New Years Eve and New Years Day at the ranch was very quiet. We both managed to stay up till midnight..made a few snacks and had a few drinks. Sunday Jim started work on our King platform for the new mattress to be delivered this Thursday. I cooked a roast pork...bone in..loved them better than rolled roasts. I found an old recipe out of a 40 yr old New England Cookbook with recipes from Early New England..Geo Washington  era and earlier which have been converted. It called for scoring the fat and rubbing in flour and salt and pepper then basting it while it cooks with Apple Cider that had been cooked down to a syrup.  I fudged since I didn't have any cider and used Alpine Cider powdered drink, sugar brown and white and finishing it with cider vinegar. Worked great and gave it a nice crisp crust.  I think I enjoyed the crust more than the roast. LOL. Threw some potatoes quartered in for pan roasted potatoes and served with peas and apple sauce. The meal was great. After eating Jim went out to work on the bed again and I finished up taking the decorations down. When he was done he came in for a nap and I watched the Hell on Wheels marathon till about 4 PM. I then went out and fed the babies and while Lady ate I used some Cowboy Magic and untangled her mane...brushing and combing it with the new brush and comb her Aunt Tracy gave her. They were fantastic. I can see why she swore by them. Lady stalled threw her eating,,enjoying every minute. When done she followed me over to Cody and Molly and she watched me comb their manes too.

A wonderful quiet day on the Ranch.

Monday we went back to Lowes for more parts for the bed, stopped for lunch at the cafe then Jim and I took our queen bed down and cleaned all the kitty hair out from under the bed. Found at least 20 cat toys while doing it.  We ditched the box spring and set the mattress on it's side in front of my dresser while Jim put the bed together.  Chessie and Shadow fought for place on the top of the leaning mattress and watched the show.  After done we put the mattress on the platform till Thursday. I thought yesterday it didn't look to high ooops........23 inches but then add another 10-12" for the matress and you have fun trying to get up on the bed. I have to settle on a footstool to boost myself up LOL

The mud is slowly drying up in the field  LOL mud bog. I still feel so sorry for them. Lady keeps looking at me as if she is waiting for me to halter her to play, Once we get caught up around the house I'll do just that. This week is another hodge podge of chores..tomorrow being the dump and maybe a start on cleaning out my spare bed room. We are saving the bed frame which can be shrunk to a twin so I think we will put it up when we get stuff cleared out and buy a cheaper mattress or air mattress and set it up as a day bed  for company. We hope by summer we have the second floor of the barn done and figure Jim's grand kids will want to sleep up there or at least his grandson, Briggs will and Mom and Lauryen can sleep in the spare room.  If  Dave, Dawn or Dale or even Derek come they have their Fifth Wheel to use. Derek being in the Navy you never know he just might drive down and if he does he can use the spare room.

All takes time and $ which we do as we can. An on going project here on the ranch.

Ah farrier comes this Saturday AM. we are thinking of taking the shoes off for the winter and re shoeing in March or April. At least we will not have to worry about the mud pulling off a shoe.

Happy New Year

Here we are another week and one more day and the season will be over. The week went by rather quick. I didn't go out Christmas Ever to hear if the animals really talk but maybe next year if the "barn" is finished by then. If it is Jim and I can sneak out and listen. I told them I wouldn't tell anyone if they did so maybe they will.

Jim bought more lumber for the barn and he also put up a gutter to direct the rain water away from the flat roof section . It's only a temp solution till we finish the upper barn. He also bought the wood that will go around the outside bottom to keep the draft and water from running through.

The kids are still half and half with mud. T came over last week and plowed mud and poop down to the bottom of the paddock making our pile huge. Molly loves to climb it and be queen of the pile but she will have to wait till the mud dries.  I hate winter.

Yesterday we went to Dickson and ended up buying a long needed mattress. We're going for king size since there seems we have no room in our queen with 5 fur children horning in. Back again today for lumber as Jim will be making a platform for the mattress and also it will be high off the ground giving me a nose bleed from the altitude but giving Puddy a nice spot under the bed for her private bedroom and my storage. I will probably need a footstool to get in it.

The kids are happily munching their supper and some peppermints. The cats are snoozing and Jim and I resting.

Nothing planned for the evening. New Year is just another day here at the ranch. But we do wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Like I said last blog..Time flies.  My Jim came home last Tuesday and we have been running around ever since. We have to make use of having the rented truck while we have it so lots of barn chores going on for sure. We went yesterday for more wood and a gutter to help defer the water from inside the shelter. Looks like the sides will wait till income tax time. Jim is going to put boards around the bottom all around the shelter which will help the run off going through the shelter. All we have everywhere is mud it's terrible. This also means uneven ground when it freezes. I will be glad when it is all done.  Next year I would like to duplicate this part to make it a real barn with 4 stalls. I love barns.....you have to laugh as barns are for people not the horses as if you ride around and look ...there are the barns and the stock are standing under leafless trees in the pouring rain. Me I love sitting in the barn just listening to the stock and when we get this done that's just what I will do....especially Christmas Eve so I can see if the animals talk.....well they did in "I Remember Mama"

Well next year........
Wishing all a Merry Christmas form Beachnut Stables at the Dry Creek Ranch...which btw is not dry at all.

Time Flies

I didn't realize it is almost a week since I blogged.  Well you haven't missed much on the ranch at least as it has been the worst week. Rain and more rain and poor Lady looking like an orphaned wild horse. Day before yesterday I finally got to clean her up and bit and "dusted" off Cody too. It wasn't sunny and the pasture was still wet but the kids were way over looking into T & Tracy's pasture for there friends. Lady looked and saw me walking into the pasture with her halter and lead and surprised me so much because she walked over to me and followed me to the tree of knowledge. This is where she would usually tease me and walk off into the woods but she turned and faced me and let me yes let me halter her and put her lead rope on. She then followed me to the dryest spot we could find and she immediately turned and looked at me. She WANTED to play. So I put her through a few of her learned paces which she did  I didn't do much at all just about a minute or two with each as it was still slick and muddy we then went back to the tree where I tied her. It was then time to undo her tangled mane. Sigh never ending now. But I think she is loving this attention. Any way it was about a half hours work as it seems the Cowboy Magic I used before still works making the tangle easier to work on. After I was done I curried and scratched her till Cody showed up and started acting Stallion like. I wasn't taking chances because the last time resulted with him rearing and kicking at her so I backed him away till he gave up and went to forage a few feet away. I then undid Lady and went to Cody and curried him and brushed him up a wee bit. That seemed to make him happy and then Molly barged in so she had some too. That done the three went off to munch on hay.

Lady has found a way to make me feel guilty.  I usually feed around 4:30 PM and lately if I look out about three there she is in her stall area turned and staring at the house. She doesn't move just stares and stares......" I want you to come out and feed me, I want you to come out and feed me" and so on and so on. Has she got me hypnotized? Is she trying mind games? Who knows but I can't stop myself from looking back...but not giving in. I had to laugh because today she moved from the stall to opposite my LR window and was doing the same thing. By this time it was time to feed so I grabbed my camera only to find she had moved to her stall and the damn battery's were dead in the camera. Gonna catch this one of these days as it is so cute to see.

The week has kept me busy as I have been going to T's and taking care of the doggies....mostly Queenie who at her elder age needs to go out a few times a day and in her condition can't use the dog door to go out..she comes in but not out. Besides this I spent two days doing some paper work for her.. It kept me busy.

Nights I turn into Betty Crocker for some unknown reason I can't create my digital work but I've gone on a baking spree,  Before Jim left I was baking Chocolate Chip cookies I think 3 batches. Since he has gone I made Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Spritz cookies , Walnut thumbprints, Wedding type cookies.Snicker doodles, and Biscotti...Wonders will never cease. All this with cat help..TJ and RJ are the cookie makers...Chessie only likes to cook meat.  I still have some wrapping to do and a hat to finish knitting. LOL but then this isn't stable stuff but I guess ranch stuff since it happens on the ranch.

good news is Jim leaves tonight well in the we Sunday AM hours1:40 Spokane time 3:40AM our time and should be home Tuesday AM..I'm so happy it's been a long week.

Day two of early get up and go

Jimmy left Saturday night for Washington so it's me the kids and the cats. I am surprising myself with getting up before 7 AM...Jim had me spoiled...feeding the kitties first..if you do not they herd you..yup they are cowboy kitties they walk in front of you guiding you straight to the kitchen...if you deviate you trip.  Once the kitties are fed I go out to the horses who by now know I am up...good ears...don't know...but they know for sure. It is usually Cody greeting first while Lady and Molly herd each other into their spots.  Cody is still eating the Senior feed which has molasses so he is now pushing everyone else around to make sure he gets his first.  I think it's time to put him back to "Pleasure" feed as it did miracles to Lady's nasty disposition. She was one mean "biatch" on Senior feed and now is very sweet. I will have to check with Amanda ans see what she thinks.  She has been guiding us along since his summer fiasco. He sure looks so much better now even if he's covered with mud. He is walking proud and big with his chest stuck out...he was such a sad site when we brought him home...he looked like a spirit broken horse. We are so glad he picked up and got back to his old self.

Anyway everyone fed I went on to put water in their tub only to find just a tiny trickle coming out and not enough to push down through the hose...First thought is frozen pipe...but I had H2O in the house..after trying to thaw out the spigot I took the quick disconnect off..soaked it in hot water and put it back on...still no water....so "shit canned the sucker" re hooked the hose and filled both tubs.

Back in the house I warmed up with another cup of coffee..this time Daybreak Morning made in my Cuisinart K Kup the very best purchase we have made. I couldn't believe how much coffee we go through though till I watched Jim the other day...I bet he went through 6 cups in one day and there are only18 in a box.....I drink two a day maybe three. LOL Usually when he goes out to feed I turn on the regular pot and when I see him coming brew him a K Kup while his is brewing..Like I say I love my Cuisinart.

It still remains very muddy and cold out so I haven't worked with Lady or even combed her mane...the poor thing.  The last time we worked I had combed her first so by the time I worked her neither of us was in the mood. It was like she had forgotten all she learned..then again neither of us is known for our patience. I'm hoping things dry out and warm up soon so I can go out and play.

what is that in the sky

I think we saw a glimmer of sun today, but looking at that pasture I wonder just when we will see it dry again. People never satisfied. LOL In the summer we pray for rain and in the winter we pray for sun.

Yesterday I went to the Doctor for my yearly hip checkup. I really figured Chris was going to lecture me when he heard of my recent "Dump offs" but he didn't. The xrays were fine he didn't see any cracks from my mishaps. I told him I was still unhappy with the turnout and the only cure would be another surgery but this time on the opposite hip to even me up....yeah right Jim has made an appointment to have xrays to see if his left knee needs replacement next month.''  Jim is pretty sure that he will be putting in for retirement this month from his engineer status on the RR but he will continue consulting and his position on the board of Directory of USRP

The poor horses are just having a fit with the mud not happy at all and we have left the other pasture open where they can at least find some dry footing. Lady remains a mess with tangles and if it dries out in the next few days I will be out there combing again.

Tom our resident barn cat is also disgusted as he loves to roam around while we feed then race us back to the house.

rain and more rain

I don't think we will ever dry out here at the ranch ..even the standing water has standing water. LOL I did get three video's uploaded to my Photobucket album. and added a link on the side for Beachnut Stables Videos


 http://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s124/beachnut999/horses/

Please have a look.

  The last one shows my lame attempt at training Lady and shows me backing up all over the place and not understanding why she followed me LOL Real sad.  The other two show after Amanda showed me how to do it. And to remember Not To Ever Back Up  he who backs up looses. Now I walk into her showing her I am the leader not her.  We still have off days especially when my body is not cooperating but mostly she is responding to me AND respecting me.

Tracy had training at her place yesterday but I chose to stay home. Her barn is supper large and has enough room to work in  so they worked inside on a lead. Sounds like they did great by her facebook note.

I started on my Christmas ornaments, I'd like all homemade this year so I baked salt dough cookies and will paint them for the tree, I ended up breaking down and making Chocolate Chips for Jim too.

The kids are water logged out there and Lady has knotted her mane again...fourth time this week. Sigh! I tried Cowboy Magic last time and it seems to make it a lot easier to get them out but it is timely...more than an hour unknotting and then combing and combing as the braids make her hair very curly...sigh! I have to soak her mane to straighten it. I hate rain......now I know what humidity does to people with curly frizzy hair. It seems rain to her means a roll in the mud and really getting her hair in it and making it tangle. I'm thinking its on purpose to make me groom her.


I really wish we had a closes in barn but that's a work in progress..it's a farm you do what you can do when the money is there.

Oh well lousy day so maybe we will work on more crafts
oh yes I worked on this year's Christmas card and this is what I came up with.