Aspen Meadows is Sold!

Seriously? It's in escrow?




Yes, its true. (and Camille isn't really that excited but we are).

Where are we going? Will the journey be long?




We're hoping for a smooth, fast escrow. And yes, it's a long journey... nine hours or so to get to your new home.

Did someone say something? I was taking a nap and missed all the excitement.




Yes, you lazy lab. We are moving and there will be even more room for you and Sedona to run around chasing squirrels.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Goat Burgers

Scared you, didn't I?  No, we don't eat our goats; or any goats.  But the goats do eat my hat.  They mobbed me; chewing on my hat and my sleeve.

And the burger part?  That was lunch on the viewing stand.

Brett's burgers -- meat, bun and BBQ sauce.

My burger -- lots of veggies burying the burger.

We're hoping for a quiet day tomorrow.  We've had showings Friday, Saturday and today.   A lovely English couple came back today for a second look-see.  They seemed to like what they saw.  The daughter is a dressage rider.  Fingers crossed.

Soaking Up The Sunshine

Last Sunday the weather was perfect.

Sunny and warm,

but not hot.

Lazy weather;

as demonstrated by the residents

of Aspen Meadows.

Mufasa Learns About Cavalletti

After I finished playing with Winston and the cavalletti on Sunday, Brett took a turn with Mufasa.  We lowered the jump to the lowest setting and the cavalletti as well.

Brett started by walking Mufasa through the cavalletti.  Mufasa was worried and unsure; the first time his hind leg hit the pole he surged forward and scooted sideways.  Brett ignored the spook and calmly kept walking -- so Mufasa did the same.

Once Mufasa had been over the poles a few times, Brett took off his halter and did some free lunging.

Mufasa went through the cavalletti and over the jump.  Then he got lazy about jumping and decided to step on the poles instead of going over.  He snapped both of them in two.  I don't think he enjoys jumping quite as much as Winston.

Mufasa's gaits are so nice.  He is definitely more balanced and using his body nicely.  In his trot, there were moments where he floated and hinted at extension.

But the thing that brings us the most satisfaction is how far he has come in the trust department.  Mufasa trusts Brett completely.  Does this look like a head shy horse to you?

If I Were 30 Years Younger

...Winston would be an eventing horse.

He was dying to be worked on Sunday.

I was still too sore to ride

or to even hold a lunge line.

If he pulled, I would be in serious pain.

I set up a jump

and some caveletti.

This horse LOVES to jump.

All I did was stand in the middle and point.

He ran until he was sweaty

and then he jumped some more.

When he knicked the jump with his hind going over,

he landed,

bucked,

kicked,

bucked again,

circled

and floated over again,

tucking his hind legs up high.

Take that!

I'm not afraid of you!

He jumped them fast

and he jumped them slower

(but never slow).

Sunday Flowers

The garden arbor is bursting with blooms.

Here's a bouquet of roses

for all of you

from my garden.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

It's good to be back home.

Even if it's only for two days.

We're quite the couple, Brett and I.

I can't use my left arm without pain in my chest;

Brett's back is out of whack;

We hobble around like we're a hundred years old.

Even so, it's good to be together.

Sedona agrees.

I love that dog.

Winston, on the other hand, 

couldn't be bothered.

The muck cart was more interesting than me.

He wouldn't give me the time of day.

But he chased off Mufasa and Jackson if they came too close to me.

He is definitely not happy I was gone.

The donkeys were not at all stand off-ish.

They came right over and said hi.

But most importantly,

Brett is happy that I'm home.

Or, maybe, he was just happy to have a home cooked meal.

The Rest of the Day

Other than my fall off of Winston, Saturday was a good day.  The fall could have been averted if I had been smart.  Winston was not being naughty.  I should have taken the time to line him up straight next to the mounting block.  Gayle was up for lessons and I was rushing to get on and get started.  It was my very own self inflicted pressure; Gayle was not impatient.

Last night, I was having a lot of pain when I inhaled or talked so we went down the mountain to the ER.  We left the turkey on the counter, golden brown and uncarved.  Fortunately, I didn't break any ribs but I did bruise the chest wall pretty thoroughly.

Yesterday, the weather was gorgeous; sunny and warm with a few puffy clouds for decoration.

  Gayle arrived after breakfast and Brett was first up.  He and Mufasa are making all kinds of good progress.   Gayle started introducing Mufasa to the idea of bending around Brett's leg.

 By the end of the lesson, Mufasa was beginning to understand -- and Brett's legs were about to fall off.

Since I was unable to ride in my lesson, and since Gayle is pregnant (yay! congratulations!) Winston was lunged instead of ridden.  Gayle worked on getting him to track under and she was pleased with how well he was bending and using his body.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas buyers were back for a second look at the house.  This time they brought two carloads of people: buyer, girlfriend and her son, and buyer's dad.  They spent a long time in the house.
They were interested in the orchard.  There will be a good crop of peaches and cherries this year.

The roses are blooming by the greenhouse and by the pool.

After they left, we reviewed another offer with our realtor.  Remember the nice family with small children who gave us the ludicrous low offer?  They sent another offer which is still ridiculously low but we are countering anyway.  Maybe they will come up to reasonable.  We would like that; we would like to sell Aspen Meadows to a family that loves it as much as we do.

In the early afternoon, another couple came up with their realtor to look at the house.  They are horse people, currently living about an hour from here.  They had peppered our realtor with questions all week and expressed high interest.  Their visit was pretty short -- about 25 minutes.  They whizzed through the house and barn, asked a couple questions about the weather -- and then they were gone.

The rest of the afternoon was quiet.  Brett flossed Flash's teeth,

Brett put the turkey in the oven, Brett drove me to the ER... basically, Brett did everything.  I wasn't much help on my weekend home.

Today, we are spending Mothers Day in San Diego with my mother, sister and brother.  It will be a nice Mothers Day for my mom, having all three of her kids there.  Brett and Camille will hang out with us and my dad as well.  We'll eat KFC (a Mothers Day tradition since I was small) and I'll pop pain pills.  :)

Then its back to Sacramento this evening.

Came Off Again

This is where I landed.  Ouch.

This is where we started.  Winston was kind of straddling the corner.  I should have taken the time to line him up straight.

When he tried to walk off, he got tangled up.  And started to buck in panic.  We went from here all the way to the trailer -- and then I bailed.

We're headed down the mountain to have me checked out.  It kinda hurts to breathe.  I'm hoping all is okay and just bruised.  But gravel... well it hurts when you land.  I feel pretty dented up.

We're In Escrow

This evening after work I drove out to look at the house. Escrow opened yesterday. We have 45 days to sell Aspen Meadows. We have interested buyers. It's going to work out. I know it. Someday soon, we will get an offer that works.

The voice on my car radio said traffic was really bad this evening. I wondered what my commute would be like on a "bad" traffic day. Pfft. It was nothing. A little slow and go before the freeway opened up and climbed the rolling golden hills. Then I snaked through about fifteen minutes of country highway lined with redwoods, ponderosa and oak. I rolled down my window and inhaled the pine scented air. The road dropped out of the pines into a wide green valley, with fields of fat shiny horses. I turned up the lane to our house, pulled into the driveway, swung the gate open and parked in front of the driveway.

I love this house.




I love the oak trees along the driveway and in front of the house.



I love that the trees are hundreds of years old. I love the swing hanging from this granddaddy oak.




Roses are growing along the garden fence, at the back of the house by the kitchen window.




And deer have been dancing in the dressage court.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad