FEBRUARY

It's been a good month! Alisa and Keota came over to ride on Keota's birthday weekend, which coincided with Lincoln's day off for Lynn. We rode bundled up both Saturday and Sunday. They were cold, but glorious days. We called it early on Sunday because the wind was really moving and everyone was a little jumpy; but Saturday we rode on the left fork and went up and around to the turtle pond. It was fun. It feels like forever since we rode with Alisa. All the dogs had fun and horses were glad to get out and see some country.

The next weekend it was dreary. Lynn called and said it was cold and supposed to rain and we all had things to do. Fine. I went in and worked on something (wasting time more like) and when I came out the sun was shining.
        I called Lynn instantly, "THE SUN IS SHINING!"
        She said, "I'll see you in few minutes!"
And we were off! We had a great ride and worked on our new trail.We turned around at the top and came home, but it was fun and we all loved it.

Today was another "Do we or don't we?" day. We have done this practically all month. We want to, but it's cold. We want to, but we have stuff to do. We want to, but we need to go to town for groceries. Sheesh. Talk about two indecisive people! All our weather advisors told us it would not rain until after 2pm. I wanted to go to church, but we wouldn't be back in time. What to do? Silly question. We rode!

It was 35 degrees and snow was on the ground and in the trees. It was beautiful and worth every minute. We only rode to the spot where we would have to ride the road because it was icy on the road. I guess our next project needs to be to make a trail that bypasses that long stretch of road. Unfortunately, it's pretty steep all along there. Anyway, we saw icicles and were careful around big clumps of snow that threatened to go down our backs. We slipped and slid a little, but came home happy.

After unsaddling at home, we walked Bus and Jupes to Shirley's so she could see they weren't sweaty and cold and she could nuzzle with Buster. I think it made her day--made ours, too.

Bare footin' and grousing

February is here and with it usually a false spring. Saturday was such a day. The forecast was for 70+ degrees; although I don't think it reached that temp while we were riding, it was still a glorious day!

After a week of being able to think of nothing else, Lynn said we would start at 7am. We knew we needed to brush all the mud and pitch off Jupiter and Buster; load the saddles, head stalls, helmets, and the other necessary detritus into the 4-wheeler; connect the pickup; and then put everything all away again; and I needed to be home around noon-1:00. Gene had company and wanted to run around a bit, so I was on Mom duty.

At 6:30, she called and said, "Um, it's really dark out there." I laughed. Yep, so it is. I told her we didn't really need five hours. So at 8:00, I arrived. Boy they were dirty horses. But we got them loaded and off we went.

The original plan was to toodle around the ranch. The boys are barefoot and we figured it would easiest on their feet. But we as we headed that way, we began to see bits and pieces of car parts. Both of us started worrying about the state of the meadow. Sure enough, it was torn up. Bad. Off to the side of the road was the chassis of a vehicle. It had two wheels, with tires surprisingly, and was upside down. We decided not to go on down to the lower meadow. :(

We continued up the road with both boys looking for the softest ground to walk on. When we rounded the corner just below the little road that leads to the big mess of a campsite above the meadow (got that? :) LOL), we saw something. It was the body of the car off on that little road. I am not sure what exactly Buster did (he was ahead of us), but he snorted or something and you know Jupes--he snorted, shied, and we whirled away from it. I talked him through it and we were able to walk, albeit a little sideways, past it. Suddenly, Haley jumped up a grouse. Good grief! Flap, flap, flap, flap! You got it--another shy, this time much, much larger. :) But he recovered before anyone could tease him and walked on like it was nothing.

We rode up to our trail and found a new way to go. We all really like it--well let me change that--Jupes did not. It was a little narrow where there were trees with branches sticking out and he did not want to go through it. But after a solid, knees locked balk, I told him he had to and he gave in. On our way back down it later, we fixed some of the trail, but next time we will need to cut some of those branches. At least now I know what we will fail at if and when we ever do a trail trial--it will be those colorful nerf branches off the poles. He will not want to do that for sure. (Especially since he is so smart, he'll be like, "Seriously, can you not see that we can go around it?")

Haley and Ziva jumped up three more grouse, in three different places, but all they got was an ear. The two of them had a wonderful time. The two of us had a glorious time. And I think the boys enjoyed getting off the place, they just wished they had some shoes on. :)

I'm am already looking forward to next weekend.

Cowgirlin'

On Shirley's 86th birthday, Lynn and I rode on Underwood. It was wonderful. We didn't do the whole ride--skipping the steep hill and then going around the pond, but it was glorious nevertheless. Have we said we love our chinks enough? Probably. :)

Bus and Jupe did a little competitive trotting up the road and Lynn said again how smooth Buster is. I'm glad. I like to trot.

Afterward, we fed Barry and Nancy's horses and met the cutest kitten. Then we came home to fix fence. It was so cool! We got these twisty wires (fence stays?) and we rode/walked the fence line with Lee and the chainsaw. They work so great! It was fun. Then we moved the horses to the hill. They were so happy.

Funny story:
On Wednesday, I had a meeting in town so I did everyone's grocery shopping. :) I called Lynn and said, meet me at my house to pick up your stuff after work. I drove by her as she was pulling onto the highway after work. When she didn't come, I called her and found out that she was working on a water problem uptown, so I went to feed the horses.

First of all, it was getting dark. I hurried, but did not get Lynn's headlamp. First mistake. But I got the hay bale down and cut the string without a lot light--first hurdle accomplished.

I got Happy, Haley, & Ziva all lined out and we were off. No horses at the gate, no bucking and being wild. All good so far.

I drove up the hill to where we have been feeding. I parked and left the motor running and lights on. I was trying to get the hay as fast as I could, but there was Jupes, slinging hay off the four-wheeler. Next to him was Big Zig grabbing off the other side. I hollered at Star,"stay there, I'm coming!" I told Buster, "just hang on, I'll get you some." I'm pushing at Jupes, "Doggone it. Look what you did!" I reached down and scooped up all the now loose hay off the ground and started toward the tree to give Buster some.

Next thing I know--I am sprawling across a down tree. "Oh no, oh no," I say loudly as I go down onto my knees and then a belly flop onto the hay. (I did not say, "Shit!" I know you're surprised.) "OH NO!" I am scrambling and pushing at Buster's knees--I have lost my glasses in the mud and hay and DARK. I cannot see anything except Buster's feet. "Wait," I tell him. I am scooping at hay and sticks and trying to feel the frames of my glasses. Jupiter is almost on top of me, "What're you doin' NOW?" I was so worried about my glasses, I didn't have time to worry he might step on me. Thank goodness they can see.

Anyway, finally one scoop of hay and sticks also had something that felt like frames--YAY! I found them. I scrambled up and scooped the hay to take to the original destination I had planned. I managed to get all the hay spread out for them and back up the four-wheeler without anything getting broken and any of us getting hurt. A big win.

And funny.

After hearing my story and seeing the mud and detritus on my glasses, Lee gave me a free cleaning. Then I drove home with another adventure under my belt from The Place aka 10 Firs aka Acorn Alley. I'll be a cowgirl, yet.

:)

Getting some air

missing our partner

Things have been hard around here. Lots of pain and sorrow and tons of worry. After another Saturday at the hospital, we went for a ride around the Hennessey on Sunday. It was a cold morning and we were thankful for our chinks--what a great buy! We were in blue and the dogs wore blue tape and thankfully, the only hunters we saw were in cars and they clearly saw us either next to or on the road itself. Happy got to go with us and we all got some much needed air and mountain time.

somebody wrinkled a granola wrapper

Lynn rode Buster, and both of them had a ball. He is super smooth and was full of go. His motion does not hurt Lynn at all and his arthritis has not been keeping him from doing any of the trails. She plans to start giving him his medicine soon, as it is getting colder. She made the decision to put off buying the saddle or another horse and to just ride Buster until Shirley can mount up again. Decisions like that are so hard to make and I know it was weighing heavily on her.

Jupiter and I had a good day as well. I love that boy. I am glad he and I are such good partners. Thankfully I never had to send him back, like I threatened. :)

Keep sending good thoughts to Lynn and Shirley as they "Cowgirl Up" and struggle through their pain. We miss our riding partner and keep telling her that the doctor said she could ride come Spring.


Happy Fall from us. :)

A tough week at The Place (aka 10 Firs)

This week was a hard  one--lots and lots of smoke and then Big Zig had a major injury. Somehow, he was rammed by something extremely hard and pointy (probably metal) on the inside of his upper leg. He had bone fragments in his wound and scrapes on his leg bone. Dr. Branch told Lynn it was very important to keep the wound flushed and clean and that Ziggy take his medicine. He said bone infections are common with this kind of injury; so he gave her the strongest antibiotic he has, told her to irrigate it twice a day, keep track of his temperature, and if the swelling went above a line he drew on Zig's thigh, to bring him in immediately. Scary stuff.

The good news is: his temperature is down to normal and he has been running and bucking. He is still a little swollen and getting tired of the irrigation tube, but he likes the grain mixed with his meds. He really doesn't like the hose spraying off the iodine from his leg. Star is extremely jealous and has now taken to cutting Zigs out and away from Lynn so he can't go get his "special treatment." Jupes ran directly to me yesterday when I got out of my car--talking the whole way, so I sure he was saying that Lynn wasn't being fair! He wanted some grain, too!

Dr. Branch gave Lynn a compliment and said that we all did a good job of taking care of our horses and Ziggy would most likely heal quickly and be fine because of it. He's a good age and up on all his shots, as well as in good condition.

We did not ride on Saturday, because it seemed like it would be too smoky, but Sunday, we saddled up Star, Buster, and Jupiter and went up the Hennessey. Lynn had a great time on Buster, who took the lead and lined right out. She said he was so smooth and perfect. Star and Shirley did well also and me and Jupes were fine, too. No mountain lions and the girls were good, too.

A great day was had by all. Now we can get through another week! :)

A Smoky Labor Day Weekend

This is what it looks like from my deck. 

There is supposed to be a mountain ridge there.

      This is out my kitchen window.

Guess you know we did not ride this weekend. I drove to Santa Rosa on Friday and it was smoky the whole way. We had talked about going to Cueno Creek, but it was smoky there, too. Maybe in the redwood grove it would have been okay--I don't know. Even Orick is smoky. I think all of Northern California is under this blanket of smoke. The heat on the coast is crazy as well--high 80s. I think it was in the 100s at Blue Lake. We are not hot like predicted--we have smoke to insulate us. :(

Recovery ride

After three weeks off, Lynn was raring to go riding. (Well, all of us were!) We braved the smoke and found that it was one of our better days. The sky was almost completely clear of smoke (both days) and although we could feel the heat was coming, it was a cool couple of mornings.

Saturday, we rode up to the Hennessey and down to the right and through the hoop-de-doos to the creek and bottom trail. We turned down the steep gully washer trail that leads to the granola meadow (ha-ha, like those descriptions? are you with me?). When we made the sharp turn before the tree that runs in front of the trail (the one little Ziggy thinks he can go under), there was a small dead cedar that now leaned into the trail. Jupes was powering through and I tried to slow him and grab the cedar to push it away from us. But no, he was going through it. Of course it didn't move much and we were showered with dead cedar leaves--and I mean showered. They were everywhere--including some broken branches stuck under my leg and armpit and across the saddle. I looked back up at it when we were on the other side of the down/parallel tree and there were absolutely zero leaves left on it!

Lynn and Ziggy were next and then Shirley and Star. We were waiting to warn them and hadn't moved from below the tree. Lynn easily grabbed and moved it as she went by; then Shirley reached up for it and suddenly she yelled, "Girls! Girls! I'm caught! Wait!" Her glove, an Isotoner driving glove with built-in holes in it, had caught on a little stob. After struggling to free herself, it finally let go and we moved on. Thankfully, it gave me some time to get some of the cedars out of my bra and branches from under my leg.

We didn't ride long because Lynn had a huge list of things to do. When we got back, we could see how tired and sore Star was. He is showing his age. :(

Sunday we headed out again--this time Buster got to go! He has not gone with us since he blew up on Underwood "right off the git." Was that two summers ago? We were all a little nervous about how it was going to go. He was awesome! However, coming downhill on the way back, it did seem like something was bothering him. We all got off and walked through the new trail, where it is steep. We took a different path that we have been looking at as an alternative and Lynn did some light logging.

The big news though, I saved for last: our ride was a very short one! As we crested the trail that ends on the road where we ride to the top of Hennessey, we heard a vehicle coming down. We all got off to the side and Lynn flagged him down so he could see us. He stopped and told her we probably shouldn't go up to the top. I could see on her face that she was concerned about whatever he was saying. After he proceeded on down the road, she came over and told us that he had just seen a HUGE MOUNTAIN LION! It was on the flat top of the hill. AND unafraid of him and his vehicle. CRAP.

Needless to say, we gathered our pups and headed our horses for home, keeping one eye on our backsides. Scaaaaarry.