Max & Bill

Max & Bill

First visit to there new stalls

They have been watching for weeks from there paddock that something big was happening in the barn
Finally it is time

Max as expected was pretty nervous coming in but it did not take long for him to settle in. 

A quick sweep of the floor and we left them to relax and check out there new surroundings.

With that we found that some how our weekend was over

How did that happen!!!

Warm Weather

Long Hot Days 

with

No Rain

Forecast today and tomorrow for storms and I really hope we do get some nice long soaking rains that help the crops. 

North of us has been a combination of flooding and forest fires. What an odd combination in one province. 

As you can see Tippy is handling the hot weather very comfortably..lol

The barn still needs more work but that is going to happen when it cools down a touch!!

A picture of my old garden. The plan was to start it again but the barn has taken so much of my time that I decided to go with some containers instead for this year. 

One step at a time. It has taken me years to figure out taking on to many projects just does not work..lol

Well off to the barn to bring in some warm horses so they can have a cool restful day. I don't think they will mind if  all the work is done or not!

Enjoy the day!

Barn Renovations Update

                Fantastic weather and I am loving it. 

There  has been the odd rain shower to keep the grass green. 

The barn renovations are almost done. This weekend should finish the last stall. 

But lets face it barn work is never really finished..lol

This is the stall for our mini's. Isn't it cute. The next one ocer is for Raz the Oldenburg. Check out that one board that went darker with the stain. If I did not find it so interesting the way the wood is and the way the stain went on I would change it..lol. 

We are so lucky to have a great friend that has helped us with the planning and building. This project would have been an entirely different story 

without his help. We appreciate his help so much. 

Thank you Steve!!!!

Needless to say the yard at the house needs some attention now the barn is almost finished. 

Enjoy this great weather. 

Slow Progress Now!

It was a busy weekend!!

Pressure washing has started.  The few stalls left to be taken down are not a big project. This weekend will be more cleaning before the painting can start never mind building stalls.  We need longer weekends. 

The sand is in most of the stalls which was another big job.  What a great feeling to get to this stage. 

I am hoping to get my new scooter in the next few days. With the price of gas maybe that is a good thing..lol.  Just a few more weeks to go and we will see if my eyes have changed since my last appointment. 

Rain is needed so badly. So rain dance whatever..lol. we need your help. It is wonderful seeing the sun out and the spring weather but it is very dry. 

Enjoy the day!!

Let The Painting Begin!!

Good Morning!!


What a wonderful day..the sun is finally out. I am in the beginning stages of a huge project. We are rebuilding all the stalls in the barn. This weekend we are digging all the stalls out and putting new sand in for drainage then the building starts. It is supposed to rain but that is ok as long as the weather man is right that the temps are supposed to remain in the teens (C) So now the painting begins. Lots and lots of boards to be painted. 

Last weekend being Easter we had a great time over at friends. The meal was fantastic and the laughs endless. Once the meal was over the kids..(all in there 20's) decided to get the draft horses out and go for a ride. Some of these lovely horses had never been ridden but they sure did not care. I am not sure who had more fun the kids or the horses. 

Off to the barn!! This project is going to take sometime to finish..but at least it is started.
Have a great weekend.

Spring And Changes

Spring is here. We had 2 weeks of incredible weather. The ice went out of our lakes earlier than ever before, what a treat.  Then the cool weather returned. It is cold but at least we are without the ice and know that the warm weather is not that far off. 


I have started my seeds for the veggie garden. It is so exciting to be able to plan on playing with the soil again. It has been a few years since I have had my garden so I am back to reading and planning where everything will go. It is early yet for Ontario but it does not hurt to play..lol. 


I had my 6 month check up with my eye Dr. yesterday and things are not good. Back to monthly visits and yes I AM able to drive for now. One more episode and I will not be able to.  That may happen now or who knows when..weeks, months, years!! Unfortunately with the dramatic changes in the last 6 months there is concern.The Dr. said it was time to start making plans in case things don't work out sooner than later. 
 So with that in mind hubby said to just go ahead and get an electric vehicle so I can get used to it now     


So here is my new ride.tada!! 

It will take 3 weeks to arrive but at least it is ordered. It even has a weather cover so I can keep fairly comfortable in bad weather while driving. 

It comes with headlights, brake lights, signal lights..drink holder..lol. 

Goes 18km an hour. It is like a golf cart but narrower and more heavy duty. Very powerful so no problem getting from here to (the barn) there. 

  

I will be putting all sorts of reflective on my wind cover which will be fun. 
Lol..maybe my granddaughters can help make it a cool looking cover..lol


Enjoy the sun!!

Some Weeks..Ugh!!

I have been missing for awhile...I know!!!

Well it all started with our boarders Quarter Horse putting his leg through the steel gate. His back leg slipped on the ice while his leg was caught in the gate. I was by myself. He is not a calm horse so I was not a happy camper when I came upon this scene. I have a wooden cane..so I tapped his front leg..and keep saying his name..and he finally pulled it out before going to the ground. It was an effort to get him to his stall..he hobbled and limped the entire way. I knew he had damaged himself but how badly I was not sure. Called his owneer and started pain meds. In the morning he was a mess. More TLC and if you can believe it..he is ok after 3 weeks. Just bruising!!!! He is SO lucky. Big thing is..I am not so sure he learned anything from the experience..lol. Darn horse aged me!!

Then..her other horse must have been playing around with the other horses and fell and had a huge hematoma on her side and hip!!! Good grief..both of them in a week. Called the vet and had her checked out and she is fine!! Messy but fine. Most of the swelling is gone. This horse is such a sweet thing!! She has the biggest brownest eyes you can sink into just looking at her. Her biggest love is her young owner the daughter of our boarder. That horse adores this girl..it is something to see.



We have lovely new doors on the side of the barn and the big front door is new. I love them..just awesome. With age doors become an pain..lol. One handed opening is a dream. I love them..lol. If it is possible to love doores..lol
But!!!! During the building I never thought that "Fat Cat" our rescue from the Human Society would react the way she did..she hide..or left for awhile.Well Poor thing I called and called. Fatty does not like noise or other people at the barn other than me. She thinks of the barn as hers and mine and there is no need for anyone else to be around at all. The week I have been pretty sad because with all the calling no Fatty Cat!! I thought maybe the coyotes had gotten her or maybe her health had finally gotten to her. (If you saw her you would know something is wrong..she is oddly built..probably why someone dumped her years ago). Anyway last nite after all was finished with evening chores I went back to the barn..and quietly called her. The barn was very quiet with the horses eating being the only noise. I just called in a very quiet voice Fatty girl..come on baby girl..and I heard the little call back and a thump down from the hay in the mow upstairs. She looked down at me talking away. She would not come down the ladder no matter what I did so I went up slowly with food and water. Poor little girl was so hungry. I wish she could tell me what had happened and where she has been. What a relief. When I go up to do chores this morning I hope she is still there and will let me havea closer look at her to make sure she is ok. This is when you wish our pets could talk..I know she has a story. Her little life has had way to many sad stories, I am just glad she is safe in her barn again. BTW..she has been with us for over 5 years and has never left the barn other than to walk around the outside walls staying very close to the building. I can pet her but not catch her to pick her up..even after all these years.

So that has been the barn stories. Personally life still has its challenges but as long as my pets are ok..I am ok!!! Lets hope the drama is over for awhile at the barn.

Keep warm and safe everyone. Snow coming our way today. What an odd winter!!!

The Desk!

I DID IT..managed to load the picture..not sure why I had trouble before..but in edit.I managed to load the picture....love it!!

I have no idea what I have done..or if it is blogger but I can't post pictures. When I click on the picture icon it won't open up the folder with my pictures. Anyone have any idea what is wrong?

On Sunday I was wandering around Kiiji which is like Ebay and found an Oak Roll Top desk..OMG!! They are so expensive and I have wanted one for years. That kind of money needless to say I could always find a home for in other places. Horses..dog..cat..vet..redecorating..appliance..whatever. Well this price had me calling the people. Just like that I said I will buy it having not even seen it. Yesterday morning it arrived. The nice man said he would deliver it. It is in perfect shape..just what I have always wanted for height and over all size. I am one very happy girl. Being solid Oak it weighs a ton so it sure is not moving period..lol.

When the download feature finally works I will post a picture..grr!! How annoying when I have found such a great desk.

One of the horses hurt himself on a gate as I was bringing them in last nite so off to the barn to see just how sore the poor lad is this morning.

Enjoy the day!!!

Strange Winter

I guess there are times you have to be careful what you wish for..lol. Just after my last post we got a dandy snow storm. Did not hurt my feelings..lol. Then it all changed and now we are back into rain and ice. Some areas in Ontario have no snow. Today I heard we are supposed to have above normal temps from now on. That is ok..as long as I can walk and not slide all over..lol.

Hubby and I had some fun time at the barn on the weekend. The cats are totally craving attention. Nothing would do but to sit down and have some cuddle time. Tippy of course had to go on her wagon ride when I took hay out to the horses. That is her job..lol On the other hand her brother Dusty is not allowed on the wagon..lol

The horses had a wonderful time wandering and eating. It was a perfect day for them. They enjoyed every minute of finally being outside all day.

Needless to say the barn got to stay clean a lot longer also..lol.

Enjoy the day. I am off to do some purging of some sewing items I know I am not ever going to get at. May as well pass these things on to some people that will enjoy them.

Hard Work

I had to post this picture from a few years ago. THIS is winter..not what we have now. No sleigh rides this year so far. I know it can change very quickly..and hopefully we can get out and have some fun this year. This lovely team belong to our neighor..fantastic horses.

As I mentioned in my last post we don't have much snow but we do have lots of ice covering our pastures and the small paddocks. Poor horses are so frustrated with not getting out. So yesterday my wonderful friend that boards her horses with us came and we spread the good stuff ..lol..from there stalls on the ice. Shoot me..I was in bed by 6pm.last night .lol..lol..but we got it done. Boy was I sore and feeling my age!!! But seeing the horses out today made it al worth it. Sure enough today we were able to put the horses out in rotation in our small paddocs. We had some very happy horses.

So tonite we got them all in and bedded down to come home and see on my computer screen.....we are under a FREEZING RAIN WARNING...boohoo..again.Ugh!!!

So considering the forcast I thought for tomorrow I would do some baking for the freezer. This of course means getting down one of the old scales we have. Rod's Dad was a baker and so was Rod so we have recipies in large amounts lol..The reason for our collection of scales. It may end up with hubby doing the baking...I usually stick to the smaller recipies but we will see how brave I get. One of the best new toys we got is our Kitchen Aid..oh do we love that lovely red beauty sitting in its corner. It sure does a great job when we make our Christmas Cakes..Again this year we baked over 50lbs of cake!!!!Some years we have doubled that..ugh..big job..but good..lol

End of another day..Keep Well

This And That!

What an intersting few days. I looked out the window last week one day and could not see the planters on the front deck!!! White OUT!! Wow!!! Within 10 min. the sun was out...go figure. The horses are not having the best of winters with the ice in the fields..STILL.

Do you love old barns?? Well I do and I hate to see the ones that are falling down with no effort to keep them together. There is that point of no return..and it breaks my heart. Why let it get to that point?? What are people thinking. The new manufactured barns ;have no personality..are cold manufactured looking buildings that leave me empty. With the economy the way it is funding sure is not there. In fact the small farm is in danger never mind the old barns. We are lucky in our area we still have lots of old ones around but again land is being sold to investers and the homes rented out with the barns empty and falling apart in so many cases.

We do have an Amish community that have moved into some of the farms. It is nice to see when a crew arrives to work on fixing up a barn.

Our friend we get our hay from is always working away at doing barn repairs. Every visit for hay I just love looking at the old beams..the old hand made wooden ladders. When the barn is full it is an impressive sight. Not being one for heights..lol...I have never gone up top when it is full. lol. What a relief it is low right now for us to get our hay...lol. Did ya!! see how high that ladder goes..OMG!! In my younger years I helped put hay in and loved every minute of it. Time for the younger ones now to do that. We got our small load of hay and off home we went. Gotta love those visits!!

Well back to some sewing. Hey did you know that there are self threading needles for a sewing machine. My threader is off so I have had a terrible time threading my machine ... as in couldn't..lol. Found some Schmetz Self Threading needles at the CNIB online store. They work Great!!! Handy!!

Enjoy the day!!

Judi

Slipper Cold Day

What an unusual winter we are having. I just wish we could settle into winter or be done with it. Freezing rain again last nite. When I went out to start the pickup truck the doors were all frozen shut. No point in forcing them it will just damage the rubber. Good neighbors got me to the barn for chores and my brother is taking me up to the barn at lunch. Hopefully the sun this afternoon will get my doors working.



Dear old Gilly who will be 30 this year was happy to get outside yesterday for a short time. In her old age she has gotten fussy. Afternoons will be fine thank you...lol. She prefers most mornings to stay in her stall. Hey..thats fine with me. She is the last of the original line of Welsh ponies that have lived on this property for many years. Kinda sad really.

Well time to get some work done around here then head out and try that darn old truck again.

Keep warm..and watch your step!!!

Happy New Year 2012

So how was your Christmas/New Year celebration? We had a wonderful holiday. Rod came off the road with lots of time to get our last minute running around done. He loves to play cribbage so many games were played with howls of laughter coming from a table full of holiday treats to keep them going during some very loud games..lol. Now we are all on a huge cutback. It was great while it lasted..lol. Not being used to eating such rich food we are wandering around with a dazzed look on our faces!!

It is a New Year and I am back. We have had some difficult times since I last posted. Rod's shoulder is beyond repair so he is working with a physi to try and build up muscle around his tear. It is the best it gets. Now with working his other arm to compensate he is having issues with it. Not fun..but what can you do!!

Then the other health scare. Lumps in one lung. Many tests and trips to the Cancer Clinic and they are not malignant. Whew!!! His Dad died of lung cancer so it brought back a lot of memories. Now he has a CT Scan every 3 months and an interview for 3 years to make sure there are no changes.

I can honestly say THANK HEAVENS for our horses!!!! They keep us grounded. They need us and we need them. Having to go to the barn multiple times a day to feed and clean is our sanity. No matter what is happening you HAVE to get out and look after them. Just walking in the barn to the happy snickers/whinneys/foot stompin makes you smile no matter how your day is. That old saying about what a horse does for your soul is so true.

Our little mini Pepsi picked up a nasty virus a few weeks ago with a fever to go along with it. He is fine after some meds and a tonic to build him up again. He is our comedian so it is not good when he is down and out. Poor little fella was feeling pretty down.

Raz the new Oldenburg mare that our boarder got and her palimino do NOT get along. We have had some dandy issues there and Raz is in a paddock on her own. I think she is used to that and much prefers to be on her own. It is ure is better than the vet bill that our boarder could face if the 2 mares get together again. Under saddle they are fine..in a field forget it!!! Guess I did not mention the new mare before..now THAT is a story!! OMG..she is incredible. From Germany..with a story and a mystery that may stay that way. Next time!! Never a dull moment in a barn..lol.

My vision is getting worse. Distance is ok..so far. But to sew ect is so difficult. I may have to start selling off some of my sewing goodies and machines. CNIB is coming out to help with some of my daily issues. I love my new IPAD2. As much as I use my desktop I find the IPAD great when relaxing in my chair and wanting to read something on the net or listen to or watch something. Love audible books..they are great!! In my ever changing ways due to my eyes I have decided to start my veggie garden again. I was so busy with sewing ect I had given up the idea of starting it again after my knee surgery. It won't be as big but I think it will be fun to play around with a small one to start with. I used to do a lot fo freezing and bottling before my arthritis. Still won't be able to handle a lot but we will see what the spring brings this year. With these cold temps and talking gardening..oh well..lol

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to a Wonderful New Year!!

Enjoy the day. I hope to be back on a regular basis. Keep well.

No Holiday

I had planned on blogging regularly but life just seems to have gotten so complicated. Hopefully I can get back to some kind of routine soon.

At the very last minute we had to cancel our holiday. Hubby's torn Rotator Cuff..plus some other health issues with him just made it impossible to go anywhere at this time. I have no idea if I am spelling some of these medical conditions correctly but really...don't care. We are now waiting for Dr. appointments and will go on from that point. Don't you love the hurry up and wait!!! Ugh!!

In the past 2 weeks or so we have gotten one phone call after another of horrible car accidents involving friends families plus the death of another young friend. It all has been overwhelming to say the least.

When life starts to hit you like this you just have to take it one day at a time. There is always somone out there that is having a worse day..and we ALL need to think of that.

Isn't it incredible when you think about it ..at one point we knew 2 young people fighting for there lives in ICU in one week at the same major trauma hospital in Toronto. The poor families..oh my!! Both are going to live but have some very hard days ahead of them.

Funeral of Friday for our young friend. She leaves behind a loving family and a young girl without her Mom. I just hope they find out what took her life. I know not knowing must be so hard for the family. She was fine..then was in the hospital and lost her fight. A mystery to many Dr.s. How sad for them after such a hard battle by both the Dr.'s and there patient.

So now to pray that life will not bring such sad news again for awhile. Have a great day everyone and treasure them. I will be back when I can.

Perfect Weather

What perfect weather we have had yesterday and today. Bright sunny days in the mid 20's. Hubby did more work at the barn while I puttered around our yard at the house.



A few days ago I went to visit my friend Ann. Her home is on a river going out to one of the 2 lakes I live close to. The mirror image of the boats in the marine with the back drop of the trees..oh my!! She does her sewing and gets to look out over that scene every day. Isn't it something???!!!!!

The leaves are starting to change but we need a few more frosty nites to get some true color going. This is the weather I love to get in the car and tour around getting pictures of our wonderful countryside.

Enjoy the day...I know I am going to!!

Mariner's Compass

It is DONE..a work in progress for many years. The first slowdown was because of my knee replacement surgery. My knee got so sore I could not sew. When I look back on that period in my life now I can not get over pain being that bad. Imagine not being able to use the pedal of a sewing machine!!!. Thank heavens for the technology of medicine..lol. My new knee is pain free and worth every minute of the therapy that went along with the surgery.

So back to sewing and embroidery. I wanted to head back to class and finish the quilt but kept putting it off in favor of other projects. You know what it is like..always something else out there..lol to do!!!! In the midst of those few years I noticed my eyes getting worse and found from my Dr.'s it was only going to get worse. So I have been scrambling to get this quilt done and several others. This quilt I got to the sawtooth stage then had to give up. I knew that putting the boarders on and doing the last of this quilt was going to be to much for me. So I asked my wonderful teacher Kim Bolender if she would not only quilt it as she usually does for me but finish the last of my quilt top. She is one very busy lady but agreed to finish the top for me. After all these years.. it is done!!!! I still love the fabric and the pattern.





I have one more queen size quilt to get quilted. It is just blocks so nothing special. It can get quilted next. Now I am just going to play around with small projects. No more cross grain sewing for me..lol. I love the challenge of some difficult patterns but those days are over. My low vision has gotten worse so I will just do what I can really enjoy without frustration.


It rained buckets last nite..what a splish splash mess at the barn..yuck. We need the rain so I should not complain. The Lindsay Fair is on this weekend so I do feel sorry for all the organizers that have worked so hard. We have friends showing horses and I would love to go..not..lol.


Keep dry..and enjoy the day!!!!

The Fence

What a busy weekend we had!!! Hubby has wanted to replace fence boards at the barn for years. With him only home weekends we always have a list of things to be done that is longer than the weekend..lol. Finally a great weekend weather forcast sent us to the lumber yard for our repairs. This weekend we have only one section to do and we are done.


Our biggest challenge were ardox nails (not sure of spelling ..lol) If there was one of those nails there were 10 in each board..OMG!!! The new boards are up with screws..enough of the nails. Never again!!!! Our young friends that keep there horses at the barn were a wonderful help with taking boards down and removing nails. My dear husband has a torn rotator cuff so could only use one arm so it was a lot of work but it is done. (he is going for surgery as soon as we can get im in..that is aother story!!!)


The horses were priceless..they helped with each board. Doc the dark Quarter horse was in our way the entire time..lol. Murphy..well he came and went to check things out. Pepsi and Willy the mini's..OMG. Pepsi was into the bag of screws every time I put the bucket down..he wanted to sneak off with a bag so badly. I have to say they were a riot!!!

Old boards that had way past there time..gone!!! At one time many years ago it was a stallion pen so it had multiple boards that also had seen better days. If hubby was away and a repair had to be done I have to admit I did some pretty messy fixes to hold til they could be fixed properly..lol All gone..and repaired. In the spring we are going to have to replace some of the posts..so we can take some of the boards down (nice part of using screws) for that part and put them back..one step at a time. What a huge difference..now to stain the boards. Just hope the weather will hold so we can get that done before winter.






A huge thank you to all our help. Never could have done it without them and I am not talking about the horses..lol.

Several sewing things going on. My Mariner's Compass is back from being quilted so will get some pictures today. I am over the top excited to see it finished. My farm quilt is coming along nicely and another project for Christmas in 1/2 done. I have a new pair of glasses that are helping with my sewing so that is a huge bonus for me to be able to spend time in my little room.

Enjoy the day..it is going to rain here for the next few days. Can not complain..we are in need of rain in our area..many wells in trouble..not good this time of year.

Bye for now

Judi

Fall Finally

Can't say I have enjoyed the humid weather this past summer. This is great. Temps in the 20's is fine with me..lol. Hay and Straw being collected out of the fields...all the big bales. Everyone getting ready for winter. People tease me about my barn talk. I am one happy camper when the barn is full of hay and the back shed is full of shavings to keep the horses comfy for there winter days inside. One more load of shavings and I am ready.

On the weekend I headed over to Bobcaygeon to the Quilt Show. It is held in a pioneer village. The stories behind each building is worth the tour in itself. The show was just amazing. I did not take any pictures which is different for me. I think I was just so taken with all the incredible work I just did not slow down this year to do that.
One quilt really will not leave this little mind of mine. It was an antique quilt ..oh the hand stitching was so impressive. Tiny stitches back and forth across the entire quilt..row after row..1/4 apart in hand stitches ..OMG!!! The colors were so similar to what we see now..it took me a few minutes to understand just how old the quilt was. What I loved hearing was it is on a bed..not stuck in a closet all packed away. Sometimes it is stories like that that make the entire show memorable.

This week has not started off that great. Heading to a specialist tomorrow for a root canal. Ugh!! I am so not a fan of the dentist..lol. Not many people are..but I have "history" so I am not a good patient. Oh well has to be done.

Time to head out and get some more pictures once this is over. Have a great day!!!

Posting Troubles..AGAIN

I can not get into my Yahoo account to pick up my mail. I can post ..I think!! What is whith this Gmail thing as well. I don't want a Gmail account it keeps messing with my yahoo account. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know as a comment. Somehow even google is messed up with it all. I can not read the securtiy code they want me to use..and when I use the audio it does not work to the point it will not take even my email address to let me get to a sign in page now. Oh man!!!!
Hope all is well with everyone out there.

I Went Visiting

Yesterday it RAINED..OH my did it RAIN!!! Not going to complain other than I looked like someone had pitched me into the lake by the time the horses were fed....lol. I have a friend that boards dogs and had called me to say they had 2 Great Pyreneese staying with them and would I like to come for a visit. Well I could not get out of the house fast enough ( in dry clothes..lol) We owned a Great Pyr at few years ago and Sam was without a doubt the best dog ever. It broke our hearts when at only 7 we had to say goodbye. He had cancer and also his hips were in bad shape. One of the downfalls with a large dog. These lovely boys are father and son. What a lovely pair. I used my phone for pictures so they are not the best. These dogs you see guarding sheep most of the time and only make a good house dog if you are ready for the demands of a dog THAT big around your home. It never bothered me but to some it would be way to much..lol.

Today we are back to sunshine again and warm weather. Spent the day sewing and a few chores in town and the day is almost over. Time to head to the barn for evening chores. I hope everyone is keeping cool. Seems this warm weather is hitting a lot of areas pretty hard.