the start of another day

It's amazing how much farm ground in this county is being taken up by housing.  That house you see in the first picture is smack-dab in the middle of a soybean field.  It was about six A.M. when I rode by, and two people were on the roof, trying to beat the heat, no doubt.  It's supposed to reach 97 degrees today.

I guess Tyler is the designated twin helper today.  Travis and Tyler, although identical twins, are very competitive with one another; so these days, one helps Cliff while the other stays away.  Just as I think Travis is the only one coming over, they'll pull a switch-a-roo and Tyler is present for a few days.

The big David Brown tractor in these pictures was made in England.  To me it's an ugly monstrosity, but Cliff loves it.  He'd sell it, if only someone would pay three times what it's worth.  (I thought I'd throw in a bit of sarcasm.)  He used it recently to pull the disc, preparing a seedbed for alfalfa we're going to plant for hay.

That in-ground waterer is going to be great.  That black flap on the front is supposed to hang down and keep the sun from making algae grow in the water, but Cliff wired it up so the horses could discover their drinking water.  They all use it just fine now.  Old Crook never would drink there:  just one more reason he needed to leave.

A family entry

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The picture you see was taken some five or six years ago... it's me and Monica.  It's not the shot I wanted to use, but my computer can't find my scanner.  Bummer.  Anyhow, let me tell you about my smartest grandchild.

The others aren't dummies, mind you.  But Monica recognized letters at age two.  She made a pretty good attempt at writing her name by age three.  One time I was riding in the car with her (less than two years old), her mom, and her infant sister, when my daughter (her mom) said, "Sometimes she scares me."  (because of her intelligence.)

Monica heard the word "scares", and growled like a monster.   Amazing.

By the time Monica arrived, I'd learned the value of bonding with grandchildren, thanks to Arick and Amber being forced on me.  Since my daughter's family lived only 15 miles away, we made this deal:  They'd meet me at Church, on Wednesday nights, and I'd bring Monica home and keep her for 24 hours, every week.  I had a crib in our bedroom, and when Monica would wake up repeatedly during the night, Cliff would ask, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because she'll be grown up before you know it," I'd tell him.

It worked perfectly, and we did this for about eighteen months, until my daughter and her family moved out of this area for a few years.

Monica gives great hugs.

Monica loves her grandpa (after all, he's the only one she has).

Monica is nine years old, going on thirty.

I love Monica.

 

GET CLOSE!

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Get Close

Let's try something participatory with this week's Photo Shoot -- not just with the photographers but with the folks who look at the photos:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of something in extreme close-up -- so close it's hard to tell what you're looking at. Ask people to guess. On Thursday, reveal what you've photographed.

OK, John Scalzi:  Here's the best I could do with a camera that blurs anything really close.

 

meet Snickers

Our neighbor, David, has had Snickers perhaps ten years.  He's pastured her on our property for ages, except for the last couple of years, when he kept her at his dad's place.  I always despised her, because she wouldn't let me get near her.  It didn't matter if I had a can of feed or a treat in my hand, she ran when I approached her.  What a useless horse!

I was disappointed when Cliff said David was bringing Snickers home.  It only got worse when she arrived, and I found out she made all the other horses run when anyone approached them.  I called her some names that normally don't pass my lips.  She was ruining the other horses, and I could have killed her.

Cliff let me know Snickers WAS staying, so I decided to approach the problem another way.  When I first got Blue, he ran whenever he saw me coming with the halter and rope.  Thanks to Mark Rashid, I got him past that problem.  What worked for Blue, I figured, might work on this mare that I hated with a passion.

The pictures tell the story.  She still has some room for improvement, but in two days time, it's amazing what a difference there is in her.

I think I may ride her before long.  Cliff told David this, and he said it's OK... only he says she gets pretty wired-up.  Hey, I've been thrown and fallen on by one horse, what have I got to lose?

Funny thing, I don't quite hate Snickers as much tonight.

Goodbye, Record Lady

One of my "Favorite Sites" will be removed.  Why?  Because Record Lady has been forced to close her website.  It sure was fun while it lasted... and thank goodness I saved a lot of those old songs to my computer.

a ride in the cornfield

What a perfect morning for a ride.  I allowed Blue to choose our course today; I was heading up the highway toward town, but just a short distance from home, he signaled that he was interested in going into a cornfield.  Sometimes I let him have a choice in where we'll go.  After all, he's the one doing the work. 

The man who farms there has a path he uses to drive through the corn, so we weren't trampling any of his crop.

Probably the reason Blue chose this path is because he loves the taste of corn, stalks and all.  He can grab a bite so fast, he doesn't even have to slow his pace.  

No matter what the rest of the day brings, its beginning was perfect.

random stuff

I'll soon be doing another family entry.  The next one will be on my granddaughter, Monica.  I must find the proper picture to go with her entry, and scan it.

I intend to ride soon, before it heats up to the mid-90's.  But Blue stays on dry lot all night, and I want him to have something in his belly before we leave.  So I have turned him out for some grass.  When he's had an hour to eat, I'll head away.  The farrier comes this week, but at least I'm back down to only one horse for him to work on.  My daughter pays for the farrier's work on her own horse. 

Next week at this time I'll be busying myself with our popup camper and stocking it, getting ready for the trip to the state fair with Monica and Natalie.  A week after that, school starts.  Time goes by in a blur, these days.