Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Pickles and Cowgirls?

Sunday was quite a day.

I started out pickling my brains out.
12 quarts of kosher dills and 12 pints of sweet and hot.
Dang!
The recipes state for best flavor wait two weeks on the sweet and hot and six weeks on the kosher before sampling for best flavor.
Don't know if I can wait that long.


The lovely Chyann was impatient for this pickling process to end so she went out and rode Jenny.
 I was just cleaning up the last bit of kitchen when she shows back up.
She is shocked that I'm going to go riding alone now.

Of course I am.
The weather if perfect.
I'm done with the pickles.
Time to ride baby.

Well she can't let me go alone so she is going to ride Scotch.
FYI - it took me 30 minutes to untangle Gypsy's burrs and I only ended up cutting twice, that's pretty good if you ask me. 

We head out and encountered the neighbors cows moving toward the road.
Boogie back home and call him up, let him know what is going on. 
Then we go back out and move the cows back from the road.
We moved those cows all over the place, Chyann and I did.
Scotch and Gypsy never balked or spooked.
Did I mention we were bareback?

The neighbor finally gets there and we begin moving the cows back through the field towards a gate he opened. 

Oh man, I tell ya we had a blast!
Who knew moving cows would be so much fun?
We were real live cowgirls for about 45 minutes and loved it :)

Later





Sunday, July 28, 2013

Chesapeake blue

It took us the majority of the day, but Chyann and I got her room painted.
It's Chesapeake blue.
Looks more like a Caribbean blue to me though.

The ceiling was the worst.
No idea when the popcorn ceiling was put on, I only know that shit is dry and it soaked up paint like a sponge in some areas and flaked popcorn in others as I applied the paint. 
Which led to us having to put numerous coats on and it still does not look great. 
Apparently I should have sprayed the paint on?
Didn't even think of that as I've never encountered this type of problem while painting before.
Live and learn. 


Anyhow.
The guys split wood yesterday since it was soo cool - got to start thinking about winter sometime I suppose.
Holy burr tooooo -
We only made it to a whopping 60*!

Speaking of burr's, the horses were out mowing and found a patch of burrs.


Now that is going to be a pain to comb/cut out.
Jeez.
These horses drove me nuts yesterday too.
Usually they will just meander from front yard to the back then up to get a drink of water and repeat all day.
No problem, right?

Yesterday they were everywhere they weren't supposed to be.
Scotch somehow (who left the barn door open?!?!) got into the barn and knocked the lid off the dog food bin and gorged on kibbles and bits.

Gypsy got into the alfalfa and ate who knows how much.

Casper went into the field next door and then decided to not come home.

Jenny got a gouge in her side about four inches long.

AAAH, the joy of owning horses.

These kids are staying in the pen today.
I don't feel like chasing them, I've got pickles to make.


My favorite part of the day was Krissy.
She came for dinner and we had the best time.


I'm going to miss her. 
She is going back home to Alaska next week and may or may not return.

Funny the twists and turns of life.
Sure we didn't talk every day or even see each other as often as we'd have liked recently, but I always knew she was there and if I needed her she was but a phone call away (and just down the road).

I'm hoping she'll get back into blogging so we can keep up with this new chapter in her life.
hint, hint

Feeling blue, Chesapeake blue.
Sigh.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Saturday Morning coffee

Yawn.

Another week done. 
July is almost over.
The last few days here have felt more like the third week in September since a big cold front has moved in.
Today's high - if you can believe this is only going to be 68*.
Burrrr.

Caden's baseball boot camp is almost over.
The Hubby has been helping out and having as much fun as the boys I think.
The boot camp boys are going to play a last game on the first of August.
The kid has had a busy summer and he is talking about wanting to join wrestling.
I don't know where wrestling would fit in the football/basketball schedule.
Seems he is busy enough with all that he has going on, but we'll see.

The lovely Chyann has decided she is going to paint her room.
Which is fine, but you've got to clean it first - which it appears she did after I went to bed last night. 
So when I'm done here I'll be doing a little tidy up for the house and waking her buns up so we can get this painting thing done.
(yeah - let's not even talk about my again stalled bathroom- makes me cranky)
(but really what I'd like to do is scrap all that and go riding, it's the perfect day)

I'm going to make that Pistachio pie again today too.
The incredible shrinking woman Krissy is coming over for dinner tonight.
Think we'll do some Mexican and margaritas with a little pie for a topper. 


I've got a five gallon bucket of pickling cukes, compliments of Sherri, to do this weekend.
Think I'll make those sweet and hot ones again and some regular dill pickles.

Colton is preparing for school already.
Which is FANTASTIC considering last year he had no preparations made until about the week before he left and even then they were half-assed.
He is growing up, putting those responsibility pants on and making me proud.
I've sure enjoyed having him home. 
He is so funny and does the best impressions of random people.


and

Something you don't see everyday:

My lil' rotten dog Tater.
I looked up from skimming the pool to see her shyly tip toeing around the pool edge in an attempt to follow me as I went around the pool.

Chyann came out and took a few pictures.


Silly pup.


Alright.
I'm off to find some socks and roll the kid out of bed so we can get this painting done.
Happy Saturday to ya!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Rock Fest 2013

We weren't going to Rock-Fest this year.
Really we weren't.
Until free tickets came our way and even then we weren't going to go as
Colton was going to take the tickets.

Then he decided not to go and he didn't know what to do with the tickets.
Well at this point really I HAD TO GO!
Yes, I'll admit that I wanted to go all along.
SO GLAD WE WENT!!

It was the perfect day.
Hot, but not too hot and low humidity.

Me and the gals.


Before and Slash and Myles Kennedy played we toured the fest grounds and ran into some characters that I had to get a picture with. 


If this dude had closed his mouth in this picture he would have almost been a ringer for Slash!


The real Slash and Myles playing some good music.
Got Colton a Slash tour t-shirt for staying home and watching his sibling.


They also had a zip line thing which we just had to try.
The Hubby (worrier that he is) was totally freaked out about my doing it.
He was just sure I'd be the one the damn thing broke on. 
Not likely, right? lol
He did tell me as we were buckling into the harness' that if I died during this foolish act he was going to marry "X" friend. 
I laughed and said good luck with that. 



Just as I stepped of that platform in the distance my tummy went all butterflyish.
Only for a second and then I was flying!
I wanted to try hanging upside down as I'd seen other people doing and
the operator guy said all you had to do was bring you knees up and over you'd go, but that surely didn't work for me.
drat


Laughing like maniacs we got unhooked.
The rush was incredible!
I loved it!!


Of course the main show of the evening was my favorite:

KISS!

The first few songs were off their newer album and I don't think the crowd was expecting that. 
They were good, but not the songs you know by heart ~ you know what I mean, the ones you could sing/shout along to.
Soon as they started playing the oldies the crowd really got rolling.
They played for about two hours, it was great!
And the light show?
Never seen anything like it!
Phenomenal! 
A gal told me the road crew was up from 3a until noon putting all the lights and pyrotechnics together. 


Towards the end of the concert they had a Veteran from a nearby town come out. They thanked him for his service to the country and presented this man with a free house!
Then we all sang the Pledge of Allegiance.
How cool is that?!


Favorite song of the night ~ I was made for lovin' you.


A great time had by all!


In other news:
Caden had a blast at the Dell's with the exception of - as he says "being flattened by a plus sized Grandma on the bottom of the wave pool!"

The poor kid has some major scrub rash on his back from the gal sitting on his tummy riding him down the sloped bottom!

He thinks he about drown.
Onlookers assure me he did not.
Talk about scary!
Caden finally freed himself and sputtered to the surface.
The woman was utterly apologetic.
Can you even imagine?
OMG

On that note.
Happy Humpday :)





Saturday, July 20, 2013

Saturday morning coffee


It's nice and cool this morning.
Which feels so good.
Woke up this morning at 5a when the pool pump (which is on a timer) kicked on and started slurping water.
Had to go out and turn it off .
DRAT.

Then of course I couldn't go back to sleep.
My mind starts in on the "what if" crap.
Irritating.

Got Caden off for a trip to the Dells at 7a.
He's going for a friends birthday party.
Should be a lot of fun.


My Dad bought a house in AZ.
He is moving around the end of September.

Waiting on the Hubby to find out when he can take off time in August so we can go see my Mother and Gerry in OK.

My back has been aching.
Too much sitting for the job I think.
Drawing up plans for a homemade stand up work station type thing.
Or maybe just put some concrete blocks under the legs to bring it up until I get something else workable.


The count down for school has begun. 

The trip to Rochester was uneventful, thankfully so as Chyann drove about a hundred miles of it.
She got a little nervy when big trucks were oncoming and behind her, but did excellent.

The doc appt was fantastic!
Her vision is holding steady - if improving a bit to be less nearsighted.
The study she has been in since she was three is now complete.
She was the youngest to ever participate and the last to turn 15 within the study.
Next week all the big doctor brains are meeting in Chicago to reveal their results of the study and  determine which method of treatment results in the best outcome for kids with Amblyopia.
Can you imagine when she began the study her vision in her left eye was 20/2100?
and now it is 20/30!
How about that for miraculous!

 Anyhow a few pictures from the trip, it was a beautiful day for a drive. 

Getting ready to cross the Mississippi River.


Not the best picture obviously, but you get the idea.
Every time we cross the Mississippi I think of Clark W Griswald saying "the mighty Miss, ol' Miss"


Corn as far as the eye can see. 
MN farmers must have been able to get into the fields a lot earlier than those here in WI as the corn we saw was right on track in the growth department.


Some funky hills.


On the subway level at Mayo clinic they've got the most beautiful glass sculptures hanging from the ceiling. 


Happy Saturday folks

Friday, July 19, 2013

TGIF!

Morning!

The week is done for me, as I've got the day off. 

We are headed South to Rochester, MN.
The last PEDIG (pediatric eye disease investigator group) appointment for Chyann.
We are going a bit early and plan on hitting some thrift sales there.

What a week.
It's been so hot, maybe a little cooler today - only a high of 90*.


Last Sunday we had the baseball potluck and parent vs kid game.
It was a blast!
The parents trounced the kids!
I tell you they make it look so easy blasting off home plate after hitting and running to first base.
I had a hell of a time getting out of that sand and running for the base, was like slogging through quick sand or something and sure felt like I was going to trip myself up. 
Guess I am not used to that sensation of running full out lol

Caden the GREAT goofing around at twilight.


Have a wonderful day :)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Sticky, hot and the wet


Hmm.
Yes, terrible title eh?
LOL
True story though.

The humidity has been hovering in the 70's and it's HOT!
Think today's high was 98*.
We have no air conditioning, only way to stay cool is be wet.


Fans hum and growl in my office as I sit in a puddle of sweat, waiting for the next break or lunch to go hop into the pool with the kids. 
The race back to my office and relish being cooler for about five minutes.

The Hubby stated this evening that maybe it was time to invest in central air or at the absolute very least get a window unit for our bedroom. 
He did not sleep a wink last night I swear.
Tossing and turning and waking my cranky ass up.

First awakening occurred when the kids threw open the door screaming "do you hear the coyotes!!!" and
"We've got to get the dogs in!!"

Nope never heard the coyotes, but none the less stumbled outside to round up the scared pups and bring them in the house.
Sounded like the coyotes were right in the back yard too.

Then the tossing and turning began for me.
I hate the TV on at night.
The Hubby requires the TV on at night.
You see a problem here?
shit.

Anyhow.

Cannon ball!


Handstands and 


Splashing!


Then coming in to build a model when you are so water logged you can't stay in the pool any longer. 


Fun times in a heat wave folks.

Stay cool.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Last game, stats and cherries galore!


That last game was a nail biter!
To start it off we barely had enough players to have a game, the last one showed up five minutes before the game started - whew!

The coach giving Caden and his buddies a pep talk.


Caden's hit a nice one his first time up to bat that was caught by the outfield - bummer.
Second time up to bat was a HOMERUN!!
YAY Caden!!
The video is alright if you can ignore the crazy woman screaming/shrieking  "go caden go" the whole time.
Third time up to bad, he struck out - bummer, but it does happen.

Final score 9 to 4.

Season stats
9 wins and 1 loss
Runs scored vs runs allowed 92-18
Batting:
19/24 - hit and got on base 19 of the 24 times he was up to bat
7 rbi - relatively low due to him being first up to bat in the rotation
Pitching:
9 innings 
7 hits
3 runs allowed

Status -  ALL-STAR!
Fantastic!

Tonight is the end of season potluck and parents vs kids game.
Should be a lot of fun.

Finally it was time to pick the cherries!


I had an agile tree climber to get the ones high up.


We picked 5.5 pounds of cherries and as soon as I get off this computer am going to make some jam and a cherry pie. 

I was feeling strong yesterday so I took the gas weed whacker out and did around all the trees/buildings and anything else that looked like it needed whacking.
Was feeling pretty good - until I stopped. 
HOLY COW
My arms were absolutely noodle-ized.
I couldn't make a fist or lift my arms.
Had to lay on the porch and ponder this weakness for about 20 minutes.

Finally felt like I could move my hands enough to go for a short horse ride with Chyann. 
We rode down in the front pasture.
She sent Jenny over jumps while I slowly maneuvered Gypsy through the cone obstacle course. 
I say slowly because I rode bareback and my damn hands kept having strange muscle spasms - could hardly hold the reins. 
Jeez.

My hands and arms still feel a little funky this morning. 
Hmm. 
Weird.

Anywho, hope you have a great day :)

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Frustration in abundance

Remember I said about a year ago that our neighbors to the West were going to be putting cattle on their land?

Well they finally did
and 
that means freaking gates.

Gates at every trail head we use for riding.

Now they said no problem with us opening/closing the gates and continuing to ride through their land.
BUT
These damn gates are so fracking hard to open/close that I just do not have the muscle to do it.
That wire is strung sooooo tight - unbelievable. 

So.
We decided to walk the horses down the side of the road, it's about a half mile - one way,  to get to the closest trail head.
Yes I say walk because we'd never ridden by the road before.
Never had to because we could just cut through the fields to go out riding.
Did not know how good we had it.

I rode Scotch since I know he'd do better in this type of new situation than Gypsy would and if Chyann had problems with Jenny I wanted to be sure of the horse I was riding.
(fyi the Hubby was almost beside himself with worry over this riding down the road thing)

Fortunately the walk down the quite busy freaking road was uneventful, with the exception of a few LOUD almost frantic whinnying from both Scotch and Jenny to the Shire horses down the road. 
Those big boys were excited to see our horses, pacing back and forth along their fence.


Made it to the trail. 
Do you see the corn on the left?
Not exactly knee high by the 4th of July, eh?
These horses sure knew it was corn tho and attempted to get a bite whenever they could. 
Which in one instance resulted in Jenny flushing out the biggest ass wild turkey we've seen and
as you can imagine spooked her, but not too bad considering she was practically right on top of it.


The ever trusty Scotch's inquisitive ears.
That shady area ahead was actually a bridge over rushing water and the bugs were terrible!


We rode out a few miles before turning around and retracing our trail.


Chyann wanted to ride Jenny back home along the road since Jenny had done so well on the way out, but I wouldn't let her - mean mom eh?

That half mile walk home was hot and uneventful.
We walked past my favorite tree that was blown down in one of the recent storms.
Bummer, some of  Chyann's senior pictures could have been taken at that tree.


I don't know what we are going to do for future rides. 
Put them in the trailer for the 1/2 mile drive to the trail head?
Which would probably be good practice for them since none of them regularly get in it.
Chyann usually has them get in and out a few time a year.
Suppose that is both good and bad.

Anyhow.

Guess what?
Had to call Sears again.
This time I need a new motor for the dishwasher as the bearing is squealing.
It's currently still working but making a lot of racket.
I asked about just getting a new one since we've had so many problems with this one and was told if they came out four times for the same issue I would be eligible for a replacement, but since every time they've been out it's for a new issue I wasn't eligible.
Really?
With all the money in parts and service calls I probably could have had two new ones.


Cell phones.
Love 'em when they work, hate them when they don't.
Colton dropped his in a puddle running into work during the last big storm and it only works intermittently now.
We are out of contract with our current provider and his girlfriend is in sales at a different provider.
What to do, what to do.
I'll be surfing the web today attempting to find the best deal.
UGH.



Happy Saturday :)

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Red Sky in the morning

Tuesday morning we were treated to a glorious sunrise.
Went back into the house after feeding the animals and grabbed my camera.

The pictures don't really do it justice, but you get the idea.



Course I had to mess around with the settings and try the panorama setting.
Pretty cool,eh?



And of course I neglected to change the settings back so Caden took multiple panoramic photos while on his hiking trip.
WHOOPS!


He has been having a great time hiking this week.
Doing a minimum of five miles a day.


Last base ball game tonight.
Should be an interesting game, as this team beat the boys early in the season and we won the second game they played.

Have a good day!

Monday, July 8, 2013

It's always fun

when we hang out with Sherri and her family - which we did on Saturday.

Mr Cool, aka Caden absolutely loved cruising the place in a two seater hot rod go cart!


Somehow we squeezed through that opening in the trees


and cruised newly bailed hay fields.


Hell of a nice fireworks display


and a ginormous bonfire!


Even did some midnight swimming.
Ended up leaving entirely too early the next day, but that is the way it goes I guess. 

Chyann had a great time on her camping trip.
She kayaked, rode jet skis, pontoon boats, helped put out a wildfire, drove a gator, swung from a rope into the lake, stayed in the lap of luxury in a new fancy dancy motor home, and probably about a 100 things she didn't tell me. 
I'm so glad she is home. 
Missed her something fierce. 

This week Caden is participating in a hiking program the school is offering to the Ice Age National park
Today he hiked 5.5 miles in the HOT/HUMID weather. 
Good thing he had plenty of water. 
I would have loved to have been able to take some time off to be a chaperon, but couldn't. 
Maybe next year.  

Have a nice evening :)


Saturday, July 6, 2013

Plans changed

Hope everyone had a wonderful safe holiday!

You know what they say about the best laid plans ~ they change.

Chyann ended up going camping with a friend of hers and her family for the 4th up North.
She's been gone since Wednesday afternoon and is reportedly having a blast! With the exception of getting a blistering sunburn on Thursday, first day out and too cool to wear sun block apparently. Lesson learned though and has been liberally applying it and wearing a t-shirt when swimming.

Colton also high-tailed it out of here for a trip to the cities with the girl friend and her family.

Which left Caden a bunch of fireworks. Ended up casually inviting a friend of his and his folks over for dinner so Caden had a friend to do fireworks with. We had a good time.

We never buy much and nothing fancy. About 25 bucks is my limit, I just can't see throwing that much  money away. I'm cheap like that ya know.

I made the best new recipe for the 4th. Pineapple Pistachio Pie from Mr Food. If you are any kind of a Pistachio fan, this is the pie for you! Delicious!!   I did make two variations from the recipe however: I made a graham cracker crust instead of the shortbread cookie crumb crust and used chopped pecans instead of walnuts.  Side note: the recipe states to beat your heavy cream for 5 to 6 minutes.. Yeah that is way too long~ first go around I made butter instead of a nice fluffy whipped cream. Had to google what the hell "stiff peaks" exactly looked like, so my second go with the heavy cream only took 2.5 minutes to get the required "stiff peaks".  What the hell, learned something new anyhow.

The last home ball game was another win! 9 to 0! I tell you these boys totally rock! I heard one parent ask the coach if anyone would even want to play our team next year and he assured her that yes next year we move up a notch and literally everyone would want to play our boys - so expect an even fuller schedule.
The coach is putting together a baseball boot camp type of thing too, starting after the last game on the 11th. Two days a week  for three hours to practice and fine tune skills. Caden is stoked.

Chyann gets her drivers permit on the 15th. Can you imagine that?

Haven't done any horse riding since she's been gone. Maybe I will this afternoon. Depends if Colton will be around.

Anyhow, I'm off to hit some thrift sales and do the weekly grocery shopping.
Have a great day :)



Tuesday, July 2, 2013

A weekend home?

Yes that's right. 
We stayed home a whole weekend.
It's amazing the things you can get accomplished when you don't have to run kids to and fro.

The horses spent some time mowing for me.
Casper came over and nibbled on my shoe laces while I took a break in the shade from weed whacking.


It was beautiful out.
Not too hot and not a lot of humidity.


Caden gave me a headache he spent so much time riding the gocart.


Soon as the four big cows are gone (prob by the 16th) we are going to reseed the back pasture due to so much of the grass being washed away with all the rain we've had. 
Until then Caden is tearing it up and having a blast!


Playing around with the panoramic function on my camera while he raced down the driveway.
That back ridge in this picture is where Chyann and I will attempt a ride to on the 4th.


Speaking of rides we only managed two short rides over the weekend.
I actually put a saddle on Gypsy and rode her. 
Can't even remember the last time I used a saddle.
Felt pretty good.

I put an ad on Criags List to give away the kittens and they have all found new homes!
YAY!!
We are still on the list to get our barn cats nutered/spayed.
Hopefully soon!!!

Last home game for Caden tonight. 
I'm excited ~ Colton is even coming, how great is that!

We've got no big plans for the 4th since we both have to work on Friday.

Later :)