers.... Mega pounds there, but so what, I was having a "I feel fat day and I don't care day".. Then it was a fun filled trip into Mayberry for shopping so that is done for another week. Guess next week we are going to have to run into Spruce Grove/Stoney Plain for shopping as can't believe it is only two weeks left before the big day.

Well I am going to head off to my comfy chair so that Kitty meow can have some cuddling before bed. Night all.

New day, better feeling

Well today is starting out to be great! I spent an hour with the horses this morning and am happy to report that Mystery is doing a lot better. She let me pick the ice, snow and manure out of her front feet and I was almost able to pick up both back feet. I kept patting her and then just ran my hands down her back legs and kept doing that. I groomed them both and then turned them out. It is a gorgeous day here sun shining and almost above 0. I took the dogs walking for an hour and they were having a blast, think they like the warmer weather as well. I also cleaned out the shelter and corral so all in all I spent just over two hours outside so feel so much more positive today about things.

Last night I lugged the tree out of the shed and set it up. Took the lights and tested the strands, put them on, put the bobbles on and admired it for the rest of the night. Now this morning when I plugged it in one of the strands is only half lit and of course it is right in the middle of the tree so guess what I will be doing later. Will finish up with the rest of the decorating later on today and then run the vacuum through the place and be done with it for another day.

Welcome to blogging blt

History of Mystery and other stuff

Yesterday morning when I went out to give the girls their normal food and water, Mystery was moving very slow again; it appears that once again she has foundered. I have been so sad ever since and think I am going to have to make the decision to have her euthinized.

We know very little of Mystery’s history, when we bought her we were told that she had been in very bad shape at one time, couldn’t even get up. The fellow (Brian) who trims their hooves said that he had been called over to do Prettygirl one time and did Mystery’s for free as she was in such bad shape. I personally feel that Mystery has been abused by neglect for a lot of years.

Last year when we met both horses they were in a pasture that was eaten down to nothing and we gradually befriended them during our walks. It got so that when the horses would see us coming they would race over to the fence for attention. We did some inquiring and found out that the people who owned the horses didn’t live here anymore and that the renter in the house was supposedly looking after them. We had some hay bales in our field and started giving them handfuls each time we were out, and then realized how hungry they were so we started feeding twice a day. Other neighbors told me that they had never seen anyone spend time with them or give them feed. I noticed that they were eating snow and realized that they probably didn’t have access to water either so started hauling water for them twice a day. They were very thirsty and drank buckets.

Needless to say we were spending more time with them at this point then the person supposed to be looking after them. I started some inquiries as to whether or not the person who owned them would consider selling them to us. It turned out that Prettygirl belonged to one family and Mystery to another.

Apparently Mystery had been given to the tenant of the house as an incentive to rent the place. She had a huge abscess on her face, which obviously no one was doing anything about. It took me about a month of giving her carrots before I was able to pat her. She was so shy and if you got to close to her she would move away. Anyway to make a long story short the people that owned Prettygirl were very nice and agreed to sell her, as they were not living here full time anymore. They told us that her name was actually Al Dandy’s Grand Kitty and they had shortened it to Allie. I like the name Allie better then Prettygirl but we were so used to calling her Prettygirl and hubby wanted to keep it that way. I sometimes call her Prettygirl Allie.

I finally tracked down the tenants that owned Mystery and after some negotiating agreed to purchase her. To be honest I thought they should have just given her to us, as they were not looking after her very well at all. However we ended up purchasing her mostly cause we felt sorry for her and there is no way we could have taken Prettygirl away and left poor little Mystery there by herself. Those two are so attached to one another. So the story of owning a pony began.

The first thing was to try and get her to trust us. Every day I would go out and give them carrots and stuff, Mystery would come up and eat the oats out of her bucket but would not let you get close enough to put a halter on her.

She will not let anyone touch her back feet and so therefore cleaning them out is impossible for one person and even with three people it is a fight. When Brian comes to trim her hooves it is an adventure from hell (for him). The first time he came last February I was on my own, we had to corner her in the shelter and Brian was able to get a halter on her, I was supposed to hold the rope and twist her ear if she didn’t behave. I was just sick about having to twist her ear and after Brian left I shed some tears for the poor little girl who was so scared of everything. We managed to get them trimmed but it wasn’t a great job on her back feet. Now it takes at least three people, Nick has to tie her to the fence, Brian does the front feet and then she has to be wrestled down to do the back ones. The last time they were done we had a coat over her head and she ended up lying down and they were able to do them.

I kept working on getting her to trust me enough to put a halter on her and one spring day I had her so that I could put a rope around her neck. Stupid me while holding the bucket of oats tried to put the halter on, she spooked, instead of me letting go of the rope I hung on and she turned and ran and like an idiot I stayed right behind her, she kicked and I got it right in the side of the head and above my lip. I dropped everything as I was bleeding pretty badly so I limped into the house and checked the damage and sure enough knew I would need stitches. Good thing hubby was home he drove the fifty km to the hospital where I needed six of them to fix. Well talk about a learning experience and the worst thing over the next few months was hearing people say “you should just shoot her”. That would not have been fair as I was the twit that pushed things too far too fast. I have also learned when putting a rope on their neck put it high up near their ears so you have more control. Live and learn!

Hubby since then has built me a “suck me in pen” and I coax her in using some oats, shut the gate, and then she is a breeze to catch and halter. Once she is haltered she is really good and each time I do that I try to spend some quality time grooming her and working on the trust. No matter how hard I try she doesn’t ever seem to trust completely which is why I think she has been neglected or abused in the past.

I have been reading as much as I can about founder and never realized that ponies are very susceptible to this very painful condition. After talking to as many people that have lived around here as possible we have found out that she has foundered more then once and at one point couldn’t even get up off the ground. It makes it so much worse that she won’t let you touch her feet, as everything I have read is that they should have a hoof trim every three to four weeks.

I hate to ask Brian to do it that often as he risks injury every time he deals with her. It is such a catch 22 situation as she is probably so scared about someone touching her feet cause they always hurt and they always hurt cause they aren’t trimmed enough. Now to make matters worse she has snow packed in there today and of course won’t let me help her. Man if they could only talk.

Anyway guess I just needed to vent and work out my feelings as far as having to make a decision. I just love that little girl and don’t want to give up on her but just cry to see her in such pain.

Now on to a different subject, I called a friend last night that I haven’t talked to since early spring. Why is it that we loose touch with people, especially since I promised myself I wouldn’t do that anymore? It was great talking with her and I was sad to hear that they have had the summer from hell. Her hubby had been diagnosed with kidney cancer and had to loose it, and then while recovering from that found out that one of the valves in his heart was not working so ended up having heart surgery. His ribs were broken in the operation and now he is still having a hard time and is always in pain so now they are trying to figure out why. I sure hope they find out what is wrong and can fix it without more surgery, don’t know if he could handle all that again.

I am having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit so have decided that maybe if I put up the tree it will help. Now I just have to drag up the ambition to go out in the cold shed and lug it in here. The next thing will be to find a spot for it as have changed things around since last year and added a couch and the room isn’t that big. Oh well will work it out I guess.

I can’t believe this is such a big post, better get it on and get off the puter and get some stuff done before hubby comes home expecting dinner…

Thank God for friends

Well I am so lucky to have a friend that knows how to fix hair that some idiot tried cutting herself! Guess we all know who that might be, my friend Maggie fixed it though and it actually doesn't look too bad and certainly is easier to manage especially with having to wear hats all the time.

Our birthday party was fun last night and the people around here are great, they make you feel so welcome. It wasn't a late night at all and watched some TV (with my eyes closed) when we got home, then went to bed.

We are having a snowstorm here tonight and guess it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Oh well we can't really complain as it is I guess overdue.

Hubby climbed up that ladder today to see why the two strands of lights weren't working, we ended up pulling them down cause it appears that if one light bulb burns out the whole strand won't work. One of the strands got wrecked as he gave it a pull and instead of the staple popping out of the wood, the strand broke. He was more careful with the next one, we brought it in the house warmed it up and then I began going through each light. Half way through the phone rang so of course I lost my spot so had to start all over again grrr. After all that still no light! I imagine knowing my luck two or more bulbs had burnt out and don't have a clue of how you could fix that without replacing them all. Needless to say I gave up and put them in a bag out of sight.

Hubby is going to try and bring them back to the store as the advertisement for them bragged about the thousands of hours they are supposed to work for. I think that is going to be a lesson in futility but he has to try I guess. So now only half the house is lit and we probably won't get around to getting the rest of it done cause he swears he isn't buying that kind again and I think it would look dumb to have half in one style and half in another. If it warms up again I might just pull the first half off as well and maybe just light up a tree instead of the house. Will see how ambitious I get.

Well no more news today

Comes in threes?

The last few days have just flown by and can't believe it is already Saturday tomorrow.
We are sitting at a temp of -16 right now but thankfully the wind has died off, this morning walking there was a wind chill factor of -25, so back to having to bundle up and layer clothing. One of the weather reports said it was supposed to go to -26 tonight but when I was out earlier it didn't feel like it was dropping so I hope they are wrong. I did see a sundog this morning so it could still happen I guess.

Mojo was able to run free yesterday afternoon and man what a maniac she was. When I first opened the door she stopped and looked at me as if, ok how come you aren't attached to me, then she took off running and didn't stop for the whole walk. When we got back I took advantage of not having to have her on leash and got the horse shelter cleaned out, fresh straw put in and cleaned the water trough just in time for the cold weather to hit. I always feel sorry for the girls when I get out of my nice warm bed in the morning and look out to see them standing at the fence waiting for me to come out with warm water and their oats. We really have to invest in a heated water trough one of these days. That is another one of those things to purchase when we have spare money..... Ha ha, that never seems to happen.

The last few days have not been too much fun for me, starting the day before yesterday with getting the house clean and then thinking I will quickly feed the animals before husband gets home. I opened the cupboard to reach for a can of cat food and a large jar of pickled beets and a jar of relish jumped out of the cupboard, of course the jar of beets was the thing that exploded.
Poor Sam had been standing there waiting for his supper so I immediately shut him in the bedroom for his sake as was worried he would walk through all that glass. There were glass shards all over the place, beet juice running down the walls, under the fridge and on the carpet. For the next hour I cleaned and cleaned and the stuff just seemed to keep multiplying. The whole time I was cleaning Sam sat behind the closed door expressing his disgust with having to wait for his dinner.
Guess that is where the statement "haste makes waste" comes from.

The second thing was yesterday I had a PMS moment or maybe it was a menopausal moment (I can't explain) where I decided that my hair was driving me nuts. I got out the old trusty scissors and started hacking away, needless to say I am now sporting short hair and will have to go get someone to fix it tomorrow. I told the hubby that I want him to hide the scissors! Oh well it is only hair and it will grow back, the thing is we are supposed to be going to a birthday party tomorrow night and now I will have to explain my idiotic moment....

Then tonight while washing dishes a vase broke in half and cut my thumb really bad, and I hope that was the third and final thing to go wrong for awhile. Our dishwasher died a few months ago and we haven't replaced it, hubby had to finish washing the dishes and the first thing he said was " we are going to buy a dishwasher tomorrow", I think not! We still have more vet bills coming up. Shiloh is due for her vaccinations and Mojo will need a booster at the same time. Sam will be due in January and Mixer will be due in February and with Christmas coming purchasing a dishwasher will have to wait.

The vet called today and Mixer's blood test results were in and they couldn't see any reason that his thyroid should be so low so we are back to the beginning. The pills do seem to be helping him though and he seems to have a lot more energy and is interested in things like hunting mice again. On our walks he is actually going ahead with Shiloh and Mojo instead of just following me around. I am happy that the pills seem to be working but still worried why his thyroid isn't working. Anne said we would keep him on the medication for 6-8 weeks and then retest his blood and go from there.

Sam seemed to be having cabin fever earlier tonight and kept meowing to go out, I would open the door, he would look and shake his paw and then turn around and come in, a few minutes later he would start again. This went on for about half an hour until hubby had enough and picked him up and put him out and he stayed out there in his little kitty cave for about 10 minutes, we let him back in and he is the happiest cat ever. Curled right up on his bed and is fast asleep. Guess animals get cabin fever too.

Well that is all my news for now, going to go and watch a movie if I can find something worth watching. Makes me wonder sometimes about why we pay those big bucks every month for satellite TV when everything seems to be repeats.

Oh the joys!

Well the joys of being owned by a cat just never end... Last night Sam whined and whined to go out so I let him and when I went to check on him a few minutes later he had deposited a beautiful gift by the back door. It was probably about the grossest thing I have ever seen, I probably shouldn't even describe it but my evil side has to share. Picture this : the back half of a fairly large mouse, lots of brown gukky stuff and something unrecognizable but the color was black!

Somehow words just don't do this package justice. I had to scoop it up with a shovel and throw it in the burn barrel while trying not to look at it too much. I probably should have taken a picture so I could really gross you all out. Kidding that would be too sick. Sam came in a little while later and when I went into the bedroom (which is carpeted) there was some piles of guk to clean up in there too. Man all I want for Christmas is laminate flooring. Now I will be really checking around for a good deal on some.

It is -12 today and overcast so think we are in for some flurries. It is a week today that Mojo was spayed and she is like a little time bomb ready to go off, so much energy built up. Shiloh keeps trying to entice her into play and nasty old me has to put the brakes on that! I think they think I am so mean. Three days and counting. I will be pretty happy not to have to escort them outside every time they have to go again. Amazing how time consuming that is in a day, I feel like I haven't been able to get anything accomplished lately.

I did change the living room around the other day but apparently no one likes the change so today it will have to go back. Man men and animals sure hate change but I guess on the positive side it was a good chance to clean and get rid of the lurking hair and dust bunnies. I was actually ashamed when I pulled the couches out and guess you can't just stick the wand under there and have it pick everything up, you must have to move the couches. Lesson learnt?, probably not but the thought will be there for awhile.


Well I guess I should sign off here for now and get animals fed, they are all starting to hint that I am late.

Carolyn thanks for dropping into the blog and always so cool to hear from you.

Bye for now, have a great day all

Saturday

I can't believe it is already Saturday, the days have just flown by since posting last.

Al came to visit on Thursday and got here around noon, just in time to have a quick bite to eat, shower and then go to the vets with me. Mixer's blood test came back showing a low Thyroid but they ran one more test and seems that his pituitary gland that should be showing high is showing normal. We had three choices: one to wait and see if he got better on his own or Two, put him on Thyroid meds and see if that helped or three to take more blood and have more extensive tests run to see what might be causing his Thyroid to be so low and then put him on the meds. That is the option we went with, we started his medicine on Thursday afternoon and we should have the results of the blood work in two weeks (it has to go all the way to Ontario for testing). Apparently he should show improvement in the next couple of weeks, will have to wait and see I guess. I worry though as he has been so lethargic and not himself at all.

While we were at the vets I asked Anne (our vet) if she would take a quick peek at Shiloh's leg. Of course I was embarrassed as I should have taken her in for stitches, but Anne said it looked fine and that it was healing well so that was reassuring news.


Mojo is doing really well now and is recovering fast, it is getting harder to keep her quiet now and I still have her on leash whenever we go outside. I am sure when we are able to finally release her she will tear around for an hour or so. She will be a ball of pent up energy! I love the disgusted look she gives me when I put the leash on her, you can almost see her thinking " I can go on my own".

Well the girls can't stand prosperity and are back to having to stay in their pasture. The other day I had let them out for awhile and they kept hanging around the house and the cars, I kept shooing them away out to the back where the grass is really long, but do you think they would stay out there?, No of course not, I found myself jumping up and going to check to see what they were into, then the final straw came when I looked out the window and I saw little Mystery laying in the freshly turned over garden on her back with all four legs stuck in the air and she wasn't moving!. Talk about freak out, I thought she was dead, I rushed for my boots and coat and got the door open then I saw her moving around and finally got herself up. I think what happened was she went to do a roll and because the ground was so soft she got stuck on her back. Man that gave me a fright as so many thoughts went through my head like " How are we going to bury her, the ground is frozen and how lonely Prettygirl would be without her". Nothing like jumping to conclusions suddenly eh. Thankfully it was ok but it has left me wondering what we would do if one of them passes in the winter time. I talked to my neighbor about it and she said that they have lost cattle that way, they roll over and can't get back on their feet and if no one is there to rope their legs and pull them over they perish.
Scary. Then later I looked out and there they were trying to get into the compost pile, it consists of horse crap and grass clippings which could kill them if they eat too much of that. As soon as I saw that I got my boots on, led them into the corral and there they stay until we can get that part fenced off and safe for them, won't be until spring now though. It isn't like they are really too hard done by, they have probably about 7 acres now to pasture on.

We got snow this afternoon so guess there goes our nice weather, and all I can say is "moan, whine, snivel,complain", not that it does any good but makes me feel better. Not really but what the hey.

I asked husband to take a look at our Christmas lights, last year we bought those new led lights that the bulbs are supposed to last so many thousand hours, ha ha right!, well two strands 70 in each aren't working so half the house has lights the other half doesn't. Guess he wants to wait until it is a snow blizzard before going to do it or something cause every time I mention it nothing happens. I would do it myself but am to chicken to get up on the ladder without someone holding it. Oh well it will get done, right?

Well that is all the news in my little world for now

As Promised

I won't bother babbling too much except to say I did accomplish the medical record chart for all the animals.. Wow can't believe I didn't procrastinate.

Mojo is still moving really slow and I am taking her outside on a leash,which she isn't impressed with, I think she is likes to do her business in private. I guess she will have to get used to it because she has to be kept quiet for ten days. Today it hasn't been a problem at all, she did eat breakfast and supper and is drinking, stitches look good so all is well.

So as promised I will keep quiet now and just submit the pictures.

This is Alan we were having rainbow wars with our cameras.













My rainbow girls

Trixie and Pixie and Don

Blaze and Star Grandson Dev and Don



Lilly (niece) and baby boy Hesa

New Day

Morning, well it is a brand new day and I feel so much better today, headache is gone. Amazing what a dark room and sleep will do for you. Mojo seems a bit perkier today as well, she even stole the cookie that Shiloh left so think she is feeling better. It is going to be nice again today and it is promising to be a beautiful sunrise. Hubby has gone to Jasper overnight for work so will be able to have a night off from cooking, yeah.

Al our oldest son should be coming for a visit on his way back home tomorrow so guess I should scrub out the guest bathroom seeing how I had to use it the other night to give Mojo an emergency bath. She decided that horse crap would be a great fur decoration and rolled in it. I had to laugh as she looked mighty proud of herself. We had been out walking and I told Nick to take the dogs and head back to the house because I wanted to spend time with the herd of horses. I didn't want the dogs hanging out with me because I am always worried they will spook them. Well of course he didn't listen and left Mojo out (cause she wanted to stay out as he said later). I was able to pat one of the young colts that normally won't let us and had a few others surrounding me when they spooked and I looked and there was Mojo just happily rolling in a nice big fresh pile. She came up dripping and so I to leave and get her out of there, she knew I wasn't very happy with her and rushed on ahead of me for home. Nick didn't realize and let her in the house and she snuggled right up to him.... ha ha, that made me laugh and I thought serves you right, if you had listened to me in the first place....Oh well crap happens right!

I am looking after the miniature horses today again as the owners had to go to the city. I will post a few pictures of them later as well. Man they are the cutest things, Don has a buggy and makes them pull it and enters them in parades. Their names are Pixie, Trixie, Star, Blaze and baby Hesa. Hesa is Stars colt and he just turned one in May. He is my favorite because I have been able to watch him grow into the stallion he is now. He is so adorable when he runs around kicking up his heels and acting like a big stud, he isn't much taller then Mixer, so it is too funny. His name came from "he's a boy".

I am going to make it a goal today to make a spreadsheet for each of the animals. It is starting to get a big confusing as to who is due for vaccinations, worming etc so I am going to organize it all in one place instead of written here, there and everywhere. Yup that is what I am going to do, great intentions anyway.

Will sign off for now and get dog's breakfast, kitty breakfast and get my chubbo's out in the main yard so they can make up for yesterday. Have a great day everyone.

Sorry

Well I must begin this with an apology, sorry to have left anyone wondering if we did get blown away in that wind storm. We made it, although at times I did have to wonder about our logic of procrastinating on getting this home bolted down. Every time we go through one of these wind storms we both say " we really should get those bolts and get at it", but then the moment passes and life goes on. Oh well one of these days we will actually make it a priority.

I must confess I have been outside a lot taking advantage of this nice weather we are getting, it has been in the plus numbers every day and today we reached a high of +18, Calgary reached +20. The rest of the week looks really promising but by the weekend they are predicting winter!, Whine, that is going to be a hard adjustment again.

I have been playing nurse to Shiloh for the last while, the other night she gashed her leg on a stick running through the bush, we probably should have taken her in for stitches but it was late in the day, vets would have to be called in and I thought I could just bandage it effectively. Well boy was I wrong, I didn't take into account that she would lick at it until the bandage shifted and moved the skin away from the wound. Now it is a horrible mess and far to late to stitch so I have been dousing it with peroxide and water and keeping polysporin on it. She is going to end up with a really nasty scar and I am hoping not to have to make another trip to the vet.

Mojo was spayed this morning and tonight she is sleepy still. I am supposed to keep her quiet with very limited exercise for 10 days. Today that isn't a problem but I am sure she will recoup her energy by tomorrow and I will be pulling my hair out trying to keep her calm. She is a really active dog. It was an expensive trip today over four hundred bucks for the spaying, vaccinations, blood work, and de-worming meds for Mojo and as well I brought Mixer in so the vet could check him out. He has been gaining weight steadily since he had pneumonia a few months ago and I am worried about him. I bought a diet food in the mean time and we should know more by tomorrow. They have to send the blood to the City for all the tests they are going to run.
Everyone fell in love with Mojo and she was really well behaved while she was there. I had to carry her in when we got home and Mixer and Shiloh were very curious and sniffed her all over, they can't figure out what is wrong with her. Sam has cruised by several times and gives her a look but so far hasn't ventured over to see why she isn't doing her normal exuberant play bow.

Horses are annoyed with me as they had to stay in thier pasture today as I have been in and out all day, I don't leave them loose around the house unless I am home to keep an eye on them, too much for them to get into. They will more then likely make up for it tomorrow.

I was supposed to go watch team roping tonight but am not going to make it. Want to stay home and be ready to take Mojo out when she needs to go as well I have been fighting a terrible headache. I am going to give in to it now and go lay down in a dark room for an hour and see if that helps. So once again sorry for not updating this earlier and indiaiynke you will probably regret asking for pony pics.... I have tons of them.
I have two in particular that I will post tomorrow, I have to find them first. I got delete happy and moved most of my pictures off this machine as was running out of room.
All for tonight will post more tomorrow on Mojo's condition.

Wind, Wind, Wind

Just checked our weather for today and we are supposed to be getting wind gusting up to 90 km an hour which is almost 56 miles per hour. I sure hope my house stays on the blocks!, living in a modular home is fun sometimes, mostly it is good but when we get high winds it is not. I am feeling it shaking as I am typing this and still have to head out for my dog walk and horse feed and sure hope I have a house when I get back... The temp is nice though, it is sitting at +8 right now, amazing, most of the snow has disappeared and the remaining stuff will probably be gone by the end of the day with the wind and warm.

The sky looked very wild when the sun was coming up.

The Visitor

Today it is melting! and by the weekend according to the weather we are supposed to be going to a high of +9. Wow I will take it.

We just got in from our walk, it was gorgeous out there with a Chinook wind which wasn't cold for a change. The dogs had a good run this morning as they chased a big buck deer for a long ways and then finally realized that they weren't going to catch him and came back. I never have my camera ready when moments like that happen, too bad cause he was a very handsome guy. Last night they all chased off into the bush and Shiloh cried out, when she came out she had a nasty cut on her leg, flesh ripped open but not bleeding too much. Got home and cleaned it out and put a bandage on it, she is feeling very sorry for herself. Mojo was very concerned and kept trying to go sniff it but Shiloh really didn't want her to. I am not sure if I should be putting a bandage on it or not, keeps her from licking at it though. I will just keep an eye on it I guess.

Let the horses out in the main yard again and Prettygirl is getting very brave around the house now. She was drinking out of the dogs water dish (it is an ice cream pail). Had to take this picture of her.

They were out all day yesterday and sure enough when I went to bring them in one of the geldings was over visiting and she didn't want to leave him and was really choked when I put her back in her pen. She ran around jumping, kicking and calling for him. She is such a tramp! When I went to get her they were grooming each other and I hated to break them up but it was starting to get dark so it was time to go back to her corral.

I am not feeling very energetic today and guess these early mornings are starting to show. I am supposed to be getting my hair cut today and now am not into it and the way I feel it will probably turn out a disaster. Oh well it is just hair and it does grow (slowly).

Just heard from my daughter in law last night and looks like they may be coming for Christmas. That will be nice and sure hope my other son and his family come as well as we all haven't been together at Christmas for a very long time. Our oldest grandson is eight and the youngest one will be two in January so they are at such a fun age. Not sure how the tree will fair with Aidan (the almost two year old), more than likely it will go over at least once. He is so much like his father that it is scary, we call him AJ (Alan Junior). Anyway will have to wait and see how the plans develop, it is a long time away yet isn't it??? ha ha, Christmas always creeps up way to fast and then it is over so quickly.

Last Christmas Nick and I spent the whole thing getting the corrals ready for the horses, in fact on Christmas day it was so nice we were cutting grass. The corral had been left in a bad state and the fences needed to be repaired and the ground cleaned up as there was wood laying all over the place buried under long grass so needed to be cleaned out before putting the horses in there. The only way we could find everything dangerous was to cut it all and rake it. New Years we spent putting up a shelter for them. It was a wonderful Christmas present for both of us getting them.

Anyway I seem to have run on here so will sign off for now

Great News

Oh I just got a phone call from my friend and she just got home from the doctor's office and her test results were good. No cancer!... I was so happy for her that I cried when she told me, guess the power of prayer is alive and well. Thank you everyone for thinking positive thoughts for her.

We had a busy weekend getting things done around here before the cold weather hits. Nick worked on our old truck, then we cut up the tree that had fallen down last week and sat out by a fire for a few hours until the cold sort of crept in, then we wimped out and headed in to the warm house.

The horses have been having a blast running around the main yard and so many new things to investigate and tons of grass to eat. Prettygirl keeps calling the big group of horses, it would be fun to see her out with them but it wouldn't be fair on Mystery as she would never keep up with them and more then likely would get picked on. It is good that they can visit over the fence though and keeps them from getting too bored.

I thought it was time I posted a picture of Sam, he has been house bound since the snow came, he gave it a try the other day but keeps lifting his paws and shaking them off and then wants back in. A few minutes later he is meowing to go out again and I open the door and he looks out and then comes right back in with a disgusted look on his face. Guess he is kind of hoping that white stuff was a bad dream.




















Well that is it for now.

Snow

Well I knew it had to come sooner or later but was really hoping it would be later! Today it was like a summer day, sun shining and +15 on the thermometer, now tonight it is snowing so imagine the highway is going to be slippery by the time Nick gets off work. He won't be home until two in the morning so I will wait up for him. (What a good little wife eh). As I said the day started out marvelous but by this afternoon the wind came up and knocked a large tree down and it hit the corner of the house. So far we can't see any damage so think we got off lucky. It broke about 1/4 of the way up so that saved us, otherwise it would have done a huge amount of damage.



The dogs are like children in the fresh snow


But they really like being in, curled up on their favorite beds chewing a bone.

Still haven't heard anything about my friends tests so I imagine she will have to wait the whole weekend on pins and needles for news. Friday is a holiday here, Remembrance day.

The new dog is settling in more and more each day and today she climbed up on the couch as if to say I can do it too! We have renamed her Mojo which means good luck charm. I have never liked the name Lucky as every dog that I have known with that name isn't Lucky at all. I used to volunteer at the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter in Whitehorse Yukon and knew a couple dogs with that name who had some very sad stories. Mojo is booked in for spaying on the 22nd of the month so hopefully she won't go into heat before then.
This next couple of months will be a killer in vet bills as Shiloh is due for her vaccinations and so is Sam and now Mojo as well. Mixer is in February and the horses not until spring. At least it will be spread out after this.

The horses are doing well and maybe tomorrow we will give them a treat and let them come out to the main yard to munch. They are starting to run out of stuff to eat in the pasture that they are in, or at least I think they are. They are certainly not starving and can't see a rib on either one of them but this will give them new places to explore. We spent the morning checking the area for things that could harm them. We are still finding interesting things around this place, when we bought it last year it was really run down and hadn't been maintained for quite a few years so needles to say there have been many dump runs since purchasing it. It is satisfying to see the positive changes that we have made already and with each improvement we are closer to seeing it as we envision it to be.

Well that is all the news for tonight.

Frosty Morning

It is a really pretty day here, everything is covered in a heavy frost and now the sun just came out to make everything brilliant.
I took these pictures yesterday morning and probably won't get a chance to get out there for photos today.

My neighbors came home last night and they have a brand new puppy, it is a female yorkie/poodle 6 weeks old and she is going to fit into their house so well. Lucky or Mojo as we are going to call her fits in here, so everyone is happy with the results. They were very relieved that we took her as they didn't want to have to try and find a home for her. She is just too active for them.

Today I am going to the hospital with a friend for moral support, apparently on her last check up a shadow showed up on her liver. Of course this is terrifying for anyone but especially scary for her as she fought breast cancer a few years ago now. Any prayers for her would be gratefully accepted.

Will post more later, all for now. Got to go make some coffee and have that first fix of the day.... ha ha

Monday morning update

Morning, well we got some good news last night, the people that own Lucky don't want her anymore as she is too high energy for them so they have given her to us. They have got themselves a poodle/yorkie x and that will work out so much better for them as they don't lead a very active lifestyle. They are happy and we are happy so all is well.
I will have to make an appointment for spaying and shots etc. Sure don't want her going into heat especially with all the coyotes that we have hanging around.

Had a frustrating Saturday as I hauled out all the furniture from our room and went to lift the carpet and to my surprise it isn't linoleum under there, just unfinished floor!. The reason I thought it was lino under there was because I lifted a small piece in the corner and saw linoleum, well it turns out that it was just a strip that they had extended from the bathroom. So I had to haul everything back in and we will have to wait until a good deal on laminate flooring comes up. Right now it is too expensive.
Oh well at least the room is clean again as was able to get it all. Talk about a lesson in futility.

We had a skiff of snow last night but nothing too serious yet but it has turned colder probably -10 at night now so back to hauling water for the horses. Like I mind.

Well all for now.

Friday Morning

Well thought I should update this even though nothing too exciting has happened in the last few days.

Except for my mouse story!, seems everyone is having unwanted guests come in for the winter and I was thinking oh lucky us, Sam wouldn't let anyone in. Well I was talking on the phone the other morning, house was nice and quiet, dogs in their usual morning nap positions on the couches, Sam was having his snooze in the cave of the cat (the laundry room cupboard) when I see a movement in the corner of my eye. A mouse scoots under the dishwasher. Man I went and had a word with the cat but he decided it wasn't important enough to get up for, stretched and went back to sleep.
That night I was sitting there again and sure enough the little guy runs toward the stove, Sam had been outside so I called him in, moved the bottom drawer out and sure enough Sam got him. I made him surrender the body as I don't like to let him eat them. End of story?

Of course not, we couldn't get off that easy. Yesterday morning I was sitting quietly sipping coffee and reading my book, there again house was nice and quiet when in my peripheral vision I saw movement on the kitchen counter and there sits this little mouse. Of course I freaked and threw my book at him, boy did he disappear quickly. Well needles to say the war is on and I went and got mouse traps and have placed them under the cabinets and behind the stove. I really don't hate mice, just really hate them in my house and especially hate seeing them anywhere near food!
My neighbor friend gave me some mouse poison which is marked "mouse treats", how funny as if mice might read the package, but I am very reluctant to use it in case a mouse takes some and then Sam gets the mouse. I will try the traps for awhile and also have to re-look at everything and try to figure out where they might be getting in. Thought we had that covered last winter but they have found a new spot I guess.

Anyway the dogs are still adjusting to each other and show jealousy in varies ways. Shiloh who always sleeps on her couch has decided that Lucky's bed is nicer and then when Lucky goes and lays on the other bed (we have tons of animal beds placed around) she goes back to her couch. Mixer who always lays on his couch moved over to the other couch and then back again. It is funny watching the little signs but overall they are all getting along really well and it is going to be very hard to see Lucky go home on Sunday. I have heard that the owners don't even really want the dog so will see, she has a home here for sure if they don't.

This weekend probably will be fairly busy as Nick is off for three days and I really want to rip the carpet out of our bedroom and eventually put in laminate flooring. I hate carpet when you have pets, funny how they will always go to the carpet if they need to puke. For now there is linoleum under the carpet, not sure what shape it is in but I am sure it will be still be easier to keep clean.

We also need to re-seal the bottom of our outside doors with weather stripping before the snow flies which will probably be any day now. Every year I dread winter until it is actually here and then do adjust to it again. Having to walk in clunky boots and layers of clothing. Oh well whine!

Well all for now.

New Month

I just got back in from feeding my girls, taking the dogs for a walk and visiting with the "second chance ranch" horses. Lucky doesn't get to go for walks much so she over does it, she never stops running, sniffing and just generally has a great time. I wasn't sure how she would be around the horses but she seems to stay away from them. Mixer and Shiloh are scared of them because Prettygirl chased them one time so when I stop to visit they head for home. Now they are all having a morning nap and the house is calm again. I will head over to feed the miniature horses here in a few minutes, they can only go to pasture for a few hours as they will over indulge and then could possibly founder. Here are the happy dogs about half way on the walk this morning, finally starting to settle down a bit.


Well we only ended up having one child come to our place for Halloween, so guess we are stuck with a bunch of chocolate... and guess who will have to eat it!
Oh I am trying to stay away from it but it keeps calling me. Maybe I should freeze the evil stuff, I think my sisters chocolate addiction is starting to rub off on me. Good excuse or what, sorry Brenda.



Ty was adorable as Whinny the Pooh and we had put a little basket of stuff together for him and the only thing he really liked was the tractor. He is going to be two in December and really has a good vocabulary.



All for now

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone, hard to believe October is almost over, this month has whipped by.

Have some sad news, our neighbor's son was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Winnipeg on Saturday morning and he is flying out for the funeral. Our deepest sympathies are with him right now, it was very tragic and makes you appreciate how valuable life is. We will be looking after his miniature horses and his little dog Lucky. Lucky stayed with us once before and is a border collie x and a real sweetheart and loves to run and play with Mixer and Shiloh. I will post a picture as soon as I can line all three up to take it. Maybe in the morning. So far Sam the cat is not too impressed that there is another dog in the house and is staring at her trying to figure it all out. Imagine by the end of Sunday they will have it all sorted out. So far Lucky fits into our house very nicely and would take her in a heart beat.

Our friends are going to bring over their little boy Ty and he is meant to be dressing up in a Whinny the pooh costume so that should be cute. Will take a picture of that as well. I usually carve a pumpkin every year but this year will have to forgo it. Once again Nick was right and I should have picked one up last week but thought it was too early and then by the time I went to buy one they were all gone. Go figure he has to be right!,oh well guess it wasn't meant to be.

Beautiful Day

Well it is a gorgeous day here today, sun is shining and showing 12 on the thermometer. We went for our usual walk this morning and saw a whole herd of deer. Shiloh and Mixer of course had to do their usual chase with no results. Sure wonder how long it will take them to figure out that they will never catch up with a deer.

The horses are getting more exercise each day trying to visit with the neighbor horses. They all seem friendly especially Troubles an adorable little paint mare. She is always the first one to come and say hi and I must say I am starting to get attached to her. There is usually three horses that come together and the rest are a bit shier and take some time to approach them.
































Today they were all visiting over the fence and I am so tempted to let Prettygirl out to run with them but reluctant at the same time as Mystery would be so lonely by herself. Mystery doesn't seem to want to visit with the horses and think because she is a pony she may get picked on.
I guess we will just go day by day and see what happens.


Today was baking day and I managed to get a pot of homemade soup, fresh buns and cinnamon buns are in the oven as I type. Hubby will be spoilt tonight!

The visiting gang

This is a few horses that are pasturing on our place. The one paint mare on the far right looks like our Prettygirl.

Starting blogging again

Hi there, I will start my blog again and hope to see my sis start one as well. This is a cool way to share your life, kind of like an on line newsletter, which I think she is looking for.

Last year we bought a piece of Alberta and in December we purchased a couple of horses, a life long dream for both my husband and myself.

We have never been owned by horses before so it has been an ongoing learning experience which we are really enjoying. We have one welsh pony Mystery (with attitude) and a five year old paint mare Prettygirl who has quickly turned into a pet and doesn't think she should get treated like a horse at all.

We have been owned by many dogs over the years and now in November of last year Sam a five year old cat joined the family. We have two dogs now Mixer a Siberian husky cross and Shiloh a shepherd cross. They were both adopted from the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter in Whitehorse Yukon, were we lived right up until Oct 2003. I had to send my old poodle Ruffy who was in his 17th year to the bridge in July. He was really starting to fail and had to do the right thing by him, but I still miss him. His soul mate Brina passed on in July of 2004 she had a heart condition which finally took her and since her passing Ruffy was really lost.

We just got back from a quick trip to B.C. to pick up our very own farm truck, it is a 1979 beauty and we made it home safe and sound with no troubles.

I am just about to head out to feed the girls and walk the dogs. Think it is going to be a catch me day and get them powdered down again.
I am really excited as well my neighbor kindly lent me a saddle and blanket, I have a bridle already so guess there will be no excuse to get on her again.... God help me!

Anyway will make this post short and sweet.