31 August 2007

My poor little tomato worm was covered in these this evening!!! I think they are aphids, they are sucking all the juices out of him. Poor thing.

This is going to be a quickie as I am packing again and will be taking this computer with us too this weekend. I am not sure if I will have internet access, I will take my wireless connection and my laptop and hopefully one of them will link up with the hotel internet as most of them seem to have wireless connections available. If not then it will be Monday when I can do my next post.

I will get down to answering all the questions posted the last few days when I get back too. Abraham, Mike and MiKael are just a few who I need to reply to. (((Hugs)))) everyone, have a wonderful weekend.

Lori

xx

30 August 2007

I found this guy chomping all the new shoots off of my one tomato bush today. Mr Tomato Worm makes for a really colorful subject to shoot. I am going to try to get some more of him tomorrow morning, it was already quite late this evening when I discovered him.

This is going to be a short one today, we had a slight glitch in the proofs and seemed to be missing a whole bunch of Joyce's so I had to get about 170 files sent to me so that Larry could post them on my website. It took ages and before I knew it the clock said 4pm and the evening chores were due to start!!

((((Hugs)))) everyone you are all in my thoughts. So many of my blogging buddies having a hard time at the moment. Sending positive vibes in all of your directions (((Hugs)))

Lori
xx

29 August 2007

There were only three costumes at the show which dissappointed me a bit. The young lady above rode 2 horses with 2 different costimes in different classes. The horse in the top 2 didnt want to canter or gallop so I only got a few shots of him in the arena and none of them are very good. This class is judged at the canter and gallop.

MiKael you asked if I enjoyed the show, yes I definitely did, I was a bit dissappointed about the lack of entries and the lousy light on the first day. I also expected the horses in general to be more animated. Most of them had a flat kneed trot. It tried to shoot for both the flat knee and for the curved front leg as best as I could. There was only one class where they were really high stepping. The people were great though and I enjoyed being there.

Thanks everyone for your regular visits, I am going to try to get a bit more up to date tomorrow. I got my print orders out today so that is out of the way, but the show this weekend is 3 days and we are now going to stay at a hotel on Saturday and Sunday nights to avoid the hour drive each way each day. Larry wasnt going to come with but he has decided he will now. We are expecting nice weather which is a blessing.

Taxes' leg is looking really good, just a matter of time now and keeping it coated, I forgot to look for that fly stuff "Swat" at the show but I know there is always a store at the show this weekend so hopefully they will have it. He is being a star on the lead rope, a bit spunky but really listens and is not all crazy like the babies can sometimes be when you first start leading them especially outside LOL.

((((Hugs))))) everyone.

Lori
xx

28 August 2007

I spent most of the day getting things organised so that Larry could put up the proofs from the show on the website and also editing one of the print orders. The background that I shot this stallion on was not great so I had to put him on a new background. So today's pictures are of the ones that I worked on today.

It was very hot and humid again, same tomorrow and then hopefully it will start cooling down. I have another show to shoot this weekend, three days as it is a holiday on Monday. Luckily it is at New Castle which I can travel back and forward from so dont have to stay away overnight. It is a Palomino show.

Nothing much more to report I am afraid. I hope you all had a great weekend and will keep trying to catch up but I am just falling further and further behind on my blog visits. ((((Hugs)))) to you all.

Lori

27 August 2007

First of all, I am probably going to be using some of these shots on DP Challenge so please if you see them and recognise them I would ask that you either vote what you truly feel or dont vote on them at all. Thanks guys. I have posted pictures on the last few days posts which I missed.

MiKael I will put you out of your suspense LOL, that is a first, you normally keep me on a string and in suspense with your posts!!!!

It was not a big show (amature) and we didnt make too many sales, but I think that we will get more online sales as some of the competitors were in a hurry go get home. The weather started out really dull and misty on Saturday morning so it was hard and on top of it they had a storm the night before and the arenas were a muddy mess so they held the first halter classes in the grassed areas around the arena which made it hard to shoot. Also Ihad to shoot from outside the arena when they were riding because it was so slushy. Sunday was better and I managed to get inside the arena.

It was a long weekend and pretty stressful, Larry came with and it was the first time he had been up in 8 months so I was worried about him on top of it. Fortunately we avoided the extreme heat and had two very pleasant days in the low 80s. Larry is working on getting all the shots up on my website at the moment and should have them up by Wednesday. I havent really had time to edit much and just skimmed through all of the pictures this afternoon for the first time. Larry's niece Joyce came with us and she got some great shots too and helped me with taking care of Larry and the downloading of files and printing contact sheets which was a great help.

On Saturday evening they had "Liberty" classes where the horse is let loose to perform for the audience and has a certain time limit, after which they have 2 minutes to catch the horse and leave the arena. The judge then determines who gave the best performance. This is one of the horses, awesome to watch. It was late and the light was pretty good (7pm approx). This is a nice floating trot which I believe is a sought after shot. Also the tail up over the back is a good thing. The Arabians are very animated and their owners promote it, beautiful to watch. Just wish the arena hadnt been so muddy and I could have got more shots but a lot of the time they were running right along the rail right in front of me.

Well I had fun and hope you enjoy the pictures from the last few days. I will post more as I edit them.

((((Hugs))))) see y'all tomorrow.

Lori
xx

26 August 2007

Bsckhome safe and sound, will catch up on posts and pics int he morning. I havent even had a chance to look at what I have shot yet.

((((Hugs))))


Lori
xx

25 August 2007

It is very late, 20 til 12 midnight and just getting to bed. Will post more and a pic tomorrow

Lori

24 August 2007

Blogger is doing it again, my post is not showing up but I bet once I post this one it will, that is the norm.

Lori

24 August 2007

Just a quickie as I need to finish packing up the computer and get going to the show. Running late.

This is my catblogging pic, an archive shot again.

Have a great weekend everyone, hoping to be able to post tomorrow from the hotel.

((((Hugs)))))

Lori

23 August 2007

Okay I know it is not Xmas but thought a "cooler" photo might be a good thing. Some of you have probably seen this shot which I included in my calendars last year but I have been submitting photos to a horse magazine called The Horse for use in their publication. They are normally small images and pay a smallish fee but it is nice to have that check in the mail from time to time even if it is small LOL. This was one I put together for their lastest requests looking for festive type shots and I think it turned out really cute so I thought I would post it and "cool" us all down a bit. That is Cayenne on the left and Cookie on the right and yes they were wearing the hats and it was snowing, I was standing out in it to take the shots while they were inside the barn.

Exceptionally hot today, very very humid, unbearable but I managed to get the sawdust unloaded and three stables stripped and rebedded. Taxes is doing really well. His leg is improving and the swelling is down. He was very happy with his clean stable. When I put him out in the bottom of the barn while I cleaned his stall I gave him his Jolly Balls to play with and he loves biting, kicking and jumping on them. So cute I could watch him all day. He is turning into a really nice clever little colt.

Well it is late so off to get my beauty sleep again, I have to leave for the show tomorrow evening so will try to post before I leave and then hopefully Joyce will have her laptop again and we will be able to get online and I can post on Saturday. I am rather looking forward to this show, it is my first Arabian show and these horses can be so showy and animated, I love it. Hopefully I can get stacks of fabulous pictures.

((((Hugs))))) everyone.

Lori

xx

22 August 2007

Not an exciting pic today it is a snapshot of three of the mares at the pasture down the road. It is starting to green up now thanks to the rain. It isnt the most flattering pic as I shot it with a wide angle lens which has distorted them a bit and they have been having a good roll in the mud LOL. Despite the fact that we had probably 5 inches of rain in two days there is practically no standing water. Our field is normally a lake at the bottom end when we have even an inch, but it was so dry that it all just got absorbed. It was terribly hot (topped at about 90F) with a humidity of probably about 90% today. Totally unbearable to be outside, combined with the fact that the barn is still muddy in the aisleway which just makes it more humid in the barn so impossible to work in there. So tomorrow will be another day and hopefully I will eventually get my sawdust unloaded and the stalls cleaned before the show that I have to shoot this weekend.

Taxes is doing really well, he is leading beautifully and standing while I hose his leg down and I am starting to see the swelling going down. MiKael I have never heard of Swat but have checked it out and will try to get some either via mail or at the first opportunity that I can get to go to Muncie where I can buy it over the counter. It comes in clear and pink now, which would you recommend? I am plastering it with Ichthammol 20% (a black salve) which has a really strong odor and it seems to be keeping the flies at bay. It is impossible to keep a loose bandage on so it has had to remain uncovered. I hosed his leg three times today and even got him standing while I sprayed him on his chest and under his neck so we are making progress. Mike you are right, I think he is really enjoying the special attention. Our white stud (Blue) was the same, he was 18 months old when he had his accident and I tended him every day for 4 months and he is such a nice horse to be around now.

We are in for another hot day tomorrow too so I hope I can get my butt into gear and start early and get some stuff done before it gets too hot.

Hope you are all well (((Hugs)))) to those who need them.

Lori

xx

21 August 2007

I took this a few days ago. These are caterpillars on the milkweed plant and they are not Monarch Butterfly caterpillars. I must find out what they are because they have absolutely shredded a few of the plants right down to just the stalks remaining. I know there is very little that feeds on this plant so hopefully I can come up with an answer.

We had 3 inches of rain yesterday and today it rained on and off all day again until 5pm when it absolutely poured. I was in the barn and the water came down so fast that it was streaming into the barn before I knew it and could do anything about it. I spent the next hour and a half shovelling water out of the barn and now have a muddy mess in the center aisle. At least I kept it from going into the stables. I really need to make up some sandbags so that I can put them across the big door when it rains like this to stop it coming under the door.

I am very worried about Taxes' leg today. When I took off the bandage yesterday evening his fetlock and pastern were quite swollen and I suspected that the pressure bandage that I had applied may have been too tight. I applied a loose bandage so I could see what was up today. The swelling went down but today his whole leg from the hock to the hoof are swollen and obviously very painful. I managed to get him out and hose his leg for 20 minutes with cold water. It was his first time out and first time exposed to the hose. He was actually very good about it. I took his temperature and it appears normal so will have to check that in the morning. I spoke with the vet and he doesnt seem to think that it was the tight bandage but advised me to leave it with a very loose dressing if anything at all. I have to cover it because the flies are dreadful at the moment and an open wound will just make his life unbearable. I have to try to hose it two or three times a day until the swelling goes down.

So my day has been hectic once more and I didnt get anything done that I planned. MiKael I am glad that I jogged your memory on the shavings LOL, I still havent unloaded mine. We should be dry the next few days but temps in the mid 90s again.

Well that's it for now folks, (((((Hugs))))) and see y'all tomorrow.

Lori
xx

20 August 2007

I am having problems uploading photos again, getting error messages and I took a few shots today too!!!!!!

We had a storm last night and then at about lunch time it stormed again, flooding the center of the barn once more LOL and it rained steadily all day. I think it is still raining on and off. Boy did we need this. The pasture down the road where the 4 girls are is really eaten down but is already starting to green up and it is big enough that it will be able to grow even though they are eating it almost as fast!!! They are still looking great though. If we hadnt had this rain I was thinking of getting some large round bales and putting one in that field so they had something to eat on, now I dont have to worry.

Well other than that nothing exciting to report. I have another load of sawdust to unload, was going to do that today but with the rain I couldnt put the colts out so I could reverse the trailer into the barn.

We may be getting the two mares and baby back from Iowa sooner than we expected. They were going to come at the end of September but now we are not sure. I still feel really sad when I think of the mare, and colt that we lost and the Daddy of our foals too a few months ago. Three horses in five days was a bit harsh to deal with.

That is all for today. I will try to edit this and add a photo which I took today. It was raining quite hard and very dull so it is not the prettiest picture. I have converted it to black and white, it is a shot of Lori and Cayenne running up the hill towards the gate when they saw me.

(((((Hugs)))))) to you all

Lori

xx

19 August 2007

This is another archive shot of two of my friend Tiffany's dogs. They were really hard to shoot because they ran around like wirlwinds!!!! I lay on my stomach to take the photos and it really gave me a great perspective. Levi, the dog on the right ran circles using my back as a launching pad as he went round and round LOL

Still not feeling the greatest, and it really frustrates me because I have wasted to beautiful days with a lack of motivation, hedaches, hot flushes and heartburn. Dont know what is up but I really feel like dogs doo doo. I posted a few pictures of Taxes and his injury on my other blog which I have wanted to get going. Hopefully I will now. The pics are quite graphic so didnt want to put them on here but to give you the option of checking it out if you are interested in his progress. http://loriscritters.blogspot.com/

Still no more rain, they have had more north of us and south of us but we have been in that dry zone since April. Hope everyone is well, CG, Mike, MiKael and Abraham thanks for your visits I appreciate them. ((((Hugs)))))

Lori
xx

18 August 2007

I did a post and pic for today but it is not coming up so am doing this one too in case the other one doesnt appear.

If it doesnt then I will post the pic and try to remember the text LOL.

(((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

18 August 2007

Still struggling a bit but feeling a bit better. I was looking to see what I could post today and came across this shot which is a scan from a very old slide which I scanned about 7 years ago so the quality isnt great. It was scanned in 2002 but shot in 1999.

This guy was in a lion park which was about 5 miles away from where I lived in South Africa. They had three or four prides of lions each in their own enclosure and you drove in a gate and around the enclosure and out again. They were set up so that you could easily see them and this is one of the shots that I got. Sometimes at night if the wind was blowing the right way you could hear them roaring from my home LOL.

I have a lot of slides and negatives still in England, beginning to wonder if I will ever see them again. The friend who was taking care of them all has been uncontactable for the last year so I have no idea where they are right now. That is one of the hard things with relocating especially half way around the world, too expensive to bring all the things that you have collected over your life and have special memories.

Nothing much achieved today, got my print orders printed and mailed so that is a relief. I hope that I snap out of this soon.

Mike and MiKael thanks for your visits and comments I appreciate them, I will return them soon. (((((Hugs))))))

Lori

xx

17 August 2007

I am a bit bummed out today, not feeling too chipper, depressed. I noticed a few days ago that some of the horses are starting to grow thicker coats, their sleek hair is a bit coarser and not so shiny. Also the forest across the road has started losing its leaves and some of them are turning yellow!!!! It seems like winter has only just left us and we have had the opposite extreme in terribly hot weather for the last few weeks. Today was beautiful but the cool breeze was almost ominous in the way it felt, a sense of what is to come. The main worry is the trees and the horses coats despite the hot weather because they grow winter coats that will suffice for the winter so if it is going to be a cold one they will start early and get thicker coats. Oh well I suppose we will have to live with whatever is thrown our way.

Today's picture is a sunrise shot a few years ago looking over the neighbors field. I havent touched my camera in days. I put Taxes' momma in with Dosie, Lori and Cayenne today and they got on really well. Dosie has been the odd one out and it seems that he has paired off with her. She is a very dominant mare so they all toe the line when she is around LOL.

Abraham thanks for the visits. The swans are unfortunately not there any more. The baby was a male so it had to be sold because the pond wasnt big enough for two male birds and the female was killed by a pack of dogs last year which really upset me. She was sitting on 8 eggs at the time. The male survived but the owner had to sell him too because the chances are that the dogs would come back. He was heartbroken when it happened, so was I.

((((Hugs)))))))

Lori

xx

16 August 2007

Another old shot I am afraid. This is a flower from an indoor plant that Larry calls Angel Wing. The stems and flowers are sort of see through and the sun was shining through them. I thought it was really cool so I snapped a few shots of it.

We had a tremendous electric storm at just after 1am this morning. The lightening, wind and rain were torrential and we were under a tornado watch until 4am. Quite scary at the time but it gave us about an inch of rain. Unfortunately it blew into the barn and wet the whole aisleway but it is so hot that it will dry quickly. Of course it was dreadfully humid all day as a result but the rain was welcome!!!

I decided to wean Taxes today. I put his momma in the stable next to him to try to ease the transition. He is coping pretty well, the crunch will come when I take her into the other barn where he can't see her which I will do in a few days time. He is being so good about his bandage and so far hasnt got to chewing it despite the fact that he likes to bite everything in his path LOL. He is a typical stud colt, nippy which we are working on stopping.

I started working on getting everything ready to have the post holes dug at long last for my new fence. It has been so dry and the ground is like concrete because it is predominantly clay. I pulled most of the metal posts and took down some of the dregs of the wire. I will have the electric company over on Monday to mark out where the telephone, gas and electric underground cables are because we have to dig the post holes at least 3 feet deep because that is the freeze line here and I would hate to hit one of the underground cables LOL.

Well that is it for tonight. Just need to print my photo orders and hopefully get them mailed out tomorrow. ((((Hugs))))) for everyone.

Lori
xx

15 August 2007

I am posting some old pictures again. This was a family of swans down the road from us. Only one chick hatched and I picked a beautiful morning to photograph them. Sooooo cute. I didnt know that the momma swan shelters the babies on her back when she thinks there is danger. When I first got there the little one rushed straight up on her back and it was about 15 minutes before they relaxed with me being there and the little one got back on the water.

Another hot day today but the temps will start coming down tomorrow. Still no rain, we are under an extreme drought advisory now and everything is dead even the weeds are starting to shrivel!!! There is some hope of rain towards the weekend, so lets hope it reaches us.

Hope everyone is well and (((Huge Hugs))))) to those of you who need them.

Lori

xx

14 August 2007

Still working on catching up. Today's pic is a snapshot of brat baby (Mikes little buddy) Taxes taken in the barn when I put him and momma in the turnout so I could clean their stable. Not the prettiest shot LOL, little darling just wanted to come over and bite me all the time so I had a job trying to get far enough away to take a shot!!!!! He is a total brat!!! His leg is healing nicely but will definitely leave a nasty scar.

Well not much to report. We had a cooler day today but all of the rain sailed on by to the north of us, saw the storm clouds but didnt get a drop. Oh well. Just heard that the hay from the next cutting will be $7 a bale (from $3 to $4 to $5 and now $7). I just can't afford that so guess the horses will be eating small amounts of hay, oats, beet pulp, alfalfa cubes and straw for the roughage. The calories will be the same it will just be a task keeping them occupied as horses like to browse all day, they are grazers, so the straw gives them something to do that with even though it has no nutritional value. I have to move some of these horses, the market is at the worst right now because of the hay shortage and no-one wants new horses to get through winter so I don't know what I am going to do. People in Tennessee and the one county here in Indiana that I know of, are turning their horses loose on state land, in forests and recreational areas because they just can't afford to keep them and rather than let them starve in their back yards they turn them loose and let the county worry about it. Such a shame.

Well that is my vent for the day, so frustrating. Will check in again tomorrow. (((Hugs))))

Lori

xx

13 August 2007

Normality what the heck is that!!! LOL

These two pics are some of the cute shots that I have from the weekend. I loved these because this little girl is so tiny and this huge horse is such a teddy bear. I think it is wonderful that a horse can be entrusted to a child with no fear of it being dangerous and this is one of those horses.

I got caught up a bit on barn work today. It was cooler and the humidity was not as bad as it has been so it was bearable to be outside. Taxes is coming on nicely, his leg is healing slowly but at least we are seeing progress.

Larry got up for an hour or so today. We are still battling with one section from his surgery which won't heal but as it is not a pressure related problem we decided that he needs to get up and about a bit for his sanity if nothing else.

I have been invited to shoot an Arabian show in Fort Wayne the weekend after next which I am quite excited about because I havent photographed arabians for ages. MiKael I am going to be picking your brains for tips on how to shoot for these guys!!!! I hope your show went well this weekend, I will be catching up on your blog tonight too.

Mike thank you so much for your diligent posts and visits it means a lot to me. Your little buddy is doing well. I will let you and Julie share him no problem LOL. He is such a little monster he will need two homes so that the one can recover while he is at the other Hehehehe.

I am off to try to catch up with my print orders and to check in on a few of my blogging buddies. Hope you all had a great weekend. ((((HUGS))))))

Lori
xx

12 August 2007

Update: This is another one of my favorite shots from the weekend. This little girl is also one of the children that I have been photographing for the last 4 or 5 years at this show. Her name is Alex and she actually saved her money so that she could buy this pony herself. I know she had help from her Aunt who is in the carriage with her, and her family but it was her idea to save to buy him. His name is Little Bit and he is such a cute pony. This was Alex's first time driving at a show.

It is early but I am exhausted so this AGAIN will be short. I will get pics up for the last 3 days tomorrow. The show went well, very very hot but today they held all of the classes in the indoor arena which isnt great for the pictures but sure made it easier for all of us.

I will see y'all tomorrow. I got some cute shots which I will post but am just too tired. ((((Hugs)))))

I have added some pictures to the posts from the last few days too.

Lori
xx

11 August 2007

Update: This is one of my favorite shots from Saturday. This is Morgan, a young lady that I have been photographing for the last 5 years. I have posted shots of her and her Grandma ealier in the year. She has grown so much in size and in confidence and never ceases to amaze me every time I see her. She is doing a great job and enjoys the contesting (barrel racing, poles, flags) as much as the horse she rides who's name is Cody. He belongs to her grandma Annette.

I am doing battle with my very old laptop because my computer is in the vehicle that I work from until tomorrow. It has been a long very hot day and I am going to get an early night. I couldnt post a picture yesterday for some reason and I don't have any pictures on this laptop so I will have to catch up with my photos tomorrow night when I am back in action.

Hope you are all having a great weekend. ((((Hugs)))))

Lori
xx

10 August 2007

Finally got my uploader to work and have added photos to the next few days' posts. This is one of my barn cats that is no longer with me. He went to a great new home but unfortunately fell victim to Feline Lukemia. He was such a nice kitty and gave me a lot of photo opportunities.

I am having trouble uploading a photo tonight. For some reason my computer hangs up every time I try to access the file I want off my hard drive???? I will post this and then try again but in case I dont succeed this will be a short one today as I am getting ready for the show and it is late already, still packing kit.

Taxes' leg looked so much better tonight, I felt a lot better about it today. I was still really worried last night because it was looking dreadful and bleeding a lot still whenever I took the dressing off. Lets keep fingers crossed that it will continue to improve now. He is being such a good boy. Feisty little devil but cute too LOL.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, think of me in the sun for two days :-(. I will try to post on Saturday night from Larry's computer when I get home. (((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

9 August 2007

I took these last month but had one entered in the July Free Study Challenge on DP Challenge so didnt want to post them until it was over. This little guy is called a Hummingbird Clear Winged Moth. He is about three quarters of an inch long and his wings flap at a similar rate to the hummingbird. He was incredibly hard to photograph and I only got one chance as I havent seen one again since.

(click on picture to enlarge)

(Click on picture to enlarge)


I got a bit of barn work done today and finished my prints and got them all mailed off. It was very hot and humid this morning and although the heat didnt deminish, the humidity dropped from about lunchtime so it was a bit more pleasant to be outside, still in the low 90s though. I think tomorrow is going to be in upper 80s and less humid too so I can get everything done before the weekend.

I hope everyone is well and think of you all often. ((((Hugs)))))

Lori

xx

8 August 2007

I went to visit a friend down the road today who has horses too and she wanted me to take some pictures of her new yearling and two babies so Larry could see them. It was dreadfully hot, upper 90s today, heat index mid 100s. They didnt want to move around much. The yearling had never been with the babies before and he was amazing, took them right into his care like they had always been there. It is so nice when these things work out. The little colt on the right with the white legs is a grandson of our horse Dosie (the one that we had gelded). The other colt has a bandaged leg because he also cut it, like Taxes but not as badly fortunately for him.

Another short one tonight. I have nearly finished printing all my photos, the paper and ribbons arrived today. I will get them mailed tomorrow then I can start all over again for the show this weekend LOL. This time I will get them out faster becaue I have the supplies.

Taxes is growing like a weed, I can't believe the rate that he is filling out at. He is looking gorgeous. I am going to have to get the vet out tomorrow because I am not happy with the way his leg is healing.

MiKael in answer to your question, the 3 girls all have the same daddy (the stud that our friend had to put down a few months ago when he got kicked in the shoulder and broke it). Their mothers are also related, wont go into those. The stud colt Dream also has the same daddy and his momma was the one we lost along with her baby who would have been a full brother to Dream. His momma is also closely related to the mothers of the 3 fillies. On the question of mosquitos, I have hardly seen any this year because it has been so dry so I am not too concerned about them and West Nile. Normally I wouldnt turn them out at night because they would be eaten alive. I am so glad that you got some riding in, I wish i could get some in too.

Mike I sympathise, we are also in an extreme drought situation in Northeastern Indiana now. It is unbearable. All of the horses have their fans on or else they would suffocate in this heat (okay so I spoil my horses LOL). The four mares down the road are coping pretty well and are all fat and healthy still.

It was in the upper 70s when we woke this morning, wonder what tomorrow has in store for us.

Hope everyone is well. ((((Hugs))))))

Lori
xx

7 August 2007

I am late this evening so this will be a short one. These are a few shots of the yearling fillies in their new field. Thay are so happy to be out and spent a lot of the day today in and out of the barn shelter not sure if they wanted to get away from the flies or eat grass LOL. I love watching them out there. They are all looking so good and that makes me very happy.

Glad you enjoyed the insight into the creep feeder. I have to say that this is normally for newborns and up to 3 or 4 months old only because that is when I wean them and then they are able to eat as much as they want without momma's interference, and Taxes is a big baby so it looks a bit cramped for him but he is really getting stuck in and not minding it at all. They work really well.

Very hot again today, probably the hottest so far. It is unbearable outside, the horses all have their fans on and they are happy about that. I put as many out at night as I can so they can enjoy the cool (if you can call lows in the upper 70s cool) and it helps keep the stables from getting so bad.

(((((Hugs)))))) to everyone.

Lori
xx

6 August 2007

It just gets hotter and hotter every day, I hope it cools down like they expect for the weekend because I have another horse show this weekend. So far they are predicting mid to upper 90s going into the end of the work week and then supposedly upper 80s for the weekend. Man I am gonna roast!!

As promised here is a pic of the Brat (Mike's little Buddy) Taxes using his creep feeder. I have devised these in the stall walls or in the sliding doors for the stalls that have sliding doors. He is a little big for it but is still managing to use it nicely. They would normally be able to use it from the time they are born but the stall that he and momma were in didnt have one of these so I was a bit apprehensive and didnt know if he would be willing to put his head through. He is eating like a little piglette!!! Look at that little face, butter wouldnt melt in that mouth the little darling. He is really being good with his dressing changes and so far has not done any chewing of bandages.

This is a shot without his head in it so you can see it a bit more clearly.
It was dreadfully hot today, heat index in the low hundreds, very very humid. The three girls are doing well outside too and I put the Lori and Cayenne and Dosie out in the field next to them tonight so I think all is working well so far. I love looking out of the kitchen window and seeing them all out there, good for my soul!!

Well an early night again today for me, the heat is really getting to me. I am still waiting for the printer paper to be delivered, should be here tomorrow or Wednesday so I can get the orders from the show out to the competitors.

((((Hugs))))) to everyone. Carmi thanks so much for your visit, it was great to see you again, I know the feeling with getting behind on my blogging visits. Hopefully things will slow down again and we can get caught up, I miss the interaction everyone used to have when things were slower LOL.

Lori
xx

5 August 2007

We woke up this morning to find that it had rained last night. Not heavy rain but enough to wet the ground nicely. It rained on and off all day, again nothing heavy but it was overcast which kept the heat down a bit. It was still hot and humid but it allowed me to get some stuff done outside. It was like working in a sauna but what the heck LOL. I organised everything so that I could put the 3 yearling fillies out in the field that Sonny and Taxes were in. This was the first time that they had been outside the barn on a lead rope so I employed the assistance of our neighbor who helped me ge them going. They did really well and I got them into the field with no drama. Here are a few photos of them this evening just after we had put them out. They are loving it.
I liked this one, it is Dawn, she is such a brat. They were so excited to be out.
Well I am going to get an early night again. The heat really drains me. Abraham asked if Taxes' leg will be okay, well I think as far as him being sound he will be fine, but I think he is going to have a large scar which is a shame. He is being such a good boy and I am dressing it every day with pressure bandages and it is starting to come right but it will take a long long time before it will be totally healed. He is not chewing the bandage which I am glad of. He has got the hang of his creep feeder and is eating "like a horse" literally LOL which makes me happy too because he needs the extra nourishment now that he is not nursing on mom very much. I will take a picture of the creep feeder tomorrow so that you can see how it works.

(((((Hugs))))) to you all.

Lori
xx

4 August 2007

I missed my catblogging pic yesterday, my brain is like a sieve, cant remember from one minute to the next LOL. This is one taken a while back of the one barn cat "Yellow Cat" when we still had some green grass.

It has been hot again today but not as bad as the past few days, the humidity was down so it was bearable. I got some of the barn work done, moved Taxes and Momma into the big barn, put up a partition between them and Blue because his momma fights with the horses around her and kicks the walls and if he is in the way it is just too bad. Prevention is better than cure. Taxes is eating like a little pig so I have also had to put them into a stall where I can creep feed him (give him feed that he can get to but his momma can't). I am glad he has such a good appetite.
I made a good start on cleaning the barn today so hopefully tomorrow I can get it finished.

Well that was my day, nothing exciting to report other than the starter motor in my truck has packed in and I got stuck in town. Had to get some young chaps to push me so that I could jump start it (it is a manual gearbox or a "stick shift" as they call it here).

Hope everyone is well ((((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

3 August 2007

Another change of pace today, this is a tiny little guy that I photographed last year while O was staining some panelling outside on the front lawn. He was about 1cm long, tiny tiny.

Yet another hot day in the 90s. I finished all of my photo preparation, sat down to start printing them and ran out of ribbon for the Dye sub printer that I print on!!!!! I thought I had a whole 50 photo ribbon and I didnt!!! So I am going to have to wait til Tuesday to get some more. In the meantime I will have to get everything ready so that as soon as I have printed them I can just mail them.

I am going to get an early night. Hope everyone is well. Mike I hope you are having a good time. Thanks for your visits. Taxes' leg looks dreadful, I am a bit worried about it but if I carry on with the dressings the way I am it should heal eventually.

((((Hugs)))) to you all

Lori

xx

2 August 2007

A bit of an abstract today, this is a Photoshop technique that I did called Amazing Circles (Ovals in this case) and I used the photo of the "Snow On The Mountain" plant that I posted a shot of a while back. I love this and have done it with butterfly and flower shots and you get some fabulous effects.

It has been unbearably hot again today and will be for at least the next 5 days. Still hoping for even a little bit of rain for relief.

Taxes is doing great, I got his dressing technique perfected today and he is not chewing it so hopefully it will heal nicely. I still have to get help as I can't tie him up and he wants to move away from me when I touch his leg.

I have nearly finished editing photos from the show (didnt get as much done today as I hoped and have another 9 pictures to do) so I am hoping to get some, if not all of it mailed before closing tomorrow.

((((Hugs)))) and hope everyone is well.

Lori
xx

1 August 2007

Two pictures today, one of "brat baby" Taxes with his bandage on. It has actually slipped down a bit, it is a very difficult place to try to keep a bandage on. I let him outside for a bit today and he was very well behaved and didnt run like a mad thing, just nibbled on the weeds and grass and got a bit of fresh air. He also has his little green halter on. I have had to leave it on him because I want him to get used to it so that when I do take it off he wont mind me putting it back on.

The second picture is of Blue who I have started putting out in the roundpen while the shade is over it and for the nights. It has been so hot and I am sure he enjoys the cool outside air. That is Blaze, his son, in the background looking on. Dosie has settled in with the two mares out in the field which I am grateful for, so now Blue can have his area and get some exercise. I would love to geld him too so that he is not such a liability and can also have a life. He is the most loving colt I have, he will find something to amuse himself no matter what. I would love to be riding him.
Very very hot again and for the foreseeable future too. I dont get much done outside because by 7.30am it is already dreadful and only starts to cool after 9pm and then it is still muggy and hot.

I am nearly finished preparing my print orders, then I just have to print them and get them in the mail. If anyone is interested the proofs are on my website, the Welsh Pony show. http://prophotobylori.net/

I can't believe we are into August already. I am going to turn in after checking a few of my blogging buddies' blogs. (((Hugs)))) to you all

Lori
xx