Musings is moving.....

So I have had a wordpress account for a while and have been thinking of moving my blog over there. Well I finally did and if you still want to receive email updates from Musings, please head on over to http://musingsofacowgirl.wordpress.com/ and enter your email into the box provided :)

Riding Freedom and Daisy

Wednesday evening I asked my sister Rachel if she wanted to go with me to the horses. I planned to drive Freedom and wanted some company. I drove Freedom around the block which is a bit longer than I usually drive him but he is built up for it. I was really pleased because he drove really nicely for me and did really well with the extra time. When we got back I took two of Anthony and Lori's children for a very short ride up the road and back.

Today I had off from work because Jimmy had off today and tomorrow but tomorrow I still have the boys. Anyway I cooked and put the salsa in the jars that I had put together last evening. We had some extra tomatoes, peppers and jalapenos in the garden that needed using so why not make some salsa. After lunch I went to the horses.

iphone photo of the salsa

I knew that this week I wanted to give both horses a bath at some point and I figured I would do that on Saturday if no other time worked. Since I knew I had the time I figured I might as well work the horses then give them baths. I decided to work with Freedom first. I had planned that I would wait till Sept/Oct to start riding Freedom. Today I lunged him first and then got on him for a short bit and rode him around. He did really amazing. I just used my voice cue that I use to tell him to walk and off he went. We did a few turns around the back of the barn and then I got off. I was so pleased with the first ride. Probably won't ride him again till next week but I plan to drive him again later this week. I want to take it slow with starting him but I am so excited to be riding him though it will be for short periods here for the first while.

riding Freedom

After I rode Freedom, I gave him his bath. Then I left him dry while I rode Daisy. I took Daisy down the road and we just went on a leisurely ride. I enjoy riding her and she did really well. Tomorrow I want to drive her or Freedom but if it works out, I want to work both horses. When we got back, I gave Daisy her bath too. Overall I enjoyed spending a good part of my afternoon with my horses and I feel like I got a nice bit done.

It's September!

It has been a busy week :) Wednesday (August 27) I wasn't able to ride due to having a meeting. It also was my first day back at work which I am so thankful for. Looking forward to another great school year with Cameron and Jackson! Then on Thursday evening my friend Elana was staying the night. She is serving at Mountain View in VA right now but she was in the area for the weekend and stayed by my place. Then on Friday Tyler came up and was here for the weekend as well. Friday evening Rose Mary, Elana, Tyler and I went biking at the Union Canal Trail in Reading. We had a gorgeous evening for a bike ride. After our bike ride we went to a Chinese buffet for supper. Saturday we had an afternoon wedding so our afternoon was spent there. Sunday we had church and then ate lunch at my grandma's house. After lunch Tyler and I went riding with another dating couple and for the evening then my family had some friends over to meet Tyler. Labor Day we went riding with Josh, Chris, MaryRose, Sarah, Rose Mary, Tyler and I at Sharon's place. After riding we ate went for lunch. Then Tyler and I came back here to my house and did a few things till he had to leave. Overall we had a wonderful weekend.

This evening I was able to work with Daisy. I did some bareback and bridleless riding and mainly worked on just fine tuning my cues with her. It took her a bit but she got into it pretty quickly and was really responsive. I wasn't sure I would have time to ride since I was planning to meet a friend and it looked like rain but I was able to ride in the rain for a bit. I am hoping to work with Daisy and Freedom tomorrow evening but we shall see how the evening goes. Hope you are having a wonderful September thus far!

On a side note, I just noticed that this is the 900th post that I published. I can't believe I have been posting for that long :) Hope you have enjoyed reading thus far!

Odds and Ends

Last week on Wednesday my mom and I canned 8 boxes of tomatoes which meant we spent all day canning tomato ketchup, pizza sauce and v8 juice. It was a profitable day but meant I didn't work with the horses. On Thursday evening I went shopping with Rose Mary for Rachel's birthday gifts and my evening went much different than planned so no working with the horses. Then Friday I went for supper with a friend and Tyler and I talked on the phone. I was able to work with Mika a bit in the arena earlier in the afternoon and she did really well. From riding her in there it really seemed like that is what she was used to over riding out on the trail. Saturday evening Sarah came to my house and we took Freedom for a drive. Before hooking him to the cart, I got him used to an umbrella. He did really good with being ok with the umbrella. It was drizzling a bit but Sarah and I decided if we have the umbrella we should stay dry enough. :) We had a good drive and Freedom did really well.

Sunday Rose Mary, Rachel and I went for a drive in the cart with Daisy. Both horses have been doing excellent with all the driving they are getting in the past while. I am really impressed with how they have been doing. Then on Monday I rode Daisy for something different. She was acting up a bit at first but then for the rest of the ride she did great. I want to see about riding her some more this week but we shall see. Then Monday evening the Rivera's rode Mika to decide if she can be for their girls to ride. We decided that though she is ride-able now she is not really a child's horse. She needs a rider who has experience riding but she is a great horse :) Tomorrow evening I have a meeting and Thursday evening I am not sure how it will go since a friend of mine is staying at my house for the weekend and not sure what time she is coming. Tomorrow I go back to my nanny job so I will just have evenings and weekends to ride but I am looking forward to going back to my normal job although I have enjoyed working for Dad this summer. Hoping to work with at least one if not two horses tonight.

The Last Week

Last week after Wednesday I didn't work with any of the horses. Thursday evening I went with my cousin to something concerning her business. Then Friday Tyler came up for the weekend. We had a wedding Saturday, did some different things Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening we were with my youth group. Sunday we were at my cousin's for lunch and some of the afternoon and then it was time for our parting again.

Rose Mary, Tyler and I had gone shopping for the wedding gift and we saw a wading pool. We decided to buy it for Lucy to see how she would like that since she so enjoys splashing in her water bucket. Well Friday evening she wanted nothing to do with the pool but then Saturday we put it in her pen and she was quite a happy dog standing in the pool. That dog makes me laugh so much!

Sunday Rose Mary and I took Freedom for a drive. I love that horse, he makes me laugh so much. He is such a pleasure to drive because he wears his expressions on his face and you can so see what he is thinking. He did quite well with being driven and I am hoping to drive him some more this week.

Monday I rode Mika. I have mainly been working with her and putting hours on her. I was really pleased with how she rode. We cantered quite a bit and she responded really well. Right at the moment I am working with her on going straight and not shying at everything and she definitely has come a long way since last month when I started to ride her. After I got back from riding Mika and had put her away, I got Daisy out to drive her. She did really well and I am hoping to ride her sometime this week yet.

Today I didn't work with the horses because I was helping my mom and aunt with canning. Tomorrow I should be able to work with the horses as well as the rest of the week :)

Driving Daisy and Other Stuff

The weather today was so gorgeous. There was a breeze going for most of the day and it was just the right temperature. It definitely was a good day to work with the horses. Since I had stayed home to keep an eye on Rose Mary's dog's puppies, I cleaned the house and then this afternoon I went to the horses. I rode Mika first. I rode her for about half an hour and we did an equal amount of cantering and walking. The biggest thing I had to work with her on today was staying along the side of the road and walking in a straight line. She has been doing pretty well with it but she still struggles with it at times. Overall though I feel like our ride went really well and I can tell that she is improving.

When I came back with Mika, I hosed her off and then put her back in her meadow. I had planned to drive both my horses but wasn't sure if I would get that accomplished or not. I needed to come check on the puppies again so I had decided that I would drive Daisy down here to the farm since it is a nice distance away and it would give her a nice work out. I really don't like driving along the road we live along because the drivers do not have a very good respect for a horse and rider or a horse and cart but we arrived safely at home despite some people not giving us much space when passing us. I tied Daisy when we got here and checked on the puppies and fed the mom. I had been thinking as I was driving here that it would be fun to take my grandma (who lives here on the farm as well in the main farm house) for a cart ride if she would be into it. I went and asked her if she is interested in doing something adventurous, like a cart ride. She said yes she would be. So I took my grandma for a short cart ride :) It was something I won't forget right away and when I get to be the age my grandma is I hope I am as spunky as she is.

After I dropped my grandma off at her house again, Daisy and I headed back up to the barn. Overall it ended up being like an hour drive. I was really pleased with how Daisy did and with the breeze and all she didn't really sweat all the much. I hosed her off and then put her back out. I told her she did a great job!!

Since it was already quite late in the afternoon and I still had some odds and ends around the barn I needed to do, I decided I would try to drive Freedom tomorrow evening after the show if I am able to. It was a great day just being by myself and I enjoyed spending some of it with my animals.

Working Mika and Going Through Pictures

Monday I was able to work with Mika. I rode for about 20 minutes and we did the most cantering we have ever done. I wanted to mostly work with her on being consistent in whatever gait I ask her to go in. She did amazing and I feel like it definitely was the best ride we have ever had. I didn't have much time to work with my horses since I had a chiropractor appointment in the evening. Today (Tuesday) I didn't work the horses at all due to it being rainy. Instead I spent a good part of my day going through the photos I have taken this summer and finally writing blog posts about them (hence all the blog posts today). Tomorrow I am hoping to spend time with the horses since I am home for the day to watch Rose Mary's dog, Matilda's puppies that will be a week old on Thursday. So we shall see how the rest of the week goes but it has been great having a day of rain!! :)

Trip to Chincotegue Island, VA

My two cousins, Maryrose and Sarah, have always done a lot of things together. We often plan stuff and then go do it. Well the biggest thing we have done lately was plan a trip to Chincotegue, VA and then go. We invited April (Maryrose and Sarah's sister-in-law) and April's 5 month old daughter, Chari to go with us. We departed on Thursday, August 7th around 10 in the morning. We arrived at the campground around 3ish. After unpacking the car, we set up the tent and started supper. To cut down on costs we had planned meals we could make over the fire. Our first meal was sausage and fried green beans. So delicious. Friday morning we left for the lighthouse and the beach on Assategue. Saturday morning we spent a good part of the day shopping and visiting different attractions on Chincotegue. Maryrose rented a moped for the day and we had great fun driving around on it. I believe all of us took a turn at one time or other to drive it. Definitely made for some great memories. On Sunday morning we got to see the wild ponies. They were a good distance away but it was great getting to see them! Sunday we headed for home. Overall it was a wonderful time spent together!

 The lighthouse on Assategue Island

 the view from the top of the lighthouse

 more of the view from the top of the lighthouse

 Sarah and I

 MaryRose and I

 April, Chari, and I

 April and Chari

 Assategue Beach

 We met some horses and their riders on the beach as we were leaving

 Friday evenings supper, chili and cornbread

 Sunset Friday evening

 more like sisters than cousins

AND WE GOT TO SEE THE CHINCOTEGUE PONIES on Sunday morning

Many Photos from My Different Excursions

Red Power in Bloomsburg, PA

 My family had a show June 11-14 in Bloomsburg, PA which is about 2 1/2 hours north of where we live. I had to work the beginning of the week but I asked off for Friday and headed up on Thursday after work to be with my family at the show. It was fun seeing people that we usually see at shows again and just regular customers that come here to buy parts from us.

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More Photos From Deep Sea Fishing with the Youth

 My youth group went deep sea fishing down in Barnegat Light, NJ. We went on June 21st. Here are the pictures I promised ;) Talked a bit about the trip in this blog post.

 Some very nice boats we saw on the way out to fish

 the lighthouse

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More Photos From Our Family Trip

I had talked about my family trip in this post but hadn't had the chance to go through my pictures and post more. Well here are more photos. :) Enjoy

 Entrance to Watkins Glen

 a bridge overhead in the park

 Seneca Lake

 waterfall emptying into the lake

 sailboat on the lake

Rose Mary and I

Paddle Boat in Williamsport, PA

 Lights while tenting

camping

I believe that pretty much catches up on all the pictures of my different excursions this past summer :) I need to go through my photos from Chincotegue, VA this past weekend and hope to have them up later this week.