Just Kidding Around

 

(Warning! This post started off short, but morphed into a much longer post. Visit the potty and grab some refreshments before reading)

Whoooeee! Have I been busy! Forgive me for not stopping by your blogs to visit, I’ve barely had time to even log onto my computer the last week, what with John not being here and all the extra work for me, the goat milk test I attended on Friday, the trail horse clinic I audited on Saturday, getting all three of my kidlets ready for baseball and softball starting up next week, and preparing and packing my twinlings for their annual homeschool camp down in Capitan, NM this week.

And……I’ve been able to squeeze in some time to organize and clean the barn, trade out my Abetta cordura stirrup leathers with my Henry Miller Plantation Saddle’s nice leather ones, that are already permanently, perfectly turned for the comfort and safety of my feet and knees.

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I also did some letterboxing in Albuquerque, with and without my kidlets. I always have fun on letterboxing adventures. Like this past weekend, when I was down by myself hiking the Rio Grande Bosque, and I discovered this snake blocking my path to the letterbox.

(He may not look big in this picture, but I’d wager that he was at least 4ft long, maybe even 5ft!)

I realized that I had probably walked right beside him when I was following the clues and trying to find the letterbox location.

Scared me. But I was relieved to discover he had no rattles and was just a ‘friendly’ Bull Snake. But I still didn’t want to turn my back to it, so I went back around to the main trail and trekked along for a little while to give the snake some time to move on, and then when I came back I realized that now I didn’t know in which direction the blasted snake went, so I grabbed a big stick and pushed it through the leaf litter as I walked to the letterbox location, and made sure to stomp my feet so any snakes in the vicinity would know to get out of my way. Whew!

Oh and check out the backyard of this house that was right alongside the path to the main trail. They’ve already got their pool set up for summer! Wow.

When I left my house that morning, there were a few snowflakes blowing around and I was wearing a thick fleece jacket! And by the time I was hiking that trail, it was in the 80’s and I had shed my fleece and was wearing a t-shirt. It always surprises me at how different our weather is up here in the mountains above Albuquerque, just 25 minutes away.

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Another scary encounter I had to endure was my visit to the mall last week, too. Well technically I never stepped foot into the mall, but the Boot Barn is actually attached to the mall. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike malls? I’ve not been in one for years.

Anyway, I had to go exchange the Ariat boots that Ranchman John bought me last month. Actually those were the first exchange because the first pair ended up being too big (a size 9.5 mens). And, the second pair rubbed my heels raw and caused my knees and legs to be sore because they were too heavy, and I figured out that men’s ankles must be wider than mine. So I decided to take that second pair back, too.

I tried on a women’s pair of Ariat Terrain boots in a size 10 and was amazed to discover that they fit perfectly! And they cost less than the boots that Ranchman John picked out for me, too! So, I traded in the boots that didn't fit for them AND with the extra refunded money, I bought a new cowgirl hat, to boot! (pun intended!)

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Oh and I had my farrier out to trim Apache last week, as well. She did great and was super well-behaved. My farrier made me laugh because I think he was smitten with Apache along with her size and demeanor. He admired her stocky build and sturdy feet and said that with time, especially up here in our rocky, hilly, rugged mountains (and not the soft, flat grassy valley where she came from) her feet will become even stronger and her frogs will grow healthier. He also said that he suspects that Apache may have some mustang in her bloodlines, too. I never considered that before, and find it interesting.

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Anyway, as mentioned earlier, (and the main subject for this post) this past weekend I attended a Milk Test over at my friend Lora’s place, Prairie Wood Ranch.  It was set up through our local organization, the Southwest Nigerian Goat Club, of which Lora is the President and my friend, Deanna at Cornerstone Nigerians is the Vice President, and who also is a Certified Milk Tester. Thanks to Deanna, and her talents, I am planning on having another give-a-way very soon, too.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few photos of some of the cuteness that was overflowing on Prairie Wood Ranch during my visit.

 

 

 

 

What we Mothers have to endure, eh? That’s one patient goat mama, don’t you think? 

 

 

“Wanted: Circus Job under the Big Top” 

 

 She was smiling at me, in a Mona Lisa sort of way, don’t you think?

 

The late afternoon sun was blinding me, but isn’t this tiny doe kid the cutest thing ever?! 

 

 I think his name should be Gizmo. He’s just a little bit freaky, don’t you think?

These Boots were made for………

 

These boots have been my faithful hard-working friends over the past two years. This scarred and dirty duo started off with humble beginnings bought off a Walmart shelf more than two years ago.

 

I’ve never much cared about name-brands or the way things looked. Whatever I buy must be dependable, useful and tough…and comfortable, too. These Faded Glory boots have been all that and more. Surprisingly I don't even think they’re real leather (I know. *gasp*!) I’ll let y’all in on a secret. Ranchman John is a shoe snob. He won’t buy anything unless it’s name brand and made of leather. It has to fit and be comfortable from the moment he puts it on, or he won’t buy it. Needless to say, he tends to do most of our family’s shoe buying. And he likes it that way.

My Walmart boots have always bugged Ranchman John. He believes that shoes not only affect comfort and gait, but can also affect the entire body, especially if the shoes are cheap and not of good quality.

Well you can only imagine how concerned Ranchman John was, when after two weekends of taking long trailrides in the snow, he saw me squeezing Gorilla Glue in between the gaping space of my old boot’s sole and upper. My cheapy old boots just weren’t cut out for the task of wading through a foot of snow and sloshing through mud and ice. They leaked and they were on their last foot, so to speak.

The Gorilla Glue worked wonders, though, and gave my boots a second lease on life, carrying me through another two weekends of riding clinics and snowy trails.

But I was in for a big surprise.

Ranchman John has been busy hitting the streets looking for a job, and although noone seems to be hiring just yet, he’s been taking care of other things around here that needed doin’, too. One of those things was getting the taxes done early as we were expecting a generous refund this year. Well, he got ‘em done and then he went shopping. (Can you guess where this is going?)

This is a man that likes to shop. Not me. I just want to get in, and get out. I get overwhelmed when there are too many choices and selections. I just can’t make up my mind. It makes me crazy! And I abhor lines, and all that walking in crowded stores. So, I just avoid shopping as much as possible. Not Ranchman John.  No. He likes to go to the stores and malls. He even likes to window-shop with no particular agenda or list to shop for. I haven’t been to a mall in years!

Well Ranchman John knew I could use a new pair of boots. He had a good idea of the style I like, too. He knows I prefer the lace up paddock style boots because I have trouble finding slip on boots that fit over my chubby calves.

 

He also knows the size I wear, too. It’s not an easy size to find at all. I can’t buy shoes online, unless I’ve tried them on already in a store, which makes my options even more limited. I’m almost 6’ tall and I usually wear a size 10.5 IF the shoe isn’t too narrow. My old Faded Glory boots are a size 10, but they must have just been cut larger. It’s difficult to find shoes in half sizes, so we have to move up to the size 11. But size 11 is often just too large. So, sometimes, if we can find the right style, we pick out shoes in men’s sizes. I wear a size 9.5 in a men’s size. I can almost trick myself into thinking my feet are smaller when I wear that size. Almost. haha!

Does anyone else have big feet, or weird feet, too?

So, anyway, the other day John was gone all day, doing his thing, shopping. When he came home he was so excited to show me something he had bought for me. (Can you guess what it was?)

Yes! A pair of new boots!!!!!

And not just any old boots off the shelf. Brand spankin’ new Ariat Cascade Paddock style boots!!!!

      

Of course, the Boot Barn didn’t have any women’s sizes past size 9, so Ranchman John told me he had a look at the men’s sizes. I must admit when I first saw them, I thought “Gah! Clown feet!” But after I put them on, I realized they fit almost perfectly. So, yeh, I just have to deal with the fact that I just have big ol’ clown feet. haha!

What I was and am most surprised about is how these Ariat boots immediately felt so comfortable the first time I put them on, that I wanted to wear them all day long. There is no stiffness or breaking-in period at all. I love that! I’ll always appreciate my hard-working $20 Faded Glory Walmart boots, but it’s time for them to retire now. Looks like I’m going to be a devoted Ariat fan from now on. These boots were made for working and riding!

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And speaking of riding, this Saturday I’ll be participating in a Walk/Trot/Canter Class, riding Rosie, of course.

But that’s not all. On Friday, my friend Colleen is driving up towards Santa Fe, with John and I, to go pick up a potential horse prospect for me. We’ll load up the little mare, named ‘Blackie’ and trailer her back to Colleen’s, where we’ll try her out during the Walk/Trot/Canter Class and possibly ride her out on some trails around her house.

I’m finally going horse shopping, my friends!

Here is the photo from “Blackie’s” ad:

 

What do you all think of her?