Temps here are dropping!!!

I'm not kidding. Temperatures are falling here in the desert this week. It will only be 102 here today, then down to 94 by Wednesday and Thursday, with overnight lows to 72 degrees! A cold spell!!!! The weatherman just announced that we may be having overnight record lows this week. I can turn off the air conditioner! Whoo, whoo!!! I went out yesterday morning and worked until 10:30 a.m. (that's UNHEARD of during July!)...I got 3 of our huge trash containers full (mostly leaves and mesquite seed pods) and I trimmed the palo verde out front which was haning out into the street. I also raked up all my wildflower remnants from last winter and pulled out the roots. Time to plant something else there...I'm thinking sunflowers? I've been making a morning smoothie the last few mornings (Jamba Juice frozen berry, apple juice, and spirulina) since I've had some kind of virus (dizziness and headache) for the last few days. I'm heading up to the ranch this morning to work with Gigondas and Sunni. The mustangs have their lesson tomorrow, so I'll work with Gigo on turning her BUTT to me! I need to get her haltered as the farrier will be up soon. I can't believe how far she has regressed since the fly spray incident. She basically now just turns her butt to any human who gets near her!...sigh...Speaking of butts, these are some of the pack horses at Twin Lakes. I drove down the road early one morning while hubby was still asleep. Their hay had been delivered the day before and the horses were all out in the morning, waiting for riders.

Letting go and kicking up his heels (Quad)

Yippee! School's out! ~~ at least that's what Quad thought last Tuesday! Actually, it's good to see him enjoy life. He was pretty quiet when he came to us in 2009. And, he's healthy and sound! He sure enjoys his romps in the arena!

Quad in the arena

Quad in the arena is very different from the Quad in the round pen. First, there is more room for him. Second, he gives much more "tude" (attitude). He knows he can get loose...So, here are some pics of him in the arena, including him giving Maia some "tude". She told me the first time she took him down there, he bolted and got loose from her. So, now she round pens him first, makes him STOP at the gate, opens the gate, turns him around, makes him STOP again, then calmly walks him and lunges him in the arena. He hasn't bolted since, but he does still give her some "tude"!

Quad lunging

Quad is getting much softer in his lunging and is going both directions much easier. I can tell that going right isn't his favorite thing to do, but he was much more cooperative with Maia on Tuesday. He has a beautiful, fluid trot and canter. He is sound! She actually put her left foot in the stirrup and did an up-and-down and he stood calmly. He is such a sweetheart! I need to buy a bit for him and that means a "horse shopping day" soon. Won't that be fun? Lisa, we've had afternoon thunderstorms here all week and the desert actually got sprinkles on Tuedsday! Every afternoon, however, our mountains are getting thunderstorms and RAIN. It looks like we are drying out, however, and by Monday, we'll have 78 degrees here in the mornings and DRY heat. We've been having a lot of humidity and believe me, when it is 86 degrees at 7 a.m. and humid, the LAST thing you want to do is go outside! Even Daisy, my little orange and white tabby ("psycho killer") cat is coming in and sacking out on our coffee table! And, the dogs don't even want to go outside to do their business! It's been absolutely HORRIBLE here lately...this is all from hurricane Arlene, which brought in moisture from Mexico. Joshua Tree and the high desert had flooding a couple of times from all the rain they received.

Quad

After dealing with "Ms. Attitude" (Gigondas) on Tuesday, it was a real treat for my trainer, Maia, to work with Quad, who was very relaxed and cooperative. She didn't bring her english saddle, so she put one of my Western ones on him...ho hum. He stood quietly for his fly spray (the flies here are AWFUL and they even bite us!). Doesn't he look handsome in black?

Yesterday's lessons~Sunni

Two horses had their lesson yesterday~Sunni and Quad. Quad gets an hour because my trainer is getting him ready to ride. So, she put one of my western saddles on him and the stirrups went flip, flop, giddy-up on his sides! He was fine with that and she even put one leg in the stirrup and put her weight on it...but that was it. I'm glad she's taking her time with him...no sense to rush things and have him blow up, right? She comes out to the ranch every Tuesday and either works Sunni/Quad or the two mustangs and Quad. Quad gets worked every week. Gigondas wouldn't allow her to catch her and she asked me, "How much time do you want me to TRY to catch her?" Apparently she's still upset over the fly spray and now refuses to let me or anybody else catch her...sigh...any ideas/suggestions? I took my chair and just sat in her corral yesterday and got the "Here's my butt" in my face, so I moved it and she just moved away...sigh...back to square one with her. Quad and Sunni got sweet feed and she got none, so she can think about that (in her pea brain...)The farrier is coming soon and I'm going to HAVE to get a halter on her and regain her trust...any ideas/suggestions? On a happier note, Sunni did really well with his lesson yesterday. He tied, he accepted the fly spray, he lunged both sides very easily, he didn't flinch when the lead rope was thrown over his back...he accepted the saddle pad without drama...what a good boy! I'm going to work him today (it sprinkled up there yesterday and it has already RAINED here in the desert!!!)

Return to civilization!!!!!!

We're BBBAAACCCCKKKKK from vacation. For good. Phew. I need a vacation from our vacation! Actually, this one was another trip to the Sierra, back to Mammoth Lakes. Hubby rented a cabin there for 4 nights and we set off from Palmdale last Wednesday. We had just been to Mammoth about 10 days prior to this trip, when many roads (including the Tioga Pass to Yosemite) were still closed due to heavy winter snow. There was still snow at the Mammoth Lakes and at Mammoth Mountain, but the road to the Minerets and Devil's Postpile was open. In fact, we took the bus (MANDATORY) down to the postpile and hiked back to see it. I had been there as a child (before the mandatory bus shuttle), but hubby had never seen it and was speechless when we finally arrived to view it, dragging our tripods with us. Needless to say, we both stayed around the cabin the next day! We're "flatlanders" (i.e. we live at 200 feet above sea level), so for us, walking and hiking at 8,500 feet is...well...an effort! Even walking out to our car behind our car got us huffing and puffing! We did drive into Yosemite one morning (we both woke up at 4:30 a.m.) and were surprised when we returned that we didn't have to pay a fee! There was still snow near the higher elevations and Lake Tioga was still partially frozen! Incredible! We saw about two dozen deer, some lively, cute young gray squirrels, chipmunks, and loud blue jays. I read a biography of Norman Clyde and completely read Nevada Barr's High Country (set in Yosemite) while we were there! Our cabin had no TV and very limited Internet (I was unable to post while on vacation) and it was a real shock to leave Mammoth early Monday morning (we wanted to be home before the July 4th fireworks as our house is just 2 blocks from our civic center park) and we made it home safely, let the dogs inside the house, and went to our daughter's for July 4th dinner. We got home in time to hear the first "BANG" of the fireworks. We also returned to extreme humidity (there were thunderheads all along the Sierra and Mt. Whitney was covered with thunderheads) and 108 degree temps (it was about 50 when we left Mammoth). But, we are both addicted to the Sierra and are already planning our next visit!