Friday, July 29, 2011

Animal Friday and more...

TGIF!


Although I can't really complain much, I took both Thursday and today off work so I had a short week.

Chyann is off doing her first horse show in MN! I talked to her this morning and she said it was very exciting! I miss her already.


She and I had a nice ride on Tuesday before the temps started climbing again. The gnats were absolutely terrible though! If you stopped you were immediately inhaling them, yuck!


Check out how nice and bendy her knee is! A few degrees makes a world of difference in getting her foot in a stir up or not. And riding horses is wonderful exercise for her, it works every single muscle she needs to build up ~ plus a few.



After the ride I had some visitors while I cooled off on the back porch.


Bugsy.



and sweet BeeGee.

I picked up the new lenses for my glasses and sunglasses on Wednesday after work. Love the nice clear lenses for my glasses, but am not too wild about my sunglasses. They may actually be considered stylish because they are on the large size - I don't mind that much, but definitely do not like the straight arms on them. They don't wrap around your ears to hold them on so I think I'll be checking into getting new arms or just another pair entirely if that is not possible.


Did I ever tell you I'm a HUGE KISS fan? Well I am and have been since I was in probably second grade (My brother was the guiding influence in my music preferences when I was a kid). We went to see them when they were at Rock Fest in 2007. I loved it! The best concert I've ever seen!



We started watching the Gene Simmons Family Jewels the first season and have enjoyed watching the series. This is the only reality TV series I've ever been interested in.


Did you see this seasons finale? The Hubby thought it was all staged and fake. Me I don't care if it was or not. I enjoyed it :)

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Our Redneck ways

So, I kinda took my self a little blog-vacation (and I was doing so well posting more often too!). I just wasn't feeling it. When your arse is parked in front of a computer for 8hrs a day sometimes you just don't feel like coming home and sitting on your arse some more.
Added to that, it took almost a full ten days of antibiotics to clear up my sinus infection.






We've had some hot weather here. Sure we don't have A/C, but hell this weather wont last long and really it'll be snowing before we know it, so I WILL enjoy this weather for as long as it lasts!






Our main cool down is the pool. Unfortunately the pool pump conked out on Saturday. With the weather this hot you've got to keep your water moving so it doesn't get nasty. Good thing the Hubby is a resourceful kind of guy and has a little bit of anything/everything you might ever need.




He rigged up this cool water circulater for us until the new pump comes in - hopefully that will be today. When we were in the pool we take the little motor out and put it back in afterwards.




If you're wondering what the cones are in the yard, Chyann has an obstacle course and some jumps set up that she has been taking the horses through.




And yes that is my corn all tasseled out and looking good in the background!





For such a little electric motor it sure had some water moving power! After it had ran for a bit we got a nice whirlpool going, which was nice as it put all the dirt/bugs in the center for easy cleaning. We may be just a little redneck and that's not a bad thing :)


With this hot weather and drenching rains my tomato garden has really taken off! It's literally an overgrown jungle! I'm going to have to get out there and do some trimming to even find the tomato's and let the breeze get in to dry it out a bit.

We keep the tractor handy to deliver my garden straw. Having a thick bed of mulch this year has really helped on the weeds and fungus I think.



Check out this amazing clutch of tomato's! I've never seen so many Roma's clustered together like this before. They are huge!





FYI ~ Chyann got 90* yesterday at PT!!




Saturday, July 16, 2011

The wet

We got about 2 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. Washed out a bit of the driveway, short power outage this AM, tons of thunder and lightening.

Glad we got the rain as we are fore casted for some hot weather this next week. High 90's and equally high humidity.


Colton stayed up all night last night and left home at 430a to go to the Rock-Fest grounds. He cleaned up the grounds in the pouring rain to get a free ticket for tonight's shows. I was pretty surprised that he did it this year because none of his friends were able to go with him. He drove there, signed up, cleaned and came home soaked to the bone. Some kids he knows are camping there and he plans on hooking up with them at some point during the concerts. Colton said the concert area was a sea of mud when he left this morning. Will be interesting to see how much mud, if any at all, dried before the concerts start today. I can just imagine a bunch of drunks flailing around in the mud.



Casper standing on the ramp behind the barn munching on the hay I dropped when I fed the animals this morning. One of these days he'll get brave enough to walk right up it and into the barn.



Chyann went with our friend Nan up to the Barron County Fair in Rice Lake. They are going to watch the horse show for Chyann to get an idea of what it'll be like in two weeks when she shows with Nan in MN. I would have went with them, but a nasty headache for two weeks equals a whopper of a sinus infection and I'm laying low today.



Millie is sure getting big. She is pretty funny jumping and running everywhere, kind of like a little gazelle.




Toodles :)

Friday, July 15, 2011

Animal Friday!

TGIF!




After work last night Chyann and I went for a nice ride. The Hubby took these pictures from quite a distance away.




Jennifer was irritated that I would not let her eat the sweet beans that are now growing in this field. I was irritated that she kept trying to eat. We went round and round on that for a while - literally. She finally got the idea that eating the beans was not a good idea.




Scotch did very well for Chyann. The perfect ride for her. They walked, trotted and cantered circles around me and Jenny.



Look at that leg! She can get it in and out of the stir up with no problems. 83* as of yesterdays PT!!




Coming up the driveway she was cruising and the Hubby really only caught her smiling face. I sure need a camera with a faster shutter speed.





Then there's me. Bringing up the rear.




All I can say about this picture is that Jenny sure is a beauty and I really take the worst pictures.



Yesterday's high temp was about 70* and both Chyann and I were wearing sweatshirts.




Lily and Marble have been taken to a neighbors place to run with the bull. They'll be gone about six weeks or so. Their baby's from last year, Eight Ball and Cinnamon cried all afternoon and evening for them.



Hope you have a nice weekend!




Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Hump Day

All is well.


The super stepdad is going to be fine (indigestion - acid reflux?). Really.

We will definately take that over an actual heart problem :)


I had a hard time getting out of bed this AM. I hit the snooze for about an hour and I still have time to sit on the computer before work. Not much though as I've got to get on the phone and start harrassing the insurance company and hospital Chyann goes to, to submit the correct shit so bills will get paid! These Huge companies are driving me nuts! And I know just ONE key stroke will fix most of the issues holding up the claims.. Very flusterating.


Happy Hump Day!


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The weekend and other news

Another hot and busy weekend is over.


We got lucky and had a nice breeze blowing directly into the barn helping to keep us cool while we stacked hay.




I got all, but two rows of corn weeded in the gardens. A few zucchini's are about ready to be picked even. A gal at work and I are going to trade zucchinis for her cucumbers when they start coming in. Somehow I didn't get any cuc's planted and I had big plans to make spicy pickles too. Guess I'll have to hit the farmers market for those when it's time.


Some whopper storms on Sunday AM and late PM gave up almost 2 inches of rain that was very badly needed. The super humidity and heat seem to be over till Thrusday so Chyann and I are going to try and get some horse riding in.


Chyann got 80* at PT yesterday too! AMAZING!



My fantastic step-father is going in today for a heart stint procedure.


It's my understanding that three things can happen


1 - nothing, all is well


2 - place a stint or two if needed


3 - bypass is needed, do nothing and schedule surgery


I'm hoping for nothing, but realistically something is probably going to need to be done. He wouldn't be there having this done if something wasn't wrong.


I'm sure he will be fine, he is tough!






Friday, July 8, 2011

Animal Friday

TGIF!!!


I heard about animal Friday's from PAK-ART and decided to try it out.


Here are Chyann's cats Gracie and Cairo lounging in the bathroom window last night.

Now that summer is here and the windows are open most of the time those cats are almost always right there, watching birds and napping.



No big plans for the weekend. Lots of stuff to get done though.


Mowing, putting the hay in the barn - sounds like we are going to get up at 4a tomorrow to do it as the weather is gonna be really hot with high humidity and that will be the best time to get it done - and the standard weekend stuff (laundry).


New salad recipe that I think is amazing!


1 head of cabbage shredded, 1 head of cauliflower and 1 of broccoli chopped up in bite sized pieces, a bunch of green onions sliced, about 2-4 cups of red grapes (however much you like), 4 pieces of crispy cooked bacon crumbled.


For the dressing 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cup miracle whip and enough milk to think it down to a consistency you like. Pour dressing over salad and mix up. I usually eat right then, but some folks say let it sit in fridge for a bit then eat as your bacon will get a bit soft and transfer the bacony flavor more. But whatever you like is good.


Trust me it is the best salad I've had in a while!


Have a good one!



Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Odds and ends


Yesterday I finally got off my arse and got a package mailed to my Dad. I've been going to send the box to him since - oh say October? That's terrible, but it's finally on it's way and because I feel so guilty I am GOING to send another one tomorrow, just need to get some more bubble wrap for wrapping up the jars - I am sending him salsa, Krissy's pickled beats and his favorite spicy dilly green beans.




A gal at work put in her two weeks notice yesterday. She got a job with better hours at a small local company. I'm jealous, but happy for her.




Never got the lawn mowed this weekend.




Around here they (the farmers) say if your corn is knee high by the 4th of July you'll get a good crop. My corn is a smidgen more than knee high as of Monday so that's encouraging.




We've got bunnies everywhere this summer.




No moles or gophers yet to tear up the yard. Someone mentioned to me that maybe that is because the kids have been riding the go carts a lot this year the the digging animals don't like the vibrations in the ground from that? Hmmm, maybe?


Happy 23rd Anniversary to our friend Rose and her Hubby!



Chyann made some jello no bake stuff that tastes like Reece's peanut butter cups in a pan that were delicious! I could have eaten them all they were that good.



I'd sure like to go windsurfing again.


I can't wait for that first tomato from the garden.



Lucky was our main farm alarm (barker) when someone would come over.


Casey seems to be looking for Lucky.


Isn't this just the cutest picture! Chyann and Lucky both with their tongues a hanging!






Happy Humpday!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Independence fun

We went to a friends place 90 min East of us on Saturday for a pig roast party/family reunion.






Was a lot of fun.





Caden is the only kidlet that came as Chyann was camping and Colton was working.




Caden had a blast playing in their pool with all the kids and their dog Bruno, who absolutely loved being in the water!








I had just decided to go to bed at 1230a when Colton called telling us that his dog Lucky had died. Apparently when he got off work at 10p, fed the animals and realized he hadn't seen Lucky since he had gotten home he went out to look for him.




I think he died of old age. He was two weeks younger than Chyann, so about 13 and a half years old.






Lucky was a good dog. He will be missed.






We decided to drive home that night and arrived at 230a. Dog funeral on Sunday was a very teary affair.






Chyann, coincidentally hurt her knee somehow while camping and came home about 9a Sunday. I think since she is getting more mobility she's able to stretch and pull that scar tissue more than ever. 1 advil and an icepack later and she was good as new.






The rest of our weekend was pretty uneventful, but fun.



Krissy came over and I talked her into trying out the pool, which she loved and we stayed in for quite a while and the Hubby cooked us dinner. Which was delicious! We never did pick any cherries either- too much wine and pool.






I did a ton of laundry and weeding of the garden. Way Too hot for horses, but hopefully soon.






We did some fireworks too.




Looks like Colton is now interested in a Physical therapy program at the local tech school. Interesting, as I did not know he had any kind of interest in physical therapy and we've been seeing one on and off for years.




He says he plans on going with Chyann and I and talking to the PT and PTA on our next appt. Now we'll shall see what happens next..




Speaking of PT, Chyann got up to 75* on her own today!! Amazing!




Here's to this short week going fast!


Toodles :)




still strange spaces i can't remove..





Saturday, July 2, 2011

The heat has arrived!

WOW!







We've had temps in the 90's with incredibly high humidity.
Course I like this kind of weather when I can enjoy it. Unfortunately I've been stuck in an icy building working away. No kidding, when I go outside for my breaks it feels so good to finally warm up!









A month behind, but the cherries are finally ready to pick.







Krissy is hopefully going to come over sometime this weekend and pick some too. Not to mention enjoy some of the amazing wine I got for my Birthday!






Millie is a week old now. We were a bit concerned earlier this week that she wasn't nursing enough because her Mother's teats were so engorged and sore that she was barely able to get on to eat.

A look a the long garden.

In the foreground we have pepper plants - that look pretty puny so far, although there are a few with peppers on already - cabbage, brussel sprouts, summer squash, onions to the far left, pumpkins at the base of the corn. And yes that flimsy pink tape keeps those pesky horses out of the garden! We put down a snot load of mulch to prevent fungus if it turns out to be a wet year like last year. Another bonus of the mulch is that is it a nice weed inhibitor.


The tomato garden is really doing well though, we've got a lot of small fruits already set.

And just what did I do yesterday after work on one of the hottest days we've had so far?

Hay.


OMG! Was it hot!

The Hubby got a call from some of our friends saying if he wanted to help there was free hay for us. Of course you cannot pass up free hay when you have animals to feed regardless of how stinking hot it is. I went by after work and only helped for 2 hours, but it felt like 8!

This is not the best picture, but you get the idea. Huge car trailer piled high with hay and some in the pickup bed too. We got home right at dark, put a ginormous tarp on the hay and barely got inside when the storm hit. We didn't have it too bad, but other folks to the North of us had trees down on their cars/houses.




In other news -

Chyann was jumping on Scotch bareback on Tuesday evening and somehow stubbed her right foot on the ground jarring her knee. Her knee was sore for all of Wednesday and at PT on Thursday her knee now bends to 72*???!!!! Did she jar some scar tissue loose? Just happen to be able to bend more than ever? Who knows, but she is one happy camper! Literally - as she is up camping with some friends this weekend..


Poor Caden had the stomach flu for two days this week. It must be miserable to be puking and having no fun when all the other kids are busy playing in the pool.


Colton is possibly re-evaluating his college plans. More on that soon (i hope).

Busy Holiday weekend ahead.

Lots to do around this place - a mountain of laundry, although I will say that Chyann did some this week - only hers though, which is fine - less for me to do. Mowing, putting all that hay in the barn, jam and more so I'd better get started!


ps - what is with all the crazy spaces? I cannot get rid of them!