halloweens gone past

I am the Leopard and Vaquero Girl is the belly dancer. This was about a million years ago.

Me and My Dollar Horse at a play day. I think it was 100 years ago.

Halloween

Ahh, Halloween. I brings back memories. I love this holiday. What other night can you dress up like whatever you want, knock on strangers doors and they give you candy? It is almost better then Christmas. Almost. As kids I couldn't wait till dusk. Amy (probably the best sister ever) and I would sit on the counter in the bathroom and The best mom ever would paint our faces. We didn't usually wear masks just because we liked wearing the paint so much. It never really mattered what we were but I remember my favorite costumes. I loved being a cat. I think I was a cat several years in a row. I was Little BO peep. That one was fun. I wore a great big orange hoop skirt and carried a crook. I ended up ripping the skirt half way through the night and finished up as Rainbow Bright. I was a rodeo clown. That was a great costume. No one knew I was a girl. I also was a Doll several years in a row. The last year I went trick-or-treating I was Tinkerbell. Another great costume. I think what was so great was that Mom or I always made the costume. It was always original. I didn't actually buy a costume till I was an adult. Since then My favorite costume had to be Marilyn Monroe. The Hunter went as Elvis. It was great. This year. I dressed Jr. up as a dinosaur. Too Cute. I can't wait till he's old enough to go door to door.

Happy Halloween Everyone.

Ugh!

So I am so tired today, The Littlest Cowboy just got his first new tooth. I know Ahhh. He's only 4 months old. He's been so cranky the last couple of days. I feel bad because I know how yucky it is when somethings going on with your teeth. I can still remember the days when they had to tighten my braces. Ick! He also decided he was going to figure out how to roll over... he decided this in the middle of the night... so he was flopping all around like a Mexican jumping bean at 3:00 in the morning and keeping himself (and me) awake. However, he was better tonight. I do praise the lord that he wasn't a twin! The Best Mom in the World called me today when she got off work and asked if I wanted to go to the barn. Of course I did but I was so tired I decided driving may not be such a great idea. ( If you recall The Hunter is still in the Idaho wilderness, return date unknown). It gave me the same feeling when I was a kid that I got when I was in trouble and Mom would say. " Do you want a spanking or do you want to not go to the barn?" I swear that was the ultimatum that she gave to me. I now realize that is one of those things that makes her The Best Mom in the World. ( she also brought me pot roast, potatoes and carrots for dinner the other night so I wouldn't have to cook.) I was such a hard choice. Sometimes I actually took the spanking. I just wanted to be at the barn so bad.

The Boyz

So I am almost embarrassed to admit that I have goats. Very large goats. Mom calls them the Ibex. However, I really do love them. I was inspired to write about them because we live in the country but very close to the road (when the house was built 100 years ago there was no road). City folk are always slowing down and stopping to see them and take pictures. Mom and I were talking about it today. Most people have seen a horse and some have seen little goats in the petting zoos, but most people have never seen a goat this big before (mine weigh between 150 and 170 lbs) . People are totally intrigued. They are super sweet and follow me around as well as the dogs. The Hunter and I call them "The Boyz". Their real names are Dick, Dan, Diesel and Dozer. We bought them when The Hunter read you can use them to pack with. I swear this is a true thing. Google it if you don't believe me. We got the first two when they were only a couple months old, and the older two when they were two. If they were in any kind of shape we could actually add weight to their packs. I got knocked up before we could get them trained. So now we are starting from scratch. They are very smart and learn quickly and are a lot more accepting of the equipment then horses. Why not horses you ask? Well, they are great for packing because they can go where deer go, which is way higher then horses. Hello, goats are made to climb. They can pack up to 20 or 25 percent of their weight, about 80 lbs depending on the terrain. They can go for 3 days without water if needed and best of all they eat what deer eat. All this means you don't have to pack in as much food and water for them that you would with horses. Also goats are easier to keep in camp. If you let them they will sleep right with you. As we have learned from other blogs, if a horse can get in trouble it will. Not so much with goats. Believe it or not they are smarter then that. Any way thought others might like to see my show stoppers.

Why it's good to wear a helmet.

So I thought I would tell a little story about why it's good to wear a helmet. It has to do with the picture of me as Marylin Monroe. Every year the Horsemen put on a benefit for a therapeutic riding academy called Xenophon. We call it Battle of the Barns . It started about a million years go just for fun at a ranch that my Mom (The best mom in the world for those of you who haven't heard) managed. Well it eventually turned into this major event that barns (teams) from all over clamor to enter. There is a theme every year. The year I was Marylin the theme was Las Vegas. My team members were all dressed as different hotels. I was MGM. So it's my second event. Barrels. That's right barrels on my good pleasure horse. Not our first time. No biggie. Well my foot came out of the stirrup. "Don't worry" I say to myself "you can catch it before you get to that first barrel". Let me just tell you I was wrong. My horse, Bar Hoppin Bob, ( I'm not kidding that's his name) turned on the juice. 1,100 lbs of horse flesh careening toward the barrel... and the bucking shoots. Well here's me with one stirrup trying to steer and I see the judge who is not moving. Bob is now focused on running as fast as he can and I am slipping to the out side. "Ah crap"!!!! I think " I am going to fall off in front of all these people. How embarrassing" That is the last thing I remember before waking up in the sand. People all around me , Ice on my head and me begging my friend not to let them shave my head to staple the gaping wound in it. Turns out while I was falling I bashed my little noggin into the bull shoots. That will knock you out. So moral of the story. Wear a helmet no matter how bad ass you think you are. Accidents happen.

The Mighty Hunter Vs The Mommy in Spurs

"Little baby bunting daddy's gone a hunting. To catch a little rabbit skin to wrap my baby bunting in" Elk skin is more like it. The mighty hunter has "harvested" a Colorado elk and is now moved to Idaho to relive their state mule deer population of a couple of pesky bucks.
He called me from Colorado to tell me this. He also informed me that when he woke up that morning that it was 5% Fahrenheit. YIKES! He said it's beautiful. I told him that warm weather was beautiful.
So to recap his trip so far. He drove 2 days to Colorado, gets up at the crack of dawn in 5% weather to hike up and down mountains all day (P.S they are camped at 9000 feet.) to maybe kill an animal, which if you kill you must then find. They don't usually just drop in front of you. Then when you find said dead critter you must then skin it, gut it and cut it up into packable pieces to what?.... You guessed it. Pack it back out of the mountains you have been hiking in since 4:00 in the morning. May I also add it may or may not be raining or snowing.
WOOHOOO! Sounds like a great vacation!! Where do I sign up. This is why I stick to horses.
Yeah I know. Like that makes me "smart" My vacations involve. One day of packing up all my horse crap to take to a show 2 hours away. Driving the next morning to the fair grounds. Unpacking all my crap and horse and putting them into teeny tiny stalls. Then riding all day in 105% weather. Then if that wasn't making you sweat enough, adding either a wool jacket and knee high boots or a long sleeve shirt and leather shotgun chaps. I then get to compete against women and men who have their horses in training all year and maybe ride twice before they get there. (Never did understand owing a horse you didn't ride yourself.) A special day like this I will also be heard cussing about how the judge was either blind or just stupid. Why do I do it you ask? Well duh. Because it's fun!

The Horsemen

Today I would like to talk about the people to the Left. They are collectively The Horsemen. I am VP of a horse club called Martinez Horseman's association. It has been around for 60+ years . Once upon a time it was a rip roaring club with tons of members. Sadly however over the years our numbers have dwindled down to a handful. The lovely women you see to the left are the four I most often hang out with. I have to say we are the most fun people I know. Where one of us goes another is sure to follow. I not only have horse fun with these ladies but have come to rely on them for advise and inspiration, they make me laugh so hard I cry or have a shoulder to cry on. We show our horses together and celebrate holidays with each others families. I would trust these people with my horse (which those of you who have horses know that is not something one takes lightly) and my child (again not something to do with just anyone). The president is sitting to the right. She is the best mom in the world. I know this because she is my mom. To her left is my good friends Linda, then Karen and to the far left is my sister-in-law Diane. (Diane is the Hunters twin sister). We haven't had any good adventures lately but I am hoping that next spring you'll start hearing good stories. Make sure to stay tunes.

Friends.

I feel very lucky today. The reason is that I have such wonderful friends and a great family. My mother is the very best. Today even though she worked all afternoon she still went and let my horse out for me because I have a hard time going out there by myself with the little one. (I have a bum arm too). If that wasn't enough. Some friends of mine invited me over for dinner because they know The Hunter is off killing something in another state and they didn't want me to eat Mac and Cheese alone again. I just count my blessings that I have such wonderful people in my life. Thanks to everybody who loves me.

First time at the firehouse.

Today I took the Littlest Cowboy to see his Poppa at the Firehouse. I didn't know such a little boy could like trucks so much. He was fascinated by the shiny red truck and the sparkly gold lettering. He got his very own fire helmet and badge (to grow into of course).

My First Blog.

Well this is my first blog. I am a new mom. My son is only 3 months old. We haven't even hardly worn the shine off him yet. I am quickly learning that just because you think your going to have a plan for the day, you'd better be flexible because nap time could very well cross in to shopping, riding or chore time.
My husband is a hunter. Of course that makes me somewhat of a widow at this time of the year. Thankfully my best friend is my mother and she lives only 5 minutes away. I don't know what I would do without her. She allows me time to ride still. Which was another wake up call. I thought " Oh after the baby is born I'll just hop right back on the horse and everything will be like before" Uh not quite. I'll be lucky if I get to show at all next year. My poor horse (Bob) is so out of shape. I don't know who's worse off. Him or me?