Scrap!

No that's not a cuss word (I don't think.) I have been scrapped by Breathe and as far as I understand, the rules are to list 10 pieces of material that I would put on a quilt for sentimental reasons (and the reasons). So I'll have to think about it and post as I find them.

1. When we were married, my husband's family made some purple silk rose bird seed throwers. I kept a couple dozen in vases for several years, then reduced to a half dozen. Now I just have 1 or I would get one and use the material for scraps.

2. The baby blanket my daughter used. It's soft blue and really soft. It has a silk trim that she used to rub across her face. She called it "Mine." I had to wash it when she was asleep and make sure it was dry when she got up. She took it everywhere with her. If she left it somewhere she would not go to sleep. The other cool thing about that blanket was that it was her dad's when he was a baby. He carried it until he was 4. It is now a holey blanket and threadbare. It's just in the keepsake box.

3. Then there's my baby blanket. It's really a crib sheet but I shredded it from carrying it so much. It's white with blue sheep.

4. My dress blues with the chevrons from my short military stay. The Air Force issued me my husband, my daughter, and a college education. I would do it again if I had to start over.

5. A square from the quilt I gave my mom before she died. It's white background with blue star pattern.

6. A collection of material from my stepmom who just passed away and left a ceder chest full of quilt material to me.

7. Some leather from my first saddle, and some purple cloth from my first horse blanket. Since I'm still using them, this might be difficult. I have only had them a couple of years.


(That's all I could think of right now.)

To go along with the Wet Christmas...

Christmas Day's high will be 70 degrees. :)

Watch this YouTube video if you can... It's clean for little ones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhei5sUY3I4



Merry Christmas!!




Update: It was warmish, overcast, and occasionally drizzly. I wore a sleeveless shirt all day.

Koda had a little spirit when I pulled her out of the pasture. I always longe her before riding and am glad that I did. She was breaking into a canter on her longe without prompting. By the end of our ground work, she was licking her lips. I am still working with her on riding from the house and walking back. Today, she walked back with her head low. I was absolutely in heaven on hooves. We startled some deer on our ride. Koda just twitched a little. We watched them for a second.

I got Horse decorations from my family for Christmas, along with some books and a couple of boxes of chocolate covered cherries. Koda got a good rubdown, work, hay, and grain.

Who do I call?

We headed out yesterday in the big truck to go Christmas shopping. We got about 15 minutes from the house and stopped at the gas station. We got back in the truck and it wouldn't start. It had a busted fuel line. We had it towed to the shop and won't get it back for at least a week (this being Christmas week). SO, I borrowed my dad's Honda CRV yesterday and we have no truck that will haul my horse. I was fairly upset that I can't take Koda to ride at the church today, but it's cold and have myself just about convinced that I don't want to ride.
We got home from church and my husband says "Just go park the truck" or something like that. I looked into the horse pasture and my heart sank. There was Koda in the back of the pasture laying down. Now, I have seen her roll, lay down, and such, but not laying with her leg sticking up in the air. Didn't know horses did that. But there she was. I ran for my pasture key in the house (it was actually in my purse in the truck) and started to run to the pasture. I thought she was hurt. She was laying right beside the fence. I started to call for her and she didn't respond. I was almost halfway across the pasture, my daughter running right behind me, when she just gets up like nothing happened. I guess on a beautiful sunny day, girls just like to sun bathe and she's no exception. Stupid horse, scaring me like that. Man!! Sigh!
The question in my head was who do I call for help. I will need an experienced horse person, with a trailer ready truck, to help me get her to the vet. I was opening the fence running through the list. Pastor, 4-H leader, close-by neighbor... etc. Good thing she's okay. I really hate to have to call and bother people because I am not prepared. I guess I'll just get a slice of pecan pie instead.

That's more like it

I guess the saying "ask and you shall receive" applied here. We now have 70 degrees, HUMID and rain. Here are some pictures:

I'm dreamin' of a wet Christmas...

...Just like the one's I used to know...

I live in Central Texas. You know, cactus, scorpions, tumbleweeds and super hot. Except that right now it's below 30 degrees and today it did not get above 35.

(and the horse related stuff) Yesterday when I got home from work, the wind was blowing and the temp was around 30 and felt like 20!! I decided that my central Texas horse needed her horse blankie. I went to put it on her and she kept walking away. My kid had a band concert to perform in so I let Koda go without the blanket. We went to the concert and it started raining. Umm, rain in less than 30 degree weather = ice. When we got home, I gathered the halter (used my brain this time) and blanket. Koda had a layer of ice in her mane and on her tail. Poor thing was cold. She doesn't normally stand in the run-in shed, but there she was. I hope she doesn't get sick from me putting the blanket on her while her coat was wet.

I don't remember having it this cold before Christmas before. It usually doesn't happen until at least February.

(Oh the picture is from April, 2007 - Our rottie, Tama.)

Another Sunday

I did not ride at the church today. Our church had team sorting practice. It was interesting. For those who don't know: They have 2 round pens set up together and 10 numbered cattle. The object is to get the 1 calf selected by the judge into the other round pen by itself. This is difficult because the cattle run together or try to slip past the "gate" horse. There are 2 riders. One to cut the calf from the group, the other to block the other pen from the incorrect cattle. I enjoyed watching the teams and was surprised to see that one of the best riders was a girl about 6 or 7 years old.

I did not want to take Koda to the church for this because of the number of children running around. I don't like that I can't control her at the church. She kind of goes berserk when there are other horses at the church. So after we left the church ground, I decided to ride at the house. Now remember that Koda also tries to run away with me when I turn back to come home. (These are the 2 main vices that I find in Koda - reasons I don't let my kid ride the horse.) I live on the corner of a dirt road and a highway. I rode Koda down the dirt road just past the end of our property, then turned her back to the house. I had to keep her on the rocky part of the road to remind her to go semi-slow, but she didn't run off with me. When we got to the house, I past it and went south on the highway to the end of our property and turned around. Then I went north to the other neighbor's house and turned around. I walked back torward the house, and turned her around again. I am trying to stop her from running home so I kept taking her past it to keep her guessing.

I had a good ride and had very little trouble with her. Next week is my Kid's 4-H riding club meeting. We go so I can ride. The kid doesn't ride so much since her last horse wreck.

Thanksgiving Rides

One of my best friends came up on Tuesday before Thanksgiving to take my daughter to Oklahoma. Her youngest daughter got SICK (yuck) during the night so instead of Oklahoma, they hung out at our house until little girl felt better then went home. The older daughter and I went for a ride on our horses. We have ridden together before. She has a paint gelding that she has trained (She's 15 and amazing) to be a true western pleasure horse. Then of course there's my Arab speed walker/crazy mare. My kid was going to go on the old mare that we used to have that came to visit us for the day. She managed to find her out when the stirrup broke.

So the older girl and I left the house down the dirt road. We crossed a wooden bridge and about in the middle of the bridge, a bird flew out from under the bridge. My horse went about a foot sideways before settling down again. We decided to go to a friend's house that is just past the end of my road on the local highway. Between my road and the friends house, we found a lonely horse we thought was going to jump the fence to be with us, so we crossed to the other side of the hwy and continued on. Well, the friend was not home and it was time for my husband to start home so we turned around to head back.

The problems started. My mare already walks fast. On the way home she wants to run. She also forgets to listen to my "whoa" and "easy" commands. I have to one-reign stop her to get her to stop. I asked my riding partner if we could go a different route home to confuse the mare, and she agreed. This route goes all the way to the end of the local highway to a major highway. The major highway has half the road shut down for construction and would be safe to ride on. So here we go. We trot/walk to the dirt road turn off, with me getting off her back before she turns stupid. Then, she struggles for a while to figure out what I mean by not going home. I get back on the girl and she still wants to run out of my stops. We went for about a mile before I found a pasture to teach her that I really mean for her to stop. At the end of the pasture, there was a horse and very vocal dog. We skipped back to the other side of the higway only to find 2 more horses. Here's where my horse acts right and the gelding turns stupid. He forgot that he's NOT a stud. She had to remind him and then we were off again. There weren't any more crazy incidences, just silly, after that.

We got on the new section of the main highway and continued to head home. My horse all the while is looking at those orange barrels like they might attack her. There was a pile of asphalt rock left on the side of the road that was also very menacing. Both horses walked past it with their eye focused completely on that pile.

Of course for most of the trip, my speed walker was in front. I would stop her and wait for the other horse to catch up, then continue. On the highway, I actually turned her around, went behind the other horse and looped back. Both horses thought the world was going to end because the gelding was in front.

All in all, a 3 hour ride that was very exciting, fun, and educational.

I did not ride this Sunday, due to the need to get the prodigal daughter.