A day at the lake!

Today was a good day. Douglas and I went to Nolin Lake to visit with our friend/neighbors who have a house there. (the picture above is a view of the hill we have to climb up you can barely see the house from the water..talk about a long hard wear-you-out walk!! We swam for about 3 hours and went to the neighbors beside them Ronnie and Carrol and ate a huge meal! It seems that each time we are there there is a cookout! I'm not complaining! Except that I probably added the 6 pounds I lost right back! it was some great food!
The kids had a blast playing in the water and I finally got some much needed sun! Here the kids are all waving at me!

Douglas and Neil had a lot of fun playing Marko-polo (sp?) and Neil had fun throwing Doug into the water off his shoulders. Poor Michaela in the background looks like she has fallen asleep! LOL

We always have a great time, going out on the boat fishing, and laying in the sun! I do have to say it really wore me out and drained me, the sun was so hot about 93 degrees today and not a cloud in the sky...I have no idea what the heat index was but I can tell you it was hot!
Back at the farm:
Pepper is doing well free ranging, so far she has kept the kittens at bay and in fact they seemed to not really be obsessed with her yesterday. I know she can defend herself with those claws, I'm actually more worried about the kittens loosing an eye! LOL
Norm didn't get to go with us today to the lake, since its supposed to rain and storm again tomorrow he had to stay back and finish planting the soy beans that got flooded out a few weeks ago.
Molly had been a little sore footed, and since she wont let us pick her hooves I was worried about her. She gets a little rank and since she is SO big its something I dont attempt! She foundered (not badly) several years back and a shoeing makes her a little sore, but this happened a week or so afterwards. She actually has pretty good hooves even with the founder, and bounces back quickly and I noticed today she is fine and dandy. I intend to start working with her picking up her feet, but I've had so much here to do and like I've said recently I've just had too much going on and havent done much with the horses at all.
Did I tell you I went the other day to see Babe? Larry isnt keen on giving her up and I was afraid he was going to back out. But now its a done deal and I'll be happy to have my special girl back home with me! Leah and Douglas are just as excited, Leah thinks its so cool that Douglas will get to learn to ride on the same horse that taught her to ride. And yes I meant it that way - Babe did teach her to ride! She was all fat and slick and just as beautiful as ever. Her age (about 14 or 15 yrs) doesnt show and she looks like she is about 8 or so. She is in great health and shod all around, ready to go! WOO HOO!
I've been looking online for some used tack. I want the works (not really needing a saddle but if I found a great price and it matched everything I'd consider it!). We want a tie down and nose band for King since he is into throwing his head around the first 15 minutes he rides. Bad habit, however the last time we rode he didn't do it at all. So maybe he has learned his little trick wont work. We are going to move Jack to another pasture for awhile, he needs to learn to not be so dependant on King. It's almost like we need to wean him all over again! And King worries too much about his friends when he is away from them. Big Baby's.
We will miss Bella - we are trading her for Babe- she is a sweet horse, but too much horse for all of us besides Leah. She is a great horse and very showy but you have to decide which is more important..Bella who we all cant ride, or Babe who we bonded so strongly with when we had her and who has taught us all to ride and can be ridden by anyone. There was no question for me...Since I had to sell Babe to Larry when I moved I've regretted it and longed to get her back.
Poor Buck got his nose shocked on the hot wire but is slowly realizing I'm not the one who shocked him! I think since I was feeding him both times it happened he thinks I did it! He has loosened up though.
Well off to lay on the couch and unwind from a long day at the lake!
See ya'll later, its time to post my Sunday Stills photos. Click here to see mine and others great pictures!
Later! ~*~Rae~*~

Photography Challenges, I've been long winded today so read on!

I participate in a photography challenge each week. Visit my Photography Journal to view my photos. I'm working on adding every ones links who participate on my side bar, but I haven't gotten there yet!

You can view and join the challenge each week by visiting THE SUNDAY STILLS CHALLENGE. Anyone can participate, most of us are all beginners, and its just fun and a great learning experience! If anything stop by and see what wonderful photos we come up with each week posted on Sundays!

The Ice Castle

They say your home is our castle....and ours is an ice castle.

The ice storm hit early in the morning, leaving in its wake a sheet of ice on everything an inch thick or more in some places. The silence outside is beautiful with the shimmer of ice on everything. However everything is frozen! Limbs are falling, and it will only get worse.

This is a Dill plant.

The storm has just begun, and the worse part is to come. More sleet,rain, and 3 - 6 inches of snow is expected on top of it all.

So I'm posting now in case the electricty goes out.

Its beautiful, got some interesting pictures, I'll be ready for my Sunday Stills Challenge - this weeks challenge is photographing from above, and below....this should be easy since we have the ice to make ordinary things totally awesome with the ice!

Of course school is out, and will be tomorrow I'm sure, and probably the rest of the week if its going to be as bad as they say, especially if the electricity goes out.

Thankfully we have a wood stove!

Norm made it out to feed, Donnie, Neil and Douglas all went with him, to get him to the truck, tractor and such so he doesnt fall and ruin the surgery! Norm and Donnie have gone to Etown to cut some steele so he can fix the silage wagon...it HAS to be done. Norm said where the roads are plowed its not too bad. They have 4 wheel drive so they should make it okay.

The boys have come back through the farm pastures on the 4 wheeler, they just pulled up.

Getting to the barn today was not easy, everything slopes...getting there and back took some careful planning with my foot steps, and took me awhile to just get there and back! Horses are traveling on the ice much better than I did, in fact I had to grab hold of Kings mane and have him as support to walk to feed. I'm going to bring their trough in the barn so it's easier for me to feed, and keep them out of the weather. I may even close them up in the barn for tonight and tomorrow. I cant take a chance on King falling, with his arthritis, it makes me nervous, even though he is probably more sure footed than I think he is.

Luckily no frozen chicken or rabbit, I'm glad they were in the barn...or else they would not have survived this storm.

I guess I should go now, hopefully I'll be able to post the rest of this week! If you dont hear from me, you know why! So I'll catch up on everyone later!

Be safe!

Rachel