I love this snapshot.  This big ole smile is always on Tom's face when he is handling one of these Cleveland Bays.    I keep thinking sooner or later the new might wear off, and he will no longer look like a little boy on Christmas morning when he has a hold of their lead, but so far, that's not the case.   I'm loving it though, because it makes for great photo opportunities. 

Victoria is still staying with Dr. Hilt.   The good news is her cycles finally leveled out and we were able to order semen last week.  According to Dr. Hilt, the timing was near perfect, so now we wait and see.   By the end of this week, we should know if we can expect a little Lion/Victoria baby in 2015.    Keep your fingers crossed! 

We have a new house guest.   Isn't  she cute? 
Raffy found herself in a precarious situation in which her previous owner had the choice of finding her a new home or allowing her to be shot.   I had met Raffy on one previous occasion, and this little dog endeared herself to me with her sweet nature.   When Raffy's owner called, upset and wanting to save Raffy's life,  I immediately knew I had to try and help.   I pointed her owner toward a few local no-kill shelters and crossed my fingers there would be an empty kennel Raffy could call home to buy her some time to find new living arrangements.   Unfortunately, there was no room at the Inn's.

Tom, who knows me all to well,  just got a resigned look on his face and gave me a nod.   And so, Raffy has joined us here at the ranch for a temporary stay while a permanent home can be found.   She has been here less than 24 hours and is already settling in nicely. 

She has met the cats and didn't blink an eye- not even with the ever-obnoxious "let's rub up against the new dog and tickle her nose with my tail" gray cat, Ice.    Raffy passed by the black cat, "don't turn your back on me, Dog, I will cut you in your sleep" Alice, without even acknowledging the cranky kitty's threats. 

Raffy has been meeting our dogs a little at a time and while on leash.  Most of our dogs are very good about meeting new dogs.   They learned to accept new faces while I was fostering dogs for several years.   So far, only our Malamute- Kuno, has copped any kind of attitude at all.   He will come around. 

The Crate is not Raffys favorite place to be, but I've learned over the years it's an invaluable tool when introducing a new dog to a crazy household.   Yummy hot dogs drop from the sky while she is in the crate, and so it's not as bad as she first thought it to be.  

I am crossing my fingers we will be able to find this lovely girl a good home.  She is quiet, pretty laid back, and is taking all these changes to her life in stride.   It has to be scarey for her- new people, new sites, smells, dogs, cats.... but she seems fairly content to calmly observe and soak up attention when given.   She is well mannered and knows a few tricks.   I made a friend for life when I found THE itchy spot behind her ear.  And the big bonus?  She's already house-broke! 

I'll enjoy having a foster dog again.   It's been awhile, and I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to networking to find her a new home.  I have faith though- there is someone out there that will be able to see the diamond in the rough as I do.   If you know someone looking to add a new family member, send them my way and I'll introduce them to Miss Raffy!  

About seventeen years ago, Tom and I sold a big sorrel horse to a gentleman up near the Canadian line.   We called the horse "Leap", and he was quite a character.  Leap had come to us as a 3 year old.  Tom used to ride the youngsters for his brother- the deal being Tom would ride three and get his pick of one.   Leap was big- kind of gawky looking, and really kind of a knot-head.  He was a character though- and his willingness to work and his gentle nature made him one of my favorite rides.     It was a stretch to get on, but I was well mounted.   Unfortunately, real life dealt us some vehicle repair bills, loan payments needing paid.... And we decided to sell Leap. 
    Every few years, we'd run in to Leap's new owner.  He'd changed his name to "Big Red", and with every conversation it was clear he thought the world of his big red horse.    As Big Red, Leap had a great life.  He was well taken care of, spoiled in a good sort of way, and didn't have to work as hard as he would of if he would have remained here with us.  His owner would share Big Red's antics, and we were relieved and thrilled to know our Leap had gone to such a great home. 
     Earlier this year, Big Red's owner tracked us down.  It was not such an easy feat, as we had moved three times and had an unlisted phone number.   He had retired from farming and ranching, leased his place out, and was looking for a good home for Big Red.  Arrangements were made, and Big Red was loaded in our trailer, and Leap was returned home.
    Oddly enough,  our third move had been back to the Diamond Bar- the ranch we lived on when Tom and I married, and where Leap was born and raised.  I was so very excited to see him again, and when he walked off the trailer we headed for the barn.  Seventeen years later, Leap walked in the barn, walked into "his" stall, stuck his nose in the oats box, and then turned and looked at us as if to say "Where's my grain?".    After that many years, he remembered the drill as if he'd only been gone a day. 
    Now, I have to admit, it was the sentimental side of us that agreed to bring Leap home.  We thought very highly of him when he was young.  The practical side of us argued with that sentimental side, knowing Leap was for all intents and purposes- "retired".  Tom spends some very long hours in the saddle over some pretty rough ground, and it's a lot to ask of an old horse.   We are limited on the number of horses we can care for.   Bringing Leap home meant we would be taking up a spot that could be used for a younger, more usable horse.  Thank goodness we don't always do things according to logic though, as Leap has been a blessing!
    The old man is still in great shape, with a lot of "git-up-and-go" left.  He's got many years of knowledge under his cinch, and he knows how to take care of himself.  That same gentle nature we grew to love has only matured in his 20's.  And the greatest part?    Leap and Wylee have hit it off, and he's teaching her so much about how to handle a herd of cows.   On Wylee and Leap's first adventure, Tom's instructions to Wy were "Give that horse his head and let him go to work!".   Wylee came home with a big grin on her face, convinced that Leap knew what the cows were going to do before the cows did!  
    As for Tom and I?  Well, we've been reminded of the value of an old horse.  Welcome home Leap. 

Fall is in the air today.   The temperatures are cooler and I'm spending some time making apple butter while Tom is off moving the old cows to a new field.    We're still very short handed here at the Diamond Bar, although the owners and a few of our family members have come to spend some time helping.    Usually by this time we are done haying, or have most everything wrapped up and just needing hauled in from the fields.  Tom being a "one man show" for much of the summer has our finish date a bit later this year. 
The pink eye in the cattle has seemed to slow a bit as well.  Fewer animals needing doctored, and many of them that were treated seem to be healing up.  We've been riding through the pastures on a regular basis to try and stay ahead of it.   The usual fall herd work will begin later this month and they will all be brought in once again and given a thorough exam. 
Yesterday we visited my parents... traded some horses around and Tom and the girls rode through their cattle as well.  Kate and Little Bit- both of whom were pasture exposed to William- were turned out for the fall and Ruby and Scarlett were brought home in their place.  Ruby had a well earned rest for the summer, but her younger full sister, Scarlett, has had more than a year off.  Scarlett is six this year.  Tom spent a calving season on her when she was 4, and she's been turned out since.  I'm hoping she has retained her lessons well. 
It was late when I got to visit Neechi and Eloquence last night, so no new pictures but they are both doing well and growing strong.  I'm still looking forward to weaning when we can have them in and handle them daily.  Both of them seem to have such different but fun personalities.  
Signing off for now- lots of apples to peal!  Hope this post finds you all doing well, and I'll check in

I blinked and July has flown by.    What a busy month this has been! 
Haying season is in full swing, although I did pry Tom out of the swather  long enough to get him over to the western side of the state.  We attended The Event at Rebecca Farm.  This is the first time we've ever been to such a thing, and all I can say is Wow!    We were in heaven- three days surrounded by good people, lovely scenery, and some of the worlds most talented horses.  It just doesn't get any better than that!   Tom even decided that cross country jumping looks like a lot of fun, and if he could wear his jeans and boots instead of riding breeches he might even give it a try. 

I got a surprise letter in the mail from Florida that made my day!  Pictures and a note from the proud owner of a William gelding, Charter.   Charter is stunningly beautiful, and gives us a glimpse at what we can look forward to!  We love to see William's older babies and know what they are up to- such a talented group of "kids" he has! 

Speaking of talented kids... Wylee and Tawnya have been having a good summer.  Tawnya has spent some time traveling around and visiting friends.  Wylee and her friend Kendra participated in the kids rodeo during fair.  They each did the flag race and barrel racing.    Wylee also rode a steer and came in 2nd.  Lots of fun was had by all.  Last Saturday was the 3 mile Nee Wah run.  Wy had been bugging me all year to run in that, so Grandma took her down and got to watch her come in first for her age division. 

Last evening we finally got over to Warrick to take pictures of Neechi and Eloquence.  They've been turned out on summer grass and are growing like bad little weeds.   They are learning all the things good ranch horses should know- how to maneuver around in the rocks and trees, crossing creeks, and growing strong running up and down the hills.  They've gotten a little independent since being turned out, but were still pretty curious about why I kept following them around with that darn camera.   I'm looking forward to weaning when we will get them in and be able to handle them on a daily basis.

Hope you all are doing well~ Check out the new foal page for more pics of Neechi and Elly.  I put a slide show on there that I will update with pictures wh

500 and some calves on the ground and just a couple hundred to go!  The end is in sight.   I'm always so excited when calving season begins, but when we are winding down, I am truly looking forward to it being over.  So far the weather has been very cooperative, we haven't had a lot of sick calves, and the mommas seem to be taking good care of those babies. **knocking on wood**  

The troubles of the last couple months have been breakdowns- anything mechanical that could possibly break down, has.  Much of it is still sitting in various states of disrepair around the yard until calving slows down, someone puts more hours in the day, or the grease and gear fairy pays us a visit while we are sleeping.  

Cheyenne is still holding on to that William baby and keeping us in suspense.   She looks very large, round, swollen and miserable.  Tom told me a week ago that April 10th will be the day for baby to make its grand entrance.  I'm hoping she foals before midnight tonight, or after midnight on the 10th just because we can't have him getting all big-headed and I-told-you-soish.  Whatever the date, we're sure excited to meet this little one, and I'm still crossing my fingers for an uncomplicated delivery.

In other news- my turkeys have started laying!  Yes, this is something I am ridiculously happy about!    I have had my incubators fired up for a few weeks - anxious to begin my hatching season.   I did find some Bourbon Red turkey eggs in southwestern Montana that I was lucky enough to get transportation for.  Bless my friends in dog rescue- they don't even bat an eye when I make odd requests like this.   We had dogs on this end that needed to get to Stevensville, and a dog in Stevensville that needed to come to my house so we recruited a driver to meet me in Helena.  Judy was kind enough to pick up the turkey eggs and put them on our dog transport, where they were picked up by Lori who safely transported eggs and dog to me in Helena.  We were able to swap dogs, and the eggs made it home with me and were deposited into a waiting incubator.  15 of the little darlings seem to be developing right along.  There was also a Bourbon Red tom available, but I figured that might be pushing my luck.  I just don't think turkeys travel as well as dogs....  Anyway, with my turkeys now laying I am hoping to add to the turkey herd.   Now if I could just get those darn chickens to lay.....