Reference Photos

It was around 1:00 this afternoon and I told Tom that I would like to shoot some quick photos of our Longhorns, Jack and Joe for a painting that I started. “The lighting is not too great right now” he said. I told him that I had not seen them since early this morning, in fact I had not seen the three ponies that are in the pasture with them, either. Tom was gone for a while and came back with interesting news, not particularly good news…..”The gate to Tip’s property is open….they are gone!”We were still in our running clothes, but did not take the time to change. My first thought was that I might get some actual helpful shots for this painting……

progress of cattle painting

My second thought was that I probably would not have time to paint today…..

help!!!!!

The problem was that our little mish mash herdlet had joined a rowdy bunch of bovines and they outnumbered us by quite a bit.

the cow whisperer

If it was up to me, I would have just turned around, said good bye to our livestock and started a new painting of a bird or a kitten……

gotta keep'em separated

My cowboy, sans the rhinestones would have none of that!

what is going on?

Carrots and cattle cubes are excellent bribes….the problem is that we did not want to cause a stampede of over eager eaters.

rear view mirror

I was tempted to play some good old country music on the radio in the truck for inspiration, but I needed to hear directions from Tom as I churned through the sand…..

move 'em up

“Close the gate!!!!!”

let's hear it for the boys

The ponies were very interested in seeing what treats I had in the truck.

lead pony

Pony Boy and Sunny know the routine of getting rewards for bad behavior.

Ain't no sunshine when you're gone.

Well, we missed out on so much today while we were tracking down the wayward pasture ornaments….I was planning on ironing and mending some socks….but in spite of it all, they are so cute when they are bad!!!!

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Pony Boy

Not sure what to name this painting. It is another image full of memories…..many horses over the years. I have loved them all! This is acrylic on paper……the first of a series.

Pony Boy’s Girls

Our precious great nieces, Hannah and Emma spent the week-end with us. They said they were ready to learn to ride ALONE without someone leading them.We made plans for Sunday afternoon. We were going to saddle up two ponies, but my back went out on me,(UGH!) so I thought one would be good for the first time. They brushed Pony Boy and Tom saddled him up. We stayed in the fenced yard. They were so good about having to take turns.

Emma rides alone

Next time we will put on some boots and helmets, saddle up both ponies and head down to the pond.  We had a cook-out Saturday night and just stayed on the lead line the whole time. These girls could not be any sweeter or unspoiled.

Little Cowgirl

They made up the bed every morning without complaining and brought their dishes to the sink. We had great fun in the art room, too and I think they created about 20 masterpieces each! We have lots of great photos that I will add and can be seen on Leicaman’s blog Just Saying Not sure what is up with my back! I am a laptop sitting couch potato today. That’s all for now……

Last Night and the Night Before

I could not wait to get home Friday night. Tom and I had a cook out planned and we wanted to get started before sunset. I thought we might just walk down to the tank and sit on a blanket and eat a salad, but I should have known better. I saddled up Pony Boy and he was my couch for the evening, while the Gourmet Chef grilled bell peppers, zucchini, carrots and onions to compliment our jalapeño and cheddar cheese burgers. Pony Boy munched on hay and was content to hang out with us. We had a radio, but it was more fun to listen to the Cara Caras (Mexican eagles) and the Owls as it got later. Last night was even more fun and Tom had the whole day to plan our feast.We had corn on the cob, roasted on the fire, green beans on another grill, chicken and sausage on the 3rd one.

Spooky's first pony ride

Noche and Okie stayed home (their choice)and I was a little bit worried about bringing Spooky. I thought we might lose her when it got dark, but she stayed near us all night. She even went for a ride on Pony Boy. Sky was really good, too. She did a little exploring, but never wandered off to far.

Every day opens up new possibilities for fun that only could be realized by living out here with the solitude, open land and abundant wildlife. Just recently we have been excited to see several deer on our property for the first time ever. Last week, I started putting out corn so that they will appear on a predictable basis.There is a big buck and at least four doe in his harem. I can’t wait to see little Bambis in May. If I feed them enough, maybe they will hang out here more often and try some of Tom’s roasted corn on the cob! We took lots of photos that are posted here. Check out Just Saying to see some of the ranch recipes.

Gran-Aunt-Dana’s Diary

Gran-niece Anna spent the night Sunday night. We started off as soon as we got to the ranch in  the art studio painting a beautiful work of art. A Bay horse. Then we packed a snack and drinks, saddled up Bailey and Pony Boy and headed down to the tank for some conversation and checking out a secret spot that would be our future camp-site. (Sorry, no pictures, it’s a secret after all)We found a great location and set up our perfect little table from some nearby branches. We tied the ponies to a tree with their halters and they munched on the snack of carrots that we brought them while we had our juicy juice and animal crackers. Anna brought her sketch book with a little butterfly charm which Bailey tried to eat.We gave him a cracker and packed up our viddles. We  got back on the ponies to try to track down some deer. We saw plenty of tracks!

We rode back to the barn before sunset.

view from the tank

Anna got the ponies some hay and water, while I unsaddled them and put them in their stalls. Anna created two more masterpieces, a donkey and goat before we had a great dinner of ribs, corn, salad and bread cooked by Uncle Tom.
We watched horse movies til 10. and fell asleep dreaming of tomorrow’s adventure……..

Back In The Saddle

Mourning is officially over, for everyone except Pony Boy. He usually just carts around little children and gets rewarded with buckets of carrots and sweet feed, but he was a good sport today. He even put up with lots of hugs and kisses.

nothing like that pony/puppy smell

His bridle was dusty and needed a little polishI needed to walk over to the mounting block to climb on my 12 hand steed.

Double wide

I thought it would be fun to round up the Longhorns, but changed my mind…..

git along little doggies

After 14 years of smiling for the camera, our little pony has it down pat.

Smile for the camera!

Fast Eddie the super tortoise wanted to join us on our trail ride.

Wanna come?

We rode the fence-line and the weather could not have been more perfect.

Flower power

Miss Piggy was content to hear all about it when we got back to the barn.

what did I miss?????

Everybody got extra treats to celebrate the awesome day……once again I feel like I am living the dream.

Daddy’s Little Helper

He might really be trying to taste Tom’s straw hat, but after living with this pony boy for the last 12years, we know that he is always more than willing to hand you a hammer or help you pull weeds, if need be. He is multi-talented and smart as a whip. Life would not be nearly as interesting without this equine treasure in our lives.