Promises, Promises

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Oh Dear.  It's been another month since I've blogged!

But really, I'll get back to this soon.  In the summer it just seems like I should be doing outdoor things while I still can!  Plus we've been spending a lot more time at the barn with the horses since my daughter got her new Arab and he is in training.

I also have to start back selling on eBay too.  I like that little extra money!  I'm going to investigate Etsy too.

My vegetable gardens have done really well this year and I'm in the middle of enjoying the harvest from them.

  

There's nothing that can match good homegrown, fresh from the garden, tomatoes, greens, carrots or beets!!  Soooooo sweet!  I've already planted my Fall garden.

Plus I discovered volunteer plants of potatoes, and butternut squash coming up full force in my huge compost pile!!

I'm going to have enough squash to last me all winter, for sure!!

I think it is trying to reach the golf course!!!

I haven't dug to see if there's any potatoes yet.

Most of the squash have normal necks but some are round!  I don't quite understand?

It would be great if that plant was acorn squash!!

My little chicks are nearly full grown and are now 16 weeks old. In 2-3 weeks I might be seeing some eggs from them already!!

Babies grow up so fast  : )

Here's my little flock.

We've been going to the barn a lot more because of my daughter's new horse.  His name is Adonis and he's a full blooded Polish Arab.  She wants to spend as much time as she can with him to bond and he is also under training now.  He's 14 and had been a show horse his whole life showing country pleasure and was made to have his head up in the air which he really isn't built for.  He has more the frame of a hunt seat horse so he is being taught that he can relax his head and neck, stretch out more and hopefully bring up his top line.

 Now that doesn't mean my two horses are getting neglected!

Here's Echo with his newly braided mane and my older QH Preacher, loves his grooming time too.

My new house cats are doing well.  The kitten, Kia, is constantly getting into trouble and Maddie the adult has decided she wants to be an indoor/outdoor cat.  She is getting along just fine with the barn cats and stays really close to the house.

One good thing, to report:  The kitten, Kia, has already gotten 2 mice!!

Come on Maddie, get with it!

Well, that sort of gets me caught up.

I hope I haven't lost all my followers!

Leave me a comment and say "Hi" if you stop by.

Shirley

Catch Up Photos from the Past Two Weeks

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So much happening this start of summer time!!

Here are a few photos of what's been going on in Shirley's World.

The veggie gardens are flourishing.

Getting plenty of salad greens.

The big girls still aren't sure about this young-un's.

Early morning in the chicken yard is so pretty.

We spent some time with Preacher and Echo at the barn.

I didn't get a photo of Echo.  I'll have to do that today!

And, of course, in case you didn't here! Cleveland won the World Championship!

(and everyone is still celebrating!)

Shirley

**Note!!

Michele got her new Arabian horse so tune into the next post because he's already at our barn!!!!

The Horse News!

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Horse News

As some of you know, my daughter Michele has been searching for a horse.  She lost her beloved arab, Satire over 4 years ago.  It took her a long time to be ready to even start looking at other horses.

I'd say she's been seriously looking for the past 6-8 months.

It couldn't be just any arab, it had tall horse shoes to fill.

It didn't have to look like Satire or of course couldn't replace Satire but it had to be a horse she could comfortable ride without fear and the most important thing of all, she had to see something in it's personality to tell her that she would be able to bond with him and him with her.

She found a horse nearby that she was interested in.

She visited and rode him 3 times. and had our trainer come and give her thumbs up.

But most importantly, she spent a little time with him off line in the arena and saw what she wanted.

It was time to advance to the important pre-purchase vet exam.

This horse named, Adonis (a pure Arabian gelding), is 14 years old with an extensive and successful show career.

So a full exam with x-rays and blood work were done on Wednesday.

Everything looks extremely good.

 

Through this whole exam, which takes well over an hour, this horse had exquisite manners.

Soooooo, it looks like Michele finally is going to have a special horse in her life again.

All reports and blood work came back practically perfect.

Michele has announced it on Facebook so I can now introduce you to the new family member:

BR Adonis Afire V

Michele is a photographer and photographs equines among other subjects, so you know there will be tons of pictures on her website and her FB page!!

Here's a link to her website:

http://www.mzezulakphotography.com/

Shirley

The New Cat News!

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I live in a house built in 1852.

It has a cellar (unlike new houses with finished basements!).

The walls in my cellar are made of huge boulders!

There is no way to really make the cellar mouse and chipmunk proof!

They can easily get in.

Luckily I'm not afraid of mice.

I lost my last mouser cat, Miss Ellie, almost 2 years ago.
So I have been intending on getting a house cat or two.
Yes, Pepsi could be an indoor cat but she's not the hunter.  Her mother, Angel (Mama cat) is the hunter.  Pepsi just lounges around and waits for mom to bring home a treat now and again!
Mama cat is still pretty feral.
She still won't let me pet her, so there was no getting her into the house.  
My girl friend from the barn, volunteers for Kitten Krazy, a cat rescue here in Medina.  So she took me over there while I picked out two.  (I nearly came home with THREE!!)
Let me introduce you:  I got one adult and one kitten.

This is Maddie

She's about 4 years old and recently had kittens.

This is Kia:

She's 12 weeks old, just a baby.
She's not one of Maddie's kittens but Maddie mothers her.





Kia is fascinated with the computer screen!






I'm introducing Dexter to the cats but once they stand up for themselves, which Maddie already did, there won't be a question as to who will be boss of the house.  Dexter is a real "chicken"!

So, there you have it, my new cats.

I'm still working on integrating the 6 poullets and the 2 hens.  That will take a little more finesse!

I'll let you know how that's going next time!

Shirley

Catch up on Photos!

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I have been so busy with new things going on that I have not been on the computer except for my phone.  I haven't blogged, haven't done my budget and haven't done much reading.

Also the weather has been beautiful and I spend as much time as I can outside.  

I do still constantly take photos with my iPhone however!

But today we are having a nice rainy day which we have needed.

So here I am.  I'll try to catch up on a few things.

I'll save the recent news till next post.

Here are some of the misc. photos from my life from the past couple weeks:

Molly was broody for about a week but is out of it now.

Beautiful foxglove.

This is an ancient large tree with the most interesting bark.

I think it is an osage orange tree but doesn't drop fruit.  Maybe it's just too old to produce any longer.

It is the home to many little red squirrels. 

I moved the little chicks (now called poullets) out into a cage in the chicken run to introduce them slowly to Molly and Dottie.

That left me with the mess to clean up in the dining room!!

Everything was full of dust and had to be wet wiped and EVERYTHING washed in the entire room.  

Took me 2-3 hours!

We had a little nap after that!!

At first the little ones kept knocking over their food and water.

But I figured it out.

Hopefully this will only be a 2 week arrangement before I can fully integrate them.

My plan to transfer them into another pen inside the garage at night just didn't work out.

WAY too hard to catch them at this point!

So I put a tarp over them that I can lower in case of cold nights or storms that could blown rain in on them.

I'll try to catch up to today in the next post!

Shirley

The Past Week in Pictures

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I always intend on putting these photo posts up on Sunday night or Monday but here it is Wednesday already.  It got really chilly and damp out side with a wind that makes it feel freezing to me so this is going to be a computer day!!

Here's a few photos from last week.

 Michele is looking at this Arab horse to buy.  This was her first ride trying him out.

 I finally got my front porch pots filled!!

 Dottie giving me the eye!!

 Salad greens ready for picking.

 My first salad from the garden.  Aren't those the most beautiful radishes!!

I just love the month of June in the gardens.

Shirley