Making Up for lost Blogging Time!

It's kind of interesting to watch this fellow grow his antlers. A few weeks ago he just had little bumps.

 It looks like he has not done growing yet. So far it looks like a 3X3, but will likely be bigger. How much bigger? Stay tuned for future episodes.

 The white lilacs are blooming and my friends the hummingbird moths are back. For more info see Link .

 There were actually four of these today, and as they are only 3/4 of an inch long, very hard to track and keep in focus.

They have a very long tongue for getting into where the nectar is.

We must have at least 50  Tiger swallowtails around the lilacs.

My friend the hunting spider is back, and was enjoying a meal in the sun.

And of course, the horses  ( and dog} are still hanging about.

Other than that, all is quiet on the acreage.
Happy summer everybody. Tomorrow will be one second shorter!

It's Been a While

I know I haven't blogged for quite some time. The reasons are several

1. It's not fun taking pictures in the rain

2. Most of the critters are hunkered down trying to stay dry.

3. I had a BIG project develop. ( details later, once it is near finishing)

It hasn't been that long that it's now fall. The tent caterpillars have been defoliating every thing in sight. It's been an effort to keep them off the fruit trees. The whole county is being over run with the little bug (ers).

Fortunately they do not seem to like lilac bushes (yet). we are getting lots of blooms. So far there haven't been any humming bird moths about, but I would expect to see them in another week.

There are lots of Tiger swallowtails sipping nectar. Now these are an alright bug!

Is it a moose? Nope, just Alpine trying out some forest vegetation. Once the horses start doing this, it's time to switch them to another field.

Alpine is getting close to looking like a round bale with ears!

A strategically placed tree covers the fat rolls.

If you look closely, you can see that Boots has been a bad dog! Yes that is a dreaded bark collar on him. It cured him in two barks. I have decided to leave it on a couple of more days just to be sure. I may put a plain collar on him, just to trick him into thinking it's the high charged version.

Back to the project on Wednesday. Stay tune for pictures.

Wordless Wednesday

Between Rain Storms

Boots and Friends

Sometimes I can be a little shy, particularly when that guy with the camera is watching!

Then again, it's not hard to tell who is the fairest flower in the patch! No, not that tall grass eater!

 Too many pictures. I am bored.

 Too hot also. It should never get above 20C (68F)

 On a day like this it's OK to lurk in the horse candy.

 I can even lurk in the bushes. 

Darn, I am missing a horse! Maybe I should try what they're eating.

Hey, camera guy, can you put these critters back in their field so I can get a power nap?

Caught Napping

Sunday was a do nothing day after church. I debated on having a nap, or introducing the horses to fresh grass and horse candy. The latter won out.

I grabbed a lawn chair and vegetated for an hour and a half.

 I am still in the go-slow mode on how much fresh grass the pigs horses get at any one time. It was sunny after 3 days of rain and the grass was growing well. It was also peaceful except for the sounds of heavy munching!

 I chose not to rope off the drive way, but rather go with  the halter and untied lead rope. The horse know to move slow and keep off the rope, or suffer an instant correction.

 Munch, munch, munch!

 Boots took it easy also and kept a good eye on the herd.

 A very good eye!

 A couple of cow birds came in to browse around the horse's feet.

 Boots is not a bird dog, but definitely had an interest in the cow birds.

 Munch, munch, munch!

All in all, a very relaxing afternoon!

A Busy Wednesday

I went over to the youngest son's place early this morning to get the youngest grand son off to school. This was followed by coffee time with the boys and gals at A&W. 

After that, it was home to do some horse refreshing. Alpine did not want to be caught, but I kept after her until she quit. To make a point, I lunged her for about 20 minutes then proceeded to groom her well. The majority of the winter coat is gone and she is now shiny and looking like a horse. I put the saddle on her and spent about 15 minutes in the corral. She was very well behaved so we proceeded out onto the roadway.Other than not wanting to leave her herd, she was good. Up and down the road for half an hour was enough for the day. She got a 45 minute treat of being alone in the paddock with fresh grass. Can that gal nibble!

After the play time I went and loaded 26 wheelbarrows of pre- compost from the horse wintering area. Man, that was a time I could have used a tractor! There is still a little bit to do, but tomorrow is another day. I will save you from the view of the pile. It ain't pretty!

After that, it was off to the raspberry bushes to get rid of all of last year's dead canes. I got 50% done before my back said "Enough"!  By the way, I am still waiting for a call from a Neurologist. If the pattern matches, I still have 5 months to go.

On the positive side, riding did not affect my back at all. I wish I could say that about shoveling and pruning canes. Maybe there is a lesson here. Ride more, work less?

I suspect that I will repeat the scenario tomorrow, but with Biz as the unwilling victim.

In the meantime, the bees are busy in the honey berry bushes. 

Wordless Wednesday..Hot!

Oh, Yes!

The temperatures have gone from 0C (32F) to 27C (80F) in just 2 days! A little heat and the horses and Boots are content to hang out around the water cooler. The horses are going through 1 1/2 tanks of water every 2 days. All are still suffering with winter coats, although it is shedding off fast.

 Brooklyn is just starting the shed, and a good roll takes care of some of the itch. She can be found hanging out in the shade.

 Or going for a walk with me. I checked some of the fence line today and found some damage done by the moose this winter. So far it's been mostly popped staples.

 I don't know what this weed is, but it came up and flowered in 2 days.

 The trio definitely want out of the sacrifice area and into the lower field. The grass is still too short and the field is too wet. Note the ribs on Tucker! That is a vast improvement over the winter, but I am afraid it will be her last summer. Old age, 27, is tough to handle on a horse.

 Some of the smaller twigs are flowering out already.

I had to go and buy some more hay yesterday. I didn't have enough to last. 30 bales later and a very sore back, I got it put away in the garage until things dry up and I can get it to the shelter without leaving big ruts. Murphy says that your quad is going to break down just when you need it most! I lost 2 forward gears and reverse. Did you know that Murphy was actually an optimist?

Tomorrow, I will try to get it into shelter and see what is wrong.

Keep smiling though, things could get worse. I smiled, and sure enough, they did. :-{

Lest I Forget!

Ha! The last of the snow! By Saturday, it will be gone. 

 There is a little left beyond the fence line, but it doesn't count as that's not our property! Splitting hairs maybe, but I'm allowed.

 The horses are really enjoying the +16C temperatures! They are so relaxed I have to check for a pulse now and again.  You may notice a few piles of leaves over the next while. I am planning to follow the dry line and do a little bit per day. There is only an acre to rake. Not bad!

This little fellow was a birthday present. He'll be hanging around most of the summer.

It's Still a'comin

I haven't been posting for the last few days for several reasons. 1. I got hit with the Man Flu. 2.It's been miserable outside, with temps going down to -8C and highs of +2C. However, there are some improvements outside. A couple of really good days into the double digits, removed a lot of snow!

The paddock is getting close to being usable. 

The lower pasture is getting clear.

 The horses although being confined at the moment are reaching over and nibbling at a little bit of green along the fence line. Their motto appears to be "If it looks like it might be greenish, eat it!"

 The garden and orchard, on the other hand, likely will be a while longer before it clears up.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, the temps go back up to double digits, and hopefully, the snow will be totally gone by the weekend. It will still be 6 weeks before anything can be planted ( if we are lucky).

We here in Alberta have to consider ourselves lucky in that the big dump (15 cm) of snow that hit parts of eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan, missed us!