Thursday 24 July 2008

I know I have been remiss for five days and not posted, lots happening here and I have been up and down like a yoyo. The pictures today are from a few evenings ago, I wa trying to use the soft evening light for a project so these were some of the results, Lori my filly and a picture of Lori and Dee and a whole bunch of legs.

The day before yesterday I rode Cayenne out in the pasture down the road again and I had her cantering and trotting which was exhilerating, she was such a good girl. Richard lives just down the road and he saw us so he came over and then he also had a ride on her, this is a man who has only been on a horse twice ever, and this little filly was as good as gold for him. I hope I find the right home for her she is a star.

Yesterday we had a beautiful day, it stayed in the 70s low 80s but it made it ploeasant outside, so I took advantage and got a few things done that needed doing (still have a list a mile long). I moved the gate from the field that we have replanted and aren't using, to put on the doorway at the bottom of the barn because I was tired of hauling a panel to cover the doorway every time I wanted to keep the horses out of the barn. Of course I am all thumbs and tools are not my best friend so it took three times as long as it should have for someone who knows what they are doing!!

Then I had to move some more panels inside to make the area for the storage of sawdust secure as I am stockpiling it for winter. If the horses can get access to the pile they WILL climb up it and spread it far and wide and roll in it and then it is spread out and I can't use it!! I also had to go down the road to the pasture we are using to fix the gate there as it was falling off its one hinge. This pasture and house is on State Road 3 one of the busier roads in the state so that is my one worry, a horse getting out onto the highway. Heaven forbid.

To cap that exciting day off, I then reversed the trailer into the barn after moving all the barriers out of the way and unloaded a load of sawdust!!!! By that time the shower was more than calling because it was after 9pm! Hey I missed Big Brother!!!!

I have a Welsh Pony and Welsh Cob show this weekend In Rochester which is about 80 - 90 miles north of us. Lisa has agreed to come with me to help me which I am very grateful for as it is a show that I cant shoot and handle the downloading etc. on my own, I need help with the computer side of things. We will be leaving on Friday evening because this show starts at 8am and I dont want to have to drive 2 hours before the start on Saturday LOL.

So if you dont see me again before then, have a wonderful weekend everyone and I am sure we will both have some pics to post on Monday when we have recovered.

((((Hugs))))

Lori

Saturday 19 July 2008

Very hot and very humid again today. I got my van back with it's new tow hitch but forgot that there is wiring involved so the lights on the trailer work!!! So I guess I wont be taking Cayenne to the trails tomorrow after all. We had a small thunderstorm this afternoon which just made everything more muggy but we have had none for a while now so the grass welcomed it I am sure.

This is a portrait of one of the three fillies we have down the road. They are a bit sunburned on their muzzles but eating like little pigs and getting fatter each day. This is Dee the prettiest of the three.
More squirrels, this is the little guy who came in really close but he didnt stick around long before running for the cover of the tree trunk.


I didn't get any riding done again today but did manage to get rid of the broken washing machine that we had to replace recently at the metal scrap yard. I was lucky enough to be about number 20 in the line and of cuorse sat in the sun in my little unairconditioned truck, which provided me with the perfect place for a sauna LOL!!!!!

Well nothing exciting to report for the day. I wish spring and fall were longer with their tolerable temperatures but that is Indiana for you.

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

Lori
xx

Thursday 17 July 2008

My first picture today is of the old abandoned railway station in Hartford City where I live. I promised Luisa that I would post a shot of it. I should have waited until a bit later when the sun was lower to take the shot so this is just a tempter, I will get another photo of it without all the shadows. Not a terribly exciting building, but they are busy removing all the track at the moment as this line has not been used in years (wish I could say that about the one next to us which is very busy 24 hours a day)

I rode again yesterday and Cayenne is doing really well but we are in a bit of a heatwave at the moment and it makes it very uncomfortable to be doing anything strenuous outside. Today I taught Wiggle how to load into the trailer and she did very well too. So now I have Cayenne and Wiggle loading into the two horse trailer!!! Maybe I will get my trail riding in yet!

I visited Lisa for a bit yesterday afternoon, we did a bit of shopping and then I sat in her cool back yard and enjoyed the cool breeze in the shade and the squirrels!! Here are a few of the shots from yesterday, I havent had time to edit them all yet.

In the first pic this little guy is spreadeagled out on top of the squirrel feeding box while there is another one inside. They won't share the box so they each have to wait their turn.

This is the one that I was standing on Lisa's dining rom table chair to shoot through the window!!
This little guy hung around and made one attempt to come pretty close but lost his nerve and was hanging around the base of the tree. They will get used to us being there and I need to get some peanuts (uncooked ones), which will help lure them and get them used to posing for the camera!

Abe I know you are boiling with us, try to keep cool. That's it for today, hope you are all well and staying cool or warm whichever is preferable for you at the moment LOL ((((Hugs)))))

Lori

xx

Tuesday 15 July 2008

This is going to be very short, I have run out of time again!!! Here are Dee and Lori at the other pasture, they seem to have paired up except at feeding time then the three brown fillies have to be a loooong way away from Lori or she will eat all her food and theirs and chase them LOL.

I think this is my best hummer shot yet, I have found a good angle to shoot but it was so hot again today it was really unconfortable to be outside. I didnt ride today either because of that.

Thanks for the suggestions for the sunburn, they seem to be coping nicely now thank heavens. Mike the sculpture was collapsed in a heap this morning!!!! LOL, I should have taken it and bronzed it or something and sold it on eBay!!! Too late now.

Abraham yes it is getting hotter, you are only 60 odd miles from us so our weather is very similar. I already have box fans for all of the stalls but try not to use them unless it gets to the upper 80s low 90s. Most of the horses are out in pasture at the moment which makes that much easier, they get shade from the buildings and trees.

Luisa I have a few pictures of the railway station, it is an ordinary looking building and all boarded up now, I will post it next time for you.

Gecko you made me laugh about the whinneying and the stretchy silk surcingle.

Hope everyone is having a great week. (((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

Monday 14 July 2008

Who says horses aren't creative or that they cant be rocket scientists. This picture is proof positive that they have both capabilities LOL. I got my hands on 3 freshly cut roundbales of grass hay last week for a very reasonable price so I put two with the four horses and one with these three. The other horses have trashed both of theirs already LOL but these guys are making a piece of art for me.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

I got a few more shots of the hummers again this morning. I waited until the sun was just in the right spot and put a white piece of fabric over the window where the feeder is hanging and using my 100mm 2.8 lens perched on the stepladder on a rice bag I waited for the little visitors. They dont dissappoint as long as you are perfectly still because I am literally 3 feet from the feeder. Here are just a few of the shots, just wish I was getting more color on the birds, I am going to have to try to get different angles. If you click on the first bird image to see the larger version you can see it's tongue sticking out from the end of its beak.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

(Click on picture to enlarge)

I rode Cayenne again today, I have to say it is getting easier and easier to get motivated right now and Larry keeps on my butt so I do it. We started with her having her breakfast in the trailer, she gave me a small bit of hassle getting in but nothing I couldnt manage on my own.

I then unloaded and reloaded her and put her in the barn while I shot my hummer pictures because that was when the light was right and in the spot I needed. After I got those, I got her saddled and off we went down the drive with Larry in tow. She was a star and walked with me riding past all the spooks and monsters she saw yesterday and then did a beautiful walk around the huge field and then over a bridge sort of filled in between two small ponds, ducks and all. She then turned back and we trotted up the hill and across the top of the field (there were two suspiscious looking round bales up there which she was a bit leary about) and then walked down the hill to our starting point like a star. I have to say I felt great after riding her, MiKael I am starting to see what pleasure you get out of riding your horses, up until now it has always just been such a chore with so many to look after.

Thanks to all who have visited my blog and those who have also left comments, I appreciate it and know how time consuming it can be that is why I am so far behind on mine!!! That is about it for today, a slightly cooler day upper 70s lower 80s so it was bearable. ((((Hugs)))))

Lori
xx

Sunday 13 July 2008

This was one of the shots taken on my trail ride a week ago, there were lots of trees that had blown over with all the storms we have been having.

This is a viaduct in town where the road goes under the old railway track. The old train station is just to the left of this bridge and you can see how old it is and how it is all falling to pieces. They have discontinued using this track (different one from the one that passes our house unfortunately!!) and have been pulling up the ties and rails for the past few weeks. Some of these old lines have been converted into cycling trails, laying a concrete path for people to use either to take a walk or ride their bicycles on, no motorised vehicles.

I missed a day again but that is just how it goes here, always a million things to think about. I didnt ride Cayenne yesterday but I have been for the two days before that and today. She is the next filly that I am going to want to sell and she is awesome.

We have had a lot of rain storms on and off the past few weeks which has been nice for the pasture but it makes it a bit muddy and as it clay it is very slippery in the roundpen, so today I saddled her and with Larry in tow (He has been on my butt every day to get this done or I wouldnt do it as much as I love it) in his wheelchair we walked down the drive and then along the road a ways. She was a bit freaked out about out neighbors property, he has a lot of piles and things strewn in his garden and all sorts of scary things that are gonna jump out and eat her. Instead of battling with her in the middle of the road, I disounted and led her past it all, letting her inspect everything and tapping on the cars and stuff so she could lose her fear.

A little further up the road there is a pasture that the owner has said he doesnt mind if we use to ride as long as we dont tear it up when it is wet. I tried to keep to the boundaries and Cy was a bit hesitatant from time to time but we walked around the whole field and then trotted up the lane in the field and she was a star.

She knew when she was headed for home and when I tried to turn her back again she started going into reverse. Larry reminded me to do the one rein stops and get her moving forward and that worked nicely, we did that just a bit and because we wanted to end on a good note we then rode home. She wasnt nearly as scared of the neighbors yard this time so I stayed mounted and she was calling to her buddies, I have to say that feels so weird when they whinney and you are on their backs, their whole body vibrates LOL. I turned her back to go away from home a few times in the lane just to get her used to listening to me and made her move forward and then when we got back to the barn we decided to see if she will load in the two horse trailer that Gee's owner has parked here. I am hoping to take her trail riding next weekend and I think she might do well.

These trailers must be quite scary for a horse, very closed in. With the help of a few ropes across the butt and Larry's nephew Kevin and his sister in law we managed to get her in without a huge fight, and fairly quietly. I hate making their first experience traumatic because it just makes your job harder. I gave her some hay and grain while she was in there and then after about 10 minutes I backed her out and took her to the turnout. This filly is another that just wants to be doing something and to please you.

By that time it was 1pm and I had to get lunch together for us all, we had Pizza. I was pretty tired after all that physical exertion so I lay down a bit and dozed for about an hour. Then I got up and put the three fillies up and let Taxes out in the lot behind the barn to get some exercise, he hasnt had a good exercise session for weeks. He has calmed down a lot but is still and I am sure always will be a handful LOL.

My hummingbirds are still out there and yesterday I saw one with the ruby throat again but they are smaller so they must be babies born this year. I am going to set up a morning again when there is decent sunlight there to try to get some more shots of them. I still dont have a shot that I really like and will carry on trying until I do.

Thats about it for the day. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Lori

xx

Friday 11 July 2008

Okay this is gonna be short and sweet it has been an extremely hot day today 88F with humidity in the upper 50 percentile. Of course Lisa and I chose the worst time of day to get out there but neither of us are morning people and there is always so much going on first thing. I really have to start disciplining myself to get up earlier and enjoy the best time of the day.

(hollyhock flowers for Abraham)

(Lisa's grampa's old barn)
(An old milk urn)
(To finish it off, an old wooden outhouse!!!)

I tried to give her a few basics on photography about f-stops, shutter speeds and ISO and how they work together but I think I ended up confusing her more than helping her LOL. I am not a very good teacher, I know what I want to explain but I just can't put it into words that will make it easy for someone to understand.



The pics today are a few that we shot this afternoon, I am heading for the shower and then hopefully a good night's sleep.



Have a great weekend all. (((((Hugs)))))))



Lori

xx

Thursday 10th July 2008

Another hot humid day today but at least Larry got me outside to work with Cayenne and ride her a bit, withouut the kick up the butt I would just not get it done Sigh!! I actually enjoyed it but this is the nature of this illness, lack of motivation.

My first photo today is one I had entered into a challenge on the DP Challenge forum so I didnt want to put it here as I know some of those members come here to look see but it is one of my best hummingbird shots so far. The sunlight was just falling on the bird and he turned the right way to catch the rays because right next to him is under the eaves of the house and it is very dark. I have some others but part of the bird is in the shadow and it doesnt have as much impact.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Walking to collect mail this morning I finally photographed this flower which has been growing there every year since I first came here 7 years ago but it just hasnt got any bigger.

The pic below is the full size of it now and it has the most blooms on it that I have seen so far. I have seen this tree once before and it was a great big tree. Anyone know what it is?
I got a snap of this little butterfly sitting on a milkweed plant flower but his one rear wing is damaged which is a shame. Didnt see the moth today but will keep watching out for it.
One of the downsides of having spotted horses, or paint horses is that the skin underneath the white hair is pink and very susceptible to sunburn. Last year Wiggle got sunburned quite badly out at the pasture down the road but I started spraying her with sunblock and she got better.

What you see below is what the three brown fillies' muzzles loook like, I believe it is also caused by the red clover that grows in the fields here and the dampness of the grass in the early mornings. I am going to have to start wiping something on them to keep them protected. Any suggestions anyone. Larry's potion is Baby Oil and Betadine which seemed to work last time but I know I am going to struggle to get this done because these fillies have had no training other than casual contact with me every day so I wont be able to restrain them by tying them up while I tend to them, they will just panic.

That is another project for the rest of this summer, trying to get these 3 fillies lead broke and having feet picked up and trimmed and hopefully a saddle on them as they will be 3 year olds next year.

Well that is about it for today, hope all of this made up for me missing yesterday and that you are all well, nearly the weekend again can you believe it! ((((Hugs))))) and my thoughts, prayers and positive vibes to everyone who has troubles at the moment, there seeems to be so much suffering all over the world at the moment and I know people from as far away as Africa to here in the USA who are having hardships because of flooding, fires and other things.

C Y'all tomorrow

Lori

xx

Tuesday 8 July 2008

I wrote an extra article on the subject of Proud Flesh in horses' when they have leg injuries and how difficult it is to keep under control. This was prompted by my friend MiKael of Rising Rainbow Arabians who has a young arabian colt who has injured his leg and she is probably going to have the same struggle as I had except this colt has the injury right on the coronary band, where the hoof and hair meet, which makes it just that much harder to deal with.

Yukky warning if you are squeemish it may not be a good place to visit as I have illustrated it with graphic pictures. I dont claim to be a professional and am just verbalising an account of how I handled this situation and what worked for me so be sure to always consult your veterinarian first.

The pictures today are of a moth that Stan found at the campsite on Tuesday. If anyone knows what type it is I would be grateful for some sort of Identification.

It is pretty late so I am going to make this a short one. I will answer the questions that have been posed on my past few blogs tomorrow ((((Hugs))))) all.

Lori
xx

Monday 7 July 2008

Another very hot day today, very humid. I didnt get very much achieved except for mowing the field where we have planted the oats and hay. I needed to cut it long to just get the weeds cut off before they flower and reproduce more seeds for next year. It will give the new grass a better chance to grow better.

I got Gee and Taxes out for a run, at different times of course LOL which they really enjoyed.

This is going to be a short post today as it is late and the picture today is of the three fillies down the road at the rented pasture. You can see them harvesting the winter wheat in the background if you click on the picture and look at the larger view.

Abraham I would also love to leave mine as stallions but it is just not feasible and Taxes is a very different colt to any of the others I have bred. He nearly took my head off the other day when I turned away from him. He was in his stall which has a gate that is about 8 inches higher than the normal gate. Thank heavens because the next thing I knew he had his knees on top of the gate and if it had not held or been lower he would have jumped right on top of me. He was not being mean, just doesnt know any better and is very strong willed so has been very difficult to keep under control. So we decided it was now or never. He is still spunky but not in a dangerous way and more manageable. I am glad you are feeling so much better.

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

Lori

xx

Sunday 6 July 2008

Thanks all for your visits. Gecko asked what mode I shoot in. I use a Canon 20D and I shoot in Manual always. I take light readings off my hand but I do use autofocus on my lenses. The light readings let me decide what combination of shutter speed and apperture I need to get the effect that I want. It is complicated to explain quickly but that is where the difference comes in between a Professional and a person with a good camera. The cameras these days are all made to make it easy for most people to achieve acceptable shots with their compact or SLR cameras BUT the difference again comes in when there are unusual situations where the camera cannot expose as it should because it's light meter has been fooled into believing there is more or less light than there really is and then you end up with an over or underexposed photograph, whereas, shooting in manual teaches you how to compensate for these unusual circumstances and still come up with the shots. Composition and lighting become a huge part of what you are shooting and knowing when to and when not to.

I have always shot for a living, it was never a hobby for me, I learned to print black and white pictures in a darkroom before I even took my first picture, and then it was on a Practica with a 50mm Carl Zeiss Lens LOL, a totally manual focus camera. No auto anything there everything was achieved with knowledge and my knowledge came the hard way, by making mistakes and asking why and learning from them. Getting great shots and asking why and learning from them too. Every lens you use has different quirks and results depending on how it is used. I make a dreadful teacher so I dont find it easy to put these things into words, but if any of you ever want to know why you got a specific result on a photo, ask me and I will see if I can figure it out and help you to avoid the same thing happening again. There are a few basic rules in photography and once you know those and how they work it is just a matter of putting them into practice to get the result you want.

Photography lesson over LOL. It was a very hot and humid day, I didnt have a very good one. Larry ad I went for a BBQ at Larry's sister's house this afternoon for his nephew's birthday. Larry has been getting up for a few hours a day so we timed his up time for then today. It started badly with a phone call at 6.30am this morning telling us that our home heakllth aide had called off and they didnt know if they could get a replacement for her. This ALWAYS happens when we have an appointment and time is important and makes it hard for me to get everything done in time to leave. Eventually someone came at 1pm and we left at 3pm so we just made it.

I think Larry enjoyed the time out with part of his family, it has been quite a while since we have gone visiting or since he has been off the property.

I did get Taxes out before we went for a few hours to have a run around in the bottom of the barn and dry lot outside the barn. The pictures today are a few of him, little monster wanted to stay inside where all the girls were of course LOL so he didnt run outside much but I think he enjoyed stretching his legs. I can already see a change in his attitude in a big way since he was gelded. He still wants to nip everything he can get his mouth near but that is typical, he has had a hormonal slow down though in a big wayLOL. Poor boy. He is only 15 months old now and stands the same height as any of our adult horses so he is going to grow a lot more.

Well that's it for today, thanks again everyone for4 your visits (((((Hugs)))) and have a good week.

Lori

xx

Saturday - A Day of Sunshine

Not much happening today, got a bit of computer work done, had a rest this afternoon and then went to do the monthly shop this evening with my friend Lisa. It has been a very pleasant day, sunny and in the 70s.

The picture below is of a tiny little Salamander that the little boy who was on our one trail ride found under a rock. He was quite taken by the fact that I didnt shreak and run away but rather put my hand out and took it. It was only an inch or two long. I put it on a mossy rock and did my best with the lens I had to get a shot of it.

I am getting better at the humming bird photos. Just not enough hours in the day LOL.
This is a tiny little wild flower that I found this morning next to the barn, thought it was quite pretty so snapped it. All of the wildflowers are starting to bloom now and I saw another Hummingbird clearwinged moth today, but the brown one (the last one I shot was green) and it was really small maybe three-quarters of an inch long but before I could get my lens and camera out it had gone. So I will be on the lookout for them from now on.
Need to get diesel and gas (petrol) for the tractor and mower so that I can cut the field and the garden grass, it is amazing how quickly it grows, just wish it looked like that in the fields LOL.

CG and MiKael thanks so much for your continued visits, I really appreciate them and you are also in my thoughts always, I will get back into it one day soon I hope. I neeed to set goals for each day the night before and then see if that will motivate me to do stuff especially with the horses.

Oops pushed publish before I had finished LOL. Hope you are all having a good weekend.

(((((Hugs))))))
Lori
xx

Still Struggling

I was horrified to see that it has been 10 days since I last posted, actually Lisa pointed that out to me and I decide that I just have to make a concerted effort to get back on track with my daily bloggging, I met so many wonderful people in cyberspace through my blog and I am hoping to resurect that comeraderie again.

I finally took a two day trip to the camp site where Stan and Val trail ride every weekend on Monday and Tuesday. For those of you who dont know they have three horses that we have bred and one other gelding so their horses are very special to me. I got to ride two of them and Eb is well on his way to being an awesome trail horse but is only taking short excursions with Stan until he is more seasoned. They decided to spend the week between last weekend and this weekend there at the camp too so it made it possible for me to stay overnight. It was a lot of fun, I rediscovered muscles I forgot I had LOL.

This is a fungus/lichen growing on one of the dead tree limbs on the trail.

Here is Eb standing on the tie line patiently waiting to have his turn on the trails.

This orange mushroom was incredible and is one of the things I wish I could have stopped and dismounted to shoot but we were quite a large group and it would have held everyone up.
This was shot while I was on the horse and he wasnt wanting to stand still so is not really good but fantastic opportunity to see this snake sunning itself on the rock in the river!

I am definitely going to have to set up a kit that I can carry on horseback and go out with just one other person into the woods so that I can stop and mount and dismount when I want to photograph something. I saw so many awesome textures, streams, fungii, a snake sunning on a rock, salamanders, moss and lichens and it was just too cumbersome to carry my camera and small lens let alone all the other lenses which I would have needed t capture some of the shots.

Today's pictures were some of the ones I shot on the one and only ride that I took the camera on. I decided to enjoy the rest of the riding without having to worry about the camera.

I have also been shooting my hummingbirds and hopefully getting better but they sure are hard to shoot.

One positive thing is that I have been using my camera more and am starting to get that passion back again. I feel so relaxed and happy when I have my camera in my hand and stroll around to see what I can find, and it is amazing what you can find if you really look.

Hope you all had a great 4th July (USA) and have a wonderful weekend. ((((((Hugs))))))

Lori
xx