two pair

Late April.  A beautiful spring evening. 

Ivy and Rhett paired up to play basketball.

Alaina and Reilly collected ticks in the play swamp located between the homesteads. 

Summer looks sweet.

They're Back!

As the weather warms the flora and fauna return. The plants spring forth, green up, bud and bloom. The birds and insects are not far behind. Year-round residents build nests for new broods while migratory birds come back to their summer homes. Unfortunately the ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes and flies are also back to balance things out. Might as well face it; there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

Orin Star Samulski

Orin's first birthday was yesterday, April 18! He had a wonderful day and we were lucky enough to spend the day with him.

Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things

With the generous snow-melt and warming temperatures everything is really coming alive. The redbuds we planted 20-some years ago have never looked better though plenty of deadwood and underbrush needs to be cleared. Birds and bees are active. I've set up a camera near one of the bluebird houses I built to catch some of the activity. The birds have inspected the house but left and haven't been seen for a couple of days. I saw a scissor-tail flycatcher on Monday, a week before I would normally have expected. The warm temps have allowed for plenty of outdoor activity too. I've managed to get one wildflower plot started and will get another going this week. I've also managed to get a small rock pathway around the carport completed as well as some grade work to help with drainage. The horses are enjoying the new growth. Diez still isn't allowed to graze on too much green grass so she just settles for peach blossoms.

Happy Easter

Wild Orban Kids dyed eggs last night and the big bunny visited under cover of darkness.  So.... Easter Eggs were hunted in the morning.  There are always 2 or 3 real eggs that seem to disappear.  But, eggs located became deviled eggs for the mid-day feast. 

Jason, Misty, Sarah, and James visited and more egg hunting and candy eating occurred.  Diez got to give pony rides and the day was sunny and warm, if pretty windy.  Seems to be the norm the last week or so.

Hope you all have plenty of jelly beans.  xxxooo

Signs of Spring

Every year about this time I've got to move the manure pile. Over the winter it gets spread out over a large area one wheelbarrow full at a time. Because of the harsh winter our horses spent more time in their stalls which meant more stall cleaning ,thus a larger pile. In years past I've been lucky to have access to the Cornerstone Construction tractor or the Jason Ray Bobcat loader to turn the manure over and pile it into a large, manageable mountain. This year I finally got my own tractor; it's a 20 year old Mitsubishi that was originally used in the rice paddies in Japan. It has a 4 cylinder diesel engine producing 30 hp smooth as a Singer sewing machine on wheels. It's going to get a real workout grading our driveway, tilling garden space, dressing the riding arena and round pen, solving drainage problems, mowing and of course keeping Manure Mountain under control. I've got plans for a bigger garden, a wildflower plot and hopefully a decent pasture.
Of course I won't be the only one in the driver's seat...

Come on folks...

Some member of this blog is bound to have something to say. 2 weeks without a post? Whats up with that? Maybe it's the changing weather keeping everyone away from the computer. Gimme something good, bad or in between....just give me something.