Busy Barn Time

Will try writing a post again. Sure hope Blogger is finished with me!!

When the Farrier was at our barn this week he checked out the new horse..and yes he has what looks like an abcess trying to come out. He has shoes on now and is feeling a lot better. It will take time and lots of TLC to get that one hoof right. He will be fine it all just takes time. Been there done all this before. The bugs have been just horrible. Horse flies are huge and the misquitoes are "back"..ugh!!! Just when you want to play and spend time with the horses the bugs chase you away..lol. Here is a picture of Doc soaking his hoof..and Tippy is not willing to share the wagon..lol. It is time for the "new" lad to learn some ground rules..lol.




Been a busy day. I headed out early to pick up gifts for our granddaughters. One is graduating from Public School this year and the other has a Birthday today. They are both off on a school trip today. Niagara Falls. I am sure they are having an awesome time. To bad the weather is not good..been raining all day!! Anyway got there gifts so I am ready for there party on Saturday. Just a few more days and the kids in our area are finished for another year.

I am heading off to the sofa to watch some TV and totally veg..Have a great evening!!

Hopefully I can start posting on Blogs now..!!!

Blogger Posts & Comments

I hope I can even post this. Blogger is giving me all sorts of trouble. Will be back when I can actually post..grrrr!! and make comments. Can not even log on to leave comments. How frustrating!!!

New Kid On The Block

This lovely Quarter horse has joined our barn. Our boarder sold one of her horses and this is our new lad!! Murphy in the background did not make his arrival welcome at all. It took a few days of separating them before they got along. I was surprised that Murphy was so intense on his finding another horse trailer to load poor Doc on to..lol. After a few rides out together Murphy finally figured it out that he was staying and that was it. All is well now with the herd!!! Geesh..just like kids!!




Doc has a sweet personality and is in his high teens and very well trained. Just a sweet lad to have in the barn.
On a side note is anyone else having trouble with those darn horse flys that are the size of a 747 jet liner>>OMG!!! The poor horses!!! Masks and spray and they are still miserable. Hope this does not last to long.

Lots of hay cut in the area so lets pray it does not rain for at least a week!!

Enjoy the day...

More pets!!!

When you youngest Granddaughter calls and says..but Gramma..they are going to eat them..what do you say??!! Lol..I could not say no. They can go to the barn when they get bigger and need large cages. They are not dwarfs...nope she had to fall for very large bunnies..lol. They have been here 2 weeks now and have over doubled there size so it will not be long before they are at the barn. In the meantime we are having fun with them.





The dog and cat visit regularly. Both rabbits seem pretty interested in the visits..lol




Saturday is moving day for them. We have a nice large crate for them at the barn so I am sure by then they are going to need it.

Friday already, how did that happen. Off to do chores. Have a great weekend everyone.

Just a Tad Busy!!

I have not stopped since my last posting. Sorry to my friends for not posting on there blogs. Time has gotten ahead of me..and it is time to get into a routine again.

Our hay is ready to cut..so please pray for some nice sunny breezy days so we can get this huge job done. I am hoping all the help we have lined up are able to help when needed. So often hay is ready when people have other plans. You hate to tie someones life up with it "it all depends on the weather" comment.

Speaking of weather we are down another tree at the house. A tornado hit a small community just north of us..and we got the edge of that severe storm. I was working around the house and had not been paying much attention to the sky. We had a warning of a thunderstorm with ..all the possibilities listed..of what goes along with that. Bang crash and the roar..it came Wow!! We were lucky but our friends north of us were hit badly. No one killed..thank heavens..but lots of damage. Hydro crews are all over. It will take a long time to clean it all up. People living down country roads will be even longer than the town families. Years ago hydro cut there forestry budget..humm..maybe they will rethink that.

Ooops never posted this so will do be back with more later..lol. Off to Costco and Fabricland.

Enjoy your day..going to be warm.

Rain & Dandelions

Yes it is raining again. Last nite on the news some brave soul had the nerve to say we are under the level for the month still. Right!!! As the kids say "Whatever"...lol

Everytime I get to the point I can go out and get some weeding done..it rains again..and don't even try to paint..!!!ugh!! The garage door and all the trim needs to be done and it is still waiting!! The dandelions are doing just great. We have a lot of grass and it is a chore to keep it under control when it is like this. With the new rules about spraying the yellow flowers are all over the yard. Way to much yard for me to be wandering around trying to pull them all. I swear my husband is going to have the big one over those yellow flowers..lol. Oh how fussy he is about his lawn. I wish he took the same amount of interest in the garden. I should not complain about the garden..he has plenty to do at the barn. With him only home on weekends it is like a 3 ring circus around here trying to get things done.

Only one more month and we will hopefully be into haying time again. I keep watching the field across from the barn that is our hay..and it is jumping nicely. We opened the gate for the big boys so they could go out to pasture for the summer. It was one of the nicer days and I had just gotten them fly masks..with ears..LOL. On the warm days the blackflys and regular flys have been just wicked. They have worn them before but Max usually gets his off and that is the end of it. This year I thought I would try again. Well..I would have been better to get another color. They look like oversized donkeys..LOL. I have to modify the, they are a little large for them..lol. Bill I think was totally embarassed the way he walked out of the barn..lol. How could she do this to me!!!



After lunch we went back to the barn to let them out to pasture. Bill was having a nap on the nice warm ground but it did not take him long to figure out that hubby and Max were heading for the gate. The beginning of another great summer for the my dear old lads. They sure love there time out there.






Well everyone enjoy the day surely it will dry out soon. My heart goes out to all the people that are suffering in the USA and in our own Canada with some of the violent weather we are having.

Quilt Show Time

It is that time of year again. Quilt Shows just about every weekend. Husbands are left alone to fend for themselves..lol. It is so inspiring to get out there and look around. The talent is incrdible. Then of course there is the shopping..lol. Just what all quilters don't need is more fabric but that does not stop us...lol.

I have played with the Aququilt Go Cutter at different times...but this past weekend I looked a little closer at it. This wonderful little machine cuts your fabric for you. It does not come cheaply but if it will keep me sewing a little longer( I am having trouble with my eyes) then I think I may buy one. Different blogs have draws for them but the way things go with me..lol..I will be better off to just buy one. I think I will save my good luck charm for the lottery..lol. Even buying the basic templates will be a great help.



If anyone close to me is interested I am selling my B-Line Quilt Frame along with the Cruise Control for the Husqvarna Mega Quilter Sewing Machine. It cost me over $1,300 plus tax and shipping. I am selling the table and the above for $750.

If you do not have the MegaQuilter they are a fantastic straight stitch machine that you can use on or off the frame. It is my favorite machine..and I do have a few machines..lol. In any case go to a Husqvarna Dealer and check out the machine. It is a great buy for only 1,300. The large throat space also makes it great for quilting without the frame for smaller items.

With the distortion and blind spots when sewing and doing work up close I am changing my sewing methods. So far it is working well. Things take longer to do but again that is ok.

Well off to do some work in the garden. The rain has everything growing like crazy..especially the weeds..ugh!!!

Enjoy the day everyone!!

Busy Bee!!

Not much spare time around here these days. Between sewing and the barn I have been on the run for the last few weeks.

Our friends have new stall curtanins that needed some embroidery. The curtains are used during show season. We had 2 hydro outages during the time of the embroidery so I was a nervous wreck. Finally finished and happy to say it seems the hydro is also ok. I did a test stitchout and it worked out great..and now have done 8 curtains. Done!!! I will get a picture at the first big fair!!! They are going to look great.


After the second power outage our phone and internet went down. Well for some people that is not a big deal. I had the 7th of 8 embroideries just out of the machine when that happened. We had a crew working on replacing the 2 big windows in our livingroom. Just wonderful. I was not sure what to be greatful for..lol..that the hydro went out after the embroidery was down..or be upset that the guys had to stop working on the window....AND....I had no internet..never mind the hydor..lo.. After a few hours the hydro came back on but the internet and phone would not ..time to call good old Bell Canada.



They said the next day between 8am and 5pm we would have a repair an at the house. Well at around 2pm the truck arrived. I said never mind the phone..(which has to work for the internet)...lol..I need my internet. It is incredible how much we rely on it to communicate with family and friends. We have friends in other countries..and it is such a wonderful thing to be able to talk on a regular basis this way. What a great guy came to get us back in working order again. It was a challenge to find out what was wrong..but he did it. He was friendly explained everything so nicely..and was so helpful. I had to call Sympatico several times..but they also worked wonders to get my modem working again. The 2 hard crashes of the hydro did not do my poor modem any favours. So now all is back to whatever normal is around here.

The windows are installed and are great. The guys were a dream to have also. How lucky am I to get good people helping me. Our old livingroom windows were very tired..so it is great to look out and see our wonderful view of the lake so clearly now. If anyone in my area ever needs new windows..be sure to check out Nortech Home Improvements out of Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Mike and Seth were the team I had this time..and have delt with other teams previously and always been pleased with there work. Isn't this an awesome view??? In the morning..the loons are singing..what can I say..I love it!!! Yes we do have a hwy out there..but the noise does not bother me. I don't even notice it. It is a plus in the winter..I can always get out. Our pond that goes out to the lake is a haven for all sorts of bird and other wildlife. The turtles are a constant worry when they are on the move to nest..lol. on the mower off the mower to move them...lol. Good exercise..I guess..lol





Well off to do some outside work while the weather is good. Enjoy the day!!!

Spring Weather

The weather has been up and down. Today a possiblility of snow..then more rain. I guess we need it but oh to be so close to some nice spring weather. Just itching to get outside for more than a day here and there. Mind you lol..with the horses I am out all the time. Well you know what I mean..without the layers of clothes..ugly boots/coats.

Last evening when we went to do chores..the entire back wall of the leanto for the Clydes had blown down. Now that is wind!!!! It was not nailed...it was screwed in place. A lot of screws. Will get some pictures today. So now that is going to be a big job trying to either move it out of the field or repair it right there. Some phone calls today to figure that all out. We sure will not be doing it ourselves.

Yesterday with the wind so bad and the rain..it was a day for some sewing. Our oldest granddaughter had taken a bad fall with some track pants that were her favorite. A little embroidery on the knee and it is fixed..cute. I know she will be thrilled to have them back. The back of the pants have big bear paws in white..the reason for the bear..lol
I have not used this machine a lot since I got it for Christmas 2 years ago.
With my eyes acting up I was just not in the mood. Well I am slowly getting used to it. Maybe we can bond after all..lol. I had gotten so used to my Designer 1 that with the vision issues I was just not putting the time in to learn some of the different features...I think we are going to be ok..lol.






A job I kept putting off is embroiderying hubbys name on uniform shirts..and it is also done. Slowly the list is getting smaller of those little projects.


Later on I want to tell you about "Fat Cat" one of our barn cats. A fellow blogger meantioned about a rescue cat..and I want to tell you about our rescue. It is a story thank heavens with a happy ending. Later today or tomorrow.

Enjoy the day wet or day..lol.

Brrrr!! Enough Already

No pictures today. Just dropped in to complain about the cold. Most of our snow is gone but the wind chill and cold has been going on for days. It is supposed to warm up in the next day or so thank heavens.

Last week we were lucky enough to avoid a dandy storm that hit the Toronto area. Poor hubby was driving in in ..and to make matters worse it was on his birthday. Poor guy!!! At some point he is looking at a knee replacement so with his leg so sore the added stress of a storm did not help his mood. He was one very tired puppy by the time he got home on the weekend.

Friends had a Birthday brunch for him on Sunday. What a fun time visiting with friends and just hanging out. What an awesome gift he got..never mind the wonderful food...they gave him a gallon jug of Maple Syrup!!! One of his favorites so I can see pancakes on the weekends for weeks to come..lol..lol.

This is the week of running around. Yesterday I got my hair cut. Today off to the foot clinic. Tomorrow..yippee...Costco. Always have a long list when I go there. I need to watch my spending because of a home repair. Opening the drapes the other morning and there was a huge crack in one of our front windows. Not a happy camper. The windows are old and we had intended on replacing them soon...but hey you know. So the window people have been here and they are on order to be replaced. They are the last of the windows that had to be done so I guess it is a good thing.

Well time to get ready to head off for my appointment. Have a great day everyone. Lets hope we can put away the heavy clothes soon.

Splish Splash Slip Slide Spring Is Here

What a mess..ice under the water and mud combined with it all..ugh!! We have some warm weather for a week so it should be gone shortly. Once things dry out a little we have a big job of spring cleaning to look forward to










The girls are coming along so well with there quilts..here is an update photo of there gorgeous work.




Off to feed the horses again. Muck boots ready to go..lol. Enjoy the day!!

Quilting Kitty!!

Molly has learned well in less than a year with us. She loves to quilt..lol



This picture is a little on the dark side. Love the fabrics. Great way to use up your stash. I got this quilt as a kit several years ago. Now to get it quilted. Another lap quilt for those cool evenings. Lets hope those are not going to be an issue for much longer.




Have a great weekend. In our area it is going to be keep dry. Lots of rain heading our way. Won't be much snow left if it does keep to rain.

Finally Christmas Is Complete

Read my post on Jan.12 which will explain this post..lol.

Do you see it..do you?? That far leg..just fell off when I touched it..a REAL TURKEY should do that! Not like the whatever bird we had on the 25th of Dec. We are thinking now it must have been a wild turkey. The meat was horrible and we all still wanted "turkey"..lol. When driving past the farmers field last week there was a huge flock of wild turkeys..need I say any more..LOL.
This bird was awesome. It was 30lb+ and I bought it from our local grocery store. Not taking any chances this time. We invited friends and family to enjoy!! What a great evening. My birthday and our granddaughters are in Feb. so we had cake as well. Lots of laughs about my last attempt at cooking a "turkey". That is ok..we all need to have a few giggles..lol.

We had a big melt..and now are back into winter weather. Snow last nite..just a dusting but more to come as the week progresses. It is family day today so Rod doesn't have to head to work until tomorrow morning. He can use the break. Between Nascar starting up for another season and the barn we have kept busy. Did you watch the race on Sunday..OMG..what an ending.

Have a great week everyone!!

Busy Weekend

Yes..we had to get hay again. That is ok..one thing good about all this is that we are not dripping hot..lol. We have had to be creative in getting the hay stored downstairs..but that is also Ok!!

The wind was incredible today. It went up and down all day from around 20km to 60km. A group of snowshoe enthusiast used our entrance to the fields to head back into the bush for a tour. We brought the big boys inside for the afternoon so they would not have to deal with them. After the hay was done hubby and his friend who owns the farm next door went out to make trails for the girls to ride the horses. Between what the snowshoe group did and the work the guys did..they have a great trail to ride tomorrow. Wind is supposed to calm and warmer temps as well..yippee.



After all this we had a wonderful Thai meal. Kitchen is tidy and I am heading to bed..!! Still no sewing...maybe once the weather warms up. These days I seem to be spending most of my time at the barn..lol. How can you not just love a face like this




Have a great weekend all..nite!!

Storm is Over!!

Oh how I feel for my friends that had to put up with the freezing rain rather than our snow storm. I can handle snow but the freezing rain is something totally different. The storm started during the night. I was fine until the wind started..wow..was it powerful. That kept on until mid morning. The trip to the barn was not as bad as it could have been..but still it was not good. After the wind died down the snow really started to fall. The drifting had been bad then to add more snow made it even more so. None of this has been as bad as the winter we had several years ago so I really don't think I should complain. To those that got the snow rather than the freezing rain...oh my!! What we got was nothing compared to so many areas. Interesting winter isn't it..grrr!!
Here are a few pictures of the last day or so. Needless to say the horses were inside yesterday and were very happy to get out mid morning after it warmed up..another -23 when I got up..brrrr!!



Leah enjoyed a good roll after being in the barn for a day..I am sure felt good!! Murphy was getting set to do the same once he found a spot.



Gilly is 25yrs this year and the daughter of one of the original Welsh ponies bought from Mrs. Dupont in the USA many years ago. I think I was around 11 years then. How the breed has changed. They don't have the same look anymore sad to say. She is still a very pretty pony..with lots of attitude some days...lol..lol. Humm..she also needs a good brushing and her mane done, she is shedding already..does this mean an early spring??





Well I am off to the barn..lots of work to be done. Thank heavens for our wonderful boarders who make my life so much easier. They were awesome last weekend helping with the hay. We are all set!!

Lets hope this is the last of the severe storms for awhile. Enjoy the rest of the day!!

Trucking Hay

We are still getting a little snow every day. It is mounting up. This weekend we are supposed to get another dump. Also this weekend we have to start getting hay from the farm next door. Never before have we run out of hay but it was bound to happen at some point I guess. When we did hay in the summer our count was way off..and now we are paying for it. Also with the weather being so cold the horses have been eating more. Not happy!!

Our group met for our once a month lesson on the quilt we are making. There is a lot of detail in this quilt and is a learning curve to just about every class. We have been having a ball. Lots of laughs and one liners from the gals as we express our frustrations..lol. Here are a few picturs showing the different colour combinations.












So we have lots of homework to do this month. I can't wait to see these quilt tops finished. They are going to be just amazing. They are all going to be queen size. Back to my sewing.

Enjoy the day!!

Sunny Days

Yesterday was snowy like most of the country but today is great another sunny day. Last weekend our granddaughter called and wanted to go for a ride. So she and the young gal that keeps her horse with us saddled up and went out in the fields for a short tour. The wind came up so they were not out that long but at least they got to enjoy the horses. I think the horses had even more fun than the girls did.



Our horses are just so social. As soon as anyone comes in the yard they are right at the fence wanting attention...or food..lol. I managed to get a few pictures. Ears up..how about that.



My constant companion Tippy



With it being such a nice day I am off to do some fabric shopping. I have a lapquilt that is almost finished so time to get some backing fabric. Have a great day.