Just stopping in for a quick hello.  Once again quite busy!  I plan on doing a lot of riding this weekend so I'm sure I'll have about a billion pictures and stories to share later.  Hope you all have a great long weekend!

Yesterday was a horseless day and today probably will be too.  Well, I'll get to play with other people's horses, since I'm working, but probably won't have time for my own.  It's back to school week for Liam so we're going to have a busy couple of days and soon I'll have an empty nest during the school day.  Time to look for more work, I think.

I did pull all the mats out of my horse trailer yesterday.  I think I'm going to re-paint the floorboards before I put the mats back.

We did get out into the wilderness yesterday as a whole family.  I haven't edited all my photos yet to make them small enough to post, but here are a few.

Squirrel!

Gorgeous creek. Someone has put a mining claim on this spot but it's not closed to the public yet.

We named this "candycorn fungus."  Have no idea what it's really called.

I severely disgusted my husband by calling this one "catbutt fungus."  If you look closely you can see why.  Too bad it's so ugly in the middle, the part that looks like a flower is actually really pretty.

A ghoulish face in a root ball.

But back to horses, and mustangs specifically.  There's a young Coyote Lakes gelding going up for adoption on the BLM's internet adoption.  He looks SO much like Tonka when he was a young ugly duckling.

https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/horse.php?horse_id=5368

There are a bunch more on the site if you care to take a look.  Once you follow the link just click on "Online Gallery" at the top of the page.

Yet another excellent ride today.  

Tonka and I went with my sister and her handsome horse, Festus, who hasn't been on a trail in a couple years and even then was ultra green.  Tonka and I were planning on babysitting in case Festus came apart at the seams.  It wasn't necessary.  They've done their homework well and he was awesome today.  She may decide he'll be her main mount from here on out.

We played around a bit and took pictures.  A lot came out blurry.

My studly steed:

See ya later!

I got to go on a ride with my husband last night.  It was so relaxing.  And Scout was a very good boy again.

Tonka was a slowpoke, and then he was a spooky goofball.  He was VERY worried about a bunch of tiny birds flitting around and squeaking at each other.  I don't get him sometimes.  Later a grouse exploded up out of the brush right next to us and he kind of startled, and then just went on like nothing was the matter.

 This may sound silly, but I think the spookiness may have been a saddle fit issue.  Does it sound silly?  I really do think pain and spookiness come hand in hand with him.  He only acted like that when we were going downhill, and his back looked terrible when we got done riding.  Scout was wearing my good saddle and this other one is too narrow and settles behind his shoulders.  I may have to try the Fabtron on them again, and see which is the lesser evil. 

Don't they look happy?

I've seen lots of signs of fall.  Look at those red leaves.  I LOVE fall more than any other season.  It has an exciting sense of change and a refreshing coolness, but also inspires a lot of quiet contemplation.  It really is my season.  But it also drags behind it the nagging thought that winter is coming.

 

Harvest is well on its way here in the Palouse.  This field has probably been cut by now.

 

John took these photos last week when we went on a walk/ride together down the road.  He has a newfangled phone with a super-duper camera with all sorts of features that my camera doesn't even have.  I don't pretend to understand it.

 I took Scout out to the mountains tonight.  He's a good boy. 

He thought this ditch was scary and needed to be jumped, but eventually he went through like an old pro.

Negotiating the deadfall:

 

  

This is a good pic of him, but for some reason I look bored :/

And how many young colts can you take pictures on when their ride partner is on high alert?  Tonka would have been scaring me at this point.  Well, maybe not now, but when he was Scout's age.  And maybe now...

 

I hope Tonka got some good exercise running around while we were gone, because I didn't ride him today.

You all have been commenting on the beautiful country around here, and I totally agree with you!  It is absolutely beautiful.  I take every opportunity to appreciate how lucky I am.  And of course anyplace is more enjoyable from horseback.  :)  There are some drawbacks to living here, like the super lush grass that is too much for my fatties, but all-in-all it's a lot like heaven on earth.  (Remind me I said that when winter hits and I'm wanting to move to Arizona.)

 Today I didn't manage to ride Scout, but I did ride them both yesterday, very briefly.

Earlier today we went to town and killed some time at the mall.  My boy is pretty stylin', is he not?  We didn't buy anything but he sure wants that hat.

Tonight as the sun was going down Tonka and I went for a ride.  We trotted up and down the road and around and around the field.  Even though we only rode for half an hour I think that was enough exercise for him for the day.  Here he's having a little snack of hawthorn berries.  Some horses just love them, and I've seen Scout and Tonka eating them lately.  I don't think Bella likes them.

In the afternoon I was going to ride Scout but he had a big welt on his back where Tonka must have bitten him, so I gave him a bath and took a bunch of pictures instead.  I think he looks rather dashing (if you ignore his fat belly).

Here's a picture of the cyst in his bad eye.  See the black bubble covering a lot of his pupil and casting a shadow on his iris?  I think maybe it can be fixed, but sometimes they come back.  And it bothers him so little I don't see good enough reason to mess with it, plus there may be other damage in his eye.  It makes me wonder if all the horses that have these corpora nigra cysts had trauma to their eye at one time.

Tomorrow I'm planning to spend more time in the saddle.  The weather is cooling off just a bit and I'm loving it!

This morning's nice ride at home was cut short by a storm coming in. 

 Tonka wasn't having a fit about the thunder and lightning or the big wind, but he was very alert.  I decided to put him back in the pasture so he could run around and enjoy the storm, but then he just stood there.  Oh well.  Now I have two horses to ride later, and I have a head cold AGAIN.  Maybe I'll ride Tonka and pony Scout, and get them both exercised at once.

One of my hens laid this horrible egg in my barn.  I guess that's calcium all over the outside of the shell.  I don't know why she made it that way, but there was definitely something wrong in her egg factory.  Poor hen!  Imagine giving birth to something that hard and knobby.

Well, that's about it for now.  As you can see, life is pretty exciting around here!

 We had another nice walk/ride today.  I don't think John liked walking with us though.  Tonka is really slow on the way out from home.  As a matter of fact, I don't usually ride out from home because it isn't much fun.  But I've decided we're going to start working on that. 

As soon as we're on the homeward bound portion of the ride he's more like he is out on the trail, and I don't have to "drive" him as much.

It was funny, there were some round bales he wasn't sure he could pass.  They were pretty scary.  Then there was a dog that was barking on his heels, which it turned out he didn't really mind, but then there were GOATS!  I don't think he's ever seen a goat.  These were big Boer meat goats and they came rushing to the fence to see us.  After his initial head-up, snorty reaction, he walked closer to check them out.  Later there were more goats, just quietly bleating, and he thought they were pretty interesting.  Then!  Then there were LLAMAS!  And I was shocked because he didn't even care!  He's seen a llama before and ignored it that time too.  My horse is so strange...

But he's sure a nice guy.

 We went to the woods today, two humans, two dogs, and one horse.  Katia and I were going to trade off hiking and riding but she decided to just hike.  Tonka did so well, especially for being the only horse!  He was relaxed and happy the entire time.

 At the end of the ride Tonka and I went off on our own, looking for a good place for him to get a drink.  It was so peaceful and fun to wander around in the shady forest along the creek.  I think we might do some more lone trail riding soon.

Melissa took some good pictures of us yesterday.  I love this view through Rosie's ears:

 Just strolling through the meadow:

I love my horse, and I'm glad to be riding him again, and know he's feeling good.  I think his physical well-being really affects his mental well-being.  Which sounds like a "duh" statement, but really, I think he is more uptight and spooky when he's feeling bad. I can tell he's just a happy boy right now. Which makes me a happy girl.  :)

 Tonka and I went on a wonderful ride with my friend Melissa this morning.  It's been too long since our last ride, but we picked up even better than where we left off.  He didn't seem to have any muscle problems at all today.  And we both had a good, relaxing time.

 I've got to find my camera.  My phone just doesn't take great pictures.  But at least it does take pictures!

 

I don't really have a lot to talk about, I guess.  Nothing new on the house sale/moving front.  Kids are going to start school soon.  Dogs are happy.  Horses are happy.  Bella has an abscess under her jaw, probably from cheat grass, so I've been treating that with a warm Epsom salts compress twice a day.  She's also getting to go out with a grazing muzzle on for part of the day.  Dry lot wasn't helping her weight at all - she needs exercise.  I'm not sure she'll ever be sound, so I'm not worrying about riding her right now.  Scout is a fat boy, and happy, and sweet.  That's about all I've got that's interesting, and it isn't all that interesting... 

 Busy Busy Busy

Where I work

Where my kids play

Where my heart is

Yesterday was an excellent day.  We went Huckleberry picking and then played in the water, then did nothing in the heat of the day.  I've been sick again, I think the same weird virus I had a couple weeks ago, but most of yesterday I felt much better.

My guys picking berries, and I had just called Blue.

  

Here he comes!

Kamikaze Puppy!

He only moves at warp speed in the woods, no matter what the terrain.

My son actually requested that I take his picture.  Normally he gets mad at me when I do.

Huckleberry, eating huckleberries!

A very reluctant berry-picker.

What a view!

The beautiful, sweet object of our search.  The season is about done, and the commercial pickers have been there, so we didn't get near as many as we did a couple weeks ago.

Down at the river, blue got my lens wet, the little stinker.

Waiting for a stick.

Sun dog with one leg:

Huckleberry looking regal:

Kamikaze Puppy!

Regal Huckleberry:

A forest creeper:

Pretty water:

My handsome Huckleberry again:

Loyal Friend:

Blue!

Sweet Huck:

Water skippers :)

Katia, skipping rocks:

Happy Feet!

Oh. My. Dog.