beautiful mornings

harmony
being turned out first

harmony
slowly meanders out, watching for the others

nemo
picks a funny spot to stop, drop and roll

nemo
properly dusted, heads out

koda
last horse out, moves the fastest

koda
running into the thick fog

waiting & wondering

morning fog lifts to reveal it's beauty

foggy mornings

Beautiful foggy mornings make me want to stop what I am doing. Pull out my camera, and take photos. The fog around here seems to lift early. I am not sure if I'll ever be able to get the foggy photo of our horses, that's been floating around in my head. Time will tell.

I walked out in the pasture regardless. Apparently the horses didn't hear me approaching.

well, hello

For those of you not on Facebook, here is my favorite photo from that morning. It's Koda, complete with Appy spots 'er stall shavings, enjoying a peaceful morning.

bed-n-breakfast staff

To post, or not to post? That is the question. I have been humming-n-hawing. Nothing major to share or horsie happenings to blog about. I still haven't ridden, or done anything more then be bed-n-breakfast staff for our horses *sniff* I think the next time someone asks me if I ride, I'll reply "I used to"...it's been that long.

We've been doing other horse related things, here are a few updates from our bed-n-breakfast staff:

front barn truss is looking nice,
it is getting trimmed with Douglas Fir

we hung a dry erase/bulletin board in the barn

wish I could find where I packed my push-pins,
to hang Nemo's allergy shot calendar!

Our builder moved our little table set off the porch, so he could work on the overhang truss. We like where he placed it! Unfortunately it's our planned turn-out path during the winter, so it will be in the way. However once we find more suitable seating for the barn porch, the set might stay there seasonally. I'm thinking the porch needs some type of outdoor bench? For now, we are using a lot of what we had from our old place. Everywhere.

reclaimed wood mirror for the barn bathroom arrived

The craftsmanship on this mirror is amazing! Just like the vanity. I should have also snapped a pic of the back, it's finished off solid & studded. Perspective of my phone photos are way off, mirror is larger then below. I received a certificate of authenticity with the mirror and mentioned my plans to hang the certificate in our bathroom. Do you know what the guy that built these did? He offered to make a frame for me at no cost, if I would pay shipping. Yes, please!!! Who does this?! The frame arrived all finished, complete with another certificate. Nothing short of amazing. I truly appreciate people who take pride in their work.

welcome sign from our old house
hangs on the saloon entrance for now
I think I'll eventually move it, it's not very saloony.

Watch out for our guard grand dog, she might lick you to death.

Our horses seemed unfazed
when Bobcat Brad mowed the upper pasture near them..

until it turned into a game of "race the bobcat" lol
(koda in the lead, nemo, harmony)

Video goes something like this:

Harmony: why are you boys running, it's just a bobcat

Koda: first dibs on the hay! Last one is um, last

Harmony: dumb boys, I could out run either of you any day of the week

Nemo: my pile

Koda: fine, I'm going by Harmony, move over

Brad set a few more poles yesterday,
replaced the turnout gate with a wider one and also added a new latch.
(the old gate is off to the left)

This pretty much sums up our past two horse related weeks. Brad was so busy last week with work stuff, he cancelled his lessons and didn't go ride Cierra. He is back at it this week.

I miss her, Cierra is so sweet and Harmony could sure use a buddy. Koda & Nemo have been together since birth, born one day apart. Our trio mixes it up, and they hang out together - but Harmony does appear to be the third wheel.

Soon it will be time to change my clothes, bring the horses in with the other staff, feed the horses supper and make sure they find their accommodations acceptable.

Signed, bed-n-breakfast staff

the lower pasture

Our pastures are growing like weeds, or better said with weeds. Brad mowed the lower pasture, and has been working on clearing the tree line along the fence. We do not feed our horses fresh clippings, and waited for them to dry up. 

Today was the day for another first turn-out. I was excited for an opportunity to get some action shots! Mid-day we turned the horses out in the lower pasture. I walked through the safari upper pasture, and strategically positioned myself mid-field.

Wildlife frequently cross the lower pasture. I thought for sure that alone would make for some action, but other then one medium paced run it was pretty uneventful:

waiting for me to get mid-field

they walked in one by one
and settled into grazing

suddenly something sparked their interest
and just like a dance, they turned in unison
(Koda, Nemo, Harmony)

Koda and Nemo took off

Harmony hung back for a while
and then decided it's best to join the boys

oh deer, something is in those pines
The horses turned and came back, and settled into grazing.

For their return run I took slo-mo video with my phone,
but forgot to switch back to regular speed half way through (whoops!)

This my friends was it for lower pasture action, on a hot sunny day.

Hope they enjoy hanging out in their new pasture!

feel the ocean

Have I told you guys lately how much I love my husband? In an effort to not make this post mushy, I will keep it simple and just say *alot* 

There are so many little things Brad says and does, that make my life complete. He knows me so well. A few days ago, at the end of a loong very humid hot day, he calls out from the grill "hey, Aurora come here, you gotta see this" "look, he points across the field...there is your ocean..."

It doesn't look like much in the video, but it was so cool! Natures wind would start to swoosh, sending random ripples swirling, and waving across one of our winter wheat fields.

They would part, pick up, slow down, and go where ever the wind took them. Much like the ocean where you can not only see, but hear waves, you wait in suspense until the sound begins to elevate. Wondering and watching. In awe. Sometimes the ripples went far, and sometimes they didn't go at all. 

We talked about the huge wheat fields in Nebraska. Where they grow taller wheat varieties, and ripply waves are endless. We are growing a shorter variety, so we get smaller ripples. 

Obviously fields are not oceans. There are huge differences, but nature offers similarities everywhere. If you stop long enough to notice them. 

it's here, it's here!!

For months I looked and searched, and finally found what I had envisioned at a fair price. Until I read reviews, and searched deeper. I found a photo of a similar model, proudly shared on Facebook. Gasp! There is rustic, and then there is falling apart. I am SO glad I didn't order. I would have been sooo disappointed. Sometimes it pays not to jump into things.

Just like everything else with this move, patience came into play, I started looking for a barn vanity last Fall, maybe even sooner. Yes, it is Summer. Damn I am picky! I can't help it, I was born this way.  I was looking for something rustic & sturdy. I don't want to have to replace it. How hard can it be? 

I am not materialistic, I do however want to value what we do have. Given, bought, or otherwise. I had all but given up. Finding a reasonably priced sturdy rustic vanity turned out to be (almost) impossible!! If I was a woodworker, I would start making them now. 

Brad tried giving me a deadline (after a career in Marketing, he knows I am deadline driven) he even found a local vanity he thought would work. It would, but it too was cheaply made and wasn't anything special, or even close to what I hoped for. I was in disbelief. I am fairly savvy on the internet, and yet I honestly couldn't find anything locally or online without overpaying. 

Like everything else about this land, it became a waiting game. All the rewards are worth the wait, and this little gem didn't disappoint. Look at the workmanship on our rustic reclaimed wood vanity:

bottom of vanity

top/inside of vanity

Some silly so not important video's of us unpackaging. Best to turn up the volume to hear Brad's funnies:

Our vanity was made in MN, from reclaimed wood that came from a granary in Superior, WI that was built in the 1800's. I am not big into reclaimed wood, but this vanity is *exactly* what I was looking for. The whole experience surpassed my expectations. It cost about the same as the cheaply made one, and quality is incomparable. We still need to add hardware, a top, and fixtures (just like the other one). Oh, did I mention they are making us a mirror *squeal* I love old, 'er new mirrors!! 

barn vanity base reveal

a barn toilet AND a vanity
(wood is not as dark as it looks)

Yes, I am working on finding the rest of the things for the barn bathroom. Will share, when all the stars align again. Don't hold your breath ;)

chasing time

Most of my days are spent doing a little of this, and a little of that. It feels like nothing much gets done, but it does. Albeit slowly.

The feed room wall project is done & our homemade horseshoe hangers are up: 

getting ready to stain

finished feed room wall

It sure makes chores easier when you know exactly where to find things. Once the construction is finished & tools get put away, we will finish the opposite feed room wall as well. We plan to build some type of enclosed structure for easy human access to horse feed, and as a deterrent to critters. I found some pretty interesting ideas on Pinterest.

We ordered, and are using hay nets for the three occupied stalls:

Harmony's left over hay

Koda borrowed Cierra's orange net, and we instantly saw an improvement in his habits. He was so annoyed the first night, it was too funny. Yea we got dirty looks and he did the disgruntled yank-n-munch thing, but slowing his eating down has helped. All the horses have one now. No more peed on hay (Nemo) and trampled hay waste (Harmony) and Koda's stall is less trashed. So far the slow feed orange hay nets have held up very well.

Brad cleared an area in the field behind our barn to warm up/work/ride our horses:

our future indoor arena area

Sadly it has gone unused. Our weather has been less then ideal. From none stop rain, to crazy mosquitos, to high temps. Then there is this thing called time. That darn thing we always seem to be chasing. It feels like all work and no play. Someday, things will settle and we will do something more then care for our horses. They must think this place is a bed & breakfast.

Sandy fines were delivered & hay was cut, baled and stacked:

Last week 3 dump truck loads of fines and small stone arrived for Brad & our son to get our house driveway ready to pour. The storage side of the barn will also get more fill & leveled. 

We also had our hay field cut, and Brad loaded 21 *rain free* large bales into our barn - just in time before storms rolled into our area. Again. Yes, he will have to move all those bales around in order to work on the barn floor. Sure wish that rented bobcat was ours!

I am still wheeling it to the pile & back, and enjoying the golden scenery: