Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Hi wow, it has been a long time since I posted anything and so many changes since then. My new year's resolution is to revamp this blog and post updates on the ranch situation.

In the meantime I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and all the best in 2010

Oh Grumpy me!

Why oh why will winter not go away? I am absolutely completely, totally fed up with the white stuff as well the cold! Woke up this morning to it snowing outside and the temperature has dropped back down in the low teens. Apparently, we are supposed to go to -17  tonight and snow all day. Guess winter will end sooner or later but would prefer sooner. What are the chances that in a couple of months you will hear me complaining about the heat? Do you think I complain too much? Enough about the weather.

I mentioned in my last post about the white chicken (Whitey) sitting on top of the post in the barn. Well now, she has everyone doing it and they have been spending the past couple of nights up there. Last night I went out to feed everyone I could not find the Whitey anywhere. I got out the ladder and climbed up on top of the hay bales, checked down in between each wall thinking that she might have fallen down there and then thought she must have gotten outside and might have become disorientated. Well to make a long story,  longer (hah and you thought I was going to say shorter), I checked all over outside doing my chicken call. The horses kept giving me that "she has finally lost it!, don't go near her look". Not fun trying to find a white chicken in all that snow, the temperature was starting to drop and I figured she was a goner. I came in the house sort of upset thinking about her being out to freeze to death. I thought I would give it one more look so went back out to the barn, and just stood there quietly hoping to hear her somewhere. I heard a small sound and looked up and there she was, on the very top of the truss. She could not have been higher. I really do not know how I missed seeing her as had been looking all over up there. Anyway, I climbed up the ladder and tried to coax her down but we are talking about Whitey here, she is such a goof. I had no choice but to leave her up there as would be too dangerous to try to grab her, as she is not a chicken you can pick up and if I would have pursued it she would have probably hurt herself by flying into a nail or something. She just about kills herself to get away from you. Anyway, it was -13 when I got up this morning so I went out early to do the feeding. She was sitting in the exact same spot but eventually after much teasing with some spaghetti she was able to find her way down. I guess I will not worry from now on if she gets up she should be able to get down, right?

Here are a couple of pictures of them all sitting on the post and one of the goof up in the rafters.

Have a fun day all. I know I am going to enjoy driving to Mayberry in all this fresh snow...

Friday Morning update

Good morning, everyone just thought I would do a quick update while I have some spare time. 

Team Blue River did not have such a good trip. The day my son came here to pick up hubby, he was hacking and coughing bad. He thought his lungs were irritated because he had been chewing something and it went down the wrong hole but by the time, they got to Blue River hubby was starting to feel a cold coming on and I was already starting to sniffle here. Well it has been just over two weeks and we are still hacking, although today is the first day that I feel like I am starting to have some energy again. It is a nasty little flu bug and I finally broke down and went to the doctors the other day as I thought a cold should not last that long. He checked the old ears, throat, chest and said " it is a just a cold my dear", so I guess I wasted a trip in for nothing. He said that this bug has been lasting people well over two weeks and just to drink plenty of fluids and some whiskey. Guess he was looking for a laugh, which I did give him, until a coughing fit started.... ha ha 

We are finally in the plus numbers today and it is +6 out there right now. Quite a difference compared to last week when we woke up to -36 one morning and -39 the next. Talk about a shock and let me tell you how many grumpy people there were over that one. We were dumped with ton of snow last week and now my trail is completely buried and cannot go for my walk every day. It is over my knees in some spots and being sick, I did not have the energy to try to wade through it. Poor dogs really miss the walk every day as well and Mojo gets so silly and tries to encourage me to follow her out in the deep snow. Will make it up to them once this crappy snow goes.

This morning I went out to the barn and cleaned the horse side out, put fresh straw down and emptied the water and filled it with nice fresh water. Took five buckets to fill and can hardly wait until we can put the big bucket back in there and fill with a hose instead of hauling by buckets. Still this year has been so much better having the barn to go in and get out of the wind and elements. I did not get the coop cleaned as it creates so much dust and did not want to get that in my lungs right now. I do have breathing masks but still it gets in there. 

I lost another chicken in that cold spell, I think it was my pet. The one that followed me around and loved me to pick her up. I guess they only live so long and am down to four now. The little white one makes me laugh every day. On warm days, I do not lock them in their coop so they have the run of half of the barn. I keep them out of the horse side simply because I do not want them to be stepped on by the horses. Anyway, Whitey as we call her loves to go up high and every night I would go out to lock them up and she would be sitting on top of the hay bales as pleased as punch with herself. It usually takes me about five minutes to get her down from there as it has been getting too cold at night to leave them out. Last night when I went out there, she was sitting on the top of the post and looked like she was settled in for the night. I left them out all night as it was going to be above zero all night so she probably spent the night up there.  

After I cleaned the barn, I brought the girls in and groomed them all. Poor Mystery is just shedding like crazy and took probably about 10 lbs of hair off her. When I was all done, she went, rolled, rolled in the snow, and seemed so much happier. Think it gets itchy with all that dead hair. I have to share this with you all. When I finished grooming her, I still had the brush in my hand and I lifted all four feet and brushed out the snow from her hooves!. Yes even the back feet!!! I was so happy. I could not catch this pony when we first brought her home and if she saw me with a halter, she would run from me. No one could lift her back feet without her kicking at him or her. Now she follows me around even when I have a halter in my hand, and seems to love the attention she gets. Sure, a different pony then when we first got her, she is finally starting to trust and even hubby can walk up to her now and pat her. 

Sammy has spring fever and wants out and picks his way across the ice on the deck, is out for ten minutes wants back in and then ten minutes later wants back out again. Finally, I ignored him and left him out for about a half hour now he is in his cave sound asleep. Guess he just needed a longer time out. 

Well I will sign off for now as have to run to the dump (big outing), then come home, and do the tank. I have been doing a 20 - 30% water change every couple of days to help with the ammonia and will be glad when it has finished cycling then will only have to do it once a week. The twenty gallon is finally at that stage now and it took probably about 8 weeks for that to happen. 

Chow for now.

Team Blue River

Morning all, I am taking an online course for my job and that has been keeping me really busy and don't ever seem to feel like writing on this blog but today I got the urge to do an update. 

I am enjoying having fish again and have learnt so much about taking care of them. The internet is such a marvellous tool and I cannot imagine life without it. When I had a fish tank years ago I just bought the tank, and all the stuff to go in it, filled it with water and dumped in the fish. Now after researching fish care, I realize what a cruel thing I did. I had no idea of what cycling a fish tank was... Well I guess we live and learn eh! The fish are all doing well so far, I am well into cycling the large tank, and the 20 gal is on the tail end of the cycling process. 

Anyway enough about the tank on to other topics that pop into my mind randomly. 

Yesterday the woman that now does my horses hooves came and trimmed up the girls, boy were they ever long. It was -18 with a wind so we did them in the barn. The girls are still a bit nervous about being in there and while we were working on Copper, I locked Pretty up in the new stall. Well she sure did not like that and pulled a bit of a temper tantrum but did settle down after a bit. We are going to have to raise the sides up as can see how a horse might panic and try to jump out. It was so cold and Coppers hooves had grown so long it took us both to squeeze the nippers on the front hooves. I certainly have a lot more respect for the work the farrier does now, as it is such hard work and takes a lot of energy. 

I am not sure if I mentioned that we changed farriers last year or not. I am sure some of you will remember me mentioning the pony Mystery and how it took two strong guys, rope and they had to stretch her out and lay her down in order to do her back feet. Every session left me sad and sick that this was the only way to do her safely as she would freak out so much. Anyway, to make a long story short the horses were overdue for their feet and the fellow that used to do them was busy so I asked around and was recommended to this woman. She came, did all three of the horses, and then started on Mystery. The front feet have never been a problem and when she got around to the back feet, she was so patient, we kept at it, and she was able to trim them without a fight at all. I think she spent at least two hours on Mystery and I cried happy tears at the end of it. The next couple of times she started fighting more but we got them done. Our farrier suggested a chute so hubby built one and we have done her twice in there now. Talk about a different pony. Yesterday we put her in there and I stand at her head while the farrier works on the back feet, Mystery was actually falling asleep in my arms while the back feet were being done. Just had to share that as it makes me so happy and will not have to go back to the old way of doing her. 

My hubby and son have gone on their (they want to go annually) snow mobile week. They left yesterday in the midst of a snowstorm headed towards Blue River B.C. apparently; they drove in a blizzard the whole way and treacherous roads. They made it safely though and now I can relax and get on with my week. Hubby was so looking forward to the trip and was referring to himself and Al as being TEAM Blue River... it was so funny. Here are a couple of pictures of TEAM BLUE RIVER.. Don’t laugh.

Team Blue River and Mojo begging to go.

We have had snow for the past two going on three days now and I AM SICK of snow and now tonight it is supposed to drop to -28 and probably colder with the wind chill. Ok,  enough already, time to move into spring. Thought that we were supposed to have an early spring. Stupid groundhog....! Oh well that is my rant for the day. 

I will sign off for now and go change the water on my tanks, feed the dogs and head out to wade through all that lovely snow... 

New Tank

Just a quick post to share pictures of my new tank. It is a beautiful 46 gallon bow tank and moved five fish over to it this morning. Left 2 in the twenty gallon. I have lost three out of ten fish now so hopefully now they will all have enough room.

Thank you again sister for a wonderful lunch and visit.

Sort of a catch up post

Hi everyone, sorry I have not posted in so long but have not felt like blogging. 

Since posting last I have sold Link my quarter/Arabian cross horse. He has always been a challenge for me due to his size (he was 17 hands high) and his lack of respect for humans. He is also extremely herd bound and would cause such a ruckus if I tried to work with one of the other horses by itself. Not sure if I posted this or not but last summer I had caught the girls, tied them up, and then went to catch him, as he went to run away from me he kicked me in the shoulder. Luckily, he was a ways from me and just caught with the tip of his hoof so other then a bruise did not do any damage. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and said it was an accident. Well this fall my neighbour came over to look at Prettygirls legs for me so we removed her from the pen, Link got upset and when I let them out together he kicked at me again. I did not realize it as had my back turned to him but my neighbour said, "you know that horse almost kicked you!” Then the final straw was when my hubby and I were out working again on Pretty's legs. She gets something called scratches and her back legs were all swollen. She was very lame so we brought a bucket of ice water and some towels and I was wrapping them to try to reduce the swelling. Link kept coming over and trying to take the towels off her legs, so I shooed him away. He went and stood about 50 feet from where we were working. The dogs were lying in the grass just in front of us. All of a sudden, Link came towards the dogs, raised both front feet in the air and came down trying to strike Shiloh. We both screamed at him and thankfully, Shiloh was able to move in time. She is an old dog and seemed to almost freeze. Anyway, to make a painful story short we were able to relocate him (thanks to my parents) to a home in B.C. The young fellow that bought him trains Arabians and apparently, it is working out well for both of them. He has ridden him already and I think that it is a better situation for all. Meanwhile here things have calmed down considerably and I enjoy working with the horses again. Whew what a lengthy story eh!

I am not going to catch you up on everything as will take too long. We have had a bout of extremely cold weather and then it warmed up and now is cold again. It had dropped down to -40 at one point with the wind chill. Thank God, we got the barn done but silly girls do not even use it much. Here a few pictures of the barn now, it feels so good to be at the point of being able to use it. We have moved the chickens over there now and they love the extra room. 

Finally we are able to use the barn

Visit with sister and niece, the cutie on my niece's shoulder is Skie who is so amazing. She flies all over the house and lands on everyone and catches free rides. 

I have 10 new pets! no not chickens, fish. I have been wanting a fish tank for so long and finally bought one 3 weeks ago so now am learning so much about taking care of a tank. The first thing I learned was I have too many fish for the size of the aquarium so hubby is going to buy me a bigger one, one of these days. Just have to find the right deal. 

Well going to sign off for now and go feed the crew. Take care all and will try not to leave it so long in-between posts.