Check One off the To-Do List

June's goal was to paint the hay shed.

It matched the house.

I painted it to match the barn.

Someday I'll paint the house to match the barn too.

If you compare the foreground of the photos, you can see how much those sneaky weeds have grown while I wasn't looking.  Weeds, you're on my list.

Quilts = Comfort

It's a stressful time in Colorado, and I'm ready for a little comfort.  I'd like to curl up with a good book and wrap myself in a quilt.  The next best thing is looking back on my visit to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden.  This summer they are displaying Pennsylvania quilts from the 1860s and 70s.  Here are some of my favorites -

Bull's Eye with Mariner's Compass

Pineapple Applique (or Thistle and Plume)

Princess Feather

Scherenschnitte - Coxcomb Variation

Of course I like this one - it reminds me of horseshoes!

Heat Wave and Fires

It's hot.  Denver broke a record at 106 degrees today.  Our elevation is 1,600' higher than Denver's, so we stay about 10 degrees cooler year round.  True to form, we were in the mid 90s today.  We haven't had a drop of rain since June 1, and our pastures are crunchy dry.  It's hard to complain too much when there are so many forest fires throughout the state, and so many homes have burned.  We had a small fire (600 acres) fairly close to us.  After two air drops today, it is 90% contained.

The news isn't as good on the Colorado Springs fire.  It has burned 3,400 acres, and is at 5% containment.  Here's what it looks like from our porch -

Pike's Peak is southwest of our ranch.

The smoke billows north, and then veers east as it rises.

This is the smoke we see looking east.

That cloud-like stuff in the header is smoke too.

Smoke is one of the many things that Paj is allergic to.  I am putting prescription ointment in his eyes every day.  So far, we haven't had a blocked tear duct, and his breathing is okay. 

My brother Tom and sister-in-law Pat are flying to Colorado Springs on Saturday to visit Pat's father.  He lives very close to the fire area, and at 98 years old, I am very glad they will be with him.

Colorado's biggest fire is the High Park fire northwest of Fort Collins.  It has burned 83,000 acres and destroyed 248 homes. 

Looking back, maybe winter wasn't so bad after all.



Happy Birthday Reggie (a few days late)

Happy Birthday, dear Reggie.
It's hard to believe you're 20.

Reggie is wearing his birthday fly sheet in the video.  It's straight out of the box and sticking up over his croup!

Reggie (left) and his BFF, Paj.



Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center

This weekend there was an open house at the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center (click here).  It's a safe haven for horses that have been removed from an abusive situation by law enforcement officials.  The goal is to get these horses healthy, and to make them good candidates for adoption through training.

The facility was donated by the big-hearted owner of Harmony Sporthorses.  Talk about giving back.  It's 168 acres, and it's top notch.

Walking up to the Adoption Barn,

there are pens to the left.

Inside, there are stalls with attached runs.

Each horse had a sign with his name, photo,

and a bit about him.

There's also a huge indoor arena in the Adoption Barn.

Read no farther if you are a big softie like me, and can't bear

these horse's stories.

The horses all have heartbreaking stories.  I will spare you the worst.  Many were from foreclosures, where the owners moved out and left the horses behind. Some weren't found for months.

Pretty Harley here was one of 23 mares and stallions in a field.  In addition to starving, the stallions were trying to kill each other.  Harley was so terrified, he'd rather go through a fence than be touched.  And when the flight instinct didn't work, he opted for fight, attacking the rescuers.  I wish you could see him now, loose, following his trainer around like a puppy dog.  He was smitten.

This pinto was kept in a stall and never let out.  Not once.

And the stall was never cleaned.  Not once.

For 3 years.

I am so thankful for the good guys.

   

My Summer To-Do List

Now until snow - weed
June - finish painting hay shed
July - paint runs again
August - power wash barn interior and treat wood
September - hunker down for winter

Just looking at the list

I'm feeling uninspired

If I cease and desist

Maybe I'll get fired

Old Friends

Yay!  The sweet little mare has a new home with my old friend Kyt!  I am so happy for both of them! 

Sweet mare

This weekend I got together with some more old friends.  Suzanne and I boarded together for decades.  The barn we were at has fallen on hard times, and she's moved to a beautiful facility.  I love to see the rows of saddles and bridles.

Suzanne worries about Phamous, who's going on 21.  I think he looks great.

I'm pretty sure he feels great too.

We met our old friend Maureen and her new horse Ty.

Maureen took her other horse, Ricky, from barely broke to Intermediare.

Young Ty is Ricky's brother.

It will be a fun journey.

I've seen some really good cell phone photos.  These aren't them, lol!  Next time I won't forget my camera.



A Nice Mare

My friend Kyt, who lives in Texas, asked me to check out a horse in my area that she found on the Internet.  I was happy to. 

What a nice horse.  She looks like an Arabian, but she's half Thoroughbred and half Welsh Pony.  She's done some low level dressage, a couple of pair paces, a lot of trails, and some therapeutic riding work.  She's sound and healthy.

And now, at 18 years of age, through no fault of her own, she needs a new home.  Most people won't even consider a horse of her age. 

The owner got on her for a few minutes, and then I rode her.  We did walk, trot, canter, circles, serpentines, etc with the greatest of ease.  We were in instant harmony.  She was a pleasure.

I am really hoping that she will be a happy match for Kyt.  I would love to see her get a forever home, and I would love to see Kyt get a good horse.

Owner riding sweet mare

In other news, Colorado has been having violent weather.  We were under a tornado warning yesterday.  Castle Rock to our west, Parker to our north, and Colorado Springs to our south were pounded with hail.  We had high winds and a fierce sky, but not even a drop of rain.  Today we are under a tornado watch, but I think we'll get another by.  Hope I didn't jinx us!

Wicked Weather - Part ?

When Bob and Diana took Boomer for a drive today,

I couldn't help but notice the cloud behind them.  Hmmm.

As I walked up to the house, I spied this cloud too -

Hmmm.  That looks like trouble.

Here we are, a few hours later.

We are about to get hammered.