Camping at Blue Mound State Park with a guest appearance from "Little Mexico."

Last weekend was my last camp outing for the year.

....and I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad.

Now don't get me wrong.....I still love camping.  I anticipate many more enjoyable trips in my future-- both at my favorite places as well as new ones....and certainly more that involve horses!

...but I'm still glad that it's over for the year. I'm ready for fall weather and I'm ready to settle down for the colder months and enjoy some bonding time with my animals.

I don't want to sound like a whiner, but  the truth of the matter is that camping this summer has been rough, lackluster, and without much enjoyment.

Except for my first outing with the horses at Wildcat SP with Vickie, all of my trips have included rain, extreme humidity, and hot weather. While I DO expect some of that over the course of a camping season, I don't expect to deal with it every day for every trip. In short--this summer has sucked for camping.

I know that come April of 2017, I will once again be raring to get the tent out and get next season started, so there's that.

....and I'm cool with that.

For now, I'll blog a little about this last trip.

For the reasons I mentioned above, I almost didn't go.

At a week away,  the weather looked absolutely perfect. The prediction had been for partly sunny skies, 70 's temps during the day and high 50 ' s at night. Ideal camp weather in my mind.

Once midweek rolled in, the predictions changed to 40% chance of storms Friday evening into Saturday. Ok--not great, but that still left decent temps and a 60% chance that things would remain dry. I could live with that. I felt I was certainly due a nice weekend for camping.

....then just 2 days away, the rain chance was up to 80% with rain & storms likely overnight and through most of the day Saturday.

Shit.

For us, this was to be a simple weekend outing for 2 nights. We would check in on Friday and leave on Sunday.  With short, weekend trips, that really only leaves Saturday to relax and enjoy the day.

...and they were predicting rain all day on Saturday.

We had made reservations at Blue Mound State Park (Non-electric site #44) for this outing. It's not one of my more common picks, but it's still a very nice park that remains on my short list of enjoyable camping destinations.

My co-worker/friend, Wendy was also camping in the site across from us. We had planned to do this earlier in the summer and Wendy has been collecting camping items all summer long in preparation for this weekend. It would be her first camping experience with her family.

.....and yet, I still wanted to bail.

I just wasn't in the mood for another wet, steamy outing (...and I didn't mention it, but they were also now predicting high humidity with slowly climbing temps as well).

I was on the phone to my mom the moment I saw the weather forecast go down the tubes. I told her my enthusiasm for camping had reached an all time low and at that point, I just wanted to spend the weekend at home with my animals.

I thought my mom would be disappointed if I didn't want to go, but she wasn't.  She understood. She said she was fine with staying home and she was fine with going.

I talked to Wendy the next day and she, too, said it was okay with her if I decided not to go. As for her family, they were still going. It was their first trip and they were determined not to let a bit of rain (or a torrential,  downpour with a side of thunder and lightening) spoil their fun.

I wanted to ask her if she could put that enthusiasm into a drink and share some of that with me.....

So, for the next day and a half -- I struggled with the decision on whether or not I really wanted to go. I told myself that I have never backed out of a camp trip before. Just like Wendy, I had always been determined to make the best of it.

....but one more in  the humidity and rain and heat...

Ugh.

I tried driving through nearby Devil's Lake SP, thinking that seeing the other campers and smelling the familiar campfire smells would get me revved up to go.

Nope.

My brain was screaming that it had had enough.

...So bringing us to the night before,  I was still feeling pretty bad about wanting to pull out. I had taken 2 days off to ease the planning and help me further enjoy the trip. I knew I needed to make those days count and not waste them. I also felt like my mom still wanted to go and most of all, I didn't want to ditch Wendy and her family who had agreed to camp next to us.

Finally, on Friday morning, I phoned my mom and told her I was still fighting with my desire to go.

So my mom says "Let's just go."

So I said "Ok." .....at this point I had over thought everything and my mind was numb.

I even agreed to leaving my car behind and just piling me and all my crap into the truck with my mom and Jerseydog (which is something I normally don't do. I like having my car). Sadly, I was already 100% tuned out at that point.

What ensued made for a rather interesting camping trip....

As is customarily the case with both my mother and I, we pulled into the campground far later than we had hoped.

My mom was a bit intimidated by the narrow roads in this campground as they make maneuvering a trailer into place a little more challenging.  We had to turn around and come at our campsite from the opposite direction we drove in so my mom didn't have to back a corkscrew pattern to get set up.

Did I say how much I am enjoying the fact that I went back to tent camping?  No?
....just thought I'd mention that again...

Once we were facing the correct direction, backing in was a snap. I don't think my mom realizes how good she has mastered backing her trailer.  I've seen a few dudes she could put to shame! (...and when I finally get that horse trailer and must tow again --she's hired!!  *Big Grin*)

Rain had been threatening throughout our setup and we got a few sprinkles, but nothing significant.  It was also comfortably cool outside. I happily told myself that if it stayed this way, I could live with it and be content.

Wendy and her family had set up their camp long before us.

I enjoyed looking over at their big tent across the road from our site.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. My mom and I enjoyed some pizza flavored brats on the portable grill (because we hadn't bought firewood yet) and turned in for an early bedtime since we were both tired.

Considering the weather predictions, I slept reasonably well. While I enjoy rip roaring Thunderstorms  in the safety of my apartment,  I don't enjoy them in a tent. As luck would have it, however, it didn't storm. It rained. Hard.

....but no storms.

There is ONE positive thing that I have come away from this camping season with and that is just how much I love my tent. My tent has done fabulously through all the rainy weather this year keeping both myself and my canine tent mate dry as a bone.

Jersey will hang out in my mom's camper when she has to (for a variety of reasons), but she has made it very clear that she prefers being in the tent with me. She likes being MY camp & hike dog. ♡♡♡♡

My tent has been a great investment and I have been very happy with it as this is my 3rd season since re-homing my old camper.

Getting back on track,  Saturday turned out to be a fair day. Everything was very wet, but everyone managed to stay dry and the ongoing rain was very minimal. 

Wendy got her first initiation as a camper when the resident raccoons broke into her coolers overnight and helped themselves to her yummy vittles.

In classic,  Wendy, style -- she was good natured and laughed about it and resigned herself and the family to a trip to the store for more food.

My mom and I made our own trip to the store on Saturday (the nearest Wal-Mart about 22 minutes away). The sneaky raccoons had snatched the bag of Jersey's food off of our picnic table while we were busy setting up. I'd like to say we should know better,  but these were brave little stinkers! 

I also needed to buy underwear.

Yup. Forgot them. Therein lies the consequences of a numb brain burned out by  previous, bad weather.

...and because my mother loves to shop, I had to convince her that we really do have a Wal-Mart in our home town (Ok, not really, but getting my shopaholic, mother out of a store after we have the essentials isn't always easy).

Upon returning to our campsite, we discovered.....

...that we'd acquired neighbors. 

This was just a casual,  faraway snapshot I took that doesn't really tell the whole story.

For the next evening, the site next to us was home to (at least) a dozen, Hispanic campers from the neighboring state.

Their picnic table had so much food and drinks on it, I don't think it was possible to find the table.

Their site also sported a full - size grille, a screen tent, and 2 small to medium sized tents (how they had room to move around,  I don't know).

We weren't spying on them. It was hard not to notice.

They also treated us?

No. Wait.

Subjected us...

to their selections of music favorites.

My mom noted that some of the songs were American but were being sung in Spanish. The only tune I recognized was "Unchained Melody," from the movie GHOST. That song was the only one they played in  English (I guess they couldn't find the Spanish version).

 

During this time Jersey and I took a few invigorating hikes around the campground. Unfortunately,  I assumed the trails would be too wet.

By Saturday night, I was ready to rip my hair out. No peaceful forest noises for me (...and just for the record, I am not bigoted -- I would have been EQUALLY annoyed had they been English songs. They were quite loud).

Camping etiquette usually dictates that music should not be heard beyond your own campsite.

*sigh*

My mother was a much better sport than I, dubbing our neighbors "Little Mexico," and amusing herself  with texting funny, Mexican word jokes back and forth with my sister.

 

In between texts,  she made us a yummy hamburger dinner on the campfire.

....At least it didn't rain all day as predicted. 

After dinner, Wendy's family joined us for S'mores around the campfire. I mentioned to Wendy that with the state of our neighbor's picnic table that she should, at least, have a raccoon free night. They'd all be wearing sombreros on their little masked heads by morning!

I also experimented with adding Starburst candy to marshmallows for roasting. I'd found the idea online and it was quite yummy.

As dusk turned to dark, mom and I decided to try to distract ourselves from the noise next door by playing several hands of UNO.

My mom seriously kicked my butt.

Grrrrrr.

Thankfully, our neighbors respected quiet time and we were able to have a lovely night for sleeping. 

On Sunday, Wendy and her family headed out to The Good Neighbor Festival in Middleton. They had their site reserved for one more night, so didn't need to pack up.

My mom and I relaxed around a yummy sausage and egg breakfast in the morning and gradually broke camp in increments. It was humid (surprised?) and neither of us was in a huge hurry.

Unbeknownst to me, my mom snapped this lovely photo of me carting stuff out of my tent like a busy little ant with a piece of bread.

I will need to monitor her and her camera in the future *winks*.

All in all, it wasn't as bad of a weekend as I thought it was going to be.

On the bright side, I think Wendy is hooked. She's already trying to plan "one more," yet for this season.

Here's a shot of Wendy and hubby, Walter at their site (#43).

As for me, I'm hoping I fanned that fire just a little bit and I'll see Wendy's family on some future campouts.

....but not until next year as I am done for the season!

Hot, humid days....and a bit of a scare!

Tex and I had a ride today that was mostly walking and lasted all of about 30 minutes, give or take. I think if he'd had his way, he wouldn't have left his place in front of that fan. The look on his face is saying "Do we have to?" (...just a short one, my man)

I gave Griffin the option of coming with me into the barn for a groom and possibly a light bath, but he wasn't interested when I went out with his halter and called for him. He wasn't overly sweaty and seemed content to eat in the sun with his buddy, Mort(*gasp* he DOES have access to shade). He knows on hot days, he only gets groomed (or a bath) so if he didn't want to come with me, I wasn't going to make him.

The temperature outside today was about 88 degrees with the heat index in the mid to upper 90's. I don't recall the exact percentage of humidity, but it was high enough to make me constantly feel like I'd just stepped out of the shower (while completely lacking the refreshing feel of a shower).

....and today was the coolest of the last 3 days.

Ugh...

Dangerous heat warnings kept me from doing much these last few days which is probably just as well since my Dad gave everyone a good scare on Friday.

Without getting into too much personal detail, my father has been struggling with some electrolyte/dietary/mineral imbalances for quite some time.

Last November he had a seizure that put him in the hospital for over a week. It took that long to get things regulated again.

Since then, he has been eating better AND doing better....but obviously it wasn't good enough, because on Friday he had another seizure that caused a pretty serious fall and knocked him unconscious. 

Thankfully (and somewhat surprisingly), the end result of that fall was only a significant goose egg to the back of his head. We've all been joking that we need to check the floor for cracks!

This seizure resulted in another 3-day stay at the hospital including bloodwork, a cat scan, and an MRI. All were normal except for the dietary deficiencies I noted above.

As I write this, he is back home,  and with some additional dietary changes and mineral supplements (and a few other changes that are too private to mention)we are hoping not to see another seizure.

Both my mom and I are skeptical that the real root of the problem has yet to rear it's ugly head. We are "trying" to trust in his doctors..

....and to complicate matters, my dad -- shall we say -- isn't always the best patient when it comes to listening to his doctors. In his working life, he'd always been a manager-- the one in charge. Listening to others does not come easy to him and he has a stubborn streak a mile wide (of which he  has dutifully passed to his oldest daughter--me. *Grins sheepishly*).

Still, with all that said-- we all love him dearly, even when he thinks we aren't taking his side (as if there are sides to be taken when it comes to the health and well being of a loved one). ♡♡

We are all praying that the recommended changes will prevent any (near)future hospital stays and that we can help dad stick to the necessary changes that need to be made.

******

On a lighter note, I did get myself out for a hike earlier in the week. 

Last Wednesday brought warm temperatures and humidity, but not quite severe enough to be dangerous (OR to discourage me from getting outside for some after work enjoyment).

So after my house chores were done, I stuffed myself into my coolest tank and capris and headed over to Devil's Lake for a hike.

There was a very mild threat of rain, so I chose an easy hike I have done many times before. I plodded along the Tumbled Rocks trail over to the south shore beach and back again (because plodding is all I do when it's sticky humid outside). 

The photos below are from my hike...

This is the North Shore beach. It's the more popular of the 2 beaches and is one of 2 ways one can take to the start of the Tumbled Rocks Trail.

This is the start of the trail. It is 2 miles from here to the South Shore beach. Going out and back, I did an uncomplicated,  4 mile hike.

While parts of the trail are sunny, there are some nice, shady sections as well. This was a wonderful reprieve in the humidity.

The Tumbled Rocks trail runs alongside the lake, so the views are pretty and listening to the waters lap the rocks is soothing to the ears.

Recent storm damage (we've had a lot of storms lately) created an unexpected obstacle. It's a good thing no one was sitting on that bench at the wrong time!

A view of the downed tree from the other side.

I snapped a photo of a person using a paddleboard out on the lake. This is on my "bucket list" to try one day!

Despite the slimy temperatures, there was actually quite a few folks out hiking.  I passed a few couples simply enjoying a hike as I was. 

In addition, another 3-4 folks passed me doing some trail running.

One gentleman was watching wildlife at one of the benches with his binoculars. 

Another gentleman approached me from behind on the trail and inquired if I lived here and if I had ever swam in the lake.

..."Yes and yes, I have..."

He then wanted to know if it was clear water and therefore suitable for scuba diving. 

I told him I have never Scuba dived, but I thought the lake fairly clear and it might be worth a try if he had the equipment and expertise to do so.....

On the South side of the lake I talked to a few other people who were fishing, but unfortunately-- the fish were not too interested in biting...

Sometimes on these more commonly used trails, it's nice to chat with people and see how they are enjoying their day.

As for now-- I am silently praying to Mother Nature to give us a break from the heat and humidity so I can try to have an enjoyable week this week. 

We shall see.....  

Vacation. Birthday. Camping. (in no particular order)..

My annual birthday, camp outing couldn't have come at a better time this year.  I was feeling quite a bit burned out from work and,  in a sense,  wanted a little break from the horse life.

I am the only horse lover in my family (sadly enough).

....so when we want to spend time together, we camp (the non - horse kind).

My mom and I camp together quite often. As far as camping companions go-- I think we make a great team in that we share a site and work together to have a great time. I am hoping that one day,  we will be able to take some seriously long road trips in each other's company. 

...Unfortunately, in life, there are always obstacles.

I have my animals to care for (I don't trust most boarding establishments and have yet to find a great pet sitter).

...and my mom has my dad.

He loathes camping in the same way that Superman hates kryptonite. In addition to that, he is disabled and has difficulty staying alone over long periods of time.

Thankfully,  we have 3 beautiful state parks within a half hour driving distance of our homes.

We are lucky.

We can camp AND take care of our respective responsibilities.

....but maybe one day circumstances will change and we can have that far away adventure.

Our stay last week was at the very popular,  Devil's Lake State Park. Our site this year was 065 in the Quartzite campground.

As is generally the case, my mom choose the site based on her ability to back her small ( but not tiny) camper into position. My mother, who is a self proclaimed "Glamper." wants just about every amenity she can have (short of air conditioning and the kitchen sink).

I, on the other hand, enjoy a few amenities (i.e A decent airbed and the convenience of electricity when available), but I'm happiest cooking on campfires and sleeping in a tent.

I downgraded from my old Pop Up camper 3 years ago to a high quality, canvas tent. While I would be lying if I said I never miss the camper, I can also say that it's not enough to have the desire to go back. The tent offers me 100X's the flexibility of the camper and is the most doable option for horse camping should I ever get that horse trailer I've been dreaming of having for years (the money gods are taking their own,  sweet time shining that light in my direction).

Our campsite was nice, but less wooded than I would have liked.

The first night of our stay was fairly windy, but nice enough for a fire and a bit of hanging out.

My sister and her husband and my niece, Fiona, also joined us, but they shared site 046 with friends.

I had plans to hike my favorite trails during the day, but since the weather forecast threatened the chance of storms all weekend, I pretty much just used the time to relax. I did a short stroll around the campground here and there, but nothing of any distance (or sadly.....with any sort of pretty view). I mostly busied myself with my nose in a book or working on some crossword puzzles I had brought along.

I think the highlight of my weekend was watching Fiona delight at seeing the live frogs, turtles, and snakes at the nature center. She couldn't get enough of watching them.

....and she can't get enough of camping.

Fiona is not yet 3yrs old and she loves the outdoors with the same level of enthusiasm that my dad has in his hatred of camping.

On the second night, we had a good storm for a few hours.

....as in several INCHES of rain.

My mom and I watched a movie (which we would do the 3rd night as well due to MORE rain).

My sister and her friends hung out in their rather large tent and made silly, Snapchat videos. Little Fiona thought the rain was about as much fun as bouncing on the air mattress in the tent. Thunder & Lightening? No problem....This little girl could care less.

Due to the impending rain (and a few mild leaks), Gayle & company choose to head home a day early. I didn't blame them as I also went home for the 3rd night due to the high incidence of heavy rain, lightning, thunder, and flooding. I needed to go home in the morning anyway to care for my cats-- so it worked out ok.

My mom felt safe in her trailer, so I left at 11 pm (quiet time). We watched an old Lucille Ball movie and ate Nachos up to that point. It goes without saying, that I would have rather enjoyed a campfire on a balmy evening....

.....but only Mother Nature can pick the weather.

In the morning, I was rather thrilled that my tent had undergone a second night of heavy rains and not a drop was to be found inside. I can't say enough for Kodiak Canvas Tents. I. Love. My. Tent.

It wasn't until the following day that I learned that Fiona threw a bit of a tantrum when her mom started taking their tent down. She wasn't ready to go home!!

....even if the big, bad storm wanted to huff and puff and blow their whole campsite down!!

Fiona had already made herself a "professional" camper. On our first day there, she made the observation that my mom's camper has wheels. In talking with her, I then proceeded to show her how the camper must hook up to the truck so it can be pulled to the campsite. I showed her the truck hitch and the coupler on the camper.

After this little show and tell,  Fiona took it upon herself to make sure all friends & family in attendance knew how these things worked.

She's not even 3 years old.

Bright. Little. Girl!!

As luck would have it, our last night gave us perfect weather. My mom and I enjoyed a lovely campfire, super yummy ribs, and banana split marshmallows for dessert.

My only regrets were that the stupid weather chased me home for a night (and that I let it....) and I didn't even get in a single hike on a favorite trail.

.....at least Devil's Lake is super close to my home and there are plenty of day trips to be had yet this summer!

Next month we are all at Mirror Lake SP for 3 nights. I am hoping the weather will be better as I am overdue for that pretty hike!!

Paint Nite

I've been very behind on my blogging lately...

It didn't really help that my week last week was so busy, I felt like I needed to add time to breathe into my schedule.

I did do one fun thing, however....

Paint Nite.

Paint Nite is a series of random, get togethers at various businesses (usually places that involve eating, alcohol,  entertainment,  or a combination of all three). It's a sort of crash course in creating a nice, canvas painting in a group setting.

An interested person buys tickets ahead of time to attend and participate. They are provided with all the materials (i.e brushes, paints, a paint smock, and canvas) to create a painting.  Each paint nite has a selected painting and an artist who is present to provide instruction for each person to create "their own version" of that painting.

Of course,  if the individual wishes to create a different painting or variation of the provided example, they are free to do that as well.

More information on Paint Nite can be found HERE.

As it turns out, my sister, Gayle, had coupons for any Paint Nites in the month of October. She had already done one earlier in the month and enjoyed it.

After talking about it with my mom, they decided doing one with the 3 of us together might be fun. With me being a poor horse owner and my sister a poor parent, my mom offered to buy the tickets for all of us....

At first, I wasn't completely sure I wanted to go with how crazy my daily schedule has been lately..

But...

....then I looked at the painting we would be creating and fell in love with it. Bonus points were added because it had a dog in it...(although, of course, I would have loved a cat or horse themed painting even more :-D ).

I agreed to go, thinking my apartment could definitely use a little more wall decor...

Unfortunately, when that evening finally rolled around (last Wednesday), I found myself feeling quite run down physically and under the weather. A sore throat was plaguing me and threatening to turn into a full blown, cold.

How nice (insert sarcasm).

In spite of my physical self not wanting to cooperate, I still wanted to go. I dredged my way through work,  and somehow managed to find the extra umph to get myself there (thankfully, the hosting business was close by).

Our artist's name was Laura Clark and she did a fabulous job giving us encouragement and instruction. I wish I had gotten a photo of her with the original painting.

With a few cans of Dr. Pepper (I rarely drink), and a bit of concentration, I have to say I enjoyed the evening and came away with a painting I liked.

Oh....and I almost forgot. The dog in my painting has a cat friend! :-)

...and perhaps the best part? I never got a full-blown cold, just a few little aches and pains and  that pesky sore throat.

As always -- photos are below.

A positive end to the week

Over the past few days, I hit a bit of a wall emotionally.

It was enough to throw me into a moderate, depressive state and sap both the motivation and desire to blog anything new.

....and then if you add to that, A few mildly annoying occurances I had:
*A beyond crummy workday.
*Getting a glass chip in my car windshield afer replacing the whole thing, due to a large crack, about a year ago. Both instances were courtesy of a wayward rock sprung up from the road.
*Getting pulled over on my way to work because I hadn't yet had time to replace a burned out headlamp (which, in turn,  made me nice and LATE for work...).

Not to mention my horse time was pretty non existant....

BUT

I dug my heels in on Friday. 

I got set up with my insurance to have the glass chip fixed. I bought a bulb from Farm and Fleet and fixed my headlight (with the help of a You Tube video and an extra hand from my mom).

The only thing left to remedy was to get some horse time in....

...and as luck would have it, today was Saturday (NO work).

I spent a VERY nice (albeit a bit COLD) day with my sweet, old man, Griffin.

We had a long brush session complete with a few Raspberry/Alfalfa,  Senior Horse cookies (they are so aromatic, people can smell them a few feet away in the barn aisle). Fussy boy, connoisseur, Griffin LOVES them!

We did a hand walk out to the road, and down it a bit (grazing photos along the way below), and had ourselves a much enthusiastic, walking ride in the outdoor arena.

As usual, Griffin asked to leave the arena, but was pretty well behaved when I suggested we do some bends and gentle yields first.

The wind was whipping around like crazy, and was loud to boot....but my old man payed attention like a champ and we both gave the Tazmanian, crazy wind a proverbial middle finger.  *Big Grin*

I found myself reminiscent of where we were at this time last year. Griffin was layed up with a NASTY, stifle injury and I was resigned to cold hosing, medicating and hand walks for the next 6 months or so....

....and then to add insult to injury, he was diagnosed with Cushings Disease a few months later..

Today, I felt like I had my horse back in a matter of speaking.

I feel Thankful that all of the tears, emotional struggle, and effort (and $$$) have payed off to bring back Griffin's happiness and enthusiasm for the time we spend together.

I feel thankful to have such great barn owners in Tammy and Randy and all they have done to lend help and support at times when they were most needed.  My anxious self couldn't have held it together without them!!

Each day I have with Griffin is a gift....and while I have no expectations for what the future will bring,  I find myself hoping that Griffin has several, enjoyable, happy retirement years yet to come! ♡♡

Fiona 's FIRST horseback ride!

Yesterday marked one of those rare, weekend days Gayle was off from work. She works in the tourism industry,  so weekends are generally required.

We had talked earlier in the week and decided to take Fiona for a visit to the barn for a second time. She was pretty little the first time she saw the horses, and although she was curious about them, they scared her.

I wasn't sure what to expect yesterday since she is still just 2 years old and I knew the large horses could still seem intimidating.  I actually found myself wishing I had a pony or miniature instead of 2 15+ hand horses.

.....but Fiona is also an incredibly smart little girl. Almost everyone who meets her comments on it (..and, No, I'm not biased--perfect strangers have said this).

I had just gotten Tex saddled for a ride when my sister arrived at the barn.  We drove in seperate vehicles, so Gayle could bring her after her afternoon nap.

Fiona wasn't even out of the car yet before she was excitedly calling  out "Chickens, Chickens!!"

Tammy has a little Chicken coop by her house and the birds were making their usual verbal, ruckus.

I rode Tex over by the car. Fiona looked at me a bit strangely  ("why are you on top of the horse?"), but seemed very happy to see me and be at the farm.

Once out of the car, Fee made a beeline for the Chicken coop. She watched the Chickens for a short time, enjoying their erratic Chicken hops and squawks.

Afterwards,  we wandered around outside some of the nearby pastures, so she could see the other horses. She met Chance, Tucker, Minnow, Taco, and of course, my old man,  Griffin. She now knows who Griffin is (by name) and that he is "brown."

As we made our way back to the outdoor arena. I asked Gayle if she wanted to hop on Tex and have Fiona watch HER ride. I thought this might spark Fee's interest in trying it for herself.

Gayle rode and showed horses herself in 4-H when she was a teen, so I had no worries about her on Tex (Her 4-H mount had been a playful bucker, so Gayle is no stranger to silly, equine antics).

After Gayle climbed aboard and I adjusted her stirrups, she and Tex set off around the arena. Fiona and I sat in the porch swing by the edge and watched.

Unfortunately,  Gayle only made a single lap around before Fiona became restless and wanted to go by her mom. I asked Fee if she wanted to ride and she was already pulling my hand towards her mom and Tex.

We went back over to the mounting stairs while Gayle sidled Tex up alongside.  I once again asked Fiona if she wanted to ride and she had already climbed the first step of the mounting stairs. "up, UP!" she said holding her arms up to be lifted.

I helped her climb up to sit in front of her mom, then took Tex's reins to lead them both around.  Gayle kept her focus on holding Fiona in front of her and I on walking Tex.

This whole idea worked perfectly as Fiona grinned from ear - to - ear while being aboard her VERY FIRST horseback ride! A few times she pointed to the other horses out in the pasture and hollered "Tex!, Tex....!" ("No, Fiona..You are riding Tex.").

It was a short ride, before Fiona asked to get down again, but I was over the moon, happy that she had wanted to ride in the first place.

As I unsaddled Tex,  Fiona and Gayle visited with another boarder friend, Meridee, and her Morgan mare, Missy. Fiona enjoyed watching Missy get a bath and was delighted to pet her as well.

"What color is Missy?". I asked.

"Brown."

Brown indeed.

"What color is Tex?".

"Brown..." came the answer.

I pointed to Tex standing just outside at the hitch rail. "What color is Tex?" I asked again.

"Black!"

Such a smart girl!! 

Before we returned Tex to his pasture,  I asked Fiona if she wanted to walk him. She eagerly grabbed for his lead rope and set off for the outdoor arena. I followed alongside Tex, holding his halter and doing the actual leading for safety reasons. That didn't matter to Fiona...she enjoyed "walking" Tex and stepping in all of the sandy divets she could find in the arena.

...meanwhile, Tex wondered why we were walking around in little circles...

Afterwards, the 3 of us headed over to Pizza Ranch for a yummy, early dinner. Gayle was amazed at how much Pizza and Chicken Fiona managed to gobble down. I told her having fun with horses builds an appetite!

Because both of our hands were full most of the time making sure Fiona stayed safe, we didn't get much for pictures. I mentioned to Gayle that next time we'll have to bring mom (grandma) along as the official picture taker!!

...that, and hopefully Fee can have a ride on my boy, Griffin!!♡♡ (we just used Tex because I already had him out). :-)

 

Another outdoor lover in the family!!

My sister, Gayle, sent me a couple of photos and a text yesterday...

The text message reads...

She says "Im camping"...LOL Mom just ran in to grab something.

The accompanying photos (which are shared below) are adorable!!

Fiona evidently thought following my mom into her camper was pretty cool. This little girl has camped twice now and it has already proven to bit a hit with her!!

Personally,  I am over - the - moon excited that my little niece is already showing an affinity for camping. I am looking forward to many future outings with her along.

Fiona loves being outside so much that getting her to go back inside is sometimes a HUGE chore. She will also take your hand when you are inside and lead you to the door to go outside to play.

What can I say?

I think it's a genetic thing......

I also want to add that I also came across a Facebook posting regarding these photos (and some others) that the dress Fiona is wearing was, at one time, the same dress my mom dressed Gayle in.

Definitely early 80's chic there, mom! I hope you didn't use mothballs (blech)!! 

Adding Insult to Injury and a few cat photos...

Yesterday was a pretty long day. I was at my folk's place most of the day and into the late evening. I have a close relationship with my parents, so we spend a lot of time talking.

As I mentioned,  my back has been getting better. My body must have thought it needed a new way to injure itself.

So as I was leaving...... (keep in mind that my parent's house is in the country, so except for a few lights on their pole barn and the front of the house,  it is PITCH BLACK outside)....I stepped outside the side door of the garage to walk out to my car and tripped on a plastic, dog dish that was laying next to the sidewalk.

My mom had rinsed it off (or something) after our last camp outing and set it in the grass next to the garage. It simply hadn't made its way back into her camper yet. Me, being me...I moved it to mow and then tossed it back where it was (which was in the grass right next to the side walk). I really should have just put it back in the camper......

Anyway, when I left that night, I must have briefly stepped off the narrow sidewalk in the dark and of course my feet found the stupid bowl to trip on.

I literally went flying through the air and face planted hard in the grass. I didn't loose my wind, but I felt so stupid, I just layed in the grass a few moments thanking god that it was dark and no one was outside to witness my idiotness...

When I finally got up on my feet, I went back into the house to turn every available outside light and the garage light on to locate my car keys which had flown out of my hand and now had turned into a treasure hunt in the grass.

My knee hurt and so did my elbow. Just Grand!! *Insert Sarcasm.**

Going back into the house before failing to brush off all the grass, my parent's entryway now looked like I had been bailing hay in there....My mom, being the Saint she is, said not to worry, she would sweep it up....

Thankfully I found my keys without succumbing to the desire to ask my mom for assistance in my little treasure hunt and proceeded on my way home...

This morning, after my flying lesson without a pilot, my knee is swollen and bending my elbow to do certain things like brushing my hair is a challenge.

....and I was looking forward to rides on both my horses today after being unable for a whole week because of my back.

So, while I sit here and ponder a few ways to still make that happen,  I'll share a few photos of my Feline boys (because they always help to make things better)♡♡.

A day not exactly as planned....but with an enjoyable ending!

My day today didn't exactly turn out as I had hoped.

With my mom and dad attending a car show, I was hoping that I could take Jerseydog and do a nice hike at Mirror Lake State Park (which is nearest to my parents' place).

My back seems to definitely be on the mend and it would have been nice to do something fun.

....but I had told my parents that I would mow their lawn for them.

Last week.

My intention was to do it on Thursday, but hurting my back spoiled that.  It also rained.  (OH Puddlesticks)!!

So, unfortunately, the lawn got put off until today.  My parents own just under 5 acres (although not all of it is mowed).  With that said, however, it is not a 20 minute job.  The first 2 photos below illustrate just a partial bit of my handiwork.

With the lawn work job done, I had every intention of relaxing a little bit in front of an actual computer (my parents have 2) and reading some blogs and writing on THIS blog (I don't own a computer.  Most of my blogging is done on my cell phone).

That didn't happen either, as the wireless router at my folk's place decided that IT was going to go haywire as well....hence, NO wifi, NO internet. **sigh**  Since I was unaware of how to fix it, I watched a little TV instead.  I tuned in to a few episodes of Forensic Files and an episode of  Hoarders: Buried Alive.  I don't watch regular TV at home, so it was a nice treat to watch a few programs I enjoy.  Every time I watch  Hoarders, it makes me glad that I am a Minimalist.  I will never have such a problem with my chosen lifestyle.  While I can't say I understand what causes people to hoard things, I do understand that it is a serious, psychological condition and I feel badly for those (and their family members) that struggle with it.

My mom and dad walked in the door around 5pm, which surprised me as I didn't think they would be home until at least 7.  My mom was still restless from her busy day (selling T-shirts at the car show) and she wanted to know if I wanted to take Jerseydog to the dog park with her.

We didn't get the hike I had hoped for earlier, so why not?  (Well sort of, anyway.  I DID take J for a little stroll up to the nearby cemetery when I first arrived at the house, but since that only takes about 20 minutes, it wasn't much of a hike).

Upon arriving at the dog park, we encountered a pleasant surprise.  My sister, Gayle, was there with  her dog, Winston, and little Fiona!!!!  (Seeing my little niece is ALWAYS a treat to me).

I got a lot of great photos (also below) of the dogs playing and little Fiona at the dog park.  It certainly was a busy place tonight as there were around 5-7 dogs total playing (it's late, and the count is fuzzy in my head).  Everyone got along beautifully (which is sometimes a concern at busy dog parks) and had  a lot of fun.

Jerseydog came home happily worn out.

I came home with some fun doggie park (and Fiona) photos!!!