Courtney's Adventure in Gardening

Watching T.V.

2011-10-22T12:28:00.002-04:00

Willow watching Vampire Diaries with me. She's Team Stefan, whereas, I'm more Team Damon.
After farm chores on the cold morning I ate breakfast watching one of my DVRed TV shows, Vampire Diaries...Willow really seemed to enjoy it. She found the whole drama intriguing. I think we might have another V.D. fan here.
I'm glad we have this bonding time. :)

Catnip...gone

2011-06-02T19:05:00.001-04:00

That catnip that I told you I had growing...well, its been stripped of its leaves. It seems, surprise...surprise, that my three cats like it.

I planted it for them, but not for them to devour now. I wanted to be all resourceful and dry it to put in their toys.

~Sheesh~ There goes that plan!

Next time I will put it where they can't get it. I wonder where that is?

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My Lil Herb Garden

2011-05-30T01:09:00.001-04:00

I'm growing herbs and they're not dead!!! I've never had much luck growing herbs, both in pots and in the garden. The one herb that did grow well for me was lavender, and that was only after a few attempts.

I tried it in a pot at first but was never successful. It just so happened the dog had started a hole by the front path, so I plopped my current lavender plant in it. Violia! It loved it there and thrived.

Everytime I walked down that path I was surrounded by the soft scent of lavender.

Now someone else is enjoying it.

The first plant I bought this spring for my new place was lavender...but it didn't last a week. I thought I would be able to keep lavender in a pot now that I had a little bit more experience gardening. I was wrong. So I quit trying to grow lavender...for now.

My other herbs; Basil, oregano, thyme, Rosemary and catnip are doing beautifully. I love that I can walk out my kitchen door and get fresh herbs. I think my food tastes better...maybe...hopefully.

I'm still hoping I can grow lavender with the rest of my herbs. If anyone has any suggestions for growing lavender on pots please let me know.

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Just Outside

2011-05-04T10:11:00.000-04:00

This is a row of peonies getting ready to bloom right outside my back door. Have I mentioned that I really love where I live?

Well, I do.

The Ark is Built

2011-04-27T17:48:00.000-04:00

We have had so much rain that I have built my ark and I'm ready to go. Thunderstorms keep knocking us around here in the bluegrass, so much so that my nerves are on the verge. Being from Oklahoma I am used to intense thunderstorms and tornadic activity. But these last few weeks have put all that experience to shame.

Now every siren I hear puts me on high alert. A plane flying to close to the ground makes me think a tornado is forming. And the rain is washing away my topsoil, creating bogs in the lawn and making every pair of pants I own take on a new mud splattered look.

Probably needless to say, I haven't really done any gardening. I have plants and vegetables that I want in the ground but if I did people in Tennessee would be the ones able to grow them after having floated away. My windowsills are full, and I am afraid that either a dog's tail or a cat will knock the plants over. I am living on borrowed time.

My gardening in on hold, for now. If this rain doesn't let up I WILL figure out a way to grow my plants hydroponically with this standing rain water.

It's Not Me

2011-04-14T22:08:00.002-04:00

Moving into a new house has its pluses and minuses. The main plus is major purging. The big, and I mean big minus, of moving is starting over on my garden.

My old garden wouldn't have been in any magazines or won any awards but it was mine. I loved it. I selected each plant. Some were clearance cast offs, others were impluse purchases.

I don't know what is already planted in the beds. So I have to wait and see what comes up. Luckily I am living in the artist cottage on an historic estate that employs a full time gardener. Wonderful things are coming up this spring. Lilac bushes, Wisteria, Lillies of the Valley and flowering trees. It is beautiful and smells like heaven.

All these gorgeous plants are coming up and I had nothing to do with it. The Gardner in me can't believe I am saying this, but I kind of like having this beauty surround me and I didn't have to do a thing.

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Greenhouse at Work

2011-04-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

The itch to start plants came as strong as ever this year, the only difference is I have moved and don't have the same sunlight availability. But the itch grew and grew until I couldn't contain it any longer. So, by golly, a brought my seedlings and dirt to work. I placed the planted seeds under my desk fluorescent light and prayed for something to happen. Truthfully, I expected mushrooms to sprout but instead the plants poked their little green heads out. I have tomatoes, peppers, basil, catnip and columbine growing on my desk at work.

The nice things about starting my plants at work is that my cats don't knock them down. :)

Dogwoods

2011-03-24T10:34:00.001-04:00

The dogwoods at my new house are blooming. I was starting to wonder if I would be perpetually surrounded by dreary brown since I am now surrounded by trees.

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The Garden is Watered

2010-07-25T23:23:00.003-04:00

It has been a wet summer here in Central Kentucky. After what seemed like forever I got my vegetables in the ground. I planted late this year, because of the rain and my time table. Though late, everything got in. I have three different varieties of tomatoes (Grape, Beefmaster, and Big Boy) cucumbers, carrots, onions, potatoes, bush beans, and peppers.

The rain has helped my tomatoes grow and bud and produce lovely green tomatoes, now I just need some more sun to get them to ripen. I have gotten a couple handfuls of grape tomatoes so far. I would have had tomatoes so much earlier if I had gotten my act together and planted them. At least I have them now and they are delicious.

My cucumbers are coming in. This year I feel I am better prepared for the amount of cucumbers that I should be able to harvest. Last year I got overwhelmed and not all of cucumbers were utilized. Interestingly enough, my cucumber plant that has done the best is a volunteer. The ones I started indoors ended up dying. So thank goodness for the volunteer, or I would still be waiting for cucumbers to arrive.

It seems this is the year for volunteers. I have volunteer tomato plants, (luckily they volunteered themselves in the same vicinity of my other tomatoes), sunflowers in the weirdest places and as of two weeks ago I have a volunteer birdhouse gourd vine growing in my front flower bed. I still haven't decided if I am going let it grow. In my research they take at least a 100 days of hot weather. It is the end of July, and though it has been a hot summer and August is looking like it will join the party, by my estimation I only have, at best, 60 days of warm weather left. And that could be stretching it. But it might be interesting to see what happens.

My flowers are doing really well, again thanks to the immense amounts of rain I have received. It has been great for cut flowers. My dahlias, cosmos, zinnias, pink and blue bachelor buttons. My sunflowers are doing well, but are slower. With more water there is less sun, and the sunflowers don't seem to like that as well. They are growing big and with some more sun I should have some beautiful sunflowers.

May Flowers

2010-05-03T23:12:00.000-04:00

April showers didn't come until May 1st, but my clematis didn't want to wait. The morning before our massive amount of rain three of my clematis plants started blooming. Then during the rain storm they blossomed even more. There is a column of clematis flowers on one corner of my deck.

When I purchased my first clematis I never imagined of how beautiful my clematis' plants would be in a few years time. I dreamed of course, and hoped, but never imagined. Now I know that I made the right choice when I bought that first one. And the purchase of the seven other clematis' was inspired...at least I like to think so. :)

Jackson was hiding among the flowers.

Sunflowers are such a Happy Flower

2010-04-27T17:23:00.000-04:00

The plants I have started from seeds are coming up. Guess which ones were the first ones that sprouted? You got it...my cucumbers. Not really a curprise. I have started two varieties. One is a pickling cucumber, therefor supposed to be smaller and the other is a big eating cucumber. I am hoping to be pickling a lot this year or at least live off of my cucumers.

My peppers, herbs, and beans are coming up. I haven't planted corn, carrots or sunflowers yet. I did put some sunflowers in a pot that will sit on my front porch and they have started to come up. I used the shorter variety, they only grow to 4-5 feet.

Sunflowers are such a happy flower. I would love to plant more sunflowers than what I already do, I just haven't located the right spot yet. A few seeds were added to my front garden with the cosmos and zinnias. This is my "tall" flower garden.

Ahh..Spring

2010-04-19T14:50:00.000-04:00

Even though we are having chilly temperatures here in Lexington, some of my perennials are opening up. My clematis’ vines have been growing like mad, with their buds numbering in the hundreds, okay slight exaggeration, maybe 100. This weekend the first clematis’ opened up to the sun. The dainty little flowers, compared to my dinner plate size clematis, just started to open when the bees took advantage of their pollen. Soon I should be seeing the rest of my vines bloom. I am giddy with anticipation.

My clematis wasn’t the only thing blooming this weekend. Some late flowering tulips opened up.

And my little violas keep producing these gorgeous miniature flowers that greet anyone that comes to my door.

Ahhh…spring, how I love you.

A little Orange

2010-04-13T23:37:00.000-04:00

The usual suspects are blooming already; hyacinths, tulips and daffodils. All beautiful and they help lift the dreary veil of winter and parade in spring. What I didn't expect were the pansies I planted last fall to add some autumn color to my flower beds to survive the long and cold winter, and then to bloom. But they did, their riotous color greets me every day when I return home from work. You can't miss the bright orange. I love my hyacinths, tulips and daffodils and can't wait to plant more; but these pansies make me smile especially after a long day behind a desk.

24 Days and Counting...

2010-02-24T23:07:00.000-05:00

As I watch the snow fall once again I begin to realize that even though it seems like spring will never get here, actually it is only 24 days away according to the calender. Soon it will be time for me to start working in the garden. I have started collecting my seeds and planning my layout.

Tomorrow at lunch I have a trip to Lowe's planned with a friend. She has a purpose, I am just going to fawn over the bulbs and seeds. Then I will fall in love with a bulb or a seed I have never grown before, which means it needs to come home with me. Once home I will have to figure out a place for it. Sometimes I get a little implusive.

I have come to realize I don't have a gardening style per se, and still being new to gardening when I see something I like I want to add it to my garden. Maybe my style is...hectic, I mean...eclectic. Yeah, I like that. A little bit of everything poking its head out; roses, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers, columbines...

Last year was a great learning experience. I did find out that I won't be so heavy handed with the Morning Glories, if in fact I even plant them at all. They were gorgeous but soon took over, like mad crazy, just like everyone said they would. Live and learn. In my front bed I hope to plant wild zinnias and cosmos. Both grow tall have beautiful flowers, are hardy, and they make me happy.

The rest of the beds are still in discovery. I need to find some good shade flowering plants. I do a lot of inpatients, which are great but now I think I want to change it up a bit.

Only 24 days til spring....the countdown is on! Can I last that long?

Resistance is Futile!!

2010-01-17T21:16:00.000-05:00

I broke down and bought seeds today. I was trying to resist until at least the end of February, but I was no match to the draw of seeds and the promise of gardening. I did only purchase herb seeds, so that I can start them inside. I didn't go too crazy, I'll leave that for my next trip. I can't wait!!!!

Warmer Weather

2010-01-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

It finally warmed up...and now it is raining. At least it isn't freezing rain. After two weeks of freezing temperatures Kentucky rose above 32 degrees. We are now sitting around the 50 degree mark. I want go outside and play in the dirt. I have even got the urge to start planting, but I beat it down with a stick. A couple more months and then tilling the soil will begin.

It Has Been Awhile

2010-01-10T22:20:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile, 5 months to be exact. I didn't mean to be gone so long, but this fall was crazy. And then I just stayed away, but I realized as I sit here in my cozy living room watching an episode of Chuck and not having any signifcant human contact this weekend (it is freezing and no one wants to go outside) that I wanted to start my blog again. A way to get my random thoughts out. You see if I keep them in too long strange things happen, like baking bread at 2:30 in the morning or deciding that I want to become a spy. :) So for anybody out there who takes the time to read this, Thanks!

Another Foggy Morning

2009-08-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

This morning I woke to a gloriously cool morning, though still a bit muggy. There was no surprise when I encountered dense fog when I headed to the car. The fog was beautiful and gave the earth an eerie feel, making me want to turn the car around and go back home.

The lack of sun didn't affect my morning glories, they were out in full force. Each day I have more blooms on the arch. It is a great way to greet the day!

I need to rearrange the morning glories, because soon I will not be able to make it down the steps to my car. Would that be such a bad thing? I could work from home? It has possibilities.

Unlike the morning glories this sunflower wasn't too thrilled at the lack of sun.

Orange Cucumber

2009-08-12T13:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, after work, I took a peek at my garden to see how the vegetables were faring. And behold, I had tomatoes that were finally ripening up and cucumbers hanging on the vine and what looked like squash! Wait...I didn't plant any squash, so what was it doing there? I reached down and plucked from the vine an...ORANGE CUCUMBER! The color closely resembles goldenrod from the Crayola crayons box.

What could this be? Did I have a different variety of cucumber that I had forgotten about? Nope, looks like the bees cross-pollinated my cucumbers with my tomatoes. :) I had heard that I I would need to keep a 100 yards between cucumbers and watermelon, but I didn't think that I might have needed to use this guideline for my tomatoes. For now I will happily pluck goldenrod cucumbers off the vine.

I also retrieved one ear of corn that was ready and that the raccoon hadn't already enjoyed. He does tell me that the corn is sweet and delicious, just how I like it. It is nice to have a taste tester to make sure the food is ready.

I was trying to get fancy in my vegetable display. With this bounty I felt like a real farmer, too bad I didn't have any wheat to stick chew on and my overalls were in the laundry. But I was barefoot, I have the mosquito bites on my feet to prove it.

Kelly Ripa visits Lexington

2009-08-11T08:49:00.000-04:00

It is all over the news here in Kentucky...Kelly Ripa was here in Lexington attending the USEF Pony Finals!

Yesterday morning on Regis and Kelly, she spoke with Ashton Kutcher on how wonderful and beautiful Kentucky was when she visited and what great people live here. What a great promotion for the state of Kentucky! And for Pony Finals!

Pony Finals has been a National Championship show for Hunter/Jumper ponys since 1967. The past several years it has been held at the Kentucky Horse Park. For a week the park is packed with ponys of varying colors and sizes, though all under 14.2, kids, parents, trainers and the occasional dog or two or three... It is just adorable to watch the little girls in pigtails flying around their hunter or jumper courses on their ponies!

Clubequestrian.com has some video footage from this year's Pony Finals. All I can say is "CUTE!"

Noo Shoos

2009-08-10T10:36:00.000-04:00

Have you ever experienced love at first site? I have and it was with a wonderful pair of suede ballerina slippers that I found this weekend! They fit my foot like a kid glove. When I wear them I feel happy and buoyant, and feel I could conquer the world.

What is it about the perfect pair of shoes that can make a person fell alive? Whether they are 4 inch heels, flats, flip flops or sneakers, a new pair of shoes brings joy...at least to me. It all started at a very young age...

My mother has told this story about me and a pair of new shoes for as long as I can remember and to whom ever will listen. It seems that when I was just learning to talk and walk, my parents took me to get a good pair of shoes at the local Buster Brown's in South Point, Ohio. When I walked out of the store with my wonderful new shoes, I was fascinated by them. We walked along the sidewalk and everyone I met along the way I would stop, look at them, point at my shoes and in my sweetest voice say "Noo shoos!".

Mom says it was just adorable, I will have to take her word on it. To this day when I mention that I bought a pair of new shoes, whether it is a swanky pair of hears or everyday flip flops Mom will recite, "Noo Shoos". And me being the ham that I am, will repeat this time honored phrase. We have also used the phrase when my horse got two new pairs of aluminum shoes.

All this talk of new shoes has been yearning for another pair...hmmm, looks like shopping could be in my future.

Learning a new skill...

2009-08-08T15:37:00.000-04:00

I am learning a new skill: Photoshop Elements. i just received my software in the mail after purchasing it on ebay. So far this is what I have done. Not too outstanding...yet. I hope to keep playing with my photos and see what I can do to enhance them.

For now here is my first attempt:

My new header was done with GIMP with the embossing effect.

Cozy, Foggy Morning

2009-08-07T10:29:00.000-04:00

With all the rain we have been getting, throw in cool weather mornings and we get dense fog. For the past two mornings the world has looked like this when I had to work. There is something cozy about it. It says to me crawl back in bed, pull the comforter up and sleep awhile. If only...

I love my views out the back door, especially when the horses are at the fence.

The sunflowers add a bright spot to the early morning without sun!

Have they come and gone yet?

2009-08-05T16:48:00.000-04:00

Boy, those storms yesterday sure were doozeys! The office shook and rattled with the pelting of rain. We got reports that Louisville was flooded and we were supposed to get similar amounts of rain. Luckily, we the weathermen missed their mark. I was concerned about a few low spots near the river along my road home. This was where getting off late from work pays off, the water had receded and there was no oncoming traffic when I needed to get in the opposite lane to pass high water.

The pasture in front of my house was now a "pond". Too bad it didn't come stocked with fish, I could of had a really good fish dinner. Willow enjoyed our temporary "pond", she is half-lab and that water-lovin side comes out even if there is only a drop of water on the ground.

The poor darlin' didn't understand when I wouldn't let her come in the house after her swim. If it had only been water, she could have stayed in the mud room/breakfast room. But since the "pond" was really a pasture it was marshy and muddy, so in turn, Willow was muddy. She went from being a yellow pup to a brown pup. At least she was happy.

Surprisingly Kody didn't take a dip. He normally heads for the water just as fast as Willow. I think the impending storm had him heading for the house instead of the "pond".

At least towards the west the sky was looking better. But it looks like we will be getting some more rain as the days go on. I think I will get my floaties ready!

A Stormy Tuesday

2009-08-04T15:46:00.000-04:00

We just got a huge storm here at the Kentucky Horse Park!! The sky was dark and ominous, making work that much more exciting. A few of us stood at the window watching the storm blow in, because the best place to be in a storm in next to a second story window...or not.

The rain starting coming down in sheets, making it a great day to have stayed home in bed enjoying ice cream and t.v. Unfortunately I was still at work and there wasn't much chance of me heading home to enjoy the storm. That's okay, I got to enjoy it at the office. And it got real interesting quick.

The wind and rain were strong enough that water came in from the windows and links developed throughout the building. We were grabbing up trashcans to collect as much water as we could. Luckily, the leaks were small and everything was under control.

Now we are hearing reports of flooding in the area, so drives home tonight are going to be a little haphazard. I am just hoping my normal 10 minute commute doesn't end up being 45 minutes if I have to take the long way around. Keep your fingers crossed...

My Best Friend the Chestnut Gelding

2009-08-03T18:43:00.001-04:00

Horses have always been a huge part of my life, and they still are but in a different fashion. I grew up horse crazy and my parents were wonderful enough to indulge in my obsession. It helped that they already had horses and could understand my plight.

I had horse everything, I doodled horse heads on my homework and wrote essays (paragraphs) about horses. Friends wanted to hang out with me and go ride our family horses. I was happy to indulge, because I would use any excuse hang out with the horses.

My friends rarely saw the squashed toes and smashed hands. (A story for another time, it has been 25 years and I can still feel the hoof on my hand.) I love my horses!

When I was around four I saw people jumping their horses over brightly colored sticks, immediately I turned to my mom and dad and said, "I want to do that." If horses weren't expensive enough I had to go and fall in love with one of the most expensive riding disciplines (disputed) of them all; Hunter/Jumpers. My parents got me into riding lessons where I was soon jumping over those brightly colored sticks, but at a much less lower height to my parents relief and my impatience. Soon I was showing and enjoying every minute of my new found love.

There comes a time when you outgrow the lovely pony you have been riding, my black mustang Midge, and need to a taller horse. After extensive looking we found Pi, a chestnut Arabian gelding with attitude. Oh how I loved him. He was a fairy tale. My very own Black Stallion, except he was a Chestnut Gelding...minor details. I rode him and I was in heaven and then he...dumped me.

The snot, was a trickster. Too smart for his own good. He thought it was funny to see me flip through the air! I am not kidding,. I saw him shaking his head and whinnying one time after I ungracefully, involuntarily dismounted! Though there were many times I decided he was not the horse for me, I hung in there. Mostly because my parents told me that Pi and I needed to figure each other out and that I was not getting a new horse.

After hours and hours of riding and ground work and playing we finally became best friends. He moved to California with the family, where we changed riding careers from Hunter/Jumpers to the more exciting and daredevil eventing. Pi and I loved to run fast and jump high, which the cross country phase of eventing satisfied.

Our move to California gave us more opportunities not only for showing but to also try fox hunting, which we both found we totally enjoyed. Pi was a frequent traveller and took everything in stride, but when we pulled up the the farm that we went fox hunting from he became my Chestnut Gelding (i.e. Black Stallion). He would hear the wild peacocks in the hills and his characteristic Arabian head would go up and the tail would wave in the wind. He would go from 14.2 hands to 17 hands in an instant. I never felt so proud as to watch my beautiful boy. (Hands are how horses' height is measured, 1 hand = 4 inches.)

We played, trail rode, showed, attempted barrel racing, rode in parades and kept taking lessons mostly learning more about dressage and how it wasn't as bad as we thought. Pi was good with other kids, letting them dress him up in funny outfits. He never turns down a treat. He even took a bite of my ham and cheese sandwich on summer afternoon during Pony Club camp. He actually liked it and came back for more. Together we understand each other.

Each of us has grown up and Pi is now retired in a wonderful pasture with friends. I run out to see him and hope to bring him home one day. For now he is happy and I am happy for him. Though I miss him terribly. He is my best friend and confidant.

I love you my Chestnut Gelding!

Happiness

2009-07-31T17:27:00.000-04:00

Early this week I tried to plea with Apollo to bring the sun out from behind the clouds here in Kentucky. It seems he didn't hear my plea because we are still getting rain. Even though the Greek god didn't hear me, someone did! My sunflowers heard my cry for the golden orb in the sky, so they stuck their beautiful heads out as a way to entice the sun to shine. Thank you Sunflowers, you are bringing a smile to my face.

Only one has bloomed so far, it looks like some of the others are not far behind.

Sunflowers bring me joy and happiness. Everytime I see a sunflower either in a vase, a field or in a picture it just brightens my day. Their yellow petals are like a big sign pointing the way towards happiness. I love those kind of signs!

I saw this beauty when I got home last night after a tough day. Talking on the phone with my mother watching the drizzle outside, I looked towards the garden and this yellow friend was a shining beacon. My day transformed immediately. The crap that happened at work was forgotten.

Sunflowers = Happiness!!!

Little Ms Milkmaid, pt. 2: The Lick

2009-07-31T06:30:00.000-04:00

I took the dogs to with me to go milking this past weekend. It wasn't their first time to see the cows. The introduction esd msfr a couple of weeks ago when I went wild blackberry picking. But everyone is still very much interested in each other. Kody likes to say "Hi" and after that he doesn't really mind them. He is used to large hoofed animals being that he has spent the last ten years running around with me and my horses. But Willow on the other hand is not too sure what to think.

From afar she thinks they are pretty cool but then they come right up to her face and she runs behind me and barks; mind you, she is a 100 lb dog. (Since I am not really a deterrent when the cows are really interested, I keep the fence between me and the interested bovine; at least for now. I still don't quite know how to read them).

This past weekend the milking had been done and the cows were all out in the front pasture. Kody, Willow and I went to check the water. The cows were on the other side of the pasture, so we stepped through the gate to adjust the water hose. All it took was one cow to see us. The next thing I knew I had four bovine headed our way. At first they were slow and ambling, but then one, Mickalyn, picked up her pace. She wasn't running because that would use too much energy and she is making milk, but she was no longer ambling!

Kody and Willow were excited about the approaching friends, so much so they wanted to greet Mickalyn. I had other plans.

Once we got on the other side of the fence the stragglers had picked up their pace and were coming. Mickalyn just barely got stopped before she put her nose down to greet Kody. Since her nose couldn't fit through the gate, Kody stuck his head through. They were cold wet nose to warm wet nose sniffing each other. It was very sweet, then the best thing happened. Mickalyn licked Kody with her long blue tongue!!! I don't know who was more surprised Kody, Willow or me! (Willow was watching her big bro with amazement and awe. She seemed to say, "What are you doing touching that...that...well, that?") Through all of this I was wishing that my camera was handy.

Kody must have understood what Mickalyn was saying because he began to "dance" and started "talking" to her in his "Let's be friends" howl. The whole time we were at the gate, Kody "talked" to the girls.

Juliann, Calf Tan and Begonia came to investigate after they saw that Mickalyn and Kody were hitting it off. They were interested in Willow. Willow wanted to be brave like her bro but she really didn't like when their big noses took up her whole vision. She would sniff then backpedaled to be behind me, then 2 seconds later go back to sniff them again. This went on until I was ready to head home, meaning the water tank was filled.

I can say that the cows, Kody and Willow have been introduced and for the most part are getting along. It will be nice when they don't pay attention to each other. And next time my camera will be at the ready, so tath I can catch any more signs of affection between Mickalyn and Kody. At least I have my memory of "The Lick".

Mickalyn and Kody's first introduction.

Those Little F*$%^ing B@s!@rd$

2009-07-30T16:19:00.000-04:00

...is the affectionate name I have for the Japanese Beetles that are living on my plants. Normally I wouldn't be swearing over a small bug, but those "small" bugs do some major damage. The little suckers are eating the leaves off of morning glories, and devouring the rose petals from my roses! So I have declared war upon them!!!

If you drive by my house and see me in my office attire shaking the plant leaves or the plant itself, cupping my hand and then throwing the contents down on the ground after shaking it really hard, similar to rolling dice at the craps table, and then jumping up and down where I just threw the contents of my hand; you will know I was just going through my method of helping the Japanese beetles into another life. This method may not be the best way to eradicate the beetles but it sure makes me feel good! :)

I have used the insecticide, Sevin, with great results but the F*$%^ing B@s!@rd$ started in on my Basil and I can't use Sevin on that. So I continue to do my little dance. And if you happen to see me, just give a honk and a wave while shaking your head at my strange attempt to seek revenge on a shiny, green, rose petal eating, morning glory destroying bug! And if you have any better methods for moving them along please let me know.

Mouthwatering Blueberries!

2009-07-30T02:04:00.000-04:00

I have a wee little blueberry bush that actually produced some blueberries this year! But it was just a few handfuls. It was enough to say I have blueberries but not enough to make a pie or jam.

The first picking of 15 were added to a blueberry muffin mix I already had. And boy, oh boy, did they make a difference. Even though the mix had real blueberries that you pour from a pre-packaged can they didn't give it that blueberry zest. You know, the spreading blueish-purplish color next the the berry. But my blueberries did. And when you bit into the muffin where a fresh blueberry was, the blueberry taste was stronger.

My next two handfuls, 25 berries, I couldn't decide what to do with. Not enough for more muffins, too many for a single dessert. I could add them to pancakes, or even better make blueberry syrup. Yum! That is what I did. I didn't create anything fancy, I just poured in some fabulous Aunt Jemima syrup into a saucepan, added the blueberries and started heating it up. Once it started boiling I started stirring. It didn't take long until my homegrown blueberries were breaking down and releasing their blueberry juices where they began to mingle with the syrup.

After it was done I poured it over my french toast. I tried to be frugal with the syrup, so that it would last, but I couldn't control myself and used all of the syrup. The blueberry syrup wasn't too sweet, and I could taste the fresh blueberries. It was mouth watering, not only was my mouth watering but so was Kody's and Willow's. And they don't even like fruit!

Next year, when my blueberry bush is bigger, I hope to have a few more recipes and ideas of how to use my blueberries. There are only a few more left on the bush and I think that I will eat them with no adornment. Just thinking about them is making my mouth water. Hmm, hmm, good!

Using Toothpicks to Keep the Eyes Open

2009-07-29T16:51:00.000-04:00

Do you remember watching little kids fight the sleep that is trying to overtake them? Their little heads bob up and down, but then all of the sudden they start bouncing off the walls, and then get a bit whiney. Soon they are back to head bobbing and refusing to go to bed because, “I not sweepy, mommy.” Eventually they do fall asleep.

This is what I feel like, I am trying not to be whiney and if anyone said it was time to go to bed I would not disagree. My response would be, “Where’s the bed?” as I looked around for the most comfortable spot to lie down.

I am trying to be peppy and semi-funny, anything to keep my energy level up so that I don’t crash. I must be annoying my co-workers because I am almost annoying myself. Luckily, my co-workers will knock me upside the head if I get to annoying. It is great to have such true friends that watch out for you…at least I think they are looking out for me? Hmmmm…I will have to give that some more thought.

Anyway, I am trying not to fall asleep at my desk. I have the music cranked up, the fan on, and I am being ridiculously excited about trivial things.

So why am I so sleepy? Because it is RAINING, again!!!! I like to snuggle into my bed and listen to the pitter patter of the rain coming down, so my body is trying to fall back into that habit. Problem: I am at my desk at work not at home in my bed. So come’ on body stay awake for a couple more hours and then I will put you to bed!

Sunflowers please bring the Sun!

2009-07-29T11:40:00.000-04:00

It is raining....again. Which is good for the grass, but I would really love for the grass to take a vacation. I can't catch up with the weed-eating. It seems that I have to weed-eat everyday.

"Wait, I do weed-eat every day!" she says as she bangs her forehead against the desk.

I weed-eat in front of the house, behind the house, in between the garden rows, around the horse trailer, the front walk, the back yard and the fence line. Normally, if I lived in town this would be a quick job, but because I live out in the country I have more green area (which I love) but my weed-eater doesn't. I have a really nice Black and Decker battery operated weed-eater that I bought when I had less grass. What I need now is a gas powered monster of a weed-eater or a man to weed-eat for me. :)

But since it is raining today I don't have to weed-eat! YEAH!!! The down side is the grass is passing me by in this race. Also, less sun means that my tomatoes will be that much slower in ripening. I have hordes of green tomatoes but no red ones. I even brought some in the house and set them on a window sill but they are as green as the Golly Green Giant. So frustrating.

So Apollo, Greek God of Sun, I offer up to you my beautiful Sun Flowers, once they get enough sun to bloom that is!!! I will happily keep weed-eating if I can have ripe tomatoes!

**Can you tell that I am conflicted about whether I want the sun out or not? So many pros and cons. But mostly I would love to see the sun.

They are starting to develop flower heads.

Getting closer!

Look the Sun!!

Just a little to the left...

Reminiscing...

2009-07-24T18:14:00.000-04:00

Just looking through old photos I found this classic from a gathering at my grandmother, Meme's house in Kansas. Everyone in this photo has graduated college and three of them have children of their own. Wow how time flies!!

Those were some fun times!!

Wildflowers

2009-07-20T18:30:00.000-04:00

My front flower bed is full of wildflowers, which consist of zinnias, morning glories, cosmos, and some other misc flowers. I love how it turned out and I think that I will have a wild flower bed each year. This one has taken minimal effort!

My four legged wildflowers!

She is a bit wild and crazy!

My Dahlias are Blooming

2009-07-17T18:16:00.000-04:00

My dahlias have finally decided to show their glorious' heads!! This was the sight I was greeted with as I walked out of door this morning. I love the soft pink and yellow combination.

Have a fantastic weekend! The weatherman says that it is supposed to feel like fall for us here in Lexington!! Yipee!!

Everyone Needs a Little R & R

2009-07-16T06:51:00.000-04:00

I just got done talking to my friend that is planning a wonderful vacation overseas; my mother is packing her bags and heading off for an Alaskan cruise with her friends; and a co-worker just took off for a couple of days to one of the casinos on the river. It seems everyone is going on vacation.

Since everyone is heading off for vacation I thought I would book my own travel plans. I planned a trip to the countryside of Italy; specifically San Paolo, Manerbio, Brescia, Lake Como and Milan.

One of the first days driving around in San Paolo, the little town I stayed in. It was quite charming. I even stopped to get some fruit from a Fruiteria.

Friends we made and a favorite restaurant we would go for lunch. (The "we" were team members, and we were over in Italy together for a horse competition.)

A farm house. I took this photo while driving and would never, ever recommend doing that. But when you have to get from Point A to Point B quickly, pulling over for a photo op isn't always possible.

The "we" again, Lauren and John, stopping one evening for our favorite food , GELATO!!!

Como, Italy - trying to find our way to the docks.

More Como, I could have spent so much more time there. As it was I only had a couple of hours and that was spent on the Lake.

This was a chalk drawing the artist was doing right in the square. It was beautiful and very detailed, not to mention large. My camera couldn't get it all in the frame.

Beautiful architecture.

Lake Como. It was beautiful!!!! One day when I become ridiculously wealthy I think I will buy a house on Lake Como. (When I say "ridiculously", I mean I will have to be able to own a small country. )

Beautiful, Gorgeous, Wish you were here!!

This is Milan. I had half a day to discover all of Milan's wonders, and it wasn't enough. I just skimmed the surface. But now I know where to start when I go back!

Castle Sforzesco in Milan. It was beautiful and old.

The inside courtyard of the Castle. To think that this was built without machines, but hands.

Two guards and their trusty steeds came walking out of the courtyard. I first heard the clip clop of the horses shod hooves, and being that I was taken in with my castle surroundings, I thought they were knights. I guess they are knights, just modern day knights/guards/cops.

The Piazza de Duomo which held this lovely cathedral.

An old statue. Because my tour was quick I didn't ever get to figure out who it was.

Ah, I am back now from my 15 minute Italian vacation. It was a whirlwind, but I don't think I have ever eaten so well! I miss the gelato already! Until next Italia, Ciao!!!

P.S. I took this trip last September, but since I have no vacation on the horizon planned I thought a vacation down memory lane would work. Boy, was it refreshing. Next month, Germany!

Tasty Kitchen

2009-07-16T02:55:00.000-04:00

The Pioneer Woman, a blog that I recently found and immediately fell in love with , has started a new recipe website, Tasty Kitchen. Her tag line is Favorite Recipes from Real Kitchens. Basically real food for real people.

I have already looked through some of the recipes and I have a few that I am taking home and going to try. I would love to say I am going to try them tonight but I know me, and cooking involves dishes. (I really need to learn more about Aluminum Foil cooking.) Maybe, I will try them this weekend when there is more than just me to eat the creation. Actually I should plan a get together with my friends, maybe a cookout. Then I could try a bunch of new recipes. Hmmm...I will have to work on that!

Tasty Kitchen has been set up to be a networking and forum website for those that are interested in good food. Being a good cook is not a prerequisite. Thank goodness! The skill levels are described from Fast Food Fetcher to Professional Chef. I decided to rank myself as Home Cook in Training. Because I did, afterall, make this beautiful Jell-o Mold:

I plan on posting some recipes, proven recipes, that were handed down to me. Hopefully my skill level will improve as I cook and bake more. Keep your fingers crossed.

As a side note, this is a new site so she is still working out some glitches. Because nothing is ever perfect until you have 20 million people looking through it and even then something acts up. :)

Happy Cooking!

Cool Thoughts

2009-07-15T17:30:00.000-04:00

Sending cool thoughts to my family back in Oklahoma. I think they might be a bit overcooked with all their 100 degree weather.

GIMP

2009-07-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

In search of an affordable alternative to Photoshop, I was led towards GIMP. It is a freeware program you can download off of the Internet, and has many similarities to Photoshop. My game plan is to work with and understand GIMP, then upgrade to Photoshop. Below are the first four pictures I played with. I am still trying to figure out the cut around tool! Very frustrating! I shall conquer it tonight...or tomorrow...or whenever Tonya teaches me!

My current banner. This is actually a shot I took when I went blackberry picking.

My wonderful horse, Pi, who is now retired. This photo had gone through a flood over Christmas, so I had it scanned and then played with it.

Murdock enjoying the grass.

My "little" Kody.

Oh What a Surprise!

2009-07-15T03:05:00.000-04:00

My little Blueberry bush has gifted me with a small handful of blueberries. YAH!! It is just a small bush that I have in a pot for the time being and I hadn't expected to get any blueberries off of it. I am even more surprised that I beat the birds.

I think I am going to add them to my cereal for dinner!

Blackberries and Milk

2009-07-14T03:02:00.000-04:00

Kody, Willow and I went blackberry picking this weekend! Actually, I went blackberry picking, they just hung around and looked bored.

I found a wonderful thatch of wild blackberries where I have been milking. I picked the perfect afternoon to wrestle with these thorny bushes, it was hot and humid. I just stood still and started sweating. My logic was that the sweat would help the thorns glide effortlessly over my skin. Yeah, didn't quite go as I planned. But on the bright side, I wasn't accompanied by swarming bugs. I will take heat and humidity over bugs any day.

I was able to pick quite a few, at least enough for some homemade blackberry jam. Hopefully next week some more will ripen and I will get to make a cobbler.

We are heading off to the wild blackberry patch. Already their tongues are hanging out in anticipation of sweet blackberries! Or it might have been because it was a hot day.

Sweet, sweet blackberries. At this point, I had to wipe my chin...I was attracting flies. But doesn't this sight just make your mouth water?

I am picking away, minding my own business, talking to Kody and Willow about absolutely nuthin' when I get a call from my mother and my great-Aunt. "Courtney don't forget to get the blackberries in the back, they are the juiciest." Sure, Mom, no problem. We keep talking, and I am reaching towards the back of the bush, getting thorns stuck in me but it is all worth it for the juiciest and sweetest blackberries. Then mom says, "Oh, and watch out for snakes. They like to hang out inside of blackberry bushes." My hand has never moved so fast in it's life! "Snakes!" Forget the juiciest, sweetest blackberries, I am sticking to the ones I can see! Oh and Mom, thanks for sending me blindly into possibly danger. I can feel the love! :)

Can we go yet!?! I want my fan!

What is that coming up the lane?

It's milking time!!! Kody and Willow haven't seen me don my milkmaid hat yet. Kody just wanted to say "HI" to the cows; Willow on the other hand thought they were Monsters from the Abyss.

Mickalyn ready and waiting!

Look at the thick and creamy milk straight out of the cow! Doesn't it look good, minus the dirt specs? Kody sure thought so. I turned my back for one second and he didn't hesitate. I heard him lapping away.

Once I was done milking, it was time to collect the eggs. And since snakes were now on my brain. I lifted every hen that was laying on a nest, up and off. I wasn't sticking my hand under any of them and be surprised by a legless creature. No way! Logic told me that there wouldn't be any snakes because it was warm out, but this girl don't take no chances.

Look at the colorful bounty of eggs!

Meeting the Neighbors or (MoooBors)

2009-07-13T15:49:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I just crack myself up, but this is probably one of those times that I should of kept my mouth shut. Seeing as the joke is not that funny once it came out of my mouth and into the world. Oh well, you live and learn.

This weekend I took Kody and Willow to meet the cows I have been milking. This was their first meeting, to say that it was comically would be an understatement. For such tough acting dogs, and I put emphasis on "acting", Kody and Willow were a little startled to see how big the gals turned out to be. When they were dots on the horizon, Willow was ready to take them on, but when they got closer she would have sworn that they were monsters come to eat her.

The cows, gals as I call them, were quite interested in Kody and Willow. Especially Jewelann and Mickalyn. The chickens on the other hand, could have done without the introduction. To much of a similarity between Kody and coyote!

"Who are these new animals? Do they have food?"

"You wanna mess with me?" This standoff seems a little lopsided to me. Yikes!

"Oh, your not so bad, but your buddy on the other hand...well...."

"Mooo...ve over, let me look!" (lol, couldn't help it)

"You're kind of cute, in a hairy kind of way."

"Mom, they are almost as big as me!!!!!"

"Cluck...Stand still everyone, maybe they won't notice us... cluck!"

Thank you for the Presents, Jackson

2009-07-10T17:40:00.000-04:00

Dear, wonderful, sweet Jackson keeps leaving me presents in the morning. It seems that every other morning next to my car door I find the lifeless body of a mole, mouse, lizard or bird. I have learned to watch me step when I am rushing to the car to get to work on time.

I am grateful that he leaves them outside and not on my bed next to my head. (shiver) That would not be pleasant to wake up to. Yuck!!!

And here I thought that because he no longer had his claws that his hunting would have lessened, appartently I was wrong! Though I am sure he would appreciate still having front claws. That should teach him to go wondering into other people's homes.

I understand that he is proud of what he has done but this is not really the site I want to see first thing in the morning. But could he leave me a nice piece a jewelry he found laying in the field or a handpicked wild flower. This might be asking too much. Oh well, I will appreciate his gifts...unless he starts bringing them inside.

The 2nd Harvest

2009-07-08T17:44:00.000-04:00

I had my second harvest! I got four more cucumbers, two handfuls of green beans and some lettuce out of my garden yesterday. Tonight I am going to feast well!

Does anyone know of some good cumber recipes? It looks like I am going to have an abundance of cucumbers from the looks of all the flowers I have on my cucumber plant.

What is this?

2009-07-08T10:17:00.001-04:00

Since I am a fairly new gardener I cannot always identify the plants in my garden . And I have a habit of purchasing plants on sale in the Fall, planting them and then forgetting about them until the spring. Which is what happened with this plant or so I thought.

It started coming up in the flower bed, but I couldn't recall what I had planted. No big deal, I'd just let it grow and be surprised later. I never really thought it was a weed because I hadn't seen it before and it was growing very slowly. I don't know about your weeds in your yard but mine grow 5 feet overnight. So I just assumed it was some bulb or tuber root I had bought on sale the previous year.

It kept growing and growing...and growing. But it never produced a flower. Then I noticed under one of my big pine trees identical plants. Yep it was a weed. But it was a nice weed and I have let some other weeds continue to grow because they had a beautiful flower, like the wild violets, wild strawberries, and another bright pink flower that I just love. With all the energy this plant was putting into growing it should have an awesome flower.

Well is has been 2 1/2 months and this is what I have...the biggest freakin' weed in the world! No flower and I have no clue what it is. I am beginning to think that is growing up to be another shade tree for my porch. Does anyone have a clue what it could be?

Unless this turns out to be a toxic plant I will probably continue to let it grow, since I have left it alone for this long.

Junior League Horse Show

2009-07-07T14:51:00.000-04:00

Last night I accompanied my friend Carrie to the Lexington Junior League Horse Show, which takes place at the historic Red Mile in Lexington, KY. Home to racing standardbreds. But for the next week Saddlebreds, Hackneys, and Road Horses will be sharing this track.

Carrie has really good seats right next to the rail, which at times makes one questions ones sanity. Five Gaited Saddlebreds and Road Horses move out fast and the rail is not too tall, add into the mix that these horses are big, muscular and their feet are flying. You can really get an eyefull. There were a few horses that were parked near our seats for a few seconds and I got to be eye to eye with them. I was trying to channel good and winning thoughts their way. For some it worked.

I am a horse enthusiast. I have ridden horses my entire life. I grew up on quarter horses with a Tennessee Walker and mustang thrown in the mix to keep things interesting. When I got a little older I converted to Hunters, then Eventing and Jumpers. I like speed and I love to jump. And I had a horse that loved what I loved, so we had fun.

Since moving out of my parents house and their wallet, I have been responsible for my own horses. This makes owning a horse and showing a tad tougher. Right now I am down to one retired horse and I am okay with it...for now. Each time I head to a horse show or competition, whether it is jumpers, eventing, saddlebreds, rodeo or a reining, I leave there wanting to get on a horse badly! Last night was no different. I turned to Carrie to let her know that I needed to learn how to ride a saddlebred. She just nodded, she heard me say this last year too. One day. For now I will enjoy watching the horse shows and loving on the horses I do see.

This Hackney would be fun to drive.

Good Morning, Morning Glory

2009-07-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

Rushing out the door to work I took a moment to glance at the Morning Glorys I have growing next to the front door. Even though I planted a variety only the purple ones seem to have come up. I don't mind they are beautiful but I got used to seeing on purple. This morning was different, the first blue Morning Glory bloomed right at the top. Even thought I was rushing out the door, late for work, I paused to admire this little flower; which brought a smile to my face and started the day out right.

Don't forget to pause daily, if not hourly, and smile at the flowers. (I like this better than smell the roses.) :)

What a Day

2009-07-06T14:15:00.001-04:00

What a day the Fourth of July turned out to be. It was a day of relaxation and celebrating the country's birithday with friends and family. Since my family is in Oklahoma I celebrated with my friend Lisa and her family.

The day started out nice. It was cool enough to make being outside not only bareable but also enjoyable. I would happily have all of July stay in the mid 70's!

I took the dogs with me, so that they could run around in the country, jumping in the river and pond and chasing pesky varmits around without the worry of the dog catchers or cars. They enjoyed every minute of this frolic and fun.

Maybe they enjoyed the river a little too much. I was just glad that there was plenty of time for them to dry off before we got back into the car to go home (Side note - it rained for most of the evening, so they never really dried off. )

Lisa and her husband, Wayne, have a nice acreage out in Harrodsburg, KY. They have about 20 head of cattle, a calf/cow operation, and Wayne has a huge vegetable garden. He showed me around his 60+ tomato plants, 2 groupings of thornless Blackberries and his new Raspberry bush. Plus the countless corn, carrots, cabbage, squash, etc. I was going to take pictures but my arms quickly were too full from carrying the bounty we plucked on our tour. There is nothing like a fresh tomato. Yum!!! I can't wait to have my own Raspberry bush, they are even better right off the bush.

Wayne was the master griller for the evening and he grilled up some delicious hamburgers and hot dogs. The rest of the buffet was just as good. I love pot luck cookouts, everyone brings their best dish. The only problem I can see is that your stomach is only so big. But if you go slow enough you can get more in, or at least that is my theory.

Luckily Wayne and Lisa have a huge back porch, so we could eat and watch the rain fall. Around 4pm the rain started and didn't want to stop. We would get short periods when nothing was falling from the sky but those were just teasers. There was concern that we wouldn't get to see the fireworks display that Wayne had set up. He wasn't going to let that happen.

When the rain let up, Wayne lit the fuse. And it was well worth the wait!

Happy 4th and my First Harvest

2009-07-04T12:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Fourth of July!

I am headed to a friend's house in the country for a barbecue and fireworks. Her husband is a fireman and does a wonderful job each each year with their fireworks display. Wouldn't it be interesting and a little terrifying if neighbors had fireworks display competitions like they have Christmas light competitions? Probably it is a good thing the big stuff are banned in the city.

I quickly watered my garden this morning before I left the house and guess what I found? My first cucumber!! Actually my first six! My first harvest! I was so excited that I was practically floating. Since it is the Fourth and I am headed to a BBQ I thought I would share my bountiful harvest. So half of the cucumbers got sliced up and are floating in an apple cider vingear and sugar mixture. Just enough tang to make them enjoyable.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Fourth of July!

Thank you to all of the past, present and future service men and women!

Happy Fourth of July

2009-07-03T17:13:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!!!!

Morning Glorys say "Good Morning"

2009-07-03T10:06:00.000-04:00

My Morning Glorys greeted me as I walked out the door on my way to work this morning. I was excited to see different varietes had bloomed. It is a great way to start the day!

This little spider was busy prepping his breakfast.

Impulse Purchase

2009-07-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

I might have put it on in an impulse but I had thought about it for awhile...

Stand Still Jackson

2009-07-02T14:20:00.000-04:00

As I was checking on my front wild flower bed I had a helper, Jackson. Everywhere I was, he was. I attempted to get a quick picture of him, but he seemed to evade the camera. Then I tried again, no such luck. It was now a challenge, I would get a good picture of Jackson.

First shot...no luck...

Second shot, he was investigating the camera...

Third shot, he is head-butting me...

Fourth shot, he is getting wise to what is in my hand...

Come on Jackson, put down your leg and look at me...

I didn't say "Come"...

I love you too..

Keep looking into the distance...

One more Jackson...

Got it!

Isn't he beautiful?

Vegetables are Growing!!!

2009-07-01T18:30:00.000-04:00

My culinary skills had better get... well, better quickly. My garden is starting to produce real vegetables. I no longer have to go out to the garden and imagine the wonderful vegetables that I will be able to reap. Now I can actually see them!

I have cucumbers is varying sizes, maybe next week I can have one for dinner.

The tomatoes are showing up, but still small.

Green Beans are poking their head out. And to think I didn't like Green Beans when I was a kid.

I pulled out a carrot to check their progress, we still have a long way to go.

The corn is showing some life, I am guessing another month...maybe.

I haven't seen any strawberries since the first few, but it looks like it is still growing.

And the blueberries, yum!!!

My Culinery Skills Might Be Lacking

2009-07-01T14:29:00.000-04:00

There are some days that I feel like cooking and serving up a masterpiece. But those days are few and far between. I blame it on the fact that I am the only one that would be enjoying the fare that I cook. And the existing rule, "One cooks and the other cleans" doesn't apply in my household. Unless of course I want Kody or Willow to clean the dishes. They may be up for it but it wouldn't be too hygienic. And they leave spots.

What ends up happening is that I grab some cereal, a sandwich or something frozen. The less dishes I have to do the better. Unfortunately, this doesn't give me a lot of variety and at times I run out of cereal, get tired of sandwiches or don't have frozen meals. Which by the way, I have actually stopped buying because I am trying to cook more often, and it is less expensive to have fresh food then stocking up on frozen food. At least it is for me. They have a tendency to go to waste or get frostbite. Ugh! When I by fresh I use it, especially if I have a meal planned. This of course is assuming that I am cooking. I really save a lot when I don't buy anything!

I have planned a lot of meals for myself; pasta, burritos, hamburgers, chicken dishes, etc but lately because of my long hours at work I haven't been thinking about cooking. I eat what I get.

This brings me to the state of my pantry. It isn't bare, but everything in it requires some sort of imagination, which I am in sort supply of because of the aforementioned late hours or use of a lot of dishes that require cleaning. Simplicity is what I am looking for, cereal is out because the humidity made the sugar on the flakes stick together and pasta is out because, again too many pots. PB & J, anyone? Not me, I have had my share for a while.

Then brilliance struck, the light bulb went off...an egg salad sandwich. I haven't had one in forever. Still too many dishes but that doesn't matter because now I want an egg salad sandwich. Two farm fresh eggs are set to boil. After boiling, I let them set in the hot water for awhile. I stepped away to work on something else and completely forgot about the eggs. By the time I remembered I was no longer hungry and just wanted to go to bed. So my culinary creation for dinner was...(drum roll please)...a boiled EGG! On the bright side, I had less dishes to clean then if I had made egg salad.

Last night's dinner was even better, Kraft Mac N Cheese. My culinary genius just astounds me! I am going to have to do better for the Fourth of July, maybe potato salad or a pie of some sort. Hmmmmm....

P.S. Tonight I am having the other half of my Subway sandwich. No Dishes!!!

Little Ms Milkmaid pt 1

2009-06-29T15:30:00.000-04:00

I'm learning a new trade skill: milking! It might one day come in handy. Since I have the time I thought I would give it a try. Besides it looks really easy. You just grab the teet, squeeze and pull. Sure...rrrrrright! I found out if you try it that way the cow will either turn around and look at you like you are crazy or kick. I got both!

Luckily my reflexes are pretty quick from working around horses, and for the most part Mickalyn is pretty lazy so her leg didn't go to far. Of course, I could have been imagining her leg kicking up when she was just stepping forward. But it sounds more exciting if I say she kicked. :)

After I got situated on a stool by her back legs, which had my safety sensors humming. I think I remember hearing that sitting near back legs of a hoofed animal wasn't the smartest idea...hmm..must not be true because I have been handed a stool and told to sit.

Having never done this I felt like I was getting a little too personal with Mickalyn, I wasn't too sure how to proceed. Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet or in this case, both hands. I slowly moved towards the udder, so I wouldn't scare the 1000 lb animal with hooves near my head, and started to squeeze. Nothing came out. What do you mean this isn't how you do it!?! But this is how they do it on the TV! What!?! The TV is wrong!?! Well, I never...

After a little instruction from my milkmaid mentor, Sharon, I was on my way to becoming a bonafide milkmaid...well, sort of. My right hand sorta, kinda figured it out but my left hand was useless. I was seriously thinking about returning it in for a new hand. Maybe another right hand. But since that wasn't an option, at least not until I went home, the left hand was just going to have to figure it out.

Slowly but surely I started to get milk from Mickalyn. The right hand was getting the hang of it, I am so proud of my right hand. This is why I always use it to write with. The left was figuring it out. The contrast was kind of sad. Right: strong steady stream of 100 degree milk like the mighty Mississippi; Left: a trickle of milk like an Oklahoma creek during a drought. Poor Mickalyn, what she has to endure with a new milkmaid.

I was concentrating so hard on getting the finesse of the milking correct that sometimes I would forget to aim the milk. So it would end up on me. More than once, actually more than 5 times I squirted the milk right onto to my pants! Fun! I had warm milk running down my legs. I could already feel myself getting sticky.

Pretty soon, it was apparent that Mickalyn's patience had run out. So Sharon, my lovely milkmaid mentor, stepped in to finish her off. Then we headed off to separate the cream from the milk. A slow process but well worth it when you see the cream you get. Yum!!!

When I got home and walked through the door I was rushed by my four legged crew. Each of them stuck their noses to my legs and followed me everywhere. I felt like I had grown five new appendages and each one was a hindrance that wanted to drag me down so they could like my milk soaked pants. I had to get out of those pants fast, before Jackson and Willow took me down! Next time I am going to aim better!

My goal for my next milking lesson: Get more milk in the bucket then on my pants!

Cows coming in for the evening!

Mickalyn considering her options; get milked or hide?

Rosie wants to come in! Did someone say "Grain"?

Come on gals, freedom is this way!!

Where is the grain!

Calf Tan: "When will I be old enough to be milked?" Calf Tan, darling, I don't think it is as exciting as you think it is.

Separation: The Good Kind

Look at how thick and creamy the cream is! Yum!!!! All I could think about was Dad's homemade Vanilla Ice Cream!

Wild blackberries growing in the paddocks. I just had to pluck this one and eat it. It wasn't quite ready but it was worth it. I can't wait until the rest ripen and I can have blackberry pancakes and make blackberry jam!

Beautiful Cone Flowers!

Chickens and Fresh Eggs

Foggy Kentucky Morning Drive

2009-06-27T15:32:00.000-04:00

This is what I saw on my way to work this morning. A foggy morning in Kentucky.

You can barely see the barn across the field.

A beautiful manor house that I pass every morning. They keep it meticously groomed. In the early spring they have hundreds of Iris' blooming along the rode.

No horses in this field this morning.

None here either!

Where have all the horses gone?

I think an alien abducted them.

See how spooky it is down this road. Definitely had to be an alien.

Hopefully the aliens will bring back the horses before my drive home!

Rains Storms + Dogs = No Sleep

2009-06-26T11:15:00.000-04:00

I made it to the other side!!! We survived the morning storms. I think the storms were less of a danger then my dogs were to me. When the thunder hit overhead Willow was climbing all over me, thinking that I would be a good shield against the scary storms. But then she decided that being under the bed was safer. You see just me as a shield wasn’t working, but me and the bed would save her. (Her logic is amazing!)

If you were thinking that after she got off the bed she wouldn’t disturb me and I could return to some sort of normalcy aka sleep, you would be incorrect. Being that she is a 100 lb dog and “Grace” is not her middle name, and the space between the bed and the floor just barely fit her as a 30 lb puppy her entrance was not quiet nor easy. She is a strong dog and has found she can push through most anything. How does this translate to her crawling under the bed, you ask? She lifts the bed up!! If I wasn’t already aware of this action and its results it would freak me out in my half sleep state. You get the sensation that the bed is levitating and that the monsters or aliens are coming to get you! Only fool me once!

After she got situated, the storm passed. But she didn’t move because it was too much work and what if another storm came through?

Getting her out from under the bed this morning was interesting to say the least! She was wedged not only between the bed and the floor but also between the bed and the wall. Here I thought it was going to be a puzzle to solve *thinking first thing in the morning has never been my forte*, I figured that I would have to grease her up and yank her out. (This is what I came up with in my still half-sleep state, I am sure if I had been more awake I would have been more delicate. That is my story and I am sticking to it!) Willow had other plans, her way of thinking was: stand up, push the bed up, walk towards the wall; when I am out from under the bed do a half turn and then jump on the bed to exit from the spot between the bed and the wall. That worked great... except the bed was lifted off the frame about 7 inches and then let go to slam back down. WILLOW!!!!!!

And Kody, the one who is normally very unsettled during these storms just laid in front of his fan watching Willow. I think he feels proud that he has passed he neurosis on. Thanks Kody! At least he never climbed on the bed and tried to tunnel under me.

Doesn't she look so innocent?

The cats were fine. Jackson and Alec had stayed outside and were fine this morning. George, well George probably slept through everything because that is what George does.

Most of the plants came through without a hitch, only my corn and hollyhocks were really effected. Both were leaning over. Hopefully they will bounce back.

Another four legged friend...

2009-06-25T12:23:00.000-04:00

I realized this morning as I was showing off photos of my animals, that I have yet to include a photo of the newest dog in the family. He is pretty quiet and stays to himself, so he sometimes gets forgotten. He is a short squatty thing, mostly brown in color but has some silver/gray spots to give him interest. He is very loyal and takes his job as watch dog very seriously. He always has his eye on the front entrance, no one gets by without seeing him first.

He doesn’t have a name yet, so if you think of one please send it my way.

The Barnett Motley Crew

2009-06-24T14:23:00.000-04:00

I took some photos last night of my motley crew. Each has a different opinion of me with the camera.

This is Kody begging, actually no he isn't begging he is telling me he wants to go inside and get out of the heat….

Willow playing in the grass with me… “Oh, I almost have that itch”

Jackson, ignoring me because...well, because he can. A brief moment of quiet, normally he is into something.

George posing for the camera, like a typical girl, (yes George is a girl).

And Alec, the identity confused cat (at times he thinks he is a dog and loves playing with Willow). Now, he is looking down at Willow and just begging for her head to come closer so he can swat it. (He is trying to pretend he is cool and doesn’t see the camera, yeah right!)

Old Farmer's Advice

2009-06-19T18:40:00.000-04:00

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain Dance.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

* Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he's too old to fight, he'll just kill you...

My Own Tomato Topsy Turvy

2009-06-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

You might have seen the Topsy Turvy Tomato planter on TV or in your local store. It is the invention that grows tomato plants upside down. Allowing for the plant to be hung instead of planted into the ground, this way it takes up less room on your patio or balcony. It works wonders for city dwellers you don't have a lot of land but want to enjoy fresh tomatoes. For people you do have enough land, such as me, we use it to keep the tomatoes off of the ground so that they don't rot before you get them.

The one main reason I am trying this type of growing is because we are getting so much rain here in Kentucky and not a lot of sun, so my tomato plants are really growing. They are healthy but have not reached for the sky like my other plants. So I thought I would try this other method after seeing my friend's tomato plant in a Topsy Turvy.

Instead of going out and buying one I found directions online to build my own at Instructables.com. The directions call for a two liter bottle, knife, strong string or twine, duct tape, aluminum foil, potting soil and a tomato plant.

First you cut the bottom out of the bottle then punch three to four holes around this cut edge. Tape the edge with duct tape, this way you can avoid getting cut on the plastic. String your holes. *Make sure that your string or twine is fairly strong, it is going to have to hold wet soil and a fairly heavy plant. Just think of all the tomatoes that will be on it. :)

Then I took a small piece of aluminum foil, I used foil because it was rigid and could be threaded through the mouth of the bottle easier. Wrap the foil around the top portion of the plant. Be careful not to get it to tight, you don't want to damage the plant just confine it. After you have wrapped your plant, thread it through the mouth of the bottle coming from the inside. You want the roots to sit inside the bottle. Once situated take the foil off, add potting soil and water. Then find a good place in full sun to hang your tomato plant. Just remember that a sturdy hook or fence will be needed because of the weight.

Because the bottle is acting like a greenhouse to the roots you must make sure to water often! Some say two times a day. Look at your soil and do what it tells you.

I will be interested to see what kind of yield I get from my plant hanging upside down. If this works I will continue to do it year after year. Hopefully the sun will peak out and all of my tomato plants will give me baskets full of beautiful red tomatoes.

Happy Gardening!

Hollyhocks

2009-06-13T15:22:00.000-04:00

It was a 40 minute drive to the barn and wasting time in the car was not fun, I would drive as fast as I could to get there. But I always slowed down as a passed this one house, especially in the spring. The house and surrounding property were lovely in their own right but what made it stand out for me was the riot of color I saw in the spring. The hollyhocks were everywhere. They grew right up to the road, so close that when there was a bit of wind it looked like they were waving to the motorists.

This inspired me to one day have hollyhocks. That one day started last year. I bought five bare root tubers from Walmart. The are an old-fashioned favorite and maroon in color. They got planted outside my back door, next to the house where it was just a blank white wall. They all started to grow, resisting the constant motion of the dogs walking to the door. Their leaves were broad and each day they inched towards the sky. It was still early spring so the buds had not begun to show, but in a month I should have some glorious color and the start of my hollyhock garden.

My parents came to visit and my Dad was helping me weedeat. He was enjoying my lightweight electric weedeater! I rounded the corner just in time to see him start weedeating my hollyhocks! "Stop, Dad!" I yelled, running towards him. He turned around in confusion. I just stood there and stared at four weedeated hollyhocks. After I came out of my stupor I explained to him that these were not weeds but hollyhocks that I had intentionally planted. My dad was very apologetic and I can understand why he thought they were weeds. I did have some pretty big weeds growing. Weeds seems to take over in a drought, oh well, back on track.

At least one of the plants didn't get touched by the weedeater.,so I had hope of some color later. And like I had predicted in a month I had some beautiful maroon hollyhocks; except now it was only one plant. But it gave me hope for the next spring. The weedeated hollyhocks were still alive but they never got over a foot tall that year.

This year I have had more hollyhocks come back then what I planted. My one hollyhock plant produced a lot of seeds. I tried to capture most of them so that I could give them to friends and start some indoors. This spring I made sure that no one but me weedeated by the back door. I added some more seeds of different varieties, (I am trying to get the wild hollyhock flower feeling going). So far those hollyhocks have not made an appearance, but they are in an area where the wild strawberries like to grow. So we will see if they come up.

I have started a Peaches and Cream variety with double blooms in the house at the end of May. They are growing and in a few months time they should be ready to go outside.

I just love the tall stalk of color and the fact that they come back year after year. If I had my way my house would be surrounded by hollyhocks, at least the full sun portions. :)

Rain, rain go away...IT DID!!!

2009-06-13T15:19:00.001-04:00

It seems like we have had so much rain this week that I should have been building an ark and not gardening. Now the sun is out and everything is growing. And I mean everything. This morning as I was leaving the house I noticed a batch of new house flies that were attached to my house.

And not only are the vegetables growing but now it seems I have a harvest of fungi. Little mushrooms are taking over my vegetable garden. They should be gone when the sun really comes out this afternoon. If not I will be pulling them out.

One great thing about this rain, is that I didn't have to water for awhile. And if it stays cool I shouldn't have to water for a couple more days. Keep your fingers crossed!

The sunflowers are loving the sun!

Kody and Willow

2009-06-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

Here is Kody and Willow enjoying the nice June weather!

Pictures of my Blooming Roses

2009-05-28T13:45:00.000-04:00

Roses...and how I learned not to kill them

2009-05-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

Roses are such beautiful flowers and every time I see them at the Garden Center or blooming somewhere I think that I too could have a rose garden. Fate seems to think differently. I have had quite a few rose bushes of all sizes in the past 6 years but each have met with a terrible demise. The most current deaths were on behalf of my then 1 year old lab/hound mix puppy, Willow. She thought that the roses were just sticks stuck in the ground. So she pulled them up and ran around with them. Stopping every once in a while to gnaw on them. By the time I saw what she was doing I had lost 4 roses. I know, I wasn't paying very much attention to her. Normally I was doing something on the other side of the house. And she did this in multiple days.

I also tried miniatures roses, because I gave one to my Mom one Mother's Day and it grows like crazy. It is about to take over. Because of this miniature rose bush I have was given hope. But none of my miniatures wanted to survive let alone grow into the size of a small building. So I had pretty much given up. Then my friend, Jen, gave me a cute red miniature for my birthday last year. I tried keeping it in the pot but it wasn't doing well. Not really a surprise, given my past history. So I just plunked it down in the garden. I expected it to die, but at least it would die in good soil with plenty of sun.

Surprise, surprise it didn't die. But thrived! The interesting thing is I have mostly ignored it and this spring the flowers are at least three times bigger than a normal miniature rose's flowers. The stems are strong and the leaves are big, green and healthy. I couldn't be happier.

My other rose that I decided to try, was one I bought on clearance from Walmart. I think it was priced at $3. I am a sucker for plants, so I bought it not expecting too much. It is a white miniature rambler, and when I got it didn't look much like a rambler, more like a dead stick with some leaves. I popped it into the ground where it got decent sun, mostly afternoon rays, and kept it watered during our Kentucky drought. I had purchased it in the fall, so I didn't really know if it would survive until the next spring. It did, but only really grew one really long stem. It produced some roses a couple of times in the summer, but nothing like my mom's. But it was surviving and from the looks of it, it was going to thrive.

So this year, I happily waited to see if the stem would get longer or if I would get other long stems. It turns out it decided to fluff up and produce a bunch of new stems, leaves and now a mass of miniature white roses. They are just getting ready to bust open. When they do I will be sure to post pictures. It is going to be a beautiful sight.

Because of the lessons I have learned caring for these two almost dead roses I have decided the best way for me to care for roses is to ignore them. When I try to keep them trimmed and in the perfect place I only kill them. Maybe I can't grow the really beautiful tea roses, but I am enjoying my miniatures. And because of the success of my miniature and rambler I purchased two climbing roses. These really have me excited!

Strawberries...

2009-05-26T14:31:00.000-04:00

This weekend was a wonderful weekend for getting out in the garden. I finally got everything into the ground. Even my barely there tomato plants. They seem to like being in the soil better than hanging out in their little grow pots. Of course, yesterday we had a downpour come through. When I checked on everything this morning they seemed no worse for the wear.

I couldn't be happier with my sunflowers. I started all of them from seed; indoors on a wet paper towel in a ziplock bag. Once they all had started their roots, I put them into the ground. About four days later, plants were popping up. Now two weeks from when I orginally put them in the ground they are stretching for the sky. This crop really has me excited. First of all I love Sunflowers, I think they are a happy plant; and secondly, they will provide seed for the birds this winter. This is an optimistic outlook, because I have a feeling that some birds might get to them before I do. Oh well, there intent is to feed the birds, either in the winter or in the summer.

Another of my crops bore fruit, literally. One of my strawberry plants gave me two small strawberries today. I was very excited and had to show everyone that sits near me at work. Then I promptly ate them as a snack, and boy were they delicious! I can't wait to get some more off of my two plants. The are Ever Bearing Strawberries, so hopefully I should have strawberries all summer.

Starlings

2009-05-20T17:51:00.000-04:00

It seems that Starlings are everywhere! They are a pretty bird and I was completly enamored of them...at least up until a few days ago. It seems that I have a Starling nest at the top of one of my trees and the daddy is very, and I mean very, protective.

I have noticed that every time one of my cats, Jackson, goes outside that there was endless bird chatter. Jackson has been known to take a few birds out but lately he has been less adventurous in his captures, so I immediatly wonder what Jackson is doing to this poor bird. When I stepped outside, I see that Jackson is just laying on the walkway cleaning himself and a bird is on a branch on the nearest tree just giving him what for. Jackson looks completely undisturbed, but the bird is having major issues.

Okay, so the bird doesn't like Jackson, not many birds do. As I turn to walk back into the house I see this bird dive bomb Jackson as he sits there. He misses and Jackson doesn't flinch, which says to me that this has been going on for awhile. My first thought I what has Jackson done to this bird to tick him off so much, then my next thought is "where is the nest?" After a little seraching I find that the nest. It is on top of a tree, in the dead truck. Completely out of reach of Jackson; Jackson doesn't have front claws when a past owner decided they wanted to make a ramboncious outdoor cat and indoor cat - they lost. So Jackson does climb well, especially not a twenty feet up with no branches. But the birds don't seem to realize this.

I leave them to settle their differences. The bird, which I have found out is a Starling, feels like he is protecting his mate and their nest and I think Jackson is enjoying the fact that he is annoying the birds, because otherwise he would go in hiding and not hang out where the bird can get him.

This is going to be an interesting spring, as I watch this interaction.

Gardening: The Art of Getting Dirty

2009-05-13T18:15:00.000-04:00

I am an amateur gardener and enjoying every minute that I can get my hands dirty! Since I was a kid I helped my mother or my great Aunt Lula in the garden, well, I can't say I really helped, I was probably more of an hindrance but they tolerated me anyway. I was never there out of a great desire to get play in the dirt but more because the yard needed to be done or it was on my chore list. It just wasn't my thing.

At least that was the case until I moved out. Then I started to miss the flowers and foliage. In my first apartment my balcony was cluttered with spider plants and random flowers I would pick up. Then I moved into my first house (duplex) but it was in the shade. No big deal, hostas and inpatients were the order of the day. The lack of sunlight available didn't stop me from trying to plant a rose bush and strawberries. The few strawberries I got were eaten by birds and the rose did its best to stretch to the sunlight. All that work was paid with a few roses every year, one at a time.

Then I moved to Kentucky and out to the country. I have space and light! The first year I went hog wild and tried to plant everything that was affordable and I thought was pretty. There was no planning what so ever. As you might be able to imagine I had some interesting results. For the most part the seeds got too hot (I tried a green house but couldn't keep it moist enough) and wilted, or I picked the wrong plants for the sunlight I had. The one plant that didn't fail were my hostas. You have to love hostas, they always seem to produce beautiful green leaves no matter how you or your dog tries to destroy them.

The second year was better. I understood my sunlight and had a better grasp of layout. I put in 7 clematis, inpatients, petunias, roses, columbines and some other misc. annuals. The end result made me smile. I was on my way to gardening glory. I should mention that I lost two of my roses, through no fault of my own - I know everyone says this but I am telling the truth :) -Willow, a puppy at the time, thought it was good fun to pull the roses out and use them as fetching sticks. Lesson learned, puppy stays away from anything resembling a stick.

This year after some good rain and wonderful sunshine my perennials are doing well and all of the seeds I have started are breaking ground. Most of my clematis' have bloomed profusely, my hostas are up and bigger then ever, my surviving rose is branching out in all directions and the bulbs I planted in the fall added much needed color during the deary start to spring. I can't wait to see what the rest of garden does this year. My co-workers are tired of hearing about each bloom the opened and each seedling that came up. You would think they were my children. :)

I also started a vegetable garden for the first time. This is a true experiment because I have only grown tomatoes in the past, which is a fairly easy plant. This year I have planted potatoes, corn, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, watermelon, pumpkin, cucumber and of course tomatoes. Keep your fingers crossed! I am hoping the results will be edible.

Agnes and the Hitman - a fun read

2009-05-13T14:32:00.000-04:00

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/384457.Agnes_and_the_Hitman">Agnes and the Hitman by http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19005.Jennifer_Crusie">Jennifer Crusie

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55944098">

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this collaboration by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. I had read their first one, Don't Look Down, and enjoyed the mix of genres. So when I saw this book at the library I just had to check it out. This is one that I will be looking to purchase for rereads.

They do well at mixing the genres of military/goverment espionage/mafia with the flirty fun of a quirky romance. I enjoyed the primary character, Agnes. I felt she was relatable and not perfect. The plot was a bit transparent but then again I didn't pick up this book to overcharge my brain.

I would recommend this to females who are looking to smile and laugh while they read. A good vacation or "get away from the kids" book.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1444670-courtney">View all my reviews.

Tuna Pizza and Gelato

2008-09-06T23:08:00.000-04:00

Ding Dang Dong goes the bells. Not only is that a line for the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” but also a reality here in Italy. It seems every town has a church that still rings their bells throughout the day. The first time I heard them was in early evening signifying the end of the day. When I get busy with the details that need to be done these bells remind me that I am experiencing a wonderful opportunity in a foreign land. It allows me to cherish the moment before I continue on with my current project.

A similar topic was brought up today at the barn. Do horses know that they are in a different country or do they just think they went on a long road trip? Not only are the sights and smells new and different but so are the common sounds. There is a difference the speech patterns and the tempo of the American speech versus the Italian speech. Do horses realize this? They must notice the difference but do they understand the difference?

This was a topic that Lauren Jolly, one of our team grooms, and I got on today while taking care of he team horses. If they do realize it then they adjust better then humans do. They appear not to be affected by jet lag, whereas, I am still trying to get on the right schedule. I will probably have it figured out by the time I get on the plane to fly home. Who needs sleep anyway? At least that is what I am telling myself.

Italy has presented a fair share of new experiences. Tonight was no different. We went to dinner at a restaurant that we had enjoyed earlier, but this time we didn’t have a translator helping us with the menu. We were on our own. I was armed with my pocket dictionary and a few key phrases but it was still mass confusion. To an outside spectator we probably resembled a Three Stooges comedy. We did get some outside help from other patrons who felt sorry enough for us to translate a few words. After the order was set, which took probably 10 minutes for two pizzas, a steak, salad and spaghetti; we felt quite accomplished. We had ordered food. That feeling left after I took my first bite. Apparently I mistranslated a word and instead of getting tomatoes on my pizza I got a very pungent tuna. I am not a fish person, especially if it tastes fishy which this did. But I couldn’t help myself, this was too funny. I started laughing at the mistake. It was too funny. I did end up ending the pizza but tried to avoid the fish. Ryan also got a different pizza then he thought he ordered, but John and Lauren got food that resembled what they thought they would get. So we for two and two; it can only go uphill.

After our dinner we thought dessert would be good, but since there was no Tiramisu available we moved on. In the town of Leno Lauren had seen a Gelatoira, which we promptly headed to. There were too many flavors and colors that it was hard to decide on one flavor. So it was a nice surprise when we found out that you get three flavors with an order. Now which three to pick? I was temped by the baby blue colored gelato called Pucco, but decided I had been adventurous enough for the day. So I got chocolate, Rocher, and a vanilla flavored gelato. Boy were they delicious! Everything that everybody has said about Gelato is true. Maybe on my next trip to the Gelatoira I will get the baby blue gelato or maybe not.

Tomorrow we start setting up our stalls in Manerbio, the horses move in on Monday morning and the riders start arriving Monday. The pace is going to pick up and I can’t wait until the whole team is here in Italy!

Till tomorrow.

*an after-note: the fish on my pizza turned out to be anchovies, not tuna :)

New Friends & the Quest for Ice

2008-09-05T07:16:00.000-04:00

It seems that good food might be a theme here in Italy. If there is a bad restaurant we haven’t found it. But it is not the food that is making the experience; it is the people we have dined with.

Yesterday for lunch the trainers from Renzo Canciani’s took us to a local Pizzeria. The food was great, most of us had what we would call a Calzone. The conversation was even better. Though I sometimes did not have a clue what was being said, you can’t help but get pulled into the easy friendship and camaraderie of this group.

Laughter is a prerequisite.

The team has been welcomed with open arms. When the horses arrived there were people waiting to see them unload. Most of the afternoon before the horses came I would was answering the question, “When will they be here?”. “Due l’ora…una l’ora…trenta minuto”, the countdown had begun.

When the horses were unloaded it was like celebrities walking the red carpet. In the air was excitement and a sense of awe. I too was caught up in it. If this is the reception for the horses, I can’t wait to see the reaction when Tom, Pete, Craig and Jordan arrive.

After a good nights sleep the horses were happy to stretch their legs. Everyone seems to be in fine form and taking it in stride. Today, John, Lauren, Ryan and I are going to check out the show venue now that that the footing is in the arena. I was able to see it on my first day here and I was duly impressed. It is a wonderful venue and I can’t wait until the competition starts.

Also, have you ever noticed that when you need something you can never find it? Well, we needed ice and I couldn’t find any bags of ice. Normally the procurement of ice is easy...in the U.S.A. Run to the closet gas station and buy a bag or two. In Italy they don’t sell bags of ice. So my new daily activity is going to the bar with a plastic bag and asking the bartender to fill up the bag for me. After breakfast I ask the waiter for ice and I hand over the plastic bag. This seems to be working well. But it does teach you not to take things for granted.

Arrivederci! Til tomorrow!!

San Paolo and the Arrival of the Horses

2008-09-04T12:23:00.000-04:00

I have arrived in San Paolo, Italy.I had an interesting drive from Milan but for the most part uneventful. I only got lost once and luckily I knew what turn I took that got me lost. The one good thing about getting lost is that you get to some countryside that you may not have seen before.
I finally found the hotel, thanks to the wonderful signs that they have posted on the road. I was greeted by a superb staff and shown to my room. The hotel, OneMhotel, has a key card that not only opens your door, but turns on the lights and lowers the curtain on my car. My car, whom I am affectionately calling LuLu, has her own parking spot right outside of the door and when I insert my key card into a slot inside the room a curtain falls down behind her. It is like she has her own room.
Since arriving I have been trying to get my bearings and I find my way to the different necessary locations. Through this adventure, LuLu and I have seen some beautiful countryside and lots of small towns. We are staying in the a very agricultural area, so it is very commonplace to see a tractor going through the roundabouts as it is to see a Mercedes.
(Continued …the next day)
The horses have arrived safe and sound. After four days of traveling the U.S. Reining Team horses are now settled in their pre-competition stabling at Renzo Canciani’s in Gottolengo, Italy. Their travels started as a trailer ride to the Houston Airport, then an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam, which was followed by two days of driving through Holland, Austria, Germany and Italy to finally arrive. They were very happy to be on firm ground again.
After getting the horses settled the grooms, Ryan Kyle and Lauren Jolly, and our vet, John Newcomb decided to grab a bite with our host Renzo Canciani at a wonderful Italian restaurant in the town of Leno. All of us were enjoy Italian food but were a little stumped by the menu. It was in Italian, imagine that! We proceeded to pick our favorites and then try a new dish along with some new phrases, which we are sure to misuse. I finally got to have some Gelato, which is first thing everyone told me I needed to get when they heard I was headed to Italy. I must say I was not disappointed and will be sure to have it again, probably sooner rather than later.
Tomorrow looks to be a nice day, and hopefully no rain in the forecast. Till tomorrow…

It's Friday and I just got Paid!!!!

2008-08-15T13:15:00.000-04:00

It's Friday and payday!!! Could this day get any better, but of course it could! It is the middle of August and the temperature is in the low 80's, I can be outside without dripping sweat.

Well, Kody and Willow didn't end up at the horse show last night. As I was getting ready to leave we got what looked like a monsoon and since I didn't have an umbrella handy I opted to stay and work a little longer. I did go to the show and watch the ponies fly around the indoor arena. It makes me want to get on my show horse and jump. Only problem he is retired and in IL. But in mind he and I would have kicked butt if we had competed in Pony Jumpers as a youth. That is Pi to the right taking it slow with a young friend a couple of years ago.

After the show I was able to watch the Olympics - had to get my Michael Phelps fill. But actually I have decided I like Aaron Peirsol a bit more. There is something about his relaxed California attitude that I just love! And he was so gracious to his teammate that beat him out of the gold medal last night. So Mr. Peirsol you have just gained another fan.

I also got to see the Women's Individual Gymnastics meet. I am always amazed at how they can fling and fly on all of the apparatus' and still smile. I would definitely have a grimance on my face. Nastia Lukin made it look effortless. And Shawn Johnson made it look fun. Together they both out on a fabulous contest for the top spot. The U.S. women were so gracious and I love how all of the athletes, no matter what nation you were from, congratulated each other. I saw some great sportsmanship. That is the great thing about the Olympics, it brings people together.

Since the Olympics are on with very few commercial interruptions and there is no distinctive break betweens hours I have been watching and not realizing that it is after midnight. Take last night for instance, I was putting a load of laundry in and I heard Bob Costas say something to the point that it was almost 1 in the afternoon in Beijing. I stopped and looked at my watch, so much for going to bed early. Lexington is exactly 12 hours behind Beijing. It is a good thing I am a night person. And since I didn't feel too tired I kept going. I ended up doing laundry, dishes, putting clothes away and giving Willow a bath. Yes, at 3am I decided to give my dog a bath. She was constantly scratching but there were no signs of fleas (she had been treated recently), so I could only think that not all the soap came off the last time I bathed her and made her skin dry or she got into something. Either way, she couldn't stay like that all night. Mind you Willow is not a small dog, she weighs 90 lbs. So I had to take her outside and hang on to her as she tried to slip away. At one point she succeeded and it took all the coaxing I could muster to get her to come near me. After that I made a handle to hold on to her. I took the leash and made a loop around her hips, it helped me control her whole body and she couldn't slip away. I thought i was pretty clever. After the bath she had to dry off, so Willow, kody and I went on a walk.

I am getting better at these late nights and early mornings, but I really need to get to bed earlier. It is a good thing the Olympics only happen once every four years, but that just means i don't want to miss any of it.

Tonight is Pony Finals again. This time the dogs are coming. Then this weekend I am running errands to get prepared for my trip to Italy for the U.S. Reining Team.

Have a great weekend!!!

Let's Get Started

2008-08-14T16:53:00.000-04:00

This is my first entry on this site. I have written a few entries elsewhere for other reasons, but the format never seemed to work. So I thought I would give this site a try. It seems to be working well for a bunch of other people, so I don't see why it wouldn't work for me.

I am sitting at my desk in Lexington looking outside at the impending rain and thinking whether I really want to go through with my plans for tonight. I promised my dogs I would bring them to the horse park for a walk and to watch the Pony Jumper class at Pony Finals, but wet dog smell is not my favorite. I probably will end up bringing them, otherwise I would be sitting at home watching the Olympics.

I love watching the Olympics but they never show the Equestrian events during primetime. And I am enjoying swimming and gymnastics like I never have, I am even a huge fan of Michael Phelps now, but I can only take so much! It is pretty bad when you start to recognize athletes on sight but you had never heard of them before four days ago. I would love to see Shawn Johnson win All Round Gold though. Tough decision.

Even though NBC is not showing the Equestrian part of the Olympics on TV (besides cable channels I don't get) they do have a live feed on the internet, www.nbcolympics.com. Through this I have been able to see all of the three discplines in mostly real time. Tomorrow starts the Jumping!!!!

Eventing and Dressage have been pretty exciting. USA didn't get a Team medal but Gina Miles got the silver in the individual. In Dressage we were fourth, and there are two more days of competition to see if we recieve an individual medal. I sure hope so!

Well I am off to go play in the rain!!!