The end of the day...

In my life there is seldom things that make me just go...
OHHHH...and AHHHH

Tonight was one of those.

I rode Siera today.
No pictures for obvious reasons.
We went in and out of the woods and did hills and ravines.
Let me say that she did well and the ride was fantastic.

Tonight I wanted to go with a couple of the 'old timers'. Fred, my husbands pony mule of 24 yrs of age? ... and Badger, who is around 14 yrs old.

We went out to watch the sun set and look at the leaves which are starting to change colors.

One word of caution.

Old mules can be stupid~er than some young mules.

Tonight ... ol' faithful Badger decided that after a few hours of riding~~when I asked him to step through some thistles...he gave a 'bump'. I was instantly sitting on his neck and
of
course
cursed
very
loudly...
then slid down off his head.

My hubby was frantic...
'Was I okay?'
'Did I get hurt?'

Naw.
I tried to convince him it was a new way of dismounting and I thought we'd try a circus act...

Just when you think 'old reliable' is perfect, he'll pull one on you.
Just means that you always have to pay attention when mounted on a mule, doesn't it???

Our evening ride was fantastic.

My day ride with Siera?

Oh La La! She is something else.

Big bucks don't bother her.
I'm thinking that I am beginning to really really like her!

Shhhhh...
Don't tell Badger!

[Or was that the reason for the neck sliding tonight??? ;-)]

A little campfire fun

The day was spent in preparation for a little family 'fun~together' hot dog [weenie] roast and marshmallow roast over a little campfire.

Gather the wood,
Gather the kids,

add chairs, picnic table, and let the sun go down...

mix in a little conversation and a lot of laughter~~

What do you end up with?

Great and wonderful memories created over the closeness of family ties and a little tiny 'driveway' campfire.

Not to mention the fantastic star gazing that occurred later on that night.

What I feel

How to describe it?

It's the feel of the warm September breeze on your face...

The buzz of locusts and the sound of hooves on the gravel road...

Pure Joy.

While moving down the country road on that first long ride with an animal that you've worked with for two years.
Satisfaction and pleasure, as she moves like silk under saddle...

Her ears alternating between the 'mule ear flop' and pointing at her new world.

She covers open ground at an amazing pace which makes you want to hold your breath, or wonder if you should check your teeth for bugs. [your smile is huge!]

She slows as she hears a car coming towards you. It is the mail carrier who gives a big hardy wave. This does not bother her, she gives the vehicle a look of curiosity.

Later she is covering ground at her Paso gait and a doe steps out from between corn rows.

All 4 hooves grab the road and her legs stiffen. She gives the doe a long hard look that says *I eat deer*....and moves on.

You want to laugh as she steps out again, the late summer sun is warm, the breeze is slight...and you can smell fall just around the corner.

Instead you let out a whoop of pleasure [she takes this in stride also].

This is just so sweet.
And you are happy.

Siera and the Monsters...

Siera is a gaited 'Peruvian Paso' mule which means her dam was pure Peruvian Paso and her dad of course was a donkey.
She has inherited the Paso gait which actually means 'step' in Spanish. She is not related to Paso Finos which are of another breed.
Peruvian Pasos are breed for the longer stride to travel long distances at a 4 beat gait.

Yesterday was ride #2 outside in the big world.
With her friends in the 'mare' pasture running like banshees, donkeys braying, hound dogs barking, and chickens crossing her path~~she took it all in stride.

After a few passes through the yard [I couldn't get into the round pen to lunge her first...hubby had it blocked with his pick up]...I decided to head up the driveway and take some short tours into the woods.

All went perfect until we got to the bottom of the shared driveway with the house on top of the hill [it is for sale and empty].
Siera stopped, her ears pointed so hard that the tips nearly touched. She locked her legs and stared hard towards the neighbor's house.

I slid off her and attached a lead rope.
She stood rock still watching.

Fairly quickly, a van roared into sight from behind the house towards us. The driver never even looked our way.
The back doors of the van were open ~~ and as he went past us, things began to spew out of the flapping doors.
A shop vac bounced crazily on the gravel.
Tools clattered against rocks.
A coiled hose and an electrical cord bounced out...and the driver continued his crazy drive up the hill and away.

Siera stood quietly through out the whole 'ordeal'.
I decided that I'd move all the stuff over to the side so when I had to leave for work I wouldn't have to drive over the mess.

Siera nonchalantly followed me and sniffed out the strange 'monster' items. She curiously smelled the shop vac and tools.

I was very pleased.
Remount and ride back home.
Lesson done for the day.

She's going to be a keeper in my opinion.

Oh what a great little mule!

Meet Siera...all saddled up and ready to go!

Today we graduated from the round pen and the fenced pastures. We had our first ride out of confinement.
...and it was sweet.
She also had her first 'water bottle' training. She was startled when I took a long drink from it.

When we were finished with 'water bottle training', she was fine with water being squirted on her head, ears, neck, and all of the strange and odd noises I could think of to make while slurping up water.

We rode up the driveway, a bit into the woods, and practiced standing still.

She is ready for the trails. Yee haw!!!

Yes, she looks like Badger, but is only 14 hands as opposed to his 15...and she has a brand and some different coloring in her face.
When she is startled, she simply picks up her ears and 'gaites' out fast.

I can ask her to whoa and she will.

By the end of our ride, she had those big beautiful ears flapping.

What a good girl.

Yard Hens

A co~worker asked me if I'd like some chickens.

Now, I haven't had chickens in years. I love chickens. I love their contented little clucks they give while hunting bugs and eating grass.

I love fresh eggs.
Not the pale store eggs you find in the store.

I love brown shelled eggs, for me, they somehow just taste better.

Day one of the yard chickens went well.

They clucked and fussed and wandered about.
Two hens decided to take over one of our hound dog houses~~while he watched on ... not sure what to do.

My Jack Russell thought it was fun to chase them, 'til I popped him in the butt with a whip.

The mules who've never seen chickens really watched with their ears on alert. They'll soon get used to them, I'm sure.

Last night they went back into the shed that we released them in, and roosted.

Next on the list is nesting boxes, roosts...and a place for them in the winter.

Chickens are cool.

This time of year

The wren has packed her bags and left, taking her wren family with her.

I miss her scolding me.

The Robins are mostly gone, we hear a stray one talking once in a while...and we pause to listen to them.

The Morning Doves have been gathering. I think they too have packed their bags and are thinking about migrating out of here.

But the humming birds are still whirring, flitting, and busy as ever.

Last night in the evening sky I saw the first small flock of geese heading south along the Mississippi River.

They say summer ends with Labor Day.
For me, it is when the summer birds have gone, leaving the outside noises to crickets, grasshoppers, the screech of the bluejay, and the cawing of crows.

While walking in the woods with Morris yesterday, we came across a lone dead tree. Perched on it were several turkey buzzards. They migrate also.
What an ugly bird. I checked and both Morris and I were alive ;-).

Turkey buzzards generally are very good indicators that there is a dead animal or carrion nearby.
Perhaps they too were gathering for migration.

The chickadees and cardinals are in the woods and will keep us full of bird song through the fall and winter.

But the light is changing, the nights are getting cold, and fall is heading towards us at full tilt.

Yet I don't think I am prepared for it.
Am I ever?