Have you any idea how tough it is to keep my 'kids' accounted for? They run here, they run there. Miss Ariel had me on a leash which the G's insisted on.
We went out to do the 'chores' ... wow, they were excited...the kids, not the Grandparents.
I tried to show Ariel all the interesting stumps and trees that needed my 'watering'. She kept running with me, and I went along gladly.
I was hoping we'd run off into the woods and play roll in the yucky mud and eat gross things. But that didn't seem to be the intention of the kids and the Grandpa. It started to get pretty cold outside and we all piled into the itty bitty house.
Grandma hooked up her 'puter thingy on the flat screen thingy and we all watched a movie called Cats & Dogs, I think.
I mostly snuggled.
I even got to sleep in bed with Ariel. Best visit ever.
It has been quite a while since I've hijacked this blog. She has been napping the past few days. It has been dreary and she said she didn't feel too good. Sort of um, like... bleh or blah, or ick, or something. Hot and cold, cold and hot. She stands up for a bit then comes back to the couch and lays down and reads. Truthfully? I sort of like this behavior. It is much easier to deal with her when she is icky and enjoys taking naps on the couch. In fact I am an expert in showing her how to take a nap. First you need a nice warm blanket. Then you need a pillow. I prefer my nap partners to bring their own, I like to use theirs. I can even nap through a movie if she plays one on the flat screen thingy that Teslin's dad brought and set up in the house. Perfect for cuddle time. Although I don't understand why she doesn't leave that blanket for me when she does go upstairs to go to bed. Sigh. I thought I had it all figured out.
Not what you think. Sunshine. Opal. Siera. I took Sunshine out yesterday and groomed her, then trimmed her mane with a pair of scissors...a hatchet job at best, but I didn't want to wade through hubby's 'stuff' in the shed to get the clippers.
After I cut her mane, I saddled her with my Stonewall saddle and we rode around the yard and driveway. Then we rode up and out, to the mailbox to check on the mail. We took a little jaunt on the north hillside to check out the trails and too see if the ground was slippery or icy yet. Sunshine took it all in stride. That is one of the things I like about her and the other mules I ride. They can go unridden for quite a while and do not need refresher courses to ride in the Spring.
After that Big Ordeal, Sunshine of course had to roll in the mud.
I took out Opal next and gave her a hack job also. Since she is so earshy, I left her with a forelock. She looks cute with 'bangs'. Last time the farrier had been on the farm he'd given me a lecture on Opal and her unwillingness to pick up her feet for him or my hubby. I said they just didn't know how to do it properly. I was able to just tap Opal on the shoulder or hip and she picked up her feet. The guys always try to rush her. You cannot rush a 30+ old mule who is set in her ways, right? She trusts me, and I earned it by working with her for over a year, never rushing, and always quiet with her. Talking without 'talking'.
Then Siera was at the gate waiting for her turn. If you are wondering why most mule manes are roached it is because they usually don't lay down nicely and stick up all over the place... such as Siera's...
I often take out these 3 girls as they are my absolute favorites. Sunshine came from my mare Cheyanne, Opal the old People Challenged Mule, and Siera my new sweetie. Of course none of these mules will ever replace Badger, but I do know that each lady individually has so much to offer.
So I had a nice S.O.S. day with my girls. Mules, gotta love 'em.
Well thank goodness! I got home from OT and the girl of course had told me I had to be careful with what I did with the left elbow. Rest, ice, rest.
I
told her I was going riding. Her eyes widened. I then told her that I
ride with an 8lb saddle.
The saddle is designed after the cavalry
saddle the McClellan. But the military saddle weighs quite a bit more.
Enough
said about that. I swung into the saddle and headed up the long
driveway [still very slippery in the woods] and met up with the two
little neighbor girls. They
eagerly came running towards Opal and I. Opal who has a huge fear of
strangers [still...at 31 yrs old] backed up and snorted. I told the girls to stop and walk slowly and talk to Opal and not to me. The younger girl just turned and ran off. The
older sister who is 8 came slowly up towards us. I dismounted. Opal's
nose kept flaring. So I told Ambrosia to just stand still for a
moment. I reache over with one hand and brushed Ambrosia's shoulder and
then let Opal smell my hand.
I
gave Ambrosia a 'mule' treat and told her to put it in her palm, hold
her hand flat and stand still and look only at Opal's chest. She did as instructed. Opal
stretched out and sniffed, then took a small step forward and gently
took the cookie. While she was munching, Ambrosia took her small hand
and reached up and stroked Opal between the eyes and down to her muzzle. Opal dipped her head and accepted it.
Now
this would not normally be a big deal with any of my animals. But Opal
has always always been afraid of people. When she came to us no one
could catch her. You couldn't touch her ears, and if she took a notion,
she'd cow kick you when you saddled her.
Well
I made this old lady my secret project and have since stolen her from
hubby. His gruff ways don't get along with her, but he has forced his
ways on her for so many years.
He laughs now because Opal will sneak up on me and follow me in the pasture. But. I have never ever raised my hand to her or spoken above my quiet voice with her.
Yes, she needs a haircut! But hey, why waste the moment when it comes right?
Here it is that time of the year again. The ugly muddy time of the year. When the ground thaws it gets mushy and with the snow melt, it will also get muddy.
Time to bring out the bucket for boot washing before entering the house.
Today looks like it could be decent. I've finished up the 'aluminum can' project...now, to get that certain someone to stuff it in his pick up and take it away.
Spring Clean up. I've been working my little boney fingers off in the little red shed. Astounding that I found tons of fencing supplies and put them all in a bucket and handed them to hubby.
Who wondered where on the earth I'd found those? Honestly? Really? He forgot these?
I found more 'goodies' he forgot about. Like about 10 lbs of nails that the box had disintegrated around. I put those to the side. What I dig up, I can take in for scrap. Poohey on waiting for him to do the tedious sifting through the dirt to find the treasures.
Okay, you are laughing. I'm taking on the little shed because the BIG shed is overwhelming. By mid summer I plan on being able to park my Jeep in it if nothing else.
I found a beautifully made swallow's mud nest in the shed and took a long time admiring it. They are incredible birds and love to live in the little red shed.
I welcome them for the insects they eat.
Not much else happening on the farm. Occupational Therapy today and hopefully a ride on Opal this afternoon!
The Daffy's are sticking their noses up, and I hope to find some Skunk Cabbage in the valley!
I hope Neal who left a comment can see this or will read this. He asked a question regarding the FujiFilm HS30.
This shot was done with the FujiFilm FinePix 30EXR. I used a ND Filter X4 with a ND Filter .6 added. Here are the settings: Exposure: 1/10 of a second Aperture: f/11 Focal length: 38.33 ISO: 200 could have gone with 100 I used a tripod with a the delay option to avoid camera shake.
Here is somewhat the same shot with a Nikon D40 using a telephoto lens and a ND filter 1000X which means the filter is black and hard to see through, allowing for much longer exposures in bright sunlight.
The colors are different because of course the cameras are different. I left the tripod in the same place. Here are the settings for this shot: Exposure: 13 seconds Aperture: f/25 Focal length: 200mm ISO: 200 The Nikon D40 does not go below 200 ISO and I took the zoom to its highest level. I have a remote for this camera so I used that.
Both shots were shot in their RAW format and processed with the software that came with the cameras. I then used Adobe Elements 5 to process them.
The next two shots come from my Nikon D3100, the camera is faster and has more focal points than the D40. The first shot was shot in Program Auto.
You can see the movement in the water here. Exposure: 1/100th of a second Aperture: f/5 Focal length: 55mm ISO: 100
Same place now with a ND .6 filter. The day was heavily overcast so I didn't need much of a ND filter to help slow down the exposure.
Exposure: 1/6th of a second Aperture: f/22 Focal length: 55mm ISO: 100 I left the lens at the same spot and just added the filter. I tried to get the very same shot, but inadvertently moved the tripod while putting on the filter. Lastly, for those who enjoy not only photos but videos, I brought along a Point of View video camera called the Drift. It can be attached to a car, or a helmet. In this case I carried it and was able to catch yet another small 'flash flood'.
The video was compiled in Windows Live Movie Maker which is not very difficult to do and is fun.
Okay, those sound like frightful words...and I suppose they can be.
But there is nothing in the world like sitting on a rock near a ravine and hearing the distant sound of water rushing down over the rocks.
You pick a safe place and get yourself ready, both with a video camera and of course a regular digital camera.
At this point Morris was climbing my back, yes, he is smarter than I am. He knows how to be scared of 'that' noise. In truth, it is an awesome noise. A noise that reminds you that you are nothing compared to Mother Nature. It is almost like hearing a Tornado arrive. It is frightening, yet ... you want to see it.
Well it was awesome. After 10 minutes I waded back across the creek and continued my walk.
I shot dozens of photos in the past couple of days. I need to sort through them. Snow-melt run off was absent last year. And this year I was lucky enough to witness the flood of water from the ridges not once, but twice!
