Horses, fence, and thunderheads~Good Fences

Horses at a fence in New Mexico, near the VLA (Very Large Array), which is out in the middle of NOWHERE!  Actually, it is about 40 or 50 miles outside of Socorro, NM.  Good Fences for Friday, June 26, 2015.  To visit Good Fences, please go here:   http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

Santa Fe, NM

We are in Santa Fe for a couple days.  We haven't been here for...let's see...about 12 years.  My, it has grown!  We drove around town yesterday and visited the Georgia O'Keefe museum.  That was a real treat!  I was so moved by her artwork.  I've always been fascinated by her work, but I got to see more of it up close.  Cameras are permitted, but NO flash is allowed.  Also, certain works cannot be photographed, but there were so many that can be.  Hubby and I both used our cell phones, as did many other people there, to take photos.

After that, we walked around the neighborhood and took some photos of the houses there.  We drove downtown to the big cathedral, parked, and walked around and went to the museum across the street.  I bought some cards there, but after paying $12.00 each for the O'Keefe museum, $5.00 for parking (twice), we didn't have any cash left!  Too bad because we found a French cafe and bakery (cash only), so we may head back there for breakfast.

Horse visit FINALLY!

Well, I FINALLY got up to visit the horses yesterday.  All are fine.  Lucille is still shedding and I'm going to have to use the clippers on her "beard" and legs.  She always has so much dang hair!  And, she had some REALLY horrible knots in her mane!  Two on one side and one on the other.  So, I will and detangled them while talking to the ranch owner yesterday.  I'll give Lucille a nice bath and put conditioner on her mane and tail when I return next time.  I forgot my scissors, or I would have trimmed her tail.  She has the thickest, fullest tail of ANY of my herd!  I forgot them because I cleaned out my grooming box and I left them at home...DUH!

It's going to be a hot week this coming week...up to 111 or even 113 degrees here in the desert!  Ugh!  And, it was hot up in Anza, too.  Too hot to do anything with the horses, so I just brushed them and gave them a snack.

This is my official first day of summer vacation!  Whoo, whoo!   :-)  Thank goodness I made it through the school year.  I've had extremely disruptive and disrespectful classes for two years in a row.  That's very tiring~emotionally AND physically!

 One of the turkey vultures that flew over me.  The others disappeared too quickly.

Pretty thunderheads were developing yesterday.

School's ALMOST over and I'm ready for some HORSE TIME!

I only have 2 days of school left and they are both half days.  Whoo, whoo!  Then, I can enjoy some horse time!  I cannot wait!  I haven't been up to see the herd for 2 weekends now.  I'm just too dang tired on Saturday and Sunday I haven't got the energy either.  But, once school is over and the kids are out for the summer, I'll have 8 weeks of summer bliss!   :-)  I need some horse time.  I also need to make up some fly spray, find their fly masks, and I'm sure I'll need to brush out Lucille.  HURRY UP SATURDAY!  I'm waitin' for ya!

 Lucille and all her hair!

 One of the members of the crow family up at the ranch...

A view of the Anza valley, with a crow flying through my photo!

Secretariat's Belmont vs. American Pharoah

My daughter posted this on Facebook this morning for me.  I watched it and thought it was cool, so I'm sharing it with y'all.  It's a split screen of Secretariat's Belmont Stakes and American Pharoah's.

Enjoy!

http://deadspin.com/this-is-what-it-would-look-like-if-american-pharoah-rac-1709988755?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

And, we have a Triple Crown winner~!

It ONLY took 37 years.  Let's see, our daughter will turn 37 in July, so it's been as long as sne's been on Earth to have another Triple Crown winner, but it happened yesterday with American Pharoah.  I noticed his long stride and I took a look at his pedigree.  Pretty impressive!  His grand sire, Empire Maker, won the Belmont in 2003.  Looking even further back, I see that he has Secretariat on his dam's side, as well as Bold Ruler and Exclusive Native.  Exclusive Native was the sire of Affirmed, the LAST Triple Crown winner before American Pharoah.  He also has Nasrullah and Miss Disco (on his Secretariat line).  It was Penny Chenery who focused on the FEMALE lines when she bred Secretariat.  And, he has the Princequillo line, too, on his dam's side.  Hmmmm....very impressive!

But, it isn't JUST about pedigrees.  Quad has an impressive pedigree, too.  In fact, Quad is a great-grandson of Affirmed, a g-g-grandson of Secretariat, and even has Man O'War in his pedigree.  He was just too laid back to have the desire to win.  In 7 races, he NEVER won a race!  (goofball...)

It sure was an exciting race!  I was yelling and screaming and clapping.  It was so good to see Penny Chenery there, too, at the race.  I wonder what she was thinking?

American Pharoah in the stretch, on his way to becoming the 12th Triple Crown champion.

Morning chores

Well, both of the former feral kittens are now out of their cage.  I let the 2nd one out this week and he/she is still hanging around the yard.  The other one reappeared (probably hungry) after 3 days of freedom.  He will now come to me and allow me to touch him!  He has imprinted on our neutered gray cat, who is too FAT to walk too far out of the yard and follows him around constantly.  I suspect they even sleep near each other under our big Chinaberry tree!  I know they spend a lot of time in the garage together.

This morning I hosed off the porch (YES!...as quickly as I could) because it was covered with tiny fire ants after their food bowls.  I set up a table where they can now eat and it has some steps up to it.  This will also prevent the DD (damn dog) from getting their food and water.  DD has the run of the front and back yards and this morning she chased the black & white kitten up into the pine tree.  Oh, what FUN!  She got down and disappeared into the neighbor's yard (behind us).  They will all learn to get along, but I DO need to keep the dog out of their food!

This is my LAST weekend before the end of school next Friday (June 12th).  Believe me, the countdown is ON.  I kept the kids busy yesterday with a 7 page packet of work, including cursive writing and times tables practice.  I think I'll do another packet for Monday.  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are half days, and those will be "game" days.  I have lots of games for those 3 days and I'll have to thoroughly clean my room, so some can also help me.

We're going on vacation soon after school ends...to Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.  I CAN'T WAIT!