Happy Halloween

WELCOME TO THE RANCH!


The kids are grown, the grandkids live on the other side of the continent, but I still have fun on Halloween. This is my welcoming committee of the week.

The character sneaking in on the left is the resident Barbados Sheep, acts like one of the dogs, we call her 'The Dawg'. Yeah, I know, odd....

The Dawg can Read! Amazing! She stops her investigation long enough to get my OK. We don't have to worry about intruders around here, with 'Watch Dawg' on alert.

She has found a new best friend.... check out the snuggle time. I sneak her snacks all the time and she NEVER snuggles with me.

So much for the 'not having to worry about intruders' theory.....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Clowning Around

Sunday we had the annual gymkhana with our riding club. I was the coordinator and one of the judges this year. It was a beautiful day and we had a great turn out. Being the weekend before Halloween, I planned a costume class and encouraged riders to wear their costumes all day. The Trail Class had a Halloween theme and it was a hit; horses spooked more than usual and we were all quite entertained. I didn't get many pictures since I was busy trying to keep things running smoothly. Jerry won Hi Point & Runner-up Hi point for the day. He won the Trail Class on that cutie little mule Pistol. He rode both his horse and the mule in all of the events. We were dressed as rodeo clowns, I looked like a freak. I did Jerry's clown face and then he did mine.... judge for yourselves... His excuse was that he wasn't very experienced with make-up.... sheesh my face looked like a camouflaged soldier.



But I had FUN! The day was filled with laughter.

I am certain that someone will have a picture of this clown on the mule, but I didn't get one.

We had a great turn out, both riders and spectators,

I liked Cynthia's little Devil dress. She was very cute.

Janis the Indian maiden and her appy, he didn't like the rain slicker OR the flower pots by the bridge.

This construction zone required the horses to back through a caution taped curve. This was one of the few that actually did it!


NEWS FLASH! I have the NEWS on as I am posting this. I experienced an EARTHQUAKE just an hour or so ago and I didn't even realize it! My FIRST California Earthquake, I don't like that it snuck up on me like that. The house did rumble and shake, I went out with the flash light to check the trees around the yard. Nothing was out of place so I just figured a big truck must have rumbled by. Not sure why I thought of a truck, they never have rattled the house before.
Jerry is out of town for a few days, I just tried calling him but he is not answering his phone. I am sure he is in bed already.

I thought I was out of the Earthquake zone. I am not too crazy about this.....

Looking Up

Autumn in California brings more than wildfires, wind and rain. We were blessed with these skies today. This morning was cool and breezy, blue skies and white puffs.

This evening, before sunset, storms clouds were gathering. We rarely witness thunderstorms and lightning so it was quite exciting when the lightning show started in the distance while we were out back putting grain away.

The layers of clouds were capturing the sunset to the west of us. The clouds in the east were blackening rapidly providing an excellent background for the vivid bolts of lightning. We were counting seconds between lightning and thunder starting about 15 or so.

I left Jerry feeding the horses before the rain hit, ran to the house, grabbed my camera and ran back out to play around a bit.

I had a few minutes to capture some color before the sun was set. I need to learn to use this camera better. I know the very basics and plan to keep experimenting. Di emailed me a very nice complement and request involving a very simple photo touch-up and I had to decline due to my computer ignorance. I'll work on it Di!

I know this one is blurry, unfocused and disturbing. But it was very satisfying to catch that one lightning bolt. I deleted a whole bunch of views of blueish grey sky just moments after a bolt.
I finally figured it out, just as the rain started and we ran for cover. Plus that lightning seemed to be getting shockingly close. ;-) I quit counting the seconds at 3 or 4.

I hope your evening was as lovely.

The gymkhana went well Sunday and I hope to have some pictures for you tomorrow.

So what's new????

WOKE UP.... ENJOYED THE SUNRISE


WENT TO WORK..........

ENJOYED THE SUNSET.....

GOING TO BED.....

GOODNIGHT AND SWEET DREAMS TO ALL FAMILY, FRIENDS and VISITORS

Allergic to Work

I experienced a most curious response to my first case this morning. Walking into the treatment area of the Clinic, I was greeted by the local 'Wildlife Rehab' guy and a recumbent fawn. He had recently picked up the baby; it had been hit by a car, was hypothermic, non-responsive and had a badly fractured jaw. The humane decision to euthanize her was made. Minutes after placing my hands on her for the exam and injection, I started gut-wrenching sneezing, then my face-neck-arms and hands broke out in intensely itchy welts, one eye lid swelled, as did my eye ball itself; my cornea looked like a jelly filled balloon, my throat was constricting and my chest tight. The tech searched the hospital for antihistamines and finally found some just as I was thinking I'd have to give myself an injection of diphenhydramine (benedryl). She assured me that she would have intubated me or tried a tracheotomy if I had stopped breathing. WOW... was that supposed to be reassuring??? Several hours later I looked almost normal again. Took meds a couple times during the day. Now I am ready to get to bed after showering tonight and started feeling it coming on again. I had to tear the place apart looking for allergy pills, I finally found a bottle out in my Tahoe. I'll sit up and wait for them to take effect. I wonder what it was that set me off? Very strange. A fawn allergy?

We spent the weekend house shopping again, with very discouraging results. It is amazing the number of properties on the market. We had a list of eight to drive by but looked at more than twenty. There are For Sale signs everywhere. None a match though. The search continues......

An Exciting Out-of-State Visitor!

Jerry is home from Colorado. They had a wonderful time and I am glad to have him back home.

Today I was excited to have a surprise visitor from Illinois show up during my lunch break. He is quite famous and has had a book written about him, but I haven't read the book yet. I love to have visitors and there is so much in this area to show those who haven't been here before. He spent the afternoon visiting with me at the Veterinary Hospital. We spent time getting to know one another.
His name is Stanley Lambchop and is called Flat Stanley by his friends. He is a friend of my granddaughter Kayleigh. His wonderfully colorful traveling clothes were chosen by Kayleigh, isn't she fancy! He started his travels at her school and will be spending a week here in California as my guest.
I will be sure to share his travels in California with Kayleigh's classmates. Then he will head out to visit someone in a new place. I hope someone fun will host him for the next visit.


Flat Stanley was very interested in looking at RADIOGRAPHS with me. This is a view of a dog pelvis and hips. Those little white spots are pellets, the poor dog got in the way of a pellet gun sometime in the past. The pellets are not causing the dog any pain now.

Flat Stanley watched as I performed a dog surgery. He was very quiet and polite as I worked.

Flat Stanley was very thin and had spent days and days traveling to California. We took him out to dinner to the 'Back Forty' B-B-Q place. I thought that he would be very hungry, but he really didn't eat very much at all. He is very polite and a lot of fun to have around.

Thank you Kayleigh for allowing me to visit with your friend Flat Stanley. Love you, Nana

Sawbucks & Deckers

We like to travel into the back country, destinations reached only on foot or hoof. We like to eat, stay warm and dry, and sleep comfortably. Our supplies for several days are laid out. I am
glad I can take more stuff than I can carry on my own!

There are two basic types of pack saddles in use today; the Decker and the sawbuck. There are basic differences between the two types and different knots and methods of securing your load. I don't have a preference between the two, since I am quite the novice, but Jerry prefers the Decker. There are lots of straps and leather and ropes to keep the saddle and the packs secure on the pack animal. I am not faking it in the picture, I really can put the pack saddle on a mule.

These two are loaded up and ready to hit the trails!

All your supplies can be loaded into 'panyards', which are containers that you hang from the pack saddle. Or wrap everything in a tidy little package and tie the 'manties' to the saddle. The packages can be referred to as mantees and the canvas sheets can be called mantis. Yep, for you spelling buffs, I did spell it three different ways: mantees-manties-mantis, all are correct.

The Decker saddle is stronger, has metal D-rings to tie to, can be adjusted to fit mules or horses. The cinch goes around the animal's girth and holds the saddle on; the breast collar fits around the chest to prevent the saddle from slipping back when climbing steep mountains; and the breeching is snug around the mule butt to keep the saddle from sliding up on his neck when going steep down hill. A good fit is critical.

Lots of good strong rope and very special (secret) knots are used to secure the mantees to each side of the pack animal. The loads should be of equal weight and make sure they are loaded evenly. This is BJ, my friend Sharon's horse getting ready for her first trail ride carrying packs.

Ropes go over, around, under, through, over some more, and tucked: all in a well orchestrated and planned design. I am still an apprentice knot securer. This photo illustrates why I need a short pack animal.

Sharon's first time leading a pack horse, BJ's first time being a pack horse, and Cocoa's first time being followed so closely by an animal carrying such a thing.

Why do we pack? So we can ride out to places few people get to visit and set up really cool camps.

Escape from the city, traffic, worries, work. A time to relax, refresh, reflect. Stand in an icy clear stream, listen to the mountain music, get lost in the rhythm of the wilderness.

And if the trout out smart you, don't fret, you won't go hungry because steaks, potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and even a romantic bottle of wine are in the cooler that the mule carried up the mountains.

Happy Trails to all!