Scout and her new digs

Well, Scout has settled in nicely in her new corral. She gets to see EVERYTHING that is going on! Nosy, nosy Scout! She doesn't have Cali now to boss around, which is a relief for Cali, I'm sure!

Sunni in his new digs!

This morning I'm driving up to see the horses. Cathy said that Scout enjoys her new corral above the arena and watching everything and everybody who goes by! NOSY GIRL! Sunni, on the other hand, is settling in nicely with Cali. There were thunderstorms in the valley yesterday afternoon and it is still cloudy today, with more thunderstorms forecast. HA! August weather in May~~go figure!

iron horse and blue sky~SkyWatch Friday, May 29, 2009

Early one morning last weekend, I grabbed my cameras and off I went, exploring. I traveled down this road which also has a large boarding facility. I like this iron horse against the blue desert sky. SkyWatch Friday for May 29, 2009.

Moving day!

Monday was moving day. There is a larger corral next to our two mustangs and only one horse was in it, so Cathy moved two of her Paso Finos over to it on Monday. Oh, boy! New neighbors! Unfortunately, Scout acted like SUCH A BRAT that we decided she should be moved, too, away from her buddy of two years, Cali. Scout is an alpha mare and she has bullied Cali for so long, we decided to give Cali a break. And, Scout was challenging the 2 mares next door and kept running into the fence trying to bite them! So, she also got a change of scenery. We moved Sunni in with Cali, and Scout down to Sunni's corral, next to Beauty. Sunni and Cali are both more laid back and he won't boss Cali around like Scout! Phew! Look at Scout, "WHERE am I? Where's Cali?" Awww...she'll be fine!

"S" is for snake~~ABC Wednesday, May 27, 2009

I forgot that I had pics of the snake we rescued on my little camera that I take everywhere, but yesterday I finally uploaded the photos. Does anyone know what kind of snake it is? I only know it was NON-poisonous. Just look at the water in the "pool". YUCK! And, it was full of FROGS! For those of you who don't know the story, hubby and I were out looking at a ranch for sale near where we board the horses. We stopped and I got out and took some pics and wandered over to the "pool". I saw this snake trapped in the pool. He was TRYING to get out by crawling up the cement, but just couldn't and I couldn't leave him to die. We were locked out of the property, but hubby grabbed a pool skimmer and scooped him up and VIOLA! Off he went, back into the rocks by the pool. Hmmmm.....I wonder how many OTHER snakes are in those rocks! Click on a pic to see the snake, or don't, if you don't wish to! ABC for "snake", Wednesday, May 27, 2009.

Cali and the carrots and the great fly spray adventure

Cali has always been a little "nippy" so we don't hand feed her. Gigondas has the most gentle lips and has NEVER mistaken my fingers for a carrot. We have fed apples and carrots to all of our horses, especially Beauty and Gigondas, since they LOVE apples! And, in the heat we've had lately, it is a good way to get exra moisture into them. So, yesterday morning, when we arrived early at the ranch, the horses were still eating their breakfast. I gave Beauty and Sunni some carrots in the hope that I could get some fly repellant on them, since it is "fly season". NOPE! Beauty ran away from me (she's NEVER done that!) and Sunni eyed me with skepticism. I wasn't ever able to get any on Beauty. I was able to get some on Sunni (the roll on kind) after he decided I wasn't going to eat him (good boy!) Any ideas/suggestions on getting them to stand for fly spray?

The mustangs were busy eating, but stopped to look up when hubby showed up with a red bucket full of carrots. Cali was the most inquisitive.

Got carrots? Part 2 and snake update (Mikey)

Sunni, of course, was the first to smell the carrots, since he was closest to our car when we arrived at the ranch yesterday. He smelled them and couldn't WAIT to tell Beauty ALL ABOUT IT! Here they are, exchanging their gossip about carrots. Of course, the fact that Sunni had "carrot breath" made Beauty all the more excited!

NOTE: I'm not sure why some of my photos come out so dark. I took off the @#$% polarizing filter that hubby put on the Nikon, since I can't see how it's working when it is on.) I took a bunch of photos without it this morning, just to see if it is making the photos darker, so I'll let 'ya know next week.

SNAKE UPDATE: Hubby and I are out driving around, looking at various properties just to see what is on the market. Now, up at the horse ranch, I've run across 3 snakes, all non-poisonous. Two of them were right by the weeds by the water faucet and slithered away as soon as they sensed me. I nearly stepped on a gopher snake 2 weekends ago when I had the stomach flu. Again, he saw me and slithered away. Well, yesterday, we were looking at a ranch up on a hill with a beautiful view of the valley, and with a pool. Um...the pool was "not maintained"!!! In fact, the water was GREEN and there were frogs in it! There was also another non-poisonous (gopher?) snake in it and watching him, he desperately wanted out, but couldn't slither up the sides (I always SCREAM when I see a snake...I'm absolutely terrified of them AND rats), but I didn't wish to see him die, so I asked hubby to find a long stick. We were on the outside of a locked fence and gate, so there was NO WAY we could get in and get the snake out, but hubby found a pool skimmer and got the snake in it and scooped him up and saved him! Hey, Mikey, see what you've started! I now belong to the "snake saving" club, like you! He was a beautiful specimen and I'm going to have to find out what he was. UNFORTUNATELY, he immediately went back into the rocks surrounding the pool, so hubby left the pool skimmer in the pool so that if he heads back in, at least he can crawl up the skimmer pole and get out! No telling how many snakes are dead in the bottom of THAT pool! (shaking head) Yup. I'm pretty sure it was some kind of Western garter snake. I've been looking up snakes all morning and the colors and shape and size indicate a garter snake. And, garter snakes do eat toads (whole), so he probably was after the toad, couldn't get one, and then couldn't get out. You know, we NEED snakes to help keep down the gophers and rats and mice! The only snakes I wouldn't allow around my dogs or horses would be rattlesnakes and I'm not sure how I would react to seeing one of those! Hope I never find out!

Got carrots? Part I Camera Critters for Saturday, May 23, 2009

Hubby and I bought a 25 pound of carrots for "the herd" today at Vons. They are regularly either $7.99 or $9.99 (I forget which...), but were on sale for $5.99. What a deal! Hmmm....wish they were that cheap when we go to visit the mustangs at Ridgecrest, but...probably not. ANYWAY, we drove up and Sunni and Beauty nickered to greet us and once we opened up the back of the van, well...they smelled the carrots! But, LOOK at Sunni!

Sunni: Do I smell carrots? Carrots, carrots, carrots! Oh, boy, how I love carrots, but...I better not act too excited or I'll scare myself! Oh, boy! Mom's got carrots...sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff! Oops!~I'd better be a GOOD BOY or Mom won't give me any carrots! Okay. Here I am on my BEST BEHAVIOR!

Tee hee!

Camera Critters for Saturday, May 23, 2009 ~~ and, yes, he GOT his carrots! Part 2 tomorrow.

desert morning walk~SkyWatch Friday, May 22, 2009

I'm always so busy with school and the horses, but some mornings I wake up, eat breakfast, and shower, and head out the door by 6:00 a.m. On those mornings, I grab a camera and go off into the desert, looking for good morning light. I always post mountain pics, since that is where the horses are, but I actually LIVE and work in the desert, so I wanted to share some desert pics today. We've had a burst of "pre-summer" weather here and temps in the 100's, but, for the last few days, we are down to seasonal temps in the 90's and the days have been delightful! SkyWatch Friday for May 22, 2009. Enjoy your weekend! I'll be doing "horsey things" all weekend!

red barn and road trip

I went on a road trip to San Diego last weekend to visit my aunt and uncle overnight. Along the way, I drove by the horse ranch that my parents owned in the 1960's. They never allowed me to have a horse, but owned the ranch for a period of years. It was their weekend getaway from the stress of working in downtown Los Angeles! The barn roof was old and falling apart, so my dad decided to put a new aluminum roof on it! I remember him wrapping a rope around his waist as he sat on top of it, nailing in the sheets of aluminum! I don't remember HOW he did the sides. Anyway, I've driven by the ranch for 30 years and watched it progress to the beautiful equestrian center, Quail Hollow Farm, that it is today. The current owners have owned it for the last 5 years and they have restored it and improved it to the beautiful ranch that it deserves to be! There are new trees and flowers and the ranch is ALIVE with horses! Back in the 60's, it was the only ranch for a long spell on that road. Now the road has been subdivided and there are houses and ranches all along it. I LOVE driving by the ranch. The fog rolls in, and there are many birds in the canyon. I drove up into the ranch Saturday afternoon and there were many cars and people there! I wandered around with my camera around my neck and the owner came by and took me for a tour. Lindy was very friendly and pleasant! So, enjoy my trip down "memory lane".